Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Sluurrpp

I have a mad crave boiling inside me right now. It is causing an emotional turmoil within my skin without showing an end. I have succumbed to addiction that is beyond normal means of detoxification. It may end up, that I, a pathetic, self-admitting and self-loathing addict, will have to commit to rehab for this substance, this magical creation of human kind, as I will surely head nowhere but down should I not address this addiction and nip it in the bud.

Meet the substance that has put me in this addictive trance and destroyed whatever sense of reality I had within me…

STROOPWAFEL

According to Wikipedia, a stroopwafel is a waffle made from two thin layers of baked batter with a caramel-like syrup filling in the middle. They were first made in Gouda in the Netherlands, in 1784. Large versions are sold in the streets as snacks.

I was first introduced to these heavenly wafers back in 2007 when a Dutch colleague brought it over for an aircraft oven demonstration. At first it didn’t seem like that big of a deal. But now, a few years after I first tasted it, I started craving for it like a junkie looking for a fix.

Praise God, and as if Fate has already written it as my destiny, my responsibility in my day job has carried me across the oceans and mountains to the land of the Orange, where this heavenly, mouth-watering, perfectly sweet, satisfying, orgasmic, tongue-teasing dessert was first created.


These circle-shaped bites of paradise can’t be healthy; gooey caramel sandwiched by two rich waffles can only mean a detrimentally ridiculous sugar and calorie count. But in a single sitting, I can finish 10 large Stroopwafels. Large sizes are usually about 3-4 inches across. Believe that!



Whoever you are, regardless whether you know me or not, if you end up in Amsterdam, or any other Dutch city for that matter, I ask… no,  I beg you to please bring back a pack of these mystical, disc-shaped cookies for me to indulge and entertain my craving. If you do that, I will love you for life!


Oh, if you haven’t had a chance to try it for yourself, believe me, you will not regret it! Sllluuurrrppp! I can imagine it already… Alamak! Saliva dropped on laptop keyboard. How?

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

1 hour to show you care


It’s coming. This 27th of March, we should all participate in what originated as a media stunt in Australia for the WWF that has evolved into one of the biggest phenomenons on environmental awareness the world has ever seen.  Earth Hour is celebrated world-wide at exactly 8.30PM for exactly 60 minutes.
Though I’m not much of an environmentalist, I have started to put more effort in reducing my carbon footprint like using less or no plastic bags, avoiding driving whenever I can and conserving power by using less lights (not air-conditioning though… it’s too friggin hot here). These may not be a lot, but I thought it’s better than nothing. And if more people started with these little steps, I guess in no time it would have an impact on conserving the environment.
If you haven’t started worrying or caring about the environment, Earth Hour is definitely a good start. With the slightest effort, you can make an impact by spreading the word on the event. Tell everyone you know to switch off everything for 1 hour on the 27th of March, 2010 at 8.30PM. Tell anyone you know, spread it on Facebook, Twitter, Buzz or whatever it is that you roam with in Cyberspace. Tell your colleagues, family members and friends. Plan to get together with others that night and celebrate the hour together.
What we’re doing here is simple. It’s a message. It’s a joint statement of the people of the world, telling the leaders of the world that we care. And it’s a 60-minute wake up call to each and every one of us to start thinking about the environment and to show a little more respect for mother earth. The more awareness spread, the more people will be considerate and careful, which will lead to nothing but a reduction of carbon footprint from each of us.
Join us as we will be celebrating Earth Hour at two separate Skool Daze parties, one at G Hotel Penang and the other in Zouk KL, happening at the same time on the said date. Not only will you be having a good time celebrating earth, you will also be making an impact on the environment by joining many others under one roof, sharing the same electricity instead of each of us being at home, before and after the hour. Win exclusive invites to the party by tuning in to us until that date.
It’s a Skool Daze party so come dressed up in your school uniforms. Make it an environmentally friendly challenge by wearing your old school clothes, or creatively making something out of what you already have, instead of buying something new to be used that one time.
But don’t forget, party or not, spread the word on Earth Hour as part of your contribution to our precious mother earth.
See you there!

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

I love KL... but...

I’m proud to be a city dweller in KL. I’ve had the privilege of travelling to many places through my day job and college days, most of them to major metropolitans around the globe. I must admit I have the habit of comparing each and every thing I see in these cities to KL. Although from most aspects, nothing beats home, I have to say that KL still leaves a lot more to ask for. Hey, I’m not complaining. Its part and parcel of being a developing city, having starting a little later than the rest. To be fair, I’m proud of where we are today. I just want us to be better.
When travelling to other cities, I usually use the public transportation system within the city especially their buses and trains. Same goes for KL whenever I need to travel around the city, especially during rush hours. So here, I think I have some ideas that KL City Hall and I guess the federal Government should consider and implement onto our public transportation system to take our level up a notch.


Buses – 1Malaysia, 1 Bus System?
Although I’m currently not a bus user, there was a period of my life where I used the bus to move around. And to be fair, with our horrid traffic conditions, our bus system is pretty damn good. But to be at par with other developed international cities, I think we need to work on a few things.

First is definitely streamlining the bus system to be completely integrated with the city. And the only way to do this is to have ONE bus system. No more MetroBus, Selangor Bus (which use really old buses too) etc. We need to remove these different bus systems so that a completely integrated and streamlined bus system can be developed to ply the streets of KL and the surrounding suburbs. This way, a dynamic and wholesome bus route map can be developed and posted at each and every bus stop, so that users, both local and foreign, can easily move around the city. On top of that, since we have only one bus operator, the system can be easily maintained and further enhanced should it be needed.

Along those lines, our bus stands should also be upgraded to a more user friendly (and more importantly – provides more shade and seats) to further welcome users from every level of the society pyramid. Yes it’ll cost, but as this will also play a role in making KL more visitor-friendly, it’ll be beneficial in the long run.

Rail - Time for better connections
I like our rail transit system. However it’s far from sufficient for KL and I think it’s time for us to start working on it. The Ampang and KJ line is good for sure, but we need more links to areas like TTDI and Mutiara Damansara. How about adding another line through Subang Jaya and USJ? These are residential hotspots with major road congestions. Investing in another MRT/LRT system here will bring back money in no time as it will give a very viable option for KLites in suburban areas to get to downtown.  There has been talk of connecting the newly vibrant SkyPark in the old Subang Airport via Komuter. Bravo! This is great news! But might as well connect more with this line! Go all the way USJ & Subang Jaya. Why not include Puchong as well? I really hope these plans are on the table. Even if they are too costly to implement now, we should start planning on how we can achieve this target when it does become affordable.


Midvalley. MID valley.
Almost everyone if not everyone has been to Midvalley. I personally love it because it’s a one-stop spot to get everything I need in a mall, especially since it’s so close to my apartment. But one thing almost everyone hates about this place is the parking. Though there are thousands available, they’re almost non-existent come weekends. Prepare to spend about an hour to find one on any given Saturday.

The funny thing is that MID Valley sits right in between to major rail lines;  the KJ Line and the Komuter. But up until few years ago, non were connected to the mega mall. Sure, they finally built a bridge to connect the komuter station but it’s still quite a walk to get there. Since its an open air walkway, walking from the station to the mall at midday can get quite sweaty.

Even more amusing is the KJ line which runs about 500 meters away from the mall. Yet there is absolutely no walkway connecting them.  Why don’t we build a walkway from the Abdullah Hukum station to Midvalley? The station is so close that I can see the people milling around the mall from there. But to walk there… phew.. you actually have to walk around Kampung Abdullah Hukum, cross the bridge and illegally cross the Midvalley ring road. Even then, it’s quite a walk to get to the mall entrance.  I don’t know who overlooked the plans when all three monuments were built but c’mon, build that bridge! Just imagine how much road traffic and parking congestions that can be eased when these malls are accessible through the rail lines!


I have more ideas to help our public transportation system. If I were to write them all, it will take me all weekend. But I welcome more ideas here and together maybe, hopefully the City Hall or Federal Government will take note some day. This will make our city that much better, and more importantly, become more internationally friendly. I know that huge funds are required to make our public transportation system better. So I really hope that the relevant groups are starting to plan for it including how to get the funds. It’s time to make this city live up to everyone’s expectations. It’s time to put a stop on how the notion that everything is perfect down south but not up north on this Peninsula. We can do this.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

50 Gs!!

Yup. It’s that time of the year again. It’s not Christmas just yet, but Christmas might come early if you take part in Red FMs Forty Minute Fortune and walk away with your share of 50,000 bucks. Yessirreee. 50Gs is up for grabs.


Unfortunately for me, I won’t be able to win that moolah. Instead I can only wish and dream about it. So to make the pointless wish and dreams and thoughts actually worthwhile, I have decided to share with you 50 things I would do with RM50,000. Here it goes:

1. Obviously, I would clear off all my debt and outstanding bills.

2. Put a down-payment for a new apartment or house.

3. Investing in a new car is not very good as a car is a liability (can’t make money from it). Instead, I will repaint, overhaul and redo my current car including upgrading the cabin. This does not necessarily mean it is a better investment than buying a new car.

4. Open my own restaurant to make even MORE money. Help would be needed here.

5. Hire someone to be at my day job daily. He will just have to be there to attend meetings, take calls, get blasted by my boss etc and channel everything to me at the end of the day so that I can work on it at my leisure.

6. Enroll in a scuba diving course

7. Enroll in a smoking cessation course. This may be a prerequisite to Number 6.

8. After passing #6, spend a few days diving in Sipadan.

9. Buy my family a nice dinner and a nice gift for each.

10. Buy a new IPod. You should see the condition of the current one.

11. Donate to charities and funds etc.

12. Hire someone who can do this list better than I can. How on earth am I gonna get to 50.

13. Oh… buy a new BLACKBERRY!!!

14. Get myself to the next Kings of Leon concert, wherever that may be.

15. Get myself a whole new wardrobe and donate the current one.

16. Well, obviously throw a giant bash for winning 50Gs in the first place.

17. Open my own Starbucks so that I can have any amount of Dark Mocha Frappe that I want. I can also stay as long as I want without having these people give me the look for having a glass of water and using the net for half a day.

18. Get a new sound system with a 50 inch TV to boot.

19. Subscribe to B’yond.

20. Go to Maldives before it sinks.

21. Learn how to sail and hire a yacht to travel around the beautiful islands here in South East Asia.

22. Visit my college and watch a football game in the newly completed TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, USA.

23. Visit Egypt & Switzerland, for obvious reasons.

24. Visit Alaska before it melts.

25. Enroll myself in cooking school, so I can fall back on being a Chef when my 50Gs run out, and everyone I pissed off while spending it won’t give me my job back.

26. Get myself a personal trainer to work off the weight I will put on eating the results of #25.

27. Enroll myself in pilot school.

28. Oh Oh!! Buy World Cup Tickets in South Africa, if they haven’t sold out yet.

29. Buy a machine to travel through time to tell myself not to start this list. Or at least don’t go for 50.

30. Invest in the development of converting fart into energy. This is no joke. Can you imagine the amount of energy we can get?

31. Probably buy a Segway.

32. Get myself a Mac Book.

33. Enroll in a drums course.

34. Get Ke$ha to hold a concert here in KL.

35. Start a sugar cane and coconut farm near a calm beach somewhere around here.

36. Build a nice getaway house with kampong style décor on that farm.

37. Help Burger King start a Home Delivery service with a direct route to my apartment.

38. Get myself a Tag Heuer watch.

39. Order a computer generated image of me to show how I would look like in 10 years. I will then know what to work on to avoid looking like the photo. 

40. Re-book that time travelling trip to slap myself before starting this 50 list.

41. Open a Chipotle or Burrito Loco in KL.

42. Design a tool to lock laptops to a random desk so you can go to the loo when in a starbucks/coffee bean. (eeeppp!!!)

43. Set up a group to burn down each and every pair of those kids shoes with the built in skates in them. I’m sorry they’re just annoying.

44. Go to Hawaii

45. Go to a Lady Gaga concert, wherever that may be.

46. Invest in something that can get me another 50Gs. At the rate I will be spending, I’m gonna need this.

47. If it is probable, donate towards finding the cure for cancer.

48. Buy a lazy boy.

49. Hire a masseuse for the perfect Thai massage on a weekly basis (clean)

50. Throw another huge part y for finishing this list!!!!!



So there you have it. It’s not easy to spend 50Gs. Or at least to come up with a list for it. But it’s much easier to win it on Red FM through our Forty Minute Fortune. So make sure you pay attention and listen carefully on the hour every hour!!!! Check out Red.FM



Time to look into those bills… sigh.