Football and Parties Go Hand In Hand...

Last Sunday was the finals of the World Cup and unless you were in a coma or just living under one huge coconut shell, you'd definitely know about it. The main question was not who will win, cos well, some octopus already gave us the answer to that, but where to watch this global event. Somehow, watching the finals on your laptop isn't good enough...


Where were you watching the finals?...

So thanks to Aaron's persistence, the both of us plus our 'driver' Andy manage to get VIP passes to a street party @ Bangsar. Where exactly is it you might ask? Well, they closed down 1 whole street just for it a few rows behind the McD's, so if you were somehow in that area, you'd know for sure. Oh another crucial decision to go here instead of any other mamak was that for VIP pass holders, there were free flow drinks!! Don't need a second invitation there...


Hot girls serving us cold beers... wonder which tastes nicer...

We reached there around 8 and the first thing we noticed was, boy the line getting in is long (it almost stretched to the main road outside!). Luckily the friend had 'lubang' for getting us the passes so we didn't have to queue with the rest. Wah, already felt like a VIP... There were a lot of things going on there: face paintings, games, performances, etc. but the first stop for us was the VIP area where the drinks were served.


Shakira certainly got tanned on her trip to Africa...

Though once we were there, we soon realized that there were a LOT of VIPs as the area was jam packed and getting in line for drinks took way too long for supposedly VIP area only. They did serve Carlsberg from the can (good to know it ain't watered down) and Barcadi with Coke or Ginger Ale. I manage to make friends with the bartender and got him to triple up (at least) the amount of Barcadi we had in our drinks! Now that's good bar-tending!


Some of the games there, someone went home with a Lotus Elise...

Oh, surprisingly there were quite a number of friends that I didn't know liked football showed up at the party... I suppose you can't hide from a good party eh? Manage to grab a bite at a nearby mamak before making our rounds at the drinks area again. Mind you it was way before midnite at that time. How we were gonna stay sober for the match was a big question at that moment.


Always wanted to have my face painted...

Well, luckily there were people dancing on the streets like it was in a club so we joined in and worked out some sweats... haha, never sweated like this before a match before... So by around 2am everyone started to quiet down and gather round the several big screens that were erected for the very purpose. Most of them manage to find a seat but I had to stand for the match cos some dude behind me puked on the floor -.-'. Luckily din kena me..


Saying the street was jam packed is an understatement...

So as the national anthems rang and the match got started, we all know what happened in the end thanks to heroics from San Iker and Don Andreas. I have to say, there were questionable decisions but it wasn't as bad as a disallowed goal that would totally ruin the spectacle and in the end, the best and deserving team won. I might have lost the bet to batman, but I think the bragging and taunting rights were worth way way more than that (at least for the next 2 years!).


Everyone was ready for the big match...

So the 1 month of sleepless nights, noisy good for nothing vuvuzelas, listening and reading on Facebook about 'fans' who come out once every 4 years rambling about the games, blaming/worshipping of a mollusk that 'predicts' results is over. And thank *insert object of worship here* for that. Now we can get back to some regular football programming after another month of well deserved rest. Let the transfer rumour mill begin!


Congratulations to La Furia Roja...

This was the first time I supported a country from start to end with passion and luckily they won. The World Cup for me can be summed into some simple words : Vuvuzelas, Jabulani, horrible officials, upsets and SPAIN!! Wanted to write this post entirely in Spanish as a tribute to the winning team but my Spanish is as limited as my Hainanese :P...

Slash-ing The Ninja...

As mentioned in the last post, this is a continuation of a 2 part eventful day for me... well 3 but I don't want to talk about the penalty shoot-out contest organized by The Star which me and Batman took part but totally sucked at.


Guess who's going to see Slash...

Anyways, DonN and me went to Tropicana Mall to buy Slash tickets for his show/gig/concert in August. Who is Slash? Well, if you for some unexplainable reason don't know who this one time member of Guns 'n Roses is, go shoot urself... or better yet, go Wiki la... The term 'guitar god' rightfully suits this guy and he's probably the only person cool enough to pull of a top hat look. Oh he's in town to promote his new album which really rocks as well as playing some tunes from his Gn'R days. Can't wait...


One creative menu... wonder how big is the boss...

Well before we bought the tickets, DonN introduced a pork burger to me with a rather intriguing name... Its called, and I kid you not, Ninja Joe's Pork Burger. Now the first thing that came into my mind wasn't the name of the joint but the fact that there is actually a pork burger joint in a mall (I'm sure you catch my drift as to why). Anyways, what's even more interesting is the menu they have. Really cracked me open with laughter weh.


The ninja hut...

Ninja Joe is not what I would call a gourmet burger but at RM5.50 a ninja, it isn't exactly cheap like those burgers outside 7E. Since it is a pork burger, I was all too keen to try it. It actually is really a pretty simple burger with the size slightly bigger than the failed Colonel Burger @ KFC with just lettuce, a slice of tomato, the pork patty and a sauce of your choice. Guess its to go with the whole ninja thing of being light and minimal.


Sometimes, less really is more...

The verdict? Probably the best burger under 10 bucks for me. The meat was juicy and packed with flavour and they used a sweet bun and it matched rather well. I have to say, it is even better than a McChicken and a Fillet o' Fish. So if you happen to find yourself in Tropicana Mall, do try this burger... Won't regret wan I promise!

Of Food and Football...

What a weekend it was! Germany totally smashing Aregentina to bits to the tune of Don't Cry For Me Argentina while Spain barely made it through in the match where there were 2 saved penalties in the space of less than 10 mins apart... Literally from joy to heartache to joy again when Villa scored... Prior to that, DonN and me decided to finally check out Jarrod & Rawlins after ages of talking bout going there. Again, batman was missing cos his parents came up, though that wouldn't be his initial excuse...


Quite literally a stones' throw away from HELP College...

Anyways, getting there might be a problem for those who aren't familiar with the area but luckily for us, it was situated literally across the street from my college! I knew it was near by, but I didn't know it was THIS near... though I don't think I can afford to come here for lunch every now and again la...


Not often you see a restaurant with their own deli inside...

Its one of those places where they converted a 3 story house (there seems to be a lot of those in this area) to a restaurant a bar area, a proper dining area, a garden area and even its own deli! I was really impressed by their selection of processed meats. Next time wanna do BBQ in KL, this is the place to get fresh produce!


These little piggies didn't get to go home...

The main reason we wanted to come to this place was because they served Guinness infused dishes which have gotten some pretty rave reviews from some sites I've visited. Usually I don't like to drink the stout (esp when not ice cold) but I'm eager to try how well it goes in food. And I've read that they had very good Pigs in a Blanket which is actually sausages wrapped in bacon, so we decided to have that for appetizers. Sadly though, it didn't come out as nice as I was hoping for. It was nice and tasty but I expected much more from this dish... Maybe expected too much already? Probably if they'd use some prosciutto or Parma ham, it would've rocked more!


In this context, 'lovely piece of meat' is acceptable...

DonN ordered a Guinness Steak Pie @ RM29++ while I got a Guinness glazed rib eye steak @ RM38++ which I think is rather reasonable since its usually 50++ else where. It took awhile for our dishes to come though. But the wait was well worth it as my steak was cook to perfection though it was already kinda cold to my liking =/. However, it was still tasty and I could taste the Guinness in the sauce, it gives a kinda bitter after taste that goes rather well with the dish. Portion wise, it was just nice as after having that and the starter, I was pretty full.


Comfort food for me...

DonN's pie was good as well... the meat was very tender and juicy though I couldn't get much of the Guinness flavour but it surely is worth the try. Though it's not that different than the pie my mom makes, which for those lucky enough to eat my mom's cooking, knows its a compliment! At first he didn't think it was enough for him but by the time he finished it with a healthy helping of mash potatoes, he humbly retracted his words and said he was 'damn full'.


A few more ageing steps and this will be apple cider vinegar...

And what better way to accompany a hearty meal than a nice glass of beer... In this case, Strongbow Cider. First time trying cider, to me it really tasted like a very unsweetened version of Zapple but I like it a lot! Easy to go down and not bitter !! No wonder Sanctuary wasn't having this as part of their buy 1 free 2 promo, else I'd drink this all night long! Next time I come here (maybe for lunch) I wanna try their burgers which are said (again) to be damn chun...

Later that night, we went to a bar in Bangsar call The SmokeHouse to watch the game. Their happy hour rates were quite good, RM50 for 4 pints of Carlsberg! Oh that day was also when I spent a heck of a lot of cash... Frightened me sial... And DonN intro-ed me to Ninja Joe's Pork Burger ... More on that next time...

Of Acoustics and Sound...

Now that the World Cup is taking a couple of days off, I finally have time to blog... I've always been a huge fan of acoustic versions of songs. I'm sure you know what I'm talking bout here right... none of the sounds from pickups, electric beats, amps, effects, synthesized sounds, etc. Just an alternate version usually consisting of just acoustic guitars, some light percussions, a piano maybe, though the bass might be the only one plugged in... though there are some who use acoustic bass...

I consider acoustic songs the 'stripped down to the bare bones' version of a song. To me, if an artist can pull of an acoustic version of their song, they have my utmost respect as a true songwriter/singer (not like they need it lah). It really shows they have talent and aren't merely depending on post production to make them sound good... Don't see people like beiber or jonas bros or miley or those pop bands (a,k,j) doing this...

(Below are some videos of acoustic versions of the songs in case some of you might wanna listen... I really hope you do!)

The bigger the difference in sound, the more awesome it gets. And sometimes, it even sounds better than the original version! For example a dance/disco number going all acoustic... say Lady Gaga's Paparazzi:



Sometimes, this version of the song makes it even more soulful to listen... you get to hear and at times feel (?) every word in the song... To me, it gives more meaning to the song. There are usually some changes in the song like it being shorter or not many high notes in the original, but it really works...



Other times, it makes a song that doesn't really sound good in its original version pretty good... Case: Avril Lavigne's Girlfriend... oh at the end, there's another song which is just as good as the original imho



And then there are those where all the song needs is a singer and a guitar to make it beautiful... in this case a ukulele... don't mind the video k..



Then there are artists who take it a step further by recording an album worth of acoustic versions of their songs, make a whole tour out of it and simply blows the crowd away...



As you can see, I'm a bit the crazy bout acoustic songs... and there are other songs but I don't want to bore ya'll... I think almost a lot of the songs I have consists of an original and an acoustic version... Oh, it does make playing the song myself much easier as well... haha..

And nowadays, with YouTube around, there are many acoustic versions of songs being sung by semi-pros and everyday people out there to be seen and heard. After checking out a few, I have to say, some are really really good! But I'll leave that for another day...