Lunar Year End Dinner

Known as 'Sou Gong Jiu' in Mandarin. Also known as 'lunar year end dinner' for Chinaman companies.

Every year, be it good or bad, all Chinese around the world will have a reunion dinner with family members on the last day of the year. A week or two before the year ends, companies will have another dinner with staffs within the company and all business related friends. It is a symbol of togetherness and also a way for bosses to thank all staffs who have worked so hard all year round.

Since I'm in Langkawi and unable to attend my company's dinner, I've decided to organise a dinner here with my maincon and subcons. Altho' a small dinner, we were happily munching and drinking, and also recalling our earlier days of the project. I guess most of us were happy because in a day or two, we'll be back to celebrate CNY with our families.

Last year has been tough. With prices of petrol, steelbar and copper up and down, we, in the construction industry were badly affected. In the first half, many projects were put on hold due to the higher than expected prices of raw materials. In the second half raw materials were much cheaper (esp. after the Beijing Olympics) but buying power is low, not only that, the Gov. also has lesser money to spend. Many people got retrenched due to the economy crisis.

Nevertheless, life still goes on. If you have less, spend only on your needs. If you have more, be careful with your spending. It is going to be a very very quiet Chinese New Year. Other than meeting relatives and friends, I guess I'll just stay at home watching tv. One thing that amuses me is that, during CNY, you can just sit in front of the tv all day long and won't get bored.... of course with a can of Tiger in one hand, and a piece of 'bak kua' in the other hand la...

Ok, here are the pics I took during the dinner. I only managed to snap a few shots because those fellas were too hungry and too fast for my camera.

Yee Sang symbolizes abundance, prosperity and vigor. You can see that the raw salmon is sorrounded by veges.

The mixture of all the shredded ingredients are tossed in the air with chopsticks while saying auspicious wishes out loud for a prosperous new year and it's customary that the higher you toss, the greater your fortunes

Shark fin's soup

Pork symbolizes.....arr....I dunno. I just like to eat pork...hehehehe...

Double steamed garoupa

I'll be back in 2 days. This year, I'll be trying some the recipes I learned from cookbooks. Hopefully, those food turn out to be just as nice.

The Courage

I used to have 2 piercings on my left ear until they closed up a couple of years ago. Never knew the reason why they closed up and never bother to find out. Frankly speaking, I do miss those days. Whenever I see my friends with ear rings, I'd just sigh, wishing I could have the same. It has been my job and my age that has stopped me from having those 2 holes in my ear again. It could also be the reason that I've lost some 'fire' in me.

However, I managed to find the extra courage from within me to get those piercings once again. It could be the Year of the Bull that makes me do it. What ever it is, I do feel energetic and happy again. I really hope this year will be a BULLISH YEAR. People say, life starts at 40. But for me, life starts at 30.

JACKY...GO GO GO....

Chinese 'Niu Niu' Year...6 days and counting...

It was going to be a normal, boring Saturday night. So we decided to grill some chicken wings and sausages. At first, we estimated 10 heavyweights and 5 lightweights but in the end, there were only 7 of us. The Champion eater, Master Hung forgotten about this BBQ and had McD's before coming over. Nevertheless, it was a 'joyful' outing...

Peeps, I'm a Kop...but I can't deny that Man U shirt looks much nicer than Liverpool's

The lamb was wonderful

Chef at work

Oh My God!!! Who just said 'JOYFUL' bbq?

Anyway, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all Chinese a very happy Chinese 'Niu Niu' Year. May this year brings you lots of luck and happiness.

CNY mood

As I was sitting at the 3rd floor of one of the buildings at my site, I could feel the strong wind blowing from the sea. It's the time of the year again. Strong wind, bright sunlight and no rain. I remember when I was little, my mom used to tell me, when you feel this kind of wind, you know Chinese New Year is just around the corner.

Chinese New Year is indeed quite early this year. The X'mas and New Year mood has not gone away, so I'm still in a holiday mood right now. In less than 3 weeks, I'll be back in my hometown for our annual family reunion.

My retired aunt, as usual, has been busy with her cakes and cookies. She has got some cookies up for sale. I don't have the photos but if you are a cookie lover, you'll know the names. I'm not, so I don't know which is which. Haha. Anyway, you can see the photos here.

Well, 2008 has been a bad, bad year for the 'horses'. Hopefully 2009 will be a better year. With the economic situation as it is, I doubt it will.

Langkawi Open Singing Competition

We celebrated for a friend yesterday, for being able to get third placing in the Langkawi Open Singing Competition organised by the Hainanese Association of Langkawi.

He sang a song by Lee Sheng Jie, Yan Di Xing Kong in the final round and got into the top 4, where he sang another song by the same artist, Cha Jian Er Guo. Everyone was so mesmerized by his first song, as he was placed second in the scoreboard in the final rounds. However, luck wasn't on his side in the top 4 as he complained of gastric (alaa...lots of excuses la....). In the end, like the title of the song that he sang, it's a third placing for him....

It's really an achievement for him as this is his first trophy in singing. Master Hung, congratulations.... Keep up the good work, hopefully someone out there might see your talent and sign you up. But, HONESTLY....U GOTTA LOSE SOME WEIGHT FIRST!!! Haha.... ngek ngek ngek......

Countdown to 2009 @ Pantai Chenang Langkawi

It's a simple countdown to 2009 for me this year.

We had our usual dinner at Palm View Seafood Restaurant, continued with 'some' beer, then to the beach for countdown. Here are some videos taken by my phone, altho of very low quality, but at least something to remember.

I'd also like to share some of my Christmas countdown photos. 6 of us, Chris, Janice, Jason, Elly, my wife May and me, went to Genting Highlands to chill out.

Thanks Bro Jason for the smooth ride and Bro Chris for the lovely pics. Boy, I think I'm gonna get a Sony Ericsson soon....

Today is 1st of Jan 2009

I was sleeping nicely when the screams of kids woke me up. "What the Fxxk", I thought to myself. It's a nice New Year, and I need a nice sleep. Peeping through the window, I saw some Indians and their kids, whom I guess are only about 4 or 5 years old. "If you can't fxxking swim, just leave the pool. This is not a public pool ok....If you wanna make noise, go to Sunway Lagoon".

Well, they spoilt my morning, and YES! They spoilt my first morning of the year. Fxxking inconsiderate piece of Shit!!! Out of the 9 months that I've been staying here, I honestly think that Indians and Malays who come here for vacation are very very inconsiderate. By 7.30am, they were already jumping and splashing in the pool. They don't swim! They behaved like monkeys, jumping into the water with all sorts of patterns. Then got out of it, and jumped again. It's not just 2 or 3 monkeys, but the whole big family, at least 10 of them. So, when 10 monkeys flock together, u know what kind of mess and noise they can create.

Sorry if you think that I'm offending some people here, but I only mean those who came and stayed at this condo who created so much noise in the morning. There are a bunch of angmohs who stays here, but they don't behave like us Asians, or I'd say Malaysians. What a shame!

Witnessing A Freaking Accident

I've just witnessed a freaking accident. It all happened in seconds....

I was at a T-junction waiting to turn left. As I was about to turn, I saw a guy on a bike speeding in front of me, from left to right. As his sight passed me, I saw his tortoise helmet flew off his head due to the strong wind and also his speed. He tried to grab hold of the helmet with his right hand, which he failed. That was when I have turned to the left. I wanted to laugh because, honestly, this is the first time I see a helmet fly. I looked at my rear mirror to see if everything was ok. The rider wasn't on the road! Then I looked onto the right side mirror, only to horribly find the motorbike lying on the ground. I immediately turned into my workplace (it's just next to the T junction) and asked for help. I sped off to the location where the guy has fallen off.

"Oh God....this is bad....very bad", I though to myself. The guy was unfortunate to hit the column of a billboard. His head bled terribly. He was struggling to move, but his hands and legs was so so stiff as if he sufferred cramps all over his body. At first, I thought he wouldn't survive this but I still gotta do what I'm supposed to do.

I called 999, said my location and got transfered to the emergency unit at Langkawi. I told them to send an ambulance to the accident scene. They took my name and phone number.

It seemed that this guy was tailing his family members who were on a car slightly in front of him. They were curious as they waited for him to come, but he did not. So, they made a 'U' turn and shockingly saw him lying on the ground, with his head full of blood. His dad was in his 50's, quite steady and asked what happened. I explained to him what I saw. His mom was holding him tight, trying to calm him down.

Not long after that, the ambulance arrived. I'd really compliment their speed. They are fast! Good job. They took out a strecture, and we helped to lift the boy onto it, and into the ambulance. Luckily, he's still breathing.

According to the family members, they just arrived today, and gotten the car and bike half an hour prior to the accident. It's so unfortunate that their holiday came to an end with this tragic accident.

My advice to everyone who rides or drives, do buckle up your helmets, seat belts, safety helmet or whatever safety equipments you are handling. Because without buckling up, it is as good as not wearing it. If that guy had buckled up his helmet and fell off his bike, he would have suffered only a knock and some minor scars, no bleeding!

There's one more thing that I must highlight here, that is 'BAN ALL TORTOISE HELMETS'. I seriously think that tortoise helmet is not safe on the road. People may argue that tortoise helmets are safe with proper buckle, but we all know that the tortoise helmet doesn't provide full protection to our heads. It only covers the top half of our heads. Chances that one survive an accident from a fully covered helmet is definitely higher than with a tortoise helmet. There has been some talks of banning the tortoise helmet, but so far, decisions has yet been made by the government. Let's just hope for some good news on this from the government.

Anyway, I pray that this guy is safe and he doesn't suffer any serious head damage.

p/s: I regretted for not taking any photos (I can't, I was calling 999) and the number plate of the bike....Aaarrrggghhh.....

Exploring Langkawi Island, Malaysia

I first stepped foot in Langkawi in Feb early this year. It was a family outing. Little that I know, I was asked to manage a project here the following month. Time really flies. It is my 9th month in this beautiful place, and it's a really nice place to be at. The only thing which I don't like here is to be away from my beloved wife.

My friend called me last month, informing that he is planning for a breakaway trip to Langkawi during X'mas. Too bad I'll be celebrating X'mas with my wife in KL, so I decided to make life easy for him during his stay here. I've actually emailed him a detailed itinery on the dos and don'ts in Langkawi. Hopefully the info helps.

I'm currently staying with my colleague in a rented condo very near to our construction site. It's a nice place, although we only spend 3 hours a day in the condo, apart from sleeping. In short, we spend most our time under the sun!

The project that we are engaged in is called PULAPOL. It's a police training camp, expected to complete in Dec 2008 but due to the economy crisis, I think it'll delay at least up to June 2009.

Academic Block

Sports Complex

Dormitory

My Work Station

Perdana Condo

Perdana Condo

After work, most us will hang out at Palm View Seafood Restaurant. Reason being the food is nice, the price is reasonable and the people are friendly. I'd recommend this place for all my friends who plan to visit Langkawi. It's located along Pantai Chenang.

In Langkawi, 3 things are cheap. Liquor, Cigarette and Cars. Langkawi is a duty free island. Everyone who comes to Langkawi doesn't drink water, they drink beer all day and night. Another thing that tourists buy is the chocolate. Although it's not very cheap here, you can many varieties at almost every corner of Langkawi.

I'll make this post short. In my next post, I shall post about the interesting things one can do in Langkawi. Time for dinner. In fact, I'm posting this at Palm View Rest.

Adios!

£250k-a-week for Buffon?

Is he worth £250k-a-week? That's the question.

It is reported that Gianluigi Buffon will is willing to leave Juventus for Man City for a fee of £20million + £250k weekly. It's crazy. Are footballers worth this much? No doubt he is a top class goalkeeper but no one can guarantee success. If he's been so influential, Juventus would have been champions in the Champions League many many times. But NO! Hell NO!

Throughout his career, he won the UEFA Cup once with Parma in 1999. In 2001, he transfered to Juventus for a record fee for a goalie of 52 million Euros. He also won 2 Serie A titles and the most meaningful World Cup in 2006. His personal achievements include FIFA Best Goalkeeper of the year in 2004, 2005 and 2006, European Footballer of the Year in 2003, 2004 and 2006 and EUFA Champions League most valuable player in 2003.

At 30, he's definitely one of the best goalie in the world at the moment but I'd respect the Sheikhs if they give £250k a week to the hardcore poor and needy people in Africa.

Snatch Thief

Another poor innocent auntie became a victim of snatch thief. It happened in Bukit Mertajam in broad daylight. The 58 year old auntie was walking to her car after makan with family members when 2 guys in full faced helmet rode over and snatched her handbag. The momentum caused her to be flung over to the middle of the road where an incoming 3 tonne lorry crashed into her. She died on the spot. It happened in front of her family members.

What the Fxxx is happening to our country? How many snatch theft have happened in the past few year? How many innoccent rakyat has sufferred and died? And how many of these cases has been solved? Can we have the statistics? Is the Police Dept too shy to publish the lousy statistics? If ever a snatch thief is caught, why not publish their faces in newspapers to embarrass them as a lesson to other snatch thiefs not to do it again? How I wish Saddam Hussien is still alive, these mutha fxxkers shall be stoned to death.

As a reminder, in instance of an emergency, always remember the motorcycle plate number. I think, if someone ever caught a snatch thief, and I'm in the vicinity, I'll definitely give him a tough lesson before handing him over to the police. Because everyone knows what the police will do to this guy. It's sad that all of us feel that the police has lost it's credibility over the years....

My condolences to this auntie and her family members. May you rest in peace.

Cakes & Cookies

I've just added my cousin's blog to my blogroll.

She's actually working fulltime, but bakes cakes and cookies in her past times. She does lots of cakes for special occassions. In short, her cakes are custom made to suit her customers. Now that her mom (my aunt) is retired, she has plenty of time to make yummy cookies too.

Here are a few of her trademark cakes....

WEDDING CAKE

ROSE

TRAIN

TIGGER

MU

PINK CAR

MAN SLEEPING

BEER MAN

MERMAID

And my aunt's delicious cookies.....

There are also other designs, as you can find in her blog. If you want something different, I think she'll be able to do it too, as long as it doesn't defy gravity. You can contact me, or leave a comment if you wanna have a memorable cake for a special occassion or some cookies for festive seasons.

I'm Glad To Be Living In Malaysia

As of today, at least 150 people have died in the Mumbai terrorist attack. A group called Deccan Mujahideen claimed to be responsible. Hopefully there will be no more lives taken away from the innocent people of Mumbai.

In Bangkok, government protestors are causing chaos in the airport. It's such a sad thing to happen. Unlike John McCain, after he lost the election, he urged all his supporters to support Barack Obama, so that all Americans can enjoy a peaceful and stable America. That's what LEADERSHIP and RESPECT is all about. You don't gain respect by organising protests and riots, and causing chaos. I believe if there is another election, Thai Rak Thai party will again win with great margin.

Few hundred miles away, we Malaysians, are in our normal daily lives. It's a beautiful Saturday afternoon, and the best thing to do is go SHOPPING....

I'll stop now to shop for some groceries.... but let us all pray for peace in this world.

I Dreamt of My Mother...Again...

Two days ago, I dreamt of my mom again.

I was sitting at my study table in my rented company house in Langkawi, then mom walked into my room and passed me some cashew nuts. As far as I recall, mom had never come to Langkawi before. How would she appear in this dream? Funny ain't it? My wife said maybe mom missed me very much, and decided to visit me. Maybe...but one thing is for sure. We all still missed her very very much....

How Beijing 2008 Got It's Logo