l00n3y’s blog…

Period.

Major fast food outlets in Singapore are awesome! They open 24 hours a day, and have delivery services til late at night.


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Their customer service is great too!
[KFC lass on the phone] Good morning. May I know your name, Sir?
[l00n3y] Yes. It’s Leonard here.
[KFC lass on the phone] Good morning Leonard. Are you calling from 96491879, and your address is Block xxx, CCK Ave 3, and your unit number is xx-xxx??
[l00n3y] Yes. That’s correct.
[KFC lass on the phone] Delivery time will 1 hour from now, Sir.
[l00n3y] Alright.
[KFC lass on the phone] May I know what is your order for today?
[l00n3y] Yes. I’d like a KFC Couple Meal A. That would be all.
[KFC lass on the phone] OK. Let me repeat and confirm your order. You ordered 1 KFC Couple Meal A, and will be delivered to Block xxx, CCK Ave 3, unit number xx-xxx?
[l00n3y] Yes, that’s correct.
[KFC lass on the phone] That would be 15.95 including 2 dollars delivery charge. Would that be by cash or credit card?
[l00n3y] Cash.
[KFC lass on the phone] Now is 1045pm and your order will arrive at 1145pm or earlier. Thank you and have a nice day!
[l00n3y] Thanks!

Half an hour later, someone’s knocking on my door already. Wow. That is fast.


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As we were happily chucking KFC down our throats… I noticed on the receipt…

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Mr LANETTE??? Geez. I was thinking, how in the world she came up with LANETTE?? Is that even a proper name???? Then I looked again at who took my order…

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It figures…

Today I received an e-mail…

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So I used another e-mail and mailed back…

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Dumb fuck.

I figured a trip down to Singapore is needed for me to check out the place, since I am going to move over there for work soon. So, this trip came as sudden as a heart attack. I did get some time to plan for travel & accomodation tho.

The trip was a 3 days 2 nights adventure. Accompanying me was BC & J. We started out on a Wednesday morning. Met up at Cititel Midvalley to board the so-called executive coach to Singapore. The coach left at 7.30am (I got scolded for being a wee bit late >.<). So the journey was about 5 hours. Reached DFS Galleria at around noon. We stayed at the Orchard Hotel along Orchard Road. It was not the best, but the room was big and it has a 37" LCD TV!

After checking into the hotel, we rest a little, and off we go shopping along Orchard Road. Orchard Road looked so different from the last time I have been there, about 20 years ago. It is like one big shopping arcade! The whole day was spent at Orchard Road. Shopping continuously for more than 6 hours is *puff* good exercise. I did not get anything much, but the girls were ravaging through the stores relentlessly, with them coming out of the stores, shopping bags in their hands and a wide smile on their faces. All those walking had made us hungry, thirsty & tired, and so we decided to hop into Tony Roma’s for their famous baby back ribs! Can’t get these in Malaysia, since Malaysia Tony Roma’s decided to go ‘halal’.

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Slicing the bread with much enthusiasm…

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That is a contented smile…

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After dinner, we continued walking on Orchard for a while more, but headed back to the room soon as we were exhuasted. Rested a little, and decided to head down to Orchard Road one more time. Wanted to find a place where I can get wireless internet access to check some mails. Besides, BC was craving for coffee. But we were late and all the places have closed. No choice but to head back to the room and call it a day.

The next morning, I decided to visit the office here in Singapore to hand some documents over to the HR to get my employment pass done. At the same time, I can log into the network and clear some pending mails. BC & J had arrangements with BC’s dad’s friend for brunch and lunch. While i was stuck in Singapore’s office, BC & J had the opportunity to seek out some local hawker fare.

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You guessed it. Singapore famous chicken rice…

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Later that day, met up with BC & J at Vivo City for my lunch. While they were waiting for me, BC & J decided to sip coffee at one of the coffee houses in the shopping mall.

The aftermath…

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Posh decor…

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Seaview from the coffee house…

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When I reached the shopping mall, BC & J brought me to… Carl’s Junior! (again, Malaysia Carl’s Junior decided to go ‘halal’. Disappointing…) One of the many items that Malaysia Carl’s Junior has as well, it is their Chilli Beef Cheese Fries!

They have this in 1U as well. Try it. It’s ‘wicked’!

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After lunch, what else but shopping again!

Crocs Mania!!

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We also dropped by Godiva’s Boutique Choc Shop. Their chocloates are superb but pricey. Amongst fruitful visits from shops are Espirit, Charles & Keith and a couple more others.

We headed back to Orchard late noon for the famous ‘Siu Long Bao’ @ Jade Express in Takashimaya. Although I am not really a fan of Siu Long Baos, I have got to say they are pretty good!

Evening came and we decided to check out the famous Night Safari, which won several Tourism Awards, it seems. Took a cab in front of Meritus Mandarin Hotel. We boarded a premium cab (which should not be that premium since it is only a Skoda Optiva), but I think we were charged premium price. Then again, it sort of made me glad we boarded this cab, as the next one that came was a E-class Benz! O.o

Trip from Orchard to Night Safari cost us SGD21.50. Met up with J’s cousin at the Night Safari.

Entrance tickets were priced at SGD32 with tram ride…

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I tried to make a joke…

Me : A tram is for adults. Do you know what are for babies?

BC & J : ???

J’s cousin : Pram?

Me : YES!

* No one laughed. -_-

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Our first itinerary for the night is the Creatures of the Night show! There are quite a number of animals (otters, raccoons, puma, night owl, snakes, etc) ‘performing’ tricks and awesome feats.

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After the show, we were taken on a tram ride around the park. There is a park guide with us on the tram pointing out the animals to us and telling us much interesting information about them. Some parts of the park requires you to explore on feet. Some parts of the park gives you the opportunity to be up close and personal with the night creatures.

I swear these bats were the size of an A4 paper!

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The Night Safari was a memoriable experience. It sort of put Malaysia’s to shame. So for people like me who has only been to Zoo Negara, the Night Safari is a must go.

The Night Safari ended with us having Ben & Jerry’s ice cream to our hearts’ desire.

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Later we took a bus back to Orchard and called it a night.

The next morning, we woke up and was eager to head on to McDs for their pancakes. The cashier told us breakfast ended 5 minutes ago. -_- How technical…

The trip ended with us having a leisure walk back to the hotel, checked out and back to DFS Galleria, waiting for the coach to come pick us up back to reality, KL.

Glad to say I enjoyed this trip very much. The food, the company, the attractions. All the ingredients for a wonderful concoction.

Many a times when people do not blog often is because there has been much going on for them. Be it good or bad, it definitely takes a toll on them, reaping them time off to blog, unless of course, if you are a ‘professional’ blogger, then it is a different story altogether.

Some updates. Work has been great. I am moving on to a new role, in the same company. This new role puts me in Singapore, as I will be moving to their Asia Pacific HQ office, which is based in Singapore. On this move, I have mix feelings… A part of me is really excited to take on the new challenge and to check out the new environment. This would be a great career advancement and opportunity for me to move further on. Yet, another part of me is reluctant to leave things behind back in KL (I was told Singapore is not that far away from KL. Yes I know that. And I hope that few hundred kilometres away is not going to change anything at all). I do plan to come back as often as I could, and yeah, I was also told that once I get settled there, with work and everything, I will have little time to come back to KL. This is so not true, since I know I will definitely make the effort to come back often, at least once every month.

I have just put a downpayment for this condo unit in Taman Desa, near where I am staying at right now. It is due for completion end of the year. Pretty excited about this too. I have so many ideas on what I want to do with it. It will be a difficult task to keep track and maintain the place while I am away in Singapore. But I guess the paycheck in Singapore will definitely help me out on the instalment. ^.^

Fate or choice?

Destiny or inevitability?

Serendipity or casualty?

Stupidity or idiocy?

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The hunter or the hunted?

Predator or prey?

Gullible or sucker?

Fortunate or disasterous?

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Bewitched and captivated.

Bothered and perturbed.

Bewildered and awe-strucked.

Accustomed and habituated.

Jealous and troubled…

Album : Straight to the Point

Producing Company : Voyuer Records

Artiste : Point Blanc

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This is a talented rapper who now has a recent song - Ipohmali - so catchy that I hear it all the time in my head… BEST so far I have heard in our local music industry. You can listen to it here.

This song features both DJ Fuzz & Jaclyn Victor of Malaysia Idol. Damn she sounds soooo good in this song. Check it out peeps!!

Alright. Since I started Part 1 here in Frinedster blog, I might as well just finish off with it. So people, please bear with me. I know it is irritating about the alignment, but what the hell…

*UPDATE: I got around the alignment problem, and by just inserting a very long line after the picture, the rest of the words would start below it, and not beside it!

There are lot of sights you see in Vietnam that you do not get to see in Malaysia. This for one…

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Mind you, that is a full grown LIVE pig being brought to the market all tied up on a bike. When I took this picture, the pig was still wiggling all over! o.O

While I was in Hanoi (North of Vietnam), temperatures where between 18 & 20 degrees celsius. It was COLD when wind started blowing. I also visited the president’s residence.

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Nothing impressive.

I also went to the Temple of Literature.

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This temple was built and back then, there were Confucius influence in this part of Vietnam. As you can see, buildings here have chinese wordings carved on it.

This is where scholars sat for their exams ages ago!

 

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Reason I took this picture is that it resembles closely to those mooncake festival lanterns my grandma used to make for me when i was like 5. Candles are lit in middle of the lantern. On top of the candles, there is a type of mechanism in which the heat will turn this mechanism, which in turn will move little pictures of angels around the outside of the latern. Erm… anyway…

Nearby, I could not stop looking at these trees…

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Don’t they look terribly alike from those trees in Crouching Tiger & Hidden Dragon? Where Chow Yuen Fatt and Zhang Zhi Yi dance and prance around on top of them with their swords??? ^_^

As I was ‘hypnotized’ watching how they flow with the wind, something suddenly pounced on me from behind! When I turned around to see what it is, guess what I saw! THIS!!!

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I almost fainted…

Ha Long Bay is about a 2 hour journey by bus and boat from Hanoi.

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Surely, this place is famous for seafood!

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When we reached the jetty, we boarded one of those junks and head on to one of the world’s natural heritage.

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Looks like a scene in one of the James Bond movies where Datuk Michelle Yeoh starred in, didn’t it?

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Vietnamese selling their goodies (erm, fruits) on boats!

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Now, Saigon (now known as Ho Chih Minh City), is a little more happening compared to Hanoi. It is situated South of Vietnam, and weather is similar to Malaysia’s weather, between 28 - 33 degrees celsius, which dry and wet spells alternating half yearly.

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One of the more interesting places to visit is the Cu Chi Tunnels. Because it sound similarly with the word ‘GUCCI’, as an incentive and to encourage tourist to check out the tunnels, they placed GENUINE Gucci bags and watches throughout the tunnels and whoever get to find them, keep ‘em!

No… I am just kidding…

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What you see here is actually a tunnel bored as a tourist attraction. The REAL tunnel entrance is only the size of an A4 paper. Unbelievable? Believe it. It is so small, when the Americans were at war with Vietnam, they were unable to find the entrance of the tunnels. And even if they do find one, it would be a fake entrance. The tunnels also stretches to roughly 20-30km long, underground. Also, the size of those tunnels only fit Asians. Tunnel rats (American soldiers infiltrating the tunnels) would get stuck at some passage way, and they’d be killed off there and then. O.O

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This is where we got our first lesson on the importance of Cu Chi Tunnels during the war.

We were also shown traps used during the war.

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Damn those spikes look freakingly sharp!!

Even inside the Cu Chi Tunnels, there were also spike traps dedicated to US soldiers.

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Not just that, they even had meeting rooms, kitchen, hospital and war bunker beneath the grounds!

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Remains of an American tank.

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Another place recommended, the Historical War Museum. It is like walking through a history book, 100 times more interesting than reading one.

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The most impressive artillary piece I have seen in front of my two damn big eyes…

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‘Nuff said.

There is actually nothing much in Mekong Delta. Just that it is a series of river systems and well, I went on a sampan ride through some small parts of the river. It was pretty fun though… Felt like I was in the movie Pirates of the Carribean, where Jack Sparrow went to look for his erm… lady friend. What’s her name again?

Oh, I also had a sumptuous meal on board this night cruise which will cruise around the Mekong river while you have your dinner.

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What a long dining table!!

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Lots of cuties in sailor’s uniform… Yum…

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Rest of the days were spent shopping and looking for good food.

Make sure you bargain for your food before you order at the market or roadside stalls (You can’t bargain in restaurants, so please… don’t). That picture of prawns and pork with vege looks good doesn’t it? It cost me RM40. -_-

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Accomodation in Vietnam is not the cheapest, but fairly reasonable. Ranges from USD40-60 per night for 3 star hotels. 5 star hotels like the Sheraton cost as much as USD250 per night. The 5 star hotels there are truely magnificant! It makes Malaysia 5 star hotels look like 4 star hotels. Seriously. And 5 star hotels in Ho Chih Minh usually has their own casinos! This is the lift from the grould floor of Rex Hotel to their casino at top floor.

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This lift can freaking fit an SUV without any problem!

So there you have it. My trip to Vietnam. Would I revisit Vietnam? I don’t mind. I would prefer to go to Saigon rather than Hanoi. Although the weather is better in Hanoi, Saigon is more happening. One thing though, the clubbing scene there needs a little getting used to. No doubt that it is fun, but the club scene in Vietnam ends at 12am.

My recent trip to Vietnam was ecstatic! I did not really expect much out of a third world country that just got out of war not too long ago. But I was wrong. Vietnam is a fast growing country and with a population of over 80+ million, I wouldn’t be surprised if Vietnam’s more advanced than Malaysia come 2020, mainly the locals there are SUPER hardworking! Can’t say the same for…

It all started on a Saturday morning which I boarded Vietnam Airlines towards Hanoi. The journey took about 3 hours. They serve pretty good food on the airplane.

I actually get to choose between sea perch (have no idea what the hell that is) and beef. Naturally I chose beef…

Looks good doesn’t it? Beef pasta with wine… Yummy.

By the way, posting pics on friendster blog is a bitch. The alignment just goes haywire for no apparent reason. -_-

After touching down at the airport in Hanoi and going through Imigrations, guess what? Digi sent me a message!

Digi knows and welcomes me to Vietnam!!!

I guess what they are really trying to say is "Make more calls while you are in Vietnam so we can slice a bigger chunk out of you!", and they did, as I chalked up RM200 on calls and GPRS. -_-

(oh one more thing, friendster blog does not allow you to insert emoticons. zzz…)

OK. So my trip took me to Hanoi, Ha Long Bay, Ho Chi Minh City, Cu Chi Tunnels and the Mekong Delta.

Hanoi is more of a government city, which is comparable with Putrajaya, not technology wise, but most government offices and landmarks are situated there. Amongst those are Ho Chi Minh’s mausoluem, and erm… some other government buildings.

This is Ho Chi Minh’s mausoluem which is heavily guarded. Nothing is to be brought near it, not handphones, no cameras, no sharp or dangerous objects, no water (o.O) etc. In the mausoluem lies Ho Chi Minh’s perfectly embalmed body in a magnificant glass casket. It was a little bit freaky though as the longer I stare at him, the more I expected him to turn to me and say "Ho Chi Minh welcomes you to Vietnam!"

Next picture shows the Vietnamese flag flying high outside of the mausoluem.

Due to the fact that I am quite pissed off with friendster blog’s limited functions, I shall continue this post another time. -_-

Any of you out there mind suggesting a more user friendly blog that I can use??

1. VC++ programmer, must be very good.

2. Microsoft Exchange(messaging domain), Active Directory. Its for level 2 support, so must have very good experience especially in the exchange server.

3. Windows Server 2000/2003, Active Directory. Its for level 2 support, so must have very good experience, supporting many users as well as servers.

4. Unix, Sun Solaris Server Administration. 2 years exp.

5. Linux Server Administration, with minor experience in windows 2000/2003. 2 years experience.

6. Voice Engineer.2 years Nortel PABX experience.

7. HPUX, HP Data Protector, Unix Server Administration. 2 years experience.

Think you are up for it? Drop me an e- mail stating the job you are drooling for at leonardchong.my@hp.com

By the way, the pay for the above positions are good!