Alliance Bank, Put Your Face On The Credit Card

Last Wednesday I was invited by Nuffnang to a feedback session for Alliance Bank soon to be launch credit card package call You:nique. The venue is HQNine in Plaza TTDI.

I saw Nicholas and Robb from afar.

I registered at the entrance, some self introduction and got a nice goodies bag from Alliance Bank. It consists of a Notebook PC bag, and an Alliance Nano Bear (air purifier that doesn't use fragrance but nanotechnology to absorb the stinky air and it's now sitting in my car)

Goodies bag with my name on it.

This session is somewhat also a small bloggers gathering, met a few prominent bloggers there. This is the first time I meet Huai Bin of SixthSeal.com in person. He started blogging since 2002. A very seasoned blogger.

From Sibu and now work in Klang Valley.

Then Robb challenged Huai Bin to a arm wrestling match. I think both of them go to gym.




Saw a pretty familiar face there, Ginny lah, who else? Almost every event I went to, I'll see her there.

Her blog is pink too.

The surprise of the night is that 3 Malaysian Dream Girl Season 1 were there too.



Hanis, last met her since Nuffnang Wild Live party. She's a model with AndrewsModels now. She'll be continuing her study soon, she told me.

The other two, are non other than Cindy and Ringo. From disliking each other to bff. It's weird how things turn out.

Guys, please don't envy me, it's not what it seems to be.

Okay, now let us go back to business.


Nicholas representing Nuffnang, did an introductory opening.

Ken from Alliance Bank, did a brief explaination of what's the session all about.

Basically we were there to gives feedback and questions on You:unique credit card that will be launched soon by Alliance Bank. Edmund will be the one to take us through what is You:unique all about.

Edmund telling us the conceptualization till the end product of You:nique. Which still need some fine tuning before launching the product, here's where our feedback comes in.

So, what is so unique about You:nique (pun intended). First unique feature that one can visually see is that you can put your own chosen picture as the card design. Yes, that's right, what I meant in the title that you can put your face on the credit card is not like you take a passport size photo and can it on the card. For example, when you're applying You:nique credit card online, you can upload your gf/bf's picture (limited to 2MB currently), crop it, and to be printed on the You:nique credit card. If you guys/girls sub out a credit card to your gf/bf, then whenever he/she uses the credit card knows that who's paying for the credit card bill if you put your own face on the sub card.

Here's a sample.

You can put your childhood photo on the credit card.

You:unique is not only about the design of the credit card but more customizable features that you don't see visually. More details, after the launching.


Pam was so diligently taking down notes.

The Striped Brothers, David and Joshua were in da house.

After, the Q&A sessions, it's time for some food. Most of us haven't had our dinner yet. We're damn hungry already.



Cindy taking some soup. Now only I noticed that her bag is transparent.

We're having chicken rice, samosa and fried spring roll. The chicken rice and samosa is very nice.

I of course down it with this.

I didn't manage to take a picture with Yatz that night. Well, it won't be the last time I'll be seeing him anyway.

ST was there to shoot us.

Had small talk with Ken and Edmund. Their team has been working very hard in this project. As they say, in the banking industry Alliance is like David vs Goliaths. It's not easy getting a piece of the cake from those big boys.

We all then adjourned after the meal. Most of them had other plans while I have to go to work. -_-

So then here I'm signing out and more on You:unique after it launches.

Otak-otak Place, 1 Utama New Wing

The time twisted, and suddenly I was brought back to 1991. I was only in primary 6 back then. I walk around, the place look familiar yet so new to me. Ah, Tora and Ding Dang, junk food that I used to buy, not for the snack but for the toy that comes with it.

Suddenly feeling exhausted, I took a sit and suddenly man that look like my primary school headmaster asked a teacher to hand me an exercise book. What? It's been so many years I did not do homework on an exercise book.

What is this? I didn't remember that I went to a school call Otak-otak Place in primary. I studied in a school for Monkey Boys. I must be dreaming. So I flipped open the exercise book. Surprise, surprise. There's no home work to do but there's word to read. There's 16 different exam questions made up from the word "otak-otak". How cool is that. You might get A+ too for that.

The teacher ask me to choose one, so I chose Steamed Fish Otak-otak. "Sorry, many pupils had taken that so there's no more left", the teacher told me. Maybe it's because I was brought back to slightly after the masa berehat (recess time), the time on my watch is about 5 p.m. Left with only Steamed Squid Otak-otak and so be it.

I flipped the exercise book and discovered that this school is more than otak-otak. There's also Nasi Ayam Percik, Hainan Chicken Rice, Nasi Briyani Dam and etc. I remember that a fellow classmate of mine told me that the Nasi Briyani Dam is sure winner to score A. So, I chose that.

Before I starts to tackle the exam questions, I start to read the Ice Kopi to satisfy my thirst for knowledge. This must be a dream, why am I reading the Ice Kopi?

Steamed Squid Otak-otak (RM 3.90)


The first question is Steamed Squid Otak-otak. Hm... so creamy and the squid is still springy. It literally melts in my mouth. I must be going crazy, I am eating my exam question but it's just too hard to resist the temptation. I think if I have arrive earlier and take the Steamed Fish Otak-otak, I'll score better but nevertheless it still passed with flying colour.

Score: A-

Nasi Briyani Dam (RM 12.90)

The next question, looks like a multiple choice question that comes with a vegetable green curry, nasi briyani, papadam and a hidden trick question - chicken rendang. I had to dig deep to find the hidden trick question. So tricky the headmaster.

The green curry is not spicy at all, so it's easy for everyone. The nasi briyani is al dente, with the right type of rice, and spices thrown in. Just a bit dissapointed that the portion is not much. I'm a big taker. Chicken rendang is good but maybe the environment there is too cold or I just took a longer time to think about the answer that the chicken rendang is not warm anymore.

Score: A-

Hidden trick question.

"You can grow up and be a doctor if you study hard Seow, just like Dickie Dose", says the teacher. Huh? He looks more like a character from the card game I used to play, apa nama "Happy Family" if not mistaken.

Looking around while I was waiting for my exam result. I saw a fan that I think dated back to my grandfather's time. It's cold enough already so it's not turn on.

There were other pupils that still taking their exam.

After settling my exam score, I was suddenly back in the present. It's not a dream but a place that bring back memories when I was just a primary student. Ah, so nostalgic. That's Otak-otak Place. Still a lot more different questions dishes to explore. Will surely come back to take on the Steamed Fish Otak-otak.

Address:

For people that still wondering where Otak-otak Place is located at. It's at the new shops taking over the now defunct Giant.

Other ppl's view:

I might be the first one.

Laughing Out Loud On Thursday Night

Last Thursday as I've announced in my previous post, I went to Little Havana again for a dose of the best medicine. Was rushing from 1 Utama after eating my White Oreo bagel. Normally it will only take me 30 minutes max to reach there from 1 Utama but that night because of this natural disaster, it took me about 1 hour plus to reach. Lucky for me the show haven't started yet when I reached Little Havana.

Time Out KL put up a new background for the stage. Look grander.

The usual suspects were there, Kel Li, Yatz, Joshua, Aaron, Nigel, David, and Jen. This time Fuzz and Celine joined us too.

While waiting for the show starts, as usual bloggers will be bloggers.

The venue is full house again. Shows that people like a good laugh in this stressful city.

Matt is again the MC for the night. This time he sang songs to introduce the stand up comedian that will be performing.

Imagine Matt singing low, low, low, low.....


First up is Zac. He wasn't schedule to perform that night, he was standing in for Alfred whom can't make it in the last minute. So I think he was not well prepared which makes his performance a bit off his usual standard. He's very good when I watched his performance in Comedy Thursday November.

Zac dishing out his stuff.

This is Chi Ho. His jokes are not bad. Like he's impersonation of a Chinese Ah Beng lol. I like his finishing joke the most about how the dance steps of Michael Jackson came about. Salah parking oii!

Chi Ho with his Ah Beng look.


I don't know why but this picture reminds me of Heroes.

Introducing another first timer that night. Also the first female stand up comedian ever to take the stand in Time Out KL: Comedy Thursday. Introducing Davina Goh. Seeing that she's a first timer, I tried very hard to catch her jokes but HOW CAN I LAUGH AT A JOKE WHEN SHE'S SHOUTING OUT THE PUNCHLINE! I can't catch a freaking word of that she's shouted out.

Oh, Happy Belated Birthday to you Davina. They presented a cake to her that night, her birthday was last Tuesday if I remembered correctly.

After a 10 minutes break. It's Kavin's turn. He's a funny guy. Especially like his joke about "the man there will come over to take you candy", a bit like Russell Peters "someone will get a spanking tonight" joke. Still I think it's original.

Kavin the funny guy.


Last but not least, we have Jimmy from Canada who hates Singapore that he even wrote a song call "I Hate Singapore". The lyrics is so politically correct lol. Jimmy is a natural, maybe because he's a seasoned stand up comedian with years of experience performing in Canada and Singapore. As the say, they always save the best for the last.

Jimmy singing "I Hate Singapore".

After the show, we went to Jalan Alor to eat supper. Yat told us that there's a Alor Corner there that serve up some good nasi goreng. On the way walking to Jalan Alor, Celine and I bumped in to this man in silver.

I read about the gold man in The Star, didn't know there's a silver man too.

Oh, Time Out: On the Up December in No Black Tie will be on in two weeks time. 17th of December. Check out Time Out KL for more info.