advertorial

High score!

by

nippon paint studio

I am currently living in a studio apartment. Unlike other studios, this one is standardized – every single frigging room in this suite is EXACTLY the same. Same sofa, same bed, same tables. You know how it is. Even the cursed bed sheets are the same color! I have an ex-gf who lives here too and her place is precisely like mine. 

my studio

Hell, sometimes I get confused whether it’s my place or her place (mine is a bit messier but that’s about it). 

nippon paint dog

I have this side table from my old place that was the only furniture I can lug to my new studio. I just moved less than two weeks ago and I had to use my car to transport fittings. I have a certain attachment to it so I decided to add a dash of personality into my humdrum studio. 

nippon paint painting table

It’s a red table and I want it to be colorful so I enlisted the help of friends and we painted the table to make it more personal. I learned a couple of painting tips in the Nippon Paint workshop a while back but she was the one with the artistic vision (and passion) so I left all art direction in her good hands. 

nippon paint jammie

The painting of the table involved no less than six (6) different Nippon Paint colors.

Nippon Odourlite Gloss Finish
7032T Gold Shadow
6021P Silent Bliss
1102T Jasmine Leaf
281A Liberty Blue
7083D Autumn Blaze

Nippon Odourlite Matt Finish
OW17 1P Mint Scent

I also had Nippon Paint Color Testers which is very useful for small projects like this. There are thousands of colors to choose from and it’s like a sample can of sorts.

She showed me a picture of what she can do to it and it looked amazing. 

nippon paint concept

This is her awesome concept.

Thus, the painting process begins: 

nippon paint yellow

Larger brushes were used for broad strokes… 

nippon paint brush

while finer ones were utilized for detailing. 

nippon paint brushes

Of course, having newspapers around avoids spillage, which is a Bad Thing (TM).

nippon paint process

She penciled in the details before painting freestyle – steady, surgeon hands. 😉 

nippon paint tape

The tape is used to avoid paint from getting onto the sides. 

nippon paint ghost

It doesn’t take long to dry at all if you have sunlight and a nice breeze assisting you. 

nippon paint paint

Watch 

nippon paint finished

it 

nippon paint table

transform! 

table done me

It’s an awesome design eh? It only took a weekend and the best thing about the project was the fun factor for people who like to paint! 

table design

Here’s a closer look at the Pac-table. 

table work

I’m lovin’ it. It looks great in my new studio and adds a bit of life to the uniformity (a word I never like) of my apartment. 🙂 

table studio

It’s a great classic design (Pacman!) with an Easter Egg of sorts beside it and it really motivates me to write with the HIGH SCORE, GET READY! and the sense of urgency, determination and possibilities it conveys.

Atlas Shrugged

by

atlas shrugged

Do you feel like you have the weight of the whole world on your shoulders sometimes? I understand how that feels. Gwanganlli Beach in Pusan has this bridge (yes the same one in the film Tsunami) which I attempted to lift up in a camwhoring moment. 😉

Seriously, I know how it feels like. For someone who’s been through all the things that I have, it sometimes seems like it’s me against the world.

I forget that I have people who loves me and cares about me and try to just get through life on my own. It’s no way to live.

It’s dark and it’s depressing. You really need support systems on the third rock from the sun to really live life.

I keep my BB around me all the time. I left my cell phone AND house keys in my car yesterday night and I was fretting about how to call my friend who drove my car home when I didn’t have her number when I got the Eureka moment.

I can just call MYSELF! (as in my other cell phone that’s in the car)

Long story short, I managed to get through. I was a bit concerned a first coz I thought I didn’t have any credit on my BB. Enter Xpax XXL double bonus. I am pleased that I’m getting extra credits for every single reload that I make.

I would probably have to camp outside my own studio if it wasn’t for it. T_T

Thank you for coming back!

Roots

by

travel

I love to travel. It’s not exactly a big secret, everyone who knows me well (or even not so well) knows that I have them itchy feet that just leads me to do the planes, trains and automobiles thing. I guess I’m not someone who feels content with being sedentary at home. I’m more the travel the world and the seven seas type.

However, I do have a day job and it takes up a lot of my time. Heck, most days I just get my dinner from the 7-Eleven opposite my office and crash.

I was there one day to get my usual instant noodles (middle of the month la, broke dy) when I saw this Safari trip in the ice cream section:

safari

*cue Dr. Alban – Born in Africa*

Images of giraffes, hippos and zebras flashed through my mind’s eye (interspaced with The Lion King scenes) and I did a mental inventory to see if I have consumed anything I shouldn’t have.

africa-safari

The next thing I did was to check my wallet (yes, I start running out of money in the middle of the month) and I had enough. It was a bit of a internal struggle – food or ice cream with a possible trip to Africa?

My nomadic spirit won in the end and I grabbed a Nestle Drumstick KIT KAT and Vanilla Classic as my dinner. There is a code is located inside the sleeve of the drumstick. You can use the same code for the FB game (to score higher) and the SMS contest.

drumsticks

Eh, don’t look at my code, I used it already, go get your own.

The SMS contest is a holiday package for 2 to be won weekly to South Africa. There’s ten (10) x 9 days/6 nights Safaris to be won, I’ll never forgive myself if I didn’t at least try! Check it out at http://www.drumstick.com.my.

code

You can use this code – I haven’t used it, first come, first served. 😉

Nestle Drumstick is also running a FB contest called Holiday for the Brrr…ave which can get you an iPhone 3GS 32 GB. It’s really easy to play, I was intrigued by the game. There are three stages and it’s a bunch of fun. I’m not just saying that, you know how Facebook games can be addictive.

In a Vanilla’s got nut(shell) it’s 3 stages of clicking fun.

distracted-gorilla

The first one requires you to steal Drumsticks from the gorilla when a fellow primate distracts him.

gorilla-watching

That’s coz he’s got that whole I’M WATCHING YOU thing going.

grumpy-gorilla

Don’t make the grumpy gorilla angry. 🙁

This is Feeding Time. Crazy Music and Night Safari are the other two levels. You have to win all three levels in the contest so go check out all the Facebook game here!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Some random hot Korean actress

by

piff korean

I was at PIFF 2009 in Korea a couple of months back and got to experience being up close and personal (comparatively speaking) with celebrities to which I don’t know or even comprehend how to pronounce their names.

korean girl

I just inferred they were famous from the amount of media shouting at them to look at their cameras.

However, one artist I am familiar with is Ne-Yo. He’s coming to KL for his Year of the Gentleman Tour on the 7th January at Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach (which from experience is a great venue).

neyo

You stand a chance to win free tickets if you reload RM 30 and above with U.O.X./S.O.X by sending REGFREETIX to 28881. If you’re on Xpax, you can get discounted tickets when you reload RM 50 and above. Get the details here.

BTW, random trivia, did you know Ne-Yo’s mom is Chinese-American?

The Cave

by

the cave

No, this is not the movie or any natural structure. The Cave is a concept cafe for couples. It’s designed to look like an actual cave.

cave toilet

I was a bit taken aback when an ex coworker asked me if I wanted to go there for dinner. I thought she was hitting on me. *perasan*

…but the truth is much more mundane. She just likes the pasta there.

cave interior

This was back when I was still at my previous company. I only remembered about The Cave when I got a text from her. She is using Xpax so I wouldn’t be surprised she’s taking advantage of the XXL bonus.

I think the decor and ambience is great.

cave food

The food was pretty bland though and since The Cave has super powerful industrial strength Godzilla air conditioning, it gets cold REALLY FAST.

cave couple

It’s great for couples if you want privacy and all that, but honestly, the food is nothing to shout about and you better be a really fast eater coz it gets cold in like…3 seconds.

Breakfast @ Mandarin Oriental and a police escort

by

mo fruit platter

Seasonal fruits with berries with a papaya smoothie.

mo bread

Basket of croissants, Danish pastries, lemon poppy seed muffins, breakfast rolls served with preserves, honey and butter.

pamela anderson bagels

Creamy scrambled eggs on toasted bagel with chicken ham, scallion cream cheese and grilled asparagus. This is also known (unofficially) as Pamela Anderson bagels. 😉

bmw breakfast

I had breakfast at MO last weekend before driving down to Damansara. We had vouchers to spend for drinks and snacks and I got Xpax reloads instead coz I wanted the XXL bonus. Heh!

However, the best part is driving with a police escort (something you REALLY have to experience). The police stopped all traffic and even created a third lane out of a two lane road so we can speed through the middle.

I think this is the first and last time I’ll ever feel like a VIP. Now that I know what royalty feels like, I can die in peace.

Jaya One

by

jaya one start

Jaya One is synonymous for great food outlets. It’s what people do when they’re heading down – eat, drink and be merry. I’m not very familiar with the other side of Jaya One (the part where Cold Storage is) until Imm Ai brought us on a tour of the lesser known section of the place.

sri kulai me

I went there with no expectations whatsoever but I was mighty pleased coz I managed to get a lot of stuff done!

jaya one seafood

First off, there is a money changer at the place. I grabbed the Korean Won from my old place and wanted to head to CIMB to change it to RM coz I was running short of cash. However, a massive traffic jam gave me a premonition I would probably have to do it another day (and miss cooking since my credit card is maxed out) so I just drove straight to Jaya One.

jaya one currency

Well, guess what? They have a licensed money changer there! Hot damn!

This was TOTALLY UNPLANNED. It’s real one, not cheat one, and I even have the receipts to prove it. Heh! I got a little less than RM 1,000 for my Korean Won which was enough for me to shop for groceries for my Turkey stew with quail eggs, Portobello mushrooms and apples.

jaya one me

This, my friends, is killing two birds with one stone.

a slice of heaven

Anyway, we were made to feel like VIPs thanks to Imm Ai, Lorraine and Vivian who arranged the entire thing. Iza was there as well.

a slice of heaven offerings

A Slice of Heaven gave us cupcakes and was very hospitable to us.

sri kulai offerings

The shop opposite it – Sri Kulai, specializes in microwavable Malaysian halal food and we had a complete tasting of their menu.

sri kulai

My only regret is stuffing myself before I went there. I was surprised that microwave food tastes so good. It’s very convenient for people like me who works an average of 12 hours a day.

sri kulai microwave

It’s not like you can cook every single day (that is my hobby, I do it weekends) so this affords a level of convenience for reasonably tasty food.

sri kulai izza

I particularly enjoyed the sambal prawns and the chicken rice.

montage

Heading up, there are cosmetic outlets, pewter jewelers, florists, gift shops, tech stores and more!

stress

Daily Books gave me a tome called Less Stress. I needed that. T_T

a chic store

There is also a boutique called A Chic Store which kindly furnished me with a new piece of garment to wear. I have a notoriously limited wardrobe so that was nice.

a chic store us

=D

carpet

However, the best schwag of the day goes to Crown Furniture and Carpets.

Check out the carpet they gave us! It’s damn awesome okay. It’s as long as I am tall (which makes it around 171 cm or so) and it’s just perfect for my studio.

crown carpet me

It’s currently nesting at the lounge of my studio apartment.

cold storage

The anchor tenant is Cold Storage. As previously mentioned I wanted to go there anyway since I had to get supplies for my stew project. I like Cold Storage coz of the variety of stuff you can get there. Deli meat, fresh and frozen seafood, pasta, it’s heaven for someone who loves cooking. That’s why I prefer Cold Storage and other import specialty hypermarkets.

cold storage montage

I am not ashamed to admit that I’m one of the people who DON’T buy Malaysia. I’ll buy Malaysian goods when it’s up to international standards coz once you’ve seen the best, you won’t go back. 🙂

jaya one contest

Oh, and they have this Christmas contest until 13th December where you can stand a chance to win a RM 1,000 gift voucher if you spend RM 50 and above on a single receipt. I can only do two submissions though coz I ran up a RM 156.20 bill on food and a RM 135.00 slip for non-halal food and alcohol. I should have separated it. T_T

jaya one specialty

Nevertheless, it was a good outing. I got my foreign currency changed, visited a lot of specialty stores and managed to get my grocery shopping done.

jaya one cart

Jaya One – it’s not just for food. You’ll be surprised at the variety of enterprises operating there. You get free parking too if you go to Cold Storage to get your weekly stipend of groceries.

jaya one end

I <3 coz it’s convenient and I managed to get all my stuff done in a single day at a single place.

The journey is half the fun!

by

klia lcct travel

When I was a little kid our family used to go for vacations every year. It was something I really looked forward to. We would spend the earlier part of the year planning on the destination and I would research (in books, the Internet in its current form didn’t exist then) the place thoroughly before we went.

family

Our annual family vacations went on hiatus when I went to New Zealand for my high school when I was 15 but I still remember them fondly. One of the things I miss the most was the anticipation. The journey was almost as good as the actual trip itself. I would get all excited the night before and during the ride to the airport I’ll be so into it I’ll think I was already there.

nz

I remember telling my mom not to litter when we were having breakfast in Sibu before going to Singapore. Heh!

klia lcct erl

Anyway, I had a chance to relive this journey a couple of weekends ago. I took a train down to the airport, armed with a digicam and pretended I was going on a trip.

klia lcct

Did you know that KLIA Transit has a service that brings you to LCCT? I didn’t! It was TOTALLY new to me.

klia lcct train

I am aware of the usual players plying the bus service, which is quite competitive. You know what I mean from the in-your-face touts in KL Sentral.

klia lcct feeder bus

I went there last Sunday to see how the service was…it’s your usual KLIA Transit train with a feeder bus (complete with a driver prospecting for auditory gold) but it gets you there.

klia lcct news

Look! You can even update yourself on the latest news while you’re at it. Heh!

klia lcct me

It felt good – I almost feel like I’m going on a vacation when I stepped into the threshold of the train. I went to LCCT, grabbed a bite to eat and then came back to real life. 🙁

klia lcct food

This ERL service to LCCT it makes it possible for regular folks to get from KL Sentral to LCCT in less than an hour.

I timed it.

klia lcct timing

I reckon it’s good to have a bit of competition over here. The buses are cheap, no doubt, but sometimes (I speak from experience) it can get crowded and they don’t depart regularly during odd hours.

klia lcct kl

The ERL service to LCCT is already running, you can check out the details on the KLIA Ekspres website. Go Green, Go LO-CO2!

klia lcct tourists

I thought it was fun just to pop down to the airport and watch the people waiting for real flights to their vacation destinations. *sigh*

A letter from the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

by

Wanted: Masked men

heineken festive mask 2009

Have you seen these masks around?

It seems that a gang of villainous environmentally friendly people have been going around PLANTING VIRTUAL TREES!

These virtual trees in turn had been matched by a certain corporation into a freaking FOREST of endangered species of trees. REAL TREES!

Hmph! As an advocate for pollution and general destruction of the third rock from the sun, we will not stand (or sit) for this…TRAVESTY.

*steeples fingers Mr. Burns style*

Their last know locations:
Havana, off Changkat Bukit Bintang
Laundry Bar, The Curve
Terrace Bar, Zouk Club KL
WIP, Bangsar Shopping Centre 

heineken festive mask me

If you see these tree hugging a-holes anywhere, please do not hesitate to give us a buzz and we will reward you by…er, hastening the destruction of the world.

Co-signed,
War, Famine, Pestilence, Death 

heineken festive mask

No, those are not V for Vendetta promos. There are no gunpowder plots or Guy Fawkes anywhere in this post (although the mask kinda looks like the dude right?).

Anyway, I was at Laundry @ Curve to do an save-the-environment video. Oi, you back there, don’t look at me like that. 

Heineken blogger video shoot

I can do green too k?

*cough*

Excuse me.

Heineken KOL video shoot 

It was a fun experience – chilling at the bar while having a cold one and doing the Heineken Festive Shout Out! videos .

You can do your part to save the environment too! I don’t think my video is out yet so here’s the Unofficial Version (TM):

It’s just simple things like turning off your air conditioning when you go out that helps keep the CO2 levels low. If everyone does their part, the world would be a much better place!

You can also contribute towards the Heineken Festive Forest Project by getting the masks at the outlets listed above and surfing over to their Facebook page to Plant a Tree!

There is a unique code at the back which you can enter at the FB site to plant your very own virtual tree and watch it grow. Heineken is partnering with Wild Asia to plant a small real forest (as in the kind that has barks, leaves and roots) in this Facebook application. This will be planted in Pahang in April 2010 in conjunction with Earth Day. 

heineken festive mask tree

There are also details on Heineken Star parties on the fan site so go green with Heineken this festive season! Have a cold one and do your part to save the environment while you’re celebrating the Christmas and ushering in the New Year.

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne ?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we’ll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

Got beef?

by

got beef

Do you have beef against our friendly neighborhood broadband provider Streamyx? I’ve been hearing a lot of complaints about it but what’s interesting is that I hear EVEN MORE from the people who switched to other less established ISPs. I’m quite happy with my connection – it’s not expensive compared to some other players and the best thing about it is that it’s available nationwide. No restrictions on where you can use it. Not limited to Klang Valley and all that.

Sounds damn hard sell? Not if you look at my history, I’ve always been on Streamyx (except during the dark ages when all I had was dial up T_T). It’s fast and it’s reliable. I think the reason a lot of people diss it is coz it’s the incumbent and everyone likes to talk shit about the existing provider and praise the new players.

It’s like politics…let’s see how you feel about The Opposition (TM) when they finally come into power. Say hello to the new boss, same as the old boss (only less reliable and prone to throwing tantrums). 😉

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...