jason.lim

Micro-blogging is the in-thing

2010-10-10T20:30:00.003+08:00

I have moved from blogging to micro-blogging.

Follow me on twitter @jlshyang

Americans and the World Cup 2010

2010-06-13T15:25:00.000+08:00

AMERICA'S clueless stars scored a series of own goals when quizzed about the World Cup.

High School Musical actor Zac Efron, 22, said he couldn't wait for the States' game on Saturday - against MAN UNITED.

Jason Segel, 30, called England's team "the UK" and got his dates wrong, saying: "My best friend is British and left the room crying five years ago during the World Cup."

Jackie Chan, 56, said among his tips to win the cup were "Barcelona and Milan".

Other Hollywood stars like Eva Mendes, 36, and Vanessa Hudgens, 21, had no idea the tournament was on.

But rapper Snoop Dogg, 38, was more knowledgable. He said: "I believe Brazil are going to win."

Fridays - Big Deal

2010-05-08T16:05:00.029+08:00

The remaining bits and pieces of life out of office.

Work-Life Balance

2010-03-22T23:11:00.004+08:00

I need to take out that antique digital camera of mine again and start clicking to revive this blog!

Not before I achieve a work-life balance though! Help me out ye veterans!

Adaptation

2010-02-06T22:54:00.003+08:00

Hello! It's been more than a month since I joined the rat race. No doubt it is a very difficult transition to begin with and I am only starting to get the hang of it. Getting up early for work is a pain. I am pretty certain I have never gotten up earlier than 8a.m for more than 20 occasions over the 365 days in 2009 and I have at least 8 hours of sleep daily in year 2009! Nowadays I only get 7 hours if I am lucky! My office isn't near where I live, so I spend some 60 minutes plus minus on the road to and fro office, it's tiring to drive back after work!

The amount of time I spend in office can be abit crazy too at times. I left office at 0700 in the morning on one occasion in my second week and went back in 3 hours later, leave at 12 a.m + occasionally and at 21.00 on average. My social life is gone if not for my colleagues and it becomes increasingly difficult to keep in touch with friends outside the firm. I'm still adapting and it is getting better by the day.

I will survive with my awesome bunch of colleagues! Apart from the heavy workload and long hours, I like the firm and its people. I'm learning alot and getting lots of exposure working for my team. That's the most important isn't it? Have a good weekend ppl! I enjoy my weekends more than I ever did now. Say hi if you ever see me in court!

New Beginning

2009-12-18T00:46:00.004+08:00

I'd better update my blog while I still have time in hand. The past one month was an eventful one. I'm glad to say that the wait is finally over and I'm one step closer to legal practice. I passed my referral paper for Certificate in Legal Practice, went for an interview and I will be gainfully employed in the firm of my choice beginning next year! Praise God!

Joining the rat race soon.....

I'm moving into a dreadful new phase of life which will come with heavier responsibilities and a very important phase that will chart the future of my life. The signs are obvious now. A couple of friends and classmates have recently tied the knot a few years after they joined the rat race. It felt weird at the wedding receptions because we no longer talk about studies or girls but we ask questions like 'where are you working now?', 'what do you do?', 'when are you getting married?' that sort of thing. It freaks me out lah!

I'm trying to keep myself occupied with all sorts of activities while I'm still in Penang. Thank God, those from down under are all back in Penang for summer. It's a very rare opportunity for us to get together and try to relive our secondary school days.

Oh I'm getting baptized this Sunday! Finally :D Did any of you in Penang watch my church's Christmas production at Dewan Sri Pinang last night? If you haven't, tonight is your last chance to watch it. Go early, otherwise you'll have to watch it on the projector outside the auditorium. The traffic downtown will be a nightmare this weekend thanks to the long weekend and the ongoing motor-racing Cub Prix in Esplanade. Okay, I'm going out now. Till then. Merry Christmas!

Folks in KL, catch up with you guys next year! :D

S.O.S

2009-11-02T15:05:00.004+08:00

I have like another three weeks bumming around this island so if any of you are unemployed, back for a break or you have all the time in the world please drop me a text, maybe we can hang out together or something ok? Alternatively if you have an attractive part-time job to recommend me please do so! I'll be so thankful.

Liberation?

2009-10-26T21:28:00.003+08:00

I'm done with my supplementary paper for Evidence.

Let's see how it goes from here.

Moving On

2009-10-10T01:51:00.008+08:00

Bumming around for 2 months waiting for results has made me lazy, extremely lazy. Too lazy to lift my finger to blog and recount current events hence this lingering smell of a dead blog. Besides, the desktop PC at home isn't working properly. That's where I upload my photos and do the editing cos it operates much faster than my aging laptop.

I'm typing this post for the very first time at 24 years old. I thank God for my lovely family and friends who made my birthday a joyous occasion though it was rather quieter this year. Nevertheless, the birthday wishes and messages I received were overwhelming. Thank you so much!

Lovely birthday dinner at Ristorante Bella Italia @ Belissa Row

Our food.

Jan & I

BTW, if you didn't know yet my CLP results are out! FINALLY, after 2 months and a couple of heart-stopping false alarms. First, they released the exam statistics at the end of the week before releasing individual results the following week. Only 169 candidates made it through to legal practice out of 800 or so candidates nationwide and 112 candidates obtained conditional pass.

I got a conditional pass. Failed my Evidence paper which I thought was easier than the rest. Oh well, I'm still thankful for the conditional pass. I'll have to study harder to clear the resit on the 26th of this month. That can only be done by confining myself (again) in my PJ room beginning next week. I've got lots to do this week, a wedding to attend this weekend, girlfriend's birthday and also my grandma's birthday.

I realize I've been commuting up and down KL pretty often. I was in KL for two days this week to get my exam stuffs sorted out and caught up with some of my most treasured friends. It was so good to see them!

Keboringan Terlampau

2009-09-26T01:23:00.011+08:00

Hello guess who's back!

I'm terribly bored sitting at home on a Friday night when KL folks are making their way to the Black Eye Peas Concert/Arthur's Day at Sunway and the Penangites are flocking to the latest hang-out spot in town, the Hard Rock Cafe & Hotel Penang at Batu Ferringhi.

I'm getting restless already bumming around aimlessly.

Thank God my parents decided to make a short road trip down to KL over raya for shopping and er food? Raya is the best time to be in KL! It is as if a deadly plague has wiped off half the population of KL. The roads were empty and driving around KL was a breeze!

Oh but malls were packed with holidaymakers like us. Saw half a dozen Penang-registered MPVs loading what seemed like furnitures for their entire living room into their vehicles at the loading bay of IKEA.

The trip was extremely productive without the traffic jams. We went mall hopping in the Klang Valley and even made a trip down to Klang to visit a relative and had Bak Kut Teh at Taman Rasna, Klang over the weekend.

Other than that trip down to KL, I hang out every now and then with friends who remain in Penang. Everyone's still all over the place at the moment. Maybe, just maybe more will come back to Penang some time in future. I guess I will do the same but not so soon, at least not in the near future.

I love and cherish all the family gatherings too. It is something I look forward to whenever I'm back in Penang. Oh, and this month has been an awesome month for high school reunions too! First was the 50th Anniversary Dinner cum reunion dinner of the 7GTS scouts movement that I was part of back in school. More than 100 ex-scouts turned up for the dinner, including those from the 1950s! I will blog about it next time :P

And then there was the Board of Student Librarians 40th Anniversary Dinner! Oh yes I was a librarian. haha! Not a nerdy one with thick glasses though. I enjoyed this dinner better than the scouts dinner perhaps cos I was very actively involved in the board ever since Form 2 all the way to Form 6 so I can relate to the other members. I'm glad my peers joined me at the dinner. We reminisced about the good old days at the library. None of the newbies know me! I left the library for 6 years already, it makes me feel like an old dinosaur.

Okay, I gotta go! Scroll down for random photos!

#1 beach blanket babylon @ 32 mansion upper penang road

#2 with the monkeys of Disted class of 2004

$3 candid

#4 the 32 mansion

#5 bar overlooking the beach

#6 the monkeys reunion taken during CNY 2009, blame jonie for sending me so late!

#7 banana leaf rice with the Lims @ passion of kerala

#8 family having the famous claypot lou shi fun at Mama's Kitchen, TTDI.

My Latest Obsession

2009-09-10T13:26:00.003+08:00

Oh well, the highly enjoyable first month of my post-exams life have spiraled down to a rather boring one right now. Everyone's either busy working or not around in Penang.

I've been staying in more than usual these days indulging in a couple of new games and good books in between. I'm in the midst of a game mission in Need for Speed Undercover 2009. The graphics are superb. It gets a little bit boring after repetitive racing but by winning certain races nicer cars will be unlocked to keep you playing.

And if I'm lucky, my bunch of friends who are not too tired from work will ask me out for a few rounds of the multi-player survivor vs zombie game at the internet cafe. It's been ages since I played games this much. I have not been to an internet cafe since my pre-university days and today's internet cafes are no longer like the ones in our school days where they're often heavily tinted from the outside, dark, dodgy, smoky and loud.

Ah, results will be out any time this month.

Pray for me!

The Straw That Broke The Camels Back

2009-09-03T01:01:00.006+08:00

Hisham Defends Cow-head Protesters

Consider this the straw that broke the camels back.

He has set a dangerous precedent for barbaric demonstrations like this.

YOU WILL PAY DEARLY FOR THIS, BARISAN NASIONAL

TO HELL WITH YOUR 1MALAYSIA, the most malicious and contradicting concept ever.

Post Exam Bumming

2009-08-24T01:51:00.002+08:00

This is my fourth week in Penang! tadaa!

I've been hanging out with my homies as often as possible just before we all go separate ways again and probably not see each other again until next year. Most of them would have left by the end of this week.

Been meeting quite alot of random people as well and checking out new hang out spots in Penang. I don't wanna be left out just because I'm hardly around okay! I'm quite happy with the way things are progressing in Penang. Lots of heritage buildings in Georgetown have been refurbished and put into good use after the UNESCO World Heritage Site listing and the first Hard Rock Hotel in Malaysia will also open its doors in Batu Ferringhi next month complete with the cafe!

I shall talk no more and let the rest of the photos do the talking.

photo credit: What2See

#1 BAGAN Bar and Restaurant

Bagan is housed in an old colonial-styled refurbished bungalow with an ambiance of a 70's club.

As the website puts it, it is "A place where one can unwind to impress and to rendezvous in an ambience of class and style". The crowd over there is slightly more matured though. Noticeably there are two different groups - working adults in their late 20s-30s and wealthy cigar smoking uncles and aunties into their 50s-60s. The young crowd hang out at Upper Penang Road! I should have known!

L-R: Scott, the Hong Konger, Hsiung, myself, Mike, the Australian-born and Gary. Dinesh, the Singaporean was behind the camera. They were all down in Penang for holiday with my buddy Gary.

I've also checked out this place called Coffee Island. It's been around since end of last year but I've never stayed long enough to drop by. It's a pleasant place to chill save for the blasting speakers at one corner of that massive cafe. I've yet to check out the much talked about Sunset Bistro at Batu Ferringhi but I took the initiative to check out Beach Blanket Babylon @ 32 Mansion last night. I'll save the reviews for my next post :)

Over the holidays, I played host to my British mates and my clp classmate, Jeff & co, briefly.

The Brits came up to Penang for a 3 days 2 nights trip with Audrey and Linnie. Both Audrey and Linnie's mom are from Penang. I always wonder how this little island can produce so many people. I meet Penangites/former Penangites everywhere and just see how the island come to a standstill during Chinese New Year when almost all the sons and daughters of Penang are back.

@ Batu Ferringhi beach behind Dalat International School, a familiar sight for John who spent a couple of nights at Dalat on a school trip about 10 years ago. John lived on Cameron Highlands for nine-years in the 1990s. He spent his childhood in Malaysia.

Resting on the five foot way. John and Rhodri acting like locals.

The guys trying out coconut water in Little India.

Taking in the sights, sounds (blasting Tamil music) and curry smell of Little India

The best Tandoori set in town @ Kapitans, Gurney Hotel

They love it.

My lamb biriani - awesome

John with his Tandoori Garlic Nan set.

Rhodri with his cheese nan set.

Eastern and Oriental Hotel - since 1885

Among its more famous guests it has welcomed Noel Coward, Douglas Fairbanks, Hermann Hesse, Rudyard Kipling and Somerset Maugham.

@ the E & O Garden

@ Kek Lok Si Temple in Air Itam

@ the foot of the Penang Hill.

We never made it up to the top because of the long wait for the slow moving tram. They are replacing the old trams next year. As much as we miss the aesthetic and historical value of the old trams face it people, we all hate waiting! Waiting up to an hour and a half for a tram to bring us up is plain ridiculous!

@ Penang Botanical Gardens

The four of them on the banana boat. Oh no! Just three!

That's Audrey in her epic landing into the water :D

@ Batu Ferringhi beach

that's me enjoying the sunset at the beach!

to my clp classmates, enjoy your holidays too,

selamat berpuasa to all Muslims and Penangites please take note, my church is organising a fund raising mega food carnival at the Penang International Sports Arena (PISA) this coming Saturday (29th). Do come in droves to support us! ;)

BBQ Night

2009-08-17T00:20:00.005+08:00

I'm contemplating whether to retire from blogging or to update only when I feel like it, it can be weeks and months and I might not have any visitors to my blog by then but I couldn't care less la. Maybe I'll just keep my travel blog. I've lost the passion for blogging long time ago. At the same time I'm spending lesser time online, distracted by networking sites like facebook and the microblogging site, twitter and I hardly bring my camera to events unless they can embed the Canon Ixus 85 into my phone. Okay I'm just finding 101 reasons not to update my blog regularly. Goodnight!

p/s: my title says BBQ night because I just got back from a family gathering which involves alot of barbecueing but I'm just too lazy to go into detail right now and as usual I've got no photos. I happily stuffed myself with food and wine and I'm glad to see the cousins and other members of the extended family it makes me think twice about going back to KL.

Old World Charm

2009-08-07T01:04:00.002+08:00

I sent Audrey, Linnie and my British mates off on Tuesday. I squeezed in so many activities for them in their 3 days 2 nights trip I bet they are flat on their beds right now. We had plenty of Penang hawker's food, visited the heritage enclave, little india, toured my alma mater, had what they call one of the best tandoori set ever, visited gurney drive twice, went up to kek lok si temple, went to the beach twice, ride on the banana boat etc. I got myself burnt under the sun ala post-summer in Prague but I enjoyed myself.

I stayed in for two days to catch up on my sleep and to recover from the exhaustion and then off I went to meet up with another group of friends over supper and a late night gaming session until 4.30am. I have not been to an internet cafe since form 5 and I'm looking forward to another gaming session already!

Another group of visitors will be arriving from KL this Saturday! Busy busy weekend ahead.

I'll post some photos from my day out with Shirls and Chris last week. It was nice seeing them again and we brought Chris to a few places for some sight-seeing. This lovely couple took a couple of days to recover from jet lag. By the time they adjusted they had to jet off somewhere else already. I'll be seeing them again in 2 weeks, I hope.

#1 new world park food court.

#2 Georgetown gold bazaar - it's been around for a while
#3 the kapitan keling mosque - est 1801

#4 in the mosque - it was the first time i set foot in a mosque

#5 the minaret

#6 yap kongsi clan house - est 1924

#7

#8 cannon square - khoo kongsi clan house

#8 khoo kongsi clan house - est 1906.

the khoos were probably the most powerful clan in penang back then considering the grandeur of their clan house.

#9 the blogger, chris and shirls. chris could endure the heat better than me! i've been sweating way too much these days. i was at this pasar malam the other day, after an hour i was drenched like a bucket of water fell on me. something wrong with my sweat glands or what?

#10 khoo kongsi clan house at night on a giant poster - it's lit up at night only on special occasions

#11 abu siti lane coconut house

John & Rhodri in KL

2009-08-03T02:00:00.000+08:00

I just got back from a day out with Audrey, Linnie and my mates from Britain. They are up in Penang! I'm enjoying myself in Penang at the moment. I've been meeting up with lotsa people. Some of my buddies from secondary school are back for holidays, it's been at least 5 years since our last reunion! Oh well, nothing beats being in the company of your close friends.

You won't see me online very much hence the lack of updates on my blog.

I'll upload some photos with the lads in KL, a couple of weeks ago just after my exams.

#1 Boys boys boys with the twin towers!

#2 Dwarfed by the twins!

#3 Introduction to Malaysian food

#4 Rhodri's chopstick debut

#5 Learning how to use the chopstick

#6 The guys at KL Tower

#7 The skyline from KL Tower

#8 John up to something naughty

#9 The Mat Salleh engrossed with his audio guide

#10 The KL Tower is so tall!

#11 @KLCC Park

I'm going off to bed. Another long day ahead of me!

Goodnight.

Back from Hiatus

2009-07-28T11:09:00.007+08:00

Hello readers!

I went through hell and survived! Finally, I'm done with the CLP exams, definitely the toughest exams I have taken by far, no joke! Anyway, I'm already enjoying my long break back home while waiting for my CLP results to be released some time in September. Please keep me in your prayers.

A little update of what I have done so far! I've been missing out so much taking the CLP, social life has gone to the drain and I have little opportunity to sample tasty food! Been living on the same mixed rice and mamak food near my place almost daily. So naturally I went out on an eating spree right after exams which includes the Kajang Satay and my favourite Italian restaurant, d'Italian Kitchen@Jaya 33, PJ.

North-South Expressway - Approaching Ipoh

Then I tried catching up with my friends in the Klang Valley, it's a shame I didn't get to meet some of you or join the post-exam parties cos' I had to leave KL almost immediately after the last paper. Before I left I also spent a day bringing my British mates for some sightseeing in KL. They are my friends from Aber's Christian Union! It didn't occur to me that I will be seeing them again after Aber what more so soon!

Penang Bridge - Approaching Penang Island

I was down with an unusually high fever the night I arrived in Penang. My body temperature shot up to the ceiling. My face was swollen and I had blood shots in both my eyes. I thought I was gonna explode like Sylar in Heroes. Thank God I recovered the next day after an expensive trip to the clinic and getting half a day's sleep.

I am thoroughly enjoying this long break at the moment. There are so many things to do I doubt I will get bored. My buddies are coming back from all over the place and I will be receiving several groups of visitors to Penang. Siew Li, Cynthia and Daphne were here last weekend and I am anticipating more to come in the next few weeks.

Just got off the bridge

So far it's been a back to back catching up sessions with fellow Penangites who are scattered all over the place and I'll be meeting up with Shir leen and Chris this week! Before signing off let me just jump into the bandwagon with a tribute to the late Yasmin Ahmad who was an inspiring figure to many Malaysians. She represents hope to those who believe in the coexistence of a united multiracial Malaysia especially at times when racial tensions are aggravated by our short-sighted and irresponsible politicians. I hope her legacy will continue to live amongst us.

Party Party Party

2009-07-23T17:42:00.004+08:00

O Party Party Party
I wanna have a Party
I need to have a Party
You better have a Party

O Party Party Party
You gotta Party harty
I'm gonna have a Party
Or else you won't be sorry

O Party Party Party
The Party's gettin' started
I know a guy named Marty
Marty likes to Party

O Party Party Party
Party's make me farty
I gotta take antacid
So I can keep on Partying

Sweet sweet Party
Party Party Party
You gotta Party
And I wanna Party

Who's gonna make this Party started?
Me! Me!

Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me
Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me Me

-Andrew W.K.

Finally, it's over!! I pray hard that it's over for good!

Updates will follow suit soon!

Tribute to the King of Pop

2009-06-27T02:04:00.010+08:00

Michael Jackson (1958-2009)

The greatest and the most talented music icon I have ever known.

Even my grandparents know Michael Jackson! Truly legendary.

Watch how he shook Malaysia 13 years ago.

p/s: Exams in 2 week's time!

Hiatus Mode : ON

2009-05-14T13:29:00.004+08:00

I reckon it's about time this blog comes to a complete hiatus.

I have so many things to read that I won't have time to write anymore. I usually start and end my day reading local and international news from the various news portals available on the internet and various mind boggling articles from selected websites. And then I try to juggle between my CLP books (check them out in my previous post) and John Grisham's 'The Firm' in between them. A whole lot to read huh, at least until the 22nd of July.

Once I'm done with the exams, the heavy burden over my shoulder will be gone, perpetually I hope! I promise I will properly post on this space then. All in all the main concern is the exams coming up in July la. Please keep me in your prayers and I thank you in advance.

How I wish I am on a holiday again just like in Monaco last year. Good times.

On another note, I will have the whole unit here to myself in 2 weeks' time and my friends will be moving in! I'm done negotiating with my housemates about the transfer of furnitures and appliances and ready to take over. I'm so excited because I won't be living with a bunch of strangers anymore and I will have my own covered parking lot. Yay!

There's nothing much of an interesting social life to update at the moment other than the typical outings of going to the mall, watching some of the latest movies and having some good meals with friends over the weekend - not in the mood to carry my camera around la these days. I will definitely be back by the end of July. Don't miss me ya! lol

Siew Li Turns 22

2009-05-08T03:30:00.001+08:00

Here's one lengthy entry just before my blog goes into semi-hiatus mode :)

place: d'italian(e) kitchen

location: Jaya 33, PJ

I'm not sure who suggested this restaurant, whoever it is, well done! I love this restaurant! Whoops, I forgot I'm not the birthday boy here. Haha. Nevertheless, d'Italiane Kitchen is a rather classy Italian restaurant with a generous range of Italian and Western cuisine to choose from. Besides, those are not pastas you see in boring menus of other Italian restaurants.

The birthday girl with a birthday card which reads Royal Mail from the UK from an anonymous sender. (well anonymous to me because I was seated at the other end of the table so I had no idea who the sender is, haha.) Was it from you S.S?

Our table, taken from where I was seated.

Lentty and the two Jasons.

Behold - FOOD, *at the discretion of the viewer*. Stay away if your stomach is empty.

Yummy Pasta #1 - Prawn and Mushroom Anglio Olio

Yummy Pasta #2 - Spicy Crab Linguine

Cheese Stuffed Beef - Mine. Heavenly, trust me. It's as good as it sounds!

I'll try the pasta next time.

Yummy Pasta #3 - Angel Hair Pasta with Scallops

I thought the birthday cake was pretty - Latte Tiramisu Cake.

The birthday girl.

The symbolic cake-cutting session with cameras flashing from all over.

Us with the birthday girl and her birthday present from all of us.

The rest of us. Wait! Where's Soo Chee? I think she's behind the camera.

Another group photo. All smiles after the good meal and the additional 2kgs we put on.

Boink. Just before we leave this place, let me just say that the service there was excellent.

I have no complains. I didn't have to ask or demand for anything and I noticed that the staffs constantly smiled eventhough all of us were too engrossed in our conversations and jokes to show any sign of appreciation.

A birthday party is never complete without the 'party' isn't it?

So we adjourned to Laundry @ The Curve for ~~the after party~~ some drinks.

There was a British Jazz/Funk Band performing. Well they all looked British, the dressing and all. Sad to say, I didn't know how to appreciate the Jazz cum Funk music. I just sat there stoned, pretending to be so interested like like all the other patrons there. Probably some of them were just like me, just pretending ;)

I had a pint of Kilkenny which virtually transported me back to Aberland, back to the days of my good old favourite pint of Strongbow cider and stuff.

It's been a while since I had a 'pint' of beer. You know over here they usually come in bottles or beer towers unless you go to proper pubs whatsoever but then again alcohol is so expensive over here!

Drinks - There's the Long Island, Lemon Drop, Kilkenny, Mojito, Margarita and Jack Funky with Coke. I turned all red like a lobster after that. That shows it's been a while since I had my last sip of alcohol.

*semi-hiatus mode*

The Battle for Perak Continues

2009-05-07T11:30:00.006+08:00

When Najib took over the premiership he pledged to address several outstanding grievances of the people that the previous administration failed to address. He tried to put his words into action eventhough I was still quite skeptical as to the effectiveness and sustainability of it. However, it was a baby step which carries with it hope. He promised to do more (though that will remain to be seen) and I told the world that perhaps we should have some faith in our new PM.

All these faith and hope crumbled when the Perak political crisis comes to light.

PM Najib, what you are doing or allowing to happen in Perak is an utter disrespect to the wishes of the people. You might appear victorious among your party circles in the power grab of Perak but sadly you failed to see that the biggest loser isn't Pakatan but the people!

Why bother making key policy changes, pledges and promises to win over the hearts of the people when on the other hand you are destroying hopes and wishes of democracy-loving rakyat Malaysia.

What 1Malaysia?! It's you vs. 1Malaysia.

My Matchbox Cars

2009-04-30T16:40:00.000+08:00

I just had plenty of good food this week and nothing beats the comforts of being home. I hope I will be fully charged for the lengthy and stressful weekend classes and the busy months ahead just before exams after the short trip home.

This morning I finally dug out my box of die cast toy cars my mom had kept deep inside the cupboard. I had wanted to have a good look of all the toy cars that kept my brother and I occupied for most of our childhood. I would probably still be playing with these cars if it wasn't for my parents who kept it away from us into our teens. LOL

Btw Matchbox is a die cast toy brand which IMO produced the best die cast toy cars in the 90s.

My die cast cars collection together with a helicopter and a few passenger planes that will come into the picture when we simulate air crash situations or airport scenes. HAHA

We also had limousines!

And tractors, police cars, fire engine, ambulances, trucks, airport vehicles, school bus, London buses, London black cab, ice cream vans, pizza vans, Coca-Cola trucks, tow trucks, dump truck etc to simulate various scenarios when we play.

By now you should know that I am terribly obsessed with cars since young.

What did you play with in your childhood?

Countdown: 80 Days

2009-04-24T18:28:00.007+08:00

In a blink of an eye, another chapter in life is coming to an end, well hopefully, as the mother of all exams is just around the corner. Revision classes have started, time running short, pimples popping up and all the exam stress is building up very quickly.

All work no play makes Jason a dull boy so this week I've had the privilege of watching a very good movie just before they took it off the cinema, managed a couple of yum cha sessions at several new places in the city and also a well deserved trip up Look Out Point after the long weekend.

It was my second trip up there but the journey was just so so long that I still can't get the directions right - approximately 50 minutes to an hour's drive from PJ to 'The Lookout Point' in Hulu Langat. I wouldn't go up if it wasn't my friend who drove. We went up in two cars. Just look how far the Petronas Twin Towers are.

It's cooling up there and it was such a brilliant idea to escape from the unbearable heat in the city! It has been unusually warm this past few weeks! I have to shower like four times a day now and still sweat like a pig once i step out of the bathroom.

Here's a stack of reading materials for exams! :O

Hopefully the sight of it will scare me off the internet.

Btw, go and watch Knowing if you haven't! It puts Fast and Furious 4 to shame! I still can't get over the fact that they recycled the old junks from Fast and Furious 1. And American muscle cars? Oh please, it's such an eyesore esthetically!

Buscrashnomore featured on NST

2009-04-21T00:50:00.005+08:00

None of us (four contributors of this website) knew the blog has been featured on NST until a certain Mr. Phoon alerted me that our website has been featured on page 23 of the NST on Sunday the 19th April 2009. Thanks Mr. Phoon.

Here's the screenshot and a link to the NST website which carries the news, albeit more than a year later. Similar articles have appeared in The Star, Sin Chiew, Guang Ming and Nanyang at the height of the incident last year.

http://buscrashnomore.blogspot.com

'Help Us Make A Difference'

I noticed a surge in traffic and comments coming in on http://buscrashnomore.blogspot.com yesterday and I was wondering where did they all come from. As I have written in my post last year entitled 'Malaysians Muda Lupa', Malaysians do forget easily and very quickly as well!

We already knew there is only so much we could do after the Slim River bus crash that claimed the lives of three passengers including our dear friend, Nian Ning. Our hope was to collect 10,000 signatures from the Malaysian public to demand that the Ministry of Transport (MoT)take action and appropriate measures to ensure that inter-city express bus accidents like this will not happen again in the future. At the same time it was also meant to raise awareness among the Malaysian public.

I'm glad the campaign has somewhat raised some level of awareness among Malaysians. Thus far http://buscrashnomore.blogspot.com has been featured in various articles, websites and newspapers but we have failed to achieve the main objective of our campaign save for a dialogue session with the MoT which resulted in some temporary measures and punishment taken against errand bus companies at the height of the event. However, I concur that it does take more than a massive lost of lives, a high level of public awareness and pressure to achieve our main aim and objective that the Ministry of Transport overhaul the enforcement, regulatory and safety measures with regards to these inter-city express buses.

Only the Minister of Transport has the answer to it.

Where Next?

2009-04-18T09:53:00.000+08:00

Where should I go after my exams?

Bangkok, South Korea, Singapore, Koh Samui, Hanoi?

#1: Bangkok.

Why Bangkok?: It's cheap, exotic, a shopping paradise and has a vibrant nightlife.

I would love to see the grand palace, take a stroll down the road from Siam Paragon, hop on the Skytrain, visit the massive Chatuchak market, the unique floating markets, check out Bangkok's colourful Toyota taxis, a visit to the clubs :O and also enjoy authentic spicy Thai cuisine. Whoot! Furthermore, my buddy's coming back from Australia for a South East-Asia trip. I might join him but I guess not cos' his group of Aussie friends are looking for a party-themed-only trip to Bangkok.

The political turmoil there is a turn off though which leaves us clueless as to what might happen next.

#2 South Korea

Why South Korea: I have received various invitations from my Korean friends to visit and if you have known me since my high school days you would know that I was once a K-Entertainment freak. I have all of Boa's songs and albums, pirated ones included, had a massive collection of K-Pop music videos and I watch Korean entertainment news channels, Korean movies and dramas you wouldn't even know etc. That's history but Korea seems tempting.

I wanna visit the DMZ at Panmunjom (South Korea-North Korea border), the museums, markets, the city of Seoul itself which has much to offer, Busan and Jeju Island if possible and also to catch up with the Koreans. Cons: Expensive flight tickets. Boo.

#3: Singapore

It's been ages since I last visited Singapore. The last time I was there I peed in my pants after the boat ride at Haw Par Villa Theme Park. -_- That was the only thing I remember about Singapore.

It's high time that I drop by since lots have changed since then and accommodation wouldn't be much of a problem. My best friend's there, a couple of other friends and cousin studying and working in the Lion City. Not forgetting my long time online/pen pal Singaporean friend who has probably given up on me ever going down and other Singaporean friends who will be more than willing to show me around.

Cons: High exchange rate. :p

#4: Koh Samui

Looks interesting and somewhat unique compared to the other paradise islands I have been to. Most importantly, it's reasonably cheap and it's so near to Penang I can always go over without a hassle.

Cons: There's a prediction going around that there will be another Asian Tsunami at the end of July or so. Better be safe than sorry? Plus having been to one of the best islands in the world I should probably take a break from these island holidays. I'm already burnt and haven't recovered since.

#5 Vietnam

It's comparatively cheap and easily accessible with Air Asia.

Vietnam is unique for its combination of both Oriental and French influences. It is also the land of motorbikes and many exotic food (not that I wanna try eating snakes and dogs) but it would be worthwhile seeing all that exotic stuff. The only two places I would love to visit in Vietnam is Halong Bay (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and Hanoi.

Cons: Still doesn't seem attractive enough to me yet compared to say Bangkok.

I know my exams are 3 more months away and I should be studying instead of planning where to go but never mind la, travelling makes me happy so even if the plan doesn't work out in the end I'm happy doing this :D

Racial Politics, the Cancer of Our Society

2009-04-15T16:36:00.005+08:00

It is disheartening to learn that after 50 over years of nation building we're taking many steps backwards because of our very own doing by voting racist scumbags to represent us in the parliament.

The front page article : 'Bangkitlah Melayu'

Utusan Malaysia Front Page courtesy of Jeff Ooi.

Today UMNO owned Utusan Malaysia screamed this on its front page and ironically it also carries an article 'Najib: Saya PM semua komunity'. Is there a plot to undermine the new Prime Minister's manifesto or does our dear PM share the same view with these racist scumbags? I wish he could step forward and explain this if he truly believes in One Malaysia.

Deja Vu

2009-04-14T10:14:00.005+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR: Transport Minister Datuk Seri Ong Tee Keat has instructed the Road Safety Department and the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research to investigate the express bus crash in which six people were killed.

“This is indeed heartbreaking for me. I will follow up on the matter,” Ong told reporters at the launch of Astro’s new documentary series My New Village Stories here.

It is learnt that officials from both departments rushed to the accident scene on receiving Ong’s instructions.

The double-decker express bus skidded and crashed into the guardrail on the North-South Expressway near Rawang around 5am yesterday. The metal railing speared the lower deck of the bus, decapitating the co-driver.

Click here for the full story

Another major express bus accident claimed the lives of 6 people yesterday morning. As usual, initial investigations showed that both the bus driver and the co-driver have more than half a dozen summonses on them for speeding and other traffic offences. Today, the Transport Minister ordered an investigation into the crash. Let's see what comes out of the investigation.

Deja vu huh? I hear the same old story year after year but nothing has changed or at least I haven't heard any announcement of new safety measures for these inter-city express buses. Aiya, they just don't have the political will to change anything la so why not just shut up.

First Ride on Rapid Penang

2009-04-10T09:35:00.001+08:00

Today is Good Friday (Thanks be to our Lord Jesus Christ for saving us) and I am back in PJ already. I forgot to go for a haircut before coming back, haih. I just cannot communicate effectively with the hairstylists here cos most of them either speak Mandarin or Cantonese and it is so embarrassing and irritating when they still ask hundreds of questions knowing full well that my spoken Mandarin and Canto is horrendous (unless they actually thought otherwise la. HAHAHA)

I think going back to Penang is not necessarily a good thing. I tend to overeat!

I didn't really go out much this time around cos it rained so heavily in Penang for the past few days that it threatened to sink the island! The rain literally poured for hours it was insane. Furthermore I didn't drive back and my brother's just so busy with college that I don't have a car to get around hence I was stranded at home most of the time.

And then I thought it would be a good opportunity for me to check out the Rapid Penang buses. I did a little research on its website and then hopped on one from the bus stop in front of my house to visit my grandparents. haha!

It was pretty alright la I would say. The bus stop was shaded by so many century old rain trees so it was breezy and wasn't hot at all. It took about half an hour for the buses to arrive. Two arrived at the same time. I think they should put up the route maps and other necessary information at the bus stops la at least! Takkan you want those 60-70 year old aunties to serve your website before boarding.

The fare starts from Rm 0.50 to RM 3.00 depending on the distance.

I like the colourful tickets.

Other than that, everything else is the same as the Rapid KL. It took me 10 minutes to arrive at my destination and surprisingly I didn't drop a sweat throughout. Perhaps I can take it further next time. lol

Photo credit - http://dolphinairline.blogspot.com/

I also watched Fast & Furious 4 in Penang. Whoever told me it's a nice movie!

It was boring for at least the first half of it, not much rubber burning and racing scenes and they pretty much recycled the cars. What were they thinking featuring so many ugly American muscle cars! It is an understatement to say that I am disappointed with F&F 4! It is a major disappointment for car enthusiasts!

Luckily some light shopping made up for the bad movie. There was a stock clearance/price slash at the Brands Outlet, a subsidiary of Padini (I think) at Queensbay Mall and I managed to get a few shirts.

I miss celebrating Easter Sunday back in my hometown. No combined worship session and Easter lunch with family this year. I have a lecture on Sunday morning! -_-

Here In My Home

2009-04-07T00:13:00.006+08:00

"It seems nicer to walk in penang too, the shades, the breeze and so on. It's so good to be home!" - a fellow Penangite

I'm back in Penang again until Friday.

Revival

2009-04-01T11:18:00.024+08:00

What! It's April already?! wow it's been more than half a year since I came back.

I've been eating way too much for the last six months to make up for the long absence of Malaysian food in 2007/2008. I just burst my shorts with the many layers of 'spare tyres' I have gained! Never mind, I will jump into the pool everyday and head to the gym at least 5 times a week after exams. For now nothing matters more than this exam! Yes I know I'm quick to console my ownself after complaining, just realised after my dear g.sis told me about it. Haha.

After three quarters into this post-graduate legal qualifying course, we are finally bonding pretty okay with our new classmates. It is not easy in a class of about 200 students who graduated from at least 8 different universities of different countries, having 5-7 hours lectures a day, lousy location etc. Well, so far so good, I'm happy now except for the fact that exam is in 3 months' time.

Anyway last weekend we celebrated Lynn's 23rd birthday at The Gardens, Midvalley.

It was held at Alexis Kitchen & Bar which serves fusion cuisine and cakes.

It has a rather interesting (though not necessarily pretty) interior design with a nice ambiance.

Us. the blogger sticking his tongue out to attract attention.

We all had a good time at Alexis that Sunday afternoon after a 5 hour long lecture. Obviously la, we need to loosen up after the intense 5 hours lecture on the National Land Code.

Alexis Bar.

Let me comment about the food. Honestly, there's nothing in the menu to shout about. Everything is overpriced from the RM 20 Chicken Rice to the Rm 11.50 orange juice. I had the RM 25 Nasi Istimewa Alexis which IMO has the most value for money. It's filling and also quite authentic albeit a little too spicy.

Top left - Nasi Istimewa Alexis.

Is it just me or what. I think Hon Wai's becoming rounder and rounder. HAHA.

The birthday cake from Coffee Bean. Really good.

Barely 24 hours later I was over at Sunway Piramid 2 with Norman and Wei Theng for Japanese buffet. Yea, my second one in like two weeks. How can my spare tyres not grow? There is a price war in town among these Japanese Buffet restaurants which will only benefit the consumers. Hehehe.

Shogun Japanese Buffet restaurant, Sunway Piramid 2.

Don't be fooled by the 1 Utama outlet. It is under the same management together with Saisaki Japanese Buffet but the outlet at Sunway Piramid is slightly more superior than the 1 Utama outlet at the same price.

They have a wide array of sushi for sushi lovers on top of the traditional items like sashimi, fresh oyster, jellyfish, octopus, soft shell crab, calamari etc.

I enjoyed all the other cooked food as well. cod fish, lamb shank, fresh oysters, baked oyster with cheese, peking duck, sulphur duck, tempura, lamb shoulder, escargot ( yes they have escargot!) and many more!

The only turn-off was that they told me off for trying to snap photos of the buffet counter. I'm doing you guys a favour man by putting all this up on review. GRR.

Having said all that, I still highly recommend Shogun Japanese Restaurant @ Sunway Piramid II above all the other Japanese Buffet restaurants I have been to for its value for money, ambiance, food, quality, crowd and service. Don't bother paying RM 88++ or RM 50 nett (promotional rate) for those overrated restaurants.

I guess I will stick to this restaurant if I were to have Japanese Buffet again.

I don't mind giving up the fragrant coconuts and Haagen Dazs ice cream :p

Okay this is a little outdated but where were you during Earth Hour 2009?

I must say that I am immensely proud of Malaysia for observing Earth Hour 2009 at a massive scale. I didn't anticipate the participation of so many big corporations especially the goverment-linked companies (GLC). I was at Hartamas that night and as I left after dinner, many restaurants and bars have turned off their lights, street lamps were dimmed, FLY.FM has gone off the wave, almost all the buildings I passed by have turned off all their lights and even apartments only had their corridor lights on. It was really quite amazing that it felt like I was driving on the highway somewhere after midnight when it was actually a Saturday night!

Ironik ft. Chipmunk & Elton John

2009-03-31T00:38:00.004+08:00

If you happen to know Angie please watch this music video by DJ Ironik ft. Chipmunk and Elton John!

Angie is in it and you definitely won't miss her! This is so cool!

Well done my friend!

The Good Old Days

2009-03-26T11:26:00.005+08:00

I was travelling back to Penang in my friend's car the other day and we spoke about a range of different topics to keep him awake and also to kill time which wasn't exactly the main concern since we made it back to Penang in 2 hours and 45 minutes with one stop in between.

We made a very interesting discovery talking about the past and even shared our grandmother stories.

R: My maternal grandparents used to live in 'Tua Lor Au' (Part of today's Perak Road- One of the remaining Chinese settlements in Penang which is gradually making way for urban redevelopment).

Me: Hey, mine too! It is one of the earliest Chinese settlements outside the inner city of Georgetown afterall. Who knows our grandparents might know one another or they might have crossed path.

R: What does your grandfather do? (In the olden days they do all sorts of trade in their common place to put food on their family's table)

Me: My grandpa sells vegetables at the market in 'Tua Lor Au'.

R: And my grandmother sells Koay Teow Thn'g at the market in 'Tua Lor Au'! How big can the market be and how many Koay Teow Thn'g stalls can there be at the market? How long have your grandpa been selling vegetables at the market?

Me: All his life though gradually he does it to past time.

R: Mine as well!

Me: Oh and I remember my grandmother telling me that my grandpa's despise for chicken and duck meat originated from his stint at a Koay Teow Thn'g stall in his teens! He saw them throwing chicken head and duck head into the soup. He was disgusted by it and never had chicken or duck meat since then.

R: How old is your grandpa?

Me: 75

R: My grandmother is 90+! I'm pretty sure your grandpa might have helped out in my grandmother's stall back then and there aren't many vegetable stalls at the market! I think your grandpa should know my paternal grandfather too. He was a vegetable wholesaler in Sia Boay, the largest wholesale market in Penang then.

Me: Seriously?! My grandfather goes there to get his stock and his family used to have a vegetable lot at the wholesale market! What are the names or nicknames (they are usually known by their nicknames) of both your grandmother and paternal grandfather? I'll ask my grandpa he knew them!

It's really a small world out there.

Who knows our grandparents or ancestors might have crossed path in their life.

My Dad grew up just a few roads down from Beach Street. Beach Street hasn't changed much from its pre-independence days. It's still the commercial centre of Georgetown and Standard Chartered Bank which is one of the earliest banks in Penang in the late 1800s still occupies the same building.

Kelawei Road, Pulau Tikus, an Eurasian enclave then - where Gurney Plaza is today.

My paternal grandparents lived in the city of Georgetown. If you're of Fuzhou descent and from Penang, it's even more likely that your grandparents or great grandparents would have known my paternal grandfather.

Things of the past fascinates me. That explains my profound love for history. haha!

Tenji Japanese Buffet @ Solaris Mont Kiara

2009-03-20T22:32:00.000+08:00

This week has been a rather eventful week compared to previous ones.

First and foremost, I have signed a new tenancy agreement with the landlord to rent the entire unit from June. I came to that decision after getting positive responses from my friends when I asked them if they're interested in moving to my place. So far I've got a confirmation for the master bedroom and as for the middle room I shall hear from another friend soon. If everything turns out well I will have a place of my own, whee!

And Chen Seng is down from Penang for the weekend, managed to catch up a little with him today. Other than that, things are alright - we're currently into the subject of ethics and advocacy which is so boring cos it's mostly statute and rule based.

Last weekend, I went over to Solaris Mont Kiara for a nightout with Desmond and his coursemates. I've heard alot about Soho, Solaris Mont Kiara but never had an excuse to drop by. I like it there, it's new and all the restaurants and bars have appealing concepts. Well well, our main intention was to check out the lately-most-talked-about Japanese Buffet Restaurant in town, Tenji Japanese Buffet. You've probably seen pictures of Tenji in forwarded emails and other blogs.

The first thing thing that impressed me was the concept of the restaurant itself.

Outdoor dining at Tenji was quite a pleasant experience but not necessary so if it is raining heavily and humid. Worst still if at noon. So yea we sat outside without the air-conditioning but the natural breeze was alright. I didn't sweat profusely like I normally would.

Interior.

The Chinese food section I think. I didn't take anything from this section except the steamed fish which was really fresh! I didn't come for the dim sum nor the broccoli with mushroom in oyster sauce. [The professionally taken photos below are from Des's camera]

Sushi la what else.

Sashimi, oysters, scallops and jellyfish(?). The fresh oysters were huge and fresh but I still don't know how to appreciate fresh oysters, the taste of it is out of this world and I kinda find it disgusting. I love fried oyster though.

Later I had a plate full of sashimi and scallops that I vowed not to take anymore sashimi and scallops for life. I was so greedy!

More oysters but not mine la. blueh.

Chocolate fondue.

Our outdoor table.

Coconuts! I went coconuts and had 5 that night. Lovely!

The blogger and his fellow Old Free.

Tenji Japanese Buffet @ Solaris Mont Kiara.

Honestly, this place is overrated. There aren't enough staff around and they take forever to clear your empty plates! Do expect Tenji to be very crowded that you have to queue and wait for your turn to take your food. More often than not they fail to replenish the food on time, I didn't manage to take any tempuras. Each time I'm there it's empty.

The Haagen Dazs ice creams runs out very quickly as well! I guess there's no need to comment on the queue for ice cream and dessert. You might as well have them before your main course, seriously! Ok lah having said all that I think it's still worth my money. Five coconuts, a whole plate full of salmon sashimi, scallops, beef, fresh steamed fishes, unagi etc. Two rounds. Good enough i think. :D

For a comprehensive review of Tenji Japanese Buffet CLICK HERE

It's Spring time in Penang!

2009-03-15T09:35:00.001+08:00

It appears that spring has arrived in Penang as well eventhough we're not in the northern hemisphere! haha! Here are some of the photos forwarded via email. My stay in Penang was too short for any photography session.

Somehow the trees are blooming everywhere in Penang especially in Bayan Baru, near the Penang International Sports Arena (PISA). It's such a beautiful sight.

I don't see any in PJ. Besides, where can I find trees lined up next to roads and highways in KL other than Jalan Duta and which residential area has big old trees?

It's time we show some concern for our environment by turning your lights off for one hour at 8.30pm Saturday 28th March 2009.

Be part of it and be inspired.

Short-Sighted

2009-03-12T11:24:00.010+08:00

I hit the streets of Georgetown again after I had supper with my friends last night. It is my habit to do an obligatory tour of my beloved island each time I am back to keep myself updated with the latest happenings.

As I passed by the beautifully lit up Penang Court Complex and many other newly restored heritage buildings, the same question reverberated in my head, 'Should I move back to Penang in the near future?'.

This is a life-changing question that I shall seriously ponder upon for the sake of my profound love and affection for this little island where I had spent an amazing three quarters of my life in.

About: Penang Supreme Court Building

Source: Flickr - Har15

Source: Flickr - Keristuah

Source: Flickr - kdubachelor

Source: Flickr - kdubachelor

Will I see myself walking down the corridors of the Penang Courts or KL's?

We'll see.

Btw, I just heard from my housemates in KL that they won't renew the tenancy agreement with the landlord after June which will leave me without a place to stay just one month before my CLP exams! It's driving me insane! I'm considering signing a new agreement with the landlord which will bind me for a year.

On top of that I will have to arrange a transfer for some of the electrical appliances and utensils from my existing housemates which might cost me a bomb, manage the utility bills, computate an appropriate rate for rental, find new tenants to fill up the other 2 rooms and so on! It's going to be so burdensome in the run up to the exam which will determine whether I get to practice this year! Please pray for me.

Quizzical

2009-03-07T22:09:00.007+08:00

You know I hardly ever do tags but this one will be an exception.

Just had another full day of lectures and I'm currently packing my stuffs, where to?

I'm heading back to Penang again! Haha! Roger's driving back tomorrow so i might as well jump on the opportunity, most probably I won't get to go back this often anymore after March, very stressful and hectic days ahead.

Anyway, from this quizbox comes this:-

Your view on yourself:

You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:

You like serious, smart and determined people. You don't judge a book by its cover, so good-looking people aren't necessarily your style. This makes you an attractive person in many people's eyes.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:

You prefer to get to know a person very well before deciding whether you will commit to the relationship.

The seriousness of your love:

You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.

Your views on education

You may not like to study but you have many practical ideas. You listen to your own instincts and tend to follow your heart, so you will probably end up with an unusual job.

The right job for you:

You have plenty of dream jobs but have little chance of doing any of them if you don't focus on something in particular. You need to choose something and go for it to be happy and achieve success.

How do you view success:

You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.

What are you most afraid of:

You are concerned about your image and the way others see you. This means that you try very hard to be accepted by other people. It's time for you to believe in who you are, not what you wear.

Who is your true self:

You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

Take it with a pinch of salt okay?

And dear friends, tell me how true are they. Let me see how well you know me. Hehehe (I wonder how many of my friends actually read my blog. Some of my closest friends say they're too lazy to read blogs. -_-)

Thank youuu Missycheerio! :D

Let Your Voice Be Heard

2009-03-05T01:45:00.008+08:00

Warning: Another national awareness post :D

I'm glad my course has gone into full swing now. While the 10-12 hours lectures and tutorials go on over the weekends we now have an extra 6 hours of tutes slotted into the weekdays. On top of that there's the optional refresher's class for Criminal Procedure Code.

The classes on its own shall keep me very very busy. After one of those marathon lectures or tutorials I will be so drained out that my brain will not be able to function hence sometimes I wish that I can do the Superman, free from the course fatigue and still able to do so many other things in between. Sadly, I can't. I have like ~130 chapters to read in total for the upcoming exam and it's not even funny. It's probably going to be the toughest exam ever since STPM. To make it worst, there are no practical assessments involved like the British Bar Vocational Exam, we just read read and read until our brains short-circuit with all the boring and really dry court procedures!

On another note, it's very ironic that we're reading so much about the law and here in our beloved nation we've got so many invincible jokers who bent the law as if we live in a lawless country but individuals advocating for a positive change are harassed and the law is exploited in the sense that it comes down particularly hard on them.

The setting up of the Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC) is long overdue and I wonder when will we ever see the day where we have an effective separation of powers in our land. Today, again I mourn for our nation.

Source: The Malaysian Bar

Investigate possible conspiracy to conceal death

The results of the second autopsy on A. Kugan raise several serious questions, not least of which relates to the integrity of the police force and the independence of the pathologist who conducted the initial autopsy.

The fact that the results of the second autopsy differ so extensively from that of the first smacks of an apparent attempt to cover up and protect members of the police force who were in charge of A. Kugan during the period of his detention.

We question the conduct of the CPO of Selangor, DCP Dato Khalid Abu Bakar, particularly the intimidatory tactics adopted by him and the exposé based on unconfirmed and potentially malicious information of Kugan’s alleged wrongdoings, which are wholly irrelevant to the cause of death. This information, which was released to the public, only serves to cloud and divert public attention away from the brutal manner of Kugan’s death in the hands of police officers who are supposed to uphold the rule of law.

Click Here For More

Coca Cola Joke

2009-03-02T14:30:00.000+08:00

Name me 3 most important things you cannot live without in this world.

I'm convinced I certainly cannot live without my laptop, the internet and my mobile phone.

These three gadgets have been my best friends for the past 6 months and they will remain so at least until July. I have spent most of my 4380 hours in solitary confinement in my room with them and still surviving quite alright although you have heard of my occasional ramblings on this blog. I must hang on until July and then I will be free!

And for those of you who're suffering from Monday blues at work, this is for you:

A disappointed salesman of Coca Cola returns from his Middle east assignment.

A friend asked, "Why weren't you successful with the Arabs?"

The salesman explained, "When I got posted in the Middle East, I was very confident that i would make a good sales pitch as Cola is virtually unknown there.

But I had a problem. I didn't speak Arabic.

So I planned to convey the message through three posters

First poster - A man lying in the hot desert sand...totally exhausted and fainting

Second poster - Man is drinking our Coca Cola

Third poster - Our man is now totally refreshed

Then these posters were pasted all over the place.

"That should have worked", said a friend.

The salesman replied "I didn't realise that Arabs read from RIGHT to LEFT!!"

Monkey Politics

2009-02-26T19:24:00.007+08:00

Enough is enough!

Source: Zewt (I find this 2 little kids' expression really cute!)

At about 2.30pm this afternoon, an angry group of Umno Youth members stopped Karpal Singh from entering the House and his DAP colleague Lim Lip Eng claims he was hit several times.

source: Malaysiakini

I kept silent about the political circus in our country because I didn't think they deserve any media attention nor mention on the blogosphere. Get a life and move on you bunch of ungrateful politicians! The people have spoken and the 2008 General Election is history! The world economy is on the verge of collapsing and Malaysia is not spared from it! Get your acts together and do what you ought to do!

And if you leaders cannot even manage a bunch of uncivilised thugs from your party you expect us to trust you in managing our beloved nation, the economy, the fragile race-relations and many other obstacles that are preventing us from achieving our 'now unrealistic Vision 2020'?

I wouldn't be surprised if the despicable act above don't even make it to the front page of our mainstream newspapers tomorrow. If that's the case, they might as well stage a political news blackout. The million ringgit question is, which editor have the guts to do it?

Black & White

2009-02-22T21:25:00.006+08:00

I came back to PJ just in time for my weekend classes after spending the entire week in Penang, the lovely sunkissed island (stole the line from a friend). Having said that, the sky was so sunny throughout my stay in Penang and it really felt like I was on a holiday! I had so many meals per day I lost count of it and I watched three movies back home as if there are no cinemas in KL.

Valkyrie was alright though the storyline is very predictable.

Obviously right? I don't remember reading about Adolf Hitler being killed in an assassination.

It would be even better if you have an interest in history and a basic knowledge of Nazi Germany will help you to comprehend the SS, Gestapo, Fuhrer, Heinrich Himmler etc in the movie.

I highly recommend the Slumdog Millionaire!

The graphics quality of the movie isn't that good but the movie is a bold reflection of the realities of life which really moved my heart and briefly inspired me to give up everything to one day become a UN volunteer to help the poor and needy. Oh oh, and not forgetting the beautiful love story! An Oscar for Slumdog Millionaire please! (update: they won eight Oscars babe!!!!!)

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

As the title puts it, the chronicles of Benjamin Button's life made me curious! The computer generated graphics of Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett's characters at varying stages in life were marvelous! Some kind of a breakthrough in the advancement of technology i reckon. It's a good movie which requires alot of PATIENCE ;)

Oh and before I went back to Penang I went out with this bunch of new friends.

We all have one thing in common - we've done our attachment with the same firm at some point in time! Haha! Three of them are new chambees from the firm.

It was supposed to be a get together for the more recent chambees and attachees but somehow I managed to gate-crash their gathering. :P

I spent the lovely evening with them at San Francisco Steak House at KLCC before adjourning to this posh kitchen and bar, The Apartment Downtown for some drinks. The drinks are expensive! Your regular Milo Ais will cost you RM 11-12 but don't lah go there and drink Milo Ais.

Source - Link

Nice company!

And all of us in the photo have(or will have) an LLB from completely different universities!

After the drinks, we went on a merry go round in the car before finding our way back to PJ. No, we weren't high on drinks! I couldn't afford anything more than half-pint of Kilkenny. Haha! The main roads were closed for the Le Tour de Langkawi so we had to find alternative routes to get out.

*Poof!*

Can somebody tell me where I can watch the Academy Awards Live with a Streamyx connection?

Have a beautiful week ahead!

Accord Penang Free School heritage status too

2009-02-18T11:24:00.008+08:00

The Star Online

I refer to the articles “It’s back to Victoria Institution from now on” (The Star, Feb 15) and also one published on your website, “Victoria Institution gets back its name”.

I wish to point out that Victoria Institution is not the oldest English secondary school in Malaysia. It was reported that VI was founded in 1893. Penang Free School, founded in 1816, is the oldest school in South-East Asia.

Secondly, I would also like to take this opportunity to seek clarification about names of schools and National Heritage status.

Since the Minister of Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage, who happens to be an old boy of VI, has declared that the school can now revert to the old English name following the awarding of the National Heritage status, it would also be appropriate for the Minister to also consider other world-renowned and historically rich schools in the country, such as Penang Free School, to be accorded similar status.

Source - Penang Travel Tips

After all, Penang Free School is officially recognised as the oldest school in the region and had produced the third and 12th Yang Di-Pertuan Agong, the first Prime Minister of Malaysia, a Chief Minister of Penang, the first Mayor of Kuala Lumpur, the current Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and many other notable personalities.

OLD FREES 99

Oxford, Britain.

School anthem

Chorus

Let us march onto fame
Let the aisles proclaim
Till our anthem will dare us to do
Let us onwards to win and new laurels gain
Free School for the brave and for the true

Verses

It matters neither how strait the gate
Nor how charged with dangers the goal
Let the tempest rage and fell odds inflate
We'll do it with heart and soul.

When duty calls be it school or state
We will do it with God by our side
For the sons of Free School don't hesitate
Nor let cool their zeal and pride.

Let's all then join in this Jubilee
All with one loud voice to proclaim
Our true loyalty and our constancy
To our mater still remain.

Fortis Atque Fidelis

Happy Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T01:47:00.003+08:00

I created this video clip of Aslyn's - That's When I Love You for V-day from pictures I gathered from the web and I also embedded the lyrics in it. Check it out!

Have a lovely Valentine's.

For yesterday's memories, today's love and tomorrow's dreams I love you.

Happy Valentine's Day!:D

CNY Day 3

2009-02-11T22:34:00.005+08:00

Have you guys seen Slumdog Millionaire and The Curious Case of Benjamin Button?

Looks like there are some good movies in cinema at the moment but having lectures on weekends means I will have difficulty finding someone to watch it with me on weekdays and all my classmates have to live so far away. I'm still waiting for the Tropicana City Mall's GSC to open!

When is it opening la?

CLP classes are picking up and it's about time I increase my momentum as well but before that I think i'm going back to Penang next week :) I'm finding it increasingly taxing juggling between this personal blog and the other travel blog, I don't update everyday but the travel blog is more demanding. I have to select photos, edit them, try to recall certain details by reading up and cracking my head etc. Probably from now on I will just update whenever I like lah. No pressure. Not like I get alot of visitors anyway.

Some photos from some of my CNY reunions in Penang, this one's with the A-Levels gang.

If you're wondering why I have an A-Levels gang when I actually did Form 6 here's why. Initially, I enrolled myself for A-Levels (me being fickled minded and all) and attended classes with this bunch of classmates who then became my A-Levels clique. There's no turning back since then though I left A-Levels for Form 6 after 3 months.

It's been difficult for us to have an annual reunion with everyone in it.

At least there were 10 of us who were still around on the third day of CNY.

Out of the 10, only one is based in Penang!

We had dinner at Salsas that night and the plan was to check out Penang's ~~new~~ 'revitalised' clubbing scene at Upper Penang Road but due to some miscommunication some were not properly attired while our dear friend in pink had to go back and prepare for his exams. He even brought his thick medical books back from Hong Kong -_-

So we went over to Soi to chill instead.

Upper Penang Road has changed so much!

Haven't been there since when I was still in my teens i think, about 5 years ago.

Cheers!

Soi is a nice place to chill and also to watch the crowd go by at Upper Penang Road.

I shall check out Sunset Bistro and Coffee Island when i'm back.

Who's up for it next week? :D

A New Government in Perak

2009-02-09T00:00:00.002+08:00

The tussle for Perak is finally over after a couple of weeks of high drama between politicians from both Pakatan Rakyat and Barisan National. The biggest losers are the people of Perak especially the voters in the last General Election.

For those of you who missed the most shameful political game i have ever seen, here's a short chronology of events extracted from yahoo news.

Mar 9, 2008: A coalition of DAP, Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) and PAS under Pakatan Rakyat (PR) form the Perak state government after winning 31 of the 59 state assembly seats while Barisan Nasional (BN) won the 28 remaining seats in the March General Election.

Jan 25, 2009: Bota state assemblyman from UMNO, Datuk Nasaruddin Hashim declared he was leaving Barisan Nasional (BN) and joined PKR.

Jan 26, 2009: Perak Menteri Besar claims three more state assemblymen from UMNO would follow in the footsteps of Datuk Nasaruddin Hashim and join PKR.

Jan 29, 2009: UMNO Supreme Council receive letter from former Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Tajol Rosli Ghazali that he was resigning as Perak UMNO Liaison chairman with immediate effect. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak takes over as Perak Barisan Nasional chairman and Perak Umno liaison chairman.

Jan 30, 2009: Datuk Seri Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin deny reports that Jamaluddin Mohd Radzi (Behrang) and Capt (rtd) Mohd Osman Mohd Jailu (Changkat Jering), would leave Parti Keadilan Rakyat and join BN.

Feb 1, 2009: Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi hints a number of state assemblymen in Perak may join BN. Both Jamaluddin and Mohd Osman deny they had resigned and claimed that the undated letter was signed together with six other PKR assemblymen, agreeing to vacate their seats if they left PKR.

Feb 4, 2009: Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announces that BN Perak have the numbers to form the government in Perak as three PKR and a DAP state assemblyman are not members of their respective parties. Perak now comprises 28 BN seats and 28 Pakatan Rakyat seats and three independent seats.

I wouldn't want to start another debate here whether the takeover was ethical or not, whether it was constitutional, who should be blamed yada yada. You can find them everywhere in the blogosphere and newspapers! In fact, i'm already tired and disgusted reading about the hypocrisy of our already rotten Malaysian politics.

Though having said that, here's one very sensible article worth reading from Malaysia Today which in my humble opinion hit the nail on the head (well, almost).

WHAT MORE TO SAY?

As I am typing thousands of Hindus, some carrying the Kavadis are converging to Batu Caves (in Selangor) or Waterfall (in Penang) and Chinese girls are preparing their Mandarin oranges for Chap Goh Meh so have a joyous Thaipusam and Chap Goh Meh in spite of the ongoing political crisis and Perak and the bleak economy.

Heaviest Snow in 18 years Blankets UK

2009-02-04T09:00:00.007+08:00

Pictures from BBC World

12 inches of snow in north-east England, 8 inches in London and 2-6 inches elsewhere!

Snowy Aberland - Photos grabbed from our junior on facebook ;)

Recognise this place, Aberlanders?!

What about this, Rosser D folks?!

I walked up and down this path to get to lectures and tutes everyday!

That flat on top was my beloved accommodation in Aber.

That was our kitchen on the third floor. I can imagine Sally looking out that window! haha!

Rosser Lounge, mate!

Wish I was there. Looking at the pictures make me miss UK so much. *sniff

Mak & Shiau Sang, Yim Siew, Anne & Co. thanks for tagging me as the snowman on Facebook!

I appreciate it! :D
Jason the slim snowman in Reading, England with somebody's decapitated head by my side.

I was also tagged as the little snowman in London at far right together with (from far left) Elycia Ongko, Nicole, Jenni, Shiau Sang, Shirleen and Honwai.

In Aberystwyth, I was tagged as the invisible Jason patting this little snowdog, yes i repeat, snowdog! -_-

Apparently the snow melted away too soon so they didn't have enough snow to make a snowman.

I miss UK and all of you there! Have fun throwing snowballs and making more snowman!

Related entry - April Snow

Chinese New Year Day 1 & 2

2009-02-02T17:02:00.002+08:00

I hope that gigantic header doesn't scare you. I had to change my layout again cos the host of the previous layout exceeded his photobucket bandwidth ruining the essential elements of the layout. This one's rather plain but i like it, i hope you'll like it too!

Here's my Chinese New Year post!

Finally, i managed to get my brother to send me some of the photos.

I spend the entire first two days of my Chinese New Year with my family every year. No time for friends whatsoever on the first two days. My dad has almost a dozen siblings and another half a dozen aunties and uncles from my mom's side so you can imagine the number of relatives we have to visit every CNY.

I'm not complaining, i love visiting relatives though more often than not they will ask you familiar questions like what are you doing now, how old are you now or they will tell you 'wah! you've grown up, you're taller now' (doesn't apply to me. mine's 'wow, your brother is taller than you already, repeated yearly!')

However, I'm happy to be in touch with my relatives, i'm a family man at heart. ROTFL

WHY CHINESE NEW YEAR IS MY FAVOURITE HOLIDAY?

Cos' i get to eat like a pig and not bother about my cholesterol level or putting on too much weight. Chinese New Year mar, once a year only. hahahaha.

My grandma's homemade CNY peanut cookies are my favourite and this year we've got tons of pineapple tarts from Melaka! CNY dishes are the bomb though. In Penang, the traditional CNY dishes are Nyonya/Peranakan dishes like Loh Bak, Ju Hoo Char, Acar-Acar, Pork knuckle in soy sauce, Chicken Kapitan, Pork Belly Soup, Salted Vegetable Soup etc. - all my favourite!

Yum, yum. mouth watering dishes.

The annual reunion dinner is held in my maternal grandparent's 40 over years old kampung. Normally it's only my family, my uncle's family and my grandparents. That's because my paternal grandparents passed away a long time ago and my other aunties have theirs with their husband's family.

This might be the last CNY reunion dinner at a real kampung.

Probably no more balik kampung kinda feeling next year cos' the village will give way to new developments soon. Apparently some developer had acquired that piece of land.

Some of the CNY gifts on the table.

Tell me what can you see.

It's a tradition for us to have mee suah in pork belly soup complete with mushrooms, duck meat, ginkgo and sea cucumber for breakfast on the first and second day of CNY subject to availability of the soup. Sometimes i might finish the soup before the second day. Haha!

Notice that table with alphabets and drawings? I use it when i was a little boy, still using it!

Somehow my brother and I like to have our meals on that little table instead of the dinner table.

Day 1.

After visiting like 10 houses in the morning we will proceed to my uncle's (dad's eldest brother) house for lunch. The 'Lims' gather here for lunch every year. Since my paternal grandparents are not around anymore, my uncle took over the patriarchal role to bring the family together.

CNY Day 1 lunch - Ang Chou Mee Suah (Red Wine Rice Vermicelli)

It is a Foo Chow (Yes i am Foo Chow though i can speak Hokkien way better than Foo Chow any time) delicacy which i have not been able to find in Penang except here at my uncle's house! I look forward to eating this every CNY.

Have i mentioned that the Lim gathering could easily be mistaken for a kindergarten?

This is my cousin's son, Nicholas.

He's not shy with strangers like other kids. Yes strangers like me cos' he has never seen me before, i wasn't around last CNY and the year before he was just too young too remember anything. At one point he hurt his finger then came screaming 'pain, pain pain! huhuhu'. My mom rubbed his finger gently and he kept quiet, could even see a smirk on his face. When she let go he screamed again 'pain, pain, pain!!!!'. Kids love attention! Lol

Another cousin's daughter. I can't remember her name.

I'm bad at remembering Chinese names but she's my favourite little niece.

Her little brother! A little more than a year old!

So adorable la he! He can't speak yet but he knows how to pose for the camera ok!

He was walking away but when i took out my camera he stopped to pose for my camera!

Super cute!

Another 3 little kids! Also my cousins' children. The generation gap is complicated. Lol

I'm uncle to so many little kids already.

That's Kevin, my other nephew from Hong Kong and the rest of the kids playing Wii.

His dad (my cousin) didn't come back for the first time ever cos he's on a business trip in Canada. Sure he misses his dad terribly. He's very fond of his dad.

The two little girls.

We stayed there until evening then we went over to my maternal grandparent's place for dinner and to catch up with my other cousins from mom's side. I didn't take any photos i think cos i was too busy indulging in my grandma's cooking and all my cousins' arrived late this year!

Normally all of us will visit relatives from my mom's side together but this year they all came late and some of them had other plans that night so it wasn't that fun this year la.

Day 2 - Gathering of the 'Lim's again at one of my cousin's house.

I love his place, the pool and garden area is so serene.

These two are cousins and I'm the uncle. -_-

Again, kids everywhere.

I'll probably see more next year if my cousin who just got married in Japan comes back with a new born next year. The Lims are multiplying like nobody's business. Lol

Childcare centre? LOL

I think so.

eekung and eema, look at your great grandchildren!

Happy Lunar New Year!

Back to Reality

2009-01-31T00:05:00.005+08:00

The Chinese New Year break was a much needed relief from the CLP life!!

I had like the best time ever this CNY since UK, a week's comforts of home, glorious Penang food and homecooked CNY Nyonya dishes, the mood of CNY is very much alive in Penang with the endless crackling of firecrackers and fireworks and the influx of people and cars which came back from all over, family gatherings, endless reunion meals with friends i no longer see very often and of course the ang paos!

This year's CNY itself was quite alright but i notice a few changes here and there. For the first time ever in the history of CNY everyone else were more interested in the Sony Wii than to gamble! Technology has taken over. Tsk tsk.

And the LIM gathering could easily be mistaken for a nursery/kindergarten party with so many little children running around!

They're all my cousins' kids.

(left my camera at home. will upload the CNY photos as soon as i get hold of them!)

Now i'm back in KL feeling very exhausted from the drive back.

Lectures resume tomorrow, not looking forward to it but ah please just let me finish my CLP this year without any delay! Off to bed now.

Pre Chinese New Year Dinner

2009-01-22T02:20:00.001+08:00

Chinese New Year is all about food, red packets and reunions.

Before all of us leave the city for our respective hometowns to celebrate Chinese New Year, we decided to have our own Chinese New Year reunion first at The Gardens, Mid Valley. So yea, it was my first CNY reunion dinner this year, with my CLP classmates.

The Chinese New Year decorations at The Gardens, Mid Valley.

It's been some time since we hang out together and as usual i blame it on our ridiculous schedule and the nature of CLP itself. I can't wait to get over with the exam! I MUST pass in my first sitting! I cannot imagine the agony of going through this phase for another year. Speaking of that, when are they implementing the Common Bar Exam to replace the Certificate in Legal Practice (CLP)?

Purple Cane Tea Restaurant - this is where we had our dinner.

Well, i think i like this place. You will definitely love it if you're a tea lover.

The guys - Allen, Honwai, myself and Justin.

Why am I the only one in black?!

The girls - Regina, Su Chee, Lynn, Lentty and Siew Li.

Chinese New Year dinners are never complete without the yee sang. It symbolises abundance, prosperity and vigor. In a celebration known as "lo hei" (Cantonese 撈起 or 捞起), families and friends gather around the table and, on cue, proceed to toss the shredded ingredients into the air with chopsticks while saying 吉祥话 (Jíxiáng Huà, auspicious wishes) out loud to mark the start of a prosperous new year and it's customary that the higher you toss, the greater your fortunes! - source: wikipedia

This year we are tossing for a pass with flying colours in our CLP exam! haha!

#1 Green Tea Yee Sang served with salmon.

I don't fancy yee sang but this has got to be one of the best yee sang i have ever tasted.

#2 Aromatic Crispy Duck.

#3 Braised chicken with sweet chili in lychee tea sauce.

Boneless and the meat so tender.

Served with mantou.

#4 Stir fried fish with dragon fruit in Rose tea.

Boneless with generous chunks of fish.

#5 Home made tea soup - my personal favourite

seen with the aromatic crispy duck.

#6 Sauteed prawns and sweet corn with Long Jing green tea.

Not too bad and it was served in a way that the shells can be removed easily.

#7 Homemade Steamed Pearl Rice Ball with Oolong tea.

There was another dish called braised bean curd sheets with monk's vegetables (erm, i think it's a direct translation) in Shui Xian tea sauce but somehow i missed it. I must have been too hungry to snap a photo of it.

#8 Green tea lotus dessert - sickly sweet!

I only ate a quarter of that pear-shape looking thing.

#9 Lychee black tea with red bean paste.

I don't know what's with the expression on our faces.

It must be the sugar rush after the dessert!

Anyway, here's the menu for those of you who read Chinese.

Group photo.

I'm looking forward to going home for Chinese New Year! Can't wait, can't wait any longer! 12 more hours and i'm on my way home! Then i will indulge in my grandma's CNY dishes, peanut cookies, ang chow mee suah (red wine vermicelli - it's something Foochow) on dad's side, meeting up with cousins, visiting relatives, collecting ang pows, Disted College class of 2003 reunion, the 5 Zamrud class of 2002 reunion, SK. Batu Lanchang class of 1997 reunion and many more!

I will be in Penang from 23rd - 30th January.

Call me ok if you're in Penang!

To those of you who won't be back for CNY, i will definitely eat your share for you! Hope you all will have a joyous celebration wherever you are. Happy Chinese New Year in advance, just in case i don't update until next week. :D

Lonely Boy

2009-01-15T14:54:00.005+08:00

I only hear the noise of my fan spinning and Leona Lewis' 'Better In Time' playing softly on my Windows Media Player while i sit in front of my laptop typing this. This place has been a tad bit quiet lately, just like my life. It has never been like this before.

I used to spend most of my time around my friends doing so many things together, we joked, talked about ourselves, politics, interesting people we meet everyday etc. I can hardly remember when was the last time i had lunch or dinner by myself those days.

It isn't the same anymore.

Now my life revolves around the laptop - the internet, movies, series, a few good books and occasionally my CLP books. It is a very drastic change from all the years that i have been through. I am transplanted to a new environment yet again but i am not gaining many new friends from this new phase of life thanks to the lousy course schedule and the nature of this course. My weekends have gone down the drain depriving me of the opportunity to jump start my social life.

Many of my old friends have left this land for greener pastures, some still studying overseas, some have gone back to their beloved country or hometown, some have already gotten into the rat-race determined to climb up the corporate ladder in the shortest time possible that they do not have time for anything else and those who are around happen to stay far away from me. Oh! and i'm probably quite fussy as well when it comes to the type of person i wanna hang out with. I mean just as long as that person is not irritating and annoying lah.

I'm grateful for a couple of close friends and my girlfriend of course who are still living in the same time zone as myself though they are some 400 kilometers away from me. At least we can still talk on the phone often and chat endlessly on MSN.

I still miss the good old days and all my friends who are not here with me heaps but this solitary lifestyle has to go on and perhaps i could gain some invaluable experience from it. At least i read alot more in my free time these days though not necessarily law-related and i have caught up with several series like Gossip Girl, Episode 15 Season 2, babe!

Never Too Late For New Year's Resolutions

2009-01-11T02:23:00.010+08:00

Why is it that each time i plan to attend Sunday morning's 9 am to 2 pm lecture i will miraculously have an abundance of energy the night before as if i just had 10 cups of double espresso, end up lying on my bed wide awake from 12 am to 4 am and never wake up until noon.

Oh, the weather will mysteriously warm up to the extend of it becoming unbearable when i am trying to sleep! On top of that, i might just start sneezing non-stop the whole night.

Strange. Really strange.

Jason Lim, from Monday onwards you better...

1. Go to bed by 2.30 am and wake up by 10 am!

2. Go swimming in the morning, you need to exercise!

3. Stop consuming high-cholesterol and oily food! You will get heart attack by 35 if you continue eating like that and make no attempt to bring down your cholesterol level! Aren't you worried about that mosquito-bite-like cholesterol bumps on your skin?!

4. You need to spend more time reading your Certificate in Legal Practice books! Criminal Procedure alone has 700 over pages to read, Civil Procedure another 30 chapters and how about the other 3 subjects? Please be reminded that CLP's passing rate hovers around 30% annually!

5. Stop chatting so much on MSN or check your Facebook and blogs every 5 minutes! You are not Kenny Sia! Nobody reads your blog lah! Stop feeding yourself with all those rubbish about Malaysian politics which you clearly know it upsets you and annoys you unnecessarily and nobody visits CNN, BBC, Al-Jazeera and The Star Online every half and hour or so! You might as well go and be a journalist!

Now go to bed!

Okay. Okay. Goodnight.

New Year Countdown

2009-01-09T15:30:00.009+08:00

Here's another belated post of New Year's Day, hehe!

I ushered in year 2009 in Penang as well.

At Queensbay Mall's countdown concert to be exact.

I made my first public appearance (like a celebrity, wth) in a New Year's countdown after the New Year of 2006! For the past few years, i ushered in the new year either in front of my computer screen or TV except for last year's one at The Pier club in UK. 'Why is that so?', you may ask.

I'd developed a trait of paranoia in me when it comes to big crowds.

I had a very traumatising start to the new year of 2006.

We were caught off guard when a bunch of Mat Rempits attacked us, started throwing punches and stuffs! We were outnumbered. Damn, little did i expect myself to be victimized by these lowly creatures, especially in my own turf in Penang! I believe it was racially motivated, nothing were taken from us.

Sigh. I don't feel safe in this country ever since then.

While i appreciate it that there were strong police presence in various countdown locations this year, why must the PDRM be reminded by the media before they increase their manpower at such events?

Look at the ugly scenes at the Christmas countdowns!

Malaysian mentality - wait for something bad to happen then only act, and when everyone else have already forgotten, it's business as usual.

Enough ranting, back to New Year's Eve when it was still 2008.

Finished this (almost) all by myself.

Such a fat pig. My New Year's resolution is to eat moderately! :D

As usual, it's always around these festive seasons that i catch up with my friends who are back in Penang. This is the time when everyone else from Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, KL etc comes back. More than half of them including those that we bumped into at Queensbay were back from somewhere. Brain drain alert.

About 90% of the crowd at Queensbay were there to see :

Bosco Wong Chung Chak

We account for the 10%.

I was there because i didn't think any Mat Rempits would be a fan of Bosco Wong. -_-

True enough. Queensbay was free from Mat Rempits until about 1 am?

The Hong Kong TVB actor was at Queensbay the entire evening, at Kim Gary restaurant at one moment, seen running around the mall with bodyguards the next moment, until he went up the stage at 11.30pm for the countdown.

The swelling crowd, as soon as Bosco Wong was spotted running out from the mall into the changing room. He was the crowd puller of the night.

Curious onlookers. -_-

DAP's rocket?

Well, our Chief Minister dropped by to address the crowd but his speech was completely in Mandarin, only a few sentences of Bahasa and some Hokkien. Come on CM Lim, there were Indians, Malays and Bananas among the crowd okay.

Please take the initiative to speak in English, Bahasa or Hokkien next time.

Mandarin is so foreign in Hokkien-speaking Penang.

Christopher, always the vulnerable target.

I love the fireworks!

At least it went on for a few minutes. Not bad at all!

I parked my car at the mall's roof top and went back to collect it at 1 am but the queue of cars coming out from the carpark stretched all the way up to the rooftop.

So we waited for the cars to move, enjoyed the rooftop view, took some photos and chatted.

One hour gone, 2 am, the cars started to move and we adjourned to Kayu.

Traffic coming out from Queensbay at around 1.30 am.

Rooftop view overlooking Gold Coast and Putra Marine apartments.

Happy (belated) New Year once again!

Christmas 2008

2009-01-06T16:00:00.001+08:00

My apologies for the delay in posting my entries.

As you may have known, i don't go online very much when i'm back home.

So how did i celebrate Christmas in Penang?

Date: 25th December 2008

10.00 am - Arrived at Traders Hotel Penang for my church's special morning service.

10.15 am - As the thousand plus congregation took their seats, praise and worship commenced.

Followed by a sermon by Rev. Dr. Fred Seaward.

The Christmas tree at Traders Hotel.

1.30 pm - Christmas lunch at Upper Penang Road.

We didn't make any reservations ahead thanks to my indecisiveness. However, the Christmas service ended quite late so by the time we got there, people were leaving already. hehehe.

It's been a long time since my last visit to that restaurant.

Previously it was located along Kelawei Road but has since moved to Upper Penang Road.

The food was incredibly good!

7.00 pm - Church Christmas dinner at Traders Hotel again.

2 years ago we had Juwita Suwito at our dinner to entertain us.

I'm not sure who was invited last year cos' i wasn't around then.

This year we had Malaysia's King of Rock and Roll, an Elvis Presley impersonator.

I don't know how to appreciate Elvis Presley's songs but i can tell that his voice was good.

8.00 pm - Dinner served - Chinese 8 course meal.

We have tried Mexican and Mediterranean food for the previous Christmas dinners but it all ended up DISASTROUS so i guess the church is sticking to Chinese again.

My fat brother with his girlfriend, Melissa.

Me, me, me.

and the family. Everybody thinks my brother is the elder one cos' he's taller than me!

Must be his excessive consumption of McD's Chicken Nuggets during primary school days!

He's got church members who went up to him and said 'good to have you back!'

and he goes like 'huh? ???? don't they all see me in church every Sunday?' -_-

11.00 pm - Dinner ends.

Photo-taking sessions with the Christmas tree and decorations. lol

Flashback 2008

2009-01-04T14:15:00.007+08:00

2008 came, left its mark and went.

It has been a very eventful year for me with its ups and downs. Flashback:-

1. January 2008 - spent almost 2 weeks in London.

- caught up with my buddy who's not been home for many years and happened to be in London for a working trip.

- conquered London like a mad tourist, took photos and videos of everything.

- lived there like a true Londoner - grocery shopping at Tesco, watch EastEnders, Coronation Street on tele, wth.

- had Four Seasons duck rice a million times.

- and was convinced that London is grey, wet and gloomy 300/365 days a year.

2. Stunned by the passing a dear friend back home.

3. Celebrated my first Chinese New Year abroad.

4. Easter trip to Cardiff, Bristol, Bath, Lacock and The Stonehenge.

5. Snowflakes fell on Aberland in the month of April!

6. Summer holidays - Nice and Monaco with my high schoolmates and friends.

7. Prague - The trip of the year.

8. Ran into The Chronicles of Narnia : Prince Caspian's Premiere in Prague!

9. Western Europe trip with mom and dad .

France - Switzerland - Germany - The Netherlands - Belgium - United Kingdom

10. A visit to my aunty and uncle 's place in Manchester.

I was 8 years old when they last went back to Malaysia?

11. The graduation - the Malaysian batch

Aberystwyth University, The University of Wales

Department of Law & Criminology - Class of 2007/2008

12. Came back to Malaysia for my endless supply of authentic char koay teow.

13. Did an attachment in KL with an awesome bunch of people!

Year 2008 will go down as one of the best years in my life. No words can describe how amazing it has been, all the fun we have been through, getting to know a terrific bunch of new people and all the lessons we learn from this short and sweet phase in life.

Thanks for making year 2008 such a terrific one for me, Aberlanders!

Over to you 2009!

Work in Progress

2009-01-02T00:08:00.006+08:00

Life's a Beach, Surf It Up! will get a brand new look this new year!

Check it out soon!

Happy New Year!

From the team at Life's a Beach, Surf It Up!,

Me, I & Myself.

I Still Heart Penang

2008-12-25T01:44:00.002+08:00

Penang is insanely hot but who cares, i'm happy being home!

The second i arrived i had Char Koay Teow, Penang Chee Cheong Fun, Otak-otak and my favourite soya bean drink from the place where the hawkers had watched me grow since my primary school years. The stalls, tables and chairs, hawkers and the taste of food hasn't changed.

Looks like everyone's back for Christmas break. The island is very crowded, heavy traffic everywhere and as usual lotsa KL and Singapore plates. I have not met up with a lot of people yet but i certainly hope to meet up with as many people before i go back to KL especially those who're back from overseas.

Okay, gotta run! Christmas service at Traders Hotel tomorrow, lunch then Christmas dinner!

Grandpa's birthday in a few days and then cousin's wedding!

Merry Christmas and have a good holiday!!

Christmas Presentation 2008

2008-12-18T23:21:00.002+08:00

A Christmas presentation by Penang First Assembly of God (PFAOG).....

A true story based on the life of Kelvin Soh Say Min from Singapore, who wasted twenty years of his life behind bars because of drugs addiction. Now he is a totally changed man and is now using his singing talents that God has blessed him with to reach out to people who are in the same shoes as he was before. He is now using his life testimony of how God has change him to reach out to others.

If you're in Penang, do drop by at Dewan Sri Pinang. Admission is FREE afterall.

8 Days

2008-12-17T12:03:00.000+08:00

What does Christmas mean to the world today?

Oops, i forgot that they have even omitted the word Christ and replaced it with the X' to dissociate the occasion with Christ - no offense to my friends who use the term X'mas but i'd still prefer Christmas to be called the way it is and not X'mas for convenience sake whatsoever cos it means alot to me.

Christmas shopping, Christmas sales, Christmas lightings in Oxford Street and Singapore, mall decorations, Christmas trees, santa clause, turkey dinner, big feast, Christmas clubbing, Christmas countdown, exchanging presents and the list goes on except celebrating the birth of Christ.

So while we all participate in some or all the above events let us not forget that the true meaning of Christmas is to mark or celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.

Please watch this video from start til end.

I love Christmas shopping, i love receiving presents and Christmas cards and of course the feast *salivating but what is it that i look forward to the most every Christmas season?

My church's Christmas morning service!

Come with me on the 25th or alternatively you can pop by one of the churches nearest to you to find out why.

New Travel Blog

2008-12-14T17:16:00.005+08:00

Dear faithful readers,

I have just set up a new travel blog exclusively for my travel adventures at Jason's Travelogue in conjunction with this festive season, a season to give and share. hehehe.

Please, please, please pass the word around about this travel blog of mine, link me up and do drop by and make some noise alright?!

10 more days to Christmas and another week to PENANG!

I can't wait to go home. There are so many events lined up for the festive season!

WOOHOO! *look at photo*

TV channel to broadcast assisted suicide

2008-12-10T23:53:00.001+08:00

LONDON, England (CNN) -- A British TV channel was scheduled to air a controversial documentary Wednesday night showing a terminally ill man committing assisted suicide.

The film follows retired university professor Craig Ewert during the last four days of his life in 2006, when he visited a Swiss clinic with his wife, Mary, in order to die.

The 59-year-old suffered from motor neurone disease (MND), which deprived him of the use of his arms and legs and caused him to be on a ventilator, Mary Ewert told The Independent.

MND destroys the body's motor nerves, eventually resulting in paralysis. Most sufferers die within five years of diagnosis although scientist Stephen Hawking has survived with the disease for more than 40 years.

"Right to Die: The Suicide Tourist" shows Ewert lying in a rented Zurich apartment, where an employee of the clinic prepares a lethal dose of drugs for Ewert to drink. As the camera rolls, and with his wife by his side, Craig Ewert then closes his eyes and dies.

Mary Ewert said her husband wanted his death to be filmed in order to show that a terminal illness does not have to result in a painful death. [continue reading]

~~~~~

I personally do not agree with what they are doing. Don't you think that it will only encourage people to commit suicide without looking into other alternatives. This is what happens when the world becomes increasingly liberal. I wouldn't say that liberalism and human rights is always good. It must be balanced with some ethics and values.

From the legal point of view. I think there is a real need for the codification of the law governing euthanasia in the UK. Perhaps, individuals with a certain condition should be allowed to die an assisted death if they wish to but there must be a domestic law governing it. The incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights through the Human Rights Act 1998 shows that it is only a matter of time that more laws relating to human rights will be enacted in the UK.

I wrote a dissertation on the possible reforms and the future of the law governing euthanasia in the UK about this time last year. That is why i am particularly interested in developments concerning euthanasia in the UK. Haha.

Happy World Human Rights Day people!

Now Everyone Can Fly

2008-12-07T14:51:00.004+08:00

This is good news for travel enthusiasts.

If i have some extra cash to spare, i wouldn't mind flying to London for a few days, take a stroll around Hyde Park, do some Christmas sale shopping, meet up with friends in London and drop by Bayswater for a plate of Four Season's duck rice!

They better sustain long enough and wait for me to save up for my next Euro trip!

Bangsa Malaysia and Malaysian Unity

2008-12-02T12:04:00.010+08:00

The Bangsa Malaysia concept was introduced by Tun Dr. Mahathir, our former Prime Minister, to create an inclusive national identity for all inhabitants of Malaysia. I’m not sure if Tun’s concept of Bangsa Malaysia is equivalent to a complete assimilation but I am of the opinion that the emphasis should be placed on integration first before we even start talking about assimilation.

Realistically speaking, it will be many moons to come before we can achieve it so long as the politicians of our generation continue to champion the cause of their respective races for political mileage. Sadly, racial politics remains relevant and work to the advantage of such individuals as long as our society remains divided along racial lines. Therefore, our only hope is to nurture our young ones to believe in the concept of a united Malaysia which can only be achieved through a single education system.

Of course we spoke about how the United States has transcended the race barrier through the election of their 44th President, Barack Obama. However, we (incl. myself) tend to overlook the fact that Barack Obama has completely embraced the national language of America and her culture. Still, it took America 200 years to break that race barrier. Here in Malaysia, 50 years on, we still have Malaysians struggling to speak a descent sentence of Bahasa Malaysia, even your Nepali guard or Bangladeshi worker could converse better. Naturally, human beings are more comfortable with people who share many key similarities with us especially the language that we speak because we need to have an effective communication before we can even start knowing one another better. Language and a common education system is the only hope to overcome the race barrier.

Our worsening race relations today can all be primarily traced to the 50 years of segregation in our schools and other factors.

Why race relations were better just about three to four decades ago?

The English-medium schools and 'other factors which i have not thought about'. Maybe those from that era can enlighten me.

Many urban Malays, Chinese and Indians attended English-medium schools back then.

The Alis, Ah Chongs and Mutus did everything together unaware of their differences.

They spoke a common language – English and Bahasa Pasar. The Chinese and Indians themselves did not speak their mother tongue well or did not speak it at all except for a handful and had remained divided among themselves in their own dialect groups mainly speaking their own dialect.

My suggestions.

The Chinese and Tamil vernacular schools must first be done away with for the sake of national integration. However, I anticipate a strong protest from Chinese educationists and various parties with a tendency of it becoming another racial issue (update: MIC urges AG to take action against Mukhriz) see how predictable it is in our race based politics). I wonder who will have the political will to do it since it is a political suicide to do so in our race based politics to abolish vernacular schools.

The feedbacks that I get from my Chinese-educated friends are that Chinese schools must not be phased out because they not only teach good Mandarin and are renowned for their effective methodology in teaching science and math. Besides, it helps ethnic Chinese understand their culture and roots unlike the banana (wearing a yellow t-shirt at the moment!) typing this.

I can see where they are coming from but all these comes at what cost to the nation? Are they more important than achieving racial unity, a key element in nation building, especially so in a racially diverse nation like ours? We’re not preparing ourselves to return to where our ancestors came from, are we?

Let me quote something Mr. Lee Kuan Yew said in one of his interviews.

(In Singapore) Everybody has the same chance in
education and we chose a neutral language – English. Rather than
legislating, we just said that you either go to an English school
where you learn your mother tongue as a second language, or you go to
a Chinese, Malay or Tamil school and learn English as a second
language. After a few years, parents discovered that having English as
a first language led to better job opportunities, so that solved
itself.

Malaysia went the other way by throwing out English and
adopting Malay. The Chinese and Indians decided to have their own
schools, teaching in Chinese and Tamil, and now they have a divided
society.

We are already 50 years late but better late than never, right?

A single education system with Bahasa Malaysia as the first language, English as the second language and Chinese, Tamil, Arabic etc. as an elective is what I envisage. An independent multiracial central education committee or body can then be set up to monitor and ensure the proper implementation of this newly revamped national school system. Language boards must also be set up to uphold the standards of the languages taught in school.

Other types of schools that encourage racial segregation should also be reviewed. Ie. the MRSMs (Maktab Rendah Sains Mara), matriculation colleges and residential schools. These are NEP-related institutions which must also be sorted out to be in line with the new national school system (The NEP is a non-issue here. I am of the opinion that these institutions should be reviewed and reorganized selaras dengan konsept sekolah kebangsaan dan rancangan-rancangan NEP. Please don’t jump to your own conclusion!). From my personal experience, such institutions do disrupt the objective of racial integration that we are trying to achieve through the national school system. I woke up one morning in the midst of Tingkatan 3 only to discover that I have lost all my Bumiputera buddies to the MRSMs and start wondering if the government is genuinely serious about encouraging racial integration in national schools. How many of you share my experience?

It is only fair that all other public institutions which also restrict racial integration be done away if vernacular schools were to be abolished.

Just my Two Sens worth.

This entry was typed long before Mukhriz’s statement came into light but I chose to publish it now since it has been finally openly brought up in the political arena.

I am non-partisan and I only agree with Mukhriz on that part of his statement. I don’t know why he had to contradict himself by harping on race supremacy issue again after voicing his concerns for race relations. Sigh, politicians! They make me puke.

A Chronology of race relations in Malaysia from Chedet.

1. Malaysia has a multi-racial population but is quite unique in that the division is not just by race alone but by religion, language, culture and economic situation. Unity in such a diversity is extremely difficult to achieve.

2. If we study other nations where people of different ethnic groups have immigrated, we will find that integration and unity depended on several important factors. Firstly the indigenous people or the people who had set up the country make up at least initially, a very big proportion of the population. Additionally they would be dominant and materially successful. The small numbers of immigrants trickling in found it judicious and beneficial to be identified with the numerically superior and powerful dominant inhabitants. They would willingly forget their original languages and adopt the language of the people of the country as well as their culture; they would intermarry and over time they would be totally absorbed and assimilated and identified with the indigenous people. In such a situation unity is not a problem. The United States is one such country where the original language and basic culture of first settlers are accepted by later immigrants.

3. In the old days before the coming of the Europeans the few Chinese and Indians who settled in Malacca adopted the language and much of the culture of the Malays. Though there was no assimilation nevertheless good relations existed between the immigrant settlers and the Malays. Unfortunately when later the China-born Chinese-speaking immigrants dominated in numbers as well as economic wealth, the Malay speaking Baba and Nyonya deliberately dropped their Malay language and Baba culture and reverted to being Chinese in every way possible.

4. Difficulties in assimilation arise when the late comers are more dynamic and better equipped to progress than the indigenous people. A feeling of superiority towards the indigenous people tended to keep the late-comers apart. As their community grew they established separate enclaves and to erect invisible barriers against the indigenous. As their numbers grew the separation became deeper.

5. The British are only partly responsible for the separation of the races in Malaysia, for keeping the Malays in the rural areas, the Chinese in the urban areas and the Indians in the estates. The different races are also responsible. They made no attempt to mix together as a matter of preference.

6. The Malays before World War II really believed that the Chinese and Indians were temporary guests who would return to their countries once they had made enough money. So it was at the beginning.

7. Even when they showed signs of staying permanently, the Malays and their Rulers believed the British would honour the treaties which recognised the Malay States as the land of the Malays, the peninsula as Tanah Melayu or Malay Land.

8. But after the Brits returned after the war they talked of “giving” this country to whoever wishes to stay here. Although the Malays rejected this and forced the Malayan Union to be abandoned, they realised that things had changed and they had to recognise the claims of some of the non-Malays at least.

9. To cut a long story short independent Malaysia recognised the citizenship rights of the non-Malays and gave them quite freely. This is unlike many countries in the region where strict conditions were imposed. In fact, some immigrants were actually expelled.

10. The hope at independence was that the non-Malays would accept a single national language and a single national identity. But it became clear very quickly that the Chinese and the Indians wanted to retain their identities, their mother tongue and their culture. They did not want to be solely Malaysians, certainly not Malays.

11. At the beginning some prominent people tried multi-racial politics but this was rejected by the ordinary Malays, Chinese and Indians. In the end we settled for a compromise - return your racial identity but cooperate with each other in a coalition of racial parties.

12. Politically it was a good formula and it worked. But when English schools were abolished and the Malay, Chinese and Indians children went to their own schools rather than to the national schools where the teaching was in the National Language. The hope for true national integration faded. After this even the attempt to put the schools from the three language strems in one campus was rejected by the Chinese.

13. It is no good blaming the politicians for perpetuating racial schism. Some of them who tried to ignore racial loyalties simply failed politically. For various reasons the races preferred to stay separated. They may meet at their work place or the playing field but they go home to separate enclaves according to their race.

14. We had opted for democracy and popularity decides who rules the country. Those who reject racialism simply lost popular support. But those who embrace racialism won.

15. They are not racists. The leaders of the different races were, at least in the beginning, able to get along well with each other. They develop close friendship. But they had to be very conscious of their racial backing and to cater to racial demands.

16. The lower ranking leaders, the ordinary members of political parties and the people as a whole had shown no sign of forgetting their racial identity. There may be few liberal minded ones who reject race, but some who do this do so because they believe their own race would gain b it. So even these people are racialist at heart.

17. Then came the resurgence of Islam worldwide. The Malaysian Malays began to adopt Islamic conservativeness especially with the dress code. This tended to push them further apart from the non-Muslims who saw this as an attempt to differentiate Muslim Malaysians from non-Muslim Malaysians. Some people suspect that this is the intention.

18. The behaviour of some extremist exponents of Islamic separateness did not help.

19. And so the races drifted further and further apart. All the time the so-called non-racial parties with their single-minded campaign against the positions of the Malays and Islam as agreed upon at the beginning actually intensified Malay racial sentiments, causing them to yearn for Malay unity rather than Malaysian unity.

20. The ideal of having a non-racial Malaysian nationality has now been almost forgotten. As the self-proclaimed non-racists attacked Malay racialism, the feeling among the Malays hardened. Openly the Malays have not attacked Chinese racialism as manifested by their practical rejection of the use of the National language, their rejection of the National schools, their Malaysian Malaysia slogan. If they do it would be muted and certainly not as blatant as non-Malay attacks against Malay racialism.

21. The Malays have seen what has happened to the Malays of Singapore and they have no desire to be like Singapore Malays.

22. So their reaction is to seek for Malay unity. They feel threatened, and their fear is real. Admittedly there are among the younger educated Malays a few who claim to reject Malay unity. But these people do not represent the vast majority of the Malays.

23. Malay unity, if it becomes stronger will make it more difficult to bring about Malaysian unity. But it must be remembered that the Chinese and Indian are also keen to retain their identities more and more. The Hindraf memorandum is very telling. And the Chinese educationists want even stronger role for Chinese language.

24. The trend is obviously against Malaysian Unity. A weak and unstable Government with its crude attempts to win over the different races through giving in on all demands does not help. Every time it gives in to the demands of one race it simply antagonises and pushes the other races further away.

25. If we still want Malaysian Unity we need to be willing to make sacrifices regarding what we consider to be our racial rights. Everyone has to do this. The leaders must be given some mandate to discuss these matters in private and to make concessions. After each step the lower rung leaders of each race must be given full briefing as to why the concessions have to be made. It would be useless if they don’t agree.

26. Provided we can roll back the present unhealthy trends and redirect it towards more positive non-racial objectives, provided we do this slowly by small steps we may be able to create a truly Malaysian identity where race would gradually become less important. It will take time but with sincerity we may reverse the present trends and move towards increasing co-operation and integration. - Tun Dr. Mahathir

I do not agree with point 21 and i have strong reasons not to agree!

Please spare some time and read my comrade's take on this issue:

Should we close vernacular schools

My Elephant

2008-11-30T15:00:00.003+08:00

NO. i'm not talking about my pet elephant neither do i own one. My Elephant is the name of a Thai restaurant located in the residential neighbourhood of Section 17, Petaling Jaya.

Photo credits: foodpoi.com & Flickr.

sorry la, my antic camera is not suitable for photography under dim lights

We were there for our very first get-together with Ongko since coming back from UK.

She was in Indonesia and Singapore all these while but might be relocating back to KL soon if everything goes well.

My Elephant has a nice ambience with dim lightings which looked like they are from IKEA!

The service is good cos' they have more than enough workers who are ready to serve you.

I didn't like the fact that the restaurant doesn't have any round tables!

Imagine the nine of us sharing eight to nine Thai dishes with rice in 3 square tables joint together. We had to pass the dishes from one end to the other like playing 'pass the dishes and when the music stops you have to perform a task' kinda game.

#1. Deep-fried calamaris.

#2. Tom Som

#3. We ordered the Paku-pakis (fern tips) and the four-angled beans.

#4. 'Snow' fish or was it one of those steamed fish. We ordered both, i can't remember which is which.

#5. Green curry chicken which was quite sweet IMO.

The dishes are served with brown rice, quite unique.

Having tried a variety of authentic Thai cuisine in Penang's Thai restaurants, i find that it is quite difficult to find a good and reasonably-priced Thai restaurant in the Klang Valley.

I've tried Sri Ayutthaya in Damansara Heights and Sri Thai in Jalan Barat (Opposite PJ Hilton) Both are quite pricey but i prefer Sri Thai to Sri Ayutthaya. The customer service at Sri Ayutthaya was top-notch though.

I would have been happier if My Elephant had a wider range of choices to choose from and had a section for Thai desserts in the menu.

Where's the classic Thai dessert, Tub Tim Krob (Red Rubies Dessert)?

Exploring Penang!

2008-11-22T04:03:00.009+08:00

Penang or Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
also known as the Prince of Wales Island and the 'Pearl of the Orient'.

Founder: Captain Francis Light, 1786
Capital: Georgetown - Named after King George III of Great Britain.

A UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE since 26 July 2008

Penang, the inner city of Georgetown in particular is a cultural and religious melting pot with a unique colonial heritage which will transport you two centuries back. As you step out of the inner city you will see modern Penang with skyscrapers reaching the sky, nice beaches and hills. And not forgetting Penang's renowned street food! Penang has it all!

*Click on the links provided for more information.

Penang Tourism Information Centre

Before you start exploring Penang proper, head to the Penang State Museum at Farquhar Street to learn more about Penang and her history.

Opening hours :
9.00am to 5.00pm - Saturday to Thursday
Closed: Friday

Admission Fees: RM1.00 (Adult)

So far, I have brought two foreign visitors around Penang and played host to my friends from outstation and at the same time read alot of travel blogs written by foreign visitors to Penang.

Most foreign backpackers were clearly not very well-informed about Penang thus they found Penang to be boring and lack places of interest. They end up sitting around their budget hotels in Chulia Street drinking beer and chatting with other backpackers.

As a proud Penangite, I would love to play my part in promoting Penang to the world.

Facts

1. State with highest population density in Malaysia.
2. Only state in Malaysia where ethnic Chinese are the majority.
3. State with third largest economy in Malaysia after Selangor and Johor.
4. Home to multinational corporations such as Intel, Dell, AMD, Seagate and Motorola.
5. Cyber-city status and UNESCO World Heritage Site.
6. 9th most liveable city in Asia - ECA International Location Ranking Survey
7. Has the best street food in Asia - TIME Asia

When is the best time to visit?

Check the events calendar at the Penang Tourism website.

Annual events to look out for:
Penang International Dragon Boat Race
Penang International Floral Festival
Wesak Day Procession
Bon Odori Festival
St. Anne's Festival
Chingay Procession
Hungry Ghost Festival
Nine Emperor Gods Festival

Getting around.

Getting around Penang can be hard work, as buses (has since improved - check out RapidPenang [check the routes on the website]) tend to be infrequent and taxis uniformly refuse to use the meter. Always haggle with the taxi driver and agree on a price before jumping into a taxi. Avoid driving during the rush hours between 7.30 a.m. - 9.30 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. -7.30 p.m. Motorcyle riders can be undisciplined and tourists should be extra vigilant of them. One of the best ways to sightsee is to walk around Georgetown; but wear light clothes, start early in the morning, and put on plenty of sun-block during the daytime. When crossing the roads, remember to look both ways, even on a one-way street! (motorcycles/scooters/mopeds)

[source - wikitravel]

clockwise from top left: Penang trishaw, Penang ferry, Rapid Penang bus, Penang Hill tram.

The main hub for RapidPenang buses in Georgetown is at Komtar and the secondary hub is at the ferry terminal.

Express/long-distance bus terminal is located at Sungai Nibong, south of the island.

Accommodation - Try here & here

There are plenty of options ranging from budget ones along Chulia Street & Love Lane to highly exclusive hotels and resorts such as the Eastern & Oriental Hotel and Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa.

Places of interests:

clockwise from top left: Queen Victoria Clocktower, Fort Cornwallis, Church Street Pier, Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion.

clockwise from top left: Penang city hall, Penang town hall, Penang legislative assembly, prewar shophouses.

photo taken from photojerk.com - Homestead Mansion along Jalan Sultan Ahmad Shah.

Georgetown Inner City which includes many heritage sites and historical buildings such as:
(click on the links!)

Dr. Sun Yat Sen's Penang Base
The 1886 Building
ABN-UMRO Bank (Royal Bank of Scotland at present)
Ban Hin Lee Bank building
Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
Church Street Pier
City Hall Buildings
Eastern & Oriental Hotel
Fort Cornwallis
Francis Light's Tomb
The Garage,
Ghee Hiang biscuits
House of Yap Chor Ee (The Sire Museum Restaurant)
Hu Yew Seah
India House
Jewish Cemetery
King Edward VII Memorial Hospital Building
Limburg (KFC Larut Road)
Logan Memorial
Loke Mansion
Malayan Railway Building
Penang Supreme Court
Queen Victoria Clocktower
Standard Chartered Bank Building
State Assembly Building
Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Centre
Penang Town Hall
Woodville Mansion
Penang HSBC Building
Homestead
Clan Jetties & Chew Jetty Weld Quay
Pinang Peranakan Mansion
KOMTAR Tower

Places of Worships

Clockwise from top left: Khoo Kongsi Clan House, Kapitan Keling Mosque, Dhammikarama Burmese Temple, Church of Assumption.

Clockwise from top left: Kek Lok Si Temple, St. George's Anglican Church, Hindu Temple, Floating Mosque.

Clan House/Clan Temples

Chinese Temples

Hindu Temples

Sri Mahamariamman Temple
Sri Aruloli Thirumurugan Temple, Penang Hill

Churches

Church of the Assumption
Wesley Methodist Church
St. George's Anglican Church
St. Anne Church, Bukit Mertajam (mainland)

Mosques

Thai Buddhist Temple

Inner city tour - Try the three-wheeled trishaw for a pleasant experience of an inner city tour. Some of the trishaw peddlers are pretty knowledgeable when you ask them about Georgetown and its history. Take the Penang ferry as well from the island to the mainland and back for the unique experience. It is the oldest ferry service in Malaysia.

Colonial era schools

Penang Free School, est. 1816 - The first English-medium secondary school in South East Asia.

Gurney Drive promenade at night.

Gurney Drive

Penang's centre for entertainment, food and shopping where locals and tourists alike throng the promenade after the sunset to eat their favourite Penang hawker food, stock up on pirated DVDs, young couples dating along the promenade, kids running around, shoppers walk in and out of Penang's premier shopping mall, Gurney Plaza, youngsters sipping Cappuccino in trendy cafés or teh tarik in nearby mamak stalls, some getting ready to party in nearby clubs and lounge, ambitious young men gazing at the expensive condominiums along Gurney Drive, luxury cars and sports cars zooming into hotel lobbies....this is the centre of Penang!

Beaches

Batu Ferringhi (North Coast)

There are also many hotels and resorts such as the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa, Golden Sands Resort and the upcoming Hard Rock Hotel are located.

If you fancy water sports activities make sure you make a trip up to Batu Ferringhi!

There are plenty of restaurants in this area and a night market selling souvenirs and all sorts of paraphernalia.

Nature Sites

Only if you have time to spare:

Chinatown - Roughly bordered by King Street, Stewart Street, Muntri Street, and Campbell Street.

Little India - Market Street, King Street, Queen Street and Penang Street - all now form the heart of Little India.

FOOD PARADISE

We Penangites have a passion for eating and Penang's food is known all over the world.

It's been featured in many international magazines and TV channels such as the Discovery Travel & Living. Don't travel all the way to Penang for a BigMac or KFC for goodness' sake. Venture out and explore Penang's exotic and spectacular food, just follow the local crowd!

Penang's Famous Hawker Food
[Click on the link to discover some of them]

Penang Peranakan Cuisine

BBQ Steamboat
Golden BBQ Steamboat, Nagore Place
Jolly BBQ Steamboat, 8-Row

Check out the following blogs with extensive reviews of Penang food.
Shiok or Not
Lingzie
PenangTuaPui

My very own Penang food directory
-not the most updated one because i've been away for quite a while

Night Life
- definitely not as good as KL's but it's definitely picking up!

Upper Penang Road & Leith Street
Gurney Drive belt (includes G-Hotel, Gurney Plaza & Gurney Hotel)
Batu Ferringhi
Belissa Row
New World Park

E-Gate
QE II

Shopping

Queensbay Mall
Gurney Plaza I & II
AEON Seberang Perai
Prangin Mall
Island Plaza
Sunway Carnival Mall
One Stop Midlands Mall
Bukit Jambul Complex

....[for more check out this website]

That's all about Penang that my blog has to offer.

I hope all the above information will be helpful.

Please utilise the links given

CREDITS: Links mainly from http://penang-traveltips.com

Photos: Kazuo Lim @ PBase Galleries, Jiann Fa, TYW & Victor of skyscrapercity.com

**updated 22nd November 2008**

Yeo's 22nd

2008-11-16T01:25:00.001+08:00

Hello hello everyone!

This week has been unusually good for my kehidupan CLP yang terlampau boring.

I woke up early for once, very ambitious. to conquer the skybridge of our beloved twin towers!! parked my car at the far end of kelana jaya lrt station, walked miles to the station. weather was terrific. sweat sweat sweat all over. took the lrt. zoom. klcc. door open. walked towards the ticket centre. confident and excited. 10am only what. no queue to be seen. wah. even better!

lady on duty approached me thinking i'm a foreign tourist. 'sir, we still have ticcckkets for sixxx thirrrrty in the evening.' *gave me the sweetest smile ever.

*turned to my friend: '6.30?! now 10am only! how how?'

*turned back

'sorry sir, no more tickets! come again tomorrow'. -_-

I pity those tourists who missed out. I hear them saying things like 'I flew all the way here from Canada to go up the twin towers! We are leaving Koala Lumpar tomorrow!' Only 1300 tickets given out a day, what to do?

Visit the first Godiva outlet in Malaysia at KLCC. Cannot afford to buy la, as soon as we walked in the salesperson scrutinised us from head to toe. *gasp. The one i bought from Belgium is sold for RM 215 at KLCC, i think it was much cheaper in Belgium.

Later that night i caught up with friends i met through my Europe tour at the Curve. I am very lazy to bring out my camera nowadays so no pictures.

Thursday - we threw Yeo a surprise 22nd birthday at Redbox @ The Gardens.

The boss-day boy.

The CLP family.

Btw, i didn't know Redbox is so canggih. -_-

Paparazzi victims. Aih. Why la we so famous, Yeo?

Do i always look fierce and serious?

Hmm...it seems some of my classmates refer to me as 'The CID/inspector?'!

You don't expect me to smile when i walk in late for lecture right?

I shall not be late tomorrow! Bye!

Police attack citizens at peaceful candle light vigil

2008-11-11T18:13:00.002+08:00

What happened on Sunday, 9th November 2008?

Forget about your mainstream newspapers.

The Star (at least its northern region edition) carried the news of the arrests last night at the bottom of page 31 in today’s paper! Obviously, the editors of the “People’s Paper” have got a different set of editorial priorities and criteria for news-worthiness. The report of the arrests appeared below a picture of police displaying drugs seized during a raid. “I was wondering what the arrested MP and Aduns had to do with drugs seized,” a confused reader of the paper told me.

-http://anilnetto.com

Police Attack on Citizens singing National Anthem: Contempt of Nation and King

We, the undersigned civil society groups, express our strongest condemnation of the brutal attack by policemen on a 100-strong crowd of Malaysians who were singing the national anthem Negaraku. The event took place last night (Sunday, 9 Nov 2008) at the BERSIH peaceful gathering outside MBPJ’s Civic Hall, Petaling Jaya.

Members of the public had gathered to commemorate the first anniversary of the BERSIH rally on 10 November 2007 as well as demand for the abolition of the ISA. The attack was not only an outright human rights violation, but it also demonstrated outrageous contempt of the Nation and Hia Majesty The King.

The police used brute and excessive force on the peaceful crowd. As the crowd sang the following lines of the national anthem – “Raja kita selamat bertakhta” [May the King reign in peace], FRU personnel and plainclothes officers charged at the crowd and started chasing and grabbing people at random.

A 53-year-old woman named Dian Abdullah was attacked from behind by a few policemen, causing her to fall and injure the back of her head. A bystander took her to the hospital where she received four stitches for the cut.

MP for Petaling Jaya Utara, Tony Pua and Kampung Tunku state assemblyman Lau Weng San were manhandled and punched respectively. A PAS member was set upon by six police officers on the five-foot-way right outside Lotus Restaurant.

We would like to stress that, first and foremost, it is every Malaysians’ birth right to peaceful assembly, as enshrined in Article 10 of the Federal Constitution. The police dispersal of citizens’ peaceful gathering is unwarranted and an act of contempt against the Constitution.

We are deeply appalled by the unusual manner of the police dispersal of citizens in a peaceful gathering. Under ‘more normal’ circumstances, the police officer in charge would order the crowd to disperse within five minutes before taking any action. While Malaysians are taught from young to stand to attention when the national anthem is being played or sung, the behaviour of the police was such that they felt they had to stop the peaceful crowd from finishing the song and then proceeded to punish them violently.

We urge Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Syed Albar to immediately apologize to Malaysians and we demand that the Selangor Chief of Police, Deputy Comm Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar to take responsibility for his part in this fiasco and resign.

We call on all Malaysians to unite, regardless of our political persuasion, to defend the national symbol and basic human rights.

The 9 November police attack on the citizens, the nation and the monarchy has yet again reminded us of the urgent and immediate need for an Independent Police Complaints and Misconduct Commission (IPCMC).

Endorsing organisations:

1. Coalition for Clean and Fair Elections (BERSIH)
2. Writer Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI)
3. Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ)
4. Centre for Policy Initiatives (CPI)
5. Workers Organisation of Malaysia
6. Group of Concerned Citizens (GCC)
7. Monitoring Sustainability of Globalisation (MSN)
8. Persatuan Alumni PBTUSM Selangor
9. Malaysian Youth and Students Democratic Movement (DEMA)
10. Civil Rights Committee, KLSCAH
11. Citizen Think Tank (CTT)
* BERSIH is a coalition of five political parties and over 70 NGOs.

10nov1

Please share this with as many friends as you can.

Taken from: People are the boss

Paris, je t'aime

2008-11-08T19:53:00.001+08:00

17 images

I finally settled down to properly blog about my trip to Paris last summer.

Paris (pronounced /ˈpærɨs/ in English; [paʁi]in French) is the romance capital of the world next to none and there are so many things to see and do in Paris you will never get bored!

Well, i set out for Paris from the Birmingham International in Flybe's turboprop plane. I have no idea i would be flying in that interesting plane until boarding! haha! It was quite an experience to fly across the English Channel in a turboprop plane and i was placed right infront because i was the first passenger to check-in! strange huh for someone with record Malaysian time? lol

#My transport to Paris.

Touched down in the boring and unimpressive Charles de Gaulle International Airport early in the evening and i had to spend a night in the airport while waiting for my parents to arrive from Malaysia in the first MAS flight to arrive the next morning.

Coincidently there was a commotion at the airport between some Algiers (from Algeria, Zinedine Zidane's origin) immigrants and the French police and military. Luckily nothing turned awry because the incident unfolded right infront of me and i was surrounded by a few hundred Algiers engaged in a shouting match with the French police which became louder and louder.

Anyways, i was awake until my parents arrived together with the entourage from Malaysia.

Then it was straight down all the way to Parisssssssssssss city centre!

The traffic in Paris was pretty bad.

First stop - the iconic Arc de Triomphe!

The triumphal arch honours those who fought for France particularly during the Napoleonic wars.

Next stop, not too far from the Arc de Triomphe is one of the world's most recognisable structures, the Eiffel Tower.

Of course i took 21682827837 photos of this structure from various angles and went up this architectural masterpiece for the scenic panoramic view of Paris.

Summer is the best time to travel in Europe although the heat can be quite intense in Central Europe. If not for the lovely blue skies in summer, we would'nt have enjoyed cruising along River Seine.

#1. Spot the Notre Dame

#2. Mom & Dad =)

As the cruise went down along River Seine, the sight of Parisians reading, sun bathing, picnicking and chilling by the river shows how much the Parisians love summer. We cruised under many historical Parisian bridges. Many architectural wonders are located nearby River Seine such as the Notre Dame and there are lots to see in the 45 minutes cruise ride.

We also made some quick stops at major attractions such as the l'Eglise du Dome, church of Les Invalides, site of Napoleon's tomb but the bus merely drove pass The Louvre, the Opera Garnier and Champs Élysées much to my disappointment. Yes, i know: 'you mean you go to Paris but didn't visit The Louvre and walk on Champs Élysées?!!!'

Yes la yes la. so sad right? but i guess this is a good excuse for me to visit Paris again, hehe?

#3. This is the famous Champs Élysées, the trendiest and coolest shopping avenue i have ever seen. The shopping avenue in Nice is quite similar to Champs Élysées on a smaller scale. Ahh, the French really ada taste.

The McDonald's is black and white over here instead of the conventional red and yellow to avoid being taxed more for the colours displayed.

#4. The mother of all LV stores - Louis Vuitton (pronounced/lwi vɥitɔ) @ Champs Élysées

#5. What else if not the Notre Dame cathedral which inspired the Hunchback of Notre Dame?

#6. Church of Les Invalides, site of Napoleon's tomb

Finally, we spent our entire evening at Galeries Lafayette, the French equivalent to Harrods.

Half the shoppers there are kiasu shoppers from PRC carrying bags and bags of high fashion brands jostling all over the place and queuing like ants to enter those exclusive stores.

#7. The beautiful interior from the ground floor - looks like a theatre huh?

Of course i walked out with nothing but a very expensive bottle of diamond mineral water from the exclusive Galleries Lafayette.

My love affair with Paris ends here afterwhich we moved on to Switzerland.

If given the option i would prefer planning the trip on my own like what we did in our previous trips and not follow a tour. As consolation, we've got a very knowledgable tour manager though. I've not had enough of Paris and the sexy French language! Paris, i will be back. je t'aime paʁi!

The Next President of the U.S.A

2008-11-05T12:23:00.010+08:00

America Decides 2008

Sen. Barack Obama - Democrat

Sen. John Mcain - Republican

Barack Obama has created history by winning the 2008 US presidential election to become the 44th president and commander in chief of the world's most powerful nation. He is the first African-American to hold the highest public office.

Obama, the testimony of change

Here we're still bickering over the the appointment of an ethnic minority as the ACTING general manager of some state development corporation when the Americans have voted an ethnic minority to helm the nation's highest office.

We are quick to judge the west for its 'less superior' values and are a stubborn bunch when somebody suggest that we learn one or two valuable lessons from them. Come on, stop being hypocritical. We're not better off ourselves! You tell me if those goons in parliament have superior values? Take a look at our public toilets, vandalised and poorly maintained public amenities, littering in public which is such a common sight, jumping queues etc.

What i'm trying to say is that in our pursuit of a rational, matured and 'civilised' society we need a lesson or two from these nations where GOOD GOVERNANCE is a key ingredient and i hope Malaysians can stop being so hypocritical, stop adopting the katak di bawah tempurung mentality and for goodness' sake do not fall for politically motivated agendas which will potentially threaten racial and religious harmony and national security.

We, Malaysians must stand as ONE irregardless of race and religious background. The Americans have done it. There is no reason why we still cannot get started after 50 years of independence though we still have a long way to go.

May Barack Obama's victory also become a beacon of hope for us Malaysians.

Quizical

2008-11-03T02:46:00.006+08:00

My blog is in need of an update but i'm really knackered for today.

For the record, we had 13 hours of tutes and lectures in two days - 2 hours of tutes followed by 5 hours of back to back lectures yesterday plus 6 hours of back to back lectures today.

Listen to this superbly catchy dance song from Bubble Toys and shake all your stress away!

And to my faithful readers, i have a little quiz for you guys.

Guess where was the above picture taken?

A. PARIS, FRANCE
B. A MALL IN KUALA LUMPUR
C. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC
D. NICE, FRANCE
E. MONACO

and

What was I doing?

A. MUNCHING A BURGER
B. WIPING MY MOUTH
C. READING A MAP
D. TAKING A DUMP
E. CRYING

Leave your answers in the comment box.

The winner will be informed through this blog and be entitled to receive an unlimited supply of sky-juice which will be channeled to your tap. Please make sure that the water is treated or boiled before drinking. This is a community message brought to you by Life's A Beach, Surf It Up! ;)

WINNER - kyh

~~btw, is anyone from penang coming down to kl this week?!~~

Weekend Getaway - PD

2008-10-29T19:57:00.003+08:00

I was back in Penang for a week to enjoy my early Deepavali break and then travelled down south again just before Deepavali bypassing the busy capital city to lead a laid back lifestyle for a couple of nights in Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan.

My definition of an ideal holiday is a laid back one isolated from the noise and pollution of the big city. Better still if there's a beach and many shady trees!

Before the trip to Port Dickson, i've been eating alot of good food in Penang, Klang and KL but unfortunately they won't make it to this blog because some of my friends and family members find it rude and annoying to start snapping pictures of food during meals. So let's jump straight into the trip to Pee Deeeee!

The beach in PD wasn't that impressive.

There were many little rocks on the beach and murky waters flowed from the heavily polluted Straits of Melaka. You can see huge cargo ships from afar.

Even Penang's Batu Ferringhi beach is better! I'm not bias okay.

Anyway, the weather was terrible hot and humid it kept me away from the beach.

We stayed in this private colonial era bungalow about 50 metres from the beach. I love colonial bungalows like this and the ones in Fraser's Hill! The Brits really knew how to make themselves feel at home.

There were lots of greenery and huge shady trees around the bungalow providing a cooling breeze.

The veranda jutting out from the bungalow is the most ideal place to relax because this is where you can most effectively escape from the heat - you will find me there most of the time. hahaha! like some retired ah pek like that.

I love this kind of laid back holidays la but if you ask to me stay there like that my entire life or after retirement, i don't think i can take it la. I'm still a city boy at heart. Penang would be ideal for retirement cos' it it still has a reasonably well well-balanced development so far, busy but not too busy with pockets of greenery, hills and beaches. I haven't even started working and i'm talking about retiring -_-

Basically there's not much to do in Peeee Deeee, KLites like to call it like that. lol

There's an ostrich farm, mini zoo, muzium Angkatan Tentera Malaysia among others but not for me la. I'd rather read something at the veranda or take a walk to the beach in the evening and be amused by the YELLOW baby sea lion resting on the PD beach.

or enjoy the sunset at the beach!

Holiday's over - time to go back to the dreadful reality!

In Food Paradise

2008-10-23T02:44:00.005+08:00

The blogger is trying his best to savour all his favourite Penang hawker food in a week. Will be too busy eating to do anything else until after Deepavali. Happy Deepavali in advance to all my ethnic Indian friends!

Be right back. Don't miss me too much. haha!

This Week's Laugh

2008-10-16T21:10:00.023+08:00

The politicians in our country never fail to amuse me.

Lately we have had quite a few incidences.

1. Politicians who lodged a police report against another politician for insulting egg. [more]

2. Shah Rukh Khan, the Bollywood idol conferred the 'Datukship' for promoting Melaka in his films. [more]

wouldn't Catherine Zeta Jones and Sean Connery be more deserving of the title for promoting the Petronas Towers in The Entrapment? lol

and today's joke of the day is....

Parliament: Cops scared of crooks, so base closed!

A police beat base in the Chow Kit area of downtown Kuala Lumpur was closed down because it was in a location that was considered unsafe, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar.
In a written reply to Dr Lo’ Lo’ Mohamad Ghazali (PAS-Titiwangsa), Syed Hamid said the beat base was located in a dirty area where there was a possibility of being exposed to contagious diseases.

The presence of criminals also posed a threat to the safety of police officers, he said.

The Royal Malaysian Police has so little reputation left these days thanks to allegations of corruption, impartiality, inefficiency and what-nots. Now our dear ever-so-controversial home minister is saying that police officers shouldn't be stationed where the presence of criminals would pose a threat to the police officers. Bravo. No wonder the escalating crime rate! haha.

Donut Frenzy

2008-10-13T18:07:00.003+08:00

Just not too long ago, when people say doughnuts.

how would you expect a doughnut to look like?

That extremely sweet sugary cheap round dough with a ring in the middle la, what else.

Things have changed.

Nowadays, they can come in different colours, toppings, flavours, fillings and even shapes - more than we can ever imagine. Plus, it's not cheap anymore. No more 60 cents sugary doughnuts.

It is also a trend to be eating doughnuts nowdays.

Nobody wants to be left out so people eat doughnuts for lunch and dinner, call their girlfriend or boyfriend 'donut', name their kids 'donut', camwhore with doughnuts, call them donuts instead of doughnuts so it's cooler and make sure they are seen queuing up for donuts in the latest Big Apple or J.Co shops at least 6 days a week.

I don't wanna be left out from the blogsphere as well for not blogging about donuts!

I will spare you a review of donuts which i'm sure you can find in millions of blogs out there.

All i wanna know from you donut tasters and lovers out there, of all the donuts from the popular donut chains out there, which one do you prefer and comment on each donut chain and its donuts respectively.

1. Big Apple Donuts & Coffee - Malaysia, Thailand (opening soon), China (opening soon)

- there is a renewed donut craze in Penang recently with the opening of two Big Apple branches.

2. J.Co Donuts & Coffee - Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines (opening soon)

3. Missy Donuts - Japan, Singapore, Malaysia (Penang)

4. Dunkin' Donuts - Worldwide

5. Krispy Kreme - Worldwide

coming to Malaysia soon

photo credits:

Flickr (tynac, iamdoryfish, luxen, nuttykiddo, nuttykid, tedesco057, fattybombombom)

Start posting your comments!

Our Last Summer

2008-10-10T13:16:00.008+08:00

blueh. i'm currently down with some mysterious illness.

I woke up in the middle of the night to some excruciating pain in my stomach followed by an entire day of on and off headaches. I was in bed for at least 14 hours yesterday, feeling extremely lethargic, i can't even sit up straight for long!

And i have totally lost my appetite to eat.

I don't know what's wrong. It could be the overtraining at the gym or excessive eating at Murni the night before. Yea, overtraining. Not funny ok. I don't exercise regularly and out of a sudden i have this urge to go to the gym and burn all my cholesterol and turn my fats into muscle overnight i might be pushing it a little to hard that evening.

Excessive eating - i had Roti Beckham, 5 pieces of nuggets and a large ribena special with all those lychees and stuff for dinner. Which one's the culprit you tell me?

I need to get well soon la!

I have Criminal Procedure lecture to attend tomorrow and i still have tons to read!

Btw, listen to this beautiful piece of music.

I have listened to it over 1272938393 times. Maybe that's how i fell sick.

Lyrics

Dedicated to those who miss your last summer.

Café Louvre, Prague

2008-10-06T22:34:00.023+08:00

Founded in 1902. That's one hundred and six years ago!

This restaurant must be included in your itinerary if you're in Prague!

Not just because they have served prominent celebrities dating back to 1910s

Psst! Albert Einstein was one of them.

It has also been voted the Best Cafe in the annual Best of Prague Reader Survey.

There's definitely something about this cafe, right?

I can still recall the atmosphere at the cafe when we stepped in.

There was this pin drop silence along the corridors and out of a sudden, you hear noise of turtles stepping on the rocks at the bottom of a beautiful aquarium and water splashing out from this strange looking deco or whatever-you-call-that-thing in the middle of the corridor.

Whoops. We have just walked into an 'atas' restaurant in Prague.

Peeping from one room to the other.

The menu. You can bring it back with you if you like it.

Seriously! You can purchase the menu as a souvenir.

The Hot Chocolate 'Louvre' - a bit too thick for my liking.

I wanted to try the Czech cuisine so i ordered the "Beef sirloin strips on dark beer, marjoram potato pancakes", if i remember correctly.

A bit too beefy la, beef, beef, beef, the whole plate was filled with a whole lot of beef.

I forgot to mention that everything in the menu were reasonably priced, most probably because Czech Republic has not adopted the strong Euro currency.

Oh yea! We had our dessert before our main course, not the usual habit practiced by the West but we're all Malaysians, we couldn't care less. haha! Cakes first. :p

I can't remember what cake is this apart from the chocolate texture. lol

It has to be either the black forest cake or the large chocolate cake?

More deco pictures at the cafe courtesy Sharon.

May the force be with us, the Prague troopers, wherever you are ;)

Those traveling to Prague, don't say i didn't tell you about this restaurant!