More durian drama...

Wah! Today the phone rang and rang and rang. And there was nothing by negative energy on the end of the line.

First off, some asshats called up to complain about a certain caption we played up on a backpage photo yesterday.

The guys were not happy because 'High Risk' was used as the choice word. So, I tried to play down the issue. None anyways.

Now, best of all, one reader by the name of 'James Ong' rang up. Complained that he couldn't get some D-24 durian for RM1.

He said all he got, was some bad ones and rejects. I told him that I reported as I saw it. I actually bought 10 pieces for RM1 each.

The bugger accused me of giving false report. My blood pressure went up? What the fuck? RM1 also want to make noise! Here I am, sharing my findings, that guy said he wasted petrol money finding that place and all that hoo hah! Then, he speculated that I am working in cahoot with the durian seller and tried to cover up the story when things got out of hand! Man, this is better than sodomy and sex scandal! Durian cover up! What the fuck?

Anyways, I told him the least I can do, is to tell the durian stall guy about it. I could have slammed down the phone, but since the caller was going on and on and on, I kept my cool. I knew that somehow or rather, if I blew my top, I looked bad. I kept quiet, listened and let the guy rant till he ran out of steam.

Funny thing was this was the only guy who made a big fuss throughout the whole day, only one guy. Maybe there's more lurking out there. I'll never know. There are plenty of cranky old buggers out there who insists they are right and above it all...

Planning an outing with the kidz..

Well, August is gonna be a heavy month. Two weeks straigth without break till I go on leave from August 20 - 31. That'll 11 days of catching up with some rest and re-aligning my proirities for the rest of the year.

I owe my kidz an outing and I intend to take them for at least one trekking trip and a visit to the farm. Other than that, some light fishing trip would also be good!

Aaahhh.. End of the month...

I was living on the edge. With less than RM50 in my pocket, I am gambling with less-than a quarter tank of petrol in the car to move about.

As for the month of July, I am totally washed out. Living on the red-line. Guess all the patience and prudence paid off when the paycheck got banked-in today.

The Union boys have got plenty to laugh about cos its bonus time again. They received 16months in arrears for a 14.5% increament in their pay scale.

We are talking about a minimum of 10k in the payroll for those earning above RM3k. So, I am speaking about many many happy people in the newsroom today. *sigh!*

Well, its nearly August and I can't wait for time to fast-forward to December and eventually, kick in the Chinese New Year.

It SUCKS to be living on the edge -- not knowing what the next day will hold when you are financially stretching it.

My kidz and their love for durian..

Durian makes the gurl sleepy...
Nap time
Coonkid gets a face lick
Durian withdrawal syndrome..

Siberian Huskies and durian? Hell yeah! My kidz love them and so far, no ill effects visible. Sir Naughty would like the durian meat down to its seed and well, I can't say more about the Coonkid.

They simply love to beg for a taste of the king of fruits. Well, once a year, they get some durian treats lah. Very strange for a Northern breed, but hey, they are my kidz allright!

Durian and drama..

Uncle Jimmy's char koay teow
David's stall
David at work
The Raja Kunyit or Mao San Wong

I made an exceptional round for my food trail column today by visiting two fruit stalls. Its 'FRUIT TRAIL' instead.

Well, I made good time by getting on my mark - lunch at Uncle Jimmy's char koay teow and later, head down to David Ong's stall at row 11 & 12 at the USJ 14 fruit stall. There was this ex-phai kia with a centipede tattoo hanging around there who is purty intimidating.

Anyways, that guy was no bother lah. I interviewed Ong who gave me some really interesting anecdotes. Prices of durian is at its lowest now. The D-24 variant is now at RM1 a piece, so, I wasted no time in buying 10 pieces. My dogs love it.

We had a good session and later, I proceeded to SS2 to interview Ah Wai, one of the stall supervisors.

It wasn't hard to spot the place cos its location is easy to find. Took some shots there and rushed back to the office with one Raja Kunyit fruit.

The cameraman ate some and well, since its such a good quality fruit, the admin fellas kicked up some fuss, saying that I would get a memo from HR for bringing durian into the office.

So, I removed it, and the smell kinda permeated around. Then came this reporter who gave some drama.

"Hey, was it you who brought the durian.. I hate durian! F#$(S!!!" and swoosh she took off on the elevator.
Well, so much for snobs. I knew she was a drama queen. I call her 'Tai Thou Mooi' (Big head Girl). Anyway, doesn't really bother me lah. If the HR wants some explanation, I am ready to face the music. After all, its only durian...

Manic Monday..

I have received countless of phonecalls yesterday from readers who wanted the location of a restaurant which was reviewed in the Sunday Metro food section.

Sadly, no one from the desk was around to take calls. The readers were mad because they spent hours searching for the makan place.

And this morning, the strangest thing happened. An Ah Beng rang up and on the end of the line, demanded a correction.
I told him that its standard procedure to do so and he demanded another half-page write-up to go with it.

My reaction was : no such thing. Then the caller threatened to inform the bosses. Which I told him to do so because its the right thing to do.

He said : "I want no issue out of this.." And went on and on and on and on about 'doing the right thing'.

What the Blue fucks is wrong with this guy? My boss pulled me aside and told me to pass the call directly to the Sunday Metro Editor. It was their mess at the first place.

What is the big deal here? One food review with some missing facts. Small thing. And yet, the bugger rang up again and again.

If you have read the story on Sunday Metro's page 10, I don't see the big hoo-haah. Just that some people are so stupid, they raise your blood pressure unecassarily...

Doggy pack project..

This banner shot shows a Husky with the pack
I am getting this one for my boy
And this one for the gurl

I owe my kidz their doggy packs cos I plan to take them trekking soon. Been holding the purchase for a while cos I had no one to help ship it over from the US to KL.

At a base price of RM400 a pop, I think its a worthy buy cos someone had seen the overall construction, built and quality of the packs. I plan to get my boy the Ruffwear Palisades pack and my gurl - the approach pack.

This has to be done in stages. Collars, harness and leashes as well to replace their existing ones.

Saturday with the kidz

Naughty chilling out..
The gurl gets a rawhide after a good bath..

Aaaahhh!!! Saturday again.. Got up early this morning, slept on the couch again till about 8:30am, watched a documentary on Animal Planet. The day seemed so gloomy, so I bathed the kidz at about 9:15am.

After they got cut loose, I worked on drying up the laundry and chilled out at home the entire day. Fried some noodles for the workaholic wifey who came home at about 7:45pm and that was the highlight of my day.

Furminated the gurl who is shedding later, there were too many crappy films on ASTRO, so, better get some file transfer done from the backup hardisk.

Tomorrow is another day -- straight till my next weekend break on August 2nd.

Friday can be full of stupid people..

Phone duty. Either you love it, or hate it. I got no choice. My job. Sometimes, I hear a sweet voice at the end of the line, asking for confirmation on whether a fax has gone through or simply checking the status of a Press Release which was posted over the internet.

Sometimes, I get calls from assholes. They wanted a reporter to be sent to their location instantly. Yeah, so there is an issue to be covered, but hearing from an emotional bugger, nothing seems clear and rational.

And these folks can really crank up your blood pressure too. More than often, they are abusive, demanding. Usually, they won't hear you, but instead, wanted things done their way. Hence - the 'I am RIGHT' syndrome.

I get cranky fellas on the end of the line. Asking stupid questions and demanding for phone numbers to be given to them or call the authorities to complain this and that. Again, these are assholes who can't do things for themselves and expect a stranger to advocate things for them. How lame can they get?

Desktop commandos...

Ah! Just as I have suspected. The guy who gave me feedback on my GPS Lat/Long error is a geek. He said he read my article, cut and paste the information on a mapping software. I doubt he even knew how to use a handheld GPS.

But nevermindlah. This is an opportunity to learn and meet new contacts. From the vibes, I sensed he meant well and was concerned about the errors. Here's his take on the Lat/Long grid issue :

Hi Sam

What I am trying to do is:

1. Read your article on my desktop 2. Highlight and copy (using the mouse only, no keystrokes) the GPS coordinates 3. Paste the coordinates into the mapping application 4. View the exact location.

Note that I should not have to type anything - it is a simple copy and paste operation.



The application software actually reads and interpretes the GPS coordinates
So,
N 03 08"669' = N 3 degrees, 8 minutes, 669 seconds
= N 3 degrees, (8 + 669/60) minutes
= N 3 degrees, (8 + 11.15) minutes
= N 3 19.15 - WRONG PLACE
By a remarkable coincidence, this turns out to be in Jln Hang Lekiu, parallel to Jln Tun HS Lee instead of Jln Hang Lekir, intersecting Jln Tun HS Lee !

N 03 08.669 = N 3 degrees, 8.669 minutes - RIGHT PLACE

Most GPS devices expect the coordinates to be entered in the standard format of "+/- DDD MM.mmm", where the decimal point is ALWAYS expected in the same position.
So there is no confusion when you key 03 08 669 into a GPS device.


One day hopefully, more journalists will follow your excellent example and supplement place names and addresses with GPS coordinates.The stories are more interesting when you can instantly locate the area on a map.

I look forward to reading your column every Thursday.

Danny

Me, a subject of public scrutiny..

I corresponded with a reader about my food trail article. Seems that the Lat/Long thingie was reversed. My bad. I apologized and thanked the guy. Today, with the Lat/Long info removed, it appeared again. Funny. Again, the reader replied. I think he gets a hard on jerking off by getting technical right to the precise decimal point.

I made corrections. And took the trouble to give Lat/Long grid references as an added value to my readers. I think one guy out of the lot making critical comments is NOT bad at all.

At least someone is reading and scrutinising my stuff which made sense. Ugh! Anyways, got a long long way to go.. This is only the beginning.

Another day of mistakes

Aiyah! My long/lat coordinates had turned out to be lat/long grid readings. After a few published articles, a reader by the name of Danny Oh pointed out the error. I am glad that he noticed it and its not too late to nip it on the butt..

Anyways, it has been fixed and I hope more folks will try out their GPS navigators to get to the places I have gone for my makan..

Shit happens..

You make mistakes that are sometimes way before you know it. And you know what, I thought I had a smooth day.

It wasn't until 9:35pm when the phone rang. It was a number from the office. I rang back and no one answered.

To get a clearer picture, I called Fred, the second in command. He told me that someone by the name of Agnes was frantically trying to get hold of me.

In a flash, it rang a bell. It was the woman I called up on last Thursday to fix an appoinment. It didn't cross my mind that an interview was set for Tuesday nite. I am still in 'Monday' mode cos I started work today.

Trying to explain things to a hysterical lady is like pouring petrol into a raging flame. So, I told her that everything has been arranged with the exception that it was a day later.

I apologized. She wanted to press for a free dinner and I would make sure that such will never take place.

Yes. I made a boo boo of myself. She said she was embarassed. And for a moment in my life, it sounded as if my career had just gone down the drain. So, moral of the story: Check and double check. Computers can be tricky to the eyes..

And so it ends...

This one is an excellent table-sized squid!
Too close for comfort - the rig being towed..
Our vessel collided with the rig minutes after this shot was taken..
Man of the day: Ryota and his catch
I hope to see my Japanese friend again in next year's outing..

Squid season that is. Well, for me. Time to concentrate on other projects as half the year has slipped past me. There are some interesting times ahead. I pursued the squid over a period of three months and found that this year's outing wasn't that interesting.

The yields are much lower and much of the factor was attributed to weather. I can't believe it! The season opening was so disappointing and well, mid-way through the season, there was the tail end of the Hurricaine and simply bad weather.

Saturday's trip was excellent cos we hit the right spot. It was marred with an incident where our boat's anchor line was snagged by an oil rig which was towed by a supply boat. What an ass! Our vessels collided and thankfully, no one was hurt.

I was rather surprised with Pak Ibrahim, my boatman who was so calm. He actually went after the supply boat. And we wasted one and a-half hours trying to get out of the scene.

But the weather proved to be too much for most of us. I made a decision to call i a day after a good catch quota. Yesterday, we had a feast at Ryota Hazishume's and well, like all places doing business, they've started to charge for the okizuke, (sake supplied by Eddie) and other squid stuff. I thought it was decent, by the incident with the restaurant's cook left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Anyways, all good things said and done, I hope to head to the farm sometime in mid-August to catch up with Ah Pan and Maggie's family...

Last call for squid!

Yes, its Friday and well, I am not feeling too good. Think its a chest infection in the making... Anyways, went to my aunt's place in the afternoon to have lunch. Which was purty amazing cos she took some effort to dish out braised pork trotters. My favourite!

Received a call earlier in the day. Eddie couldn't make it. He said he had fever and all that jazz, which was rather strange cos the night before, the guy was upbeat. Oh, nevermind. I took his word for it. Still, there's three more fellahs for the trip.

I've planned it and would stick to the game all the way. The trip marks the end of all offshore fishing trips for this year. I must say that this year's squid season was rather disappointing.

Hopefully, all will go as planned.

Ah! Thursday is here!!!

I managed to dodge the traffic to work and arrived at the office at about 8:15am this morning. What a relief. Was prepared to be shelled by the big boss over some boo-boo, but it turned out that it was the other guy's mess. I was only the fill-in, so, this was a close call..

Anyways, Friday will be reserved as my off day. And first order of the day is to bathe the kidz, then go to aunt Lorraine's place for lunch. Plenty of catching up to do and well, I guess some nagging is in store.

And Saturday, well, its time for Sotong! I hope things will be smooth as planned!

On the food trail again..

Jalan Sultan
Sin Kong beef noodles

Woke up this morning with a headache the size of Texas. Downed two panadol actifast and went along with my field work.

Today, the focus is Roger Street of Jalan Hang Kasturi in the city centre. I've been a fan of Sin Kong coffee shop's beef noodles and well, for lunch, that's what I had.

It was good and quality has been consistent for so many years! After lunch, the headache came back again, pounding my head.

Nevertheless, there's a job to be done and by mid-day, I filed in the take for my column's stockpile. Its been encouraging and good to know that some folks out there reads my work.

Road blocks SUCKS!

What a sucky morning! I spent three hours cooped up in my car as the rush hour traffic came
to a crawl from Subang Jaya to the PJ Hilton interchange. I was cursing because two road
blocks were set by the cops at Sungai Rasah toll and the arch on the Federal Highway.I musta listened to three hourly traffic updates and still got caught in the jam. It
appeared that those who left rather early for work are the ones who got the brunt of the
massive congestion. And this happened all over the entry point to the city centre. It sucks when you have to listen to the traffic update loop and couldn't do anything about
it. Either ways, I was screwed. I left home at 7am and arrived at work about 10.30am. Lucky for me, I was on the desk
setting up the pages for Metro South and East, so, most of the work was done the day
before. Despite the setback, I managed to close the pages for Wednesday by 2:40pm, which
was mentally tiring. All good things said and done, I hope the cops won't pull another stunt like this again
tomorrow..

Makkal sakit

People's power! Well, for some people that is. The traffic was horrendous this morning with road blocks all over Petaling Jaya. Its done in anticipation of some protest at Parliament house tomorrow.

I think its a waste of time. Not only hampering productivity, such rallies are bad for the business folks. Shops have to close fearing riots and looting - a legacy from the 69 incident. Anyways, better tune into the radio for traffic reports and updates to avoid getting jammed up in the car for hours and hours.

Mark Roe is back!

The 'Apex' Mark's latest design.

I received a surprising message from knifemaker Mark Roe this morning. He's back after a long break and will be making some kickass knives!

Mark said he will be sending a sample down to my way and I am purty excited to check it out and possible offer a passaround for other folks to test the knife.

Its Saturday...

This is a day of rest and well, time out for the kidz. They get their weekly baths and I was at task to give both the smelly fellahs a good wash down. First off was my boy. He was easy cos he hardly struggles. The coonkid, on the other hand, is not too fond of getting her weekly shower.

After the chore, I reward them with some raw bones. They loved it and within two hours, its all gone...

I'm just gonna chill out. Maybe get a short afternoon nap. Then mow the grass. Its too hot to do anything out there. So, a quiet slumber seems good..

El Kookaraca

Two things strike terror to my soul. They Cockroaches and Dentists. While Dentists are not Cockroaches and most Cockroaches are found in wet, dark and damp places, I am particulary terrified of those that fly.

I keep getting images of these bugs crawling up my face and making its way to my mouth, then devouring my internal organs and breed an entire new generation of baby roaches. Maybe so if I drop dead!

Their spiny legs and long antennas gives me the creeps. So, last night, one made it up my shorts. And I know how they move, they creep up fast and before you know it, they are staring right at you between your eyes.

I wanted to spray them with insecticide, but Mrs Samo asked me to step aside while she grabs it and flushed it into the toilet bowl. I know it will survive. When mankind is gone, Roaches will RULE! Thankfully, our gurl has been hard at work exterminating Roaches on sight. She deserves a pat on the head and some denta treats.

Got money, no kaki...

My good friend Ah Pan once said: "Got money, no kaki". He was referring to a certain corporate guy. I my opinion, when a person becomes big, he is either humble with a low-key presence, or bloated with an ego only a Goodyear blimp can contain.

Sad but true cos I have been naive all these years. I generously contribute to the said person's quest for good gear. When you become friends, you don't have any hidden agendas. I paved the way for the guy and his family to get his gear, discounts and even took his pack across the causeway, risking taxation and all that jive.

And I don't expect anything. Rich people stay rich because they use other people for their personal gains. I think I am 95% spot-on in this matter. They fuck the average guy to achieve their goals.

Similarly, I received a call from another corporate guy. He wanted me to review the Suunto Mosquito diving watch. Yes, I do all the monkey work, he gets a free watch. "Why not? You should review it and give the watch to me! People benefit from it.." I would never forget the statement. And coming from a top exec in a multinational firm, that's just way disgusting and lowly.

The guy earns a five-figure paycheck and can easily buy three or more watches. But why stoop so low? Do I owe him a living? Another incident took place when I was nursing my broken leg. A senior in my secondary school dropped by my aunt's place where I stayed after I was discharged from hospital after a month.

"Let's start a business together. How much is the outlay for an outfitter's store?" So, I gave the bugger the lowdown and he nearly fell off his chair. "No lah, you do everything, I back you up", which literally translates : Do all the work, I count the money. So, naturally, I told him that he knew fuckall about the industry. He had no contacts and knowledge. I haven't heard or seen him ever since. Too bad.

Rich folks will get richer and the poor will always get fucked. I am not preaching on being selfish, is just that we have to be more alert because each time the emotional card is flashed, someone is gonna be a sucker without even realising it. That, is a fact.

Telephone etiquette

I must admit that taking calls is a skill. Being on the desk, I get calls everyday. Some are pleasant, and at times, there are a few that pisses me off. Phone calls are impersonal. You don't know the person at the end of the line and sometimes, they tend to be very imposing and offensive.

This morning, I took a call from a stranger who did not want to identify himself. Fucking Chinaman had the audacity to say: "No, you don't ask question, just take down my number and message." I restrained from using the F-word. It was a call for a colleague of mine and well, if the guy is nice, maybe I can get the call forwarded.

He refused to leave his name first. Strange. Which motherfucking parents bore him as a child? Where the flying fuck did he go to school? Only he knows.

Anyways, that piece of shit on the other end of the line had succeeded in two things: 1) raised my blood pressure and 2) pissed me off.

But a job is a job. I took down the particulars and hung up. And with every piece of shit that goes down, 100 more will take his place. Phone calls can be a real pain, but someone has to do it. In my line, its a norm to get shouted at, abused and most of the time, being told that the caller's matter is very important.

Some people drop names, others kept on calling and calling and calling to get their message across. I think the fact that I had to put up with an asshole like Edward was the low point in my day. So, I better go walk it off!

Bill, bills and more bills..

My home internet connection got suspended because the bill was not paid for four months. Ugh! My bad. Mrs Samo must be fuming, so, I expect to be kicked on the balls when I get home. for her, the world wide web is her lifeline. Business depended on it. There are more bills to be paid and well, I guess I'll be surviving on rations till pay day. What a sad ass month!

Bill, bills and more bills..

My home internet connection got suspended after its bill was not paid for four months. Ugh! There are more bills to be paid and well, I guess I'll be surviving on rations till pay day. What a sad ass month!

The tissue paper slasher revealed..

The prime suspect

My wife caught our boy ripping apart some tissue paper last nite. All the while, we thought it was the girl, but we were surprised that the culprit behind some tissue paper mutilation was done by our boy. I have straightened him out and well, seems that he is pretty scared now. I felt bad for the girl cos all the time, we blamed her. She was framed by naughty who left no trail or whatsoever.. Good detective work Mrs Samo!

No internet connection at home..

Seems that my home internet connection has been suspended by TMnet. Bah! So, I guess I'll have more time with the kidz!

Akira revisited...

I first came across Akira, a Japanese weekly manga compilation by Epic Comics way back in 1988. At the time, I was a graphic design student at a local art college and was greatly influenced by Japanese Animation.

I recalled the works by the great Osamu Tezuka of the Astro Boy fame, Hayao Miyazaki (Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind) and Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira. As I see it, Akira was the manga that caught my attention because it was visually stunning and realistic.

It was translated by Epic Comics, a division of Marvel Comics, painstakingly coloured and reversed (The Japanese read from left to right) and was released as a monthly Graphic Novel. At the time, it was priced at RM16.80 a book, which was a feat to collect.

I had the first printing of number 1 - 26 and ceased from buying the issues sometime in late 1993.

And at the same time, other works by Shirow Masamune (Appleseed, Ghost in a shell and Black Magic) had hit the scene.

It wasn't until late 99 when I managed to score a special edition of the Akira DVD which was re-released with new voice talents.

For me, the Akira experience was something that took hold of my late teenage and early adulthood and I must say that it impacted the way I see the works of art from the mange genre. Till today, I must admit that I am still interested in anything that is related to the Akira phenom...

On the food trail...

Today, I continued on my food trail to Cecil Street. It went back-to-back with my work on Tuesday to Air Panas. I was there to make a cash drop for my old man and do a piece on the laksa there.

Came lunch time, I picked up my regular makan kaki C.M. Khor and shot off to Jalan Bandar. There, I parked and checked out Cecil Street, now, Jalan Hang Lekiu on foot. Landed at Koon Kee noodle shop for wantan mee and later, to Tang's Food Centre for some beef noodles. We capped it off with coffee and tea at the Gardens.

Word had it that my ex-supervisor had landed a job at Shangri-La hotel as a PR person. Haahahha! I guess any release that comes from there will head straight to the garbage bin. It has been a good day so far, no gas, headaches the size of Texas and lethargy.

Bad news for the kidz..

I caught wind that I have to attend a group motivational outing in August 9. So, sad to say that the Dogathon Outing at UPM will be off! My Grinchskies will have to sit this one out.. But, on the other hand, Michelle might be able to bring the Coonkid alone. So, Sir Naughty and I may have to contend as no-shows..

First the runs, now the cold..

When it rains, it pours! Musta been the fan this morning and well, heavy shower in the wee hours too didn't help. My nose has been dripping since lunch and its been out of order ever since.. Ugh! All I need is some rest..

You've got gas!

"Pffffffttttt!!!! Blorrrrrpppp!!!" Ever had those moments? Gas. Yes, its embarassing. Musta been last night's noodles. And stale pepper. I've been struggling with flatulence or well, in a more common term : 'Gas' for the last few hours.

Its a sucky feeling cos the stomach will get bloated and there's plenty of air movement in my intestines. I wish I could fire it off willingly, but the air-conditioned environment won't be so kind to the others working around me.

I might end up killing more people here than Union Carbide in Bhopal! Ugh.. Anyways, discreetly, I've been running some covert ops to the gent's to expunge the excessive weapons of mess destruction.

My only saving grace is that each time I released the gas, it a dry one..

Laying off booze..

My liver told me to lay off booze. So, I am gonna take it easy from now. My tolerance level had gone down tremendously after recovering from a leg injury six years ago and I guess having put on so much weight, I am gonna lay off alcohol.. My limit will be pegged to three glasses of beers. *hahaha!* With age as a factor, my body felt really worn out after a long nite session. Spoke to my wife about it and she agreed. Well, at least I'll have more money for other things!

Monday, Monday, Monday..

Hmmph! Another long drauling week! I am fighting sleep depravation and lethargy. It hasn't been a good rest cos I woke up in the middle of the night to purge. Ugh! Musta been something contaminated I ate for dinner. I suspect the Japanese pepper used for my Nissin noodles. It has gone stale... As for work, there's moutains to move and rivers to clear. Should be allright and well, for a Monday, it was definitely a heavy day! I can't wait for Friday cos I am getting a day off..

July 5 Meet and Greet..

Who the &*%#! is this guy???
The knifeknuts at Bubba Gump Shrimp and Co
Me, elated over some barang that's not mine..
Old Bob's 15-second of fame
DC of TopGear Malaysia..

Its time to round up all the knifeknuts in KL again and talk nothing but knives and gear. I was surprised with the good turnout last Saturday and the appearance of two old friends - Fooman and Ah Fook.

The history of our M&Gs started way back in the early 2000, where Eric Wong, Andrew Lim and I were the pioneer batch who attended the sit-down and show and tell sessions. Actually, the meet-up was iniated by Bryan Bong, a friend of mine who has already slipped out of the scene.

I took the cue and organised more M&Gs at Chilli's in Bangsar, then moved on to TGIF section 14 where we met up regularly there for two years or more before moving on to TGIF 1 Utama. Ultimately, we ended up at Bubba Gump Shrimp and Co at the Curve.

Its a nice place, but the service sucks! I can't say much for burgers cos the place specialises in seafood especially prawns. I hate peeling off the shells and its really a hassle to clean up each time I lay my hands on those bugs.

New on the scene last weekend was Craig @ Captain Kiwi, a New Zealander who is married to a a Malaysia. Purty interesting guy! We had some intelligent conversation and Donald Cheah, Editor of Top Gear Malaysia.

I shudder each time he told me about my 'reputation' and well, turned out that he's an okay guy who has developed a taste for high-end knives.

On the whole, it was a good session. Hopefully, we can maintain the momentum of meeting up on a montly-basis...