November 2009 Archives

Q: OMG! There's a fucking police patrol car tailing me! What should I do?
A: Calm down. Are you really sure it's following you or is it just on a routine patrol?

Q: I'm fucking sure man, it's on my ass and following my every turn! How ah how ah?
A: Turn down your stereo, wind up your windows and act like you're just on your way back home.

Q: I can't close the windows I'm smoking a cigarette!
A: Okay, hold on to it, you don't want to fog your car up.

Q: It's burning my fingers!!!!
A: You're gonna have a lot of other burning sensations if you chuck it out now so just take it like a man.

Q: Okay, I'm holding on to it. The patrol car is shadowing my every move. Fuck la!
A: Resistance is not futile. Chill. Just go with the flow and don't draw attention to yourself.

Q: How do I sit ya? Can they see me inside my car ah?
A: Can you see the car in front of you when you have your headlights on? Ya, don't ask stupid questions. Just be nonchalant.

Q: Shit la, I turned into an alley and this asshole Nissan is like driving 20 km/h and the police is still on my tail and they're pointing at me. Fuck la, I seriously freaking out dy.
A: WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT YOUR REAR VIEW MIRROR FOOL? That's like a sure fire sign you have something to hide. Act like you don't know it's a police car behind you can or not?

Q: What if I get stopped ah? Die la!
A: Check your wallet. Got cash or not? Check your car. Got contraband or not? Check your system. Can pass test or not? Actually this all just crap, the first question is the only important one.

Q: Should I take a photo of the police patrol car for my blog?
A: Eh, your mom dropped you on the head as a baby izzit? Idiot! Use stock photos la.

I'm sure you've heard of the legendary Super Spicy Taiwan Sausage at Ming Tien food court. I was a bit dubious about this claim at first since I can take a lot of heat. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that their claim of super spicy is actually for real.

I'm not a wuss when it comes to Scoville units. I believe that more is more (versus less is more, geddit) but when I requested for a super super spicy sausage it was...quite an experience.

I've always maintained a healthy disregard for spicy claims due to my high tolerance to spicy stuff so I convinced the guy to let me add some of the chilli powder to the spicy sausage.

This is where the disclaimer goes. Don't rub your eyes after your fingers come into contact with the mean wrapper. It's infused with chilli powder and your sensitive ocular devices won't ever let you hear the last of it.

Most of the people I went with threw in the towel after one bite (some even BEFORE they ate - just from smelling the chilli powder). I love it though.

Taiwan Sausage is located at Ming Tien food court in PJ. You have to order the super spicy sausage for the complete and unedited experience. It goes for RM 2.30 per sausage. This phallic shaped meat of tough love is sure to thrill.

Sausage akimbo! It's my regular haunt when my taste buds wants some S&M lovin'.

Do you have beef against our friendly neighborhood broadband provider Streamyx? I've been hearing a lot of complaints about it but what's interesting is that I hear EVEN MORE from the people who switched to other less established ISPs. I'm quite happy with my connection - it's not expensive compared to some other players and the best thing about it is that it's available nationwide. No restrictions on where you can use it. Not limited to Klang Valley and all that.

Sounds damn hard sell? Not if you look at my history, I've always been on Streamyx (except during the dark ages when all I had was dial up T_T). It's fast and it's reliable. I think the reason a lot of people diss it is coz it's the incumbent and everyone likes to talk shit about the existing provider and praise the new players.

It's like politics...let's see how you feel about The Opposition (TM) when they finally come into power. Say hello to the new boss, same as the old boss (only less reliable and prone to throwing tantrums). ;)

I just moved from Kelana Jaya to the Bangsar area and switched my Streamyx broadband to the place over here. I've had a lot of questions about why I did that. I don't know why but a lot of people think Streamyx is passé now with all the new nifty players on the market.

However, for me (and others) it is still the most reliable broadband provider. I'm not just saying that coz this is an advertorial - this was one I accepted coz it really reflects my feelings. I started out with TM dialup (1515 anyone?) coz I'm old (skool) and as soon as Streamyx was available, I just jumped on it.

I was even considering stuff like satellite connections coz it hasn't rolled out in Sibu back then. I was a real geek back in the days (probably still am, just in a different arena) and thought  it would be worth it to get a sat connection (great downlink, but uplink is slow coz it runs on dialup). ISDN was also an option but PROHIBITIVELY expensive back in the days.

It was something of a godsend when Streamyx came into the scene. It's why I'm still using it...and will continue to use it. I'm just loyal like that ya. ;)

The turkey stew is made with half a savory sauce base and half apple juice. It sounds a little weird and we did this as an experiment of sorts but it worked out really well. The stew takes a lot of time to cook (3 hours approximate) but we also made BBQ pork ribs. The hearty stew is served with slices of French loaf topped with Mozzarella cheese slices seared in olive oil.

You will need:

• Turkey drumstick
• Pork ribs
• Quail eggs
• La MASIA extra virgin olive oil
• Coat & Cook Honey and Soy Sauce marinate
• Heinz BIG N CHUNKY Stew
• PEEL FRESH apple juice
• Mozzarella cheese block
• BBQ sauce
• Potatoes
• Baby carrots
• Portobello mushrooms
• Onions and garlic
• Apple
• French loaf

Turkey drumsticks are huge - check out the sheer size of it.

The turkey drumstick will be the stock of the stew but we wanted the meat as well so we sliced the turkey drumstick with a knife, going sideways as to maximize the return on investment on this bird.

Mmm...

We started off by preparing the ingredients for the stew. Chop up the onions, garlic, potatoes and apples. The last two should be cubed and diced respectively. Put the baby carrots into the plate as well.

Next up, fry the onions and garlic in olive oil...

...and put in the slices of turkey to sear it for the stew.

Open the can of stew base and dump it into a suitable sized pot. DO NOT ADD WATER.

Throw in the rest of the ingredients except the quail eggs and Portobello mushrooms.

Boil 6 of the quail eggs (reserve the rest for the stew) and peel it.

You can also throw in the pasta at this time for the two birds with one stone thing (pardon the lame pun).

Pour in the apple juice in lieu of water - trust me on this. Add about 500 ml or so.

Chuck in all the rest of the ingredients and let the stew...well, stew for 2 hours.



Here's the video!

This is where you cook the pork ribs. Marinate the pork ribs with Coat & Cook Honey and Soy Sauce and let it sit for a while.

Use olive oil to fry some onions and garlic and put in the pork ribs.

You don't want to overcook the porcine goodness so flip every now and then and add BBQ sauce before serving.

After 2 hours (do check on the stew from time to time and remember to turn the heat down) put in a few slices of bread to thicken up the stew.

Add BBQ sauce and crack in the quail eggs...

...and the Portobello mushrooms.

Let it stew (you guessed it) for 30 more minutes with the lid on.



Crack the rest of the quail eggs in at this point. High cholesterol but adds a lot to the taste!

Chop up the French loaf to go with the stew and heat it with cheese slices on top of olive oil until the Mozzarella cheese melts.

Cook some pasta to garnish in the middle of the French loaf with melted cheese...

...and serve with the turkey stew with quail eggs, Portobello mushrooms and apples.

I'm telling you, it tastes DIVINE. It might be a bit sour but it'll be nothing a bit of BBQ sauce can't fix and the medley of sour, sweet and savory notes is something to experience. The stew is thick and full of turkey with quail egg and apple surprises!

This has gotta be the highlight of today. We were having lunch at a mamak when this waiter started collecting used plates and bowls into a structurally unsound configuration which flies against all the laws of gravity. It's an abomination! This Bonanno Pisano wannabe was just BEGGING for his hodge-podge construct to come apart.

It started wobbling when he walked over to our table.

I can see the look of consternation of his face, as well as a glint in his eye that suggested DETERMINATION to reach the dirty plate washing basin before it deconstructed.
He was fighting a losing battle and he shifted left, and then right in an effort to correct the wobbling structure.

His face started showing signs of dismay and horror as he realized he'll never cross the finish line without it toppling over. The leaning tower of old soup, rice, and gravy from various people's leftovers was just beside us at this point.

In a last ditch effort to do some damage control, he sharply veered right and let his body act as a splatter shield as everything came down.

It still got to us though. I was trying hard not to laugh coz his expression was PRICELESS. I wish I had videoed it but I didn't know it was going to fall.

I still think it's funny even though my left sleeve smells like old onion soup.

I'm rather proud of this artwork I did. It involved paint, duct tape, brushes, sponges and a lot of prayers to hold it together. It's an abstract art based on the title of the post so I'll call this The Picture of Huai Bin.

I'm not known for my artistic skills (understatement of the year). Whenever we had to do Pendidikan Seni (Art) in high school, I would inevitably draw this:

I'm not kidding. I blogged about it back in 2003 in under the absurdly grandiose title Behold, I draw again. ;)

One fine Saturday, Nippon Paint invited a bunch of us to the Nippon Paint Workshop at HomeDec '09, KLCC. I was the first one to arrive so after checking in, I did some recon around the place and found a lot of interesting things such as regal looking porcelain thrones that is more for art's sake than for actual crapping.

When I wandered back to the Nippon Paint workshop, I saw easels being set up around the area. It seems like we'll be painting today!

The tables were filled with all sorts of painting paraphernalia - some of which I don't have names for. Art just isn't my forte. >.<

I thought someone was just going to shove a paintbrush into my hands and tell me to paint. It'll be like Pendidikan Seni all over again. It took 15 years of therapy and thousands of dollars in medication to get over that stressful period of my life and I still have PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder)!

Repressed memories began to resurface and I felt my heart pound and blood rush to my head. Panic attack! Before I tore the hair out of my head and ran screaming out the door, Gladys came in and made us feel welcome with some food and a presentation.

The workshop by Nippon Paint was held to teach us about colors. I don't just mean red, green and blue but also about how colors affect moods and how to create the ambiance you want. There are warm and cold colors and color combinations that can be manipulated for the purpose you want.

We also learned about how to make our own designs with a variety of materials. I was amazed by how a little self-painted art can really accentuate a wall, room, or space. I saw this pattern that was done to highlight a wall and cover a beam. It was inspiring! It really got me interested in being creative and adding a motif to my future living room wall.

I gleaned a lot of information from the presentation but my particular interest is in this color:

Red

Pros
Passion, fire, energy, courage
Cons
Defiance, aggression

You should never paint a meeting room red or office disputes might just explode to a whole new level, with disastrous consequences. It is a contentious color for the bedroom - it ignites passion, but also arguments.

However, I'm partial to red (notice my banner and my phoenix tattoo) due to the symbology associated with it. Studies have actually shown that it has a physical effect - increasing the respiration rate, raising blood pressure and making your heart beat faster.
I'll tell you why I want red later.

Okay, with the presentation over and the basics ingrained (well, at least not totally lost) we were led by the friendly Nippon Paint staff to our easels and started working on our canvas!

I cut sponges into eye shapes with scissors

I used duct tape artistically to define zones

I used multiple sizes of paint brushes to color my canvas

I mixed colors and washed paint brushes with water

Hell, I even squeezed paint straight from the tube onto the easel

I almost felt like Van Gogh (except my left ear lobe is still intact and I haven't succumbed to mental illness...yet) doing all that.

I loved the session so much I lugged my piece of art back home to Kelana Jaya on the LRT at the expense of my back. I seriously felt the need to paint and make beautiful things (which is very subjective, ya know :p) for the first time in my life! I already have a project in mind...I'm going to paint my work table! =D

That's why I wanted the color red, I'm going to blog from that table and all the positive attributes are the things I want happening when I'm typing out a post. I'll face my Pendidikan Seni fears and do a little design on the table while I'm at it too!

Hmm...now what creepy sketch should I do? ;)

I just moved into my new studio apartment with cooking facilities and decided to break in the kitchen by whipping something up. This inspiration made us go to the nearest hypermarket to pick up some stuff for pasta. I wanted a hybrid seafood and red meat dish - squid and beef, so here's the surf and turf pasta!

You will need:

• Fresh whole squid
• Aussie beef steaks
• Enochi mushrooms
• Fresh white button mushroom
• Broccoli
• Whipping cream
• Perfect Italiano Mozzarella cheese slab
• Tatura butter
• McCormick Garlic Pepper Seasoning Grinder
• McCormick Italian Herbs
• McCormick Season All salt seasoning
• Heinz Garlic BBQ sauce
• Onions
• Garlic
• San Remo Vegeroni Spirals pasta

My friend started squashing the garlic...

...and chopping up the onions.

While I went to work marinating the Aussie beef with a mixture of Heinz Garlic BBQ sauce...

...before adding in some raw garlic and grinding some McCormick Garlic Pepper Seasoning into it.

I also gave it a good massage, Kobe style. This is The Turf (TM).

Prepare the broccoli by tearing it into manageable pieces and slice half the button mushrooms while keeping the other half whole.

Put everything onto a plate - it's for the homemade sauce. This is supposed to be for the sauce base. Next - seafood!

The squid should be boiled - shake some salt into the water and just chuck the damn sotong into the pot.

Squid has this cartilage thing inside it so remember to pull it out after you've boiled it. This is The Surf (TM).

The next step is to cook the vegeroni spiral pasta in salted water.

While you're waiting it to become al dente start stir frying the garlic, onion, enochi mushroom, broccoli, and button mushroom in LOTS OF BUTTER.

I used ½ a block of butter and if you want your pasta to taste as good as mine you'll do the same. ;)

Shake in some Italian herbs to add some delicious hints to your sauce.

Add cream to the entire mixture...

...and chop off half the block of cheese into the pasta sauce.

I know, this is not going to win any Heart Healthy (TM) awards but it tastes fucking good okay?

Your pasta should be done by now so drain and put in a healthy amount of butter. Be generous! Go kung fu on the butter block and melt it in the pasta!

Got beef? Don't look at me. Fry the goddamn thing. Put the heat on low and sear it so you won't overcook it.

Now it's time to chow down! Pour the pasta sauce into the butter saturated pasta, add in the beef and squid and serve!

Serving suggestion: Grind some pepper on top of the butter and eat while hot! :)

I wanted to get a cake for Carol for her farewell but when I logged into Secret Recipe I found out that my credit card order wouldn't go through. T_T

I haven't paid my credit card bill this month coz of moving and all that (moving requires $) so my credit card was rejected. I tried making random calls to various Secret Recipe outlets in KL but it seems that only one (after much pleading) would do delivery.

He is the store manager of the franchise at Wisma MCA and agreed to text me his bank account so I can transfer the money to him. I was a bit dubious about this arrangement at first, but I had the blogathon to do last Friday (the day it's supposed to be delivered) so I didn't have a choice.

Anyway, I banked in the money and emailed him and on Friday (the 13th) he called me RIGHT BEFORE the blogathon and said he couldn't access his email. >.<

I haven't even changed, much less gotten into the window display to get at the computers. I panicked for about 1 second before telling him I'll text him the email contents before lunch (coz I can't remember everything).

Thus, on the very first day of the blogathon, while everyone was blogging, I was busy sorting out this damn cake order so Carol would get it on her very last day.

It's a good thing that the Xpax XXL double bonus is happening coz it's so much easier to write long SMS (took 6 x 160 characters IIRC) on my BB.

All's well that ends well though. Goodbye Carol! You will be missed. T_T

I thought stuff like this only happens in movies, like slipping on banana peels. However last night I had the great misfortune of DROPPING my keys INTO A GRATE. You know that kind of drain - you can call it a sewer even. It's a good meter down and inaccessible so you can't reach into the bacteria infested water and fish out your keys.

It's a good thing it happened beside my condo so I got security to use a hook apparatus to fish it out. Apparently, it's not as rare as I thought...else, why would they have that thing lying around the guard house? Granted, it can be used to pull down rolling shutters as well, but there are none in my place.

It's a good thing they had that nifty pole lying around or I'll have had to call one of my friends to come with a piece of steel wire (my first thought). It wouldn't be very difficult since the Xpax XXL double bonus allows me to make more calls but it still wouldn't be fun waiting for them to come while peering apprehensively at down the drain and hoping the water won't wash my keys away. >.<

Style is something you can just pull off. I think everybody has their own sense of style. You can be wearing anything and if you can pull it off...that's style!
 
You don't have to be wearing designer labels or have a slim/buff figure to be "stylish".

Style is all about SELF CONFIDENCE.
 
I'm wearing this purple outfit today which I would never have bought myself. Heck, I wouldn't even glance at it twice if I were shopping for myself.

The stylist chose it for me and I was a bit dubious about wearing it at first but I've started to be comfortable with it.
 
A Very Wise Person (TM) told me this morning (technically last night) that confidence is all that it takes.

So whether you're wearing ah pek slippers and a white singlet with holes all over it or the latest from Versace, you have style if you have self confidence.
 
That's all it takes really. I think everyone in the photos in the post is the definition of style.

Including me. ;)

Okay, task two is having to interview a shopper in TANGS about their ideas of Fashion & Technology Entwined.
 
It was rather easy for me since er...I'm a bit used to approaching random strangers. Okay, okay, I mean random strangers OF THE OPPOSITE SEX. :p
 
It was in and out two minutes for me.

This is Sandra. She was with her mom which is not a generally a Good Idea (TM) but I only had 15 minutes to complete the task and I had FAITH (TM) in my capabilities. ;)
 
I just did a quick intro and got her to do a video interview about her thoughts on Fashion & Technology Entwined:

 
Thanks for being a good sport Sandra!

Technology and fashion...if you used the two words in the same sentence a decade ago you'll be hear derisive snorting at best. However, times have changed and technology isn't the realm of pimply, overweight and socially inept nerds anymore. In fact, the dichotomy has swung like a pendulum to the other extreme.
 
Technology is cool.
 
Technology is fashion.
 
Just look at the masses of corporate workers, college students and entertainment industry people out there who would feel out of place without their high tech cell phones, notebooks and Wi-Fi, tapping, typing and surfing away, during work, study and play.
 
It has become essential to be seen with the latest and greatest gadgets while out and about. You wouldn't be caught dead with a 10 year old notebook while surfing at Starbucks right?
 
You'll want to be seen with the latest and sleekest machine.
 
Technology has become an accessory. A fashion statement.

...and I couldn't be happier, being a total geek back when I was hitting puberty. :p

1. Eat your meals

12 hours can be quite exhausting, especially if you have to lobby for votes and run around doing tasks. Scarf the food down, we have three meals a day and I eat every single meal coz you'll need the energy.
 
2. Interact with the people outside

You need their votes so wave, smile and pose for photos with them. 1 vote is one point so take your time with the people voting for you.
 
3. Do social profiling
 
You know who likes you. You know who doesn't. It's mostly guesswork but I can figure out which types vote for me and I'll lobby for their votes by making eye contact and waving the appropriate sign. Then again I've been surprised by votes from people who I never even lobbied for so take this with a grain (or shaker) of salt. ;)

4. Make use of placecards

You can't be heard inside the window display and you'll need to communicate with the people outside. Write generic replies and scribble ad hoc ones with a marker when you have to.

5. Use Twitter
 
Each tweet is worth 1 point, the same amounat as a vote so it'll be wise to start tweeting about anything and everything. All of us were spamming Twitter with the hashtag. :) 
 
6. Don't drink too much water

This goes without saying. We get one (1) toilet break every 3 hours and all other toilet breaks will be deducted at a rate of one point per minute. Hold the water, or your bladder, or even better, both. Just learn to pee real fast. ;)
 
7. Put up signs on your window display

This is what they see when they first go to the window display. Tape those signs up! =D
 
8. Type faster
 
This is not a PhD dissertation or a presentation to an important client. Speed is the keyword here. It's a blogathon - go, go, go!
 
9. Don't put up too many photos
 
It takes ages. T_T
 
10. Be nice to the promoters

They get one vote per day too so you can get them to vote for you!

Thanks girls! Much appreciated. :)

Okay, every politician will tell you that lobbying matters.

I noticed that the people who vote for me tend to be predominantly female though.

That's why I have place cards.

This environmentally friendly one goes down very well with Caucasians and certain other demographics. I flash it when I think it fits the profile. ;)

I have this one that says "I've been smiling the ENTIRE DAY! My face hurts. T_T VOTE SIXTHSEAL" stuck to my window display.
 
(of course you can always spam Twitter since each tweet is 1 point, as is every blog post, comment, and vote, but that's exploiting the loophole)

Every successful politician will also tell you that image matters. It's very important to have a good image. My fashion fix experience will require me to cover up all my tattoos as you don't exactly inspire votes when you look a bit dodgy. :p

You need to really look the part.

I can't exactly go around in t-shirt and baggy jeans while smiling out at the aquarium, I mean, window display while appealing for votes. I don't think that would work very well for me.

That's why I'm dressed in long sleeves - I'm wearing a jacket today and I'll be donning a different outfit tomorrow. =D

I'll be here again on Saturday so come and vote for me!

Now I know how people of a certain industry who has to smile out of glass aquariums at potential customers feel like.
 
>.<

The task for today is to capture photos of the following six keywords (mmm...six) in 30 minutes:

• Ultra slim
• Inside
• Fashion & Lifestyle
• Long lasting
• Eye Candy
• Idea 

Here's my...er, creative entries. ;)
 
Ultra slim

Nothing is more picture perfect and idealistic than a mannequin. The "ideal proportions" which all XX Chromosomes seek to attain...but isn't really what guys want. It's those little imperfections that makes you human and all that more adorable to us. You're not a mannequin, you're human.
 
Inside

Nothing says inside like pair of briefs. You show me yours, I'll show you mine. ;)
 
Fashion & Lifestyle

Nippies! I hear they're all the rage. I couldn't figure out whether it's to give you nipples or conceal your aureoles though. >.<
 
Long Lasting

This one is easy. I headed straight to fragrances and snapped CK Eternity. I have used this one before and sure lasts a long time! I love this eau de toilette.
 
Eye Candy

Upskirt. Need I say more? ;) It's a mannequin, don't look at me like that. T_T
 
Idea

Everyone said it couldn't be done until the Wright brothers went and did it. :)

I'm blogging here at the Live Mannequin blogathon 2009 @ TANGS, Pavilion KL on a Lenovo notebook. This is the notebook that I'm hoping to win so please RT my #bthonkl tweets at @sixthseal so I can garner more points. =D

Anyway, this notebook is pretty nifty, it's running on Windows 7 Enchanced Experience which is exclusive to Lenovo. Certain things run 50% faster which is pretty useful as I'm on Tweetdeck, editing photos with Photoshop, watching YouTube videos (gotta have them Eminem songs) as well has having multiple instances of Internet Explorer running.  

I'm having a serious case of the post lunch coma right now which is excreberated by a serious lack of sleep last night. You know what I really want my dream notebook to be like?

Write or Die. I want the keyboard to give me an electrical jolt when I stop typing for 3 seconds so I'll be able to maintain a proper level of wakefulness while doing blogathons like this. I'm already half asleep. T_T

None of that Kamikaze mode which undos your writing whenever you stop typing though - that's like...er, suicide. Haha! I just need the electric shock to keep me on my toes and force me to type non-stop. It's ESSENTIAL FOR BLOGATHONS!!!1111

I'm taking a break from campaigning until the post lunch slump is over. T_T

Good news is I managed to get some votes...especially from people I care about. You know who you are. xoxo

This event was the result of a sponsorship campaign between Intel, Lenovo and TANGS Pavilion.

Okay, I arrived bright and early to TANGS and got changed into my outfit. This is my wardrobe - it goes "Reserved for blogathon bloggers".

I'm now officially wearing clothes that cost more than I earn in a month. Heh!

The people from Intel, Lenovo and TANGS are here for a group shot. This event was the result of a sponsorship campaign between Intel, Lenovo and TANGS Pavilion.

We're now inside the glass window display wearing our outfits. I'm donning the 4k jacket you can see in this post.

Food has been served - a decidedly weird but tasty sandwich made with blueberry jam AND chicken. It's surprisingly good, especially when you put chips in the sandwich.

I have to eat real carefully coz of the 4k jacket though. T_T

Okay, I need your help, come to TANGS, Pavilion KL and vote for me. Show me some love, I need it. >.<

4 bloggers stuck in a window display for 24 hours over two days...all in the name of fun!

Melody here points to where we will be doing our blogathon. It's exactly where the mannequins will be, except the inanimate ones will be replaced by decidedly more vivacious mannequins (us) for the duration of the Live Mannequin blogathon 2009 at TANGS.

I want to apologize in advance for my noxious farts, which I'm sure you'll all get to experience firsthand when we're in that small enclosed space. Oh yes, that is my Sekret Weapon (TM) to winning this contest. Flatulence. Plenty of it.

Who? What? Why? When? Where?
Alright, the Live Mannequin blogathon is happening on the 13-14th of November. We'll be at TANGS, Pavilion KL from 10 am - 10 pm on Friday and Saturday for 12 hours straight each day.

Huai Bin (me), KY, Cheesie, Wern Shen

Don't worry about spotting us, you'll see us alright. We'll be at the place where the window display is. Right in front of the entrance. There's a reason it's called "Live Mannequin blogathon". We'll literally be sitting there, decked out in TANGS attire, blogging, tweeting and Facebooking.

Talking about TANGS attire, we tried on the outfits earlier this week and let me tell you the one I'm wearing in the photo below costs way more than my one month salary. Heck, the jacket alone is RM 3,899. Must. Be. Careful. With. 4k. Jacket.

Hot or not? ;)

I'm sitting here, wondering how I'm going to deal with one toilet break every 3 hours. What if I get diarrhea? What if I'm secretly bulimic and need 15 minutes to throw up after every meal? What if I'm a raging heroin addict who needs to get his fix every hour?

Kidding on two counts. No prizes for guessing which.

It'll be a lot of fun though! Food will be delivered into the window display so I can demonstrate my famous speed eating repertoire for all and sunder to see!

There's also going to be a lot of events for us to participate in so there won't be a dull moment. I'm actually getting more and more excited as I type.

Hear ye, hear ye! I'll be at TANGS this weekend so please come and show your support by voting for me. I really need to win that Intel powered Lenovo notebook coz my primary notebook died. T_T

Oh, and you can also win yourself a Lenovo notebook just by dropping by. Check out the Facebook page for details!

This event was the result of a sponsorship campaign between Intel, Lenovo and TANGS Pavilion.

*pleased*

I have found a new place in record time and for once I'm not settling for it coz I'm in a rush to get a roof over my head. I really, really like it. =D

Behold! My new studio unit!

I went straight after work so I didn't have a digicam or dSLR with me. The crappy photos don't do it justice, especially with a hyperbolic word like "behold", which should probably be reserved for divine entities. :p

It's a studio so there are no doors to speak of. Open concept. I can even see the toilet from my dining table. :)

It's fully furnished and comes with everything...even the kitchen sink (obviously la).

There's also an infinity pool, Jacuzzis and saunas so I'm looking forward to moving in this weekend!

The only thing that's lacking is broadband so I'm going to get my Streamyx transferred over to this studio! I'm not switching coz Streamyx has been working reliably for me all this while. =D

It was a totally impulsive decision. I was chatting to my friend on MSN earlier this week when I suddenly thought, "Hey, won't it be great to just check into a nice hotel after work tonight and work?"

Of course, working wasn't the primary agenda of this nocturnal sojourn....watching TV was. ;)

Thus, I booked a room in the afternoon through the Internet and went to pick her up after work. However, a series of unfortunate events ended up with us checking in only after 8 pm.

We were so occupied in...er, our work *cough* that we ordered room service.

The lamb shank was atrocious - almost inedible, but the wine sure hit the spot.

We spent a total of six hours in the room before checking out at 2:22 am and going home coz we both have to work the next day.

It's such a waste of money right?

Cost breakdown:
Internet RM 30 (told you we were working)
Room service dinner RM 192.50
Hotel room RM 325.00
Service charge RM 32.50
Tax RM 16.25

Total: RM 596.25

Watching TV, talking and chilling out in an impromptu hotel excursion: Priceless

The point of my post is that sometimes we do things that may not make much financial sense. However, I've come across a promotion that really rewards you. I present the Every Month Bonus XXL by Xpax.

Why XXL? Xpax is DOUBLING their existing bonus when you use RM 50 or more in November and December 2009. Their monthly bonus is now bigger and better. Check out the details here.

I am using the Xpax BB so this is great news for me. At least I'll still be able to communicate after burning that amount in six hours earlier this week. :p

P/S - Seriously, we did get some work done. Honest. Cross my heart and hope to die. I don't remember watching TV though. ;)

I have been shooting blind for the past few days since the LCD on my dSLR is totally FUBAR. I'm not sure what happened to it actually but I think from the damage pattern it seems to be...water.

I have no idea how water came into contact with the dSLR. It's like one of those mysteries that you just don't think about lest you hurt your brain.

H20...sigh, with one hand you giveth life and with the other taketh away.

This is the final video of my Project Alpha episodes. It's also the last episode in the show which I dub "The one where I breathed fire using kerosene". I was hoping for this to be in an episode by itself though. Oh well. This is a 3-in-1 episode which has:

• Fire breathing
• Drinks at Helo Bali
• Wrap party at Euporia, MOS

I actually got very, very excited by the fire breathing and did it several times in a row, much to the consternation of the crew. I guess it must have looked like I have an unusually healthy disregard for the safety of my life and limb. ;)

However, it wasn't that hard - closest I got was a lil burning sensation on my lips when I didn't expel the kerosene with enough force AND draw back (which is crucial so you don't burn your lips). It was a lot of fun!

w00t! Now I can do this neat trick at BBQs or functions where an ample supply of kerosene or other flammable materials are available! ;)

Bad Idea (TM)

I may have ingested more ethanol based drinks than I ought to during the wrap party.

Worse Idea (TM)

I crashed my car straight after that and it cost me RM 11,000 in repairs. Sigh.

Worst Idea (TM)

I guess you can say that this episode cost me 11k, so go watch it!

Best enjoyed with Streamyx, of course. ;)

Hey, it really works for me - no buffering or crap like that when I watch it with my Streamyx broadband at home. I even wrote a dissertation analogy about the reliability.

Eggs you'll take to heart.

This is not exactly the best selling point since we all know eggs are laden with cholesterol and it's definitely going to clog up my arteries at some point in life. Yes, it will go straight to my heart and make me do an MJ but don't remind me when I'm enjoying the fluffy egg whites and rich egg yolks.

I don't want to take it to heart. T_T

I've been using Streamyx broadband ever since "broadband" and "Malaysia" has been used in the same sentence. Before that, I was on 14.4, 28.8 and then 33.6 kbps dial up modems and you really get to appreciate speed when it comes.

Streamyx was the first broadband to hit Malaysia and when I got it, I was ecstatic. Finally! I don't have to open multiple windows to load webpages and go make myself a cup of coffee and come back just in time to see the first one load.

You know human nature right? You think your girlfriend is the best thing since God made Eve until you marry her and then you start roaming around for bigger younger and better things.

That, my friends, is the root of all problems.

We take things for granted. We forget the great things that made us fall in love in the first place (analogy to broadband here wtf) and start nitpicking at all the minor stuff while ignoring the glaring negative attributes of the new girlfriend (or broadband provider).

This is also related to what I call the Corner Mamak Theory (TM) - eh, seriously I filed a patent for this so don't use it unless you intend to pay me royalties k? ;) I will explain the Corner Mamak Theory (TM) in more detail in another post. Haha!

Seriously though, I love my Streamyx, haven't switched since I started subscribing to it coz it does what I need. Sure, it's a "familiar" name and you know it's gonna be there for you so you start taking it for granted and you look at new broadband players with rose tinted glasses.

Well, it's a bitter pill to swallow but lemme tell you this, I've been through life enough to know that there is no such thing as the "perfect girl". The "perfect girl" is what you make of it. Streamyx does the job for so that's why I'm not switching. :)

"When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted
or take them with gratitude." - G.K. Chesterton

This is the episode I have been dreading. Cherie (my ex-girlfriend) came on set and gave the lowdown on how she met me.

I WANT TO GO ON RECORD HERE! That is not how I remember meeting her. T_T 

The photo above was taken when we first met - Cherie is the one in green. This post describes the event leading up to when I first met Cherie and it does not involve toilets, washrooms, water closets or latrines. None. Nada. Zilch. 

I wish Jojo and Michael would just run amok with the editing scissors and cut out the majority of the stuff. Heh! We did a couple of takes and there were things said which can best be described as uncomplimentary. ;) 

However, there were some good things said too, which didn't go into the final episode. Can we have an outtakes episode? :p 

This episode was fun to do coz I had a (more than) a couple of beers while shooting the scene. You see, there's this thing called "scene continuity" so if you mess up a scene but took a sip (or a gulp) from your freshly opened beer while at it, you'll need a new one so it doesn't look weird. 

This means you have to finish the current bottle. FML. ;) 

It was a good scene though, I like this one coz Cherie knows me well. I guess you can say that we've been through a lot together - it's a chemical romance with its ups and downs but at the end, it's nice that we can still be friends and say "Hey, when it was good, it was great right?" :)

Here are the other episodes that I haven't posted up:

Episode 5

Episode 4

I use Streamyx broadband at home and I love the speed it gives me. I'm on the 1 Mbps package and YouTube videos loads right away. Instant gratification! =D

This post has no Sacha Baron Cohen jokes. Okay, maybe just one. 

Bruno's Restaurant and Bar is located in a corner of Jaya 33. It's a bit out of the way and I had to search for a bit before I found the place. Bruno's is revamping their menu and Eiling asked me to go with her. She was fashionably late as usual but there is free flow of Guinness (and other cocktails) so I didn't mind hanging around there at all. ;) 

This is what the interior looks like - it's cozy and warm. That's Cumi and Ciki you see sitting there. I like the inviting ambience and the bar setup. 

This is Candy (yes, that's her real name) who manages Food Foundry. She's our host for the day left us to our own devices for the menu. You can order anything you want off the menu, so after a pint (or two) of Guinness I finally asked Candy for recommendations (marked with an asterisk).

Bruno's Fruit & Nut Salad (RM 19) *
Fresh Garden Salad accompanied by globe grapes, kiwi fruit slices, black plum wedges topped with roasted almond strips and walnut chunks drenched in Bruno's Citrus dressing.

Candy suggested this starter for its interesting combination. I was a bit dubious about having salad, being adverse to all things healthy like greens, but I'm glad I went with her recommendation. I really like the sweet vinegar dressing; I ate the entire bowl of salad, something I'm not really known for doing. It's sweet and crunchy, an experience in texture. No Hamas, I mean hummus though.

Tomato & Bacon Soup (RM 16)
Chicken consommé infused with fresh tomatos, oregano and smoked bacon.

This is Eiling's starter - it's pretty good stuff, I liked the bacon in the soup. It's real bacon as in the meat from the pink oinking animals. It adds a lot of porky goodness to the soup. The oregano goes very well with the consommé (a fancy name for soup) too. It's served piping hot despite the amount of people so bonus points for that.

Bruno's Breaded Mushrooms (RM 15) *
Deep fried large white button mushrooms in Bruno's special bread crumb batter.

The fried breaded mushrooms are crispy and dry but when you bite into it, the juices burst in your mouth. It took me completely by surprise. I was expecting it to be dour but it's nice and juicy inside. Magical! Oh wait, this word shouldn't be in the same paragraph as mushrooms.

Bruno's Sautéed Mushrooms (RM 15)
Large white button mushrooms sautéed in garlic and herbed butter glazed with oyster sauce.

The sautéed ones comes in a delicious oyster sauce. I prefer this one coz I have a bit of a phobia about breaded and deep fried items from overeating at KFC the day before this. However, the fried breaded mushroom is an experience...it's like Baked Alaska, except with mushrooms.

Bruno's Pork Burger (RM 36)
Juicy pork patty stuffed with herbs and grilled to perfection. Topped with a caramelized pineapple ring and Bruno's tangy sauce. Served with potato wedges and garden salad.

This is a surprise hit. I didn't order it coz I've had some awesome pork burgers before and I wanted to go with Candy's recommendation. However, it turns out that the pork burger was the one of the best dishes of the night! It beats Sid's and rivals Cristang's offerings.

You'll love this is you're a purist. Cristang's P7 has a lot of petai on it and would appeal to spicier tuned palates. Bruno's pork burger however, is intensely juicy with a hint of charcoal, sweet, and comes in a perfect crispy bun.

The caramelized pineapple ring really did the trick too. The pork burger is seared with Malibu which gives it a sweet coconut hint from the liqueur. How awesome is that? It's pork and alcohol...together!

Roast Pork with Chardonnay & Thyme Sauce (RM 48) *
200 grams of chilled pork loin marinated with thyme and lemon, soaked in Chardonnay, slow roasted, sliced and bathed in its own sauce. Served with pasta alfredo and fresh garden salad.

This is my mains. The roast pork was tough and dry but I love the choice of the pasta. It's creamy and comes in a reasonable portion, perfect for those who don't want to commit carbicide. ;)

Candy came up before I could comment and apologized for the lack of fat in the pork. I like fatty cuts. The kitchen just ran out of it on that day. The pasta was great though.

Bruno's Sirloin Maison (RM 48)
Chilled Australian Sirloin grilled with herbed butter, served on a slice of foccacia, smothered with smoked bacon and mushroom sauce accompanied by spicy wedges and fresh garden salad.

This is Eiling's main. She didn't quite like it, so she changed the dish. I had a bite of it and I thought the smoked bacon sauce went very well with the steak. The steak was overdone though.

Char Grilled Tuna Steak (RM 48) *
200 grams of Pacific tuna marinated in Chablis wine and char grilled to perfection, topped with tomato coulis. Served with whipped potatoes and fresh garden salad. 

Saving the best for last, Eiling ordered this after her steak experience. I was tempted to order this at first since Candy highly recommended it but I went with a pork dish instead. I'm glad we got to try this though coz it's d-e-l-e-c-t-a-b-l-e! 

The tender melt-in-your-mouth fish was done just right and came out in a very appetizing shade of pink. It's very juicy and I finished it despite having an entrée, starter, mains and several pints of Guinness. It's bluefin tuna, how can you resist?

I devoured it. =D 

Note to self: The old sipping on a straw trick does the job in making you appear slimmer on camera but remember not to stare bug eyed at the camera while at it. 

Oh, and I met Sue Lynn a.k.a. Bangsar Babe and just like her name suggests, she really is one. ;)

Do you know how Sue Lynn does food reviews? She keeps meticulous notes with a little book she brings along, complete with name cards and such. I used to wing it, relying on my less-than-stellar memory but realized that's not the best way to go about it. This time I used my Xpax BB to type notes while tasting the food. Awesome tool! =D 

There's also a band in the al fresco area which entertains song requests. The singer does a pretty good rendition of Hotel California and bastardized (in a good way) the lyrics of Black Magic Woman. I like the band and you can chill at the patio having drinks. I only wish they had those mist fans installed coz it was a rather warm night.

Notice: Bruno's in Jaya 33 will cease operating in December 2009. However, fear not, there are other plans coming up and they are in the midst of setting up another outlet...which also serves pork! =D

I was talking to Jester on MSN about my bucket list Top 5 Treat List the other day. It's basically a list of things you'll like to reward yourself with. Throw creative stumbling blocks like your bank account balance, credit card debt and other emotional baggage out of the window and just make a list of stuff you'll like to have.

My Top 5 Treat List:

#1 Dinner at Sugar Mill Restaurant, British Virgin Islands

Sugar Mill Restaurant is voted as one of the World's Most Romantic Restaurants on Concierge.com and is described tantalizingly as "Love among the ruins".

Located in the Caribbean, this would require a flight to the US before another hop on a plane to the British Virgin Islands. Sugar Mill Restaurant is located in Tortola and offers truffles and other premium items on the menu.

It's carved from a 17th century sugar mill and the interior looks very inviting with its rough stone walls and romantic lighting.

Who will I be sharing this fine dining experience with?

Jester of course!

HOW CAN YOU NOT WANT TO BRING THIS GIRL OUT FOR DINNER???

Just look at that smile, how can you not help but like her? =D

#2 Go to Sweden and stay at ICEHOTEL for a weekend

I first read about the ICEHOTEL in an issue of National Geographic while taking a dump and it totally captivated my imagination. I think I had constipation for a couple of days after that from all the excitement. That was a couple of years back and I still get animated every time the subject is brought up.

Imagine a hotel build from scratch every year, with drinks served in glasses made of ice and going to bed in an entire room made out of ice blocks and sleeping on a block of ice with a rug to avoid hypothermia.

They even have a section on "How to sleep well in -5 degrees Celsius"! I must experience this.

#3 Buy a Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4

I don't want a Ferrari - it's just so common its borderline cliché. It's Lamborghinis for me, thank you. Not just any Lambo either, I want the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4. Just look at the curves on the car and think about the 5.3L V10 under the hood. It reportedly beat the Ferrari F430 Scuderia, the Nissan GT-R and the Lamborghini Murcielago LP640 in an episode of Top Gear.

This car is infused with essence of awesomeness.

#4 HALO (High Altitude-Low Opening) jump in the United States

I'm an adrenaline junkie so I'm naturally attracted to things which are likely to cause:

(a) Loss of life or limb
(b) Severe injury
(c) At least the possibility of (a) or (b)

I've always wanted to do a HALO jump coz it's inherently dangerous. It is also very, very cool. Have you watched Tomorrow Never Dies and Die Another Day? Bond was doing a HALO jump in both. The HALO jump is a technique used by the US military to avoid SAM (Surface to Air Missiles) by flying planes high above and dropping personnel at about 30,000 feet.

The really interesting thing about a HALO jump is that you have to breathe pure oxygen for at least 30-45 minutes beforehand to flush the nitrogen from your system. You'll also need an oxygen bottle during the jump. Basically, you jump and freefall all the way down before deploying your chute at a very low altitude for a maximum terminal velocity experience! =D

I'm talking geek, aren't I? :p

#5 Get a Dell Inspiron 13

I have extremely bad luck when it comes to gadgets. Two (!!!) of my notebooks got soaked within two weeks coz of a freak thunderstorm that drove rain in ridiculous volumes into my living room. The first was a Dell and it was turned on when the water came in, so naturally, the result wasn't very pretty. I'm down to my backup notebook which is really slow and I really need a portable and fast notebook coz I like to travel and it's a hassle to lug a full sized one during my escapades.

The Inspiron 13 might come across as unusual naming from Dell considering the amount of people with triskaidekaphobia (fear of the number 13) but there's actually a good reason behind it. It's 13.3 inches of sleek, sexy hardware running Intel Core 2 Duo processors and Windows 7. The screen is also in 16:9 aspect ratio which I prefer to 4:3 formats.

Dell's Inspiron 13 comes in different colors (but I want the Obsidian Black if I win k?) and with enhanced wireless which supports up to 802.11n and a built in webcam, it is great for connectivity on the go. It's very portable at 2.22 kg. It'll be perfect for videoconferencing with Jester while at the office since I'm in PJ and she's in KL. ;)

Psst... use this special coupon code (7ZQVQF2RLZRKW3) when you purchase a Dell Inspiron 13 from Dell's website and get RM 100 instant cash redemption. You can also call 1800-88-0301 to order. The coupon expires 10th November 2009.

Want to win a FREE Dell Inspiron 13 with all the trimmings? Just write a post like this and send it off to dellinspiron13@nuffnang.com along with your name, email address and a permalink of the blog post before 10th November 2009. Get the full details here!

Episode 3 is up!

Okay, what on behind the scenes of a production like Project Alpha? 

BTW, you see what I mean about not being able to move much on camera lest I fall down? My left ass cheek is on solid rock but my right butt cheek is hovering precariously off the rock. :S 

There are a lot of makeup artists (MUA) doing what they do best - making you look pretty on camera. I even let them reshape my eyebrows. T_T 

A lot of waiting under the hot sun... 

...and a whole lot of shoots and retakes.

Okay, I'm a bit off today, promise I'll do a proper post tomorrow!

I love this chest X-ray. Pretty nifty eh? I don't have a light box so I improvised with my window. Check out how my nipple piercings show through. =D

Project Alpha Episode 2 is out!

I finally remember why I'm so rigid in the episode - I was sitting precariously on a stone and couldn't really move or risk falling down. T_T

I'll post up behind the scenes photos soon!

Okay, gotta go, just received a BBM on my Xpax BB for breakfast!