Leading the wild into the ways of the man…
Fucking idiotic dim-witted stupid Neanderthals. It’s not 25,000 BC anymore…learn how to use a fucking computer. It’s not rocket science for fucks sake!
You’re dragging me off more important work and I hate driving (no brakes) and I have more shit (which is really Serious Shit (TM)) to deal with tomorrow.
Must. Stop. Murderous. Thoughts.
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Nite is an alcopop drink (flavored alcoholic beverage) available at your friendly neighborhood hypermarket. It contains 4 different flavors in a nicely done package which features a strap for easy carrying. It’s made with “fruit wine” which probably means some fermentation occured at some point of the manufacturing process. The bottles weigh in at the standard 5% alcohol and I really like the presentation of the nite Special Pack4.
Strawberry Delight
This tastes like artificially flavored strawberries. I have been trying
to open this for a long time (don’t ask) so the carbonation is minimal.
It’s still good though…the strawberry taste is recognizably
synthetic, but it’s not cloying. The lack of carbonation makes it easy
to down it in a single swig. That’s a Good Thing (TM). 😉
Eden Apple
One word – excessively acidic. Okay, that’s two words, but nite
seriously needs to work on the flavor composition of this one. The
acidity level is close to white wine (at least to my untrained palate)
and white wine is the only type of alcohol I turn down coz it gives me gastric problems. This one made my ulcers act up…
Lemon Fizz
It tastes like a reasonable approximation of lemonade so that gets the
thumbs up from me. The wonders of the modern synthetic flavor industry!
😉 It’s the plainest one from the series, both packaging and taste
wise, but it works anyway. It’s good! Nothing fancy, just a lemonade
flavored alcopop…and it’s not acidic, despite being a lemon based
drink. It tastes remarkably similar to Two Dogs.
Passionate Orange
The name sounds appealing enough but I’ve never really liked orange
flavored drinks. It somehow never tastes like REAL orange juice and we
all know what real OJ tastes like so that’s a high bar if there was
one. nite Passionate Orange superseded my (admittedly low) expectations
and came up with the closest approximation to orange I’ve ever had.
Nite: Make The Best of Yours!
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McDonald’s McDelivery is using a centralized ordering system for all branches throughout Malaysia using its 1300-13-1300 number, which is based in Klang Valley. I had a McAttack last night (not a McHeartAttack, you only get those after the meal) and surfed to McDonald’s McDelivery website to get the number to call.
They insisted delivery services close after 10 pm. I asked them for the Kuching McDonald’s branch number and called that number.
Kuching told me that delivery services is open till 11 pm. Unfortunately, I cannot order through them as I had to go through the 1300 centralized system in Klang Valley.
I called the 1300 number and told them about Kuching’s later delivery services and they insisted that delivery services in Kuching closes at 10 pm. F@*(#*&@#!!!oneone how dare you tell me when Kuching delivery closes when you’re not in Kuching, idiot-on-a-phone!!!!!oneonefuckone!!!
I got super McPissedOff and (insert standard procedure to deal with uncooperative front line staff) and they finally relented and put my order though.
The McDonald’s McDelivery staff finally reached my place at about 11 pm. Damn McDonald’s…what if I was McStoned and McDrunk and McFuckedUp and drove to the outlet instead and McHit-and-Run innocent grandmothers rolling a trolley while McDrivingWhileIntoxicated?
…at least they had they decency to give me plenty of chilli sauce. Literally.
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Lotte Pie No Mi Chocolate Pie is a miniature chocolate snack from Japan. It retails for RM 6.70 and contains mini baked puff pastry chocolate pies.
Lotte Chocolate Pie opens up like a box from a perforation that runs along the side of the cardboard box to reveal a gold foiled package. This is a Japanese import and the package has a semi-circular perforation for an impeccable presentation.
The box even has illustrations and lyrics (all in kanji) which I think you’re supposed to sing along to (in a forced jovial tone) while you consume the baked chocolate pies. It seems to tell a story about a wayward fox from my limited linguistics understanding.
This is what the mini chocolate pies look like. Its fluffy chocolate pies baked to perfection, at least to the closest definition of perfection that a packaged product can achieve.
Oh, nano nano, it drives me crazy! I really love what it does to me!
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MAS Business Class seats were the only ones available for my trip home since Economy class tickets have all been taken up. I decided to go for Business Class instead and expected to pay double the fare. However, my ticket agent told me that it’s only a surcharge of RM 30 per route. It seems that Business Class for short haul domestic flights (30 minutes) is not as expensive as I thought. I’ve always looked at the people seated in front with a little contempt (what’s the point in having a premium ticket for a short haul flight?) and now, I have become one of them. Alas!
However, it seems that there are perks to Business Class seating in short haul domestic flights after all. First of all, I noticed that the ground staff damn chun. This is Martina, the Coordinating Agent for First Class/Business Class check in. There is also usually no line at the First Class/Business Class check in counters.
You also have the luxury of not boarding until the rest of sardine class boards coz Business Class seats are to the front and overhead compartment carry on luggage room is assured. There is no First Class on the Boeing 747-200 used to service the Kuching – Sibu – Kuching route.
There are four (4) rows of Business Class seats located at the front of the plane. The seats are in two’s with spacious body and headroom being afforded by the 2 x 2 seating (two seats on each extreme side of the plane) in Business Class versus the 3 x 3 seating in Economy Class.
There is a pillow to rest your stiff neck on after a hard day’s work shuffling papers around and delegating tasks or doing whatever it is that people who fly Business Class do.
Hot towels are provided before takeoff for your freshening needs and a complimentary glass of juice (this is Mango Juice) is furnished to sooth your parched throat after a long day yelling at subordinates for no reason at all. The juice is served in proper glasses, which Business Class flyers are implicitly trusted with, while the standard OJ served as the “refreshment” after take off in Economy Class uses disposable plastic cups, lest they take glassware away (those thieving heathens).
Naturally, a selection of our finest English dailies are provided in the seat in front of you, so you don’t have to rush into the plane when you board just to get a copy or nick one from Business Class. 😉
The cabin attendants in Business Class tend to be more aesthetically pleasing than the ones doing the aisles at the back too.
Snacks and drinks are served with a napkin coz you’re supposed to be more culturally refined. Economy Class passengers do not get food on short haul flights, only the obligatory orange juice.
Being the unrefined heathen than I am, I did not realize I was supposed to use the napkin as a tray liner of sorts before eating my sandwich.
The sandwiches are served on a dish and consist of an egg sandwich, a tuna sandwich and a ham sandwich, with a quarter of a tomato on the side.
Business Class grants you access to a variety of free flow juices, which you can drink as fast as possible, before the plane lands…which is pretty quick.
…and you just have to pay RM 1 per minute for this service. 😉
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Kampung Hilir is a Malay settlement accessible from a small turning in town which leads into the scenic drive in predominantly Chinese Sibu that showcases the best cottage industries the kampung has to offer. There is a very popular kebab stall that’s been around for as long as your grandma’s grandma – it’s called Ferry Kebab and it’s manned by a husband and wife team.
There used to be two kebab stalls opposite each other but the first establishment (and the best) seems to have usurped the other one as only Ferry Kebab is left standing. It’s basically a stall selling kebabs (Malay style). The kebab stalls over here is very distinctive – there is what seems to be a huge chunk of meat skewered into a manually rotational implement, with good ol’ fire (as in flames) baking the meat to perfection.
This is a closer look at the kebab setup – the chunk of meat is easily as large as the torso of fully grown man…which in hindsight is a bad size comparison. 😉 Notice the flames heating the mass of meat from behind – it’s best to go in the evenings as that’s when the operation starts. The hunk of meat is sliced with a long sharp knife and a wooden spatula like implement into slivers and the skewer is turned around as the slicing is done to ensure a consistent cut.
The meat from the chunk of kebab is then mixed into a preparation of raw onions, cucumber, and various other diced vegetables. Requests for additional ingredients are catered to without extra charge and I always go for more raw onions – it makes the kebab taste better.
This is a closer look at the modular kebab setup – there is a preparation area right beneath the skewer of meat, and the sliced slivers of meat is mixed into the condiments to make the contents of the kebab.
The kebabs over here are not, by definition, skewers of meat on a stick/metal spear. It’s the by product of the above, stuffed into a hot dog bun, much like a Sloppy Joe. The kebab bun is then topped with finely shredded lettuce and more onions…
…before a slathering of mayonnaise and chilli sauce is applied. It’s not for the faint hearted or people who’re on a diet.
The kebab from Ferry Kebab retails for a mere RM 2 each, which makes it a popular evening snack over here. It’s best enjoyed outdoors. 🙂
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Aaron Ting and Jenny Chong had a wedding reception on the 1st of February, 2006 at the Rivera Lounge in Kingwood Hotel, Sibu. I thought it was a rather unique place to hold a private party for friends since at our age, the emphasis shifts from the traditional Chinese dinners to more relevant receptions for our age group since most people drink.
The entire Riviera Lounge was booked by the newlyweds for their wedding reception, so we had the entire place to ourselves. I know both the bride and groom since Jenny Chong is my classmate and Aaron Ting is the brother of another one of my classmates – Ita Ting.
Riviera Lounge has a full bar and it was open for the night so free flow beer, champagne and other drinks were available for the guests. I went with a couple of friends and it seems like everyone knows everyone in there coz we’re all classmates or friends. It’s great to catch up with all my ex-classmates and exchange contacts since we’re all working now.
The wedding reception also includes a buffet dinner which has soup, mix-your-own salads, desserts, finger food and, of course, the main course buffet fare. I loved the fish…I wonder how they managed to debone the thing and serve it in fillets while still retaining the taste of a classic steamed fish served in Chinese restaurants.
Download: Riviera Lounge wedding reception video [sixthseal.com]
This is a photo of the couple – Mr. Aaron Ting and Ms. Jenny Chong. Aaron is working in KL and he’s a reader of sixthseal.com as well, which I didn’t expect and Jenny is doing her Masters in very interesting field. 😉
Here’s one of the many group photos taken throughout the night – I met with a lot of ex-classmates that I haven’t seen in ages!
L-R: Liza, Collena, Jenny (the bride) and Huai Bin
(me). Chiew Yieng was there as well, she’s currently in Shanghai, me
and her go way back – we used to swim in her pool at 2 am in the
morning when we were in Form Five. Heh! Memories…
This is me and Ita Ting (the younger sister of Aaron Ting). She’s been my classmate ever since Form One and she’s a tennis player, represented our school and division (state?). She’s really good in tennis.
Here’s another photo of the couple of the night – Mr. and Mrs. Aaron Ting. Best wishes from all of us, and enjoy the honeymoon!
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I went to Liza’s house just now, one of many places we went for Chinese New Year visiting. She just went to Germany and brought back some Café Boheme (which is actually a product of French origin) and enthused us to try some of it. She said to write that the largest one is for me, coz I’m supposed to be an alcoholic or something. 😉
The Café Boheme Irish Coffee (about 15%) is good – it tastes great, better than most coffee liquors out there (Read: Kahlua). The group of us went to several houses during our CNY visiting – it’s a custom here to visit friends during the Chinese New Year period.
It’s great to catch up on things…we mostly visited high school friends and it’s our 8th reunion out of high school and things have changed so much. It seems like everyone is getting married or engaged and there’s a dinner I have to attend tonight…
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I just saw a pair of identical twins while going Chinese New Year visiting…they look so much alike even their parents can’t tell them apart!
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This is a box of assorted firecrackers and fireworks that somehow appeared in my room in Sibu in a mysterious and somewhat nefarious manner. 😉 I gave most of it away since I prefer loud and large fireworks and firecrackers. There were a lot of assorted fireworks (and more will mysteriously appear again tonight) in the box with a couple of larger scale firecrackers.
This is 48 Colorpeony placed next to a 16 Colorpeony for scale. The number represents the amount of shots inside the fireworks. Mysterious mysteries. Colorpeony is a popular Chinese New Year firework and again, it somehow appeared incriminatingly in my room. I love loud firecrackers and huge fireworks boxes that produce the pyrotechnics I crave. 🙂
I got up at 7 am this morning (“got up” not “woke up”, haven’t slept in two days) feeling extremely irritable for no reason at all so I decided to wake up the neighbours with the 48 Colorpeony firecrackers. It’s supposed to be lit at night so the flaming balls and sparks that shoots up into the sky isn’t overpowered by the sun, but I wanted to cheer myself up.
Thus, I set the 48 Colorpeony fireworks on the ground near the auto gate and prepared to light it up. The size of Colorpeony fireworks is huge if you haven’t seen one – it has a footprint as large as a notebook (larger than the mini laptops) and it’s about one foot in height and girth. I asked my mom (who was conveniently there) to take a video of the pyrotechnics.
She did…at least all that aiming and panning stuff, but she forgot to press the shutter button! Arrrggghhh…I would have killed her if it wasn’t Chinese New Year coz it was a really good scene coz I was being stupid. I just lit the fuse, stood there looking down INTO the fireworks, gave a running commentary on my favourite firework and got hit by one of the shots coz I stood right beside it. Jesus Christ, I wish that was recorded…
Thus, I went up and grabbed this new firecracker that I bought – it’s called Dragons Playing Pearl Fireworks Mines and Shots which is a damn long name. It’s smaller than the Colorpeony fireworks but I didn’t want to waste another Colorpeony so I decided to check out this new firework. It sounds intriguing enough. Dragons Playing Pearl Fireworks Mines and Shots. Mines. Shots. Mmm…
Download: Dragons Playing Pearl Fireworks Mines and Shots [sixthseal.com]
I gave my mom a 30 minute tutorial on how to use the video function of my digicam and taught her the basics of panning correctly (she doesn’t know which scenes should be focused on at what time, so I had to give her audio cues…loud ones, in the video, and she had to use zoom coz she thinks fireworks are dangerous in close proximity) and lit the Dragons Playing Pearl Fireworks Mines and Shots.
The Dragons Playing Pearl Fireworks Mines and Shots are surprisingly captivating. It alternates coloured balls of fire and shots of explosions in a standard 30 tube box firecracker format. It doesn’t have the sheer intense exit velocity of Colorpeony (which is loud and shoots up a good 200 meters into the stratosphere) but the Dragons Playing Pearl Fireworks Mines and Shots holds its own for a firecracker in its class.
It’s very therapeutic to light fireworks in the morning. I went to bed straight after that and just woke up for the reunion dinner. I’ve only had half a sandwich in two days so I’m a little hungry. I’ll light more of the Dragon Playing Pearl Fireworks tonight when it’s dark so it would look better…
…or should I do it now? Hmm…
Related post: Firecrackers in Malaysia – photos, videos and descriptions [sixthseal.com]
P/S – I love Sibu, practically everyone is letting off firecrackers (which was what woke me up just now) in the neighbourhoods. There’s always a constant sound of various fireworks and firecrackers, distant and near, and that, my friends, is the true spirit of Chinese New Year. There’s more to come tonight – that’s when the Chinese New Year Eve celebrations really goes off large scale. I have more boxes of interesting fireworks and firecrackers for tonight, so stay tuned!
Happy New Year to all of sixthseal.com readers!
Gong Xi Fa Chai!
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