HB

A long, personal journey worth having.

You wanna be a rock superstar?

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band of brudders

Big house, 5 cars, the rent charged? I think most guys wanted to be in a band when they were teenagers. I sure did. I grew up listening to Green Day, Rancid, Offspring, and the other OC punk scene bands. I’m a huge fan of Araya of Slayer too – he has mad bass skillz. I tried to pick up the guitar when I was 15. A friend of mine actually taught me how to play Smashing Pumpkin’s Zero (can still memorize the chords) but that’s the limit of my talent.

I thought that I’m just not musically inclined, but with hindsight I realized that I just didn’t put in enough effort. We had a band going in Christchurch (did my high school that year in NZ) but I never got to play coz I’m not good enough. However, I do enjoy the jamming sessions and I’ve always wondered how things would turn out if I really gave it the good ol’ college (or high school) try and kept practising.

menzhard

This was me back when I was 15. Damn, I look the part right? Very rocking if I may say so myself.

rave

I party like a rock star and I thrash hotel rooms (and my own place) like a rock star too so I think I can pass off as one so long as I’m not holding a guitar.

bedroom

Yeah, I know a thing or two about thrashing rooms. Heh!

party people

Imagine the groupies you’ll have and the fans throwing their panties at you at your concerts! Think about the ridiculous stuff you can put on your contract rider – M&Ms with all the brown ones taken out, Alaskan King Crab air flown in, Fiji mineral water and all that ludricous crap. 😉

Right. Since I’m a little too old (going to be 29 soon) to be starting a band, I can always pretend – a “what if” scenario:

tattoo

Band of Brudders allows you to indulge in your rock star fantasies by creating a band with your fans and customizing it. You start at your house and you can change your hair, body, clothes and even shoes (Jeff wears Birkenstocks).

This is not how I actually look like, I’m not that buff, it’s called “artistic liberty”. I also wanted this flaming skull tattoo but I don’t have enough Street Creds so I need to earn more. I’m nearly au natural coz I’m scared and angry, so I went to take a shower (coz that’s what people do when they’re scared and angry). 😉

hair

Okay, all kidding aside, I can be whoever I want to be so I’m donning a hairstyle that would probably get me a warning letter at work.

clothes

This is my virtual wardrobe! I can change everything and best of all, it never needs to be dry cleaned and it’ll never crease. I’m sure you all know about my ongoing run-ins with my laundry service. >.<

There is no ‘I’ in band – even Slash can’t form a band solo (although he tried, kinda, sorta, with his album Slash’s Snakepit) so you’ll need to invite two of your most rockin’ friends to join you in your musical endeavor.

Anyway, after all that is done you need to play the guitar, keyboard and drums before you can proceed. Now, this I can do – it’s like Dance Dance Revolution. Believe it or not, I used to play DDR at the arcades. Heh!

audition

Stages are progressively unlocked as you explore the Band of Brudder site – there’s a driving game where you have to pick up your friends (use your Street Creds instead – this is a tough one), mixing your own song (downloadable as an MP3!) and making your music video (downloadable as an AVI!) until you hit the big time.

songs

We not only rock your socks off, we blow your clothes away!

Check out my underwater music video! It’s easy to create an MV – much like Windows Movie Maker, just click and drag. We’re not wearing any clothes since it’s really hard to swim while jamming 30,000 fathoms beneath the ocean. The musical instruments still work though – like I said – artistic license! 😉

music-video

Your debut single from Tune Studio and your MTV from Spotlight Film Studio will be rated by all. Try and get to the Top 10!

ranking

I currently have 0 votes and 0 views. WTF? Our band very 1Malaysia okay! We have a lead singer who used to have a drug problem (hey, it’s part and parcel of the rocker lifestyle!), one Kadazan female from Sarawak and a local girl! Support a bit, ya. Local artists are never going to make it big without grassroots backing. 🙂

Oh, and if you’re wondering how to earn Street Creds, it’s by clicking on the Brylcreem deodorants and facial wash!

sixthseal-mtv

Check out my Band of Brudders (okay the other two are female – fresh026 and KaYe – but hey, equal rights and all).

end

I got my first real six string, bought it at the five and a dime. Played it till my fingers bled, it was the summer of ’69.

Chap Goh Meh 2010

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chap goh meh 2010

Happy Chap Goh Meh everyone! For those who understand, Chap Goh Meh in Hokkien literally means 15th night, the very fucking last day of Chinese New Year. I didn’t plan anything for the night, since I just got back from Langkawi and was nursing the tsunami from the duty free liquor available there.

jerine chap goh meh

Anyway, I was on Twitter and Jerine tweeted that she wanted to drink some vodka. It’s fine with me, we’re both orphans in this big fucking cold city called KL. However, I didn’t have any mixers (real men drink it neat from the bottle) so she brought a shitload of decidedly feminine mixers over.

jerine lay

She came over to my studio with mint leaves, Sprite and Yahweh knows what else.

jerine yee sang

It was good though. I was damn sleepy and nursing a fever but I haven’t had dinner yet, so Jerine brought over some Nando’s and I ordered Domino’s to balance out the meal. Yeah, I know, it’s not Chinese food by any stretch of the imagination, but hell, you make do right?

jerine lou sang

Stranger in a strange land and all that.

This is our yee sang courtesy of Eiling. She brought it over during the lobster cookout but we didn’t manage to eat it so I figured this is the last chance for CNY 2010 to be doing some good ol’ lou sang – see our wishes for the year. Jerine has a bit of an unorthodox wish, but hell, who am I to comment. Haha!

jerine me

It was good, despite the Fast Food Inc spread that dominated our Chap Goh Meh dinner.

jerine

The best thing about Chap Goh Meh (which is supposed to be a reunion) is that you’ll be spending it with people so three cheers for Jerine for taking the trouble of catching a cab over to my place, cleaning up after and eating crap with me during the last day of Chinese New Year! =D

Jesus walks on water…YOU CAN TOO!

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walking on water

Ye of little faith! Can one! I did the 1.6 km trek to Turtle Island, starting out from the beach and literally walking on water out into the sea. Now back in Jesus’ time, his diciples were quite amazed by this apparent miracle. It’s understandable…they didn’t have Wikipedia back then and they couldn’t very well Google “sandbar” or “shoal” while casting a dubious eye on the Son as he waltzed across the sea.

sandbar original

This is what Turtle Island looks like from Tanjung Rhu resort during high tide.

sandbar pilgrims

Compare the above to this photo – the very same spot during low tide. The sandbar or shoal is exposed and you can walk across the sea to the island yonder.

You know how Moses parted the Red Sea right? I’m sure there’s a sandbar in there somewhere, the good man probably knew about high and low tides and timed it just right. You can’t wonder 40 years in the wilderness without picking up a thing or two.

sandbar beach

Behold my fellow pilgrims!

sandbar me

Hell, if Matthew saw me doing this, he’ll probably follow me instead.

Or not, since there’s quite a few of us and you can’t very well have that many Gods.

JivaRhu spa massage

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masseuse

I just had a very relaxing massage at JivaRhu spa in Tanjung Rhu Resort. Yes, I’m staying here for 3D/2N and I’m lovin’ every single second of it!

jivarhu spa

JivaRhu spa is nested in a quiet corner of the resort and you can feel the breeze from the sea and various birds chirping (not muzak, these are real birds) while you’re served with a cold towel.

jivarhu massage

There are various rejuvenating massages on the menu – everything from Swedish massage to Shiatsu and even exotic sounding ones like Shramonash massage. The 50 minute massage session costs RM 250. I opted for the Malay Traditional Massage (Urut) since I am in Langkawi.

foot massage

This is my masseuse – her name is Irati and she’s from Bali. The session started with a foot bath in warm water. The service here is excellent, you don’t even have to do anything – the masseuse will soak your feet and gently wash and dry it for you.

The Urut massage was great. It started off with the masseuse applying pressure with her nimble fingers…working the knots in your muscles on your back. I asked for more pressure and despite her diminutive size, she managed to apply enough force to loosen all the tension on my shoulders. The session progressed to Irati using her forearm to gently rub along your oiled body down to the spine before moving to your legs and thighs.

Her fingers worked magic and I fell asleep at one point before she woke me up and asked me to turn over. The Urut massage is quite comprehensive, I liked the reflexology elements where the masseuse put your feet up on her shoulders and rubs the soles.

The warm oil and the soft caresses of the masseuse gliding over your skin of your body while the sounds of nature lulls you into a Zen-like state is pure heaven!

I found a baby snake!

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baby snake

I was out planting trees yesterday when I spotted what appears to be a fast moving earthworm after shovelling earth into my bucket. I quickly scooped it up for further examination. It moved like a snake instead of an earthworm – it was really fast, slithering instead of contracting.

It has a cute little forked tongue!

small snake

I eventually let it go coz I have no idea what to feed a snake of this size. I wonder what it eats when it’s this small.

Falling off could result in severe injury or death

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falling off the wagon

I found this sign hilarious. It was on a buggy (or a wagon, if you will). Falling off (the wagon) could result in severe injury or death. Well, no shit Sherlock!

No dual meanings, I’m still on the wagon but my sleep addled mind is sprouting all sorts of crap which doesn’t even make sense to me.

charity eh

Anyway, I was looking through my BB and found this photo of me and a kid (tween?) in an orphanage the last, last time I did some charity. The previous one was also an orphanage but tomorrow I’ll be doing something different!

2 hour bus ride to an island to plant some trees! I need to wake up early, and yes, that is my cue to stop writing. I’ll update again tomorrow night!

damn sexy tshirt

One last random photo – I love statement tees, but unfortunately all the ones I have are gone due to an unfortunate trip to KK where my baggage was lost. 🙁

Lobster and clam pasta with mango and bacon wrapped French beans

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lobster and clam pasta with mango

This was originally planned as a yee sang cooking session which somehow mutated into a lobster fest. We were at Cold Storage searching for fish when I saw this awesome looking lobster for RM 59.88. It’s bright, colorful and knobby in all the right places. I stood there marveling at the crustacean instead of looking for fish. I was still staring longingly at it when Eiling came out of the pork section.

lobster

Thus, we decided to forgo the fish and went for lobster instead. I was concerned this wouldn’t fit into my pot and contemplated going for Cambodian lobsters instead. Cambodian lobsters are much smaller than regular lobsters, and doesn’t look like it has a lot of meat in it. There’s a live lobster in the fresh seafood area too, for RM 78 but that monster is definitely too big for my pot.

lobster going into pot

Besides, it’s regular red instead of this wonderfully hued lobster. =D

ingredients

Anyway, when there’s Eiling, there’s always wine – she brought along a bottle of Piper-Heidsieck Champagne Brut and a bottle of Cadet d’Oc by Baron Philippe de Rothchild. This is what we used to cook the CNY (?) meal:

Lobster
Clams (la la)
Streaky bacon
French beans
John West anchovy fillets
San Remo spaghetti
Garlic and parsley infused olive oil
McCormick Season All Salt
Ripe mango

spaghetti

We started off by cooking the spaghetti until it was al dente with lots of McCormick’s Season All Salt. This is drained and left aside while the other dishes were prepared.

french beans

The bacon wrapped French beans is a concoction of Eiling – she shows how it’s done here. The beans are sliced into hors d’oeuvres sized pieces before being dipped in boiling water. Don’t overcook the veggies or it’ll lose the crunchiness!

rolling bacon

It is then rolled in a raw bacon slice.

bacon rolled

This is how we roll in KL. 😉

bacon rolls

The bacon rolls are then fried with olive oil on low heat until it cooks. It is important not to overcook it, you don’t want crispy bacon, but something nice and chewy that drips with mouth watering lard.

cooking bacon

Next up: Lobster!

lobster pot

Okay, this motherfucker is a bit of a challenge to put into my pot so I cooked it tail first with the head sticking out. The water is seasoned with LOTS of salt so it would impart some into the lobster (or so my rationale goes).

lobster cooking

The lobster needs to be boiled for about 30 minutes or so – we turned it over to let the head cook and found out that after cooking, it is possible to stuff the entire lobster into the pot!

mango

Take a break and dice the mango at this point. Choose one that is firm, yet sweet and juicy.

clams

The clams go in last since they’re quite easy to cook. Make sure your lovely crustacean is cooked before you chuck in the clams. I have no idea how long you should cook it, we just guesstimated and it worked out very well!

You should reheat the pasta at this point – we used the broth from the lobster and the clams to reheat it, and it really imparts some flavor into the spaghetti!

aglio olio

Now it’s time to make the aglio olio sauce for the spaghetti. Remember the frying pan you used to cook the bacon wrapped beans in? That’s perfect as a base due to the flavors imparted by the streaky bacon. Just add in the infused olive oil and pour in a bit of the anchovy fillet grease and you’re set!

fried lala

Dump the clams into the aglio olio sauce, fry it for a bit and pour the mixture onto your pasta!

serve

Don’t forget your anchovies to add a bit of zing (salt) into your spaghetti!

anchovies

Eiling was a bit doubtful about the addition of mangos into the dish but I managed to convince her that it’ll taste great. It did!

lobster and clam pasta with mango final

I really loved the lobster – it came out just nice, and the flesh is sweet and juicy. Digging into the lobster’s head and eating the stuff inside is pure heaven.

french beans rolled in bacon

The bacon rolled French beans were great – the beans are crunchy and fresh while the bacon was done just right. The mango cubes worked very well too, providing a sweet and juicy burst of nectar which goes very well with the lobster and clam pasta.

lobster tail

There’s a saying that all the meat in lobster is in the tail and I agree…but all the taste is in the head of the lobster!

Purchasing probabilities

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4d

A burning urge to buy 4D overwhelmed me as I was sitting at home just now. Sunday is a draw day so I decided to get my ass out of Park and drive out to SS2. I got several numbers, including various permutations on 24XX (alas didn’t think to go for XX24).

I also went for the 4D Jackpot with two separate numbers, which obviously didn’t win the RM 28 mil grand prize. Putting it close to the yee sang dish didn’t work. >.< I didn’t even get close – those wouldn’t be the digits I would have gone for. 1065? WTF? I get low probability numbers like 6661 (triple repeating – website says last time THAT came out was in 2003).

I don’t believe in stuff like this but according to the gurus behind numerology, 6661 is the dream symbol for…

karma

Yep, karma. 😉

There is no spoon

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spoon

This is supposed to be a much longer post with a lot of photos and videos but after much thought I decided it was best to pull the reins until the reincarnation of The Other Blog Which Shall Not Be Named. 😉

Why would someone subject an innocent spoon to high temperatures on a stove?

Good times in Sibu during CNY.

Fat Mum

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fat mum

Fat Mum Coffee Shop is practically an institution in Sibu. It caters primarily to people from the clubbing scene wanting to get some grub in their stomach before they head home for the night. They close relatively early compared to the other establishments like the one below Today Hotel (5-6 am) but it’s a great place to eat what you would dub dai chow in KL in the wee hours of the night.

fat mum coffee shop

This place is strictly for those who observe the closing hours of nightspots. Fat Mum’s kitchen closes at 1:30 am while the others stay open till 5 am. I think their rationale is to attract the ethanol brothers instead of the chemical brothers – the latter being more apt to party late and be rowdy.

fat mum kitchen

It has a simple kitchen setup and while the food isn’t anything to write home about, it does the job. You head to Fat Mum coz you want to soak up the alcohol you’ve consumed with rice and dishes, not coz you’re up for some fine dining at 1 am in the morning.

fat mum owner

Meet the owner!

fat mum food

Fat Mum was still very packed at 2 am, perhaps they made an exception for CNY since I don’t remember them opening this late last time.

fat mum dinner

The best thing about Fat Mum is that like all other dai chow places, you can STILL drink while eating supper. It also features Sibu prices, dinner for four inclusive of beer is only RM 62. Heh!

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