Overnight in KL

My wife and I travelled back to KL last Wednesday as I had to submit my Statement of Case to the Industrial Court on Thursday. We left the island at 5:00pm as I had to work. My GM asked me to leave in the morning but I declined. He even asked me to come back to work on Friday but I also declined. The 24th of December through the 2nd of January were blackout dates for vacation so I need to walk the talk... and not talk the talk. Yeah, I know this is not vacation but you know-lah people... with their 'cibai' mouths.

My wife and I decided that we needed some coffee before we started the journey so we stopped by at the newly opened AEON Seri Manjung to get a hot Venti Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks. We parked on the rooftop and I took this picture. It looks like the balloon was tied to our car. Cute...

It rained cats and dogs on the way back to KL. We arrived at the Majestic KL at about 10:30pm. We then decided to catch a movie. We bought the tickets for Jack Reacher at the Gardens at 00:45am. Believe it or not, it was my first time there. I've never liked to go to that area as the traffic is just horrendous. 

On Thursday, I went to the Industrial Court to submit my Statement of Case (SoC). The 'Translator' was kind enough to check my submission and gave a tip. I had to amend my SoC . He then told me I had to have 6 copies made. Sigh... why wasn't this stated online in the checklist? I managed to find a shop that did printing and photocopying along Jalan Tun Perak and concluded my business for the day. I will have to be in court again on 22 January 2013.

On the way back to PLR we stopped by at heritage House to visit the nuffnang office as my wife had to collect her Veet hamper that she won for a contest that she participated in online. I hope those of you who read my blog will also support me and click on the nuffnang ads on my blog.

It was lunch time when we left Heritage House. We felt that it would be difficult to find a place to have lunch at lunch peak hour so we went on our way and decided to have lunch at the Sg Buloh R&R instead. I just had to have a Coney Dog and a Root Beer Float. My wife didn't understand why I liked A&W. I explained to her that it was not I was crazy about it just that it has memories for a Gen X guy like me when back in my days the only fast foods were A&W, Wendy's, McDota, Marrybrown, etc.

  

We then stopped again at Tapah where we had coffee and donuts. My wife took this picture of me with the 'giraffe stance.' Apparently, my wife says that I tend to stand like this pretty often. I never realised it till now. I guess it's just a subconscious reaction to adjust to my surroundings.

On the way back, it rained cats and dogs again. It was a really tiring trip for me. This is why we don't travel back down to KL if I have less than 3 days' break... Ipoh is a better place as it only takes 1.5 hours.

Ramblings for 20.12.2012

Today is 20.12.2012... there are a lot of speculations for this date which I think is just horse shit... but I shall commemorate this date with my ramblings...

If you look through your Malaysian FB contacts you will probably find that the most popular status updates are bosan (bored) and malas (lazy)... the two words I hate the most.

My wife used to use these two words frequently and it just drove me nuts... but now... try mentioning these two words to her and see what she says. It was a struggle to get my wife to see life differently but it has paid off. My wife has learnt that the price for enlightenment is frustration. Once you start seeing things differently, it gets very frustrating... even more frustrating when those you try to help just don’t want to be helped.

I used to lecture my wife on these two words. I told her... people who use these words have no direction in life. They are lost souls. She didn’t like it... we ended up arguing. But like all things we argue about, I would normally accede and just smile to myself with the knowledge that I will get to say ‘I told you so’ in the future... which I do.

Most of our arguments were about me correcting her... in every sense... her thoughts, her actions, her knowledge, everything... it was pretty daunting for her, I know... and she used to think that I was too practical. Actually, I’m not... I’m merely trying to keep her from making mistakes. One day, she got fed up and she retorted... Some people need to learn from their mistakes. I said I know... but why make those mistakes when you can learn from others’ mistakes? And her response was... some people will never see it till they make the mistake themselves... to which I replied... some mistakes are just too expensive to make. Today, of course there was my 'I told you so'...

Anyway, back to the laziness and the boredom... If you really look closely you will find that it is mostly Generation Y that makes such statements. That’s probably because they are born in a generation where everything is readily available for them and they take things for granted. 

Today, you Google for anything you need to know, and that too... most are too fucking lazy to Google. Back in my time, it was a bus ride to the library just to read up information... or pay through your nose to buy the books for the knowledge. Back in my days, the only good source of food knowledge was the Larousse Gastronomique and it would cost you around USD300 for the book now. Imagine what it cost back then! Today, just Google, and you have what you need to know... but still, today’s generation is lazy and ignorant.

I remember getting my wife a netbook... I set it up for her and taught her the basics. Then she asked me something and I said, just Google... she asked, How? I said, Google... she asks again, how do you Google? I just said, Google lah... man, she was pissed at me... she didn’t understand then, why I did what I did... I was pushing her out of her comfort zone... I was making her try and not be dependent on me. Today, she knows how to shop online without me teaching her... and she knows how to search for anything that comes to her mind.

How can one possibly be bored in today’s world? It is only possible if you do not know what the hell you want to do with your life... or if it stems from the other fucked-up word... lazy.

Too lazy to fucking do anything hence the boredom... too lazy to do anything hence getting fat and f-ugly... too lazy to do anything hence not succeeding in life then turning around and saying it is God’s will. If it is God’s will then we would not be presented with choices in life. If it is really God’s will then we would not need to think. God only presents us with choices... we choose... and if we choose wrong, God will yet again present you with choices and so on and on and on... in the hope that we will eventually make the right choice that will bring us what we seek in life. Life is about choices... choose and be responsible for your choice and make it happen.

Today’s world is a scary world. Society no longer wants to be responsible for their actions. They will blame everyone and everything EXCEPT themselves.

If lazy and bored exists in you then you are definitely doomed. Sorry, but these are the hard facts... the truth always hurts.

When I started to exercise to lose weight there were statements made that I should not be vain. I should just accept it. I just looked at the person and said... that is the most selfish thing I have ever heard a person utter. What makes you think that me losing weight is about me? It is not about me... it is about the people whom I love around me. It is about making sure I remain healthy to continue providing for them. It is about making sure that I don’t die on them. I still have my desserts, I still have my red meats and whatnots... just not as often as I used to. And... most importantly... to me.. I choose not to be fucking lazy!

I always try to inspire others by using me as an example but every time I try the first thing that comes out of their mouths would be... you’re differentla, you are a Resident Manager... or you’re differentla, you earn more... what the fuck? You’re God damn right I am different... I chose to be different... but wait a minute... I worked hard to get where I am... very hard... it wasn’t handed to me on a silver platter. I had a hard life as well... we used to have just rice with fish curry gravy... RM1 for the fish curry which had ONE piece of fish in it and we would add RM0.20 worth of gravy and the five of us would share that with rice and omelet.  Sometimes it was just rice with soya sauce.

I started working at the age of 10!!! I would take the bus... no 51 or 58 from Port Klang on Friday afternoon to Kuala Lumpur then take the bus to Sungei Wang Plaza to work in my aunt’s shop. I would stay with her and on Sunday evening I would take the bus back to Port Klang. I started working as a regular part time at the age of 15... on an average no less than 3 times a week... I still completed school. Yes, my life was just as bad if not worse than all of you... so, what's the difference? Tiu...

There was once I was sick for 5 days and I took medical leave... my VP of Operations called me... he was concerned because he has never known me to be sick. So, in that sense... yes, I am different... I choose to be different. THAT is the difference... I am committed... are you? I am committed to creating a future for myself and my family. Are you?

I remember my mom yelling at me everyday for not making my bed. Yelling at me to sweep the floor, mop the floor, hang the clothes out, fold the clothes.... you name it! Hell, I was lazy too... but I never did stay lazy... I chose to be different. I chose to CHANGE.

Bored? Hell, I was NEVER bored... I guess I am too imaginative to ever get bored.

Enough of rambling... for those of you who read this far, good for you. Just proves you’re not lazy... Hahaha... but definitely bored to read through my ramblings... Hahaha...

But for those who didn’t, shows you how lazy people are... even when you have a TRANSLATE tool, they won’t use it... then they wonder why they are monolingual and cannot compete in the corporate world... nuff said.

Losers make excuses, winners make things happen...

Car Trouble...

Last Sunday, as my wife and I were making our way back from KL to PLR we ran into some car trouble. It happened in Seri Iskandar, about 50kms away from Sitiawan. I was accelerating after the traffic light turned green when suddenly we heard an explosion. I quickly took my foot off the accelerator and started merging to the left lane. By then the back of the car was swerving all over. I pulled over safely and reversed slowly to a safe spot. Got out and saw the tire had exploded. I was already planning to have my tires changed as they were just over 2 years since I last changed them in Langkawi just before coming back to KL. However, I wasn't expecting the back tires to go first as they were in much better shape than the front ones which were pretty worn.

I brought the triangle out of the car and placed it on the road and proceeded to get the spare out of the car. Then lo and behold it starts to rain... tiu... my wife held the umbrella for me while I tried to unscrew the cap that held the spare in place. I turned and turned and turned for what seemed like an eternity  and till my hands hurt but it just didn't come loose. The thread of the screw was gone. The spare was stuck. It was now pouring... I went to the glove compartment and brought out the glove and tried again... then the 'equipment' came out... I tried using brute force to pry it open but it remained stuck. It's a Sunday. It's just after 5pm. The town is about a kilometer away but I doubt I'd be able to find a shop that would be open.

So after much contemplating we decided to have the car towed. I called the office to have them call our panel workshop. They happened to know someone who was coming from Tronoh and told me it will cost me RM120. I agreed and we waited. In the meantime the office was sending a car to pick us up. While waiting, my wife and I chatted... she was pretty impressed that for a 10 year old car, I still had all the 'extras' in the car. The spare tire, the jack, the gloves, the triangle and even a mobile hazard lamp. Of course la... I take driving very seriously. :)

After waiting for 80 minutes, the tow truck came. There was a slight problem. He had to tow from the front or the gearbox might get damaged. But we can't do so without changing the back tire first. The spare was stuck. So we had to swap tires with the front. But he only has one jack. My jack can only be accessed if the spare was removed. Alamak! So the poor guy had to improvise... in the rain. He had to use everything he had on his truck as 'stands'. After about 30 minutes, he succeeded in swapping the tires and the car came just in time to pick us up.

On Tuesday, the workshop changed my tires. They were closed on Monday. I wanted Yokohama C Drive 2 but they were not available in Sitiawan in the profile that I wanted so I had to settle for Continental CC5s. Tires, balancing and alignment came to RM1.2k. And on Thursday we took the car out for a drive and also cleaned it up. 

The CC5s have softer sidewalls compared to the Dunlops that I had. So, we have a softer ride now. I then gave my wife a lesson on tire pressure and what not... and most importantly, I thought her to care for our car. I am a firm believer that if you care for your car, your car in return will care for you. Never miss your servicing. Send your car for frequent waxing or do it yourself. Buy GOOD tires, and brakes... good does not necessarily mean expensive although it usually is. I NEVER EVER buy second hand stuff for my car... NEVER... I just don't have the confidence nor do I want to gamble with my life. But that's just me... and maybe that's why my 10-year old CBU car is in better shape than most 5-year old locally assembled cars.

Starbucks' Iced Caramel Macchiato

My wife and I love our Starbucks and we always have the Caramel Macchiato... either hot or iced but usually iced.

I have a problem with their standard for the Iced Caramel Macchiato. You see, the iced version comes in a 'to go' plastic cup with a flat cover. If your drink comes with cream they will use a dome cover. But they should be using the dome cover for the Iced Caramel Macchiato as well coz the caramel will always stick to the flat cover.

Our society is very task oriented. That's why no matter how many times I request for the dome cover, it will never occur to them to wonder why I always make such a request. Or maybe they just don't give a damn. It's so basic... you see the caramel stick to the cover every time you place the cover... but... the task is to make sure the drink is covered... so, as long as the drink is covered, who gives a damn if the caramel sticks to the cover right? Even if it means that I just spent 20 seconds piping the caramel in an orderly criss-cross fashion and it just got ruined by the cover... who cares?

This is what I mean... I took the cover off immediately after it was put on and yet there's caramel stuck to the lid. Please teach me how to stir this damn drink without making more caramel stick to the lid and without taking the lid off... real smart huh? This is what happens when we make 'blanket' standards... one standard to fit all regardless of the circumstances..

The Majestic Hotel KL

Following the 'durian fest' last Thursday, I had to go back to KL for work. I had been summoned to assist with the Grand Opening of The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur.  This is the flagship hotel for YTL Hotels & Properties and has been on the drawing boards for 18 years. About two weeks back, I was invited as part of the simulation team and was given a Junior Suite which my wife has blogged over here. This time round we got the standard room.

CLICK ON PICTURES FOR A LARGER VIEW

Panoramic view of the room from the entrance of the room.

Panoramic view from the corner of the window.

This is the view of the Grand Ballroom. It has a maximum capacity of 1200 persons but 1000 would be the comfortable number in my opinion.

My wife posing at the entrance of the hotel.

This is the ballroom shot from the stage with most of the part timers inside. We had a total of about 240 staff for this event. 40 were students from YTL-ICHM while the balance were a mix of Bangladeshis and Pakistanis (look at the center of the picture, they're all lined up).

Another picture of the ballroom before the dinner.

To make a long story short, the event went well... better than I expected but I must tell you that it's not easy dealing with 200 Bangladeshis and Pakistanis. You can vomit blood... and literally vomit if you know what I mean. :)

Jom Makan Durian

Jom Makan Durian or Let's Eat Durian. Durian (Durio) is known as the King of Fruits...  Jom Makan Durian was organised by TM's SME unit which I was invited to attend yesterday. It was held at Dimal Chalet in Gopeng along the Jahang River.

There were concerns whether I should eat Durian or not as apparently it was high in cholesterol... but doesn't seem so from the info below.

The venue was right smack in the middle of Kampung Jahang which is also an orchard. The road was very narrow, just enough for a single car to pas through. As you entered the village/orchard there are trees with durian hanging over the road. The TM team were very hospitable and friendly. They had baskets full of durian. There were trees with rambutan and also cocoa trees.

We arrived at 1130 hours.. on time and in line with the invite. The introductions were done and we were quickly given rambutans to start off as the appetisers.

This was quickly followed with the speeches and they then had a durian opening contest to kick off the event. They had almost everything durian. Durian fruit, pulut durian and bubur durian... durian with bread.

I love durian but not to the point where I would deliberately go out and buy durian to eat unlike others. For me, if it's there I would eat it... in copious amounts... otherwise, I am also fine without it. Unfortunately, I didn't have a lot as my wife was already giving me the looks as she was worried of the sugar content. I had only the durian fruit although the pulut was very tempting but since I was driving back to KL after the event, I had to refrain as the pulut will definitely make me sleepy. 

TM's GM for Perak with his welcoming speech.

The TM crew.

Yummy durian.

We left at 12:30pm as I needed to be in KL. The TM crew informed me that they have events quite frequently and that they would like me to join in on their other events. It seems they do golf, bowling and other activities... hmmm... bowling maybe if I have the time.

A lorry laden with durians on the way to KL... wife was driving so I managed to get this shot. It's durian season!!!

Lipitor & Cholesterol

Following my blood test, I went to see the doctor today and he has prescribed me a 20mg dose of Lipitor for 4 months after which I'll do another test to check my cholesterol level. Lipitor is a brand of atorvastatin by Pfizer. You can read more about statins by clicking on the active links in this paragraph. I would recommend that you read about it as I read that 1 out of 5 people in the USA have high cholesterol... and quite frankly I think Malaysians are not far behind. The next thing you should do if you are reading this is to get yourself a blood test.

If you didn't know, the foods that are high in cholesterol are offal (liver, etc), egg yolk, butter, prawns, ice cream, red meat, cheese, fast-food (deep-fried), processed meats (sausages, etc), shellfish and desserts. Of the 11 that I just listed, I indulge in 9 of them... hmmm... no wonder!

Starting tonight it will be a tablet a day for me for the next 4 months and also oats in the morning to further assist in lowering my cholesterol level. I just hope I don't develop any side effects from taking Lipitor.

Rakyat Discrimination...

Whenever I come back to KL there are 3 things that I MUST do:-

1. Visit my mom,

2. Visit mt in-laws,

3. Visit my wife's niece... technically mine too but for the purpose of specific family tree relationship  

The poor girl was sick. She is always bubbly but this time she was just very grouchy and passive. She had a fever, running nose and a cough with nasty phlegm. We decided to take her to the clinic.

At the private clinic the doctor recommended that we took her to the Pediatric Wad at the General Hospital as he said she may have to be admitted as he feels she probably has a lung infection. He wrote us a referral letter. So, off we went. 

I dropped them off at the entrance and went off looking for a parking spot which took me a good 30 minutes... and that too parking outside the hospital compound some 500 meters away. When I got back,  my wife told me that we were charged more as we were referred by a private clinic. WTF? Why the discrimination? Are we not rakyats as well? Are you assuming that we are more affluent because we went to a private clinic first? Couldn't that visit to the private clinic be something due to logistics and emergency?

Okay, you charge me more... do I get priority? NO... I still have to wait out a whole 80 minutes... and that is WITH a referral letter stating 'KIV for Admission' on the envelope. SO WHY CHARGE MORE? See the charges chart below.

Anyway, the good doctor confirmed that she had some germs on her lungs after an x-ray. Gave her some medication and told us to bring her back there if her fever has not cleared within 48 hours.

I am greatly offended with this RM30 fiasco. It is a mere RM30 but it is the principal that matters. I pay my taxes. A LOT in fact. A damn fucking lot!! So why the discrimination? Can someone explain to me? I just fail to see the justification for this blatant discrimination.

Dhiya was up and about like usual after the first dose of medication and a nap. In fact she was more hyper after the medication probably due to the sugar in the medication.

Here's baby Dhiya up and about again... showing off that she can now stand...

Blood Test Results

As the saying goes... what you don't know, won't hurt you...  how true it is... but when you do find out, it is normally catastrophic.

It's been two weeks since I had my chest pains and I just received my blood test results. Unfortunately, it is bad news. It has been confirmed that I have HIGH CHOLESTEROL.

Total Cholesterol: 7.7 mmol/L or 300.3 mg/dL (240 mg/dL and above is high)

LDL Cholesterol: 5.8 mmol/L = 226.2 mg/dL (190 mg/dL and above is very high)

HDL Cholesterol: 1.55 mmol/L = 60.45 mg/dL (60 mg/dL and above is good)

Triglerides: 0.8 mmol/L = 71.2 mg/dL (100 mg/dL and below is optimal)

Blood glucose: 6.2 mmol/L = 138.6 mg/dL (ideal is 3.9 mmol - 5.6 mmol)

This is where I got my information from... Cholesterol here and blood sugar here.

Here's one of the pages from my results... the bad page where all the bad news are.

Let's start with my blood sugar level. My test was done after 8 hours of fasting. So my results suggest that I have Impaired Fasting Glucose which basically means bordering on being diabetic. Hmmm... that probably explains why my wounds take time to heal these days. If you do further searching you will probably find that one of the causes for IFG is high cholesterol.

That brings us to my cholesterol levels. I have always suspected that my cholesterol levels were high as the signs are there around my eyes... called Xanthelasma.

Ok... I have high cholesterol and bordering on being diabetic... life goes on... I will need to deal with it just like everything else in life. Am I scared? Of course I am but like life... you never know what happens... life goes on. We cannot think about the what ifs all the time. I met my doctor before I left for KL and when I get back we will start with my medication to reduce my cholesterol levels. My doctor didn't spend too much time explaining my need to change my lifestyle and eating habits as he knows I have already done so.

Here is the scariest part... I started the change in my lifestyle and eating habits on my own during Ramadan. It was not motivated by any illness... just the desire to lose fat and be healthier and even after exercising and cutting down on all my sugar I am still high on blood glucose and cholesterol. 

So, here's my golden question... what would my levels have been if I didn't change? Would I still be blogging here?

Awal Muharram

Today is the first day of Muharram... and in conjunction with that, I am resting today... no gym. And tomorrow, I start with my new workout and meal/nutrition plan... taking my current plan to a new level.  A new year, a new goal... the picture below is the goal... wish me luck... at my 'ripe' age, I'm really going to need it... hahaha... Ada Berani? 

Losing The Barrel...

Today is 10.11.12... I just had to post something today...

On 1st January 2012, I quit smoking... yes, again. 

In February, I started work here on the island and on 21.02.2102, I tied the knot with my wife. 

These 3 events played a major role in my weight gain and I transformed from a 86kg dude with a 35-inch waist to a whopping 96kg dude with a 39-inch waist. It was alarming... but I was not so bothered about my size actually, coz my wife wasn’t complaining... YET. What bothered me more was the fact that all my clothes no longer fit me and this really bothered me. As it meant spending $$$ on new clothes... something I don’t want to do. Not for the reason of weight change, anyway.

By the time I realized my weight gain, it was close to Ramadan. I thought it would be a good opportunity to start the weight loss regime in Ramadan. So, first things first... setting the goal. I reckoned that 85kgs would be a good weight to target... I didn’t just pluck the number. I wanted to be on the higher range of my acceptable BMI (18-25). 85kgs would put me just below a BMI of 24. The second just as important goal was to bring the inches down to 34.

During Ramadan, I would hit the gym a few hours after breaking fast... normally around 11pm. Ramadan started around the 21st and in the picture below you will see that I dropped by 4kgs within the first week. I had actually dropped a kg or two before that as I had stopped with my aerated drinks and ice cream for over two weeks. So, in actual fact I probably lost 2kgs in that week...

The second picture on the right is the result after almost 3 months of gym. Actually, my weight plateaued after 30 days but I kept at it as I knew the plateau was due to my body composition changing. This was evident with the inches still dropping while the weight was stagnant. This is the stumbling block for the average Joe/Jill who would have quit when the needle on the weighing machine stopped progressing.

Just look at that super, super, sexy barrel of 37 inches back in early October. Hopefully that barrel will disappear by year's end.

This is now... 85.6kgs and my waist is at 35.5 inches. I’m quite happy with my progress and I think by the end of this year I would have achieved my objective. The only challenge I face is the irregular meal and gym times due to business levels. I started off with dinner first then gym a couple of hours later but now I have changed it to gym first, followed by dinner. Only breakfast is regular at 10:30am daily.

Last Monday, I suffered some chest pains in the night. I had difficulty breathing and some tightness in my chest. I consulted the doctor in the morning and we collectively ruled out my heart as being the problem as I probably would have fainted attempting my 5km jog at 8.5km per hour or when I burnt 500 calories earlier this evening running and walking for 57 minutes. But to be safe, he took me for an ECG which came out fine as well. Then, he had me do a blood test on Thursday to check my cholesterol levels. We’ll have the results next week.

Life is short... we shouldn’t make it shorter by leading an unhealthy life. Ever since I hit the gym again, I don’t have headaches anymore. I sleep better. I wake up before my alarm goes off. And I just feel so much better. And the nocturnal activities are also *ahem*... 

It’s not that hard... I still have my ice creams and cheesecakes and lattes and donuts... ooh... yummy donuts... and cakes... and my Cokes and what nots... just not as often as I used to. 

So, what about you?

Hunger Pangs...

My wife and I had an early dinner tonight. When I got back from work, she had already cooked some rice and was about to have rice with fried eggs. I was feeling hungry too so I decided to skip gym and we headed straight to dinner. I decided not to have any starch tonight and she had a simple noodle soup as her throat was slightly sore. 

We were back in our room before 9:00pm. When we got back, we watched Man vs Food Nation on TV... pretty soon we were feeling hungry again after watching all the delicious food on TV. I remembered the rice my wife had cooked earlier and we decided to have some fried rice.

I raided the pantry and refrigerator to determine what I could use for our fried rice. There was no meat in the freezer. We only had ikan bilis (dried anchovies), eggs, onions and garlic. If I had some cili padi it would be perfect but these ingredients will have to do.

These are the three essentials for fried rice.

This is how I cook my fried rice...

1. Chop the garlic and dice the onions. Set aside.

2. Wash the ikan bilis and drain water. Set aside.

3. Heat some oil and deep-fry the ikan bilis till garing (crispy). Drain oil and set aside. I set mine onto a paper kitchen towel to absorb the excess oil.

4. Heat some oil in the frying pan and when hot stir-fry the eggs briskly till it looks shredded/super scrambled. Drain the oil and set aside.

5. Add some oil to the frying pan and sweat the diced onions. The amount of oil you add here is entirely up to you based on your preference. Some people like an oily fried rice. My wife doesn't, so I use very little oil. Sweat the onions over a low heat till it gets fragrant then add the chopped garlic and continue till fragrant. The key here is not to allow the onions and garlic to brown unless you like your fried rice bitter.

6. Add the rice and the eggs. Toss the ingredients in the frying pan if you have the skill, otherwise just stir with a spatula. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I add some sweet soy sauce for some balance and colour. Voila! Simple fried rice done.

Serve with the crispy anchovies...

A simple fried rice in a jiffy... and it disappeared just as fast and in time for us to start our 10-hour fast for our blood test tomorrow morning.

Shoes...

My friends, colleagues and subordinates have always admired my shoes... no, not for my sense in style but because my shoes always lasts me for years. My first pair of Timberland boat shoes that I bought with my first management bonus back in 1995, is still sitting at the back of my car as my spare driving shoes. I had its sole changed once. My second pair of of the same shoe which I bought in 2003, I still wear occasionally... pictured below.

I also bought a pair of Florsheim dress shoes together with the Timberlands back in 2003. Both shoes cost me approximately RM700 each then. I alternated the Florsheims with another pair of dress shoes I had then as my daily footwear at work until 2005. Mind you, back then I worked at least 12 hours a day and walked a lot. I still wear the Florsheims every now and then now, as pictured below.

Then sometime in July 2005, I finally succumbed to peer pressure and also my back aches and bought a pair of MBTs. The MBTs were the most expensive pair of shoes I ever bought at RM888 and were the most comfortable too. I wore the MBTs for work EVERYDAY then right through till April 2010. That's a LONG time. I then stored them away for awhile as I was moving to Langkawi and did not need to wear them yet. When I finally wanted to wear them again in October 2010, the soles had deteriorated.

When I got here in February, I wore my Timberland boat shoes for work but they were killing my feet with all the walking that I was doing so I bought another pair of MBTs online. They arrived in March and was I glad, as it really made a BIG difference. No more back aches and aching feet. However, in end September, one side of the soles gave way. It must be due to the weather... rain, sea sand, sea air, occasional sea water and what not. So that pair had the shortest life span of all my shoes. See the damaged sole below...

So, I needed a new pair of shoes. I still want a pair of MBTs but at USD249 excluding shipping, I am hesitant as I am worried it will only last 6 months again with the outdoor conditions that I am subjected to now. I'm very likely to get another pair but not for everyday wear here... and not yet.

I wore the busted MBTs till last week when I finally got REPLACEMENTS while I was in Ipoh.  Note that it is plural and not singular. These are the replacements that I got pictured below.

I was at Jusco in Ipoh with my wife and they happened to have this crazy SALE. These were going at 50% off and they were at RM199 a pair... now let's see how far this RM199 investment will take me... they're pretty comfortable and light but they have plastic soles so that's not too good for me.

How many of you have and still wear shoes that are more than 5 years old? My record is 17 years (Timberland boat shoes) and still counting...

Tune Hotel...

Tune Hotel Ipoh is my hotel of choice whenever I am in Ipoh, which seems to be about once or twice a month these days. Whenever I am in KL then it would be the Vistana KL. Of course I could stay at my mom's place or even at the in-law's but I chose to stay at the hotel whenever I am back in KL. When I made this decision I knew I would get 'flamed' for choosing to stay at the hotel. I knew what the usual 'statements' would be but to me I didn't make the decision at my whim and fancy. It was a calculated decision. For me, this was making sure that there was balance... this way I cannot be accused of spending more time at one place and not the other. If I stay at my mom's then the in-laws would be slighted and if I stay at my in-law's then my mom would be slighted. Hence, my decision... both are slighted. Hahaha... 

My wife and I had collectively agreed that if I had a break of more than 3 days then we would go back to KL and if it was less than 3 days, it would be Ipoh. It was logistically and financially prudent, for us at least. KL was 3.5 hours drive with toll vs 1.5 hours to Ipoh with no toll.

Anyway, back to Tune Hotel. I first stayed at Tune Hotel in 2008 when I visited Kuching. I found that it matched my needs perfectly. As I was in Kuching for sightseeing, it fit the bill perfectly. CHEAP, clean, comfortable and convenient. Essentially I just needed a place to have a good rest and shower as most of my time would be spent out of the hotel.

This is Tune Hotel Ipoh. Booking online, I normally get the rate of RM53.00 nett for just the basic room and fan. Towels, amenities, TV, A/C and wi-fi all cost extra. I normally pay around RM70 after adding A/C and towels. It's just 5 minutes away from Ipoh Parade. You have The Store, Pizza Hut, KFC, Watsons and 7-E just across the road.

The room in HDR panorama... click on picture for a larger view. 

The other side of the room in HDR panorama...click on picture for a larger view. 

The room is very basic as you can see from the picture but very comfortable and has a safe box. The washroom has a comfortable shower cubicle and a hairdryer. They have an ironing room on the 4th floor and you can get the keys from the reception. Parking is available in the basement.

If you are a regular and respond to their surveys, you get 20% off your next 2 stays. This will be valid for 30 days and your stays have to be at least two weeks in advance. I have never had problems staying with them except for this recent stay where the safe didn't work and the cubicle started to flood which they rectified immediately. TRY IT!!!

9 Months Later...

It's ironic how it just so happens that I decided to start blogging again and it happens to be exactly 9 months since my last entry here.

I'm back... this time maybe for good I hope but that depends entirely on my readers, if there are any. I decided to start blogging again and try to earn some extra pocket money. For those of you who do come here and read, please do some 'window shopping' as well by clicking on the ads above, below and on the sidebar. No harm in window shopping...

So, continuing from my last post... more about the MBA... 9 months after using OS X... there's no going back... it's just way too cool. Nuff said... no point in me trying to explain to you, just try it and you'll see...

Thank You...

This is dedicated to all my sponsors...

Stephanie Ng, Chef Alex, Wong Mun Ying BB, Wong Swee Kei Jessica, Low Teck Sing, Melinda Lee, Anis, Fifi, Azmin, Fiza, Sumarni, Bie Bie, Haniff, Fauzi, Shahrul Hazi, Zul, Jerald, Azri, Hajar, Chef Zaidi, Chef Rafizan Ayub, Maggie Man, Jasmine Tan, Ah Cam, Fauzy, Nancy, Abbey, Nini, Falax, Andrew Jordan, John Yap, Johann Ong, Stephanie Ho, Christy Ooi, Olive Ng, Soo Yee, Aishah, Veeran, David Ooi, Ramesh, Sally Cheah, Linda Chan, Vivian Ng, Awien, Shan, Linda, Yati, Chef Mak, Paimah, Chef Cheong, Chef Chung, Chef David, Amran, Baizura, Sufian and Norlilah.

I am sure you all, at least most of you still don't understand why I wanted the MBA... for a start let me show you how the aesthetics itself blows you away.

This is the front compared to my old Dell notebook.

This is the side view... more than 50% slimmer... and LIGHTER.

And checkout the trackpad... almost 4 times bigger.

I've been using this for a week now. Sure, it takes some getting used to after over 14 years of Windows experience BUT it is cool. The gestures alone is cool enough... two-finger swiping up and down to scroll, add another finger to engage Mission Control... swipe left and right to switch between applications, etc... a really nice experience.

Anyway, THANK YOU... more of this later.