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Keeping your head above water

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water start

Aquaphobia
(noun)
An abnormal fear of water

water fear

I like to bring around a compact camera that I can slip into my pocket for capturing moments – it’s like an auxiliary brain for me. I bring a digicam everywhere and if you’re clumsy person like me, you’ve no doubt dropped your digicam countless of times.

waterfall

I have even dropped it in a waterfall, much to my chagrin. The digicam was a complete write off but luckily the memory card was still intact. Sigh. The quote which goes “Fire, water and government know nothing of mercy” is true indeed…until now! (at least the water part)

carosel

I have recently acquired a Sony Cyber-shot TX5 camera which meets all my requirements – it’s water-proof, shock-proof, dust-proof and even temperature-proof!

cable car

I decided to take it for a spin up in Genting under different conditions to see how well this camera performs. I intended to go to Fraser’s Hill but decided that Genting gives me a more exhaustive repertoire of lighting conditions and shooting opportunities.

bowling

This is my favorite photo. The Cyber-shot TX5 has excellent low light performance. I used the Handheld Twilight mode and it captured all the psychedic details in this rave-meets-bowling center perfectly.

psychedelic

I haven’t bowled in years and Naomi beat me by 3 points. >.< It was luck more than anything, I got a strike once and a spare in another but most of my attempts went down the drain (pun intended).

The next day was spent at the theme park where I covertly recorded several of the rides. *feels like James Bond* smirk

This video illustrates just how good the recording frame rate of the Sony Cyber-shot TX5 is. It’s that ride in Genting called Space Shot where you drop so fast the seat of your pants actually lifts off the ride for a second.

The best thing about the video recording function in the TX5 is that it records in Full HD at 1280 x 720! I wish I had this when I went to KK coz my other digicam only records at a paltry 640 x 480 – which was awesome…in the 90’s. >.<

food

I also like the easy mode switching in the TX5 – there’s Scene Selection, Anti Motion Blur, Inteligent Auto Adjustment and…iSweep Panorama!

angry whopper

A very angry Whopper

Okay, now here’s some proper shots in Gourmet Mode:

I went to Manhattan Fish Market to check out their new offerings – it’s a new menu based on American Idol:

manhattan idol

Manhattan Idol.

Flamin Tuna Pie

Flamin’ Tuna Pie. They really mean flaming when they say it, the cheese is heated until it’s warm.

Flaming Tuna Pie

Awesome presentation and a great dish but my favorite, hands down goes to:

shrimp on the rocks

Shrimp on the Rocks. Fresh and juicy shrimps served on a bed of ice with Cajun Honey Mustard as the dip. Delicious!

Sony_TX5_Image

Well, if you’re been using digicams for a long time you’ll know how difficult it is to get panoramic shots in the past. It used to be all manual – take a photo and part of that will show up for you to align with your next shot. It’s just painful to have to do that and most of the time it doesn’t come out right.

genting panorama

However, with the iSweep Panorama mode, you just need to literally sweep your Cyber-shot TX5 to capture a panoramic scene! The wonders of modern technology!

theme park panorama

Underwater video is a breeze to use too. You might get a couple of weird looks since water-proof digicams aren’t that common (underwater casings alone sometimes costs more than the actual digicam). I’ve actually gotten stares and even a shouted warning – “Hey, careful, your camera is touching the water!“. Haha!

water zen

Unlike the bulky monsters in the small water-proof digicam segment, the Sony Cyber-shot TX5 manages to come up with a tough water-proof, shock-proof, dust-proof and temperature-proof digicam that is sleek and slim. You’ll be proud of slipping this baby out when you need to take photos and it’s sturdy enough to go anywhere with you.

Even underwater so you can take photos like this:

rainbow fish

Trust me, a water-proof digicam is a sound investment – hey, water damage is pretty common, someone might even spill their cocktail on your camera on a weekend night out. 😉

us

You have the option of taking photos is 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio too!

teddy bear

Nuffnang is running a contest called My Water Moments – just take a photo and explain how it connects to the theme of The World’s Slimmest Water-proof camera. Hint: Write about how the photo would be improved if you have a water-proof digicam like the Cyber-shot TX5. It’s water-proof up to 3 meters! You also need to mention the features of the cam before submitting the URL here.

The best 3 entries will be given a free Sony Cyber-shot TX5 digicam! =D

naomi water

The Sony Cyber-shot TX5 retails for only RM 1,499 and comes with the ExmorR sensor for low light performance. It has a burst mode capable of 10 frames per second at 10.2 MP which makes it ideal for me for those of you who’ve endured my constant requests of taking several shots in a row coz the perfectionist in me demands the best shot. Heh!

pose

Now, I’ll only need to ask you to take one photo…in burst mode. smirk

I’m not an ordinary egg!

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nest egg

Nest egg

Which came first? The chicken or the egg? I think that question is best left for philosophers to ponder upon. More importantly, what do you think of the pun in my caption? smirk

creme brule

Alright, the pun wouldn’t make sense until later in the post. I attended the SaFegg Healthy Living Talkshow last week where the concept of pasteurized eggs was introduced to us. It wasn’t a drab and dull event where you struggle to stay awake and wish you had a toothpick to prop your eyelids up, but a rather educational one. The lavish spread in Hilton’s ballroom prepared using the very same eggs is icing on top of the cake.

ballroom

The glistening silverware almost had me shielding my eyes. :p

I have seen these eggs in Cold Storage before and I even use it to cook. The first thing that came into mind when I first saw these eggs is that it’s very atas eggs. I love the packaging and each individual egg has a use-by date printed on it. I was amazed. I didn’t know much about it though until a couple of weeks later when I went to this event.

registration

SaFeggs is the first and only pasteurized egg in Malaysia and the technology behind it is from Korea. These eggs are carefully selected, checked for hairline cracks and coated with a protective layer of mineral oil before pasteurization to keep it fresh for longer.

safegg talk

As Professor Gulam Rasul from USM puts it, the pasteurization process kills bacteria, which is the main cause of salmonella and e-coli poisoning. Pasteurization is not a new process – it has been used for ages in milk, but not eggs. The term is derived from a certain man who discovered that he could kill most bacteria by heating liquids in 1862.

Louis_Pasteur

You have this bearded fellow (heard it’s all the rage back then) to thank for it. Mr. Louis Pasteur. Or Monsieur Pasteur since he’s French. Heh!

Anyway, back to the SaFegg Healthy Living Talkshow, I found out that a normal egg has a transparent egg white while a bacteria-free egg looks opaque! The special packaging it comes in also increases the shelf life of Safegg for up to 60 days.

pasturized egg

It is safe enough to even consume raw for all of you body building enthusiasts out there who cracks 20 eggs into a protein shake and chugs it before hitting the gym and bench pressing 200 kgs.

talking heads

The Korean representative also cracked a joke (pardon the pun) about his next egg project. I was the only one who chuckled though, which makes me wonder if I was the only who got it. It certainly won’t pass FDA regulations if anyone thought he was serious. smirk

ordinary egg

The eggs in the green packaging also contains DHA which helps your brain (very useful for me, considering the devastation I have done to my cerebral cortex in my hedonistic lifestyle ;)), heart and eyes.

safegg

It’s a little bit more expensive than regular eggs but consider it as an investment towards your health. That’s where the pun in the caption comes in. Geddit? 😉

After the talk, we were ushered into the grand ballroom. I think I can speak for everyone when I say I didn’t expect such a fine dining experience when the agenda lists “Refreshments”. This is a far cry from what I would call refreshments – there are dedicated stations where you can order eggs in any style you want – poached, sunny side up, scrambled, soft boiled, and the list goes on.

omelet

You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.

eating egg

The buffet lineup was also rather impressive, with lamb and fresh salmon on the menu.

food

However, the thing that really resonates with me is their desserts – creme brulee being my favorite. They also have a lot of cakes on offer (this is why Malaysians consume an respectable 305 eggs per person per year – a lot of food contains eggs) but I was content with attempting to finish all their eggnog.

desserts

This may be the best eggnog I’ve ever had. In case you didn’t know, eggnog is usually a Christmas drink so I was pleasantly surprised to see it here. It’s made with Safeggs like all the food and drinks during lunch. Oh, and it also contains brandy and rum. I had quite a few of these. smirk

eggnog

I think it was at that point that I decided I could never have the patience to eat a soft boiled egg properly and decided to throw decorum out of the window and just slurp it from the egg holder.

soft boiled egg

We got a goodie bag with cartons of SaFeggs, an egg holder and an automatic soft boiled egg maker. Nifty. I love soft boiled eggs and have at one point in my life consumed 32 eggs (no joke) in a single sitting mixed with lots of pepper and soy sauce.

Egg-cellent!

slurping egg

Not an ordinary egg? Yup, egg-actly. 🙂

Life is like a roller coaster

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You know this cliched phrase right? Our time on Earth is full of ups and downs. However, it seems that my life as of late has been nothing but a series of downs.

21000 cash

I lost nearly RM 50,000 in a month on the tables when I should have used that that to pay for my condo down payment. I have to move out in October so it would take a very long time for me to get this back again.

cancer

My mother was recently diagnosed with lung cancer and had to go for a operation to remove part of her lung.

suicide

Hell, if I was a lesser man, I might have just thrown in the towel and stepped of the edge of a very tall building. 😉

family

However, I am a firm believer in family. My dad has always preached and practised agape. It’s a Greek word meaning unconditional, self-sacrificing, active, volitional, and thoughtful love. That is what family means to me. We care for each other – we support each other in times of need, we remain strong for each other, and we celebrate our milestones in life.

young

Family is about being there for each other – I flew down to New Zealand to be with my mom during her operation and I don’t know how many times my dad and mom has been there for me during my darkest times.

Sure, we have our disagreements just like any other family but I think we’ll have a fighting chance in the Exora My Unbeatable Family that’s going to be airing soon on 8TV. smirk

come-get-some

Exora My Unbeatable Family is a reality TV series about families competing with each other using a Proton Exora.

EMUFPC_Q&A

The Proton Exora is an MPV that can easily seat 7 people and starts at a very affordable RM 57,548. Families don’t come as large as they used to so I imagine most of the challenges and obstacles in Exora My Unbeatable Family would have something to do with the flexible seating configuration that allows you to rearrange the seats into space.

EMUFPC_Group

The teams will complete challenges every week and there will be an elimination process every week until the grand final!

uncle

It looks rather promising so don’t forget to tune in to 8TV at 7 pm every Sunday. You can also catch it on Astro Channel 708. Go to 8tv.com.my for more information!

There is also a weekly contest where you can win a RM 500 cash prize. Surf over to www.protonexora.tv for details!

P/S – You can even view the episodes online! smirk

The Largest Milk Drinking Event Ever

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camwhore

I went to the launch of World Milk Day 2010 in Pavilion, KL two days ago to witness and participate in the Malaysian Book of Records attempt for the Largest Milk Drinking Event ever.

crowd

There were throngs of people there and Dutch Lady was handing out packs of their limited edition UHT milk to the 3,200 (!!!) people in this record breaking feat. The initial target was 2,500 people but they managed to get way more than that.

amber chia me

Oh, and I bumped into Amber Chia! (must put two photos
smirk)

amber chia

I also spotted the TV3 crew – they were there to document the event and I tried to spot the videographers but I reckon it’s a bit of a challenge to get yourself into the lens with the massive crowd that was there. 😉

registration

The day started with a welcoming address by Bas van den Berg and the usual speeches before we were briefed on the record breaking attempt.

speach

There was a countdown by the drummer before the live crossover to TV3 (gotta check if I managed to get in the shot) before the 20 minute attempt was done smack dab in the packed area outside the mall.

thinner

Thinner. Remember that Stephen King book written under the pseudonym Richard Bachman?

record breaking

My fellow participants.

Malaysian Book of Records!

mbr

Rita Rudner is famous for saying that “In Hollywood, a marriage is a success if it outlasts milk“. Well, I’m not one to argue with that but we managed to achieve, nay, surpass the record! This is the Malaysian Book of Records adjudicator presenting the certificate to Dutch Lady.

bloggers

The event wasn’t over though – activities galore was held throughout the day.

mirror

I particularly liked the one by the cheer leading team. smirk

slimmer with milk

Don’t get me wrong, the reason I enjoyed it was purely out of…er, scientific interest. Milk provides energy and I wanted to see and behold with my own very eyes just how much energy it can provide for a 1 hour cheer leading routine. 😉

good complexion

There were free milk giveaways and performances. There was also a flag off of the Dutch Lady World Milk Day Convoy out to distribute milk packs nationwide.

limited edition

1st June (today!) is designated as World Milk Day where the virtues of consuming this dairy product is celebrated around the world as well as the act of consuming milk. Dutch Lady will also be giving out free milk packs at toll plazas at all major highways today. This is not just limited to Peninsula Malaysia but Kuching too, so go grab one!

drinking milk

Dutch Lady is also running a contest called Spread the Goodness of Milk where you get a chance to win prizes worth RM 1,000,000 from just guessing the number of milk packets by type and answering two easy questions. You can even win a HOUSE! Get more details here!

Outrun the security guard!

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doof

I have enjoyed a very rich life and taken all the risks that comes with living life on the fast lane. I can’t say I have any regrets…if I had to go through it all again, I would have done the same thing. However, the only fallout that really got to me was when I was…er, asked politely to stay at a facility with limited access to the general population a.k.a incarceration. *runs out of euphemisms*
smirk

rave

I have since then made it my personal resolution to not ever get into the same situation again. /cue “You’ll never take me alive!”

pee

However, I have participated in a blogathon where we had to sit in an enclosed space for 24 hours in total. The only difference is that my fellow bloggers were not murderers or serial rapists (at least I don’t think they are ;)) and I didn’t have to watch my back every time I dropped something. smirk

support

It was actually pretty fun, in hindsight.

lainey

There is an upcoming event where 4 bloggers will be physically confined to an enclosure and asked to perform various tasks. I don’t know what the tasks are but I can throw out a couple of suggestions to the event organizers!

Hold it in!

holding-pee

I actually saw this in those wacky Japanese game shows. The participants were forced to drink several liters of beer, stripped down to their loincloth and forced to sit in a tub full of water complete with ice cubes. The man who manages to hold it in the longest wins the challenge.

This was in winter and one memorable scene which still makes me laugh to this very day is one guy whose face was practically contorted in concentration, before deciding to throw in the towel.

He actually ran sideways like a crab to the toilet before the boos of the crowd made him rescind his moment of weakness and he retreated back to the tub. The expression on his face? Priceless! HAHAHA! These Japanese sure know a thing or two about making their tasks akin to torture.

Outrun the security guard!

shoplifting

Okay, now since this thing is being held in a mall I have a great idea for a task. Each blogger has to shoplift something from a specific store. There will the the usual CCTVs and corporate security guards around but they won’t know which ones are the bloggers. The person who reaches the exit of the mall wins! However, if you get caught, you still have an option – break free from the guard and make a run for it!!!! The first blogger who gets to the mall exit wins (coz that’s where the jurisdiction of the mall cops ends).

Guess the exit!

hitting-head

This is a spin off from the second task and also inspired by those crazy Japanese game shows. Each blogger will be given free reign to run through the mall and try to exit the mall. Think Cube the movie. The automatic glass doors are all locked except for one, but the bloggers would not know which one it is.

The trick here is that every single blogger will have to run headfirst at full speed towards the auto glass doors – it has an element of luck to it so it can be a tie-breaker. If it’s the correct (operating) glass door, you’re off scot free. If it’s not, well, it’s time to break out the ice packs for that bruise on your head. smirk

cutting

Yup, it’s the second incarnation of Marquis de Sade here. smirk

There will also be a contest running on Astro’s Facebook page starting on the 1st of June. It seems that one of the mechanics would be to comment on a moment when you wish you can record in your life. This is an easy one for me. I would choose my time with Stephanie – I was 24 and she was 29. She’s perhaps the only person I’ve ever truly loved in my life, so I can replay it over…and over…and over…again.

steph

Oh well, back to the event, just be thankful that I am not the person who’s organizing the tasks. Haha!

votes

The four bloggers who will be at this event on the 5th of June will be Michael, Eiling, RedMummy and BeautifulNara in conjunction with the Astro PVR roadshow.

vote list

I consider both Mike and Mira to be my friends and I’ve even shared the same room (but not the same bed la) with Nazuwan in Kuching but I’ve been asked to choose one blogger to support and that has gotta be:

eiling

Eiling

She’s been an awesome friend and even invited me to celebrate Chinese New Year with her family last year in Ipoh so sorry guys, I’m going to root for Eiling. I know her sisters too – just bumped into Yiling a couple of days ago. I’ll be there the entire day to support her!

ezy

A good friend will come bail you out of jail, but a true friend will be sitting next to you saying, “Damn, that was fun!”.

It’s next Saturday! See you all there!

The land of milk and honey

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dutch lady full cream

You know, milk has been around for ages, so much so that even the Good Book uses it as an analogy. I used to drink a 5 liter keg of fresh milk when I was in university in Melbourne. Every. Single. Day. I can’t help it, the milk over there tastes so fresh and creamy! I think of this as a graduation of sorts from when I was a kid. I loved milk even as a kid. I remember my dad buying a 1 litre pack of UHT milk every single day, which he never complained about since it’s considered Healthy (TM).

Yes, I have a weakness for all things creamy. I’m not the type of person who goes for low fat milk (tastes diluted to me) or skim milk (which is not even “milk” – if you remove all the fat, how can you call it milk?). It’s either fresh or full cream for me.

dutch lady fresh milk

Half full or half empty?

Anyway, I had lunch with Jenny last week and she swears by Vitamin B – claims it improves her work. I Googled and found out that the riboflavin in milk not only increases metabolism (w00t!) but enhances the good ol gray matter (medical professionals call it nervous system function). I did not know that (or more likely chose to forget it, selective memory FTW).

That’s awesome news coz I don’t exactly live a healthy lifestyle, skipping breakfast and eschewing vitamin supplements.

cereal milk

Contrary to popular belief, milk is actually a great source of energy. There is a reason why cereal (which requires milk, unless you’re a frat boy at heart who eats it from the box) is a popular breakfast option. In fact, it is my Constipation Cure (TM). In my quest for better living through chemistry I have taken to:

Drinking milk with Manuka honey

I love this combination. The milk contains lactose, which provides a boost in your energy levels and the honey provides a reasonably sustainable sugar high. It tastes great too! You must try this, as previously mentioned, there is a reason that the Scripture has this analogy. I was at one point drinking several mugs of these per day due to my sister (who is in NZ) predictable gifts of Manuka honey every time she comes back.

dutch lady coffee

Drinking milk from the bottle

Oh, how everyone hates this habit of mine. Haha! I believe in minimizing the washing up so I drink the stuff straight from the carton/bottle. The ice cold milk in the morning is thirst quenching and it also allows me to not have breakfast.

Either way, it’s perfect for those of us with an aversion to vegetables and goes against the “An apple a day keeps the doctor away” school of thought. It’s easier to drink something you like than eat something you hate.

energy

World Milk Day is coming up on the 1st of June and in conjunction with this, Dutch Lady is going to attempt a record breaking event to encourage the consumption of milk dubbed “Largest Milk Drinking Event“.

I’m going to be part of this entry into the Malaysia Book of Records. It’s not something that happens everyday, so come one, come all to achieve this feat and maybe get your photo in the papers! It’s all happening at:

Venue: Pavilion KL
Date: 30th May 2010
Time: 10:00 am

Dutch Lady will also be giving away free milk on that day, featuring two limited edition designs on their Chocolate and Low Fat packs. There will be an estimated 2,500 people at the event and with Dutch Lady Malaysia spearheading this effort, I have no doubt that the numbers will be met.

Guess who will be gracing this event?

1. Amber Chia
2. Shakila
3. Alif Satar
4. Dayana
5. Sharizan Borhan
6. Reshmonu
7. Najwa
8. Khoo Cai Lin

You know you want to go!

There will be a cheerleading team performing there too! smirk

Do you want to be part of history? Be there or be square!

milk and honey

Got milk?

Ringgit, rupiah, duit duit

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the good life

Have you ever dreamt of living the good life?

My dad has always believed in buying unit trusts and blue chip stocks as part of his portfolio of investments. He gave me shares for my 18th birthday in a certain F&B company (which isn’t performing very well) and have always encouraged me to diversify my investments. I have mutual funds and I’m getting a condo in June but currently my primary “investment” techniques involves heading up the hills, which isn’t very wise as I lost RM 11,000 just a couple of weeks back.

19k genting

However, the oft quoted idiom “Like father, like son” does not apply to our family. My dad is a very conservative person and invests solely in stuff that involves low risk, with long term returns as his primary objective. I, on the other hand, have a natural affinity to terms like “high risk, high returns”. I do not like waiting too, so I like to see results fast.

When I was introduced to Fundsupermart.com I was immediately attracted to their 2% or lower upfront fee and online transaction capabilities. They also have a wide range of products you can ride on – they offer a staggering 130+ funds which includes emerging markets, commodities, energy and even gold and minerals!

aussie dollars

The best thing about them is that opening an account as well as maintaining it is free of charge, so I’m going to check them out. You can choose to invest from as low as RM 100 monthly so it’s great for those new to unit trusts.

I must admit, I’m a newbie in this world too, but Fundsupermart.com offers an extensive guide online on how to invest as well as risk ratings, news, fund selector tools and even a fund returns calculator!

rm

Since it’s all online, you get to have a shorter transaction time – perfect for those of us who works long hours and don’t have time to meet with traditional unit trust resellers.

This also means you can keep track of all your investments and buy and sell with a click of a button.

fingertips

Money at your fingertips! I just need to learn a bit more about what they have to offer.

Fundsupermart.com is having a seminar at The Apartment @ the Curve on the 30th May 2010, 1 pm – 3 pm and it’s free to attend! These investment seminars usually charges a fee to attend so I think it’s great that theirs is FOC. I’ll be going to learn more and if you’re interested, all you’ve got to do is be signed on to your Nuffnang account, complete the sentence “I want my financial freedom redefined because…” and leave a comment here.

You can also learn more about them by joining their Facebook page here.

the good life twilight

Invest and live the life you want to in your twilight years! =D

Pizza Hut Fish King Pizza

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pizza hut king fish pizza launch

Do you see what I see?

pizza hut king fish pizza official launch

Seafood lovers rejoice! Pizza Hut officially launched the Fish King Pizza on the 5th of May. Six of us descended to their Kota Damansara outlet to get a first taste of their latest offering on the very same day.

pizza hut king fish pizza aud

This is Aud attempting to emulate the guy in the ad. Pretty accurate pose. smirk

pizza hut king fish pizza

The Pizza Hut Fish King Pizza (RM 32.90 a la carte for a Regular sized pizza) comes with 8 breaded and deep fried Alaskan Pollock Fish Fingers on every slice. The fish fingers are tender and juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside – just like what a good fish and chip shop would produce!

pizza hut king fish pizza lemon

I love the presentation too – there are wedges of lemon neatly arranged smack dab in the middle of the pizza for you to squeeze on the fish sticks. The fish sticks are made from specially imported Alaskan Pollock which is a type of cod.

fish

Spot the Alaskan Pollock!

(Don’t waste too much time on it – there is none coz that photo was taken in Sabah, not Alaska, but here’s a photo I nicked from Wikipedia)

alaskan pollock

It dubbed the “largest remaining source of palatable fish in the world” (don’t play play) and looks like this – you can read more about the Alaska Pollock here.

It tastes better with lemon!

pizza hut king fish pizza slice

The Fish King Pizza is topped with crab sticks, Mozzarella cheese, roasted capsicums, yellow onions and juicy pineapples, all on a cool lime mayo sauce base. I love the sprinkling of fresh parsley on top of the pizza.

pizza hut king fish pizza eat

Biting into the pizza is simply orgasmic…the initial crunch of the hot fish fingers and the citrus tang of the lemon before the creamy sauce kicks in, with a medley of seafood delights competing for attention on your taste buds. The pineapple in the pizza gives it a sweet aftertaste too. Perfect for our hot Malaysian weather!

pizza hut king fish pizza food

We were given a lot of food, more than we can actually eat, thanks to the hospitality of Winston Lee and Nor Aziani Azizan of Pizza Hut!

pizza hut king fish pizza snap shots

To add to the aquatic theme, we were given a Pizza Hut Fish King Pizza disposable underwater camera which is (stating the obvious) waterproof.

pizza hut king fish pizza real fake

Which one is the real pizza? *feels very tall standing beside Aud*

pizza hut

There are two contests going on – one from Pizza Hut where you stand to win RM 40,000 in cash and prizes by just taking a photo with the Fish King Pizza. Detailed mechanics here.

The other one is for Nuffnang bloggers where you write a blog post titled “Big Fish Moment with Pizza Hut” and share your Fish King Pizza experience for a shot at RM 2,000 in cold, hard cash for the 5 best entries. Join the contest now!

pizza hut king fish pizza us

Hail to the (Fish) King (Pizza), baby!

pizza hut king fish pizza serve

Tonight, we feast! =D

Top 10 mood killers

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When life turns a rather depressing bleak and grey hue…

#1 You didn’t get the memo?

memo

No, I didn’t dammit! What memo? *feels left out of the loop*

/cue late nights in the office

#2 Washing dirty laundry in public

laundry

This is my empty laundry bin. There is an equally empty wardrobe a few meters away.

I hate my laundrette with a passion. I have a very limited range of attire so I need prompt and reliable laundry services. Unfortunately the closest one to where I live is anything but.

#3 Red light district

red light

I ran a red light just now while heading to the clinic. In my defence, it was amber when I accelerated. On the way back, I found out that the very same intersection which I took the liberty of speeding through has a red light camera from my GPS.

Yeah, just add that on to my existing summons. 🙁

summons

Oh wait, you’ve already added it. Merde.

#4 Don’t drop the soap

water

I forgot to pay for my utilities, resulting in my electricity getting disconnected, promptly followed by my water supply. You know how it feels when you’ve soaped yourself up, with shampoo running into your eyes and no H20 coming out of the shower?

It feels like it’s going to be a bad day, that’s what it feels like.

#5 Bills, bills, bills

bills

Related to #4 there’s so many it’s hard to keep track and when you don’t, official looking letters printed on red paper comes into your mailbox. God forbid you have a busy week at work following that – you’ll end up coming home to a dark apartment, with light switches that won’t turn on. No matter how many times you try. Even if you ask it politely.

#6 Fortune reversal

savings

I lost RM 11,000 over the course of one week in New Zealand and Genting. I have a special account for the down payment of my condo later this year and this is what it currently shows. RM 27,461.04. I doubt that would get me anything more than shack under a bridge. It’s a good thing I still have RM 19,000 in cheques which I haven’t banked in.

#7 Shooting blanks

toothpaste

Toothpaste. Empty tubes. You can’t even squeeze a pea, nay, atom sized drop out of it…and just when you need to get ready for work too. I curse myself for not stocking extra toothpaste like my dad does.

#8 Your money hard at work

bank

My ATM card went missing last Friday. I think I might have dropped it somewhere or (more likely) forgot to take it out of the machine due to my haste that day. I cancelled it and went to do a new one – which took me a whole hour. Why? There is one open desk with the bank personnel just sitting there, hard at work doing absolutely nothing.

#9 Plastic surgery

credit-card

I don’t have a caption for this. Just look at the Outstanding Balance. >.<

#10 Workin’ 9 to 5

(except it’s more like at least 12 hours a day in my line of work)

working

What a way to make a livin’
Barely gettin’ by
It’s all takin’ and no givin’
They just use your mind and they never give you credit
It’s enough to drive you crazy when you if let it!

9 to 5, for service and devotion
You would think that I would deserve a fair promotion
Want to move ahead, but the boss won’t seem to let me
I swear sometimes that man is out to get me!
9 to 5, yeah they got you where they want you

There’s a better life and you think about it don’t you? 😉

Now to add a splash of color to your life!

color

Release all that stress and pent up frustration now! Let your hair down, grab a nice cocktail, and go wild on the dance floor!

There are three parties coming up and I’m going to head down to all of them!

wonderland

WONDERLAND

Drop down the rabbit hole and lose yourself in Wonderland! There will be Alice in Wonderland costume shows, dance shows and…wait for it…

Wonderland Maids for you to take photos with!
smirk

It already sounds like an ideal party to me. 😉

EUROBEATS

There will be an orbit lightshow performance and it’s trance. Nuff said. 🙂

FASHIONISTA

The biggest and the best of them all! There will be a fashion show and after that, you’ll get a chance to dance on the runway. Now that’s not something you can do every day!

Also on the menu is signature cocktails and a chance to get up close and personal (no, not in that way, the bouncers will kick you out) with the international Mixologists and create your very own cocktail!

Encore by HORECA. It’s the new party in town! Admission is free! Click for more details.

cheers

Hey, come out and play! 🙂

RM 62.85 bowl of Maggi Mee with Tiger Prawn, mixed seafood and oyster

by

start

Okay, now back in the days, my parents don’t exactly let me indulge in instant noodles, due to their misguided belief that it will cause your hair to fall off.

I’m now 29 and I have a healthy crown of hair so I can say with all enthusiasm (complete with an I-told-you-so) expression on my face:

tiger prawn me

MYTH DEBUNKED!!!!!!!!!

Anyway, back then my idea of cooking MAGGI® Curry (it’s my favorite flavor) is pretty basic – 2 packets with 2 (or sometimes 3) eggs.

maggi mee

You know that TVC where this nerdy guy cooks it his way and goes out to the balcony to enjoy his supper of MAGGI® and meets this girl?

boil

Well, that didn’t happen to me but I went to university in Australia and as EVERY person who did their undergraduate degree overseas will tell you – instant noodles is a staple in our diet due to budgetary issues.

However, I did manage to come up with some creativity in my cooking while down under (if you eat it every single day, you gotta find stuff to spice it up, so to speak). I started experimenting and adding in stuff and now that I’m not a poor university student anymore, I still enjoy MAGGI® Mee (Curry of course) but with more…premium, shall we say, ingredients.

recipe

You will need:

MAGGI® Mee (Curry Flavor)
Mixed Seafood – mussels, shrimp, crab sticks
Canadian Oyster
String cheese
Large Tiger Prawn
Eggs

MAGGI® Mee My Way circa 2010 costs RM 62.85 per bowl. Heh!

tiger prawn cook

Tiger Prawn @ RM 34. Don’t over boil this – make sure that it’s tender and juicy when you eat it. It’s actually pretty easy to cook, just chuck it into boiling water seasoned with salt.

mixed seafood

Next up comes the mixed seafood (after you take the tiger prawn out) – use the same stock as the prawn will impart a lot of flavor into the broth.

One habit I’ve never managed to break is using my fingers to test the readiness of MAGGI® Mee – I know it’s two minutes but without a timer, and with my Time Tested (TM) method it’s actually quite easy – just take a bit of noodles up and squeeze it in between your fingernails – with enough practice, you’ll know when it’s cooked.

runny yolk

I like my eggs to have runny yolks so this is another thing you should watch out for. I like to think I’m pretty good at this – making a perfect bowl of MAGGI®. 😉

seafood

Okay, this is cheese. Cheese and MAGGI®, you say? Heresy right? No.

cheese

It’s actually pretty good….provided you don’t let it melt in the soup – just heat it up in the hot soup so the string cheese will be chewy.

prawn meat

The oyster on the top is a appetizer of sorts – a way to make MAGGI® Mee a complete meal!

I’m sure you have your favorite MAGGI® recipe right? If you don’t, you’re not Malaysian but I’ll cut you some slack and point you in the right direction – you can view some past recipes here. Wanna join the MAGGI® Mee My Way contest? There are RM 30,000 worth of prizes to give away with a top prize of RM 8,000 + a RM 100 hamper. All you need to do is to record a video of yourself cooking MAGGI® like the one I did above.

slurp

Your video should clock in at 2 minutes coz that’s the amount of time it takes to cook a packet of MAGGI®! Give it a nice and creative title and make sure you feature all the ingredients you used in the recipe, method of preparation and best of all – how you enjoy the dish!

You know all about the Tim Tam Slam right? Now, here’s the MAGGI® Slurp (TM). =D

I’m sure you’ve all done it before. DON’T PRETEND! I know you do it too. 😛

end

Surf on over and do your best on the MAGGI® Mee My Way Contest! Good luck!

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