November 27, 2005

Bagan Lalang/Tanjung Sepat


Bagan Lalang, situated a few kilometres from the town of Sungai Pelek in the district of Sepang, is a viable alternative to the beaches of Port Dickson. Bagan Lalang has a cleaner and wider beach front. Definitely not as crowded or busy as Port Dickson, the beach provides most necessity like public baths, food centre and lots of shady cooling trees. There's even a Seri Malaysia hotel nearby for those who prefer to stay overnight. Quite secluded and if you have nothing to do on a typical weekday, you can practically have the whole beach to yourself while you are relaxing reading a book.

After a day at the beach and when the hunger pang strikes, head over to Tanjung Sepat. There's a number of seafood restaurants and being a fishing village, the catch should be fresh. Don't forget to visit the "Lover's Bridge" (don't have the slightest clue why it's called that as it's more a jetty than anything else). Below the jetty, when it's the low tide, watch out for thousands of tiny crabs!

"Lover's Bridge" (no lover spotted and it's freaking jetty!)

Site of the Day

Subservient Chicken

Just what the heck is the purpose of this website? Can someone enlighten me? This guy(s) have been doing this for years! While not entertaining lewd request, how often has he (or she) been entertaining request like flap your wings or do the moonwalk (which was done rather well in that costume). You definitely have to check this site out and err.. enjoy the chicken I guess.

November 26, 2005

Revival

Miss me? I certainly hope so! Anyway, there's no excuse this time. Just plain freaking lazy! The aspiration of updating this blog at least twice a week was err..just aspiration. Reality is, I've been putting off this and that but in the end nothing gets done. To those who have commented on some posting, I apologise for not answering. I'm sure I'll get around to doing it soon (yeah right!). Truthfully, there's more comment spam than actual comments. Glad Blogger included the spam filter. OK..no more cock talking and time to get something done to this blog, content wise. When? I'll get around to it don't worry......eventually. To keep you guys occupied, here's a delicious picture for your viewing pleasure. The gals? Errr....how about that little picture of me at the top right corner? :)


LEAH DIZON Soon to be the planet's sexiest woman.

August 30, 2005

Aquaria KL


You may not be a convention or exhibition 'kaki' but there is a reason to visit the spanking new Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. There is a distinct lack of aquarium in town, in fact there's none unless you count the giant aquarium shop near Shah Alam's Wet World as one. So, every city needs one I guess. One would expect such exhibits to be near some zoo but hey, who's to argue if it's near the vicinity of KLCC. There is an admission charge however and be prepared to be taken aback by its quite steep price. There is an ongoing special "Merdeka" promotion going on however. If you decides to go there during the weekends and school holidays, be prepared to wait as the queue could stretch until the underground tunnel leading into Suria KLCC. Yes, there's a linkage between these two as you would expect.

There are as you would expect lots of different marine life but the main attraction of Aquaria is the underwater world (experience the ocean below without getting wet and in the comfort of air conditioning and err..glasses). Very much comparable to Singapore's version if not better but definitely much better than the one at Langkawi. Star of the err..pond will have to be the Sand Tiger Sharks.

August 11, 2005

Hazy Shades Of Winter

Alright, it's not exactly winter here. In fact there ain't no such things as winter here. Just thought the title sounds nice and was a hit song by The Bangles if I'm not mistaken. Friends over at Penang and Johor must be laughing at us, the Klang Valley residents. Why not when one can't even see beyond 500 metre (at certain places) with this thick foul haze hovering above and around us. But hey..laugh it up! The wind could change anytime soon! Once again, thanks to our neighbour, we are 'enjoying' this annual haze festival. Only this time it seems worst!! Our leaders refrains and would not utter it but hey...this is a blog and what the fog! What the F**K are you Indonesians going to do about the peat and forest fire in your freaking land??? Don't you know it's affecting my pleasure in smoking cigarettes? Speaking of which, this 'imported' haze is pretty ironic for those who detest second-hand smokes.

Expressway at 6pm and hey you driver up front...your tailgate is missing a light! Can I send this to JPJ? :)

July 25, 2005

Business Must Be Bad

There just aren't enough dead people nowadays. Business is so bad for this "undertaker" that they'll have to err..unclog your pipes instead.

July 07, 2005

Movie Review 2

INDEPENDENCE DAY vs WAR OF THE WORLDS

The problem with War Of The Worlds (WOTW) and I suppose with Steven Spielberg was that Independence Day (ID4) preceeds it 9 years ago. I can understand the frustration (if any) for Mr.Spielberg. The storyline for both movie bears uncanny resemblance though it must be mentioned that WOTW is a remake and was written by a famous author. So ultimately the question would be; which of the two is better? I am sure Mr.Spielberg wanted to create WOTW with more or less the same effects as ID4 but couldn't because well...ID4 already exist and it would be foolish to follow the same route. ID4 had the mother of all err..mothership, the graphic and destructive invasion of earth, the aliens, dogfights, catfights AND most important of all, heroes. Spielberg can't re-create the same. He needed new directions. So he went for a more human touch and responses minus elaborate effects of destructions and battles. It's not that WOTW doesn't have its own heroes and special effects but the end of WOTW was very subdued. And very brief while we are at that! You wouldn't jump for joy when the invaders are finally defeated. ID4 had that. From the President's speech to the pilots before the ultimate showdown to the eventual destruction of the aliens, you could have joined in the celebration when you first watched ID4. OK, so the ending was a bit dodgy. Debated till this day was how the earth's computer OS (a Mac in this instance) is compatible with the aliens. Well, without spoiling it for those who haven't watched WOTW, the end of WOTW aren't that convincing either if I may say the least.

It must be said that at the present day, special effects doesn't surprise the viewers any longer. It won't have the same effect as when the first Star Wars came out nor when the liquid terminator made his appearance in Terminator 2 nor when the first dinosaur appeared in Jurassic Park and even to a certain extent, when the err..mother of all mothership appeared in ID4. Mr.Spielberg perhaps realized this and that was why the only alien craft you will see in WOTW is the err..tripods. So, is WOTW a complete failure and unwatchable? Not necessarily despite the absence of a plot. It has its own highlights (especially the basement scenes), irritating teenager and err..aliens who likes to snoop at people's stuffs. But this is definitely not a classic Spielberg film eventhough Tom Cruise gave one of his best performance. Dakota Fanning was excellent too.

Rating : ***

THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
This is the fun movie of the summer! Staying with science fiction, this have all the makings of a perfect comedy. A homeless man, intelligent dolphins, a "kidnapped" president of the galaxy, damsel in distress, talking mice and perhaps the funniest of all characters, a suicidal depressive robot. Lots of British humour and since the demise of the Monty Python series, I guess this is the next best thing.
Another reason to watch this movie is Zooey Deschanel, a relatively unknown actress. OK, so John Malkovich is also in the film but Zooey, to me, is a breath of fresh air.

Rating : ****

July 02, 2005

Malaysia 101

Excerpt from The Star 2nd July 2005

Eye-opening trip to US

BY SALMY HASHIM
WASHINGTON: Three Malaysian teenagers, who spent six months in small American towns, now have a kinder perception of the United States but blame the media for their negative portrayal of Muslim countries and America.

The three are among 30 Malaysian students who were selected to live and study in the US from January to June.

Guruparan Dharmalingam from Kuala Lumpur said media from both sides were to blame for the negative coverage, which had created hatred and fear.

Guruparan said he was shocked at the ignorance of Americans he met in Hueytown, Alabama.

“They don't know where Malaysia is, they have not heard about Islam, and they thought that I was an Iraqi.”

His classmates were impressed when he showed them pictures of Malaysia as “they thought we live in mud huts or on trees!”


For the benefit of any international viewers of this blog (especially Americans), here's a quick concise guide to what is MALAYSIA.

Location of Malaysia. Note that Malaysia is NOWHERE near Africa. Not to be confused with the country Mauritius or Malawi either.

View of Kuala Lumpur's (Malaysia's capital city) skyline at night.

OK..so the thing about us Malaysian living in mud huts and tress aren't entirely untrue. There are people here who lives at such places namely the Orang Asli (aboriginal people). Just as the Red Indians of North America, some Orang Asli retains the lifestyle of their forefathers. Put it this way, if us Malaysians are ignorant enough, we would have believed that Red Indians lives in some oversized ice cream cones. The Orang Asli here in Malaysia are colourful and unique, making them and the places where they stay a major tourist attraction.

It's understandable that not all Americans are ignorant of the facts of other countries around the world. After all, no one expects someone from Hueytown, Alabama to know such facts when there is no need to. Just as one wouldn't expect someone from say Grik (a town in Malaysia) to know about Burkina Faso (an actual country in Africa). The USA is a major power in the world; Malaysia is but a small player in the international scene and it's alright if someone from Alabama doesn't know about our existence. We shouldn't make a fuss about this apparent innocent ignorance but at the same time, both side would benefit from closer co-operation and more education. Here's my small part in helping to foster that.

Further Reads

1. Visit Malaysia
2. World Map & Facts
3. Malaysian Almanac

June 27, 2005

It's back...again!!

Dateline 27th June 2005, Kuala Lumpur. The city is shrouded again in a thick blanket of haze. As in the last post on the haze, Malaysia's pride and joy, the Petronas Twin Towers is erm..missing again. No, this isn't the work of Al-Qaeda. The annual return of this lung choking smoke has left the citizens err..fuming. Seems like there's an early harvest in Indonesia or is it? Are we absolutely sure this haze is not from local sources? No official report as yet in the papers.

June 26, 2005

Ancasa All-suites Resorts Port Dickson

It can't be denied that the beaches at Port Dickson is one of the most polluted in the country. However, there are still gem like the Avillion Village Resort. Of course, that would be at the high end of any budget. For something simpler and less attractive, there's the Ancasa All-suites Resorts. Situated at the popular beach stretch of Teluk Kemang, the "all-suites" in this instance doesn't mean it's the bona fide suite one tends to find at hotels. "Suite" in the sense that it's actually one to three rooms apartments. With price ranging from RM200 to RM500, it's quite an affordable accomodation albeit basic facilities. Sure, there are the usual swimming pool, restaurants, pub etc but it's nice to note that the management has devoted a large area for recreational activities.

A tropical garden, beach activities area (you don't have to go to the dirty Teluk Kemang beach), children's playground, 2 swimming pools etc, all in Balinese style. If you're looking for a quick affordable weekend getaway, Ancasa can be the perfect choice. If you don't mind the sometime faulty air-conditioning units that is.

June 25, 2005

CD Player Repeat Mode (Week 1)

A bit old this but purchased recently from HMV Online on a bargain. Great set of mix including those by Benny Benassi, Basement Jaxx, Deepest Blue etc. A great release by the Ministry of Sound


Lovely lovely stuff from the erm..thin one. On heavy rotation after being "found" again! Looks like this was a week of "rediscovery". What's up with her lately BTW?

June 23, 2005

New Look

I've finally got around to change the appearance of this blog. It's fitting in a way because this blog has been around for a year and it's time to change (some of you complained about the plain look). Blue is my favourite colour so this is quite appropriate. Something tells me I still need to tweak this blog. If I only know what to do and HOW to do it. Changing this took me nearly a whole day! I hope there are some beautiful and intelligent women out there who can guide me to tweak my blog. Wishing thinking perhaps. Anyway, let me end this post with one of my favourite quotes...

"I should like to elbow aside the established pieties and raise my martini glass in salute to the mortal arts of pleasure"

Bob Shacochis

June 22, 2005

Movie Review

Normally I wouldn't do this but lately I've been going cinema crazy. I've watched just about everything the cineplexes have to offer. Obviously, I didn't miss any of the recent summer blockbusters. Here are a few of them and my own short little review of each.


Revenge Of The Sith

STAR WARS : EPISODE 3 REVENGE OF THE SITH

All the hype leading to this release, all the loose end that needs to be tied up in this trilogy prequel. It's all here, I guess. Witness how Anakin Skywalker turns to the dark side of the Force and became Darth Vader. However, I must admit and without being a spoiler to those who haven't seen this movie, that the reason for Anakin's eventual transformation was rather err..lame. I've expected more and didn't get any. Still, it was a sight to behold the moment Darth Vader reappears again with that familiar scary breathing. 28 years is a long time and George Lucas did a fine job (despite criticism of Episodes 1 & 2). For me, I can't wait for the DVD release of Episode 3 so that I can watch both set of trilogies at one go! Still, it would be funny to listen to Obi Wan Kenobi explaining to Luke Skywalker in Episode 6 of how he first met Luke's father, Anakin. Something Lucas didn't fix.

Rating : ****


Yucks!

MR.& MRS.SMITH

This has to be one of the worst movie I've ever seen. OK, there's 2 beautiful people starring in this movie. And I'm afraid that's just about it! Sitting through 1 hour and 55 minutes (less in Malaysian cinemas due to censorship) of this movie was in a word, torturing. I nearly walked out of this movie if not for a certain person. Enough said.

Rating : * (the sole star only for the casting)


Yummy!

THE INTERPRETER

They say fine wine gets better with age. I'll say the same thing about Nicole Kidman. She just look amazing in this movie and her chemistry with co-star Sean Penn was absolutely sizzling. Even more than the supposed chemistry between a certain Mr.Pitt and Ms.Jolie. And oh...the movie itself? One of the best movie of the year so far. There's enough twist and turn, adequate action sequence, thrills and spills. Highly recommended (even if you don't like the movie, Ms.Kidman is enough reason to spend your money on this movie).

Rating : ****


The return of the caped crusader

BATMAN BEGINS

I gave up on the Batman series after the first sequel. However, with new director and casts and the promise of a much darker version, I had to see it. And surprise surprise, it didn't disappoint. There wasn't any timeline mentioned though from the looks of it, it could be the present or a not so distant future. Which creates a problem if 'Batman Begins' is supposed to be the prequel to the first Batman starring Michael Keaton. In the latter, the scenes looks more retro. It's irrelevant I guess because Gotham City looks completely different from the previous Batmans. Go watch this with an open mind if the previous Batmans has corrupted it. The mention of a future villain at the end of this movie was a nice touch.

Rating : ***


Delicious soon to be Mrs.Cruise

LADY BOSS

OK..I didn't see this one! :) Is there any reason (Ning Baizura could be one) to see it? Answer on the usual address please.

June 15, 2005

The importance of blogging

Yes, I am back and running after a self-imposed excile of err...a few months. That's the time when I managed to reflect on the going-ons of my own life and hopefully re-emerged a better man *sic*. Actually, it's a miracle that through the months of non-blogging, the hit counter below this page has gone up consistently meaning there are still people out there who regularly visits this page. And I thank you very much for it. People from as far as Mexico, Morocco, United States etc and that's where it hits me....blogging is important! Here we are, representative of our own country, so it's either a hit or miss in the promotion of your country. I'm sure many people around the world still has misconception or are ignorant of the facts about Malaysia. No country is perfect of course and my policy is not to make this as another tourism related page (where everything is rosy). You can of course check out blogs by fellow Malaysians at the links provided on the right. Meanwhile, here are some sampling of what Malaysia has to offer. More to follow soon...

And err...did I mention this is my blog's FIRST ANNIVERSARY?


Faces of past & present Prime Ministers carved with sand at A'Famosa Resort, Melaka


Cowboy town at A'Famosa Resort, Melaka


KL Bird Park


Cool waterfall


Sunway Lagoon Theme Park


World's longest pedestrian suspension bridge at Sunway Lagoon Theme Park