Training with the expert

hola2....it's been a while haven't updated here....was quite bz every weekend the raya month....the last post was on early syawal and now syawal is already over....missed the raya cuisines (lemang especially...) & the open houses....well, see u around again next year syawal.....

last thursday me & a few of my colleagues had a training with one of the experts in the Agilent account who is also the 4th & 5th level, Daniel Lankford.....this guy has been with Agilent & HP for about 8 years, so he knows inside & out of the architecture.....Dan was in KL for a 2 weeks on business trip and is here to assist the IMT(Incident Management Team) & WWPMT(World Wide Problem Management Team).....the 1st week was more of meetings with the bosses & having a better picture of how our operation is here.....and the 2nd week was reserved for training both IMT & WWPMT.....our group's training was on thursday.....it was the best training that we ever had compared with the other trainers....Dan's explanation was the best & the details were the most detailed....very lucky for the new guys (teck ve & terence) to be able to train with the best.....it was a 1 whole day training & basically everything about Agilent has been covered from WAN to LAN to Wireless to Firewall to Proxies to VPN (phewww...) and are mostly from the technical perspective....so, no more excuses not to troubleshoot anymore....probably we could even be the level 3 guys now :P ....thanks for the solid training Dan....hope u had a safe journey back to Colorado....

Dan & the gang

Raya 2010

it's already the 10th day of raya and only now i posted about the raya :P...raya is here again....this year's raya was a totally whole new raya for me....this year's raya was my first time as a husband and my first raya without my grandma....it's a mixed of feelings....happy celebrating 1st year raya with my wife but at the same time feeling sad that my grandma wasn't around any more to celebrate raya together....her absence was really felt as i've celebrated raya with my grandma for 24 years!!....we really missed her....may Allah bless her....so this year's raya was still celebrated at tapah, my father's hometown....me & my wife pushed off from kl to Tapah at 5.30 in the morning, the 1st raya day itself as the rest of the family members also pushed off the morning raya to Tapah...before we started to push off it was already raining heavily and it was going to be a slow ride due to the slippery road, and it was....many cars had to drove slow as the rain was quite heavy...and we reached tapah b4 8....we thought we were already late but guess what, we were the 1st to arrive....several minutes later my parents arrived and not too long after that several more of the family members arrived....went for the solat raya and after that had breakfast of nasi lemak & pulut after the majlis makan raya & bacaan doa....the majlis makan raya & bacaan doa is a tradition in our family....every year raya, after the solat raya prayers, jemaah of the surau will come for raya to my grandparents house which is situated right behind the surau....due to it's location, my grandparents house will be the first house to be visited....back in the old days, me & my cousins need to help in the kitchen and carrying out the dishes to the living room....after the majlis is over, we would then need to wash up all the dishes....really missed those days....so after the majlis raya, we would sit around and have chat among the big family members....after that we went to the grave to visit the grave of my grandparents...before heading to cameron, we went for raya to several houses....and even after we reached cameron before going back to my parent's home, we went for raya to another house, auntie angeline's house...whewww...what a 1st day raya....

not much of pics this time due to i forgot to snap :P...

pug's minor surgery

i had to dig further to find out what was the petrol smell from my pug b4 raya and fortunately came across to bug206.blogspot.com & my206xr.blogspot.com and found the root cause of my pug's problem...there was a problem with my pug's fuel pump and it seems to be a common problem for 206s...my206xr.blogspot.com was like a wikipedia for 206...any 206 owners out there can refer to this blog if u come accross any problem with ur pug 206....back to my problem, after work at about 8.30 am, i head directly to Geotauto to check out my fuel pump problem...arriving there, the SA went to check my pug and verified that it was the fuel pump problem and the fuel is already like a puddle underneath the back seat!!....unfortunately & as expected, Geotauto did not have the fuel pump stock and without having any other choice, had to head to the Naza service center at Batu 3 as Bluebox Glenmarie no longer service or do warranty claims for 206...headed first to the Bluebox Glenmarie to get the map on how to get to the Naza Service Center coz i know i wouldn't be able to solely search the service center based only on address :P ....reached Naza Service Center around 10 o'clock and waited for my turn...explained to the SA that i need to make a warranty claim for the fuel pump....the service center wasn't that bad at all....there were couches, tv with astro (managed to watch CSI), PCs with internet connection and there's also wifi....oh, not to forget drinks dispenser machine but no point as it was ramadhan....there were a few other pug owners over there who sent their pugs for servicing....so, waiting for a while is expected....and at 2.30 pm, my pug was as good as new and redy to be driven off....4 hours of waiting, pheeeww....

Naza Corporation Sdn Bhd

Jalan U1/30, No. 43,

Hicom Industrial Park,

Shah Alam, Selangor

Tel: 03-55690886

GPS coordinate : N 03 4.796' E 101 33.441'

Fuel pump good as new

Matta Fair Sept 10

aloha...matta fair sept 10 was recently held and me & my wife did not miss the fair...it was the 1st time for the both of us to go to the Matta Fair....we went to the pwtc via lrt from bkt jalil station instead of driving as parking & traffic jam would be a problem....arrived at pwtc 10 o'clock sharp and the event has already begun...outside of pwtc there are already mayflower, reliance & pyo travel booth...i must say that reliance's was the most catchy with the hot babes distributing fliers & 3D tour of their packages...and the crowd has started to build up already...the matta fair took place at 3 halls, hall 1 mainly was for domestic and nearby around malaysia destinations such as indonesia, singapore & thailand....but 90% was for local attractions....hall 2 focuses on asiapacific region and we spend most of our time at hall 2 surveying hong kong tour packages as me & my wife planned to go to hong kong for our next holiday destination...the primary mission was to search for a package of 5 days 4 nites consisting of visiting hong kong disneyland & macau....the reason macau is a must is due to it's amazingly beautiful buildings there....u may google pics of macau to have a look....ocean park & city tour will come under secondary mission....and not to forget, shopping is a must at hong kong for apparels, sporting wear, it products & gadgets (gotta start saving up for hong kong shoppping :P)....hong kong is a heaven for shoppers and it would be a waste not to shop there....just compare an ipod nano at hong kong & at malaysia....convert the price of an ipod nano hong kond dolar tu malaysia ringgit and u'll be surprised by the difference....back to our survey, it ain't easy looking for a package that suits most our plan....there were only 2 travel agency that fits perfectly with our proposed plan which are LT travels & malaysia beijing tour agency....both tour agency packages will come to around 4.3k~4.5k all in for the 2 of us...quite ok as the flight will be with cathay pacific but malaysia beijing would be the preffered due to the hotel it offers which is metropark kowloon which is situated in the town area and is very strategic near to the shopping locations and the comments of the hotel read in tripadvisor was also postive comparing to the hotel offered by LT travel which is far east hotel, all i could see in tripadvisor was negative comments...and also malaysia beijing offers cable car tour...so a NO for LT travel altho the option to switch to metropark kowloon hotel is available but would need to add another 700 ringgit!!!....i rather use that 700 ringgit to get an ipod touch at hong kong later :P ....me & my wife need to think first and we went to hall 3 to walk around where hall 3 focuses more on the europe & US destinations....but still there were also a few booths for the asiapacific destinations...and we came across a travelling agency called smart travels...their hong kong package itenerary & rate wasn't that bad...almost the same as LT & malaysia beijing packages...before wrapping up for the day, we went to the triways booth to check out their packages and their ground package was quite competitve compared to the others that we have surveyed...at the end of the day, we did not booked with any tour agency and could not even decide to take up which tour package....conclusion, mission failed....

break fast at cameron

a couple of weeks back, me & my wife went up to Cameron to break fast with my parents...and to let my wife feel the feeling of fasting at cameron :P ....friday 4 o'clock we pushed of from kl and drove via the PLUS highway en route the simpang pulai way as usual as my wife can't tahan the tapah road....hehe...we reached at my parents home at about 7:40 pm, just in time to have diner with them...i break fast in the car though coz when we arrived at Brinchang it was already the maghrib azan...after diner, we had our bath and rested for a while....due to exhaustion, we went to bed early...

the next day morning i brought my wife to visit the Sungai Palas tea plantation....nothing much to do there except to enjoy the lush green scenery since we can't have scones or a cup of tea there....after getting some of the tea products there, we took a ride for a while before heading home...due to the cool weather of cameron and puasa, me & my wife took a nap once we're at home :P ...at about 4 o'clock we woke up and started to get ready for buka puasa....tonite auntie angeline & eddie together with his 2 lil brothers will be joining us for buka puasa...at about 7 o'clock they arrived and 7.30 we all break fast together...every year puasa, my family will at least have buka puasa once with auntie angeline's family...after buka, our family had a chit chat and about 10 o'clock they went back home...we too not long after that prepared ourselves to go to bed...

sunday...time for us to head back to kl...about 10.30 we pushed off and dropped by at Kea Farm to get a few things...we reached our home at about 4 o'clock...enjoy the Sungai Palas tea plantation pics below....

honeymoon getaway: episode 1 part 2 (Phuket-Phang Nga Bay)

hola2....got a little bz lately & went back to my hometown last week to break fast with my parents...so, part 2 is here...

day 3...today we got up a bit early as we are going on a tour to Phang Nga Bay...after breakfast, we waited at the lobby at 8 am and our pickup van came, we then continued to the assembly point to Phang Nga bay....can't remember the name of the place....we cruised the bay of Phang Nga on a speed boat....damn it was fast....we visited a few islands, the Dog Island (an island where u can see a stone with a dog look on top of the hill), James Bond Island (i guess one of the 007 movie was filmed there), we then went for a canoe ride which was quite fun....my wife really enjoyed it...after that we went to KohPanYee or PanYee Island...it's actually a Muslim village built on top of water....kind of like a water village....our lunch was at Koh Phan Yee...no worries to eat here as it is a muslim village...after lunch, all aboard...we then head to an island where those who wants to take a dip into the sea can go on, for those not interested including me, we juz relaxed on the beach....nothing special or interesting here....the water isn't that intriguing plus i wasn't well prepared to take a dip into the sea....after about an hour, it's time to head back to phuket....the tour was fun, exciting & worth the penny...it was quite cheap though... :P off back to the hotel....

The dog island

James Bond island

James Bond island

Canoe ride

Lunch at Kohpanyee

Kohpanyee Restaurant

Cave explore

arrived at the hotel, took our bath and off we went down to the spa to get ourselves pampered...the package included spa as well, so we used it...unfortunately a booking is needed and the next session will be at 8.30....so went out for a walk at Patong, withdraw some money and looked for the rest of souveniers that we need find....about 8.15 we head back to the hotel and in no time our spa session started....the session was for an hour and it was very soothing...after a whole day on a boat, the spa really rejuvenates my body...nothing beats a relaxing spa after an outing for the whole day...after the spa, it's time to fill up our empty stomach...man we're really starved....we had our late diner at Savoey Sea Food Restaurant...menu for the nite was lobster, tiger prawn, squids & a couple of vege dishes....it was the best seafood we've tasted so far....2,622.00 thai baht for the dishes, about RM260....not bad yet satisfying....there was also a live band performing (not really a band, a duo performing)....it was a really good diner....after diner, we took a nite walk around Patong, seems like most of the shops & restaurant are closed, except for the bars, discos & night clubs....and they were really happening...nice view too... :P before going back to our hotel, we went to Hard Rock Cafe to have a drink while enjoying the live band...after about half an hour, we head back to the hotel to wrap up for the day....

At Burasari Spa

Our diner menu at Savoey

After diner drink at Hard Rock Cafe

Hard Rock Cafe

day 4...time to head back to kl...how i wish we could stay there longer....so much more to do....so much more to see...so many other places to visit....the place & people are nice too...after breakfast, we head to the lobby to checkout and our ride was already there waiting to send us to the airport....we arrived at phuket air port however our flight was delayed...we reached LCCT at about 4.30 pm....overall, we were very satisfied with our honeymoon trip...phuket was fun & interesting....we'll definitely make a 2nd trip to phuket....

We'll be back Phuket

honeymoon getaway: episode 1 part 1 (Phuket Fantasea)

sawasdee kah....juz got back from phuket honeymoon yesterday....the whole trip was really marvelous...from day 1 till the last day....the flight, hotel, service, food, people, places, everything was superb....day 1 our flight AK 826 to phuket was 12:40 pm....we reached phuket at about 1 pm local time (2 pm malaysia time)....kind of easy to calculate what time they are as they're 1 hour late than us, GMT+7....phuket international airport was quite nice, not as high tech & fancy as klia but was just nice & perfect....there were free maps & brochures of phuket & even free sim card!....really cool...all i had to do was just top it up at any 7-E...and there are numerous 7-Es at

Phuket...we then exit the airport to the lobby to look for the representative who'll bring us to the hotel....and there we saw 1 guy holding a plycard "Burasari"....and off we went to Burasari at Patong on a toyota camry...the journey took about 30~40 minutes....the driver drove quite fast...nothing much of a scenery on the way though but 1 thing that caught my eye, a factory outlet of nike, adidas, rip curl and a few more others...and according to the driver, things are really cheap there....too bad we couldn't find the time to go there but our next trip to phuket,

we'll definitely be there....

upon entering patong things gets more happening...sceneries are more interesting...and in no time, we arrived at our hotel, Burasari Resort & Spa...the hotel was just perfect...the set up, the landscape, the scenery, the service, the people....u couldn't ask for more....we took the honeymoon package and it includes a welcome honeymoon cake & fruits, elite thai room honeymoon set up, a romantic candle light diner, spa for 2, return airport transport & cocktail drink for 2 (which we didn't have it)....we checked in to our hotel room and took some time to

relax....after that we then went down to the reception to get the username & password for wifi at the hotel and it's free!...and did i mention that the internet speed was superb unlike at any hotel at malaysia....their internet speed technology are better than malaysia....even their cyber cafes have 12 Mbps internet speed!!....

Our hotel, Burasari Resort & Spa

The hotel lobby

Our hotel room

Our honeymoon welcome cake

after getting the username & password for the wifi, we then head to the Patong town to jalan2 for a while and to get me a pair of slippers...the slippers cost me 200 baht which was approximately 20 ringgit...wow!...that was quite costly....due to exhaustion, we then head back to the hotel and get some relax and prepare for our romantic candle light diner...at about 8 pm, we then head to Floyd Brasserie for our romantic candle light diner....Floyd Brasserie is the one & only Keith Floyd's restaurant at Asia...FYI, Keith Floyd is a celebrity chef like chef Wan here at Malaysia...for starters, we had Floyd's Royal Fish Cake & Danny's Phuket Lobster and Fish Soup, the mains we had Sea bass Fillet & North Sea Salmon, and for desert we had Mango Sticky Rice & Deep fried Banana with Vanilla Ice Cream with Maple Syrup...the portion all looks little but i tell u it was really packed and we were really full....after that we went out for a little walk and head back to hotel to call it a day....

Candle light diner at Floyd Brasserie

Starters: Floyd's Royal Fish Cake

Starters: Danny's Phuket Lobster and Fish Soup

Main : Sea bass Fillet

Main : North Sea Salmon

Desert : Mango Sticky Rice

Desert : Deep fried Banana with Vanilla Ice Cream with Maple Syrup

day 2...after breakfast, we went out to have a walk at patong to look for some souvenirs....we walked thru the streets of patong under the average hot sun, went to the beach, and at first thought of going to the phuket zoo....but at 2nd thought, we decided to skip it due to we might not have enough time to get ready for the night's visit & tour to the Phuket Fantasea at Kamala Beach....that's our top priority....so then, we continued to explore patong and also went to one of the shopping complex there...bought a few t-shirts over there and had 3 scopes of ice cream at swensen's....and we then continued in search for phuket souvenirs....we then bumped into a shop selling souvenirs, bought several key chains (standard items as souvenirs), photo frame, a plaque and a few other things...before heading back to the hotel, we went over to hard rock cafe to buy a few t-shirts....another good thing about Burasari is that it's just a walking distance to almost everything, the beach, 7-E, hard rock cafe, halal food restaurant, and many more....mission accomplished for the day, we then head back to the hotel....my wife relaxed at the room while surfing the internet facebooking and i decided to take a dip at the swimming pool....

Patong Beach

Hard Rock Cafe Phuket

at 6 pm, we're at the lobby to head to Phuket Fantasea...the distance was 9 kilometres and in less than half an hour we're at Kamala Beach to go to the Fantasea...upon arriving, we were mesmerized by the beautiful & exotic scenery & landscape of the theme park....even the ticket counter was WOW!!!....even before entering the theme park the entrance was so beautiful that

it is a must to take a few snaps of pic before entering the theme park....and the place was like an ocean of people...we then went in & there was a security check....as soon as we stepped into the theme park, we were speechless by the sight that we saw....the whole place was really & extremely beautiful...i'm out of words, probably u guys can just browse thru the photos or even go there yourself...after enuff of sight seeing & picture taking, we then head to the restaurant to have our diner...it was buffet served and they even have a halal food section which i was really impressed....8.50 pm we then head to the Golden Elephant Palace where the theatre show is at....and the place, it was really stunning...before entering the theatre, we had to hand over our cameras & cell phones and the whole process was really smooth & systematic....the staffs were very helpful & friendly....2 thumbs up...we took the Golden seat due to all other seats were fulled....when we entered the theatre hall, it was like we were in a jungle....the whole set up was really marvelous....at about 9.10 pm, the show started with the marching of the cast to the theatre stage which were elephants!!!....and together with the actors....elephants were marching right behind us and up to the stage!!...i'm really out of words...the show was about the culture of Thailand & about Prince Kamala....how the life & culture of Thailand....the battle between Prince Kamala and the bad guys...the props were superb....the animals that was in the show wasn't only elephants but even chickens, pigeons, lambs & tiger...the show lasted about 1 hour 20 minutes and it was the best theatre show that i have ever watched....out 5 stars i'll give 10 stars...we then exit the theme park and at about 11.30 pm we reached our hotel room with an experience we will never forget...anyone heading to Phuket for vacation of holiday, Fantasea is a must to visit and trust me, the fee is worth the penny...we'll definitely go to Fantasea again if we go to Phuket again...

to be continued on part 2.....stay tuned...

The ticket counter

Outside the entrance

Entrance to the theme park

Inside the theme park