I'm was on Vacation =)

Been on a 8-day vacation... longest i've been away from the fab since i started working. Feels great, though a bit tiring towards the end.

Started out in Kay-El for the first 2 days, doing the usual stuff, shopping & checking out the happening joints. Caught up with the ever-MIA ah nel for supper at Jln Alor. Hope you'd find your pace & get settled soon, dude. Best of luck!

Eddie's always the go to guy when it comes to good food; With >10 years in F&B, he's undoubtedly Kay-El's food discovery channel. Thanks for the xiao long bao.

Friend, it's about time you get a gf & add some colors to your life! (coz u keep pestering me to get one)

Spent the next 2 days at the City of Entertainment, Genting. Last I’ve been there was back in ‘96, so there were a lot of new attractions to keep me occupied, especially when a buddy of mine had to bail out on the trip due to postponed biz trip. Too bad the weather sucked the whole time i was there, had to be contented riding the lamer kiddy rides in the indoor theme park coz. Outside, it felt like the base camp at Mt. KK's Laban Rata. It didn’t help that our hotel room was half a globe away from the main attractions in 1^st World Plaza.

It seemed like half the nation’s population has flocked to this highland theme park for the year end holiday. Q-lines for the rides were getting ridiculously long, especially when the outdoor theme park was rendered off-limits due to bad weather. Try 1 hour Q for a Euro Express ride that barely lasted 5mins.

Still on top of my wish list: 1) Flying Coaster 2) Sky Venture 3) All the other hair-raising thrill rides… maybe next trip. Only got to play spidey up the X-pedition Wall.

Trip to the casino is more of a look-and-see affair… not really my cup of tea.

Headed up north to Penang in time for Soo's & Howie's house warming on the 22nd. Finally, a homey place to stay for the night. These days, talks on who’s with who, who’s getting married next & who’s getting a house where… a far cry from the hot chicks & fast rides obsession days just a couple of years back. All grown up I guess, though I’m still playing catch up.

A trip to the Pearl of the Orient should always be a gastronomic one… Teluk Bayan’s red hot tom yam, Ayer Itam’s famous laksa, Penang char koay tiaw among the many local delicacies sampled in a short span of 12 hours..

Off to Ipoh again the very next day & the gastronomic journey continues… nga choi kai, chee cheong fun, old town white coffee & above all the heavenly dim sum – a perfect breakfast I wish to wake up to, every morning. These usually overcrowded eateries are one of the best places to spot leng loi s that Ipoh is so famous for. But then again, it’ll probably be easier to pick a few in Gurney Plaza, as many of Ipoh’s best are exported… as claimed by my buddy Wai Mun. So Penang still the best bet, eh? I’m sure Lydia would agree.. ^__^

Boarded a bus back to Penang the next day & joined Kino for the Chrismas eve countdown at Gurney Drive. The place to be, at the heart of all the festive happenings… the live performances, swarms of revelers in jovial mood – there’s always a cause for celebration here.. Just having fun, enjoying the moment & getting absorbed in the environment over a cup of coffee at Dome. C-Factor at its best (still the best), & socializing is the name of the game here; just gate-crash, make a new acquaintance or two… Christina’s brought home some pressies too.

Moved to stay with ah Pei on Christmas day. Hung out at the newly opened Queensbay Mall; darn jam packed as well.. 6000plus parking bays & we still had a tough time looking for one. Coz it’s the only mall in Penang island with free parking. Period. Had a good lim teh session with Pei & Kino to catch things up like the old uni-days, while the girls ran around with their shopping agendas.

Also met up with that cute little girl I got to know from a couple of years back during my internship (always remember that 1&1/2 hours Q for the Lrg. Selamat char koay tiaw) at a new chill out joint in E-Gate. Thanks for the treat, Lee Theng.

Finally, revisited some familiar sights, places & taste with Marv on the last day. Also for the last call Penang laksa & Siam fried rice just before boarding =)

Been a long trip, finally back home for a couple of days now… still catching up on lost sleep, heh.

Glad to be able to meet up with you guys again.

Cheers & Happy New Year!