chiang mai (continued)...

Ok lets get on with what I enjoyed about the trip. Firstly I have to say that I underestimated the old farts. They were a blast to be with. Cracked pretty interesting jokes and were fun to chat with. Sometimes I felt they were much better travel mates than some of my friends. I guess the diversity of people helped. We had couples ranging from 40s to 70s. Me being the youngest of course. Kinda like the baby of the trip. Pretty good cos I got sayanged alot. LOL. Although I did earn my loving okay. Did the carrying, providing tech advise on digital camera and call roaming and also was the go to guy for photo taking.

Chiang Mai is a very peaceful and beautiful city. Being on the highlands its also cooler than most places. Sadly the weather didn't help much so we missed out on taking scenic pictures. The people are very friendly in the sense they don't hassle you and try their best to oblige. Our hotel was situated right along the Night Bazaar. This is a hit with the tourist due to the vast amounts of goods and how cheap they are. Imagine Petaling Street but with polite traders. ;) We didn't fancy it much but was nice to walk around and people watch. Best part of the trip was chilling at the Beer Garden of our hotel (which overlooks the bazaar) munching on steamed peanuts. Of course with a nice cold brew in hand. =)

Highlight destinations of the trip would be Doi Suthep temple, Maesa Elephant Camp, Long Neck Karen Hilltribe Village (at Chiang Rai), Simon's Dream Cabaret (ladyboy show) and the Mekong River cruise (Golden Triangle). At the elephant camp we enjoyed a show, had a 30 minute ride through the jungle and ended with a slow bamboo raft ride on the river running along the camp. The cabaret was really entertaining, much better than the shows at Gentings. Very creative and entertaining throughout its 90 minutes. The hilltribe village was actually just a small village meant for tourist to see how various types of hilltribe people live. The main draw being the Karen Long Neck women who uses neck braces which gets higher as they get older. You wouldn't believe it but these braces are really heavy. Wonder how these women pull it off.

The Golden Triangle is actually the intersection where Laos, Vietnam and Thailand meet along the Mekong river. It used to be one of Asia's main opium producing areas. We actually stopped over a small island under Laos during this cruise where I had some snake whiskey. Taste very much like tequila. The island is just meant for tourist to stop over and buy some dirt cheap goods like shirts, animal whiskey and souveniers. No immigration checks but you have to pay a fee to the Laos army. Also had some tasty fresh coconut juice.

All and all it was the worst trip I have been on. Food and tour sucked. Have a feeling the Thai tour agency pulled a fast one on the Malaysian tour agency that we used. Wasn't really what we payed for. On top of that our tour guide, although sweet, spoke poor English. The group never had problems like this on their other trips. Sigh. Had to happen when I joined la. Typical ass luck! Alrighty that is all on the Chiang Mai trip. Pictures to follow shortly.

chiang mai...

I know I know. Its a lil' too late to blog about this. Sorry been caught up with a few things and never found the time to sit and type this out. Anyways here goes, a post on my trip to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Gonna be a short one cos I can't remember much of the stuff I wanted to rant about. Hehe.

This short trip of 4 nights was actually a freebie from my dad. He won some moolah via a group lottery and decided to give me a treat. How can I say no to that right. ;) The trip was a self organised tour by my dad's Gasing Hill trekking kakis. They have been travelling all around Asia especially with the help of Air Asia. The idea is to buy their own flight tickets but organise ground arrangements via a tour agent. They had a blast in China (Beijing, Guilin and Cheng De) and Hanoi, Vietnam so I thought why not, even if it were with old farts.

The trip started off good with a wonderful lunch buffet nearby the airport. Had 2 helpings of sumptious pork curry noodles and lotsa small helpings of various dishes. Not really authentic Thai but close to it. It should be a sign of good things to come right? WRONG! After that everything went downhill. First we were dumped at the wrong hotel. We were promised 3 stars but we put into a 2 star motel. Next morning there was a riot and we got moved to the agreed hotel, Hotel Surawongse.

Food throughout the whole trip was crap. We never had any real Thai food. Had tom yam twice and both tasted like chilli water. Our roadside stalls make much better tom yams. The regular fare was chinese food. I mean it would be ok if the food was tasty but these were really crappy chinese dishes. Yes the seafood and veggies were fresh, but their cooking skills left much to be desired. On top of that the portions were small and it was the same crap over and over, even if the restaurants were different. Not really a good thing especially after a long day of roaming around.

Then we were taken to so many stupid factory outlets. First it was wood, then silver, then jade, then dried foods, then leather, then silk. OMG. Enuff already. I know la these are what they survive on but c'mon. After the first 2 factories most of us got rather fedup. Getting on and off the damn bus. Arrggh. And most of the items weren't really cheap. We get similar staff back home at a lower price.

Weather in Chiang Mai wasn't that favourable either. Out of the 5 days, 4 were wet. At times so wet roads were flooded and the mountains all fogged up. Plus not to mention the traffic congestion. Sigh. It was the wrong time of the year to head there. Should have gone about 1 month before. At least then we could have enjoyed wonderful sceneries.

Alrighty, think enuff of bitching about the trip. Will continue later on what I enjoyed as well as some pics. Better get back to work. Cheerio. =)

screw kanna curry house...

I know almost everyone loves Kanna Curry House that is located at Section 17, PJ. Yes I know their banana leaf is popular (although its nothing special in my opinion) and that they are packed everyday during lunch hour. What pisses me off though, is that why can't I have something other than the freaking banana leaf rice for lunch?! You advertise that you have other items, but why can't we, THE CUSTOMERS order those items! Not everyone wants rice for lunch ya know.

I went into Kanna's earlier today to have a light lunch. This was about 2 in the afternoon. Sunshine and I wanted some Roti Telurs with various curries. As usual all the drones came by with the banana leaf, rice, side dishes and what not. I asked if they had anything besides rice and they answered Rotis. Told them we don't want rice but would like to have some Rotis. They immediately mentioned that its going to take some time to make the Rotis while shoving the banana leaf and side dishes in our face. Said to them no problem, we can wait. You know what happened after that? There were 4 guys entertaining us and they all just walked away. I mean what the phuck?! No rice so no service?! We just got up and left.

Never again am I gonna step into Kannas. This is the 2nd time this has happened to me. First time was with the boys one Saturday after futsal at around 3pm. At that time the boys had a good time arguing with them and they succumbed and we had our rotis and fried noodles. Its sad how these businesses become cocky after getting popular. Sri Paandis at Section 11 were the same till they got into some controversies and loss customers. Hope Kannas get into some hot soup to teach them a lesson. Arrgghhh.

damn u fifa and afc!

This is unfair. Sigh. How can this happen?! Arrgghh. When I am financially capable as well. What the fuck is wrong with AFC and FIFA. I mean who gives a shit about the AFC Asian Cup 2007. On top of that there isn't really a game that coincides with the day MU plays a Malaysian Selection team. Why can't we come to a compromise?! Why?! Sigh. =(

congratulations...

Congrats to A.C. Milan for winning 2006-2007's Champions League trophy. This would be their 7th win to date. Very impressive record and I must say a very impressive team indeed. Would love to have some of their players under Manchester United. At the end of the day the better team won. Furthermore what can we really expect from Liverpool?! Hehe. Ok ok an unfair swipe. Sorry I hate u lot of asses so its tough for me to give you any credit. The Reds played an impressive game but sadly just couldn't finish. If only you had a solid striker up front, then you could have taken the game to the Rossoneris. Anyways I'm happy A.C. Milan won and not the Liverpoops.

Congratulations mates. Good show this year. See you next year and you better be prepared! ;)

random ramblings...

I don't have a main topic to post so I'll just wing it with some random shieet.

• One Cherry shrimp died. Saw it lying still to the side and wriggling its legs. Barely 30 mins later and it was gone. =(
  
• Champions League final in about 3 hours time. Liverpool vs AC Milan. Lots of ppl are supporting Liverpool for the sake of the English game. I hate Liverpool too much to support them for anything. Even if it meant to save the damn Queen. LOL. Can't wait to see the Rossoneris whoop some Reds ass.
  
• Had some good nasi lemak kukus for lunch at Restoran Subang Ria today. On the side some lovely chicken rendang and chilli fried paru (cow lung). Oh not forgetting 3 cups of lovely Nescafe ice to go with it. Somehow this is the only joint I can visit over and over again and not get fedup. Could be the company as well. =)
  
• Listened to Nelly's Country Grammar in the car earlier. Been a long time since I popped that CD in. Brought back some memories of life in US, especially since I studied in Missouri. Hehe.
  
• Thinking of doing something for my car. Sadly don't know what and to top it off don't wanna spend the money to do it! Such a dilemma I tell ya. LOL. Maybe a bodykit? New rims? Wish I had the moolah to repaint it. Fedup of seeing so many Ozzy Orange Myvis around. Would be nice if I could repaint it some shade of blue.
  
• Haven't been drinking in awhile now. Feels kinda good. Plus helps me save lotsa money. Been eating a lot though which is scaring me especially when I've put on 2 kgs since Chiang Mai trip. Damn rice for lunch and dinner throughout that holiday. Arrggghhh.

Okay think thats enuff for today. Times up to head home as well. Gd'nite folks!

we slipped...

Sigh. We let the cup go. One lil' slip up and its gone. An unfair result but thats how the game goes. I can't say we lost to a better team as both played mundane football and were on par. I have to admit though that we lost to a better striker. Drogba is one of the best out there now and he proved it last night. A beautiful goal by Chelsea. Would have loved it to go to penalties and have 2 of the best goalies in the Premiership to duke it out but I guess the Red Devils shouldn't have slipped towards the end. Sigh.

Anyways it was a good season for Manchester United. Happy the way things have gone this year. Much better than the few before. A sign of good things to come. Can't wait for next season to start. Now just gotta check out the transfer war between clubs. Lotsa money and big names being thrown about. Can't really say much until the transfers are final. Rumours are rife. Hope we get a couple of good players in and get rid of some excess baggage.

Glory glory Man United!

new rubbers...

Just got some new rubbers for my baby. Shes going to be 30 thousand kms soon and the tyres are close to running bald. Decided to change it now and grab some trade in value on my current rubbers (Bridgestone Potenza GIII). Woke up early Friday morning and headed down to Klang. Everyone knows its the best place in Klang Valley to get good deals on tyres and rims. I had my mind set on a particular tyre, Michelin Pilot Preceda 2 (PP2).

After roaming around Klang town I manage to find the shop that was recommended by various forums. Before changing was checking out the rims on display but sadly it was too costly to change so decided to just get the tyres. Negotiated with the tauke (owner) and got down to business. After about 30 odd minutes I was good to go.

Been a day now of having the new rubbers and they feel great. My previous ones were rather noisy as it sacrificed comfort for performance plus they were getting hard. The new ones however are a mix of both and boy are they nice. Soft ride with exceptional performance. Haven't tested em' on wet roads yet but from the looks of things I won't be dissappointed. Am very satisfied with my choice. Worth the extra moolah plonked (at least RM50 per tyre).

Now my baby's got nice new threads. My mind is still considering the yummy rims I spotted but think I'll put that plan on hold for now. Way too much money needed plus will be making a loss when discarding my current ones. Oh well, can't have everything right! ;)

game of futsal...

Finally after 2 freaking months we played Futsal again. A sorely needed exercise I must add. We managed to play 2 full hours. It was a great game which ended with 80 plus goals. LOL. It was really fun. Hope we can keep this up. Need some form of regular exercise. Problem we always face is getting enuff players. Sigh.

where will you be?

Tomorrow will be the last game played to mark the end of the English football season. Will you be watching it? If yes where will you be? The FA Cup final is gonna be played in the new Wembley stadium. Should be a great game and an amazing atmosphere. If only we could go down and enjoy it LIVE. Unfortunately I'll be parking my ass down at Souled Out donning my Giggsy jersey cheering the Red Devils on. Should be an interesting match as Chelsea needs to win something to save their season while MU is gunning for a double.

Glory glory Man United!

new layout...

Just got done with cleaning my tank and changing the water. Went ahead and bought another Java fern plus 5 more Cherry Shrimps. Slowly starting to fill up my tank. Decided to alter my layout since I needed room for the new fern. Now the bottom is filled with plants and the pirate ship. Should be nice and cosy for the shrimps. Need to give em' places to hide and moult.

Tank looks clean and healthy. Good sign. Its roughly 1.5 months now. Planned to add fishies today but the shop isn't opened till next week. So I gotta wait since am looking for a variety not commonly sold. Enjoy the pictures below of the new layout. Think you'll be able to spot some of the fishies and shrimps as well.

Cheers...

earthquake...

Wow. Just found out I missed an earthquake by 1 day! Phew. Northern Laos was hit by a 6.3 magnitude earthquake yesterday at around 5.30pm. That is roughly the time I was at the Golden Triangle the day before during my Chiang Mai trip. Talk about cutting it close.

poopster is back!

Hey folks. I'm back. Hope you guys didn't miss me. All 2 of you! Hehe. So relieved to be back. It was sadly an uneventful vacation. Gotta be my worse to date and I hope not to have any more like it. Will bitch blog more about it later. Too tired to rant now.

Gonna chill for now. Adios.

few more hours...

In about 4 more hours I'll be off to Chiang Mai. Hope Air Asia doesn't delay our flight. Last thing I wanna do is get stuck in LCCT wee hours of the morning. Especially when I didn't get much sleep! Hope the weather is good there.

Take care all and see you in 5 days.

Bye bye Sunshine! =)

going for a break...

In a couple of days I'll be off for a short break. This time around am heading to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Been checking some web sites and looks like its pouring cats and dogs. Hope that isn't true. Sigh. Would be a waste to be on vacation and have it be a washout. This particular trip will be on my old man since he won some 4D money. Hehe. How can I say no to a free trip right?! Especially when its been like 9 months since I last went overseas.

Haven't really packed yet. Guess will be doing it just before the flight. LOL. Nothing like last minute packing. Anyways even if I did forget anything I could just buy it at Thailand cheap. Can't wait to have all the yummy Thai food. Plus heard the views are to die for. Am sure to snap lotsa pics and post em' up here.

Ok looks like time to head back home. G'night folks!

premiership is ours...

After 4 years its finally ours again! We manage to come up tops and proven who is the best English club in the Premiership. A record 9 times I must add. Even with injuries mounting we manage to do it. Now we gotta focus on the FA Cup final so we can land the double. From the way things are going I am pretty sure its a shoe in but I better not count my chickens before they hatch. You never know what might happen before and during the game.

Anyways am proud of the lads and the effort they have put in this season. The whole squad from the first team to the reserves have really stepped up and contributed. Great to see how the Devils have been playing this season. Really beautiful football. Sadly we weren't able to take the European Cup but there is always next season right.

Congratulations Red Devils!!

Glory, glory, Man United,
Glory, glory, Man United,
Glory, glory, Man United,
As the reds go marching on, on, on.

Just like the Busby Babes in Days gone by
We'll keep the Red Flags flying high
You've got to see yourself from far and wide
You've got to hear the masses sing with pride

United! Man United!
We're the boys in Red and we're on our way to Wem-ber-ly
Wem-ber-ly! Wem-ber-ly!
We're the famous Man United and we're going to Wem-ber-ly
Wem-ber-ly! Wem-ber-ly!
We're the famous Man United and we're going to Wem-ber-ly

In Seventy-Seven it was Docherty
Atkinson will make it Eighty-Three
And everyone will know just who we are
They'll be singing 'Que Sera Sera'

United! Man United!
We're the boys in Red and we're on our way to Wem-ber-ly
Wem-ber-ly! Wem-ber-ly!
We're the famous Man United and we're going to Wem-ber-ly
Wem-ber-ly! Wem-ber-ly!
We're the famous Man United and we're going to Wem-ber-ly

Glory Glory Man United
Glory Glory Man United
Glory Glory Man United
As the Reds Go Marching On! On! On!
As the Reds Go Marching On! On! On!
As the Reds Go Marching On! On! On!

tank updates...

Phew. Just got done with the fortnightly water change for my fish tank. Its already going to be one month and everything is going along great. The plants are growing nicely and the fishies are swimming about happily. Even my Cherry Shrimps are growing up and wandering about. Am very eager to add more fishes and shrimps but since I'll be on holiday next week, better to come back and add em'. Then I'll be able to monitor the tank. Don't want to add em' all now and come back to a graveyard. Hehe.

Sometimes I wish for a bigger tank. So I can add more plants, fishes and what not. Sadly I'm also aware that I won't be able to handle it. Will end up being too lazy to maintain it. I just gotta stick with this nano tank. Only takes about 30 minutes or so to do maintanance. Not that demanding and just as satisfying. =)

Alrighty best to go get cleaned up. Tea time. Cheers.

c'mon arsenal...

Looks like the title will soon be ours. If Chelsea loses or share points tommorrow, the Devils will walk away with the Premiership. If not we gotta battle it out next week. Won't say much for now but hope Arsenal will give Chelsea a nice whooping. Let Mourinho weep silently. Hehe.

Good game earlier today. Guess the boys are tired so they weren't pushing it. Plus gotta save up some energy for the FA Cup Final at Wembley. Great call by the ref for the penalty which Ronaldo cooly slid in. On top of that great save by Van De Sar (penalty by Vassel) towards the end of the match. Keep it up lads.

Glory glory Man United!

we gave it away...

Sigh. We gave the damn game away. What an awful performance from practically the whole team. Arrgghh. Kudos to Van Der Sar and Scholsey who played their hearts out but it just wasn't enough. Better luck next time I guess. Man United's play was poor right from the start. Everything was wrong. Defense was a joke and attack was dull. Why?! Why?! Sigh. There goes the treble. =(

Guess it wasn't meant to be. At least we can now concentrate on the Premiership (which is practically ours!) and the FA Cup. AC Milan deserved the win and am sure they are going to lift the Champions League trophy this year. Liverpool doesn't stand a chance.

I'm off to bed now...

Glory glory Man United!!

bad day for the tigers...

Hmmm. Bad news. First the Tamil Tigers (Sri Lanka) lost the Cricket World Cup to Australia yesterday and now my last Tiger Shrimp just died. Not sure why but found him lying sideways near the Java fern. Sigh. Can't seem to find my other shrimps as well. Hope it wasn't due to me adding some new water into the tank yesterday afternoon. Think I won't be investing in Tiger Shrimps anymore. They seem to be so sensitive. Cherry Shrimps are much more hardy. Pray my 3 other shrimps are alive and kicking somewhere.

On a positive front my fishies have survived 2 full weeks now and the tank is 3 weeks old. All seems well. Hope this keeps up and I can add more after a couple weeks or so. Can't wait to have more fishies in the tank. Kinda bare right now.

Better hit the sack now. G'nite folks!