So the Raya weekend came and went... it was AWESOME knowing that I had Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday off... so here's how I spent it.

I checked into a hotel in the heart of KL and pretended to be a foreigner... I left my car in the basement and NEVER took it out throughout my stay! It was AWEEESSSOOOMMMEEEE... very relaxed... very chilled... Stella and I being our kiasu selves made sure we took as much bottled soap, moisturizer and shampoo we could find... at 1 point, I had 6 bottles of these things WOOHOO! Love freebies.

Anyway, firstly I've got the highlight one of the first few homes I visited... I drove all the way to Semenyih... checked out the 'kampung' scene... complete with live stock running from one end of the kampung to the other...

Here's the spread!

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and my hosts...

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Later that evening, as though the food wasn't enough... I headed for something called the 'calzone' - had no idea what it was till I ordered it - it was a MASSIVE CURRY PUFF!!

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Right before the looooonnnnnnng weekend ended, I wound down... sat on my bed... and mysterious hands started feeding me...

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Mmmm... that was pomelo...

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Mmmm... more pomelo...

More update soon ole' chap.. :)

So if you don't know who Ayam is... TADA!

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We found the poor fella stuck deep in a DARK cabinet and we felt REALLY sorry for him. It's no wonder why tweets started coming from the dude saying 'cluck! cluck! it's dark in here - HELP!' - yes, Ayam has a twitter account as well - it's @ayamisme. So go ahead and add him for the latest updates.

So here's what we did... since we care about ayam, we decided to kidnap him and get Jules & Prem a little concerned...

We took good care of ayam... for instance, we fed him Marshmallows...

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Gave it a REALLY nice bed to sleep on - complete with belly movements, background music... and even comes with breakfast in bed... (the marshmallow)

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Ayam was sooo happy, he even danced with us...



So here's the deal we made with Jules & Prem - if they really want Ayam back, they've got to meet our demands - 1 week worth of breakfast from the both of them AND for one day - they've got to mention "We Fly FM Pagi Show - they ROCK!" - during their show every time the mic is turned on.

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That was printed yesterday... it's the 17th... they haven't said anything... done anything... do they REALLY still want Ayam? :)

Looks like Ayam will be spending Raya with us! What you say Ayam?

Cluck Cluck! <- Hey! He said AWEESSSOMMMEE!

Selamat Hari Raya, eat loads, drive safe and remember not to play with fire crackers!

If you heard rumours that Fabes and I were in Penang via Twitter or Facebook... those rumours were TRUE! Yes! We were down in the land of our favourite Char Kuey Teow...

To be more accurate, we were invited to checkout a pre-opening trial run of the Hotel and Cafe. I've been to Hard Rock Hotel Bali but I must say the one in Penang is BEAUTIFUL. It literally outshines any hotel in Batu Ferringhi when it comes to the cool factor - certainly not the classiest and most luxurious but just COOL!

To not spoil the experience, I'm going to post LIMITED pictures and a video of HOW THEY ROCK!... just check them out!

We've got MJ sitting right infront of the Cafe...

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One of the awesome drinks that was on the HOUSE!

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It was just SOOO BEAUTIFUL that I did a little colour alteration using my latest iPhone app - the ColorSplash! Freaking AWESOME!

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This place was crazy! Since they didn't have a LIVE band, while Fabes and I were spinning some songs, the Chefs and cooks came out to play!

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I've even got VIDEO proof!



and finally... a SNEAK preview of the room... :)

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Oh btw, have to talk about Penang and it's food man... discovered that this is THE burger store to go to... apparently it's the best and all Penangites agree - I just passed by it coz I was SOOO FILLED! I'll try it the next time... if you haven't heard or seen it... here it is!

From Blog Pictures

So there you go, my updates for day... oh yeah, Selamat Berpuasa AND we're off to a public holiday in just DAYS!!!! WOOHOO!!!

A lesson learned...

1st week of July came and left. Everyone who owned an N97 - myself in particular was counting down to the date of the release of the new firmware - V11 which boasts lots of new functionality including kinetic scrolling (iPhone style) which already exists in some 3rd party apps such as Gravity the twitter client.

Rumoured to be out on the 1st of July - it never came. I was constantly checking for updates on the phone itself hoping for an OTA (over-the-air) upgrade but it never was available. All hope was lost until I checked in on a Nokia Care Centre in 1 Utama... apparently they had it on the 2nd of July itself! So the next time you desperately want a software upgrade, check with Nokia Care first... AND be sure you've got an authorized set otherwise there'll be a charge :P

The V11 firmware

I've heard so much from the forums... the countless number of features and fixes... but to be honest, I'm a little disappointed.

• Backlight not syncing when locking and unlocking phone? - FIXED
• Better switching from WiFi, 3G, EDGE, GPRS in apps? - NOT PERFECT but BETTER
• Kinetic scrolling? - NOT IMPLEMENTED
  
• Faster acquisition of GPS coordinates - FIXED
• Nokia Maps facelift - NOT NOTICEABLE
• Auto detection of empty SMS prior to sending - NOT IMPLEMENTED
• Multitouch support? - NOT IMPLEMENTED
• Use of gestures to control apps - NOT IMPLEMENTED

So was it worth the wait and upgrade?

Yes and No. Yes, the firmware does seem lots more stable. No, apart from the backlight sync with phone's software lock (which honestly is a GREAT deal) there isn't anything else to shout about.

And then it happened...

So after the firmware upgrade, the weekend came and my parents planned up an impromptu getaway in Fraser's Hills to celebrate my birthday a week in advance.

I was happily snapping pictures with the N97 - the quality is truly amazing. Thanks to the firmware, things seem more solid and snappier...

One of my dogs called Puffy had a bad hair day...

One got so bored that she decided to show her bum to the entire world...

I couldn't care less and kept on snapping...

After uploading the pics to Twitter using Gravity... the phone hung, crashed and decided NEVER to go pass the "NOKIA" welcome screen - no matter what I did...

I returned to KL, sent it to a Nokia Centre (where it originally got it's upgrade) - got it reflashed and within an hour - it's BACK! ALIVE and KICKING!

So I went snapping happily again... until I saw this VERY disturbing scene of a BMW being mutilated... bonnet scratched, emblem forcefully peeled off - even the holder was damaged in some way... whoever did this must really hate the owner...

Be nice when on the road :)

The weekend came and gone and this weekend, Fabes and I left for our most favourite place in the whole of Malaysia - PENANG! Yay! Nadia on the other hand decided to stay back (ok fine, we actually left her behind :P)...

So anyway, the trip started on Flyday itself... left around 12-ish - 1... after a 3 hour ride, we arrived in the Pearl of the Orient...

This trip wasn't like any other trip I've had in the past... this one was different... see, it was for BHPetrol's Race Ace 2 - Go Kart Challenge... we went for that... I won in one of the rounds... Fabes lost... haha... he's a sore loser - trust me, you'll hear about it tomorrow morning. Anyway, that's not the point... the race was awesome... then there was the clubbing scene...

Then there was my first attemp at one of the most famous nasi kandar stalls in Penang - Nasi Kandar Line Clear! Why is it called so? I have no idea - apparently whenever you ask "how much?" the boss says "line clear"... I tried but he just said "duduk"... should be Nasi Kandar Duduk - fooiyoh...

A trip to Penang wouldn't be complete without a visit to Fly FM Pagi Show's official "Best Char Kuey Teow" in Malaysia - Ah Leng Char Kuey Teow!

We also checked out the BEST ASAM LAKSA in the Malaysia if not the world!!! Trust me, it's worth EVERY cent, EVERY slurp, EVERY chomp... you get the idea - the soup is just SOOOOO GOOOD...

Sorry, could only take picture of the shop... :) just take my word for it... it's worth visiting...

Strange thing is, food wasn't the only thing Fabes and I checked out - it was this place - almost like a hidden gem for tourists... the place is called sunset cafe @ Batu Ferringhi - and man, the moment you arrive, you'll feel like you've left Malaysia and entered some exotic seaside location... it's gorgeous... very very in touch with nature...

After all that, we got back late yesterday evening... it was a tiring but extremely satisfying trip... oh just more thing before I end this blog... here's a picture I took with a VERY STRANGE looking 'woman'... 'she' claims to be snow white... honestly, there's nothing very snowy or whitey about this human being...

Oh btw, if you want more strange happenings around me... :) ... follow me on twitter! Just add "benjern" or visit me at www.twitter.com/benjern

So here's my weekend in a nutshell... it was Cleo's Bachelor Finals - congratulations Henry ole' chap - he was crowned Cleo's Most Eligible Bachelor of 2009... since the place was artsy fartsy, I went ahead and started taking pictures using my camera phone...

Is that artsy or is that artsy? :) It's amazing what camera phones can do nowadays... then the weekend came and I went to Melaka to host an event for MMU Melaka the land of chicken rice BALLS... but of course, no visit to Melaka would be complete without the balls...

Oh by the way, in case you decide to checkout the Chicken Rice Ball stalls at Jonker Street - you'd notice 2 prominent ones. One at the end of the road (corner stall) and one that looks fancy smancy... go for the one at the end of the road - it's BETTER... in my honest opinion...

Then Sunday came, drove all the way back to KL to checkout BSRA-NST Streets Family Day 2009 at SMK Bandar Sunway...

some had flour all over them...

Hunny and I decided to do something less 'floury', played with 'words' and checked out a pussycat instead...

Then today came (Monday)... I arrived at the studio and everyone had strange faces - it looked as though they needed to go to the loo for a BIG one (you know what I mean...)

Here's Fabes... who looks like he's got a beak

Nadia who looks like she's got something REALLY BIG coming out of somewhere...

Amrita our producer who looked like she was replaying Beethoven in her mind to loosen her bowels...

So there you go... more updates soon.... comment comment comment away... I'll try my best to reply! :)

Yay!!! The weekend is here again! This entire week Fabes has been on leave... though I doubt it was that simple... the entire leave thing was a cover-up - here's what Nadia and I conspired...

One
He decided to tan himself over the weekend and due to that he had sunburns... yes, I understand... it's strange, he hasn't been looking in the mirror lately... :)

Two
He is pregnant again... well, he's had numerous pregnancies... (the ones in the past were fake - this time could be real). If you think a man cannot be pregnant, think again... when Fabes is concerned, EVERYTHING is possible :)

So here it is, since he's been off for a whole 1 week - shhh... don't tell Nadia this... I'm going on leave NEXT WEEK! YAYYYYY!!! Just one more week ler... got tonnes of leave days to clear... that's what happens when you go on leave on public holidays when we work during those times... it'll be a GREAT time to chill... I'll leave you in the capable voices of Fabes and Nadia... oh yes, one more thing, DON'T BELIEVE WHAT THEY SAY ABOUT ME DURING MY LEAVE... it's ALL LIES! I CAN ALREADY PREDICT IT...

Anyway, here's something else I've got to show you - Nadia was caught CHEATING on the entire Pagi Show! She was getting chummy with Adam Boy (left)!

Wait.. it's not just the Pagi Show... it's AARON her boyfriend as well... tsk tsk tsk...

Leave comments! I'll reply as soon as I can!

Have a GREEEEAAAT WEEKEND!

PS. This personal blog of mine will remain updated throughout my leave... ;P

Thanks so much for sending in the gajillions of comments... for my last post on this and my Fly Blog. To begin this entry I shall talk a little bit about what exactly happened throughout the 2 weeks Fabes, Nadia and I were off... I'll leave Fabes and Nadia to give their little update... in this post... all talk about me... ME ME ME... :)

1st week, it was nothing but being SICK! Yes, I WAS SICK AGAIN! If you've been following my facebook, you'd notice that I was INCREDIBLY SICK once more... this time round, the doctor gave the diagnosis of "fonicular tonsilities" - hope I spelled that right... strange thing is, it started off as a mild sore throat, light fever than WHAM BAM - WOOHOO LET'S STOP BEN FROM TALKING...

I didn't speak for a week - yes, it was a strange and awkward silence around me... and for the people around me... even my dog got bored... she just fell asleep...

        

After 3 jabs on my bum (never had anything 'poked' there before - trust me I know) and 4 different types of anti-biotics, I was fine... 1 week and 2 days later, I was healed...

Oh yes, before I got sick, Fabes and I were hosting Puma's Furio instore party at Pavillion KL. If you were there, you'd have heard the commotion... it was massive speakers, right outside the store, fabes spinning, me screaming and along with that came 3 LIVE mannequins!



From left - Nadia (not the one from the show - if only our Nadia was this hot), Fabes (he had to come into this picture), Hafiz and this HOT HOT HOT chick whose name I've forgotten (think it was Kayleen) - sorrrryy... :P
In a nut shell, besides getting sick and the making a heck of a lot of noise at the Puma event, here are some random shots of what happened...



I checked out one of the oldest GPS devices - this thing is almost 'museum worthy!" - black and white screen, HUGE antenna. It's also the first GPS I used - way way way way wayyyyy back...



There was also Faces Magazine's 100th Issue celebration which Fabes and I hosted - some funky laser show going on...



The first 'actual meal' I had after falling ill for 1 week...



Saw this photo opportunity and started shooting away... what beautiful photos I take :P



Was having lunch with Jules and Prem when Jules decided to order this MASSIVE bowl of CHILI infested spaghetti. It was SOOO SPICY I guarantee you she'd have a ball of a chilified time in the toilet later :P



Was at the sony store and heard this song playing from a walkman... Chinese song... that had chipmunk voices - interesting... I took a picture...
Okay, so there you go, some of the updates over the past 2 weeks... keep commenting... and I'll keep posting!

So if you've read my last entry, you'd notice this plastic tube thingy sticking out of my hand ~ that's the key to the explanation as to why I was not in the office the first 2 days after the 1 week Chinese New Year break like I was supposed to.

It started off with a little update on Facebook - my telling the world that I was not feeling too great after coming back from my little escapade from Penang (which I'll elaborate on shortly). I had a swollen lymphnode on the right side of my throat which was irritating the life out of me. Saw the doc and was told that I've got a temperature... the next day, it got worse and finally on the 2nd day, I couldn't take it no more as my temperature was fluctuating, I was having cold sweat, I felt lethargic, my eyeballs hurt - I was showing signs of having Dengue!

It was Saturday when I saw the specialist, got my blood tested and was told that there's definitely an infection but the doctor was unsure what. As for the dengue test, it was negative but he did mention that it could be too early for the virus to show - it'd be best to return for another test in another 3 days. I was sent home with some meds and a bill of over 600 ringgit!

Sunday came and it was torturous, I couldn't get out of bed, I was constantly tired, feverish, not feeling great, zero appetite (which is absolutely strange coming from me) and I was losing weight (Yay! to some people :P) but I was feeling HORRIBLE.

Monday I went to the doc and was given some additional antibiotics to expand it's range of treatment and that was IT! Honestly that was the cure - I felt like a king the following morning, had the 1st EVER proper sleep in days and was no longer having fluctuating temperatures!

My second blood test results came out on Tuesday and true enough, it was cleared - SIGH.... what a relief... I called up the boss (Kak Anida) and told her I'd be back on Wednesday. So there, mystery solved. It was a case of REALLY REALLY bad VIRAL FEVER and sore throat. Given a choice I WOULD NEVER EVER EVER want to be in a situation like that again.

Hope I haven't bored the life out of you... but as promised, here are the pictures from my Penang / Chinese New Year trip! It was FOOOOOD GALORE BABY!

1st meal in Penang

Then it was the 1st Char Kuey Teow - Ah Leng (the best one in Penang and Malaysia and the World was closed so we went for the Pulau Tikus one)



Then we headed on to having the BEST EVER Goreng Pisang in Penang and Malaysia and the world - on the way up Batu Ferringhi






While chomping on crispy, lightly fried pisang - it was time for DURIAN right within the mountains of Batu Ferringhi!



Then on to a hilltop where we savoured not only fresh air but fruit rojak...




With our bellies still able to store more - we headed for Cendol!




Then finally ending the day with super massive awesome ding-a-ling-a-ling seafood <- and no, that's not the restaurant's name :P 

  

Oh no, it didn't end there as we decided to have MORE seafood - traveling from one end of Penang to another - we found the best shellfish stall when it comes to cooking shellfish! 

In that last picture, you see that HUGE mountain of shells there? I ate all of those :) The following day, it was HELLO PENANG and an empty stomach! 1st stop, the infamous, the most ding-a-ling-a-dong - Ah Leng Char Kuey Teow... just checkout the size of the prawns!

Then straight to Penang's famous - Prawn Mee! 

  

Then as we almost tearily left Penang for Kuala Lumpur, we did a quick stop in Kampar for it's famous Ice Kacang! 

  

Apparently, the shops been operating longer than I've been around in the world! If that wasn't enough, the entire Fly team had this yesterday... YEEEEEEEEEE SANG! 

Now is that food or is that food... okay, I promise I shall not lay my hand on food at the very least for the next 2 minutes... :) Got a comment? Drop it below! Have an awesome weekend!