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Thursday, November 30, 2006

Honeymoon

We're going off for a short honeymoon. A really short one.

We'll be back tomorrow night. Till then...

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Sunday, November 26, 2006

We're finally married

And we're exhausted from all the running around. Make up for her, dinner arrangements, tea ceremony, etc...

Updates and photos will come in a day or two... IWe need our precious sleep.

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Saturday, November 25, 2006

Less than 24 hours to go...

In less than 24 hours, I will be married.

It is now 0230hrs and I'm still up. Nope, it is not because I am overly excited or what. I think it has more to do with the tea I took about 1 hour ago with the 25kid. He had just arrived from Singapore.

There are still so many things to do. Sitting arrangements have not been finalised yet. I still have a lttle bit of tidying up to do for my room. What else...?

I am really glad that I have many relatives and friends who are helping with the wedding preparations. Especially Shin Yee (aka PsychoGirl). I really, really dunno how else to thank you and your hubby for helping me out again for the dinner. And there are of course many others like 25kid, Dean, Derrell, Jude, Wei Loong, Mun San... The list just goes on and on...

Anyway, the question that's bugging my mind is... Do I celebrate my anniversary 3 times a year? This is because we got legally married a few months ago. The dinner will be on the 25th and most of my friends and relatives will probably remember this date. But the traditional ceremony is on the 26th... Hmmmm...? How leh?

I better try and get some rest now. I really need it. I'm turning into a zombie... But before I forget, my apologies to a dear friend and her husband - Anushka and Milinda. So sorry that I'm not able to be a good host this time around. Hope you are having a good time discovering Malaysia. Time just flies by and I realised I only had one post on Visit Malaysia prepared for you guys. My sincerest apologies...

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Monday, November 20, 2006

Last bachelor weekend outing

I am not kidding when I say that my last weekend as a bachelor was spent with a few friends drinking juice...

Guess which one is mine...? 17, my favourite number!
What?!? Hmmm... No strip-o-gram (oh wait... this thing dun exist in Malaysia)? No wild parties? Zilch!

Anyway, the first place (yes, we went somewhere else after that) we went to was not really that fun. You can tell when they actually have a menu like this.

Ok, ok... They do have alcohol but it's nothing fancy except for the price
Wah, they limit the number of skyjuice (read: plain water) you can order per person. rm2 per glass? RO water or even battery water (distilled water) is cheaper la... The government should start looking into this and maybe put water as controlled item as well. Luckily there’s a happy hour rate for skyjuice (read the last sentence with an acidic tone)! Can someone buy me a ticket to Kuching so I can attend KennySia’s birthday bash instead? Heard they have freeflow of FREE drinks there...

But seriously, it is not the drinks that matters. It’s the people you hang out with. I had a good time with my friends, of course. Actually, nobody actually celebrates ‘last bachelor weekend’. It’s just an excuse to meet up with friends and have a good time, which we did. Thanks guys... You know who you are. :)

Anyway, I have a new ‘family member’. A colleague decided she’s had enough of her hamster and decided to give it away. She had bought three Winters for her kids but no one was really able to take care of them. Two of them died sometime ago. But I’m more than happy to have another mouth to feed.

Meet... Errr... I still have not given a name yet to the fella. Have forgotten to check if its a he or a she...

Eh, I’m camera shy la...! Dun take my photo la...


I’m so cute with my big, black eyes...


p/s: i had the Tequila Sunrise... or was it Sunset?!? (the one that is NOT served in the jam jar).

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Saturday, November 18, 2006

This blog in Bahasa Melayu

I like to explore new places on the internet. The internet is such a big and dynamic place that you just simply claim to have seen it all. Even if you have seen it all, there will always be new contents and ideas coming up.

And I really enjoy clicking on the links people put on up their site. There is always something new and interesting to see when you click on the links. Sometimes I can go on for hours, clicking on the links till they reach a dead-end (when some blogger does not actually have any links on his or her page -- that is so sad).

Recently, my 'exploration' led me to a very useful and interesting site. It was to a website that could translate any English webpage to Bahasa Melayu (Malaysia's national language). I thought it would be fun to try it out on my blog...

My blog sounds weird in Bahase Melayu and how come 'everytime' is not translated
Since I had just recently posted some poems I wrote long, long time ago, it would be nice to see how they turned out in Bahasa Melayu (BM). Who knows? Maybe I end up being the next modern sasterawan and get my work printed in the school text books...

What?! 'Adakah anda mahu setiap hari'? Sounds like porn to me la...
Adakah anda mahu setiap hari translated back to English means "Do you want everyday". But when you read it, it just sounds so... sexual. There goes my chances of getting into school textbooks.

But seriously, I think Linguamatix is doing a great job! We can't really accurately translate contents from one language to another since you have things like grammer, slang, etc that just can't be translated properly. Heck, my wife have problems understanding me even when we speak the same language. Example:
Me: Have you taken your bath yet? (being concerned since its getting late)
Wife: Basket, so you implying that I'm smelly?!
(just kidding la... the above does not happen)

To translate any page to BM, just head over to www.linguamatix.com/linguaweb/ and click on Laman Web. Then enter the URL and click Terjemah (note: instructions might not be accurate since Linguamatix can change their page design at anytime). Enjoy and happy learning!

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Thursday, November 16, 2006

Chinese herbal jelly (Guilingao)

Everytime I see a friend eating the chinese herbal jelly called Guilingao, I always tell them that it is actually made of tortoise shell (the authentic jelly anyway). And the debate never fails to start... They would claim it is not! And since most of the time these jelly sold in pasar malam did not come with any ingredient list, I was not able to convince them otherwise.

Then one day, I happened to chance upon one with the ingredient list.

Guiban. What is that? If you can read the chinese ingredient list, you would realise it literally means ‘tortoise board’. A search on the internet for this 'herb' called ‘guiban’ led me to these two sites: tcmtreatment.com & alternativehealing. Both sites says the guiban is actually the plastron.

And just to be sure what a plastron is, I looked it up in Wikipedia and got this:
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Quoted from Wikipedia on 16th Nov 2006:
The plastron is the nearly flat part of the shell structure of a tortoise, what one would call the belly, similar in composition to the carapace; with an external layer of horny material divided into plates called scutes and an underlying layer of interlocking bones.

In certain families there is a hinge between the pectoral and abdominal scutes allowing the turtle to almost completely enclose itself. In certain species the sex of a testudine can be told by whether the plastron is concave, male or convex, female. This is because of the mating position.

Turtle plastrons were used by the ancient Chinese in a type of divination called plastromancy. See also oracle bones.
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Yes, the authentic Guilingao uses parts from the tortoise. I don’t think anyone would wait for a tortoise to die of old age before using its platron to make this jelly. I believe tortoise can live for a very, very long time. Does this means they do to tortoise what fishermen do to sharks for shark’s fin?

A better question would be... Do we really need to eat this jelly?

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Wedding update 3

Husband and wife jokes: For him.
A husband visited a marriage counselor and said, "When we were first married, I would come home from the office and my wife would bring my slippers. Our cute little dog would run around barking. Now after ten years it's all different. I come home, the dog brings the slippers and my wife runs around barking."
"Why are you complaining?" said the counselor. "You're still getting the same service!"

Husband and wife jokes: For her.
One woman told another, "My neighbor is always speaking ill of her husband but look at me. My husband is foolish, lazy and a coward; but have I ever said anything bad about him!"


So far, everything seems to be falling into place. New bed is now in my room taking up space and I can't sleep on it yet! Dowry (and XiaoFen's family requests) have been met and delivered last week. As for the invitation cards, I still have quite a lot yet to be delivered. *sigh* And I hope I've not missed out anyone from my list!

Last night, we went to the restaurant to confirm the menu and the arrangements for the wedding day. We also picked the song for our entrance (I think it is a Scottish song - yes, last night was the first time we heard it but it sounds very nice). There will be NO alchohol (beer, wine, etc) served during the dinner but the plan would be to proceed back to my house after dinner for my Bachelor's Party!!! :)

The restaurant, Sky Garden, is a place I discovered about 3 years ago. I had just started being a vegatarian not too long before that. Two of my colleagues brought another colleague and yours truly to the outlet in Cheras (till today, I still do not know how to get to the one in cheras). I was quite impressed by the decor and the food there. When I saw their had an outlet in Petaling Jaya (there are now two outlets in PJ, the other one in ss2), I decided to check it out on my own.
The PJ outlet near Old Klang Road is just as impressive. I knew immediately back then that if I would get married and have a wedding dinner, it would be in Sky Garden. Yes, the place is that impressive. Till today (and last night), the place is still just as impressive. I managed to get a few shots. These shots don't really do justice to Sky Garden since they did not open that section and decorate it - they only do it when there is a big function.

Taken shortly after our very late dinner last night


Can you just feeeeeel the atmosphere and place...? Don't feel like a vegetarian restaurant, huh?
Anyway, with just slightly more than one week to go... I wonder if I missed out anything else. Everyone seems to tell me that weddings are always a headache. So far, all seems fine on my side, except for the invitation cards of course.

Oh ya... Many friends and visitors have commented that I'm being too vain and only posting photos of myself. Hey, it's MY blog la... But anyway, I told Xiao Fen about the comments and she said I could put this picture of her...

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Sunday, November 12, 2006

The Okami vision

I recently dropped by my future home, Setia Alam, just to see how the place is progressing. Setia Alam is a new housing project by the award winning SP Setia.

During the visit, I managed to take a few photos to share with friends and family. Also, I think it would be nice to look back 20 years later and tell others how Setia Alam looked like when it first started out.

My wife was going through the photos when she saw this one:

This is one of the lakes in Setia Alam... I think it is called the Western Lake.
She asked me to draw a circle around the tree.

At first I was puzzled... Huh? Circle around the tree? What for?

Then I realised... She has been watching me play the Playstation 2 (PS2) game called Okami. In this game, you can manipulate the environment by drawing certain shapes. And when you draw a circle around a dead tree, the tree gets 'rejuvenated' and comes back to life!

Screen shots from the PS2 game Okami, showing how to rejuvenate a dead tree...
And I thought she could not be bothered about what I play on the PS2... Okami is a very beautiful and colourful game. There are some (Chinese and Japanese) myths incorporated into the game as well. And so far, in the 5+ hours I have played the game, there are still no stage in the game in which I cannot overcome (meaning the game is still quite easy to play).

Anyway, I think it's a good idea to 'rejuvenate' the tree in Setia Alam. So, I present to you the tree-rejuvenation process...

First, find a tree. Next, draw a circle around the tree... And finally, enjoy nature's beauty!
OK, I know... The rejuvenated tree looks a bit 'cacat-ed'.

Incidentally, if you are interested to know more about Setia Alam, do drop my an email or just leave your questions in the comments section. I'm more than happy to share with you my thoughts about my new home. The residents here have even got a website already!

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Thursday, November 09, 2006

Visiting Malaysia

I have two special guests coming to my wedding. I met her back in Birmingham during my Uni days. She and her husband will be attending my wedding. However, being from Sri Lanka (and recently based in Singapore), I doubt if they know much about Malaysia. I am not sure about her husband, but I believe she's only been to Malaysia once before, and it was like 4-5 years ago.
Anyway, this post is dedicated to them and hopefully it will prove useful for them.

Depending on how many days you will be in Malaysia, there are quite a number of destinations you should not miss out. But in summary:

If you are on a 1-2 days visit:
Explore Kuala Lumpur (KL).

If you are on a 3-4 days visit:
Explore Kuala Lumpur and take a short trip out of KL... Like overnight in Genting (Nushkie... You've been to this place during your last trip).

If you are on a 5+ days visit:
Spend 2 days in KL and a few other days in places like Genting, Penang, Cherating or even Sabah.

For this post, I will focus on 1-2 days visit and what you can do in KL.

Where to stay? If budget is not an issue, I strongly recommend Hilton KL in KL Sentral (you can get your husband to check if his company has a corporate rate with Hilton - it might be even cheaper). KL Sentral is the transportation hub and from here, you can basically go to anywhere. Plus, if you are flying in, the KLIA Express takes you directly from the airport to KL Sentral.

I've been told each room comes with a 42" plasma TV. There's also a smaller LCD TV on the bathroom mirror.

What you see when you look out from Hilton KL
Otherwise, there are many other hotels around such as PJ Hilton, Eastin, Crystal Crown, etc... Which have rates of less than rm250 per night -- USD1 is approx RM3.6.

Food. There is so much of it ranging from the spicy to the sweet and sour. Being multi-cultural, you can find almost any kind of food in Malaysia. No kidding! Do not miss out on trying the Nasi Lemak, Hokkien Fried Noodles, Hainanese Chicken Rise, Roti Canai and their variations (Roti Bom, Roti Tissue, etc), Banana Leave Rice, Hokkien Prawn Noodle, etc...

Some might ask why a vegetarian is suggesting non-vegetarian food -- Well, #1 - I don't impose my views on others. #2 - These are the dishes that we're famous for... Plus she'll already get to try out vegetarian food during my wedding dinner. toniXe has got a blogsite with some yummy photos you can check out.

Places. To be honest, there are not really that many scenic places to visit in KL. But we do have some nice shopping places such as the KLCC, Sunway Pyramid, 1Utama and ChinaTown.

Petronas Twin Towers
For KLCC, you can actually end up spending one full day there since within the KLCC, you can find Aquaria and Petrosains (science centre). There is also a cinema in KLCC. Outside, you can find the KLCC park. You can reach KLCC by taking the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and get off at... KLCC station! :)

For Sunway Pyramid, there is also a hotel there (Sunway Hotel) together with a water theme park - Sunway Lagoon. Within Sunway Pyramid, you have a cinema, bowling alley and an ice-skating rink. However what is unique about this place is the Egyptian theme used for the place. Yes, we can proudly say we have a pyramid (and a sphinx) here in Malaysia. There are buses to Sunway Pyramid and you can take some of these from the Kelana Jaya LRT station.

Transportation. This is one major problem in Malaysia. Buses are hot, poorly maintained and never arrive on time. Although there was a major revamp of the bus system just about 2-4 months ago, I've not heard anything that great. Many use the LRT to travel around these days. But don't expect to find day passes or visitor passes. There are none yet (I know countries like Hong Kong, etc have this in place already). As for the taxis, I can recommend you a nice guy if you need to travel around. Otherwise, you may end up having to bargain with the driver. Although they are supposed to use the taxi meter, many don't. Yes, they do this to even the locals. You can try to complain, but it won't really help much. Still, unless you're taking the taxi from airport to KL, otherwise you should not pay more than rm50 for any trip!

That's all for now... If anyone wishes to add, please feel free to leave your comments and suggestions in the comments section.

I'll write more stuffs and post more photos over the next few days... But in the meantime, you can also check out http://www.cuti.com.my/. Cuti means 'holiday' in Bahasa Malaysia.


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Monday, November 06, 2006

Detour into Memory Alley

Unlike Memory Avenue and Memory Highway, the Memory Alley is a dark and scary place. I found some really scary stuff which I wrote many, many years ago. I have to say that I remember writing stuffs that are really better than these, but somehow, I only found these over the weekend when I continued with my room clean-up.

Oh yeah, the new bed and cupboard is here. I am so happy. Extra place to store my junks.

*sigh*

But I can't sleep on the bed yet. Must wait for the proper time to 'fix' the bed first... What?!? Click here and also here to find out about this tradition. I wonder who started this tradition anyway?!? :P

Well, here are some of the stuffs I found over the weekend...

Masterpiece #1
Do you wish...
Do you wish upon a star,
Do you wish that we won't have to be so far,
Do you wish every night,
Do you wish that someday, we will reunite,
Wishes are not only for the fools,
But also for the hopeful,
For life is dull without wishes,
Like an ocean without fishes.
(NOTE: This one still sounds quite decent)



Masterpiece #2
Weep does my eyes,
As love slowly dies
Shatter does my heart,
As we drift apart.

Happy were we at first.
Till the bubble began to burst,
Now all I can is only ask why,
And perhaps maybe even cry.

For no signs were shown,
When we were alone,
Then all of a sudden,
I was disheartened.

Strike while the iron's hot,
Is something I did not,
Now all I have is misery,
When I could have been extremely happy.

A chance I ask,
To accomplish an impossible task,
But try I must,
To make this love last.

Leave me not, is all I wish,
Listen I want, to the lovely 'Sheesh'
From you to me, a little dote,
And end this poem will, on a happy note.
NOTE: I believe this one was written to try and win back a girl after I said the wrong thing... She likes to use the word 'Sheesh'. Sounds like Yoda (click here and here if you just came back from a holiday cruise to Mars and want to know who's Yoda) doing poetry, eh?



Masterpiece #3
A ship, a kingdom, I have captured,
Towns and castles, I have invaded,
Kings and queents, I have met,
Little joy, little wonder, I had fret.

Lions and dragons, I fear not,
Orcs and ghouls, I have fought,
Vicious and cruel, I have been,
Elegant and gentle me? No one has seen,
Scary and dirty, I am mean.

Cast a spell, you seem to me,
On my hands and knees, trembling is what I next see,
Fill my heart and soul, you did,
Your love, your words is all I now heed.

Victim of your love, I am now,
Everything you ask, you command, I bow,
Run for shelter now, when I hear a thunder,
Yet, once I was a fearless plunderer.

Many now laugh and spit on me,
Utter I not; All for you, you see,
Coward! I am called by a few,
Humiliated, I care not; I just want you.

A companion, a love, I found in you,
Lose it is something I won't do,
Over my life, before I surrender,
This eternal love, I cherish and treasure forever.
Note: Imagine living in the world of Dungeons and Dragons. This is probably written by a barbarian turned bard. Hah!

Dean, now you believe me when I say I'm into poetry and can also do poetry? OK... OK... I'll stop doing poetry.

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Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Wedding update 2

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I wonder...

Touch 'N Go claims to have 3 million cardholders and 500 000 SmartTAGs. If 5% of the cardholders are also Zing users (150 000 Zing users), Rangkaian Segar (Touch 'N Go operator) stands to earn rm300k yearly in interest from the rm50 deposit (assuming interest at 4% pa). When you terminate or surrender the card, there is also a rm5 processing fee. This means the operator can 'safely' put this amount in a fixed deposit account. With 3 million users, that's rm600k pa at 4% in interest earned. Easily a million ringgit business a year for just having users.

Wah, how can I get into this business as well?

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Headache!

Traffic jam is back. It took me more than 30 minutes to get to my office today when it took me just 15 minutes last week. *sigh*

The wedding guest list is also another problem. I have to really emphasize that it can be a MAJOR problem. If any couples plan to get married and ask me for advice, I would tell them to first start with the list. Why?
1. To book the venue, you first need to know how many people are coming or at least you plan to have. After all, the venue have got a seating capacity and may not be able to meet your requirements.
2. Once you have a list, you then know how many cards to print.
3. From the list, you can then calculate how much money you will need to spend. Yes, there is a cost to each guest from invitation card (printing & stamp cost) to wedding favours (yes, I have something planned out for my guests). Then there's the obvious dinner costing.

I will share more on how my nightmare started another day.

But I have to say that I'm really lucky to have:
1. a very understanding wife. She is suffering a lot from this guest list problem. She practically could not invite any of her friends.
2. very good friends who continuously remind me and keep me on track when it comes to the wedding plans. Every now and then, they would even offer to help out with whatever arrangements. To them, I really have to thank you very, very much! I'm so very touched! I will let you know if I need additional help. At the moment, we're still OK.

Some have asked how come there are no photos of Xiao Fen, my wife. Well, I am saving the best for last. Yes, I will not be posting a photo of her here... Yet.

Like happy4ever said, I'm going to camwh0re and post another photo of myself. My wife's favourite. She saw the photo I posted yesterday and said this one looks better:

My wife likes this photo
Me? I like ALL my photos... Hahahaha...

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