0 YES..they reward their fans

YES, YTL's 4G mobile internet provider, has a website with up-to-date news, an online radio (Yes FM) and occasionally, freebies.

 Yes FM proves to be a breath of fresh air. As I write this, I've heard five great non-mainstream songs back-to-back, no ads  (well, maybe a couple of seconds) and no blabbering DJ (that's important, no?). Their selection of easy listening music has put me in a state of contentment and relaxed shoulders. Easy listening, not sleep inducing, I add.

A reward from joining a photo caption contest they held some weeks ago:

Black Swan Tickets, Notebook and YES, THE paperbag
to encourage you to support the "No Plastic Bag" campaign

0 My First Home Scheme - A scheme to scam the average Joe?

If you want to help the young people of today, then you really have to look at the old people of tomorrow.

And there's really nothing to look forward to if you're the average person because years from now, you won't be sitting on that rocking chair, tending your garden and smelling the roses. Equally gone are dreams of a cruise to the Caribbean islands. Your days will be spent counting dollars and cents, earned from a low paying part time job you took out of desperation.

In days of yore, you could own a two-storey bungalow at RM20k, with a measly household income of RM600 per month. My parents are living proof of a bank loan repaid in ten years. They were free to save for rainy days, our education and their retirement, with a solid fifteen years of full employment life to go. 

If you're planning to jump onto the "My First Home Scheme" bandwagon, then you should know what you're getting into - possibly a lifelong struggle to make ends meet.

A thirty year loan eats into your ability to build a comfortable nest egg for yourself and part of your retirement savings effectively becomes a debt repayment fund. To top it off, not even the amount in your EPF can carry you through the many years you have left in you, a fact in the now. 

Tomorrow, you'll be fretting over the monthly fees you have to fork out for security and maintenance, because you live in a community where theft boasts a higher performance rating against the men in blue and you fancied the private landscaped park, tended by a professional gardener over DBKL's maniacal tree cutters.

Rising costs are a thing of permanence, but rising salaries are not. Sudah retirelar, mana ada salary. That nasi lemak will never cost RM0.50 again, just as petrol prices continue to climb.

You're the Starbucks generation with an eye for good food, who's now laden with the "in" in health problems - diabetes, hypertension, obesity which your medical insurance does not cover or because you did not have the financial means to take up a good policy.

I'm not asking that the recently launched "My First Home Scheme" be scrapped completely, but let it be improved towards something markedly better and let it be tweaked to a point where there are concrete plans that a certain percentage of homes will be priced realistically to meet the average person's salary scale.

It's a great scheme assuming nothing in the negative befalls the borrower, or if you live and work in a place where time stood still. Naive assumptions that you will never be unemployed for any period of time during the thirty years or that you're guaranteed a high-paying job in the workplace can cost you.

A scheme that does not benefit the average person for real, is a scam by scheming people who come out with superficial solutions to appease negative public sentiments on the current affairs of home ownership. 

0 Baked Prawn with Mayo topping ...

Just something I whipped up the other day for dinner. The recipe? I don't have anything with exact measurements (except for the length of the prawn, if you think that counts). I'm not a stickler.

There are days I totally mess up and days my dish turns out astonishingly well. This is one of those moments when I'm ecstatic over the outcome and bowled over by the flavour.  

While I don't follow any recipe to the dot, I do spend some time thinking about the how-to and the what-goes-in bit. That's how this yummy dish came about...an hour of pondering. ..wooOo

Spirals, Pea Sprouts and the 7-inch Prawn!

Love this combi - Think I'll make it again

The how-to:
- Stuff prawn with a mixture of mayo (couple of tablespoons), butter (a small dollop), cheese (sprinkle to liking) and corn (from the can, non-creamy).

- Bake 20 mins or so in oven at 180 C

- Garnish with fried chopped garlic ..voila!

4 Eastpark 72, Bandar Mahkota Cheras

Aye...here I am again, still searching for that all elusive dream home...

It's always good to check out other neighbourhoods and widen my scope, I tell myself positively. Most times, I'd end up moaning over the high price and the distance it is from my favourite haunts. Eastpark 72 is no different.

You never know what may come your way. They say once your heart is smitten, no imperfection will discourage you from signing that piece of paper. That, sadly..and happily, is exactly what happened to me years ago. It is with this faith that I am motivated to view as many properties as I can, for I know that there'll be one that'll make my heart thunder with excitement and my head numb enough to ink on the dotted line.

I was at EastPark 72 just Sunday, a new development located not too far out of the city. Low density, 2 1/2 storey Semi-D priced from RM1.6mil onwards. Maintenance fee is an eye-bulging RM600 per month. Not a G&G community but a perimeter wall will be built around the neighbourhood, with security provided (guards and cameras) and a garden. A project developed by the Lion Group.

The strange thing is, for the life of me, I couldn't find the website though the salesperson informed us there was one, nor were there any printed brochures for us to take home. It was however brought to our attention that an official launch will be held coming weekend.

I really love the design though, from the facade to the interior. Interior is a masterpiece by Art Et Domain, easily one of the best showhouses we have seen.

Back portion

Side view

The front

No highrises here which is fantastic and the land is higher than that of surrounding areas which means some privacy and a better view. 

The entrance

On to the show unit..





Perfect for kopi-o and chit-chat

Pond, love this idea. Good for fish?

Rooftop

Stairway

Neat

Master bedroom

Classy bathroom

I'd still attend the launch if I were you, fellow house hunter, because while this is not for me, it could be IT for you. Maybe you can afford it, maybe you like living away from the congested grey city walls, maybe you prefer a green landscape to accompany your early morning strolls..

0 Beastly - Don't be a beast ..there are consequences

A modern take on the classic Beauty and The Beast. I love this tale because it's a valuable reminder that it is what we have inside us that counts toward a fulfilling life.

Starring Alex Pettyfer as the Beast (Kyle/Hunter) and Vanessa Hudgens as the Beauty (Lindy), this movie could easily be mistaken for something too 'teensy' for this lady who's reaching her 4th decade. But don't be too quick to judge a book by its cover, I enjoyed it!


While it did not exactly move mountains for me, I found the film entertaining nonetheless, thanks to Neil Patrick Harris who played a positive thinking blind teacher with comical assertions. Oh, he made me laugh ...a lot. I looked forward to his scenes and really wished he had more screen time.

Mary-Kate Olsen did not fail to impress as the witch. The role suited her perfectly, down to the wardrobe.

My only grouse would be how the film ended, where the Kyle had magically transformed to his former handsome self. I felt like I was robbed of the perfect moment and my emotions were reined in too drastically following the rushed closure. Allow me to explain. 

Lindy did not see Kyle's transformation. She should have been more surprised and confused that the beast that she loved was really the school jerk. If you hadn't seen witchcraft before, would believe it? I would have expected her to do more than just call his mobile to verify the truth.

That last bit of acting from Vanessa Hudgens also came across a bit too unconvincingly and it just spoiled the moment for me.

Tickets courtesy of Cinema Online, from a contest.

0 A movie treat - Sanctum

Thunder Match graciously treated a hundred of their facebook fans to the movies and I was amongst the lucky lot.

It's been awhile since I last visited the cinemas, a long break spent in fun-filled days entertaining family members and friends from all corners of the country. I was pretty much looking forward to getting into the groove again.

We were initially told to collect our tickets between Saturday and Monday. I chose Sunday....yes, a Sunday! So I got out of bed bright and early, cheerfully made my way to Thunder Match's office in Berjaya Times Square, only to find out that Sundays were off days for the team administering the event. Gah!

I thought I'd have to make my way there again the next day, but nice guys that they were, we were all after that allowed to collect our tickets on movie night itself.

The generosity did not end there. We each received a goodie bag! How cool is that? I absolutely loved it.

Those huge bags are a perfect fit for our current "no plastic bag" social awareness campaign. Perfect because it can be reused over and over again.

In the goodie bag: Tissue packs, Pens, Notepads
Useful stuff

The movie (Sanctum) itself was a nail biting affair. I didn't know who was going to die how next. They were very creative in this context. I kid not.

Is this one of those movies where everyone dies? I'm not here to write a review but if I've learnt anything here, it is, "There's no turning back once you're in too deep".

0 When online farming takes over

A typical conversation with mom.

"I've got a special tree, I'm gonna post it now. Go grab it."

"Could you harvest my crops?"

"Please send me Special Delivery boxes, I don't like mystery gifts!"

"Strawberry pigs are worth a lot, you know."

"Aww..this sucks. My farm won't load!"

"Did you see the french cottage in my farm? It's lovely, I love it," Mom said.
"No Mom, I couldn't find it," a confused me replied.
"Right at the corner," she insisted.
"Err....ohhhHh, I think I see it...the roof at least," I smiled.

I sure miss those simple 'how-are-you' days.

0 A colourful bug comes a-calling...it's got to live somewhere!

Uhuh...I know why you're here. You've just lost your home to development.

Land clearing - There goes the only green lung in our neighbourhood

So you decided to check out my lil balcony garden

I'm sorry for your loss, y'know. I guess no aid will be coming for you guys.

0 When the tornado hit my potato chips...

I chanced upon a healthier version of potato chips in Cold Storage, Solaris a couple of weeks ago and it was a hit amongst my health conscious friends. I'd only bought one then.

So yesterday when I was shopping in Cold Storage, Berjaya Times Square, I bought a couple more of these seaweed potato chips.

Brought it home and..

Can't wait to dig in

It's healthy y'all

What the...?

I've heard about the "Storm in a teacup", but this is the first time I'm seeing the "Aftermath of a storm in the potato chips". Utter devastation.

0 16 Sierra, Puchong

Land scarcity, these  words are here to stay (no reversal for this one, is there?).

A gated community is the "in" thing these days, no thanks to many horror stories of house break-ins. The buyers preference of living amongst gardens and beautiful landscaping pushes Developers to build with not just security in mind, but with a green concept in tow. No doubt a project that requires more land spread. 

I personally find living between concrete highrises and traffic deadlocks unattractive. It is only the lack of choice that pushes us so far.

So if poor me wants to buy THE landed property of my dreams at an affordable price, then out is the way to go these days. ..like waYyy out... towards Putrajaya...towards 16 Sierra, the brainchild of IOI Properties.

Like here - 16 Sierra Show Gallery

  

The tip of the iceberg - large area to develop

We (Machoman and I) popped into the show gallery a couple of months ago where we were informed that Adenia and Areca (both Terrace units) had been sold out.

The only available units for sale was for Odora, a 3-storey parkhome / townhouse (Type A/B1), priced between RM400k - RM550k. 3Beds/3Baths. Leasehold 99 years expiring 2109.

The price coupled with the fact that it was a leasehold townhouse in a very new neighbourhood put us off, but since the show unit was a short drive away from the gallery, we made our way there.

GahhHh! Grey, yellow..not a favourite of mine on any building because it resembles the tarred road we drive on everyday, with the yellow lines! I wish they could have been more imaginative in their colour choices...why not magenta or a spot of brick red..

Odora Townhouse

The living area - I got them to pose for us..just kidding

Dining area

Upstairs - nice hangout concept

The Bedroom

Another bedroom - so love those purple pillows

From the balcony, look at the vast expanse
of land being developed

Impressive as the show unit was, the other aspects just didn't make us comfortable. A huge development means on-going construction for maybe years? I just can't imagine how this place will turn out...will it truly live up to its green tagline? 

For the moment, it looks like rows and rows of concrete, at least from this view. I would only think about buying it if it were priced at RM300k perhaps ..lol.. did you just lol at me?

We chanced a stop at the 2-storey terrace units offered at 16 Sierra, though it was already sold. 4Bedrooms with attached bathrooms, priced at RM500k onwards.

Adenia

Adenia units in a row

Areca

Maybe 16 Sierra will be a great place to live in time to come, just not now for me.

Since I'm such a fussy-pot, should I then consider buying an old house in an old neighbourhood? ..But they say nothing beats living in a new house..*decisions..decisions* and it would be great if I weren't so fickle in my tastes.

0 Happy Chap Goh May ..come and gone

How time flies, the final day of the Lunar Year period is already upon us. It's been a flurry of activities and I'm going to miss the family camaraderie, the customs, the festive food and beautiful decorations.

We had our reunion and tossed the yee sang for prosperity, as is customary on the eve of every Lunar New Year, in our family.

Prosperity, Abundance, Fortune..probably the most overused words these couple of weeks. Though not a bad thing, it's getting a lil unoriginal. But who cares, right? Well wishes are well wishes, no matter how it's worded. So..

"Kong Hee Fatt Choy.. Here's me wishing you joy and prosperity this Rabbit year. May good fortune befall you and may your bank account be provided for in financial abundance."

Tried out a new restaurant for our reunion dinner

Heritage building, typically Penang

Bringing the family together

Yeah, that's our table alright

The start of every reunion dinner -
Yee sang (Raw fish salad)

Mix it all up and say some "auspicious words"

The higher the toss, the more prosperous

Burp! I'm done