Wanderings and Collisions

Tioman retreat

2009-05-12T22:06:00.003+08:00

This space is due for an update...
Nothing much happening apart from the trip to Tioman over the Labor Day weekend. Not really the most ideal place for a holiday but i needed to get out of the office and out of the city to relax and get some fresh air.

The journey started from 9pm Thursday night. KahHean was suppose to arrive at about 7pm but the whole of KL decided to be on the road that night which resulted in a parking lot the size of KL. We barely made it for our 10pm bus; and that to after parking the car somewhere and taking the LRT down town. The bus trip as bumpy and i can set my seat down; which resulted in me unable to get some decent sleep durin the 5 hour tplus journey. Arrived at Mersing at 330am. Having being in the city for most of my life, i can't accept the fact that there are no 24hour mamak and cybercafes. To add to that, i dont think i haven't been into a town so infested with Mat Rempits and CATS!!!! yes. CATS.
So we sat at the only eatery which happens to be opened at tha time till 7am after rounding the town to a motel to bunk in. I swear if I was walking there alone that time, i wont be here typing this blog.

After waiting for some 8 hours our boat finally left Mersing at around 1130am for another 2 hour journey to Tioman. This makes some 12 hours plus of traveling and waiting.

Im kinda lazy to type further so heres a summary of it.
1st day: Arrived at island and being ushered to our chalets at Paya Resort; which was appropriately named as we are nearer to a paya than to the beach. A quick lunch and we headed over to a stream which as named Rock Falls. Went for a quick dip in the cool stream water. Refreshing it was. Headed back to some beach volleyball which as one some sandy ground rather that being on the beach. A quick dip into the sea, a decent dinner and we are done for the day.

2nd day: Woke up, quick breakfast before heading out to sea for our snorkeling session. As the 1st stop was crowded, we ended up at the duty free shop where we stock up on some booze for the BBQ dinner later that day. Did i mention the booze in Tioman was almost dirt cheap? Back to the point. We stopped for the "marine park" to snorkle 1st. Yes there are quite a lot of fish to see and its a good place to go snorkle, if u enjoice being stung by jellyfish, swimming into other people and seeing nothing on the seabed but sand. The marine park failed to impress me. Next snorkle stop is at more open waters. This one place made up for the dissapointment for the 1st snorkel site. Seabed was filled with corals, lots of fish to see. That is basically the end of the day as we headed back for a good rest and fantastic ice cold beer. BBQ dinner was decent and be bunked in after taking in some booze.

3rd day: After a quick breakfast, headout to this small island which is accessible when the tide is low. Enjoyed the cool morning breeze and work ourselves over rocks to the other side of the island. As the sun got higher and getting hotter; nothing beats a nice dip into the sea. Head back to the chalet for some rest before heading out for what i think is the best ramly burger i ever had. A quick nap before 430 to catch our boat back to Mersing. Had dinner and waited till about 10pm for the bus back to KL.

Im kinda lazy to upload pictures, no thanks to the crappy internet connection these days. For those who had me in FB, just look for it.

Arsene Wenger

2009-04-24T22:10:00.001+08:00

Ok...THAT, i didn't know he can do..

Facebook?

2009-04-23T21:33:00.002+08:00

Source

Con man?

2009-04-16T22:04:00.007+08:00

Planning to quickly grab some markers, a quick bite at Endah Parade. As i parked my car, some dudes approached me say it some kind of lucky draw and asked me to try my luck. At first i rejected as the shops is like closing in 30 minutes, a group of about 4 of them came over, so quickly settle it and go. I ask is any purchase required, he said "No".
I tore the card up and it says i won a special price, then they all cheered as thou they had won. I was thinking its too good to be true. So i just played along.

Here's a summary. I stand to win either an Altis, Persona, Viva, some bike, plasma TV, laptops or trips to Turkey, Australia, Japan or Bali. That dude said to win ALL i had to is collect the prize and get a picture taken for advertising purpose in newspapers...so ok la.

Layan them abit more and the explained more about the T&C
Here's a short summary of how it went.

cm: well, you stand a chance to win all these gifts
me: good, no need to buy anything right, just help you advertise on papers right?
cm: yes, plus you will get this stuff ( microwave, home theather system, massager)
me: wow, what brand is this?
cm: its a new brand
me: ok
cm : u need to pay RM5.6k to get ur gift
me: for what, u said free?
cm: yes its free...
me: and i get the 3 stuff ( microwave...)?
cm: yes and the prize
me: but the other dude say no purchase required
cm: yea...nonit to buy anything
me: then the RM5.6k i pay for wat?
cm: to get the 3 item + your free gift
me: means im buying something to get the gift la
cm: no
me: zzz

...it went on for a while....

me: but i dont need the stuff for RM5.6k
cm: then u sell to other ppl la
me: waste my time right. the other dude say straight can get prize, juz need to help u advertise ur stuff
cm: yea...but we still need the 5.6k for u to get the prize
me: lets say i draw and get the car...then only i give u the 5.6k can?
cm: cannot
me: but the card( lucky draw card) is mine right?
cm: yes
me: can i take it back with me. i come back tomorrow, cuz i got no $ now
cm: cannot, u cannot take back
me: then how, now no $
cm: nvm i help u foot half 1st
me: *wadafak...desperate like shit*
me: you think i straight got 2.8k now?
cm: go atm press la
me: wtf
cm: can ma

me: lets say i get the Bali trip and exchange it for RM7k cash. Can i walk out now with RM1.4k after taking out the RM5.6k i suppose to pay you?
cm: no
me: whats the difference?
cm: you need to give us the RM5.6k then only we give you your RM7k.
me: ....
cm: its like that lor
me: here my num, call me bk tmr, i free i will come
cm: ok
me: kthxbai

wasted my time there and when i went to the shop i wanna go...close liao..
!@%#^&%&%€!@#!@%
Some say i should ignore at first. Well i was alone, and getting mobbed by like 3 to 4 people...it doesn't leave you with much of a choice. The upon getting the winning card, more of them start to mob me....

Maybe its for real, maybe its not. But it does sound like a scam to me. They say the represent some established company but from the company receipt or forms, it contradicts. Even everything they say contradicts...how the fuck to believe la..
Ask me advertise for you, somemore need to pay you. Where's my royalty?

They called me back this morning, i just ignored the call.. :)

Some might say im a sucker for passing up a chance to win a Altis. Maybe I am but I aint that rich to fork out 5.6k for 3 items i dont really need for that chance. Will you?

Seriously, their approach is very desperate and laughable.

Its almost the same as this

Federico Macheda

2009-04-12T00:39:00.004+08:00

Its kinda clear who is the hero around Old Trafford nowadays..

No, not him.

Federico Macheda's the name. This seemingly unknown 17 year old Italian came out nowhere and scored 2 winning goals in 2 games while being on the field for less than 40 minutes all together.

If United lifts the title at the end of the season, it will surely be down to his heroics.

And it seems he does not only scores on the field....

MG Sword Impulse

2009-04-10T10:52:00.001+08:00

Just completed this...

Was about to get started with this...

Then Bandai announce the release of this...

Curse you Bandai!!!

Pantas & Ganas 4

2009-04-05T23:39:00.002+08:00

Yes, that was the Malay translation that you will see when u visit the cinema for this movie.

Caught the 4th installment of the Fast and Furious franchise and it did not disappoint. If you enjoyed "The fast and the furious" and "2 Fast 2 Furious" you are sure enjoy this latest installment. Note that "Tokyo Drift" was not mentioned. Well it was a good movie because of the action and chicks, not forgetting the rides; but lacking the plot. All i remember was cars drifting around a parking lot and causing some property damage.

What can u ask more? Cars, action, chicks, drug lords, a good storyline, chicks ( wait did i mention that already?). Brian O' Connor with his obsession over a Skyline GTR, Dom Toretto revving about in his muscle car, Mia getting hotter compared to the previous installment.

Some did say that Tokyo Drift has more car action with more races and drifting. Fast and Furious 4, did lack some car action but it has a good plot compared to Tokyo Drift. Thou some are still insistent on which is better, the opinion is yours to keep and i say that this movie is really worth watching. I'd give it a 8.5/10.

Unpredictability

2009-04-02T11:28:00.005+08:00

Life sure is unpredictable...

But surely, football fans around, will find it hard to belief what you will see below
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Unbelievable? Believe it.

I was shocked too.

p/s: Mardona?

Earth Hour?

2009-03-28T23:16:00.002+08:00

Earth Hour is so overrated.....
at least here in Malaysia.

Good to hear some people actually took the effort to flick the switch and turn of the lights for an hour.

The Petronas Twin Towers and KL Tower had their lights turn off * thumbs up*
Don't know about the others as i was home, not driving around, burning fuel and contributing more to global warming. actually i was sick la...

I got news from a friend the PWTC ( some building in KL ) is blazing bright just to accommodate some meeting that was going on there. How are these people expect to send a message thru when everyone has their lights off and they turn on the lights of the whole building when the ones they actually need are the ones in the meeting room itself? Hypocrits. The guai lous do, we also must do to show that we are equal. But wait, let others do, while we enjoy the air-cond.

One friend suggested the electricity prices should be jack up by 3 to 4 times during the 1 hour. Confirm people will stop using electricity during that time :)

Astro should also stop transmission for that 1 hour. Since National Geographic and Discovery Channel and also several others are stopping transmission. But if that happens, i can expect some aunty here shouting, " WTF, ASTRO SEI JOR AR!!!" ( wtf, Astro died already?)

Thou earth hour is to create awareness and sending out a message, i believe we Malaysians are still not ready for it. No offence, but the mentality is still not there.

Now, after turning off the lights for an hour, we can ensure our survival for the next 34592580385 years. And now, to make up for lost time...its time to make up for lost unused PAWAH!!!!

wait I think PWTC just made it up for us...damn.

My Gunpla collection so far...

2009-03-26T22:05:00.004+08:00

I recently re-living one of my childhood desires to collect Gundam models. Mostly due to being influenced by the latest Gundam series and the availability of such models at a cheaper price compared to getting them off the shelf of some mall or departmental store.

Here are some pictures of my collection..

1/100 00 Raiser

1/100 Exia

1/100 Dynames

1/100 Kyrios

1/100 Virtue/Nadleeh

1/100 Red Frame Astray....i have not taken any pictures of this yet as it lacks some detailing, paint and coat....

And the most recently completed, just lacking some decals and coating...

1/100 MG Wing Zero Custom

Thou its fun to build these kits as it kinda takes my mind of things....this things are seriously burning a hole in my wallet... and i have some 3 or 4 in mind more to get....

Seriously...even google think so?

2009-03-24T15:53:00.003+08:00

Saw this in facebook...

obviously photoshopped

but still....

and another one....try this..

type " find chuck norris" in google search and click " i feel lucky"

and...

2009-03-21T01:55:00.001+08:00

Fast & Furious 4 is ON April 2

Earth Hour 2009

2009-03-17T14:54:00.002+08:00

Earth Hour is just another 11 days away.

Show your support by just turning off the lights for an hour on the 28th of March. Show your support towards the move against global warming and support the movement towards a better tomorrow and save the Earth and mother nature...its the only one we have and lets not ruin it further for the future generations.

Details here

p/s: i wonder if the stars will be visible during the hour of pitch darkness

1/100 MG Gundam Wing Zero

2009-03-12T23:51:00.004+08:00

This is my very first Master Grade Gundam Model and it is currently still a work in progress...
I always wanted to get this kit once it was released several years back but Gundam models are really costly back then...

I managed to get my hands on one of them now...haha. Thou i much wanted to get the Perfect Grade version but it will put me back some RM600. I'll just settle for a Master Grade Gundam Wing Zero for now...

Box art.

The runners for parts, 16 in total.

Work done so far, the upper body, without the shoulders

Dude, where are my legs?

Gonna take my time building this kit...:)

Not that quite over you..

2009-03-10T23:54:00.004+08:00

Following my previous post, its quite clear that i am not quite over my recent heartbreak.

After that particular incident, i thought that i could just let it go and move on. I try to keep my mind of that matter by occupying my time with other things, hopefully to help me get over it.

Even at work, the lost of motivation to work is quite obvious, thou I may not make it too obvious, some colleagues seem to notice it. Its not that i started doing a more crappy job, but its more on my expression of being less cheerful compared to the previous weeks.

I have not been communicating that often on messenger anymore as it kinda reminded me of certain things. Yes, i do communicate quite often on messenger prior to this. I only keep communicating via it to work colleagues and to close friends. Some have even ask me why i am quiet on messenger of late. My answer will be "..." I have nothing to say....feeling stoned.

I really thought that i am fine and will not let this heartbreak get the better of me. Whenever asked about it, i will say that i got over it and it will not affect me one bit. I can even laugh about it and not let this matter get in the way of me taking my time and have some fun... more futsal and more Left4Dead, more time for my Gundam models...

So i thought.....all it needed is one sleepless night and with nothing to do but lie on the bed, my mind starts to wander...and as it wanders, it recalls all those memory of being together with her, all the little things that attracted me in the first place. Soon, as i stay up late, alone, in front of my laptop, these thoughts of what-if, or had-it-be; starts flooding my mind and makes me feel crappy; as though somethings is missing. I still not quite over it, but i tried and i tripped right in front of the finish line. I know it should get over it, but i was too naive thinking it will just go away in a snap.

I am sick and tired of this feeling I am having right now. I just hoped some light can be shed and lead me out of my misery here.

2009-03-08T00:38:00.001+08:00

That left me all alone
But I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired
Somebody turn the lights on
Somebody tell me what's wrong
I'd be lying if I told you
Losing you was something I could handle

Trust you - Yuna Ito

2009-03-05T21:13:00.004+08:00

The current ending theme for the Gundam 00 anime. What can i say, sweet voice coupled with nice soothing music. It was the a great combination for a song. When i first heard it, i fell in love with that song..

This is of course the TV version of the song. Yes, the full version of the song has been released along with her latest album on the 4th of March.

plus the singer, Yuna Ito, looks quite hot too. :p

Men vs. Women

2009-03-05T15:12:00.005+08:00

Thanks God to our simplicity.... :D

Life's a roller coaster

2009-03-04T22:44:00.006+08:00

Its been a long while since i last updated with a much decent write up....everything else has been so random and somewhat meaningless.

Life's a roller coaster. Don't you agree?

We do come across certain ups and downs as we walk down the route of our lives. Sometimes live can be so good, you think that you are at the top of the world, and sometimes you just feel as though your live would just end.

I somewhat broke down on valentines with some unexpected outcome. As the days pass, i got over it and thought that it should not mean the end my world. It hurts at first but by taking my mind of it by doing other things, i somewhat felt better and not dwell in the matter any longer.

I started to frequent to the cyber cafes once again. I have been to cyber cafes at least once a week since that dreaded day; no thanks to Left4Dead. Although the game seem meaningless ( running around and kicking zombie's ass) and short, it was kinda addictive and its great to play some computer games with a couple of friends. Good for relieving stress. :)

I too start to go back to some of my childhood dreams of owning and building Gundam models. Yes, i have child within me to satisfy. Its was very costly back then plus not getting any income albeit some allowance from parents. Now the price has dropped and with a somewhat steady income, i can indulge my inner child to these models.

I was stunned on Monday afternoon after hearing news of the passing of my grandmother. I was devastated as it came quite sudden. I totally lost my mood to work. Fortunately there was nothing much to do, so the effects were that bad, work wise. I spent yesterday and this morning at the funeral paying my finals respects to someone dear whom i will not meet again. May she rest in peace. No, i am not feeling any better now about it and i kinda regretted not spending more time with my grandmother when she is around. These matter is a hard pill to swallow but we all know for fragile life is.

Went back to work today just before lunch time after the funeral service. As i sat down and turn my computer on, my boss invited a bunch of us for a treat at Secret Recipe. Its not a offer that we can turn down easily :D
Great lunch, went back, read some emails and i came across one that said:

"Daniel, your contract has ended."

WTFOMG!!

I did mention to my boss earlier and i immediately got him to start a discussion. After a somewhat long talk, making known what i want to achieve in HP and him letting me know his expectations, good news came. He has planned to extend my contract but just needed time to discuss certain details with me. So i got a contract extension and further chance to advance in my knowledge and career.

Just came back from futsal. Bad game, I did not score any goals.... Was damn tired and almost do not have any motivation to play after what happened the last few days. Nonetheless, it was good exercise and i am damn tired now. My legs hurt. Gonna hit the sack now.

In the end, to sum it all up. There is never really ups or downs in our lives. With exception to certain matters. It still boils down to how we look at things. Its never good to be too optimistic or overly pessimist. We need to look at the greener side of lives to really enjoy it to the fullest. So what if i have a crappy spell. Try being an optimistic pessimist. That being said, it basically means try to look a the brighter side of even the worse of situations, i prefer if that way. That way you won't be overly crushed over your failed high expectations but tend look at the brighter side of things. Life will be uninteresting, it everything goes your way. Its kinda like a coin. Whenever you're experiencing something bad, just a flip ( through some decisions and actions) you might see the brighter side of things :)

Gonna sleep now. Ciao

The Mom Song

2009-02-17T09:56:00.001+08:00

TSC shared me this one find day...

If Vader drives.....

2009-02-16T13:45:00.003+08:00

If Darth Vader drives a sports car....

A Storm Tropper will be following close behind..

In case the sports car broke down...

Source : paultan

Solving the rubik's cube

2009-02-13T14:47:00.004+08:00

I bet most of you have seen this, and some of you might even own one. And to those people, i bet most of you are able to solve it as well.

Once, i am unable to solve this classic puzzle, not to mention not being able to even get 1 side with the same color. I gave up on it. I started again after i saw it on market the other day, so i thought, why not? I just grab it for RM6, scrambled it up and got to it again

Now, its not a matter whether i can solve it or not, its the matter of how fast i can solve it. No matter how scrambled it is, i can get the colors on all 6 sides; depending of course the pieces were not taken out and scrambled.

I think its kinda like everything we go through everyday. Life can be simple; like an unscrambled cube. But with some twist and turn, everything can turn messy, mixed up and disoriented. However with some simple, measured moves, a few right turns ( or left) everything can be organized and neat again.

In short, no matter how messed up your life is, how down you are feeling at the very moment, things will turn out to be better, if the right decisions are made. Nothing is served on a silver platter or laid on roses for us ( unless you are freaking rich), we must make our own strides to make our lives less complicated.

25 Random things

2009-02-12T14:35:00.003+08:00

A friend asked me to write this. I resisted at first but eventually gave in. Again to take my mind of somethings. So here goes..

1. I once touched a kerosene lamp and left my finger there before realizing its freaking hot and it hurts.

2. Some call me Daniel, while some call me YewGinn and even some once called me telur -_- (all because i ordered nasi lemak + telur rebus)

3. I enjoy all kinds of music, depending on my mood and whatever that comes up on my play list.

4. I would say i know how to play the Clarinet and the Saxophone, but its been at least 5 years since I last touched them.

5. I tried to learn how to play the guitar but lacked the discipline.

6. I have an aquarium which i have been maintaining since I was 16. Now with some income, i could do more with it.

7. I have an extra bone sticking out at my right shin. It does not hurt and i did not realize it until i did an x-ray of my right leg

8. Speaking of right legs, i once damaged some ligaments at my right ankle from a basketball game which led to me requiring the x-ray

9. I enjoy eating but never enjoyed onions, cheese and durians.

10. I like playing football/futsal , badminton and i enjoy swimming. But never really a good at them; thou I am not that worse off.

11. I like to draw and i regretted not pursuing a career in designing.

12. I used to drive a 1985 Nissan Sunny and planned to overhaul it, until it got stolen. I am now driving a Honda City.

13. I am a supporter of Arsenal FC, since the day I saw them beat MU 3-0. That was like 10 years ago. The other reason is because i enjoyed watching Dennis Bergkamp playing football.

14. I plan to visit the Emirates Stadium one day before i die.

15. I don't really enjoy reading. When reading the papers the 1st thing i'll read its the sports section, followed by the comics section then only i will look for something to read from the news section.

16. I can't tell left from right when i was younger. My guide will be the birth mark i got at my left finger.

17. A friend has been trying to sell me his bike and i admit that i am a bit tempted to got mountain biking one day. But its damn expensive.

18. I always munch all of the ice cubes in my drink after i finish my drink.

19. I did ponder about going into photography but all i can afford now is a digital camera, not a D-SLR.

20. I like to travel but often lack the funds or a travel companion.

21. I think winning in gambling is very contagious. The thrill keeps bringing you back and you won't even feel a thing when you lose...

22. I joined Fitness First in an attempt to lose some weight. And after awhile i think i look better than before but my weight does not seem to change. Wasted?

23. I climbed Bukit Tabur once after hearing so much about it. Now i want to try rock climbing, play paintball, white water raft and bungee jump.

24. I hate roller coaster rides and anything that goes slow, then fast ,then slow again and then fast...... But i like driving fast...

25. I felt as thou i have wasted some 30 minutes of my life writing this.

For what's its worth

2009-02-12T14:20:00.002+08:00

I just spent a considerable amount of money on something that i may not see or get anything in return....

Crazy?
.
Perhaps....

I am just now waiting and see how it goes..

On? or Bye?

Music in our lives

2009-02-09T14:36:00.002+08:00

1. Put your iPod, mp3, or media player on shuffle

2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer
3. You must write down the name of the song, no matter how silly it sounds!
4. Tag 10 of your friends to do the same!
P.S. No cheating!!

==========================

==================

1.How Many Of These Have I Done?
Next Go Round - Nickelback

2.If someone says "Is this okay?" you say?
Melodies Of Life - Emiko Shiratori

3.How would you describe yourself?
No More Sorrow - Linkin Park

4.What do you like in a guy/girl?
Wishmaster - Nightwish

5.How do you feel today?
Disloyal Order of Water Buffaloes - Fall Out Boy

6.What is your life's purpose?
Don't Cha - Pussycat Dolls

7.What is your motto?
A to Z - ZZ

8.What do your friends think of you?
Cadence Of Her Last Breathe - Nightwish

9.What do you think of your parents?
Nothing's Gonna Change My Love - Glen Medeiros

10.What do you think about very often?
I See Dead People On Boats - Hans Zimmer

11.What do you think of your best friend?
Done With You - Papa Roach

12.What do you think of the person you like?
Mercy Mercy - Cannon Adderly

13.What is your life story?
Canon - O2Jam Mix

14.What do you want to be when you grow up?
Walk Away - Good Charlotte

15.What do you think of when you see the person you like?
Tied Together With A Smile - Taylor Swift

16.What will you dance to at your wedding?
Wake Up Call - Maroon 5

17.What will they play at your funeral?
End Of The World - Armor For Sleep

18.What is your hobby/interest?
Best Friend - Yukari Fukui

19.What is your biggest fear?
Portrait Of A Summer Thief - Sounds Under Radio

20.What is your biggest secret?
Say Goodbye - Theory Of A Deadman

21.What do you think of your friends?
Tailor made - Colbie Caillat

22.What will you post this as?
And We Say Farewell - Dividing The Line

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Its suppose to be a tag...so whoever who wants to do it..just do it..

Yes, I'm bored

Arshavin joins Arsenal

2009-02-04T00:57:00.004+08:00

At long last, the deal went through. Really hoped it proved to be a great signing and a boost to Arsenal's attacking options. With Fabregas, Eduardo, Walcott and Rosicky coming back from injury, options up front look good. Now, to just work on the defense.

Pic from arsenal.com

How to kick ass in football

2009-02-03T15:15:00.002+08:00

And he did not get a red card....how great is that?

Underworld 3: Rise Of The Lycans

2009-01-30T18:36:00.002+08:00

Just watched this latest installment of the Underworld movies and it did not disappoint. Its been awhile since the release of the first 2 installments and i can really recall what happened then. Nevertheless this movie here did not disappoint with its fair share of bloodshed, drama, action, and of course a very interesting plot.

Potential Spoilers ahead....

The story basically revolves around the vampire race who ruled over the humans and the lycans ( werewolves ) due to their superiority in strength and their ability for immortal live.

That was until a lycan which took a human form (Lucian) was born and the leader of the Vampires, Victor chose not to kill him but to raise him as his son, but still holds the stature of the mere slave. Lucian then fell in love with Sonja; Victor's daughter; which lead to Lucian fleeing with a group of lycans who were held captive as well.

While outside, he gathered an army of lycans to bring down the Vampires and rescue Sonja; who was imprisoned as her treachary was revealed. It was to no avail as the Lucian was captured in the rescue mission and Sonja was killed for treason. The whole army of Lycans then attacked the Vampires obliterating them in the process, albeit 2 survivors, Tanis who the rescued Victor who was supposedly killed of the Lucian.

Here are some points i picked up..

The child of Sonja and Lucian is supposed to bring the clans together but it is considered as treachary.

Human slaves are captured and are bitten by lycans, turning them into lycans.

Lycans held behind the castle wall seem to have a human mind and serve the vampires as slaves, while the lycans outside a wild mindless beast.

When the vampire bites, he/she can view the memories of their victims.

Vampires are relatively weak as all the poccess is super strenght and the memory stealing bite. They burn when exposed to sunshine.

Lycans can transform from human to wolf, have super strenght, regenerative powers, and a killing animal's instinct. So they can fight as warriors or as a beast, at will.

The ending of the movie depicts the victory of the lycans and brings us back to the future with Kate Beckinsale as the slayer. Long story short, for those who may not have realised it, the Rise of The Lycans is the prequel to the first 2 underworld series.

For this movie, its definitely a 9/10 for me. Great movie!!

For(N)Ever

2009-01-29T23:11:00.003+08:00

Yes....its Hoobastank's latest album release...
Went throught some of it songs and its quite decent.

I particular like this song, So Close ,So Far.

I wake up all alone, somewhere unfamiliar.
Been gone so many days, I’m losing count.
When I think of home, I see your face.
I know I have to wait…

(Chorus)
So close, yet so far
It’s tearing me apart
What I would do to be there with you
So close yet so far
It’s tearing me apart
What I would do to be back with you

I miss hearing your laughter
And all the little things
Forgotten what it’s like to hold you
Cause where I am right now so unforgiving
It’s numbing everything

So close, yet so far
It’s tearing me apart
What I would do to be there with you
So close yet so far
It’s tearing me apart
What I would do to be back with you

So promise
No matter how long it takes for me to get back to you
You’ll wait for me.

I Promise
No matter how far away I go I’ll come back for you
Just wait and see

I miss being at home
I miss your face
Don’t think I can wait...

We’re So close, yet so far
It’s tearing me apart
What I would do to be there with you
So close yet so far
It’s tearing me apart
What I would do to be back with you

I promise,
It’s tearing me apart
No matter how far away I go I’ll come back for you
I promise
Its tearing me apart
What I would do-
What I would do-
What I would do to be there with you

The lyrics are pretty good, citing something being so close, but yet so far. Exactly how i am feeling now..

damn...

Scaling Mount Bukit Tabur - 24/1

2009-01-26T15:47:00.005+08:00

24th January 2009 would a first for me. I woke up before 7 for the very first time after a long long while, to climb a hill.....i don't even wake up that early for work ok?

We, myself, KahHean, Mei Ai, Mei Sheen, Lydia, William, Kevin and Andrew , planned to meet at Kevin's place at 7am before we start our climb but yours truly woke up at 6:55am. So, after a quick wash and fast drive, i arrived there at 7:20am.

This would be my first time climbing that hill after hearing so much about it, even new a bout where people get seriously injured and even died(?) during their expedition. Shit...
The thought, " why am i here when i should be sleeping at home" keep running through my head as we walked from Kevin's place to the starting point of the climb.

Bukit Tabur is actually located near the Klang Gates or in Taman Melawati, nearby Wangsa Maju. One can see the hill from Wangsa Maju; just look towards the hill area and you will spot a quartz hill. Thats it. From the top one, can enjoy the view of the lake behind and the view of the city in the other direction. Its up to you to judge which has the better view, the misty lake view or the hazy smoky city view.

We stumble upon this huge ass spider hanging over its web at a power cable. It was the biggest spider i have ever seen in my life so far apart from a Tarantula.

Everyone is energetic before the decent, despite some very sleepy expressions.

Some of the flora stumbled along the way. Don't know the name exactly, just for photo taking sake. After a short tiring uphill climb, we reached our first pit stop to take a short breather and got a glimpse of the lake over the hill.

A short break and a quick drink we continued further up where we got a better view of the lake which is by the way, man made due the the construction of a dam nearby.

The sun is up but the mist around the area plus the occasional cool blowing breeze was so refreshing it motivates and gives us strength to continue the climb. Soon, the sun began to peek over a higher mountain. The rays are now shining down on use and the only cover we had was the shades of the lush greenery there which will be quite lacking as we proceed higher...

Some decided to go ahead faster....

Further up, finally managed to see that dam which created the above scenery

Then, 2 fellas chose to pop up while i was taking the picture of something else.

As we went on, a came across huge rocks where we need to scale upwards, sideways and absail downwards. Pretty much like rock climbing but without the ropes and harness but i think it is much simpler compared to rock climbing.

Thats where we need to scale downwards alongside a rock with a rope; which was there anyway; to get on our way.

Kevin and myself made it pass first and we had to wait for the rest as the make their way across. William was always at the back as we made our way pass the obstacles and he was the one who always felt abandoned....haha

Met some French who were also making their way along the trail but in the opposite direction. So while we wait, we managed to rest and capture some of the surroundings.

And Genting Highlands

Stumbled across no wild animals apart from 2 dogs which i think have been there all the while, some insects, swifts and numerous floras and...

A lost schoolboy..

lol

Happy Chinese New Year

2009-01-25T17:04:00.004+08:00

Its the eve of the Lunar New Year and the hype of this festivity is already pretty obvious as new year decorations and celebrations can be seen in malls or anywhere as a matter of fact since the past few weeks.
Malls are pretty packed yesterday as many were doing their last minute shopping and the highways are more jammed than usual as many were heading back to their respective hometowns for the reunion dinner and new year celebrations.
Despite all the usual norms of the celebrations, I am looking forward to the long week off from work :D

I wonder if Uncle Lim's son is generous with the AngPaos this year around...

So keeping it short...

Happy New Year
Here's wishing all a Prosperous New Year

What? Its my year already?

Punisher: War Zone

2009-01-23T23:28:00.003+08:00

Frank Castle for more fondly known as the Punisher is back to kick some butt. Thou after kicking some hundreds of criminal's butt, i think it has become his specialty to kick all wrong-doers butt.

BEWARE , better cover your butts!!!

From the synopsis, it seems this installment of the Punisher, since 2004, will be about revenge, thus the line " Ultimate Revenge, Ultimate Punishment".

The enemy now, Jigsaw, whom Punisher left disfigured from their first bout. Driven by vengeance, he now seek revenge towards to Punisher who will hand him the ultimate punishment,

A HUGE CAN OF WHOOP-ASS!!!!

Staring Ray Stevenson ( Punisher) and Dominic West ( Jigsaw)

p/s: does he call himself jigsaw because his face looks like a jig saw puzzle?
p/s: can i get the freebies :)

Colors in our life.

2009-01-21T20:58:00.003+08:00

Life should be colorful. It should be vibrant and cheerful.
As of now, mine is tainted with the dull colors of white and black.

No, i am not as happy as some of my friends see me to be. Everything seems dull to me. I feel demotivated.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Till i had M&Ms.

Their colorful appearance kinda reminded me that life should be colorful and cheerful. We should live life as it comes. Being cheerful is great as it takes a whole lot of weight off. Well, that cheered me up a bit. Guess i gotta chill and not be to paranoid.

I enjoy M&Ms just like i enjoy your company.

CNY closing lunch

2009-01-21T19:56:00.009+08:00

Alright, the last post was kinda off. I'm just trying to let out as much as i can and this seems to be a great outlet. However I'm still feeling bummed and still very much demotivated to do anything.

On a more cheerful note, as the Lunar Year of the Ox draws near, its almost customary for companies to organize a get together meal, be it for lunch or dinner before we all take off for the Chinese New Year break. We had one today at Loong Foong Restaurant in Paramount. There was a big group of us who joined this gathering, occupying 5 tables.

One dish that is a must-have during the Chinese New Year period is definitely the Yee Sang. Most may know what is in it but its basically a toss-up of chili, ginger, jellyfish, onions, parsley, shredded turnips and carrots, some fried flour, crackers, plum sauce and raw fish marinated with lime, cinnamon and pepper.

Upon lying all the ingredients down, we proceed to toss it about. The belief is that the higher you toss, the better your luck. And from a neatly presented dish, it will become like this...

After that is done, on come the dishes. First came the shark fins soup which was a bit too salty but tasted superb nonetheless.

Next up is one of the restaurant's signature dish. Obviously one of theirs would be their roast ducks but its unavailable in the afternoon. So we had to make do with this.

Its basically a seafood mix which consist of abalone, scallops, fish maw along with some shitake mushrooms and lettuce in thick starchy gravy; served in a pumpkin. From what i had before, a big helping can go up to RM70.

This half eaten dish is the steamed Patin fish teow chew style. I was digging into the pumpkin dish that i forgotten to take an untouched picture of the fish. Its steamed with ginger, salted vegetables and some beancurd.

Up came the fried rice which went superbly with the gravy from the pumpkin dish.

The prawns are next. These prawns are de-shelled and was fried to perfection. So crispy that the little bit of shell left at its tail can be eaten along with the meat. The sauce was a little spicy along with a hint of sourness. Arguably the 2nd best dish after the pumpkin one.

Then came the stir-fried pak-choy with century eggs and fried beancurd topped with minced meat. No pictures here as i went to top up the parking meter and as i returned, its all gone but the little bit helping that was on my plate. Briefly, the pak-choy was so soft that its so easy to chew it and the sauce that came with it was superb. Nothing too spectacular with the beancurd.

On came the deserts with jelly stuffed with red bean paste and iced sea coconut juice with longans. Just what you need on a hot afternoon, a cold drink,

After all the meals, the boss when around for a toast with all the employees, wishing for a great year ahead. Positive thinking despite the bad year that most people expect this year.

Happy Chinese New Year to all reading this space. Hope the year of the Ox brings much prosperity and fortune instead of a whole lot of Bull.

Yuuuuuuuummmmmmmmmmmmm.....seng!!!!

Unspoken emotions

2009-01-20T23:36:00.003+08:00

There are just somethings that i find hard to express or even show it out to its intended audience. There is this fear or i would say, uncertainty of the consequence of the action.
There are also some lingering fear of knowing the end results of the action, should it not happen the way i wanted it to be.

I want to show how i felt about you. I want to show my feelings. I did
But I fear that you do not see those signs that i show.
I am sincere in my actions thou it takes my time or affect me in some other way, thou i fear you might take it for granted. I gave you my time, i put effort into it but the fruit does not show any signs of bearing just yet.

I may not be the most talkative person and i may not express myself the way you see proper, well I'm just being myself instead of being someone else just to try to show off to you.

I tried telling and showing you how i felt but you just turned away and tried to change the subject. When I tried again, the words don't seem to form. I have in my mind what I want to say but the words don't seem to get out of my head. Its like speaking without a voice.

Some say, i should bite the bullet and let it out. While some others say its up to me to make a dream into a reality. Some say just spill it out instead of just living a dream. While others say you wont get if you don't ask and you may get if you ask.

Life is all about taking risks. I have decided to take the plunge, if only I can see you again before you leave. I wouldn't say time is running out as we are still considerably young but I do not wish to delay this any longer. Its affecting me mentally and emotionally.

World of Warcraft bug

2009-01-20T11:53:00.004+08:00

Came across this post in some W.O.W forums and i quote

"Ok im new to hotkeying so im most likely doing something wrong.

I can hotkey alt to anything but the function keys. I can do alt+f1, f2, f3 but when i get to f4 it crashes my game EVERY TIME! Its annoying because I have to reset all my hotkeys cuz a game crash doesnt save them. Please fix soon!"

EPIC!!!!

Shared by Kazuki

Blogs with embedded songs

2009-01-18T23:32:00.005+08:00

I HATE blogs with embedded songs.

It interrupts the songs that i have playing in my own playlist

I know its ok to share the music you enjoy, but please. Not everyone out there likes euro thrash music....

"Its best bro. Its the best in Europe bro. Its best." - Russell Peters

NOT!!!

Screw you people who embed songs in your blogs

Just my 2 cents..Well, that's all i have.

This is not charity!!

I got a free iPod Nano....

2009-01-17T22:02:00.005+08:00

There was some mobile road show going on in HP offering some corporate offers to HP employees. I decided to take this opportunity to finally convert my prepaid line to a post paid line. I took time off from slaving at my cubicle...

and proceed down to the lobby to check things out and register myself a post paid line. In the process i did get some freebies from Maxis upon registering for the post paid plan.

I got a LG phone which i don't think i will use instead of the K810i which i am currently using now

A football player figurine

A Barclay's Premier Leagues 08/09 season diary. This diary actually starts from August 08' till May 09'. Whatever happened to June and July?

A wrist band cum 2Gb pendrive

I also applied for 2 additional supplementary lines and got this as a freebie

Yes. It is an iPod Nano. I always wanted to own an iPod. Although i much prefer the 120gb iPod classic, whos complaining if its given to you for free.

See it is an iPod....
But, as all good things go, there is always a catch. They only give out the silver colored one and it has only a 4Gb capacity. The ones in the market are available at 8GB and 16GB. However the worst downside of free stuff is....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

WTF?

i was hit!!

2009-01-17T21:36:00.004+08:00

It was a regular Friday morning when i was heading to work. Was stuck in a jam, listening to Hitz.fm as i made my way to the office. Then...BANG!!

I was then shocked...thinking, "not again.."
But it was, my car has been hit from the back for the fourth time since i got my car, and this after i got my bumper fixed from the previous mishaps and my car polished. This time i was worse. Not only the bumper came off, but the clips that hold it up was slightly damaged, there was scratches all over the bumper, some paint came off, my right side reverse sensor damaged and the there was a dent at the booth cover.

The guy who hit me was driving a Kancil and some how or rather, it was settled on the spot without much hassle. A quick call back to office saying i might be late or may take a day off, then i head over to the workshop for repairs. It was quick and the damaged was fixed. Thou it does not look the same anymore...sigh. Fortunately the damage was not that major that i will be deprived of use of the car for a few days for the repairs.

Thanks to KahHean who happened to be on-leave and came out of his way to get me out of the garage to hang out somewhere else. Else, i will for sure rot to death at the workshop. So yes, i ended up taking a leave for the repairs and head down to Pavillion to hang out.

My new aquarium set up is finally done, albeit some other additions that i may add when i got the extra funds. This new tank has already put me back some 600MYR this month already.
Things left to get over time....

Another flourescent light case
A CO2 kit ( CO2 tank, valve, bubble counter)

This is what the tank looks like now

This 2 discus are my breeding pair..thou their first batch failed

Some of the tetras i house in my tank

The discus that i house

From the top

Overview

How i felt...

2009-01-12T21:55:00.003+08:00

I tried to read between the lines
I tried to look in your eyes
I want a simple explanation; what Im feeling inside
I gotta find a way out
Maybe there's a way out

Your voice was the soundtrack of my summer
Do you know you're unlike any other?
You'll always be my thunder, and I said
Your eyes are the brightest of all the colors
I don't wanna ever love another
You'll always be my thunder
So bring on the rain
And bring on the thunder

picked from Boys Like Girls - Thunder

Fridays in the office

2009-01-09T16:27:00.002+08:00

Its friday, its 4:27pm as i type this.

I'm just counting the minutes till the time comes for me to go home.....

Things has been slow today and yes, im bored. That is why I'm writing this, hopefully to kill some time.

Went out for lunch with some colleagues earlier. Alwyn, Alex and Nicholas to be exact. Was suppose to go to this place at Seapark for those sinfully delicious Char Siew. On the way there, the car air-cond failed ( not my car) a nd we had to send it for repairs. It was so hot that even the spinning fan at the garage felt like air conditioning.

So, Char Siew scrapped as we sent the car to a garage for repairs or parts replacement at Paramount. Nearby there was a restaurant which sells seafood and fried noodles. I'm sure some have heard of the place Restaurant Loong Foong. Yes, the very one which sell those superb roast ducks for dinner. Too bad none were available for lunch. No pictures as the food was grabbed before any photos can be taken.

We ordered kwong-fu ying yong, fried rice and braised pork ribs yeee mee. The first 2 orders were so-so. Nothing spectacular. The braised pork ribs yee mee as the killer. The meat was tender and the noodles were cooked that the taste literally exploded into the mouth as you bite it. We were able to get 2nd helpings with the 1st two dishes but the yee mee was done for in one round. We even use the left over gravy to go with the fried rice....will surely be there for another round of it.

The damages was about RM44 for 3 dishes with serves 3 each and 8 glasses of chinese tea. Thanks to Nicholas who belanja-ed us lunch. If we knew, we would have ordered crab and prawns and.....

So missing those Char Siew weren't all that bad after all. Air-cond fixing damages, RM135...not mine thou...

GOing for some Thai food later at Basil's at Bangsar Village. said to be good and expensive. Only 1 way to find out..

When everything does not go your way..

2009-01-09T15:17:00.003+08:00

and all you can hope is that it will end soon, someway or rather....
.
.
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.
.
no. i'm not in that position. at least not yet

How to cope with stress at work?

2009-01-08T15:38:00.003+08:00

Like all working class people, either if you are working for yourself or for someone else, stress is bound to creep in. Stress is not good, it ruins your appetite, health, emotion and affects the manner how you handle things.

Heres a couple of ways i think might help one cope with stress, or at least reduce it.

If you have a smoking buddy, smoke! ( not a really health option thou)
get up, walk about a little. to the pantry to get some drinks or to the wash room to freshen up
stretch a little, be it your arms or legs
drink some water
talk to some of your colleagues to get your mind off things
if internet connection is available surf the net a little to get your mind off things
if you have a bubble wrap, play with it.
if you have a stress ball, squeeze it
or you can do this....

or this...

Hope this helps you relax...

How to drive....

2009-01-07T14:34:00.002+08:00

Funny shit!!

On another note, the 3rd installment of the Underworld,
The Rise of the Lycans starts Jan 09

Great!! another good movie to look forward to after being utterly disappointed with Spirit.
The new femme fatale ( the actress anyway) is gonna kick some lycan's ass!!!
Hopefully getting free tickets from Nuffnang to catch this movie :)

Crude oil prices and some other ramblings

2009-01-06T23:18:00.008+08:00

Notice the widget by the right side? The one that states Crude Oil Prices?
Good. Finally got your attention there.

From observation since i added that widget, the price has been....increasing.
Slowly in small amounts but nonetheless steadily. Is a a good sign or not? The supposed price review every two weeks has not come yet but we should expect a review later this week if not next.

6 days into the new year and i have been experiencing some shitty experience already. My bathroom drainage is clogged. Got a plumber, checked and found out that the u-pipe ( don't know what is it actually called) is clean and the main drainage pipe in the 3rd floor ( im at the top floor) is packed and filled with water. Which means, something is blocking the flow of water to the 2nd floor.

They were bitching about a clogged drainage, blaming it was our fault as we were doing some renovations and painting. Drainage at our place was sealed off during work and paint does not harden in flowing water you fucks. Even the plumber mentioned that a clogged drainage at thier house was reported at 10am. We only started painting at 3pm. So you mean to say the water we used to wash our hands off the paint traveled back some 5 hours? Those fuckers blamed us without a single trace of evidence or proof and demanded compensation. The mentioned the paint harden and blocked the drainage. Fine show me the piece of 'paint' that you claimed blocked the drainage. We poured water stained with some paint...not paint. Your fucked kid must have threw something in the drain but did not tell you.

A simple and illustration below.

Engage maintenance people to investigate and hopefully they can act fast.
Here's some logic about this problem here, which i feel our 2nd floor neighbors lack knowledge of.

If in the very case, they seal off the drainage of the main pipe to prevent water from flowing into their drainage, what happens to the ones living above you? Water fills up an area and with no more area to fill, it will find an outlet. We all know water flows DOWNWARDS and in a VERTICAL pipe, the only possibility of something to stay there and clog up the pipe is a the bottom floor. If it is clogged the 2nd floor would be the one flooded. Since is it not, that means there is a blockage between the 2nd and 3rd floor. 3rd floor is out of the question as their drainage there is sealed.
Water cannot get to the 2nd floor, 3rd floor's drainage is sealed, so next escape point is my bathroom
The only place for debris that goes through the drainage and get trapped there is in the u-pipe. Gravity pulls objects downwards, duh. Perhaps those people down there are too stuck up to even notice that.

If it is proven that there is seal in the drainage between the 2nd and 3rd floor. I am make sure those fuckers and the plumber, who i think is their neighbor are getting sued their asses off. So they think they are so high and mighty that they can seal off other people's drainage. Their neighbor is also so fucked up they are such busybodies and start making assumptions without any grounds or proof. When asked to elaborate a simple answer like " stuff like that happens" suffice and they think it has been explained...

Just a rant to let off some steam. I now have no bathroom to bathe in and have to bath in the toilet.

Buckle up

2009-01-02T10:47:00.006+08:00

As off 1/1/2009 it is made compulsary for rear seat passenger to buckle up their safety belts. This move is made to ensure the safety of all passengers traveling in the car as even when the car hits at 50km/h, the recoil is of the back passenger hitting the driver while the air bag is deployed is enough to kill. Good move indeed.

But, this ruling only applies to the 3rd back seat passenger in a sedan? How about cars where they sit 4 or more passengers at the back? Are their life insignificant? I've seen families of 6 or more sitting in a Kancil. How did they do it?

So this ruling only applies up the the 3rd rear seat passenger. Did they not think this over? Are they encouraging drivers to drive more people and overloading their cars? Some might say, get a MPV or another car. Easier said than done around here dont you think? MPVs are costly around here and most big families here are either from the lower up to some middle class families, agreed? Do you think they can easily afford another car, let alone a MPV.

Apparently this ruling also only applies to cars registered after 1995. So drivers and passengers of older cars are insignificant? Among the excuse given is that old cars does not have the bracket or slot to install safety belts. If you want to enforce such a law, none should be exempted. Have they ever heard of the term "retro-fitting"?

How about buses? Don't they need to install safety belts in every seat and don't allow any standing passengers? This ruling should also apply to buses as we all know, they aren't the safest drivers around. Taxis too are exempted from this ruling if I am not mistaken. How can they enforce such a ruling with so much exemptions?

The fine for this offence is RM300 and it is paid by the driver. After July 2009, the fine will be at RM2000 or 1 year's term in jail or both. An RM2000 fine is just absurd. Not many people even make that amount in a month. Once caught, they (and their family) will have to starve for a month. Jail for not buckling up? Jailing is for criminals not traffic offenders. Picture this conversation.

Criminal A : What are you in for?
Criminal B: Murder. You?
Criminal A: Not wearing a safety belt.

Ridicuolos right? We all know that some personnels would just make up all sorts of reasons or excuses just to get some cash of 'traffic offenders". You can even get fined for not commiting an offence. I just saw a police car yesterday where policemen in the back seat DID NOT buckle up. Are they exempted?

So just buckle up and not contribute more income to those people. Its for your own safety anyway.

One would wonder if this is a move to promote the upcoming Proton MPV to large families. One would also wonder if the Datuks or Big shots sitting in the back seats of their limos will buckle up? Or are they exempted as well?

Here, everything also BOLEH!!!

Happy 2009

2009-01-01T01:42:00.007+08:00

The clock struck 12 and its 2009....already?
Shit...2008 felt as thought it just flew by....and its 2009...so, whats new?
I can't believe is spent the 1st 30 minutes of 2009 watching 'the Nanny' at a friends place...

Was there earlier for BBQ and as there are not firework displays viewable nearby, we decided to tune into the TV for a firework display. Midnight came, bye 2008, hi 2009, a toast and the fireworks went off from a live telecast from Dataran Merdeka. Not impressive at all and was totally turned off by the lame-if-you-can-consider-it-a-song song.

The BBQ was great. The lamb and chicken wings and cubes were marinated to perfection. Tasted great especially the last bits as they were soaked in the marinate longer. A killer salad as well as a potato salad. Also in the picture were off the shelf sausages and burger patties. No alcohol as most were none drinkers but we did had wine which was good.

about 2008. i had a not bad year. i got a job in a quite established company and i have no complains about the work there.
Got a new car...

A new phone...

A new camera..

A PSP...

A new racquet and new shoes...

I went to Chiang Mai

Went to Penang.

Went to Malacca.

Went to see Daughtry live in Malaysia

I too managed to tone down a bit...just a bit thou...

But there is just one thing that i have not done yet and i'm afraid i have to move it to my 2009 resolution list or my to-do-list for the year..

Some interesting stuff happened the past year too...
Spain winning Euro2008

MU winning the Champions League.

The Beijing Olympics

Usain Bolt did a 100meters in less than 10 seconds.

Fuel prices rose to freaking RM2.70 per litre before dropping to the current price of RM1.80/l...whee

My to-do list for 2009...

Get a promotion or a pay rise.
Be more hardworking.
Get a girlfriend :)
Travel to more places; hopefully Bali
Get a PS3 if its modded.
Watch my eating habits
Save more cash
ICE my car
Try to update the blog more often
Get more people to visit here

Thats it for now i guess. BBQ pictures once i got them...

It is here....

2008-12-16T13:35:00.003+08:00

The much anticipated sedan has finally arrived at our shores and is due for a launching on the 18th this month.
Yes, the Honda City; the one with the new sleek design which pictures has been traveling across the internet. Pictures are from paultan.org

This batch of City's are seen on our highways probably traveling to a Honda showroom near you. Only the black and blue one was seen. It seems the black one is the more expensive spec compared to the blue one. Expect a silver one but the red one looks the best..IMO

From what i can see, it looks way better that the "Dugong" we know and find hard to love.

When you are bored in office...

2008-12-15T15:13:00.002+08:00

Taman Pertanian @ Bukit Cahaya

2008-11-29T16:32:00.006+08:00

Went for a little cycling escapade with a bunch of friends to Bukit Cahaya earlier this morning. For those who don't know, its located in Shah Alam. Supposedly a Taman Pertanian or Agricultural Park. Still don't have a digital camera so all pictures are still taken of my phone..

Arrived there at about 9 , rented a bike and we started cycling. Its been more than 5 years ago since I last rode a bike and i do have doubts whether i can still ride one. The only biking i have done is over in the gym where the bikes are mounted and stuck to the ground. No balancing needed, just paddle.

Luckily it went well and i manage to cycle without bailing. Really tiring as the course require us to cycle up and down the hill. Great exercise no doubt. Its a pain to cycle uphill so we ended up walking up.

Its the beginning of the course and am already drained off my energy to cycle uphill.
But the rush of adrenaline and the feel of wind blowing in your hair as you speed and cycle downhill is just superb. Thankfully for the shaded setting, the air is cool and its a great place to cycle.

Our first stop was this observation tower at a supposed mushroom park but i fail to locate a single mushroom. The view atop the tower was superb and i just wish i had a better camera to capture them. But what i got was pretty decent. By this time the sun is already up and with sunbeam shining on you, you tend to get tired faster.

Proceed to cycle towards the 4 season house where it is supposedly w inter now. Just my luck, the chain of my bike had to come off and i ended up trying to reattach it to the gears but obviously failing miserably. Fortunately there's a dude there with some bike know how and he aided me to correct the damage.

Obviously its really cold in there without any jackets and anything else to keep us warm. Add a sweaty shirt. Confirm catch cold...

The we proceed to cycle more. Up and downhill to go to the fruit farm where there were supposed fruits to eat. There was none and by that time its nearing 1pm. Proceed back to the shack to return the bikes before heading for lunch.

But nothing beats a pack of ice cold lemon tea after a cycling trip on a hot day.

Now...my muscle aches as i type this. How can my shoulder hurt so much when i cycle with my legs....damn

The internet is for.....

2008-11-26T16:00:00.001+08:00

shared by kazuki

FOMCA wants to set petrol floor price...at?

2008-11-25T14:46:00.003+08:00

I just read this through over at paultan.org and we can expect a further 15 cent reduction per liter on RON97 fuel at the beginning of next month. Great news indeed, give the recent reduction of crude oil prices globally. Now at RM2/l im paying about RM80 for a full tank and with this reduction, RM70+ should suffice now. Great.

Then some genius from FOMCA ( Federation of Malaysia Consumer Association) came out and suggested to the press that they want or at least hope that the floor price for petroleum will be at RM3 per litre. His excuse? Encourage us to use less petrol to encourage more R&D in other forms of energy and to promote the use of public transport.

Encouraging the R&D in other forms of energy is really a good move actually. But he does not realise the fact the most Malaysians could not afford a hybrid car which is priced seemingly higher than a car with 2.0 displacements. Check the price for a Civic 2.0 and a Civic Hybrid.

When the price is increased to RM2.70/l a few months back, we could see the effects of it to most of the people which also prompted the hike in prices for other consumer goods. So at RM3/l we can expect to pay like RM3 for a normal pack of nasi lemak kosong? Not everyone here is as well off as you, you bastard.

Can't afford petrol prices, take public transport. Sure...rise in petrol prices will not affect the surcharges for buses, which services suck. Its not on time, passengers have to pray hard that the bus does not break down. Busses are not on time and most of it are dirty. Im sure if the services are good, none will complain. Even some housing areas do not have bus services.

LRT? Sure. Lets take for example....Wangsa Maju area has how many stops and where as Cheras has how many stations? Not to mention places like Subang where the nearest LRT they have is located in PJ. How about places outsite KL. I dont see or hear about any train stations in places like Penang or Johor. Public transport are helpful, if they are effecient and clean. Plus some bus stops are located near the highway and passengers have to walk back to the home. Feeder bus? yea sure if you are willing to wait for an hour for one. I would not complain walking in but if the government going to insure or at least assure us that the little treats like snatch theft will not happen.

Obviously this jerk who suggested it lives near a LRT station or have not really taken a public transport as he is driven around by a driver on this BMW.

On another note, Yoga is banned? Just because it is similar or resembles some Hindu prayer and has certain chants. The yoga i know only involves bending your body here and there; no chanting. Great job M'sia Government

Aquarium under construction

2008-11-24T23:24:00.008+08:00

This space here is due for a more decent post now...

I came across a site somewhere in the internet which kinda inspired me to do a little somethings to my aquarium....which is to create a moss wall. Im hoping that it will turn out into something like this..

A lot has changed in my aquarium since the last 2 months...
It came from

And thanks to a certain algae attack which ended up with most of my plants dying due to the lack of nutrition thanks to the algae taking up most of them. I had to throw most of the plants away and i am left with this...

OK. I got some sword plants to place at the right corner or else it will look really bare. I decided to try experimenting and attempted to grow moss instead of plants. I had some before is it is showing signs that it is growing so i thought why not.

I went to the local hobby to get some Christmas moss ( named due to the way it grows, upwards and in a cone shape) and some Java moss ( from Java?....well i don't know).
Tied some onto the wood and attached some newer ones to the existing ones.

Thus it now look like this..

Notice the green netting at the backdrop. It is holding in the Java moss. I am really hoping that it will grow...at least sticking out of the mesh. OF course i wanted it to grow to look like the 1st picture.

See the moss in there...

My tank now looks almost like its under renovation. Plastic mesh are everywhere now...

New guy in the tank. It is currently now still hiding but it is eating.

Hoping to see it swim with the other discus in the tank soon.

On another note. 2 new additions to the family.

The dude.

The dudette.

My folks bought a pair of rabbits cause they look too damn cute. hahaha
Actualy wanted to keep rabbits for quite some time already. I don't know what breed are they thou, but they seem like a cross breed between a Netherland Dwarf and a Jersey Wolly according to a friend of mine. It has short ears and long hair. so you decide...to me..its a rabbit.

I have yet to name them thou...suggestions?

However, rabbit in, plans for a sugar glider needs to be put on hold.....
zzZZZZzz

Dude, where's my chips?

2008-11-21T10:40:00.003+08:00

We dont get this kind of adverts here do we.......

We all know Nandos is good.....

When msn goes haywire

2008-11-18T23:29:00.005+08:00

Seriously..is this even possible?

Am I online or not now?

Day Color

2008-11-18T00:26:00.003+08:00

7 days in a week and a color for each of them.
so its.....
monday blues
yellow tuesday
red wednesday
brown thursday
green friday
orange saturday
and a
white sunday?

So....how was your day?

Christmas is near.

2008-11-16T01:39:00.005+08:00

Its already mid- November and we all know that Christmas is just about a month + 10 days away.

We don't really have to note this down as we are all reminded of this festive day every where we go.

Even at Starbucks.

Notice the snowflakes printed on the cup?

Again Starbucks have re-introduced their Christmas menu as the festive season draws near.

I had the Toffee Nut Frappucino a few weeks back but that is nothing new really. They have that last year as well. Missed those toffee nuts which is sprinkled on top of the whipped cream of the ice blended drink.

This time, i got the Dark Cherry Mocha Frappucino. The lovely Barista who as tending the register there recommended this drink. I was initially opting for a Caramel Marchiatto; well they are trying to promote these newer drinks on the menu. Did i mention that the barista was lovely? lol

The drink did not dissappoint..
Its basically a Mocha Frappucino, made using dark chocolate and a hint of cherry flavor as you drink it. Topped with whipped cream sprinkled with chocolate powder. Wonder if we could request for some additional chocolate syrup to go with it.

In the end, it tasted great.

Penang CheeCheongFun in PJ

2008-11-16T01:21:00.004+08:00

Its at Paramount actually. I was around the area, for some apparent reason which i don't really recall, looking for some breakfast. As i passed the coffeshop ( i did not get the name) which is opposite the Caltex petrol station. It is the one at the same row as Alif College in Paramount Garden, PJ. This area seem to have a lot of good food.

There are plenty to choose from but this stall caughy my eye with their serving of Penang Chee Cheong Fun (CCF).

For those who may not know, Penang CCF is not different from the regular KL CCF; commonly served with sweet sauce, chilli; for some, a dash of soy sauce; and sprinkle on some sesame seeds and fried shallots. Penang CCF had all that plus a dash of prawn paste or " Har Kou"; which is more commonly taken with Assam Laksa. Besides this, you can have curry instead.

It was priced reasonably i guess at RM1.80 for a small helping and RM2.20 for a big one.

CCF alone is not enough? Get some Yong Tau Foo while you're at it for RM0.80 per piece. Its not the same store as the one selling the CCF but all in the same coffeeshop.

Those may not know, Yong Tau Foo is basically tofu, bean curd and some veggies; commonly chili, bitter gourd, ladies fingers; stuffed with fish paste.

A combination of both plus a glass of iced tea makes a great meal.

For me at least..

Matrix on Windows?

2008-11-15T14:54:00.000+08:00

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Got it from here

Photoshop?

2008-11-14T23:22:00.002+08:00

I saw this over at lowyat.ne t.

Ever wondered how photoshop would look like if its not on the computer screen?
Apparently, some dudes over in Indonesia did and this is what they came out with.

Cool eh?
Now even those who cant afford the license to photoshop or lack the 'resources' can crop and layer their designs..

Wonder what is the size of the paint brush for those finer points

Happenings in football

2008-11-13T15:05:00.004+08:00

Scoring for Manchester United

Win

Trashed some 'seniors'

Get some respect

Scored 3 in 2 against Liverpool

Impressive win

C elebrate in style after scoring

PRICELESS

Pictures from Soccernet and Teamtalk

So....which way?

2008-11-08T23:03:00.002+08:00

Saw this over at SS2, PJ.
So again...which way is the one way street?

TigerFC Big Away Game

2008-11-07T18:25:00.005+08:00

Tiger FC members and football fans alike will sure be aware of the match this weekend.

Tiger FC are organizing a big screen viewing at Republic, Sunway Pyramid during the live telecast of this match which is one of the biggest in the BPL calender.

Match starts 8:45pm; party starts 7:30pm
It happens on the 8th of November

Will the Devils get Gunned down or will the Devils overcome the Gunners?

Republic, Sunway Pyramid is the place to be this weekend.

Tiger FC members get a bottle of Tiger on the house.

And the final result is....

Samir Nasri got 2 goals and Rafael got 1 back for United

Its a PENALTY??

2008-11-07T11:46:00.004+08:00

Anyone watched the Liverpool- Atletico Madrid game?
Despite the fact Maxi Rodriguez scored a superb goal, its was worth nothing, maybe a point, thanks to a certain Martin Hansson.
Pernia went for an aerial ball when Gerrard ran into him; thus reason enough for the ref to give a penalty. Really? It may warrant a foul outside the box ( note: MAY) and its deifnitely not a penalty.

The result? Liverpool saved off their blushes and Madrid lost 2 points. Heres what a poll on soccernet says

21% are most likely Liverpool fans.

Overall a bad night for english clubs. Arsenal and MU drew their matches and Chelsea got hammered at Rome.

Del Piero single handedly kicked Real Madrid's ass; in 2 games.

GoMobile GoMobile Go

2008-11-05T00:03:00.008+08:00

This image here look familiar? The house-hold name of dubba-oh-seven or simply 007 is made famous by those people who play James Bond. Now its Daniel Craig's second go at it in the latest installment in the never-tired-after-several-decades of James Bond, this time...
The Quantum Of Solace

which you can catch on screens this month; the 6th of November to be exact.

Don't have time to queue for tickets? Online bookings are fully booked? No credit card to purchase them online? Fret no more.

This answer your question? GoMobile is actually giving away 25 pairs of tickets for a screening of Quantum Of Solace on the 9th of November at Cathay Cineplex Damansara, that is like this Sunday. All you need to do is ping over here for more details from Nuffnang.

If you get them, prepare a thank you card to GoMobile, the sponsors the those passes. Satisfy your mobile and gadget needs and do visit them at their expo in PWTC from 21-23 November and check out what the have in store there. Get your fix at GoMobile.

btw, i do prefer my drinks shaken.

How are you dude-ing today?

2008-11-03T21:58:00.001+08:00

I saw this in the papers the other day and looked over the internet for it.
Its from the comic Zits, which i think is really hilarious.

When the outlaws are fast and furious, the law just gets faster and more furious

2008-10-28T20:07:00.005+08:00

'
I came across this little article in lowyat.net.

We all know Italy are well known, apart from their football, food and scenery; for the sports cars. When one think of Italy's car the likes of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maseratti comes to mind. This is their 'local' cars when we have the likes of Wira-lutions or Kanci-lutions around here. This big boys would rule the roads there. Driving in one of these

would be great. Don't you think? Thats a Lamborghini Gallardo by the way.

Well.....think again. You wont want one of these chasing you around there...

This big boys, the Lamborghini Gallardo LP560-4 is being used by the cops in Italy, and it comes fully equiped with all sorts of equipments a cop needs.

Now...outrun that!!!!

Happy Diwali

2008-10-26T19:39:00.002+08:00

Deepavali or Diwali falls tomorrow ( 27/10/2008). So here is to wish all Hindu friends around here a Happy Deepavali and have a bomb of a day.

As for me, i should be visiting from machas for this occasion and to down some Indian delicacies. This day also means holiday. Yay!!!

So again, happy deepavali!!!!

Prices changes affects everything

2008-10-25T13:53:00.002+08:00

Picking up from earlier this year, petrol prices rose from RM1.92/liter to RM2.70/liter; and everyone of us have something to say about it. When it was announced, everyone made their way for their last drops of RM1.92/liters. Petrol station kiosk even closed earlier to make additional profit from that hike.

Subsequently we see other good gone up in price as well, rice, sugar just to name a few. With that prices of food too increased from the usual RM3.50 for a bowl of noodles to RM4.50 for the same bowl, with reduced ingredients as in the meat balls are smaller or the portion are slightly less.

With that in place, certain staff from certain organizations ~~requested~~ demanded for a 100% pay rise just to keep up with the hike. The management have them a 20% raise and they threatened to go on strike. TNB as well look to increase the charges for electricity usage as they claimed that the generators are diesel powered. We all know how much the price of diesel had increased so we kinda accepted it.

Then came the Budget where the government announced that electricity subsidy will be give to usages below RM20. Who uses less than RM20 worth of electricity nowadays, unless you live in the village with nothing electricity powered but the light bulb. Bad times indeed.

Then the good news came. Our government decided to form a committee with only those who mattered to discuss about the prices or petrol subsidies. Thus the price dropped from RM2.70 to RM2.55 then to RM2.45 and now we can get it for RM2.30/ liter. Not many people complained. However this was promised as we opt to follow the global pricing of petroleum which now saw the prices of crude oil plummeted to about 70USD per barrel.

But lowering petrol prices don't seem to bring back down the prices of goods out there, namely food. Before the hike, i can have a bowl of fish head noodles for RM5. since then it rose to RM6 and now its like RM6.50. This was as the price of petrol went down.

Thats a smaller matter. TNB raised their charges due to petrol price hike. Its acceptable. However, as the price of fuel dropped, we are yet to see the price of electricity reduced; and now the claimed that the generators are powered using coal instead of diesel? So prices of petroluem don't really affect them? Then why the sharp price increase then?

Apparently the connection of Streamyx has been deteroirating recently. Don't even bother to call them as they will just blame your PC or your router. In fact, im not the alone in the matter; as in slow internet connection? Well, it was slow before, now it is just slower. Does their servers or equipment run on diesel as well? They have to lower the performance of their equipment so it consume less power?

Everything increase but our pay dont seem to keep up with it...

Petaurus breviceps

2008-10-24T13:48:00.003+08:00

That means, sugar glider by the way.

I'm considering to have one or maybe a pair as pets. Still doing my reading and research on how to properly care and breed them thou. Prices wise, it still going to be quite heavy on the wallet and they do need a big space to house them.

Maybe not too soon but surely in the near future. Any breeders selling them cheap?

Jaded, tired and aches here and there....

2008-10-24T13:36:00.006+08:00

This post is nothing more than a rant just to help me fill up my time in office now. Its lunch time, i had an earlier one thus now i am back and my seat typing thins while everyone else is out.....

My shoulder is aching as well as my legs. Probably from the work out i did last Wednesday. Why did it not ache yesterday? Well it did but not as bad. Because of this, i feel tired, jaded and seriously have no mood to work given my physical condition as well as certain aspects which surrounds me.

Something seems to be missing. I'd say i know what is that but its safe to say that i don't know what is it too. Damn, even my thoughts are giving away now...Well, nothing can be done now except to bide my time and wait. Lets not jump to certain conclusions, you might have it right. A part of it is down to my work and the other part is something more...um... personal? ( thou i'm guessing some might know....)

I'M MISSING YOU BADLY!!!!!!

There i said it..and this feeling is affecting me badly....
sigh~

On a lighter and more cheerful note, my planned escapade to Bali is more or less completed in terms of the costings and date. Now all that's left is the people tagging along. I guess its save to say i have 4 including myself but will most likely stretch it up to 6 or 7. Hope to get it done by December thou. Any takers?

Phone blogging test

2008-10-22T18:20:00.003+08:00

Testing

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Cool it works...now i can blog as i snap pictures....
thou typing on a keyboard is way easier than tapping away on the keypad, IMO

Lets all go to Jalan Kejora for a meal....

2008-10-22T08:40:00.006+08:00

And to most tourist or those many non-KL people, they will be like " WHAT!!" or "WHERE THE HELL IS THAT!!!!"

Well, the Jalan Alor we know and love is being changed (silently)...

From this....to

'Venus street"

Yea, as we all know of late, our beloved City Hall decided to rename the fondly known and famous Jalan Alor to Jalan Kejora ( Venus). Reason why? Well, it HAS to be of the same theme as the other roads around that area, the outer space theme; as its located at Bukit Bintang, according to some ' Rocket Scientist". Needless to say, everyone are against that move, from the vendors to tourist who visit that area to sample the delicacies that are available there.
The Malay Mail (22/10/08) interviewed one Aussie tourist regarding this matter and he responded and i qoute,

"Malaysia is so modern that the lonely planet guide book that i have is already outdated."

Most tourist who visits KL will definitely make a trip to Jalan Alor, making it a tourist attraction just by the name itself. Even a nasi lemak store there named itself with Alor in its sign; and the reception was great.

They even dare to comment that this name change will ease the work of the postmen or policemen who serves the area. So it is easier to adapt to a new name compared to a well-known name for the past 30 years? They do not even bother to consult the vendors or the public about this decision before making the change. If this stays, we can kiss goodbye to one of the, you might argue, internationally known name here. One might wonder, do they even think of this for the long term?

We might as well rename Alor Setar to Kejora Bintang as we all know Alor = Kejora and Setar sounds too english ( Star) and be replaced with Bintang.

On another note, some genius apparently decided the remove or decommissioned the police post in Chow Kit as the crime rate there is too high and will endanger the policemen. Isn't that reason enough to beef up the security there rather than decommissioning it? Genius!!!!

Don't we love our government?

Chiang Mai trip post mortem - Day 4

2008-10-21T21:02:00.005+08:00

After barely 4 hours of sleep, we had to wake up for the last time in Chiang Mai. AFter the drinking last night, my head was still quite heavy. Got up, washed up, grab a bite before checking out of the hotel. Our flight back home is actually 1105, thus we had to get there like at 9am?

We reached the airport, bid goodbye to our guide and driver before checking in. After that, there still more than an hour left for us to laze around the airport and to shop from some duty free goods. But of course we somehow found time to grab some pictures, even in the airport.

Now we can say we've been to Thailand, the airport at least

Needless to say, the booze here is as well cheaper than the one in KL. Let see the comparison. 450Baht (RM45) gets you 2 bottles of Absolute Vodka while you can get one for RM55 in KL. 750Baht(RM75) gets you 2 bottles of Bailey's Irish Cream while you can only get 1 bottle for the same price in KL. Worried of problems caused by the customs, i passed on the chance to get them in Thailand. Not to sure about the difference in prices for cigarettes and chocolates thou...

Boarded the plane, late again. They had to call for us to board the plane; and that's another near 3 hour flight back home. Goodbye ChiangMai, looking forward to maybe another trip here.....

And KL was all to familiar. Dark clouds greeted us and before we knew it, it started to pour.

Before leaving the airport, we stopped to get some duty free stuff; got onto a cab back to my place.

Grab some McD's on the way. Yea by this time its about 5pm and we had not ate anything since breakfast. Not even on-flight as the ran-out of food there. The all familiar KL city traffic greeted me as i dropped the girls back and i made my way back. Something did cheer me up a little thou, just a little....

Petrol prices dropped to RM2.30 per litre.. yay?

I just realized that i wore Nikes for the entire trip. No adidas?

Short short trip summary
Great company
Visited some great places
The other tourist who joined us were very friendly
I find it hard to understand our tour guide( but she tried...hard)
Our driver drives very fast and aggressively
The food provided was very disappointing
We were ALWAYS late and rushing
Sellers at the bazaar are DESPERATE to sell their wares
At least 10 stalls in the bazaar selling the same stuff
Alcohol is dirt cheap
We learn a bit about flora and fauna without going to Taiwan
Tuk- tuks are meant for 3 people, nothing more.
I need to get a new camera.

Thats it i guess...

Next stop...BALI!!!!

Opposites

2008-10-21T11:00:00.006+08:00

You can't really say he is wrong right?

and this...

This site really cracks me up. Click here

Frustration with Streamyx and movin' it!!!

2008-10-21T09:06:00.005+08:00

As the title goes, im getting more and more pissed with the connection speed with streamyx of late. Never mind downloading stuff, even this that stopped or paused, simple web browsing is almost 56K speed, literally.

It took almost forever for just upload pictures up to blogger and it clearly wasn't helped by the intermitten connection. I really hoped it would improve today....

On a lighter note....

BTW, i looking to claim passes to watch Madagascar 2.
I like to move it, move it with Madagascar 2!!!!!

Away movin' it!!!
See you in Africa!!!!

Courtesy to NuffNang

Chiang Mai trip post mortem - Day 3

2008-10-20T22:50:00.018+08:00

After bunking in reasonably late the previous night, we had to start early the next day. By early, i mean we are leaving the hotel at around 630am. Woke up at about 6, wash up, had a quick bite and we were ready to go. Reason we leaving to early- we are heading to the border between Thailand and Myanmar to visit the landmarks along the journey; which takes about a 3 hour- non-stop drive from Chiang Mai to the border. ( Think KL to Ipoh...but further). I totally screwed up today. Those pictures were mostly taken with my trusty ol' K810i. For some apparent reason, i forgot to charge up my phone thus i only have 50% battery to work with for the entire day. Crud.

Having very little sleep, i took the opportunity while in the van to get some shut eye. The bumpy ride seems not to bother my tired self from getting a short nap; before being woken up at our 1st stop...the hot spring. I totally lost track of time, but if I'm not mistaken it should be sometime between 830 to 9.

The hot spring is actually quite a nice place to sit back and relax. The boiling sulfuric water along with some cool breeze. Truly relaxing. However, we only had time to only enjoy the view and cool breeze, while taking in some sulfuric scent whilst taking pictures. No time to really kick back and relax in the hot spring - although its only for us to dip our feet in.

You have not visited Thailand if you have not seen the HIGEST hotspring here.

After the pictures and some short shopping, we then head on our journey...meaning more sleep time. Before long we arrived at our next destination, just about when i was about to snooze off...sigh.

Next stop, Wat Rong Khun. No idea what it really means but i will remember it as the White Temple. This is really one of the highlights of this trip and i really wanted to look at it up close. Unfortunately, certain part of the complex it still under construction or maintenance; thus we were unable to fully captivate the beauty of this landmark. The cravings and design of this place is so detailed, making it special in its own way.

The next one should give you an idea how huge this part of the complex is....

These sculptures are lined with mirrors which actually reflects the sunlight; thus making the whole complex looks really white. And, its hard to believe that building behind us is actually the toilet..

What goes better on a hot sunny day than an ice cream? Don't you agree. There is this store nearby which sells coconut ice cream for like 10Baht(RM1) per cup. 3 Scoops of cool sweet coconut ice cream, along with some glutinous rice, fried peanuts and topped with some condensed milk. Almost like the one i had in Penang. But only a hot day, anything cold goes.

We then proceed to visit the hill tribe villages which had people from the long neck tribe, palong tribe ( huge ears) and 3 or 4 other which i dont recall their names. For this, we need to add another 500Baht (RM50). But since we are here and we cant get this anywhere else except on NatGeo or Discovery Channel, so what the heck...

the real deal....These women actually adds a ring to the neck every year till they are 45.

the not-so-real deal...

These dolls really looked very SALAH at first sight. but upon reading some stuff, they are actually the villagers belief of spirits that protects them.

After hiking a huge circle around the village, we finally made our move for lunch along the river at the Golden Triangle. The golden what? The golden triangle...its not really a triangle. Its more of the shape of a Y; and across the river is Laos and Myanmar. So if you wanna lari from Thailand all you need to do is swim; which is not advisable as god knows what is in the river or just rent or steal a boat.

We had lunch there as well. Nothing special. Egg fried with cucumber, stir fried vege, thai style fish, meat rolls and a supposed tom yam which tasted like sup ayam that we can get from mamak. Another disappointing meal. sigh

That piece of land you see behind this picture, is indeed Laos. Now swim across that.
I remember once watching on NatGeo; where a group of explorers went on to trace the source of the Mekong. It turn out that the source is no bigger that a top of a mineral bottle and the water is actually trickling its way out. How on earth did it became so freaking huge?

Further on was this temple which housed a huge golden buddha statue; which of course attracted lots of tourist. Its made to look like a boat sailing along the river.

From the following picture, you can see Myanmar ( left), Laos (right) and China (mountains at the back)

We then later move on to the border between Thailand and Myanmar.

Nothing much here except shops that sells trinkets and food, and a whole lot of beggars. We did not really do much here as it was raining. One tip, DO NOT give them anything. This may sound cruel, but unless u fancy a whole mob of them mobbing you, be my guest. There's this kid who actually blocked the entrance of 7-11, preventing us from getting out; unless we gave some cash to him. When we finally got out, he followed us and actually tapped my arm, demanding for some cash. I was like WTF... its amazing these 'mothers' can have such young kids even though they can't seem to feed themselves

Once we got that sorted out, time for a long long journey back to Chiang Mai. About 3 hours, excluding our stop for dinner which i would say was terrible, and toilet breaks. Dinner was, black chicken soup, tofu fried with black beans which was overly peppered and extremely salty, fried vege, extremely tough pork knuckles. Consolation was, they do sell some titbits there which helped us fill our stomachs or at least help us forget that meal....for me at least.

We finally got back to the hotel for some much needed rest, before heading out to get some booze and a final stroll at the bazaar. Speaking of booze, those here are really cheap; and i mean CHEAP. 1 small bottle of Heineken only cost you 39Baht ( Rm3.90) which is cheaper than a cup for fruit juice around there. For 45Baht (RM4.50) you can get Bacardi Lime and for 59Baht(RM5.90) you can get a small bottle of Johnie Walkers. I now feel cheated whenever i buy alcohol from the nearby 7-11.

Went on to get some titbits, and at last i found something that will help me fulfill one of my initial purpose in this trip. Eat a bug. Its nothing to eccentric, just a fried bamboo worm.

It tasted kinda funky at first, a bit like chicken and also slightly powdery near the end. That's the yucky part. At least its not juicy and had stuff oozing out as i bite. I wanted to have fried grasshoppers at first but can't seem to find a store selling them.

Moved on for some Thai massage later on for 140Baht(RM14) for an hour of leg, back , neck, shoulder and head massage. It was really refreshing and relaxing after walking for a good part of the day. Went on to grab some chips, McDs before heading back for the booze.
Slept at almost 3am after drinking and we need to be up by 7 or 8 to wash up and have breakfast before reachin the airport at 9+...great...Anyway...

I'm Lovin' it. Thai style.

Chiang Mai trip post mortem - Day 2

2008-10-19T20:35:00.014+08:00

Late night at the bazaar followed by an early morning the following day. About 7am to be exact. Headed down for some simple American style buffet breakfast.

Today was supposed to be a hot spring, going to the Golden Triangle and Myanmar border day, but was rescheduled to the following day to accommodate other guest in the tour. So our agriculture day was moved forward.....and i mean agriculture. You don't need to go the Taiwan for that....Thailand also can what...

First stop was the Orchid farm that houses some common orchids like these...

to some that are never seem before around here, at least i have not seem them....

to some wild orchids....

After learning about the flora, we then head on to learn more about the faunas

More about elephants to be exact....We came here to look at and get closer at these giants which is almost impossible in the wild, even back home

The other attraction here will be the elephant show where the elephants will parade around the ring, throw some darts, paint some pictures, give a massage, move some logs and kick some balls.

The proceed to get some close up with the elephants...

there goes my white pants....tainted with dust, sand, mud and god knows what. Still its a truly unforgettable experience.

After leaving the camp, we head on for more flora lessons at the botanical garden. However all we saw there were the glass houses, meant to create the optimum condition the the plants it housed. To fully enjoy the botanical garden, it would be a day trip. Other stuff missed here will be the jungle trek and biking. Heck we did not even went into all the glass houses as it was rather rushed.

and that has gotta be the biggest lily i have ever seen in my life so far...

Proceeded for lunch before visiting the some craft makers. It started of with the Thai silk making factory where silk threads are extracted from the cocoons of the worms before sewing them into clothing or other silk based stuff.

It started with the parent moth which can lay about 200 eggs.

Which hatched into these worms.

Which will become individual cocoons. White ones are the China-melanine tainted- silks (lol) and the yellow ones are the Thai silk.

Which will be boiled, with the larvae still inside....talk about cruelty.

Before becoming silk threads which look like meehoon.

We then proceed to the leather, jewel and silver making factories. ( don't know why but it is just part of every single tour i have been to). Before heading to the umbrella...ella...ella...making factory(?) Not as many pictures already as getting on and off the van is finally taking a toll.

This dude here is actually painting on cloth. For a small fee, he can also put those images on a shirt, cap, bag....well you get the picture...

Finally heading over for some birds nest before heading back to the hotel for some much much needed rest.

Come to think of it. Eating birds nest is like eating the home of a bird which is made of twigs, saliva, where the bird shits, eats and does everything there. And it is so expensive...

Dinner was supposed to be a river cruise, but it ended up like a dinner on a motor boat.

It was rather disappointing, the food that is. We were served, mixed veg which had an overdose of pepper, over fried and extremely oily spring rolls, sweet and sour fish which had like 3 or 4 pieces of fillets and tom yam which was neither sour nor spicy(i find the one at a nearby mamak way more spicy and sour) with soggy prawns.

Plus the cruise was about 2 hours and we can't like get off half way as well. The ang-mohs behind us seems to enjoy this 'cruise' very much thou.

After dinner, we headed back and had another round in the bazaar, to get stuff we did not get on the previous day. Heck, even some traders recognized us and offered a lower price for their wares compared to the ones give the previous day. We had this banana roti which was actually roti canai with banana and glazed with chocolate. And a ~~lime~~ ~~orange~~ tangerine juice to drain it down..

Thats it for day two....

to be continued

Chiang Mai trip post mortem - Day 1

2008-10-18T17:51:00.014+08:00

Just returned home from some ~~much~~ needed holiday. Yea....as some might know ( and i mean some), i went to Chiang Mai, Thailand for a good part of the week, i left KL in the wee hours on Monday and returned on the evening of Thursday.

The flight took off at 8:50am, which means we need to check in by 7am, which also means i have to catch the 5:30am bus from KL Central which means i need to get up at around 4am. Thats what i mean by the wee hours of the day. Upon getting the boarding pass, theres still more than an hours wait, so we had our breakfast at a fly infested McD. Boarded the plane for a near 3 hour flight. Fortunately an ipod kept me occupied. Yea..pictures were taken in the 1st 30 minutes of the flight before we all eventually fell asleep. The seats on the AirAsia plane were so uncomfortable ( no complains as its cheap), some other passengers and ~~myself included~~ looked for a row of 3 unoccupied seats, raised the arm rest and just slept there.

Arrived at approx. 11am Thailand local time, met up with the tour guide before heading to the hotel for a quick lunch. We had dim sum and its not that fantastic. Its like every other dim sum that we can have here.

After eating, checked in to the hotel for some needed rest although its just for a short while. What i can say, is that the hotel is pretty decent, for a 2 star hotel. We stayed at Star Hotel where the Night Bazaar ( think Petaling street or Batu Feringgi) is just a block away.

Headed to Doi Suthep after the short short rest. I don't really know what Suthep means, but Doi means hill. Its actually a huge temple located up a hill, where to main tourist attraction there is the golden pagoda and we had to climb up a fair flight of stairs to get there. Fortunately its quite cooling up there.

Those above were images outside the temple complex. The ones inside the complex are as follows. The pagoda was under maintenance, thus we can see bamboo frames surrounding it, like what you would see at a contruction site. Some locals making a business there offered to take a picture of us, using photoshop to cut and crop; so we can have a picture with the pagoda as a backdrop without those bamboo frames. Needless to say it was pretty crappy and poorly done photoshop. Its really a cut and paste job. I felt i was being conned of my 100 Baht ( RM10)

See what i mean, pagoda under contruction.....

From somewhere so high up, we can get a panoramic view of Chiang Mai, unfortunately the camera was not that great so was unable to get a great picture of it. Bet the view would be breath taking if it was at night.

Well, this is something you don't see here...or at least i have not. Its actually a flower which actually looks like a fruit before it bloomed.

We then head to a shopping complex, to shop around and see what thay have in store there. What i can say is....the menu at KFC and McD are different. hahaha
Right in the middle of the mall there was thi huge-ass aquarium which seems to attract more people the some of the stores there. Even the ipod there are much cheaper. A 8gb nano will only cost you around RM500. i don't think we can get that price around here.

We took a local cab ( tuk tuk) which is actually more like a huge bike wtih more seats back to the hotel.

The only thing preventing you from falling of that thing is actually a metal bar which is lower that your waist once sitting down....obviously i was clinging on my life throughout the journey.

We headed back after that to the hotel and headed out for dinner at a local restaurant, Kantoke restaurant, where we had this......

Clockwise : braised pork, mix vegetables, fried fish, smashed up tomatoes, no idea what is this,
fried pig skin, fried chickend and cucumber in the middle. Not really authentic Thai meal. It is refillable and you can actually eat until u explode. Of course it went with rice and glutinous rice. Booze were rather cheap here as well where a Mai Tai ( some concoction of liquors in a pineapple) cost only 150Baht ( RM15). But the main thing here is the traditional Thai dances and performances up on stage during the meal.

After dinner, head back to the hotel to freshen up before heading out again the the Night Bazaar. Well this was on our own. Looked around, shopped for some stuff around. The stretch of the bazaar may be long, but the actually sell almost the same stuff. Nothing really fantastic here and im still craving for some actual Thai delicacies. AFter shopping till about midnight, we headed back for some much much needed sleep.

to be continued.....

Why the England language is hard to learn...

2008-10-12T19:38:00.001+08:00

If you've learned to speak fluent English, you must be a genius!

Pursue at your leisure, English lovers. Reasons why the English language is so hard to learn:

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce.
3. The dump was so full that it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7. Since there is no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10. I did not object to the object.
11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12. There was a row among the oarsmen about how to row.
13. They were too close to the door to close it.
14. The buck does funny things when the does are present.
15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18. After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

There is no egg in eggplant, nor ham in hamburger; neither apple nor pine in pineapple. English muffins weren't invented in England or French fries in France (surprise!).

Sweetmeats are candies while sweetbreads, which aren't sweet, are meat. Quicksand works slowly, boxing rings are square, and a guinea pig is neither from Guinea nor is it a pig.

And why is it that writers write, but fingers don't fing, grocers don't groce and hammers don't ham?

If the plural of tooth is teeth, why isn't the plural of booth beeth? One goose two geese, so one moose, two meese? Doesn't it seem crazy, that you can make amends but not one amend. If you have a bunch of odds and ends and get rid of all but one of them, what do you call it? Is it an odd, or an end?

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught? If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat? In what language do people recite at a play and play at a recital? Ship by truck and send cargo by ship?

Have noses that run and feet that smell? How can a slim chance and a fat chance be the same, while a wise man and a wise guy are opposites? You have to marvel at the unique lunacy of a language in which your house can burn up as it burns down, in which you fill in a form by filling it out, and in which, an alarm goes off by going on.

English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race, which, of course, is not a race at all. That is why, when the stars are out, they are visible, but when the lights are out, they are invisible.

P.S. Why doesn't "Buick" rhyme with "quick"?

from www.lol.com

iPhone Vs Brick

2008-10-06T20:15:00.005+08:00

Got this from Melvin who got it from somewhere in the internet. Funny crap...apart from the 'article' about the iphone found on thebestpageintheuniverse.com

Fancy an iPhone?

Avenged Sevenfold

2008-10-05T21:01:00.007+08:00

Melvin sent me a song from this band; Avenged Sevenfold, titled Dear God. Saying this song is good, so i just took la. Judging from the name of the band, i assumed its some ganas, loud, head-banging, screaming song. Boy.....was it wrong...

What i have to say about this song is....its a very sad song yet meaningful song. Its as though using a song to wish or pray for someone's well being while being far away...and also a good song to keep one occupied or feel better when a loved one is far away..

Here's a snippet....

"There's nothing here for me on this barren road
There's no one here while the city sleeps
And all the shops are closed
Can't help but think of the times I've had with you
Pictures and some memories will have to help me through, oh yeah

Dear God the only thing I ask of you is
To hold her when I'm not around,
When I'm much too far away
We all need the person who can be true to you
I left her when I found her
And now I wish I'd stayed
'Cause I'm lonely and I'm tired
I'm missing you again oh no
Once again"

Not actually the best feel good song around, the vocals are quite rough but through that, you can feel the raw emotion they are trying to instill into the song.

Listen to it here.......

Bet most have heard the song " Fall for you" by Secondhand Serenade. Don't you think its a great song to play or even sing for a loved one? The lyrics is just suitable for that moment....confirm the gal will fall for you (lol).

Ciao

Days that went pass, and a disturbing sight

2008-10-02T20:00:00.004+08:00

As a foreword, the last few days or week has just been awesome....really.

For starters, heard of the show Mamma Mia! ?
Its a remake of an old musical, into a movie which is hugely surrounds the songs by Swedish group ABBA. I would say its an interesting movie to watch; however some might not like it as the characters sing more than they talk. Its a matter of.....preference. It'd be great if you are able to have movie buddies or companion who are eagerly interested in this show, to avoid the snoring and distracting other movie goers. Good company just makes a movie a whole lot better...don't you think? They might just change your perception towards this flick, for the better or worse. You really have to give it to the cast for giving their best shot, covering the ABBA songs, who did quite a good job...

On a side note, Amanda Seyfried who plays a Sophie...is hot....mamma mia!!

Yea, my birthday just passed and i got this as a gift....
sweet....a ( i think) new design. or color of the nike mercurial. The one which you can often see around either in bright orange or red.

Went out with a a bunch of friends ( waijing, henry, eunice and jeremy) for a little makan. Initially we opted for Chilis but it was packed, so we moved on the Italianies which was also packed. We thought we left our number there which they promised to call us back after 30 minutes for a place, which they didn't.....
We finally settled down at Alexis for some food as the place wasn't that packed. They serve fusion food and it was quite pricey. Taste wise, not too bad but i still prefer eating at Chilis. That day itself just drained down 1 or 2 days worth of training. I just like had Nandos for lunch too. But what the heck, we shouldn't waste or compromise good food. Plus the Tiramisu we had for desert was superb.

I have frequent this steamboat joint at Kepong, beside the Carrefour there. They apparently serve porridge steamboat which was actually quite good. The ingredients are fresh and the porridge's taste was just nice, not too plain, not too loaded with MSG. Price wise...quite reasonable actually. The one im talking about here is Happy City steamboat, which can be quite packed during weekends and public holidays.

Gary brought us there ,insisting it was good and all. We all agreed and would literally give anything to shut his mouth that night. He was like ' instructing' us how to eat at that place. He was like, " no, this doesnt go here" , " no you only eat this at the end". Imagine this, they serve us cha koi which was supposed to be eaten with the porridge. He practically prevented us from dipping the cha koi into the porridge to eat half way through and insisted is HAS to be left to the end. This followed by another trip on Saturday, to the same place with a bunch of friends. It was more like a bunch of friend's friends.

Then came 1st Oct, we, myself, henry , eunice and jeremy went there again. The place was packed and we had to wait or camp for a table. We finally got our table, after 5 minutes of staring at the patron saying " get lost if you are not eating anymore". hahaha
Then, we had to wait for 10 more minutes for the to come and clear the table and another 10 minutes for them to come and take our order. The staff there are either blur or ignorant as they do not respond to you calling them and they do not commune in any other language apart from mandarin. So eunice being the only one able to speak ' fluent' mandarin.....we let her do the ordering....it was priceless. hahahahahahaha

Food came, we cooked it and ate it....good food..think again. As i made my way to the bath room to wash my hands and back i saw something really.....disturbing. They have a kettle to keep the soup for the patrons to refill....ever wonder where they got the soup from?
As i make my way back to the table is saw one of the waiter, nicely using the cover of the steamboat 'wok', filtering away all the solid food stuff from the soup while pouring the soup into the kettle. God knows where the previous patron left the cover on; over the rusty and dusty top of the gas tank, maybe? At the beginning you will get fresh, 'clear' soup and as you refill, they will give you recycled soup. Great right?

Apart from that, we had beer too. I wonder how the move the bottle from the cooler over to our table. Once the cap was popped, the foam starts overflowing. We pointed that out to the waiter...guess what he did. He uses his HAND...yes HAND, after handling not so clean plates, raw food and maybe a dirty cloth to block the foam from flowing out and then wipe of the access along the neck of the bottle....as thou he is giving the bottle a hand job. -_-

Shocked at how unhygenic this place can be, we finished the beer, cleared the bill and left. I dont think i will be back at this place for a meal ever again. I rather opt for the according-to-some-people-not-so-nice-steamboat at Manjalara. At least their service is better and are more hygenic ( or at least i have not seen them doing what i saw the staff did at Happy City Restaurant).
One word descibes it....ewwww.

Updates here and there

2008-09-19T00:23:00.005+08:00

StarWars: Force Unleashed.

Finally, after a long wait, an interesting game for the PSP.

Just got my hands on it and what i can say about is.....awesome. The gameplay is great and the enemy AI are not as predictable as some other games. The time line this game took is between Episode 3 and episode 4 of the StarWars movies; where you play as Darth Vader ( for 1 mission) and as his apprentise, on a mission to kill off the Emporer and wipe out the last of the Jedi Knights....or something like that. Great game nonetheless.

Dang it, my left wrist still hurts after what i would call a freak accident in a futsal game, close to a month ago. Won't it like heal already...damn.. From the initial pain, i'd assume it would just a muscle strain and nothing too serious. But a badminton game last week, a little swing of the racquet, the pain came back....dang. i can't even hold the racquet properly.....now, i'd suspect it could or might be a hairline fracture....damn...hopefully not and i'd home its the the tissues or muscles there are taking its own sweet time to heal up.

Few days back, i signed up for some sort of personal training with an instructor at the gym, hopefully to whip me into shape. Im getting tired way too fast and easily in games. 4 classes since, id say....so far so good....lol. Im now more energetic ( except during the mornings) and hopefully get fitter. Plus recently i frequent the swimming pool more often ( puasa month, public pools are not as packed).

Football season starts again ( although this is like 5 matches too late). After the EURO, the world of football is dominated by transfer talks, about there this guy is heading to and for how much...After all the hustle and bustle, it finally settled down and start kicking some balls.

Seriously, i dont know what to write about....

Ciao

Due for an update....

2008-09-01T01:14:00.002+08:00

Its been like ages since ive been here.....

Its not that i don't have time....but merely lost interest and i don't have much to write about...

A summarized update since.....

Got a new car....
Car got stolen.....
Olympics came and went.....

Michael Phelps became best Olympian to date....( 8 Gold medals, 7 world records)
Usian Bolt showed the whole world what sprinting is all about.
Lin Dan showed Chong Wei who's boss.
Beckham came all the way from US to Beijing just to kick a ball.

Permatang Pauh by election.....and the stuff that happened before and after it....
Fuel went up to RM2.70/ litre and then drop to RM2.55/litre
Spain won EURO 2008.....
Manchester United lost to some vodka drinkers in the UEFA Super Cup.
BPL has kicked off....
Joker's "why so serious" seems to be catching on....as well as " THIS IS SPAAARTAAA!!!!"
.......

and some more i guess.......cant seem to dig more out...

Let see....how can i make use of this space..........

Perhaps i can have my say of picks for the Yahoo! Fantasy football thingy that i seem to get addicted to again.........

Thats all i guess....

p/s: the new Honda Jazz is sweet!!!!

Stan Lee

2008-06-22T01:40:00.005+08:00

ever notice, the creator of Marvel comics, Stan Lee made cameo appearances on all Marvel related movies?
X-men, Spiderman , Fantastic 4, Hulk, Ironman?
Stan Lee fans would notice it but will most movie goes notice it?

This is Stan Lee by the way

Check it out yourself. He's the old looking dude with white hair and wears sunglasses in most of the scenes. Something like the one above.

By the way, I just came back from watching the Hulk. Pretty short in some what interesting. Nothing beats Ironman still. What sucks is that most of what shown in the trailers...are not in the theatrical release. I hear there is an extra 70 minute of deleted scene which will only be released on a blu-ray. It kinda sucked if you dont have a PS3 when its out....if u're a Hulk fan that is.
And no, the much anticipated Ironman vs Hulk thing, is not in the movie. It may be in the 70 minutes deleted scene thou. BTW, the dude who as talking to General Ross in the end was none other than Tony Stark aka Ironman...in case u didn't notice. and the 'we' meant there is most likely the Avengers. Coincidence? guess not...haha

and for those who did not notice or watch the after credits ending of Ironman, it was about Nick Fury talking to Tony Stark about the Avengers.

Did I spoil enough for those who did not watch? haha

Some belated run down on Euro

2008-06-22T00:45:00.002+08:00

Its been awhile since i last posted. Being rather held back lately. Late nights watching 22 or more men belting it out on a field over a single ball. Some how or rather, it kinda sounded rather wrong. haha.

Short brief run down on Euro.

GroupA
Portugal went through as expected along with Turkey ( so not expected). They totally deserved their place in the next round after coming down from 2-0 to win 2-3 against the Czechs in the same time knocking them out. Switzerland's fate was sealed in the 2nd game losing to the Turks. They saved some pride by beating a weakened Portugal 2-0. So position in groups : Portugal, Turkey, Switzerland, Czech.

Group B
Dark horses Croatia proved their credentials by topping the group; matching expectations of many after beating England home and away in the qualifying rounds. Germany went along after 3 lackluster performances; beating Poland and Austria somewhat unconvincingly and losing to Croatia. Austria's fate should be sealed in the 2nd game but a 92nd minute penalty was awarded to them against Poland, enabling them to fight for another day. From what i see, Poland and Austria seems only to make up the numbers. Their performances aren't really the most convincing. Final standings : Croatia, Germany, Poland, Austria.

Group C
Group of death. Thats what u call a group which comprises of football heavy weights Holland, world cup finalist France, world champions Italy and a not too shabby Romania. Holland set the tournament on fire with 3-0 and 4-1 wins over Italy and France before overcoming Romania 2-0 with an understrength team. Romania really should have followed them through but Buffon saving Mutu's penalty in match against Italy meant they will have to overcome the Dutch in the final game. France showed much promise but failed to deliver. Their final game against the Azzurris was a do or die but they lost 2-0; knocking them out. Final standings : Holland, Italy, Romania, Greece.

Group D
Spain matched Hollands 3-0 win with a 4-1 win over Russia. David Villa sealing the tournaments 1st hattrick since Patrick Kluivert converted 4 against then Yugoslavia in Euro2000. Followed by 2-1 wins over Sweden and defending champions Greece saw them through. The final game between Sweden and Russia was a winner takes all game. Russia with returning striker Arshavin proved they are of a different class compared to the Swedes; winning 2-0 with Arshavin scoring one goal. Greece left Euro2008 without a point and with only 1 goal to show. Final standings: Spain, Russia, Sweden, Greece.

Qfinal 1: Portugal 2 Germany 3
Schweinsteiger return from suspension and outshone Ronaldo in this game. He scored 1 and set up 2 other goals for Klose and Ballack which btw are almost identical. Freekick, cross, head, goal. Same case as their last meeting in the world cup where Schweinsteiger score 2 goals, almost identical and almost from the same patch of grass on the field.

Qfinal2: Turkey 1 Croatia 1 ( pk Turkey 3 Croatia 1)
After Klasnic headed in the goal in the last minute of extra time. Everyone thought that the Croats will go through. But Semir Senturk had other ideas as he volleyed the equaliser with seconds to go on the clock, setting up a penalty shootout. Croat star Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic missed their kicks before Rustu saved the 4th penalty from Petric. With Turkey converting all their kicks, Petric needs to score just to keep Croatia in. With his effort saved, the 5th kick is not required as the Turks jumped onto Rustu congragulating him after saving the shot.

Qfinal3: Holland - Russia ( later)

Spain 4 Russia 1; Sweden 2 Greece 0

2008-06-11T20:55:00.003+08:00

A great night of football as far as EURO 2008 is concerned

In short, Spain putting 4 past Russia in their opening game as they ran rampant to a 4-1 win. David Villa scoring the tournament's 1st hattrick and the first one since Patrick Kluivert puts 3 past then Yugoslavia in Euro 2000. Cesc Fabregas adding the fourth goal in injury time. No complains can be made when your team has to face arguably the most potent strike partnership in the tournament.

Spains front line. David Villa - Fernando Torres.

Sweden ease past defending champions Greece with 2 goals. The 2nd was scrappy as it was a goal line scramble but take nothing away from the 1st. Great linkup play between Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrik Larsson, setting up Zlatan for blast the ball into the top corner.

Thats it for now.. Portugal - Czech Republic later...

Netherlands 3 - Italy 0

2008-06-10T16:15:00.003+08:00

Result of the tournament so far...Little would have expected Holland to beat Italy, the World Champions in the matter they did. Plus Italy have not lost to Holland in the past 30 years prior to this. The last reversal was the Holland last lifted the European Championship if i recalled.

Italy without captain Cannavaro had no answer as Holland storm on to a 3 -0 lead thank to Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Wesley Sneijder and Giovanni van Bronckhorst. !st goals was controversial as it was from an offside position but not arguments can be made on the 2nd and 3rd goals. Swift counterattack by the Dutch undone the Azzurri's defense like a hot knife through butter.

Yes this is meant to rub it in for those Italian fans who say that Italy will kick Holland back to holan..haha
Its the end of an era for Italian football. being out played in the Champions league and now the European championships.

I just noticed that Donadoni ( Italy's head coach) look very familiar to a person we know as Dr. House. Maybe its just me....well, see for yourselves.

Roberto Donadoni

Dr. House

EURO 2008

2008-06-08T22:53:00.004+08:00

EURO 2008 kicked off yesterday. After a long 2 weeks of football-less experience ( after the UCL final), now football fanatics can enjoy a month long of football matches with this tournament underday in Switzerland and Austria. It started with host Switzerland losing to Czech. Tonight co-host Austria will most likely get same fate; losing to Croatia. But you'll never know.

This above is the official ball that will be getting the most attention during the game, either grabbed or kicked. Supposedly faster, swerves more, giving players better control and better grip for the goalies.

These are how the participating teams are grouped

Group A: Switzerland, Czech Republic, Portugal, Turkey
Group B: Austria, Germany, Poland, Croatia
Group C: Netherlands, Italy, France, Romania ( clearly the most interesting group)
Group D: Spain ,Sweden, Greece, Russia.

Only 2 teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage and that is where the games gets interesting. Extra times and penalty kicks; every team giving their all score more goals.

I personally think its Spain's year this time round. They do have the strongest team on paper and their style of play is really interesting, fast attacking football. Who would argue when u have the likes of Iker Casillas, Carlos Puyol, Sergio Ramos and Carlos Marchena manning the defence;
Cesc Fabregas, David Silva, Andres Iniesta, and Xavi bossing the midfield as well as Fernando Torres and David Villa up front. Not forgetting people like Xabi Alonso and Marcos Senna available.

But as we all know, they have disappointed from tournament to tournament. sigh. Same goes to Holland. Great team on paper, but can't seem to deliver on the field. IT really goes down to tactics and a huge chunk of luck.

Notable absentee in this tournament will be England. haha..
you will not be missed. Thats for not performing in qualifying and not getting the results against the teams that mattered.

Ciao

Petrol Hike..RM1.92 > RM2.70

2008-06-04T22:58:00.005+08:00

The inevitable has happened. The much talk about reduced subsidy of petrol prices since last year, i think, has happened.

Gone are the days where we enjoy RM1.92 per liter of petrol as our beloved government decided to remove the subsidy, raising the price of petrol to RM2.70 per liter.

And there rumors that it may still go up as we approach August given the increase of crude oil prices around the world. It will not soon before long that we will need to pay market prices for petrol which is about RM3.20 per liter before tax. After taxing it, it should be touching the RM4 per liter line. Those are the stipulated 'market price' of petroleum around the world...so they say.

Obviously most of us do not take this without a pinch of salt as it greatly affects drivers especially those form the middle or lower class in terms of income. Not only its harder for us to fork out a certain amount of money just to get ourselves from one place to another, but it will greatly affect our life style.

I just calculated my own car petrol price. When it was at RM1.92 per liter, a full tank for my car will be around RM67-RM69, approximately 35litres. Now with that hike, i will be paying RM97 for a full tanks for petrol. its about at 40% increase. How can it not affect the lifestyle of people.
Prices are on a rise but our pays are not really keeping up with it, not the way we like it.

Some may argue, don't drive; take a public transport. I'd say screw that. Our public transport system are everything but efficient. Not to mention safety is neglected for commuters of public transportation. I remembered once waiting nearly 2 hours for a bus which then takes another hour plus just to get me home. 3 hours wasted for nothing? I dare say that the hike wont affect cause that much concern if and only if our public transport system is a lot more efficient. The way it is managed leads to the need of everyone owning a car of their own in order to get from place to place.

Now it seems driving here is not really the way to go. Road tax cause relatively high...for cars with higher cc, car duty is enormous, tolls are damn expensive and now a liter of petrol can almost buy u a plate of nasi lemak tambah telur dadar + ais kosong.

I kinda foresee inflation happening as an increase of petrol will definitely lead to increase of prices of stuff every where...namely food. Even the price of padi has increased by 100%. Soon long gone will be the days where we have Nasi Kandar Ayam for less than RM5 at our regular mamaks. If this goes on, it may be a lot cheaper eating fast food.

As i type this, people are now making their way into petrol stations trying to get the 'cheap' petrol that will be no more as off midnight today. Its kinda like a war field there. People trying to get into petrol kiosk queuing up to wait for their turn...its madness i tell u.
I cant imagine the situation in Taman Connaught now. The infamous night market is there today, already causing a congestion there. Now add the 2 petrol kiosk there and god knows the number of cars there...both getting to the pasar malam as well as trying to get the last drops of RM1.92 petrol.

Thanks to Earl aka. kukujiao.com for giving me the heads up at 4pm today and i filled up my tank at 5pm while the news have not reach many and petrol kiosk are still relatively empty. I can still take my time to clean my windscreen. Try doing that at 9pm. you might just get slaughtered.
haha

A short video from Earl and u know what i mean

Thats all for now..byebye RM1.92/l petrol.

Somebody kill me...please

2008-05-25T16:51:00.002+08:00

Stuff happened over the days and honestly...
now i don't know how to think, react and gain control over myself over this matter.

every thing now seems oblivious to me now and i am feeling very numb.

I've been thinking that the best way is to isolate or distant myself from the source. But however...its easier said than done.

May be taking a break from everything and taking a time out myself; concentrating on myself and my career..

But...easier said than done..,

p/s know any good counselors?

Malaysian Artistes For Unity

2008-05-20T11:18:00.002+08:00

Heard this over the radio the other day. It was a nice touch.

Credits goes to Pete Teo for coming up with this idea; bringing together Malaysians and trying to instill brotherhood or sisterhood and love towards the country..

Enjoy it here

or you could just click here to download the song.

Times when MSN chats are pointless

2008-05-10T22:04:00.003+08:00

It all started as a simple conversation that some how, eventually turned into this

or this..

Pointless no?

Ben Arfa heading to Emirates?

2008-05-10T21:46:00.003+08:00

After the mini exodus the past week, with Flamini swapping the Gunners for Milan, news the Hleb is looking to buy out his contract for a move the Inter and Adebayor making some ridiculous contract demands, there is finally some good news for Arsenal.

I'm still unsure whether if its true or not, but is seems reported the Arsenal has secured a €16M deal to bring highly sorted talent, Hatem Ben Arfa from Lyon to Emirates.

Ben Arfa

Its hard to believe as we know that its rather rare for Wenger to splash out that kind of money. Great addition to the squad if it does go thru. The dazzling displays of this 21 year old over the year in France as well as in the Champions League really does attract interest from a number of big clubs.

Other news also include the another French winger, Samir Nasri may just follow Ben Arfa over to Arsenal. His club, Marseille are reported willing to do business if an offer between €12M to €16M comes around.

Samir Nasri

The search for a strong centerhalf may have also reach its conclusion as Arsenal have reported to have made a decent offer for relegation threatened Valencia's defender Raul Albiol.

Raul Albiol

But what gunners fan would like to see wearing the Arsenal kit will definitely be David Villa, after he openly declared his desired to play in England for Arsenal. He is rather costly and only time will tell he Mr. Wenger does make an effort to welcome Villa to the Emirates.

David Villa

Iron Man

2008-05-08T23:19:00.008+08:00

" The truth is....I'm IRON MAN"

dang dang dang...*credits roll*

Just came back from watching Iron man with some buds.

Verdict is..

Different marks of Ironman

IT A MUST WATCH!!! The storyline was great (IMO), graphics is superb and Gwyneth Paltrow ( playing Tony Stark's assistant, Pepper Potts) is just so hot in this movie

Pepper Potts ( Gwyneth Palthrow)..I want an assistant like her....lol

The story goes, it started with ..... go watch la..its goooood!!

Its probably the next best Marvel comics based movie since Spiderman, which in my opinion was not that great after dragging it over 3 movies. The first 2 was great but the 3rd was not what i expected after what the 1st and the 2nd offered.

Spiderman looking all emo

Iron is definitely a great movie to watch and a prefect show to kick off a line of superb movies to look forward to, namely HELLBOY2

p/s : stay after the credits, there is a short secret ending, which may tell viewers and Marvel fans what they can expect.

on a side note....

Detour to Penang: Day 1 (1/5/2008)

2008-05-07T23:11:00.009+08:00

Now listening to Rob Costlow - Solo Piano

It all started with an initial " long weekend with nothing to do....". Some friends were planning for a trip to Penang and we decided to tag along, make a nuisance of ourselves and made a makan trip up north to Penang. Accommodation, fortunately was not a problem. So that's settled, all we need to worry is finding what and where to eat. So we, myself, Eddy, Jing, Dennis, Ann (lol) and Angel made a trip up north...

Started my journey up north from KL at about 0900, going through Ipoh for some lunch and ice coffee, and finally reaching Penang at about 1500 if I'm not mistaken. Hurried to the condominium, to freshen up and unpack before setting out for our 1st stop.

View inside and outside our condominium....

Then our 1st stop was Swatow Lane's Sin Se Kai or New World. It was a hot day and what better way to cool it down than a bowl of ice cool Ais Kacang and Cendol. I had the cendol and i would say it has nothing really special. But on a hot afternoon, anything cool tastes good. Others ordered the Ais Kacang Special; regular ais kacang topped with assorted tropical fruits; which consist of mango, papaya, banana...i suppose thats it.

We can't resist but to give in and ordered the oyster omelette or we and the locals call 'or chian'.
Egg, some batter and fresh oysters and you will get

Next stop was for fresh coconut at Abu Siti Lane...and somehow the dude we called for directions managed to give us abu-siti-link. Again, nothing really special as what we had there was fresh young coconut.

The dude cutting the coconuts open is obviously damn strong as all he did was swing his 'knife' and the coconut can do nothing but be cut opened like a hot knife through butter. Its sweet, fresh and tasted just like a coconut. ( one of my friends asked me what it tasted like).

The off to Batu Feringgi to catch the sunset. Traffic there was rather conjested as people are trying to move in and out of the area and at the same time, the roads ain't that wide. The attraction there was definitely the beach as well as the famous night market there. You can get almost everything from CDs, clothing, accessories and even a Gucci bag. Fake one la.

We can jet ski there

Even ATVs are available there

Horseback riding too...enjoy your ride as the horse shits all over

Dont know what is this called but that odd thing there seem like a rubber boat being pulled by a speedboat.

And obviously enjoy the sunset. It was a beautiful sight also due to the clear weather then.

Some roundabout near Gurney Drive

The off the Gurney Drive for our dinner. Plenty of foods galore and obviously that place is packed. Did not take any pictures of the food as we are too famished to wait for anyone to take any pictures. We ordered fruit rojak which was damn good, Muachi, Sotong kangkung, Pork Satay, Fried chicken skin, Ikan bakar, another helping of Or Chian and....i think thats about it.

Soon, Diana joined us and so starts my torment. Well, with her around i am not to laugh as part of the deal with her. Loser owes the victor a box of Tau Sa Pheah. Small wager only lar..Obvious to say, I'm kinda fighting a losing battle. They are trying everything in the book to try to make me laugh. It was torture i tell you. Fortunately that deal ends at noon the next day.

After dinner, we went back to the condo and my torment continues. I can't even seek refuge in my own room to keep myself from laughing. Imagine someone telling you a joke or even doing something crazy to you, and all you can do is look back with a -_- face. It was it think 0200 when I gave in. Something really funny happened and i can't help but to smile a bit. Can u imagine one crazy gal who splashed water (sprinkle...but SPLASHING) not on your head while another was ironing it? Talk about risk of being electrocuted. It wasn't even a laugh and i was judged to have lost the deal.. :(

Thats it for the 1st day. Will update more later on..

Crazy things that others will do to you...zzz

Ciao for now..

Song ending...I Stay In Love - Mariah Carey

Shits that happen at OldTown Cafe...

2008-05-04T22:20:00.005+08:00

Erm....how do i put this in a nice way...

Well, when one goes to a seemingly established food joint; OLD TOWN CAFE; one would expect somewhat a good and professional service.

However, that is not the case in our last visit there. As most frequent visitors to the cafe knows, we more or less check what we want to order and a piece of slip before handing it over to the waiter to get our orders done. So happens, there are new dishes available that is not on the piece of slip there. A Golden Pratha with Sausage and a plain one without the sausage; with butter and kaya I presume.

So we ordered the one with the sausage with the waiter. He does not seem local and as he repeated the order; he got the pratha with sausage order wrong, so what we did was we reiterate what we ordered so and hoped he does not get it wrong. He acknowledged that he got it right.

Guess what....

As it was served, it was the wrong order. We insist them to change it but he needs to consult his manager. His manager insisted that this order cannot be replaced and we will have to settle for it and order another one...I was like..WTF; and called for the manager..

So the manager came....all hell kinda broke loose. He insisted that the waiter repeated the order; but to us, it just wasnt repeated right. He kept insisting that we confirmed the order; but as we asked the waiter to repeat the order, they just left. WTF!!!
They voided the wrong order, as demanded by our part; but did not even serve us the correct order..

TALK ABOUT BAD CUSTOMER SERVICE!!!!

Not only he did not offered to replace the wrong meal which we were in a way cool with it, we don't play for what we did not order la. But not even a word of apology after making a mistake and came blaming us for that mistake? Moreover SHOUTING at us?

We soon found out the he was not even the damn manager; he is just the f$@king cashier. We called for manager and THE damn cashier came? walao....talk about walking in other people's shoe. Since when did he think he is the manager of that damn joint?

I personally dont blame the waiter but am rather pissed at the so called "manager" for managing the store and treating the customers the way he did. We did not really get his name, but somehow or rather, im planning to actually shoot out a complain letter to the head office of OLD TOWN COFFEE CAFE or watever its called.

We may not boycott the place as its kinda like a nice place to hang out, but if this SHIT continue to happen , we may just boycott the store for another branch nearby.

Btw, the branch I'm talking about is the one at Jaya1 ( correct me) at section 13 PJ.

Ciao.

Obama Craze in the States?

2008-04-23T23:28:00.002+08:00

I saw this news over at CNN which made my jaw drop literally. i was like :O

Apparently a plate of half eaten waffles and sausage, together with its cutlery; eaten by Obama himself was put on auction on e-bay. Its apparently plastic wrapped and frozen right after Obama left it there.

After about 36 bids or so; maybe less or more; it reaches USD 20100. Pretty shit expensive for some half eaten waffles don't you think?
Many would have though that is action would made the guy who posted it up smilling till his lips can't frigging stretch no more....

but the end of the description of the item was...
"money raised from the sale of Senator Obama's breakfast would "go to Hillary for President!!!! Haha.""

would you like pay usd20100 for half eaten waffles? you could get fresh ones with ice creams on top in AnW for less than 10 bucks..

adious

Add another title here....

2008-04-19T10:01:00.004+08:00

Listening now to : Ash Like Snow - The Brilliant Green

Its been a long while since the last post and its been a topsy turvy period of time since then.

Was at the Sean Kingston 'concert' last Friday. I wouldn't really called it a concert as, he blardy performed for only 30 minutes. In fact, I think the opening act by MC Jin was a whole lot more interesting. Sean Kingston aka. FDWKV ( Fat Dude With Kool Voice) came with 2 backup rappers, a DJ who in fact did most of the entertaining with mixing and pre-recorded vocals, as well as some bad-ass dulan looking body guards.

Even all that, the moment that chubby dude opened with " Me love" every girl in the hall literally melted...Its not to say that its a bad 'concert', but a world tour when only dropping by a Zouk and sing and dance for like about 30 minutes? He even showed his emo-ness on stage...haha
Its not a disappointing showcase, but it wasn't that impressive either. Prolly due to the fact that the tickets was free.

After that 'concert' jetted down over to Laundry for some drinks with some friends. They actually did something that i would say ' siao'. Malibu Surf tasted like cough mixture and it was too damn concentrated. So, we MUST add some ice to dilute it a bit, along with some PussyCat and Tequila Sunrise along with some white wine Obviously the outcome wasn't as expected. I thought i tried the Colorado Bulldog. When it arrived, my drink looked like Nescafe Ping' from some higher grade mamak. It wasn't that bad, a concoction of coffee liquor, cola and vodka.

Weeks work came and went. Was out of office the whole week as i need to attend to some stuff coming one after another at our Data Center.

Friday night came again, and i was declared emo for the day. zzz
Some stuff happened la. After work, i went with for some Korean BBQ with some friends. Well, the food was a whole lot tastier and more savory compared to the last one i had. This store passed my taste and it was good. Well worth it.

We then went over to Laundry and started off with the Blue Margarita tower to ' wash' and 'clear' ourselves. Then Eddy ordered this for me....
Obviously thats not the real picture. Its googled. No pictures was taken then unfortunately, but a short video of me downing it was taken -.-.

In case for those who don't know. Its the Flaming Lamborghini. A concoction of, Blue Curacao, Sambuca, some coffee liquor and some Galliano ( or something or rather...don't remember the spelling). Its where several glass for stacked up into a tower like contraption with the coffee liquor+Galliano(?) at the bottom. The Sambuca was set a flamed and was pour over from the top of the 'tower'. As it flowed into the coffee liquor, the Blue Curacao was added into. And that i went i sticked the straw into the liqour and start sipping it dry..Careful not to get hair burned. It was good, but the afters, i felt my throat and the part where the drink flowed into my stomach as thou it was burning. Got really dizzy then after that. Fortunately i can still drive. Thanks to Eddy for tailing my car all the way home.

Was sent this by Kazuki. Apparently he is some Japanese Comedian acting gay, a former wrestler. Dont mind the title, enjoy the video. Its really funny. Hoooooo!

Thats about it i guess.

Song: Feel Like Home - Fort Minor