Places I Have Lived

OK time for something different. I have been quiet of late, due to being damn busy and also not having much time to devote to the topics I originally intended to blog about. But as I was lying in bed yesterday, I had an idea, and quickly threw it on a spreadsheet in the morning. I was interested to see just how many individual places I have lived in, with a qualifying period of a minimum of three months. Here is the list:

Interesting how there was a lot more stability when I was living with my parents than when I struck out on my own! Of all the places I have lived in for 2 years or more, only one of the five have been when I lived outside the nest. Of course that's a lot to do with my career too, so hopefully now we have ventured into small business, we'll see this place steadily climbing the list of longest-stayed homes over the next few years.

I'm impressed that I could remember all these place names, particularly the streets! I did use Google Maps a bit to orient myself though. So looking at it in terms of countries and cities (not chronologically like above), it looks like this:

I probably should have pointed out by now that all the numbers in each list are actually years. Again, this list surprised me, as I did not expect that even now, the city I have lived the longest in is Sydney, my city of birth and one I have hardly visited since that initial 6.5 years!

For others on the list, I can't see too many having the opportunity to climb up and knock Sydney off. Barooga eventually (obviously), small possibility of Melbourne, some chance of KL, and if you count Singapore as a city-state rather than just Clementi as the suburb, perhaps Sing is some chance too. That all depends on if we win Lotto though hahaha!

4 countries, 17 cities, 33 individual addresses! I'm really glad I did this little analysis, and peek backwards into my past. It certainly brought back a few memories!

KL Bucket List #13 - Kinokuniya

Wow, finally made it to this simply awesome bookstore this week! I could spend hours and thousands here, without a doubt. I have been a bookworm for many years, and have many hundreds of books. A decent proportion of them have come from this shop.

I rarely come here with an agenda, but today I had one or two in mind. I didn't get either of them, but came out with quite a haul!

The main book I am excited about reading is Ernest Cline's second offering: Armada. He is the guy who wrote Ready Player One, which is one of the best and most unique sci-fi books I have read in years. Can't wait to get stuck into it! Also keen for what I believe was Carl Sagan's last book before he passed away, a classic from Phillip K Dick, a cool book on walking, and an interesting board game to play with my wife!

I haven't been slack...

Haven't been posting lately for good reason, we have been damn busy! Everyone has been ill recently, we were thankfully able to spend a few days away relaxing in Mulwala, courtesy of my generous sister, and we are also about to move into our own home.

It has been wonderful staying with Mum, but I do look forward to putting down roots, and getting our stuff back - not to mention being able to sample Civ 6 on my laptop!

I have been ill, suffering from hayfever and also stressed lately. I have gone from a 6 figure salary, never having to worry about money, to constantly worrying about it. It is partly learning to adjust to a simpler lifestyle, but it is also simply just a worry. I hope we can make ends meet. I am going to have to give up smoking shortly to easy the burden somewhat, and I am prepared to do that. This is character building, and my wife has been simply wonderful in supporting me in each and every way, but it is still a worry. I don't wish to be a burden on anyone, and I need to provide well for my family.

On a big learning curve, loving life and working my own business, but it ain't easy.

KL Best Taxi Service

My last post was a little lame frankly. I probably left it a little too long after leaving KL to write it, and forgot some of the intricacies that I was originally intending to convey regarding the best magazines for expats in KL. Anyhow, at least I put forward my definite #1, which was Time Out.

Anyhow, this post is another bit of KL advice for expats, or anyone really, and that is taxis. Taxis - while incredibly cheap in KL compared to most other developed cities in the world (particularly bloody Australia!) - are a bit hit and miss. There are SO many different kinds of taxis, some of which are regulated, but many I believe are not. For the unsuspecting tourist or expat, this can lead to difficulties.

So let's start with the basics. There are 4 main ways you can get taxis in Malaysia:

1) At the airport

2) Online booking

3) On the street in KLCC/Bukit Bintang areas

4) On the street elsewhere

We'll go one by one.

1) Airport - as you leave Customs, you'll see a taxi counter. This is by far and away the best place to book a cab. You tell them your destination and the fare is fixed and paid upfront. No hassles. Ever. You can get taxi touts en masse in the arrivals hall, and hey some of them might give a decent competitive price, but my experience is most will try and sting you for tolls, extras, and also it is not registered, so you're in their hands. Flying in, either use the train (which is kind of stupid expensive now really) or use the taxi service counter. Easy.

2) Online their is an app called grab cab or something similar. The link is here https://www.grab.com/my/ Simply put, this service is awesome. You can choose exec, budget or even private cars, and between the 3 options, I have never had a problem getting a taxi, and they are always decent, I guess because it is registered. This is an excellent app, and I could not recommend it more highly, even when in the middle of town.

3) Be careful hailing a cab in this environment, as they try to stooge you often. Always immediately ask if they are going to use the meter. If yes, should be ok, if not, then just walk away. Otherwise you'll end up paying 3-10 times more than you should.

4) Generally, hailing a cab outside the central city is ok in my experience, and I have never had an issue with a cabbie not using the meter in this circumstance. But if they do not put it on as soon as you get in the cab, ask, and if they make some excuse, get out.

For me, even though it was more pricey, I was a big fan of Blue Cabs in KL. Clean, modern vehicles, professional drivers for the most part, and security. If you are not on a strict budget, this is the mode I would advise. A photo of one of their cabs, picking me up from my old home in KL is below:

KL's Best Magazines for Expats

Right, here's a post I have been planning for a while - a quick summary of the main expat magazines in KL and what they have to offer.

To me, there are three to consider:

1) The Expat

The Expat is a great magazine, but to me has a pretty focused target group(s). If you are new to KL, I could not recommend it more - it talks a lot about the best schools, gives good insight into places to live and shop/eat, and about expat-required services. I found it very useful in the early days. However, once I had been in KL a while, I kind of got bored with it. Apart from what I already mentioned, it mainly looks at social life for older people, not so much my target group. The exception to this comment is if you live in Penang. I love Penang, and holidayed there as much as I could, but never once met an expat who lived there. However I believe there is quite a large group, and The Expat magazine really caters to them well by having numerous columns on happenings in Penang, and the social scene, which seems mainly to cater to retirees.

2) Expatriate Lifestyle

Expatriate Lifestyle is the second on the list. Unlike The Expat, it is not free, but frankly from the few times I read it, I can't say it offers a whole lot more to justify the expense. It is a fun and well-made magazine for sure, but covers a lot of the same ground, perhaps with a slightly more social-life focus, and thus would be a drawcard for some. It is certainly worth a read, but even though I was initially keen to subscribe, once I found out it actually cost money, I decided to stay with The Expat.

3) Timeout KL

Timeout KL to me is the winner by a country mile. As said previously, if you are new to KL, you really need The Expat as it is a fantastic source of info for new people in town. But if you are a seasoned expat, then for me, Timeout is the only way to go. It covers all aspects of getting out and about - shopping, things to do, eating at all ends of the budget spectrum, kids activities, and general chit chat about KL life. Plus it focuses on individual suburbs on a monthly basis, which is really great when you're looking for somewhere new to try.

My vote for best expatriate magazine in KL goes squarely to Timeout KL. I thoroughly recommend you pick up a copy and find some great new bars, restaurants, malls or places to visit for your weekends off!

Ah.... KL. How I miss you. I left in early June, after spending most of the previous 8 years there. I do miss the place. Have a Tiger for me...

KL Bucket List #12 (Retro) - Harj

Alas this goes in as a retro post, meaning I didn't actually manage to do it during the bucket list period (i.e. final days in Malaysia) and instead have to rely on my old memories.

It may sound a little vague, but Harj refers to Harjeet Singh, my old friend and work colleague initially from the Penjom days of 2008-2012 (although he has been there a whole lot longer!).

For the expats of Penjom and anyone from those days who still hangs around Malaysia and passes through Lipis once in a while, Wesly Cafe - and Harjeet by association - is an institution.

This is a recent shot from earlier this year, showing Harj in his usual spot, and Sam, the Penjom accountant, who generally pops in each day for one, pops a few pills and then goes home. Harj as you can see, is drinking Anchor these days, but for many years was a Skol man. However the Skol rep was not customer-focused enough, whereas the Anchor one was, so Harj was converted!

The Wes was our watering hole pretty much from Day #1, back in 2008, when I started at Penjom. It was not unusual for Harj to be joined by Dean, Russ, Stu, Bob, Brian and myself, with numerous other ring-ins from time to time. Our drink of choice was Tiger cans, and at RM6 a drop, it was easy to turn one or two into many.

Haha, in fact that reminds me. The catch-cry was usually one of us asking the owner for satu lagi (one more), which was quickly followed by dua, tiga, empat (2, 3, 4) and then often Brian finishing up by throwing his hands in the air and crying banyak! (many). Brings a smile to my face. I loved those times, and loved working with and drinking with those boys. Sad that those days are long gone. Dean and Russ still work together, and a few of the Avocet group are still in KL, namely JR, Peter and Jason. But those heady days at the Wesly are but a memory now - a hazy one too just quietly!

I'll do a follow-up on the Wes once I get my stuff back from KL and retrieve some old pics. There's more to this story - namely the food and the toilet! But for now, this will do. If by any crazy chance you ever visit Lipis, drop in after 6pm any day except Friday and say hi to Harj for me....

Career Change

So the last few months has been interesting to say the least. I have relocated with my family to Australia after 8 years in Malaysia, and instead of doing schedules, managing production and attending strategic planning meetings, I am now selling Lotto, making burgers and managing an all-in-one shop.

To many, that may sound like a step backwards. And to be honest, it has happened a lot sooner than I had planned. However, this was always the ultimate plan - to get out of mining, join the family business I have been a silent partner in for the last 4 years, and be with my family each and every day, raising our children in a country environment.

Even though my previous employer owes me a small fortune that I am not sure I am ever going to see. Even though I am constantly concerned that our financial situation is not stable enough for me to not have to worry. Even though I am out of my comfort zone and no longer earning the big bucks, I am happy. HAPPY!!! I have my wife's residency application in, the kids are all citizens, my eldest is enrolled in school for next year, and we are all healthy, and together.

We'll make this work. Maybe one day I will go back to mining, perhaps. But if I don't, I am not concerned. I am just happy to be here, in our own house, with my beautiful wife and amazing children, with a steady job, in a peaceful and friendly town, and with few complications. Life is good. Life doesn't always go the way we intend it to, but we must adjust, and ride the waves that come our way. I think I'm doing an OK job of that, and as I said, I am happy.

I have achieved a major goal.

Super Super Day!

WOW!

I am ecstatic today! I finally finished my wife's residency application and she was granted her bridging visa! There's no reason to think the process won't be smooth from here, but with only 10 days to go until her current visa expired, I was under the pump, and stressed to get this done.

Now it's done.

Boy oh boy it was expensive too, not that I am worried about that - keeping my family together is worth any price, and I understand why the government make it less attractive for those who are doing this for illegitimate reasons. Anyway, all good, and we're off. All I need to do now is finish off the attachments, which is in itself a long process, but I am getting there. Can of Pure Blonde on standby...

I'm back!

Just a quick post to say I am still around!

Not that I have much of an audience really, if any to be honest. It's more just to get back into the swing of it.

The last couple of months have been hectic to say the least. Moving the family to Australia, getting settled at Mum's, starting work at our business, and trying to organise a myriad of things, including citizenship, Medicare, etc, etc.

I may not have been blogging but I have been damn busy.

Still, over the coming weeks I will be spending a fair bit of time online doing applications, so hopefully will be able to catch up on some outstanding KL posts that I want to complete for my farewell KL series, plus perhaps start on the music ones and continue on the punting ones.

Life is busy, but really, really good. Enjoying working for myself for the first time ever, and trying something totally different to mining. Not the same money, but oh the freedom, and the satisfaction of working in a business where you serve people. Never thought it would be for me, but I am loving it.

More than that, I am so loving how my family is adapting and settling here. It has been cold and wet, but they are really doing well. My wife particularly, is simply awesome.

Hopefully more soon!

Moving

There has been a bit of a delay in my blogging, as the last couple of weeks have been spent moving out of Malaysia and back to Australia.

Firstly we went to my wife's parents place for a week, which is not conducive to getting the old laptop out I'm afraid, due to lack to space. Plus I had my work cut out for me that week, travelling to and fro with both sick kids and a house to move out of.

But we got there, and last Saturday flew back to Melbourne, and then up to Barooga the next day. Since then I have only been partially online, again which had made it difficult to blog. Plus without the kids being in school yet, it's hard for me to justify locking myself away to write. There are also a lot of other things to do, not the least of which is me starting work!

So it might be a little while before I finish off my KL tales, and continue with my punting / Lego / whatever else journeys. Not to worry, I will post a bit here and there where I can. I will say though that we are so far enjoying this next stage in life! Lots to do regarding residencies, getting old bond back, getting kids in school etc though. I will be busy.

KL Bucket List #12 - Night Out at Changkat

Boy oh boy, this was a big one! I was touched by the turnout and had a huge one, finishing about 1am at Gypsy.

John and Anna, Jason and Heather, Brian and Ailish (plus friends), Kosta, plus Matt, his wife and myself all crowded into Healy Macs Changkat Bukit Bintang for farewell drinks for me. Sadly my wife could not attend, such is the price of having a newborn in the house, not to mention two other kids! Here is the crowd below:

Changkat (as we call it) has always been the nightspot of choice for our group. My first night out here was way back in 2009 after I split up with my ex, and during my single months, spent many a night here. Actually, once I was with my wife (girlfriend at the time) we also spent many a night here, at least until my little angel appeared in 2012. Since then there have still been numerous gatherings, but nowhere near as many for me as the rest of the group, who still frequent the area as much now as they did then. Here's me with John and Jason:

Clearly I was well on my way by this time. Another shot with Brian below.

Those three guys represent the remaining core group of Avocet guys from the old Penjom days, and I will sorely miss all of them, especially Brian, with whom I share a lot in common. He plans to relocate to Europe at some point, so I am not sure how often I will see him in future, but I hope it is reasonably regularly. Certainly a lot of good memories of fun times shared and great conversations. Same with JR, we have had some great mornings, afternoons and evenings out over the years!

Not a great photo above, but it gives an idea if just what a hotspot Changkat is, especially late at night. There are a few places people go to eat and drink in KL, but Changkat is definitely #1. My life has changed in recent years - for the better too - so I don't get out here as much as I used to, but nevertheless, I will retain fond memories (blurred somewhat!) of the many nights out in this neck of the woods. From AFL games on Saturday afternoons to Ashes tests on any given morning, to 2am hazy drinking sessions at HM's, Gypsy, or the Whiskey Bar, a lot of water has passed under the bridge here, and a lot of tall stories told.

Thank-you my friends, for making this last night out at Changkat so memorable!

KL Bucket List - Honourable Mention #4

Today I thought I'd throw in a quadrella of food items that didn't make the bucket list, but are bloody good, and things I rarely if ever encounter elsewhere.

#1 Chicken Rice

This one is chicken mixed with siew yoke (roast pork). I love the chicken broth cooked rice this comes with, as well as the succulent juicy roast chicken. Oh boy it's so tasty! Plus they usually serve it with this ginger-infused chili sauce, which is just divine. I devoured this portion in just a couple of minutes!

#2 Wonton Mee

Another breakfast staple from Shangri La coffee shop, this is a tasty dish and an often favourite of the kids. It is essentially mee soaked in a soy sauce mixture, served with some wontons and in this case, roast duck. It is a rich, delectable dish, and while not one I crave often, one I certainly enjoy whenever we get some.

#3 Tiger Beer

The local beer of choice, and one I have a love-hate relationship with. It is a unique flavour, quite intense on the palate, and sometimes, too much for me. But on a hot day it is hard to go past an icy cold pint of this beer! I will miss it for sure, and if I ever see it in Australian stores, will be sure to pick up a 6-pack. More about my adventures with Tiger in another post - the good old days at the Wesly.

#4 Melon Milk

Frankly I haven't really had much of this drink of late - only once in the last year or so really. But it is a unique and lovely flavour - honeydew melon flavoured milk, as only the Japanese can recreate. The serving size is just perfect - any more would be too much - and it is just the right level of sweetness. I imagine it exists in many other places but have seen it nowhere else. I'll keep an eye out in Australian Asian stores for sure!

Ok, so that's another four honourable mentions for the bucket list of things I will miss about life in KL. Plenty more to come!

KL Bucket List #11 - Beef Noodle

Well, this was one goal I thought I was going to have to send to the scrap heap - only a week to go and all the decent beef noodle places are on the other side of KL, plus not easy to go to with three small kids.

But lo and behold, my wife's dad Richard arrived yesterday to take some of our stuff to his place (which is where we will spend our last week) and informed me he was going to take me to beef noodle brunch this morning. I was most impressed!

Beef noodle, when done properly, is simply mouth-watering. It is usually cuts of beef that need serious cooking, and the meat is boiled until it is melt-in-your-mouth tender. Plus they includes all kinds of offal, which is unappetizing to some, but simply delicious to me. Put that all together in a noodle soup dish and I am hooked, each and every time.

Today we went to Pudu. I have spent little time in this area, so it was an eye-opening experience, and a pleasure to see a new part of KL, even in the twilight of my stay here. Photos below show the typical street scenes, old Chinese shop houses, etc...

Luckily I was with Richard, or else I would never have found the place! It was a typical Chinese coffee shop, although it appeared to only have one or two stalls.

The noodles themselves were pretty good, although it was not the kind of beef broth soup I was expecting - more the bah kut teh herbal variety. Nevertheless, it was still damn tasty! We were too early for tendons, but the tripe, belly and beef balls were all present. All in all, a great dish, and I was very happy to be able to tick this one off the list. Richard and I brought my eldest two kids with us, but I think they were a bit shy in this kind of environment and refused to eat. Oh well, we soon devoured their share!

KL Bucket List #10 - Card Night

Thank-you my beautiful and loving wife, for letting me go out last night!

We have had a challenging week, with our eldest suffering from hand, foot and mouth disease, and our middle boy also showing symptoms - although he hasn't been debilitated by it as yet. So with all kids at home and lots and lots to do, it has been a tough and very busy week.

So even though my mates had arranged a going-away card night for me, I wasn't expecting to be able to go. Luckily though, we got dinner, bath and teeth out of the way pretty early, and my wife was happy to keep an eye on the older two as long as they were in bed, which they were. So off I went!

We held the card night at Suria Stonor this time around, after many in a row at Kosta's place at Park 7. All these condos have memories for me, as I have known a number of people who have stayed in KLCC over the years - specifically Russ in Park 7 and Brian in Suria Stonor. Russ is now in Jakarta and Brian down at Dua, but I remember the places well. Anyway, Jason was hosting this time, and he lives in Suria Stonor, thus the choice of venue. We held it in the meeting room by the pool.

We also had a visit from Christina and Todd in the afternoon, so I had had a few beers before going out. So despite my resolve to play maturely again, I was probably a little gung-ho, as well as unlucky with my cards. It took me a long while and three buy-ins before I won a hand, but I won a few more after that, and finished probably about RM150 down. Not too bad.

There were eight of us in total, which is a large number for cards, but makes it good fun. Plenty of banter to be had! We had three friends of friends as I call them, as they were not my friends, but nice enough blokes. Damien and Kosta are also friends of friends, but as I have known them a long time now, I call them my friends too. Both great blokes.

My old Sons of Gwalia mate JR was there as always, and Jason, who I know from Avocet days, both of these guys are still KL-based. Photo below is close to the end of the night! FoF on left, on right from top to bottom are Damien, JR, Kosta and Jason:

This is one of the things I will miss the most about KL, my friends. I don't get out and socialise anywhere near as much as these guys do, but I do enjoy their company whenever I do get out. We finished cards about 11.30 and then I went with Jason to the new nightlife area Trec, which looked pretty cool, but I was buggered, so bailed soon after arriving and having a look around.

Hopefully I can make some new mates in Barooga and have a few card nights there! I believe pubs still occassionally host poker events, so will get into that once in a while if I can. But I will miss these card night the most - trusty old Texas Hold 'Em of course, and the two games Kosta introduced me to: Southern Cross, where everyone gets four cards, and four cards are placed in a cross in the centre of the table. These are then turned face up one by one with each round of betting. You can make a five card poker hand using two or three from your hand and the rest from the table. You can only use the table though on one limb of the cross, so it is a lot of fun!

The other game Kosta introduced, and is his personal favourite, is Omaha, where again you get four cards, but a usual flop, turn and river card in the centre. This time you can only use two from your hand, and three on the table. So sometimes you can get an awesome hand, but can't do anything with it!

Thanks for the memories my old mates.... :)

Finished!

THANK GOD.

Data input for my punting analysis has finally finished. I must NEVER allow myself to get four months behind again as it was a painfully long process to catch up. Nevertheless, it is now done. 2,886 records input, covering both my Lucky and Hot systems. Here is a summary of where the base data sits:

		# Bets	Total Div	%	SR
Lucky	Win	1374	1,236.45	-10%	19%
	Place	1374	1,404.99	2%	48%
Hot	Win	1414	1,459.31	3%	20%
	Place	1414	1,444.80	2%	46%
Both	Win	98	70.35	-28%	22%
	Place	98	78.35	-20%	44%

It's actually better than I thought it would be. Three out of four categories are in (small) profit, prior to analysis and adjustment of rules. Of course these numbers are swayed somewhat by the $126 Hot winner I had recently, so I will need to put in a top-cut as part of my statistical work. Still, it looks promising. Interesting though, that when a horse qualified for both systems at once, the results were significantly poorer. Still, much less data to go on there, which I am pretty sure is the main reason behind that result.

Apart from top-cut, the other thing I want to focus on, and actually my main focus, will be strike rate. If I can achieve a 50% SR in place betting, I would need an average dividend of 2.10 to make a 5% profit. That is certainly achieveable, but I would be far happier if my required average dividend was below $2. In order to reach that goal, I need to improve my strike rate.

Same for win bets. I think a SR of 30% should do the trick, that would require an average dividend of $3.50 to make 5% profit. I feel fare more comfortable about that dividend, but getting a 30% SR will be no easy task.

Plus I also need to strike a balance in terms of volume. I don't want to have 100 bets per week, nor do I want to have 2. I am hoping to have enough turnover to strike my predicted outcomes on a monthly or at worst quarterly basis, but at this stage I have no idea. Anyway, time to clean the data, finish inputting the tracks, and then get down to some stats!

KL Bucket List on Standby

Sadly my beautiful little girl Sophie has come down with an acute case of hand, foot and mouth disease, so is home under quarrantine. We are desperately hoping that our newborn son Alexander doesn't get it, as well as little Daniel.

So I am helping my lovely wife hold the fort at home at the moment, so not much time for indulging in my own bucket list interests! I have however, been able to do some work on my punting database.

Anyway, more to follow. Hoping my little girl can have a restful sleep tonight and feels like eating something tomorrow...

KL Bucket List #9 - Rojak

So I ticked another item off the list today - Rojak.

Rojak is a local snacky food, with fried bread, boiled eggs, squid sambal, and shredded veggies, all smothered in satay sauce. It really is a tasty and very hearty snack, and cheap too.

We have a guy who sets up his truck on the roadside close to our place, so have indulged quite a few times in the two years we have lived in this house.

Haha, it doesn't look very appealing in the photo I know, but trust me it is yummy! Bloody filling too. It's not a dish I crave more often than once every couple of months, but I always enjoy it when we do get some. Definitely a unique dish to this part of the world and one that will not be easy to recreate!

KL Bucket List #8 - Big Walk to Jaya One

So today I did another walk, to a place I have wanted to go for a while now - Jaya One.

It wasn't a huge walk, just a bit over 6.5km, but with the heat as it is at the moment, it was not an easy one. Plus I miscalculated and ended up doing almost half of it walking directly on the bloody highway, which is never fun.

But I made it, here is the map below:

Jaya One itself didn't do a lot for me. I don't know if I was just too tired, but I doubt it, as I have done far longer walks before and still found somewhere to kick back and have a couple. But after a quick 7-11 stop and a short walk around, I decided against staying, and taxied home.

Perhaps it was the layout, it is a weird place, kind of all over the shop and not laid out in a very user-friendly manner, or so it seemed to me. There were a few bars and restaurants though, so it might be worth checking out for some. Just not me, not today.

I enjoyed the walk though :) Will have beers at home today!

KL Bucket List - Honourable Mention #3 - Pavilion

So today I had a bit of an outing, meeting an old friend to tick off an item from the bucket list, another in a shop, and an honourable mention along the way. Pavilion shopping mall, in the heart of Bukit Bintang.

Mall shopping and hanging out is a way of life here in Malaysia. Seriously, there must be over 100 major malls in this city - far more than any other city I have ever been to. To be a good mall you need to have it all - shopping, food, hang-out spots, plenty of places to wander around or loiter. Pavilion doesn't have the sheer quantity of some places, such as Midvalley Mega Mall, but it does it in style. Of all the malls in KL, it's my favourite, and has been my go-to mall for a long long time now.

The photos above show the main entrance (looking up Jalan Bukit Bintang) and the open plaza area, where they have displays and such. The following photos are a sample of the rest of the mall.

The first photo above shows one of my favourite spots in KL to hang out - the outside area adjacent to Pavilion, full of coffee shops, bars and eateries. Awesome spot for people spotting, and generally just hanging out. We have had many a good session here - usually with my mate JR, but also with a number of others. It's not cheap by any means, but it's a damn good spot. The photos below are a couple of places along this avenue.

Another great part of Pavilion is the food court. Like most in KL it is halal, but that's ok, there are plenty of porky options elsewhere, and what is on offer here is pretty damn good. In fact you can get a version of most of the country's delicacies here.

What a range of choices! As indicated in the second photo, there are also a number of restaurants ringing the food court, one of which is our favourite Japanese place in KL, wonderful sashimi and sushi! Not sure if we will get a chance to try it before we go, but we've had many a good meal here over the years.

Lastly, I wanted to nod my hat to one of the reasons Pavilion became my favoured hang-out spot to begin with:

Just across the road is the Westin. I haven't set foot in there this time around (2013-2016) but in the early years, it was our hotel of choice, and a fantastic place to stay. Being just across the road from Pavilion made it easy to hang out here too.

I will have a lot of good memories of this place - from the day John and I witnessed a mini hurricane, to the karaoke night with my wife's friends, and many many others in-between. There is one other bucket list visit to occur here, which will no doubt happen, so more to come!

KL Bucket List #7 - Cathy's

Time for another boozy entry! This time it's the oldest pub that we have been visiting in our group over the years - Cathy's.

Cathy's has been around since the 80's, in Wisma Cosway, one of the older malls in KL, which is across the road from Pavilion. It has not changed one iota in that time, even with the same owner, Michael. Alas he was not around today, apparently he hit it pretty hard last night. I met my mate JR here, who has been coming here since those old days.

Our group generally chooses Changkat Bukit Bintang as our nightspot, but for daytime drinks we go to a whole lot of different plances, particularly me, in my exploration of various parts of KL. But Cathy's has been on the list longer than most places, and we still meet up here for a few very cold and well-priced beers, on a fairly frequent basis.

Michael likes to decorate his walls with a myriad of different old pub artifacts, jokes, and various booze-related items. Most have been there as long as the pub itself, and the longevity and consistency of the place is comforting. In a city like KL, many things have come and gone over the eight years I have been here, but this is one thing that has not changed.

Here is a photo of my mate JR and I enjoying a cold one or two.

I will miss my mates more than I will miss the places we hung out together, but whilst I will almost certainly catch up with John and his family elsewhere, I have a feeling Cathy's won't be around for too much longer, and that I will probably not be back, so it's a bit of an end of an era for me drinking here. Farewell Cathy's, and best of luck to you Michael! Thanks for the beers and memories!

Oh and the chicken wings, they were damn good too...

KL Bucket List #6 - Chinese Jerky

Yet another food goal to tick off the list! This one is definitely unique to Asia and is unlikely to be found in Australia in a decent form, nor cooked at home easily.

I don't know what the Chinese name is, but we call it Chinese jerky. It kind of is like beef jerky, except it's pork, and while you can get it in strips of cured meat, we prefer the version that is made from mince, as shown in photo.

Just as it appears, it is juicy, bursting with flavour, and simply delicious! What you can see is the version we got this time, made from mince, and to the right is the version made from whole meat. It is kind of a bbq flavour, and it is a little sweet, but it is simple divine to eat. I even have it on a sandwich with cheese (although my wife thinks I am a maniac for doing so!).

The place we prefer to but this treat is a shop in Pavilion, which also has an outlet at Midvalley:

Yummy! No doubt this will only last a couple of days at home, even though I bought quite a lot of it, as the kids love to snack on it too.

Lego Idea - Forest

So one of these days I plan to build a big Lego landscape, hopefully in such a way that it can accomodate most of our sets and themes. I am thinking something with some ocean, beach, rocks/mountains, a forest, and then eventually a town. Sounds big I know, but I think it can be done in a reasonable size.

Anyhow, one of the key things for this project is experimenting with building trees. So today I looked up a few sites, and found this magnificent photo! Check this out...

It is absolutley magnificent! The owner of the photo is Cyndi Bourne, and the link to her Flickr is  https://www.flickr.com/photos/cyndibourne/ I don't get on those kind of sites, but will look her up from time to time to see what she is up to as she is clearly very gifted. I love this forest!

One of the great things about this is that is gives me an idea of just how many pieces of different kinds I will need to build my own forest. Not too daunting, but it is about 1000 or so.

Punting Results - Saturday 7th May 2016

Just a quick summary of yesterday's action from my two base systems. As previously stated, I am going to analyse my data soon and see if I can tweak my overall results. As such, this is my last day of analysis using the current systems - I am going to use my spare time for the next month or two analysing my data and seeing if I can improve things. There will be a lot of info on the blog though, regarding this process, although I am not sure yet if I will share my findings :P

Anyway, onto yesterday's results:

Hot System

Bets: 32

Wins: 2 or 6% strike rate

Return: $10.20 or a 68.3% loss

Places: 11 or 34% strike rate

Return: $25.05 or 21.8% loss


Lucky System

Bets: 27

Wins: 4 or 15% strike rate

Return: $15.5 or 42.6% loss

Places: 14 or 52% strike rate

Return: $31.05 or 15% profit

So, mixed results again, but particularly poor for the Hot system. Lucky did very well with place betting, and at this stage, looks like a good thing going forward. But as previously stated, if I can wrangle my strike rates for winning up to about 30%, then win betting presents a better chance for higher dividends. I think.

Anyway, keep an eye out for the next series of posts on my analyses!

KL Bucket List - Honourable Mention #2

So on my walk to DSH the other day, I thought I'd try and tick another item off the bucket list, and tapau beef noodle home for the family. Alas I couldn't find anywhere that looked good, but I did happen to walk past the old hawker centre that Ifer and I breakfasted at the morning before Sophie was born! And they had a huge mixed rice thing going. And it looked good....

This is the restaurant, the mixed rice stall is visible just inside on the right. It is basically an open air buffet, with about 30 different dishes to choose from. You get a container of rice, and then pile on whatever you want!

I got a couple of containers for my wife and I, and one of fried noodles with some egg and meat for the kids. I sampled a variety of dishes including steamed fish, sweet and sour pork, tofu, egg, you name it. Damn good too it was.

KL Bucket List #5 Big Walk to Desa Sri Hartamas

So today I had a gutful of being indoors, and went for my first big walk since baby Alex came along in late March. Prior to that I had been doing two per week and feeling damn good for it. Since then it hasn't been so easy, with looking after kids, doing all the shopping, a fair amount of housework, etc, and to top it all off, the frigging heatwave that has hit KL these past two months or so!

But today I said bugger it and went. I almost didn't make it far as it was stinking hot, but I persisted. My destination today was Desa Sri Hartamas. I decided to take the same route as when I went to TTDI, and walk around Beringin, to the Kerinchi Link highway:

Apart from the heat it was a lovely walk. I enjoy Jalan Beringin, as it is a tree-lined road, a circuit road (so it's easy to just do a loop and go home again), and there is plenty of sidewalk. Plus being a hilly area, there are some awesome mansions sitting on the sides of the hills to gawk at. I particularly find interesting the various ways in which the builders have made use of the slope areas:

Once at the Kerinchi Link, it's just a couple more km's down to the Desa Sri Hartamas township:

My destination today was a bar called Chapter One. It is the old Finnegan's bar, which was at that location when I lived close-by in 2011/12. Actually Finnegan's is a bit of a vanished institution in KL - when I first arrived in 2008 there were three of them (that I knew of); one in Changkat BB, one on Jalan Sultan Ismail, and this one at DSH. I think I only got to the one on JSI once, before it was knocked down. I believe that site hosts a skyscraper now, such is the price of development. The one in CBB was next, and is now Front Page - a half decent sports bar, but a bit aged all the same, and frankly not my pub of choice in Changkat.

The Finnegan's at DSH though, was always a great choice, as in those days, there were few western-style bars in this area, so I frequented the place regularly. I remember a big day for the 2011 rugby world cup there as likely the last hurrah for me before I left the first time, and then Finnegan's disappeared once and for all.

DSH itself though, hasn't changed much, although like Finnegan's, many places have come and go in the years that I have known the place. it is one of those standard post-war developments, with 2 and 3 storey shop-lots and narrow streets, as shown below:

But they maintain the sidewalk well enough, so it's easy enough to walk around, even if it sucks to drive in the place. Mainly of course, because of rude local drivers who believe they have the right to park wherever the hell they please.

Anyway, 8km and a couple of cool drink stops later, I found Chapter One, at the site of the old Finnegan's. They haven't changed the decor of the place much at all - even the old bookshelves are still the same, with the same contents on the shelves. In some ways that was kind of nice though, from a nostalgic perspective. I didn't even look at the food menu, but had yet another cold drink, followed by 2 x RM22 pints of Asahi. Not bad for non-happy hour prices really! Some photos of the old place below:

8km is not a huge walk for me, but after a good month off, it was not a bad start. Looking forward to the next one!