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I was in Langkawi over the weekend for a dose of sun, sea and surf (not forgetting the other s - spirits ;)). It's about a 1 hour flight from KL and as soon as I exited the airport, there was a sign with "Poh Huai Bin" waiting for me.

It was the concierge from Tanjung Rhu Resort and I was pleased with the luxurious van that provided airport transfer to the resort (complete with the driver offering you a wet towel as soon as you make yourself comfortable).

Tanjung Rhu resort is one of the best resorts in Langkawi, or so I hear. I was there to check it out for myself. The lobby is built according to an open concept with various water features (of the natural kind), a nice cool sea breeze and birds chirping.

There's even a real, live hornbill (and a six foot monitor lizard they call Jack). The check-in is very hassle free - it's done in your room! This brings personalized check in to a whole new level. Heh!

Your luggage is dropped in the lobby to be ferried to your room later while a nice lady shows you your room, offers you a wet towel (everyone needs a towel), takes out some ice cubes and pours a drink for you.

She fills in all your details too! I think every hotel should offer this service. In-room check-in FTW!

The room is large and spacious - it has a huge tub and a gigantic bed which was rather wasted on one person. :)

It's the small touches that makes Tanjung Rhu such a luxurious place - Time magazine on a practical shelf beside the bed, a balcony overlooking one of the pools, and chocolates at night in a proper wooden box instead of paper.

There is a reason Tanjung Rhu is the hotel/resort with the 3rd highest spend in Malaysia - they treat their guests really well, with an amazing memory prowess which enables them to remember your name and greet you when you walk past them! MENSA grade, seriously.

Oh, and another reason could be the RM 155 champagne cocktail flutes, of which I had a few. ;)

There's no lack of activities to do in Tanjung Rhu - we went for a Mangrove Tour (RM 220) which brings you to:

Monkeys - Langkawi is INFESTED with primates, we even saw a family on the way to the airport

The mangrove swamp

This reminds me of a certain scene in Apocalypse Now

This one brings back memories of The Two Towers

Bat caves

Cute!

Eagles and kites

A fishing village...featuring the amazing spitting fish!

We took turns to operate the boat too - I think I freaked out the tour guide when I put it on full throttle. ;)

I have to reiterate that it is of utmost importance to wear flip flops on this tour since you're on a boat.

Leave your mosquito repellent at home since the bats here eats all of them so there's none! :)

I also went for a swim in one of their pools - they have several, with one reserved for adults only. One interesting thing about Tanjung Rhu is that they limit the amount of children in the resort to about 5 and of the restaurants - The Rhu - does not allow kids inside.

However, one of the best features in Tanjung Rhu is the remarkable sandbar which makes it possible for you to actually WALK to the Turtle Islands over yonder. They have an awesome spa and massage too!

Tanjung Rhu Resort room rates ranges from RM 1,850 to RM 3,250 per night. I recommend going for the all inclusive package where all food and drinks are free, no matter how much you eat. It also includes room service, but unfortunately not alcohol.

Sunbathing naked is officially prohibited by the resort though.

It's still a very chill and relaxing resort if for a nice beach holiday.

Heck, with room rates starting from RM 1,850 per night, it better be good! ;)

Becky told us about this cognac infused lor mee at Ayer Panas Hawker Center in Setapak and being a huge fan of Hennessy VSOP it was decided that we'll pay this stall a visit after the Zorbing session.

The premises of the acclaimed Hennessy lor mee is very unassuming. Their kitchen is quite basic, with their claim to fame sealed by the various empty boxes of Hennessy Very Special Old Pale hanging around the place. You can't miss it.

I would be hard pressed to find this place if not for the GPS (remember to type Ayer Panas instead of Air Panas) but the trip was well worth it. We were famished and ordered their flagship dish but before that let me introduce you to the other dishes we had:

Hokkien Mee. It was good, not very oily, but lacks the deep fried lard that makes or breaks the dish.

I liked the kung pow pork too.

We also ordered the rice vermicelli in wine soup with lala (RM 11). It's another one of the famous dishes here, with slices of fresh fish providing an aquatic twist to this already twisted alcohol spiked noodles.

Back to the Hennessy lor mee (which I remind you is their signature dish, bar none) - it was every bit as tasty as I imagined and more. The cook put a rather generous amount of Hennessy VSOP shots into the dish and the almost philanthropic portions of prawns and pork provides the protein to counter the carbohydrates.

The Hennessy really added a lot to the taste of the lor mee - mixed into the dish, it became more than the sum of its parts - hearty, rich and sweet. It's well worth the drive down and at RM 11, it's practically a steal!

Thanks for lunch Becky! She knows the proprietor so we got cutting queue privileges. ;)

Zorbing is best described as two people rolling around in an inflated spherical shaped cocoon at a relatively high velocity. It comes in dry and wet variants and I headed down to check it out with Jerine and Becky yesterday morning.

Jerine booked our session at the decidedly Satanic time of 10 am on a Sunday so we all arrived there when most people are still in bed. You're not supposed to take anything into the orb ball but I took my waterproof compact inside to film the entire jumbled up sequence.

I was first up with Jerine for the dry run (pun not intended). You suit up and head into a globe which is rolled downhill. It is a bit more interesting that it sounds, for the sensation of getting your bearings completely fucked up is something which is usually only achievable by massive doses of ketamine. ;)

Setting up...

Erm...Becky?

Damn action pose

Lock and load!

We're on a mission!

There were a lot of jokes about getting wet, playing with balls, fisting et al contributed by all three of us. Heh! I can't remember it all but it was funny.

It is fucking hot inside the Zorb ball and the staff had to constantly blow air into the ball as we were strapping up, which provided a welcome relief from the heat.

Damn act cute not cute one. >.<

I was surprised at the disorientation produced by rolling down the hill.

I was unprepared and my index finger accidentally pressed the Start/Stop button on my digicam several times, thus the disjointed video.

The staff there pushed the Zorb downhill so it goes rather fast - good old kinetic power combined with potential energy.

Becky only went for the wet orbing session and there was supposed to be four of us but her partner FFK her so I went twice on the wet orb - once with her and once with Jerine. Unfortunately, I wasn't ready when the good people there pushed the ball down so I don't have video footage of that session.

Splish splash I was taking a bath!

However, it's a good thing I had another session with my partner Jerine. This time I made sure I turned on video mode early and didn't touch anything. You can see the water sloshing everywhere in this video:

This is a must view to see what Zorbing looks like from the inside - don't bother with the other two videos, just watch this one if you can only watch one.

Going into the orb is like going back to where you're born - you stick your hands in and slide inside the ball.

Exiting the wet orb is very much like being reborn again - coming out from the womb, with slick placenta fluid, I mean, water, assisting your entrance into this fucked up world.

Less than graceful exit. ;)

Rebecca, I believe this is your hairband.

Wet wet wet!

It costs RM 15 for the dry Zorbing session and RM 20 for the wet Zorbing session, which is pretty reasonable considering my head still hurts from bumping into God knows what and my shoulders have bruises from the straps.

I recommend the wet Zorbing session for maximum pleasure - they splash water inside the ball before you go in and it's a jumble of feet, hands and various other appendages as you roll downhill, with water going into every single orifice on your body.

...and guess what? The water is brownish and dirty from all the mud and getting it into your mouth tastes something awful.

Hell, we had to change at my car in full view of everyone in Taman Tasik Titiwangsa. I do have more interesting photos of the two girls changing but I fear I will be castrated if I post them up. Haha! It was a fun session though - I'm glad I woke up early to do this.

Becky told us to suck our stomachs in.

P/S - You'll get drenched inside the wet Zorbing session so don't wear white unless you want your G-string to be visible to all and sunder. ;)

One last photo to end the post - the obligatory big pimpin' pose. Heh!

RM 6,300 in chips

Always remember. It could have gone either way. You could be getting all the 3 and 8's while the dealer gets all the Queens. I won on my first and second round with bets of RM 500 each before doubling up to RM 1,000. I have won RM 1,500 before I foolishly decided to go for one last bet of RM 1,500 spread across two lines - the table maximum is RM 1,000 so I put RM 1,000 on one and RM 500 on the other.

I was dealt with a 4 and a 6 while the dealer got a 10.

Fuck! I lost everything I have won thus far.

I decided to go in with RM 1,000 bets and won the first with a 9. The dealer also got a 9 of clubs - mine was a heart, which usually wins but in Casino War it requires you to put your initial bet again to win your original bet. This means you put 2k on the table and the dealer puts 1k and starts dealing a new set of cards.

I won by a comfortable Queen while the dealer got a 6.

I put one last 1k bet and won, also by a Queen vs the dealer's 9.

I decided I have been lucky enough and proceeded to leave, thinking I have won a clean 2k from my buy in of RM 4,400 - an arbitrary figure produced by the ATM's RM 1,500 max per transaction done three times, RM 50 spent on food and another RM 50 spent on pints of beer.

I was puzzled when I cashed out and got only RM 6,300 - a win of RM 1,900. I have been betting in multiples of RM 500 so this is impossible.

I suspect I donated a RM 100 chip to the Genting toilet while taking photos. Oh well.

I also paid RM 150 for the taxi ride back for 2 stops. It was a most exciting cab ride home with the illegal taxi taking dangerous turns downhill with real pedal to the metal action and fast and furious driving which nearly resulted in 2 collisions and us getting sandwiched between a BMW Z3 and a van in front, eliciting a ni ah ma chow hai from our friendly tout driver.

This is my Lady Luck fast asleep on the trip home - I've never lost when I go up to Genting with her.

It could have gone either way, but it turned out good for me this time. I actually misplaced another RM 100 somewhere so I estimate I have a RM 1,300 nett win after all expenses deducted. My rent for the month is sorted!

I typed all this on my cell phone using T9 while on the thrilling ride home. It took 14 SMS drafts.

Footnote: In Casino War you play against the dealer - the highest card value wins. It's as simple as that. :)

Rhu is the flagship fine dining eating establishment in Tanjung Rhu resort. There's a dress code and I can't pronounce most of the items on the menu. It is one of three restaurants in the resort and offers a great view of the sunset in Langkawi.

The ambiance is unbeatable...imagine dining al fresco, sipping wine as the sea breeze whets your appetite while you listen to the haunting refrains of a great string quartet playing in the background.

I was amazed by their talent - they had me at cello. ;) I was walking around the first day when the wind carried the violinist's soulful rendition of Phantom of the Opera over. I could not help but be mesmerized.

Okay, back to the food at Rhu, they have a set gourmet menu priced at RM 195. I had the pleasure of dining with the manager of Tanjung Rhu - Melvin, and his daughter Isabell. I was there with Douglas and Alice (their daughter Louise was with the babysitter coz the Rhu does not allow children).

I opted for the a la carte menu instead of the gourmet meal. I wanted to eat seafood since that's what you do in Langkawi! Hell, I had seafood for every single meal while I was staying at Tanjung Rhu.

This is the Crab Kerabu Ketam. It's served on a bed of fresh mango and avocado salad with ketta caviar and sweet spicy dressing. This cold appetizer weighs in at RM 58 and it's well worth the price tag. The shredded crab meat goes very well with the mango, a contrast that dances across your taste buds.

I also had the chef's specialty - Fresh Canadian Lobster Cream Soup (RM 49). It's flavored with fennel and served with baked sesame seed puff pastry. I love the thick and creamy texture of the soup - it's heartwarming, a broth for the soul as well as the stomach.

For the mains, I went for the Grilled Lemongrass Lobster Tail (RM 147) which is served on a seafood dumpling and a side of sauteed kai lan and mild curry sauce. I like the cuisine fusion but found the curry sauce to be a bit overwhelming for the lobster tail. I prefer the natural taste of the grilled crustacean - slightly charred on the outside, but juicy when you bite into it.

The dessert rounded up the meal nicely - this is the Chocolate Mille-Feuille, a concoction served with mini apple, nougat ice cream and raspberry coulis (RM 39). I would highly recommend the banana flambe, which is prepared with gusto right beside your table. True to all gourmet restaurant, the portions are small at Rhu and you won't be hard pressed to find space for after dinner drinks.

It was a night of good food and great conversations, ranging from psychology to literature, a delicious end to the trip to Langkawi.

Big house, 5 cars, the rent charged? I think most guys wanted to be in a band when they were teenagers. I sure did. I grew up listening to Green Day, Rancid, Offspring, and the other OC punk scene bands. I'm a huge fan of Araya of Slayer too - he has mad bass skillz. I tried to pick up the guitar when I was 15. A friend of mine actually taught me how to play Smashing Pumpkin's Zero (can still memorize the chords) but that's the limit of my talent.

I thought that I'm just not musically inclined, but with hindsight I realized that I just didn't put in enough effort. We had a band going in Christchurch (did my high school that year in NZ) but I never got to play coz I'm not good enough. However, I do enjoy the jamming sessions and I've always wondered how things would turn out if I really gave it the good ol' college (or high school) try and kept practising.

This was me back when I was 15. Damn, I look the part right? Very rocking if I may say so myself.

I party like a rock star and I thrash hotel rooms (and my own place) like a rock star too so I think I can pass off as one so long as I'm not holding a guitar.

Yeah, I know a thing or two about thrashing rooms. Heh!

Imagine the groupies you'll have and the fans throwing their panties at you at your concerts! Think about the ridiculous stuff you can put on your contract rider - M&Ms with all the brown ones taken out, Alaskan King Crab air flown in, Fiji mineral water and all that ludricous crap. ;)

Right. Since I'm a little too old (going to be 29 soon) to be starting a band, I can always pretend - a "what if" scenario:

Band of Brudders allows you to indulge in your rock star fantasies by creating a band with your fans and customizing it. You start at your house and you can change your hair, body, clothes and even shoes (Jeff wears Birkenstocks).

This is not how I actually look like, I'm not that buff, it's called "artistic liberty". I also wanted this flaming skull tattoo but I don't have enough Street Creds so I need to earn more. I'm nearly au natural coz I'm scared and angry, so I went to take a shower (coz that's what people do when they're scared and angry). ;)

Okay, all kidding aside, I can be whoever I want to be so I'm donning a hairstyle that would probably get me a warning letter at work.

This is my virtual wardrobe! I can change everything and best of all, it never needs to be dry cleaned and it'll never crease. I'm sure you all know about my ongoing run-ins with my laundry service. >.<

There is no 'I' in band - even Slash can't form a band solo (although he tried, kinda, sorta, with his album Slash's Snakepit) so you'll need to invite two of your most rockin' friends to join you in your musical endeavor.

Anyway, after all that is done you need to play the guitar, keyboard and drums before you can proceed. Now, this I can do - it's like Dance Dance Revolution. Believe it or not, I used to play DDR at the arcades. Heh!

Stages are progressively unlocked as you explore the Band of Brudder site - there's a driving game where you have to pick up your friends (use your Street Creds instead - this is a tough one), mixing your own song (downloadable as an MP3!) and making your music video (downloadable as an AVI!) until you hit the big time.

We not only rock your socks off, we blow your clothes away!

Check out my underwater music video! It's easy to create an MV - much like Windows Movie Maker, just click and drag. We're not wearing any clothes since it's really hard to swim while jamming 30,000 fathoms beneath the ocean. The musical instruments still work though - like I said - artistic license! ;)

Your debut single from Tune Studio and your MTV from Spotlight Film Studio will be rated by all. Try and get to the Top 10!

I currently have 0 votes and 0 views. WTF? Our band very 1Malaysia okay! We have a lead singer who used to have a drug problem (hey, it's part and parcel of the rocker lifestyle!), one Kadazan female from Sarawak and a local girl! Support a bit, ya. Local artists are never going to make it big without grassroots backing. :)

Oh, and if you're wondering how to earn Street Creds, it's by clicking on the Brylcreem deodorants and facial wash!

Check out my Band of Brudders (okay the other two are female - fresh026 and KaYe - but hey, equal rights and all).

I got my first real six string, bought it at the five and a dime. Played it till my fingers bled, it was the summer of '69.

Happy Chap Goh Meh everyone! For those who understand, Chap Goh Meh in Hokkien literally means 15th night, the very fucking last day of Chinese New Year. I didn't plan anything for the night, since I just got back from Langkawi and was nursing the tsunami from the duty free liquor available there.

Anyway, I was on Twitter and Jerine tweeted that she wanted to drink some vodka. It's fine with me, we're both orphans in this big fucking cold city called KL. However, I didn't have any mixers (real men drink it neat from the bottle) so she brought a shitload of decidedly feminine mixers over.

She came over to my studio with mint leaves, Sprite and Yahweh knows what else.

It was good though. I was damn sleepy and nursing a fever but I haven't had dinner yet, so Jerine brought over some Nando's and I ordered Domino's to balance out the meal. Yeah, I know, it's not Chinese food by any stretch of the imagination, but hell, you make do right?

Stranger in a strange land and all that.

This is our yee sang courtesy of Eiling. She brought it over during the lobster cookout but we didn't manage to eat it so I figured this is the last chance for CNY 2010 to be doing some good ol' lou sang - see our wishes for the year. Jerine has a bit of an unorthodox wish, but hell, who am I to comment. Haha!

It was good, despite the Fast Food Inc spread that dominated our Chap Goh Meh dinner.

The best thing about Chap Goh Meh (which is supposed to be a reunion) is that you'll be spending it with people so three cheers for Jerine for taking the trouble of catching a cab over to my place, cleaning up after and eating crap with me during the last day of Chinese New Year! =D

Ye of little faith! Can one! I did the 1.6 km trek to Turtle Island, starting out from the beach and literally walking on water out into the sea. Now back in Jesus' time, his diciples were quite amazed by this apparent miracle. It's understandable...they didn't have Wikipedia back then and they couldn't very well Google "sandbar" or "shoal" while casting a dubious eye on the Son as he waltzed across the sea.

This is what Turtle Island looks like from Tanjung Rhu resort during high tide.

Compare the above to this photo - the very same spot during low tide. The sandbar or shoal is exposed and you can walk across the sea to the island yonder.

You know how Moses parted the Red Sea right? I'm sure there's a sandbar in there somewhere, the good man probably knew about high and low tides and timed it just right. You can't wonder 40 years in the wilderness without picking up a thing or two.

Behold my fellow pilgrims!

Hell, if Matthew saw me doing this, he'll probably follow me instead.

Or not, since there's quite a few of us and you can't very well have that many Gods.

I just had a very relaxing massage at JivaRhu spa in Tanjung Rhu Resort. Yes, I'm staying here for 3D/2N and I'm lovin' every single second of it!

JivaRhu spa is nested in a quiet corner of the resort and you can feel the breeze from the sea and various birds chirping (not muzak, these are real birds) while you're served with a cold towel.

There are various rejuvenating massages on the menu - everything from Swedish massage to Shiatsu and even exotic sounding ones like Shramonash massage. The 50 minute massage session costs RM 250. I opted for the Malay Traditional Massage (Urut) since I am in Langkawi.

This is my masseuse - her name is Irati and she's from Bali. The session started with a foot bath in warm water. The service here is excellent, you don't even have to do anything - the masseuse will soak your feet and gently wash and dry it for you.

The Urut massage was great. It started off with the masseuse applying pressure with her nimble fingers...working the knots in your muscles on your back. I asked for more pressure and despite her diminutive size, she managed to apply enough force to loosen all the tension on my shoulders. The session progressed to Irati using her forearm to gently rub along your oiled body down to the spine before moving to your legs and thighs.

Her fingers worked magic and I fell asleep at one point before she woke me up and asked me to turn over. The Urut massage is quite comprehensive, I liked the reflexology elements where the masseuse put your feet up on her shoulders and rubs the soles.

The warm oil and the soft caresses of the masseuse gliding over your skin of your body while the sounds of nature lulls you into a Zen-like state is pure heaven!

I was out planting trees yesterday when I spotted what appears to be a fast moving earthworm after shovelling earth into my bucket. I quickly scooped it up for further examination. It moved like a snake instead of an earthworm - it was really fast, slithering instead of contracting.

It has a cute little forked tongue!

I eventually let it go coz I have no idea what to feed a snake of this size. I wonder what it eats when it's this small.