Woo Hoo. I finally got it. I just picked up my very own Sony PSP. A black, shiny and sleek powderful gaming machine. OMG I can't wait to get home and play it. Sadly I bought it like an hour or so before work starts so I haven't even had the chance to charge it. Its still nicely wrapped and sitting on my bed. I feel like a freaking kid before Christmas morning. Even got myself a second hand game about an hour earlier. Now I have 2 games to meddle around with, Fifa 2006 and SSX On Tour. I know I know all sporty games but I just got the damn thing. Gimme some time to scout around. I actually want Daxter which is a great adventure game but sadly no second hand units out there. Patience is the key. Wait for someone else to get bored with it and sell it off. Hehe. Thats the only way to survive with PSP since we are forced to play original games.
Sigh. The damn time is moving so slow. Tick tock tick tock. I got like an hour and 5 minutes more. Arrggghhh. I can't take this!!
Friday, March 31, 2006
Thursday, March 30, 2006
delayed post: krabi and phuket...
Sorry for the delay folks. Was caught up in a few things and forgot about updating my time in Phuket, Thailand. Not really much to say since we didn't spend that many days there. Spent half a day at Krabi and then moved on to Phuket where we spent about 1 and a half days. Krabi is province in south of Thailand at the shore of the Andaman Sea. Not really sure how far it is from Phuket but it took the ship about 2 hours or so. As Krabi did not have a proper port/dock, we actually anchored a kilometer or so off the beach. From there the ship arranged fisherman boats to take passengers to a few locations. Since it was a short trip, I opted for a ride to Poda Island which is off Krabi for some beach bumming. I was very pleased with my choice as Poda Island is simply breathtaking. Its a small island very near Krabi. There is nothing there except a small wooden restaurant and nature. What more could you ask for. We went very early (9am) as well so the island was deserted. Sadly at about noon the boats with tourists started coming in and the calmness gone. Before that however we had a great time bumming around. The sand was nice and soft and the water crystal blue. It was great for snorkelling but we didn't have any gear. No worries though as you could see the fish as you walked along the shore or swam. I really miss the calmness I felt on that island. Sigh. If only we had something like that off Malaysia.
After about 7 hours or so in Krabi the ship continued its way to Phuket. We reached their deep sea port around 7pm or so. After having a good dinner at the ship we followed some of the passengers on a trip to Patong Beach which was supposed to be the best place in Phuket for night life and shopping. Its also one of the major places that was hit by the tsunami recently but when you go there now you wouldn't even realise it. Everything is all cleaned up and back to normal. The only signs would be the tsunami evacuation notices and the dumb tsunami photos and shirts sold by the traders. Now the shopping isn't much to shout about as whatever pirated stuff they had there was cheaper in Malaysia anyways. The night life was pretty interesting I guess. Not what you would expect but it works. They had this street with about 200 odd bars side by side. The bars were little small ones with a bar table, some barstools, some tables and chairs and not to mention some Thai ladies to please the men. All the bars were practically the same and they seem to do pretty well. Patong Beach was a let down of sorts because it was too touristy plus not to mention sleazy. I guess it would've been better if I went with my mates instead. One thing I did like about Patong were the massages. Oooh la la and they were pretty cheap as well. Had some good massages there. Both that night and the next evening. We headed back to ship about midnite or so. Wish we could've stayed longer as things picked up as it got late but the ship was like 40 minutes from Patong.
The next morning we joined another tour arranged by the cruise. This time it was to an elephant safari, followed by Wang Talang (which is a famous precious stones outlet) and Wat Chalong (one of the most famous temples in Thailand), then some Thai buffet lunch, before heading back to Patong for a couple of hours. Out of which we only enjoyed the elephant safari, the temple and lunch. It was a great experience riding an elephant up and down rough terrain. For such a huge beast they are really agile and tough yet give out a nice fuzzy feeling. Its nice to see how Thai people especially the mahouts taking care and respecting the elephants. After the elephant safari we headed out to Wang Talang. This was a waste of time unless of course you were looking for some precious stones. We spent like 30 minutes there and headed to have our lunch. This was another highlight as the buffet setup was amazing. I've never seen so many selections before and majority of them were of yummy. There were japanese, chinese, indian, western and god knows what other cuisines layed out. Most of us took the oppurtunity to stuff ourselves silly especially after the exhaustion from the elephant ride and heat. After stuffing our faces we headed to Wat Chalong. This temple is known to be touristy as its the most biggest and ornate monastery around. I must say the architecture is really beautiful not to mention the tonnes of lovely Buddha statues inside. Would have enjoyed that part of the trip more if the weather was cooler but it was just too hot to hang about. Plus we only had like 30 minutes or so. Nothing much to blog after the temple though as Patong in the day is worse than at night. Its just meant for shopaholics. Nevertheless I did take the oppurtunity to enjoy another round of massage. Hehe. Nothing like a good rub down. ;)
All and all I enjoyed my short stint at Thailand. Although I think I would have enjoyed Pattaya or Bangkok more. Maybe next time for a full vacation and not via a cruise. More time on land then. Alrighty, time to have my beauty sleep. Gotta wake up early tommorrow to get hold of my PSP! Below are some pictures we took in Thailand. Gd'nite...
After about 7 hours or so in Krabi the ship continued its way to Phuket. We reached their deep sea port around 7pm or so. After having a good dinner at the ship we followed some of the passengers on a trip to Patong Beach which was supposed to be the best place in Phuket for night life and shopping. Its also one of the major places that was hit by the tsunami recently but when you go there now you wouldn't even realise it. Everything is all cleaned up and back to normal. The only signs would be the tsunami evacuation notices and the dumb tsunami photos and shirts sold by the traders. Now the shopping isn't much to shout about as whatever pirated stuff they had there was cheaper in Malaysia anyways. The night life was pretty interesting I guess. Not what you would expect but it works. They had this street with about 200 odd bars side by side. The bars were little small ones with a bar table, some barstools, some tables and chairs and not to mention some Thai ladies to please the men. All the bars were practically the same and they seem to do pretty well. Patong Beach was a let down of sorts because it was too touristy plus not to mention sleazy. I guess it would've been better if I went with my mates instead. One thing I did like about Patong were the massages. Oooh la la and they were pretty cheap as well. Had some good massages there. Both that night and the next evening. We headed back to ship about midnite or so. Wish we could've stayed longer as things picked up as it got late but the ship was like 40 minutes from Patong.
The next morning we joined another tour arranged by the cruise. This time it was to an elephant safari, followed by Wang Talang (which is a famous precious stones outlet) and Wat Chalong (one of the most famous temples in Thailand), then some Thai buffet lunch, before heading back to Patong for a couple of hours. Out of which we only enjoyed the elephant safari, the temple and lunch. It was a great experience riding an elephant up and down rough terrain. For such a huge beast they are really agile and tough yet give out a nice fuzzy feeling. Its nice to see how Thai people especially the mahouts taking care and respecting the elephants. After the elephant safari we headed out to Wang Talang. This was a waste of time unless of course you were looking for some precious stones. We spent like 30 minutes there and headed to have our lunch. This was another highlight as the buffet setup was amazing. I've never seen so many selections before and majority of them were of yummy. There were japanese, chinese, indian, western and god knows what other cuisines layed out. Most of us took the oppurtunity to stuff ourselves silly especially after the exhaustion from the elephant ride and heat. After stuffing our faces we headed to Wat Chalong. This temple is known to be touristy as its the most biggest and ornate monastery around. I must say the architecture is really beautiful not to mention the tonnes of lovely Buddha statues inside. Would have enjoyed that part of the trip more if the weather was cooler but it was just too hot to hang about. Plus we only had like 30 minutes or so. Nothing much to blog after the temple though as Patong in the day is worse than at night. Its just meant for shopaholics. Nevertheless I did take the oppurtunity to enjoy another round of massage. Hehe. Nothing like a good rub down. ;)
All and all I enjoyed my short stint at Thailand. Although I think I would have enjoyed Pattaya or Bangkok more. Maybe next time for a full vacation and not via a cruise. More time on land then. Alrighty, time to have my beauty sleep. Gotta wake up early tommorrow to get hold of my PSP! Below are some pictures we took in Thailand. Gd'nite...
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
i want my psp!
Arrggghh. Suddenly I have this huge craving/urgency to get my hands on a PSP. Not really sure why and how it came about but I need one!!! Thankfully I have the budget for it but what model to get is pissing me off. Do I get parallel imports or Sony Malaysia models? Do I get version 1.5 or the latest 2.6? Does it even matter? Sigh. Decisions decisions. Parallel imports sounds good because I can save about RM200 but these don't come with a warranty. So if my arse luck kicks in (like usual), I'll be stuck with a dead unit in no time. The Sony Malaysia ones are protected but these models are much more expensive as well as made in China. So the quality is a lil' on the down side. Then there is the firmware versions. If I wanna play free games I gotta get the 1.5v but that is like buying a diamond. Its extremely rare and the price has even reached that of a Sony Malaysia unit. Theres also the problem of not being able to play some of the latest games. Sigh. What to do?! What to do?!
Friday, March 24, 2006
cruisin'...
I know I know its been awhile. Sorry la been too busy after getting back to post about it. As the few of you (actually just 3 but a few sounds bigger) who read my blog knows, I recently got back from a 5 nights cruise via StarCruises onboard their Superstar Gemini with someone special. Unlike most Star Cruises, this was via Port Klang (instead of Singapore) and it went up Straits of Malacca stopping along the way in Langkawi, Krabi, Phuket (the main destination) and Penang. Not going to blog about Langkawi and Penang since I've been there and done that and it wasn't much to shout about. Plus due to the heat I didn't even get down at Penang. Did get off at Langkawi though as the option of getting two duty free 1 liter bottles of liquid gold (whiskey) was hard to pass. ;)
Let me start off by talking about the ship. This was the first time I went on a cruise and I must say its a wonderful way to travel and spend your vacation. Not much thinking is needed as the majority of your time is on the boat. Great for relaxing and pigging out. Sadly the cost would deter most. The experience of being in the open ocean and enjoying the breeze is something not to be missed. Especially when you can sit out on the deck, enjoy your dinner with some drinks and stare into the darkness. You can't really put it in words. The ship I was on was rather small compared to most cruise ships. I think it holds about 800 passengers. Which is a good thing as the passenger to staff ratio was smaller. This in turn made things very friendly. The Superstar Gemini had a very nice family vibe going and they made you feel like one of them. The staff on our ship comprised of people from 20 nations. Majority being Fillipinos. The bridge crew of course were mostly Scandinavians. Guests are mostly from Australia and New Zealand. Only like 5% were from Singapore or Malaysia. This is good as I find most Asians too shy/private and that would make situations akward and boring. The Aussies made it more friendly and cheerful although some of them do get out of hand after a few drinks and you wish you could slap them across the face. =)
Most would expect the ship to feel claustrophobic, stuffy and swaying about but surprising its not. First its not shaky at all, not once did I feel woozy. Plus they make very good use of the space. All major locations (dining area, the lounge & theater) were very spacious and comfy. The rooms were not bad either. They used mirrors to make everything seem wider. To cut cost I opted for a inside stateroom (windowless) and it wasn't that bad. Only downside for not having a window is I didn't know when it was morning or night. Hehe. Since I was on a holiday it didn't really matter actually plus I had my trusty mobile to remind me. Maybe next time when I strike it rich I'll get a balcony room. I'm sure that would be so much better. Imagine having breakfast or some drinks at the balcony looking out to sea. Peaceful and serene. The rooms all have similar amenities. Theres a TV with about 5 channels, a writing table, closet, personal AC control, multiple lights to set the mood, bath robes, ice bucket, cups, kettle and a daily supply of mineral water, coffee packets and tea bags. All the linen and towels were of top quality. Even the loo had very good water pressure and temperature. All to make your stay as comfortable as can be.
Now lets get down to the most important part, FOOD! *Droool* I still crave for some of the goodies I had on the ship. Everytime I went for a meal there was something to binge over. From something as simple as fruits (which were always fresh and sweet) to baked mousakka. Everything was freshly made and extremely tasty. They also provide a good variety of breads. Something I really miss during my days in US. Plus the desserts. OMG. There is always about 8 varieties of something sweet, colorful, creamy or moist. Their tiramisu is simply to die for I tell ya! The only downside were the drinks. Only water, tea and coffee was complimentary while cocktails, juices, mocktails or beer need to be purchased. Now that wouldn't be bad if they actually sold them at market price or duty free (being on international waters and all) but NOOOO. They actually charge almost 2 to 3 times more. Arrrgghh. Captive market my ass. That was the only let down from the whole cruise and due to being on a strict budget it can really hamper ones mood.
Being on a ship to many can be really boring. Which I would agree unless of course you are going with a bunch of mates or with someone special. Its NEVER for going solo and don't really hope to pick someone up. The ship however does try to organise activities practically every hour except from 2am to 6am, whereby you're expected to be asleep of course. Now the activities can be a toss. Some people might find it fun while others would think 'Huh?'. Now I say this because I felt that way. LOL. Events like line dancing, sudoku challenge, bingo and karoake don't really rock my boat. I did however enjoy the movies shown at night as well as the stage shows held. If you're a health freak theres always the gym and swimming pool. Plus if you walk around the mid deck 5 times it would equate to 1 mile. Which isn't all that bad. Theres also a library with a pretty decent collection of novels and 2 desktops where you can get online (at a price of course). If you have money to spare you could always head to the spa. Which I bet would be lovely.
Yaaawwn. I think I've crapped enuff about the cruise and its getting pretty late. Gotta wake up for work tommorrow. I'll blog more about Thailand when I get the chance. I'll leave you with some pictures taken while on the ship. Gd'nite folks!
Let me start off by talking about the ship. This was the first time I went on a cruise and I must say its a wonderful way to travel and spend your vacation. Not much thinking is needed as the majority of your time is on the boat. Great for relaxing and pigging out. Sadly the cost would deter most. The experience of being in the open ocean and enjoying the breeze is something not to be missed. Especially when you can sit out on the deck, enjoy your dinner with some drinks and stare into the darkness. You can't really put it in words. The ship I was on was rather small compared to most cruise ships. I think it holds about 800 passengers. Which is a good thing as the passenger to staff ratio was smaller. This in turn made things very friendly. The Superstar Gemini had a very nice family vibe going and they made you feel like one of them. The staff on our ship comprised of people from 20 nations. Majority being Fillipinos. The bridge crew of course were mostly Scandinavians. Guests are mostly from Australia and New Zealand. Only like 5% were from Singapore or Malaysia. This is good as I find most Asians too shy/private and that would make situations akward and boring. The Aussies made it more friendly and cheerful although some of them do get out of hand after a few drinks and you wish you could slap them across the face. =)
Most would expect the ship to feel claustrophobic, stuffy and swaying about but surprising its not. First its not shaky at all, not once did I feel woozy. Plus they make very good use of the space. All major locations (dining area, the lounge & theater) were very spacious and comfy. The rooms were not bad either. They used mirrors to make everything seem wider. To cut cost I opted for a inside stateroom (windowless) and it wasn't that bad. Only downside for not having a window is I didn't know when it was morning or night. Hehe. Since I was on a holiday it didn't really matter actually plus I had my trusty mobile to remind me. Maybe next time when I strike it rich I'll get a balcony room. I'm sure that would be so much better. Imagine having breakfast or some drinks at the balcony looking out to sea. Peaceful and serene. The rooms all have similar amenities. Theres a TV with about 5 channels, a writing table, closet, personal AC control, multiple lights to set the mood, bath robes, ice bucket, cups, kettle and a daily supply of mineral water, coffee packets and tea bags. All the linen and towels were of top quality. Even the loo had very good water pressure and temperature. All to make your stay as comfortable as can be.
Now lets get down to the most important part, FOOD! *Droool* I still crave for some of the goodies I had on the ship. Everytime I went for a meal there was something to binge over. From something as simple as fruits (which were always fresh and sweet) to baked mousakka. Everything was freshly made and extremely tasty. They also provide a good variety of breads. Something I really miss during my days in US. Plus the desserts. OMG. There is always about 8 varieties of something sweet, colorful, creamy or moist. Their tiramisu is simply to die for I tell ya! The only downside were the drinks. Only water, tea and coffee was complimentary while cocktails, juices, mocktails or beer need to be purchased. Now that wouldn't be bad if they actually sold them at market price or duty free (being on international waters and all) but NOOOO. They actually charge almost 2 to 3 times more. Arrrgghh. Captive market my ass. That was the only let down from the whole cruise and due to being on a strict budget it can really hamper ones mood.
Being on a ship to many can be really boring. Which I would agree unless of course you are going with a bunch of mates or with someone special. Its NEVER for going solo and don't really hope to pick someone up. The ship however does try to organise activities practically every hour except from 2am to 6am, whereby you're expected to be asleep of course. Now the activities can be a toss. Some people might find it fun while others would think 'Huh?'. Now I say this because I felt that way. LOL. Events like line dancing, sudoku challenge, bingo and karoake don't really rock my boat. I did however enjoy the movies shown at night as well as the stage shows held. If you're a health freak theres always the gym and swimming pool. Plus if you walk around the mid deck 5 times it would equate to 1 mile. Which isn't all that bad. Theres also a library with a pretty decent collection of novels and 2 desktops where you can get online (at a price of course). If you have money to spare you could always head to the spa. Which I bet would be lovely.
Yaaawwn. I think I've crapped enuff about the cruise and its getting pretty late. Gotta wake up for work tommorrow. I'll blog more about Thailand when I get the chance. I'll leave you with some pictures taken while on the ship. Gd'nite folks!
welcome folks...
drinks with the capten...
superstar gemini from a fisherman boat...
catchin' some Zzs on the deck...
off port swetenham (sp?) in penang...
Thursday, March 23, 2006
finally!!
Wah woke up to some great news today. I finally received my returns from the the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN) for year 2004. Feels like getting a mini bonus. Hehe. Sadly after calculating last year's tax, looks like I owe them as much as they just paid me. Arrrgghh. The agony. Where got fair like that?! Waaaaaaaa....
Sunday, March 19, 2006
sigh...
Sigh. What a miserable Sunday this has been. All must have started last night when we had some sup kambing for supper. Slept around 4am. All hell broke lose when I woke up around 9am. Started purging. That followed by vomitting. Whatever I had last night came out. This continued on for hours till everything calmed down. Tried my best to sleep through it all. Its a bit more calm now but I can still feel my tummy churning. Think I'm gonna avoid the sup kambing for awhile. Wasted a whole day because of it.
Worse thing out of all this is I missed my uni mate's wedding lunch. Was looking forward to it as I would have gotten the chance to catch up with my other uni mates. Sigh. Feel really bad. Think I better hit the sack now. Still don't feel good. G'nite all.
Worse thing out of all this is I missed my uni mate's wedding lunch. Was looking forward to it as I would have gotten the chance to catch up with my other uni mates. Sigh. Feel really bad. Think I better hit the sack now. Still don't feel good. G'nite all.
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
another yoke...
LOL. Got it via email. Not sure who the author is. Enjoy...
An old Arab lived close to New York City for more than 40 years. One day he decided that he would love to plant potatoes and herbs in his garden, but he knew he was alone and too old and weak. His son was in college in Paris, so the old man sent him an e-mail explaining the problem:
"Beloved son, I am very sad, because I can't plant potatoes in my garden. I am sure, if only you were here, that you would help me and dig up the garden for me. I love you, your father."
The following day, the old man received a response e-mail from his son: "Beloved father, please don't touch the garden. That is where I have hidden 'the THING.' I love you, too, Ahmed."
At 4pm the FBI and Homeland Security visited the house of the old man and took the whole garden apart, searching every inch. But they couldn't find anything. Disappointed, they left the house.
The next day, the old man received another e-mail from his son: "Beloved father, I hope the garden is dug up by now and you can plant your potatoes. That is all I could do for you from here. Your loving son, Ahmed."
An old Arab lived close to New York City for more than 40 years. One day he decided that he would love to plant potatoes and herbs in his garden, but he knew he was alone and too old and weak. His son was in college in Paris, so the old man sent him an e-mail explaining the problem:
"Beloved son, I am very sad, because I can't plant potatoes in my garden. I am sure, if only you were here, that you would help me and dig up the garden for me. I love you, your father."
The following day, the old man received a response e-mail from his son: "Beloved father, please don't touch the garden. That is where I have hidden 'the THING.' I love you, too, Ahmed."
At 4pm the FBI and Homeland Security visited the house of the old man and took the whole garden apart, searching every inch. But they couldn't find anything. Disappointed, they left the house.
The next day, the old man received another e-mail from his son: "Beloved father, I hope the garden is dug up by now and you can plant your potatoes. That is all I could do for you from here. Your loving son, Ahmed."
benefits of being chinese...
Something funny I received via email. Check it out.
Pull the corner of your eyes and you'll be able to read it. LOL.
Pull the corner of your eyes and you'll be able to read it. LOL.
Thursday, March 02, 2006
ahhh dorm life...
Got this via email earlier. Really cracked me up. Nothing like being direct huh. Nip it in the butt as they say. LOL.
On a side note, Ash Wednesday was yesterday and a buddy of mine was telling me what he wanted to sacrifice for the next 40 days. First it was no meat, then abstain from sex and lastly he says no 'hand putting'. LOL. I'm sure most of you would have guessed what it means but to those that don't, he meant masturbation. It cracked me up I tell you. Imagine a almost 30 year old telling you he ain't gonna 'hand putting' for awhile. LOL.
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