Terrible Case

Malaysian Election 2008

2008-03-11T13:47:00.003+08:00

So, another general election has come and go. Unless you are a Malaysian stuck in the harsh weather of Antartica (another BN's sponsored expedition?), you should have already known the result. What does the result mean for the the average person in the street? Yes, BN is denied a 2/3 majority in parliament. Yes, the coalition of DAP, PKR & PAS had conquered 5 states in the peninsular. Yes, there was a tremendous swing in votes in favour of the coalition. BUT, how is this beneficial for the people?

In the immediate aftermath of what they labelled as a "political tsunami", the KLSE drops a massive 130+ index points and continues to drop, the leadership at the top remains unchanged, the mainstream medias are still in a state of denial, the price of essential items remains the same etc. Obviously, one wouldn't expect rapid changes but indications are there that the powers that be who are still clinging on to their comfort chairs are still defiant! Therefore, it can be safely assumed that these buggers are what a former Australian PM termed Dr Mahathir as "recalcitrant"!

Believe it, these buggers will continue their sloppy administration, wield their "keris", give remarks that would make George W Bush sounds like Bob Hope and squander public funds. This recalcitrant bunch would make you squirm like a worm, toss in bed like an earthquake, cry like a baby and perhaps the occasional laugh as they perform their Mr Bean antics. No lesson learn, no quarters given. 2/3 majority is not important, son-in-law not in charge, no pressure to resign. Some of the comments PM Badawi made in the aftermath but does he also realise that there is no vote of confidence either?

In the meantime, the Hindraf 5 are still in jail, the Indians are still neglected, the Chinese can't build more temples nor schools, the Malays will not receive the goodies they were promised in NEP and I am still paying RM1.92/litre for petrol. Life goes on I guess. I am however, waiting in anticipation for the coalition to reveal the finances in the 4 new states they conquered. It wont surprise me however if they found nothing!.....meaning there's nothing left in the coffers.

Annoyance & such

2008-01-14T15:54:00.000+08:00

As the first post of the year that is 2008, I present to you a list (don't we all love lists) of everything that annoys me. All the stuff in the list represents the almost everyday occurance in Malaysia, so I wont include stuff like Mat Rempit which is as foreign to the rest of the world as having knowledge of how some people manages to fart and burp at the same time. But enough blabbing and let's go to the low down.

1. Supermarket Sample Day

Almost every weekend when you visits your local supermarket (or hypermarket), there will be a lot of promotions inside the market itself. Here one can sample a variety of newly introduced and also some established food products served to you in small cups or in very tiny tidbit size. It is noble (are you sure that's the word? - Ed) of these company to use this kind of method as part of the product's promotion. I use the word "noble" because the way some people approach this is to gorge up all the available food there by taking seconds or thirds not to mention the participation of the whole family! Heck, it's like a picnic to them. I am not complaining that I couldn't get my fair share of the err...meal. But it's ridiculous how some of these people actually waits for promoters to finish cooking or pouring the stuff, gorge it all up and then have the cheek to comment on how the food or drink taste like shit.

2. Weekend Parking

Another thing that is a genuine annoyance to most Klang Valley residents is the unavailability (or rather a lack) of parking space in ALL malls! It's annoying because one have to wake up early Sunday morning and rush to any mall before 11am to get decent parking spaces. After that, it's the survival of the most alert or the most patient.

3. The Emergence of Flea (Street) Markets

I have nothing against this but don't they have anything else to sell besides clothing and more clothing?

4. The Lack of Promotion from Celcom

No, I am not in love with this telco provider but just for the sake of convenience, why don't they organise road shows to promote their mobile broadband? I want to compare their service with that of Maxis but alas, one can only see the latter and Digi competing. Kudos to the Celcom management for being able to keep their company afloat despite the lack of promotion. And no, Giggs and Terry doesn't inform me of anything besides powerful.

5. The Lack of A Real Mobile Phone

Why oh why don't the mobile phone makers er..make a phone that doesn't have a camera built in anymore? I want a decent phone (not those cheapo ones) that doesn't have this function. Do we all really love photography so much so that we can't live without having a camera?

Welcome

2007-06-21T22:32:00.000+08:00

As you may have noticed, there hasn't been a new post for nearly a year. Answers on the usual address please.

Sleeping (& snoring)

2006-12-23T13:50:00.000+08:00

I love to sleep because it is both pleasant and safe to use. Pleasant because one is in the best possible company and safe because sleep is the consummate protection against the unseemliness that is the invariable consequence of being awake. What you don't know won't hurt you. Sleep is death without the responsibility.

No civilized person goes to bed the same day he gets up. That's why the amount of sleep required by the average person is about 5 minutes more. The worst thing about sleep is snoring but there's only one sure cure for it - insomnia. There is no way to find out why a snorer can't hear himself snore.

Laugh and the world laughs with you, snore and you sleep alone. :)

Glory Glory!!

2006-12-19T02:28:00.000+08:00

Praise Buddha! I am back and alive! No, I'm not a reincarnation rather I'll be back blogging again. As I am one of Time magazine persons of the year, I feel it's my duty (ahem) to present to the world how terrible (or good) I can be in blogging. I am still trying to get my way round this Blogger beta thingy. By the way, who the heck put the chick above as cover? (You? - Ed)

Maria Sharapova (Part 2)

2006-02-17T01:31:00.000+08:00

It's unbelievable really. She was the first woman I ever featured here in my blog way back in 2004 and to date, that post remains the most popular ever. Apparently something (Google perhaps) pointed surfers from USA, UAE to Taiwan to this particular page. Here I am doing another piece on this lovely talent from Russia as a tribute.

Girl Next Door 2006

2006-02-03T11:13:00.000+08:00

Don't really know whether our local version of FHM have this but our neighbour down south have the exact replica of UK's version albeit no nudity. 100 girls handpicked by readers and through SMS voting only one will emerge victorious (but of course - Ed). As we all know (you think? - Ed), KL was voted by expactriates as having the most number of beautiful women, something which we should be really proud of and our neighbour down south gotta admit to that as I only managed to pick 5 girls from the list of 100. Which is rather worrying really as more Singaporean men are marrying Malaysian women (and that's a fact? - Ed). Anyway, enjoy what they have to offer for the moment AND if I may say so, my vote goes to Rachelle Wan.

Rebecca Lim

2006-02-03T11:03:00.000+08:00

Rebecca who? She's nobody really at least not in Malaysia. Got hold of a copy of Mobile World Singapore edition and this lovely lady was the front page gal. She looks absolutely gorgeous if I may say so. Well, abot more research (actually it's stated in the mag's article - Ed) reveals that she's actually Miss Photogenic for last year's Miss Singapore/Universe. How she didn't win bewilders me. Anyway, just want her to know, she's got at least one fan here in Malaysia.

Leah Dizon (Part 2)

2006-01-10T02:43:00.000+08:00

I just like how she appears on this page the moment you log into this site. She'll be a semi-permanent feature until I find another 'sundal' to replace her that is (hey! no offensive word please - Ed), appearing before my actual err..feature below. No, I haven't join her fanclub yet (You cheapo! - Ed).

If you don't like it, don't drive in KL la!

2006-01-10T01:53:00.000+08:00

Sample of some "marvellous" road ettiquttes found in Kuala Lumpur. This happened one fine peak hour morning on a road where a lot of parents uses to send their child to a school. The future of our future generation drivers are secured! Bravo!

Two way road turns to a one way Malaysian style!
Don't like my driving style? Up yours la!
Lorry? What lorry? If dare come and bang kaw me la!

DISCLAIMER : The writer is not responsible if the above driving methods results in prosecution from the relevant authorities. The writer however wish to express his delight that all those who are featured here will probably escape punishment.

How to find your own happiness

2006-01-10T01:02:00.000+08:00

A step by step guide to finding your own happiness

1. Spot a golden brown dyed hair Ah Beng anywhere (chances will be he knows where to get the stuff or know someone who does)
2. Get the mobile number of the dealer (always a prepaid) and keep it on your speed dial.
3. Call the bugger and tell him Ah Beng recommended him. (Warning! He might be suspicious of you initially thinking you are some BIB but convince him using some super Ah Beng language)
4. Always ask the price first before asking him to deliver.
5. Don't expect delivery to be made directly to your home. He's not Pizza Hut. Delivery will be made to clubs initially. After a few buys, only then will he deliver straight to your home.
6. Enjoy your happiness.

DISCLAIMER : The writer of this feature does not guarantee you will truly find happiness using the method above nor does he guarantee the effectiveness of the method (especially no.1). The writer also abstain responsibility should you managed to find happiness but decides to sue me for teaching you how to find happiness. For the authorities, I am not trying to promote stuff like what Huai Bin does. He does not own this blog nor do I allow such thing to corrupt my blog.

New Year New Hope

2006-01-10T00:49:00.000+08:00

10 days into the new year and here it is my first entry of 2006. I've made a vow to not post anymore travel logs coz it's just too boring. I will up the ante this year! More hardcore journalism is needed to survive nowadays. Yes, something in the mould of KOSMO (the newspaper) generalising anime as animated porn. They are that good. But of course most of you blog nerds would have heard (or read) of Huai Bin being hauled by the authorities for promoting illicit drugs. Kudos to the authorities for spotting that! Actually it wasn't even the authorities who spotted it initially. Yes, hardcore journalism did it! Some eagle-eyed reporter from a chinese daily apparently. Perhaps it was the two dude who got sacked recently. I wasn't sad when Huai Bin was "caught". Heck, he was wrong in posting such nonsense. Us Malaysians needs to be shielded from such evil!! How could he have been so immature and irresponsible? He may give all the excuses he wants justifying his action but mate, you are living in Malaysia. Period. You know the best part? This dude was even commended by some quarters for his excellent work with his blog. How ironic! Yes ladies and gentlemen. This is sixthseal bashing day.

OK..OK...I admit I'm jealous of his success. Heck, maybe I'll video myself shooting one day. That'll guarantee instant fame.

Bagan Lalang/Tanjung Sepat

2005-11-27T21:24:00.000+08:00

Bagan Lalang, situated a few kilometres from the town of Sungai Pelek in the district of Sepang, is a viable alternative to the beaches of Port Dickson. Bagan Lalang has a cleaner and wider beach front. Definitely not as crowded or busy as Port Dickson, the beach provides most necessity like public baths, food centre and lots of shady cooling trees. There's even a Seri Malaysia hotel nearby for those who prefer to stay overnight. Quite secluded and if you have nothing to do on a typical weekday, you can practically have the whole beach to yourself while you are relaxing reading a book.

After a day at the beach and when the hunger pang strikes, head over to Tanjung Sepat. There's a number of seafood restaurants and being a fishing village, the catch should be fresh. Don't forget to visit the "Lover's Bridge" (don't have the slightest clue why it's called that as it's more a jetty than anything else). Below the jetty, when it's the low tide, watch out for thousands of tiny crabs!

"Lover's Bridge" (no lover spotted and it's freaking jetty!)

Site of the Day

2005-11-27T00:22:00.000+08:00

Subservient Chicken

Just what the heck is the purpose of this website? Can someone enlighten me? This guy(s) have been doing this for years! While not entertaining lewd request, how often has he (or she) been entertaining request like flap your wings or do the moonwalk (which was done rather well in that costume). You definitely have to check this site out and err.. enjoy the chicken I guess.

Revival

2005-11-26T23:42:00.000+08:00

Miss me? I certainly hope so! Anyway, there's no excuse this time. Just plain freaking lazy! The aspiration of updating this blog at least twice a week was err..just aspiration. Reality is, I've been putting off this and that but in the end nothing gets done. To those who have commented on some posting, I apologise for not answering. I'm sure I'll get around to doing it soon (yeah right!). Truthfully, there's more comment spam than actual comments. Glad Blogger included the spam filter. OK..no more cock talking and time to get something done to this blog, content wise. When? I'll get around to it don't worry......eventually. To keep you guys occupied, here's a delicious picture for your viewing pleasure. The gals? Errr....how about that little picture of me at the top right corner? :)

LEAH DIZON Soon to be the planet's sexiest woman.

Aquaria KL

2005-08-30T21:30:00.000+08:00

You may not be a convention or exhibition 'kaki' but there is a reason to visit the spanking new Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. There is a distinct lack of aquarium in town, in fact there's none unless you count the giant aquarium shop near Shah Alam's Wet World as one. So, every city needs one I guess. One would expect such exhibits to be near some zoo but hey, who's to argue if it's near the vicinity of KLCC. There is an admission charge however and be prepared to be taken aback by its quite steep price. There is an ongoing special "Merdeka" promotion going on however. If you decides to go there during the weekends and school holidays, be prepared to wait as the queue could stretch until the underground tunnel leading into Suria KLCC. Yes, there's a linkage between these two as you would expect.

There are as you would expect lots of different marine life but the main attraction of Aquaria is the underwater world (experience the ocean below without getting wet and in the comfort of air conditioning and err..glasses). Very much comparable to Singapore's version if not better but definitely much better than the one at Langkawi. Star of the err..pond will have to be the Sand Tiger Sharks.

Hazy Shades Of Winter

2005-08-11T22:52:00.000+08:00

Alright, it's not exactly winter here. In fact there ain't no such things as winter here. Just thought the title sounds nice and was a hit song by The Bangles if I'm not mistaken. Friends over at Penang and Johor must be laughing at us, the Klang Valley residents. Why not when one can't even see beyond 500 metre (at certain places) with this thick foul haze hovering above and around us. But hey..laugh it up! The wind could change anytime soon! Once again, thanks to our neighbour, we are 'enjoying' this annual haze festival. Only this time it seems worst!! Our leaders refrains and would not utter it but hey...this is a blog and what the fog! What the F**K are you Indonesians going to do about the peat and forest fire in your freaking land??? Don't you know it's affecting my pleasure in smoking cigarettes? Speaking of which, this 'imported' haze is pretty ironic for those who detest second-hand smokes.

Expressway at 6pm and hey you driver up front...your tailgate is missing a light! Can I send this to JPJ? :)

Business Must Be Bad

2005-07-25T21:44:00.000+08:00

There just aren't enough dead people nowadays. Business is so bad for this "undertaker" that they'll have to err..unclog your pipes instead.

Movie Review 2

2005-07-07T22:21:00.000+08:00

INDEPENDENCE DAY vs WAR OF THE WORLDS

The problem with War Of The Worlds (WOTW) and I suppose with Steven Spielberg was that Independence Day (ID4) preceeds it 9 years ago. I can understand the frustration (if any) for Mr.Spielberg. The storyline for both movie bears uncanny resemblance though it must be mentioned that WOTW is a remake and was written by a famous author. So ultimately the question would be; which of the two is better? I am sure Mr.Spielberg wanted to create WOTW with more or less the same effects as ID4 but couldn't because well...ID4 already exist and it would be foolish to follow the same route. ID4 had the mother of all err..mothership, the graphic and destructive invasion of earth, the aliens, dogfights, catfights AND most important of all, heroes. Spielberg can't re-create the same. He needed new directions. So he went for a more human touch and responses minus elaborate effects of destructions and battles. It's not that WOTW doesn't have its own heroes and special effects but the end of WOTW was very subdued. And very brief while we are at that! You wouldn't jump for joy when the invaders are finally defeated. ID4 had that. From the President's speech to the pilots before the ultimate showdown to the eventual destruction of the aliens, you could have joined in the celebration when you first watched ID4. OK, so the ending was a bit dodgy. Debated till this day was how the earth's computer OS (a Mac in this instance) is compatible with the aliens. Well, without spoiling it for those who haven't watched WOTW, the end of WOTW aren't that convincing either if I may say the least.

It must be said that at the present day, special effects doesn't surprise the viewers any longer. It won't have the same effect as when the first Star Wars came out nor when the liquid terminator made his appearance in Terminator 2 nor when the first dinosaur appeared in Jurassic Park and even to a certain extent, when the err..mother of all mothership appeared in ID4. Mr.Spielberg perhaps realized this and that was why the only alien craft you will see in WOTW is the err..tripods. So, is WOTW a complete failure and unwatchable? Not necessarily despite the absence of a plot. It has its own highlights (especially the basement scenes), irritating teenager and err..aliens who likes to snoop at people's stuffs. But this is definitely not a classic Spielberg film eventhough Tom Cruise gave one of his best performance. Dakota Fanning was excellent too.

Rating : ***

THE HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY
This is the fun movie of the summer! Staying with science fiction, this have all the makings of a perfect comedy. A homeless man, intelligent dolphins, a "kidnapped" president of the galaxy, damsel in distress, talking mice and perhaps the funniest of all characters, a suicidal depressive robot. Lots of British humour and since the demise of the Monty Python series, I guess this is the next best thing.
Another reason to watch this movie is Zooey Deschanel, a relatively unknown actress. OK, so John Malkovich is also in the film but Zooey, to me, is a breath of fresh air.

Rating : ****

Malaysia 101

2005-07-02T14:21:00.000+08:00

Excerpt from The Star 2nd July 2005

Eye-opening trip to US

BY SALMY HASHIM
WASHINGTON: Three Malaysian teenagers, who spent six months in small American towns, now have a kinder perception of the United States but blame the media for their negative portrayal of Muslim countries and America.

The three are among 30 Malaysian students who were selected to live and study in the US from January to June.

Guruparan Dharmalingam from Kuala Lumpur said media from both sides were to blame for the negative coverage, which had created hatred and fear.

Guruparan said he was shocked at the ignorance of Americans he met in Hueytown, Alabama.

“They don't know where Malaysia is, they have not heard about Islam, and they thought that I was an Iraqi.”

His classmates were impressed when he showed them pictures of Malaysia as “they thought we live in mud huts or on trees!”

For the benefit of any international viewers of this blog (especially Americans), here's a quick concise guide to what is MALAYSIA.

Location of Malaysia. Note that Malaysia is NOWHERE near Africa. Not to be confused with the country Mauritius or Malawi either.

View of Kuala Lumpur's (Malaysia's capital city) skyline at night.

OK..so the thing about us Malaysian living in mud huts and tress aren't entirely untrue. There are people here who lives at such places namely the Orang Asli (aboriginal people). Just as the Red Indians of North America, some Orang Asli retains the lifestyle of their forefathers. Put it this way, if us Malaysians are ignorant enough, we would have believed that Red Indians lives in some oversized ice cream cones. The Orang Asli here in Malaysia are colourful and unique, making them and the places where they stay a major tourist attraction.

It's understandable that not all Americans are ignorant of the facts of other countries around the world. After all, no one expects someone from Hueytown, Alabama to know such facts when there is no need to. Just as one wouldn't expect someone from say Grik (a town in Malaysia) to know about Burkina Faso (an actual country in Africa). The USA is a major power in the world; Malaysia is but a small player in the international scene and it's alright if someone from Alabama doesn't know about our existence. We shouldn't make a fuss about this apparent innocent ignorance but at the same time, both side would benefit from closer co-operation and more education. Here's my small part in helping to foster that.

Further Reads

1. Visit Malaysia
2. World Map & Facts
3. Malaysian Almanac

It's back...again!!

2005-06-27T18:44:00.000+08:00

Dateline 27th June 2005, Kuala Lumpur. The city is shrouded again in a thick blanket of haze. As in the last post on the haze, Malaysia's pride and joy, the Petronas Twin Towers is erm..missing again. No, this isn't the work of Al-Qaeda. The annual return of this lung choking smoke has left the citizens err..fuming. Seems like there's an early harvest in Indonesia or is it? Are we absolutely sure this haze is not from local sources? No official report as yet in the papers.

Ancasa All-suites Resorts Port Dickson

2005-06-26T14:18:00.000+08:00

It can't be denied that the beaches at Port Dickson is one of the most polluted in the country. However, there are still gem like the Avillion Village Resort. Of course, that would be at the high end of any budget. For something simpler and less attractive, there's the Ancasa All-suites Resorts. Situated at the popular beach stretch of Teluk Kemang, the "all-suites" in this instance doesn't mean it's the bona fide suite one tends to find at hotels. "Suite" in the sense that it's actually one to three rooms apartments. With price ranging from RM200 to RM500, it's quite an affordable accomodation albeit basic facilities. Sure, there are the usual swimming pool, restaurants, pub etc but it's nice to note that the management has devoted a large area for recreational activities.

A tropical garden, beach activities area (you don't have to go to the dirty Teluk Kemang beach), children's playground, 2 swimming pools etc, all in Balinese style. If you're looking for a quick affordable weekend getaway, Ancasa can be the perfect choice. If you don't mind the sometime faulty air-conditioning units that is.

CD Player Repeat Mode (Week 1)

2005-06-25T20:51:00.000+08:00

A bit old this but purchased recently from HMV Online on a bargain. Great set of mix including those by Benny Benassi, Basement Jaxx, Deepest Blue etc. A great release by the Ministry of Sound

Lovely lovely stuff from the erm..thin one. On heavy rotation after being "found" again! Looks like this was a week of "rediscovery". What's up with her lately BTW?

New Look

2005-06-23T17:09:00.000+08:00

I've finally got around to change the appearance of this blog. It's fitting in a way because this blog has been around for a year and it's time to change (some of you complained about the plain look). Blue is my favourite colour so this is quite appropriate. Something tells me I still need to tweak this blog. If I only know what to do and HOW to do it. Changing this took me nearly a whole day! I hope there are some beautiful and intelligent women out there who can guide me to tweak my blog. Wishing thinking perhaps. Anyway, let me end this post with one of my favourite quotes...

"I should like to elbow aside the established pieties and raise my martini glass in salute to the mortal arts of pleasure"

Bob Shacochis

Movie Review

2005-06-22T14:12:00.000+08:00

Normally I wouldn't do this but lately I've been going cinema crazy. I've watched just about everything the cineplexes have to offer. Obviously, I didn't miss any of the recent summer blockbusters. Here are a few of them and my own short little review of each.

Revenge Of The Sith

STAR WARS : EPISODE 3 REVENGE OF THE SITH

All the hype leading to this release, all the loose end that needs to be tied up in this trilogy prequel. It's all here, I guess. Witness how Anakin Skywalker turns to the dark side of the Force and became Darth Vader. However, I must admit and without being a spoiler to those who haven't seen this movie, that the reason for Anakin's eventual transformation was rather err..lame. I've expected more and didn't get any. Still, it was a sight to behold the moment Darth Vader reappears again with that familiar scary breathing. 28 years is a long time and George Lucas did a fine job (despite criticism of Episodes 1 & 2). For me, I can't wait for the DVD release of Episode 3 so that I can watch both set of trilogies at one go! Still, it would be funny to listen to Obi Wan Kenobi explaining to Luke Skywalker in Episode 6 of how he first met Luke's father, Anakin. Something Lucas didn't fix.

Rating : ****

Yucks!

MR.& MRS.SMITH

This has to be one of the worst movie I've ever seen. OK, there's 2 beautiful people starring in this movie. And I'm afraid that's just about it! Sitting through 1 hour and 55 minutes (less in Malaysian cinemas due to censorship) of this movie was in a word, torturing. I nearly walked out of this movie if not for a certain person. Enough said.

Rating : * (the sole star only for the casting)

Yummy!

THE INTERPRETER

They say fine wine gets better with age. I'll say the same thing about Nicole Kidman. She just look amazing in this movie and her chemistry with co-star Sean Penn was absolutely sizzling. Even more than the supposed chemistry between a certain Mr.Pitt and Ms.Jolie. And oh...the movie itself? One of the best movie of the year so far. There's enough twist and turn, adequate action sequence, thrills and spills. Highly recommended (even if you don't like the movie, Ms.Kidman is enough reason to spend your money on this movie).

Rating : ****

The return of the caped crusader

BATMAN BEGINS

I gave up on the Batman series after the first sequel. However, with new director and casts and the promise of a much darker version, I had to see it. And surprise surprise, it didn't disappoint. There wasn't any timeline mentioned though from the looks of it, it could be the present or a not so distant future. Which creates a problem if 'Batman Begins' is supposed to be the prequel to the first Batman starring Michael Keaton. In the latter, the scenes looks more retro. It's irrelevant I guess because Gotham City looks completely different from the previous Batmans. Go watch this with an open mind if the previous Batmans has corrupted it. The mention of a future villain at the end of this movie was a nice touch.

Rating : ***

Delicious soon to be Mrs.Cruise

LADY BOSS

OK..I didn't see this one! :) Is there any reason (Ning Baizura could be one) to see it? Answer on the usual address please.

The importance of blogging

2005-06-15T11:59:00.000+08:00

Yes, I am back and running after a self-imposed excile of err...a few months. That's the time when I managed to reflect on the going-ons of my own life and hopefully re-emerged a better man *sic*. Actually, it's a miracle that through the months of non-blogging, the hit counter below this page has gone up consistently meaning there are still people out there who regularly visits this page. And I thank you very much for it. People from as far as Mexico, Morocco, United States etc and that's where it hits me....blogging is important! Here we are, representative of our own country, so it's either a hit or miss in the promotion of your country. I'm sure many people around the world still has misconception or are ignorant of the facts about Malaysia. No country is perfect of course and my policy is not to make this as another tourism related page (where everything is rosy). You can of course check out blogs by fellow Malaysians at the links provided on the right. Meanwhile, here are some sampling of what Malaysia has to offer. More to follow soon...

And err...did I mention this is my blog's FIRST ANNIVERSARY?

Faces of past & present Prime Ministers carved with sand at A'Famosa Resort, Melaka

Cowboy town at A'Famosa Resort, Melaka

KL Bird Park

Cool waterfall

Sunway Lagoon Theme Park

World's longest pedestrian suspension bridge at Sunway Lagoon Theme Park

Apologies all around

2005-05-12T14:13:00.000+08:00

Mmmm

Really sorry for the lack of (or rather non-existence) update the last 3 months. Besides being away, have been tied up with many stuff. Rest assured (for regular visitors, if any, of this page), I will get my act together again pretty soon.

Chaozhou City, China (Part 3) UPDATED

2005-02-17T21:51:00.000+08:00

Updated 24th February 2005

A majestic pagoda in the middle of a public park

Hanjiang Bridge

Tien Hou Temple

Entrance of Tien Hou temple

Walkway of a public park

Roadside stall selling cigarettes

A typical narrow street in the old part of Chaozhou

One morning beside the lake

Serene condition

Old colonial building (The English were here back in Chaozhou glorious days)

Full of lush trees

Trees that grows on wall

Brief history

Fotress protecting the Langxilou building

Light beacon

Another view of the Hanjiang River from Langxilou building

The Langxilou building (ancient well on the left)

The well, now dry and full of notes and coins..a dry wishing well

Chaozhou City, China (Part 2)

2005-02-08T14:35:00.000+08:00

Night scene at Chaozhou Square

Entertainment for the mass public comes in the form of a spectacular water and light display at Chaozhou Square which is free of charge and starts from 8pm everyday. It seems ridiculous that some of us have to pay to watch similar display back home (Mines Theme Park comes to mind). Tourists and Chaozhou residents throngs to the square in numbers without fail every night as the square doubles as a public park with many variety of flora.

Evening at Chaozhou Square

Pretty fountains lined up for your viewing pleasure

A huge square cum park for a city smaller than KL

Clock tower on the left, bank on centre & city's only 4-star hotel on the right

Clever use of water spray which doubles as a huge video screen (not visible through camera lens)

Let the light show begins!

Water display at all four corners of the square

to be continued...

Chaozhou City, China (Part 1)

2005-02-04T16:40:00.000+08:00

The city of Chaozhou, 40km from the port city of Shantou in the north east Guangdong province, is a classic tourist city as stated in the brochures and many other references. I had a brief glimpse during my last visit but this trip is rather different as I managed to explore a bit more.”A classic tourist city” not in the sense that it provides a lot of amenities but rather in the historical sense as this city seems to be full of it. Chaozhou is the Mandarin name for Teochew. 2 things springs to mind by the mere mention of Teochew namely the mandarin oranges and porridge. This city is developing (which China’s city isn’t?) judging by the number of new buildings coming up. There’s no shortage of hotels here ranging from 4 stars to budget. Getting around the city is a breeze as it is full of trishaw of the manual and motorized type. RMB3 to 5 is enough to get you to your destination. Don’t expect though to get anywhere if you don’t know at least the Mandarin language. Best if you know the Teochew dialect. Besides the famed Teochew porridge, the city serves the usual Chinese cuisines though special mention must be given to the abundance of Sichuan cuisines here. Other than that, there’s a grand total of 2 KFC and 1 McDonald’s here. Which is a blessing!

Aboard a trishaw on a narrow street of Chaozhou

Chaozhou Square (more of this in the next part)

Hanjiang Wall, dating back from the Ming Dynasty

Tiny entrance across the wall

The wall stretches to about 5km now and used to protect the city of Chaozhou from invaders

View from the top part of the wall

Hanjiang River, much of it dry now due to the declining rainfall

The ancient Hanjiang bridge, now under restoration

Drawing of Chaozhou during the Ming Dynasty

The new Hanjiang bridge, another ultra modern one is going to be constructed soon.

to be continued...

SMS scam - the saga continues

2005-01-15T14:05:00.000+08:00

I've highlighted about this in a previous post entitled "SMS chat". I've even posted the link of that post to Maxis (my cell operator) and Evo22 (company responsible for these SMSes). Apparently, nothing has been done yet as evidenced by these messages I receives regularly and from the same nickname! Look at these messages carefully and pay attention in particular to the dates. Of course this time I didn't reply to any of these messages but this "WK" is one persistent fella I tell you. Either that or this proves my theory correct about random automated messaging created by the company which provides this service itself in order to gain more dough generated from replies to the number. By the way, as you might have guessed, Evo22 and this 36322 thingy operates a supposedly SMS chat program. Much like the internet instant messaging but the difference is this is done between mobiles. Each reply to the number will be charged 30 sen.

Most people I'm sure wouldn't mind if this service is genuine and messages are from real people. But I don't think this is the case and this is indeed sad because in a way, it's a scam. It seems more and more of these 5 digit SMS number thingy are springing up in the country and something must be done to regulate the services. The cellular companies are not doing much OR are not willing to do anything (they do receive a portion of the monies from the SMSes), so I guess it's about time the government steps in before this blows out of proportion. What's stopping them from in future provides pornos?

Innocent question and greeting initially from this mysterious person

OK...this is getting annoying...happy countdown at the 3rd of January?

I'm beginning to feel lonely if this goes on

Tsunami Aftermath

2005-01-03T16:11:00.000+08:00

It's the year 2005 already and most people around the world entered it with sombre mood. 8 days after the tragedy struck, millions of people around the affected areas are still suffering from it. Threat of starvation and disease is looming even as international aid begins to trickles in. The grim task of recovering the bodies, some of which may never be found, falls upon the shoulders of all relief and rescue workers. It's heartening to know that people from all over the world are chipping in to help in what experts call "the greatest natural disaster". Flags are flying at half-mast even at places half way around the world.

In Malaysia, scores of organization are helping to either collect cash donations or contributions (clothings, food etc). It's the same scene all over the world. No consoling words can relief the victims but it's heartening to know that some political barriers have been breached. Tamil rebels and Aceh insurgents are laying down arms. Cross section of people from different religions are working together. This is perhaps the light at the end of the tunnel which is much needed as countries affected tries to re-build.

Paradise lost, destructions, weeping men & women, the grim aftermath.

All the affected countries

Sources : AP/AFP

Tsunami Disaster

2004-12-30T23:35:00.000+08:00

The number of dead currently has risen to 114,000. Survivors are now at risk of many diseases. There's shortage of clean water, food and medicine. All grim facts and figures greets us day after day since tsunami struck South Asia on the 26th of December. Malaysia, death toll stands at 66 people not including the missings, has declared that there will not be any celebration to usher in the new year on midnight 31st December. I sincerly hope that the general public will donate a portion of the money they have allocated for the celebration tomorrow night to the various NGOs and funds set up to help the Tsunami victims.

Please direct your generous donation to the followings:

International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent

Unicef

Malaysian Tsunami Disaster Fund

OR other NGOs you are familiar and comfortable with with your donations.

Bird eye's view of the destruction at Gurney Drive

Seconds before the wave strikes a row of fishing village at Telok Bahang, Penang

Multiple waves hitting the shores of Penang

Pictures courtesy of Ben, Leslie and Agnelo.

Tsunami hits Malaysia (more pictures)

2004-12-28T21:21:00.000+08:00

The killer tsunami which hit South Asia has now claimed more than 29,000 lives including 58 in Malaysia. More death are to be expected. It's indeed a very sad way to end the year. I sincerly hope there won't be any extravagant celebration for the coming New Year 2005 because of this disaster. The figures are getting worst day after day. These pictures captured the moments during and after the wave that lashed through Penang. Many thanks to zapzone8, wongls, ronn and zendened for these pictures.

This family seems oblivious to the impending wave in the background

The calm before the coming havoc. The usual family stroll along Gurney Drive about to take the turn for the worst!

Wave lashing onto Gurney Drive

First series of wave to hit Gurney Drive

All hell breaks loose!

A sampan thrown by the force of the wave onto the road near Ferringgi.

The mess at Gurney Drive

The seafood restaurant near the roundabout of Gurney Drive

More mess

A poignant scene from Penang

If you wish to help, please pledge your donation to The International Red Cross Federation Please support them. Alternatively, you can also contribute to the Malaysian Tsunami Disaster Fund.

Tsunami hits Malaysia

2004-12-27T21:27:00.000+08:00

At around 9am on the 26th December 2004, I felt a slight tremor in my condominium building which lasted for about 5 seconds. I didn't think much of it as I thought it was just me having a terrible hangover from a late night binge. A few hours later, disaster struck the coastal states of Penang, Kedah, Perak and Perlis. Shock waves of a terrible earthquake in Sumatra created tsunami waves which lashes through South Asia. At the time of writing, at least 21,000 people were reported dead and thousands other missing in the countries of Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Maldives, Myanmar, Bangladesh and even Malaysia where more than 50 were reported dead. This is indeed a sad day for Malaysians where we always thought of our country as being natural-disaster free. After the events of 26th December, that thought has been shattered. My condolences goes to all victims.

UPDATED (28th December 2004): News reports are coming in stating that the death toll in Indonesia alone could reach 20,000! At the time of writing, more than 22,000 death spreading across 10 nations.

The International Red Cross Federation is calling for emergency aid. Please support them. Alternatively, you can also contribute to the Malaysian Tsunami Fund.

The tsunami wave caught on camera from a plane over the coast of Malaysia. (Picture courtesy of Weng/Davis)

The coast of Batu Ferringhi, Penang. (picture courtesy of The Star)

Somewhere near Gurney Drive I pressume. (picture courtesy of BBC)

Boat caught in a swirl off the coast of Penang (picture courtesy of BBC)

Waves seen here lashing towards a Penang resort. (picture courtesy of BBC)

Marooned boats near Penang (picture courtesy of BBC)

The crowd at Port Dickson on the 26th of December, 2004. Oblivious to the happenings up north. Eventhough the tsunami effect reaches to the coastal area of Selangor, the authorities saw it fit not to warn the people here.

Calm sea off Port Dickson, 26th December 2004

Why I Love Malaysia

2004-12-20T22:28:00.000+08:00

This is afterall supposed to be a blog about Malaysia. I am hoping this can truly be a continuing series about everything that's well..uniquely Malaysia.

Very roadworthy vehicles

Spacious seating at Formula One GP

Flower appreciation

Night scenes to die for

Dodgy bumper stickers

Glorious sunsets

Bilingual population

International standard beauty queen

Personalised car plates not even the British can dream about

Genting Highlands - a photoblog

2004-12-13T21:13:00.000+08:00

Back home, I guess I can't get enough of the cool air in China, so decided to head uphill to the often blogged (I guess) hill resort of Genting Highlands. Famous for its casino, it's also making head way in other areas in particularly its theme park, both in and outdoor. Seriously overcrowded on weekends, it's nowadays a must visit for tourists because of its obvious draw.

True to its chinese name, "Yuen Ding", a typical cloudy day in Genting

The pagoda on the left seen from the top

A particularly foggy day...temperature was 16 degree

View of the outdoor theme park

The Venetian canal ride at First World...albeit a bit artificial.

Creepy guy "rowing"

Interesting views along the ride

Big Ben in Malaysia

Lady Liberty on a Harley!!

Oh..that name is such a dead giveaway!

A tall order! Comedy in one of First World's rather ridiculously priced restaurant

Another view of the canal ride

Guangzhou trip (Part 3)

2004-12-02T15:40:00.000+08:00

Back to Guangzhou, visitors would still find it uncomfortable to walk around the city by themselves because of the many stories they heard about China. While it’s alright and wise to take precautions about your wallet/handbags, there’s an increase police presence especially near tourist attractions. Otherwise, this city is a shopping haven especially at Beijing Road. Most “branded” stuff can be obtained here. At fixed priced shops, the salesgal/guy are very courteous and helpful but the downside of everything here is shoppers who will “potong q” at the cashier counters. If you think Malaysia is bad, wait till you see what’s happening here. Courtesy amongst the general population is still very low (spitting anywhere, dirty public toilets etc). However, those in the service industry are excellent indeed. Even toll collectors would greet and thank you. Price haggling is a norm at other shops though and you can use your Petaling Street tactics here. Businessmen however took a liking to Guangzhou because of its centralized wholesale markets. If you are looking for electronic products, you need only be in one area and the surrounding streets and buildings are full of it. Same goes for goods like stationeries, gifts, toys, fabrics etc. Most ‘made in China’ stuff you see in Malaysia originates from here. And you’ll faint when you compare the price they charge in Malaysia and the price they sell over here. It’s dirt cheap here! RM10 for 3 pair of socks? It’s possible to find RMB10 for 9 pair of socks here!

The Bintang Walk of Guangzhou..Beijing Road

Start of Beijing Road

The sparse crowd in the morning but come night time, all hell breaks loose.

Saturday noon at Beijing Road (lower resolution camera..sorry)

Going to the extreme to attract customers. This is a common phenomenon in this city. Salesgirl at some shops will stand in front of the shop and clap their hands to attract attention. Personally I find this a bit annoying.

The little salon where I got my hair coloured, washed & blow for RMB80 (RM40)

The morning after....

They are everywhere isn't it? A simple alternative from the usual dog's meat.

Come pay a visit to this city. It’s still at the moment a more affordable shopping and food haven alternative to Hong Kong. Malaysia Airlines have daily direct flights to Guangzhou from Kuala Lumpur

Guangzhou trip (Part 2)

2004-12-01T13:51:00.000+08:00

Beer lovers should find China a heaven too. While it is rare to find the likes of Carlsberg or Tiger, locally brewed beers are nice alternatives. The alcohol level of beers here might be a little lower but the smoothness of it is definitely something to shout about. No bitter aftertaste and goes down almost like water. Be warned though, since it’s so easy to drink, you might get drunk before you know it.

Best beer in Guangzhou...Pearl River

Going outside of Guangzhou, I have the chance to encounter exactly how developed China has turned out to be. As you can see from the pictures here, there are lots of expressways in and out of Guangzhou and it’s now possible to drive from this city to in the near future Beijing using only the expressways. All of it is tolled expressways though. If you think the tolls in Malaysia is high, wait till you see what’s going on here. I have the opportunity to visit Chaozhou which is situated about 500km from Guangzhou and the amount of toll accumulated was RMB360!! (RM180). One way! There’ll be mass riot in Malaysia if the toll charged is the same.

Toll plaza...no such thing as tags or TNG

Charming and courteous toll collectors

Barren mountains are common as it is dry season now.

Cloud formation can be seen outside of polluted Guangzhou

Sunset on the expressway

The small town (by China’s standard) of Chaozhou is charming enough if you are lover of the famed Teochew porridge. Otherwise, there’s really nothing to shout about other than being the porcelain capital of China. There’s less cars here and more bicycles and bikes, so the air quality is much better compared to Guangzhou. This town is perhaps overshadowed by the city of Shantou (hometown of Hong Kong’s richest man, Li Ka Seng) which is just about 30 minutes drive from Chaozhou. Basically a port city, it has its own international airport (no direct flights from KL though) and luxurious hotels.

The town of Chaozhou where I left my heart

Typical 'teochew' style houses

A Thai temple in Chaozhou

Shantou Gulf Bridge

The port city of Shantou

Blind dog pissing at the side of the expressway

Guangzhou trip (Part 1)

2004-11-29T22:32:00.000+08:00

The first thing that strikes you about this city is how hazy it is. As the plane approaches the airport, you can't see anything below until you clear the haze on a typical day. There's no Indonesian to blame here as the haze is caused by its local vehicles and industries. However, don't be surprise if you don't notice any black emission from the vehicles here. Unlike in Malaysia. The expressway from the new Guangzhou International Airport is impressive enough until you approaches the city when everything goes haywire. There's traffic jam alright in the city but the expressway remains clear. I was told only about 3% of the Chinese population owns a car. I shudder to think of the traffic problems here if the figure doubles. Which won't be a surprise because China is prospering. Rapidly it must be added.

If you can't speak Mandarin, the local people speaks Cantonese so it shouldn't be a problem if you're visiting here from KL or Ipoh. Typical of Canton people, they love to devour anything! Dog lovers should avoid the Guangdong province or this city in particular because dog meats are sold openly everywhere! And especially as winter is approaching. Exotic dishes like snakes, crickets, scorpions, maggots, grasshopper etc can be found here. But if you're not into these exotic food, normal Canton dishes can be found in abundance here. And it won't burn a hole in your pocket even if you decides to dine at restaurant similar to Tai Thong or Overseas in Malaysia. Disregarding the dog’s meat served here, food lover should find Guangzhou’s err..normal food to be heaven. While the pricing is something to shout about (7 dishes in a restaurant similar to Tai Thong in KL with fish, prawn & crabs cost only RM150+), the main emphasis here is the freshness of the food especially the meat dishes. Even some vegetables are plucked right out of small pots before cooking.

to be continued...

Guangzhou airport

Airport tower

Guangzhou city...note the 500 years old buildings/residence at the bottom

Left hand drive here...not as many bicycles but heck a lot of cars!

Guangzhou metro station...single line operation for now

Roundabout with a statue..typical of many Chinese cities

There's people everywhere in this city even backlane shops

Ahhhh...no where to run here! Beware of pickpockets though

Cabs are well equipped with iron bars!

Abundance of old buildings in this metropolis

A unique err..bus selling soft drinks

Kellie's Castle

2004-11-20T09:23:00.000+08:00

Located on the outskirt of Ipoh and before the town of Batu Gajah, this is another structure which reminds us of our colonial past. Built by a Scotsman, William Kellie Smith, a multi-millionaire who made his fortune in the late 19th century Malaya from rubber. However, there's little evidence of a rubber plantation around the castle as most of it had already been converted into palm oil plantation. Legend has it that this castle was unfinished because of the death of William's wife who were said to have plunged to her death from the top of this castle. Distraught, William decided to abandon the castle and return home to Scotland.

After being abandoned itself by the Perak government for many years, it has been turned into a tourist attraction. The castle used to be full of graffiti and was believed to be a junkies haunt. After a recent refurbishment, the authority see it fit to charge an admission fee for this place. Gone are the graffiti on the walls but the roof remain tarnished. Much of the structure of the castle remains in good condition and it's kind of the authority to built safety bars to avoid unsuspecting visitor from plunging down of the gaps in the castle.

Don't really look like a traditional castle, more like a huge bungalow

The tower

Moorish design reminiscent of the Sultan Abdul Samah building in KL

The corridor

One of many "secret" passage in the castle.

It's almost a 50 foot drop if it weren't for these bars built by the current management

View from the roof

The "decor" on the rooftop

Another section of the unfinished castle

Wouldn't look out of place in a cowboy movie

Duck Fun

2004-11-09T22:09:00.000+08:00

OK, I'll admit it. Only someone with a twisted mind like mine can come up with this lewd suggestion on a poster seen in a McDonald's restaurant recently. What were they thinking of when they came up with this poster?

Here duckie duckie..come for some suckie suckie.

Unfulfilled Desire

2004-11-09T20:25:00.000+08:00

What is it with men and their attraction for the fairer sex? With the exception of homosexuals, us men often find ourselves in a predicament each and every time we come across a women who in our own unique taste seem attractive. Single or not, this is happening to some significant percentage of the male population save for those goodie goodie type of person. We croon, we infatuate, we fantasize, we lust and all other sorts of concoction to sometimes more than one woman. Are we such beast that we are unable to control our libido? Or is it passion we are seeking? Passion that could be missing from an existing relationship perhaps? Is it always better at the other side? We are prepared to give it all, sacrifice even, just to be with that dream of ours. Or perhaps when deep inside we know that the object of our affection is unattainable, we lose appetite, lose our sense of direction, lose the will to live, lose a meaningful life or worse, lose everything fighting a lost cause. We often find ourselves begging to turn back the clock and correct past “mistakes” when we thought we’ve found that special someone that’s been the missing link all this while. Alas, there ain’t no McFly and DeLorean in this world, no 24 hour kiosk we can slot a few coins (or notes) in to bring us back to the past. It’s a sad little episode we have to deal with and deal with it some did. But what of the others?

And what if we managed to attain what we’ve been seeking? Will it be the start of another vicious cycle? Do we understand the meaning of the word “satisfaction”? Are we after all, romantic fools? Confused? Don’t be. Some of you who read this might just understand what I’m rambling about here. I make no apology for perhaps being too general here. I am a confused soul (or perhaps a fool) waiting for the right medicine.

Art Or Fart?

2004-11-01T20:56:00.000+08:00

Year end clearance of some stockpile pictures that either doesn't fit into any theme or I haven't thought of one yet.

Juxtapose

Double Splash

Passion Flower

Me & You

Intoxicated

Ocean Of Eternity

Lifeless Soul

The Nightfly

Cascades Of Color

Rage

Shun Japanese Restaurant

2004-10-28T01:11:00.000+08:00

Not my style really to write a food blog (the Japanese Food 101 post technically not a bona fide food blog :P) as there are countless of bloggers doing this but I thought what the heck. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em! Shun Restaurant, situated in Subang Jaya beside SJMC and next to Windmill steak joint. They serve set meals (Bento) and there's many variety to choose from. I highly recommend the 'Shun Bento' as it's really value for money at RM30++. It comes with the usual rice, miso soup, assortment of pickles, too foo, 4 slices of raw fish (sashimi), 2 piece of raw cuttlefish, assortment of tempura, 2 slice of unagi, salad, mashed potato...gosh I could go on. Satisfying meal and very filling. So empty your stomach before venturing here. Shun also serves a variety of sake. Lunch time is not too crowded but do make a point to make a reservation for dinner as this place is filled with customers especially of Japanese nationality (a sure sign of the authenticity and good Japanese food).

Nice facade

Friendly "staff" greets you at the entrance ;P

Chefs at work...quite chun la the waitress in red :P

Drinking water in unique container...not sake.

The "Shun Bento".....filling!

Unagi...a tad too soft.

Ratings

Ambience 7/10
Decor 7/10
Food 8/10
Service 8/10
Price 9/10 (higher indicates more value for money)
Smoking (yes)

How to roll a joint..opps cigarette

2004-10-23T13:46:00.000+08:00

When you're just lazing around with more time in your hand than there's money in your bank account, why not try rolling a cigarette? It sure beats the convenience of pulling that stick out from your normal box and it can be fun too. Of course there's no filter but how else can you enjoy the pure pleasure of tobacco smoke? The macho way of course would be to roll it with your bare hand but hey...I'm on to make full use of technology. Instead, get one of these rolling machine from a well-stocked mamak grocery store and of course get a pack of high quality tobacco too. The machine also comes in handy in case you wanna roll a joint. :P

40 gram of pure shagadelic tobacco

The Dutch are apparently famous for some other brownish stuff :P

Hash brown? Hell no!

The semi-auto rolling machine

Fill her up with those lovely brownies

Spin the wheel to roll the brownies

Use only the finest quality paper

Carefully place paper in the wheel making sure the gummed side faces you

Lick the gum on paper carefully (don't lick it as if you're giving your bird a cunnilingus). After giving the wheel a few more spin this should be the result

Your joint err..i mean cigarette is ready. Go on, light it! Contagious laughter guaranteed. :P

Disclaimer : No person under the age of 18 shall follow the instructions given in this post. Smoking and sale of tobacco to person under the age of 18 is prohibited under the Malaysian law. The author of this post does not take weed/marijuana/grass of any kind and do not encourage others to do the same. Sale and posssesion of illegal drugs is punishable by death under Malaysian law.

Relaxing at Prince Hotel (Part 2)

2004-10-06T14:42:00.000+08:00

Well, here I am again but this time checked into a bigger room and of course equipped with a digicam. Why only the pictures of the room? I haven't venture out yet from the room, that's why..haha. Let me catch my breath first before going out to check out the other facilities. Mark this column ad I will be updating it from time to time. Until I check out that is...

UPDATED 11 October!! Err..actually no update available, just somemore pictures of the view from my room. :P

Spacious deluxe executive room

Twin sharing bed and a sofa

Room with a view

Spacious bathroom with well-stocked toileteries

A long bath and seperate shower cubicle

The wardrobe c/w iron, hairdryer, personal safe etc

View from inside the wardrobe/changing room

Concrete jungle at dusk.

Bullet the red sky!!

New Standard Chartered HQ (formerly Shahzan Tower)

DVD Boxset

2004-09-28T22:24:00.000+08:00

Placed the order for these 3 boxsets a while ago and it finally arrives. Couldn't be bothered watching "Six Feet Under" season 2 on HBO because of the censored scenes. For those who have no knowledge of what they actually show in this series..there are scenes of homosexuality (men french kissing), ecstacy pills and its effect and of course, naked dead bodies. "Twin Peaks" is a cult series from the 90's and one that I have very fond memory of although it was cut short at season 2 and spawn a movie tie-in "Fire Walk With Me".

3 of my most anticipated DVD boxset and now it's all here!

Digipak gatefold boxset....nice!

Amazing quality!

I grew up reading Tintin comics and this boxset contains all the comics from "Black Island" to "Flight 714". The cartoon was shown before on the Cartoon Network. Until this day, I still pick up the comics to read. Fascinating!

Grew up reading Tintin comics and now it's available to me in digital form.

Inside the box.

SMS chat..hoax or for real?

2004-09-27T23:06:00.000+08:00

Received some surprise SMS this evening. And as you can see below, something unbelievable happened. A gal trying to chat a guy (me) up!

I don't mind if "she" is really as sweet as a candy!

Now, in this day and age, it's hardly a surprise at all for it to happen. Hey, I'm not gonna complain about it. But what I will complain about is whether this is for real or an attempt by some company to make some quick buck. For your information, any reply to the supposedly lovely person behind the SMS will be charged 30 sen per SMS. What got me suspicious was this rather dodgy looking website where one can find information pertaining to this chat SMS thingy. Click on evo22's website to find out what I'm trying to convey.

Evo22...the revolutionary way to ch(e)at?

It so happen that the example they used to illustrate how this system works happens to be a "Candy". Now, what's the odd in that? Even more bizzare, if you look at one of the code example, is the profile of this supposedly sweet Candy.

Snapshot from the website. Look at line 3. Now, is this the same "Candy" as the one appearing on my mobile? Hmmm...

"Candy"'s profile..same as the example used in the operator's website

This could be some scam using a bot or a person sitting behind the PC replying to the SMS being sent by those who thought they are chatting with a genuine person. If 100 person do reply to these messages per day, the company stand to rake in RM30. Multiply that by 1000 suckers. I was a sucker too as I've "contributed" several messages to find out more. I sure would like to hear the comment (if any) made by the representative of this company when I direct them to this page. My question now, if this really is a scam or spam, how did they get my number? My mobile operator is Maxis and I'm sure they stand to gain some dough from the messages I've sent. Did they reveal my number and ID to this company? If anyone else who reads this have received similar messages, please leave a comment.

An open invitation to err..something?

Japanese Food 101

2004-09-20T14:31:00.000+08:00

It has often been said that the Japanese eat with their eyes. Their food is always presented in a very artistic and three dimensional way. One food may lean against another to resemble nature as close as possible - mushrooms may float in a soup to resemble freshly-fallen leaves in a stream. A good Japanese restaurant is rated on three things. A third of the marks go to the cooking, a third to the presentation and the remaining third to the general atmosphere - a far contrast to the Chinese way of eating out where the "chow min" and fried rice often ends up on the table with the background screams of active children running around playing cops and robbers ! Crockery, colour and garnishes all play an important part in the presentation of the food which is served delicately and daintily in small portions. A frosted glass bowl may be used to serve a chilled soup, a lined bamboo basket for rice balls or a shiny black lacquered tray for raw fish.

Presentation is very important.

NOODLES

Noodles are to Japan what hamburgers are to America and pork pies and pasties are to England. (And of course, what pasta is to Italy). Available everywhere and very popular for lunch with busy workers, the Japanese can eat them icy cold with a dipping sauce as well as hot with an assortment of vegetables, meats, fish and eggs. Noodles must be eaten quickly before the hot broth makes them too soft. This entails a good deal of noisy slurping - perfectly acceptable to the Japanese - and the best evidence of enjoyment ! Two main types of noodle are available. Soba is made from buckwheat flour and is slightly brown in colour. Udon is a thick white type of noodle and is made from white flour.

Soba noodle..a complete meal

SASHIMI

Sashimi, also raw fish, comes in the form of thin slices and is eaten with a dip of horseradish-flavoured soy sauce.

Dip it with a mixture of soy sauce and wasabi...ichiban!!

SUSHI

The Japanese have never been great meat eaters until the turn of this century. A typical meal would probably consist of rice with vegetables or fish. Red meat is now consumed more readily but in those days fish and soya beans were perhaps the only form of protein consumed. Fish still predominates in the Japanese diet nowadays, however. Most people will have probably heard of sushi. This is not for the light-hearted as this dish consists of raw fish which has been laid onto vinegered rice which has been pressed into bite-sized cakes. The range of sushi available is large as it comes in all different shapes and sizes and toppings. Sushi bars or take-aways are abundant in Japan where it is served with liberal amounts of beer or sake. Those which cater for tourists often have plastic replicas of the different types of sushi from which you can make your choice.

It's everywhere nowadays even your local neighbourhood pasar malam

BENTO

Set-meals are plentiful in Japan and a Bento is such an example. They are packed lunches which come in the form of rectangular boxes with compartments for different foods. They are always prettily arranged and come in all sizes and shapes - heart shapes, tennis racket shapes, doll shapes to name just a few. So what's in a Bento ? There's rice, a meat, a miso (fermented soya bean) soup, vegetables, pickles and a slice of fruit. There are many different kinds of bento, all with different food and names to distinguish them from each other. Sushi, sashimi, tempura, teriyaki chicken can all be found in Bento.

A complete package

TEMPURA

Brought to Japan by the Portuguese, tempura is yet another famous delicacy, best eaten at a tempura bar. It is a deep fried fritter. Prawn or shrimp tempura is the most common but other types are made from squid, pepper, sweet potato, lotus root and onion. Only the freshest fish and vegetables are used. A special sauce ten-tsuyu is used as a dip.

Closest thing to yong tau foo

YAKITORI
Often eaten with sake in a bar is yakitori . This is similar to a shish kebab and is generally made from chicken and grilled on bamboo skewers over charcoal. As the meat is grilled, it is dipped into a sweetened soy-based source to give it a very Japanese flavour.

Satay anyone?

SHABU SHABU

A dish which is cooked at the table will create a cosy, friendly atmosphere. Shabu Shabu is a typical example of such a dish and is particularly suitable for a large gathering. At the centre of the table is a large pot of simmering stock. The guests are invited to dip slices of beef and vegetable in the stock to cook them. The cooked food is then dipped into a choice of sauces. When all the meat and vegetables have been cooked, the enriched stock is served as soup. Sukiyaki is very similar to shabu shabu in that it is another dish cooked at the table.

That piece of Kobe beef sure looks enticing!

SAKE

Sake is the national drink of Japan and is made from rice. Unlike most alcoholic beverages, the most enjoyable way to drink sake is when it is warmed up slightly. The drink is served from flasks (tokkuri) and poured from these into tiny cups called sakzuki. The size of the cups allow the drink to be gulped down in one go (which is the way it should be drunk) before it has a chance to cool down. This has it's disadvantages (or advantages !) in that an empty cup usually signifies that you want a re-fill !

Not intimidating looking but anyone who've ever had sake will testify to its "potency"

Bottoms up my dear!

AND FINALLY...

Whatever the occasion, whether your in a soba-ya or sitting down around a kotatsu on a tatami enjoying a family meal it is traditional to say "Itadakimasu" before starting to eat. This literally means "I shall begin eating" and is equivalent to the French "Bon appetit". After finishing, using the expression "Gochisosama deshita" will signify that the meal "was a feast". Another expression which will go down well with any cook is the expression "Taihen oishikatta desu". It is a phrase which will also sum up Japanese cuisine - "That was very delicious !".

References
1. The Complete Oriental Cook Book - Suzy Powling
2. Far Eastern Cookery - Madhur Jaffrey
3. Coping With Japan - John Randle and Mariko Watanabe
4. Culture Shock Japan - Rex Shelly
5. Japanese Language and People - BBC Publication.

Traffic Check via WAP from Maxis

2004-09-11T21:17:00.000+08:00

Decided to try out this service the other day and what I received were a tad bit confusing. Not only do I have to use some sort of magnifying glass to view the bird eyes' view of these pictures which supposedly shows the traffic condition in each of the area selected but sometimes I had to think hard where the heck these places are suppose to be as shown on the pictures. I believe the cost of downloading these pictures are 50 sen per location. Judge it for yourself whether it's worth the money.

FEDERAL HIGHWAY
Picture shows part of Jalan Syed Putra NOT the Federal Highway which is barely visible on top of the picture.

PUDU
Pudu? Which part of Pudu is this? Pudu Jail traffic light junction I guess.

SEGAMBUT
Segambut? Looks more like the roads near PWTC to me.

Bukit Tinggi Resort - a photoblog

2004-09-06T20:51:00.000+08:00

Situated in the state of Pahang, just about an hour drive from Kuala Lumpur, this resort charms visitors with its French themed village, Japanese garden, golf course err..that's about it for the moment since the management's attempt to create a mini-Genting failed. Entrance fee of RM16 gives you the right to enter the Colmar Village, Japanese Garden and the rabbit farm. With temperature hovering in the 20s during the day, your kids might get bored in a few hours and wishes you have brought them to Genting instead but for the love birds...get lost here and make more love.

Colmar Village, a supposedly pseudo French themed err..town.

Bell tower with no err..bell.

Water fountain...refreshing.

Napoleon would've been proud of this (turning in his grave more likely)

Main entrance tower...yes, the part in the middle were made from plywoods.

There's even dance shows to keep you entertained.

Scantily clad dancer to keep you all awake and the hormone raging.

We are indeed a country of many first!

Teahouse in the background. Really quite tropical indeed. No cherry blossom spotted.

Apparently, a one night stay at the suite cost thousands.

One of the highest and most definitely the most secluded Japanese restaurant in Malaysia.

Rabbits galore at the rabbit farm. SPCA officials not present to deter harm done to these creature. The way some of the people handled the rabbits here is enough to make the Hammer House of Horror shivers in their pants.

Relaxing at Prince Hotel

2004-09-01T18:55:00.000+08:00

Been missing for so long no thanks to some hectic schedule and err...stoned nights. However, this blogger is taking a rest today by checking into Prince Hotel, KL. Don't mind the blur pictures coz it's shot using the lousy 0.3 megapixels camera phone. Time to upgrade I guess when the 1.2 megapixels camera phone comes into the market. Nice deluxe room complete with broadband connection which is a breeze and considering the fact that I have hundreds of emails unchecked, this is a fine time to do it. Enjoy...me of course! Hahahaha!!

Flat screen TV, handsomely stocked mini bar, broadband connection etc

View from the room...couldn't get the room with KLCC view

Wardrobe complete with ironing board and err..of course an iron, personal safebox

After room service

We're NOT bringing it home!

2004-08-24T00:52:00.000+08:00

I don't know the true meaning behind Astro's Olympic coverage tagline, "We're bringing it home". Could it be because of the extensive live coverage and they are bringing it to all (well, not all) Malaysians? Or could it be as I suspect that there's a sense of hype that our sportsmen and women would bring some medals home? Well, as I write this, there's still about 6 more days of competition and it looks like we're NOT gonna bring it home in time for our independence day. Or wait....I might be jumping the gun wayyyyyyyyy too early here because we have but I think ONE more hopeful in the Olympics. No disrespect for that ONE competitor (in Taekwando) but the hopes of more than 20 million Malaysians rest on her and you would think that's pressure. Hahaha!! But then again what a fairy tale it would be if she did win pray tell, a GOLD medal and for the very first time ever after many tiny island nation with population of 13 had won some GOLD medals, we finally get to hear our very upbeat national anthem playing at the medals ceremony and what a gift it would be for our National Day celebration this 31st August! I will definitely give up some bad habits should something like that happen.

Come on! Bring it home! I'm about to kick some nasty habits!

Case of the missing jagungs

2004-08-13T22:11:00.000+08:00

Casefile : Missing jagungs
Date : August 2004, Friday the 13th

From 8km away, the jagungs are barely visible.

View from Sg Besi airport...err if you can call that a view! No jagungs.

Where art thou the jagungs?

Yes! Finally the jagungs are visible at a distance of 1/2 km! Yummy?

Chronicles of Ah Kaw

2004-08-10T15:41:00.000+08:00

7am Wakes up, check if cock still down there, brush teeth, face and bathe
7.25am Reverses car out of porch...dang!...knocks over neighbour's irritating dog who crept over into your house to sleep after banging several bitches last night.
7.38am Finally hit the highway eventhough house is mere 150m away from it.
7.42am Curses at blur driver who had just left 'fengtau' disco at 7am
7.43am Blur driver got angry and gave chase but unfortunately his car skidded and got wrapped around lamp post. Car broke into 2 pieces because of shoddy welding work done by Ah Lam Workshop near Puchong. Driver nowhere to be seen, presummably thrown into the nearby monsoon drain.
8.16am Reached favourite mamak stall and ordered the usual teh tarik halia and roti tisu. Couldn't give a damm about the cleanliness around the stall eventhough situated next to a monsoon drain clogged with corpses from last night's murder spree.
8.48am Reached office but not before witnessing the drama of that voluptous bitch, who you wished you can shag before she drops dead from drug overdose, whose fake LV handbag was snatched by 2 black bean on a modified kapchai. You laughed as her fat ass was dragged along with the handbag for a mere 15m causing damage to the sidewalk's grass.
9.02am Starts work at your pathetic little cubicle tapping God knows what on the bluetooth keyboard while the head honcho 10 floor above you embezzles more company fund to buy that condo unit at Sri Hartamas for his mistress. You realised you're fucked when the smartass besides you with an agriculture degree from goddamm Little John University at goddamm somewhere in mid-west U.S of A comes marching into his cubicle with a RM399 Kenneth Cole shirt, key to his new BMW 318i and a smug smile while you're still struggling with your goddamm accounting degree from goddamm MOnash University in Australia, wearing a RM39.90 John Master shirt and key to your old junk Iswara 1.5i (istimewa).
10.47am Went over to the pantry, made yourself a 3-in-1 coffee from Aik Cheong while some of your smartass colleagues sat around munching muffins and drinking their latte from Starbucks.
11.35am Summoned to your manager's room which is so much bigger than your own bedroom, complete with heat reflective shades and that view of KLCC. He gave you instructions on how to make more money for the company through this ingenious scheme, which would not only reward the company but also himself so that he could pay off the remaining 3 months of the loan for his Bandar Utama house and also some for his sexy secretary whom you didn't realise was under his desk giving him a much needed blowjob because his fat wife at home refuses to perform such act.
12.57pm You took the elevator to the 5th floor cafetaria thinking about whether to have Ah Soh's curry noodle or makcik's nasi padang while your so called colleagues were debating about the authenticity of that new Italian restaurant across town and that they should go 'light' this afternoon by having lunch at Chinoz.
4.47pm Summoned again to the manager's room who demanded you put in an extra hour or two today so that you can can finish his work and he can go home to his lovely family and have dinner before going out again later that night to Vegas Nightclub where he would snog those lovely GROs, take drugs and get high.

to be continued...

My most influential albums of all time

2004-08-03T22:45:00.000+08:00

To date that is. The list should be more extensive but I'll limit it to these babies in alphabetical order. Oh..and no 'Loveless' by MBV.

1. Lexicon Of Love - ABC (80s gem overused in failed attempts to court chicks)
2. Licensed To Ill - Beastie Boys (1st album and the most iconic)
3. White Album - The Beatles (Should appear in all list so why not this?)
4. Debut - Bjork (Not strictly her debut but the beginning of something extraordinary from the Icelandic lass)
5. Parallel Lines - Blondie (Punk, New Wave & Disco all-in-one!)
6. Let's Dance - David Bowie (not his most prolific work but this opened a passage into his wonderful world)
7. Dig Your Own Hole - Chemical Brothers
8. Crowded House - Crowded House (Smart, brooding pop from Oz)
9. Black Celebration - Depeche Mode (New Wave couldn't get any darker than this)
10. Ocean Rain - Echo & The Bunnymen
11. Holes In The Wall - Electric Soft Parade
12. Yoshimi Battles The Pink Robot - Flaming Lips (Simply a dream!)
13. Entertainment - Gang Of Four (Post punk, post Marxist masterpiece put danceability on the New Wave agenda)
14. Dare - Human League (My first LP from the self conscious synth minimalism)
15. Warehouse:Songs & Stories - Husker Du (Best Americana yet)
16. Turn On The Bright Lights - Interpol
17. Darklands - Jesus & Mary Chain (Mood swing existentialism minus the feedback)
18. Keep On Your Mean Side - The Kills
19. K - Kula Shaker
20. The La's - The La's (Charmed, 60s influenced pop)
21. Mezzanine - Massive Attack (Trip hop at its best)
22. Let Go - Nada Surf
23. Low Life - New Order
24. In Utero - Nirvana
25. (What's The Story) Morning Glory - Oasis (Brilliant, absurdly catchy, warm and delicate)
26. Vs - Pearl Jam
27. Yours, Mine & Ours - Pernice Brothers
28. Doolittle - The Pixies (Full of rage, canned angst & pickled fury)
29. Beginning Stages Of... - Polyphonic Spree (What can you do with a group of people?)
30. Steve McQueen - Prefab Sprout (Jump-cut melodies, jazz/fusion changes and oblique lyrical twist)
31. Fat Of The Land - Prodigy
32. Different Class - Pulp (Sardonic wit and full of tunes)
33. Songs For The Deaf - Queen Of The Stone Age
34. Murmur - R.E.M (Pivotal work of the 80s American rock renaissance)
35. The Bends - Radiohead (Bruising 2nd album proves a sleeper hit)
36. Avalon - Roxy Music
37. H.M.S Fable - Shack
38. ( ) - Sigur Ros (Spellbinding other-worldly symphonies from Icelandic soundbenders)
39. New Gold Dream - Simple Minds
40. Queen Is Dead - The Smiths (Most rounded album established them as most celebrated indie band of the 80s)
41. Stone Roses - Stone Roses (The album that heralded the start of the 1990s: old fashioned psychedelia meets a newly fashionable drug - ecstasy)
42. Time For The Rest Of Your Life - Strangelove
43. Copper Blue - Sugar (All bitter no sweetness)
44. Real Ramona - Throwing Muses
45. Solitude Standing - Suzanne Vega
46. Velvet Underground - Velvet Underground & Nico (New York's brutally realistic, genre-spawning dream of psychedelia)
47. Urban Hymms - The Verve (Perfect fusion of craft & feel)
48. Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
49. White Blood Cells - The White Stripes (The rebirth of rock!)
50. -intentionally left blank-

Keh Por Chee

2004-07-30T20:58:00.000+08:00

Translated as busy body. This multi pile-ups occured at the Connaught Highway this morning. I only managed to snap these 2 photos. 2 pile-ups happened on both side of the highway. Sketchy account revealed that one of the pile-up occured because some smart ass busy body decides to slow down his car to take a look (a very common occurance on Malaysian roads which at times caused an even worst traffic jam on the opposite direction of an accident) at the original pile-up on the other side. Bang bang thank you Ma'am! Err..what was I doing slowing down and snapping these pics? :)

One of the car in the pile-ups opposite the road.

Goner la this car. One of the victim of 'keh por chee'.

Golfing at Staffield Country Resort, Mantin

2004-07-30T20:54:00.000+08:00

Time for me to feature something about golf since this is my favourite game. Had our weekly game at Staffield Golf & Country Resort near Mantin, Negeri Sembilan with 11 other buddies. One of the best golf course in Malaysia and it's even better now because most of their buggies (golf cart) are equipped with state-of-the-art GPS (Global Positioning System). No, it cannot find your golf ball lost as a result of strayed shots. This system informs you the exact distance to the green of each hole. Stunning system as it also can track other buggies in front of you and warns you not to play your shot if they are within range. The 12 of us had a sort of mini tournament and it's mind boggling to note that the winner shot an 8 under par (nett score after handicap deduction). Buaya? Perhaps! :)

Hard at work before game begins..winner not in view

Buggy equipped with GPS system

Scary Par 3 requiring at least a 170 metre carry over the water. The dude pictured here got a par for this hole.

Flower Power

2004-07-26T21:52:00.000+08:00

After some heavy err...session, it's nice to know that deep inside me, I'm just another regular guy who visits places like the pub..oppss..I mean park. Yes, parks as in those lined with trees and lakes. And what a pleasant (or unpleasant depending on whether one liked the RM2 admission fee to a supposedly "free" park) surprise it was. The reason being there was this international exhibition for the landscaping industry. I must say, this industry is quite big and something I look forward to touching one fine day.

Nice arrangement of err..flowers

What?? For a bloody botanic item?

I do know of some "plants" fetching high prices. So, is this one err..."edible"? :)

The RM26,000 err...tree.

Alright, I'll have to admit I don't have the artistic sense in the evaluation of botanical items. But is this tree really worth the quoted RM26,000? I mean, that's enough money to open a big room at Vegas! Something which would make me the most likable person amongst my circle of friends. Thank goodness the highest bidder is only willing to go up till RM20,0000.

Soon to be opened hotels in KL

Also visible from said park is the view of these 2 baby opening soon. Twin tower hotel but under different management? One's Le Meridien and the other one's Hilton. Hilton? Does this mean Paris Hilton (below) will be here for the grand opening?? Hmmmm....

Paris Hilton, co-owner of the Hilton hotels group.

Err...ducks of course.

By the way, this landscaping exhibition ended last Sunday. So, no chance for you to visit it despite my promotion here. And no, I did not encounter any plant of the 'ganja' kind anywhere. :)

Sports in Malaysia

2004-07-19T21:43:00.000+08:00

Throughout my slight hiatus, this has remain in my mind. And its a mind boggling one. As the Olympic Games draw closer in Athens and we're being lambasted with promos for it on TV, touching it may be some of these promos, I can't help but feel something is seriously missing. Our country have not won any! Don't give me this bullshit about our badminton team grabbing some. Badminton don't give you worldwide recognition despite what some people may lead you to believe. You might as well put in "lepaking" as one of Olympic sports if you want to count badminton as having won some medals. But seriously folks, where are (is) the talent for "serious" sports like athletics, swimming, gymnastics and other events that do garner worldwide audience? Are we one of the few countries in the world that pride ourselves in having a government department that supervises all sports in the country who have yet to win a single Olympic medal worth mentioning about? What answer do you give to foreign friends who asked you our country's greatest achievement in sports? Exactly. None that crosses your mind in recent years let alone since we gained independence.

So, what is going on here? Should we get rid of those VVIP in the sports association in order to move forward? But then again, these people pulled in much needed funds to run the associations. I believe, certain sport associations are not short of fund to develop its respective sports let alone run it. Back to badminton for example; this association certainly do not lack patronage nor sponsorship. They have a big pool of players I heard but why the heck are we still known as "jaguh kampung" (home winner)? Where is the Thomas Cup which is the holy grail of badminton that we have not won since err...we last won it at home?!

And don't get me started on football. We pride ourselves in having one of the best organised league in the region. We were on par if not better than countries like Korea and Japan in just over 20 years ago. Where are we now besides languishing in the bottom of the FIFA world ranking lower than even our "enemy", Singapore?

What does it take for us to win an Olympic medal? When can I stand up in pride (and probably crying) over our national anthem being played during a medal presentation in the Olympics? I guess it certainly won't happen in this year's game. Meanwhile, I'll just sit back and enjoy the game and perhaps cry over the fact that some tiny island nation winning a gold.

I wonder how many people that can be saved from the Ah Longs using the money to send the entire Olympic contigent.

Lost in Love

2004-07-19T21:29:00.000+08:00

This is something new to me. Other than the time when I was stuck out of civilisation at Maldives, I've never failed to log on to the internet for more than 2 days. And here I am, logging in after almost 6 days! Wow! Checked my mails just now and there's a total of 243 unread mails! Double wow! Truly, I can't live with or without the cyberspace; something which has given me much joy personally over the last 10 years.

The reason for my absence? Did I mention the net giving me personal joy? Well, I found that there ARE other stuff worth considering besides being a computer geek (which incidentally I am not, for irony!). The stuff one can do to one own body is limitless. I'd like to put this in the perspective of a joyride. You "steal" your own time and ride on it. Where you wanna head to is up to your navigation (imagination). Bear with me oh fellow netizens. I can just about throw sensitivity out of the window.

FHM UK vs Malaysia

2004-07-13T22:06:00.000+08:00

People often ask me why do I want to spend RM40 on a magazine that's basically junk. Well, short of the local mamak news stand actually stocking 'Playboy' or 'Penthouse', I guess the secret import of FHM, Maxim, Loaded etc UK are the next best thing. I believe every men should read these magazine in all its glory not those sanitised version available at all local shops. So now the question on everyone's mind would be, "Where the heck do I get my hands on these stuff?" Definitely not your local MPH or Kinokuniya. :) Happy hunting!

Local sponsored version on the left

A sample of some of the "steamy" articles in FHM UK.

Not available in your local version!

Darklands

2004-07-13T21:52:00.001+08:00

An opening in heaven!

A much anticipated tropical storm that didn't materialise.

Dark clouds over bright sky

Ah Beng & Ah Lian

2004-07-13T13:25:00.000+08:00

Ah Beng & Ah Lian at Singapore Zoo

Am I trying to make fun of these animal known as meerkat? No, most definitely not. Don't come looking for me SPCA. I didn't torture these animal to make them speak. :)

Animal theme huh lately? Perhaps there's something to do with the animal in me wanting to be unleashed! And it's also to do with the fact that I got crap to write about and I do not want to waste precious web space plagiarising poems or phrose. But do watch this space as I will in time do actually have something to say!

It's that "saman" season again

2004-07-11T15:11:00.000+08:00

Oooohhhh.....aren't they just lovey dovey..err..doggy?

This blogger is getting ready to "answer" to 3 different "saman" today. Unfortunately, am only able to attend one but of course this doesn't mean the other two "saman" can go unanswered or rather unpaid. Why the dogs? No disrespect to those getting tied oppss..I mean married today but the picture above is my representation of *eham* undying love *shivers* Here's to undying err..love! And a test to my sobriety tonight *sic*

Who's that girl?

2004-07-07T00:29:00.000+08:00

Cute

This is one billboard girl that I really fancy. Ah..I can't explain why I'm smitten to this face. There's something unique about her and that smile...really killing me! Anyone know who this is and other work she might have done?

Unique Malaysia

2004-07-07T00:04:00.000+08:00

Very reliable car!

It could only happen here folks! Your eyes are not tricking you nor is this some trick photo. If only the car stops so that I can snap some close-ups. If I'm not mistaken, this "reliable" car is a Toyota Corolla DX. Says a lot about this car manufacturer huh? Wonder if Proton cars can withstand such battering and yet still move.

Anyway, my question is, why is such car still being allowed on the road despite of its condition? No disrespect to the owner of the car but come on, this is sensitivity thrown out the window (if the car has any) :) No lights of any kind and goodness knows what grows inside the car.

So, the next time the BIB stops you for that broken tail-lights, show him this photo.

2004-07-07T00:03:00.000+08:00

It really still can move!

2004-07-06T00:25:00.000+08:00

What's your poison?

Not again??!!

2004-07-05T20:44:00.000+08:00

OK, so I'll have to eat my words. Portugal lost. Exactly the topic around the kopitiams and mamak stalls this morning. How Figo and co. failed in their mission to exact revenge on the hapless Greeks. How Portugal held possession for so long and failed to capitalise. How this was their (or rather Portugal's old guard) last chance to win an international honour. Poor little Greece. They will remain humble behind their much "bigger" opponents. Oh...they will just go back to Athens and show off the cup. How exciting can that be if not for the fact that Euro 2004 was only their 3rd participation in a major tournament! And they are hosting the Olympics this year! Much needed ego boost and interest generator? Hmmmm.....coincidence?

Portugal aren't the only loser I pressume. Random check revealed that many punters have placed a bet on Portugal winning this morning. Looks like, along with the Greeks, the bookies will be laughing all the way to the bank with this match. And yes, if you had "eaten ball" from the bookies (or friends), you would also be laughing all the way to the bank throughout this tournament.

Which begs this question. When will minnows like Malaysia create an impact in the Asian football scene? We are only ranked some lowly 100 plus in FIFA's world ranking. But hey, miracles do happen don't they? As it is, Malaysia aren't even in the final round of Asia's Euro 2004, the Asia Cup 2004. No miracle then. It amazes me to read that Singapore, our tiny neighbour down south, have implemented a comprehensive plan to qualify for a future World Cup. Wow! What are the odds in that happening? But then again, M-I-R-A-C-L-E. And if they do make it and Malaysia is still languishing lowly, where do we put our face? Malu la Bang! Somehow one gets the feeling that our football team won't even come close to winning anything even in the south east Asia region. But then again..M-I-R-A-C-L-E.............NOT! :)

Ah Lian rulez??

2004-07-04T18:12:00.000+08:00

"Lovely" gal from inaugral edition of Malaysia's T3 magazine

Her name is Angel (my dog's name) and she's the cover girl of the first edition of T3 Malaysia magazine. Not gonna argue about their choice of model but I thought she looks a bit 'Ah Lian'. Well, nothing wrong with being 'Ah Lian'. Afterall, some of them are the nose bleeding type. Of course, their fashion sense leaves a lot to be desired but they can be helped if given the err..right man for the convert job. Perhaps I should hang around Sg Wang more often and snap pictures of 'Ah Lians' there in order to start an 'Ah Lians' pictorial here. Must put it on my "to do" list. :)

Sharapova humbles "beast"

2004-07-04T15:42:00.000+08:00

Sharapova returning a serve en route to humbling her "bigger" opponent

No, I'm not going to turn this blog into some Sharapova's shrine. But it's worth mentioning that a true beauty finally manages to humble the "beast" in the form of Serena Williams. Whatever Serena's reasons may be for losing this in straight sets, no credit should be taken away from 17 year old Sharapova. Many congratulations to her!

Sharapova's achievement can be considered as a major upset. Here's hoping tonight's Euro 2004 final won't produce that big of an upset. Why? Err...I've placed some dough on the host nation. :)

Dazed

2004-07-03T13:02:00.000+08:00

Due to the lack of creativity (and a late night binge), no posting for the last 2 days. My mind is still in a blank. Looking forward to the weekend? Err..it's already the weekend. What's in store? Wimbledon's final between Sharapova and Williams is certainly something to look forward to. And then there's the drab French GP which would undoubtedly be won by a certain Schumacher. Oh yes...the BIG one! The conclusion of Euro 2004. Surprise finalist Portugal and Greece. They couldn't have written the script any better. Opening match between these two ends with the final with the same. But enough about Euro which would have been mentioned in countless blogs everywhere. BTW...Portugal's gonna win. (Mark my words) :)

About the late night binge, it's heartening (or not) to note that at 2.30am, there's no less than 8 road blocks around the Kuala Lumpur area. Bulk of it were near the Sultan Ismail/Bkt Bintang area. Whether these does the job of reducing accidents as a result of drunk driving remains to be seen. I am expecting nothing less for this weekend. No doubt, the party will be on until at least 5am this Sunday (Monday morning) because of the footie final. Expect a lot of panda eyes come Monday morning in the office. Cheers but watch out for the BIBs!

Maria Sharapova

2004-06-30T00:07:00.000+08:00

Wow! What a beauty! I've never been much of a tennis fan until Maria Sharapova comes along! She's Russian, she's blonde and she's better than poster girl Kournikova. And today, she has entered into the Wimbledon semi-finals. OK, so she's not in sky blue blouse but I'll make an exception in this case! Her legs!!!....it goes on forever!

Hiatus

2004-06-29T16:19:00.000+08:00

Alright..I'll confess that my profile ain't exactly correct. I DO watch some of the DVDs that I bought (eventhough there's countless that were bought many months ago just sits there collecting dusts). No footie match yesterday so sat through a few episodes of the lovely boxset you see below. Am into the 5th disc now and the thing about watching TV series boxsets......NOT THAT THEME MUSIC AGAIN!!! Although I'll have to admit that this 'Alias' series do away with elaborate opening theme and sometimes none at all! For those who not in the know, 'Alias' is about a university student recruited into the CIA to do their spying stuffs. Well, is Jenniffer Garner a hot chick? Well, you can't argue about her body but after sitting through almost 2 seasons of this show, her face is beginning to look err..normal. I am however beginning to have the hots over Lena Olin. She plays Jennifer Garner's mum in the show. What is it with me and older chicks? That broad in C.S.I is also one of my favourite. Never can pronounce nor spell her name. Starts with Marc Helger..something! Here's to a few more hours of 'Alias' and then perhaps I can start on the 'NYPD Blue' boxset (arse alert!)

2004-06-28T21:53:00.000+08:00

Nice packaging of DVD box set.

Perhaps you are not aware but the boxset you see above is the bootleg version. How these bootleggers have improve in their presentation. For a fraction the cost of the original boxset (typically around RM300 to 500), you'll get with this bootleg version, gatefold digipak, high quality printing, dual layer discs BUT there's still spelling mistakes on the box's printing. I would have thought since they took the copyright of a film, why not just scan the whole sleeve of the originals and print it? Perhaps they did it intentionally to distinguish between the originals and the bootlegs?

DVD and VCD bootlegs have long been the bane in Malaysia's society. You can't live with it nor can you live without it. You have on one side, the government telling you of the inter-connection between the bootleg industries and the secret societies. On the other hand, you are dying to see that latest movie in its full uncensored glory. Furthermore, it's cheaper to buy a bootleg than to bring the whole circus to the cinemas. For every reason given not to buy bootlegs, there will always be 10 counter arguments FOR buying bootlegs. Will there be no end to our societies craving for cheap bootlegs? Perhaps when the world body kicks us out of the WTO (because of these blantant copyright infringements) would we then realise our follies?

But are the society really to be blamed for this? When you stop people from watching Sharon Stone's full glory in the movie 'Basic Instinct', when you deny people the access to the seminal movie 'Schindler's List' or even the crappy 'Phantom', when you are butchering movies in the name of protecting the society from all immoralities (as if), when you are pricing your products many times over the average wage earners. Need I go on?

2004-06-28T21:50:00.000+08:00

A typical caravan rojak stall in KL. This one is located along the main road of Taman Desa, off Old Klang Road. No tables, just stools to sit on. Excellent rojak and cendol.

2004-06-28T21:44:00.000+08:00

Nice thick gravy with generous serving of vegetables. Yummy....

My CD collection

2004-06-28T21:16:00.000+08:00

My CD collection

This cabinet alone stores about 900 CDs. All originals la in case you're wondering. This picture is deceiving actually. The cabinet, bought at IKEA, actually sags in the middle. Is it the sheer weight of the CDs? But IKEA quoted in their catalogue that this thing can hold 900 CDs! I think they were refering to those pirated CDs that's sold without the jewel boxes. Or perhaps I have too many double album in one jewel box? Whatever it is, there could come a day when the whole breaks into two in the middle. Can I get compensation from IKEA? Do you think that IKEA, one of the world's biggest corporation, would care? Good questions but they really ought to improve the quality of the stuff they sell especially those that originates from China. Not saying that those that comes from Poland are any good either.

2004-06-28T14:10:00.000+08:00

Kuala Lumpur at night. A beauty innit? Home to the tallest twin tower in the world. But that's just material stuff. As this blog progresses, discover how the city really is be it good or bad.

2004-06-28T13:54:00.000+08:00

Typical Malaysian driver attitude on the road. They'll cut you off at traffic lights or other type of exit roads or junctions.

Which is the reason why our country has one of the highest accident rates anywhere in the world. More pictures of such acts would be published from time to time. Stay tune!

2004-06-28T13:52:00.000+08:00

A Malaysian feast!

Typical Malaysian feast consists of many 'junk' foods (porks, porks intestines, rice, noodles, beers etc) Here, I'm feasting with a bunch of friends in Johor Bahru (another Malaysian city) and the famous 'Kueh Teow Kia'. This is rice noodle served with pork intestines, disgusting steamed eggs, tow foo, salted vegetables.

A New Beginning

2004-06-28T13:08:00.000+08:00

Hey. This is something new to me. My name is Jim and I hail from Malaysia. No, it's not located somewhere in Africa as some Americans would think. But enough about them. Writting and photographing were not my strong point but I will attempt to blog details of my everyday life here in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia and other places I'll be going to in future.

Stay tune!