Blog Back Mountain.

Finally

I'm able to log on to Blogger. I think the quake affected the telcos in Singapore pretty bad, as only today the lines here are restored, albeit still being kinda slow. I guess even though with the most proper planning, at times, things just wouldn't go your way because there are factors way more powerful than one measly individual like me could comprehend. I had it all planned, from the girlfriend's business trip to SG to her holidays here, to a through 2006 to new year resolutions and stuff, alas, I don't think I have the time to put it all up. Some will just have to wait.

Truthfully, I did suffer from some minor withdrawal symptoms due to the Internet downtime, a catastrophe better known as the World Wide Wait (quoted from some newspaper's headlines). Work was totally affected as I had nowhere to refer to for research. No chatting! Fortunately, Fooxion's Shoutbox was still operating fine but still, I feel very, disconnected? As though part of your daily routine (including blogging and blog-surfing), an addiction has been suddenly removed without warning. It might be a warning from the higher beings, a clue to us for being to attached, dependant on something. Who knows...

Anyway, I'm heading back to Malaysia for the new year after giving it much thought, celebrating here alone would be quite, devastating? Hahaha! Part of the factor that persuaded me to head home was the company (Hence forth, the place I'm working in shall be known as the company). Initially, I was supposed to be slapped with an EP, which would have me stay in SG for at least 6 months, due to some perks and benefits which I choose not to reveal here. 6 months, that's way too long, can? Now, seems like there are further changes, which will have me heading back. Therefore, all in all, my future is uncertain. Period.

At current time, the thing that is keeping me worried the most is my journey home (Other than the anger caused by having to pay more for the bus ticket since the ride that I'm supposed to take is an additionally scheduled bus). Why? Because of the floodings in Johore. Hopefully the highways leading back to KL aren't that badly affected *fingers crossed*, else, I'll be stranded in the middle of nowhere. Flights are too expensive to even be considered. Its a really sad thing being poor, you know? But actually, life has not been that bad, I can still look back on 2006 and have a good laugh at all the highs and lows that have happened. That deserves a post on its own.

Btw, this Sunday (31.12.2006), there'll be a semi-huge gathering ongoing at The Curve, mostly consisting of bloggers and Fooxion forumers. Click here for more information. Come and join us, it'll be lots of fun, as they say, the more the merrier! Even Jen Jen Jeng (scroll down to the video after the scary pictures) has made a video for it!

I'll find some time to blog tomorrow. I promiseeeeeeeeeee.....

Read More

How I celebrated Christmas.

Eve of Christmas Eve
Celebrations started early this year, so don't be jealous please. Initial plans for outdoor activities in East Coast was abandoned because it rained. So, we karaoke-ed instead. Followed by a heavy buffet dinner in GoodWoodPark Hotel and proceeded to chill out @ Clarke Quay. I ate so much earlier on that I couldn't even finish a pint of Heineken. In the end, I was so full and bloated that I dropped dead on my bed. Orchard was way too crowded.

Christmas Eve
Bak Kut Teh for brunch!!! Proceeded to shopping @ Marina Square and Plaza Singapura, and dinner @ Ajisen Ramen. Dinner lasted close to 3 hours. -_-" Proceeded to friend's house for mahjong until I missed the last train home, and I ended up dropping dead at her place around 3 something. Yup, didn't head to Orchard for countdown because it will be way, way, way too freaking crowded, judging from the amount of people seen yesterday. I am a man of peace.

Christmas
Breakfast at a restaurant with possibly the slowest service around, and proceeded to send the girlfriend home.

I'll post detailed updates of the festivity when the time comes, right now I'm just too occupied. Hontoni Gomenasai!

Read More

Bong Sen, Part 2.

There won't be a trilogy, I promise. In case you missed anything, click here.

Time to order! The girlfriend went on and on about what she and her friends had the previous time, which was really delicious, but couldn't recall the name. She described the color, the ingredients, the presentation, the taste but couldn't recall the name. She remembered who ordered what, who couldn't finish their food, but couldn't recall the name. Can't really blame her, since I suffer from the same "disease", hahaha. Or maybe I infected her. Or maybe its the work of the Infectioner. Not having much choice, I closed my eyes and pointed at the menu. Ta daa! Order placed, no more headache.

Anyone knows where I can purchase something like this? Referring to the, what should I call it? glass? cup? drinking container? SkyJuice btw. Non-alcoholic.

My red bean drink which somes with coconut ice-cream.

The red bean drink is quite special, in the sense it came in 3 layers; top one being coconut ice-cream, the middle layer containing red beans and the lower layer containing diluted syrup. The amount of red bean they stuff in the drink could probably make 4-5 bowls of ice-kacang. Serious! I really had a hard time trying to finish them. The ice cream was yummy.

I ordered the char grilled chicken with something something, so if you're interested in trying what I had, just be on the lookout for "char grilled chicken" under the Noodles section and most probably, you'll get it. The girlfriend ordered item no. 41 on the menu, the only risk here is that they did a revamp on the menu. Portion of the food is quite big, and it comes with a serving of raw taugeh (bean sprouts) together with some spicy sauce. Since I don't fancy raw taugeh, I just dump them into the soup, hahaha!

Food item no.41, not love potion no.9. Looks spicy, but its actually not. The noodle comes with thin slices of beef + beef balls + some unknown stuff. Noodles is soft but spongy and the beef slices rawks!

Noodle with char grilled chicken. Chicken breast grilled to perfection, not too dry and the soup didn't water down its taste. The noodle tasted like kuey teow.

Me no like raw taugeh long time.

Overall, it was a good dining experience, nothing exceptional however. The price of food ranges from RM12-18 per dish, slightly expensive, but the food is definitely better compared to Vietnam Kitchen or Little Vietnam or whatever Vietnam (according to the girlfriend). So, if you have a sudden craving for Vietnamese food, do give this place a try. I'm not getting paid for this OK?

Oh, taking this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy and Merry Christmas, since I wouldn't have any access to the net for the coming few days! Ho Ho Ho! Click on the image under Seasons Greetings for a better version.

Read More

Happy.

The girlfriend is coming tomorrow.

The girlfriend is coming tomorrow.

The girlfriend is coming tomorrow.

The girlfriend is coming tomorrow.

The girlfriend is coming tomorrow.

And yes, I admit that I'm lazy.

Read More

Countdown to 2007.

Click image for a better view. Its a little too large for my content frame, had to shrink it a bit.

If interested, do drop a mail to Uncle Ryan @ ryanchong84@gmail.com, because he needed to do an estimated count on the number of people joining as he planned to inform the cops to send in a back-up team for assistance should the crowd be too large. You can also drop a comment here if you're too lazy. Nothing free will be provided @ the gathering and satisfaction is totally dependent on your self pro-activeness.

Read More

A little update.

My Malaysian colleague, E, will be leaving Singapore today, hence, yet again leaving me all alone in Singapore. Sienz.

On 14.12.2006, me and the girlfriend celebrated our 56th month of anniversary in Singapore. A first! She was down here for a short business trip.

I think I will be celebrating the new year here alone. Shiet!

I've updated my reads a bit, and included a greetings for all on the right panel. If you can't see it, please open your eyes big big or change your resolution to low low settings.

I've also included a wishlist heading into 2007, will be updating from time to time so you guys would have to crack your head thinking of what to get me. I wonder how long it will remain there, before everything's crossed out.

I'll be away from Monday - Thursday next week, attending training, therefore, there might be no updates. However, I might be able to magically post something. Who knows.

Read More

Vietnamese Cuisine at Bong Sen, KLCC.

I thought you guys might be bored with Singapore already, so, I'll make a little change for the moment. The girlfriend brought me to this restaurant that serves Vietnamese cuisine when we were in KLCC, promising me a pleasant meal, which I doubted since her recommendation of good food seems a little... nevermind. From what I see, this little setup is fast becoming one of her favourites; she has already been a few times in a short duration, siao.

This is Bong Sen. Print it out for reference if you have bad sense of direction.

Bong Sen was where she brought me, located at the 4th floor of Suria KLCC, next to Chakri Palace (which serves scrumptious Thai cuisines). Scouting the restaurant, the first thing that come to my mind was "koyak", referring to my wallet (which literally means that the meal is going to cost me a bomb). Overall, the design and environment exudes a cozy, comfortable feeling. Since I've never been to Vietnam before, I have no idea if the decorations and layouts reflects the country but to me, its modern simplicity.

You see the design like that, can feel the pinch in wallet right?.

See what I meant by modern simplicity. The girlfriend took this, her skills are definitely improving.

The range of food available isn't particularly overwhelming, which is good in a way that I wouldn't be left with a headache thinking of what to eat. Upon placing our order, I noticed that there were not many customers around. So, either the food sucks (I was quite worried) or the service sucks (not really) or not many people have heard of this place yet (I prefer this) or its too early for dinner and too late for lunch hour. A short wait later, the food arrived and the girlfriend proceeded to tell me that my order was not what she had in mind, meaning she placed a wrong order for me. -_-"

Me. Pose. Not.

The girlfriend. Me likey, you cannot.

Food pictures coming up next because I'm a very kind and considerate guy, not wishing to kill your bandwidth. Muahaha, last but not least, another picture. No worries, not another picture of my round big-ass face.

Indeed. Do you?

Read More

Home Sweet Home.

Suddenly it hit my mind. Ever since graduating from secondary education, I've been living away from home quite frequently. Upon successful enrollment in MMU, I spent my foundation year in Malacca. [ah beng mode] You ask why MMU ah? I tell you lah. Cause hoh, my SPM results hoh, cannot make it lah. Serious loh. So I mah no choice lah. [ah beng mode ends].

Next, the degree was done in Cyberjaya campus and since I couldn't afford my own ride back then, I had to resort to living off-campus. Couldn't bear the thought of travelling to campus daily from KL, at least 4-5 hours will be wasted daily. Which is also equivalent to me leaving the house by 6am, the latest, if I have classes at 8am. wtf! -_-"

After my degree where luckily for me, I managed to graduate, my first job had no requirements for a small fry like me to travel. Close to a year of pampering later, I hopped and landed on my current job, where I spent and am still spending the latter half of 2006 in Singapore. So, as you can see, I don't seem to have the fate staying home for long.

I guess campus life was quite good, you have friends, housemates and coursemates around all the time. You participate in endless streams of club activities on or off campus, keeping yourself so occupied that there's always not enough time for everything. The same couldn't be said when you're working, overseas. Yes, you have colleagues, but they're mostly local, and married! Need not me to elaborate any further, right?

I do have to say that its not totally bad living overseas, as you get to experience a different lifestyle (though its only Singapore), but after a while, you tend to begin missing all the little things you go through everything back home. For instance, driving in congestions, home-cooked food, catching up with friends, meeting with the girlfriend after work, etc. etc. Things that you tend to take for granted cause it happens everyday, becoming more and more like a daily routine.

Missing home...

Sad things aside, I took a very short trip back home on the 1st, which I mentioned previously. Part of the routine by Grassland (the vibrating coach I took) on the Singapore - KL journey was a long stop at some restover in Yong Peng, Johore, where everything is so freaking expensive! Must be a plot between the coach companies and the shop owners there. Anyway, I noticed that the place underwent refurbishment, it looked more commercialized this time around.

Da bus. If you felt that it looked pretty good, its because I take marvellous pictures. =P

Looking left, stalls in view selling snacks and drinks.

Looking right, actual food stalls.

Initially, I wanted to order the fried lobak thingy that I saw @ Cherrie's blog but it was no where to be seen. Either I'm shit blur, or that was somewhere else. Left with not much choice, I decided to settle for something light only to realize later that things are light in amount but heavy in price. For the price I pay here for eating some junk, I could even afford a not so decent but filling meal in Singapore.

Snacks I ordered, costs a bomb! 2 eggs and 2 egg tarts, rm5.60. wtf!

Like kena con like that. Dem tulan, potong steam!

Read More

Clarke Quay, night.

I manage to capture a few night scenes of Clarke Quay, after the free dinner, but the pictures turned out pretty bad. No one to blame but myself, cause we were rushing to board the final train. In a hurry, I just triggered a few shots. I should have left earlier, I should have left earlier, I should have left earlier...

Christmas decorations in Clarke Quay.

More christmas decorations, some sort of gateway towards the boat ride on murky waters.

From afar looking towards Clarke Quay (near the MRT station). Actually, its very nice one.

The girlfriend will be around (in Singapore) till this coming Friday afternoon, for a short business trip, making me a very, happy fella. At least my night is occupied with personal activities instead of working away till late night, then head for dinner and then sleep. Been leaving the office quite early these few days, surprising my colleagues, who kept asking me the same question of "Leaving already?"

Soon enough, I'll be leaving my workstation, hehehe! Bye bye!

Read More

Dinner at Ras.

Free dinner on a Saturday evening where I practically had nothing to do and nowhere to go. Hence, free dinner it is. Held in conjunction with the rapid progress of the project I was working in (which I had no idea was running far ahead) and a welcoming meal for the Malaysian employees in SG, as all of us are finally down here. However, E couldn't make it for what-soever reasons, too bad for him then. Mwahaha! Dinner was held at Ras, the Essence of India.

Ras, located in Clarke Quay, which is relatively easy to find, but we (as in me and D) took a wrong turning and ended up walking around aimlessly.

The entrance.

Why Indian cuisine? When you're working in a company where 95% of its employees are Indian, you don't really have a choice do you? Anyway, since I have no idea what's good, I leave the ordering in the hands of my colleagues, which did not disappoint me. The food, absolutely marvelous!!! There were all sorts of Naans, Kebabs or something similar to that, Briyani rice, Fish-Chicken-Vegetarian Curry, etc. etc. There was a drink that I ordered, no idea what's that cause I just pointed to my colleague's drink, made mainly of crushed pineapple, was superb!

Food, food, glorious food.

Naan, Curry, Rice. Rice, Naan, Curry.

The blurred individual in the background is my Project Lead.

The finer side of Indian cuisine, wonderful dining experience (because I don't have to pay). Let's just say the bill come up to an amount where 15 person can dine in Jogoya. =P

Oh, by the way, I got this piece of news from Jen yesterday evening...

Ho Ho Ho. Merry Christmas! Jealous or not? Anyway, this is the first time ever I won anything from a contest. Come to think of it, I dem no luck in all this one lah.

Read More

Ryan's bash.

On the weekend that I was back in KL, coincidentally, Ryan held a birthday bash at the VIP room which I never knew existed until the that day, of WKCCT in Leisure Mall. So, tired like shiet also must go, else he will haunt and taunt me for the rest of my life.

Ryan doesn't sip drinks, he sucks em', hard! See his face also know he dem high already. I also must say this,"Oi, you drink like that other people no need to drink already loh?"

This fella, the first time I meet him was during Fooxion's first gathering at SS2 Murni and the first thing I noticed is that his looks bears some similarity to Justin Lo, the HK Canto Pop sensation. Someone brought the album along, so we place the cover next to his face and compared, hahaha! Well after that, this fella gave me an impression of a shy and quiet guy, so I thought and boy was I wrong!

Neither shy nor quiet anymore.

SyL-SyL, what are you trying to do? Another image of Ryan sucking, this time, its the air.

Well, let's just say this fella is able to click well with practically everybody, a people's people, with the ability to bring strangers together. Needless to say, in meet-up(s) soon-after, the barriers were broken and things gone wild (in non-sexual manners please, hold your horses and don't let your imagination go hay-wired)! All in all, he's definitely a great friend and a wonderful companion. *I want those Justin tickets!!!*

Ryan gets all the chicks. Can you see how horny he looked? If you can't, mail me and I'll send you a super-sized picture of it.

Ryan, with the hunk, and all the other plain and ordinary guys. Its obvious who's the hunk right? I'll give you a hint *cough*me*cough*

What? How was the party? Great bunch of people to hang out with and it would have been perfect if there was some booze, haha! Its the usual flow of eating, drinking, catching up and camwhoring. What else do you expect can be done in a public area? Somewhere past 11 pm, the early birds began leaving the room, and so did the girlfriend but not me, haha!

Ryan, with the blackies. Somehow reminds me of some reality model search series. Confirm posers.

Ryan, with the colourfuls. Yes, Jen is everywhere.

Group photo!!! I must admit that the staff in WKCCT takes pretty decent pictures.

After sending the girlfriend back, I proceeded to join a handful of others in Neway Cheras (most decided to call it a day), which is located directly opposite WKCCT for a midnight karaoke session! Everyone was so busy performing that we forgot to take any pictures, :P. The singing only lasted till 4.00+ in the morning cause they were closing; none of us have had enough yet. Summore they forcefully cut of the remainings of our final song, dem potong steam weh!!!

I'm wondering what everyone is looking at.

Think of some funny caption from them. The funniest will get an exclusive autographed photo of me!

Anyway, I wanna take this golden opportunity to once again wish Ryan a Happy 22nd Belated Birthday! Hope you like the lil' present we got you! Stay young, party hard, ok? Got chance we go karaoke together-gether again!

And as you all can see, I really maximize my "awake" time when I'm back in KL. Come to think of it, I need a haircut.

Read More

Bored in Singapore.

So, what do you do when you're bored of everything Singapore all of a sudden? Head to Johore of course, where everything is much cheaper!!! *shiet, why am I talking like a Singaporean?!?!?* Anyway, that was what me, D & E did few weeks back. The plan was to take the MRT to Woodlands and from there, catch a feeder bus to KotaRaya II.

Totally non-related photo, took this in Raffles Link. Nearly dropped one of the framed pictures as I leaned too close to the wall. Sssshhhhhh...

Outram Park - Woodlands, freakin' 16 stations in between leh, wasted close to an hour travelling. If you think the Malaysian Customs @ Sultan Abu Bakar was not well maintained, wait till you pass through the one to KotaRaya II. I was shocked beyond words, seriously. There were utterly no maintenance, and the place looks as though it would collapse anytime.

Another totally unrelated picture. Walls on the way to Raffles from Esplanade via the underground walkway.

If I'm a tourist passing through there to Johore from Singapore, I would definitely have second thought heading over again. I mean, if the government is able to spend so much training some dudes into space tourists (yes, they are SPACE TOURISTS and NOT astronauts) or building palaces costings hundreds of millions, why not just spend a fraction of that sum for some refurbishments? Heck, that's even in-line with Visit Malaysia Year 2007! Do keep in mind that the customs would be the first piece of Malaysian land that foreign tourists step onto, therefore, effectively giving a first impression of what they're expecting to see ahead. Imagine your front yard not being taken care of, with rubbish all around, looking old and grubby. No matter how good the interior looks, you've already left a lasting negative impression on your visitors.

Our drinks and my food at Kim Gary.

Whoops, sorry for the off-topic rant. I planned to have either Bak Kut Teh *yummiez!!!* or some Laksa Johor (Got what other famous delicacies from Johore ah?), but then couldn't really find any around. So, we settled for Kim Gary instead. Eh, don't lah give me that look, I know Singapore also have Kim Gary outlets but then since its way cheaper in Malaysia, why not, right? Right? Right? It took us close to 15 minutes to find the place, cause it was located secludedly in another section of the mall. WTF weh...

This is what I had. Some set with eggs, fries, vege, corn, bacon, sausage, and so much more!

D's cheese baked rice with beef set.

E's cheese baked curry beef with rice, or something like that.

And since there's a cineplex around, why not watch a movie as well? Or maybe even two? After much calculation, we were able to squeeze in Happy Feet and Death Note back to back. Halfway into the latter, my back was beginning to ache as a result of seating too long. Yes, you don't have to remind me time and again that I'm old. I do have to say that I find both of the movies very entertaining.

Happy Feet, I really like the songs, really, really enjoy them, I've listened to the OST tens of times. But for me, the ending seems kinda rushed, suddenly everything happening so fast and Ta Dah, every penguin lived happily ever after. Got a bit potong steam...

Death Note, needless to say, was one hell of a movie, at least for me, a guy drawn to animes. The character developement was good, storyline was excellent, and the ending left me yearning for more! I especially enjoy how the movie slowly revealed how Light planned and wrote the death for each of his victims, and how L got so close to gaining evidence, left with only a small hole to fill. Well, Death Note 2: The Last Name will be in the cinema on the 28th, this month, can't wait!!! I heard that it will only be shown somewhere near February in Malaysia, is it?

Ehem *clears throat* MUAHA HA AHA AHAHA AHA!!!

Obligatory self portrait, in case you've forgotten how I look like. Dem, I look fat!

Bad news, D has headed back to Malaysia, after finding out that he has reached his time limit in SG without a permit. And it takes approximately 30 days to reset the count, guess he'll be spending Christmas in KL instead, Ho Ho Ho. Soon, E will be joining him and once again leaving me all alone here. Always happens to me, no matter in KL or Singapore, I'm always left by myself *plays All by Myself - Celine Dion on WMP*.

Anyway, I guess that's all for today... Oh yah, somebody's coming down to SG this week, and next week, the girlfriend will be heading down for business trip as well!

Read More

Becareful what you wish for.

Remember what I hoped for when I was heading back to KL and there wasn't any single seaters available anymore on the coaches? Well, here's what happened.

Friday night, on the journey back to KL, as I waited and waited in the coach, and finally when it began departing, I realized that the "pretty girl" who's supposed to be seating next to me decided to abort her travelling plans to KL, hence, leaving me all alone.

If it happens once, its definitely a coincidence. If it happens twice, its kinda scary! On the journey back to Singapore last Sunday evening, I was left seating alone, again! And in the same seating arrangement, 8B! Not that I'm complaining, since I have more space, leg rooms and privacy but, but... its kinda, like, weird?

There are a few assumptions that came to my mind, being:

1. There's no such thing such as a pretty girl.

2. My criteria is either too broad or too difficult to fulfill *I'd prefer the latter*

3. I am destined to be travelling alone in coaches.

4. I prayed too hard, too much of a good thing never exist?

5. The girlfriend brought the other seat upon reading my wish.

6. Tough luck (a.k.a. Yong Sui) as commented by my colleagues.

So, what's your opinion? I have a feeling that most of you guys and gals will be opting for No.6... Remember, becareful of what you wish for, if it can happen to me, it might as well come to you.

Read More