448. In retrospect

During the week, basically it was the usual week except for a trip up Cameron Highlands. Haven't been up there for quite some time. Haven't been there to relax, most of the time it's just take a drive up and once we're done with tea, it's back home. This time, I actually get to take some time to walk around a bit. This is also the first time I actually stopped and walked around a tea plantation and take in the scenery. Really glad I went on the trip. It was very relaxing and had a great time just doing nothing. Been up here many times before, but this trip really stood out. It'll be laser etched in my temporal cortex. Lovely. Bought a "bunch" of strawberries and also some fresh honey.

The infamous Ye Olde Smoke House, the place for tea, fruit cake & scones



The Cameron Bharat Tea Plantation, my first trip to a tea plantation


Kok's Self Plucking Farm :) All things must come to an end, on the way back to reality


On to the not so interesting stuff, replenishing my office essentials and also finishing the strawberries with Chong and Adrian


Was feeling a bit down, so took a break with Wee at Soho. He said this was a perfect pint of Guinness with a nice doming crown & bla bla bla, I didn't have my camera with me, so had to settle with this pathetic phonecam shot

After that, it's BBQ @ Casa de Lai. Everything was pretty normal except Lai's Unagi. He claims that he caught it, but I doubt it. The eel was pretty delicious barbaqued. Nice. After the food, we proceeded to kill time. Dennis brought a tazer, so they were playing with it. Then they found "Siu Keong", Adrian tazered the poor bugger. It was actually stunned for a while. I wonder if it can actually feel it too.

In front of Casa De Lai; Wood's car


A view of Lai's garden from his room; Siu Keong stunned

Was watching American Chopper on Astro over the weekend. The show features bike builders from Orange County Chopper (OCC). Never quite like the bikes on from the show, but they were showing the Sunoco bike (on the left) and for once, I saw a bike from the show that I can appreciate. After looking at their site, I found that they designed an iRobot theme bike as well. These 2 I really like.

Sunday morning was typical breakfast with the guys. It was a lovely morning (for more personal reasons). Went over to Tesco to do some grocery shopping. You know, the typical essentials for my pad. Junk food, drinks and a songkok. Yup! A songkok (The songkok is a traditional headgear worn by Malay men usually for religious and ceremonial purposes). Jack hates it, so I had to get it to irritate him. He says he'll beat me up if I bought it. I did, but he's too busy playing with his new phone (The Samsung X820, the world's slimmest phone with the thickness of only 6.9mm) to beat me up. We basically just lazed around in the afternoon. Gosh, got a lot of work to finish up before tomorrow.

The Songkok; The dingbat modelling it

Had beef steamboat @ Kham Khee Restaurant for dinner. It seems that it's highly recommended by the local magazine. I highly recommend it too, but the service is substandard loe. We had a friend visit us, so on the way back, we stopped by scenic locations and took photos. Would've stopped by the Penang Bridge too, if not for the fact the the haze is still quite bad.

The front of the restaurant looks quite run down, but the food is good


Shot taken right in front of the restaurant


Nicholas, wife & daughter

Some old buildings along Lower Penang Road & Komtar

Damn it! In today's Formula 1 race in Suzuka, Michael's engine blew and Alonso finishes 1st. Now Michael is 10pts behind Alonso. If Alonso gets even 1 pt in the final race a fortnight from today, then Michael's hope for the 8th driver's title before he retires will be over. Sigh!

_____________________________

My Random Thots:

In the movie Mr. & Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Smith (Jolie) said, "Happy endings are just stories that hasn't finish yet!"

Really? Is it like that? In that context, then I think many of my life stories have finished liau. There are some stories I refuse to let it end, there must be at least one with a happy ending. Surely I'll write it in due time.

See, this is what happens when I get only 4hrs of sleep. Half assed philosophies. Time to sleep.

Holy long posts Batman! This must be my longest blog post yet!

447. A Convivial Weekend

My parents are back and that also means there'll be a reunion dinner of sorts. Wee & Raine decided to take up chef duty. He's confident he finally got the recipe for steam fish down packed after the 3rd try. :) It was probably one of the better family dinners we had. Guess the time apart made the heart grow fonder?

Jack's back & Jeff flew in later in the evening, we picked him up and took him to Green House for supper.

Was suppose to go church, but my uncle from Sitiawan came up to visit and will be picking up Jeff from the airport for breakfast and all. After our "breakfast" at noon, we're off to One Stop to get some DVDs. After enriching the lives of pirates, we decided to kill time at the video arcade. It's a good deal, RM4 an hour. Unlimited access to all sort of games. Some video games there I won't even look at if not for the fact that they're "free". We tried all the "stupid" games which I normally laugh at & wouldn't be caught dead playing (there's an oxymoron for u). Played them guitar games, piano games, DJ console games & most shocking of all the dancing machines! So, ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in his life ever (never before & never again), Mr can't-dance-to-safe-his-life will actually attempt to dance on the Para Para Paradise 2nd Mix! Again, viewer's beware, graphic content!

The ancient snake fist opening stance; busy working my mojo


Frantically waving my arms making magic (no one was impressed); My final score 26428pts. 17 great moves, 26 good moves and 41 misses and got D grade. Mei would've been proud :)

After all the exercise, it's off to Gurney Plaza to meet up with Penny and gang to watch "The Banquet". I must say, it was really good. Very artistic. Some twists in a plot makes the story interesting, but this one stretched it a bit too far, just a bit. A chinese take on Hamlet they're claiming this to be. The great casts and cinemagraphy makes up for it. Definitely worth getting the DVD. Also managed to get a S-Video connector for Chong's PS2. Bought it for him as rental fee for letting me have the PS2 for so long (still having it btw). A very small price to pay really. :)

Wrapped up the evening with dinner at Dome after that, it's back home to enjoy the DVDs. Oh, and the fact that Michael kicked Alonso's ass over the weekend in Shanghai should end Alonso's trash talk about how FIA & Ferarri is conspiring against Alonso to hand the championship to Michael (Hmmm, maybe the Renault mech was bribed by FIA/Ferarri to screw up the tire change during Alonso's crucial pit stop). A convivial weekend indeed.

446. State of my nation.....

.....Malaysia Boleh!!!!!!

445. Of Ferries And Such

Went with Yippie to a car dealership in B'worth. On the way back, we decided to take the ferry. I had my camera with me, so while on board, I tried to be creative. The beauty of digital cameras, the photos are free. Didn't realise the ferries are so colorful now. In fact, they're using them as billboards too. As we're approaching Penang island, I noticed rubbish floating in the water. Sigh. As a Penangite, this is very embarassing. Decided to just focus on the beauty of the island for now.

We head over to Gurney Plaza and watched Miami Vice. It was just as I expected, butchered like hell. Did get a better understanding of the show as I can hear the conversations clearly unlike in the DVD. :)

The rest of the nite was just work, blogging and online chats. Did make a few new discoveries that made me feel much better about myself. :)

The icons of Penang, The Ferry & Komtar Tower (in the background)



Our colourful ferries



Some pix of marine vessels in the channel


Sigh, I didn't want to post these 2 pix, but as in life, the truth can be ugly

444. Weekend again

Saturday was a bit slow, after work, Wee & Raine decided to cook. I went over to pick up Fen from the airport. She just came back from Hong Kong. Seng & my parents will be back probably on wednesday.

Went to church on Sunday after a long leave of absence. Had a good time mingling with Penny, Jo & the guys. One thing that's comforting is that I always feel welcome there. It's a nice warm fuzzy feeling. I guess that's the draw. In a world that's harsh, it's nice to go someplace where people (myself included) actually let their hair/guard down. Sometimes, in "my" world, I need to look over my shoulder.........at least twice. Maybe I'm too paranoid :) Better safe than sorry (Hey, I'm jaded, sue me :P).

Chatted with Mei, we talked about taking my life more seriously. Hmmmm, I guess everyone sees things differently. That's the beauty of diversity. Can you imagine a world with only 1 kinda car, 1 kinda shirt, 1 kinda pants, 1 color and (God forbid!) everyone likes the same girl. Would be boring wouldn't it.

Looking at my bros, it seems that they've found their purpose. They're happily working on raising their kids. They're spending their time now building deeper friendships. In comparison with them, I feel that I'm still rather directionless. Oh well, I guess I'll work on achieving self-actualization after my esteem needs are met. Just in case some of you are interested to know in detail about Maslow's hierarchy of needs, more info can be found at Wikipedia. All the years in uni reading about Mr Maslow in psych class and I didn't even know he started out as a gay rights activist, working in gay night clubs and researching the dancers. Kinky :)

443. Snake charmer

*Graphic contents - Viewer discretion adviced*

While coming home last nite, I heard some hissing near my car. Didn't think too much of it. Then this afternoon, came home for lunch. My maids were all abuzzed about something. They told me they saw a snake near some of the plants. I went to investigate, dammit! Another cobra. The maids have already showered it with sulphur, so doing the humane thing, I had to end it's suffering.

Notice the amount of Sulphur around the snake; After removing it from its hiding place

PS: Actually, Sulphur isn't a good repellant nor does it have any effect on the snake. This is from what I see personally (after the rain of brimstone summoned by my maid upon the snake, it's still able to focus on me & strike the wooden stick I'm poking at it) and also some info on the internet. I just had to kill the cobra so that my maid can sleep at nite and dare to work in the garden again (and not to mention the hero points I get).

442. Raine's B'day!!!!

We went over to Soho to celebrate Raine's b'day. Before that, picked up Mei. She's back for her sis' wedding. Bob met us there as well. Lily was suppose to join us too, but alas, she couldn't make it back this time around (sheesh! When will u make it back Lily?). We had a pretty good time catching up. Gosh, it has been about 6 yrs since I last saw her. Too bad she only had one evening here in Penang as she'll be leaving for Langkawi tomorrow morning.

Wee & Raine; Raine & her cake


The tallest Flaming Lamborghini I've ever seen (can u spot her b'day cake?) ; The Canadian moose :)


Mei, Lorna, Raine & Dave at the back; Mei & Bob

441. To date or not to date?

Saw this article and thot it should create some kinda controversy if I put it on my blog. So here it is :)

Dating & Relating

The single folks’ Hall of Fame
By Sue McHugh

Once upon a time, living “happily ever after” meant finding your Prince Charming or Princess and being saved from a life of loneliness. Thankfully, that fairy tale is being rewritten, and in honor of National Singles Week, we’d like to salute that fact. More men and women are single: 95 million Americans, to be exact, which is a whopping 43 percent of the population. They’re finding happiness, success and, yes, sometimes also love—all while flying solo.

Your own firsthand experience has undoubtedly acquainted you with some of the benefits of flying solo. “When you don’t have that automatic Friday night date, it’s a push to go out and figure out what gets you excited,” explains Sasha Cagen, author of Quirkyalone: A Manifesto for Uncompromising Romantics. “It’s good to have the time to figure out what you love to do outside of work and romantic relationships.”

But if you’re not a believer yet, then look at these seven amazing singles. From celebrities you may not have guessed were unattached to ordinary people doing extraordinary things, our Single Hall of Famers prove that you don’t have to be hitched to have a happy ending.

Diane Keaton
There was a time when Diane Keaton felt she had to find a man. The Oscar-winning actress, who leapt to stardom as the charmingly neurotic Annie Hall in the ’70s, has said that there’s a certain point in all our lives when we’re biologically driven toward the opposite sex: “You dream about men, you love them, you’re excited by it, and I don’t feel that way now.”

Why the change of heart? With a relationship record that has included the notoriously high-maintenance Woody Allen and Warren Beatty, Keaton, 60, says it was a combination of age and experience. Her true loves now, she says, are adopted children Duke and Dexter, and she considers “mother” the greatest role of her life.

With 40 films already under her belt and several comedies in the works, her acting career — usually centered on playing strong, quirky women — is showing no sign of slowing down. When she’s not acting, Keaton serves on the board of the Los Angeles Conservatory, a group dedicated to making sure the city’s architectural gems grow old gracefully—much as she’s doing.

Bill Hemmer
Bill Hemmer has never been content to settle—when it comes to his love life or his career. His decade of reporting, first for CNN and now for Fox News, has included memorable stints in Kuwait and Afghanistan. But it’s not just his reportorial skills that have earned him all his fans... he’s easy on the eyes, too. When asked about his leading-man good looks, he jokes that his ears — and his listening skills — are his best features.

Hemmer, 41, doesn’t ever seem to sit still, filling his downtime with skydiving, bungee jumping and other extreme sports. He’s said that he’d love to get married and have kids—but he isn’t rushing love. “If it happens, great,” he’s said. “If it doesn’t happen, I’m not going to force it.” And — newsflash — it certainly seems that more and more other single people have adopted that same attitude in recent years.

Maureen Dowd
If you think journalism and politics are still a man’s world, don’t tell that to Maureen Dowd. The only female columnist at The New York Times, the 54-year-old Pulitzer Prize winner has tackled every topic, from former President Bill Clinton’s presidential scandal to the evolution of the gender wars, in the process earning the nickname “The Cobra” from Dubya. Even those on the receiving end of her barbs can’t help but acknowledge the charm and Hollywood-style sex appeal of the feisty redhead. Former boyfriend and West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin called her “a dream girl... like she stepped out of a movie from the ’40s.”

Though she earns praise from presidential press secretaries and ex-boyfriends, two groups you might not expect to have anything nice to say, Dowd holds fast to the belief that she doesn’t need a man in her life. “Men used to be necessary in terms of reproduction and refinance,” she said when promoting her book Are Men Necessary? When Sexes Collide, “but we don’t need them for that anymore. They’ll be necessary like ice cream is necessary.” Which isn’t to say that love and relationships shouldn’t be enjoyed—just that this is one woman, like many other single people, whom you’ll never find sitting home by the phone.

George Clooney
Even when his only acting credits were cheesy sitcoms and B-movies, George Clooney turned heads. These days, though, he also makes people sit up and listen. Over the past decade, Clooney has evolved from sexy actor to sexy and powerful actor, producer and director, not to mention Oscar winner. Between making movies that make people think to his political activism in troubled regions such as Darfur, he has become one of the leading liberal voices in Hollywood. You may love it or you may hate it, but you have to admire a man who stands up for what he believes—and actually manages to effect change.

But one role he swears that he’ll never reprise is that of a husband. His four-year marriage to Talia Balsam ended in 1993, and he famously told Barbara Walters that he’d never marry again. “I love women, I love their company,” he’s said. “But after going through a marriage which turned out to be a disaster and some other relationships which I thought would turn out but didn’t, obviously you begin to doubt whether you’re really cut out for long-term commitment.” But while the world may see him as an eternal bachelor, Clooney, 45, says he’s been in a serious relationship for 15 years—with his Vietnamese pot-bellied pig named Max.

Jane Ganahl
San Francisco Chronicle writer Jane Ganahl is not only a keen observer of single life—she’s also a champion of it. In her critically acclaimed column, Single-Minded, the 40-something Ganahl sings the praises of flying solo by reminding readers that their unmarried status allows them to have more room in the tub during bubble baths, buy the flowers they really like and do exactly what they want to do, when they want to do it.

“Should I be down in the dumps, lonely or ashamed on V-Day?” she mused recently about the holiday that single people are supposed to dread. “Nah, it takes too much effort. I’d rather do what I’ve done in other boyfriend-free years: have lunch with girlfriends and have a really nice spa treatment.”

Other issues she explores in her column range from the political impact of the growing numbers of unmarried voters to the dating guides that make being unattached sound like a disease. “Yes, the world is finally catching on to the fact that middle-aged doesn’t mean dead or even dormant,” she writes in a recent piece. “I think for many, what comes next is a more fulfilling life—where being single is not considered a problem to be fixed.”

Charlize Theron
Tall, blonde and beautiful, actress Charlize Theron is known as much for her glamour as for her willingness to discard it for choice movie roles. Conventional wisdom would say that she could have her pick of husbands... but walking down the aisle isn’t a goal of hers. The 30-year-old Oscar winner says you don’t need a marriage ceremony or certificate to have a great relationship. “I’m happy for people who want to be married, but it’s not my thing,” Theron said recently. “I don’t need to wear a white dress and throw a big party. To me, that’s like a premiere.”

Theron, who’s been in a serious relationship with actor Stuart Townsend, says she would like to have a family someday. But weary of media speculation over whether she and Townsend will tie the knot, she told Extra that they would marry only when the U.S. government grants gay and lesbian couples the right to wed as well. “We’ve decided that we’re going to use that in a positive way,” she said. “So the day that law gets passed, then we’ll get married.”

Oprah Winfrey
Possibly the best-known woman in America, Oprah Winfrey embraces her single status. While marketing consultant Stedman Graham has been her steady for 20 years, Oprah says marrying him would jeopardize the relationship. “Stedman’s a traditional black man,” she told the Chicago Sun-Times recently, “but I’m in no way a traditional woman.” With a daytime talk show that’s topped the ratings for two decades, O magazine, cable’s Oxygen Network, an impressive acting and producing résumé, a charitable foundation that has channeled millions into social causes and her status as the first female African-American billionaire in the U.S., that’s an understatement, to say the least.

Questions about whether she will ever get married have, at times, become a national obsession. But Winfrey says that people don’t actually care about her relationship; they just want to see an extravagant wedding. “They want to see doves fly,” she has said. “They want to know what you wore, how much you spent on the cake, who came.” But she says the world “is catching on to what I already know: a piece of paper does not define a life.” One look at her intelligence, creativity and generosity shows what does.

Sue McHugh is a former reporter for the Associated Press who now freelances for magazines and university publications

440. Lessons in life

Watched "You, Me & Dupree" Thursday nite. Was suppose to watch it Wednesday nite, but had to take a rain cheque, went out with my bros that evening. The show was pretty funny and has the usual cliche ending. It paints a scary picture of marriage and also reveals the truth about motivational speakers. :P

Friday was a busy day, it's then dinner with Chong and Adrian dropped by later in the evening to chill at my place.

Saturday nite was pizza dinner at my place with Chong, Yippie & Jack. Ann, Antz & Jia Li showed up later. Basically just chilled a bit and then it's off to supper at Pelita near USM. Yippie got his recent shipment of car mags from Japan. I confiscated 6 copies.

Went over to Gurney Plaza & One Stop this morning. After that, it's off to E-gate to meet the guys. Then dinner is at Hainam restaurant at the Church Street Pier. Was dragged there actually, didn't really feel like going to town. Was hungry like mad, but the fact that I didn't have to drive was a tempting offer. :) Anyway, there was some event going on there. So it was a bit packed. There was a long wait for our food. Being hungry and all didn't improve my mood I guess. Played with Yippie's IPod. That helped distract my hunger a bit. Finally, dinner is served. The food was surprisingly delicious (could be my hunger). Then it's off home for some quite moment and reflection.

Wee was watching football with Jimbo, Ed and all, so joined them a bit. Sigh, Liverpool lost to Chelsea 1-0. Didn't care too much for Man U, so went back to my room to watch CSI. Found out that Wee will be supporting McLaren Mercedes next season in Formula One and not Kimi who's going over to Ferrari. Guess me & him will still be rivals after all.
________________________

My Random Thots:

To tell the truth or not to tell the truth. The fact of the matter is, people prefer to be lied to. Dun think so? Think back to the last time when u lied. I rest my case. Also, speaking one's mind is not a good idea in most cases (even when u're asked to, come to think of it, especially when u're asked to :D). So life would be simpler if everyone tells white lies? U go figure. I'm not even gonna waste my time :)

439. A small get together

For old times sake. Chuwy is back in town before he starts work next week. Bob was kind enuf to bring a bottle of wine. Well, catching up was fun. Sigh, how time flies by. It seems like yesterday when Bob & I was scaling the walls of the Sunway Hostel, running around in the middle of the nite sneaking pass guards in the college to make it to the roof top & being a good boy attending CF meetings. Sigh, those were the good ol days.

Chuwy & Bob


Me; & the glue that bonds

438. What a weekend

Well, friday started slow, just chilled with Yippie & Lee. Then, went for supper @ Raffe and took a drive after that.

Saturday was a different story. Jack is back in town. So Chong & I had dinner with him & Ann @ Tao. It was raining cats & dogs, so was a tad apprehensive about going to town to meet up with Lai, Nicholas & Adrian. But went anyway. Had a pretty good time at Glo. But as always, it's more the company than the place.

Me laughing @ Chong; Jack & Adrian

Had to send Lai to the hospital coz he wasn't feeling too well. Got him admitted and we'll take him home later in the afternoon when he'll be discharged. Well, guess I'm just not "fated" to go church. It's RGBC's anniversary, so really wanted to attend their anniversary service, but alas.

Lai getting ready to leave the hospital

After picking up Lai, it's off to Swatow lane for tea. Then it's home sweet home. When I reach home, was surprised to see everyone in the garden. They're trying to set up a pool for the kids. Ruyi & Issac really enjoyed themselves. It was a joy to watch. I can understand how kids can brighten up a home.

Ruyi can't wait to get into the pool; Isaac enjoying the water

5 years after the terrorists flew the planes into WTC, still they haven't caught the bloody coward who "masterminded" the whole thing. Sigh, where is the justice in this world? Who am I kidding? Justice? Bah! I feel it appropriate to remember the incident to remind us the current state of the world. If our leaders are not careful, it can happen in our own backyard.

On another low note, Schumacher will be retiring from Formula One at the end of this season. Kimi Raikkonen will replace Michael at Ferrari next season. Hmmm, I wonder if Wee will support Raikkonen or Mercedes next season. If he supports Raikkonen, that would mean for the first time, we'll be rooting for the same team in Formula One. The next driver I'll be rooting for would be BMW's Kubica.

437. Gosh!

It's the weekend already? Damn! Been running around like crazy as the consultants for the ERP are back. Not only that, suddenly there's a surge of work. Bla bla bla. In the evenings, did manage to watch Syriana. That was a good movie. Eventhough I was very tired, the show kept me interested. It starts off with stories of a few different people (involved in different ways) in the oil industry, right down to the field worker. By the end of the show, you'll see how their life unfolds and how in the end their paths cross. This is an excellent movie. Clooney & Damon's acting is flawless here. I just love how many of the plots in the show are left hanging. You have to figure it out yourself. A nice touch.

436. The return of my parents.....

...from Hong Kong tonite. So the house will be "alive" again. Gee, this past week have been really quiet. Not to mention the fact that we have no dinner at home. Good thing the laundry service wasn't disrupted. :)

Basically spent last nite vegetating :D Watched the last of my DVDs. Yamato was OK. Guess no one really showed the Japanese point of view. It's pretty tragic. I mean we've been shown how cold & ruthless the Japanese were during WWII, but no one showed their side of the war. Watch it and you'll see how the Japanese too, have suffered. Beware of really bad subtitles though, I spent half the time trying to figure out what was being said. They translate the names literally, so be prepared to get confused at the beginning, until you figure out that "supernatural end" (kameeyong san) is actually someone's name & "great with number" refers to Yamato. Heh heh. Kinda like my name translated literally to English would read something like "Lightning Mild(personality) Proud?(guessing)". :)

Next, I watched Spriggan. I've attempted to watch this a few times before, I fell asleep after 30mins. This time, I approached it differently, I have my trusted "porn" with me, during the "slow" parts, I read the magazine. :) It worked, I finished the movie. But this is one of those animes that I have to force myself to sit thru. Translation? it's not good! The graphics are so so, the storyline is predictable & the conversations are corny. *yawn* I dunno how it got so many rave reviews in US.

And finally, Tokyo Drift. This one I'm having it to accompany me to sleep. Heh heh. I've already watched it in the cinema, so it's just there to keep me feeling warm & fuzzy so that I can sleep. Too bad I didn't get any car dreams though. Ok now I'm done with the DVDs. Time for me to try to finish my mags and books.

Finally after dinner, everyone is home and I actually get to play with Ruyi and Isaac. :)

435. Crikey!

Steve Irwin a.k.a The Crocodile Hunter is dead! Oh no! How will I go on without him. No no no no!

Actually, I don't really care for him, it's just that I can't believe how many emails I got informing me he's dead. I mean he passed away this morning and already I'm swamped with emails. Gee. I bet these are the same people that will start sending out emails if Sponge Bob dies. No disrespect to Mr Croc Hunter, may he rest in peace & my deepest condolences to his family.

Meanwhile, back my kandang, called the office, am feeeling a tad sleepy since last nite, I managed to watch My Super Ex-girlfriend & Miami Vice. OK, both were very bad quality DVDs so I can't really see much, but I can roughly get the gist of the story. My super ex-gf is lame and predictable, let's just say I'm thankful I didn't waste the time & money to watch it at the cinema. I actually managed to get quite a bit of work done while watching the show (Yes! it was "that" interesting!). Miami Vice on the other hand. Even with the bad quality video, Gong Li was steamy hot! The show has wayyyyy too many hot scenes. Both Jamie Foxx & Colin Farrell gets a lot of loving. :) Anyway, the show very stylo mylo. Fun show to watch. Think I might give it a miss in the cinema though, I reckon after the censorship board is done with it, we probably get a 30mins movie.

434. Mucho Quiet

With no one at home but Wee & I, it's really getting a bit quiet in the house. Sigh. Can't believe I actually miss the pitter patter of my niece and nephew.

Anyway, after work, decided to get a haircut. Wanted to change, so I ordered a funky new hairdo. It's the new ultra modern short & gel the hair forward like ultraman look. Wat do u guys think? :) Me? Not me? Wannabe? Dun try to be?

After dinner decided to head up to Batu Ferringhi with Chong to get some DVDs. Luckily, the stalls were open. I got meself a whole load of DVDs & CDs. While looking around, saw they were selling the "Chinese Iron Balls" for RM7. So decided to get meself a pair of Chinese Iron Balls. :D Heh heh!

Watched Click and Nacho Libre after reaching home. Watching click reminded me how much I liked The Cranberries. :) The show is very meaningful actually. You gotta see it to understand. As for Nacho Libre, well, suffice to say there are many laughters to be found in the show......and that's it. But then again, that's all I expected out of the show anyway. So it's all good. Nite nite, time to see if I can make it to church tomolo morning, errr, i mean in a few hours.

433. Jack's Farewell

Today is a quiet day at work with most of my customers still off. So basically just wondered over to "Chu Yoke Weng" @ Taman Perkaka for lunch with Chuang, Joseph, Chuwy & family.

In the evening, the guys met up @ Srivan for Jack's farewell. Zakri came from Alor Setar today so he joined us for dinner. After dinner, it's off to Segafredo @ Belissa Row to finish off the nite.

The guys @ Sriwan


The after "party" @ Segafredo

________________________

My Random Thots:

I'm now accepting application for new friends to hang out with at mamak stall late at nite/early in the morning. Car crazy is a must.

432. MERDEKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Independance day! This year, didn't really feel too excited about the Merdeka celebrations. There were a few reasons for my lack of enthusiasm, one of them is because of this article in The Star (1st article at the bottom of this blog entry). Goodness, to think that Putera Umno chairman Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim declares Mat Rempits as one of the country's assets! *Sigh* Our country is going to the dogs and taking our independance with it. Bear in mind that this statement by Abdul Azeez is made 9 days after Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Kamal Pasha Jamal said to The Star newspaper that, “They (the mat rempit) don’t respect the law” (2nd article at the bottom of this blog entry). There are other instances that shows complete lack of desire (I'm trying to find the most neutral word here) to promote peace and reduce racial tension in our country by our leaders, but I shall not comment on them less my blog turns political.

The celebration that outshined the Merdeka celebrations was Seok Hong's b'day at their home last nite. Just a small get together. It was lovely to have all the close friends together for some food, fun and fiesta. It was nice after a whole day of gloomy rainy wheather. Another worthy mention is the Chocolate & Pineapple cake. Was a bit apprehensive when I heard it, but it was actually very good. Yummy.

The b'day girl & her family; The Chocolate & Pineapple cake


Chuwy & his gift (the sunglasses) for his wife; The watch we got for her

After the party, met up with Jack, Chong & Ah Loy at Pelita opposite USM. Got back about 4ish. Can't really sleep becoz I had to send Seng & Larry to the airport at 6am and also to send Aze off.

After sending Seng & Aze off, it's back home to freshen up and meeting up with the guys @ Old Town Cafe for breakfast and coffee. It's off to an unnammed location for some fun with the camera. After that we adjourned to Chong's apt for tea. We ordered pizza and watched "She's the man".

Finally got some snooze while they finished off the movie. Then it's out to Subway @ E-Gate for dinner. Ahhh, this is how a holiday should be spent! :) 2 hrs cat nap and lotsa fun with friends! :D

@ Old Town with Ann & Jack; One of my fav shots for today's photo session

ARTICLE #1

Thursday August 31st, 2006

Mat Rempits our assests, says Putera Umno head

KUALA LUMPUR: More than 2,000 Mat Rempits (bikers) roared in approval when Putera Umno chairman Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim declared them to be one of the nation's “biggest assets.”

The young motorcyclists were participating in the Putera Motor Merdeka Ride last night to celebrate the country's 49th Independence Day.

“They (Mat Rempits) are sorely misunderstood. Because of a couple of bad seeds they have been discriminated against as a bane to society,” Abdul Azees said.

“I truly believe they have the potential and excellence to become the leaders of tomorrow. All they need is a chance to prove society wrong.”

The majority of the participants, when interviewed, couldn't agree more with Abdul Azeez 's statements.

“We are viewed as a menace because of our love for riding. It is very unfair to us,” said Md Fikri Abdullah, 18, who aspires to be a teacher.

The patriotic riders, most of whom were waving the Jalur Gemilang, were flagged off at Jalan Kampung Attap and made their way to the National Mosque and adjourned later to Merdeka Square with Abdul Azeez leading the convoy on his scooter.

The event also saw a flag presentation and a reading of vows at midnight to Federal Territories Minister Datuk Zulhasnan Rafique at the square as a show of the participants' patriotism and promise to serve society.

ARTICLE #2

Tuesday August 22nd, 2006

Cops ready to slam the brakes on illegal street racers

KUALA LUMPUR: The police will come down hard on the mat rempit (a colloquial Malay term for illegal street racers) as these so-called daredevils are a menace to other road users and a nuisance to the public.

Choosing to do their races at night, these mat rempit often show off their stunts with a variety of antics – like riding on one wheel, stretching both hands forwards while lying on the seat – as they speed through the streets and, sometimes, even through thick traffic.

The race is often flagged off by one of their groupies – female fans who follow them on their circuits – and the prize is often also a girl, if cash is short.

“They don’t respect the law,” Dang Wangi OCPD Asst Comm Kamal Pasha Jamal say yesterday.

“They make illegal U-turns and drive in the opposite direction, against oncoming traffic.

“They also beat traffic lights and are even involved in snatch thefts.”

Citing a recent case, ACP Kamal Pasha said several illegal racers assaulted a policewoman on her way to work when she got involved in a minor accident involving some mat rempit.

“This is uncalled for. They are becoming wild,” he said, adding that the police would be carrying out an operation soon to rid the streets of illegal racers.