It has been a while since I came here. Probably a couple of months. I've read some mixed reviews about this place, and I dare say I've been lucky enough to get good food and good service on every visit. Then again, I always go with the same friend and perhaps we enjoyed the quiet ambiance and the conversation that we never really paid too much attention to the food that we ordered or service delivered to us. 

This time round we had a third person. Again, the service leaves little to be desired. Although I did notice the patron a couple of tables away getting restless waiting for their food to arrive. 

First off, the drinks : 

              

Leftmost is Mango Smoothie. Rich, sweet and sour, smooth and delish! I only had a couple of sips tho. Out of character I ordered Cold Ceylon Blend tea, and it was just refreshing. I had a feeling I would be eating for two and I was right, and the tea is light enough to elevate my fullness. 

I did not catch the greenish drink - has to be a mocktail as my friend loves the mocktail here. and next to it is the strawberry smoothie. Did not taste, but I bet it is just as rich as the mango smoothie. 

Hodgepodge Pizza - Normal Crust

Something for the table : the Hodgepodge Pizza. Always a favourite when I come here. Slices of pepperoni and hotdog, bits of hams and chicken, lots of cheese, a pure vegan would probably die at this glorious sight! >.<  Joking of course. 

Spaghetti Aglio Olio with Grilled Chicken

This is what my friend ordered. A little too oily for our taste, that we all agree, but while I say it's nicely seasoned with herbs, spices, dried chilli and pepper (nope, not the least bit hot. Just spicy.. hrmm.. in local term, rasa berempah tapi sik pedah langsung so don't worry if you cannot tolerate hot/spicy food. This is very mild), my friend said it lacks flavor. Be warned tho, you might end up comparing it with mee goreng, because it does taste like it. 

And the main star of of the show (my dish, our course) Kansas Grilled Chicken with BBQ Sauce. Served with fresh lettuce and tomato salad and potato wedges. My friend complained they put too much potato wedges, and yeap, he's right, it was a little more than usually expected. I'd put is to twice the service size of KFC's large cheesy wedges.

The salad is nice, I think it was lightly dressed with olive oil, black pepper and salt. Plain and simple. The chicken, OMG!! The meat fell off the bone fairly easy, and I the falvor seeps right into the bones (yeah, I chew them. Malaysian what!) Personally I think the BBQ sauce on the side should not be eaten with the chicken as it already has awesome flavor on it's own, but you eat how you like it. I used it to dip the wedges instead.

All in all, my experience at Flinder's Station Jalan Song has always been good. I hope you guys can be as lucky as me!

So y'all have been to Starbucks right? and McDonalds? Y'all have ordered hot drinks there yeah? Then they give you the flat straw thingy right? well me and my friend had a good row over this - 3 times - once at Starbucks and twice at McDonalds, laughing our heads off about a plastic stick!

What am I talking about? This  ==========================>

I always went for Fraps when I go to Starbucks, but lately I find the Hot Chocolate quite addictive. My friend would order a Caramel Machiatto. I ritually reached for the flat straw and inserted it into the small inlet where one would opt to sip the cup. 

And then the row began. I started with a question, why don't you use the hot straw to sip your machiatto? He gave me the look that I can only describe in 5 words, "Are you retarded or something?" and did not provide any further reply. We moved on from it, until McDonalds one fateful night (Yeah, dramatic much!!)

Being used to the hot straw, I again inserted it into the lid opening and sip through slowly. Again I asked, and again I got that look (which made me laugh my head off, btw) This time, he said "It is not a straw, it's a stirrer or stirring stick that you use to stir your drinks after putting sugar, cream or milk in."

Perplexed, my only reply and I still stood by it is : It's basically a straw flattened in the middle so that you can have better control over your sipping strength and avoid your mouth from getting burned. Then I continue laughing! If it performs the same function as a straw, then doesn't it deserve the name straw? He, on the other hand, simply nods yeah and I think somewhere in his mind wishes that he wore a shirt that says 'I'm with stupid". ROFLOL!!!

Well, I can safely say that I'll never look at this hot straw as I call it, or stirring stick as he calls it, the same way again. There were so many inuendos used that the argument itself became invalid and instead of a row, we would laugh ourself silly. 

Blerrghhhhh... (Wow, what a way to start a movie review). Hahaha! Chill out. I was referring to my thoughts as I start this blog entry. I'm not really good at movie reviews, and I don't really go to cinema as often as most of my friends does. Well anyways, I was invited to fill in a seat last night along with my highschool friends to watch Monsters University, and it is a great movie in spite of all the cliche ridden storyline. 

Without divulging too much information and ruining it for those who hasn't seen and plan to watch it, the Monster's University is a prequel of Monster's Inc. It explores the early days of Mike and Sullivan (hint : they weren't necessarily the best of friends). Nevertheless, keep an eye out for familiar characters here and there. 

As I do with most movies I watched, I look for details and the background (Unless if Angelina Jolie's in it, then always look at Angelina Jolie. Don't even think of blinking when she's on the scene. >.<) Boy the CGI is awesome! Shadow, texture, every hair, every fur, every glisten of an eye, the iris, reflection, water, greens, grass! All in very explicit details. I'm not sure if it airs in 3D, but if  you have the chance, do watch it in 3D. I bet it's gonna be awesome! (PS : my ticket was sponsored, as I said earlier 'filling in a seat'. Beggars can't be choosers.)

Well in any case, I give it a 7/10 rating, mostly because I am a sucker at cliche ridden storyline (laughing my ass of at first until for some ridiculous reason some dust got into my eyes and they tear up) and that the graphics and animation is really really awesome!

go watch it! And just to give you a sense of how old you've become, Monsters Inc was more than 10 years ago. >.<

Enlightened Mark!

Map Link : here

Created by linking 4 portals :

How many times have you only have the only cash in your wallet to survive til the next pay check? Me? Never. This is my first time. I always have backup. Always. However, because of my Master's Degree fee, I am now left with exactly RM 74.00 in my wallet. 

To recap, yeap, I have managed my cashflow from paycheck to paycheck and follow the principle of 3 pots after settling monthly commitments. Divide into three, one part for current, one part for savings, and one part for emergency. I was saving up 3k to pay for my semester which I expect to begin in August or September, but apparently I somehow overlooked the inter-session semester, registration in June. I actually had to pull out all I have and was barely able to meet the fee. 

So now, with almost a week to go before my next paycheck, I am really REALLY scared of the prospect. Sure I can survive with just under RM 100 in a week, but what if there's an emergency? Looks like I'm grounded for the week. I can safely say that the cash will definitely go to fuel. Food? Since the fasting month is just around the corner, I might as well start fasting. 

What scares me even more is that in another 2 months, I'll have to deal with another registration fee. Another 3k. In two months.. Reality is, with my current paycheck, it is impossible. But I am an idealist, and I believe I can do this. Somehow. 

Respect, Relax, Respond. That is my most general motto. I've had the most unfortunate turn of event playing Ingress one night. I was at the Kuching Waterfront area. On any night, the crowd would be buzzing from between 6 to 11pm. I got there at about 8. It was drizzing a little bit, which was probably why the usual crowd was scarce. Even the buskers along the pavement sat and talked in their groups instead of singing their hearts out. 

I planned to make a couple of rounds of hacks that night. Halfway through, I was stopped by a random guy who wreaked of alcohol. I don't remember doing anything that attracts attention to myself. I didn't have my earphones as I fear I might miss any sound that alerts me of danger, I kept my phone in my hand and eyes up ahead where I was going. Somehow this drunk guy zeroed in on me and began asking question after question and repeating them in random orders. 

This is where I messed up tho. I should've left the scene promptly. I lingered long enough for his group of friends to catch up. I pocketed my phone and fished my car keys out in case I needed to protect myself. God knows being huddled by 5 drunk guys at night while it's drizzling, I fear my own safety. 

What went on in my head there and then was where is the nearest group of people, hopefully sober and helpful. If I needed to protect myself, I'll use the keys for weapon. If I need to run, where is the best direction. Lucky me a group of patrols passed by and no violence occurred. Still, that taught me a lesson. 

Keep yourself safe. Respect your environment, know the dangers and evaluate the need of self-preservation. Relax. Keep a cool mind. Calm down and control yourself. Finally, respond to the changes in your environment accordingly. Do not resort to violence unless if really necessary. 

And as a general rule, I can't emphasize on this any less, keep yourself safe!

Dude this post is so long overdue!! New portals are popping up like mushrooms after the rain. I like how especially in the city centre most of the portals are within walking distance from one another. I'd park my car somewhere, armed with my phone and a pair of earphones I'd go around hacking one portal after another. 

Managed to get up to level 4 on my own, but it is a very slow process. Levels in Ingress depend on collecting Action Points or AP. AP is collected by performing actions, such as hacking a portal, capturing a neutral portal, placing can completing all 8 resonators on the portal, creating fields, destroying resonators, neutralizing portals and destroying fields. 

Depending on your level and stock of resonators and XMP bursters, this can be easily challenging. There's also an issue of XM amount that you have as each action requires a certain amount of XM. 

The higher the access level, the more XM capacity you can hold. Currently at level 4, I can hold a maximum of 6k XM. Almost halfway through to access level 5. 

I've been wanting to create fields now, big ones. However, I choose to hold back a little, make sure I have all the portal keys I want and then BAM! Enlightened field everywhere! For now tho, my faction mates has created the biggest field in my area ever!!

Think about it. As of recent, the boom on smartphones echoes still, and manufacturers are gearing up presenting their latest invention to the public. From small sizes but pack a serious punch, to the larger screens amping resolution and vibrant displays. But stop for a moment, and ask yourself. How smart is the device you hold in your hands now?

To elaborate, is it smart enough to know that it is in your handbag or pocket, thus ringing at top volume when calls or texts come in? Is it smart enough to know that you purposely put it in silent mode because you're in a meeting so even if it is in your pocket or handbag it would simply vibrate or not ring? Is it smart enough to know that you have a presentation in an hour and turns itself into silent mode? Those are just minor examples - setting the sound profile for different situations. Sure, most manufacturers lets you put you smartphone to silent with a click or a touch of a button or shortcut, but what if you dont have to do anything at all? 

If you're the type that uses your phone as your car's radio/entertainment device complete with bluetooth and gps navigation for traffic conditions? I do. I'd have to first turn on the bluetooth, then the media player or radio app on the phone, then turn on the gps and finally have to turn on the navigation app (not necessarily in this order). That's almost 5 minutes time wasted. What if I say that your phone can actually do all of these things without ever leaving your pocket? 

Guys, I'm not talking about voice command if that's what you're thinking. We all know how difficult that can be, especially with out local English accent. I'm talking about automating your devices. Let me introduce you to AutomateIt ~ an app available on Google Play (sorry iPhone n iPad users. I'm almost sure that a similar app is in your iTunes store).

The basic idea is this : you set up rules for your smartphone to do a specific task when a condition is triggered. For instance, turn off your wifi / data when you go to sleep at night, or ring at top volume when a specific text is received (very helpful if you keep misplacing your phone), conserve power when battery is low, turn on loudspeaker during call if it is away from your ear etc. get the idea? 

A rule is made up of 2 components, a trigger and an action. A trigger is a condition that must be fulfilled in order for the action to execute (in examples above, triggers are bold and actions are italic). AutomateIt allows you to create as many rules as you want for your smartphone, making it even smarter. For a more advanced user, try the Pro version which allows you to create composite triggers and actions. These allow rules to be made up of one or more triggers to perform one or more actions (I have one rule that detects when I'm in a vehicle, it will turn on my bluetooth and attempt to connect to the car, turn on my music player and the wave control that allows me to use motion to navigate my playlist, turn on my gps and my navigation app all at once). You can even have a rule to call another rule in AutomateIt (I have a time based rule that call the previous composite rule so that it only scans when I expect myself to be in the car - morning on my way to work, lunch at noon and evening returning from work) to conserve battery. 

Do give this app a go. It's a great addition to making your smartphone even smarter, and if you came up with an awesome rule, share it on the market cuz sharing is caring! Cheers!

Ever had one of those when you want to hang out with your buddies but have no idea where to go? I mean, sure, Kuching has a lot to offer. The movies, the malls, places to eat etc. but what if you want something different? 

Why not try the parks? Kuching actually has so many parks to go to. They're great especially if you don't have anywhere in particular to go and would like to go out yet keep those cash inside. 10 points to anyone who can pinpoint where these pics were taken? And while you're at it, another 10 points for those who actually went here for a brisk walk (I'm sure your lady friends would appreciate it. Mind the weather tho.)