SCII. Epic.

This short and simple blog post has been created to commemorate the launch of StarCraft II, a game of epic proportion ten years in the making, one that is not within my reach though I very much desire it due to the overwhelming cost of completely overhauling my PC. Sigh.

I shall heal my grievance slowly by watching replays and cut scenes from the game as well as wait patiently for the launch of PlayStation Move.

I'm just waiting for the official pricing in Malaysia to be revealed before deciding whether or not to proceed since the plan to purchase said console has already been approved by Jacklyn *grins*

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Breakfast Pamper.

Discovery of the Day: Inspiration for blog posts only comes during work hours, there goes productivity.

The occasional splurge on breakfast with Jacklyn at La Bodega. Occasional because 60 plus ringgit can buy us many bowls of chili Pan Mee, enough to make us stay away from it for weeks.

Sigh, can't help but to wonder if I can still afford to be sitting here again to enjoy a nice, warm breakfast once a kid comes along. Afford not only in terms of monetary but also taking care of the kid while trying to eat at the same time, especially if he/she takes after the mother like, totally - the worst case scenario *shudders at the thought*

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Either a Butterfly or a Moth.

Had thought of a catchy title but couldn't use it upon realization that I wasn't sure which insect group it belonged to. A quick search on the Internet later, I conclude that its a moth based on the characteristics that its dull in color, it has a thick and fuzzy body and its wings are held flat against body when resting. But still, I might be wrong.

Anyway, other than showing how large the moth is and that my finger tips are somewhat fairer than the rest of my hand, in case you didn't know, it is Chinese belief that the visiting moth, usually uncommonly huge one, black or dull in color, is a physical manifestation of the spirit or soul of a deceased one returning to pay a visit.

Nothing to do with bad luck, misfortunes or curses.

The moth(s) would normally stay (at the same location) for a few days before disappearing. I've been warned since young not to disturb the moth(s) and to just leave them alone (which in this case, I didn't) as a sign of respect. To have a better understanding, I've inquired why they should be left alone but never got any explanation, typical Chinese 'education' of never question and just do what you've been told.

I would assume the warning's probably for kids fearing that they would unknowingly torture then pulverize the moth into pieces. But even when everyone's all grown up?

Seriously, I mean, if I'm dead and took all the trouble to transform into a moth and fly all the way to visit, let's say my children to see how they're doing, they had better serve me awesome roast pork and liquor, invite me into their house and switch to my favorite channel on TV. Else, I'll make sure that they're aware that its me and that I'm bloody pissed!

Yeah, unless there are some type of afterlife rules that prohibits me from doing so.

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Alamak!

Of all times, I had to sprain my ankle during badminton last night, it looks pretty swollen now. Sigh. I'm really worried that it might not heal in time for my marathon next Saturday, one that I've been looking forward to.

Also, no more practice runs until then! I should start some mental preparation to accept the fact that I shall fare poorly at yet another run. Shucks!

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Snowflake.

My current favorite dessert outlet because I love shaved ice based desserts unconditionally, be it ABC (Air Batu Campur) or Cendol or the ice shavings from 100 Yen shop, you name it, I love them all. I think I'm very much similar to Jacklyn in a way, I always say that she was born in the wrong continent because she loves western food tremendously! And as for me, I love being immersed in coldness. A good example would be how much I enjoy sitting outdoors during the cold breezy night (usually about 16 degrees I think) in Genting Highlands sipping on Frappucino, wearing just t-shirt and quarter pants. Blissful.

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It's Funny.

How easily your day can be ruined by others.

Like how your peaceful morning drive to work was ruined by a reckless driver on a modified Saga, you know, those with huge spoilers, noisy mufflers and cracked body kits, who speeds on the emergency lane and then forcefully cuts into your lane, suspecting a police block in front. Had to jam on the brakes because it was slightly downhill and I was accelerating (picking up speed).

Really cannot tahan! I've made a vow to myself, if I ever see these type of drivers involved in an accident, I would stop, get down from my car and give them a heartfelt standing ovation.

Or how your satisfying lunch break was ruined during the lift ride to your office by a group of people, in my case about 7 of them, fresh from their cigarette break and was in a chatty mood. It was the most nauseating 20 seconds I've ever experienced, worst than air pockets during flight.

Equally depressing is when you're unfortunately seated nearby a hyperactive kid, worst if behavior of kid is oblivious to the parents, in the cinema. I've experienced this so many times that I think I'm starting to develop some phobic towards the mere sight or sound of children in the cinema hall. No kidding.

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Haikara-Style Cafe & Bakery.

So, I think I've heard about this little Japanese establishment hidden somewhere in Subang that serves out-of-this-world cakes and equally awesome food from the wife for like a gazillion times, but was never brought there, I don't know why. Well, I never tried venturing there alone as the wife stressed time and again that it's really hidden and it won't be easy driving and trying to locate the cafe at the same time.

And last Sunday, my opportunity arrived in the form of Cherrie and Brandon, I finally paid the cafe a visit.

Ice Coffee (Sumi something)

Soup and Salad that comes with a set dish

My Curry Seafood with Rice, Mild. You can actually choose the level of spiciness when ordering, 5 levels in total. Japanese curry will never be the same for me again.

Wife's Sanma something, sorry I am really bad with names of food - its basically grilled fish but be careful because this fish is bone-tiful :P

Charcoal Strawberry cake and Macha (Green Tea) cake, both are yums!

My verdict, this place is even better than I had imagined, good food and excellent service! The owner actually brought the Today's Special menu board to our seats when he noticed us squinting our eyes trying to figure what's written, if this ain't good service, I don't know what is. And he always made sure the dishes are available before taking down our orders, also tried his best to explain each dish to us even with limited vocabularies.

And there's a good variety of food, drinks and desserts available.

Very comfortable and cozy environment as well, great place to catch up with friends or families over a cup of coffee and a piece of cake. And with the limited amount of seats available and ample distance between tables, you can be sure things would not get too crowded or hectic.

With all these plus points, what more could one ask for? The Haikara-Style Cafe & Bakery is located at E-Tiara Service Apartments, GF Jalan SS16/1, Subang Jaya (next to Carrefour). You can visit their Facebook page as well, its updated and contains more information compared to their website.

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Inception.

Was incredible, a must watch. So good that when the credits started rolling, I had an urge for a standing ovation but decided against it in the end because none around me seem to be sharing the same sentiment. And I shy. It has been quite some time since I last exited a cinema hall still thinking and pondering over the movie.

Spoilers ahead, although not major, still, please experience the movie yourself before proceeding.

The idea and concept of Inception was excellent, executed in a manner that is too logical to be untrue (well, except some parts, e.g. dreams can be connected via physical bonds) and yet, with enough loopholes in between to let you solve the puzzles the way you want. Isn't that amazing?

The big question in the end would be, was he in or was he out? I've went through quite a few sites offering a huge variety of explanations and understanding of the movie and so far, the best that I've come across is this, shared by Kurt. But I'm still inconclusive.

I think I will have to wait for the DVD to be out, play it on the laptop with my headphones on and analyze the scenes part by part before I shall be satisfied.

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Donashi by Big Apple.

Here's the list of all available Donashi(s) from Big Apple. Side tracking, I realize that both Big Apple and J.CO named their product(s) donuts whilst Krispy Kreme named theirs doughnuts. All this while, I had this perception that the correct spelling would be the latter (since its made of dough, not sure where the nut part came from, go figure) while donuts is how its spelled in BM, which I now found out that it doesn't seem to be the case as both are acceptable.

p/s: Funny list of answers on The Plug, found when googling for the difference(s) between doughnuts and donuts

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Pasta Zanmai, finally.

Why finally, you wonder? Because since its establishment I don't know when but assume it has been around for quite some time, I have heard of horror stories and equally terrible reviews on the food served hence, I've made it a point never to dine there. Ironically, I've been to Sushi Zanmai plenty of times, usually the one in Gardens and so far, I have yet to experience any unpleasantness/displeasure *touch wood* which I hope to remain so.

Anyway, since I lost terribly in the World Cup 2010 predictions and losers can't be choosers, I was given the 'opportunity' to try out the Pasta Zanmai outlet in MV one stormy afternoon. Scanned through the impressive looking menu and ordered something safe, pasta in curry. Trust me, based on my experiences so far, no dish that I've ordered with Japanese Curry has ever gone wrong before and if you ever had to encounter such misfortune, you should request that the chef commit seppukku right before you.

Big Bowl, Small Serving and just good enough to prevent a possible seppukku, would have been much better (for me) if the calamaris were battered and deep fried, yums

The dish turned out alright, well, I admit that it was much better than expected but felt that the combination doesn't really blend well due to the texture of spaghetti. Side dishes of edamame and pizzas were okay, rather expensive for its serving size and the Heart Mix Fruit Juice was quite refreshing. Service was rather slow though, which was to be expected, according to my colleague.

Well, I don't expect myself to be patronizing this outlet again anytime soon given the variety of choices available in MV as well as Gardens Mall, unless I had to give in to someone's demand unwillingly, yet again.

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The Monday Rant.

# I very much expected the roads to be absolutely clear due to the prolonged final but to my ultimate horror, I was stuck in the worst congestion I've experienced in weeks!!!

# And I was feeling really wobbly and light-headed during the drive to work (which I found out later was due to hunger). Most fortunately, I made it there alive.

# And my World Cup Search for Money Glory campaign ended in complete losing streak, full story here. To me, the final was more of dramas, flying yellow cards and Kung Fu kicks rather than a football match.

# And Spain's goal was like, eh, sudah masuk..

# Enough of World Cup, I think my brain is half dead, help!!!

# I had to repeat my order 3 times during breakfast because I kept forgetting what I was ordering, fortunately, my bosses were not around.

# Unable to stand the filth any longer (I was entangled in cobwebs when removing my shoes in the backseat, serious!), I sent my car to Cars for a wash. The attendant tried to aggressively sell me the membership program which I politely declined for 841 times.

# He finally stopped when I gave him my infamous 'stare-of-death'.

# The wash cost RM28.80, although the results were more than satisfactory, it's still bloody expensive. The one that I usually send my car to costs only one-third of this!

# I'm at my fourth cup of coffee already and it doesn't seem to be keeping me up (and sane) anymore, I need stronger stuff! I need... beer!

# And on a totally unrelated note, it seems very unlikely that our annual trip down to Lion City will be happening this time around, need to save up for the year end :)

# On another totally unrelated note, Olivia Ong!!! *melts*

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Double Strike!

Purchased this so long ago that I don't remember when, was much attracted to the glass that the package came bundled with at a killer price. Since then, it has been kept away safely in storage and long forgotten until moments ago, was suggested to bring them over to a friend's place before it turned ancient.

The moment I hauled it up, I felt a slight sensation of the package giving way and the next thing I know, bottles came crashing onto the floor. Dang!

The glass and 3 out of 5 bottles survived. Whilst cleaning up the spill, the enticing aroma of beer was pretty irresistible, a statement seconded by Dad. On the other hand, Mum was furious (okay, perhaps just slightly agitated) at the mess I made to her storage room.

Moving on, since I wasn't absolutely sure where the said friend's place was located, I relied on Google Maps totally. Upon closing in on the destination, to my dismay, the path recommended (Jalan Tanjung Bandar Utama) has been restricted from access. Only then I recalled of the closure not too long ago, had to call for directions. Dang!

Fortunately, the good food, Pan Fried Lemon Sole Fish with Lemon Butter Sauce & Pesto Pasta with Sauteed Mushrooms made my day, thanks Danny!

I realize now that I should perhaps name the title Triple Strike because at the end of the day, the beers were miraculously left untouched. Dang!

p/s: Tries hard not blame the person who made the suggestion in the first place
p/p/s: Said person reads this blog, shall wait patiently for said person's reaction

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I realize: McD's Breakfast.

The following was brought to my attention during breakfast at McD's this morning. Kindly take note that all prices stated are not inclusive of taxes and has been double confirmed with its prices stated on the McD's website (this shall serve as a disclaimer as well):

1. A weekday breakfast special Egg McMuffin with Chicken Roll plus coffee set costs RM 4.50
2. The breakdown of items on the receipt showed that the coffee is actually more expensive than the muffin, almost doubling it (bloody hell)
3. The usual Egg McMuffin with Chicken Roll breakfast set costs RM 8.00
4. And the A La Carte, which I assume to refer only to the muffin, costs RM 4.60
5. The Hash Brown, at A La Carte price, costs RM 2.75

So, if I were to purchase the breakfast special and then add on a hash brown, that would total up to RM 7.25, which is cheaper than the breakfast set. Or if I just wanted an Egg McMuffin, it would be cheaper to buy the special set then give/sell the coffee away than to purchase it via A La Carte. Kindly take note that this would not be applicable during weekends.

Weird aye?

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World Cup 2010.

The road to the World Cup finals has been a truly horrible journey for me, trust me when I say you have not witnessed a losing streak until you see my 'support road map' since Quarter Finals. As for the group matches, I just watch for fun, not that into football anyway.

It started with England (trashed) and Brazil (outwitted) then it was Argentina who I had hope was able to give Germany a beating but instead, suffered a humiliating defeat. Fine, since they were in such a superb form, I wholeheartedly rooted for Germany in the semis, hauled my ass up in the middle of the night to watch that match.

And Spain won. What... The... F...... (honestly, Spain deserved that win, they played an awesome game)

So, for the finals, rather than trusting my logic & instincts, I'm going to root for Netherlands to win the cup! Go Oranje! No words on that predicting octopus please, I still refuse to trust a sea creature with my money sincere support. And I love my takoyakis (with octopus fillings) too much to give them up.

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Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Because I could not think of anything else to blog about at the moment, I shall leave you with a photo of the Sydney Harbour Bridge taken during the ferry ride from Parramatta to Circular Quay. Come to think of it, this was the one and only time that I traveled via ferry although the wharf is located a minute away from where I was staying.

Because unlike the train (which BTW takes just about 20 minutes less than the ferry to reach town), only one ferry departs from the wharf on an hourly basis and if you miss the scheduled one (or you couldn't get onboard), all the best as you will have to wait for the next one. Much more to talk about the train services but that's a story for another day.

And cabs are out of the question, too bloody expensive. A trip to town would probably cost you an arm and a leg, perhaps even your liver.

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Sneak Peak: Cambodia.

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Little by Little.

Standing in the middle of somewhere that is currently nowhere

Headed over to the site once again to have a look at the latest progress of our future home, unlike her, I wasn't really expecting much difference actually after the many rounds of false hopes that were given to us. And true enough, not much had been done since the our last visit. Same old, same old.

Well, on the bright side, at least we have more time to grow our renovation and furniture funds wherever possible which is not happening right now. And on the not so bright side, the excitement of moving out and moving in is dying out faster than a speeding bullet train.

Buyers of the first few rows were in a much better situation, looks ready to be handed over anytime soon, lucky them. Everything looks so pretty on the outside. Attempt to sneak in and have a look at the finished units failed miserably, need to further hone my ninja skills *fades into background*

Our initial plan to move in before Christmas seems pretty distant now even if we receive the keys next month (which is unlikely) since we need to slot in an additional two months, at least, for the renovations to be completed.

If the delay goes on, I think we might just sell it off and hunt for another house to move into. Desa ParkCity is very much to my liking but its way beyond my reach unless I somewhere and somehow strike a pot of gold... *starts digging*

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Money In, Money Out.

How to save money like that! Every single month end without fail, its the same old routine of salary debited into account and then salary credited out of account. For as long as I can remember, the figures of my account balance has remained stagnant, such a depressing sight.

I don't even bother keeping track of my transactions anymore (use to do it diligently, with all the excel sheets and stuff), most of it goes to loan repayments and settling the outstanding amounts raked by credit cards, truly the mother of all evils. Due to its convenience, most of the time, I don't even realize how much debt I've accumulated until when the bill arrives.

Studying of the statements is usually accompanied by an expression of disbelief followed by a mild heart attack and usually ends with a combination of high level swears and deadly curses.

Ironically, my Final Year Project in university was a financial planning tool to assist users to better manage their wealth, equipped with loan calculators, savings management tools, investment projection and all those fancy stuff. Now, take a look at situation I am in now, such irony, sigh...

Well, I am truly looking forward to the day when I shall become debt free once again, perhaps when I'm 137 years old, if I am able to live that long.

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Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2010.

It is that time of the month again. First of all, here's to hoping I did not send the wrong message across. Just that its the start of a brand new month, another fresh beginning and this attempt to revive this little blog of mine is special too, its mid of 2010! But then again, looking at the past records, I dare not put much hope on this round either.

So, last Sunday, I went for the Standard Chartered KL Marathon which I missed last year due to late registration so this year, die-die also must run. Was almost late for the flag off as well, couldn't find any parking (unaware that DayaBumi wasn't accessible), bad omen. Actually, it was an unwise decision to run considering I just returned from a 4 days 3 nights 'walk-ation' in Siem Reap, Cambodia the day before. But I somehow managed to convince myself into thinking that everything will turn out just fine. Hypnosis?

Go! Go! Go! The number of participants were so overwhelming that it took me around 8 minutes to cross the starting line from flag off, can you believe that!

Turning into KL Sentral

In front of Kuen Cheng Secondary School I think (Jalan Syed Putra)

And soon enough, I realized that it was indeed a really bad decision to run because way before reaching the first water station, I was already walking due to fatigue. To make matters worst, I didn't notice any markers indicating the distance remaining along the way, so, I boosted at all the wrong locations. And in the end, I did not even finish within the qualifying time, which was the ultimate blow of disappointment *SAD*

The weather was good though, the soft, cool breeze that blew occasionally really kept me going. And along the way, I think I stunned some cheerleaders by expressing my gratitude a little too loudly unknowingly (due to my play list) or perhaps it was something else, hhmmm... Well, at least I managed to finish (just wanted to console myself, let me be), hope that I will have a better run (and timing) for the upcoming Siemens and Men's Health Night Run, both this month *Makes War Cry*

At the finish line :)

Finisher's Medal, category is stated at the back of the medal

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