The Rammifications of Thought

Sony Album T

2007-11-14T21:25:00.000+08:00

The day after the BERSIH rally was held, I was up early to catch the launching of the new Sony Album T digital camera (also known as the DSC T2). Earlier on I was already informed that there would be an early bird promotion for buyers.

I had hoped to get a bargain but nearly lost the intention when I saw the length of the queue, despite reaching at 9am. Some came as early as 5am, and I heard the first person in line (who got the camera for RM11.11 by the way) had camped since the afternoon before! Really nobody can beat Malaysians when there's a good deal up for grabs.

So after standing in queue for more than 4 hours (and without a toilet break), I finally got my hands on the shining new camera at a price of RM888.80. Heck it wasn't as cheap as I expected but it's a good number no? Still it was a good deal as the retail price would be RM1399.

Blue is my new favourite colour

At this price, you get a 8.1 megapixel CCD along with the standard 3x optical zoom for a compact in this price range. It was also nice to have a 2.7 inch touch screen and Sony's Super Steadyshot thrown in. With the intuitive touch screen interface, using the camera was a breeze. No more buttons to confuse you.

The feature that sets it apart however must be the built in memory - a total of 4GB of space on board! With that amount of memory, a memory stick would be needless as more than 1200 photos at full resolution could be stored internally.

One of the features I found nifty was the 'smile shutter' mode. When the camera is set to this mode, the lens will automatically detect when a face is present and the shutter is depressed automatically when a smile is detected.

It was really quite fun trying out this feature for the first time, though I doubt I would use it often. After all, what's taking a photo without the classic "1, 2, 3, smiiiiiiiile" tagline? It would be useful however if your subject wasn't paying attention, hence saving the work of repeating the whole process.

Apart from that, you can also edit and add drawings to photos stored in the camera using the stylus. Another nice feature although I'd still use Photoshop for editing.

Sample photos that were taken turned out good when viewed from a PC monitor. The anti-shake function was superb too, maybe even better than my old Panasonic.

I thought Sony could have improved on Playback and Scrapbook buttons though. These two buttons are only one of the few that you can find on the back, and yet I did not feel comfortable at all using them. The buttons were tiny and too deep in so people with large fingers might find it hard to press down.

Overall, the Sony DSC T2 is a very classy, elegant camera and it comes with all the features that one would expect from a compact camera, even with some extra nice touches thrown in. At the price I got it, I would definitely say it's a good buy.

Technorati tags: sony, cybershot, dsc t2, album t

Independant journalism

2007-11-12T21:57:00.000+08:00

After reading (or rather, not reading) what was published in the Star yesterday and today, I decided to subscribe to Malaysiakini.

Even though I was not able to attend the BERSIH rally, I'd say some good came out of it.

Comeback rant

2007-11-10T23:59:00.001+08:00

I know I haven't posted in a while, and I didn't intend to actually. I just couldn't resist venting out my frustration and anger over all the stupid tactics the government used to prevent people from turning out for the BERSIH rally.

If you have no idea what the rally is about or have't even heard of it, I strongly suggest you throw away your usual reads (ie mainstream papers/news) and start to get educated on INDEPENDANT news.

As it turned out, I left home after lunch today to head back to KL, one and a half hours before the march to Istana Negara was supposed to start. I left a whole 1.5 hours earlier as I thought it would be just nice for me to reach the KJ station and hop on a train to the centre of action.

But no, as if the rain was not causing enough trouble (there was a pretty serious accident involving some vehicles on the Karak Highway), those dumbskulls who call themselves the poh-lis decided to crash in on the already-bad congestion just before the Gombak toll.

Vehicles were caught in a near standstill, about 10km from the toll booth. I was inching along, cursing under my breath that this could not be a worse day for me. After nearly an hour stuck in the jam, I finally saw ahead of me a police block set up to check each and every vehicle that went through the highway.

The traffic congestion was inevitable, since those morons had closed off two lanes and creating a bottleneck in the traffic flow. And the strange thing was, I did not notice them flagging people down for speeding (I would've known as I was going 110 on an earlier stretch), nor were they checking for road tax.

After reading some articles about road blocks being set up in various parts of KL, particularly the main entry points in the city, I came to conclude that the men in uniform were actually keeping an eye out for people who were attending the rally. I could not confirm this though as I was not wearing a yellow t-shirt when I was driving (I'm pretty sure they would have asked me to pull over and interrogate me if I was).

So to poh-lis at the Gombak toll booth, I salute you! I salute you for creating the worse jam I have ever experienced while driving on the Karak Highway. I salute you for coming up with ingenious ways of putting traffic to a standstill. I salute you for causing a delay to my scheduled trip to Dataran Merdeka. I salute you for driving me mad enough to post this rant on my blog which I thought I would never update.

Replace the words 'I salute' in the paragraph above with the word fuck. Now that makes perfect sense, eh?

*************************************************
Anway I heard the rally went well. As George Lucas would put it, the Empire strikes back.

It's alive!

2007-08-12T21:16:00.001+08:00

Yes this will be a short one, just so you know I'm still alive. It's so brief, I'm going to put it in point form.

I went through a 3 day detox programme. 76 hours without any solid food at all, just so I could experience the famine so widespread in Africa. Kidding! It was for my own personal health reasons.
I watched the latest Harry Potter movie. Kinda sucked like the book. I read the 7th book too. downloaded for free off the greatest resource known as the WWW. Hermione and Ginny didn't die yay!
A large piece of one of my premolars got chipped off while I was enjoying some Ipoh heow-piah. The cost - 3 visits to the dentist, a crown and RM880 out of my wallet! Damn those biscuit makers.
I got caught up in the heath craze. Went out bought a pair of dumbells, some nutrition supplements and a copy of Men's Health. I'm feeling as motivated as ever to get that ever-eluding six pack!
I have officially dropped off the Malaysiablog rankings, which mean I must be somewhere beyond 300. The price of not blogging too consistently.

There you go. Elaborations upon request only. Yeah, I'm not dead :D

Memories in Cambodia (Angkor Wat) - Part 5

2007-07-27T10:51:00.000+08:00

On the third day, we were glad to visit somewhere other than temples, so that we didn't catch the dreaded NABTS (Not Another Bloody Temple Syndrome). So we set out to the floating village of Chong Khneas.

It was quite a distance from Siem Reap town and we were lucky we went in a car. This was because the road conditions there were simply disastrous. For most of the second part of the journey, we were travelling through muddy terrain. According to our guide, the roads would get flooded once the rainy season came.

After the bumpy ride, we reached the river bank and got on our own private boat.

Not far from the jetty we saw numerous buildings, built floating on the river surface. It looked like a real town, complete with residential huts, sundry shops, schools, a basketball court (!) and so on.

One of the few schools in the floating village.

A floating Catholic church - fancy praying on water?

Believe it or not, there was also a pig sty built on water. Cambodians really can't go without pork.

All the buildings here are easily relocatable, depending on the water levels. We saw a family 'moving house', being tugged by a small motor boat.

Check out the picture below. Anything strange about it?

Yup, the loos are open air. Boat people can see you peeing, how about that!

The entire tour took about one and a half hours and we were back in town after that.

After some lunch, we headed on to the silk farm operated by Artisans d'Angkor. There we were given a tour of the silk production line, free of charge. They also had a shop selling goods made of silk. The silk here is purportedly one of the best in the world.

On the way back from the silk farm, we stopped by one of the rural schools run by the government. There were only 2 classrooms, with students from both classes taught by one teacher. The education sector must be seriously understaffed.

We went in to say hello to the teacher and students. Since she didn't speak english, our driver acted as a translator. Apparently, english is only taught in certain schools in the suburbs or town area, while rural schools mainly use the Cambodian language as a medium.

The conditions there were frankly quite miserable, but I guess there are schools like these back in our own country too. The students were shy when we tried to take some pictures with them. Things changed though as my friend started a math pop quiz and gave out candy to students who managed to answer the questions correctly.

We also gave out some pencils which we purchased in town earlier. Many of these children are too poor to even afford proper stationery.

This practically rounded up our Siem Reap and Angkor. There were other mini excursions as well that I have not blogged about, but I'm feeling this has kind of been dragging on. So this concludes my post on the great journey to the land of the Khmers.

PS: Did you read about the landing gear scare which happened to an Air Asia aircraft when it was trying to land in Siem Reap? Think twice before flying Air Asia!

Technorati tags: cambodia, siem reap, angkor wat, chong kneas, floating village

Walk on air - Air Max 180

2007-07-24T21:46:00.001+08:00

If you're a long time reader of this blog, you probably know I'm a Nike fan when it comes to shoes.

After one a half years using the Air Max Candela, I decided it was time to get myself a new pair of trainers. This time, it was the Air Max 180 TR.

The Air Max 180 is sort of like the little brother to the full-fledged Air Max 360. As the name would suggest, the difference is in the length of the air-sole unit which is only covers half the shoe. Why didn't I go for the 360?

a) It's damn expensive, 600 bucks per pair ok (but this doesn't mean the 180 is half the price of that)
b) This pair was on sale :)

The shoes are quite a comfortable wear, despite the air-sole units not being as soft as I'd expected. I'm just hoping the air units won't deflate like my old pair - there's always the risk on Nike shoes.

Ah I love my Nikes.

Memories in Cambodia (Angkor Wat) - Part 4

2007-07-16T22:10:00.000+08:00

After exploring the Bayon, we went on with our tour of Angkor Thom, this time to the temple of Baphuon. Since restoration works were going on within, we didn't really get a chance to go in.

There was this long, elevated walkway right in front of the main entrance. My guess is it served as a walkway for the king when entering the premises.

'No admittance except on business'. I wonder what is considered as business here. Selling coconuts?

Best drink around Angkor Wat. Nothing like a cool coconut after a hot day's walk.

Gurl with my trusty Jansport backpack. I bought it with the purpose of travelling here, but it has served me well on other trips too. At this point where the picture was taken, we were standing on top of a high, flat wall. Interestingly, it is named Terrace of the Elephants.

I had to stop and plaster up my foot due to friction with my sandals. Walking around Angkor Wat is nothing like a stroll in the shopping mall.

We then headed back to Angkor Wat for a second visit, this time to go further into the building and explore it's many galleries. There are four sides to the building, each lined with intricate carving depicting scenes mostly from the Ramayana epic.

Many carvings were of women-like figures in various poses. These are apsaras, supposedly heavenly nypmhs who dance in the palaces of gods. Notice certain parts of their bodies shining like marble, caused by constant touching. Yes we humans are very curious indeed.

After a while it started to rain. We were trapped inside the temple complex while waiting for the torrents to stop. This dashed our hopes of viewing the sunrise, but nonetheless we were given a taste of Cambodian rain.

So ended our one day tour of Angkor Wat. It was a great experience and some of the views were just breathtaking. Pity it didn't get into the final 'New 7 Wonders', I guess Cambodians are too poor to vote for their national pride.

Next up, our tour of the floating village and other places in Siem Reap.

Technorati tags: cambodia, siem reap, angkor wat

Face off: Transformers vs Harry Potter

2007-07-14T21:25:00.000+08:00

Managed to catch two of the most touted movies being released this month over the weekend. Going to do a little comparison based on what I thought of both films. Be warned though, you might not like what you read, and potential spoilers ahead.

Transformers vs Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix (thereafter referred as HPOP)

The Background

Transformers has come a long way since I ever remembered watching cartoons when I was a kid. Optimus Prime was sort of the hero every kid wanted to have. Harry Potter on the other hand was only introduced a few years ago, and despite me being a fan of the books (yes, I'm guilty) this is not a childhood fantasy I want to relive. Can you imagine Harry Potter the cartoon series? Nuf said.
Score: Transformers 1, HPOP 0

The Plot

Honestly, both plots kinda sucked. Advanced robots coming from outer space to fight an age-old war with a couple kids in between, that basically sums it up for Transformers. But the fact that the Transformers were even in the movie, makes it pwn the draggy HPOP which was cut really bad. Why was Voldemort even after the globe thing? Bah.
Score: Transformers 2, HPOP 0

The Acting

The guy in Transformers was kind of funny, and Megan Fox is totally hot though her character is really a bit lebih (except to maybe show some cleavage to get the guys drooling). With HPOP it's the same old bunch of actors, who are getting more and more boring as the series drags on. But our beloved Dolores Umbridge is so wicked in HPOP she makes me want to slap her.
Score: Transformers 2, HPOP 1

The Special Effects

Movie with kids flying on broom sticks and casting spells over one another - been there, done that. Movie with alien robots with the ability to morph into super cool automobiles, now that's what we're after.
Score: Transformers 3, HPOP 1

Miscellaneous

Goofs in Transformers - Archibald Witwicky, the guy who found Megatron, is referred to Sam's grandfather, great grandfather and great great grandfather in different occasions throughout the movie, wtf? How did Megatron learn to speak English if he was buried for 1000 years and they supposedly learned the language from the WWW?

On the other hand, the whining kid who sat next to us during HPOP made the viewing so terrible I wanted to tick off his mother. And the film melted halfway through the show. Yes, MELTED and we could see the film dripping off the screen. Way to go, GSC.

So looks like we have a clear winner here. Yay, Transformers! Autobots, roll out!

Technorati tags: transformers, harry potter

Memories in Cambodia (Angkor Wat) - Part 3

2007-07-10T23:29:00.000+08:00

As the day went on, we proceeded to one of the most famous ancient Angkor sites - Ta Prohm. This temple is famous for the massive trees that grow undisturbed and undeterred on top of the stone structures. What's amazing is seeing nature fighting relentlessly against man-made buildings - the eternal struggle between man and nature.

As a result from not clearning the entire jungle, many of the structures were in ruins. The reason to this was, as the trees grew, their roots would become entangled into the stone blocks. If the tree were to die, it would pull the structure down with it.

Some of the trees had trunks so wide in diameter I guess it would probably take dozens of people to form a circle around it. From what I heard, some of them were four to five hundred years old!

Ah, and for the famous part, I'm sure many of you would have caught a glimpse of the site before. It has appeared in none other than the first Tomb Raider movie, where our sexy Lara Croft picks a flower when the ground gives way and she plunges into....Pinewood Studios, Hollywood.

That particular site was so packed with visitors we didn't had the chance to snap some pictures. It was interesting to see middle-aged oriental faces speaking excitedly as they followed their tour guides. Most of them were Koreans or Taiwanese.

We didn't quite like the Korean tour groups because, contrary to the dramas they produce, they're actually quite a noisy crowd and can be quite rowdy at times. A good method of avoiding these crowds is getting ahead of the main groups, then fall back to visit the early sites once the crowd has dispersed.

After the temple in the jungle, we were escorted into the confines of Angkor Thom, literally called 'The Great Citadel' because of the size of its grounds. At the centre of it stood the grand temple, Bayon.

Like many other temples, the Bayon had its own attraction to visitors. What would look like rocks piled on top of each other from far, would reveal the real beauty once you came closer to it.

Most famous here were the stone faces carved into the many towers surrounding the central peak, as well as the peak itself. The faces, totalling about 200 of them, are said to be carvings of a Buddhist god, or even the king himself.

Looking at the huge faces, it kind of takes away the mistery of Mona Lisa's smile. If you're searching for enigma, try studying the various expressions on these stone faces. I bet it would be even more intriguing!

Hello...what are you looking at?

Next up, to the interiors of Angkor Wat as we round up our tour...

Technorati tags: cambodia, siem reap, angkor wat, bayon, ta prohm

Memories in Cambodia (Angkor Wat) - Part 2

2007-07-05T22:49:00.000+08:00

And the journey into the land of Khmers continue...

On the next morning, we were up at 4am to prepare ourselves for the day ahead. Today our itinery was to view the sunrise at Angkor Wat. We would then proceed for the Mini Tour, which consisted of visits to a number of temples.

We bought a one-day pass on the way there, which cost a whopping USD20 per person. Pricey considering the living standards on Cambodia, but the locals get to go in for free. Just a note on the currency - here the US Dollar reigns supreme, and the locals only used the Cambodia currency (riel) for change or for small denominations.

Luck was not on our side that morning, as it was cloudy and we could barely see the sun rise over the magnificent structure ahead of us. We were not the only ones disappoited; the place was already packed with visitors eager to catch a glimpse of first light.

Our fellow travellers, Fenny and TL.

Despite the not-so-inspiring view, we snapped away. Standing before Angkor Wat, the temple of temples, greatest glory of the Khmer people was truly awe-inspiring. From a far distance we could already have a feel of the proportions, how grand the entire structure was.

As morning came, we moved on the the further structures which were now in ambient light. Two so-called 'libraries' lined the pathway up to Angkor Wat. We had our next photo session there.

Just to give an idea of how large the structure was, I look dwarfed by the buildings which seemed like they were built for kings of giants.

We did not proceed into the main building because there would be a visit later in the evening. So we headed on to our next destination: Banteay Srei, literally 'citadel of the women'.

The reason why it's called 'citadel of the women' is because of the intricate carvings found on the walls of the temple. It was believed to be too delicate to have come from the hand of man, hence the name. The details that were preserved in the carvings are amazingly preserved despite centuries of harsh weather.

After a couple hours, we stopped at Pre Rup, a relatively huge structure and definitely taller than the earlier ones we had been to.

I could reproduce the history of these temples here, but surely that would be boring. So just google it if you're interested :)

Our trusy Angkor guidebook which we bought from one of the kids constantly hogging you to buy their merchandise. It was one dollar cheaper elsewhere; I felt ripped off. By an 8 year old.

The steps up to the peak of the structure were so steep, we had to hold on to the sides while climbing down. A little mistep and I guess that would be the end of you.

By the time we finished our tour at Pre Rup, it was nearly 11am, and time for a visit to one of the more interesting temples.

More to come...

Technorati tags: cambodia, angkor wat, siem reap

My dept sucks...aesthetically

2007-07-04T23:30:00.000+08:00

Just a little detour from my Cambodia posts.

Why do other departments in my company always get the cute pretty interns? And we are forever stuck with those who either are girls but look like they're getting weekly testosterone shots, OR those who are not girls at all.

Eye candy can be a motivator to employees. The management needs to know that, seriously. Someone please educate them on this. Please.

Memories in Cambodia (Angkor Wat) - Part 1

2007-07-03T20:39:00.000+08:00

Greetings earthlings! I have just arrived from the far away lost land of the Khmers, all soaked up in the wonders and sights there.

Visiting one of the greatest wonders of the world was truly a breathtaking experience to say the least. And thus I have taken to myself to jot down the memories gathered during our stay there. The following few posts will be my travel writings, for reminiscence as well as documentation's sake.

Alas this will probably start off as more of a budget airline rant rather than document what I experienced in Cambodia. To start things off, our flight was delayed. No big deal for the usual Air Asia traveller, but being a first time passenger the wait can be agonizing.

The departure screen showed our flight being delayed, starting from 2 hours, which changed to 3 hours, which in the end (because the people were out of wits, I think) was changed to 'Unknown'.

To cut it short, we were delayed by more than 6 hours before the plane actually took off, including getting into one worn-out airplane which we were eventually shooed out of. Counting in the fact that we reached 2 hours earlier than the initial departure time, we spent a total of EIGHT hours in the LCCT.

Low-cost terminal of the year - A McDonald's, a cafe serving mediocre food at crazy prices, a convenience store and a Coffee Bean. They don't get more low-cost than that. Imagine the things we did (or rather, we had to find something to do) while waiting for time to pass.

After the announcement finally came that it was boarding time, we happily stepped out of waiting hall into...an Airbus 320! Well, at least they gave us a new plane to ride on.

"Ladies and gentlement this is your captain speaking. You are now on board flight AK846, an Airbus 320 which comes with it's own...dry ice maker! We hope you'll have an enjoyable flight while the mist keeps the environmet romantic enough for couples to make out."

After 2 hours of uneventful jourey, we touched down at the Siem Reap International Airport.

By then it was nearly 6pm local time (Siem Reap is one hour behind Malaysia time). Earlier on we told our guesthouse contact to pick us up from the airport at 2pm. What a surprise to find the guy still patiently waiting for us a the arrival hall, holding a sign inscribed with none other than my name!

The guy in the picture was our driver, Su Heuk. A pretty friendly guy who would ferry us around Siem Reap for the next 3 days. The plus point - he could speak basic English.

With half a day gone, our initial plans to go for the Mini Tour of Angkor Wat were dashed. We checked into our guesthouse, the Golden Temple Villa. The place was sort of a modified 3-storey bungalow, and at USD14 per room per night it was a perfect suit for our budget. The rooms were clean and colourful, and we had no complaints through out our 4 day stay there.

After a shower and some rest, we ventured out into the town area, armed with a Lonely Planet guidebook loaned from a friend. The hotspot to go at night is none other than Bar Street, so called for the numerous bars, pubs, cafes and massage parlours lining the street.

Hungry from the journey, we found this little place recommended by the guidebook to have some dinner. We ordered some Khmer dishes as we were anxious to taste some of the local food.We particularly fancied the national dish, Amok (steamed coconut fish with turmeric sauces and spices), which was really delicious.

Amok, Khmer curry with pork, and friend chicken with chillies and basil.

Khmer Kitchen Restaurant serves one of the best tasting food in the area at a reasonable price. It was so good, we went back for a second time during our last night in Cambodia.

I also tried the Cambodian national beer, aptly named Angkor. It's a very drinkable beer, tasting not unlike some of the European brands like Heineken.

Other than the usual delicacies, there were also some barbecue dishes for the more daring. With mains such as crocodile, snake and kangaroo meat on the menu, it was like a Cambodian Fear Factor showing live.

After a stroll around the street in aid of our digestive juices, we settled down at the Angkor What? Bar, one of the oldest and more popular bars in town.A vodka coke made that night's sleep very pleasurable indeed.

The walls of the bar were littered with messages left by the thousands of visitors before us. It was interesting to read some of the messages, and we did not leave without our own trail there as well.

If ever you visit this particular bar, at the left corner of the exterior, look up the space 7 feet from the ground.

There you will find what I left for your, my dear traveller.

Technorati tags: cambodia, angkor wat, siem reap, bar street

Random Thursday Update

2007-06-14T23:26:00.000+08:00

Sorry folks, been a bit distracted from me blog lately.

3 words to describe myself now...

Busy, busy, busy!!!

Ah the sacrifices one has to make in hopes for that measly increment at the end of the year. Plus my blog ain't a money making one either, so no choice but to stick back to my day job.

One question: When a 69-year-old gentlemen marries a 53-year-old lady, what are they looking forward to? Definitely not making babies, nor taking care of children for that matter. So, what's in it for them?

Assembly language is fun!

2007-06-06T21:33:00.000+08:00

I have been MIA for these few days and will probably be for the next week or so. The reason?

I'm writing assembly language again! (For the non-engineering-geeks, assembly language is sort of like a low level language that we use to program a microcontroller. A microcontroller is sort of like...oh go Google it if you still can't figure out)

Never thinking I could be involved in code development, I finally have the chance to practice my hard-learned-but-not-really-there-now programming skills. It might sound crude being a low-level language, but believe me it is still being widely used as part of the testing process.

How fortunate is it that I had to learn HC11 assembly code for a university subject? Coding is fun! (At least that's before I get to the validation stage...)

Angkor What?

2007-05-31T22:54:00.000+08:00

Did I mention I was going to Cambodia next month? More specifically, it's actually Siem Reap I'm headed to, the town just a stone's throw away from the famous Angkor Wat.

Air tickets have been purchased from Air Asia (who else), the time when they had this crazy promotion going on to attract poor travellers like me to go abroad. I didn't get the 'free' tickets though (if there is such a thing as free air tickets), but for a small fee plus a gazilion other surcharges, I've booked myself a trip to experience the wonders of the Khmer region.

We will be staying there for four days, so discussions are in place to determine a rough plan of our travels. According to a friend who went there recently, there isn't much of a plan at all, just 'temples, temples and temples'. Hmm...

Anyway I'm looking forward to this trip as it'll be a whole new experience for me, to visit one of the wonders of the world. The last time I went somewhere as far as this was to Beijing - which has the Great Wall, so that makes it 2 wonders in my book? :)

Branded apparel at low prices

2007-05-28T22:41:00.000+08:00

Are you a fan of branded apparel but can't seem to spend a bomb on designer wear? Here's a website that might just solve all your financial woes when it comes to shopping for branded stuff.

Introducing Multi Labels Connections, a website set up by a Malaysian graduate currently residing in the US. The webstore offers a few brands (mostly Esprit, Armani Exchange, Guess, FCUK) at pretty low prices, and it caters for both men and women apparel, though the latter has more variety.

Despite the fact that you can't use the online shopping feature yet, you can always drop the administrator (brianshu_23@yahoo.com) an email and let him know what you fancy. Payment is by depositing to a local bank account, and your goods get couriered to you in no time.

I actually bought this AX tee for Gurl via the website.

AX Rock Logo Tee - RM79.99

And it came inside a very nice and classy box too. I never tend to shop at upscale boutiques so it came as a little pleasant surprise.

And don't worry about being the laughing stock of your friends as all items sold are genuine! Yes, original, not the ciplak t-shirts you get from the local pasar malam.

As much as this may seem like a sponsored post, I'm actually doing some promo for the owner of the website who's a friend of mine. Being quite satisfied with my purchase, I'd encourage you to drop and have a look as well.

www.mlcon.com

Note: This is NOT a sponsored post.

Trusty Iswara

2007-05-26T00:27:00.000+08:00

Looks like Proton Iswara's are not too bad after all. Consider this lady driver who plunged her car from the sixth floor of the carpark and got away only with a broken arm.

All the more reason for me to cling on to my aging Iswara. More than 11 years usage (6 in my hand) and it's never let me down once.

I even drove it to Lumut, all the way from KL.

Was tempted to purchase a Chevrolet Optra, which was recently being sold at very attractive prices due to some stock clearing exercise. For a little over 60k, you'd get a 1.8l engine, leather seats, airbags, ABS so on so forth. IMHO, it beats the hell out of buying a Proton Waja.

But I decided to let it go cos I'm not really looking forward to having loans to pay back, at least for the time being. As the typical financial advice goes, a car's just a liability and not an asset (poor people tend to quote that).

Prison Break

2007-05-23T21:17:00.000+08:00

Prison Break is the GOOD!

I managed to catch about 13 episodes so far, in about 4 days time. Yes, that's 4 days and considering that I've been working past 7 for the last few days, that makes about 3 episodes a day and zero social life.

Anyway, one would think Michael Scofield, our hero in the series, would deserve all the credit for his sheer genius in designing the escape. And then there's Sara Tancredi, the lovely doctor who doesn't give a second thought about treating convicts and psychopaths (with a governor father no less).

I beg to differ however. Despite the strong performances from other actors, Robert Knepper aka Theodore Bagwell aka T-Bag has to be the best of them. His portrayal as one of the most dangerous (and charismatic) criminals in Fox State really stands out. You'd find it hard not to hate him and truly believe he is the character he plays.

Being a late boomer to the series, I'm still stuck at season 1 so I'm expecting to be in for a whole lot of surprises in the coming few episodes. I loved watching The Shawshank Redemption and other prison movies so I guess I'll be enjoying this one too.

Back to the DVDs for episode 14!

Friday rant

2007-05-18T22:14:00.000+08:00

Sometimes I find it strange how some people who are accepted as leaders in a particular organization do NOT act in a 'leaderly' way at all when they interact with you. Honestly, sometimes it's just plain annoying.

My definition of being a leader does not necessary mean one has to have great charisma and being inspirational. Sometimes it can be as simple as being nice to someone and to treat them with respect. Especially with leaders with this type of background, I would expect them to treat me as a friend, no less.

But the truth is opposite somehow. They are caught in their littly holy world, unaware that the people surrounding them are actually having some doubtful thoughts about...well, the very things that there are trying to instill. Not only that, at times I'm just pissed off by their ignorance in personal freedom and individuality.

I once promised someone I would be attending an event, but due to last-minute circumstances I had to tell him that I couldn't make it. Expecting him to understand my situation, I was surprised and angry when he told me off, saying I should go anyway since I had 'promised' him attend. Tell me, is this a display of leadership, or disrespect of one's freedom and feelings?

Why 'force' people to attend something when they can't? Why that display of attitude when people say 'no'? Why does every sentence start with a 'why' and not a 'hi'?

Sometimes I feel a little disillusioned by these people. I wonder what it is that makes them the leaders of the organization they are supposed to lead. Perhaps it is time to bail out...

Yes, this is a rant, and too bad I can't name any names here.

YB (Yang Berlawak) politicians in Parliament

2007-05-16T22:40:00.000+08:00

Woot! My Streamyx connection at home is finally up! After more than 1 month of waiting, no thanks to the lousy service our reseller provided, I'm once again connected to the virtual world at the comfort of my room.

Now that I have space to rant again, remember the infamous "bocor tiap-tiap bulan" remark by the two politicians in parliament? In today's paper, the MP for Jasin, Datuk Mohd Said Yusof had the gall to say that he did not say it.

In that same article, it was mentioned that a video of the two uttering the very same words was posted on YouTube. For clarity's sake, here's the link. Someone should really show this to our dear MP and see what he has to say about it.

I remember visiting the Parliament for the first time a few years back, as a guest of Fong Po Kuan who knew one of my friends. Never did I imagine the things that were really going on behind those walls. Even then we had been informed that these 2 MPs in question were the official clowns of the parliament.

Wonder since when did the term "YB" became "Yang Berlawak"? Truly a fitting title for two of the most 'colourful' politicians.

Hello people of Jasin and Kinabatangan, it's time for change!

Technorati tags: malaysia, parliament, sexist remark, BN, DAP

Worst salesperson ever

2007-05-15T16:00:00.000+08:00

Imagine this conversation between you, your girlfriend and a sales promotor (let's call her Nina) for some 'Ministry-of-Tourism-affiliated' tour agency at a booth near the local shopping mall. Apparently this sales lady is trying to coax you into joining as a travel club member to enjoy cheap hotel stays and travel packages.

Nina: Our package very simple only...you just pay one-time membership fee, and you're a member for life! And you can get hotel stays at agent price, very cheap you know!

You: The joining fee is not a small sum. We'll think about it and let you know if we're interested...

Nina: But sir, you don't know what you're missing sir. Normally we charge RM599 per year, but now you only pay once. Only 2 places left I tell you. All my customers have been very satisfied with the service (continues with her ramblings about all the benefits you're entitled to once you're members).

You: Ok just hold on a second. Frankly speaking, I don't know if I can trust your company, considering the recent news of a well-reputed tour agency that went bust.

Nina: Oh is that so? I guess the management wasn't so good at leading the company-lah.

Ok, just a moment here. This sales promoter, who's described herself as if she's a seasoned tour agent for the company, doesn't know the biggest news to hit the tourism industry in recent times? Either she's living in neolithic times or she's crapping about her so-called experience. Say you give her the benefit of doubt and let her continue.

Nina: It's a good deal sir, one time promotion only. After that you'll need to pay RM599 every year you know, every year! (Phone rings) Sorry sir let me take the call....Hello, oh no, I'm busy right now, kerja part-time, call you later? Bye.

Kerja part-time?? Another indicator that this rookie salesgirl isn't who she says she is.

GF: Hmm...I think it sounds quite good. What do you think?

You: I dunno, unless you're a frequent traveller, it's not very worth it. Let's think about it first and see...

Nina (cutting in): Miss, no offence ok. This guy here is your husband? No? Friend? Ok-lah miss, he's not your husband what, he can't tell you what to decide. If you want to join, it's up to you. Just hand me your IC and I'll help you fill up the form.

Wtf, you say? This annoying, unprofessional and insolent 'salesgirl' is actually showing disrespect to you, THE customer. Given the situation above, would you:

(a) Glare at her in silence for a few minutes and request to talk to another salesperson?

(b) End the absurd session by standing up and leaving the booth altogether while waving off the salesgirl?

(c) Retort the salesgirl by saying: "Hello, at least she's my friend. You on the other hand, barely know her. So please don't disperse your advice as if you're her BFF." and followed by (b)?

Kuala Selangor - seafood and fireflies

2007-05-04T13:52:00.000+08:00

I paid a visit to Kuala Selangor during the long holidays, as part of our CG trip. Our plans were to have dinner before going for the firefly tour that the place is famous for.

We picked one of the numerous seafood restaurants around the area to satisfy our hunger. In the end we found this restaurant tucked in one of the more secluded spots by the river. Judging by the number of customers it had, we thought it wouldn't turn out bad.

Restoran Kuala Selangor

Our spread for the day consisted of sotong, prawns, 'ha gou', lala, 3kg of crab and 2 plates of veggie. For 7 people, it seemed like a lot of food. The portions were not small either and we had doubts at first on whether we could finish it at all.

The seafood was good; prawns, sotong and crab were fresh and succulent. The veggie was also a favourite. After some hard work and cleaning up, we managed to prevent any of the good food from going to waste.

Mission accomplished

The bill came up to less than RM200, which was quite worth it. Downright cheap if you compare to what the seafood restaurants in PJ charge.

View from the restaurant - currently my favourite wallpaper

We then continued our trip to the popular firefly tourist spot, where according to the notice boards, 'it is believed to be one of the only places in the world where fireflies gather'.

And they didn't come cheap either. The fireflies, I mean. Accidentally squash a bugger while trying to hold them will cost you RM1000.

There were not many fireflies around that night, probably because there was a full moon. According to our boatman, the best time to visit is when there is no moon and after the rain.

Tried to capture those that were on display but here's what I ended up with.

Pitch black darkness.

Well, that concludes my trip to Kuala Selangor. It was a fulfilling one, if not interesting.

Things that make me go wtf

2007-04-30T15:55:00.001+08:00

There are some things I just don't get.

You get a group of Mat Rempits, attempt to rehabilitate them by promising the ride of a lifetime, provide training while they give up their bikes temporarily, and send them to the North Pole for a skydiving trip into the record books.

And by spending hundreds of thousands of ringgit no less (and I wonder who's the sponsor for this gang of Umno Putera rempits?)

All in the hopes that 'other Mat Rempit out there will look to these youths and change their behaviour and attitude for the better'.

Wtf???

FYI, my take on these band of retarded, handle-bar wielding morons is perfectly put in words here.

*************************************************

Let's say you and a few friends decide to have a little picnic at a scenic garden, quite a distance away from your homes. To have this picnic, you need a basket to keep all the food in so that you won't have a difficult time transporting the food.

Now, all of your friends have their own baskets, but no one volunteers to use theirs. So out of good will and not wanting to complicate matters, you offer your basket so that everyone can put their food in. So now everyone is happy and content and the basket is full of delicacies.

But due to some unexpected circumstances in the last minute, you are forced to pull out of the gathering. Hence, you keep your own food in case you get hungry at home.

However, no ones mention about the basket, YOUR basket. Let's just assume for a while here that baskets are an important part of your fictitious life, a valuable object that is absolutely essential to you. In this case, would you:

a. Take back your basket with an apology that you can't make it?

b. Keep your silence and let them just use the basket?

c. Apologise that you can't make it, and offer your basket for your friends' perusal?

Of course, most people would pick (a) for an answer. But let's say your are such a nice friend that BFF was a term specifically coined for you and you have (c) as a choice. So you personally send the basket to your friends' house, instead of having them pickup what they need for the picnic that you won't be going to.

To summarise, you're not going to the picnic, you're not obliged to offer your basket, your friends don't say anything about someone offering a basket, you end up offering your basket, and you don't go to the picnic.

Wtf???

(It's a lousy metaphor, so don't worry if you don't get it)

Now and then

2007-04-27T16:00:00.000+08:00

Then...

Night view from D'aman Ria

Now...

Sunset at Ara Damansara

I'm afraid I'll get so used to the convenience of staying around here I won't budge when the time comes.

IWK: Full of sh*t?

2007-04-25T21:39:00.000+08:00

Came across an interesting piece of news today.

Our Natural Resources and Environment Minister (heck, I didn't know there was such a ministry, shows how ignorant I can be when it comes to environmental issues...or are they not doing enough to attract attention?) reported that the main polluter of rivers in Peninsular Malaysia was our very own number one sewage management company, IWK.

Source: The Star

"Ninety one percent of pollution of rivers in the country is from inadequately-treated sewage," we were told.

Does it come as a surprising statement following all the 'we're-environmental-friendly' advertisements IWK has been placing in our local dailies lately?

Source: IWK website

Are the ads just a ploy to make us pay up our bills? So that they can reap all the profit and get away with improper dumping of waste?

Or is it just a spat between ministries / ministers? According to IWK's website, it is 'a wholly-owned company of the Minister of Finance Incorporated'. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment vs Ministry of Finance?

A load of questions to be answered while our country gets loaded with shite.

Technorati tags: IWK, indah water

BHP Orange Run - 9km completed!

2007-04-17T21:57:00.000+08:00

Seems like a long time since I've posted anything here, hope the cobwebs haven't got too dense :D

Anyway, I'm done with moving house. All our stuff have been moved to the new place, though it took us so darn many trips I forgot the number. Hard to believe I once arrived here carrying all my stuff with both hands.

Managed to have a little break from all that moving last Sunday, when me and a couple other colleagues participated in the Orange Run organized by BHP.

Gurl was the first to propose that we join the run, but due to the unfortunate circumstances she had to forfeit her participation. So it was all down to me and colleagues.

The total distance of the run would be 9km, which is like an astronomical number for non-runners like me. Well I do climb the stairs sometimes, but anything over 2km is a behemoth task I would choose not to partake.

We arrived at the Curve around 7 am, expecting few people since the registration would end at 7.30. But I guess when it comes to activities like this, no one likes to be late, unlike the typical Malaysia style. The place was already crowded with people, stretching and warming up, all ready to go.

I was surprised at the attire most people turned up in. Thinking it would be nothing more than a casual run, I went in a cotton t-shirt and basketball shorts. Many others though were fully equipped, clothed in synthetic dri-fit fabric and shorts that barely covered their hairy / milky thighs.

Most of them looked something like this picture below...

While we looked more like this.

Not forgetting those who were a little more creative in attire.

Well not that sexy but you get the idea. I also noticed the brands of running shoes these people came in. They are, in no particular order:

Nike
Adidas
New Balance
Asics
Leather boots (no kidding!)

The run was flagged off at 7.40 am. We started pretty well, running all the way for about 3 or 4 km. By the first 15 minutes, a few lady runners (who started 10 minutes later than us) started to overtake the lagging men's crowd. I tried to catch up but due to no previous training whatsoever, I seemed like a worn-out Proton trying to pass a sexy Porsche.

By the halfway mark, I was already gasping for breath. My legs were beginning to feel heavier and heavier by the second, and I resorted to short walks in between runs. The rather challenging route, littered with uphill climbs didn't make it easy either.

At the end, I gave a final burst of speed to pass the finish line in an hour and 15 minutes, ahead of the 2-hour qualifying mark. Not bad for a first timer eh. As a reward for completing the run under the qualifying time, we were given a backpack each.

I think the organizers did a pretty good job, considering the fact that registration was free. I certainly had fun there and so did my colleagues.

My legs are still aching now, and my knees are quite sore from the 75-minute hammering they got. Maybe I should at least have some training before participating in a run. Who knows, I might beat the 1 hour mark ;)

Technorati tags: bhp, orange run

Moving house

2007-04-07T00:21:00.000+08:00

I used to stay in a condo unit (I am still now), where parking bays were scarce and most of the time we had to park illegally on the road shoulder.

It's quite a nice place actually. High floor, nice view, with a swimming pool thrown in, plus quite a few other amenities. What I really dislike though is the lack of parking space, as many other condo/apartment residents would agree.

But that will be a story of the past in two weeks time. Finally we have found a nice place in a quiet neighbourhood to settle down for the next two years.

Will be moving house over the weekend and probably for the next few days after that. So, less posts until we have got everything moved and our broadband connection set up.

Cheerio people.

Passport received

2007-04-04T23:35:00.000+08:00

After a half day wait at the Immigrations office, plus another half hour collecting it a few weeks later, I finally have my own international passport.

My last international passport expired like 10 years ago. Which means I haven't been to anywhere other than Singapore for the past 10 years. Not counting the Kelantan-Thai border of course (I wasn't trying to cross it illegally, I swear).

"These are to request and require in the name of the Supreme Head of Malaysia all those whom it may concern to allow the bearer to pass freely without let or hindrance, and to afford the bearer such assistance and protection as may be necessary."

This sounds like something Frodo would really need. Heck, with this printed on my passport, I feel as if I could go into Mordor to face big bad Sauron, alone. Imagine flashing this document to all the evil creatures and making them bow down in respect while making way.

Alas, it's a MALAYSIAN passport. Which will probably get you some suspicious looks at foreign customs and immigrations offices if you look just a tad more...you know, Arabian.

...........................................................................

Huh...been working for 14 hours today. Lazy to write on...better get me some rest.

Til then, adios.

Thank you...and goodbye.

2007-04-01T21:55:00.000+08:00

It's been a tough time for me lately. What used to be the creative spark that spurred me on in this journey of blogging has somehow turned into the very block that's preventing me from posting more frequently.

Since this whole new chapter of life started, it has been going nowhere but downwards. It had it's ups, but then usually what followed was a crash to the bottom that knocked me senseless. Work, life, nearly every aspect is in some form of disarray.

Phyiscally, fatigue never seems to leave me. This weariness I experience weighs me down, like a thousand ton ship sinking slowly, pulling its helpless passengers into the murky depths of the ocean.

I long to post, but most of the time, my mind turns up blank. I cannot seem to recall what has happened during the day, except for a flurry of office activity, life seems to be idling away.

Emotionally, I'm drained. Most of the time I just lie down and ponder, what is it that brought me into this troubled situation. Does the fault lie in other people? Or is it just me being stubborn and unwilling to change.

Answers to these questions, unlike mathematical equations, are hard to come by...

I used to be proud of being an engineer and blogger. But now, these two names are meaningless to me. I do realize that life goes on, whether in real-life or in cyberspace. Hence, it pains me to announce that I will stop blogging indefinitely, while looking for a new start to my life; a new career path for me to pursue.

Maintaining this blog has been a hell of a journey. My gratitude your support and the pleasure you have given me, knowing that someone actually follows this blog.

Thank you.....and goodbye.

HAPPY APRIL'S FOOL, people!

Did I get you there? ;)

PS: I'm still very much alive, although some parts of the post are based on real sentiments. I've never done this before, hope it's not too late to pull a joke. Cheers!

A visit to Assunta

2007-03-29T20:00:00.000+08:00

Gurl got into a little accident recently, and the root cause probably came down to me, being a blogger / blog-reader. The story was something like this: she was looking for a miniSD card, and I, having read ShaolinTiger's recent purchase of an LCD monitor, suggested that we visit this computer shop in SS2.

In the end, not only was the shop closed, she missed a step while coming down on the staircase and twisted her ankle. So there you go, reading blogs can be hazardous to the people around you too.

Her GP recommended that we went to a proper hospital to get an x-ray, since she (the GP) could not determine if there was a fracture, and the pain was really getting to Gurl. So we went on to Assunta Hospital, one of the more 'reputable' medical centers around the area.

Fancy doing a wheelie?

I dunno why but I always had the impression that Assunta was one of those old, run-down hospitals with century-old equipment. But was I in for a surprise when I got there. The building looked spanking new, the lobby was clean and modern, and even the wheelchairs were pretty new as well.

They even have a Starbucks outlet and 7-11 store. Talk about globalization, even hospitals cannot escape it.

Another way of spending your time waiting.

I saw this sign in the x-ray department.

"If you are pregnant, or probably pregnant, please inform the reception staff and radiographer before the x-ray examination."

The thing is, how would someone know if she's probably pregnant? And what would the hospital staff do about it? Give her a pregnancy test? If so, now you know where to get a free pregnancy test, without having to look suspicious.

This nurse must have missed the 'no handphones' sign directly next to her.

In the end, Gurl got a splint, but was lucky enough to have escaped any fractures. That would be the only consolation, I guess, from having to walk using crutches for the next few days or so.

Sexy leg yo!

I can't say the treatment procedure was very efficient though, it being a private hospital. We were there for nearly 2 and a half hours, with barely a handful of other patients. For making us pay RM250, the least they could do was to speed up the process.

As for Gurl, she'll probably recover in a few weeks time, which is a good thing. In the meantime though, I'll be putting up a disabled person sign at the back of my car :)

Maggi = fast food?

2007-03-21T13:11:00.000+08:00

I was tucking into a bowl of my favourite instant noodles when a thought came to my mind.

As most of us would know, having instant noodles for meals isn't a very healthy habit. Other than not having a complete set of required nutrients, most brands also contain MSG (commonly known as Ajinomoto), which is also a bad thing for our bodies despite the heavenly taste it gives.

So why is it that when the health ministry is thinking of banning fast food advertisements, instant noodles are not included in the list?

You won't see this anymore on TV...

Instant noodles, fast food, they even have a common adjective in front. Pardon my logic if you don't see the connection here.

This particular brand for instance has been hogging quite some advertising airtime.

Even Kennysia's into the craze.

KFC may be bad for your blood pressure, McDonalds may give you a heart attack, but instant noodles are perfectly ok?

Or it could be due to the fact that instant noodles have become sort of a cultural thing for us Malaysians. Kids like it, adults adore it, cash-strapped students live on it. I guess noodles must have been part of our lives since day 1.

As I slurped down the last of the noodles, completely satisfied, I thought it would be a good idea to leave instant noodles out of the ad-banning campaign after all ;)

Scam artists need improve engrish

2007-03-19T20:53:00.000+08:00

I came across this ad one day when walking back home.

Solve your $$ problem!

Not surprising, considering how many get-rich-quick / pyramid / ponzi schemes that are growing like mushrooms out there. Now if only I know what mushrooms ate for meals, I'd use that analogy to describe the desperate victims of these 'companies'.

At least other ads used better english (though some had worse). We no talk what business to do. We talk business partner!

Stupid (insert befitting nationality here) scams.

SPM wunderkids

2007-03-17T13:09:00.000+08:00

Results for SPM examinations were released just recently. Nowadays it's not surprising at all to see adolescents take on 15 to 18 subjects AND attempting a straight-A score. Compared to, say 10 years ago, these double-digit figures would be heavenly numbers.

I just don't get it though, why students nowadays would want to sacrifice extra time and effort just to get an extra couple 1A's. You gotta wonder when you see these new-age wonderkids, what do they have to prove by taking so many subjects?

Is it because...

A) They have nothing better to do.

B) They believe they're a superb race who's going to conquer the world some day.

C) Mommy and daddy forced them to be the best or else they would be disowned.

D) They're writing a book about their success stories and need some outstanding results to back it up??

Well all of the reasons above are just crappy. If you're all alone and bored all day, why not pick up some healthy activities, like for example, blogging?

And the girl who's going to publish a book to share her success principles? Bleargh...I don't know whether her money-crazy parents had any influence on her decisions, but this lady gives me the impression that she has one hell of an ego.

And I hate people will big-ass egoes, especially those larger than mine.

Ad for engineers

2007-03-12T21:39:00.000+08:00

Well well it's the time of the year again when graduate engineers fresh out of universities/colleges throng the streets of employment hoping to find their dream job. Again Company X will be looking for suitable candidates to fulfil the empty positions available.

Now, let's take a look at the job positions up for offer...

Assembly Engineer

Successful candidates will be responsible for day-to-day assembly operations, which include, but are not limited to: assembly at the cafeteria, assembly at the company gym, assembly at the auditorium pretending to be listening to the talks. Laziness will be an added advantage. Engineers who have more than 20 years experience (about to retire) are encouraged to apply.

Probe Engineer

Main job function is to perform probing into matters that may interest other company employees. Candidates must possess good interpersonal skills and excellent logic deduction so as to be able to confirm any gossip around the work area. Preferably multi-lingual with a good sense of hearing. Women candidates only.

Test Engineer

Successful candidates will, upon confirmation, have the responsibility of testing the limits of their colleagues before they snap. Candidates are expected to be skillful in annoying, disturbing and bugging the hell out of people. No experience needed. Those who are currently in the sales line will be given preference.

R&D Engineer

Candidates must be able to display creativity and continuous innovation in design work. Engineering experience is not required. On job training will be provided. Excellent benefits. (There is no R&D department per se, this is just a mask to hire cafeteria chefs. And yes they get to eat the leftovers.)

Failure Analysis Engineer

Job scope is to analyze one's own failures and concoct reasonable albeit fictitious excuses to be presented to upper management. Candidates must have a thick face and able to take up the challenge of being eaten alive by managers. Fresh graduates with a CPGA of below 2.0 are encouraged to apply.

So, anyone looking for a job? Feel free to pass your resume to me.

Note: Only candidates with the above requirements will be considered.

Revelations

2007-03-05T22:11:00.000+08:00

I had a few revelations today. Well maybe not the I-found-my-saviour sort, but no less earth-shattering to me at least.

I have two small lumps in my lower arm - the doctor said they were 'lipo marks'

Rest assured that I have not undergone any corrective surgery to make myself look better.

I went to the hospital because my wrist was nagging me again, and I found two small lumps forming on my lower arm. Scared they could be connected, and even worse, that the lumps could be malignant, I decided to see an orthopaedic specialist. Prior to that, I thought orthopaedic specialists only referred to those that make your teeth look better.

Fortunately, the lumps were benign, apparently a result of fat hardening under the skin. Didn't realize I had so much fat to begin with. A sign that I should watch the diet perhaps?

My lump...my lump my lump my lump...My lovely lipo lumps.

I should have been a doctor

All it took was 5 minutes, some touching on the lumps, a bit of explaining and a few lines written on a piece of paper. The bloody doctor/hospital charged me 100 bucks for it! I regret not considering medicine as a career path...darn.

My only hope now is that company policy covers the cost of seeing a specialist.

Taking medical leave is no holiday - unless you're faking it

I had to look up the directories, make an appointment, inform my boss, get a GP's referral letter, AND miss my work for the day. And SJMC's parking area sucks.

End of today's revelations. More to come later...

Notebook vs Desktop

2007-03-01T00:40:00.000+08:00

I'm considering requesting a personal notebook from my boss for work purposes, due to certain circumstances that warrants this need. Before that, I had make up my mind whether it was really a wise choice to own a notebook instead of a desktop.

Pros and cons of owning a notebook:

I can attend conference calls and share whatever I want to via netmeeting - Skype with a distant US friend or picture sharing with a foreign buddy, yay.
Increased productivity as a new notebook would definitely perform better than a standard Pentium4 desk-fossil - increased pleasure in surfing and reading blogs!
I could work from home (not that I'm planning to, anyway).

Despite all the above...

I will have to lug it to and back from work everyday - it would not look good if the boss saw me carrying my notebook bag when I'm walking to my cubicle at 11am pretending I just arrived from...the director's office?
I cannot put messenger status to "Away" since I would have to shut it down when it's time to go home - a blow to my chances of sneaking back early in case the boss scrutinizes the "Offline" list to catch the early leavers.
And of course, the process of bringing the laptop to and from work would mean a larger chance of my data being stolen - think of the e-books and downloaded TV serials that I'd lose!

Hmm...it's a tough choice indeed.

The CNY Chronicles

2007-02-26T22:40:00.000+08:00

So, it's the year of the Boar again. I say again cos this is the second time the chinese zodiac has reached a full cycle - a full 24 years of life.

How was CNY this year? It was as usual, celebrated among my own family members. No visiting relatives or the whole family reunion hoo-ha. Some people do love mingling around with cousins and uncles and aunties but I was never one too close with my relatives.

With relatives out of the picture, thank goodness for the people I've know since my school days. To put it in a way, I actually have two 'gangs' of friends; one is my lower secondary group of pals and the other my upper secondary friends.

So activities are usually carried out separately with these two bunch of people, though they might overlap some times. I might go to a friend's place a few times with different friends. Ah the beauty of being a transfer student.

Malaysia's next top model - who will it be?

Hence, new year was spent visiting friends, catching up with each other, hanging out, gambling and one thing I won't forget, sweating it out during the day time. Yes, this year's CNY celebration was HOT! Climatically speaking, if there is such a word.

I heard that those with the sign of the Boar are not going to have a good year, although it is, technically speaking, OUR year. We'll see how it goes.

Here's wishing a prosperous year to all of you porkies out there! No offence, really!

How to whip up a Valentine's meal to please your partner

2007-02-15T22:10:00.000+08:00

It was lovey-dovey day again this year, and not wanting to spend a bomb at a time when restauranteurs literally 'chop' you off, I decided to make my own homemade valentine's meal.

This "How-to" post of course, is intended mainly for guys whom I assume are mostly noobs at cooking. Girls may take note too, it'll please your man plenty, I guarantee. To make things simple, I whipped up some spaghetti ala deriku style.

The ingredients: A pack of spaghetti (or in this case, whatever pasta you fancy), grated cheese, tomato puree, a tin of Campbell's soup and also some milk. Everything available at your nearest hypermarket.

Total cost - RM50. Pleasure your partner will have - priceless.

And you'll even have leftovers for next year :)

So let's start off with the spaghetti. Take roughly two servings and soak in boiling water. Make sure there's enough water so the pasta won't stick together.

No that's not lidi. It's spaghetti in uncooked form.

For immediate servings, wait for 15 minutes or so. You can also try small pieces to make sure they're soft but still having some level of firmness, referred to as al dente by the Italians. When you're satisfied, drain the water and you have yourself a plate of spaghetti.

They say the Chinese invented spaghetti, so to all chinamen out there, you should not have any problems preparing this. It's in our blood.

Next up is the soup. Now this should be easy, except for the can opening part when you have no can opener. Once you've got the mushy stuff out (they resemble lards of fat), mix one can of water and stir to simmer.

Why does food look disgusting before it's cooked?

No can opener so I had to improvise with a kitchen knife.

You can make your own tomato puree but I simply got the ready-made version for the sake of simplicity. Just heat up and add some salt to taste.

See, that's me! Proof that I made it...

After the puree is heated, just pour it over the spaghetti and top it with some grated cheese. Of course, what's a meal without any meat. So I came up with half a chicken, pepper-roasted to perfection. Voila! Valentine's dinner for two.

You didn't think I'd know how to roast chicken, did you? Thank God for Ayamas.

Oooh...Ayamas!

One happy customer. THE customer.

So now you have Deriku's secret recipe for spaghetti. No more excuses next time the girlfriend asks you to cook something for a special occasion.

For more cooking tips, why not visit my other culinary experience? Have fun!

Boredom

2007-02-05T21:28:00.000+08:00

Has work dumbed my blogging senses?

I have to ask this because I've been sitting here for nearly two hours, watching a rather silly episode of Smallville and at the same time, trying to think of something to post. And Kristin Kreuk is not the factor, I assure you.

Yes, work is getting rather routine nowadays. And somehow the degree of routineness just relates inversely to blogging interests. Not that I have lost the edge to blog per se, but it's just hard to come up with something worthy to blog about.

Has work dumbed YOUR blogging senses?

Source: ontogeo.ntua.gr

Seriously need a way to overcome this bloggers' block now. Bloggers' forum? Bloggers' meet? Any comments and suggestions are welcomed!

Working is sien...

Death Note 2: Not a review

2007-02-04T15:23:00.000+08:00

Just watched Death Note 2: The Last Name.

I know I'm not one of the first to catch this movie at the cinema, but after watching the prequel without much expectations, I could not miss this even though I had to watch it alone.

Considering that it's been screening for a while now, I'll just skip the reviews and go straight to the verdict: Excellent!

Definitely one of the best movies I've ever watched in some time. The plot is well written, characters well played and the twists are so darn unexpected that I'm beginning to doubt my powers of deduction.

So go watch it while it's still being screened. The DVD experience is just lacking I tell you.

Misa Amane aka the second Kira is cute! Kawaii ne!

Played by Toda Erika...favourite Jap babe of the moment :D

Technorati tags: death note, misa amane, toda erika

Warning: Blog in need of updating

2007-01-30T20:48:00.000+08:00

BLOG (noun): An online web log that is updated periodically with a certain frequency eg 1 or 2 days.

Of course I made the definition up, but if that was the general rule my blog would've been considered half-dead by now.

Apologies for the lack of updates recently. Was caught up with all sorts of stuff that are totally not worthy of being expressed here (well, I couldn't think of one anyway).

So, if you don't already know, this post is an update of sorts in my recent (mundane) life.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

I was at the RSH warehouse sales on Sunday. I've not been to many and was sure shocked to see the condition of the so-called sales area. It was more like a dump site with apparel and other sporting goods strewn all over. But it was the last day and I guess there should be no surprise.

The place was packed though. I did, however, manage to get a backpack for my upcoming trip at a nice discount.

Jansport backpack with Airlift 2.1 and Infusion technology (TM). Doesn't it make you feel like owning one even though you have no idea what those terms mean?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Speaking of the trip, some of my colleagues will be on their way to Cambodia soon to visit the ruins of Angkor Wat. I'm planning for the same trip albeit at a different time.

Total cost is estimated at a little less than RM1k, free and easy style. Whichs means we go by no certain plans except for the air tickets and maybe the first night stay.

With views like this, who can resist a visit?

Thanks to AirAsia, now everyone can fly.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Speaking of flying, did you heard about the one where our PM ordered a new Airbus? Tailored to VVIP specifications some more? At RM50 million?

The bloggers are questioning where the money came from to make this big-boys-toys purchase. The mainstream media on the other hand, are telling us that the government is telling them that the aircraft is leased. Owned by Penerbangan Malaysia Berhad (PMB) kononnya.

So the (50) million dollar question is: Where does PMB get its funds? From the taxpayers' pockets?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Speaking of politics, I had better stop here. The libel cases against Jeff and Rocky has yet again proved that it is not 100% safe anymore being a blogger. Bloggers United!

I have kind of digressed from what I planned to write. But I guess til next time, cheers!

Batu Talam: A youngster's dream?

2007-01-19T13:13:00.000+08:00

I read in the newspaper the other day that a 21-year-old youngster is taking on the mighty BN in the Batu Talam by-election.

My, he must be the youngest candidate to have been nominated for the election. Sure he's got a daddy with much experience in politics...albeit that was during a time when he was probably still playing with Ultraman figures and all that.

I said probably because you never know what a politician's son might have to go through during his growing years. He might have been campaigning for his dad with a loudspeaker in one hand and a lollipop in the other, who knows.

Anyway, it's not that I envy this guy very much. I mean, he's 21. Just out of his teens, barely old enough to get into Uncle Lim's playground. It's sad to hear that at a tender age, he has to give up life's innocence and plunge into this black hole.

21-year-olds should be having fun out there. Getting degrees, partying all night long, falling in love, enjoy the freedom that they never had. I don't know about you, but when I was 21, I sure had a whole lot of other stuff on my mind rather than contemplating in a career in politics.

That said, I actually respect the guy for having the guts to register himself as a candidate. Not for a small political post in some forgotten party, mind you. If he's half as good as the seasoned campaigners, I'd say he already deserves a good pat on the back.

I just hope he garners enough votes to get his deposit back. But then, it's hard to rule out the underdog. Everyone loves an underdog, and we know that because Rocky is Sly's best film yet.

Disclaimer: I am in no way expressing the belief that I'm a supporter of the ruling party, or the opposition, or anything in between. May the best guy win.

Kyspeaks: Now available in email circulation

2007-01-17T21:56:00.000+08:00

I was at work when this seemingly innocent forwarded mail reached my mailbox, sent in by Gurl. The title was "FW: Nice Food in Klang Valley" with two Word files attached.

I get these nice food/rotten food emails all the time, but this was different. I opened the first of the two-part series and browsed through the places of interest. And then I had a strange feeling that I had seen the distinguished maps before.

Hmm....very familiar, these are.

Scrolled back to the top and finally found the real culprit behind these articles. None other than KY from Kyspeaks!

Apparently these files were a product of copying his blog entries on eateries in the Klang Valley area. I don't know who started it but it'll sure help popularize his blog among non-blog-readers, not to mention generate revenue for the featured eateries.

So, are we expecting Kyspeaks to go into print soon? Perhaps in the mainstream media ala Anthony Bourdain style?

The pickups

2007-01-15T17:30:00.000+08:00

This is the reason why, in the city where automobiles are plenty and parking spots scarce, people opt for the rugged, park-me-anywhere pickup trucks.

Ah if only petrol weren't so expensive...

Celebrity moment of 2006

2007-01-12T10:18:00.000+08:00

Manage to catch a photo opportunity with our former PM, Tun Dr Mahathir at a KFC outlet, of all places.

So is fried chicken the recipe to power, wealth, status and the ability to make yourself heard even though when you're no longer the top gun? Or was he there just for the fries?

Anyway, I'm starting to like him more and more now. If only he had done something like that when he was in power. But then, it's different when you're the PM and ex-PM.

Levi's 525

2007-01-10T11:24:00.000+08:00

I used to be a khaki guy. Day in and day out I'd be donning a pair of khakis in different shades. I don't know why but I seemed to have grown too 'old' to be wearing jeans.

Now don't be offended here. I know 60 year olds nowdays wear jeans to sleep, and I used to have a few pairs of denim jeans myself. Even owned a couple of designer jeans which I think would cost a bomb nowadays considering the inflation rate.

Alas, all the money spent into that line of apparel went to waste. Somehow I outgrew the pairs of jeans that I had. 5 or 6 years back, khakis and cargo pants were the 'in' thing so it sort of stuck on me. So it was that all blue jeans were to be hidden away, never to be seen again.

Then it happened that one day, Gurl asked me why didn't I try on some jeans while we were shopping.

Thanks to her, I am now the proud owner of a pair of Levi's 525s.

Low rise boot cuts. That logo seems very familiar...

By the way, is anyone interested in purchasing 2 pairs of used (vintage?) Levis, or a pair of Calvin Klein relaxed-fit jeans? I need the money to repay the loan I took on that new pair of jeans :D

Technorati tags: levis, jeans

Take a hike

2007-01-07T20:49:00.000+08:00

Rumour had it that the petrol price was going for a hike again according to some emails circulating around last Friday. Some mentioned 30 cents, others 40. At a time when the toll prices have just been recently increased, this came as depressing news for the new year.

Fortunately though it did not turn out to be true. My guess is that they probably will not force an increment, given that the general elections are coming. All the more if it is going to be held this year. Perhaps we should send a clear message this time and ask the current administration to take a hike (pun intended).

Speaking of increasing expenditures, I was using the LDP last Friday after work. As usual, the stretch between Freescale up to the Sunway toll plaza was clogged with all kinds of vehicles. Which makes me think, who gives the right to LITRAK (the highway concessionaire for LDP) to raise the toll prices, when they can't solve a simple problem as a bottleneck at one of the busiest exit points?

As my colleague put it, the Sunway toll plaza is "one of the most stupid designs ever to be built". A view using Google Earth would give you an idea, if you still don't know what I mean.

And now they want to charge us RM0.60 more to endure the same daily routine of getting stuck in congested traffic? Where's the logic in that? Perhaps LITRAK should take a hike too.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

For those of you who are against the recent toll hike (which I presume would be everyone, except the highway concessionaire owners), go here and sign the online petition.

http://www.petitiononline.com/notolle/petition.html

Those who think it is not their problem because they're not staying in the Klang Valley, think again.

By the way, did anyone attend the protest at Sunway Pyramid on Sunday? I sincerely hope it wasn't treated as just another meaningless gathering, and some good actually came out of it.

Technorati tags: toll hike, LDP

Khoo Kongsi Penang

2007-01-05T23:42:00.000+08:00

This is a rather outdated post. I was in Penang during the Christmas weekend. Snapped some pictures at the Khoo Kongsi in Georgetown.

It's a shame that although I've been to Penang numerous times since I was a kid, I've never been to this tourist attraction. A nice place to visit indeed...

Technorati tags: khoo kongsi, leong san tong khoo kongsi, penang

Wash this when dirty

2007-01-03T20:59:00.000+08:00

I'm currently forced to type my posts offline, no thanks to the 'act of nature' that brought our country's internet speed to a standstill.

Nevertheless I'm not going to whine and live in misery just because access is limited, if you're wondering about that. While certain media might portray the blogging community as internet addicts, but I beg to differ. Some beloggers have a life too ;)

Anyway, I'm sure all of you have come across clothing labels with washing instructions at one point of your life. That is, if your wardrobe does not consist entirely of pasar malam purchases.

Instructions that come in ridiculously small type where you'd need a magnifying glass to comprehend them if you're older.

Wash inside out separately from other garments, machine wash cold/warm, do not bleach, warm iron, DO NOT SET FIRE TO GARMENT, DO NOT WEAR GARMENT IF YOU HAVE AN UNSIGHTLY BODY...the list of laundry jargon goes on and on.

Honestly, who has the time to follow all those instructions in the long term?

You buy an expensive shirt and love it to bits. So for the first few washes you handwash in order not to let the washing machine do any damage to your precious (washing machines have an endless vendetta against mankind and their clothing).

But for the next few weeks, work gets piled up and you start to get a bit lazy. Oh since it's a hassle to wash it I'll just wear it again tomorrow. By the time you realize your shirt needs a good soak, people would already be avoiding you, or rather your nasty smell.

All hope's not lost. I came across this ingenious label with a very practical message intended for the wearer.

Like the front? Wait til you see what's at the back.

Wash this when dirty

There you go. The most useful piece of advise anyone in the world could use.

Now, time to wash my dirty clothes.

2006 and beyond (personal)

2006-12-27T21:35:00.000+08:00

Once again, it's post-Christmas and pre-New-Year season. Here comes the time to ponder our own doings and behaviours for the past year.

2006 has been an eventful year for me. I started the year on a low, my final year project being a thousand-tonne megaboulder that weighed my entire life down. My daily routine for those few weeks were limited to spending time in the lab labouring on what turned out to be not such a good result (no thanks to that egomaniac of a supervisor I had).

Being dogged by my supervisor for the past few months, it was a great relief to have finally presented my part and get done with the whole FYP thing. Again, I staunchly support the movement to abolish all final year projects to rid undergrads of their misery.

Then there was the migration from my old Friendster blog to Blogger. I'm glad it came through, seeing that Friendster blog now contains many ugly advertisements littered through most of the empty spaces. Might think of getting my own domain later on, but that's another story.

Coming back to post-FYP life, the end of the semester meant I had spent my last few weeks in the Skudai. After 5 years living there, I was a bit sad about leaving some of the old haunts. But life has to go on and we packed our bags and left in due time. Sayonara to JB.

After taking some time off for a graduation trip, I started work in the big city. This marked another chapter of my life as I say goodbye to academic life and move forward to corporate employment. After the thrill of having my first paychecks died down (and I discovered that the sum saved was petty), routine began to seep in.

No more leisurely trips to the supermarket during weekdays. No more afternoon naps after a late night out. Heck, there are practically no late night excursions anyway. Sometimes I do miss the time when we were students albeit living on a meagre allowance.

Convocation was the time when I had the chance to meet up with some of the old friends again. This event signaled the fullstop to my being a student. The graduation outfit, the packed halls, the photoalbums we took...all seem like a distant memory, but a lasting one nonetheless.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Some have written about their new year resolutions, some about predictions of the events to come. Some reminisced about the events that occurred in the past few months, some yearn for the coming weeks in anticipation.

I look forward to the coming year. Politically-speaking, the next general election is likely to fall in 07's calendar and I will get to exercise my vote for the first time. Cynics would say the political scene will not alter much, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed that some positive change will come.

Career-wise, I'm maturing in the learning curve and will soon be seniors to new freshie engineers coming in. I'm determined to do my best in work to prove that the grades I got during uni days were not a farce.

On the personal side, I'm looking forward to trying new things that youth permits us to do. Having an exercise routine is definitely on my to-do list, and I can only hope that my schedule does not prevent me from carrying it out.

I might even get hitched. Permanently. Who knows? ;)

As I have said during the previous year, BRING IT ON!

Eragon: A (somewhat biased) Review

2006-12-21T00:33:00.000+08:00

A fantasy-based film based on a book with mystical creatures, characters with magic powers, and a bad-ass wizard that commands an army of gruesome solders. Sounds familiar?

Well you can be forgiven if it strikes you that the movie resembles the LOTR trilogy. There are, after all, many similarities between the storylines of these two movies (can't say the same for the books, since I've never read Eragon).

Based on the book by Christopher Paolini, Eragon tells the story of a teenager who finds a dragon egg and is compelled to fight against the evil king after knowing his fate of being a 'dragon rider'. It is actually the first book of the Inheritance Trilogy, with the second one already out in markets.

The elements presented in the story are very similar to LOTR (have I mentioned that?). The battle of good against evil, the role of a mentor to the young hero (Brom as to LOTR's Gandalf), underdog whopping the big baddie's ass so on so forth.

The moviemakers did a great job in bringing the dragon, Saphira to life. Honestly one of the best (and cranky) dragons I have seen since Dragonheart. The sets were also nice, the scenery breathtaking at times.

My gripe about this movie is it's lack of originality and grandeur. After all that exposure to Peter Jackson's magnificent effort on LOTR, Eragon seems to drawf in the field of CGI. There are no great battle scenes and we barely see the creatures commanded by the evil wizard. It felt like the producers were trying to rush through the storyline...barely giving the characters enough time to develop.

John Malkovich was just plain weird as the evil King Galbatorix.

"I suffer without my stone. Do not prolong my suffering."

I must mention though that I was quite exhausted when watching the movie. Heck, I even fell asleep during some of the boring parts.

An interesting note is that the book was written when the author was 15 years old. So go ahead and watch the movie if you're tired of LOTR and expect no more than a simple story. That said, I'd rather save my money and buy some Aragorn action figures instead.

Technorati tags: eragon, eragon movie, christopher paolini

Together again

2006-12-19T15:16:00.000+08:00

Have been busy for the past few days helping Gurl move her stuff up to KL. After a week's rest at home, she's finally started her new job here in the city.

It's a good change from her previous company I guess. Not being able to bring handphones into the workplace, being barred from receiving/sending emails other than to company addresses, blocked from using any form of messenger service or surfing the internet...definitely not the most conducive working environment, IMHO.

Imagine being cut off from the outside world during the day time. The thought of it makes me cringe, considering I enjoy far more freedom in my workplace.

Anyway it's convenient since her company is located near to mine, so we can probably save on some petrol money (fortunately the toll hike does not affect us). The downside of sharing a vehicle means less flexibility in our working hours, though we do have our own transport in case of emergencies.

There're a lot of other stuff that I need to get used to, for example my meals after work. No more simple 'tapau' dinners after this I suppose. One thing's for sure though, it's great to have her here :)

Toll price hike / Mat Rempit / Self-gratification syndrome

2006-12-14T22:49:00.000+08:00

Again, citizens of Malaysia are given a cruel reminder to change our lifestyles.

I say, instead of hiking up the toll prices, the government should IMPOSE huge fines on those crazy mat rempits to compensate for their (the gov's) failed projects. Too poor to pay up? No problem hard labour is the solution. And aren't we sick of incoming immigrants doing jobs that no locals would take up?

One thing I sure hope is that the extra money doesn't go to waste in efforts trying to "rehabilitate" the so-called "misunderstood" biker community. Want to Umno-nize them? Give them proper playing grounds so they can show off their useless skills? They could hire a firing squad for all I care...at least that would make some good to the country.

Ah, I'm glad I will be able to vote during the next elections. No prizes for correctly guessing who I'll be voting for though.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Browsed through Sitemeter and found out that my blog's in Google's top 10 search results for this phrase:

Self-gratification syndrome.

Hmm...the term sounds a bit morally dubious. Rest assured that there is no sex fiend behind healthy little blog.

Technorati tags: toll hike, mat rempit

Y.B. Datuk Ir. Prof Dr. Deriku

2006-12-12T20:52:00.000+08:00

Apparently future graduate engineers will have a harder time in order to qualify as "professional engineers".

"Graduate engineers will soon find it tougher to call themselves professional engineers and to carry the Ir title before their name. The bar for the profession will be raised come 2008 with the introduction of an additional competency examination."

Source

Frankly speaking, I've only ever come across the title "Ir" during my university days, as some of the more 'distinguished' lecturers would like to be addressed during formal ceremonies. We were also exposed to the procedures on how to qualify for that particular title, though I have no recollection whatsoever.

A title like this would probably raise a few question marks when mentioned along more common titles such as Dr. and the granddaddy of all titles, the Datuk.

I was told it was supposed to be pronounced as 'inginieur' with a certain French taste to it, seeing that the good Frenchmen allowed us the usage of their term for 'engineer'. But imagine some uninformed emcee trying to pronouce your full title when addressing an audience.

"We would like to welcome our guest of honour, Ee-er...er...I mean Ai-arr...Andy Lau to our exhibition..."

And it becomes worse when the person carries multiple titles and protocol needs to be observed. Try saying this out loud in one breath - Yang Berbahagia Datuk Ir. Prof. Dr. Mohamad Salehuddin bin Shaik Nasir.

See? Bet you couldn't finish that in one breath.

Well, being in the semiconductor field means I practically have no chance (and no point really) in attempting to qualify for this title. Not that I would like to anyway.

"Hey who's the infrared guy?"

"Who??'

"The balding guy with a polka-dot tie standing over there? The booklet says he's name is IR Tan."

"So why do you call him the infrared guy?"

"Doesn't IR stand for INFRA-RED?"

*No offence to those who carry the title. Hey don't forget I'm on your side :D

FRIM outing

2006-12-11T23:28:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I had a nature outing. And that is just what I did this morning at the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM), together with a few cell group members.

It was the first time I had been to the place. And what a pleasant surprise I had when I first stepped into the compound. Who would've imagined there would be such a lush, green lung just not far away from the city center.

Li Lian, Yee Lin, Keng Fong and Theen Kin

We went for one of the 5 trails that joggers could pick from - the Rover track. This was also the trail that would bring us to the famed Canopy Walkway, a 200m long bridge suspended 30 meters above ground.

Posers

Unfortunately, we didn't know that the Canopy Walkway was closed on Mondays and Fridays until it was too late. So the girls decided to do some posing to make up for the lost pleasure.

Brokeback Forest?

Anyway, we did enjoy the trekking , though some parts of the trail were a bit difficult to manoeuvre for the casual jogger. The ground was also a bit slippery due to the rainy season that has plagued the Klang Valley for quite some time now.

One unpleasant experience were the leeches that are abundant along the track. You can see the little critters crawling along the track if you look closely. I even had two stuck to my leg. There was no pain though, and I figure by contributing a bit back to mother nature's creatures meant the balance would be preserved.

Note to those planning a trip there: always bring a packet of salt. You never know when you'll need it.

Sokongilah kempen menderma darah

It was a refreshing day out. But every good time has its price, and this time it was the fatigue after the trip, partly because I didn't really sleep much the night before.

Ah well, time for bed.

How to ruin your office relationships

2006-12-07T22:24:00.000+08:00

One of my colleagues accidentally sent a mail to all of the team members, including the boss. He was actually replying to a friend's mail and I suppose he replied to the wrong message.

"LDP toll go up...what to do. Hope next year will get a good increment. If not then say bye-bye to the company loh..."

Yes he actually put the MANAGER in the list too. And he's barely been here for 9 months. Lucky for him, he realized the mistake immediately and put out a recall message. But the story doesn't end here.

Bull, the inanimate, IQ-challenged office dumbfuck actually replied to everyone in the recipient's list:

"Eh, belum bangun lagi ke. Very brave you are, I respect. You ask for 50% increment ma, tell boss LDP go up 100%."

Although this time our manager was omitted from the list, my colleague was pissed enough to tell him that he should not have re-broadcasted the message when a recall was already issued.

I guess Bull must have come to his senses for a while, and not long after came over to my colleagues cubicle with an apologetic look. Muttering some phrases with the words 'sorry' here and there, he made a lame attempt to apologize to my colleague.

It just puzzles me how some people lack the necessary office ethics, though I would not be surprised at Bulls ability to mess up. I suspect he's still trying to find out the difference between pressing "Reply" and "Reply all" when using Microsoft Outlook.

My colleague and most of us ignored him for almost the rest of the day. At lunchtime he didn't even tag along (uninvited as usual) with us to have lunch. Must have realized he's not in anyone's lunch partner list anymore. Hah.

A lesson to everyone: Never, ever attempt this in the office, or you'll end up as the person everyone would love to ignore.

Just like Bull.

Hollywood is king

2006-12-07T00:37:00.000+08:00

Honestly, how many good movies have you seen lately? I mean, REAL good movies. I just watched The Shawshank Redemption, and it truly is one of the best films I have ever come across.

Forget flashy CGI or whatever latest filming technology that viewers are so over-indulged in nowadays, all it takes is just some solid acting and a good script to get people's attention.

I remember watching it on TV for the first time many years ago, and even then it left an impression that this was one movie not to be missed. Only difference was, this time, all the swear words weren't censored.

With a rating of 9.1, the movie is ranked 2nd on IMDB's top 250 list, which makes it really worth a watch. By comparison, The Prestige, another stunner that made it to my all time best's list is rated 8.1.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Over the weekend, I watched 5 different Bond movies on Star Movies. 2 from the less-attractive Timothy Dalton, and the remaining ones with good old Pierce Brosnan.

The spirit of double-O-seven has really got to me. Whenever I'm introducing myself to someone, it requires some effort to refrain myself from pronouncing "The name's XXX. Deriku XXX."

Or when it comes to ordering drinks in the cafeteria, I nearly blurted out "Vodka Martini. Shaken, not stirred." to the lady who was serving fruit juice.

Talk about James Bond overkill.

Technorati tags: shawshank redemption, james bond

Gaining weight

2006-12-05T19:29:00.000+08:00

Today marks the halfway point of my first year of employment. I step on the scales, and get a hold of the damage done. In six month's time, I have gained approximately 3 kilograms.

I know most girls would probably freak out if this happened to them. (3 kg? What would become of my dream to be the next Paris Hilton? And the strapless tops, my miniskirts...all ruined!) But being a guy, my genes are simply not programmed to worry too much about the issue of body weight. Aesthetically speaking, that is.

In a health perspective, my BMI still stands at a normal level of 22. But obviously this won't look too good in the long term if the condition continues.

At this rate, I'll weigh 87 kg into my third year of corporate enslavement.

The current me.

The future me (if the phenomenon persists).

Looks like it's time to hit the gyms again!

Scrubbing down the police

2006-11-30T00:42:00.000+08:00

Apparently no one has commented on my previous post, a sign that most Penangite engineers are wusses (except maybe Michael Ooi). Come on, you guys can do better than that.

Anyway, I came across this sign somewhere near Old Klang Road.

I know RM5 is cheap for a car wash here, but to provide snow wash and vacuum for the police? And they'll even throw in a free wash for every five washes. Imagine 5 + 1 policemen frolicking in the bubble wash.

And I thought only the taxi drivers were smelly. Looks like the police force needs a good 'scrubbing down' too.

10 reasons to work in KL

2006-11-28T00:29:00.000+08:00

10 reasons why working in KL is better than in Penang (applies mainly to those working in the electronics industry):

KL is hip and happening, the place you'd want to be for awesome events. Where else can you bump into movie stars alike?

KL has the bestest shopping malls in the country. Visit 1 Utama and you'll never want to go back to the third-world-looking Prangin Mall again.

KL has more variety when it comes to food, and they come in larger portions too. Seriously, don't you get tired of laksa and prawn mee with a dozen strands of noodles everyday?

Living in KL makes you a more hardworking, resourceful person, because everything is more expensive here and people are more motivated to earn more money so they can spend more.

Living in KL makes you a more patient person. Having to live through all the hours wasted in traffic jams and flash floods builds your patience up to a higher level.

KL is near to everywhere, being in the central region of the peninsular. Imagine how your bum will feel during those trips back home if you're from Malacca and working in Penang.

In Penang, you need to pay outrageous toll fees for crossing a bridge when attempting to get to somewhere. In KL, all the bridges you'll see are flyovers, and most of them are (still) free.

In KL, microchips don't simply get stolen by armed robbers.

Most EE graduates work in Penang, which makes the place overflowing with engineers. Pray tell how can you expand your social circle when the people you're working with came from the same class?

Most importantly, who would want to work for those boring, predictable companies in Penang? (No names mentioned, you know which companies)

Long live the capital of Malaysia! I'm waiting for the response, any of you Penangites (or future-Penangites) care to take this up with me?

My wrist is killing me

2006-11-26T21:10:00.000+08:00

Doctors and I have never had much of a relationship. For the past 5 or 6 years, I figure I've never been to see a doc more than 5 times (discounting the visits for medical checkups).

This doesn't mean my body is bulletproof though. It's just my principle of not wanting to depend on medicine/drugs as a 'healing' method. Drugs don't heal, ask any addict and they'd tell you that. And if they did, don't you think that medical practice would become an extinct profession?

Anyway, I mentioned in the last post that I was diagnosed with a strained wrist, a result from consulting a doctor. Apparently it's not yet considered as carpal tunnel syndrome yet, and I sure hope it does not progress till that stage.

It started with a sore wrist, the type you'd want to 'shake' off. Then the pain came. Chronic, throbbing pain that would I would gladly exchange for one second of hell. Imagine someone squeezing your nerves with a crushing force and you could do nothing to stop it, that's how I feel like right now.

For once, I was grateful for the medicine the doc prescribed.

Painkillers and nerve medicine.

As I said, I'm still puzzled as to what would have caused it, but most probably I think it's because some repetitive stress I had during work. I was advised not to stress it too much for the next few days, which I am blatantly disregarding now by typing this post.

Thinking I'd need some support if I were to do serious work, I went out and bought a Puma wristband. Not those flimsy thin ones that are the rage nowadays, but a REAL wristband for sports purposes.

My theory is, if Agassi or Jordan could wear one during their games for protection, I could probably do the same at work to prevent the condition from becoming worse. Of course, I might be wrong here, but I'm taking my chances.

Hey, it could even be fashion accessory in its own terms.

That's all for now. Til I recover, cheers!

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

2006-11-24T13:24:00.000+08:00

Apologies for the lack of updates. Have just been diagnosed with a strained left wrist, and it's leaving me with much pain during most of the day. I'm still trying to figure out what caused it; whether it was due to the swimming sessions or did I sleep in the wrong position, or did I do some excessive tapping of the keyboard?

I'm practically writhing in pain as I'm typing this. See how sacrificial I can be when it comes to updating my blog. By the way, my broadband connection at home is screwed. Anyone in Kelana Jaya experiencing the same problems with Streamyx?

James Bond and E-Mee

2006-11-19T23:47:00.000+08:00

The big hoo-ha over the new James Bond has finally toned down a bit, now that the movie's been showing for a few days.

I don't know what's the fuss about Daniel Craig playing the new 007. So he's not as dashing as Pierce Brosnan, nor as suave as the previous Bonds, but give the man a break here. I personally thought he gave a good performance playing the MI6 agent, though I wouldn't say the same for the movie in general.

And damn the censors for omitting some crucial parts of the movie. They should've rated it 18PL instead of U, robbing us mature movie goers of some of the more salacious scenes.

Interestingly though, the balls-kicking torture scene was left uncut...which I think, would seriously be more of a negative influence to the pure minded. My point is: someday kids will grow up and do the whole sex thing anyway, but imagine if a girl applied the 'scratch-my-balls' technique to an unsuspecting boyfriend. Now that would be scary.

Anyway, I saw this in the menu at one of Muar's newest (and quite reputable) restaurants.

Deep's Meat anyone?

Of course it's possible that this was a typo (DEER instead of DEEP). But then judging by the changes in the prices of the dishes, it's obvious the menu has been reviewed at least once. Yet no one has done anything to correct it.

IQ question: What do you call modernized noodles that can be ordered via e-mail?

E-Mee.

Prefixes can be so convenient.

Technorati tags: james bond, casino royale, e-mee

Damai Laut getaway trip (Part 2)

2006-11-16T20:40:00.000+08:00

We came back early from Pangkor for a reason, and that was to try out the watersports and other activities available at the resort.

Archery, canoeing, nature walk and bicycling activities were actually FOC, which really surprised me as I remember having to pay the last time I was there. Unfortunately, archery and the nature walk were scheduled events, so we had to give them a skip.

Row row row your orange boat, gently into the sea!

Lucky for us the waves were not too high even though it was the monsoon season. We didn't hesitate to pull out the canoe and gather a pair or oars to do some serious paddling. It was funny how we would get out of sync when rowing and the canoe would go the opposite way instead of the direction we intended.

We also went bicycling around the resort. But because some buggers were hogging the bikes, only one was available and we took turns while the other sort of jogged to keep up. Also went to the pool for a dip after that.

And suddenly I forgot Gurl was a former state swimmer. Was thrashed in the pool, bad. But it was fun :)

Dinner was at Pantai Remis. We randomly picked a restaurant that looked respectable and ordered our dishes there. Of course we did not forget to order some seafood, though it was only limited to prawns as I'm not a very big fan of fish.

Did some night shots with the tripod when we were back.

Chandelier in the lobby

Rickshaw with bowl of flowers

The Lobby at night (and I seriously need to be more creative in naming pictures)

Posers posing under the light (and I admit I suck at naming pictures)

It was a great trip. We had fun. What more could we ask for?

Technorati tags: damai laut, lumut, pangkor

Damai Laut getaway trip

2006-11-14T22:40:00.000+08:00

Two weekends ago, Gurl and I made a trip to Lumut, Perak for a relaxing getaway. Tons of engineering work put behing our minds, we were hoping this would be a refreshing and fun holiday.

The journey itself was not very interesting...half of it was on the NSE and the other half on trunk roads. I must say the Perak government really takes care of its state roads, it was rather a smooth journey all the way long. So after about 4 hours of driving and a quick stop at Lumut town for dinner, we reached Swiss Garden Resort & Spa Damai Laut, which would be the place of our accomodation for the next two nights.

That was my second time being there and I chose the place because of its lush, beautiful surroundings. Although quite isolated from the town areas, it is the perfect retreat for people who want to escape from the daily hustle and bustle of the city.

Didn't do much for the first night, as we were weary after the journey. Took a walk to familiarize ourselves with the place as it was quite huge. After that, it was Star Movies all the way.

After a good night's sleep, we were raring to set out for Pangkor Island. Before we left the resort, Gurl took this pic with an orang asli (native) warrior. He was playing some sort of musical instrument which was connected to a speaker. I wouldn't be surprised if he whipped out a PDA and started talking into it.

It took us half an hour to reach Lumut town. With a town area even smaller than Bentong, it would be a quiet and sleepy little place if not for the regular tourists. At the jetty we were greeted by some sort of a mini Bintang Walk, with stalls that sell mostly Malay food, sea produce and souvenirs.

After another half an hour spent on the ferry, we set foot on Pangkor Island. First destination: to fill our stomachs as we had not had lunch. Surprisingly, some of the stalls in the town area served some delicious food.

We decided to skip the usual rent-a-van tour and instead, rented a motorbike from the locals. It cost us RM10 per hour, which was really expensive as I recalled that even a Kancil didn't cost that much back in uni days. Anyway, it had been a long time since I rode on a bike, so we had to be extra cautious on the roads given that the roads in Pangkor are known to be notoriously narrow and hard to manouvre at times.

We stopped at a few tourist attractions. The pic above was taken at the Fu Lin temple. I did not notice the guy beside me who mimicked my pose...must have been a nutcase or something.

You see, Sports Toto is everywhere. There is no escape.

We didn't spend much time in Pangkor and left just about when evening came.

Back in the resort, I took this pic of Gurl looking out into the Straits of Malacca. Evening had come, and it was beautiful.

(To be continued)

Technorati tags: pangkor, damai laut, swiss garden, lumut

I saw the devil in Genting

2006-11-12T23:47:00.000+08:00

I was up in the City of Entertainment during the weekend. Just for the fun of it.

Weather wasn't too good though. Most of the time it was raining...which made the usually-tolerable climate really cold. And it didn't help that I was only wearing a thin layer of fabric and sandals.

I walked around First World square. No sales, no movies...just hoardes of tourists (isn't it still a schooling week?). Came across a young girl in costume who could balance bowls on the tip of her feet, upside down.

Also came across a guy (I presume) in a female elephant's costume who went around acting cute and making babies cry.

And then I spotted something familiar...

Omg the devil!

I bet (s)he went cheap this time and skipped Prada for some unknown brand.

Genting is so fun, and I am so in need of improving my fake enthusiasm skills.

Politcians come up with the best excuses

2006-11-09T22:16:00.000+08:00

It appears that now everyone has an excuse for almost everything.

Case #1:

“My cousins and I are staying in several houses built on a single plot of land in Rantau Panjang. I have not seen the latest assessment bill and I believe it may have been sent to the house of one of my cousins. I am going to visit all my cousins to look for the bill. "

Case #2:

“The renovations to the car porch and kitchen of my house in Taman Sri Sentosa was done by the previous owner and I have been living there only since 2003. "

Case #3:

“I have not paid assessment for my four-storey shoplot in Pulau Indah for last year and this year only. My registered address is in Shah Alam and the assessment bill may not have reached me because of this. "

Case #4:

“The renovation for my house in Taman Sri Andalas was done five years ago. It is difficult for me to answer why I didn’t submit the building plan. "

Read the source.

Seriously, politicians who think they are above the law should have their titles taken away. Those who think they can get away with it spot clean should have their citizenship revoked. If these people were let off the hook that easily, imagine what criminals might plead in future courts.

Case #1: Loansharks aka Ah Long

"My ma chai and I have been staying in several bungalows built on a single plot of land. I have not seen what they've done to the people whom I loaned money to, but I swear I didn't set fire to the person's house. The IOU note must have been sent to the wrong ma chai. I am going to visit all my ma chai to look for the correct IOU."

Case #2: Arsonist (who is rich enough to employ a lawyer)

"The vandalism done to the car porch and kitchen of the plaintiff in Taman Yoyoha must have been done by a different person as the my client has only been an arsonist since 2005."

Case #3: Robber (pleading for leniency)

"I have robbed five shops and a factory for the past two years only. My registered address is in Cheras and the police may not have reached me because of this."

...and the best excuse of all,

Case #4: Murderer

"The murder of the waitress in my house was committed five years ago. It is difficult for me to answer why I chopped off her limbs and stuffed her into a suitcase."

Air Politica-Malaysia...now everyone can lie.

Poetry in motion

2006-11-08T00:32:00.000+08:00

Being a pure bred product of the science stream no doubt has resulted in me being a non-lover of the arts and literature. I do love a good read from time to time, and have composed some poems back in my younger days, but the sublime beauty of poetry has some how eluded me.

It was not until I came across Shakespeare's Sonnet 18 that I began to start appreciating these works of art. And guess where I saw it? In an LRT train, no kidding! I confess that I've never read any of Shakespeare's plays...though the modern film industry has given us some interpretations of its concepts.

Romeo and Juliet makes me think of a young Jack Dawson fast forwarded into the future speaking even cheesier lines than he had in Titanic. A Midsummer Night's Dream reminds me of an elfish Stanley Tucci. And did anyone know "10 Things I Hate About You" was an adaptation of The Taming of The Shrew? Or "She's The Man" was originally adapted from Twelfth Night?

My my, dear Shakespeare would be proud (or turning in his grave, depending on the situation) to know that his works are so influential even today. Even Bollywood has it's own adaptation of Macbeth.

Here's a reproduction of the famous Sonnet 18 by William Shakespeare.

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate:
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summer's lease hath all too short a date:
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,
And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;
And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd;
But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

I actually missed my station because I was too absorbed in reading the sonnet. Kudos to the people who sponsored the ads, I for one have enjoyed it.

Technorati tags: shakespeare, sonnet

Say cheese

2006-11-06T21:56:00.000+08:00

I was MIA for a weekend getaway. Before the trip, Gurl half-persuaded and half-coaxed me into buying this.

Panasonic Lumix FX3

It never occured to me to get a new digital camera after my purchase of a handphone not long back. Although my Pentax Optio 33L was considered an old giant in this age of ultra-compact digicams, it was still doing its job quite well.

Well, at least with the FX3, I no longer have to worry about space when carrying my digicam around. Other than looking much sleeker than my current model, it also fits into my pocket nicely. And black is the colour, no?

The picture quality was very good when transferred and viewed from my PC. I particularly liked the optical image stabilizer; it comes as a valuable feature in this baby. Taking pictures indoors under low light conditions no longer seem to be a big challenge.

Total damage: RM1257 for the entire package including a spare battery, casing and screen protector.

More to come about my trip and some sample shots using the FX3. Stay tuned.

Technorati tags: panasonic, lumix, fx3

Blog evolution

2006-11-02T00:27:00.000+08:00

Evident from the previous post, I'm happy to announce that there's a brand new "About" page for my blog (well brand new in the sense that it never existed before).

In some way, I feel that my blog has been evolving. It used to be a personal blog, but somehow I have found myself venturing into different realms. Call it peer pressure or natural evolution, it is not exactly what I had in mind when I first started this blog.

Of course it's not to say that I don't enjoying blogging as much as I did; I still thoroughly enjoy the satisfaction of writing a good post (good by my standards, maybe mediocre in general). It's just that as the internet becomes more of an open space, and I find the sudden vulnerability a little unnerving.

Because of this, although I bet most of you who are reading this must know me personally one way or another, I decided to remove the link to my Friendster page to reclaim some extent of anonymity in cyberspace.

I have also been curious about the people who have came across this blog, accidentally or otherwise. So I'd really appreciate if you'd drop a message by commenting, just so I know who you are and where you're coming from, ala Michael-Ooi-style.

Once again, thank you for (re)visiting this humble blog of mine. Cheers!

About me

2006-10-31T00:56:00.000+08:00

The person behind this so-called blog is a 23-year old electronics engineer, working in a multi-national company located in Petaling Jaya. In other words, he is just a minute little bug in the entire corporate ecosystem.

He is chinese-educated and proud of it, although his preference is for english-written material. He graduated from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia in May, 2006 after five years of toiling under the public education system, which is a miracle to say the least.

When he is not occupied with his day job which revolves around making Beamers work, he can be found sitting snugly in front of his battered laptop reading and writing blog(s). His other passions include reading, health and fitness (or at least an attempt to be passionate in it), and munching on snacks all day long.

This blog is a screenshot of his life, a collection of thoughts on just about everything that goes on around him. Posts may contain shameless narcissism, illogical metaphors, excessive sarcasm, undulating affection and sometimes crude vulgarities. You are advised to read these posts without taking them too seriously. Failure to do so could possibly result in a psychological damage, of which the author takes no responsibility for.

He aspires to have a wider audience for this blog of his, knowing that their compliments and criticisms are what makes him improve on his style of writing. Most of the time, he just writes for the fun of it.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .

What the hell am I doing referring to myself as a third person?

Now come on in and be entertained ;)

A timely reward

2006-10-29T23:53:00.000+08:00

I used to hear this from some of my friends back then: "Study so hard for what? First class honours degree got special treatment meh??"

Frankly, I was sort a believer in this too. Nevertheless the competitive side of me kept my results from going down a negative slope.

And now, after all is done and our studies are complete, I look back in contemplation and come up with this answer: "Getting good results do not guarantee special treatment in the corporate world. But hey, it sure gives you a moment to be proud of...and a break for your bank account too."

I was a recipient of the Academic Award during convocation, which came together with a check. Although not a considerable amount of money, it'll probably buy me a new Swatch (which I have been putting off for a long time).

Paying attention to your studies does have it's rewards after all ;)

Technorati tags: utm

KL - cheapest city in the world

2006-10-27T15:14:00.000+08:00

This is good news for Malaysians...or more specifically, those who live in KL.

A survey of 71 cities worldwide by Swiss banking giant UBS found that Malaysia's capital has the most competitive prices when it comes to food, electronic goods, clothes, public transport, hotel rates and entertainment.

Source

Which makes me feel extremely lucky and grateful to be staying where I am now because it would only cost...

RM551 for a five-star hotel room, per night.
RM5.88 for a 5km taxi ride within the city.
RM44 for a three-course meal in a good restaurant.
RM1756 per month for a 3-room apartment, unfurnished.

That would be great only if...

I was a guest at the Hilton, Renaissance, Marriott or some other swanky posh hotel that would rob me of a quarter of my monthly pay, per night.
I had the privilege to be chauffered here, there and everywhere by a personal taxi, which incidentally would be pointless because of the traffic jams.
I could afford Friday's 3 course menu for all my meals, day in and day out.
I rented a service apartment in Mont Kiara like what my operations manager does (they don't call him the operations manager for nothing).

Now excuse me while I rejoice by eating chinese take-aways and taking public transport back to my very affordable RM200-a-month apartment room.

Out of office reply

2006-10-20T17:44:00.000+08:00

This is an auto-generated message:

Dear reader,

I will be away from my blogging office from 21st to 25th of October due to the observation of public holidays. During this period of time I will have extremely limited access to the cyber world. Hence please adhere to the following procedures when attempting to contact me:

-For generic blogging issues (eg compliments, constructive criticisms, bitchings and rants), you can always leave a comment by clicking on the Comment link below.

-For issues pertaining to stuff that has no concern to me, you can always keep it to yourself.

If it is absolutely necessary to contact me due to emergencies (eg Blogger shutdown, blog hacked), you can get in touch with me at daredevil_tyn[at]hotmail[dot]com. Will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

Cheers!

Best blogging regards,
Deriku

. . . . . . . . . . . .

This is what you DO NOT want during the long drive back home this festive season.

Drive safely and happy holidays to everyone!

My office phone

2006-10-18T20:25:00.000+08:00

The cubicle I'm sitting in now once belonged to another girl, PP, from the assembly department. She's moved away for more than 2 months now and I have the luck of using her extension number, which apparently she did not update in the system.

Hence I'm being reminded of PP nearly every other day no thanks to the incessant phonecalls meant for her. 90% of the calls are the usual "Hello is PP there. No? It's ok thanks" type. However, there have been some interesting calls and one of them went like this.

Caller: Hello, can I speak to PP please?

Me: She's moved to another cubicle and she's not using this number anymore.

Caller: Oh...do you have any idea of her new number?

Me: Sorry but I don't. Why don't you try her speed dial instead?

Caller: Er...I don't have that either. Can I know which department you're from?

Me: Oh I'm from the business group, Microcontroller Division.

Caller: Oh I see...does you department need any microscopes? Cos we specilize in supplying quality microscopes...

Me: I don't think we need them. Even if we do, I'm not the person you should talk to.

Caller: Are you sure? We're giving this promotion, it's a one time offer and you won't get anything like this from other vendors. If you buy now, you'll be entitled to a discount and a lucky draw. Our microscopes even come with a 5 year warranty and free service for up to 10 years. It's really an amazing deal. You sure you don't need one?

Me: Yes I'm quite sure. (Fakes a foreign accent) By the way, I'm the janitor. I just happened to pick up the phone cos no one was around and the ringing was giving me a headache.

Caller: Okthanksbye.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Sometimes I wish I had an answering machine that could automatically filter out the misdirected calls and salesmen.

"If you're looking for PP, she's no longer here. Please hang up and good luck in searching for her new contact."

"If you're trying to sell something, I'm not interested. Please hang up and call my boss at 03-7873xxxx."

"If you're calling for reasons other than the above, please hold on and I will be answering your call in approximately 5 seconds. Five, four, three, two..."

Think of the efficiency I'll have in answering phonecalls...

I'm a Mandarin

2006-10-17T19:25:00.000+08:00

My colleague forwarded a link the other day and I went on to waste 15 minutes of my working life searching for my true personality. I wasn't sure what criteria was the test based on but soon found out after I'd completed it.

Apparently, this Nicholas Lemann guy introduced the idea of three paths to success in American society - that of Talents, Lifers, and Mandarins. To cut the story short, Talents tend to value individuality and boldness, Lifers tend to value loyalty and caution and Mandarins tend to value intelligence and education. He even went on to publish a book about it so I guess he means to have us take this seriously.

So this was what I got.

I'm a Mandarin!

You're an intellectual, and you've worked hard to get where you are now. You're a strong believer in education, and you think many of the world's problems could be solved if people were more informed and more rational. You have no tolerance for sloppy or lazy thinking. It frustrates you when people who are ignorant or dishonest rise to positions of power. You believe that people can make a difference in the world, and you're determined to try.

Talent: 44%
Lifer: 46%
Mandarin: 62%

Take the Talent, Lifer, or Mandarin quiz.

Let me just comment on some of the apparent 'traits' that I'm supposed to have as a Mandarin.

"You're an intellectual, and you've worked hard to get where you are now."

18 years of non-stop, cheap education and a 1-hour interview. Gee, that was really tough. Especially the 1 hour interview.

"You're a strong believer in education, and you think many of the world's problems could be solved if people were more informed and more rational. "

I believe the education system in our country should be given a makeover. Fire the minister, hire someone with more of an 'intellectual' mind instead of political, eliminate the need for all those crappy exams and the world will become a better place. End of story.

"You have no tolerance for sloppy or lazy thinking."

Who does?

"It frustrates you when people who are ignorant or dishonest rise to positions of power."

It frustrates me alright, but as they say, without corruption, where would our government be?

"You believe that people can make a difference in the world, and you're determined to try. "

I do believe that people can make a difference, if only they'd stop driving out to work every morning and NOT cause traffic jams. I'm determined to try NOT to drive out to work every morning but public transport sucks and I have no choice.

"I'm a Mandarin!"

I'm a Chinese...of course I'm know Mandarin. Duh.

And I don't even know who the 2 blokes in picture are. If they represent the epitome of classic Mandarinism, this test obviously has something very wrong. Very, very wrong...

Petaling Street

2006-10-16T00:12:00.000+08:00

I've wondered why the PPS blogtal was named after Petaling Street. Of all the colourful roads in Malaysia, what made them choose a street that was synonymous with bustling stalls and pirated goods?

I got a taste of Petaling Street during the past weekend. Not the usual 1 hour stroll along the sidewalks, but I was practically staying there for 2 days. It was an interesting experience living in the midst of Chinatown, where people from all walks of life converge to be part of the whole cultural phenomenon.

Everything here is so lively. The hawker stalls selling fruits and all types of food, the Ah Bengs with DVD catalogues in their hands, vendors of pirated handbags and clothing and even the old lady who sells mua-chi at the roadside...all of them made the place unique in its own way.

I''m starting to grow fond of the place. It's so much different from where I'm staying now, but I think it would be nice to be able to visit a place that paints such a vivid picture in my mind.

Well...scenes like this wouldn't hurt either :D

Technorati tags: petaling street, malaysia, chinatown

Huh?

2006-10-14T09:47:00.000+08:00

Remember the colleague of mine whom I absolutely detest? Looks like he's got himself into some tight spots with some of the team members. Not only are people boycotting him in public, he's pretty much ridiculed everytime he attempts to utter a sentence.

A typical conversation with him would be like something below.

Bull: You know how to access this database?

Me: (Puts down work) Yeah first go to this webpage (opens a web browser and clicks the link), login (shows him how to login) and choose the type of data that you want to view.

Bull: Huh?

Me: You need to go to this webpage first...

Bull: Er...I don't have the link wor...can send it to me ah?

Me: Didn't the boss send out a mail containing the link to everyone?

Bull: Huh?

Me: The link.....the boss sent out the link.

Bull: Umm...I think I deleted it.

Me: Ok nevermind I'll forward it to you later. So what kind of data are you looking for?

Bull: Er...I'm not sure also. Just want to try try.

Me: (MCH you don't even know what you're looking for still wanna ask how to do it. How much of an idiot are you anyway? 9 years working experience with who? The garbage company collecting rotten fruits that emitted hazardous gases and messed up your brain? Bug off lah fucker.)

Bull: Huh?

You gotta love Bull's vocabulary. The single most used word in his pathetic life must the word "huh". Every single time a conversation strikes up with him, this magical word never fails to appear. Coupled with a dumbfucked expression like a mentally retarded patient, the situation is disturbing and amusing at the same time.

Sometimes I wish he'd go kill himself by stuffing his fist into his mouth, after I've had my little laugh.

Recreation plans

2006-10-11T21:58:00.000+08:00

I've been spending some 12 hours at the office for the past few days working my ass off. Being a product engineer sure ain't easy, and it definitely isn't beneficial toward my mental health / work-life balance / whatever shit the psychologists like to call it.

Hence I have in my mind a few activities scheduled for the coming weeks to compensate for the hectic working life.

Parents are coming down to KL this weekend, nothing special about that but this time they're spending one night here. Huhu spending one night at a HOTEL mind you when home sweet home is just barely an hour away. Damn those vacation clubs for imposing a one year validity period for hotel stays.
Will be going for an outing in Gua Tempurung with colleagues. We're taking the one day tour yay! Initially planned to go this week but the event was postponed due to unforeseen meteorological reasons. Damn the haze and the parties causing it.
Trip to Damai Laut Resort Lumut with Gurl. Sort of a little present for our anniversary, since I didn't buy anything for her this year. Looking forward to visiting the place again, I had such a great time the last time I was there. Sun, sea, surf and your partner...life does not get any better.

During this period of time I expect my frequency of posting to be less, so please have some sympathy for this blogger and do come back to visit even though updates are seldom. (Better still, you could donate to my "Sanity in Check Fund")

Hey, everyone needs a break ;)

API levels redefined

2006-10-09T21:43:00.000+08:00

Yes the haze has come back to haunt us again. It was not long ago that I posted an entry about it, and thought all would be well after that short spell of smoky season. But boy, was I wrong.

I just read that the air in PJ hit API levels of up to 130 today, an indication which probably not many people will comprehend, assuming that most of them aren't properly trained to grade the air quality, people like me.

0-50: Good
51-100: Moderate
101-200: Unhealthy
201-300: Very unhealty
>300: Hazardous

The problem with this scale is that it is overly simple, if not utterly boring. How unhealty exactly is the category "Unhealty"? Does it mean you're going to get a cough, a mild sore throat and should probably stay indoors for most of the day? Or would it be some serious shit like developing chronic bronchitis and having your lungs collapse?

Based on my observations of the current situation, I'd say there would be a totally different class of definitions to differentiate between these varying API categories, which I humbly present below.

0-50: Indonesia's being nice. Either that or their entire forests must have burned down and they have nothing else to incinerate. Air is breatheble, no masks required and children are encouraged to go out more. Adults stay in and work, as usual.

51-100: Our gov must have pissed off the neighbour, resulting in a large amount of their petroleum being used for suspicious purposes. Occurences of coughing and sneezing increase. Doctors get more patients, face mask vendors get brisk business, and air filter dealers have a killing.

101-200: Indonesia runs out of water. Respiratory diseases strike like a plague; shortness of breath, wheezing, asthma. Companies get a record high MC's and the doctors themselves are sick from the air. Outdooor activities are cancelled, football fields are empty, and tourist attractions are giving amazing promotions.

201-300: Now we're really in for it. Years of abusing Mother Nature and now it's coming back to us. Chronic diseases start to develop, hospitals see a higher intake of patients. Visibility is approximately the distance between your porch and the backyard, nothing beyond. Genting loses its attraction as people are literally living in the misty highlands.

>300: We declare war on Indonesia. Schools close down, parents get even sicker due to the constant need to tend to the children. Outside the streets are empty, shops are closed. Vacations are cancelled, medical appointments made. The nation gets ready for the next catastrophe.

>500: Whee! Declaration of emergency stage. Everyone stops working and stays at home writing wills. Indonesia is bombed and ceases to exist.

Doesn't that make you consider the haze more seriously from now on? :D

Bahasa-Malaysialization of signboards

2006-10-06T00:38:00.000+08:00

I read with amusement when our Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister gave approval to Dewan Bahasa & Pustaka (DBP) "the power to advise and fine anyone not using the national language correctly on signboards". Apparently, this is to make sure that the national language is not sidelined in any way.

Rais said for a start, DBP would advise anyone found using the language wrongly.

Anyone refusing to follow an order by the DBP director-general can be fined up to RM1,000.

Rais also gave some examples of commonly used terms such as Touch ‘N’ Go and Boulevard that he would like to see changed to Bahasa Malaysia terms.

“The word for ‘Boulevard’ should rightfully be ‘Lebuh Perdana’,” he said.

Source

Wtf Lebuh Perdana? Why can't a simple english word be used? The logic is simple; le-buh-per-da-na, 5 syllables, bou-le-vard, 3 syllables, easier to pronounce and it doesn't even matter if it's pronounced correctly or not. Lebuh perdana might sound like a classy word, but I sure do think that it's a crappy translation to emulate western civilization. We might as well stick to the good 'ol "Jalan" for that matter.

If the minister gets it his way, soon you'll be seeing "Sentuh dan Jalan" signs at toll plazas all over the country instead of the familiar "Touch 'N' Go". Sounds weird? Try asking a foreigner who's having a driving trip around Malaysia, I bet he'd be lost before he even knew it.

They must be very afraid that Malaysians are going to lose their grip on BM. Very afraid. Hello? What about that learn-english-because-it's-an-international-language campaign? Sometimes government programmes get really, really ironic around here.

If this keeps up, I'm gonna cross my fingers so that this does not happen...

TMK = TEMPAT MELETAK KERETA. No parking, get it?

Fashion for an engineer

2006-10-05T00:10:00.000+08:00

Fashion has caught up so much among people nowadays that even the engineering professionals have shed their image as one of the dullest looking geeks in the workforce.

Where you would once see pyjamas and practically no make-up, now exists people who flaunt labels like Guess, DKNY, Levis et cetera and some well groomed faces. Mix-and-match seems to be the in word(s?) nowadays instead of phrases like 'cost-reduction', 'trouble-shooting' and other technical terms.

Why, even our company has come up with its own board of fashion designers. First out of their design board, a hip looking sling bag that comes in chic coloured white. While it may look somewhat oustanding, the lack of fancy designs tones down the flashy image.

Worn in the conventional way, it gives the owner freedom to move around. The lightweight material also means that it wouldn't be a burden to carry around.

Forget cowhide or alligator skin or some other material made from dead animals, anti-static synthetic material is THE most sought after material nowadays. Though lacking an adjustable strap, it is built with a mechanism that protects the owner from snatch thefts.

The sling bag is also designed to be functional and user friendly. A simple flap with a button on the front means you wouldn't have to go through the hassle of zips and multiple pockets. Capacity wise, it has enough space for you to chuck in all your tools, make-up kit, water bottle and even a packet of junkfood or two.

You can also wear it in any whacky way you like.

Simple, elegant and practical enough for everyday use. Best of it, it's FREE to all employees working in Company X.

Now do you still think engineers look like hags and trolls?

Engineer's note: In reality, the sling bag is meant as a storage device for people who frequent the production floor. Normally one would find a smock, shoe covers, miscellaneous tools and maybe a notebook inside. The anti-static material is made from the same material used to make smocks, and it prevents chips from getting fried from accumulated static charges.

The showdown: SE vs Nokia

2006-10-03T16:34:00.000+08:00

If you find any similarities between this post and this, it is purely coincidental that the same incident occured to us. So let's just leave it to destiny and marry me, FA? :D

Barely 2 months into using it and I'm starting to find some problems with my Sony Ericsson W700i. First things first, I'm still desparately praying for an evolution of sorts for my brain and fingers, just to get used to the SMS function for the phone. In simpler words, "IT TAKES MORE than the patience of a SAINT to fucking get used to it."

Another thing that sucked was the camera module. I'm perfectly satisfied with the quality of the pics that the camera taken under most circumstances. However, when you have a lightish coloured background, the flaw jumps out at you.

Picure of a perfectly white wall. Yes, it is WHITE!

Some experiment pics I took with the camera proved this. The guy at the service centre told me that I had to just accept the camera's sorry state. And no it's not a screen problem as the pics look the same when transferred to a PC. I guess it's definitely not a shit stain on the lens either cos I'm sure he'd be smart enough to check for that.

And so the days without my phone left me with limited options. I had to use the ancient Nokia 3310 that was once my prized possesion ages ago.

The showdown: Old man vs new kid on the block.

Honestly, it wasn't that bad going back to the old phone. The keypad was large enough and the SMS functions were absolutely orgasmic compared to SE phones. Of course, the 3310 didn't have a camera or walkman function or a colour screen for that matter, but it pwned SE in user friendliness. And it is one, tough, phone, period.

Will their offspring inherit a black & white camera function?

All in all, though a 3310 would be good enough, I just couldn't go without a colour screen. As the saying goes, once you go ~~black~~ colour, you never go back.

As for the Nokia, I'll keep it as a spare phone in case the SE goes nuts or something. It might even fetch a hefty price at some auction one day. In the next millenium, perhaps.

Technorati tags: sony ericsson, W700i, nokia

Update on the lack of updates

2006-10-03T12:22:00.000+08:00

My apologies for the lack of updates. Weekends are meant for relaxation at home, and Streamyx is currently down at my place. (You don't expect me to blog from work, do you? Which I am doing now.)

Just got my phone back after sending it for repairs. Apparently, all W700i models have this glitch in their camera module which results in a dark brown patch appearing at the top left corner of the screen when taking pictures. W700i users, care to confirm this for me? Try taking a picture of a piece of blank, white paper and notice the results.

It might not be a major issue but it sure has dented my faith in SE phones. I'll probably stick to a Nokia the next time I need a new phone...which will be a gazillion years from now considering my budget and expenses.

Will update once broadband is up and running at home. Meanwhile, have fun!

How intelligent are you?

2006-09-28T22:03:00.000+08:00

Today while waiting for my turn to use some equipment at the production floor, I took an IQ test for the sake of easing my boredom.

IQ, or intelligence quotient, was created as a tool for evaluating the mental maturity of children. The median value for IQ level is set at 100, with the 'normal-range' around 90 to 110. Which means, if you fall out of that range, you're either an idiot or a genius (or both, depending on circumstances). Interestingly, half of the world's population have IQ levels less than 100.

Though the results from the test may not be conclusive enough to serve as a formal reference (it is an internet quiz after all), I think all employees in my company should at least give a shot at it, just to let them know where their intelligence levels are. It could serve as a filter for potential hires. Heck, it could even be used for appraisal purposes.

Engineers with IQs of less than 80 should be fired instantly (and I know there are a bunch of them who are that intelligent). In between that and 110, perhaps leave them with some unimportant tasks and let them remain as a grade 1 engineer for the rest of their lives. Slightly higher than that? Ok maybe promoting an extra one or two low level managers wouldn't hurt the organization.

Those who are above 130...these are the people that the company should be taking care of. Shower them with lavish gifts, annual bonuses in the 6 figure range, infinite allowances for any category they can come up with, bungalows, maids, mistresses whatever's out there that the rich people are having. Now that would be what we call 'tapping into human resources'.

Plus all of this could be determined in a less than an hours time. No more annual goals and appraisals. No more office politics to see who can muscle their way to the top. No more bickering between the smart and the stupid.

Think of how much the management will profit from this. The entire company will be one big peaceful organization and prosper til time infinite.

By the way, I scored a 130 :D

Selling your soul to purchase a car

2006-09-26T21:02:00.000+08:00

My friend and colleague is planning to get a new car soon. He has a Vios in mind. Sometimes when I hear him talking on the phone about obtaining bank loans and all that financial stuff, it makes me feel envious and sad for him at the same time.

Fancy a Vios anyone? Now available at an irresistable price of selling your soul.

No doubt a car is a guy's ultimate dream toy. The average male species would tell you that if they had one wish, they'd ask for a Beamer or a Benz with sunroofs and DVD players over a hot babe with a sweet smile and sexy curves. In some cases, maintenence for a car may be even less compared to keeping a girlfriend. Having a fast car may help you hitch a girl or two, but having a wife definitely will not give you any benefit when purchasing a new automobile.

So you want a Beamer eh? Make that three souls and 10,000 karma points.

Of course, I'm a fan of cars myself, and dream of getting my own imported Japanese-branded vehicle one day. I actually owned one back in my secondary days, but how about getting one with four wheels this time instead of two? Personally, I like the Honda City with Modulo bodykit...one of the hottest cars for that price range, IMHO.

Let's be realistic and stick to something I can afford...in a couple of decades time.

But then, imported cars in Malaysia are so darned expensive. I could work my ass off repaying my car loan when my friends in the US or UK could probably buy a Mazda with cash. If you work out the maths, a RM80,000 car would set you back RM900++ a month for 7 years, given that you pay 10% of the price as downpayment.

900 freaking dollars. Some cops don't even earn that much for a living (and yet some are happily driving Camries and Accords). It really burns a gaping hole in your pocket but most guys, being guys, cannot resist the ego masturbation they get when they sit in their shiny new vehicles.

Logically thinking, I'd rather buy some property rather than pay for something that runs on four wheels. But alas living in the city means I need a car in good condition, and in a few years time, I doubt my trusty Iswara will serve me as well as it is doing now. And I really need something that does not involve any usage of the clutch whatsoever...Hey, it's the Klang Valley I'm living in.

Let's hope the company will do well and revise the annual pay increment and bonus giveout. If all goes well, and I strike the lottery or something, that City might be nearer than I think ;)

Fifth anniversary

2006-09-25T20:15:00.000+08:00

Five years ago today, on top of a misty mountain, a boy asked a girl to be his girlfriend. The boy was deeply in love with the girl, and did all he could to prepare for this moment. Alas, the girl refused, thus leaving the boy alone in the dark. Heart broken, the boy took one last look at the girl as she walked away and whispered her name softly before taking a plunge of death into the deep ravine before him.

But no worries, that's just an alternate version of history that could have happened to us. Have been watching too much of The Triangle lately and all that alternate dimension/parallel universe theory.

So this is what I made for Gurl.

If you think the drawing is childish, the colouring bland and in general, the card sucks, I would agree with you. But it's not for you, is it? So bug off, art critics.

The reality is, the girl accepted and they remain a couple to this very day.

Happy 5th anniversary, Gurl!

DIY gift card

2006-09-21T23:09:00.001+08:00

I decided to make a card for Gurl in conjunction with one of our important dates. It's been quite a while since I've done some hands-on artwork and I had to crack my head thinking of the design. Circuitry design is easy for an EE but it's a different story when it involves artistic design.

Being on a rather tight budget (I had other costs to bear in mind), I tried to keep the cost of making one under RM15. But with my art kit left at home, I had no choice but to fork out some extra money for the tools and material.

Gift cards for lazy people rule number 1: You don't have to start from scratch. There's always the option of buying a ready-made card, though you need to find a suitable one to match the theme and layout of what you're planning to do.

Got the card from Living Cabin, fancy papers from the local stationery store, which added up to RM8.80.

Fortunately I had some basic tools with me...so they don't count into the cost except the box of colour pencils which cost me RM7.50. I never knew they were so expensive cos I was previously using the set which I got during primary school!

A good start is to have a sketch of your idea. I tried to put it down on paper just to get a rough idea of how it'd turn out. After being satisfied, the real work began. I decided to use a cartoon theme this time (hence the colour pencils) to give the card a cute look.

After much, drawing, cutting, pasting and colouring (and getting my table dirty), my DIY gift card was done! Total cost: RM16.30. It took me about 2 hours from conceiving the design to actually making the card. It wasn't too fancy, definitely not one of my best but I was kind of satisfied with it.

How does it look like? I can't disclose it before it has reached the hands of the recipient....so stay tuned to find out :)

Autograph books: Hidden art

2006-09-19T19:42:00.000+08:00

I was in Muar last weekend, basically doing nothing but eating and watching some TV, all the while staying at Gurl's place.

It's not always that there's an extra guy to help around the house, so Gurl grabbed the opportunity and started the long-postponed task to clean up her bedroom. Figuring that it was my responsibility anyway, I obligingly (gladly?) chipped in my efforts to help.

A girl's room, a guy's nightmare.

While clearing up her stuff, we came across her old autograph book, dated back to her primary days at Convent Muar. Taking a break I flipped through it to see what pre-pubescent girls had in mind when they were on the verge of graduating from primary school. Well it's not that I didn't have gal friends of my own back then, just that I was from a chinese school and chinese-educated gals can be quite conservative at times.

Yay autograph book!

The moment I opened the book it had me in stitches. I recognized quite a few of the people who left their traces on the pages...Sheena, Michelle, Shi Yan, Pei Jie and Vicky to name a few. It was really funny to see what these full-grown ladies were writing 10 years ago. You could not imagine the fun I had going through all those entries, trying my best to hold back the tears (of laughter of course).

My favourite poem went like this:

[Name] went to to town,
Sitting in a taxi,
Drinking a Pepsi,
Wearing a maxy,
Amboi, so sexy!

It's amazing how 'creative' kids were then. Though not making any sense whatsoever and obviously a copy-and-paste work, they did rhyme. What the heck is a maxy anyway?

Among all the colourful, doodle-ridden entries, I did manage to find a few that were somewhat unusual. One of them went like these.

Dear [name], I have nothing to write. Just STUDY HARD. May God bless you.

Straightforward and to the point. Now that's a girl who matured at the age of 12. I wonder if she's writing summaries for news articles now.

The Bull

2006-09-18T21:05:00.000+08:00

I have an insanely annoying colleague who happens to sit near my cubicle in the office. A brief intro/rant about him, whom I shall call Bull, is here. Of all the 200 cubicles in the office, he gets the cube next to me...talk about shitty luck and bad karma.

Bull is new to the company, like me. He's had some experience in the industry, working for a number of companies before he decided he'd ruin my present company. Bull has pissed me off way many times ever since he set his stinking foot into the office. One of the very first was this.

One of the most dreaded things I dislike about him is the way he talks. Apparently the previous companies that he worked for were not very conducive toward his command of English. I can hardly comprehend what he puts out of his mouth, though the way he does it the entire office is able to hear him. As if language was not enough a problem, the guy seems to talk unintelligeble crap for most of the day, bugging the hell out of people and wasting productivity.

And that's just the start of the hate list I have for Bull.

Hell he could be a washroom cleaner and nobody would question his IQ at all, but for someone with an engineering degree it is unbelievable how dumbfucked one can get from the stupidness displayed by him. Honestly, I didn't expect an engineer to turn out like how he turned out. If my kid were to be like that I'd fucking kill myself. Actually I'd put a gun to his head before killing myself, that'd do more justice to mankind and mother earth.

Sometimes I really wonder how my boss, who has a team of great engineers, managed to be conned into hiring this little prick. Maybe he was blackmailed, threatened...who knows. But Bull definitely does not belong here in this office.

The earlier that Bull gets bored of his job and move on to another company, the happier I'd be. Meanwhile, I seriously need to consider taking up anger management classes.

A guide to expletives

2006-09-10T23:12:00.000+08:00

I'm going to shed the goody-two-shoes blog image for a while here. Kids, stay out.

Being brought up in a multi-cultural country sure has it perks. For one, our choice of vocabulary can range from our mother tongue to tons of other words from different languages and dialects.

But what's the fun in language without certain words or phrases to spice it up? Here are a few "language stimulators" from my daily dictionary that I'll be sharing with you.

Fuck - Pronounced as a short, distinct mono-syllable word, often as an exclamation. One of the most versatile swear words ever to be created. Used to express surprise or disbelief, usually in unfriendly circumstances. Also a way to express anger and hostility toward unbearable idiots or situations. Other known phrases include whatthefuck, fuckyou.

"Fuck! There's a police block up in front."

Diu - One of my early expletives picked up in primary school. Cantonese version of fuck, usage is similar to the situations described above. Often scattered in my conversations with hometown friends, and only limited to guys. Also used to express sarcasm and contempt.

"Who the hell does he think he is...diu!"

Niama - Another Cantonese classic, literally translated as 'your mother'. Usage can be quite subjective and covers a wide range of situations. Most often used when I'm extremely dissatisfied with someone, including morons behind wheels. Sometimes used with 'diu' as a prefix resulting in a longer, more insulting swear word that would piss anyone off.

"Niama...stay off the fast lane lane lah you turtle."

Mahai - Translated as 'your mother's private part' and often pronounced with emphasis on the second syllable. My personal favourite for the countless retards I encounter on the road everyday. Variations include 'machaohai'. Sometimes teamed together with previous two expressions to form...the ultimate swear phrase.

"Mahai...this fucktard just can't stop bugging me."

Cibai - Ah, a contribution from the Hokkien I believe. Personally, coming from a place where most people are Cantonese, I seldom use this expression. Being a lousy Hokkien speaker, I can only pride myself in pronouncing this word without flaw.

"Cibai kia!"

Well, isn't language a wonderful thing indeed?

So full of air

2006-09-10T22:20:00.000+08:00

I'm having a flatulence problem. This is a follow up (and a relief, I'd say) to the previous day's stomach upset which I didn't expect to be that bad at all.

Saturday was like hell. My stomach was like an overloaded washing machine, ready to churn out whatever that went in. The worst thing was, I was fucking put off by food. Appetite was at an all time low. My whole body was zapped of every ounce of energy and resulted to burning fat as a result of the tummy not getting any solid food. Carbs and protein were lacking from my diet that day and I guess my brain was running on fatty tissue alone.

And I am that lucky to get this on a Saturday. Hell why didn't it happen on a Monday, or any other weekday that I could probably skip work on medical leave? On the bright side, I experienced the comfort of home rather than being stuck in cold, lonely KL.

My hypothesis of how/why it happened? Friday night, 3 packets of Mamee (don't you love this shit, grown-ups?), a meal at home, a 500ml can of Heineken, a packet of chips dipped in absurd amounts of seasoning, a packet of chrysanthemum drink, and topped up with a packet of peanuts.

Mix and digest, and you've got yourself a perfect excuse for not doing anything. People who are on a mission to slim down, take note, though it might cause some discomfort compared to the usual (but slower) way. Oh, and you're taking it at your own risk.

Fart.

UTM 37th Convocation Part 3

2006-09-08T18:36:00.000+08:00

As I went into the queue, for the first time I observed closely how the procession on stage was to be. Walk up the stairs, step onto the dots, wait for your turn, bow and take your scroll, and finally walk down the stage along the dots. How hard could it be?

After what seemed like ages, it was finally my turn. Stepping carefully so I wouldn't trip and embarass the hell out of myself, I moved closer to the vice chancellor. Then, I could vaguely hear someone's name being called (I assumed it was mine) and I stepped forward. It's funny how all your senses are dulled during these important moments in life.

It was surreal. I didn't even look at the guy's face. After receiving my scroll, I muttered something that sounded like 'thanks' hurriedly and brought myself back to solid ground. The entire process was over in like 30 seconds.

5 years of blood, sweat and tears just for that fleeting moment. Trust me, if you really value that half a minute of fame that you're about to have when you graduate, you better stick your head into those books and never pull it out. Me, I'm just lucky I had a rather easy time at school.

I guess this must be one of the rather unusual posts about convos where tons of obligatory pics are NOT posted. Did I bore you? Like I'd care. Anyway, I'll let the photos do the talking now.

Ah, I've graduated. Finally.

UTM 37th Convocation Part 2

2006-09-07T12:21:00.000+08:00

Correction to my previous entry: And I slept like a baby...for about 5 hours. When the alarm clock went off, I could barely open my eyes. This is going to be a long day, I thought.

With all the reluctance of a toddler being coaxed away from his favourite toy, I dragged myself up and prepared for the big event. Coat, check. Tie, check. Graduation robes, check. Making sure it wasn't the wrong day, check. And it was off to UTM.

I'm seldom seen donning shirts and slacks, given that the dress code at my company is smart casual. And by that I mean the t-shirt and khakis type smart casual. As long as you don't show up with singlets and a pair of thongs, it's fine with them. So you could guess how different I looked in full formal wear.

Well, smart, of course :p

No pics to show here so work your imagination.

At 7.30am, the campus was already swarming with graduates and their family members. The main hall and waiting area was like huge gob of pollen attracting all these little bees that came in all ages.

I noticed that many of the parents were busy making their children look good. A nip here, a tuck there, did they seriously think that the son/daughter is going to look any more handsome/prettier? Bah. I did all the dressing myself.

Before going into the hall, we had to register first at some counter that was set up for that purpose. One poor girl unfortunately was barred from registering cos she couldn't understand the dress code given in the invitation letter, and wore slacks to convo. Apparently, girls wearing slacks aren't too well received in public universities. I dunno what happened to her in the end, but I hope she made it.

Cameras were not allowed, but what the heck.

After some 3 hours of waiting impatiently to receive our scrolls, it was finally announced that graduates from the Faculty of Electrical Engineering (FKE) were next. I was hyped. Though I looked cool, my fingers were fiddling the edges of my robes. So it was time.

UTM 37th Convocation Part 1

2006-09-05T21:33:00.000+08:00

Over the last weekend, three significant events occurred that made a great impact on me: the Malaysian carnival sales came to an end, I went on a road trip with my family, and it was UTM's 37th Convocation.

Usually the photo-snapping-happy me would have lots of pictures, but due to some reason I didn't have the urge to shoot away during the course of events. Maybe it was it was my big day and I was having the pre-convo jitters. Or it could be because I desperately need a new compact camera. Blame it on the ego.

Anyway, I did have a good time with my family. Trips with all family members participating are getting rarer nowadays, and even though the car was a bit heavier, it was fun.

We stayed at the Zon Regency Hotel by the sea (formerly known was Eden Garden Hotel). Why is it spelt "ZON" and not "ZONE"? If it's an effort to promote the use of the national language, it sure is a dumb move. With the dodgy and dirty streets, tourists have other things to remind them that they're not in Singapore anymore.

Initially I had the impression that it was a 5-star hotel, making it a good place to stay, albeit the longer distance to Skudai. I realized that I was dead wrong when I was greeted with this.

Snakes on a Plane? Try Cockroaches in a Hotel Room!

I could see the little ones crawling onto the bed when I was about to sleep, attempting to challenge the much-larger species for bed space. Without mercy, I did my very best to annihilate them. Damn buggers. It was like a scene from Starship Troopers.

Other than the crappy room, the hotel was ok. They have this open space where you can see the lounge and listen to the live one-man-band from the corridors, if you're too cheap to actually get a drink at the lounge.

The other consolation that we got was the duty free shoping complex that was situated right next door. It used to be quite a rundown place without many visitors, and even after the refurbishing and renaming of the place, it still seems a bit desolated during the weekends.

Got myself a pair of Hush Pups, adding to the existing two pairs that I have. All merchandise there are sold at RM10 cheaper on top of the discount, woot!

Another puppy in the family.

Beers were selling cheap but the prices for other alcoholic drinks didn't seem to be much different. I bought a bottle of Bacardi Lemon and a couple of beers, which I downed the night before my convo. And I slept like a baby.

Technorati tags: johor bahru, zon regency, utm, convocation

Merdeka

2006-08-31T17:17:00.000+08:00

I dislike price hikes and inflation. But it does mean that our country is achieving some progress (based on my basic knowledge of economics), and it's making us work harder, smarter.

I dislike fundamentalists who preach crap about religon. But still I'm able to have my own beliefs instead of being forced to follow a single faith.

I dislike the fact that imported cars cost so expensive. But we still have Proton, and Perodua to provide us with cheap transportation.

I dislike the inefficiency displayed at most government offices. But better to get it done late than not done at all.

I dislike insecurity that one feels when walking on the streets in the middle of the night. But it does build up courage and and inspires us to take up self-defence classes.

I dislike being stuck in traffic jams. But at least there are still roads for us to travel on, not some dirt track where camels and horses come and go.

Of all the things that I dislike about this place, they have their own silver linings if viewed optimistically. Not one of them can overcome the fact that this is my home after all.

It's a place that my family has called home for 3 generations. And it'll still be our home for generations to come.

Happy Merdeka, Malaysia.

This post was inspired by this entry.

Sawi and Ino

2006-08-28T21:36:00.000+08:00

Omg I can't believe I'm watching the streaming broadcast of Mawi and Ina on the internet.

And my imagination runs wild...

(Music fades in)

Oprah: And welcome back to the Oprah Winfrey show where we have Ino together with us today. Now tell us, how did it happen? How did your engagement with Sawi break off?

Ino: Actually...it wasn't our intentions to seperate. We were a happy couple together. We had so many orgies together...(voice trails off)

Oprah: You're meaning someone else made the two of you break off?

Ino: It's not good to accuse people of bad things...but yes IT WAS HIS FREAKIN AGENT that bugged the hell out of me! He wanted in...and he's gay! (Holds back tears)

Oprah: I'm so sorry. So what was it that made you speak out to the public about your relationship with Sawi?

Ino: All I wanted was the truth to be known to the public. My family's and my pride are at stake. So, I really hope the public, with their insatiable curiousity go out and buy my LATEST tell-all book entitled "One night with Sawi", at just 49.99.

Oprah: Yes talking about your book, what can readers expect from what you have written?

Ino: Well...it's about the sweet things that happened when we were together, like how he *CENSORED* and how I *CENSORED* and all the while we were *CENSORED*. It was like heaven. Speaking of which you can now purchase my LATEST CD, " 5 Minutes in Heaven". It even comes with a free MTV of me singing my heart out for Sawi.

Oprah: I see you've been busy lately after your break off with Sawi.

Ino: Not really. I've just acted in a couple of movies, shot a few ads for some cosmetics companies, appeared on live television for an interiew with Sawi (I'm sure you saw that), and posed nude for Playboy...

Oprah: Wha...

Ino: Oh and I'll be having a meet-the-fans session at Times Square at the end of the month...

* * * * * * *

No wonder celebrity couples (and the not-so-famous) are not holding back anything in private.

Technorati tags: mawi, ina, akademi fantasia, celebrity nonsense

Preparing for convo

2006-08-27T22:49:00.000+08:00

Things to do before the day:

1. Polish my shoes. Status: Done, as justified by the shoe polish mark(s) on the floor.

2. Send my suit for dry cleaning. Status: ~~Yet to be done~~ Done. Can someone please recommend a decent laundry place in Kelana Jaya where I can trust them in handling my Padini jacket?

3. Get a haircut. Status: Yet to be done. Again, I have no idea which stylist to head to without burning a gaping hole in my wallet. Getting your hair cut can be so expensive here I could probably pay for three cuts in JB for the price of one.

4. Book photo session. Status: ~~In progress~~ Done. Waiting for LS to confirm the time and date. Darn the photo shop taukes for charging an arm and a leg just for some photos. Then again, it's a once in lifetime opportunity, as they all say.

5. Get a proper shirt and tie. Status: Done. If it weren't for the stupid rules that the uni set for us (MUST be white or light-coloured shirt and dark-coloured tie), I'd be saving myself a dinner at Jogoya. Who doesn't want to look good anyway. Thank goodness for the G2000 sale.

6. Hotel reservation. Status: Done. I'm staying at the Zon Regency (formerly Eden Hotel), where the duty-free complex is situated right next to it. Which means, lots and lots of chocolate, alcohol and cigars. Oh wait, I don't smoke.

7. Pre-order flowers. Status: ~~Yet to be done~~ Done. Initially I thought of just buying from the makeshift stalls, but CY reminded that pre-ordering from the shops is better. Gurl's not much of a flower fan, so I guess if worse comes to worse, at least I won't be without a bouquet of rotting plants.

8. Plan my activities. Status: In progress. Actually all I've got in mind is to bring my family for some of the best cuisines in JB. But it seems there's a plan going on for all SEL coursemates to meet up. We'll see...

Random rant

2006-08-25T13:37:00.000+08:00

I hate people who don't really know you but go on to tell you about the minute and insignificant details (like how many time they shitted today) of their pathetic daily life.

I hate people who pester you to try out that online game (which sucks and is a total waste of time) when you're busy with your own work.

I hate people who can't speak proper english BUT go on rambling as though they know all the shit in linguistics.

I hate people who make insensitive and incoherant remarks about religion.

I hate people who have a funny laugh that sounds like a hyena while mating.

I hate people who have a funny laugh AND laugh at their own lame jokes when no one else thinks it's funny or amusing.

I hate 'em. Hate 'em all.

And it just so happens that all these annoying characteristics are integrated perfectly into one of the guys at my company.

If I ever resign within 3 months, it'll be because of the presence of these people.

Burnt!

2006-08-24T00:22:00.000+08:00

PETALING JAYA: An employee of an electronics company here had an accident in one of the laboratories today, according to the company spokesperson. Apparently, the victim, an engineer, was handling material at extremely high temperatures when the incident occured.

The victim, who shall remain anonymous to spare him the humility, was carrying out some work near an oven. In an exclusive interview, he revealed that he occasionally suffers from Blank Mind Syndrome, a common but usually non-hazardous illness among the workforce. It was during one of his fits that he accidentally touched metal that was being heated up in the oven. As a result, he suffered first and second degree burns to his thumb and index fingers.

The victim has refused to seek any medical treatment and prefers the old fashioned way of healing. He is believed to be recuperating at home in the company of his computer and pet dog. In a press statement given out by the victim's family members, they urged companies to consider the well-being of employees who are suffering from the syndrome.

"Engineers contribute their lives to the company and society. In return, they should be given better benefits and longer breaks to allow them to achieve harmonious work-life balance."

The family members will also be starting a BEDS AT WORK campaign soon to push for their cause. Their immediate aim is to replace office cubicles with comfy beds and pillows at the workplace.

At press time, the company could not be reached for further comment.

* * * * * * * * *

I have a blister the ~~size~~ shape of Sumatra forming around the tip of my index finger, making it partially incapacitated. And I can only blame myself for it. Argh!

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Talent: 44%Lifer: 46%Mandarin: 62%

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Lifer: 46%
Mandarin: 62%