I have a tendency to chuck stuff into my car’s dashboard. I was driving my friend back last night and took a folder out. I had a stack of paper completely blocking the dash – didn’t even know I was low on fuel before I decided to check the fuel indicator.

I was horrified to see it was blinking and way past Empty.

It was a little after midnight and I managed to get to the nearest gas station before it actually stalled. I restarted and *just* managed to get to the pump.

Phew.

I never knew my Genting WorldCard actually holds a cash equivalent that can be cashed out. I lost mine and headed to the casino to replace my WorldCard and managed to redeem 50 World Points for RM 50. I decided to try my luck at the Baccarat table…

…and managed to win RM 1,500 thanks to a Player dragon. It was a cold table when I started with my RM 3,000 buy-in and it was packed when I left after RM 4,500 in chips. I was up RM 2,000 for a while before going down to RM 1,000 so I decided to leave satisfied with my RM 1,500 win.

…and lived to tell the tale. ;)

This is Kellie’s Castle. It’s located in Batu Gajah in Perak (about 20 minutes from Ipoh) and it was built by a Scottish rubber and tin tycoon over a century ago. The construction of the castle never completed.

It’s quite a high structure as you can see from this picture. Here’s a vertigo inducing picture from the very top of Kellie’s Castle:

I strongly recommend you do not attempt to jump off unless you are decked out in BASE jumping gear. However, if you want to do the “Goodbye, cruel world!” thing, you can actually scare the crap out of a lot of people by jumping from the other side of the castle and onto a ledge.

You have to be quite accurate though coz if you miss the ledge, there’s nothing to stop you from really plummeting down. Heh.

I also did the Leap of Faith in Sunway Lost World of Tambun. This is quite a quirky experience – you wear a harness that connects to rope and it’s basically a controlled fall.

The interesting bit about this is that it’s purely manual. This literally puts the man in manual as there are two people down there to act as counter-weights as you jump off.

You climb up several ladders secured to the side of the limestone cliff and appear on a metal ledge 75 feet up. It actually takes three people (the third is a fail safe) to slow down your descent and your velocity actually lifts the two people down there as you stop in mid-air.

I wasn’t wearing anything under those board shorts and I highly recommend you do if you value your family jewels. ;)

I have written about some of the experiences I’ve had in Maxims Genting. Here’s the rest of it – the second and final post on the luxurious gastronomical and other adventures I had during my 2D/1N stay there. :)

Totally chilling in the Maxims Royal Suite.

There’s everything you could wish for in a suite – and probably some that you didn’t even know you want. ;)

I’m loving the jacuzzi!

The Maxims Royal Suite has guest rooms equipped with computers at the working table in addition to a huge dining table that seats 14 people! :)

It also has a balcony that’s even larger than my studio apartment at home. The “balcony” (patio) is actually located…

…right beneath the old Genting Hotel sign. How cool is that? :)

The newly refurbished Maxims looks nothing like the one I used to stay in as a kid. This is the floor area you’ll see in the Maxims Premier Room, Maxims Suite, and Signature Suite.

The suites are amazing and equipped with the latest in technology, like that huge 42-inch plasma TV there. This is standard in Maxims Suite and Signature Suite but the photo above shows the décor in the latter. There are two options to choose from – Modern or Arabian.

The other rooms at Maxims starts from RM 550++ for Maxims Premier – it’s their most basic room but it’s surprisingly luxurious. Here’s a video tour where you can see the amenities and services provided.

There’s even a bottle of Moet et Chandon champagne in the mini bar. How many hotels do you see stocking that? :)

Maxims is the place to stay in if you want the best experience in Genting. There’s accommodation for every budget – all the suites comes with a private butler (!!!) and starts from RM 1,320++ for Maxims Suite to RM 4,125++ for the Signature Suite. You can find the full list of features in each room/suite at rwgenting.com.

Anyway, after the grand tour of the Maxims Genting we headed to The Olive for a Continental fine dining experience.

The Olive is another award winning restaurant in Maxims Genting and there are private rooms where you can eat in relative…er, privacy.

Squid Ink Bread
The bread basket served up when you’re seated is filled with a selection of different varieties of bread. One in particular stood up – the squid ink bread.

It’s the irregularly shaped black bread that’s made with squid ink. It’s delicious when dipped in the vinaigrette of balsamic vinegar and extra virgin olive oil.

Portobello Carpaccio
This is The Olive’s signature dish for starters and it’s a wonderful plating of Tartufo nero (black truffle), shaved pecorino (cheese made from sheep), grissini (breadsticks), aged balsamic, and truffle oil soft herb salad. The black truffle is the highlight of this dish and the flavor goes very well with the mushrooms. I had quite a few helpings of this. It’s delicious and it comes highly recommended from me.

Bruschetta Pizzetta
This mini pizza is made with semi-dried Roma tomato, sauteed mushrooms, Bocconcini cheese, basil pesto, olive oil and aged balsamic. It’s delectable but a bit heavy so small eaters would want to share this with someone.

Lamb Rack
This 3 pin lamb rack comes served with a white bean cassoulet, braised artichoke, carrot puree and rosemary juice. You’ll love this if you like mutton, I was half tempted to order this for my mains before deciding on beef.

Chilean Sea Bass
This is the signature dish of The Olive. The fresh Chilean Sea Bass is served with mushroom ragout, buttered asparagus, ponzu sauce and wasabi, providing a bit of fusion there. You can’t go wrong with this one.

Wagyu Sirloin Steak
I went with the chef’s recommendation of a Wagyu sirloin steak with a Grade 8 on the marbling scale. The beef was so fresh that I immediately regretted having it done medium rare. It’s a great cut of Wagyu beef and it should be treated with the respect it deserves.

I’ll recommend you go for extra-rare (also known as a blue steak) – the quality and freshness of the meat really shines through. I had a taste of the extra-rare Wagyu tenderloin and it practically melts in your mouth. The chef mentions that it takes just as long to properly cook a blue steak compared to one that’s medium or well done – it has to be allowed to “rest” before being served.

The Olive has different cuts of steak and marbling grades but if Wagyu is not your thing, they also serve Black Angus beef, which has been grass fed for at least 150 days in the Australian countryside. There are a lot of sauces you can choose to go with your steak, from Creamy Garlic to Truffled Morel.

Crème Brulee
This wonderful dessert comes in a trio – starting from left, there’s the petite apple (which actually is a very tiny apple), clove ice cream, and crème brulee with rhubarb and blackcurrant compote.

A petite apple with a slice of regular apple. Gotta love the presentation.

I loved the creamy crème brulee with an almond biscotti on the side and I couldn’t stop eating the clove ice cream too.

Hot Chocolate Ravioli
Good things comes in threes and this dessert is no different.

There’s the black cherry gelee topped with orange blossom pashmak (a type of Persian candy floss).

Pistachio ice cream which has the consistency of pudding, a wonderful texture from the ingredients and a delightful taste that tantalizes the taste buds…

…and as the star of the show – the chocolate ravioli. It’s rich and sweet and the oozing hot chocolate from the ravioli would have you clamoring for more.

The Durian
This is the signature dish for the desserts menu of The Olive. It’s easy to see why. The aptly named dessert has The King of Fruits served as ice cream in a caramelized meringue with fresh strawberries.

Durian is a fruit you either love or hate. I’m a huge fan of durian and this beautifully made dessert (spiked to look like a durian) had me at first bite!

Chef Daniel Sheen took time off to chat with us and the question on how he created the chocolate ravioli popped out. This is actually the second version he’s come up with. He was in the kitchen attempting to fuse pasta and chocolate – essentially creating pasta made out of chocolate and out come the chocolate ravioli.

It’s always interesting to hear the chef talk about how his creations came about. :)

The Olive is also featured in Must Eat – it’s in Mandarin but a really interesting watch even if you don’t understand the language. The video tour and awesome food shown transcends linguistic processes. :D

We adjourned to The Olive Lounge after the heavy dinner. There’s a live band playing in the background and the drinks menu features quite an extensive single malt Scotch whisky and wine list.

The sommelier recommended two bottles of wine…

…while Eiling chose the third bottle, being a bit of a wine expert herself.

I smoked one of her cigars while the entire group talked over wine and cigars. The Olive Lounge is a great place to relax and chat with soft music playing in the background. It was the perfect ending to one of the best dinners I’ve had in a while. Pure decadence. :)

Breakfast at Coffee Terrace the next day never tasted so good. ;)

Coffee Terrace has six different cuisines ranging from Chinese to Western and we all had a huge breakfast before heading back to KL.

Thanks for the experience Chloe, Irene, Dee Lin, and everyone at rwgenting.com! I totally enjoyed my stay at Maxims Genting and all that fine dining. :)

The Steyr M9 is no longer in production – all that’s out there is all that’s available. Anyway, if you have a chance to check it out, you’ll find that it’s a very interesting semi-auto for a lot of reasons – very different sights, short trigger pull, unusual safety location.

The improved M9-A1 shares almost all of the characteristics though.

It’s made primarily of polyester like a Glock so it’s surprisingly light (slightly less than 1 kg or so loaded). It takes in 9mm Parabellum bullets. The magazine capacity is 14 rounds – this is not a civilian model. I’m not sure about the laws in Malaysia but back in Australia, there’s 10-round limit for magazines. I used to own a Beretta and a HK but I’ve never seen a Steyr before. It’s not a very popular gun.

Okay, a lot of people don’t know this (coz of TV shows) but a standard 9 mm caliber bullet is lethal up to 50 meters. Most modern loads can go further. Unless you’re wearing a ballistics vest, you probably wouldn’t survive a point blank hit. Even if you are, there is no such thing as a “bulletproof vest” – you will absorb the impact (energy cannot be created or destroyed and all) which will probably result in cracked ribs (which you will die from if it pierces your lungs), organ bruising and severe trauma unless you’re far enough away that the bullet loses energy from travel.

The Steyr M9 is a very safe pistol, all things considered. This is what it looks like with the safety on and magazine removed. The first safety works by pulling to pull the rod (the black protruding dot on the side is actually a short bar) down so the wedge with the white dot inside the trigger guard (the secondary safety) comes down. It won’t fire this way. Fire as in even dry-fire, the trigger will not engage.

This is what the Steyr M9 looks like loaded and with all the safety features off.
1. The manual safety set to F (Fire) – it’s default, I don’t think anyone would carry it in the S (Safe) position since you need a key to turn it. I strongly suspect you’ll be dead if you find yourself in need of using it. The wording is a bit faded but the 12-6 position is Fire and the 9-3 position is Safe. The two white lines shows where it’s at. I hear you can also use a handcuff key to twist it.
2. The wedge with the white dot is pushed up with your trigger finger so the rod goes up and disappears (see lowered wedge with white dot in the photo before this one). This is the Steyr M9 ready to fire state.

Disclaimer: There is no round in the chamber. The magazine and bullets are in the gun but I did not rack back the slide.

I only dry-fired it (meaning firing without bullets just to see how it works) and it has a very light trigger pull and travel. The Steyr M9 has very unique sights which I can’t explain. You’ll be a bit confused if you’re used to standard Beretta/H&K sights. It’s dual action (kinda like how a Glock works) – you squeeze the trigger “twice”.

Anyway, for the previous question – yes, in that photo it was loaded as you can see more clearly here. However, there is no round in the chamber. Someone mentioned something about the way I was standing. Very astute. That’s why my potbelly protrudes (cheh hahaha) coz I was arching my back so I wouldn’t accidentally discharge a loaded firearm.

Please be careful with all firearms.

I’m claiming this is a loaded Steyr M9 9 x 19 mm Parabellum semi-auto in a concealed carry position in my jeans.

True or false?

Not my potbelly la, that one is confirmed real. ;)

The firearm. Guess if it’s real – would love to hear your responses! :D

Those crappy fun fairs you see in small towns – FUN!

I met with this bunch of people this trip to Ipoh and on the very first night, Jazz wanted to head out for drinks. I was super tired but thought it’ll be fun to go along with them. I saw Anas downstairs and asked him to come along.

Thus, our group comprised of me, Jazz, Anas, Nicki, Jotunn, Li Wei. Anas and Li Wei wasn’t drinking though.

Anyway, we saw this fun fair from the hotel and the plan was to get some beers from a 7-Eleven and then walk to the fun fair. There was no 7-11 so we detoured to a Tesco and got our ethanol there.

It was fun to actually go to one of these small town fun fairs. I spent RM 24 on tokens trying to fish out a prize…

…and later shoot with a compressed air gun.

It actually kinda worked. Kinda being the key word. Jazz with the haul.

Tonight, we’re at the designated party room…for the second round. This time Emily is with us!

It’s always fun to meet new people. :)

The photos I took of YB’s range of emotions and gestures is ripe for an exploitable, like the scene where Hitler completely loses it in Valkyrie. Heh.

Here’s a short video clip that had me in stitches. Hilarious.

This blog has been running for an entire decade! I totally forgot about the 19th April blog anniversary where I usually do my annual roundup until Cynthia texted me all the way from Australia.

This is supposed to be up on the 19th of April each year and has been since 2003. sixthseal.com started in 2002 and this is my favorite post to write as it shows how much it has grown since it’s inception. :)

I was planning to do something a bit special for the 10th blogniversary – the idea thrown out on the SixthSeal.com Facebook page was to write a completely new post featuring everyone’s favorite “guest author” – veritas. However, that idea has been scrapped – I’ve not been active in that scene for a long time except for a couple of discreet incursions and I think it’ll be counter-productive to what I’m trying to do with my life.

Further reading: A MapleStory from a Lvl 2X Swordsman

It’s filed under Satire/Parody and one of my favorite posts. It’s quite obvious what I’m talking about but I surprised myself by sustaining the metaphor for that long.

Thus, without further ado, here’s my favorite posts from the blog year (think of it as a fiscal year) in chronological order:

Kiwi fruit rice with yoghurt
25th April 2011
This is in here coz it was a major milestone for me. My then-girlfriend moved from Miri to KL to be with me and we’ve been doing a lot of cooking together. This is one of the quirky breakfasts that I make. We’ve broken up but still remain good friends. :)

The best of Northern Rivers in Australia
3rd June 2011
I flew over to the Northern Rivers region where I met people really big on organic food and low food miles and ate at their restaurants. The main event was Casino Beef Week – a cattle extravaganza in a small little town in Australia called Casino. I’ve never been to a cattle auction and street parade before and I loved the experience.

Skydiving and sea kayaking at Byron Bay & Beyond
28th June 2011
The next bit was skydiving and sea kayaking. I also ate a whole lot of good breakfasts which I really miss from my uni days in Melbourne.

Epic weekend: An impromptu trip to Ipoh, dodgy hotels, losing my wallet and my car bumper
12th June 2011
A little bit closer to home, I went on a road trip with a friend to Ipoh and promptly lost my wallet and the rear bumper of my car. It was totally unplanned, I went out for drinks with Bonnie and somehow we ended up in Ipoh. I’ve cut down a lot on my alcohol consumption since then and while I’m not a teetotaler, I drink quite a lot less than what I imagine a social drinker downs. :)

Chilling with Christy at Colmar Tropicale, Bukit Tinggi
6th July 2011
This travel streak was promptly followed by a trip to Bukit Tinggi with Christy. I actually spent my 30th birthday here and this is the second time I remember being at Colmar Tropicale, although my dad mentions that we’ve been there when I was a kid.

The real reason Judas betrayed Jesus (and how evangelism started)
19th August 2011
A post that I wrote in a couple of minutes that turned out better than I expected. It’s filed under Satire/Parody and the best post I’ve ever written in that category hands down is Newsflash: Another clinic hit by notorious doctor shopper veritas. This doesn’t even come close but it’s good enough for government work.

(although I’m quite fond of The OMG! I stepped on an electrical socket adapter! FAQ too)

Driving at the actual Sepang International Circuit!
15th September 2011
My first time driving a car at the Formula One circuit in Sepang. I met a friend which I later met up with in Penang too! The experience of driving at high speeds on an actual competition circuit is exhilarating!

Tim Hou Wan Dim Sum Specialists in Hong Kong
10th October 2011
I went to Hong Kong and Macau with my ex-girlfriend (the very same one mentioned in the first recap post). We had a lot of fun exploring with no itenerary and ate at the famous (and cheap) dim sum place opened by a Michelin 3-star chef. Locals wait in line for an hour on average to eat their divine baked BBQ pork buns.

Making big decisions in life – from someone who learned the hard way
10th October 2011
My life story for those of you who doesn’t know about my dark past. It’s a true story about addiction and redemption. I wrote it for Prudential and the entire article can be read here.

Chef Martin Yan Chinese food wine pairing banquet @ Mandarin Oriental
4th December 2011
This is the person who got me interested in cooking. If you’re an 80′s baby, you’ll remember the show Yan Can Cook. I finally met him in real life and he’s exactly like his on-air personality. :)

I got to taste his cooking too!

Meeting childhood idols are always good – kinda like talking to Ron Jeremy in SEXPO, Melbourne during my first year blogging. That post is NSFW due to the photos.

Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards – NAPBAS 2011 recap
18th December 2011
I was nominated for Best Lifestyle Blog. I didn’t win but it’s nice to be recognized for my efforts. :)

I also had an interview with Linora of Red FM prior to that.

It was a lot of fun to be on the radio and seeing how stuff works on air.

Merry Christmas from Bali!
24th December 2011
I went to Bali for Christmas and had a blast!

Babi Guling in Bali
1st January 2012
Forget the commercialized chains – for the best babi guling in Bali, head over to Denpasar and eat where the locals eat! :)

Happy Chinese New Year 2012 everyone!
22nd January 2012
It’s my favorite time of the year – firecrackers, drinking and family reunions!

The 2012 Chinese New Year firecrackers and fireworks roundup!
8th February 2012
This is MY SECOND FAVORITE POST to write during the entire year. What I do is get a bunch of fireworks and firecrackers during Chinese New Year – take photos and video it and post it up. I write about the pyrotechnics and if there’s only one post you’re going to read in this entire roundup – read this one! :D

The story of the little gangster that could
10th February 2012
This is a photo story I wrote for my ex-girlfriend’s brother. I was the subject of their high pass photography experiments too and the the photos turned out great. I wrote two versions too – one exclusively for the newly launched SixthSeal.com Facebook page.

My Valentine’s Day
15th February 2012
I got together with a girl I met while having breakfast at TDH. You all know the story.

My girlfriend just moved in with me!
29th February 2012
She moved in with me not 2 weeks after. I was totally in love and thought this was the one, that I’ve finally met someone that I can settle down with.

I even hired professional cleaners to sanitize my studio apartment, something I’ve never done for anyone.

My girlfriend just broke up with me…
11th March 2012
It didn’t work out. It wasn’t anyone’s fault. Okay, I’m tired of saying that so I’ll just say that it wasn’t my fault. It was doomed from the start and I was the last one to know about it. It really hurt and it took me a long time to recover from such a short relationship but I’ll like to think I’m wiser now.

You live, you learn. :)

I’m flying high on the trapeze!
18th March 2012
I had a lot of fun at the flying trapeze in Club Med, Phuket. In a few short days, I learned how to do a knee hang back flip and my crowning glory was being a flyer and timing it just right so I can be caught by one of the Circus GOs. It felt like I was an actual trapeze artist in the circus! :)

Happy Easter and the search for God
8th April 2012
I’ll end this with a slightly cryptic post about my spirituality and the changes I’ve made since then. It’s safe to say that it’s not a temporary thing, I am getting some serious things done with my life. :)

It just hit me that one year has just passed by since I last wrote this and I hate to use this cliched term but time really does fly!

My other social media sites:
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/sixthseal
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/sixthseal
http://www.facebook.com/SixthSealcom
YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/sixthsealdotcom

On the home front, I’m still single (and available). I’m looking for the right person but I still haven’t found her so I’m just going to let fate run its course.

Here’s the list of blog anniversary posts I’ve done since sixthseal.com came online on the 19th of April 2002:

2003: sixthseal.com 1st Birthday
2004: sixthseal.com 2nd Birthday!
2005: sixthseal.com 3rd Birthday!
2006: sixthseal.com 4th Birthday!
2007: I was in rehab. There are (officially) no posts in 2007.
2008: I just got out of rehab. There is no 2007 recap to be done. :)
2009: Seven years of sixthseal.com
2010: I was in New Zealand at the time while my mom underwent an operation for lung cancer. I am pretty sure I still wrote the blogniversary post, but I’ve been having a bit of problems with the archives so let me double check on that.
2011: Happy 9th bloganivarsary sixthseal.com!

Happy birthday sixthseal.com! You have come a loooong way since the days of blogging in a cramped room in Melbourne with a webcam as a camera.

Here’s to 10 more years of sixthseal.com – it’s something I’ll like to show my children, a “Hey kids, this is what dad used to be like” kinda thing but I’m sure I’ll still be blogging then. :D

Thanks for reading everyone! It just won’t be the same without you all. :)

I love backpacking and one of the cheapest accommodation options you can have in London is living in a hostel. I stayed at Westminster at a place called The White Ferry House. It’s just a 5 minute walk from Victoria Station which was one of the major considerations I had – get near a major Underground tube station and you’re set to go anywhere.

It was also a plus point that a 15 minute brisk walk would bring me to the two major West End theatres in Westminster – Victoria Palace Theatre (showing Billy Elliot the Musical) and Apollo Victoria Theatre (showing Wicked the Musical).

When you don’t have enough time to find a CouchSurfing or BeWelcome place to crash in – hostels are the way to go. I’ve met lots of interesting people there. My favorite hostel in the world would be The Flying Pig (Downtown) in Amsterdam – it’s smack dab in the middle of the red light district and has a smoking room and coffeeshop.

However, in London, I usually find myself at The White Ferry. It’s actually a pub that has accommodations upstairs. You get a free drinks voucher upon checking in (which can get you a pint of beer) and there’s free Wi-Fi in the pub downstairs too. Breakfast is provided as well and if you book early, it’s about 15 (30 on weekends) British pounds or so per night, which is cheap by London standards.

The local draft beer is really good and cheap too – there’s always specials with pints going for under 1 pound. The interesting thing about beer in the UK is that it’s not served icy cold like over here but just slightly chilled (a little above room temperature).

The White Ferry only has mixed dorms (males and females bunking together) – I try and get in the 15 bed ones coz the 21 bed dorms can get a bit crowded. I’ve met some awesome people while staying there, including a French group who kindly shared their liquor with me. It’s fun to meet fellow travelers and set out together the next day to visit someplace – strangers into travel companions, an experience you will not get in a hotel.

…and that’s why I love staying at hostels – it’s not only affordable but a great way to meet like-minded people and hear about their home country over a few drinks. :)

Short mention:

More at my YouTube channel

Here’s my submission for Samsung Global Blogger auditions – it’s a wee bit long…okay, it’s three times as long as it’s supposed to be, but it’s one take, just like life and I want to keep it that way.

Anyway, if you want to have a shot at winning a trip to London, just click on the link above and submit your very own 30 second video. The contest closes 29th April, so hurry. :)