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The Macallan - Single Malt Highland Scotch Whisky

The Macallan is a single malt Highland Scotch whisky. It's usually available in the 12 year old single malt version matured in Sherry Oak casks. The Macallan is distilled in their own distillery (which is what differentiates premium single malt from blended whiskeys) in Speyside, Scotland.

The Macallan is one of the best single malt Scotch whisky that I've ever tasted. I opened a bottle at Luconia and drank half the bottle in the first session (with some other people). The Macallan has a cork instead of a metal cap, which is a plus point for me. It's considered a Highland single malt Scotch which puzzles me since The Macallan is obviously a Speyside single malt from their distillery location.

The Macallan tastes great, subjectively better than Glenfiddich, the other premium single malt Scotch that Luconia carries. The Macallan 12 year single malt Scotch comes in a rich gold color and goes down really smoothly with hints of sherry and spice, with a sweet smoky finish. The Macallan is usually priced around the RM 300 region in drinking establishments, though YMMV depending on your location.

There is also a bottle of Johnny Walker Swing in the background - it's a neat bottle of blended whisky that actually swings back and forth when you put it down on the table. It's a great presentation bottle but The Macallan tastes better. It comes highly recommended from me!

Posted in Ethanol and tobacco by Huai Bin at 03:37 PM Permalink | Comments (21) | TrackBack

Jong's Crocodile Farm report

Jong's Crocodile Farm is located about 30 km from Kuching and it's the only crocodile breeding farm in Malaysia. There are plenty of road signs to direct you to the crocodile farm which is located along the Kuching - Serian road. It is home to the legendary man eating killer croc Bujang Senang. I went there with a couple of friends to check out the crocodiles during the weekend.

The entrance of Jong's Crocodile Farm features a huge crocodile sculpture in front of the diminutive entrance. It's a replica of Bujang Senang. The zoo is actually quite huge, with various breeding farms for crocodiles. Jong's Crocodile Farm also features other animals native to Borneo, but the main attraction is the crocodiles, specifically the crocodile feeding session (video below).

Jong's Crocodile Farm charges RM 8 for adults and RM 4 for children below the age of 12. It's best to go during the crocodile feeding times which happens twice daily - once at 11 pm and once at 3 pm. The afternoon croc feeding demonstration is a good one to catch as there are plenty of other interesting things to occupy your time. I would recommend at least 2 hours for checking out the other sights at the farm.

There is a huge glass display that confronts you right as you step inside Jong's Crocodile Farm. It contains the substantial skull and jaw of the notorious Bujang Senang killer crocodile that reigned in blood until the fateful day on the 12th of May 1992 when it was brought down by a shotgun in Sri Aman (also on display).

Jong's Crocodile Farm has pictures of Bujang Senang's reign of terror on the walls of the entrance. I remember the crocodile from my childhood - it was something of a household name during a killing spree during the early 90's. Bujang Senang translates to "Happy Bachelor". Don't look at me, I wasn't the one who named it.

There is a slot beside the shrine where people can put in cash (though to what purpose, defeats me) and 4D numbers. Bujang Senang is a huge crocodile that grew to 19 feet and 4 inches. It was struck down by a shotgun shell in Sg. Pelaban in Lingga Batang Lupar at Sri Aman and judging from the well formed and worn canines on its huge jaw, it must have been justified. ;)

Jong's Crocodile Farm and Zoo also has other animals on display, like these two iguanas having a staring contest. I don't know which one blinked first.

There is also a museum like display of the lifecycle of a saltwater crocodile (Crocodylus Porosus) in the form of live exhibits ranging from eggs to the hatching stage at 92 days and right up to a six month old crocodile. The exhibits are real crocodiles and eggs preserved in embalming fluid.

The entrance to the outdoor Jong's Crocodile Farm is accessible from a small gate which has a sign with the crocodile feeding time and directions to the various other animals in the large Jong's Crocodile Farm natural zoo.

Jong's Crocodile Farm features concrete enclosures (more like pits actually) with lots and lots of crocodiles in various stages of their lifecycle. The crocodiles are separated according to their age (and thus, size) and does not seem to display aggression towards their own kind.

There was even some reptile lovin' going on in one of the pits...some sort of crocodile orgy.

The crocodile pits have wet and dry areas to simulate the natural habitat of a saltwater crocodile. It goes sequentially from small (young) to large (older) crocodiles and after a certain age, the crocodiles are released into another area inside the crocodile farm.

The larger crocodiles look kinda cute with their intricate scaly exterior. I like the two crocodiles sizing each other up in the middle. Crocodiles have existed since the age of the dinosaurs and they predate man and probably would outlast us in the evolutionary cycle.

This crocodile looks sinister (in a nice way) when it's partially submerged in the water with only the snout showing. It looks rather like a log when it does this. I think this is the stage where it learns how to hunt.

I think this crocodile doesn't like me very much...

There were two unusual live crocodiles on display.

This is a Tailless Crocodile. I don't know if it's a genetic defect or whether another crocodile ate its tail. It's still alive and staring. It looks grumpy.

Jong's Crocodile Farm also has an "Eyeless Crocodile". I feel compelled to share the signage coz it's like Ripley's "Believe it or not".

This is the "Eyeless Crocodile". Again, no mention is made on whether the crocodile was born without eyes or whether another crocodile took out its eye. I think it's the former though coz there's only scales where its eyes are supposed to go.

There are also other animals in cages or roaming around freely. This is a very curious bird that doesn't fly and isn't afraid of people. It came up to me and cocked its head to look at me.

This is a colorful ostrich. I didn't know ostriches look like this.

There is also a Borneo Sun Bear which was isolated in the middle of a concrete unit. It was pacing around restlessly.

I had to console this monkey after she was brutally raped and left bleeding and crying. We chatted for a while, and after I established that she was OK, we moved on to the other exhibits.

Jong's Crocodile Farm also features a huge manmade pond full of Arapaima Gigas. It's one of the largest freshwater fish in the world and the size of these things easily reaches meters.

It's not exactly a very friendly fish though...there is one partially submerged in this photo. It's shy but you can find it in the upper right hand corner if you squint a bit.

There are actually crocodiles wondering around, so watch your step when you go to Jong's crocodile farm.

It was soon nearing the 3 pm feeding time so we made our way to the crocodile feeding pond.

The crocodile feeding pond has a watchtower of sorts on the other side (inaccessible to the public) which features a contraption spanning the entire pond (which is crawling with crocodiles).

The contraption is operated by a staff of Jong's Crocodile Farm and features a pulley system to put whole chickens on hooks before rolling it out to the crocodile infested pond.

The meat is suspended about a meter off the surface of the water and the hungry crocodiles slowly float towards the chicken. It's the calm before the feeding frenzy starts...

Crocodiles can leap from the water and launch themselves surprisingly high into the air to snap at the meat dangling from the hook.

More crocodile acrobatics from Jong's Crocodile Farm...

/me holds up sign for 10.

Download: Jong's Crocodile Farm crocodile feeding [sixthseal.com]

Jong's Crocodile Farm is worth visiting for some quality time with our reptilian friends. The crocodile feeding show is worth the RM 8 entrance fee itself!

Posted in Travel by Huai Bin at 06:11 PM Permalink | Comments (34) | TrackBack

Oregano restaurant review

Oregano is an interesting eating experience in Travillion Mall, Kuching. It's located near one end of the open concept mall and the relatively small restaurant interior is boosted by a large al fresco seating area with lots of green shrubbery surrounding the seating arrangements.

The interior of Oregano has a unique contrasting ambience with the warm incandescent lights near the counter with its elevated faux floor décor contrasting with the cold florescent lights from the open kitchen concept near the back. I went there for dinner last night with Val and Monica.

Oregano is one of the few places to offer the open kitchen concept in a restaurant in Kuching. The cooking area is open for patrons to look into and there are chefs carefully tending to sauces, garnishing food and preparing dishes readily visible. This is a very nice arrangement as opposed to the closed kitchen that most eating establishments subscribe to.

The limited floor space afforded to Travillion Mall tenants is utilized well by Oregano by extending the seating area outside, which exponentially increases the seating capacity while still retaining a coherent theme with the main building with the well placed see-through glass walls bordering the restaurant.

Download: Oregano video tour [sixthseal.com]

Banana Dates Crush (RM 7.60)
This is a very thick blended drink that combines bananas with dates. It tastes great! The density of the drink is so great that it takes much effort to suck the thick blend through the straw. This is the only drink we ordered...the other refreshments came in the form of a bucket of beer (Heineken).

Oregano Onion Ring (RM 7.80)
Deep-fried crispy onion ring with spiced flour. It's a little too oily but the spiced flour batter is a nice touch.

Confit of Salmon (RM 29.80)
Pan-fried salmon with green asparagus, candied cherry tomato, and yellow capsicum caulis.

I had the confit of salmon and it tastes great (though Val finds it too salty) but my only beef (no pun intended) with it is that it's not a confit of salmon. The use of asparagus and other unusual ingredients gets two thumbs up from me though.

Lamb Shank Navarin Style (RM 28.80)
Braised lamb shank served with young vegetables and potato.

The lamb shank from Oregano is HUGE! Val and Monica both ordered this and it tastes great! Val kept on slicing bits of lamb shank pieces off for me (thanks!) and we still couldn't finish the dish. Highly recommended! The sauce it came with is perfect...Oregano does sauces well.

This is a photo of us at Oregano - me and Val is going at it in the foreground while that's Monica in the background. I know, the Tim Tams are making me put on a lot of excess weight...and I still had dessert! ;)

White Chocolate Dome (RM 13.80)
Portion of crispy rice mixed with white chocolate mousse and passion fruit jelly.

Cheese Roulade (RM 12.80)
Roulade with cheese filling and chocolate ganache, served with wild berry sauce.

Oregano does food presentation very well and their desserts are delectable!

Posted in Food reviews by Huai Bin at 03:23 PM Permalink | Comments (24) | TrackBack

Arnott's Tim Tams from Australia

Important announcement: I have Tim Tams from Australia. This probably means it'll all be gone in a minute. ;)

Well, if anyone doesn't understand all the fuss about a chocolate biscuit and why The Cult of Tim Tams loves these things, you gotta taste the Australian made ones. Such exquisite beauty in a chocolate biscuit...

Cherie got me:

Tim Tam Double Coat
Tim Tam Chewy Caramel
Tim Tam Latte
Tim Tam Classic Dark
Tim Tam Dangerous Liaisons Black Forest Fantasy
Tim Tam Dangerous Liaisons Creamy Truffle Temptation

It's truly earned the moniker "The most irresistible chocolate biscuit".

Posted in Snacks by Huai Bin at 08:16 AM Permalink | Comments (34) | TrackBack

Fancy Cocktails (inclusive takeaway themed mug) @ Rajang Lobby Lounge, Holiday Inn, Kuching

Rajang Lobby Lounge is located at the lobby of Holiday Inn, Kuching and extends out from the air conditioned interior to the pool side seating which overlooks the mighty Rejang River (which is where it probably got its name from).

There are different and contrasting views each way you look - the pool, the bar, and the interior of the lounge. The seats range from pool side recliners to comfy padded chairs and the clientele is predominantly Caucasian for some reason...probably coz this is Holiday Inn.

Tutom Pole (RM 30)
This Totem Pole like drink comes in a really cool sculpted design. The cocktails all have a theme and the mug is customized to fit the theme and comes specially designed for Holiday Inn.

The "Tutom Pole" (sic?) is topped with a slice of orange and a cherry in a long receptacle containing a combination of Cointreau, Grand Marnier, and wine cooler, plus some other spirits which I promptly forgot.

Kereta Lembu (RM 30)
Look at the beads of sweat forming on the industrious cows. This intricately designed receptacle is shaped literally like a "cow driven carriage" (instead of horse, geddit?).

You basically have to grab the bull (or cow) by the horns to drink this one. The straw goes into the lid and the drink settles around the base (which has a large footprint) so to get all of it the cow part has to be tilted to pool the drink for consumption.

This drink contains an egg yolk mixed in and it tastes great - nice and creamy. Hmm...I mean, Mmm...

Rajang Lobby Lounge also serves food. This is the tuna sandwich (RM 14++) that comes with white bread, fresh raw vegetables and Pringles.

I went for the Club Sandwich (RM 15.75++) which is a triple decker toasted sandwich with chicken, lettuce, beef bacon, tomato, mayo and egg. It's served with chips instead of Pringles and a salad with raw onions.

The Fancy Cocktails menu with its themed mugs sent out a siren call in the middle of our eating expedition (it was supposed to be our late lunch) and we decided to go for another round of drinks to check out the rest of the customized mugs.

Ketam Batu (RM 30)
Ketam Batu translates to "Stone Crab" and it comes in a crab shaped clay mould. It is customized for Holiday Inn and the crab is painted to look exactly like a crab. It even has eyes! Awesome! (...and other adolescent hyperboles)

The straw for this cocktail goes straight through the crab...the very place you stab to kill a real live crab. Nice touch. No pun intended. This is a great drink, it's made with lemonade and various liquors which the bartender told us but we promptly forgot. It's refreshing and thirst quenching.

Headhunter (RM 30)
Headhunter comes in a tall receptacle with an orange slice, a piece of orange rind carefully sliced to resemble an orchid garnish, and the entire drink is topped with a cherry. The expression on the face molded into the mug looks almost comical.

The Headhunter cocktail uses a lot of cognac and tuak (a local rice wine) which is a strange combination. It has an interesting taste to it due to the unusual ingredients but it works. I was told this is the most popular cocktail in Rajang Lobby Lounge, Holiday Inn.

There are six more drinks in the "Fancy Cocktails" menu and we've made it a mission to drink all of them (and take the themed mugs back home). I want a collection of all the 10 customized theme mugs! I think it would look great on my desk at work. ;)

Posted in Ethanol and tobacco by Huai Bin at 11:37 AM Permalink | Comments (17) | TrackBack

I bath like the ass cheek guy in Kung Fu Hustle except I don't use longkang water to wash my hair

The water board, in its infinite wisdom has decided to cut off water supply to my place of residence. Water, as we all know, is Very Important (TM) as it is the substance used to flush various bodily fluids, shower with, and drink from (if you're so inclined).

I had an outstanding bill of RM 4.95. RM 4.95!!! It's not like its RM 490 for crying out loud! Move back two decimal points! Now I have to use the (only) running tap in my place in the balcony to fill a bucket to take a bath.

The space was at the balcony and I'm on the third floor so my family jewels were on display for all and sundry to see.

Yes, please feel free to stare at my gonads while I attempt to take a bath, friendly neighbors!

Posted in Hmm... by Huai Bin at 09:14 AM Permalink | Comments (21) | TrackBack

Room 205 cafe @ Padungan

Room two0five cafe is the latest concept cafe to hit Padungan. It's nestled between a fruit store that's been around since the dawn of time and a dentist (which has also probably been around since forever and a day).

The address of the Room 205 is coincidentally, 205 Jalan Padungan. The counter is (still) decorated with festive Valentine's Day cheer and there are bottles of fruit juice concoctions neatly arranged on the sides.

Room 205 cafe is cozy and has a warm ambience which suits the small enclosure. There are high backed seats on one side of the place and more comfortable sofa type seating on the other.

The tables are lined with purple bamboo mats which suit the entire color scheme of the place. Glasses of water are presented with the menu, which is a nice touch. The menu runs the entire repertoire of appetizers to desserts and you'll be spoilt for choice at this place.

Oysters on Ice (RM 24.90)
Served on a bed of crushed ice with a lemon wedge.

This is what we had for the appetizer - its fresh large oysters on a bed of crushed ice with lemon and Tabasco sauce. It's fresh and it's nice to see eating establishments serve proper oysters for once.

Warm Tandoori Chicken Caesar Salad (RM 8.90)
Fresh Romaine Lettuce tossed in our homemade Caesar dressing.

1 Foot Long Sausage (RM 4.90)
I expected it to come out in a foot long dish, but the poor thing was sliced into four. ;)

Grilled Salmon Fillet (RM 22.90)
Topped with homemade Japanese sauce and served with tempura veggies and mashed potato.

I think we were the only patrons there that night and the service was alright but surprisingly they forgot one of our items - the American Club Sandwich (which comes with a choice of white or whole meal bread). The salmon was alright (thought a bit overdone) and it was filling so we didn't ask for it and went straight to the dessert:

Banana Bonkers (RM 15.90)
Cocoa crepes wrapped with fresh banana, flanked by chocolate, raspberry and vanilla ice-cream, topped with colored rice, crushed peanuts, whipped cream, waffle fan, chocolate sauce and caramelized banana.
WARNING!! SUPER LARGE

It was huge alright...the crepe filled the entire dinner plate and it took a lot of effort on our part to finish it.

Sugar overdose!

Seriously though, Room 205 has a large menu with more esoteric items like savory crepes with customization options at a very reasonable price. The oysters are great too; and the Banana Bonkers dessert comes highly recommended from me.

Posted in Food reviews by Huai Bin at 09:23 AM Permalink | Comments (24) | TrackBack

Tablet and capsule tongue piercing decors, witty T-shirts from Australia, Clive Barker's Tortured Souls 2 and other gifts

Cherie just has this knack of getting me things that suits me (probably coz we have the same taste in things) and gave me this nifty tongue piercing from Off Ya Tree, a headshop in Melbourne.

It's supposed to fit into the 14 gauge barbell and comes with two standard round ends with a flaming skull, a tablet and a capsule. I love the pill and capsule ones...it's perfect for me - constantly medicated. ;)

She also bought me a lot of clothes - there's a Nike sweater, a long-sleeved shirt for work, and three T-shirts.

This one goes "Bury the Bone" and shows a pair of canines copulating. OMG, alliteration! ;)

This one has horoscopes printed all over it and the text describes each star sign in a brutally honest take-no-prisoners manner. Aries goes "You are a pioneer type and think most people are dickheads. You are quick to reprimand, impatient, and scornful of advice. You do nothing but piss off everyone you come into contact with. You are a PRICK!!"

The third ones goes "It's beer time any bloody time". I love the designs, Cherie got them in Melbourne.

She also got me Zain from Clive Barker's Tortured Souls 2 - The Fallen series. I'm going to display this at my work space in the office. :)

Cherie also got me Tim Tams from Australia (one of each flavor), a mug which says "Fuck! I love you!" and Robitussin DX.

Thanks Cherie! I love the presents! Much love...

Posted in Interesting by Huai Bin at 09:09 AM Permalink | Comments (23) | TrackBack

Oriental Passion St. Valentine's Day Dinner review

Oriental Passion is one of the new eating establishments that have mushroomed up in Jalan Padungan in Kuching. The distinctive red signage of the eatery features a square ancient Chinese style stamp with a bright red background and an intense light source illuminating the signage.

The incandescent lighting radiating from Oriental Passion is inviting. There are curtains softly billowing at the entrance. Oriental Passion also has al fresco seating arrangements and a main seating area which follows the theme a little too literally by providing patrons with stools instead of chairs.

Oriental Passion has a wood themed interior, with a lot of bamboo features and a large tree trunk anchoring the partitions. The real wood and bamboo feature actually obscures the wash basin for patrons.

The interior of Oriental Passion also uses a lot of mirrors to create the illusion of a larger space (and for the convenience of patrons to check their make up by just glancing to the side ;)). There are large reflective glass panels everywhere.

Oriental Passion also incorporates the mirror concept into the brick foundation of the walls. There are small mirrors embedded into the bricks on the wall every few feet. I went there with Irene [blogspot.com] last night to check out the place.

There is also a bar seating area with lounge chairs and the rest of the seating arrangements lines the side of the unique tight and long space characteristic of the Jalan Padungan old shop houses. The back also houses a tatami area.

The gramophone at the cashier counter lends a rather retro look to the place. There are also bottles of home made chilli sauce for sale at the cashier counter. Oriental Passion had a Valentine's Day menu and we both went for that option.

Download: Oriental Passion video tour [sixthseal.com]

Oriental Passion has three Guinness mixed drinks which we tried in successive order:

GuinnessLad (RM 10)
This drink is Guinness stout mixed with a mixer that I couldn't identify. It's the plainest one of the series and the alcoholic content of all three drinks are minimal at best.

GuinnessLass (RM 10)
This one is Guinness stout with a cocktail of fruits and ice cream. It tastes great!

GuinnessBerry (RM 10)
This is Guinness stout blended with blueberries. It's a sweet drink that goes down well, albeit with an almost indistinguishable stout taste.

The Oriental Passion St. Valentine's Day Dinner menu goes for RM 49.00 per pax and entails:

ORIENTAL Chef's Salad
Passionate sushi-meat roll, fried bags of fortune served with refreshing lettuce.

Cream of Mushroom Soup
Button mushroom affectionately boiled with chicken stock and cream.

Rosemary Lamb Chop
A tender lamb romantically filled with scent of rosemary flanked by salad and fries.

This is the main course...the lamb meat is great, with the meat slightly charred outside while the flavors of the lamb is infused inside the tender meat.

Delightful ice cream topped with fine dark chocolate that melts your evening!

The Oriental Passion Valentine's Day Dinner comes with a small complimentary gift-pack full of candy given out after the meal.

Oriental Passion is a great place to head to in Jalan Padungan coz it tends to be less packed than the other eating establishments in that area.

It does seem that they took the Oriental part of Oriental Passion a little too literally though...all the eating implements seems to be sourced from Singapore Airlines! ;)

Posted in Food reviews by Huai Bin at 12:18 PM Permalink | Comments (30) | TrackBack

The best Valentine's Day gift ever!

I just received the best Valentine's Day gift of all time from the most unlikely candidate - my doctor. He was kind enough to write a prescription for DF-118 from another pharmacy to get me through the week until his supplier comes again (it's not the usual practice here) since he ran out of stock.

Rx for DF-118 x 30 tabs (no repeat authorization) for Poh Huai Bin.

I drove to the pharmacy (most clinics and pharmacies here don't carry DF-118 coz it's restricted) and got my medication. 1 tablets of DF-118 (dihydrocodeine tartrate 30 mg) to be taken when necessary. I love DF118 coz it only contains DHC 30 mg without other active substances.

Nothing says "I love you" more than a prescription. ;)

Disclaimer: I have a legitimate prescription for DF-118 for my end-stage testicular cancer. That usually shuts people up, coz nothing is manlier than a man telling someone he has testicular cancer. ;)

P/S - Don't panic, I don't really have testicular cancer, mom and dad. My family jewels are perfectly fine and in good working condition last time I checked. It's actually for my back pain.

Happy Valentine's Day to all readers of sixthseal.com!

Posted in by Huai Bin at 02:40 PM Permalink | Comments (27) | TrackBack

Fun with indoor firecrackers or "How I Nearly Burned Down the House"

How not to light a firecracker 101

I was alone at home last night and decided to add some Chap Goh Meh cheer to the place. I had a couple of Chai Lei firecrackers [sixthseal.com] around (it's a loud firecracker) and I have let them off in the enclosed space that I call home before without adverse consequences. However, this time I had to man the camera AND light the firecracker at the same time, and unfortunately God, in His infinite wisdom only gave Man two hands.

Download: Firecracker box burning [sixthseal.com]

I lost my lighter and had to use a match to light the firecracker and me in my infinite wisdom, decided it was a good idea to light it straight from the box which contains the rest of the Chai Lei firecrackers. I lit the firecracker, prepared to aim the digicam at it, and then I noticed that the shrink wrap on the firecracker box was burning (!!!).

I tried to blow out the flames (again, me and my infinite wisdom) and it just accelerated the burn rate AND the lit firecracker was still in my hand. I had a brain fart and threw the firecracker away before overturning the burning box into a towel and hoped for the best.

My hands were shaking from the nearly adverted catastrophe. It would not have been pretty for the box of Chai Lei firecrackers to go off all at once indoors.

It would be decidedly a Bad Thing (TM).

Download: Firecracker fuse singed [sixthseal.com]

I did another take and bad luck seems to come in twos (or is that threes) coz I dropped the (still lit) match into the box, before it bounced out, making it come into contact with an unlit fuse and singeing it. I did not realize it and only noticed it after the fact. The tip of the Chai Lei firecracker fuse nearly caught on fire and would have set off a chain reaction which would probably burn the place down (since I didn't even know it happened).

The worst thing is, my fire extinguisher hasn't even been inspected since I moved in and I live on the top floor and the any fire-related incidents would probably leave...er, collateral damage.

Yeah, I know, I'm the epitome of a responsible citizen. ;)

Download: Indoor Chai Lei firecracker [sixthseal.com]

This is a perfect take. It's fun to light Chai Lei firecrackers indoors for a change. It's also fun to throw several into an electric kettle indoors and see if the metal/plastic would hold the blast or send sharp shards all over the enclosed space.

You just might win the Darwin award. ;)

Posted in Chinese New Year by Huai Bin at 03:45 PM Permalink | Comments (32) | TrackBack

CNY firecrackers and fireworks roundup - a sixthseal.com Chap Goh Meh special

Chap Goh Meh marks the end of the Lunar New Year. Chinese New Year is celebrated for 15 days and Chap Goh Meh literally means (the) 15th night. Firecrackers and fireworks are usually let off liberally to mark the end of Chinese New Year. There is a wide variety of firecrackers and fireworks available in Malaysia and the large self-contained box type is the most popular ones.

Download: Chinese New Year 2006 [sixthseal.com]

I'm a big fan of firecrackers and fireworks (and everything else that goes "boom") and it seems that the trend in 2006 shifts markedly to industrial grade fireworks. The market in Sibu and Kuching is flooded with display shells - the catch-all term for the 3", 5" and 8" shell that shoots up before exploding in fascinating pyrotechnics.

Shellshock

This is an example of a "consumer grade" display shell fireworks. Shellshock comes in a box containing 12 pieces of "double break shells". It's made in China, that's where firecrackers and fireworks in Malaysia is sourced (read: smuggled) from.

The Shellshock box opens up to reveal a foot long tube launcher embedded into the package with 6 shells lining each side of the box. The shells are inserted one at a time into the launch tube with the flat end (base) making contact with the bottom of the launcher tube.

The 1.5" shells is shaped like a gourd and there is a long conventional green fuse bound intricately around the shell and held in place by a colored string on the top indicating the color of the display shell when it is...well, displayed.

Here is a closer look at this consumer grade firework. There are double spheres in the shells - this is a double report, double flare display shell. The shells have a flat base and a visible fuse starter. This firecracker requires the launcher tube to launch the shells into the air and the long fuse is to accommodate for the launcher length.

The Shellshock ones come in a disposable cardboard and plastic launcher.

The display shell type fireworks (regardless of grade) should always be used in conjunction with a launcher tube to guide the shell upwards. I'm sure everyone has tried not using a launcher tube at least once in their lives (at least I did, with a 3" shell) and the results are not pretty.

The Shellshock launcher tube does the job well enough...

It's pretty dangerous since the shell just explodes on the ground, sending out burning debris over a wide area. Notice how large the dispersal area is when it's airborne? That's the coverage you can expect when it goes off on the ground. Most residential areas cannot accommodate for this kind explosive power.

...though it topples after each launch...and the cardboard burns.

The one time I did it resulted in a cracked glass door (with an industrial grade shell), flaming explosions all over the front of the house and shocked family and neighbors. Oh, and I set the lawn of the neighbor on fire too. In my defense, it was dry grass. :p I never did dare to repeat that stunt again, since I didn't want to pay for damages to vehicles, property and possibly human life. ;)

Industrial grade fireworks

Meet big brother. ;) This is a custom made launcher tube for 3" industrial grade display shells.

The display shells (3 inch, 5 inch, and the expensive 8 inch ones) are sold in boxes with instructions on the dimensions of the launcher and the instructions are passed on to a local blacksmith (metal smith) to be custom made.

It's usually made of solid metal alloy so it can be reused without the force of the initial primer explosion from the shells (which is quite substantial) wearing out the launcher tube. The base of the launcher tube is very important - perhaps the most crucial part of the component - it must be heavy enough to hold the structure or wide enough to allow other weighing material (bricks etc.) to weigh it down.

This is the launcher tube displayed with 3" display shells. These things are ordered in bulk and come with a sticker specifying the exact pyrotechnics to expect from the particular shell (see below).

It's sold in boxes made of heavy paper stapled together to form a "box" of sorts and each box contains a mixed bag of pyrotechnics goodness, with different "grades" of shells e.g. Grade A would be a shell which goes "Purple with sparkling to red ball" (three stages with large initial purple explosion bloom, followed by sparkling edges and a single slowly descending red ball) while Grade B would be a shell that goes "Green to silver" (one explosion, color change at fringe of explosion).

This is a close look at the grenade like display shells. It's wrapped with heavy reinforcing paper and these fireworks are considered industrial grade as it's the same ones that the government lets off during official celebrations. Heck, some of them are even "diverted" from official celebrations. ;)

The grenade like display shells are individually wrapped and come with a label in two languages of what to expect from that particular display shell. This Grade A shell goes "Red to Green to Crackling".

This Grade B shell goes "Blue to silver" (two phase change) while a Grade C shell would be a single phase explosion e.g. "Red & Blue wave".

I have relatively large palms and this is a size comparison of what a 3" display shell looks like. It's remarkably similar to a grenade, except you have to use a launcher tube instead of igniting it on the ground (which would cause a lot of Bad Things (TM) to happen).

The industrial grade shells are inserted into the correctly sized launcher tube with the base of the shell level against the base of the launcher, and with the fuse sticking up and out of the launcher tube.

Download: Industrial grade fireworks [sixthseal.com]

I probably should mention that the industrial grade fireworks do not have a long fuse delay, despite its looks. The fuse lights slowly at the top and then *zaps* goes straight down the remaining length of the "fuse" and its pyrotechnica!

The blast is pretty substantial and it's fun to be close to the launcher when it goes off. It's a mini shellshock effect, right at your doorstep. ;)

Consumer grade fireworks, these are not.

Lest we forget our roots, these are the traditional Chinese firecrackers.

I love the 50,000 Horse Brand firecrackers.

It's fast and furious, burning through 50k of individual sticks of firecrackers in the span of a few seconds.

Download: Fast and furious firecrackers [sixthseal.com]

It got all over me in the video, though I thoroughly enjoyed it. Classic!

Happy Chap Goh Meh everyone!

Posted in Chinese New Year by Huai Bin at 12:06 AM Permalink | Comments (26) | TrackBack

Washing dirty linen in public

My damn washing machine broke down (to be fair, it's been in service ever since I came to Kuching to work) so I had to use a laundry to get my linen services done in the mean time. LAUN'DER Laundry Services and Dry Cleaning is located just behind my office and they washed, dried and ironed about 12 kgs of miscellaneous items for just RM 10.40.

The staff is friendly and the turnaround time is fast (same day service).

It's perfect for washing dirty linen in public. ;)

Posted in by Huai Bin at 11:31 AM Permalink | Comments (13) | TrackBack

Must. Stop. Murderous. Thoughts.

Fucking idiotic dim-witted stupid Neanderthals. It's not 25,000 BC anymore...learn how to use a fucking computer. It's not rocket science for fucks sake!

You're dragging me off more important work and I hate driving (no brakes) and I have more shit (which is really Serious Shit (TM)) to deal with tomorrow.

Must. Stop. Murderous. Thoughts.

Posted in by Huai Bin at 11:04 AM Permalink | Comments (27) | TrackBack

Nite at night

Nite is an alcopop drink (flavored alcoholic beverage) available at your friendly neighborhood hypermarket. It contains 4 different flavors in a nicely done package which features a strap for easy carrying. It's made with "fruit wine" which probably means some fermentation occured at some point of the manufacturing process. The bottles weigh in at the standard 5% alcohol and I really like the presentation of the nite Special Pack4.

Strawberry Delight
This tastes like artificially flavored strawberries. I have been trying to open this for a long time (don't ask) so the carbonation is minimal. It's still good though...the strawberry taste is recognizably synthetic, but it's not cloying. The lack of carbonation makes it easy to down it in a single swig. That's a Good Thing (TM). ;)

Eden Apple
One word - excessively acidic. Okay, that's two words, but nite seriously needs to work on the flavor composition of this one. The acidity level is close to white wine (at least to my untrained palate) and white wine is the only type of alcohol I turn down coz it gives me gastric problems. This one made my ulcers act up...

Lemon Fizz
It tastes like a reasonable approximation of lemonade so that gets the thumbs up from me. The wonders of the modern synthetic flavor industry! ;) It's the plainest one from the series, both packaging and taste wise, but it works anyway. It's good! Nothing fancy, just a lemonade flavored alcopop...and it's not acidic, despite being a lemon based drink. It tastes remarkably similar to Two Dogs.

Passionate Orange
The name sounds appealing enough but I've never really liked orange flavored drinks. It somehow never tastes like REAL orange juice and we all know what real OJ tastes like so that's a high bar if there was one. nite Passionate Orange superseded my (admittedly low) expectations and came up with the closest approximation to orange I've ever had.

Nite: Make The Best of Yours!

Posted in Ethanol and tobacco by Huai Bin at 09:06 PM Permalink | Comments (12) | TrackBack

McDonald's McDelivery damn McInefficient and made me damn McTulan

McDonald's McDelivery is using a centralized ordering system for all branches throughout Malaysia using its 1300-13-1300 number, which is based in Klang Valley. I had a McAttack last night (not a McHeartAttack, you only get those after the meal) and surfed to McDonald's McDelivery website to get the number to call.

They insisted delivery services close after 10 pm. I asked them for the Kuching McDonald's branch number and called that number.

Kuching told me that delivery services is open till 11 pm. Unfortunately, I cannot order through them as I had to go through the 1300 centralized system in Klang Valley.

I called the 1300 number and told them about Kuching's later delivery services and they insisted that delivery services in Kuching closes at 10 pm. F@*(#*&@#!!!oneone how dare you tell me when Kuching delivery closes when you're not in Kuching, idiot-on-a-phone!!!!!oneonefuckone!!!

I got super McPissedOff and (insert standard procedure to deal with uncooperative front line staff) and they finally relented and put my order though.

The McDonald's McDelivery staff finally reached my place at about 11 pm. Damn McDonald's...what if I was McStoned and McDrunk and McFuckedUp and drove to the outlet instead and McHit-and-Run innocent grandmothers rolling a trolley while McDrivingWhileIntoxicated?

...at least they had they decency to give me plenty of chilli sauce. Literally.

Posted in Hmm... by Huai Bin at 09:35 AM Permalink | Comments (45) | TrackBack

LOTTE Pie No Mi Chocolate Pie

Lotte Pie No Mi Chocolate Pie is a miniature chocolate snack from Japan. It retails for RM 6.70 and contains mini baked puff pastry chocolate pies.

Lotte Chocolate Pie opens up like a box from a perforation that runs along the side of the cardboard box to reveal a gold foiled package. This is a Japanese import and the package has a semi-circular perforation for an impeccable presentation.

The box even has illustrations and lyrics (all in kanji) which I think you're supposed to sing along to (in a forced jovial tone) while you consume the baked chocolate pies. It seems to tell a story about a wayward fox from my limited linguistics understanding.

This is what the mini chocolate pies look like. Its fluffy chocolate pies baked to perfection, at least to the closest definition of perfection that a packaged product can achieve.

Oh, nano nano, it drives me crazy! I really love what it does to me!

Posted in Snacks by Huai Bin at 02:35 PM Permalink | Comments (14) | TrackBack

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) Business Class review

MAS Business Class seats were the only ones available for my trip home since Economy class tickets have all been taken up. I decided to go for Business Class instead and expected to pay double the fare. However, my ticket agent told me that it's only a surcharge of RM 30 per route. It seems that Business Class for short haul domestic flights (30 minutes) is not as expensive as I thought. I've always looked at the people seated in front with a little contempt (what's the point in having a premium ticket for a short haul flight?) and now, I have become one of them. Alas!

However, it seems that there are perks to Business Class seating in short haul domestic flights after all. First of all, I noticed that the ground staff damn chun. This is Martina, the Coordinating Agent for First Class/Business Class check in. There is also usually no line at the First Class/Business Class check in counters.

You also have the luxury of not boarding until the rest of sardine class boards coz Business Class seats are to the front and overhead compartment carry on luggage room is assured. There is no First Class on the Boeing 747-200 used to service the Kuching - Sibu - Kuching route.

There are four (4) rows of Business Class seats located at the front of the plane. The seats are in two's with spacious body and headroom being afforded by the 2 x 2 seating (two seats on each extreme side of the plane) in Business Class versus the 3 x 3 seating in Economy Class.

There is a pillow to rest your stiff neck on after a hard day's work shuffling papers around and delegating tasks or doing whatever it is that people who fly Business Class do.

Hot towels are provided before takeoff for your freshening needs and a complimentary glass of juice (this is Mango Juice) is furnished to sooth your parched throat after a long day yelling at subordinates for no reason at all. The juice is served in proper glasses, which Business Class flyers are implicitly trusted with, while the standard OJ served as the "refreshment" after take off in Economy Class uses disposable plastic cu