89. Up to date :)

Today went to collect my car. Good job on the tints :) i can see clearly again, Heh heh heh. Rushed back to office because I have stock take today. Will spend the rest of the day in the company store :P Boooring.

Wonder wat's going on tonite. Hmmm, my bet with Chong ends tonite :P Tonite, I regain my freedom. Muah har har har har.

Oh forgot to mention, there was a fiasco on national radio this morning. The Hitz FM (I normally don't listen to Hitz FM, but I followed Seng to work this morning) morning crew was having an arguement on air with their program manager, Mesh. Sad. Well, the morning crew has been suspended ;)

_______________________________

My Random Thots:

hmmmm, it is April Fool's day eve. The morning crew comes in to work 2 hrs late TOGETHER. The Morning Crew has an arguement with their Program manager ON AIR. The mike is ACCIDENTLY switched on. Hmmmm, sounds like a perfect plot for ratings. HAPPY APRIL FOOL'S DAY!!!!!

88. Blogger.com was down

So I was locked out of my account and can't update my blog. Since I'm gifted in the RAM (Random Access Memory) and not HD (Harddisk), i can't retain the memory of what has happened yesterday. :( I'll try to recall as much as I can.

Well, basically Wednesday started off the same. Finished my paper work in office and decided that it's about time i got the tint on my car fixed. The front tint on the windscreen has turned yellowish and the 2 rear window has delaminated. So, it looks really ugly. Enough is enough :P

Went for lunch with Chuwy before going over to Penang to drop off the car. We decided to have Mee Kuah at a very ulu kampung somewhere deep in Juru. We haven't been to that place for more than a year. Thot it'll be a good idea to rekindle something. :) we both ordered Maggi Goreng (Fried Maggi) and flower crabs. Both Maggi and the crabs were brilliant. The Fried Maggi came with 9 prawns. Yummy!!!! We were both stuffed to the brim :)


The Flower Crab, forgot to take picture of the Maggi coz it was too delicious :)

Dropped off the car at Neuton Auto and Seng picked me up. We were suppose to rush back to office for an important meeting, but alas, there was a terrible jam on the bridge. By the time we reached the office, the meeting is over. :P

Evening is collegue bonding time and we went with the Production Manager and several production executives for minum at Roxbury in Butterworth. Since they have to work early the next day, we were home by 10ish. Wee and Seng decided to go SOHO to end the nite. Surprise surprise! To SOHO it is then. Now you guys know why SOHO is called our second home :P

Joanne, Shen and Daniel is suppose to be there as well. Surprising news, Rommel is Joanne's cousin. How an Eurasian can be related to a Muslim, it's beyond me. As always, what matters is, we all have a good time. :D When we reached SOHO, turned out that Lorna, Eric and the rest of the Intel gang is there as well. Gee, there goes the notion of an early nite :P

87. Morning after……

…the quake. Woke up late, so decided to go see my customers first before going to the office. Pretty uneventful. Dropped by my mechanic’s shop to pass him the leftover engine oil and transmission oil for my car so that he can start to work on my car. Went back to my office to clear up all the paper work.

Went to town for dinner and spent the rest of the evening alone at Segafredo. Jack and Zakri is in Gurney Plaza but I’m too lazy to go. So I’ll spend my quiet time in Segafredo. Hmmm, this be a good time to update my Blog. :) bought a few DVDs (Lady Killers and Seoul Raiders). The Phantom of the Opera is still not here.

Seems like a few hundred people lost their lives at Nias Islands due to the quake according to CNN. These tragedies makes me wonder if the end is indeed nigh. At least there’s no Tsunami. Learnt that there are many different forms of earthquakes and only certain types cause Tsunamis. The earthquake has been upgraded to 8.7 on the Richter scale.


The epicenter of both the boxing day quake and the recent quake

Many things to ponder on this week.

86. Monday blues

Slept late again this morning and am zombiefied. And to make matters worse, I can’t go out to see my customers coz my car’s road tax and insurance has expired. That means I’ll be stuck in the office the whole day :P This is gonna be a "mind-over-matter" day I guess. I’m not sleepy, I’m not sleepy. Just take 1 minute at a time. Can’t wait till lunch.

Lunch was rather uneventful. Economy rice with curry stingray and some vege.

Bad choice for lunch, gave me diorrhea, dunno if it’s because of the curry stingray or not……hmmmm…on the bright side, it added some colour to my day. Instead of feeling sleepy at my workstation, I can be feeling sleepy in the toilet!!!! :D heh heh heh.

In the evening, attended the funeral wake of Joanne’s grandfather. Went to the Church of Immaculate Conception in Pulau Tikus. The moment I stepped in, there was this big party in the main hall with live band and food catered by Eden. I was thinking, “Wow! They sure know how to have a good time. Turned out her grandfather’s funeral wake was at the other hall and the "party" was remembering the 1st anniversary of Nigel Samson death. It was a rather grand event with our chief minister attending.

After the wake, went over to Sega Fredo at Bellissa Row to meet up with Yew Peng, Jack and Zakri. Joanne and Shen joined us as well. We were just minding our own business and suddenly this bunch of drunkards from the next table jumped up and proclaimed that the ground is shaking.

“Bloody hell, of course it’s shaking. With the amount of alcohol they consumed, I’m surprised he didn’t jump up and proclaimed he’s flying!” I thought to myself. :)

Then Jack said, “Yeah, it is shaking!”

“Look at the (Ford) Ranger swaying!” added Yew Peng

Only then did I realize that the ground was indeed shaking. We start seeing people running out to the streets. Wow! My first earthquake. Then I began to wonder, would there be another Tsunami? Where’s the earthquake? It was rather exciting. Tried calling my friends to see if they’re ok. Lines are congested, so couldn’t get thru. Later friends started calling me and telling me that it was a magnitude 8.2 quake off Sumatra. No tidal waves spotted (wonder how they spot tidal waves in the dark, but will find out later that it’s thru a global network of seismometers, buoys and relay devices ….i read on CNN.com). Everything is ok, stayed up till abt 4ish watching CNN and BBC. It seems that it’s safe to cross the bridge to work tomorrow. Damn!

CNN's Tsunami resource

85. Easter Sunday


MD and the 10 Years Service award receipients

Well, the company dinner last nite (Saturday nite) ended surprisingly early. We were home by 1145pm!!!! Everyone was surprised. Oh well, Seng and Wee wasn't satisfied, so we decided to head downtown to Soho. Actually it was my idea :P

So head down to Soho we did and met up with my friend. For the first time, Wee actually couldn't finish his pint of guiness. :D Some of the usual guys was there as well. But we mostly end up playing pool and dart and foosball. Seng is the best foosball player among the 3 of us, but unfortunately my friend was even better and Seng got his ass kicked :P he was bitter and demanded a rematch when he's more sober. Oh! i kicked both Seng and Wee's ass at pool (but mostly coz they're drunk and couldn't even cue straight). heh heh heh. I also scored 2 consecutive bull's eye at dart. I'm invincible. Not gonna play foosball with my friend though :P

And that was that, the nite finally ended at 3:30am

Woke up at 8am when Penny called. She reminded me that church starts in 1hr 30mins. Plenty of time, i'll take a nap :P i woke up 1 hr and 30mins later and realised i should've been in church by now. heh heh heh. I jumped out of bed and got ready. Took the normal way thru batu lancang road, but alas, it's cheng beng season. So it was badly congested. Made a U turn and head back using the main road. Guess i'm not the only "smart" one, so there was another jam on the main road coz everyone that could do a u turn did :P back to square 1. Finally arrive in church an hour late. Asked the pastor's wife calmly,"isn't service at 10:30am?" :) she wasn't very amused. especially since her sister called me and reminded me it's at 9:30am. heh heh heh.


Pastor Edward and posse in action :P

Service went well, the play and the message was intergrated well. After Service there was this member's meeting. I was invited to join for the fun of it. I wasn't too sure what to expect. Turned out it was an AGM because this church is officially registered as a "club" and all they're required to have AGMs and all the accounts needs to be audited, bla bla bla. I was curious why they want to go thru all the trouble. The pastor explained to me that it's because of accountability and such. I understand.


Shot of the RGBC's "Prospectus"

So that was church. Rather interesting Easter.

Went back and got ready for basketball game in the afternoon. Was ready to go when Wee called to confirm the numbers attending. It seems that I am not as lazy as i thot. Everyone has a lame excuse why they can't make it except for 5 of us. So we obviously can't play basketball, so Wee decided to play tennis instead. I can't play tennis for nuts. So i better go do something i'm good at. I crawled into bed and slept.

Chong and Yew Peng called, they wanted to see Nicholas' wife and baby at the confinement center in Paya Terubong. Met up with them half way and they wanted to go makan first. So Yew Peng took us to this seafood place. On the way there Nicholas met with a minor accident. The food was good. Met my high school science teacher. Amazingly after more than 10yrs, he still looks the same. Mr Lim Zong Hong a.k.a Zorro. :) Anyway, after that Zakri called and said he's on the way to Penang. Wanted to meet up. The rest wasn't too enthutiastic, so left Jack & I. We met up with him at Segafredo, Gurney Plaza. Got news that a friend of mine just lost her grand father. Hmmm, another death. This is happening too often. A sign that i'm getting older i guess.

Since I had my sleep in the afternoon, i'm rather awake. so will just buzz around until Mr Sandman calls. by the time i actually answer that call, i think it was abt 5am d.

______________________________

My Random Thots:

It's amazing that there are so many people in the church sanctuary and all have different experiences based on their beliefs. Some are totally swept away with worship, while others are busy feeding their baby and yet others are just observing people. :P

84. So far so good

Still awake even though i've only slept for 4 hrs. not bad. Won't be going back home to take a nap since i have to make a delivery to Kepala Batas. So will hang around until dinner time. Wonder how long will tonite's company dinner last. :) It can last till 3am if previous annual dinners are anything to go by. Hope not.

_______________________________

My Random Thots:
If yesterday is called Good Friday and tomorrow is Easter Sunday, What's today called?
Mediocre Saturday?

83. Good Friday

Decided to go to church (RGBC) since it's Good Friday :) After dropping off my car at the workshop, i proceeded to church. Service was alright except for the fact that I couldn't understand the speaker. Went for supper with Yat Por, Sally, Marcus, Adriel (incidently it's Adriel's B'day today) and Godzillion other church members (Penny, Kenny, Edward and Selina and their 3 children and the rest i totally cannot remember their names, there's also this really really tall ang moh). then went back home. time to sleep. tomolo is a long day, with work and company dinner.

82. Today is a lazy day

Just lazed around in the office. Later in the afternoon, will have to go to an exhibition in PISA. After that, will head home and sleep. Will probably go to church in the evening. The question is, which one...........

81. My love life according to Myer-Brigg

This is What the "The Myer-Brigg Personality Test" says about my love life. Was contemplating if I should put this up here. Then I reckon, I might as well. Need to remember these things :D

The Pygmalion Project: The Teacher
excerpted from The Pygmalion Project: The Idealist, by Dr. Stephen Montgomery
Copyright © 1989 Stephen Montgomery

The Idealist most committed to guiding others through the doors of life, or along the pathways of learning and understanding, is the type that Keirsey has named the Teacher (Myers's "ENFJ").

Teachers are natural facilitators in all their relationships, encouraging those around them, urging their personal growth, and taking charge of others (particularly of groups) with an extraordinary enthusiasm and confidence. Indeed, Teachers are so expressive and charismatic in their leadership -- in a word, so inspiring -- that they seem in some ways less coercive than the other Idealists. Keirsey says that, though Teachers are both expressive and role-directive, they manage to "command without seeming to do so," not by means of explicit orders, nor through saintly patience, romantic longing, or mute withdrawal, but by kindling in their students and colleagues their own passion for self-exploration and development. Teachers are masters of the art of positive expectation (or "front-loading"), and they communicate their belief in the evolution of the "self" with such a glow of promise that quite often, as Keirsey tells us, their optimism "induces action" in others, and the "desire to live up to [their] expectations."

Teachers bring all this infectious energy to their intimate relationships as well, and they make passionate and delightfully creative companions. However, at such close range the intensity of their wishes for their loved ones can create interpersonal conflict. Teachers can overwhelm their loved ones with their exuberance, and with their Pygmalion presumption that everyone wants to be helped along the path of self-discovery. Then, when their loved ones either resist their pressure or fail to meet their idealistic expectations, Teachers can feel frustrated, disillusioned, or even betrayed by the persons they care most about.

______________________________

My Random Thots:

Is it true? It's interesting that humans can be simplified into 4 major temperaments and then sub catagerized into further 4 dimensions. Oh well. I guess whatever helps eh. Feels like I'm paying them to blow sunshine up my.............errrr......place where the sun don't shine.

80. Thursday 24th March 2005

Started of normal enough. Went about seeing my customers and will be headed to Baileys after work to meet up with Wee and also some friends. Was happily eating and drinking away at baileys when Wee got a call from our customer. Drats, have to make delivery. Drove all the way back to the office. by now, i'm pretty grouchy :)

Wee decided that we'll go over to Soho to meet up with Seng and more friends to compensate for the "pain" of abandoning Baileys. :P While at Soho, Yew Peng & Jack called and I ask them to come over. They went for soup first and then joined us. Played a few rounds of Pool and darts. Wee & Edmund are still unbeatable at pool but i managed to be the first to hit the bull's eye for dart and took the RM20 prize money :P

Pix 1 & 2 - While we're at Bailey's
Pic 3 - Yew Peng playing pool @ SOHO

Went for supper after that at the mamak stall next to Soho. They serve the best soup kambing in town :) bought supper for all using the prize money and had to top up some more. Crappy deal, but we all had fun. Guess dat's the most important part :)

79. My Temperament

TEST RESULT TAKEN FROM
The Myer-Brigg Personality Test

Free report for: WH



Idealists, as a temperament, are passionately concerned with personal growth and development. Idealists strive to discover who they are and how they can become their best possible self -- always this quest for self-knowledge and self-improvement drives their imagination. And they want to help others make the journey. Idealists are naturally drawn to working with people, and whether in education or counseling, in social services or personnel work, in journalism or the ministry, they are gifted at helping others find their way in life, often inspiring them to grow as individuals and to fulfill their potentials.

Idealists are sure that friendly cooperation is the best way for people to achieve their goals. Conflict and confrontation upset them because they seem to put up angry barriers between people. Idealists dream of creating harmonious, even caring personal relations, and they have a unique talent for helping people get along with each other and work together for the good of all. Such interpersonal harmony might be a romantic ideal, but then Idealists are incurable romantics who prefer to focus on what might be, rather than what is. The real, practical world is only a starting place for Idealists; they believe that life is filled with possibilities waiting to be realized, rich with meanings calling out to be understood. This idea of a mystical or spiritual dimension to life, the "not visible" or the "not yet" that can only be known through intuition or by a leap of faith, is far more important to Idealists than the world of material things.

Highly ethical in their actions, Idealists hold themselves to a strict standard of personal integrity. They must be true to themselves and to others, and they can be quite hard on themselves when they are dishonest, or when they are false or insincere. More often, however, Idealists are the very soul of kindness. Particularly in their personal relationships, Idealists are without question filled with love and good will. They believe in giving of themselves to help others; they cherish a few warm, sensitive friendships; they strive for a special rapport with their children; and in marriage they wish to find a "soulmate," someone with whom they can bond emotionally and spiritually, sharing their deepest feelings and their complex inner worlds.

Idealists are rare, making up between 20 and 25 percent of the population. But their ability to inspire people with their enthusiasm and their idealism has given them influence far beyond their numbers.

The Four types of Idealists are:
Healers (INFP) Counselors (INFJ) Champions (ENFP) Teachers (ENFJ)

Which one are you?
Purchase your AdvisorTeam Classic Temperament Report™ now!
Your personalized Classic Temperament Report™ contains:
• An in-depth interpretation of your temperament and type
• Explanations of what each of the four letters for your type mean
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Wonder if it's true :P sounds too "idealistic" :D har har har. I guess external party will be more objective in their judgement eh. I'm biased towards me :D

"Idealists are incurable romantics who prefer to focus on what might be, rather than what is."

This is somewhat true, but I feel it has been a negative quality which has caused me much grief. It seems that reality is what most people prefer to look at, guess that means i'll have to conform............ Nah! I'll just be me. Muah har har har har

78. Boring!

Was stuck in a traning/meeting with supplier. He's explaining things which i already know. Only after the training, things get slightly more interesting. Discussion on some new materials and all.

Need to do something interesting this evening to compensate. Plan to go over to KB to kacau Chong. Jack just came back from Chang Lun so he'll join us to Kepala Batas. Basically just hung out and surf the net to see if there's anything to buy :) heh heh heh.

back home and it's time to sleep. Am I making any sense?

77. World Toilet Day

I Sh*t you not! :) There is actually a "World Toilet Day". It is actually endorsed by the United Nations. :D check out their website. From there, you can see what other bizzarre days UN endorses.

World Toilet Day

By the way, today is World Meteorological Day!!!! Woo Hoooooo!

76. Proton complains of 'dumping' by foreign automakers

Mar 23, 05 6:49am

National carmaker Proton has complained that foreign cars are being "dumped" in the domestic market at below their true value, amid a slump in national car sales, a report said today.

Proton's chief executive Mahaleel Ariff was quoted by the Bernama news agency as saying that such "product dumping will affect the market."

He did not elaborate on his remarks but the Proton Edar Dealers' Association (Peda), which groups national car dealers, said some imported cars were being sold in Malaysia at 20-50 percent below their true value.

Peda president Wan Ahmad Sepwan Wan Abdul Rahman told Bernama he had received information that the cost, insurance and transport of some Korean-made cars were under-declared in order to secure a lower price tag.

"With such a declaration, a lower tax is imposed and this enables the distributor to give discounts to customers," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak said over the weekend the government would give serious attention to the issue of dumping by foreign carmakers in Malaysia because it could lead to unhealthy competition.

Malaysia's top two state-backed national carmakers, Proton and Perodua, jointly control more than 70 percent of the domestic auto market.

However, they face increasing pressure from Japanese and Korean carmakers as the auto market gradually liberalises under a regional free trade pact.

Last year, Proton's market share dropped to 44 percent from 48 percent in 2003, while Perodua's share dropped to 30 percent from 35 percent.

Improve sales abroad

The government, which has been pushing national carmakers to boost their competitiveness, earlier this week said current export levels were unsatisfactory and urged them to take steps to improve sales abroad.

Deputy trade minister Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah told parliament that Proton's exports accounted for only 6.1 percent of its total production while Perodua's accounted for only 1.7 percent.

Proton exported 10,916 units in 2004, compared with its production of 179,700 units while Perodua exported 2,180 out of 125,820 units.

Separately, total vehicle sales in February rose 20.4 percent year-on-year to 36,904 units as customers rushed to buy in anticipation of higher car prices under a new tax regime, Bernama quoted the Malaysian Automotive Association as saying.

Of the total, 61 percent or 22,419 units were national passenger cars and commercial vehicles, while the remaining 14,485 units were non-national cars, it said.

The association said the uptrend in sales was expected to continue into March, as market sentiment and consumer confidence remained strong.

- AFP
________________________________

My Random Thots:

So it's ok for Proton to "dump" their low quality cars locally (while exporting the higher specs), but other manufacturers can't sell their their cars here cheaper? My goodness. Is it just me or are these guys complaining about free trade? Talk about spoon feeding. Gosh.

75. Skipped a day

Didn't manage to write an entry yesterday. Mainly becoz nothing much happened and I'm plain lazy :) The whole day was slow and I didn't even leave my office. After work basically just went home, had dinner and slept. Was on the phone a bit after i woke up from my nap. :) ahhh, felt good.

Yew Peng called later in the evening. He has a few complains about his car. Some high pitched scratching sound when travelling at high speeds and he's also not happy with the way his Air Filter Box turned out. Went for supper with him at Jelutong. The infamous "Leng Lui Tong Shui" (Beautiful Girl Sweet Water). Well, over the years, the name is no longer true! :D All the beautiful girls have since grew up or left. Now, there's an old lady, 2 girls and a guy. Hmmmm, wonder if I can sue for false advertisement. They have, however upgraded from a roadside stall to an actual coffee shop. The shop is called MYT if I'm not mistaken. :P Heck. I Don't know and I don't really care as it doesn't change my life. Woo Hoo, Ignorance and apathy reigns supreme :)

From my schedule, today is gonna be rather hectic.

________________________________

My Random Thots:

If ignorance is indeed bliss, then why am I not as happy as I should be?

74. Sleepy

The more I sleep, the sleepier I get. A vicious cycle. I think I'll stick to my 4 to 5 hrs sleep per day "policy". Seems to work for me.

_____________________________

My Random Thots:

Just noticed a few events in my life - What goes around, does indeed come around :) Beware of the circle of life ;) I know it's obvious, but hey! it's my blog. I can write watever I want :D

73. "Hectic" day

Was rushing around town and back to bayan lepas and back to town. Rushed to clear my work and rushed over to Penang to have lunch with a friend and then for coffee. Rushed to Bayan Lepas to see some customers. Was tired and decided I won't go back to office, so off to Gurney Plaza. Decided I wanna watch ROBOTS. It was not as good as I've expected since my friends were raving about it. I still like HITCH better. Again, time to call it a nite. Too tired to think.

72. Went as planned

We did go visit Chong's sister and her new born baby :) big baby (4Kgs). Both mother and child is healthy. After the hospital visit, we went over to One Stop Midlands to shop for DVDs. Didn't buy any, saw that they had "Phantom of the Opera". Wanted to get that one, but it was not clear yet. Was told by a dear friend that it was a really good movie.

Went for lunch at Ice Ice Baby again :) The food is good too. :) I walked from One Stop to Ice Ice Baby. Thot it's about as much excercise i had in months. The lunch was pleasant. Except the incident which i ordered cheese noodle with baby queen. She asked if i ate beef, i told her,"Yes! i'd like beef in my cheese noodle." So I'm expecting beef in my noodle. When it came, there was only fish (or so I thot) in my noodle. I called the waitress over and I told her i wanted beef but there's only fish in my noodle. She apologized. I then continued eating and found that actually, the dish included fish, chicken and beef all together :) Pai seh.

After sending Hiromi to the foot massage place (Alpha Reflexology) we went to Sega Fredo, Bellissa Row.

Surprisingly Daniel did call me and we met up to discuss work. Amazingly he was also at Bellissa Row as well. Convenient coincidence.

Went back to meet Chong and gang. but alas, they've finish eating dinner. So balik kampung loe.

Zakri didn't want to go back yet so I suggested we go over to Chef & Brew for dinner and coffee. So we did. Yew Peng and Jack came as well. Chatted till abt 11ish. Time to call it a nite. :) yawn.

71. My Niece Ru Yi

70. Good Morning, World!

It feels pretty darn good to wake up "naturally". No alarm, no phone calls, just slowly slipping into consciousness. :) Well, gotta prepare for the day.

Gonna meet Chong, Hiromi, Yew Peng, Jack, Anne and Zakri. Will be visiting Chong's sister at Adventist Hospital. She just gave birth. :) Wonder why most people I know goes to Adventist. This includes Chuwy's wife, who works there. Perhaps it's really that good :) I'll remind myself to ask them later. The rest of the day remains unplanned. I am, however, suppose to meet Daniel & Shen to discuss work. If they remember and call me, that is.

69. Hitch

Went to see HITCH starring Will Smith, Kevin Smith, Eva Mendes & Amber Valletta. Was a very enjoyable show. Liked it a lot. Think it'll be one of those movies that I'll buy the DVD as soon as it comes out and watch it over and over again, just like Kungfu Hustle. Deep topic taken lightly :)
__________________________________

My Random Thots:

Do I take things too lightly?

68. CSI



Someone/thing murdered my Oakley :(

Evidence:
Broken pair of sunglasses
Frame bent out of shape
Found in the car seat of the suspect

Analysis:
Based on the evidence, it's obvious that some force/load has been placed on the victim. The victims body was found to be flattened and one of the legs has been broken off. Very violent crime scene but it seems the the perpetrator probably didn't have the intent to kill the victim. I deduce such because only one of the legs were broken and it wasn't ripped off. It broke off and was left there. Suggesting the perpetrator was probably surprised and ran away.

Conclusion:
Suspect was arrested and was beaten into confession. He finally confessed that he just wanted to get in the car and go home. After getting in the car, he proceed to sit on the seat. When he carefully placed his rear end on the seat, he realised it wasn't as comfortable as it normally was. Upon inpection, he found that he had accidently killed the victim. He was remorseful and turned himself in.

_____________________________

My Random Thots:

What the hell was I thinking when writing this entry? I could've just said I sat on my darn Oakleys and broke it and spend the extra time sleeping :D

67. Maxis has a new rate

Maxis is running a promotion right now. It started from the 15th of this month. RM0.15 per minute whole day for Maxis to Maxis calls. Maxis to other operators is RM0.15 per minute all day all week. :) And my favorite of all, just RM0.05 per sms for Maxis to maxis and RM0.15 for Maxis to other operators :) yummy. Me happy.

Here's the link to the list of Maxis call charges

66. An hour into my work day

And i'm still in a daze. I really need to readjust my biological clock.

I think I might have sleeping problems. I was talking to one of my friends. Was describing how i can't sleep early coz i'll be tossing and turning in bed. Mind still awake but body tired. Mind will rush thru a million and 1 things. All the random thots. Some good and some disturbing. So normally i stay awake until i'm really tired and just hop into bed and hug my bolster. No disturbing thots. :) A good strategy? :D

Oh well, whatever that helps me sleep better at nite right?

Ai Li, Ai Tee and Ai Ying reached late last nite. They're all here to see baby Ru Yi. :)

............................................................................

Stars in the order of appearance:

Ai Li, Ai Tee & Ai Ying - Ai Fen's Sisters

65. The thing that should not be......

.....me sleeping. Rested a bit, just layed on my bed.

Yew Peng called. Think I'll meet up with them. We went over to this dessert place in Pulau Tikus. The name is a bit corny, but the ice cream and the waffles were really good. The place is called ICE, ICE BABY!

*LOL*
I had the Mango pudding, Yew Peng ordered the Fried Ice Cream. Jack & Anne had Mango Pudding and the Lychee Pudding respectively. I ordered the waffle ice cream that's to be shared by all. Apart from the fried ice cream, the rest were really excellent.

Went for a drive afterwards. It was a leisurely drive up to the teluk bahang dam. Was exhilirating. OK, enuf fun for tonite. Time to head back home and get some real rest.

Robbie William is on astro now. Guess he'll accompany me to sleep :P He's really an extrordinary entertainer. hmmm, he's using Shure's wireless microphone. Interesting.

_______________________________

My Random Thots:

I wish there was a book/guide that explains to me how to be a human being :) I mean, an instruction manual of sorts. Guess the bible with it's principles in living is just about as close as I can get. Now to find a "school" or a "teacher" that will tutor me. Moral fiber? What moral fiber?

64. A Day of "Rest"

Will be taking care of a few visitors from the US. They will be touring our office. Very nice people. Was fun taking them around, but tiring nonetheless. After a busy day with phone ringing all the time, it was nice to receive a sms that's not work related. At first i thot it was gonna be another sms telling me of a million voice messages in my mailbox. But it was very nice to know it wasn't. Ahh, the simple pleasures in life eh.

After sending my guests back, went for a haircut, was a bit tempted to sit in the cafe and finish my book. Then remembered! I need to sleep!!!!! :) good nite

63. St Patrick's Day @ SOHO


Moved on to Soho after dinner (Top left pic). Ramesh brought us a cake he made specially for us. A chocolate cheese cake (in lower left pic). Too rich for me, but everyone loved it. People start pouring in. There were 2 bus load of ang mohs that came in. No idea where they're from.

The DJ played U2 the whole nite because they're an Irish band. Suits me just fine. Yew Peng went for a drive and ended up in town. Met up with him for soup and went back to Soho. All of Lorraine's collegues arrived. Then Shen, Austin and Daniel showed up (Top right pic). Had a good time catching up. The other 2 pix shows Wee playing pool and Dave trying to kiss me :P

The nite ended early (at 3am) and we headed back. Lorraine will stay over with Lorna because they have to leave at 7am to KL. They're going for The Force of Nature Concert.

.....................................................................

Stars in order of appearance:
Ramesh - Chef of 68 Kelawai
Shen, Austin & Daniel - Friends from NET city
Dave - Soho's Boss
Lorna - Lorraine's sister

62. Piccolino Restaurant & Bar


After a long day and sending my supplier off to his hotel (Evergreen Laurel), I finally arrived at the Italian Restaurant suggested by Lorraine. Seng, Fen and Raine has already ordered :) so Wee & I went ahead and ordered. I ordered the pepperoni pizza and Wee ordered the Lamb Shank. Raine had ordered the Lamb Shank as well. Seng ordered the Fillet steak and Fen ordered the Salmon steak. We had some cheesy scallops and garlic bread as appetizers. Lorna finally reached and ordered cheesy sausages. We decided to get wine to compliment the dinner. Since we're on the subject of beverage, DON'T order the macademia nut drink.

Well, it was a pleasant nite. The food thus far has been good. Especially Seng's fillet steak. Secret Recipe's lamb shank is better though. An my imaginary pizza was good too :P My pizza never came. What the!?!?!! When I asked the waitress if my pizza is coming, she went to check and found out that the order wasn't loaded. I wasn't too hungry after sampling all the other food that I figured we'll cancel the order. So no pizza for me. :(

Oh well, on to Soho for the St Patrick's Day celebrations.

61. Book Review

"Surely You're Joking Mr Feynman!"

I'm half way thru with the book and it's the 17th of March. Not bad, I'm actually gonna make a book a month. :) Anyway, a few lines from the book caught my attention so far :)

"People often think I'm a faker, but i'm usually honest, in a certain way - in such a way that often nobody believes me!"

He goes on with a few situations which shows what he means. Interesting. :)

"The liberty at social occassions - the problem of having to fake and lie in order to be polite, and does this perpetual game of faking in social situations lead to the destruction of the moral fiber of society"

"Simple" things which I didn't even bother to think about. Well, one has to draw his own conclusions as he didn't elaborate on this topic. It would be interesting to see his point of view. I reckon he thinks it the statement is true (oooooo, first i pretend to understand the lay person, now i'm pretending to understand the mind of a genius), otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to mention it.........even though as a passing statement.

60. Church

My Random Thots:

Church - It is a place for:
a) Meeting God
b) Praise and Worship celebrations
c) Meeting people
d) Dating services to recruit people
e) Validation of one's holiness
f) Time passing
g) Gossip mongering
h) Reflecting
i) Praying
j) Those with no where else to go
k) All of the above

Guess it's all different with every individual. Sad. Back in the old testament days, God zaps :) it'll be nice. I'll be more wary the next time I step into a church.

People always have car stickers that says," God loves You!" "Jesus Saves!". Mine's gonna be," God Zaps!!!"

Muah har har har har har

PS: Isn't it obvious by now that I didn't get enough sleep last nite *Yawn*

59. HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!!!!!!!!!!

After a day like yesterday, I'm really looking forward to tonite's dinner with my bros and their wives. And perhaps hanging out at Soho after that. Need to unwind and destress. I have to find some green clothing to blend in with the others who are celebrating as well.

Oh, here's a link to explain the history of St. Patrick's Day
The History of St. Patrick's Day

58. A Sad Event

Had to attend a funeral wake of a friend. It was very sudden and very tragic. She was to undergo a simple straight forward operation. It seems that the Doctor screwed up. She's gone.

I've been to a few funeral services this past year. Everyone of them are those that you'd expect to live forever because they're the nicest people you'll meet. Soo Siang & Wai Ling are 2 that was very difficult for me. Dear friends and really nice people.

Life is so fragile.

Rest in Peace, Lee Lian

__________________________________

My Random Thots:

I'm gonna live my life like there's no tomorrow. For u never know. There may not be.

57. A Choice in the Matter - Greg Laurie

If the church were to give awards like The Academy gives Oscars, I think Judas Iscariot would have won the "best actor" category for all time, because that is what Judas was. He was a phenomenal actor.

As one of the most mysterious and paradoxical people in the entire Bible, Judas Iscariot was notorious for his wickedness and treachery. You might even say that he was the traitor's traitor. We know that his life ended miserably in suicide because he betrayed the Lord for 30 pieces of silver.

Yet there was more to Judas than that. If we could be transported back in time and observe the 12 disciples, I think most of us would have had a hard time picking out Judas Iscariot. We tend to envision him as a sinister-looking guy with shifty eyes. But I think He came off as a man who was upright, seemingly very considerate, and devout in his faith. There are people like Judas in our churches today. They talk the talk. They carry their Bibles. They sing the songs. But underneath, they are phonies. They fool only themselves.

Judas had the privilege of being one of the 12 disciples of Jesus Christ, handpicked by the Lord, yet he went and betrayed Him. There was a definite progression-or regression-to Judas' sin, starting with subtle shades of hypocrisy and culminating in full-blown possession by Satan. Judas could go deeper into sin because he never really knew Jesus. Sure, he knew about Him. He could have even been considered an expert on Jesus, given the fact that he had walked with Him and been with Him in every conceivable circumstance for three years. But Judas never really knew the Lord.

There was a progression, and Judas reached this point of betrayal over a period of time. The Bible says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death" (Proverbs 14:12 NKJV).

Let me give you an example. On one occasion, Jesus went to visit his close friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Martha saw an opportunity to cook up a fine meal for the Lord. Meanwhile, her sister Mary saw an opportunity to sit at the feet of the Lord and spend time with Him. She wanted to do something significant, profound, and sacrificial for Jesus, so she took a very costly jar of ointment and began to anoint His feet, wiping them with her hair. As everyone watched this incredible sight, an indignant Judas remarked, "Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?" (John 12:4 NKJV). That sounded very spiritual, and Mark's Gospel tells us the others even agreed with him and joined in the criticism.

But John's Gospel gives us a significant detail regarding why Judas said what he said: "This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it" (12:4 NKJV). Things are not always as they appear. She who appeared frivolous and extravagant was the spiritual one, while he who appeared thrifty and spiritual wasn't spiritual at all.

Jesus rebuked all of them and said, "Let her alone; she has kept this for the day of My burial. For the poor you have with you always, but Me you do not have always" (vv. 7-8).

This warning went unheeded by Judas, and as we see here, early on it was Judas' love of earthly things that caused him to betray the heavenly.

Judas had a choice in the matter. He didn't have to betray the Lord. John 13:2 tells us that the devil had already put it in Judas' heart to betray the Lord. He could have resisted this. Instead, he gave in and thus was responsible for his own actions. Later, Satan actually entered Judas (see Luke 22:3). But prior to this, he had a choice. But he didn't exercise that choice and ended up doing the wrong thing.

On the night that Jesus was betrayed and arrested, two people failed the Lord. One was Judas. The other was Peter. One went out and hung himself. The other, after coming to his senses, going back to the Lord, and seeking His forgiveness, went into the open arms of Jesus. At the crossroads, Peter and Judas parted ways forever. One went into the light. And the other went into the night.

________________________________

My Random Thots:

Do you ever wonder if you'll be a Judas? I think about it all the time. One of my goals in life is to go thru my life not being a Judas. In all areas of my life. I do wonder if I've achieved that so far, sadly not. I can already think of an occasion.

56. Obsession With Personality Tests ;)

===============================

This is a parody of the Myer's-Brigg personality test, which is based on Jungian personality typology (say that fast 5 times!). I didn't know what all the letter designations (ISTJ, ISTP, etc.) meant, but still got the Funny.

Mikey

P.S. If you really *must* know the descriptions, you can get them here, and even take a test to see what you are:
The Myer-Brigg Personality Test

===============================

MYER'S-BRIGG PRAYERS

ISTJ: Lord, help me to relax about insignificant details beginning tomorrow at 11:41:23 a.m. E.S.T.

ISTP: God, help me to consider people's feelings, even if most of them ARE hypersensitive.

ESTP: God, help me to take responsibility for my own actions, even though they're usually NOT my fault.

ESTJ: God, help me to not try to RUN everything. But, if You need some help, just ask.

ISFJ: Lord, help me to be more laid back and help me to do it EXACTLY right.

ISFP: Lord, help me to stand up for my rights (if you don't mind my asking).

ESFP: God, help me to take things more seriously, especially parties and dancing.

ESFJ: God, give me patience, and I mean right NOW.

INFJ: Lord, help me not to be a perfectionist. (Did I spell that correctly?)

INFP: God, help me to finish everything I sta

ENFP: God, help me to keep my mind on one th - Look a bird! - at a time.

ENFJ: God, help me to do only what I can and trust you for the rest. Do you mind putting that in writing?

INTJ: Lord, keep me open to other's ideas, *wrong* though they may be.

INTP: Lord, help me to be less independent, but let me do it my way.

ENTP: Lord, help me follow established procedures today. On second thought, I'll settle for a few minutes.

ENTJ: Lord, help me slow downandnotrushthroughwhatIdo.

55. Another Stolen Article

This is taken from Crosswalk.com

Keep Your Marriage In Mint Condition
Dan Seaborn

My wife Jane tells me that she fell in love with me mostly because we had so much fun together. I'll admit, the two of us had a blast when we were dating-laughing uncontrollably and doing all kinds of crazy things. But I have to say that some of my best memories from our dating years include things like kissing Jane behind the college gym.

Believe me, I've got some good memories from those days. We kissed a lot back then.

Twenty-two years and four kids later, these days our kisses can be pretty calm compared to the ones we used to have. In thinking about this recently, I brought the subject up with my wife. "Babe," I asked, "why is it that we don't kiss like we used to do?"

Jane responded without missing a beat. "Because," she said, "your breath isn't as fresh as it used to be!"

Well.

I guess it's fair to say that I don't always put the same kind of energy into my relationship with Jane that I used to. Oh, I'm still working on things. I'm still trying to be a good husband, but it's easier now to start letting certain things slide. Things like mints, for example.

When two people have been married for a while, they begin to settle in. They stop thinking about their marriage so much, and they stop trying so hard to impress each other. They get distracted by their jobs, their kids, or their to-do lists, and the freshness of their marriage fades a little among other priorities.

Most married couples don't talk for hours like they used to. Most married couples don't hold hands as much as they used to. Most married couples don't compliment as much or dress up as much or flirt with each other as much as they used to.

Certainly, life is marked by changes, and I'm not about to suggest that married people should forever behave exactly like they did when they were dating. That would make for a pretty sappy and annoying world.

Even so, it's important to keep the sentimental stuff going in a marriage. Just because you're five or ten or twenty years into your relationship, that doesn't mean you can't have the kind of fun that you used to have.

It's the little things like kisses and smiles and laughs that will boost your relationship's energy level. These are the things that help to keep a marriage going strong. These are the things that help keep discontent and divorce at bay.

When was the last time you and your spouse stayed up late just to talk? When was the last time you got dressed up and went out on the town, just the two of you?

When was the last time you laughed really hard at one of your husband's jokes or gave your wife a kiss on her forehead? When did you last compliment your spouse? When did you last encourage him or her?

When did you last give a backrub or wink or bat your eyelashes or smile really big?

Just so you know, I went to the store a while back, walked straight to the gum aisle, and promptly picked out the biggest bag of Clorets that I could find. I keep them in the car now so I can pop a few on my ride home and greet my wife at the door with a kiss that's minty-fresh.

She loves it-and for this column, I think I'll leave it at that.

Dan Seaborn is the founder of Winning At Home Inc., a nationally-known organization designed to assist and encourage people of all ages and stages of family development. E-mail your questions or comments about this article to hometeam@winningathome.com.

54. Sake & Cheese Cake Party :)



Reached home at about 2:30am. Seng complained he's hungry, so we decided to finish the cheese cake since it's gonna expire later today. Since we're having the Japanese Cheese Cake, thot that we can have a few sip of the Sake I bought earlier for Seng & Wee. We did and it was splendid. The cake is gone and there's half a bottle of Sake left.

OK, time for me to sleep.

53. Ben's Farewell



Reached home at 10:30pm. Was gonna prepare for meeting with Wee. Wee smsed and said that they're going to Soho for Ben's farewell. Thot i was gonna miss it because i had Marcus' dinner to attend to. But since they're just starting, I'll drop by. Was there till about 2am. There goes the whole notion of work :P

52. Marcus' Dinner


Marcus is the character on the extreme left

Did something I've never done before. Got off work early today and since dinner is not until 7pm, I went over to Chef & Brew for tea..........all by myself. Was never really too comfortable being by myself. Decided to give it a shot. Ordered Earl Grey tea and sat there with my book. Time passed rather quickly (it has been 2 hrs) and next thing I know, Marcus called and I went over to meet him.

Marcus bought us dinner to celebrate his promotion :) We had it at Flame - Crystal Point. Then adjourned to Bailey's. Left rather early. Was home by 10:30pm :)

Figured I'll use this time productively to finish up some research before having a meeting with Wee later tonite for discussion. Also wanted to key in my thots for the day into my blog before I forget them. There were so many thots that I had to note them on my phone first. Think I'll also give my reviews on the books I'm reading concurently. Realised that there are a lot of thots that goes thru my head while reading them books. If i wait until i finish the book and then comment on them, i reckon i'll miss out a lot of points. So from now on, I'll write the reviews as soon as I read something interesting.

51. Darling Ru Yi


My darling niece has grown :)

50. A pix of the KLCC garden

49. 2004 Sauber Petronas' F1 car

48. 5 of us on the way to KL

47. Weekend in KL

Allow me to go back in time.

It is now saturday afternoon. I'm done with work and drove to Chong's house. Waited for everyone to leave together. Found out that Anthony and Jia Li can't make it because he fell sick. so left 5 of us. We finally left at about 5pm.

Fast forward to KL, we picked up Yew Peng's shock absorbers and went for dinner with Tee Ann (Hey Ann, here's your 5 secs of "fame") to celebrate her birthday. Twas a good time and the food was delightful. Truly the best place to have Pork Ribs :) The restaurant is called The Rib Shop in Damansara Heights. Unlike Chasers in Penang, the bbq sauce is just nice. Not too sweet or strong. Nice.

Went back to the hotel but can't sleep thanks to the amount of coffee consumed. So might as well stay up to finish my work. Was awake till at least 3am. Forced myself to go to bed. Was in my bed awake with lotsa random thots running thru my head.

Sunday was too hectic to being doing any thinking. Spent the whole day in KLCC. Bought a few books/magazines from Kinokuniya. Spent some time shopping for food as well. Goodness, it was another day of feasting I tell u. Bad habit. Had a hefty burger at Dome for lunch and lotsa fajitas for dinner at Chillis. It's all good though. Bought a bottle of Sake for my brothers since I have Hiromi as a guide. Chong bought a Japanese cheese cake for me as well. It's nice, texture is more of a sponge cake than a cheese cake.

That's pretty much the weekend. Reached Penang after dropping everyone off at about 2am.

Oh crap, how can i forget. There was a Formula 1 demo in front of KLCC by the Sauber Petronas team. Apparently they're celebrating their 10 yrs in F1. There was a very nice exhibition in the exhibition hall in KLCC showcasing all the cars they raced with. Nice.

46. Another good Mikey's Funnies to share:

This be the funnies sent out today. It's not too funny until i got to the statement I highlighted in RED. After I read it, it describes my "condition" so well that I'm beginning to think I really am too intense :) heh heh heh. I'm sure those of you who've been following my blog knows why it's funny too. I think I've become too philosophical :) Time for me to loosen up.

===============================
YOU KNOW YOU'RE TOO INTENSE WHEN...

~ You can achieve a "runner's high" by sitting up.
~ You say the same sentence over and over again, not realizing that you've said it before.
~ The sun is SO loud.
~ Trees begin chasing you.
~ You can see individual air molecules vibrating.
~ You begin to explore the possibility of setting up an I.V. drip solution of espresso.
~ You can hear mimes.
~ You believe that if you think hard enough, you can fly.
~ Things become "very clear."
~ You say the same sentence over and over again, not realizing that you've said it before.
~ You ask the drive-through attendant if you can get your order to go.
~ You keep yelling "STOP TOUCHING ME!!!" even though you are the only one in the room.
~ Your heart beats in 7/8 time.
~ You and Reality file for divorce.
~ You wonder if brewing is really a necessary step for the consumption of coffee.
~ You can skip without a rope.
~ It appears that people are speaking to you in binary code.
~ You have great revelations concerning Life, the Universe, and Everything Else, but can't quite find the words for them before the white glow disappears, leaving you more confused than before.
~ You can travel without moving.
~ Antacid tablets become your sole source of nutrition.
~ You discover the aesthetic beauty of office supplies.
~ You say the same sentence over and over again, not realizing that you've said it before...
~ Losing your mind was okay, but when the voices in your head quieted, it was like losing your best friend.

45. Being Spontaneous

Was asking a friend to join us for the KL trip last minute...........High resistance :) That fella refuse to budge. Me? I'll be the kinda person that'll welcome these last minute stuff. I may live to regret it later, but I'll jump into it first :) I never pass an opportunity for adventure/possible adventure.

Oh well, I guess everyone is wired differently. I guess caution is good. As they say, "better to err on the side of caution."

For me, I say,"Throw caution in the wind!" :P

44. May not have internet access until Monday

So it may be quiet for the next 2 days :)

43. Nite nite

Was contemplating to go to church.......but alas, needed to pick up a friend because his car broke down. :) OK, I wasn't gonna go anyway. Went over to BM to meet up with Chong, Lai, Nicholas & Yew Peng. Wanted to see a shop doing sound systems.

Confirmed going to KL tomorrow. Now have to pack and then sleep.

42. This Article is taken from MSN

Interesting article. I was linked to it from MalaysiaKini website. The title got my attention. Read it and felt it was worth publishing on my Blog. Yes, yes, I'm a male chauvinistic pig.

http://www.msn.com.my/women/love/article2/default.asp



When I was a kid, humility was something drummed into my sister and I as religiously as our multiplication tables.

Because both my parents had to work to sustain our young family, the Tai girls were raised mostly by my father's sister, an aunt who was the second wife of a successful trader. Together, they had a daughter, my cousin Jan, and cousin Jan was the princess of the Tan family, while we played her loyal subjects.

"Don't touch that chocolate, it's Cousin Jan's!" my aunt would always say, slapping our hands away.

"The ais kacang is not for you! You can have Milo instead," a servant girl working for my aunt once told me when she'd asked me to go buy the very dessert from across the street.

Did we feel deprived and treated like second-class relations?

Hardly, recalls my mother.

As kids, we seemed to have accepted that my cousin Jan was the daughter of a rich family, and we were not. This was the reason why things were the way they were.

In fact, if I remember correctly, we lived in reverence of our rich cousin for a long time. She played with us, took care of us even (she is ten years older) and life was good, because there were times that we did get chocolates and ais kacang.

Just not as much as she did, but it was okay, simply because Cousin Jan was older than us, and therefore first in line for all the goodies. Basic respect for your elders philosophy.

"It was a blessing in disguise," my mother told me yesterday.

"It is hard to teach a child humility, but years of living under your cousin's thumb did just that."

Of course, these days, such treatment would be considered child abuse.
With better opportunities in education and our careers out there, I wonder how many women today still consider themselves as genuinely humble.

I myself know only a few. Even I am not so humble these days.

Look around you. Perhaps seven out of ten women today are college-educated and hold a promising career. They may even have equally successful men (or women, whatever your sexual preference might be) as their partners. Speak to them, and they exude sheer confidence and style. No longer are we afraid to speak our minds and to show the world what we're made of. No longer are we bound by tradition to stay in our homes as housewives and mothers. These days, with technology, we can even be both professionals and parents.

We can do it all. We believe we can do it all.

Or can we?

As I sit here browsing letter after letter from the young women who read my column, I cannot help but wonder: Despite the higher education and better career opportunities, a lot of women were still failing in their relationships. Collectively, they seem to be making the same mistakes and lacking the same good sense when it comes to finding, and keeping, the right sort of men, eventually ending up with guys who don't respond to their needs.

Guys who don't seem to be coming up to par emotionally and mentally.

Guys who are leaving or even cheating, because the relationship has become too complicated.

Usually, the conclusion drawn is always that most men 'suck' these days. However, I could not help but wonder if sometimes, these problems occur because we women have lost perspective and possibly, because they have lost some of the important Asian virtues such as humility and integrity, trading them for more modern values such as independence and individualism.

I even wondered if the rising divorce rate had anything to do with women becoming more insistent of their right to a 'better' life (genuine victims of abuse and unfaithful husbands aside), despite not knowing most of the time what this better life entails.

An alarming proposition to be sure, but not without logic.

Are we failing in our relationships because we have become too full of ourselves because of our degrees and careers? Are we asking for too much in our relationships, unable to see the good in our men because we choose to focus on their flaws?

Are we incapable of being humble because we are afraid to be submissive? Have we lost our ability to be genuine (which isn't the same as being totally and brutally honest), opting instead to concentrate on our outsides with our religious facial massages, Atkins dieting and incessant shoe-shopping?

Perhaps it is time to take a step back, to take stock of our expectations and to re-evaluate our value systems because like it or not, the ideas we have about that ideal guy or that ideal marriage affect how we treat the other vital proponent of your relationships: your partner.

Perhaps we should ask if what we have today is already good enough, and to enjoy our chocolates and ais kacang - while we can still have them.

After all, what is the use of getting all the good (and good men) in the world, when you can't appreciate them?

JENNIFER TAI WRITES ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS AND FIRST-TIME MOTHERHOOD ON MSN.COM.MY'S WOMEN'S CHANNEL EVERY WEEK. SHE WELCOMES MAILS AT JENN@JENNEMEDE.COM AND DISCUSSIONS AT MSN.COM.MY'S WOMEN COMMUNITY BOARDS.

41. Stress :P

Rather stressful day. Was really busy running around and all. A lot of things didn't fall into place. 3.5 hrs of sleep doesn't help. Well, I guess a fast paced day is better than a slow paced one where i'll have free time to replay old videos in head. Heh heh heh.

I noticed I used a lot of "" in my earlier postings, This posting is certified "" free.

__________________________________

My Random Thots:

Thinking of running away.................just to forget the stress and all. Hmmm, where shall it be? Well, for the short term, I guess KL will suffice. Need to find a long term vacation plan. Either that or need to explore overseas market :D

40. Time to sleep

It's 3:30am now. Just finished my work. Time to sleep. Yawn.

39. A "Quiet" Nite


This Wine - 1998 Glaetzer Shiraz is really "smooth"

Had a lot of work to do. Didn't feel like working. Good thing Anthony called and asked if we wanted to go have wine at Denise (Opposite Belissa Row). Waited for Zakri to show up and we head to town. Yew Peng met up with us in town.

Decided to go down to KL this weekend with them. Yew Peng need to pick up his suspensions and Chong need to take Hiromi shopping. As for the rest of us, we're in it for the ride and maybe attend the drift event at Extreme Park. Oh well, as always, que sera sera.

Now back to work before going to sleep.

38. Yesterday

Another excerpt stolen from Mikey's Funnies. This one hits home as I've been hit by hard disk crashes twice in my lifetime and that's three times too many :(

YESTERDAY
Sung to the tune of the Beatles' song

Yesterday,
All those backups seemed a waste of pay.
Now my database has gone away.
Oh I believe in yesterday.

Suddenly,
There's not half the files there used to be,
And there's a milestone hanging over me
The system crashed so suddenly.

I pushed something wrong
What it was I could not say.

Now all my data's gone
and I long for yesterday-ay-ay-ay.

Yesterday,
The need for back-ups seemed so far away.
I knew my data was all here to stay,
Now I believe in yesterday.

===============================
Mikey's Thot for the Day:
If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance!
===============================

_______________________________
My Random Thots:

I concur with Mikey :)

on a separate note,

I used to want to be a clown. I always thot that clowns are funny and they bring laughter to people's life. A clown is always approachable and loved. People would open up and be honest with clowns. His life will be uncomplicated, naive and childish even. On top of it all, he'll be the center of attention.

Reality check:
There are a lot more downsides to being a clown than I thot. This "aspiration" has been permanently discarded starting 2005 :)

37. I have no skills :)

I just realised I have no skills in explaining things to people. I have this customer, I'm trying to explain a simple concept. I guess being an engineer, he should be way ahead of me when it comes to certain concepts. But alas, I was wrong. Not only was I wrong about him, he made me realise i can't explain a simple concept............one of us is a Himbo, and I'd like to think it's not me :D

Lunch was "interesting" as well. Actually lunch was rather mundane, it's what happened after lunch.

Had beef koay teow with my dad and brother. After makaning, we got to my dad's car and tried to start it. It refused to start. The immobiliser warning light is on. We ran out of ideas after a few hundred cranks and was gonna give up. Finally Wee decides to give it one more crank, and lo and behold, it'ssss aaaaalliiiiiiveeeeeeeeeeeee :) No idea what happened, didn't do anything special and it just started.

I think at the back of my dad's mind, he be thinking of a new car :)

36. A Wet Paree, pardon my french...........

You can click on it for a bigger picture

Stole a shot of this painting. We were at Dutch Mill restaurant (guess what kinda food this restaurant serves) in Pulau Tikus and I saw this painting hanged on the wall next to our table. Can't help it, so I took out my camera and stole it :)

35. Forwarded "junk" mail

There's a friend of mine who seldom forward emails. Today, he forwarded this "junk mail" to a few of us. I'd like to share that email with the rest of the world:

The Mayonnaise Jar and the 2 Cups of Coffee

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 cups of coffee.A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in frontof him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things God, your family, your children, your health, your friends and your favorite passions--and if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and your car. The sand is everything else--the small stuff."

"If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you.

"Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your spouse out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first--the things thatreally matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

"One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend."

34. Slow nite

Nothing much happened last nite. Yew Peng, Jack and Zakri came over to my place to chill. We later went out for an uneventful dinner and then Segafredo for coffee. Life is slowing down :)

33. A New Discovery

Just found out that a person's personality changes (for eg. Extrovert to Introvert) when one is going through a crisis. That explains a lot of things about myself at one point in time. Was worried I was going mad. :D Apparently, things are suppose to return to "normal" once the crisis is over............or do they? ;)

32. Integrity or Insanity?

I read recently in the papers about a homeless man refusing to accept the title to a multi million dollar estate which he is entitled to as he has been squatting there for 18yrs (if my memory serves me correctly) and therefore becomes the "rightful" owner.

The man turned it down claiming,"he stayed there for free and it's wrong for him to get paid for it"*

Is this a man with integrity or is he plain nuts? I'd like to think that the man is a man of high integrity. It gives me hope. :) You decide.

From my experience, anything and everything can be justified. I've heard so many justifications that I think I've grown acustomed to it. Which brings me to my next point. Is integrity an illusion?

I'm terrible at reading people. So I think I'll quit here.

What I shoud do is, compile a list of excuses i've heard/used and then sell it :D

*paraphrased by WH

31. The Happy Father (Nicholas) & I



This morning at around 5am, our friend (Nicholas) became a proud father :) He was so happy, he immediately smsed us. Both mother and daughter are healthy and well. We wanted to visit the mom as well, but we're not allowed in by the guard coz it was after visiting hours. So we just sat outside and chatted.

We met up at 830pm and head to Pulau Tikus market for dinner. Our plan was to visit Nicholas, his wife and their new daughter. After that, we'll drop by GMC to visit Darren. Turned out visiting hours are only till 9pm. So we just drop by Adventist and probably visit Darren another day.

After visiting Nicholas, we adjourned to Segafredo for coffee. that ended the day. Time to sleep.

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My Random thots:

Know what's Ironic? Happy for someone and jealous at the same time.

30. TODAY, I will change............

.................the greeting on my voicemail. :) Too many times I've been told it was very "metrosexual", I maintained that it was professional. I heard it last nite, somehow, something snapped. Changed the greeting after that :) So, for those of you who are free, please evaluate and let me know if it's still too metrosexual or any other comments or snide remarks :P

29. A shot of the sky from Bukit Genting

28. Another shot from Bukit Genting

27. View from top of Bukit Genting


These are shots taken during our dinner with Ando San as mentioned in entry #9 (Feb 28th 2005). It's just so serene.

Nothing much happened after I came back from work. Basically just lazed around. Did receive a call that cheered me up after a bad day at work. Later in the evening met up with Yew Peng, Jack and Antz at Raffe in Pulau Tikus.

"The magic of ordinary days", The name of a movie that just keeps playing in my head.

26. "Disturbing" Thot

Saw on Discovery channel last nite a documentary called "Interpol Investigates". This episode was on the kidnapping of a tycoon in Brazil during Brazil's first democratic election (I could be wrong, not a detail oriented person). The kidnapping was given more coverage than the election. :) The same logic why the Penang Bridge will be jammed even if the accident occured in the opposite direction. Again, I digress.

The mastermind was a 26yrs old guy and a 30yrs old woman. Both Canadian. If any of you saw the same documantary, feel free to correct me. Anyways, This joker at 26, is the head of one of the most organized kidnapping ring in Brazil. He leads a group of abt 20 Latinos with full paramilitary training. They have a weapons cache in Nicaragua or something. Bla bla bla. All that is interesting, but the thing that keeps running through my mind is, "HE'S ONLY 26!!!!"

My goodness, at that age, I was trying to figure out where to go with my life. I'm ashamed. I guess if one does not have a benchmark, one gets left behind without realising it. More later, time for my meeting.

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My Random Thots:

"If mass hysteria can be explained thru psycho analysis, shudn't the opposite be true?"

Woon Hong on Praise and Worship

25. For Dinner........Chicken Feet!


Seng decided he wants to have chicken feet near Komtar. The shop is open, but unfortunately they ran out of chicken intestines. Sigh! guess we'll have to settle for oyster omelette & century eggs. Went back and started on my work (still have to finalize some paper work for meeting tomorrow). Speaking of work, am very pleased that we've received the first request for quotation from the big customer mentioned in entry #2 (Feb 24th 2005).

Ok, my blog is up to date. Time to get back to my work and readjust my biological clock for tomorrow.

24. Today turned out to be a day of feasting



Today started with a trip to Balik Pulau with Seng for laksa (pictured above). Used the be the best laksa in my books, but since about a mth back, they have switched chefs and it just lacks the umpphhh. Well, i'll give it a few more tries before i write it off.

Later in the afternoon, went with Seng, Ai Fen, Wee & Lorraine to Gurney Plaza for shopping. Met up with Jee Ming, Hooi San, Pang Kok, Sally and Mun Kit at Dome for coffee and gossiping. Realised I missed a lot of "action" at last nite's dinner. :) Chong, Hiromi, Zakri, Jack & Ann happens to be in Gurney Plaza too. We adjourned to Segafredo and just chilled. While at Segafredo, i ran into old friends from Uni. David and Ee Hui was in town for work. We exchanged numbers and plan to meet up. Small world.

There was a camera fair in Gurney as well and I decided to get a new tripod to replace my broken one. Nice. Lorraine had her eyes on the Minolta Dimage X50. Hmmmm, i'm pretty tempted by the Minolta Dimage Z5. :) Kinky!

23. The other party.........


This is a scene from Lai & Jack's joint b'day party at grand bay. Lai is seated and Jack is the one on the right most. In the middle, it's Anthony. Nothing unusual happened here :) Met a couple of new friends and also the boss (Charles). Surprisingly he remembers me from Antz's party a few days back.

22. Our Hosts and their family


This is a picture of Hooi San & Jee Ming (2nd & 3rd from the left and both in white) during the small and warm gathering of family and close friends. Had a really good time. Perhaps this is more meaningful as compared to a huge big wedding dinner where the hosts wouldn't get to really share the moment with every guest. :)

A different story
I was kiasu :) i arrived way earlier before the stipulated time of 7pm :) I arrived at Shang at 6pm, thanks to my brothers who said they'll be there around that time :P Anyway, I was a bit hungry so i thot i'll go over to McDs and get some nuggets and read my book. Nothing much happens and while i was eating, i just watched people pass by. I just realised that when i slow my pace down and i'm all alone, i observe a lot of interesting things. There're just so many people around us. I wonder how their life is. The arrogance of me to prejudge all of them based on my limited experience and contact with them. :) There was this one particular couple that caught my attention and i watched them for a good 5 minutes at least (happened that they stopped in front of Macs and stood there pondering if they wanna eat here).

They caught my attention because he is Malay and she is Chinese. I'm not gonna write a book about my observations. But just stop and think for a moment. Can you imagine their life? The adversities that they'll have to overcome? Maybe i'm reading too much into it. But the other thing i see is how loving they are. Wanted to take a picture, but i thot against that as i think voyeurism is not appreciated in this country.........or anywhere else. :) Finished eating and reckon that if i continue to people watch, they won't be able to differentiate me from the perverts at the next table. Took out my book and read.

21. The greatest family I can ask for


:) Throughout my life, there are a few constants that I know I can always depend on. That won't betray me, that will always be there no matter how badly I screw up. And one such constant would be my family. :) I'm truly blessed. One can choose friends, but family, u really don't have a choice. I couldn't have "asked" for better brothers and sister in laws. I'm not exactly the greatest brother on earth, but i'm trying at least to be a more considerate one.

I finally, after 2 days, managed to download part 11 & 12 of Initial D - 4th Stage. I'm gonna watch it a bit and then go to sleep. Oh, did manage to get my tires changed, but no haircuts or other errands were done. Will pen today's interesting events when I wake up.

20. I Should've taken leave

Now I know why both my brothers took leave for today. Boy O Boy! It was a really long nite last nite alright. It all started rather "normally" at Soho. We basically stayed till it closed, then we adjourned to Jee Ming's house. There we stayed till 6am. Had to send Pang Kok back home and then take both my brothers home too. Good thing I stayed with them, otherwise, they'll probably have to stay over at Jee Ming's house. I shudder when I think about tonite.

Tonite, the wedding dinner (Me thinks me will wear my "indian" shirt tonite) will start at 630pm......or rather "refreshments" will be served starting 6:30pm. It'll continue to flow until midnite. I won't be there for the whole duration as I have to celebrate both Jack and Lai's birthday tonite as well. Wonder how my brothers will ever make it home. I worry.

Man, from now till tonite, i have tonnes of errand to run. Change tire, get a haircut and SLEEP!!!!!!!!!

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Stars in the order of appearance:
Both my brothers - Seng & Wee
Jee Ming - A Lawyer friend, getting married tonite
Jack - Met thru mutual hobby group
Lai - Met thru the same hobby group
Sleep - Something i need to do...........been running on adrenaline

19. Pandan Chiffon Cake

Haven't had that for more than half a year, maybe even longer. Forgot how much I loved it :) Anyway, gonna try to take a nap. Have to go for Jee Ming's bachelor's party later tonite. so nothing much to say for now.

18. Comments

Today is another milestone :) I got my first comment for my Blog. Dunno why, but it made my day. Guess it's nice to have a dialogue instead of a monologue. Thanks Mei.

17. The Shirt i bought with an Indian flair


Well, it's time to sleep. I managed to finish most of my paper work. I, however, did go out to make my credit card payment and met up with Jack, Zakri and Yew Peng for tea at Segafredo, Belissa Row.

16.Today I Will Make a Difference
Max Lucado

Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful.

I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom.

I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.

I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It's OK to stumble... . I will get up. It's OK to fail... I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.

I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.

Today I will make a difference.

Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failure. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. lasting fruit for God's kingdom.

15. PLAYING WITH PICTURES


Kek Lok Si

14. LUNCH

Lunch was good. Had a good time catching up with Mun Kit and Lewis. We were at Autocity and it seems that they're having some promotion for F1 there. A few things did catch my attention and NO, they're not the promo girls :P The R3 and the new Lotus Elise was nice. They even had a brand new Lotus Esprit Turbo with only 80Kms on the clock. Kinky.

Goodness, i've been running around so much. Feeling a tad worn out. Was told by 2 wise gentlemen that me, being an extrovert, I get charged up by friends and drained when alone. Hmmmmm. been giving that statement a lot of thot. It seems that many books and a shrink actually supports that statement. I'm beginning to understand myself better.........better late than never right? :D

Anyway, to test the theory, I resolve to stay home tonite and finish up whatever paper work i have outstanding. Gosh, i have a mountain of paperwork which i've neglected. I do hope i don't get distracted tonite................i do have my credit card bill to pay though.....................

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Stars in order of apprearance:
Mun Kit - GTi Club member from Ipoh
Lewis - GTi Club member from Penang
Promo Girls - hmmmmmm
2 Wise men - Chuwy & Coliny???? heh heh heh
Credit card - Evil, i tell u, evil!
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My Random Thots:

High expectation of self & low expectation of others
High expectation of self & low expectation of others
High expectation of self & low expectation of others
High expectation of self & low expectation of others
High expectation of self & low expectation of others
High expectation of self & low expectation of others
High expectation of self & low expectation of others