teDDiEs taiLs...

vgA 2011... thE noMinaTioNs... paRt 3...

2011-11-27T13:58:00.001+08:00

This round of the review of the nominees... I will kind of skip a few categories of console since it is quite repetitive... but this particular category of console is one that I'm interested in... 'The Best Handheld / Mobile Games'.

This year nominees consist of 4 games... and out the 2 nominees are for the iPhone (or iPad) ... and Nintendo. If you asked me what about PSP... I'm not so sure about it. Since as far as I know... they are either made for Nintendo's NDS or 3DS and the iPhone or iPad. If you guys have any ideas on this... do let me know.

But what surprises me is one of the iPhone game that my hubby is bawling all over the place... 'Jetpack Joyride'. Anyways... let's have a look at the nominees for the 'The Best Handheld / Mobile Games'...

Ghost Trick : Phantom Detective

Super Mario Land 3D

Infinity Blade

Jetpack Joyride

Looking at the potential of iPhone / iPad based games... I guess that it won't be long before VGA introduces a brand new category for these kind of game. The games on the iPhone / iPad is huge... and by looking at the releases and number of apps developer out there... the game developers and game publishers for the real handheld device (like PlayStation Vita and Nintendo's 3DS)... are run for their money and fan as well.

Before I pen off on this brand new post... I was wondering... why wasn't 'Angry Birds' nominated for this category? Hmm... I wonder why...

Peace Out ~~

vgA 2011... thE noMinaTioNs... paRt 2...

2011-11-26T20:04:00.001+08:00

Every year... in VGA... they will honour the best games according to their respective consoles... namely PlayStation 3, Wii, XBox 360, PC and Handheld / Mobile consoles. This year... the nominees for PlayStation 3 console... can say that this is the best line up I've ever seen... though it is a bit disappointing that 'Gran Turismo 5' wasn't in here.

It's kind of tough to guess who will the winner as each of this game have their own unique game play. Let's have a look at the nominees for the 'Best PlayStation 3' game.

InFamous 2

Killzone 3

Little Big Planet 2

Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception

It is kind of tough for me to think since all four games are unique in their own way. But if I have to choose... it would be... 'Little Big Planet 2'. What is your pick?

Peace Out ~~

unChartEd 3 : drAke'S deCeptiOn coLLectoR's ediTioN...

2011-11-26T16:44:00.000+08:00

Ever since I'm pregnant with our first child... my hubby have been restraining himself from buying games (I mean when he buys... it is a LOT!). However, this time... before our child arrives, I'll let him buy one game... with the permission from the 'council of teddy bears' (as he name them)... have a look at the so-called council...

Yup... we are the council of teddy bears... owner will have to get our permission before he buys anything... ^^ I'm teddy and the big guy is sleepy... ^^

This is his last purchase of a limited edition game... actually... he was looking forward for Modern Warfare III limited edition... but try as he might... he couldn't get it (he even went straight to one of the bosses of a shop in Gurney Plaza to ask if he can help him get it). However... he could not get the Modern Warfare III... much to his disappointment as the stock runs out real quick... so... he finally had to give up and settle for Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception Collector's Edition.

According to the boss... this is the one and only collector's edition he managed to secure... so it means that my hubby is the only person in Penang that has it... as of our knowledge...

Although the box has a bit dent here and there... but knowing that this is the one and only he can find in Penang... my hubby was not a single minute to consider and the purchase was done under 10 minutes...

The back cover of the box... which list out the goodies inside the box itself.

Upon reaching home... he quickly 'unbox' the whole thing. After some painful 10 minutes (due to some dent on the box... it's kind of fragile since my hubby wants to keep everything in mint condition)... he opened up and this is the contents...

The steelbook edition of the game... Nathan Drake's statue... wearable replicas of Nathan Drake's buckle and ring necklace strap... travelling chest packaging and a bunch of codes to redeem at the PlayStation Network...

It was worth his money after all... looking at all the things included in the box. He did work hard for the past few weeks... so I guess... it should be OK. If there was any cosplay event... I think I can get him to cosplay Nathan Drake... but he will have to work on the muscles first if he wanted to cosplay him 100%. (",)

Peace Out ~~

vgA 2011... thE noMinaTioNs... paRt 1...

2011-11-25T20:21:00.001+08:00

Its coming back... the Video Games Awards 2011 by Spike TV. This time... I'm not sure if Animax is going to giveaway the exclusive premier screening to the bloggers... but I'm not going to sit out on this.

This year logo seem to be very solid and futuristic-ish... wonder what is in store for us at the VGA... hmm (",)

But... before we go into the nominations list and which game should win (on my own personal view... that is)... I really hope Neil Patrick Harris (or more commonly known as NPH) to be the host again for this year VGA 2011. Last year... when he host the VGA 2010... it was fun and I love his 'grand' entrance into the show. Don't believe me? Have a look at last year VGA 2010...

Well... his entrance wasn't that smooth... but at least he improvised the situation... and he did it with style. Loads of it...

Anyways... let's have a look at nominations list... and as usual... there is one category that surpasses all... 'The Game of The Year' award. This year... the nominees for this category is a very... very strong... (I can feel the 'force'... hehehe). Don't believe me? Have a look at the game trailers I managed to find.

Batman : Arkham City

The Elder Scrolls V : Skyrim

The Legend of Zelda : Skyward Sword

Portal 2

Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception

Well... what is your pick? For me... it is definitely 'Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception' to win the award... but 'Batman : Arkham City' does look quite promising as well. Hmmm... looks like we'll just have to wait for the show on 12.10.11 (if you still do not get it... the VGA 2011 will premier on 10 December 2011). (",)

Peace Out ~~

ovErShariNg youR baBieS...riGht oR wrOng...

2011-11-10T11:27:00.001+08:00

Recently, most of my family, friends and colleague has been posting a lot of pictures of their bundle of joy... on Facebook. As a soon-to-be mother as well... the feeling of happiness looking at my friends babies... was speechless... knowing that my little one will join the circle soon.

However... the real purposes I'm writing this post is... what happens when a parent overshares their little bundle of joy on the social media... i.e. like in Facebook? My hubby have a friend in his Facebook that post up a new picture of their new born baby daugther everyday. Obviously, he was annoyed by the overshare.

While I understand the behaviour of his friend posting about her new born baby daughter since, as a first time parents... you will tend to overshare your happiness to others. However, moderation is the key word... if it is too much, it feels like you are rubbing your happiness to others right in the face. You might hurt the feelings of others parents without even knowing it.

Looking further down as your child grows up... what would she or he thinks when they saw their baby pictures on the Internet? Will they love you for what you have done when they are still small and defendless? Will they be happy or what will they feel when their friends found out their baby pictures on the Internet?

For me... my baby girl is a gift of life and I'm happy to share the news once she is born... pictures... I will still share with my family and friends only on Facebook. But not to the point of oversharing the photos.

Peace Out ~~

thE 2 mosT awAitEd gaMe oF thE yeAr 2011...

2011-11-04T17:38:00.002+08:00

The top 2 most awaited games for the year 2011 has finally been released just a few days ago... first stop... was 'Battlefield 3' on 25 October 2011 (there is a game shop in Kuala Lumpur, The Sofware Boutique, hosted a midnight launch... and the response was huge!) and followed by Naughty Dog's 'Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception'.

First stop... Battlefield 3. Have a look at the trailer and tell me why won't you get excited with the game... come on... you got to be kidding me.

The graphic and gameplay is great. My hubby tried out the demo for Battlefield 3... for starters... it wasn't much to shout about during the demo time. But I think with all the feedback from the demo players... I think they have improved on the overall gameplay.

My hubby was tempted to buy... but he was looking forward for any limited edition 'Battlefield 3'... which currently is only the steel book version (correct if I'm wrong on this). Plus... when I was watching the trailer and the demo my hubby was playing... my little one was very excited from all the guns firing and bombing. Hmmm... perhaps this is a sign that she likes to play games too?

Anyways, have a look at the huge turn out of the people lining up to get their hands on 'Battlefield 3' during the midnight launch.

Huge crowd lining up for the launch. I wonder how many of these guys actually took off the next day just to play the game... (",). Hopefully, I can see some midnight launch in Penang soon.

Secondly... this game was just launched and it has already got me excited since the announcement... 'Uncharted 3 : Drake's Deception'. Haven't really played the game yet... but from the looks of the trailer... it is going to bring down the house.

Any of these two games will keep me occupy during my maternity leave of 2 months plus... besides taking care of my little one... I'm sure this will make my leave more enjoyable. (",)

Peace Out ~~

DiGi PitBuLL - i liKe...

2011-11-02T21:24:00.001+08:00

Having any good plans on this coming 01 December 2011? If you don't have any plans yet... well... you might want to consider this. A night of some hardcore dancing and partying with the Dog... a.k.a Pitbull.

Yup... you read it correctly. Mr. Worldwide is coming to Malaysia to bring the house down on 01 December 2011 @ Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach! However, for some of us that never heard of him... well... which era are you living in?! Hello???!!

Hopefully, the music video above that I've embedded... gives some idea on his music style. Other than that... I'm really speechless if you did not heard of this song aired on our local radio station (I mean... which era are you living in?).

Coming to the real topic... actually, DiGi is so cool that they are giving out some exclusive passes to ONE LUCKY blogger to take pictures during the concert. Plus, they will become the one and only 'Official Photographer's for Pitbull Concert' thorough the whole concert! COOL!

I do not have a lot of photographs downloaded... but I might just want to share a particular photo that I managed to take on a clear blue sky from my apartment. It might not be a good picture... but this is one rare shot as the sky was so blue and nice... have a look at yourself.

The view from my apartment... can the whole Penang (technically)...

Not only that, they are also giving some passes out besides the one that I mention above. Just follow this link and you can find out more details! This is of course... all made possible by DiGi.

Well... after all that blabbing... what are you waiting for?! Mark 01 December 2011 to party with Mr. Worldwide if you haven't had any plans!

Peace Out ~~

28 yeArs oF waLkiNg thE eaRth... chAngeS...

2011-10-24T08:08:00.004+08:00

Today, 24 October 2011, signifies that I'm lived my live for almost 28 years since I've exited the womb of my mother on 24 October 1983... exactly 28 years ago.

Last year... on the same day as today... I talked about decision's made and found out the truth about my birth. This year... it's a bit special... I will be talking about changes in my life for the past few months.

First was getting married to my bf (now hubby)... which we have spend almost 8 years together... and was fatefully joined together by a mere letter. Yup... me and my hubby was pen pals at first... then it evolved into something. Now... 8 years later... we finally tied the knot. Some of my colleague wouldn't believe how I met him... but it is true. I still had his first letter safely tucked away in a folder (the same goes for my other pen pals as well).

Secondly... was finding out that I'm pregnant. Now that is a life changing experience... and a brand new journey me and my hubby would need to take on for the rest of our lives. A lot of things have changed... including the way both of us lead our lives. Everything we do nowadays... we always have our child's needs placed first before the needs of others... like games (yup... my hubby will need to stop his urge to purchase those limited games edition from now on), clothes (that would be me)... blah blah blah...

Nevertheless, this cycle of my life... was bound to a lot of changes... if I were to say that I'm unprepared for all that has happened... would be a lie. But since the cycle has begun... there is no turning back and we should just keep on moving forward... for better or worse. (",)

Peace Out ~~

a giFt oF liFe...

2011-10-22T11:49:00.002+08:00

I'd still remember very vividly when my mom told me that my cousin sister have just give birth to a baby girl in 2009... a year later... my cousin brother had a baby boy. Now... a year later... it is my turn... and its a baby girl.

Yes... I'm pregnant and currently awaiting anxiously for the arrival of my little one... albeit this is a little too fast for me and my hubby... but still it is a gift of life.

For the past few months... I have been reading books about pregnancy and baby care... as well as looking for baby stuffs... such as their milk bottles, pacifiers, play pen... and the list just go on and on.

For starters and a first time mother-to-be... I didn't know there are so many different types of pacifiers for different months! And their baby milk bottles too! Plus, her daddy was aiming at the Ferrari baby stroller and a full suit of Manchester United baby clothes at Mothercare... I think he is trying to convert her daughter to a be 'Reds' fan like he is.

Anyways, the day for my little baby girl to see world is coming soon. Mummy and Daddy is anxiously awaiting for your arrival! (",)

Peace Out ~~

thAilAnd reVisiTed... moS bUrgeR...

2011-10-11T06:38:00.004+08:00

If you guys still remember, me and my hubby when to Thailand around April for a short holiday (you can read the post right here...). As usual... when we are on a trip outside of the country... we will always look for food that Malaysia do not have.

This time... my hubby managed to find his favourite burger chain... MOS Burger. Now... if I remember correctly, Malaysia used to have this chain... but died off due to some reason in Kuala Lumpur (reasons still unknown to me until today... maybe it is because Malaysian can't accept the burger? Hmm...).

Anyways, we decided to have our lunch at MOS Burger. It was located at Siam Paragon Basement area and it was quite packed to the brim. Guess they were well accepted over here based on the crowd level. After I told my hubby what to order for me... I went to look for a table for two (and took some rest for my feet as we have been walking all day long).

When the order came... I was quite surprise with the nice looking coaster they give to each and every customer to put their icy drinks on (guess they really appreciate their customers' clothes from getting wet from all the dripping). Me and my hubby was so tempted to buy it (or rather... take it away with us)... but conscious got the better of us... and we returned it back after we are done with our food.

The MOS Burger coaster... it feels rubbery and very useful too! I wish I have asked the supervisor to see if we can get to keep it or not... I don't mind buying it...

My hubby order 2 sets of burger that comes with drinks, fries and the burger (much like your typical McDonald's). He even ordered another additional burger to make for the lost time since he had a MOS Burger in Kuala Lumpur (it was almost 10 years ago).

The fries were fat and crunchy... unlike McDonald's... much more nicer this way...

I had the fish burger while my hubby ordered the chicken teriyaki and beef burger (since I can't took beef due to religious reasons). The size of the burger was bite size... easy for people who doesn't eat a lot (like me)... to finish up the burger in 3-5 bites (my hubby... he did it in 3 bites).

After we have finished our burgers... my hubby only notice that MOS burger wasn't served with the rice (since the last round he had MOS Burger... the bread was replaced with rice)...

My hubby chug the whole thing down like nobody's business... and only started to realized that the burger wasn't in its original form. He told me that when he had his first MOS Burger in Kuala Lumpur (that was like 10 years ago)... the bread was replaced with rice, which was the original concept. Reason as to why they changed it over here... maybe to suit the local taste?

Well... for a F&B chain to survive in a market... localization is the key for success...

But still... my hubby did not complain much since he... finally, had his MOS Burger... after 10 years or more. (",)

Peace Out ~~

sNowMaN toNg pAk fU deSSerT hoUsE...

2011-10-09T16:59:00.002+08:00

Just last Friday... (TGIF session with all my BFF's after a shitty day at work)... and since my hubby is working... I decided to join them for brief outing session (girls only)... or eating session.We left our office immediately the clock stuck 6PM... did some brief walking around the mall... before off we go to fulfill our appetite.

First stop was French Restaurant located at Jalan Irrawady... called 'La France' (review about this particular restaurant... in my next post). After that... we decide to go for some guilty pleasures... yup... sweet tooth time!

We decided to try out this new place called 'Snowman Tong Pak Fu Dessert House' (you can visit the Facebook page via this link). This was a new hang out place... and from the looks of the shop interior and shop front... I think it have just open not long ago. By the way, a word of caution if you want to come here to fulfill your sweet tooth... finding a parking spot here... is a bitch. I forgotten how many rounds we have to make before we actually found a parking spot!

If you look up the Net... 'Tong Pak Fu' is actually a name of a scholar... just that they modify the chinese strokes...

Anyways, lets go to the food review... YUMMY! Since I can't really eat a lot of things on the menu... I decided to settle for the most simply dessert... red bean soup with glutinous rice balls. At first... I wasn't sure about the glutinous rice balls (since the normal red bean soup does not comes with it)... but after a few bites on the rice balls... it tasted NICE! It was filled with peanuts! YUMMY! However, the red bean soup... was kind of too 'soft' (can't really taste or 'see' the red beans... >.<"). But the glutinous rice balls does save the day though.

Red bean soup with glutinous rice balls... only RM5.80... worth it I guess... (",)

My BFF's order something else though... I can't remember the english name but the chinese name is something like [四大才子]... hope I got it correctly... but what I remember the most is the HUGE portion! It comes with four different types of dessert... freshly cut fruits... pudding... sago... and loads of glutinous rice balls. >.<" When the desserts came... all of us got surprise with the huge size... luckily there were four of us (but since I can only help out with the fruits...) to finish up the whole thing. They even order another dessert... with is filled with sago and ice creams... I didn't eat it since sago is too cold for me and my little one... (",).

One the left is the additional order... can't remember the name though. The right was the 四大才子... imagine the sweetness that we have that day... >.<"

Next... the ambiance of the whole shop was nice and relaxing... they even got sofas for people to relax (reminds me of the Starbucks concept). They also have live band... but unfortunately... the band wasn't playing when we were there (if they had... I would have pick the song 'One Night in Beijing'... hehehe).

Guess that I have to watch my weight after all those guilty pleasures... because I do not want another long lecture from my doctor again... >.<". But... for those with sweet tooth after reading this post and would like to have a guilty pleasure (plus do not mind your waist line to gain another few inches)... you can pay visit to this nice and cozy dessert house located at:-

Snowman Tong Pak Fu Venture (Opposite Maybank & Public Bank Pulau Tikus Branch)

37D, Jalan Cantonment,

10250 Penang,

Malaysia.

(Tel) : 04- 226 0955

Peace Out ~~

moViE reView... caRs 2...

2011-09-28T13:13:00.001+08:00

Due to my current conditions... I have been banned from watching any scary movies or gory movies for the moment. Reason... to be reveal in my next post. ^^

So since it was a chilling Friday night... my hubby and I decided to catch the movie 'Cars 2' instead of 'The Smurfs'. Reason why... because we wanted to know what happen to Tow Mater after he took a whole load of what he called pistachio ice cream (which turns out to be wasabi). Have a look at the teaser video which I managed to find it on youtube.

The whole idea of the story actually focuses on Tow Mater becoming an accidental superspy... and along with his ignorance... he managed to solve the case despite being label as 'stupid' by everyone (including Lightning McQueen... at some point).

Like the previous 'Cars'... where the creators managed to feature Micheal Schumacher cameo appearance at the end of the movie... this round... they have a cameo apperance by Jeff Gordon (but in the movie, his character was known as Jeff Corvette) & Lewis Hamilton.

The movie concept was quite catchy and cute since the creators took a lot of effort in creating a nice and funny story line for kids and adults alike. On a personal note... I do like the part when Lightning and Mater visit Japan for the first time. Quite a number of cute cars (i.e. the Japanese Geisha cars) and the high-tech toilet concept.

My hubby and me really enjoyed the movie but because of a few hiccups from the cinema itself... we missed the short movie clip (featuring Toy Story 3 characters) which was part of whole movie treat. We do not know what happen at the beginning of the story but we only manage to catch the middle and the ending only. What a bummer!

Overall... 'Cars 2' is nice movie to catch if you ever need a relaxing day ahead after all the stress at work. (",)

Peace Out ~~

mY neW toY... icONiA taB A500...

2011-09-27T17:48:00.000+08:00

My laptop failed me quite a few months ago... and I was hunting for a replacement for it. Initially, I wanted to buy the Toshiba netbook but was advice by my hubby to get a tablet instead of a netbook or a small laptop... or a high performance laptop... like the Acer dual-touch screen Iconia.

But since the Iconia was too little pricey for me... I decided to settle for a different Iconia... the Iconia Tab A500. It is a tablet powered by Android. Besides the Android version, Iconia Tab W500 also comes in a Windows version. But in the end, I settle for A500 instead of the W500. Don't ask me why... but maybe it is the fact that the I'm hoping that my laptop still could be saved and the Iconia will served as a travel mate (since I don't like the idea to travel with a laptop since it is quite heavy to carry around).

My brand new toy... the Iconia Tab A500

Anyways, after having the Iconia for a few months now... I'm getting the hang of it. No complaints so far... it served me quite well.

When I first got my hands on the Iconia... my first concern was... get a screen protector first! I don't want a scratch on my precious baby... plus since the screen is so glossy (I can even see my reflection!)... I wouldn't want a line on it. But try as I might, there wasn't any shops selling the accessories yet... their reason... it is still new in the market. Sigh... guess that I have to be extra careful with it.

The size of the Iconia Tab A500 is more or less the size of iPad2... but the screen is much more glossier...

The weight of the Iconia is still manageable... my hands does not feel the strain if I were to hold it for a long period of time. The screen is also quite responsive and loads up the applications quite fast.

The second thing that I like about the Iconia is... the fact it can use Flash Player. Yippee... now I can play Facebook games on the run (provided there is any Wi-Fi spot). So the next time my hubby occupy our desktop, I can just play the Facebook games from the comfort of my bed. (",)

No enough space for more applications? Well, Iconia does come with an extra Micro SD slots for people who wants to cramp everything into the Iconia. Problem solve...

The only complain that I have is the Android market... it does have a lot of applications... but most of the good and cool stuff you have to pay for it. Kind of sad on the Android market.

Well... at least I got Angry Birds for free! (",)

Peace Out ~~

onE fiNE haZy daY iN pEnaNg...

2011-09-23T12:05:00.001+08:00

Earlier this month, Penang was hit by haze... very badly (as you can see from the picture below). Moving up to a higher floor... certainly help increase my scenic view of the whole Georgetown.

Anyways, one fine day when I got up around 8AM... I felt that my house was quite dark. When I look out from the living room window... it was the haze. I can't even see KOMTAR from my living room whereas the on a normal day... I can see it quite clear.

Taken from the window of the living room... what a hazy day...

Luckily... it rained that day I took the photograph. The next day the weather was clear again. See how contrasting it is between the two...

Clear blue sky on a Sunday morning...

Peace Out ~~

cOmiDa... thE waY wE liKe iT...

2011-09-22T23:51:00.000+08:00

Remember my previous post about our local celebrity that me and my hubby (not to mention his nephew also, who decide to tag along during our short whirlwind trip to Kuala Lumpur early last month) met at Comida? If you haven't read the post... here's the link to the post.

As promise... here's the food review for Basil's restaurant... COMIDA. But before I start to make you guys drool on the food that we had that day... here is the directions to get to COMIDA.

Directions to get to the COMIDA... actually it is easy to find the place if you have your own transport to move around... me and my hubby almost got lost @ Solaris Dutamas.

Overall, the ambience of the whole restaurant... if I were to give a rating of 1 to 5 (with 5 being the highest level of satisfaction)... I would give it a full 5 points. It was very nice and cozy... perfect for a nice romantic dinner for two (the only thing missing was the candle though) or a chill out dinner time with your close group of buddies.

Now, let's move on to the food... the starters... hmm... can quite recall the starters... but what I can remember the most is the taste of the prawns with dried chilli... SIMPLY MARVELLOUS! The prawns were fresh and juicy (see the picture... doesn't it make you salivating on the spot).

Big juicy prawns with the dry chilli sauce... delicious... it also comes with few slices of bread for you to dip into the dry chilli sauce (well... at least that is what we thought of)...

About 10 minutes later... our main course made its way to our table... and to our suprise... the size was... OMG! My hubby order the beef burger, his nephew order the chicken burger while I settle for a chicken chop with a good portion of cheese on top of it.

Clockwise from left top... the chicken burger, beef burger (look at the size of the beef patty) and at the picture at the bottom is the chicken chop that I ordered (had a fancy name... but couldn't recall it)

After the main course... we were served with some desserts. But due to the huge serving of our main course... we had to settle for only one dessert (no picture though as the dessert dissappear almost immediately the moment it reach our table). (",)

Overall... the amount we had to pay was around RM150++ for 3 people (including the drinks)... which was quite reasonable for the size of such serving. Recommended? Of course... maybe you will even ask for more once you've try it! >.<"

Peace Out ~~

loGoS hoPe... tHe shiP oF knoWledgE, heLp anD hoPe...

2011-09-21T21:49:00.002+08:00

I have never ever been on a ship before... and the first ship that I board (actually for a few minutes only) is very unique... it is a ship filled with books. The ship is called 'Logos Hope'. It has landed for quite a few weeks already in Penang Swettheham Pier... but I managed to visit the ship last week only. Initially, my hubby and me wanted to visit the ship much earlier but due to unforeseen circumstances... we have to delayed it.

One fine Sunday night... after the rain had cleared... we begin our journey to the Logos Hope. After we register ourselves at the main entrance of Swettheham Pier... we make our way to the ship which was brightly lit during the night.

Catchy slogan... you will see this the moment you entered the ship and on the wall they put up the history and journey of Doulos, Logos, Logos II and Logos Hope

After paying the RM1 entrance fee... we climb the stairs (not sure if this is the correct term to use) to board the ship. Upon reaching the ship, we were asked to be seated for a short briefing by one of the crew member, Jimmy.

According to Jimmy, he is the one and only volunteer from Thailand and he showed us a 2 minute video introducing Logos Hope with some explaination on the pricing of the books. Apparently, they price their books in a different manner... all of the books on sale were priced by units. If I remember correctly, 100 units is RM8 (correct me if I'm wrong).

The entrance to the sea of books that bound to make you spoilt for choices... and the smell of books is so refreshing... (",)

Once the short briefing is finished, visitors can choose to directly to the book sale area to browse for books or understand more about the ship on the wall. It tells the history and journey of Logos, Logos II, Doulos and Logos Hope itself.

Anyways, let us proceed to the interesting part. The books. The type of books available for sale and for your reading pleasure is huge. From famous people biography (I think I saw a book on Barrack Obama...) to recipe books to non-fiction books (they even have an entire section dedicated specially for children books). Besides books, they were also CD and memorabilia for sale (which I bought a few later on).

A map of all the countries that Logos and Doulos have visited...

Besides that, the ships also offered something else... academic books which was donated by McGraw-Hill and other publishers as well. After shelves and shelves of books, you will come to an area which they called 'The Journey of Life'. This section itself is actually like a story and upon request... the crew members will tell you the story behind each picture.

After listening to the story, you will enter the International Cafe, where you can choose to have a light snack after all those book browsing. They even have crew members to create those artistic ballons for children and entertain them too! If you're lucky... some of the crew members will drop by your table and chat with you on your experience while on board the ship.

During our short and brief visit to Logos Hope... we manage to grab 6 books and all that for a total of only RM60.00 (this amount also includes the souvenir pen which were sold at RM2 per pen... quite a bargain I would say... so... without thinking much... I took 4 pens).

Just to let you guys know... if you plan to visit Logos Hope... do it before 25 September 2011 as that will be the last day Logos Hope in Penang before embarking to Port Klang. The ship is open to visitors from 10AM to 10PM. Make sure you visit this awesome ship in Penang!

If you need more information on the ship... do drop by the @ www.gbaships.org.

Peace Out ~~

aCCideNtaL buMp wiTh jaMes baUm...

2011-09-21T01:01:00.001+08:00

During our last trip to Kuala Lumpur early last month, we managed to find some time to drop by my hubby's favorite ex-radio DJ, Basil Joseph's year old restaurant Comida at Solaris Dutamas. We had our fantastic dinner over at his place (the food was fantastic... and not to mention... very very filling since everything was in... umm... how do I put this... AMERICAN SIZE portion!). Review on the food coming soon.

Anyways, as we were having our dinner and while my hubby was busy playing with his brand new toy, (wondering what is his new toy? Check out this post...) and I was too engrossed watching Basil's Africa vacation video... Basil suddenly came over and tapped my hubby's shoulder and asked him if he knew who was the person sitting on the bar stool across the table. My hubby, still blur from all the pressure from the competition he participated earlier that day... asked "Who's that?" Little did he realized that sitting across the table was his idol... James Baum.

My hubby and his idol... James Baum...

My hubby started jumping in excitement when Basil told him that he was the person my hubby was rooting for in the ASTRO Music Video Challenge. My hubby was going all googoogaga over his idol in a matter of seconds (well... at least that cheered him up after that dreadful competition that morning). He bought his album on the spot, got it autographed personally from James and took a number of photographs with him as well.

Being a local artist and celebrity... I can guess why my hubby couldn't recognize him in the first place. He doesn't give the 'aura' like he was a celebrity... no "loud" dressing like others. In fact, his clothes were quite laid back and casual. He was very friendly and humble as well... ^^

From left to right... Basil (in black shirt)... James Baum (Da' Man)... and my hubby (trying to act funny like a joker)... do you notice they are standing in a way that resembles the Petronas Twin Tower? >.<"

When we got back to Penang the next day, I popped the CD into our computer and listened to his music. Not bad... if you listen to him the first time... you would never ever thought that he was a local artist... until you meet him in person. His voice is... simply... mesmerizing.

Among all his tracks in the CD... I really like the song 'Soldier'... here's the lyrics I found on youtube.

Besides the song 'Soldier', there's quite a number of nice tracks in his album. I believe quite a number of the songs were played on air by our local radios. Want to know more? Try to find his song @ youtube or go to the nearest CD shop and grab a copy of his album and you can listen to it all day and night... or you can follow him on Twitter (@james_baum).

Peace Out ~~

mY huBBy's nEw toY... soNy xPeriA plaY...

2011-09-20T13:05:00.001+08:00

About one month ago, there was a competition by Sony Ericsson to win RM100,000.00, which the qualifiers was held at four different venues to look for a state representative to fight for the grand prize money of RM100,000.00 and a brand spanking new phone.

Being a gaming freak and since he needed a new phone (his K750i is starting to fail him after so many years)... he went ahead to try to win the phone during the qualifiers in Gurney Plaza, Penang. He managed to get his hand on the prize on the second day of the qualifiers... true enough, he was jumping for joy when he got the good news from the event organizers.

Of course... all his winning is all thanks to his lucky charm... a teddy bear... which hid in his bag during the qualifiers... the little furball's name is... TEDDY.

Originally, he went to collect his prize immediately when he got the call... but due to the event organizers had to call it a day... he was 'force' to wait to collect his new spanking handphone the next day.

Cool phone... with a cool docking for charging purposes...

With this winning... he is automatically qualifies for the semi-final which was held in Sungai Wang, Kuala Lumpur. Of course... by the time this post came out... the competition already ended... and the results wasn't so nice.

Why? Well... first of all... thanks to all the technical problems occured and also some very serious lagging problem (with cars jumping and warping all over the place... only experience player would have notice it). Secondly... lousy event organizers. Honestly, I don't think they know what they are doing... and I think that they don't even know how to structure the competition properly.

Asphalt 6... the game used throughout the competition... and you use a MINI COOPER to race... WTF! But still... it is still a very cool phone... and TEDDY had to pose with it. (",)

Anyway... at least he got a brand new phone for free. To top it off... it was a PlayStation certified phone, which he has been going bonkers all about it when it was annouced. Well, he got a brand new phone and he need not to pay for it... again.

Peace Out ~~

e3 2011... exCeeDinG imAgiNatiOn...

2011-06-12T14:14:00.000+08:00

As the janitors clean up the empty walkways of the E3 2011 at Los Angeles Convention Centre... the amount of annoucements made by game developers and game publishers throughout the 3 day convention... was enough to send me on a 'brain-wrecking-budget-planning' for the next coming 6 months.

Why? Take a deep breath and look at the first console on my wish list... and you'll know why...

First stop was the Nintendo Wii U... and if you just watched the announcement trailer for this cool and awesome console... I bet that you would want it as well. With the announcement of Nintendo Wii U... I bet there will be no more overweight or obese gamers in the near future... I mean in 2012. Nintendo has just revolutionized the whole gaming industry... again.

Next stop was the Sony Convention... with the recent PSN outage worldwide... I guess it is only appropriate for Sony to announce their next game console... PSVita.

This is ONE KICKASS handheld I've ever seen! Not that dual touch screen was anything new (remember Nintendo DS?)... but the graphic just made my jaw dropped. Not only that... the price is even cheaper than an iPad 2! It comes with WiFi model (which was going to be priced around $249.99) while the 3G + WiFi model (priced at $299.99... I hope I got it right). After much calculation (the conversion and such)... it is still going to be a lot more cheaper than the PlayStation 3!

Both of this console will be on sale around end of 2011 and 2012 (but since Sony announce that the PSVita will be out during the holiday season... OMG... there goes my bonus~~). Even though the Nintendo Wii U will be only out on 2012...nevertheless... I WILL get my hands on both of them!

Frankly speaking... I love Nintendo and Sony... but I do hate them as well. What can I say... I'm thankful for their efforts but at the same time... but my hard earn blood sweat and tears doesn't.

Well... there's a price for everything in the world...

Peace Out ~~

1001 viDEo gaMes yoU musT pLay beForE yoU diE...

2011-06-04T00:07:00.000+08:00

Remember seeing any of those '1001's books in bookstores? Recently... I think the makers of this book franchise decide to invade the gaming area... as I saw a book sitting comfortable on the shelves of a BORDES at Queensbay Mall. It was called '1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die'. Sound familiar? Yup... I normally see '1001 Movies You Must Watch Before You Die', '1001 Places You Must Visit Before You Die'... I bet there's more... just that I don't really pay attention to those books.

For a mere RM79.90... it was a steal! Since I can get tax rebates from buying books and magazine... why not grab this? Moreover... of all the '1001's book title... this is by far that... realistically can be achieve. Well... think about it... with the introduction of Sony's XPERIA PLAY and iPhone 4 all over the world... who are safe from playing games anymore? There's even a there is a game tournament for 'Angry Birds' and the category is the widest I have ever heard... from 9 years old kid to a 91 year old grandpa or grandma.

Additionally... this book is not all about games. This book shows the evolution of the gaming scene from the simple 'PONG' in the 1970's to the awesome graphics of 'Call of Duty : Modern Warfare 2'. Besides, it also gives you the insight on why the game is 'the one' that you should play... also they do not miss out the evolution of consoles.

Still think games can't unite people? Think again... those who are in denial that games are mindless, anti-social, blah blah blah... you would be more suitable living in the prehistoric era. No offense intended... but that is what the current generation is embracing now.

Peace Out ~~

keePinG a heaLthY boDy... anYwheRe... anYtiMe...

2011-05-29T13:25:00.000+08:00

Recently I bump into this rather interesting article on Yahoo news... it was about how Lady Gaga (and other celebrities as well...) keeping a healthy and fit body without having to starve themselves and despite their busy schedules. So I decide to dig more info on this as I think someone around me desperately needs this... the lower abdomen is getting bigger and bigger everyday... and he has me to blame for it (since most of the times I wasn't able to finish my food and he had to finish it... well, you can say he is my private rubbish bin... >.<").

The tips offered by this expert... namely Harley Pasternak... a former Canadian hockey player and an exercise scientist... was rather simple (and I think easy to follow too). From the look of the princples offered by him at his website... the 5-Factor is very easy to follow (and I think he would have no problem following it... since getting him to a gym for workout is such a drag).

1. Eat 5 Meals A Day
Well... I guess this is pretty easy for him to follow (not to mention me too!). His reasoning was also logical... never stay hungry as everyday we are on a constant move.

2. Every Meal Must Contain 5 Key Ingredients
OK... honestly... I don't even know what is all this about... but he says that all meals must at least contain protein, fiber, healthy carbs, healthy fat and sugar-free beverage. Hmm... this is a bit kind of hard to practice since I have no idea what kind of food give these things. Does nasi lemak counts?

3. Every Meal Takes 5 Minutes To Prepare
I don't have a single idea on what he is trying to say... but I guess it has something to do with the recipes offered everyday from his website once you've signed up for the newsletters. Since I've just signed up... let's just wait and see the recipes. (",)

4. Exercise 5 Times A Week For 25 Minutes
This would take a lot of effort to do... especially when you're talking to about a guy who can stick to his PlayStation 3 or desktop for half day... >.<"

5. Guilt Free For One Day
"Enjoy your favourite meal, guilt-free, for one day each week"... I guess this needs no explaination.

So I do hope that this will help to get his 'certain' part to flat down... hehehe... of course, this will not only include him... but me too.

Peace Out ~~

kaFe soYa soYa... chiLLed soYa puDDing...

2011-05-24T12:46:00.000+08:00

Kafe Soya Soya... this particular small but cozy F&B dessert-only-cafe caught my attention when I started working in Penang about 8 years ago. What attract me to it? It was due to the type of desserts they were selling... chilled soya pudding or some called it as 'tau foo far'. The difference is the chilled soya pudding comes with different flavours, flavoured ball pearls, freshly cut fruits and flavoured nata de coco... besides that, you can also choose the type of sugar you prefered to go together with your pudding.

Sounds interesting isn't it... I like the idea of serving the soya pudding in different flavours... they have original, cocoa, sweet corn, pandan, black sesame, carrot, almond and coffee flavoured soya pudding. Additionally, they also have 3 types of sugar to go with the soya pudding... namely... brown sugar (some Penangnites will refer this as black sugar), cane sugar (or rather known as white sugar) and jasmine tea sugar. With all these flavours... my favourite was Almond flavour soya pudding with jasmine tea sugar.

On the type of toppings that I normally choose... anything goes. They have 7 types of pearl ball flavour, 6 types of nata de coco flavour and you can choose either fruit toppings or ice cream toppings to go with your soya pudding! Mmmm...

Besides that... they have also expand their menu... and most of their new items... reminded me of my childhood favorite snacks. One of them is what we used to call "roti ice cream"...the one thing every child would look forward to when they heard the ringing sounds of the ice cream peddler's bell on a hot afternoon. If you are an 80's babies... and grew up in Malaysia... you should know how does it feel during those good old times.

Anyhow... the price for the serving of all these... not more than RM25.00. You can say that it is a bit pricey for something that you can easily get by the roadside or elsewhere... but to have so many flavour of soya pudding to choose from and additional toppings to go with your soya pudding... it does worth every penny you spend on this wonderful and delicious desserts.

Currently, this cafe is only available in Prangin Mall and you can find them at this address:-

Kafe Soya Soya
33-2-83, Prangin Mall,
Jalan Dr. Lim Chwee Leong,
10100 Penang.
Tel : 013-456 6780
email / facebook : kafe.soya.soya@gmail.com
blogspot : http://chilledsoya.blogspot.com

Peace Out ~~

mY pSp gaMe coLLectiOn...

2011-05-10T13:24:00.000+08:00

I bought my PSP last year (2009 and the post I did is here) and looking back at my spending spree on original PSP game (since my PSP only allows me to play with original game only... due to the firmware... >.<)... I got a shock of my life!

My PSP is barely 1 year old... and look at my game collection!

A total of 14 games! Besides that... I've just order another 2 games from Play-Asia.com! That brings to 16 games in total! Still... I'm still wondering should I buy 'The 3rd Birthday'... hmmm...

Don't ask me how much I've spent on all this... since all my games is imported straight from Hong Kong... I guess... if you calculate all the postage and courier charges... T_T~~

The best part about this... I've only finish playing one game out of the 14... God of War : Ghost of Sparta... the rest is starting to gathering dust. Why I only finish playing GoW? Well... its too 'fun' to even stop... especially when one is stress up from work... this is a very good game to release it. (",) Currently, I'm on the 4th cycle of the game for GoW... still unable to unlock all the cool stuffs in the game.

Now I can't wait to get my hands on the new game I've just ordered... its Patapon 3 and Patapon 2 (since I failed to buy when it was still in stock... T_T).

Yippee... now I have the motivation to finish Patapon 1 despite the language barrier (since its all in Chinese... and I can only understand 30% of the whole story... ARGH... but with some walk through... not so hard after all).

Peace Out ~~

mY neW toY... niNtenDo dSi xL...

2011-05-04T23:59:00.000+08:00

Recently... I strike first prize in 4D lottery... (",)

Nope... just joking. Actually... or rather 2 months ago... I receive my bonus payout for all the hard work last year. After giving some money to my parents... sending the rest into a very safe 'bank account'... clearing my credit cards bills... blah blah blah... not much was left after all those deductions here and there. But the amount left for me to spend is quite ok... and since I've been aiming at a game console... which is not more than RM1,000... I decided to get a Nintendo DSi X.L.

Additionally... I do not have a personal television set yet in my room... that is also one of the factor that lead me to just stick to handheld consoles. Besides... with my current DS Lite... the screen is so small that whenever I play any games like Pokemon Ranger... I keep knocking my stylus to the edge of the screen. My bf then suggest that I get a Nintendo DSi L.L or X.L.

After much fidgeting at the local game shop at Prangin Mall... I settled for Nintendo DSi X.L since the screen is bigger but more heavier than my current DS Lite. Well... I guess that bigger in size doesn't come in lighter form...

Since the game shop only have two colours available (black or blue)... I decided to go with the blue colour since my bf got his black Nintendo DS Lite.

Overall... the feel of the Nintendo DSi X.L... quite heavy at first... but after a few days... I got used to the weight of the DSi X.L (hmm... talking about weight lifting... >.<"). Nintendo also made improvement to the interface... the first thing I notice was the Start Button. The DS Lite was at the right side of the console... while DSi X.L was smack right in front of the left side of the bottom screen. It was better this way... since I have the tendency to accidentally push the Start Button whenever I start to feel a bit 'kan cheong' while playing some game titles (and most of the time... I manage to get a lot of cool game items and accidentally push the Start Button... which caused all my game progress to go POOF! ARGH! You can imagine all the frustration going through me).

Another thing I like about the DSi X.L is the matte feel at the bottom of the console... compared to the plastic feel on the DS Lite. Good... at least now I need not to worry about the DSi X.L 'running' away from my palms! (",)

I hope that I don't regret this purchase as the Nintendo 3DS (US Version) is about hitting our local game store soon. >.<"

Peace Out ~~

chaRliE broWn caFe...1sT iN maLaYsiA... 1sT iN pEnaNg...

2011-04-25T23:37:00.001+08:00

This concept of cafe was expose to me first by my bf when he went to Hong Kong for quite some time. Little did I expect that someone from Penang is actually daring enough to bring this concept here. Yup... we got the first Charlie Brown Cafe in Penang now. Thanks to some entrepreneurship by some local Penang people... the first outlet was opened quite a few weeks ago at Straits Quay.

Initially... I wasn't so tempted to go during the first few weeks of their opening until recently... but when I run out of choices for places to have my dinner... well... I guess I have to give in sometimes. Moreover, it was after much persuasion by my bf that I decided to go... since he went to the cafe with his friends the other day and kept saying good things about it... be it their food... their drinks... and the atmosphere.

Word of advice... do try out the cafe during the weekdays... but if you do not mind the waiting time... you can try it during the weekends... which is normally full with people... and some even complaints that their service is slow. But you can't expect anything from a newly in operation mode of F&B... these kind of hiccups DOES HAPPENED! Normally... I would give them 3 months cooling period to step up their food quality and service... if it took them more than 3 months... I can't say anything else... but good luck in surviving in the F&B scene in Penang.

I like how they dress up the whole wall... Snoopy and Friends all the way! (",)

But still... I went ahead to try out their food last Friday after work. As expected... not much people was at the outlet... they were serving a few tables only. I like the friendly staff at the ordering counter that day as she was helpful and know what to recommended to first time customers like me. The only down side... the credit card machine wasn't functioning as it was suppose to... so sad... I actually wanted to buy some of their merchandise! >.<"

Got our order based on her recommendations... we order a 'Charlie Seafood & Chips', "Mushroom Soup with Toast', 'Charlie & Friends' and an apple juice... all this cost us like RM60+/-... OUCH! Take a look at all the things that we ordered...

Charlie Seafood & Chips... that cost me like RM22.80... >.<"... quite filling actually...

So this is what they called 'Charlie & Friends'... hmm... nothing special actually... T_T

This is the 'Mushroom Soup with Toast'... I was prepared for it as the lady told it there won't be any toast just an oversize Crouton... T_T... so sad...

I guess that they still have a long way to go to improve their menu... but since all the menus needs to be scrutinized by the principal... I don't think that they have much of a choice but to follow. But the principal better come up with something fast... as first impression matters the most on your customers. If you leave a bad impression to your customers... it is very unlikely that they will come back no matter how unique your restaurants is (its kind of sad... but from the way I've been handling F&B tenants all this while... I can tell you that if you take your customers for granted on the first time... you are subjecting yourself to bad impression throughout the way)... and that's the fact.

Anyhow... let's do not side track on the topic... overall the whole atmosphere was nice and I like all the Snoopy and Friends themed in the cafe. Just pity that the cup and plates wasn't Snoopy and Friends themed... maybe they will change it later on. Food wise... wasn't so exceptional... but let's hope they got more things soon in their new menu... which will be unveiled on 01 May 2011.

Now that we have Charlie Brown Cafe... who is bringing my favorite 'Hello Kitty Cafe' next? Hmm...

Peace Out ~~