After a night of celebration (for the launch of Sautern.com.my ) which lasted until dawn, it was no wonder the three of us would want a whole day of rest. Unfortunately, that was not to be as we were required to inspect the auction properties in Kedah & Seberang Prai.
Nevertheless, Ju Ping and our computer mastermind Chong Yang still had an opportunity to sneak in some rest and relaxation, staying back at home to enjoy Jon Steward's Daily Show. I, on the other hand, started my day in the office gathering some information of the properties to be inspected.
After gathering all the information needed, we set off to our first destination - Lunas in Kedah. As usual, taking the ferry was our first option. Lunas was a 45 minute ride from the port, by the time we arrived, it was already lunch time and we treated ourselves to a sumptuous lunch of their renowned Roasted Duck. I was once told that hundreds of roasted duck are sold in Lunas every day and this is achieved only within lunch time! It only makes me wonder if the owner has joined the millionaires club and (sly smile) if I'm able to replicate his success by introducing my own delicacy. ( Who says you cant earn your fortune by being a hawker? ). We ordered a half roasted duck, some tofu, duck eggs & a bowl of salted veggie soup. The duck was oozed with juices as we poked the extraordinaryly thick and tender of meat with our forks. No wonder it is a delicacy.
Trying not to waste anymore precious time as we were unfamiliar with the roads there, we rushed to our first destination at Taman Serai Setia. Ju Ping was wondering why on earth would people want to buy a property area consisting of deserted shophouses and even a coffee shop with no apparent patrons in the vicinity. ( Beats me, as long as the property is sold, our mission is accomplished ).
Then came the problem, getting from our current location to our next destination was a major conundrum ( It was actually the first time I drove there without guidance). Taking out chances and rationalising that I'm can only gain experience from this, we scrambled our way to our next destination, Bukit Mertajam. On our way there, we passed by Permatang Pauh which is the home of two large universities - Polytechnic of something and Mara U. It's unbelievable that taxpayers are paying for these mega infrastructures which bring only limited benefits to most.
On our way there, we unexpectedly noticed that Bandar Perda was near where we were heading. We decided on the spot to take a detour there to view the Condominium Mutiara. The government offices are moving there and with colleges located nearby, it is one of the investments favoured by investors.
Upon reaching the Bukit Mertajam town area, we stopped and received some instructions to Taman Bidara at Machang Bubok. At the Machang Bubok new town, we noted that several of the houses were beautifully designed and the prices seem much cheaper compared to the property prices in Penang Island. Then we went to the old town which was almost deserted to inspect the properties there. Upon finishing the inspection, we rushed back to Penang island as I have an appointment with some clients at E-Gate's Starbucks regarding the sale of a property at Coastal Tower.
The clients, both buyer and seller spoke their mind before coming to an agreement on the terms and price. The deal was closed after 2 hours of negotiation. Later, we took our dinner at Pizza Hut in nearby Tesco before ending our day.
Monday, March 20, 2006
Thursday, March 16, 2006
The Pig Out
Tonight - by Peter
To celebrate the launch of Sautern.com.my, Tommy as our ring leader decided that we go for a buffet dinner. I don't know if all of you think the same way, but when I hear the word 'buffet', 2 words immediately come to mind, 'pig out'. In this case, the restaurant that was to be our victim is an establishment called Fusion (Restaurant), situated right next to Gurney Hotel.
The place was surprisingly empty when we first arrived, with just a few patrons milling about. I would put it down to us being early though, as we arrived just before 7 pm. After making sure the wine was safely chilled (yes, we brought our own wine), we ambled over to the spread for the first round. Typical of most gluttonous youth, we went straight for the red meat and fried food. As I later remarked to Tommy, we should have ate some vegetables and 'milder' food to optimise our eating potential (impressive huh, see how I can talk the business talk after mixing with them).
Anyway, we committed another much more major error in flocking to the food all at once, we left the laptop alone. Fortunately, I guess the crowd there was too well heeled to take an interest in our machine. But it surely makes you wonder, we have some of the supposedly brightest minds around, yet we are absent-minded enough to commit such an amateurish mistake. This will prove to be one of two 'smart people, stupid actions' incidents of the night.
Ok back to the dinner, after wolfing down the first wave with gusto, we took a breather to observe our surroundings, carefully surveying the types of food laid out. The next spread to receive some serious damage was the sushi bar. I think between the five of us, we managed to finish a few chunks of succulent raw fish. I don't know why, but we all seemed to go for the gentler taste of sushi after the initial influx of oily food. A particular favourite of mine was the salmon. I know it's cliched, but it really melts in your mouth. Oh yeah, Ju Ping found out the hard way not to mess with the wasabi. After boldly, proclaiming that he can stuff mouthfuls of wasabi down his throat in his childhood for the fun of it, he was literally made to choke back his words. I am inclined to agree with him about the potency of the wasabi served there. My few dabs of the wasabi was enough to bring a tear to the eye. It was more like tear gas in food form that the mustard paste that it is.
The third wave was definitely the knock out. I can safely say for all of us that most of us were starting to feel the food. Even Lee Xin who was the biggest among us had nearly enough, heck, he was practically the one who ate the least. We took this opportunity to take a short rest. Meanwhile, Tommy took this opportunity to outline our agenda of the night. He talked about a couple of probable IT projects and his targets. Being a newbie in IT, I can only give my opinions from a layman's perspective.
In an effort to soften the blow of the punchy food we took earlier, all of us had tea at one point or another. When it was Ju Ping and my turn to submit to the tea, we had trouble finding any cup or the tea mug. Cue the second 'Smart people, stupid actions' moment of the night. We went a full round around the food island, and we still couldn't locate the cups. Eventually, we did manage to find the troublesome cups, which turned out to be right in front of us.
After being satisfied that we could no longer take in any food, Tommy decided it was time to pour the wine, a 1995 Sauternes (pronounced Sau-turn) specially ordered from France. According to him, the name of the wine means 'liquid gold' and is a dessert wine. Having poured the wine (extra for Chong Yang, and less for Lee Xin), we had a toast to Sautern.com.my and Ju Ping's impending birthday. All in all, the wine was quite good, and we managed to retain clarity of mind, though Ju Ping and Chong Yang were a little red in the cheeks.
We adjourned to Gurney Drive, but not before having settled our bill which amounted to a little less than RM200. To make sure we don't misplace the laptop in our slightly tipsy state, we stowed it in Tommy's car boot. At Gurney Drive, the sea breeze was rather nice though I can't say the same about the smell that came with it. The atmosphere proved to be conducive to small talk and we had a hilarious time recounting back the good ol' days. From dredging up the past, we managed to envision the future. Tommy talked about his plan for some investment (which I don't think I am at liberty to divulge :p).
It was getting late, and it was time to leave. The sea breeze did wonders in helping to clear the wine induced blur I was feeling. After checking to see if the laptop was still safely in the car boot, we went for a final walk around the area before saying 'bon voyage'.
Earlier Today - by Ju Ping
Before eating back my words regarding my proclamation that I have before swallowed a spoonful of wasabi just for the heck of it, me, Tommy, and Chong Yang went out for lunch after another game of basketball much, much earlier in the morning. This time, I wisely avoided playing the game while wearing long pants - which could cause my legs to cramp up.
We didn't venture to the usual coffeeshops though, this time, we decided to go Indian.
While I had pretty low expectations for lunch sites, the dining place was far worse than I expected. This place was on a sidewalk, under the hot sun, without a fan.
READ: SIDEWALK-SUN-NO FAN.
Surprisingly enough, after chowing down one Roti Hong Kong, Roti Taiwan, Roti Jepun, washed down with iced "teh tarik" and "milo ais", we (okay, at least I) forgot about the ovenette (disguised as an umbrella) which was baking us alive.
We then decided to try out more "countries".
Tommy ordered some Roti Mexico and Roti Chicago. What they have to do with the geographical locations they were named after, only the father of the young man manning the stall knows.
Overhearing someone order an extremely politically incorrect cuisine, we decided to purchase an additional bread - Roti Saddam.
The dictator, ahem, I mean bread was quite delicious - juicy and sumptuous.
Overall, rather than stuffing myself with raw fish and pricey wine, I would very much prefer to chow down on some Roti Bush and Roti Osama.
P.S. Tonight's wasabi was the real authentic thing. Not the tube stuff you buy at the supermarket or the cheap overpriced green paste they serve you at Sushi King. This one really blew my nose off - and I hope to experience more explosive condiments like this in the future.
P.P.S. I had a minor flu - it has been cured.
To celebrate the launch of Sautern.com.my, Tommy as our ring leader decided that we go for a buffet dinner. I don't know if all of you think the same way, but when I hear the word 'buffet', 2 words immediately come to mind, 'pig out'. In this case, the restaurant that was to be our victim is an establishment called Fusion (Restaurant), situated right next to Gurney Hotel.
The place was surprisingly empty when we first arrived, with just a few patrons milling about. I would put it down to us being early though, as we arrived just before 7 pm. After making sure the wine was safely chilled (yes, we brought our own wine), we ambled over to the spread for the first round. Typical of most gluttonous youth, we went straight for the red meat and fried food. As I later remarked to Tommy, we should have ate some vegetables and 'milder' food to optimise our eating potential (impressive huh, see how I can talk the business talk after mixing with them).
Anyway, we committed another much more major error in flocking to the food all at once, we left the laptop alone. Fortunately, I guess the crowd there was too well heeled to take an interest in our machine. But it surely makes you wonder, we have some of the supposedly brightest minds around, yet we are absent-minded enough to commit such an amateurish mistake. This will prove to be one of two 'smart people, stupid actions' incidents of the night.
Ok back to the dinner, after wolfing down the first wave with gusto, we took a breather to observe our surroundings, carefully surveying the types of food laid out. The next spread to receive some serious damage was the sushi bar. I think between the five of us, we managed to finish a few chunks of succulent raw fish. I don't know why, but we all seemed to go for the gentler taste of sushi after the initial influx of oily food. A particular favourite of mine was the salmon. I know it's cliched, but it really melts in your mouth. Oh yeah, Ju Ping found out the hard way not to mess with the wasabi. After boldly, proclaiming that he can stuff mouthfuls of wasabi down his throat in his childhood for the fun of it, he was literally made to choke back his words. I am inclined to agree with him about the potency of the wasabi served there. My few dabs of the wasabi was enough to bring a tear to the eye. It was more like tear gas in food form that the mustard paste that it is.
The third wave was definitely the knock out. I can safely say for all of us that most of us were starting to feel the food. Even Lee Xin who was the biggest among us had nearly enough, heck, he was practically the one who ate the least. We took this opportunity to take a short rest. Meanwhile, Tommy took this opportunity to outline our agenda of the night. He talked about a couple of probable IT projects and his targets. Being a newbie in IT, I can only give my opinions from a layman's perspective.
In an effort to soften the blow of the punchy food we took earlier, all of us had tea at one point or another. When it was Ju Ping and my turn to submit to the tea, we had trouble finding any cup or the tea mug. Cue the second 'Smart people, stupid actions' moment of the night. We went a full round around the food island, and we still couldn't locate the cups. Eventually, we did manage to find the troublesome cups, which turned out to be right in front of us.
After being satisfied that we could no longer take in any food, Tommy decided it was time to pour the wine, a 1995 Sauternes (pronounced Sau-turn) specially ordered from France. According to him, the name of the wine means 'liquid gold' and is a dessert wine. Having poured the wine (extra for Chong Yang, and less for Lee Xin), we had a toast to Sautern.com.my and Ju Ping's impending birthday. All in all, the wine was quite good, and we managed to retain clarity of mind, though Ju Ping and Chong Yang were a little red in the cheeks.
We adjourned to Gurney Drive, but not before having settled our bill which amounted to a little less than RM200. To make sure we don't misplace the laptop in our slightly tipsy state, we stowed it in Tommy's car boot. At Gurney Drive, the sea breeze was rather nice though I can't say the same about the smell that came with it. The atmosphere proved to be conducive to small talk and we had a hilarious time recounting back the good ol' days. From dredging up the past, we managed to envision the future. Tommy talked about his plan for some investment (which I don't think I am at liberty to divulge :p).
It was getting late, and it was time to leave. The sea breeze did wonders in helping to clear the wine induced blur I was feeling. After checking to see if the laptop was still safely in the car boot, we went for a final walk around the area before saying 'bon voyage'.
Earlier Today - by Ju Ping
Before eating back my words regarding my proclamation that I have before swallowed a spoonful of wasabi just for the heck of it, me, Tommy, and Chong Yang went out for lunch after another game of basketball much, much earlier in the morning. This time, I wisely avoided playing the game while wearing long pants - which could cause my legs to cramp up.
We didn't venture to the usual coffeeshops though, this time, we decided to go Indian.
While I had pretty low expectations for lunch sites, the dining place was far worse than I expected. This place was on a sidewalk, under the hot sun, without a fan.
READ: SIDEWALK-SUN-NO FAN.
Surprisingly enough, after chowing down one Roti Hong Kong, Roti Taiwan, Roti Jepun, washed down with iced "teh tarik" and "milo ais", we (okay, at least I) forgot about the ovenette (disguised as an umbrella) which was baking us alive.
We then decided to try out more "countries".
Tommy ordered some Roti Mexico and Roti Chicago. What they have to do with the geographical locations they were named after, only the father of the young man manning the stall knows.
Overhearing someone order an extremely politically incorrect cuisine, we decided to purchase an additional bread - Roti Saddam.
The dictator, ahem, I mean bread was quite delicious - juicy and sumptuous.
Overall, rather than stuffing myself with raw fish and pricey wine, I would very much prefer to chow down on some Roti Bush and Roti Osama.
P.S. Tonight's wasabi was the real authentic thing. Not the tube stuff you buy at the supermarket or the cheap overpriced green paste they serve you at Sushi King. This one really blew my nose off - and I hope to experience more explosive condiments like this in the future.
P.P.S. I had a minor flu - it has been cured.
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Of Basketballs and Turkey
I don't suppose anyone expected a blog so early after the lengthy description of a potentially haunted hotel last week. However, this also means our company is getting more active.
Today's entry will be short and sweet, as it should be for something as frivolous as a meeting with Lee Xin regarding advertising for Sautern.com.my in Chung Ling High School's canteen.
Before that meeting at 1030 hours, we - or rather I accompanied - Tommy to a scheduled informal basketball game with some ex-Chung Ling classmates (some of whom will become my classmates once more in Form 6).
The game was absolutely enjoyable. Granted, I didn't even make one shot but hey, we were just having fun. It's not as if a multibillion dollar industry will collapse if your shooting average per game is 0%.
Tommy though, had an absolute scorcher of a game. In one of the sets we played (each set being the first team to reach 20 points or above), he scored 18 points!
Kobe, eat your heart out.
After bidding farewell to our friends, we used five minutes to make our way to Chung Ling's canteen.
Catching Lee Xin while entering the remodeled building (thanks to benevolent donations from the ex-Chung Ling members), we set down and literally gorged ourselves on the unbelievably cheap food while holding our meeting.
If Chung Ling can still sell barley and kopi-O for 30 cents a glass and still make a profit, I fail to understand why the hawker stalls outside (let's not even mention Starbucks) have to raise their prices into eyebrow burning prices.
Anyway, the meeting went rather well with a cursory marketing plan being the agenda of the day.
Here's the advertisement plan with the first three only open to professionals involved with the property business:-
For each viewer who visits this particular page, 1 cent will be deducted from the accounts of each sponsor - so, visit this page for free once a day every day to donate for free!
After our successful meeting with Lee Xin, I accompanied Tommy to Gurney where a property preview was being held.
Nothing impressive about it really except the fact that you can play garden games on the top floor of the building.
Well, nothing much happened really - except Tommy bought two turkey drumsticks, which were deliciously edible.
Till then,
Live Long & Prosper,
May The Force Be With You.
Today's entry will be short and sweet, as it should be for something as frivolous as a meeting with Lee Xin regarding advertising for Sautern.com.my in Chung Ling High School's canteen.
Before that meeting at 1030 hours, we - or rather I accompanied - Tommy to a scheduled informal basketball game with some ex-Chung Ling classmates (some of whom will become my classmates once more in Form 6).
The game was absolutely enjoyable. Granted, I didn't even make one shot but hey, we were just having fun. It's not as if a multibillion dollar industry will collapse if your shooting average per game is 0%.
Tommy though, had an absolute scorcher of a game. In one of the sets we played (each set being the first team to reach 20 points or above), he scored 18 points!
Kobe, eat your heart out.
After bidding farewell to our friends, we used five minutes to make our way to Chung Ling's canteen.
Catching Lee Xin while entering the remodeled building (thanks to benevolent donations from the ex-Chung Ling members), we set down and literally gorged ourselves on the unbelievably cheap food while holding our meeting.
If Chung Ling can still sell barley and kopi-O for 30 cents a glass and still make a profit, I fail to understand why the hawker stalls outside (let's not even mention Starbucks) have to raise their prices into eyebrow burning prices.
Anyway, the meeting went rather well with a cursory marketing plan being the agenda of the day.
Here's the advertisement plan with the first three only open to professionals involved with the property business:-
- Login Page Banner - RM1500.00;
- Site Banner - RM2500.00;
- Sidebar Ads - RM20.00;
- Free Ads for Donation.
For each viewer who visits this particular page, 1 cent will be deducted from the accounts of each sponsor - so, visit this page for free once a day every day to donate for free!
After our successful meeting with Lee Xin, I accompanied Tommy to Gurney where a property preview was being held.
Nothing impressive about it really except the fact that you can play garden games on the top floor of the building.
Well, nothing much happened really - except Tommy bought two turkey drumsticks, which were deliciously edible.
Till then,
Live Long & Prosper,
May The Force Be With You.
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