Almost everyone in this badminton crazed country knows about Thomas Cup, Malaysian Open, and All England, but have you heard about Axiata Cup?
The Axiata Cup is a new regional badminton event created for the Axiata Group – one of Asia’s largest telecom companies, and most importantly, the biggest names in badminton in our country are in. That of course, includes world number one Datuk Lee Chong Wei and also our top doubles pair in Kien Keat-Boon Heong.
The good news is, Malaysia is now through to the semi-finals and will duke it out against the Indonesian teams on 31st March to 1st April at Stadium Badminton Cheras.
So go there and cheer for Team Malaysia!
If you get there before 4pm, be sure to check out “Gateminton” - where you can beat your opponent and get cash prizes. The more rounds you win, the more cash prizes you pick up.
This just reminds me of times I spent playing badminton right outside my old house in Penang. Good times!
To get free tickets to watch the action this weekends:
Other than that, there’s also the WHO WILL WIN contest where the winner drives home a brand new Nissan Livina X-Gear. Follow the Axiata Cup action on The Cube by getting the hottest badminton downloads.
And we did it! The largest St. Patrick’s Day celebration in the whole Asia happened right here at Changkat Bukit Bintang with a total of over 10,000 people turning up for the event, painting the entire street and bars with a sea of green.
I was there, and I hope your St. Patrick’s Day was as eventful as the one we experienced.
St Patrick’s Day at Changkat Bukit Bintang, getting started
Amazingly, we is only the 6th installation of Guinness St. Patrick’s festival here in Malaysia, and we are already on top of Asia. Perhaps in a few more years we’ll have it as big as the big boys over at Europe and America.
Suan, FA, and myself arrived at the scene pretty early to beat the crowd (and to allow ourselves to have more Guinness, of course), and things are already starting to get busy by around 6+ in the evening. The street was blocked from traffic, and everywhere was decorated black and green.
plenty of friendly servers on stand by
I give credit to the event organizer for hiring plenty of help for the event. Friendly servers everywhere, and most importantly, Guinness stands being set up right along the street at practically every 10 meter or something. There were tables and chairs on the road as well.
It was everything you’d need to have a good time, and more.
looking the concentration Huai Bin has. Robb was there too
A bunch of us also dropped by Arthur’s Lounge (converted from Frangipani for the day) and got to try pretending to be a waiter and pour a perfect pint (in which we got to drink right after).
Check out the level of concentration on Huai Bin’s face in doing just that!
and that’s how you pour a perfect pint
We then proceed to go upstairs and hanged out a little while our personalized Guinness mug was being prepared, and best of all, there were food served as well. Little servings of salmon on bruschetta, meatball on toothpick, spaghetti in a soup spoon. You know, those tiny fine food, which went well with the beer, of course.
and the party is on, full blast
All these while, the party right outside was going on full blast. The parade with clowns, stilt walkers, Irish dancers, and lots of other entertainers.
As I was chilling with some of my colleagues from four other countries, the Guinness bikers strolled by with their Harleys, instantly triggered a flood of flashes as party goers were eager to take photos of them. (by the time I got out from the bar, they were gone, garhh.)
Huai Bin, Suan, FA, Michael, Hitomi, Marcky, yes we obviously had fun.
At the other end of Changkat was a stage where you can near laughter from the crowd as you go nearer. That’s where the comedians were at work. Serena C and Prem were on the scene hosting the entire event, it was really a massive party.
And then the fireworks came on, and the crowd literally went wild with their cameras. Good times!
some fine folks from all around too
So that pretty much summed up my St. Patrick’s Day. Good beer, great time, and even better company. How was yours?
If you’ve missed the big one at Changkat, there are still a few upcoming Guinness St. Patrick’s celebration for this year yet!
A few years ago I came very close to heading to Western Australia for a vacation, but due to some unforeseen circumstances, that plan got axed, and I eventually went to Melbourne a couple times a year after that. The experience at Melbourne was very positive, a first rate place where people are friendly, food are good, and places are beautiful.
After a bit of research and going through westernaustralia.com, I now believe that the trips to Australia would have been quite a bit more awesome if I had gone to WA instead.
There’s simply just so much more that’s on offer. Especially for someone who loves both the allure of city as well as the great outdoor.
the city of Perth
The city of Perth is a beautiful city and is often marked by its friendly and laid back environment that visitors like. After all, vacations that are hectic never appeal to me. If I want to have a hectic lifestyle, I can just stay put.
For those who love a dose of good retail therapy, this Western Australian city does not disappoint. Gucci, Prada, LV, Tiffany & Co are all on King Street. For bargain hunters, there’re also the Harbourtown Factory outlets in the city.
Shopaholics covered.
making friends with the quokka on Rottnest Island
the Greenhouse, Fremantle prison tour
Perth is full of quirky surprises too, a prime example is the Greenhouse located at busy St Georges Terrace right in the city. The exterior of the wall is lined wild strawyberry plants. I’d love to be there when the plants start to fruit. What a sight that will be.
The port of Fremantle is a lively fishing boat habor and one of the best preserved 19th century portscapes in the world. The historic Fremantle Prison, Maritime Museum, and Round House are among the tourist attractions.
Of course, never miss the chance to meet Australian creatures when you’re in Western Australia. Rottnest Island is one of the very few places where quokkas can be found. These little marsupials are the size of house cats and look a bit like a cross between rodent and kangaroo, too cute.
Coral Coast, and yes that’s a dolphin
A couple hours north of Perth is a scenic stretch of coastline by the name of Coral Coast. If sand surfing, wind surfing, four-wheel driving, or feeding dolphins are your thing, this is the place to go.
Near by there’s also Lobster Shack, a popular tourist attraction in Cervantes where visitors get to tour the lobster farming facility (and order some to go, of course)
At the top of the picture collage above is the famous Pinnacle desert that is formed over million of years. At spring time (August to October), the weather is milder and there are wild flowers blooming at the moon-scape like terrain, a uniquely beautiful place.
whale shark at Ningaloo Reef
For me though, the one thing that I would cherish most is probably the chance to dive with whale shark at Ningaloo Reef. These magnificent creatures usually visit the reef between April and July each year. They’re only the largest fish in the ocean, and the number one marine creature I want to dive with right now.
I dive with manta rays & mola-mola in Bali, but whale sharks? That’s a whole different category altogether.
wine and dine at Margaret River
Just 3.5 hours away from Perth is Margaret River, often considered as the ‘jewel in the crown’ of Western Australia’s gourmet offering, definitely the place for people who loves good food.
The area is perfect for growing grapes, and accounts for 30% of Australia’s premium wine production. This is a result of its Mediterranean climate and pristine environment.
Winery hopping, anyone?
Australian delicacies at Margaret River
The restaurant in premier Margaret River boutique hotel Cape Lodge is placed in the top 10 hotel restaurants in the world by respected travel magazines. Now that’s a place I want to visit. They also offer cooking classes as well, very tempting.
festival and events at Western Australia
For those who loves festivals and events, here’s the list of what’s happening at the region in 2012, do take advantage of the events and plan your trip accordingly.
This post illustrates but a very small sample of what Western Australia has to offer, visit westernaustralia.com for everything that you need to know for the very promising vacation destination.
Visitors who purchase Perth/Western Australia Package at the MATTA Fair from 16-18th March will receive an Extraordinary Deals booklet worth up to AUD 2,000 in savings and a Western Australian gift pack. Be sure to check out those deals at MATTA Fair.
There is also information on http://www.facebook.com/ExtraordinaryWesternAustralia for the facebook generation, and for those who uses smartphones, you’re in for a treat:
Western Australia apps are available!
For Android: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.westernaustralia.experiencewa
For IOS: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/experience-wa/id466238480
This post is brought to you by Tourism Western Australia.
I just spent over 30 minutes looking for a specific picture of myself, but because I was usually careful not to let those photos be taken of me, I couldn’t find one in my album, so here is a substitute.
Now I want you to use your imagination a little bit and mentally replaces the chopsticks in the photo with a cigarette, and the styrofoam bowl with an ashtray – that would be the picture I was looking for.
Yes, I used to smoke quite regularly. It wasn’t something I was proud of, but it was an addiction that I enjoyed despite knowing the health risks associated with it.
On the 31st of December, 2010, along with a few close friends, we kicked the habit once and for all.
The first 2-3 weeks was the most crucial. The urge to pick up a stick was always hovering right on the shoulders, you had to fight it with pretty strong determination to stay off the smoke.
The good news is, I am now no longer a smoker, and among the handful of friends who decided to quit, only one went back to the habit. Over the past couple years, I’ve also picked up more exercise routines, cook at home more, and generally try to live a healthier life style.
So far it’s been working pretty good, and I urge you to do the same.
For those who are interested in making a new habit or kicking a bad one, Great Eastern comes up with a mobile application that can help you get through the first 21 days of change. The theory is that if you do something for 21 days straight, it becomes a habit. I believe this is very true, and as far as quit smoking goes, after 3 weeks, not smoking became the “new habit”.
The application is available on Android and iPhone from Great Eastern free of charge. If you use one of these smartphones, click on the links to download. I think you will find it useful.
In a nutshell, the application lets you declare an intention and make it a promise to someone important to you (or even yourself), then track the progress for 21 days. You can set notification and get reminder if you miss a day. Of course, you can share your progress on facebook and twitter too (nothing like adding peer pressure)
On the Great Eastern website there is also a nifty Wellness Profiling tool that you can use to help you find out how healthy you are in a variety of areas. Simply answer some questions with honesty and you’ll find out your risk level score. Below is mine, and it seems like I have some improvement to make in the “work and daily routine” section.. ermm.
For more information and other tools/tips, check out Great Eastern website, and for the 1% of you who does not have a facebook account, there’s a phone number you can call to contact Great Eastern Life Planning Advisor at 03 4259 8877.
Live long and prosper!
Lee Hom is one of the most talented musicians there is. Other than having a good voice, the guy plays guitar, violin, drums, harmonica, piano, guzhen, and many other instruments.
How is this possible is beyond me, I couldn’t even play the recorder to save my life. I guess sometimes life isn’t always fair, but I’m hoping his skills in minesweeper is no better than mine.
And for those of you who hasn’t been keeping up with the entertainment news, Lee Hom has just completed his second stint here in Malaysia with a very well received “Music Man II: Live in Malaysia 2012 Concert”.
Cindy with Lee Hom
It a huge success and attended by thousands of fans, and some lucky ones, like our very own Tey Cindy, even got a one on one photo with the music man.
Lucky her! For the rest of us, I guess we can go back to pretending to be like Lee Hom, singing his karaoke, and maybe.. ahem, posing like him.
The good news is, if you’re going to swagger-jack Lee Hom anyway, you might as well win some prizes right?
Be like Lee Hom and stand a chance to win these prizes:
Here’s how you can join:
Also, you can get exclusive Lee Hom downloads by getting on The Cube and dialing *888#. Then, select Hot Deals and choose Lee Hom or go to m.thecube.my.
Instead of making a fool of myself, here’s the video of Haze doing her best impersonation in a Lee Hom’s song. What do you think, we have a chance?
