sixthseal.com

RM 3,072.25 - paycheck for September

Behold! RM 3,072.25 - that's three thousand and seventy two dollars, twenty five cents. =D

This is my paycheck for September 2004. It's the largest legitimate paycheck I've ever received. w00t!

Posted in Huygens Asia by Huai Bin at 05:01 PM Permalink | Comments (30)

Red Ribbon Media Awards 2004 Thank You Luncheon

I got a letter today from the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC).

It has the Red Ribbon Media Awards logo in the upper right corner of the envelope so I knew it was about the RRMA Media Awards [sixthseal.com], where I was nominated for the Main Award Winner for the Non-Traditional Category - Blogs category.

There was a card inside with a see through window cut into the cardboard with the words "Thank You Luncheon".

Here's a closer look at the invitation. It's for a Thank You Luncheon at the Pacifica Grill and Bar at Mandarin Oriental, KL at 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm this Saturday (2nd October 2004). It's an invitation for two - it goes "Poh Huai Bin & partner", and although I would very much like to go, I won't be able to make it, so I emailed back to tell MAC so.

I work on Saturdays so I'll have to take leave if I were to go and I already applied for leave later in October. I appreciate the gesture though and I'll like to say a big Thank You for Ely Azyze for everything that she's done for me. Thanks! :)

Posted in by Huai Bin at 03:25 PM Permalink | Comments (8)

Shrimp rice crackers

I was interested to find out that this shrimp rice cracker actually has a whole shrimp inside it. Usually, rice crackers only have flavorings, but these ones are different - the contents actually lists shrimp and it is fully visible through the rice cracker.

There are two rice crackers in each individual pack, so it's good for snacks on the go.

Here's a closer look at the shrimp rice crackers. The rice crackers are paper thin and crispy and the shrimp is embedded into it. Nice.

Posted in Snacks by Huai Bin at 01:12 PM Permalink | Comments (10)

Liushuiyin (Flowing Water Music) Herb Blend cigarettes

I noticed this box of Liushuiyin Herb Blend cigarettes at a coffee shop one day. It's an unlicensed product - there's no MY watermark on it and it's imported in by a Sarawak based company.

The box says Liushuiyin but the Chinese characters read as Zhong Nan Hai or Central South River. The actual translation should be Central and Southern Seas or Sea Palaces. Liushiyin translates to flowing water music.

This product is made in The People's Republic of China; or just China damn it, no point in typing five words when one would do just fine. ;)

Here's what the cigarettes look like - the traditional white filter for mild cigarettes instead of the brown filters for full bodied cigarettes. I noticed an array of air intake holes at the filter point. The name of the cigarette, which is Central and Southern Seas, is printed on it.

There's also a strange serial code of some sort towards the end of the cigarette. Yes, I pack it, smokes better, lights better. Anyway, all the serials in the pack are the same T4 - 31. I don't know if it's a batch code or something.

I sacrificed one of them to look at what this "herb blend" is all about. There's something else inside besides tobacco, but not psychoactive mind, just a flavor additive. It actually tastes like sweet herbs when you smoke it. It's good for a fun smoke, but I'll pass for daily smoking - it doesn't pack much weight in the nicotine department.

Posted in Ethanol and tobacco by Huai Bin at 07:56 AM Permalink | Comments (16)

Mid Autumn Festival greetings

One of my coworkers passed me this greeting this morning. I can't read it, but she translated it for me.

Here's the continuation. Can someone translate it for the readers? I can't do it. Thanks!

Posted in by Huai Bin at 08:42 AM Permalink | Comments (26)

DF 118 - Dihydrocodeine (DHC) tartrate tablets 30 mg

These beauties are manufactured by GSK (GlaxoSmithKline - the pharmaceutical giant). DF 118, as it's fondly referred to, have opiate agonist properties, which makes it recreational. However, I am strongly against off label use. I bought a bottle off my pharmacy friend due to my...er, recurring migraines. ;)

There are some people who prefer codeine over dihydrocodeine (DHC). Personally, I find that DHC is qualitatively stronger on an mg to mg comparison and it has a strange slight stimulant quality, which makes it better than codeine, IMHO.

I got a bottle (500 tablets) of 30 mg DF 118 for RM 400. It usually sells for RM 1 each, but as with all things, bulk purchases come with discounts. ;)

Posted in Pharmaceuticals by Huai Bin at 07:59 AM Permalink | Comments (60)

Preserved duck liver snacks

Bernice passed me one of these...I'm not really good in Chinese (the written and reading comprehension bit), so I didn't know what it was. She got two while visiting someone and I assumed that it was a plum or something like that.

It looks like a plum from the way it's packaged. Perhaps a nice, rare juicy plum, individually packaged for freshness.

It wasn't plum. I was pleasantly surprised when I opened the tiny pack and saw what looked like meat. Mmm...meat. ;)

I only knew that it was liver after I got her to read the packaging. It's preserved duck liver. The wonders of food technology! I was amazed that it was still juicy and tender, very tender, after being packaged in this manner. It tasted fresh too, not like something out of a can or something.

Well, she managed to get some more of these preserved duck livers and I thoroughly enjoyed every single pack. It's not available here; she told me the person she got it off from just came back from a trip to China. It's really good. The texture isn't like one of those beef jerky types, but like an actual succulent piece of deli meat.

It doesn't taste like liver too, but here's another shot of it during the second taste test. It does look like liver once you open it up and take a real good look at it. Good duck liver, with bits of fat intact and did I mention how juicy it was?

I hear preserved duck liver is considered a delicacy in China, where this product is made.

Posted in Snacks by Huai Bin at 08:05 AM Permalink | Comments (34)

The girls from China fiasco

I was in Parkson with my friends X and Y (names changed to protect the guilty ;)) when we saw this group of girls sitting at Giant. I took a photo and unfortunately, the flash went off...

The girls looked at me and I smiled at them and shrugged and when I took the second shot (without flash - better skin tone), they giggled and turned away. One of them jokingly said to the other girl that I was interested in her. Nothing of that sort, of course, I just like street photography.

Anyway, by sheer coincidence, we bumped into them again, this time upstairs. I approached them and got them to pose for a photo. I'm not a big fan of posed photos, I much prefer candid shots of people doing what they do. I asked them where they were from, and they said they were from the Guangzhou province of The People's Republic of China.

Well, after that, one of the girls asked if they could have a copy of the photos. I said sure, and gave them my number. X and Y, who were standing at the sidelines (they're kinda embarrassed when I pull shit like this ;)) was harassing me to get their numbers. They were interested in the girls, but I wasn't, but hey, they are my friends, so I got their numbers.

I also took a photo with them, got Y to take the photos. X was the most interested party and I gave him the number and he got Y to call the girl. I'm not interested in anything beyond this point, I just like to take photos and that's it. It's for the XX Chromosomes category, see. ;)

Well, Y called up the girl and the girls asked us to take them to another shopping center and walk around with them. I'm not falling for that shit, so I said I'm going to bail, but X insisted that I stay around a bit. Well, I told X that I'll just stay till the duration it took to get me home, and the girls talked to us a bit.

Classic dodgy stuff, standard modus operandi, but X was interested, so hey, wtf, I talked to them until I got home. X and Y later went out with the girls to the shopping center, and later that night, they called me and told me about what happened. It's the characteristic ruse that these girls pull; I know coz I asked them about their line of work and why they're here while in the car. I laughed so much I was in tears.

Somehow, "I told you so", just wasn't quite enough. ;)

Posted in XX chromosomes by Huai Bin at 01:31 PM Permalink | Comments (38)

Prime Time little cigars

These are Prime time little cigars, which I saw retailing for RM 2.90 each. There are three flavors for these "little cigars" - cherry, vanilla, and chocolate mint. I got one of each to try them out.

Prime Time Little Cigars - Cherry Flavored

The mini cigars all come in a plastic tube that's the size of a normal cigarette. They have an interesting twist open top that reveals a little cigar with a filter.

The "little cigars" looks remarkably like a cigarette. It has the same design, except these Prime Time little cigars are wrapped with tobacco leaf instead of cigarette paper.

The filler is tobacco that's not very unlike what a normal cigarette has. The only difference is the wrapper.

The little cigars have a filter too, which immediately disqualifies it from being a cigar. I would not call it a cigar by any stretch of the imagination.

I tried the cherry flavored one first and it did have hints of cherry when inhaled. The taste is stronger when it's smoked cigar style instead of cigarette style. There's a nice nicotine hit when you inhale it though. Prime Time little cigars burns perfectly...just like a cigarette. I would have expected burn lines like cigarette for it to achieve such a feat but I couldn't see any.

Prime Time Little Cigars - Vanilla Flavored

There is a slight hint of vanilla extract on these ones. I rolled it about it my mouth and took my time in tasting it before exhaling and it did have a vanilla taste, it's just not very noticeable. This one tastes like a normal cigarette, just a little stronger.

Prime Time Little Cigars - Chocolate Mint Flavored

Chocolate mint! I loved these ones. There's a definite chocolate taste to the little cigar, and it leaves a wonderful chocolate mint aftertaste that lingers on. It's like one of those after dinner mints - it tastes exactly like that. It's very nice, this flavor is the best of the batch. It's chocolate! It's mint! It's chocolate mint! :)

Oh, and The State of California would like to remind you that this product contains/produces chemicals that can cause cancer, birth defects and other reproductive harm. ;)

Posted in Ethanol and tobacco by Huai Bin at 08:44 AM Permalink | Comments (69)

S.H.E. collectible licensed mooncakes

S.H.E. is the Taiwanese three girl pop group that seems to be quite popular. They have come out with a range of three moon cakes, each bearing their likeness - one each for Selina, Hebe and Ella. The three mooncakes have different flavors, which I assume is for their different personalities.

This is a licensed product by HIM (which I assume is their management) and it's for charity. There are two versions of the mooncakes...they're actually both the same, there's just a difference in packaging. Mooncakes are eaten during Mid-Autumn Festival, which is based on the Lunar Calendar, and falls on the 28th of September for the Gregorian calendar this year.

The RM 48.50 version comes in a single tin box which has the three individual mooncakes inside. The RM 52.50 version is more "collectible" in the sense that there's an individual metal tin for every single person in the pop group.

I bought the RM 52.50 one for the individual printed Selina, Hebe and Ella tins. The downside to this version is that it comes with cheap plastic packaging.

However, the packing lists down the nutritional facts and other details at the back. It's interesting to see the calories difference between the mooncakes. There are three in total, for the three artists in S.H.E. and here's the three mooncakes.

This is the Selina mooncake tin. It has a pink design and has a cartoon version of her likeness imprinted on the tin.

The mooncakes tins all contain a mooncake packaged in an air tight plastic wrap with a moisture absorber inside. The Selina one doesn't seem to be working because I see what looks like mould...

Here's a closer look at the Selina mooncake. It definitely has mould growing on it, but I ate it and it didn't give me a stomachache so I guess it's alright...

Mini Lotus 1 Yolk (Selina)

Here's the Ella collectible tin. It has a blue motif and is also consistent with having a cartoon version of her on it.

The mooncakes all are embossed and designed with the cartoon version of the character and their name on it. This one has Ella's likeness and her name.

Black Sesame Lotus (Ella)

This one is the Hebe green tin.

Here's what a close up looks like...I think I accidentally took out a bit of her hair. It got stuck to the wrapping. Oops...

Green Tea Mooncake (Hebe)

I liked the Hebe green tea mooncake one the most, and most of my coworkers agree. Mooncakes are traditionally cut into eight equal slices, but I didn't have a cake cutter, so I used my el cheapo balisong (what they call a "butterfly knife", due to it's folded but fast flipping deployment) to do the job.

I have a better Benchmade balisong, but I don't carry that around...it's reserved for...special occasions. ;)

Posted in Snacks by Huai Bin at 01:53 PM Permalink | Comments (16)

Rasa Ayamas Arabian Delight

Arabian Delight is the new offering by Rasa Ayamas and it retails at RM 7.50 for a meal consisting of 2 pieces of Arabian Delight and crinkle fries.

Here's what it looks like. It's actually something like a KFC Twister being cut in two so it's really one piece instead of two. Arabian Delight is also served with secret Dakkous Sauce, whatever that is.

Here's a closer look at Arabian Delight. The meat is nestled underneath so you can't actually see it. The wrap is warm while the filling is cold. It didn't taste all that good to me.

This is the last KL post, I had this at KL Sentral before flying back to Kuching. I've cleared all the backlogs. Posting will go back to real time as of now. ;)

Posted in Fast Food Inc. by Huai Bin at 02:50 PM Permalink | Comments (16)

McDonald's and Sega2 mini video games promotion

The Sega2/McDonalds mini video game promotion has ended. McDonald's released a new mini video game made by the Sega team every week on Thursday. It's a joint promotion that continues where the first one left off, thus the name Sega2. The mini video games retails for RM 6 each with every McDonald's meal purchase. There were six different mini video games in total, and it's all reviewed and linked here:

Sega2 Mini Video Games #1 - Sonic Skateboard [sixthseal.com]

Sega2 Mini Video Games #2 - Cream Flower Catch [sixthseal.com]

Sega2 Mini Video Games #3 - Tails Soccer [sixthseal.com]

Sega2 Mini Video Games #4 - Shadow Basketball [sixthseal.com]

Sega2 Mini Video Games #5 - Amy & Rouge Tennis [sixthseal.com]

Sega2 Mini Video Games #6 - Knuckles Baseball [sixthseal.com]

The Sega2 series is a definite improvement over the first Sega series. I'll love to see a third promotional run.

Posted in Best of sixthseal.com by Huai Bin at 02:40 PM Permalink | Comments (5)

The Kapitan's Club

The Kapitan's Club is a restaurant that is set to look like the heydays of old world Malaya. I've been intrigued by the interior decor ever since I saw it, but never did get around to eating there until recently.

This outlet is located in Pusat Bandar Damansara. I went with my girlfriend during my last day in KL. It has a nice (really) old Chinese coffee shop ambience to it.

The tables and chairs are the old skool type you'll expect to find in some obscure coffee shop in a small town that time left behind.

There's even a huge portrait of a regal looking woman covering one of the walls.

I went for the freshly brewed coffee (RM 4.50). It's good coffee, strong and served piping hot with milk and sugar.

This is Nasi Lemak with Kapitan Chicken (RM 10.50), which we both had. It's served with acar, sambal ikan bilis, and coconut flavored rice with Kapitan Chicken. Kapitan Chicken is their flagship dish that is described as a delicious curry cooked with at least 20 different spices. It was good.

I think the primary attraction of this place is not its food (which isn't anything to write home about), but it's ambience...

Posted in Food reviews by Huai Bin at 12:55 PM Permalink | Comments (4)

Nude Crab Burger!

I was intrigued by such a delicacy, which I'm told is a whole deep fried soft shell crab in a burger. One of my coworkers told me about it and I've been chomping at the bit to try it ever since. We went there after work last night.

The eating establishment that serves nude crab burger is called D'Alif Restoran Sejahtera and it's a restaurant by the Kuching Riverside that has crabs as it's flagship meal and claims to have invented the nude crab burger.

The readers in KL might be interested to know that nude crab burger is also available in Bukit Bintang. This establishment opened up a new outlet at BB from the literature the waiter passed me.

Back to the restaurant, the place has a nice ambience, two tiered dining areas made to look like a serene rainforest.

It's a good place for dinner; it has an al fresco feeling even though it's indoors due to the massive outside ventilation and no artificial air conditioning.

D' Alif Restaurant also has a live crab display on their premises. This is not the soft shell variety used in the nude crab burger but mud crabs, for normal crab cooking. This place specializes in crabs, and crabs only. You'll be hard pressed to find a non-crustacean based meal here.

I ordered the D'Alif cordial for my drink...its iced rose syrup with a lemon slice inside.

This is D'Alif fried rice, which Bernice ordered.

Here's the Crab Delight that we shared - its two deep fried soft shelled crab on a bed of salad, with Thousand Island dressing liberally applied.

I also ordered Deep Fried Soft Shell crab which says "Tired of cracking the Crab shell, try our special deep fried fresh Soft Shell Crab coated with Egg & Flour mix topped up with Thousand Island Dressing. You can eat the whole crab including the shell".

Indeed you can, the shell can be eaten. Here's a look at the inside once it's been bitten into.

Finally, I present to you, the dish we've all been waiting for...Nude Crab Burger!

There is a whole soft-shelled crab inside, as promised.

I strongly endorse nude crab burger! *thumbs up* ;)

Nude Crab Burger - World's 1st Soft Shell Crab Burger.

Posted in Food reviews by Huai Bin at 08:39 AM Permalink | Comments (15)

La Bodega, Bangsar

La Bodega in Bangsar is supposedly the first authentic Spanish tapas bar in Malaysia. I went there on my final night in KL to celebrate my RRMA win. The ambience in Bangsar was as lively as usual, despite it being a Sunday night.

La Bodega tapas y vinos is a bistro restaurant that serves their flagship tapas as well as other Spanish cuisine.

The interior is nicely designed, with bar style seating arrangements around the bar, and tables on the side.

The walls of La Bodega are covered with B&W pictures, showing life, as it were. I liked it a lot. There's also something very interesting, if you look up...

The top of La Bodega in Bangsar is custom fitted with a wine rack! There are literally bottles of wine hanging on top of you. Nice!

We placed our orders and I got a bottle of champagne to celebrate, but they were out, and the attendant recommended Torres Grand Coronas Cabernet Sauvignon, which was okay with me, coz I like red wine.

We ordered from the hot tapas and raciones menu as well as from the paella menu. The photo above shows the various tapas that we ordered. It all tasted good, the sauces were soaked up well by the bread.

Pollo al ajillo (Chicken sauteed in olive oil, garlic and parsley)

Chuletas de cordero a la parrilla (Grilled lamb cutlets gratinated with garlic mayonnaise)

Albondigas "Saint Climent" (Lamb meatballs in a rich brandy sauce)

This is the main meal - Paella Valenciana mixta. It's prawns, chicken, mussels and clams cooked in a paella with saffron, peppers, peas and rice.

Here's a photo of it with flash. This dish requires a minimum of two people and a 30 minute wait, but that wasn't a problem with us as we all had this for the main.

This is what it looks like after it's mixed. It's counted per person, at RM 18, so if there's four in your group, the dish is RM 72.

Here's a clearer photo, with flash. It's surprisingly filling and they were generous with the ingredients. It tasted wonderful.

This is a group shot of us at La Bodega in Bangsar. L-R: Alice, Richard, Louisa, Huai Bin (me). The bill came up to about RM 300, but it's worth it. Good food, highly recommended!

Posted in Food reviews by Huai Bin at 02:05 PM Permalink | Comments (14)

Jade Pot Tea House

I've often passed by this eating establishment, coz the place to pay utility bills here is just beside it, but I've never been there for lunch before. I went today with my coworker for lunch.

The ambience of the place is alright, it's pretty crowded during lunch hour and the popularity of this place surprised me. The cuisine is self-dubbed Taiwanese.

This is the main counter. I found the mix of ancient Chinese tea cups and wine glasses to be pretty odd...

I had a concoction called Drunken Lady for my drink. I can't establish what is inside i.e. what it's made of, but Bernice says she tasted Ribena, but I didn't.

This is what I ordered for my main meal - Taiwanese Style beef noodles. It was recommended by the waitress as being their flagship dish and the most popular one. It was alright, but nothing to write home about.

This is what Bernice had - Spicy noodles. We both agreed that it wasn't spicy enough. It seems that we're similar in this sense...we like to eat ultra spicy food. Heh!

Jade Pot Tea House. Pay your utility bills and eat at the same time!

Posted in Food reviews by Huai Bin at 01:26 PM Permalink | Comments (9)

Sega2 Mini Video Games #6 - Knuckles Baseball

This is the last mini video game in the Sega2 mini video game promotional tie in with McDonalds - Knuckles Baseball. It just came out this morning and it's the sixth and final one in the series.

The packaging of this one has a slight difference from its previous five predecessors. This one opens up at the top and bottom instead of from the sides.

Here's what Knuckles Basketball looks like. It has a dark orange color scheme, with the usual transparent cover. It only has two up-down directional buttons though, to make Knuckles go in three possible positions to catch the baseball.

The manual indicates that this is a simple game, and true enough, I finished it on the first run.

Here's the pre-printed color background. It shows a baseball field and Sonic as the batter.

I caught your curve ball Sonic, try harder!

Posted in by Huai Bin at 12:09 PM Permalink | Comments (5)

There is no such thing as a non-drowsy antihistamine!

All antihistamines produce a slight hypnotic effect, which I don't feel, and all benzodiazepine dependant people won't as well, due to the stronger benzodiazepine hypnotic qualities. The "non-drowsy" antihistamines are all packed with a mild stimulant, in most cases, pseudoephedrine or caffeine to counter the slight hypnotic effects of antihistamines.

Well, this is Carinox, which contains Loratadine 5 mg and Pseudoephedrine Sulphate 120 mg (!) per capsule. It's certainly not recreational, but there's a flu bug going around the office and I came in sneezing, as did most of my co-workers and I got a runny nose, which I really hate, coz it makes me irritable when I do my work.

Thus, I popped over to the nearby pharmacy and got some antihistamines to dry up my nasal passages. I took three and I can feel it working already. Back to work. :)

Posted in by Huai Bin at 09:53 AM Permalink | Comments (12)

New Bugles Chips Sampler

This is the promoter giving out free samplers of the new line of Bugles chips (or crisps, depending on which country you come from). She was very insistent on giving us every flavor - off the top of my head there were classic, BBQ and corn.

It's all packaged nicely in a Bugles custom made cone. This was at Berjaya Times Square. I love these things - these custom samplers.

Posted in Snacks by Huai Bin at 08:16 AM Permalink | Comments (11)

Coke C2 (Coca-Cola C2)

This is Coca-Cola's low carbohydrate alternative to the ubiquitous line of Coke drinks. Coke C2 claims to have low sodium and half the carbs and calories of a normal (classic) Coke. Cola claims the name C2 stands for 1/2 the carbs, 1/2 the cals and all the taste of regular Coke. It sure looks better, I like Coke C2's colors and design.

The medium carbohydrate Coke C2 seems to be following the trend of low carb products to target people on the Atkins diet. It retails for RM 2.19 each here and Cold Storage has a promotion where you get three for the price of two. It's the outlet in Suria KLCC, I haven't seen Coke C2 elsewhere. It seems to be available in the US only and the ones we get here are imported from the US.

Well, I got it just coz I haven't tried it before and this is my verdict - it tastes just like Diet Coke (Coke Light). That's not a bad decree, coming from me, since I like the taste of Coke Light. I find regular classic Coke to be too sweet and unpleasantly fizzy. Coke C2 is great. I liked it.

Posted in Fast Food Inc. by Huai Bin at 05:11 PM Permalink | Comments (17)

Chocz.

Chocz is located in Suria KLCC and the place has a very good reputation, from the various reviews that other bloggers did. I was very keen on checking out this all chocolate specialty establishment, particularly the much lauded chocolate nectar drinking ceremony.

Chocz. (with a period, it seems) is unique in the sense that it offers a wide variety of almost exclusively chocolate products. They offer a wide range of chocolate and chocolate based products from drinks to moon cakes.

There was also a promotion going on when we went there - Strawberry Fantasy. Chocz had a mini table selling pre-dipped strawberries at RM 2 each for regular sized ones and RM 4 for large ones. There are also pre-bagged options at RM 10.

The establishment also has seating arrangements for the ones who want to indulge in chocolate at the premises. There are comfy sofas and chairs for groups as well as couples. The seating area isn't exactly private, but it's nice to watch the world go by.

The flagship drinks are the chocolate nectar drinking ceremony and tchocolat1 and we ordered both. The photo above shows the paraphernalia used in The Ultimate Drinking Chocolate. It comes with a quote from the Aztec Emperor Montezuma extolling the virtues of this nectar chocolate drinking ceremony.

It is served in a special hand made burner, each set with a special stainless steel spoon straw, metal cup, ceremonial tea light, chocolate chunks and a serving of warm milk. There are three options for the chocolate chunks - dark, milk and white. We opted for dark chocolate.

The 5 Steps to Chocolate Heaven literature describes how to make the drinking chocolate nectar:
Step 1 Begin the ceremony by lighting the flame.
Step 2 Fill half of the metal cup with warm milk.
Step 3 Add chocolate chunks until desired density.
Step 4 Stir constantly with the spoon until smooth dense chocolate is achieved.
Step 5 Relax...now you are ready to suck the sweet nectar through the straw.

Thus, we added all the dark chocolate chunks into the warm milk (heat comes from a candle beneath the burner) since we wanted a very dense and thick nectar. We stirred until the white milk turned into dark chocolate. I tried sipping it through the spoon straw hybrid and nearly scalded my tongue.

It was indeed very nice, worthy of being called nectar...it's like drinking pure chocolate with just enough liquidity to be sucked into a straw. My girlfriend didn't like it though...she's generally not very big on chocolate but I did get her to drink the tchocolat1, which is the other flagship drink of Chocz.

Tchocolat1 is described in the menu as a powerful concoction regarded as the drink of the gods. It is served in a ceremonial drinking mug and there are several variations, of which we chose the Aztec version, which is "dark bittersweet chocolate with a dash of red chili spice". I immediately took a big gulp from it while it was still hot and I pronounce it GOOD! The chili was very discernable and provides a unique kick to the drink.

We also ordered from the Strawberry Fantasy promotion. There is the set option of Strawberries & cream for RM 15++ and Strawberries with hot chocolate for RM 18++. We chose the latter, and it came in the form of a bowl of fresh strawberries and a burner with a lit candle on the side providing hot chocolate for dipping the strawberries in. It was nice, but the Aztec tchocolat1 overshadows this comparatively simple offering.

Chocz is a great place, but there is too much of a good thing. I was craving for water, just plain water, please, by the time we finished the chocolate based cuisine. ;)

Posted in Food reviews by Huai Bin at 10:39 AM Permalink | Comments (14)

Red Ribbon Gala 2004

The Red Ribbon Gala Dinner is a charity dinner where the Red Ribbon Media Award winners get their prizes. I was fortunate enough to be part of this - RRMA is a biannual award and this year, it was DaimlerChrysler who sponsored the event.

The Red Ribbon Gala Dinner is a very formal event organized by the Malaysian AIDS Foundation (MAF) and the Malaysian AIDS Council (MAC). It's a very expensive dinner - thousands of dollars per head, as this is a charity dinner to raise funds for the Malaysian AIDS Council.

I liaised with my primary contact at MAC - Ely Azyze, who was kind enough to arrange everything from the air tickets to KL and the stay at Mandarin Oriental to smooth what was a very short notification of my winning entry due to my tardiness in checking my email. I didn't know I won coz I didn't even enter the contest.

The evening started off earlier for the award winners - I didn't manage to attend the morning rehearsals so I was very quickly briefed about where to stand on the stage and who to shake hands with. I still remember my spot - second duct tape marker on stage, and the order with whom I was supposed to shake hands with...it was Dr. Mahathir first, followed by Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir and the DaimlerChrysler president.

I got my red ribbon and handed over my invitation and signed in the guestbook...

The pre-public evening started with some rehearsals from the speakers and I could see the table attendants from Mandarin Oriental setting up the tables. The motif of every table was different, each has a set piece on it to be auctioned off at the end of the gala and the table decorations go with the motif.

Download: Red Ribbon Gala 2004 tables [sixthseal.com]

The gala dinner was held in the Grand Ballroom of Mandarin Oriental, KL. The place was large and two big screens were also put up so that people could see the speakers.

There was a special table in the middle for the guests of honor, which includes the previously mentioned VIPs as well as YAB Dato Seri Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi, the Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Download: Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir speach [sixthseal.com]

I was interviewed by an Astro Ria anchor and unfortunately, I didn't think I managed to get my message across due to my lack of sobriety coupled with being slightly uncomfortable with a microphone in front of me and a camera man standing smack dab beside me pointing the business end of the video camera at me.

The evening started off with a cocktail reception at 6:30. There was wine, beer, non-alcoholic beverages as well as hors de ours (sp?).

I had several glasses of red wine and I met Meesh, who won the Special Mention in the Non-Traditional Awards - Blogs category.

L-R: Chris, Huai Bin (me), Meesh

I also met a really nice guy called Chris, who sat at the same table as me (he won an award as well). I think he got the broadcast media award. He's really friendly and was the life of the table. :) I talked with Meesh at the staircase and we were not quite sober and took photos of each other:

Meesh.

Me.

The dinner started after that. I was at Table 11 - the winners are divided into two tables, Table 11 and Table 66. My table had Audrey, the winner from The Star (Print Media), Chris and some other MAC staff.

There is a gift pack from MAC (Malaysian AIDS Council, not the cosmetics label) on every chair. It seems that they arranged it so that there are alternate male and female oriented packs so some swapping took place.

This is what it contains. Mine was the right one, since I sat between two females, so my MAC pack was a male pack, so to speak. The female version has lipstick, foundation and some other stuff.

Download: Red Ribbon Gala 2004 [sixthseal.com]

Let me introduce you to the people in my table:

This is Audrey and Chris.

This is Shazlina from MAC and me. Ely was also sitting at the same table, as was a journalist from the Malay Mail.

This is another winner of an award from Oriental Daily or Daily Oriental, she's an ex-journalist and seemed as inebriated as I was. ;)

The Red Ribbon Media Awards goes after the Red Ribbon Gala Dinner, so I was admittedly not quite sober by the end of the night, due to the free flow wine, which I took advantage of. Every dish was paired with a wine and the dishes are specially prepared by "Asian Master Chefs". It sure was different and interesting.

There were several varieties of bread and liberal amounts of butter to soak up the liquor, er...I mean to start things off. It was alright. It's bread.

This is the starter, which I absolutely loved. The martini glass contains chicken bits hidden in shaved ice. It was like nothing I ever had experienced. Divine. This appetizer was paired with Jacob's Creek Chardonnay Pinot Noir.

Here's a photo taken with flash version of the dish so that everything can be seen. The Red Ribbon Gala dinner literature describes it as A Symphony of Gourmet Appetizers, by Jereme Leung from Shanghai. It's Poached Chicken with Chilled Soba Noodle Salad with Five Spiced Shaved Ice, Chinese Tea Smoked Egg White, Apricot Smoked Salmon topped with Sevruga Caviar Foie Gras Terrine with Garlic 'mantou', Apple and Citrus Compote. The description made my head spin.

Shazlina from MAC who was sitting beside me, is a vegetarian, so she got different dishes from us. Me and Chris tried to decipher just what exactly her dish was but the results were inconclusive...All I know is there's asparagus in there.

This is the second course, by Sam Leong from Singapore. It's Puree of Yellow Pumpkin infused with Superior Chicken Consomme and Crabmeat. The pairing wine is Jacob's Creek Reserve Riesling 2003.

This is what the vegetarian version is...it tasted like tapai, but richer and sweet instead of sour.

The third course is from Jimmy Chok of Salt Restaurant in Singapore. It's Baked Miso Chilean Seabass crusted with preserved Chinese Cabbage (Mui Choy), sauteed Japanese Mushroom, Fava Beans and Sweet Soy Glaze. The wine is Jacob's Creek Reserve Chardonnay 2002.

The vegetarian version for this course is equally puzzling but it contains beetroot.

The next course is from Cheong Liew from The Grange of Adelaide, Australia and is Medallion of Kampong Chicken, Lobster and Sweetbread with Shitaki, Abalone Mushroom, Liver, Roast Garlic, Chicken Jus paired with Jacob's Creek Reserve Shiraz 2001. This was very, very good.

The dessert was prepared by Bong Jun Choi of Lai Poh Heen Restaurant of KL and it's Chilled Snow Skin Lychee Ice Cream Delight, Warm Jasmin Marinated Plum and Morello Cherry Praline Mousse. The presentation was great, but the mousse was not.

We went up for the RRMA award ceremony after that - I won the Main Award for Non-Traditional Media, and got...

A specially engraved huge pewter bowl (which we affectionately dub the salad mixing bowl, but of course we'll do nothing of that sort) from Dr. Mahathir

A Certificate of Excellence from Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir which has my winning blog entry Guide to HIV testing in Malaysia [sixthseal.com] as well as her signature on it.

A check for RM 2,500 for being the main winner.

The Special Mention winners get the same thing as the Main Award Winners, except their pewter is a plate and the check is RM 500. I wished I got someone to take a photo of me standing up there, but the MAC staff and all the winners were on stage so no one could.

The charity auction for the table displays happened after that and most of the winners left, and I made my leave soon after that. I'm still kicking myself for not staying till the end and getting a photo with Dr. Mahathir and Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir.

I'll like to thank Ely Azyze and all the MAC and MAF staff for this honor and recognition. It was a great experience. My sincere thanks to everyone who made this happen. Cheers!

Posted in Best of sixthseal.com by Huai Bin at 01:41 PM Permalink | Comments (41)

Mandarin Oriental Hotel, KL

This is the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. It's located right in the middle of KL and is considered a 5 star hotel.

I was staying there courtesy of MAC (Malaysian AIDS Council - more about that later) and when I arrived there, my gf's brother told me not to open the car door - someone will do it for me.

...and sure enough, someone did. It's become something of an inside joke since. ;) The reception was fairly opulent and the receptionist on duty asked me if I wanted a queen or king sized room and told me it's all paid for by MAC.

Thus, I went for the queen sized room (MAC is a charity organization, non-profit).

The queen sized room was nice, with a welcome fruit basket (which I only ate the green apple, as I'm not a big fan of fruits).

The fruit array, with cutlery for the more refined ones amongst us to use.

The view is towards Suria KLCC...and you will notice some suspension wires in the windows. Management left a note to apologize that they'll be doing some window cleaning the next day.

Bathrobes! Slippers! Why, I've never had these in my life. The luxury! ;)

The bathroom seems very nice.

There is a shower and a soak tub in there too. I found the porcelain throne to be very pleasant to sit on.

The toiletries are very complete - sewing kit, razors, toothbrush and I finally got to know what an enamel board is.

I was about to think of the questionable logic of providing toothbrushes but no toothpaste, until I found it inside.

This place makes me feel like saying, "Go away, I'm a very busy man!" ;)

Here's a look at the mini bar - a select range of mini liquor bottles and Mandarin Oriental's own bottled water.

Heck, they even had an agreement with Pringles to have Mandarin Oriental Pringles.

Mandarin Oriental is also linked to Suria KLCC, the shopping center beneath the tallest twin towers in the world...

...and the shopping opportunities it offers.

Mandarin Oriental is a nice place to stay in...if you don't have to pay for it, of course. ;) I'll write about the Red Ribbon Gala next.

Posted in by Huai Bin at 09:54 AM Permalink | Comments (16)

MAC Red Ribbon Media Awards

I am honored that MAC [mac.org.my] found my Guide to HIV Testing in Malaysia [sixthseal.com] post noteworthy. I will be flying to KL tomorrow (Saturday, 18th September) to attend the award ceremony and I will be staying at the Mandarin Oriental before flying back to Kuching on Monday (20th September), all courtesy of the Malaysian AIDS Council. I will write a full report of the event when I get back. I'm truly honored by this recognition. Cheers to MAC and Ely Azyze! :)

Posted in by Huai Bin at 04:35 PM Permalink | Comments (38)

Kuching Waterfront Merdeka Day 2004 National Closing Ceremony

There was apparently some sort of big brouhaha going on at Kuching Waterfront last night, due to our inability to achieve some semblance of mobilization with the car due to the traffic massive congestion. It's Penutupan Bulan Kemerdekaan Peringkat Kebangsaan or Closing Ceremony for Merdeka (Independence) Day at the National Level.

Since we're effectively rendered immobile, we decided to brave the throngs of people and see what's going on in there. Kuching Waterfront has been designated as the National venue for the end of Independence Day celebrations.

There was a huge police presence and an even larger crowd, probably due to the bigwigs, er, I mean, dignitaries that were there. ;)

It started off with a colorful boat parade:

Download: Kuching Waterfront Boat Parade [sixthseal.com]

There were a lot of colorful neon boats floating down the river - 14 in all, each representing the 14 states of Malaysia.

Here is one that looks like a Tie Fighter.

There was also arcs of light to illuminate the skies, as it were. Here's another video of it:

Download: Kuching Waterfront Boats [sixthseal.com]

There was a loud police boat escorting a yatch ferrying the dignitaries after that. They docked beside the river and drove the fans (?) crazy with all that flag waving and loud cheering.

I know the Yang di-Pertuan Agong was there, that's the highest royalty figure in Malaysia. Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi was there as well, and that's the top guy in Malaysia.

The other entourage comprises of varies Chief Ministers and Heads of States. Political figures.

The performers waiting to go to the...

...floating platform in the middle of the river.

There were people waiting dockside to go to the floating performance stage (probably for security reasons) and there was some dancing and singing after that. We promptly left. ;)

Posted in Events by Huai Bin at 09:29 AM Permalink | Comments (7)

Sega2 Mini Video Games #5 - Amy & Rouge Tennis

Amy & Rouge Tennis is the latest game in the Sega2/McDonald's joint promotion. It just came out today and it's the first one to feature different covers on each side. The one above shows Amy, and the picture behind that shows Rouge.

This is Rouge. The non-mirror image packaging is novel, I postulate it's coz this game features two protagonists instead of one. I think Amy is meant to be cute and Rouge meant to look like some faux bad ass.

Here's the plastic shrink wrap it came in. It's the now standard, relatively thick covering with the name of the game on it.

This is the manual. I'll be honest and say that I can't make head or tail (no pun intended) of the game rules. I don't know how to play it. This is definitely the hardest to understand game in the series - it has the most complex game play by far.

Here's the mini video game in all its glory - pink motif, and a nice sticker with the characters on it.

This one also follows in Shadow Basketball's footstep in the controllers - it has two left and right toggles to move the character(s) and a blue button to hit the ball or something. I think you switch from Amy to Rouge at some point.

The pre-painted background is the most colorful one to date - the two characters are represented at top right and top left with colored detail and the game field shows a full length tennis court.

This is not something I could finish just by repeatedly pushing the button. I still can't finish it. I don't know how to play it. I can't finish it! Does that make me stoopid?

Posted in by Huai Bin at 03:32 PM Permalink | Comments (8)

Kafe Pelangi

Kafe Pelangi is located at Choice Super Mall in Kota Semariang. I've been having my lunch there for three days in a row.

Lunch - Day #1

This is what I had for the first day - nasi campur, tapai and kopi peng.

Here's a closer look at the tapai. It tasted sour...a bit too sour. I assume it's been left out there for a bit too long...

This is what I had for nasi campur (mixed rice) - curry chicken, brinjals cooked with chilli and a pumpkin/vegetable mix.

Lunch - Day #2

This is lunch on the second day. I just went for Malay style chicken rice coz we were in a hurry. I also had two pieces of fried mini spring rolls and a coke.

The mini spring rolls were vegetarian and costs RM 0.30 each. It's alright I guess...at least it's not sour. ;)

Here's a close up of the chicken rice. Nothing to write home about. It's chicken. It's rice.

Lunch - Day #3

This is the third and last day we ate at Kafe Pelangi. I had Mee Jawa, a sandwich, a piece of kueh and coke.

Here's a closer look at the sandwich. We see that it's a sardine, cucumber and egg sandwich.

This is the kueh - it tasted sweet, with a dusting of something salty at the end.

This is the Mee Jawa. It tasted good, spicy and nice.

I think this is probably one of the more thorough reviews I've done on an eating establishment that is, to call a spade a spade, substandard. ;)

Posted in Food reviews by Huai Bin at 11:44 AM Permalink | Comments (10)

Spain Smint Supports Smoking

I found this Smint promotional packaging which has Smint, er...mints, in a Pez-like dispenser and a Smint lighter! Light up the day with a free Smint lighter, it said. Now, I'm sitting there (or standing rather) wondering about why they would package a lighter with Smint.

Are the marketing people aiming to capture the smoking demographic by throwing in a free disposable lighter to go with their cool, sugar free (with Xylitol), breath freshening product? Or is there a more insidious marketing plan in place...an unholy agreement between big tobacco and Smint to put lighters in the Smint that are Made in Spain to encourage children to smoke?

Or maybe to burn ants or whatever children do nowadays, I don't know. ;)

Now, my dear readers, sixthseal.com is not going faux political or quasi activist on you, I just wanted to see if I could make a post title with four S in a row. ;)

Posted in Ethanol and tobacco by Huai Bin at 09:08 AM Permalink | Comments (7)

Dutch Sushi

I received a postcard from Jasmine [blogspot.com], who went to Amsterdam and is definitely having more fun than I'm having. ;) She knows what I'm interested in and I just love the postcard cover:

Dutch Sushi! Heh! Jasmine, can't wait for you to come back to Kuching. :)

Posted in by Huai Bin at 08:04 AM Permalink | Comments (11)

Frugurt Yogurt

I just couldn't resist...I thought it looked cute, and when I picked it up and shook it, its eyes rolled in a hilarious manner so I just had to buy it immediately. Heh! It's just too funny.

Frugurt Assorted Yogurt Style is now sitting on my work desk. I just got it last night and I predict it would be a big hit.

It tastes great too. It's a bizarre blend of yoghurt and fruits and it has nata de coco at the bottom. This is a video clip of me in my workplace with the Frugurt container. It's so funny.

Download: Frugurt video clip [sixthseal.com]

The video was shot by Bernice. To all my coworkers, please feel free to help yourself to the Frugurt on my table. It's great and more importantly, it's hilarious. :)

Posted in Snacks by Huai Bin at 08:24 AM Permalink | Comments (13)

The amazing cigarette price hike in Malaysia

We expected a 3-4% price hike. We expected it to be under RM 6. We expected a couple of cents increase. We were wrong. It turns out that each pack is selling for RM 6.50 now, and that, my friends, is a fucking amazing (I'm not good with math, so I'm covering up for it by not calculating the percentage) increase. It's a RM 1.10 increase! Even the contraband Rave cigarettes are going for RM 3.50 now.

There seems to be a consortium of coffee shops who started putting the RM 6.50 (for "premium" brands like Marlboros - the ones I smoke, Dunhills etc) in effect yesterday. Two places quoted me that price, though some grocery shops are still selling it at the old RM 5.40 price. It's a good thing I have a friend who owns a chain of grocery shops and he's selling it to me at RM 50 per carton (RM 5 each) for Marlboros. It's all legit, MY watermark, new stock etc. He's a good old friend I've known for 9 years, and he promised to freeze the RM 50 per carton price for me and some of our close friends.

Don't ask about reselling though, I won't do that, like I said we're good friends..."blood brothers" in Chinese. :p The price hike is a bummer though, and although some sources claims that the figure is not confirmed yet, all the places have put the cigarette tax increase in place, so that's a moot point. I didn't stock up though, coz I can always get it from my friend at our "old price" (RM 50 per carton).

Nevertheless, when he came over to my place late last night, I told him I'm switching to L&M (another Philip Morris brand which tastes kinda like Marlboro) in protest. RM 35 per carton (retail is RM 4 per pack) sure beats RM 50 any day. I will always love Marlboros but sometimes the government goes a little too far with this anti-smoking campaign. I'm sure it'll buffer the coffers of Malaysia's war chest too, this tax increase. I'll love to see a study if it leads to an increase in crime when nicotine starved low income bracket groups find themselves stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Well, I've got work to do now, I'll update again later and reply all comments then. Have a nice Monday everyone, and to all cigarette smokers out there...I feel for you, mate. We've been shafted again and again...I imagine this amazing price hike is going to compensate for the expensive botched "Tak Nak" anti-smoking campaign.

Posted in Ethanol and tobacco by Huai Bin at 08:18 AM Permalink | Comments (36)

KFC Garden Salad with Popcorn Chicken

This is KFC's latest introduction - the KFC Garden Salad at RM 3.80. It's a variety of vegetables (it differs in Peninsula Malaysia and East Malaysia) served with Thousand Island dressing on the side.

It also comes with an option for Popcorn Chicken (KFC's mini chicken nuggets) for a "complete meal" at RM 5.

This is what KFC's Garden Salad looks like. It's served in a plastic receptacle and the vegetables are cold. There are also two packets of Thousand Island dressing and the salad is served with a plastic fork.

We have lettuce leaves lining the bottom, a bedding of shredded carrots, corn kernels scattered throughout the salad, cucumber sticks lining the tray and sliced tomatos on top.

The popcorn chicken is served separately and I scattered it on the salad.

The Thousand Island dressing is then drizzled liberally...

...and the KFC Garden Salad with Popcorn Chicken was half heartedly tossed. You can't get much tossing done with a plastic fork, I can tell you that.

Nevertheless, I found it delicious - all the vegetables tastes fresh, cold and crunchy and the crispness of the lettuce tasted wonderful with the hot popcorn chicken. I wonder what the regional variations are - I know the ones in KL have red capsicum, which we don't.

Posted in Fast Food Inc. by Huai Bin at 02:23 PM Permalink | Comments (15)

New Mild Seven limited edition run boxes

These are the new Mild Seven limited edition run cigarette boxes. It came out some time this week and the full flavored ones (below) depicts a speeding F1 car while the lights version (above) shows a stationary F1 vehicle. I thought they would go better in the F1 Mild Seven Pit Party [sixthseal.com] limited edition cans, but for some marketing reason I can't comprehend, these limited run ones came only came out this week.

Oh, and cigarette taxes are going up...again...

Posted in Ethanol and tobacco by Huai Bin at 11:39 AM Permalink | Comments (6)

SMK Sacred Heart school canteen

I thought I'll do a food review on a school canteen for a change. I reckon it'll be funny, but it was anything but...

SMK Sacred Heart has a full fledged (!) old skool coffee shop operation going on in the canteen. I've never seen the likes of it before. Why, in my previous high school, we only had RM 0.50 fried noodles, precooked and stuff like that to choose from. This "canteen" has a full ordering service.

The ambience was nothing to speak of...standard mess style dining area. The ordering area is like a coffee shop though. Jesus, kids nowadays. Why, I could regale you with tales of the time when I was young; when I had to walk bare foot through a jungle trail to get to school, but that's digressing. ;)

This is my order - Coca Ice and Iban Mee. "Coca Ice" turns out to be very dilute Milo but at RM 1.20, you get what you pay for.

The Iban Mee was surprisingly good at RM 2. It's a spicy fried noodle dish, with a healthy (generous, really) sprinkling of fried onions on top.

I was surprised to find a couple of girls in there, since Sacred Heart is an all boys school (except for Form Six, but they looked too young for that). I talked to them and got them to pose for a photo and they told me they are from Sacred Heart, but Jesus (no pun intended), don't they look rather young for 18?

Posted in Food reviews by Huai Bin at 04:06 PM Permalink | Comments (17)

Fassbind Kirsch liquor chocolates

Fassbind Kirsch chocolates is another product line in the liquor chocolate industry that is made from real alcohol.

Fassbind is a little known brand and kirsch is classified under "brandy" if I'm not mistaken. It tastes like good brandy. Fassbind Kirsch can be found in its original state at 41% alcohol.

The liquor filled chocolates comes in the form of standard block milk chocolates filled with the liquor in question - in this case, it's Fassbind Kirsch.

It's important to note that the centers are filled with liquid liquor, so please don't make the mistake of biting into it and letting it spill all over...like me. ;)

Posted in Ethanol and tobacco by Huai Bin at 11:00 PM Permalink | Comments (11)

Sibu revisted, revisited, revisited

I'll be flying off to Sibu again later tonight. It'll be a quick in and out company trip and I'll be back on Sunday night. Expect a chocolate liquor review later tonight when I get my hands on another one of those while I wait for my flight. :)

Posted in by Huai Bin at 02:55 PM Permalink | Comments (0)

Sega2 Mini Video Games #4 - Shadow Basketball

This is the latest mini video game from McDonald's - Shadow Basketball. I reckon Shadow thinks of himself as something of a bad ass, posing in that confrontational attitude. ;) Unfortunately, the game places you on his side, so you can't do a full on body block to show him who's in charge of the court here.

The plastic wrap shows Shadow in either a "come get some" or "I'm doing some serious air" pose, I can't decide which. ;) The color theme of this mini video game is black, with a see through black casing.

The manual now comes in the double printed English/Chinese instructions we saw in the previous game in the series.

Here's what the Shadow Basketball handheld game looks like. It's on a vertical play field.

Shadow Basketball is the most complex game to date - it has two yellow arrow keys to move Shadow left, right or center and a red button for Shadow to take a shot.

Here's a look at the pre-painted color background...it shows the three pointer circle of the opponent's end.

Shadow Basketball starts out with one robot looking defender trying to block your shots at the hoop. Shadow can score if the robot is not in front of the shot angle. He can also score if the robot is in front of the shot angle, but the robot's hands needs to be down, or "off guard". The robot blocks the shot when its hands are up during an attempt at the hoop. The game increases the number of robot defenders up to three and also steps up the speed of their repetitive blocking attempts.

I took a video of the game play, including the final stage, and the winning animation. This is taken as macro as the first video is barely viewable. Rest assured, this one is perfectly clear:

Download: Shadow Basketball [sixthseal.com]

I don't know why I kept referring to Shadow Basketball as Knuckles Basketball in the video. Something must have confused me. ;) It's Shadow Basketball.

Despite the apparent complexity, it's not that hard to make blind shots and win. I won during the first attempt and the winning animation shows Shadow taking shots from all three angles.

Posted in by Huai Bin at 08:15 AM Permalink | Comments (4)

Hair in pizza = free pizza from Pizza Hut

One of my coworkers went to Pizza Hut for lunch and found a hair in her pizza. Pizza Hut gave her a free Thai Seafood Sensation pizza to go, which she kindly gave to me. I haven't had pizza in a while, tastes good.

This is a photo of my coworker, Bernice Cheng, with me. I know you guys probably just want to see her alone, so here you go:

Nice smile, eh? ;)

Posted in Huygens Asia , XX chromosomes by Huai Bin at 01:20 PM Permalink | Comments (17)

Sega2 Mini Video Games #3 - Tails Soccer

Tails Soccer is the third in the Sega2 and McDonald's joint venture promotional series. Basically, you get to purchase one with every McDonald's meal for RM 6. Tails Soccer comes in the now standard spiffy Sega2 packaging, with box and all the frills.

The plastic wrap it comes in is also the standard Sega 2 packaging, with the name of the game and the character printed in monotone on the outside and the game with a manual (a nice word for a piece of paper) inside.

The manual is superfluous really, its just the same three stage, game goes faster as you up a stage, left-middle-right movement typical of the Sonic Team Sega2 games.

What I found unusual is that the back of the manual has the instructions printed in Chinese (Mandarin) as well. That wasn't the case with the others in the series.

Tails Soccer itself is molded like a console game controller, but it seems to be meant for smaller hands than mine coz it wasn't really comfortable to play. There is no flip-top clamshell design this time, just a standard mini video game design. It's interesting to note the similarities in the Sega2 Tails Soccer and the original Sega Knuckles Soccer [sixthseal.com]. Probably used the same chipset with minor mods.

Here's the pre-painted background...same old, same old.

Tails! God dammit, you missed the ball!

Posted in by Huai Bin at 09:37 AM Permalink | Comments (9)

G2000 image consultant

Meet my image consultant. ;) I went to get a new suit after work yesterday, just went opposite to Tun Jugah and went into G2000 for the works.

I had different opinions on the tie and the shirt color, but after her explanation, I acceded to her advice. There's a very important meeting later today, and I need to be properly attired for it.

I think I spent more on clothes this month than the whole of last year combined. I guess that says a lot about how much I allocate to my attire budget...which is not much at all. ;)

Posted in XX chromosomes by Huai Bin at 07:35 AM Permalink | Comments (20)

Sega2 Mini Video Games #2 - Cream Flower Catch

Cream Flower Catch is the second one in the McDonald's and Sega mini video games promotional tie in. It comes in a nicely designed cardboard box with a yellow motif, showing whom I presume to be Cream from Sega's Sonic the Hedgehog series.

The box has the McDonald's logo, it's "i'm lovin' it" tagline...

...and the SEGA logo as well.

This is the contents of the box - a nice plastic wrap with the manual and the mini video game. The Sega2 series is much better than the first Sega promotion - the new ones all have a box with colored printing and a higher quality plastic wrap. The first ones only come in a small plastic wrap.

Cream Flower Catch also features the same flip top, translucent clamshell design that was in Sonic Skateboard. However, Cream Flower Catch is longer, with a very vertical design and a yellow based theme.

Here's a look at the back of the Cream Flower Catch mini video game - it shows all the internal circuits, including the battery. There is a red on/off toggle switch as well. It's a definite improvement from the more boring first iteration.

The manual from the Sega2 series remains similar to the original Sega mini video games though - it's just a piece of one-sided printed paper, with minimal instructions. The game play is typical of handheld systems - the usual repetitive motions with everything moving faster with each level increase.

This is what Cream Flower Catch looks like in its open state - the yellow top flips up to reveal a sticker on the back of the top with Cream and her...er, friend. There are two red buttons to move Cream left, middle or right.

The Sega2 series maintains the standard of a pre-painted color background with grayscale game play elements superimposed on top when it's switched on.

Go catch the flowers, Cream!

Posted in by Huai Bin at 12:00 PM Permalink | Comments (1)

BDC Seafood Restaurant

BDC Seafood Restaurant is the mammoth three storey high restaurant located, aptly, in BDC Commercial Center. It has see through window panes on all the levels, allowing passerby's to see the diners...er, dining, in all their glory.

This is the main entrance to BDC Seafood Restaurant at the ground floor.

The interior of the place is well decorated, typical of a Chinese seafood restaurant, but reassuringly familiar all at once.

I opted for Yang Chow Fried Rice (RM 4). This place is well known for it's affordability and good food.

This is the Nestum Salad Chicken (RM 8). The chicken is coated with a batter which has Nestum cereal inside before being deep fried, sliced into manageable pieces and served with mayonnaise. The Nestum cereal flavors carries well into the dish - highly recommended.

Here we see the Claypot Drunken Prawn (RM 20). The claypot dish has large prawns simmered in a wonderful broth, and the wine taste and flavors were overwhelmingly tasty, with the wine flavors again carrying through perfectly.

This is a non-menu dish our attendant recommended. It's going to be a menu item in a while and he gave us a chance to try it out before then. They're going to name in "Three Joy" or something to that effect (in Chinese of course). It's a vegetable dish that's made with long beans, potatoes and brinjals, cooked with spicy belacan. It's very unique and tasty.

I present to you...the largest oyster omelette (RM 15) in Kuching, Sarawak, and probably the world! ;) I was amazed by the sheer girth of this o-chien (oyster omelet) when it arrived on the table. The amazing proportion just overwhelmed me and rendered me speechless. The others had eaten here before and were used to it - and they confirmed that it was the largest oyster pancake in town, to the best of their knowledge.

I had a concoction of sago, raisins and shaved winter melon soaking in a coconut infused sweet milk for dessert. The complex textures and flavors were amazing.

I would recommend BDC Seafood Restaurant for a nice, affordable meal. They cater for weddings and special occasions as well, and you have three floors of dining space and an attentive staff along with the good food.

Posted in Food reviews by Huai Bin at 09:54 AM Permalink | Comments (16)

Sega2 Mini Video Games #1 - Sonic Skateboard

The Sega/McDonald's promotional tie-in is back again, and it's better than ever. The aptly called Sega2 series is the second batch of mini video games from the original Sega mini video games [sixthseal.com]. The first one in this series is Sonic Skateboard. Sonic is the flagship intellectual property of Sega and Sonic Skateboard looks to be one of the better mini video games in this McDonald's and Sega promotion with its see through flip top clamshell design with all the internal ICs visible.

I did not actually know about the second promotion until it was too late - Sonic Skateboard had already sold out! Luckily, the store manager has one in her possession and was willing to part for it for RM 50. She assured me that it was in mint condition, but it didn't come with the nice packaging and manuals, so I offered her RM 30 instead and she agreed. The normal retail price is RM 6 with any McDonald's meal.

The design seems to be the same as the first batch of Sega video games which came out last year - a grayscale screen with pre-painted backgrounds and two buttons for movement control.

The game play is still the basic simple arcade style handheld video game which can be finished in 10 minutes.

There are three levels to Sonic Skateboard. Basically, the game play requires you to use the two red buttons to move Sonic to one of three possible positions - left, right and center. You have to avoid the landmines while controlling Sonic, who's on a skateboard on a half pipe, while collecting rings. It's simple and fun.

Download: Sega2 Sonic Skateboard video [sixthseal.com]

Here's a video of me playing the first mini video game in the joint McDonald's/Sega promotion. The person who's taking the video is Bernice, one of my coworkers.

Posted in by Huai Bin at 01:27 PM Permalink | Comments (5)

Malaysia Boleh cigarettes

Malaysia Boleh! Jenama Bangsa Malaysia (The Brand of the People of Malaysia). This is a relatively new entry into the cigarette market - John cigarettes.

I found it in a coffee shop somewhere. It's wholly made and owned by a Malaysian Company. I just hope Phillip Morris don't file a lawsuit based on the er...similarities, shall we say, with their respective logos.

It currently only comes in one variety, no menthols, no lights, but that's not an issue since I don't go for those. It only costs RM 2.80, around half the price of "premium" cigarettes like Marlboro and Dunhill.

It has the "MY" silk print on it - Malaysia recently launched a campaign to get rid of all unlicenced cigarettes by imposing fines on both retailers and end users and this affected the low income bracket market by removing low cost cigarettes like Rave from the shelves.

It looks like that void is filled now, with these Malaysian made cigarettes. I personally found it pleasant, somewhat like Marlboros...for half the price. Two other test subjects reported "sharpness" and an "acidity", respectively, which I also noted, but hey, it costs half the price of Marlboros. I think I'll stick to Marlboros though, but I'm just telling you, if you're not choosy, you might like John cigarettes.

...and er, support Malaysian made goods. ;)

Posted in Ethanol and tobacco by Huai Bin at 07:48 AM Permalink | Comments (14)

The Garden of Adem

I revisited Adem again this morning...

I got to know the proprietor, Mr Lim.

Now, I don't know if it's the delicious food...

or the wonderful company...

But the water lilies...

...they never looked better. ;)

Posted in XX chromosomes by Huai Bin at 12:07 PM Permalink | Comments (3)

Unholy Communion

Do this in remembrance of me...

Download: Unholy communion video [sixthseal.com]

For no one can enter the Kingdom of God, except through me. ;)

This is a video of me fooling around with the communion service receptacles. It's not for the ones who can't take a joke or those who thinks blasphemy is a word in the dictionary. ;)

For the record, no, I did not put red wine into any of the Ribena substitutes.

The blood of Christ! =D

Posted in Hmm... by Huai Bin at 10:09 PM Permalink | Comments (32)

It has begun...again...

It has returned...just when I thought it was gone for good, it came back. It came back from the dead...

The Sega2 Mini Video Games promotional tie in with McDonald's is on again, I bought and reviewed the whole first series with the exception of one, and I knew about this promo too late...the first one is sold out!

I managed to get the two that were available, and the store manager told me she has one of the first sold out ones, and I offered her RM 50 for a mint condition one. She told me to wait 15 minutes and got her brother to send it to McDonalds. It didn't have the packaging though, so I said I'll give her RM 30, and she accepted.

Three down, three to go. I'll do a whole review just like last time (the first Sega promo is in the Best of sixthseal.com archives), starting Monday.

I got a cheap bottle of Shiraz Cabernet from the change. Hey, she said it was in mint condition and it didn't even come with the spiffy box and manual. :p She was happy with the deal too, and so am I. Packaging or no packaging, I'm determined to have a complete set this time.

Posted in by Huai Bin at 06:24 PM Permalink | Comments (4)

Happy shopping, dear customers

To provide a better level of service to our valued customers, we have erected a steel pole structure hovering several inches off the ground to catch you off guard and make you trip and fall face first into our main front doors.

We hope that our new upgrade which encompasses the whole shopping entrance front will give you a better shopping experience.

Regards,
The Management of Kin Orient Plaza

Posted in Hmm... by Huai Bin at 03:22 PM Permalink