While I’m in still Manchester, I couldn’t resist making plans to go to a country I always wanted to visit.
Ireland.
Beautiful Ireland. Ahh… seems like such a faraway place to go to last time, but long at last you are within grasp. 😉
I must admit, my love for Ireland and all things Irish began in a very peculiar way. It started with Westlife and Boyzone (don’t laugh), but they’re not the real reason why I wanted to go Ireland so much.
My interest was actually aroused when I watched the movie P.S. I Love You.
For those who watched the movie, there was this beautiful scene shot in a park somewhere in Ireland where Gerry first met Holly.
It was then and there that he fell in love with her and did all sorts of romantic stuff to make her happy, even after he died.
The end result is a movie so sappy and emo that boyfriends all around the world had to endure while their girlfriends stared and asked, “EH! YOU LOUSY! WHY YOU NEVER DO THAT FOR ME!?”
Damn you Gerald Butler!
Of course lah, there are other reasons why I wanna visit Ireland. I like Irish food, Irish countryside, Irish cream, Irish coffee, Irish pubs, Irish whiskey and Irish beer.
In particular, Irish beer.
Especially if it’s Guinness Draught on tap. 😉
Guinness is without a doubt Ireland’s most famous export. This year is coincidentally its 250th birthday, so a visit to Sir Arthur Guinness’ legendary brewery at St James Gate is definitely on my agenda.
St Patrick’s Day is not just an excuse for people all around the world to drink Guinness. It is when the world celebrates Irish culture and something the Irish people called ‘craic’.
For the real meaning of the word ‘craic’, you gotta ask a true Irish. It is an atmosphere of unpretentious feel good vibe where strangers become friends, and people put aside their differences to share jokes, laughters and mischiefs.
It’s a distinctively Irish thing. In Ireland, strangers strike up a conversation with you because they genuinely wanna be friends with you.
In Malaysia, strangers strike up a conversation with you because they wanna sell you insurance.
I had a small dose of ‘craic’ when I attended Guinness’ media preview of their St Patrick’s Day celebrations in KL recently.
The actual events are on today (13th March) at 1Utama shopping centre in PJ and tomorrow (14th March) at Juru Auto City in Penang, and everyone is welcome to join in on those days.
If you are in KL or Penang, you should go and attend their St Patrick’s Day celebrations because Guinness sure knows how to throw a good party. There’s food, there’s a good company and all around feel-good vibe.
At the media preview, they even lighted up the KL Tower in GREEN for the heck of it!
We played a goofy little game where I was partnered with Ben from indie band Ben’s Bitches (of Cha Cha Cha Amber Chia fame), and whaddya know? We took home the top prize of RM300 in prize money.
But out of nowhere I bumped into this long-time reader of mine who I know has been writing a series of negative stuff about me lately.
He said hi, and for a moment there I had no idea how to react because I felt so awkward facing someone who I know doesn’t like me. For what reason he dislikes me, I have no idea.
So there’s me, standing face to face with a hate commenter.
Should I confront him? Should I walk away? Or should I start some drama in front of everyone?
I didn’t do any of those. Instead, out of courtesy I handed him a glass of Guinness and we drank beer together.
Inside, I was feeling uncomfortable. I didn’t know what to say so I rambled on about some superficial stuff while trying hard not to show that I was upset about those things he wrote about me.
But eventually he told to me the reason why he was so against me.
And the reason is that there was no reason at all.
He said it was one of those things he saw other people writing bad stuff about me on my comment box, and he just wanted to join in the flaming mob for the heck of it. He thought that with me being in the limelight, I should be used to it by now.
Fair enough.
I wasn’t impressed by his answer, but I wasn’t too angry either. In the end, I decided to forget it and let bygones be bygones. Before the night is over, we raised our glasses, skulled down more Guinness, exchanged name cards and parted ways with no hard feelings from either side.
Gee. Amazing how bad feelings between two people can be resolved so easily over a couple of beers. 😉
Movie Pick Of The Week: Doubt is without a doubt (lame pun) one of the best movies I’ve watched this year.
It’s a show about the bad habit every Malaysian seem to have – jumping to conclusions. If they make jumping to conclusions an Olympic sport, we’d have won gold already.
beautiful ireland. very green everywhere and with lots of sheeps! make u wanna go baaaa…
ireland… seems very nice. blog bout it in more detail. thanks you.
🙂
Hahaha Kenny got drunk?
Ireland looks really beautiful wow, comparable to NZ [but NZ’s better 😛 ]
Haha Kenny got drunk?
Ireland looks really beautiful though; comparable to NZ… ALMOST!
Hopefully you enjoyed St. Patricks Day!
Guinness is good, starting to be my favourite beer. 🙂
i need to start writing hate comments too!!!
hate hate hate hate hate hate hate hate
=)
By the way that movie is very super nice!!
oh man.. i think i need a few dose of guiness beer!!!
Guinness?? I’ll be trying something else if I go to Ireland. So many Irish beers that I have never tasted before except for those selling at The Irish Pub in KL.
Strongbow is my favorite now since I never tasted the rest.
“Gee. Amazing how bad feelings between two people can be resolved so easily over a couple of beers. ;)”
only works on guys.
one of my best friends is in dublin, ireland. if you need somebody to show you around, i think she’d be glad to show you around dublin….
And I thought this was gonna be a travelogue….
Looking forward to one from Ireland in the near future =)
I have been a long time reader of yours and this is my first comment. If you’re coming to Dublin next Tuesday, you must not miss the Paddy’s day parade and the Ceili Mor afterwards. Great craic.
I have a bad feeling too.
But it seems that beer is not helping.
Wait, I don’t drink.
Fair enough. 🙂
How come you din post a picture of yourself in Ireland?
Hey Kenny, if you’re seriously considering visiting Ireland, I highly recommend going to this place called Aran Island. It’s near Galway. I was there with my sis last year summer I really enjoyed it.
The best part of the visit to Aran Island is that with just 10 euros (not sure if inflation has hit Ireland now) you can rent a bycycle and cycle around the coast of the island. The best thing is the cliff in that island.
Because there’ll be no shops anywhere for food, sis and I packed some sandwiches (with delicious salami) and sat down beside the pathway, eating our meal while enjoying the view. It was marvelous.
I’d say, it’s one of the best cliff I’ve seen in Ireland, besides Cliffs of Moher (which is the first picture you posted). But Cliffs of Moher is slightly less adventurous and more commercialised, I think.
I highly recommend Ireland even for just a week’s trip. Enjoy.
Trust me, the book is wayyyyyyyyyy better than the movie 🙂
Really? the movie is sooo nice to watch already!! i cried several times.. so sad!
I tried Guinness once. The taste is not that bad after all. Better than Heineken I guess? *LOL*
Beer solves everything, that’s why the middle east is so screwed – no beer.
did u punch that guy ?
if i were u …. i’ll just turn his lights off and say that i was too drunk .
Kudos to the scenery, but not to the people. Especially the Irish Catholics, wow, they are such a screwed up bunch of people, having experienced it there.
You’ll see, as soon as you get to dublin. Sigh.
First of all, Nice post.
Having the good communication & understanding are very important in setting up a “Craic” relationship. Sometime, those comments or words returned by some readers will give us a wrong impression about their feeling. Word itself has no feeling unless interpreted by someone. Beer can be very good “Lubricant oil” that helping us to ease the situation when we are in an damn awkward relationship especially with those strangers. That why we can see the beers never miss in any party.
Kenny, will you be at 1 Utama today for the St’ Patrick Event?
I am looking for someone to meet ar!
i think you should be flaming him, just for the fun of it.. sides.. revenge is dish best served cold~
*evil laughter..*
I personally prefer Heineken…
“Alcohol, the cause and solution to all of life’s problems.” (Homer Simpson)
–> Maybe he was drinking when he started the flaming too? 😉
Ireland looks great!
Just some extra info. I heard Point “Ipohmali” Blanc may be performing at the Guiness party in JURU Auto City..
lol, Kenny Sia the angry drunken master
I guess I know who is it…Kenny, you are so impressive..
TO forgive and forget is a Hard thing
…in the end, kenny sia the butt hole bandit brought the guy home and fuck the shit out of him. oh yeah.
Maybe I should start writing negative stuff about you too 😉
i’m studying in dublin! and your first picture of the cliffs of moher is a place you definitely have to visit once in your life. it makes your knees go all weak when u look over it! happy paddy’s day from ireland! 🙂
Ireland is beautiful.
Should come over to Scotland. There’s a few island which are just as scenic as ireland. Isle or Arran and Isle of Skye to name a few.
I take every opportunity to travel around scotland first while i’m still studying here.
Come visit Scotland~
Ireland has Guiness + Bailey;
Scotland has the BEST whiskey in the world! Any scot whiskey is better than those brew anywhere else!
*Guinness
hi kenny! when u’re in ireland, don’t forget to visit the West of Ireland too- the beautiful, cultural city of Galway- personally, Dublin has become too metropolitan. From Galway, u can do day trips to the gorgeous Aran islands, Connemara and the famous cliff of Moher! galway’s famous for their oysters too and has some of the best local pubs in town.
DO come n visit;Galway is only a 3 hr train from Dublin. would love to show u aroud as well if u want. Been studying here for past 5 yrs so I kno my way around pretty well. just email me, let me know if u interested to visit. enjoy!
wtf? did you go to ireland or did you not? please dont start off so promisingly about such a beautiful country and tangent off so completely into an advetorial! it doesnt even qualify as event coverage!
that being said, thanks for your vietnam ones. those came in real useful. so now please write more about the irish people. and recent history. and spirit, not just warm and oozy craic. or did you just go to dublin and not north ireland? i know there are time limits but what happened to kenny off the beaten track? the whole ireland’s half the size of sarawak!
ok i refrained from commenting about scotland til i breezed through your comments and saw some readers feeling the same way. why not scotland??? it’s wilder and more beautiful, and has cooler bands (u2 will always be u2, but if you want misfit cool you have to go into a glasgow club or a rangers vs celtic game to see national pride in all infectious glory, and by the way i dont share your sentiments about westlife and boyzone although i respect free choice).
food sucks. but you have got to give them respect for nationalising the spart parts of sheep. seafood is good. salmon is everywhere, even tesco.
the place is beautiful. it is one geological wild beauty of a mess. so many highlands and islands to go to, so many places to hear your own thoughts. so many cliffs to take pretty pictures from and get blown over the edge (literally). oh btw weather sucks most of the time but when the sun hits it hits the air out of your chest. and so much culture. dammit i wish the chinese had the all-ages dancing thing at weddings. and so much national pride! see the flags waving and kilts twirling in the city centre 2 miles away from the stadium on football day.
actually the little bit of ireland i saw i really liked too (except dublin) but it’s just that i happened to study in scotland, and i tell you, it’s worth a working holiday.
Hi, Kenny Sia!
I am Kevin Chong,21 years-old. I am come from Malaysia, Jb.
This is my first time to comment your post.
I am admired you, you can go to so many country, all you mentioned above is my first time saw it.
It can help me improve my knowledge and cutulure of other countries.
I like your blog.
Thanks.
=)
I love Gerard Butler!!
Ps. i love you is a beautiful movie 🙂
“Amazing how bad feelings between two people can be resolved so easily over a couple of beers”
Cheers, Kenny!
Kenny, I sincerely ask you to conduct a poll on the right sidebar to see the demographics of your readers. I am sure most of your readers are 18-ish or thereabout. Promoting alcohol to them all the time isn’t the best thing, is it?
I love that movie! Mainly because of James Marsters, of course. 😀 Anyway, it’s a pretty cool thing you did to forgive the other guy, because he sounds immature to me. I don’t know if I would’ve done the same thing as you. ^^
Be sure to hit Temple Bar when you’re in Dublin and take a picture next to the spire on O’Connell Street since it’s known as the “erection” of the city.
Enjoy Ireland!
Much love from a Malaysian in Dublin.
Whoa i must visit Ireland one day and watch P.S. I Love You. Nothing like a couple of beers to allow two people to reach out to each other and heal 😉
Beautiful scenary!
Wow, that IS rather awkward, but sometimes, hatred is not the anwser. Our world need more love…ahhahahaha…
Ohh, by the way, i am 17, and i am replying on someone there by the name of Sarah, no need for a poll or everything, if the reader want to drink a beer, let it… (^^)
totally agree with you on the first part.
Cliffs of Moher..amazing wasnt it? 🙂
seriously, dude. this site is becoming more like a place for advertisements.
i know you get paid for posting them on and it’s not a bad thing, really. fuck, it’s friggin good to get paid!!
but y’know wat?
i kinda miss the old stuff especially posts from the early years which is what kennysia.com is all about.
well, i’m just saying laa…
i bet you get this kinda crap from friends and readers regarding your blog. humans arent’t easy to please la kan?
i usually speak my mind when i’m.. aherm…high and intoxicated. yea, sometimes it gets me into troubles. haha!
hope non of your legion of fans will come and attack me after this ;P
salut!
Dude, my ads are all clearly marked “ADV” in the title. If you don’t like to read them you don’t have to read it. The ones not marked “ADV” are not ads.
your last line…asnwer the meaning of ‘craic’ well! 🙂
Ooooh yeah! Let’s do some heavy rockin for this St.Patty’s day!!!! But urghh, Guinness makes me really full…
Indeed, a meal in a can.
Oh Kenny, Ireland is beautiful!:)
Just wondering, did you manage to apply for that best job in the world thing?
I’m going back to Malaysia in 2 months and I’m already using your blog as a guide. I feel so sakai and inadequate to be called a Malaysian.
so true so true ! .. haha
the readers are already drinking alcohol at the age of 12. trust me .. its either they like or dislike the taste or the feeling of alcohol. there no promoting, it is already promoted.
nah, bro. dun get me wrong. like i said, it’s not a bad thing to have ads. they’re good. i read them nonetheless. i still come here quite often.
just sayin i miss the old stuff cos they were more entertaining, that’s all.
no hard feeling, yes?
we should chill over a couple of pints sometimes. been a while 😉
ahhhhhh it’s only my ultimate dream to visit ireland.. it’s so beautiful.
i love everything irish. heh.
love your blog btw! keep on rocking 😀
that see u insurance things… is oh so true!!!
Hey!
Haven’t updated my blog in awhile. Just saw your New Year message for Alana.
She says thank you and hopes you enjoyed yourself in Manchester with Uncle Eric 🙂
to tell you the truth i dont particularly like kenny sia but i dont particularly dislike him as well and i dont need to flame him either but i find his blog exhilarating on those bored moments. Not my favorite blogger but a blog i read (until now i’m still not sure why). i do check from time to time what he has to say but i dont jump on no band wagon and just blatantly attack anyone. i am an individual and with that said i salute Kenny sia for being the better man with the “hateful” dude by letting bygons be bygons.
Another thing, kids in Sarawak (especially us Dayaks) drink since we were wee children. Our especially-home brewed liquor (tuak) will blow your mind away. It’s strong, sweet and sour and it kicks you in the balls like our langkau but i dont suggest you take langkau unless you like corosive liquid in your body.
IRISH FOOD???!!!! oh Kenny you MUST be DRUNK to said that!!!!
Hey Kenny!
Saw you at the St. Patrick’s Day media launch but was too shy (drunk) to go over and say hi.
Am the girl in one of your pics in the background of the venue fiddling with the phone and the pink bag and hair covering my face.
Am still reeling from the St. Paddy’s Ball at the KL Hilton last Saturday. Was brilliant!!
Enjoy the celebrations and looking forward to seeing you at future events! would love to meet you 😉
Personally I thought the book was shite. It was simplistic, unskillfully written, and Holly’s adventure was uneventful.
What Cecilia Ahern did bring to the table however, was a brilliant and touching idea.
Sarah:
1) It’s legal for Kenny to consume alcohol;
2) Kenny does not specifically market his blog to minors;
3) It’s pretty obvious many of his active readers are older than that; and
4) There is no way for Kenny to filter or firewall his site against minors.
(1) + (2) + (3) + (4) = You don’t have a point.
Ah well, alcohol solves everything!!!!
crappy, wedding venue? answer = alcohol. Boring house party? answer = alcohol. Customers not happy about waiting so long for food? answer = free alcohol. Boyfriend dumped you? answer = alcohol and a smashing night!!
:)~
woohoo. the last time i had langkau, i couldnt sleep the whole night coz the joints in my legs ached soooooo bad. then got so sick the next day. haha. but all in all, had a great time….!
Kuching girl in melbourne 😀
you and me both sista..haha