Actually I mentioned Melaka some postings back. So pls click on Melaka Trip for a refresher of our trip back in history.
Enjoy!
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Monday, January 19, 2009
Seat Belt saves. Take it seriously!
It was not our usual Sunday when I got a call from my good friend mentioning the demise of a mutual acquaintance. He was suspected to have been knocked from behind that sent his minivan careening down a slope. The car overturned many times and he was thrown out of the car. When the car came to a stop, his head was under the car and he suffered severe trauma on the head and body.
He died instantly.
The firemen took 15 minutes to extract his body whose head was under the severly damaged car. The sad part was that if he was wearing his seat belt, he would not have been thrown out of the car and would have survived the accident. Another friend had a similar accident and his car went turtle after turning several rounds but his seat belt kept him in place and he suffered only minor injuries.
The police suspected that he was driving fast and that he was not wearing his seat belt when he was alledgedly knocked from behind. But regardless, driving safe and wearing your seat belt will save lives. If not yours, at least your love ones.
I was pissed when the government issued the law for back seat folks to buckle up, that means I can't take too many people anymore. Now I realize that it's a small price to pay for our lives.
So buckle up and stay safe. Have a safe trip wherever you are.
He died instantly.
The firemen took 15 minutes to extract his body whose head was under the severly damaged car. The sad part was that if he was wearing his seat belt, he would not have been thrown out of the car and would have survived the accident. Another friend had a similar accident and his car went turtle after turning several rounds but his seat belt kept him in place and he suffered only minor injuries.
The police suspected that he was driving fast and that he was not wearing his seat belt when he was alledgedly knocked from behind. But regardless, driving safe and wearing your seat belt will save lives. If not yours, at least your love ones.
I was pissed when the government issued the law for back seat folks to buckle up, that means I can't take too many people anymore. Now I realize that it's a small price to pay for our lives.
So buckle up and stay safe. Have a safe trip wherever you are.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
We Won! We Won! Just what the heck did we win?
And who are these "we"? I am refering to the Kuala Trengganu by-election that was won by the opposition party from BN. BN won this seat by a paper thin 600+ margin and now loses it by 2000+ margin. So the changes that people are asking for is still strong from the March 2008 general elections. But it comes back to what is it that we have won and are all of us part of the "we"?
I am not a proponent of BN, that's for sure. With the kind of goobers we have in office, we are better off governed by the inhabitants of our zoo. We were once one of the 4 tigers of Asia together with Singapore, Taiwan and Korea. Now we are a lame, limping, government depending, race totting has been. At best we are an extinct economy. All the good work that was done in the last 20 years are regressing terribly. In this case I have to fault my hero, Tun Dr Mahathir.
I am not delusional to think he was not corrupted but he had the decency to ensure the country and its people is taken of. In a new country like Malaysia, full democracy will not work. We do need some despot to be brave enough to make tough decisions for the country and lead people to the next level. We don't need despots like Suharto or Marcos who have sucked the country dry for their own well being and have left the people in poverty. I don't mind that a politician is corrupted but as long as the country and people prosper, everyone wins in the long run.
However, Tun Mahathir has made a terrible mistake and for the situation in the country now, I hold him accountable. He had all the power within to set it right and he gave it to the most incompetent dwarves of all....Sleepy and Dopey. Now we are stuck with this comedic team who has all kinds of assholes (that's right, I said it!!!!) running the show for them. From making a mockery out of our justice system to slander and murder.
Our opposition is no better. PAS thinks they are truly blessed people of God or Allah by interpreting the Quran to their own believes and power. They think by telling Muslim kids not to play with non-Muslim kids is Islamic and what Allah has preached. They think raping their daughters is ok or raping is not their fault when the raped woman is pretty. She had it coming!
DAP is all about making noise and whining when things don't go their way. They now have a chance to govern a state and all they do is whine. I have yet to read a good thing they are doing in helping Penangites keep their jobs or ensuring that the MNC factories stay here and not uproot because of Sleepy and Dopey.
PKR is all about ensuring Anwar becomes PM so that he can stick it to his former employers and masters. Come on guys, he came from the system. He got greedy in 1998 and wanted to become PM then and got burned BIG time. I won't even talk about his bi-sexuality. Nothing PKR done has helped any of us. First it was about the petrol price which the government very cleverly just lowered according to world price. Then it was about MPs jumping ships. I don't want those MPs if they are looking to jump after the people voted for them!
Now, it's all silence. Nothing anyone has said looks to helping our country in our time of need. I feel very sad for us and it will get worse when more people leave and less investments comes in. So don't tell me we have won. They day I see some serious actions in driving palm oil usage, oil royalty money used wisely, manufacturing of unique products like plastic, chemicals and bio-science and a clear strategy on how we intend to leverage the MSC to build our service industry, its the day we win something.
Now we are just losing out mile by mile against our neighbours and whether it is Dopey as PM or Anwar, we are just as screwed. So, we should follow the Americans and be brave enough to face change. Someone who can put together multiple races and truly, truly knows how to live is multiple different cultures. Only a Chindian can save us now.
I am not a proponent of BN, that's for sure. With the kind of goobers we have in office, we are better off governed by the inhabitants of our zoo. We were once one of the 4 tigers of Asia together with Singapore, Taiwan and Korea. Now we are a lame, limping, government depending, race totting has been. At best we are an extinct economy. All the good work that was done in the last 20 years are regressing terribly. In this case I have to fault my hero, Tun Dr Mahathir.
I am not delusional to think he was not corrupted but he had the decency to ensure the country and its people is taken of. In a new country like Malaysia, full democracy will not work. We do need some despot to be brave enough to make tough decisions for the country and lead people to the next level. We don't need despots like Suharto or Marcos who have sucked the country dry for their own well being and have left the people in poverty. I don't mind that a politician is corrupted but as long as the country and people prosper, everyone wins in the long run.
However, Tun Mahathir has made a terrible mistake and for the situation in the country now, I hold him accountable. He had all the power within to set it right and he gave it to the most incompetent dwarves of all....Sleepy and Dopey. Now we are stuck with this comedic team who has all kinds of assholes (that's right, I said it!!!!) running the show for them. From making a mockery out of our justice system to slander and murder.
Our opposition is no better. PAS thinks they are truly blessed people of God or Allah by interpreting the Quran to their own believes and power. They think by telling Muslim kids not to play with non-Muslim kids is Islamic and what Allah has preached. They think raping their daughters is ok or raping is not their fault when the raped woman is pretty. She had it coming!
DAP is all about making noise and whining when things don't go their way. They now have a chance to govern a state and all they do is whine. I have yet to read a good thing they are doing in helping Penangites keep their jobs or ensuring that the MNC factories stay here and not uproot because of Sleepy and Dopey.
PKR is all about ensuring Anwar becomes PM so that he can stick it to his former employers and masters. Come on guys, he came from the system. He got greedy in 1998 and wanted to become PM then and got burned BIG time. I won't even talk about his bi-sexuality. Nothing PKR done has helped any of us. First it was about the petrol price which the government very cleverly just lowered according to world price. Then it was about MPs jumping ships. I don't want those MPs if they are looking to jump after the people voted for them!
Now, it's all silence. Nothing anyone has said looks to helping our country in our time of need. I feel very sad for us and it will get worse when more people leave and less investments comes in. So don't tell me we have won. They day I see some serious actions in driving palm oil usage, oil royalty money used wisely, manufacturing of unique products like plastic, chemicals and bio-science and a clear strategy on how we intend to leverage the MSC to build our service industry, its the day we win something.
Now we are just losing out mile by mile against our neighbours and whether it is Dopey as PM or Anwar, we are just as screwed. So, we should follow the Americans and be brave enough to face change. Someone who can put together multiple races and truly, truly knows how to live is multiple different cultures. Only a Chindian can save us now.
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Listen or I will cut something off!
We are going through the fever of another by-election in Kuala Trengganu. Everything today can be politicized and build to epic propostions under the guise of "making it better for the people". The latest is the Malaysia's opposition party's wanting to implement the "hudud" law if they came into power.
Briefly defined by Wikipedia, hudud is "Hudud (Arabic حدود, also transliterated hadud, hudood; singular hadd, حد, literal meaning "limit", or "restriction") is the word often used in Islamic literature for the bounds of acceptable behaviour and the punishments for serious crimes. In Islamic law or Sharia, hudud usually refers to the class of punishments that are fixed for certain crimes that are considered to be "claims of God."
The offenses under hudud are:-
Drinking alcohol (sharb al-khamr, شرب الخمر)
1. Theft (sariqa, السرقة)
2. Highway robbery (qat' al-tariq, قطع الطريق)
3. Illegal sexual intercourse (zina', الزناء)
4. False accusation of zina' (qadhf, القذف) [1][3]
5. Rebellion against the ruler (sedition or high treason)
6. Apostasy (irtidād or ridda, ارتداد) includes blasphemy.
Punishments include:-
1. Capital punishments - by sword/crucifixion (for highway robbery with homicide), by stoning (for zina' when the offenders are mature, married Muslims)
2. Amputation of hands or feet (for theft and highway robbery without homicide)
3. Flogging with a varying number of strokes (for drinking, zina' when the offenders are unmarried or not Muslims, and false accusations of zina')
The beauty of the hudud law are the requirements for conviction. They are:-
"Only eye-witness testimony and confession were admitted. For eye-witness testimony, the number of witnesses required was doubled from Islamic law's usual standard of two to four. Moreover, only the testimony of free adult Muslim males was acceptable (in non-hudud cases the testimony of women, non-Muslims and slaves could be admitted in certain circumstances). A confession had to be repeated four times, the confessor had to be in a healthy state of mind, and he or she could retract the confession at any point before punishment."
So this seems to leave a lot to the discretion of certain people who have to be very trustworthy when left in charge. These laws and applications probably made sense during the time of the Prophet Mohammad but in these days where law and order are more matured and men are more crooked, I don't think it is applicable anymore. There needs to be more check and balance when it comes to the application of such laws.
How do you trust only one eye witness and one jury to pass judgement and punishment even if the crime cannot be proven?? Can you trust people who can blow others up with C4 to this kind of power? Or those who have no regard for other races and drum up their mosque loud speakers 5 times a day or those who call non-Muslim names and try to deprive them of basic civil rights??
If at all, leave the hudud to the Muslim folks and let it be applicable to them. I don't really care. But the hudud needs to be applicable to all, including those who are championing it now like those PAS cretins.
A more rationale way would be to study the law and evolve it to suit a multi-religious society. We don't have to adopt all of hudud. After all, the hudud law while being an Islamic law is also just a set of regulations that can be passed through the parliament. Just like our moronic ISA which states that you can be held indefinitely without trial (I think they may have changed it to 2 years...like that makes it better). So non-Muslims need to be clear how this will impact us.
From the looks of it, the full definition is obviously not for us. I mean for a Chindian, pork and alcohol are our staple diet. It's like telling a Malay that he/she has to work for a living and not depend on government hand outs. That would kill them, just like it will kill us pork loving, alcohol chugging and hard working non-Malays. (I realized I just made a race base generalization but like I said before, if God didn't want us to make race based generalization, he wouldn't have given us races).
So, as with the arrogant leaders of this country, no one feels the need to explain things to anyone and they just go about implementing policies as they see fit. When there is a protest, we are threatened with ISA or some other stupid name calling crap. I do hope hudud is passed so that we could use it to kick these idiots with it. For lying, we will cut off their tongue and for blowing somebody up with C4, we will stuff every orifice with C4 to blow them up. Hey, seems like hudud not so bad after all.
Briefly defined by Wikipedia, hudud is "Hudud (Arabic حدود, also transliterated hadud, hudood; singular hadd, حد, literal meaning "limit", or "restriction") is the word often used in Islamic literature for the bounds of acceptable behaviour and the punishments for serious crimes. In Islamic law or Sharia, hudud usually refers to the class of punishments that are fixed for certain crimes that are considered to be "claims of God."
The offenses under hudud are:-
Drinking alcohol (sharb al-khamr, شرب الخمر)
1. Theft (sariqa, السرقة)
2. Highway robbery (qat' al-tariq, قطع الطريق)
3. Illegal sexual intercourse (zina', الزناء)
4. False accusation of zina' (qadhf, القذف) [1][3]
5. Rebellion against the ruler (sedition or high treason)
6. Apostasy (irtidād or ridda, ارتداد) includes blasphemy.
Punishments include:-
1. Capital punishments - by sword/crucifixion (for highway robbery with homicide), by stoning (for zina' when the offenders are mature, married Muslims)
2. Amputation of hands or feet (for theft and highway robbery without homicide)
3. Flogging with a varying number of strokes (for drinking, zina' when the offenders are unmarried or not Muslims, and false accusations of zina')
The beauty of the hudud law are the requirements for conviction. They are:-
"Only eye-witness testimony and confession were admitted. For eye-witness testimony, the number of witnesses required was doubled from Islamic law's usual standard of two to four. Moreover, only the testimony of free adult Muslim males was acceptable (in non-hudud cases the testimony of women, non-Muslims and slaves could be admitted in certain circumstances). A confession had to be repeated four times, the confessor had to be in a healthy state of mind, and he or she could retract the confession at any point before punishment."
So this seems to leave a lot to the discretion of certain people who have to be very trustworthy when left in charge. These laws and applications probably made sense during the time of the Prophet Mohammad but in these days where law and order are more matured and men are more crooked, I don't think it is applicable anymore. There needs to be more check and balance when it comes to the application of such laws.
How do you trust only one eye witness and one jury to pass judgement and punishment even if the crime cannot be proven?? Can you trust people who can blow others up with C4 to this kind of power? Or those who have no regard for other races and drum up their mosque loud speakers 5 times a day or those who call non-Muslim names and try to deprive them of basic civil rights??
If at all, leave the hudud to the Muslim folks and let it be applicable to them. I don't really care. But the hudud needs to be applicable to all, including those who are championing it now like those PAS cretins.
A more rationale way would be to study the law and evolve it to suit a multi-religious society. We don't have to adopt all of hudud. After all, the hudud law while being an Islamic law is also just a set of regulations that can be passed through the parliament. Just like our moronic ISA which states that you can be held indefinitely without trial (I think they may have changed it to 2 years...like that makes it better). So non-Muslims need to be clear how this will impact us.
From the looks of it, the full definition is obviously not for us. I mean for a Chindian, pork and alcohol are our staple diet. It's like telling a Malay that he/she has to work for a living and not depend on government hand outs. That would kill them, just like it will kill us pork loving, alcohol chugging and hard working non-Malays. (I realized I just made a race base generalization but like I said before, if God didn't want us to make race based generalization, he wouldn't have given us races).
So, as with the arrogant leaders of this country, no one feels the need to explain things to anyone and they just go about implementing policies as they see fit. When there is a protest, we are threatened with ISA or some other stupid name calling crap. I do hope hudud is passed so that we could use it to kick these idiots with it. For lying, we will cut off their tongue and for blowing somebody up with C4, we will stuff every orifice with C4 to blow them up. Hey, seems like hudud not so bad after all.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Part IV : Pearl of the Orient, Pulau Pinang
One of my favourite states who was accorded the name "Pearl of the Orient" for its simplicity yet complete, charming yet bashful and all-round good-time-having place. It has since lost a lot of that and while the name has not been taken away, it is not being used much. Penang is a bustling state with its capital Georgetown (motto : We can drive on the roof if necessary) splitting at its seams. There is just no more way to widen the roads here or create more highways without crashing into its rocky middle. They can consider building the highway into the sea like in some parts of Hong Kong.
There isn't anywhere that you can go without either hitting a restaurant, coffee shop or hawker center as well as a traffic jam. Wonderfully though, they have been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. For one thing Penang will always be rich in, is history and culture....and carbohydrate.
It is definitely the place to get FAT! The food (while has been more commercialized) is still gorgeous. Just a note to you gullible folks out there, Hokkien Mee, Char Kuey Teow, Prawn Mee, just to name a few, made its name in Penang. NOT Singapore. That's just a bunch of copy cats who are just leaching off the success of Malaysia as always.
You can get good food almost anywhere in Penang. There are some of my favourites like the:-
1) Sotong Mee (Squid Noodles) at Fort Cornwallis. They cook the Mee Mamak with the Rojak Sotong sauce. It is soooo good and spicy. Don't forget to order the coconut float while you are at it.
2) I love Kuay Chap which is lean pork and bits (spare parts) in light soya sauce with thinly sliced rice noodle. Check it out at Kimberly Street.
3) I also enjoy Assam Laksa at Kek Lok Si. While this may be one of the most unhygienic places, I find it worth the while but it is definitely not for the faint hearted and weak stomach.
4) Pulau Tikus Char Kuey Teow to me far surpass "The Sisters" Char Kuey Teow at Lorong Selamat. They use duck egg instead of chicken egg (not sure why but is seems to taste a wee-bit better) and they are not as pricey.
5) Ais Kacang at Lorong Selamat still managed to retained its charm and hope for a long time to come.
5) Banana leaf rice at Jalan Perkerja called Kerala. They cook to order so the food is piping hot and fresh.
6) Hawker Centers near Sunway Hotel, Batu Ferringi, Green Lane and along Gurney Drive.
There are also very interesting places to stay and check out in Penang. My favourites are Northam, Gurney and Rasa Sayang. I don't mind the E&O which is very historical and has excellent architecture. However, its haunted. The last time I stayed there, I was awaken by people running along the corridors in the middle of the night. I thought it was an emergency so I opened the door to look outside. Just before I opened the door, I could still shadows of people running from under the door but when I opened it, there was nothing in the corridors. Believe it or not.
You can also find out which places you can go to in Penang from any website or brochure as Penang is truly a targeted tourist spot. They have very nice shopping malls for your shopping needs and tons of Buddhist, Hindu and Thai temples, churches, old Government houses and cultural houses that will showcase the many cultures and history of Penang. The 2 places I truly enjoy are the night market in Batu Ferringi and the War Museum at Batu Maung.
The night market has many eating stalls and flea market type merchandizes. You can bargain for your favourite items but be sure to tell them you are local and not a tourist.
The War Museum really used to be an army camp for the British with 2 large gun pointing out to see. The barracks, mess, offices and dungeons are long abandoned and is now donned by photos and articles of the war. While it was under Japanese rule, there is a tree stump which was used to behead war criminals by the Japanese. It is not a place to visit alone or in the evenings.
So take a ride along the Penang Bridge from the mainland or if you are a romantic, ride on the ever present and reliable ferries that are still plying the short straits as they have been for decades to Penang Island. And let your senses be thrilled and your gastromic needs satisfied.
There isn't anywhere that you can go without either hitting a restaurant, coffee shop or hawker center as well as a traffic jam. Wonderfully though, they have been added to UNESCO's World Heritage List. For one thing Penang will always be rich in, is history and culture....and carbohydrate.
It is definitely the place to get FAT! The food (while has been more commercialized) is still gorgeous. Just a note to you gullible folks out there, Hokkien Mee, Char Kuey Teow, Prawn Mee, just to name a few, made its name in Penang. NOT Singapore. That's just a bunch of copy cats who are just leaching off the success of Malaysia as always.
You can get good food almost anywhere in Penang. There are some of my favourites like the:-
1) Sotong Mee (Squid Noodles) at Fort Cornwallis. They cook the Mee Mamak with the Rojak Sotong sauce. It is soooo good and spicy. Don't forget to order the coconut float while you are at it.
2) I love Kuay Chap which is lean pork and bits (spare parts) in light soya sauce with thinly sliced rice noodle. Check it out at Kimberly Street.
3) I also enjoy Assam Laksa at Kek Lok Si. While this may be one of the most unhygienic places, I find it worth the while but it is definitely not for the faint hearted and weak stomach.
4) Pulau Tikus Char Kuey Teow to me far surpass "The Sisters" Char Kuey Teow at Lorong Selamat. They use duck egg instead of chicken egg (not sure why but is seems to taste a wee-bit better) and they are not as pricey.
5) Ais Kacang at Lorong Selamat still managed to retained its charm and hope for a long time to come.
5) Banana leaf rice at Jalan Perkerja called Kerala. They cook to order so the food is piping hot and fresh.
6) Hawker Centers near Sunway Hotel, Batu Ferringi, Green Lane and along Gurney Drive.
There are also very interesting places to stay and check out in Penang. My favourites are Northam, Gurney and Rasa Sayang. I don't mind the E&O which is very historical and has excellent architecture. However, its haunted. The last time I stayed there, I was awaken by people running along the corridors in the middle of the night. I thought it was an emergency so I opened the door to look outside. Just before I opened the door, I could still shadows of people running from under the door but when I opened it, there was nothing in the corridors. Believe it or not.
You can also find out which places you can go to in Penang from any website or brochure as Penang is truly a targeted tourist spot. They have very nice shopping malls for your shopping needs and tons of Buddhist, Hindu and Thai temples, churches, old Government houses and cultural houses that will showcase the many cultures and history of Penang. The 2 places I truly enjoy are the night market in Batu Ferringi and the War Museum at Batu Maung.
The night market has many eating stalls and flea market type merchandizes. You can bargain for your favourite items but be sure to tell them you are local and not a tourist.
The War Museum really used to be an army camp for the British with 2 large gun pointing out to see. The barracks, mess, offices and dungeons are long abandoned and is now donned by photos and articles of the war. While it was under Japanese rule, there is a tree stump which was used to behead war criminals by the Japanese. It is not a place to visit alone or in the evenings.
So take a ride along the Penang Bridge from the mainland or if you are a romantic, ride on the ever present and reliable ferries that are still plying the short straits as they have been for decades to Penang Island. And let your senses be thrilled and your gastromic needs satisfied.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Happy New Year!!
It seems only proper that I post something on the first day of 2009. I'm not sure why. It was still a hectic day for me on the first day of 2009. Still much shopping to be done for Chinese New Year (have to do the Kiasu thing since the sale ends on the 4th) and of course school opening. I was out all day from 11am until 10pm. But last night was a blast. We opted to head out to the Curve where they had their annual countdown carnival/concert/fireworks thing but mainly because of Rynn Lin.
We went in around 6pm. Did a bit of shopping and had dinner while we waited for the concert to begin at around 8.30pm. There was a host of local artists but we were there to see Rynn Lin who happens to be a favourite of my daughter and wife. When he was escorted pass us by security, my wife jumped out and waved in front of his face while screaming his name!
I was afraid of 2 things then. First, she may have been wrestled to the ground or she may injure herself thinking she is still 17. But Rynn was really cool. He just smiled and was kinda amused with this "girl" jumping in front of him. There were other artists which were actually not bad and I feel kinda guilty not taking the trouble to know our own singers. Anyhoo, the concert went right up to midnight, we had our normal countdown, then the hugging, fireworks and all those queasy SMSs wishing you well from people who normally wouldn't call you but will send you these SMSs just to fulfill an obligation, making you guilty and you crack your head trying to figure out a reply, even if you don't know who sent you those messages.
So the only real winners are the telco operators who make a killing during festive seasons on SMS revenue. It was an interesting situation at the Curve. They sealed off the roads to accommodate the building of the stage but then lots of people didn't know how to get it since there was no signs to route you. So when we were came in, there were lots of parking spaces and very little people at the mall. It was very weird ro know there's a party happening later but hardly anyone's around. Most people came a lot later and parked by the roads outside.
We had steamboat dinner at the Pulau Ketam steamboat restaurant at Ikano. I found it to be very relaxing and quaint. We each had our own pot to cook our "ration" from the set we ordered but the soup was good, adequate and service was not bad. So it was a reasonable dinner since most places were packed with set menus that cost half my retirement fund. We rather enjoyed it and took a very leisurely stroll to Baskin Robbins, finished our dessert and got a seat with a great view of the stage.
As Rynn Lim was leaving after the concert, Melissa and Mandy again jumped in front of him and this time he waved at Melissa and patted Mandy on the head, smiling graciously and said "Happy New Year!". Mandy hasn't washed her hair yet. So it was a good day for Melissa and Mandy, coming up close and personal with their favourite singer and he was really a great guy for a celebrity.
We took about an hour to get home from the Curve. Getting out of the parking lot took about 10 minutes but then everywhere was jammed up. My cousin KLY took 2 hours just to get out of the parking lot. So the girls were still talking about Rynn Lin's expression and how he smiled, etc. Mike and I just fell on the bed and were knocked out within 10 seconds. For the new year, just remember not to send me any well wishing SMSs. Send me money instead and I will pat your head to wish you well! Happy New Year readers and God Bless!!!
We went in around 6pm. Did a bit of shopping and had dinner while we waited for the concert to begin at around 8.30pm. There was a host of local artists but we were there to see Rynn Lin who happens to be a favourite of my daughter and wife. When he was escorted pass us by security, my wife jumped out and waved in front of his face while screaming his name!
I was afraid of 2 things then. First, she may have been wrestled to the ground or she may injure herself thinking she is still 17. But Rynn was really cool. He just smiled and was kinda amused with this "girl" jumping in front of him. There were other artists which were actually not bad and I feel kinda guilty not taking the trouble to know our own singers. Anyhoo, the concert went right up to midnight, we had our normal countdown, then the hugging, fireworks and all those queasy SMSs wishing you well from people who normally wouldn't call you but will send you these SMSs just to fulfill an obligation, making you guilty and you crack your head trying to figure out a reply, even if you don't know who sent you those messages.
So the only real winners are the telco operators who make a killing during festive seasons on SMS revenue. It was an interesting situation at the Curve. They sealed off the roads to accommodate the building of the stage but then lots of people didn't know how to get it since there was no signs to route you. So when we were came in, there were lots of parking spaces and very little people at the mall. It was very weird ro know there's a party happening later but hardly anyone's around. Most people came a lot later and parked by the roads outside.
We had steamboat dinner at the Pulau Ketam steamboat restaurant at Ikano. I found it to be very relaxing and quaint. We each had our own pot to cook our "ration" from the set we ordered but the soup was good, adequate and service was not bad. So it was a reasonable dinner since most places were packed with set menus that cost half my retirement fund. We rather enjoyed it and took a very leisurely stroll to Baskin Robbins, finished our dessert and got a seat with a great view of the stage.
As Rynn Lim was leaving after the concert, Melissa and Mandy again jumped in front of him and this time he waved at Melissa and patted Mandy on the head, smiling graciously and said "Happy New Year!". Mandy hasn't washed her hair yet. So it was a good day for Melissa and Mandy, coming up close and personal with their favourite singer and he was really a great guy for a celebrity.
We took about an hour to get home from the Curve. Getting out of the parking lot took about 10 minutes but then everywhere was jammed up. My cousin KLY took 2 hours just to get out of the parking lot. So the girls were still talking about Rynn Lin's expression and how he smiled, etc. Mike and I just fell on the bed and were knocked out within 10 seconds. For the new year, just remember not to send me any well wishing SMSs. Send me money instead and I will pat your head to wish you well! Happy New Year readers and God Bless!!!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Part 3 : Northern Gem Perlis
I thought I will skip the alphabetical order and go by geographic location. Our northern most state is Perlis and it is called a gem since it rare and hard to find. Hence Perlis is truly difficult to find...no I mean it literally. It is so small that if you are passed Kedah at high speed, you might hit the Thai border before its too late to stop. Many border disputes occurred because motorist or public buses couldn't stop in time as they enter Perlis and will hit the Thai border. Thank goodness we have an excellent relationship with Thailand. Also, Southern Thailand is so much more backward, they believe that it was always an accident to hit their border. "Who the heck wants to come here?" is what they will tell their superiors.
But when you do stop in time, lets see what Perlis has to offer. In its history, Perlis has been shipped to Siam, Thailand, Kedah, the British, Thailand, the British and finally to Malaya when we got our independence. If you stay in any part of Perlis even the state capital of Kangar, you will find yourself oozing into a puddle of complacency in less than 48 hours. It is a very slow paced life, peaceful and tranquil. Meaning you might die without knowing it.
But there are museums in Kangar which will display Perlis rich history in a room smaller than a shoe closet. Then there is Homestay in Ujung Bukit if you want to regress your life to a state of puddle complaceny and experience village life where you cycle to the village and knock into a buffalo.
The Perlis State Park for some reason is Perlis' top attraction. From what I am reading it says it showcases the longest continuous range of limestone hills which are 500 million years old. So it means old and ugly rocks right? Well there will be caves, tracks, animals, vegetation and a whole bunch of nature to enjoy but when your state's top attraction are old rock, you know you are in trouble.
There are recreational parks in Bukit Ayer and Lake Melati where you can sit by the lake and be bitten by ants or take a boat ride and be bitten by mosquitoes. You can enjoy fruit farms and be bitten by bugs or just enjoy the Snake and Reptile farm and be bitten by poisonous snakes. Take your pick! Perlis also had a pretty healthy agriculture industry in sugar cane and mangoes. The sugar cane plantation is called Chuping neat Bukit Chuping and the Harumanis Plantation is famous for its mangoes. Hey I like Sugar Cane and Mangoes.
Padang Besar is the town at the Thai border and it is a respectable shopping location with many reasonable (cheap) stuff. You can also visit the Wang Kelian Sunday Market which ride to will take you across all the attractions I mentioned to the Nakawan Range at the Thai border. It is actually situated inside Thailand but they do allow visitors in without passports and you can spot duty free goods.
There are Pasar Tani (farm goods markets) and Pasar Malam (night markets)in different towns across Perlis. With so many "attractions" and its indecisiveness of joining which country, I suggested that we sell Perlis to Thailand to raise funds to combat our recession. So come visit soonest.
As you are in the north and making you way down to Kedah, you will stop in one of the most vibrant and popular tourist spots in Malaysia and that is....
But when you do stop in time, lets see what Perlis has to offer. In its history, Perlis has been shipped to Siam, Thailand, Kedah, the British, Thailand, the British and finally to Malaya when we got our independence. If you stay in any part of Perlis even the state capital of Kangar, you will find yourself oozing into a puddle of complacency in less than 48 hours. It is a very slow paced life, peaceful and tranquil. Meaning you might die without knowing it.
But there are museums in Kangar which will display Perlis rich history in a room smaller than a shoe closet. Then there is Homestay in Ujung Bukit if you want to regress your life to a state of puddle complaceny and experience village life where you cycle to the village and knock into a buffalo.
The Perlis State Park for some reason is Perlis' top attraction. From what I am reading it says it showcases the longest continuous range of limestone hills which are 500 million years old. So it means old and ugly rocks right? Well there will be caves, tracks, animals, vegetation and a whole bunch of nature to enjoy but when your state's top attraction are old rock, you know you are in trouble.
There are recreational parks in Bukit Ayer and Lake Melati where you can sit by the lake and be bitten by ants or take a boat ride and be bitten by mosquitoes. You can enjoy fruit farms and be bitten by bugs or just enjoy the Snake and Reptile farm and be bitten by poisonous snakes. Take your pick! Perlis also had a pretty healthy agriculture industry in sugar cane and mangoes. The sugar cane plantation is called Chuping neat Bukit Chuping and the Harumanis Plantation is famous for its mangoes. Hey I like Sugar Cane and Mangoes.
Padang Besar is the town at the Thai border and it is a respectable shopping location with many reasonable (cheap) stuff. You can also visit the Wang Kelian Sunday Market which ride to will take you across all the attractions I mentioned to the Nakawan Range at the Thai border. It is actually situated inside Thailand but they do allow visitors in without passports and you can spot duty free goods.
There are Pasar Tani (farm goods markets) and Pasar Malam (night markets)in different towns across Perlis. With so many "attractions" and its indecisiveness of joining which country, I suggested that we sell Perlis to Thailand to raise funds to combat our recession. So come visit soonest.
As you are in the north and making you way down to Kedah, you will stop in one of the most vibrant and popular tourist spots in Malaysia and that is....
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Visit Malaysia - Part 2 : Kedah
Here in the great state of Kedah (motto : We have rice coming out of our wazoo!), the most you will see are flat lands made up of paddy fields. Its nicknamed the "Rice Bowl of Malaysia" as it is our largest producer of our staple diet. However, that doesn't mean it is boring and sucks to the very depth of your soul. No sir it isn't. Damn close but it isn't. Kedah's most popular tourist spot is Pulau Langkawi or Langkawi Island. It has an international airport and its a pretty darn good place just to chill and be a surfer dude wannabe. So we start with Langkawi.
1) Langkawi
It is an island resort that is followed by a very romantic and mythical story (read totally unbelievable) about a person named Mashuri who cursed the island for 7 generations after she was framed and bled white to symbolize her innocence. I would have just taken off at that point! So Langkawi stayed in the backwater of Malaysian social economy until the alleged 7th generation passed on and our previous Prime Minister turned it into a major tourist attraction.
The biggest town on the island is Kuah Town where you will find some duty free shops and some decent restaurants but the island resorts are off town and there are many that you can choose from. Check out the many beaches that are washed by the Andaman Sea like Pantai Cenang, Pantai Kok, Burau Bay, Tanjung Rhu and Datai Beach. From Tanjung Rhu, you can see the shores of Thailand.
The places you should check are the Pulau Payar Marine Park where you can feed baby sharks against colourful corals and diverse marine lives. Another is Sungai Kilim where you can take a cruise along this river and savour the beautiful mix of mangrove forests, white sandy beaches and blue lagoons. You will also be taken to a floating village where you can have lunch and check out the fish farms that are found on the village. Along this cruise, you will get to see how the eagles are fed as raw chicken pieces are thrown into the river and a huge swarm of eagles like a scene from some horrific horror movie will come swooping down and you will think that they are going to pluck your eye balls and any other dangling body parts away!!! Not that I am afraid.
The Tasik Dayang Bunting (Pregnant Maiden Lake) is actually a volcano crater so that means it is SUPER deep and dark emerald in colour. Swimming in it is really relaxing if you don't keep imagining some deep sea monster coming up to pull you down and having you for supper! The legend of this lake comes from a tale of a heavenly princess who married a mortal prince. The had a child which died soon after birth (maybe from eagle feeding scare!) and was buried at the lake. As she returned to heaven, she blessed the lake so that should a childless woman baths in the lake, she will conceive soon after. Hardly an ad for birth control! So single girls, be careful when you swim here. Pls wear protection.
Underwater World of Langkawi is a giant aquarium with many interesting marine lives like sharks, rays, arapaimas, penguins etc. Then it is a hop away to the Langkawi Cable Car. It is in the Malaysian Book of Records for something but I am too lazy to find out but the view is fantastic. Situated at Burau Bay it also boast an impressive attraction of a 125m suspension bridge. At the foot of the cable car station, you can enjoy an Oriental Village where they sell an assortment of trinkets and souvenirs.
It would not be complete unless you visit the Tomb of Mashuri at Kota Mashuri. Also you will see Beras Hitam or Black Rice where the Langkawi people burned the paddy fields to stop the Siamese soldiers from having food. Till today the rice growing on these fields are black.
There is a Langkawi Wildlife Park which houses many animals in its natural habitat. If by now you are not sick of seeing animals or aspire to be the next Jacques Cousteau, this is a great place to visit. As for me, if I see another bird....
Langkawi is also the accorded the Global Geopark status by UNESCO for the preservation of its geological heritage. The park has been dubbed the "birthplace" or "fetus of the land" of our region and it has history dati8ng back to 550 million years. There are 3 geoforest that you can visit. The Machinchyang Cambrian dubbed the "fallopian tube", the Kilim Karst dubbed the "Placenta" and the Dayan bunting Marble dubbed the "Colon". All said and done, best to go with a guide or you might just poke your eye out with an ancient stick since you climbed all the way up to see some really old and mis-shapen rocks. So the guide will help you appreciate it more and dispel and suicidal tendencies.
After Langkawi, the rest of Kedah seems very backward. So you are not faulted for skipping it altogether unless you are driving up to Southern Thailand. Still some good places to mention are:-
- Lembah Bujang and Kuala Kedah museums, white water rafting in Sungai Sedim.
- The world's longest tree top walk at Guning Inas Forest Reserve situated along Sungai Sedim.
- Lasor Eco Park for 4x4 enthusiasts
- Ulu Legong Hot springs
- Merbok River Cruise about 10km from Sungai Petani town
- Homestays at Kampung Relau at Kulim and Kampung Raga at Yan
- State capital, Alor Star
Before you know it, its time to move to...
1) Langkawi
It is an island resort that is followed by a very romantic and mythical story (read totally unbelievable) about a person named Mashuri who cursed the island for 7 generations after she was framed and bled white to symbolize her innocence. I would have just taken off at that point! So Langkawi stayed in the backwater of Malaysian social economy until the alleged 7th generation passed on and our previous Prime Minister turned it into a major tourist attraction.
The biggest town on the island is Kuah Town where you will find some duty free shops and some decent restaurants but the island resorts are off town and there are many that you can choose from. Check out the many beaches that are washed by the Andaman Sea like Pantai Cenang, Pantai Kok, Burau Bay, Tanjung Rhu and Datai Beach. From Tanjung Rhu, you can see the shores of Thailand.
The places you should check are the Pulau Payar Marine Park where you can feed baby sharks against colourful corals and diverse marine lives. Another is Sungai Kilim where you can take a cruise along this river and savour the beautiful mix of mangrove forests, white sandy beaches and blue lagoons. You will also be taken to a floating village where you can have lunch and check out the fish farms that are found on the village. Along this cruise, you will get to see how the eagles are fed as raw chicken pieces are thrown into the river and a huge swarm of eagles like a scene from some horrific horror movie will come swooping down and you will think that they are going to pluck your eye balls and any other dangling body parts away!!! Not that I am afraid.
The Tasik Dayang Bunting (Pregnant Maiden Lake) is actually a volcano crater so that means it is SUPER deep and dark emerald in colour. Swimming in it is really relaxing if you don't keep imagining some deep sea monster coming up to pull you down and having you for supper! The legend of this lake comes from a tale of a heavenly princess who married a mortal prince. The had a child which died soon after birth (maybe from eagle feeding scare!) and was buried at the lake. As she returned to heaven, she blessed the lake so that should a childless woman baths in the lake, she will conceive soon after. Hardly an ad for birth control! So single girls, be careful when you swim here. Pls wear protection.
Underwater World of Langkawi is a giant aquarium with many interesting marine lives like sharks, rays, arapaimas, penguins etc. Then it is a hop away to the Langkawi Cable Car. It is in the Malaysian Book of Records for something but I am too lazy to find out but the view is fantastic. Situated at Burau Bay it also boast an impressive attraction of a 125m suspension bridge. At the foot of the cable car station, you can enjoy an Oriental Village where they sell an assortment of trinkets and souvenirs.
It would not be complete unless you visit the Tomb of Mashuri at Kota Mashuri. Also you will see Beras Hitam or Black Rice where the Langkawi people burned the paddy fields to stop the Siamese soldiers from having food. Till today the rice growing on these fields are black.
There is a Langkawi Wildlife Park which houses many animals in its natural habitat. If by now you are not sick of seeing animals or aspire to be the next Jacques Cousteau, this is a great place to visit. As for me, if I see another bird....
Langkawi is also the accorded the Global Geopark status by UNESCO for the preservation of its geological heritage. The park has been dubbed the "birthplace" or "fetus of the land" of our region and it has history dati8ng back to 550 million years. There are 3 geoforest that you can visit. The Machinchyang Cambrian dubbed the "fallopian tube", the Kilim Karst dubbed the "Placenta" and the Dayan bunting Marble dubbed the "Colon". All said and done, best to go with a guide or you might just poke your eye out with an ancient stick since you climbed all the way up to see some really old and mis-shapen rocks. So the guide will help you appreciate it more and dispel and suicidal tendencies.
After Langkawi, the rest of Kedah seems very backward. So you are not faulted for skipping it altogether unless you are driving up to Southern Thailand. Still some good places to mention are:-
- Lembah Bujang and Kuala Kedah museums, white water rafting in Sungai Sedim.
- The world's longest tree top walk at Guning Inas Forest Reserve situated along Sungai Sedim.
- Lasor Eco Park for 4x4 enthusiasts
- Ulu Legong Hot springs
- Merbok River Cruise about 10km from Sungai Petani town
- Homestays at Kampung Relau at Kulim and Kampung Raga at Yan
- State capital, Alor Star
Before you know it, its time to move to...
Visit Malaysia Please!! We need the job and the funds! - Part 1 : Johor
Well, its not all that bad in Malaysia and if just like any other Muslim country, we too have been victims of western propaganda and this is also partly due to our leaders being real morons! Malaysia for all the publicity its been getting, is really a very cool and nice place to hang out. Despite what you read, the majority of Malaysians are very hospitable, friendly and helpful....as long as they are not cab drivers. We all co-exist in peace despite calls from certain quarters (ie Islamic Religious Department and UMNO) to not befriend non-Muslims as we will lead the Muslims astray. If you are a practicing Muslim in Malaysia, you would think that Malaysians Muslims are a bunch of donkeys who are SOOOO easily enticed and tempted into sinning.
So to set some of the record straight, I would like to give you an update on some of the more interesting and exciting tourist spots here in Malaysia. Some of them are taken from brochures, websites and some personal experiences. Here we go in alphabetical order, talking about the Southern State of Johor (motto: What do mean the Wild West is gone?).
A) Johor
It is our southernmost state and connected to Singapore via 2 highways. It's capital, Johor Baru has very modern establishments for shopping and night life. It has really weird, unchecked and not at all subtle night spots with names like "Papaya Farm". You can shop for cheap use car parts which were probably taken from your car after it was jacked from you.
Unfortunately the current Johor royal family is made up of real imbeciles who can't even spell their names or tie their own shoe laces. They bully the commoners and pick fights to compensate for their lack of wiener size. So if you see a Johor royalty car, pls flash a book (since they probably can't read) which is like Kryptonite to them and avoid them at all costs.
However, there are some interesting places other than JB.
1) Some interesting buildings - Dominating the JB skyline is Sultan Ibrahim skyline which reflects both local and colonial architecture. There is also the Grand Palace, Royal Sultan Abu Bakar Museum and the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque. They were named after successful, elegant and well respected previous Sultans.
2) Gunung Ledang or Mount Phir
Its the mythical mountain which is very popular to trekkers. It has a beautiful waterfall at the base of the mountain for the less adventurous. This mountain also spakrs off a lot of really interesting stories.
3) Endau-Rompin National Park
It is one of our largest virgin lowland forest and is a major conservation area where a large and diverse flora and fauna is found. I went there once with Microsoft on a 4x4 challenge and let me just say, there were lots and lots of bugs and leaches.
4) Desaru
It is the most popular beach resort south of the peninsula. Just like any beach resort, it has water sports but it also has an interesting agro-tour and Desaru Fruit Farm tour. Nearby, they have fireflies at the Lebam River.
5) Tanjong Piai
This is an environmental sanctuary made up of coastal mangroves and is home to may species of birds and of course..BUGS and LEACHES!!!!
6) Nasoha Spices and Herbs Paradise
It lies near the town of Pagoh where it is the home to hundreds of medicinal plants. I am just spreading the net here to catch as many interests as possible ok?
7) Islands of Mersing
The most famous being Tioman, which is a very commercialized (read civilized) island resort. But there are other dive spots like Dayang Island, Lang Island and Pinang Island which is a must try if you want to live on the edge. They are all within the Johor Marine Park
So there you go. I will start posting more tourist spots by states which I hope will give you a clearer view of our country. Bon Voyage!
So to set some of the record straight, I would like to give you an update on some of the more interesting and exciting tourist spots here in Malaysia. Some of them are taken from brochures, websites and some personal experiences. Here we go in alphabetical order, talking about the Southern State of Johor (motto: What do mean the Wild West is gone?).
A) Johor
It is our southernmost state and connected to Singapore via 2 highways. It's capital, Johor Baru has very modern establishments for shopping and night life. It has really weird, unchecked and not at all subtle night spots with names like "Papaya Farm". You can shop for cheap use car parts which were probably taken from your car after it was jacked from you.
Unfortunately the current Johor royal family is made up of real imbeciles who can't even spell their names or tie their own shoe laces. They bully the commoners and pick fights to compensate for their lack of wiener size. So if you see a Johor royalty car, pls flash a book (since they probably can't read) which is like Kryptonite to them and avoid them at all costs.
However, there are some interesting places other than JB.
1) Some interesting buildings - Dominating the JB skyline is Sultan Ibrahim skyline which reflects both local and colonial architecture. There is also the Grand Palace, Royal Sultan Abu Bakar Museum and the Sultan Abu Bakar Mosque. They were named after successful, elegant and well respected previous Sultans.
2) Gunung Ledang or Mount Phir
Its the mythical mountain which is very popular to trekkers. It has a beautiful waterfall at the base of the mountain for the less adventurous. This mountain also spakrs off a lot of really interesting stories.
3) Endau-Rompin National Park
It is one of our largest virgin lowland forest and is a major conservation area where a large and diverse flora and fauna is found. I went there once with Microsoft on a 4x4 challenge and let me just say, there were lots and lots of bugs and leaches.
4) Desaru
It is the most popular beach resort south of the peninsula. Just like any beach resort, it has water sports but it also has an interesting agro-tour and Desaru Fruit Farm tour. Nearby, they have fireflies at the Lebam River.
5) Tanjong Piai
This is an environmental sanctuary made up of coastal mangroves and is home to may species of birds and of course..BUGS and LEACHES!!!!
6) Nasoha Spices and Herbs Paradise
It lies near the town of Pagoh where it is the home to hundreds of medicinal plants. I am just spreading the net here to catch as many interests as possible ok?
7) Islands of Mersing
The most famous being Tioman, which is a very commercialized (read civilized) island resort. But there are other dive spots like Dayang Island, Lang Island and Pinang Island which is a must try if you want to live on the edge. They are all within the Johor Marine Park
So there you go. I will start posting more tourist spots by states which I hope will give you a clearer view of our country. Bon Voyage!
Service with foreign frown!
There is a very worrying trend that seems to be growing in KL's service industry and it is the influx of foreign workers in restaurants and hotels. While I am not against foreigners looking for a better life in my country, I draw the line when they have these FREAKING foreigners who work in a particular restaurant but have no idea what the menu is about, don't understand the language or the menu content and screws up my orders. One such incident happened at a Cantonese restaurant called Canton Bay at Sunway Pyramid.
Don't mistake it for Canton-i, which is a spin off from Dragon-i, serving good Cantonese dishes. There are many such restaurants like Canton-i. For example Kim Gary, Prince Cafe (in SS2) and Char Chan Teng. While they serve good quality dishes, they also have Cantonese or Mandarin speaking servers who are knowledgeable about the food and the menu.
What this really ridiculous Canton Bay has is a bunch of Burmese or Vietnamese who have no idea what the dishes on the menu are, who cannot recommend anything, can't tell you what ingredients it contain and worst off, because they don't know, they will screw up your order. What's even life threateningly worse, I spoke to them in English. I cannot understand why the owners will hire someone who cannot complement their establishment at all, to be their client facing people. To really, REALLY top it off, there wasn't a captain or a manager who can speak Cantonese in the restaurant. So there really was no one to help the people who are paying and will potential pay you some more.
I was there to try Canton Bay for the first time since I really enjoy Cantonese cuisine and I need my dose of Char Siew (honey grilled pork) and Siew Yok (roast pork). When I asked if they had it, the lady at the reception nodded enthusiastically. When I sat down and saw the menu, they had Chicken Char Siew. That should have been my cue to leave. The fool that I was, stayed back and continued my ordeal.
I was with my in-laws and my wife and she had to leave early so we asked if her dish can be served first. The waiter said ok and left. We waited 15 minutes for it. I didn't know if the waiter didn't understand, just pure lazy, pure apathy or just plain stupid not to at least inform us that it would take 15 minutes. Other dishes were also screwed up and when we told them, there was no apology or even any attempt to feel apologetic. Not even a smile. There were 10-12 workers running around but with nothing done. It was just incredible and if you know Cantonese dishes, they are relatively easy to prepare. So we weren't sure why the long wait for something we wanted urgently and why the screw up when they have so many workers and not that many tables.
So I paid the bill there for the last time. They gave me a discount card, which I left on the table and I walked out for the last time. I can't really blame the foreign workers seeing that they may their own challenges but I am not here to say gracious things about them either.
So I would recommend you try Canton Bay, which is at Sunway Pyramid's old wing just above McDonald's. But only if you want to see some Burmese waiter screw up your order and a bunch of them running around trying to look busy. I hope they choke on their Chicken Char Siew!!
Don't mistake it for Canton-i, which is a spin off from Dragon-i, serving good Cantonese dishes. There are many such restaurants like Canton-i. For example Kim Gary, Prince Cafe (in SS2) and Char Chan Teng. While they serve good quality dishes, they also have Cantonese or Mandarin speaking servers who are knowledgeable about the food and the menu.
What this really ridiculous Canton Bay has is a bunch of Burmese or Vietnamese who have no idea what the dishes on the menu are, who cannot recommend anything, can't tell you what ingredients it contain and worst off, because they don't know, they will screw up your order. What's even life threateningly worse, I spoke to them in English. I cannot understand why the owners will hire someone who cannot complement their establishment at all, to be their client facing people. To really, REALLY top it off, there wasn't a captain or a manager who can speak Cantonese in the restaurant. So there really was no one to help the people who are paying and will potential pay you some more.
I was there to try Canton Bay for the first time since I really enjoy Cantonese cuisine and I need my dose of Char Siew (honey grilled pork) and Siew Yok (roast pork). When I asked if they had it, the lady at the reception nodded enthusiastically. When I sat down and saw the menu, they had Chicken Char Siew. That should have been my cue to leave. The fool that I was, stayed back and continued my ordeal.
I was with my in-laws and my wife and she had to leave early so we asked if her dish can be served first. The waiter said ok and left. We waited 15 minutes for it. I didn't know if the waiter didn't understand, just pure lazy, pure apathy or just plain stupid not to at least inform us that it would take 15 minutes. Other dishes were also screwed up and when we told them, there was no apology or even any attempt to feel apologetic. Not even a smile. There were 10-12 workers running around but with nothing done. It was just incredible and if you know Cantonese dishes, they are relatively easy to prepare. So we weren't sure why the long wait for something we wanted urgently and why the screw up when they have so many workers and not that many tables.
So I paid the bill there for the last time. They gave me a discount card, which I left on the table and I walked out for the last time. I can't really blame the foreign workers seeing that they may their own challenges but I am not here to say gracious things about them either.
So I would recommend you try Canton Bay, which is at Sunway Pyramid's old wing just above McDonald's. But only if you want to see some Burmese waiter screw up your order and a bunch of them running around trying to look busy. I hope they choke on their Chicken Char Siew!!
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