Ten Little Gartien Pineapple Cakes

January 2, 2014, 8:30 am

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Ten little Gartien pineapple cakes in a box,
One was eaten by Panda and then there were nine.



Nine little Gartien pineapple cakes on display,
One was munched furiously by Panda's brother and then there were eight.

Eight little Gartien pineapple cakes tempting everyone,
One was stolen and then there were seven.



Seven little Gartien pineapple cakes crying out "Eat me!",
One had his wish fulfilled and then there were six.

Six little Gartien pineapple cakes looking pretty,
One found her admirer and then there were five.



Five little Gartien pineapple cakes having a party,
One got drunk and then there were four.

Four little Gartien pineapple cakes dancing the night away,
One fell out of the box and then there were three.



Three little Gartien pineapple cakes looking at each other,
One killed himself out of boredom and then there were two.



Two little Gartien pineapple cakes feeling lovey dovey,
One was snatched away and then there was one.



One little Gartien pineapple cake left all alone,
He was eaten by who else, but Panda! …. and then there were none.

*Based on the famous nursery rhyme "Ten Little Indians" and the book "And Then There Were None" by my favorite detective novelist Agatha Christie. If you have not read the book, it's about 10 people stranded on a remote island and they got killed off one by one. It's pretty obvious that one of them is the murderer but guessing who is the one proved to be the ultimate challenge.

**The Gartien pineapple cake is from Penang. It's priced at RM45 per box of 10. Details on Gartien.com

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Random Notes 34

January 5, 2014, 9:00 am

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1. Welcome to the first Random Notes post of 2014!! Yeah, it's my 34th Random Notes. Still a long way to go before I can reach the 100th. For those of you who are not familiar with my Random Notes, well, it's simply a blog post where I talk about random stuffs. LOL!

2. I was shocked to read the news that Islamic authority JAIS had raided the Bible Society Of Malaysia and seized more than 300 copies of the Malay language Bible simply because they used the word "Allah" to refer to the Christian God.

I have a few questions regarding this issue.
Question 1 : Since when did Islam in Malaysia has the exclusive right over the word "Allah"? It is not the case with Islamic countries outside Malaysia. Or is it? Enlighten me please!
Question 2 : Are Muslims in Malaysia so weak they can feel threatened by another religion using the word "Allah"? Will Muslims easily convert to Christianity just because Christians use the word "Allah"?
Question 3 : Is this raid by JAIS legal? Can they do this without a search warrant?
Question 4 : Is this act by JAIS simply a ploy to distract us from other more urgent issues at hand?

3. Who killed Altantuya? Who killed her? Who did it? No one. Nobody. Someone must have done it, but so far all those arrested had been released. And as the time passes, we will forget about this. That's the way it was, is and always will be. Sigh…

4. Let me introduce you the stupidest couple I have ever seen in my entire life. They are none other than sex bloggers Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee.



Why stupid? Here are my reasons…

Reason 1 : Alvin lost his scholarship at the National University of Singapore as a result of his pornographic exploits. What a stupid waste of opportunity!
Reason 2 : They were both arrested and charged for insulting Muslims with their "Selamat Berbuka Puasa" (breaking of fast) greeting on Facebook showing them eating bak kut teh, a pork dish. How stupid can one be?
Reason 3 : Alvin accused Vivian for being unfaithful to him. They had both admitted to being in an open relationship. So did he not see this coming? Stupid!

By the way, I do not want to insult Vivian, but seriously, if I want to watch porn, I prefer to watch a much prettier girl. Period.

5. Everything is going up, up and up!! Except our income, that is. Of course, this may not be the case for everybody - some of you may be filthy rich and have an ever expanding income - but I am speaking for the majority of Malaysians. Just last week, I talked to a friend who is in the construction line. He told me that he was having difficulty signing deals with his clients, who kept asking for discounts.

Looks like the economy is not in good shape. Time to tighten our budget! But I still see lots of people shopping and dining away at expensive outlets everyday. Are they rich or pretending to be rich? I do know however, that all my really wealthy friends do not drive expensive cars or eat at expensive restaurants.

6. I like this Mexican King bread from Lavender Bakery.



But last week, I was surprised to find that the bread was much smaller compared to previously. Even though they did not raise the price, they had reduced the size! Oh well, maybe I should be thankful that they did not reduce the size and raise the price at the same time!

7. Talking about the lack of money is bad feng shui. So let's talk about how much Mariah Carey made recently by performing just 3 songs for Prince Azim, the son of Sultan of Brunei.


Photo courtesy : Richard Young / Rex Features

She was paid a whopping US$1.5 million! That's right!! So easy to make money, eh? And not forgetting she was paid US$18 million for being a judge on American Idol last season!

8. Not everyone can see ghosts. But I know 2 bloggers who can smell ghosts. Yes, smell, not see. Can you see or smell a ghost? Thankfully, I have no such gifts!

9. Last year, for the very first time, I stood up and sang Negaraku, Malaysia's national anthem, before a movie in the cinema. In fact, I sang two times on that day because I watched 2 movies! LOL! I did not really sing however, as no one was singing in the cinema hall. I guess standing up and showing respect as the Negaraku was being played is good enough. There was a guy sitting two seats away from me who continued sitting and playing with his handphone while everyone was standing up. How disrespectful!

10. Talking about cinemas, have you watched a movie in IMAX 3D at TGV cinemas before? The ticket price is admittedly, very expensive. You can of course choose the cheaper seats (nearer to the screen) but sitting too near the big screen is not comfortable and may spoil the wonderful experience of watching in IMAX 3D.


Image courtesy : Cinema Online

Let me tell you a dirty trick that TGV practises (at least in my case) on unsuspecting ticket buyers. When I went to buy the tickets for me and my friend at the ticket counter, the staff showed me the seating plan on the screen monitor. He told me to choose one of the empty seats which he pointed out to me. I noticed those were the more expensive seats and so I pointed to the cheaper seats and asked whether they were empty. He reluctantly said yes. I bought 2 tickets straight away!

Now let's turn the table around!  Here's my little secret on how you can buy the cheaper tickets and yet still get to sit the more expensive seats! Here's how. Firstly, you must of course go on a day when there is not many people watching the movie. Weekend is out. Choosing a weekday morning or afternoon is best. Before you go, make sure you visit their website and check to see if there are still many empty seats (the expensive ones of course). You should do this about 15 - 30 minutes before the movie starts. This is because, if you check too early, there may be people buying the tickets later. You want to make sure that there are still some empty expensive seats right before the show starts.

If there are still a number of empty expensive seats, quickly buy the cheaper seats online. Or immediately go to the cinema and buy the cheaper seats from the ticket counter. Once inside the cinema hall, instead of sitting at the seats you bought, go over to the more expensive seats and choose any of the empty seats there! Get it? : )

Taking The Aeroline Bus To Penang

January 9, 2014, 9:30 pm

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Last year in June, I made a 4-day solo trip to Penang. Since it was a solo trip, I decided not to drive. I was undecided whether to fly there or take a bus. In the end, I decided to take the Aeroline bus to Penang.

A month before the trip, I had booked and bought a return ticket via their website www.aeroline.com.my. It's a pretty user-friendly website and you can even select the seats that you like. However, you would need to go to the Aeroline service centre to print out the boarding ticket.

All you need to do is to present your PIN number and your ticket will be printed out. There is no need to print out your confirmation email, so please save paper!



The above is my boarding ticket for the journey from One Utama Bus Terminal in Petaling Jaya to the Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal in Penang. The price is RM60. Notice I chose Seat 8A which is somewhere in the middle because I do not like to sit too front or too back. LOL!

For the return journey, another boarding ticket is issued. If you are one who easily lose stuffs while traveling, it is better to print the return journey's ticket just before you board the return bus home. This is because if you lose the ticket, you will have to buy a new one!

Note that they only accept the boarding ticket for you to get onto the bus. Any other documents or proof of purchase are not considered valid, so make sure you are there at least half an hour before the bus departs to get your ticket printed.

This is the Aeroline service centre at the One Utama Bus Terminal.



I was there early - about one hour before the bus departure time at 10.30am. There were not many people around yet, which was good! The picture above looks like the Aeroline office is closed right? Actually, the door is always closed. You need to press the button at the side and the door will open for you to enter : )

After having my ticket printed, I proceeded to the waiting area. I was pleased to find that it was rather spacious! There were seats for you sit and shelves for you to put your luggage. They also provide free wifi so you can go online using your smartphone or laptop while waiting.



If you are thirsty, you can also make your own coffee or tea. There are electrical sockets for you to charge your phones or laptops too. Not bad, eh?



Since I was early, I left my luggage at the waiting area and went into One Utama shopping mall and had my breakfast at Subway and shopped a little bit at Cold Storage to kill some time. It is safe to leave your luggage there but make sure it is locked and does not contain important documents, which you should carry with you at all times.

When I returned to the waiting area, the staff told me that the bus had been delayed. Oh no!! Luckily, I did not have to wait for long as the bus finally arrived at 10.50am - about 20 minutes late. By 11am, the bus left the One Utama bus station and started the journey to Penang.



The Aeroline bus is actually a double decker bus. The passenger seats are all at the top deck. The lower deck consists of a business lounge and a wash room. Note that the wash room is meant for light usage only, so please do not do your big business there!

By the way, the above picture was not taken at the One Utama bus station, but at a rest stop along the way to Penang.

This is how the interior of the bus looks like.



There is touch screen entertainment system offering a wide selection of movies, music and games to keep you entertained throughout the journey.



Head phones are given to each passenger for the duration of the journey.



I liked that they have a cushion to support my back. Nice!
Blanket is also provided if you request for it.



The seat also has a nice feature that provides good head and neck support, which is important for long journeys.



There is also a power socket available at every seat for you to charge your hand phones. Excellent!



The only problem is the power socket is located at the bottom near the feet area and it could get quite dirty. Maybe they should clean it periodically.

Seat belt is provided to ensure safety of passengers.



The air conditioning vents and reading lights above each seat.



I felt it was way more comfortable than flying AirAsia. No wonder the Aeroline's slogan is "The Convenient Way To Fly". LOL!

The bus made one short 20-minute stop halfway during the journey. Although the seat was comfortable, it's unhealthy to sit too long, so that 20 minute stop was a welcome relief to exercise my legs and for toilet break (especially useful for those who wish to do big business!)



During the 20-minute stop, I had the chance to take photos of the driver's seat and also the business lounge at the lower deck.



The lounge can accommodate up to 6 people and is especially useful for a group meeting or discussion.

Food and beverage (you can choose either coffee, tea or Milo) are provided. Every passenger is also given a bottle of mineral water. These are all included in the ticket price.



During my journey, I was given a simple meal of chicken rice. Quite delicious actually. Maybe I was hungry!



The journey from Petaling Jaya to Penang was estimated to be about 5 hours long. The bus reached there ahead of time, at 3.40pm - about 4 hours and 40 minutes. The bus makes two stops in Penang - the first one at Queensbay Mall and the final stop at Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal.

I alighted at the Aeroline service centre at Queensbay Mall Penang.



Those who do not wish to alight at Queensbay Mall can drop off at the Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal. For the return journey back to Petaling Jaya, the bus picks up passengers at Sungai Nibong Bus Terminal first before going to Queensbay Mall.



I enjoyed traveling with Aeroline and had no regrets choosing it for my trip to Penang and back. The cabin crew were friendly and hospitable and were dressed smartly, comparable to stewards and stewardesses in airplanes.

The one thing I think is missing is free wifi. If Aeroline can provide free wifi onboard the bus, that would really make my day!

Feng Shui 2014 According To Joey Yap (Part 1)

January 20, 2014, 9:00 am

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This year, I attended Joey Yap's2014 Feng Shui & Astrology Seminar at KL Convention Center on the 12th of January.



Every year for the past few years, Joey Yap had been conducting the annual seminar in English as well as in Cantonese. Last year I attended the Cantonese version, so this year I decided to switch back to the English version, which was held one day after the Cantonese seminar.

I actually prefer the Cantonese seminar as it's more fun, but copying down notes is a huge challenge as I can't write in Mandarin!



The Plenary Hall where the seminar was held was almost full when I entered. The seminar was scheduled to start at 10am, but I heard that some people were already there as early as 7am to get the best seats! Too bad I ended up sitting very high up, and very far from the stage. I later learned that the turnout this year broke the record as the largest ever.

In fact, the Plenary Hall exceeded its maximum capacity and some participants had to be seated in a separate hall to watch a live feed of the event! Looks like Joey Yap's popularity is going from strength to strength!



For the very first time, Joey Yap introduced a branch of Chinese metaphysics called Qi Men Dun Jia. It's a totally new subject to me but I think it's very fascinating! Will go into more details about Qi Men Dun Jia in Part 2.



Without further ado, let's go straight to what Joey Yap had to say about 2014, the year of the Wood Horse. As is the case every year, anyone attending his annual Feng Shui & Astrology Seminar is required to bring along his or her Personal Bazi Chart.

Not sure what is a Bazi Chart? Read HERE for a short introduction to Bazi.

You can download and print your Personal Bazi Chart HERE. All you need to do is register first if it's your first time, and then enter your birth date and time.

Now let's take a look at the Bazi Chart for the year 2014.


Bazi Chart 2014 taken from seminar's booklet

From the Chart, you can see that there is an excess of Fire element while the Water element is missing. Fire is therefore the most prosperous element in 2014. As such, it is safe to conclude that Fire industries will do well this year. Fire industries include restaurants, airlines, petrol, technology, computers, electric and electronics.

Now take a look at your own Personal Bazi Chart. If you have Fire elements in your chart, then generally you will have a good year.

If you do not have Fire in your chart, look for the second most dominant element for 2014, which is Wood.

No Wood in your Personal Bazi Chart? Then, look for the third element, which is Metal. If you have all three elements (Fire, Wood and Metal) in your Bazi Chart, then this year will be a very good year for you!

This year, Metal represents cashflow, so if you have no Metal in your Personal Bazi Chart, then you may experience cashflow problems in 2014.

Wood represents profit, so if you are in business and you have Wood in your Personal Bazi Chart, then it's a profitable year for you. If Wood is missing but Metal is present in your Chart, cash will still come to you but may not come from your profits.

Fire represents sales, so if you have Fire in your Bazi Chart, then you will do pretty well at selling yourself this year.

What if you are unfortunate enough to have no Fire, Wood or even Metal in your Bazi Chart? All is not lost however. You can rectify it simply by befriending people who have Fire, Wood and Metal elements in their Bazi Charts! It's somewhat akin to borrowing their elements. And yes, that means start getting to know people around you and checking out their Bazi charts! LOL!

Now most people will expect that since Fire is in excess this year, there will be lots of fire-related occurrences like volcano eruptions, infernos and explosions. However, although that may be true, Joey said that since a strong Fire will melt ice, we may end up with excess water and experience water related problems like flooding as well.

Water in general represents intelligence and wisdom. Since the Water element is missing from the 2014 Bazi Chart, wisdom is therefore missing. Expect people to do more stupid things. Also this being the Wood Horse Year, and the Wood Horse represents battle, expect more fightings and war to happen.

The Bazi Chart has four pillars which is made up of the Year, Month, Day and Hour pillars. The Year and Month pillars represent external influences while the Day and Hour pillars represent internal influences. If you have Fire, Wood or Metal in your Year and Month pillars, then majority of your luck comes from external influences ie. social circle, industry and job. However, if they appear in your Day and Hour pillars, then your luck comes from internal influences ie. family, relationship and home.



Image courtesy of Joey Yap Store

During the seminar, Joey Yap also touched a little on Face Reading. I could not remember everything that he said but here are some of them. Regarding the eyes, if someone has clear eyes, he's currently enjoying good fortune. If his eyes is gloomy, then he is having some problems. If the eyes look glossy like marble, then he's the third party in a relationship!

On the eye brows, Joey Yap said that if a person has no eye brow, then he or she will not have a profitable year. By the way, fake eye brow or tattoos do not count. The eye brow also represents partnership. If someone does not have balanced eye brows, it's better not to partner him or her.

As for the ears, they should be same height as the eyes. If the ears appear higher than the eyes, the person is considered smart. But if his ears are lower than the eyes, he's having cash-flow problems.



Image courtesy of cardetailingblog.com

Joey Yap also explained a little about the concept of Smart Money and Dumb Money. For the uninitiated, Dumb Money is money you earn without having a clue as to how you earn it. Smart Money on the other hand is money you make when you know exactly what you did to earn it.

The Bazi Chart is made up of two horizontal rows. The upper row is knows as Heavenly Stems and the bottom row is known as Earthy Branches. (refer to Bazi Chart above). Now look at your own Personal Bazi Chart. If you have Fire, Wood and Metal on your Heavenly Stems (upper row), then you have Dumb Money this year. But if you have those three elements on your Earthly Branches (lower row), then you have Smart Money.

However, if you only have those three elements in your Hidden Stems (the third row right below Earthly Branches), it means you will still make money but you need to put in much more effort.


Joey demonstrating how to use a compass to locate the sectors 

Joey Yap also mentioned about three astrological animals that represents wealth. They are Dog, Rooster and Ox. If you have these three animals in your Personal Bazi Chart, then you will enjoy good wealth in 2014.

However, it matters where they are located in your Bazi Chart. If any of the three animals appears in your Year Pillar, then it's your friend who will get rich, not you. If they appear on your Month Pillar, your career or business will do well. The Dog and Ox are especially good for career, but if you want to be an investor (and not just a business owner or entrepreneur), you will need the Rooster.

If you do not have any of these animals in your Chart or if you have only one or two of them, do not worry. You just need to befriend people who have those animals in their charts!

Besides the Bazi Chart, Joey also made use of the Flying Star Chart to determine the good and bad sectors of 2014.

North is afflicted with the Three Killings, with North 2 being afflicted with the Year Breaker as well, so absolutely no renovation in this sector. However, North is a Wealth sector this year and as such, using this sector will enhance your income and make your business grow.

Although North is a Wealth sector, it is secondary compared to the South, which is the major Wealth sector in 2014. If your house's main door is located in the South, you will enjoy good financial returns and recognition in your career. You can activate this sector by placing yang-natured items like fans, clocks and television here.


Image taken from seminar's booklet 

The dreaded Five Yellow flies into the North West this year. As such, the North West is the most dangerous sector in your homes or office - you need to avoid it if possible. Noise and renovation will trigger the Five Yellow, so keep this place quiet. If for some reason, you can't avoid the sector, you can neutralize some of the negative effects by placing items made of brass, iron or copper here.

The East is afflicted with Illness Star. Avoid this sector if possible and also no renovation here. However, if you are not able to avoid this sector, it is advisable to place items make of brass, copper or bronze to minimize the effects.

The North East is afflicted with the Robbery Star this year. Renovation will trigger it, so be very careful. However, this sector is good for education and study.

The West sector is a good sector this year. Activating it will give you the ability to make decisions and to get things done. It will also enhance your network capability and influence at work.

The South West is a Noblemen sector. Activating it will attract noble people into your life. This sector is especially good for those who are highly ambitious and wish to build an empire.


Image taken from seminar's booklet

The Centre where the Star number 4 resides this year is good for academic pursuits. Education will be a priority in the year 2014. But the Centre also has the Hexagram of Poison - this means there will be some form of contamination or poisoning similar to a SARS epidemic.

Knowing which sectors in your house is good or bad is all well and good, but what happens if you or someone else accidentally trigger the bad sectors? Luckily, Joey Yap offered a solution in the form of the 4 major Auspicious Stars.

The 4 major Auspicious Stars are the Moon (West 2), Sun (South West 1), Fortune Virtue (East 2) and Dragon Virtue (North East 1).


Image taken from seminar's booklet

Activating these four stars will provide some form of immunity from accidentally triggering the bad sectors. You can activate the stars by doing some simple refurbishment at the sectors where they reside, or you can simply move furnitures around or even nail a wall and hang a picture. Alternatively, you can place a water feature at these locations for about 2 weeks to a month.

Joey Yap did not provide the date and time to activate these stars, so I guess we can probably activate them anytime before 4th of February 2014 when the energy officially changes.

To be continued ….

Feng Shui 2014 According To Joey Yap (Part 2)

January 23, 2014, 9:00 pm

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Continued from Part 1

This year, Joey Yap gave a very interesting talk NOT about feng shui but about the mind. Yes, he talked about the powers of the mind and even threw in The Law of Attraction and The Secret.

But what have all these got to do with feng shui? Plenty, it seems.

If you are into feng shui, you would have probably heard about the theory of the Cosmic Trinity. This refers to the three factors that influence our lives - Heaven, Earth and Man. Each of these factors exerts an equal influence which is about 33 percent.

Heaven refers to a person's destiny which is set at birth. It is through Bazi that one gets to know one's destiny. Earth refers to the environment where a person lives. This is where feng shui plays a huge part in helping one improve on his or her luck. Lastly, Man refers to the actions and choices one makes in life. You can have a fuller understanding of this important concept HERE.

As you can see, feng shui only contributes one third to the total outcome. That means, even if you have really good feng shui, but if you don't take action, you will not get what you want in life. Another example would be if you are destined to be rich, but if you live in a place with terrible feng shui and also you are lazy and do not work hard, then you will probably not be very wealthy.

But during the Feng Shui & Astrology Seminar, Joey Yap revealed one more factor that exerts an invisible influence in our lives. This factor is the Universe, also known as the Spiritual Realm. It contributes 1 percent to the overall outcome.



It would seem that even if we have a good destiny and we have taken the effort to improve our feng shui and took the correct actions, we may still not get what we want. This is because there is still that missing 1 percent that works against us.

When Joey mentioned about this Spiritual Realm, it quickly reminded me of Lillian Too's talk last year about the third dimension of feng shui, known as Spiritual Feng Shui. I am still in the midst of blogging about Spiritual Feng Shui but you can read more about it HERE.

Now if I understand it correctly, Joey equates the Universe to the power of the mind. It is no longer a secret that we can actually use the mind to manifest reality. The process works like this -  the Mind results in Thoughts that leads to Actions which produces an outcome called Reality. This is the process that leads to all things in life.

It was a deeply profound subject that Joey attempted to tackle that day. He posed these questions to us - Where is the mind located? How big is the mind? Is the mind inside of you or outside of you? Even scientists do not know! Modern science have yet to prove that the mind exists, but we all know it's there. Proponents of the Law of Attraction and The Secret attest to the powers of the mind. And this forms the basis of the another branch of Chinese metaphysics called Qi Men Dun Jia.


Image courtesy of The Limitless Self

It was the first time that Joey Yap introduced Qi Men Dun Jia (QMDJ) in the annual seminar. In English, QMDJ is loosely translated as Mystical Doors Escaping Technique. We have all heard about people being in the right place and at the right time. Well, this is what QMDJ is all about. It utilises a technique that calculate with great accuracy the exact moment in time to which one can embark on a specific action to produce the desired outcome. Sounds amazing and scary at the same time, no?

Originally used in the battlefield and military situation to identify the right time and place to attack the enemy, QMDJ is also known as the other "Art Of War". Many famous military strategists in ancient China like Zhuge Liang of The Three Kingdoms and Liu Bo Wen of the Ming Dynasty used QMDJ to win military battles.

So what can QMDJ do in the modern context? Well, it has the ability to help one improve the chances of success in negotiation, marketing, exams, interviews, competition, dating, debt collection, getting loans,  date selection and more.

To learn how QMDJ helps you do all that would require a separate and proper seminar all on its own, so what Joey taught that day was just a simple way to ask for what we want and get what we asked for!
Something like the Law Of Attraction or The Secret, but this one more advanced and powerful with the exact direction that you need to face when asking for what you want!

This is how you do it...

First, print out your Personal Bazi Chart if you have not already done so. You can download your Bazi Chart HERE.

With your Personal Bazi Chart in front of you, look for your Destiny Palace.


Image taken from seminar's booklet

The QMDJ Chart comprises of 9 sections called Palaces. There are 8 Deities, 9 Stars and 8 Doors in the Chart. The Chart can be plotted for yearly, monthly, daily and even hourly. In other words, the Deities, Stars and Doors will move around and be in different palaces at different times of the day, month, or year.

This is the QMDJ Chart for 2014. The Chart changes every year with the location of the Deities, Stars and Doors also changed.


Image taken from seminar's booklet 

The 8 Deities (circled) are somewhat like the Guardians Angels or Spirit Guides in Western culture. Each Deity has different characters. The Deities are the most important part of the QMDJ Chart as they help you manifest your goals simply by you asking and visualizing what you want.



Note : All Chart images are taken from the seminar's booklet.

The 9 Stars (circled) represent Heavenly matters and govern what happens to you.



The 8 Doors (circled) represent Earthly matters and govern the actions that you take.



Joey Yap did not really explained the functions of the Stars and Doors due to the seminar's limited time so he focused only on the Deities.

In 2014, the Chief Deity resides in the North palace. From the name alone, you can guess this is the commander of all the Deities and the most powerful. If your Destiny Palace is North, then this year, you are protected and no harm will befall you. Also, enlisting the help of the Chief Deity will help you win over your competitors and rivals.

Everyone has his or her own Personal Deity. Check the Guardian of Destiny in your Personal Bazi Chart to find out your Personal Deity. If your Personal Deity is the Chief Deity, then you are one lucky person because your ability to manifest your dreams will be stronger. You will also be immune to all curses and black magic! That's how powerful the Chief Deity is.

Now even if your Destiny Palace is not North, you can still take advantage of the Chief Deity simply by waiting for the month when the Chief moves into your Life Palace. Let's say your Destiny Palace is North East, then in January 2014, you are in luck as the Chief moves to North East from January 5th to February 3rd. Refer to the QMDJ Chart for January 2014 below. Can you see the Chief Deity in North East?



Or if your Destiny Palace is East, then February will be a good time for you to manifest your dreams as the Chief Deity moves to the East Palace.



But what are the steps you need to take in order to make it work for you?

First, you must be in an Alpha state. This is a state where you are completely relaxed and meditative. As you can see, it has a lot to do with calming the mind. Our mind is restless when we think of the past or the future. It's the past that makes us unhappy or the future that makes us worried. But if we focus on the present, we are completely at ease - no worries whatsoever. It's the present where the real power is.

Secondly, tap into the direction of your Life Palace. Meaning, you sit with your back to the Chief and face the opposite direction. For example, if your Life Palace is in the North and the Chief resides in the North this month, then sit facing South. Note that you can sit anywhere - not necessarily in the South sector of your home. You can be anywhere - inside or outside your home - as long as you face South with your back facing North.

Once you are facing the correct direction (please use a compass by the way), the third thing to do is to ask for what you want. You do not have to think you are talking to the Deity as this is not something religious. Simply imagine you are just talking to your Higher Self will do the trick. Ask in a positive manner and believe and expect that your dreams will come true. Then take the appropriate action to work towards achieving your goals.

Also, you can take as long as you want or you can just take a minute or two to do the asking. It's up to you.

A WORD OF CAUTION : The Deity is neutral, meaning you get what you asked for whether it's good or bad. Make sure you only ask for positive things because if you start to think negatively, which is common for most people, that's what you will get too!!

The power of this system increases when the Chief Deity is at the same location or palace in the Year, Month, Day and Hour Charts. For example, if your Destiny Palace is North, then if you find the exact time when the Chief Deity aligns to the North for the Year, Month, Day and Hour - the chances of your dreams becoming reality will be increased many times over!

If you do not want to wait for the Chief Deity to land at your Life Palace, you can still ask for your wishes by watching where the Deity lands this month and then put your back in that direction and face opposite. For example, if your Destiny Palace is West, but the Chief Deity is at the North this month, then you can still do your asking by facing South. Do you get what I mean?

Of course, it will be more powerful to do the asking when the Chief Deity lands at your Life Palace.

Although the Chief Deity is the most powerful to help you manifest your dreams, the other 7 deities have their own specialties too. This year, the North West is the location of the Surging Snake Deity. This Deity has the ability to increase your sixth sense and intuition. You can ask for car park space and even control the weather by tapping into the direction of the Snake Deity!

The West is the location of the Great Moon Deity. This deity governs all knowledge and secrets. Searching for information on your upcoming project? Get the help of the Great Moon Deity!

The South West is the location of the Six Harmony Deity which governs relationships and communications. Looking for love? This one may just help!

The North East is the location of the Nine Heaven Deity. This is a vision star and it has the ability to warps reality. Sounds powerful eh? Remember we are taught to visualize our dreams for them to become a reality? Well, this is the case where what you can see can become true for you so make sure you are seeing only positive things!!

Joey Yap mentioned that in the book Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson, the author wrote about the late Jobs using reality distortion to create the impossible. Interesting!




The East is the location of the Nine Earth Deity which governs money and wealth. If you were to demand for profit ideas and wealth ideas when this deity lands at your Life Palace, you will never run out of money!

The South is the location of the White Tiger Deity which gives you infinite energy and stamina. It's the perfect Deity to ask for more energy to accomplish something. Joey Yap said activating this Deity can make you sleep less but still have ample energy!

Lastly, the South East is the location of the Black Tortoise Deity this year. Joey said this Deity has the ability to make you tap into the minds of others (somewhat like Darth Vader) and you can mesmerize, influence, brain wash and mind control others! Awesomeness?

It appears that QMDJ is currently the most advanced feng shui system and is gaining popularity as the results are quicker and more powerful. If you are interested to learn about QMDJ, you can sign up for a two-day seminar called "Getting Whatever You Want, From Whatever You've Got" which is conducted by Joey Yap himself in KL!



In Part 3, I will share with you the dates and time to activate the good and beneficial stars coming your way in 2014, so stay tuned!

To be continued ….

Feng Shui 2014 According To Joey Yap (Part 3)

January 26, 2014, 9:00 am

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Continued from Part 2

Towards the end of the 2014 Feng Shui & Astrology Seminar in KL, Joey Yap provided a list of date and time to activate wealth, relationship, health, and more.

To activate the sectors, you can choose to move furnitures around, drill a hole in the wall and hang a picture, or even play loud music.

Activating is somewhat similar to acupuncture. Just like acupuncture where the needles are used to stimulate and unblock certain meridian points in the body so that qi can flow smoothly, in the same way, moving furnitures or drilling a hole in the wall can trigger the stars in that particular sector.



WEALTH ACTIVATION
3 dates to choose from …

1. 13th March 2014, 5.30pm - South West 1 (Clash : Ox)

2. 17th March 2014, 1.30pm - North East 1 (Clash : Snake)

3. 1st June 2014, 3.30pm - West 2 (Clash : Rooster)

Note #1: Clash means if you have that animal sign in your Bazi Chart, then that particular date is not suitable for you. Choose another date instead. You can choose one date to activate, or you can activate on all 3 dates if none of the animal signs clashes with you.

Note #2: You can also activate the wealth stars by installing water feature at these sectors for 2 weeks.


RELATIONSHIP & MARRIAGE
3 dates to choose from …

1. 16th February 2014, 11.30am - South West 1 (Clash : Rat)

2. 29th March 2014, 1.30pm - South West 1 (Clash : Snake)

3. 20th May 2014, 5.30pm - East 2 and/or West 2 (Clash : Rooster)


HEALTH
2 dates to choose from …

1. 16th April 2014, 11.30am - North East 1 (Clash : Pig)

2. 4th May 2014, 11.30am - South West 1 (Clash : Snake)


HIDING & ESCAPE FROM PROBLEM
Not really sure what this means, but I think activating this will make you invisible to those looking for you, in other words, escaping from your problem. The effect will lasts from 2 to 7 months, so if you want to be noticed, do not activate this one!

29th May 2014, 7.30am - South West 1 (Clash : Horse)


HUNTING/FINDING
Joey did not explain this one, but my guess is it's for you find or hunt something. Also to overthrow your opposition and take control of the situation.

2 dates to choose from …

1. 8th May 2014, 7.30pm - South West 1 (Clash : Rooster)

2. 6th June 2014, 9.30am - South West 1 (Clash : Tiger)


WISH FULFILLING
To activate this, just face the direction and make your wish!

23rd May 2014, 3.30pm - sit South West, face North East (Clash : Rat)


TO KEEP 5 YELLOW AT NOMINAL LEVEL
The 5 Yellow is the most dreaded star and accidentally triggering it will be devastating. Joey Yap provided this date for us to activate so as to lessen the effects or to keep the 5 Yellow at nominal level.

4th February 2014, 9.30am - North West 2 (Clash : Rat)


GOD OF WEALTH
During the first day of Chinese New Year, most Chinese practise this ritual of welcoming the God Of Wealth into their homes to bring in wealth. The ritual usually involves some prayers and setting off firecrackers. According to Joey Yap, the God of Wealth is really a wealth star and we can activate it without resorting to firecrackers (although the loud firecrackers will definitely activate the star!) but simply by opening the door that faces the direction of the star.

31st January 2014, 12.30am - North West

Note : Besides activating the God of Wealth, you can also at the same time, activate North & West for career, South for happiness and East for nobility.


BEST DAYS TO START WORK AFTER CHINESE NEW YEAR
Starting work on the right day will have good implications for the rest of the year, especially if you own your own business.

1. 4th February 2014 (5th day) - 9.30am (Clash : Rat)

2. 5th February 2014 (6th day) - 9.30am (Clash : Ox)

3. 8th February 2014 (9th day) - 9.30am (Clash : Dragon)

4. 10th February 2014 (11th day) -  9.30am (Clash : Horse)

Note : The BEST day is 5th day (4th February 2014) but if you have Rat in your Bazi Chart, you will have to choose another day.

This year, Joey Yap did not provide activation dates for RESOLVING PROBLEMS, ACADEMIC SUCCESS and SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT. If anyone of you knew the dates (probably from a separate seminar with Joey Yap), please share with me! Thanks!

This ends my posts on Joey Yap's Feng Shui & Astrology Seminar 2014. I hope you find the information useful. Here's wishing everyone a Happy Year of the Wood Horse!

Celebrating Chinese New Year Of The Horse

January 27, 2014, 8:00 am

≫ Next: 2014 Chinese New Year Decorations (Part 1)

≪ Previous: Feng Shui 2014 According To Joey Yap (Part 3)

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It's just a few more days to Chinese New Year of the Horse! I'm excited!


Horses at Pavilion KL

One thing I must do during the first day of Chinese New Year is to welcome the God Of Wealth! According to feng shui expert Joey Yap, the God of Wealth is really a wealth star that you can activate simply by opening the door that faces the direction of that star. This year, it's located in the North West and the best time to activate it is at 12.30am on the first day of Chinese New Year.

This is very important since so many things are going to cost more in the new year. I definitely need all the help that I can get! I'm also expecting lots of angpows to come flying in my direction after activating this God Of Wealth. Haha!


Angpows with Lord Kubera riding a horse from World Of FengShui

Red. This is the color synonymous with Chinese New Year. I had been trying to shop for red clothes and red shoes last week without much success. It's frustrating! It's not that there was no abundance of red clothes and shoes out there, it's just that I have limited time to shop! LOL!

But guess what? I just found the perfect place to shop for my Chinese New Year clothes! It's an online shop called Zalora and they have the perfect red shirts and red shoes that I want! Talk about convenience! And especially to all my female readers who are celebrating Chinese New Year, you really do not want to miss Zalora's Chinese New Year collection!

With shopping taken care of, I had more time to go mall hopping to take photos of the Chinese New Year decorations. You might be wondering how come I was able to go mall hopping but not shop for Chinese New Year clothes? LOL! Well, taking photos is a breeze, and not really time consuming, but shopping for clothes … that takes a lot of time especially when I'm fussy too! Haha!



The one food that I always look forward to during Chinese New Year is yee sang. That's because I only get to eat it during Chinese New Year. I remember buying some rather tasty salmon yee sang from Aeon Supermarket last year. Maybe I will do the same this year!

I saw these plush toy horses on display at the KL Convention Centre. They seem to be the rage this Chinese New Year. I thought they were rather cute!



They can be found in Petaling Street and many other shops. Sure beats that Astro's Mali twin horses that are currently being sold in Tesco and Popular bookstores, don't you think?



Since it's the Year of the Horse, many shopping malls in Klang Valley are using horses as their main decoration theme. I will be sharing the Chinese New Year decorations in my next post.

In the meantime, to those who celebrate, here's wishing you a Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year!

2014 Chinese New Year Decorations (Part 1)

February 2, 2014, 10:00 am

≫ Next: 2014 Chinese New Year Decorations (Part 2)

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Happy Chinese New Year of the Horse everyone! Today is the 4th day of Chinese New Year and for those of you who celebrate, I hope you have had an enjoyable time.

Before the 15-day run of the Chinese New Year celebration is over, I guess I had better share about the Chinese New Year decorations in major shopping malls around Klang Valley. This year, I visited a total of 14 shopping malls around Petaling Jaya and Kuala Lumpur so expect lots of photos in the next few posts!

Since it's the year of the Horse, many malls made use of the horse as the main theme for their decorations. One of them is Suria KLCC.



There's a giant golden Horse at the main concourse with its front legs lifted high up.



The Horse appears to be standing next to a giant scroll that has paintings of mountains and rivers.



Perhaps the scroll brings good news for the new year?



I passed by the concourse area again a few hours later and saw that they had placed 2 lion heads in front of the scroll. Perhaps there would be a lion dance later but I did not wait to watch the performance.



How do you like this year's Chinese New Year decoration at Suria KLCC?




Berjaya Times Square has two horses in front of the main entrance. I took a photo of one of the horses.



Inside, there were no more horses. Instead, what greeted me was a giant lantern at the main concourse area.



The 9.7m tall revolving lantern is inspired by Chinese paper cutting art. Can you see the image of a horse on the lantern?



I thought it was pretty beautiful!



The big lantern is flanked by two smaller lantern on both sides.



Do you like this year's Chinese New Year decoration at Berjaya Times Square?




Having taken pictures of Christmas decorations at Avenue K shopping mall in Jalan Ampang last year, I decided to check out their Chinese New Year decorations this year.



I saw a huge Golden Horse suspended in the air, apparently flying amongst the clouds in the sky.



Below the horse and the clouds are stalls in the shape of pagodas.



Can you see a man dressed as the God of Fortune at the concourse below?



More photos ….






This year, Bangsar Village II showcases lots of red and gold lanterns hanging from the ceiling of the mall.



Now is that a lot of lanterns or what?



More photos below …







There is a revolving lantern with Chinese characters on the ground.



How do you like the Chinese New Year decoration at Bangsar Village II?



In Part 2, I will share with you the Chinese New Year decorations at The Gardens, Mid Valley Megamall and more, so stay tuned!

To be continued ….

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2014 Chinese New Year Decorations (Part 2)

February 4, 2014, 9:30 am

≫ Next: 2014 Chinese New Year Decorations (Part 3)

≪ Previous: 2014 Chinese New Year Decorations (Part 1)

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Continued from Part 1

In Part 1, I shared with you photos I took of the Chinese New Year decorations at Suria KLCC, Berjaya Times Square, Avenue K and Bangsar Village II.

In this post, I will be sharing the photos of the Chinese New Year decorations at The Gardens Mall and Mid Valley Megamall.

Let's start with The Gardens.



I thought this year's decoration at The Gardens were pretty unique and interesting.



It uses a different approach compared to all other malls.



Instead of the usual horses and lanterns, The Gardens attempts to recreate the olden days showcasing traditional Chinese culture. Look at this antique gramophone!



Wooden tables and chairs made us revisit the past.



I love the stuffs placed on the table!



More photos below …



















"Please Do Not Touch". I wonder if any of the things displayed here gets stolen.













A traditional rickshaw. I thought it was strategically placed here with the brand name 'Gucci' in the background. LOL!



Oh! At a different angle, 'Louis Vuitton' appeared in the background instead. Haha!



Wow!  Look at this vintage tailor shop! Awesome.



Almost tempted to take away some of these items. LOL!







I saw this traditional sewing machine. Anyone still have such a sewing machine at home?



How cute!! What do you call these? Needle pincushion?









I think I really like the Chinese New Year decorations at The Gardens Mall this year!
What about you?










In contrast, I think the Chinese New Year decorations at Mid Valley Megamall was pretty lousy and bordering on 'cheapskate' this year!



What ever happened to Mid Valley? Did they have a budget cut or something? They used to have one of the best decorations for both Christmas and Chinese New Year.



After their surprisingly lousy Christmas decoration last year, I was expecting a much better display of Chinese New Year decoration this year, but alas! it was not to be.



This year, I noticed there were a few stalls promoting feng shui stuffs. There's even a Flying Star Chart on display!



And Lillian Too's World Of Feng Shui even set up a booth here.



I was fortunate enough to see a man doing cotton candy painting that day.



Look at his fine works of art - A cotton candy-painted Dragon!



The stage with some messy decoration.



More photos below ….









I have always admired how the Chinese invented the paper cutting art.



Look at these beautiful paper cutting artwork! Awesome.



The Chinese New Year decorations at Mid Valley Megamall were disappointing. Hopefully, they will do better next year!

Out of the 14 malls I visited, I have already covered 6 of them. There are 8 more to go, so stay tuned for Part 3!

To be continued …

2014 Chinese New Year Decorations (Part 3)

February 6, 2014, 9:30 am

≫ Next: My Reunion Dinner At Spring Garden Chinese Restaurant

≪ Previous: 2014 Chinese New Year Decorations (Part 2)

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Continued from Part 2

Since it's the year of the Horse, a lot of shopping malls made use of the horse as the main theme of their Chinese New Year decorations. However, a number of malls decided to do things a bit differently.

One such mall is One Utama, located in Petaling Jaya. 



I was actually quite surprised that One Utama did not make use of the rocking horses that were being displayed as Christmas decorations last December. They could have easily converted those rocking horses into a Chinese New Year attraction!



Oh well, I guess they had other ideas. But I was not too impressed.



It was all very colorful, with brightly lit lanterns and a tall, pagoda-like structure.



The pagoda structure has bells circling each level.



Close shot of the bells and lanterns.



The roof top of the structures look like the top part of an umbrella to me.



More photos below …







Well as I said earlier, I was not impressed, but I quite like the bells and the lanterns actually. LOL!



How do you like the Chinese New Year decorations at One Utama this year?




Tropicana City Mall, another shopping mall in Petaling Jaya,  had a very simple Chinese New Year decoration this year. But they did make use of the 'horse' theme.



If not mistaken, I think it's a horse standing on a pot of gold ingots. And that's about it! Pretty simple, right?




Paradigm Mall, an increasingly popular shopping mall in Petaling Jaya, surprised me with a totally unexpected Chinese New Year decorations this year!



Just like One Utama, they did not use 'horse' as the main theme of the decorations.



Instead, what they used were bears. Lots and lots of cute cuddly bears!



The whole concourse had been transformed into Beary Land! There were bears everywhere, and some of them were dressed in Chinese costumes.



A pair of cute bears leaning out of the train's window.



The train, carrying yellow colored ingots, is on an elevated railway track.



Sorry for the many photos of the train, all taken at slightly different angles! :D



How come the bears appeared to be not wearing any shorts or pants? LOL!



 See? This bear is only wearing a red shirt. Where is his pants?!



More photos below …..









There is even a bear sleeping!





Oh look! A bear in beautiful purplish cheongsam!







A cute bear carrying a gold ingot.



The view from the ground looking up.



Entrance to Beary-Land.



More photos below …







A bear trying to climb up the ladder. Cute! : )





A parade of bears!!



Two bears riding a motorbike.



Nice pink colored cheongsam!















I wonder, what have bears got to do with Chinese New Year? I thought they are more appropriate for Christmas, no?



Still, it was refreshing and I like the Chinese New Year decorations at Paradigm Mall - probably the best so far for a shopping mall in Petaling Jaya this year.

In Part 4, I will share even more photos of the Chinese New Year decorations at shopping malls in Subang and Kuala Lumpur, so stay tuned! : )

To be continued ….

My Reunion Dinner At Spring Garden Chinese Restaurant

February 10, 2014, 12:30 am

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≪ Previous: 2014 Chinese New Year Decorations (Part 3)

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This year, my family and I had our Chinese New Year eve reunion dinner at Tai Thong's Spring Garden Chinese Restaurant located at Tropicana Golf and Country Resort in Petaling Jaya.



When we reached there at about six in the evening, the sky was still very bright, so I took the opportunity to take some pictures of the resort.

I wonder how much this tree would cost with so many plum blossoms flowers on its branches!



There was another tree decorated with golden yellow lanterns and huge Chinese coins.



It's been quite a while since I last visited this resort. I was actually not too keen to dine at Tai Thong restaurants because I found the quality of the food at Tai Thong had deteriorated for the past few years. But as it was difficult to get a table in Chinese restaurants during Chinese New Year eve, we decided not to be too choosy.



It was a 9-course dinner and every table in the restaurant that evening followed this fixed menu. I guess it's easier for the restaurant to cater to the large number of customers with a fixed menu. The only thing is, I thought it's a bit unfair that the last two items are the desserts when they should lump both desserts into one item and make it a 8-course dinner instead!



If you can read Chinese, then you can see what we had that evening from the menu above. By the way, I do not know how to read Mandarin characters, so I was actually wondering if I should read from right to left or from left to right! LOL!

And yes, the price was RM888++ (US$266.20++) for 10 pax. What a nice number but it sure burnt quite a hole in our pockets!

We started off with the customary yee sang. Oops! Forgot to take the picture of the yee sang before we tossed and mixed it up so I guess my own plate of already tossed yee sang would have to do. LOL!



I don't know about you, but this yee sang did not look attractive at all. There were salmon and pear inside (it was salmon and pear yee sang after all) but taste wise, it was just average. Believe me when I say that even the yee sang from Jusco is better than this one! Not a very good start to our dinner right?

Next, we had shark's fin soup. Of course, I did not expect any real shark's fins inside! In fact the menu stated it as scallop crab soup, and not shark's fin soup.



It was OK, especially after you added in the vinegar. Nothing extraordinary though.

The third item on the menu was the Italian style chicken and golden duck.



At first I did not know it was duck meat! At first glance, it looked like pork or char siew (BBQ pork) to me. It sure did not taste like duck but I have to say, it was pretty delicious!



The chicken was not bad too - crispy and tasty, much to my delight!



I think the chicken and duck dish was the best we had that evening.

Next, came the prawns. They were cooked in 2 different styles. Not sure how to describe it, but I thought they were pretty average.



I think the dishes that came out did not follow the order as stated in the menu, but it's OK with us as long as the food tasted good! The steamed fish was next, although it should came out before the prawns.



I always like steamed fish and this one was OK to me. Again nothing fantastic, but not bad either.

In a normal 8-course dinner, there's always a dish that comprises an all-mixed vegetables. It's the same that evening but ours contained fish maw and lingzhi besides the usual mushrooms and broccoli.



Then came the Hong Kong style lap mei (waxed meat) and silver fish fried rice.



This was a HUGE disappointment! Where was the lap mei? I could hardly find any and they had the nerve to call it lap mei fried rice?! And why was the rice so dark? I do not like it when they add in too much of the dark soy sauce! Give me an authentic lap mei fried rice please!

Lastly came the two desserts. The first dessert was wo peng (bean paste biscuit) and steamed nian gao (year cake) with shredded coconut.



As I have sweet tooth, these desserts were pretty good to me. I didn't think they were too sweet, but then I have sweet tooth remember? LOL!

I still prefer fried nian gao with yam and sweet potato over steamed nian gao with shredded coconut though. But you don't normally find the former in a 8-course dinner. So for this dessert, I preferred the wo peng to the nian gao.



The second dessert was the rainbow color tong yuen (glutinous rice balls) soup.



The colorful tong yuen balls looked very attractive and I was wondering what type of fillings I could find inside! This is my bowl of tong yuen dessert with red, dark green and light green balls.



But guess what? I was lucky to get the red color tong yuen as it contained red bean paste inside. I said lucky because all the other colored balls contained NOTHING inside!!



Look at this green color ball. There were no fillings inside! I thought that was quite unfair as not everyone was lucky enough to get the red color ball. So finding the ball with fillings inside is like playing lottery. Even if we know that the red balls contain red bean paste, there were not enough of them to go around.



The 9-course dinner came with a complimentary bottle of red wine. Overall, I find the food just average but I was still quite happy as it exceeded my expectation. Honestly, I had thought it would be much worse. The price was a bit steep, but that was to be expected for a restaurant like this and especially during the Chinese New Year eve.

The service was good at the beginning but as more and more customers came later in the evening, it became worse. Most of the waiters were Indians (or were they Bangla?) though.

After dinner, we walked around the place for more photo taking activities.



The night time scenery looked better than daytime, so I took some more photos.









Until now, I am still quite disappointed with the lap mei fried rice at Spring Garden Chinese Restaurant.  In fact, I could not really find a good waxed meat rice anywhere during the Chinese New Year holidays. Anyone knows which restaurant in PJ or KL serves the best lap mei rice?

2014 Chinese New Year Decorations (Part 4)

February 11, 2014, 8:30 am

≫ Next: 2014 Chinese New Year Decorations (Part 5)

≪ Previous: My Reunion Dinner At Spring Garden Chinese Restaurant

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Continued from Part 3

I thought that the Chinese New Yeardecorations at Sunway Pyramid was quite nice this year!



Since it's the year of the Horse, Sunway Pyramid had showcased the culture of Central Asia that revolves around this animal. The first thing that attracted me was the giant circular-shaped tent known as yurt which is used as home by nomads.



Behind the yurt were what looked like colorful panoramic mountains. And there was also a pond surrounded by peony flowers.



More photos below …









Lots of lanterns of various shapes and sizes.



A traditional carriage.



The life-sized horse looked very real! I did a double take when I saw it. LOL!



The front entrance to the portable yurt flanked by two interesting looking pillars. 



The pond surrounded by large peony flowers.



It also act as a wishing pond where you can throw in coins and make a wish.



Lots of lanterns.



Plum blossoms added to the Chinese New Year feel.



How do you like the Chinese New Year decorations at Sunway Pyramid this year? I give it two thumbs up!




Since I was in Subang, I also dropped by Empire Shopping Gallery to check out their Chinese New Year decorations.



This year, Empire Shopping Gallery featured lots of colorful lion dance costumes.



Below the lions were giant colorful lanterns and flowers. Nice.



Took a photo of the backside of the lion. LOL!





In Part 5, and hopefully the final part of this series (since the 15-day Chinese New Year celebrations is going to end its run soon!) I shall share with you the Chinese New Year decorations at Pavilion KL and Farenheit 88, so stay tuned! : )

2014 Chinese New Year Decorations (Part 5)

February 13, 2014, 9:30 pm

≫ Next: My Chinese New Year Dinner At Green View Restaurant

≪ Previous: 2014 Chinese New Year Decorations (Part 4)

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Continued from Part 4

Today is the last day of Chinese New Year. It's also the 15th day, widely considered as the Chinese Valentine's Day. Coincidently, today is February 14th, which is also Valentine's Day in the Western calendar. So Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

In this final part of the 2014 Chinese New Year decorations series, I shall bring you to check out the decorations at Pavilion KL and Farenheit 88. Let's start with Pavilion KL first.



The giant Moon from the LINE sticker character which was on display in front of Pavilion mall since Christmas last year was still there.

Lots of red lanterns hanging from the rooftop and gold lanterns hanging from trees!



Can you count the number of red lanterns in the picture below? LOL!



Lots of horses on display near the entrance and inside the mall itself. They were called Horses Of Fortune and were meant to be adopted for a minimum of RM100 (US$30.12). The mass adoption ceremony would be held today as part of a Chap Goh Mei special. All proceeds will go to selected old folks home.



It was a sea of red and gold as I walked down the steps to the Concourse Area.



More Horses of Fortune on display here.



If you have adopted one of these horses, don't forget to collect your horse at Pavilion mall today!



There were altogether 688 beautifully hand-crafted horses - making it the largest collection of custom made horses in a shopping mall!



They were actually lined up from the Bukit Bintang mall entrance all the way to the Centre Court to symbolize fortune flowing into Pavilion KL. How auspicious!!



More photos below …















There was a horse-themed carousel, and a pagoda-like structure amidst a number of stalls selling Chinese New Year stuffs here.





I thought the Chinese New Year decorations at Pavilion KL was rather grand and beautiful. What do you think?





The view of the Bukit Bintang entrance from inside the mall.



The Horses of Fortune could also be found on the higher floors.





Overall, I am giving the Chinese New Year decorations at Pavilion KL two thumbs up! : )

While walking along Jalan Bukit Bintang, I came across some Chinese New Year decorations by the roadside. These lanterns probably look more beautiful at night when it's lighted up.



I also dropped by Westin Hotel. They had a huge statue of galloping horses at the lobby!



Golden horses galloping near the Starhill Gallery. Would probably look nicer at night when the lights shine on them.




Next, I stepped into Farenheit 88. There was a beautiful red horse with its front legs lifted high at the Concourse.



Nice lantern!



Did you notice something special with the giant flowers on the tree?



They were actually umbrellas! How creative!



Love the umbrella-flowers and the lanterns!



The Chinese New Year decorations at Farenheit 88 was pretty unique this year with the display of 12 animals from the Chinese Zodiac.

Snake



Goat



Monkey



Rooster



Dog



Dragon



Rabbit



Tiger



Wait! This is a Tiger? Looks so cute! : )



Ox



The Ox again from a different angle.



And the Rat.



Did I capture all 12 animals? No...only 10. Which ones did I miss?? *scratching my head*



I'm also giving the Chinese New Year decorations at Farenheit 88 two thumbs up! What about you?

This year, I surprised myself by going to a record 14 shopping malls around Petaling Jaya, Subang and Kuala Lumpur to take pictures of Chinese New Year decoration. I wonder if I would be able to break my record next year! LOL!

If you miss some of my postings on the 2014 Chinese New Year decorations, here is the complete list.

Part 1 : Suria KLCC, Berjaya Times Square, Avenue K, Bangsar Village II
Part 2 : The Gardens, Mid Valley Megamall
Part 3 : One Utama, Tropicana City Mall, Paradigm Mall
Part 4 : Sunway Pyramid, Empire Shopping Gallery

My Chinese New Year Dinner At Green View Restaurant

February 18, 2014, 7:00 am

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Chinese New Year may be over now, but I still have many Chinese New Year stuffs to blog about. So today's post is about my Chinese New Year dinner at Green View Restaurant in Petaling Jaya.

It was the fourth day of Chinese New Year and we had booked this restaurant one week in advance just to be safe. The first dish was of course, yee sang.



That's the yee sang on my plate. Just like the reunion dinner at Tai Thong, I had forgotten to take a photo of the yee sang before we tossed and mixed it all up. LOL!

The yee sang here was pretty good although it was a tad too sweet. Probably too much plum sauce.

The main dish that we ordered that evening was the Boston lobster noodles. We had 3 of these huge lobsters. Look at how big the plate was! Not much of a presentation, but who cares when it comes to lobsters? LOL!



It was enough to satisfy all eleven of us. In fact, there were more lobsters than noodles - I could hardly see the noodles!



The lobsters meat were firm and flavorful. Yummy!! I didn't care too much for the noodles though they were a little soggy being soaked in the delicious sauce.



Greedy me quickly snatched this huge lobster claw because I knew there's chunky meat hidden beneath the hard shell!



Look at those lobster meat after I broke open part of the shell! Yum! Yum!



The Boston lobsters did not come cheap however. Three lobsters cost us RM640! (US$194)

Besides lobsters, we also ordered mixed vegetables. This was very nice! Love it!



The steamed fish was also pretty good!



We were recommended pork ribs, but decided to decline. Partly to cut down cost and partly because we were not sure if could take in so much meat! So we ordered another vegetables dish to balance out the protein from fish and lobsters.



Lastly, we had fried rice with waxed meat. I have to say this was a huge disappointment. I have eaten better fried rice elsewhere. And the waxed meat was quite pathetic.



When the bill came, we were quite prepared for it as we have heard that this restaurant was quite expensive.



Total price : RM1,187.70 (US$360.05). Do you think it's expensive? Is it worth eating here? I did enjoy all the dishes except the fried rice. And we were all really full! If it's cheaper, I do not mind coming here again more often.

After dinner, I took a few photos of the live fishes and other sea creatures in the glass tanks at the entrance of the restaurant.



You can, if you like, choose which fish or lobster or any other seafood that you want from the tanks. But I can never do that. It's like picking a victim to be killed and cooked for my enjoyment. Sounds really awful to me! So we just let the restaurant do the choosing, thank you!



Heard that the Alaskan King Crab is really popular here! But the price is enough to deter me from eating it!



There were a lot of people dining at the restaurant that evening. Almost full house, I would say. Now anyone generous enough to give me a nice treat at this restaurant? : )



Green View Restaurant
6 & 8, Jalan 19/3,
Petaling Jaya,
Selangor.
Tel : 03 7954 9263

Is Bangkok Still A Safe Destination?

March 3, 2014, 9:30 am

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I had just returned from my short holidays in Bangkok. Going to Bangkok is almost turning into a yearly affair for me. In fact, this would be my sixth time visiting the City Of Angels.

What is so attractive about Bangkok that I keep returning to it time and again? Honestly, I do not know. Most likely the reason has got to do with its food and its people. Also, holidaying in Bangkok is pretty cheap and what I really like is that it takes a mere 2 hours flight from Kuala Lumpur to get there.

However, this time, a lot of people had advised me not to visit Bangkok due to the political crisis currently happening in this city. News about anti-Government protests, bombings and violence in Bangkok certainly did not help. But I had already paid for my flight and hotel months ahead so foregoing this trip would be the last thing on my mind.

> Don't know what's happening in Bangkok? Read HERE.

Luckily with the help of some Thai friends on Facebook and updates on Twitter from foreigners staying in Bangkok, I was assured that the situation in Bangkok was generally still pretty safe.

Anyway, my Bangkok trip turned out to be relatively peaceful, relaxing and highly enjoyable. I will blog more about what I did in Bangkok in future posts, but for now, let me just share with you some photos I took to highlight the current situation there.

This is Silom road. I was on the Skyway bridge near the SaladaengBTS station. There were many stalls cashing in on the political rally happening close to the Silom MRT station.



I must say the large number of stalls selling food, clothes and other things lent an atmosphere of festivity here. I did not feel afraid or fearful at all.



Of course, traffic was chaotic and mostly jammed up. Never travel by taxi unless absolutely necessary. Make full use of the BTS (skyway) and MRT (subway) trains and you would have no problem getting around Bangkok with ease, at least to most of the shopping malls.



This is a rally near to the Silom MRT Station. This live rally is beamed to anti-Government protesters gathering at other locations around Bangkok via huge screens. People were sitting or standing listening to the person speaking on stage. Occasionally, they burst out in applause.



I took a photo of this scene just outside the National Stadium BTS Station near MBK Shopping Mall. This is another anti-Government protest hot spot in Bangkok.



It was my first time seeing so many tents lying on the open space. Looked like the protestors must be camping out here! I heard that they have been blocking major intersections in Bangkok since beginning of the year as part of their 'Bangkok Shutdown' campaign.



Certain roads were blocked with barbed wires like this one on Astadang Road near to Wat Ratchabophit - a beautiful, charming temple which I visited.



Probably one of the most violent clashes between police and anti-Government protestors happened along Ratchadamnoen Klang Road near Democracy Monument. I was glad it did not happen while I was there.



I had no intention of visiting the Democracy Monument but I was there to visit the Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall, which was a fairly new tourist attraction in Bangkok. Unfortunately, no one told me that it was closed!!



No one - not my hotel, not the cab driver nor my Thai friends - knew it was closed on that day. And if it was mentioned on its website or Facebook page, I sure did not see it! It was probably closed indefinitely due to the violent clashes that happened in the area.

What I saw on the road in front of the Rattanakosin Exhibition Hall was a little shocking at first. There were many damaged and overturned vehicles lying around.



Barricades were set up and policemen were all over the place.



Surprisingly, I did not feel any danger at all. Even the policemen were friendly and I managed to speak to one of them despite the language barrier. Amusingly, many tourists used this opportunity to take photos and selfies of themselves posing in front of those damaged cars!



I must really give it to the Thais for creatively turning this 'war zone' into another form of tourist attraction.



So, if you want to have your photos taken with these overturned vehicles, quickly fly over to Bangkok now and get it done before they are towed away! LOL!

I thought with Rattanakosin closed, I could perhaps go visit Wat Saket nearby. But I soon discovered that the road to Wat Saket was blocked with 'Peace Zone' banners put up.



An overturned car that attracted a couple of curious tourists.



So is it still safe to go Bangkok? Well, I went there and survived it. So far, no foreign tourists have been known to be injured in the political clashes. In fact, with the less number of tourists (many tourists had avoided Bangkok and went to other parts of Thailand), hotel rates are cheaper and it's also less crowded - which is exactly what I love!

The only downside is that security is tighter than usual, not that this is bad, but it might be a bit of a hassle to have your bags and backpacks checked every time you enter a shopping mall or a MRT station.

However, although Bangkok is generally safe to tourists, do take note of the following guidelines while you are there …

1. Try to avoid the protest sites, although they are mostly peaceful. Since the sites can change from time to time, keep yourself updated with the latest news on Twitter and Facebook. Follow Twitter feeds with hashtags #Thailand and #BKKShutdown.

2. If you cannot avoid a protest site, try not to linger too long there. The situation may seem peaceful, but you never know that it might unexpectedly turn rowdy or violent. 

3. If like me, you want to take pictures of the protest sites, do so in the day time. More people congregate for the evening speeches so the chances of things turning bad will most likely happen during the evenings or nights. 

4. Most major shopping malls near to protest sites like MBK, Siam Paragon and Terminal 21 can be easily and safely accessed via elevated walkways after exiting the BTS stations without having to walk through the areas where the protestors gather. 

5. Protest sites and surrounding areas should be completely avoided after dark. In fact, do not stay out too late. 

6. Do not voice any opinions about the anti-Government protests to any local Thai people that you are not familiar with as you cannot be sure which side they are on. Emotions do run high and it's better to stay neutral.

7. Do not wear any solid red color shirts (which signifies pro-Government) or shirts that say 'Popcorn Army' (which supports anti-Government) to avoid being targeted. 

*Latest News : Anti-Government protestors have ended their occupation of all intersections and moved to Lumpini Park since Monday, March 3rd. This should free up the traffic congestion in Bangkok and perhaps make it safer for tourists.

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I'm Giving Up On Snowflake!

March 6, 2014, 8:00 am

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I used to like Snowflake. Loved it lots. It was, in my opinion, one of the better dessert shops around.

And then something went wrong. The quality started to deteriorate. The shaved ice had became coarse and was not as fine as before. It was no longer my favorite dessert.

A week before Chinese New Year, I was shopping at Paradigm Mall when I chanced upon Snowflake again. At that time, they were heavily promoting their new Mango series so I decided to give it one more chance.

I ordered the Mango Sensation, priced at RM12.90.



Looks delicious, no?

Unfortunately, it did not taste good to me. And the shaved ice - look at the shaved ice!! So coarse and rough!



It's a far cry from the Snowflake that I used to know when it first started. At that time, I was full of praise for its finely shaved ice. Now, it's worse than eating poor quality ice kacang!

I regret to say this, but I'm giving up on Snowflake. Unless they do something and improve. Maybe, then just maybe, I will go back.

On another matter, I noticed that the Snowflake shop at Paradigm Mall had a rather interesting design in the form of trees made from recycled plastic bottles!



Ooh! I just love this tree!



So creative of them using simple plastic bottles to create a tree!



Although I am very disappointed with their Mango Sensation, I am giving them full marks for this beautiful design!




But good creative design is not going to make your customers come back for more, it's still the food that matters. So buck up, Snowflake. And make me want to eat your desserts again!



Otherwise,  I will just have to say good bye for good!

How Can A Boeing 777 Plane Just Disappear?

March 9, 2014, 10:30 pm

≫ Next: A Stupid No Photography Policy At Taste Enclave In Avenue K

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We have all heard about planes crashing. But a plane disappearing? That is an extremely rare occurrence!

No one knows what happened to flight MH370 which was traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on the early morning of March 8th. The Malaysian Airlines (MAS) plane suddenly disappeared from the radar screen and lost all contacts with Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 1.30am, which was about 45 minutes into its flight.

Somewhere over the South China Sea, off the coast of Vietnam, the Boeing 777 jetliner carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members just vanished. There was no distress call, no indication of any danger or malfunction of any kind. Nothing. Search parties from Malaysia, Vietnam, China, and a number of other countries had been trying to locate it for the past 48 hours without success.


Image courtesy of The Star Online

This incident must be one of the most puzzling mysteries of the year! Why puzzling?

1. The Boeing 777 is one of the safest planes in the world today. Except for a botched landing that killed 3 people in San Francisco in 2013, there have never been any crash fatalities. And MAS has one of the best safety records of all airlines in Asia.

2. The most dangerous part of a flight is during the take off and landing. But this incident happened during the safest phase of the flight that is, while it was cruising!

3. The plane did not run into any violent storm. The weather was perfectly fine!

4. There was no distress calls from the pilot. Given that the plane was cruising at that time, the pilot would have plenty of time to report any mechanical malfunction or problems. Even in the unlikely scenario where both of the plane's engines shut down, the plane could still glide for about 20 minutes, giving the pilot lots of time to radio for help.

5. The plane's inbuilt tracker (known as flight transponder) should automatically update its location to Air Traffic Control but in this case, it did not! The transponder data mysteriously showed no change in altitude or course.

6. A sudden bomb explosion due to terrorist activity would explain why there was no distress call and no update on the transponder device. An explosion at such an altitude would cause the plane debris to spread out over a wide area but so far, no debris has been found.

7. Even if it's due to terrorism, why up to now, no one is claiming responsibility?

8. The plane could possibly being hijacked, but then again, why would anyone want to hijack a plane and dive it into the sea? Wouldn't the hijackers land it at the airport so that they could voice their demands?

9. There were reports that the plane did an unusual turn back moments before it disappeared from the radar screen but why would the pilot not made a distress call in such a case?

So many questions and no definite answer. For now, there are only theories and speculation. You can read up on more of the theories on what happened to MH370 flight HERE.

Meantime, I pray that the search parties from all the different countries will be able to locate the missing plane soon. If no survivors are found, this will rank as the deadliest airline disaster since November 12, 2001.

A Stupid No Photography Policy At Taste Enclave In Avenue K

March 12, 2014, 11:30 am

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About 2 weeks before Chinese New Year, I visited Taste Enclave at Avenue K in Jalan Ampang, KL.

I have heard so much about this new food court and was eager to try out the food there!



It was a Sunday afternoon and there were some people dining there, although not a lot.

I heard that Taste Enclave was opened by a Singaporean who had set up many chains of food court and fine dining restaurants in Singapore and China. Indeed, this food court offers a variety of dishes that represent street food from Singapore and the Klang Valley in Malaysia.

Since I was alone, I had to be selective with the choice of food as my stomach could only take in so much. I started with the Vietnamese Spring Roll from Y-Thu Wendy Authentic Vietnamese stall.



The spring rolls were delicious especially when dipped into the spicy sour sauce. It was good, but not as good as the Vietnamese Spring Roll I had at Koto Restaurant in Hanoi. Still, I was pretty satisfied.



Hailing from Vietnam, Wendy has already established 5 outlets in food courts across Singapore.




Next, I went for the famous Crispy Roasted Pork With Wanton Noodles from Tong's Roast. Oh yes, I forgot to mention Taste Enclave is a non-halal food court.



The roasted pork was delicious! And the wanton noodles were pretty satisfying too!



Tong's Roast is a family business that spanned more than 30 years starting as a roast meat wholesaler at Pudu Market in KL. I guess this must be their first stall in a food court inside a shopping mall.




I was already quite full by then, but I had to try one more. I decided to go for steamed chicken rice at Singapore's Mandarin Chicken Rice stall.



I was not impressed by this chicken rice. It was not bad, but it was not good either. I have eaten better chicken rice elsewhere. However, my enjoyment of the food there was marred when upon taking a photo of their stall after finishing my chicken rice, they appeared to be alarmed.



Then, someone (probably the person in charge of the food court) came up to me and said "Photography is not allowed". What the …..?!!

I was really quite annoyed, but I remained calm and said OK, and walked out of the food court. Now can anyone please tell me why photography is not allowed there? What's wrong with taking photos of the food and the stalls? Don't they know I am giving them free publicity when I share those photos? What nonsense!

Besides, they organized a blogger event last year and all those bloggers were snapping away and putting up pictures on their blogs. So what's wrong with me taking a few photos now? Utter rubbish!

Anyway, I sat outside and waited it out before going right back into the food court and snapped a few more photos. Sue me! Next time you want to stop me or anyone taking photos, please put up a HUGE sign at the entrance with the words in red "NO PHOTOGRAPHY ALLOWED". Then at least, I know it's not just verbal and that you mean it. And of course, I can then decide whether I want to enter or not!

Here are a few more photos of the stalls at Taste Enclave.

Golden Hot Pot from China. Not sure what they sell though. Did not check them out.



There's a stall called Big Tap serving beer too! Choose from Guinness, Kilkenny and Heineken!



I had wanted to try this famous Jalan Kayu Prata from Singapore after eating that chicken rice. I wanted to know how good Singapore's roti prata is compared to Malaysia's roti canai. But after I was told not to take photos, I decided to skip this. No more mood to eat. Too bad!

Oh well, I will just go Singapore next time and try the original one there!



Overall, I found Taste Enclave to be clean and comfortable. The prices were pretty reasonable too. I wish I could have tried more stalls there - so many more, like Soong Kee's beef noodles and Heun Kee's clay pot chicken rice to name just two - but I am doubtful I will ever step inside there again.



No thanks to their silly 'No Photography' policy!

My Lunch At Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.

March 23, 2014, 1:30 am

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I am currently so behind in my blog posts that I cannot even remember when I ate at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. at Sunway Pyramid!

I suspect it must have been a week or two after Chinese New Year - how long ago was that? About 6 weeks ago?

Note : You might be wondering how come I could remember every single detail about my travels which took place a year or two ago, whereas I could not remember events that happened just 6 weeks ago - well, this is called selective memory. Haha! Ok, just kidding - it's simply because I note down everything I do during travels, that's why! :)

Anyway, this is only my second time dining at Bubba Gump. First time was at The Curve in Petaling Jaya, I think. This round, I went with my sister and nephew.



Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. is based on the famous 1994 movie Forrest Gump starring Tom Hanks. If you have not watched this movie before, you should go watch it! For those of you who have watched this excellent movie, you will know the story behind "Run Forrest Run" and "Stop Forrest Stop".

If you don't, please Google it or go watch the movie. LOL!

In this restaurant, they have a unique way to serve you. There are two license plate signs on the table. The red "Stop Forrest Stop" is used to signal the waiter that your table needs service,  and the blue "Run Forrest Run" is to say everything is fine, or do not disturb!



Personally, I find turning the plates a bit of a hassle. I rather just call or wave to the waiter. Besides, I left the red plate there to signal for service but no one came for quite a long time! I thought it sort of defeats the purpose unless they are always watching your table.



There were many interesting stuffs to look at inside the restaurant.



Mainly stuffs related to the movie.



"If Mom ain't happy, ain't nobody happy!" - one of the quotes from Forrest Gump.



I ordered the Blueberry Smoothie and my nephew ordered Jenny's Favorite - a mixture of cranberry, strawberry and raspberry smoothie. Jenny, by the way is Forrest Gump's girlfriend in the movie.



My sister just ordered a glass of water as she was planning to go Starbucks for coffee later.



We were not really hungry but we ordered Shrimp Heaven, Scampi and Fish and Chips.



All of us shared the Shrimp Heaven. I thought the fried shrimps and fries in the Shrimp Heaven set were just OK, maybe they should add more sauces for dipping.



My sister and nephew shared the Fish and Chips. Forgot to take a picture of the Fish and Chips - they looked pretty normal. My sister said it was not bad.

I chose the Scampi - basically shrimp with pasta. It was delicious!!



The bill came to about RM150. Rather expensive, don't you think? Well, I guess the pricing is quite similar with Western restaurants like Chili's, TGI Friday's, and Tony Roma's.

I do not mind ordering the Scampi again on my next visit, but it probably won't be anytime soon.

In Memory Of #MH370

March 25, 2014, 7:00 pm

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It was a sad day for Malaysians and the whole world when it was announced on Monday night that Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 which had been missing for more than two weeks had crashed into the Indian Ocean leaving no survivors.

This conclusion was based not on hard evidence - in fact, the plane or its wreckage had not been found so far - but on analysis of satellite data by a British company and an aviation investigation agency. Obviously, this had provoked much frustration and skepticism. 

I feel so sorry for the families and relatives of the passengers and crew on board this fateful flight. After waiting for more than two weeks hoping against hope for some good news, this was what they got. It was heart breaking.

With no physical evidence of the plane, it would be hard for those affected to find real closure. To the Chinese (two thirds of the passengers were Chinese citizens), the possibility of not finding the bodies would be unthinkable as their burial and funeral traditions would be disrupted. 

Anyway, I would like to dedicate a song in memory of the passengers and crew of flight MH370. Although I have named the song "In Memory Of MH370", this does not mean that I have stopped hoping for a miracle as I do not think we can assume "beyond reasonable doubt" that the plane had crashed into the Indian Ocean and that there were no survivors - although I must admit chances of them surviving were getting slimmer with each passing day. 

This song is also dedicated to all those who are working hard to locate the plane. May the plane be found soon and the black box retrieved so that there will be closure to this horrible incident and so that one of the world's most puzzling aviation mysteries is solved at last.

Note : This work and recording is copyrighted. All rights reserved.