ADV: Lagi Best

Event Coverage 26 Comments

Perodua has come a long way since the release of their first Kancil.

Gone are the days where their cars are named after small animals.

From being the manufacturer of the first car we drove when we got our driving licenses, to becoming Malaysia’s best-selling car brand, Perodua has definitely grown its fanbase since their inception 20 years ago.

Since then they have moved on from compact cars and now to producing bigger MPVs like the new Alza, Viva and MyVi, which is today the the top selling car in Malaysia.

So when the country’s most popular car manufacturer wanna hold The Perodua Auditions to look for their biggest fan, you can expect them to throw out a big carrot.

Like, RM10,000 in cold-hard cash for the ultimate Perodua fan.

And heck, they aren’t even giving out cheap plastic pen holders as consolation prizes. 5 consolation prize winners from the Perodua Auditions will get the brand new iPad 2.

This is how you WIN it.

‘Like’ them on their Facebook page, upload a video showing why you are Perodua’s biggest fan, then share it with your friends. Simple as that.

Doesn’t matter how you do the video. It doesn’t even matter if a Perodua car ain’t shown. As long as the words "Perodua, Lagi Best!" can be heard or seen clearly – that’s all that matters. 🙂

On the other hand, if you are my biggest fan and you wanna do a special video for me, can also lah.

But better send privately to my email hor.

On The Air, In The Air

Personalities 11 Comments

Meet Johan Farid Khairuddin.

Otherwise known as JFK.

You may have heard him on the radio, giving out Justin Bieber concert tickets and such. Whether it’s talking on the air, producing albums or hosting TV shows on Astro, being a media personality is really what defines JFK for the past ten years.

What most people probably don’t realise is that being a radio host is only his part-time job. Like me, what we do part-time for fun has somehow eclipsed what we do full-time for a living.

JFK’s actual full-time job… is a TAXI DRIVER.

No lah!

Not the ones you see hanging around KLCC charging RM30 for a 3-minute journey because "bradderrrr, road very jam woh."

No no no. The cab that JFK drives will never encounter traffic jam at any hour of the day. Because the vehicle JFK drives is…

… an airplane.

*cue Hayley Williams and B.o.B.*

Just like how blogging is and will always remain a hobby for me, flying is a hobby that JFK takes very seriously. So serious in fact, that instead of flying commercially for Malaysia Airlines or AirAsia, he saved up whatever money he has to purchase his very own aeroplane.

And now that JFK is a pilot-for-hire, his job is to take people on trips across the Peninsular, or on private sky tours around KL for as little as RM500 – just enough to cover his fuel and maintenance of his flight.

During one of my trips to KL recently, JFK took me for a whirl up in the air to see what KL City is like from the skies above.

We met at Subang SkyPark around 7:30am.

The airport isn’t the same since the main international airport was moved to KLIA. The huge terminal is now virtually empty with mostly private jets owned by billionaires.

P1040480

Or wannabe billionaires.

I wanna be a billionaire so freaking bad. 🙁

Subang Airport has no queues, no annoying kids, no noisy announcers blaring over the speakers. Security was such a breeze that for the first time in my life, I saw airport security actually have the capability to smile.

After some gibberish back-and-forth between JFK and the air traffic control, we’re off!

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Most of us are used to sitting in the backseat of a passenger plane. But to take the front seat of a Cessna with a radio personality next to you piloting the flight, pointing out different points of interests into your earphones – man, that’s a completely different experience altogether.

With the bumper-to-bumper traffic along Federal Highway snaking beneath us, an indescribable feeling washed over me. I think it’s called… freedom. 😉

At one point, JFK allowed me to take over the co-pilot’s control.

A lot of people have irrational fear when it comes to flying, let alone piloting an airplane. As scary as it sounds, I actually felt extremely safe manoeuvring the Cessna. The tiny aircraft is extremely responsive, and without any obstacles in the way, I need not worry about traffic lights, knocking into a divider and scratching my bumper.

In fact, it felt exactly like driving a car. Except there was no brakes. You don’t need brakes when you’re flying in the air.

Just like that, we went from Subang to KLCC Twin Towers in less than 10 minutes.

And that’s the closest I have ever been to Twin Tower on an airplane without being labelled a terrorist.

It’s easy to write KL off as an overly-congested metropolis when you view it from the ground. From the sky though, the view of the silhouette of the bustling city being enveloped by the morning mist is hopelessly romantic.

Made me wish I was next to my loved ones when I was up in the air.

Yeah. That’s the only downside with JFK’s private sky tour.  He may not look like
Amber Chia, but there isn’t a better valued private airplane pilot in the county.

If you wanna book a flight with JFK as your taxi-driver-in-the-sky, just e-mail him at jfk@hitz.fm

I promise he won’t say, "Cannot use meter lah bradder. Traffic jam!"

Club Med Bali

Indonesia 57 Comments

It was my fourth trip to Bali.

"Wh do you go Bali so many times?" exclaimed my mom. "Not sien one meh?"

It’s a question I get a lot. Like most who had been to Bali on a cookie-cutter group tour, she had made the assumption that Kuta is all that Bali has to offer. What a lot of people do not know know is, Bali is so big – it has a totally different vibe in depending on which part of the island you’re in.

There’s beautiful Ubud in the centre, laidback Padangbai in the East and dolphin-playground Lovina in the north, mega resorts and gorgeous luxury villas in the South.

So, unless you are a horny teen looking to get your first lay at Bounty Club, Kuta’s  permanently congested roads and cramped hotels is possibly the worst place to stay in Bali.

Bali is a whole lotta fun packed on a paradise island. It is, however, terribly unorganized. Figuring out where to stay, what to do, where to eat and how to getto these places can require a lot of advanced planning, and that can sometimes take the fun out of holidaying.

After all, the purpose of going on holidays to get away from stress. Obviously, the last thing I want when I go on a holiday have MORE stress.

This past January, I stayed at Club Med Bali for 4 glorious days.

The French resort chain is the pioneer of all-inclusive holidays, and Bali is one of their most popular resorts in South East Asia.

Staying here completely took the stress out of holiday planning.

All-inclusive means all the ingredients required to cook up a perfect holiday is included with the room. It means all the food, all the activities, all the entertainment and most importantly – all the alcohol are already taken care of for me.

I came out completely rejuvenated. It was such a fun and enjoyable trip that I distinctively recalled every moment of it.

All I needed to bring, really, is my body.

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Our royal treatment started even before our arrival at the resort. At the Ngurah Rai airport arrival hall, surrounded by hundreds of hotel drivers holding up placards, we found our driver.

With our bags tagged and room numbers assigned, we were whisked away to the pristine Nusa Dua peninsular to the south, completely avoiding the crazy traffic in Kuta.

In less than 15 minutes, we arrived at the Club Med Bali lobby. It was there that I experienced the first of the many Club Med subculture that I have come to learn in the days ahead.

Club Meds from all around the world employ what they called Gentle Organizers or G.O.s.

Unlike at typical hotels where the staff are there just to serve the guests and nothing else, at Club Med their G.O.s eat and play together with guests. It may seem a little unfamiliar to the uninitiated, but the G.O.s are what made Club Med, well, Club Med.

At Club Med Bali, there are over 80 G.O.s each from different countries and each with their different specialties. One G.O. could possibly have many different roles.

One morning, Wayan would be my golf instructor.

In the afternoon, he would work at the main resort pool as a lifeguard.

Then at night, the same Wayan would don the white top hot and sequined glove, moonwalking across the stage as a Michael Jackson impersonator.

Every day these GOs are out there having fun with their hotel guests. And these are the very same people I would eat, play and grow very close to over the next few days.

When we arrived, we were taken on a tour around the expansive Club Med compound. Our jaws were dropping the entire time. There are definitely no shortage of things to do over here.

Most hotels have a swimming pool, a restaurant, maybe a spa and that’s it.

At Club Med Bali, the amount of facilities is like everything a hotel guest can dream of, and more. MUCH more.

They have 2 HUMUNGOUS restaurants, 2 swimming pools (including a quiet one next to the spa for adults only), a Mandara spa, fully-equipped gym, football field, volleyball court, basketball court, tennis court, archery range, windsurfing school, a theatre, a nightclub, a putting green, driving range, a full golf course and a CIRCUS TRAPEZE all housed within the compound of Club Med.

Yes, even a circus trapeze.

Club Med is like Disneyland for grown-ups, without the long queues of screaming kids, with the free flow of amazingly delicious good food and bottomless alcohol.

Best of all? Because Club Med is all inclusive, pretty much everything inside the resort is free.

We didn’t have to think about how much to spend, because meals, entertainment and activities are included in the room. Only the more premium stuff like champagne, spas and outside tours are chargeable.

We had arrived after the buffet lunch had closed. It didn’t matter because another restaurant was open for late lunch.

Normally when I stayed in hotels offering free breakfast, I skipped it because most of the time – they are crap. Usually free things are crap.

Not at Club Med.

The restaurant menu here reads like it’s from a posh restaurant in Changkat.

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We’re talking about sirloin steak and grilled fish, and this ain’t even the main restaurant.

For about RM600 a night per person, the guest room itself – although clean and comfortable, isn’t necessary the most luxurious ones I have seen in Bali.

That’s okay, because there’s so much to do in Club Med that nobody really stays in the room. If you’re the travel type that stays in the hotel room watching TV, then Club Med is not for you.

Different activities run throughout Club Med from morning till night, each catering for different age groups. During day time, most of us opted for some sporting activity.

Between golf, tennis, archery basketball, windsurfing, snorkelling etc – we were spoilt for choice.

It didn’t matter that I couldn’t shoot an arrow straight or hit a golf ball to save my life. The G.O.s are happy to show me a few moves.

Look, I even shot my first bulls-eye in Archery!

Fine lah, I planted the arrow there.

Ei Ling wanted to play tennis because a cute Korean G.O. was instructing there. Too bad none of us can hit the ball well enough to go over the Net. Playing tennis with Ei Ling was more like playing "Run-And-Chase-The-Stray-Tennis-Ball".

I even tried my hand on the circus trapeze. I was surprised the cables could hold my weight. Heck, I didn’t even know I’m capable of lifting my legs above my head while I’m swinging.

Damn. If I were gay, I would be damn good in bed.

For the less sports-inclined people, there are milder activities like Balinese cooking class, temple tours or the famed dual induction massage at the Club Med Spa.

Even babies and kids have free activities planned for them by the GOs.

Club Med has a particularly strong emphasis for children and families, so the kids could be holed up somewhere doing a fashion show, or making an art piece using recycled materials while the parents are windsurfing in the Indian Ocean.

For me, I prefer maximum adventure all the way, so I took the white-water rafting trip along Ayung River in Ubud.

So we ignored girl band TLC’s advice and went chasing after waterfalls, got ourselves soaking wet and smiles plastered all over our face.

White-water rafting along the Ayung River = definitely a must-do in Bali.

After tiring ourselves all day doing sports, it’s time for dinner. And I tell ya, dinner at Club Med is LEGEND…

…DARY.

Not only are the food during buffet dinner amazingly delicious, it’s also buffet style. Meaning, I put the words "ALL YOU CAN EAT" to test.

We’re talking the finest dishes from Western, Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Indonesian cuisine being served each and every night. Again, these aren’t the cheap food you get at some buffets in cheap-ass hotels.

These are really yummy good tasting food I’d pay hundreds for at fine-dining restaurants, and they serve it buffet style at Club Med. Complete with free flow of drinks and alcohol.

We went crazy. No one blinked an eyelid when I returned to my table with sushi on one side of the plate, babi guling on the other and a glass of ice cold  beer on the side. It’s all included what!

I like it how there’s always a theme that goes along with our dinner. When our dinner invitation says "Elegant", this was how we dressed.

My interpretation of the word "elegant" vs the Expat Lifestyle‘s Ian Johnston’s interpretation of "elegant".

Dinner was brilliant, but the fun ain’t over.

Straight after dinner, the evening staged show begins.

Club Med does these staged shows every single night.

And every night is different theme. Just because the staged shows are free, doesn’t mean budget was spared either. Over the 3 nights that we stayed, we watched a Michael Jackson tribute show, a Vegas-style dance show and a circus show during our time there.

One show that stood up was this act where a single person sang both the male and female parts of a duet. So first, the male sang.

Then the female sang…

 

ALL TOGETHER NOW!

If you’re bisexual, congratulations – you found your soulmate.

Yea, the staged shows are done by amateurs and aren’t completely original. But who cares? The important thing is that it is very entertaining.

If you’re a lady from the fairer sex, don’t miss the circus show.

Ridiculously fit male bodies are on display. The Japanese girls love it. I bet alcohol was not the only thing that was dripping free flow that night.

I had to remind my lady friends that these guys are GOs. Not GROs.

Sorry lah. Cannot bring them back as souvenirs.

For me, my visual treat came when 200 Japanese girls from a bridal company checked into Club Med as part of their company’s incentive tour.

After 4 days free flow of good fun, great food and most importantly – a totally relaxed experience, it is unfortunately time to return to reality.

It is very difficult to leave Club Med. I normally don’t spend a lot of time in hotels when I travel, preferring to wander outside and explore on my own. This time round, I spent 4 days in Bali without leaving their resort compound, and still had lots of fun.

While most other hotels in Bali emphasize on delivering luxury, Club Med created a truly unforgettable holiday experience and having more than enough things to do.

It worked. The food at Club Med is already worth the price of the room itself. And the experience I had? Priceless.

I think I’ll be back sooner rather than later. 🙂

Got Michael Jackson to see, why not?

It’s Been 6 Years Since You’re Gone

Re-discovering Myself 40 Comments

Dear Papa,

Has it already been six years already? Why is that every year, on the anniversary of your departure, emotions overwhelm me – as if you had only just left yesterday?

Yes, it has been six years since we last bid goodbye. Yet, the images of our last moments together still flashed through my head so vividly. Ah, I remember so well.

It was very early in the morning. I had a long night taking care of you, and I was sound asleep in my bedroom. An annoying phone call from a salesman woke me up. I was still bleary-eyed because I hadn’t slept the entire night. Almost immediately, our maid knocked on my door frantically and interrupted me. She asked me to rush down to your room immediately. I knew then that you must have left after saying goodbye to me last night.

I could never forget the sight of you lying on the bed, finally finding peace inside you after struggling for so long.

Papa, I always feel sorry for you. You worked so hard to build this immense business empire from scratch. And yet, just when you were about to retire and savour the fruits of your labour, you decided to go on a permanent vacation on your own.

6 years later now, I am walking in your shoes. Big shoes to fill, but I’m never going to give up. It was such a struggle because it involved so much time and money investment. Uncle said "failure is not an option" and I completely understand. If I were to fail, not only would I be losing lots of money, I would be letting down so many staff who put in their blood and sweat while I chase my dreams.

I was gonna say, "you had no idea how many sleepless nights I had" but who am I kidding? Of course you’d understand. 🙂 You had been through the struggle yourself.

Mommy and Koko are so mean! We just returned from a trip to the US and we went to Disneyland. Remember? You brought us here 18 years ago. And I cried because I got angry at you for not realising Disneyland closed early in the winter months.

I am so glad I did not cry this time round. At 28 years of age, that would have been rather embarrassing. Instead, it brought back bittersweet memories of our annual family trip.

It seems like the only time we were able to properly bond together. And it warms my heart to see there’s somebody always next to Mommy.

Jiejie’s 3 kids are so cute! Jayden is taking the role of big brother very confidently. Kirsten is particularly smart and she does really well in school. And little Lecia just smiles non-stop showing off her little dimples.

Their actions just makes everyone around them smile. I think you’ll like them a lot, Papa. Jiejie said I am not doing anything particularly special, yet I am like a magnet to the kids. I am flattered.

These days, I am feeling a lot of love and support from the people around me. Perhaps, it has always been there. Perhaps I was too engrossed doing my own thing to open my eyes and appreciate their presence. It’s so silly to think that when I was younger, I was depressed for no apparent reason and even contemplated suicide. How stupid was I?

Seeing Jiejie’s children and being around people who love me made me feel life is worth living. They are my sunshine. My time on Earth is worthwhile if I succeed in making the people around me live a little better.

Papa, I just want you to know that I am very happy now, and that I appreciate the people and the things around me. In very small ways, I am upholding your legacy even after your departure. I wanna let you know that I am proud to be doing so, and I am very proud to be your son.

Life is beautiful. I wish I could share it with you, but that’s okay. Thank you for sending me angels to take care of me in the meantime.

Till we meet again, please have a nice and relaxed rest. And have some Pike Place Roast Starbucks coffee. It’s the bomb.

By the way, if you see Osama bin Laden, tell him he’s in the wrong floor.

I miss you so much.

 

Lots of love,

Your youngest son.

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