Asian Tiger

If you are one of the unfortunate iPod Shuffle owners who is experiencing a problem with your Shuffle (like me), you will find that there are limited help available on the Internet.

In most cases, you will be required to bring your dying/dead iPod to the Apple store but you will be worried if your iPod is still under warranty or otherwise.  Here’s the good and bad news.

The good news is that you can check your iPod warranty status online at https://selfsolve.apple.com/GetWarranty.do

The bad news is that the warranty status check does not cover all countries.  You will need to key in your iPod serial number.  If you are unable to locate the serial number, click on this link: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1594

2 weeks ago (more specifically on the 18th of December 2009), a new watering hole emerged in Mutiara Damansara to cater to all thirsty throats.  I had a chance to visit their establishment on a working day; where I attempted to try their signature beers.

Craft Brews carry the normal brand of beers such as Carlsberg and Hoegaarden as well as a line of American beers called the Flying Dogs.  A look at the packing labels of the Flying Dogs have already made me decide not to try them; it did not look delicious.  Craft Brews also serves what they call the signature beers (brewed by Red Dot Brewhouse); Czech Pilsner, Monster Green Lager, Weizen (Wheat Beer) and English Ale. Descriptions of each beer is appended below — I took it from Red Dot’s tasting notes page.

When I was their, they were out of English Ale, so I tried their Weizen, Monster Green Lager and skipped the Pilsner.  Weizen tasted good and fresh but I would stay far away from their Green Lager; the after taste that lingers in my mouth is undesirable.

There is nothing to shout about happy hours at Craft Brews simply because it’s RM2 off normal price. I would have expected a 30% off or buy-one-free-one kind of happy hour deals. We are, after all, talking about a working day’s happy hours.

Plenty of parking at Craft Brews and parking rates are RM3 flat after 6pm. Details of Craft Brews:
Address: G3 Podium, Ground Floor, Menara Batu Kawan, 1 Jalan PJU7/6, Mutiara Damansara, 47810 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Telephone: +603-7722-3000
Opening hours: Mon - Sun 12:00pm to 2:30pm and 5.00pm to 1.00am

Red Dot’s Tasting Notes:
Czech Pilsner
A classic pilsner, this has a pale straw colour and bubbly appearance, and a malty taste and pleasantly floral nose. Low on bitter flavours, a smooth and light hop flavour adds an edge to the Czech Pilsner. Finishes clean and crisp on the palate.

Monster Green Lager
Strikingly green coloured pilsner definitely stands out for sheer novelty value but the taste doesn’t let down as well what with its traditional subtle taste of hops. Brewed and lagered with European-manufactured spirulina to give it a unique colour and a whiff of fresh fragrance.

Weizen (Wheat Beer)
Golden and cloudy in appearance, the Weizen has a fruity nose and a lightly spicy flavour. It’s light-bodied and very refreshingly easy-drinking.

English Ale
For those who like a stronger tasting full-bodied drink, the English Ale is a complex combination of flavours – smoky, spicy and hop-py, while being somewhat vinous. A rich ruby red, the ale has a good balance of smooth malt.

Mother in-law’s tongue also known as the snake plant or the Sansevieria, is an excellent indoor ornamental plant for offices, homes and buildings.  This plant is also called the “bedroom plant” because it converts carbon dioxide (CO2) to oxygen (O2) at night.

Besides the precious conversion to oxygen, this plant is able to purify the chemical formaldehyde.  Examples of where this chemical exists are foam insulation, plywood, pressed-wood products, grocery bags, waxed paper, fire retardants, adhesive binders in floor coverings and cigarette smokes.

We will need 6-8 waist-height plants per person for air purification.

As far as I know there are 2 methods to grow the Mother in-law’s tongue:

1. Re-potting - From an existing plant, lift the plant and look for shoot or offsets. Cut though the flesh that is attached to the parent plant and pot it.
2. Cuttings -  From the stem, cut 4 inches across the grain and pot it.  Beware of the orientation to ensure that you pot it the right side up.  In about 4 weeks, you will have a mother in-law’s tongue plant.  If you see new offsets, you can re-pot those as well to propagate more plants.

In both instances of growing, ensure that the soil is moist and not soggy.  Water minimally once a week but before that, test to ensure that the soil is dry before watering. This is because the mother in-law’s tongue dislikes over-watering where the root will rot.