Final Countdown MOVs!

The MOVs are coming!

The hours are ticking away and I bet til my last ringgit that the 10 Malaysian Olympic Volunteers are now feeling more and more excited. Why? They'll fly out in a few days time. While I only know 1 out of 10 of them personally, my thought and wishes will be with them all. KK! Remember to position yourself, ok? Set a high standard for all... STANDARD MUST BE MEASURABLE! Sounds familiar? Hahahaha.....

So, you guys will be taking the late flight out tomorrow? All 10 of you? I know it's tiring coz you won't be able to sleep well in the plane but once you touched down, all will be forgotten. Let's show the world what MOVs looked like; and I don't mean looking like pandas! Show them what Malaysian Hospitality is like; KK not hospital la! I'm sure you guys gonna make loads of friends and have great stories to tell when you get back. So, enjoy yourselves while soaking up the Olympic atmosphere, suck the energy (but not the air too much). Only damper is no roti canai, teh tarik, wantan mee, curry laksa or nasi lemak for you all! Hahaha!

KK, I'll send you 1st hand result of Liverpool when the EPL starts. You enjoy the stay there while I enjoy Keane, Torres and Gerrard kill off Sunderland and others!

Safe trip, good stay, take care.... lots of love to all!

You'll Never Walk Alone!

Busy Days Ahead....BPR!

BPR now quizzing the PDRM

What a month for BPR. Surely, Malaysians have never seen BPR being so active before. With the breaking news of investigating the Taikos in the Immigration Dept, Anwar lodging a report for the black-eye incident to the E200 Kompressor purchases; now even the PDRM is seen as tainted with a supply scandal. What are we becoming as a nation?

Reports have stated that most of the equipment supplied to the PDRM are of low qualities. Even SWAT boots are laced with pigskin! How insensitive?! To start with, road blocks signages are flimsy, flicker lights not bright enough and is a real danger to motorists and police personnel. Non water-proof boots for the traffic police; so next time if heavy downpour, don't blame the police for not manning junctions. Nanti kaki basah ma.... banyak busuk lo! Bullet proof vests not up to specs. Surely won't blame them for running for covers if facing crooks armed with bigger guns firing at them. Boots for FRU and UN peacekeepers are not nail proof! WOW! To make some fast bucks some dickheads are prepared to risk the lives of the very people who are trusted to protect us. If I'm the Police Chiefs, I would be very very pissed!

So, the BPR are now investigating these cases that are negotiated deals. Transparency? Sorry la brader..... Million of ringgit might just end up in someone pocket while the police force might just continue to be supplied with sub-standard equipment. A thorough investigation must be carried out and the equipment currently used must be retested for certifications. Those who benefits from these deals must be punished heavily and not just being transferred. We must not send out the wrong signals to these parasites.

Another fishing trip for the BPR. Happy fishing and wish you all the best!

Desperate? It's an Understatement!

The talk continues

With the recently revelation that UMNO is inviting PAS for a dialogue/talk or whatever you want to call it, I just can't help but find the "talk" to be a attempt by the BN to wrestle a few states from PR via back door. To lose a 2/3 majority in Parliament is painful but the loss of 5 States makes it even more painful for the mighty BN to take in. Now in an attempt to "win" back or at least unsettles the PR, UMNO has been seen as courting PAS for a marriage.

Malay unity and Islamic affairs is the main item on the table. Very interesting and convenient subject to talk. So, in Malaysia, only Malay unity is important. What about the Chinese, Indians and those labeled as lain-lain? Aren't we part of this country too? Don't we contribute anything at all? UMNO is desperate to show to the Malays that it will champion their cause; and ONLY they got the power to do it. FARK OFF!

So now should the MCA talk to DAP and Gerakan for Chinese unity? Should the MIC and Hindraf sit together and talk about Indian unity? All the segregation or unity among race will ultimately lead to racial splitting in the years to come. BN is doing more harm than good in initiating the talk.

Desperate can be an understatement used to describe UMNO now especially in Perak. Tajol Rosli went further in trying to coax PAS Perak to work with them and form a new State Government. A stronger government will be for if PAS work with them. How? With only a few more seats? You become stronger when the people are behind you! He's power hungry! To show he's not, he won't be asking for any seat and willing to offer PAS the MB post. How noble. Heard of Kerajaan Boneka, mate?

In an attempt to take back the states, all sort of tactics are now being used. Racist politics, "talk" to your sworn enemy, sodomy charges are all part of the combo package to remain in power. Pak Lah, please abandon the talk. Nothing will come good of it. You are going out soon. Let Najib work hard to win back the people's heart. Fight graft, improve the economy. After all, BN still govern Malaysia. Don't take the easy way out; there's no short cut to success.

A Big Can of Worms

Buy Barangan Buatan Malaysia?

The controversy surrounding the purchase of 14 Merc E200 Kompressor by the Terengganu State Government has now snowballed into stories that can really help sell newspapers. Ever since its MB announced the purchase, the Rakyat has been jumping and demand an explanation and action by the Fed Government on what is seen as a big waste of public funds. Datuk Ahmad Said is not a very bright man indeed with his justification on this matter. Or he has been ill advised by someone? And now, BPR has swung into action in investigating this scandal.

The very reason to justify the purchase itself is tainted with corruption. Why? Just imagine spending more than RM1million to maintain a fleet of Perdana V6; and by fleet its only 16 cars! And spending more than RM3millions is to cut cost?! I'm not very good in maths but I sure know how to do simple calculations. This alone justifies action by the BPR. What the heck!? It put Proton into a tight spot. Either the car itself is lousy or to maintain it, you need millions. Of course Proton will come out like a wounded lion to defend its dignity. Proton's MD has come out and tell us that some parts used in the fleet were indeed non-genuine or 2nd hand. A service outlet in the state has been suspended.

All these hoo-hah is a no win for all parties. To me, the Feds were chicken when dealing with Terengganu. Why allow them to keep the cars for "VIP" visitors? How many VIP visited the state; hell, how many times our PM or DPM visited the state? Expensive white elephants on four wheels? You bet! Get them to sell it off! Making loss? Get the MB and the exco pay from their pockets! Tunjuk terror and hold the Government balls?

Show them who's boss, Pak Lah.

So all these drama certainly gives all the actors involved bad publicity. The Feds is seen as weak in dealing with the state. The state is abusing the state's coffer. Proton's product is seen as low quality and not even supported by the state government; which is against the wish of the Feds. So, it's now up to the BPR to clean up the mess. Since BPR has already taking some sort of action, it'll be interesting to see what happens in these few weeks. A can of worms has already been opened for all to see. It's their job to catch the big fish again. Fishing trip anyone?

Weekend Steamboat

Simmering waiting for us to dig in

Nice big succulent prawns

Some of the food on the table. The chili is the best!

The gang enjoying the steamboat

Last Saturday, we went to Claudia's place for a steamboat dinner. When we reached there Janet, Maggie and CK were already there. I assume they reached there early to help out and prepare since Claudia is good at eating only! Hahaha!Well, we are good at eating too to be fair. Did nothing basically, just switch on the pot and voila! We only contributed 2 bottles of wine....

The soup base was delicious and wholesome. All prepared by Maggie. She even went to pasar earlier in the morning to buy the fishballs and stuffs but the best is the prawns. Big, fresh and succulent. Just too bad I don't dare to eat since takut gatal-gatal la.... Another worthy mention is the chili sauce prepared specially for this dinner by CK's mom. The best sauce! Thumbs up!

We started the dinner while waiting for Eddie and his family to come by. They were late because his daughter has got some class to attend to. Anyway, there are plenty of food to go by, since I think Maggie thought the whole kampung is dropping by. Just too much to eat and we tapau some when we went home.

Everyone had fun, talking, drinking, chit-chatting.... Even my sons had fun running around the house. At the end of the day, we went back home full to the brim and tired. Both my boys slept in the car while on our way home. When we want to have another steamboat, Maggie's soup and CK's chili will be the 1st on our list.

Piggy or Sardines?

Sardine Packer!

More than a century ago, our forefathers (well, most of them) were packed off from Mainland China and sold to this part of the world known as Nanyang 南洋 as cheap labourer. Most of them were sent to tin mines or to the rubber plantations. These poor souls are called piggy 猪仔. Why? It is said that their living condition is so appalling during their journey here by junks, it is just like a pig sty; thus they are living just like pigs! Human trafficking seems like a legal trade back then.

Well, fast forward to the 21st century. Certainly these piggy trading are now extinct but the way they suffer in their travelling seems to have evolved. No more by sea but their descendants are now packed-off into trains like sardines! I have the opportunity to be one today when I board the much-talked about mode of transport; the KTM Kommuter!

My ride by Kommuter started from KL Sentral to Mid Valley for some biz matters. Going there is ok, the train is pretty sharp on time. Hell begins when I board the tin can back to Sentral. Passengers were full to the brim it's a wonder the train captain can manage to close the doors. Well, it took him 3 attempts to finally close it. Mid Valley is just one station away from my destination but it seems like forever and time stood still. The air cond seems not cool enough as the cabin is so stuffy and body odour from sweaty people is free for all to enjoy. No one seems to need to hold on to the hand-rails when the train moves. We were really packed like sardines and it's a miracle that no one fainted! I swear I will if I need to be in the cabin for another minute.

Luckily for me, my rides ends at Sentral. I was the first to jump off. What a big relief! I really pity those who needs to travel everyday by the Kommuter. The relevant authority really needs to look into the service time and the condition of the train. With more people opting for public transport, an improvement is a must.

Piggy or sardine? Your call, mate!

My mood!

My feeling this morning

This is how I felt this morning. Kinda bad mood. Had a bad sleep yesterday; kept on having things crossing my mind. As usual, stuck in the jam. Made things worse......

Maybe I just need to cool down, take a deep breath and exhale. You know, just to be glad that I'm alive and stop feeling lousy. Life too precious to sulk. Gimme a minute, and I'll be OK.

A Visit To The Sky Bridge

View from the top

KLCC park

Yesterday, out of the blue, I had the urge to queue up at KLCC to get tickets for the Sky Bridge visit. I reached the ticket counter around 9:00a.m and there were already some people; mostly tourists standing in front of me. The queue was not long and its very orderly. When my turn comes for the tickets, I was allocated the 3:45p.m slot. I asked for 5 tickets and they promptly issued it to me.

So, after lunch, told Debbie that I had some tickets to the Sky Bridge. Together with Claudia, Maggie and Janet, 5 of us "sneaked out" from the office around 3:15p.m. Claudia drove us there and parked at KLCC.

Once we made our way there, we were ushered to a mini 3-D theater. We wore our "cool" glasses and wait for a 7 minutes long documentary about Petronas' contributions and field of work. Quite informative if you understand English. The 3-D effect is not spectacular though.

Right after the show, come the highlight of our visit. We returned the 3-D glasses and queue up at the security check point to have our bags and stuffs scanned. No drama there and we were directed into a high speed lift. Claudia commented the lift resembles the one 富贵山庄 uses! Scary! Well, it took us around 41 seconds to reach the lower deck; perched high up at 41st floor. Only this floor is open to the public while the upper deck is reserved for staffs and emergency. We were given 10minutes by the in house guide to snap photos. 10 minutes might seem short but it's just nice since we got no where to go. Took some photos while the girls clowned around.

The Girls at the Sky Bridge

10minutes of photo time is up and all of us made our way down using the same elevator. Once we reached 1st floor, we passed by a small gallery where some exhibit were on show. Got some brain teasers which is quite interesting. Then, I got my height measured at one of the exhibits and it showed how many times the KLCC, Sear Towers or Jin Mao (Shanghai) is taller than me. Cool!

We made our way back right after this. Don't have time to shop at Suria. We sneaked out, remember? On the way back we stop by at a makan stall at Pudu. Bought some nasi lemak, bubur cha-cha and some Taiwanese pudding for our tea break. The food is as nice as our visit to the Tallest and Longest sky bridge in the world. Malaysia Boleh!

So, now it's OK?

UMNO and PAS

The MCA has been very vocal when the DAP and PAS worked together and later on formed the Pakatan Rakyat together with PKR. Some of its leaders has been calling for the DAP to apologise to the Chinese voters for "backstabbing" the Chinese because of PAS' ideology. Setting up of an Islamic State by PAS has been used by MCA to taruk DAP.

So, now it's OK for UMNO to hold talks with PAS? MCA Youth chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the party would view the talks between Umno and PAS from a “very open-minded perspective”. Interesting choice of word, sir. When UMNO talks to PAS, it's because of unity and for the good of all Malaysian, but when DAP did that, its backstabbing. I'm no politician and I don't really support a particular party. But the MCA seems to have gone back on its stand. Maybe when Taiko do something, Sai Lo just need to keep its mouth shut.

Not even 1 MCA leader has come out and say something other than praising the leaders for "trying to unite" the nation. DAP, as a member of the PR has voiced concern about the talk, and as the result of that has been accused by Datuk Shairir of overreacting or over suspicious. Another hypocrite. A desperate ploy to win back Malay votes? Why not unity among Malaysians? Even his brother, Khalid Abd Samad has said the talk is more of an attempt to hurt the PR and calls for the talk to end. “All Umno wants is the numbers to significantly weaken Pakatan Rakyat. It wants power. It does not have Malay unity or Islam at heart. It is just using excuses,” is what the Shah Alam MP have said. Maybe MCA needs to comment and 'stand' on the Chinese side? As long as the political parties harping on racial sentiments for support, there will be no unity. I hold Malaysian IC, passport. I love nasi lemak, teh-o ais limau. I sing 'Negaraku' at school. Am I anything less Malaysian?

Walk the talk, man. Make your stand clear. Don't be a flip-flop party. It'll be interesting to see if MCA willing to go against the Taiko.

To Buy Or Not To Buy

I wanna be an Exco too!

That is the question! That's the question that many Malaysians including top guns like PM & the DPM has been itching to know from the Terengganu State Government.

The Menteri Besar of Terengganu, Datuk Ahmad Said has announced that the State will acquire 14 Mercs for its Exco members; costing around RM3.43mil. The reason given is that the current batch of Proton Perdana V6 is expensive to maintain and low on safety features. Hmmm..... now finally someone is admitting that our local car is low on quality? Interesting....

RM3.43mil is a lot of money, even for a state that produces oil. This purchase MUST be scrap or put on hold at least until our economy is "back on its feet". Federal Government wants the Rakyat to change its lifestyle; to face the harsh reality of expensive oil and yet Terengganu is planning to spend lavishly. Change our lifestyle? YOU BET! The state keeps on telling us that its not using the oil royalty for the purchase. Aisay man..... so, the exco members gonna pay from their own pocket? Not in 3.43mil years... make it light years! It's still tax payers money, Einstein!

Maintenance costs is one of the factor sited for ditching the National car. Expensive to maintain, maybe..... but spending over a 100k for maintaining 1 car is just ridiculous. Either the state engages a very expensive/posh workshop or there's foul play. Kasi resit, saya boleh claim punya. Nanti I kasi you sikit duit kopi la..... Maybe the drivers are so lousy, they tend to cock-up the car. Maybe the car itself is pretty cocked-up. Proton, please explain why your car so lousy one!

While big cars can be expensive to maintain, certainly it doesn't justify to the fact that Merc is the choice for the Excos. There are thousand of cars cheaper than Merc but better than Proton. Japs are reliable. Skodas are nice cheaper conti alternatives. Maybe the State want to tunjuk terror ma... Anyway, it just shows how arrogant they are. Great job Terengganu folks for voting them in. Syabas!

7 days of loneliness

My two monsters; Xu Hom & Si Qian

Loneliness... that's a scary word for a lot of people including me. And 7 days of it? I swear, a few more, I'll sure go nuts! So, what makes me feel so isolated. Well, for a start, I was "out there", tour guiding a bunch of "aliens" aka tourists. Not too bad, since I gotta make a living and tours from China usually lasted only 4 days in Malaysia.

In my line of work, I usually spent at least 2 nights staying in hotels; away from my family. I do miss my kids and my wife. What make it so bad for me this time is that my agent gave me a last minute assignment to "back" another group when my tour concludes. That makes it 7 days out on the field. A long 7 days.......

Called up my sons the other night. Chat with them and even my lil' devil sound so sweet over the phone. I knew he missed me, kissing me and kept calling papa. Urgh!!!!! As for Xu Hom, I can feel that he's a disappointed that I'll only be back today because he thought I'd be home and play the Ben10 PSP with him. Sorry son, we miscommunicated. Debbie told me some good news. Our long long wait for the renovation of our town house is finally over with the banks settling the outstanding amount. This Saturday seems to be a good day in terms of feng shui for ground breaking ceremony. Can't wait for it! But the best piece of news is Debbie told me how our 2 kids seem to missed me. I missed them too and just wanna go over and give them a big big hug and kiss.

I know, I could have declined the 2nd assignment but I need extra cash for the impending renovation work on our new home. It's a price I need to pay. More money; less time with family. But deep down I know, the time I spent with my kids will always be precious.

Keep on rolling, BPR!

Badan Pencegah Rasuah

With the arrest and investigation on the top 2 personnel in the Immigration Department, our ACA is starting to strike fear on those parasites that sucks other people dry in return for their favour. It was a well publicised affair with the mass media having a field day reporting the arrest of the D-G and his Deputy on corruption practices. This has to be one of the most high profile arrest on corruption the rakyat has seen and it sends shock waves throughout the country. A host of others have been held too to facilitate investigations which only shows that the BPR is dead serious in combating this social ill, if unchecked will bring greater rot in our society as a whole. The D-G Datuk Abdul Wahid Md Don has been released on bail since. Our PM has said that with the arrest, it proved that "big fish" can be caught too. Let us all play a part and help BPR to become the best fisherman Malaysians can ever see! The latest development is starting to show the result of reform by our PM. Just too bad he has announced he retiring come 2010. I really do want to see him to continue his reform agenda and carry us forward. Talks that he is a weak leader holds no water. C'mon Pak Lah!

As the BPR gained more power and become independent, (under the reform) let's hope and see if it can make us a "cleaner" country. Our country still lags behind Singapore, Hong Kong and Macau in this department, as such we have much to do and the BPR can never do it alone. Taking a line from WWF, "when the buying stops, the killing will too", we must know, if there are no giver, there will be no taker. The public has a very important role to play. Thus moral education either at school or at home is very very important. Kids and also adults must know that to offer bribe is just as guilty as accepting one.

Declaring ones asset is a commendable thing but how do you justify the D-G can afford to live in Bukit Tunku? Either his salary is huge or he has got side income, and I don't think he sells pisang goreng or apam at the pasar malam. By looking at his home address will show something fishy.... hmmm.....maybe he sells fish! A big fish indeed like what the PM has said.

Anyway, great job BPR! Keep on fishing, let them know being on top of the food chain don't guarantee you safety. Let's fight graft together; and BPR ...please kick their sorry ass!

It's not my fault.....

Mad rush made worst......

Sometimes, when we are driving and our two sons were seated at the back, we'll have some issues with unrest at the back. My younger son is always the bully, always wanting to pick a fight with his older sibling. A slight touch by his brother is enough for him to retaliate with swift action; George W Bush will be proud of him. Well we don't; not a bit. Though my 2 year old monster can't really speak well, he understood us loud and clear. Whenever he kicked up a fuss or pick a fight , his mom or me will let him now that we're watching his every move. But being a 2 year old, he got the fast brain and in no time he'll tell us "哥哥喇!" which translates to "it's not my fault, brother did it 1st" Of course we don't buy his bullshit coz we know he ain't no saint. Trying to justify his mistake shows that he'll more than guilty......

Which brings me to the terrible traffic crawl endured by city folks for the past few days. Slow moving highways or main roads struggling to cope with the daily morning mad rush was made worst by the decision by the Police to set-up road blocks. The reason? Anticipated rally by the opposition. Public safety is the Government's priority. I deemed the Ops Padam a success because the PR failed to get the rally up and running. Syabas! By the way, the PR has denied that any rally or protest were planned. It'll be stupid for them to admit if a rally was indeed planned and since there was nothing happening, why be a hero? Everyone is going to deny it and I think if there's a plan to make the Government to look like a fool, they scored big!

Syed Hamid was quick to offer his apology to the Malaysian public especially those caught in the jam but was equally quick to pointed the finger to the opposition camp, again! "I'm sorry, but it's them la!" How convenient. Sounds familiar to Si Qian's plea to me. Well, I don't buy his bull and I'm not impressed either!

So, what type of intelligence sources are used to determine if a rally was indeed planned? Let me see.... blogs, SMSes and PR party meetings. Well if the 1st two "sources" are used, well so much for intelligence, mate. No wonder, year after year, Malaysians still fall prey to con artists or scams offering huge reward through e-mails and SMS. Even our Government bought it. Why blame ordinary layman....

PM offered support for the Police actions which I understand. Maybe to him, it's better for us to suffer in the jam caused by the Police than suffer in the jam if we are caught in a mass rally. A big "IF". We wasted so much time and valuable petrol while the police mobilised around 1,600 personnel to man the blocks. Maybe the Police is too free, with nothing better to do as if no crime is happening in the morning ma! A total waste of public's fund to stop or prevent something that may never happen.

So, I think Si Qian is very smart. Whenever we chided him, his response is always "it's not my fault, it's never my fault, it will always my 哥哥 fault"

Let me tell you, Si Qian boy..... your mom and I will never buy your bull!

My terrible itch!

I had something like this!

Yesterday night was hell for me! The Urticaria was killing me! I have hives developing all over me and I'm like a monkey; scratching myself to provide temporary relief from the itch. URGH! I was hesitating to see the doctor as I was trying not to have medicine; unless really necessary. And necessary it was. Just can't tahan anymore. Can't sleep, can't sit...hell! I can't even play Ben 10 on the PSP properly without my fingers scratching all over my body. So a visit to the clinic downstairs is a MUST!

After much hesitation, I was there, waiting for my name to be called by the attendant. After a short chat with the doc, it was confirmed with what I've read from the net regarding Urticaria/hive. Basically, there's no known cause for this attack. What triggers it is still a big question mark for most victims; but luckily, no serious health hazard apart from serious scratching and red marks/bumps that will go away; eventually. Hmmm... eventually.

From the net, it's stated that basically everything or anything can trigger the hives. Common source is food; items like seafood, shellfish, nuts and the list goes on. Other factors like clothing can do some harm too, especially tight clothing or latex. Latex? How about condom? Hahaha! Then, weather can play a part too. Too cold, too hot.... So the doctor asked me a few questions in order to help me to isolate potential cause. Told him that I used to have reaction when I eat prawns, but it's only sometimes. Never had issues with nuts, attire or the weather. But for these few days, I suspect nuts being the culprit because the attacks become serious when I had red bean soup, toufu or almond biscuit.

Doc asked me to be careful with my diet; but his last advise to me rings true. He told me that I can't be too careful with everything or else I've got to stop eating, stop going out, be naked! Anyway, he prescribed some medicines to me after I refused to take a jab.

RM50 bought me some anti-itch pills, anti-allergic & a sleeping pill to make me sleep better. Got some anthistamine too to combat the hives. I took all of it promptly except the sleeping pill. Slept like a baby all night long! So for now, I'm a OK, apart from feeling a lil' bit groggy.

A well spent RM50, as the most important item it bought me is a good night sleep and a well deserved relief.

Argh!!!!!

I was really frust this morning when I drove off to work. I had a bad sleep yesterday due to the damn Urticaria. Itched like hell, so when I woke up, my mood is not so good. Took shower like usual and off we go. As usual, the traffic starts to build up along the LDP around 7:15a.m but when I heard the radio's traffic info, it really makes my blood boiled!

It was reported that the police has set-up road blocks in various main roads that leads to the city and the Parliament. The reason? In anticipation of a mass rally organised by the opposition to vent their anger at the recent price hike of basically everything. So, roads that are usually heavy in traffic during the morning rush will be affected. We got caught in the jam, cars moved slowly... you know, the usual morning crawl but made worst by the "blockades". It was reported that the police will do checks on suspicious cars/occupants.

WHAT? How the hell the Police is going to know if the car is heading towards a rally? By looking at the car? The driver? Smells something different from thousand of other motorists? Whoever made this decision ought to have his heads checked. I'll understand if the Parliament is a off-zone for visitors (security reason) in view of a potential clash between PR and BN on the motion against the PM. But roads towards the city? What really pissed me off is that when I passed through the blockade, I saw a few Policemen sharing some jokes among themselves while closing 1 lane near the Petronas/Shell opposite of Eastin Hotel. Checks on motorists? Hahaha.... I don't know what they're talking but obviously the jokes must be good because the police don't even bother to wave or look at any of the cars. Just standing there and enjoying a good laugh among themselves.

If only we have signs like these....

So, my question is, will this type of inconvenience will make the world a better place? Definitely no! It only succeeded in making me and I believe a lot of other motorists' blood pressure go up and wasted thousand of precious litres of petrol in the jam. How ironic....

Breakfast in Tiffany?

The gang seems to enjoy a hearty breakfast

Our chicken ham sandwich

Yummy!

Healthy green salad with apple

Hmmm..... not quite. Hahaha... breakfast in Truly Asia more likely. This morning sees a departure from our normal morning breakfast ritual. No more Imbi Pasar Hainan Coffee and toast and certainly no more unhealthy but crowd favourite Nasi Lemak. How does the idea of having homemade breakfast in the office came about? Well, it was during lunch yesterday when I blurt out that most of us are practically bored of what we eat and ran out of ideas on what to eat. Thus, why not we have breakfast in the office; ala potluck, everyday, different things by a different person. It is how this wonderful idea was borned and Debbie and I were the first to contribute.

So, shopping for chicken ham sandwich and green salad begins last night. Last minute shopping with the help of Xu Hom (eldest son). Grabbed some cheese, bread, chicken ham, salad and last but not least my mustard! It was like a bank heist, grab and go.....of course we paid la!

Went back home and the first thing I did is to search for our long forgotten sandwich maker. Covered in dust after all those years lying in the cupboard, but still working. All set for the First Homemade Breakfast in Truly Asia!

This morning, the girls; Claudia, Janet, Maggie and Elaine all helped out to prepare the meal. Some of them made coffee; the easiet thing to do.... how hard can it be if it's 3in1?, while some help to get the bread from the sandwich maker. Claudia had the hardest work; squeezing coleslaw dressing onto the salad! Again.... how hard can it be!!! Hahaha..... our breakfast is a simple meal.... Anyway, we had a great time enjoying the fruit of our hard labour. It was more of the togetherness than the food. We were joking, poking fun at each other (Claudia and Janet are sworn enermies from past life); basically enjoying the moment. Just too bad CK is not there to join us.

So, we finished our sandwich and coffee. Left some salad coz everyone is just too full to continue. Already I'm looking forward to next week coz it's my turn to see others prepare breakfast for all of us! Just can't wait....... Yummy!

A tribute to my friend

The Olympics is coming; less than a month after about 5,000 years of waiting for the Old Kingdom we now call China. Well, Qin Shi Huang would have no idea that his unification of China will see it hosting the biggest sporting event in the world. In less than a month, China will be invaded by foreign legion of sport warriors, fans, reporters and not to mention volunteers. Great Wall of China will be breached and China will welcome them with an open arm!

There will be thousands of people going to China to watch this great event, while millions more may glue themselves to their seats back home to watch their heroes doing battles in their respective battlefield. Some might not care but some are willing to sacrifice their time and money just to be there. I have a great friend who will be at the Olympics as a volunteer, to see for himself and absorb the energy that happens only every 4 years.

To be a volunteer is not easy. It's never easy to be a volunteer of any kind, but to be away a thousand miles from home makes it tougher. It needs whole-hearted dedication. All cost to be borne by oneself. How many of us can do that? Work has to be put aside, you need to find willing sponsors for food, lodging and also the travel arrangement. It's a lot of money involved; not to mention time and effort put in. My friend, if I'm not mistaken will be stationed at the Aquatic Centre. He'll get to watch all those great bodies in skimpy outfit for free! Maybe that's the reward for being a volunteer! He'll be a lucky 金鱼老! Jokes aside, I know he'll be a dedicated volunteer for our country, raising our Jalur Gemilang, and be proud whenever our swimmers took to the pool. I hope he'll enjoy his stay there and comes back with fond memories. Just can't wait to listen to his experience.

Anyway, best of luck to you, my friend. I'm proud to have a friend like you, always ready to help and serve. just like when I'm working with you. Everything also can kau tim! Thanks to a great person whom we known, Billy Leong for sponsoring his air ticket. Billy, you really made his day! Big heart you have, sir! For that, I salute you.

Name of my dear friend? Thought you'll never ask.... Representing 319........ Mr KK Tang! 邓国球先生！

Macao trip

Finally, the final part of my trip to Macao/Hong Kong with my family on the 26th to 30th May 2008. It was a trip well worth; despite throwing up on board the ferry from HK to Macao. Hehehe... tapau my dim sum! Even our return flight was delayed due to the bad weather (airport was temporary closed). Maybe Macao loves us too much to see us go back!

Anyway, it was a trip my kids will remember for a long long time. I'll never forget Xu Hom's face when he pretended to be a "statue" at Venetian.

Enjoy the photos, til we travel again!

HK Disneyland photos!

Sorry for the late posting but got it done; at last! I do hope you enjoyed it as much as I do! Wait for my Macao's photos, ok?

A weekend of food

First of all, congrats to Andrew and Shanny for moving to a new house. Nothing fancy; just family members gather around, having dinner at his new place. It was such a huge house and being a terrace, IT IS HUGE! 3 storeys high, with rooms bigger than my house! So so different from his old condo. Anyway, a lil' too big if you ask me; unless he plans to have like a dozen kids! Hehehe..... he might! My only complain about the place is the location. Seems to be hidden in the middle earth, if you ask me. Located near Bukit Jalil, the place is a bit too far for my liking. Only the new Sirim hq offers a landmark otherwise even a GPS system will not help. Anyway, it's a new township call Paragon Heights. Gated & guarded community living. It won't be long til new neighbourhood starts to surround this place and makes it another traffic jammed area since for now there's only 1 entry/exit point. A bit too far? yah, but Taman Tun was once a very Ulu place too!

Then, on Sunday, we went to my sis's place in Gadong. The reason? I was promised good quality Durians! Wow! How tempting, and I'm not gonna let this opportunity go.

My sis's house is located at the outskirt of Labu. Her plot of land is not that big but big enough to have some durian, langsat, mangosteen trees growing at her backyard. It was the first time my two kids have the chance to see durians hanging from trees and taste fresh picked langsat.

And my sis's choice of durian didn't dissapoint at all! There are a few kampung varieties; no fancy coded names. However it was quite amusing when my sister showed us some of her durian trees with pet names given by the family! How odd! The flesh was thick and creamy. The smell and taste is just heaven! It has been quite sometime since I've tasted anything as good. As an added incentives, it's organic too! My sis never uses any pesticides. Healthy and wholesome! There's too many durians to be eaten in one sitting, we're full to the brim. So .... being a durian lover, we ta pau la! Sis put a few fruits into a plastic bag and we loaded it at the back of my car. Wrong move as the smell stuck there until this morning. It wasn't a pleasant smell this morning when we got ready to go to work/school. And I still got some left in the fridge........

Xu Hom's 1st durian touch

Langsat hanging in the tree
Si Qian clowning around with his cousin

King of fruits!

I'm Back!

Hmmmm! Great to be home again after almost a week away from my family. Being a tourist guide/tour manager is tough; juggling between jobs, assignments and of course family and friends.

My latest task is to take a group of Malaysian form a certain insurance company for a trip to Macau/Macao and Zhuhai in China. I was lucky coz I got a great mate working along me from start to the end. Thanks KK! Bringing 90 delegates thru Macao/Zhuhai border seems so much easier with him around. Good partner, great buddy!

I'm blessed with a group of very dedicated bunch of madhat friends besides KK. Mike Lim, David and his "323" brother Michael, Esther (my partner in Gala dinner) and Carina. Being with them makes the day goes faster and can let go steam by making jokes on Michael! Hehehe......

Besides missing my family and our food, being in a foreign land means a miss with the local news. The Anwar "sodomy" saga, Atantulya epic and of course the oil price hike. Nowadays nothing is spared in terms of "price-revision". Even the transit link from KLIA to Sentral gave a 25% rise with effect from 1st July! Mati lo.....
Touching on the oil price hike, I don't think things will improve anytime sooner. It's a global issue; everyone is feeling the pain. What is important is how the Government plans to tackle the issue, what are concrete steps to be taken so the effects are minimized. Hong Kong SAR's Chief Executive even went to the ground and met taxi and lorry drivers and talk to them. Understanding the pain of the rakyat (where the Hongkies are very blunt with the CE) might be a publicity stunt but I admire what Mr. Donald is doing.

As Malaysian, I do hope that all politicians to pull together and act as one to face this huge huge challenge together with the rakyat. Don't waste our money debating if Gobind has apologize or needs to be suspended. BN needs to accept the result of our GE. PR won big, won some important states and thats a very good (if rude) wake up call for them. Now with Anwar being a big threat to them, suddenly there's another twist to this with the sodomy allegation. Can't help to think it's a calculated move by some one to maintain power.

FOCUS ON THE REAL ISSUE! Otherwise, with or without Anwar, BN might fall in the next one.