Merry Christmas & A Happy New Year To You!!

The video file above is hilarious and I was introduced to it from this lovely Blog by Beverly... It was so hilarious that I just had to add it to mine... Hope it adds a smile on your face this lovely day. Anyway, enjoy it cos' I rarely make a fool out of myself in this manner... ha ha... Hellllpppp... Christmas is making me weird!!

Seriously, I dunno why but somehow, no other holiday brings as much excitement and magic to me other than Christmas. At least I think so. For me, I actually prefer to celebrate Valentine's Day on Christmas itself cos' it has such a magical feel to it and the atmosphere is just so... erm... indescribable...

Christmas Carols, Christmas Songs, Santa Claus, Snow, Christmas Trees, Well-Lit Streets & Shopping Malls... Nothing compares...

As 2008 draws to a close and 2009 arrives, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish all of you out there a Very Magical & Merry... Merry... Merry & Loving Christmas.

Starting A Family Tree

Like so many things that start out ever so harmlessly, my mom was asking me to look for this article that was written by her former teacher that named her so out of curiosity I googled my mom's name. The search result returned not only my mom but also my uncles and aunties from a site called www.geni.com and the rest as they all say is history.

2 days later, and with much digging around for information about ancestors, long lost relatives and erm... forgotten names... (this is too embarrassing to talk about so I won't elaborate), my family tree has grown into a jungle and although there are some missing links here and there, I'm quite pleased with the result.

You are able to invite your family members and they can add their extended family members and it goes on and on till before you know it, everyone's connected... as their tagline goes.

So fancy creating your family tree? Go give www.geni.com a visit.

TENJEWBERRYMUDS

This is hilarious. To get the full effect, this should be read aloud. You will understand what 'tenjewberrymuds' means by the end of the conversation. This has been nominated for the best email of 2007.

The following is a telephone exchange between a hotel guest and room-service, at a hotel in Asia, which was recorded and published in the Far East Economic Review:

Room Service (RS): 'Morrin. - Roon sirbees.'
Guest (G): 'Sorry, I thought I dialed room-service.'
RS: ' Rye .. Roon sirbees .. morrin! Jewish to oddor sunteen?'
G: 'Uh..yes. I'd like some bacon and eggs.'
RS: 'Ow July den?'
G: 'What?'
RS: 'Ow July den? ... pryed, boyud, poochd?'
G : 'Oh, the eggs! How do I like them? Sorry, scrambled please.'
RS: 'Ow July dee baykem? Crease?'
G: 'Crisp will be fine.'
RS : 'Hokay. An sahn toes?'
G: 'What?'
RS:'An toes. July sahn toes?'
G: 'I don't think so.'
RS: 'No? Judo wan sahn toes?'
G: 'I feel really bad about this, but I don't know what 'judo wan sahn toes' means.'
RS: 'Toes! toes!....Why jew don juan toes? Ow bow Anglish moppin we bodder?'
G: 'English muffin!! I've got it! You were saying 'Toast.' Fine. Yes, an English muffin will be fine.'
RS: 'We bodder?'
G: 'No ... just put the bodder on the side.'
RS: 'Wad! ?'
G: 'I mean butter...just put it on the side.'
RS: 'Copy?'
G: 'Excuse me?'
RS: 'Copy ... tea ... meel?'
G: 'Yes. Coffee, please, and that's all.'
RS: 'One Minnie. Scramah egg, crease baykem, Anglish moppin w bodder on sigh and copy .... rye?'
G: 'Whatever you say.'
RS: 'Tenjewberrymuds.'

Oh Gross!!

Was entering the car park lift this morning when I bumped into the cleaner going on his rounds emptying the dustbins. They basically go from floor to floor carrying this big garbage bag and empty the garbage bins into the bag. Well... as I walked into the lift, he entered before me and was so nice to press ground floor for me as well.

Thennnnnnnnn I saw the glove he was wearing... which of course was the one he was using to empty the bins... And by emptying, I don't mean overturning the bin into the bag.... No No No.. They normally pick up the garbage from the bin with the gloved hand and stuff the junk into the black 'Santa' bag they carry... And there was this brownish stain on the glove.

And it was this same gloved hand that he used to press those little buttons on the control panel... So what's the lesson here? Ladies & Gentlemen... Wash your hands!! :-)

Thought Bubbles Cyberspotted

Keh Keh... Well.. technically, I am piggy-backing off the Turtle Research & Rehabilitation Group (TRRG) Web Site but oh well, it's still my few lines of fame :-) Certainly brings back early memories when I wrote in to the Star to write about the horrible conditions of the enclosures & cages in the Taiping Zoo. That's as far as I ventured into activism. Heh Heh...

I was in Form 4 (that would be back in 1990) and I actually written the letter and got all my classmates and friends to sign the letter. I actually signed the letter as A.L.F. which is supposed to be the acronym for Animal Liberation Front... Well.. that and ALF was one of my favourite comedies at the time. If you haven't watched it, it's about this cuddly Alien that crashes into Earth and loves eating cats... Yumm Yumm... An alien after my own heart!!

I do not know if that reached the intended audience but since then conditions in the Taiping Zoo has improved exponentially and it now has a night safari as well. I wouldn't be exaggerating if I were to say that it is better than Zoo Negara but then again, that's my opinion... So regardless if it had any impact, I guess I will just continue believing I have made a difference... :-) That and the hundreds of turtle hatchlings that have crawled to sea... Hope I have made up enough karma points to wipe out my sins... :-D

New DELL Battery

Yeah... As good as new... After close to 1 year of utilising my Dell Inspiron 1520 the battery was starting to behave like a handphone battery. Although it charges fully, it's noticeable that the charge doesn't last much longer than 1 hour. All the same, didn't pay much attention until I started getting the following message.


Anyway, a quick call to Dell Tech Support by my colleague, gave them the Service Tag and less than 24 hours later, I got the following...
A spanking new battery... I've told many people before that Dell Support is one of the best... Well, I'm now stating that publicly & officially... Hmm, maybe they'll stumble into this post and offer me a free Dell notebook. :-) But seriously, this is the second time I've called Dell for assistance and both times, they were friendly and as helpful as ever. My cousin has done the same as well. So has my colleague. With the standard 1 year warranty support package that comes bundled in, there are no questions asked, we just report and before you know it, they're at your doorstep. So next time you want to get a notebook or replace your present one, think Dell... It's affordable, support's great. You won't regret it. And No! I'm not getting paid for this...

Selamat Hari Malaysia 2008

45 years ago on this day, 16 September 1963, Malaya, North Borneo, Sabah & Sarawak joined hands and formed Malaysia. Authorities has earlier planned for the formation of Malaysia on June 1, 1963 but it was later postponed to August 31, 1963 to coincide with the 6th Hari Merdeka but due to objections from Indonesia & Philippines with the formation of Malaysia, it was eventually delayed to September 16 of the same year.

Today, 45 years later it is my hope that we Malaysians irrespective of race, religion and background will be celebrating Hari Malaysia, hand in hand for many more centuries to come.

[History lesson courtesy of Wikipedia]

September 16, 2008. Malaysian D-Day?

Never once could I have imagined how interesting Malaysian Politics would one day become . To be frank, I enjoyed the US Elections more which is why prior to the March 2008 General Elections, I was actually following more of the US elections. Over there, democracy is at least like a democracy. You have political parties voting in their leaders and this is in turn based on the population voting in the candidate they trust most.

Even on election day itself, I wanted to avoid the rush so quickly went, had lunch and was back on CNN following the news of the US elections... :-) So much for patriotism... Little did I know the political tsunami that would arrive on our shores later that evening.

As we anticipate September 16 and our American friends await their presidential elections, one can draw similarities in both countries. The underlying hope that everyone has that it will be a better 4 - 5 years ahead. Where Malaysians are concerned, the hope that true democracy is in store and as well, a more transparent and democratic government will replace the cronyism & corruption of the past, propelling us forward to Vision 2020. In the US, the hope that democracy will shine through for all, the hope that Obama will be finally be the first African-American US President. Obama and our very own Pakatan Rakyat has one similarity... in that they in their own ways have gotten the younger generation enthusiastic and interested in shaping the nation's future and it is this single fact that has gotten me rooting for them.

My boss was asking me sometime back why I wanted so much for Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim (DSAI) to be the Prime Minister. My answer was simple... He gave me hope. The fact is, the recent general elections (GE) gave us one very important thing... Hope! First of all, I know DSAI is no saint but then again who in politics are? The fact is, it can't be any worse than it already is so why not give them a chance to prove themselves. The alternative can't exactly be that rosy. Prior to the GE most of us was content to just vote the opposition with the rationale of having check and balance (of course the ones we vote are capable ones of course... we don't pakai hantam (simply whack)) just so we can have representation in the parliament... Nobody had any notion that things were really gonna change. This pretty much accounts for the surprise when results of the GE trickled out.

All the same, it is still uncertain as to how things will pan out over the next few weeks but I'm thankful that since the elections, everybody has been pretty much been well behaved. This again I feel is one of the benefit that Pakatan Rakyat has given us a preview of. A country which is multi-racial in essence and not just in name. Prior to the GE, most of us would be cautious when we voice dissent and our dissatisfaction with the powers that be for fear of legal retribution and also ever so often has the racial card been played for the sole purpose of keeping a leash on the minority. This is sadly still the case most recently.

In the past, DAP & PAS as opposition parties have pretty much had a tough battle fighting the coalition government as both were seen as the extreme end on either side. It's not very far-fetched to say that PKR has become the glue that solidifies this partnership providing an avenue for the moderate Malays. And for an ethnic Chinese, it is really refreshing for me to hear a Malay leader preaching Muhibbah in the truest sense of the word preaching equality and fairness for all instead of just cautioning the ethnic minorities not to stir up unrest by questioning the rights of the majority. This in a great part has helped diffuse the tension that may have been a result of fear on both sides of the divide. It is my hope that this will continue to give us what can be truly described as a Malaysian Malaysia.

I am sure I speak for all my friends, Malays, Indians, Sikhs, Punjabis and Chinese when I say that there is no one questioning each other's rights. All everyone wants is a peaceful environment to raise a family and one where everyone is treated equally. After all, when we go to another country for business, study or to migrate, wouldn't we want to be treated on equal footing?

As it is, half of the country is governed by Pakatan Rakyat (PR). It is every moderate, right thinking Malaysian's hope that this new coalition will learn from history and avoid the temptation that is at present bringing down the Barisan coalition. PR has been given a very valuable opportunity to prove itself to Malaysians everywhere that it can do what BN has failed to do so it is now up to the elected leaders of the PR coalition to show us what they can do and show us they deserve another term.

You Don't Wanna Watch Zohan!!

It's been busy lately sorting out work... sheesh... How come work never gets sorted out? I'm always sorting... and sorting... and sorting...

Since The Dark Knight (TDK), I've been away from the cinemas... somehow no urge to go watch a movie cos everything seemed so boring after TDK...

But anyway, went for a movie marathon last weekend. Was strolling along Mid Valley with Bao Yi with the intention of catching a movie. Not only did I not get to watch the movie I was thinking of watching, I had to endure watching a movie that should never have been made in the first place. What movie did I want to watch that bad? Well... It wasn't exactly an irresistable urge but was hoping to catch The Clone Wars. For those of you who don't know, this will be the prelude to the Clone Wars TV Series... Anyway, they only had one show and we'd missed it so we ended up getting tickets for 2 shows back to back... Zohan (Even the mention of it sends a tingle down my spine) and Wall-E.

Anyway, Zohan in 2 words is 'brainless comedy'... It's not that it was lousy acting... Rob Schneider (The Animalistic Man Whore) is in there and Adam Sandler was okay but I was not much of a fan of this genre of comedy so... I guess it's just me. Those who love Jim Carrey, Leslie Nielsen and Stephen Chow would probably be rolling on the floor but it's just not my cup of tea. Wall-E on the other hand was nice...

The week before that watched Mummy 3 although... yes yes yes... everyone pretty much told me it was horrible... But I guess I was a sucker for punishment...

My verdict? Well... It was still watchable la... If not for the acting at least for the action. Considering how well (in my opinion) Brendan Fraser was in so many other shows, I was disappointed with Mummy 3. Somehow, I just didn't feel like he was in the show. So much so that the brother in law that I found irritating in the earlier Mummies did much better. Sheesh... even the abominable snowmen acted better. And I'd rather not talk about the son and the 'new' wife.

Dato' Michelle Yeoh (DMY) & Jet Li didn't really shine in the movie as well. Although DMY started out in action movies and is more than capable of carrying herself in a fight, I kinda prefer her in dramas as she has that regal, classy air to her and she shines much much better in movies like Memoirs of a Geisha and the Children of Nanking... Jet Li? Well... still prefer his chinese movies.

That aside, special effects was ok... So far nothing has been able to surpass the joke that was The Scorpion King... I kinda liked the appearance of the abominable snowmen though.. I've always like the idea of mythical guardian creatures... :-)

Some have mentioned it was probably the lack of the Weisz factor... and you know, I'm inclined to agree. The chemistry between Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in the earlier 2 mummies was amusing and nice. This I suppose underlined the importance of a good cast and chemistry between the actors & actresses...

I can name several movies that sorta' flopped because of the lack of chemistry... The Star Wars prequels would be one... I mean... I am a Star Wars fan and if there's any show I would watch regardless of what people say, it would be Star Wars but sadly, there was no chemistry whatsoever between Hayden Christensen & Natalie Portman. The Dark Knight was a great movie... but they have also yet to find an actress to really fit in there... maybe that's why you never see the same actress twice in any of the batman sequels... Now compare these with films like Superman (Christopher Reeve & Margot Kidder), Classic Star Wars (Harrison Ford & Carrie Fischer), Mummy 1 & Mummy 2 (Brendan Fraser & Rachel Weisz), Remington Steele (Pierce Brosnan & Stephanie Zimbalist)...

That aside, caught some nice movies though outside of the cinema... There's Fly Away Home (starring a young Anna Paquin & Jeff Daniels), Never Back Down (Djimon Hounsou), Felon (Val Kilmer & Stephen Dorff) and The Great Debaters. The Great Debaters deserve special mention... It's a drama based on the true story of a college professor (played by Denzel Washington) who inspired his students to form the school's first debate team that went on to challenge Harvard in the national championship so go check it out...

Happy Mid Autumn Festival

Bao Yi's company is having chinese dress-up day in conjunction with the upcoming Mid-Autumn festival and she scrambled to get her qipao modified. Just got it by mail yesterday from her mom and she looked so stunning when she put it on that I just had to snap a shot... Well... several shots to be exact.

That and and I know it's about time to update the blog so what better excuse.

The mid-autumn festival or otherwise known as the lantern festival or mooncake festival is most commonly associated by the sudden mushrooming of stalls selling mooncakes and lanterns. Gone are the days where lanterns were made of transparent coloured papers that use small candles and feature the animals of the zodiac. Well.. you still see them but nowadays, you see more and more electrical lanterns using batteries, plastic with sirens as well... And the variety... Spiderman, Batman... You name it... they've got it!! The most popular one recently has to be Kungfu Panda...

Anyway, the mid-Autumn festival falls on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month of the Chinese calendar (usually around mid- or late-September in the Gregorian calendar). This is the ideal time, when the moon is at its fullest and brightest, to celebrate the abundance of the summer's harvest. The traditional food of this festival is the mooncake, of which there are many different varieties.

Farmers celebrate the end of the summer harvesting season on this date and traditionally, on this day, Chinese family members and friends will gather to admire the bright mid-autumn harvest moon, and eat moon cakes and pomeloes together. Accompanying the celebration, there are additional cultural or regional customs, such as:

* Eating moon cakes outside under the moon
* Putting pomelo rinds on one's head
* Carrying brightly lit lanterns
* Burning incense in reverence to deities including Chang'e
* Planting Mid-Autumn trees
* Collecting dandelion leaves and distributing them evenly among family members
* Lighting lanterns on towers
* Fire Dragon Dances

Speaking of moon cakes I really have to recommend Fook Pan's Chocolate Mooncake. It's only available from their factory which is in this small little shoplot on Jalan Ipoh. Well.. .supposedly there are distributors that buy from them and resell but I haven't seen any so far so the best is to get them warm from the oven... To get there just drive to Jalan Tun Razak, turn into Jalan Ipoh heading towards Kepong and look for a signboard just before a pedestrian bridge (it's before the Shell petrol station) and it says Fook Pan Cooking School... The chocolate mooncake costs MYR 10/ piece... worth every bite!! And a good point to note is that they were the first to produce chocolate mooncakes. At least as far as I know and this was several years back and I always go back every year.

Since then, I have seen chocolate mooncakes popping up everywhere but so far, none that quite tastes the same. 2 other ones that I liked this year is the Chocolate Maple Snowy Skin and Chocolate Citrus Snowy Skin... Anyway, you can call them at +60 3 4042 7676 or visit their Web Site for more details and a complete price list.

HIC! HIC! HIC!

Ever had a hiccup that just won't frackin' go away? Well I had my first... Since yesterday night after dinner I had this danged hiccup that lasted an hour after which I was almost going nuts... I eventually swallowed 2 tablets Maalox Plus to get rid of the gas cos' I felt bloated with all the gas and I decided to try make myself puke... I didn't puke but the gas exited my stomach and Voila... it worked...

Problem is... it returned in the morning!! On my drive to work.. all of a sudden... HIIIICC!!! HIC HIC HIC HICking all the way to work!! You probably would have seen me in my car... head bobbing up and down every few seconds with an exasperated look on my face!! It went away again after breakfast but before you know it 30 minutes had not passed and it was back!

Anyway, desperation sets in... nothing works... I have tried a lot of cures in my time and none really so satisfactory... Among them drinking water... My girlfriend was actually asking me to take 7 big gulps of water and not thinking of the hiccup... needless to say, apart from feeling like a drowning whale, it didn't work... Somehow I have never been able to successfully scare myself silly and I don't have a paper bag handy (and I don't fancy suffocating myself as well by accident) so it's time to Google it!! And the first link I found worked and the good thing about it? No water, no cups, no nothing... Just sit in front of your computer and try it out... so here it goes...

Step 1: Start by inhaling through your mouth until your lungs feel full (when it feels like you cannot inhale any more). For overall best results, try to do this as quickly as you can. DO NOT LET ANY AIR OUT.

Step 2: Swallow. You are not really swallowing anything but it seems that without this act, it doesn’t work. DO NOT LET ANY AIR OUT.

Step 3: Now inhale some more. You don’t need to inhale a lot, but do get some more air in. It will start to get difficult to do this as you go, but keep trying. You obviously can’t suck in as much air as you did initially, but just a little will do (think of it as taking a “sip” of air). DO NOT LET ANY AIR OUT.

Step 4: Swallow again. This too will start to get difficult as you go. DO NOT LET ANY AIR OUT.

Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you cannot swallow again. While it seems you can almost always suck in just a little more air, it is the swallowing that gets to be impossible. When you feel like you cannot swallow again, swallow again anyway. It will be hard to do, your face will probably turn red, and you may make squeaking sounds. But you CAN swallow one last time. By this time, your lungs should also be quite full and it should be difficult to get much more air in as well. While you should try not to let any air out, if you have really repeated steps 3 and 4 as many times as you can, you probably will end up letting a little out before you can take that last swallow. If you find that air keeps escaping out of your nose even early in the process, try squeezing it shut with your fingers.

Step 6: Exhale.

If it works for you like it did for me... Well, drop by this 30 Second Hiccup Cure link and say Thank You!

Fraser's Hill Landslide

Just saw in today's newspaper pictures of the landslide that caused the road closure up Fraser's Hill. My friends and I went on a trip up Fraser's Hill in early May when we encountered a road closure forcing us to double-back and take the road from Tanjung Malim instead. At the time, we were told a boulder had landed on the bridge... From the picture below, I think that was quite an understatement...

Picture courtesy of Stephen Hogg/Aerovision

Chagar Hutang... Here I Come!!

2 more weeks to go and I'll be off... My 5th tour of duty as a volunteer for turtle conservation at Chagar Hutang over in Redang Island. I can't wait. 1 week of utter isolation... no handphone... no e-mails... Woo Hooooo... Almost every year when it gets closer to my volunteer slot, I start thinking of the 300m long beach reminiscing of past memories and I've been going through some photos as well... Thought I'd share them...

Dawn at Chagar Hutang (CH). This was taken in 2005 and was taken in the wee hours of the morning using a long exposure. It was an eventful night as the speedboat used to ferry us between the mainland and CH had sunk. It was nearing the monsoon season so the seas were choppy and water collected in the boat causing it to sink... no thanks to the full tanks of gasoline that had not been offloaded. Fortunately, we realised what was happening and managed to get all the gasoline tanks before we were faced with an ecological disaster.

Sunrise in Chagar Hutang. This was taken just last year.

When the weather permits, we would just spread out the carpets on the beach and gaze at stars and just monitor landing turtles. This my dear friends, is not an experience you are bound to get in many places. A private beach... no tourists walking by... waves lapping... this is the pinnacle of relaxation and stress therapy... And a perfect place for meditation... No handphone signal... no SMSes... No lights apart from the torchlights and moonlight... About the only thing that would probably bother you are mosquitoes...

This was taken in 2004 by my friends. A turtle that came ashore late in the morning around 5 - 6 am... so by the time it was done, it was daylight and everyone managed to get good pics. We are not allowed to take flash photography at night.

Tomorrow's hope reaching for the open sea... One thing that amazes me is how the hatchlings are able to know where the ocean is. Even if they are in a tub, they are all clambering in the direction of the open sea. When we release them at night, they will always crawl towards the sea instead of haphazardly in all directions. A miracle of nature.

New life emerges. This was taken in 2005. We knew from the last evening's excavations that the hatchlings in this nest would be emerging any time. So we waited and waited and waited... And they did emerge... 4 am the next morning... But even then, the hatchlings were pretty much in this stationary position till about 6:30 am to 7 am before they started crawling out and into the South China Sea. This was one of the memorable moments of my time at CH.

Turtle tracks. A dead giveaway that a turtle had landed.

Turtle Rock hike. A planned activity where volunteers are taken on a daytrip to a rocky outcrop at the eastern tip of the beach.

Torchlight Uno... Few years back, there was no such thing as solar powered lamps so we relied on torchlights and candles while waiting for the tide to rise and patrols to start.

Fuel Increase

It Begins!! Effective midnight yesterday the government announced that it would be increasing petrol prices to RM 2.70... a hefty 0.78 sen by any standard. The thing is, I'm not actually griping about the increase. To be honest, I understand the need to gradually reduce the subsidies... the keyword here being gradually.

The fact that the increase came is not a surprise... The government had already held it back before the elections (gee.. I wonder why) but in the face of global fuel prices, it's tough to keep subsidizing to maintain the prices as it is.

2 Main complaints here...

Firstly, why not gradually increase it? If you need to increase it by 0.78 sen, fine... Why can't it be done gradually? Let's say 0.20 sen/ month over 4 months... You achieve what you need minus the hardship on the masses.

Secondly, for crying out loud, why not give advance notice? It's the same thing that our 'beloved' PM did during the elections... "No! No!... Parliament not dissolved tomorrow!!". Next thing you know, it was dissolved. And now, petrol prices will be increased by August... The fact is, I gave our government the benefit of the doubt and said "Nolah... by August.. means anytime between now and August... won't be so immediate wan...". Next thing I know, the New Straits Times stated that it would be by midnight.

Is it any surprise that our PM is losing credibility among the population. Anyway, as you all know by now it caused a massive jam everywhere. Even at 11 pm, most petrol stations were jammed and the congestion spilled over to most of the main roads... And who are the ones inconvenienced? That's right... The people.

Ultimately, it's true that not everyone will be pleased but a lot of us realise that the hike is necessary. Just that it should have been implemented gracefully. By giving advance notice, there would not have been a mad rush to fill up as everyone could have staggered it. Of course, there would be those who wait till last minute... Their pasal la... Why make everyone suffer!?? In addition, by staggering it, at least people don't feel that big a pinch... 40% increase is big man... Even for my 1500 cc Wira, we're talking RM 100 for a full tank!! Wahlaueh!! Ride bicycle already la...

The thing is, this is just one aspect of it... Word has it that electricity tariffs will be increasing as well by about 20% and you can expect that traders and manufacturers will now be increasing prices.

Shouldn't the rakyat also be entitled to better public transportation as the fact is, the situation in Malaysia is it's not that we don't want to car pool or make use of public transportation. Just that it's neither efficient nor convenient.... Not to mention dangerous...

And furthermore, if fuel prices are going to be increased to the market value how about motor cars? The excise duty on motor vehicles is among the highest in the world... Shouldn't it be reduced now that subsidies have been reduced?

Sharon Stone Controversy

Lousy start to the day... Woke up at about 4 in the morning and couldn't really return to sleep thinking about current affairs, the China quake so hope I'm able to survive the day without pissing people off... :-)

Anyway, since I couldn't really go back to sleep went through some mails and was browsing the news channels for any good news on China but not much. Was also thinking about this article I read yesterday evening on something Sharon Stone said at Cannes about the China Quakes caused by Karma because of their stand on Tibet and I thought just how insensitive and obnoxious some people could be. Her exact phrase being "...And then all this earthquake and all this stuff happened, and I thought, is that karma -- when you're not nice that the bad things happen to you?"

My God!! How on Earth can she justify what is happening to all the children and farmers as being punishment for their government's stand on Tibet. She started it off saying "I've been concerned about how should we deal with the Olympics, because they are not being nice to the Dalai Lama, who is a good friend of mine" followed by the statement about the quake.

I would be sorely disappointed if the Dalai Lama were to condone such comments. Ultimately, he has been running all over the world criticising China and garnering support all over the world while his supporters are fighting the actual fight... So he doesn't appear to be someone who's comparable to people like Aung San Suu Kyi or let's say people like Hindraf back home who don't run away.

I realise that people should be allowed to voice their opinions... this pretty much is what I'm doing with this blog as well but I feel that people of Sharon Stone's stature should at least have common sense and have more brains to realise what she's saying and not just blabber about something that she does not understand... just because the Dalai Lama's her friend!!

Friendship

Been pretty much out of things the past few days... Down with nasal infection, flu, sore throat and a slight cough... And with an MC in hand, I still had to attend meetings... groan...

But anyway, I was catching up on some TV series... one of which was Boston Legal... Very entertaining legal series... What got me thinking wasn't so much the show itself but one of the message. The episode was about the 2 main characters representing different sides on the same case. As the case involved an issue one of them felt strongly about, the topic of friendship came up and several quotes that struck me were as follows:

"That's the beauty of being good friends... Relationships with long shelf lives you can just stick up on the shelf..."

"...Friendships are a little like backyard gardens... We plan to tend to them. We just always seem to put it off till next week."

It kinda' got me thinking as I guess I've been pretty much guilty of neglecting my friends unless when I really needed them. I mean, it's not like I ignored them completely but I guess I have not been socialising much and it's been work and my personal life lately.

Maybe neglecting my friends wouldn't be that accurate a way to describe it... perhaps more of neglecting the friendships that I have. Over the years I have made many good friends, some that have helped me through some really rough patches. Some whom I've known since school days and there was also this French lady, a Finnish guy and also a Vietnamese guy that I got acquainted with while I was in Hanoi last year. The first 2 don't have access to e-mail but even then Pentti the Finnish guy actually sent me a post card... which I have yet to reply... The horror!! AArrgHHhh... Feel so bad...

As we get engrossed in technology nowadays... facebook, friendster, MSN, Yahoo, e-mail, how many of us actually still send snail mails... postcards... birthday cards or even just drop by to say Hi. We even download movies more than going to the cinemas... Well at least I do! Unless it's a really good movie worthy of the silver screen.

I guess with work and life getting in the way, keeping in touch has been getting more difficult but I realise that this should not be an excuse to just drop a line and tell a friend that they are thought of and remembered. Even my 7 year old niece can send me a "Hello Khau Fu... How are you" hand-drawn card once in a while... I am so ashamed... Anyway... I think should actually work harder at re-establishing communications with all my long lost friends... I think it's about time I dusted off my facebook account as well and start sending some pokes and also some growing gifts.

This doesn't just apply to friends but also family members. How about you folks? Remember an old friend that you have not spoken to in a long while?

"A Friend May Well Be Reckoned the Masterpiece of Nature" - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Thomas Cup 2008

Sigh. Another year goes by and still no Thomas Cup. Quite a waste actually. Again we were so close that we could even touch it. It's not like we lack the capabilities. Badminton is one of the very few sports that Malaysia has been able to excel in. A lot of us grow up playing badminton and have very good memories of it at one time or another.

Mine was in 1992 where the Thomas Cup returned to Malaysia. It just so happened that we had tuition at the time but fortunately, our tuition teacher was also hooked on the game so I easily excused myself every half an hour or so to check the results and update everyone. :-) It was an amazing game. Foo Kok Keong was at the twilight of his competitive career and his opponent Alan Budi Kusuma was in form. And theirs was the decider game. And you know what? Foo Kok Keong won! Not because of superior skills... Not because Alan was not playing well. But it was because Foo Kok Keong fought... and he fought hard. The nation's pride on his shoulders. He fought and he triumphed. Sadly, the pride in representing their country and also the fighting spirit is very rare in our athletes nowadays. Well... I could be wrong... Ultimately, I'm not a sports analyst and I was never really good in sports as well.

But anyway, through the years it has always been up and down and for some time, badminton was pretty much dominated by Indonesia and also China. Even Denmark & Japan has also improved significantly.

Recently, it seemed that we were finally catching up again and there were notable events such as Hafiz Hashim and most recently Koo Kien Keat & Tan Boon Heong winning the All England. Unfortunately, as is the case with most of our athletes nowadays, with the exception of Nicol David, the consistency is just not there. At any rate, our players have improved in recent years and except for the singles where I think the only reliable and consistent player is Lee Chong Wei, we have 3 reasonably strong doubles pairs.

Which brings us back to the recently concluded Thomas Cup 2008. It's really sad that Choong Tan Fook fell ill. With the performance that he and Koo Kien Keat gave us against Japan, I believe if they were paired off again, they would have easily beat China's top pair. It's sad considering how promising Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong's partnership was just a year ago but that's the way it is I suppose in competitive badminton. Their partnership is just not working and in any partnership, the feeling that you can depend on your partner is of utmost importance. This bond is just not there. As such, I really had a gnawing feeling that they were gonna lose. And I was right.

In the singles, Wong Choon Hann was just outclassed by Bao Chun Lai. Wong Choon Hann was one of our best players but the fact is, Bao Chun Lai's just younger and faster. And in a game like badminton, these qualities tend to dictate the winner and loser. And with Chen Jin in his prime...

Oh well, all we can do is ponder about what might have been...

Ultimately, I guess they have tried their best. And who am I to criticise them anyway... I'm not there and I'm not that great a player myself... :-) Maybe next Thomas Cup!!

Microsuck!!

Don't you just frackin' hate it when your PC's running fine and all of a sudden, along comes one of those Goddamn Microsoft Patches, Rollup Patches or Security Hotfixes that are supposed to fix problems that you have or close loopholes in your programs.

Whenever I debate about what Microsoft should do better (in the interest of having them improve) and how they have so many security loopholes, my friends at Microsoft would argue that it's due to ignorant people who don't patch their PCs. They just don't see the frustrations that others face using their programs... Upon induction into the company, they are provided with these white cassette tapes, that they listen to in their car while travelling to and from work , that turn them into bloody zombies that chant Microsoft! Microsoft! Microsoft! and they have this impression that Bill is God!!.

Here I was hoping to have a nice long weekend just catching up on movies and TV series with my Windows Media Center PC but I've got a couple of patches waiting to install... My mistake... instead of just leaving it as it is, I wanted my PC in tip top condition so I update my PC. BANG! There goes my PC with a persistent problem that goes "Strong name validation failed for assembly C:\windows\ehome\EHShell.exe"

Fine. I do a System Restore to an earlier time and it seems to be restored but somehow the problem recurs... and again... and again... Internet forums are no good... Not that I can't find a solution... Quite the contrary, as usual, many have encountered the same problem... But none of their solutions help. So I decided to reinstall Windows. But somehow it keeps failing!! Alright... time to turn in. I left it and decided to just go to sleep.

Next morning... Mood's better so I try again... Did more research, and found one that says something about CD-Rom that's causing the re-installation to fail... WTF!! Oh well.. might as well... I get a spare drive that I have lying around and I retry the installation... and lo behold... Installation finally goes through...

But then, I haven't realised at the time that the problem could be due to patches and assumed that somehow one of my files were corrupted... so there I go happily spending the whole day re-installing drivers, applications and the hundreds of patches that Microsoft piles on me...

BANG!! The problem returns!! And no matter which Restore Point I try to return to, it doesn't help!! ARRRGGGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!! The whole frackin' weekend bloody wasted!! God Damn MS!!! And they ask me why I always criticise Microsoft!!

Compromise

How often have we gotten into an argument with our loved ones or our friends and colleagues with neither one willing to give way? Can any one of us say with honesty that we have never been in an argument?

Compromise is part and parcel of interpersonal relationships. It's a crucial part of marriage, work and life in general. From my own personal experience and also from observing situations at work I do feel that many a conflict could have been resolved if one party had just stopped to consider the point that the other was trying to make. In relationships, I myself have been guilty of imposing my will and sometimes just being plain stubborn. Of course I do have my point sometimes.

Where work is concerned, it's pretty much the same where both parties want to make a point but neither one is willing to concede his or her point. I have seen this in negotiations with certain customers where they insist that they are right although we have clearly stated the negative implications of going their way. Such disputes also occur between developers and the quality assurance team (QA) where the QA frequently argue that developers don't do sufficient testing and the developers have the impression that the sole mission of the QA was to make life a living hell for them. However, if both parties would just sit back and think, they would realise that both parties aspire for one thing... to deliver a good product. I suppose this is the main reason why a project manager or leader is required to moderate and make decisions in the event of a deadlock.

In relationships, most if not all of us would have had arguments with our significant other sometimes over silly little things and sometimes over significant issues. But again, right or wrong, both parties should realise that continued arguments would serve neither party. In the end, both will be unhappy. Sometimes, in an effort to resolve the dispute, why not just take a step back and consider the other party's argument and consider compromising.

It is understandable that this can be difficult as it is not possible to always compromise. In this aspect, I suppose both parties have to be reasonable. God knows that conflicts can easily be averted if we as individuals can be more compromising... :-D

Immobility

Groaaaannnnn... This is officially my 2nd day without my trusty 'steed'... Fortunately Sulyn's been kind enough to offer me rides to and from the office the past 2 days and tomorrow as well...
It's depressing having to dish out the sum of money but the thought of having a my 10 year old car look brand new... well.. at least on the outside, is keeping me away from depression... :-) I've pretty much been collecting nicks, dents & scratches as I hate how everytime I get the car fixed, new scratches will appear very soon (touch wood)... There's some pretty mean looking dents all around but none as bad as the one I acquired on Saturday... and the roof's also showing signs of rust bubbles... So I thought what the heck... Might as well invest in getting it fixed and repainted... There goes 2k....

Mechanic told me he'd get it done latest by Tuesday... Hope I can frackin' last till then... It's weird though being a passenger... I've been so used to driving people around and I guess I like having my hands at the wheel... But oh well, at least I can have a couple of minutes more shut eye while Sulyn drives...

Thanks Sulyn!!!