Travel

About time I add new updates to my Personal Blog! 🙂 I got back from Sydney, Australia on Valentine’s Day and just reached home in Johor Bahru only the day before.

I’ve been taking photos and videos with my camera while I was away at Sydney for one whole week, although I will be mentioning only the highlights of the trip.

First up, I want to thank Aurelius Tjin for showing me around the city, and providing lounge for the week. Saved me a small fortune from lodging into a hotel since cost of living there is very expensive! Thanks again! 🙂

This is Aurelius btw…

View From The Sydney Tower

Standing at 305 metres tall, view from up there was truly amazing! At the peak of the tallest building in the city (and 2nd tallest in the entire Australia), I could view the surroundings in 360 degrees.

Sydney Internet Marketer’s Meet Up

This place is really beautiful and enchanting! No wonder it’s called Darling Harbour. 🙂 Aurelius had organized a local Internet Marketer’s meet up for the second time here, and I attended the informal session as a special guest. 😉 Sure, I came a long way!

I have to hand it to them that after meeting many other individuals in this field, the Australian Internet Entrepreneurs are truly in a league of their own. It was not only a humbling experience but reminds me gently that I still have a lot more to go in learning the ropes of doing business online!

Thanks and it was nice meeting you guys and gals!

Blue Mountains

Was ready to head to the Blue Mountains with Aurelius, Frank Bauer and Colin Klinkert. I picked up the local papers (I usually collect at least one newspaper from each country I visit) and the first several pages were talking about none other than the bush fire going on in Victoria and several other parts of Australia.

At that time, the death toll reached 93 and thousands more were homeless after having their homes decimated by the bush fire and arsonists. Several other places were noted to be on alert including Blue Mountains itself! (Fortunately when we got there, it was cold and misty!)

Going Down The Hill on a Bed

Climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge

Thanks to Derrick Siu (whom I just met at the meeting) he knew of an insider who could help get me a discount to climb the Harbour Bridge for just AUD140++ instead of AUD189 (or AUD216 on weekends). Pricey yes, but the 3.5 hour experience was truly breathtaking!

I have to admit, I am afraid of heights. And I was having second thoughts about climbing the bridge. The Sydney Harbour Bridge is the tallest steel arch bridge, measuring 134 metres (twice the height of the Opera House) and is the 4th longest bridge in the world. It had been there since 1932.

But our tour leader Mellisa is really great at what she does! It was assuring to know that she had climbed up and down the bridge 3,000 times and has 9 years of experience and the manner she handled the safety procedures were professional. 🙂

So we spent the first 30 minutes getting equipped and ran through basic training through a simulation and after that we spent the next 3 hours climbing up to the summit of bridge and back.

Paddy’s

30 minutes drive from the heart of the city. This place is the equivalent of Malaysia’s “Pasar Pagi/Pasar Malam”. Things sold here are generally cheaper than if bought in the city and most of the merchants are Asians – like Chinese, Japanese, etc.

More Photos (that don’t fit anywhere else)

Hope you’ve enjoyed reading and looking at the photos! 🙂

I have been going around Malaysia this month! In the southern part, that is. I’m considering this a warm up before I fly abroad for more travel and adventures this year, starting with my business/holiday trip to Sydney, Australia on dates 7th – 14th February. I still aspire to visit Shang Hai (China), Thailand, perhaps revisit Iran, and another country throughout this year, thus completing the my travel goal for 2009. 🙂

But first, here’s the line up of places I’ve been to this month…

Kuala Lumpur: Forex Class

Nothing special about going to PJ/KL since I do come here now and then anyway. But I couldn’t pass up this time’s trip because I was going to learn the basics of Forex (Foreign Exchange). So I attended a Forex class by Mr. Aman a.k.a. Orange Roshan. I’m far from being pro right now, and I’m still learning the ropes.

Genting Highlands – Revisited

Hey what do you know? I went back to Genting Highlands again! This time I went with Ladan. We visited the Indoor and Outdoor park in the same day, and of course tried out the daring rides which I had to pass up when I was with my mom a month ago. 🙂

Come to think of it, I’ve been to Genting Highlands every end of the year since 2006! I’d better be elsewhere at the end of this year!

Relatives Visiting Us in Johor Bahru!

My relatives from Klang came over to our place in JB to spend the Chinese New Year holidays with us. Admittedly, I’m not close to them (and I was in for a surprise last year when I found out I actually have more relatives than I even know!) and the one who has been in constant touch with them is Mom. My relatives speak in Hokkien or Mandarin, whereas my sister and I are the only “bananas”. 🙂

So because I know very few relatives, I got only 2 ‘ang pows’ this year. LOL I’m so miserable with my social life… 😛 I think I’m getting too old for red packets too.

We also drove to Desaru, which is approximately 100km away from my home.

That’s Uncle Goo Goo, one of my uncles from Klang. You know what’s really strange? I still don’t know his real name until now!

Hui Yong, or affectionately known as Ah Yong, is our cousin and she’s turned 13 this year. She’s academically bright and scored 7As in the final UPSR exam back in Primary school. This is where reading a lot of books paid off. 🙂

Her younger brother, Yu Hui, is her contrast though. Hmm… I’d say he’s like me in one respect: he spends a lot of time playing games at the computer. 🙂

Aunty Ling Ling, Uncle Goo Goo’s wife.

Uncle Hean Hean is the closest relative to my family. He had been there to help us pull through the toughest of times, and there never was a time he had failed us. And even though he wasn’t financially secured then (he’s way much better off right now) he never allowed his limitations to stop him from helping us out.

That’s me, enjoying the water splashing through the shore. 🙂

Ah, they thought a corpse just floated ashore so they buried me!

Visiting Our Relatives in Singapore

Our trip to Singapore wasn’t planned initially but when we got news that Uncle Mike was just discharged from the hospital after having a heart attack, we decided to come over and visit him. The new immigration was more hectic and tedious than before because it’s a 15 minute maze inside the new complex, and the causeway traffic towards Singapore was bad.

(Oh btw, if you attempt to walk from Singapore to Johor Bahru via the causeway you can be fined up to RM200 or walk back and take a public transportation! That shows you the level of intelligence of the Malaysian government *ahem*)

So anyways, we reached Singapore and paid Uncle Mike a visit. I haven’t seen him in years, and my Singaporean cousins longer.

Uncle Mike had to rest for few weeks before he could go back to work. I was surprised to see Shaun and Amber at home though, knowing that they are usually out every time my Mom visits them albeit sparingly.

I used to play with Shaun when we were younger. I haven’t seen him in many years since then and now… wow, he’s all grown up! I used to be taller than him but when I met up with him, he asked “Edmund, have you shrunk?” LOL Shaun is currently serving the army in National Service.

The way I remembered, the last time I saw Amber was when she was still a baby and kid. She’s going 15 in a month and I admit I was embarrassed to stand next to her. People can’t help but compare how tall she has grown… and how short I have been for such a long time. Hahahaha!! 😛 (yeah this height comparison goes on all the time sometimes I wonder what they eat, or what I’m not eating) 😛

One Day in Malacca

With all of my relatives except Uncle Hean Hean going back after the CNY, he stayed on for another less than a week. I had always talked about going to Malacca since 2007 – but never came around doing it in spite of the short distance… so no excuses this time, we paid Malacca a visit! 😀

Even though it was just after the CNY celebrations, most of the shops were still closed on a weekday. The coast was almost clear on our way to Malacca from JB… until we were in for a surprise: it was a traffic orgy in Malacca! *honk honk*

We reached Malacca in less than 3 hours, and spent another 1.5 hours squeezing through the unexpected jam. Nonetheless, Malacca is a nice and clean state. 🙂 Small wonder that many of the girls from Malacca are pretty.

Okay that wraps up my adventures in the Southern part of Malaysia. 🙂 I still haven’t been to Sabah or Sarawak yet in my life (and no the flight transition in Sabah doesn’t count) – I’d better include in my ‘must go’ list of places too! 🙂

It has been three years in a row that I celebrated Christmas at Genting Highlands.

Before Year 2006, the last time I went to Genting Highlands was when I was a kid. Of course, a lot of things had changed ever since though some things never did… like the Antique Car ride, to name one. 🙂

Two years back, I spent more time indoors. If you were there then you would remember that it was much colder up in Genting at that time (13-15 degree Celcius). The year before, I attended the Life Changing Party at Awana Genting Resort thus I spent a brief moment up in Genting Highlands during the wee hours with my friends. Temperature was warm though.

And this year? I revisited Genting Highlands for the third time and I came with my mom. Ashley didn’t join this time because she preferred to stay at home. We were in the outdoors more often this time around and great… the weather was misty and cooler than the year before! 🙂

22nd December: Checking in First World Hotel

Although Mom and I arrived at 1:30 PM, we waited for 3 and a half hours before we could finally check into the hotel. (read: PEAK season)

The crowd was huge and we were annoyed and disturbed by slow moving families, queue jumpers, you name it. I really should be taking full advantage of my flexible schedule and pick a non-peak season for a vacation next time. 🙂

23rd December: Chin Swee Temple

We missed the free shuttle bus service by a split second, so Mom and I hired a cab driver to take us to the Chin Swee Temple, 15 minutes down the road.

My Mom said it reminded her a lot of her trip to Beijing, China – the temple, the scenery… more like ‘mini China’.

The wind was strong that standing still was difficult, really!

Outdoor Theme Park

I had always wanted to go into the Outdoor Theme Park for the last 2 years but I kept coming at a wrong time! But not this round. 😉 I bought us an ‘all park’ access for a whole day.

I also missed riding the Antique Car – can’t believe it is still around even after more than a decade! 😀

The Arcade

I probably would never get tired of the arcade. 🙂 But if you’re an arcade fan like me, there are a couple of things I discovered that you might want to be aware of:

1. NEVER, EVER PLAY AT FUNTASY WORLD!
This is the arcade place near the K-Box, and just a level above “Ripley’s Believe it or Not!” There’s a good reason why this place doesn’t receive as many visitors as Vision City even though it’s situated in a busy location. I wanted to play “Ghost Squad” and all the 3 machines I tried were all spoilt! The first machine had a problem with the gun’s aiming (just go iron-sights and you’ll know). The gun on the second machine had the Action Button pulled out (how the heck was I going to save hostages and defuse bombs without it?) and the third machine had no sound. RM9.00 down the drain. 🙁

2. HOUSE OF THE DEAD III
The shotgun is often spoiled – probably due to rough handling by the players. Also, it’s EASIER for YOU to die in this game. Unless you’re truly exceptionally skilled, this game works exactly like a casino: it’s designed for you to lose. I’ve seen skilled players get killed too easily in this game, even in the early round (read: Chapter 0).

Ripley’s Believe it or Not!

While I was prohibited from taking photos inside the premise this time (no idea why, I pulled that off just fine two years ago) – here’s a video you should see. Believe it.

More Photos on FaceBook

Click here to see more photos from my FaceBook photo album.

On a side note, I realized that I have been wearing the same long sleeve shirt for the past 6 years. I really need to get new clothes…

Who would have thought that Gemas makes a good place for a short retreat, even if it’s for only a couple of days? 🙂

I read an article about Gemas earlier this month and like many people, the only impression I knew of Gemas was the KTM station every time the Intercity Train passes by.

After pulling off a lot of online projects and not to mention the countless hours I spend behind the computer, I decided to call for a time-out as I was in dire need of a good mental break. So last week I packed off for a one man adventure in Gemas, Negeri Sembilan.

14th December: Arriving at Gemas

I arrived at the sleepy town in the ‘deadest’ time of the day – afternoon.

I was lightly packed; I ditched my laptop, work, you name it. Even my note book where I would scribble my ideas down. I needed to put my mind away from business for at least 2 days. So all I had were enough spare clothes for a day, wallet loaded with liquid cash (because I wasn’t sure about finding ATM machines in the rural area) and a printed article from the online newspaper.

Since I came alone, I took very few pictures of myself. However I couldn’t pass up posing near the old train, that has been sitting in the off-track since almost forever. Good thing I learned how to use the ‘self timer’ feature. I can be such a noob with technology. 🙂

Exploring Gemas Town

Life here in Gemas is slow pace. And veeery quiet.

It really felt like I was going back in time. Interesting to note: I saw a few computer shops but they were all closed down. I guess computers are not really a popular thing over here.

As I could use some exercise, I started exploring Gemas – the off roads, quiet neighborhoods and wherever the roads lead to.

There are many old folks and senior citizens but I saw very few young people.

After spending most of the day walking around, doing self reflections and of course marvel at nature – I bunked in at a hotel 5 minutes from the Gemas station.

I also had my late night supper at the Gemas Station canteen and tried out the RM1 nasi lemak that was raved about in the newspaper article.

Granted it’s cheap, but there’s really nothing to it. However most of the items on the menu are easily RM2 and below, the most expensive being an alcoholic drink for RM7. Most of the things sold here are cheap too.

By nightfall, all of the old pre-WWII buildings in town were covered with birds. Literally. On every roof, fence and electric cable. I’ve never seen so many birds in my life. Perhaps a good scenario for a horror animal movie? 🙂

15th December: The Journey Continues

I woke up unusually early today – 6:00 AM. Very unlike me. 🙂

After having breakfast at the nearest mamak stall, I set foot for a path I was saving from the day before.

I wanted to visit the Kelemah River War Memorial – which was about 10 kilometers away from the hotel. However the taxi driver I talked to told me that while he could send me there, there are hardly any other taxis passing by so going back would be difficult. Thus I passed up the chance. Maybe some other time.

So I spent the next 2 hours in the morning walking along the winding road, which I wonder where it would lead me to. 🙂

After the long hours of walking about and using a good exercise, it was time to check out of the hotel by noon and leave for home.

Granted, there’s nothing hip and cool about Gemas. But it makes a good retreat for those who are mentally drained. 🙂