Eaten Alive by thousands of flesh eating fish...

Their name; Garra Rufa imported from Turkey. Yes Turkey. They can be found in this spanking new 'Fish Spa' in Jalan Telawi in Bangsar bearing the same name. No it's not a spa for your pet fish but a spa for people who dare soak their legs into pools of water teeming with very rare and special, anchovy-sized fishes that eat human skin or keratinized skin on the surface of your legs and feet. Only a couple of customers were there when Agnes dragged me there one afternoon and we had the full attention of more than 4,000 little fishes incessantly nibbling on our legs while she had my full attention for a full half an hour. Hmmm... a very good way to nab busy people for their undivided attention. And how does it feel? Like having mild pins and needles in a ticklish sort of way. Didn't do much for me but I reckon it'll be good for people with lots of spare skin to rid of. Well, it appears this sort of business is the latest fad to hit town as more are sprouting up in parts of the city. This particular offering seems apt for the Telawi area as the neighbourhood seems destined for high end boutiques and health and wellness spas. Want pretty feet? Go see owner, Jacqueline and get a unique experience or even if it's to slow down just to find your feet......being eaten by thousands of little Garra Rufas from Turkey. It's therapeutic.

Shanghai

My maiden trip to Shanghai was slow and leisurely at first. Then as the momentum picked up, we hardly had time to take in the sights. Except the ones shown here. But generally; Nanjing Lu, I felt, is overrated. The Pudong skyline awesome but pollution was a veil of grey that hung over the city like a silken shroud blocking out the sun most times. The city has very strong French and English architecture inherited from past colonialisation that looks very elegant and majestic. We had a day to smooch around before our meetings the next day. I quickly discovered that; •The fashion available at all the stores didn't cater to my taste. •The best Xinjiang bbq lamb in skewers is just round the corner from my Charms Hotel just off Nanjing Lu. •Chinese beers are very cheap. •Chinese rice wine very drinkable and it leaves a very pleasant aroma on the breath. •Touts, pimps and prostitutes rampant.

Torch reaches summit of Everest

The Olympic torch has reached the highest point on earth at 9.18am Beijing time Thursday. Read about it
HERE
My disbelief posted earlier HERE has been put to rest.
What resolve. What tenacity. What a majestic dream!
Crazy bastards! I love it.

Hong Kong 2

Well, the food's nice. 

Wanton noodles, dim sum, beef noodles, siew choi, etc but what I really like about Hong Kong is the cosmopolitan composition of the people thronging the streets of Tsimshatsui and Wanchai. Young people with fire in their eyes and purpose in their stride as they commute to and from their work or meetings. Young men in their finely cut suits and ladies in the latest fashion of power suits. Ah...that's the vibrancy and energy that captivated me the first time I set foot in Hong Kong in 1987. I remembered how the sheer numbers of Chinese people on the streets overwhelmed me and how it made me feel so insignificant in the sea of Chinese faces that surrounded me. I had never seen so many Chinese in my life. Today with even more snazzy and stylish shopping malls, HK somehow hasn't changed at all. Kowloon is still the same, Mongkok is still teeming with night shoppers and foodies searching for bargains in the street markets. Langham Place deserves special mention as it is a specialty mall built for teens and ladies. The Hong Kong people have mellowed, the mini bus drivers are just as aggressive but more 'funny' rude. Taxi drivers are younger, less vocal but quick to make a fast buck if you're lax. But all in all, like most things in HK, public transportation work like clockwork. The very basic public amenity that gets people to work and back ensures optimum productivity. Some say it's because of the Chinese, I say it's good governance. That's why it will always remain a strong economic force in Asia.

Hong Kong

As the plane approach Chek Lap Kok for landing on Flight CX720, I fastened my seat belt , made my seat upright, sat back and pondered when I was last in this vibrant city. And it suddenly all came back to me as clear as day. In 2003, I was part of the Malaysian delegation of travel and hospitality trade that spearheaded a 'visit' to Hong Kong right in the middle of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome(SARS) Virus outbreak pandemic. It was a ballsy idea mooted by my Client, China Airlines who's bread and butter route was HK and Taiwan. So when the SARS outbreak hit the region, the travel and hospitality business took a big hit the city of Hong Kong was the hardest hit. Nobody was travelling, let alone travel to Hong Kong, the SARS outbreak area. But we Malaysians organised a plane load of travel agents and hoteliers and flew into a near empty Chek Lap Kok international airport. When we landed then, we were regarded as heroes, celebrities who were 'crazy' to come to Hong Kong during those times. The press and TV crew were there to receive and interview us, and later that night had the news, interviews telecast all over HK and the world. But they were also very touched that we landed to show the world that it was safe to go to Hong Kong. That trip ended a great success with many a deals made with our delegation and HKTA and it was much needed to jump start travel tourism in the region. That was the only time I saw Hong Kong a little less vibrant. But this time around, the airport was abuzz with human traffic. Lots and lots of them. The unbelievably long queues at the immigration counters were agonizing. Once cleared, the highly efficient airport delivered your baggage without a hitch and customs were unobstrusive and the whole airport was alive with activity. What vibrance. And this time around, my trip was a stop-over mainly for the food en route on my maiden trip to Shanghai for a business meeting.

#HongKong #SARS

Torch to go up Everest

I wonder if any other host nation in the history of the Olympics has shown more resolve, enthusiasm, grit and fanfare in hosting the games than China?
From the preparations of the games' venues, all of which state-of-the-art, architectural wonders are almost ready way ahead of time.
The city of Beijing looks set and spruced to showcase the new face of China to the world.
Last year when they announced it, I blogged about it in awe and disbelief. Read HERE

The Olympic torch which is making it's way around the globe amidst lots of political controversy surrounding Tibet, is now set to scale greater heights. The greatest in fact, as plans to bring the torch in a special contraption from Everest base camp (5,300M) to the summit of Mt. Everest which by the way is 8848M high!
The runners and television crew who will film this historic event to the summit LIVE (?) have been in training for over a year!
Talk about the signifying of China's rise as a superpower. You can't get more literal or higher than this.

The Westin Langkawi

I hadn't planned in great detail on how I wanted to celebrate my fiftieth simply because I didn't want to celebrate something that I haven't come to terms with and I wasn't in the mood for any form of celebration right now. So, I rounded up the family and beat a retreat to The Westin at Langkawi for a quiet break and for me to reflect on whatever on my birthday. To begin with, this is the family's first trip to Langkawi without Jon. The departure from the airport was leisurely as the rickety small van that ferried us chugged labouriously along the Langkawi countryside down to the southern tip of the island to the hotel. This was one of the reasons the BN lost in Kedah, the millions spent on the first class airport and infrastructure did not benefit the people who are still trying to eke out a living with shoddy and outdated tools. Well, in an ironic way, it was kind of apt for me or anyone coming for an island holiday, as the slow rickety journey forces one to slow down from where ever or whatever fast paced life you are coming from. Slow, was the word to sum up the entire break. All three days were spent lounging by the poolside sipping Sauvignon Blanc for me, soaking in the pools for Summer, reading for mum and lounging for Zane. You could frame a picture and watch time stand still in it. I could not recall skies so blue or canvas on umbrellas so canvassy(?) What a delicious way to spend doing nothing. I loved it.

Ballet Exam

On the 8th of April, after one year of waiting hopefully and patiently,Summer finally allowed her parents to her ballet class on parents day. Yes parent's day where parents are allowed by the Ballet School to enter it's premises and watch their child perform. This time our daughter had to grant us permission. She's now ready, I suppose. She's not only the tallest in her class but in my view, the most graceful and most well coordinated. This is a preview prior to the exam she's about to undergo at month's end where only examiners are allowed. She's going to have to practice till then and with our holiday coming up this weekend, she'll miss this Saturday's class. It's ok she says; "it's more important to be with Papa this weekend". Isn't she lovely...

BMW Sauber F1 Pit Lane Party

It's party time again in sunny Malaysia as the country prepares to host this season's F1 with the big boys in the 'Hottest race circuit in the world' Last year I got one one invite, this year I got three invites to two night's of partying and 1 afternoon with the Motorrad boys. Feeling no motivation to go as it probably would be more of the same as last year, I settled for showing up to hob nob. Somehow being in the company of the rich and pretentious wasn't exactly thrilling. It's just mind numbing and downright dull. I only went to two events, both on Saturday, the afternoon Motorrad session where I connected with my biker buddies including Matthias and the night event where we partied with champagne and lychee-martinis till late with my wife, who was a last minute surprise inclusion. We bumped into a lot of good friends whom we haven't seen for a long time. It was nice.... Agnes didn't drink but the atmosphere got to her head and she got nauseous and giddy, so we had to make a quick but necessary exit at midnite! T'was quite a nite of good fun with good friends! Surprisingly...hic!

The Day After our Anniversary

The 8th of March was the nation's 12th General Elections where the 3-partied opposition took 6 states, 82 seats in Parliament out of 222 denying the Barisan of 2/3 majority.

Never in my wildest dreams nor the opposition's that such a shift of power could take place so resoundingly and so soon. The people have spoken and rather loudly, enough is enough!
No thanks to the mainstream papers, but from news culled from the internet, the people are more accurately informed as there was disclosure on the arrogance, misconduct, blatant corruption and plundering of the nation's coffers by the present administration.

It wasn't so much the people voting the opposition but more the people voting AGAINST the government that decided the outcome. For the first time, racial lines were blurred when the Chinese and Indians voted PAS and PKR while the Malays in the cities voted DAP. As long as you vote for anyone but the government.

Never mind the uncertainties that lie ahead, never mind the plummeting stock market, never mind the endless blame the Barisan is going to shovel on each other, all that will come to pass but for now I stand proud knowing my fellow Malaysians care to take action and take action we did!...the feeling is EUPHORIC! What a difference a day makes.....

Harry Connick Jr.

We had the entire Rebana Suite at the MPO for the length of the concert on the fourth of March. Looking down at the concert from the second floor balcony accorded us a special status though we felt a bit cut off from the main proceedings that were taking place on the ground. (I suppose, sometimes one gets the urge to stay close to the action rather than merely spectate). I had a rollicking good time having been thoroughly hit squarely between the eyes (and groin) with a heavy dose of New Orleans music. And big swinging jazz at that! Harry was a real charmer. The actor in him couldn't be possibly suppressed and it just oozed on stage. It was put to good use I thought and perhaps a touch too much. But what an accomplished musician he is. His touch on the ivory keys was nothing short of a seasoned professional. The bonus for me was his Big Band. They literally blew me away with just; 3 trombones, 3 trumpets and 3 saxaphones, 1 drummer and 1 double bassist. They were coordinated like a hand in a well worn glove. Music never sounded so good and so big to me. My other guests Ann and Wendy were equally thrilled. Ann was rocking in her seat, finger snapping and foot tapping while Wendy sat riveted obviously mesmerised with the Connick charm. She described him as 'yummy'. The usually cool and restraint Zane, who was the reason for all this to happen, was moved to clapping so hard for the encore for him to reemerge. Ah...the encore alone was worth the price of the entire Rebana Suite! He went into his famed delivery of the Academy Award winning song; 'It had to be you' from the movie 'When Harry met Sally'. His short but utterly smooth delivery of the song brought a fitting end to a brilliant concert for me. The post concert autograph session was a highly restricted affair with the security dogs snapping at any attempts at photography. So we headed to our favourite bar,Chinoz for post concert drinks. And guess who we bumped in to? Yup. Sean Ghazi. Zane's favourite local star. This young singing sensation, whose current Malay jazz album is mine and Zane's favourite, is also an accomplished stage actor having starred in the recent P.Ramlee musical at Istana Budaya. Zane finally meet up with Sean who, apparently has heard of the near missed attempts to meet him earlier and he insists on taking photos and for us to put on my blog, which he has read. Well, here to you Sean and Harry! What a night...

16 Roses

Summer made frequent reminders to me throughout the day to not forget the Roses! 

So, to make sure I got it absolutely right, I brought her along to choose the flowers all 16 of them from Floristika, Bangsar. 

The huge, rosy red, succulent looking roses cost a pretty penny "...but they're from China" says the florist. True enough they do look pretty alien. We made the order and hung around for a long while, while one of the foreign looking arrangers in the back room made the arrangement under our watchful and intruding eyes! 

The alien roses in itself were, to me quite sufficient, but the simple bouquet arrangement that was subsequently presented to us was even more breathtaking! 

And that was quite an appropriate word to describe and celebrate our sixteen years together. 

Happy 16th Anniversary Darling. What a ride it has been! Stick around! After what we've been through, it's bound to get better, I am sure. 

 Here's to Sixteen more. Cheers!