k i m h o o i . c o . c c

Thy Rock 2009

2009-06-28T03:00:00.004+02:00

Thy Rock 2009 the annual rock show is back! This year bringing in bands such as D-A-D, Nephew, Kim Larsen, Gnags, etc.

Thanks to Mogens, Ejnar and Bo... i was once again in Thy Rock, this time: backstage! Much cooler than what i did last year. hoho!
Clocked in for job as Anne Linnet was about to perform. Not very familiar with her song, but i think she performed the song 'Smuk og dejlig'.

Back Stage

Behind Sound Control

GNAGS

Watch GNAGS performing below:

Apparently Hej Matematik was watching alongside...

Oh, look! Something for later...

Great weather this year as compared to last. It was 10pm and the spotlight crew was getting ready for the biggest show of the day...

Here comes... D-A-D!!

D-A-D is a Danish rock band previously known as Disneyland After Dark, a name that had to be changed after a threatening lawsuit from The Walt Disney Company. The band started playing together in 1980s in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Jesper Binzer: Lead vocals, Electric guitar
Jacob Binzer: Electric guitar
Stig Pedersen: Bass guitar
Laust Sonne: Drums (since 1999)

Performances last night include "Monster Philosophy", "Sleeping My Way" & "Laugh 'N' a Half"

Lead Jesper Binzer with drummer Laust Sonne

Jacob Binzer - Jesper's Brother

and bassist Stig Pedersen with his fireworks military pilot helmet

Unfortunately, i did not manage to capture with the fireworks, as he was running around on the stage. Here is another take topless with his transparent bass guitar..

Watch D-A-D performing their 1989 single "Sleeping My Day Away" from their No Fuel Left for the Pilgrims album.

Catch drummer Laust Sonne doing his thing!

Danish Laust Sonne is a drummer in the Danish rock band D-A-D, He is also a drummer and guitarist in the band Bugpowder. Laust Sonne's latest single 'Spell On You' is curretly a hit on Danish Radio. Laust Sonne MySpace

Tusind Tak!

Part of the backstage crew

I think D-A-D gave a superb show, eventhough there was some technical errors with power interruption midway. I left for home at about 0230hrs after helping with closing, quite a tiring day... but it was worth it, good fun!

Watch other videos of D-A-D:

Laugh'n A Half on MTV

Monster Philosophy - Live on DR1 Sport2008

"Sleeping My Day Away" original video

Other well known songs include 'Nineteen Hundred and Yesterday' and 'Too Deep For Me'

Thy Rock 2009 is over. Next... Roskilde Festival in July and Skanderborg Festival in August!

Related Post: Thy Rock 2008

Links:
D-A-D
D-A-D MySpace

Roland Garros Tennis Balls

2009-06-18T22:38:00.003+02:00

Summer is great for tennis!

Just received my Dunlop Roland Garros Tennis Balls by the post. Got 'em over the net from TennisPro.dk. I'm going to put these balls to test next week in the court. I think I'm getting used to playing on clay. Been playing with Michael for awhile; played with Brian last wednesday and going to play with Ole on the Tuesday to come, and Brian again the day after.

Les Internationaux de France de Roland Garros

'Clay courts slow down the ball and produce a high bounce when compared to grass courts or hard courts. For this reason, clay courts take away some of the advantages of big serves and serve-and-volleyers, which makes it hard for serve based players to dominate on the surface. For example, Pete Sampras, a player known for his huge serve, has never won the French Open (nor has he ever advanced to the final in his entire career). Similarly, John McEnroe, Stefan Edberg, and Boris Becker, three classic serve-and-volley players, never won this tournament.'

On the other hand, players whose games are more suited to slower surfaces, such as Björn Borg, Ivan Lendl, Rafael Nadal, and Mats Wilander, have found great success at this tournament. In the open era, the only male players who have won both the French Open and Wimbledon, played on faster grass courts, are Rod Laver, Jan Kodeš, Bjorn Borg, Andre Agassi, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer.'

Read More..

The singles champions for 2009 is the Swiss Male Roger Federer and the Russian Female Svetlana Kuznetsova.

'The Stade de Roland Garros (French "Roland Garros Stadium") is a tennis venue located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France, and home to the French Open tennis tournament, a grand-slam event played every year in May and June. The place is named after Roland Garros, a French fighter aircraft pilot during World War I, who, on 23 September 1913, became the first man to fly an airplane over the Mediterranean Sea.'

Who is Roland Garros?

Bang & Olufsen's BeoVision 4 103" TV

2009-04-25T23:26:00.003+02:00

Bang & Olufsen
Founded in 1925 in Struer, Denmark, Bang & Olufsen a/s is world renowned for its distinctive range of quality audio, video and multimedia products

'The BeoVision 4 103-inch plasma TV incorporates state-of-the-art performance within audio, video, magical moving mechanics and intelligent home integration; all completely controlled with the Beo5 remote control.'

Expected to be in the market by Tune/July 2009, this beauty cost about DKK 800000 or USD 150000. Whose pocket is burning now?

Watch the clip:

Read more HERE.

'Bang & Olufsen manufactures a highly distinctive and exclusive range of televisions, music systems, loudspeakers, telephones, and multimedia products that combine technological excellence with emotional appeal. Bang & Olufsen products are sold by over 1.200 dealers in more than 100 countries in an extensive network of retail stores.'
Bang & Olufsen

Britains Got Talent 2009

2009-04-21T18:20:00.010+02:00

Those magical moments that will take you breath away..

Susan Boyle

Watch Susan Boyle On YouTube

Shaheen Jafargholi

Watch Shaheen Jafargholi On YouTube

Julian Smith - Saxophonist

Watch Julian Smith On YouTube

UPGRADING IN PROGRESS

2009-03-07T03:36:00.008+01:00

This site is undergoing a MAJOR UPGRADING WORK.

Some functions may not be available at present time.

More updates coming soon.

Thank you.

Kuala Lumpur by Night

2009-01-11T19:41:00.002+01:00

The party scene is a little different in Scandinavia as compared to Asia. Those were the younger days, mine at least.. the massive routine parties and socializing. Apart from drinks, music and beat.. you also tend to bump into some friends.. and meet new people from time to time. Nevertheless, live your life! =)

This time I was back to Kuala Lumpur for vacation and party is in the 'To Do List'.

Zouk Club with the Twin Towers at the background

*credits to photographer

The nightlife in KL is quite diverse. There are many to choose from, and I am sure you will never fail to find one that suits your taste.

Zouk Club KL was initially founded in Singapore, and successfully made its way to KL. I can't remember when it was launched, but there are a couple of new stuffs now... better ones i reckon.

Zouk

Just before Christmas, we hung out in Velvet Underground. It was nice to get to meet some friends. Not all though. Some of 'em has left the country.

We are the rockersss

Old School Mambo Jumbo @ Velvet Underground

Group shot

Wait for meeeee....

After returning from Singapore, we got to meet up with some of my mates from high school. A big group outing organized by Cindy. Great to see everyone together again. Not often.. we get to do that. Apparently Armin Van Buuren, the World No.1 DJ from The Netherlands was playing that night in the mainroom. To listen to some of his music at MySpace, click HERE. It's not bad some of 'em.

The amout of crowd waiting to get into Zouk before that

Armin Van Buuren entertaining the crowd

We were in Phuture though. Luckily we got to walk in through the VIP lane. *phewww

Hey Christina was back for vacation from Preston, UK too..

R&B @ Phuture

Related Posts:
Groovin' @ Poppy Garden
POppppeee Parttyy
Mambo Jumbo
Xmas Party KL

Paintball Night Urban Warfare

2009-01-10T08:20:00.005+01:00

Location: Paintball TAG, Desa Waterpark KL
Genre: Urban Warfare (abandoned carpark)
Time: Night
Light Condition: Minimal

Seemed easy, but not really... especially in the dark. 5 storey car park, 5 stairways and no lights. But it was awesome! Dive, crouch, crawl.. even lying flat on the ground... Teamwork was essential. We played until midnight. I was dead hungry by then, without any dinner. Jeg var meget meget sulten! Luckily, Jen made me some noodles after i got back. She boiled some eggs and rubbed 'em on my wounds too.

Home base where you catch your breath

Wong's friend test-shooting

Kim in light armour

Souvenir from playing - shot at close range

Another one from the back....

Mel, Kim & Wong

Thanks to Wong for inviting. Mel was cool in his MUFC jacket. I was only wearing a t-shirt. Dang it hurts...

A short paintball clip i found

Daorae Korean BBQ

2009-01-09T18:48:00.005+01:00

'Korean cuisine is largely based on rice, noodles , tofu, vegetables, and meats. Traditional Korean meals are noted for the number of side dishes (banchan) that accompany steam-cooked short-grain rice. Kimchi, a fermented, spicy vegetable dish is usually served at every meal. Korean cuisine usually involves rich seasoning with sesame oil, doenjang (fermented soybean paste), soy sauce, salt, garlic, ginger, and gochujang (red chili paste).' Read more about Korean Cuisine HERE.

Daorae Sri Hartamas

Only Korean Herbal Chicken for us today

Annyong Haseyo...

Daorae Korean BBQ Restaurant
9, 1st Floor, Plaza Crystal Ville Center
Jalan 23/70A
Desa Sri Hartamas
50480 Kuala Lumpur

Food ***
Service ****
Price ***
Ambience ***
Overall ****

Meanwhile, we also bumped into this shop while walking back to the car. Hm, what a lucky day. Afterall, that was exactly what i was looking for. Moreover, the shop just recently opened its door at the end of December.

Giant Concept Store, Sri Hartamas

Giant Bicycles

Wedding In Singapore

2009-01-05T18:34:00.005+01:00

Merie & KB were stayin at Naumi Hotel, a boutique hotel located on Seah Street Singapore. The 10 floors hotel building has a total of 40 room, plus a rooftop swimming pool! As we were on our way for dinner, we dropped by to say hello.

Naumi's rooftop Infinity Pool seen here with Dedon day-bed

From here, you have a breathtaking view of the Singapore's skyline. I believed that it was a lovely stay there, for them.

Jen Relaxing

We had seafood dinner at East Coast. The crab was huge! The restaurant is not far from The Bayshore. And Changi Airport is quite close too.

Merie&KB's reception took place at the Marina Mandarin Singapore - Marina Square. It wasn't difficult for us to find the place from Chinatown... afterall, we hopped into a city cab =P.

Wedding @ Marina Mandarin

Merie & KB

The Chinese Tea Ceremony - Kim serving 2 cups of tea

Me Jenny from the block - stunning in Karen Millen

The wedding was a nice and cosy one. We wish you Merie & KB endless love and happiness for many years to come. Cheers & Salute! to that. By the way, they will be going on their honeymoon in Scandinavia and Europe... That's awesome!

Down South In Singapore

2009-01-04T23:45:00.018+01:00

Another year has gone by again. A year filled with unforgettable memories and experiences, in and out of the countries; From the rising waters of Venice to the melting Top of Europe. But when it comes to Christmas and New Year, nothing beats being with your family and loved ones.

This New Year's day itself, Jen and me went down south again - to visit the sister island of Singapore! The main purpose was to attend my cousin Merie's wedding with her beloved KB. It also provided an opportunity for me to meet my other relatives. We left KL for S'pore two days before the reception, just to have some spare time hanging out in the city.

Read more about Singapore HERE.

Singapore - Crossroads of the East 1938

We decided to stay near Chinatown as it was very convenient to get around, and there were lots to see... and also to eat! Best part was that, we were still able to use our EZ-link cards that we bought 2 years ago for the MRT rides.

Hotel 1929
50 Keong Saik Road, Singapore (map)

The hotel consists of five shop-houses built in 1929 and features 32 individually designed rooms decked in a mix of classic designer and retro vintage furniture. For one thing, it is within walking distance from the NW16/NE3 Outram Park MRT station. The rooms were really small actually but relatively clean; recommended for young travellers. Room service was ok.

The Lobby

The Room

There are surprizingly many boutique hotels in Singapore. If you are looking for an exciting stay, these would be the type to go for. The prices are, if not similar - close to those of the larger hotels, but some can be quite expensive too. A little research over the net will help you to make a good decision.

My initial plan was to visit a couple of places including Sentosa, Mount Faber Park and some other parts of the city, but somehow I couldnt find the time. There was also the Buddha Tooth Relic in Chinatown which I wanted to see as well. Anyway, it was nice walking around - plus a little shopping. Jen found herself a chic beautiful modern chinese top with rabbit design from The Shop @ The Arts House - 1 Old Parliament Lane. Built in 1827, the Old Parliament House is the oldest existing government building in Singapore.

Not far away from the Old Parliament, we lingered around Boat Quay at the mouth of Singapore River. It is better known as Clarke Quay to many. Quite colourful especially at night.

Happy Jen

A view of Boat Quay near Raffles' Landing Site

Click HERE to have a panoramic view.

The 1868 Cavenagh Bridge beside the Fullerton Hotel.

'Originally known as the Edinburgh Bridge to commemorate the visit of the Duke of Edinburgh, its name was changed to Cavenagh Bridge in honour of Major General William Orfeur Cavenagh, the last India-appointed Governor of the Straits Settlements, who governed from 1859 to 1867. It is the oldest bridge in Singapore that exists in its original form. The 1910s police notice at each end of the bridge still stands till today.' Read More...

An interesting sculpture that you will notice beside the bridge

We spent quite an amount of time in Orchard too. Ngee Ann City is the largest shopping mall along Orchard Road, and in there, we hunted for the tasty MOS burgers.

Yummy MOS Burgers

Rice burger with shrimps!

And unagi with seaweed!

'Orchard Road is a road in Singapore that is the retail and entertainment hub of the city-state. Orchard Road got its name from the nutmeg, pepper and fruit orchards that used to lie on either side of the street in the 1840s. Commercial development only began in the twentieth century, and took off in the 1970s.'

Notable shopping malls that we went including Nee Ann City, Wisma Atria, Paragon, Tang Plaza, etc. I remember we had 'Pepper Lunch' at Shaw House and Centre back in 2007. There were many hotels in the area too. It can be a little pricey to stay in town. More on Orchard Road.

By night, all the lights were up. Singapore is beautiful even when the sun goes down, just like Kuala Lumpur. I think rivers reflect the beauty of any cities. Too bad we don't have that in KL. And since it was just a week after Christmas, the x'mas decos were still on display. We managed to meet up with Jen's friends who live in Singapore.

We crossed over the Singapore River to Clarke Quay - Read Street by walking on the Read Bridge. You will find many restaurants, bars and pubs. There is something for everyone. Ministry of Sound (MOS) is just around the corner if i was not mistaken. Other interesting outlets including Hooters Singapore, The Clinic, Fashion Bar (by FTV), Cuba Libre Café & Bar... and etc. I was told that The Arena or Lunar Asian Fusion Bar was quite popular? Hmm.. but anyway I was quite tired by then, probably due to walking for the entire day. We hung out at The Tapas Tree for a couple of drinks before we called it a night.

Back to Chinatown, there was a big parade of lions, in conjunction with the coming Chinese New Year celebration. I believe it was an annual celebration. Undoubtfully packed with humans!

The Chinese New Year parade in Chinatown

'Singapore's Chinatown is known as Niu che shui (牛车水; pinyin: Niúchēshuǐ), literally, "bull-cart water," as a result of the fact that, because of its location, Chinatown's water supply was principally transported by animal-driven carts in the 19th century. The name is also echoed in the Malay name, Kreta Ayer, with the same meaning. The largest ethnic group in Singapore is Chinese, composing approximately 75% of the population.'

For a guide on the food in Singapore, don't forget to check out MakanSutra - with it's infamous phrase "die, die, must try!"

Check you celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain's experience in Singapore below. Enjoy!

No Reservations - Singapore Part 1 of 5

No Reservations - Singapore Part 2 of 5

No Reservations - Singapore Part 3 of 5

No Reservations - Singapore Part 4 of 5

No Reservations - Singapore Part 5 of 5

Happy New Year! from k i m h o o i . b l o g s p o t . c o m

Older Post:
Singapore Sale!

Links:
VisitSingapore.com
Singapore on GoogleMaps

Penang Here We Come

2008-12-31T11:08:00.004+01:00

The 44 Places To Go in 2009 by New York Times

Penang managed to put itself on the map by making its way into the list of 44 favourite destinations in 2009 by the New York Times. The list were basically voted by readers. As commented by one of the readers: "....great and cheap food, awesome beaches, superb atmosphere, if you ever come to South East Asia, forget Thailand, skip it and get to Penang."

“Penang food is so famous that I know of Singaporeans who fly here just to eat,” said the State Tourism Development, Culture, Arts and Heritage committee chairman Danny Law Heng Kiang to The Star

From Sunway to Penang
After much consideration, we finally took the Aeroline Coach Bus from Sunway Pyramid direct to Queensbay Mall, Penang. It was convenient, and the price was undoubtfully good. By the way, it cost about MYR55 for an adult one way ticket. The journey lasted for 5 hours - not too bad if you are on a budget travel. You probably spend almost the same amount of time travelling to the airport, early check-in time, etc.

Upon arrival, we rented a car from Magic Green Rent-A-Car. The price was resonable, and cheaper (considering i drove alot round and round from morning till midnight) compared to the other rental companies. I wanted a Perodua MyVi but they did not have it in their garage at that point of time. So they offered me a Proton Wira plus free delivery and pick-up of the vehicle anywhere on the island. That was okay.

We decided to stay in G Hotel located at Gurney Drive. For one thing, it's closer to town and not too far away from Ferringhi.

X-mas @ G

View from the room

FOOD FOOD FOOD!!

How to eat like the locals? Thanks to my buddy Nian Yang for bringing us around food hunting. I think we had 6-8 meals in a day! Haha.. one after the other...Kimberly Street, Penang Road, Macalister Road and Gurney Drive were among the places we went for hunting. Also managed to pay Joanne a visit as she stays in Sungai Dua as well. While Jen was resting, NY and me went to do some shopping at Gurney Plaza too.

This is street food... This is Penang: Part 1

This is street food... This is Penang: Part 2

For more mouth watering food, visit Penang Tua Pui. Free promo for you =). Other food blogs include Makan Penang and CK Lam Food Blog.

Recently, Li Ann made an adventurous article which was called The Penang Food Crawl at FriedChillies. Basically how to eat it all in 24 hours.

"24-Hour Gluttony
If it's only 24 hours you have then poor you! But we know that sometimes time is a factor. Follow our 24 hour glutton crawl and you will have a great little showcase of Penang food."

Nevertheless, Jen & Me did not miss the famous Penang Road Cendul and Laksa. Photographers may be familiar with the term 'frames per second' with reference to their camera frame capture capability. However, here in Penang Road... the appropriate one would be 'bowls per minute'. The man can make on average.. a bowl in 10 seconds! Of course, with all the ingredients and tools available infront of him.

Famous Penang Road Cendul

Yummy Penang Road Laksa

You simply cant avoid the massive crowd surrounding the cart. Mostly tourists - foreign and locals alike. Not very much for the food i guess, but the experience and to tick in their 'Must Do' lists.

By the way, I had to spend a day in bed recovering from a bad stomach. I think i ate TOO MUCH. Got a big injection from the doc at my bottom too.

By nightfall, we hung out with Jen's friends at QEII Waterfront and hopped to Slippery Senorita and later for some mojitos at the quiet bar.

Other places of interest in Penang:
1. Historic Visit
2. Penang Museum
3. Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion
4. Snake Temple
5. Penang Hill
6. Batu Ferringhi (+ the Tourist Belt night markets)
7. Butterfly Farm
8. Gurney Drive
9. Kek Lok Si (Temple of Supreme Bliss)
10. Penang Bird Park
11. Batik Factory
12. Wat Chaiya Mangkalaram Siamese Temple
13. Dhammikarama Burmese Buddhist Temple
14. Tropical Spice Garden
15. Hop on a ferry to Pulau Paya Marine Park or Langkawi Island.

The night before we left, we managed to have some seafood at Bali Hai Seafood Restaurant along Gurney Drive. The food was very good, though may appear to be a little pricey. But yes... tasty no doubt.

Where in the world is Batu Ferringhi? Click MAP for a bird's eye view. You will notice the amount of hotels lining up along the road and beach. Sometimes you can try to use WikiTravel for some direct inputs from readers.

Penang will soon have its own version of Hard Rock Hotel Penang

Kimhooi recommends:

Shangri-La's Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa, Penang

Lone Pine Hotel

More hotels @ Penang Hotels on AWD

Seasons Greetings in KL

2008-12-25T22:42:00.005+01:00

Christmas is here again! Ho..ho..ho..

Jen with her cute band

It is cosy to go for walk downtown during Christmas season as you can find lights and decorations all over.

Panoramic view at Pavilion KL

Click HERE to enlarge.

The video jerks a little due to its High Definition (HD) format. Seems that YouTube has a little issue with HD videos... =)

Before heading home to pack for our trip to Penang the next day, we managed to drop by Jalan Alor for some delicious exotic food. Spicy frog porridge! Yummmm...

Merry Christmas to all...

Links:
Pavilion KL
Starhill Gallery

Michelangelo's Italian Kitchen

2008-12-24T21:55:00.001+01:00

Everyone knows who Michelangelo is. Apart from being an engineer himself, he is also a painter, a sculptor, an architect and a poet. Wow! The man from the Italian Renaissance. He was from the Tuscany Region in Italy... it is a beautiful place. I will never forget my trip to Florence (Firenze in Italian).

The famous painting by Michelangelo: The Creation of Adam

Well of course, this is not the original. You need to pack your bags, fly to Rome and visit the Vatican. I have seen it, the 2 hours queue to get into the Vatican Museum was quite an experience. It's not a painting on a canvas... but a painting on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel (Cappella Sistina in Italian).

I have yet to post about my trip in Italy - shall do so when i have time. A big tip for sure if you plan to visit the museum... BRING A BIG MIRROR! hehe i had an aching neck after all the sight-seeings... all the paintings on the ceilings! dang.... but wow =P

Enough of history.. it's Christmas Eve! We decide to dine in Michelangelo's Italian Kitchen in Sunway Pyramid.. a relatively last minute decision you see.. Anyway, the experience wasn't a really good one - service and food wise. Probably not prepared to cater to a large number of diners. I hope they will do better. But for now, no more dining in there for me. I think the staffs and chefs were on leave.. it's Christmas you see... They probably hired some random people to cover the business.

Nevertheless, the most important is the company of your family. That's priceless if you ask me.

The man who promotes peace none other than Uncle Lau \/ peace-out \/

Here is my beautiful mummy & sis

My cheeky dad & Aunt June

Jen & Me

and last but not least... the 2 youngmen.

Bro plays spinning the cake.. and cousin Alvin looking in hunger

It was nice. Thanks to Aunt June for the lovely cake. By the way, my aunt loves cooking and baking. =) Just like my mom.

Michelangelo's Italian Kitchen @ Sunway Pyramid
Kim's Rating
Food **
Service **
Ambience ***
Location ****
Overall 2 of 5

The Julekalender

2008-12-12T06:32:00.003+01:00

'The Julekalender was a Danish TV series that ran at Christmas 1991. It was written and performed almost entirely by a trio of Danish comedy musicians called De Nattergale. It had 24 episodes (one for each day of December until Christmas Eve).

One of the quirks of the series, and one which made up a good share of its appeal, is the strange language that the Nisser speak. They themselves call it English, but it is an odd mixture of both Danish and English vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structure, leading to some very humorous phrases and structures.' Read more...

De Nattergale - Bethlehem Mary's Boy Child

De Nattergale - The Støvledance

Famous phrases from the series:

"Let's slap off"
"Try lige and look her!"
"So babe wedep wedou"
"He was a very busy business-nisse"
"This is a rotten afsnit to be with in"
"Is it so that you eventuelt have just a little bit of overlook on when it could go hen to be finished"
"Hold kæft where is he da ugly"
"Mein vater ist ein sehr behrümter spuhrhund aus Düsseldorf"
"Gawn glip and gawn glip"
"I'm snitting my hands in laser"
"If you da in the wholetaken have one"
"But I'm thinking that we soon shall til to think on to find out of how we shall put the propell back on the flyvemaskine"

Link:
Julestads.dk

The 44th President of the USA

2008-11-05T22:00:00.003+01:00

Yes We Can!
www.barackobama.com

Barack Hussein Obama, born August 4, 1961, is the first African American to be elected President of the United States. He is a graduate of Columbia University and Harvard Law School. Barack Obama was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Obama admitted using marijuana, cocaine and alcohol when he was in high school - which he described at the 2008 Civil Forum on the Presidency as his greatest moral failure.

The historic speech...

"If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

"It's the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

"It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

"It's the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

"It's been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

"I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and he's fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nation's promise in the months ahead.

"I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

"I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last 16 years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nation's next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy that's coming with us to the White House. And while she's no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

"To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what you've sacrificed to get it done.

"But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to it belongs to you.

"I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn't start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

"It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation's apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

"I know you didn't do this just to win an election and I know you didn't do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime, two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century.

"Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how they'll make the mortgage, or pay their doctor's bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

"The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you we as a people will get there. "There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who won't agree with every decision or policy I make as president, and we know that government can't solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way it's been done in America for 221 years block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

"What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

"So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, it's that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

"Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, 'We are not enemies, but friends though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection.' And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too.

"And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security we support you. And to all those who have wondered if America's beacon still burns as bright tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

"For that is the true genius of America that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

"This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one that's on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. She's a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing -- Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

"She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldn't vote for two reasons because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

"And tonight, I think about all that she's seen throughout her century in America the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we can't, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

"At a time when women's voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

"When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

"When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

"She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that 'We Shall Overcome.' Yes we can.

"A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

"America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

"This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

"Yes we can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America."
-Barack Obama-

Obama & McCain Dance Off! right before the poll result. This is quite funny.. hehe

We Are The Ones Song

While the entire world were busy dealing with the economic crisis, Pak Lah were complaining about the unwelcomed guests in his Hari Raya party. Sigh!

Thisted Cleanest Municipality in Denmark

2008-10-20T23:11:00.001+02:00

The 3rd Industrial Revolution!

'Thisted Municipality is the cleanest municipality in Denmark. Over 100 per cent of power consumption and more than 80 per cent of heat consumption is catered for without the use of fossil fuels. The renewable energy comes from sun, wind, geothermal power and biomass. In 2007, Thisted Municipality was awarded the European Solar Prize for its work on utilising renewable energy.' Read More...

Thisted muniicipality-climate friendly region

Watch the video below:

Rainbow Rainbow

2008-10-10T21:22:00.003+02:00

A pot of gold at each end! It takes both the sun and the rain to make a beautiful rainbow.

A rainbow in the morning
Is the Shepherd's warning,
But a rainbow at night
Is the Shepherd's delight.

This was my first time catching a full rainbow in sight. The photo was shot in the evening, after the rain - in Ukraine.

Click on photo to enlarge.

Firmafest @ Hotel Limfjorden

2008-10-04T10:11:00.003+02:00

The company's annual party was held in Hotel Limfjorden this year. We were entertained by the Revy, throughout the night. The performing group includes:

Grethe Sønck
Ulla Jessen
Rasmus Krogsgård
Charlotte Rathnov
Henrik Krogsgaard

I was told that Henrik Krogsgaard was pretty famous in Denmark. He plays good keyboard too.

Towards the end of the night, they performed some tunes from ABBA. I have no recorded videos though, but enough to bring back the ABBA fever. =)

'ABBA was a Swedish pop music group active between 1972 and 1983. The band comprised Benny Andersson (Sweden), Björn Ulvaeus (Sweden), Anni-Frid Lyngstad (Norway), and Agnetha Fältskog (Sweden). They topped the charts worldwide from the mid-1970s to the early 1980s. The name "ABBA" is an acronym formed from the first letters of each of the group member's given name (Agnetha, Björn, Benny, Anni-Frid)'

'I Have A Dream' recently..

that you wanted to be a 'Dancing Queen'

This is a pretty funny one... The Wing in America!

Wing singing "Mama Mia"

Go to Wing's website HERE.

Mid-Autumn Mooncake

2008-10-01T21:06:00.003+02:00

I have just got hold of my parcel, after getting back from Ukraine.

Taaddaaaaa...........

Some mooncakes, and green tea too!

Thanks baby!

Trip To Ukraine

2008-09-30T23:55:00.002+02:00

I just got back from a working trip in Western Ukraine, a former Soviet Union's republic. Thanks to Gitte, i was able to obtain an express visa. The journey into Ukraine was a long one, in addition with the delayed Austrian Air flight in Vienna. From there we arrived at the L'viv (Львов, "L'vov" in Russian) airport. Read more about the city HERE.

Next, it was an approximately 3-4 hours drive to our final destination.

'The Ukrainian language is the only official language in Ukraine, while Russian is also widely spoken as the second language. The dominant religion in the country is Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which has heavily influenced Ukrainian architecture, literature and music.'

I managed to capture some snapshots while sitting in the moving car.

Crossing The Road

Downtown Buchach

The 'one' of the many many many.. and i mean, many churches

and that's me at work... It was pretty cold down there. Verner bought 3 oil radiators just to keep us warm at night.

The Feeding Truck

The food that i had (the ones i remember) are 'Borscht' and 'Solyanka' soups.. not forgetting Vodka of course. Pancakes and chocolates were KDK's favourite. "Duk Duk Duk!" is Verner's trademark.

I have also learnt some basic russian/ukrainian words.. and to count from one to ten.

You need to start counting when you are showering, because the warm water only comes every 5 seconds. Hehe...

On the way back, we landed in Vienna to connect to our next flight back to Copenhagen. Upon touchdown, we boarded a bus which transports passengers to the terminal. There was a police vehicle tailing the bus from behind - i was wondering why at first and thought it may just be an escort, so i chose to ignore.

But as soon as i stepped out from the bus, the policemen stopped me and two other Japanese passengers. Maybe they thought i was a criminal.. hehe... but anyway, apart of me really wonder if it was due to the skin colour. There were a full load of passengers from the plane, but they only stopped the 3 of us (Asians). I really hope they were not racist. It will be a really sad thing in such a beautiful country.

The trip was definitely a good experience. It is always interesting to visit another country.

Best Special Forces

2008-09-16T20:37:00.001+02:00

This is hilarious!! Hahaha..

Jason Mraz Live In Korea

2008-07-25T23:25:00.004+02:00

Two voices, one guitar.. and a trilby hat - That's all you need.

Jason Mraz, born June 23, 1977, is an American singer-songwriter who is currently living in San Diego. Find out more HERE.

Don't forget to check out his MySpace. There are some good streaming there too.

I'm Yours

Life Is Wonderful

Nobody Likes Me - You And I Both

The Remedy

Made In China

2008-07-12T01:59:00.000+02:00

My chopsticks =)

Opsss..... haha

Matt Is Back!

2008-07-04T22:54:00.002+02:00

Not to be missed. Click below to watch the beauty of people around the globe.

By the way, who is Matt?

Link:
Where The Hell Is Matt

Specialized

2008-07-01T00:13:00.003+02:00

Please welcome my BG Sport MTB shoe into the family. Also got myself a Trek 9i wireless cyclo-computer.

Gonna be doing a longer adventure cycling tour soon.

Links
Specialized
SIDI
Shimano

Euro 2008 Final Live

2008-06-29T23:30:00.002+02:00

I was watching the game live, on my laptop using the Pinnacle that i have bought. The quality was great.

Managed to record some exciting moments too...

Click HERE for more on Euro 2008.

Thy Rock 2008

2008-06-29T03:00:00.001+02:00

A last minute call from Mogens - to help out (Bogh) with the crowd control at Thy Rock 2008. I was assigned with a partner, Jesper. Also met two other control personnel - Lars and Rasmus. I got there at about 2000hrs. Luckily it didn't rain.

I was off duty at about 2300hrs, so i just joined in to listen to the last band playing - TV2.

A short clip from my mobile... with a little Roxette added as spice

Met up with Christian Andersen and his girlfriend. He turns 30 today, so his girlfriend planned a surprise for him at the end of the concert. After that, they invited me to their home downtown, to their little garden to relax a little and have some drinks... and we did BBQ in the middle of the night. Yummm....

Happy Birthday Christian.... and thank you =)

kimhooi.blogspot.com is sleepy... zzZzZzzz

Link:
Thy Rock

Airbus A380 Has Landed

2008-06-27T22:41:00.001+02:00

The plane has landed, all the way from Singapore!

Singapore Airline's Airbus A380 1:500 model plane.

Thanks Ally! =)

Weather yesterday was good, managed to play a little tennis with Michael after work.

Nors Sø - Klitmøller - Nystrup - Vandet Sø

2008-06-26T01:00:00.004+02:00

Good day for biking again. This time from Thisted to Nors Sø, short stop for ice cream at Klitmøller, and back to Thisted again through Nystrup and Vandet Sø. Asger wasn't in luck - he had a punctured back tyre midway back to Thisted. Nevertheless, we managed to get it fixed and sped back in time for a delicious dinner.

After dinner we played a little soccer, and managed to catch the Euro 2008 live semifinal game between Germany and Turkey.

My first try - a short clip on the bike. It shall be better next round, I had figured a way to mount my camera while riding.

School Summer Break

2008-06-21T09:31:00.001+02:00

It's summer break for schools again. Same goes for danish language school =)

Unfortunately, it was also our (danish language) teacher, Jennifer's last class. She will be moving to Århus to live with her son. Århus (river mouth) is the 2nd largest city in Denmark, after Copenhagen. The city itself is presumably older than 770 AD, making Århus the oldest big city in Scandinavia.

We played some card games, with some snacks.. before we bit farewell...

Tak! Jennifer.. it has been a pleasure to learn

4 Germans, 1 Polish and 1 Malaysian

Vi ses igen in August!

Gym Kiss

2008-06-20T23:09:00.004+02:00

Someone left a mark on the wall in the gym. Hehe...

What Can You Tell From This Kiss?

Wonder if you can describe a person based on her mark?

How To Kiss 101 Guide.

Happy Birthday Spongebob

2008-06-19T01:00:00.002+02:00

Best wishes... from kimhooi.blogspot.com

BBQ Banana Split

2008-06-14T07:57:00.002+02:00

TGIF! Summer BBQ party, after work.

BBQ Banana with brown sugar, rum, cream and toppings.

.. and you scoop it with a teaspoon... yummmmm

This is how you make it...

Cat On The Plate

2008-06-11T23:41:00.002+02:00

Meow?

A group of journalism students from the Danish School of Journalism, Århus, had their Facebook accounts shut off. The administrator of the online community banned them after the students uploaded photos of themselves cooking and eating a cat.

The taste: 'a little like chicken, with an aftertaste of fur. Slightly chewy,' the group found.

Read More...

Juseleeno's Prophecies

2008-06-08T07:46:00.000+02:00

Juseleeno (Jucelino) Da Roose predicts that in.....

June 2008
- magnitude 6.3 earthquake in Osaka, Japan
- typhoon strikes Japan
- magnitude 7.3 earthquake occurs in Jakarta, Indonesia
- massive floods in China due to hurricanes, thousands of people dead
- typhoons hit Bangladesh and the Philippines
- major hurricane strikes Caribbean; Mexico and Jamaica will be hardest hit
- tornadoes strike America's Texas state

July 2008
- powerful typhoon to hit Japan
- magnitude 8.1 earthquake strikes Philippines on July 18
- magnitude 6.9 earthquake occurs in Chile
- insurgency in Algeria; magnitude 7.1 earthquake strikes the capital

August 2008
- magnitude 6.5 eathquake close to Tokyo, Japan
- major typhoons to strike Japan, China and South Korea
- magnitude 8.2 earthquake to hit Pakistan's Kashmir

September 2008
- massive 9.1 magnitude earthquake may hit China
- or may hit Japan's Nagoya Tokai
- Empire State Building in New York attacked by terrorists
- China experiences serious water shortages on a massive scale due to droughts
- China faces unprecedented economic crisis
- Train accident in India

November 2008
- vaccine against the HIV virus appears, bringing hope to mankind
- an American university under attack; more than 20 people dead; same in Norway
- increase in number influenza cases in Japan
- new cases in Indonesia, South Korea and China

December 2008
- devastating forest fires in California due to intense heat waves abnormal ocean current movements at North Atlantic Sea and the Gulf Stream bring about large seasonal variations; may trigger a "regional ice age" in surrounding areas (Europe)
- magnitude 6.6 earthquake in Colombia; magnitude 7.9 earthquake in Mexico; magnitude 7.4 earthquake in Sumatra;
- blizzards in US and Europe

Read More...

Biking: Thisted-Hanstholm

2008-06-06T22:40:00.005+02:00

After sailing at Amtoft, Anders dropped me back to get my bike and backpack. Lights, water, helmet, and coins for ice cream - checked. Clear and sunny day, perfect for biking. I headed out at about 1800hrs. I took route 26 and cycled to Hanstholm, some twenty plus kilometers up north west. I was going to meet up with Asger Goth at the habour and cycle back to Thisted together through Tved Klitplantage.

Hanstholm habour is Denmark's largest fishing habour. You can also take the ferries to the Faroe Islands, Norway, etc. There is a large battery leftover from the 2nd World War. It was said to be the largest in Northern Europe, constructed by the Germans for coastal defences. It has four 38cm calibre cannons with 800 kg shells covering the range of up to 55km, half the distance to Norway. A twin battery was also built in Kristiansand, Norway. About 100 soldiers were required to man the cannons. The batteries were part of the Atlantic Wall constructed by Hitler. Hundreds of bunkers were built around Hanstholm.

The large cannon used to sit on this foundation

Click HERE to view panorama image.

My GT was here!

One more with some of the typical WW2 beach obstacles

It reminded me of D-Day on June 6th 1944 at Omaha Beach, Normandy. Over 500,000 men were involved in the operation. Yes! you're right... Saving Private Ryan! My all time favourite movie =)

Come to think of it, it was exactly 64 years ago as today is also the 6th of June.

Anyway, after the visit to the battery, i moved to the lighthouse situated on the hilltop. The lighthouse was built in 1843 and was known to have the strongest light in all of (lighthouses in) europe.

I left my mark here too.. hehe

The ferry arrived at about 2030hrs, i managed to have a cone of ice cream while waiting at the habour. From there, we cycled back to Thisted - through the paths in Tved Plantage. There were wild deers and hares too. You can see the National Park from here too. I think i saw some horses, they were quite a distance away...

The Bikers

GT enjoying the sunset

Upon arrival in Thisted, Asger's son Jesper invited us to play football with his buddies. We played 2 rounds of mini soccer; although we were tired - we had fun. I think i took off at about 12midnight, reached home, showered and knockout on the bed. Was off to work the next morning...

I plan to do more biking if the weather continues to be kind; not so good for the farmers though.

Sailing @ Amtoft

2008-06-05T18:00:00.003+02:00

It's Grundlovsdag a.k.a. Constitution Day here in Denmark - an annual celebration of the establishment of the first Danish constitution back in June 1849. I would guess that it is a celebration of Danish democracy, the closest thing to a national day you have in other countries.

After lunch, Anders gave me a ring and invited me to go along with him & Susanne - sailing with his friends Jesper and Allan. I hope i have got their names right. =) We headed north east, from Thisted to Amtoft. The wind was pretty good for sailing today. Christian Andersen who was also sailing on the same day, told me that the wind died down towards the evening.

Amtoft marina is situated a couple of kilometers north east of Feggesund between Mors and Thy. It is a small habour with a small shop and some recreation facilities. From the edge of the habour you can see the ferry crossing between Mors and Thy. Susanne also told me that the habour is a favourite meeting stop among sailors from north and south. The water is about 22.5m deep and is able to accomodate about 80 boats.

We had some ice cream on board. I think i was a little cold and tired. But it was nice time indeed. Anders dropped his sunglasses while he was trying to get the rope off the boat. Now it is in the water. I bet the fishes are wearing it.

After sailing on the big boat, they unloaded the speedboat and went for another fun ride. It was fast, about 200hp maybe.

Amtoft Havn
7742 Vesløs
(+45) 9799 3211
clnamtoft@mail.tele.dk

View Larger Map

2008 GT Avalanche 2.0 Hydraulic Disc

2008-06-01T01:49:00.004+02:00

My new ride has arrived - the 2008 GT Avalanche 2.0 Hydraulic Disc.

Added a couple of accessories such as front and rear fenders, bike stand, LED lights. I had the tyres and pedals changed as well. Lastly, a Giro helmet.

Key features
Weight: approx. 14kg
Headset: Tange Seiki system for 1 1/8"
Nipples: Brass CP
Front Derailleur: Shimano M -330
Bearings: Shimano Octalink Cartridge Sealed
Saddle: WTB Speed V saddle
Brakes: Tektro Aguila hydraulic disc brakes
Crankset: Shimano Octalink, 44/34/22
Drivetrain: Shimano 24-Speed; Shimano Deore LX; Shimano Alivio
Suspension: Suntour XCR-LO fork
Frame: GT Triple Triangle design 6061 Superlite

Verdict
Usage: Trail
Impression: ****
Built: ***
Value: ***

Watch Thomas Vanderham tests the Shimano 2009 Prototype Saint

Links:

Suntour
Tange Seiki
Tektro
Shimano
Giro

AQUAPAC 100% Waterproof

2008-05-19T22:49:00.004+02:00

Ah! It's here. My AQUAPAC waterproof cases. Zoey in UK did me a favour by helping me to order the items and have them delivered to my address. Thanks Zoey =)

Ever dream of swimming with your iPods?

I will need one for my camera... here's mine..

My little experiment using my mobile, to test the cases.. It works!

I bought these to prepare for my coming white water rafting trip in Austria Tyrol , also known as 'Tirol'.

It is definitely an alternative to the original underwater housing which will cost you a bomb. View other Aquapac products HERE. I have the Small Compact Camera Case for my Canon Powershot G9 and the Belt Case for other important stuffs. You never have to leave your things on the beach again - and have your camera with you anytime, anywhere.

Links:
AQUAPAC 100% Waterproof
Tyrol
White Water Rafting
Rafting America

Kayak

2008-05-18T08:00:00.004+02:00

I had the opportunity to paddle the kayak for the first time yesterday afternoon. The Thisted Ro- og Kayakklub held an open house and everyone was invited to go and have a brief experience. They have rowing too, but i prefer the kayak as there is more control of your own canoe.

Some of the people trying out the kayaks and row boat

Peter Peschardt, colleague in office was there too. He happened to be the kayak coach. He gave me a life-vest based on my weight and off i went rowing by myself. It wasn't difficult =). But the 'eskimo roll' is definitely not easy..

Read More about the Eskimo Roll.

'An Eskimo Roll is the maneuver through which one recovers from capsizing in a Kayak while staying in the kayak. Practicing helps you maintain your balance and control of your kayak. There are basically four components of an Eskimo Roll: Setup, Sweep, Snap, and Recovery.' Read More...

1 Reason to learn the eskimos' way

After that, i followed Bjarne to Susanne's sister's house to help them with a little work on the fence. We had coffee too..

Nice weather....

Links:
Thisted Ro- og Kayakklub
Kayak Online
Kayaking.com
Malibu Kayaks

Vin, Fisk & Musik

2008-05-17T11:05:00.003+02:00

Uniclub Dinner Party
16th May 2008 @ CUN

It was a wine tasting session cum dinner. Lots of fish were served. They were from the famous 'Det Gamle Røgeri' in Hanstholm. There was also some music from the local (Hillerslev) entertainer Mr.(Heine) Thomsen. We had a big fruit cake for dessert too. Ole and me were 10minutes late because we have been playing some tennis after work.

We were greeted with the Mousserende Blanc de Blanc (Brut Henri de Villamont, France) wine as the welcome drink. Throughout the session, we were served different varieties of wines, such as the:

Gewurztraminer Réserve (Jean-Claude Gueth, Alsace)
Riesling (Jean-Claude Gueth, Alsace)
Unwooded Chardonnay (Peppercorn, Australia)
Macon Rouge (Franqois Martenot, France)
Granello (Ricasoli Toscana, Italy)
Portvin Tawny Reserva (Ventozelo, Portugal)

And after that, kr.5 beer at your disposal... hehe

Mr. Thomsen

Christian & His Girlfriend

That's Me

Anders, Marianne & Berit (plus Bjarne's hand :P)

The Canteen Crew - *, Solvej & Bonnie

The party ended at about 0100hrs. Christian & Anders were heading downtown, so i joined them. First stop was Gate 7, a small cosy bar with aviation concept... some Porse Guld before we hopped to Flaske Peter. Here we had more Porse Guld. Then we went back to Gate 7 again..more shots & beer..

Miss Bartender

Current mood: Sleepy :P

Links:
PleasureWine DK
Gate 7
Flaske Peter

Annyong Haseyo

2008-05-15T22:55:00.003+02:00

Annyong Haseyoooooooo...

A box came by mail today. It's always nice to receive parcels. Some souvenirs from Canada & Korea. These all, from Christina.

Mountain Deer Keyring

Canadian Maple Syrup

She also happened to be in Incheon, South Korea too (poscard). When i mention Korea, the first thing that pops up in your mind would probably be taekwondo... or kimchi, maybe? For girls, they will probably say korean dramas, or Rain - the hunky dancer. Oh well...

But I got some Nong Hyup KIMCHI!! hehe no doubt the smell is strong, very strong. The parcel smells a little actually.. haha but it's nice. The amount of vinegar and garlic in 'em can kill a few generations of vampires. :P

Kimchi

What is kimchi? Read More...

Komawoyo spongebob! =)

Talking about korea.. some of the people at the language school thought i was from Korea.. and when i said i came from malaysia, their replies: 'No, you are from korean!' haha..

Related post:
Korean Class 2006

Reborn of Michael Jackson

2008-05-15T00:27:00.002+02:00

The will definitely entertain you, trust me =)

p/s: wait for the surprise

MTB

2008-05-12T00:01:00.003+02:00

I want to get a MTB, but I don't know how to choose one. GT's Avalance looks good. Hmm...

Click HERE for all your biking hungers. They have have practically EVERYTHING!

Santa Cruz

Oh, and I found something cool... Military bike

Montague PARATROOPER®

Read More about PARATROOPER®.

Bikes:
Ellsworthbikes
Santa Cruz
Felt
GT Bicycles
K2
Trek
Gary Fisher

Online:
MTB Online
Chain Reaction Cycles
Billing Cykel DK
Performance Bike
Bicycle One

Bike Mag:
Bike Mag

Happy Mummy's Day

2008-05-11T04:44:00.004+02:00

Happy Mummies Day to my mummy and all other mummies out there, and warm hugs to those living without one.

HELP!! Mummmmmy....

A mother's love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.
Agatha Christie (1890-1976), English novelist and playwright.

A mother's arms are more comforting than anyone else's.
Princess Diana (1961-1997), Princess of Wales from 1981 to 1997.

Links:
Mothers' Day
Day For Mothers

J.P. Jacobsens Event

2008-05-10T17:54:00.023+02:00

10th May 2008
J.P. Jacobsen Centre
Store Torv, Thisted

The Stage In The Incomplete Construction Building

Another Look

Building Facts
8,000 sq meters parking area
18,000 sq meters shops area

Estimated Value
DKK 138million (US$28.6million)

Illustration by Bjerg Arkitektur A/S

The owner Per Overgaard was once a shoe trader before he became the building owner. He is also the owner of a shopping centre in Værløse. He had contracted construction company MT Højgaard to build the centre. The project leader, Lårs Raabjerg Didriksen is from Thisted himself. This shopping centre will become Thy's new trade centre once it is completed before the end of 2008 - expected. According to the owner, there will be approx. 3,000 sq meters large department store, and a couple of retail and special shops.

Special Teaser by kimhooi.blogspot.com :

H&M
H&M was established in Västerås, Sweden in 1947 by Erling Persson. They sell clothes and cosmetics in around 1,500 stores worldwide. H&M does not own any factories, but instead buys its goods from around 700 independent suppliers, primarily in Asia and Europe. H&M's turnover in 2007 was Swedish Kroner 92million.

View J.P. Jacobsen Centre Building Design
View Floor Layout

There were plays, beers, musics, etc. going on this whole weekend. Weather was perfect. Many shops offered special discounts inconjunction with this event.

J.P. Jacobsen Colourings by Kids

The Building

Costumes Play

A short fashion parade from local boutiques...

Happy Camel Spotted

Lion in Sandals

More Photos of J.P. Jacobsens event HERE.

Who is J.P. Jacobsen?

'Jens Peter Jacobsen (7 April 1847 – 30 April 1885) was a Danish novelist, poet, and scientist, in Denmark often just written as "J. P. Jacobsen" and pronounced "I. P. Jacobsen". He began the naturalist movement in Danish literature and was a part of the Modern Breakthrough.' Read More...

Links:
MT Højgaard
Danish Literature Archive
J.P. Jacobsen Selskabets
H&M

Denmark Air Raid Sirens

2008-05-07T18:39:00.006+02:00

The tradition began in 1967 when the sirens were sounded every Wednesday at noon. However, since 1994, citizens have only heard the high-pitched sound once a year on the first Wednesday in May. It sounded like the warning of an air raid during war.

More about the Emergency Warning System and What To Do.

Links:
Danish Emergency Management Agency
The Copenhagen Post

Happy Birthday Dad

2008-05-05T06:45:00.002+02:00

To my dear father,

Happy Birthday....

With Love....

Tennis: I'm Back

2008-05-04T22:22:00.009+02:00

It's the start of the tennis season, yet again. It always feels like home when i am on the court. I have just signed up as a member at the Thisted Tennisklub. By the way, it's clay here.. a surface which i haven't been on before. I have only played on hardcourt and synthetic grass before, back home. But i will get used to it... soon hopefully.

I think the last time i held my racquet was when i was playing with my buddy Nian Yang back in the University. I was running the club in the campus then, with the help and support from fellow players, members, clubs and the university's sports unit. I miss those tournament and competition road trips, driving out to different states, meeting friends and different people, getting sun burns, eating and drinking after the game, dipping in the pool at midnight etc. Not forgetting those times in high school partnering my buddy Aaron - working together to battle in the court.

The stylish former university club advisor Ghazzali.. a tribute

More University Tennis photos HERE.

The only danish player i know by name is the young prodigy Caroline Wozniacki, an 18 year old, who was the junior wimbledon champion in 2006. She was recently being asked to show more skin by M! and FHM magazines. Read More...

Watch or Download the Mercedes-Benz Play Of The Week.

Links:
Dansk Tennis Forbund
Caroline Wozniacki
Wimbledon
Tennis Warehouse
ATP Tour

Gained 6 Kilos

2008-05-02T20:02:00.004+02:00

I have gained some kilos recently. It used to difficult, but with a little routine diet i managed to pull it off. 6 kilos indeed! WoOohoo!

Diet includes chicken breast, eggs, salad, fruits, yogurt, cheese, rice, chocolate milk and spaghetti.

Hmm.. but after playing 2 days of tennis, i lost 2 precious kilos... =( not that i run alot anyway...

I think i do have high metabolism rate... dang* got to eat more then... It's not cheap to gain weight haha...

Links:
Bodybuilding.com
Gain Weight
Coopers Guns Exercise Videos
Muscletech Nitrotech Hardcore
Optimum Nutrition 100% Whey Gold Standard

First of May

2008-05-01T06:00:00.004+02:00

First of May
Sarah Brightman

When I was small, and Christmas trees were tall,
we used to love while others used to play.
Don't ask me why, but time has passed us by,
someone else moved in from far away.

Now we are tall, and Christmas trees are small,
and you don't ask the time of day.
But you and I, our love will never die,
but guess who'll cry come first of May.

The apple tree that grew for you and me,
I watched the apples falling one by one.
And as I recall the moment of them all,
the day I kissed your cheek and you were gone.

Now we are tall, and Christmas trees are small,
and you don't ask the time of day.
But you and I, our love will never die,
but guess who'll cry come first of May.

Music and lyrics: Barry, Maurice, and Robin Gibb (Bee Gees)

Links:
May Day

Tilstegård Pig Farm

2008-04-19T22:30:00.007+02:00

Did you know? There are at least 3 times more pigs than the total number of human in Denmark.

19th April 2008

This morning i was given the opportunity to visit a small local pig farm, Tilstegård, some 5km away from Thisted town. I went there on my bicycle. Artem & Alona, from Ukraine, were both working in the farm as practical. They projected my interest to the farmer and he gave me the green light for a short tour around his farm.

The Farmer

The farmer's name is Torben Christensen. It wasn't a very big farm, but good enough for a short walkthrough and experience. They have about 450-500 pigs in total, maybe more... i can't recall exactly.

I was given a white suit to change and a shoe to wear before i was allowed to walk into the farm. We have to change into different shoes when we cross from one section of the farm to another, including washing our hands with the provided liquid. The smell might not be the best in the world, but oh well... it's nature anyway...

Artem & Alona - Artem was performing an artificial insemination on the sow

"Mounting on the back of the sow while inserting the packet of diluted chill-stored semen into the cervix of the sow. Riding or stepping or massaging the back of the sow can simulate the mounting of a boar which stimulate the sow to be more receptive to the semen deposited and hence increase the rate of fertility"

Read more about Artificial Insemination.

*hurrr hurrr hurrr*

The pig can be considered as an intelligent and smart animal. A piglet can stand on its own feet within the first hour after birth, and look for milk from its mother.

Piglets kissing my knee

"Piglets'tails are being docked at around 5 to 7 days old to prevent them from biting each other's tails. Piglets usually display the behaviour of biting tails among themselves whenever they are bored due to their playfulness and curiousity. Biting tails can lead to blood loss, infections, anemia, loss of life, etc."

Are you looking for me?

Err.... don't stare at me... im shy

This is what the pigs eat - lots of protein and nutrients from soya and grains

Grinning piglet

Tilstegård
Torben Christensen
Vorupørvej 5, Tilsted,
7700 Thisted, Denmark.

More photos HERE.

I came across an interesting blog of a future vet in Malaysia who have done her practical in a pig farm. Digg This...

'Pigs, also called hogs or swine, are ungulates which have been domesticated as sources of food, leather, and similar products since ancient times. More recently, they have been involved in biomedical research and treatments.

Despite pigs' reputation for gluttony, and another reputation for dirtiness, a lesser known quality is their intelligence.'
Read More...

Links:
Danish Pig Production
Danske Slagterier
The Pig Site

Happy 2nd Birthday Raven

2008-04-18T23:03:00.004+02:00

It was a public holiday in Denmark today - St. Bededag or simply, Prayers Day.

Adam & Joan have invited me over to their home in Snedsted to celebrate Raven's 2nd Birthday. Yes, she is 2 years old already! I have bought some little gifts for her two days before.

Joan's friend Mette were there, also Jens who helped Adam with the kitchen wall - with his family, together with Raven's grandma.

Raven wore the princess tiara crown and played with the pooh bear puppet that i got her. I hope she liked 'em. She seemed so =)

We had bread with butter + cheese, cakes, and some warm chocolate and coffee. Raven had her photo printed on the rice paper which was then being placed on the mini muffin cakes. It was quite an interesting idea. You can practically eat the whole thing, but Raven didn't want to eat those with her picture on. She's adorable isn't she?

Her 2nd birthday cake and custom made mini muffin

I managed to take some pictures of Arthur too, Adam & Joan's baby boy.

King Arthur

Later at noon, i assisted Adam to put up some furnitures in the living room since i had spare time before i catch my next train home.

The Pope Wears Prada

2008-04-15T21:00:00.003+02:00

Pope Benedict XVI

"...the pope has been spotted wearing Serengeti-branded sunglasses and brown walking shoes donated by Geox. He owns a specially engraved white Apple iPod, and he recently stirred much publicity with a pair of stylish red loafers that may or may not be from Prada..."

"...Italian upscale leather maker Natuzzi was also bold with its marketing efforts. The company created the internal upholstery for a golf cart that General Electric Motorcars, a subsidiary of DaimlerChrysler AG, gave the pope last year. The pontiff only uses the cart inside the Vatican gardens and, therefore, out of the public eye."

"....Mercedes-Benz has supplied popes with cars since the 1930s, providing three bubble-backed popemobiles over the years. The German company donated the current popemobile -- a heavily armored ML 430..."

"....BMW donated a bulletproof X5 SUV to the Vatican.."

More - Digg This Story and THIS

I'm Rich!

2008-04-14T20:52:00.002+02:00

No kidding.... haha

Well, it was a scam i know... but it still felt good to take 10seconds to dream about it. =)

Malaga?

Euro... great, afterall the Dollar is weakening...

*dream.... a small house, a small car, and a BIG private jet.. =p

The only question is, how did they get my postal address here in denmark?! Usually they only come into your email as spams. Hmm...

Carpark North Live @ Dampmøllen

2008-04-12T18:00:00.006+02:00

11th April 2008
Dampmøllen Thisted

Carpark North, the danish electro-rock band came to perform in Thisted yesterday. Before that, Ole B.Sørensen and me hung out at Anders Bruhn's crib in town... for some food, beer and metallica on vinyl. Anders was the chef of the day; he made steak with russian brandy. After dinner we walked our way to the location.

Shot the photos and video with my mobile phone.

The band members consist of Lau Højen, Søren Balsner and Morten Thorhauge. They have released 2 albums to date - Carpark North (2003) and All Things to All People (2005). The upcoming album is expected to be released later this year.

They played songs including Best Day, Human and Transparent and Glasslike. The song 'Human' was used in the software game FIFA 08. I have uploaded the video i shot to YouTube. Watch the clip that i had put together:

You can see Anders & Ole at the end of this clip (1:55). We also bumped into Lars Kobberø at the show.

More photos HERE.

Links:

Carpark North Official Website

MySpace - Carpark North

Carpark North on Last.fm

We had a few rounds of drinks, i can't recall how many... but one thing for sure, a really good time. Great show & good boost - woohOoo!

The tickets for their concert tonight (12th April) at Copenhagen was sold out.

Gymnastik Opvisning Thisted

2008-03-31T23:58:00.008+02:00

Sunday 30th March 2008
Thy Hallen, Thisted

Gymnastik Opvisning DGI Voksne

Mogens invited me to watch gymnastic performances at Thy Hallen. We went there in the afternoon, on bike.

More photos HERE

Links:
Thy Hallen
Skyum Idrætsefterskole
Danske Gymnastik og Idrætsforeninger

After the show, we packed up and cycled to Vilsund from Thisted, to Mogens's home. It was raining. Both of us were all wet, but a good workout nevertheless. Mogens cooked some curry and i was invited to be the judge. I can safely say that it was not bad. Thumbs up for him!

Earth Hour 2008

2008-03-30T01:23:00.004+01:00

March 29th 2008
8pm

The campaign began last year in Australia and traveled this year from the South Pacific to Europe in cadence with the setting of the sun.

'On 31 March 2007, 2.2 million people and 2100 Sydney businesses turned off their lights for one hour - Earth Hour. If the greenhouse reduction achieved in the Sydney CBD during Earth Hour was sustained for a year, it would be equivalent to taking 48,616 cars off the road for a year.'

Some participating cities around the world include:

Aalborg, Denmark
Aarhus, Denmark
Adelaide, Australia
Atlanta, United States
Bangkok, Thailand
Brisbane, Australia
Canberra, Australia
Chicago, United States
Christchurch, New Zealand
Copenhagen, Denmark
Dubai, UAE
Dublin, Ireland
Lautoka, Fiji
Manila, Philippines
Melbourne, Australia
Montreal, Canada
Odense, Denmark
Ottawa, Canada
Perth, Australia
Phoenix, United States
San Francisco, United States
Suva, Fiji
Sydney, Australia
Tel Aviv, Israel
Toronto, Canada
Vancouver, Canada

'Ireland's more than 7,000 pubs elected not to take part, in part because of the risk that Saturday night revelers could end up smashing glasses, falling down stairs or setting themselves on fire with candles.

Likewise, much of Europe -- including France, Germany, Spain and European Union institutions -- planned nothing to mark Earth Hour.

Internet search engine Google lent its support to Earth Hour by blackening its normally white home page and challenging visitors: "We've turned the lights out. Now it's your turn."

Twenty-three major cities worldwide, along with 300 smaller cities, took part in Earth Hour, a campaign by environmental group WWF to highlight the need to conserve energy and fight global warming.'

Source: The Associated Press

Personally i felt that it was a good awareness campaign to get the message across to the world. However, there are still more to do from governments and corporations to ensure a sustainable future. Moreover, when the lights are out, the burglars will be busy.

Ups for Claudia in Brisbane, Australia =). Never too late i reckon. Sign-up for Earth Hour now. It's absolutely free anyway.

Links:

Earth Hour

WWF

Spring Snow Fun

2008-03-24T23:31:00.003+01:00

The day after Easter. I took a 926X bus to Vilsund from Thisted (only cost DKK16) at 1339hrs. From there i headed to Mogens & his family's house. It was not very far from the bus stop. It was snowing just like yesterday.

After having a cup of hot tea, we headed to the hill nearby to have some fun with the snow.

Snowball War

Pulling Up Their Sleds

And Sliding It Down... Yaaahoooo!

Yike... I'm Stuck

Time To Go Home... beautiful view isn't it?

One for the album.. Mogens' & Birgit's sons

Birgit & Mogens

When we got back to the house, i played with their cat a little bit. We have a lovely dinner and tea before Mogens dropped me home.

White Easter

2008-03-23T23:47:00.002+01:00

Everything was white when i opened my eyes this morning. Yes it was snowing... on Easter.

Ice ice baby

It is a white Spring, with a little green

Some icing sugar on the bike too

It's clean and pretty

I went cycling in the snow too. Still managed to get my laundry done and spent some time in the gym to pump it up.

Ice Droplet

Mr. Snowman... made by some kids i supposed

Pretty huh? some outdoor art displays

Erm... The Tree Shepherd

About 2-3 inches thick only

A little view

Everywhere looked clean and nice; it's all white you see... plus it is brighter at night too. Full moon tonight.. the sky is clear and calm.... night is cold and quiet...

feel like crawling to bed now.... zzZzz

Easter Bunny

2008-03-17T01:30:00.002+01:00

Easter (Påske in Danmark) is around the corner, 23rd March to be exact. When it comes to Easter, the first things that come to your mind would probably be painted eggs, decoratives and bunnies.

Coming to the bunny thing, ever wonder what does the easter bunny do throughout the remaining 364 days of the year? Here's your answer...

By the way, do you also know the story of Pete? HAhaha

Oh, and I got this from an email..

The World's Shortest Fairy Tale
by unknown

Once upon a time, a man asked a girl "Will you marry me?"
The girl said: "NO!"
And ... the man lived happily ever after.
The End

A pre-Easter humor for you.... enjoy the rest of the week *smile

Denmark Happiest Place On Earth

2008-03-14T21:15:00.007+01:00

Are you happy enough?

Top 10 Happiest Countries In The World

1.Denmark
2.Switzerland
3.Austria
4.Iceland
5.The Bahamas
6.Finland
7.Sweden
8 Bhutan
9.Brunei
10.Canada

Malaysia was ranked 17th though...

Find out why the Danes are happy...

On the other hand....

'The relative strength of the Euro and other European currencies, including the Swiss Franc and the Swedish, Danish and Norwegian Krone, has pushed up the living costs faced by expatriates in many European countries.' Source

Top 20 Highest Cost Of Living Cities In The World

Read More...

Now you be the judge =)

Income Tax

2008-03-12T18:50:00.004+01:00

'Denmark has always had an infamous reputation for its high income tax rates, but it has only recently taken the crown as the world's leader in that category...'

'...Denmark's current income tax average is 47.4 percent...'
The Copenhagen Post

Read also HERE.

The current unemployment rate in Denmark is about 2.1%.

'A value added tax (VAT) of 25% is levied on the sale of most goods and services (including groceries). The income tax in Denmark ranges from 9%-44% for ultra-low to low-income families to 44%-63% progressively for middle class families. 850,000 Danes (31% of everyone employed and 44% of all full-time employees) pay a marginal income tax of 63%.'

Source: Economy of Denmark

Danske Klasse På TV

2008-03-11T23:46:00.002+01:00

Today we had a special surprize in class. Now, i do not know where they came from, but oh well, class went on as usual. Managed to quietly pull out my mobile phone to snap these.

The star of the day was Jurgan from Germany.. hehe

Ahh... my test is coming... >.<

Malaysia Votes

2008-03-09T01:30:00.004+01:00

The 12th Malaysian General Election was held on March 8, 2008. Polls opened in Malaysia on Saturday as voters cast ballots for 222 parliamentary seats and 12 state legislatures. The coalition won 91 percent of parliamentary seats in 2004 election, but not this time around. It was a historic date indeed.

Look what i received on my mobile all the way to Denmark... SPAM!!

'Barisan Nasional was able to return to power and form the next government, with a simple majority but without the crucial two-thirds majority in parliament. It is BN's worst performance in Malaysia's general election since independence in 1957, winning only 63.5% (140 out of 222) of parliamentary seats that were contested; the only other time the 14-party coalition failed to win a two-thirds majority was in 1969 when it secured 66% of the seats.'

Everyone knows what happened in 1969. Read more HERE. Thank god it didnt happen in this election. Let's keep our fingers crossed.

'On March 10, the first trading day since the election, stocks in the KLCI fell 9.5% from 1,296.33 points to 1,173.22 points by 5.00 pm (MST), its biggest one-day decline in a decade. Trading in the KLCI was automatically halted for an hour after stocks fell beyond the 10% limit at 10.5%, as a measure to curb "panic selling"; the KLCI resumed trading at 4.00 pm.'
Source: Malaysia General Election 2008

Although i am a registered voter myself, i wasn't able to cast my vote because i am literally out of place. Hehe.. anyway, it's good to see some change.. hope it will be a change to the better. DO THE RIGHT THING - UNCLE LAH LAH!

Otherwise, just vote for me... VOTE FOR KIM!

America votes too....

Wine In Rifle

2008-03-06T23:41:00.001+01:00

Mogens turned a year older recently. Guess what he got for his birthday?

A Rifle!

It's wine in a rifle.. a rifle bottle to be exact, shaped to look like a real-size rifle. Hehe. Well, it's my first time seeing something like this. Hmm.. interesting indeed!

So.. he began his shooting spree in the office, bringing down whatever he saw including humans.. haha! That was Maria, checking the coordinates and wind position - assisting Mogens, the danish sniper.

=) I wonder how he's going to pour 'em in the wine glass..

Europe On A Shoestring

2008-03-03T21:39:00.001+01:00

I just received my parcel from Lonely Planet. It came in a nicely wrapped case. Online purchase made easy.

The guide cost EUR €24.95 online. Probably higher in local bookstores. It has about 1228 pages with 227 maps.

'Limited euros and a whole continent to devour? This detailed guide gives you all the insider tips you'll need to languish in Luxembourg, soak up sangria in Spain and carouse in Cannes, all without having to sell a kidney.'

Countries covered:
Albania, Andorra, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia & Hercegovina, Britain, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Montenegro, Morocco, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and Ukraine.

Buy ONE now.

Lonely Planet... your travel partner. =) By the way, i don't get paid to promote this.

Bodycombat Remix

2008-02-27T23:12:00.003+01:00

This is awesome!! Non-stop Back 2 Back...

Back To Workout

2008-02-22T23:40:00.007+01:00

I am back to working out and getting back in shape. I just signed up as a member at Motion & Trivsel, the new gym in town. It is not very far away, located just above the post office at the railway station.

It is just a small and simple gym, but good enough for me to get back in shape. I've done a research and the one fitness chain in Denmark i know which offers Les Mills programs is FitnessDK. Too bad they do not have it in Thisted.

I used to be a member of Celebrity Fitness in Malaysia. I frequented the club in Subang Parade which is about 27k sq feet, setup cost of about RM8.7 million (aprox.DKK 14million).

Get Les Mills

Visit LM Clothing NZ below:

AhhH...My Treat After Workout

MAXIM 330ml Chocolate Protein Shake. It cost DKK 20 a pack.

Every 100 ml contains:
Energy 317 kJ/75 kcal
Protein 6 g
Carbohydrate 12 g
Fat 0.3 g

I think i need to import my protein supplements soon.

The Nitrotech I Used to Drink

By the way, remember the movie 300?

An epic battle about the titanic clash in which King Leonidas and 300 Spartans fought to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army.

"SPARTANS, TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL!!!"

Here is the workout clip behind the scene before the shootings:

Workout - Spartan Style!!

Links:
Motion & Trivsel
Fitness DK
Les Mills
LM Clothing NZ

Jen's Birthday

2008-02-21T01:00:00.005+01:00

Today is the birthday of someone special. Last year it was celebrated at the top of Little Genting in Cheras - a surprize ice-cream cake followed with Mambo Jumbo party at Zouk Kuala Lumpur.

Jen probably looked like this too after eating her cake...

Photo from DPS

I bought some cakes from Guldbageren and we celebrated online together. There was a small green froggy cake too. =)

Happy birthday sweetheart...

Wall Breaking At Snedsted

2008-02-16T01:22:00.004+01:00

Last weekend I was in Snedsted helping Adam with some work at his new house. Jan, his brother-in-law joined us too. Jan picked me up from Thisted in the morning and headed to Snedsted together. I also met their family friend, but hm.. i forgot his name, bad memory...my bad. What i remember is that he is in the mink farming industry.

The Task: Breaking Down The Kitchen Wall

In order to do that, Adam first installed a steel bar to support the structure before we break down the wall. The steel bar cost about DKK600 i think. But anyway, my task was to break down the wall and some cleaning up. I still managed to take a few shots too.

Location

Breaking down the wall

It was dark by then...

After some cleaning... *tadaAaa floor is all cleaned

We had dinner over Joan's (Adam's wife) mum's place. And there was Arthur, Adam & Joan's newborn baby. I bought them a card too, hope they like it.

They will be moving in some time in March i think. It's a lovely big house.

Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T01:00:00.004+01:00

Happy Valentine's Day

Know more about Valentine's Day HERE.

A puppy that traveled a thousand miles to share the love.

Thank you my boo...

Copenhagen Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 08

2008-02-10T23:54:00.005+01:00

Fashion photography has been part of my interest for some time now. Too bad i wasn't able to be in Copenhagen for this event.

'Copenhagen Fashion Week is organised by the Danish Fashion Institute. Every February and August, Copenhagen is host to Northern Europe's largest fashion event, Copenhagen Fashion Week. On the catwalks are a growing number of new and known Danish talent with a preview of their upcoming collections.'

Watch videos HERE.

'Danish fashion is known for its unique angle on design, innovation and aesthetics. With a more modern approach to femininity and functionality, expressed in fresh silhouettes, a focus on details and incomparable quality. These are only some of the reasons why more than 50,000 buyers, designers and global press attend Copenhagen Fashion Week twice a year.

Of course, the other main attraction is Copenhagen itself. It's a cosy, metropolitan city located by the waterfront, and features an interesting array of design venues, architecture, cultural events, cafés, bars and nightlife.'

Read More...

The upcoming one will be Copenhagen International Fashion Fair (CIFF) from 7th-10th August 2008. Hmm... i miss clicking the shutter of my camera in a show like this.

Some of my OLD photos on fashion in Kuala Lumpur... HERE

Links

CopenhagenFashionWeek.TV
Denmark Fashion
Copenhagen Fashion Week
Copenhagen International Fashion Fair

Chinese New Year 2008

2008-02-07T00:01:00.000+01:00

Creative?

Currently listening to: Camille Jones vs. Fedde Le Grand - The Creeps (2007 Fonzerelli Remix)

Check this out, my new set of sleek looking speakers. I love music, good music... and with the amount of songs i have, it will probably take me a couple of months or years to finish listening to them all. Just perfect for my black notebook.

The Chinese New Year is here. I fixed up paper lantern which i'd bought back in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur. Also some oranges from the local supermarket here. What's new year without oranges? =)

The Chinese Lantern & Oranges

YiXiang Brand Delicacies

These were some delicacies from my girl's parents. It was very kind of them. There are some dried scallops, stewed abalone in special sauce, stewed locos, chili salangids, short neck clamps in soup, and baked scallops. Anyway, i add-on a selected bits into my meal on chinese new year eve.

This will be my first time celebrating Chinese New Year away from home after more than 20 decades. No red packets for me this year =( BoooHOooo....

My 'little' CNY Reunion Dinner

It was a little East meet West. I prepared some broccoli, frikedellar (Scandinavian-style meatloaf), rice, sweet & sour sauce with chicken & water chesnuts, a little sprinkle of sliced dried scallops, a few pieces of baked scallops and a stewed abalone in superior sauce. Now, how's that?

新年快乐
Chinese New Year

'According to legend, in ancient China, the Nián (年) was a man-eating beast from the mountains (in other versions from under the sea), which came out every 12 months somewhere close to winter to prey on humans. The people later believed that the Nian was sensitive to loud noises and the colour red, so they scared it away with explosions, fireworks and the liberal use of the colour red. These customs led to the first New Year celebrations. Guò nián (simplified Chinese: 过年; traditional Chinese: 過年), which means to celebrate the new year, literally means the passover of the Nian.'

The biggest event of any Chinese New Year's Eve is the dinner every family will have. This meal is comparable to Christmas dinner in the West. Read More...

2008 Chinese New Year Advertisement from Petronas

2008 The Year of Rat

'The 12 Zodiac animal signs (生肖 shengxiao) are, in order, the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep (ram or goat), monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. There are many legends to explain the beginning of the zodiac.'

The cat and the rat were the worst swimmers in the animal kingdom. Although bad swimmers, they were both intelligent. They decided that the best and fastest way to cross the river was to hop on the back of the ox. The ox, being a naïve and good-natured animal, agreed to carry them across. However, overcome with a fierce competitiveness, the rat decided that in order to win, it must do something and promptly pushed the cat into the river. Because of this, the cat has never forgiven the rat, and hates the water as well. After the ox had crossed the river, the rat jumped ahead and reached the shore first, and it claimed first place in the competition.

Following closely behind was the strong ox, and it was named the 2nd animal in the zodiac. After the ox, came the tiger, panting, while explaining to the Emperor just how difficult it was to cross the river with the heavy currents pushing it downstream all the time. But with powerful strength, it made to shore and was named the 3rd animal in the cycle.

Suddenly, from a distance came a thumping sound, and the rabbit arrived. It explained how it crossed the river: by jumping from one stone to another in a nimble fashion. Halfway through, it almost lost the race but the rabbit was lucky enough to grab hold of a floating log that later washed him to shore. For that, it became the 4th animal in the zodiac cycle.

Coming in 5th place was the dragon, flying and belching fire into the air. Of course, the Emperor was deeply curious as to why a strong and flying creature such as the dragon should fail to reach first. The mighty dragon explained that he had to stop and make rain to help all the people and creatures of the earth, and therefore he was held back a little. Then, on his way to the finish line, he saw a little helpless rabbit clinging on to a log so he did a good deed and gave a puff of breath to the poor creature so that it could land on the shore.

The Emperor was very pleased with the actions of the dragon, and he was added into the zodiac cycle. As soon as he had done so, a galloping sound was heard, and the horse appeared. Hidden on the horse's hoof is the snake, whose sudden appearance gave the horse a fright, thus making it fall back and gave the snake 6th spot while the horse took the 7th.

Not long after that, a little distance away, the ram, monkey and rooster came to the shore. These three creatures helped each other to get to where they are. The rooster spotted a raft, and took the other two animals with it. Together, the ram and the monkey cleared the weeds, tugged and pulled and finally got the raft to the shore. Because of their combined efforts, the Emperor was very pleased and promptly named the ram as the 8th creature, the monkey as the 9th, and the rooster the 10th.

The 11th animal is the dog. His explanation for being late—although he was supposed to be the best swimmer amongst the rest—was that he needed a good bath after a long spell, and the fresh water from the river was too big a temptation. For that, he almost didn't make it to finish line.

Just as the Emperor was about to call it a day, an oink and squeal was heard from a little pig. The pig got hungry during the race, promptly stopped for a feast and then fell asleep. After the nap, the pig continued the race and was named the 12th and last animal of the zodiac cycle.

The cat finished too late (thirteenth) to win any place in the calendar, and vowed to be the enemy of the rat forevermore.

For more Chinese Astrology, click HERE.

Happy New Year to All, Friends & Families..

Some pictures from Chinese New Year 2006....

'Lou Sang' a MUST HAVE for every chinese new year

Reminds me of my childhood - grandsons of my dad's old friend

To my kind friends, since I am so far away... please EMAIL me some red packets... Thanks

More CNY clips...

2003

2006

Fastelavnsboller

2008-02-03T23:06:00.000+01:00

31st January was Asger's last day in the office. He gave a treat to everyone in the office during afternoon coffee break. We have Fastelavnboller! It was sweet, creamy and delicious. You will probably need to run a whooping 10km to burn it off ..haha!

My last threadmill record (2006) in the gym back home: I ran 10.7km in 65minutes non-stop. Hehe.. and i burnt only 813 calories. Porbably burn more in Bodycombat. Huhu.. i miss my gym.. =(

My Yummy Fastelavnsboller

What's Fastelavnsboller anyway? Hmm...

'Fastelavn is an extremely old traditional Danish carnival custom.

In earlier days Fastelavn marked the beginning of a period of fasting. It was the day when you prepared yourself for fasting (Lent) by eating as much as possible. Fastelavn also meant having a lot of fun - playing games, dressing up and partying.

While many of the customs have survived, most people no longer fast on Fastelavn, however children still wear costumes and play the traditional Fastelavn games. One of these is the so-called "beating of the barrel" or "knocking the cat out of the barrel" game. In medievil times this game was taken very seriously - a live cat would be placed in a barrel, and the barrel was beaten with sticks until it broke and the cat escaped. It was then chased out of the town, and people believed that it would take the collective bad luck and evil spirits of the town with it.

Fastelavn buns (Fastelavnsboller) are a popular seasonal treat. Made from pastry dough and decorated with icing, they can be found in virtually any bakery or konditori at this time of year. In the traditional Fastelavn song (which every Danish child knows by heart), young rascals demand the famous buns from their neighbours, sweetly threatening to "make trouble".

Another Fastelavn activity is going from door to door in the neighborhood singing and then collecting candy or money - very similar to the American tradition of "trick or treating" on Halloween.' Read More at Copenhagen Post...

Look what I found in the supermarket the other day??

Lingham's Chilli Sauce!

Made in Malaysia... I bought another bottle...

Oh.. and i received a package from USA. It was from Smugmug. They gave me a free neckstrap for my DSLR camera. The strap quality is good and hangs comfortably over my neck. Best of all, it was FREE! that's also because i have them host my gallery.

Click HERE if you want to see my gallery. Have not uploaded my UK photos from the recent trip yet, but i will when i find the time... promise

My Smugmug Strap

Mum's birthday fell on the 1st this month. Happy Birthday mum. =)

My Model Airplanes

2008-01-20T16:14:00.000+01:00

My model planes

Scale: 1:200

Airbus A380 - The largest passenger aircraft to-date

Emirates A380-800

Limited Edition Emirates Airbus A380-800 Germany World Cup 2006

Limited Edition Blue Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200

Limited Edition Red Malaysia Airlines Boeing 747

Having a chat

New member to the family..

KUL - BKK - CPH - AAL

2008-01-13T17:10:00.000+01:00

Time to head back to Denmark. From Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok to Copenhagen and lastly Aalborg. Total travel duration is about 24 hours (one day).

Thai Air.. though i have SAS tag on my luggage

Surprizingly the aircraft was empty, i mean... REALLY empty! The captain of the plane asked the cabin crew to help move the passengers around to cover the empty seats in order to balance the plane.

Ahh.. i can stretch out to the other 2 empty seats

There was a monk who sat infront of me.

Monk + Apple iPhone

This monk is cool.

While waiting for my next transit flight in Suvarnabhumi Airport Bangkok, i treated myself with ice-cream at The Cream & Fudge Factory.

Chocolate Truffle Sensation

Click HERE to taste the ice-cream.

At CPH, again i had to wait for my next transit flight. It was about 6+ in the morning so i went to Diners Club Lounge to have a bite and rest a little bit. Coincidently i met two of my colleagues at the lounge, Anders Larsen & Anders Bruhn from the office, who were on their way to Russia.

Bread, cheese & tomatoe juice with English paper

Tommy Hilfiger wallet from my sweetheart...xoxo

Last Few Days

2008-01-12T22:01:00.000+01:00

The last few days that i have in KL..

My Cupid Voodoo Doll

On the 5th, we went to No Black Tie in KL for Latin Jazz... A cosy place to hang out with good music.

J&K

Jen's Big Apple

My Birthday, Christmas, New Year & Chinese New Year treat for..... myself =)

My Black Megabounce 2008 Plus

Nikon AF-S 12-24mm f/4

Canon Powershot G9

BakKutTeh & Steamboat

2008-01-10T23:13:00.000+01:00

10th January 2008

It was a public holiday in Malaysia as the Muslims celebrate the Awal Muharram a.k.a Islamic New Year. Therefore, majority of the people were not at work. Some took the advantage to stay in bed till noon.

As for the few of us, we woke up early in the morning for....肉骨茶

Breakfast!! I woke up at about 5+ in the morning. After taking a quick shower, I picked Jen up and we met up with the rest at the Batu Tiga Toll on Federal Highway. We were heading to Klang for the all too famous, Bak Kut Teh (literally translates as Pork Bone Tea in english). There were Wong, Chris, Seong, Melvin & AG.

'...consists of meaty pork ribs in a complex broth of herbs and spices (including star anise, cinnamon, cloves, dang gui and garlic), boiled together with pork bones for hours. However, additional ingredients may include offal, varieties of mushroom, lettuce, and pieces of dried tofu. Light and dark soy sauce are also added to the soup during cooking.'

'Bak kut teh is usually eaten with rice together with Chinese tea. It was believed that the tea dilutes or dissolves the copious amount of fat consumed in this pork-laden dish. Bak kut teh is typically a famous morning meal.'
Read More...

'According to the most plausible version of the story, Bak Kut Teh was invented by a gentleman from Quanzhou of the Fujian province in China. The secret recipe was passed to a friend who later went to Klang and became the first person to commercialise and sell Bak Kut Teh. The dish went on to become a famous dish and was copied and improved many times over. So according to this version the Hokkiens were the inventors of the dish.'
Read More...

After a hearty meal, everyone headed home to sleep. Not for Jen and me though. We drove back to SJ for another round of Dim Sum (點心). Read More...

Siew Mai (pork) & Har Kao (prawn).. my favourite

At about half past 6 in the evening, it was food again... this time, Steamboat dinner. Steamboat is popular in China, Korean, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong & Malaysia.

Yuen Steamboat Buffet at Sunway Mentari

Eat all you can! from meat, seafood, vegetables to desserts and ice creams..

Melvin & Chris were waiting for the chicken wings while Suen fetched her favourite food. Claudia finally won the chicken wing war (thumbs up) and Geo was carrying his prawns.

Help yourselves..

Nevertheless, it was great having to sit around together for a good warm meal.

Wait a minute....... du du du, coconut spotted! Giant 'tung ku' (mushroom) hehe with the earrings and .... ok, that's enough

>.<

FOoOODddd

2008-01-09T21:55:00.000+01:00

The food that i had this month...

Carl's Jr. at Sunway Pyramid

Burger + Chilli Cheese Fries.. my favourite

Started out in Los Angeles 1941, the young Carl N. Karcher and his wife, Margaret, purchased a hot dog cart with $311 that they have borrowed and $15 from their savings. From then on, there is no turning back.

Click HERE for a bite of Carl's Jr Charbroiled Burgers

La Bodega at Pavilion Bukit Bintang, KL...

We went to the famous Restaurant Kin Kin near Chow Kit, KL for this..

Famous Lat Chiu Pan Mee (a.k.a. Chilli Pan Mee)

It's really spicy i have to tell you. Do not ever try to be a hero here because you will suffer later in the WC =P

Click HERE to get to Kin Kin.

Next, to Jalan Sultan behind Petaling Street (a.k.a. Chinatown KL)

MAP to Jalan Sultan, KL.

Nga Pou Lou Shu Fun & Lala

The 'IN' donuts now..J.CO donuts from Indonesia... i wonder why there were so many people at the queue

No more... only these left for us

Click HERE for a taste of the donuts.

Kota Kinabalu Part II

2008-01-08T22:49:00.000+01:00

You were not in Kota Kinabalu if you did not have seafood.

Garden Seafood Restaurant.. probably the closest one

Fresh Chillies, Sweet & Sour Prawn with pineapple, Egg Crabs & Tiger Beer

Just makes me hungry. And the food here are not too expensive as compared to Kuala Lumpur.

I was in town earlier for short sight-seeing. Sabah, Malaysia is close to the philipines, therefore there were many filipinos here...

Rowing to the jetty

Young kids trying to show-off their diving skills to me

The Central Market

Lots of decos you can get

Man selling sea cucumbers

More sea cucumbers... some with a high pricetag!

Hmm.. i don't support killing of sharks and whales, oh well...

Sharks' fins

More food stuffs to buy

Next i headed to the fish market, further down the street..

Fresh large prawns from the fishermen

Closing up for the day...

Fresh vegetables everday

Anything that you may need is here

Oh.. including the King fruit: Durian

This froggie was going to the pot next.... poor froggie

Click HERE to Visit Sabah now!

Kota Kinabalu, Sabah Malaysia

2008-01-07T23:59:00.000+01:00

7th January 2008
Sabah, Borneo Malaysia

Took a noon flight with Malaysia Airlines from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) to Kota Kinabalu. Though Sabah is part of Malaysia, it was considered an international flight to me. The journey took about 2 hours or so. I, myself is a Malaysian Citizen, and I was only allowed to stay in Sabah for a period of 3 months. Weird, but yes.. that's the way it is.

"Sabah's population is heterogeneous and culturally diverse, with more than 30 different ethnic races and over 80 local dialects spoken.... Well known as the Land Below The Wind and also Land Of The Sacred Mountain, Sabah is a land of varied landscapes and natural wonders."
Read More...

Beside Kota Kinabalu, you might want to visit Semporna near Tawau. The best islands and diving retreats are all here... The famous one would be Sipadan. I would love to go to Mataking Island (east of Sabah) one day...

For mountain hiking lovers, you might want to climb the Mount Kinabalu.

'Mount Kinabalu (a.k.a. Gunung Kinabalu) is a prominent mountain in Southeast Asia. It is located in Kinabalu National Park (a World Heritage Site) in the east Malaysian state of Sabah, which is on the island of Borneo in the tropics.'
Read more...

Click HERE to see where Sabah, Malaysia is.

The view from the airplane

The Malaysia Airlines in-flight meal - not bad

You can say it was my first time here (again) - because i could not remember a single bit the last time i was here, when i was a baby. Ah! i had an accident here back then and i have to undergo surgery.... i think.

Anyway, we checked into Shangri-La's Tanjung Aru Resort & Spa, Kota Kinabalu. It is a beautiful and exclusive resort hotel. If you are in Kota Kinabalu and you need a place to relax, this will be a good choice. Unfortunately I was in KK for only a night, therefore i could not see or do much.

Click HERE for more information and pictures of the resort.

Greetings... Welcome to Shangri-La's

Comfortable cosy bedroom + bathroom

When you walk out from your room...

The mini beach

Enjoy a glass of cocktail at the Sunset Bar

Soothing isn't it?

If you plan to take a dip... just a precaution, incase

I like this.. this is mine!! hahaha...

Resort at night..

Visit Malaysia 2008! Haha... now i feel like going home for summer holiday.

Gathering in SJ

2008-01-07T03:30:00.000+01:00

5th January 2008
Restaurant Jo, SS15

Aaron, Justin, Hingz, Kim & Keith

CK, Cynthia & Eva

The group shot

6th January 2008
Asia Cafe, SS15 Subang Jaya

Smiley

Asia Cafe

All 4 One

Christmas In KL

2008-01-07T03:26:00.000+01:00

25th December 2007
Glædelig Jul!

For this year's Christmas, my family and i went to dine at Manhattan Fish Market. It was a lovely meal, sitting down together.

Lobster

24th December 2007
Christmas Eve

The plane touched down at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in the evening of Christmas Eve. I got home for a quick shower before heading out again. This time to PARTYyyy! I was quite tired actually and not feeling too well.

London Part IV: Goodbye

2008-01-06T21:55:00.000+01:00

Pictures first, words later...

Last meal in London - Uncle Geoff's Lamb Shank

Also see:

London Part I

London Part II

London Part III

London Part III

2008-01-05T17:51:00.000+01:00

Pictures first, words later...

Also see:

London Part I

London Part II

London Part IV

Manchester Part IV: Goodbye

2008-01-04T21:50:00.000+01:00

Pictures first, words later...

Manchester Part III

2008-01-04T19:10:00.000+01:00

Pictures first, words later...

Manchester Part II: Old Trafford

2008-01-04T18:35:00.000+01:00

Pictures first, words later...

Manchester Part I

2008-01-03T14:04:00.000+01:00

Pictures first, words later...

Zoey, Carmen, Jason & Kim @ Tuscany House

Kim's Thai Food.. hehehe

Manchester Town Hall with giant Santa

London Part II

2008-01-02T20:47:00.000+01:00

Pictures first, words later...

Also see:

London Part I

London Part III

London Part IV

London Part I: First Day

2008-01-01T23:55:00.000+01:00

19th December 2007

I travelled about 1.5 hours from Thisted to Aalborg to catch my morning flight to Copenhagen. The flight took about 45minutes. At Copenhagen airport, i had to wait for another 2-3 hours for my next transit flight to London. There were some delay when i was in the aircraft due to some problems with the aircraft radio. The pilot had it replaced soon after.

LONDON! Back after 15 years... The last time I was here - during summer in 1992.

Touched down at London Heathrow in the evening. David, my cousin came to the airport to welcome me. From Heathrow Airport, we took the tube to Leicester Square (on the Piccadilly Line). At Leicester, we changed to the Northern Line and headed to Belsize Park. We were going to the Royal Free Hospital to visit our grandma. At the hospital, i met my Uncle Geoffrey, Aunt Dorothy and cousin Daniel. Grandma was fine, she looked healthy and happy - telling us lots of stories too.

Later that evening, we have some spicy Indian crusine at a restaurant near the Wembley Stadium. Uncle and aunt were kind to have me stay a night at their home at Kingsbury. The next morning Daniel and David (my cousins) brought me to Central London. We took the tube to Leicester Square. The Chinatown is within walking distance from the station. It was about noon. We had some food chinese 'dim sum' and bought some egg tarts too. We had a short walk around Leicester Square before taking the tube to Westminster.

Daniel had to leave for his class, so David was my tour guide on that day.

London's Trademark - The Red Double Decker Bus

As you come out from Westminster Station, you can see the House of Parliament and Big Ben (St. Stephen's Tower) opposite the station. We turned left and headed straight towards River Thames. We crossed the Westminster Bridge over the river - to the other side where they have the Marriot Hotel County Hall, London Aquarium, Namco Museum and British Airways London Eye. The Waterloo Railway Station is nearby too.

Click HERE to see satellite images of the area.

David and me took a round trip at the BA London Eye since he had yet to be in it too. It could be amazing if the weather was clear and sunny. Nevertheless, it was still an exceptional experience. Be alert of the signs in the capsule indicating where the camera will be. Take your position, stand cool and just smile... you will have something like below:

A souvenir from BA London Eye in December 2007 - My cousin David and me

I didnt have much photos from the top, here's one to share.

The Hungerford Bridge (front) and Waterloo Bridge (back). Royal Festival Hall is on the right, the one with the light green roof.

The London Eye is way bigger than the one in Manchester, and alot bigger than the one in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A round trip took about 30minutes or so, couldnt remember exactly.

At the bottom, there were many people at the river bank. Some stalls were being set up too.

London's Pure White Pair Angels

Next we headed back to the House of Parliament, to the Westminster Abbey.

'The Collegiate Church of St Peter a.k.a. Westminster Abbey, is a large Gothic church who served as a cathedral from 1546 - 1556. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English monarchs.'
Read More...

Click HERE for some cool pictures, or go to their own webpage at westminster-abbey.org.

The North Entrance of Westminster Abbey

The interior of the Abbey is simply spectacular. I had a very interesting tour from my cousin David because he is very familiar with the place and the history. He goes to the Royal College of St Peter (Westminster School) with a history stretching back beyond the 12th century. Read More...

Take a Virtual Tour of the Westminster School.

The Horse Guards Building and Horse Guards Parade

'Horse Guards is a large building in the Palladian style between Whitehall and Horse Guards Parade in London, England. It was built between 1751-1753 by John Vardy to a design by William Kent.

The building was the headquarters of the British Army's general staff and served as the offices of the Commander-in-Chief of the British Army until the post was abolished in 1904. Horse Guards subsequently became the headquarters of two major Army commands: the London District and the Household Cavalry.'

Read more on the Horse Guards HERE and HERE.

Next, we passed by The Admiralty Citidel and walked along The Mall.

'The Mall was created as a ceremonial route in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, matching the creation of similar ceremonial routes in other cities, such as Washington, D.C., Paris, Berlin, Mexico City, Vienna, St. Petersburg and Oslo. These routes were intended to be used for major national ceremonies in the era of the nation state.'

Buckingham Palace

'Buckingham Palace is the official London residence of the British monarch. The palace is a setting for state occasions and royal entertaining, and a major tourist attraction. Buckingham Palace became the official royal palace of the British monarch on the accession of Queen Victoria in 1837.

In front of the main gates at Buckingham Palace is the erected Victoria Memorial which was created by sculptor Sir Thomas Brock in 1911.'

More stories about Buckingham Palace HERE.

Also more on British Monarchy here.

St. James's Park

'St James's Park is the oldest of the Royal Parks of London. The park is 23 hectares (58 acres) in size. The park has a small lake, St James's Park Lake, with two islands, Duck Island (named for the lake's collection of waterfowl), and West Island.'

Follow my adventure at:

London Part II

London Part III

London Part IV

Birthday In Denmark

2007-12-19T05:00:00.001+01:00

10th December
I spent my first birthday away from home.

I had a Dannebrog (Danish flag) placed on my workdesk by the other colleague to show that it was my birthday. I received a box of mini-snapse from Adam, Joan and Raven too as a gift.

The name plate 'KIM' - i bought it from Tivoli in Copenhagen

I gave Wienerbrød cakes to everyone in the office, oh and that's the mini-snapse gift

In the evening, Bjarne and his wife Susanne invited me over to their place to have dinner. Susanne cooked her delicious salmon dish (my favourite) together with springrolls and some vegetables. We had rice too.

Bjarne taking the salmon out from the oven

It was very kind of them to celebrate my birthday with me. Thank you =)
They gave me a reflective vest for safety too, knowing i always cycle to work.

On the 14th December, the company had a small private christmas party in the office canteen. There were probably about 30+ colleagues who came. Beers were.. ahem.. drink all you can! Same goes for wine and snapse.

Glædelig Jul!

19th December 2007
I'm going to catch my plane from Aalborg to Copenhagen and then transit to London later. See you!!

Pre-Jul Dinner

2007-12-08T22:34:00.000+01:00

Christmas is near. Susanne's parents invited me over for dinner at their place. Anders picked me up and we headed to Vilsund to meet up with Susanne and her parents. Firstly, susanne's dad offered me christmas beer brewed by the local brew house. The taste was slightly different indeed as compared to the commercial beers.

Next, the men were given the task to hammer the crabs. It wasn't perfect, but it was fun... with a beer beside you =)

Cooked pollack fish served with potatoes and broccoli salad + meat

At this side of the table

On the other side

Some grapes, cheese and crackers for dessert...

Julefnug - Local 'Christmas Snowflake' beer

Two days ago I was invited to a local school in Hurup to give talks (permission granted by my boss) to the 8th grade students. I took an early train to the other town. I was told they have a total of about 500 students in the school. I didn't have much resources for presentation, so I delivered my speech based on my personal experience and knowledge.

The first question that I received was from a boy. His question was "What is your favourite football team?" Haha... oh well, an introduction i guess. It went well I supposed. I hope I'd helped to promote Malaysia a little bit to the people in Denmark. Not many knew where Malaysia was and the easiest way to describe to them was by saying: 'the country sandwiched between Singapore and Thailand'.

I took a half-day off from work to go to Hurup. After the talk in the school, i took the train back to Thisted and went to the office again. Before that i dropped by to collect my bicycle at the workshop. I had the front tyre replaced and the front brakes repaired... The total bill came up to DKK600.

Hm.. bike tyre replacement used to only cost me RM 20 in Malaysia.

My Dansk Class

2007-12-03T22:19:00.000+01:00

We read this book in our danish class this evening. Don't know why, but we were giggling a little while reading 'em. The illustrations were funny and cute at the same time; The words too. Some of us were tongue tied.

Donkey says Hee Hee Hee

Mr. Canon says KaBoOomm

Fluffy Lady Whacking Sausages

Santa kidnapped A Granny

That just made the class more fun and relaxed. We classmates got along pretty well in the class, and both our teachers were very nice too. I am the youngest (as usual), while the oldest being 61 years old i think??

December 2007

2007-12-02T23:03:00.000+01:00

December... what does it remind you of?

Santa brings no present this year, only a hand full of beers.

Ho Ho Ho... =)

Street Performers at Strøget

2007-12-01T23:48:00.000+01:00

December is here! I always love this time of the year.

Anyway, I shot these while i was exploring the streets in København.

I missed the previous Copenhagen Jazz Festival. The last event was held from the 6th to 15th of July 2007. The next one will be held on the 4th till 13th of July 2008.

Read More...

World Press Photo 2007 Copenhagen

2007-11-29T01:43:00.001+01:00

World Press Photo 07 in Copenhagen, Denmark

World Press Photo, founded in 1955, is an independent, non-profit organization with offices in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, and is known for organizing the world's largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest.

The awards ceremony is held in the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam. After the contest, the prizewinning photographs are assembled into a traveling exhibition that is visited by over a million people in 40 countries.

While walking back to the hotel along the dark quiet street, i stumbled upon a giant poster. The World Press Photo 07 exhibition. I mean, what a coincidence?! Without much thought, I went in and paid for my ticket (DKK60). It was raining and cold outside anyway. There were a number of public visitors as well. Many took the time to appreciate the photos and read the captions.

The Exibition

With good lightings too

War and clashes

Humanitarian

I am deeply moved by this photo

I tried to put the caption beside it so that you can read as well.

Some of the images in black & white

And some images that you might have seen in the news

In 2007, a total of 4,460 professional photographers from 124 countries entered 78,083 images in the competition. The international jury selected a color image of the US photographer Spencer Platt of Getty Images as World Press Photo of the Year 2006. The picture shows a group of young Lebanese driving through a South Beirut neighborhood devastated by Israeli bombings. The picture was taken on 15 August 2006, the first day of the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah when thousands of Lebanese started returning to their homes.

Visit World Press Photo now.

Christmas In Nyhavn

2007-11-28T23:00:00.000+01:00

Christmas In Nyhavn, Copenhagen

From 16th November - 22nd December, the spirit of Christmas comes to life in Nyhavn.

Nyhavn (The New Harbour) began as a busy trading harbour in 1673. It was built by King Christian V in the 1670s. The oldest building still standing is from 1681, at No.9 ; Danish fairytales author Hans Christian Andersen used to live in Nyhavn for some years.

Today, old sailing vessels and the Harbor Canal Tour boats are the only boats observed, contributing to the unique atmosphere in Nyhavn. Starting from an old anchor at Kongens Nytorv, the street is lined with many small bars and restaurants facing out to a picturesque harbor. While not extremely expensive, the restaurants are not cheap.

The life at the harbour area was once dominated by seamen, public houses, girls and parties.

Nyhavn by Night

Christmas In Nyhavn

No.17

Nice ambience

Bars at the basement

Many Santas

Even more santas

In Denmark, the concept 'Hygge' is adapted into their everyday lives - It means to relax, have fun, enjoy the weather, and get comfortable (cosy mood).

Link:
Nyhavn.com

Shopping In Copenhagen

2007-11-28T21:23:00.000+01:00

Shopping In Copenhagen

Most of the shops, boutiques and stores are located along the Pedestrian Streets. From Frederiksberggade to Nygade to Amagertorv to Østergade to Lille Kongensgade. There were just so many things to see... =)

Illum Department Store - feat. Burberry

Magasin

Gucci in Black & White

Louis Vuitton

Marlboro Classics

Hermes

Need some Souvenirs?

Small passages leading to hidden shops

Georg Jensen

Illum Bolighus (Royal Copenhagen is 2nd to the left of Illum Bolighus)

Bodum

Many other boutiques which i did not mention, including Zara and Mango.

Links:
Illum Bolighus
Royal Copenhagen
Geog Jensen
Louis Vuitton
Burberry
Gucci
Hermes
Illum
Magasin