Singapore - August 2012

Duration: 28th August 2012 – 30th August 2012 

This trip has been postponed since November 2011 until now but yet I am unable to escape the destined accountability of visiting the Singapore office in September 2012. Upon my arrival at the Changi Airport at 1.30pm with MH603, I took an express lunch in the airport having the Nyonya Mee Siam and a bottle of tonic drink before heading to the office by a taxi. The first day was spent in the office having some discussions with the Data Manager and Service Sales Director in setting up the agenda for the next 2 days. A stay in the Grand Park City Hall Hotel costing SGD250 per night is rather average where the room was rather small but nonetheless the location is very strategic within a walking distance to the nearby MRT station.

The second day was with a full day discussion on various action plans to improve KES overall processes and data quality in the coming months. Thanks to the hospitality of the service director in bringing myself and some of her team members to a Chinese restaurant serving delectable set of dishes for lunch. Besides the brain cracking process discussion and local practice analysis, I have been spending my days explaining the global requirements and not forgetting the “surprise” in the end of the session whereby I will need to present some master data topics to the sales team on an impromptu basis the next day. 

The second evening was happily spent with 2 of my crazy best mates- Ms. LLS and Ms. LMS nearby the Bugis Street having Unagi Bento, yogurt ice-cream as dinner. My favorite supper bought from MOS Burger was sorrowfully prepared for my late night work having to prepare those presentation slides. 

The third day started early for me to arrive at the office before 8:00am and ended well in the evening having the presentation, discussions and reviews completed successfully. A lunch with some colleagues at the hawker centre was delightful and relaxing (keeping in mind that I should return their kindness the next round during their visit to Malaysia to enjoy some local and typical Malaysian ice-kacang and cendul). 

This visit somehow changes the perception I have all the while towards the Singaporeans due to my previous working experience; whereby I have had a bad and difficult time working with them due to the famous “kiasi” and “kiasu” attitude. However these people I met this round was exceptionally friendly and sociable unlike the typical ones I have met before. Straight after my arrival on Friday night back to KLIA at 7:10pm with MH608, I needed to pack my stuffs and begin another rushing journey early the next morning back to Penang to witness and partake in the joyful moment of my dearest friend- the moment of wedding proposal. ^^

A Crazy Weekend Getaway to Pulau Pangkor

It’s been a decade since my last group outing with a bunch of crazy buddies and here comes another exciting one with a lovely gang dedicating my first visit to this island. This long waited trip was participated by 22 maniacs rocking the island of Pangkor taking a road trip with 5 cars on the morning of 4th August 2012 heading all the way from K.L. to Lumut with an approximate distance of 250km. In essence, the itinerary comprises the followings: 

4th August 2012 (Saturday) 

6:00am Pangkor…here we come! 

As the destination is by chance requiring our driver to complete some work nearby, we needed to depart from K.L. earlier at 6.30am and arriving Lumut at 11:00am while the remaining participants will depart at 8.00am. Upon arrival at Bidor, we stopped by the small town to enjoy the famous duck noodle before heading to our destination. However with much disappointment, the taste was rather under expectation where the duck seems to be overcooked. It took us some distance to arrive at Lumut and 3 of us loitered at a newly constructed jetty while waiting for the pick-up and the arrival of the others.

1.30pm Assembling at the Jetty Terminal 

After the arrival of each and everyone, we decided to have our lunch at KFC before taking the ferry across to the island, and therefore this placid town was then filled with the exceptional uproar. We definitely will not miss the chance to take our first complete group photos here at the jetty before we begin our journey. The ferry took us around 45 minutes to arrived at the island and thankfully I did not suffer any seasick this round (compared to the usual severe ones). Cheap transport was readily available at the jetty costing us RM10.00 per trip by van to our hotel. 2 pent houses were rented for 1 night at the Coral Bay Resort to accommodate 22 of us and as expected, despite the rooms sharing was somehow prearranged, we were eventually moving all around ending up squeezing into one room. 

5.00pm A swim at the beach 

I could hardly recall the last time I actually bathe in the sea since it was almost a millennium ago! The guys were all so excited taking their turn to immerse themselves into the salt water, while the girls are mostly strolling at the beach. It turns out that we were being approached by a sport attendant offering banana-boat trip at RM15 per person for 3 rounds of rides and we eventually decided to take the offer. The rode was fun and exciting but we repeated more than a thousand times that we wouldn’t want to get drenched by falling into the sea. We arrived backed at the shore safely after the ride without anyone getting seriously wet, despite the fact that some of us did fell upon getting down the boat, but as a result of the roguish act by the guys splashing water all around and on us, we were almost sodden in the end! With the damped attire, I finally decided to join the gang for the crazy moment in the sea though I was not in my swim suit nor do I keep in mind to remove my watch. (thankfully it is a water proof one!)

7.30pm Seafood Dinner 

The 高佬海鲜饭店that was rather crowded at 7.30pm causes us to wait for almost an hour before being served with our orders. We get to taste the spicy crab, prawn, tofu, kangkung and etc and I am not certain if any picture was taken on the food as everyone is acting alike those released of the 7th month- the hungry ghost devouring the dishes even before the photographer had the chance to take a shot. 

12.45am Switching-on the Alcohol Mode 

Here comes the night where all alcoholics gather together to begin the party! With some pre-prepared liquor, beer, tidbits and PS3, we gathered in one house intended to bring the house down. A bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey was emptied within an hour. After taking some on-the-rocks shots, I was red at every pore but luckily I am not drunk (Else I might be waking up by the shore being thrown there unconscious by this group of insane people). Other than the gaming and chit chatting session, we were still being entertained and get to enjoy the midnight *18SX live gay show featuring our Dailxx and Allxn. Guess this is one’s true color revealed subsequent to the effect of the alcohol. Lol… 

5th August 2012 (Sunday) 

The morning begins rather late for most of us after the late night alcohol session thus no specific activity being arranged in the morning. Special thanks to our royal chef for delighting our morning with some delicious sandwiches for breakfast. 

12.00pm Goodbye Pangkor 

After checking out the rooms, we headed back to Lumut for some local specialties purchases. As usual, the street and shops were filled with all kinds of sea and local products. We skipped our lunch replacing it with some snacks as we headed straight to our next destination. The journey was yet again boisterous without lacking some hilarious act vehicles by vehicles through the way. 

5.30pm Sekinchan

With a great sense of excitement, we were heading towards Sekinchan anticipating to witness the magnificent view of the paddy field, however with much disappointment; the paddy was yet to be ready for the season thus forcing us to change our itinerary to the nearby beach instead. The dinner was taken in one of the seafood restaurant until 7.00pm having everyone contented with the delectable servings. 

7.30pm Olympic 2012- Badminton Final 

This is the night where almost all Malaysian is uniting in support of our Dato’ Lee Choong Wei’s final Olympic badminton match. Since we were stuck in this small township of Sekinchan not being able to get back on time, we decided to look for any mamak store or café nearby to watch the match. After going few rounds in town, we finally managed to stop-by a small coffee house furnished with a 40inch LCD. Unfortunately our beloved Dato did not manage to grab hold of the gold medal for Malaysia, however there’s no doubt that he gets the full support from all Malaysians cheering for his great performance. Well done! Arriving back in K.L. around 11:30pm with everyone almost collapsed with exhaustion, we were rather contented with the 2 days trip having much fun and excitement. Thousand thanks to the marvelous people and professionals in the gang making this trip a successful and superb one:

-* Professional Planner (Mr. W.K. Seow) 

-* Professional Photographer (Mr. H.H.Foo & Mr. W.L.Choy) 

-* Professional Enjoyer- The Emperor (Mr. H.H.Teh) 

-* Royal Chef (Ms. Ashley) 

-* Professional Entertainer (Mr. A.Cheong) 

-* Excellent Drivers (Mr. W.K. Chong, Mr. H.H.Teh, Mr. A.Cheong, Mr. H.H. Foo, Mr. K.H.Siew) 

Looking forward to the next exciting trip to come!

Gunung Angsi - 爬山自虐篇之3

After the hike at Bukit Tabur 3 weeks ago, we decided now to challenge Gunung Angsi located at Seremban with a height of 825m being the 3rd highest peak in Negeri Sembilan. This journey began slightly later at 8.30am heading to the town of Seremban and thankfully we decided to have our breakfast in the first place as we once think that it will be alright to take it later after the hike (we will probably be dead by then). However due to the intro of one of the hiking mate, we finally decided to try on the famous beef noodle in town.

 

After a short search-around, we managed to find the sub-entrance to Gunung Angsi at 10.15am. There are two treks up Gunung Angsi- one via the Ulu Bendol Forest Park and one through Bukit Putus. We have chosen Bukit Putus (which is the opposite way) and I was rather surprised to see the slope at the entrance whereby the beginning of the journey looks tougher than the hikes I had before. This mountain was rather desolated with only a few hikers that we met along the way. All we can see around was nothing but trees, bushes and giant ants. We managed to arrive at the peak at 12.15pm taking a short 15 minutes break having some snacks and photos and we decided to try on another route getting down the mountain since we were told that it will be more exciting.

We finally get to witness the “excitement” being told featuring some rocks, massive sandy boulders with ropes and some 85 degree slopes. It took a toll on our strength walking a long way down the mountain with slippery pathways and muddy routes. Passing by a small stream running through the woods, we sat there to enjoy the cold water and the breeze for a moment.

 

 

However during the way down the hill, we suddenly heard a roar out of a sudden from the wood which freaks us out and we are not certain what sound we have actually heard. We kept moving at a faster pace along the way for hours but the journey seem endless and there’s no sign of civilization at all and we ever thought that we were trap in there. After a 3 hours’ hike, we finally get to see some sign of garbage where this indicates we were finally close to the way out (shame though this being one of the clue we have). As we need to cross the final river barefoot and while removing my shoes, I was shocked realizing that my legs were bleeding and we were all bitten by leeches! We take the time to sit down and clean our wounds before taking the 1km walk back to the place where we parked our car. Under the hot sun at 4.00pm while we were walking just beside the road, we finally comes to a decision to look for a taxi and we eventually got one. The driver was kind enough to take just RM5.00 from us despite that we gave him RM10.00 for fetching us to our car.

Almost every one of us agreed that Gunung Angsi is much tougher than Bukit Tabur and more exhausting than we expected. Other than strength, we needed a steady level of stamina to complete the 5 hours journey since we were not some frequent climbers. The consequences of the hike- one of the mates is going to lose his badminton competition on Monday, my wound is still bleeding the day after, and everyone is aching on the leg muscles. We were still grateful and satisfy being able to complete the journey since one of us was sick and having fever, and again I just only had a 3 hours’ rest a night before after some late-night outing on Friday. Guess we gonna plan for a relaxing trip the next time rather than an extreme one in the near future.

Bukit Tabur 2- 水晶山 - 爬山自虐篇之2

16th June 2012 is another day of self-destruction for me opting to join the hiking event held by my friend. Getting up early in the morning at 5:00am traveling to meet some of the hiking mates at P.J. SS2 was indeed tiring after the badminton and yum cha session I had on the previous night until 12:00am. 

The day begins at 6.30am having McDonald’s Sausage McMuffin as breakfast before proceeding to our destination- Bukit Tabur. This round was with a total of 9 people taking up the challenge heading up the hill. I am revisiting this place and guess I have forgotten the scary moments and memories I had up there 2 years back thus having the courage now to take up the challenge again. (Yet I am still prepared for bruises, cuts, scratches and scars...)

I almost gave up in the beginning of the hike since I was yet to be fully recovered from sickness, only slept for 3 hours a night before, aching everywhere due to the badminton session yesternight, and had not been exercising enough for the past years. But thanks to the trekking mates who have more confidence in me than I do have on myself and encouraged me to move-on. Out of my surprise, the hike this time is much easier compared to my previous visit as few ropes and climbing facilities have been added. It took us around 3 hours to complete this journey. 

After getting back safely from this challenging yet enjoyable activity, I slept from 6:00pm till 6:00am the next morning as I was utterly exhausted! I have not been having enough rest for the past 1 month since having lots of events and outings. lol...cheers for my exciting life~!

India (Chennai) - August 2011 印度钦奈之 - 用心看世界

Duration: 28th August 2011 - 2nd September 2011 

It has long been told that everyone should visit India at least once in a lifetime. Unexpectedly, my first business trip this year in August 2011 was to visit India. Other than experiencing my first on-site training for the project, it was as well a trip for me to experience life. 

The Flight 

The day started very early on the morning of 28th August 2011 as my flight to Chennai was at 8.45am thus needed to wake up at 5am+ having to drag my feet out of my room. The Jet Airways this time was rather with a small plane as it took only 4 hours journey to arrive at Chennai. Upon arrival at the KLIA around 7.00am, I was shocked to witness the crowded traffic and people at the airport due to the public holidays we have for that week. The police started giving summons to unattended vehicles parked at the side-ways. During the checking-in process at the terminal, I was being alienated as 99.9% of the passengers were Indians. Even during my initial check-in at the counter, the airport officer tries to recheck with me several times if I am really going to India or am I queuing at the wrong terminal since I am the only Chinese in the queue. =.= 

Arrival at the Madras Airport was with a surprising scene to have a whole crowd of local citizens standing at both the side-ways of the exit. The airport was rather small and empty compared to the other airports since it was partially shuts due to renovation works. It was also a surprise that even checking out from the airport, all baggage needed to be scanned once more. 

The Hotel 

The prearranged pick-up service attendant by the hotel was already waiting at the exit with a placard once I stepped out of the terminal. Upon arriving at the hotel, I was well served by the staffs. The security level of the country was unexpectedly high where every visitor or guest needs to scan each bag before entering the hotel. (Good security or bad safety? Hmmp…) 

The Rain Tree hotel in Chennai costing approximately RM420 (with a 20.15% tax charges) a night was wonderful having the best services and environment in town. Even during my meal in the hotel’s restaurant, the chief chef will approach each of the table personally asking for feedback and improvement. There is a hotel staff that performs magic tricks to kids and youngsters during the meal to keep up the ambiance. You will absolutely enjoy the shower in the hotel as it was excellence. The shampoo and shower gel features the natural and local aromatic scent. Having fireworks scene at the window while lying on the comfortable chair was indeed a wonderful experience since they are celebrating some festive locally on the first night. 

They have a wonderful open-air bar at the rooftop with a pool and panoramic view of the city. Looking at the night view of Chennai with music and some beers in hand was indeed fantastic!

The 3 Stupid Stages of Life

Teen Age:
Have Time + Energy......but No Money

Working Age:
Have Money + Energy......but No Time 

Old Age:
Have Time + Money......but No Energy

Sarawak - Kuching 2011

Duration: 26th March 2011 – 30th March 2011

This long anticipated trip was planned a year ago on the 18th May 2010 during the Airasia 0 fare promotion thus costing us not more than RM300 for 4 persons.

Day 1: Arrival at Kuching, Crown Square, 古晋游神 

Meals: Lunch at “Causeway Bay Hong Kong Restaurant”, Western cuisine at “The Junk”

The day begins as early as 6.30am taking the pre-booked taxi heading to LCCT boarding on AK5202 to our vacation destination. Upon arrival at the hotel at 11.00am, we were unable to check-in due to the unready rooms, thus we were forced to stroll around the plazas nearby while waited for a friend. We visited the Hock Lee Centre and Crown Towers which seen to be rather empty and vacant. 360 Urban Resort Hotel was with a fair price offering luxury and comfort lodging and was located only a few km away from the city center. After checking-in the hotel and rested for a moment, we looked through the map for the way driving to the airport to fetch the second batch of arrival. Driving in the city of Kuching is somehow difficult putting my patience in trial due to the leisure lifestyle they are having. The traffic in the city was somehow busy that evening where we were timely to witness the Chinese traditional festive of 游神. This was said to be one of the most happening procession of the year. The variety of events and demonstrations captured the crowd despite the slight downpour. 

The dinner in an old Chinese shop house built in the early 1900’ with the fusion cuisine sprinkling of French, Italian, and Western was scrumptious having the lamb shank and the cheesy mushroom pizza. 

Day 2: Waterfront, Square Tower, Main Bazaar, Satok Sunday Market 

Meals: Buffet breakfast in the hotel, Chinese cuisine at “Joyous Shanghai Restaurant”, Drinking session at “The Junk” 

This was a day to test our physical ability having much exercise wandering around the central of the town and eventually taking a long walk to Satok. Strolling around the streets and bazaar which sells a variety of goods and local specialties spent most of our time. The wonderful Borneo Wooden Warrior Mask was one of the attractions that capture my attention. We bought some souvenirs and handicrafts along the bazaar which was considered rather at a fair price. After long hours spent in the town, we decided to return to the hotel for a shower subsequent to a sunny hot day-out. 

We took our dinner in one of the famous Chinese restaurant in town having the shark-fin soup, Chef-recommended Tofu, Veggie, Prawn Noodle and Mongolian lamb. Unfortunately no pictures were taken on this delectable meal. 

We were on a ride touring around the city looking for the landmarks and being introduced to a number of nice places by Insp Lee. We were backed to The Junk for a drinking session at night where we get to taste the local Borneo Tuak which contains high percentage of alcohol having the taste similar to the typical liquor. The ambiance was indeed wonderful for a gathering and chit-chating and we did spent a wonderful moment there before calling it a day. 

Day 3: Crocodile Farm, Wild Life Park 

Meals: Buffet breakfast in the hotel, Mee Kolok, Seafood dinner at “Top Spot Seafood Centre”, Drinking session at “Shore Bistro”

The entrance fee of RM16.00 to the crocodile farm was said to be disappointing where nothing much to be explore. However consider donating the money for the crocodile fund will eventually make us feel much better. We proceeded to the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre expecting to watch the feeding of Orang Utan however due to the tropical season, they were self sufficient and was well fed in the forest with variety of fruits thus will not gather at the feeding platform which unfortunately causing us to missed the chance to meet this huge creature. 

The dinner at Top Spot Seafood Centre was one of the occasions to taste the locally flavored foodstuff comparing it against what we have in Peninsular Malaysia. This great spot located on top of a multi-storey car park with an open-air concept was offering variety choices of seafood. 

The night entertainment was none other than another drinking session in one of the bistro in town- Shore for jokes, dart games and laughter which ends our night in joy. 

Day 4: Fort Margherita, Chinese Museum, Main Bazaar 

Meals: Buffet breakfast in the hotel, Sarawak Laksa, Special Teh-C, Malay cuisine at “John’s Place” 

This is the day where we contemplated long if we were to visit the Cultural Village or to go around the town still. However, we finally decided not to visit the cultural village after making some research on the internet as the traditional houses does not create much excitement for us after all. 

After taking our breakfast in the hotel’s café, we once again entered the city centre and took a very short boat trip to the Northern district of Kuching to visit the historical fort. After going through some alleyways, we finally reached the “hidden” fort. Fort Margherita was named after Ranee Margaret Brooke; wife of Charles Brooke built in 1878 built by Charles Brooke according to the style of an English Tudor castle and commanded a breathtaking and strategic position along the Sarawak River. This fort was well preserve and we manage to get to the top of the fort admiring the spectacular view of the Sarawak's river. 

After getting back to the Southern District costing us RM0.50 per person, we visited the Chinese Museum which is situated right beside the river. This museum was considered one of the well maintained places of interest rich in information with regards to the arrival of Chinese into the land of Borneo. 

We headed for our lunch in one of the restaurant in Carpenter’s Street to taste the Sarawak Laksa and Special Teh-C ice. The final dinner we have had in Kuching was the Malay cuisine at John’s Place Restaurant which was rather costly compared to a typical one. 

Day 5: Departure 

Meals: Buffet breakfast in the hotel, Local chicken rice 

Enjoyment and pleasurable moments were often too limited before we were forced to be backed to the bustle of life. Thus we opted to spend a relaxing moment in the hotel for our final morning in Kuching before we headed to the airport for departure. It is only through site visit that we actually get to experience and visualize the authentic culture, history and lifestyle of a region and exploring the most localize facts and truths. I am becoming broke once again spending much on the Kuching’s specialty: Handicraft, Peppery and Bird Nest Products. 

Special thanks to be credited to Insp Lee for being the “tour-guide” and “driver” during our visit. And thanks to the car owner for his generosity in lending us his car which facilitated all our outgoings. 

*Kuching, see you again~

Midnight BBQ @ Port Dickson

It has been a long time since after my last crazy outing thus I am now taking the initiative to recapture and to initiate some wild moments and activities in life. Our mini BBQ plan came true where we took a midnight short trip to Port Dickson on the 18th of March 2011. Our trip begins at 9.45pm on Friday where we gathered ourselves at Puchong traveling in 2 cars to our destination. It was drizzling along the way however this does not quench our excitement at all. Upon arrival at Port Dickson at 12.00am, we begin to have our “supper” at the seaside. We were overstuffed by the fish balls, sweet corns, hotdogs, crabsticks, soft drinks and etc. The weather and the sea breeze was wonderful giving us a pleasant night. 

After getting back to the apartment at 3.00am, we begin the game and the drinking session. It was quite a nice apartment with 2 rooms equipped with air-con. Some of the drinkers finally show their true identity after taking the alcohol and wanting more liquor subsequently. (ngek ngek…don’t deny it!)

Most of us rested for less than 2 hours and begin our day at 7.00am on Saturday strolling at the beach. After taking our breakfast in one of the nasi lemak stall, we proceeded slowly back to KL. Thanks for the free apartment, full cooperation and contribution from all participants making the trip successful!