apartment living in this ‘country’ January 30, 2007
Posted by ewokiebear in Rantings and Ravings.add a comment
there’s been a lot of new developments of high-rise buildings like apartments and condominiums lately. I live in one (an apartment, not a condo), and, well, the condition of things is far from satisfactory.
firstly, let me say that the place where I stay is actually relatively well maintained and all, and complaints are relatively minor. The main problem I would think is parking. What possessed developers to think that the average medium class family now only has one car? In this country and city? And they only gave one parking lot per apartment.
now, for those who are bleating that having fewer cars means a better environment, I couldn’t agree more. You can get by without a car in Singapore. You can get by without a car in Vancouver. But in the hustle and bustle of KL, where bus services are irregular, the mass transit breaks down, and most of the public have fewer manners than the average neanderthal (and that’s being optimistic), why would anybody want to stay on using public transportation? And besides, despite the high price of cars and fuel, it’s still cheaper and much faster for me to drive to the office and back, rather than taking a bus, two LRTs, and a shuttle van each way. I work in Cheras, my wife works in Cyberjaya, our working hours are rather different, so there’s no way we can survive on one car.
besides that, the parking lot that I’ve been allotted for these few months (we rent the second car park from the management, and this lot changes every 6 months) is under the balcony of some units. The 1st floor unit just happens to have lots of flower pots on the sill of the balcony. I don’t want to think about what happens if there’s a strong wind that happens to push the flower pots off the sill one day. And some moron keeps smoking every night and simply chucking their cigarette butts on to my car. It’s positively disgusting. (actually we get plenty of cigarette butts on our balcony as well, thrown by people from higher floors). While I’m at it, why are some people illiterate here? They smoke in elevators and air-conditioned places where there’s a no smoking sign, and when you tell them to stop it, some will just smile, some will glare at you like you just shot their relative, and some will actually swear at you and tell you in no uncertain terms that they would like you to basically shrivel up and die (in much less polite terms)
which is why we would like to try to get a house. landed property. doesn’t have to be a big house, just a simple terraced house will do where we can have enough space for ourselves, enough space to park our two cars, have a dog running around. But it’s just too expensive. Is just having a nice decent place to stay too much to ask?
postal relief January 17, 2007
Posted by ewokiebear in Stuff.add a comment
just found out that my Master’s final project report has reached my supervisor in Newcastle, Australia.
I posted it on December 11th, 2006, trusting that it would reach my supervisor in good time. Weeks passed and there still wasn’t any news. My supervisor checked almost daily but still nothing.
Finally, just on Monday she got a note saying that it was at the campus post office, and she found out that it had been there for quite a while. Exactly how they could allow it to just sit there when it was time-sensitive material is beyond me, but the important thing is that it’s there now.
And I’m hoping that I can pass!
food review: Sakae Sushi January 17, 2007
Posted by ewokiebear in Food.add a comment
my friend Noel commented last night as we were having dinner that I haven’t written any review on one of my favorite restaurants, Sakae Sushi, even though it opened probably about a year ago.
Anyway, Sakae is a Singaporean chain, very popular in Singapore but just opened its first Malaysian restaurant at the Curve not too long ago. I instantly became hooked on the place.
Why? Well, because firstly, Sushi King is really, really bad, and Genki Sushi is sort of going downhill the same way, and the only budget Japanese restaurant left that was worth going to was Sushi Don in Carrefour Subang and that’s quite too far away. So when Sakae opened up at the Curve it was like a Godsend.
What are some of the good things there? Well, it really depends on taste. Also, because I have my definite favorites there, I tend not to actually try as much stuff as I should. But some of the better things are the chicken katsu don (fried chicken cutlet with eg, onions and rice) for about rm12.90, the spicy salmon sushi (only rm1.90 for 2 pieces!), kakiage (shredded vegetables in tempura batter) for only rm1.90, chicken/beef sukiyaki (soup), oyako don (stewed chicken with egg & onion & rice), sakae salad (salmon sashimi with other mixed salad stuff), and a lot more.
There are two branches, one in the Curve and one in Subang Parade. Believe it or not, my colleagues are so hooked on it that we actually drive all the way from Cheras to Subang Parade for lunch once in a while.
my rating: 7.5/10 for good food, and not too expensive prices. Service can be a little slow, especially when it gets crowded, though.
p/s: I was going to take some pictures of the food to include here, but we were so hungry and the food was so good that the food disappeared very quickly.
movie review: Night at the Museum January 12, 2007
Posted by ewokiebear in Stuff.add a comment
good therapy consists of a nice meal at Sakae Sushi and a light-hearted, funny movie.
Ben Stiller is definitely one of the more hard-working people in Hollywood, and although some of his movies lately have been hit or miss, this is definitely a hit.
Wait, don’t check your brain at the door, cause there are some lessons to be learnt in this movie.
maybe it’s because I like history, (don’t expect it to be 100% informative and accurate, however) and museums, but I actually really enjoyed this movie. Sure enough, there’s enough slapstick for it to be silly and hilarious, but it sorta has a nice charm to it that keeps the enjoyment going. As much as this is Ben Stiller’s movie, Owen Wilson really steals the show, as Jedediah & together with Steve Coogan (as Octavius) they really make the show.
good entertainment. Don’t expect too much, like experiencing a life-changing moment, and you’ll be fine.
rating: 7.1/10 for some good laughs. Some jokes were really subtle which needed one to be familiar with other movies, but it was still good fun. Wilson & Coogan in the jeep and then the sports car really takes the cake.
sad day January 11, 2007
Posted by ewokiebear in Musings.add a comment
now playing: Carrie Underwood – Jesus Take the Wheel
mood: not happy
Tuesday (09/01) was pretty trying for me. Firstly I started the day with a stomachache, which gradually worsened through the day until it positively became very painful. I went to the campus doctor, and she basically didn’t seem to care much, just prescribed me some medicine and let me go back to the office just like that. As the pain worsened into the evening I had to go back to my own trusty doctor to get some proper medication and a medical leave certificate so that I could rest yesterday (Wednesday). And what is the cause of this? I would say, Superbowl & Uncle Chin’s chicken rice, in Ikano Power Center, where the food is overpriced and lousy, and the service is substandard. I don’t mind paying a bit more for good food and good service, but when it’s overpriced and underserviced, like this, it’s just wrong. And it’s the most likely candidate for giving me the food poisoning, I’m going to give that place a large miss from now on.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, somebody had hit my car while I was at work, somebody on the UCSI campus, just basically drove into and sideswiped my car, so that my entire driver’s door is dented, and scratched. And worse still, the coward just ran away without leaving so much as a note. I really wish I could find out who this person is. They owe me probably a few hundred RM in damages. As of now, there really isn’t much that can be done, and I’ll have to bear the cost myself.
Getting to rest the whole day on Wednesday was good, I managed to sleep and read the whole day, which really helped in making me feel better both physically and emotionally.
This also helps
what you’re seeing is Roberto Luongo, goalkeeper for the Vancouver Canucks, being named the first star of the game and giving his stick away to some kid in the audience. First-class goaltending, first-class attitude!
good sushi January 4, 2007
Posted by ewokiebear in Food.add a comment
Kanki Sushi
Ikano Power Center, B1, somewhere in between IKEA and the Ikano side. Opposite the Nyonya stall
It’s Japanese food! Okay, not the greatest, but it’s quite decent, and the prices are reasonable. And if you go after 8pm or so, they start selling the sushi at a discount, 30%, and later when it’s closer to closing time, 50% off, which makes it quite a good deal. The main drawback is that you’ll have to take what you can get at that time, ie whatever is left at the end of the day, but it’s still good stuff.
the start of a new semester January 3, 2007
Posted by ewokiebear in Musings.add a comment
and I’m already drowning in work >.<
new year ramblings January 1, 2007
Posted by ewokiebear in Musings.add a comment
it’s a new year, I guess. 2006 wasn’t really a fine year to remember, but there’s always hope in the new year.
at least I don’t have a hangover. not the type to get piss drunk at every opportunity I get and regret it later. plus, my pockets are not that deep.
I’m also trying out the blogging service at blogspot, to see how these two compare. If that side proves to be better, I’ll migrate this blog over there, if not, well, then I’ll just stick to WordPress. You can check it out at http://creativesymphonie.blogspot.com
yeah, I couldn’t get the name to be just ’symphonie’. someone else had already taken that :/
anyway, I’m still on holiday until the 3rd, so for the time being, I leave you with this: the Trumpet of Jesus!
