boon's spot

boon's log 1128.04: Warzone!

2011-07-06T18:40:00.000-07:00

The move by the Government to clamp activities organized by BERSIH 2.0 has really reached a new level. Just a few nights ago, we heard sounds of helicopter rotor blades hovering around the Sungai Dua / Gelugor area. Ab, eV and I dashed out to the balcony to see what was happening. eV is especially ecstatic when seeing flying objects - birds, planes... and helicopters.

Anyway, much to my surprise and disappointment, it what I believed to be a PRDM (Polis Raja di Malaysia) helicopter with a huge search light - no doubt searching for individuals wearing yellow T-Shirts, gathering together. I believe there was a PG Government Ceramah (not a BERSIH 2.0 Ceramah) that was supposed to happen at the Tapak Pesta - which was later pushed out, in accordance to the order from the Court. As they say, the PRDM believed to be ordered by their bosses down in Bukit Aman / PutraJaya, was shining their searchlights all over the place making it look like a warzone - it really looked like a scene from the movie Fugitive. They even shined into the balcony which were in and we were waving at them. Ab quipped, "Dad, luckily I am not wearing yellow, huh?"

Looking for the yellow Digi-man

I really do not know any more good things to say about the current Federal Government. Wait a minute... there was nothing good to mention about them to begin with...

boon out...

boon's log 1110.05: Randoms...

2011-03-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

Here are some random shots that I took while trotting around town with my cellphone.

When not hard at work promoting his 1Malaysia concept, he focuses on his 2Maju restaurant...

Flavors or Favors? I'd like Vanilla-flavored Party please?

Ratatoing?!?!

boon out...

boon's log 1110.02: Randoms: New Year, New toy (partial), iPad and a Happy Birthday!

2011-03-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

Wow, has it been 3 months since I last blogged? Seems like the social networks are really taking a toll on the weblogs, huh? ;) Well, at least for me, I guess. And laziness is probably another.

Anyways, a belated Happy New Year 2011 and Happy New Lunar New Year (of the Bunny). Hopefully the new year's been treating you all well. Our's zoomed past like the lightning. But we enjoyed it, especially with the new addition to the family. ;)

***New toy (partially)***
I've been scouting around for a SLR Battery pack/grip for a while, but the original Canon BG-E5 is priced at ~USD140 (!!!). Then I started to looked at the compatible/OEM ones and there's this one that just jumped out right at me. It's by Opteka, priced at ~USD80, almost half of the original Canon. Not only that, it comes with a bag of goodies - 2 battery packs, battery charger (with in-car adapter), mini-tripod (not useful for SLR, by the way), wireless remote shutter release, and cleaning kit. 1 week after purchasing it, the vendor pulled it out from the web. Works like a charm, and I'm really happy with it, so far - it received pretty goo reviews as well. Well, for USD80, what more can you ask for?

Opteka Battery Grip for Canon Rebel XSi

***Happy Birthday IL***
We were back at the HRC recently to celebrate IL's birthday. It was Ab's idea by the way. We still do not know why a 4 year old would like to eat at that place so much. Not to mention that we have to drive for >30mins to get there. Anyway, food was great. And the people are getting more friendly, compared to the last time we were there. And considering a weekday, the Cafe was more than 2/3 filled. Surprisingly good business for a weekday.

Back at the Rock.

***Fruit Ninja***
That has recently been the addiction in the family. It started with Ab's Aunt, then Ab's babysitter (a.k.a. Ab's grand-aunt) and Ab herself. NOW, even IL's hooked on the game. Even gone to the extent of considering getting the iPad :). Firstly, the iPad has a bigger screen so that Ab won't have to cramp her eyes into the small iPod Touch screen and secondly, the iPad has the duel mode which is not available in the Touch. Still under consideration... :) But I guess many would disagree in getting it just because of that game, I'm sure... haha.

Fruit Ninja in Action

And welldone Liverpool on the 3-1 win against Manchester United last weekend. The Red Devils may continue to brag about their rankings, but a win's a win. Kudos. Keep it up, Reds.

boon out...

boon's log 5210.03: Faith of a Child

2010-12-22T07:26:00.000-08:00

One night Ab was talking to her Mom...

Ab: "Mom, when I was sick, we prayed to God and He made me well again!"
Mom: "Really?"
Ab: "Yeah, really really."
Mom: "How do you know it was God?"
Ab: "I just know la. It was God."

"Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it" - Mark 15:10.

May you re-discover that child-like-faith this Christmas and find the true reason of the season.

Oh... Mom continued to ask, "So, where is God?"

Ab: "He's in the clouds!" (Haha! thanks to the children bible story cartoon portraying God in the clouds - i.e. in the story of Moses meeting God in the mountain) :)

Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year to all!

boon out...

boon's log 4307.07: Ab's Holiday/MC week...

2010-10-23T20:03:00.001-07:00

The past week was supposed to be Ab's mid-term break from school. It was supposed to be a stress-free week for the Mommy and daddy, rushing from work to school and baby-sitter's, and of course, also a little break for the little one from school - but I think it is more of the former than the latter.

However, the Friday just before the school break, Ab caught a bad cold/flu bug from school - a few of her classmates were already down with the virus since the beginning of the week.

It was so bad for Ab that she shivered in the middle of the night, with fever up to ~39C, and we had to rush her to the A&E at 5AM... talk about a stress-free week. And the doctor gave her 9 different types of medicine (!!!).

Ab's 9 type of medicine...

Poor girl. At first we were afraid that it was H1N1 Flu-A virus. The doctor took a swab from her nostrils for the labs, and in an hour, we were told that the results were negative - what a relief!!!

Anyways, she got better speedily with the help of the medicine(s)... just in time for school to start again... what a school break. Good thing we did not have any vacations planned for this week, else it would have been a worse let-down.

boon out...

boon's log 4210.07: R8 Wannabe...

2010-10-17T00:28:00.000-07:00

Look at what just rolled into our apartment complex carpark?

TT with R8 bodykit

TT with R8 bodykit, Penang

From far, and to the untrained eye (like mine) it could have passed as an Audi R8 - a whopping RM1.4mil of power drive. But with closer inspection, you will find that it is just an Audi TT with an R8 body kit. Ok, I don't mean to belittle the the TT - it is still a beauty to behold, but slapping an R8 body-kit on it somehow defiles the authenticity of the TT, don't you think? I kinda like the TT in it's ori form. Well, not that you'll see me in an Audi TT anytime soon... :) Maybe I should get an R8 bodykit for my Nissan, eh? ;P

Well, enjoy your weekend - what's left of it.

boon out...

boon's log 4110.06: BK's in da' house!

2010-10-08T09:40:00.001-07:00

FINALLY! After years and years of waiting, Burger King has finally landed in Penang. And of course, many Penang-ites (local or imported) were ecstatic when they heard the news. IL and I were 2 of them - every since news about it's arrival, we've been thinking about going to give it a try. And we finally did on one fine October evening.

We've been warned about the elevated PRICE one has to pay for a piece of burger. IL and I both ordered the same thing - Whopper meal with onion rings, up-sized. It came up to a total of about RM31 - a "whopping" RM15 per person. But I have to admit that their burger are much bigger than McDonald's burgers - and it tastes better also - it's true, I have to admit that though they are all burgers, but BK's burger tastes a lot better than McD's.

Even though people complain about the price, but there are still a whole lot of people queuing up when we arrived. Customers of all ages, from all walks of lives, putting aside their differences, to queue up and declare we are 1Burger-King, "Whoppers First, OnionRings Now!"

The Queue.

Our first meal at Burger King Penang.

Truly home of the WHOPPing big burgER

For those who do not know where it is - take the Sg Pinang exit as you cruise along the coastal highway and head towards the sea - i.e. if you are coming from Bayan Lepas, turn right at the Sg Pinang/Coastal Highway underpass; if you are coming from Georgetown, turn left).

So, people are already asking if this BK is going to be able to sustain - especially with the Super Value Lunch meals offered by McDonald's which is almost like 2.5x cheaper than BK. For me, I will definitely go back and support BK - if not for anything else, at least for its name-sake! ;P

boon out...

boon's log 4010.07: A (2nd) new breath of life...

2010-10-03T01:19:00.000-07:00

I recently reported that my Asus (sort of) slipped into a coma a few weeks back due to internal fan issues, and we ordered from PCHub.com - which we later found out was a company in Singapore. And they kept to the estimated timeline of 5-7 business days, true their word. Well, it also partially depended on the trust-worthiness of our POS Malaysia - yeah, because I selected DHL GlobalMail, DHL will hand it over to your local postal services to do the final lap of the delivery. When I learned about that, I prayed DOUBLY hard... y'all know about our POS Malaysia, right? Dumping mails along highways, etc.

Anyway, They have renewed my trust in them by delivering the fans on time. And with that, my good ol' Asus was given a second lease of life (the 1st being a HDD failure). Oh, did I mention that I bought 2 fans from PCHub.com, just in case? Kiasu... All in all, it came up to about RM76 - which cheaper than the price I have to pay the tech-guys at the Asus Service center to accept my PC for service - not including the labor and part charges. Well, my baby's back, and much more silent... Purrr...

P/S: With that, I am a semi-partially self-certified Asus Service Tech. You can reach me at my email addy here.

The arrival...

The Twins...

The journey into the deep begins...

The Replacement

AHhhh... the breath of new life...

boon out...

boon's log 3910.02: B*tchy-Penang Char Koay Teow

2010-09-20T16:01:00.000-07:00

I received this through the mail recently.

B*tchy-Penang Char Koay Teow;
credit goes to the fantastic artist who has managed to portray this so well

As many of us have been victimized by this inconsiderate hawker, I felt compelled to post it up here to warn future potential 1st-time customers.

Go ahead and give this lady a try if you want to pay someone to scold you, wait inline like in some government department and then have her give you a plate of way-over-charged Char Koay Teow that is of mediocre-taste.

My thoughts - she does not represent Penang Char Koay Teow, and she definitely does not represent Penang Hospitality!

boon out...

boon's log 3910.01: Something that starts with a "T"

2010-09-19T18:26:00.000-07:00

This week, Ab needed to bring something to school that starts with a "T". She wanted to bring "Tau-Yew" (Hokkien for Soy Sauce). IL and I laughed our heads off hearing that from our little girl.

This is the second week (or time) since the school started to ask the kiddos to bring something that starts with a particular alphabet - the first time, Ab brought an Axe to school (toy one, of course) when she was supposed to bring something that started with "A".

Anyways, for this time, we decided to let her bring the TM wired Telephone to school. IL said that most of the kids may not know what that is anymore - since most (if not all) people are already using mobile phones (or handphones - the colloquial term frequently used in Malaysia) or cordless phones today. This reminded me of stories of parents of bigger cities whose children have not seen a Chicken or Pig before... how sad.

IL was being cheeky (yeah, the Mom!) on the way to school, by suggesting Ab to stick out her Tongue when the teacher asks what she brought to school that starts with the letter "T". Aiyo!

boon out...

boon's log 3810.04: Asus down, squatting meals, Old Penang, New Penang

2010-09-16T10:24:00.000-07:00

My Asus EeePC is down again. This time, it's the cooling fan - it's been giving out some loud weird noises. I've been hunting the entire PG for a replacement fan, but to no avail. According to most of the shops, I have to go back to Asus to get it replaced. The last time I went to the Asus shop at e-Gate, they will charge me RM80 just by submitting my netbook to them. Then depending on the faults, they will charge the parts and labor accordingly. What gave way the last time was the HDD - it crashed and in the end I just replaced it myself with an HDD upgrade.

Weird loud noises... BSB04505HA -8D1H

After further search online, I've finally decided to get the fan online (from PCHub.com) and replace it myself. The fan should be shipping out soon and arriving in a couple of days. Until then, I will have to break some rules and use the office PC to blog, for a little bit...

Oh, Selamat Hari Raya, Maaf Zahir Batin, and Happy Malaysia Day to all.

And thanks to the Hari Raya, our company had some replacement holidays and shutdowns. I took advantage of that time to head downtown to snap some photos, after sending Ab to school. And here they are...

Squatting meals...

Squatting meals, different angle...

Old friends at lunch

Pre-war buildings in downtown Penang

New Penang - the latest mall in town - 1st Avenue, due to open by the end of the 3rd Quarter...

boon out...

boon’s log 3410.02: Ramadan again…

2010-08-16T11:32:00.001-07:00

Where did the year go?! It’s Ramadan again. Selamat Berpuasa to all our Muslim readers.

And it is also the time for the mushrooming of the Ramadan Bazaars. I guess I am okay with the Municipal closing roads for a few hours a day for hawkers to sell their food during this holy month – which is especially helpful for those busy families who have no time to cook, to break-fast. I, sometimes, drop by to see what’s good, too.

Ramadan Bazaar at USM Penang.

But I guess, what I cannot tahan are the customers parking (and double parking their cars) along the roads causing massive jams. What used to be a 15minute ride home from work, now takes at least 45minutes – because a 2-lane road has been shrunk into a 1-lane. And then there is the Rapid Penang (to add salt to the wound). Where is our capable PRDM? I am sure not every one in the police force is breaking fast at the same time, right? If so, does it mean that buka puasa is the best time for crime?

Also, is it me or has the rate of ambulances running up and down the streets increased since the beginning of Ramadan? I hope it is not because of people fainting due to the fasting month...

boon out...

boon's log 3110.01: Brush with celebrity

2010-07-26T08:41:00.000-07:00

Although he's our very own kampong boy, he is still well-known in the culinary world. Our company invited Dato' Chef Wan to showcase a few of his signature dishes and also to sign a few (more like a few hundreds) of his cookbooks which were on sale at the specially set up MPH stand. I too was one of them who got suckered into buying one of his cookbooks, though I spend like 1/1000 of my time cooking. "Support local content-ma!", was my respond to some who asked why I departed with my RM57.

Not only that - I had to line-up with, like, twenty-over aunties and makciks to get his autograph. Not that I am THAT big of a chef Wan fan or anything. Just to join in the crowd I guess. Luckily I had a few guy-friends nearby who stood by me as I queued up. They also helped with taking photos with their cellphones too. Thanks, JT and BH! Now, where are the photos?! :)

Well, it is a nice effort from the company to bring some non-company faces in, to spice up the atmosphere a little bit. People have been a little down lately at the office and the production floor. Mainly because of multiple issues that led us to not meeting the monthly factory indicator goals. Well, let's keep our fingers crossed that August will be a better month for all of us. Let's make August a best Wan! Go team!

A brush with celebrity...

boon out...

boon's log 3010.01: Jalan Jalan Penang

2010-07-19T11:22:00.000-07:00

I was ferrying my darlings around town last weekend and I decided to bring my camera along and here are some of the pictures.

Uncle enjoying his LohMee

Kopitiam along Carnarvon Street, Penang

IL's favourite LohMee stall

LohMee with LohBak, and a cold glass of local kopi-o-kosong... bliss!

A dying trend - cubicle stalls in kopitiams

Kapitan Keling Mosque

Fence at the Kapitan Keling

Lebuh Campbell Market

Street market at Lebuh Carnarvon

Enjoying WanTanMee and a glass of tea...

E&O Hotel, Penang

Sunset view from E&O

Dinner by the sea, at E&O

E&O hotel, Penang

Another panoramic view from E&O

Waves at the E&O

The Buah Pinang and Clock Tower

boon out...

boon's log 2510.07: Happy Father's Day 2010

2010-06-20T02:55:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day, 2010.

Wow, has it been 3 months since my last entry? Anyways, Happy Father's Day to all daddy-o's (and Daddies-to-be). Our family's been blessed with another little one - eV's turning 2 months next week. How time flies - oh, and that also explains why there's been 3 months of silence :).

My parents recently came back from Shanghai, after visiting their Expo. They showed me the map of the Expo and I was awestruck! The size of the entire expo is truly mind-blowing (!!!). Indeed if one were to really explore each and every country there is in the Expo, it would have taken months! Gosh... Looks like China's outdone themselves again! Here's the official site - http://en.expo2010.cn/. My parents only selected a few countries to visit and that itself took like 4 days. They were saying that the Queue to get into the Japan Pavillion was a whole 4 hours! My mom was humming to one of Annabelle's favourite Disney tunes - Almost There (from Princess and the Frog)...

They brought back tonnes of gifts from their trip (as usual). And one of the soft toys (a gift from my uncle - who went together with them) was the Expo's Mascot (pic below). Annabelle called up my uncle to thank him for the gift. She said, "Hi Pek-Kong, thank you for your Bacteria!" All of us around her immediately broke into laughter! The toy does look like those bacteria portrayed in the television advertisements... It makes us wonder what the mascot really represent... :)

Bacteria from China.

boon out...

boon's log 1110.03: Ron95 versus Ron97 Challenge

2010-03-09T23:31:00.000-08:00

I've been having this hunch for quite sometime and have finally taken the extra step to execute the evaluation to prove to myself (at least) that my hunch was correct...

Most of us (including myself) have been under the impression that the cheaper alternative petrol option - Ron95 - will save us more money as compared to the more expensive, RM2.05, option (Ron97).

I've always wanted to find out, whether it is a psychological effect that makes us think or believe that by paying less per liter means having to pay less overall.

So, off I went experimenting. I used a 11-year-old Japanese model car with fairly new tyres inflated to the suggested amount of air. I've also tried to control the number of passengers to an average of 3 during the entire experiment. All-city driving within Penang Island, no highways; routes used during the experimental time period were standard routes used between work-and-home-and-places-with-food.

Here are the results:

Ron95 versus Ron97

From a mileage standpoint, I am definitely getting more kilometers per liter, running on RON97 - pushing 1.3km/liter more on the RON97.

But in order to prove that my hunch was correct, the RON97 needs to outperform Ron95 from a km/RM standpoint.

And I have to say, though the results show that, mathematically, the RON97 fared better than the 95 variant, but there is no significant differences between the 2 - only by a mere 84meters/RM - a world of a difference, for an ant, maybe (!!!).

Of course this just a rough comparison for inner-city driving - it does not take into account the noise injected into the results due to road level and weather conditions - i.e. it is not a fully controlled experiment - even though we try to minimize the noise as much as possible.

But it does go to show that running on RON97 does get you further per every full tank, but because of the price differences between the 2, will you get more kilometers out of your wallet by using Ron97?

The answer will most probably be a "No!"...

boon out...

boon's log 1010.07: Ballerina Girl, XianDingWei, HRC

2010-03-07T00:52:00.000-08:00

HRC

Happy Birthday, IL. :) *Hugs*

We celebrated IL's birthday at HRC this year. And because she has a close friend's wedding dinner to attend, we had little choice but to settle for a small lunch-do celebration ad the HRC. IL said that it looked more like Ab's birthday, rather than IL's because it seems like Ab enjoyed it more than IL did... :) We had so much to eat that we had to box some of the food for later - which actually worked out pretty well, since I did not have any dinner plans (not wanting to get in the way of the all-girls-reunion thingy at the wedding)...

Back at the Hard Rock...

Food that can feed 5 (or 6)...

For the record, I really enjoyed the Smokehouse Menu - particularly the Ribs. The meat literally slides off the bones and it is very, very tender. Mouth-watering, really. They were out of beef brisket, which was my original choice - as part of my Duo Delight (or something like that), so i ended up with Beef Ribs and Chicken BBQ. IL and Ab shared the Mac and Cheese (with Chicken), which 1/4 of it eventually became my dinner (:)). Ab had a order of Hotdog with Fries for herself. All in all, a yummy treat for the entire family.

Oh and for Citibank Credit Cardholders, there's a 10% discount (if you do not have the All Access Card - which also gives you 10% discount at the HRC)

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Xian Ding Wei, Taiwanese Tea Room

NROTB - New Restaurant on the Block

On Saturday, we checked out Xian Ding Wei - the latest addition to Queensbay Mall's list of restaurants. It turned out to be a rather pleasant visit. And we think that finally, Dragon-I may have a competitor. We ordered the San-Bei Chicken Set, the Sweet Roasted Chicken Set and a DanDan Noodles for sides. A quick word of advise, skip the DanDan noodles if you can. If you really cannot, go ahead order it, but you may find that you will need to add the chili oil to spice it up a little. Apart from that The set meals are delicious. And to wash it all down, do try their Pearl Milk Tea.

San-Bei Chicken Set

Collages of Taiwan

Taiwan's famous Pearl Milk Tea

The service was pretty good - there was one time when the waitress brought a glass of warm water to our table and we just told her that we did not order it and she brought it back. After that 2 other waitresses came over and apologized, and then came one of the "captains" (identified by different costumes) also came and apologized. And the speed of the food was also quite impressive - food was served under 15minutes.

The only thing was that the price may be a little on the steep side for a rather normal/typical Joo-Char meal, but not to extravagant, I believe.

So, the verdict...

3.5/5 for the taste (judged down by the bland-taste DanDan Noodle)
4/5 for speed and service
3/5 for value for money.

Would I go back there again? Sure...

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ballerina Girl

Earlier in the week, we took Ab to one of the Ballet classes near our place - since she enjoyed dancing so much - influenced by the many Disney Princesses she's been watching, no doubt(!). She enjoyed herself, and due to her age (0.5years short of the youngest kid in her class), the teacher asked her to return this week for another trial as she needs a little bit more time assess if she is able to cope with the rest of the class. What's encouraging was that the teacher commended on her "flexibility". It was really fun to see her enjoying herself dancing and doing all the ballet moves and stretches... :)

Our little ballerina girl in the making...

boon out...

boon's log 1010.05: Funny Translations...

2010-03-04T16:54:00.001-08:00

I'm sure you've seen the advertisements hanging on the lamp posts along the roads - Jalur Lebar Mudah Alih No.1 di Malaysia - Celcom. No this is not an advertorial to promote Celcom - in fact, I've never heard of anyone promoting Celcom's "Jalur Lebar".

Anyways, took me a moment to figure out what that is. And the following few ad-boards helped to - they were in English. "Jalur Lebar" refers to Broad Band, while "Mudah Alih" refers to Mobile.

I mean, you've gotta give them 10 points for trying to use Bahasa 1Malaysia and not English. But I doubt it helps. I mean, if you are in-the-know about the internet and knows what "Jalur-Lebar" means, I am sure you know what Broadband is. So, why not just use Broadband instead - right?

There's another one that says "Muat Turun Music" - why not "Muat Turun Lagu"?

Okay, let's go down the list and see what we can do to help them interpret the Internet Terms...

Internet - AntaraJala
Web - Sarang Labah-Labah
WeBlog (Blog) - Catatan Sarang Labah-Labah
Online Gaming - Permainan Atas-Dawai
website - tempat sarang labah-labah
surf - luncur
high speed - kelajuan yang tinggi; or laju
network - jala-kerja
mirror sites - tempat cermin; tempat pantulan
Cookie - Biskut
cyber (cybernetics) - ilmu susunan kawalan dan perhubungan
cyberspace - ruang ilmu susunan kawalan dan perhubungan
cyberchat - perbualan ilmu susunan kawalan dan perhubungan
domain name - nama daerah
firewall - dinding berapi
homepage - mukasurat rumah
LAN (Local Area Network) - JKKT (Jala Kerja Kawasan Tempatan)
WAN (Wide Area Network) - JKKL (Jala Kerja Kawasan Lebar)
Open Content - Isi Kandungan Terbuka
Port - Pelabuhan
Search Engine - Jentera Pencari
Internet Explorer - Pengembara AntaraJala
Gateway - Pintu Jalan
WWW (World Wide Web) - DLSLL(Dunia Lebar Sarang Labah-labah)
...

boon keluar... (out...)

boon's log 0910.07: Happy Chap Goh Mei

2010-02-28T01:26:00.000-08:00

Happy Chap Goh Mei: 1st moon of the Lunar New Year

Happy Chap Goh Mei to all boonspot readers. As expected CNY 2010 zoomed by like a bullet train and now I have to suffer the annual CNY-withdrawal syndrome. But I guess this year, it is going to be a bigger impact compared to previous years as all of a sudden loads of people are departing from Pg on Chap Goh Mei... After today, IL, Ab and I are left to ourselves for almost a week. Not only our out-station rellies are gone, but some or most of our Pg rellies have also left Pg for their respective planned holidays. Darn - now I really wish I booked that Alaskan Cruise trip! ;)

Anyways, I'm sure many of you are in the "same boat" as I am, recuperating from the 15-days of celebration and festivities. Well, all the best! ;) And there's still a few more hours to do your final CNY visitations and "pok kiau"s... And for those singles - hope you get what's worth (or hoped for) from the mandarin-oranges that you threw into the open sea! Happy Chap Goh Mei...

Oh, and if you are feeling the heatwaves... here's something to (hopefully) cool you down...

Caliente!
boon out...

boon's log 0910.01: Can't Sleep? Here's (probably) why...

2010-02-21T09:00:00.000-08:00

If you are still up and about, here's probably why... :) Here are some photos taken from our balcony - the endless display of fireworks (more than what you'd see during the New Year countdowns) during the 9th Day of the Lunar New Year - or what the locals call it, "Pai Tee Kong" - literally translated as "Praying to the Sky God". Usually during this day (or night), Hokkiens all around will light up the sky with fire-works and also fire-crackers... and if they are not careful, some may light up their houses (and their neighbor's houses) as well(!).

"Pai Tee Kong" in Penang

Well, hope y'all will managed to catch some shut eye soon - especially for those who are working tomorrow...

boon out...

boon's log 0810.07:Happy Chinese New Year 2010

2010-02-20T12:48:00.000-08:00

YeeSang at The Syuen, Ipoh

Well, it's already the 8th day of the 2010 Chinese New Year and I hope it is not too late to wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year of the Tiger... Roar! We hope that you've been having a roaring time celebrating the festivities with your families and friends. It's always a good time to reunite and reflect on the previous year(s) and make resolutions for the coming year - i.e. resolutions that only lasts for probably the next 24-hours... ;)

Anyways, many happy returns for the rest of the year. Eat, drink and be merry!

Huat-ah!

boon out...

boon's log 0610.02: Breakfast at Jelutong; What RM18,400 sounds like...

2010-02-01T17:52:00.001-08:00

Someone (believe her name was Vivien) won RedFM's WordUp Money bucket yesterday - the last count was a whopping RM18,400. And the answer (would you believe it?!?!) was Wang Lee Hom. Anyways, I'm sure that there are a lot of envious folks out there - especially those who called in from May of last year ('09). I even came up with a few "possibilities" of my own, but Wan Lee Hom was never one of them. Gosh...

Congrats to Vivien on the extremely biggie Angpow ;)

"Blog"

We were back at Jelutong market yesterday and had breakfast there. Trying to catch the feel of Chinese New Year, but there is much around to be felt yet, really. There were loads of people, but people are just not buying CNY goodies and stuffs as they used to. So much for a recovering economy, huh? But nothing can beat a nice (and cheap) breakfast at the market... Lurve it!

Jelutong Market WonTonMee

Mouth-watering wontonemee...

boon out...

boon's log 0510.06: We still don't get it...

2010-01-30T09:15:00.001-08:00

Saw this in today's Star paper. And you know what they say about "a picture speaks a thousand words"? Well... I guess it really does.

To Mr. 1Malaysia: We still don't get it...

boon out...

boon's log 0410.02: Remembering SooLeong

2010-01-18T08:33:00.000-08:00

SooLeong [1981 - 2010]

Last Friday marked another "black-day" for our family, when IL's cousin passed away - SooLeong left us at the young age of 29, after battling with cancer for almost 4 years. Many hypothesized about how his condition deteriorated, but they only remain as hypothesis. According to the doctors, it was a relapse and during the second cource of his chemotheraphy, his body finally succumbed to a series of viral attacks, and that was when he breathed his last.

His health degraded rather exponentially towards the end of his life. He was only admitted into the hospital for less than a week - i.e. after doctors observed swelling in his abdomen area, and extracted the liquid for further examination.

Many considered his leaving as rather untimely and "could have been avoided" or "prolonged". Our prayers go out to SooLeong's close family members and friends during this time of mourning - our hearts go out to them.

SooLeong leaves behind his wife, Ching, and their 6-month old son; his parents, sister and brother.

boon out...

boon's log 0310.06: Croc-blog

2010-01-15T23:28:00.000-08:00

Finally bought myself a pair of Crocs this weekend - and it only cost me RM13 (!!!). I cannot believe it myself. It has all the signages of the Crocs that you would expect from the Croc shoes that you find off the shelf from the malls. It even came with the tags and Croc plastic bags.

This is even cheaper than the F-roc (Fake-Croc) that I bought for IL at Batu Ferringhi a few years back.

My RM13 Crocs next to Ab's jig-bit-filled Crocs...

There were a few hypothesis on how this Crocs cost only RM13:
1) Factory rejects
2) Shoes that were produced after the factory shutdown
3) Real fakes

But what the heck - you cannot tell if it is RM13 or RM150 unless if you
a) have read this blog
b) bow down at my feet and take a real close look (and smell my fee while you're at it ;))

boon out...

boon's log 0110.07: Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-03T10:41:00.000-08:00

A very happy and prosperous 2010 to all. I hope that you had a blast celebrating the new years with your friends and families. IL, Ab and I were at our Aunt's for the count down, with the rest of our rellies. It was fun - especially for the younger cousins - who, basically had a whale of a time! ;)

We spent the rest of the holiday weekend at my parents'. Ab had a wonderful time swimming with grandpa at the newly renovated (and impressive) RPGC. They really did a good job with the reno. They even allowed us to bring "Ooo-gway" into the pool with us - that was nice.

It was also Popo's 49th-day Prayers at the temple. Most of the rellies were back for the prayers. Thanks to Ab, she managed to lighten-up the entire atmosphere during the prayer sessions with her "charm" ;) We really Thank God for her. Everyone enjoyed her a lot... and i bet she also enjoyed herself too ;)

It was also a nice and refreshing, albeit short, reunion for the most of us before we meet again in a few week's time during CNY'10 - which I'm definitely sure will never be the same again.

Here are some pics...

Buddha tiles...

Curly joss sticks...

"Cymbals"(?)

The "hymnal"?

The "priests"... or what Ab calls them - Master Sifu

"Altar ceremonial lights"

boon out...

boon's log 5209.07: Blessed Christmas 2009

2009-12-27T10:16:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas 2009 - from boonspot.blogspot.com

Has it really been a year already?! It was just like yesterday that we were stuck in OR during the 2008 US NW snow storm and were driving around in the snow in our neighborhood enjoying the Christmas lights and decorations. Anyways, Christmas this year is truly different - IL, Ab and I truly enjoyed ourselves. With an extended holiday (thanks to our babysitter... ;)), we really spent loads of time together this Christmas. We also managed to fulfil our "family tradition" of watching Home Alone (I) during Christmas - last year, we watched it at the Embassy Suites, Tigard.

We also got to spend some time with our cell group at the Roadhouse Grill. Too bad we did not get to stay throughout the entire time (I've heard reports that they partied on till about 2AM... them party animals!!!).

Also, this year, Ab's been asking a lot about Christmas, about Jesus and God too - she's at the "why" age, and we've been having loads of fun (and challenge) explaining the concept of God to her. We=IL, our cellgroup and I. But one thing that soothed her inquisitive mind were the bible stories... :) Thank God!

Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus... in Ab's bible.

Well, it's been a wonderful Christmas for all of us. We hope that you have had a wonderful time celebrating Christmas with your family and friends, and love ones - remembering that without Him, all this would not have been possible. May the peace, love, joy and hope of the Lord be unto you as we celebrate Christ-mas, and as we usher in the new year, 2010. Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year... Keong Hee, Keong Hee...

Christmas Party and the Lim's Residence

Christmas Party-cum-Birthday Celebration for Elliot and Robin
- Happy Birthday, guys!

Ab's gift to us... a sticker-stacker on the wall :)

boon out...

boon's log 5209.03: Dark Knight at Queens

2009-12-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

We're taking over the fulltime babysitting job for the week because our babysitter's (a.k.a. Aunt) taking in all the Sun at Bali. :)

Today, we promised Ab that we'd bring her to see Batman at Queensbay. The Dark Knight is Queensbay Mall's Christmas theme this year. At first we were wondering what's all the hype about - with all the Batman and Joker posters all over the mall. IL was even asking if there was a new Batman movie in town.

Anyway, as part of the whole Batman theme/promo, there is also a stage show that that runs at the center court of the mall. That was what we promised Ab, that we'll bring her. The entire show was quite impressive - with the costumes, choreography and all - if only it was a little bit longer...

here are some photos...

Ab enjoying the Batman show... you can see that she is quite excited - her left hand stayed like that for at least 5 minutes

Batman-Joker in action...

"I'm not a hero..."

I was telling IL that they could also make it a little more interactive, with Batman or the Joker make surprise visits / walks in the mall and take pictures with the folks - just like in the themeparks. I'm sure people would like to have their pictures taken with them. :)

boon out...

boon's log 5109.07: What on earth is "Meat Bone Tea"?

2009-12-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

I saw this full-page advertisement by the Ministry of Tourism Malaysia (http://www.motour.gov.my/), in the Star paper today and, honestly, was quite ticked off by it.

"Meat Bone Tea?!"

On one hand those "1Malaysia-guys" are preaching about new plans on Government Transformation and plans on improving unity and all that... stuffs. But on the other hand, they come up with some screwed-up advertisement such as this?! How can they expect us to fully trust this "1Malaysia" plan to fly or even mean anything other than just another empty promise, when they can't even convince the people that they really mean business?!

"If you appreciate your
Nasi Lemak, Laksa and
Meat Bone Tea, share it us."

Am I the only one noticing this? Why can't they just call it Bak Kut Teh - just like how they call Nasi Lemak, Nasi Lemak?! Is it because the Hokkien term "Bak Kut" closely relates to PORK? Well, Mr 1Malaysia, here's some news for you, in case you might have missed out - majority of the Malaysian Chinese eat pork.

I mean, let's be fair. If you want to call Bak Kut Teh, Meat Bone Tea, then you should call Nasi Lemak, Fat Rice or Fatty Rice; and Laksa should be called Spicy Vermicelli Soup, or Spicy Sand according to some theory. But calling Bak Kut Teh as Meat Bone Tea really degrades the dish itself. And it really shows us how much the "1Malaysia-guys" really mean business.

We may have Bak Kut Teh variants such as Chick Kut Teh so that our non-Pork-eating friends can also taste the great food creation. But the fact of it is that Bak Kut Teh is Bak Kut Teh... so don't kill it, guys.

C'mon show us you mean business. Call it as it is. As you mention in the advertisement's final words,

"...Be proud of our food heritage and share with others the joy of eating delicious food."

boon out...

boon's log 5109.06: Randoms...

2009-12-18T08:25:00.000-08:00

Brush with celebrity...
We had the honor to attend one of the ceramahs by the Menteri Besar of Perak, YB Dato' Nizar Jamaluddin at the Penang Kompleks Penyayang recently. He really has a gift of the gap - he was able to capture our attention through his ~2hr ceramah. YB Sim was the facilitator and I believe this must have been one of the first (of many more) ceramahs he's conducted since the Perak fiasco started. He touched on behind the scenes of the entire Perak saga - most of which were not covered or revealed by the media. He also touched on how Mr 1Malaysia and his deputy (Deputy Mr 1Malaysia) had a hand in the conspiracies. It was a truly informative evening and it rejuvenated most (if not all) of all who attended.

Fullhouse

YB Dato' Nizar Jamaluddin

Press Conference

Ab's Birthday bash(es)...
We decided to go ahead with Ab's birthday plans despite our recent loss. We thought that it would be a good idea to lighten up the mood a little and lighten up, it deed. The birthday bash started with started the 1st in Penang, followed by Part II in Ipoh and then we wrapped it up at the Hard Rock... Ab totally enjoyed herself, with presents and birthday cakes... Thanks to all who made it possible.

Bash #1 in Penang

Bash #2 in Ipoh

Bash #3 at the Hard Rock, Penang... Snake Charmer.

Learning her ABC's...
We started Ab on some more serious writing skills, and started with Annie Apple. Previously, we did get her to recognize and write some alphabets here and there, but never really got down to more serious business. We are glad that she enjoys it and it's a great encouragement to see her liking it. Time really flies - it feels like almost yesterday when IL and I were in the delivery room and now she's learning to write her ABC's...

Ab learning to write...

boon out...

boon's log 5109: Remembering Popo

2009-12-13T09:46:00.000-08:00

Popo [1919-2009]

It took me a while before I could bring myself to blog about this.

On the dawn of Wednesday, November 11th 2009, Popo, passed on peacefully. Her leaving, though not something entirely unexpected, but it still came as an unwelcomed surprise and it created an empty vacuum within all of us - the lives who have been so deeply touched by her love.

Perhaps it's the thought that she will always be with us, or at least for a longer period of time - perhaps another Chinese New Year, perhaps another birthday, perhaps another family gathering, perhaps another celebration of the welcoming of another great-grandchild... perhaps... another hour.

She had led a truly fruitful and blessed life. As far as I know Popo, she has always been a giver. Her abundance in love and compassion seemed unending and overflowing - the epitome of selflessness.

I still remember the times when she would take bus trips up to Kangar and down to KL and Ipoh, in between - either because someone was through exams (i.e. her grandchildren) or someone was down with chicken pox - with 5 children, 10 grandchildren and 4 great grandchildren, I'm sure she's seen a lot of poxes... S

he would stay up in the middle of the night, making sure that we are feeling alright - soothing our pains and aches and also making sure that we are well nourished with her ever-ready and ever-handy herbal conconctions. All she needed was a trip down to your local Chinese medical hall.

Many who stayed through out the wake, were with her a few days before, attested that she looked fine and that there was no signs of anything all.

"We must have chatted for over an hour"

"She even asked me help bring some groceries over to her on Monday"

"I just talked to her over the phone just the night before she was admitted"

"She was in Penang just a few weeks ago".

But she was admitted into ISC on Monday due to difficulty of breathing...

She has also been truly blessed with caring and loving children and grandchildren. But we are just a mere faint reflection of what she had been to all of us. Things will definitely not be the same again.

...

Most of us made it back to see her one last time, at the hospital. It is not easy letting her go (it never is), and I guess we are not created or made to handle departures. We will miss her, love her and remember her always...

boon out...

boon's log 4209.06: Beans from abroad

2009-10-17T00:11:00.000-07:00

Bali Beans...

Parents got back from Bali not too long ago and brought back some coffee beans. Decided to grind 'em and brew them today, since parents are in town r a short stop over before heading to the Mediterranean. Aromatic, not very strong and had a slightly nutty after-taste. Just nice for the afternoon, to accompany me while I blog. :)

Before the grind...

Oh, and while we were grocery shopping earlier this week, I bumped into a familiar "face" - one that I remember seeing when I was shopping for groceries in an Asian market near Stepney Green and Whitechapel...

Koka Instant Noodles...

It was a nice reminiscing those days. :)

And last but not the least, Deepavali Vaalthukkal! May this Diwali be a new beginning for great new things and may the inner light outshines all darkness.

boon out...

boon's log 4209.03: Engrossed.

2009-10-13T11:51:00.000-07:00

Ab, engrossed with Tarzan

boon out...

boon's log 4109.07: TNB Surprise

2009-10-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

A while ago, I blogged about my less than satisfying visit to the Kedai TNB at Anson Road when I was on the receiving end of a whopping >RM500, wrongly delivered utility bill [click here for the entry].

Almost a month after that and when all the dust has settled, I received a unexpected and surprised phonecall from TNB [surprise #1]. He introduced himself as Tengku Hazman bin Tengku Hassan, the Assistant Manager for Customer Relations at TNB Anson Road. He wanted to follow up on the "bad experience" that I had with the branch and if everything was in order. Little did I know (not until later) that it was the first phonecall of a series of phonecalls - a total of 8 phonecalls to be exact! This guys really meant business and really wanted to make sure that he got all the details correct for his report - to the extend that he wanted me to pin-point the lady at the counter which re-acted rudely to me during my visit. I told him that she did not wear any name tags and I did not know who she was. It was then, during the last phone call (i.e. #8) that he invited me to his office to bersembang and perhaps to help identify the lady. And throughout the entire time, he was very apologetic about my "bad experience" with them. I was like... huh?! [surprise #2]

Okay, woah, horsey! Is this really happening? Houston, do we have a problem? You bet your bottom dollar it really happened, mate.

Anyways, I agreed with the Tengku that I meet up with him. I parked my car on the 7th floor as he suggested and called his cell when i arrived. I went throught the same doors as I did ~1month ago, but the lady that served me the other day was not at the front counter. It was a man this time. I waited for him to finish up with the person before me. I stepped up to him when he was ready. He looked at me without saying much and I said, "I'm here to meet with Tengku Hasman, please?". He immediately brightened up and spoke in English, "Please use the white doors on the right and then take the first door on your left." [surprise #3]

So off I went and as he saw me heading towards the doors, Tengku came up to meet me and shoke my hand. As we stepped into his office, he began again with apologizing for my experience and thanking me for coming to his office to meet him, saying that he was willing to come meet me if I could not make it. Anyways, as we sat down, he showed me a print out copy of boonspot, and particularly my blog entry about TNB (!!!). I was like, How the heck did he matched my complaints with my blog entry?! Someone in MCMC perhaps? Or TNB actually pays someone to surf the web and scoop for TNB-related blog entires? [surprise #4].

TNB tracked doown my blog entry...

He was telling how he (and his wife) thought that the write up was not rough or rude - in his words, "lembut dan tidak kasar". I replied that I just wrote it out as it happened, there is no reason for any "kasar" to be involved. He also showed me the "management report" and also the sequence of events that took place after I handed in my complaint form. It was then that he also told me that the VP down in KL had forwarded the blog entry to his Boss at TNB Penang and has given them a week to settle things with me. The TNB VP? Really. Honestly, I have my reservations in taking that in, but leaving some room for truth in that. [surprise #5].

Our meeting lasted for about 30minutes. He mentioned that the respective employee has been identified and warning letter has been issued. He also mentioned that she was in no position to advise me that I had to pay the RM500 before things have been confirmed. He regreted on her (and TNB's) behalf. But I had to agree that the entire episode from the wrong billing to the re-billing was carried out rather speedily - like in 2-3 days and I received my correct bill thru mail in like another week. And we ended our "sembang" session with (a) the fault of the meter reader and (b) the poor attitude of the front desk employee. I also made mention that it was a hassle to come in to report about something that it was TNB's fault. He gave me his card and asked me to call him or email him anytime with any problems with TNB, and he'd be happy to help me out.[surprise #6]

Oh, and just before i left, he requested to take a picture with me - I guess as a proof that he has met with me, when he reports back his Boss(es). Could I say no? Of course not... So we striked typical hand-shake pose for the camera [surprise #7]

Came back to the office and filled some of the folks in on what happened and they too were surprised and shocked! Is this the TNB that they knew? HT and JT decided to investigate on how they linked my TNB physical complain with my blog entry. They did a simple Yahoo! Search on "TNB Mistakes" and found my blog entry in the first page along with a Star write up (click here to read about the write up) about at similar issue of mis-billing by TNB Penang reported by a former Pengkalan Kota Assemblyman, Lee Hack Teik, where he was overcharged by RM30.34 (RM404.94 versus RM374.64). Apparently Mr. Lee went to the MCA about this. Well, I was overcharged by RM343.25 (refer to my blog entry) - perhaps I should have gone to Lim Guan Eng, huh? So anyways, according to my 2 super sleuths, HT and JT, TNB has been in a string of complaints - perhaps that is why they are so uptight and responsive about my complaint.

Well, all-in-all, I'm impressed and truly pleased with the way this was handled. As I mentioned to IL - seems like this is more effective that writing to CAP. :) Anyways, as the also Tengku mentioned, "Although TNB is the only Electricity provider, TNB should not take advantage of that fact and act irresponsibly." I sincerely hope that he means it - and not only himself but the rest of his colleagues at TNB and the rest of the utility service providers shares that same mentality... Kudos to Tengku Hazman.

boon out...

boon's log 4109.03: Tiada Orang, Tiada Denggi

2009-10-06T15:54:00.000-07:00

The authorities were at it again for a second time in a month, fumigating the houses just below/next us. 2 times in a month. Gosh, if the mosquitoes don't die, i'm afraid that the people/humans will if they keep on doing that.

Fumigation at Sunway Bukit Gambir, Penang

I believe i read in the newspapers recently about this fumigations. Instead of fumigating the housing area when a dinggi case is reported, the authorities should do something about the breeding areas. And I do not mean sending their employees to check houses for still water trapped in metal cans or abandoned tyres. But look at the jammed-up longkangs and areas that needs better drainage. Stop focusing just on the small time breeding grounds but expand and put some traction into detecting (which is not hard) and eliminating the bigger breeding areas.

No, it's not on fire... just gasses...

Some even said that the over-doing of the fumigation could help the mosquitoes build up their "immunity" to the gasses, which will produce stronger and more fumigation-resistant mosquitoes. Not sure how true and scientifically-founded is that claim, but it is quite believable, resorting back to the rule of "survival of the fittest"...

Anyway, does anyone also know if there are any side effects towards humans for over-inhaling these gasses? In any case, their visits to our housing area at such a high frequency can be quite disturbing...

The Dengue Posters typically read, "Tiada Aedes, Tiada Denggi" ("No Aedes, No Dengue"). It should also include "Tiada Orang, Tiada Denggi " ("No people/human, No Dengue")...

On a different note, here's a shot of last night's moon... WH, if you are seeing this, hopefully, we can get better shots of it in the coming days. Let me know if you wanna meet up...

moonshot_100609

boon out...

boon's log 4209.02:Randoms - ChiangMai and Hard Rock Hotel, Penang...

2009-10-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

Time flies when you're having fun... before you know it, the month is gone and the fun's history and remains a memory...

First of all, IL and I made a trip up to Chiangmai, like 4 weeks ago, because our aunt had some timeshare credits that she needed to burn and she had space for 2 more. So, we hunted for cheap AirAsia tickets and flew ourselves the the northern most big city of the Thai Kingdom - Chiangmai. ten ten ten.

Did loads of walking and visiting and most of all, EATING! Yeah, food is really super cheap - rough estimation, okay - 6 of us, 9 dishes comes up to sub-95 ringgits! can you believe that? Fish, chicken, pork, vegetables, tomyam soup... the works! I would really love to go back to Chiangmai again - if not for anything else, but just for the food! I Love Chiangmai.... food.

Sightseeing was also pretty interesting. Did some stuffs there that I never imagined myself doing (if I did not land myself in Chiangmai). For instance... Elephant ride, ATV (All Terrain Vehicle), eating worms (Yeah, baby!). Anyway, here are some photos from our trip... Overall, totally enjoyed the trip and would go back when the "deal is right".

Hor Kham Royal Pavillion at the Royal Flora 2006

Wat Prasingh

Dinner along the Ping River

Deep Fried worms... Yummy!

The famous long necks

Umbrella Industry

Hilltribe women folk

Inside Wat Chedi Luang

Sunday Market...

After our short-week-getaway in Chiangmai, it was back to work again for a couple of weeks - until we hit the sands again recently. And where else to hit the sands but at the brand new Hard Rock Hotel, Penang. It was pretty impressive what they've done with the place, considering the old Casuarina building was quite... well, old. The room was so-so, but I kinda like how they hid the Elvis mural behind the mirrors and how they separated the toilet from the rest of the room.

Food at the HRC was not up to my expectations, though. I think the food in HRC-KL tastes better that the one in Penang. Well, give them time, perhaps they will improve, eh? I hope so. And there wasn't much of a line outside the HRC compared to the long queue at HRC-KL when we were there the last time.

The pools... the pools were spectacular - by far, I think, HRH must have THE biggest pool area in the B. Ferringhi strip... it's got more pool space than walk space outside. Amazing. Maintenance of the pools must cost a bomb!

Overall, it seemed like Ab's the one that enjoyed the short weekend the most - so much so that she did not want to leave the hotel and she kept telling us that she wants to go back to Hard Rock to swim and that she does not want to swim in the pool back at our apartment complex. Haha!

here are some pictures...

Room with a view...

The King of Pop

Guitar lessons, anyone?

Hittinng the sands...

Storm's-a-rockin'

The Main lobby special - cool, but hard to maintain.

View from room at night...

The Sovenir that came with the room

Well, up until here, for now. Time to hit the sack... More later...

boon out...

boon's log 3609.0: Kohtai Hunt Pt3

2009-09-05T09:59:00.000-07:00

We were at IL's aunt's place last night and yes... Kohtai madness again. This time, the Kohtai was just outside her house.

One difference in this Kohtai, compared to the rest (and not to mention an unexpected surprise) was that the singer was a Indian singer who speaks (and SINGS in) super-fluent Mandarin and Hokkien. On top of that, he also dances like the gloved one as well. I have to say, that he is truly fantastic and a real crowd pleas-er as well. Apparently, he is also popular in Taiwan and certain places in China. He also has a fair share of fans right there on the stage - his posters were snapped-up in seconds.

A truly fresh change compared to all the other Kohtai entertainers.

Pictures:

An unexpected face at the Seventh Lunar Month Kohtai Concert

In action

Striking a familiar pose

Fans and Audiences

Giant decorated Joss-sticks

boon out...

boon's log 3609.06: Sunset, Hard Rock Penang, Kohtai Hunt Part2

2009-09-05T01:46:00.000-07:00

L had her department teambuilding dinner at Golden Sands Resort last night. Since I had to bring her there, I thought I brought my camera along for some photo shooting. And I am glad I did. Here are some photos...

Sunset at Ferringhi.

"Beach dwellers" enjoying a little sunset.

Another view of the sunset...

Ferringhian Sunset

Hard Rock Hotel, Penang

Getting ready for the Opening - 09.18.09

Kohtai Concert near Penang Chinese Girl School

Kohtai Concert near Penang Chinese Girl School

More Kohtai hunt Part1 here

boon out...

boon's log 3609.05: Koh Tai Hunt

2009-09-03T09:26:00.000-07:00

I have to admit, I am a little late this year, but better late than never. It's the 15th of the Lunar Seventh Month, a.k.a. month of the Hungry Ghost Festival. I've been telling IL that I wanted to go take some pictures of KohTai's and stage-shows/opera/puppet-shows but have been procrastinating all these 14 days - but I finally gothem lazy bones out of the house and go KohTai hunting. Yup, not entirely surprise, the streets have been cleared of concerts and stage shows and I only managed to detect 2 after driving and scouting around for almost 2hrs. I've been told that there may be some more in the next few days, but I guess the peak-period is within the first 15 days. I really hope that there will be more, else, I'll just have to wait for next year...

Anyways, here are the pics...

Chinese Opera at Jelutong, Penang

Chinese Opera at Jelutong, Penang

Another Chinese Opera along Yeap Chor Ee Rd., Penang

boon out...

boon's log 3609.03: I am TNB, I don't make mistakes...

2009-09-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

Came back from work one day, peeked into our mailbox and found our TNB bill lying in there. IL and I had a little game going on - i.e. to guess what the amount of each month's electric bill is going to be. We named our guesses and found that we were both wrong. To our BIG surprise, this month's bill was a whopping RM524.80. I rubbed my eyes and rechecked the number ... RM524.80. Checked the name and address on the bill. Everything checked out correctly. We did get an electric utility bill for RM524.80... no tunggakan, it's Caj Semasa - Current charges, not brought forward.

TNB Surprise.

My mind immediately went into a frenzy trying to figure out which appliance in our small little apartment could have caused this and the immediate thing was to detect and destroy - yeah, like throw it out of the 25th floor window, kinda. We came up with a few suspects - the washer, dryer or the air-conditioning system...

Anyways, I did the next best most imaginable thing - I checked our meter reading against the bill and "Voila!" we found the culprit - the TNB meter reader-guy read our neighbors' meter instead of ours(!!!). Called TNB to file for a billing dispute. 1-5454.

Mine... mine... mine...

Our neighbors - a whopping 683 kWh difference

"We cannot do anything for you here. You will have to take your bill to the Kedai Tenaga listed at the bottom of your bill and file for dispute," was the reply.

Wait-a-minute, I live in the south part of the island and you want me to drive all the way down to downtown, pay for my parking and line up and file for a dispute for a mistake done by TNB? Am I missing something here?

According to EY "Dude, what do you expect? It's not 2020 yet!"

So, took the picture of both the meters and went through all the hassle of driving downtown, endure the traffic jams, parked my car and lined up to report a billing mistake done by TNB.

At the Inquiry Desk, the lady was, as expected, impolite and unfriendly. I took the initiative to wish her a good-morning, to which there was no reply. I tried to let that go, being Ramadhan and all. Anyway, I showed her the bill and the pictures and told her the whole story of how the meter guy clearly read the wrong meter and the bill was wrong.

She then snapped back and debated on how do I know that the meter guy read the wrong meter and that my picture was blur and not clear enough and in a way rejected the dispute. What the? That set me off. I asked her which part of the picture she could not read and she told me the No. Jangkaan - i.e. the Meter Number.

"You boleh baca, kah?! Ah, bacalah... bacalah!", she said.

So I read the No. Jangkaan out to her and she tallied it with my bill. And her reply was a loud, "Ah, betul-lah! You... baca dari mana?"

!!!

I took a deep breath and said (in English), "Auntie, I read it from the number printed on the meter in the picture that I just showed you just now."

Only then did she give me a photostated copy of a form to fill in, with no carbon copy, no report number, no reference number. What to do? This is TNB... Filled it up and passed it back to her.

"I kena simpan ini gambar," she said - as if it was part of the requirement for me to bring the picture in the first place. So I told her, "Sure, go ahead, I have the soft copy."

I asked her for a reference number so that I can refer to this report later in case I need to follow up, but she just gave me the blunt, "Tak apa, depa (they) akan call you nanti."

"Siapa depa? So, I tak akan bayar dulu sehingga depa call saya?", I said.

"No, no, no. You kena bayar!!"

"Apa?! Saya kena bayar RM 500 because TNB salah baca meter?!" That was the trigger that set things off. "No, I will not pay TNB anything until you fix the issue!!"

"Ok, our complaints department will call you back as soon as he can." - if there is, indeed, a complaints department, that is.

I went back to my office and immediately submitted another complaint online and then called up the TNB Penang and asked for the Manager of Commercial Affairs, Tuan Haji Yusoff bin Hamzah. The operator immediately patched me through to his office. Unfortunately, Tuan Haji was out and his Personal Assistant (PA) will get back to me shortly.

True enough, the PA called me back half an hour later and spoke to me politely in perfect English. I complained the entire ordeal to her, stating my utmost disappointment with TNB and the service that I am getting. She accepted my complaints and said that she will personally look into it and ensure that the personnel/officer in charge will call me back before lunch - and he did.

The next day, I got another call from TNB confirming that they read the wrong meter and the amendments were being made in the system and that I will be receiving the amended bill through the mail. And was told not to pay anything until i receive the new bill. And true enough, I receive the new bill in my mail box the next day... looks like it really helps when you talk to someone at the top.

Amended utility bill

So a key-learning for folks living in apartments and condominiums - it is not very hard for the meter reader to make mistakes. Do not condone to the impolite treatment when making your complaints at the TNB. Take a picture of your respective meters immediately (to capture the closest reading to the one recorded on your bill) as evidence - even though they did not ask for it initially(but they will ask for it later).

This is Malaysia, and this is Tenaga Nasional Berhad, they don't make mistakes - even if they do, YOU (the customer) will have to pay for it. Service without a smile.

boon out...

boon's log 3609.01: Independence Day

2009-08-31T01:10:00.000-07:00

Malaysian's 52nd Independence

Well, it's our 52nd year of Independence.

Independence... do we really understand or have really tasted the true meaning of it? A lot of the talk about democracy and racial harmony seemed to be just surface level chit-chat. But the true meaning of Independence has been diluted and muddled out through the years. No matter what, in all sincerity, putting aside out differences and our political affiliations, I hope that we can find within ourselves the true meaning of Independence and celebrate it with our heads held high, with the words of our "fore-fathers", "Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka!"

Our future generation...

Our small little celebration with Ab at Queensbay Mall...

boon out...

boon's log 3409.06: Where do the cows go now?

2009-08-22T02:47:00.000-07:00

I have to admit that I am one of those who have never come across the "heritage site/village" called Kampung Buah Pala. At least, not until the recent events that boost the once unknown small village of 24-over houses/families into front-page stardom. I've asked around, among my local Penang friends - some told me that it is probably in the mainland, but most of them told me they do not know where's Kg Buah Pala. I would not blame them, really.

Let me try to help. If you live in Penang and frequently drive along Jalan Yeap Chor Ee, you are bound to bump into some animal-crossing at the other side of the hills, when heading northbound - well, those cows, I believe are from Kg Buah Pala.

No, I did not follow the cows home to see where Kg Buah Pala is. I finally got an answer from IL's uncle and with a little help from Google Earth, I found Kg Buah Pala.

As you head towards Greenlane along Yeap Chor Ee, you will see a school on your right, after which there is a small road on your right called Jalan Kaki Bukit. Take that right turn and drive slowly. If you hit the T junction, you've already past Kg Buah Pala. With all the "publicity", it is hard to miss it, now.

While I was there, I guess I can understand the feeling of the dwellers of Kg Buah Pala. I am sure they do not know how or what happened that has caused them their houses and village, the place that they called home and have happily dwelled for so many years. I guess it is a case of poor judgement and communication of how the land was sold off to make way for new development (by the previous administration) without the consent or knowledge of the people dwelling there and also perhaps bad passdown between the old and the new government during the change of state powers, more than a year ago. I mean I sincerely believe that the dwellers are innocent mangsa kejadian. And, as always, with a little help from some instigators (whom I am not totally surprised to be politically linked with the opposition party of the Penang government), they have blown the entire situation totally out of proportion. I truly believe the Lim administration is trying their very best to help with the negotiations. And that the villagers should approach the discussions with an opened mind and come up with a win-win situation.

After being there, I understand that it is not just a simple case of moving your home with a few suitcases and a few truck-load of belongings - it is more than that, e.g. 20-over to 30 cows, bullock carts, the kandang lembu (cow-pen) etc. They will need to figure out where to keep them and start a new - which definitely cannot fit into the new double-storey houses offered to them. The Kg Buah Pala-ians can move into the new houses, but the cows ...?

Well, one thing's for sure - I am going to miss the National Park-like feeling when driving along Yeap Chor Ee with all the cows crossing. It kinda reminds me of the time when we were just driving alongside a herd of bisons at YellowStone NP.

8 more days and counting. It is definitely going to be another heated showdown at Kampung Buah Pala on the 1st of September when the cows will come home for one last time...

here are some pictures

The bullock cart that was used during one of the street protests a few week back

Cow-pen, Kg Buah Pala.

Similar banners displaying the villager's feelings with the current state government. It is interesting, though, how the "race" card was thrown on to the table based on the few people (in this case, Indians) that is actually impacted by this...

An overnight bamboo monument - reminds me of my scout days. Wonder if this monument was set up by a group of scouts from the nearby school...

Lorong Buah Pala.

Cows Crossing

"You looking at moo-a?"

Time to head off for some grass grazing...

boon out...

boon's log 3409.05: Ab's School Concert, Rasa Sayang Promo, conjunctivitis

2009-08-21T01:36:00.000-07:00

[3209.06] Ab's school had their Warna-Warna Malaysia concert 2 weekends back - her first concert and (almost) everyone was excited about it. Yes... the adults were more excited about it than the kid. ;)

The children, aged from 3 to 7 donned traditional costumes, led the packed crowd of parents and grandparents, aunts and uncles, through a series of fashion shows and Malaysian traditional dances. No kidding with catwalks and the whole shebang. It's like Malaysia's Next Top mini-Model. Really cute. They were all so adorable.

We were so afraid that Ab would just freeze on stage and did not know what to do. Worse is if she saw any of us and then starts crying on stage. But she surprised us all. She did so well on stage, remembering her catwalk steps, when to turn (at the end of the catwalk), when to bow and return back to backstage, and then later her dance steps... she really wow'd us all. What a night... we totally enjoyed ourselves and I am sure Ab enjoyed it too - the kids were having a fun time backstage too, with candies and all.

Here are some pictures.

East-Malaysian traditional dance...

Ab, doing her catwalk in her Chinese Traditional Cheongsam

The closing number - Rasa Sayang Hey!

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
[3309.03] we went back to Rasa Sayang Resort for their International Buffet, at their Spice Market Cafe. The "Buy one, Free one" Promotion was extended for another month - i.e. till the end of August - it comes up to be about RM60 per person (nett). This time, it was our uncle's treat. We cannot turn a good dinner offer down, can we now? ;) So off we went, with Ab asking her, "Are we at the hotel yet?" questions along the way... It's quite a bang-for-the-buck with the promotion and my-my was the restaurant packed with people. We had to make our reservations 2 weeks ahead and even then we were given a spot outside of the air-conditioned area. Good thing it was a cooling night and there weren't that many mosquitoes... (yeah, mosquitoes are really a threat these days...). So anyway, IL and I were complaining about how packed the place was and that's the "price" you'd have to pay in return for the 50% disc..

I remembered the last time we were there with GP and KY - every table, EVERY TABLE, folks were armed with cameras, big and small, taking pictures - and they were really overdoing it... like taking pictures with the bamboo stick decor? taking pictures of the prawns and mussels and baby lobsters and hogging the queue while they were at it. Kinda frustrating, really. But I have to give it to the kitchen and hotel staffs for keeping up with the guests and replenishing the food timely.

I managed to snap some sunset photos before we started out dinner...

Ferringhian Sunset at the Rasa Sayang Resort, Penang

Sunset at Ferringhi. No, it's not a fisherman keeping his fishing net, it is actually the guy who runs the beach recreational store, keeping the para-gliding parachute.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
[3309.05] Conjunctivitis - damn! Yeah, it all started with the left eye, and then after visiting the eye specialist, the right one got it too. My first time, so it was kind of scary - you wake up in the morning to find that your eyelids are stuck together with yellowish discharge and you cannot open your eye. Was out of work for a few days. And kept pumping my eyes with Tobradex - more than what the doc suggested, after reading directions/suggested dosage on the enclosed insert, of course. Anyways, 'twas one heck of a way to spend the weekend, I tell you - mostly in bed, quarantined from the rest of the family and the rest of civilisation for a good 5-6 days. Worst thing was I had to miss my grandmother's 90th birthday dinner! With gifts and plans laid out for the weekend and all..... crashed because of the bacterial visitation. But thank God, I'm healed! Even the doctor was surprised that I recovered so quickly - must be the extra dosage at the initial stage of the infection... ;)

no pics for this one, although my sister-in-law insisted to take a picture of my MeeKoo (steamed "tortoise" buns) eyes (as what Ab calls it) because of the swelling. ;|

boon out...

boon's log 3209.06: Short Stop in KL

2009-08-08T00:16:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, we had a pretty short stop over in KL. IL and her relatives boughht tickets to watch Superband over at the Bukit Jalil Indoor Stadium. So, had to be the driver-plus-babysitter for the weekend (well, okay, when they were not at the concert, they took care of Ab too...) :).

I also managed to meet up with the Lims for dinner while the ladies were at the concert. It was a great time catching up, the first time after my Unc's op. Ab also had a nice time playing with her "cousins", especially Em - the last time they met was during Chinese New Year...

Well, co-incidentally, it was also THE weekend of the Peaceful Anti-ISA Protest - which turned ugly because of the unprofessionalism of our Police Raja Di Malaysia. Anyways, the lockdowns in the city center caused massive traffic conusions and jams in the city. Ab and I were caught in one of them while trying to get to Bandar Utama from Time Square. What would normally take 20mins, ended up taking slightly more than 1hr. Even the traffic in the SMART tunnel was reduced to a crawl...

The drive up and down the PLUS highway was rather pleasant - saw a few FRU trucks heading back tot Penang island on the way home - must have been borrowed-arms that was sent to KL first thing on Saturday morning for the weekend protest - just like what "Hitler" said in the parody, "Tell Hishamuddin to send the FRU here first thing in the morning."

We stopped in Ipoh to try out the new FohSan and the unanimous verdict is that albeit the new place has a better atmosphere/environment, the food in the old FohSan tastes better.

Here are some pictures...

Fohsan, Ipoh

The crowd at Fohsan, Ipoh

Dimsum Auntie at Fohsan, Ipoh

Art inside Fohsan, Ipoh

Ding's Kueh Talam - one of the best

Traffic inside the SMART tunnel

Hazy KL, room with a view...

boon out...

boon's log 3009.07: 40 years after the 1st moonwalk, Condolences, Repairs, SSDD

2009-07-26T09:27:00.000-07:00

40 years ago, this week, man first walked on the moon. That kinda sparked some interest to dig up some old space-themed movies, so we ended up finishing Apollo13 and Armageddon. It is really amazing that, at a time when "fitting a computer into a room" proved to be a impossible task - we successfully sent 2 men to the face of the Moon. Although there are many controversial comments as to whether Neil and Buzz REALLY were on the face of the Moon - I, personally, am a believer and believe that they really did land and bounced on the Moon. To be able to transport a human from one planet to another is really amazing - I'm still awed by it till today.

"... things like a computer that can fit into a single room, and hold millions of pieces of information." James Levell (Tom Hanks), Apollo13.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Anyways, it's been a while since i blogged and so much has happened.

1. Michael Jackson passed away [1958 - 2009] - the story that shook the world. My deepest sympathies to the Jackson family and as a Michael Jackson fan myself, I will miss him greatly. Rest well and in peace, O' Talented, Gloved and Crotch-Grabbing One. There were tonnes of speculations and stories on how Michael accepted the Lord during the last few hours or days of his life, but the truth remains between him and the Lord. And we will soon find out whether he did indeed say and agreed to the sinner's prayer.

2. Teoh Beng Hock was murdered [1979 - 2009] - the story that shook the Malaysian Politcal Scene. I personally deemed it as a murder case because I cannot find any sense for him to kill himself at the eve of the day that he was supposed to get married (register). As what people are saying - let's just pray that his death will not be in vain and that perhaps this is the true turning point of Malaysian Politics.

3. Yasmin Ahmad passed away [1958 - 2009] - I recently blogged about her latest product for the Singapore Family Campaign - Beautiful Imperfections. What an irony - the story was about the husband "departing" earlier than his partner. This story really shook the local media world and those fans of Yasmin. Malaysian festivities will never be the same again without those Petronas Ads that we so look forward to. We will miss her greatly.

4. Walter Cronkite passed away [1916 - 2009] - there are only 2 instances that I remember him by - one from Jim Carrey's Bruce Almighty when he tried to immitate Walter with the hair brush; the other when I was watching Apollo13 where they showed Walter reporting about the Apollo13 mission failure (to land on the moon).

my deepest deepest condolence to the families and close friends...

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It was also a season for repair works... As in Ecclesiastes 3:1, the bible says, "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven."

And so it is.

These past few weeks - it's truly been a season of Repairs...

First was our wash area piping system - our neighbor below us has been complaining about leaking that may be related to our piping that was not properly waterproof'd. And so it was. We were pretty disappointed with that piece of news since it was out Church friend / contractor who did the renovation for us. And it seems like he may not have done a thorough enough job in making sure that everything was in order. Anyways, we had to fork out another few hundred bucks to hack/wateproof/seal/re-tile that part of the wash area... messy. As with all Malaysian (cheap) tiles, it is almost impossible to locate the same design tiles after >5 years. So we had to settle with something very similar to the original. Sigh.

Second repair has to do with my 10 year old Nissan. Yup, the good old car is turning 10 years this coming August 31st. To date, I think we've dumped close to 3k ringgits into reparing and overhauling the car. She is at her final leg of repair and should be done tomorrow (finally!). EY was suggesting that sell her away since it is costing so much to get it reparied and in good working condition. Well, I think I'd rather spend the additional 3k+ repairing it than to trade it in for another car. Since it is not really in THAT bad shape, we thought we'll keep the car for a couple or more years before we write it off. I've already been approached by a couple of my friends and strangers on whether I want to sell the car - one was at a petrol station at Juru - interesting.

Third was my company notebook - it needed to be rebuilt - died on me 3 weeks ago and I had to had the IT guys replace the hard drive and rebuild the whole system. Now, it's been given a new lease of life. Feels so much better working with it now.

Fourth - a close relative was also given a new lease of life when a cancerous kidney was removed from his body with no signs of spreading. The operation was successful and he is now resting back at home. His comments, "Old engine is like that - needs repair here and there." He's also been through a bypass a few years ago... May God continue to keep him safe and healthy.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Apart from all that work has been rather crazy these few weeks and the latest issue we're facing is still in the dark - with no signs of the light at the end of this tunnel... Man, I really hope we'll see it soon. Else, we'll just be aiming and shooting in the dark.

Well, okay... this entry was actually a combination of a few posts that I combined into one did not manage to publish the last few ones, so i've decided to combine them all into one.

No new pictures so far (I think). Let me dig, there may be something to share...

Will be heading down to Kay El this weekend - bring the ladies down for the Superband Concert at the Bukit Jalil Indoor Stadium.

Till later, back to work...

boon out...

boon's log 2509.07: Happy Father's Day!

2009-06-21T08:04:00.000-07:00

We were back in Ipoh for Father's Day. Dinner was at Tai Thong, while Father's Day lunch was at Indulgence, Ipoh. This is the second time we were there for Father's Day and I have to admit that I am impressed with them yet again - in fact, I think they've improved from the last time we were there. Dad ordered the Father's Day Special while the rest of us just went for Ala Carte. Ab ordered the do-it-yourself topping pizza - where most of it went into Mom and Dad's tummy.
The grandparents once again never failed to surprise their grand daughter with gifts - from pop-pops to cooking-toys bubble-blowing-gun. Gosh, it's like her birthday, rather than Father's day! ;)

Anyways, we demanded that the toys remained in Ipoh, lest it will clog up her room with more toys (!!!).

Oh and it finally rained - perhaps a "present" for all the Fathers who WASHED and WAXED their cars (!!!). Yeah, I had to re-wash the car after arriving back in Penang to remove all the corpse I collected along the way home. But the rained did not help much in cooling down the weather, though. I still feel the heat... And what better way to cool down at the end of a long day (and weekend) with nice chilled-glass of beer... AAAaahhh......

Well, Happy Father's Day to all and to the rest hope you had an enjoyable and restful weekend. Pumped up to face the week ahead?! If you have not noticed, it is the mid of the year next week...

Indulgence, Ipoh

Father's Day Special

Father's Day Special appetizer

Father's Day Special entrée

Lambshank... yummy....

Daily Special Brew

Waiting to serve

Indulgence Exterior

Chocolate Mud Pie

Sunday Special

Winding down...

boon out...

boon's log 2509.04: 1 Black Afterwork Coffee (Pt.2)

2009-06-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

We met again tonight - the usual suspects PLUS quite a few more new faces. We occupied like 3 tables last Thursday, but tonight, I think we conquered, like, at leaast 8-10 tables. I was a little late to the gathering, well, more like 1.5hours late, because we (IL and I)had to go see Ab before heading off to OldTown. IL decided to take a break tonight and rest at home.

Saw a few familar faces there as well - namely VH and YY's parents. We were a little more serious about our "objectives" tonight - we actually have printouts, with the words, "Bubar DUN Perak".

Posters

It was once again a peaceful gathering, we were able to catchup and share new stories. We also observed some plain-clothes bobbies outside the shop - just to make sure if anything goes out of hand, they are there to "handle" the situation. And as usual, the shop manager was rather nervous and unsettled through out the night - especially tonight, when the number of people have grown, 2 fold. Well, like what one of them said - they (OldTown Mgmt) should be happy, because with the help of this program, they get more business overall, right? :)

Anyway, just a short update this round - tired. For those who are in Penang next Thursday, you're welcome to join the gathering...

boon out...

boon's log 2409.06: Weekend in Langkawi (supplementary)

2009-06-13T02:01:00.000-07:00

Managed to stitch some photos from our Langkawi trip last weekend. Enjoy...

[Panoramic] Gunung Mat Cincang - inland view

[Panoramic] Gunung Mat Cincang - seaview

[Panoramic] The beach at Berjaya Resort

boon out...

boon's log 2409.04: Wear black, drink black, have fun

2009-06-11T07:33:00.000-07:00

***Live report from Bayan Baru Old Town White Coffee***

IL and I decided give the "1Black afterwork Coffee" event at Bayan Baru Old Town White Coffee a try. The tag line for the night is "Wear Black, Drink Black, have fun." We (IL and I) had a lot of questions before going for the event - will there be barricades? will there be riot police? will we get caught like what happened in Ipoh - for wearing black and drinking kopi-o? Will the shop owner decide to close the shop or deny us entry into the shop? I even went to the extent of asking IL to wear grey so that she will be able to bail me out in case I get caught! Haha!

Anyway, it turned out to be a rather peaceful night. About 15 or so of us turned up. The "unmentioned intention" of the gathering is basically a "silent protest" against the way that things have turned out in Perak recently - the so-called death of democracy. Besides that we all made new friends and vouched to meet up again.

One funny thing we noticed was the shop manager - he was pretty nervous the entire night - he kept taking photos of our table with his mobile phone and kept a watchful eye at us in case anything happens. I guess we kinda stressed him out a little bit tonight. Hopefully he will come to accept that we are just gathering like any other group of people - just that we are wearing black and drinking black.

Notice anyone in black t-shirts?

It's all about the coffee...

Well, it's time to go home.

boon out...

boon's log 2409.02: Weekend in Langkawi

2009-06-09T07:18:00.000-07:00

The 3 of us took advantage of the long weekend to use up some of our timeshare allocations in Langkawi. Eversince our trip to Honolulu, Ab's been looking forward to go to the beach again. And knowing Penang, it's rather hard to find a relatively clean beach. So we kinda hit a few birds with one stone - besides the beach, Ab also likes to take the plane and boat - so we Fire-flew (Firefly) to Langkawi from PG and took the ferry home.

The ferry trip home was a rather disappointing experience for me. Not that I got sea-sick or anything, but I was rather ticked off with how disorganized the arrangements were with respect to the way the ferry trip was arranged - from poor directions/signs to unnecessarily moving people from one end of the terminal to the other, to total darkness at the Penang Jetty/Port - yes, I am talking total darkness (!!!). To me, at least, it was the worst part of the trip... Honestly, that part of the trip really drained most of my energy compared to the rest of the trip.

Apart from that, we enjoyed the short weekend away. I do not mind going back to Langkawi again, but please, no more Ferry. We did not do much of sighseeing - it was just basically a short getaway weekend to just rest and relax.

Here are some photos of our short weekend away...

"Battle of the fittest"

A game of chess, anyone?

Ab, contemplating whether to "attack" the waters...

The isolated and exquisite Pahn Thai Restaurant, from a distance

Mom and daughter taking a strong on the beach...

Langkawian sunset...

Moonlight Sonata

Rob-the-pianist, serenading us at the Phan Thai Restaurant

Rock formations on Gunung Mat ChinChang

View from the top of Gunung Mat CinCang

The suspension bridge on Gunung Mat CinCang

boon out...

boon's log 2109.5: Goodbye Ah-Ma...

2009-05-22T01:58:00.000-07:00

Aw Yang Lye Yoo [1926-2009]

IL's grandmother passed away on Wednesday.

Though we are sadden by her leaving, but we believe it is one of those things that may not entirely be a bad thing - such that she does not have to bear further sufferings. Toward the end of her journey in life, she has been through a lot, moving in and out of the hospital and being bed-bound.

She has truly lived life to its fullest, being loved and and cared for by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchild.

I still remember vividly, a few years back, IL and I used to spend our Saturday nights in her apartment. It was not a big apartment - barely 1000 sq foot, but all her children and grandchildren will assemble there once a week - she will cook dinner for all of us, we will eat and then watch TV and just lepak there. We had to take turns to eat at the dining table, behind the altar - like 4 to 5 at a time. It was a cozy time together, sometimes we had to spill out to the outside of the apartment when it was overloaded when some of the outstation cousin/relatives come back.

Her wake will carry on for 5 days and funeral planned for Sunday. We will miss her tremendously. Goodbye Ah Ma... We love you...

boon out...

boon's log 2109.01: Are movies stars overpaid?

2009-05-18T02:17:00.000-07:00

IL and I were on (sort of) movie madness mood, just last week. 2 Sundays ago, we went and watch X-Men Origins: Wolverine and then on Thursday, we went for the opening of Angels and Demons. We have not been going to the cinema for ages and then the sudden urge. Well, and of course those are good movies to begin with - else we would not have gone to the cinemas - rather watch 'em in the comforts of our home.

Anyways, while waiting for Wolverine to start, the cinema showed the typical MPA (Movie Picture Association) warning not to use recording equipments bla bla bla and warned against buying pirated media (CD, DVD). Just then the lady next to me - whom I believe works in one of the factories in the FTZ (don't ask me how I know), it's one of those things... - said, "Yeah, and keep on paying the Movie Stars shitloads of money!"

Just then it kinda hit me - are the movie stars really overpaid? I mean, what makes their job so much more difficult than say, an engineer? or a Production Operator? I did a little digging and here is what i came out with (latest average per major studio film):

1. Tom Hanks - $25million
2. Will Smith - $25million
3. Jim Carrey - $25million
4. Brad Pitt - $20million
5. Russell Crowe - $20million
6. Ben Stiller - $20million
7. Harrison Ford - $15million
8. Reese Witherspoon - $15million
9. Jodie Foster - $15million
10. Matt Damon - $15million
11. Cameron Diaz - $15million
12. Angelina Jolie - $12million
13. Renee Zellweger - $12million

I mean, after all, most of the stunts were done by stunt-reps anyways. Are they really worth so much? Why should we be fueling their pockets with so much of money, so that they can continue to live their hollywood lifestyles, which in turn creates an example for the teenagers and young adults? While there are so many others who studied so hard to earn a degree / post grad degree and then slave themselves, working overtime - only to earn a fraction of what these folks earn.

Anyways, I guess, one day, hopefully, the MPA will discover that one of the ways to curb the USD$1 pirated DVDs that are sold along the streets of Penang is to cut the salaries of the movie stars.

So, having read this, do you or do you not support pirated DVDs? I think it is pretty clear, ain't it? ;)

boon out...

boon's log 2009.07: Foodie Sunday: breakie with the dragon

2009-05-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

This is one of the rare weekends when the grandparents are in town, but we did not get to have breakfast with them - they were busy with toilet repair in their condo. So, the 3 of us had to head out for breakfast on our own.

Dragon-i's Lai Mian

Ab initially wanted McD (again!), but IL insisted that she's been having too much of it already and should take a break from it this weekend - CL bought her McD on Tuesday, I think. Anyways, second in her list was Noodles (like that in Kungfu Panda). And her mom also promised her ice cream. So we decided to head down to Queensbay Mall - all under one roof.

Dragon-i's Xiao Loong Bao

She loves the Shanghai Dumpling (Siao Loong Bao) and the Noodles (Lai Mian). And she realy packed them in. Everyone seemed to have the question - "Where did all the food go?!" Not too very long ago, I've the same phrase used before too ;) Like father, like daughter, I guess! ;)

The kitchen used to be very busy, but rather empty and not so much activities...

dragon-i's typically loaded with people - we tried getting a place during Mother's Day last week, and there was a queue just to get your name registered in their book (!!!). But this morning was a totally different story - we just waltz in freely. and there was no line and ample tables - we can even take our pick which table we wanted. And food was speedy enough.

Ab's short wait for her Xiao Loong Bao - seen here with her pony tail :)

It took them less than 7 minutes (really!) to get the first bowl of Lai Mian on our table. Then came the Xiao Loong Baos. So, if you really want stress-free Dragon-I visits, try it at 11:30AM. This was truly my best dragon-i experience so far.

the "terra cotas" guarding the "dragon"

After that, we shopped for a little bit before heading down for NZ Ice cream... and then headed home for a some R&R... relaxing Sunday, indeed.

Oh, and unlike Rafa - as what they always say, "May the best team win." Indeed, the best team has claimed the EPL title this year. Kudos to the Red Devils. But I have to agree the Reds have really done well this year. Good season, indeed, but could have been better. :)

boon out...

boon's log 2009.04: Perak Poli(tic)wood

2009-05-13T18:05:00.000-07:00

That's what I think the state of politics in Perak is in. It is so Hollywood, in this case Perak Poli(tic)wood. How absurd can things get, such that a Chief Minister goes back to his own office for 7 hours and then re-escorted back out of the office? There is also no doubt about how visible "double standards" are being practiced. And no doubt, the respective authorities will come out and justify their "double standards" practices. To me, it does not matter. no need to waste time explaining!

The Rakyat knows.

No matter how much they justify or explain their actions, how much stories (or lies) they try to tell us and jam it down our throats, no matter how much media control and banning of the ugly truth (though the PM declares media freedom)- it does not matter anymore. I am confident that the Rakyat today is wise enough and is capable to discern the truth from all the lies, hypocrisy, falsity, deception, dishonesty and deceit. We are no longer the gullible bunch we were 50-over years ago, who will just take whatever the authorities drops on us. And it is really sad that the authorities still act and think that we are (a gullible bunch)!

It is so evident from the recent Perak Embarassment and the May 7th incident - the ugly side of things, and how visible-to-the-public that the authorities is trying to cover up and sweeping things under the carpet.

I mean, C'mon! Don't take us as fools. At least give us some credit. In this time and age, what kind of lousy (if not, stupid) tactic is "banning the airing and publishing of the truth"? Ever heard of the Internet? Ever heard of Cellphones with Cameras? Ever heard of Email? The method of banning the media from displaying the truth is so stoneage!

Fed-up... really fed-up.

Having said all that, bottomline is - enough is enough. Does not matter which party they are in - just STOP wasting time and money and arresting innocent uncles and aunties who just wanted to have a cup of coffee at their local coffee shop and act like mature and responsible people's representatives. Every minute spent/wasted in this nonsensical dogfight, is actually wasting the rakyat's tax money. We did not pay them to do all these hollywood-stuffs in front of us.

by the way, here is the image that everyone should have seen it at least once. this is the same image that the authorities tried to cover up and prevent from further distribution. Oops...

boon out...

boon's log 2009.01: Randoms - Free Gas, Ab's dim sum again, and "amazing" Perak

2009-05-11T09:41:00.000-07:00

IL and I were out lunching with our colleagues last week (think it was Tuesday), but the moment we climbed into the car, the "gas indicator light" toggled indicating that we needed gas. But EY suggested that we gas up after we makan. So we met up with the rest of the folks at McD SunShine Square for their lunch promotion.

So, after filing up our stomachs, it was time to fill up the car's "tummy". The nearest option was the Shell down the road. Abandoning the remaining 5 in the car, I went over to the pump. I was about to stick the Bonuslink card into pump register, when I noticed, to my surprise, the LCD screen showing "Lift nozzle and start filling" - I was expecting something like "Insert Bonuslink card or Credit Card". Stunned me for a little bit as I looked around for Candid Camera or You've been Punk'd crews around! I turned to EY who was also shocked. I lifted the pump and shoved it in and started filling (as indicated by the LCD screen). And it was working! At that point of time, being the Asian as I am, I scolded myself for not lifting the V-Power but the normal unleaded instead. But just before that thought left my head, the pump stopped and the digital screen showed 30.00 - it was then I was thankful that I did not lifted that V-Power pump in the first place - ;).

Went back into the car and EY went, "Act normal and let's get out of here!" Haha! The person at the register must have mistakenly keyed in RM30 to that pump and forgotten cancel the transaction. Well, it is not everyday that you can get free gas, right?

So, look at the LCD screen FIRST, the next time you are at the gas station before you stick in your credit card.

Oh, and we (kinda) bumped into Mithz while driving back to work - he was enjoying his sweet juicy papaya at fruit stall by the FTZ guard post.

***

My parents returned from their S. Africa trip on Thursday and were staying over the weekend in Penang. And as usual, it's dim sum for breakie when the grandparents meet grandchild. So, it's Northam Suites for dimsum last weekend. They serve up a pretty nice spread and delicious dim sum. Plus, with a Citibank (or HSBC) credit card, you get a 50% discount off. It was a nice time catching up with my parents on the happenings in Ipoh and also about their trip. Sounded like they really had a good time.

Dim Sum at Northam Suites, Penang

Ab enjoying her egg tart at Northam Suites, Penang

***

By now most of you must have heard about the High Court's ruling that Mohammad Nizar Jamaluddin is the legitimate chief minister (menteri besar) or Perak. It is truly refreshing news indeed, especially after what happened in the State Assembly last Thursday - an incident that was reported in many international media/press - imagine, a Malaysian state's assembly making its way into the international media. It is truly "amazing" and somewhat embarassing at the same time.

But the question that still rings in my mind is that we needed to go all the way to the High Court to fully comprehend the Monarch's powers? We need to have a high court judge to clarify what the ruler's real powers are? Did someone also mention that he was Lord President before (1982-1984, according to Wikipedia)? Well, we may never get the answers to these questions, if you know what i mean.

Well, an interesting turn of events indeed. Oh, and SO coincidentally, the Ruler is not in the country, and Mr Nizar will only meet up with the Prince tomorrow. So, looks like there ARE still some signs of democracy in this country and that the judiciary can still be depended on. Let's hope that what happened in the last 3 months will be learnings for our leaders and not to be soon repeated (if not at all). I guess the policital saga in Perak is far from over, but with this ruling, it truly does turn the tables for the National Front.

boon out...

boon's log 1809.07: Foodie update - Hai Oan Penang Hokkien Mee

2009-05-03T02:20:00.000-07:00

In my previous update on Penang's Top Ten Hawker favourites / hangouts, I mentioned Hai Ann (or Oan)'s Hokkien Mee. Here's are more details... and photos.

Hai Oan, Burmah Road, Penang

CL is back from Perth for family reasons and is staying over at our place. We decided to head down to Hai Oan for breakfast - the place where there is something for everyone.

Hai Ann (Oan) Hokkien Mee Uncle

No, I do not know his name, even after all these years eating there. I find it kinda odd to just spring the question at him, out of the blue, "Uncle, Lu eh mia si hamit?" Anyways, he will always remain as our Hokkien Mee Uncle.

My personal favourite - Loh-cham-Teng

Though he is known as our Hokkien Mee Uncle, our favourite is still his Loh-Cham-Th'ng (Loh mee & Hokkien Mee Mix). We normally upsize it, adding bak kut (pork ribs).

Char Kueh Kak

IL's favourite is the Char Kueh Kak (fried raddish/carrot cake with beansprouts and eggs), which is sold not in the shop's interior, but by the roadside, next to Hai Oan. It is self-service, if you want to enjoy it in Hai Oan - so, you will need to do a little bit of walking.

Loh Bak, though not the best, but still desirable...

You can practically find Loh Bak at any hawker centers / shops in Penang. The one at Hai Oan, though not the best in my list, but is still desirable - CL's favourite.

Ab's favourite at Hai Oan is the Koay Teow Th'ng. I did not manage to snap a photo of this this round - perhaps next time.

boon out...

boon out...

boon's log 1809.02: Randoms - Foodie update, Bohboh in Ipoh, Gifts from Beijing

2009-04-27T17:12:00.000-07:00

We were back in Ipoh 2 weekends back. As usual, the ever-spoiling grandparents treated Ab to dimsum, while IL and I just tagged along (haha!). Oh, IL once held the title "DimSum Queen" in the family - the name given by Ed, our relative from Singapore. But I guess the title has been passed down to Ab, our little DimSum Princess...

The grandparents decided against FohSan because of no air-conditioning and tighter spaces. So we ended up eating at Yoke Fook Moon, along the east side of Jalan Leong Sin Nam, Greentown, Ipoh.

Yoke Fook Moon Hong Kong Dim Sum, Greentown, Ipoh

The food quality used to be better compared to our recent visit 2 Saturdays ago. It is not entirely bad, just used to be comparitively better. Yoke Fook Moon - the restaurant itself has been around for quite a long time - as far as I can remember, at least ~20 years, known by different names - I remembered it used to be called Biscuit Seafood Restaurant (but serving dim sum in the morning).

DimSum at Yoke Fook Moon

YFM will be facing her biggest challenge yet - just a few doors west of YFM, down Leong Sin Nam Street. The sparkling new FohSan DimSum will be opening her doors soon to the DimSum aficionados and connoisseurs from Ipoh and all over Malaysia. Yeah, people actually drive all the way from Penang and KL just to get a taste of FohSan's dimsum.

New FohSan, Ipoh

Of course, with the relocation from the pre-war building along Jalan Mustapha Al-Bakri, to the new location, somethings will never be the same again - e.g. the atmosphere. But I am sure that nostalgic feeling will soon fade away and drowned by the hustling and bustling of the dimsum carts and the waitresses' shouting and not forgeting the mother-load of people standing by your table, waiting for you to finish your food quickly... Typically, FohSan... Let's hope that the move will not impact the quality of food.

Ab's Panda Variety Show - gifts from Beijing

Apart from the eating, Ab was also spoiled with gifts from grandpa and grandma's recent trip to Beijing. More panda toys! But as with most kids, there can only be ONE toy that she loves the most, and that is her BohBoh. CL bought it from Adventist Hospital long time ago and both Ab and BohBoh stuck to each other like glue the moment they met! It's funny, we tried buying "replacement BohBohs" -i.e. same looking ones - but she can tell the difference even when she was 1+ yrs old and expressed that she only wants the original (!!!) and not the "replacements". So we got to make sure that we guard BohBoh with our lives and not risk losing it... or else.

Boh-boh

Last weekend, we were invited to the Parkroyal's Seafood Buffet at the Tamarind Brasserie. It was actually our second visit to Parkroyal in less than 7 days, actually - we were there on Sunday to celebrate our cell member, Jo's birthday.

Parkroyal Seafood Buffet

The food at the Tamarind was just mediocre. Nothing to shout about, really. Apart from the fact that they serve you a whole fish cooked to your liking (Oh you get to choose your own fish from the counter, as well), and slightly bigger sized prawns and lobsters, the rest of the food was just so-so. The spread was rather disappointing while the frequency of replenishing the spread was almost unbearable. Not forgeting some of the waiters were also somewhat ill-mannered. Oh and it is open air with no air-conditioned room/lounge option, unline the competition down the road.

I was told that the price per/pax is ~110 ringgits. Honestly, I would not pay that amount for that quality. I would rather pay a little bit more and head on over to Rasa Sayang's Spice Garden International Buffet on Sundays, and if you are a Citibank credit card holder, you'll even get a 20% discount (They have the air-con option :)).

FengShui at ParkRoyal?

No doubt the refurbished Parkroyal looks good, but I guess they needed a good reno pretty badly also. A whole lot of wood-bamboo-zen-feel in the interior, which is very typical these days, expecially if you are a beach resort. Anyways, nicely done.

Parkroyal Penang Lobby / Coffee Lounge

All in all, it was okay. Will most probably not go back there again, or recommend it to anyone. Seriously for that price, I have many other (better) options to chose from.

boon out...

boon's log 1809.01: In the mail...

2009-04-26T20:08:00.000-07:00

Got this interesting fwded email when I opened up my mailbox this morning while sipping through my Starbucks black coffee. According to the email, this picture was taken in Miri, Sarawak.

Starbucks, Miri, Sarawak. (credit and acknowledgement to the person who took this photo)

Not sure how true it is yet, but at least it's got a Malaysian flag hanging outside of the store, for one. So we can be sure it is somewhere in rural areas of Malaysia. 10 pts to the folks that started this establishment and I sure hope that their coffee is as good as (if not better than) the original Starbucks.

I wonder if other opportunists in the area will be competitive enough to take up the challenge and open up a "Biji Kopi dan Daun Teh" down the road from Setarbak Kopi... ;P

Oh, and notice the tombstone shop next to it? :) Talk about location, location, location...

boon out...

boon's log 1709.05: Honda Row

2009-04-23T17:33:00.000-07:00

Things people do (to either get noticed or to get accepted). Some of the people at work may know or notice this. I find it somewhat hilarious, and to a certain extend ask the question, is it worth it?

There is this particular area in the parking lot at the place where I work, where you will normally find a number of Honda-vehicles parked in a straight line - CRVs, Citys, Civics, Accords. Almost the same cars / drivers try to park there every day, making it look like a Honda-designated parking lots - the Honda Row.

That's not all of it.

In order to ensure that the "Honda Row legacy" lives on from day to day, the Honda drivers actually arrive slightly earlier to work and intentionally park at the "Honda Row", even though there are tons of empty lots that are nearer to the office building. (you can refer to the roughly drawn diagram below)...

Honda Row

A= Honda Row
B= closest empty slot to the office building
Between A & B = empty spaces

Now, I can understand if you are doing this in the US - where the weather is friendlier for the drivers to intentionally park a little further, and then take a short stroll from where they park their car to the office building - it may be because they need that short exercise or perhaps they are just lazy to remember where they park their car.

But in Penang? Where it rains almost every other day? I mean, we are not talking some sissy drizzle type of rain, right?... but bucket-pouring, gates-of-heaven-opening, God-must-be-angry, cats-and-dogs-and-flying-cows type of rain - where using an umbrella merely keeps the top of your head dry.

Now, imagine you are teleported to another place - say for example Tesco, Penang - do you think these same dudes would park 200meters away from the Tesco automated glass doors? Ha! Most probably not (!!!) You will probably find them idling their cars nearest (<90meters) to the glass doors WAITING or HOPING for a car to leave and then take that spot. And Tesco Penang has an indoor car park (!!!).

Somedays, some folks would try to break the "tradition" by intentionally parking their Kancils and their Kenaris there - yeah, the Kancils and Kenaris did the same thing too. Came sligthly earlier to work and skipped all the empty spaces in between and parked at the Honda Row... haha...

Things people do... the Honda row.

boon out...

boon's log 1709.02: mpg

2009-04-20T19:34:00.000-07:00

I found an old graph stored somewhere in one small archived corner. I used to track the mpg / kmpl for my Nissan, which I purchased back in 1999. Gosh, how time flies, by Q3 this year, the car's gonna turn 10. We've been through a lot and been to a lot of places - even all the way down to Singapore once, with my old college mates for a reunion.

I still remember EC and I took off from Penang and then headed down to KL to pick YW up and then proceeded down to Spore to meet up with IN and DW. Spent the weekend there catching up and shopping. Those were great times.

Anyway, the point of this post was the mpg graph. 2003 - that was the year when gas price was at a low of MYR1.35 / liter. I used to be able to get a full tank of gas with just a little over MYR50. Not anymore.

So in the interest of finding out how the mpg degraded across time, I restarted tracking the mpg again and surprised at what I observed - not surprised that it has indeed degraded, but surprised at the amount - a 4.27mpg degradation (or a 1.82kmpl degradation).

That means for every liter, I get almost 2km's less distance that what I used to get 6 years ago. That's 80km less on every full tank. That's a lot. I used to be able to get like 400km on a full tank, but the latest data point only fetched 313.8km.

mpg

I was discussing with IL that we really need to send the car back to the service center for a "full body checkup" and perhaps even an overhaul. Noises are coming out of places that are not supposed to. We've been sending it to a general mechanic for a while because of convenience - he (the mechanic) comes and collects the car from us for service and then brings it back when he's done. Really convenient. But I guess, it is about time that we send it back to Nissan for a proper and thorough service and check-up.

Hopefully it can hold up until Q3 of 2009 for the service and not die on us before then.... ;)

boon out...

boon's log 1709.01: Insecurities

2009-04-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

So many examples of insecurities that are plaguing our society (actually, our leaders) these days. Here are a few analogy that I managed to dig out (well, it does not take much effort, really. Just read the papers...)

1. You host a special function, but you only invite certain friends who only always talk GOOD about you (though they may very well be lying). You do not invite your honest friends who tell the TRUTH about you and your character (it may be not-so-good comments about you or your function, but it is the truth). It's possible because you cannot handle the truth, you fear that others may know about the truth...

2. If you are my friend and you want to say anything about me, there are only certain number of words that you can use - there are certain "BANned" words that you are not allowed to use. If you do, I will hunt you down. You also cannot link my name with certain people's names - especially people that I said that I do not know them (though I may have known them before, but I now, no longer know them). So stop putting my name and their names in the same sentence. If you do, I will again hunt you down. You are afraid that the more people know, the more they will find out about your secrets and the skeletons that are in your closet.

3. Imagine back in high school, if your Class friends are poorly represented in a competition (Let's say, "A Spelling Bee contest"), you dare not help your friend out by representing them because you are not confident at all in winning the contest, you decided not representing them at all - to save you from embarassment.

4. Imagine you are playing marbles with your brothers. And suddenly, your brother seemed to be having the upper hand of winning the game. But you are scared of losing and you quickly went to your Daddy and tried to use unpopular tactics to get your Daddy-o to announce that you won the game, don't have to play anymore and just declare you as the Winner, by order of the King of the House, the Daddy.

If you exhibit any of the above characteristics, then you may be suffering from SIN (Severe INsecurity) Syndrom and may need professional help. You should also abstain from leading any particular group or political party. We cannot run into the risk of having self-centered and insecure politicians leading a country.

boon out...

boon's log 1609.02: Beautiful Imperfections

2009-04-14T00:26:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Imperfections by Yasmin Ahmad

Saw this in Facebook and thought of sharing it here. The ad is targeted primarily at Singaporeans who keep looking for perfections, especially when looking for their life partners, always waiting for "The One" - which has in turn, kept them from getting married. As Yasmin puts it, this is possibly not only happening in Singapore but all around the world - a global disease. Folks are looking for that picture perfect other-half - be it that tall, dark and handsome Abercrombie and Fitch poster guy or that Cosmopolitan supermodel cover girl.

I think this is a great ad and powerfully delivered by "Mrs. Lee". It's like one of those Petronas Chinese New Year ads where it will stick with you for time to come, some may even jerk a tear or two. And yes, those Petronas ads were her ads as well! Yasmin's our very own Anak Malaysia...

Enjoy...

boon out...

boon's log 1609.01: Home Sweet Home

2009-04-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

Final Destination

Home, finally. There's truly no place like home. There at the airport was IL and Ab - the 2 faces that I would never trade anything for. Pure gold. The last leg of the trip was, to be honest, MUCH better than the earlier one, with reclinable seats! Happyluyah! But it was only just a 3+hr flight. Just enough to catch an episode of No Reservations and then a short nap.

Hong Kong International Airport

The most typical question that people ask me whenever i come back to Penang is, "What is the first thing you would want to attack first - foodwise?" I normally would list the following - boonspot's Top Ten Penang Hawker hangouts:
1. Sar Teow Lor's Wan Ton Mee
2. Innira's Banana Leaf (Now known as Passion of Kerala)
3. New Lane's Char Koay Teow
4. Hai Ann's Hokkien Mee (Burmah Road)
5. Carnarvon St's Loh Mee and Loh Bak
6. Jelutong Market's Mee Goreng/Rebus
7. Kimberly Street's Kueh Chiap
8. Pulau Tikus Market's Lok Lok
9. Pulau Tikus Roast Pork/Chicken/CharSiu Rice Shop (Burma+Cantonment junc.)
10. Penang Girls School's Laksa

I have yet to complete the list since i touched down. Perhaps just 50% of that list. what a shame, ain't it?! :)

Ab started her day school 3 weeks ago. but the school had to shut down for 1.5weeks (10 days) because one of kids contracted Kowsacki and a lot of the parents requested for the school to close and be sanitized - which is a good thing, but that means ~7 over days without school. Some of our rellies asked us to ask for a refund for that 7 days. haha! Anyway, it is a good precautionary measure. Better be safe, than sorry.

Ab's School

She seems to like her new school, pretty okay. I guess it's because the system they adopt is quite similar to that in Goddard, when were in Hillsboro before. A lot of teachings of being independent and sharing among friends and also developing motor skills. Making friends and remembering their names and her teacher's names since the second day at school.

Ab washing her hands with her Korean friend

I had the chance to bring her to school during her 2 week orientation. She cried a little when i left her alone with her friends and teachers, but she calmed and settled down quickly and started eating and playing with the rest of her friends.

We'll see how things go for a few more weeks before we decide whether to keep her there. As what they say at work - we'll have a checkpoint in a few week's time. :)

I leave you with Anthony Bourdain's Quote in No Reservation:Hawaii...

"I happen to believe, if you look deeply into the heart of every great cook, there's a Chinese guy."

boon out...

boon's log 1409.06: Transiting in HK

2009-04-03T18:41:00.000-07:00

Homeward bound. And looking forward to it. The past one month was truly stressful both work-wise and non-work-wise. On one hand things were backed up at work due to tight (and unbelieveble) schedules and screw-ups in timelines, while on the other hand, being away from home is not really helping. Skype-ing did not really help either.

Anyways, that month's passed and now i am just hours away from the warm comforts of home - 4 more hours of transit in HK and ~3 more hours in the air. And what else is there to do in HK during a 4-hr-transit other than to eat, right? ;) And what else to eat, if not the famous HK WanTon Noodle and wash it all down with their Iced Milk Tea. Ahh... simply, heavenly...

King's Palace Noodle at the HK Int'l Airport

Especially after enduring an awful 13+ hour flight with Cathay Pacific Airlines. Cathay Pac seemed to have refurbished the interior of their older 747s. All I can say is that it is (very) possible whoever they hired as the interior designer - does not have a backbone (!). The new seats are non-reclinable. Yeah, non-reclinable seats. Instead of reclining, the bottom part of the seat actually slides forward creating a pseudo-reclining posture. Imagine being stuck in that for 13+ straight hours. It is really absurd for anyone to come up with this sort of design. Really, really awful. Apparently it creates more leg-room, but I do not see how anyone would trade leg room for non-reclinable seats.

Anyways, I would strongly discourage anyone from taking Cathay Pac. I would not want anyone to endure this, first hand. I was actually given a choice between SIA or Cathay Pac - but I decided to take Cathay Pac as it was (supposedly) slightly cheaper than the former, thinking that it could not be that bad, plus it can save some bucks.

Well, despite the unergonomic experience, perhaps there is one plus to the new interior - their entertainment system. It comes with an 8in LCD screen and a pretty cool controller system - this may be the only win against SIA's entertainment system.

Even so, nothing can possibly make up for the seats. The seats, man... them lousy seats!

Alright, done with my wonton noodle from "heaven" (and complaining). More blog and pics later.

boon out...

boon's log 1309.02: Accidental Jazz

2009-03-24T11:17:00.000-07:00

MI, VH and I were on our way back to the hotel after we were rained down while we were at the Portland Saturday (/Sunday) Market and we saw a banner that said "Sunday Jazz, 4PM). It was Sunday and 12PM at that time and I told the guys that it'll be interesting and I was thinking of joining and will meet up with them for dinner after the that. Agreements all around, and about 3:30PM I headed back to downtown, to the Old Church, on 11th and Clay. was 5mins early and decided to hang around the church to take some shots and then headed in, at 4PM as 3 others walked in with me.

The Old Church, Portland, OR

As we entered, the 3 suddenly stopped jsut after the main doors before the ushers' table, and I stopped too - probably because the Host/Chair was speaking at the podium. a few minutes later, I decided to approach the usher at the table and asked if I can sit anywhere and the response was, "Yeah, sure. It'll be $20 if you are not a student. Are you a student?"

"Nope," and I fished out the money for her, puzzled.

She later saw my puzzled face and told me that it was a Jazz Concert that happens every Sunday at the Old Church. And handed me my change and a pamphlet explaining the artists performing that night.

Woah! A Church that rents out the main hall for Jazz functions. How cool! I made myself comfortable and the next 2 hours was simply jazz-tastic.

It was Alfredo (like the sauce) Muro and his Latin Ensemble.

Alfredo Muro and his Latin Ensemble

And to top it up (kinda), there was a draw for next week's tickets and posters. And my number came up for the posters. My number came up 2 short of next week's tix. Anyways, it was also nice to chat with them afterwards and get the signatures. It was a very informal gig - unplugged. Worth the accidental loss of 20bucks. :)

Inside Old Church

boon out...

boon's log 1109.03: Away from home again...

2009-03-11T08:23:00.001-07:00

I had to be away from home and my two ladies again, and this time it's going to be for a slightly longer time than before - work beckons and in times like these, I guess one would embark on any opportunity available - though for me, it was quite a tough decision to make. After much discussion with my immediate management and also my counterparts in the states, we came to an agreement for a shorter period of travel/engagement that what was agreed previously. Budget secured and the next thing I know, I was on a flight heading to OR once again, missing my ladies terribly. Somehow with the advancement of technology - Skype and all that - just does not make me miss them any less... Sigh.

And the stiff neck is not helping either - it is either the lousy hotel pillows or too much staring into programming codes on a un-ergonomically placed computer screen...Urgh!

Portland downtown by night overlooking the Willamette

Anyways, met up with MI and VH who are also here for a short trip - similar deal. So the three of us made sure we kept each other company most of the time - especially during meals. It's been good.

Well, into my second week now and ~2 more to go. Really hope that I get to complete what I came here to do. God willing perhaps I can even pull-in my return. :)

Weather's been rather tricky since I arrived - cloudless skies (but low 30's F) during the weekdays - what we would like to term as nice weather, and rainy weekends! Well, it kinda worked out well last weekend as we spent most of it shopping (!!!). Mostly getting stuffs for Ab and also our rellies.

Well, back to work. Just a short post this time.

Oh, and I am still searching for a good place to watch the MU-Liv showdown this Saturday... and it is at 6-(freaking)-AM... Though many of us may already know not to set our expectations too high - but a 4-0 win yesterday against Real Madrid indeed does increase our confidence a little... Pray hard... You will never walk alone.

boon out...

boon's log 0909.01: Oh Pening! What's happening?

2009-02-22T21:51:00.000-08:00

From the last time I blogged, it seems like the Malaysian political scene is deteriorating - just like what the global economy - falling deeper and deeper into the abyss. When will we recover from this pointless political dispute and focus our energy and resources on how best to weather through this global "storm"?

As the rest of the world talks about economic recovery plans, it seems like our leaders are more interested about what (luxury) cars are the big guns driving (and how they plan to finance the maintenance of the car) or how many cows are being changed hands or how to spend money (unnecessarily) in sending lawyers and reprentatives on a free trip half way around the world to London in trying to get a second opinion from the Queen's Council or setting up an Anti Corruption body that now seemed to be taking sides when passing un-confirmed and pre-mature judgements on individuals.

Gosh, the list goes on and on.... and on. What is happening to Malaysia? It is indeed sad to see the state that we are in now - especially when we've just celebrated our 50 years of independance - an event we so proudly and gallantly declare to the world!

But seriously how far have we progressed from 1957?

Well, 50 years and 5 Prime Ministers later, we are still debating about cars and cows (and eggs).

50 years of independance from the British and 5 Prime Ministers later, we still run back to Big Momma's House, seeking the Queen's Council for their opinion. What a total embarassment?

"Mommy, Mommy, the other party bullied me!"

50 years of independance and 5 Prime Ministers later, the national anthem was changed twice - once in 1992 to a much faster marching beat (where some related it to a circus song), and another time, sometime in 2003 where the beat was reverted back to the original tempo - after much objections from Malaysians. It was during the second change also, when there was a proposal to change the Title of the national anthem from Negaraku, to Malaysiaku - which was later reportedly dropped.

We were asked (or told) to respect the monarchy, but does the monarchy respect the wishes of people whom He so openly declare that He cares so much about? That certainly remains questionable and many thinks that He's just doing a Milli Vanilli...

Well, in the same breath as we sing those powerful words of the National Anthem, in asking God for bessings of happiness and for our Kings (and rulers) to rule in peace, I'd like to add that we also pray that God will grant Them (our Rulers and Kings) wisdom and knowledge to rule the land in fairness and in truth, impartial to any individual or political party, knowing well that though all things may be permissible, but not all things are benefitial to the state, to the country and to the people living in it. They should work together with the government, i.e. the government elected by the people, for the betterment of the country and the people.

Oh, and for goodnes sake, please leave the personal lives of single female politicians alone. What else are they going to come up with next? Naked baby photos of them when they were 1 or 2 years old? It's not like she committed any crime or broken any law. It's not like she was married with 3 children and THEN stared in a scandalous DVD - well, even THEN you can still make a come back into the political scene - a magical feat that some folks have sucessfully proven to be working.

if you have the time, take a look at the people at the newspaper stands - how many of them, when picking up their usual dailies, shakes their heads upon reading the headlines these days? I, am one of them.

boon out...

boon's log 0709.02: Happy Chinese New Year?

2009-02-09T20:21:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year to all. Quite a delayed post due to the unfortunate sequence of events. First Ab fell sick 11 days before CNY, and was later admitted into hospital for high fever. She was only discharged on the day before CNY. Our CNY plans had to be re-scrubbed in order to work around that. Then, not long after that, Ab handed the baton over to IL and she fell sick with a throat infection. I guess it's the weather and also the fact that both of them have not been drinking enough water... Anyways, thanks to all who've been praying for both my ladies. They are very much better now.

Being back in Malaysia, I guess it is very hard to not to know or hear or feel or talk about the policical tension/scene that is so real and so heated - not to mention so silly and embarassing. For some reasons, I cannot imagine the same exact political scene, that has been created by our so-called "leaders", happenning in any other country - I just cannot. It is like a kids playing with toy trucks in a sand box. It's like playing Hide-and-seek. It's like playing a game of tag or monopoly. Watching the Malaysian Political Scene unfold is like watching WWE on the telly - it's like there is no rules and no laws at all.

The recent events have really opened barrels and barrels of worms and maggots that reside in Malaysia Politics - something that I guess it is a known fact but not until recently, it has been so openly exhibited. And imagine, these are the people that we have leading our country; these are the people that we are supposed to trust; supposed to look up to and respect; these are people who are supposed to be role models for the community. Honestly, how?

I was at my local barber shop recently and hearing people laughing at our DPM for denying the fact that Malaysia is affected by the global economic situation that the world is in. What a joke! Politicians turning up at police stations lodging police reports against other politicians over a statement about an Egg.

An Egg?!

Imagine Senator McCain going to his local police station lodging a report against Obama about a statement that Obama may have made about a sausage that he ate while dining at a local Denny's?! What crap?!

Embarassing, utterly shameful. 50 years of democracy and we have not progressed from when we started. Perhaps instead of sending our "leaders" to Taiwan on a much "controversial" agricultural rearch study trip, we should have sent them to developed, first-world countries to learn about how to excel in running a political party and a country; to learn how to "see past the egg".

Trust me (written with hint of sarcasm), don't trust anyone who tells you that Malaysia is not affected by the current economic crisis. And as the world economy takes a deep dive (ours not excluded) I seriously think that they (our "dear respected leaders") should start to put more time and burn more calories in figuring out ways on how to weather through this storm and stop playing political games; start to think and work for the benefit of the people who voted for them and stop thinking only about themselves; start living up to your people's expectations and stop letting us down time and time again; ...

stop rallying for people to boycott the big brothers (i.e. US) - imagine what would happen to Malaysia if they (The US) backfired and remove all investments in Malaysia and ask all US companies to boycott Malaysia - who will be at the losing end then? Start strategizing on how to make the best out of the existing situation with all the friends and allies and networks that we still have. Will the US ever FEEL it if we boycott buying their products? Will they (The US) feel it if we boycott a US singer from holding her concert in Malaysia? - perhaps her fans will just travel to the next nearest concert venue - there goes a few duffle bags of ringgits flowing out of Malaysia. Really, we depend on them more than they do on us.

These are simple facts and figures and it is not rocket science. Irregardless of which party you stand by/support, i believe we cannot pin-point at one single party or coalition for the recent political embarassment. Everyone has their part to play. The elected should get their acts together and get them together quick!

Having said all that, I hope that 2009 will not be as bad as many of us feared and I sincerely hope, our "leaders" can get their act together and start acting like real leaders and make the right and mindful decisions and we brave through the storm together. Blessed New Year to all...

Lou Sang

Ninth-Day

This is like a scene from some HK ganster movie...

fireworks near our place during the CNY ninth day celebration

boon out...

boon's log 0309.03: We're home!

2009-01-13T18:07:00.001-08:00

Moonshot 011309

We've arrived home safely last Thursday - I cannot say that it was a smooth ride all the way back, though. We had to squat in a hotel suite because we were "kicked" out of our apartment because our contract expired and we could not depart on our original departure date because of the snow storm... and after the snow, came the heavy rain and flood and flights continued to be delayed and foggy SanFran lived up to her foggy-reputation which had us circling in the air for about an hour before we were given the greenlight to land - what was supposed to be 1hr flight ended up being a 2hr flight. Oh and the amount of turbulence... and the list goes on... Anyways, believe me when I say, I am so glad to be home!

IL and I have been attacking the local food eversince we touchedown and so far, the food's been really good and we are not disappointed. While Ab's been pretty much kidnapped from us (by our relatives) and we pretty much have all the time to ourselves to unpack, clean up, unpack again and clean up again and hawker-hopping for the past 5-6 days. We even managed to squeeze Keanu Reeves' latest The Day the Earth Stood Still in between (which by the way was a disappointment, probably 1.5/5 stars). I fell asleep more than 3 times during the entire movie.

Things in and around Penang are what we expected it to be. Quite some changes, but not much that is of a surprise to us.

The only thing that came as a surprise to us was the passing away of our dear friend Hong Leong. We are assured that he has left this world to be in a better place.

Lim Hong Leong: 1958-2009

Our deepest and heartfelt condolences go out to Lean Bee and Hui Ling. May God continue to watch over them and bring healing to their hearts and grant them peace.

Write up from The Star, by Ng Su-Ann

He was known as the “punny guy” because he was never short of puns, and he was proud of it.

His tongue-in-cheek wit never failed to bring a smile even to the gloomiest face.

The Star Penang’s assistant chief photographer Lim Hong Leong, died after 5.30am yesterday following a short illness at Island Hospital. He was 51.

Lim will always be remembered for his quips.

Instead of the usual “Let’s go have a meal”, he would entreat us with “Let’s go stuff our face” or “We go for CKT (char koay teow)”.

One of his mischievous remarks was “God gave us relatives but thank God, we can choose our friends.”

Even on Facebook, his humour was distinct. He named his virtual pet – a crab – Dinner.

Lim, who joined The Star’s Penang office in the late 1970s, was described as a jack of all trades.

He worked as a driver, a paste-up artist and a clerk before joining the photo department in 1981.

“He was a jovial father figure to rookies and trainees. His positive outlook of life made him easy to get along with,” said Penang chief photographer Ng Ah Bak.

Lim also had a passion for music.

“He played the guitar and loved jam sessions with other fellow journalists. Lim also played the guitar at church services,” said another colleague.

In 1984, he won a gold medal for taking a photograph of a nude man who was walking around in public, dubbed the Sunday Streaker.

His picture was adjudged by the Kedah Photography Society as the best of many entries from the northern region.

He will also be remembered as a devoted husband and a doting father.

Lim would always place family above everything else.

He leaves behind his wife Ong Lean Bee, 47, and an only child, Hui Ling, 22, whom he always referred to as “my Sim Kua (heart)”.

His body has been taken to the Batu Gantong funeral parlour.

The funeral service will be held at 11am tomorrow and his remains will be cremated at the Batu Gantong crematorium.

boon out...

boon's log 5208.04: Blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year

2008-12-25T14:20:00.000-08:00

Another Christmas, and another New Year ahead. And it is also the time for us to bid OR farewell once again. It's been an really fun and interesting year. Our first relocation with Ab and it was really a nice family time together. Ab's truly enjoyed her school here and I'm sure that she is going to miss it. On her last day, we went about taking pictures with all her teachers, and I think i caught a little sparkle on IL's eyes. Well, yeah, they've been like a family to us too and they've been really nice to Ab. So much so that one of Ab's teachers even made a scrap book of her filled with pictures of her and her friends - that came with a CD too. Really nice of her.

And how better than to end the year with a surprise White Christmas. Yeah, the snow lasted right until Christmas Day since we last posted about it, making it a true White Christmas. Loads of pictures, loads of fun. But the snow also gave us some headache as well - we had to defer our return trip back to Penang because of the unexpected heavy snow fall from the Arctic winds - giving the US North West more snow than previous years. Well, depending on who you ask, the last time this part of the US saw so much snow was probably 15-20 years ago, with a record of 20inches of snow (in 1949). This year, I think we hit ~18inches, almost breaking the record books.

Well, it's busy busy busy with packing packing packing - the nightmare of relocations. Well, this may be my last post for the year. Hope you all enjoyed my posts and sights from the America North West (more in this post, below). So let's raise your glasses, and here's to a great 2008 and looking forward to a wonderful 2009. Happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Take care...

Sitting on the fence...

Frozen fruit...

Perfect combination... Glenfiddich

"Lalang on ice"

Alder St at night

Dashing through the snow...

"Freeze your butt off" seat

Have a (cold) wonderful day

Snow Trail

Snow+Ice

Alder St.

"Mobile Igloo"

Strolling along cold Alder

White Christmas 2008

Late night additions:

Slush

The Max

Christmas lights around our neighbourhood

Christmas lights around our neighbourhood

Christmas lights around our neighbourhood

boon out...

boon's log 5108.05: JPJ is Funny

2008-12-19T13:58:00.000-08:00

I decided to take look into the JPJ Web today to check out the safety belt thingy to see what the real requirements are and here is what I found out:

1. Not ALL the passengers in the back seat are REQUIRED to wear seatbelts. We just need to make sure that ALL the seat belts are used. For example, if you have 4 people sitting at the back of the car, ONLY 3 of them need to wear seatbelt, the 4th person does not need a seatbelt.
2. It is not a requirement for infants / children to be in the car seats. It is just a advise (menasihatkan).

You can read more here:
1. http://portal.jpj.gov.my/v5/index.php/Penguatkuatkuasaan-Pemakaian-Tali-Pinggang-Keledar-Tempat-Duduk-Belakang - which actually redirects to the following website (#2):
2. http://jomklik.panducermat.org.my/
a. Sekiranya bilangan penumpang melebihi dari bilangan tali pinggang tempat duduk belakang, pemandu kenderaan tersebut bertanggungjawab untuk memastikan kesemua tali pinggang keledar tempat duduk belakang yang ada digunakan sepenuhnya. Sekiranya gagal, tindakan undang-undang akan dikenakan terhadap pemandu kenderaan tersebut.
b. In the FAQ Page:
i. Pihak JKJR menasihatkan para ibubapa agar menggunakan tali keledar bersama kerusi atau jenis tempat duduk keselamatan kereta mengikut umur /berat kanak-kanak atau bayi.

So my conclusion is:
1. It is okay to have number-of-passengers more than the number-of-seatbelts, just make sure that all the seatbelts are used. So please prioritize your passengers on who should get the seatbelts (for safety purposes) or one-two-som to see who gets the seatbelt (judging from the response, losing may be not necessarily be a bad thing here - since many find that wearing seatbelts at the back seat as troublesome).
2. Kids can continue to roam around the vehicle as they did since as far as I can remember. Car seats are not a requirement.

I still remember that my grandmother always complain about the seatbelts and she hates sitting in the co-driver seat and opts to seat at the back everytime (even when there's no one at the front) - which is fine by me. But seems like now, it does not matter where she seats, she will still need to use the seatbelt EXCEPT of course if she is the 6th person in a normal sedan car or the 8th person in an MPV (or 9th depending on the seating capacity)... then she is EXEMPTED from wearing seatbelts, according to the Road safety Rules, released by JPJ.

Hilarious!

boon out...

boon's log 5108.03: Winter Wonderland...

2008-12-18T02:01:00.000-08:00

More snow today and more expected in the next few days. The last I checked, weather.com forecasted the snow/rain to continue through to Christmas - so, looks like we may very well have a White Christmas after all (accurately speaking...). Here are some more photos...

A girl having fun making a snowman

Snowman at our apartment complex

HT, YY, TE and a new-found-friend (behind TE) attempting to make a snowman...

More snow...

Mixture of snow and rain

trees behind out apartment

Clear skies on a cold winter's night

Cold morning

boon out...

boon's log 5008.07: Let it snow... let it snow... let it snow...

2008-12-14T22:43:00.000-08:00

Woke up this morning to a pleasant surprise. It's snowing! And it's not small-time snow - like what we've normally experienced in OR before. Typically, it will just snow and by the time the snow hits the ground it melts and becomes water.

This time, it's really pouring snow, covering roads, cars, root tops, etc.. 2-3 inches this morning (during the day) and reportedly another 2-3 more inches of snow tonight. This is by far, the most snow we've seen here. So much so, there was a memo from the office advising us to work from home on Monday. Like most Hollywood movies where the kids get to skip school because of heavy snow / storm... "Cool!".

Anyways, we needed to go out to get food (groceries) and also we promised Ab to get her her dosage of Chicken McNuggets, French Fries and Chocolate milk - plus we had some favors that from our rellies that we need to fulfill.

The roads were okay at first, but as most experienced folks would tell you, it gets worse when the road freezes up. The disappointing thing is that there were no snow-plows or rock salt on the roads. The road authorities should have anticipated this and be more prepared... Anyways, we saw cars in ditches, into trees, stalled by the freeways, and many skidding cars (we were one of them too). Freeways with speed limits at 55mph saw cars traveling at 15-20mph... Here are some sights - some of them may look familiar to some of you...

Behind our apartment

Let it snow...

Ab enjoying the snow with Mommy in the warmth of our apartment...

Kids playing in the snow

Not a very common sight...

More views of snow from our apartment

Uwajimaya, Asian Food Market

OR 217

2-3 inches with 2-3 inches more...

boon out...

boon's log 4908.03: Catching up: Back to Penang, Waikiki, Thanksgiving, and a Birthday Celebration...

2008-12-03T14:57:00.000-08:00

It's been a pretty busy November. I had to return to Penang for a week and got detoured to KL for a few days and managed to catch up with some relatives there.

Upon arriving back in OR, I only had a day's rest before departing to Hawaii for our annual vacation - actually our (IL and I) first real vacation with Ab. Ab thoroughly enjoyed it - the parents were dead tired... but it was fun. So much so that Ab resisted to leave the island - she unrolled the beach mat and lied down on the floor and closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep, as IL and I were rolling the bags out of the hotel room getting ready for checkout (!!!). She enjoyed the Sun, the sand and the swimming. She even dipped her legs and hands into the cold Pacific waters.

Thanksgiving was filled with turkeys and shopping, as usual. Just that this year, we were invited over to a simple Thanksgiving gathering / dinner in EC's place. It was a huge turkey - enough to feed 7 adults and 4 kids! We were filled - God bless you, EC and CL.

And finally, it was Ab's 2nd birthday. She's got presents being sent in from all over and some were in-proxy. She had a nice time having her party with her buddies at school and then we had dinner with some of our colleagues, YY, SbS, HT, and TE. She also had a blast opeining all her presents and looking forward to getting home everyday to play with her new toys!

And with dat... in comes December 2008. Man this year did zoom by fast.

Flying back to Penang...

Arriving at LAX

LAX International

A380 at LAX International

Waikiki Sunset

Waikiki Sunset

Waikiki with Diamond Head in the background

Marina outside at our hotel

USS Arizona Memorial

Japanese miniature planes in the memorial

The modified torpedo, just like the one in the movie

USS Arizona Memorial

The Shrine Room, USS Arizona Memorial

USS Arizona Memorial

Where we stayed in HNL

Waikiki, Hawaii

Ab's footprints...

Sand Cars

Ab's tools and equipments...

EC&CL's Thanksgiving Party

Seasoned hands, entertaining the Thanksgiving/Christmas shoppers at Washington Square Mall

Happy Birthday Ab!

Presents!

Ab's Birthday Cup Cakes

Ab celebrating her birthday with her friends in school

"Dear Santa..."

Oh, and finally, it's not news anymore, but Obama made history when he defeated his Republican presidential candidate opponent with a landslide victory to become, the first black American President. I was told that Kenya even declared that "victorious" day as a public holiday. Well, many see this as another chapter in American history that embraces a next level of diversity and opportunity. This grand slam also revived MLK's "dream", when he delivered his powerful speech at the Lincoln Memorial, in Washington DC, on August 28th, 1963... Challenging times ahead and hopefully with a little bit of young blood in office will help...

boon out...

boon's log 4508.02: America Decides...

2008-11-04T09:44:00.000-08:00

D-Day for the US Elections. After months of political conventions and conferences, debates and showdowns, frontal, point-blank attacks on television and radio ads on measures and political stand/belief... it's time, America! Well, what or how America decides today, not only affects America alone, but the rest of the world too. But evidently, people are already predicting a landslide victory in favor of the younger, more popular Democrat. Well, it'll be written in stone by tomorrow morning.

Incidently, we were also in the US during the Bush-Gore Elections - but that was a different story and a tougher and more "kan-cheong" fight. This time around, the atmosphere is less tense, comparatively...

America Decides

Well, whoever America decides today, he has a tough road in front of him, with the recession and economy downturn. Well, let's hope their plans for the economic transformation will work out. So while America votes, the rest of the world can only sit, wait and pray...

boon out...

boon's log 4408.01: Fall pictures (cont'd)

2008-11-03T00:38:00.000-08:00

Here are more pics of fall...

On "Fire"

Migration

Shades of Fall...

Ab enjoying her B-Bread (Auntie Anne's Pretzel)

Fallen

boon out...

boon's log 4308.07: Fall pictures from the weekend

2008-10-26T21:22:00.000-07:00

October has got to be my favourite month of the year (!!!). It's really colourful and you'd appreciate the cool breeze and somewhat sunny skies, especially when you've endured 100-over degrees of Summer - PLUS it's before the gloomy and cloudy and dull winter kick in. We went out on a fall-image-hunt during the weekend, and here's the results...

Portland Downtown, OR

Portland Downtown, OR

Portland Downtown, OR

Portland Downtown, OR

Portland Downtown, OR

The following few were taken while strolling alont Portland's Farmers' Market. The Portland's Farmers' Market happens every Saturday, from 8:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. while in the months of November and December, it happens from 9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. It's situated near the Portland State University, between SW Harrison and Montgomery. It's something like our very own Pasar Tani... :)

Portland's Farmers' Market

Portland's Farmers' Market

Portland's Farmers' Market

Portland's Farmers' Market

Portland's Farmers' Market

These were taken at a little park just behind where stay...

Fall, OR

Fall, OR

boon out...

boon's log 4308.06: Friday Lunch at Helvetia Tavern

2008-10-25T08:50:00.001-07:00

We've been here before, but it must have been like 5-6 years ago, when our friend, DA, introduced us to this rustic, country-side-like styled tavern. The interior setting gives you the sort of atmosphere you'd expect when you hear the word "tavern" - like something that came out from a country flick - swinging doors, huge heavy log tables and benches, bar top stools, open grill kitchen, flickering neon lights, etc. Haha... well done Hollywood!

Helvetia Tavern, OR

Helvetia Tavern, OR

Inside the tavern

The 2 asses outside the tavern

Anyways, they serve a killer-type lunch/hamburger there. The one that they are famous for, called the "Jumbo Burger" and their fresh cut fries. Being back there again does bring back some memories. EYT was talking about how MM used to order Cheeseburger because he thought it was only cheese in it! Ah the good ol' days.

The Menu

The Jumbo

Another view of the Jumbo

The drive there was rather scenic also.

Scenic drive...

boon out...

boon's log 4308.01: Brunch at OCAC, Clockwork, Lincoln City and Kungfu Panda Crackers...

2008-10-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

KY and EY's in town and KY suggested to go to OCAC for his Birthday brunch... so, there we went. Then we broke of from the group and headed down to Lincoln City for some more Fall shopping, while the rest headed over to Woodburn. EY's got a shopping list from his boss that he needs to complete... :) Photos below...

Outside Hands-On Cafe, OCAC - Oregon College of Art and Craft

Inside Hands-On Cafe; a cozy place, with near-home-cook American-type breakfast...

IL's Pancake delight...

My Lamb / salad dish...

Clockworks at the gallery ...

Clockwork at the gallery (oops... No photos please! :P)

Lincoln City...

Ab's enjoying her "Kungfu" Panda Crackers

boon out...

boon's log 4208.07: Moon Shot 002

2008-10-19T01:14:00.000-07:00

It was quite a clear night, so I decided to look out for the moon and lo' and behold, there it was... Here's a shot of the moon.

moon_shot_002

Shooting information
Filename: moon_shot_002
Shooting Date: 10/19/2008 12:24:12 AM
Shooting Mode: Manual Exposure
Tv (Shutter Speed): 1/60
Av (Aperture Speed): 8.0
Metering Mode: Evaluative Metering
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: 55-200 mm
Focal Length: 200.0 mm

boon out...

boon's log 4208.03: FullMoon

2008-10-15T00:44:00.000-07:00

Shooting Information
Filename: Moon_Shot_001
Shooting Date: 10/15/2008 12:08:49 AM
Shooting Mode: Manual Exposure
Tv (Shutter Speed): 1/250
Av (Aperture Speed): 8.0
Metering Mode: Evaluative Metering
ISO Speed: 100
Lens: 55-200 mm
Focal Length: 200.0 mm

boon out...

boon's log 4108.07: Multnomah Falls, Sunday Surprises: The Word and Gas Prices

2008-10-12T23:23:00.001-07:00

It was a nice sunny Saturday and we decided to take a drive east on I-84, to the Multnomah Area, along the Columbia River Gorge. (Almost) As usual, we headed downtown to Chen's for brunch first, and then headed east. It was a pleasant scenic drive. It's always nice to take a slow drive along the the historic route - you can almost never get tired of it. I've heard that hiking up the falls' quite a blast, but have yet to do it. Someday... someday...

A spider spinning its web to catch its lunch on Saturday afternoon

Vista House, Columbia River Gorge, OR-side

Scenic historic route along the Columbia River Gorge, OR

View of the Columbia River Gorge from Vista House

Multnomah Falls, OR

Sunday Surprises

Woke up on Sunday morning to a pleasant surprise. Ab was flipping through her bible on the window pane and thought it was nice... She's feeling a little bit under the weather these few days - hopefully that it will not develop into something worse.

Sunday Surprise #1: The Bible

Another pleasant surprise happened at the gas station. We went for a fillup after our drive yesterday and discovered that the gas price has dipped below $3 per gallon - much earlier than what the analysts predicted, i.e. end of the year or early 2009. Well, it is good news indeed. Hopefully, it will also mean that gas prices at home will be reduced accordingly.

Sunday Surprise #2: Gas Prices dip below $3 per gallon

boon out...

boon's log 4108.01: Pumpkins, Todai, Blindman Biscuit, Downtown...

2008-10-06T18:34:00.000-07:00

It was a quiet weekend. Rained in mostly. Here are some pictures from the weekend...

Pumpkins: The Halloween Festivities are moving into high gear...

From the "mountain" that brought you the "Invisible Leg" kungfu style, here's Blindman's Biscuit

Todai Buffet...

Bottomless Salmon and Tuna... and more(this photo was taken specially for EYT)

Yummy... Not sure which helping this was...

Took a stroll downtown and took a few shots...

Portland Downtown

Portland Downtown

Portland Downtown

boon out...

boon's log 3908.06: Good Weather and Cannon Beach

2008-09-28T00:17:00.000-07:00

This ought to be one of the very last few sunny weekends as we head in to Fall. So, we took advantage of it and went up to Cannon Beach / Ecola State Park on Saturday. The weather was better than that which the weatherman forecasted - rare, but it was. It was a nice relaxing time just strolling along the beach and lazing around downtown taking in all that Cannon Beach had to offer in that few hours. We planned to return if time permits - after all, it is only an hour's drive away...

Here are some images...

Cute Mr Bean-type car, good advertisement strategy...

Seagulls in Cannon Beach

Cannon Beach...

Seagulls at Cannon Beach

Cannon Beach, OR

Cannon Beach, OR

Cannon Beach, OR

Typical "cottage-industries" along N Hemlock St, Cannon Beach, OR

Interesting looking flower

One of the pubs along N Hemlock St

Another Harley Photo...

View of Cannon Beach from Ecola State Park

View of Cannon Beach from Ecola State Park

Ecola State Park, OR

Ecola State Park, OR

Ecola State Park, OR

boon out...

boon's log 3808.07: Clone Troopers, Ab's shopping weekend, Washable stamps, Thomas and Friends, and Glen...

2008-09-21T02:42:00.000-07:00

It was one of those lazee, gloomy, rainy weekends. The weekend started at around 11 on Saturday... Yawn! Anyways, we eventually headed down to chinatown for brunch - at Chens's, again - then we hit Toy's R' Us, followed by the Washington Mall. Ab really enjoyed Toy's R ' Us. We spent most of the afternoon there (and most of our money too! ;)) We bought her the Thomas and Friends Wooden train set and some puzzles.

She really liked Thomas the Train (must have been the daycare center(!!!)). We set up the train set and she would not let go of it - everything else around her seemed to have vanished - it was just her and Thomas the Train. It took us a while to persuade her that Thomas was tired and needs to go to sleep before getting her to go to sleep too... Sunday was same-old, same old - late lunch and groceries. We were thinking of heading down to Woodburn, but we had to live up to the lazee weekend, so, we decided to just stay put.

Here are some images of the weekend...

"Four seas, one family" - Entrance into Chinatown

Roasted goodies at Chen's

Clone Troopers

Ab take a rest while Mom and Dad shopped...

Ab enjoying stamping her hands...

Thomas the Train and James at the background...

Saturday sunset...

And winding down the weekend with Glen...

boon out...

boon's log 3808.02: Last days of summer...

2008-09-17T00:10:00.000-07:00

Went to the State Zoo again with Ab - her favourite place. She just loves the animals. The weather was just great for a enjoyable late afternoon stroll. It was just Ab and me this time - some Father-daughter day out, and gave Mommy some time-out...

boon out...

boon's log 3708.05: Pics from the weekend...

2008-09-12T00:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a photolog of our weekend in Seattle last weekend...

boon out...

boon's log 3708.04: 7th Anniversary

2008-09-11T14:59:00.006-07:00

It was 11:00PM Penang time when I logged into an audio conference meeting with my US Counterparts. I still remembered vividly, DA (one of my counterparts) had called in from home that early Tuesday morning, Pacific Standard Time. About half way through the meeting, we could hear his wife shout from the kitchen and we asked what had happened... and he told us what, until today still bring shivers to the bone - "My wife just told me that a commercial airline has slammed right into one of the World Trade Center Towers..."

While the people in NYC, at what is known now as Ground Zero, were running for their lives, I almost felt as if the rest of the world came to a standstill... Terrorism in broad day light, in one of the largest cities in the world, in the city that never sleeps....

All the attendees in my meeting were horrified. We quickly ended the meeting and dashed home. I remembered calling IL at home telling her the horrific story - who immediately called my sister-in-law to make sure that she was okay (who by the way was MILES away from New York - in Tulsa). But well, it was just precautionary... but the family soon discovered that the phonelines into the United States were jammed! Well, we soon got to her and confirmed that she was alright.

The rest of the night were pretty much spent glued to the telly, tuned to the CNN channel.

And it's been 7 years past now. How time flies. And how most people around the world may have easily forgotten about the horrific incident on that dreadful Tuesday morning. There is a sense of solemn-ness, being here in the US as this nation remembers 9/11. Flags flown at half mast, TV News Channels observing a few minutes of silence, The NYSE stops and observes the same minutes of silence. The newspapers' headlines filled with the nation's flag and pictures of flowers and filed-pictures of the incident, with columns of interviews with the survivors and familes of the victims. Well, being the nation under attack - I guess it is quite tough to just totally forget what happened 7 years ago.

I guess the most (or the best) that we can do (no matter what faith background you may come from) is to utter s short prayer of peace and healing for those who have survived and those whose loved ones perished in this inhuman attack 7 years ago as we remember September 11...

boon out...

boon's log 3708.03: Fast (food) news

2008-09-10T10:12:00.005-07:00

Here are some fast food news from the web that you may not see in the normal news headlines. Perhaps it is something to talk over your next fast food lunch hour with your colleagues...

KFC Relocated Colonel Sander's Secret Recipe (link to WLKY website)
LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- It's one of the closest-guarded secrets in America, and its safety is on the line.

On Tuesday, KFC President Roger Eaton announced the company is moving founder Colonel Harland Sanders' handwritten original recipe.

"I am personally terrified, because I am the first president who is going to be accountable for moving the secret recipe out of this vault," Eaton said. "It's the first time it's been moved in 68 years."

Eaton said the reason for risking the recipe's security is to make it better.

KFC is launching a new product, so company executives needed to consult the recipe to make sure they got it right, and produced the precise flavor of the original recipe and its 11 herbs and spices.

In opening the vault in which the recipe is kept, however, the executives found a problem.

"Security around the vault wasn't what it should be," Eaton said.

Therefore, Sanders’ recipe blending 11 herbs and spices is going to be moved from its home in a locked file cabinet inside a vault to an undisclosed location.

After KFC headquarters in Louisville modernizes the recipe’s permanent hideaway, it will be returned.

The recipe has been in the file cabinet for more than 20 years.

Former New York City police Detective Bo Deitl has been hired to protect the recipe, which will be tucked away in a briefcase that will be handcuffed to him when it is whisked away by armored car.

"There's no way, shape or form, with the backup, with the Louisville police out there, that anybody is going to get their hands on this recipe," Deitl said. "And if they get their hands on this recipe, they'll have to take me with them."

Deitl said he's dealt with such big security projects as the assessment for the new Yankee Stadium and safeguarding da Vinci artwork. Additionally, Deitl will be upgrading the safe in which the recipe is stored.

KFC, part of the fast-food company Yum Brands Inc., regards the 68-year-old concoction for the colonel’s Original Recipe fried chicken as its crown jewel.

The recipe dates back to 1940, when Sanders tinkered with his formula for fried chicken at his tiny restaurant in southeastern Kentucky. With that Original Recipe, Sanders eventually launched the KFC chain in the early 1950s.

Sanders died in 1980.

Wisconsin man has eaten 23,000 Big Macs since 1972(link to comcast website)

FOND DU LAC, Wis. — Talk about a Big Mac attack! Don Gorske says he has eaten 23,000 of the burgers in 36 years.

The Fond du Lac man said he hit the 23,000 milestone last month, continuing a culinary obsession that began May 17, 1972, and is fed by his obsessive-compulsive disorder.

"I enjoy them every day," said Gorske, 54. "I need two to fill me up."

Gorske has kept every burger receipt in a box. He says he was always fascinated with numbers, and watching McDonald's track its number of customers motivated him to track his own consumption.

Despite a diet some would call unhealthy, Gorske says he keeps himself in good shape. He says he's 6-foot-2 and weighs 185 pounds, and walks as many as 10 miles a day.

He used to order fries every day in the 1980s but began to cut back in the '90s, now eating them about once a month. He eats two Big Macs and two parfaits a day. Gorske has written a book about his experience.

"Sometimes people call me a freak but it doesn't bother me. I just say respect people as they are," he told The Associated Press. "I just want to make sure people understand I'm not going to change."

He can instantly recall the eight days in which he failed to satisfy his craving. One was in 1988, the day his mother died, to respect a request she made.

"I made a promise to her and I always keep my promises," he said. "I also promised her I wouldn't cut my hair and in 20 years I haven't."

He twice failed to attack a Big Mac because of his job. A correctional-institution employee, he said a number of work emergencies kept him on the clock past midnight so he recorded those days as missed days.

Three other times he was traveling and couldn't find a McDonald's. He also went Big Mac-less on Thanksgiving Day 2000, and during a 1982 snowstorm that prevented the local McDonald's franchise from opening.

"That's when I started a habit where I kept them in the freezer," he said. He keeps one or two burgers on hand but increases his inventory to four to five during the winter.

boon out...

boon's log 3608.02: Labor Day Weekend

2008-09-02T13:52:00.010-07:00

Here are some images taken during the long weekend just passed. Too lazy to type today. I'll let the pics tell the story. Basically, it's shopping, sight-seeing, food, more shopping, more food... and wash it all down with some nice cool juice...

Lincoln City

K-9 enjoying some sun at Lincoln City

Newport Beach, OR

Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Newport Beach, OR

Seagulls at Newport Beach, OR

Lunch at China Town - Char Siu+SiuYuk Rice

GoodTaste Restaurant at Portland Chinatown

Face painting

Woodburn, OR

More painted faces

TreeHouse at Woodburn, OR

Woodburn Factory Outlets

Ab's B-Bread - Auntie Anne's Pretzels

Jamba(n) Juice...

boon out...

boon's log 3408.07: Another weekend passed...

2008-08-24T23:49:00.005-07:00

We went to check out a Asian market which near the airport - about 30minutes away. Funny how I have not been there before after so many trips to OR. Anyways, the Asian mall is called Fubonn. And strategically next to it - a Malaysian Restaurant chain called Malay Satay Hut. According to the manager in charge of this branch next to Fubonn, in his owned words, "the big boss is from Malaysia."

Part of the "Asian market and Satay Hut" excursion included a trip to IKEA. And of course, no trip to IKEA is complete without the Swedish Meatballs... Here are some of the pictures...

Fubonn and Malay Satay Hut

Beef Rendang Rice with Acar at the Malay Satay Hut

THe famous Ipoh Old Town Coffee at Fubonn

Singapore Curry?! I did not know Singapore was famouse for ANY curry?!

Mee-Suah - Ab's favourite, NOT mine... Ugh!

Ab having fun at IKEA

IKEA, OR

Ab's new potty from IKEA (left); old potty (right)

The MULA bead-toy usually found in hospitals / child clinics

boon out...