By the time we got to Cititel Express, it was about 9+pm. The reason for choosing Cititel for my second visit to KK was that the hotel was new (newly opened in 2009), within walking distance to Sedco Square (for great cheap seafood), we wouldn't be in the hotel room most of the time and that it was extremely reasonably priced. Here is a picture of the hotel in the night which I took. The Slog Reviews:6/10. Only for pp who are not claustrophobic and do not have large/many bags. Horribly tiny rooms (the superior ones, at least) with no chairs and not within short walking distance to the Waterfront, Jesselton Wharf or the nicer shopping centers. However, the furnishing is new, there is a LCD TV in the room with a number of Eng Channels and the staff are polite and can speak English reasonably well.
As we were starving after the flight in, the first priority after picking up the motorbike was to fill our bellies before going for the countdown. I had wanted to have a quick meal and go straight to the jetty at Jesselton Point for the countdown but my companion wanted a seafood dinner and he who rides/drives prevails I guess. This is the pic of the front of Sedco Sq located at Kampong Air which I took after the countdown on the way back to the hotel.
After we parked, the first sight that greeted us when we walked into Sedco Square was this. The Slog Reviews: 6/10 - Not worth the space in your belly esp if you are in KK to eat. The chicken wings were well-done (not raw) but the sauce it was marinated in was just blah. However, when one is starving and waiting for the seafood dishes to be prepared, they are in fact, quite edible.
There are four live seafood restaurants at Sedco Square. As I'd eaten at TwinSky last month, we decided to try out the seafood at this restaurant, Gu Chun (old village) which apparently, cooks its food "cantonese style".
I decided that I would have what I'd spotted at Sai Kung, Hong Kong couple of months back (but which was too horrifically expensive there to try) - the prawn mantis. Like in Hong Kong, each prawn mantis is seperated and put in a waterbottle, apparently because it is unable to be a peace-loving community-like creature. Here is the last picture of the prawn mantis I'd selected alive.
And here is a picture of it chopped into several bite-sized pieces and cooked in the restaurant's recommended style (fried with salt, chilli etc).
This is a close-up picture of the cross-section of the prawn mantis after it has been cooked. I am not sure if the yellow portion is egg but whatever it is, it tasted good. The Slog Reviews: 8/10 - however, you are advised to have it steamed to taste its full flavor instead of fried, even if this is the restaurant's recommendation. The cost is about RM 50 (SGD 20) for one. I am not sure if it is considered expensive but in Hong Kong, it would have cost way more.
We also had a tiger grouper for dinner. The cost was RM10/100gm and we chose the smallest they had which weighed 800gm. The Slog Reviews: 8/10. A tad expensive at SGD 32 for one fish to be shared by 2pp only. The style the fish was prepared - steamed- is best for bringing out its flavor (as is the case for all fresh seafood)! And yeah, that's me digging into the fish.
After dinner, we headed for Jesselton Point where Stompin Sabah was happening.
The place was packed with people, cars, bikes and security vehicles. This is the closest pic of the stage I could get (an ordinary ticket cost RM30/person) where there were live bands performing and the emcees counting down to the new year.
Right after midnight, on the first day and first minute of 2010, the fireworks went off with a bang to mark the start of the new year. 
All around us, people were ooohing and aaahing for the entire 7 minutes the fireworks lasted - some pics of the fireworks on the 1st and last min below :) Welcome 2010!
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