All Colours Of The Rainbow...

Warning! Bimbo Post Ahead ;)

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My mom really knows how to make a complete colourful meal! =P Due to my constant complaints of having to consume Chinese dishes everyday, she decided to prepare a Western lunch instead. =)

Mushroom chicken with cheese soup with garlic bread for the appetizer =P~

Look at the wide range of colours! =P Green "Siew Pak Choy" with zuchinni together with purple cabbage and red carrots with coleslaw as garnishing and a great big chunk of yummy baked dory fish with herbs. Super YummY!!!

My 5AM Breakfast...

Its that time of the year again where I wake up at wee hours of the morning to attempt to put chapters and chapters of boring facts and figures into my brain where I hope it will stay until the moment I have to regurgitate it out in a high-pressure environment with lots of evil menacing people walking around trying to catch those who are up to no good. *Phew*

A chunk of blue cheese on crackers together with some sweet delicious grapes

Not forgetting the appetizer and dessert ;D

TITG The Conversational Shapeshifter...

I have several groups of friends that I still keep in touch with. When I converse with them, I can't help but noticing that I adopt different speech patterns depending on which group.

Among my friends who speak better English, I mostly speak at the same level without including any of the local Malaysian slang where as amongst my Chinese educated friends, I catch myself using more 'lah' phrases in our conversations. We even go to the extent of using romanized chinese words in our MSN conversations!

I guess I instinctively do this so as to make the group feel more comfortable when everyone is able to speak at the same level. It would be rather awkward if someone in a group of many persists in speaking at a higher level.

Anyway, it would be more difficult for someone to speak at a higher language level then for the others to 'dumb' their speaking level down so as to put everyone at ease.

Sometimes, I can't help but wonder whether my Chinese speaking friends are doing the same for me when we speak in Chinese due to my half-past-six Cantonese and Mandarin vocabulary. =)

Musing In The Park

My Sneaky Birthday Celebration...

Hhhrrumph...Apparently there was more than meets the eye to a simple dinner at a nice restaurant and a movie later. =) I can't honestly remember when I've been more overwhelmed by all the attention lavished upon me.

I'm deeply touched that everyone put in such a big effort to make the day special for me. Thanks guys and gals! I appreciate everything you all did.

It was a particular tiring day as I had a meeting in Putrajaya that morning so I drove all the way down there for the meeting and just managed to get back to the office by lunch time. After that, I went traipsing all around Bangsar before settling at an overly packed banana leaf restaurant for a most fulfilling lunch.

The typical Friday jam added an additional 15 minutes to an otherwise quick drive home after work. At this point, I was really weary and was just looking forward to a simple dinner with Wan Lee and perhaps a good chick flick comedy to end the day. Or so I thought...

Dinner seemed to proceed according to my expectations albeit the food portion was overly huge and we could not finish the extremely large lasagna portion as much as we wanted to. In actual fact, the lasagna is really a very deceiving dish as it looked really small when it first arrived and I was considering ordering something else besides the appetizer.

However, the lasagna proved to be uber-filling as it was loaded with layers of cheese; *does hand motion* eggs; *continues hand motion* beef; *repeats hand motion yet again* with lots and lots of tomato paste. (Note: Hand motions are part of a private joke ;D)

After dinner, while I was thinking of how to kill time until the movie was supposed to start, I was unwittingly led to this... *grin* Awww..you guys...Thanks so much!

Gee..I can't seem to wipe the silly grin from my face =)

I "heart" the huge Cappucino Cheesecake!

Thanks for taking time to celebrate with me. =D

Thanks for bearing with the last minute changes that I caused. Oops.. =P

Thanks for the surprise 'present' ;D

Most of all, my deepest gratitude to my Dearest Wan Lee for
taking all the effort to plan my whole birthday celebration.

I love you, babe! *Hugs*

PS: Pics are all courtesy of Jase as I was so surprised I forgot to take any pics of my own ;P

TITG Beats The Traffic Boredom...

Due to my far away workplace, I have spend at least 1 and a 1/2 hours everyday on the road commuting to and fro work. (Note: Office is finally moving next week, w00ts!)

It can be terribly boring spending so much time on the road. But then again there are all sorts of drivers on the road that can actually keep you entertained. My personal favourite is the "Youngster Who's In A Rush To Zoom To His Doom", you know the type. Those young typically male drivers who speed around in modified versions of the local Protons.

Normally, I just have a good laugh at these young farts who look like they are still in college as they recklessly overtake me and the rest of the KL traffic but occasionally I like to join in the fun as well...

Now, the road that I commute on normally has a high level of traffic especially during peak hours. So when I encounter a very irritating version of the above mentioned driver (those you tailgate and constantly flash their headlamps at you demanding you move aside) , I meekly move aside for them to past.

However, I make it my personal objective (within safety limits, of course) to get back ahead of that reckless speedy gonzales but not by sheer speed but instead using my knowledge of the road traffic patterns an 'creative' driving.

Some of them zoom ahead of me only to get stuck on a busy lane whilst me knowing that particular lane would be busy would have already switched lanes earlier and finally would still get infront of the aforementioned speed demon.

I can't describe the immense sense of satisfaction when I actually get to overtake these drivers. In all honesty, it doesnt happen that often as:-

a) Safety is my paramount concern and I'm not about to risk my life to satisfy my ego

b) The driver I'm trying to overtake is more knowledgeable than me on the road traffic patterns

Nevertheless, it can sometimes provide a very welcome distraction from the routine LOOOoooOOng commute on the road.

My Job Musings...

After spending more than 4 years at my present company, I think it’s safe to say that I’ve more or less been exposed to almost all the facets of my company’s operations. I remember when I first joined my company which incidentally is my first job; I was working as a developer writing the actual application software.

I’ve always had a passion for software development after being introduced to it during secondary school. I derived a huge amount of satisfaction trying to find the best solution to tackle each problem and to a certain extent; I really miss that part of my job.

After working for 6 months, my company decided to transfer me into a functional role which completely removed me from software development and instead required me to meet clients and translate their application requirements into documentation.

Due to the nature of the job, I was based in Manila, Philippines from the period of Sept 24, 2002 to Jan 16, 2004. Wow, I actually still remember the dates! =) I had a fantastic experience in Manila being able to see another country as a local and not a tourist, finally gaining my independence and best of all, being paid for it! =D

When I returned from my stint in Manila, the company decided to retain me in a functional capacity. I was also hesitant to request for a transfer back to software development as the pay scale was generally lower, so I stayed put. I was told to travel to Kuching, Sarawak and spent the better part of 2004 traveling to and fro Kuching from KL.

When compared to the metropolis that is Manila, Kuching seemed like a sleepy old town but I did appreciate many of its rustic qualities especially Sarawakian food which doesn’t taste as good when found in KL. I’m sure many Sarawakians will agree with me on this point. =P

In 2005, I was exposed to pre-sales tasks which involved preparation of project tender documents as well as conducting marketing presentations for prospective clients. I remember being very proud to be selected for this task as these tasks were normally undertaken by the managers in my company.

Today, after numerous project implementations which seem to be getting more and more repetitive, I find myself totally demoralized to go to work each day. That was one of the reasons I decided to further my education in the form of a MBA degree. Perhaps after I have completed it, I will be free to move on to a new job that could provide me with a new environment, newer challenges and hopefully a better salary :)


My Office Lobby In Cyberjaya

 

Random Filler Post

In the mean time until I get into a mood to resume my blog, here's some pics of the sunset that I took along the LDP. Enjoy!





 

Two Shows In Two Days

I had an extremely busy week trying to squeeze in work, preparing for my next MBA module, doing my taxes and catching two great shows all in the span of 5 measly days. *Phew* No wonder, I'm exhausted. Doesn't help that I'll have classes tonight as well as throughout the weekend thus depriving me of my much needed rest. :(

On Tuesday, I managed to catch "Disney On Ice" showing at Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil. Watching the performance brought back so many memories as the last time I caught "Disney On Ice" was as a little boy about a decade and a half ago. Hmm...I must be getting old..*sigh* This time, "Disney On Ice" had brought in many characters from their newer animated features as well as some of golden classics such as 'Finding Nemo', 'The Incredibles', 'Mulan', 'Toy Story', 'Lion King' and 'Beauty And The Beast'

The entire performance features short snippets of each Disney story with some fancy skating by some of the characters in full costume even! That must be some extraordinary feat! The Disney costumes were very elaborate and colourful. I was amazed at the detail that went into making each costume to the extent of the some of the main Disney characters even having multiple wardrobe changes :)

Overall, I enjoyed the show very much, well worth the time spent but I guess it was more interesting to see the newer characters being portrayed in "Disney On Ice" and I'm not sure whether the next time will feature a great many additions to the characters so I might end up waiting another 5 years before catching it again.


Disney characters dressed in various costumes!


Spot any of your favourite Disney characters? :P

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend the opening night performance of "Rojak" at KLPac which is a play by the The Oral Stage Group. Basically, the play consists of many short stories and monologues each telling a unique story. I have to wonder who or what insipired each story and whether there are any hidden meanings behind each scene or perhaps is more than meets the eye.

Some of the scenes left me dumbfounded trying to figure out what the cast were trying to portray. But then again, half of the fun of theatre trying to interpret an ambigous storyline. I especially enjoyed the last story featuring 7 cast members each doing a monologue. I remember this format was also present in Life Sdn Bhd 3 and I loved it then was pleasantly suprised to see it again featuring the all so senstive topic of cigarette smoking in Malaysia.

On the overall, it was a most enjoyable performance and I definitely look forward to future productions by The Oral Stage Group. Incidentally, I spotted KY at the play as well. I chanced upon his blog some time ago so he looked very familiar when I saw him last night. You can read his review on Rojak here.

 

Freedom !!!

It felt so good to finally be able to relax after a week of intensive studying at the wee hours of the morning. I decided to celebrate by going out to my favourite Nasi Lemak stall which has to be the best nasi lemak in the whole world! (At least i think so =P)

I normally try to stay away from Nasi Lemak as its not exactly the healthiest breakfast, but such a wonderful occasion as escaping from the jaws of my exam deserves to be celebrated by a steaming packet of Nasi Lemak!

So there I was, queuing up at the stall at 8AM in the morning, and still I wasn't the first to be served. I wonder what time the stall starts selling, perhaps I should go earlier to avoid the long queue....I shall have to balance losing 30 minutes of my precious beauty sleep versus waiting 10 mins in a long queue...Anyone who knows me will immediately guess my choice :D


The aforementioned long queue


The yummy delicious Nasi Lemak!

 

A Day Of Firsts!

Last Sunday will go down in history as day of many firsts. First of all, I finally managed to try out the Italian place in Kepong that has been raved about by Wawa since forever. I liked the interior deco at Bel Pasto and it gave me a cozy feeling that made me feel right at home. The place was quite empty considering it was lunch hour on a Sunday afternoon.

I had the Spaghetti Vongole while Wawa had her favourite Fettucini Carbonara. Erm, how shall I put this? (And still give credit where its due =P) I found the sauce too bland for my liking and the spaghetti noodles a tad on the soft side. But the ambience and customer service was superb! =D


My Spaghetti Vongole (Quite A Large Portion)


Fettucini Carbonara (Someone was too impatient to dig in before I had a chance to take a photo)

Next, we found ourselves in Wong Kok Char Chan Teng in 1 Utama for yet another first for me. Embarassing though it may seem, I have never got around to trying the food at the Hong Kong styled eateries even though they have been around for a few years already.

The sad thing is I might have never made the trip if not for the shocked expression on Wawa's face when i told her that I had never ever eaten the so called "Cheese Baked Rice" dish. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of fusion food and cheese baked over steamed rice certainly fits the bill of fusion so I remained sceptical for sometime.

But after being exposed to many comments like "I can't believe you've never had Cheese Baked Rice!" or "What??? You've never been to Wong Kok before?" soon got to me and I found myself wondering what I've been missing all this while. So another first for me to finally step into the Wong Kok Char Chan Teng branch at 1 Utama. =P

However, after the heavy lunch at Bel Pasto, all that we could fit in was some very delicous Ice Cream Peanut Butter Thick Toast which I absolutely loved! What have I been missing out on here?? How come no one dragged me here before to sample this delicious foods? Why?

Anyway, after sufficient time had passed for our stomachs to digest the lunch and tea, I at last had a chance to try out the famous "Cheese Baked Rice" dish. When it finally arrived, it looked fabulous! I could feel my mouth salivating looking at the amount of cheese in the dish which I felt was calling out to me. How can anyone resist cheese?


The Absolutely Yummylicious Cheese Baked Rice


The Cheese Baked Rice again with the Sherlock Holmes Milk Tea that I was deprived off *cries*

Long story short, I'm officially a converted Cheese Baked Rice addict! Plan to make many more trips here in the future =D

PS: Since when did my blog become a food blog?

My Delicious Dinner..

After skipping lunch today, I decided to treat myself to my favourite Chicken Chop located at the Damansara Uptown Food Court. (So much for my intended healthy salad dinner!) Since being introduced to this place a few years back, I find myself returning for the wonderful juicy tender Chicken Chop served with generous helpings of black pepper sauce.

Served with eggs sunny-side up on bread together with a large serving of fries, this is indeed a very filling and satisfying dinner! All for only RM7! What a bargain!


A photo to show you what the fuss is all about. Two bowls of yummy black pepper sauce :)

 

My New Toy!

I have been wanting to get a ultra compact camera for some time now but as I still have a working albeit huge clunky one, the need was not great. However, I found myself in a camera shop last weekend and they were having a sale (last day supposedly :P) and to think it wasn't even my direct intention to check out the camera shop in the first place :)

So there I was in the camera shop finally getting my grubby hands on the newest range of ultra compact cameras that I had been researching for the past few weeks. After testing out the various models, I was drawn towards the Casio EXILIM range mainly because of its impressive battery capacity as well as its huge ass LCD screen (I like!) :D

After a long sales pitch by the salesperson, I decided on the Casio EXILIM Z600. This particular camera is the most battery efficient camera in the market today (according to the salesperson that is ;P) and has a huge ass 2.7" LCD screen which I had to constantly wipe due to the amount of drool coming out of my mouth =P

The price was also very competitive being slightly under the market price and after the salesperson decided to reduce the price further, I was pretty much sold! I headed over to the ATM to withdraw my hard earned money and forked it over to the salesperson. Was it just me or did he have an evil glint in his eye as he pocketed my cold hard cash? Hmmm....


My New Sleek and Shiny Camera


The Huge Ass LCD Screen! *drools*


Comparison between my new ultra compact and my old huge clunky :)

In hindsight, I guess it was an impulse buy after all but considering my camera is now small enough to fit into my pocket enabling me to carry it around and take wonderful pictures at every opportunity, I dont regret it at all. Thanks to Wawa for making sure I didn't succumb to impulse buying but in the end, I'm glad i did. I still appreciate your concern though. Thanks a bunch! =D

 

My Day Trip To Cat City

Last Friday, my boss drops a bomb on me saying that he wants me to conduct a presentation in Kuching on Monday, which is only 2 days away! I was on the phone the whole afternoon trying to sort out the logistics nightmare involving obtaining flight tickets, arranging for transport to the airport, etc but thank goodness I managed to get everything done in the nick of time =P

Due to the fact that the meeting location was some distance away from the Kuching airport, I was forced to take the 5.40AM flight from KL to Kuching. I really dislike waking up at 3.30AM in the morning! Luckily, it was a day trip so I need not trouble myself with packing an overnight bag. At least I can be thankful for that :)


A deserted KLIA at 5.30am


MAS Twin Otter at Kuching International Airport (KIA),
you can only see these in East Malaysia


A more bustling KIA airport at 5.30pm


Air Asia encourages exercise :)