12 years have gone and past,
We know some things never last,
We used to be sad that you had passed,
Now we think back to the times that we had,
Our moment in time will never fade.

11 years have passed since you left us.

Even after 11 years, everybody still talks about you like you are still around.

Every now and then, I still encounter total strangers who said they knew who I am. They knew me because of you. They knew me because you were their mentor, in business and in life, and that you had such big influence in their lives.

These past 11 years, there's been many milestones I have achieved that I wished you had witnessed, both personally and in my career. But my proudest achievement came on the 28 January 2016, when Kendrick Sia is born. I became a father for the first time, and you a grandfather to the cutest baby in the world.

I think being a father for the first time completely changes my perspective on a lot of things. Suddenly, I become more aware of my role in the family. Suddenly, I have to prioritize my responsibilities both as a financial provider for my family and a positive role model for my son.

Well, that's the same feeling that you have been giving me throughout most my life. :) And I can only hope I am able to do the same for Kendrick.

Till we meet again,

Your youngest son.

"OOOHHH! iPhone 6S is out! I want! I want! I want! I want!"

*phone beeps*

"Wife sent you a picture."

"Okay... maybe next time."

It was not my first trip to Macau. Previously, it was mostly as a transit point to Hong Kong. Back in those days, Macau was known as Asia's most notorious town - a somewhat pale Chinese imitation of Las Vegas.

That was the case ten over years ago.

Visit Macau today, and what you'll see is a fascinating juxtaposition of modern glamour and old-school hip, a melting pot of Chinese and Portuguese influences, and easily the best food flavours this side of China.

Macau is the world's most densely populated region and one of the world's richest cities.

Lonely Planet named Macau one of the Top 10 Regions to visit in '15. I agree.

In honour of that, here are 15 things I think everybody must do when they visit Macau.

15. Snap a Selfie at the Ruins of St Paul, Senado Square

To go to Macau and not see the Ruins of St Paul, is like going to Paris and not seeing the Eiffel Towel. This is the definitive symbol of Macau and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The surrounding Senado Square was and still is Macau's urban centre for centuries. Flanked by pastel coloured neo-classical buildings, it's the perfect place to get lost in the many shops and restaurants surrounding the square.

14. See a bit of Old Portugal

Not far from Senado Square are many churches and buildings left behind by the Portuguese.

My favourite of all is St Lawrence Church.

Saint Lawrence is the patron saint of sailors, and the church was commissioned by Portuguese who arrived in Macau after living inside a ship for months. The result - a church that looked like the inside of a boat.

13. See a bit of Old China

Opium dens, clan halls, pawn shops and whore houses.

Every Chinese town has an unsavoury past, but Macau doesn't shy away from it. If anything, Macau preserves those buildings almost in their original conditions. As I stood in the middle of the lane to have a quiet moment to myself, it's as if the hustle and bustle of the bygone days is still lingering in the air.

The Footsteps into the Historic Centre walking tour is the best way to experience this side of Macau. Entrance to the buildings are all FREE!

FREE. Except for the whore houses.

12. Light a Joss Stick at A-Ma Temple

Although fairly austere by Chinese temple standards, A-Ma Temple is significant in Macau's history for the fact that it is where Macau got it's name from.

Story goes like this: many years ago the Portuguese sailors made their first landing just outside the temple. They asked the locals where the heck they were and the locals replied "A-Ma Gau" (Place of A-Ma). The rest, as they say, is history.

Heng ah, the locals didn't reply, "GWAI LO! NEIH YAO MAT YEH!?"

Note: You can walk from Senado Square to A-Ma Temple, passing by all the sights above, by following the "Crossroads of China and Portugal" Walking Tour.

11. Drink the Best Tea in Macau at Long Wa

Located just across the road from the Red Market, Long Wa is the last authentic Chinese tea house in Macau.

The dim sum breakfast, although limited in variety, tastes far better than any dim sum you can find in Malaysia. But the main reasons the locals come here, is for the tea.

10. Get the Perfect Instagram Shot at Taipa Village

The narrow streets of Taipa Village are lined with beautiful pastel-coloured buildings.

Put your filters on, cos every shot you take is gonna fetch you 30% more Likes.

9. Go Food-Hunting at Cunha Street

The closest thing to Changkat Bukit Bintang in Macau is Cunha Street. Authentic street art, shops selling typical tourist souvenirs, hipster cafe joints serving siphon drip coffee.

8. Ogle at Giant Pandas

Yes, I know you got Giant Pandas in your zoos. But these cute pair of pandas in Macau is guaranteed to make you happy.

See, their names are Kai Kai and Xin Xin. DOESN'T THAT MAKE YOU HAPPY ALREADY?!

7. Stuff your Face Silly with at Restaurante Litoral

There's no shortage of good food in Macau. Having said that, in my four days there, I had my best meals at Restaurante Litoral. This is authentic Portuguese food at its best, and I ain't talking Nando's.

If unsure, order the curry crab, with a side of freshly baked bread. It is DA BOMB.

6. Taste the Original Egg Tarts at Lord Stow's

While we're still on the topic of food, don't even think about leaving Macau without first tasting Portuguese egg tarts from the original inventors of Portuguese egg tarts.

The original bakery is a little out of the way in Coloane, but it's worth the hassle to make the pilgrimage just to see why the whole world has gone crazy over Portuguese egg tarts.

5. Take a Silly Photo at Pier16 3D Macau, Sofitel

Because why wouldn't you want to trick your friends into thinking that you went to Macau to become an emperor?

4. Catch the Special Event of the Month

If you look up Macau's tourism calendar, there's bound to be either a special event or a concert every single month of the year. The month of September features Macau International Fireworks Display Contest, and is universally acclaimed as one of the best of its kind.

3. Soak Up The Atmosphere in SoHo

There's no denying that everything on The Cotai Strip is artificial and manufactured. But as far as man-made entertainment goes, SoHo at the City of Dreams keeps it interesting with food, art and interactive games set in a atmospheric Brooklyn street.

2. Watch the House of Dancing Waters

Words cannot describe how breathtakingly amazing this show is. Part circus, part theatre, part ballet - it's by far the best permanent attraction in the Strip. Little wonder that every show is packed to the max every single year FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS.

DON'T THINK. JUST GO WATCH. GO!

1. The One Thing Macau Is Famous For

Well, it's Macau!

I'm gonna be a father soon. O_O

It has been ten years since you're gone.

Never imagined I would be missing you everyday for ten years, but I guess I did. :) Ten years have passed, but the feeling of not having you around anymore is just as raw as it was ten years ago.

A lot has happened. A lot of milestones achieved in these ten years. I'm a little disappointed that you were not around to witness it, nor to taste the fruits of your labour. But that's the cards we were dealt with, right? So we live with it.

The supermarket business that you started more than twenty years ago has been making a lot of progress recently. Just last month, we had a ribbon-cutting ceremony for our first outlet outside of Sarawak. Mom told me that it has always been a dream of yours to expand into Sabah, and now that dream has come true. Ten years after you're gone.

Who would have thought, a tiny little home-grown business you started from absolute scratch with your barehands is now big enough to straddle two Malaysian states. Not bad for a local brand name. Not bad for a local brand name that some think is not "good enough" to compete with the major players from West Malaysia. Now we are starting to stand toe-to-toe against them.

I think kor kor deserved a lot of credit, for re-branding and refreshing a forty-year-old brand name and turning that uncool image around. I think you'll be so proud of his business acumen. It's more modernized and stylish now... although it still bears the ol' ching-chong name you gave. ;)

Compared to kor kor, the business I started may not be as large - but for a six-year-old business that was started from scratch I think not too bad also lah. Last September, I also had my little milestone when I expanded outside of Kuching. After a lot of hard work, I finally opened a small gym in the tiny town of Segamat, Johor. It's not something I had initially planned, but I got a really dedicated partner and I also wanted to see how good a mentor I can be. Perhaps it's because I have grown up, but I find that the process of helping people achieve their dreams more spiritually and emotionally fulfilling compared to just doing it for myself.

The only thing better than starting your own business, is helping other people start their own business, see them make money and grow. :)

Papa, all these are related to work. The biggest thing you missed in these ten years is my wedding.

On the 9th September 2014, Ming and I completed the third of our three wedding ceremonies. I prayed to you the day before. Even went as far as to wear the gold watch you left behind for the entire day of my wedding.

Of course, Ming and I's biggest regret is not to be able to serve you tea.

But we are doing good.

So now, after more than twenty years living underneath the roof you built, I have finally moved out to my own little place. Your little boy is finally becoming a man.

I'm glad I have finally found the person that I wanted to share the rest of my life with. Mom adores her... sometimes more than me. ;) And I feel just as accepted by her family. I think you would have really like her too.

I guess the next step now, is to start my own family, huh? If it happens, the only thing I hope is that I can be as good a father as you were to me.

The past ten years had not been easy at all. I had to deal with a lot of challenges thrown in my way. From dealing with the pain of your passing in 2006, finding my own feet in the business world in 2009, rising in the face of competition in 2013, to finally finding balance and achieving stability in 2015.

Too many obstacles I faced in this journey to adulthood. At the same time, I sense that the worst of the worsts is over.

Now I'm ready for a new chapter in my life.

From a young adult to a man. From being single to a husband. From a business start-up to a mentor.

With you watching from above, I think I'm gonna be able to get through this funny thing called 'Life'. :)

In the meantime, please take care. I know I've been owing you ten years of coffee, and counting.

Till we meet again,

Your youngest son.

I thought wrong.

This was the scene at the most recent MATTA Fair at PWTC.

It took me one good hour to make find a parking spot 1km away from the venue, and another good hour just to make my way through the queues into the 5 huge exhibition halls playing host to the MATTA Fair.

If Malaysians wanna travel, they will spend - and not even the weak ringgit is gonna stop them!

Despite the rising popularity of lesser-known "hipster" destinations, travelling to Europe remains one of many people's biggest wishes.

At the MATTA Fair, I sat down with one of travel giant Trafalgar's Travel Director and Europe destination expert Brendon Bush for a brief chat.

[Disclaimer: I was asked to do the interview with an experienced tour guide at the MATTA Fair. Not paid to do this.]

The world is huge and there are many places to travel to. Why is Europe still such a great travel destination, especially for Malaysians?

A: For me it's the diversity. There are very few places in the world that have such rich diversity of one area. You can go to America, but it's all "America". You can go to Australia, but it's all "Australia".

Their history and the culture don't change.

If you are in Europe, you could drive for 5 days and go through 5 different countries. And each of those country has a different language, different people, different food, different tradition, different custom, different architecture, different landscape!

Everything is so varied in Europe. And that is the beauty that keeps people coming back.

I've been living and working in Europe now for 18 years, and I'm feeling I'm only starting to scratch the surface of having seen Europe!

Eastern Europe in particularly has opened up to tourism. Which of these new former-USSR countries have surprised you the most?

A: Currently, I really like Poland, Croatia and the former Yugoslavia. Bosnia Herzegovina, Slovenia and Croatia -  that area is really a bit of a hot spot now. It's the new "place to be".

Western Europe is still great if you haven't been to Europe before, but a lot of people are always looking for that non-trodden track.

Europe is still somewhat elusive for most Malaysians. For first-time visitors to Europe, what would you say is the best way to get started?

A: I guess it really comes down to personal preference, Kenny! As a travel director, I would get down to the big city hot spots, and do a multi-country destination to start with so they could get an overview.

Because of the diversity that Europe has, if you go to one place, you might not like that one country.

But if you do one of our Discovery holidays which does many different countries to start with, you get a taste of all those different countries. You might like one country, you might not like the next. But you'll know that.

So when you come back to Europe, you'll do one of our Country Explorer - one country instead and delve into the history and customs a little bit more.

What I want to do now is a "Best of..." list. So, off the top of your head, what would be the best place to go to in Europe for...

Best Place for Shopping

A: If people want to go Rome or Milan or Florence or Venice for shopping, they all got the same famous brand names - Gucci, Prada, Versace, etc.

If you want to go to Paris, the Champs-Élysées or Galleries Lafayette. If you want to go to London, Oxford Street.

Best Place for Food

A: I lived in Italy for five years, Kenny, so I'll be biased towards Italy for food! It's hard to go past spaghetti alle vongole (spaghetti with clams) or the seafood of the Mediterranean.  A killer tiramisu is my favourite dessert by far.

I do like the sauces of France - Duck a L'Orange (roasted duck with orange sauce), but I'll stick with Italy.

Best Place for Coffee

A: I don't drink coffee, but the only place that I do drink it is Italy. Because I love espresso. A very short, heavy, thick espresso would normally have the same effect as a defibrillator and keep you awake for ten years!

Regardless of which city and what time of the day, if I can get an Italian coffee, I'd drink it. Across the border and outside of Italy, I stop drinking coffee!

Best Place for Art

A: The Louvre. Greatest collection in the world on display there.

Q: Do people always marvel at how small the Monalisa is?

A: Always. "And why is it behind a pane of glass!?"

Best Church

There is a beautiful little church in Innsbruck, Austria called the Cathedral of St James. It's an 18th century baroque church, just off the beaten track a little bit. From the outside, it looks quite austere, but inside is greatest example of baroque architecture you'll ever see in your life. There's such rich decoration that as soon as you walk in, your jaw hits the ground.

I'd love to take my guests there for a hidden treasure.

Best Train Journey

The Glacier Express. It's in Switzerland, and it goes from St Moritz to Zermatt. It's a six hour train journey, glass-roofed train, commentary in six different languages, and the most rugged and beautiful landscape in the world. If anyone were to research it, you would find it in the top 5 train journeys in the world.

We do that on our 'Contrasts of Switzerland' holiday.

Best Drinking Hole

Temple Bar in Ireland!

Best Food Market

Mercado de La Boqueria in Barcelona, Spain.

Best Live Sports

Watching football in London. All of Asia loves watching football.

Best Castle

Ashford Castle. It's in Ireland. We stay there on our Iconic Ireland and Ashford Castle holiday, as part of our Authentic Accommodation.

It's a 13th century castle, and we stay inside there. It's beautiful.

But the most famous castle that we cannot stay inside is of course the Neuschwanstein Castle in Germany.

Best Place for History Buffs

For ancient history, Greece or Italy.

For more recent modern history, you go to the former Soviet Bloc, or the concentration camps in Germany or Poland.

Best Place for Adventure Sports

Switzerland, and anywhere in the Alpine region. You can go on your white-water rafting, canyoning, bungee-jumping, sky-diving and all these different things in the mountainous region. Mountains and adrenaline always go together.

Best Place for Sunset

Santorini, in the Greek Islands.

Cinque Terre in Italy is nice too, but I truly think the Greek Islands is a little bit more special.

Most Over-rated Place

Spanish Steps in Rome. It's a staircase that's covered by people and you can't even see. I stand by my decision!

Most Under-Appreciated Places

A:

Two of the most under-appreciated buildings are The Baptistery and the Cathedral of Pisa.

People don't even look at them. All they want to do is see the Leaning Tower. You've got these beautiful masterpieces that are older than the Leaning Tower, made of just as intricate a stonework and as richly decorated. But because they are not leaning, forget about it! How can you do this? Really?

So everytime we go to Pisa, I try to point out the Baptistery and the Cathedral so people can appreciate it more.

The most under-appreciated place is Austria.

People don't know a lot about the country. They think it's all classical music and composers, they don't realize the plains where Vienna is, then you got this mountainous region that's stuck in between Italy and Germany. This is where Innsbruck is, where Salzburg is.

You got probably the greatest baroque style buildings and architecture in all of Europe. You got rolling green hills, countryside, mountainous peaks - it's beautiful!

Best Place to Pop The Question

It's cliche, but I always found Venice to be very romantic during night time when there are no tourists around.

It doesn't necessarily have to be in a city. There are some small cute villages like the Cinque Terre, Italy.

You can get away from the crowds, go to some lesser-known places and stay in a tiny hotel on the waterfront.

You can be sitting on the beach by the beautiful moonlight when you propose. There are beautiful walks that you can do as well, then hold hands, sit down for a picnic as you slowly build up your nervousness to finally pop the question!

One such exception, is Lee Kuan Yew.

When I was 7, I saw on my father's desk a biography of Lee Kuan Yew.

"Who is that, papa?"

"He is someone incredibly extra-ordinary. Thirty years ago, Singapore and Kuching were the same but he developed Singapore so much. No one could ever have imagined. Read, and you will soon know, son."

  Gosh, has it been 9 years already?

  
  I was asked about it the other day and I almost couldn't believe that it has been that long.  There's so much you had missed out on since you left, papa.

  The amazing thing is that... even so long after you had left, there are still so many random strangers coming up to me and to koko, telling us pretty much the same old things.

  "I knew your dad."

  "We would be in meetings after meetings, talking for weeks and weeks on a problem we couldn't solve. Then when your dad walked in, within 5 minutes, he's got the solution figured out already."

  "He was such a good man.".

  An interesting thing happened the other day.

  I had completed my latest project, the new 24-hour gym. To find someone to officiate the opening ceremony, I sent an email to the Assistant Minister YB Dr Jerip.

  To my surprise, the Assistant Minister accepted my invitation. After all, I run a small company. He runs the State of Sarawak. It was only until he went on stage that I realized the reason he accepted my invitation.

  The Assistant Minister told the audience a story about how as a young student, he liked all the subjects in school, but the only subject he disliked was Physics. No matter how hard he tried, Physics and him just do not get along.

  Until one a day, a teacher came along. This teacher used all kinds of stories and analogies to explain the difficult concepts in Physics. The teacher tried and tried, passionately and tirelessly, to educate his students. He worked so hard until Physics transformed from the student's most disliked subjects to one of his favourite subjects.

  That teacher was you, Papa.

  It's so amazing that you only worked only one year as a teacher, yet your students still remember you so well. Some people go through their entire life without so much as to leave a mark, yet after nine years, people still talk about the different ways you touched their lives.

  That day, at the opening ceremony of LUF24HR, was easily one of the best days of my life.

  I think you must be real proud, to see your former student grow up to become an Assistant Minister of Sarawak; to see him turning up to officiate the opening ceremony of your son's new business venture; which is inside a sports complex next to the temple housing your spiritual resting place.

  I'm not one to believe in miracles, but events like this cannot be explained by mere coincidences.

  If this is your way of telling me you love me, I wholeheartedly believe it.

  On the 30th March 2014, Ming and I registered our marriage in a simple ceremony held at the Old Court House.

  It was the most perfect ROM reception I could ever wished for. The only person missing there, was you.  How I wish you could be there in attendance, to witness your youngest son and his wife's new chapter in life.

  On the most important day of my life, I wore your gold watch. I guess... if you can't be here in person, then at least you can be with me in spirit. :)

  I love you, Papa. And I miss you.

Till we meet again,

Your youngest son.

#kennyandming

I first heard of the Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) through Marcus Luer, who served as my mentor for MillionaireAsia's Enterprise Development Challenge two years ago. In fact, joining EO was the very first advice Marcus gave me.

"It is very important that you surround yourself with like-minded individuals," he said. "When you are in the company with other individuals in similar position in life like yourselves, you get access to a whole group of people who supports you, mentors you and gives you opportunity to mentor back. When that happens your whole thinking and approach to life and business changes."

Alright I'm interested. So how do I get sign up for this EO thing?

"Well, you cannot just join like that. They are quite selective about who gets into the organization. First, you must be the founder or shareholder of a company that makes USD $1 million a year."

Okay. Not quite there yet.

"Next, there's the membership fee, which is around RM8,000."

Once off?

"No, a year."

*gulp*

With that, I put off my thought of joining this elusive club called EO, until late last year when these two letters popped up again.

Joanna Ling, a friend of mine who is probably the only EO member in Kuching, asked if I would be interested to go on an bicycling experience of a lifetime organized by EO called the EO Tour de Malaysia - 5 Days, 4 States, 300+ km, 1 bike.

Sure, why not? After all, what's there to lose... other than my pair of legs?

With that, I packed my bags and my bike to KL to have a glimpse into what this exclusive organization called the EO is all about.

DAY 0 - PREP TIME

What do founders and directors of companies making more than US$ 1 million in revenue look like?

Well, they look just like you and me. But one common thing that stood out is how open, friendly and unreserved members of EO are.

Everyone goes out of their way to talk to you or help you out, even if they don't know who you are. There's no such thing as who is more senior or who makes more money. Everyone sees everyone as an equal.

When EOers organize events for other EOers, they always seek to create magical moments that money can't buy. Examples in the past include shutting down Petaling Street for a Chinese New Year celebration, or getting toured around Manchester United by actual former football players.

For the EO Tour de Malaysia, you know this event is highly exclusive when the special guest invited to give a lecture is a Tan Sri from Royal Selangor.

Lesson Learnt: Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep on moving.

Malaysian cycling legends honoured by the organizing committee.

DAY 1 - PUTRAJAYA & TELUK INTAN

Woke up at 5:30am. Just in time to take a selfie clad in lycra.

This is probably the only time in my life I would be seeing 65 company bosses carbo-loading in preparation for a 100km ride ahead.

The morning of Day 1 is a 50km ride around Putrajaya.

It's such a joy riding in the administrative capital of our country. The roads are relatively flat and the the boulevards wide. As one rider remarked, "Finally, we have found a use for Putrajaya!"

I thought it's also pretty cool we were given a police motorcade around Putrajaya, like we're some VIPs in a city with no shortage of VIPs.

Ironically, the official colour of our jerseys for Day 1 is yellow.

Wonder if Najib got worried when he looked out the window, and thought a bunch of BERSIH protestors were riding towards him!

It's a crime to still look this good after a 50km bicycle ride.

Anyway, we kinda cheated and took a 2.5 bus trip up the North-South Highway to the sleepy town of Teluk Intan, Perak - where the local's claim to fame is this leaning clock tower.

Of all the designs we could have copied from the Italians, we copied their lousy building construction method.

From Teluk Intan, it's a 70km bike ride to the Lumut jetty.

It was a tough ride, and the leisure riders have opted to take the bus to the destination instead. The hardcore ones gulped down a few cups of FruitBank juices and continued the journey with no complaints.

The skies turn golden just as we were about to depart for Pangkor Laut.

And after a gruelling 130km first day, we finally "kaw liao".

Time to celebrate in Pangkor Island!

Lesson Learnt: Good entrepreneurs must learn how to take risks.

Snagging a photo op inside a ring of fire probably isn't one of those risks.

DAY TWO - CAMERON HIGHLANDS & BANJARAN

The day barely broke, and we're already departing Pangkor Island. Some EOers probably haven't even slept!

Day 2 of the EO Tour de Malaysia commences at Cameron Highlands, Pahang.

Despite being a Malaysian, it's my first time here and I like it! It's so picturesque!

Our first stop is the 'BOH' Tea Centre in Brinchang.

Like primary school kids, we line up two by two, holding hands, as we visit the very fascinating tea factory to see how tea leaves are processed.

An obligatory group photo before we journey 120km downhill!

The downhill bike ride is super easy. All I had to do was control my brakes!

Lesson Learnt: In life, you must learn to take plenty of breaks and enjoy the smell of tea leaves.

Our next pitstop is my most favourite out the entire trip - the Banjaran Hot Springs near Ipoh, Perak.

I have long heard about The Banjaran, and how it is the only true 5-star wellness retreat in the whole of Malaysia. I'm glad I wasn't disappointed.

The Banjaran is truly beautiful. Set amidst lush green rainforests and vertical limestone hills, I felt serene as soon as I stepped into the gardens.

Nothing beats soaking my tired legs in these geothermal hot spring waters.

I didn't wanna leave, but I have to be careful my eggs don't get cooked.

Massage is not included in the price of entry. But heck, after riding almost 200km in two days, I could care less paying nosebleed prices for a 45 minute treatment.

Next, we were given a tour of Sunway Group Chairman Jeffrey Cheah's private wine cellar set inside a limestone cave.

This was another one of those magic moments that the EO team sought out to create.

When Jeff's Cellar was first opened, only his families and close friends are allowed to enter. Eventually, he opened it up to his hotel guests, but still, it remained the most spectacular wine cellar in Malaysia that no one has heard of.

Thanks to some "connections" within the EO group, we were able to wine and dine with stalagmites.

Departure

Sadly, I had to leave the EO Tour de Malaysia prematurely.

Tour de Malaysia 2013 Century Ride from Kim Boon on Vimeo.

But the few days I spent with this bunch of EOers is enough for me to appreciate the unique bond and camaraderie they have with one another.

In a short course of two days, I had met a real estate consultant from Hong Kong who taught me how to "read" shopping malls, a young Harvard graduate who is also a CEO of a drink manufacturer, and a brash businessman who said being in EO "saved his life".

All of them I wished I could spend more time with. All of them have lessons I could learn from. All of them have stories I could be inspired from.

Unfortunately I had to leave because after cycling 2 days straight for 200km - dammit... MY BUTT HURTS!

"Finally, it's happening."

I made it. My dream has come true - I finally got to fly business class on an international long-haul flight for the very first time.

Granted, I was on board as a guest of Qatar Airways, but still - this was a very special moment for me. With repeated awards and accolades such as "Best Business Class" and "Airline of the Year", I knew I was in for a treat.

"So this is how the one percent travels," I thought to myself as I stepped into the front cabin of Qatar Airway's brand-spanking new Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Maybe it was the dynamic LED mood-lighting overhead, or the large oversized windows that resembled those on a spaceship, but my first impression is that I was stepping into something futuristic.

"Welcome on-board Mr Sia," a cabin crew greeted me by name and took time to introduce herself. "Would you like something to drink before we take off?"

Yes certainly, miss. Maybe something to calm down my excitement.

I knew immediately this will be a flying experience like no other.

Qatar Airways is the first airlines in the Middle East to launch the Boeing 787. Described as an advanced aircraft built for travel in the 21st century, it generated a lot of excitement in the aviation industry when the first aircraft rolled off the production line two years ago.

It's not difficult to see why.

They say the Boeing 787 was designed for passenger comfort in mind. I say they certainly got the goods to back that claim up.

As my flight rolled off Munich International Airport, the first thing I noticed is how blissfully quiet everything is. Compared to the noisy engine sounds of other aircrafts, the Boeing 787 barely whistled when it took off. It's as if the aircraft magically levitated into air, instead of using any form of jet propulsion engines.

This is just one of many little things the Dreamliner did to minimise the stress on taking a long-haul flight.

The Boeing 787 Dreamliner feels spacious, and even more so in the Business Class cabin.

There's only 4 seats in each row in Business Class, compared to 9 each row in Economy. What this translate to is plenty of leg room.

You can even prop your feet up on the cushion if you like.

I love the Business Class seats! They are so cleverly designed to maximise usage of space, making them both private and spacious. A very rare feat indeed!

Qatar Airways' Business Class amenities are the stuff of legends.

It's not just the standard pillows and blankets that they provide. They went all the way - giving each Business Class passenger fluffy pyjamas to ensure a comfortable sleep.

I'm not surprised if these get taken home by passengers after their flight as souvenirs.

Another bag contains ear plugs, combs, compression socks and...

Errrrr...?

Actually, it's an eye mask. Hehe.

It's so big it wraps around your ears, and even comes with nose rests so it doesn't slip down your face.

Each Business Class seat, of course, comes with a multitude of adjustments.

For the ultimate comfort, it's possible for the seat to lie fully flat with a press of a button. Your feet goes underneath your monitor screen, and your arm rests also slide down to give you a wider sleeping area.

In terms of toiletries, each Business Class passenger gets a stylish Salvatore Ferragamo toiletry kit specific to their gender.

I must admit, it looks so nice I didn't even use it. I just wanna bring it home and stare at it every so often to make me happy.

Again, there's never a shortage of space to store your belongings.

Apart from the humongous overhead compartment, there's also no less than 5 mini compartments on the left side, right side and underside of your seat to put your stuff away discreetly.

As expected, there are USB charge ports and power sockets cleverly tucked away on the side. Economy passengers also get USB ports and power sockets in every seat.

Oryx - Qatar Airways' Inflight Entertainment System is also legendary. On the Android system, it's feels even more high-tech and awesome.

The 17" screen are touch-enabled, but there's also a touch screen remote... you know, just in case you don't want to lean forward.

Then there's the beautiful noise-cancelling earphones - something only Business Class passengers get to enjoy.

Once you put those cans on, and choose from over 1,000 movies, games and songs, it's easy to forget you're even on a flight.

Wanna log on the internet at 30,000 feet in the air?

It's possible on Qatar Airways' 787. Of course there's a fee, but at RM15 for 10MB, it's comparable to typical data roaming charges, and very, very, very, very reasonable.

Not a fan of high-tech?

There's a huge selection of internationally magazines neatly arranged at the back. I think these were barely even touched by the passengers throughout my 6 hour flight.

Meal time on Qatar Airways' Business Class is when things start to get interesting.

No longer are airline passengers held ransom to bland food, or God forbid - instant cup noodles! Qatar Airways has teamed up with an incredible line-up of globally-renowned chefs to ensure the dining experience in the air is as close as possible to dining at these chef's Michelin-star restaurants.

Forget eating your meal out of an pre-packed aluminium box.

In Business Class, you get food served in real ceramic bowls, placed neatly in between real silverware, served on top of luxurious Frette tablecloths.

This is Chef Tom Aikens' grilled seabass.

Tom Aikens is a famous for being the youngest British chef ever awarded two Michelin stars by perfectly combining British and French influences.

And his creation is amazingly good. I never imagined airplane food to taste as good as this, but this is something I would take my date out to a romantic fine-dining restaurant for.

Delicious dessert accompanied by a glass of Bloody Mary to finish off my meal.

I swore I gained more weight stepping off the plane than when I stepped on!

And a quick nap to take advantage of the fully-flat seats.

Interestingly, I didn't feel as dry as a prune when I woke up. I attribute this to the higher humidity and lower cabin pressure of the Boeing 787 compared to other aircrafts.

Although I was travelling alone, I rate this was one of my favourite flight experiences. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is a technological wonder, I was very impressed with Qatar Airways' service and attention-to-detail.

Compared to other airlines, Qatar's airfares from Malaysia to Europe is consistently one of the most competitive, yet their service standard is always one of the highest.

The Business Class experience on Qatar Airways, for those who can afford, is an absolute indulgence at around RM8,000 return.

With over 250 aircrafts on order and new routes to many interesting destinations, a Qatar Airways experience comes highly recommended from me!

That's all the introduction you need to know about the makers of the world's most sophisticated wireless speakers.

Picture this scenario.

You have a huge stack of music sitting somewhere - it could you on your PC, your network connected hard disk, your phone or even somewhere in the cloud on the Internet.

Our homes are silent. Yes, we can all do with some music in our lives.

So, it's the weekend and you wanna enjoy this treasure trove of music throughout the different rooms in your house - could be your living room, bedroom, your bathroom or even the kitchen.

Now. You got several choices.

Do you... buy some Bluetooth speakers? Which is nice, but it means you can't stray more than 10m away from them?

Do you... spend lots and lots of money to place a speaker in every room and wire them up to a central console? Meaning nobody can change up the music unless they are near that console?

Or do you simply play the music from the tiny holes you called "speakers" of smartphone? And bear with the tinny hollow sound quality?

The idea behind SONOS is simple.

You can place any amount of SONOS speakers throughout your house, all wirelessly linked to your central console.

You can have can set these speakers to play different songs in every room, or play the same song throughout.

Best of all, you don't need to me near the central console to do any DJ-ing. Everything can music selection to volume can be controlled from your Android, iPhone or iPad.

No wires.

Pretty cool, huh?

I have heard of SONOS before. But it wasn't until I tried the SONOS Playbar that I truly realised what I was missing out on.

(Disclosure time: My SONOS Playbar is provided by Tat Chuan Acoustic, the exclusive distributor of Klipsch and SONOS products in MY & SG.)

Like other sound bars on the market, the SONOS Playbar is designed to hook up to your TV to take over the job of your typically pathetic-sounding TV speakers.

UNLIKE other sound bars though, the SONOS Playbar can stream music from your computer/network harddisk/Internet at the touch of a button. Obviously this works better if you already have other SONOS speakers located throughout your house.

Appearance-wise, the SONOS Playbar is like the speaker version of Wong LeeHom - it's slim, it's handsome and it's also very down-to-earth.

Minimal buttons on the outside gives it a nice Apple-type feel.

It is sophisticated without being complicated. With a built just nice enough to slide underneath your TV, the Playbar certain looks good in any living room setting.

Hidden beneath it's minimalist looking exterior is a plethora of high-tech goodies: nine speakers, various sensors to optimize tweaking of the EQ, and the wireless ability to hook up with other SONOS speakers to create a 5.1 surround sound system - if required.

Enough about the looks. How does the Playbar sound?

In two words: bloody amazing.

The audio experience is rich and immersive. This is astounding, because the Playbar is so much more compact than your traditional set-up, yet it is capable of delivering  the illusion of surround sound.

The bass can be a little weak, so pairing it with a subwoofer would obviously help. But make no mistake about it - on it's own, it is sweet as it is!

I haven't even begun to rave how easy it was to set up the SONOS Playbar.

Because there are no wires, the set up suddenly becomes so simple. Quick Start literally means quick start - download the app, launch the software, press a button, and everything's configured.

From unboxing to music... less than 15 minutes!

The only negative I can think of with the SONOS Playbar is perhaps the price. A S$1,299 price tag puts it firmly in the premium category. And although it is nice on its own, the SONOS system truly shines when there's at least a couple of SONOS speaker products scattered throughout your house.

For a more lengthy, geeky review of the SONOS Playbar, you can read reviews from sites like Engadget, Mr Brown or Hardwarezone.

To get your hands on these awesome speakers, look out for them in your local Harvery Normans or Machines. If all else fails, you can always buy them online from sonos-sea.com - they would even deliver to Malaysia!

SONOS - really they should have named it So Nice!

1. Celebrated my “Big Thirty” with the important people in my life.

My girlfriend knew I was under a lot of stress at the time, so she did something I never thought she would do - she contacted our common friends and asked to write some words of encouragement for me. These words were printed out and stored inside a box, so whenever I needed a power-up, it’s there.

(I also got a lot of “marry this girl, Kenny!” from our friends.)

2. Took the long way home from KLIA.

It was Christmas week. I was in KL for a business meeting, but on my way back I missed my flight.

It was a grave mistake. All MAS and AirAsia flights from KL to Kuching were full for the next 5 days. Not only that, all Penang to Sarawak, Johor to Sarawak and Singapore to Sarawak flights were full. Basically, there are no flights plying between Peninsular Malaysia and East Malaysia whatsoever for the next several days. It means I’ll be stranded with no accommodation, unless I think of something wild - which I did.

For a moment, I thought about sailing from KL to Kuching on a boat, like in Life of Pi.

In the end, I booked my flight my KL to Jakarta, then Jakarta to Pontianak on Garuda, then took a 9 hour bus ride from Pontianak in West Kalimantan, to Kuching, Sarawak. By the time I arrived home, I smell like an Indonesian.

Lesson learnt: Never miss your flight during Christmas week.

3. Sold my apartment and bought a house instead.

I got hitched shortly after purchasing my apartment. By then, I realised an apartment wasn’t right for the both of us.

Thinking long-term, I put the money down on a landed property and most likely this will be where we’ll be staying for at least the next few years - my first major responsibility as a grown-up.

4. Slept inside a campervan for the first time.

I took my girlfriend on a long holiday to the UK for our second year anniversary, but because hotels in the UK is so expensive, I thought it might be a better idea to rent a campervan and sleep in the back instead.

It was winter when we travelled to UK and Iceland, so we braced for the worst, but turns out sleeping in a vehicle didn’t turn out as bad as we had thought. We had a rather comfy Toyota Estima. In the morning, we would drive the vehicle around. When we felt tired, then we just parked wherever it’s quiet, popped down the back seat and slept till the next morning.

The best thing is that we saved a ton of money: the car hire costs us RM700 for 4 days - that’s roughly the cost of a single night in typical hotel in London!

Definitely gonna be doing this again.

5. Saw the Stonehenge.

Yeah, the world’s most famous pile of rocks.

6. Watched a Liverpool match at the Director’s Box in Anfield.

It was a money-can’t-buy prize from the Enterprise Development Challenge competition I won last year.

(Come to think of it, I experienced many things for the first time during this trip to the UK and Iceland.)

7. Travelled to Iceland.

It’s the furthest north I have ever travelled to in my life.

8. Made snow angels for the first time.

9. Went horse-riding in the snow.

And got a horse that loves me a little bit too much.

10. Dived in a lake for the first time.

But not just any lake - it’s a lake filled with glacial waters.

The dive site is Lake Silfra - a crack between the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates. It was also the first time I donned a dry suit to scuba-dive instead of the traditional wet suit.

The water in the glacial lake is so clean, it’s like diving in Evian water.

11. Walked on a glacier for the first time.

Sounds romantic, until I fell inside a hole.

Lucky I didn’t get stuck, ‘cos I’m too big-sized.

12. Went dog-sledding.

13. Saw the aurora borealis.

And it’s as breathtakingly beautiful as I had imagined it to be.

The aurora borealis is like weather - it is difficult to predict when exactly it is going to happen. All we can do is stay in Iceland as long as we can and hope for the best.

We were in Iceland for 5 days without seeing a single shred of green light.

Then, on the night when we were supposed to depart, the northern lights came out to play in all its glory.

It was magnificent.

14. Celebrated two years with my girlfriend.

After one week of sleeping in cars and saving every single cent way we can during our ten-day break in UK and Iceland, we splurged on the last day on our two-year anniversary trip at a Gordon Ramsay restaurant in London called Petrus.

15. Voted for our country.

Note to self: Don’t scratch your forehead when there’s still indelible ink on your finger.

16. Saw sunrise at Alishan.

17. Experienced an earthquake for the first time.

18. Ran my seventh 42km marathon.

The Perth City to Surf was the first ever running event I participated in. Back in 2001, I took part in the 4km run and swore to myself I don’t want to run again.

The event has since grown to include a marathon.

Although I didn’t beat my personal best (the route was easily the hardest I have ever competed in), there’s a nice sense of nostalgia to complete a marathon in a city where I spent most of my teenage years.

19. Trained to become a Les Mills GRIT Coach

20. Opened my third gym outlet.

My latest outlet is located next to a Buddhist temple where my father’s soul resides. And interestingly, the YB who officiated the opening of my gym was a former student of my late father.

I don’t think even my father knew that one of his students would grow up to become a politician, to officiate the opening of the business of his youngest son.

Guess it was meant to be.

21. Flew business class on long-haul for the first time.

Thanks Qatar Airways!

22. Went on a solo backpacking trip through Central Europe.

Although I flew on Business Class using Qatar Airways (sponsored) from Kuala Lumpur to Poland, I travelled from there to Czech Republic and Southern Germany on the cheap. I slept in hostels, buses, trains and train stations... basically, any place that does not have a hotel reception desk.

Instead of taking subways and taxis, I cycled everywhere as much as I can.

Flying on a broomstick is also a viable mode of transport.

Going on solo backpacking trip is something I enjoyed doing this during my single days in my early 20s. It’s good to get lost in a foreign country every once in a while. Makes you wiser.

23. Saw two of World War II’s most infamous and horrific sites of mass murder.

The Auschwitz Concentration Camp in Poland...

24. ...and the site of the Nanking Massacre in China.

You lost a bit of faith in humanity after seeing those two places.

25. Experienced Oktoberfest in Munich.

26. Continued to learn, learn, learn and be better at my job.

27. Appeared on a poster of a warung in Bali.

It all happened last year when we went cliff jumping at a spot in Nusa Lembongan.

I knew our photo was taken. Next thing I know, our sweet young Malaysian faces appeared on their poster. #SocialExperiment

28. Participated in a cycling trip organized by the Entrepreneur’s Organization (EO) of Malaysia.

This was such an eye-opening experience for me. On the surface, this may be just a bicycling trip from point A to B. Yet, I learnt so much just from having small talks and little conversations with members of EO Malaysia - all of whom are movers and shakers, founders or owners of very successful companies.

Full story coming up!

29. Completed my Invisalign treatment.

I’m smiling so much more now, thanks to mydentist.com.my. Again, will do a follow-up on my journey soon!

30. Asked my better half for her hand in marriage.

She said yes. :)

You know you have found the one when you’ve dated for two and a half years and you never even had a single argument.

Today, I am 31 years old.

But not at Doha. You see, there are airport terminals.

And then there is Qatar Airways Premium Terminal.

If you're flying first or business class into other airports, most of the time you have access to a nice and cushy VIP lounge, inside a noisy, crowded airport terminal.

Well, if you fly Qatar Airways' into Doha, you don't get access to a lounge.

You get access to THE WHOLE ENTIRE VIP AIRPORT TERMINAL.

Seriously, I don't even know how I'm gonna step foot into LCCT anymore.

Recently, I experienced not just my first ever long-haul business-class flight, but have the privilege to have my flight sponsored by Qatar Airways.

This Middle-Eastern Airlines recently took home awards for World's Best Business Class and World's Best Business Class Lounge at the 2013 Skytrax Awards. Naturally, my expectations were running high.

Fortunately, I was not disappointed.

Qatar Airways' Premium Terminal is the world's first premium terminal exclusively for First and Business Class Passengers.

It is so exclusive that it isn't even linked to the main airport terminal used by *cough* Economy Class passengers, or even *cough* passengers from other airlines.

The experience began as soon as I stepped off the plane.

There are no aerobridges at Doha International Airport, but the shuttle bus waiting to whisk us off ain't your ordinary airport shuttle bus either.

It's a Premium Terminal shuttle bus, with premium seats specially contoured to fit our Business Class backsides.

15 minutes later, we arrived at the Qatar Airways' US$100 Million 10,000 sqm Premium Transfer Terminal.

The first thing that greeted us was the Concierge Desk. This is where you stop if you have questions about your connecting flights.

A quick security check later (where the security staff actually smiles at you), we were greeted by the mandatory Duty Free shops.

This can be useful if you travelled 10,000km from home and forgot to bring along a gift for a friend you're visiting, like I did.

Otherwise, where you really want to go is up the escalators to where the magic is.

The Business Class Lounge at the Premium Terminal is a massive hall, decorated very tastefully with Middle-Eastern influences.

Even at 12 midnight, the terminal was bustling with people. Yet, it wasn't so busy to the point of feeling cramped and crowded.

They even went as far as to transplant artificial palm trees into the Lounge.

Maybe next time they can even bring in a camel for kids to ride while waiting for their flights.

I won't be surprised you know.

A lot of praise have been given on the food served inside the lounges.

Let's face it,  the quality of the food is indeed really, really good. Not only that, the selection of buffet spread is amazingly extensive. I counted no less than three separate buffet areas, serving cuisines as far ranging as Asian...

... to Western...

... to exotic-sounding Middle-Eastern food such as Lamb Kibbeh?

There are even little packets of dates and nuts nicely wrapped up in Qatar Airways ribbon. Good for more munching en route to the plane. Or as last-minute gifts for all you absent-minded folks.

(I used them as last-minute gifts for my friend I'm visiting in Poland.)

Then there's the dessert selection - lots of them.

And if self-service buffet isn't your thing, you can always choose to sit down on a proper table, complete with white table cloth, linen napkin, ceramic plates and metal cutleries, and choose your food from a menu.

It's obvious Qatar Airways' spared absolutely no expense in making the tummies of their Business Class passengers happy.

Whatever it is that passengers want, Qatar Airways give back with multiple options to choose from.

I was impressed with their tea selection, which comes with no less than six different types of whole tea leaves to choose from.

Even if I just wanna sit down and order a bottle of water, there is still a choice to make between still water from France or sparkling water from Italy.

I wished I could have stuffed myself with food, food and more food during my 2 hour layover. Alas, my stomach has already been pampered very nicely by the air crew during my flight from KL to Doha (more on that next time), and I couldn't possibly stuffed myself with more food without violating the weight-limit on the Airbus 330.

Instead, I peruse the shower facilities to freshen myself up before my 7 hour onward journey to Poland.

I was surprised to see L'Occitane shampoo and bath gel inside the shower cubicles. I must admit - I couldn't resist putting the leftovers in my pocket after my shower.

How I wish I could fit these OSIM massage chairs into my pocket too.

Apart from the yummy food and the delicious buffet spread, there are lots of other interesting areas to explore within the Qatar Airways' Premium Terminal.

There's a fully-equipped Business Centre, a nursery for kids, a Playstation gaming area, and get this - a 24-HOUR MEDICAL CLINIC.

I bet they treated lots of patients with "severe food overdose".