Le Tour de Langkawi is Here!

Another year, another edition of Le Tour de Langkawi! It's definitely a fascinating race to watch, it's just a pity that it's not available live on free-to-air TV, and we have to settle for a summarised show at 7:30pm on TV3. Blargh.

Was hoping that the race would make its way back to Langkawi this time round and hopefully pass through Penang, but I guess closing off the Penang Bridge nearing the Chinese New Year season would be a very very very bad decision. I just hope I can get to participate as a spectator at the finish line though in the future. :P

As for the cyclists, am rooting for the Malaysian national team of course! First noticed Sharulneeza Razali since his silver-medal winning performance in the 1998 KL Commonwealth Games in the road race. Surprised that he's still participating even until now. Jojo Struys of Kopitiam fame is also the presenter for this edition of the race, along with two Westerners behind the screens which I can't remember their names at the moment. For the moment the races seem to be pretty interesting, Genting's gonna pull in the money, crowd and publicity of being the finishing line at one of those stages.

Anyways, I don't know why but I just can't describe the allure of watching bicycle races like this, but heck since Kraftwerk's such a rabid fan of Tour de France, I'm also getting in the groove. That reminds me, I'm also giving Tour de France Soundtracks another spin... err, I meant listen. Review's either coming up soon or it's gonna come up during this year's edition of Tour de France. ;)

By the way, wouldn't a Le Tour de Langkawi Soundtracks album sound good? I'd get it if it exists! :D

External links:
- Official site of Le Tour de Langkawi
- Le Tour de Langkawi at Wikipedia (I need to expand and add more content to the article though)
- Tour de France Soundtracks at Wikipedia

Technorati tag: Le Tour de Langkawi

CNY Update

Originally written on January 28, 2006, 9:02pm:
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If your past week was sorta boring, and you think you had nothing to do, you should know that you're once heck of a lucky person to not be out there doing all of those cleaning and housework. Man, I'm gonna be so relieved that I'm not going to do all of those chores until next year. Cleaning this little apartment is hard enough already.

Anyways, will be scuttering around Penang island and also mainland Butterworth in the next few days to visit family and relatives. Red packet money! Red packet money! Red packet... ahh, sorry about that, was slowly turning myself into money-minded. :P

Bro, his wife and his two kids have arrived at our place here so that we'd have a nice reunion dinner.
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Typed the above post during that time but didn't publish it though. Well, now that I look at my blog post, things have turned out sorta differently. First, up till even now we haven't even had a chance to go visiting yet, due to mom's weak health. She found a Chinese physician but is sorta reluctant to take the medications and herbs that the physician prescribed. She's sorta worried that diagnosis went a bit off course and that taking the medication it might get even worse.

And anyways, big sis' came on the first day of CNY, niece and nephew have grown up much I noticed, he's a bit more mature now but there's still some traces of ADD inside him, and she's starting to wear her mom's old clothes, she still has some traces of BDSM behaviour inside of her, I believe it!

Didn't get to see second sis' kid, cause he was ill before CNY and was at home recovering I think, but anyways am quite disturbed to see that sis and her hubby both wore black clothes when they visited on the third day; and oh this bro-in-law wiped out my cookies and cache while using my comp, but not a peep out of my mouth.

Third sis and her family of her, her hubby, her 16 and 15 year old and also triplets which were all daughters, arrived on the second day. Meh, we weren't that close and I went and hid in myself in my room, reading January's copy of National Geographic. That reminds me, I have to renew my magazine subscription very soon.

Bro, her wife and two kids arrived on New Year's eve, so that sis-in-law could cook up our reunion dinner. Though the food was err... pretty much above average I'd say. Fried prawns, fish meat fried with batter and served with sweet and sour sauce, broccoli, cauliflower and baby sweetcorn stir fried, vegetable soup which had fish flavour, and lastly the roasted chicken and pork that dad ordered earlier. Awww crap, I'm even feeling hungry right now. But anyways, the only thing I'm horrified is how sis-in-law managed to scratch up mom's cookware so badly? She reminds me of big sis' Indonesian maid, they're both cookware killers!

I still have to speak out a bit about my bro's oldest kid, which is 9 years old now. Apparently his hands are very itchy fingers. He just likes to get his little hands onto everything! He can't keep himself from wandering off and he can't hold himself from climbing the railing of my balcony. Worse yet is his mom scolds him just at the wrong frickin' time. Ugh. But I'd be willing to hope that kids like 'em grow out of it by the time they're finished with primary school.


Moving away from talk about my sis and bro's families, mom's health has been weakened in these past few weeks. She tends to be easily out of breath during the afternoon, especially when after she does a bit of housework. Could be the Chinese concept of "wind" that's making her weak like that. But anyways she said she had a flu earlier, that might've already weakened her body.

Dad? All I can say is that he seems to be getting skinner, and that's honestly a bit of a worry for me. He's still very childlike for his age, though I don't quite understand why would be leave his beard and moustache and purposely dress himself more older? Sometimes he doesn't manage to help mom's situation, but worsens it. But anyways, he's my dad after all and he does manage to do his duties in taking care of mom together with me.

As for me I was down with sore throat a few days ago. Must be a viral infection or something but I got it under control with some cough syrup. Even though it has alcohol but heck I'm not taking that nasty thing even if it was for fun. Chilling out with Mike Oldfield and his Tres Lunas II album at the moment, though I saw the first album at Gurney's Popular Book Store outlet. That place there has impressive CD stock I tell you!!

So anyways, it's 2:17am and the whole family has already finished praying the Jade Emperor's birthday at our own home, though for the past 5 years or so we've been doing that at our bro's house. Two hours ago the whole skyline of Penang was flooded with dazzling fireworks, this showing of pyrotechnics was definitely much much much bigger than the one on Chinese New Year that day. Strange thing is, CNY isn't what it used to be anymore. I can feel it.

Anyways, despite the cheerful fireworks everywhere, it really is a solemn night, at least for me. Had some bad news involving the people that I know the most closest, and I'm hoping that things will go nowhere else but up. Dad's supposed to start work on this Tuesday, and I definitely hope that his boss will secure that contract. Or else it's going to be an "extended vacation".

Well, that's all that I've gotta say now. One week's worth of thought blogged out. Man do I feel relieved or what?

External links:
- Jade Emperor's birthday from AllMalaysia.info
- KTemoc explains

Technorati tag: Chinese New Year