Even though I still have many more stories and pictures to share from my trip, this weary mind and body needs a break.
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So, for the next 5 days, there will be no updates in this space while I recharge. Some quality time is in-store for this lady who has been busting her ass for the past many months.
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Also, it has been almost a year since Sweetheart and I went on a vacation. A break is definitely in order for 2 very tired souls looking to seek some comfort and love in each other’s arms.
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Hope your next 5 days will be as exciting as I know mine will be. :)))))
Archive for January, 2008
30
Jan
Taking a Kit-Kat
Observation # 6 :
- Italian food is a BIG thing in Tokyo. Everywhere I go, I see Italian food. In supermarkets, at the train stations, in big restaurants, small restaurants, at 24-hour stores…they are friggin’ everywhere!
- Italian cooking classes are popular with the local women. One of my Jap galfriend is taking once-a-month classes for USD 50 per class! Me? I just buy lotsa books and watch lotsa Channel 707 (Travel & Living).
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Observation # 7 :
- ‘Auntie’ bicycles are popular in Tokyo. Especially the ones with the big baskets at the front/back.
- I remember how as kids (before we were old enough to get a D or B2 license), our only means of freedom was the bicycle. The ‘cool’ kids would never be caught dead in an ‘auntie’ bike. Only BMX’s and sporty mountain bikes for them. Me? I had my fair share of ‘auntie’ bikes and mountain bikes. It would seem these Japs never went pass the ‘auntie’ bikes stage. They just got stuck there.
- Check out the picture I took of one of the many areas where rows and rows of ‘auntie’ bikes were seen parked for the day. While Malaysians drive to the LRT stations to park their cars for a monthly rate at the LRT parking lots, the Japs ride their ‘auntie’ bikes to the train stations and park their bikes for free next to the stations.
- Even MDs and some big corporate figures ride their ‘auntie’ bikes to the train stations. Very few people drive in downtown Tokyo.
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Observation # 8 :
- The Pachinko business is HUGE in Japan. Everywhere I turn, there is a parlor filled with customers from all walks of life. Here is one of the many parlors seen at the street corners.
- Since the Pachinko business is a competitive one (almost every train station has one near it), parlor owners need to be creative to stand out. Some even employ ‘entertainers’ to attract customers to their parlors. Check out the picture I took of those folks who were singing Japanese songs in high pitch voices beckoning tp passerbys to go into their parlor.
- There were ‘No Camera’ signs all over the parlors. So, I had to ‘curi-curi’ sneak some shots. Stood a good distance from one of the parlors and fully utilise the zoom-in feature of my digital camera. Check it out here.
- It was a funny sight. To see men in business suits sitting in front of the slot machines with their suitcases at their feet.
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More to come as I pick them from my very-tired mind.
30
Jan
The Reason
Weight of my check-in luggage at various points of my journey.
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From Penang to Austin : 14kg
From Austin to Tokyo : 30kg
From Tokyo to Penang : 37 kg
At end of journey in Penang : 35 kg
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No need much explanation on how my luggage went from 14kg to 30kg by the time I left Austin. I had to go looking for an empty box from Wal-Mart just to pack all those extra stuff I got from my shopping sprees.
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T’was an experience I will never forget. Driving to Wal-Mart at 1am just to get them at a good time when they are done with the nightly restocking activities and have empty boxes to spare. I couldn’t find a box that was just right - some were too big and some were too small. However, thanks to D, I had a box customised for all my additional stuff. Love ya, D! *muax*
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Not much shopping in Tokyo coz I was already thinking of the shopping I will be doing in Bangkok the following week. So, just an additional 7kg by the time I headed home.
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Now, here is where the excitement began.
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Initially, I was pissed. Then I was frustrated which shortly turned to relief. Finally, I was actually impressed.
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Pissed because I flew SQ, then AA, then JL - all no issues - but then I flew MH and my luggage was torn apart. Frustrated because I had to stay back at the Penang airport to lodge a report and go through my luggage to list down the items I lost. Relieved when I found I only lost my makeup bag and nothing else (my other galfriends went berserk when they found out what I lost but hey, I’ve never been big on makeup. So, it wasn’t that big a deal to me to lose them). Then finally I was impressed when MAS replaced my damaged luggage with a brand new similar bag the following day after they checked my old bag and confirmed it to be condemned.
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I always believe that everything happens for a reason. As corny as it sounds, I’ve always believed in that. Good or bad, they are reasons that shape us and our journey in Life.
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In this case, my luggage got thrashed - for a reason - so that I will get a brand new bag to pack for our Bangkok trip tomorrow. 
29
Jan
Rabbit vs Beaver
*This post is 18-SX. Proceed only if you are 18 years of age or above. Don’t say you were not warned!*
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The night before I left Austin, he finally decided to take me on a long overdue trip to downtown Austin for some happy shopping. We drove up to this cute little corner store right across the road from Coyote Ugly on 6th Street. A small sign bearing these words greeted us at the door : Forbidden Fruit.
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He warned me that the folks at the store may not be that friendly. So, I walked in with zero expectations but much to our delight, the lady who greeted us proved him wrong. She was extremely helpful and went all out to explain each and every item we were remotely interested in.
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A few minutes into our mini tour of her products, she pointed out Mr Rabbit and said "Thanks to a certain TV series, this product got rather popular and is constantly sold out!". My reply to her remark : "Oh, you mean Episode 9 from Season 1 of the HBO series ‘Sex & the City’?" She was of coz totally amused that I knew that little titbit. What she does not know is that I have the entire DVD set tucked away in my DVD cabinet back home. 
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As soon as she knew that I was no stranger to Mr Rabbit, she started taking out all her Japanese Massagers. Pointing out to me the plus and minus points of this and that item. After much discussion, we narrowed down the shopping items to 2.
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I decided to do a quick comparison between Mr Rabbit and Mr Beaver. Here is what I came up with.
- Mr Beaver has a better rotation angle.
- Mr Rabbit has textured pearls at the base which makes it less flexible.
- Mr Rabbit has its controls at the base of the machine which means one has to get into some acrobatic positions in order to maximise its performance.
- Mr Beaver has a detached battery pack which enables more comfortable usage.
- Mr Beaver is more ‘bend-able’ than Mr Rabbit.
- Mr Rabbit costs more (due to its popularity from the HBO series).
No need that many guesses to know which one I took home that night, eh?
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Sweetheart was all excited when I called him later to tell him that I have finally selected my belated X’mas present. He knows how picky I am when it comes to things I like or dislike and he would hate to get me stuff that do not rock my boat.
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D’s advice to me as we walked out of the store - "Just make sure that you don’t get too attached to this and start favoring it to your man".
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Sweetheart’s not worried and neither am I. 
28
Jan
Tokyo Observations
Before I begin the series of my Japan update, I’d like to state a disclaimer.
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I will not be able to do a good job of accurately documenting the places I have been to or seen as I have done for my time in Austin. Main reason being that most of the places I went to have only Japanese names, thus limiting my ability to capture its location for future referances.
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Here are my impressions of Tokyo during my short few days there last week.
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Observation # 1 :
- Where did all these people come from? I have never seen so many people at any one place! Forget personal space. At any one time, someone is either shouldering you or walking so close behind you that you can practically feel their breath down your neck (This is more apparent at the train stations). I highly suspect that deodorant was invented by and for the Japanese folks. The number of armpits I had the priviledge of ‘being acquainted with’ as I travelled around Tokyo made me damn glad that it was winter and no one was sweaty or smelly. Phew!
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Observation # 2 :
- Man, they sure are orderly. No one speaks to or acknowledges anyone else as they move in a very fast pace through the train stations and on the streets. In fact, they looked rather comical to me and I wanted to stop and take a video of them but nope, no chance of that as I was herded along by the crowd through the stations and out on the streets.
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Observation # 3 :
- There is actually a difference between the weekday crowd and the weekend crowd.
- While the weekday crowd looks generally dull with 90% of folks wearing black or grey, the weekend crowd is 100% colorful. Folks come out in many different colors and designs.
- There seems to be an unwritten rule for folks to walk in straight lines during the weekdays while on weekends, they walk all over the damn place. No line, no pattern, totally chaotic. Yet, I am pretty sure that if someone falls down, the others will just walk around him/her without even slowing down for a second.
- Oh, I actually managed to take a video of the shopping crowd at the Shibuya shopping district. Check it out here.
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Observation # 4 :
- I was reminded of the birth place of Ajinomoto. Its Japanese literal translation of "Essence of Taste" is indeed true. Everything is blardy tasty no matter how bad the food is. Yes, I discovered that not-so-good food can be tasty too. Weird but true.
- The downside is, I am thirsty all the time! Had to have a bottle of water with me all the time.
- The other downside is, Penang food seemed rather tasteless during my first day back home. (And we all know how untrue that is considering folks travel from all over the country to Penang for its food!)
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Observation # 5 :
- They sell anything and everything through vending machines. From cigarettes to drinks to food to desserts to supplies to anything - you name it, they have it.
- They even have vending machines at small restaurants. Customers will line up in front of the restaurants to buy coupons for the food they want and when they are seated inside, all they need to do is pass the purchased coupon to the chefs behind the counter. Here’s the part I like best : No cashiers! Good tips for entrepreneurs. Only need to employ folks to cook and serve. No worries about trusting anyone to handle the cash. Cool idea, huh? Check out the pictures here.
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Stay tuned.
More updates to come as and when I put all the pieces together.
27
Jan
Home Sweet Home
It feels good to be back.
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When I walked out of the arrival hall at the Penang International Airport and saw Sweetheart standing there with his arms wide open, I knew I was home. When I walked through the front door of my apartment, I knew I was home. God, it felt good. I was overwhelmed with emotions I couldn’t even begin to describe.
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Yes, it feels darn good to be home.
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There is so much I want to update in here but they are all over the place and there is so little time. I have 3 days before I have to go away again - but this time, it will be for leisure, not for work. No laptop, no work, nothing but relaxation and FUN! And I will have Sweetheart next to me as we explore the sights and sounds of Bangkok.
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It’ll be my birthday next week and I will be celebrating it in The Land of A Thousand Smiles with the man who makes my heart beat a thousand times faster every time he kisses me.
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A woman couldn’t ask for more, could she? *tired but happy grin*
26
Jan
Pooped Out
I have a million and one things to update but negative million and one energy to do so.
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Since I left Austin, my days had been a whirlwind of activities. Consequently, I had no time (nor energy) to update my blog. 
It’s not that I have nothing to blog, just no energy. Now sitting at The Sapura Lounge @ Narita Airport waiting to board my flight back home, I finally got the chance to sit down, recollect my experiences in the past 3 days and then let the dance between my fingers and the keyboard begin.
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The annoying this is - I am using one of the desktops at the Sakura Lounge (too lazy to take out my laptop), and it has a Japanese keyboard that seems rather intent to play this now-its-English-then-its-Japanese game with me. Every other minute, I have to bang on it real hard and shout at the top of my voice "Damnit! I duwan Jap characters! Change back to English!" - or something to that effect. Will leave the rest of the scene to your imagination. Also, some of the symbols are in different keys. Damn you Japs! Why do you always have to be so anally different and making others’ Life difficult?!?! Ok, I don’t hate the Japs. I have some dear Jap friends I love…I am just tired and being grouchy. :\
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So, over a few glasses of wine, I am attempting to capture my experiences in the past 3 days and transfering them to my blog.
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…………………………………………………..
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Nooope! Not working. And as I probe my mind in an attempt to bring them out in a comprehensible flow, the thoughts stayed stubborn and would only come out in spurts. If I try to relay them in that manner, I am sure you will be confused outta your mind! So…my beloved friends, I am sure you will understand and be patient enough to wait while this weary ‘road warrior’ (I like this word) recuperates.
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Oh, it is but a few more hours before I am back in Sweetheart’s arms and the comfort of home sweet home. As exciting and fun as being a road warrior may be, coming home to those we love is always the best. Yeah?
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More to come….hopefully, soon.
24
Jan
Sumimasen!
With Terry (Goodkind) for company and free-flow Umeshu (my fav Japanese plum wine), the almost-12 hour flight was actually kinda enjoyable. I slept abit but was very mindful to stay awake during daylight by the Jap clock so as to avoid suffering jetlag when I get to my destination.
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The airport limo bus ride took about an hour to get from Narita Aiport to The Strings Hotel in downtown Tokyo. Fare is about ￥3000 (which is about RM 90+) for one way. Cost more than taking the train but hey, with that extra box from all the shopping in Austin, there is no way I am gonna lug that box around the train station looking for my hotel.
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Check-in was smooth and hotel staff is super polite. It’s actually a 6-storey hotel but it starts from Level 26 at the Shinagawa East building. It comes right out to the Shinagawa Station. I am told that millions of folks commute via this station on a daily basis. I will find that out tomorrow when I travel to the office in Kawasaki.
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My hotel room here is only about half the size of the room I had in Austin but hey, Sweetheart already warned me. Tokyo is all about space. Every single square feet means lots and lots of moolah. :\
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Weather is cold (about 3 degrees Celcius) but at least it’s dry. The rain in Austin was kinda annoying me during my last few days there. Hopefully, Tokyo will stay dry till this weekend at least.
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By the time the check-in procedures were completed and all my luggage sent to my room, it was past 11pm Tokyo time (10pm Malaysian time). I was hungry and decided to go out to search for food.
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Noticed lots of Western restaurant in the area. And lots of gaijin walking around. Then I remembered that I am in downtown Tokyo, not some remote Japanese countryside. Signs that caught my attention - McDonald’s, TGIF, Roadhouse Grill. Urgh. I thought I just left the US…?
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Then, I saw this.
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I knew then that I had to have it. Japanese hawker worr… Of coz I was not disappointed. It was the best BBQ pork ramen soup I have ever had! Abit pricey (￥850 - which is abt RM26) but hey, I am after all in downtown Tokyo. Nothing is cheap here. Not even the air we breathe. Darn…
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That’s it for my first update from Tokyo. Gotta get some sleep now. Tomorrow’s gonna be an interesting day with my Jap counterparts. Can’t wait. :\
23
Jan
Adieu, Austin!
My last day in Austin was an uneventfully busy day.
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Had a final F2F 1:1 with my boss, did abit of work, then spent some time with friends and oh, some last minute shopping at Wal-Mart. (Floe, your shopping list is completely fulfilled!)
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Lunch was mutton gyro at a Greek restaurant near to my hotel : Zorba. Food was above average. Definitely not as yucky as greasy American fast food but also not wow-i-m-gettin’-an-orgasm-just-by-smelling-this-stuff kinda food! Would I go back there? Sure.
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Dinner…had a very late dinner at close to midnite, t’was more like supper. D took me to this place he has been frequenting since he was a teenager - Kerbey Lane Cafe. Oh, he has memories there. Sweet and bitter ones. Thanks for sharing those stories with me. Before and after supper, he drove around to show me the neighbourhood he grew up in, the school he went to, the houses of the girls he had crushes on when he was younger and the spot where his buddies had some ‘fun’ when they were curious 9 year-olds. Thanks D, for the *BEST* last day in Austin. I will cherish this memory for a long time to come.
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Packing - was not so fun.
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I realised that after putting all my clothes and stuff into my bag, I need ONE MORE bag to put all the stuff I bought in the past 10 days. Ended up packing them all into a box instead of going out to get an extra bag. Sweetheart was already telling me "I told you to bring an extra bag, duwan to listen to me lah!" Chehh…how I know I will end up shopping so much worrr…. :p
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Decided not to bother with sleep coz I looked at my ticket and it said departure time out of Austin was 8am. That means I have to be at the airport by 6am - which means I have to be up 1.5hrs earlier to get changed, check out of hotel and give myself abt an hour to drive to the airport.
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Unfortunately, the freeways here are too damn straightforward and easy. I got to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport in 40mins. After returning my rented VW Beetle, I bade it farewell and told myself never to bother about going near one again - it really sux.
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Luggage check-in was smooth at the First Class line. Hey, I can get used to this!!! :)))
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Walked over to the gates, took a look at my boarding pass and then - realize my flight out to LAX (transitting there before heading out to Narita) is at 8.50am - which means I have TWO HOURS to kill before boarding time. Hmmm…might as well check out the Admirals Club at the airport.
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Boy, was I in for a not-so-pleasant surprise.
- The place doesn’t look as impressive as the one at Narita Airport.
- The drinks and food selection is SUPER limited.
- I received a ‘Good for one complimentary beverage at the bar’ while Narita was free-flow for everything at the bar.
- Their wireless doesn’t work (pretty much like Changi - they have signs all over the place boasting to you about it but it doesn’t really work at all)
- They only have 2 desktops with free Internet connection as opposed to Narita’s at least 10.
Well, at least I have a good book with me. Maybe I will get to finish it so that I can start the next one. Been so busy with work and shopping and friends that I have not much time to do much reading since I got to Austin.
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Poor Sweetheart’s been trying to call me since I got to the airport. Unfortunately, the entire departure terminal is rather stringent with their mobile signal policy and so, my phone has been on ‘Emergency Calls only" mode since I walked through the departure gate. Will hafta wait till I land in Tokyo before I can call him to tell him I am safe and sound in The Land Of the VERY Proud People….whoops, I meant The Land Of The Rising Sun.
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‘Tis gonna be a fun few days till the weekend for sure!
22
Jan
Wet, Wet, Wet Monday
The deep voice I have been used to hearing over the phone weekly for the entire of 2007 had always gave me the impression that he is a middle-aged man who strikes a fatherly figure with most folks. Boy, was I in for a surprise when I finally met him for lunch today @ Gumbo’s.
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Mainly coz he looks and acts so damn ‘kwai’. He was just soooooo Mr Nice Guy. I don’t think I have ever met another guy who can be more Mr Nice Guy than him. Here’s a (blurry) picture of him.
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Now you tell me. Ain’t he the most kwai looking guy you have ever set eyes on??? Well, for me, he sure is! I was so afraid of saying things that may be too direct and/or may offend him!
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After getting over the inital shock of tying the deep, uncle-ish voice to the kwai-kwai face, I realised just how lucky I was that he picked such an amazing venue for our lunch today.
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The food’s very different from any that I have had so far in my days here. It’s Creolean and definitely not the typical greasy American food that I hate (burgers and fries). The speciality of this place is seafood. Check out their menu here.
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Greedy me ordered 2 items.
1. Crawfish Étouffée (which was an appetizer made up of really yummy crawfish tails with some sort of fine grained rice. Not sure what kinda rice it is though)
2. Shrimp Pasta (served in creamy Creole lemon-caper-tarragon sauce, on a bed of tossed linguine. YUM!)
He had one of the Hawaiian fishes - I forgot the name. Something that sounded like ‘mali-mali’. Hehe…it was served with ‘dirty rice’. First time I heard rice being cooked that way but boy was it yummillicious!!! (He let me curi some off his plate)
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No dessert coz we ran out of time. We were so busy yakking away that time just flew by and before we knew it, I was already late for my 1pm meeting! So, off we flew back to the office.
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Afternoon was uneventful.
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Picked up M for more shopping by late afternoon. Was pleased that today was one of the most ‘fruitful’ shopping days thus far. Managed to get some gourmet pasta to bring home for more exploratory cooking with my galfriends. Headed back to Victoria Secret for more sexy stuffs.
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Oh Floe, managed to fulfill your order for the 100-way Convertible Bra. Me likey too. Me got one for meself too!!! Thanks for the recommendation. *muah*
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I finally got to pick up #1 and #2 in my shopping list.
#1 : Everclear - someone recommended this for Sweetheart’s famous jello shots. He be happy man tonight. I got him what he needed to give his jello shots more ‘ooommphhh!’ in our next party.
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#2 : Dos Tiranos Mezcal - this is said to be the most potent tequila ever introduced by the Mexicans. Some refered to it as The Insanity Juice. I knew I just HAVE to get a bottle for my beloved friends back home. You folks know who you are! Don’t have to fight over the worm. There’s TWO of them at the bottom of the bottle. ;))))
Oh, dinner was great! Had Italian (I know, I know….again! But so what? I am spoilt for choice here! Muahaha!). Went to Olive Garden with M. Between us, we ordered these :
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^^Stuffed Mushrooms^^
- parmesan, romano and mozzarella cheese, clams and herbs breadcrumbs baked in mushroom caps. (G, I know these are your fav and you are definitely salivating now!)
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^^Zuppa Toscana^^
- spicy sausages, russet potatos and cavolo greens in creamy broth.
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^^Grilled Shrimp Caprese^^
- grilled marinated shrimps served over angel hair pasta with melted mozzarella, fresh basil and tomatoes in a garlic-butter sauce.
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^^Tiramisu^^
- how can we not have the classic Italian dessert??? Sweetheart will flip if he knows this place actually serves better tiramisu than his fav place in downtown Pulau Tikus. Too bad I couldn’t doggie-bag some for him. Oh well, I will hafta eat on his behalf then. Sigh, the sacrifies a gal makes for her man. Oh well…
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No pictures. Too lazy to take any and was also too busy enjoying the food.
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I know, I know…..it seemed like a lot but hey, it’s just one small appetizer, one soup, one main and one dessert - between the 2 of us. 
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The night didn’t end that well though. Tried to logon remotely to get some urgent work done but stupid connection was crawling slower than grandma snail. So, I decided to make that 3-minute drive from my hotel to the office. Unsurprisingly, I got more work done there in 2 hours than I achieved for the entire day working remotely from the hotel. Left the office at slightly past 1am and man, what a sight that greeted me as I stepped out of the office building.
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Fog all around, slight drizzle, no car in the entire carpark, spooky-looking lights all around. Wished I had a good night-shot camera to capture the eerie sight but unfortunately, it’s still in my to-shop-for list. The 3-minute drive back to my hotel felt like 3 hours.
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Yes, I am glad to be safe and sound in my hotel room writing this.
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Ahh…tomorrow will be another new day.
In fact, t’will be my last full day in Austin before I fly east to The Land of The Rising Sun.
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Nitey nite.
It was a beeeaauutiful sunny weekend in Austin. God was definitely smiling down on us. No rain, no gloomy days stuck indoors.
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I had a different weekend this time round. Instead of drinking and late nights out (which was what last weekend was like), it was a weekend of the cash registers going ka-chinggggggggg!!!! Man, I spent so much over the past 2 days that my credit cards were still burning long after the shopping ended.
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Bitchin’ aside, it was a BLAST!
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Stuff I learnt over the weekend :
- Bed, Bath & Beyond is *not* the only shopping paradise for house-proud folks. There’s Crate & Barrel (where I got some really cool shot glasses), Sur La Table at the newly-opened mall ‘The Domain’ (where I got some cool ‘ice tray shooter’ and some swizzle sticks), and Williams-Sonoma (where I got a damn canggih cocktail rimmer).
- Victoria’s Secret is currently having some major sale!!! I was in too damn a hurry coz the store was too darn big and I only had enough time to buy some stuff - not as much as I was hoping to get…but t’was still ok. Got some good stuff for some galfriends. They are sure gonna squeak themselves silly when they see those stuff. *Hmmmm….methink me will go back for more sexy stuff*
- I can cook damn good! *smug grin* So it seems all those exploratory cooking back home did give me good practise. I ended up putting those skills to test on Sunday. Cooked dinner for some Asian friends and even learnt how to bake bread. Sweet!
- No matter how good Asian food is served in some Asian restaurant (i.e. Best Chinese restaurant in LA, Best Vietnamese restaurant in Texas, etc..) anywhere else in the world, nothing…and I mean nothing…can beat Asian food served in Asia!
- Do NOT - I repeat - DO NOT order the Mud Pie from The Cheesecake Factory for dessert unless you have a bottomless pit for a stomach and have an extremely strong sweet tooth.
- Champagne is dirt cheap in the States.
- Oil baths works for keeping our Asian skin smooth and moisturized in the dry, cold winter.
- Driving around in Austin is surprisingly easy. Not much bad traffic. Roads are good and signs are easy to follow.
- It is *not* true that Outlet stores only stock up on old range of merchandise. I discovered they have rather new Oakley models but they cost a bomb (much to Sweetheart’s disappointment).
Here are some random pictures taken over the weekend.
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We decided to go to a French makan place for a change. Went to this quiant little place with a nice fireplace by the name of la Madeleine. We were not really hungry then and opted for something light. M ordered the quiche while I ordered the spinach pochette and we both had a cup of soup each. Perfect brunch on a sunny Sunday morning!
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Do not let the sunny day fool ya! It was damn cccoollldddd and it was tough trying to keep my teeth from chattering while smiling for the below shot. M’s crazy idea to have our soup outdoors on Saturday..!!
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I know I just had Vietnamese food on Friday night but I was told that I must not miss the pho at the best Vietnamese restaurant in Austin (locals swear it’s the truth). So, we went for my 2nd pho experience and this time, it was at the not-to-be-missed Pho Hoang. My verdict? The pho was definitely better than the one I had at Sunflower but there was one thing that earned itself into my WoW list - Durian Smoothie!!! My eyes almost popped out when I saw it on the menu and sure enough, it was one of the must-try item insisted by M.
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A galfriend who holds a dear place in my heart sent me an urgent email : "You MUST go to the Cheesecake Factory! You cannot come back home without going there at least once!".
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So I took her advice to heart and decided to pay this Cheesecake Factory a visit. As I walked in, I was greeted with a splendid sight. High ceilings, beautiful lights, majestic-looking pillars, smartly-dressed staff, sinfully delicious-looking food - thought for a second that I was in a 6-star hotel lobby.
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We decided to grab seats at the bar when I saw this.
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Impressive, leh???
I know! I was gawking at it for a full minute before taking my place on one of the high stools.
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The little words underneath the big words ‘Mud Pie’ seemed really interesting. So, I decided to order that while M ordered the Kahlua cheesecake. Here is my reaction when the Mud Pie was delivered to me.
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The galfriends-in-crime with their *extremely* sinful orders.
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Needless to say, we couldn’t finish them. The thought of doggy-bagging them was also so vile that we just left them at the bar counter. Urghhh…. We swore solemnly to ourselves never to step foot inside this place of sin again. :\
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In a repentful attempt to end the weekend with some healthy food in our tummies, we decided to ‘cleanse’ ourselves of our sinful indulgences by having some homecooked dinner on Sunday evening.
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So, we cooked these.
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Top left : Baked shell pasta stuffed with tuna in tomato sauce.
Top right : Guacamole bruschetta.
Bottom left : Orange yoghurt cake (no fat!) with a dash of Grand Marnier.
Bottom right : Wheat bread with sultanahs and almonds (recipe courtesy of the sexy Nigella Lawson.
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And we ended the night of the weekend with this.
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Man, what a fulfilling weekend! :)))))
19
Jan
POP, goes the cherry!
I got ‘popped’ tonight.
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However, before I write about the amazing ‘popping’ experience, let me write a quick update on my meal experiences today.
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Lunch - decided to go Italian. Went to this place very near to the office. In fact, it’s so near that I could walk there from my hotel. Gino’s, it is called. As usual, I got excited when I saw ‘beef cannelloni’ on the menu but somehow, I decided to be adventurous today and try a different dish. So, I went for the ‘Spaghetti alla Gino’. Check out its’ menu here. No pictures to share coz I was too busy talking shop with my colleagues. Some of them are flying back to the UK this weekend and so, we decided to try to squeeze some ’shop talk’ into whatever time we have got left together. Sad, sad…but necessary, okay :p
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Dinner - finally got to try out Vietnamese food in Austin. Something I have been itching to do since I got here. Together with 2 very good friends (for the first time since Monday, I got to enjoy a meal with some non-colleagues…meaning there will *not* be any shop talk. We went to this place called Sunflower. Decent food. Not WOW food, but decent. However, I have to be honest and say that the Vietnamese food in Melbourne is waayyy better. Oh well, it was still a nice treat since I can’t find any Vietnamese restaurant in Penang at all! Sad but true.
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Managed to take some pictures of dinner.
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Didn’t manage to take pictures of the well-known rice paper spring rolls though. We were too hungry and just gobbled them down before remembering to take pictures. *phai seh*
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After dinner was when the ‘fun’ began!
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We went to this awesome place called Perfect 10. From the outside, it looks like a boring godown. Nothing spectacular about the building except for very bright neon lights in front. When we walked in, it was amazing! Sexy and yet, classy atmosphere.
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Cover charge was USD10 per person, not inclusive of first drink. I was still abit sick of beer (from the over-indulgence at Fast Eddie’s the night before), so we ordered some vodka redbull. Found a nice table and planted ourselves there for some ‘fun’.
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Since it was my first time to such establishments, D decided to give me a quick intro on the rules & regulations.
- Fee for a quick standing dance at the podium can range from USD1 to USD20.
- Fee is USD20 per personal dance (duration of one song). Of coz one can always pay more than that if one is extremely happy with the dancer.
- Male customers can only put their hands on the waist area, other areas are strictly prohibited (there are watchful bouncers all over the place).
- Female customers get away with much more (will elaborate more on this later).
- No kissing or tonguing the dancer unless the dancer initiates it.
- Strictly no intercourse.
It was interesting that initially, not many dancers walked up to us. They kept thinking that D and I were a couple and I would not be OK about them dancing for him. After a couple of ‘No, No, he is not my dude! Just a good friend. Go ahead and dance for him. I’ll watch" and then followed by a wink, the dancers finally warmed up to us.
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First, it was a black girl who goes by the stage-name ‘India’ (she happily told us that her real name is Tamika). She has a nice ass and D was happily being jug-slapped by Tamika. I was sitting there just watching - totally amused. When the song ended, she turned to me and went "Girl, you want a dance too?". Before I had the chance to reply, D blurted "Of coz she wants one!". Before I knew it, Tamika sauntered over to me, spread my legs open and started giving me a lapdance!
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The experience?
I was totally blown away by how she would put one leg between my legs and started vibrating like a machine!!! Whoah…I found out later that she left out one part of the routine which she apparently saved for the male customers. She would put her throat on the guys’ crotch, then make a growling sound deep in her throat. Well, I learnt a new trick today!
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It was all fun until she started rubbing her legs against mine. Since I was wearing a dress and not jeans, it was skin-to-skin contact and errrmmm…let’s just say that a shaving session is in order. :\
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After that, a few other gals danced for D but I was just happy to sit back and watch. Then, I saw her.
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There was something about her that made her stand out from the rest of the other dancers. I pointed her out to D and he agreed with me. She was wearing a cute baby blue ensemble of super mini skirt, a tube and of coz, a matching G-string. We tried to catch her attention but she seemed to have a lot of regular customers.
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After awhile, we got kinda tired of waiting for her to notice us, so D walked up to her and requested her to join us at our table. Still, It was awhile before she came to join us. Boy, is she popular! And understandably so. She is gorgeous.
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While I waited for our time with her, I sat back and observed her further. She had a unique style - a classy one. While some dancers looked completely bored when doing their dance routine, she was visibly giving her all to each and every one of her dance. She would keep eye contact with her customers and her moves were mostly slow and provocative, not brash and crude like most of the other dancers.
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Although cameras were not allowed, I ‘curi-curi’ snapped a picture of her with my W880i (I know, I know! Risky but I couldn’t resist. She is just too darn gorgeous and had me mesmerized!). Couldn’t turn on the flash as it would definitely bring the bouncers to us in seconds. So, understand that the picture will be dark.
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D believes her boobies are fake and I didn’t believe him until she came over and I got a closer look. Disappointingly, they did look kinda fake. Check out for yourself and decide if they are real or not.
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*Proceed only if you are 18 and above*
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After what seemed like an eternity, she finally came over and introduced herself, "Hi, I am Ruby Day and I am from Kansas City."
She then proceeded to sit on D’s lap and talked to us for awhile before she started dancing for him.
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What got me was when she was dancing for D, she would occasionally reach over and caress my arm or my leg. Man, she has the softest hands! I was totally mesmerized by her. After a couple of songs, I was struck by a sudden bolt of boldness and leaned over with a whisper into her ear, "Can I have a dance too?". "Sure ya can, sexy" - she drawled. Man, oh man, oh man!!!
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If there is only one thing I can say about Ruby Day, it will be that she has the smoothest skin I have ever felt on anyone! She was gentle, yet applying all the right pressure in all the right places. I will admit that I got turned on having her dance for me. WOW! Did I say WOW? Yeahhh….WOW!!!!
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When I whispered into her ear that she has the smoothest skin, she purred right back - "YOU have the smoothest skin, girl! I love Asian skin. So beautifully tanned and smooth. Do you take baths in bath oil too?" Of coz that was news to me. The bath oil bit, that is. Am so gonna get myself some bath oils to soak in the long bath for the remaining of my stay here. The cold always makes my skin feel tight and uncomfy.
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3am came too soon. As we got up to leave, she slipped a card into my hand and whispered huskily "Check me out online". I was totally gobsmacked. She has a website??? OOoooOoooooo…
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Check her out here. (Be warned that her site is rated 18-SX)
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I got back to my hotel grinning and was so excited that sleep just eluded me. Time now is about 6.30am and I have an 11am appointment to go shopping and a full-Saturday out with a galfriend. Looks like I won’t be sleeping today.
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Oh well, Life happens and we just can’t afford to sleep sometimes!
Had a typical American dinner tonight @ Fast Eddie’s, a popular sports bar hangout at Round Rock.
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Greasy burgers, fries, onion rings and lots of beer. Tummy feeling really uncomfortable now…and we wonder why obesity rate is so high in the States. Urgh.
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Despite the crappy food, the company was excellent and the pool-shooting was lotsa fun!
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I think I had too much beer but when the company is so darn good, it’s so easy to lose count of the bottles, eh?
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It seems that my English and Scottish team mates are sharks at pool. Considering that they have been playing snooker and pool since they were 10 years old…it would be totally wussy if they still suck at it, eh?
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Overall, it was a great, relaxing evening. We went straight there after work and oh, if we whip out our Dell badges, the pool tables were free till 9pm.
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Cheapskate us hogged the table from 6pm onwards and only walked off to the bar at 9.01pm. :)))
17
Jan
Quick One
Wednesday nite was amazing.
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I went out with 3 other born-n-bred Austin folks who took me to this amazing restaurant with a name that will make some of my mabuk friends grin : Moonshine.
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We had some great food and it was the first time I actually enjoyed Macaroni n Cheese (it was served as a side dish) and it is nothing like the one they serve back home in Kenny Rogers. As for drinks, I had a reeally yummy Martini - the ‘Ruby Slippery Martini’ which is actually vodka, grapefruit juice and champagne float served with a cherry at the bottom. It was SO good that I had 3 of those while waiting for our table, over dinner and after dinner. *Sluurrrpppp*
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After dinner it was off to more drinks in downtown Austin. We club hopped abit. First it was this cool basement jazz bar called The Elephant Room, then we moved around abit before ending up at Gruv. Cool place. Plays similar music to our clubs in Penang. We left early, at about 1am coz we all had to work the next day.
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Today was bad. Horrible morning. Woke up with a splitting headache. Had to request for Tylenol from the front desk and slept in the entire morning. Had to reschedule 2 meetings and miss a team lunch.
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However, the afternoon was great. Had a *very* good meeting with some folks I’ve been dying to meet to understand some applications and program management activities. And oh, I love it that my hotel is less than 5 mins drive from the Dell Round Rock campus! No traffic jam coz I don’t even get on the main road. Just the Dell roads. Wooot…. :)))
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Stay tuned for more updates.
16
Jan
Day 1 in Austin (Cont.)
Ok, here is the promised post of my first weekend in Austin.
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Two of my best buddies - R & CL - made my first weeked in Austin a fantabulous one. I felt totally welcomed and had a blast!
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We started last Saturday night by going to one of the most chic restaurant in town - Sullivan’s. We had to wait ONE HOUR for a table. That should give anyone an idea how good the food there is.
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Between the 3 of us, we had some lobster bisque, escargots, fresh oysters and a whole bunch of stuff in the seafood palate, mignon steak, and 2 bottles of red wine. As expected, we couldn’t finish it. Had to doggie-bag it for Katie (will upload a later post on Katie).
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Ok, it was then that we learnt the etiquettes of ‘rejecting’ wine. You know how the waitor will open the bottle, pour a little into a wine glass for one person at the table and get the person to sample the wine, give the nod before pouring for the rest at the table? So, out of curiosity, I asked the waitor "How many times have your customers rejected a bottle of wine and what is the right way of doing it?"
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His reply :
"Of coz I had customers rejecting bottles of wine before. It’s really pretty straightforward. If the customer selected the bottle him/herself, then the bottle will usually not be rejected. Hey, you picked it yourself! However, if the bottle was recommended by the waitor, then the customer has every right to reject and request for another bottle after sampling it."
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Ahhhhhhhh……so now we know - let the waitor suggest the bottle if we are unsure of which bottle to select. So, if we don’t like it, we can reject and not have to force ourselves to drink wine we don’t like. Unless of coz you had a particular bottle in mind and specifically requested for it. Then, there is no question of returning it coz you already know what to expect of the bottle.
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After dinner, it was off to one of the most popular live-band bar in town. It is not too big, about the size of Soho’s ground floor. Had to pay cover charge. Dunno how much coz my friend paid for it.
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Read about reviews on Continental Bar here, here, and here.
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I personally like it as a nice place for good music and some light dancing. Not our usual booty-shakin’ kinda music at MoMo or Mois or even SS. This one is classier. The crowd is an artistic lot.
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…and introducing the band of the night…
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The Iguanas from New Orleans!!! They are reeeally good and had the crowd moving to their music in seconds.
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After about an hour there, we decided to adjourn to the club/bar strip in downtown Austin : The 6th Street. It is SUPER long! it’s like the entire of Penang Road - from Komtar all the way to E&O Hotel. Bars and clubs on both sides of the road. Hundreds of them! The road is totally closed to traffic on clubbing nights and we had to walk the entire length. It was tiring but it was fun. We didn’t go in to many. Just walked past and laughed at drunk folks puking their guts out by the roadside.
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Whilst we have our mamak stalls, they had their hotdog stands as well. I was amazed at the super long queue at the hotdog stands at 2am when folks start getting the hankering for food after an entire night of drinking and puking. LOL. There was even a 911 van parked nearby, to take care of emergencies.
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What I was most amazed with was the security. There were cops everywhere. In patrol cars parked by the roadside, on bicycles riding around in sexy shorts and my favourite was this :
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Cops on horses!! How cool is that, huh???
It seems they are best for crowd control. I tried to take a picture of the cops in their sexy shorts but they were busily moving around in their bicycles.
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We finally ended the night with a stop to this place.
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Yupppp….Coyote Ugly!
We got there rather late so there weren’t many folks there. It was kinda slowing down for the night. Nevertheless, there were still a fair bit of ‘activities’ going on which I managed to capture above.
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We decided to call it a night soon after.
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Wow, what a great first Saturday night clubbing experience in downtown Austin! Thanks R & CL. You guys are the best!!! *hugz*
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My colleagues are talking about going downtown on Wednesday night for some drinks to celebrate the hard work we have put into the series of meetings we’ve had. Me? I just go with the flow. :)))
Although today was theoretically our Day 2 at the Austin office (different campus tho), it was a big day for our team. We were to present in front of a bunch of other folks to share with them our work for the past weeks and to get their nods. To cut a long story short, it went superbly! Our boss was pleased with our team’s presentation skills and loved that we handled the entire Q&A session really well. *kembang*
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Oh well, one battle won…a few thousand more to go! Woohoo!
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After a really loooonng day, it finally ended at 6-ish pm. The sky was getting dark outside and we were abit bummed that our earlier plans to get out of the meeting room by 4pm were dashed when our boss went "Team, please stay back for a short team meeting."
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ARghhh…and I had already made ‘plans’ with the cute guy I just met today at the session - the same guy I have been exchanging emails for the past few weeks and now that I’ve met him and saw how cute he is AND how nice he is too, how could I resist an invitation to visit his work area so that he can show me around and introduce his team members to me? Networking has always been one of my fav activities. One can never make too many friends, eh?
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Of course all those grand plans were dashed coz it was too late by the time our team meeting ended.
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So, we headed straight from the office to our aparment…only to be greeted by the CUTTEST guy I have ever seen in my days here thus far. Check him out below…
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He was waiting at the lobby for his daddy to get back from work so that they can go out to celebrate his sister’s first birthday. He was reeeeallly adorable and stole my heart when he did this :
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*Saw me walking up to the lobby and talking to his mom, so immediately established me as his fwen. Boldly walked up to me and said "Hi, what is your name?" to which I replied "Hi there handsome, my name is Eleen." He took my hand in his tiny hand, shook it, gave me a sweet smile, stretched out both his hands…and said happily "I wuv you, Eleen!" and gave me the warmest hug ever.*
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How could I resist that, rite??? Damn ‘beh tahan’. What a player! Stole my heart in just seconds. Never mind that he is only 4 years old.
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Then, of coz, we must not forget the birthday girl who just turned one today. So damn adorable….like a doll!
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Daddy and mommy gave me a few more minutes with them before they announced that they gotta take their baby girl to her first birthday dinner and it was also mommy’s first trip to the US of A. Happily, the Scottish family sauntered off. It’s weird (in a nice sorta way) to see the same nerdy guy who sits in the same room storming his brains out with us throughout the day suddenly turn into such a family figure. Hehe…
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So, off we went to our own dinner at this ggrrrreeaatt Japanese restaurant, Tokyo Steakhouse. I know I’ll get to sample their authentic cousins next week but hey, I never refuse Jap food anytime anywhere! I’ll just have them again next week.
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Without hesitation, I ordered my Umeshu drink (Jap plum wine). Had it all the way from Narita to here on JL last weekend and I was already yearning for more of the good stuff. Just couldn’t wait till next week to sample it again on the plane.
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My Canadian and English colleagues ordered their usual - beer. I was surprised that they haven’t eaten much Japanese food in their lives, so dunno how to order. I decided to expand their culinary experiences by ordering all the best sushi in the house. Let’s just say they walked out with a huge grin on their faces and hands patting their tummies.
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My dinner mates tonight. Charming company.
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Between the 3 of us, we shared many, many stories (work-related, family-related, *censor*-related, etc…) tonight.
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Thanks for a GREAT evening, Ben & Dave!
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P/S - I finally get to drive my VW tonight! Managed to convince the guys to abandon their Mustang for one night and ride to dinner in my Beetle. Hmmm, can’t say I was really impressed with the drive. I think I like my Woody’s performance better. What a let-down.
14
Jan
WorkDay #1 @ Round Rock
It was tough.
Lots of hard questions asked. Lots of ambiguity but hey, that’s what Life and exciting work is all about, rite?!
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It was really interesting, I tell ya.
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A group of grown men from all corners of the world meet up in a room…and for a full 20 minutes, a really interesting session started and man, I have never seen that much bitchin’ between men in my entire life! *LOL* Having said that, the very same group of men also make up the most amazing and kick-ass team I have ever worked with in my entire lifetime at Dell. Unbelievable! What a refreshing change from what I encounter most of the time back home : folks who bitch and do not try coming up with solutions. Just non-stop bitching. That, I cannot ‘tahan’!
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We had our first face-to-face team meeting today. It was GREAT! The day just went by and we covered soooo much. Then, it was off to lunch at this BBQ place called Smokey Mo’s. Had the briskets and sausages. Not too bad, not too bad at all.
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More discussions in the afternoon. Had some tough meetings but it was all good to prep us for the next 2 days (BIG agenda coming up!). By 4+ pm, we were all ready to call it a day. Sad thing was, some of us were talking about needing to work some more tonight to put more ‘juice’ into our presentation decks. Woohoo!
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Then it was off to team dinner at Chuy’s, a ‘wildly popular’ Mexican restaurant here. To be frank, I found the food so-so but the place was packed! I asked 3 waitors to take a group picture for us and ALL 3 declined - saying they are too busy serving tables! I cannot imagine any place in Penang that will decline customers’ request to take pictures. Guess the difference being that waitors in the States live on their tips while ours don’t. So, they would rather spend their energy and time serving their own tables to get bigger tips than to stop and take pictures for you.
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*side note*
I had lunch at Hooters last weekend (which I was gonna blog about but still haven’t coz I have not edited the pictures..but I will get to it!) and I was told that the Hooter girls can easily make USD4K in tips A DAY! Tempted to quit your day jobs and go apply to be a Hooter gal???
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So here are the pictures from tonight’s dinner. I love the deco of the place! The owner is a real Elvis fan. Check out the nachos and salsa bar below.
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There is even an ‘Elvis Presley Memorial Combo’ in the menu! I didn’t order it coz like most American portion, they are H-U-G-E. So as not to stuff myself silly, I decided to order the No. 8 : Chuy’s Lite Plate. Ya know what I love most about the places here? Every place I go, they are listed on the Net. So convenient for us as customers! Check out their online menu here.
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Other than their funky nachos and salsa bar, their other unique feature is seen in below picture. Check out the ceiling in the picture. Seems the owner is a car freak (which guy isn’t?!?).
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And finally…..pictures of the team.
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Yes, I am the only rose among the thorns and I am lucky that the guys in my team are real gentlemen. I work as hard as them but they treat me like a real lady.
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How can one help but love ‘em???
13
Jan
Home away from home
When the voice of ‘Neverlost’ in my rented Chevy announced "You have arrived at your destination", I pulled right up to this.
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Nice, I thought to myself. Cosy, actually. Unlike the regular impersonal hotels.
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Residence Inn is the name it goes by. I later found out there are at least 3 of this in Austin and some are those high-storey buildings in the city. This one is the cosiest and the nearest to Dell in Round Rock. One can actually walk to work from here but darn, it’s a BIG campus! Not sure why they name it the "Dell Campus" but it sure looks alot like most Uni grounds. Lots and lots of fields between all 8 buildings. Would take a couple of minutes just to walk from one building to another.
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Anyway, will post some pictures of Dell and its grounds in my later posts. This post is about my home away from home for the next one week.
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So, here is where I will be spending my nights in the next week.
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Studio apartment style. Real comfy too. Love the high bed and love the kitchenette although I doubt I’ll be doing any cooking there.
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Has a good heater to keep me warm at nights. The days here are nice (about 50+ degree Fahrenheit/10+ degree Celsius) but the nights are cold. Brrrrrr….
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However, I have a new, sexy winter jacket to keep me nice and warm at nights here. So, all’s good.
13
Jan
Pimp my ride!
This was what got me from the Austin airport to my hotel on Saturday. It came with the GPS called ‘Neverlost’, so I was totally cool with it. I first used the GPS during my trip to LA and loved it! It was my saviour getting around LA and spared me the headache of reading maps and asking for directions.
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Unfortunately, I didn’t like its performance. Forgot which model of the Chevy. Will have to check the contract I signed with Hertz at the airport.
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So, I called Hertz and complained about its’ less-than-impressive performance and requested for a change. Initially, they wanted to charge me USD 80 to have it exchanged but thanks to a good friend who helped me talk to the supervisor, I got it exchanged for free! They even sent the 2nd car right to my hotel and took the 1st car back without me having to drive back to the airport.
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This was what I got in exchange of the Chevy.
Sexy, eh? Me likey!
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The funny thing is, I still haven’t driven it yet. Had friends pick me up to go out today (Sunday) and was hoping to drive it to work tomorrow but my colleagues just made an agreement to carpool with another UK team mate’s sleek-lookin’ Mustang. Yup, some serious pimpin’-the-ride is happening tomorrow!
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So, dunno when I will get to finally drive my first VW Beetle.
*keep fingers tightly crossed*
13
Jan
Not so enchanting…
"Enchanted Rock" is not happening today - Sunday the 13th.
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Just found out that it’s gonna be an all-day thingy. Distance from here to there is like driving from Penang to Ipoh. Was all excited about going but when I realised it’s gonna need the whole day, had to call it off coz I just cannot afford the entire day.
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Got to spend some time working on my presentation deck for tomorrow’s big day with the entire team and also, there’s a team dinner tonight at Joe’s Crab Shack.
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Darn! Was so looking forward to being enchanted. :(((
13
Jan
Day 1 in Austin
Updates from the Lone Star State :
- There is no friggin’ booth/store/whatever at the huge International Fortworth Airport nor the Austin Airport that sells prepaid starter packs! Consequently, I had to walk around the entire block after checking into my hotel to locate it. Finally found it at the AT&T store just down the road from my hotel.
- Lurve my hotel! Quaint little place with a huge chain across the US of A. Will post some pictures of it later.
- Not that difficult to tell folks where I am putting up at. It’s just across the freeway from Hooters.
- Hate the car I got from Hertz. Horrible drive. Called them to complain and got the car replaced. Lurrvee the replacement car!!! Will share the pictures later.
- GREAT dinner at a chic, downtown place called Sullivan’s.
- Learnt the proper way to ‘reject’ a bottle of wine. Y’know, get the waitor to open the bottle, wait for waitor to pour a little into wine glass, swirl the wine around abit, watch its’ flow, smell it, check out the cork, take a sip, swirl it around in the mouth, grimace…then turn to waitor to say "Nope, this is horrible! Change this bottle please".
- Checked out one of the many live music bars. Place is called ‘Continental Bar’ and there was really cool band playing. Was fun but feet aching to dance.
- Checked out the clubbing scene in downtown Austin. One word : MADNESS
- Clup-hopped and ended the night at ‘Coyote Ugly’.
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Got LOADS of pictures to share but too darn tired to edit and post them now. Have not slept since I got into Austin 12 hours ago.
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Tomorrow’s an exciting day. Got a date to drive to the mountainside. A place called "Enchanted Rock". Hope I can wake up tomorrow.
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Nitey nite.
11
Jan
Flushed Away!
One more quick update before I board my connecting flight to Dallas. Just had to share this!
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I lurrveee the toilet seats in Japan!!!
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Firstly, they are heated. So, no shocked feeling of naked-ass-on-cold-toilet-seat. And then on the side of the bowl, there is a panel of instructions. The picture I took is abit blur, so I will explain what those buttons are.
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- First button (red) is the STOP button. No explanations required on that.
- Second button (blue) is the SPRAY button. It dispenses warm water.
- Third button (pink) is the erm…picture too blur and I can’t make out the word. Basically, it’s a bigger spray than the blue button. I didn’t try that button though. Only tried the blue one.
- Fourth button (green) is my favourite! It’s the FLUSHING SOUND button and one can control the volume of the sound by pressing the ‘-’ and ‘+’ buttons below. It seems the Japs are a tad embarrassed with the thudding ‘tuuum’ sound when they are doing their business. *LOL* I have heard that some other parts of Japan has other creative sounds. The flushing sound is the most basic.
And lastly, of course…one can control the water pressure as well as the temperature. Some may like it scalding hot while some may like it just mildly warm.
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Ahhhh…the many different preferences of the butts.
It’s a wet Saturday morning at Narita today.
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I silently thanked my mom for getting me the foldable brolly. If the weather is still like this next week, I will be mighty thankful for the brolly. Maybe if I pray hard enough, the weather will clear up so that by the time I am here again next week and walking the streets of Tokyo, it’ll be dry. I really don’t mind the chilly weather, but must be dry. Hate getting wet especially when walking around. Had that experience in London years ago and the memory still stings today!
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I looked out the window and caught a picture of this.
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A plane was just flying in and one of the yellow transit trains was zooming by. Wet, wet Saturday morning.
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Time check as I disembarked - 6 more hours before my AA (American Airline) transit flight to Dallas. Whoah…mighty long time leh…
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So, I walked around the Narita Airport to check it out since it’s my first time transiting here. Nowhere as impressive as Changi Airport (I believe not many airports in the world can measure up to Changi - except for their dang WiFi connection!) but definitely better than Taipei which was B-O-R-I-N-G.
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At least at Narita, they have those really interesting-looking Japanese snacks in the gift stores. I walked around a few and made mental notes to go back there next week to buy some. Lots of chocs too. And some super cool electronic gadgets. Aarrghhh!!! "Must be strong. DO NOT spend money on stuff that are just nice-to-have!" - I chanted to myself over and over again.
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So, to prevent myself from losing the battle of whipping out my credit card to charge all those yummy-looking stuff, I decided to head over to the Admirals Club, AA’s business lounge.
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The first thing I noticed as I walked in was the fact that it’s HUGE. Even bigger than the SATS Premier Club at Changi. Urm…at maybe twice its size. Again, SKL looked like a makeshift mamak stand next to this place.
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Here’s how it looks like as I walked in after checking myself in at the reception.
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Very business-like. SATS has a more casual ambience. This one meant more serious business. That was the impression I got as I walked in.
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I turned to the F&B section to be greeted with this.
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Of coz Malaysia’s clock was not put up there with the rest of the big cities. I was more distracted by the delicious-looking red apples. I walked nearer and got a picture of this for my alcoholic friends. Sorry hands abit shaky from the 7-hour flight earlier. A little tired.
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I looked around some more and realised the folks here are abit ‘kiamsiap’ with food. Not much choice. There’s only some teeny bits of sandwiches, some muffins and that’s about it. Maybe it’s too early in the morning. Lots of drinks available though.
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I decided to stick to tomato juice. Had some champagne on the flight from Singapore and didn’t really like it. Too sparkly and made me feel uncomfortable through the first few hours of the flight. Didn’t want to take more beer coz I had more than enough at SKL in Penang. So, just pumped myself with lots of fresh juices.
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Oh, tried some tea though. Saw some interesting looking teabags and on them were these words : "Roasted Green Tea". Decided to try some. WOW! Definitely yummier than the regular green tea. This one is damn fragrant leh. Not sure if we have them back home. Maybe we have and I am just being ‘jakun’ but hey, at least I didn’t get all pretentious and act all uppity about knowing everything I’ve seen so far.
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Did I get any sleep? Yes, I actually did on the way here even though I told myself I wouldn’t in order to adjust my internal clock to Austin time. Was too damn tired and the flat seat was too damn comfy to not give in to my body’s need for rest. Got a picture of the Shell Flat Seat from JL’s website.
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Here’s how it looks like.
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Lesson learnt : Must ask for aisle seat for long hauls. Otherwise, if your seat partner stretches out to sleep, there is no way of getting out to use the loo. Will have to ‘tahan’ till he/she wakes up. Which was what happened to me earlier. :\
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Ok, that just reminded me. I didn’t request for aisle seat when I checked in just now. Duhhhhh!! Will hafta go talk to the nice Japanese lady again at the reception.
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Signing off for now.
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P/S - Will not be posting from Dallas as it’s a short transit to Austin. Next post will be from Austin.
11
Jan
Changi Challenge
Disembarkation at Changi’s Terminal 2 was smooth. A 3-minute Skytrain ride got me to Terminal 1 and I was reminded of how GIGANTIC Changi Airport is. I silently thanked Sweetheart for reminding me that I have to do lots of walking and so, better to travel in my sneakers than in flip-flops.
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Checking-in was smooth at the JL (Japan Airline) counter. Besides the boarding pass, I was also issued an invitation ticket to the SATS Premier Club while I wait for my connecting flight.
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Time check : I had 2.5 hours to kill before boarding my next flight to Tokyo.
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So, off I went in search of the SATS Premier Club. It was then that I was rudely reminded, yet again, of Changi’s size. For at least 20 minutes, I was walking all over…totally lost! Signs were not helpful at all. Good thing is, I stumbled upon the swimming pool. Now I know Changi Airport has a swimming pool (ya ya, ‘jakun’ me) where one can pay SGD 13.91 per person per entry to swim for as long as the heart desires. I’ve always been shopping at Changi and now I know of one more thing to do while transiting at Changi Airport.
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The lady at the JL check-in counter told me "Look out for the NONANO shop. Take the escalator to its right." I reckoned it would be impolite for me to ask her again as she was impatiently gesturing for the next passenger to move forward.
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For some strange reason, as I was walking around, my eyes caught the sign "GIORDANO" and a light just went off. I looked to its right and sure enough, there was an escalator leading up to a sign.
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<Much later, picture inserted as above, thanks to the wireless connection in the Admirals Club @ Narita Airport>
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I took some pictures to share in this post but the damn WiFi connection @ Changi sux!
I’ll write that again : The Wireless@SG suxxx!!!
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So, I finally found the SATS Premier Club. It’s really impressive. I walked in and was greeted with this sight.
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At least 5 times the size of SKL at the Penang Airport. More free food, free Haagen Daaz ice cream, free booze, some other extras that made SKL in Penang look like a shack.
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There was some sushi, soba and other Japanese food. As much as I love Jap food (especially if it’s free!), my stomach was shouting for time-out - no thanks to the horrible in-flight food on the Penang-Singapore leg. So, I ended up taking some tomato juice and finished off the sandwich that Sweetheart passed to me earlier in the day.
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It has 10 desktops with free Internet connection. I am using one of them to write this post now. The reason I am not using my laptop is because of earlier mentioned reason : Wireless@SG suxxxx!!!
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It also has an OTO Rejuvenation lounge area with 5 of these.
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I peeked around and found no slot to insert coins. Which means - FOC lah! So, I spent the next 20 minutes being lost in one of it.
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Finally, I decided to utilize the free Wireless@SG which seems to be advertised all over the damn Changi Airport. I logged onto the main page to register myself and I get this message on my laptop screen.
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So, I waited….and waited…and waited.
Nothing happened. No ‘acknowledgement SMS’ even though my mobile phone was switched on and connected via STARHUB. Crap.
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Annoyed and irritated, I was about to walk up to the folks manning the counter at the entrance of this place only to get a call from Sweetheart. That cheered me up abit and my irritation at Wireless@SG was forgotten for a few minutes. When the call ended, I decided not to allow the stupid Wireless@SG to spoil my short time in this transit lounge.
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So, I did the next best thing.
Walked up to one of the available desktops to post this up - minus the pictures. They will hafta wait till I get my laptop connected to civilization again.
<pictures just inserted, thanks to Narita Airport!>
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Will end this post for now as I’ve about 30 minutes left before boarding time and I’m planning to make some calls to my bro and also some friends in Singapore.
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Just to say Hi and that I am passing by.
11
Jan
From SKL
Lesson learnt : You only need to be at the airport one hour prior to departure time for International flights.
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Stupid travel agent (nice lady but not too bright!) told me that I *must* be at the airport no later than 2 hours prior to departure time. Since my flight’s at 1815 hrs, I was already at the airport by 1600 hrs, ready to check-in.
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What do I find?
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No Singapore Airline (SQ) counter open yet. "Too early lah" said the lady at the Malaysia Airline (MH) counter. "See? I told you no need to come so early", Sweetheart rubbed salt on the wound. Whatever. I am here already. Nothing can be done. Look on the bright side : Better early than late.
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So, we wandered around the Penang airport for abit. Considering how ‘gigantic’ our Penang airport is, we finished the airport tour in, what…5 minutes? So I decided to tell Sweetheart to make his way home to avoid the painful Friday after-work traffic jam. After lots of hugs and smooches and naughty moments, off he went.
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So, off I went to the SIA business lounge - what they call the SKL : SilverKris Lounge. Hehe…me abit ‘jakun’. Have always flown economy from Penang to Singapore. So, this was my first time flying Business class to Singapore. Which means my first time walking into SKL.
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Cosy little place. Nice.
Free WiFi. Free food (pasta! yummy!). Free drinks - which includes unlimited cans of beer and oh, there’s hard liquor too. I know certain individuals who will die happy in here. You know who you are! *wink wink*
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Wow….this place filled up pretty fast. When I walked in here, it was pretty empty. Now, it’s filled with folks (mostly men) in business suits. "All old uncles ah?", my galfriend asked me over IM as I chatted with her. "No wor, surprisingly got lots of young businessmen. The guy sharing my table now is fairly young but he is not cute. So, i am ignoring him." Hehehe….
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Damn! They ran out of Tiger beer. Just left with Guiness. Wonder how soon they replenish. Never mind. I am buzzed already anyway.
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Time check : 30 more minutes to boarding time. I’ve had 3 some helpings of the pasta (how could I resist?!?!) and some cans of beer. I lost count after can # 5. Ok, I will admit that I am a little buzzed but hey, it’s all good. Only one hour to Singapore. That’s not too bad. The painful times come after Singapore. 7 hours to Japan and then 11.5 hours to Dallas before the final leg of 1 hour to Austin.
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That’s gonna be painful!.
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End of sharing.
Will post some more when I get to Singapore, if I can find decent WiFi and am not too tired.
11
Jan
Ramblings
One more email…yes, done.
Oh, another urgent one. Better reply to this first since I will be deprived of Internet connection for the next 40 hours or so. Forget wireless connection at airports. Totally unreliable (unless it’s Changi).
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Ei, what’s that? A con call request to clarify one of my presentation strategies next week? Better take that or risk being exposed by the sharks as a small, ignorant ‘ikan bilis’.
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Ok, so done with con call. Time check - 30 mins more before I really have to leave for the airport. More than enough time to sneak in some cuddle time with Sweetheart. Sob Sob…am gonna miss him for the next few weeks. Heck, am gonna miss all my friends for the next few weeks. Oh well, work’s work. Life’s Life. We either deal with it or we don’t. I choose to face it head-on. So, there!
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Dunno if I will be too jet-lagged to post anything when I get to my destinations. Oh well, we shall see…
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Have a great weekend, all!
I will try to post as much as I can from wherever I am on anything that makes me go "OoooOOOOoooo".
10
Jan
Cloud 9
Tonight, I had one of the BEST dates ever.
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It was the most candid and fun times I’ve ever had with someone.
It was so weird and interesting that we seem to share so many personal traits.
It was amusing that we both couldn’t stop yakking the whole nite long.
It was fabulous that we just clicked in the first few minutes of face-to-face time (after the many phone calls in the past months).
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Like he said…
- the food was fantastic
- the view was breathtaking
- the drinks were excellent
- the company - blew our minds away!!!
For all the sleepless nights and stressful days…
They are all worth it - totally worth it!
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I am what I would call other gals "Lucky Bitch!" to have a manager who is so cool, yet professional and at the same time, soooo funny - that puts a whole new perspective to remote managing for me! Never mind the fact that he is a few thousand miles away and I will only get to talk to him once a fortnight due to his super busy schedule.
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For all the horrible bosses I’ve had in the past (of coz there were some great ones), this one more than made up for ALL of them. Really.
09
Jan
Sayonara
I received this today.
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"Travel Alert : New Entry Requirements for Japan"
Beginning on November 23, 2007, the Japanese government will implement a new entry requirement for travel to Japan. Passengers entering Japan will be required to submit personal identification information, such as fingerprints and/or eye scans. This is being put in place in order to assist the Japanese goverment in identifying known terrorists that travel frequently.
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Guess I’ve to behave myself then.
Damn! And I thought I was gonna have some fun with those cute Japanese folks. Oh hang on. I have had my fun with some of those Japanese folks….and erm, they ain’t that big…I mean, cute.
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Then, I read this :
Despite its large polulation, Tokyo does not have the concerns with crime, pollution and trash that plaque other large cities.
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This is after Sweetheart reminded me to wash my hair EVERY SINGLE DAY coz the air is so polluted there that the water in the shower tub will be almost-black if you stand under the shower after a day out in Tokyo.
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Violent crime also occurs in Tokyo, but it is rare.
Although the threat of terrorism is very low, sporadic domestic terrorist attacks have occurred in Tokyo. Such attacks, however, have not directly targeted Western business interests, and foreigners are much more likely to be the victim of crime than the subject of terrorist attack.
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Wow…I feel so much safer already.
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Oh shit! I just remembered that item # 4 in my To-do list is still unaccomplished :
"See lawyer to write a will".
Of course I got all excited when I read this :
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Security Situation : Petty crime is the biggest security concern in Austin. Historically, Austin has had a low crime rate, ranking fifth among the country’s safest metropolitan areas. Since the establishment of an area police command in downtown Austin in 2002, crime has dropped 28 percent. *WOW* Petty crime, such as theft of valuables from automobiles, is the biggest threat to visitors.
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Maybe I should stick a sign that says "Rented Car : NOTHING valuable inside."
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Then, I will be safe from ‘the biggest security concern in Austin’, eh?
07
Jan
4-letter word
What is the 4-letter word that is…
- causing me to miss gym tonight and most probably for the next few weeks?
- getting me all stressed up that even ice cream doesn’t do the trick anymore?
- making me wonder if the ‘hanging-in-the-air’ feeling will ever end?
- sending me into a shopping frenzy for clothes I’ll probably wear only once and never again?
- waking me up in the middle of the night with weird dreams of runaway trains?
- causing me to lose myself in thoughts halfway through conversations with folks who think I have lost it?
- forcing me to frantically search for ways to grap onto whatever’s left of my sanity?
It is mean.
It is unavoidable.
It challenges you to the ends of the world.
It can kill, yet revive.
It starts with a "W" and yes, it’s the reason I get up from bed in the mornings.
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If it gets any more exciting, I am gonna burst!
06
Jan
Too bad
"He said he is keen to play with your baby."
"Really ah? Can I watch??? You keen, baby?"
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*shake head vigorously*
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"Oh. Sorry, my baby is not keen."
"What if he plays with you too. Will your baby play with him then?"
"Wadyathink, baby?"
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*shake head MORE vigorously*
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"Ok Ok. Shake your head any harder than that, it’s gonna fall off, baby! LOL"
"Sorry. No go. Baby not keen."
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Too bad.
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