SUPERNOVA fever!

Well..i'm a fan of last season's Rockstar INXS. Step aside American Idol! This is where true rockers are discovered! While Rockstar INXS found the lead singer for INXS ..JD Fortune..it also discovered Marty Casey, whose now with the LoveHammers..checkout their new single, The Trees. One of my favourite songs that Marty Casey re-arranged was Hit Me Baby One More Time by Britney Spears (*puke*). His rendition was awesome...totally unexpected..now that rocks!

And so..this new season,,,Rockstar Supernova..3 great legends get together to form a band - Gilby Clarke (Guns N Roses), Tommy Lee (Motley Crue) and Jason Newsted (Metallica). And now..they're looking for a lead singer...And so the search begins. I've seen probably only 2 episodes now..and I'm totally rooting for Dilana- she made Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash work...how many can do that? It's a great song..but Dilana made it work....awesome...

Before Sunset....

It's definitely the ultimate love story, only because it is so real and endearing. I've seen this movie probably 3 times, and each time, there is new discovery, new insights, new interpretation. Only 80 minutes but the dialogues are superb, and it's reflective of how people actually interact. The movie made me realize how we are always trying to hide our flaws and insecurities, so we lie when we don't really have to, we say things we don't really mean, we never reveal our weakness but instead we decorate it with superfluous stories.
This movie is a sequel to Before Sunrise that was made in 1995. This sequel tells of their reunion after 9 years. And the 9 years is significant, as the two have evolved, from relationships to career, all the works. And one thing that Celine (Julie Delphy) said that hits me is that we sometimes let go of the person who we maybe at that moment was the perfect match, because you were young and you thought better ones will come along. And then, only to realize, in later years, that you just let go of THE ONE. I think most of us in some relationships one way or another have that fear. A must-see definitely..defines how a love story should be told.

Knuckle Heads

Has anyone caught this article yet:- http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/7/10/nation/14789867&sec=nation or click the image on the right.

The gist of it:- Perak MCA Chief, Ong Ka Chuan made this comment "Study hard to achieve excellent results or you may end up cooking and washing clothes at home for your family." to the 'boys' as there are currently more girls enrolled in universities.

Is it just me or does every other female (especially the homemakers) in this country find this remark absolutely tasteless/insulting and downright stupid? People who are minding the country, should really think hard before they shoot their mouths off.

Why am I so peeved, you ask?
Well, for starters, why should there be anything wrong with a man cooking and washing clothes at home FOR the FAMILY? Especially at this day and times, there are in fact many men who do help their wives or moms with the household chores. I'm sure even you yourself can name a few men you know who actually does this, and who do it without any complaints to boot. Anyhow, how can they not when women are also helping to supplement the household income. It isn't like the olden times when the males are often the sole breadwinners. With that said, I don't see why a woman who decides to be a homemaker, is doing anything less important than her husband who brings in the money. Someone needs to take care of the children, rite? Even without children, you still need somebody to turn those dollar bills into actual FOOD to eat, correct? Ask any homemaker what his/her day entails, and you will be surprised with the amount of energy they have just to accomplish their tasks. They are such skillful multi-taskers that I don't believe the title 'homemaker' is actually suitable. Instead, they are really the "Family CEO". They are the ones who cook the food we have every dinner, who has to queue up to get the bills paid, who makes sure we have clean clothes to wear, who educates the kids.. the list goes on. I'm sure every one of us are grateful for what our "Family CEO(s)", be it female or male, have done for us. Are we not thankful that we can head-along to the office, freely, knowing that someone will be taking care of the home? Maybe some of us are no longer staying at home, but do we not appreciate our childhood when our "Family CEO(s)" always seem to be there for us, for all our times of need, when we scrape our knees, when we need someone to hold our hand on our first day to school, when we need someone to listen to our heartaches and rants? I'm sure we are all more than thankful..

Lastly, it is my imminent wish that one day, our great scientists are able to formulate some sorta weapon that is able to selectively destroy the knuckle heads such as those who make idiotic comments as exampled above. Amen..

The Germans did win afterall ....

Despite the disheartening loss to Italy in the semi-finals. I think Germany has achieved something far more precious than the CUP. For the first time since WW2, the Germans now feel more comfortable expressing their patriotism in public. They have been a great host and have done a tremendous job in showing the compassionate side of Germany to the world. They have earned a place in the hearts of the world - this time in a positive way. Hence, it is comforting to see the world's gradual acceptance of them overcoming their remose and to once again be proud of their country. Of course, the history can't be denied but hopefully will be acknowledged more graciously.

The World Cup has also probably played a role in bringing the somehow-still-divided post-reunification Germany together.

So, the Germans did win afterall - a finer reputation and a positive national spirit ...

A quote from a friend 'I am proud to be German, now even more' ...

Noodles Galore in Taipei

Here's a series of Noodles variations I had while I was in Taipei.. Top one is 100 Yuan with 2 other side dishes, in Taipei 101 foodcourt. Gosh, I wish the food in Malaysia's foodcourt was this good! The middle one is Beef Noodles, real popular in Taiwan-this one I had in some pariah shoplot nearby my hotel..but was pretty good..and only for 65 Yuan. The last one is "Shuen Lat" or Sweet and Sour Noodles. The noodles were scrapped off a giant dough- was only 50 Yuan..

You've got any noodles experience to share??

Sex: Then and Now

In my late 20s now..and I've seen how the perception of sex has changed over the years that i've existed.
Then, sex was...
1) only after marriage, where the groom and bride waits in anticipation for the night of the wedding- like a deflowering session...a very big deal..
2) only happens when the guy and girl are at least confirmed a couple
3) less usage of contraceptives and sexual aphrodisiacs
4) its usually 1 to 1

Now, sex is...
1) i've heard of people doing it during lunch time, break time, office hours, weekdays..or just about whenever possible...
2) happens to almost any type of relationships- strangers, acquaintances, casual friends, close friends, even cousins..(yucks)
3) have you ever been to a sex shop? or have you checked out what's available in the pharmacy these days..i found a goddamn pack of Viagras available in the supermarket in Cambodia..!
4) well, my gay fren is a self confessed orgy participant..and it goes on and on the whole night..

I take it as just a metamorphosis of the definition of SEX now..and its getting weirder, more interesting, more intriguing..and also all the more confusing!!! You can have SEX now minus LOVE , but u can't have LOVE without SEX now.. and i quote my friend " Sex is like a sport without love"!

Here's a Little Reminder

I'm the purple bit and my friend is the white bit. Was a picture taken by a fren from the top of Angkor Wat. Just a reminder of how small we are indeed in this world.....so don't fret, don't overwork, don't be petty...for we live only a small portion of the world, AND when God look at us from way up there, we're just like ants!!!

Go Angkor!

Why you should do Cambodia...

1) Because Angkor Wat is there..one of the ancient wonders of the world. And i've SOOO conquered my fear of heights there!
2) The kids are charming..streetwise..and real entrepreneurs.
3) Flight from Malaysia (KUL) to Siem Reap is only RM400....by Air Asia of course. Terminal is located at the LCCT (Low Cost Carrier Terminal) much further from KLIA but there's an RM9 bus shuttle from KL Sentral...
4) I would choose Siem Reap over Las Vegas..anytime
5) Beer is USD0.60 per Angkor Draft!
6) Ta Prohm,one of the temples I visited there, was where Tomb Raider was shot..most breathtaking with the tree roots eating into the structure.
7) For a Cambodian experience, staying at the guesthouse is great..only USD15 for 3 in a room with air/cond, hot water, tv,...and ohwell, you won't be in the room most of the time..
8) For massage go-ers, you'll be happy to know that 1 hour foot reflexology is USD6 and a full body massage is USD10/hour...
10) Cambodia is still culturally intuned- check out the Apsara dance, that is performed nightly in certain locations and is inexpensive.

Definitely the spot to go for a trip away from the city..

Life is worth it ...

When do you get that best feeling in the world? ...

- When you listen to the best part of your most favourite song - with a good pair of headphones - volume up and eyes closed ...

- When you sink your teeth into something that is absolutely delicious that just melts gradually in your mouth ...

- When your dog jumps up to your bed, curl up in your arms, take a deep breath and give out a big sigh ...

- When you wake up next to the person you love ...

- When you know that there is someone out there who loves you so much and would do ANYTHING for you ...

Staying in Focus

Staying in Focus- This must be the hardest thing ever to do. Just think about it. We've been trying to stay in focus ever since we were tots. When we were children, we fought hard to ignore video games, cartoons and tried to concentrate on books (non-comic ones). When we're older, we try to fend off vices and temptations and focus on getting a degree. When we finally graduated, we try to stay focus on our career...

Seems like such a hard work when life's really short. Why do we wanna put ourselves through such painstaking task? Yah, sure..it's ONLY responsible to do the right and SENSIBLE thing...but we oughta let loose once a while to smell the roses! Go on a trip once a while, binge once a while..sleep late once a while....

Key to staying in focus is to reward yourself once a while.

A Trickle of Bliss ....

Our life intersected on an island we embarked,
Both fresh aboard, ready to explore,
The mystical force that knots us so snug,
Perhaps a good start to the fantasy of many

Surging with allure, in weeks we acquaint,
The odyssey continues, intensely we impress and inspire,
Fumbles we endured, with foolish acts beyond rationale,
A revelation of our heart, so vulnerable and tender

Time was an impediment to the epilogue of the encounter,
The seed we could not cultivate, past a healthy sprout,
For premature wings cannot soar the heavens,
Our fairy tale must perish to an endeavor far superior

Savoring the precious to the last droplet,
A romance that failed to continue in existence,
A treasured legacy and bittersweet memory,
Will forever be carved in this chapter of ours ...

My World Crumbles...

I imagine my life like a flicker of light,
That sways in accordance to the swing of my fancy,
Where nothing is definite or lined out perfectly,
That seeks no perfection, just always laced with hope,
Laced with memories, sweet and bitter..

When finally that flicker of hope dies like a fire..
My world crumbles like a pile of Jenga,
Bricks of hope that were so strong now just like debris,
And the memories are now just meaningless ashes..
And hope is just a mere dream in a brink of nightmare.

Someone once said first 20 years were the best years..
Then the rest are meant for suffering..
And if so, what's the point of living..
When all you have to look forward to is eternal wrath..

Just to be

Sometimes we just forget to be grateful. To be grateful for our family, our friends, our health, oursurroundings, our earth. Even just plain gratitude for life, for just being alive or for just being.

If you realise that this is the final week of your life, what would you do? What would be the first thing that comes to your mind? People. Not your Monaco home nor your 911 Turbo nor that plasma but the PEOPLE whom you have shared your life with. You will miss being with your family, your friends, your loved ones. Why is that? Maybe because life is really just a bundle of experiences. Experience that you share with another being. Maybe because an object may not be able to make you feel the same way a person can. Maybe because the happiest moments in your life involves people. Maybe your best moment is the day when your dad finally says 'I'm proud of you', or when a friend says 'I enjoy being with you', or when a lover says 'I can't live without you'. Words of assurance is what one can't live without. A simple 'I'm glad you're here' from a friend just makes it all worthwhile isn't it?

Life is really just time if you think about it. When you spend time with a friend, you are both sharing out a portion of your lives. You have traded a portion of your life for the experience, be it happy or sad. This experience is carved in you forever, the time is lost forever. It becomes part of you because you are what you experience in life. I guess at the end of the day, you collect these little chapters of life and make a conclusion of whether you've traded your life away wisely. Whether you like it or not, the trading goes on ...

Live life with no regrets.

Spectacular Mammatus Clouds over Hastings, Nebraska

Customer Service

Some of the things that irks me:-

1. When appetizers and dessert come at the same time as your main entrée. Happens a lot when you order set meals. Hello? What’s the rush? Yar, I know you can just take your time and just eat it in order, appetizer, main entrée and then your dessert. But what if your dessert was icecream? Or some icy thingy? What do you do? And what about meals who come before the drinks? HAHHAHA. Makes you wonder where these people come from.

2. When yours and your date’s main entrées don’t come at more or less the same time. This really infuriates me. How would they like it if they had to stare at someone eat or having someone to stare at you eat! I rather they just keep the food warm in the kitchen and wait for the other person’s food to be ready. SERVE them together! PLEASE!

3. Salespeople come knocking at your office door. You tell them that you’re not interested but they still want your name card or better yet, your manager’s, or when you tell them your boss is not around; and they tell you, NO.. I can see him, although really, that person could be the office boy, or when they want a formal co. ‘chop’ to say that they’ve been to your office. Generally, I’m nice coz I’ve done sales before but those who are rude, they better be prepared to face my wrath. I know these people are just eek-ing out a living, but not interested means no name cards, no nothing, OK?

4. When they send an experienced person, unguided, to sell their products. This happened to me when I was looking for a home loan. The salesperson was barely a month into the job. The poor guy. How can his boss send him, out in the wild, with no one to guide him? He couldn’t answer even the most basic of questions. Heck, he didn’t even understand the concept of BLR! And how does this reflect on the bank that he is working for? Very badly, I’d say. I know the drill about a newbie has to start somewhere, but I’m sure there are better ways than that. Imagine how demotivated he could get.

5. When you’re asked to fax something over. And mind you, I’m the customer. Shouldn’t the person at least give me a ring to let me know that they did receive the fax? With emails, yes, you can ask for an acknowledgement receipt, but you can’t do that for faxes, unless the other person faxes something back to you. Just a simple courtesy call, that’s all.

I don’t mean to insult the many working people in the service industry. This is by no means, a generalization of what the service industry is about. Just the few instances in which I’ve encountered. I’ve also met some very good salespersons, whom may have been the reason why I may sometimes expect to have the same professionalism from other salespersons.
So.. what are your top peeves?

Human Labels

If i had a factory to label human beings ....this is a list of Labels

1) The Wannabes- ever seen an Asian guy trying to pass off as a black rapper guy, wearing bling bling stuff, with baggy pants and oversized basketball jerseys over a t-shirt?

2) The Career-goers- ambitious and goal-orientated. They've got like a 3 year plan, 5 year plan, 10 year plan...all laid out with careful scheming and financial planning.

3) The Fuck-n-Gos- my fren came up with this term. He's not into commitment and prefers a no-expectations kind of relationships. A one night stander, who leaves right after a good/bad session, hence the name.

4) The DKDCs- Don't know, don't care ones...people who don't give a care in the world who just really can't be bothered with politics, office politics, family politics. People who just mind their own business and that's how the world should be.

5) Stay-At-Homes- The type that is contented doing their own stuff at home. A fren was telling me that she sometimes prefer to just stay at home, spend some good alone time, indulging in what she likes to do, be it surfing the net, writing, blogging, cooking....i think once in a while, its good to be a Stay-At-Home..you sometimes accomplish more spiritually.

6) Gotta-Go-Outs- And then there are just those who can't stay at home! Need to be somewhere all the time. WEll...these people are sometimes crazy travellers..wanna see the world and experience n learn other cultures..And there are those who just craves for self enrichment by seeing more out of the house. These type eventually evolve into Party-Goers, Food-Lovers, etc etc..

7) The Complainers- Complains just about anything in the world...or what my sister would call a Grouch. And she's right, these people would lose their friends coz nobody likes a constant Grouch..i mean..grouch when you have to, not grouch coz that's all u can do.

8) The WH4s and WL4s- Hehe..term commonly used among the Chinese...The type that would instantly ditch their family, their friends, a cool party, their work, their boss!!, their principles, their studies ...all for the love of their bfs and gfs...

9) The Entertainers- Or what i would call a Badut...people who are humourous effortlessly...people who make u laugh..people who organize outings and entertain with zest..WE seriously need more baduts in our lives..keeps u ALIVE.

WEll...i think..we once in a while fall into these labels..sometimes all at once...your compass needle moves from one to another..ultimately u wanna have the compass right at where you truly belong...requires some soulsearching i guess...but it's all in making your pathway less bleak..

Kill Me Please!

Have u had moments when you wish God would just kill you instantly? Where you just wanna tear yourself apart and be non-existent? I've had moments like that when:
1) i'm faced with an idiot who smiles and laughs at anything i say. Its just not polite..Its just pure idiotic and it makes an idiot out of me!
2) when the older genre ppl try to convince me to bend their ways coz they think they're more experience- i wanna tell them that being older doesnt make them any wiser.......
3) when 20 somethings rant about stress and being overloaded with work. There's really no value added to tell me this. I won't give a damn. I don't really care. I dont really want to know. You work, you get paid, that's all there is to it.
4) talking to customer service personnel. Be it Maxis, Celcom, HSBC, Hong Leong, government service- just get on my nerves. Especially when they go "you cakap melayu boleh ar?"
5) I'm taking an exam.. I never ever wanna do a 3-hour paper again.Just thinking about the next 3 hours is just pure agony.
6) Doing my income tax. I swear if i ever get rich, i'm gonna hire someone to do this for me.

TEll me what's yours.

COMMUNICATION?

Have you ever felt so pissed off with your friends who use business language when they talk to you? Like when you tell your friend that petrol prices has gone up and she goes, “Thanks, noted.” Sure, she said thanks but why did she have to say, “Noted”? You almost feel like you’re bothering her, and that she had absolutely no need for such information. What about some friends who tell you that they had roti canai “this am” or I’d be able to make it for drinks “this pm”. Or please let me know if we are meeting up by COB today? Please let me know what are the plans for her birthday ASAP? Good gosh! I feel like I’m talking to clients and that we’re making some important business transaction when actually it’s just supposed to be a friendly conversation, between FRIENDS.

Have you ever had friends (I would say this happens a lot when I’m with girl-friends), they say something to you, but you know they are not actually listening to what you have to say in return. You know this when their eyes stray behind or to the other person next to you, just about anywhere but you. At first, I wonder if maybe she just lost track, and I would repeat my comment. But then you realize, that it’s not true because she’d continue her story, making no link to the comment I had previously made. Hummph! I had foolishly thought that when somebody says something, they want to know what you think, your VALUED remarks. Having ‘listened’ to your remarks, they’d say something back, to relate to your comment, either for or against. I just need to know, why these people bother telling somebody something when you don’t want to listen hard to his/her comment? It was perplexing at first, but I soon realize that some people just like to hear themselves speak. They speak and expect no comments from you. Even if what they say is actually a question.

Have you ever had friends pose questions, or make remarks to fish compliments out of you, or so that they can boast about their achievements? Example? Like when someone says “Oh no, I forgot to send in my Travel Form”. Instinctively, you’d ask “Oh where are you going?”, wouldn’t you? And she or he will begin telling you that they’re going somewhere ‘fantastic’ and that it’s an all-expense paid trip. Or when someone asks you if you had noticed that property prices are so attractive now, and you’d ask whether they were planning to purchase something, when actually they already have and were just asking that question so that they would have an opening to begin telling you of their decorating plans?

Have you ever had to sit through a conversation, in which you didn’t understand a word of? No offence to the millions of Chinese-Mandarin speakers, but I really hate it when people start speaking in Mandarin when they well know that I don’t speak it. I know the whole bloody drill about how I am Chinese and that I am such a shame to my fellow wonderful Chinese friends for not knowing how to speak Mandarin. But let me ask you this, how is making me furious because of ‘your’ lack of social grace is going to somehow motivate me into learning Mandarin? It doesn’t, ok? Let me assure you that it doesn’t, AT ALL. I don’t mean just the language Mandarin. It could be an Indian having lunch with his/her Chinese colleagues.

The fake counter .... (the sequel)

Guess what! I found a sequel to my previous post from The Star frontpage on Labor Day. The IRB is not sending out tax forms next year, everyone's required to use e-Filing next year due to OVERWHELMING REQUESTS ... dejavu? :)

I just wanted to highlight a few 'brilliant ideas' from the IRB that made my day:

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“Response from taxpayers has been very good although this is the first year e-Filing has been introduced. As at 6.30pm today, about 100,000 taxpayers have filed their returns electronically,” he told The Star yesterday. “Our target for e-Filing this year was only 50,000 submissions but we have already doubled this number.”

“This year, our strategy is to get taxpayers to switch to e-Filing and the good response speaks volumes about Malaysians being IT savvy,” he added.
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The department of statistics states that our population is 26.13 million in 2005. Our dear IRB expected 0.19% of the population to e-file but the response was a whopping 0.38% of the population !! So guess what happened, yup our beloved hoo-hah began. Apparently we are now sophisticated 'IT savvies'. Therefore they need to work on yet another world-class project. How? Lets switch everything to e-filing to accomodate our 'highly advanced' society. Sorry Mr Fisherman and Mr Farmer, guess what, you'll have to get your Windows XP going.

I sincerely hope that in 2020, we will be declared a developed country NOT just because we have ONE developed street. There are no shortcuts to it whether you like it or not. To have a well-developed country, we need well-developed towns. To have well-developed towns, we need well-developed streets. To have well-developed streets, we need well-developed buildings. To have well-developed buildings, we need well-developed bricks. Lets not build our country on hollow bricks and tumble with a delicate tap.

Getting Out of the Rat Race????

I read in the book the Millionaire Times! (by Sifu See) about how to save ur first million and one of the methods recommended was to get out of the rat race. But look around you and you’ll see most people are already in the rat race! Its gonna take real determination and resistance to get out of it.
It’s no longer about having a digicam but to have the best one in the market. It’s no longer about having a chance to travel overseas but how many countries you’ve been to. It’s no longer about having a higher education but how many Master’s Degrees u have. It’s no longer about whether you have bought a house to stay but how many properties have u invested in. It’s no longer about having a mobile phone but having the latest PDA phone. It’s no longer about having an automobile to get u from A to B but who’ll have the first BMW. And the list goes on and on.

Call it peer pressure but I feel it’s somewhat a motivator. How many of you have gawked at a Merc Kompressor and wonder how the owner ever got the money to get that kind of car? (Especially if the owner is some young chiku probably younger than you?) And you wonder when you’ll ever get that kind of money. Well, every success story begins with a dream. As the saying goes, its better to dream than to never at all. The key is to Dare to Dream. The best thing is that there is no limits to how big you can dream, so dream BIG!

Last week I attended this course called 8D analysis and our consultant was this big shot ISO consultant who’s been in this consultancy business for years. One of those sleepy session, in an effort to wake us up I suppose, he told us the story of how he started as an ISO consultant. Just like any of us, he started of as an Executive in most unfortunate chinaman type of company, if you know what I mean. And you know, chinamen are always into making profits and would not waste time on something like ISO. No value added mar. But this guy, he knew ISO was gonna be in demand. So he started small. He was a chemist and so he implemented ISO in his small but modest laboratory. Soon, he had his SOP, training system, checklist in place in his small setup. Seeing it was the most organized dept in the company, the chinaman soon began taking the customer’s to visit the little dept hoping to make a good impression. In no time, the little executive was making a name and was later asked to setup the ISO system in the company. This is a story of how sheer determination can get you somewhere as long as u dare to dream.

But ultimately, the whole purpose of the damn exercise was not only to gain job satisfaction but I’m sure in his mind, he wanted to join the rat race. Make loads of money and to buy that Merc he always wanted with no qualms about his finances. I can’t find a single person who does not love money. Who wouldn’t want to go on a Europe tour without having to stinge on food and accommodation? I find myself wondering if that is actually so wrong? To be materialistic but by your own means and not having to con anyone (in any ways imaginable) I think is a motivator. I believe a certain degree of materialism is a catalyst to a dream of making your first million after all. So..Mr “Sifu” See, I beg to differ.