Who Goes To Genting?

What do you do to amuse yourself in the car on an outstation trip, especially if you're not the driver?  Some women I know are very helpful, volunteering their services as co-drivers, telling their husbands to brake, slow down, or go faster before the light changes to red. Some act as eyes for their blind husband, telling them there's a car on the left, stay on the centre of the lane, and so on.


Me, I'm not so helpful. I prefer to entertain myself by doing what I call a random survey of who the travellers are. Or to be more accurate, where the travellers are from. I take note of the registration plates, and categorise them into their respective states, eg., A is from Perak, J is from Johor, and so on.


My latest 'project' was counting the cars on my way out of the car park at Genting today, from Level B5 at First World Hotel (where we parked our car) to the exit of the car park at Level B9. I started doing that as there was a traffic jam inside the car park and I was bored.


So, who goes to Genting? Where are they from? Most of them are from KL, Selangor, Johor, Singapore, with a handful from Penang, Perak, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Melaka in that order and two from Kelantan. I was mostly surprised to find that 33% of the cars were from Johor with 8% from Singapore. I would have expected them to go to Resorts World Sentosa or Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, instead of driving 5 hours or so to Genting Highlands. 


Hmmm.....I'd love to find out more about their demographic profile.....yeah, I'm quite nosy.  :)

African Singer Sings in Cantonese and Hokkien in Genting

If you've never heard an African sing in Chinese, Cantonese or Hokkien, don't worry, you're not alone. Neither have I, until two days ago. Tony, our buddy who's a weekly Genting visitor, has been telling us about an African singer who can sing in Chinese, Cantonese and Hokkien beautifully, with perfect pronunciation. 


Last Sunday, we had a chance to witness this 'phenomena'. Phenomenal because it's not usual to come across an African who sings in Chinese language or dialects, and he could do both.

Phillip is an African who has lived in Hong Kong for the past twenty-five years. He is married to a Chinese, and has a 3-year-old boy. I would describe him as a very entertaining performer. He likes to interact with the crowd by getting off the stage and going onto the floor. He even remembered Tony, telling him in Cantonese "wa yin tak le" (I recognise you). Tony, if you're reading this, I'm not sure if it's a compliment to be recognised as a weekly Genting visitor....LOL. 


So, if you haven't seen Phillip in action yet, do drop by at Genting before May 9, 2010. His shows are at:
- Celebrity Lounge (the stage at Hollywood): 5:45pm and 10:30pm
- International Room (for silver card members): 6:45pm 
- Starworld (at First World Hotel): 7:45pm
(Daily performances except Tuesdays)


He will be flying back to Hong Kong on May 9, and won't be coming back, so don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, brought to you courtesy of Genting.....the show is FREE, in case you don't know how to read between the lines!  :)


Here's a little 'snippet' to show how the audience in Genting appreciates Phillip's rendition.....even the show manager is not immune.......  


Many thanks to the show manager who very kindly allowed me to record & photograph the show, and gave me the additional info on Phillip.

Lastly, I'll be back in Genting on Friday, on the Labour Day Eve, to watch Phillip and the fireworks display. While playing Three Picture, I was dealt with just that.....3 picture cards. I didn't even know that I had got a free room until a very kind player next to me told me that. Neither the croupier nor the floor supervisor (not sure what his official title is) observing the game told me that I was entitled to a room, nor was there any notice displayed to that effect. Had that fellow player not told me, I would not have known. 

Zhang Ti @ Genting

The Arena of Stars, Genting, is one of the most happening place that I know of. They hold more concert events per month than any other place that I know.

It was only a day before that hubby and I went to the Michael Learns To Rock concert in Genting, and the very next day, we went up again, this time bringing my mum along for the Zhang Ti concert.

My mum idolises Zhang Ti and she kept talking about Zhang Ti throughout the journey. According to her, Zhang Ti started coming to Penang to perform way back in the late 1960s, and she and her late sister-in-law (my Ah Kim) would go to his concerts.

Despite being in his 60s, age hasn't slowed him down one bit. His voice is rich & powerful, resonating across the fully-packed arena. I found myself asking my mum disbelievingly throughout the show if he was always this spontaneously hilarious. It's hard to believe someone could so spontaneously fit words into tunes. He's a singing stand-up comedian!!

Apparently he is lengendary for answering questions posed by the audience with songs or making up songs on topics selected by the audience on the spot with his unique brand of risque humour. And his rapport with the audience is amazing.

There was good-natured ribbing all round, with some really outrageous topics/questions selected by the cheeky audience, such as:

1) Zhang Ti, please sing a hairy song (this is one of the funniest & probably naughtiest)
2) Zhang Ti, one minus one equals two
3) Zhang Ti, how many fathers do you have
4) Zhang Ti, please sing a mute song (another extremely hilarious performance)
5) Zhang Ti, please sing a Japanese song

Except for a couple, the requests were accompanied with money, mostly RM50 to RM100, although one man gave him as much as RM500, and another gave him a RM5 Genting's casino coin. The latter has probably lost all his money at the casino, and that's all he had left. :)

And....Genting might not be over the moon to hear this, but the RM5 casino token was worthless....Zhang Ti sang two sentences, broke off abruptly, and said, to the roars of approval from the crowd, "I've earned my money. That's all you're getting for a RM5 casino coin." :D

Below is a video of the Japanese song request. My apologies for the shakes in the camera....I was laughing so hard that I couldn't keep my camera steady. Pay attention to the "Japanese" in the words....

Enjoy...........

Michael Learns To Rock @ Genting

Quick note: This is the only photo I could upload successfully. There appears to be some problems with the server, and all other photos and videos were not uploaded successfully, despite my having tried to do so for the past three days.


Michael Learns To Rock, the band that PAS Youth tried to ban from coming to Malaysia, the concert that Nasrudin termed as "a festival of sin" finally took place last Saturday night at The Arena of Stars, Genting. And they brought a lady with them, someone called Randi (not sure of the spelling) who played the bass guitar.

I wish I could upload some of the videos I took, especially the new songs from the album Eternity, and their one and only rock song, to quote Jascha Richter. And boy, I say this in all sincerity, Michael Has Finally Learned To Rock. If you were there, and saw a lady who couldn't sit still but kept moving to the beat of the music, that was me.

At one point, I think it was the song 25 Minutes, while Jascha Richter & Mikkel Lentz left the stage and worked the crowd, the audience lost it and mixed the song up with All Out of Love by Air Supply. The crowd was happily singing "All out of love, I'm so lost without you....." until Jascha ran back to the stage and got the crowd back to the right note. Talk about being confused. Or maybe the fault is not theirs, for Air Supply will be in Genting on 4 October 2009.

And......remember the song Take Me To Your Heart? The one which sounds like one of Jacky Cheung's songs? According to Jascha Richter, he was riding in a cab in Shanghai when he heard this song being played on the radio. He didn't understand a word, but he loved the music. And so, he wrote his own lyrics for it.

Since I am unable to upload the video I took, I'll post their studio recording I found on Youtube. It's a very beautiful piece of music, with an equally beautiful lyrics (they did a better job than Jacky Cheung).


One thing I must say about Michael Learns To Rock is that they are very obliging. When they came back for the encore, they performed quite a few songs, instead of just one or two. A truly amazing performance.

On a different note, driving back at night from Genting has always been very life-challenging. I hope the management would do something about the exit from the 9th floor of Genting Highlands car park (the one adjoining the Genting casino). It is extremely foggy at night, and if one does not know that there is a divider in the middle, one would have driven into it.

And it doesn't get better after this exit. The road leading down to the main road is curved and with visibility reduced to just the front end of your car, you won't even know what hit you. I remember my school in London would close when it got that foggy.

So, to the management of Genting, it would mean a lot to your regular customers if you could install some reflectors or tiger-eyes to aid the motorists when the fog descends on the mountain. Thank you. :)

Related post:
Michael Learns To Rock in Malaysia Again

Michael Learns To Rock in Malaysia Again

Calling all Michael Learns To Rock fans!!! They're here again....and....AFTER twenty-one years, they're STILL LEARNING how to rock at Genting Highlands on 5th September 2009. :)

For the benefit of those younger than me (ahem!), Michael Learns To Rock was formed as a cafe-band in 1987 by a group of high school Danish students, Jasca Richter, Kare Wanscher and Mikkel Lentz.

A year later, Soren Madsen joined the group and they entered the city's annual talent show. The group won and they suddenly found that they had to stick with their hastily formed name, even 21 years later.

They tried changing it to MLTR, but later switched back to the original name. Maybe, just maybe, if they had consulted me, and renamed themselves Michael Has Learned to Rock instead of MLTR, it might have met with better success?? :)

Anyway, Soren Madsen left the group in 2000, and the trio decided to continue without him.

So, what are you waiting for? All Michael Learns To Rock concerts are a sell-out, so get out of your seat now and get your tickets at any Axcess outlets or book them online from Genting's Online & Reservation & E-Ticketing.

See you there.......thanks to Genting. :) :) :)

25 minutes


That's Why You Go Away

Liu San Jie at Genting

Last Sunday we went up to Genting for the much awaited musical, Liu San Jie. The pair of tickets were complimentary from Genting.

The last time I was there for a concert from my mum's era (Catch Ling Po at Genting), the crowd was mainly from her age group, men and women of 60 years old and above. I expected it to be the same for the Liu San Jie musical.

True enough, at 7:15pm, the crowd started waddling in, oops, I mean, walking in. :) Some were my mum's age while others were older. However, this time round, I can't lay claim to being the youngest audience as there was a handful of guys and gals in their twenties.

By 8:15pm, except for some late-comers, nearly all the seats at the Arena of Stars were filled. Our former Health Minister Dato' Chua Jui Meng, one of the VVIP (Very, Very Idle People??), was there, too.

I must say the performers, especially the lead singer who played the protaganist Liu San Jie, were good. They put up a contemporary show, combining the old folk story with some modern dance movements.

In fact, I would go so far as to say that the lead singer is better than the actress that played the same role in the 1961 movie. She has a better voice than the 1961 actress who was a bit shrill. And she is definitely far better looking, too. Quite an eye-candy for the old men there. :)

It is no wonder that all the tickets were sold out and Genting had to extend the performance to one more night, on Tuesday, due to demand.

My only "complaints" are that the stage setup was not more elaborate, and that the part of the match-maker sent by the tyrant, Mo Huairen, was a bit dragged out. I found the match-maker's performance a little draggy and exaggerated.

But all in all, a most enjoyable performance. Thanks for the complimentary tickets, Genting. :)

The arrival of the audience

The audience

Some late-comers

The curtain call

Related post:

Spot Check at Uncle Lim's

Spot Check at Uncle Lim's

"Darling, do you wanna conduct a spot check on Uncle Lim's today?" hubby asked at around 3pm yesterday. "Sure, darling."

I remember when my mum came to live with us five years ago, when she heard this question for the first time, she was puzzled. "Huh? Who is Uncle Lim?" We don't have any relatives with the surname Lim, not by a long stretch, so she had no idea who or what on earth we were talking about.

"Uncle Lim is our nickname for Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, mum." "Why do you need to conduct a spot check on him?", mum was curious. "Not on him, mum. Spot check on his staff to make sure they are working hard and earning their keep." By then mum was confused. "What has it got to do with you guys whether his staff is hard working or not?" "Because we are going to contribute to his coffers. Well, either that or we're going to take some small loose change from him." :-)

Five years on, and mum knew yesterday that she won't be seeing us for the next few hours when she heard that question yesterday. Although the original Uncle Lim has passed on to eternal peace, this "honorary title" has sinced passed to his son, Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay.

One of the attractions for me in Genting is their Be A Star Karaoke. The dinner or lunch package is very reasonable (RM15++ and RM13++ respectively). It includes 2 hours' karaoke session in a private room, tidbits and dinner and soft drinks. Well, the food quality is not something to shout about, but we're not there for the food, are we? ;-)

While we were in the casino, one of their staff approached us with their Genting Worldcard Rooms Fair promotion. You "buy" one night and get one night free. Without a second's hesitation, hubby, using his Genting Worldcard, booked 2 nights' stay at Resorts Hotel for only 9 GP.

So, looks like this year, we celebrated my birthday in Genting, and we'll be celebrating hubby's birthday AND our 7th anniversary in Genting. I wonder if Uncle Lim would like to throw in a complimentary romantic candle-light dinner for us?? Lol... :-)

On a different note, I have been given two tickets to The Fairy Singer - Liu San Jie The Musical, compliments from Genting. (Thanks, Genting!!) My mum grew up around Huangmei Deow and San Ker musical movies and this performance, based on a Chinese musical movie in 1961, will be a special treat for her.

The story is about a lady called Liu San Jie who was well known for her great singing voice. She would always sing when she worked in the fields. Her songs were about the local landlords who repressed them with over-taxation. I understood from my late grandfather that at one point in Malaysian history, Liu San Jie's music was banned in this country. It seems that for some reason, the government at that time equated the Liu San Jie music with communism.

Anyway, I took the liberty to record the promotional video clip outside the Be A Star Karaoke to whet my mum's appetite. I hope Uncle Lim will not sue me for recording this. :-)

On our way home, we met with a 2km long traffic jam. Yeah, it's a sign that the holiday is over and people are rushing back to KL to work the next morning.

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What A Magical Holiday.....Thanks to Genting

48,000 Cars Went Up Genting In Two Days

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Up In The Clouds And RM600 Richer

What A Magical Holiday....Thanks to Genting

Being a member of Genting World Card gives you certain benefits such as a special invite on your birthday. And in addition to their Happy Birthday special invitations, members also stand a chance of being randomly picked to be invited to a night's stay at one of Genting's hotels plus a magical show.

So, if you're not a Genting World Card member yet, hurry up to the mountains and apply for one. Membership is FREE and it's for life.

Now, what got me so happy was that this year, hubby got a random invite at the same time as I got my Happy Birthday special invite. Combined, we got two nights' stay at Genting!! An excellent way to spend one's birthday, don't you think?

Included in the birthday invite was:-

1) One night's stay at Resort Hotel, deluxe room.

2) A ticket for two to Dreamz show --- we got upgraded to PS1 tickets, which put us very close to the stage. Yay! :)

3) A complimentary dinner for two at Be A Star Karaoke that included 2 hours' free karaoke session. We had a great time shouting and screaming to Linkin Park, Bon Jovi, Guns N Roses, Queen & Beyonce, albeit off-pitch (and off-timing, too). Lol.

We've seen previous seasons of Dreamz, and while the last one was more stylistic, this new season offered some interesting delights. It's worth checking out, especially the globe that has 5 motor riders inside. I kept expecting them to crash into each other as they literally flew from one side of the globe over another rider to land on the other side.

After the show, we stayed back for a photography session with the white tiger. We were last in line, and by the time our turn came, the tiger was getting irritated and a llittle bit unco-operative. It growled and kept rising up from the floor.

After asking permission from the tiger's handlers, we stroked it trying to pacify it, but that only made it more irritated. Hmm....I wonder why Whitey the tiger (its name is Yubuz or something that sounded like that) didn't like being stroked while its cousin, Blackie the cat could be pacified with strokes.

Anyway, the photographers had to take a quick shot as the tiger rose from its position, resulting in a less than sharp picture of the tiger.

As for Resort Hotel, I think it could do well to include a sign in Chinese in the lift. When we stepped inside a lift, we found that the guests there were standing around asking each other if the lift is spoilt. The lift doors didn't close and they couldn't activate the floor buttons.

What they didn't know was that they had to insert their card key into the slot below the floor buttons to activate the lift. There was a sign in English just below the card slot, but I guess they either can't read or had never used a card-accessed lift before.

The room we stayed in

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Spot Check At Uncle Lim's

Up In The Clouds & RM600 Richer

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48,000 Cars Went Up To Genting in Two Days

48,000 Cars Went Up Genting In Two Days

Yesterday, we set off to Genting and found that quite a few people in KL had the same idea. We were caught in a massive stand-still traffic jam and had no choice but to park along the side of the road halfway up the hill and walked the rest of the 2 km or so.

The police told us that there were 23,000 cars that went up to Genting on Thursday and 25,000 yesterday, before they closed off the access.

We were relieved when we finally saw Pangsapuri Ria....less than one kilometer away!

The usual "boatman" is dressed in a Chinese costume

Blackie the CAT: Aiyoh! I could have told you humans that it's better to stay home like I did during Chinese New Year. Tsk-tsk

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Slot Machine Tips

Ever since winning RM600 at the slot machines in Genting, I've been intrigued by how they work. Is there a way to beat the system? With that thought, I decided to do some research on slot machines and see if I could beat the machines at their own game. Yeah, yeah, I am always looking for ways to beat the system.

After an hour's crash course, I am now in a position to advise on how to increase your chances of winning at the slot machines (gasp!).

1. Money management - Don't play with money you can't afford to lose. Set a loss limit before you enter a casino. Discipline yourself and stop playing once you've reached that pre-determined limit.

2. Know the payout table - Read the pay table on the machine first. Choose a machine that offers the most winnings for the lower and medium symbol combos, because these are the ones you will be hitting most often, which consequently will keep you playing longer. Do not play a slot machine simply it has a high maximum payout because your chances of winning the maximum payout are a lot lower than winning smaller payouts.

3. Hit and run - The longer you stay at any slot machine, the greater the odds against you. The casino’s built-in mathematical advantage takes effect, which is, the longer a gambler plays, the more likely the house will win. So, do not be greedy. Quit when you're ahead.

Now you're ready to have fun! Did you guys seriously think there is a way to beat the slot machines??!! Lol... :-)

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What A Magical Holiday....Thanks To Genting

48,000 Cars Went Up To Genting In Two Days

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Up In The Clouds & RM600 Richer

Up In The Clouds and RM600 Richer

It's been three days since I last posted here. I've been real busy......resting and relaxing....haha, what did you expect??

The past weekend was significant not only for Malaysia but for me and my hubby. While Malaysia celebrated its 51st birthday on 31st August 2008, my hubby celebrated his birthday and our anniversary on 2nd September.

Usually, we would take a 3 days 2 nights trip to the beach where we could sunbathe and watch the sunset, like this......
But this year, a friend took us to Genting. He is a Genting Silver Card member which gives him access into the International Room, where the stakes are higher. Since we've never been inside the International Room where all the 'movers and shakers' are, we accepted his invitation to be his guests.

There, in the International Room, we decided to play the slot machines instead of sitting at the tables where everyone was betting a few thousand ringgit per bet (we are risk averse). We were prepared to lose only RM50 at the slot machines as 'entertainment fee'. Imagine our surprise when we won a total of RM600 for just sitting around and punching buttons.

And our friend walked away RM800 richer, too. He was so delighted he bought us supper that night. Hmmm.....not a bad way to spend our anniversary. Thanks, TC, for taking us there and giving us a great time!

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What A Magical Holiday.....Thanks To Genting

Spot Check At Uncle Lim's