birthday celebrations 2011!

celebration 1
venue: seoul korea restaurant & bjorn cafe, taman danau desa
date: 19 february 2011

angus... thanks for the cake!

celebration 2
venue: lovain, pipeline dept & pavilion
date: 23 february 2011

thanks moon.... for the lovely breakfast!

my party.... all pipeliners were invited!

fellas.... thanks for the great dinner!

celebration 3
venue: quattro & alexis
date: 25 february 2011


thanks... moon, sharon, lee chin yang, lee pei yuen, wong kien fatt, yee wei, choy hong, angus, tong, ong phei shen and lawrence for the breakfast/ lunch/ dinner!

The Surprise!

2011?

the 1st month of 2011 almost comes to the end... im still quite puzzled on what i want in 2011. many aims and goals are juggling inside my brain. so far, 2011 has been very kind to me! these days, im waking up with smiles (and happiness)! have not had such feeling for ages! happiness alone isnt enough... i need to get more in 2011! what is more? my own place, perhaps? since i got back from uk last year, i have been wanting my own space. therefore, the 1st goal for 2011 is to get my own place. i dont need a luxury apartment or a big and spacious unit. a two bedrooms unit will be enough! already have few units in mind!

a better job with better salary? i was offered a very good pay job recently but many things stopped me from taking it. im not sure im making the right decision but im sure i wont regret it. im not done with technip... technip is the place where i can learn to be a better engineer. and of course, my beloved colleagues... i dont wanna leave you guys yet (at least for now)! i believe i will get similar opportunity in the future. for now, i belong to technip.

my travel plans for 2011! sri lanka, china and korea! just by picturing those places already enough to make me go wild and excited! now, im crossing my fingers and hope mr hood will approve all my leaves. for this year, i will not start any exploration until august. so, from now till august, i will make sure i save enough for all the trips. i will be going to beijing with mommy in end of august. she has been dreaming of walking along great wall for quite sometimes now and is time to make it happens. as for myself, i really wanna explore sichuan... hope i can make it happens in november.

as for my babe (my crv)! hope he can be healthy thru out 2011. daddy cannot spend so much on you. but i (daddy) promise to give you a makeover before end of the year. so, you have to behave well and not causing any problem for daddy, ok?

i also promised someone that i will buy less clothes and shoes this year! its just into fourth weeks of 2011 but i have already bought like more than 20 items included a pair of very expensive shoes (my 1st pair of tods). if my mommy checks on my wardrobe, i believe she gonna go insane and nag me like forever! i have like 5 pairs of new shoes and countless new pants and shirts. so, i believe i have enough new clothes for the rest of the year. hence, i will target to buy nothing at all for the next 5 months. you guys... stop asking me out for shopping. if i happen to be at a mall, do stop me from getting something!

all the best to you guys and myself in 2011!

bidding farewell to 2010!

as im sailing toward 2011, i started to think back my 2010. another big year in my life, many incidents occurred. i started off 2010 in newcastle and going to end it in kuala lumpur. after finished my study, id think i will get a job in uk and be happy. somehow, it didnt turn out the way i want it to be.

the 1st 5 months of 2010 was the most depressing period in my life. i was jobless! during that period, i woke up every morning and hoped that i will get a phone call for interview. i have too many sleepless nights in that period. the job market in europe during that period was extremely bad. after 5 months of struggling, i finally decided to come back to malaysia for good. at such circumstance, i dont have a choice. with a distinction in my master degree, i really dont wanna wash dishes or cleaning tables at chinatown.

in the mid of april 2010, i finally took up the courage and told my parents that i wanna go back to malaysia. im blessed with a pair of very supportive and understanding parents. they encouraged me to come back for good. somehow, i still think i have disappointed them. i didnt really take up my duty as a responsible son. i failed to make their life easier and didnt give them enough love.

since i made up my decision to come back for good, i knew i have to get myself a job in kl. where else can be better than to be back at technip? since i left two years ago, i have been missing my colleagues dearly. hence, i rejoined technip on 7th of june 2010. im happy to be back and so is everyone in pipeline (i think). very déjà vu! after jobless for so long, im so happy doing pipeline analyses and designs with funny colleagues around me. i love them so much…

as i didnt have a proper job (no income) for the 1st 5 months of the year, i only managed to explore three european countries. i went to italy in february, czech in april and finland in may. all budget trips! eating self-made sandwiches everyday wasnt something easy! however, i was able to overcome it and explored many great places. gotta thank deric for being such a good and tolerate travel partner. there are still many places in europe that are waiting for me to explore. hope i will be able to make it back to europe in 2012. I wanna have my footprints on the soil of poland, croatia, portugal, hungary and greece.

since i moved back to malaysia, i have now shifted my travel focus to asia. there are still so many places in asia for me to explore. in the last quarter of 2010, i explored myanmar and india. both places gave me different inspirations and perceptions. personally, i prefer india more and would love to go back to the exotic land for more adventures.

in 2010, I only managed to explore 25 world heritage sites. a lot lesser than what i have done in 2009! in 2010, i have the times but i didnt have the budget. probably if i didnt buy so many paul smith or ralph lauren, i might have visited more sites. anyway, hope 2011, i can at least visit 30 sites.

there is another special thing took place in my 2010! for the past 4 years, i have stopped believing in love. previous relationships took everything out of me! my trust, my confidence, my happiness and my desire to be with someone. and in that 4 years, i focused everything on myself, family and friends. i forced myself to believe that oneself doesnt need to be in love in order to be happy and he or she can be happy because of himself or herself. but something happened recently changed my perception. i found someone! im not sure how long it gonna last but im so in love right now. all i can do is to make it works and hope for the best to come from both of us.

2010 is such an amazing year in my life. way too many great stories have taken place! from uk to malaysia, from europe to asia, from jobless to technip, from depress to happy and from avoiding love to loving somebody! im closing down the curtain for 2010 with a big smile! couldnt ask for more! a big thanks to 2010.

exotic india!

it has been a week since i came back from india but somehow, my mind is still floating between mumbai and aurangabad. india mesmerized me. apart from europe, india is the place i wanna explore so badly. the strong indian culture and heritage really strike my heart and soul. before the trip, i was quite concerned over hygienic and cleanliness issue. it all happened because of my colleagues and friends who scared me with so many stories. danny boyle is to be blamed as well! if i didnt watch slumdog millionaire, i might not have so many unwanted imagines in my brain. yes, the country isn’t very clean but I still able to stand it. anyway, i survived 6 days in india without any difficulty.

mumbai wasnt in my travel plan for 2010. it came by surprise, a happy surprise. free room at intercontinental mumbai which cost about 600 ringgit a night! thanks to priority club! hope such offer will come more often in the future.

mumbai, the heart of indian cinema and where the famous khan is staying. speaking of khan, his house is facing the beautiful arabian sea but at the shore where his house is facing is where many locals do their daily activities. it was actually quite shocking! i don’t think i can accept seeing people doing their laundry, bathing, peeing, shitting etc in front of my house. wondering how can he stands it?

what can mumbai offers? mumbai was once an important port for the british which is why you can easily mistaken yourself being in an european city rather than in india. the city is filled up with many beautiful european style (with a hint of indian touch) architectures. when i was walking along bhaurao patil marg, i felt more like a student in england rather than a tourist loitering in an indian city. mumbai is also the home to two world heritage sites – victoria terminus (a train station) and elephanta caves. both sites are pretty impressive and grandeur in their own way.

beside mumbai, i also explored aurangabad, a city about an hour from mumbai by flight. what is there? why i wanna waste 200++ ringgit to get there and 250 ringgit per night for lodging? the city is an important base to explore ajanta and ellora caves. the caves were the reason why i wanna go to the city. the trip was so damn worthy. both caves are very beautiful and unique. i will let the pictures do the talking.

ajanta caves

ellora caves

for me, india is both amazing and enchanting. this might not sound right to many of you especially those of you who have glued to discovery channel most of the times. apart from the cleanliness problem and culture shock moments a few times a day, india is a place worth exploring. i definitely will go to india again in the future. targeting delhi and agra in early 2012 for more gulab jammu and sweet lassi!

land of sarongs!

it is rather strange to see a street full of people wearing sarong. well! if you see such sight, hello folks... you are in myanmar, a land where sarong is the official attire. kids wear sarong to school and adults wear sarong to work. somehow, it made pants wearing humans look kinda strange!

to many of my friends, myanmar isnt somewhere they wanna get near. many of them were surprised by my decision to explore the country. a colleague even laughed at me! at first, i was rather clueless and not sure what i will be getting from the trip. therefore, i headed to mynmar with my mates without any expectation. i guess travel without any expectation is a good thing. why? you will have surprises along the journey.

apart from having too many face to face encounter with lord buddha, overall the trip was such an amazing experience. im still wondering why the country needs so many temples... i think i have visited more than 100 temples/ pagodas. never visited so many religious monuments in one single trip before!

what can myanmar offers to travellers? stunning temples, beautiful countryside, friendly faces and exquisite cuisine! we started off our burmese story at the famous yangon (where au sang suu kyi is house detained). at yangon, i felt like i was walking backward. everything is so like 60s and 70s! old vehicles, old buildings, etc. after two days in yangon, i remember only two places, the super gold pagoda, shwedagon and the famous strand hotel. desserts at the hotel is freaking good!

beside yangon, we also explored the world famous ancient city, bagan and the former royal capital, mandalay. bagan is such an amazing place. i love that place so much and would love to explore that place again in the future. the grandeur of bagan is not easy to put down in words and it is only our own eyes can portray the beauty of it perfectly. bagan is a must for anyone going to myanmar.

mandalay isnt as interesting as bagan but it still able to charm me. seeing a few hundred monks queuing up for morning meal isnt something you can experience easily. but the best experience i got from mandalay is the sunset at u-bein bridge, postcard perfect! one of the best sunset i have ever seen!

those of you who have never been to myanmar should really consider going there. forget about the military ruling or any political related issue. the country is safe and the locals are so friendly and helpful. we enjoyed myanmar... thanks to all burmese for making our trips such a memorable one!

for pictures, click here!

classy bangkok

my last trip was 4 months ago, visited helsinki. hence, i was dying to stop working and get out of malaysia. as i just started working, i have no big cash to spend! with a budget of rm 1200, i dont have many choices. rm 1200 is surely not enough for a shopping trip at singapore and countries like indonesia and philippines have be avoided at the moment! means, with such a small amount, i can only go to the land of smile, thailand. initial plan was phuket... but raining season over there! so, i ended up at bangkok. rm 1200 might not be much but it certainly can get you very very far in bangkok! i stayed at a 4* hotel for three nights, went for drinks at skybars everynite, dined at nice restaurants and even went for a half day tour... all in just rm 1200! no wonder bangkok is full of tourists and not kl!

whenever i mentioned bangkok, people will somehow relate it to the sex industry! for many people out there, bangkok is the sex capital of asia but not for me! hence, i went there to prove that bangkok has more to offer and how pathetic it is to think nothing but prostitution. i'm really against exchanging money for sex! stop prostituting, people!!! anyway, a conversation took place at my office just a day before my trip...

colleague 1: where you going?
me: bangkok
colleague 2: yeh... cari ayam!
me: (rolled eyes and annoyed)

during my 4 days at bangkok...i explored many new places which i have never explored in my previous trips to bangkok. i went two different skybars/ rooftop bars! personally, i prefer moon bar at banyan tree hotel. the setting/ layout is better plus the 360 degree view of bangkok is truly amazing, just breathtaking! what else can be better than to drink a glass of martini while seeing sunset over bangkok? im pretty sure i will go there again... love the martini! love the view!

i have visited bangkok many many times before (since i was five) but somehow i have never been to any floating market. this time around, i booked a half day tour and ended up at damnoen saduak. the money was so well spent! it was very interesting to see how sellers making living on the canal. it was also my first time eating a bowl of noodles while siting by the canal side with the vendor preparing the noodles soup on a small boat. awesome experience!

i'm not just famous for being a great traveller, i am also famous for being a shopaholic! somehow, i ended up my bangkok trip with just one t-shirt and a few packs of pork jerky! since i got back from europe, i kinda lost my desire to shop! is not that asia has less thing to buy but the brands i like are too expensive over here. i'm now saving money... instead of buying here, why not save and go back to europe for a great shopping trip?

i'm not really a fan of thai food but i'm a big fan of thai desserts! why i don't like thai food? i don't enjoy eating sour food! most thai dishes are kinda hot, spicy and sour! as for the desserts, i love the sweet egg yolk desserts (thong yip, thong yot and foi thong). most people think they are too sweet but for me... the sweetness is just perfect (i gotta admit, i have a very very sweet tooth... gotta thanks my dad for it!!!).

bangkok is a budget destination with a twist! with just rm 1200, i pampered myself for 4 days! gosh! i really wish i can be in bangkok now... i need more martinis (with a breathtaking view, of course)!

please click here for the pictures taken at bangkok!