My First Churp Churp Campaign: Why I like It Longer LG Chocolate LG BL40

The other day I got an email from Churp Churp Nuffnang, the Twitter sister of Nuffnang. They have chosen me to tweet about the latest LG phone, the LG BL40.

The new LG Chocolate LG BL40

The LG Chocolate BL4O is labeled famously as the "supermodel" of all phones. It's long, sleek and glossy features reminds GQ's Dylan James of a supermodel. But to me, in a view of a testerone minded guy, it reminds me more of a sleek, black and glossy supercar, the Buggati Veyron.

Both are sexy, appealing and would drive anybody's andrenaline into overdrive. Even I know that between the two, getting the fabolously sexy LG Chocolate BL40 is a more realistic dream unless a wealthy & crazy human being gives me the keys to this masterpiece on wheels.

The Bugatti Veyron would compliment the LG Chocolate BL40 really well

Back to my Churp Churp campaign (excuse me guys, just carried away with the sexiness of them both), all I have to do is create a tweet about the latest LG masterpiece and then hope that other twitterers join in. So far, this is what I got from my earnings.....

Come on guys, help me out here cos this is just pathetic.

John Terry Out.....Rio Ferdinand In as Captain of England

Shame on you John Terry

Chelsea captain John Terry has been sacked as captain of England after a 12 minute discussion with England boss, Fabio Capello. Capello finally has come to his senses and put Rio Ferdinand as England captain. Capello might say something like this, "You quit or you swim with the fishes? Kapeesh?". Short & sweet.

John Terry was never worthy of the England captain's armband with all his off the field bad behaviours. This latest scandal follows other alleged bad news:

• both parents involved in vice activities. Mommy is a thief & Daddy  is a drug lord.
• John Terry himself gave a 10k Pound tour around Stamford Bridge to VIP guests. 150k Pounds a week isn't enough mate?? Greedy.

John Terry will lose out on 20 million Pounds as a result of him being stripped of the captaincy. That is a really damn big amount to lose for just a piece of French tail. Stupid Chelsea player.

Rio in the line of fire as new England captain

Whatever it is Rio Ferdinand (a Manchester United great, yeah I am an MU fan..glory glory!!!) is rightfully selected as England captain. An England captain that other England players can respect. Good luck Rio!

P/s: The England football captain position is really a big soap drama in its own right, dont you think?

New Petronas CEO Unveiled

The question who will replace Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Merican is finally answered.

New PETRONAS top man, Datuk Shamsul Azhar Abbas

Datuk Shamsul Azhar Abbas has been appointed President and Chief Executive Officer of Petroliam Nasional Berhad (PETRONAS) effective 10th February 2010 & will be replacing Tan Sri Mohd Hassan, who's contract will expire on 9th February 2010. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak.

Outgoing CEO & President, Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Merican

This sees that the selection committee had taken heed  Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's, the conglomerate advisor's advice to promote from within as the new CEO should be familiar to the operations of the oil gas giant.. 

Datuk Shamzul Azhar Abbas previously held the position of President & Chief Executive Officer of MISC (also a PETRONAS sub) from 2004 - 2009. All Malaysians wish Datuk Shamsul good luck and hopes he will continue from where Tan Sri Mohd Hassan had left behind.

Fradoo ABC Koko Special

Fradoo ABC (Special) Gerai 14 Section 2 Shah Alam

Fradoo ABC (Special) Gerai 14 in Section 2 Shah Alam is a Shah Alam institution. Maybe you think I am exaggerating a bit but those who ever stayed in Shah Alam or had the honor to taste this masterpiece will also agree with me. When it is hot day and I feel like having something cool and got cash to burn, ABC Fradoo is the ticket.

It has been already announced since the new year that Fradoo ABC will hike up their Fradoo ABC Koko Special price from RM 2.50 to RM 3.00 due to rising cost. So, the wife & I went for a quick dash to Fradoo ABC.

She's peeved cos' I'm snapping a picture of Fradoo instead...

We ordered two Fradoo ABC Koko Specials and another two for the road. Thankfully, we came just before the rush hour for this ABC (rush hour starts at 5). So, the wait was not that long. Finally, our order arrived and voilla....

Twin terrors of sweetness

Fradoo ABC Koko Special is made up of shredded ice, red beans, cendol, peanuts, cincau, nata de coco, red syrup (or called tomato ketchup), yellow syrup (called mustard) and green syrup. What makes this dessert special is the secret recipe  melted chocolate poured on top of the ice and. Topping it all off is piece of fruit and a wafer tube.

ABC Fradoo Koko Special

The preparation is clean as the Fradoo ABC employees wear plastic gloves and always wash the ice down and always make sure the ingredients are fresh.

Let me throw in the pictures because my words would not do justice to this masterpiece.

Not a single word came out of her when devouring this masterpiece

After finishing off our ABCs, we paid and collected the two take-away orders. Fradoo ABC again hit the spot. Even though, it will cost us a bit more starting 1st February, we will surely be devoted fans of this dessert masterpiece.

Fradoo ABC Koko Special (take-away version)

Food Review: Austin Steak House

Austin Steak House

The other day the missus and I finally got the chance to try out the latest food joint that is the buzz in lil' old Bandar Baru Bangi, Austin Steak House. I have been hearing about this place and its fantastic food from my sister in law, Kak Ayu. So, on our way back to Shah Alam after visiting the in-laws (Azhani's parents), we had a quick pit stop at Austin Steak House.
 

Austin Steak House

You can't miss the place as the bright "AUSTIN STEAK HOUSE" signage can be seen far away. We got there before 8 o'clock as advised by Kak Ayu. She said the place would pick up pace after 8. She was right. Once we landed our bums and a few minutes passed by, people started to fill up the place. By the way, parking space is easy enough, so no problem there.

The crowd starts to pack Austin

  

The ambiance of Austin Steak House is based on a western themed eating joint. Horse cart wheels on the ceiling, bottles on the shelves and wooden furniture used absolutely makes you feel like you are in a old western tavern. A good start to a potentially fine dining experience.

On to the food. Azhani ordered the Chicken Courdon Blue. This dish consists of a piece of deep fried chicken with cheese stuffed into the chicken served with a rich portion of thick and tasty gravy with pieces of chopped button mushrooms. A handful of crinkle cut french fries and coleslaw put into a fresh piece of lettuce finished this dish.

The price for this tasty dish is RM 10.90.

Austin Steak House's Chicken Cordon Blue

I on the other hand ordered the all time western food favourite, chicken chop or in this case Austin Steakhouse Special Chicken Chop. The price also might have influenced me a bit as it was only RM 8.90. 

Austin Steak House Special Chicken Chop

The dish is made up of a big piece of deep fried chicken smothered with a very generous portion of thick gravy with pieces of button mushrooms. Again, a handful of crinkle cut french fries and coleslaw. The grave really complimented the chicken well. Two thumbs up from me.

mouth watering Austin Steak House Chicken Chop

Both of us ordered different drinks. Azhani ordered the Milo Ice and I had the Lemonade or Limau Ais. The big glasses used reminds me of the huge glasses served at William SS2 PJ. Both drinks are priced at RM 2 each. Other drinks on the menu were fruit juices like apple, watermelon, honeydew and the usual fruit juices. They are priced at RM 2.50 and are also served in those huge glasses.

Ice Lemonade and Iced Milo

Other dishes on the menu that I will surely try when I get the chance to go to Austin again will be the Salmon, Lamb Chop or even the Sizzling Steak. This won't do any good to my ever expanding waistline. But it is hard to resist the charm and temptations on offer at Austin Steak House.

Name:Austin Steak House

Address: No. 55 GF, Jalan Kajang Impian 2/1, Taman Kajang Impian, 43650 Bandar Baru Bangi Selangor

Food: Western Theme

Operating Hours: 5 p.m. to 2 a.m.

Other comments: Enough parking space, family friendly and rightly priced.
Website: www.austin.com.my
Location Map:

Location map grabbed from www.austin.com.my

McDonald's in a Pickle Over an Extra Slice of Cheese

I'm so gonna get fired for putting an extra piece of lettuce in that Big Mac

McDonald's had to pay a former employee in one of its Dutch outlets after firing her for putting an extra slice of cheese in a workmate's burger during that friend's lunch break. The courts decided that she was wrongly dismissed and Micky Dees were ordered to pay the remaining 5 months of her contract which was around 6,000 Dollars and also court fees.

McDonald's defended their actions that she had broken the rules that forbids employees to give gifts and free stuff to family members and friends.

Kinda funny that a Big Mac (no pun intended...not!) of a company like McDonalds can get worked up because of an extra piece of food but doesn't mind being robbed gallonf of Coke refills everyday.

Credit Cards.....why do you need them???

The other day some people from an Islamic bank came to my office and gave a talk on personal financing and loans. Credit cards were also mentioned. Some of the younger staffs started to sat up a bit when it came to the credit card talk and were immediately impressed with what was on offer.I think they applied for the cards soon after that.

What I was interested was "why did you guys select that bank's credit card?". The answer that I got was, it sound good and its my first credit card. Well, not really a solid reason to have a credit card.

So, why do you need a credit card. I myself hold a few cards. Each has its own purpose. Groceries (card have special rebates at ALL hypermarkets), entertainment (rebates and also "buy 1 ticket, get 1 ticket free"), bills (again rebates) and petrol (rebates).

an example of a petrol rebate scheme from a bank

From the statement above, you can see that I use cards in terms of savings. And yup, I pay my credit cards in full every month. Some might say, better not use credit cards if paying full each time. But for the past 3 years, I've saved a bundle through rebates and offers. It is a an important tool in my finances.

The Government's decision to put a RM 50 service tax on each credit cards has somehow reduced the need to have too many cards. I am planning to terminate a few. But still, they are an important in my financial plannings.

So, that is why I need credit cards. What is yours?

Sultan Johor Sultan Iskandar Mangkat

 Sultan Johor Sultan Iskandar Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail

Pada 7:15 malam tadi, Sultan Johor, Sultan Iskandar Ibni Almarhum Sultan Ismail telah mangkat setelah di masukkan ke Puteri Specialist Hospital setelah gering. Kemangkatan baginda pada 7:15 malam telah di umumkan secara rasmi oleh Menteri Besar Johor, Datuk Abdul Ghani Othman. Baginda berusia 77 tahun.

Baginda Almarhum merupakan seorang Sultan yang tegas tetapi adil dan hanya menginginkan yang terbaik untuk rakyatnya. Di bawah pemerintahan baginda yang bermula sejak May 11, 1981, negeri Johor muncul sebagai di antara negeri yang termaju di Malaysia.

Baginda pernah menjadi DYMM Agong yang ke-8 di antara April 26, 1984 sehingga April 25, 1989.

Baginda meninggalkan Sultanah Johor Sultanah Zanariah dan dua orang putera dan lapan orang puteri iaitu unku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ibrahim Ismail, Tunku Puteri Johor Tunku Hajah Kamariah, Tunku Besar Tunku Zabedah Aminah, Tunku Hajah Azizah Aminah Maimunah, Tunku Hajah Mariam Zahrah, Tunku Norani, Tunku Maimunah Ismailiah, Tunku Bendahara Johor Tunku Abdul Majid Idris Ismail, Paduka Puteri Tunku Muna Najiah and Tunku Aminah Kalsom Masera Marian Zahirah.

Tengku Mahkota Johor mengangkat sumpah semasa perlantikan menjadi pemangku sultan

Tengku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ibrahim Ismail telah di lantik sebagai pemangku Sultan dua jam sebelum kemangkatan ayahanda baginda. Baginda berjanji akan meneruskan pemerintahan almarhum ayandanya iaitu untuk menjaga kedaulatan negeri Johor dan rakyatnya.

Baginda Aalmarhum Sultan Iskandar akan di semadikan di Makam Di Raja pada jam 2 petang selepas solat zohor. Rakyat boleh datang memberikan penghormatan terakhir di Istana Besar dari jam 9 hingga 10:30 pagi manakan tetamu kehormat pada 11 pagi.

Marilah kita sama-sama sedekahkan Al-Fatihah pada almarhum Sultan Iskandar Sultan Ismail.

Haiti Hit with aftershocks early Wednesday

Haitians running when aftershocks started

I was shocked to hear that Port Au Prince, the capital city of Haiti were further rocked by a 5.9 Richter scaled aftershock early Wednesday, after the original 7.3 shock 8 days ago.The latest shakes created fear of further destruction and casualties to the already grief stricken country.

It was mentioned that more building structures that had already been weakened in the original earthquake had collapsed and it is feared that any survivors that might be still alive under the rubble of the original quake would be in danger. Nurses in hospitals in the capital mentioned that patients had started to ask for forgiveness and prayed hard when the aftershocks started.

The Haitian Government had confirmed that the death toll is now at 72,000 and is estimated that this number would rise to almost 200,000 people. Search, rescue and recovery efforts are still being carried out throughout Port Au Prince. This is evident in the recovery of a few people from under the rubbles after 5 or 6 days.

Regarding to the help and supplies intended to the people, supplies are starting to get to them. However, bottlenecks and mismanagement of aids and supplies have hindered the efforts to get these supplies to the hands of Haitians.

Volunteers at the Red Cross packing supplies and aid for the Haitian Earthquake victims

Fellow bloggers and Malaysians that want to contribute to the Malaysian Haiti Fund can do so through these channels:

Maybank Account 

Account Name: MERCY HUMANITARIAN FUND

Account Number: 5621-7950-4126 (ABA Swift Code: MBBEMYKLA)

or

CIMB Account

Account Name: MERCY MALAYSIA

Account Number: 1424-000-6561053 (ABA Swift Code: CIBBMYKL)

For more information, please contact:

G.Anuradha, Sr Officer Fundraising & Events, MERCY Malaysia, anu@mercy.org.my
Shuhada Rosdi, Communications Officer, MERCY Malaysia, shuhada@mercy.org.my
Louise Orton, Head of Communications, Merlin, louise.orton@merlin.org.uk

MERCY Malaysia,

Level 2, Podium Block, City Point, Kompleks Dayabumi, Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin, 50050 KL.
T: 6-03-2273 3999, F: 6-03-2272 3812, W: www.mercy.org.my

(Information above were taken from MERCY MALAYSIA website http://www.mercy.org.my)

Wahai Lady Drivers.......

Bang, saya parking kat sini boleh?

Sebelum aku terus menulis entri nih, aku nak minta maaf pada para pembaca wanita terutama sekali pada ahli2 keluarga ku yang datang dari kaum berjiwa lembut ini. Entri kali ini hanyalah satu pandangan ikhlas dalam tinjauan sehari-harian...Ishhh...terlampau baku plak ayat mukadimah aku, takpe..kita teruskan.

Korang pernah tak masa tengah memandu tetiba tersangkut belakang satu kereta yang kita tak nampak kepala driver dia dari belakang (sebab rendah) atau kereta tu pulak cam kejap kiri kejap kanan ataupun driver dia pegang steering cam bantal peluk busuk dia? Mesti ada yang tahu dan pernah terkena kan? Aku selalu jugak terkena. Benda-benda ini boleh buat aku sampai buat rasa nak cabut aje rambut yang ada kat kepala aje. Kesimpulan pertama aku buat mestilah......"mesti lady driver nih". Sampaikan isteri aku pun cakap benda yang sama.

Tak baiklah camtu makcik...cucu tengah tengok tuhh

Aku tahu mesti ada pembaca wanita tengah geleng kepala. Tahap bengang pun sedang slowly meningkat. Rasa nak reply panas aje kan. Baguslah. Aku pun nak juga tahu respon korang. Tapi itulah hakikatnya. Memang pemandu lelaki kekadang drive dangerous & laju. Tapi selalunya yang drive camtu samada memang betul- betul skillful ataupun memang betul-betul takde otak. Species kedua tu boleh diabaikan aje. Memang takdak akal punya orang.

Yang selalu aku pernah tengok ada lady drivers yang pakai make-up sambil driving. Ada yang ber-sms dan yang paling best berborak sampai lupa tengah driving dan ada yang sesat. Ini memang aku pernah terkena. Borak punya borak sampai terlajak pergi ke Seremban. Padahal nak pergi Putrajaya aje. Apalagi, kenalah buat U-turn besar. Aku masa tu tengah membuta kat backseat. Aku dah offer nak drive tapi diorang berdua yang nak juga drive.

So, itulah pandangan aku tentang lady drivers. Bila aku nampak aje tanda-tanda lady driver, pasti aku berhati-hati.

Kalau Lady Drivers buat annual meeting, mungkin macam inilah rupanya...hmm

Introducing the KFC Zinger Tower Burger

KFC Zinger Tower Crunch Combo

Lately, my wife have been craving for KFC, well in particular the KFC Zinger Tower Burger. The older generation always say to try meet those pregnant woman cravings as long as they are reasonable. Well, KFC is reasonable enough except when it is craved on a daily basis. Kopak wooo..

So, last weekend during our weekly dating nights my wife bought me my first KFC Tower Zinger (after telling me for the whole week how she loved the burger).  Lets just say when I go to KFC, burgers are the last thing I think of having. Well, I'll make an exception for her sake.

We had the Zinger Tower Combo. When you pay RM 10.50 for the  Zinger Tower Crunch Combo meal, you will get the Zinger Tower Burger, 7 UP Revive and Chacho's corn chips with dip. I love chips and dips. Hey, they rhyme.

Zinger Tower being a little shy

The KFC Zinger Tower Burger is made of fresh lettuce, zinger chicken fillet, cheese, hash browns, zesty chili lime sauce with two soft sesame buns. This Zinger Tower somewhat changed my opinion on KFC burgers. The hash brown crumbled when you bite into it, the zinger fillet is juicy and just about right. The zesty lime sauce made it all come together.

The Zinger Tower is about to be devoured by a champion

My wife couldn't make the whole burger to fit her mouth. So, she divided it into two pieces. Well, for me being a burger & sandwich lover, took the whole burger in one piece and savoured the taste. Champion.

Eventhough KFC still cannot overtake the other burger establishments in the burger/sandwich stakes, the Zinger Tower shows me that they are in the right direction.

Avatar The Movie

I finally got the chance to watch the most talked about movie in town, Avatar The Movie. Various reviews and comments have been made about this sci-fi movie directed by James Cameron. He was also responsible for Titanic being the largest grossing movie in history. So, I won't go into detail about the movie.

If an animated CGI movie was ever get hooked on cocaine, steroids and heroine, then Avatar The Movie is it. A modest and intriguing storyline with a well written script. The CGI and animation is out of this world.

I won't mind to sit for another screening. This time I might try the 3D version. Definitely the best movie of 2009.

Lotus F1 Classic Car

Lotus 38 1966 Indianapolis 500

I won this beauty at The Tune Group 1st Inaugural Annual Dinner held at Modestos Hartamas last Friday. I am working with Tune Talk (www.tunetalk.com), so that explains me being there in the first place.There were 120 prizes on offer for the 130 Tune Group staff that attended the dinner. I was gunning for 1 of the 3 notebooks on offer, or even the iPhone 3GS. Heck, if I get the 50 inch LCD TV, I won't be complaining. Duhh..

But I knew somehow I will get this Lotus 38 car. Let me tell you a bit about this car.

There are only 1,200 pieces of this model made in the whole world. So, I feel a bit special because I am one of those lucky people. It's currently worth almost RM 2,000 and if I keep it in good condition, I can get more through auctioning it. It's apparently a collectors item.

This prize was given by the Lotus F1 Team Malaysia people. They were also there at the dinner as the team is also a part of the Tune Group Family headed by Dato Seri Tony Fernandez. He was also there during the dinner.

I'll leave you with more pictures of this beautiful model.

 

Yeah!!! Bo Is A Nerd Is Back In Business

Yes! Alhamdulillah. Finally I got back my Streamyx after huffing & puffing and also after much noise been made at TM Point and TM 100 numbers.

All this while blogging & visiting fellow blogger's sites were done at the office in between jobs. Not really can get into the groove.

After a whole week of chaos created by those "brilliant" people at TM (they terminated my Streamyx account...WTF!!...I did not do anything wrong), I got back my beloved Streamyx.

Let the blogging and blogwalking begin!

Tak Habis-Habis Dengan Streamyx

Case aku dengan Streamyx masih belum selesai.

Aku telah pergi ke TM Point Shah Alam Seksyen 11 dan bertanya kenapa masih belum dapat connection Streamy walaupun sudah di janjikan sambungan dalam 24 jam. Jawapan yang di terima.....jeng jeng jeng.

"Kami dah e-mail Technical Department lah encik. Tapi masih belum dapat reply dari sana".

Aku tersengih sinis & terus tanya balik,

"Habis tu cik, saya nak kena pergi ke technical department dan cari orang yang bertanggungjawab ke? Bukan ke awak sendiri tadi kata TM yang tersilap potong & tutup akaun Streamyx saya tu. Saya boleh aje hantar e-mail rungutan pada MCMC (Suruhanjaya Komunikasi & Multimedia Malaysia) kalau cik nak saya buat macam tu".

Terus gelabah pegawai customer care tu. Selepas di janjikan akan di sambung semula, aku pun keluar dari TM Point tu & gerak pergi office.

Masa kat office pulak, ada orang TM telefon cakap suruh call number hotline Streamyx untuk pengesahan (verification call) kerja penyambungan. Di sebabkan TM hanya benarkan panggilan pengesahan di lakukan guna telefon rumah atau land lines.

Aku pun minta ayahku yang ada di rumah untuk lakukan panggilan. Selepas sejam, ayah ku telefon balik. "Ayah nak pergi letup TM Point jap lagi. Customer care officer dia cabar ayah buat report pada TM. Siap bagi nama dia and contact number lagi. Dia kata kerja tu only buat dalam masa 3 hari bekerja."

Kalau korang masih ingat, orang TM tadi janji within 24 hours kan? Apalah nak jadi dengan TM nih. Hampeh.