The Dragon's Lair

Coming to the Big Screen in 2012

2012-01-03T11:30:00.001+08:00

I love summer. Being someone who stays near the Equator, “summer” is all year round. Why I like Summer? What I meant is that I like Summer because it’s when Hollywood will release all the best of movies for the year to capture the market of movie-goes during the Summer holidays’ break. Reading from the newspaper and movie trailers release by movie houses, below are some of the movies which I am eagerly anticipating in the Year 2012:-

1. The Amazing Spiderman

Tobey Maguire hangs up his Spider suit and passes on the “web” to Andrew Garfield?!? Though I don’t know much or remember watching any of his previous movie, with a surname like “Garfield”, wouldn’t this actor be a better bet for the movie about the fat, orange cat? I wonder Odie will be named as one of the villain in this latest instalment of Spiderman. Even Sam Raimi who has been directing the last 3 Spiderman movie is passing on the mantle to Marc Webb. It will be interesting to see who will be in the line-up of the baddies who will be giving Spidey a “sling of his time”. Hopefully, this Marc will not make a “cob”Webb out of one of my favourite comic character. According to its official website,

Scheduled release date : 3rd July 2012

2. The Avengers

This must the movie of the year for all the Marvel comic superheroes lovers. With such a big cast of comic heroes who accompanied us throughout our teenage years, who in his /her right mind Is going to give this movie a miss? Nick Fury and the international agency S.H.I.E.L.D. bring together a team of super humans to form The Avengers to help save the Earth from Loki & his various membered army.You want to know which superheroes will be featured in this movie? How about Thor, Captain America, Iron Man, Hawkeye and Hulk who will be entasked to marvel us with a great storyline to glue us to the seat for the whole 1.5 hours. The same actors and actresses who acted in the earlier movie of each superhero ie. Chris Hemsworth (Thor), Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man), Chris Evans (Captain America) will reprise their roles in The Avengers. The cream of the crops will be watching Scarlett Johansson in her heroine role and tight outfit as revealed in the movie trailer. Boy, I can’t wait for this movie to hit our local cinema.

Scheduled release date : 4th May 2012

3. The Bourne Legacy

I just love the Jason Bourne instalment. As an avid reader who has read every single Jason Bourne’s book written by both Robert Ludlum and subsequently taken over by Eric Von Lustbader, I eagerly anticipate this movie to see how it transcend from the paperback to the big screen. Jason Bourne’s character is akin to Matt Damon’s alter ego ever since he starred in the 1^st instalment of Jason Bourne in the big screen. Matt Damon’s portrayal of Jason Bourne has already captured the approval of millions of Jason Bourne’s lover. Similar to my disappointment over the change of the main actor for Spider Man, this time around Matt Damon will not reprise his role of Jason Bourne. Jeremy Renner who will also star in The Avengers will take over the role of Jason Bourne. This will be a big shoe to fit in indeed for Jeremy. Btw, Jeremy is currently acting along Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible : Ghost Protocol.

Scheduled release date : 3rd August 2012

4. The Dark Knight Rises

Christopher Nolan was given a thumb’s up in his role in the previous instalment of Batman. The Dark Knight has caused a ruckus last month in China when he visited a blind activist. His action is sure to have irked the Chinese government and I am quite sure this movie will not be given a kind premiere in China. I wonder Chris will be allowed to promote the movie in China or the task will be on the shoulder of the director and the other casts. Catwoman will again appear as Batman’s nemesis along with Scarecrow and Bane.

Scheduled release date : 20th July 2012

5. Chinese Zodiac

Note: Can’t find a photo online on this movie

This movie is supposed to be Jackie Chan’s 101 movie as an actor. Does this guy ever stop? This story revolve around Jackie going around the world to look for the 12 Chinese Zodiac which were stolen from the Imperial Summer Palace. The movie has the element of Indiana Jones and Jackie’s previous movie “Armour of God”. With Jackie Chan back with his action movies, fan can be guaranteed a good show. As the story goes, Jackie will be travelling around the world to retrieve the stolen loots. So, be prepared to be mesmerised by some famous locations around the world and witness Jackie Chan performing some death defying stunts again. Question : Does this guy ever stop?

Scheduled release date : Mid Dec. 2012

6. Resident Evil : Retribution

This is a movie where the living dead lives to their names. They never die and Alice is kept ever busy, going alone or collaborating with a few survivors in the battle against the zombies. I have already lost count how many Resident Evil Milla Jokovich has acted in. 4 or 5? But I am sure Hollywood will continue to bank on this famous computer game franchise and turn out more Resident Evil movies as long as it can still rake in the cash.

Scheduled release date : 14th Sept 2012

7. The Viral Factor

This Chinese movie is about an elite counter-terrorist unit based in Hong Kong who heads to Middle East to find a deadly virus. Unfortunately, one of the team member betrays the team and the team leader is entasked to stop him from his personal agenda and unleash the virus to the world. This movie is a must see for us as the movie is shot 80% in Malaysia. Malaysians will see Nicholas Tse and Jay Chou in places like KLCC, KL Sentral, KL Railway Station etc. This movie was shot in the midst of Nicholas and Cecilia’s saga which eventually led to their divorce.

8. Underworld : Awakening

Kate Beckinsale reprises her role as a vampire slayer in this movie. How the ending goes is anyone’s guess. Good vs. Evil. Who will win? This is the answer which everyone knows. I guess Kate is the only reason I will buy a ticket to watch this movie.

There may be many more interesting movies which will be rolled out for the year. With Dec 2012 approaching, I am wondering whether there will be another movie about apocalypse to be released in the year. So, before the year ends (apparently), wouldn’t it be great to be entertained by another few more interesting movies and be spellbound by some great story-tellers and movie makers and of course, ogle your heart out over your favourite actors and actresses? I am definitely getting my tickets !

Cool Mini Cooper

2011-12-19T13:48:00.002+08:00

I came across these 2 Mini Coopers for display and sale at Giant Hypermarket - Kelana Jaya 2 weeks ago. Cool right? These are the classic models of Mini Cooper and not the latest, upgraded model. Love the look of these 2 red cars. The price tag is not very expensive too. They're in the range of RM20-30k. Considering these are collectibles, I think they're definitely worth it if you have the spare dough :-)

Photo 1 : Taken by my 3 years old daughter, using my Samsung Galaxy S2

Photo 2 : Taken by yours truly

11.11.11 - Is It A Special Day For ?

2011-11-14T09:34:00.001+08:00

11.11.11

Is this a special day for a special date for you?

This day only come once every 100 years. I must be lucky to be born in the period where I get to experience 10.10.10 and 11.11.11. 12.12.12 perhaps? “The Star” newspaper ran a few articles on the significance of this date according to a few different religions/races. Here’s the excerpt of them:-

According to the Muslim calendar, the date 11 Nov 2011 falls on 15 Zulhijjah 1432. This is the time when Muslims all over the world who performed the Haj in Mecca supposed to have finished their pilgrimage. Other than that, 11.11.11 has no significance or meaning in the Muslim calendar. According to Muslim, a date only has significance if it is based on certain events that is related to early Islamic history. Hence, an event is more important than the date itself. In conclusion, 11.11.11 is not an important day in the eyes of the Muslims.

For the Chinese, date selection is something that was practised in ancient China, from selecting a date deemed auspicious for wedding or renovating one’s house to a day to have a haircut! In modern times, the majority of the Chinese population still practises this and still seek advice on good days to hold a major event such as a wedding, a date to deliver a baby via Caesarean section or even starting a business.

The Chinese tends to favour or reject certain numbers for how they sound. “8” is considered a good or prosperous number while “4” is unlucky or signifies destruction. “4” sounds like death for those who speak Mandarin or Cantonese dialect. Traditionally, the Chinese follows 2 types of calendars which are based on solar and lunar cycle. When the Chinese chooses a date, they also look at the stars that appear in the constellation of that date. So, six 1’s look special when they are in a row, but when they look at the stars, it doesn’t help specifically in any way.

Over to the Indian astrologist, the date 11.11.11 however holds special significance because it is a life path number, and it is one of the most powerful shifts in human awareness that people will experience in their lifetime. 11 Nov 2011 is believed to be auspicious for those getting married because this favourable day promises strong and everlasting unity, astrologically. Dwellers can also choose the date to start construction of a house, purchase a new property or vehicle and they will be blessed with success easily. People are also urged to purchase or invest in gold or silver and their wealth will multiply. Although 11 symbolises gain and divinity, when the date, month and year is added up, it totals up to 8, which is less favourable in numerology as it indicates that people will incur high expenditure and spend more money than normal days. Hmmmm..… I wonder this co-relates or contradicts the earlier statement : you’re advised to make investment on the day and your wealth will multiply but on the other hand, you’re told that you will spend more money compare to normal days.

So, what does 11.11.11 holds for you? Was there any thing special happened to you on that day? A school mate of mine got registered to commemorate this special date. As for me, nothing much special happened to me. It just flows like any other day. However, at night, I went to watch the movie “Immortals” and guess what? When the show ended and I took out my handphone, the time shows 11:11pm. So, it was 11:11pm @ 11.11.11 when I finished watching the movie!

Arisan Taiwanese Fried Chicken – Yummy !!

2011-10-20T18:26:00.001+08:00

This is another blog entry about food. Any Malaysian can swear by that food is everywhere and you can get food at any time of the day (or night). During my uni days in overseas, I really miss the the easy availability of food at any hour in my home country.

OK, back to the blog entry. This place was actually featured in “Everyday” – another site which offers daily discount coupons. The pictures in the featured article already set my tongue salivating with all the wonderful pictures of nice Taiwanese desserts and fried chicken. The deal itself is very attractive with a Arisan Taiwanese Fried Chicken + Desserts of Your Choice at only RM5.90!! It is said that this promo is 57% off is normal price of RM5.90. Since I have been studying at Subang Jaya area for nearly 3 years during my college and uni days, the location of this shop is not hard to find. Furthermore, having GPS and Google Map nowadays, is certainly making travelling and locating a certain spot much more easier. Without thinking any further, I bought myself the deal and waited patiently for a few days for the vouchers to be available for use.

The very Oriental furniture in Arisan

Round marble stools along the 4-legged chairs

Reaching the shop around lunch time on a Saturday, there wasn’t a big crowd at the restaurant. I presume this is because Saturday is not a studying day at nearby colleges, hence, business slows down. The shop is well decorated and clean. The furnishing is done up in a very oriental manner whereby once you’re in, it will automatically gives you an impression that this shop serves Chinese food. The pictures hanged on the wall in the shop highlights the food that it serves.

Service is fast here. The Owner I presume (left)

Walls decorated with printing of Arisan’s specialty

It didn’t take us very long to decide what we want as the menu is kept simple at Arisan. For our discount coupon, the chicken chop is already a fixed item. You only have to choose the type of ingredient you want for the dessert. The dessert is actually a bowl of either soya ice/ grass jelly or caramel ice topped with either green bean + lotus seed / sweet potato + barley / red bean + peanut / yam + red bean / kidney bean + pearl. So, all you have to do is choose a base and a topping to go with it.

The dessert arrived at our table in no time. I ordered the grass jelly + peanut while my wife ordered the green bean + lotus seed. This is the first time I tried this type of dessert though I understand there are a few shops in town offering the same thing. The serving is of decent proportion, just the right size for my appetite. The ingredients are cooked just nice. I’m not sure the what’s the actual name for the flour dough. It has a nice chewy texture.

Green Bean + Lotus Seed

As for my bowl of red bean + peanut, personally, I would much prefer the salted uncooked peanut like those being served in ais kacang. Arisan’s peanut for this dessert is a bit soft for my liking.

Red Bean + Peanut

Our plate of fried chicken took some time to be served. I guess they fried the chicken instantly as it’s still hot when served to our table. It reminds me of the chicken cutlet you get from Shilin, also another Taiwan eatery. The outer layer is fried to golden brown with a nice crispy texture. The cutlet is made using chicken breast, hence, you won’t be biting into bones. I do like the taste of Arisan’s Taiwanese fried chicken. However, one small complain I have is that they should have given more of the chilli / mayonnaise dipping. With the number of chicken pieces you get, the dipping is considered very little. Perhaps they should have provide a bottle of the dipping sauce on each table rather than giving out a small plate of dipping.

Arisan Fried Chicken – thumbs up!!

Overall, the food served at Arisan is worth coming back for more in my opinion. There are some other offerings on the menu which I would definitely come back another round for a try.

Maiden Visit to National Science Center, Kuala Lumpur

2011-10-05T13:48:00.001+08:00

The very next day after our visit to the National Zoo, we went on to visit the National Science Centre (NSC). This is my first visit to NSC. Even though NSC is located at Bukit Kiara, which is about 10 minutes drive from my house, I have not been to this place. Until recently where I changed job and my current office is at Mont’ Kiara (adjacent to Bukit Kiara) that I have decided to visit NSC since I drive by this building on my way to work every day. You won’t be able to miss the building as it has a dome shape rooftop.

Upon entering NSC, you will be welcomed by some small fish tanks where kids (and adults too) can put their hands into the water and let the fishes nimble on your fingers. Kids will definitely enjoy the close encounter with the fishes. Moving on further, you will come across a tunnel-like aquarium where you can see fishes swimming around you. It’s like the Aquaria KLCC, where you will be surrounded by various types of fishes, big and small, well, mostly BIG. As I have mentioned in my previous blog, I am hopeless when it comes to naming of fishes. Hence, I will skip the part of telling you what type of fishes you can find here :-)

I guess I can only name sting rays.. One of the only type of fish I can name ;-)

Though the tunnel is not very long ( I think less than 50 feet or so), it has many varieties of fishes for the visitors to awe at. After the marine exhibition, you will come across instruments run by air and water. The exhibits in NSC are very engaging in the sense that visitors get to experience themselves the items or instruments on display. One gets to play with the items being exhibit and learnt about the process which creates the phenomenon explained on the exhibits. I like the air harp. By running your fingers through the invisible “strings” on the harp, it generates musical cords like a real harp.

The Air Harp with its “invisible” strings – nice !

After playing with harp, I went to the next display behind the harp which is a orb which emits static charges when you place your palm on it. It’s like watching some sci-fi movie where you see flashes of colour lights

It’s like watching a sci-fi movie here

Next, we entered an AV room which attracted lots of attention with its different music blaring around us. It’s a dark room with some colour light bulbs shining onto the floor. As you stand on any of the spots shined by the light bulbs onto the floor, the music will stop. The light is like some motion censor where it will cut off the music if it detects any thing blocking it’s light path. Clarisse took the opportunity to show off another of her “Bond girl” pose in the dark room !

The “Bond” pose

Apart from the scientific exhibits, there is also a play area for kids. Sort of like a mini playground at the concourse area of NSC.

Row, row, row your boat..

The current main attraction at NSC is the Dinosaurs. I have a hard time explaining to Clarisse what a dinosaur is since she’s only 2.5 years old. *Phew! Sweating!* Seeing a gigantic T-Rex swinging its head left and right is definitely overwhelming for a kid like her. She’s curious to know what this creature is.

See me ROAR !!

As it was about mid-day when we finished with all the exhibits at the ground floor, we quickly moved to the upper floor to look at the other remaining exhibits. The 1st floor houses the remaining dinosaur exhibits. Inside a dimly-litted area, there are around 10 dinosaurs on display in various pose and positions. The ferocious T-Rex is seen eating its prey, Tricerotop guarding its eggs, Stegosaurus doing dunno what ~.~. The information of each dinosaur makes it an interesting stop at each of these extinct giant being. There are also some facts and figures pasted on the wall to further highlight the superiority of each dinosaur.

The mean machines of the past !

Overall, I think the displays in NSC can be further improved as some of the exhibits are not functioning properly or if they have a guide to explain the science behind the displays would be great. Given it being a big exhibition area, the floor space can be better utilised too with better segmentation of various exhibits. I find that floor space is not properly divided into pathways where visitors can follow a route to the exhibits. Currently, there are many pathways and at times, one may miss out certain part of the centre. At least this visit to NSC has satisfied my curiosity of this building which I pass by everyday to work :-)

National Zoo

2011-09-22T19:46:00.001+08:00

I have planned this trip for quite some time. Have always wanted to bring Clarisse to look at animals in the zoo. Hence, last week, coinciding with the Malaysia Day national holidays, I took the opportunity to bring my family to Zoo Negara (Malaysia’s National Zoo). From my house, it’s less than 30 kilometres away to the Zoo Negara. The driving journey, including some traffic jam, takes around 30 minutes to the zoo. Personally, I have not been to the zoo since my schooling days. So, the last time I have stepped foot into Zoo Negara was more than 20 years.

Ticket price for Zoo Negara is RM25 for Malaysian and RM35 for Non-Malaysian. Kids are charged RM9 with Malaysian ID and RM18 for non-Malaysian. I would not think the price is hefty considering the amount of food which is needed to feed the animals daily and zoo does not get visitors by the hundreds or thousands daily.

Entrance to Zoo Negara

The entrance to the zoo is well managed from what I see, perhaps because it’s not school holidays season and visitors’ number is still manageable. The facade looks well maintained as well with the coat of paints on the walls still look new.

Our first visit was to the primate areas where different varieties of monkeys and apes. Clarisse was amazed by the gibbons with different colours all in 1 cage. Now, come to think of it, I don’t recall seeing chimpanzees. Do they have chimpanzees in Zoo Negara? Have anyone seen them in our zoo?

3 gibbons playing together

Neighbouring the primates are the our national bird, the hornbill. There are also a few varieties of hornbills showcased by Zoo Negara. Besides the usual ones that we see in Sarawak, there is also a white-crowned hornbill which I find kinda interesting and majestic.

Hornbill – Malaysia’s national bird & the White-Crowned Hornbill

Moving on from the hornbill, we went to see the domestic animals. The miniature horse caught our attention with its nice brown and white fur. To add on it, we’re used to see tall, muscular horses, not miniature ones. This miniature horse certainly attracted lots of attention as we can see scores of people petting its head. It’s definitely basking on all the attention it’s getting.

The miniature horse

The rabbits with its different fur colours also attracted lots of attention but unfortunately, these are rabbits which you can usually find in local shops and not those long-ear rabbits which are much bigger in size.

Rabbits, lots of them but mostly are camera shy

The aquarium section is also a main draw for the zoo as it has penguins on display. I am amazed by the speed a penguin can swim. Looking through the glass aquarium, you can see for yourself how fast and agile a penguin is underwater. It’s almost like the penguin is gliding underwater as to how a bird glides in the sky.

Penguin on the lookout for Batman

When it comes to fishes, it’s really a challenge for me. I hardly know the names of fishes and I do not find fishes any interesting at all except for how big they can grow up to in the water. The sizes that some fishes can grow up to are certainly many, many more times bigger than what you are being served in a restaurant.

Name of Fish 1 : Dunno, Fish 2 : Also dunno

With so many fishes around, surely I wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity for photo taking with Clarisse and the fishes even though I won’t be able to name them :-)

Once a United, always a United and PEACE !!

After visiting the aquarium area, we took a quick lunch break and then proceeded to the dry land where we came across the giant tortoise and hippopotamus. I am fascinated to see such huge tortoises carrying such a big load on their back. Am sure the shell must weigh a lot more than its body. The hippos are true to their nature than they hardly move, like the alligators. All staying still in the water like statues.

Help, I’m having backache !!

Of all the beasts in the animal kingdom, I like tigers the most. Perhaps it’s due to its combination of black and orange which I find making the beast very outstanding. Hence whenever I’m at a zoo, I would definitely look for tigers. When I reached the tigers’ area in Zoo Negara, I was lucky to see some active tigers. None of them were napping. In fact, 2 tigers were playing with each other while we were there. It’s nice to see them enjoying each other’s company.

Yipee, have reached the tiger’s section in the zoo…..

The 2 tigers playing with each other

After the tigers, we saw some many storks at a nearby lake. All of them enjoying the cloudy afternoon. We took the opportunity to walk close by the storks and took some close shots of them. I am not sure though whether these storks are permanent birds of the zoo or they are migrating birds who are currently in Malaysia. Hmm.. should have asked them for their passports for verification..

2 “stalkers” by the side of the lake

More “stalkers” on the trees

After saying goodbyes to the ~~“stalkers”~~ storks, we reached to the homes of my daughter’s favourite animal – the elephants! There’s someone who sells sugarcane by the side for RM3. A few visitors bought the sugar cane and feed these giant mammals. One of the elephants is so smart that after taking 1 sugar cane, it leaves the sugar cane by the side and asked for more. Only when there’s no more handouts from the visitors that the elephant went back to eat the sugar canes which it has gathered earlier. The elephant was the only animal which Clarisse mentioned over and over again after we have left the zoo. She also took a picture with the elephant.

This is the smart elephant which asked and gathered sugar canes

The giraffes are the neighbours for the elephants. I like giraffes too for their spots on their bodies, similar to those of a leopard. We also took some photographs with this tall animal. Wonder if I would have the chance to go to the Savannah are one day to see theses animals in the wild and in their natural habitat.

The tallest residents of Zoo Negara

After spending close to 3 hours in the zoo, it’s time to say “bye bye”. I must say that we all enjoyed our zoo outing as the weather has been kind to us. It only started to rain after we left the zoo. It has been raining the last few days and I wouldn’t want the rain to spoil this trip, planned specially for Clarisse to see the animals in real life rather than in “reel life.

Saying goodbye to Zoo Negara

I wouldn’t be able to say when will be the next time I will visit Zoo Negara. Probably the next time I step foot into Zoo Negara, Clarisse will be bringing her kids with her, who knows?? The following day, we all went to the National Science Centre but that will be told in another blog.

Malaysian International Franchise Fair

2011-07-26T10:57:00.005+08:00

Last week, a Malaysian International Franchise Fair was held at Putra World Trade Centre (PWTC). At the same day and same venue, there were also a PC Expo and 2 other exhibitions. So, there was quite a fair bit of crowd at PWTC over the weekend.

I played tag along with an ex-colleague who is keen to venture into her own business after being tired of working for others. Basically, it was a visit to the fair with an intention to source for something interesting and worthwhile exploring further. Franchising a business can be said to be a safer bet to start off a business since the brand and the business has already being established. There is already a market for the business and potentially ready clients.

Upon arriving at PWTC, we followed the directional sign and headed to third floor where the fair is supposed to be. When we wanted to enter the fair, we were stopped by the security personnel for not having a visitor's pass (doh!). We were intucted to head to ground floor and register ourselves in order to get a entry pass. While filling up the form, I realised that I ran out of my own business card. Luckily I have 2 of my suppliers' cards. I passed on my supplier's card as mine and gained myself an entry pass (hehe!!). "Hello Mr Hong!", my partner to the fair teased me.

Once we have stepped into the fair, we were quickly disappointed. We were expecting a big show but the number of participants for the fair were really pathetic. There were so few exhibitors to be really calling this an international franchise fair! What happened to a few notable franchisors? I did not see Old Town Cafe, 1901 Hotdog or even Nelson Corn-in-a-Cup! All I see were some lesser known or second tier franchisors' booths.

Consumer Tribunal staff ready to advise those who wants to know more

Anyway, since we have arrived at the fair, we took a tour round the exhibition hall and visited the booths there. We stopped at a frozen yogurt franchisor's booth since healthy food stuff like yogurt is an "in-thing" now. A few frozen yogurt operators have been operating in town lately. Tutti Frutti is one of the bigger frozen yogurt chain in town. I was surprised to know that the Malaysian franchise for this American yogurt brand was secured by NAZA Group. I have tried a few yogurt outlets in Klang Valley, namely Froyo, Snogurt & Tutti Frutti. I must say that I simply love this healthy dessert but the price in rather on the high side in Malaysia.

Marry Brown's booth

Daily Fresh's van is doing brisk business while looking for potential franchisee

Daily Fresh set up a van selling its food & beverages while inviting potential visitors to enquire about their franchise scheme.

Moving around the hall was not an issue since it was not drawing huge crowd. I bet the PC Expo a floor below attracted more visitors that this fair. Overall, I estimated that there were less than 100 exhibitors in the fair, probably closer to 70. What also surprised me was that except for 1 banker, no other banks took part in this fair. I would have thought that banks would be interested in extending loans and financial services to those who are keen to take up a franchise. Also missing were agencies who could provide foreign workers' services to the franchisee. Would it not make sense to have an agency who can provide manpower solution to the franchisee to be at this fair? I am STUMPED! Were the exhibitor or the relevant ministry not putting enough effort in getting quality exhibitors?

Anyway, visiting the fair was a good experience for me since I managed to get some information pertaining to franchise as well as brochures on information for intellectual property. Will definitely take some time out to read those leaflets before they start to collect dust ;-)

Dinner at Home’s Kitchen

2011-07-25T08:16:00.002+08:00

My GPS was misdirecting me when I was in Puchong. It took me quite a while to get to the exact location of Home’s Kitchen….

After an afternoon of house-keeping workout in my wife’s apartment at Villa Pavillion, we decided to give it a try of the food in Home’s Kitchen which I bought a few weeks ago from Groupon. The deal was

3-Course Chinese Meal for 2 at Home’s Kitchen for RM20 instead of RM46

The food looks great and since I hardly dine at Puchong area, this deal is a reason for me to explore the nice food that Puchong area offers. There was a pang of sceptical though on the price of the deal. Surely, by looking at the 3 dishes being served, I don’t think the meal going to cost RM46 if you ordered them ala carte. For a plate of stir-fry vege, a tofu and a fish curry, I would think RM35-40 would be a decent price to pay (including rice and tax).

Putting my doubts aside, I bought 3 coupons for this meal. But, for this round, I wanna try out the food here first before getting the rest of my family members to Home’s Kitchen and try out their food.

Again, this forgetful chap has left his camera at home and not able to take personal photos of this restaurant. I resolved to taking the pictures from Groupon to blog about the food here…

We arrived at Home’s Kitchen around 6:10pm, rather early for dinner but this place was already serving 4 tables of hungry diners. I didn’t count exactly how many tables the restaurant sits but I roughly estimated around 10 tables (round and rectangle included) inside the restaurant while those who prefer to dine alfresco, one can opt to sit outside the restaurant (3 tables available). As I was sitting down and showing my coupon to the waitress, my eyes were scouting around the place and looking at the deco. Home’s Kitchen has simple deco, not lavishly furnished. The wall behind the cashier counters hanged 2 photos of the owner, taken with some hosts of local food programme. The furniture are very oriental feel with marble top tables matched with Chinese wooden chair. The place does evoke some Oriental feel with these furnishings.

Service was fast though! In less than 10 minutes, the food, drinks and rice arrived. First to come were the tofu and stir-fry vege.

Tofu with minced meat, shallots, dried prawns

The tofu looked very appetising. It was deep-fried on the outside and very soft on the inside. The tofu was specially made with egg to give it an even smoother texture and you will find some small bits of century egg in it too. The tofu came with a gravy of light soya sauce and oil as a base. It was topped with spring onions. and garnished with lettuce.

Stir-fry vege

The stir fry vege (kangkung) was a said to be cooked in home made sauce (tasted more like oyster sauce to me though). The vege was a bit overcooked. I like my kangkung with some ‘springy’ feel. It would have tasted better if there was cooked with less gravy and with some belacan to give it more ‘kick’.

Last dish to arrive was the fish curry. The fish head curry came in a a claypot which is how normally fish curry is being served in restaurants. The fish came in small, bite size pieces. Besides the fish slices, there were also bean curds (tau fu pok), lady’s fingers and tomato. The fish curry was a disappointment though as it lacked spiciness. The curry also looked watery. The colour of the curry certainly was far away from the photo here.

Here’s my overall rating of Home’s Kitchen :-

Location	3/5 (If you’re not familiar with Puchong area, a GPS would come in handy since Home’s Kitchen is not facing main road)
Ambient	4/5 (Despite the minimal decoration, the tables and chairs certainly give you an Oriental, homely feel)
Food Price	N/A (Since all my dishes were from the discounted coupon, I didn’t order anything from the menu except drinks)
Food Quality	3/5

While waiting for my wife to finish her food, I realised that the pictures on the glass entrance door were actually decorated with photos of the food which were featured in the discount coupon which I bought. The only other dish featured which was not in my coupon is the spare ribs. The next time I come over, I will certainly order this dish to try out. It certainly looks very tasty from the photo. Yummy!

X Marks the Spot

2011-06-06T14:24:00.002+08:00

Last week was a week of movies in cinemas for me. Thursday was X-Men : First Class and Friday : Kungfu Panda 2.

Though I’m not much of a comic fan, I do enjoy watching movies of comic heroes in the big screen. Bryan Singer is back as Producer with Matthew Vaughn directing this franchise. This time the movie turns back the clock in time and tells the story from the main characters, namely Professor X and Magneto’s younger days. The focus of this movie mainly explored on the relationship between Charles Xavier and Erik Lansherr – how they become friends and later enemies, each working on their own cause and belief.

X-Men started off by introducing Erik Lansherr (later known as “Magneto”) being taken away by the German soldiers during WW2.Young Erik’s anger being separated from his mother saw him bending the wire mesh and the steel gate by staring at the gate itself despite being pulled back by a few soldiers. This has caught the attention of a scientist (Kevin Bacon playing the role) who strongly supports Hitler. Young Erik is then being “persuaded” by the scientist to train and enhance his telekinetic power. Later on, we see Erik (Michael Fassbender – man, this guy really looks cool and has a great physique!) grown up into a young adult who hated Nazi and hunt down those who played a part in his tormenting upbringing. Meanwhile, his main tormentor, the scientist has reinvented himself and took on an identity of Sebastian Shaw who runs a Hellfire Club with hidden agenda (aka causing nuclear conflict between the Yankies and the Moscowites).

On the other hand, our beloved Charles Xavier (played by James McAvoy) is potrayed as a smooth talking Brit who is making a name for himself in his studies and works on genetic mutation. Charles’ vast knowledge in genetic mutation caught the attention of CIA and is being asked to help the CIA to prevent Shaw and his goons of baddies from instigating another World War off the coast of Cuba. While hunting down Shaw, Erik chanced upon Charles and soon these 2 became ally. Erik found out that Charles also possessed telekinetic power. Erik somehow reluctantly helped Charles in working with the CIA but remained deeply cynical about trusting the “normal” human beings.

X-Men First Class introduced to us a few new young mutants namely Mystique, Raven, Beast, Banshee and Havoc. Though Beast and Mystique have already been introduced in the previous edition of X-Men, the rest are making their maiden appearance in X-Men. Of course, the eye-candy in this X-Men is Emma Frost (Jennifer Jones) who possesses telekinetic power too and with a penchant for tiny clothing ala retro-look. The highlight of the movie I would say is when Charles Xavier uses his telekinetic power to reach out to the other mutants and try to bring them together under his umbrella. In one of the scene, you will see a cameo appearance by Wolverine (Hugh Jackman) whose foul-mouthed Charles escaped the Malaysian censorship board.

In all good vs evil stories, you already know who will win the battle. It’s interesting that this time around the plot plays more towards the ~~human~~ mutant’s emotions whereby they each have to decide which faction they want to follow : Professor X or Magneto. It also explained how Charles Xavier became wheelchair bound and we have some light-hearted moments when Charles tried teaching the young mutants how to put their mutants’ abilities to good use and enhancing their powers.

Picture credit to IMDB.com

Minimal Impact? You Must Be Kidding Sir!

2011-06-02T15:26:00.005+08:00

The Government has done it again!

Effective 1^st June 2011, the electricity tariff has been increased by 7% from 31.31sen/kWh to 33.54/kWh. According to the Ministry involved, the increased will not result in a massive inflation. FYI, current inflation rate for Malaysia is officially reported at 3.5%. The Minister also added that the increase will not impact 85% of the consumers whose monthly average usage of electricity is below the threshold line. This tariff increase will mainly impact the commercial sector. So, excuse me Sir?! What do you mean consumers will not be impacted. Do u mean that the business sector will quietly absorb the cost of the tariff increase? You think every businessman out there will sit down quietly and absorb their increased operating cost? Surely they will pass down the cost to the consumers. I am sure that restaurant operators will dish out a smaller servings for the same price or increase the selling price to cover the cost.

Already, the Malaysian Retailer-Chains Association has indicated retailers may have to pass on to consumers part of the additional costs incurred following the tariff hike. In computing the price increase, I am sure that businesses like hawker or mamak will increase food price by a fixed amount. Who says a 7% increase in electricity has minimal impact. Can you imagine everything you buy, somewhere or another is produced by something which uses electricity before the final product is served/sold to you? Everyone knows how to “justify” him/herself when a raise is needed. You will just be wasting your energy arguing that the product that you buy does not use energy from raw material to semi-finished goods to finished goods.

A few days ago, a colleague of mine related to me an incident he had at a mamak stall. Many moons ago, the local Ministry announced the price increase of sugar. This was in line with global price increase and to encourage Malaysians to consume less sugar. My colleague went to a Mamak stall and ordered a less sugar tea. When the bill came, he was being charged for the same price as a regular cup of tea. When my colleague asked shouldn’t he be charged a cheaper cup of tea since he ordered a less sugar? The waiter just smiled and said other operating cost has increased like gas etc. “So, sorry Sir, your tea cost as much as the rest”.

So, when someone open his/her mouth, especially someone who holds a Govermental position tells us there is “Minimal Impact”, I think you must be kidding Sir!

Nutrients for A Good Night's Rest

2011-05-20T10:25:00.003+08:00

An article recently featured in a local daily The Sun caught my attention :

“The risk of obesity was 700% higher in adults who had less sleep compared to those with average sleep duration.”

According to a survey on centenarians indicates that people sleep between 6-8 hours daily, with those who sleep 7 hours enjoying the lowest mortality rate. In another survey, those who sleep longer than 10 hours daily can suffer a 200% higher risk of dying from all causes. Sleep should be natural and sound.

The article also recommends that some nutrients can be taken to give us better sleep and leading to a healthier life. The nutrients recommended are generally free from adverse side effects if consumed in dosages as recommended by nutritional therapist. Since this is an article with some good informative knowledge, I have decided to share this info with whoever would like to know more about the nutrients.

1. SLEEP INDUCER

The neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has a calming and stabilising effect on our brain. It promotes sound sleep patterns and helps us handle stress. Deficiency can result in anxiety, irritability and nervousness. The protein glutamine is the precursor to GABA. Food rich in glutamine include almonds, banana, whole grains, lentils, citrus fruits, spinach, potato and rice bran. Our dream state takes place during the rapid eye movement (REM) phase of sleep promoted partly by GABA.

2. PROTEIN-HORMONE CONNECTION

Studies have confirmed that L-tryptophan can overcome difficulty in falling asleep, superficial sleep and poor dreaming. This amino acid increases slow wave (deep) and REM sleep. It is a precursor to the hormone serotonin, which relieves mental tension and anxiety.

Serotonin is converted by vitamin B6 to 5-HTP and then to sleep hormone relatonin. Food rich in L-tryptophan include peanuts, soy isolate, almonds, wheat germ, wheat bran, egg white, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, Swiss cheeses and seaweeds.

3. VITAMINS

For good sleep, pyridoxine (vitamin B6) is needed. It helps us to produce as well as recall vivid dreams. Protein metabolism depends on adequate amounts of this nutrient. Sources of vitamin B6 include seafood, potato, banana and nuts.

Vitamin B3 also induces deep-sleep by raising levels of our growth hormone secreted at night. Our body uses L-tryptophan to produce vitamin B3, which is widely supplemented to treat heart disease due to its positive effect on cholesterol levels without adversely affecting productions of Co-Q10 enzyme.

Research suggests that those who consume multivitamins daily need less sleep to get by, and an optimum intake of vitamins reduces the need for longer hours of sleep. Wild bee pollen is considered the richest source of organic natural multivitamin / minerals, phytonutrients and enzymes.

4. MINERALS

Muscle cramps and movements disrupt sound sleep and these problems may be overcome by consuming magnesium-rich foods such as nuts, seeds, beans, soy, bran, barley, wheat germ, spinach, seaweed, brown rice, prawn, clams and beverages such as cocoa.

Every night coughing linked to allergies may be relieved by drinking a cup of warm, thick cocoa (not chocolate) before bedtime. According to the US National Institute of Health, a daily dose of 400mg and 600mg of elemental magnesium is needed to enjoy its various beneficial health effects, which include a significant improvement in achieving deep sleep.

Magnesium citrate is more bioavailable and well-researched compared to magnesium oxide. Excess calcium, coffee or acidic food intake cause urinary excretion of magnesium. Even a small amount of potassium intake can shorten your time taken to fall asleep.

Food rich in potassium include sengkuang, tapioca leaves and tomato. Both magnesium and potassium help lower one’s blood pressure too. If a person is anaemic, intake of sufficient iron-rich food can reduce the number of times he or she wakes up at night. However, iron supplements should only be taken if serum ferritin level is normal. An elevated level may indicate blood marrow disorders and this should be investigated. Iron from food sources are safer to consume and these include cashew nuts, Chinese parsley, egg yolk and organ or red meat.

A very small amount of copper in our diet can help us feel more fresh when we wake up in the morning. Food rich in copper include mushrooms, cocoa, nuts, lentils, soy bean, poultry, oysters, whole grains and prunes. Copper deficiency can be caused by an intake of excessive zinc. Such a deficiency is rare since copper is present in numerous food sources.

5. ENZYMES

Co-enzyme Q10 reduces night awakenings and shortens the amount of sleep one requires. If you are on cholesterol-lowering drug (statins), your body’s production of Co-Q10 may be significantly reduced. Several nutrients are needed by the liver to produce this precious coenzyme which protects the heart, gum and other vital organs in our body. Numerous enzymes are critical to our sleep process and our understanding of them is still at a preliminary level.

6. FATTY ACIDS

Omega-3 fatty acids such as those from flax seeds, blue green sea algae and fish oil can help induce deeper night sleep. These fats and a small amount of omega-6 polyunsaturates are referred to as essential fatty acids since our body is unable to produce them and they have to come from our food source or supplements.

Wishing everyone a good night sleep! ;-)

Aroma Thai Restaurant

2011-05-07T09:25:00.001+08:00

Thanks to online discount vouchers, I am going to many new places for dining as well as food adventure. Recently, I went for dinner at a fabulous Thai restaurant for dinner with my family and I would like to share this place with anyone who likes Thai food.

I bought my my discount voucher from WeBuy.
The deal is that RM10 for a RM25 Cash Voucher at Aroma Thai Restaurant. What a catch! I simply adore Thai food especially tomyam and mango with sticky rice. When I saw that you only need to pay RM10 for a RM25 voucher and you can use as many voucher as you like per bill, I quickly purchase 5 vouchers which sets me for RM50 but I am holding RM125 worth of dining voucher. It works out to be 60% off the voucher's face value.

It's not hard to locate the place if you google it up before hand using Google Map before heading to the venue. I also tried to google this restaurant to see if anyone has blogged about this place and the quality of the food but I was not successful. I didn't managed to find any entry about this place. I can't trust my GPS as it comes free with the MPV that I purchase. Can't name the brand of the GPS here or else I will have some legal suit coming my way. Aroma Thai is located at Damansara Perdana. It's near the MK Land sales office, about 300 metres from Damansara Perdana's Citibank branch. It's very easy to locate as the restaurant is facing the main road.

I made a reservation for 7 pax a week before I went there to dine. I bought these vouchers with the intention to bring my family over for dinner since it's my wife's birthday on 28th April. Half an hour before my reserved time, the restaurant even called me to remind me about my reservation and to confirm my arrival. Though there are many parking lots around the area, this area is packed with people even after office hour as there are a few dining and drinking joints around the area. Since my sis had arrived earlier, I managed to double park beside her car and not obstructing traffics.

As I got down from my car, I realised that I forgot to bring my digital camera along to take photos of the place and the dishes that I am going to order and blog about it later. Shucks!! Hence,I got no choice to share the photos available from WeBuy to give eveyone some visuals of Aroma Thai. The deco are simple but to good effects. You know you're right in a Thai restaurant from the deco of this place. Pictures of Buddhas and Thai carvings welcome diners to this place. As soon as I stepped into the restaurant, I was greeted by a Mr. Daniel whom I later found out to be one of the partner of Aroma Thai.

Pictures you will expect to see in a Thai restaurant are found in Aroma Thai

Carvings of statues welcoming the guests to Aroma Thai

Most of the tables seat at least 4 person

Daniel offered us some suggestions of dishes which we readily agreed. We chose tomyam, fried kailan with salted fish, squid with salted egg, Thai style curry chicken, claypot tofu and an omelette with prawns as our main dishes while I ordered my favourite mango with sticky rice for dessert.

Squid with salted egg

Thai Bubble Juice

While waiting, I noted that there about 4 tables of diners on the inside of the restaurant while 1 table was occupied on the outside for those who smokes. Serving was pretty quick as our dishes started to come in less than 10 minutes of waiting. The servings were of pretty normal size, can't say that the servings are of very generous portion but just right for the 6 adults who are all small eaters. I like the fried kailan with salted fish though my Mum commented that she felt that it was a bit salty. The claypot tofu was something different though. it's thick and gooey, something like a shark fin soup served with some mixed vegetables. Mum is not a fan of basil leaves, so the Thai curry chicken was a no-no for her but the rest of us do enjoyed it.
The thing that my young daughter enjoyed the most would be the Thai bubble juice which comes with small bubbles which has some juice in it. She giggled while biting the bubbles and the juice burst into her mouth.

Halfway through our meal, Daniel came around and enquire about the food. I commented that everyone was happy with the dishes served. I particularly like the tomyam as you can taste both the spiciness as well as saltiness in the soup. Some Thai restaurants or in fact Malay restaurants that serve tomyam only make the soup spicy. it's like drinking a bowl of hot chilli soup only. You don't get any other taste in the soup. Daniel informed me that the restaurant was opened for business only about 3 months ago. Their discounts on WeBuy received an overwhelming response. I told Daniel that I would definitely come back again as the food is served to my liking and taste. I do observed that the proprietors of the restaurant do go around the tables and engage in small talks with the diners and get their feedbacks of the food. Good PR guys!

Last came the mango with sticky rice which I find the serving a bit small tbough. The mango slices are fresh and comes with a handful of sticky rice heated in microwave before being served. It is topped with some sweet, fresh coconut milk.

By the way, as I was waiting for my bill, I noted a bunting of Aroma Thai which promotes their set lunch for only RM8.90 which include rice, a main dish, a vege dish, tomyam soup and refillable drink. This set lunch is available from Monday to Sunday. My total bill for 6 adults with 5 dishes, 6 drinks and a plate of dessert comes up close to RM155 (which is about USD50). That's a very decent price for a nice Thai meal.

Here's my ratings of the place:
Ambience: 7/10
Food quality: 7/10
Service: 8/10
Price: 7/10
I do recommend this place if you have not been there before. Here's the address as well as the contact number of the place:

Aroma Thai
No.11-1, Jalan PJU 8/5i, Bandar Damansara Perdana,
478200 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Tel: 03-7731 2089
Contact person: Mr. Julius Khoo ( H/P: 016-72 3093)
Daniel ( H/P:019-668 9011)

A Visit to the Park

2011-03-16T09:10:00.009+08:00

Last Sunday, I decided to bring my daughter to a place with a bigger playground. There are a few playgrounds around my neighbourhood and Clarisse had visited a few of them. This time around, I decided to bring her to somewhere which I passed by many times but had never step foot into the place until last Sunday.

Taman Jaya is a park nearby Federal Highway which has a lake in the middle of the park. The lake has been a popular fishing spot for people who has the patience in angling or fishing. Everytime I passed by Taman Jaya on the lrt, I can see many people exercising in the park, adults jogging around the lake, kids immensing themselves on the playground. Life is a bliss seeing everyone enjoying themselves and sharing laughters and moments of togetherness.

The playground is well-maintained overall. The rides and plays still look new at least. I didn't have the opportunity to jog around the park though as has been entasked to look after personal properties since my wife accompanies Clarisse in playing the rides at the park. But I did get a walk around the lake with the family before we headed home. At the same time, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to snap some photos of the park and the playground.

The rides still look well-maintained

A monument in the park

Lots of fun for the kids

Various exercise equipment for adults

Another playground area in Taman Jaya

Tarzan on the chain? Or Spiderman?

Various fountain points on the lake

My favourite photo - a reflection of the TNB building

A Less Than Wonderful Lunch

2011-03-08T08:30:00.004+08:00

Last Saturday, I took a nice afternoon drive to Subang Jaya for a lunch at Allegro Café Trattoria Italiana. Subang Jaya always hold a fond memory for me as I received my tertiary education there before moving to Perth for my final year. In total, I spent about 2.5 years in Subang.

Allegro Café is not hard to find as I know my way pretty well along SS15 as well as I have looked up the place from Google Map. What surprised me is that most of the roads in SS15 have been turned into a 1-way street and you have to drive a big round if you overshoot your spot.

Allegro is an Italian café nicely situated on the 1^st floor of a 3-storey shoplot. The deco is very warm and relaxing. You certainly feel at ease with the choice of colour and furnitures in this café. There are about 10 tables inside the café while the balcony holds 2 tables that easily seat 3-4 persons per table.

Our balcony seat oversee nice garden deco

As I reached Allegro around 1:00pm, the place is already packed with diners. Armed with my Groupon voucher which gave me a wonderful Italian lunch cuisine for 2 pax at RM20 only instead of RM90! The waiter told me that all the tables inside the café are fully taken. Luckily, I saw an empty table at the balcony area and quickly asked for its availability. “Yes! You can sit there” was the best 4 welcoming words at that point in time.

In about 5 minutes, a Caucasian came to our table with the menu. I presume he’s the boss by the authoritative ways he speaks. Let’s call him the Boss right now. The menu is a tad disappointing as it just a sheet of A4 paper with a fix menu printed menu of in. You have a mushroom soup with garlic bread, a choice of 3 different spaghetti to choose from, a drink and an ice-cream dessert. I made my decision very quickly as it’s a simple menu which my wife was undecisive over the which of the 3 spaghetti to choose from. It was less than 30 seconds for her to decide but Mr Boss is already running out of patient and asked us to decide fast. I do understand that the place is packed to the brim and there are 2 waiters serving the hungry lunch pack but at least he can be more courteous. Annoyed by Mr Boss’ attitude, both of us ordered the same main course and drinks.

While waiting for our set to come to our table, we saw more and more diners coming in with vouchers which I presume must have purchased from Groupon. They all left with disappointment as there’s really no more empty tables. Waiting is not an option as the café is compact and does not have a designated waiting area. Mr Boss decided to bring our ice lemon tea after more than 20 minutes. And 10 minutes later, our mushroom soup and garlic bread came. I find the ice lemon tea lacking the tea flavour while the mushroom soup is a bit salty for my liking but my wife thinks the mushroom soup tasted OK for her.

Mushroom soup and ice lemon tea

After being glued to our seat for about 1 hour from when we first sat down, Mr Boss came back with our main course. How wrong was I to think that since it’s a set lunch, the meals will be served fast. I totally got no idea why it took 1 hour for the main course to be served! When the spaghetti arrived, I was dumbfounded. To think that this meal is originally worth RM90 for 2 must be a big joke. The spaghetti is really a small portion. I would think that this meal is worth RM10 instead of RM45 per person! The serving is really small even for a small eater like myself. I quickly chow down my spaghetti in no time seeing that the café is getting more and more crowded with so eager diners coming in and leaving in disappointment as all the tables are taken.

Though nicely flavoured, it's really a small plate

After finishing the main course, Mr Boss came out again with the ice-cream. This time I am totally convinced my meal should rightly cost RM10. The single scoop of ice-cream is pathetically small. Mr Boss is so courteous to serve the ice-cream without a spoon. Maybe he does expect us to swallow the whole scoop since it’s such a small scoop. Furthermore, he has the guts to say “After you all are done with the ice-cream, you all can leave. They’re many people waiting to be seated.” That was said when he served the ice-cream without the spoon. While we were seating on the bench, looking at the ice-cream melting away before the presence of the spoon, Mr Boss has moved on to take orders from other tables. He doesn’t even want to care if you need to scoop the ice-cream with your fingers or swallow the whole mini scoop. You just have to wait for your spoon to arrive like how you wait for 1 hour for your main course to arrive. YOU JUST HAVE TO WAIT !!

Never will I step foot into this place again. Totally disappointed….

Run Forrest Run !!

2010-11-28T08:03:00.010+08:00

Last week, I made a short trip for lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co at The Curve. Reason I went there was that I bought another fantastic deal from MyDea l.

The deal was : "Shrimp Feast at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. @ 50% OFF. ALL THE SHRIMP YOU CAN EAT at RM 43.35 nett instead of RM 86.70"

I have not dined at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co before this even though I have passed by this place many times. The restaurant is actually based on the movie "Forrest Gump" - one of my all time favourite movie starring Tom Hanks which the movie also won a few Oscar awards.

A quick search on the Net tells me that the company was founded in California back in 1996 and it has got more than 30 outlets internationally by now.

Side view of entrance to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

With its big signboard and eye-catching deco, one can hardly miss the restaurant situated on the 1st floor of The Curve.

Entrance to Bubba Gump Shrimp Co

Service was prompt as there is a waiter standing outside the restaurant ushering you to an empty table once you step into the restaurant. Seatings inside the restaurant are quite limited and I think I counted close to 15 tables available, mostly for 2-4 guests per table. However, there are plenty of seats for alfresco dining. Since, Bubba Gump is a corner unit, seatings are arranged neatly to the maximum capacity with more than enough walkway for diners and food servers.

As the tables inside the restaurant were fully taken, me and my wife opted for an alfresco seating. I passed on my MyDeal voucher to the waitress and our first course arrived in less than 10 minutes. Hmm.. I am beginning to like the service of this place.

First, came the Shrimper's Net Catch I .It's a bucket of shrimps. I opted for a mix of Bubba's Garlic Spice and Secret Recipe Cajun Spice. The looks of the shrimps being poured onto the tray already wetted my appetite for more. It also came along with a sparkling lemonade (which I find the taste rather bland). The shrimps are really as good as they looked. Squeezing the 2 slices of lemon onto the shrimps, both of us quickly got into the mode of peeling the shrimps from its shells and feeding them into our hungry mouths. It was really lips-smacking good!! The mixture of the spices really blend well with the prawns. However though, I find it a little bit salty for my liking but it's bearable. While we were half way eating, the waiter was very prompt with his service. He came and clean up our plates filled with the shrimps' shells. Once we placed the new clean plates to the table, we continued with our meal.

Shrimper's Net Catch

After filling half of our stomachs with the shrimps, we moved on to the dessert. It was the Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae. This really look appetising. It came in a pan with the chocolate chip cookies base, topped with 2 scoops of vanilla ice-cream and 2 scoops of whipped cream and garnished with a mint leave. You will find chocolate sauce and syrup on the plate as shown in the photo below.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae

The sundae was magical! The first mouthful itself spells wonder! It's really that great. Biting into the base with the chocolate chips inside is like heavenly. Oh ya, it also comes with peanuts (lots of them), making it a really awesome treat. You're advised to share it with a second or third person as it is quite filling.

A close up short of the heavenly Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae

I really had a great meal at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co at The Curve. Really a great deal thanks to Bubba Gump and MyDeal.

For those who wanted to check out this restaurant, below are the addresses of its outlets in Malaysia.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. @ the Curve, Lot 145, 1st Floor, Jalan PJU 7/3, the Curve, Mutiara Damansara, 47800 Petalling Jaya, Selangor, Tel: 603-7710 9862 / 63 Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. @ Sunway Pyramid, OB.K2, OB.K3, OB.K3C & OB.K3D, Oasis Boulevard, Sunway Pyramid Shopping Mall, No, 3, Jalan PJS 11/15, Bandar Sunway, 46150 Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Tel: 603-5638 4559 / 5635 3559

Bona petite!!

Super Dan completes it !

2010-11-22T08:52:00.006+08:00

Lin Dan is simply the best badminton player of the century! He's the world's most celebrated men's singles badminton player.

I have to admit that I am not a very big fan of Lin Dan. To me, he's kinda cocky and not the friendliest badminton around. However, I do have to admit that he's simply a class above the rest of the players.

Both Lin Dan and Chong Wei are consistent players and usually reached til the Finals in whichever tournament they took part in. Lin Dan has been Chong Wei's arch rival or nemesis on court for a number of years already but Chong Wei still have not find the right weapon to subdue Lin Dan. Not that Chong Wei is a bad player. In fact, Chong Wei is a badminton player of great stamina and reflexes. Even the people who filmed Chong Wei for a documentary were very impressed with his physical fitness. Once can certainly sees Chong Wei's quick reflexes on court, especially when he's so quick up again after landing with his hands on the rubber mat of the badminton court. Very often you will hear such comment of Chong Wei by the match commentator praising Chong Wei for his reflexes and how well he got along with the other players in the badminton circuit.

Lin Dan's match against Chong Wei in Asian Games' Badminton Men's Final is a great showcase of Lin Dan's strength and skills. It was a very exciting match. Though being Malaysian, I strongly hope that Chong Wei will win the game and bring home a Gold Medal to Malaysia, we all know it was a herculean effort to beat Lin Dan especially in his home land, China. Lin Dan won the game 21-13, 15-21 and 21-10. By winning the gold medal in the Asian Games, Lin Dan became the only player in the world to have all the badminton titles i.e. Olympics, Asian Games, World Championship, All England, BWF circuit super series event, Thomas Cup. In fact, this Fujian southpaw badminton player was already a world number 1 player at the early age of 20. I am sure at 20 years old, many of us have not even graduated from tertiary education yet but Lin Dan already helm the highest ranking and at 27 years old, Super Dan (as he's fondly called by his fans) is already at the top echelon of badminton.

Photo extracted from Wikipedia

Froyo Deli’s Frozen Yogurt

2010-10-27T22:18:00.001+08:00

The website www.mydeal.com.my is simply marvellous!! I simply love this site. A BIG THANK YOU to fellow blogger, Nicole Tan (www.nicolekiss.blogspot.com) for featuring this website in her blog back in August’10.

What’s this site all about?? Well, every day this website features an item for sale at a heavily discounted price. On average, you will be offered a deal for 50% or more. The deal varies from dining, self-pampering ie. aromatherapy, spa to car wash and waxing. This website currently offers deal in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor.

The deal I am going to blog about is actually the second deal which I have purchased from this website. Almost everyday, I surf into this website to find out the latest goodies the website has to offer.

To share with you all out there, below is the deal which I wanna blog about:

50% Off Medium Frozen Yogurt Package with Choice of 4 toppings @ The Froyo Deli for only RM 7.25 instead of RM 14.50!

I have to be frank that when I purchase this deal with my credit card online, I have no idea what or where is Froyo Deli located. I have to google up the address to find out exactly where the deli is located. So, I printed out the Google Map and tuck it nicely in my wallet to be taken out as guide when I visit Froyo Deli.

So, 2 Sundays ago when I am heading back to KL from Seremban, I made a detour to Desa Sri Hartamas to feast myself on the frozen yogurt which I have bought from www.mydeal.com.my. Though I easily made my way to Desa Sri Hartamas, I have problem finding the exact location of the shop even though my GPS already indicated that I have reached the destination. The signboard of the shop is simply too small to be eye-catching. There’s no big signboard from on the shop to indicate the name of the shop. Instead, you will only find a round signboard with the face of a bunny (see below) to welcome you to the shop. They could have made the sign a little bit bigger.

Upon entering the shop, my Sis volunteered to be the photographer and took some photos of the shop’s interior. The decorations in Froyo Deli is very simple, towards the taste of a minimalist. The setting is very casual and relaxing.

Even the menu is very simple. The frozen yogurt, made fresh daily, comes in 2 flavours, plain or strawberry or you can order the twist which is plain yogurt mixed with strawberry flavoured frozen yogurt. The owner is kind enough to offer us a sampling of the flavours first before settling down to place out orders. My voucher allows me to choose 4 toppings from the many variants available. As usual, mango is my automatic choice of fruit. I chose longan, sunflower seed and colour sprinkles as my 4 toppings.

A wide variety of toppings for you yogurt lovers to choose from

While waiting for the Owner to prepare the frozen yogurt, my Sis put her spare time into good use again, snapping up another photo of the mock serving of the Froyo Deli’s frozen yogurt, tastefully placed on the aluminium table near the entrance of the shop.

Looks tempting huh? These are not real, hehe!

Finally, after waiting for less than 5 minutes, our orders are ready to be served to the mouth of these 3 first-timers. My wife settled for the plain yogurt, my Sis ordered the twist while I ordered the strawberry flavour. After a few rounds of flavour tasting among the 3 of us, I concluded that the plain yogurt flavour is the nicest. The strawberry topping is very fresh and the Owner is certainly very generous with the quantity of toppings served. The wide variety of toppings available certainly complement the frozen yogurt well and would satisfy the cravings of almost everyone who frequent Froyo Deli. The only grumble which I have is that Froyo Deli should have offered salted peanut or crushed peanut as toppings.

2 sets which I purchased using the voucher from www.mydeal.com.my and another ala-carte order

Simply yummy!!

After spending a good 15-20 minutes in the shop, we have 3 satisfied customers. Then again, I have another complain. The shop does not have any drinks on its menu. You only find frozen yogurt on the black board with the different pricing based on the number of toppings you ordered. What about drinks? No coffee, tea or fruit juice available? Not even plain water was served to complement the yogurt or available on the menu. That’s a little bit disappointing though I was not thirsty at that point in time. I do hope the Owner will offer some drinks to the customers. Having a wide variety of magazines is a good past-time for those who would like to do some light reading while enjoying a nice cup of yogurt, but do serve drinks please………

Great Deal at MyDeal.com.my

2010-10-07T17:33:00.003+08:00

While reading the blog from a famous local blogger, Nicole Tan, I was being introduced to a site which sells F&B, Wellness, Car Wash etc at exceptional discounts. According to Nicole, she was a bit sceptical too at the beginning but just gave it a try since the amount involved is not very big. Great deals start from as cheap as RM10 or lesser. The website is called :www.Mydeal.com.my

Basically, how this site works? Read below. I copied it from MyDeal.com.my as I'm too lazy to explain it myself, hehe.
How does MyDeal.com.my work?

Every day you'll find a new hot deal on MyDeal.com.my at discounts between 50-90%. Once the minimum number of buyers for a certain deal is reached, the deal is "on". After the deal period has passed (usually 24 hours) you will receive an email from us with your electronic coupon or a confirmation email that your coupon has been sent out to your home address. Since we aggregate a large number of buyers for each retailer, we're able to pass on these kinds of discounts to our customers. Once you received the coupon via email or post you can simply go to the merchant and enjoy your deal!

Here's how it works:

1) Click on "Buy Now" to reserve the deal for you. When the minimum number of buyers is reached, the deal is definitely taking place!

2) Tell all your friends, colleagues, family members and your neighbors about the hot deal that's going on! That way the chances are higher that we reach the minimum number.

3) In case the minimum number of buyers is not reached, the deal won't take place. In this case you'll get a full refund of the fee you paid to your credit card or PayPal account. Check back the next day - for sure a deal will be going on!

Easy right? I started off by making a purchase for Lecka Lecka at 50% discount. I just have to pay RM16 for 2 vouchers! The deal comes with 2 scoops of any our your preferred Lecka Lecka flavours and a bottle of Esprit drink. I utilised my voucher last Sunday at e@Curve. I wasn't very sure of myself when I approached the service crew at first. What if my vouchers are fake? What if they don't recognise what I have? Am I going to embarass myself in front of everyone at a busy shopping mall? I was so relieved when the staff at Lecka Lecka counter accepted my voucher and gave me the same service as a regular customer.

Now, I am hooked to this website. Everyday, I visit this website for the Deal of the Day. The deals are available in Klang Valley, Penang and Johor. Maybe you guys and gals who have not visited this website should check it out. You can really enjoy some good stuff at great discounts!!

Where Have I Been ??

2010-10-07T08:36:00.002+08:00

I have been missing from my Blog for a long, long time again. The last posting I put up was somewhere in July. So, I have been away for about 3 months I guess.

Life moved on. I have left my previous employment with a related company of a well-known blood testing Group, handling the financial affairs of a chain medical GP practise and distributor of health supplements.

I have been commented by some friends as well as fellow interviewers for not being staying long with a company that I have worked with. My longest period of employment with 1 company is 3.5 years. I have now worked for almost 13 years and I have worked for 6 companies! Of course, I would not like to be potrayed as a job-hopper too. It's just that opportunities came along the way and I would like to take the opportunity to move up the career ladder. Else, why I would I want to study until Univeristy level, equipped myself with a Degree but working just as a clerical staff in a Company. Aim high right??

Well, I have just joined a local media agency. So now, I am in an advertising line of business. I landed myself in the role of a Finance & Admin Manager - overseeing Finance, HR, Admin and IT department. It's a small company with headcount of not more than 10 but it's a pleasant office to work in. The company is not too far away from where I live at. This company has been established not too long. It has been around for about 5 years but the CEO/Owner is someone well-known in this industry. In fact, he has been in the advertising line for almost 20 years, helming top position in companies he worked for before moving forward to open his own company. He come across as someone very knowledgeable in many topics. I do see him as a mentor in certain way and I do hope this employment will keep me grounded for some time ;-)

Homestay in Taiping

2010-07-23T22:39:00.001+08:00

Last week, I went back to Taiping, a town in nothern Perak, Peninsular Malaysia, to visit some relatives of my in-laws. I was surfing on the Net for suitable to stay as my parents also followed us back to Taiping for a leisure trip. A colleague of mine suggested that I look up for homestay instead of hotel as it’s cheaper for a big family and certainly more suitable for a family stay compared to hotel. It was a good idea and not long after I found a suitable unit. It was actually owned by one of my wife’s friend.
The place is actually a single storey house with 3 bedrooms located at Taman Tekah in Aulong area of Taiping. It’s a very suitable place as my in-law’s relatives stay at Aulong. So, this house which the owner named it a motel is within a short distance from the relative’s home and also there’s a Giant hypermarket nearby. Isn’t that very convenient ?

The single storey, 3 rooms motel

The house is at a quiet neighbourhood. There is a row of double-storey terrace houses and shoplots in front of this motel.
Moving into the house, you will be greeted by a single seater sofa and 2 sofa beds. Also, you will find a small tv that comes with a dvd player and some English and Hong Kong movies to keep you entertained if you’re really bored. The floor is tiled as well as the wall. You will really have a good feeling moving into the house.

Presenting to you the living hall !

I forgot to snap a picture of the master bedroom! Doh! The dining area is very spacious too. A high airwell certainly make the place brighter and you don’t feel claustrophobic. There a standing fan next to the queen size sofa bed near the dining area. It also has a 6 seater dining table and another tv set nearby. Cool huh?! You get 2 tv sets.

The dining area and another queen size sofa bed

So, my parents settled into the master bedroom. Me, my wife and my daughter Clarisse took the middle room which has a double decker which sleeps 2 at the lower half. Clarisse was so excited seeing a double decker bed and keep on pointing to the upper deck, wanting to go up. Her wish got granted and Daddy was a busy man putting her up the bed and taking her down over a few rounds.

The double-decker was Clarisse’s playground for 3 days 2 nights

Every room comes with an air-con and a standing fan. My only complain is that the living hall should have an air-con and a wall clock. These 2 items are missing from the living hall. Does time really stand still in Taiping, the town of serenity and peacefulness?

The last room was taken up by my in-laws. It’s spacious enough for 2 single beds.

2 single beds where my in-laws slept

The kitchen area is also very spacious as you can see from the photo below. It comes with a single door refrigerator, 1 electric kettle and a normal kettle, some cutleries and plates. There is no gas stove available. So you either dine out or use an electric hot plate if you want to do some cooking. Sorry, for this you have to bring your own. The unit comes with 2 toilets and each toilet has water heater. Shampoo and body shampoo are available free for use too. I understand from the house owner that usually the unit is rented by travelling salesman who rents the place regularly or families visiting Taiping on weekends (like us) or family members who go back to Taiping for festive celebrations.

I really enjoy my stay in this motel and so does every one of the family member. For RM180 per night (around USD 50) , I would say this is really a good deal, considering you can easily fit 7 adults into all the rooms as well as another 4 can sleep on the sofa beds available. I would highly recommend this place if anyone is looking for a nice play to stay in Taiping. Furthermore, it’s just a short 5 minutes drive from the town centre.

Mister Potato’s Rice Crisp

2010-06-15T18:00:00.000+08:00

Mister Potato has recently launched a new line of Mister Potato’s Rice Crisp. Not to be left out, I quickly made it to the 99 Speed Mart near my house and grab myself a can of it. I am a big fan of sliced potato !

This new line being introduced is actually made from rice ( if you don’t already know it by now, doh ! ) According to its website, it’s made without MSG and 20% less fat than fried potato chips. So, for those of you who like to snack, like me :-) , this is every excuse that you’re not putting in more calories to your body. Mister Potato’s Rice Crisp comes in 4 flavours, namely, ORIGINAL, HOT & SPICY, SOUR CREAM & ONION and FLAME GRILLED BBQ. I chose the HOT & SPICY one to try out. I am not a big fan of sour cream, so usually, I will “pass” that flavour on any of the snacks in town.

The white background on the can makes the packaging very striking and with a colourful wrap around, I find it very attention-grabbing. The wordings are easy to read too. So, no complain on the packaging. The can in fact is the same as the Mr Potato’s Crisps. You have the same transparent capping and the freshness foil beneath it before you reach your favourite snack.

By the time I had this photo taken, I have already reached halfway line of the can, hehe!

The crispiness of the rice is just right for me. The flavoring suits my taste bud too, not too salty. But I would think it’s not spicy enough considering that it’s said to be Hot & Spicy. Twisties’ Spicy range is even more spicy than this. One thing which I don’t really like is the texture of the rice crisp. To differentiate it from the potato crisp, I guess the R & D team has made it a rough surface. Or maybe to show the consumer, it’s made from rice. I prefer it to have a smooth surface rather. Biting into a rough surface makes it feel like eating corn flakes instead or nachos.

The rice crisps as how they look inside

Overall, that’s the comment that I have for this newbie of the snack market. Looking forward to trying out more new launches of snacks in the future.

Insufficient Memory Space

2010-06-08T12:56:00.000+08:00

photo extracted from Wikipedia

Like an overloaded CPU, I am having the same problem of insufficient memory space :-(

Question : Would you be offended if someone did not remember your name ?

Are you someone whose presence in a gathering is always being neglected ? Or you simply do not put any effort in making your presence felt ? What if someone completely forgotten that they have even met you before ? Would you think “What a forgetful person ?”. Would you feel offended by such a person ?

Many times I have bumped into friends or business associates who I can’t recall the name. It’s not that I don’t take the effort to remember names ! It’s just that sometimes it just slipped my mind the name of the person. It takes quite a while for me to recall back the name of the person. It’s like being into a mental challenge the whole day for me to try to recall back the name of the person. I score even worse if I have to recall back a Chinese name compared to an English name. I do hope people don’t think that I am superficial, arrogant or someone not worth befriending. I do have my shortfalls.

When I attend events like a CPA seminar or a private function and someone steps up to me to say, “Do you remember me ?”, it freaks me out. Same goes to reunion of schoolmates. Imagine it’s someone you have not met at all since leaving your secondary school. Try somewhere around 10 years where you don’t meet and suddenly you’re being challenged to remember a name.

Sometimes, all we need is a few moments with someone before we are able to put a name to the face. These days, I really thank Facebook. At least, this social networking site can help me to remember some names of long lost friends and able to help me to get in touch with them. Else, I don’t think I will be able to remember names of friends !

Ode to Single Mothers

2010-05-26T08:11:00.001+08:00

I have not been doing much active blogging due to certain reason which I will be putting in another blog some time later when the time is appropriate.

But, today, I would like to blog about a topic which in the earlier days, in this part of the world, the subject is not much being discussed. Society does not view this as something positive and most see it in another view – Single Mothers.

I have the highest respect for single mothers. I have close relative, ex-colleagues and colleagues who are single mothers. Why do I say I have highest respect for them? First of all, unlike their male counterparts, single mother will end up facing higher social stigma. Society looks at single mother as someone who is not able to hold a proper relation, poor family management etc. The lady is the one who will have to bear the brunt of the person who is being blamed for the breakdown of the relationship. Though we have progressed leaps and bounds from the days of cavemen, in general, our society’s mentality somehow is still left behind in the evolution process.

Secondly, it takes great courage to move on from a failed relationship, child custodian issue, visitation rights and all those nitty gritty, legal issues that comes along after the divorce. All these matters will drain you well before you have your “life after the divorce”. If you don’t have close bonding siblings or family members who help you to leave the baggage behind and move on, the emotional burden is like lifting an elephant off your shoulder!

Next, is the juggling of work and looking after the kid. After working like 8-9 hours in the workplace, coming back home, the Single Mother would have to tend to the needs of the kids and also doing the housework. Keeping a house clean is already an energy-sapping activity for a couple, now it’s minus one. You have to clean/ maintain/ upkeep the house all by yourself ! If you have toddler to take care of, you can practically tear your hairs out ensuring the kid don’t mess up the place after you have tried your very best to keep it clean.

Does a Single Mother have much social life ? All the attention is already being divided amongst work life and tending after the needs of the kid. How much of personal time or “MY TIME” do you have left after you have managed those around you ? Do you put much attention and care about your personal life and image upkeeping. I believe after taking care of the necessary, whatever energy left is best being conserved or to recharge and get ready for another day ahead. Unless of course the person is a well-to-do Single Mother where you can still hire a maid or having people around you to help you to tend to the house and the kid.

Over and above all the points mentioned above, I do look in admiration on the capability and strengths shown by Single Mothers. Any lesser soul would have wilt under pressure whether emotionally or physically. It’s much more on the person than meets the eye.

“ A TOAST to all SINGLE MOTHERS out there ! I cheer and bow to your strengths and characters ! ”

Computer Table Makeover

2010-05-22T11:27:00.001+08:00

This post is meant to be posted some time ago but due to my absent-mindedness, it has been left collecting cobwebs before it reaches into the World Wide Web

My computer table has been loyally served me every since year 2003. It is a perfect fit for the corner of my room. This table was purchased from IKEA. Over the years, it has been carrying more “weights” as you can see more things have been added to the table. As a result, the surface of the table towards the end where the LCD monitor is placed is slightly curving downwards. You can see the surface of the table is no longer even.

The old computer table, sitting nicely in the corner of the room facing the balcony.

I can still recall how hard was it to bring this table back from IKEA to my home. Luckily on the day of purchase, there were only 2 of us in the car. The majority part of the table can fit into my Wira’s car boot but not the curved top piece. That has to be placed at the back sit of my car.

Another angle view of the table

Setting up the table by no means is an easy task. We took a couple of hours to set this heavy table up. There are so many different parts to screw on and hammer down before it can properly take shape. It was quite a daunting task for someone who’s not good in handiwork, hehe!

After quite some time, or should I say a few months back, we have decided to look for another table. Quite frankly, it was quite hot to sit on the old computer table as the curtains and windows are covered by the computer table. You don’t get much wind from it.

Where else to get much inspiration and ideas but from IKEA. It’s no secret that many people go to IKEA for ideas or purchase their furniture. Some even engaged their handyman or designer to copy the concepts in IKEA for their own homes.

After seeing the latest IKEA’s catalogue, we decided to make a trip to IKEA and check out this computer table which we saw. It came in 3 different colours to choose from. Black, red or wood colour against white. We settled for the Black one of course. It just simply stands out and look elegant. You can never go wrong with this classic combination. It’s like an age-defying combination of colour.

Taa dah, the new black and white table – compact yet able to fit in nicely

This time around the boxes that comes with this table are not so bulky and can easily fit into the same car. Again, we set ourselves around 2 hours to complete dismantle the one computer table and fix up the new computer table. We OVERESTIMATED ourselves. What is supposed to be done in like 2 hours starting around 5pm, ended up at almost 9pm. We missed our dinner altogether !

After all the hard work, it feels very satisfying. Now the window is not blocked by the table and you get better air circulation here. Yes, it’s half the size of the previous table and you can’t put all the things from the previous table back to this table, but hey, it’s more organized and looks nicely tucked in the corner of the room.

Hopefully this table can serve me at least another 5 years or so

Now, let’s put the table to full use….

Words of Inspiration

2010-04-09T16:32:00.002+08:00

If you think you are beaten, you are.
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you like to win but think you can't,
It's almost certain you won't.
Life's battles don't always go
To the stronger or faster man,
But sooner or later, the man who wins,
Is the man who thinks he can.

We cannot choose how many years we will live, but we can choose how much life those years will have.
We cannot control the beauty of our face, but we can control the expression on it.
We cannot control life's difficult moments, but we can choose to make life less difficult.
We cannot control the negative atmosphere of the world, but we can control the atmosphere of our minds.
Too often, we try to choose to control things we cannot.
Too seldom, we choose to control what we can - our attitude.

10 Tough Questions Interviewers Ask

2010-04-03T09:42:00.002+08:00

This is another helpful article appeared in “The Star” newspaper. The article was actually contributed by Satra Bawany, Head of Transition Coaching Practice with DBM Asia Pacific. Got to give credit to the contributor of this article. It comes in handy for many people, especially those who are going to attend interviews.

1. Tell me about yourself?

Restrict your answer to a minute or two. Cover your education and work history, and emphasise your recent career experience.

2. What do you know about us?

You should be able to discuss products or services, revenues, reputation, image, goals, problems, management style, people, history and philosophy. Show that you have done some research, but do not act as if you know everything about the place.

3. Why do you want to work for us?

You can say your research has shown that the company is doing things you would like to be involved in, and that it is doing them in ways that greatly interest you.

4. What can you do for us that someone else can’t?

Talk about your record of getting things done, and mention specifics from your resume or list your career accomplishments. Say that your skills and interests, combined with a history of getting results, make you valuable. Mention your ability to set priorities, identify problems and use your experience and energy to solve them.

5. What do you expect to be doing in this role?

Think in terms of responsibilities and accountability. Make sure that you really do understand what the position involves. If you are not certain, ask the interviewer; he may answer the question for you.

6. How long would it take you to make a meaningful contribution?

Be realistic. Say that, while you would expect to pull your own weight from the first day, it might take 6 months to a year before you could expect to know the organization and its needs well enough to make a major contribution.

7. Do you think you are overqualified or too experienced?

Emphasise your interest in establishing a long-term association with the organization, and say that you assume that if you perform well in this job, new opportunities will open up for you. Mention that a strong company needs strong staff. Observe that experienced executives are always at a premium. Suggest that since you are so well-qualified, the employer will get a fast return on his investment.

8. What is your management style?

Possible styles include:

· Task-oriented : “I enjoy problem-solving, choosing a solution and implementing it”;

· Results-oriented: “Every management decision I make is determined by how it will affect the bottom line”;

· Paternalistic: “I’m committed to taking care of my subordinates and pointing them in the right direction.”

· Participative: “I prefer an open-door method of managing, and getting things done by motivating people and delegating responsibility.

9. Why are you leaving (did you leave) your present (last) job?

Be brief and as honest as you can without hurting yourself. If you were laid off in an across-the-board cutback, say so; otherwise, indicate that the move was your decision. Do not mention personality conflicts.

10. What do you think of your boss?

Be as positive as you can. A potential boss is likely to wonder if you might talk about him in similar terms at some point in the future.

I hope that by sharing the above, it will reach out to more readers and enable interviewee to improve his/her interviewing skills and be more confident in answering questions posed by the interviewer.

So, GOOD LUCK to you ! Fortune smiles on those who come prepared.

Qing Ming Etiquette

2010-04-01T23:16:00.001+08:00

This article appeared in “The Star” newspaper today and I think it’s a great article relating to Qing Ming festival.

For those of you who’re not familiar with Qing Ming, it’s literally means “clear brightness”. The winter chill is over and the warmth of the sun and energy of Spring is felt. Over the centuries, the festival which celebrates the renewal of life, turned into a “festival if the dead” marked by grave site worship in remembrance of one’s ancestors. Food and hell money are offered to the dead to keep them happy in the hope of receiving abundant blessings of health, wealth and good harvest.

Below are some of the taboos, superstitions and beliefs surrounding Qingming. Those some are not being practised by the modern generations, I always find it interesting to understand the origins of taboos. Afterall, it’s up to oneself whether you belief them or not.

Wrong Side

The Chinese practise ancestor worship because they are driven by filial piety to care for the souls of their departed loved ones. Sons venerate their departed parents and paternal grandparents, while daughters venerate their father’s side before marriage and their husband’s after marriage. However, some Chinese families refuse to allow married daughters to worship their departed parents and ancestors for fear that they may “take away” the sons’ fortune.

Family Unity

The Chinese believe that the entire family should go together to perform prayers at the grave site to foster closer ties. Some feel that if the family members go separately, there may be discord in the family. There is also a belief that the person who secretly goes and worships ahead of the others may be more blessed and enjoy prosperity. On the other hand, those who neglect to play homage may incur the displeasure of the ancestors and risk getting punished.

Law of Attraction

Visitors of the graveyards wear bright colours rather than dark colours like black which may attract evil spirits. Pregnant women, babies and toddlers are discouraged from visiting graveyards for fear that loitering spirits might take advantage of the physically weak, hoping to snatch their souls. Young children who accompany their parents are cautioned against making too much noise, thus disturbing other spirits.

To eat or not to eat ?

It is common to see families partaking of food served as offerings to the departed. However, some of the dead set against consuming such food for fear of incurring the anger of the dead. They feel that food offered to the departed should be left behind as a show of sincerity. But others disagree with this notion, and will happily tuck into the food later in the hope of getting blessings and protection from the dead. Some families place joss-sticks on nearby graves as a goodwill gesture to invite the “neighbours” to join in.

Gifts to the underworld

Worshippers are careful not to stir paper offerings which are being burnt, so that the deceased will not end up with a dented car or damaged house. Crates of gold notes and hell currency sent to the deceased must bear the names of the sender and recipient, or they may risk being taken by others.

Wake-up call

Visitors to the graves sites sometimes let off fire-crackers as a “wake-up” call for the spirits. After leaving the offerings at the tombs for some time, the worshippers flips coins twice to check on the progress. Two heads or two tails means that the spirits have not finished savouring the delicacies. A head and a tail means that they have finished their meal.

Kleptomaniacs not allowed

If you see an umbrella on the grave, leave it alone. Don’t even think of borrowing it to keep the sun or the rain out. The umbrella is a symbolic shield for the dead from the thunder and lightning. The visitor who takes the umbrella risks inviting the spirit to his home. Similarly, coins found on cemetary grounds should remain on the ground as it is believed that they belong to the spirits.

Call in the contractors

Cracked tombs must be repaired or misfortune may befall the next-of-kin or future generations. Similarly, water-logged graves are bad feng shui and must be renovated to avert bad luck and misfortune.

Curiosity kills

When scrutinising the tombstones of strangers, do not pass comments like: “Oh, what a pity he died young”. Or, “Isn’t she pretty?” Such remarks may be misinterpreted by the spirit which may follow you home.

Fire or water cleansing?

Before visiting the grave sites, some Chinese would place pomelo leaves and sprigs of pine in their pockets. These leaves are believed to serve as talismans. The leaves are thrown away before the worshippers reach home, to shake of bad luck.

Shoe code

Slippers and sandals are not worn to the grave sites. The Chinese wear shoes, and when they reach home, they would remove the socks and shoes and wash them to get rid of bad luck.

Watch your step

The living should avoid stepping on hell currencies at the grave site lest the spirits feel despised and trampled upon. It is also forbidden for one to walk over or tread on someone’s grave. Old Chinese cemeteries are rather crowded with narrow walkways between graves. If you need to cross over a grave, it is customary to say: “Excuse me. Pardon me for crossing over your abode.”

Forbidden fruits

A banana tree marks the grave of a pregnant woman who died in childbirth. As the banana tree is fast growing, it is planted to appease the spirit of the dead. The belief is that when the tree bears fruit, the spirit will be comforted as the banana is symbolic of a new child to take place of the woman’s unborn child. It is forbidden to pluck the banana as this may cause anguish to the spirit and incur her wrath.

The pineapple is regarded as an auspicious fruit to usher in luck ( ong lai in Hokkien means “luck comes” ). The fruit is offered at the grave site and then taken home. The fruit can be eaten but the crown of the pineapple is often planted in the garden. Some believe that by doing so, the family will prosper.

I find that this article is really informative in providing glimpses of some Chinese customs that have been handed down from generations to generations. Some of us as still practising the customs as our parents and their parents do it. But, not many of us know the reasons these are being practised. I hope by sharing the above article, others also get to learn something new :)

Bored and Restless

2010-03-29T14:21:00.002+08:00

I am down with fever, flu and cough. AGAIN !!

The worst part of being sick and stuck at home is the feeling of boredom and restlessness. I am almost immuned to medication. For a person who hardly has sleeping problem, even medications that causes drowsiness do not help much in making me sleep.

So, what can I do at home if I can't sleep ? I can't be sitting in front of the TV the whole day, I can't be reading a novel the whole day. I can be in front of the computer and online the whole day ! Sometimes, I dreaded having to go to office and deal with tonnes of issues. But, when you're sick at home and you can't sleep, it's when you feel like it's better to be in office where time passes by so fast. When you're busy dealing with all sorts of things in office, you wish you have more time. When you're sick and in an atmosphere of nothingness, you wish that time just passes by as fast as possible.... :(

Technosaurus

2010-03-20T10:26:00.003+08:00

I was having a chat with my GM this morning and she came out with a word which gave me a good laugh. TECHNOSAURUS !!

She was exploring how to use some of the features in MS Outlook 2007. Just got a new laptop with Office 2007 Pro installed. For someone who has been used to using Outlook Express and previous versions of MS Office, going into Office 2007 can be quite a daunting task and a total headache. Simple words and arrangements that we used to see in Office 2003 and before are now being replaced with icons and the positions of those commands have been totally revamped.

In this age of fast changing technology and all new IT gadgets and stuffs are quickly caught on by the Y-Generation, we, those born before Y-Generation, have to also catch up with the new technologies in order not to left too far behind. Everyday you here or read of a new technology or new gadget being introduced in the market. Just a phone has gone through so much changes over time. Those who have been around since the first time the mobile phone would have some idea how big and bulk it looked like. You are practically carrying a case something the size of a car battery. Fling it in fury and you can actually kill someone ! Then, it shrank in size to as big as your palm, to coloured screen to now with additional functions like GPS, camera-ready and even many great applications and social networking softwares.

No matter what, the future of technology is there to keep on going forward. Refuse to learn about new technology will only give you competitive disadvantage and you run the risk of falling behind others. You may not know all the new items in the market, you may not know how to use the functions of the new items you have recently bought, you will still end up encountering a new item/technology wherever you may be....

Selling on eBay

2010-03-14T10:30:00.001+08:00

eBay and Smidec organised a 2 days workshop on selling on eBay. I attended the workshop along with my Bosses. It was conducted on 1st & 2nd March 2010. Yes, this blog is long overdue !! I know…

The workshop is really an eye-opener for me in learning more about selling on eBay. To be a seller on eBay is definitely not as easy as it seems. There’s like million and one thing to learn before you can finally be a seasoned seller. From doing research on what sells the most on eBay to what price to list your item to which eBay’s site is best to list your item. Mastering all these will definitely take you more than 1 day to learn. Luckily for us, this workshop was conducted by 2 very experienced eBay seller – Chris Chan and Carol Fung. These 2 ladies are really superb and wonderful people. They are very seasoned sellers and know everything you need to know about eBay. We’re really thankful for these 2 ladies for conducing the workshop sesson. To know more about them and their work, you can find them at www.Chiica.com. Both of them are eBay specialists and they conduct workshops to train people on eBay selling. This post was initially created on 8th March 2010. It so happened to be World’s Women’s Day. Unfortunately, yours truly here forgot to continue updating this blog and accidentally deleted it while using Blogger.com. Hence, I re-do this whole blog again using Windows Live Writer. At least, it doesn’t do Autosave here and accidentally ruin my work.

Back to the workshop. I missed out on the 1st day of the workshop due to some staff reshuffling within my department and I think that it’s only right that I am in the office to see that my staffs are settling in well. Little that I know that the first day of the eBay workshop actually pack lots of information from both Carol and Chris. Luckily, my wonderful GM attended the 1st day’s session and I managed to get some info from her. Carol and Chris are certainly very kind and generous in imparting their knowledge to all the participants of the workshop.

After attending the sessions, there will certainly be lots of research needed to learn and refine my eBay skills. Many of the things that I am selling on eBay are mostly my novels. I have so many novels that I have no choice but to sell off some of them to give space for more new novels that I am going to buy in the future. I am also placing some my items for sale at www.mudah.com.my. On both sites, I go by the ID : dragon_lair ( same as the theme for this blog ). For me, the objective is not to make money on eBay but is to clear off some of my stuffs hogging up my shelves :-)

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

2010-02-13T00:27:00.002+08:00

It's less than 24 hours from now to Chinese New Year. As this year's Chinese New Year also falls on the same day as Valentine's Day, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all my readers a very

"HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR & HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY ! GONG XI FA CAI and may the days ahead fill with abundance of JOY, GOOD HEALTH AND GOOD WEALTH"

Chinese New Year’s Symbols

2010-02-09T22:39:00.000+08:00

First, we’re not talking about The Lost Symbols here OK ?!

Since, it’s nearing the Chinese New Year festival, there are many feature articles in the newspaper about Chinese New Year. Some talk about the luck for the 12 animal zodiac signs ( which I don’t normally read much! ),some talk about the dos t and don’ts during the CNY periods. I am more attracted to articles about the origins of certain CNY related items or things we usually relate to CNY.

I came across this article in today’s The Star newspaper (9/2/2010) and I would like to share with you all (for those who’re not familiar with Chinese New Year celebrated by Chinese all around the world) on some of the symbolic items relating to CNY.

LION DANCE

According to the info found in Wikipedia (read more about it here), Lion Dance is a form of traditional dance in Chinese culture, in which performers don on a lion’s costume and perform a dance mimicking the movement of a lion. Basically, lion dance is performed to ward off evil spirits and to summon luck and fortune. These days, lion dances are also performed during opening or launching ceremonies and special functions.

I so happen have some photos of lion dances which I had taken last year in the company I worked for. Every year, my company will have outsiders coming to our office to perform lion dance. This is in hope of bringing better luck and fortune to the business.

Does real life lion likes to eat mandarin oranges ? Well, this one just wants to be fed.

This lion is helping me to complete my report. Deadline is close and I can use some helping ~~hands~~ paws !

It’s obvious I have more than 1 deadline, so I need another lion to come help me with my work

ANG POW

This is definitely a cursed for those married adults, hehe! Ang pow-giving is a customary practise during CNY, where red packets or envelopes with money inside are given out by married individuals to those who are not married, especially the children. This is where most of your hard-earned money will disappear within seconds, sob! sob!

Giving ang pow is a symbol of goodwill to bless the children with health and good fortune with their studies or jobs. The ang pow colour is usually red, which means good luck and prosperity. The rule of the game is nobody cares whether your Boss gives you bonus or not, you just need to give out ang pows to those who are not married and younger than you are. This ang pow-giving thingy is definitely more fun when you’re the kid or someone who’s still qualified to receive ang pow.

MANDARIN ORANGES

Mandarin oranges are known as “kam” in Cantonese which means gold and it signifies wealth and good fortune to come. I remember when I was still a kid, my parents used to buy mandarin oranges which come in wooden crates. Those oranges are from Teo Chew province in China. They are smaller in size but can last longer before turning into rotten fruit. For its durability, Teo Chew mandarin oranges are usually served as offerings to the Gods during prayers. These days, Yung Chun province’s mandarin oranges are more in demand as the fruits from this province is sweeter and bigger in size. They make better gifts to friends and relatives.

GOD OF PROSPERITY

Ask any Chinese and they will tell you from head to tail about prosperity. Chances is that most will mention about God of Prosperity. CNY has to do with everything auspicious and the God of Prosperity is certainly the Star during CNY. Every household with make offerings in the form of mandarin oranges, sweet foodstuff and pray that the “God of Prosperity” visit his/her home.

YEE SANG

This is what I look forward to every year. Yee Sang ! This is a multi-coloured raw fish salad. It’s basically made up of raddish and raw fish slices, mixed with gravy of plum sauce, grounded peanut and sesame. Yee Sang is tossed with friends and family members, and the higher one tosses, the better it is as it signifies greater fortunes. Fish, or yu, stands for abundance or excess and surplus of luck and wealth throughout the year. Too bad I don’t have photo of yee sang now. Maybe I will try to snap a photo of this dish this weekend.

This Sunday will be the 1st day of Chinese New Year. It’s also co-inciding with Valentine’s Day. CNY is celebrated over 15 days period by Chinese. It’s the biggest celebration amongst all Chinese festivals.

Wishing everyone who celebrates Chinese New Year :

XIN NIAN KUAI LE ! HAPPY NEW YEAR !!