Langkawi

I spent 4 wonderful days in Langkawi with my family and it was wonderful. The pictures here are from Tanjung Rhu, one of the nicer beaches on the main island. I'm not quite a fan of beaches myself but got to admit, Rhu is breathtaking.



I also had dinner at the infamous Loaf. It's a cafe/bakery co-owned by our former PM and there was certainly a good number of tourists going in just to take pictures. The bread is good though and we also had lunch.


Breaded Chicken Burger - RM 18


Club Sandwich - RM15



Seafood Fettucini - RM30


Chicken Curry - RM25

We also stopped by the hot springs for a good feet soaking. This is the Telaga Air Hangat which is surprisingly free. Pails all provided for you to get the water from the well which is fairly hot.



We also dropped by the Underwater World to check out the penguins. It's too bad that the marine tank was poisoned but everything else was alright. The aquarium had a recent upgrade so it's much better than I remembered though at RM28 per person, it's way overpriced especially when you compare it to Aquaria.



One of the highlights for me was the Cable Car ride. It's wonderfully scenic and the top platform high on the Machincang range is cool with awe-inspring views. You can also see the suspended bridge that you can walk down to.


Spotted this strange mushroom while semi-trekking down to the suspension bridge.



A view from the top station. Breathtaking.



Will I visit Langkawi again? Am actually going in November for work :) It's a wonderful place to visit and chill out but go during off-peak seasons otherwise it can be a chore pushing your way through crowds.

Vacation Time!

The past week has been so relaxing that I'm actually all set and ready to rock it at work but guess what, I'm off for vacation! Will be off tomorrow for a family holiday and I'll be back to the office next Thursday.

Bliss...

Man in Space

It's not the Sputnik but we have a Malaysian in space! Glad to have witnessed the moment with the kids.

An experience LOST on me...

Yesterday, in the spirit of lifelong learning I paid a visit to ‘The Lost City’, a much hyped exhibition that seemed to suggest an exciting edutainment visit. You can visit http://www.thelostcity.com.my/ for background information on the exhibition.

Ticket costs RM20 for adults on weekdays and RM25 on weekends. If you visit Summit USJ, you will find promotions on the exhibition everywhere and fairly nicely done. Located on the 4^th floor, it occupies the space formerly used by Prime College which incidentally was my previous office area way back then.

The experience to The Lost City is structured as follows:

1. Purchase tickets then proceed to queue. Here, groups are formed and a guide is assigned to a group.
2. Depending on your time, you either proceed directly to a 10-minute screening of an introductory movie or if the movie is being screened midway, you can browse around a museum styled gallery first.
3. The movie introduces you to the lost cities of human civilisation such as the Mayans, the Egyptians, the city of Petra, El Dorado, and a temple in Angkor. As the guide, ‘…you are about to watch how the lost cities of the world have been found by people’. The movie is fairly decent though it is mostly an assemblage of stock photos with an excited but monotonous narration throughout. I think it is designed to build anticipation but because they used the college auditorium which is a huge 400 seater hall, the space overwhelms the movie which is screened via a regular projector.
4. The gallery has a small collection of artefacts from the cities mentioned though there was quite a bit of artefacts on the Terracotta warriors and other Chinese artefacts. There are also 2 multimedia terminals or rather two computers with Flash games. Both games are Mayan influenced, one a simple board game and the other an insanely difficult math game that I could not complete without a calculator. You will likely take 10 minutes on average to complete the gallery. It is however guided and depending on the guide you were assigned, the experience can be favourable or challenging. I changed guides halfway as I jumped groups so I was able to see the difference.
5. After this introduction, you are then brought to the Lost City maze which is very much like a haunted house. The maze begins with a 3D walkway where you have to put on 3D glasses and observe 3D images flanking the walls and floor. The images are mostly of mythical creatures and fantasy scenes which is strange as these have no connection whatsoever to Lost Cities of human civilisation.
6. Then, after being jumped on by a staff member in black, you proceed to a narrow corridor with a bridge, similar to the revolving tunnel exhibit we have in Playsmart Langkawi. Once you enter, the entryway is closed. We walked to the exitway, found it shut and waited for 2 minutes before the bridge started to violently shake. It was juddering and shaking vertically and the motors were incredibly loud. It was not a pleasant nor shocking experience. After a few minutes of this, the exitway opened where someone will collect your 3D glasses.
7. We then enter a jungle like area where there is an assembled dinosaur skeleton. There is ambient music and when you proceed forward, the dinosaur skeleton’s head will abruptly roar and turn its head towards you.
8. After this, you will find yourself in what appears to be a Mayan ruins. There is a water feature with a suspension bridge of rope and planks. There appears to be some timing issues here. When I entered, I immediately explored to the left as there seemed to be a platform but I found another staff member in black crouching behind a pillar and shocked him (or her) instead. Then a Mayan head bust on the wall started speaking (metaphorically, as you can see the speakers behind) and said ‘Stop!’. So we stopped but then the following words suggested that you should be on the bridge by now so I walked to the middle of the bridge and listen to the narrative warning of death beyond this point. I waited until the mask said to ‘Leave this place now’.
9. The next area was dark and there was a glass panel with some rocks behind it. Not exactly sure what this place is for but once again, another staff member in black was waiting to spook guests though this time she was fairly obvious. This must be the ‘death’ that was threatened earlier.
10. After this point, we reached a room where there is an array of treasures and a whole bunch of disco lights and strobes started to swirl with loud music in the background. This area seemed pointless unless you want to go ahead and start dancing.
11. Leaving here, we were greeted by a security guard and shortly after a staff member who asked for our names, IC and phone numbers in the guise of entering it into a lucky draw. She also asked for feedback but when I said ‘overpriced’, she stopped asking me but asked my friends instead.

Overall, a disappointing experience that was hardly educational. Too much emphasis was placed on the design of each stop point in the maze and little thought to how the visit is experienced collectively. With RM20, anyone will be better off visiting Petrosains or add a few more RM to go to Aquaria.

Another year...

I'm 28. I think it's a nice number though. Not too young to be dismissed but not too old to be 'mature'. Then again, age is just a number. You're only as old as you think! :)



To celebrate the day, I had a small dinner/mooncake thingy at home. It was a pleasant affair and always good to be around friends.

So here's to a new year of adventure. I wonder what life have in store for me in the future.

Malaysia in the news

I was going through my morning routine of Yahoo! news feeds and there are two news bits from Malaysia. It's rare enough finding anything on Malaysia but two in a morning? Cool :) though wished the news could be a little more inspiring.

Anyways, if you're curious, do read one on a jealous wife aka bobbit and this devastating news on the Langkawi Underwater World. Sigh... and I was just about to visit next month. Sigh sigh sigh...

Mooncakes and makans...

I had a good weekend filled with all things sweet... family came up and we had a pleasant time chatting, shopping, and eating. Big on the list is of course mooncakes! I loved the packaging of this one, especially the rabbit. Tastes pretty good too.



On Sunday evening, I had a break fast with an old friend and his family. It's always a pleasure meeting him up for our once yearly ritual! This time, we had dinner with his wife and 6 kids at Hartz Chicken Buffet at Summit. Food is how I remembered it though the Summit branch is a tad congested.



At the office, we are kept entertained with origami! As we prepare for a 'toy' filled school holidays, we are testing out various folds and patterns. Check out my rabbit and in the background, my stork!



Colleagues and I also had a picnic at the park on Friday. The view is amazing :)

Anyone wants to join me? Leave a comment by 28/9!

10 Nov Fri 8.30pm
Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra
Carl Davis conductor
Mary Carewe vocalist

The Music of James Bond
From Dr. No of 1962 with Sean Connery as Bond, to Casino Royale of 2006 with Daniel Craig as the sixth actor to play Bond on screen, the films based on Ian Fleming's immortal spy have been huge box-office successes. Celebrate the Bond movies' unforgettable hit themes as Carl Davis and Mary Carewe delve into the world of musical espionage, 007-style.

RM140 | RM100 | RM60 | RM40

Woohoo?

How will I die? Your Result: You will die while having sex. Your last moments in this life will be enjoyable indeed...hopefully. Do not fear sex. Try not to become celibate as a way of escaping death. You cannot run from destiny.
You will die in a nuclear holocaust.
You will die in a car accident.
You will die in your sleep.
You will die while saving someone's life.
You will die from a terminal illness.
You will die of boredom.
You will be murdered.
How will I die? Create a Quiz

12 months

One year! It's been a whole year of changes and eventful is has definitely been!

- 12 months ago I had my last CreativeKids class at my old place. We had an awesome farewell party. Gosh, I missed those kids and the classes.

- 12 months ago I left the college to join my new company. In that time, I've been fortunate in being able to travel to North America twice!

- 10 months ago I committed to my first house.

- 9 months ago Rick left for Australia. I've been living alone ever since.

- 9 months ago I also reinstated CreativeKids but only one class a week at a later hour. Am glad the loyalists stuck with it and came even though they were all bleary-eyed!

- 5 months ago I moved to my new place. Lots of legalese hurdles but am glad to be in my new home! Had 3 great housewarming sessions to celebrate!

- Last month I finally had my airconditioning installed. My home is now complete and comfortable!

- Next month I will realise one of my 'must-dos' in life which is to bring my whole family on holiday. Am thankful to be able to finally afford to do this.

Life has ups and downs but it's good to be thankful and remember the ups and find ways to work with the downs.

Merdeka morning

I slept in... woke up happy, and then did my laundry. I missed the parade on tv but I'm sure there'll be a repeat. Happy Merdeka!

I was watching Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends when Malaysia was mentioned. Apparently, Mac thinks Singapore is in Malaysia. Interesting :)

Have a good weekend!

Big Five-O!

It's Merdeka time! I just love this holiday for all the patriotism on parade. I love this country and amidst the whirlwind of work, I'll celebrate quietly at home being thankful for what we have.

Bangkok :)

Bangkok was fun though quite exhaustive! First up, there's so many types of alluring desserts! I must have ate a week's worth of food in 2 days. Not all food is good though like this weird looking toasted banana that tasted fine but has looks only a local could love!



Shopping is the theme for the trip as we went from mall to mall and spent almost a day at Jatujak. The famous market is huge and is deserving of all the amazing things you hear about it. It is huge... it does sell almost everything... and it's worth a trip!




The downside of such sheer scale is that you need to walk a lot and that means getting tired fairly quickly. Bus rides are a good time to snooze if you can find a seat :)



And you cannot go to Bangkok without having Tom Yam Kung! The one I had was good though it had the negative side effect of turning Kotak invisible.



There's also other-worldly snacks that I should leave to the locals to indulge in.



I didn't buy anything this time round as for me, this trip is all about friends and food! Yum!

Wanderlust no more!

I'm a Malaysian through and through. The moment I arrived in Canada I already wished I was home! I'm glad for the experience although the very eventful trip home could have been done without. I had flight delays, a cancellation, terrible turbulence and misrouted luggage, not to mention running out of cash. Ah, the memories... :)

Anyways, for a quick preview of my trip, let's begin in Ottawa (pronounced O-do-wah) where I attended a conference and spent an additional 2 days visiting really great museums. Here's a picture of the Parliement House at night at 930pm. Days are long in summer. I'm here to watch a sound and light show.




Ottawa is a really laidback capital with really good museums. Here's the National Gallery of Canada, an artsy fartsy place and I saw a collection from Renoir, the impressionist painter.



In Ottawa, I also visited the War Museum (amazing place, green bathrooms!), Museum of Civilisations (very cool), Currency Museum (yawns), Museum of Science & Technology (they have a steam train!), Museum of Nature (dinosaurs and polar bears!) and the Byward Market (the place wherre Ottawa grew from as it was originally called Byward Town).

Next stop though is Toronto which is a bustling metropolis which strikes more as a capital! Toronto has some amazing buildings though like the Royal Ontario Museum seen here. The funky extension is called the Christal and it links to the old very historical like building.



And this is their City Hall. I like!



I've seen so many dinosaurs in so many museums but this one being assembled in the Royal Ontario Museum my favourite. It has a certain classic pose and it's so cool! Too bad it's not complete yet so can't enter the gallery.



Next stop is New York before ending at Houston. New York really lives up to its reputation. There's such a buzz and it's really a great city to visit. And I found the cheapest fruits here sold on the street. I didn't have much time here but managed to check out Ground Zero, a few other landmarks and of course, the Statue of Liberty!



I was away for 2 weeks and saw lots and did lots. One of the highlights though is bumping into a wild bunny at a park. Made my day!

I’M TAGGED, THEREFORE…”

Chun has tagged me and by gawd knows what law, I will comply. This stuff can be so revealing though! Darn my honest bones...

Rules:
Repeat subject header “I’M TAGGED, THEREFORE…”Copy + paste these rules in your entry.Complete these 15 totally useless statements & questions.Mention who you were tagged by, followed by 8 people who you’ll be tagging (of which by now, it'll be no one!).

If I was an opposite gender, what would my party clothes be like?
Black, slinky and short. Plunging if there's stuff to plunge into.

At 10am this morning, I was…
In a cab driven by Rose, a talkative grandmother who insists on showing me her coin collection while she drives me to the Houston Museum of Natural Science. She insists on taking detours because tollways are congested (so she tells me) but I know she's just ripping me off on a few extra dollars.

At 10pm tonight, I will be…
Watching tv in my hotel room. Probably some house renovation show on HGTV or TLC. I've been watching lots of those lately.

Who should be the next Malaysian Prime Minister?
Someone who has driven in KL before during rush hour.

If my spouse told me to do without sex for a year, I would…
Be divorced.

If I was a piece of a car, I would be the…
Marquee. No work at all but I sure will look good!

If I was told one day that I would have to give up either 1) anything chocolate OR 2) ever seeing the beach again, for the rest of my life, which one will I give up?
The beach. I don't quite care for sand in my slippers and the ocean is full of stuff that's alive. I can see fishes at the aquarium but nothing beats eating chocolate!

Singapore is good for…
A supply of tourists to Malaysia. Come come, spend spend.

If I could only say 3 words before I die, what would those last words be?
Format my harddisk.

Who would I like to be left on a deserted island with?
Just one person? Rick.

Die by drowning or by fire?
Fire. At least if the flames are hot enough, it can be quick. Drowning will be interminably long.

What one single thing would you buy with your last RM9.95?
Cut slices of mango - RM2.00, Sweet & sour chicken rice - RM5.50, Pisang Goreng - RM1, Soya Cincau - RM1.50 (am sure I can bargain it for 5 cents less). This is by the way my typical weekend dinner which I am sorely missing now!

If I opened a night club, what would I call it?
I can't type it... way too suggestive.

Don’t cheat: what’s “bulbous”?
Having similarities or the properties of a bulb, e.g. round, bulging like...

I think my ass is…
None of your concern.

Done done done!

NY NY

I'm utterly exhausted but also glad for the opportunity to 'see the world'! I am currently blogging from my hotel in New Jersey, just across the river from New York and I'm a little frightened actually. After the peaceful pace of Ottawa and the exciting hustle and bustle of Toronto, New Jersey seems like a snapshot of one of those CSI episodes where you expect someone to get shot at anytime. It's scary...

Hi from Ottawa

I left my house at 630am on Monday the 16th and arrived in Ottawa 10pm Malaysian time the next day. 30 hours in 4 flights and 5 airports can get to you.

I started work right away but I was optimistic. Sneaked a nap during lunch and never woke up afterwards. I will have some explaining to do at the office back home!

Anyways, just a short blog to let you guys know I've arrived! :)

I'm it...

I am back from a whirlwind tour of Singapore. Spending barely 3 hours at humongotic places like the Bird Park, Zoo, Night Safari, Science Centre and the National Museum is terribly inadequate. It was like going to a screening of trailers... you get a glimpse of what's there but you are left with nothing substantial or tangible enough which is silly because the whole reason we're there was to learn.

It was a good visit though. I have never been one to jump to go to Singapore as I don't really have all that much fondness for the city state. And after visiting the horror that is the Discovery Centre, I am definitely happy to be in Malaysia. I don't think any other country in the world will be happy claiming that they are 'artificial but real'.

For tourists though, Singapore really has it all and with great service to boot.

Anyways, am back again only briefly as will be off and away on Monday to Canada and USA. And while I'm sorting through last minute demands and planning what to bring, Kalamari springs this on:

Another Tagging Thingy!

First up, the rules!

1) Each player must post these rules first.

2) Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.

3) People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.

4) At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.

5) Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

So, here goes my 8 random facts or habits about myself:

ONE
I like rabbits.

TWO
I love Nandos.

THREE
I like being asked out to stuff like movies and etc. but I seldom take the offer up as I'm usually just lazy to go out. When I do though it's usually all good and when prodded, I usually will concede.

FOUR
I need sleep. Above all else, my nightly sleep is not to be sacrificed.

FIVE
Trust is important to me but once broken, usually it's never recovered.

SIX
I do not like driving, especially to someplace new.

SEVEN
I have no ability to save money.

EIGHT
I am opinionated and when I want to be, I can be quite annoying about it.

Now, the harder part, finding 8 people who have not already been tagged. Let me see:

- Jeremy!
- Meng!
- Jason!
- Jin!
- Clara!
- Alan!
- Zeke!
- Derek!

... and I think that's it...

Trinkets

Weariness in my bones...

I'm back from 7 days in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. The cities were beautiful and the leisure time there was well spent but gosh, I am exhausted. Worse still, come Monday I'm off again to Singapore until Thursday then off again the following Monday. I am going to wear myself to the bone...

I used to long for the 'jet-setting' lifestyle but I know better these days. One got to be careful what one wishes for!