No Alarms, No Surprises

Swallowed in the sea - Coldplay

2005-07-08T13:07:00.000+08:00

"You cut me down a tree and brought it back to me
And that’s what made me see where I was going wrong
You put me on a shelf and kept me for yourself
I can only blame myself, you can only blame me

And I could write a song a hundred miles long
Well, that’s where I belong and you belong with me
And I could write it down or spread it all around
Get lost and then get found
Or swallowed in the sea"

So the end has finally arrived. the swansong.

I guess rather than to let this blog die a quiet death, I might as well get on with hammering the final nail on the blog coffin.

I underestimated what my new role would bring to me. The challenges are great, the expectations high, the time required was 25 hours per diem. And what little leisure time I have these days are spend with N, doing up the house, the cats and family. Reading of books have been relegated to inflight reading material, transit lounge reading material etc2..and thank God for mp3 players as they keep me sane during the hectic schedule that I have. Having been on the road non stop for the last 3 weeks, I finally realized that I will not have the time ( at the present and near future) to maintain this blog. Nonetheless, with the wonders of wireless connections and my ultra thin laptop, I am still able to read wonderful and amazing stories from fellow bloggers .

An ultra condensed/compact version of what has happened since last I post:

1) Our marriage is 2 years old now.
2) Some revelations were made, good & bad.
3) I turned 30 , away from loved ones, on an offshore rig.
4) I was hopsitalized due to stress and anxiety attacks. My blood pressure rose to emergency levels.
5) I bought new albums by coldplay, audioslave, Bloc party, shakira and Nine Inch nails. and yes, not exactly listening material for a 30 yr old ( except for coldplay, who, in my mind, were always middle class and 30 ish)
6) I missed Live 8
7) I underestimated the power of sincerity and honesty. and cutting straight to the heart of a relationship. will it heal?who knows. I hope it does.
8) we have a new stray female cat named APU,named after our dead fish, who is named after the lovable grocery store owner in Springfield.
9) still working on that great travel masterpiece, which, so far, is still unwritten and currently exist in a tiny corner of the grey matter.
10) i have no more skeletons in the closet for N. no more.

there you go.

not so interesting eh?

anyway, farewell to friends and acquaintances who been dropping by. This blog will pick up again someday. but for now, rest in peace, No Alarms, No Suprises.

adieu.

I dont even know myself - The Who

2005-05-11T22:59:00.000+08:00

Contrary to the title, let's find out how well I know myself, based on this interesting interview game passed on to me by the lovely Ms.Rara Avis. And here you go:

1. What CD would you take with you to desert island and why?
Emm, no mention of how many CDs? So i am going to cheat a little. Since I will marooned on a desert island with nothing much to do, what better way to idle the time away than reminiscing about the past:

U2 - Joshua Tree
My first introduction to rock music. thanks to my weed smoking uncle. I was in my teens during the time i bought this. Suffice to say, I was miles ahead in musical taste when compared to my peers
Radiohead - The Bends
Ive had many romantic moments in London with N with this album as a soundtrack :)
Pearl Jam - Vs
The young and angry college days
Portishead - Portishead
For those lonely nights.
Bebel Gilberto - tanto tempo
reminds me of the long summer days, spending time under the American sun, with N.

2. What was the first foreign/independent film you saw? and what made you watch it?
Excluding the numerous day time chinese movies ive watched during my teens, my first exposure to "Serious" foreign movies was Cinema Paradiso, and at that time, was because I was trying hard to impress my hip new American friends in the English Lit 101 class.

3. Why do you think we have wisdom teeth?
To remind us humans that our design is not flawless.and also to humble us with the sufferings.

4. What keeps you awake at night?
what's in store for me in the afterlife.

5. What will we do when we run out of oil?
I'll be out of my job?:P
Nahhh..wont happen in my lifetime...:)

So there we go. And I guess to participate in this game, all you have to do is to scream " Interview me".

cheers!

The Price of Gas - Bloc Party

2005-05-04T21:49:00.000+08:00

aha..

sneaky eh our "elected" government, bit bit, little by little, the "subsisdies" go away to hide their inefficiencies.

so, its 10 more tomorrow for us petrol heads.

but if there is one thing i find hightly amusing, is the ability of the press rep to issue this damn ( legendary by now) statement:

"Despite the increase, the price of petrol in Malaysia would still be the
cheapest in Asean, except Brunei, while for diesel, it would be the lowest except when compared with Indonesia and Brunei. "

You gotta give it to those guys who can keep a straight face while telling the press that. :)

Dead Souls - Joy Division

2005-04-29T14:03:00.000+08:00

At the moment I am reading this book in between airport transits.

It is fuckin hilarious! I was laughing so much by myself on the ERL yesterday that this Italian chick next to me was giving me really strange looks.

Fans of CSI and forensic science in general, take note!

No Brakes - The Bravery

2005-04-26T15:49:00.000+08:00

Im seeing cobwebs everywhere on my blog here.Knock2, anyone home?

Admittedly, I have not been doing any housekeeping nor have I been reading ANYONE's blog. I miss reading other people's blog. im a reality show junkie, so reading blogs is like a peek into someone else's lives (sounds voyeur-ish doesnt it?)Books? If books were naked brazillian girls rolling against each other, I'd still not bat an eye. Yes, that's how bad my current status is regarding the quest for knowledge and enlightment.

Currently immersed at TOP SPEED in my new position, which is beginning to look harder than anticipated. But throw me the challenge, i'll take it anyway. Its hard being a person who hardly says no to request, so i would ever be a great emperor , that would be my greatest weakness, my downfall. Maybe I try to please everyone too much, maybe i should knock in my head that, in life, you definitely cannot please everyone. if i get a fuck you from someone who is not pleased, so be it, life's like that i guess.

So, to friends and acquaintances who has not stopped dropping by ( i can already see the numbers dropping..har har har)thank you for paying attention.

To Fara, Siamese Dream is a classic. 'nuff said.

What else has been happening with my life? N buying a new car, us trying very hard to plan a holiday in spite of my hectic schedule, us asking each other when is the family of two gonna be family of three(shudder), us fighting those damn Aedes mosquitoes, so much so that every night we have resorted to arm ourselves with shelltox cans and very sore and red palms ( from squishing the mozzies to death with pleasure...)

oh yeah, managed to catch Mia Palencia yesterday at Actor's Studio. She's amazing. its a wonder why isnt big yet here in the local music scene. Her voice just fills the room and demands your strict attention. go catch her whenever you have the chance.

cheers

Positive Tension - Bloc Party

2005-04-15T16:54:00.000+08:00

So it seems that I have taken the plunge. The dual motor I had promised to Vlad seems more and more a reality.

yes folks, yours truly has been promoted to Asia Pacific Lead Procrastinator ( come on, you didnt think I would want to reveal everything online, right? :P , what with these weirdos running around the blogging world).

So, these next coming months is gonna be abuzz with activities, meetings, trainings abroad etc2..for me . In fact, the busy-ness has taken off already, with me having almost stop reading everyone who is everyone in my small blogging circle.

Things are looking good at the moment. Im gonna be hitting 30 in the next couple of months, so maybe, my life is turning out the way Ive envisioned it all this while.

but the (blogging) show must go on.... albeit in short burst:)

cheers.

The End Is the Beginning Is the End - Smashing Pumpkins

2005-03-30T18:38:00.000+08:00

This is one of those usual "i've-been-so-busy-i-havent-had-the-time-to-blog" kinda post.

Which is true. What's also true is that I have not been blog hopping as much lately. Lo and behold, interesting, but not necessarily good things really do happen when you're away from the blogasphere. I found out that, after the demise of the quasi-legendary GongKapas times, a couple more regular bloggers ( and real life acquaintance of mine) have stopped blogging altogether.

We may never know why these bloggers stopped blogging altogether. There's bound to be rumours, whispers, stories...whatever...but then again, NOBODY is obligated to anyone to continue writing if they dont feel like it. If it starts to become a chore, when it starts to take a life of its' own, then the alarm bells should already ring. Nevertheless, their writings and adventures shall be missed dearly and hopefully they will have a change of heart again.

As for me, the end is not yet in sight at the time being. However, the prospect of a promotion is looming, very, very close, which means more travelling, more meetings, more money, which means more EXPECTATIONS & RESPONSIBILITIES. Such dirty, dirty words...:P
which also tranlates having less time to indulge in fun things like this blog. But hey, who knows, I promise myself not be a slave to my career and if I can take 10 mins in a day to just stop , take a look around ..and write, that will be good.

cheers.

Bandwagonesque - Teenage Fanclub

2005-03-17T13:26:00.000+08:00

I'm usually one who stays away from those "friendster" like list ( "Who's the last person you killed?" "When was the last time you had bondage sex?" etc2..). Ive got nothing against them, its just that most of the time, I really2 dont have time to actually sit down and go through ( or maybe my dislike in answering obtuse questionairres). But this time, I am going to jump on the bandwagon and actually entertain one of them. Since it has to do with music, my primary indulgence, I will take the time to answer these questions ( question copped from Kudo's blog. Mintak maaf ye bang!)

1)What is the total amount of music files on your computer?
Soulseek, Kazaa Lite, Limewire....there are always ON on my laptop. Yes, dear folks, I am a MP3 LEECHER ( Is RIAA watching me??) but that does not mean I dont buy original CDs! ( even though those imported CDs at Music Magic CM are really stretching my wallet thin!).
At the moment, only 2++ Gigs, as the rest have been burned onto CDRs.

2)The CD you last bought?
Butterfinger's "Selamat Tinggal Dunia" & 7 Collar T-Shirt's "Drones". Support the local scene!

3)What was the last song you listened to before reading this message?
Lift Me Up - Moby. Moby doing New Wave/Post Punk. Was actually watching the video last night with N, who went on to say that "hey... a bunch of nerds rocking out, you fit right in!"....emmmm. Yes, us nerds do make fantastic music nowadays, better than those bling2 hip hoppers. :P

4)My all-time, Top 5 records, in no particular order, are as follows:
This has gotta be the hardest, like one of those "Desert Island Discs" type of questions:

1) Pearl Jam - Vs

When I first heard "Ten" , I was still in my teens, fresh out of SPM. It was something Ive never heard of before, but I instantly knew there was something special about this band. But it was only after Vs did it finally sealed it; I will be a Pearl Jam fan for life. This was the sound of the band at its prime, at its most powerful. Although they still continue to make wonderful music until now, this will always be in my heart, my favourite Pearl Jam album. And the only album that has a favourtite song of mine that they have since refused to play live, WMA.

2) Portishead - S/T

Can depression and darkness sound much more beautiful than this? My first "Electronica" record and what a wonderful journey it was. Beth Gibbon's harrowing tales of long lost loves and heartbreaking coupled with Geoff Barrow's masterful use of noir samples makes this one of those records you listen to in the dark, on a rainy day, while trying to resist the temptation to slit your wrist. :P

3) Radiohead - OK Computer

What can I say about this band that has not been exhaustively said already? I have to admit, I hated it the first time I listened to it. After the Brit rock anthems of The Bends, this was like listening to Pink Floyd on meth. But it after a the second or third listens, it hit me in the head like a brick to the wall. This is a work of geniuses, channelling paranoia and dystopian nightmares through sonic tapestries, beautiful but skewed guitar melodies and the various effect pedals and other musical maladies used . This was the first evolution of Radiohead as they attempt to ditch the moniker of a traditional "guitar-bass-drum-vocals" band. And It is a classic.

4)Soundgarden - SuperUnknown

The most commercial Soundgarden album ever. Every single song screams "HIT!!". But commercial does not always mean "sanitized" as this is a PERFECT collection of songs that demonstrates the awesome songwriting prowess of Mssrs Cornell and Co. From the bludgeoning "Drown Me" to the gentle but devastating progression of "Like Suicide" ( Asian Edition Only!!) , this is one record I have never SKIPPED a track. ever. They will be missed.

5)U2 - Achtung Baby

Like Radiohead, this is the sound of a band trying to break free of the image that has been tagged on to them previously. U2 has always been known to be earnest, anthemic, rocking and heartfelt band. But THIS, this was U2 sounding SEXY and MODERN, adjectives that were never used to describe them before. With Edge's new found love of digital multi processor effects ( while still maintaining his trademark delays) and Bono injecting a much needed rock and roll swagger in the songs, this is an instant classic.

Of course there are many more, such as albums by Led Zeppelin, Mogwai, Jimi Hendrix, Belinda Carlisle ( im not kidding!) etc2... but hey, since I'm only allowed 5.....:P

cheers.

Good Times, Bad Times - Led Zeppelin

2005-03-15T14:19:00.000+08:00

So I have been guilty of not updating my blog. Been busy living life, if I could say so. The past 3 weeks or so have been severely hectic; younger sister got married, younger sister may be pregnant ( and presenting my parents with their first grandchildren!they cant count on me and N for that...), meetings with MDs, scheduling more meetings coming up ahead and most importantly, me looking for a new job.

I once told an acquaintance of mine, Ms Cherzleen, that the only way I am going to make it big time and retire early is to work as an expat. Can you believe how much expats are getting paid here??? With that in mind, I am now embarking on a quest to become one myself. If I ever intend to retire at 45 ( at least) , I have to earn the USDs or EURO. Cvs have been send out, follow up calls have been made , now its just the waiting part to get shortlisted for an interview. That and luck. or whether or not I managed to charm the lady HR exec over the phone. :)

Wish me luck guys. I am seriously looking forward to get out of Malaysia and make it big outside.

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

This weekend, the pilot, the engineer, the chef and professor all sat down for a couple of hours of nostalgia and stories about dating innocent looking but horny kampung girls. A mini reunion of sorts, the last I'd seen Mr Chef and Mr Professor was 12 years ago. How people have changed ( and grown!). Good thing to know that all of us have managed to bite the dust, with an offspring or two ( excluding me of course). When at one time , the BP gang would hang out at the canteen and discuss when/whose house to watch that new blue tape or which kampung girl to date, now its talk about how to make more money, where to invest your money, job stress, cars, the cost of living, bringing up a family etc2.

Occasionally the talk would veer into why Air Asia stewadress are much more hornier and sexier than MAS ones but most of the time, we'll go back into talking where to send the kids for good education.

Its good to know each of us have carved our own niche in life. We may not have "made" it yet, but we're all getting there.

cheers.

Half Light - Athlete

2005-02-28T15:13:00.000+08:00

Im back.
Back to 100++ emails in my office inbox.
Back to a chaotic but sweet wedding.
Back to vacumming the floors of my house that is filled with cat hair.
Back from a hectic 2 weeks doing grunt work.
Back from complete isolation from the internet world.
Back from not seeing a single female species.
Back to catching up on real life and reading blogs.
Back to trying to start writing my long delayed travelogue.
Back to sleeping in my own bed.
Back to waking up to my baby in the mornings instead of a blank four walled room with no windows.

But sometimes, in the moment of chaos, there is also also some tranquility. even though you're OD'ed on sea sick pills.

Off He Goes - Pearl Jam

2005-02-18T08:23:00.000+08:00

And yet another assignment on distance shores.

Another week without blogging nor internet.

I am tired physically and mentally, exhausted from all the airport transfers and identical hotel rooms.

I need a break after this.

Fields, shorelines & hunters - M83

2005-02-14T09:12:00.000+08:00

I will be out of the country for the rest of the week. Since this will be a remote site, there will be no internet access for me. No blogging for the rest of the week.

See you later folks!

Tonight's the night - Neil Young & Crazy Horse

2005-02-05T01:55:00.000+08:00

It was night filled with talk of (pussy) cats, mandi kucing, babyrina(!), turning 30, the state of the local IT, ghost and bomohs, Baze, Phase 2, Picadilly, the dramas of blogs, perfume counter girls, naked massages, bar savanh, zouk, horror movies., Japanese surfer chicks, travelling, foreign working culture....over pasta & warung food.

Fade0, Poncho, Maine, Zainframe....enjoyed your company. You guys are hilarious! And Fade0, thanks for the drink man...enjoy the rest of your stay in KL and good luck in your conquest! :P

Good night. Ive got walls to paint tomorrow.

A Man and A Woman - U2

2005-01-29T23:06:00.000+08:00

"I could never take a chance
Of losing love to find romance
In the mysterious distance
Between a man and a woman
No I could never take a chance
'Cause I could never understand
The mysterious distance
Between a man and a woman..."

Over the weekend, something significant happened besides me having my wise old tooth taken out.

N and me have been married for almost 2 years. If someone were to say to me that the first year or two were the "honeymoon" phase, I;d say it's pure horseshit. It wasnt the easiest thing to go through with, this crazy "little" thing called marriage. Sure, we've known and dated each other for 6 years. You would think in that span of 6 years you would have known every single minute detail about your partner. Truth is, it is only a drop in the ocean. You begin a new slate when you get married, because previously it was always a space of ONE and now it has become a space of ONE and the OTHER one. your privacy is breached, your are somewhat "forced" to be in each other's existence, even during those days when you just want to scream "CAN I JUST HAVE MY OWN BUBBLE??"

So it was as much of an adventure as well as it was a test. And also , knowing someone for so long makes you take some of the smallest things for granted. Someone told me once that when you are at your most comfortable is when shit happens , because you tend to let your guard down.because you tend to think "everything's gonna be alright". And that is what happened to me, to us this weekend. No, i stand corrected, it was happening all along, but I never choose to see it. I took the smallest things for granted, things that made her happy, things that doesnt always have to be in the "big picture". An when shit REALLY hits the fan, you go on thinking " My God, what an asshole i was all this while".

It's not easy. sometimes you think you're doing the right thing, but you;re not. sometimes you think you've let your ego back away but it hasnt. Sometimes you would think you've made the right choice but turns out to be one of the worst you've made in your entire life. But it remains a challenge I'm willing to face everday. I hurt N this weekend, it was ( to me) seemed like a small thing but as I've said before, never take the smallest things for granted. it is always the small ones that get away.

I'm no relationship expert. sure there'll be cynics out there who will think the institution of marriage is a farce. i am not of them. And as sappy as this my sound, I am a true believer and supporter of marriage that is in touch with the ground you step on, in touch with reality, not diabetic induced hallmark moments.

Go on, go love someone right now,

I will Survive - Gloria Gaynor/ Cake

2005-01-29T22:45:00.000+08:00

Wait, more like, i HAVE survived!

wuhooo... yours truly is now blessed with 31 teeth. One less to worry above...

Thank you all for your support, esp. Kaiser, who gave a very good idea about the eye patch ( it helped. a lot!) . And not to forget my lovely N, who became my chaffeur for the day and moral supporter.

Amazingly enough, the whole process , from the injection of the anesthesia to the stitch up, took exactly one hour. Good Job Doc. Ben! and honestly, it wasnt as bad as i think it would be ( again, not seeing what tools the doc was using helped). Sure, there was a lot of grinding, the smell of bone being grinded off, a lot of yanking , that intense pressure....but it was all over before you know it.

I am also blessed with a swollen cheek. And am on a diet of antibiotics , painkillers & porridge.and more porridge....

Roadie, it certainly aint as bad as getting your ass reamed by a gorrilla, i would think! :P

Over and out.

Dark Side of The Moon - Pink Floyd

2005-01-27T18:13:00.000+08:00

Sometimes people can just surprise you in many ways.

Teardrops - Massive Attack

2005-01-26T03:10:00.000+08:00

OSAMA

*please excuse this writeup if it sounds like late night, post supper rambling. it is. and the fact that i really am not eloquent in reviewing films. may contain spoilers*

**actually, its not so much of a review. more like what went on in my head after watching it. post analysis you might say**

Since that every tom, chong, murugan & minah in the blogging world seems to be talking about the movie Closer , I thought I'll write about a different kind of movie. Whereas Closer brings complex modern relationships issues close to home, Osama, brings us to a totally different world of relationships, one that is more often not, brutal to its very core and physically and mentally torturous.

there is little or no soundtrack at all. the colors are muted, the cinematography stark, the plot execution blunt. heck, even the dialogue is sparse.There is no happy ending , not even a glimpse of hope and to some it may seem a tad too depressing. The lack of soundtrack forces us to focus our attention to the characters. Osama, played brilliantly by young Marina Golbahari ( considering she was working as a beggar before making this film, how's that for your acting portfolio??), is the central character who is somewhat forced againts her will by her mother and grandmother to disguise as a boy so that she(he?) can help the family by getting a job.

The first 10 minutes sets the tone of the story. Women in burqas marching the desolate streets of Kabul , demanding for equal rights. That is , before the Taliban gunmen come marching in their path and what follows is a harrowing account, a glimpse of what life was for women who dared to raise their voices in the Taliban regime. It is seriously fucked up and will probably add fuel to fire for the many Anti-Islam critics out there. But I dont blame them, not especially when you have the Taliban regime who seem bent on upholding God's laws under their own terms, their own interpretations.

Afghanistan is no longer headline news material these days. Any news avaialble are usually relegated to a small column, probably on Page 20 or so. America came, drove away the Taliban and left. Re-building of the society, only recently freed from a terror regime which had an iron grip, was slow, almost non existence. You might have seen cheerful news, shortly after the US troops were there, that would have mention that "the streets of Kabul are back to normal! Movies are being shown again, radios are playing music....". The reality is that, that's all there is to it. There is so much more at stake,mindsets , brainwashed from the Taliban era, needs to be changed because on a whole, women are still subject to certain elements of oppression ( there was an article about birth defects, common amongts Afghan children, due to internal marriages*). There is so much more to be done. and many people have forgotten about them.

Osama in the movie may not have much hope during the Taliban era. But Marina definitely has some future. She may or may not be acting anytime soon, but director Siddiq Barmak has given her an option, a choice , that there is something better out there for her people. And her story needs to be told.

Ok. ill stop rambling now. just go see this movie.

* i dont knowlah what the term is...marrying amongst close relatives...cousins, distance cousins etc2...

Hurt- Nine Inch Nails

2005-01-24T11:08:00.000+08:00

Back from Muar and JB. No Singapore due to lack of time. Next time I'll look for your stuff, both Vlad and Roadie.

And I am back nursing a very sore wisdom teeth, compounded with body aches and a slight fever ( which, thankfully, not caused by dengue) Kaiser, if you are reading this, I am going to that dentist you recommended ( finally had the courage). This is only for a pre-surgery checkup, since I am not sure to what extent the damage of wisdom teeth is ( its growing horizontally at almost 90 Degree angle, I have the x-ray, it looks cool though...). I have heard horror stories from people undergoing wisdom teeth extraction surgery. Please God , give me strength to face this insurmountable fear of going under the knife, semi-awake, and having sharp tools cutting away at that delicate gum flesh....arghhhhhhh

Not to mention a hole in my (very small) wallet. These dentists sure make a lot of moolah!

Looks like if I am going to go through the surgery this weekend, I will be on baby food diet. Pureed carrots anyone?

Kaiser, please give me tips on post operation survival!

Reason for silence - delgados

2005-01-19T18:09:00.000+08:00

I am out of the country at the moment and will be going home to N's grandfather's place south of Malaysia this weekend. And maybe Singapore too ( should we?should we?emm..tempting...)

Selamat Hari raya Eid Adha to all Muslims and have a good long weekend for the everyone else.

Be back next week for more stories.

Let Go - Frou Frou

2005-01-17T18:11:00.000+08:00

Sometimes that's how I feel . Just me and N . just letting it go. just leaving everything behind.going away somewhere far, far away.
I have dreams of us being constantly on the road. constantly on the move. everyday a new perspective. a new challenge. Not that now it isnt but sometimes daily routine is just not very interesting.

It might come across as being selfish to some people. You know, people might say you cant just pack up and go? you have responsibilites, your parents, your siblings, your children ( and you MUST have them). you must save up for your future, for your retirement, your investments, your unit trust, your AFTERLIFE.

I mean, come on. there MUST be a way to attend to your responsibilites and enjoy what's left of your measly life. I just havent have a clue how.

Im ranting, I know. There are bigger problems right now in the world. And here I am , facing an inner jihad.

shit, i think i really need a new job. That or I must be thinking of the things i didnt or ought to do when i was younger.

Shit man...this really sounds like quater life crisis.

Oh by the way, I am having difficulties putting to words the images that I have in my head ( based on my last trip). Everything I write down sounds so flat even though in my head they sound funtasticly fabulous. it aint easy writing travelogues that are interesting to READ, as I am now finding out.

Song for a dead girl - Three fish

2005-01-14T16:00:00.000+08:00

N request that we observe a minute of silence for her dead guppy, who unfortunately committed suicide this morning by jumping out of her bowl.

We could not determine its gender, but we would like to think of it as a girl, hence the post title.

Tell me the truth - Midnight Oil

2005-01-14T15:32:00.000+08:00

Some of you may wonder what do I work as/where do I work.

Here's a clue or two:

sometimes I feel like I am on a spaceship heading into the unknown.

The job's dangerous as hell. But I love it. The adrenaline rush can sometimes be better than sex. har har har :P

This Devil's WorkDay - Modest Mouse

2005-01-14T15:05:00.000+08:00

Last year, I was fighting for this mega project in a foreign country which initially we had thought we won but suddenly was slipping away from our hands. More importantly, this was a project for a country which I had a personal responsibility over it. Losing the project would reflect very badly on my track record and definitely decrease my chances of getting a good increment. So, it became a long, hard and dirty battle. Dirty tactics were used, manipulation tactics were used, all to make sure that the competitor would be wiped out from the picture. Ultimately, we won the project but not without any consequences.

My manager attributed the success to my hard work and clever strategy. I actually thought I was lucky: I had an inside man. No, make it an inside man AND an inside woman. Now, the lady, she was a friend first and client later, but she sort of helped put in a good word for us since she is one of the more influential key players in the project. But the man, now that's another story. This guy actually ASKED me what do I have in store for him if I want him to help my company out for the project. As much as I resent this sort of approach, I had to give in. So we struck a deal. And next week, that deal will be fulfilled. I will be personally flying in to this country and hand deliver the blood (oil?) money.

I love my job. But this is one of the aspects of my job that I am at battles with.

what would you do?

It's so Quiet - Bjork

2005-01-12T13:30:00.000+08:00

My first post of 2005.

It was a relatively quiet new year, no fanfare, no partying, a lot of pondering into the future. moments of contemplation. thoughts and reflections regarding the ongoing tragedy.
dinner at a Turkish Restaurant. shisha-ing under ths stars. working on the house. decorating the house. buying mineral water for the helpless ones. buying fishes for the water pond so that the bloody aedes mosquitoes dont start popping babies in there. defending my faith in another forum. thinking whether or not I should do a job exodus.thinking of more books. thinking of more recipes to try. planning to travel to either morocco, turkey, chiengmai or cambodia, whichever is feasible. the need to add more plants in the bathroom. work, work, work.blogs to read. money to burn. money to find. the drudgery of routine and the eagerness to break its cycle. movies to watch. dvds to buy. relatives asking when's the baby coming. I'll tell you what's coming: 30 is coming. YPKMF.

so many things.

is time running out?

ps: The wandering eye is coming. soon.

Back in Black - AC/DC

2004-12-31T01:13:00.000+08:00

I am back . It is nice to feel the warm air again.

I have stories to tell. But before that, I'll have to do my dirty laundry first.

And in light of the tragedy that have befallen us , this song comes to mind:

winded is the sailor...
drifting by the storm...
wounded is the organ he left all...
bloodied on the shore...
gorgeous was his savior, sees her...
drowning in his wake...
daily taste the salt of her tears, but...a chance blamed fate...
little secrets, tremors...turned to quake...
the smallest oceans still get...big, big waves...
ransom paid the devil...
he whispers pleasing words...
triumphant are the angels if they can...a get there first...
little secrets tremors...turned to quake...
the smallest oceans still get...big, big waves...
i'll decide..
.take the dive...take my time...not my life...
wait for signs...believe in lies...to get by...
it's divine...whoa...oh, you know what it's like...
turns the bow back, tows and...drops the line...
puts his faith in love and tremors......

-EV-

My condolences to all who have lost their loved ones. My heart especially goes out to the parents who have lost their children and children who have lost their parents.

The Wall - Pink Floyd

2004-12-21T14:02:00.000+08:00

Ok folks. Just got news that yours truly will have to fly to China, or more specifically, an isolated place called Kela.

My itinerary will look like this:

KL - Beijing (flying..of course)
Beijing - Urumqi (flying)
Urumqi - Korla (flying)
Korla - Kela - 2 oilfield. ( by road)

Its located at the north eastern tip of Urumqi, which is also the NorthEastern tip of China. I was told it's a desert town and pretty remote. Sounds like a really, REALLY fun place to be. ( Party with Camels?any time!)
Oh well, I guess I'll have to look for Santa somewhere in Kazakhstan.
And i doubt they'll have internet cafe there. so, no blogs for a while and no surfing. Wow, I am really going to have a blast there.
Note to self: bring plenty of books to read.

Happy Holidays everyone!
*I'm not saying happy new year because I hope to be back by New Year's Eve!*

I'll Stand By You - The Pretenders

2004-12-17T08:51:00.000+08:00

N bumped into her ex-colleague this weekend at the gym. In fact, both of us have been bumping into him a lot lately at the newly opened Curve. But the interesting thing is, we have been spotting him alone. You see, Mr.A, is a CEO of a medium sized company. Drives a 5 ( or is it 6) series Beemer, recently married to a (young) gorgeous Pan Asian girl and lives in a nice house.
Their marriage was the stuff made in heaven; ceremony was done overseas, the wife is a glamourous type, one you would see gracing magazine covers. Both of them can be spotted doing everything, going everywhere, together.

But lately he's going everywhere alone. So N asked him about his wife.

"I'm single now in Malaysia. She's back in ******. I told her to stay there for the meantime."

If you get the impression that they are now divorced, they're not. Times are hard for Mr A as his company is seeing diminishing projects and profits. Money is not rolling in as fast as it used to and last I heard he was being sued by his ex partner. So eventually he asked his wife to go back where she's originally from to find work because he's worried he can't support their current lifestyle at the moment. I feel sorry for him and I hope things do work out for him.
And I hope this couple can transcend above material needs and go through this bad phase together.

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

I was at KLCC the other day and bumped into an ex-colleague. At lunch, this ex-colleague of mine was telling me a story about her brother, whom she was living with. Apparently, her brother is going through a tough time, having recently went through a very bad divorce and had his child taken away from him. Wife was a foreigner from a neighbouring country, they got married there while he was on a business trip and was still a successful businessman. In other words, they were living large, good money, good house, expensive taste...the works. But business has since gone down and this brother of hers found herself having to come back to Malaysia to find a job, while the wife and child stayed on. Soon after, the wife said she had enough of uncertainty and wanted out. and the child too.

He's going through depression at the moment and this ex colleague of mine is rather worried of the mental state of his brother.

what about you?would you stand by your man/woman throughout the darkest of days?

would you?

God Bless - Lamb

2004-12-12T10:14:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, N and I had the opportunity to attend a wonderful mini open house , hosted by none other than Ms TTDI Activist herself, Maine.

Maine, the lamb ghoulash, the unidentified but tasty creamy seafood dish, the spinach and onion bread and the roast chicken ( yes, all is forgiven that you cheated on this one :) ) were excellent. Not forgetting the tasty mamak TTDI putu mayam. Makes for a change from the typical ubiquitous ketupat nasik and rendang.

Roadie and Fade, you guys should have been there. Maine is a good cook and although she was not in her kebaya as both of you might have imagined, she was in a very lovely dress ( Maine, I'm pretty sure what you wore yesterday was NOT baju kurung..right?right?heh)

It was good food, good company ( oh..the gossips, the gossips!blogging gossips included!) and a very good host.

Thanks Maine for the event. Make sure we're on your mailing list the next time you do this again! :)

Lucky Man - The Verve

2004-12-04T02:29:00.000+08:00

its 230am.

I am still awake.

I am watching N sleeping peacefully and getting lost in her own dreamscapes.

I love waking up next to her.

Feeling bare skin, the warmth from the embrace

Best thing in the world, i tell ya....

Its the one thing I always miss when i travel.

I never liked to sleep alone.

No Surprises - Radiohead

2004-12-03T01:27:00.000+08:00

Intermission:

Contrary to the song title above, today was a day full of nice little surprises.
First of all, I had the opportunity to meet the talented Ms Rara Avis and her friend. She is a lovely person on and offline. Rara, if you are reading this, sorry for the initial confusion on who's who! Hopefully we'll cross paths again.

So the story goes that since last Monday I was pretty pissed that tickets to LAuberge Espagnol sold out, I decided to take a half day's leave from work:

Fake to Boss: "I need to take half day leave tomorrow. Medical checkup"
Boss to fake" Anything serious?"
Fake to boss: "Uh..Ive been having these mysterious allergic reactions"
Allergic reactions my ass...heh

So anyway, off I go to MV GSC. Agh..the horror of school holiday crowd. Getting the ticket to the 330pm show itself was a mini event. All the normal tickets were sold out, the ones left were the phone booking ones , that will only be released at 300pm. Apparently, I was the 1st one who got to know this as people started to ask about the Lauberge tickets and all were given the same answer by the counter girl. So, in a scene that wouldnt look out of place in Amazing race where those buxom girls and hunky men would wait in front of the airline counter to secure the first tickets, we did just that. Not only that, we kept pressuring the counter girl to release the ticket albeit subtlely ( ala...adik..lagi 2 minit aje...release je la ticket tu). Come 300pm, got my tickets! Finally! Also managed to get tickets for the 645pm show of Upswing. later, I heard that some people got really2 pissed off about their booked tickets being given away. Well, too bad innit? heh...

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

L'Auberge Espagnol

It was a full house! This movie was a sexy and fun movie. Nothing groundbreaking but its offbeat Euro-centric humour really made my day ( better than the stupid Eurotrip). Even though the movie was basically in French, parts of it were in English and Espanol. And the best part was, the censors were having a lazy day today! ( For your info, the censoring was done manually by holding a cardboard over the projector since this is actually a DVD screening unto the big screen!). Ass shots, side view of a full frontal nude male, girl on girl action, fuck in 5 different languages spoken (Spanish, French, English,Danish & Flemish!), horny french women in lingerie, some pseudo fucking scenes, sloppy french kissing, gay shots....it was definitely a riot!

I will definitely hunt down the DVD. But the most pleasant surprise of all, was the fact that the song No Surprises by radiohead ( in which this blog title was taken from) was played thrice in the movie! I guess the director must a be a big fan.
Sexy indeed. ( and that includes the cast.....)

/////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Upswing (Nousokausi)
I know next to nothing about this movie and just decided to give it a shot. The only thing I know about Finland is that its the birthplace of Nokia. Nada info about its films.
AllI can say was, this is one quirky Finnish movie which is funny, bittersweet and depressing all at the same time. You are also required to suspend your disbelief over the gullibleness of the Fins! Despite it's flaws, it was pretty informative in the sense that it shattered my illusion that Finland is a country where noone is poor and lead depressing lives. It was also an eye opener to see how the homes of the middle class and the working class in Finland. ( I have this obsession about houses).

Unfortunately for this one , the censor guy got a bit carried away ( there were quite a number of fucking scenes and the word fuck...we were left in total blackout for 1-2 mins in a couple of scenes!). The Finnish embassy probably didnt bribe him enough eh Rara? :P
Good movie nonetheless.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

I wish I could see the other films that were offered at the EU film fest but time is not on my side. Really wanted to see the Dutch film The Twin sisters but wtf GSC is showing its last session tomorrow at freakin 12 pm!!

That said, I am glad that more and more Malaysians are catching and finally can enjoy films that are outside the usual Hollywood offerings. It 's also important that people should know that foreigns films need not be pretentious or arty or a mindfuck one ( like david lynch) all the time.

You need not be an film appreciation student, an artist or an elitist wanker who says dahlink every 5 minutes to enjoy these movies. These films can be a valuable insight on the culture that exist beyond our safe boundaries. In fact, most of the films offered in this time's filmfest tend to reflect similar occurences in our own society.

They are just represented in a different tongue.

Viva la celluloid!

Take you on a cruise - Interpol

2004-12-02T10:50:00.000+08:00

Land of Cheese and Dykes - Part Een

Can I take all of you on a picture ride? I am a little stumped for ideas to write. From my recent trip to NL.

This is a bridge near my hotel in Gouda ( yes, of the famed Gouda cheese).One of those rare sunny days in Holland.

Interesting looking moatlike canal in front of an art gallery.

This is what my company makes. Apparently it cost a fortune.

A beautiful courtyard in front of a kerk(church).

My colleagues' apartment in Rotterdam. This is the more modern Dutch homes. I like the simplicty of the design.

He was cooking dinner. We were expecting a bunch of people that night. Again, simplicity is the order of the day here.

All pictures were taken in Gouda & Rotterdam.

Utopia - Goldfrapp

2004-11-30T17:42:00.000+08:00

The weather is less than inviting outside.

We all need this picture to transport ourselves elsewhere.

somewhere warm and nice.

Quelqu'un M'A Dit - Carla Bruni

2004-11-29T22:35:00.000+08:00

a short tale:

today was a much anticipated day.
It was planned for N and I to go watch L'Auberge Espagnol at the EU Film fest at MV.
I love quirky French movies. Audrey Tatou is one of my favourite actress and I have almost all her works pre and post Amelie. so off we go. traffic jams and all ( a 630 show??c'mon GSC).
Only to find out after waiting in line for like an eternity:"Abang, Spanish Apartment sold out laaa..".
So my mood when from:

Park at Den Haag

to this:

The stormy NoordZee

I guess Malaysians are finally warming up to foreign movies. To my expense....
ahh shit...looks like Im gonna have to contact my friendly arthouse uncle ho dealer across the border

Sometimes you can't make it on your own - U2

2004-11-29T22:27:00.000+08:00

Ahh..the wonders of laziness or plain procrastinating!

I have many things to write about BUT unfortunately, since coming back from the Eid vacation I am totally buried in work!Does not help that in a week or two I will be flying to several different locations in Asia. The pressure, the pressure...

Now, weekend was "planned" to be all day blogging day, now that we have wireless internet access in the house, which means I can blog while sitting on the toilet seat going about my business( now that's an idea defining moment isnt it?). That or reading Fade0's blog in the toilet. which can prove to be hazardous to the copius amounts of sexy ladies on his blog.But NOOoooO, we plunked our hard earn cash on a couple of DVDs and went on a DVD marathon this weekend and actually stayed home instead of doing the whole raya-open house thing ( how selfish of us....I think). Documentaries, art house films, campy sci fi B movie, overblown hollywood cliche, yup it was a mish mash alright. So there goes blogging weekend out of the window.

speaking of windows, at the moment, please enjoy this lovely picture ( so i think) of some fall leaves at the window of my hotel room in NL.

In the meantime, I shall try to cow udder squeeze any possible time I have left this week to write!

cheers!

Weak & Powerless - A perfect circle

2004-11-19T07:33:00.000+08:00

I am back on my two feet in SOL-ful Malaysia.

Arrived yesterday evening after a tiring flight and i still cant sleep right.

Need to get back in the mode.

You and whose army? - Radiohead

2004-11-15T18:40:00.000+08:00

A couple of highlights from the last couple of days in London:

- plane circled for at least 1 hour before it could land on the oh-so-busy heathrow
- London weather...BRRRRRRRRRRRR
-did not solat raya because we overslept. How could you not when you are snuggled beneath thick layers of comfortable duvets?
- Went to pick sis-in law in Brunel (5 of us) and brought her back ( 6 0f us....in a small Vauxhall Corsa...Kumars anyone? :P )
-did the whole raya thing and tagged along in laws to the ambassador's house and me, N, sis in law, bro in law stood in one corner looking like the mafioso because we dont know anyone ( or refused to acknowledge anyone...heh)
- did the whole raya thing again at the new MSD. We REALLY felt out of place in this sea of very stylo mylo London students.- Went to Camden Town. Most favourite place in London. Bought a nice German army re-issue jacket for 3 quid. A bargain or what???
- End transmission.

All You Need Is Love - The Beatles

2004-11-10T22:25:00.000+08:00

Sorry folks. this is gonna be a quick one. Day one of the conference is already draining me ( business ops, e-biz, e-commerce bla bla bla...Hey I'm an engineer ok?? :P). NL weather is not helping and being the beach at this time of the year is no plus point either ( on a side note:i wished my room was facing the sea. Ini facing the tram station. apa kejadah....)

Lisa, saw Bazaar, took pictures of Bazaar, nice looking restaurant but unfortunately we did not get to eat in there because it was too full! 50 mins waiting period....pictures will come later...

Had dinner at one of my Dutch colleagues' house. Helped him and his gf get their new bathtub up the stairs. I love the simple Dutch designs. The first thing you notice is that their houses are not wide but memanjang ke belakang. And the big windows. and the little ornaments/decors that they put on the shelves facing the windows.
So my colleague was cooking some pasta with zalm last night ( nay varken en ren vlees, astujfblief(sp?) - no pig and beef meat , please...i think lah..my dutch is rusty), there were some day old newspaper on his gorgeous looking stainless steel countertop. Apparently regarding the backlash the Muslim (read:mostly Moroccans and Turkish) community was facing following the murder of film director Theo Van Gogh. I found out that the "nickname" for Moroccan immigrants were goatfucker. We had a lengthy discussion over dinner about this issue and for one, I cant blame the locals totally for the animosity against the immigrants. These people come to the country, dont even bother to learn Dutch, dont even bother to intergrate into the society, how do you expect locals to understand you?Misinformation is a very dangerous thing indeed.

Ok. sorry for the rambling. I need to figure out what to order for imsak. The zalm quiche sure sounds delicious....

ciao, dag.....

Stay(Faraway, So Close) - U2

2004-11-03T20:42:00.000+08:00

Looks like this is going to be my last entry for this week.
Flying off to NL tomorrow and subsequently to ye olde England after that.
I wont be bringing my laptop, so , if Im not too lazy or if the weather permits me to go find a cyber cafe, no updates for the next 2 weeks.

Just in case, Selamat Hari Raya & Maaf zahir & Batin to all Muslims acquaintances on and offline. Happy holidays to the rest.

Ball shrinking weather, here I come!

Kill The President - Thom Yorke & Isabel Monteiro (Drugstore)

2004-11-03T07:01:00.000+08:00

So, who's gonna ride your wild horses, Mr. President?

God shuffled his feet - crash test dummies

2004-11-02T13:39:00.000+08:00

Ode to feet - Doug Tanoury

I have seen poetic feet so perfect,
The very smallest units
Of patterned stress,
Soft idioms of Iambic
And drum beats of Anapestic,
That march across the carpet
In measured meter toward full-length mirrors.
I am the bard of bare soles
And naked ankles,Of fallen arches and
Swollen heels,
Of toenails
Pedicured and painted,
That catch the light
Like so many cut sapphires,
All arranged
In descending order of size.
I have crafted couplets in Trochaic,
And started the heartbeat of lines in Spondaic,
For I am the poet of feet,
Perfect and imperfect,
Poetic
And otherwise,
Of bunions, bumps and bent toes,
Carried within or laid upon
A pump, mule, sandal or thong.

Eat Drink Man Woman

2004-11-02T13:38:00.000+08:00

Last weekend N attempted to replicate the Vietnamese pho (beef noodle soup) that we normally have at our favourite Vietnamese restaurant. Here are the pictures ( with apologies to vegetarians out there):

thin beef slices

herbs: shallots, basil, mint and kaffir lime leaves ( coriander not in picture)

voila!

Verdict: it tasted fantastic, added with nam pla (nam nuoc) and hoisin sauce to the beef broth. However, we still did not get the same taste of the one we normally eat at the restaurant. Takpe...trial and error.

And to top it off, N baked some delicious bread pudding. Topped with choco chip ice cream. Bliss man bliss...

Wrong Town Wrong Planet 3 hours late - Dawn of the replicants

2004-11-02T13:16:00.000+08:00

somehow , these photos of KL reminds me of LA in Blade Runner.

*photos taken with cameraphone. no clarity*

New Year's Day - U2

2004-11-02T11:42:00.000+08:00

"All is quiet on New Year's Day
A world in white gets underway
I want to be with you..
Be with you night and day
Nothing changes on New Year's Day..."

Nothing changes on New Years Day indeed. True for me at least. I gave up a long long time ago trying to make up all these resolutions, which I never intend to achieve in the first place. But 2005 will be different...yes sir, 2005 will mark the year that this person in a 20++ shell will make the transition to the grande 30 shell. Big deal I know. But hey, when I was 20 I made some life changing resolutions and at least half of them were achieved during the course of 10 years. So for 2005, I shall make my ONLY resolution for the next 10 years. Here it goes:

1) I want to argue less and talk more with N
2) I want to constantly make her feel that she is proud of her man.
3) I want to take my parents for a well deserved vacation.
4) I want to buy a Fender Telecaster Custom 72 MIJ reissue
5) I want to practice a healthier diet
6) I want to do the Umrah
7) I want to be better at managing my money, my time and my sanity
8) I want to travel (properly) to Indochine and the middle east
9) I want to buy a nice diamond ring for N
10) I want to re-read the Quran
11) I want to earn EURO or USD
12) I want to learn French
13) I want to get to know God a little bit better
14) I want to open a restaurant
15) I want to stay calm
16) I want to learn how to surf
17) and how to swim ( properly)
18) I want to help N to forget about the horrible mistakes that Ive made in the past
19) I want to look into the possibility of children
20) I want to stay happy

Ive got 10 years.

Oceans - Pearl Jam

2004-11-02T10:55:00.000+08:00

hold on to the thread
the currents will shift glide me towards...
you know something's left
and we're all allowed to dream of the next of the next time we touch...
you don't have to stray the oceans away
waves roll in my thoughts
hold tight the ring... the sea will rise...
please stand by the shore...
i will be... i will be there once more...

Head like a hole - Nine Inch Nails

2004-11-01T15:45:00.000+08:00

I have a splitting headache.

Must the lack of sleep from last night.

I was having these weird violent dreams throughout the night and because of that I felt like I didnt have enough sleep. Does this happen to you?

I think Im going home in 10 minutes.

The Cat's Pyjamas - Isobel Campbell

2004-11-01T10:36:00.000+08:00

cat lovers.

do yourself a favor and go visit this site:

My Cat Hates You

Naked Eye - Luscious Jacksons

2004-11-01T09:42:00.000+08:00

Do you bath in the nude?
How you ever taken a bath in the nude with other members of the same sex and/or the opposite sex?
Im pretty sure at least 80% of the people will say aye.

You see, im pretty comfortable with my sexuality and my body, meaning that, yes, I dont mind skinny dipping or playing football naked. In fact, during my college days, I have taken the oocasional shower at the Uni gym. Imagine that. lotsa naked football players. I have also accidentally stumbled unto the women's shower room during one frat party. Thankfully a lot of those ladies were intoxicated at that time and were vomitting instead of showering sexily.

But its one thing to bath naked with people you hardly know or with strangers.
Its another to bath naked with your work colleagues. Somehow, seeing them in the buff and then going to work side by side the next day with them still gives me that uneasy feeling.

Looks like I have to pschye myself up for next week.

Out of time - Blur

2004-11-01T08:43:00.000+08:00

It has been a hectic weekend. In fact this whole week shall be very hectic. Since I am flying off on Thursday and will be gone from the office for 2 weeks, so many loose ends to tie up.
There was the pre-raya buka puasa relatives from all over gathering ("Eh?You wont be around for Raya?Where?Europe? Ok, EUROs or GBPs for my kids duit raya please...)

And then there was the packing. One thing I hate about going to the Northern Hemisphere at this time of the year is the cold. not snow, but the cold. And the bone freezing, lip cracking, balls shrinking wind chill. Which means having to pack Baa Baa Black sheep have you any wool? sweaters.
And those humongous winter jackets. Me being me, I tend to overpack. Im one those (anal retentive to some people) people that will evaluate a worse case scenario and the solution:
"What if the coverall gets REALLLY dirty?"
"what if the dryer doesnt work?"
"What if they notice I am wearing the same short from yesterday???"
"What if they dont have an iron??"
That sort of thing. This despite me being a seasoned backpacker for donkey years. I have been known by my Uni buddies as "Mat Lengkap" *Closest Translation:Guy who tends to things ready for all sorts of situation*
Makes it even worse that Im having this sniffies ( Doctor:" You should get a jab before Europe" Me ( being macho and all): " Eh?isnt that for senior citizens only?") and body temperature has since tropicalized for the last 3 years Im back in Malaysia.
laptop lagi....wool sweater lagi...more wool sweaters...and then dah la Holland is one WET country during winter/fall....makes it even worse...so which means I had to include a waterproof jacket. Oh yeah...I'll be sheep in the city alright.....

*

My apologies to all who who have vistied my blog and commented and I didnt reply back.
I will try. Promise.

*

Something happened during the weekend that made my blood go upstairs.
You know those express checkout lanes at hypermarkets ? Do you think they have done a good job at putting adequate and BIG signage to inform the people what constitutes express checkouts?Well, I think they are doing a good job. Signs are everywhere and pretty clear AND bi-lingual too.
"Kaunter Express: Untuk 10 barangan and ke bawah sahaja!
Tunai sahaja!"
*Translation: Express Counter: 10 items or less ONLY!!
Cash Only!!*
You would think people can read. Esp in Mutiara damansara's Tesco.
Apparently not. I notice there are 3 types here:
1) The one who has 11 items ( Ala, boleh la...satu saja lebih). Excuse me potatohead, 10 items or less does not mean 10+1, 10+2 or 10 plus whatever number.
2) The one who forgets that cash means paper ( or nowadays, polymer) money, not plastic, not your stupid AMEX gold card which you cant really afford to pay the full balance anyway. ( Alamak, tak cukup cash la, card boleh?)
3) The innocent in denial que cutter types. This is even more worse. They go smiling "wee..i have 3 items only" but at the same time, they send out their minions to get so and so stuff that they forget and these slaves bring back stuff one by one as the slave driver approaches the counter. sneaky bastard.

Give me an Uzi already. No wonder some people can go postal over these kinds of stuff.

Friday, Im in Love - The Cure

2004-10-29T13:39:00.000+08:00

Its a Friday, and why am i swamped with work?? ( i refuse to use the word piles. Rumours spread at speeds higher than Mach 5 on the net :P )
I was supposed to write more on the above topic but nooooooooooooo...clients had to call me left and right. malay saying goes "tak cukup tangan!". Dont even have time to read my favourite blogs!

"When you are flying in here?"
" Do you think you can make it after raya?"
" We need you on Nov 15. Is that possible?"
" Our valve is not working. We need you to come here this weekend"

Bahhh......

Somewhat Damaged - NIN

2004-10-28T13:06:00.000+08:00

I am down with fever, throat inflammation and piles and piles of work.

I need to boost my immune system as fast as I can because by next Thursday, I will be at least under 3 layers of clothing.

Lisa, what's the weather forecast for next week? :P

I am also craving for someone's hot pumpkin pie.

*sigh*

Islands in the sun -Weezer

2004-10-27T05:30:00.000+08:00

I am here right now.

Free - Cat Power

2004-10-27T05:27:00.000+08:00

Everyday, N and I come back home to these faces.

tell me, how can you NOT afford to relax ? :)

Ladies & Gentlemen, May I present to you (from top to bottom) Disney, Boo & Mojo.

Wake Up - The Boo Radleys

2004-10-27T05:00:00.000+08:00

Our office incorporates the open concept type.

I sit across my manager.

I am struggling to keep my eyelids open.

help.

Volvo Driving Soccer Mom - Everclear

2004-10-27T00:51:00.000+08:00

Reading Roadie's blog about football(soccer) inspired me to write this little piece of about football fanatiscm amongts men...or lack thereof.

You see, I am what you can consider an active guy. In my lifetime, I have played rugby, football, badminton, volleyball. Involved myself in athletics, wall climbing, swimming, marathons, kickboxing. More recently, I have been an active futsal player and the occasional grass field football player ( increasingly hard to come by these days...the fields that is).

But N still calls me strange.

You see, I dont watch sport events. I dont watch EPL. I dont follow leagues. I dont keep track on the UEFA. Our house didnt use to have Astro Sports Channel ( I can see other men screaming:blasphemy!!) until N pestered me to subscribe to it. You know those Astro ads they are running right now, the ones with the gfs/wives holding back remotes from their bfs/husbands? well in my case, it would be the OTHER way around, genderwise.

Is there something wrong with me?Why cant I be a spectator?Am I only interested in being the participant?psycho analyze me please, dear readers.

There is a glimmer of hope though. I *do* watch one sporting event, one which i have yet to try out for myself and itching to do so (See this guy's blog http://littlenomad.com): surfing competitions.

baby steps....yes....

The plane will crash tomorrow - explosions in the sky*

2004-10-26T20:21:00.000+08:00

Last weekend, I managed to catch this documentary about the Pentagon over National Geo. One of the segments of this documentary was about the Sept. 11 attack on the Pentagon. Strangely enough, last month, the 11th past by me without any incident. However, watching this documentary opened up a flood gate of memories.

You see, 10 days prior to that fateful day, yours truly was one of the thousands of tourist basking in under the warm summer sun in between the two towers. It was great day, weather was fantastic and I was enjoying my very last day in the Big Apple and my last day in the United States after 5 long years. Watching the kinetic pace of New Yorkers going on with their lives, it was something which holds a special place in my memories.

Fast forward to Bangsar stalls.

"Dude, ko tgk tu, white house** kena attack sial!"
"Serious?ko biar betul?"
"Dude, there, its on CNN. sialla....lagi satu attack kat New York!"

And so it did. I could not believe this horror was occuring at that very moment. I went numb momentarily. I was there about a week before. I was standing in between the towers. I was lining up to go up Tower 2. If this would have happened at that time...........

My first thoughts were of Wani. I was crashing at her apartment in NYC. She works a couple of blocks away from the WTC, at the Metlife building. I dialled her office number instantly. "Sorry, all lines are busy. Please try again later". I called her parents here in KL to ask whether they have heard from her. No, she hasnt called and they were terrified.

3 days later, I finally managed to get hold of her.

"I ran like hell. The moment I I heard about the crash, I got up and ran out of the building, like everyone else."
"It was madness. Everyone was confused, scared"
"I ran all the way to the Malaysian Embassy. I passed by the Israeli Embassy and it was heavily guarded, security and armed personnel everywhere. I was scared."
"I couldnt go back to Brooklyn. I stayed at the Embassy during those 3 days"

Im glad she turned out fine. And while it is a great tragedy, I am thankful to God that I was not there on that very day at that spot. I still have pictures of the WTC taken from Staten Island. Its a postcard perfect picture.

where were you on September 11?

*About the title, Explosions in the sky is a band from Texas. Their debut album was released on Sept 10, 2001. On the album cover, there is a picture of an angel and the words that was inscribed on it was "the plane will crash tomorrow...". Pure coincidence you think?

** there was some confusion at that time. we thought the white house was attacked.

Mothers of The Disappeared - U2

2004-10-25T12:38:00.000+08:00

WTF?

what happened to the original comments prior to me installing haloscan???

Sorry to those who were kind enough to comment...it is now currently in some black hole...

I will try to get it back....

Piper at the gates of dawn - Pink Floyd

2004-10-25T09:25:00.000+08:00

The calm before the storm.

Random Transient Noise Burst - Stereolab

2004-10-24T23:27:00.000+08:00

Salut!

With the risk of sounding like Jessica Simpson, can anyone tell me how this trackback thing works?

so many ideas in my head, so little time to write yada yada yada so the cliche goes. amazing how the weekend whizzes past by you when you have so much to do.
someone ask me what's the theme of my blog. what theme? ??unfortunately ,i have no theme. i am not aiming for a booker prize.this is not a happy meal combo blog. take it as it is :).

Oh just for the sake of having a theme....i notice more less everyone sorta have some sort of linear theme, be it subtle or otherwise. I guess mine would be....infinite randomness. whatever i see, whatever i taste, whatever i cook, wherever i take a dump ( believe me, for my case, this can be interesting occasionally), it can go on here.

ok, sleep today, write tomorrow. adieu!

Midnight in a Perfect world - DJ Shadow

2004-10-24T20:05:00.000+08:00

Ever since I was "domesticated" about a year ago and moved to the northern suburbs of KV, going out at night isnt the same as it used to be. There was a time in the distant past when this man would be hanging out until the chick(en)s started to crow. ( N corrected me, cocks crow...) in Bangsar, getting free kisses from girls, then mingling with the underworld in Chow Kit over hot nasik lemak 50 sen.

Now, the mere mention of KL brings a puzzled look on my face. "KL?What's that?new shopping mall?". In fact the only time me and N really went out to enjoy KL nightlife was when my Thai friend came down to visit. Yes folks, yours truly have been living a hermit-like existence over the past year or so....where Damansara Perdana/Mutiara Damansara/1U are the only "cities" that I know.

so tonight was kinda special. after a nice hot nasik lemak and soto from Tanjung Puteri DSH, me and N took off for a cruise to the city. I admit, having lived in many great cities abroad, I have lost the appreciation for KL. Tonight however, I realised that I have taken this city for granted. From the seediness of Lorong Haji Taib to the pulsating hedonism of Jalan Sultan Ismail, its a city full of stories to tell. The Chow Kit night market vendor have everything in common with that young nubile SPG flailing around in Beach Club; both trying to make living worthwhile in this increasingly dense and soon to be chaotic city. the police roadblocks, the accidents, the lok-lok seller, the pakcik jual ubat seks kuat.....oh yeah....this is beginning to look like KL i used to remember.

Me? I had fun looking and waving at gorgeous ladymen ( well technically N was having fun, I kept rigid in my seat) and walking through buzzing nightmarket.Looks like im gonna have to make more cruising trips to nightime KL. But for tonight's occasion, it was truly an eye opener.Thanks N, love ya.

NB: damn...those ladymen sure have killer bods with equally killer thongs! kalah Monica belluci!

Re-incarnation blues

2004-10-21T18:03:00.000+08:00

Ok. Im giving this a second shot. everybody deserves a second chance.
After stalking around other people's blog comment box for ages, my thoughts were" My God, these people can REALLY write!I am truly not worthy".
Im always amazed by how some people can translate their thoughts so well, so fluid , in their writing, whereas mine could barely pass the grade of a high school essay competition.
So to Dina, Roadie, Maine, Azura, Vlad, Lisa, Fade0, Hansac and numerous other exceptional blog writers, I salute you.
But bear with me lah with mine. I am quite HTML illiterate.