Friday, December 28, 2007

Spock - A Great Place For Search

Spock is a free people search application that organises information around you, and their mission is to have a search result for everyone in the world. People can be searched by name or by a tag consisting of a personal piece of information. These tags can be created by the person, or by other Spock members.

Spock is not a social networking site per se but they do have some elements that resemble a social networking site such as having an in-house messaging system and creating your own network of people on Spock.

It is actually quite a fun and useful service to use. I did a search on myself and only one search result came back, pointing to this blog. That's pretty neat, if you ask me! Sure they still have a long way to go to fulfil their mission of having a search result for every single person in the world but they're definitely moving in the right direction.

You can also choose to search for celebrities or anyone else for that matter. The search result for Michael Jackson returned with the pop singer coming out top on the list. It's interesting to note the tags associated with him ranging from things such as pop singer, King of Pop, Moonwalk, Jackson 5 and Neverland Ranch to ugly, scary, crazy, plastic surgery, sex scandal and paedophile. How Kevin Federline ended up in the top 10 search results for Michael Jackson really beats me.



Registration is pretty fast and straightforward. Being a member of Spock will enable you to do quite a few things non-members would be unable to do. There's just so much that a paid review can tell you, so head on down to Spock.com - a great place for search to check them out yourselves. I'm sure you'll find your visit to be quite enjoyable.




Thursday, December 27, 2007

Now That You Got It

by Gwen Stefani feat Damian Marley


"Now That You Got It" music video by Gwen Stefani

Gwen tries her vocal chords in some reggae music for this one. I think she did quite well, don't you think so? This collaboration with Bob Marley's youngest son, Damian Marley looks like a huge success to me. It's simply contagious! This is exactly the song that I need to have my head bobbing to at the moment.

I'm in real need of some upbeat, happy and sunshiny music like this one (I don't need anymore exposure to sunshine though as I'm getting way too much of it at the moment from the weekly torture). I just feel as if I'm just moving along with the currents, being swept from left to right, front to back, quite aimlessly. Things just seem to be zooming my way too much and too fast. I'm able to manage thus far but I don't know for how much longer. I hope I can hang on long enough.

For the time being, I'm depending on huge doses of such songs to keep me going especially when there's no new episodes of Desperate Housewives, Heroes, Prison Break, 30 Rock and other series I follow until next week at the very least.




Friday, December 21, 2007

Have Fun With The Bubblenator

The Bubblenator. Sounds catchy doesn't it? So what is it exactly you ask? Is it the alter ego of The Terminator? In one word - NO! Let me give you a little preview on this new and fun service instead.

The Bubblenator is a service that enables you to add speech bubbles to any of your pictures with much ease without needing to know how to use Adobe Photoshop or similar photo-editing softwares. It's really simple. Just upload your photo to any of the image hosting services available and copy the link to be entered in the form.

Next, an interface will load whereby you are able to add up to three speech bubbles to your image. The bubbles are easily customisable. You can choose to add either spoken bubbles or thought bubbles. You can also resize them to your heart's delight.

Once you're satisfied with your masterpiece, The Bubblenator will provide you with a HTML code that you can use to add your captioned images to your website or blog. It's really easy isn't it?

I know sometimes paid reviews can be somewhat misleading but go give them a visit and you'll see how easy it is to use the service.




Friday, November 30, 2007

My Boss Is Missing

Yes, he really is. He went off to Belgium for a conference last week and was expected to be back in the office the Monday that just passed. Today is Friday and he's still nowhere to be seen.

When he didn't show up on Monday or Tuesday, I figured it could have been jet lag that kept him from coming to the office. When he still didn't turn up on Wednesday or Thursday, it became a little weird. When he still didn't show up today and can't even be contacted, his absence became worrisome.

Most people would be happy if their bosses were not around but the thing is, I'm kinda bored of having nothing much to do in the lab. I'm sure he didn't have that in mind when he decided to hire me to help out in the lab. Also, there's my thesis that he has to check for me to complete my master's degree and the necessary forms to sign for me to get paid!

Here are some probabilities that I've drawn up to explain his absence:
  1. He decided to take an extra week off.
  2. He lost/was robbed of his passport or flight tickets and is now stuck in Belgium.
  3. He got on the wrong flight and is now stranded in some strange country.
  4. He fell in love with some Belgian chick and decided to start a new life there.
  5. He's currently swimming in a pool of Belgian chocolates and enjoying every second of it.
I can think of plenty more but I believe the five above are the most probable. I can't eat Belgian chocolates the same way anymore after #5. :P




Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Casanova? Who, Me?!?

I attended a friend's wedding recently and like all such weddings, you get the chance to meet up with old friends. When I informed them that I didn't bring along a partner because I was unattached at the moment, a friend of mine was quite surprised with the idea of me being single. The reason? She had always thought of me being a Casanova during our schooling days. Casanova? Who, me?!?

Casanova

Frankly, I don't know if I should be flattered or insulted with that statement. The good thing about being labeled a Casanova is that you're a hot item among women and they will drop like flies just by walking past them. OK, I admit I do have a few admirers and I do possess a certain degree of attraction from the XX-chromosome community *ahem*. However, it is nothing close to a Casanova-esque following that if there was to be a queue of my admirers lining up just to get a sniff of my aromatherapy armpits, it will stretch the length of Penang Bridge a few times over. No, I'm not that popular and I do not emit that high degree of attraction. I can assure you there are plenty more candidates that fulfill such criteria from my schooling days and I don't even come close to smelling the fart they release for us losers behind them.

The bad thing about being labeled a Casanova is his notoriety as a promiscuous lover or put more bluntly, a womaniser. I for one cannot find myself to be in such a situation whereby I have to handle more than one woman at the same time. I already have problems handling a single woman let alone two or thirty-seven. I just cannot fathom the idea of having to juggle between two lovers, both inching to bite my head off. I do have only one head to bite off, no?

So, I'm not exactly sure what she meant by me being a Casanova. Did she see me as someone countless women will wage war just to have a strand of my hair (or what's left of it) or a notorious womaniser that jumps from one lover to another? I can assure you I definitely do not have his prowess of seduction let alone come close to emulating the infamous Casanova. I also do not intend to create a huge problem for myself by being in control of two or more women. So what is it that she sees in me that makes me a Casanova?

In all honesty, I'm not that surprised when she shot that statement my way. The reason being this is not the first time I've heard such a comment about me. Maybe that's why some women have kept their distances from me, thinking I'm some sort of reincarnation of the legendary Casanova. So you see, it's not exactly something flattering to be labeled a Casanova. In fact, it's a curse. Unless you're the real Casanova, of course.

Come on now and be honest, do I look anything like a womaniser or bigamist? (OK, maybe not that honest :P)




Monday, November 12, 2007

Thank You

by Roger Moore


"Thank You" music video by Roger Moore
I just wanna tell you what I'm thinkin'
someting from the heart from me to you
how I feel inside it's hard to see it
but I want to show my gratitude

Coz there's nothing that I wouldn't do
to try to show my feelings
I just want to tell you face to face
you're the reason I'm here singin'

Wanna thank you
for never ever loosin' faith
I just wanna thank you
for always tryin' to keep me safe
Coz I just wanna show my thanks and gratitude
you never stopped believin'
wanna thank you
for never ever loosin' faith
I sing for you

You're the one who never stop believin'
when I thought that everything was through
you inspired me to live my dreams and
understand that they can all come true

I just wanna show
that I really know
who is gonna be there through the highs and lows
this is something I truly believe
you helped me to find what is my destiny
this is how I feel for real

Just wanna say thank you to everyone who made today extra special. As if it wasn't already special enough! :P To all those who wished me a happy birthday, this song is for you. Thank you all for remembering, thank you for all the greetings, thank you for the cards, thank you for the gifts, thank you for everything. I hope all of you had a wonderful day. Have you noticed? It didn't rain today! Even the sun came out for me. ;)




Wednesday, November 07, 2007

PDE 2914 = Snatch Thief

My mom nearly had an early birthday gift last week in the shape of cuts and bruises, gifted by none other than a snatch thief riding probably a Yamaha RXZ motorbike with the number plate PDE 2914.

It happened just right in front of my grandparents' place at Green Garden at around 7.30pm on Sunday, 28th October 2007. I've just parked the car and we were about to cross the street when I was surprised to suddenly find a motorbike (with his lights turned off) appear right next to me. I quickly took a step backwards to avoid the motorbike when suddenly I heard my mom shouted. I asked her what was wrong and she said the motorcyclist tried to snatch her pouch. Fortunately she was holding on to it tightly and she felt something amiss with the motorbike that so nearly knocked me down. Also, I probably made the motorcyclist lose his concentration when I suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

By that time, the motorbike was about 50m away but surprisingly, he didn't speed away. He acted so casually and rode off slowly as if nothing happened. We were unable to catch the number plate then as it was quite a distance away and he had his lights still turned off. I've a feeling he probably didn't want to arouse any suspicion by speeding off. Apparently, we were told by our relatives that there had already been many snatch thief cases around the area. Fortunately, nothing happened in my mom's situation.

The most recent Sunday, we went to my grandparents' place as usual at about the same time. As fate would have it, we spotted the motorcyclist at the same spot, at the same time as last week! I immediately took down his number plate. I really had the urge to knock him down with the car but that would be really silly when we had no proof he's a snatch thief and it would cause damage to the car for no apparent reason, so I decided not to.

As we were about to enter the gates of my grandparents' house, he made a U-turn (probably looking for preys) and I had a good look of his face. He was probably curious at why someone was staring at him, so he stared back and that gave me a better view of his face. He was a burly Malay guy with a moustache and wore a dark coloured jacket (probably black leather). My aunt has reported to the assemblyman which has an office on the very same street and I've reported to Rakan Cop about this guy.

I'm not expecting much to happen from them really. That's why I'm posting this up to warn everyone about this menace riding what looks like a Yamaha RXZ motorbike with the number plate PDE 2914, which preys the residential streets of Green Garden (and possibly other nearby locations too). Be extra careful when you are around this area and if you do see this motorbike ridden by a burly Malay guy with a moustache wearing a dark leather jacket, he is most likely the snatch thief referred to here.

Feel free to pass this message around to whoever who you think would benefit from knowing about this.




Sunday, October 28, 2007

Penang's Malam Bangsa Malaysia

Although I'm unable to attend this event, I would like to highlight it to all Penangites.
Event : Malam Bangsa Malaysia

Date : 3rd November, 2007

Time : 8.00pm

Venue : Room A, Dewan Sri Pinang, Pulau Pinang.
There will be a charge of RM10 per person to cover rental and refreshment costs.

The event can only accommodate 200 people and attendance is by invitation.

The organising team has also put together a forum entitled ‘One People, One Nation’ which is open to all who are registered to attend the get-together later that night.

The forum is scheduled to start at 5pm. Registration will start at 4.30pm.

Speakers for the forum are :
1. Dato Lim Chong Keat (pending confirmation )

2. Khoo Kay Peng - independent political analyst

3. Malik Imtiaz Sarwar - human rights lawyer

4. Haris Ibrahim

5. P. Ramakrishnan - Aliran president
___________________________________

What you need to do to get an invitation

Firstly, as places are limited, please be sure that you can attend before you ask for the invitation.

If you are very sure that you can make it, please send an e-mail to bangsamalaysiapenang@gmail.com

In your email, please provide the following details :

1. Name ( as per IC ) and IC number

2. Contact number

3. A liitle bit about yourself ( where you’re from, what you do . Also tell us what your feelings are about the last fifty years of independance and what your hopes are for the coming fifty years. Also, share your thoughts on what you think needs to be done to make the aspiration of one people, one nation a reality in Malaysia.

All e-mails will be replied.

All particulars furnished will be treated with utmost confidence.




Friday, October 26, 2007

The Way I Are

by Timbaland feat Keri Hilson & D.O.E.


"The Way I Are" music video by Timbaland

This is one song I'm very fond of at the moment. I really find the musical arrangements done by Timbaland to be works of wonder. Maybe he has the music world equivalent of the Midas Touch or something because everything he touches now seems to turn to gold. Take this song for example, what a great hit it is. Why they don't play this more often at clubs and pubs, I cannot understand.

So far, every song released from the Timbaland Presents Shock Value are hits. It is fair to say he successfully transformed the bird-girl-wannabe Nelly Furtado from someone who sings really whiny, I'm high on drugs songs to a real entertainer that can really hold the attention of her listeners. Ask any teenager that loves her current hits like Give It To Me and Promiscuous if they knew she's the same crazy chick that sang I'm Like A Bird. They'll probably shake their heads in disbelief. I'm sure you yourself can see the improvement from her hippie chick, tree hugging, Tweety Bird days.

Tweety Bird

Even Justin Timberlake has benefited from collaborating with Timbaland. Do you actually believe he can bring SexyBack all by himself? Please...it's the sexy man behind his back that made it all possible. Wait a minute, that didn't sound right. Oh heck, you know what I mean.

I would really like to know what magic he can conjure with other artistes. Seriously, if he can transform a cuckoo like Nelly Furtado, he can do it to anybody. On second thoughts, maybe not. There's just no hope for this guy.

William Hung
[Source: williamhung.net]

William Hung's She Bangs anyone?




Thursday, October 25, 2007

Wine Racks For Your Wine Collection

I'm a wine lover. I don't fancy beer that much compared to wine and hard liquor such as vodka, rum and whisky. I have a few bottles of wine lying around the house for those special occasions and I do aspire to have my own wine collection in the future.

To maintain your own wine collection, you need the appropriate equipment too apart from good vintage wine. You need the right room to store it in with the right humidity, temperature and darkness. Not everyone can have their own wine cellars but a simple one is not out of reach for most wine lovers.

One place you can find a wide variety of wine racks is The Vine Store. They sell both wooden and metal wine racks. You can find hanging wine racks, wall mounted wine racks, wine rack furniture and specialty wine racks of different sizes and in a variety of bottle capacity to meet both residential and commercial needs.

You can also find various accessories such as wine tasting tables, wine coolers and wine glasses to make your wine collecting and tasting hobby complete. You don't always get the full picture just by reading a paid review so why not hop over to the site yourself to see what they have to offer yourself.




Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Jit Shiong Wanna Be A Model

This post is in support of my friend's bid to be a model through 8TV's I Wanna Be A Model Season 2.


(click to enlarge)

He is currently in the Grand Finale of 8TV's Chinese reality TV show that airs on Sundays, 7pm. He's up against Michael in this final round and stands to win a modelling contract if he wins. I've always said he has what it takes to be a model and now that will become a reality. Just based on the final photo shoot, I'll say Jit Shiong will win hands down but it doesn't hurt to ensure his landslide win by voting for him, no? ;)

If you would like to get to know him better, you can read his blog (that has not been updated for ages) or visit his Friendster profile. If you would like to vote for him, type VOTE JIT and send it to 36677 now (and continuously until 28th October 2007)!




Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Entertain Yourself With Some Online Trivia

I like trivia. Yes, I'm a sucker for trivial information. Shows like Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? and Jeopardy! are based on answering trivia questions and I just love watching them. One of the reasons I find such quiz shows interesting is they give my grey matter such a good exercise everytime I watch them.

Trivia quizzes can now be found online too and one place you can find such online trivia is Trivia On Net. You can also take part in such online trivia yourself and not only cheer for your favourite participant from the comforts of your living room couch or shout out the answer at the TV screen, jump up and down like a monkey and lament how the participant can be so daft not to know it.

Through the trivia quizzes online, you can put yourself to the test on topics such as TV, movies, sports, music and general knowledge. Also, you stand the chance to win some money if you're good or even the jackpot if you're that good, which currently stands at $500 for the sports category and over $3600 for the entertainment category.

There's just so much a paid review can tell you. So what are you waiting for? Check out the site yourself!




Sunday, October 21, 2007

Blog Feng Shui

Is there such thing as blog feng shui?

I'm not sure myself but ever since the last blog makeover, certain things have not worked out for me so well. Maybe it's just a coincidence that those things turned for the worse after I changed the layout of the blog. Maybe it's not just a coincidence and all that was manifested due to the change? Don't get me wrong, there were some positives too but the negatives just seem to outweigh the positives.

So I've decided to give up on the one month old or so template and go with this new look. It's actually still a work in progress but I feel refreshed already. I had initially chosen another template with green and nature motifs but it just didn't fit the contents of my blog. I had to resize pictures and videos of my previous articles and that just seems like too much work.

I've also taken this opportunity to fully migrate to the new Blogger platform. I don't really like the new Blogger as you are limited to how much you can tinker with the CSS and HTML codes, unless you fully understand how the new codes work. That again will take up too much time and even the professionals out there are still figuring out how to fully play around with the new Blogger. I did however learn a few things in the process of getting this layout to work nicely with the contents of my blog. To me, the new platform is something that newbies and those who lack the knowledge of CSS and HTML would really appreciate very much. For those of us who actually know quite a bit of CSS and HTML, we will feel restricted using the new Blogger.

There are of course a few features that I like in the new Blogger, hence the jump to this new platform despite its shortcomings. I'm sorry if you have to adapt to a new layout again so soon after the previous change but I'm sure this is an improvement from the previous one. Please bear with me as I may still tinker with this layout to get it just right but it shouldn't deviate too much from what you see now. The car in the header is nice and all but I'm thinking of replacing it to differentiate and personalise the look of the blog. Meanwhile, I hope you like this new layout. :)




Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Understanding Asperger's Syndrome Through Books

Have you heard of Asperger's Syndrome? How about Attention Deficit Disorder? I've heard of Attention Deficit Disorder but Asperger's Syndrome is totally new to me. It sounded more like asparagus to me to be honest.

Asperger's Syndrome is actually one of several autism spectrum disorders, named after Hans Asperger, described children characterised by difficulties in social interaction and by restricted and stereotyped interests and activities.

Annie Books Series helps people understand these two disorders better through the eyes of the child and would be suitable for any parent, teacher, professional or child with the challenges of of Asperger's Syndrome and Attention Deficit Disorder.

One of the titles in the series, A Prairie Day with Annie, by Michelle Fatig explores the many challenges of a girl named Annie who suffers from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Inattentive Type. Students will be able to relate with Annie and her constant distractable thoughts, while wonderfully creative, frequently results in failure. As such, students with ADD will develop negative internal beliefs.

Professionals who handle children with Asperger's Syndrome and Attention Deficit Disorder have been known to use this book with children and parents to identify and understand these disorders.

Instead of just believing what you read in a paid review, why don't you drop by their website to see what they have to offer. What you see may surprise you.




Monday, October 15, 2007

Earth Song

by Michael Jackson


"Earth Song" music video by Michael Jackson

What about sunrise
What about rain
What about all the things
That you said we were to gain

What about killing fields
Is there a time
What about all the things
That you said was yours and mine

Did you ever stop to notice
All the blood we've shed before
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores?

What have we done to the world
Look what we've done
What about all the peace
That you pledge your only son

What about flowering fields
Is there a time
What about all the dreams
That you said was yours and mine

Did you ever stop to notice
All the children dead from war
Did you ever stop to notice
The crying Earth the weeping shores

I used to dream
I used to glance beyond the stars
Now I don't know where we are
Although I know we've drifted far

Hey, what about yesterday
What about the seas
The heavens are falling down
I can't even breathe

What about apathy
I need you
What about nature's worth
It's our planet's womb

What about animals
We've turned kingdoms to dust
What about elephants
Have we lost their trust

What about crying whales
We're ravaging the seas
What about forest trails
Burnt despite our pleas

What about the holy land
Torn apart by creed
What about the common man
Can't we set him free

What about children dying
Can't you hear them cry
Where did we go wrong
Someone tell me why

What about babies
What about the days
What about all their joy
What about the man

What about the crying man
What about Abraham
What about death again
Do we give a damn

Do you realise Earth is not in a very good shape at the moment? It has not been for awhile now and it's getting even worse with every passing second. While our neighbouring countries have taken steps in the right direction such as drastically reducing subsidies for petroleum products to help curb wasteful usage of this polluting and non-renewable energy, and introducing tax rebates to promote the use of green cars, we are still naive in protecting our oil and gas, and automobile industries.

How about purchasing hundreds or thousands of newspapers just to get a contest entry form that is no larger than a quarter of a page? How many trees have fallen just so you could increase your chance of winning? A student of mine just asked me very recently, do we have that many trees to print all that newspapers everyday? Of course thanks to recycling efforts, we can reduce the number of trees that end up as pulp but there's still the chemical used in the deinking process that is not exactly kind to the environment. So what do you do when you win the prize money? Any thoughts given to the environment you've ravaged just to participate in the contest? In the end, all of us are losers when we neglect the environment time and again.

Open burning is still a major issue in this part of the world, what with the Annual Indonesian Haze and all. The haze is even more consistent than the menstrual cycle. Without fail, it will pay a visit to its neighbouring countries the same time every year, choking the lungs of millions. My neighbours just love to start a nauseating bonfire every now and then. Instead of following in their footsteps, I choose to bury my garden waste instead.

There are many things we can do to improve the Earth's state of health. Walk, cycle or take public transport instead of starting up the car. Recycle and reuse, we already don't have enough land to go around for residential, industrial, commercial or recreational purposes, what more landfills. Discard harmful materials in the proper manner, lest the toxic materials come back to haunt us. Change your lightbulbs to more energy efficient ones and ensure the next time you purchase an electrical equipment, it is an energy efficient model.

These are just a few simple steps you can take to make a difference. There are many more things we can do to save the environment. So, what are you doing about the situation?




Friday, October 12, 2007

You Know Men Have Better Friends

You know men have better friends when you compare these two very similar situations but with very contrasting results.

Friendship Between Women:

A woman didn't come home one night. The next day she told her husband that she had slept over at a friend's house. The man called his wife's 10 best friends. None of them knew about it.

Friendship between Men:

A man didn't come home one night. The next day he told his wife that he had slept over at a friend's house. The woman called her husband's 10 best friends. Eight of them confirmed that he had slept over and two claimed that he was still there.





Saturday, October 06, 2007

You Raise Me Up

by Josh Groban


"You Raise Me Up" music video by Josh Groban

When I am down and, oh my soul, so weary
When troubles come and my heart burdened be
Then, I am still and wait here in the silence
Until you come and sit awhile with me

You raise me up, so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up, to more than I can be

This song is dedicated to all the champions that came to lift my spirits the past few days, by chance or intentionally. I believe that certain things happen for a reason and God send angels to your aid when you need them most. In fact, we have guardian angels all around us. They may seem like syaitans or devils but in actual fact, they are angels in disguise. We just don't know who they are until they come running to your side to help you pick up the pieces. It may be an unexpected email, a short instant message or a surprise outing, whatever it is all played a part. For this, I feel blessed to have them around. This song is for you all.




Friday, October 05, 2007

Why I Want To Eat At Friday's

First of all, who doesn't? Everyone will pawn off their first-born in a second if that could ever get them to dine at TGI Friday's. OK, I was just kidding there. Don't go dragging your child to the nearest pawnshop now. Seriously! Put your child down now and nobody gets hurt. Slowly now. Slowly. Slowly. Slap! What kind of parent are you, trying to pawn off your child for a piece of meat! Go sit in a corner and think over what you've just tried to do. The things people will do for a dining experience at TGIF. *shakes head*

Where were we? Oh yes, why I want to eat at Friday's. Ever since the opening of the Penang outlet at Queensbay Mall towards the end of last year, I've been yearning for the chance to dine at this place. So, what's so special about this place? I don't know, maybe you should ask the people that queue up for an hour or so just to get a table? Also, don't forget the ridiculous amount of money they have to part with on top of all that waiting. Crazy don't you think? I'll probably faint from hunger if not from seeing the bill but they tell me it's definitely worth the wait and every sen that came out of their pockets.

Wait a minute. Were their food/drinks drugged or something? How could kiam siap (cheapskate) Penangites even consider paying so much for their food and not have anything to complain about? Hmm, maybe the waiters and waitresses double up as hypnotists and put you in a trance after you've paid the bill and about to leave the premises. Yes, that has to be it. There's no way Penangites are so generous with their praise and hard earned money. Unless...unless it's really that good?!?

So here I am, after saving enough money (and constantly envious of those who were fortunate to have dined at TGIF), I've enough money and the right occasion to taste the food and atmosphere at TGIF - my mom's birthday at the end of the month. I even cashed out my paltry earnings with Nuffnang to ensure I have enough to cover for the bill. To rub salt on my already gangrenous wounds, the good people at Nuffnang saw it necessary to tax RM1 from my earnings, dubiously referred to as a transaction fee. Great, one less teh tarik at the mamak stall. Hopefully the cheque will come in time or I may end up washing dishes at TGIF for the next fortnight to pay off my debt.

Sorry to have digressed. You see, I get easily distracted when it comes to money especially when it involves money taken from me unexpectedly. Yes, money trumps food anytime. You can't get good food without money. No money, no TGIF. No TGIF, no good food. No good food, me no happy. But all of that is about to change (hopefully). *fingers and toes crossed*

The good people at TGIF (through good people at Nuffnang) have decided to sponsor 50 lucky souls for a dinner treat at TGIF. Without a doubt, I do hope to be one of those selected. Best of all, you get to bring a friend or even your family along! Wouldn't it be great if I were to be one of the lucky bastards and I could celebrate my mom's birthday there and I get to keep that money I've put aside to get myself an iPod for a rainy day? (Even better if I won the grand prize!) I hear they make a great place for birthday celebrations but I doubt they will announce the winners by my mom's birthday come the end of the month. Fret not, my birthday is only two weeks later so it's still ok, I can still find a use for it then. *wink wink*

So that's about it. Have I convinced you why I want to eat at Friday's yet? Maybe I should put the ten reasons I want to eat at Friday's (and deserve the treat) in a list for easier reading.
  1. I've not been to ANY Friday's outlet EVER, even when my friend had TWO free Sizzling Fajita meals (that selfish bastard).
  2. I want to celebrate my mom's birthday at THE most happening place to celebrate a birthday but I'm dead broke. Nuffnang made me poorer by RM1. *sob*
  3. Bottomless drinks! We Malaysians just love to abuse free refills, don't we? Admit it!
  4. Mocha Mud Pie to die for, so they tell me.
  5. Alcoholic beverages!!! Yes, it's a bar too! Yam Seng!
  6. To be in a position to laugh at the losers who have not been to Friday's like how I've been laughed at all these while. Power. Ultimate power! Muahahahaha....
  7. Erm, erm....I really, really, really love TGI Friday's and Nuffnang?!? (shameless ass-kissing...tsk-tsk)
Did I say ten? OK fine, I lied. I only had six. Give me the dinner treat and I'll give you the rest after having a jolly good time at Friday's. Deal? ;)

And that wasn't a request!!!

(Shoot. I don't think they bought that act. I knew I should have added some pictures. Damn! Where's a first-born when you need one. *runs off to fornicate*)




Blood Donors Needed At Lam Wah Ee Hospital

Received an email requesting for blood donors especially AB+ and O+ blood groups. Not exactly rare blood types (like O-) but she's in the ICU, she currently needs a lot of blood and it's a call for help. So, anyone who's willing to help, please do so.

Dear all

Need help from everyone who can donate their blood PREFERABLY TYPE AB & O POSITIVE. Please go to LAM WAH EE HOSPITAL during the following periods:

SATURDAY (9.00AM - 1.00PM)

SUNDAY (9.00AM - 1.00PM)

Mention patient's name LEE AI LING in LAM WAH EE HOSPITAL. Currently in need of a lot of blood .

Any inquires, please contact Miss Chuah at 012-4520580.


THANKS FOR YOUR KIND SUPPORT !!!




Thursday, October 04, 2007

Free Burma!




Wednesday, October 03, 2007

That's NOT What Friends Are For

This post has been in draft for months collecting dust and no time is better than now for me to complete it as recent events have definitely made it relevant again.

I've heard it said to my face a few times, the phrase "that's what friends are for". I'm sure you've had your share of hearing it too. However, there has been a few times that phrase was preceded with another phrase that didn't really go down too well with me - "friends are meant to be used". So it ended up being "Friends are meant to be used. That's what friends are for." and I couldn't disagree more. So, this post is dedicated to all those out there who believe in using their friends like cold, heartless tools and I'm here to tell you that that's NOT what friends are for.

Sure there are times that friends are being used in certain situations and friends let you use them in certain ways that they usually won't in normal circumstances but friends are definitely not like sanitary pads where you use them when you need them most to soak up all your troubles and you just throw them aside when you're done using them.

It is easy to neglect your friends and take them for granted. I myself is guilty of neglecting my friends especially those who are in distant places. Well, everyone's just busy with their own lives so you can't really blame one for not keeping in touch all the time, can you? I apologise for my part in this. That's why you will feel so excited to hear from an old friend because you have not heard from them for so long and truly missed them.

Friends are not tools that you just put aside and only call upon them when you need them. It may be a strange concept to some but those friends need your attention too and the relationship is a two way street. Yes, it's bidirectional and not just a roller-coaster ride where it goes in one direction and you just get off the ride when you're done.

You expect your friends to be a phone call or instant message away but surprisingly, you do not reciprocate. Instead, you squeeze them emotionally, physically and mentally dry and when you're done with them, you just leave them to pick themselves up when they need someone the most.

Take it from me, it's horrible to always be the go-to guy. Most of the time it's very tiring and nothing flattering at all, especially when you're not truly appreciated for what you've done. Sure you get the joy of helping someone out but most of the time you'll remain in the periphery of that person's thoughts after his/her problems are resolved. The only time you return to their memories is probably the next time you are needed. It's bad enough that you are ignored but even worse would be to have that person hurt you in the process with his/her actions/inaction.

When you put your neck out for someone, you definitely don't expect that person to bring out an axe to chop your head off, especially so when that person is someone you regard as a friend. Unfortunately, this happens quite often between friends who excel at using their friends. Fortunately, certain friend are able to grow his/her head back time and again but there will come a time when the blow is so severe that there's no chance of that happening and the friend is out of your life forever. Everyone do have their limits and tolerance levels which you hope never to cross, if you know what's good for you.

In the past, I'm not one to simply put my neck out for anyone except for myself and my loved ones but that has changed in recent years. I started to slowly stick my neck out on occasions I usually wouldn't. Too many times has my head fallen to the ground during that phase only for a new one to regenerate. In the past week or so, that process has been a little slower than usual. Growing back that head has become a little more difficult. I'm no Claire Bennet or newt, you know. The only way now seems to try reattaching that fallen head before it decomposes any further and render it totally useless.

In hindsight, I should probably have kept my neck in at all times instead of putting it out for anyone at all. Selfish it may sound but at least it ensures that you won't be disappointed and you'll still continue to have a head and a pulse instead of being a Headless Horseman. Everytime the axe falls, you just get back on your feet and put your head back on the chopping board. It is only when it hits the right nerve will you sit up and realise your folly.

Friends may come in many forms. Some are your traveling friends, some are your fishing friends. Some are your movie friends, some are your hiking friends. Some are your clubbing friends, some are your driver friends. You can have a wide variety of friends but they may not be your close friends.

A close friend would probably be someone you spend time more than one or two activities together. You're comfortable telling him/her certain things you don't divulge to any Tom, Dick and Harry. They will lend a listening ear or a shoulder to cry on when called upon. They pick you up when you're down and they're usually the ones you go to when in a fix.

A true friend however is someone who will do all that and even more. Instead of questioning them, you hold their outstretched hands and take the leap of faith with them. Instead of trusting them, you believe in them. Even if the action you are about to take sounds totally outlandish and may even bring harm to yourself, you'll probably do it for him/her. With true friends, you usually think with your heart rather than your head.

You always hope and believe certain individuals have changed for the better until you see the old them creeping back. You are blinded by the new them and ignore the signs that the old them is still very much alive beneath all that new exterior. It is only when it's too late that you discover you've been fooling yourself all these while.

I'll probably not stick my head out anymore and expose myself in such manner again, at least not to certain individuals. I just don't know how much more my head can take it. I may just lose my head forever the next time it happens. In the most recent episode, I was very close to losing it. There will be no more outstretched hands either lest they get bitten off once more. I do not want to end up with stumps for hands. From now on, I'm looking out for myself. There will be less pain and agony this way.

I don't know why I even bothered writing this post since the person(s) who are suppose to read it won't even know it is them since they are just too ignorant. The innuendos contained in this post doesn't exactly help make it any easier for them. Worse still, friends who actually care will mistakenly think themselves as the ones being referred to here. However, I've no choice but to write this since I needed to blow off some steam and blogging is suppose to be therapeutic, no?

It is only when you lose something that you realise how much you truly treasure that something. Maybe the only way for these people to appreciate their friends instead of constantly using them is to lose some of the friends they've relied on so much but have taken them for granted all this time. Maybe then will they realise friends are not meant to be used like tools. That's NOT what friends are for.




Tuesday, October 02, 2007

NFL Uniforms As Halloween Costumes And Pajamas?

With Halloween just around the corner, have you decided on your Halloween costumes yet? Well, here's an idea for you. How about NFL Uniforms from Franklin Sports? They apparently make good pajamas too!

I don't know about you but seriously, I've definitely not heard about NFL Uniforms being used as Halloween costumes. Isn't Halloween suppose to be scary or something? I just don't see anything scary about NFL Uniforms. A life threatening football injury, yes. But aren't NFL Uniforms meant to protect you exactly from that? Pajamas I can still understand. People wear practically anything (and nothing) as pajamas although I wouldn't wear the football helmet and protective pads to bed for obvious reasons.

Truth be told, the uniforms sold at Franklin Sports are not meant to be worn during a competitive match but more for recreational purposes, thus suitable as gifts for Halloween or any other holidays for that matter. You can pick from a variety of football teams of your liking and even iron on numbers of your favourite players. Well, it would probably be advisable to iron on the number of your kid's favourite player instead of yours.

There's just so much that a paid review can tell you so I would recommend you to browse through the site yourself and see what they have to offer. They have a variety of selections on offer for your four to ten year olds and all orders are shipped within three days. Do give the site a visit.





Saturday, September 29, 2007

Help The People Of Burma -- Post This Meme On Your Blog!

I found this post on Aine Livia's blog.

Note: This is a new kind of online protest that uses blogs to spread a petition globally. To participate, just add your blog by following the instructions in this blog post.

This not an issue of partisan politics, this is an issue of basic human rights and democracy. Please help to prevent a human tragedy in Burma by adding your blog and asking others to do the same.

By passing this meme on through the blogosphere hopefully we can generate more awareness and avert a serious tragedy. As concerned world-citizens this something we bloggers can do to help.

How to participate:

1. Copy this entire post to your blog, including this special number: 1081081081234

2. After a few days, you can search Google for the number 1081081081234 to find all blogs that are participating in this protest and petition. Note: Google indexes blogs at different rates, so it could take longer for your blog to show up in the results.

3. If you know how to add tags to your blog posts, add the Technorati tag 1081081081234 to your post as well. This will make your post findable sooner in Technorati.

THE SITUATION IN BURMA AND WHY IT MATTERS TO ALL OF US

There is no press freedom in Burma and the government has started turning off the Internet and other means of communication, so it is difficult to get news out. Individuals on the ground have been sending their day-by-day reports to the BBC, and they are heartbreaking. I encourage you to read these accounts to see for yourself what is really going on in Burma. Please include this link in your own blog post.

The situation in Burma is increasingly dangerous. Hundreds of thousands of unarmed peaceful protesters, including monks and nuns, are risking their lives to march for democracy against an unpopular but well-armed military dictatorship that will stop at nothing to continue its repressive rule. While the generals in power and their families are literally dripping in gold and diamonds, the people of Burma are impoverished, deprived of basic human rights, cut off from the rest of the world, and increasingly under threat of violence.

This week the people of Burma have risen up collectively in the largest public demonstrations against the ruling Junta in decades. It's an amazing show of bravery, decency, and democracy in action. But although these protests are peaceful, the military rulers are starting to crack down with violence. Already there have been at least several reported deaths, and hundreds of critical injuries from soldiers beating unarmed civilians to the point of death.

The actual fatalities and injuries are probably far worse, but the only news we have is coming from individuals who are sneaking reports past the authorities. Unfortunately it looks like a large-scale blood-bath may ensue -- and the victims will be mostly women, children, the elderly and unarmed monks and nuns.

Contrary to what the Burmese, Chinese and Russian governments have stated, this is not merely a local internal political issue, it is an issue of global importance and it affects the global community. As concerned citizens, we cannot allow any government anywhere in the world to use its military to attack and kill peacefully demonstrating, unarmed citizens.

In this modern day and age violence against unarmed civilians is unacceptable and if it is allowed to happen, without serious consequences for the perpetrators, it creates a precedent for it to happen again somewhere else. If we want a more peaceful world, it is up to each of us to make a personal stand on these fundamental issues whenever they arise.

Please join me in calling on the Burmese government to negotiate peacefully with its citizens, and on China to intervene to prevent further violence. And please help to raise awareness of the developing situation in Burma so that hopefully we can avert a large-scale human disaster there.




Friday, September 28, 2007

Sorry, Where'd You Get Your Body From Again?



This is one HAWT music video. ~drool~ Sorry, I was totally distracted just now. Where did she say she got it from again? ;)

Keywords:



Friday, September 21, 2007

Sedilix - My Friend, My Enemy

If you've been following my Jaiku presence, you should be able to remember my new best friend Sedilix, seduced by none other than my sexy voice. Sedilix has been in my life for only a week and from being my best friend, she is now my enemy. So who is this Sedilix character, you ask? Let me now share with you my love-hate relationship with Sedilix, my cherry flavoured cough syrup.

I've been under the weather for awhile now and it took a turn for the worse last weekend. It was a crazy thing to do especially in my condition then but I just had to do it, no two ways about it. Anyway, I didn't think I would end up so sick. Everyone thinks they are Superman and are protected from the elements, no? I was no different. My voice became sexier than Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley combined. So I had no choice but to turn to Sedilix to ease my constant coughing and undo my sexy voice before more girls fall prey to its siren.

You should know the contents of a bottle of cough syrup and Sedilix is no different. It makes you drowsy. At first, it's a wonderful feeling. It's like you're walking on clouds. You sleep really well. You wake up the next morning feeling fresh. Most importantly, you don't cough that much anymore and can speak a sentence without raining saliva on your listeners.

The only problem is, after a few days of cherry flavoured heaven, you start to feel really awful. You feel drowsy even when you are not taking the medication. You sleep all day long. You become unproductive. You can't think straight. It's usually the meds talking and not you. You always feel like you're walking on a rocking boat. You get so addicted to the cherry flavoured poison, you go back to it time and again so you don't feel like shit. Yup, it's definitely time to throw away the bottle!

Now it is my enemy and I've to get rid of the evil bottle. Only thing is, I still need it. Not because I need it to constantly mess up my mind and make me feel like I'm flying without wings but to relieve my coughing which has been successfully reduced to just a random itch now and then. So what should I do? Should I continue to drink the poison or walk away from it? You tell me.




Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Finding Grace

No, this is not a review about the book by Alyssa Brugman. I attended a Scientific Writing Workshop at the Eureka building earlier in the week not because I didn't know how to write scientifically but I wanted to know if I could learn anything new from the nine hours or so lecture and of course, it is free. Turns out I discovered a little bit more than that.

There wasn't much in the scientific writing department that I didn't already know. To be honest, all the pointers in the workshop isn't exactly the be all and end all. There's a different requirement from each journal and you have to cater to the requirements of each journal as you submit to them. Also, a lot of the things covered during the workshop was truly elementary stuff and I was quite surprised to see many who didn't know those stuff. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt that they are really, really new to all of this (although some of the participants were actually lecturers). Well, it's still good to have a refresher course, I suppose. That's the reason I was there anyway but the difference is, I know those stuff but they don't.

There was this one slide towards the end of the workshop that reminded me very much of someone complaining about the comments he received from his dissertation examiners. The slide was about how you should face rejections (more likely how NOT to react).
Do Not Tell the Editor
- everything looked okay to me
- one of the reviewers agreed with me so I did not change anything
- the reviewer(s) who disagreed with me knows nothing about ....
- "everybody" knows things work this way
- you should accept this article beacuse you published one that was worse than this last year
I was nodding my head off as each point was projected on the screen. The points were too similar to that incident that it was impossible for me not to connect them both together. In fact, that person has trouble major issues with rejection. It is clear for all to see except himself. It's a pity really especially when he can so easily label others to be "over sensitive" when it is he himself that has epidermis the thickness of a tissue paper.

What actually kept me awake was the antics of a certain person I call the "Eager Beaver". Don't get me wrong, the speaker was very interesting but I easily get distracted whenever they regurgitate things that I already know. This eager beaver was so engrossed with the speaker that he nodded in agreement to practically all of the points put forward, laughed at all of the speaker's jokes and flipped his head from speaker to screen and back ever so often I was getting a headache just following the movement of the bobbing and turning head.

There was also this terrorist-looking dude (I don't mean to put a label on him or stereotype but he did look like one and for the sake of illustration, just bear with me for this instance) sitting next to him and whenever the Eager Beaver were to nod his head too enthusiastically when in actual fact there wasn't anything really interesting with what the speaker has mentioned, he would turn his head and look at him with a serious I-want-to-eat-your-first-born stare. It was simply entertaining just looking at the two of them and they kept we awake throughout the workshop.

I also discovered some new things about my friends. For example, I found out that one of them can be quite brazen, so much so that I was ashamed of myself! And here I thought I can be quite thick-skinned. It was all fun though but sometimes I feared getting clawed at by some old aunty that he insulted. :P

Another person I realised was quite kiasu. OK, maybe A LOT. OK, maybe I already know but definitely not to this extent. Although he sat behind all of us in the auditorium, he would be one of the first out the door and queueing up for food. For the first time, I gave him the benefit of the doubt that he's really hungry but when it happened again, it all but confirmed my suspicions.

During the last part of the workshop, we were suppose to work in groups to edit a horribly written abstract. When it came to giving our answers, our team managed to name most of the mistakes including the most important last piece that enabled everyone to go home. :)

The speaker commented that we were behind the Koreans who managed to name the most number of mistakes among all the participants that had attended his workshop. I have a strong hypothesis on how they managed that feat. What they actually did was probably pull out the lecture notes and named every point there is, hoping to nail all the fifteen mistakes in the process, very much like using a sledgehammer to kill a fly. Sure, you can name the most number of mistakes this way but you sure won't get a high precision rate. At least our team's success rate was pretty high (nearly 100%).

You'll be surprised to hear some of the silly answers given by other groups. It really shows what a novice they are at scientific/academic writing. Even lecturers can give you the lamest of answers. Sure, there's nothing wrong in trying. In fact, if you do not try, your chance of success is 0% but if you gave it a shot, it would be 50-50. I agree with that saying very much but in this case, I agree with another one even more.
"It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt."
Ultimately, I learned a lot of stuff from this workshop but unfortunately, they do not belong to the scientific writing category. I still enjoyed the nine hours or so, although I was pretty late. :P All in all, I learned two important things from the workshop, 1) you have to find grace in your writing to capture the attention of your readers and 2) use hot pink to make corrections! ;)




Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Something Of Interest To Card Players

I'm not much of a card person. I do play cards once in awhile but usually only during special occasions. That's why I do not have any card tables at my house but if I ever do catch the card bug and find myself playing poker or some other card games more frequently, I know exactly where to look for one.

Cardroom Supply has one of the internet's largest selection of high quality poker tables and poker supplies. You'll be surprised to know the type of tables that are specially used for playing cards and the prices are sure not cheap! Don't worry though, you'll get generous discounts if you purchase through Cardroom Supply and shipping is free for purchases above $100.

Another good thing is they send all orders out as fast and safe as possible as 90% of their tables are in stock and ship the same or next business day. Delivery will usually take between one to three weeks but you shouldn't need to wait too long for your purchases to arrive since they've shortened the processing time.

Buying from Cardroom Supply is easy as they use Yahoo! Store platform as their main selling source and they accept a wide variety of payment methods. I'm not saying that just because this is a paid review. The site is a bit sluggish but that shouldn't impair your buying experience too much.




Friday, September 07, 2007

I've Joined Jaiku

Before I proceed, I'm sure my loyal readers would have realised by now that my blog has gone through yet another redesign. It's been a few months since I did some decluttering on my blog. I thought it was time for a little more decluttering and I've also taken into account the comments I've received (such as the narrow blog column in particular :P) and made some changes to the whole layout. Let me know how you feel about this new layout. :)

Alright, back to topic. I've joined Jaiku. So what's Jaiku? It's actually a micro-blogging service where you get updates I post about myself (or whatever I decide to comment on) immediately on your mobile phones (or emails if you prefer). Sure everyone's on Twitter and Malaysians are warming up to PacMee but I think Jaiku's for me.

With Twitter suffering constant outages and PacMee being a paid service (and only restricted to Maxis and Hotlink users), I think my choosing Jaiku is quite justified. Also, it has a lot more features than Twitter which I feel will come in real handy. For example, you can also share your RSS subscriptions and comment on each Jaiku update, something Twitter and PacMee isn't capable of.

So how does this thing work? Everytime I post an update, say I'm watching Ratatouille at Queensbay Mall or I'm eating Char Koay Teow at New Lane or I saw something interesting that I wanted to share with you all, you will receive that update through SMS, email and/or instant messenger quite instantaneously.

So why have I decided to let you all in on mundane stuff like what I'm eating? Well, actually I'm not exactly gonna flood you guys with what I'm having for breakfast, lunch and dinner but if I do find something interesting, I can immediately post an update. It's much easier than writing a full length blog post but will definitely not replace blogging.

So fret not. I will still be blogging here but you may have realised I've not been blogging as frequently as before and I constantly get requests for new blog entries to be posted up (or even storytelling sessions through instant messaging) although I do not have the time and/or motivation to do so. So with Jaiku, I'll be able to update more frequently and you won't have to wait so long for updates (and stories). With each update limited to only 140 characters, the longer "stories" will still be featured on this blog. ;)

Some have complained that the updates take awhile to reach their intended recipients but from the trials I've run, the updates are quite instantaneous. Maybe there will be times when the service will suffer a little lag time but I'm sure it's better than Twitter and its constant outages, no?

So how do you get my Jaiku updates? See the Jaiku badge on the right side of my blog? Click on the "Follow kshern on Jaiku.com" link, register for a Jaiku account, add me as a contact, set and confirm your notifications for mobile, email and/or instant messaging and you're set. The process is very simple, really.

Will it cost you anything to receive the updates? Nope, it's totally free even if I flood you with a million updates a day (which I will not...I promise...cross my heart and hope to die :P). The only time you need to pay anything is a one-time charge of 20sen (if you're from Malaysia) for the international SMS reply to Jaiku to confirm you would like to receive updates from your mobile phone. You'll have to set this through the notification page.

It's more costly for me to update from my phone than PacMee (20sen vs 10sen per update) but I can always opt for the web or Google Talk option to post updates which is totally free. At least with Jaiku, my friends on Digi can still receive my updates whereas PacMee is exclusively for Maxis and Hotlink users only.

Come on now, register your own Jaiku account and join me on this journey. Get ready to receive my Jaiku spam! :)




Friday, August 31, 2007

Not So Golden 50th Merdeka

So it's the nation's Golden Jubilee. Why is it then that I don't feel there's much to treasure about this monumental occasion? Maybe it is just how things had panned out through the years, especially the past few months leading to this day that made me feel this way. Maybe it's just me. I don't know, you tell me.

Google Doodle for Malaysia Merdeka 2007

I was in the nation's capital earlier this month. As I stepped down from the bus, I was expecting to see practically every nook and corner of the town decorated nicely for the nation's 50th year of independence. Instead, I hardly saw a Jalur Gemilang that was specifically put up for this very purpose.

Here I was standing in the nation's capital, in the month of Merdeka, on its 50th year of independence and it felt no different than say the month of October of 2000. Needless to say, I was utterly disappointed. In contrast, when I was in Singapore a few years ago when they were only celebrating their 40th year of independence, every lamp post reminded you that Singapore was reaching its 40th year of nationhood. Buildings and every part of town were filled with notices and banners declaring proudly their achievements for the last 40 years. Mind you, this is only for their 40th anniversary celebrations. Kinda makes you wonder what it would be like for their Golden Jubilee.

Don't get me wrong, I've always scorned wasteful public expenditures but if given only one chance to allow the Government to lavishly spend on one major event, I'm sure Malaysians wouldn't mind it to be this one. It is by the way also Visit Malaysia 2007 and let's not forget how Government officials kept harping at us to fly the Jalur Gemilang at home, on our cars and every place imaginably possible (and impossible) but when it came to the nation's capital, they don't seem to be doing enough themselves.

So I don't fly the Malaysian flag at my house or on my car. I didn't run around the neighbourhood or Upper Penang Road in my Jalur Gemilang undies shouting Merdeka at the top of my lungs while waving a huge Malaysian flag (that would have functioned better as a parachute) when the clock struck 12 last night. I just sat quietly at Segafredo sipping my lemon tea and reflected on the years I've spent in this country for the past twenty odd years.

Does that make me any less patriotic than those who dangerously cover every area of their vehicles (including their windscreens) with flags? Does the increased resistance and drag caused by the insane amount of tiny flags on their cars and increased fuel consumption (meaning higher subsidy borne by the Government) make them more Malaysian than I am? Maybe these guys here deserve to be more Malaysian than me. I just love their chicken-shit, cover-my-whole-face, I-have-a-small-prick way of intimidating others, don't you?



Am I not grateful for anything for this 50th Merdeka? Sure I have things to be "thankful" for. Thank you for always making me feel like a second-class citizen although I'm a true blue Malaysian. Thank you for threatening to strip off my citizenship at every opportunity possible as if it is nothing more than toilet paper. Thank you for asking me to go back to my "motherland" China when in fact my motherland is Malaysia, the place I was born and raised all my life and so were my parents.

Do you not speak out only if you truly care about something? Why is it then that whenever we speak out about the things we are unhappy about our nation, we are intimidated to the world's end? Are we less worthy that we can't even speak out our grievances regarding our beloved country?

So this year, there will be no Negaraku played on my blog like previously. Instead, I choose Namewee's Negarakuku. To me, the national anthem belongs to all Malaysians and to me, Negarakuku only exemplifies that. It may be rough around the edges and a little in-your-face but it truly speaks what Malaysians try so hard to say without having a plethora of intimidating laws thrown at them.



This Golden Jubilee could have been worth so much more. Let's hope the following jubilees will have more meaning than this one. Happy 50th Merdeka Malaysians. To me, it's just another holiday and why shouldn't I feel that way? I've always been made to feel like I'm not a citizen of Malaysia, no?




Thursday, August 30, 2007

The Interview

As indicated earlier, the reason I went down to KL earlier this month was to attend an interview and I've yet to write about the interview yet. Well, I guess it's time I do just that.

I was kinda surprised to receive a call just a week before the scheduled interview that I was shortlisted to attend the interview since I've not heard a word from them ever since I submitted my application, thinking my application was probably turned down or maybe stolen by some trolls along the way looking to add fibre to their diet.

When I reached the venue for the interview, I was soaking wet. You see, I was walking a few kilometres under the hot sun in a formal attire, carrying a backpack. Fortunately, I arrived much earlier than my designated interview slot and had time to fix myself in the bathroom.

When I got back to the waiting room, I realised that all of them looked so young. They looked as if they've just graduated from university and after glancing through the list of candidates, turns out I was right. I was the oldest bloke in the room, apart from the coordinator/facilitator from the organisation who was there to help answer any of our questions.

They seem a more confident and competent lot compared to the group of candidates in a previous interview I attended a few years ago. That means I'm up against a more competitive group of candidates this time around. In a way, it's good. At least I know that I'm grouped with people who are really good and qualified, and they're not just there to make up the numbers.

I was scheduled to be interviewed last. When it came to my turn, I found out that apparently they misunderstood my application. Just something technical really. I really don't understand how they could have misunderstood something as simple as that but it wasn't anything serious. Somehow though, I did have the feeling they were reconsidering since what they were ready to offer was a bit too little for what I needed.

The interview being on Tuesday, I thought there were a lot of candidates shortlisted and the interview was spread out between a few days. Turns out, there were only the ten of us shortlisted and they are looking for only ONE recipient. Needless to say, it's very challenging but I'm still hoping for the best.

Anyway, I received the results yesterday and I'm not the chosen one. I'm not overly disappointed though and the trip to KL was great albeit the bitter part at the end. At least I can look back and consider myself one of only ten among all those who applied from all over Malaysia to be shortlisted for the interview. Now that has to count for something, no? ;)