THE MAN

Dewey Finn as played by Jack Black in the movie School of Rock defines The Man thus:
"The Man. Oh, you don't know The Man? The Man's everywhere: in the White House, down the hall, Miss Mullins; she's The Man! And The Man ruined the ozone, and he's burning down the Amazon and he kidnapped Shamu and put her in a chlorine tank! Okay! And there used to be a way to stick it to The Man, it was called rock 'n roll. But guess what? Oh no! The Man ruined that too with a little thing called MTV! So don't waste your time trying to make anything cool or pure or awesome 'cause The Man's just gonna call you a fat washed up loser and crush your soul. So do yourself a favor and just give up!"

Best Cafe for A Chat...

Preferably clean, quiet, surrounded by luscious trees and great coffee and scrumptious cakes...

1) Kiwi Express- Sri Hartamas

2) Delicious- Bangsar Village (berrilicious chocolate pavlova and chocolate cake!)

3) Marmalade Cafe- Mont Kiara (food is so-so, but nice patio-like outdoor tables)

4) Suchan Deli-(the first one) tucked far away near Jln Universiti (behind University Towers)

5) Decanter - Bukit Damansara (near Jln Setiakasih)

POSERS

Here's my list of POSERS that I've met

1) Women who dress posh but is foul as hell with bad manners/food etiquette

2) Know-It-Alls whose knowledge is really confined to certain subjects

3) Teenagers who act adult-like but really come off as being ridiculous...

4) People who show up at gatherings sulking and quiet because they think the group they're hanging out with are losers. Really, why even bother to show up?

5) Adults who sit around and compare whose job sucked more- there's some sort of triumph for those whose job sucked more. Who needs to talk about all that after work?

6) Malaysians who went abroad for studies for some years and come back faking 'culture shock' and phony accents- it's NOT COOL. Lived all your life in some ulu town like Kulim and now rude Malaysians give you culture shock? Pls.

7) Old people trying to be 'young'. It's fine to be young at heart, but old haggard men dressed in leopard print shirts with leather pants/tight jeans and dyed hair is a bit of a stretch :)

Can't stand posers.

Of Kids and Adulthood

In Kids, I mean teenagers and 20 year olds.... Had a good dose of interaction lately and can't help but made me feel much older HAHA. And then there are just some incidents that stretches the generation gap just a little bit more. How do you relate to someone who doesn't know where Taiping is? The "Kid" asked me if it was in Taiwan. From what I perceive, kids of that genre dislikes Malaysia..and would rather not have anything to do with it. I don't particularly LOVE Malaysia, but as a friend of mine quote: "We oughta know our roots". I was even once asked how the hell chicken shit looks like. Omg. I told her to make a trip to the nearest wet market and order herself a live chicken. Then 'sembelih' it at home. But, for one thing, these "kids' know a lot more than you think. I blame it on the Internet. Then, there's the "older" bunch whom I've found to be much charismatic, well, the wealth of experience gives them that flavour I suppose. I've met a bunch of ladies who are ever so boisterous and yet elegant and poised. Always quick-witted without being rude at all, sarcastic but funny. Well, so, I'm actually stuck in the middle. Absorbing the best of both sides.

Asian Teacher Vs Gwailo Teacher

I've had my fair share of Asian Teachers and Gwailo Teachers to compare unbiasly. Sad to say I think there's a vast difference. Just this weekend I got to again sample the teachings of a gwailo teacher and it was really a relief. We had a Singaporean teacher for the past 3 months and it was
1) boring, to the point of unmotivating and it was somewhat a struggle getting through the entire class without falling asleep
2) the teacher was bit rigid on the syllabus
3) having us adults students were a bit of a handful as we all had our opinions and the teacher at some point lost control of us...
4) the lesson was too exam-orientated...adults'objectives are quite different-we're more looking for self enhancement and how to better use the knowledge we are PAYING for
And how did the Gwailo teacher fared?
1) well for one, the class was really interesting despite having a really boring module to go through, she somehow managed to make us master the module
2) the teacher was flexible as to what best suit our interest
3) we were allowed to give our opinions but she would always bring us back to the core of the subject
4) the lesson was enriching as the teacher relates her personal views and experience to better equip us to face the challenges we might encounter
Well...i'm not saying there aren't any good Asian teachers..but somehow some mindset has made the Asian teachers to fall victim to society norm, for esample making the lessons all tooooo exam-orientated..because we Asians were brought u to carry with us lists and lists of As...etc.. I remember some really mundane piano lessons I had when i was doing my Grade 7-I was forced to learn ONLY my exam pieces for the whole term! Stripped off every interest I had on the piano!
What say u?

BAD SONGS THAT MADE IT BIG

If anyone listen to the radio, you'll find a lot of songs that I cannot comprehend why they are so big here in Malaysia, getting more airplay than they should...baffles me sometimes....

1) London Bridge- Fergie (I think she should stick to Black Eyed Peas)

2) You're Beautiful - James Blunt (yucks, yucks, yucks)

3) You And Me- Casey (the lyrics is so bland)

4) Unfaithful- Rihanna (frankly, it was just awright....nothing great, I think the radio stations killed it by overplaying it)

I keep switching stations until at one point 2 radio stations were playing Casey's song simultaneously. Gave up and listen to my The Killers' Hot Fuss CD in the end. A better trade anytime.

They're Older and Better

Some men are just timeless. The older they get, the more irresistable they become. They've become icons that will haunt us forever....

1) Sean Connery

2) Dennis Quaid- checkout The Rookie, he still reeks of sexiness

3) George Clooney

4) Michael Douglas- (well..not everyone digs him)

5) Kevin Costner

6) Brad Pitt -

And then there are just some women who never seem to age. Their beauty surpasses time.

1) Catherine Zeta Jones

2) Michelle Pfeiffer (Best Catwoman!)

3) Ashley Judd

4) Shania Twain

5) Courteney Cox

Nothing like the Originals

I must say even with many songs remake with more sophisticated music arrangements, I still prefer the original versions.

1) Bohemian Rhapsody- Queen vs Lauryn Hill

2) Big Yellow Taxi- Joni Mitchell vs Counting Crows

3) Mandy- Barry Manilow vs Westlife

4) Uptown Girl- Billy Joel vs Westlife

5) Knocking On Heaven's Door- Bob Dylan vs Guns 'N' Roses

6) How Deep Is Your Love- Bee Gees vs Take That

7) Superwoman- Karyn White vs "That disgusting chinese version"

8) Dyer Maker- Led Zeppelin vs Sheryl Crow

9) First Cut Is The Deepest- Rod Stewart vs Sheryl Crow

10) Don't Dream It's Over- Crowded House vs Sixpence None The Richer

11) You Make Me Feel Like A Natural Woman- Carole King vs Celine Dione

So, GOT ANY?

Tags: Music, Original Music

ChungDinh- One Bangsar

ChungDinh Vietnamese Restaurant made me realize that I've been duped by Vietnamese Kitchen and Sao Nam all these while. For fine dining, this place is not really that expensive with quality service. The waitress who served us was a Vietnamese. I probed and found out that there are 3 chefs hailing from Hue, Hanoi and Ho Chin Minh City. And true enough, the food was excellent and authentic. The selection was recommended by the waitress and was unique indeed. Steamboat beef in vinegar broth with ricepaper rolls with vege(DIY style), Okra and Prawn soup, Fish Stew, Crackers with Young Jackfruit Salad dipped with spicy sauce and steamed eggplant with chilli sauce. The desserts were interesting enough too- Caramel custard with dash of Vietnamese Coffee to make the caramel both sweet and bitter. The name ChungDinh means palace, and it seems chefs from Hue are highly acclaimed for its royalty cuisine.

Tags: Vietnamese, Food

The Prestige

It's not about magic, it's about Illusion, and how far you'll go to create the ultimate Illusion. I stepped into the cinema without expecting much. This movie certainly reeks of Oscar. Giving you the dark side of magic, what great lengths people go to mystify, to dazzle and puzzle...An obsession that soon drives both men in a vengeance pursuit. Hugh Jackman was great, but Christian Bale (The Machinist) performance is articulate and convincing. And then, there's always Michael Caine, just his voice makes the whole movie damn great. And, David Bowie plays an interesting character who would 'engineer' and create illusions. Scarlett Johannson kinda decorates the movie prettily- makes the movie just all the more interesting, aye? But make no mistake, this is a dark movie. The movie gives a buildup of intrigue, hatred, and vengeance. Definitely a must-see this month!

Tags: The Prestige, Movies

I LIKE IT SHORT

I love Sharon Stone. She's my hero in short hair. I remember I once took a picture of her to the hairdresser and said that I wanna have short hair like her. That was years ago. I still sport short short hair, occasionally leaving it long and then to chop it again anyways. And everytime, people say that it's too boyish, too short, too unladylike. Well, I love short hair. As opposed to looking like any other damn Ah-Lian with long straight (rebonded) hair dyed or not dyed...I prefer this anytime. It's a stereotype that women must have long hair to be desirable. Must have long hair to look demure. Must have long hair to be feminine. Well, I've not conforming to such narrow-minded, senseless, kuno-fied stereotype. Hail to all women with short hair! We rock!

Tags: Hair, Life

Breaking Up With a Friend

I think this is a rather difficult task. You can tell your bf/gf that the relationship is over, but how do you tell a friend that you dont want to be friends anymore. I've had occasions when some friends call to go out for a drink/makan/yumcha whatever, in which I would politely decline but they still call you. It makes me feel guilty, and it's not really their fault or my fault. There's various reasons why friendships fall out

a) Friends drift apart - different lifestyles and thinking can be a major factor.

b) People change- that's inevitable. And sometimes friends change to something you dislike. Tell me how you can spend time with someone you already dislike.

c) Needy friends. Really, I dont mind to be a shoulder to cry on, a friend to rely on, blah blah blah, but if it gets too frequent, when the friend is constantly in need of attention, it gets pretty annoying.

d) Some friendships are somewhat obligatory. Childhood friends especially. When you meet only during birthdays/weddings- I really don't see a point.

I always believe life is short. Focus your energy on friends that matter and friends that is really in need of you. Friends made because they just wanna hangout with you, have fun with you, well it'll never last. Listen to : You've Got A Friend by Carole King

Tags: Friends, Life

L.O.S.E.R.

Personally, I think it's cruel to call someone a LOSER. Unless you're always a WINNER in everything you do, then you can call someone a loser. A person is not a loser just because

1) he is in a dead-end job that pays very little. Hey, not everyone's lucky to get a great job that he/she likes. How do we know that he has not tried his best, but still end up in a deadbeat job?

2) he doesnt have any friends. Some of us are just lone rangers, maybe he/she is comfortable just by being by himself/herself. Not everyone has to be in a gang or a clique. Individuality rocks!

3) he/she is stuck at home on a Friday night. Well, not everyone has to be some party-goer that comes home late every night trashed and drunk.

4) he/she doesnt have a boyfriend/girlfriend. I think some people just need to have a partner all the time, it also shows how insecure that person is. Frankly, it's alright to be without a partner than to be stuck in a pathetic relationship that is going nowhere....just so you don't appear to be such a loser for not having a partner.

So..the next time you call someone a LOSER, look at yourself, you maybe be at your prime in all your glory, but everyone will fall, so be humble, Dont Be Cruel.

Tags: LOSER, Life

What You Do Is Not What You Are

Has anyone ever asked you what you do, and you'll answer you're an engineer, a manager, business owner...blah blah..Well, if you think about it, you DO spend most of your time at work (especially when you're in your 20s). You eat breakfast/lunch sometimes even dinner with your colleagues...You're rushing to meet deadlines at WORK on a daily basis. You spend more time on the phone about workstuff than talking to your family and friends. But sadly, I do think that what you do is not what you are. These past few days I've been working my ass off, and I wondered if this is what I really want to be. To be a slave to my job for the rest of my life. Don't I want something more from life than this? Don't you want something more than just working like a dog? Sadly, to achieve our ultimate goal (to not work and make loads of money hehe) we DO have to work our ass off. But I've had a good tip from a friend lately. He has set aside 2-3 hours per day to put on his thinking cap and PLAN. Plan what he has to do today. REFLECT on mistakes he made the previous day. That way, he actually saves time and goes off from work at 5.30pm. THEN, he has more time to do things that he LIKES. You know, the next 20 years down the road, what you do doesn't matter anymore, its really the LOVE that you've build around you that matters.

Tags: Life, Work

Damansara Village-SS23 Damansara Jaya

This is a Seafood Steamboat joint. I would say it is a reasonable place with fresh seafood, except the fish I had was so-so. But...my favourite find here is TODI! RM8 per bottle only...and with some Guiness Stout(yay!). You don't have to go all the way to Klang for a dose of TODI anymore!

Tags: Food, Food Review

Thai Express -The Curve

Rm12.90 for Beehoon in Beef Broth - too salty and stinged on the beef slices. Rm6.90 for a limeade- too expensive I would say. The portions are too small , my friends ended up getting additional rice. And they mixed up our drinks......hmmmmmmm. Avoid at all costs.
Tags: Food, Food-Thai

World Trade Center

Story of two Port Authority cops who braved the flaming WTC to save people only to have the building crumble on them minutes later. The start of the movie shows the hustle bustle of the city just minutes before the tragedy that would haunt Americans forever......the slow and calm ferry from Staten Island, the congested Bus Terminal at 34th Street, the clatter of Chinatown...The brave firemen and cops all went downtown to save people moments after the 1st tower was hit. The moments when it hit McLoughlin and Jimeno that the building was gonna collapse were chilling. I was commuting there before for 4 months and left NY one week before 9/11, kept thinking that it could have been me. I guess different people would 'see' the movie in a different light. Right after the collapse, it was a matter of survival for McLoughlin and Jimeno, quite different from their initial intention. I liked the part when they hummed to Starsky and Hutch opening tune. HAHAHA. Then, the movie became wishy-washy with all the wifey bits....but we must remember that this is a true story, and was told by the 2 survivors. They were kept alive by the love for their wives and family. The movie got a little draggy that you almost wish that they'll get the rescue over and done with it. The movie gets a 6/10 for the insights of these 2 brave cops.

Best Music Video

JohnnyCash-Hurt is the best Music Video ever Here. I really liked Walk The Line, and I can see how magnifying Johnny Cash is- Joaquin Phoenix was probably the only person who could have carried off the portrayal. My favourite Johnny Cash songs are Folsom Prison Blues, Ring of Fire and Jackson. 2nd Best Music Video was Thriller- Michael Jackson, it seems kinda corny now when you watch it. I much preferred Billie Jean which ranks at No. 5. And has anyone seen Praise You- Fatboy Slim. I thought it was phenomenal, ranks at No 19. I liked Weapon of Choice- Fatboy Slim's starring only Christopher Walken! Hey, beats any Britney videos anytime!

Pan Mee - Taman Miharja Cheras

Omg. This is the Pan mee of Pan mees! Admittedly I went twice last weekend, Sat and Sun mornings. The good news is that there is plenty of parking. And the 'Big' Pan Mee, is really big- I just had an argument with another stall vendor last week when the 'Big' and "Small" noodle didn't differ much. Tmn Miharja Pan Mee also has this incredibly spicy chilli sauce. The fella is generous with the garnishing (loads of parsley and fried shallots). Oddly, the small stall also sells pork balls. Get your share today!

Waikiki Bar- Kelab Syabas PJ

Sat nite was some Waikiki experience. I've dined at Out of Africa many times and always wondered about the noisy bar above called Waikiki Bar. Told all my friends that we'll just grab some beer and catch the supposed fantastic live bands that plays there. If anyone doesn't know, Kelab Syabas is a shabby little place same row as the 24H A&W. When we got there, my friends were immediately skeptical, the shoddy walkway to the bar, the pathetic decor of the bar, one little pool table, and old MTVs playing on the screen. Frankly, I loved it that they play old MTVs....it's kinda rare and you gotta be a real oldies fan to have those. We sat down and wow, RM32 per jug ! Loaded in 4 jugs immediately- happy hour style. But I was in it really for the music, and waited patiently. The band SWV came in at about 9.45pm, and man, played all the great rock songs- Dyer Maker- Led Zeppelin, Born To Be Wild- Steppenwolf, Have You Ever Seen The Rain- CCR, etc. The place although small, is a gem in the heart of PJ.

Hey, They're Human Too

I was having a drink with a friend last night at a kopitiam and this is what I saw. A big family with kids, aunts, the works...and then there was this maid. She sat on another table far from them, observing the noisy chatter and chaos.. Occasionally, her boss brings food over for her. My friend asked how we would feel if we were in her shoes. It's hard to imagine. I've seen on occasions some Indon, Myanmar workers working in kopitiams who get hit on the head, they eat crap for their meals. Some maids are forced to work for 2-3 households. Or engineers talking about who are the smartest amongst all the foreign workers, Nepalese, Myanmar, Indon etc. It can't be helped I guess, it's only human nature. But has anyone of u stopped ever wonder who these people were, stop and ask how they are? We say how do you do to friends and business acquaintances, don't we? Some tend to think that these people are paid for what's their worth, but hey, it doesnt give you the 'license' to abuse. Emotionally or physically. One day, who knows, the roles could be reversed.

The Way It Used To Be

I'm an oldie nut. NO matter what people tells me, I can't help but compare TV series when it used to be. See if you agree...

1) Cagney and Lacey

2) Three's a Company

3) Airwolf

4) The Wonder Years (remember Kevin Arnold)

5) 30-Somethings

6) Growing Pains

7) Family Ties (Michael J Fox and Justine Bateman)

8) Moonlighting (Bruce Willis!!!)

9) Murder, She Wrote

10) The Andy Griffith Show

11) Remington Steele (the beginnings of Pierce Brosnan)

12) The A Team

Best Vocals

There's a debate going on in Daniel Franklin's Blog on who has the best ROCK VOCALS ever. Here's mine
1) Steve Tyler- Aerosmith (sings with passion and hard to imitate- try karaoke)
2) Axl Rose-Guns N Roses (it's either you like him or you don't :) )
3) Tom Chaplin- Keane (a special voice i would say)
4) Jakob Dylan (son of Bob Dylan)- The Wallflowers ( since Bringing Down the Horses album- haven't heard much from him)
5) Justin Hawkins- The Darkness (most praised for his soaring falsetto)
And Best Female Rock Vocals should be a whole separate category, but I ain't got a lot of favourites so...here's my list
1) Deborah Harry-Blondie (most memorable for Maria)
2) Ann and Nancy Wilson- Heart (..Alone..I've always gone by on my ownnnn...)
3) Annie Lennox - former Eurythmix member ( listen to her in 'Why" & "Beautiful Child')
4) Dolores O'Riordan- The Cranberries (one of a kind- Faye Wong tried to imitate her-eww)

5) Tina Turner- can't believe i forgot to put her in (courtesy from Daniel Franklin)

Pampering Yourself

I have to tell you, lotsa people don't know how to pamper themselves. Men especially. Not because they don't want to, but because we're all constrained by finances, work..etc. Although I would recommend that we reward ourselves at least once a month with.....

1) A hearty fine dining meal, with a group of buddies or family

2) A body massage(shiatsu,tui-na, oil, hot stone, whatever) or foot massage

3) A manicure/pedicure- it's a relaxing ordeal in its own way

4) A facial treatment- believe me, men are already doing this...there are free trials everywhere so take advantage of it ;) or some RM50 trials.

5) A short trip - this could be anywhere, if budget is limited, Air Asia is a good option

The thing is that we gotta take time to pamper ourselves, or else what the hell are we working so hard for?taking all that crap from your manager for? get the hell up so early for work for? A lot of gwailos take one or 2 years off and take a vacation job...might seem preposterous to Malaysians but it's actually taking a breather...from all the hustle bustle of life. Good time to do reflection. We hardly do that anymore what with all the deadlines to chase. The key is we've got to Live In the Moment. A little self indulgence needs no justification.

Best Movie Soundtrack

Best movie Soundtrack...i'm talking about good songs for throughout the whole movie....so...the Academy awards may have their own, but here's mine
1) Kill Bill Vol. 1
2) Reality Bites
3) The Life and Hard Times of Guy Terrifico
4) Walk The Line
5) Joe Dirt
6) Catch Me If You Can

Worst Jobs Ever

There's a new TV series called The Worst Jobs In History. See here. Some people might say that an airline job RIGHT NOW is just about the worst job ever after 9/11. Some Malaysians think that they are having the worst job ever. Well, before that, are you....

1) a Faeces Collector- in some rural places this occupation still exist in places where sanitization facilities are still limited.

2) a Toll Collector- seriously, I think this must be the most boring job ever- the routine is right hand out..and right hand in...imagine if you were a toll collector in some ulu place like Kulim!

3) a Security Guard- it's quite a ridiculous job when they sleep most of the time. And just weeks ago, someone stole my company's signboard right under the guard's nose. *faint*

4) a Tea Lady- really, tea ladies in Malaysia are so exploited, they sometimes have to be janitors too. and you gotta remember what everyone in the company drinks!

Can you beat that?

Best Mamak

Malaysians' all time favourite haunt! Place to grab a bite, to chitchat, to watch football, etc. Here's a list of some of the best Mamak stalls here...

1) Steven's Corner in OUG

2) Raju's in Jln Gasing

3) Kayu Nasi Kandar- SS2 Cheow Yeang

4) Sri Neela (in Tmn Desa) - i like it only because it has the best Neslo Shake and Cucumber Juice- goes well with its thosai masala :)

5) Chanai N Such - many outlets, used to be better when it stood alone in Subang Jaya a long long time ago.

Where's your favourite haunt?

Worst Movie Ever

As a prelude to Worst Song Ever, I checked out IMDB Bottom 100 for the Worst Movie Ever ...and this is what i found

#26- COOL AS ICE- starring Vanilla Ice.....

#14- GLITTER- starring Mariah Carey....

#31- GIGLI- starring Jennifer Lopez...

#91- SPICE WORLD- starring the Spice Girls..

I see a pattern, don't you? When's Hollywood gonna learn that not all singers can act?

Lonesome Jim

Finally got the DVD for this indie film. It was worth the long search. Every 20-something person should watch this movie. It's about Jim Roush who's just like us, sometimes lost, bit of a loser-kind, hates his parents, and really just a depressed fella. The movie brings about his self-realization and of him moving on to better days in the end. I think all of us needs something like that at one point or another. He question why we even try at all when we never achieve anything, how anyone can go on when life is so bleak. At the end though, he realized that just like basketball, we just got to keep on trying or we would never know. The movie's directed by Steve Buscemi (yay), so you can expect the sly humour and sometimes of situations so real that it gets u. This is one movie where you really got to read between the lines. Great script!

Worst Song Ever

Everyone has a personal song that they really hate. Recently I found on USAToday that some of the worst song ever are;

1) We Built This City- Starship

2) Ice Ice Baby- Vanilla Ice

3) Dont Worry Be Happy- Bobby McFerrin

4) American Life- Madonna

I thought that Bobby McFerrin song was great- reminds me of Tom Cruise in Cocktail, and really liked Madonna's video for American Life. Here's my list of songs that I really hate:

1) Don't Call Me Baby - Madison Avenue

2) I'll Never Break Your Heart - Backstreet Boys

3) From The Bottom of My Broken Heart- Britney Spears

4) Angel- Shaggy

What's your most hated song?

Malaysia's Favourite Sayings....

I must say, we Malaysians are actually quite creative...here's some of the sayings that still ring fresh in my mind.

1) Minum Milo anda jadi Sihat dan Kuat!- Milo Ad

2) Macam-macam Ada- also another ad...

3) Celcom:It's In Your Hands- nationwide marketing for Celcom

4) Singer...menawan keluarga bahagia - ring a bell?

5) Malaysia Boleh- overplayed and overused motto..

6) Tak Nak!- most recent one. I wonder who came up with this???

I've got a few I can think of now..."Penangites: No longer Kiasu"......"Malaysia: Unity for REAL"..."Why Proton? Choose Perodua."

Foot Reflexology

I'm a massage freak. Body massage, hand massage, foot massage.....My favourite being foot acupressure. One cannot phantom why anyone would want to pay for such sadistic ordeal that is without question excruciating and agonizing. But I love it. So does many other Malaysians apparently. It's a booming industry, where people are more health conscious and rewards themselves a bi-weekly massage in between their hectic schedule. Well, here's some of my recommendations on where to go so you get your money's worth, coz it's really not cheap, ranging RM40-RM50 per hour.

1) Chow Yang (Bangsar Baru)- newly discovered..it is the best for the price of RM50 per hour. If you're picky like me, look for Max.

2) Ashi (Taman Danau Desa) above 7-evelen- look for the sifu Mr. Soong for RM40 per hour, or get the package price for RM33 per hour.

And no worries, these are 'clean' joints.