April 2008 Archives

I was heading down on a site visit with a coworker this afternoon when we were cut off by a Honda City doing at least 90 km/h on a gravel road. I commented off-handedly that the driver is likely to have an accident judging by the way he/she was driving. Well, next thing we knew, we turned a corner and saw the Honda City lose control and crash head on into a utility pole. I am familiar with crashing into utility poles and judging by the speed the car was going, the driver was lucky the car didn't crash through and drop into the huge drain beside the road.

There were a couple of security guards from a nearby factory running down the road towards the crash to see if they could help out the driver. It turned out to be a middle aged lady fetching her two kids back from school (they were still in primary school uniform). I am not sure if anyone was hurt coz there was a cement truck bearing down on us and I just had time to get a couple of photos off before I had to get off the shoulder of the road.



Anyway, I was out tonight with Katherine and Evelyn. Evelyn (girl in pink) is back for the holidays and she used to be from my high school. Her parents are working in the same field as mine and her brother knows my sister but unfortunately, I can't seem to remember seeing her in school. My memory is notoriously dismal though, so there you go. She has a degree is psychology (OMG! I can't believe it! I haven't had a crush in years! *swoons*) from Otago University in Christchurch, NZ and she's doing mission work (as in church related) in Singapore.

I still can't stop kicking myself for not noticing her back in high school and er...perhaps making a move (or two). ;)

Anyway, I'm going jungle trekking with some people from work tomorrow morning. Early day tomorrow. Pictures and report will be up when I get home. Have an outstanding Labor's Day break and don't do anything I won't do.

The mysterious groper strikes again...

Ba Sen Baku Teh is an eating establishment specializing in Bak Kut Teh (Pork Rib Tea). It's located in Kampung Hilir and there is a huge bak kut teh ceramic pot hanging outside the large shop front.



I went there with Faye for lunch on Sunday. You really can't miss the distinguished signage. ;)



The interior is nicely decorated with large, ancient ceramic spice holders and see through blinds. It really goes quite well with the warm red tones that the place is painted with.



We ordered a pot of pork bak kut teh (RM 5). Bak kut teh is by default made with pork meat. There was a variant called chick kut teh (chicken bone tea) during the swine flu scare a couple of years back but that trend kinda petered out coz the tea just doesn't taste right without the robust taste of pork.



Ba Sen Baku Teh offers add-ons ranging from sea cucumber to pork intestines which is charged accordingly and put into your personal pot of baku teh soup before cooking. We went for pork kidney (RM 2.50), pork liver (RM 1), pig tail (RM 1) and sliced pork (RM 1).



It tasted quite good and Ba Sen Baku Teh also offers pork bak kut mee where they put noodles into the bak kut teh soup. The place also makes dried Klang style bak kut teh during Saturdays and Sundays.



Ba Sen Baku Teh only has bak kut teh on the menu so unless you're a fan of the stuff, there really isn't anything else on the menu to cater to your tastes. However, if you like bak kut teh, it comes highly recommended from me. :)

...and I know some of the guys out there have a habit of squinting at the interior photos for any inadvertent upskirt pics. Please don't squint.





You'll hurt your eyes. ;)

I bumped into Eddy and Jonalyn while having dinner with Faye last night and we decided to head over to Workshop for a couple of drinks and to shoot some pool. This is a departure from tradition as I usually don't go drinking with people from work (Eddy is a manager in the company that I work in). :)

I also remember singing a couple of off-key renditions of Hotel California and I Will Survive. Heh! Workshop seems to be a rather chill place to hang out on Saturday night. It doesn't have the massive turnout of 3 degrees Celsius and Q-bar and there's even room for elbow space.

Watch your step. Steep incline ahead. A new signboard maker takes the innovative steep, er...I mean step, of combining two "Caution" messages into one. It is widely misinterpreted as bad English.

Watch your steeps.

I went to KFC last night with Faye and the mysterious child of unknown origin (TM). This is the only 24 hour KFC in Sibu.



I had been given a RM 10 and RM 5 voucher courtesy of the social club of the company that I work in. It seems that KFC is giving out vouchers to company affiliated clubs to distribute out to their members - we get ours during birthdays.



I haven't had the chance to use it since I got it early this month so I decided to eat there last night.



We got an X-Meal (Zinger), 3 pieces of chicken, cheesy wedges and a couple of sodas. My notorious appetite seem to have left me coz it felt like it's a little too much for supper for 2 adults and a 10 year old. :)



I am still having the sniffles from plucking out my nasal hair a couple of days back...

I have briefly touched upon the subject of manly tears in the annals of sixthseal.com. I am personally not very prone to shedding tears myself, and could never understand the more sensitive individuals who're more in touch with their feminine side...

...until now.



The culprit.

I was driving home from work just now when a friend of mine noticed a particularly long nasal hair sticking out of my nostril. She proceeded to pluck out the offending follicle with no small measure of sadistic glee and left me shedding tears. Manly tears, of course. ;)

Halia Cafe is a newly opened eating establishment offering Muslim food. The place is owned and operated by a couple of friendly Malays and serves authentic halal fare. I have been told a lot of good (and not so good) things about the spiciness factor of the servings they dish out, and I was eager to check out the place since I'm a big fan of spicy food.



The interior of Halia Cafe is clean and the abundant ceiling fans operating at full speed does wonders to the ambiance, considering they don't have air conditioning. Halia Cafe takes over from Eden Cafe (a Vietnamese restaurant) and much of the interior fittings looks rather familiar.



I went there with Faye during lunchtime and was pleasantly surprised to find the place relatively empty. My lunch hour is rather short and I have been looking for a place with quick service and good food. I ordered the Jus Cinta (RM 2).



Jus Cinta is a local concoction of sour plums and calamansi lime. The plums here are larger than the usual ones from coffee shops.



The waitress recommended the Set Nasi Kukus Halia Cafe which is a set lunch of sorts and their signature dish. There are options for fish, chicken and squid. This is the Nasi Kukus + Sotong Goreng Sambal (RM 5). The dish also came a couple of fried prawns (shrimp) which was a nice touch.



The steamed rice is flavored with santan (coconut milk) and the squid was fried with sambal. This is pleasantly (for me) spicy and salty, and gets two thumbs up from me. Faye didn't quite like it though coz she's a bit of a wuss when it comes to spicy food. ;)



I ordered the Nasi Kukus + Ayam Kunyit (RM 5). The chicken was grilled in a banana leaf and topped with spicy sauce. There is also a serving of cold pickles on the side for those of the faint of heart.



I liked this dish as well, the chicken was grilled to perfection - sweet, tender and moist. It is rather spicy though so people with more conservative taste buds should take note.

Halia Cafe is a nice place with halal food offering authentic Malay cuisine. It comes highly recommended for those with a taste for adventure. People without desensitized taste buds need not apply. :)

I have been helping a friend out in tutoring and it is to my great consternation that the scholastic standards for school age kids nowadays seem to be increasing. I am not ashamed to report that I'm finding some of the subjects a little er...taxing, to say the least. ;)



Teacher say, "Do as I say, not as I do."

Cuppa Kopi Roti is another one of those Hainan toast and coffee establishments that is springing up like mushrooms these days. These establishments cater to nostalgic memories of old coffee shops in modern surroundings, often offering free WiFi and air conditioning.



Cuppa Kopi Roti is located in Pedada and I went to check out the place with Faye (plus kids, not mine) this morning. There isn't much of a Sunday morning crowd to speak of but the open kitchen is doing a brisk business in boiling eggs (for whom, I can't say).



Despite the modern surroundings, Cuppa Kopi Roti uses the old coffee shop style kettles and filters for boiling coffee. They also insert the traditional pat of butter into the coffee for a richer taste. However, the eggs are done using a machine.



The back of Cuppa Kopi Roti is air conditioned and comes with tasteful fittings. There are also games like Uno and Scrabble for customers to indulge in.



The place also has a space for live performances. I'm told that the proprietor plays music on weekend nights here.



I ordered Set A which is their flagship product at RM 4.50. It comes with 2 slices of traditional bread toast, 2 half boiled eggs and your choice of coffee or tea. The coffee comes in those small cups and saucers that you see in the traditional coffee shops that this place is emulating (albeit with more comfortable surroundings).



The half boiled eggs are HUGE and comes with pepper and soy sauce on the side. I've been told that this place serves huge eggs and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Another plus point is the chicken motif bowl that it came in, definitely authentic traditional Hainan. :)



The traditional bread toast was crispy and bigger than the usual bakery produced bread. It's sliced rather thin and that probably contributes to the crispness.



The butter is not slathered on but sliced and then inserted. I like this method, it makes everything creamier.



My favorite way of eating these things is to dip the bread into the heavily seasoned eggs before eating it. Kinda like toast soldiers. I don't know why nobody I know likes eating it this way.



The kids (not mine, as mentioned above) went for the square bread toast (RM 2.30). This uses the standard thicker bakery produced bread slices.



They also shared a chocolate milk bubble tea (RM 3.50). It was alright, but specialty bubble tea establishments do this better.



Faye went for the French toast set (RM 4.50). The French toast came out soft and fragrant and it has a side of kaya to taste. She liked it, but I didn't think it was anything special.



The cheese toast (RM 3.80) also uses the thicker style of bread and comes with a slice of cheddar toasted into the bread. Surprisingly the bread was soft despite toasting.



The hotdog bread (RM 3.80) was the best of the bunch. It also came with a side of kaya and this is an especially nice touch.



The saltiness of the sausage combined with the sweet creaminess of the kaya adds a whole level of texture to this offering. This comes highly recommended. :)



Cuppa Kopi Roti has reasonably priced food and comfortable surroundings. It's a nice place to spend a quiet Sunday morning. :)

Huai Bin sez:

It is the sixth anniversary of sixthseal.com today and I've been planning to have a new banner, some site tweaks and the old archives back up but I'm running a little late due to unforeseen circumstances. The archives will be up tomorrow and the all new sixthseal.com by Monday morning the latest. I promise! :)

I don't know what's worth fighting for
Or why I have to scream
But now I have some clarity
to show you what I mean
I don't know how I got this way
I'll never be alright
So, I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
I'm breaking the habit
Tonight

Hello! I'm Miss Piggy!

I was at Delta Mall after work today with Faye and we found this stall selling sushi at a corner. It's relatively cheap at 4 boxes for RM 10.



Each box contains two pieces of sushi and there are a couple of interesting combinations. I notice some of the toppings are decidedly localized, for a lack of a better term. ;)



The clerk was particularly proud of this creation - it was made to look like a smiley face. She made it herself and I think she was a little offended when the both of us couldn't see the similarities. I hear the trick is to look at it sideways...



We got four boxes to eat in the car since Faye had to do some shopping for her newly renovated room. I have been enlisted to apply my superior flair in color coordination to help her choose an appropriate duvet and fitted sheet for her new bed to match her painted walls.



I thought the eel sushi was the best out of the bunch. I didn't really care for the others.



Thus, we did some righteous gorging in the car and headed for another mall. It was alright for the price...



If anything, you made someone really happy by buying that Smiley Face Sushi. =D

Someone who works in school textbook publishing once told me about the racial stereotyping that's prevalent in our fine educational material. I don't know if I started noticing the same after she told me as such or there really is something of that sort going around. Buttered toast landing butter side down (or Schrödinger's Cat) and all that...

I usually get a haircut and color my hair every month and I decided to crop it really short this time and also get it done in a lighter shade. This episode of Beng My Hair (not related to Pimp My Ride) brings in a decidedly orange hue to things.



I went for 0-77 Orange and my hairstylist Sue decided that she could improve on the color so I trusted in her judgment. She has been my hairstylist for almost two years now.



The radioactive looking orange paste was blended and prepared for application.



Sue started layering on the patented Beng My Hair color paste into my hair and left it there for three hours.



I haven't had anything to eat for dinner so I got the café on the floor above to send down some much needed provisions.



I had seafood fried rice with crackers and some iced dessert. It's a little disconcerting to be eating at the hairstylists with the distinct smell of ammonia wafting down from the bleach. ;)



This is what it looks like after three (3) hours. Just a spot of drying, and...



Wallah! :)



This is me and my hairstylist Sue.

I am told that Lian Kiew Cafe has the best BBQ Chicken Rice in Sibu. The four of us decided to check out the place and found it packed during lunch hour. The coffee shop is doing a rather brisk business in chicken rice and it seems that most of the patrons were ordering the dish.



There is a wide selection of BBQ cuts at the chicken rice stall. There is no steamed chicken on offer, the proprietor only does BBQ chicken. There's a wide variety of BBQ meat available - BBQ chicken, BBQ duck, BBQ pork (various cuts), BBQ Taiwanese sausage and even BBQ chicken wings.


"They call me The Butcher"

I ordered an assorted platter of BBQ meat and it was sliced up into a bed of cucumbers.



L-R: BBQ Taiwanese sausage, BBQ chicken wings, BBQ char siew, BBQ chicken, BBQ duck, BBQ pork. (RM 25)



The rice is pretty fragrant for chicken rice too.



It comes highly recommended from me for meat lovers. :)

Marigold Monk finds orange pip in drink...



...greatly reduces satisfaction of post-coital drink.

Faye attempts to audition for the leading role.

Amy kindly gave me a ride back home from work just now. My car just came back from the workshop and I have been absolutely CRIPPLED by the lack of transport. Kudos goes out to Faye for snagging the Endurance award - she has been picking me up in the morning and sending me back after work almost every day. :)



This is a sight for sore eyes indeed. If I had known that it would take this long to fix the car, I probably wouldn't have crashed it. ;)

Manna Cafe is located pretty close to where I work and thus, I headed down to Manna Cafe for lunch with Amy. My lunch hour is just what it sounds like - an hour (plus 15 minutes to get to and from the place) so it tends to be a rather hasty affair.



Amy went for their Nasi Lemak which is really the February 2008 promotion, but for some reason it's still on the menu due to its popularity. It's served with either beef rendang, chicken curry or beef masak hitam and comes with coffee or green tea for RM 7.90.



I opted for the Stone Bowl Ribeye Steak Rice for RM 8.90. The dish is billed as "grilled ribeye steak over savory rice, topped with black pepper sauce and melted cheese, brought piping hot from the oven to your table". I like Manna Cafe's stone bowl offerings and I thought this version was pretty good.



It also came with a complimentary dish of fresh fruits over shaved ice. :)



I think the food from Manna Cafe comes out a little on the slow side and one hour is probably cutting it a little too thin, especially taking rush hour traffic into consideration. Unless you work somewhere in the building itself, of course.

I took a sick day today due to a particularly nasty bout of flu that had me running a high fever last night. I clocked off at 12:15 pm and Faye took me to see her sister, who, I'm told, is something of an expert in the ancient art of kuak sa.



Literally translated, kuak sa means "scratch heat" and can be very effective for heatstroke. How much of the effect is placebo and how much is due to the copious amounts of Minyak Cap Kapak is debatable. I maintain a healthy level of skepticism at the efficacy of this method on flu (which is caused by the influenza virus) but Faye insists that it would help me some and since it certainly won't make me any worse, I went for it.



It was kinda painful, especially when the spinal cord is being pressed against. Subject is shown here wincing slightly while attempting to maintain a brave front. Actual product may differ from image shown. Warranty void if seal is broken. Batteries sold separately. Product may contain traces of peanuts.

"More, has been found out, and I must warn you fairly that a reckoning is due" - The Strange Case of Charles Dexter Ward, H.P. Lovecraft



I had my 27th birthday at RH Hotel. Joyce had helped me in reserving a table for the Great Weekend Buffet at Oriental Bistro.

This weekend's spread had an Italian theme:



Mixed Vegetable with Garlic Butter
Sausage with Onion
Prawn Skewer
Potato Au Gratin
Baked Spicy Fish
Lamb with Rosemary Sauce
Oat Meat Chicken
Beef Goulash
Aglio Olio
Spaghetti
Chicken Broth Soup

...as well as local and Oriental fare like mee mamak and Teochew Duck.



There was also squid in nice cocktail glasses...



...and small saucers with hors d' oeuvres.



They also kindly brought a cake, which is pretty useful, considering I neglected to furnish one. ;) I'm not sure about the customs regarding birthdays and cakes actually. Does the host provide the cake? Or the guests? Food for thought...



The drawing of the three...



L-R: Faye, Huai Bin (me), Katherine, Chiew Keing, Colin, Joyce, Amy



Four of us also headed over to Hijau Lounge...



...for a bit of an after party.



There was a live band called Samsara playing at the venue, belting out titles like Sweet Child of Mine, I Will Survive and other miscellaneous covers.



L-R: Chiew Keing, Katherine, Huai Bin (me), Faye

I had a lot of cocktails and several bottles of wine (in addition to the bottles of red and white wine during dinner) and I must admit, I felt a tinge of regret when I woke up the next day. ;)



It was also the first time in my life that I was on the receiving end of a bouquet of flowers. This was delivered to my workplace on Saturday morning, and it caused quite a commotion and more than a few jokes. :)



Faye had given me a card with RM 400 in RM 100 dollar notes folded into hearts pasted on the inside. I promptly accused her of not trying hard enough to think of a present to get me. ;)



Joyce, Colin, Katherine, Chiew Keing, and Amy got this bottle of Osana BiOmega Omega-3 capsules which would probably do my poor liver and kidneys a whole world of good.



Happy 27th Birthday!

This is Amy Lau, one of my coworkers. She's 23 and we used to go to the same high school.



This marks the return of the XX Chromosome posts from the old sixthseal.com



Here is a photo of me and Amy after work.

Disclaimer: sixthseal.com is not responsible for causing anyone's saham to turun as a direct or indirect result of being featured on the blog. ;)

I was awakened from my slumber last night at around midnight by an infernal racket at my front gate and proceeded to investigate the source of these peculiar noises. Faye had come, and told me to wait in my room while she took care of something. I did not particularly suspect something amiss since she has a habit of dropping in at odd hours of the day. Thus, it was to my (pleasant) surprise when she switched off the lights and paraded into my room singing a rendition of Happy Birthday and carrying cake with a lit candle on it.



She had brought a slice of rich chocolate cake (my favorite) and coffee cheesecake to celebrate my 27th birthday. I have to work the next day (we work half day Saturdays) so my actual birthday celebration was meant to be tonight.



Thus, with several bottles of booz (apple and blackcurrant flavored alcopops) that she brought, we had a quiet pre-celebration celebration in my room. I am officially old...



...and strangely touched. :p

Thanks to Katherine, Chiew Keing, and Francine who sent me birthday wishes right after midnight. You guys are the best!

I think it's going to be a good year. :)

Sushi Tie is an eating establishment that has been around for some time. The exterior has seen a face lift since I was last here and the dominant orange hue lends a dash of gaiety to the family sushi restaurant.



The interior looks pretty much the same as I remembered and the place was packed during lunch. The ambiance is preserved by the friendly staff who shout out a cheery "Irashaimasu!" upon the tinkling of the bell at the front door. I remember that part about Sushi Tie too.



Sushi Tie does not have a sushi train but makes up for their lack of locomotive conveyor belt action by offering an "open kitchen" of sorts, with their resident sushi chef making sushi and maki in the middle of the eating establishment.



I had iced Green Tea (RM 1.30) while my dining companion opted for the hot variety of the same.



This is the Shiro Maguro (Albacore tuna) sashimi that goes for RM 6. The sashimi here is just about the freshest you can get in Sibu.



We also ordered salmon sashimi (RM 6) and it came in nice chunky slices. I like thickly sliced sashimi. I'm not really a big fan of the thinly shredded stuff.



I also ordered the Unagi Set (RM 13.90). It came with rice, miso soup, deep fried tofu and watermelon.



I'm a big fan of eel. I love the rich, oily taste of the stuff. :)

Sushi Tie is a good place for Japanese food in Sibu. It's marketed as a family restaurant and they don't serve alcohol of any kind, so don't go looking for Kirin here.

...a bold and admittedly lewd intrusion in the middle of a polite dinner.

Disclaimer: It is to be assumed that this entire post is a work of fiction for insurance purposes.


I can reconstruct a partial picture of the night from third hard accounts and other sources. I personally can't remember much except the vague notion of not being able to find my way out of Rajang Park (a housing estate) and something unyielding attached to the front of my car.


I seem to have run into a lamp post under unknown circumstances and from what I've been told, I dropped off one of my friends earlier in the night before she pointed my car in the right direction and told me to take the exit right out.


Anyway, 5 minutes later, while attending to her dental hygiene needs, she heard/saw a black Toyota VIOS speeding past the back of her house and crash head on into a utility pole/lamp post. She didn't see the license plate so she called another one of my friends (since my cell phone battery was dead that night) and told her I might have misjudged a certain turning radius while navigating the corners around her residence.


I did remember attempting to switch on my cell phone and calling the friend in question, telling her that I seem to be stuck somewhere around Lane 23 (it was actually Lane 21). She got another friend to drive her there and a couple of minutes later, she told me Lane 23 was deserted and asked me to take my beer goggles off and look at the street sign again.


Anyway, long story short, she drove my car (with me in it) home so all's well that ends well. Except that my car will probably be in the workshop for at least a week - initial assessment says that I have severed a hydraulic cable and they will have to order these parts in.


Hmm...I had thought that the all new sixthseal.com would not have posts like this, but there you go. ;)

My apologies.

You can take your chances, but there's so much to lose
Another bumpy road, there's so much wasted booze

A: The lamp post is harder. It's ALWAYS harder.