Credit Card Story #2684

The other day I called up the credit card customer care hotline to replace my mastercard that was damaged (not from heavy usage, i assure you). After putting me on hold for five minutes, i finally get through to a human voice. Seriously, for a hotline, they are not really very hot.

Me: My card number is 4XXX, it’s damaged, can i request for a new one?

(after going through the lengthy validation processes of making sure that I am me)

Girl: Ok sir, but it will be RM5 for the replacement card and RM12 for handling and postage.

Me: What? The last time you didn’t charge me a thing. Besides, i’ve never been charged by any of my other banks.

Girl: That’s the policy.

Me: Can’t you waive it for me?

Girl: No.

Me: (looking at my damaged card) Look, i’ve got a better idea. My card is going to expire in June 2009, why i just wait until then and you guys will just send me a new one for free?

Girl: Yes, also can.

Me: But you DO realize i won’t be able to use this credit card for the next six months, so I will be using my other card from another bank?

Girl: Yes.

Me: Are you sure?

Girl: Yes.

Me: Ok bye.

Girl: Ok, have a nice day! (hangs up)

Wow, talk about encouraging people to use their cards. I wonder why these people keep pestering me to apply for new cards when they won’t even allow me to use the one I have with them… maybe i should just cancel the bloody card…

My 2008 In 9 Pictures

Happy New Year, everyone. 2008 is coming to an end in a matter of hours, to which accompanied with a lot of alcohol and fireworks, we will see 2009. A lot of stuff happened in these past 12 years, most of it gone from memory, but for me 2008, the highlights of 2008 been pretty much been encapsulated in these 9 pictures… (I wanted 10, but the Internet is so slow today I gave up after 9).

Beijing Olympics (pic source)
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The GE2008 campaign (pic source)
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Battlestar Galactica. Probably the best show ever. (pic source)
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Living Fountain’s Annual Retreat.
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Barack Obama, giving hope to minority immigrants everywhere. I just love this picture. (pic source)
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Landslide (pic source)
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Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight. Give the man an Oscar already.
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The beginning of the end (pic source)
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And of course, most important… my family.

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Wishing you all a good 2009.

Merry Christmas, Everyone

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

***
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

***
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense and myrrh.

***
“Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

***
Merry Christmas, everyone, and happy holidays.

Poison By Alice Cooper

Was at the gym yesterday, when this song started playing on the PA system. When the chorus hit, I found myself singing aloud to the song, going “Youre poison running through my veins”. I think the two young musclebound Malay dudes beside me were giving me strange looks in between their bicep curls!

Long before shock rockers Marilyn Manson, Slipknot and GWAR, there was the original vaudeville horror man himself, Alice Cooper. Named after a 17th century witch, he has a long and interesting history in music since the 60’s, which you can probably find on wikipedia. But for most of my peers, Alice Cooper was popularized through the song Poison and early years of MTV.

Many years after that song, Bernard (the guy working at Kingdom Rock, SS2) told me that Alice Cooper had become a born-again Christian. I was like “What?!” It was probably one of those things that made you feel happy for him, but at the same time monumentally puzzled. At the same time, he released a concept album called “The Last Temptation”, and had a three part comic book series that accompanied it, illustrated none other than Neil Gaiman.

Then there was the extremely funny cameo in Wayne’s World. I still remember it made me laugh until i cried when i first watched it in Kit’s house back then, still makes me laugh out loud today…

These days the only time i see Alice Cooper is in magazine, as an wrinkly dude in white golfing slacks(he’s an avid celebrity golfer). But to me he will always still be the weird Frankenstein-like showman singing Poison.

I want to love you but I better not touch
I want to hold you but my senses tell me to stop
I want to kiss you but I want it too much
I want to taste you but your lips are venomous poison
Youre poison running through my veins

Fat Frogs Floating in a Fishtank

Yesterday was a pretty rough day at work.

Before 9am I already had to deal two difficult parties, one of them a customer. The customer is always right, what more when they are buying something worth close to RM1.5million from us.

Even until 5pm i had to rush off to PJ to deliver documents to this purchaser and then rush back to office after that.

At least after that, the purchaser had pretty much cooled down and things had settled. Another day, another crisis averted. I had a little time left to go the gym and dinner afterwards. After that, i had PT Tutors meeting at Stephen’s house, something which i really look forward to every month, but frankly i was very tired by then and was waiting for the meeting to end.

By the time i reached home it was almost 11pm and the kids were still having fun with the PC at home. Home sweet home.

***

Lunch was with some of my colleagues at this restaurant i had never tried before. They had large tanks of live seafood - scallops, fish, prawns and this…

…they were all trying to climb on top of one another. Pretty cute and gross at the same time. Can’t really tell from the pic, but they were all fat with bulging stomachs, ready to slaughtered and fried with black kicap sauce and onions. Then again they taste just like chicken, less meat more muscle.

Curry Mee at Sun Chuen Fong, Ipoh

In the last ten years of going to Ipoh for holidays, every time we passed by this traffic light junction in New Town enroute either Lou Wong Taugeh Chicken or Foh San dim sum, my wife would tell me that there was this awesome curry mee shop near there. But she never brought me there to eat

Last trip back to Ipoh, I had to get my mother-in-law to bring me to the shop. Its actually recently moved from an older shop, now its called Sun Chuen Fong.

The shop is pretty small, but they sell one thing and one thing only - Curry mee.

This is my bowl of delicious red hot curry mee.

If you order the ‘liu’ separately, they will provide extra curry dipping sauce. Its basically a thicker version.

We ordered prawn, siew yoke, char siew and bean sprout. The siew yoke is moist and soft, super delicious as only Ipoh siew yoke can taste

If you need to find this shop, its the row of shops facing the police station in New Town, just after the traffic light junction.

There aren’t many Ipoh-style curry mee stalls here in KL, there was a pretty good one in Sunway Damansara, but he’s moved to somewhere else. I’ve still yet to try the one in Old Klang Road, must get the directions from mott again…

Technorati Tags: curry mee, ipoh

Taiping and Maxwell Hill

Short trip to Taiping and Maxwell Hill 2 weeks ago, let me just let the pics do the talking.

En route to Taiping, spent one night in Ipoh to celebrate my sister in law’s 10th wedding anniversary.

Good food. Fried chicken was good.

Then next morning off to the Taiping, town of Everlasting Peace. I’ve heard a lot about it being famous for old uncles and chee cheong fun, but its a very nice and laid back town, although SOME of the drivers seem to drive like Penangites!

The lake gardens.

Some good folks were stranded in the middle of the lake while pedalling due to the famous Taiping rain. They had to send a motorboat out to ‘rescue’ them

Didn’t take many shots of the food, though, due us being too hungry. But this is delicious char kuey teow. Only RM2.80! With giant mutated prawns!!! Very delish.

There’s this Chinese shop selling only fried stuff - goreng pisang, goreng lin-gou, goreng popiah, etc. Strangely the shop also sells handphones.

Next morning, its up to Maxwell Hill.

Trying to take a shot of the landrover behind us, while speeding up the steep hill. The bumpy ride is definitely an experience everyone should try!

That’s me doing the ‘tou san’ look. Looking down on to Taiping town from atop Maxwell Hill. You can even see the coastline to the Straits of Malacca.

I really appreciate the fact that they’ve kept Maxwell Hill undeveloped and still in pristine condition after all these years, but from what i’ve seen and heard from the drivers, it won’t stay this way for long

Technorati Tags: taiping, perak

Filler Post #395: Afternoon Delight

Ever since Sun Yin Loong coffeeshop increased their prices by 20sen earlier this year, i’ve stopped going there even though they’ve got the best brew in town. Last Monday was a pretty slow day (post holiday blues) so i couldn’t resist having a cup to pass the time until 5pm. While I was there, might as well indulge in the egg on toast. Mmmm, can you smell the cholestrol…?

Time passes slower for me at the office, especially in the sleepy afternoons.

Going For a Short Weekend Holiday

Following cc’s style, I’m putting a teaser for you guys to guess where I’m gonna be for the next few days. Of course, nothing like cc’s trip to China, mine’s a local holiday only

Shouldn’t be too difficult to guess, right? I should get my brollies ready…

My First Cup of Coffee After 31 Days

Due to thermogenics, I had to restrain from coffee for a month. If anyone who has ever done thermogenics, you would know they have an unbelieveable high level of caffeine, so you can’t take coffee, tea, or even soft drinks.

Considering I usually ingest up to 3 cups of coffee a day since I was in secondary school, this required a little more discipline than i thought.

But anyway, the one month ended last week, so I finally could have my favourite cuppa. Had to savour it.

My favourite brand. Nothing like the coffeeshop brew, but this will have to do.

There were a few occasions I couldn’t tahan so I had to nick a few cups of this decaf from my sister’s bottle. Decaf tastes awful, REALLY awful. I wouldn’t even call it coffee.

Anyway, the 3-in-1 goes into a large mug.

Add a dash of low fat milk to soften the bitter taste.

Add boiling hot water and stir. One important thing I learnt about coffee, ALWAYS use piping hot water. Never lukewarm, it never really tastes the same.

One satchet makes a full cup. Wait for it to cool, tho…

Mmmm… Coffee… Always tastes good. Especially after one month of detox…