September 2009 Archives

* frosty *

I had an epiphany while I pressed my tongue against the roof of my mouth. This would make a great Slurpeelicious contest entry!

(but first, a flashback)

The last time I did an entry about Slurpee, I had to walk 1,000 miles to do it. Okay, maybe that's a wee bit of an exaggeration...I took a boat, and it was only 463 km. The only reason I went there was to drink Slurpee. Seriously. There are no 7-Eleven outlets in Sibu, so the nearest place I could go was Kuching.

I snuck off work early on Saturday (please don't tell my ex-boss) and took an express (boats in Sarawak are called "express", not buses) down to Kuching, where Irene picked me up. I was hunting for Mystery Flavor 1 and Mystery Flavor 2 and went to damn near all the 7-Eleven outlets in Kuching before I finally found one that has it.

I went there solely for the Slurpee post and had to catch the boat back the next morning. I nearly missed the cursed express to boot! I calculate that I spent more for that trip than I earned in the advertorial but that's not the important thing - the important thing is that I enjoyed doing it!

(flash-forward to today)

I only had to walk 5 meters to 7-Eleven this time coz I'm living in Petaling Jaya now, but I still had to...er, brave the rain. Okay, the drizzle! There was a very slight one. Honest!

The Slurpeelicious contest is all about you waltzing into your friendly neighborhood 7-Eleven and taking a photo of yourself in a Slurpeelicious moment and submitting it to Slurpeelicious@nuffnang.com

The Slurpee can be of any size and flavor e.g.

This here is the rare and mysterious Yellow Raspberry scented with Vanilla Melon Slurpee - a concoction produced by mixing Yellow Melon and Vanilla Raspberry. Trust me; it tastes better than it looks. Layered properly, it's quite a refreshing drink indeed.

The Slurpee must take up 40% of the entire photo size. I'm not sure how to calculate that but I gather:

Wrong

Right

There's 6,000 smackeroos in cold (geddit?) hard cash up for grabs if you snag the first prize. To the best of my understanding the prizes are:

First Prize
Cash prize of RM 6,000 and 7-Eleven Gift Certificate of RM 100

Second Prize
Cash prize of RM 3,000 and 7-Eleven Gift Certificate of RM 100

Third Prize
Cash prize of RM 1,000 and 7-Eleven Gift Certificate of RM 100

3 x Consolation Prize
7-Eleven Gift Certificate of RM 100

You can opt to furnish an anecdote of your Slurpeelicious moment with your entry like the haiku here:

The Mariner says
Water water everywhere
Not a drop to drink

Had he lived today
Away from the seven seas
He might have wrote this

Land Ahoy, let's chill!
My Slurpeelicious moment
Be it land or sea!

I'm sure you can do better. Check out the Slurpeelicious contest details to join!

This ballad by MLTR illustrates the unfortunate series of events of a chronic procrastinator and indecisive specimen of the male species which rendered him unable to pull a Kanye West during the crucial point where the priest goes "Speak now or forever hold your peace."

Hence the title - 25 minutes too late. I don't know if anyone out there has experienced something as profoundly life changing and dramatic as the protagonist of the song, but we all know the difference a few minutes makes, albeit in less spectacular situations.

I was in that very same situation last week. No, I didn't find out that the love of my life was getting hitched to another guy, it was something else. A friend of mine emailed me and attached this photo with the text:

Hey, you're still having those migraines right? These are slated to be destroyed, wondered if you wanted it.

Alas, I was out at that time and I only checked Gmail three hours later, saw the photo, and immediately replied with such a resounding YES that the Y key of my keyboard promptly cracked.

The reply:
Oops...sorry, I destroyed it already. I thought you didn't want it.

The primal scream of loss I uttered was heard halfway across the earth. People in the deepest, most remote depths of the Sahara looked up at the skies in terror, mumbling superstitiously and gesturing wildly to ward off evil (or whatever it is the tribes do, I'm just giving an analogy here).

You know the punch line right?

This would never have happened if I had preregistered for an Xpax Prepaid BB. ;)

The push email functionality would have allowed me to respond to that message in a timely manner. Sigh...

This is a true story btw, as can be seen by the Ludicrous Watermark (TM) in the second photo. =D

Penang has an abundance of seafood due to its status as an island, and for the very same reason, the seafood also happens to be disgustingly cheap. Thus, a trip to Penang without having seafood is kinda like going to Egypt without visiting the pyramids.

We travelled from Tambun, Ipoh to Tambun, Penang after the hot springs trip. Tambun (the one in Penang) is famous for seafood and lies just before the Penang bridge connecting the mainland to the island.

We had dinner at Restauran Gee Seng, which looks small on the outside but actually has a huge amount of space which can easily accommodate 30 tables or so, with its own pier for fresh hauls of seafood to boot! Parking is a bit of a nightmare here though, since the road into this area is narrow and the parking attendants frequently shuffle the cars (along with their drivers) around when some poor sod stuck at the back of a matrix of cars has to exit after his/her dinner.

However, I'm sure you don't want to read about the tribulations of the complicated parking system, so I'll let the photos do the talking:

This is some sort of spiked clam that requires a toothpick to dig out.

The flesh tastes good dipped in chilli sauce, once you're able to get the damn thing out. It takes a bit of practise.

Jolyn here shows us that chopsticks are not merely eating implements.

We also ordered boiled octopus...

...and a serving of greens to balance out the marine meat. It had shrimps in it anyway, keeping true to the seafood restaurant roots. ;)

The baked crab at this place comes with a mallet made of wood. You use it to crack open the shell.

This style of cooking preserves the natural sweetness of the crab meat.

The signature tofu dish at this establishment is different - it's deep fried into triangular shapes and is a mixture of tofu and some vegetables. It's quite tasty.

The oyster pancake (o chien) isn't what Sarawakians are used to. Ours is a crisp pancake with juicy oysters in the middle - click here to see a sample. The oyster pancake over here is more like a classic omelet, except with oysters.

Next up is one of my favorite dishes - chilli crab served with a side of bread rolls to soak up the gravy with. Let me attempt to describe the pure awesomeness of the chilli crab. The gravy is cooked with starch and tastes sweet and tangy, with a slightly salty note in there somewhere.

It's also infused with egg and at one point; I just discarded all social graces and started scooping up the sauce with my spoon and drinking it. Pure heaven!

This is the mantis prawn. I've written about the mantis prawn experience here in a post filled with (very justifiable) hyperbole.

It's my first time eating mantis prawn and the tender and sweet flesh is simply orgasmic! This is what it looks like in the aquarium:

I can't believe I haven't had mantis prawn before! To this very day, it keeps me awake at night, doubting my own judgment and fitness to live.

The bill came out to a grand total of RM 253.20 for the six (6) of us. We thought there was an accounting error on the restaurant's part and made plans for a quick exit strategy since a dinner like that has gotta cost around RM 400.

However, upon further inspection, it seems that we were billed for everything we ordered after all. Tambun seafood is dirt cheap and it's fresh and delicious to boot! I highly recommend stopping by Tambun for dinner when you drive up to Penang! You'll be missing out if you don't. :)

The Black Eyed Peas concert at Arthur Guinness' 250th birthday bash was a blast! It seems that everyone (defined here as most of the people I know) converged on the surf beach in Sunway to see BEP rock the house.

Headlining acts usually have a tendency to be fashionably late, but BEP came out earlier than scheduled last night. The Greatest Hits of BEP (TM) came on but there were some gems in there too, including a cover (kinda, sorta) of Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit.

Alas, BEP segued into another song before the famous "Load up on guns/bring your friends" intro etched into every 80's babies' angst ridden mind came on. Nirvana was (I use was coz Kurt thought it would be a good idea to put a loaded gun to his head and pull the trigger) huge back then and made Seattle grunge the staple of people born in the late 70's and early 80's.

This particular demographic just happened to hit the precarious puberty stage back then, and found solace in Cobain's angst ridden lyrics.

I digress...

Back to the BEP concert, we were at the Silver Zone, which gave us ample room to move around.
Pros: Free flow of Guinness
Cons: No dSLRs allowed

You can easily sneak one in by getting a friend to enter through the general entrance (where dSLRs are halal) and reclaiming it once inside the venue (where you can comingle). Compact digicams are kosher so the policy was particularly puzzling (yes, today is Alliteration Day).

I only managed to take photos and videos from my crappy cell phone. You may have noticed that from the quality of the images in this post. I tend to forget things easily too, so it would have been good to have a device capable of allowing me to blog on the spot.

You know the punch line. Wait for it. ;)

This is one of the times I wish I have a BB. I'm getting the Xpax Prepaid BB in less than a week, so no more of this delayed blogging nonsense.

"We live and die by time...and we must not commit the SIN of losing our track on time"

The Lost World of Tambun is a hot springs cum water theme park (just don't read that sentence wrong ;)) operated by none other than Sunway. I headed down with Suanie and Carol over the long weekend for some R&R (and to soak my poor creaky joints in the hot springs). 

There were a couple of false starts - I woke up at 8:30 am when we were due to depart 8 am, said "Shit!" and called Suanie. It turns out that she just woke up as well - Carol was the only one who was on time. Heh! After a quick breakfast of dim sum (where I ordered beer, much to the chagrin of my fellow road trip buddies - apparently dim sum places here don't serve the amber fluid) we were off to Ipoh! 

The Lost World of Tambun is in Tambun, Ipoh and it's about a 2 ½ hour drive from KL. It is based on a Mayan (though official brochures calls it Malayana, whatever that means) lost city water theme park concept and built around natural hot springs. There is another public hot spring facility in Tambun about 2 km down from Sunway's empire, but after a quick discussion of whether to go to the public one or the commercial one, we headed down to the latter.

Actually, it was Suanie who made the decree - since she was the one driving; we decided it would be a good idea to listen. ;) 

The theme park costs RM 30 per person to enter, which I paid using my credit card since I was short on cash thanks to my spectacular vehicular mishap that set me back 11k (out of pocket, no insurance claims). The girls paid me back with cold, hard paper bills which I desperately needed since this is the precarious Credit Card Month (TM) where I charge everything to plastic. 

The RM 30 covers the entrance to the wet park and the dry park. It should be noted right now that the terms are used very liberally here - don't expect a Sunway Lagoon setup coz the Lost World of Tambun is much smaller, with very few rides. Think David and Goliath. Or Lilliputian and Gulliver. 

The wet park consists of the standard wading pool with waves, which is pretty relaxing and much larger than your average swimming pool. There are various water slides around the park, which won't exactly give you an adrenaline rush, but is fun for a couple of rides.

It also has a sandy beach where you can play beach volleyball or lounge around.

However, the main attraction at Lost World of Tambun is their natural hot springs. It comes bubbling up from the bottom and the pool is quite hot - my guesstimate is 40+ degrees Celsius.

Not hot enough? I've got great news (and a challenge). The hot springs pool has this rock cover where boiling water dribbles down into blocks of stone where you can sit. 

I'm telling you, this water is fucking scalding hot! You can see the steam literally rise off the top and people flinch when they touch the water. Hell, I flinched when I touched the boiling hot water.

However, being a sucker for pain (and also to show the damn inanimate object that I won't let it get the better of me) I sat on the hot stone blocks and let the searing water flow over me while I gasped for breath and my skin turned the proverbial color of red usually reserved for lobsters.

I'll cut off my left testicle if the water isn't at least 80 or 90 degrees Celsius. Int3nse.

Anyway, after showing the hot springs who the boss is and getting it to say "Uncle" (actually it was more like I was red and peeling after Carol dared me to stand under a particularly heavy torrent of skin cooking water), we proceeded to the dry park. 

It was quite a disappointment. I counted a grand total of two rides. There is a pirate ship (which doesn't go 360)... 

...and a carousel ride where you get spun around. 

Suanie discovered her inner child on that ride though. 

The Lost World of Tambun is reasonably entertaining if you're from Ipoh but I won't drive all the way down from KL for it.

The primary attraction is their hot springs and the great view of the limestone hills surrounding it, but this is marred by one very significant theme park policy that prevents proper enjoyment of the facilities...

It should be noted that there are no alcoholic beverages sold inside the theme park, unlike its Sunway counterpart. You're not allowed to bring food and water in too. :(

I was in Penang over the long weekend and we met up with Audrey and Jack at Starbucks. She happened to have an asthma inhaler with her and I was intrigued by it. She was kind enough to let me use it so I took three (3) hits, inhaling deeply and holding it in.

"I don't feel anything", I said.

Audrey looked at me while I sat down and told me it'll be nice to light one up right about now. I flicked my lighter and proceeded to introduce 4,000 different chemicals to my pulmonary system over the course of two minutes.

I picked up my Venti Tazo ice blended and noticed that my hands were shaking visibly. It was like I was having a mini grand mal seizure localized to my paws.

She noticed my hand tremors and nonchalantly mentioned "Oh, and by the way, it takes about 15 minutes for the inhaler to work".

-_-"

Why didn't you tell me earlier? Say, before I took 3 hits from the inhaler in quick succession?

She was surprised I didn't get hyper though. I'm already looking forward to the Xpax Prepaid BB so I can Google for information before I start introducing all sorts of weird and wonderful medication into my system. Heh!

Thanks for the inhaler Audrey, it was an...interesting experience. ;)

It's Hammer Time! (TM). I've always maintained that my primary form of exercise is doing the Melbourne shuffle in raves and clubs. I live a pretty sedentary lifestyle - the perils of working long hours in the industry. I'm sure a lot of you out there lack the time to get some proper exercise done due to work and social obligations.

I swim occasionally and have recently taken up yoga counter my less-than-healthy routine of sitting 12 hours or more per day behind a desk at work. Swimming is convenient for me since I live in a condo so the nearest pool is just a press of the lift button away. However, working 12 hours or more per day can put a toll on your energy levels and often you just want to crash when you reach home. 

Thus, I've started going for yoga lessons in the weekends. It forces me to wake up early, which is a really good thing in retrospect - knowing that you have to drag your sorry ass up early the next day tend to temper your Saturday night shenanigans somewhat. ;) 

Yoga is great for stretching them muscles and it does wonders for your mental health too (an important thing in this stress filled world). I always walk away feeling relaxed and at peace with the world.

However, I have decided to talk a more proactive approach and monitor just how many steps I walk in a day and subsequently how many calories I burn. I used to have this nifty cell phone which has a step counter but I lost it during one of my ethanol impaired escapades. In a weird twist of fate, I received the very same cell phone as a birthday present this year. 

In another interesting turn of events, I got a dedicated step counter from the PRUhealth event I attended. It was specially calibrated to the length of my stride so it'll be fairly accurate. Mustering up all my determination, I decided to clip it onto my belt and make it a point to walk at least 3,500 steps every day. 

The plan didn't work very well.

I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I sit in the office for most of the day, unless I'm out for meetings. I even take away lunch to eat at the desk. However, in light of my ailing (?) health and skyrocketing cholesterol levels, I am dead-set (er...perhaps this isn't the best adjective to use - determined then) to walk more every day. 

I'll park my car at my condo and walk to work instead. I'll make it a point to take the stairs instead of the lift. I'll pledge to do my lunch takeaways myself so I can get them plates of meat moving (its Cockney slang) while I get my PM calorie influx. 

Just to be the man who walked 1,000 miles to fall down at your door!

Got PRUhealth coverage what. No worries. ;)

I've never had such a succulent piece of crustacean in my life! The odd looking mantis shrimp (also called mantis prawn) tastes more like lobster than prawns.

I had this at Tambun, Penang last night. Mantis prawns are huge creatures that can grow much longer than a chopstick (shown here next to my hand for perspective). I can't believe this is the first time I've ever had mantis prawn...its awesome stuff!

The carapace peels back to reveal a bed of soft, tender flesh that almost melts in your mouth. The sweetness of the mantis prawn flesh is unbelievable!

It's so good that I just had to write this hyperbole laden post.

I am blessed (or cursed depending on how you look at it) with an innate trust in a lot of things. I guess that's why a lot of shit doesn't faze me. Shit being of course defined by situations where you need to have faith in something e.g. a bungee cord or your chute.

I was at The Lost World of Tambun just now, egging the staff to give us a good hard kick down the water slide, so it'll be more exciting. I was riding tandem with a stranger coz the ride requires two. It appears that we went too fast coz halfway down, the rubber inflatable flipped inside the dark crevices of the water slide.

I felt my nipple piercings snag inside the dark slide so I moved my elbows up. I didn't feel scared, not even slightly concerned...coz to be honest, what's the worst that can happen? Give me a scrape or two?

Thus, I let go and even smiled at the guy above me, who happens to be this really enthusiastic 38 year old cell group leader in church and cracked that now is probably a good time to believe in your Jesus.

He probably can't see me coz of the dark tunnel but the difference between us is that he panicked and fought to stop the inevitable momentum while I just let go and trusted.

I banged my head three (3) times against the metal slide and probably lost 10 IQ points in the process while he had abrasions from fighting the ride.

I got some Indian burns too but despite my mini concussions and coming out ass backwards, I got up grinning coz I HAD FUN. He was quite shaken about the entire thing.

That's the thing about trust. I trust in the ride and he didn't.

Despite knocking myself senseless, I had fun! =D

I doubt he did. It's just a ride, it's not like doing a HALO jump and passing out from decompression sickness before you can pull the cord. :)

I just came back from an ordeal worthy of the series Lost. It happened in a car park instead of a sentient island that moves around, but lost is still sesat. It's a tribulation worthy of publication in the Reader's Digest Crisis and Catastrophe anthology.

PPC picked me up since my car was in the workshop and thus I didn't take a photo of the parking spot when I alighted (which I usually do if I'm the one behind the wheels). Thus, we were thrown way off course when the time came to leave the mall. 

I was assigned to pressing the car key alarm while PPC kept a lookout for her car and Kalai guided us to the path of enlightenment.

We were seriously considering going to the security post and asking for the guard buggy service to ferry us across the massive acreage of the car park when we took a last gamble at Parkson. 

We spent a WHOLE HOUR searching for the car! WTF! This would have never happened if we had the foresight of taking a photo of the car park space when we parked.

Me thinks this is high time for PPC to preregister for the Xpax BB so we won't have to hike for 60 minutes in the claustrophobic and humid car park.

To add insult to injury, we couldn't find the car at Solaris, Mont Kiara at our next stop for dinner! OMFG! How can you lose a car in a small place like that?

Answer:

We didn't see the Car Park Elevator. >.<

I know...who the hell goes to Klang to eat BKT at an eating establishment inside a mall instead of sweating it out like a man in some authentic looking (preferably run down) and well loved coffee shop?

The new port coolies of course!

Although our line of work has more to do with computer ports than harbor ports, nothing beats a bak kut teh breakfast!

The pork knuckles with enough fat to make 20 whales clutch their hearts with their flippers and float belly up.

The meaty pork ribs that just slides off the bone...

There's nothing like the hustle and bustle of salt-of-the-earth hardworking men chowing down on bak kut teh before their daily honest backbreaking toil.

Please excuse my wanton exhibition of the flavorful pork knuckles that squirts out its juicy secrets as you bite through the layer of fat into the meat, bursting into a million taste bud orgasms in your mouth.

It's too good! I'm going to go off and...er, lift some heavy objects or something now.

A long, long time ago...in a karaoke far, far away.

A friend's friend came on to me...

...and there are actually a lot of photos in the series but yalor I shall not post those photos to protect the integrity of my reputation.

What reputation?

Oi, you at the back. My saham already jatuh -6666666 points from this post k?

Actually I'm just lazy to post, I wanna go watch Lost and sleep.

Oh boy, am I gonna regret posting this tomorrow.

This is not just photos you don't want your parents to see but photos you don't want your girlfriend/wife/future incarnations of both to see.

I've always wanted to appear in the papers (for a good reason instead of the usual reasons) and I was delighted to see a full page feature in the Malay Mail yesterday:

Thank you so much! I've always dreamed about what it would be like to maybe appear in the papers someday, but I never actually thought it would have happened. I write crappy satire/parody so thank you so much for giving me a chance to appear on the Malay Mail!

I'll like to thank Nuffna..

Yo HB, I'm really happy for you. Imma let you finish but Xpax has one of the best BB plans of all time! One of the best Blackberry prepaid plans of all time!

That man is a jackass.

adidas is the main sponsor of Project Alpha and I headed down to their adidas Action 3 Roadshow at MidValley on Saturday with the other six bloggers in Season 1 for some fun and games and a sneak preview of the first episode of Project Alpha. 

Thus, in classic sixthseal.com fashion, here's the event coverage, which completely violates every single rule of writing for the net with extremely verbose copy and frequent asides. ;) 

So, go brew a nice hot cup of tea and settle down with a comfy cushion, this is going to be a long one. :) 

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

I'm kidding! Okay, here it comes: 

I've always been a big fan of adidas and most of my sports apparel is exclusively adidas (which is spelled in all small caps, BTW). I think a lot of it had to do with them being the "alternative cool" brand instead of the overhyped other label. 

I'm also a huge fan of Korn and the song a.d.i.d.a.s in their self titled debut album, while not sanctioned or related to the brand, is a very awesome song. ;)

The road show was held at LG of Centre Court (God is in the details, my friends, and I wouldn't feel proper without providing excessive minutiae) and I happened to arrive during Bonus Hour so the place was PACKED. It was so crowded I won't even attempt to make witty analogies. The Bonus Hour really lasts for one hour (thus the namesake) and is a PWP promo (buy 1, free 1) so it brought a influx of people much like what Pakistan experienced when the US bombed the living daylights out of the Afghans. 

Anyway, after everything settled down, the Project Alpha sneak peak was shown on the LCD TV. I was so enthralled by the trailer and promo for Episode 1 that I didn't take any photos. I'm telling you, Project Alpha is going to be a hit, and I'm not just saying that coz I'm in it. :p 

We were split up into teams for a foosball tournament after the screening - the 7 Project Alpha Season 1 bloggers and Jojo Struys in a 4 team knockout competition of 6 goals. I was paired with the 4' 9" wonder (which you'll see in the first episode). 

It started out very promisingly with several consecutive goals, including a rather neat trick which I attribute more to luck than skill. Sam even commented that I was a "foosball hustler" which I took as a compliment. Alas, everything went downhill since that providential shot. 

The Red Mummy-Budiey crew started gaining on us and the Fourfeetnine-Sixthseal team did the unimaginable - an own goal. This is bad...hell, if I were Andrés Escobar, I'll be shot dead by now. :( 

Nevertheless, we pushed on while The Enemy (TM) started closing the gap until we were tied 5-5. 

It's damn kan cheong okay! 

It was the game ball and after much effort and twisting of the handles...they scored. I can't believe we lost after a 5-1 lead! OMG!  My bad Aud! 

Oh well, at least we still got a prize. :) 

Adidas also provided us with a RM 100 voucher which can be used to redeem anything from the roadshow. I decided to stock up on the adidas shampoo + shower gel combos and I got 9 (nine) bottles of that. (!) Haha! 

I've sorted out my shower needs for the rest of the year! Yay! I'll never have to buy shower gel until 2010 (at the very least). Heh! This is budgeting at its very best. ;) 

The adidas Action 3 roadshow had this contraption which has 1-5 in huge buttons. You get a chance on it after a purchase of RM 45 and above. There are prizes associated with each number - everything from bags to eau de toilette. I was keen on the bag and Agnes was kind enough to tell me that she'll sort it out. I pressed the button and got a 5 (eau de toilette) but she gave me the bag anyway. Thanks Agnes! =D 

It was just about buka puasa time and adidas arranged for us to dine at Alexis in The Gardens. Now, this isn't a buffet line setup, mind. This is proper dining with you ordering a la carte with wine provided. 

I thought that was mighty generous of adidas. 

I had chicken liver pate for the appetizer. I liked this; the chicken liver pate is smooth and creamy and comes with a topping of cheese. It's perfect for slathering on top of the bread or just eating it on its own. I love liver pate and Alexis does it well - the almost melt-in-your-mouth texture is orgasmic! 

This here is a deliciously juicy and rich medium rare Wagyu ribeye steak with perfect marbling which weighs in at a staggering RM 155 for the 200 gram serving. 

It's smooth and velvety, awesome stuff. It could have been done better though; I've had Wagyu beef which was crispy on the outside and nicely rare on the inside. I guess they mistook medium rare for medium.

I also had a Pecan pie. It tasted absolutely fabulous despite the fact that I was stuffed at this point. The nuts were warm (almost toasty hot!) and sweet (the pine sweetness of nuts without additional sugar) which contrasts very well with the scoop of premium vanilla ice cream. 

I nearly fell asleep after all that good food. 

The dinner was courtesy of the largess of adidas. Thanks! I won't be able to afford a RM 155 steak otherwise. ;) 

adidas - all day I dream about steak. :p

I did a dual nipple piercing last year. It's the only piercing I have left since I swallowed my tongue piercing for the umpteenth time (yes, again) and my wrist piercings got infected so I had to take it off. 

I didn't manage to write about the nipple piercings before since the videos and photos were back in Sibu. I managed to grab the external HDD when I went back home a couple of months ago, so all the assets are with me now! =D

I already had something in mind when I went in - I want both nipples to be pierced, but with a twist (no pun intended). I wanted one to be horizontal and one vertical. 

I was also adamant about using spiked bars instead of rings, much to the consternation of my attire. I wager the piercings have poked more holes in my clothes than I care to count. :( 

This piercing is hands down the most uncomfortable piercing I've ever done. I've had most of my face and various bodily parts pierced with no more than a shrug and a smile. However, my nipples are really sensitive and this piercing was...well, QUITE UNPLEASENT. 

I had to use both my hands to hold out my shirt so it doesn't come into contact with the newly pierced nipples when I walked out of the place. It looked like I was attempting to create two imaginary man boobs by tenting up my shirt. :S 

I did the piercings in Sungei Wang, so I got a lot of weird looks...but it sure beats the hell out of constantly wincing from the geli-ness produced from friction between my clothes and the fresh nipple piercings. Heh!

This is a reenactment of a fateful scene back in 2005 which culminated with the holy matrimony of two of the people involved. Clue: Not me.

I have grown significantly more robust in size since then, while FF and e just got married. Time just flies, eh? I'm glad I introduced the two. :)

I used to chat on MSN while attending mass. I know, I know, heresy. :p I didn't want to go (I'm not even Catholic) but I went for the sake of my ex-gf who was convinced she'll spend at least another trillion years or so in purgatory if she misses even one evening mass. It was mind-numbingly boring, but with my Pocket PC and a GPRS connection, I managed to chat with people on Pocket MSN. It helped make those monotonous sessions where you just want to gouge your eyeballs out and run screaming from the place of worship into a more civilized and polite tapping on the screen.

I misplaced my Pocket PC but I haven't lost those monotonous moments.

I'm glad I'll be one of the first to get the Xpax Prepaid BB Curve 8520 - now I can IM to my heart's content wherever I go with Windows Live Messenger, Google Talk, Yahoo! Messenger, ICQ (yes, I have an account - 7345320) and more!

It'll sure make those dull moments (secular or otherwise) more bearable. ;)

1. Drink a freshly cut sweet Sri Lankan coconut by the beach

It's dubbed the King Coconut and the juice is called thambli. 

2. Sample their cloyingly sweet cakes

It's available at the bountiful local sweet shops dedicated to selling sweets (cakes).

It's very, very sweet, crumbly and tasty!

3. Eat Kothu Roti

It's a Sri Lankan dish made with roti, meat (beef and chicken), vegetables and egg. It's spicy!

4. Share your table with a local

5. Haggle with tuk tuk drivers

Get on a tuk tuk with cars zipping by a scant 2 cm away!

6. Look at gemstones

7. Visit a temple

8. Take a photo of one of their gigantic Buddha statues

9. Drink faluda

It's a sweet local drink made with fresh milk, rose syrup and vermicelli, basil and tapioca seeds.

10. Try Nannari Sherbet

It's a refreshing drink made with Indian Sarasaparilla root said to have medicinal properties.

11. Marvel at a Sri Lankan elephant's...tusks

12. Eat at a hotel with your hands (hotel means curry house in Sri Lanka)

13. Drink Ceylon tea from a street vendor

14. Eat seafood on the beach

15. Drink their local coconut arrack

It's traditionally mixed with ginger ale - go for Old Arrack or VSOA.

16. Taste "short eats" from the many stalls

There's samosas, deep fried rolls, and more!

17. Take a photo with a soldier

18. Visit Pettah

Pettah is a famous local market with everything from cell phones to shoes.

19. Buy something you don't need e.g. 10 hammers for 20 cents

20. Drink wood apple juice

21. Try the watalappam

Wattalappam is a Sri Lanka dessert of coconut custard made with eggs, coconut milk, cashew nuts, cloves, nutmegs and spices.

22. Eat their local "Maldives fish" from a street vendor

It's deep fried and savory!

23. Visit the beach on a Sunday

24. Go fly kite at the beach

25. Pimp your blog!

Spare some change for the people living on the streets...

...and leave a smile on their faces! :)

The veritable Urban Dictionary describes it as grooming for men, a rather polite term for the "back, crack and sack" hair removal it actually means. It just goes to show how David Beckham (bless/curse his soul) has managed to sell metrosexual to the modern man. 

I have recently been...er, convinced to try out a line of facial products. I know what you're thinking!

What? The man renowned for using soap for everything (including my hair) is testing out cosmetic products? 

Er...well...that is...*shifts around uncomfortably*

Okay, yes I am!

Truth to be told I'm 28 and feeling every bit of it. Le sigh. Age is starting to catch up with me in ways I've never imagined. Wrinkles, my dear friends, wrinkles galore!

I had my face analyzed by the good people at Cellnique and was prescribed the following:

Drench Me
Off With Those Heads
Submerge Me
Shield Me SPF 25
Glow & Shine
Leach Me
Spots Got Shot

I was pleased to find out that there are no major blemishes (acne, blackheads etc) on my face - at least according to the consultant. I could have sworn I have a lot of large pores on my face as well as blackheads but apparently it wasn't that bad.

Okay, back to the products I've got dry skin so I'm supposed to wash my face with Drench Me as a daily moisturizing cleanser before applying Off With Those Heads, which makes removing those pesky blackheads easy (I love this, I feel like the Queen in Alice's Adventures in Wonderland whenever I say it). It works with whiteheads too! Just before I go out, I'll be applying Shield Me (such descriptive names!) to retain moisture and prevent the dreaded Aging by Sol Invictus (The Invincible Sun).

The weekly procedure starts with Glow & Shine, which is an exfoliating mask. I was told to scrub softly instead of going around like a bull in a china shop. I didn't know I portrayed that image. Hmph. Next comes Leach Me, the moisturizing mask which hydrates your skin to prevent aging. I have to keep this mask on for ½ hour before applying Submerge Me as a deep moisturizing booster.

The Spots Got Shot is there as a blemish treatment serum cum oil control for pimple outbreaks and such (I do get them from time to time) so your skin can be blotch free!

It was like a crash course in skin care products. I leaned so much during the session that I can probably be a consultant (even memorized the terminology!) for guys hesitant to delve headfirst into this brave new world of metrosexuality. ;)

The b.liv range is available at your friendly local neighborhood Guardian, Watson's, Sasa, Alpro and Caring Pharmacy (which I hear is really caring).

b.liv is coming up with a new tagline search contest for their new packaging relaunch where you stand to win cash and prizes worth RM 1,500! Read more about the contest and the terms and conditions at the b.liv site. There's no purchase required (the magic words!) and the first 30 entries will walk away with a b.liv product hamper worth RM 200! You can also get a free sample from the site.

Squeeze your creative juices and participate by emailing blivskin@nuffnang.com

Back to the b.liv treatment range, I quite like it actually, despite the time I need to apply this and that. I consider it a time investment towards looking good and I'm going to be using more of it (since it's a free sample from the good people at Cellnique - thanks Iris!).

I've gotta keep my #1 asset (my face) in pristine condition.

You know la, need to kao lui. I'm still single you know? ;)

Man, I see all these people with Blackberry devices (plural: Blackberries?) doing everything a notebook can at a fraction of its size and I have to be honest, I find myself looking enviously at their canggih-ness.

I used to be an early adopter, getting PDAs and Pocket PCs before it came into vogue, but I have a problem with losing devices and now I can't afford to get a BB.

I hear Xpax is coming out with a pre-paid version though, no details yet, so let's see how this goes.

Blackberry Curve 8520 Prepaid Plan by Xpax

I'll be getting one from them soon (w00t!), so more information when I get my grubby hands on it! =D

Sri Lanka has a lot of Sri Lankan elephants (stating the obvious here) but I bet you didn't know that these pachyderms have 5 legs instead of the usual four.

Oh, wait...that's not his leg...

I love the conflict zone ambience!

There are soldiers everywhere...

...wearing different uniforms and carrying assault rifles.

Some were seen at structures like bridges but mostly they're everywhere - there's an armed soldier every 100 meters or so.

The car (furnished by Holiday Inn Colombo) had heavily tinted windows at the back, which I wound down to take photos of this interesting phenomenon, much to the consternation of the driver and the Holiday Inn representative. Heh!

It's like playing I Spy, no wait, like Foto Quest Fishing where you try to take as many photos of different soldiers as you can, preferably in groups.

Congratulations! You've just snapped a rare Sri Lankan soldier in desert combat fatigues!

However, it should be noted that most soldiers in Sri Lanka are fond of shouting questions and firing guns with no apparent preference about which order they do this in, so I would exercise caution when taking photos. I'm told the military does not like to be pointed and shot at (even with a digicam).

I managed to take one with a decidedly grumpy looking soldier.

I also convinced him to let me pose with his rifle. He was apprehensive and put the safety on and won't let go. I got the impression he was extremely uncomfortable about the whole thing. ;)

I've always been blasé about the stuff that I shovel into my mouth. Once dubbed The Man With The Cast Iron Stomach, I've been known to eat just about anything and everything to little or no ill effect. I tend to favor greasy and fatty dishes, which probably explains my extraordinarily high cholesterol levels.

Give yourself a dose of Shock and Awe with my triglycerides reading. I weigh in at a staggering 6.10 mmol/L which is way beyond anything that can be even remotely described as "healthy". Anything above 2.26 is High while results exceeding 5.65 is Very High. I guess mine is in the non-existent category called Ludicrously High. ;) 

Among my many (dubious) talents, one of them is speed eating. I can eat really fast. I practically gobble food down, which is not exactly listed in Best Practices of Eating Healthy.

I have always thought of myself as somewhat invincible - heart disease and stroke? That's for old people. Nope, nothing to do with me at all. Denial is not just a river in Egypt and all that. ;) 

This just goes to show that although we may come out with witty twists of famous quotes (A mind is a terrible thing to waste/A waist is a terrible thing to mind) it still doesn't change the fact that we're eating more and more unhealthy food at a younger age. The perils of cosmopolitan living... 

I'm sure you've all read about the rising obesity rates worldwide - even us Asians, traditional bastions of healthy eating, have succumbed to unhealthy (but delicious) food. 

I'm probably a prime candidate for a heart attack despite my age, and if I really do get one, having a bypass is going to cost well into the 5-6 figure range for the hospital bills. 

I'll be honest; I'll never be able to afford a sum like that. I don't even have 4 digits in my bank account, unless it's payday. ;) I have company health insurance but the problem with this is that it's tied to the company - if you switch jobs or (touch wood) get fired/retrenched, you lose your insurance. It'll be worse when you retire coz that's when you need your health insurance the most!

You know what they say about buttered toast always landing buttered side down (another variant of Murphy's law - anything that can go wrong, will go wrong).

You do see the irony of using the buttered toast analogy in a post about cholesterol levels right? ;) 

It's not all doom and gloom - read the previous post to know more about their kickbacks which rewards you for being healthy. Vegetarians and health freaks would be pleased to hear about that aspect. 

Seriously though, company tied medical insurance is not portable, which is why a lot of people opt for personal health plans. PRUhealth covers you up to the ripe old age of 100 and best of all? 

It also includes overseas coverage! Thus, if you clutch your heart after eating a hearty meal of greasy fish and chips chased down with an ultra thick chocolate milkshake complete with a deep fried Mars bar for dessert...fret not, you can still claim your hospital bills in other countries. 

I mean, if you survive la. :p

...and of course, terms and conditions apply. ;)

Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon back in the heydays when the Tamil Tigers didn't exist and everyone was living together in a happy communal family where disputes were resolved in the gentlemanly tradition of clubbing each other viciously to death with blunt objects. This veritable Eden didn't last very long against the unrelenting tide of civilization, but Ceylon tea remains one of the best teas in the world.

Ceylon tea is grown in the highlands of interior Sri Lanka and the locals over here brew the tea with ginger and lemongrass. It is drunk piping hot with enough sugar to give 10 large men diabetes.

To experience Ceylon tea it is essential to not get Dilmah (or some other prominent brand off the shelves) and steep it yourself.

The real deal is to sip it by a roadside stall, where you can get an authentic brew of Ceylon tea. It's infused with ginger, lemongrass, a dash of cinnamon and a healthy dose of sugar. Delectable!

The sugar rush is enough to make me want to pick up a club and...

...eat some Maldives fish!

There's no such thing as a free lunch, or so the saying goes. However, I went to TGIF @ Pavilion a couple of weeks ago for not just a free dinner, but a free massage to boot. Nuffnang and OGAWA organized a get-together for bloggers and I went straight after work, anticipating good food, great company and perhaps even a massage session thrown in for good measure.

I was sold. I've been working long hours and there's nothing I want more than some good chow and a nice, relaxing session on a massage chair.

I went straight after work and since my office is in PJ, it took me a while to get to the heart of KL. I was famished by the time I arrived. The food at TGIF was great; I love the lamb chop with mint sauce and the mouth-watering BBQ chicken. Yums. I helped myself to a larger portion than usual and stuffed myself so much I felt like dozing off.

The Usual Suspects (TM) a.k.a. The Nuffnangers were there in force and we took up half of the entire TGIF outlet. There was a good mix of bloggers this time around. I met a lot of people who I haven't seen in a while. The dinner concluded with half of us going over to OGAWA for a hands-on (or butt-on) experience with the OGAWA Smart Mate and the OGAWA SmartAire.

I went on the OGAWA Smart Mate and it's a good massage chair. However, the one I'm really interested in is the new OGAWA SmartAire.

It's featured prominently in their display and the sleek curves and sensual contours (get your mind out of the gutter, I'm talking about the chair) presents a very inviting package that practically whispers in your ear: Come on me.

Okay, that didn't sound quite right but back to the chair, I decided to...er, give it a ride. The shop assistants put it on a 15 minute full body massage and boy...

It was so good that I practically had an orgasm...before falling straight asleep.

Okay, I must admit that I was intrigued by the OGAWA SmartAire which lays claim to the first Zero Gravity massage chair in town. How can this be achieved with the g = 9.8 m/s2 = 32.2 ft/s2 equation that has been drilled into us in high school Physics classes?

It apparently works by reclining you into a 126 degree position which takes the burden of gravity off your spine. You'll look mighty ridiculous...but you can proudly proclaim to feel great while at it! ;)

It felt so good that I didn't feel like getting off the chair at all. The sales personnel showed me the rollers which feel like human hands massaging you (it actually does!) and put me on a yoga setting that I thoroughly enjoyed.

It felt like I was almost floating, without the constant reminder of my bad posture and my neck pain. The 25 air massage bags felt like someone was actually massaging me in a spa (without the happy ending, of course ;)).

I volunteered to be Carol's assistant tour guide for the second batch of people since I've gleaned quite a bit of information from the Ogawa sales personnel. I spontaneously launched into a pitch on OGAWA SmartAire's NASA technology and the reparative properties of the yoga setting while walking backwards, clutching the brochure and gesturing rather enthusiastically.

It was an impromptu thing, but even I surprised myself by being able to remember stuff like the high pillow design for support and the "uniquely designed S-track to follow the contour of your spine" while talking to the second group during the long trek from TGIF to Ogawa. I guess there's potential for me in the tourism and hospitality industry yet. ;)

It was back to TGIF for more fun and games after that - Telephone a.k.a. Chinese Whispers (which I've always found mildly offensive, but it's what I call it). It goes like this:

There is a man at the bar.
His hand has a scar.
If you want to be a star,
You can tonight, thanks to OGAWA!

It wasn't the original message of course - I was the last in the line and that was the communiqué when it arrived.

Su Ann and ShaolinTiger snagged the OGAWA EyeTune prizes.

We lost, but a post-mortem conducted by Yours Truly discovered that all 6 of us at the end transcribed it correctly (impeccably even) so the error occurred in the first 4 people. :p

BTW, OGAWA is having a Mega Raya promo where everything is 50% off. I thought it said RM 50 at the store and was about to rummage for my wallet to get a massage chair before one of the attendants politely informed me that it was 50% off, not RM 50. Heh! There's also RM 10,000 worth of shopping vouchers to be won and a shopping experience with Aznil.

Nuffnang is having a joint promotion where you can print out vouchers online for ludicrous (defined as up to 70%) discounts on selected items here.

It was a great night and the door gift includes an OGAWA ComfyzzZ Vibrating Neck Supporter which I've found rather useful. I've taken to sleeping on it lately and it lulls me into Mr. Sandman's domain relatively faster than my usual pillow. Nifty! It's very...comfyzzZzzzzzzz...

Mount Lavinia is a city outside Colombo famed for its Golden Mile of beaches. There are a lot of beachfront restaurants over there - the sun, the surf, the sand all around you while you dig in to some fresh fish caught straight from the ocean.

I'm telling you, the waves in Sri Lanka are awesome! It's an island surrounded by the ocean so the impressive surf is like nothing else. The sea spray alone is enough to whet the appetite.

I went to this place called Boat Hous Café. It was decimated by the tsunami several years ago and rebuilt from scratch.

I ordered Hadella which is sprats...

...and some kind of butterfish that the proprietor recommended. It's served with a side of salad and plenty of spices on the fish.

The meal was topped off with some Sri Lankan fried rice. The food here is cheap, inclusive of beers (5 x large local lagers) it came up to LKR 2,700 (about USD 27 or RM 90).

I was amazed by the freshness of the fish. The sprats were deep fried and served with some kick ass chillies and the butterfish is tender and succulent. I noticed that the people over here love their red onions - it comes as a side dish, spiced with pepper and makes an awesome condiment for the fried rice.

Dig in!

(and ignore the Naval base with armed military by the beach - it's a common sight in Sri Lanka)