Sudoku!

If you have not tried Sudoku, the number puzzle game, go try it. For those who want to find out the history behind Sudoku check this link http://www.conceptispuzzles.com/articles/sudoku/ Sudoku benefits include jogging the mind and slows down alzheimers apparently, its just really interesting to me. I've loved crossword puzzles and word games all along, this is kinda like a combi.

Heard about it but didn't quite know what the craze was all about until Dom showed it to me on his PDA during Jason's wedding. Olivia told me how obsessed she was with Sudoku, she would attempt to solve one every night. No wonder still no kids....hehe.

I started checking it out the next day with a few puzzles obtained from the daily. Today, I found online Sudoku on www.websudoku.com. Gosh, I LOVE the internet! Am trying to download it to my phone but can't seem to find an application I like or which allows for a direct download to my mobile instead of on the pc first. I saw one but it costs like GBP10 or some ridiculous amount like that. Will continue my search.

I was told there is a killer version of Sudoku which has no numbers at all but several hints here and there. Gosh, am sure will progress to that one day, for now I'm happy attempting the medium level puzzles.

Malaysian traffic

Jam.

In Malaysia that's probably in reference to the traffic situation and not something you put on pastry, preferably scones for me.

Its been hell since the day I set foot back in Malaysia and started work in the heart of KL. Of all places, I was located in the MIDF building at the intersection of Jalan Ampang and Jalan Tun Razak. The moment anything connects to Jalan Ampang, be ready to get stuck in a perpetual parking lot. The only movements you'll get are from middle fingers being raised to salute the next driver or from flowery language coming out of otherwise sweet mouths.

The Malaysian traffic has somehow gotten worse over the years, I honestly think there are too many cars out there today. Although prices for cars here are atrocious, people still keep buying them although many really cannot afford one. Traffic also comes to a standstill when it rains. Somehow drivers slow down big time everytime it pours, it doesn't help that a lot of places start to flood. I was over at the roundabout coming from Sultan Samad School to Eastin and it was all jammed up thanks to a swimming pool that formed right at the turning off to Eastin. Water was about a 3/4-tyre deep, I sped thru without stopping. I was taught by someone that you should not pause nor change gear when going thru water (well don't go thru it if its too deep to begin with).

I am so grateful that I have been working out of KL since 2001, I avoid KL and late afternoon meetings there like plague! Even then, seems like the traffic has now slowly crept into PJ, thats the price of development....

Yoga

As part of my plan to lose weight and tone up for the year, I've taken up Yoga. Last year I just gave in to food, and it shows. The double chin has returned along with additions to the butt area :( Anyway, its gonna be tennis and yoga for now. Tennis thankfully has resumed now that it is starting to rain less. Having said that, tennis just got cancelled due to rain and Chinese New Year is coming up. *BIG SIGH* Anyway, I know I'll back to ideal weight in no time, since I've already put my mind into it.

I came across Yoga or at least the mention of it around 5 years ago. Mei Ling was going for classes in Canada then. I remember thinking that it had some spritual relations and wasn't really interested in finding out more. How I recently got re-introduced was thru Irrena who just finished an instructor's course and had to do a bit of industrial training. Anyhow I decided to give it a try since it was an indoor exercise and seemed to have strengthened her body. I got together a bunch of friends and we started classes. I have to say, after 3 classes I have a lot of respect for yoga. I also realized that years ago, my gym instructors actually incorporated yoga movements into exercises, so much for being judgemental.

It has been fun, its amazing how much you sweat from supposed "sissy" poses. Nothing sissy about yoga, takes very well worked muscles to actually be able to do the poses. Power yoga was a killer but I love it, look forward to the day I can go thru the whole class without groaning. Oh, its a great exercise to induce sleep too. Body tends to be so tired afterwards that you just naturally want to take a nap, even then I still sleep well at night after an afternoon nap.

I still can't bend fully, as in my head still doesnt touch my knees while my fingers reach the ground. Lets see my progress in a few months, I give myself 2. Funny how I always joked about how people look like they are all knotted up while doing yoga and here I am now trying my best to actually be properly knotted up!

Human nature I guess, we somehow try harder to push ourselves or to prove we can when the odds are against us. Its a good thing....at times

January Babies

Happy Birthday to all January babies out there. Lee Ann - Jan 21, Julie - Jan 23 and Kelvin - Jan 24. It was Kel's birthday today, the office had a double celebration; his birthday and our annual Chinese New Year lunch. We ate at Bonny Kitchen (no typo, its just bad english), proprietor is Bonny, apparently she's from Hong Kong. The restaurant is located at the Lanai Kiara condo in Mont' Kiara. The food served is excellent, very authentic chinese cuisine and pricing is very reasonable.

Today we had the yin-yong chicken, one version with crispy skin and the other steamed. It is gorgeous, extremely tasty. The abalone mushroom dish was also fabulous, looked like the real thing without the actual taste unfortunately. Fish was very fresh but a little pricey. We had the customary yee sang to kick off the lunch, the one here is quite good, comes with salmon fish, it was fresh. Sen was telling me how much Dom loves yee sang, would eat it everyday if he could.

Last night for Julie's we went to Nine at OneBangsar. I was at Nine last Sept for my birthday dinner, food seemed much better then. 2-course costs RM79 and 3-course is RM99, they didn't actually have a wine list, can you believe that? The ribeye I had was so so, the mushroom sauce was disappointing, it was blended mushroom soup poured over! Lamb is recommended, so is the Butterfish. Mel ordered cod, got charged an additional RM40 and it was over-baked! Hard and stubborn as rubber, the manager immediately took it back and insisted on replacing it, I would rather just not eat another round. Appaling, the level of customer service in Malaysia.

If you ever go to One Bangsar, forget eating at the Japanese restaurant, Miyako (if I'm not mistaken). Chef is a chinese guy whose version of Japanese food is very wannabe and doesn't even come close to being authentic. He used to work in KLGCC and his signature dishes are the hosue ramen and california rolls. If those were the signature dishes, I wouldn't even bother with the rest. Don't bother with the Italian at the end either. I think a local crew runs the kitchen, the tiramisu doesn't even have a drop of alcohol - geez, what a waste of time. Our Irish landlord and wife went to the French restaurant and also said it was disappointing. Guess its time to give One Bangsar a skip.

Golf at Bukit Beruntung Country Club

January 10, 2006, tee time : 8am. Anna, Julie, Charmain, Joan.

Good lord! Please do NOT waste your time playing in such a club. The condition of the fairway and greens were horrendous! So badly kept, and I swear there was a "being" in the ladies' locker. I skipped my showed that day. Julie and I got in our buggy and it farted for a good 10 seconds before skipping into move mode at 10 mph. I mean I could pretty much wave to the crowd by the side while on the buggy while admiring the clouds, the grass formation, trees etc - you get my drift. Julie cracked up big time when the buggy farted, we got stared at...I figured I'd give it about 5 holes before we had to call for a new buggy. Somewhere into that number, Joan and Charmain's buggy died instead!

We called in, it took them about 20 minutes to send a replacement buggy, they probably ran out of good buggies to replace! The course is also very short, greens are really impossible to putt, so slow and bumps all over the place, not properly watered either. At the sign up counter, we were told buggies on track, when we teed off, the course marshall was waving at us and I couldn't figure out his sign from across the second green and a huge drain. Turns out he was screaming at us to go on course! How funny is that?

Do try to avoid going to that course if you have other alternatives present. Kundang Lakes I think is the only other course which ranks worse than this one. I call it Kowdang Lakes, I can seriously smell the cow dung in the air, wonder where it is coming from....

Funnies

Aquamarine? LOL, isn't that redundant?

Btw, what do you call a soft papadom? Answer: A pon-padom...

Apologies, someone must've spiked my lunch with corn