Fast & Furious 4 is ON April 2

 

Vin Diesel and Paul Walker reteam for the ultimate chapter of the franchise built on speed. 

Ok, Nuffnang, hand over the tickets to the Premiere Screening NOW!!  :)

You Can Make A Difference

It took a post from Sillylupie to make me realise that I can make a difference to the numbers of abandoned or stray cats by vouching and recommending for pet shops that have a heart. 

And you can make a difference, too, by only buying from these pet shops. And shun those petshops that buy and sell pets, especially pets without certificates, because:

1)their pets are housed in very dirty and unhygienic condition 

2)you would be supporting the irresponsible backyard breeders and kitten or puppy mills

One pet shop that I know and support is none other than Home Pet Food & Care. Although Jimmy, the owner, is a Maine Coon breeder, he does not sell any pets in his pet shop. He is a VERY RESPONSIBLE and SELECTIVE breeder, and will only sell his cats to you if he knows you, or if he's comfortable with you.  That is why you could never buy his cats from his pet shop.

But most of all, Jimmy rescues strays off the streets of Sri Petaling, and house them in his shop. He feeds them with Royal Canin, a super premium cat food, as well as multi-vitamins and immunity boosters if the cat's condition calls for it. He gives them the best care & attention that he can until permanent, loving homes are found for them. And he is very thorough in questioning you to make sure you are genuine before he gives away the rescue cats.

I have personally seen with my own eyes how he fed the booster and multi-vitamin gel into a 6-month-old kitten that he had rescued. He had taken this kitten to be spayed as its heat cycle was very frequent. After the procedure, the kitten did not eat for 2 days, despite their attempt to tempt it with various canned food. I was so touched to see how he was so concerned about the cat.

So, please support Home Pet Food & Care because their profits goes towards helping the strays. Thank you.

Their address is:

No. 41, Jalan 1/149J

Bandar Baru Seri Petaling

57000 Kuala Lumpur

Tel No. 03 - 9059 3191/3192

N.B. This is not an advert, nor am I receiving any payment in kind for posting this.

Police, Robbers, What Is The Difference?

Yesterday morning I went to the flea market at Amcorp Mall again. I had ordered a daun limau purut plant from Danny, the plant guy, and he said I could pick it up that day.

There, Danny told me that he was stopped at a roadblock that morning, and relieved of over RM100 by the police. He said he was taking his driver's license out when the police saw his money inside his wallet and asked that he handed over his wallet. The police then removed all the money inside before returning the wallet to him.

Danny asked the police what he's going to do if he needs to buy petrol on the way. The police ignored his question and just waved him away, saying "pergi, pergi".

This is outrageous. Isn't the police supposed to protect the civilians? Instead, the police is robbing from the very people they were sworn to protect. Who is going to protect us from the police then?

How Bad is the Economic Situation Out There?

It is definitely very bad !

In fact it is getting from bad to worse.

Just see the sign below:

Ironmaine The "Golden Retriever" Cat

We all know about Golden Retrievers and Labradors as retreiver dogs. Dogs that retrieve and fetch. Yesterday, I had a chance to witness with my own eyes a cat that retrieves. It likes to play fetch with its owners.

Presenting the "Golden Retriever" Cat, Ironman (but spelled as Ironmaine), the 6 months old Maine Coon kitten that belongs to Jimmy of Felis Wonder Cattery.

You can hear my naughty friend's voice in the background telling Ironmaine to take my bag and all the money in it.  :)

Ironmaine relaxing in his nursery after a tiring game with us

The sire: GC, DW Nascat Super Charged 

a.k.a. Charger of Felis Wonder Cattery

photo credit: Felis Wondery Gallery & PKL Photography

Jimmy, thanks for the great time E.Jin and I had there.  ;)

Pasar Kutu & Homemade Soaps

Pasar kutu??? Yes, pasar kutu, or....as I have literally translated from English......flea market. 

Well, actually, a flea market is called pasar lambak in Malay (at least, I think so), but I really think it's more fun to call it pasar kutu, as in, a market of fleas. hahahaha!!!

Anyway.....yesterday, hubby and I popped by the flea market at Amcorp Mall. The flea market operates from 10am to 6pm, Saturdays & Sundays. A table rental is RM30 on Saturdays, and RM50 on Sundays. 

Although the flea market has been around for years, this is only our second visit there. Most of the vendors are retired people selling antiques, stamp collections, old black & white photos, collectibles like coal irons, records, record players and even magazines dating from 1960. And some items that are so antique that I couldn't quite figure out what. 

There was a table that sold homemade soaps, which the vendor claimed he made them himself. Now, that really got me interested, as I love homemade soaps made from natural ingredients. 

But at the same time, I was puzzled, as from what I understood, lye, a basic ingredient in soaps, is not available to the individual. Only large organisations like Palmolive could buy it as lye falls under the poison or hazardous category. So, how did the vendor make his soap? Did he import lye from Indonesia?

His answer was no. In fact, he had never heard of lye, even after I spelled it out for him. He said he did not use lye, and does not know what lye is. So, how? To satisfy my curiosity, we bought a scrub bar that he claims is what people use to make their skin fair. Hubby wanted to look as fair as me, so he was sold immediately. :))

This is the soap we bought. It's RM5, and the vendor said it could last 3 weeks, used on a daily basis. The ingredients are: curcuma aromatica extract, rhinacantus nasutus extract, palm kenelate, perfume (essential oil), glycerin & water. 

Hmmm.......no lye. The ingredients don't mean a thing to me. Hope my cousin, the soap-making expert, could help me understand the ingredients better.

I also bought a pot of plant for my mum. Blackie my cat & master had chewed my mum's precious plant until it is all gone, and my mum had been moaning the fact that it's not available anywhere in KL, not even in the nurseries in Sungai Buloh. She was beginning to think she would have to make a trip to Penang to procure this plant.

It costs only RM5, and the vendor said he grew it himself in his own garden. It is an indoor plant and must not come into contact with sunlight. Hope Blackie will leave this plant alone. So far, he hasn't noticed it yet. :))

Plasma TV Just Got Bigger!!!!

Yesterday, while scouring around an electrical shop at 1-Utama, we came across Malaysia's largest plasma TV.....103"!!!! And the price? A whopping RM220,000!!!

But the picture quality is not as sharp as the 50" plasma TV yet. It will take some time before the technology catches up, I think. 

Wish I can afford such a TV, but then, I'll probably have to upgrade to a larger house to accomodate such a huge TV....hahahah!!!

The 103" TV made the 50" look like dwarves

A zoomed in view of the price tag

Only RM3 For A Valentine Movie

This Valentine, we decided to do something different. Instead of the usual Valentine dinner that we opt for every year, we set out for a quick & simple dinner followed by a movie.

We hadn't quite made up our mind as to what to watch yet when we arrived at Star cinema in Kepong, and was pleasantly surprised to find that there was a Valentine promotion.

It's Lovers' Special - Share a movie at only RM3 per ticket, and the movies for this promotion are Wall-E and Mamma Mia. Although Wall-E was screened in the cinemas last August, we missed it as hubby wasn't too keen on watching a lovestruck robot chasing his paramour across the galaxy. 

But since Saturday was Valentine, and love is in the air, as Lupie said, it was the right time to get hubby to be mushy and catch Wall-E.

And hubby's verdict after the end of it? He enjoyed it! Yay!  :))

Synopsis: What if mankind had to leave Earth, and somebody forgot to turn the last robot off? After hundreds of lonely years of doing what he was built for, WALL*E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets a sleek search robot named EVE. EVE comes to realize that WALL*E has inadvertently stumbled upon the key to the planet's future, and races back to space to report her findings to the humans (who have been eagerly awaiting word that it is safe to return home). Meanwhile, WALL*E chases EVE across the galaxy and sets an adventure into motion. Joining WALL*E on his journey across the universe is a cast of characters including a pet cockroach and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.

Extracted from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0910970/synopsis

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

To my darling hubby, cousins & dear friends:

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!!! 

MAY YOUR LIFE BE FILLED WITH 

LOVE & HAPPINESS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR.

Curry Prawns

Yup, I cooked that. I wanted to cook it during Chinese New Year, but the prawns were being sold at RM45 per kati. Mind you, not kg, but kati. 

So now that the prawns are back to their regular price, I can enjoy my curry prawns again. This recipe was passed down from my grandmother to my mother, and now to me, and as you know, in grandmothers' days, it was a bit of this, a pinch of that.....yup, no measurements used.  :)

The ingredients are simple: lots of fresh and dry chilli, some onions, garlic, lots of shallots, lemongrass & belacan (ground together), gingerbud flower, daun kesom & assam. 

We like it real spicy, so the proportion of chilli was very much higher than the rest of the ingredients. Oh yeah, not forgetting the prawns and ladies' fingers a.k.a okra.

Weinbrenner Shoes Is Great!

Hubby came home from Bukit Merah last night with glowing reports on the Weinbrenner shoes he bought a week ago (*). He said walking down the steep, slippery jungle trail is now as easy as ABC. He said the shoes just "stuck" to the ground and refused to let him slide. Well, the soles were like sports car tyres, so we would have been disappointed if the traction is not good.

His only "complaint" was that his employer gave them too much food to eat.  He said there were 6 meals a day, and the spread was large and extensive, with crabs, prawns, fish, lamb, and all other fattening stuff. He weighed himself and found that he has put on 2kg in the 3 days he was there! Now you know why he "complained", he was concerned about his weight.  :)

(*)related post: http://blackie007.blogspot.com/2009/02/what-does-1-utama-shopping-mall-and.html

What Does 1-Utama Shopping Mall And A Virgin Forest Have In Common?

Nothing really. Except that last Sunday we needed to get a pair of outdoors shoes with a good grip.And 1-Utama has it.

Hubby's employer, for some reason, likes to put his staff through some tough survival activities in his jungle resorts once every few months. 

On the last trip in Belum, hubby slipped and nearly fell to his death. It was pitch dark, and they had to go into the jungle without any lights so as not to disturb nature. He couldn't see where the land slips down and with his existing shoes being worn out, he couldn't get a good grip on the earth bed when the land "disappeared".

Since he has to go to Bukit Merah (again!) tomorrow, for a 3 days 2 nights trip, we decided it's better for him to buy a new pair of shoes.

Hubby's new shoes

A good grip. We tested it at the shop.

Chinese New Year deco at 1-Utama

Sitting around a fire in a shopping mall? (zoomed in view)

No, it was just a red silk cloth (zoomed out view)

By the way, I bought Blackie the CAT this collar & leash at Pet Safari, Ikano 2 weeks ago for Chinese new year - it's good to wear red for the new year, even for cats.  :)

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

Related posts:

Up In The Clouds & RM600 Richer

Slot Machine Tips

What A Magical Holiday....Thanks To Genting

Spot Check At Uncle Lim's

Gong Xi Fa Chai!!!

Blackie the Cat and his human slave wish everyone Gong Xi Fa Chai!!!

Please click "Play" below for Chinese New Year fireworks.

And since this is the year of the ox, let's mark our respect for them.......

Blackie the CAT: Are we done yet? I'd like to sleep now.

ZZZZzzzzz

Obama Retook the Oath of Office

It loooked like there was another word that was mis-spoken. Chief Justice John Roberts used the word "to" instead of "of, besides the wrong placement of the word "faithfuly".

According to the Consitution, Obama became the 44th President of the United States at noon on 20 January regardless of whether the oath was taken or not. 

However, to dispel any confusion or future court cases, and questions that Obama might not be a President legally, Barrack Obama retook the Oath of Office in the white house yesterday.

Just to recap the oath that took place on Tuesday:

Justice Roberts: .........that I will execute the office of President to the United States faithfully....

Obama: .......that I will execute......(pause, realizing the mistake and probably deciding whether to follow)

Justice Roberts (simulatenously with Obama): ....the off....faithfully the pres......the office of the President of the United States....

Obama (simultaneously with Justice Roberts): ....the office of President of the United States faithfully....

This must be the blooper of the year.  :)

Blackie Welcomes America's First Black President

Despite the late hour and hubby having to go to work this morning, we stayed up to watch the inauguration of Barrack Hussein Obama as the 44th President of the United States. 

 

Millions of people braved the cold and turned up to cheer him and to celebrate the occassion, and as the time drew near for the swearing-in, I could feel the excitement and anticipation building as chants of "O-ba-ma....O-ba-ma" rang out. 

And then, the moment to take the Oath of Office arrived. Looking suave and handsome in a black suit, white shirt and red tie, the President-elect stood up, raised one hand, and placed his other hand on the red bible that was used to swear in President Abraham Lincoln in 1861. I was surprised to note that the bible was still in pristine condition. I guessed it was kept in a museum until yesterday? :)

During the Oath of Office, there were some "oops" as the President-elect and Supreme Court Justice John Roberts talked on top of each other, got their words fumbled and there were a couple of awkward pauses.

Justice Roberts said, "I, Barrack Hussein Obama, do solemly swear (pause) that I will execute the office of the President of the United States faithfully."

The Oath is supposed to be, "I, Barrack Hussein Obama, do solemly swear that I will faithfully execute the office of the President of the United States."

The President-elect followed Roberts for a few words before realizing that the word "faithfully" was in the wrong place. Cool as a cucumber, he stopped (but you could see he was restraining himself from laughing) and nodded in a regal way, like as if saying "try again". After that, he tried to say the words ahead of Justice Roberts to get him back on track. 

But what really got me cheering loudly, and forgetting that I'm not an American, nor am I living in America, was his rousing, bold and powerful speech after he was introduced as the President of the United States. He gave a call for action, calling upon Americans to pick themselves up, dust themselves off, and remake America. It was unifying, and it was rallying. I found myself nodding in approval.

He had some words for Muslim countries: "To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West -- know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

He also had words of warning for enemies of America: "We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you."

I hope his mission to reverse all the damages done by the Bush administration will not be opposed by the Congress. A President, after all, has no real power if he's not backed and supported by the Senate.

Oops, what a blooper!!!

Last night, it was brought to my notice that those who visited my blog are not able to view the jelly fish video. Those who tried to view it got the message "this is a private video". 

Upon investigating, I found that, yes, I had accidentally marked it as "private" instead of publishing it in the public gallery. My apologies, everyone! 

Back From Pulau Lalat

Oops, I meant Pulau Langkawi. But really, I think the island should be called Pulau Lalat since the houseflies far outnumber the eagles there. From the moment we stepped off the ferry at Kuah jetty, we were met by houseflies everywhere. Restaurants, food court, toilets, retail shops,duty free shops, Pantai Cenang, everywhere you turn, you see LALAT!!!

Did anyone of you know that there are 2 hotels with the same name "Langkasuka"? Well, I didn't. So, at the taxi counter I told the lady there that we wanted to go to Langkasuka Hotel. When the taxi dropped us off at Langkasuka Hotel, I was surprised as the facade of the hotel was completely different from its picture in the website. The conversation between me and the taxi driver went like this:

Me:                I want Langkasuka Hotel.

Taxi driver:    This is Langkasuka Hotel.

Me:                Huh? Where is the beach?

Taxi driver:    The beach is that way (pointing in the direction), half an hour away from here.

Me:                No, this is not right. Langkasuka Hotel is a beach front hotel.

Taxi driver:    Oh, you mean Langkasuka Beach Resort (stressing the "beach resort").  Sorry, I don't go to there as I'm picking another passenger up in town.

Hubby:          So, what do we do now? How do we get there? (no bus or taxi in sight)

Taxi driver:   You walk over there (pointing in the direction) and get a taxi. 

So, off we trudged with our luggage to the taxi stand that he pointed out. Sorry, hubby, it was my fault that we paid an extra taxi fare for nothing. I should have read the name of the hotel properly when I made the reservations.

But I must say the the beach view at the resort is lovely, and I would recommend it for those who are seeking a local romantic escapade. We booked the Hot Wheels Package, that came with the use of a Proton Wira.

We ate at the hotel as the view was too compelling to resist. The food, however, was less then appetizing. We paid RM79 for spaghetti with bottled sauce, and canned soup. And to add insult to injury, not only was the food not made from scratch, but they were cold!!!

It was only after we insisted did they put the food into the microwave and heat it up slightly for us.

The next day we went to Oriental Village to take the cable car ride to the peak. In the Oriental Village was a small animal farm. The only animals there are rabbits and monkeys, though. The rabbits are not well taken care off. They are hungry and dirty, begging for scrapes of food from the tourists. Someone ought to take a cane to those responsible for taking care of those animals. They ought to be ashamed for not doing their job. 

This bunny looks like it has skin disease. Poor bunny. 

Jalan Dang Wangi in KL has been relocated to Langkawi!  :)

Asses of all sizes

It was a very windy day and the gondola swung left and right like a mad pendulum

After a terrifying ride on the cable car where I studied the attachment securing the gondola to the cable and wondered at the frequency of its maintenance, we proceeded to the Underwater World. Saw a lot of interesting creatures, but I think this wins the prize.

Blimey! What on earth is this???

Video of a jelly fish

That night, we went to Pantai Cenang, the Cherating of the North, for dinner. The place swarmed with European tourists, with hardly a local tourist in sight. However, unlike Cherating, there were lots of eateries and shops in Pantai Cenang.

Overall, it was an enjoyable holiday. And now, some useful info for me to remember (yeah, my blog serves as my extended memory, haha).

Ferry fare: RM23 one way from Kuala Kedah to Kuah Jetty

Cable car ride: RM25 for non-Malaysians and RM15 for Malaysians

Underwater World entrance fee: RM38 for non-Malaysians and RM28 for Malaysians

Parking fee at Kuala Kedah in front of jetty: RM15 per night

Marking 1st Day of 2009 With A Visit to KL's "Gurney Drive"

I know, I know, today is the 2nd day of 2009, and 3rd Jan is only 10 minutes away. But I'm such a procrastinator that to be just one day behind is a super achievement for me......Lol!!!

Anyway, since the sky was overcast, we decided to take advantage of the not-so-hot weather and went for a nature's walk to Ulu Yam, which is about 10km or slightly more, from Kepong. For the uninitiated, Ulu Yam has a water dam, waterfall and a jungle with some eco resorts.

Behold! KL's "Gurney Drive"!

This water dam in Ulu Yam is used to generate electricity

These two goats were part of a larger group of 4-legged beggars  :)

Bird nests hanging from the ceiling of one of the eco resorts we popped in to rest

Chalets on stilts in the eco resort

And this is just the appetizer.....tomorrow, we're heading off to Langkawi, with a one-night stop-over in Penang. I'm so looking forward to the trip, as this is only my 2nd visit to Langkawi in my entire life.

Goodbye 2008, Hello 2009

For some reason, I am more excited about new year eve than I am about Chinese new year eve. Maybe it has to do with a change in calendar and diary that gives me the festive mood. 

Anyway, whatever it is, yesterday, I started counting down to year 2009 from as early as 7:09pm. Talk about kiasu-ness.....hahaha. Taking a tip from what I learned about night photography (related post here), I set up my 8-year-old tripod at my living room balcony at 7:09pm and started shooting away.

View of Sri Damansara (I love the ominious contrast of the sky)

View of KLCC, KL Tower, Bukit Bintang and Dataran Merdeka

At last.....9 minutes to year 2009 

*standing at the balcony, waiting for the fireworks display*

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1...!!! Boom! Bang! Boom! There goes the fireworks. I did not video record the fireworks in KLCC, Bukit Bintang or Dataran Merdeka as there was another one right in my face, courtesy of Kepong Food Court. It was a scaled-down version of the one they had last year, so they're not really that grand. Nevertheless, I decided to record it regardless. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!