Raya escapade

This year's Raya holidays seemed to stretch aross a long weekend because both days fall on Saturday & Sunday. Not long after that, we have another newly declared holiday this year which falls on 16 September which is a Thursday. Seeing the opportunity to take some time off, WL's family booked a few rooms at a Port Dickson resort. I was invited to join in the fun & I graciously accepted their offer.

I haven't been to Port Dickson for ages & the only thing I could recall is the dirty beach & the seemingly haunted rented bungalow that me & my family almost stayed for the night. Fast forward more than 10 years later, here I am back at the signature dirty beach for a Raya getaway. Together with WL & his brothers' families. XD

It was only 1 1/2 hour drive from KL but even then, I was fast asleep throughout the entire journey. When we arrived, the building & surrounding looked decent & clean though not particularly grand.

Sad to say that the compound surrounding the resort is pretty bare with not much greenery view. The next drawback is that it doesn't have beach. Can you believe that? -_-" At least the resort looks pretty good in a way with little homes built on both land & stilts. The landed area does give a modern, homey neighbourhood. Plus point for that! =)

Each home has an indoor swimming pool about 4 feet deep. Too small a pool for swimming but good enough to get wet & relax within the comfort of your own room. It has a mini fountain shaped of a frog shooting water out of its mouth. The fountain seems to operate on itself by refilling the pool as & when it detects the water level falling below minimum.

I quite liked the spacious room which is capable of accommodating 2 queen size beds. There's a kichenette equipped with microwave oven, kettle, cutleries etc for a quick meal preparation. The bathroom is just next to the kichenette; incorporating an open concept with the shower area, toilet & sink separated from each other. I personally prefer to have them combined together to be a proper bathroom so that I didn't have to tiptoe around in my wet condition after shower to use the toilet. Too bad. :/

A glimpse of other facilities such as the cafe & public swimming pool reflects a decent & simple environment. Quite disappointing to say that the buffet breakfast menu lacks variety & even a dish as simple as omelette failed to give out its fragrant & savoury taste. On the other hand, the pool is generally divided into 3 sections - adult's pool, children's pool & mini size pool. Although I'm not much of a swimmer, I believe it's obvious if the pool was not properly maintained ie not cleaning regularly hence causing the water to look a little murky. Eww!

There is no recreational activities to do in the resort besides swimming, cycling, going to the gym & playing ping pong at a miserable location near the toilet entrance. Apart from the free breakfast for two, there ain't any restaurants to dine which means driving out for meals is a must. Driving out to look for food is literally useless at a dead town like Port Dickson cuz very scarce eateries can be seen. Imagine driving out to search for a local coffee shop but ended up lunching at KFC -_-" Bicycles are available for rent within the vicinity but trust me it sure ain't an enjoyable ride. They were poorly maintained - chain gears not oiled & probably left out in the sun for too long that the cushion seats had hardened.

I guess, it's who you travel with that determines how enjoyable the trip would be. =) Otherwise, any posh hotel or beautiful beach would be equally dull & less meaningful.

But if you asked me, I doubt I would visit this place again reason being it's a little too pricey for a few night's stay with hardly any activities to look forward to. I guess I'm the type of guest or tourist who seeks for something to do instead of just spending the entire day in the hotel room in a deep slumber. Perhaps it's not my perfect idea of winding down & getaway.

Depth & realism like never before

The teaser ad came as an attention grabber with only a pair eyes staring out viciously on a FP+FC page on dailies of various languages. Instantaneously, my Dad thought it was some car advertisement trying to create attention of an upcoming big bang launch.

Two days later on 2 Sep, the same pair of eyes appeared again. This time on another newspaper but with something extra - a pair of 3D glasses. If you look carefully, the ad was printed in double image which was supposed to mimic the 3D effect once you put on the glasses provided.

This ad did not just end here. It had a centre spread page revealing the brand new Panasonic 3D Full HD Plasma TV. Use the 3D glasses & you should be able to see the 3D image of the puma jumping out of the TV screen.

Flip to the back page & you'll see the same pair of puma eyes staring viciously - this time with a night safari background. This visual is in 3D too!

Too bad the 3D image wasn't visually stunning cuz this is probably the best newspaper printing can achieve with the ordinary 3D glasses. At least Panasonic had succeeded in communicating the main theme - 3D to the readers. If I'm not mistaken, this is the first time such an interesting concept is introduced in Malaysia. It sure is one hell of an expensive ad launch. No wonder they have this exclusively for The Sun. The Star would probably cost a bomb. =P

Justin Lo Live in Genting 2010

Attending Justin Lo's concert was one of the promises I made with WL ever since we were together. Justin's last concert in Malaysia was back in 2008 & I missed cuz nobody was interested to go with me. I, or should I say we, didn't expect he would return for another concert. He had been a little quiet for the past 1-2 years other than making headlines for being involved in a fight with our local singer, Gary Chaw in Hong Kong with the latter landing a kick on Justin's groin. Gary apologised publicly & the two best buds were back to good terms.

Okay, enough of the showbiz gossips. When it was announced that Justin will be back for a concert at Genting, we jumped at the opportunity to make reservation right away. It costs RM368 inclusive of one pair of RM130 tickets to the concert & free breakfast for two.

WL didn't want to drive for fear of damaging his already old car. So, we'd decided to be more adventurous & took the Genting bus at 1U to Gohtong Jaya station then boarded the cable car up to the highest peak. My heart was thumping hard because the cable car carriage was letting out loud, cranky noise as it prepared for lift-off through the cables. The same question kept running in my mind. What if the cable snaps off? o.O Oh, the horror!

My heart nearly dropped when the carriage lifted off & suspended mid-air, rising slowly - with occasional wobbles - up the steep slopes of the highland.

The view outside the carriage got even scarier as it ascended the hills. The tropical rainforest is right below us & trees grew as tall as few hundred feet. Look down & you'll see that the forest seemed endless. To ease our anxiety due to acrophobia, we attempted forcing a smile in front of the camera.

When the carriage arrived our destination, we heaved a sigh of relief that we were finally back on solid ground. Wow, what an experience that was! We headed to First World Hotel to check in & were overwhelmed with the huge crowd waiting for their turns. Guests of different nationalities can be seen - Chinese, Middle Easterns, Indians, South Africans, etc. It took us more than an hour to finally check in to our room. WL forgotten to request for a queen-size bed & we ended up having to accept a twin single bedroom even though we booked for a deluxe room. It's still better than sleeping in a superior room which is awfully small.

After napping & shower, we were all set to go for a walk to enjoy the chilly air outdoors. The concert is scheduled to commence at 8pm & we were told by the staff at the ticketing counter to enter the Arena of Stars by 7.30pm. This means dinner has to be early or else we'll be late for the concert. We dined at a Hainan Kitchen for a quick meal of chicken rice & lamb stew. Not that both dishes tasted good & it was darn expensive - as expected from every F&B outlet in Genting. Next, it was time to hit the outdoors while it was still bright. How I love the cold breeze~ If only KL is as cooling every day.

We entered the concert hall at 7.30pm however, the concert is still empty & nowhere near occupied. We sat quite far from the stage but still able to catch Justin in action. He should be about 5cm tall from our view which is much better than the Alan Tam & Hacken Lee concert we went last year. While waiting, we were bored & started camwhoring as usual XD.

The clock struck 8pm but the concert was delayed for about 10 minutes to allow the other concert-goers to find their seats. Little did we expect that the hall was filled up within minutes & it was close to 95% full. Despite the small hall that could only accommodate 6,000 people, it's still quite a feat to command such strong crowd. I supposed many people just love Justin. =)

The concert started with the singer elevated from underground, belting one of his older hits. He looked exactly like the last time I saw him 3 years ago, only a little pudgier now XD. He wore his cap as always but seemed to be spotted without any hair. No sideburns or stubs. Seemed to me that he shaved his head bald, which I felt, is a good feat for his severely receding hairline.

He wasn't much of a dancer but he still made an effort to showcase his dancing prowess. The crowd went wild when he & his dancers sashayed on the stage to Wonder Girls' infectious Nobody & continuously pumping in actions for Super Junior's Sorry, Sorry. So darn hilarious! It was one of his songs called 30 Days with meaningful lyrics made me tear as he sang with full emotion. WL thought that I cried for the singer but it wasn't true at all. The lyrics were touching as I tried to imagine WL saying each word in the song to me. Well, he sang to me several times in the car but somehow he couldn't express the feelings as strong as how it should be. Baby, don't get me wrong ya. Nothing beats having you saying it to me & I really appreciate your effort. Love you! ♥

All good things must come to an end. The concert ended with a standing ovation from the crowd after he fulfilled a three-song encore for us. I'd say he did pretty good fan service too when he called on a fan to join him on stage during his performance. Lucky gal! Boy, we were starving as soon as we left the hall & quickly sat down for a quick bite. WL had his Burger King that he was pinning for, at last XD. Took a snapshot of us with satisfying grins plastered all over our face before we returned to our room for a good night's rest.

The next morning was passing by quickly as we rushed for free breakfast at First World Cafe. Worst buffet breakfast I've ever had cuz it felt like fighting for prison food. No offence but we didn't feel at ease eating our sausages & ham. :/ We left the highlands at late noon, descending the hills through cable car again. Upon boarding the bus heading back to 1U, we bumped into this old lady seating one row behind the driver's seat.

She was being loud & chatty with another elderly man sitting in front of me. At first, we ignored her but we couldn't help overhearing her exceptionally loud voice. This lady was narrating proudly on her pastimes during the weekends - travelling to Genting early morning to gamble & then taking the evening bus home. When being asked why her husband didn't offer to drive up to the highlands, of which she nonchalantly replied that her husband finds it costly to fund her weekly escapades & preferred her to settle it herself. She even added that she would be so bored to death if told to stay at home instead of gambling. Me & WL exchanged looks - both finally understood with our very own ears how Genting can remain so prosperous despite its rundown facilities.

Above all, both of us were truly satisfied with the outcome of the concert. Mainly because we adore Justin's song so much that it was natural we watched the show together. It's not the case in which only one of us fancy Justin which makes things a whole lot easier for us =) The one & only scary part is travelling to Genting during 7th month of the lunar calendar. -.-"

If school is not safe, where else?

A couple of hours ago, we were on the way for weekly badminton game at Catholic High School. Me & WL went out about our usual routine - taking turns to change our clothes in the washroom. This time, we parked the car next to the washroom which is at the alley in between the badminton hall & squash court.

About half hour later, one of the patrons at the court called out for the owner whom his car alarm sounded out. It turned out to be WL's car & suspected of the windshield being smashed. WL rushed out of the school hall while I followed behind closely. The back window on the right was broken & shards of glass pieces were scattered in & outside the car.

It was obvious that someone attempted to steal something out of the car just because there was a plastic bag in it - what seemed like a bag to the outsiders. Thankfully no valuable stuff was taken away. Apparently, one of the players saw two Indians on a motorcycle riding off heading towards the school exit when the car alarm came off. They suspected the Indians were the culprit but there is no way we could report to the police reason being the players didn't witness the action with their own eyes.

We stopped our game & left early cuz it wasn't safe to leave the car aside without a hole at the window. This incident reminded us that being anywhere is no longer safe anymore - not even within the confines of your home. Who would've expected that two random men would prey on unexpected car owners in a school vicinity? We seriously need to take precautions whenever & wherever we are. No leaving any forms of bags (shopping bags, gym bags, etc.) & most importantly expensive gadgets ie laptops in the car unattended. Keep the bags in the boot if you're parking & carry your laptop with you at all times, if any. It's better to be safe than sorry. Avoid suffering from big loss out of a simple break in.

Action heroes unite!

What is the outcome when you have all time favourite action heroes (young & old alike) coming together in one film? It's...

Basically, it's a typical testosterone-filled movie with lots of swearing & violent actions. I'm not a big fan of this movie genre but for the sake of my baby, I accompanied him to watch it. It turned out to be quite entertaining but sadly, I was pretty exhausted after work & wasn't really in the mood to watch any movie. So there were some jokes which was supposed to be hilarious didn't seemed to be digested.

Occasionally, my eyes couldn't stay open which made me fall into quick naps. The next thing I knew, my short naps were interrupted quite abruptly with a loud bang from the speakers. There goes another bomb exploded...BOOM!

Sylvester Stallone is so old yet muscular o.O And his face looked so plastic & artificially smooth that it's undeniable he had more than a dozens of Botox shots. In addition, the most epic scene would be seeing Arnold Schwarzeneggar appearing for a less than 1 minute utter some cheesy dialogue & walk off. I guess this is the price of being a governor - stepping off from showbiz.

If you're into action-packed, butt kicking movies with less profounding dialogues, this is the movie for you.

Pearl of the Orient

Pardon me for the lack of updates lately. Despite the hectic schedule & coming home exhausted every evening, I kept telling myself to find time to blog in order to de-stress myself. But somehow I can't seem to push myself to do anything cuz it's as if blogging has become a stressful chore. Lucky thing I've disregard that notion & decided to get the ball rolling again.

This post about my travel up north is long overdue but I definitely would want to document it as part of my life journey. Here it goes...I was still in primary school when I set foot in Penang. I could vaguely remember that the only place my family hung around back then was at Batu Ferringi. Sadly, we didn't travel to town to enjoy the good food that Penang was known for. And back then, Batu Ferringi is pretty much a quiet beach town with nothing much to offer. Perhaps this was the reason why my parents never wanted to return there for another visit.

Fast forward more than 10 years later, here I am in the Pearl of the Orient but this time with a different purpose - a gastronomic feat. The typical food excursion would include the first stop at Ipoh. Knowingly Foh San Restaurant is supposedly popular for its dim sum, we decided to give it a try. I'd have to say it's one of the worse dim sum I've ever eaten in my life. Whoever it said it was good, you seriously have taste bud problems. It was obvious that the restaurant has boomed over the years through recommendations from local & foreign tourists that the food has become the victim of commercialisation. What puzzles me is that people still flock to that restaurant -.-"

After our brief stop, we continued our journey with occasional toilet breaks along the way. Finally, we arrived the Penang bridge. It was Friday therefore it wasn't surprising to see the traffic slowing to a halt at the bridge as cars, trucks, bikes (you name it) enters the island. What's more, road works are in progress. It's like queueing for entry to Singapore. :/

Something caught our eye as our car crawled slowly across the bridge. Some creature with a fairly pink butt with its head bobbing up & down in the truck ahead of us. Guess what? These are PIGS XD. No wonder. That explains the pink, big butt. LOL.

We arrived at Gurney Hotel at 1pm but the room wasn't ready yet as the housekeeper is working on getting everything prim & proper after the previous guest left. While waiting, we headed to the nearest coffee shop along Gurney Drive for lunch. Hoping to try the prawn mee that Penangites rave about, I thought any stall that serves prawn mee would be delicious. I was wrong. The soup was lukewarm, not as steaming hot as it should be. It wasn't fragrant at all; not to mention the prawns turning bad & tasted weird. The noodles were pricey too -.-" I was already tired from the travelling & I had to endure such horrendous food =(. Yuck! I gobbled up whatever is left & thankfully, the hotel receptionist called to inform that our room is ready.

We checked in to our suite which is at the 16th floor (I think...can't remember) & was quite delighted to see a two-bedroom suite with a decent kitchen & a spacious living room. It's a little old but cleanliness is okay. The master bedroom faces the direction of a scenic view, overlooking Gurney Drive. It's quite annoying that the faulty ceiling bulb was not replaced & the air cond in the master bedroom drips occasionally when it de-frost. :/

I didn't take much pictures during this trip cuz I was easily tired from frustration that we got lost countless times. Penang's road system is awesomely confusing & congested. Somehow, we still managed to find our way through but it was a total waste of time & left us starving most of the time. On our first night, we headed to McCalister Road which is situated nearby Sunway Hotel. One peculiar thing about Penang stalls is that different hawkers are allowed to sell similar food. For instance, you can find at least 2 or 3 hawkers selling fried kuay teow.

The next morning, we left after breakfast to Kek Lok Si Temple for sightseeing. I read somewhere in the papers last year that a new monumental size Kuan Yin statue was built at the peak of the hill. We were curious to see the scale of the project. The statue was no doubt tall & huge, visible from the foothill.

Upon reaching the peak, the statue was right in front of our eyes - so magnificently tall & beautiful that it made us looked like dwarfs.

As you can see, the statue is not completed yet. Donations are welcomed from visitors who are generous enough to contribute towards the statue's completion. As a token of goodwill & here's to good health & prosperity to all my loved ones, I contributed a piece of roof tile which costs only RM30. Someday, this piece will be somewhere on the pavilion to shelter the statue. Or perhaps be an object of display if there are enough roof tiles for construction.

More beautiful pictures taken at the temple. =)

It as lunch time when we descended the hill. For convenience, we drove to another coffee shop nearby our hotel which is just next to where I ate that awful prawn noodle. This shop serves tastier food but we felt a little ripped off cuz the bill turned out to be expensive. Supposed most of the shops at Gurney Drive charges pretty high mainly to rake profits off tourists. *sighs*

Not wanting to return so quickly to the hotel after lunch, we went for another temple visit at Temple Road - with two temples facing each other. One Burmese, the other Thai. Both with almost similar beliefs, yet so different.

The Burmese temple has a little machine that upon inserting a 50 cent coin, will allow you to find out about luck in career, love & so forth. It's like tarot reading or palm reading. Tiger year is not so prosperous for everyone but being born in the Tiger sorta makes things worse & complicated, it seems. I've got a rather depressing read about my life. It said...not wise to for career move & someone at work is trying to harm me. My love life/marriage is not hopeful. Geez, I felt so demotivated after reading that. Can't they show me a road that has at least a glimpse of hope?

Since it was our last night at Penang, we thought of having a stroll along the pavement near the beach just like everyone else. While WL's parents stopped half way to listen to one of the singing performance at the coffee shops, we continued to our walk. Little did we realised that me & WL spent approx 15 minutes walking from Gurney Hotel until G Hotel. Thankfully, it was a nice hotel to stop by - a boutique hotel given a 5-star recognition.

Bright, groovy neon lights adorned the reception & cocktail bar at the lobby.

A snapshot of us before another long walk back to our hotel. XD

We left Penang on late Sunday morning. It was close to lunch time & stopping by at Bukit Tambun for seafood was one of our main activity. There are several seafood restaurants at this small village which is built on stilts at the river.

The river is a rich source of income for villagers & restaurant owners to serve exceptionally fresh seafood. Gosh...I'm so used to eating fresh tilapia back home but the ones served at Bukit Tambun was unmatchable. It tasted like it was only caught minutes ago. We also ordered this rather oddly shaped prawns (I've seen it before but I know nothing about its English name) which bear a resemblance of pre-historic sea creatures. Yes, it was indeed ugly & who would want to put those in the mouth. Surprisingly, it was so juicy & sweet just like a fresh tiger prawn. I'd say, it was unbelievably juicier than large prawns that I've eaten previously. The best part is the food was incredibly dirt cheap. Yummy & cheap~

I wouldn't mind purposely going to Bukit Tambun for another round of seafood fiesta in the future. Anyone who's up for it? XD Btw, we spotted this random vehicle carrying loadful of greens (veggies?) on the North-South Highway. So funny...XD

*gasps* Omg, it's a truck full of petai!!!

If only I could fit in

I was crashing the mall yesterday with WL, hopefully getting a pair of sandals or flats that I could casually wear it in the office when I'm not in the mood for stilettos. And so I have found some to my liking but having to fork out RM69.90 for a pair seems like a dumbass when the Mega Sale is going on.

I dragged my sweetheart to the next shoe shop - store after store - just to find that perfect pair but to no avail. Either it's too pricey or there isn't any size I could fit in. Well, maybe there is but the shoes will bound to have a loose space in between my feet which measures up to approximately half inches. Now that's a lot of room!

What can I say...someone who's born with feet slightly shorter than the smallest size 4 will have to go through agonizing experience to find the pair that fits it all. My bony, skinny feet also makes matter worse. Far worse than I ever imagined. =(

My loved ones have told me a couple of times that maybe, someday I'll have to resort to custom-making my shoes sandals or high heels. Does that sound like I'm living a glamorous, picky life by only wearing strappy heels which is meant to fit one person in the world - my feet? Wow, the thought seems so distant & unbelievable. O.O

Kids grow up, toys stays young

After more than 15 years hiatus, Disney & Pixar had decided to pick up one of their earlier works & started working on a new storyboard. Thus, a tale of toys was born! Our familiar good 'ol Toy Story, part 3. Whee!

The Toy Story franchise was among the movies I grew up watching. I could remember my old self literally begging my parents to let me watch it with my sis or friends only cuz they just don't enjoy such animated films. I don't blame them, it's not their cup of tea. Although I have less vivid memories of each scene; the movies were simple, heartfelt & most importantly, honest. It just brings out every childhood's imagination of roleplaying with their toys. At least, I did roleplay with my Barbie dolls XD. It's amazing that the creators can bring out life out of these plastic things that it makes us wonder whether our toys live life after dark.

When it's about marketing, Disney & Pixar always work their magic. The objective was for the benefit of the new generation kids who either knew nothing about Toy Story or weren't even born yet & young adults to relive their childhood memories. And there you have it, a special theatrical release for two weeks only. One ticket, two movies, three-dimensional.

Not only the there was a re-run of the prequels, merchandises were re-released to commemorate the comeback. And there you have it, the more than 10 year old characters capturing the heart of the new group of kids. The merchandises are most likely the upgraded version of the older models in which plus inflation, the toys definitely carry a hefty price tag. Sure bet Disney & toymakers are making big bucks out of these merchandises.

Now to the movie...it was plain awesome! Just another honest storytelling from the creators that made the whole movie truly entertaining. You'll be surprised that majority of the moviegoers were actually adults =D. I'm not gonna reveal much here but I assure you that it's worth every cent you pay for. Toy Story 3 ended in nice way & I doubt that the chances of a 4th movie or whatsoever in the making. Good things always come to an end & while we're at it, we should cherish the meaning behind this movie. After all, every child grows out of their toys when they reach adulthood. It's the way of life...

Minty "condoms"

*gasps* Who left a box of condoms on my table?

I supposed there's no harm taking a closer look & see what's inside, right?

Oh c'mon, it's only a chewing gum. Who am I kidding? LOL. But who would've thought this new Wrigley's chewing gum bear too much resemblance of a contraceptive. The name sounds so...condom-ish. Electro gives me the feeling of ultra-lubricated condoms with ribs for that vibrating feeling. Good gracious!

Speaking of minty "condoms"...=P Was this packaging design intentional?

Hotel toiletries just got cuter

Did it ever cross your mind that hotels would go the extra mile to provide you toiletries like this?

With colourful designs as plastic wrappers as part of the hotel's branding? And at the same time being eco-friendly by using recycled materials to manufacture these items? Wow! That is a whole lot of objectives to meet.

According to a friend of Mum's who travels frequently to Japan, she discovered these cute toiletries in most of the hotels she has stayed before. It's indeed common to have the following on their list:

1. Hair clips of different purpose - one for clipping your bangs & the other to clip up all your hairs

2. Hair brush & comb - for the straight or curly tresses

3. Hair rubber band - for a quick ponytail

4. Razor - to shave your unwanted hair

5. Toothbrush & toothpaste - for that clean, minty breath

And last but not least...

6. Wash ball - to scrub off all the dirt & grime, dead skin cells etc.

Wow, what a feat! I'm so going to Japan... =D