Of Mountains and Tsunamis

It's SO surreal.

I went up a mountain on Sunday, and when I came down on Tuesday:

"There's been a big tsunami which hit practically all over Asia. Current death toll is at 60,000 people with death rates going up. Indonesia and Sri Lanka was the worst hit while Malaysia (the land which has relatively been safe from any natural disasters until now) was also hit primarily in Penang."

What the fuck ?!

When big worldwide encompassing events like this Asian Tsunami or the 9/11 incident occurs, you usually just have to take a step back, stop, and think about its consequences cos the numbers are just too big to comprehend at first glance.

When I first heard about it that wet Tuesday afternoon as my tired and broken body shuffled towrds the Gunung Kinabalu exit gate, I thought the person was joking.

Then the joke turned out to be real, and the sliver of dread and worry started turning into a swell of horror as I spent the whole Tuesday night catching up on the news coverage of the Tsunami hit spots in Asia (Thank god for Astro Cable TV!).

My mind couldn't comprehend what has happened.

How could this have occured ? Why ?

In times of great suffering, then only will you realise that the world doesn't revolve around you.

I guess being stuck in the city, working a regimented hour every day of the week kinda makes people insular and narrow minded. Everything revolves around them, things go wrong because they fucked up, or someone else which just slows ur day down.

But big events like this Asian crisis serves to remind us all...Hey..look out, there.

There's a whole other world outside there living, dying, existing.

Stop being so insular and narrowminded and start looking outside of the box.

Be less selfish and start giving instead.

I think I'll do just that.

What a way to end 2004 tho', eh ?


:-(

The Quest up Mount Doom

Heyheyhey!
hey peeps,

I'm gonnae be away from civilization in the next 5 days as I'm heading of to Kota Kinabalu and goin up Mount Kinabalu.

I did it last year and this Christmas, my father got it in his head to come up with another hair brained scheme of enduring the SECOND trail up Mount Kinabalu, which is 2 km longer but promises the enticing view of beautiful tropical waterfalls.

I'll come back with pics and report the whole trip laters!

Merry Christmas!

The Value of Work

It's funny and ironic actually.

Today marks 11 months and 22 days, since I started my working life at this corporate investment bank.

Yet ONLY after 11 months and 22 days, have I TRULY ever FELT what it REALLY feels like to have ONE FULL WORKING DAY......

For the past 11 months+, I've had the same modus operandi of coming to work late (around 9:45-10 AM), surf the Net until lunchtime, have a beauty nap in front of the PC in the evening (I've learnt the ancient Buddhist monk art of sleeping in front of the PC sitting upright as though in deep thought), then leaving by 6pm to go to the gym.

Today, for the first time,I was using my brain every second of the day from rushing powerpoint slides for presentations in the afternoon, doing last minute research to touch up our arguments, actually going out on a meeting to meet clients (us trainees are usually chained to the desk until we die ;-p) to coming back from that and getting involved in a long distance conference call with a client.

Verdammt!

I was breaking out in cold sweat every second! The adrenaline was pumping and my fingers were numb from anticipation/elation/anxiety (rushing for deadlines maaa).

Ironically also...I seem to enjoy that rush.

That feeling of so many things happening at the same time that you just need to take a moment to sit down and digest it all, but there is NO time to do that 'cos if you stop, you'll miss the deadline!

Heh heh

It shows that I'm a lazy bastard that likes to put things off to the last moment innit ? ;-p

Neways, I had an epiphany today.

I may not LIKE the work I'm doing (who loves paperwork in the first place?), but if it's as challenging and at a pace as it is today, I can LIVE with it.

It's days like this that make me wanna stay up all night and paint the town red during the weekends! ;-)

*Sidenote*

Have you seen "8 Mile" the Eminem/Marshall Mathers autobiopic ?

Remember the line where he says " You gotta start living down here, instead of living up there" ?

That's what I've been doing for the past 11 months+.

I've been having unrealistic dreams about what I want my worklife to be like and at the end of the day, I gotta accept that you don't always get what you want in life.

The current environ in Malaysia isn't receptive to what I want to do in life (be a plus size porn star ;-p) so I gotta be realistic and lead my life as a mild mannered corporate investment banker instead.

*Sigh*

The HARD choices we have to make in our life somedays, eh ? ;-)

Frank Miller's SIN CITY

Ladies & Gentleman,

The trailer to THE comic book movie to watch out for in 2005 has finally gone online!

Nope it's NOT Batman Begins by Christopher Nolan, NOT Fantastic Four from Marvel and most certainly NOT Star Wars Episode III by George Lucas.

THE comic book movie to watch out for 2005 has to be the Robert Rodriguez-helmed adaptation of Frank Miller's Sin City.

Next to the Spiderman movies, this must be the MOST faithful comic book movie adaption yet.
Check out the cool B&W film noir stylings of Frank MIller brought to life by Robert Rodi at the following link:

http://progressive.stream.aol.com/aol/us/moviefone/movies/2004/sincity_019736/sincity_trlr_01_dl.mov

Sin City

Marv

Nancy

Work, glorious Work!

God Almighty!

I am currently stuck in my own personal hell.

Save my soul and deliver me from evil!

heh heh

Being a little bit melodramatic there, but verdammt(!) if this isn't the worse week of my life.

I'm the only lower ranking executive left in my unit (since the other executive buggered off for a whole week's holiday) leaving me open to the whims and fancies of 7 Directors above me. Taking orders from people who want things done by yesterday, pronto (!) is NO joke guys.....

And I'd relish the challenge on any given day but ironically, of all times possible, I had to fall sick on this most important of weeks, when I have the chance to show to the management level that I have what it takes to stay in this team and would prove to be a valuable asset to them.

Oh woe is me and this god forsaken flu!

As I'm typing this I'm *high* on about a dozen pills that I've taken and a few spoonfuls of cough syrup. My mind is having a hard time trying to decipher data yet I must go on...for who will do all the bullshit research work if not me ?

As they usually say:

When the going gets tough, the tough pops a few dozen pills and continues going!

;-p

Magic: The Gathering 

My Guilty Pleasure

Here an installment which I haven't continued on for quite some time.

Maybe that's cos I've been working too hard this past few months that I haven't had much time to do anything pleasureable which I would find myself to be guilty about. ;-p

Neways, here my attempt at reviving this series of blog posts.

In previous My Guilty Pleasure blogposts, I've revealed my unexplainable affection for tv shows like Queer Eye for a Straight Guy and The O.C., talked on my affinity for comic books and gushed on my love for film-making and movies as a whole.

On today's blogpost, I'll reveal my final guilty pleasure (there's a LOT more pleasures which I find myself guilty for enjoying them, but then, a MAN's gotta have some skeleton's to be kept in the closet as well,non?) : that for a card game called Magic: the Gathering.

What is it you say ?

Well...the official word from the game's makers go something along this lines:

In 1993, a new concept took game players and retailers by storm, and in the years that followed, became a passion for millions. The Magic : The Gathering game paved the way for a whole new genre of play - trading card games (TCG) - combining cards that looked cool and were deemed collectible by players, each card sporting a unique design, with an intense head-to-head strategy game.

Once they picked it up, players found it hard to put the trading card game down, and the same holds true for the Magic: The Gathering TCG today, as it is still the most widely played trading card game.

Created by award-winning game designer Richard Garfield, a former math professor, and published by Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc. Magic: The Gathering combines the dynamics of a card game with the excitement of trading and collecting. Magic players try to reduce their opponent's score from 20 to 0, casting from their deck of cards: creatures, spells, artifacts and other cards of varying power-levels and abilities in a series of attack and defense moves.

Over the past 10 years, more than 6,300 distinct Magic cards have been created. Today, there are several billion Magic cards in circulation, and the game is available in 70 countries and nine languages. There are more than 100,000 Magic tournaments held off-line each year and another 12,000 that take place monthly in Magic Online.

For more information about Magic: The Gathering,
visit www.magicthegathering.com

Well.....that sure was a farkin lengthy read, non ?

Neways, whenever people approach me while I'm playing the game in public and ask me what the game is; I just give my text book answer of "It's a strategy game kinda like Chess only instead of Chess pieces on a board, the pawn, knights and bishops are in card form in a deck of cards".

This is usually followed by much blinking and nodding from the curious folk in an attempt of mock understanding. They usually just walk away then from the 2 geeky wackos turning gaudily coloured pieces of cards back and forth on a table at this point. ;-p

I think the best analogy I've had yet in trying to explaining the game came from a lady friend of mine: "Ohh...so this game is like Pokemon-lah kan..." followed by much winking and ribbing from her all week long about how a 24 year old adult still plays a kiddie game.

*Sigh*

Damn those Japanese for knowing how to market a product more effectively than the Americans that it becomes a cultural phenomenon and is known worldwide.

The Japanese can turn a card game into a Saturday morning cartoon serial, then animated movies, then video games followed by the multitude of merchandising from keychains to activity colouring books, t-shirts, etc. making Pokemon as a world-renowned product

Give a trading card game to the Americans to market and the best they could come up with is an online version ten years after it was created. ;-p

*Sigh*

So long story short, "Yes" basically, my guilty pleasure which I have indulged in for the past 8 years of my life, IS like Pokemon...kinda like Pokemon for adults (or in this case pre-pubescent teens and early 20+s who don't wanna grow up) ;-p

To know me is to accept my obsession & passion for this game.

Which kinda explains why I spend most of my Saturday afternoons flinging cards in USJ Summit with other 20+ year olds who don't wanna grow up and pre-pubescent kids; instead of having quality time and fun with friends or someone of the opposite sex. ;-p

I've played this game for the past 8 years and made enemies and friends along the way, and seen people move on with their life onto work, girlfriends, marriage, etc. Yet some of them always come back cos at the end of the day, the same constant drives our passion, our reason for being, our lives.....

And that is our undisputed love for the world of fantasy and the unexplainable high we derive from gaming.

Yes, yes, some of you ppl out there would dub us as social deviants: sad losers, geeks or nerds...but hey, what's SO wrong with embracing the REAL you ?

I doubt I'll ever leave this game totally, eventhough there'll come a point where I'll have to make the mature choice and move on with my life.

It has defined me through my teens and my early adult life...like a crutch I fall onto in times of need...you could say Magic is my *drug* in life.

I had some of the best experiences in my life from it, made me travel to incredible locales around the world, meet people I would have never ever met in Europe if it weren't for our shared passion, it's like it's a part of me, what makes my character...well...ME....

Without it...I don't know what I'll be....

It would be a dark day indeed, and perhaps a new beginning; the day I would decide to finally walk away from Magic : The Gathering and the world of gaming.

I hope that day does not come too soon!

;-)

Misadventures of a Corporate Flunky

If you remember, a few weeks ago I went out with a director from my new unit, for my first actual meeting with clients (instead of being chained to a desk forever).

Well, the meeting was an informal one held in a coffeehouse at one of KL's posh hotels.

Neways, things were goin well for my first meeting until the conversation came around to Islamic Banking.

The scene:
Our clients from Hong Kong are interested in listing their company on the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange. At the meeting, we were trying to convince them why listing in KL would be a better idea compared to listing in Singapore. My director was exclaiming how Middle Eastern money was coming into Malaysia in droves after 9/11 'cos their money were getting frozen by US and European authorities over there due to suspected involvement with terrorism.

The director further explained how all this billions of Middle Eastern petrol money was being funneled into Islamic Banking, and how our client should list here to grab a chunk of those billions.

At this point of the conversation, the client asked what Islamic Banking was all about and suddenly, all eyes on the table turned to the lone Muslim feller sitting at the table: ME !

Heh heh

Having zoned out from the conversation (talking business gets boring after awhile and I have a tendency to zone out at the most inopportunate of moments ;-p)

HK Client: "So what is this Islamic Banking"

Corporate Flunky: "Errrr....it's an alternative to the Jew-based banking system which works on interest rates....In Islamic banking, an agreement is made between the client and the bank and instead of receiving interest...they receive something akin to interest which is legal in the eyes of God...i think so..."

HK Client: *Blinks eyes and nods head* in a sign of mock understanding

My Director: Err....*smiles nervously* I think what my trainee here was trying to say is..blablablablablalbalab (tries to save the moment by talking some financial gibberish)

*sigh*

Note to self: read up on current events and general knowledge before I go out and meet clients in the future lest I look like an idiot again....

;-p

Ocean's 12: A Rant

Finally saw the much-awaited Ocean's 12 tonight with my bro at GSC Summit.

*START side note*
I gotta say the GSC chain of cinemas make exceedingly good Caramel Popcorn. The seats might be crap and the theaters might be small, but verdammt(!) their caramel coated popcorn beats TGVs and any other cinema's hands down!

Although cinemas in OU, Sunway Pyramid, Mid Valley and KLCC might offer better seats, spacious theaters and shedloads of hot girls to gaggle at while lining up for the
tickets, (unfortunately, most hot chicks would be in line WITH their boyfriends or be in a GROUP of chicks making it kinda hard to approach them without looking like a retard), GSC Summit is o.k.

Oh, and cos of the aforementioned reasons above, the theaters in GSC Summit are usually empty except for a few rows, allowing for maximum enjoyment of the movies.

Nothing pisses me off more than a group of uneducated Mat Rempits sitting behind me making jokes, laughing and sniggering out loud or talking at the most important
parts of a movie. These ppl should be shot and not allowed to reproduce! ;-P

But then again, I'm just a tight-assed anal movie geek which might explain my extreme views on these cinema perpetrators.

*END side note*

Neways, on first impressions, Ocean's 12 was an enjoyable star-filled ride.

Upon deeper examination however, you realise that the movie is deeply flawed and is just an excuse for Clooney, Pitt, Damon, Roberts and Zeta Jones to make another few million dollars without even breaking a sweat. (Oh and also a chance for those not-so famous of the Twelve such as Casey Affleck, Don Cheadle, that Chinese dude, etc. to get a paying role in Hwood after a dearth of work for some time for them, after the last movie).

In my humble opinion, the scriptwriter REALLY dropped the ball on this one which resulted in the mess that is Ocean's 12.

The Good:

Having all the big stars together was great. I mean with this many superstars, how can a movie be bad right ? Catherine Zeta Jones was burning up the screen everytime she appeared with her sensuously sexy curves. Clooney and Pitt were the same roguishly handsome bastards that they are on screen in this installment as like the last. Matt Damon's character got more screen time and actually saved the day. Andy Garcia was o.k as the menacing Terry Benedict.

Kudos must be given to Vincent Cassel however, for his potrayal of the Night Fox. He pulls off the charmingly rich but annoying European playboy thief really, really well. And boy, he sure must have gotten in shape to pull off all those capoeira moves on-screen.

Another plus was Steven Soderbergh's directing. You could really feel like he was enjoying himself the way he handled the camera in each scene. You could see how he was experimenting with camera angles, how to cut from the present to flashbacks (my favourite was Zeta Jones' flashback of the first time she met Pitt),etc.

Soderbergh really went back to his indie roots and got to cut loose on the direction. He managed to pull off some really cool scenes and made them his own trademark. (Note: Watch the opening scene with Pitt and Zeta Jones again and see how the camera moves into focus as Pitt kisses Zeta Jones, then pans out again, followed by the freeze frame when Pitt decides to jump out of the window. Really cool effect)

The Bad:

The non-existent plot.

Terry Benedict manages to catch up onto all the Ocean's 12 thanks to the help of the Night Fox, and they have to pay Terry everything they stole from him WITH interest.

So what do they do ? Fly off to Europe and try do a few small jobs...suddenly midway, it is revealed that the Night Fox is pissed off with them and is the guy who actually started all their troubles in the first place.

Then the story jumps to another plot point where they try to beat the Night Fox and forget about doing multiple small heists cos the Night Fox will beat them to it anyway.

WTF ?

The Ugly:

At the end it is revealed that Ocean's 12 managed to beat the Night Fox (after all his intense preparation) because his mentor is actualy Zeta Jones' father and all this letting his student challenge Ocean's 12 (and let them get into trouble with Terry Benedict in the first place) was cos he wants Ocean's 12 bring Zeta Jones back to him ?

WTF ?!

And how come Clooney and Pitt are NOT pissed off at the Mentor for revealing their positions (by alowing Night Fox to contact Terry Benedict) in the first place?

The more I write this, the more dizzy I get from trying to make sense of the whole storyline.

It does NOT make any sense...events do not happen in a logical manner and things JUST happen cos it has to happen to set up the next scene.

Plus NO tension was felt (unlike in the 1st movie where everytime Ocean's 11 got into a minor mishap, ur heart skipped a beat) since all the heist and answer to problems were explained in flashback. Ocean's 12 would repeatedly in this movie get into trouble with the cops or have a problem and suddenly they would fast forward to them already overcoming the problem and how they actually did it would only be revealed in flashback a few moments later.

One BIG plot point which really got to me however was how they used Julia Robert's character Tess Ocean and broke the 4th wall of moviemaking by acknowledging that Ocean's 12 exist in the real world. So they use the fact that Tess LOOKS like Julia Roberts and is a celebrity in the real world to get into the museum that they were going to steal the jewels from.

I mean...HELLO!

If Tess Ocean looks like Julia 'farkin' Roberts...then by DEFAULT Danny Ocean looks like George Clooney, Rusty looks like Brad Pitt, Matt Damon's character looks like Matt Damon,etc.

So can you explain to me, how thieves who look like Hwood celebrities can walk all over Europe and plan multiple heists without being mobbed by fans or dogged by media and paparazzi ?!

At that point of the movie, I just gave up trying to make sense of things and just enjoy the movie for what it is : a piece of Hollywood money-making machine.

At the end of the day, my sis say's I'm too much of an anal-film fanboy and should learn to shut up and just accept Hwood movies for what they are: mindless entertainment.

I guess she's right and I digress.

Must remember to leave my brain at home the next time I go watch movies at the cinema again!

;-p

Reminiscin'

Ahhh...it feels good sometimes to meet up with ppl from ur past and start reminiscin about the good 'ol days....

*START side note*
The PAST will ALWAYS look better and rosier than the present. Why? It's cos we as humans tend to only recollect the good memories and flush out the bad memories. High school was no better then where you are now!

Instead of having to worry about work, deadlines, overdue bills, traffic jams, office politics and having a life outside of work; you used to have to worry about pimples breaking out, love (or monkey-love), sex, exams, tuition, girls (or boys depending on ur sex), friends, etc.

So whatever it is, the PRESENT and the FUTURE is ALWAYS the best time of your life! Why?

'Cos u have the power to affect it and make your present and future a better place!
*END side note*

Neways, I digress too much! ;-p

Back to the main story: I finally met up with the Prefects Board of Directors from my old high school last Wednesday night, at an upscale mamak stall in SS14, Subang Jaya. (Is it just me or are these upscale mamak stalls popping up all around Klang valley like mushrooms after a rainstorm?)

I know, i know, it might be hard to imagine me as a goody two shoes who used to uphold the LAW in high school as a Prefect, right ? ;-p

U could say I was the most unruly Prefect of my batch in 1997.

I regularly came to school late, shirked most of my Prefects duties, let the truant students have their way,I wouldn't want to have anything to do with them *perfect* Prefect B.o.D., etc. etc.

So why didn't I get the sack ?

Well, the fact that my mom was a teacher at my high school might have something to do with that...heh heh

Neways, that's all in the past now....time changes people (for better or for worse).

Nowadays, 7 years later, just the fact that we used to come from the same high school was enought to be a reason for us get together again and reminisce about those good 'ol days.

It sure was weird being accepted into their 'clique' after all this years, but what the hell, I haven't seen this folks for a long time and getting back together again, a connection was made somehow and we managed to bridge the gap from the past.

The jokers are still jokers (with a matured hint of sarcasm), the leaders still are leaders, and the hot chicks are still HOT. The only thing that changed was that we're now all working adults in our early 20s trying our hardest to make our way in the world.

I guess the more things change, the more the stay the same,non ?

Wednesday night sure was cathartic guys, hope to have more lepak sessions with u guys in the future!

;-)

Nescafe Kickstart!

As a favour to an old classmate of mine, here's some promo for her...make sure u all watch her on tmw's Nescafe kickstart show m'kay. ;-p

Kickstart Ais!


Oh and don't forget to SMS vote her by typing in Kickstart Aizzura at 33838 so she can achieve her dreams of being a scuba diver instructor!

She promised free scuba diving lessons for the first 100 SMS voters if she gets the eventual Rm150,000 !

:-p

Movie Highlights

Here's two more movies to watch out for in 2005:

Steven Spielberg's adaptation of H.G Well's classic novel, War of the Worlds starring Tom Cruise
http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/waroftheworlds/large.html

and Tim Burton's adaptation of a children's classic penned by Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, starring the actor's ac-tor, Johnny Depp
http://mp3content01.bcst.yahoo.com/bmfroot02/BMFShare02/yahoomovies/4/10140065.mov

I don't know which trailer is more disturbing.....however, 2005 is shaping up to be a cinematic treat so far....can't wait for more projects to be revealed!

P.S. The Charlie and the Chocolate Factory link is a temporary one, so apologies if it doesn't work when you click on it. PLUS, I have broadband connection so it's easy for me to d/l these large trailers....if you are on dial up, you might want to d/l the small or medium sized trailers instead so u don't eat up your bandwidth.

Enjoy!

Batman Begins

International Teaser Poster

Here's a first look at the International Teaser poster for Batman Begins, the Christopher Nolan helmed movie to hit our theaters soon in 2005!

I just saw the first trailer to this movie (not the teaser with only a short shot of Bats at the end; a longer cut trailer with more images of Bats) and I gotta say...I'm having a geek-freak right now..... (can't find the URL, I had to load onto my hard drive see, so I can't give you a link..sorry!)

I hope Nolan and the highly experienced cast (Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Liam Neeson, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe, etc.) can pull this off and hit it out of the ballpark.

Can't wait for 2005 to come here soon enough!

Geek!

;-)

Moving On

"Sometimes, moving on with your life is the hardest thing to do."

Dilemma

I gotta admit....I started this year (2004) with no expectations.....

I just got back from UK around Oct 2003. Had lotsa fun hanging out with equally jobless friends til Dec 2003. Then started experiencing new environs and meeting new ppl once I started my working life in Jan 2004.

I didn't mind being single. (Ohhh...he said the Sssss word! ) ;-p

After all, I'm couldn't care less about how I looked let alone what other ppl think about me.

Yet, new environs and new experiences along this year has changed me...for the better I hope.

Working in the corporate environ has thought me that first impressions matter, and all thru out this year, I've learnt much about grooming and image, etc. etc. (Cheers Queer Eye guys! ;-p). Not that I'm turning metrosexual or anything...but I've realised that sometimes, looking good gives you that extra ego boost, that extra charisma, that extra charm to get things done.

Then again, I may be talking bollocks. ;-p

Neways, along the way this year, I met 2 exciting, vivacious, outgoing women that have managed to change my perception about life....alone....

Maybe having someone to lean on to from time to time, isn't such bad idea after all, eh?

Unfortunately, I came onto their scene too late...as much as I'd like to say I've managed to charm my way into their life, I can't..... cos at the end of the day, both ladies have chosen other suitors over me and left me standing there in the wind, like an idiot.

Then again, whatever doesn't kill me, will only make me stronger, non ? ;-)

Thanks for the life lesson ladies, and may u enjoy the rest of 2004.

Here's to an exciting 2005!

Creep = Geek = Weirdo ?

Heh heh

Life is such a rollercoaster.

Was it just last Sunday when I was proclaiming that I was on the top of the world and having the best time of my life?

Yet today its Wednesday and I'm feeling down as hell..and why ?

Just because today my perception of matters have changed from what it was on Sunday.....

Is that all it takes for your reality to crumble down all around you?

How fickle my mind is... :-(

Then again, without these up and downs, life would be a neverending mundane existence... heh heh kinda something like heaven maybe ?

Where everything you want would be fulfilled ?

Excuse my morbid thoughts...u can see how down, current situations are making me feel, eh ?

Neways, times like these, I go back and sing along at the top of my lungs to a favourite song of mine that I used to play while I was growing up whenever I felt down, down, down.....

Geek by KepalaRadio (ala the tune of Creep by Radiohead)

When you were here before, Couldn't look you in the eye,
You're just like an angel, Your skin makes me cry,
You float like a feather, In a beautiful world,
I wish I was special, You're so fuckin' special,

But I'm a geek, I'm a weirdo,
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here.

I don't care if it hurts, I want to have control,
I want a perfect body, I want a perfect soul,
I want you to notice, When I'm not around,
You're so fuckin' special, I wish I was special,

But I'm a geek, I'm a weirdo,
What the hell am I doing here?
I don't belong here.

She's running out again,
She's running out, She run, run, run, run, run

Whatever makes you happy, Whatever you want,
You're so fuckin' special, I wish I was special,

But I'm a geek, I'm a weirdo,
What the hell am I doing here ?
I don't belong here,

I don't belong here.

Heh heh

I betcha this must've been the anthem of heart-broken teens around the world in 1993...sigh the fact that I was a teen in the 90s just makes me feel old and out-classed by younger punks....

but then again..that's just my CURRENT point of reality...it can always change tomorrow...

after all...life IS a rollercoaster innit ?

Can't wait for the view from the top again...I kinda miss that... ;-p

Busy, busy, busy!

Damn....

I thought I would have some time to blog during slow Mondays or summat.... turns out I got passed a powerpoint presentation (and the research that follows making the presentation a power-packed one) on Monday for a meeting tmw.....

So I'm busting my ass off...Googling govt websites, Bloomberg'in market data, finding archived annual reports, etc. for this meeting tmw (my FIRST outing with this team to actually meet clients!)---a big thing considering I'm just a trainee....

That's why at 11 p.m. on a Tuesday night...I am *sigh* still stuck in the office preparing for tmw's meeting....

Best remedy for being the only one in the office stuck with paperwork (besides cursing the director for passing the work to me in the first place) is to play Rock songs and sing out loud to the rockin chorus....after a few Linkin Park chorus', my anger and resentment towards my superiors for offloading this work on my ass had abated a little....just by a little...

Have to play a few more rockin tunes then....

Hmmm...maybe I should get a haircut for tmw's meeting...wanna make a good first impression with the clients...

Don't want them to see a scruffy, long haired hippy being an envoy of the investment bank I work for!

Does anyone know a barber shop / salon still open at 11 p.m. though ?

;-)

Hari Raya Gathering!

Today was most definitely the BEST day of my life, yet!

I had a Hari Raya Gathering at my house and hosted a bash for the first time in my life.

*side note*
I tried to contact everyone I knew through every possible communication tool (SMS, e-mail, phone). So sorry Ais 'cos u didn't get the msg. I have ur old phone no. and if I remember correctly, u recently blogged that u lost ur phone ? And NO Sandman...I'm sorry u didn't get the invite, we're supposed to be enemies (sorry I mean 'nemesis') remember ? ;-p

I practically had the coolest time of my life seeing everyone I know from work, from high school and from my Uni days in UK co-mingle and have mini-frenster connections (they'd know a mutual friend or use to go to the same school, etc. etc.)

Thanks for comin ppl, the event wouldn't have been a success without ur participation (esp. from the sporting guys from my high school who I haven't met for somethin close to 7 years!) I know we used to be in different cliques in school, but now that we're adults, those things are transcendental and such a silly thing, non ?

There were also sparks flying left, right and center as a few ppl were checkin other ppl out at the party; since after it, I keep getting calls from friend about THAT sweet guy or the HOT chika and asking me for their contact number. Heh heh, if I knew hosting was going to be THIS fun, I would have done it way, way earlier.

It's too early to tell, but I hope a few love match happens from this do'.

Heh heh I'm such a romantic idiot. ;-p

Neways, to top off an already enjoyable day, BOTH hot ladies I have been spending much of my time this year chasing after, decided to humour me and actually attend my party (after much begging and crying on bended knees, I'm sad to say ;-p )

To you ladies (you know who YOU are), mucho gracias senorita for making my day a brighter one...you DO know by coming, you're giving this lust-sick geek hope or leading me on and forcing me to read between the lines when there's nothing to look for in the first place!

U conniving, cunning ladies !

Then again, that's why I'm enamored with BOTH of you... ;-)

Hah...enough conjecture about idealistic notions, I had a great time hosting my first Raya event, I hope you enjoyed it too and appreciated the home cooked food (thanks Mom!).

I had so much fun, I might just decide to host one again next year! ;-)

Whatchamacallits & Thingamajigs

Heyheyhey!
hey ppl,

I'm quite NEW to this blogging stuff so I'm quite a retard when it comes to the latest options available to bloggers...

One reader commented I should add Haloscan so it's easier for u all to bitch and moan at my indiscretions or latest posts....

;-p

So does any other readers have any more useful blogging tools that I should know of, that I can add to this site to make it more interactive ?

I need all the help I can get so write in (using the NEW Haloscan commenting/trackback thingamajig) and make this a better blogging experience for me and you.

Help ME to help yourself! (Or something to that effect...hey give me a break okay...I'm trying to quote Jerry Maguire here but for the life of me I cannae remember the exact line...feck it!)

Thanks and Cheers!

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

The Evolution of a Group

It's kinda funny yet unique how a group of people evolves through time....

When I first got into this Trainee program I'm currently in, we were a really tight group.

There were only 8 of us.

We shared our plights, our joys, our sweat and our tears.

We know each other like brothers and sisters do.

We know each other's story and history.

Every quirk, every mannerism.

Heck, we went thru thick and thin together. Felt pain and sorrow when one of us was in trouble. Enjoyed delights when one of us succeeded.

We were ONE.



But like all things in life, all good things MUST come to an end.


Soon, a new batch of trainees came onto the scene.

Suddenly we had new people to interact with, to communicate with, to share ideas with.

And suddenly as well, cracks started to appear in our group. People started bitching about some of the new trainees. People started whispering and talking behind other ppl's back. Alliances were made with the new ppl, and old ones forgotten.

And I guess we'll never get back to those good old days when we were united.

It's an unspoken rule of society, that once it grows bigger, things become less personal, and you have to start watching yourself more carefully...what you say...what you do..

It could come back and be used against you one day.

Shit!

I hate the current way things are going in our group where people put on pretenses about liking each other as if nothing happened yet talk badly about each other behind your back.

But I guess I'll just have to take it and move on...that's is after all the evolution of a group.....

:-(

The Hardest Thing.....

Last night, I felt what it was like to suffer in silence.

It was the hardest thing I had to do yet in my whole life......

The scene:
I was driving this HOT chika back to her house after a night of dining and partying, right. There's just two of us in the car, the scene was perfect for me to get to know her better, you know, just like, really talk with no distractions.

The bummer:
Then what else can go wrong at this most opportunate of times, but her bloody boyfriend to start calling her up and having a hissy fit about where she's been and why she hasn't been answering his calls all night? (Buddy, an insecure BF is a turn-off....you don't want her running off into someone else's arm do you ? Come to think about it...keep up the jealous BF act, my son!) ;-p

So all the way back, the chika would get calls from this guy, and she'd try to whisper a conversation and ask about why he's being mad and jealous (trying to be discreet see...but since I was like, the only other person in the car..it was kinda fucking akward). And then he'd hang up on her mid-sentence and leave her in more of a bad mood. Then he'd call her up again and hang up midsentence again....

ALL thru out the journey back home, I have to keep a straight face and act gentlemanly and shit when the only thing I want to do right there and then is take the phone, shout at the guy for being such a shit BF and making her girl feel unhappy and just continue the conversation (which at this point has practically died down to nowt)

Lesson of the day:
If you have the pleasure of being in a relationship with a girl, be an understanding bastard and give your GF some leeway. She's not attached to you by the hip 24-7.... a girl needs her freedom as well, non ?

Then again, if she was MY girl...I'd be possesive as well... ;-p

Sometimes, the HARDEST thing to do, is to act as if nothing happened....

KL Clubbin' Scene

I went clubbin in Malaysia for the FIRST time last night.

I know, I know, I profess to know much about what goes on in darkened clubs and shit, but that's all bullshit.

There I said it.

Yesterday was the first time I set feet into a dance club in like ages since I've been back to Malaysia a year ago.

(Welcome to the party side of KL honey, what took you so long? ;-p)

It's not that I'm prude or summat who loves to spend time at home during his free time instead of going out to meet people....

O.k. let me rephrase that (;-p)...it's not that I don't like clubbin or anythin...it's just that I don't have any clubbin mates here in KL.

I've been away for the past 3 years, and being the socially-couldn't-care-less kinda person that I am, I kinda disregarded keeping in contact with the guys from high school.

So no-kaki = no-enjoy maaa!

Secondly, there are two things you have to know about me:

1) I don't "drink"

2) I don't dance.

Since I don't drink, I find NO enjoyment in nursing a RM 12+ glass of Sprite (it wasn't even a fucking pint , more like 500ml ya bastard bar establishments!) as I watch other people gyrate and dance to the club tunes.

And FAT men CAN'T dance! ;-)

That's a law of nature which shouldn't be tampered with! The next time you see a FAT man trying to bust-a-move on the dancefloor to impress the ladies, do him a favour and kick him off the dance floor before the poor bastard makes a fool of himself.....


Neways Friday night was a special event (kinda)...Ida, one of my office mates was having a (belated) birthday bash of sorts in Bangsar and after dinner, the group decided to adjourn to one of the multiple club/bar joints there.

Since I was the driver for the birthday girl's ride back, what can I say but be a perfect gentleman and escort her around, non ? ;-)

We first went to Telawi Street Bistro. The crowd there was mostly expats and late 20s, early 30s women...since we're all young twentysomethings looking for hot chika action....we left and went to another establishment : Bar Flams

*side note*
For HOT young chika action, give Bangsar a miss and head down to KL spots like Bar Savanh, Zouk or Passion. How do I know this if I profess that I'm not much of a clubber? Well honey, I'm still a MAN aren't I ? ;-)

Bar Flams had more of a crowd, less lighting and better music.

Even then, they were playing RETRO club hits from 1999-2002.

I mean how dodgy was the club 'cos when I was walking in, they were playing Madison Avenue's 'Don't Call Me Baby'. It's a good dance tune..but Hitz.fm kinda spoiled it for me when they kept playing it every hour, every day for a few years in the 99-01 period !

Next, there was more cheesy music in the form of Daft Punk, a few Ministry of Sound hits and some Euro-trash dance tunes.

Is this what clubs in KL play ?!

Where's the fuckin bleeding edge dance tunes ?

Ones that make u sit up and just wanna move ur feet ?

Ones that make ur heart thump faster as you move in time with the HOT chika in front of you who's gyrating her punani oh-so close to you?! ;-p

Sorry got kinda carried away there....hahaha

I mean, I sure as hell didn't club enough in UK but I've learnt how to appreciate quality club music while I was there (most radio stations in UK play club music instead of American rock or pop and hip hop music....so u can't run away from dance music in UK).

The DJs in Malaysia are lacking originality...there wasn't even any solid DJ skills....where's the riffing? or the solid cutbacks...etc. etc. (I'm no expert in DJ-skillz talk but u get the idea,non?)

Then again, that's only one establishment that I went to....maybe I'm just being too hard on them.

Will have to go clubbin some more in bigger establishments like Zouk and Passion to ascertain whether our local DJs are crap or of the same pedigree as the masters in Europe and US.

Anyone wanna join this FAT twentysomething dude as he nurses overpriced non-alcoholic beverages in darkened corners of KL, watching the women shake their booty to the tune of the DJ ?


;-p

European Odyssey 2003

i FINALLY managed to download ALL the pics from my Euro trip last summer onto my hard drive.

Over the coming days, I will be posting them up on my Fotopages slowly (I think there's close to 300 pics so it'll take some time). Neways, do check em out at: http://uunikk.fotopages.com

Jungfraujoch, Switzerland

Arc De Triomphe, Paris, France 

Venice Italy 

Word of the Day : Korobushka!

Heh heh

Check out the conversation that arose today concerning the Word of the Day: Korobushka!

----------------

Scene: Me and my office mates are in the car driving towards an eatery for lunch. My favourite neo-classical music all-girl group, Bond was playing on the CD player in the car.

Tim: What the fuck do you have playing on the stereo Nik ?! It sucks!

Nik: Are you for real ? It's the bloody Bond girls man....u know, the 4 scantily-clad hot babes brandishing various classical instruments playing a mix of trance and classical music!

Tim: Fuck you and your bad taste in music Nik. Gawd! No wonder your life is so pathetic! You're never gonna get a girl to get in bed with you, judging by the music you listen to...... you guys are lucky he's playing Bond today, Nik had the whole bloody Star Wars soundtrack on the other day.....

Officemate 1: Dude, you listen to the Star Wars movie soundtrack during your free time?!Geek!

Officemate 2: Hahahahahaha,I didn't even know movies had soundtracks.

Nik: Guys, guys, guys....just shut up a minute and LISTEN to that wailing violin tune. It's called 'Korobushka' by Bond and it's a Russian theme that they usually play during their traditional festivities. Listen to the violin tune getting faster and faster....it's kinda 'Tetris'ish innit ?

Officemate 2: yeah...I'm definitely feelin the Tetris vibe there...

Officemate 1: Tetris is like SO 1980s! It still sucks nonetheless.....

Tim: Yeah it sucks dogs bollocks and I pity you dude. No woman on this god-given earth is ever gonnae shake her booty to that tune. Gawd, remind me never to ask you to go clubbing with me.

I wonder what weird dance moves you'd come up with on the dance floor....

Nik: U guys wait....just wait....I'll have the last laugh one day....u just see....I'm gonna go out there and bag myself a woman who appreciates this kinda music and we sure as hell are going to get it on to the tunes of Korobushka!

Officemate 2: Hahahahaha...fat chance dude!

Officemate 1: Hear, hear!

Nik: U'll see...u just wait and see, one day I tell ya....u guys are gonna like call me up during the weekend to go out for drinks...then there it'd be with my hot babe who picks up the phone and in her breathy sexy voice going: Nik can't get to the phone right now...we're KOROBUSHKA-ing.... and then u'd hear the sweet tunes of the violins as she hangs up on you losers!

Tim: Sigh.....guys...looks like we have a definite geek-loser on our hands here.

Officemate 1: Hear, hear!

NiK: Why you bastards! I oughtta.....

Officemate 2: Errr...Nik, shouldn't you be watching the road while you're driving?

Tim: Watch out for that big lorry!

*Swerves car out of danger and crashes into a stray dog instead*

Screeecchh! Whizz, Bang, Crash!

Nik: Uhh...what do you guys think about having lunch at the hospital cafeteria instead?

Remember the word of the day ppl! : "KOROBUSHKA-ing"

;-p