488. Beau's Farewell

Beau will be leaving Penang, so there was a farewell at Soho for him last nite. I was suppose to catch a movie at midnite after dropping by Soho, but had a good time at the party & decided that I'll stay on (not to mention Wanster thot it'll be too gay if only 2 of us went to the movies :P). We finally left at 3am.

Went for Ghost Rider today with a few of the guys, I thot the show was a dissapointment. Sigh, with all the hype, I'd expect it to be more interesting. To know what I mean, take a look at the history of the character and compare it with one potrayed in the show. I guess that's how it is when the director's try to squeeze the whole story into about 2 hours.

After the show, it's off to dinner at Tao, E-Gate. The service was surprisingly bad though. Then it's home for a nice long nap in preparation for the Lunar New Year celebrations tommorrow!!!!!!!!!!!

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

487. Valentine's Day

Ahhhhh, love is in the air! All the love struck zombies will be running amok. And the poor guys out there will be trying to get their paws on a bunch of flowers, a box of chocolate or maybe even diamonds to give to their sweethearts who's expecting nothing less. Anything less & u shall be sent to the dog house. No hugs, no kisses and u can forget about anything south of that. Heh heh.

Being the romantic person that I am, I prefer to buy my sweetheart roses, chocolates and have candlelight dinners all year round. It shouldn't be limited to 1 day! Therefore, since on the 14th, restaurants are crowded & flowers are 10 times their normal retail price, I'm sure my sweetheart would understand why I don't celebrate Valentine's Day. It's just too damn comercialized. :D Gosh, I wonder if that'll fly. :D

Well, if that doesn't fly, I'll use the "I'm a very devote Christian" way out. If one researches the roots of Valentine's Day, one will find that it actually began back in the days of the Roman Empire. Back then, 14th of Feb was known as "The Day of the Wolf". To cut it short, basically it's a day of unbridled sexual lust. :) So even today, in God’s eyes, it is still “Lupercalia”, the “Day Of The Wolf.” Men become wolves, as they carry on the Satanic rituals of fornication, which means sexual intercourse without marriage. We have heard of the “wolf whistle”, and we all know that wolves do not whistle. It is lustful men and women, who carry on Satan’s blasphemy to this very day. Therefore, as a true Christian, I choose not to be associated with such Pagan practices. :D

Are these valid "reasons"?? Hell ya! Will they get you love and affection? Well, you might get away with it if u're dating a guy or a very faithful follower of Christ. Notice I said,"You MIGHT get away with it." But that's rarely the case. :)

The REAL History of Valentine's Day - Not the crap in the email that ppl send around or the one which I used as an excuse :)

486. Healthy Living

I haven't worked out in a bit....ok, in a long while. One of the things that prompted me to jumpstart my workout was when I was at Chong's apt and the lift was out of order. I told myself, it's only 8 floors and I'll be there in a jiffy. Well, it turned out that by the 7th floor, I was outta breathe. I couldn't believe it! 7th bloody floor! And here I am thinking, "Damn! I'm looking good". The little love handle around my equator is sexy. Chicks aren't that shallow, they look at the whole package. They're about inner beauty, bla bla bla. Oh! I digress, this isn't about attracting the opposite sex. this is about my health. Riiiiiightttt. *wink wink, nudge nudge*

Anyway, the Chong's apt episode was about 4 mths back and here I am, finally starting some form of weekly workout schedule. Gonna start with squash with my bro and friends. As a motivation, for every time that I miss a session, I'm gonna have to buy them a round of drinks at Soho. Boy, am I gonna be broke!

Well, this first session was pretty good. Had a refresher course on the rules & regulations & played (more like got my ass kicked) for 3 sets. As with all my other *ahem* intense workouts, I realised that I've taken my calf and thigh muscles for granted. I forgot they existed until they protested. Sigh. Hopefully, next week will be less eventful. :)

Hard @ work!

Finally, my new toy has arrived! It's a healthy baby snail! :) Gosh, it felt like ages since I placed the order. Can't wait to get it installed.

le petit escargot délicieux

485. Movies

Watched a few movies recently. The Devil Wears Prada, American Pie 5: The Naked Mile, D.O.A: Dead Or Alive & Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. I didn't expect too much from The Devil Wears Prada, but as it turns out, it was a pretty good show. American Pie 5? It's Kinky. D.O.A.? Crappy show! And finally, Talladega Nights? hmmm, let's just say my IQ dropped a few points after the show. :P

484. Weekend at Gurney Plaza

@ Winter Warmers; Chong & Yuuki thru my improvised fisheye lense


Ice Peach Tea & Ice Lemon Tea; Before & After


G Hotel, Gurney Drive

483. Italian Winemaker's Dinner

Was invited by Hau to attend Barone Risacoli's Italian winemaker's dinner @ Tiffins, Parkroyal Hotel. It was an awesome dinner. Every dish is paired with a wine from Barone Risacoli. I've never had such a good piece of beef before in my life. I also liked their champagne at the lounge while waiting for dinner to be served. But alas, they only sell their red wines.

The menu



The Baron Ricasoli explaining his choice of pairing for our meal; By the beach after an excellent dinner

We went over to Yippie's house after dinner on Friday evening. Chong wanted to see Yippie's new house. So, since I have my camera with me, thot I'll take a few shots.

482. Loose Change

Watched Loose Change, a 9/11 documentary recommended by a friend. After watching it, I can't help but wonder. Are govt's really that sick? That they'll sacrifice their people to fulfill their own agenda. I have some questions regarding the accuracy of the documentary, but nevertheless, it does ask some interesting questions. For more info, you can check out this website.

Looking at my own govt. Sigh. A luxury private jet, a yatch & other purchases protected under the OSA. Well, even online bloggers are being sued for exposing the truth. just refer to Jeff Ooi's blog. How sad, that NSTP is sueing (being a newspaper, could've just use their print media to challenge the blogger's view instead of sueing) Ahirudin & Jeff Ooi. In this country, if you probe too much (or speak the truth for that matter), you'll have the police knocking at your door using the OSA to justify their visit.

Here are a few links of interest:
~ Walk With Us - This blogsite is set up by a group of Malaysians, scattered locally and globally, who are gravely concerned with the current state of affairs in Malaysia

~ Here's a pix of my friend who was at the KL High Court showing his support for the bloggers :)

~ Bloggers United website, with links to many bloggers

Sigh......what a wonderful world.

481. Ruyi's B'day

It's the little princess' b'day today. Seng & Fen took her to Youth Park. I had a late nite, so didn't make it. After they came back, it's time for the cake cutting. Wee & Raine is in KL, so they missed it. Mom was burning the Di Zhu God's tablet (At least I think it's the Di Zhu God). So took some photos of the fire as the tablet was burning. After that it's off to Queensbay with Mom, Seng, Fen & Ruyi.

On friday nite, went to Sega @ UPR, Soho & then SS with Lewis and some of his friends. It's been a while since I was last @ SS. The band was really good. Ran into Shirley & Gayle there.

After work on Sat, went to Bed @ Belissa Row with James and a couple of his friends. Then, headed over to Gurney Plaza to collect my i-Zoom from the Canon shop after repairs. It costs RM94 to replace the damaged 2" LCD. Dropped the camera & killed the LCD at Antz wedding back in Nov last year.

It was really congested in the Pulau Tikus area. Apparently it's because of traffic diversion as Western Road was closed in preparation for Thaipusam celebrations on Thursday (1st of Feb).

Ruyi & Fen; Ruyi after eating her cake


Father & Daughter taking at peek at the CNY Decorations @ Queensbay Mall

CNY decors @ Queensbay Mall



Burning of the Di Zhu God's tablet


Got back my Canon i-Zoom; pic of the replaced 2" LCD panel

480. Coming to another weekend

Basically spent last saturday nite with a bunch of new friends for a drive up to Teluk Bahang dam. One of the guys that joined us drove a Subaru Impreza STi S204, one of only 600 ever made. Nice. A bunch of nice people & it was interesting listening to their stories. They know someone who owns both the Aston Martin DB9 & The Vanquish. They told me that the Aston Martin Vanquish costs merely RM2.7 mil. :) Great, I have only RM2,699,999 to go before I can afford it. You can also visit the Aston Martin's website for more information.

On sunday, it was off to Chong's parent's place in KB for buffet dinner to celebrate the coming Lunar New Year. Was tired and feeling irritable. Also having irritants there encouraged me to make an early exit.

The lovely models posing for me @ The Dam

The Limited Edition S204

More Evos


@ Chong's place, more lovely models

Nicholas, Antz & Yippie trying to tune the car before dinner

Chong's sis, Ping & her son (the baby doesn't like me taking his photo); His parent's house was packed

479. Golden Rules for Career Success - Richard Moran

WORKING as a business consultant all over the world, I have discovered some basic career-related rules that everyone should know but many don't.

Business is made up of ambiguous victories and nebulous defeats. Claim them all as victories.

Keep track of what you do; someone is sure to ask.

Be comfortable around senior managers, or learn to fake it.

Never bring your boss a problem without some solution. You are getting paid to think, not to whine.

Long hours don't mean anything; results count, not effort.

Write down ideas; they get lost, like good pens.

Always arrive at work 30 minutes before your boss.

Help other people network for jobs. You never know when your turn will come.

Don't take days off sick unless you are.

Assume no one can/will keep a secret.

Know when you do your best morning, night, under pressure, relaxed; schedule and prioritize your work accordingly.

Treat everyone who works in the organization with respect and dignity, whether it be the cleaner or the managing director. Don't ever be patronizing.

Never appear stressed in front of a client, a customer or your boss. Take a deep breath and ask yourself: In the course of human events, how important is this?

If you get the entrepreneurial urge, visit someone who has his own business. It may cure you.

Acknowledging someone else's contribution will repay you doubly.

Career planning is an oxymoron. The most exciting opportunities tend to be unplanned.

Always choose to do what you'll remember ten years from now.

The size of your office is not as important as the size of your pay cheque.

Understand what finished work looks like and deliver your work only when it is finished.

The person who spends all of his or her time is not hard-working; he or she is boring.

Know how to write business letters including thank-you notes as well as proposals.

Never confuse a memo with reality. Most memos from the top are political fantasy.

Eliminate guilt. Don't fiddle expenses, taxes or benefits, and don't cheat colleagues.

Reorganizations mean that someone will lose his or her job. Get on the committee that will make the recommendations.

Job security does not exist.

Always have an answer to the question, "What would I do if I lost my job tomorrow?"

Go to the company Christmas party.

Don't get drunk at the company Christmas party.

Avoid working at weekends. Work longer during the week if you have to.

The most successful people in business are interesting.

Sometimes you'll be on a winning streak and everything will click; take maximum advantage. When the opposite is true, hold steady and wait it out.

Never in your life say, "It's not my job."

Be loyal to your career, your interests and yourself.

Understand the skills and abilities that set you apart. Use them whenever you have an opportunity.

People remember the end of the project. As they say in boxing, "Always finish stronger than you start."

478. Gentlemen, Hold Your Horses
stolen from MSN Men's Lifestyle Column

16 Tempting Urges That Must Always Be Controlled
By The Men's Health Editors

1. Performing the chest bump. Sporting celebration should be proportional to the peril faced in the pursuit of victory. If your game involves an underhand toss, midgame brews, or Velcro-backed flags, dial it down, champ.

2. Buying all the equipment after two lessons. Holster that credit card until you're certain the novelty of fly-fishing, snowboarding, or competitive bird-watching won't wear off.

3. Being overpolite. Social pleasantries should be dispensed with grace. Saying "bless you" after each of nine successive sneezes makes you an automaton, not a gentleman.

4. Writing a love poem in the first 3 weeks of dating … and not keeping it to yourself. Her hair might indeed remind you of the first new morning rays of sun. But those rays may fade, and there's no reason to leave a paper trail.

5. Finding exact change. Picking through your pocket lint for 11 cents isn't helping the barista churn through the morning rush any faster. Do everyone a favor and stockpile your coinage at home. Trade it for cash once a year, then treat your girl to a dinner you otherwise couldn't afford.

6. Marking an e-mail "high priority." Just because Bill Gates dreamed up a button doesn't mean you should press it. Pick up the phone.

7. Yelling out a song request. Sorry, but the lead singer is only paying attention to the braless blonde in the front row. Channel all that energy into clapping, Casey Kasem.

8. Overvaluing your wisdom. Just because you understand the intricacies of the global currency market doesn't mean you should share them. Unless there's a point to your pontification—you're a doctor, someone has symptoms—give it a rest. Saying, "Enough about me … " is often the best conversation starter.

9. Flipping the bird. There's no better way to make sure you meet the recipient of your gesture at the next stoplight.

10. Talking between bathroom stalls. No matter is so pressing that it needs to be discussed with your pants down.

11. Screaming at the customer-service rep. Actually, check that: Go ahead and scream. Just make sure there's a method to your madness. You're mad at the company, and you're this close to taking your business elsewhere.

12. Overpronouncing foreign words. Granted, you spent a magical week in Baja, but that doesn't give you license to pronounce "Guadalajara" like you're clearing hair from your throat. There's a middle ground between butchering a word and being the pompous protector of its linguistic sanctity. Find it. (We're talking to you, Giada De Laurentiis.)

13. Sending an angry e-mail. Along with drunk-dialing your ex and drinking appletinis, this one fits in the category of things you will always, without fail, regret. Here's a rule of thumb: The more bridges you'll burn, the longer you should let that e-mail smolder in your drafts folder.

14. Tapping the brakes. Avoid reckless drivers, don't antagonize them. Let him pass, then watch him get pulled over.

15. Oversanitizing. Washing your hands carefully after going to the bathroom: normal. Reaching for the bottle of Purell each time you exit a taxi: compulsive.

16. Obsessing over your fantasy team. If you're really that into a sport, play coach in a way that actually matters: Teach a kid to love the nuances of the game as much as you do.