"Sideshow 12' Darth Maul!"

Sideshow's 12" Darth Maul figure is here! Actually I bought it in early Jan, but didn't have the time to go snap photos of it... :P

*Looking menacing in the Sith robe*

*Clashing with Qui-Gon Jinn in Tatooine*

*BELOW: DM igniting his deadly dual-bladed lightsaber...



*... and prepares to clash with Qui-Gon in the Battle of Theed!*

Darth Maul costs RM249.90 (I got 10% discount, so it comes up to RM224.91)... There is another Inclusive Edition, which includes Darth Maul's damaged lightsaber (when Obi-Wan slices off it into two) and that retails at RM349.90!!!

"Pain... terrible pain!"

Finally gave up and went to see the dentist on Monday morning. For the past few days I had been feeling pains in the gums. A quick check at the mirror and I saw (to my horror) that the lower right wisdom tooth was growing... and it seems there was not enough place for it to fully grow!

I had a similar problem back in '02 with my lower left wisdom tooth... The tooth caused heavy swelling on the gums, until a point where it was very painful to even swallow anything. And then there are bouts of fever and headaches.

The solution -- surgery! Oh shit... The last surgery was a total nightmare. First they inject the anaesthetic into your gum.. yes, ur gums! Then they used a knife to cut open the gums and use a pliers to pull out the tooth. Not very fun, that's for sure.

This time, this doctor said, "Dun worry, my techniques is different.. no cutting. it's called elevation. Now relax..." Yeah, right... no pain, huh.. Well, it was true.. No pain, after injecting the anaesthatic, u feel numb alrdy. But the pliers where still present :'( I dare not open my eyes then, but after awhile, she showed me the tooth. Hey, that wasn't so bad! Elevation technique, eh.

However, after the extraction, the bacteria and germs in that area flared up, so I was knocked out with fever for the next few days... sigh... My gf said so nice, get to sleep at home. For me, I'd rather go to the office anytime!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wisdom_tooth

"KLCC"

After Putrajaya, we drove to the next destination in our 2 days 'holiday' - the Petronas Twin Towers! Yeah, kinda like promoting Visit Malaysia 2007, eh?:P
Anyway, the last time I took photos there was like in 1999, using the old film camera. One thing that frustrated me the most then was that the camera wasn't able to capture night shots... All turned out black... :( So this time, lets see how my Sony fares.............;)

Time was about 7pm. There was the fountain water show going on... There's also a weird whale statue somewhere nearby :-S wonder what it's doing there... And a shot of Suria KLCC... Hmm... I remembered that the Suria logo used to be lighted up...

The compulsory Twin Towers backdrop shot;) As well as the 3-tower (together with the Maxis Tower) shot! Had to practically sit on the floor to catch that one...

And finally, to end the 8 year wait.... the real night shot!

My Sony made me proud! I now have the 'crystal-towers-with-a-black sky background' shot!

After that was time to go back. And for a little shock...

RM11.00 for the carpark!!!!!!!!! Ouch.... My sis told me to park in KL Convention Centre... got flat rate of RM5 per day. But I think I must have gotten into the wrong one... also I sort of remembered Karam telling me to park at the Lembaga Getah Malaysia building (also flat rate)... but I only found it when I was leaving KLCC :'( Arghhhh....... Oh well, that's for the next time I guess!

"Putrajaya"

Went to Putrajaya during the one-week break. "Putrajaya?! Why Putrajaya la??" Err...because it is our country's administrative centre? Haha...actually, I heard a lot about the fantastic buildings that have been constructed there, inspired by Islamic architecture.

The first place that we went is the most iconic building of Putrajaya. It is the Prime Minister's office. Chances are, you'd have seen it on the papers and TV.

Putrajaya Mosque. It was Friday prayers' time. So the square is empty...

A few more views around the place... Look out for the unique bridge in the background ;) Putrajaya has quite a few of them!
Flags in the main garden. Got a fountain there as well...

Another iconic place, the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC). According to my sis, the building looks like a UFO that has just landed! :P


More pictures, of the road leading to PICC, the amazing number of flags there, a funky bridge in the making and an odd-looking lamp post!

And here are several other interesting buildings that can be seen along the way. Some are already occupied by the Ministries, some still under construction...

And finally, on the way out, caught a glimpse of this pic:
Just like in the newspapers! :D Although it was freakin hot that day, (reached there at 12pm), I think Putrajaya is worth a visit. At least once... ;)

"Melaka things"

Visit Malaysia 2007! :D Hehe...here are some pics taken in Melaka ;)

Continuing the Christmas fever... the decorations in Mahkota Parade. The center snowman can move;)

Laksa... yum, yum... (btw, nothing was left after we were done with it:P)

Ais kacang... the dark brown 'coloring' is the gula melaka... super sweet but u jz gotta taste it! ;)

Melaka's newest shopping mall, Dataran Pahlawan, just opposite Mahkota Parade.

Inside there is this fantastic 'monument', a sort-of rectangular fountain depicting historical events in Melaka.

Another angle...

And another angle... All angles have different pictures... Outside Dataran Pahlawan... and a trip down history...

During construction of Dataran Pahlawan, workers unearthed the remains of the Santiago Bastion!

(What is a bastion? It is a small tower at the end of a curtain wall or in the middle of the outside wall)

The structure is part of the famous Malacca Fort. The gate, Porta de Santiago, was thought to have been the only surviving structure... until now!

This is what the first few phases of excavation has uncovered... There is a walkway for you to view it up close...
The official Badan Warisan site has more info on the Santiago Bastion : http://www.badanwarisan.org.my/malacca/ as well as http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Famosa

Actually, there is also another discovery found during the construction of the Melaka Tower project. This is so exciting!

http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/12/4/nation/16216184&sec=nation

So, visit Melaka 2007 la... :D

"One more tree!"

Hehe... again, in the very morning just before I drove back to Melaka last weekend, I went to Queensbay to grab some pictures of the HUGE Christmas trees there!

Nice huh... This one is not as tall as Gurney's but it has a much bigger diameter..

Hey, hey look who's in town... Mix FM! Too bad I couldn't stay to see them live... gotta drive back home dy:-S

I really like Christmas trees, that's why at the very last moment, before I turn to the Penang bridge, I turn into Queensbay instead! Haha... Back home in Melaka, there were many houses in Portuguese Square which decorated with lights, Christmas trees and Santa's hats. So nice... :) Here's to the next Christmas!