Oh!pEnions

XL-SHop HQ

Its been years since I've been to XL-Shop's HQ in Ampang. In fact, its close to almost ten years. The very first time I was there, it was like suddenly, as if I was in Santa's place. But in reality, I know this wasn't true because unlike Santa's place, this one has price tags. Everything and anything was there and wel.. heck... its just there.

Personally, it was more of a time machine for me too. Or, should I say, walking inside a time machine with unpredictable worm holes. OK, OK, for those of you who are not familiar, think of it as a unorganised storeroom of a toys museum. At the front of the counter, you would have the latest toys all displayed. But as you move further back, you can see older toys that are years old. And sometimes, when you though you have seen it all, you would unexpectedly do a double-take and look closer because hidden in the there would be more toys you have never even seen before. And so, this was how I can relay my joy when I was there. It was also the same for me when I went there the fist time many years ago.

But there was one difference. I was looking for an item which they do not have but I have seen it on their shop located in The Empire. "So, why did I not buy it there and then, you asked?", "Simple, you fool", I would have replied. In fact, I would reply using the tone of a nonchalant smelly fart who, by miracles of miracles, bothered to reply to a lowly peasant who disgraced himself with a cheap RM9.90 deodorant bought in a cheap sale, "Because, you fool, I could ot count past one."

So, what the girl did was, being short for amazing, she Skyped all other shops to get them to look for it. Afterall, this is HQ and no one dares to say NO. Eventually, after a few minutes, one responded and can deliver it to HQ to me. But in the end, I decided to go there myself and they promised to keep it for me. Was it the Empire Branch?

Nope. It was Mid-Valley, of all places. Not bad.

On they way out, the I noticed that there was a
big fair for Chinese goods. I did not notice this
was I came direct from the basement carpark.

And you can tell that the Fair was a huge success
with all the customers visiting and the sales reps
being kept off their feet.

Funny Dinner

Well, nothing funny la. Just that I want to spice up
this post. Anyway, I have successfully made the two
tosai sauces last beyond two hours by putting them
in the fridge. They usually go bad after 2PM.

And since there are some left-over non- crispy
crackers, I decided to spread the surviving sauce on
it. Boy, it was delicious but because it has lost its
crispiness, it was like eating soggy biscuits.

Remember the Teluk Gong trip?
Yep, thats the deeep fried sotong
we doggy bagged. Kristine was eating
her rice and it was boring.

Because both girls were eyeing
the steamed chicken the whole
night.

Well, once each of them
got their own drumstick,
you can see their eating
habits...

Kaelynn uses a bowl...

...while Kristine, well, uses
a pair of scissors.

Batman Begins Grappling Gun

This is one of the fastest delivery I have ever got. It arrive in less than a week. But then again, this is from Singapore. But if it was up to me, I can get it in less than a day. However, driving down there and up again is not a way to spend to much time and money for a little piece of plastic costing not more than RM60. I could save money but not time by cycling there but somehow, common sense insists I just pay for the postage, then shut up and wait...

I mean, have you ever cycled using a GPS to Singapore? There are so many problems to start with even when the bike has not gotten past the door. For example, you would have to modify both the dynamo and your phones car charger so that you can charge your phone while you're cycling. If not, you'd be lost in under an hour. Also, once you have gotten past that problem, you would have to maintain your cycling speed for the dynamo to work. In other words, you have to cycle very fast.

Thank goodness the GPS does not come with a voice (Nokia's OVI Surfer Dude voice) that kept saying, "What's the matter' dude? You're way below the legal speed limit." every few minutes. And we're not even finished with what you need to wear for the trip either...

So, now, it is so easy to just clickety click with the mouse...

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnnnnnndddd, here it is!

Its the Batman 1/6 Grappling gun. I am not getting
the 1/1 scale not because of the Customs but the price.

Still, for that scale, it is very big.

And how big? Well, it is just about to hit the
6cm mark. I wonder if I can recast them and
do a crazy diorama out of it at a later stage....

Going to Klang

Although today is a Sunday, it is still a School Holiday for the girls and it was going to be a treat because we decided to eat out! And not just a normal 'eat out' trip, mind you. We're going to Teluk Gong for seafood. Teluk Gong has a special spot in my heart because it contained a lot of memories for me. For one, during my first job, we went there to celebrate a colleague's last day and on another occasion, mine. Not only that, I was there with my family and my newly kidnapped slav...er, Wife because...

because...

because it was the only place I could think of at that time for seafood besides Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin in Northport Klang. Then we heard stories about robberies and so, we stopped going there for a while. I can't remember the details but someone told me that a gang of robbers would surround the whole restaurant and all the patrons would be forced to handover their belongings. Now that, is not something that I would look forward to.

And so, before we got into
the car, the girls struck a
pose for the Nokia n8

And both of them were wearing ponytails...

And so, it was off to Kota Kemuning first because there was something I needed to pick up from Bruce before our Penang trip. Its a top secret package meant for... erm, I should not be telling you that. I just hope that there were no white powder in there.

While we were in Kota Kemuning, Kaelynn
wants to make sure that her hairclip really
makes her look beautiful.

Unfortunately, because of her stunt with
the scissors sometime ago, the short hair
sticks out and no matter how hard she
tries to hide it. I was a bit cruel and so, I
laughed at her, which made her cry.

Luckily, Kristine came to her rescue
and helped to hide the hair.

Aah, now she looks better

By the time we arrived at Kota Kemuning, there was some problems with Dinner arrangements and so, its Westport instead of some Bak Kut Teh which I thought was the main attraction. The girls did not like it as their thinking was, "We want crab and not piggy bones". Oh, dear.

And so, after a long drive, we reached Teluk Gong and since I know nuts about ordering food (it is rude to just pull the waitress by the hand, go to other tables where people are eating and point to the types of dish you would like to eat), I left this delicate situation it to my Wife. So, the first thing that came to our table was the vegetables. I loved it but the girls were hoping for the crabs.

And finally, for the second dish, the crabs came. Which is a bit of a relief for us as this really made the girls quiet. And so, its hammer-time! As usual, we had to break the shells so that the girls can have access to the juicy bits in the claw.

And then the deep-fried squids came and it was nice. But the girls were more interested in the crabs. By this time, the meal was going great and I was starting to forget the news about robbers and so, I relaxed a bit too.

Then the fish came. OK, so it was a bit small and all but the sauce was nice. Still, it had a lot of bones and I had to make sure that most of the bones, if not all, were taken out before any of the girls could eat the fish.

Yum-yum. A nice dinner for everyone. We did not order much drinks and other stuff as although it is a treat, it does not mean we have to splurge.

And an even nicer bill. The fish was a fucking rip-off. And I was not happy about it. Still, because the evening was nice, I decided not to spoil everyone's mood.

In the end, we did not meet any robbers coming from all directions but, we were robbed nevertheless. Shall we go back there? No.

Finally, after all that, I got back to Bruce's house and we talked and talked until 1AM. While the both of use were upstairs, my Wife and girls were being entertained by Lee Ping, Bruce's wife. Still, this was easily the best part of the night for me as I finally go to go to his house, which ironically, was next to the shops which we always go to when we were staying in Kota Kemuning. And the above picture? well, one is a new project and the other is top secret. There was another item which I could not show it to you as I have promised Bruce.

Friday Night...

What do you people usually do on a Friday night? Movie marathons? Sleep overs? 48-hour Internet Surfing? Extreme pillow fights? Beer binging?

For me, this was a first because right after dinner, I decided to go to the Curve. And the most surprising thing was, Mommy agreed.OK, OK, it was planned all along but no one else knew about the plan except me since I planned it...

The girls are ready for dinner, right out
of the shower if you want to know.

So, their hair was really wet. So they
kinda looked a bit moody.

Or maybe it was the fact that Mommy is
serving curry chicken, the type which I
loved, and the ones they cannot eat.
Too bad there's no french fries around...

By the time we rushed them and got them ready,
it was almost 9-ish when we reached Ikano, which
is now called IPC or something. And what do you
know? They're having a Movie Carnival! Here.
they were posing wit the Smurfs (but they do not
know who or what they were)

But they do recognise Alvin from
Alvin & The Chipmunks.

Or maybe it was because of the big
banner/poster behind them.

The real reason I needed to be there was because of
Richard. I have completed his Borg cube and he needs
to display them on his shelf because this week's Movie
Carnival theme was Sci-Fi.

Lots of star Trek related merchandise here.

I like the painting of this nuBSG Battlestar Galactica

It was rumoured that the Ikea's restaurant was
closed because of some Halal issue. Fortunately,
this was not true and alas, I was too full from the
curry dinner to try the meatballs. Then again, its
almost closing time anyway and it is not wise to
stuff 10 meatballs into your mouth in 5 minutes.
I mean, what would the kids eat?

The 1/24 Hughes 500MD

Well, I tell ya, sometimes, there are things that makes you really want to kick yourself in the butt and also, at the same time, shout with joy. I think you know that feeling very well: Its like you competing with your arch nemesis to buy the only rare model kit left in the shop. But you lost because you were RM10.00 short. Then your arch nemesis discovered his new model kit has a missing part which you happened to have in your collection. And that 'sometimes' happens to me today.

I was still in the Ma.k fever and so, the egg shape of the Hughes Helicopter attracted me. And you guessed it, I tried to get them in any scale possible, short of remote control ones. It all started with a 1/48 from Academy and ending with a 1/35 from Dragon. However, both models were not enough to satisfy what I had in mind because they were, well, a wee bit too small. Then one fine day at Hobby HQ, as I was going to the washroom, I spotted this model kit.

Yep. A 1/24 Hughes! Hidden in one corner reserved for Chinese-made kits, which no one even paid any attention.

This was made in China and its box was so small,
you'd think it was a 1/48 kit instead. And for the
price, it was on par with the 1/48 Academy.

And I can tell you that this is a very big kit.
However, the quality of the kit leaves a lot
to be desired but then again, for Ma.K, it
is not supposed to be shiny or new, so
this is perfect.

As I am not an expert on the Hughes, this joined
pilot seat makes me think about the kit's accuracy.
But as I have said again, this is not important.

Want to see how big this kit is? Let's
measure the 'teardrop' cockpit.
On the top is the 1/24 (5.5 inches)
while the middle is the 1/35 (3.75 inches)
and the bottom is the 1/48 (2.75 inches)

Here is another comparison. This time, its with
the 1/20th Falke. Yes, big isn't it?

And the funny part? No one would suspect that the
box on the left housed a 1/24 helicopter.

Six Myvi's in a row

Six Myvis in a row. Three in the front and

two at the back. Why I post this, I dunno.

Ponytails

You know what? Now the girls are in the Ponytail fad. Yep, they want to have long hairs so that they can have ponytails. Unfortunately, Grandma and Mommy both did not like that idea...

Deep Frying Chau Yau Yii

Parents are away and so while waiting for wife to
make dinner, I decided to change the fridge's
bulb which took me 3 days to buy. But it was
blown 2 weeks ago.

So now, I do not have to fear groping for stuff in
the dark and then discover new fungus species
that stuck to my hand on the way out.

And so, for tonight's dinner, the finger food was
prawn crackers but in the shape of fries

The real dinner was actually deep-fried squid and it
was dangerous. We had to protect ourselves from the
hot oil which was coming from the exploding squid. I
mean, when you're deep-frying, there would the one
or two occasional pops which you can avoid but in
this case, we're talking about explosions.