Monday, July 31, 2006

My Walkman Phone W700i

I know people today change handphones like how often men change their socks. Yet I've been sticking to the same model for the past 4 years. Still loyal. Still supportive. Still unwavering despite all the colourful ads out there.

Yes, I was broke and couldn't afford one.

After 7 years of boring black & white screens and monophonic ringtones, I have finally convinced myself to get a new gadget to play around with. The money, of course, coming out of my future paychecks.

THIS is my new baby.

Sony Ericsson W700i.

Before this, I had a Nokia 8310, which was a replacement for my trusty old Nokia 3310, a product of exchanging phones with my sister, who in the end got my candybar Kyocera, which was a successor to my first phone, a Sagem.

She's been good to me.

So this is my fifth phone, and also my first Sony Ericsson. Wanted to stick to Nokia but recent models have shown a lack in novelty not to mention the unappeasing aesthetics and rather steep prices.

The W700i has all the basic functions of a camera/walkman phone - 2.0 megapixel camera, Bluetooth connectivity, music player, radio and other uber-advanced features that I will probably use once a year, perhaps even less often. I find it to be a great phone except for the lack of autofocus function for the camera.

I guess this phone will be my alarm clock, my communications tool, my music player, my camera so on so forth for the next couple of years. AT LEAST. Until I finish paying off for it, don't call me out because most probably I'll be eating instant noodles at home while caressing my new baby.

Now, about that job offer, I have yet to receive any encouraging news. Any takers?

thought completed at 8:50 PM | 3 comments

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Friday, July 28, 2006

Driving on Malaysian roads (Part 2)

Having some decent driving skills has really helped me survive the carnage we see on the roads everyday. Still, accidents are unavoidable. Nobody's perfect after all. Even if you have happen to be Michael Schumacher, you can't guarantee that the drunkard behind your car isn't going to ram into your bumper any time now.

I remember the first (and up til now, the only) car accident that I got myself into in PJ. For some reason (I still cannot figure out what got over me that fateful day), I was reversing the car and was totally oblivious to the Kelisa coming from the sidelane. It wasn't until there we felt a slight jolt in our seats and the sound of a car horn that we realized that we had knocked into the car behind us.

The first thought that came to my mind was, Shit, I'm in trouble now. Not only was I at fault, I was probably going to part with my much-needed money and maybe even get beaten up if I was unlucky. We were somewhat relieved that she turned out to be a college student. Apparently, she wouldn't speak much to us and asked us to wait until her parents came. So she launched into a lengthy chat with mommy or daddy while we waited, waited and waited.

After what seemed like eternity, mommy and daddy finally came. I kept apologizing to the driver and her parents, partly because I felt sorry for my mistake, and also because I didn't want to be slapped with a hefty bill for the damage caused.

And guess what, while I was saying sorry and all that, the driver started pleading to her mommy, trying to convince her that it wasn't her fault. Of course it wasn't her fault; if it was, I'd be doing the lashing instead. It was her coy manner that really pissed me off. There she was going:

"Mommy daddy, it's not my fault ok. So you're not going to deduct it from my allowance right? Please..."

Or some shit like that. If it were a 7 year old kid, fine. But for a 21 year-old? Diu. She was lucky she only got a tiny dent in her front bumper. I'd have taken her entire bumper off if I knew she was going to whine like that. Perhaps she would stomp her feet and cry out loud in the middle of the road. Now wouldn't that be an interesting sight.

Luckily the parents were quite nice, seeing I was a student myself and I wasn't a local. So I paid my dues and said farewell to daddy's girl. I considered myself lucky, but come to think of it, she was the lucky one. Imagine what she'd be in for if it was some ah beng with parang instead of a mild mannered uni student.

"Hey you, what did you think you were doing? Oh no, you've got a knife there, don't tell me...I'm so sorry, it's all my fault...Mommy daddy help! Some guy with a parang is coming after me! HELP!!!"

*Voice drowns in a cacophony of steel and flesh*

Related post: Driving on Malaysian roads

thought completed at 9:56 PM | 3 comments

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Thursday, July 27, 2006

Ingeneur for hire

Most freshly-graduated engineers I know would probably be awed at the amount of cash deposited into their accounts at the end of each month. Those who got a job anyway.

Well they have reason to feel so. After all, after 4 or 5 years of living on the edge of poverty (that applies to local uni students, not the filthy rich who can afford college), they get their surge of excitement whenever it comes to pay day. Gone are the days of having to beg parents for living allowances and surviving on nothing but instant noodles.

And so they check their accounts, whoop in joy at the figures displayed on the screen, and right away withdraw a considerable sum of cash to spend it on themselves. Being young means they'd probably buy something to make them feel good. A new handphone, a new camera, or a new laptop for the geeks. For the girls, ah the items are endless.

After that little splurge in the mall they come to realize that there are still outstanding bills to pay. Rent, utility bills, mobile phone charges, car installments...the list goes on. They do some mental calculation and conclude that there'll still be money left after paying.

Now not forgetting the loans that they take, the honest ones would contribute back to the organization that so kindly funded their studies. The unscrupulous ones, god knows where they spend that money for but they spend it anyway. Scholarship holders? Those lucky asses.

Some spend the remaining money on their girlfriends, some rare cases on their boyfriends. Some get new girlfriends, some get new boyfriends, some get both.

And so those poor souls who sell their time to contribute to mankind's improvement become broke at the end of the month. Accounts are depleted. Attitudes change. Yet the vicious cycle continues endlessly.

Damn. What am I saying here? As if I'm the third party here. I am THEM!

I need a life. I need a salary increase. I need a big ass bonus.

Interested employers who are willing to fork out a 5-figure sum and unlimited benefits for the excellent services of an ingeneur can contact me at daredevil_tyn@hotmail.com. Serious offers only.

thought completed at 8:34 PM | 0 comments

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Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Smashpop pimps me...not!

So did anyone take part in the Smashpop's Work Your Brain Using Bloggers' Name contest?

I bet you didn't catch the first quiz that he put up. It was only up for like...30 minutes? The reason it was replaced by a new question: the first one was cracked in that time frame, and it was submitted by yours truly! *Kembang moment* The answer was Batman Begins, by the way ;)

Alas, I didn't get the fansign, since the organizer thought it was a bit of a putdown for the contest to end prematurely. The consolation that I got was that my name was plastered as a clue for the subsequent quiz.

Me: remember, i got the first answer correct...

Smashpop: aha

Smashpop: ur wan testing only..

Me: (like that also can?)......

Did it increase my popularity? I doubt it since there wasn't a link to my own blog. Anyway, to feature on the venerable Smashpop blog is already an accomplishment in itself, I guess :D

thought completed at 9:14 PM | 4 comments

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Sunday, July 23, 2006

I am a gym noob

Remember that I used to mention how I was going to adopt a healthy lifestyle by going to the gym more often?

Here's proof of it.

When I was just about to get started.

Well it isn't Fitness First or Celebrity Fitness or some fancy gym located in some fancy shopping mall endorsed by some fancy model who seems to be more anorexic than portraying a healthy image. It was the gym located at the 3rd floor of the apartment building that I'm staying in.

It's a minimalist kind of gym. A treadmill, 2 cycle machines, a stepper (is that what they're called?) and also an all-in-one apparatus to keep your upper body in shape...or at least I think that's what it does. Oh and it includes a leaky sewage pipe at the corner of the room, maybe to drive away wannabe gym-goers so management can save on costs?

20 minutes into the workout.

I tried the stepper since I've seen one of those in TV shopping ads back in the 90s. My assumption of steppers, thanks to those ads, is that we do not exert too much pressure on our knees unlike the treadmill. Don't know whether that's true but my knees were still intact when I was done with it.

30 minutes into the workout.

After I got bored of swaying my arms and legs in the air, I hopped on to the treadmill. Exercise is a mundane thing to do...especially when you're doing it alone and there's no MP3 music banging into your ears. I sure could do with a new iPOD. Throughout the workout, I went through some positive thoughts in my mind to keep it busy, such as these:

"I am going to stay healthy and fit, so I need to exercise."

"I will feel more energetic if I keep up with the workouts."

"I will attain an Arnold type bod so I can win the title of Mr Universe."

Anyway, I managed to stick to my resolution to finish at least 40 minutes of stepping, running, cycling and weight lifting, albeit with a little distraction coming from the swimming pool :D Being a gym noob, it's always a wise thing to start out with some short, light sessions, I think.

At the end of the workout. I'm wasted.

After the session, though I was exhausted, I could vaguely feel that the blood in my arteries was flowing smoother and I was looking better. Wishful thinking perhaps?

I really should keep this up more often.

thought completed at 9:03 PM | 8 comments

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Friday, July 21, 2006

Tough week

I am so in need of a break. A good, job-free, stress-free, fun-filled break.

For the past week it's been like hell at the workplace. One month of doing nothing training and learning and suddenly my counterpart decides to throw the whole workload at me. And so it's been a tough time for attempting to grapple with the sophiscated software and hardware required to get the job done. All this when I'm barely past my infancy period in the job cycle.

These days I seem to have developed an affinity toward bread. Wednesday's dinner I had bread, which I had no one to share with. Thursday's dinner, I had egg sandwishes, courtesy of cell members. Friday's lunch, which was just a moment ago, I had...guess what, BREAD again!

It'll be no surprise if they start calling me the BREADMAN, alter ego of CLEANROOM MAN.

Well, thank god it's Friday...looking forward to a fruitful weekend with Gurl.

Cheers!

thought completed at 4:27 PM | 0 comments

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Tuesday, July 18, 2006

I, Bookworm

According to this, the literacy rate in Malaysia is generally around 88.7%, which is not bad for a developing country. If you have any doubts about this, I suggest you could go around asking people who Siti Nurhaliza's future hubby is and at the same time find out where they got their source.

Yeah, 88.7 people in 100 would probably tell you they read it from the papers or the net, that 0.7 perhaps being a half grown kid who can't make up his/her mind. The remaining few will probably see the news over TV or some other media and join in the crowd asking "Why, oh why?"

Now you're convinced, you must be thinking "Hey, 88.7% isn't that bad. In fact, we should be damned proud of it! Put in in the record books, that's what we should do. Malaysia Boleh!"

Alas, our rates are even lower than our neighbouring countries (that of course excludes electricity rates, fuel rates, tax rates so on so fourth). Singapore's still up there at 92.5%. But it's okay, they're a developed country so it's alright if they whoop our ass. But look at this, even Thailand is beating us by being ahead by nearly 4%.

Hmm...I dunno how's Singapore feeling about this but Malaysia sure isn't in a good position when it comes to literacy rankings.

Hence I feel a certain obligation coming from within myself, me being a Malaysian. And it is with hopes that I share with you the news that there will be a Stock Clearance Sale by Big Bookshop at the Atria Shopping Center.

Again, in larger font.

EVENT: Big Bookshop Stock Clearance Sale
LOCATION: The Atria Shopping Center, Damansara Jaya
PERIOD: Now until the end of July '06

This is what I got myself.

Bookworm, I am. 3 books all for a grand total of......RM26!!!

Which might have cost me a fortune if I were to shop at the usual book stores. Notice that I wasn't too picky on my choice of titles, partly because some novels were unavailable, and some were just too dirt cheap for me to pass! So go on and pay a visit. It'll satisfy the book-craving you in you, I'm sure.

And there's your community message of the day :)

thought completed at 9:29 PM | 2 comments

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Sunday, July 16, 2006

It's everywhere!

I noticed recently that these ads are being plastered everywhere in the city.



PREMIER tissue paper: It's everywhere.

Everywhere? How is that possible? I just couldn't resist doing some observations myself. So I devised a methodology, identified the locations I was to conduct my little experiment, prepared the tools and set out for my next great adventure to uncover the truth.

And guess what I found out.



*Gasps* I found one!



OMG it's true! Tissue paper's everywhere!

Conclusion: The statement seems to be true based on early observations. However whether the tissues belong to the Premier brand remains to be studied.

Hmm...kind of gives people the message that, wherever you go, be it streets or alleys, or sometimes even at home, you're bound to see tissue paper littered on the floor.

Another reminder for us to mind our manners?

thought completed at 8:07 PM | 1 comments

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Wednesday, July 12, 2006

On engineers and vampires

As I step into my sixth week of hell employment, I've gained more and more insights into the nature of my job and also the people around me.

Job wise, I'm starting to bear responsibilities regarding the product I'm supposed to take care of, which is a controller that is used in automobiles. Yes, Cars. Lightning McQueen probably had a piece of me, or will be. My basic job is to carry out improvements and cost reduction, but any further description about it here would probaby bore you to death.

People wise, now that's the interesting part. Although I've never been an extremely 'people' type (unlike some of my colleagues who truly excel at the art of PR, rare for an engineer), I've never felt bored observing people. Observation is where you get to know them (or at least their face value). Of course I always run the risk of judging a book by its cover; one has to be cautious when it comes to this.

I guess they will never lack interesting characters in an organization, especially a large one like this. First up to catch your eye are the queer ones. There's the guy who wears white T's to works every single day; his entire wardrobe must have been purchased in one go. Then there's this new girl who just looks too damn pretty to be an engineer, and everytime I see her she seems to be chewing on something. Gum, I suppose. Not to mention the super-'in' guy with blond hair and styles a pair of shades while working; he'd probably look more at home at a design house than an engineering firm.

Of course, there are the workaholics. My boss for example. I've been leaving the office past 7 for the past week, and yet I never fail to see him working way past office hours. Being a manager sure isn't easy, the amount that you sacrifice goes in line with the amount you get paid. Well, at least he's a nice guy and deserves the respect that he gets.

Oh, and what's a good movie without the bad guys? There are some who just don't get my liking. The fact that you're being two-faced (or I think you are) just pisses me off. To hell with all the sweet talk and buddy chat. You all can fuck off for all I care. Fortunate that I haven't met with many of these type...yet.

It isn't easy being an engineer. No wonder HR's been giving all these brainwashing talks to convince us that we should spend our lifetime in the office. Balanced lifestyle? Team building? Company benefits? That's just a way of saying, "I give you a day off, so you need to put in 100 days more for me".

Doesn't sound right, right? And the funny thing is, it works.

* * * * * * * *

I'm totally immersed in The Historian, written by Elizabeth Kostova. It's about a young woman who goes in search of her father, whom she believes is being pursued by the evil Dracula. A wonderful mix of fact and fiction. Barely halfway through the 800 pages and I'm already hooked on it. Beats the Underworld and Van Helsing movies anytime.

Let's just hope I can finish it before I get carried off by a giant bat and get bitten in the neck and transform into an undead being thus craving for blood and go on to suck the red stuff out of every living being on the planet.

On second thought, that's not such a bad idea, huh?

Technorati tags: Elizabeth Kostova, The Historian

thought completed at 11:07 PM | 0 comments

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Sunday, July 09, 2006

Nat Geo Special: Copulating bugs

To my amazement one day, I discovered these two buggers caught in the act of copulation...on top of my car!



This stuff is worthy of being National Geographic material...did I forget to mention viewer discretion is advised? Oh to hell with it. Kids today, they'll find out anyway.

I have no idea what attracted them to commit their little act at that location. Maybe it was the new coat of fiery red paint that aroused their sexual needs. Moreover, I saw this when I had just come out of my car, which means, they were doing it at 60km/hour for a time!!

Which brings me to a conclusion: We will never match the bug kingdom when it comes to shagging. They still lay claim to the "anywhere, anytime" tagline.

thought completed at 7:36 PM | 4 comments

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Friday, July 07, 2006

Crap blog?

It's good to know that some people actually appreciate what you blog about. Well, to tell the truth, I don't know if anyone appreciates mine. Visitor numbers have been changing at the same rate but exactly the opposite way as the price hikes our nation is experiencing. Maybe it's because of my absence from posting and/or pinging PPS.

Speaking of PPS, I came across ShaolinTiger's post the other day about the quality of pings on PPS, and spent some time pondering over the issues that he brought forth. He noted that the quality of content on PPS has declined dramatically, no thanks to the increasing volume of blogs over the months.

As he lambasted the poor content, I shrivelled up in fear that my blog was one of those that fell into the atrocious categories. I'm just a small time blogger, and I do write some crappy stuff sometimes, but it's never a good sign if you find yourself being implicated (though inadvertly) in a negative way, especially when it's by a famous blogger.

So with some engineering rationale, I made my own analysis. For one, I don't claim to be a 'pseudo pro-blogger'. I have a day job, and blogging is just one of the many ways I use to take the boredom out of it. Blogging is a hobby, a means to express my feelings. I used to have Adsense, but it didn't make cents so I dropped it. Okay, first round I pass.

I dare say that the content of my blog is original, not some copy paste formula that seems to be the rage today. Blogging isn't like university assignments. Taking someone else's words and putting them in your personal blog is just like buying pirated DVD's off the street (not that I don't do that). Grammatical errors? I try to stay clear of those, but sometimes errors are inevitable. I am chinese educated human after all.

As for the multiple pings, I guess I might be guilty of that. At most I ping twice a day. Sometimes they're accidental, sometimes I need the attention. What can I say, I have a virtual inferiority complex.

So overall I managed to escape most of the attributes of a shitty blog, I think. But then the final verdict is not up to me. At best I can say my blog isn't a rip-off. It's just me, plain me.

thought completed at 8:56 PM | 1 comments

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Monday, July 03, 2006

Sabbatical

The business of blogging can be a bit taxing on the body and the mind. I'm currently typing my entries with my laptop on the floor; without a table and chair my back's killing me.

That's the body part. The mind? Oh well it's just that I've felt that my brain cells could be put to better use, even more since my workload is starting to pile up. Not to mention I have to start my perilous journey to find new muses so that I can keep posting in the future.

This coupled with my resolution to get some exercise after work. Exercise is good, yeah. Workouts are great. Lazing at home watching anime while eating a candy bar is even better. But I guess I gotta start burning some calories before I get a Michelin around my waist.

Physical, mental and recreational reasons PLUS the fact that I still have a few episodes of Bleach to finish off.

Thus it's due to all these nonsensical reasons that I'm contemplating a short sabbatical from blogging. There might be random posts from time to time, but most probably I'll be posting less frequently.

Til we meet again, my dear readers.

thought completed at 7:58 PM | 6 comments

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