lunch at Tracy's Kitchen

went out for lunch with a friend yesterday as all the usual lunch colleagues had their own appointments. bought a few cashsweep tickets along the way as there's a special draw yesterday (didn't kena... crap!!).


ordered this ice cucumber juice... first time try, and it was actually pretty good... (RM3)


Tracy's Kitchen serves one of the better drunken chicken and pak-lo chicken/duck in town, but I opted for this rendang chicken this time instead after the taukeh's recommendation. The gravy was okay (not as good as how the Malays do it), but the thigh meat was definitely cooked to perfection - tender and juicy. (RM4.80 with rice)


also ordered this pak-lo duck liver to go with the meat & rice. tasty stuff I tell ya! the bill came to abit less than RM10 per person, so it's a reasonable place to go to.

treasure hunt crap...

was asked to participate in a treasure hunt competition for my association's youth, an annual event organized by the Sarawak Youth Association. arrived at the meeting point at around 7.30am to get the team of 4 for registration, and after that waited for almost 1 hour before all the VIP arrived, gave their VIP speeches and etc before the hunt was started.


VIP speech... owes the same boring crap talk.... -__-

the whole event was actually poorly organized with a delayed start, and no extended time of arrival at the destination. it shouldn't be called a "treasure" hunt in the first place, as there's nothing to look for except for answers to be written on the answer sheet along the specified route, looking for the answers for the riddles/questions given (answers mostly from shop names, road names or something along that line...) pretty lame I should say...


was going back to our car when I took this picture in the middle of Gambir Street...


the lunch wasn't that bad, but we're too tired to actually enjoy it...

our team didn't win anything... and was damn tired by the time the entire event was finished. reached home at about 230pm, after having lunch prepared by the organizer at Golden Dragon Restaurant, which was also the final stop of the hunt.

verdict: a waste of my Sunday

my watches...

I just got 2 of my watches replaced for drained batteries a few days back. Then yesterday evening, as I was taking pictures of the 8 pool ball bean bag clock, it struck me that I have a total of 9 watches also on the table, so I took group photos of them as well.


top left: Casio (G-lide & Mudman Series), Oris Williams F1, Panerai Luminor & Audemars Piguet T3 (the latter 3 being replicas).
bottom left: Adidas Chronograph, Swatch Irony (Sydney Olympic 2000 Limited Edition), Calvin Klein (Bold Pilot series) & Guess Chronograph.


the pile of watches on the table...

6000 RHB reward points gets you this...

I received the RHB reward promotion catalog last week, and after checking my latest credit card statement on the accumulated points that I've got, which was close to 7000, I decided to get this bean bag clock which would cost me 6000 points. I then called up RHB call center to request for it. I was give a reference number after confirming what I wanted, and was told that the ETA of the gift is gonna be about 2 weeks.


surprisingly, the gift arrived within a week's time through TNT delivery... pretty efficient of RHB


even the battery for the clock is included...


I'm putting it on the stuff holder beside the computer... lightens up the computer area abit... :)

Proton Persona test drive review...

I was out having drinks with an old friend last night when he told me that for this business trip to Kuching, his company rented him a Proton Pesona. As skeptical a person he is, he actually complimented that the car exceeded his expectations towards a Proton, and asked me to test drive it after our talk cock session at the kopitiam...



a very decent improvement over the Gen2 on the interior/dashboard I should say... *pic taken from paultan.org*

so the test drive session came. The rented Proton Persona was the high end version with twin airbags. Interior wise, it's black and silver (refer to picture), way better than the beige colour of the Gen2 interior... gets dirty easily. The darker interior made the car looks classy, and the red illumination of the indicators is just nice. Green or white illumination would be crap... just my opinion...

I drove it out around the area, and found out that the sound proofing of the cabin was pretty good actually, and the suspensions soak up bumps and little potholes on the road with minimal effort. The ride and handling of the Pesona, to say the least is actually very decent. The default sound system of the car is also good enough.

Acceleration from gear one is abit slow and sluggish, but after that, the pick up is impressive. I floored the gas a few times, and the car effortlessly reach speeds of 130km/h and 140km/h. However, the power steering feels abit light to my liking...

Overall, I would say that Proton made quite some improvements in building the Proton Pesona, and it is a decent car with a reasonable price tag (in Malaysia). Plus, with low interest rates and longer repayment periods offered, I think this car should help patch up the market shares that it lose out all these while with crappy cars.

watched one only... sigh!~

bought 11 DVDs a couple of weeks ago, thinking that I might have time to watch some since I was unwell at home, but ended up only watching The Borne Ultimatum... and the storyline was like crap, only the few action and fighting scenes that were cool...

some of the movies that I bought are pretty outdated, as I didn't have time to watch them when they were showing at the cinema... and now, they are still un-watched... ''-__-


top: Invincible Target, Dragon Tiger Gate, My Wife is a Gangster 3, Simply Actors
bottom: House of Mahjong, Just Follow Law, Apocalypto


The Borne Ultimatum, Rush Hour Series, The Lord of The Rings Series, 4 in One Collection of The Condemned, Wild Hogs, Shooter and Face/Off

I think I need to take like a week's leave and go for a movie marathon at home. Who knows, after that, I might be able to enter myself for such competitions...

when you don't feel like eating too much...

this post is at least 3 months due actually, but I was too busy with work to do any updates that time.

anyway, after the usual swimming and sauna session, we were somewhat hungry, but not wanting to have anything too heavy, and after shopping for some DVDs at Crown Square, decided to have something light at Mr. Ho's Fine Food. we shared a Spaghetti Aglio Olio and a Sausage Feast... and walked out of the restaurant pretty much contented... and not too full...


it didn't look impressive, but I assure you it tastes heavenly...


the different sausages were good as well...

what can u exchange with 17,000 HSBC reward points??

my HSBC reward points are expiring pretty soon, so I took some time to browse through the online reward catalog last week, and after much searching, decided to exchange the Princess Classic Egg cooker & Food Steamer for 17,000 reward points. it only took 1 week for the package to arrive to my house, so I would say the service is quite efficient.


a cute little gadget that cooks 6 eggs to your preference - soft, medium or hard, which one do you like??


can also steam food, like sausages, salmon, chicken or beef...


perfectly steamed mushroom sausages... taste good as well...

monthly dosage of Japanese food...

the craving for Japanese food lead us to the Japanese Buffet dinner at the Majestic Cafe on the Saturday night. the place was fully seated, and it took quite a long wait at the sushi bar before we got what we wanted, but it was worth it. the typical buffet servings were equally yummy as well, especially the grilled beef, grilled lamb and deep fried COD. I'll let the pictures do the talking...

salmon sashimi and unagi... typical choice of mine :)))


all da meat!! I went for 3 rounds of the same thing... it's that good I tell ya!!

bi-weekly blood test...

went to Timberland this morning again to get my blood tested for tomorrow's visit to the doctor...

hopefully I'm getting better, and that the dosage for the medicine could be reduced... damage limitation for my wallet as well....


@Kenyalang Market... was there with my parents for breakfast before getting my blood drawn...

junk food...

have been buying and taking in quite some amount of junk food lately... starting from Chipster to Munchy's Snacks and ice-cream@Scoops... damn... I need to control myself... ''-__-


was at Scoops two nights in a row... ordered this Tiramisu *something*... very nice stuff...


bought these during the lunch break...

Lundu day trip...

went to Lundu on the Sunday to visit my grandma, who has just got discharged from Normah Hospital a few days back. she seemed okay now, just weak and need more rest.

grandma was still asleep when we reached Lundu, so mum, dad and I went over to the old kopitiam across the street for breakfast - Lundu style...


typical town with lotsa old shops...


Kolo Mee with Sam-Zhang-Bak (Hokkien for 3-layer meat)


this was the ultimate... soup with everything inside... check it out yourself...


roadside stalls halfway to Lundu...


my parents bought these, together with other stuff at a bargain...

Hari Raya Shopping...

bought 2 new Nike T-Shirts during the Hari Raya sales a week ago as LEA center was offering pretty good deals/discounts... :)))

I went over to the Hopoh outlet to have a look as the variety of items on sale at Sarawak Plaza, which is another outlet just across my workplace, is basically pathetic. Luckily I did...


This shirt was on a 20% discount, and I bought it for around RM80, pretty cheap huh??


This black one is on 40% discount, and I only pay RM40+ for it.

Sales is always good... and I went home a happy dude. :)

Kuching is beautiful...

These 2 photos were taken a few months back when I was up swimming at SummerSet Gateway. It was already late evening and almost night time. We were about to leave for a late dinner and I just took a few minutes to take these photos using my K800i. I find the view of Kuching downtown just simply beautiful...


before it got all dark.


The night time view of smack downtown Kuching...

WHAT DO YOU THINK??

crap!! ordered a coke at FEVER...

went for a drink with Jo the other night at FEVER... and due to the fact that I am off alcohol for the time being... ordered a coke... and it cost almost the same as her mug of beer... knn!!!


yea... doesn't reflect any good impression on me when other patrons passed by... ''-__-

lazing around in the office...

the fast food choices at the kopitiam next to the office were pathetic today... so didn't have lunch, and only ordered an ice teh-C. then went over to Watson to grab some Chipsters...


and nope I didn't finish 'em all... only one...

productivity has been virtually zero today... as the Hari Raya mood is all over the place...

anyway, Selamat Hari Raya to all my Muslim friends!

some thoughts...

I mentioned before that after gotten seriously sick a few weeks back, the whole thing somewhat changed some of the perspective I have on things... I sort of started to appreciate health for a start... and people/things that I took for granted at times... (read: my parents and etc...)

Looking out from my cubicle the other day to seeing two window cleaners hanging at the 7th floor doing their job made me feel that I'm actually pretty lucky to be sitting at where I was, without having to be under the scorching heat everyday, and working a job that pays fairly well.... I should be thankful... rather than whine about salary increase and etc...


this is what they do everyday... very dangerous can...

new headphones...

This pair of Sony ear-bud style earphones lasted me for over 5 years. It was bought from Singapore after I finished my IT degree for a whooping SG$90... which was very expensive for two little earphones as it was just launched that time... but considering that it last me for so long, and entertained me with one of the best sound quality any earphones could ever offer, it's worth every penny spent...

However, all things have their life spans, and this pair of Sony earphones, even though still working perfectly fine, starts peeling off at the ear-bud sides a while ago. Also the rubber at the connecting parts are also getting loose and worn out... and wearing it isn't that comfortable anymore... :(

Had no choice but to let it retire, and went off to the Sony retailer yesterday to look for a replacement. Buying the same things wasn't on my mind, as I'm thinking of getting a pair of headphones instead. In the end, bought this:


still in the box...


walahh... my new toy...

Despite the sound quality of this Sony headphones being less crisp compared with my previous earphones, it's understandable as the previous pair completely blocks out sound from outside, and what is heard is all from the earphones. This one only comes close... but I have no complains... like it a lot actually...

Damage to wallet: RM78

currently listening to...

currently I'm listening to this song - 思念是一种病 by 张震岳/蔡健雅 (Zhang Zhen Yueh/Chai Jian Ya). very very soothing song. meaningful as well... so nice till I can listen to this song all day long, and put it on repeat when I'm driving... go figure... :)


蔡健雅 & 张震岳

good news & bad news...

went for my scheduled appointment with the doctor on my SLE condition last Saturday after drawing my blood at the lab the day before...

during the consultation, I was told that everything is improving... meaning the red & white blood cell level as well as the platelet level is increasing. However, it is still somewhat below the normal level, so I still have to continue the medication... (+/-3 months... remember??)

went out to get my medicine... and the total sum came out to be RM252! sommore it's only 2 weeks worth of medication... and after the 2 weeks, still have to go test my blood again at the lab and then I presume take about the same medicine again... JIALAT lah this time... hopefully this follow-up medication which totals up to RM303 (including the lab test) is also covered under the company's insurance policy... else I'm gonna be so so broke for the next 3 months... :(


OMG!!! so expensive can??!!

additions to my end-of-year wish list

in addition to the two more expensive items in my previous wish list post, I'm also plannning to get the below items as well:

1. LCD TV Box: This gadget would enable me to connect my PS2 to my 22" LCD monitor so that I could use the monitor to play games and watch DVDs via the PS2.



2. A set of speakers for the LCD TV Box.

3. A PS2 DualShock joystick to replace the faulty one. Also fix the faulty one if price is reasonable.

4. A pair of earphones for office use.

5. A 2 DIN LCD Touch Screen TV Monitor DVD Player for my ride.



6. to-be updated... :)

my 2007 birthday...

luckily I didn't spend my birthday in the hospital this year... celebrated it a week+ before I was KO-ed and hospitalized... hah...

got 2 big red packets from both my mum and dad, a bottle of Ralph Lauren Polo from my sis, a tie all the way from Thailand, as well as a treat to a Japanese buffet... plus loads of wishes from friends... thanks to all... :)


still sealed... no chance to use it yet... :p

a best friend's wedding...

attended one of my best friend's wedding a week ago...


congratulations dude!

I was suppose to be their wedding driver on their big day, but due to my admittance into the hospital, I only got approval from my doctor to leave the hospital to attend their wedding dinner at night for a couple of hours before heading back to the hospital... talk about timing...