Russian Watches?

For the past one week, I have been wearing a Poljot (it should have been pronounced as Poloit) watch which I bought a year ago  and to be more specified, it is a Poljot Baikal Chronograph with Moon phase. Many of my friends have commented that it is a nice timepiece but not too sure what brand? I decided to write a short article about it!

We, Malaysians are quite ignorant about watches made in Russia or Germany. There are many reputable watch brands made by them but really unknown to the public. For instance, Buran, Poljot and Vostok.

We are very lucky as there is a watch shop called Red Army Watches ( http://redarmywatches.com/ ) in Tropicana Mall and the 2nd outlet in Pavillion which carry these watches. I believed Red Army Watches are from Singapore.

So far, I have worn it twice as the complicated part is to adjust the moon phase before I can really enjoyed wearing it. Again, I have to bring it back to the shop so that they can adjust for me. Haha, don't ask me how but I think that is the best and hassle-free way!!!

In fact, the staff there said he is more than happy to do it because they are also not so familiar with it. It's a good training for them too!

Baikal is the most beautiful and also the deepest lake of the world (1637 m) and holds one fifth of all fresh water resources of the planet. 300 Siberian rivers flow into this lake! Its age is estimated about 30 million years. Its fantastic flora and fauna have no equal anywhere in the world. The lake is particularly attractive for tourists and photographs in the winter time. The glassy, iridescent surface and the gleaming light-blue snow are ravishing in their incredibly beauty. The lake "Baikal" is part of the "world heritage of nature" of the UNESCO.

The watch is elegantly crafted to signify the beauty of the lake.

By the way, it is a manual winding watch so you better wind it every two days.

Is perfection that important?

It was Christmas eve 2010 and I was having tea with a couple of friends at a restaurant in uptown after lunch hour. Obviously, we have chosen the wrong place, the Mid Valley Shopping Centre because the whole area was very jam. There were still a lot of last minute shoppers!

We were talking about my last article in the blog, "personal mission" and the ladies started to talk about perfection. One mentioned that her mission is to have a perfect husband, a perfect job and ideally a perfect make over.

We were all burst into laughter when I suggested her to find a bulldog, cos that will solve the hubby problem. Spent RM30K in Marie France for a total make over and be the mistress to a billionaire. Haha!

Well, is perfection really that important? I always believe that seeking perfection will do more harm than good. It is basically just an illusion or perception and yet we see a lot of singles out there still hoping to meet a perfect partner or job.

Most of the time we human beings didn't realise that even we are not perfect. So how to find a perfectionist? How to find a perfect job? Well, I also suggested that why don't we look at the matter in a different angle? Honestly, I never believe in perfection but betterment.

Analyse our current situation and plan for our immediate future. Can we see a betterment in our plan? Most of the time,  if you follow the right instinct, you will find a better-self. Once you achieved that, your perception will change towards the environment and who knows, out of the blue you may just find the Mr or Ms Right or the job that you are on is the right career?

A happy self is a perfect life.

Let's get back to reality. Strive for our future.






  

Personal Mission

I have been talking to so many people about company mission but have we ever thot of mapping out our own personal mission?!

Living our life with a personal map is the toughest thing because most of our time we have sunkened into the company mission. We woke up with it and slept with it too! That's the worst thing that we have ever encountered. Well, I guessed by then, it's time to move on!

Do not set limitations to our personal mission and do not set rediculous mission that you know you won't be able to achieve. Let's start with reorganising ourselves in our daily routine life. Well, when you started to think about "routine" we are well awared that there are a lot of unnecessary stuffs in our life but we are just being too ignorant to rectify them.

Kick start it by grabbing a piece of paper and start writing the follows:
1) what have you been doing?
2) what would you like to do?
3) what will you do in the next 12 months?

Try matching the above 3 categories and start eliminating what you do not need. Then, you will have a clearer guide on your personal mission.

However, the most important factor is that you have to drive your mission to ensure it can be materialised over the next 12 months!

So, spend a little time during this holiday period to start mapping out your personal mission for 2011.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!!!

Shark meat for health

One evening, I decided to take my family for seafood and initially we wanted to dine at Tak Fook in Bandar Puteri. Upon arrival, we spotted another seafood restaurant opposite the restaurant and decided to switch our bearing. The restaurant is called Nice-To-Eat Seafood Restaurant.

The lady boss was nice and told us that they specialised in shark meat. They served black shark and baby shark and have several ways of cooking. My youngest boy was real excited as he has not tasted shark meat.

I ordered a coupled of seafood dishes and also the fried sliced black shark meat with curry powder. I was a little worried about the smell (for those who luv shark meat will know what I meant) but it came out right!!! The kids liked it too.

Worth giving yourselves a try.

Solar Energy to light up a City

Recently a friend was with me discussing on Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) of plcs and we touched on the energy saving topic. He immediately showed me a video which he recorded at nite of a icon building in DeZhou, China. It was lited with Led lightings and more than 85% of the building is energised by solar power.

Most part of the city is lited by solar energy and claimed to be undertaking by this company, Humin Group. Being ignorant, I went to the internet and found out that DeZhou is one of the model city in the world as the future ecocity and the world solar congress was held in this place a coupled of months ago.

I really thought u can only see this in anime but never expect a place in China would have it done. Bravo to Humin Group! There is a video which u can see to believe.
Follow this link http://www.himin.com/english/

Malaysia really has a lot to catch up and I urged more plcs look into CSR programs truely!

I will dropby in my next visit to see this city.

Total feast with Giant Garoupa

Last week I visited my friend in Kepong and his family owned a tea house there. I used to buy my tea from them those days. It was quite late and we decided to have dinner and he brought me to a shop in no 8 Jalan Metro Perdana, Barat 3, Taman Usahawan in Kepong Utara. It is actually those shops opposite the Jusco complex.

It is called Restaurant WK (Wong Kee) and they claimed to be the estuary grouper specialist. My friend testified that this is the best shop for giant Garoupa (lung tun).

We ordered a few dishes and he recommended a few real good stuffs:

We started with the steam sliced giant Garoupa.

The fish maw and fish ball soup is also great.

We decided not to take rice and ordered a fish porridge.

And the hilite of the evening, the sliced fish soup.

It was a great evening with all dishes from giant garoupa and the bill come up to be below RM200. I thot it is really value for money!

U can called to book at 03-6259 5826 or Mr Heng 016 280 5639.

Duck King

Last week, I attended a meeting in Petaling Jaya, and had dinner at Jaya One.

A friend suggested duck rice and the rest of us agreed. When he said "at Duck King", it sounded like a joke.

This most royal restaurant turned out to be packed with people and served some great dishes at reasonable prices.

The barbeque pork and char siew were good, as were the variety of duck dishes. Unfortunately, the 8-treasure duck has to be pre-booked, so we ordered the roasted duck and nanjing duck.

We also ordered the claypot bamboo fish, which turned out to be the best dish.

Hi-Tech Healthcare

I was invited to the launch of iHeal Medical Centre, held yesterday. It was officiated by the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong.

iHeal Medical Centre is located in Menara IGB, right outside the inner road of Mid Valley.

The centre specializes in 4 major areas: Preventive Medicine, Regenerative Medicine, Genetic Medicine and Less Invasive Treatment. It also claims to be the first fully integrated IT boutique ambulatory care centre in Malaysia, and has the latest state-of-the-art 4D CT scanner -- the first in the world.

It is also surrounded by shopping malls, hotels, and close to other medical centres, making it an icon for promoting medical tourism.

I used to visit Columbia Asia for my annual check-up, but will definitely consider this place for my next check-up.

Taiwan Restaurant

Recently, I had lunch with a few friends in a Taiwanese restaurant on Jalan Imbi. Not Fong Lye Restaurant, which I don't find authentic anymore.

This restaurant comes after the Overseas Restaurant and before Park Royal on Jalan Imbi, and it's called, quite to the point, Taiwan Restaurant. 

The owner is the main cook as well as the captain. I suppose he needs to hire a nice captain as he is a typical Taiwanese cook. 

Soupy water-based fish slice

There are a few great dishes here, such as the water-based fish slice (which reminds me of fish bakuteh in Sandakan). The soup can be drank.

The chicken, cooked with 3 different kinds of Chinese wine, is also great. My friend's only complaint is that they used too many chicken breasts and not enough soft thigh meat.

Herbal dessert with milk dressing

The herbal dessert isn't bad. It's like tasteless guilinggao with milk dressing. 

The place is a bit pricey for me, but for those interested, you can call Taiwan Restaurant for more details at 03-2144 9158.

Croatian Restaurant

Croatian Lamb

Recently, I had an appointment in Solaris, Mont Kiara, and didn't know which restaurant to meet at. I spotted a strange name -- Dubrovnik -- and out of curiosity, I walked in and asked about it. The waitress told me it was a Croatian restaurant, and I immediately decided to have my meeting here.

Dubrovnik specializes in many meat items. My guest ordered Croatian lamb, which came out somewhat tough although it tasted great with the creamy mushroom sauce.

Seafood Pasta

I ordered a simple seafood pasta, which was great.

It's not too pricey, but I didn't get a chance to try Croatian liqueur as they only served it by the bottle. 

Tong Kee's Egg Tarts

Tong Kee used to be an old brand known for its egg tarts and pastries.

Each time I crave for egg tarts, I will go to the outlet outside Jusco in Mid Valley simply because they bake the egg tarts fresh every hour to accommodate the sales.

Recently, you would notice more outlets in places like Puchong (right opposite the side of IOI Boulevard) or Kepong, carrying the brand name TK Breads n Tarts. Besides the egg tarts, which are still the best thing they offer, they also have cakes, breads, and pastries that are giving King's Confectionery a run for their money.

I bought a green tea cake for my wife's birthday recently, and a sesame and hazelnut cake for my daughter's. They were both fantastic. There are definitely more choices in TK besides egg tarts!

The 2nd World Chinese Economic Global Forum

 
This is the second year Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute organized the World Chinese Economic Global Forum. It was held at the Palace of Golden Horses, and was graced by Tan Sri Lee Kim Yew on 2-3 November 2010. The forum was launched by Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin.

This year, the forum that received over 500 participants from all over the world also introduced the 'New Silk Road', which is the platform for China's direction in exploring other ASEAN countries, including India and the Middle East.

It was interesting to hear the in-depth directions of the Malaysian government as we head towards Vision 2020, and the framework of what the current Pemandu is doing. Other speakers included Vice-Chairman of China Council for Promotion of International Trade Yu Ping, Vice-President of China Development Institute Guo Wanda,Vice-Chairman of JP Morgan Securities Japan Christopher J. LaFleur.

Hokkaido Ichiba

Okonomiyaki at Hokkaido Ichiba

I took my family to The Gardens, Mid Valley, to check out the new Japanese restaurant Hokkaido Ichiba. I actually visited the outlet last month, but it wasn't open yet.

The restaurant has a nice, modern ambience. Apparently it is part of the same restaurant chain as Raku Zen and Sushi Zanmai. Both are great Japanese restaurants with reasonable prices.

The difference is that Hokkaido Ichiba serves more seafood items and specializes in Hokkaido seafood.

Snow crab ramen

I ordered the snow crab ramen, which is very nice.

This outlet also has okonomiyaki, one of my favorite Japanese snacks. We ordered 2 okonomiyakis to share, and I have to say they taste better than those in Haru Zen.

Overall, I enjoyed the food very much and the price is reasonable. This is also a pork-free restaurant!

Sizzling Tong Po Meat

I had a great experience during my current visit to Johor Bahru -- my friends took me to a non-halal seafood restaurant in Taman Molek, called Tai Son Restaurant.

It's not my first time there, and I know the restaurant as one of the prime wedding dinner locations in JB, but I didn't realize that it is also a proper seafood restaurant. Prices are reasonable, too.

One of my friends ordered a sizzling tong po meat. 

Sizzling tong po meat? Now that is something different! The dish was nice and hot till the last sauce drop! 

Cone Pizzas

My kids were nagging me for pizzas, so I decided to take them to the newly open Cone Pizza outlet in IOI Boulevard. 

We ordered a margarita cone and a creamy chicken cone. The cones are basically 6-inch pizzas rolled into cones, and crispy when they are still hot.

The menu also says that they have mini 4-inch cones for tasting.

My kids nickname them "hot creamy cheesy ice cream".

The Mystery of Nasi Beringin

I met up with some friends from New Straits Times newspaper for lunch and they took me to this food court on the second floor of Menara Mutiara, Bangsar (GPS 3.122387,101.67524), just behind the NST building.

No one knows why this stall calls the dish "nasi beringin", but it tastes great.

The secret is in the way they cook the fragrant rice and the spices they use. The fried chicken and sotong are also superb.

You need to be there before 12.15pm because the queue starts at noon. Sometimes a customer orders a takeaway of 30-40 packets, which slows down the service even further.

The stall also provides catering services, and can be contacted at 012-325 2552.

9 Emperor Gods Festival

Each year on the 9th month of the Chinese calendar, we would expect rain for the first 9 days. This signifies that the 9 Emperor Gods Festival has arrived.

Each year, I will do my prayers at the 9 Emperor Gods Temple in Ampang. While I was little, my parents used to take me there in the morning under the rain, but in the past few years I visited the temple in the afternoon when it is less crowded and stormy.

This year, I did my prayers on the 5th day of the month.  

An opera is performed throughout the 9 days, and when I arrived, there was a show going on. You get to see a float procession too on the first and last days, where devotees invite the gods in and send them off. 

The festival is a worldwide celebration and here is a link for you to understand more about it.

Penang Hawker Food in KL

As usual, I was deliberating with the kids on where to have simple hawker food for breakfast. I decided we should have "authentic Penang cuisine" -- the kids assumed we needed to head north for that!

Instead, we ended up at SS2/66, at a restaurant called Lorong Seratus Tahun (GPS coordinates: 3.166537,101.693637).

Here you can enjoy just about anything, from char kuey teow and curry mee to chee cheong fun and loh bak. Great food, though the curry is still not as good as what you can find in Penang.

For those who aren't familiar with Penang chee cheong fun, a lot of places in Penang use prawn roe paste as the sauce, while in KL we get boring soya bean sauce.

The restaurant is a bit pricey though. The breakfast with my 4 kids set me back RM80. 

Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki basically means 'mix anything you like' (okono mi) and fry it.

I took my family to this new place called Haru Zen, located in IOI Boulevard. It is a Japanese restaurant, but it happens to have a big sign that says "okonomiyaki", which was one of the things that attracted me. It is non-halal and has several pork dishes; you can even have pork in an okonomiyaki.

We ordered at least five okonomiyakis and also some other dishes, like mixed seafood in aluminum foil, which is a new experience for me.

My son ordered the Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki, which had pork, cabbage, eggs and noodles fried in two layers.

The only setback to the okonomiyaki experience is that they don't really have the big frying pan that you can sit around, like those in Japan. The great food makes up for it though!

Below is a video of my son waiting impatiently his okonomiyaki. 

Bravo Pizza Brava

After getting tired of eating so much meat, my friend suggested a small Italian place in Desa Sri Hartamas for dinner: Pizza Brava, which is actually next to Blackhole on Jalan 25/70A. 

They do good wood fire pizzas with thin crusts, and the pizzas have funny names. We ordered a Romeo pizza, but didn't match it with a Juliet. Instead I ordered some olio-style spicy spaghetti. 

The ambience doesn't really suit an Italian restaurant, but it's a nice place for a simple meal.

Bulletproof Managers at Dorsett

Bullet Proof Managers

This week, 18 managers from Dorsett International and 4 Dorsett properties graduated from The Bullet Proof Manager program.

As part of our talent management initiative, these are the managers who have been identified as future leaders of the company. The program spanned over 12 months and 24 modules, so those who crossed the finishing line were the most committed and capable associates.

Well done to the team for their commitment towards self-development! I look forward to their new leadership roles. 

The Dorsett International Team

Wantan Mee in Puchong

I sometimes have my breakfast at this coffee shop called KH20 (Jalan Kenari 21, opposite Pizza Hut) because the wantan mee is quite good.

The stall is called Ah Chai Wantan Noodle Stall. Ingredients like char siew, braised intestines, braised knuckles and wantan are a great value for money. They also put a lot of herbs in the soup.

The texture of the noodles isn't so good though. I normally go for the fettuccine-type noodles here. 

Besides the wantan mee, the duck rice here is also great.

Bayernhaus, CapSquare Mall

Bayernhaus is a German pub and restaurant with fantastic baby ribs and sausages. The pork knuckles aren't so great, I have to admit.

There is a vast selection of German beers. From Paulener (dark bier) and Dunkel to 111 (light German bier); you name it, they have it, all at reasonable prices.

Makes a great place for evening gatherings.

What is Success, Really?

Venerable Thubten Chodron

At the World Buddhist Conference last week, Venerable Thubten Chodron, who practises Tibetan Buddhism, asked a pertinent question during her talk, 'Bringing Harmony to the Workplace'.

What is success? 

She provided a scenario: when a person wants more money, he or she will work hard for the promotion, and that means more time will be devoted to the job, but he or she will obtain more money. The faster you climb, the higher you will go until you reach the top. Then, do you declare that achievement as success? When you examine the other aspects of your life, you realize you have lost time with your family; you have skipped your child's choir performance, you've missed your relative's funeral, and you forgot a loved one's birthday. Can you really call this success?

On the other hand, there is a person who earns just enough, and goes home to spend time with his or her family, with enough money to purchase a home and spend on education for the kids, but he or she may not be at the top of the organizational chart. Can you deem this second scenario success?

I immediately reflected on my current life and asked myself this question: is it worth carrying on with my current pace, or is it better to slow down, balancing all my matters, and being happy? 

Carl's Jr in Singapore

Normally when my Malay friends from Singapore pay a visit, their first request is to go to a fast food chain like Carl's Jr, Subway, and Tony Roma's, as they are halal in Malaysia.

When I visit countries outside Malaysia and am getting some fast food for myself, I love hamburgers.

In Singapore, I visited Carl's Jr and ordered a bacon cheeseburger. I have just one word to describe it: "Wow!"

It's a little too cheesy for me but it's still very nice. I will order the Western bacon burger next time, which doesn't have cheese!

Hard Rock Cafe Singapore

It was raining so heavily in Singapore that a few of us decided to seek refuge in the local Hard Rock Cafe.

The plus point about Hard Rock Cafes outside Malaysia is that they are non-halal.

We ordered the Tennessee-style Hickory Smoked BBQ Ribs, which was so tender that the meat practically slid off the bones. The waiters told me that the ribs are smoked for almost 6 hours.

We also had the Shredded Hickory BBQ Bacon Cheese Burger. I thought it was great, but I still prefer the lamb sandwich.

My best gastronomical experience with Hard Rock Cafe is the BBQ baby back in Gold Coast, Australia. It's always my first stop each time I visit the Gold Coast!

World Buddhist Conference in Malaysia

One of my dreams is to meet the living Buddha, the Venerable Thich Nhat Hanh.

Thich Nhat Hanh is a down-to-earth guru whose key teaching is that through mindfulness, we can learn to live in the present moment instead of the past and future. Dwelling in the present moment is, according to Nhat Hanh, the only way to truly develop peace both in one's self and in the world.Two of his best books are Breathe, You Are Alive and You Are Here.

His hour-long keynote address, Living in Harmony, started with the first noble truth: suffering, and focused on living in peace and harmony in the present. One of his best teachings is the mindfulness training, which he also spoke on.  

Other renowned speakers and practitioners from all over the world were also at the conference -- Ven Wei Wu, Roshi Joan Halifax, Ven Tejadhammo, Ven Thubten Chodron and others. They enlightened us about managing relationships, engaging society, rites of passages and dying, and protecting the world.

I sincerely hope Malaysia can organize more of this beneficial events!

Lego-Inspired G-Shock Watches

Recently, I visited the G-Factory in Fahrenheit Bukit Bintang. There was a limited edition model, GA110DR-1A, with a Lego-inspired design. Its features include a "black resin band with a multi-colored face and a Ana-Digi dial code."

It's priced at RM999, but you can get it on the internet at only US$130.

I saw the following limited edition model too; unfortunately it's not for sale!

I used to own more than 4 G-Shocks, but have since given them away.

Single Malt Whiskey LIQUEUR

On my last trip to Labuan, I discovered whiskey liqueur.

Normally I buy or drink wine liqueur. Port is also quite similar. However, I've not come across whiskey liqueur.

I bought a bottle as usual. I'm a single malt drinker so I chose Glenfiddich Malt Whiskey Liqueur. I also saw a nice bottle of Maccallan Whiskey Liqueur, but the shop owner recommended Glenfiddich. 

Whiskey Liqueur is smooth, not too sweet like other wine liqueur or port, and it has a honey-like finish. It reminds me of Yamazaki 12 years.

More info on Glenfiddich Malt Whiskey Liqueur here: http://www.scotchmaltwhisky.co.uk/glenfiddich-liqueur.htm

My Speech On Knowledge Management

My thoughts on knowledge management and why it is so important for organizations.

Meeting Jack Canfield

On Wednesday, I attended a seminar by Jack Canfield, called Achieving Breakthrough Results in Work & Life, at Grand Dorsett Subang.

Yes, he's the co-founder of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, as well as the author of other famous books such as The Success Principles and How To Get From Where You Are To Where You Want To Be.

His talk is basically about guiding ourselves to the path we are seeking in life as well as life, based on ideas from The Success Principles as well as The Secret.

I bought a copy of the book and got him to autograph it.

I'd recommend reading the book How To Get From Where You Are To Where You Want To Be, which is a simplified version of The Success Principles.

It's such a great book and I actually bought 10 copies of it as gifts to my comrades who attended the management meeting yesterday. It's a Thank You gift to them for always being there to help make my dreams come through.

Graff Watches

 Flight delays can result in you learning something new as you wait.

While waiting for my flight, I picked up a magazine called Sphere. The cover attracted me with a beautiful model in her Ralph Lauren rowing club jacket.

I was surprised to find this magazine promoting a number of luxury watches, and I came across Graff. I assumed Graff is a luxury jewel brand, but I didn't know it has some nice Swiss-made watches.

The Graff watches are uniquely crafted in the shape of a diamond. I fell in love at first sight. The MasterGraff Tourbillon range looks superb!  

Sarawak Laksa in Kuala Lumpur

Not long ago, a friend asked me to recommend good Sarawak laksa, which is pretty tough to find in KL.

I suggested this place in Bangsar: Nam Chun Restaurant in Lucky Garden. The stall is named Aunt Christina and I think it serves great Sarawak laksa. She also sells Kacitma, Sarawak-syle fried ginger chicken.

Juicy Bones

A friend recommended Bone & Pot, a steamboat restaurant in Taman Mayang (but more like SS25).

It is a Hong Kong-style restaurant and I have tried similar steamboats in Hong Kong, with the same name ("Yau guat hei" or "bone flavour"). I doubt they're the same though. 

They must have boiled the bone for 6 hours, because the soup tastes great. The food items are okay and a little overpriced.

I still prefer the steamboat in Harbour Restaurant, Puchong, but the soup here is much better.