The evening papers had our pics! FINALLY! Yeap, they were on tomorrow's (Mon) papers and to be on the stand tomorrow. Better late than never! =) 
I spend the whole day just going around and eating. First, we headed to Jalan Kuchai Lama to have the famous beef ball noodle for brunch. Then we went for aftermeal drinks at Coffeebean nearby. We spent almost 3 hours there just sitting and chatting there before we headed back for the 7pm news.
Nope, nothing came out on telly. Surprising..I tell you...ah well, during tomorrow's show, the winner will be announced and our lives can go back to normal again. Hehe. Good game guys...good game despite those sucky moments! Let me know if there's another one...
Hahaha, due to our attention-grabbing hairdo, one of the MCA guys noticed us and ushered us into the VIP area. We'd secured top seats in the VIP area. It was just 2 seats in front of the stage. There weren't any rows set up there but they put 2 chairs for us there, thinking we were the biggest fans over there. 
Many approached us that night asking which fanclub we were from and who do we support. We said we were independent. Haha. There were many Chinese artiste performing that night as listed in the link above. I gotta admit Penny Tai performed well that night.
She actually came down from the stage and infront of our seats and I practically just ran up to her with my board. Luckily, I hadn't knocked her with it but the cameras from the media were just flashing away.. could I have been caught on camera..?
Keke. I particularly enjoyed Hacken Lee(pic below - in white) as well as Beyond’s Steve Wong Ka Keong(pic below- in black) with his band. 
The guitarist really rocked the bass. Too bad Point Blanc did not turn up to perform. I was anticipating his songs which I'd heard before in his latest album: Straight to the Point. They're pretty good.We even got to meet the publicity director of MCA, Dato Liow Tiong Lui! We were bound to get some press on this, being where we were..and there were video and camera people going around! 
Ironically, tomorrow was the last day of this competition. So, whether or not our pictures come out are printed..in time, we had a great time! 
and went to the famous beef noodle place with the cowhead at Jalan Alor for dinner. Yea, we starved again..... I got back home around 2am and hadn't slept till 4am to watch out for the 3am news on TV2. Yes, this competition had made me go more than beyond what I usually do! Unfortunately and surprisingly, there was no mention of the concert in the news!
There were recording crew with huge equipments going around which DID go around recording (perhaps us too but I hadn't caught the news for the past hour or so) and finally, that lady walked over to us and told us to put ISP away as it was 8tv's area and ISP was promoting another broadcasting station. Hehe and I thought they wouldn't notice as we could be overshadowed by the buzz going around!
We put ISP next to the railing by the side but note: we were not chased away! Thank goodness for that. Joanne was right infront of the rolling video camera recording and I managed to get her while she's walking in.
That's Alvin above in the queue beyond the door..haha..THE PURPLE DOOR. If I recall correctly, 8tv seems to use purple a lot on their channel. I can't be too sure, hadn't watched telly in a while now..that channel, especially.
We decided on watching Knocked Up. 
It was a pretty hilarous and decent movie which didn't really get a lot from the scissors *if you know what I meant*. Put the movie on for above 18 yr old young adults and it'll serve as an eye opener!
The sales RHB staff were sweet and polite, nevertheless. 
And the press members (NST,Star Business, Borneo Post, Nanyang, China Press, The Edge, they were all there) were curious about my plight there..I could have emailed them about them and appeal but now, I don't feel like doing it. 
I'm more keen on writing about what happened...sponsors...they call themselves...
And yes, I'm still upset..I left a few voicemails for Season (project manager of this competition) and Ramesh Nair (MixFM's programme manager) whose nos were given to me after I called a MixFM DJ up about my horrid experience. Needless to say, they hadn't gotten back to me...
Here's one at the Johnson Baby fair at the concourse, I did try to approach the bunch of kids with their parents and voiced my plight but they were shaking their heads (those kids..really) and didn't want to have their pics taken.
There wasn't much people around that area and I managed to get some guys who were LKW students (Sharjeel, Nicholas and Sean) nearby to spot me as well ie. cajoule into taking our pics to get moolah! 
To my surprise, only a handful out of the RHB sales staff I met there knew there were ISPs going around and what I was doing with ISP over there. However, one was kind enough to let me know that there would a press conference tomorrow with Jaclyn Victor (Malaysian Idol winnder) and OAG (a local rock band) and I should turn up to meet the objectives of this competition. I thanked her and said I'll be back tomorrow for that!
So, I happily paraded ISP there.Ratatouille (pronounced as Rat-a-tou-iee) was a delightful movie! 
Another movie to watch for you movie freaks out there! The food looks really surreal and I was marvelling at the technology behind it as well...every hair looked real on the rat and there was a water scene that you should watch out for...amazing! And Eiffel Tower looks amazing even on 2d animation and...very real. Before Ratatouille started, there was a short Pixar animation called 'Lifted' which I watched off youtube a few weeks back (my sis gave me the link). Just run a search on 'Pixar Lifted' on Youtube and you should be able to watch it as well. I didn't mind watching it again, it was quite funny. 
Despite having an argument with my date as he wasn't comfortable with bringing the ISP into the cinema and I eventually had to put ISP back into my car to avoid further conflict, the movie did lift my mood a little..and his as well. Yup, ISP carriers everywhere are facing emotional as well as physical damages. The bruises are coming back now but I hadn't captured any pictures as I was too sleepy by the time I got back home. People around me were getting irked by the fact that I'm carrying ISP everywhere I go and some aren't too comfortable with the whole idea...
Tonight, we were having drinks and supper at a mamak at Tmn Desa to bid Su who was going back to Hawaii where an accident actually happened right infront of the mamak place. No press though- unlucky for ISP.
We got on 2 planes, Qantas and Japan Airlines. I managed to watch 'Fracture' on the journey back. It was pretty good, really. I hadn't been induced into sleep by Ryan Gosling (cute) and Anthony Hopkins (master at acting those creepy murderer-genius! I'll never forget Hannibal 1&2 and I'm still mustering the courage to watch no 3...). 
After 'Fracture', I watched this French movie 'Priceless' which I didn't get to watch at our local cinemas. I'm gonna look for this movie when it's released on DVD as I didn't get to finish it. It kinda reminded me of 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. Really humorous esp the main leads! I'd recommend these 2 movies to anyone who likes a good movie.
I was thankful my luggage didn't get lost this time. Really, literally my heart was beating rapidly when waiting at the luggage retrieval belts. My tour guide was happy as well until he hugged ISP.
After the cruise, we had a lunch at a chinese restaurant which was just across the Bell Tower. It does look different during the day! 
After that filling lunch, we got back on our tour bus and went on a rather long ride (I think) to Charlie's Wine Estate for some wine tasting session. It was quite fast despite getting to taste 5 different kinds: dry white, semi dry white, dry red, semi dry red and rose. After that, they gave out samples of nougats which were a lot better than the GB brand that people tend to buy at the airports. The Charlie's nougat were really creamy (ie not dry) and rich in taste! They sold tea leaves as well which the guy did not introduce. I recall smelling a Jamaican tea sample of leaves: it was nice: papaya, tea leaves, pineapple and something else...smelt so good.
Then, we went to a macadamia farm called MacNuts. We saw a whole macadamia tree-filled farm, how they processed it and then of course, the macadamia nut shop. Never saw so many flavors of macadamia there. However, they didn't have abalone flavor which I later saw at the airport which I bought back to try. Yum!I bought macadamia spreads to bring back for my mom to sample instead of the same ol nut form. Last May in my trip to Sydney, I managed to bring back about 5 kgs of macadamia nuts. Yes, my mom's nuts about them but I shall refrain this time. Once of that load is enough for a year. This lasted approximately 30 mins.
After this short macadamia farm visit, we headed to Caversham Wildlife Park. Of course, here we get to see Australia's well-known animals here such as koalas, kangaroos, wallabies and the tasmanian devil! I've posted a pic of a mother koala and a baby koala, an ACTIVE koala (which was rare- maybe the eucalyptus plant it was eating was spiked?keke), a mother kangaroo and a joey (baby kangaroo- kinda gross as the leg was sticking out..keke), me and the HUGE wallaby and a really mean looking devil rolling around.I think I look sleepier than the wallaby. LOL.
We all were really rolling that day...rolling through the tour! I did want to buy a cute pink tshirt at the souvenir shop at the farm but didn't get to! :the souvenir shop at the park but didn't get to! :( Following that, we were rushed to get back to the bus for our next destination: Margaret River Chocolate Factory. So, all of us piled into the bus and continued to the chocolate factory. Actually, it was just like a warehouse building with a chocolate shop inside (they gave free sampling of dark/white/milk choc buttons! And they sold icecream too but I didn't buy as I know I'd have to hurry through it and get on the bus as the bus driver doesn't allow food on board) and it was so quick till...nobody took any pics. So, I'm gonna attach the link here just for you guys to have an idea: 
Haha. As we took the pics by the bridge, it's one of the bridges seen from Longbridge, a copcar came by. Pei-Pei thought it was stopping to arrest us. Hahaha I was like.good..I need publicity! But to my dismay, it stopped by the bank and started flashing to a boat on the waters as it was playing music real loud. We thought it was from the other side of the waters. We could then see more flashing from across the other side of the bank. There must have been another copcar there. Not long after, the music slowed down (we couldn't hear any music after that) and the cop car left. Dang...I know this weekend, I lost many chances in Malaysia to have publicity... :( I had actually posted the last pic up in MixFM but it didn't come out. Haha, wonder why.....housemates fight also right? Pietro empties my fridge, Ika hogs my telly and Serena C hogs my bathroom....kekeke
Ironically, my luggage went missing and caused me a great deal of worry. We reported that to the Baggage area attendant there who then ran a search for it on the system. It showed 'None detected'! I was like how can it NOT show anything? Did it even leave Malaysia or someone accidentally grabbed my Victorinox suitcase?
After that, we went to Joy Garden to have our dinner. Check out the size of the snow crabs! However, we didn't get to eat that. Haha, I guess it was out of the tour's budget! And yea, I was still wearing the Unity Band over there.
After dinner, we walked around since it was free and easy. We managed to find our way to the Longbridge area and do some shopping before they closed at 9pm since it was a Friday. Normally their closing hours was earlier on other days of the week. We visited Bell Tower at night as well as the Big Ben-look alike building along George's Street (one of the main streets) there. There was a circus set up nearby as well. We didn't get to watch the circus performance but according to my Perth friend, Pei-Pei, it was really good in terms of costumes and showmanship.
Qantas recovered my luggage this evening and sent it to my hotel. I survived 1 day without my luggage!
Haha, no, this pic wasn't taken in McDs.
Nevertheless, I made some spotters by talking out aloud about it and spreading tha joy. Haha.
There were many pigeons pecking at the floor and even as we tried to emulate a scene from those European ad (you know, where people run through a flock on birds in the ground and the birds fly away), the Batu Caves pigeons wouldn't be bothered! I guess they're used to the crowd thronging there and a few ladies running around them must have probably made us look like we're crazy to them. There were many tourists milling around and even there was a stage set up for an Indian ceremony where a prominent Indian minister's face was right in the backdrop. Too bad the Indian ceremony was not due till the next 2 days. I will be in Perth then. Some DIGI kiosks were set up there too. However, no spotters approached me despite me letting the DJs know my plan and it was announced on air. Ah well, I guess those people who were listening had to work that day. Anyway, we were ready for our climb hence we started off ahead (ISP and me) of Su and Audrey as they would take our pics progressively as we head up the stairs.
Luckily for my regular gym outings, I made it up those 292 steps (did you really know that?) without really much effort except for some loss of breath and slight perspiration. It was more of the steepness and the height which made me slightly vertigo. 
And poor ISP got a bit banged up on the edges at the bottom as it grew steeper and I couldn't really angle them too much myself!
We were even told to watch out for our belongings (both verbal (by the Indians up there) and written (there were signages on the walls) as the monkeys are known to just stick out their arms and get hold of whatever which is not guarded properly. I instantly tightened my grip on ISP! Not long after we reached the top, we heard a crack. A monkey actually threw a coconut at us. Thank goodness, no one was injured and the coconut hit the floor with a crack not far from us. All of us shouted at the monkey (not really caring that it was really a monkey...as we were pretty annoyed.) After that, we just continued our trip. Haha.
Without hesitation and not thinking much, I took hold of it and proceeded with the photo shoot. Haha, yea, kind of felt like some sort of celebrity as many of those tourist were standing around taking my pic as well. I even had my own powder session as the Indian grabbed a tissue from a tissue box and dabbed at my face which was slick with sweat (from the climbing...not from the iguana, surprisingly). The iguana kinda looked dazed and not bothered with being handled by this sweaty lady! After many frames, I thought it was over. No.....the Indian picked up his snake (this few feet long python- I've never been good with 'feet' measurement) and placed it around my neck. I didn't protest either as I knew that it was gonna be a memorable experience. Sides, that snake looked as dazed and not bothered. Alright, if anything happened to me, it will make a splash on the headlines as well...so what the heck. Publicity is what I need anyway and this experience...will be unforgettable. The python was quite heavy actually and it hardly moved. It was kinda like wrapping a long leather bag around your shoulders (if you get to find one as long..). Haha. 
The cameras kept clicking around me. I was just savoring the whole moment at that point. The Indian was using this camera with those long zoom lenses (those cameras are often spotted around F1 circuits or concerts - yes, I was at the front row just barely a week ago at Gwen Stefani's concert; if only I had gotten ISP then!!! Talk about timing. Right splat infront of Gwen. Only a bouncer stood between me and Gwen) and he did really act like a pro ie. kept saying put your head down, look left/right, chin down/up etc. After a long time, he came over and helped me 'unload' my newly-found reptile friends. I patted the iguana for the last time after that. The Indian guy gave me 2 Polaroid printout after that for my keepsakes =) thanks man as I gave my full name and first 6 digits of my IC no to him, rattling off on what to do to win that cash. He mentioned he had no internet but I said his relatives should have. He said he'll try. Right after that, he loaded my pic onto one of his tv screens. 
I thanked him and while I walked away, a few others mentioned that it was very interesting and hope I won't mind them taking my pictures. I said no problem and repeated my whole explanation for ISP again. None of them were from the press but they were interesting people. As we all headed further into the caves and me lugging ISP along (now slightly damp around the edges - yeap, I gave them a good wipe when we reached home later at night!), I saw 2 familiar faces! They were in the queue with me as we lined up for the Twin Tower skybridge visit yesterday! It was the Swiss guy with his Malaysian wife! Keke, what fated coincidence! We chatted some more like long lost friends and had our pictures taken and exchanged contacts...in case if I decide to head to the Alps for a holiday one day!
Once we've gotten enough pics, we decided to head back down the 292 steps. As we went down the stairs, a very odd thing happened. 
We noticed two blondes were in the stairs next to us and a monkey was imitating the movement of one of them who was holding a small carton of soya bean milk drink. The two blondes were just giggling and trying to get away from the monkey but the monkey would not stop trailing them. Suddenly, the monkey did something which made the blond who was holding the drink jump and drop the drink with a shriek. Without wasting any time, the monkey pounced on it and punched a hole in the carton which made the drink leak out and all over the floor, making a white puddle around it. The blond was momentarily stunned, just watching as the monkey lapped and drunk from the puddle. We all were stunned as well watching the whole spectacle. So, as a conclusion: DO NOT BRING FOOD to Batu Caves as you will attract non-human attention! We left not long after reaching the bottom.
Since we were all sweaty after that climb, Su proposed we go to One U which was not far away to have a drink. We got the car parked and I led them to Delicious where the drinks and food there were great! We had to go towards the back of the restaurant as most of the tables were taken up (it was lunchtime then) and needless to say, many people were staring as I took ISP along. I was getting used to it, not to mention some restaurants who tells us recruiters to put the ISP aside ie. facing the wall or something. I mean, cmon, it's not like we're handling out pamphlets or doing actual advertising while we are patronizing the restaurant. Anyhow, I went out shortly after placing my order to the ladies not far away with ISP to wash up (I bet the iguana and the python doesn't really enjoy showers..). Luck struck again as I came out from the ladies with ISP. 
I saw a camera crew recording at the Biotherm counter just outside of Parkson and across Coffee Bean. As expected, I walked over and asked them what was that about. It was for GoGoTrendy, an Astro show for fashion trends and beauty tips. I hung around the set hoping to get a shot. So, if anyone of you watched GoGoTrendy with ISP and a lady hanging around, please do not hesitate to let me know! Keke. The videocamera was rolling for a short time before I left and returned to Delicious for lunch. Jacelyn spotted me then! :D
Some updates on my bruise. My mom suggested to cut an old pair of socks and wear over my arm to prevent this from further bruises. Perhaps the other recruiters can consider that ie. Mira who left a comment on my page. :) Thanks Mira! Good luck to you too!
Yippie, I had more than 6 full hours to bring ISP around before the Skybridge session at 3.45pm. I left a message on Su's phone to arrive slightly earlier before then and then headed back up to the ground floor. I decided to show off Kuala Lumpur's fine architectural skyline to ISP(yes, bank buildings included). Hence, we went out of the Petronas Tower to the neat fountain area infront of it. Time for more bank spying as well as pic taking! The following pics were taken by a fellow Singaporean Chinese student who caught my eye with his huge camera around his neck.
I continued towards the escalator which took us down one floor to the Food Court where my first actual Spotter approached me, Gerard who's born on the same year as me! 1982! =) His colleagues along with him were having lunch there and spotted us infront of Aquaria as we finished our exploration of Malaysia's marine life.
I finally got ISP settled in nicely in one corner and I got around doing my work as usual until lunch time. Since I lunchboxed from home (which is normally the case since my mom wants me to inculcate the habit of eating fruits and veges), I decided to maximize my available time by bringing ISP to a lunchtime tour/window shopping around that area during that 1-hour period. I drank up, did a body check on ISP (intact masking tape and stationary flags) and headed downstairs to the streets with my beloved ISP in tow.
IMHO, it will be great to take pictures of ISP in front prominent buildings especially in context of this competition! Sides, local consumers can benefit from healthy competitions amongst the players in this industry! Ironic enough as well, the slight drizzle stopped so I trooped on with ISP. I walked past this small lane lined with peddlars and makeshift stalls selling clothes and trinklets, pausing occasionally to adjust ISP's position on my arm. Then I passed another shopping minimall and there were loads of people in the eateries and cafes lining along there not to mention people walking past infront and behind me. Yet, no one stopped by me.
I took my pics and decided to make my way back to my office since an hour has almost passed. As I was getting off that raised fountain/pond platform which was next to the driveway, a lady drove past and asked for directions to the bank which was right in front of her! I kinda pointed towards it since I saw the signage on the building. She proceeded asking me about some documentation in a folder she had on the passenger seat. I think she thought I was representing that bank(ISP indicates clearly that I'm not!). Talk about not even reading or looking at ISP...I was kinda annoyed inside. So, is this how people treat bank representatives? Do local consumers not look at what's being presented infront of them generally and just proceed asking questions? I corrected her and redirected her to her destination.
A few more pictures were taken of the prominent places I passed by on the way back ( at the same time, trying to look cool under the hot sun and trying to relay indirectly that I was holding the cutout and placing it near a major cross junction for a very good reason..to be spotted! RM200 can buy you a few decent meals!). So, please ppl, if you see anyone holding similar ISPs just standing around under the sun/rain/wind/whatever weather condition, please do them and yourself a favor by asking for a pic (now I'm heralding what I hear on MixFM which is entirely true!).
Upon entering the lift, I met another spotter. Well, almost...he wasn't until he asked me what was I doing with the cutout. I explained the contest and he mentioned he is a MixFM listener- just had no idea what to do with the snippets that came on everytime about living with Ika, Serena C and Pietro. So, I told him to take a pic, take down my details..the whole works and I had to stop on 2 separate floors before I got back to office. My mom would have scolded me if she read this...to any female readers out there, do not attempt this unless under this 'desperate' situation..even then, don't. It's dangerous to get off floors with a stranger alone. Anyhow, I wasn't exactly alone..I had 3 others with me (I, S, P). Ok..haha..lame... 
