MUNNIKblog

Stepping out-London/Cambridge

2012-01-06T08:24:00.000+08:00

I sit here in front of my trusty Dell laptop for two reasons. One because I just came back from England(tired) and secondly because I sprained my ankle (I will mention how I did this later), no where else to go.I have not been updating my blog for sometime now. Hopefully this posting will be at least of some substance.

I wasn't heading back for Malaysia this winter because I wanted to explore the countries in Europe. Where better to start with than the neighbouring England. My brother studies at Cambridge so I was definitely heading there. London was a MUST especially during the Christmas period where I heard the boxing days sales were like crazy.

First things first, I had to settle my Christmas exam. I've got to admit, the exams were the most mentally torturous exams I've ever sat for. Not because the actual paper was tough, but because as a first year medical student, I didn't know what to expect, what to prepare, so many facts to memorise in such a short time span. Having said that, I wasn't quite used to the examination system here. Besides the written paper, practicals were counted in the exams. Malaysian students in general are brought up via passive learning methods, so I think we are more inclined towards swallowing and spitting out important notes. We only open our mouths when 'provoked'. The Irish on the other hand, are very outspoken... and words come out of their mouths like bullet trains. I hope that soon enough, I will polish up my speaking skills and be more like them.

So among my Malaysian Trinity classmates, three of them headed back home to Malaysia. The rest either stayed back or went holiday-ing around Europe. Masing-masing got their own gangs and cliques. Lucky for me, a group of friends from Edinburgh were coming down to London as well, so I decided to join them. Honestly speaking, I didn't know all of them, just a few from Sunway.

Exams ended on the 16th. I left Dublin on the 18th because the flight tickets were cheaper. The return ticket (Ryan Air) was 50 Euro, not too bad. On the 18th, I left Trinity Hall in the morning because I wanted to be on time and not miss the flight on my first solo expedition. While most other students will opt for the Aircoach or Dublin bus 747 services to the airport from the city centre, I dared myself to used the normal town bus all the way to the airport. Because I used the Dublin bus pass, which allowed for unlimited travel within a single day, I did not have to pay extra for the bus fee. I took me around 1 hour to reach the airport. It was my first time traveling alone so I had to be extra alert, make sure no sneaky drug dealer places weed into my suitcase. For Ryan air, non-EU passengers are required to get their boarding passes stamped before boarding the plane. All passengers are entitled to bring a small luggage along with them into the plane cabin. I kept worrying my luggage would not fit into the dimensions given, those bags who are larger than allowed will be counted as normal luggage and the passenger fined 40 Euros. Fortunately, I passed and no extra charge was brought forth.

The Dublin-Stanstead journey took 1 hour and by 4pm I was already in the Stanstead airport arrivals lounge. I waited for my elder brother and we both took the cross country train to Cambridge. The train was fast and efficient, not to mention clean! Worlds apart from the Malaysian KTM.

When we arrived, the sun had already set. I could not see much of Cambridge except that it was a small town. We walked from the train station to my brothers living quarters. That night itself, my brother had to shift from his college residence to some other place located nearby. Reason was that during the holiday season, most students leave college, very few stay back and his college wanted to save heating and electricity costs. I had a chance to try his college cafeteria food. The food served was decent for the kind of price we paid. Meal for 2 costs 5 pounds. That's cheap compared to Dublin.

So for the next few days, I toured around Cambridge, visited several colleges including the magnificent Kings Chapel which looked like a scene from Harry Potter.Cambridge town itself consists of 31 colleges located at close proximity to each other. The consortium of colleges make up the University of Cambridge. Colleges take care of the welfare of students where else the university awards the students with their final degree.

Cambridge is really peaceful and quiet. The streets are relatively clean and people here are very civilized. You kinda feel stupid amongst all the Cambridge geniuses. Those of you who cant stand the quietness of the country, do not think of coming to Cambridge. It's a place f people who want peace, HIPPIES!!!!

Stairwells in the accommodation.

Cambridge University Press where all our Cambridge A-level books are published.

Kings college grass, supposedly on of the nicest patches of grass in Cambridge

Mathematical bridge, the river Cam below...students punt(boat) here during their free time.

A 3D map of the town centre...

Kings College Chapel, AWEsomeness.

And so I stayed with my brother for a couple of days before heading to London. Cambridge is located on the north-eastern side of London about two hours away by bus. I was to meet my friends at the youth hostel in Belgrave Road, London.The national coach ticket was bought online with the help of my brother. The bus stop was located just in front of where I stayed so it was quite convenient. The trip was rather straightforward with a few stops here and there.

I reached the London Victoria coach station at around 10:45am and walked towards the youth hostel. The hostel is called Astor Victoria, don't ask me why but it is supposedly a chain of hostels catered to youth. On the front door of the hostel it says only for guests aged 18-35. Wow, youthful indeed. We I arrived, the rest weren't there yet. I rested at the hostel lobby while checking out the brochures available on student travel. One brochure that caught my eye was this travel scheme in which you get to travel to several European countries in a caravan. You spend the day exploring and the night sleeping while the caravan travels. Interesting!
The rest of the gang arrived soon after. We were only allowed to check in at 2pm so we decided to head for lunch. I was starving because I skipped breakfast. The nearest landmark near Belgrave would be the Victoria Rail station. There are many shops and restaurants around the area. There is even a Sainsbury's Market nearby. I ended up getting a 14 inch freshly made pizza from Sainsbury's. Two for 6.50 pounds.

So after lunch, we took the took the London underground and headed towards Baker's street.

To be continued...(I have a very low concentration level)

Images of Fall

2011-11-12T21:29:00.001+08:00

A scene from Lord of the Rings

Photo of the day

2011-11-10T07:43:00.001+08:00

Nature's way of smiling...

Of IRELAND

2011-10-28T21:28:00.001+08:00

'7 years ago, I prepared for UPSR...no problem. Then, I sat for PMR...ok, can manage. SPM came after that...shoot, this is challenging. A-levels, give me a break...Medicine...you gotta be kidding me...coughs, chokes on phlegm....drops dead on floor.'

It's officially week 5 of my course in Trinity College Dublin, so far so good. Interestingly enough, there are not many Asians in Dublin compared to in the UK. In my class of 173 students, there are around 40 international students. 16 Malaysians, 14 Canadians, 6 from the USA and another four from countries like India, Switzerland and China. We've had some pretty interesting lecturers, each with distinct teaching methods. Some of them tend to engage with the student audience more than the others. Others just make the students fall asleep.

Our classes are held in the spanking new Biomedical Sciences Institute. With all the modern facilities a medical student can dream of. The dissection theater is top notch, equipped with high definition cameras and large plasma displays. I can't tell you much about the dissections because I've agreed to keep things confidential. In physiology labs, we operate medical equipment via Macs. Awesome isn't it?

The medical course is demanding, many students break down midway...not that I've seen any. You fail your first year exam, you'll have to repeat the year. Pay another 30k Euro. Unlike the A-levels in which we were guided and monitored, University life is different. No one cares whether or not you attend the lectures, don't attend, and risk missing out on some really important teachings. Then you'll suffer in misery trying to understand that simple concept.

The weather in Dublin is extremely unpredictable, one minute it rains, the next minute, sun comes out. When it rains, it RAINS! Plus the wind, it will give the average warm blooded Malaysian the chill of his or her lifetime. The other day I was riding my bicycle, and the wind blew me off the pavement. Imagine that! Just this week, major parts of town were submerged in ankle deep water, tram services were cancelled and many people fell sick.

Plenty of Chinese/ Malaysian restaurants around town. Prices here are significantly different. 9 Euro for a plate of Nasi Lemak, no way. If you want to survive in Dublin, you'll have to do a lot of home cooking. Some things are cheaper here compared to back home, but rarely.

That's all for now folks, stay tuned for more, Cheers!

Castle

2011-09-25T00:27:00.002+08:00

New Beginning

2011-09-22T06:59:00.001+08:00

I set foot on new grounds, unfamiliar sights and sounds...

...setting aside all fears and anxieties, going against the flow, defying the odds...

Pubs, beers, cheers, they come hand in hand...'Guinness' being the key word.

In this place, old meets new, double-Decker buses streaming everywhere!

Here, Coffee reigns supreme

...and so begins, my life in Dublin, cheers!

The Beginning of the End?

2011-09-12T16:12:00.000+08:00

Today, I browsed through my own blog. I haven't been posting in recent times.

In the comment box, I saw this...

Guest: Update please

And so, this anonymous 'guest' deserves some return for his/her efforts.

For the past month Starbucks has been my second home. I was preparing for a gap year.

Why I chose Starbucks?
1. Free Coffee
2. I get to improve my interpersonal skills
3. learn how to make a good cup of coffee
4. Try out something I will never get to do for the rest of my life

Spot the Grande mugs...

Top secret syrups...extremely concentrated. May prove fatal to diabetics.

Thermometer to ensure perfection of steamed milk.

Many friends took up higher earning jobs such as data entry, working in some financial firms, working as clothes salesperson etc. One friend pointed out the hassles of being in the food business. Getting messy was one thing, serving the ignorant and bashful customers was another. What they do not understand is that I'm not working for the money, I am here to learn. Enough said, the Starbucks journey was good despite me having to do closing shifts most of the time.

Most unforgettable moments in Starbucks:
-Hey, you have teh tarik arh?...yes we do, we call it black tea latte.
-One hot Milo please...only signature hot chocolate here
-One Cappuccino without foam....WTF, you mean a flat white?
-One Cappuccino...turns out they wanted a Frappuccino.
-during the Raya season...tons and tons of customers, it was like they didn't have to pay a sen for their drinks, bloody rich people!

I shall now educate you on the different types of customers:
-the first timers, stares at menu blankly, does not know what to order, usually depends on baristas suggestion
-old china men, gei wo yi ge hei kafei!
-regular customers, come almost everyday, baristas know their customised drink by heart
-Mainland Chinese tourist, babbling, noisy, thinks Starbucks is a market
-Hongkies, generally fussy, rich looking, also noisy.
-Singaporeans=Hongkies + mainland chinese + a tons of Kiasu-ism.
-Dickheads trying to act smart...dunno what they are ordering...stuck up!
-Baristas from other Starbucks branches...this one you must beware off
-Mat Salleh - they know what they want, usually order hot drinks

The gap year was almost certain, I registered for UKCAT(an aptitude test for admission to UK universities). I already rewrote my personal statement, all ready to apply to UK for the 2012 intake. Then one day, I received a phone call from IUMC(agent in charged of Irish Consortium of Universities), they had a vacant seat for one more medical student in Trinity College Dublin. I applied for this particular university earlier in the year, but got rejected. I did not know whether to jump for joy or remain silent. All these happened less than a month ago. You can imagine the amount of preparation and forms to fill in that short time span. As I type, I am halfway through sorting out my luggage, trying to fit all the medical textbooks and clothes into the many bags.

This month, many people will be flying overseas to further their studies to countries such as the UK and US. Many others got places in local IPTAs such as MU, USM, UKM...All the best to you guys and I hope to see you soon in the near future...Always remember, when you are over there, you are carrying the Malaysian flag, never forget your roots and do come back home for that occasional bowl of Asam laksa...

In Tribute to the Yellow Warriors

2011-07-09T00:53:00.005+08:00

"Bersih seems more successful in uniting Malaysians from all walks of life in 3 weeks than 1Msia tried to do in the last 3 years."

Help me...win!

2011-07-05T11:20:00.002+08:00

Everyone, I need your favours. I entered this logo design competition organised by the government. I was required to design a logo for our county's up and coming MRT project. Grand prize is RM10,000! I need all of you to like my entry.
It's one of the only green ones, underneath says posted by KIN MUN. I also posted a red and blue version...like them too!

To vote, you have to log in, but this only takes less than a minute! CLICK HERE!

LOGO RATIONALE

This logo for the 'My Rapid Transit' applies the ease and friendly nature of their vision and priorities within the Transport sector. The colors used are a soft blue and a darker blue. The soft blue demonstrates a friendly, well balanced and caring company, while the darker blue reveals the more stable and functional priority of the company’s vision. Below the initials of the company - which stress the name of the company for ease of remembering for the audience - are two arrow looking shapes pointing in opposite directions which represent the MRT commuters moving rapidly.

A slanted and bold 'Avantgarde' font is applied for the initials of the company, giving it a sense of vision. The graphics used are kept as minimal as possible so that the logo is pleasing to the eye and not too aggressive.

Messing Around with Photoshop-colour selection

2011-07-02T12:13:00.002+08:00

Making Dark Images Look Better

For people who do not own SLRs like myself, Photoshop can help improve image quality significantly. For underexposed shots like the one below, use shadow/highlights or levels to brighten up the image. Then increase the vibrancy to make the image look 'prettier'. Images like these are very noisy. Use the smart blur tool to minimize this noise. Careful not blur the image too much as this will reduce the detail of the image.

More About Colours
By tweaking the the colours of this plant using the selective colour option under adjustments we can give a surreal Avatar-ish effect to a normal looking plant. Also try to adjust the levels of the image...see what turns out best for you. Happy trying!

Important note: There is no right or wrong in Photoshop...as long as the final product turns out great, then you good to go!

The last four months...

2011-06-25T17:50:00.001+08:00

A roller-coaster ride. That's how I would describe the last 4 months.
For the first 3 months of the last 4 months, books and past year papers became my staple. I had revision notes for lunch and dinner.

My daily routine for the 3 months:
-wake up
-attend class
-lunch
-homework
-dinner
-revision
-sleep

The A2 exams lasted for less than a month. Surprisingly, it felt longer than that. Some people, a majority which includes myself, tend to eat more during the exam season. Some of my friends experienced noticeable horizontal growth throughout this period. Fortunately for me, I swim on and off, no weight added.

Exams over, everybody planned their class trips and celebrations. Sweet victory at last! My class did initially plan a trip to Langkawi, but due to budget constraints and certain complications, we had to abort the 'mission'. I came to a compromise and suggested a Malacca trip instead. Thankfully, almost the whole class came for the trip. I glad they had fun in my hometown, trying out the cheap food and visiting the famous landmarks. Hurrah!

I always believe pictures tell a better story than words. Here are some moments I captured using my camera.

I came face to face with this metal cup. The UEFA Champions League trophy.

Had Jogoya Japanese buffet for the first time with friends. Food was so so, not as good an Tenji in my opinion. But all was worthwhile because we were entitled to the buy one free one offer.

Harvest Generation Churchhad it's first large scale Easter musical 'The Velvet Rabbit'. More than 450 people attended the event and it was a huge success.
never expected the play to turn out so well! It was held at Taylor's lakeside.

Had Chemistry practical for the last time.

Biology practicals for the last time with Ms. Irma

My push towards the exams. I'm a very last minute person. Imagine finishing up 10 years of pass year just two days before the exams. Hoping for good results...they're not out yet. I'll find out this August.

First time on board a KTM commuter. A group of friends invited me to come join their Taiping trip.Overall, it was a memorable experience, not because Taiping had great food and all, but because I got the opportunity to witness a side of Taiping previously not known to me. i appreciate the host for having us around and allowing us to stay at her mansion for a couple of nights.

One word to describe the sceneries at Taiping lake, 'Breathtaking'

Became tour guide for 2 days. Brought my classmates around the historical city of Malacca.

Group photo with classmates from college. Although the A-level course was just 1.5 years, I made a lot of good friends. Worthy enemies also....just joking.

A year ago, I caught a glimpse of my elder brother's Triple A Ceremony, an annual event every Sunway A-level student is required to attend, also our 'Graduation Night/Prom". Before I knew it, my turn came. A splendid night indeed with great food and good company, everyone was at their best. That night was also the last time I saw most of my friends.Farewells were bound to take place.

'There will always be a time for meetings and a time for separation.

It is what we make of these times that will change a portion of our lives forever,

for better or for worst.'

View of Lagoonview Condominiums from my room.

I packed my room, which was initially in this state. JUNKYARD

My cupboard collapsed, lucky for me...the doors supported the rest of the frame.I survived. The cleaning up and packing took me a whole day. I didn't realize I stored so much junk in my room. Many dilemmas during packing, to throw or not to throw. In the end, haiyah! Throw everything-lah.

Emptiness.

Last cell group meeting for me. Don't be mislead by the number of people here in this picture. U5 cell has grown tremendously over the pass few months, with the number currently standing at 27.

I'm so fortunate to have been sent to Sunway College to pursue my pre-U studies, meeting new people,and learning to be more independent. Now that it is over, I can finally come back to Malacca and have a much awaited rest. Next step is university life, hopefully I'll be able to secure a place in a reputable university taking this pre-U experience as a stepping stone for what's to come in the future.

END OF POST

2011-02-25T14:35:00.000+08:00

I'm now in my third semester of A-levels. Will find it harder to update this blog. My maths teacher just reminded me the other day not to take things for granted. Just because I got an A in my AS doesn't mean I'll do equally as well in A2. As for now, I'll be busy preparing for my mock. With the new semester, I see many new A level students coming in. It doesn't seem too long ago that I stepped foot in Sunway College, but time really flies. Already a year! In another three months, and I'll finish my A2...Won't have time to blog anymore from now on. There no such thing as a free lunch, I will thus have to sweat it out on my study table. To all January or March 2010 A-level students out there, this will be our final push, the finishing line is near. Work hard, and who knows you'll earn yourself that lunch!

Y-Ear of the Labbit!

2011-02-14T01:46:00.006+08:00

Yup, it's officially the year of the Rabbit everyone...the little cunning creature makes a comeback after twelve long years. Melaka experienced one of the longest rains in history, imagine three days on non stop downpour. Just when I thought the wetness was going to remain, suddenly on the eve of CNY, the sun decided to drop by. As the saying goes, better late than never. This year, I celebrated my Chinese New Year in Petaling Jaya. My grandmother finally got fed up Seremban for some unknown reason. Celebrating in PJ also means lesser time taken to travel up north to Ipoh later on.

This CNY I promised myself a few things:
- not to be to greedy when eating
- finish all my homework
- do some revision
- respect my elders more
- learn to appreciate the real meaning of CNY
- catch up with secondary school classmates
- polish up my driving skills

1.Not being greedy when eating
I have the tendency to overeat during Chinese New Years. Reason is, I get too overwhelmed when good food is presented to me. In my previous mega encounter with CNY food, I gained 3 kilos in just 2 days. This year however, I've decided to control myself. When you first dig in to quality food, no doubt you'll feel good, but after a while, taking in large quantities of food can make you feel sick. The problem with me? Well, I don't know when to stop!

How can I not be greedy with so much choice? You tell me LAR!

The biggest Yee Sang mankind has even seen!

2. Finish my homework
Let's not talk about homework shall we...to be honest, I just finished my mathematics assignments just a few hours ago. Way behind schedule.

3. Do some revision
I never did revise, was busy the whole of last week including preparing for my IELTS test!

4. Respect my elders more
I personally think I tried my best to do so. No more hearing these phrases from my mother:
"Say hello to aunty lah!"

5. Appreciate the New Year
When I was young, mention Chinese New Year to me and I'll start thinking of the red packets of money-ang pao. Not anymore, my mindset has changed. 2 ringgit ang pao, 5 ringgit ang pao they are all the same. Psst...only 50 ringgit will make a difference. Just kidding. This season is a time of reunion, getting together, catching up with one another. For some of us, it's the only time of year in which we can meet up with the rest of our family members.

Ang Pao collection

6. Catch up with secondary school classmates and friends
Before heading off to PJ, I joined a group of secondary school classmates for buffet dinner at Carry On steamboat. It's been ages since I caught up with them, so it was really nice to see them. After Ipoh, I managed to squeeze in a couple of badminton games with the former badminton gang! So good to be playing quality games at cheap rates back in my hometown. My college classmate Fong Zheng also had a new year party at his house. Huge house I tell ya.

7. Polish up driving skills
No car in Sunway never mind. Most importantly, go back to hometown can drive. I did a lot of driving back in Melaka. My younger brother suffered from a torn ankle ligament so I had to fetch him to school. I became the family driver for the week.

The car I drove most. It suffered a heart attack recently and has to go for a major by-pass.

Random images:

Small red lantern makes a big impact to the surrounding gloom.

My auntie's new house. It's considered good luck to have lions visit your house for Chinese New Year to rid all the bad luck.

Cabbage plays a pivotal role in the lion dance ceremony

Never seen a lion stretch like this before...

Firecrackers...bloody loud!

Lovely orange-pamelo conjured out by the lion dance troupe!

Drinks stock for the thirsty.

Paper fans made from ang paos by my yee poh

First experience with 孔明灯 thanks to some college mates

Mandarin orange eating competition held by this year's A-level committee board.

College level lion dance performance

This Chinese New Year was great, looking forward to a better one next year!

THE END

Back to basics

2011-02-14T00:01:00.000+08:00

How do you get from this tasty looking bowl of curry...

...to this awful looking bowl of sludge?

The answer, Photoshop!

Chinese New Year Coming...

2011-01-27T22:10:00.000+08:00

Was eating in college, tried to using this plastic fork for grabbing some food and guess what, it ended up being like this. Chinese New Year is around the corner, looking forward!

Lardism-NINJA JOE

2011-01-25T00:52:00.002+08:00

Today my AS(A-level Subsidiary) results were released online. Pretty satisfied with my results despite not getting better marks in my Chemistry paper. I was quite shocked when I saw my Physics percentile. It clearly stated 100% on the score slip. I left out 2 whole sections of paper two during the AS exam, yet I still managed a 100%. I had a minor depression after I realised I left out those questions, it took me a few days to recover.

Practically everyone gets straight A's for the AS exam. So there's really nothing to shout about when you get a string of A's.

"For those who didn't get the results they wanted, cheer up. It's only the first leg of the journey and there's still time to finish the second leg in better fashion. For those who did well, congratulations...keep up the good work! Try not to get too carried away."

* * *

Jonah sms-ed me during chemistry class:

Hey when you free? Want to go ninja joes for dinner?

I agreed to go as I've been deprived of pork meat for quite some time. 1 week to be exact. Ninja Joe is supposed to be one of the better pork restaurants in Pyramid. It offers mainly pork burgers and some side dishes. The Sunway Pyramid outlet is the second outlet after Tropicana outlet. Opened just last year, the place has been attracting my pork addicts, myself included.

In front a the shop is a large bunting stating the shop's non halal nature to the public. Aggressive approach by the shop owners don't you think. On one of the buntings, the prices of burgers are also displayed. Solo ninja goes for RM5.50. The more you buy, the more you save. We went for the 6 ninja set-RM23.90.
Plenty of side dishes to choose from, mainly deep fried nugget type snacks. The side dishes not so great, definitely not worth your penny. If you have nothing else to spend on, go ahead and waste your money. Only the burgers were good, not too overcooked. For those wanting a bigger portion of burger, you can always opt for the Big Boss. A supposedly larger version of the standard 'ninja'.

Service was good, fast and efficient.

Hated these Shurikens...

The two flavours we ordered. They also have spicy, sweet and sour, black pepper and oriental flavours.

Two thumbs up to the best pork burger in town.

Minimalist design capture the eyes of customers...

They should change this to real ninjas eat PORK.

Kin Yoong and Jonah savouring their burgers.

...and me, clearly in a state of mental distress.

Very often people question my views on food. They always wonder why I'm so obsessed with food.
Well, food is nourishment...when you go hungry you suffer. Friends often say I have a large appetite, bottom-less pit...whatever terms they use, I know what's best for myself. I don't usually eat that much. For breakfast, I have a packet of IKO biscuits. For lunch, something light like mixed rice. For dinner...also mixed rice. Sometimes just cook myself a bowl of instant noodles. It's only during special occassions that I get to spend. And when I spend, I prefer to spend on something that is value for money and also good tasting foods. Always remember, it's quality not quantity that counts, but if quality and quantity comes together, then even better. Cheers!

THE END

This week...

2011-01-14T00:23:00.001+08:00

...I ate my first banana of 2011

...ate my first Kenny Rogers muffin of 2011

...ate a buy one free one meal with the worst side dishes ever

...took my first decent shot of an empty plate

...cooked my first sausages

Would I say I had a productive week, yes I would. Now, would I say I had a good week? Not really, just an awesome one. I've learnt to be greatful with what I have, and also to be thankful with the friends around me for it is them who give me strength and support in times of need.

THE END

First week...2011

2011-01-09T01:23:00.001+08:00

The first week of the new year has just went by in an eye's blink. Right now I would like to summarise the week as a whole.Class surprisingly started like normal. I felt like everybody studied during the holidays. Semua susah punye A2 question boleh jawab wor! Walau-eh, these people have been silently working hard. Pretty satisfied with my timetable now. 3 out of 5 days, we start at 9:30am. This indirectly leads longer sleeping hours. Food prices here have gone up. My favourite nasi kandar at medan now costs 50 cent more. I dare not go near the chinese mix rice stalls, they'll cut your throat if you go near them. I plan to rely on my personal culinary skills to survive the next few months. Time hasn't been on my side, I haven't got time to try out the rest of foods yet. I'm not so sure whether standards have dropped. Thank goodness white's Chicken Rice still maintains quality and quantity.

Sunway Pyramid hasn't changed much. A few new stalls here and there. I spotted a Li-ning concept store which has yet to open. I might get some cheap Li-ning rackets there. With the canopy walk, I can now go to pyramid for lunch. It's very convenient in a sense. Time saved is money earned!

The university's library computers are now fully installed with Windows 7. I discovered this really cool design book in the library, borrowed it immediately. It's entitled "Lettering, Beyond Computer Graphics". This book has all sorts of hand drawn and photography related fonts. The whole book is filled with vivid images of fonts. I consider it a good source of inspiration for my future works.

Most intakes have not started their classes yet. The campus is least crowded now. Next week, as expected, will be a period of overwhelming crowded-ness!

8-1-2011
Wei Qi and Matthew from my former secondary school arrived at Sun-U today. They checked in this morning. Really glad to see more Franciscans starting to realise the decency of Sunway. The majority still further their studies atour friendly neigbour T------.

New Year's Party
Sonia, my classmate hosted this lovely new year's party at her residence today. She had some of her friends come over from both college, church and secondary school. On the menu we had some home cooked Fettuccine carbonara courtesy of the host, KFC, Dominos, muffins, and chocolate cake. Played twister for the first time in my life and a short round of Pictionary.

end of post

Try it, it's good.

2011-01-06T22:22:00.002+08:00

picture courtesy of Aaron Tan Wai Kit

Back to Sunway

2011-01-04T00:42:00.000+08:00

Arrived back in Sunway today thanks to a friend who offered me a lift. It's the new year and I've got a pretty good feeling about it. Somehow or rather the year 2011 sounds better than 2010.

After a long holiday break, I knew I had some cleaning up to do for my room. That was the first thing I did when I got back. I took dinner shortly after the clean up job at poolside cafe and settled for a quick half-hour swim in the evening. I did some revision at night just to kick start that rusty brain of mine. Classes start tomorrow and I know I've got some serious catching up to do, A2 exams are just four months from now. Gonna have to cut down on outdoor activities from now on and start boosting my studies.

Below are some shots of my condo unit, really fortunate to be able to savour such a luxury as a student.

Study desk, facing the campus to provide stimulant to study!

Sunset with Monash University as the backdrop.

Lagoonview condo. Where rich students live. Not me though.

1.1.11

2011-01-01T13:31:00.002+08:00

Happy New Year everyone, may the year of 2011 be a greater year for you!

Capturing the moments

2010-12-30T01:10:00.000+08:00

Raindrops on a car's windscreen after a heavy downpour.

The evening's sunlight giving the road a yellowish tint.

KL cityscape, taken during rush hour jam.

Sunlight helps accentuate the building's unique shape.

Ferrero Rocher on a rock, truly a site to behold.

Some things are better off expressed in pictures than in words, don't you think?

Christmas

2010-12-25T22:23:00.000+08:00

Christmas to many Christians signifies the birth of our Christ Jesus. A time of gathering, a time of fellowship and thanksgiving. In Malaysia, Christmas is celebrated a little differently. Most Malaysians go shopping crazy during this period. They parade the malls as though everything is free! Trust me on this as I'm a true Malaysian. The weekend before Christmas, I stepped in Mid Valley Megamall and also 1 Utama. Seas of shopaholics gathered at the main entrance. Car parks were full. You'll consider yourself lucky if you spot an empty parking lot.

The reason I went to 1 Utama: To collect my new Ixus digital camera. They gave me A PINK camera! Come on, for goodness sake...they should at least choose a non gender biased colour to be given away.

I got used to the oddly pinkish hue of the camera and started fiddling with it's features. The camera itself is very compact and lightweight. The design is sleek and easy to use. It's basically a point and shoot camera for noobs. Boosting a 14.1 megapixel count, this camera is capable of shooting high resolution images. This means better clarity in image.

Image quality is good. The camera does pretty well in low light conditions thanks to it's new Digic 4 imaging processor. The macro shots of decent quality, an improvement from my previous Powershot model. The powershot still is in use by the way.

New mode that only leaves certain colours untouched, no need to waste time phoyoshopping

Good depth of field achieved with macro function

I live in a part of Melaka called Ujong Pasir. Ujong Pasir which is also where the Portuguese Settlement is located. The Portuguese have been living here ever since their great grandfathers conquered Malacca. Most of them settled down here and built villages by the sea. The modern day Portuguese from Melaka look very different compared to Portuguese from Portugal. They have been Malaysianized! We call them Eurasians. The Portuguese community usually decorate their dwellings with Christmas lights and home made decorations. Visitors from neighbouring states drive all the way to witness this spectacle. Since I live so near, I might else well go check it out.

I arrived at the settlement around 11pm, just in time for the fireworks at midnight. It was like a war zone out there but instead of guns, poeple had foam sprays. I had to dodge the sprays by slipping my self through the crowd. Plenty of Ah Bengs and Ah Lians all over. Bumped into some of my secondary schoolmates too.

It snowed a little. Snow produced by the spray.

No one bothered to throw their used aerosol cans in bins provided.

Retro bus parked near the square

The artificial Christmas tree, nothing special though.

Some houses got sponsored by certain companies.

Ingenious prop! Santa wouldn't stop here, why would he?

When I went back, I inspected the aerosol can. The foam is said to be highly flammable. I should have brought along a lighter to light those foam sprayers up!

On Christmas day as usual I attended service in Church, first time I'm celebrating Christmas in Covenant Baptist Church. Sang some Christmas hymns and meet a few new people.

Rich tasting cake prepared by auntie Su Yin, looked like a mud pie!

My grandparents and aunts came to Melaka for a visit. They wanted to see my elder brother who came back for his winter break just recently. Mom cooked some delicious pork trotters and ponteh chicken. My grandparents da-powed roast pork.

Group photo. Yes, I was the camera man

After that, my brothers and I visited our Alma mater. It was brother Mike's Christmas Open House. Brother Michael thought me English since from 2. Sadly this year, very few classmates from my year attended the open house. It was a short 30 minutes. Yet, we managed to catch up on a lot of things.

Oh yea, my grandfather was the one who recruited brother Mike into the St. Johns Ambulance

It's been a good Christmas this year, I've managed to enjoy myself. I would like wish all my family and friends out there a very merry Christmas and may all of you have a great year ahead! Cheers...

Gonna gain a few more kilos from this festive season.

Of Advancement and a Tinge of Kiasu-ism!

2010-12-17T13:06:00.007+08:00

Dun pray pray, best in Singapor and Jaybee!

Mention Singapore and I think of Phua Chu Kang.

Nah, I'm just kidding. As we all know, Singapore separated from Malaysia about half a century ago. Singaporeans are basically Malaysians with a higher degree of Kiasuism and also intelligence. Kiasu (Traditional Chinese: 驚輸; POJ: kiaⁿ-su) is a Hokkien (a Chinese spoken variant) word that literally means 'fear of losing'. It is this spirit which most Malaysians lack that makes Singapore what it is today. Singapore is now a fast developing metropolis.

stitched image of Singapore cityscape, took this from my hotel room!

I skipped my class trip to Singapore because I was already going to Singapore with my family. Furthermore the price was a tad too steep for my liking. Even my friend a Pakistani-Singaporean didn't go. The experience of going with classmates is certainly a different one, too bad I couldn't afford the trip as whatever expanses from the trip would have to be taken from my savings.

***

So after my Penang trip, I came back to Melaka for three days. Didn't go out much as many of my friends were still away either completing their studies or away playing! It took us 4 hours to travel from Melaka to Singapore. One hour spent checking in at the Causeway....haiz, what a waste of time.

stitched image of Marina, looked like an upside down Sydney Opera House to me!

We were headed towards Marina bay area as the our hotel was located there. The hotel has a Shopping centre directly underneath it. I had my first Singaporean meal in the shopping centre's food loft, a lousy plate of Pan Mee. My father ordered Japanese food which came with a slice of unagi and a large portion of stir-fried beef. His one tasted good, and the price was more reasonable.

At night, we went to Orchard road via MRT. This was my first experience on Singapore's Mass Rail Transport. Purchase cards from some sorta vending machine and your free to go. The cards are like Touch n Go cards, just place it on the sensor and the flaps separating you and the waiting area open. Orchard road synonymous with it's Christmas decorations has shopping malls on every corner. all shopping mall are interlinked. Bright massive Christmas trees lit the streets, enough to dazzle the minds of most foreign visitors. I still prefer the quietness of the Portuguese settlement back in Melaka, where families still decorate their homes yearly.

Let the pictures do the talking:

Marina Sands

Huge shopping centre located right next to Marina Sands Hotel. Very nicely planned. Construction works were still going on. The project has not been completed yet, still in it's infancy. The hotel and shopping centre had water features which I assume is for some Feng Shui purpose. I was privileged enough to view Singapore from the Skypark located on the uppermost floor of the Marina Sands hotel. Birds eye view obtained, too bad it weather was a little hazy that day.

Singapore national Museum

On my second day in Singapore, my brother and I headed to the Singapore National Museum. Entrance fees for normal visitors $10. We went in for free because we were STUDENTS! Really worthwhile, we also got the opportunity to masuk the museum's temporary exhibit-POMPEI. Managed to take a picture of a carbonized pig, trapped under the lava during POMPEI's great volcanic eruption!(pic below) The Malaysian Government should really emulate the way their Singaporean counterparts preserve the old and new under one roof.

I took many more pictures, but lazy to upload!

All Things Edible

Food here is generally more expensive in Malaysia. Get a Carl's Jr meal in Malaysia for 20 ringgit, expect to pay the same in the Singaporean currency here! There are some great bargains out there. You just have to look around. Got myself a really decent Japanese meal for $5.50. I also came across one restaurant serving unlimited sashimi at $20! Had my breakfast in Aquamarine Restaurant ...they served real bacon and smoked salmon, pretty good.

Marina Mandarin

The hotel I stayed in wasn't bad , wasn't the best either. I have stayed in better ones. Built in the 80's the hotel still looks brand new. The service somehow sucked, don;t really know why. For the same price, you are better off getting a room in KL!

The end...

New Camera!

2010-12-14T20:04:00.003+08:00

Guess what, I won myself a new camera from the Star In Tech's tech your pic contest. It's a Canon camera worth
RM 1,198(Ixus 120IS).

Below is my winning entry:

Other entries by me:

Read the full article here!

Pearl of the Orient

2010-12-08T01:34:00.004+08:00

click to enlarge

I have no relatives in Penang and only been there once so I decided to embark on a journey up north. Penang is located north of Perak below Kedah also known as the Pearl of the Orient. The last time I went to Penang was during my primary six field trip. Didn't quite remember what happened six years ago as I was little and blur then. This time, armed with my Cannon Powershot, I was ready to face the World Heritage state. This trip was actually part 3 of larger trip, part 1 and part 2 took place in both Sitiawan and Ipoh. Coverage of that will have to wait as processing the images takes time. I decided to edit my Penang photos first as they were the most promising. Ipoh and Sitiawan shots mainly of food.

One of the shoplots by the entrance of Khoo Kongsi Temple...

Traditional Chinese lantern inside Khoo Kongsi Temple Museum

Which one's real?

Quite surprised my camera was sensitive enough to capture this...

Main courtyard of Penang Peranakan Mansion
Part of the series 'The little Nyonya' was filmed here

People then used to play this card game...had some kinda Chinese characters on them similar to those found in Chinese chess.

Outside the Peranakan Mansion

Peranakan Mansion dinning hall

The mansion's restrooms!

Famous Teochew cendol near Komtar going for RM1.80 a bowl!

Shopping centre below Komtar, forgot whats the official name.

Haha, I really like this photo...Penang Trishaw.

Georgetown's landmark: Komtar Tower

No buttons on this Private lift up. You have to be invited.

VIP view from the 46th floor!

Suffolk House-residence of Francis Light

Went to Ji Le Temple, took the Inclined Lift up.

View from inclined lift.

After the rain.

Went to all this places in a time span of just five hours, courtesy of Mr. Clint Lim who was our host for the day. Thank you also to Daniel who joined us for the last minute tour. Next post gonna be about part 1 and Part 2 of my after AS journeys, stay tuned for more action!

18 Years and Still Going Strong

2010-11-30T21:01:00.000+08:00

Yup you guessed it right, today is my birthday. Had a super awesome lunch treat by my college mates in Italiannies and also dinner at Tasty Pot BBQ Steamboat in Mentari-Sunway area.

Prior to this, I have not been to Italiannies or any other classy Italian restaurant. Coming here is considered a rare privilege as a town boy like me would just end up in Pizza Hut when I think of Italian food. We took the newly opened Canopy Walk from our college to Pyramid right after class. Once there, I took a look at the menu, gulped down some saliva and took a deep breath.

KIN MUN: "PEOPLE, YOU SURE YOU WANT TO EAT HERE, THERE ARE ALWAYS OTHER PLACES..."

Every item on the menu was priced above RM20.00, even a simple chicken salad...WALAO-EH!
Well, they planned it all I had no choice...thank you all for treating me, I know it's really expensive.
We each ordered our own sets, not wanting to share and all. below are some of the items my classmates ordered (taken using phone camera),

Classic Carbonara

Chicken Parmagiana - Spagetti with some kinda fried chicken fillet

My choice...Spicy roast chicken, which in a sense wasn't spicy at all!

Stuffed chicken breast with potatoes

Fish and salad...forgot the actual name of the dish

Spinach & Artichoke Formaggio

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once again, thank you to all of my friends who so willingly burst their wallets for me, appreciate it so much!

Golden Palm Tree?

2010-11-22T02:12:00.000+08:00

Friday was the last day of my exams, was supposed to make my way to LCCT the next day so that my parents could pick me up from there. They had to attend some medical conference in a new resort hotel located right at the middle of Sepang's Gold Coast. The word Sepang brings back many memories, I went to my first F1 race there...boarded my first plane there too. Sepang has always been famous for hosting world class motor sports events but never have I imagined it as being a beach holiday kinda place.

My friend from Sunway was heading back to Malacca so I hitched a ride from him. We only left Melaka in the morning of the following day. Journey there took us around two hours, we passed through many kampungs and small towns such as Lukut. All his while in college I have been deprived of a proper camera, finally got my hands on the Powershot, a compact camera by Cannon.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by the staff there. The resort just started it's business in July, so it's just 4 months old. It is completely build on stilts, it consists of double or single story chalets arranged in a palm shape. they claimed to be the longest beach resort in Asia, dunno whether that's true. The lobby block was made up of mainly concrete with the addition of some natural elements. They used dry grass for their roof and also bamboos as the base.

Took this picture at night when the roof lit up, the green light source came from this high powered projector.

Brother trying to reach for the light...

The side of the main lobby, as you can see, the whole structure is supported by stilts.

Also part of the lobby...this part facing the open sea!

Chandelier in lobby taken from below.

Roof design of the restaurant where we had buffet breakfast...don't worry, food pictures come later.

Main building from viewed from the side, was low tide that morning.

Hotel management provided transport in the form of buggies. Few dozens of buggies going to and fro either to pick up guests or just as normal transport vehicles! The picture above was taken near the main entrance near the lobby.

Buggies send you all the way to your doorstep.Tinted this picture yellow.

Chalet balcony. Ladder and safety ring provided in case you fall into the sea.

Too free.

Beach area, weather was steaming hot that day, was quite reluctant to go out of the chalet. Got myself a minor tan.

All beach and water activities F.O.C but it was low tide and wind-less so didn't try them.

...went to look for crabs instead

Almost stepped on the jellyfish. My cousin actually placed a small crab on top of it, and it's stingers actually killed the crab.

Holes created by the crabs, one of my better shots. Took this shot accidentally.

Close-up on a vase made up of dried water hyacinths. Interesting texture don't you think?

Complementary fruits in the chalet.

Breakfast. Not bad...

Dinner...so, so, not the best I've eaten.

Desserts...bluack. Trust me they only look the part!

Behold, a slab of smoked duck breast...this left me speechless.

Overall, the place was okay except for the fact that it costs around a thousand bucks a night. The service here was average, food also average. The staff made a lot of noise at night, giggling and making all sorts of hooliganic noises! I really liked the design of the resort...very nice and relaxing place, unfortunately ruined by a not so experienced group of workers.

My holidays are coming very soon, two more weeks of classes...stay tuned for more of my adventures both in Malacca and also other places!

Coming Soon...Sunway Canopy Walk!

2010-10-28T15:29:00.000+08:00

Been very busy with my exams recently. Remember I mentioned about the secret pathway to Sunway Pyramid a few months ago, well good news Sunway folks... We now have a canopy walk connecting our college to Sunway Pyramid. This means no more long walks or taxi rides to Pyramid anymore! The walk isn't open yet but by the looks of it, it's gonna open any time soon. I think the recylced the old monorail track for this project. Here are some pictures I plucked from Facebook!

Prove that it's connects to the Pyramid of Giza

There's even an escalator...some people already trying it out.

Stay tuned for more updates!

Going Grey

2010-10-11T10:21:00.002+08:00

Some things are better without colour...Notice I also adjusted the slant of the buildings, learnt this from a photoshop magazine, very useful indeed.

Pic of the week...

2010-10-07T23:25:00.002+08:00

From now onwards, I'll be posting interesting pictures or any of my designs on a weekly basis...

For this week, we have part of a plant cell. Picture taken by classmate during Biology class using a 3.2 mega pixel phone camera. Cheers!

Whopping experience!

2010-10-06T18:53:00.004+08:00

I have not been to any Burger King outlets previously because meals there are just too expensive. Every time I think of burgers, the mac value meal pops up in my mind. An advertisement in today's newspaper caught my attention, Whoppers for one ringgit! The catch was that you have to purchase a carbonated drink with the burger. Burger King outlets are everywhere, the outlet nearest to my college is off course the one in pyramid.

By the time I got there, there was already this 50 people-long queue in front of the relatively hard to find outlet. The Burger King in pyramid is located just above the main entrance, far from any of the other fast food restaurants. Believe it or not...I actually searched the ice-skating atrium for it!

Two classmates came along and each of us got in line. One customer is entitled to three purchases each, no more no less. Service was speedy considering the number of Whoppers they had to make. I actuallycounted the average rate of production of Whopper...around two per minute! I guess production rate is higher when activation energy(Price per Whopper) drops.

I spent a total of RM24 for six Whoppers and six cokes. I didn't have them all to myself, only ate two. I da pao-ed the rest for my friends in college. Whopper quite large and tasty, enough to make me full.

...sapu habis

6th Fort Scouts Logo Redesigned

2010-09-15T20:08:00.002+08:00

The 6th Fort scouts could consider reviewing their current logo.

I made the panther look fiercer...no more kitten!

WILLIAM's-Itallian Mamak

2010-09-06T23:31:00.000+08:00

Had a great time at William's today. My brother's roommate asked me a few weeks ago whether I wanted to join him and his classmates for a meal at William's. William's is famous for it's Italian mamak styled cuisine. My brother has been telling me about this legendary place tucked right in one corner of Taman Mayang in Kelana Jaya. It's an old shack near the present Lincoln college(ex-Lim Kok Weng). Mr. Leonard, my Thinking Skills lecturer is a devotee of the place...he worships it and calls first timers virgins of the meal.

The place had no menu. I overheard a conversation for the table next door. It took place between a mak cik and Mr. William,

Mak Cik: Mana menu?

William: You ade internet? kalau ade boleh cari wikipedia...sana ade!

Mak Cik: Tak nak la!

William: Tak ape, fish itu ikan, chicken itu ayam, beef itu daging! Semua ade.

Mr. Leonard was our menu for the day. Below is the list of food he ordered:

1.) Meatball spaghetti

2.) Pizza

3.) Lamb shank with Persian rice

4.) Mee raja

5.) Soft shell crab with fried rice

We ordered our drinks separately, Most of them tried the ribena lychee, I got myself the mango special. It was good but quite costly...4 ringgit. The drink had two lychees in it plus a lot nata de coco bits! Mango flavour was definitely there. Other foods worth mentioning were the soft-shell crab fried rice and lamb. The crab was really good, no work put in removing the shells. Many of them didn't quite like the lamb because it was rather 'gamey'. I took down most of it! The mee raja wasn't that good. The Pandan chicken was so so... Pizza was okay, very cheesy with thin crust.

Total bill came to about RM150.00++. I paid RM20.00 which was quite worthwhile because I ate a lot compared to some of the others. They didn't like the lamb, so I took the lamb. They couldn't finish the meatballs, so I ate the meatballs...practically scavenging on the leftovers.

Mindset at the time: First to eat last to finish!

Shockingly, Sam who passed his driving test just last week drove Mr. Leonard back to his home in SS2. We then made our way back blindly to Sunway!!! This fella was swirling to and fro...Even I have better driving skills than that!

END OF POST

2010-09-06T15:34:00.000+08:00

Wake up, it's not a holiday. It's a study break!

My lecturers - Part 1

2010-09-04T01:13:00.004+08:00

No teacher can match Mr. Chong in terms of experience and also fitness. He actually gave us some Qi-gong lessons because someone found out he was a master of the art. He is very much like one of those kung fu sifus you get in epic chinese movies.

Lessons are always filled with analogies, never boring. Thanks to him, I have a strong understanding in Chemistry. His methods may be old-fashioned, but they are still the best. He always refers to our SPM as O-levels...In fact, some our present lecturers were actually his former students! everyone respects him...even the head of the A-level department in our college. Legend says that he is capable of doing push ups single handed.

Favourite quotes include:

-you people nowadays

-nonsense

-you're getting very careless

-betaul(betul)

-come on, as simple as that

-yes or no!

MORE TO COME----------------------------------------this isn't the end!

DESIGNS

2010-08-25T17:26:00.000+08:00

It's been a long time...did this for moral folio front cover...

Did this for Harvest Generation's upcoming 4th Anniversary.

PIKOM Fair

2010-08-07T03:01:00.000+08:00

I've been wanting to visit the KL PIKOM fair because unlike the Malaccan one, the KL version is at a much larger scale. This year, the fair was held KL Convention Centre, I made my way there after my Chess club meeting in college. It was already 6pm so I had to rush. First, I made my way to Sunway Pyramid. Then, I took a Metrobus to Kota Raya. From there, I hopped on the Kelana Jaya LRT line.

Total cost from Sunway to KLCC: RM4.60

The KLCC station is connected directly to the shopping complex. Unfortunately, I had to walk quite a distance to reach the Convention Centre. All together there were about six halls, each one having a specific theme. For example, one hall had everything regarding antivirus soft wares...another hall sold various audio related devices. First, I visited a hall which exhibited latest computers from some major retailers such as HP, Sony, Lenovo, Asus, Acer, Dell, Toshiba, Fujitsu and the rest. Prices not as competitive as the ones in Malacca, but they have more models especially those that cater only to niche markets.

I scrambled through the entire place in about half an hour and I thought that was it...wow never knew this KL PIKOM was so lousy. On my way out, I stumbled upon another few halls also part of the PC fair. These halls were filled with individual booths selling your typical computer add-ons. A lot of cool gadgets and accessories were for sale here, too many to mention in this blog post. Some shops even gave out free hampers to shoppers. These weren't any normal hampers, they were huge towering hampers filled with goodies! The fair closed at around 9pm so I didn't have time to finish exploring the whole place. I wasn't looking for anything in particular, just wanted to experience a Real PIKOM fair.

I had half of my dinner at the KLCC food court below Kinokuniya bookstore. Mee Goreng for four bucks. This is surprisingly cheap compared to other foods here. The same stall where I bought my mee goreng, they were selling these huge 15cm long prawns for RM25 each. Way too expensive for me!

(Note: I didn't eat the prawns, so don't blame me on over spending!)

A few friends accompanied me to the fair. On our way back, one of them decided to show us to his favourite eating spot right at the heart of Petaling Street. Petaling Street is just a short walk away from the Pasar Seni LRT station, less than 5 minutes. The restaurant is named Restaurant Kim Lian Kee.
Its rumoured that this is the pioneer restaurant that sells hokkien noodle. My friend told me, this place was very popular back then. His father used to have this everyday after school.

I sat opposite of the shop, in front of Hong Leong bank. Could be a bit hot and stuffy. . Pricing was around RM 6 per serving. To me, it was quite reasonable. There were quite a few waiters running around taking orders and such. Noticed the hokkien noodle was cooked with “mee hoon”. It actually will taste better if cooked that way. Another friend tried Mee and boom epic failure! The mee was soft and slimy, below average standards! On weekends, people actually line up to get sits, lucky for us because we didn;t have to do so. No worth the sweat waiting for some miserable food.

After dinner/supper, I took a RapidKL bus back. The bus was empty, I had the bus to myself!

Total cost of journey back: RM4.60

Total Expenditure: RM(4.60+4.60+4.00=6.00) = RM19.20!

Koreans Dominating!

2010-07-31T01:01:00.000+08:00

The Kia Optima never looked this good until recently...Their new design language incorporates both Audi and Saab elements resulting in a very sleek car!

Hyundai and also done very well with their latest sonata...design language emphasises on fluidity! Still a bit of copycat from Mercedes CLS.

Nabe Buffet by Sushi King

2010-07-30T00:23:00.000+08:00

I stumbled upon this promotion by Sushi King quite recently...

I tackled twenty two bowls of ingredients, including 8 bowls of chicken, 1 bowl of noodles, 2 bowl of rice and a whole lot of soup.The meal may not have the most expensive of ingredients but it's certainly a must try.

BOOKS

2010-07-29T13:58:00.000+08:00

Books come in colours...

...some are without colour

Books are like building blocks, one is never enough...

That's me up there...getting ready for my exams.

Ampang Satay and Chawan Bangsar in just one day!

2010-07-17T02:58:00.005+08:00

Had a great time together with the U2 cell group. Tried out famous Ampang Satay-chicken, beef, lamb at a flat rate of 70 cents per stick. Very long since I've eaten good satay and ten times more worthwhile compared to Dragon-i. I also got to try out Chun-one nasi lemak(RM1) which they claim is an original recipe since 1936. That's 74 years ago!

After the satay meal, we went to the other side of town....Bangsar. Supposedly, this area of Kl is a popular hang out place for the rich and famous. We headed toward our destination which was a Malay old-style kopitiam called Chawan.

As with most of the kopitiam inspired cafes out there, this one had your typical nasi lemak and teh tarik. One thing special about this kopitiam was that it served at least 15 different kinds of coffees from at least 15 different parts of Malaysia, each having a distinct aroma and flavour.

There's even one coffee from Melaka, kopi Aik Cheong! I went for teh tarik because I wasn't planning to stay up for too long, it was already late at night. We ordered some Lekor and fried taufu which tasted average. Service was good and what amazed me the most was the atmosphere.

They used landslide preventing concrete cages to cover up one part of the wall, giving the whole place this rugged look that blended with the old style wooden chairs. All in all, it was truly an unique experience!

Note: Sorry for the grainy pictures, all my photos were taken using my phone's VGA camera!

Dragon-i Restaurant

2010-07-16T19:52:00.001+08:00

Had a super expensive lunch with my classmates after class...
Photos taken using my 0.3 megapixel VGA phone camera

The place was Dragon-i. I've been to it's sister restaurant Canton-i once and was quite impressed with the wantan mee served there. The prices in Canton-i were steep enough to punch a big hole in my wallet but are nothing compared to what I had to pay in Dragon-i. The Sunway Pyramid Dragon-i outlet is located on the ground floor near the ice-skating ring. The view from the restaurant was breathtaking, we could see the whole Sunway Lagoon from where we were sitting.

Next up the food. To tell you the truth, for 30 ringgit a person I could very well have gone to some TGI Fridays or Carl's Junior. The food didn't taste that good and was a little bland for my liking. Service was okay but not worth the service charge.

We had same plain la mian-noodles(RM8), fried spicy chicken bits(RM20), shrimp dumplings(RM9), chive dumplings(RM6), pork dumplings(RM9) and fried shrimp rice(RM14). The bill came up to RM142.60 after adding all the service charges and government taxes. Really not worth my money. Lucky for me, I got RM50 for designing a poster for college...so at least I don't have to starve. The chicken was my first meat dish in about 3 days.

The chicken dish was filled with dries Sichuan chillies. Some of my classmates had a chili eating competition and all of them ended up in tears. I ended their pain by offering them some yogurt.

That's all for now, stay tuned for more of my foodie adventures!

2010-07-11T23:36:00.001+08:00

Majoring in the minor,

Minoring in the major.

A Secret Passageway...

2010-07-10T11:00:00.000+08:00

From that day onwards, we are the pioneers of a new route to Sunway Lagoon, this time through a road very much not taken!

It was after my math class on Friday that I decided to take a peek at what the so called 'Hovercraft' project was all about. Mr. Kingsley, one of the A-level Physics lecturers has taken up this highly skilled task. He and a team of students have been working day and night on a supposedly six-seater hovercraft. Imagine having to calculate all the down forces, coefficients, torque of the hovercraft, very mind boggling.

The workshop is located on the south-east end of the campus, down a dirt road behind the art gallery. I didn't now such a place existed until just recently. While waiting for Mr. Kingsley to show himself, I asked Thasban(classmate) about that shack further down the dirt track.

KIN MUN: Hey, what's that thing over there?

Thasban: It's a bird how lar!

KIN MUN: Then what beyond the bird house?

Thasban: A construction site for the new campus extension I guess.

We embarked on a journey towards insanity

We wondered down this narrow pathway along the college campus. It wasn't exactly that narrow, but it was some sort of jungle trail. Cars could barely fit through. It's a downhill trail, good for mountain biking. At the beginning of the trail, a lamp post with a radio controlled switch greeted us. Turn the switch on and it will send radio signals to all the other lamp posts around the area to light the whole track up. We saw this massive white canopy at the bottom of the slope, into the valley where the old mining pond was. That canopy was part of the Sunway lagoon theme park. It was quite some distance away from where we were standing.

KIN MUN: Hey wonder if it's possible to go down there and sneak into the theme park.

Others: So far, how to go?

KIN MUN: hey wait, what's that track over there...

I discovered a further pathway; it was like a scene from the poem 'The Road Not Taken' by Robert Frost. Shall we or shall we not go further? Yes we should...

we came in from here...

Then we arrived, there was no gate, no wall, nothing to prevent us student from trespassing. We found ourselves in Sunway Lagoon concourse just in the timeframe of a few minutes. Amazing isn’t it? The guard didn't notice our presence until one of my classmates asked him, "Hey, boleh masuk?"
Then he smiled at us,"pergi dari sini". Probably wondering where these jakuns came from.

From that day onwards, we are the pioneers of a new route to Sunway Lagoon, this time through a road very much not taken!

It's about time...

2010-06-27T01:05:00.004+08:00

Three whole weeks have passed since my semester break and yet my studying groove hasn't returned. I think I've lost it...either that or I never had one. I'm really trying to catch up on my studies now because I wasted too much time! Full blast ahead...yahoo!

The other day, I took the condo stairs instead of the lift. There was this rather huge stack of old books tucked into one side of the staircase. I decided to "EXPLORE" the junk. Guess what I found, a whole lot of pass year papers and even original GCE A-level textbooks!!! Excellent, no need to spent a single cent on my revision notes...To tell you the truth, I don't like to read, I seldom read storybooks and that's why I tend to sound like a textbook writer when I blog. Like brother Michael once said, too mathematical, too many repetitions, like a robot. Anyway, I carried the books back to my brother's unit and sorted them out according to subject. His roommate, also in Sunway A-levels also helped. I scanned through most of the books, most were still brand new. I could tell from their facial expressions that they hadn't been touched by the owners very often, maybe just once or twice. These books could easily have fetched hundreds of ringgit in bookstores.

That's about it for now, CHEERS!!!

Coolest Ferrari I've Ever Seen

2010-06-09T21:52:00.009+08:00

Ferrari 612 GTO

Sleek side profile

Hennessy Venom GT

LUCKY me

2010-06-05T22:30:00.007+08:00

A friend sent me this sms today:

Hey...U lost yr ic?
Who told u?
On the newspaperla...
Walao. Which newspaper?
Chinapress la...U can go there and take back...

Well guess what, I appeared on the Chinapress newspaper today and this time for the wrong reasons. A few days ago, I lost my wallet. I fetched my brother to school and brought along my driving licence. I wore pyjamas and it had no pockets. I placed my wallet in one of the compartments just in front of the front passenger seat. When I got off the car, I forgot to take my wallet down with me. Mom took over after that and she went to buy breakfast. Some idiotic thief managed to steal the wallet while the car was parked. I didn't realise this until late morning...I searched all morning for the misplaced wallet and found nothing.

The wallet contained a whole lot of money, my IC, a week old driving licence, ATM card, student card, and other identity cards. When I received the sms, I jumped for joy. I got my plastic cards back...not inclusive of money. Apparently someone found my wallet and passed it to Chinapress (中国报）. The thief could have had some guilty conscience; he probably just wanted the money. Either that or some kind-hearted Samaritan picked it up. I consider myself a very lucky person today.

Lessons learned:

1.) NEVER EVER LEAVE YOUR BELONGINGS IN A CAR WHILE YOUR ARE AWAY

2.) NEVER WEAR PYJAMAS WHEN DRIVING

3.) AVOID PUTTING ALL YOUR IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS IN YOUR WALLET

4.) HIT YOURSELF IN THE HEAD FOR HAVING A SHORT TERM MEMORY

5.) THERE ARE STILL SOME GOOD MALAYSIANS OUT THERE

6.) MANY BAD ONES TOO...

7.) READ THE CHINESE NEWSPAPERS

MINIMALIST design

2010-06-02T01:09:00.005+08:00

I CAN DRIVE NOW

2010-05-26T23:52:00.014+08:00

It's been a millennium since I've started my driving lessons, 6 whole months to be exact. Travelling to and fro from Sunway isn’t an easy task. Much time spent on the journey to the driving academy in Alor Gajah. Unlike most lucky folks out there, I don't have the privilege of having my driving instructor pick me up from my door step. A van fetches me to the middle of some jungle and drops me off. Speaking of instructors, mine changed all the time! So just because you see this old China sifu today doesn't necessarily mean that you'll get to be under his guidance the next time you have your lessons. To be honest, the instructors don't teach. They expect you to drive on the first lesson. If my memory serves me correct, a few months ago a fat Chinese Ah Beng-ish uncle threw me a set of keys, asked me to start the Kancil immediately and then forced me out into the main road. Not surprisingly, I met cows while driving through some jungle road. And yeah, they said MOOOooo to me. Never look down on ulu roads. The roads in Alor Gajah aren't filled with cars; they are flooded with oil tankers, trucks, buses and lorries.

Basically to get your driving licence you will have to pass one theory and two practical tests. The theory is easy... If you can't pass, shame on you. Practical was equally as simple, I had to pass one circuit and one outdoor test. The circuit consists of three elements, namely the BUKIT, side parking and three-point turn. Overcome these and you are guaranteed a pass. I used to fear the BUKIT the most, people say you get caught up there very easily because balancing the clutch is hard. Once your car engine “dies-off”, your chances of passing are near zero. Retaking the test will set you back another RM55. Well let me give you a tip, to go up the hill press the accelerator as hard as you can, preferably until the pedal touches the ground and then let the clutch go. Release the hand break fully and you be on your way to heaven. Once your side mirrors are in line with the poles on the side of the BUKIT, pull the hand break as hard as you can. Once on top, repeat the steps and find yourself a way down. Go ahead and launch yourself of the ramp if you want to, as long as you make it down there safely. Just use your drifting skills and slide your way into the parking lot. Three-point turn also simple. Apply your drift skills to it.

Circuit over, now comes the hard part, the outdoor part. As you can see, unlike driving in the circuit, driving outside can be a daunting task. In the circuit, it's either a pass or a fail, black or white, no grey. No one cheats because no one can cheat.

Since I can drive now, it's about time I get a car. Not too expensive though. Currently, I have a few in mind.

porsche spyder 918

bugatti veyron

lamborghini gallardo

First choice-limited edition KANCIL AE86