Nuffnang

An oasis in the weekend heat

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sunny day

It was a hot and lazy Sunday afternoon – my girlfriend just came over to work in KL the night before and we stayed up late to unpack. By the time we hit the sack it was already dawn. We slept in and the clock blinked 2:00 PM when we woke up. I was famished!

island cafe interior

The problem with finding food at 3 pm in the afternoon (after showering and all) is that a lot of places are closed for lunch, and dinner hasn’t started yet. It’s the period of limbo between the two main meals of the day when most places just hunker down to weather out the heat.

island cafe ss2

I decided to bring her to Island Cafe in SS2. It’s one of those HK style restaurants which offers everything from lamb chops to fried noodles and peanut butter toast in between. It’s open at odd hours, it’s near to my place and they serve beer. In my books, that makes it a great place. 🙂

island cafe

Nothing beats a cold bottle of beer on a hot afternoon to go with your lunch.

Pumpkin Cheese Baked Rice

I ordered my usual – Pumpkin Cheese Baked Rice with Pork (RM 16.90). I love this dish coz it’s slightly different from the regular run-of-the-mill cheese baked rice other places offer – it’s baked and served in an actual pumpkin.

Pumpkin Cheese Baked Rice with Pork

I love pumpkin – it’s an acquired taste, I hear, coz a lot of people don’t like it. It’s sweet and the Pumpkin Cheese Baked Rice is made in such a way that the sweetness of the pumpkin is infused into the rice. It’s topped with two pork chops and melted cheese. You can even eat the pumpkin flesh if you dig into it with a spoon – the “bowl” is a real pumpkin.

kilkenny bottle

…and look at what I found – Kilkenny! 😀

us

I noticed that Island Cafe has Kilkenny in bottles. I didn’t know they serve Kilkenny over here! I usually drink Kilkenny draft from pubs. I thought it would be nice to get a bottle to go with my lunch, considering the heat.

bamboo rice

Jeanie had the Bamboo Rice (RM 15.90) which is basically fried rice served in a bamboo container with chicken wings on the side. However, it tastes surprisingly good with Kilkenny. I like experimenting food pairings with beer. It’s more common with wine but the more flavorful beers like Kilkenny goes well with certain dishes too!

jeanie

Jeanie also had a glass of the Irish beer with her rice. She thought it was rather unusual but novel to drink Kilkenny outside of a bar. She loves Kilkenny too but like me, her experience is limited to bars. I just found out that it was only recently that Kilkenny produced bottles for sale in certain modern food courts, cafes, restaurants, pubs and bars that does not already serve Kilkenny Draught.

lunch

I think it’s great! The taste is pretty similar (although Kilkenny on tap tastes a bit smoother) and it’s nice to have the option of ordering an ale instead of the usual lagers while out eating local food.

mango dessert

I reckon it beats the hell out of the Mango Snow Ice (RM 8.50+) Jeanie had for dessert. I’ll prefer another bottle of Kilkenny as dessert. 😉

drink

There’s nothing better than an icy cold, sweating bottle of Kilkenny in your hand while eating a long lunch during weekends. It’s good to see it come out of the pubs and into modern food courts, cafes and restaurants so that I can drink it when I crave for local food. 🙂

I’m going to Singapore!

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delucca

I attended a dinner hosted by Singapore Tourism Board a couple of days ago at Delucca, One Residency. The dinner was held to unveil the new YourSingapore.com site on the digital front with a blogger engagement program. It just so happens that I’m one of the two bloggers going on an all expenses paid trip to Singapore! 🙂

delucca kristine

The restaurant was decked out with banners displaying the different facets of Singapore. That’s the lovely Kristine over there – in hindsight, it was a bad idea to stand next to her in my color clashing outfit. 😉 I just got back to KL and most of my wardrobe is still at the laundry. Heh!

fresh

Fresh here was the one who pointed out that my shirt and jeans color combination makes her want to stab her own eyes out with a hot poker. Okay, she didn’t exactly say those words but that was the gist of it. Easy to say when you have a color matching outfit to the romance themed banner. :p

delucca restaurant

I love the themed banners in the restaurant displaying the different facets of Singapore. There was a bit of mingling around and then we all settled down for dinner.

bread

Delucca is an Italian restaurant with a simple but superb starter of bread drizzled with olive oil and oregano.

aud

I’m an avid traveller and I love to go for everything from long trips to Europe to short sojourns a few hours drive away from KL. It’s a passion that my family has imbued in me – we have a tradition of going on at least one family vacation a year.

delucca interior

I first visited Singapore when I was 7 years old. I can’t remember the details of it but I remember it as a very safe place. It still is – I was there 8 months ago, and I had no worries at all walking down the street at 3 am in the morning. I don’t believe there’s any other city in the world where you can do that without fear of being mugged or worse.

door gift

Well, Singapore has changed a lot since then. It’s a constantly changing city – that’s part of the appeal – they manage to preserve their heritage while moving forward and modernizing the city. It’s the perfect tourist destination. It was when I went on all those annual family trips and it still is. I just turned 30 and I’ll continue the family tradition with my own when the time comes. 🙂

prawns

Back to the dinner, there was a lot of good food and wine. I particularly liked the Panzanella Gamberetto – it’s a Tuscan bread salad with poached fresh water prawns, cherry tomatoes, shallots, olives and balsamic dressing. The prawns were succulent!

gerald

It was a great start to the launch of the new website. Gerald, the Area Director of Singapore Tourism Board took the stage and went through YourSingapore.com – their new site which allows you to see country specific promotions, upcoming events and festivals and even an intuitive travel planner where you can organize your own itinerary.

celebrity-bloggers

They also have a Facebook page where you can see the latest offers and promotions. It’s a great platform for interacting with the Singapore Tourism Board staff and other like minded travellers. There are discussions about everything Singapore and the Facebook page nicely complements the YourSingapore.com website by providing a sense of community.

I was filming the speech when I heard that I was one of the bloggers who will be going to Singapore based on the itinerary that I made earlier this week. w00t!

lion-king

I’ll be going to see The Lion King musical at Marina Bay Sands! This is the first South-East Asian premiere and tickets were given out during the dinner along with shopping vouchers during a contest. I’ve seen the cast perform at West End when I went to London earlier this year and it’ll be great to see the Singapore production. I hear the cast is sourced from London too!

vogage-de-la-vie

Another highlight would be Voyage de la Vie, the theatrical rock circus by Mark Fisher at Resorts World Sentosa. I’ve heard a lot of good things about this and I can’t wait to see it for myself.

universal-studios

I also put Universal Studios Singapore into my itinerary – it’s a place that I’ll love to visit. I’m a huge fan of Battlestar Galactica (it’s an intelligent science fiction series – kinda like Star Trek for mature audiences who can understand the nuances of politics) and there a new ride based on the show. It’s dubbed a “duelling roller coaster” with two simultaneous rides going around and with near collisions mere centimeters apart! I’m excited already. Heh!

bloggerholic

My itinerary is a mixture of culture, adventure, nature and pleasure so I named it such. You can view it here or plan your very own itinerary. It’s really user friendly and everything Singapore has to offer is categorized with excerpts so you can just drag and drop to plan your trip there.

itinerary

I also added some island hopping action (did you know you can see dolphins in Singapore?), a bit of nightlife (you haven’t been to Singapore until you’ve sipped the original Singapore Sling in Long Bar at Raffles Hotel), and a pampering session at a spa.

yoursingapore

The best thing about YourSingapore.com (besides the nifty itinerary planner, which caters for everything from travel to health care tourism) is the country specific deals. There is a lot of promotions going on and you can choose whatever floats your boat.

cindy

There’s one in particular that caught my eye – the Ultimate Fun at Universal Studios Singapore, Resorts World Singapore package which starts from 1st April to 31st July 2011. You can choose to stay from a variety of hotels – including Hard Rock Hotel Singapore and 2 x 1 day adult passes into Universal Studios Singapore. You’ll also get Resorts World Sentosa Singapore gift vouchers worth S$25 and other offers. Choose from a 2D/1N or 3D/2N stay and the prices starts from just S$488 for two!

I think that’s a really great deal.

winner

It was a great dinner and everyone went home with something even if they didn’t win the prizes in the contest. Thanks Singapore Tourism Board!

group

YourSingapore.com allows you to see Singapore YOUR WAY. You can create your own itinerary or choose one of their suggested itineraries and customize it. It’s one of the best official tourism websites I’ve ever seen. Hop on over and check it out for yourself.

gift

See ya in Singapore! 🙂

The One and Only

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newcastle brown ale lainey

Lainey is not a beer drinker. She’s a liquor and wine kinda person. I have drinks with the bff regularly and the only thing even close to a fermented drink she’ll have is a Snakebite (Strongbow cider with beer – half and half).

I personally like my beer. I used to read Beer Connoisseur and I suspect it’s the magazine that made me a bit of an arrogant drinker. I started drinking bocks and ales right off the bat just to appear more sophisticated. Heh!

…but you know, it really grows on you. I started to appreciate the taste and complex flavors that goes into a fine ale.

jarrod rawlins damansara heights

Anyway, whenever I go out drinking with Lainey she’ll be drinking something other than beer. It was decided that last Friday’s watering hole would be Jarrod & Rawlins in Damansara Heights. She works in that area and I live in Damansara Heights but I don’t think we’ve ever been here together.

jarrod rawlins

We usually go to watering holes in MidValley or TTDI so we headed somewhere different this time. I love Jarrod & Rawlins coz it’s a nice and chill place (and it’s very close to where I live – I could even walk home if I was so inclined). I also like the food there and their toilets are awesome.

aircon

Yes, their toilets. I know a lot of places have air conditioned toilets but where else have you seen a self contained unit inside the toilet? Not many places right?

It’s awesome. You can take a dump in peace in a place like this. Comfort max.

newcastle brown ale food

It sounds a bit wrong to segue back into food after that bit about water closets but I’ll do it anyway. 😉 I’ve already eaten so we shared a plate of stew and mash. It was then that I noticed they have a lot of tent cards on the tables promoting Newcastle Brown Ale for RM 19.

newcastle brown ale

I have fond memories of my two recent trips to England so I ordered one to try. I ended up drinking 3 bottles. Heh! It is really good. It has been around since 1927 – an unconventional ale brewed by Colonel Jim Porter in (you guessed it) Newcastle, England. He was looking to make a unique ale that’s full flavored yet easy to drink.

jarrod rawlins deli

An ale is a man’s drink, I’ll like to think. I had a lot of ale when I went to England. They really take pride in their beer over there. It’s a lot harder for new and young drinkers to palate since they tend to gravitate towards the lighter lagers. However, Newcastle Brown Ale bucks the trend by being smooth and easy to drink.

Predictably, Lainey won’t drink the Newcastle Brown Ale. I insisted she try it – I told her to forget all the preconceived notions of beer she has and just sip it like a “blind taste test”. She did it for me, although I could tell she didn’t want to. If you know her, you’ll know she doesn’t drink beer.

I was half expecting her to spit it out or even grimace but surprisingly she had some good things to say about it.

Lainey’s take on it: “It’s a lot smoother than beer, goes down a lot better and it doesn’t have a weird aftertaste.”

Now, if you know Lainey that is VERY HIGH PRAISE indeed since she doesn’t even like light lager…and Newcastle Brown Ale is (obviously) an ale.

newcastle brown ale bottle

Beer is serious business to the British. The Newcastle Brown Ale available here comes in bottles, and contrary to popular belief, you can bottle an ale and have it taste like draft beer too. There’s this ale called Kings Table Real Ale that’s only available in the Tower of London. It tastes just as good and fresh as the ales in local pubs.

kings table ale

I like the fact that Newcastle Brown Ale doesn’t have carbonation – it’s an authentic ale. The ales and beers in England doesn’t have carbonation too – it’s pulled from a pump like device – at least the local brews are.

england ale

It tastes real smooth and it reminds me a lot of England…sitting down with a pint and just relaxing. Newcastle Brown Ale will appeal to both new drinkers and the more sophisticated beer lovers – it’s easy drinkability will appeal to the younger crowd while the full body and flavor will find affinity with ale purists.

Newcastle Brown Ale comes in a 330 ml bottle with an accompanying glass and pours well with a golden honey color topped with a puffy white head. It’s 4.7% which is lower than what regular drinks over here weighs in at but about the same as British standard drinks.

newcastle brown ale us

I found it slightly sweet and I love the caramel aftertaste too. Just drinking one allows me to revisit the nice memories of going into a local pub in England and drinking a pint of ale…while in KL.

newcastle brown ale pairing

Try pairing Newcastle Brown Ale with cheeses, olives and deli meats like salami – all available at Jarrod & Rawlins. This ale also complements dishes like smoked salmon.

It truly deserves the title of The One and Only. I just wish it comes in a larger pint sized bottle coz I’m used to drinking pints instead of half pints. 🙂

The aftermath

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I’ve always washed my hair like this:

wrong

I believe kung fu experts call this the Tiger Claw stance. smirk

It doesn’t do much in the way of getting your scalp clean. It’s just that I’ve tutored under a false master (namely, me) and no one ever bothered to tell me that it’s the wrong way to shampoo your hair. You’re basically using your fingernails to quickly rake through your hair, making as much foam as possible before moving on.

correct

I am now using the correct method – employing only the very tips of my fingers (kinda like playing a guitar) to methodically cover the entire scalp.

I think the switch from using soap to proper shampoo on my hair did a world of good too. 😉

It’s strange how quickly one can break a bad habit and adopt new methods.

It is done.

svenson review

I have gone through all 10 sessions, showing up every Tuesday and Thursday at Svenson for hair loss prevention treatments.

I have used their shampoo and conditioner twice a day with correct washing techniques.

It’s now time to evaluate how the Svenson treatments go.

scan

You might remember this photo from the first time I went to Svenson to get my scalp checked.

final-magnifying

This is what I look like now. I’m told it’s the real color of my scalp – pink. I’ve finally gotten through the gunk from years of abuse and the pores have started to open up again.

final steaming

The best part is that I can wear black clothing without having to consciously brush away annoying dandruff from my shoulders (and completely missing my back) every hour or so. Heh! My dandruff is gone and my oily scalp is under control. It only takes one brushing hand through my hair to realize that – it no longer comes off greasy and smelling of a weird odor but clean, as it should be.

final massage

I’ll be completely honest, I sometimes forget to shampoo and I STILL have a clean scalp when the magnifier is used. I’m sometimes half tempted to apologize first before going under the magnifier but I decided to let it go and see what it shows. It’s quite amazing, the Svenson treatments is pretty forgiving of lapses like this – the disciplined treatment schedule ensures that my scalp remains clean. 😀

treatments done

It really works. Despite my initial skepticism over such treatments, I kept going for the treatment sessions and I come to proclaim that Svenson delivers on its promises. Naturally, the dead zones (where my pores have closed completely) is still hairless, but the bits they could save is regenerating healthy hair – not the thin, sickly hair of before but strong, thick strands of hair follicle.

hairstyle

I would seriously recommend it to people who are balding or exhibiting the signs of balding – itchy scalp, oily scalp, dandruff and the sort. I’m a happy customer and Svenson has outlets throughout Malaysia so you might want to seek help or at least an initial assessment if you’re having the same problems.

dna

I also noticed a banner at their MidValley outlet one day and asked about it. It is of interest to me since I have genetic male pattern baldness too – both my grandparents (maternal and paternal), uncles and father started balding early. Svenson launched their new DNA Genetic Hair Loss Test recently and you can still get the introductory price of RM 120 if you’re curious as to whether you have a predisposition towards baldness.

mousse

You know the old adage. Prevention is better than cure. This is very true when it comes to hair coz as I said, the part where the hair follicles have completely closed up cannot be salvaged. Svenson can do wonders even if you have genetic factors towards baldness so perhaps you’ll want to drop by one of their outlets to take it.

…and there’s always the chance to win a hair treatment package if you’re too attached to your wallet to part with any of the notes. 😉 You can get a FREE hair assessment just by participating so there’s a good reason to participate in the Save My Hair contest.

thanks

Trust me, you won’t regret it. I’m would like to thank Chiou Mei and all of the Svenson MidValley team (Mary, Mun, Connie, Michelle, May and the rest – sorry if I left anyone out) for the great service and for putting up with me. It’s a really nice place where you can read the latest magazines while chilling out and getting your hair treatments and you never feel pressured to leave after that.

may

They’ll even help you style your hair if you want too – a very convenient offer that I took advantage of when I schedule my appointments before an event. Truly, service with a smile (and more). 🙂

chillax

You can read my initial contact here and join the Save My Hair contest where every participant will win at least one hair assessment here.

I am balding!

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balding me

I have come to expect it but I never realized the extent of the damage until I was shown the crater sized bald patch on the dome of my head. I can’t exactly see the top of my skull myself so I’ve always assumed it was of little significance, until I started getting more and more comments about it. -_-

steamer

This is compounded by the fact that I’m a typical male – using soap for everything. Yes, I use soap to wash my hair too. I don’t have shampoo or other hair care products coz I’m lazy to go through the laborious steps in the shower.

direct

I had all the signs – dandruff, oily scalp and visible balding. I am balding from the top and front so I figured there’s nothing much I can do anyway. In fact, I think I’ve come to accept that I’m balding and would go for hair implants when it shows too much.

However, I was galvanized into action when I heard the balding process CAN be reversible, if treated early.

massage hand

I have to admit, I have my doubts about baldness prevention treatments due to the plethora of offerings out there claiming to be able to give you a robust mane of hair – the fountain of youth for follicles, if you will.

svenson

I was introduced to Svenson (which started out in London) and decided to give their hair treatments a go, to see how well it performs. I reckon I didn’t have anything to lose anyway (no pun intended) so I made an appointment and headed over to their center opposite Boulevard Hotel in MidValley.

magnify

Mary was the consultant that I encountered during my first visit there. I was impressed that she gave me all the facts and made no extravagant claims or promises. She did a scan of my scalp using this magnifier which enlarges everything to 200x magnification.

My scalp really looks horrible – it’s clogged with sediments and the new hair follicles are getting thinner and thinner – a sure sign of unhealthy hair and impending baldness.

before
Before

She was very straight with me – she told me the treatments can save the hair that’s still alive and healthy but they’re not miracle workers.

balding

The bits where the follicles have totally closed off is un-salvagable. I really appreciate the honesty of Svenson – they don’t make ridiculous promises they can’t keep, unlike other hair treatments I’ve heard about.

svenson products

The first session involved an intensive therapy to get my hair back in order.

shampoo

The nice lady attending to me first shampooed me twice before applying conditioner.

steaming

My head was put under a steamer to open up the hair follicles.

pen

I was then treated with cooling saline solution – this was done via a pen like contraption ejecting a fine stream of mist.

This procedure is to wash away and clean the gunk off my scalp.

serum

Svenson then applied their serum using the OxyDH machine after all the washing for better absorption. The precision of the pen allows them to go through my hair and scalp inch by inch.

corrective fluid

Corrective fluid was then applied using a brush without washing off the serum…

…and massaged into the open and inviting hair follicles.

massage

A machine vibrator (get your mind out of the gutter) is then used to massage in all the goods. You’re supposed to leave the treatment in for 8 hours before washing.

shampoo conditioner

I was given shampoo and conditioner by Svenson (which costs RM 80 each) to use in an effort to salvage what’s left of my hair and return it to it’s former crowning glory. 😀

after
After

There was a post-treatment scan and the difference, as they say, is crystal clear. You can’t even see my scalp from the scan before the procedure and now you can see the natural pink scalp vividly like a raunchy cabaret show. 😉

svenson after

I am pretty impressed with what I’ve seen so far. I am scheduled for 10 treatment sessions and I’ll write a review about it when I’m done with it to see how it goes in the end. It’s all about constant maintenance though, as Mary reminds me, so I’ll have to do my part in shampooing twice a day and applying conditioner properly as well.

oxydh

The treatment sessions takes an hour each and there’s consultation before that so it doesn’t take up a lot of time but it’ll require commitment. I’m going twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I’ll be honest with you guys – I am worried about going bald despite the stanch don’t-give-a-shit attitude that I exude.

I think it does subconsciously affect my self confidence since I’ve long thought about hair implants when I started balding started during my university days. I’m glad to report that there is a way to stop baldness but you’ll have to go before it’s too late.

treatment

…and with that, I have a bit of good news to share. Svenson is having a Save My Hair contest on their Facebook page – drop by and see if you can if can win the full hair care treatment prize. There are 10 to be given out and if you’re ever curious about the state of your hair, just join their Facebook page and vote for one of the contestants to get a complimentary hair and scalp analysis.

I’ve always distrusted “Before” and “After” photos coz they tend to be Photoshopped and/or taken with bad angles/lighting/dressing. However, considering the fact that you all know my Photoshop skillz is practically nonexistent – I present to you:

before-after

Word.

March is the new December!

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harley

You know, I’ve always wanted to be a biker when I was growing up. It’s easy to imagine yourself riding down a highway with the wind blowing through your hair and the freedom of the open roads lying ahead.

I can just imagine Deep Purple’s Highway Star playing while I rev my chopper.

…and then I realized that my feet can’t reach the ground.

I’ve tried to get on a Harley and even the smallest of the big bikes isn’t built for a relatively diminutive 171 cm person with a high body to leg ratio. I nearly toppled the bike while I was on it coz it was too high and heavy.

girls

It was at an exhibition in Melbourne when I was doing my university there, and I could practically hear the muted laughter of the crowd and see the attendant trying to suppress a grin. I slinked away as best as I could and tried to look nonchalant while at it. action

I don’t think I fooled anyone.

…but never you mind! smirk

launch

March is here and let’s face it, it’s not one of the best months of the year. It’s like the reason Cyrus Jakoby gave when he killed one of his clones in The Dragon Factory – “It’s a Tuesday”. Tuesdays, like March is one of the mundane moments of existence. There are no public holidays in March and you’ve just come out of the shortest month in the year (February) with a festive season to boot.

I wonder if researchers collect statistics about depression diagnoses during the month of March.

merry me

However, things are starting to look up since St Patrick’s Festival is going to be held in March this year. I went to the media launch and if this is an indication of things to come, it’s going to be an awesome March instead.

March would be the new December!

I mean, how often do you see bikers revving their choppers followed by a parade of dancers, clowns, cosplayers and buskers?

I consider myself a little jaded and cynical so for something to impress me like this, it’s gotta mean something.

musket

After the official launch of St Patrick’s Festival 2011 (complete with an old musket that shoots a spray of sparks) at The Tavern, there was entertainment and food galore.

food

You know what Guinness is about – fun, laughter, and friends.

This year, St Patrick’s Festival is going to be more like a parade than a carnival. There were mimes and performers interacting with the crowd. I like the change – it feels like Mardi Gras without the beads and that’s just indoors!

buskers

Imagine them bringing this outdoors and you’ll get an even bigger scale to the entire parade.

giggag

There’s also an app called St Patrick’s GigGag that’s hilarious to play around with. It’s a cheesy but funny customizable video where you can put images of you and your friends to make a choice of two videos.

hahaha

HAHAHA

how

Basically, what happens is that you choose four (4) friends and use the in-built tool to fix the faces to the template. You also have to set where the mouths are and that produces some unexpected but funny results. Heh!

St Patrick’s GigGag is meant as a fun application to celebrate the festivities of St Patrick’s Festival so try it out and spread the word. You can pull profile photos straight from Facebook so it’s easy to use and share!

dance

The main event will be at Changkat Bukit Bintang on the 17th of March from 6 pm – 12 am and there’s going to be celebrations throughout Malaysia – even in Sabah and Sarawak, so no one misses out on this.

Join the Guinness Malaysia Facebook page for more info on events at your place!

us

There’s going to be trivia and games in addition to the parade so it’s all going to be very engaging stuff.

performance

Combine that with food and pints of Guinness and you’ll be saying “Miss March much?” in April.

up

I’m looking forward to it already. Alright, I’m looking up in this photo but you know what I mean. 🙂

An awesome start to 2011

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jeanie

Well, for those of you who don’t know, I’ve just gotten into a relationship over Chinese New Year. It was a bit of a surprise to even my friends coz I was busy most of the time while I was back in my hometown. I’ve not been in a serious relationship for a long time so I’m glad all my friends are really supportive and happy for me.

facebook

I think being in a relationship is awesome!

relationship

Sure, it’s not smooth sailing, but nothing ever is.

couple

Awesome. It’s one of the words I tend to overuse but in the right situations there is nothing else that can substitute this adjective.

I’ve been up to quite a lot of things that would fall into the “awesome” category this year. It has been a very fruitful 2011. I spent NYE on a plane to London for almost a month long vacation in Europe.

wicked

I managed to catch Wicked the Musical (wicked is synonymous with awesome btw ;)) in West End.

amsterdam

I spent several days in Amsterdam – it’s my second time there within 4 months and I still love the place to bits. The tolerant and easy going nature of the Dutch makes this one of my favorite cities. I love chilling out at one of the many coffeeshops there too.

friends

Meeting new friends while backpacking throughout Europe was an awesome experience for me too. You get to see things from different cultures and some of the people you meet makes such an impact that you keep in touch even after you’re back.

georgia

I also went down the road less travelled and took a flight to Georgia. Now that was one of the highlights of my trip. It’s a post-Soviet country and there’s a bit of saperatist rumblings in South Ossetia but in general, Georgians are a very friendly lot.

georgian

In fact, I’ll say they’re hospitable to fault. I met people who bought me lunch and drinks and were curious about where I came from. Apparently, not many Malaysians visit Georgia. I think their hospitality in the face of poverty is downright awesome.

cny

Moving forward chronologically, I spent about 2 weeks in Sibu for Chinese New Year. It’s the place I was born in and even though I never spent much time there since I went to New Zealand for my high school at the age of 15, I still consider it my home.

reunion

The best part about Chinese New Year for me is the reunion dinner. I look forward to it every year and I’m thankful that my grandma is still around. She is the poverbial thread that binds us all. She’s getting along in the years and it always makes me happy to see her and give her a huge hug.

You know, hugging is not something that the older generation of conservative Chinese embrace (pun not intended) but my grandma has taken to it with a passion that surprised even me.

niece

Ever since I started giving her hello and goodbye hugs, she’s been wonderfully touched and even took to giving me affectionate carresses and pecks on the cheek. I wouldn’t have imagined she would ever do that, but it’s surprising how much she likes it and more than a little heartwarming that it has become part of our family tradition. 🙂

sister

My sister came back with her husband and my niece in tow this Chinese New Year, which was part of the reason I spent so much time back in Sibu. The last time I saw my niece was in the middle of last year when my mom had her lung cancer operation and she was a wee little thing back then.

She’s all grown up now – she’s a year old and for some reason she’s all smiles and laughter when she sees me, which makes me deliriously happy. Heh!

My niece doesn’t like strangers to hold and touch her but she’s taken to me and it’s an feeling I can’t explain when she gives off her baby coos and holds out her arms to be picked up. I love hugging her – she’s small, soft and she smells like milk. 🙂

kara

She’s awesome!

Do you know what else is awesome? A trip to Italy for 8D/7N, exploring over 11 cities plus a 3 hour ride in a Ferrari in Tuscany! All you need to do is to grab a Sunkist pack with the word “Awesome” and take a photo with it. You can upload it on the site or MMS it to 016 339 9950 and type . Start sharing your photo and get people to vote for you and you might be on your way to Italy!

There’s also a RM 500 prize for weekly winners and you can snag RM 100 just by being the highest weekly voter so there’s another good reason to join the contest. Sunkist is awesome!

sunkist

I think I’m awesome too! Everyone should feel this way. I read this article about control – if you let what other people think about you affect your mood, you’re basically giving up control of your emotions to others. Think positive and be awesome! 😀

Surf over to Sunkist Daily Dose of Awesome for more details on how to participate. There are other amazing prizes up for grabs so hurry up and join the contest before it’s too late. I love Sunkist coz I’m always a bit lazy when it comes to eating right so it provides me with all the vitamins I need to be…

awesome

AWESOME!

…and please be awesome too and vote for my photo here. smirk

Please do not try this at home!

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stealth

I’m quite fond of pranks of the practical nature and once I get an idea into my head, it’s nigh impossible to push it out. I’ll just keep thinking about it until I do it.

left for dead

Anyway, while my parents were out, I got a friend to take a photo of me lying prone on the ground. This by itself is nothing to write home about but what I’m about to do is – mischief. 😉

cctv

I sat at the home CCTV monitoring screens until my dad and mom drove up the street and rushed out and projected this image right in the middle of the road:

prank

ZOMG I could literally hear the ABS kick in as my dad braked HARD to avoid hitting what he thought was a person lying dead in the middle of the road. smirk

I got a good earful from my parents about practical jokes taken too far but it just shows how amazingly vivid and realistic the projection is.

dad car

I repeat – Do not try this at home or at all! No homo sapiens or vehicles were harmed during the prank but it’s still a stupid (but funny) thing to do.

You might be wondering how managed to lug a projector with such speed and grace to catch them just before they pulled in and the answer is…I didn’t.

nikon s1100pj

I used the Nikon Coolpix S1100pj to do it. This compact digital camera has an awesome built-in projection feature that allows incredibly clear photos to be projected onto any surface.

There are a lot of applications I can think of for this:

inducement

Projecting an image of your favorite dish when you only have leftover rice to eat. This is psychologically like the story of the poor man who ate his bowl of rice while savoring the aromas from his rich neighbors’ cooking from outside the kitchen. You know how the story goes – the rich man (being an ass) demanded compensation and the wise judge agreed that gold coins should be paid in reparation…except the rich man only got to hear the clinking of the coins. LOL! Justice at it’s best!

airline

You can also use it to project images of food on the flight back from a long vacation after you used up all your money and can’t afford to buy an in-flight meal but I suspect this would make your hunger worse.

nikon s1100pj projection

What the Nikon Coolpix S1100pj really excels in is showing vacation photos to friends and family. There is a retractable kickstand which you can use to tilt the camera and an IR remote to flick through the photos but I like manually going through the images with the touchscreen – it’s just personal preference.

I just returned from another vacation in Europe so I was showing off the photos of my travels to my parents (to make up for the prank I pulled). They’re heading to Europe later this year too so I thought I’ll give them the heads up on where to go when they’re there.

There are other things I liked about the Nikon Coolpix S1100pj:

The HD movie recording feature

tilt

The tilt sensor that knows when you’re holding it horizontally or vertically and adjust the menu orientation automatically

The 14.1 MP sensor and the option to shoot in traditional (4:3) or widescreen (16:9) aspect ratios.

projection

However, the best thing about the Nikon Coolpix S1100pj is still the built-in projection feature. I’ve shown this to numerous friends and they were all amazed by the bright and vivid projected images. You don’t have to crowd around to sneak a glimpse at the LCD screen anymore – that’s so 2008 – just project it for everyone to see.

You can project it on almost any surface – even on the ground! 🙂

lainey

I’ll be the coolest kid on the block with this!

I want it now!

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want it now

I can’t deny it, I’m part of the “I want it now!” generation where everything is (supposed to be) instantaneous, whether it’s food or services. I can’t stand waiting and my patience is constantly put to the test when it comes to stuff like renewing passports or car insurance.

I think of them as life’s necessary evils. :S

However, more often than not I forget to renew my car insurance. It’s a recurring problem, much like my cell phone bills – I wait for it to be terminated before I call them up and pay. I think of it as a shortcut since I never check my mailbox (either due to pure laziness or being too tired from work is an open question).

road tax

It does have its price though – I need to pay for the reconnection fee every time. I also couldn’t claim an accident that wasn’t my fault coz I didn’t know my insurance expired. It’s just like my road tax, except the price is higher. I got caught once by during a routine roadblock and didn’t even realize my road tax has expired. This resulted in a summons. >.< saman

This is exacerbated by the fact that my car is registered in Sarawak and I haven’t changed the postal address ever since I moved to KL so after that roadblock I just decided to get my old office runner to help me renew my road tax. He tells me when it’s due and I use e-banking to transfer the funds to him and he mails it to me, the services of which I pay him a token amount.

summons

Unfortunately, I also have a tendency of running afoul of traffic offenses…I have always reminded my runner to tell me if that’s the case so I can pay up before he renews it. However, for some Godforsaken reason which is unbeknownst to me, he didn’t tell me that I had an outstanding traffic violation and renewed it for six months instead.

ticket

Sigh.

I have an account with HSBC and up till now I didn’t know that they do road tax and car insurance renewal online. You can apply and receive an E-cover note on the spot within 10 minutes!

You can also pay for it via credit card and download and print your insurance policy online! The NCD (No Claims Discount) can also be automatically transferred without hassles if you switch over.

hsbc

The best thing about it is that you can also get HSBC to automatically remind you when you need to renew your car insurance. It’s easy and very user friendly too! You can check it out here.

Have you ever been in the same situation where you only realize that you haven’t renewed your car insurance or road tax until the last minute?

You’ll love this commercial. Heh!

Sleep is a symptom of caffeine deprivation

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drinking

Coffee is arguably one of the essential items in the food pyramid. It’s the first thing most of us drink in the morning, especially if you’ve been out and indulging in alcohol the previous night. The entire global economy would probably collapse without coffee – problems waking up and staying alert is detrimental to most tasks. 😉

I used to massacre the system when I was in university. I lived on campus and we’re allowed one drink per meal purchased. However, the drink station is unregulated – it’s based on the trust system. My usual beverage back then probably had enough caffeine to kill a small elephant.

slops

The coffee dispenser deals out one teaspoon of instant coffee per turn and I would turn the knob 10-14 times into a small Styrofoam cup and fill it with hot milk. This evil beverage is drunk in one shot and is enough to keep me awake and wired for the entire night.

I would love to say that I used the time to study or catch up on assignments, but more often than not, that massive dose of caffeine is used to fuel all night sessions of Counter Strike or reading books which has nothing to do with my major. -_-

books

I pretty much continued this after I graduated and joined the rat race, except at a much lower dose. I would drink 2 sachets of instant coffee first thing when I wake up in the morning, just to jolt myself awake.

The sound of people trudging into the office in the morning is often followed by the long trek to the hot water dispenser with a packet of 3-in-1 instant coffee in hand. It is the cornerstone of the workforce – men and women just can’t function before their morning cup of Joe.

I have sampled pretty much most of the brands of instant coffee out there. I can’t say I have favorites per se, I usually pick up what I haven’t tried or is on offer. To me, coffee is just a vessel for delivering caffeine.

super coffeemix promotion

Anyway, I was walking the aisles of the local hypermarket doing my weekend shopping when I noticed a promotion with Super. They’re having a offer where you get a free JJ Lin notebook with every purchase of two packets of Super 3in1 Regular coffee. Each packet has 30 sachets of coffee each and at RM 13.99, that comes out to be a pretty good bargain.

free notebook

JJ Lin is the brand ambassador for Super’s Coffee and the notebook has a nice embossed cover with a matte finish. The inside of the notebook contains the storyline of Super Coffeemix’s TVC which aired earlier this year. It’s perfect as a gift for JJ Lin fans or to keep for yourself to jot down notes.

jj lin notebook

I keep mine beside my bed as a dream journal – a new project I’m going to start. 🙂

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