Busy week at the office.
Finally able to get some peace and rest today.
Asrif and Imran's collabo on Monday night was superb.
Kudos to Flattops for their top notch performance.
I, on the other hand, managed to embarrassed myself in front of a room full of strangers, and some friends.
Deera was awesome as usual.
Feeling jittery for tonight.
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Music: Party & Bullshit by Notorious BIG
Watched 4 movies in the last 12 hours.. crazeee.
Before work, The Wackness.
True to its the title, the characters in the movie are all wacky.
Slow drama, bosan tapi best tapi takde la best gila.
But the soundtrack's freakin awesome.
The movie is set in 1994.. Kurt Cobain just committed suicide.. and it featured the mid-90's hip hop music.. which is the dopest shit yo! (LOL poyoss)
Biggie, Wu-Tang, Method Man.. the famous ones amongst others.
Listening to the album right now.. my head's bobbing on its own accord.
During work (night shift).
Body of Lies. Gila babi intense. Some heavy duty stuff going on there.
Wall-E. Cute gila la movie ni.
Paul Blart Mall Cop. Typical funny movie. Not bad. Enjoyable enough to keep me from dozing off..
Also watched the first 10 minutes of Van Wilder Freshman Year but deemed it too stupid to waste my time on.
Alright time to eat some breakfast and then sleep the whole day..
Watched 4 movies in the last 12 hours.. crazeee.
Before work, The Wackness.
True to its the title, the characters in the movie are all wacky.
Slow drama, bosan tapi best tapi takde la best gila.
But the soundtrack's freakin awesome.
The movie is set in 1994.. Kurt Cobain just committed suicide.. and it featured the mid-90's hip hop music.. which is the dopest shit yo! (LOL poyoss)
Biggie, Wu-Tang, Method Man.. the famous ones amongst others.
Listening to the album right now.. my head's bobbing on its own accord.
During work (night shift).
Body of Lies. Gila babi intense. Some heavy duty stuff going on there.
Wall-E. Cute gila la movie ni.
Paul Blart Mall Cop. Typical funny movie. Not bad. Enjoyable enough to keep me from dozing off..
Also watched the first 10 minutes of Van Wilder Freshman Year but deemed it too stupid to waste my time on.
Alright time to eat some breakfast and then sleep the whole day..
Friday, October 23, 2009
Music: Heaven by Marie Digby (Ayumi Hamasaki cover)
I just found out that Marie Digby released a japanese album doing covers.
Makes me like her more!
Love her version of Luna Sea's Gravity.
Its been a while since I've listened to that song.
And she also has a second album out recently.
Gotta get both albums! Just gotta!!
I finally watched District 9 a few days back.
And finally, the aliens didn't choose to invade New York hahhahahahhaha. Refreshing.
But I don't really understand what's the hype.
Probably the symbolism/reference to apartheid, portrayed in the form of speciesism and xenophobia.
The idea of shooting the movie in a documentary-like fashion is interesting, although it couldn't really be done all the way through when Wikus was in fugitive mode.
That was a bummer really. Kinda spoiled it for me.
The cgi is really awesome and real. Very believable.
At first I didn't like the prawns, but after getting to know Christopher and his kid, when these aliens are given characters and emotions, of course I really felt for them, especially since the aliens were given a bipedal form, I think its only natural that humans tend to emphatize creatures that looks like us.
There are talks about a sequel, I'm not sure how I'd like it better, for the aliens to come back and take revenge on whole of humanity, or just the MNUs, or come to save its people at the same time help to change back Wikus to human-form.
All in all, it was just a little more than okay movie.
But Sunshine Cleaning is a really awesome movie!
I've always liked Amy Adams.
It is a simple story about an honest to good girl who works hard for herself and little kid.
It also sends the message about how important family is, to always stick together and help each other.
It hit me harder than I thought, maybe coz this realization came a little late in life for me.
I've never really been super close with my family members, and there are rarely incidents that requires me to be there for the family in times of need.
But better late than never right.
I've been trying to be a better daughter, cousin, sister, niece, aunt, granddaughter for a while now and I think I'm on the right track.
So anyway, the movie's probably just biasa to everyone else but I liked it, cried my eyes out in the end.
What attracted me to The Soloist at first was because it has something to do with a musical prodigy, and its based on a true story.
But I think at the end of the movie, I realized it was more about friendship and helping people and feeling good.. but what happens after that?
Do you just leave? How do u sustain what you've started?
All this while, has it been about you or the person you've helped?
The story was a bit here and there though.
Jamie Foxx was excellent as a musically talented person diagnosed with schizo... coz I have first hand experience and he played the role perfectly.
I like him best among the (current) famous African American actors namely Morgan Freeman, Samuel L Jackson and Denzel Washington.
A really good drama movie to watch.
And The Hangover.. at first I was apprehensive, thought it was gonna be the typical funny movie with lame ass and overdone jokes.
But it was actually not bad!
I love it that there were suprises after surprises scene after scene, and they were good ones too!
And the simplest yet most wonderful surprise at the end of the movie was the best one.
Good thinking!
Very entertaining, a perfect movie to watch to just unwind and chillax and have a good laugh.
Role Models was just okay, and surprsingly, I did not dig Up! at all. I had too high an expectation of the movie coz everyone was telling me how good and funny and sad it was. Hate it when that happens coz I could've actually liked the movie more. Oh well.
I just found out that Marie Digby released a japanese album doing covers.
Makes me like her more!
Love her version of Luna Sea's Gravity.
Its been a while since I've listened to that song.
And she also has a second album out recently.
Gotta get both albums! Just gotta!!
I finally watched District 9 a few days back.
And finally, the aliens didn't choose to invade New York hahhahahahhaha. Refreshing.
But I don't really understand what's the hype.
Probably the symbolism/reference to apartheid, portrayed in the form of speciesism and xenophobia.
The idea of shooting the movie in a documentary-like fashion is interesting, although it couldn't really be done all the way through when Wikus was in fugitive mode.
That was a bummer really. Kinda spoiled it for me.
The cgi is really awesome and real. Very believable.
At first I didn't like the prawns, but after getting to know Christopher and his kid, when these aliens are given characters and emotions, of course I really felt for them, especially since the aliens were given a bipedal form, I think its only natural that humans tend to emphatize creatures that looks like us.
There are talks about a sequel, I'm not sure how I'd like it better, for the aliens to come back and take revenge on whole of humanity, or just the MNUs, or come to save its people at the same time help to change back Wikus to human-form.
All in all, it was just a little more than okay movie.
But Sunshine Cleaning is a really awesome movie!
I've always liked Amy Adams.
It is a simple story about an honest to good girl who works hard for herself and little kid.
It also sends the message about how important family is, to always stick together and help each other.
It hit me harder than I thought, maybe coz this realization came a little late in life for me.
I've never really been super close with my family members, and there are rarely incidents that requires me to be there for the family in times of need.
But better late than never right.
I've been trying to be a better daughter, cousin, sister, niece, aunt, granddaughter for a while now and I think I'm on the right track.
So anyway, the movie's probably just biasa to everyone else but I liked it, cried my eyes out in the end.
What attracted me to The Soloist at first was because it has something to do with a musical prodigy, and its based on a true story.
But I think at the end of the movie, I realized it was more about friendship and helping people and feeling good.. but what happens after that?
Do you just leave? How do u sustain what you've started?
All this while, has it been about you or the person you've helped?
The story was a bit here and there though.
Jamie Foxx was excellent as a musically talented person diagnosed with schizo... coz I have first hand experience and he played the role perfectly.
I like him best among the (current) famous African American actors namely Morgan Freeman, Samuel L Jackson and Denzel Washington.
A really good drama movie to watch.
And The Hangover.. at first I was apprehensive, thought it was gonna be the typical funny movie with lame ass and overdone jokes.
But it was actually not bad!
I love it that there were suprises after surprises scene after scene, and they were good ones too!
And the simplest yet most wonderful surprise at the end of the movie was the best one.
Good thinking!
Very entertaining, a perfect movie to watch to just unwind and chillax and have a good laugh.
Role Models was just okay, and surprsingly, I did not dig Up! at all. I had too high an expectation of the movie coz everyone was telling me how good and funny and sad it was. Hate it when that happens coz I could've actually liked the movie more. Oh well.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Curse
After I woke up from my evening nap yesterday, the first text I read on my phone was "Beyonce postponed"
I laughed like crazy.
It's the funniest thing I've heard all month.
I'm not being spiteful mind you.
With Rihanna and M Nasir (postponed for the second time urghhh) and all.
If I had actually bought Beyonce tickets, I probably would've thought that I'm the curse and subsequently vowed not to buy concert tickets ever again (after hearing the news).
Hmm.. ok no lah that's not gonna happen who am I kidding.
The question now is.. whose concert is gonna happen first... Beyonce, Rihanna or heck, M Nasir?
Bets anyone?
Still on the subject of curses (sort of), its kinda sad that some people still generalize when it comes to who studied where, I'm talking high school here.
And it usually comes from people from other SBPs too.
Furthermore, its particularly hurtful when good friends do that.
Haven't you've known me well enough to still put a stamp on me?
I used to do that too but as I get older, I've had the chance to know more people from different schools for the person that they are and not where they studied, and whatever generalization I made before felt childish and immature.
Although I don't deny that there are valid reasons for some these 'brandings'...
But some are also not true, or should I say apply only to particular individuals rather than the whole group.
Or maybe I'm just being too sensitive..
On a different note, as of yesterday.. I am officially a year older, so this is how it feels like to be 27 eh... (no difference LOL). My birthday resolution is to not lose my temper unnecessarily (have been happening quite frequently nowadays especially at work) .. no promises but I'll try my best. Jenson Button winning the Driver's Championship this year is the perfect birthday present for me.. as it was when Kimi won in 2007. And lastly, I'm all set for next year's vacation yeay! No more where-to-go-on-my-next-trip anxiety...
I laughed like crazy.
It's the funniest thing I've heard all month.
I'm not being spiteful mind you.
With Rihanna and M Nasir (postponed for the second time urghhh) and all.
If I had actually bought Beyonce tickets, I probably would've thought that I'm the curse and subsequently vowed not to buy concert tickets ever again (after hearing the news).
Hmm.. ok no lah that's not gonna happen who am I kidding.
The question now is.. whose concert is gonna happen first... Beyonce, Rihanna or heck, M Nasir?
Bets anyone?
Still on the subject of curses (sort of), its kinda sad that some people still generalize when it comes to who studied where, I'm talking high school here.
And it usually comes from people from other SBPs too.
Furthermore, its particularly hurtful when good friends do that.
Haven't you've known me well enough to still put a stamp on me?
I used to do that too but as I get older, I've had the chance to know more people from different schools for the person that they are and not where they studied, and whatever generalization I made before felt childish and immature.
Although I don't deny that there are valid reasons for some these 'brandings'...
But some are also not true, or should I say apply only to particular individuals rather than the whole group.
Or maybe I'm just being too sensitive..
On a different note, as of yesterday.. I am officially a year older, so this is how it feels like to be 27 eh... (no difference LOL). My birthday resolution is to not lose my temper unnecessarily (have been happening quite frequently nowadays especially at work) .. no promises but I'll try my best. Jenson Button winning the Driver's Championship this year is the perfect birthday present for me.. as it was when Kimi won in 2007. And lastly, I'm all set for next year's vacation yeay! No more where-to-go-on-my-next-trip anxiety...
Friday, October 16, 2009
Bootay Beyonce
Roughly 10 different people have asked me whether I'm going to Beyonce's concert or not, hahaha.
Well, I'm not.
Firstly, I'm no fan of Beyonce..
I have 8000+ songs in my ipod but I only have like 2 of her songs.
Secondly, the concert's gonna be held at Stadium National..
Which is hugeeee!
Thirdly, looking at the ticket prices and the seating arrangement, its no value for money, for someone who doesnt fancy Beyonce.
RM83 tickets are at the third tier of that stadium...so high up!
I won't be able to see anything even with screens..
Next cheapest is RM183, second tier, and I'm not gonna pay that much to see Beyonce in action.
But of course, if I'm offered free tickets, I'll totally be there lah.
Her concert's a definite world class material.
I know a lot of people who's going though...
Have fun watching her shake her ass guys..
This week I watched tons of movies.. Just Friends, Camille, Keith, New In Town, Friends With Money, The Babysitters, Flawless, Major Movie Star, The Other End of The Line, Year One... all chick flicks hahha.. except Flawless...
Conclusion: a mundane week for me. Bleargh.
Well, I'm not.
Firstly, I'm no fan of Beyonce..
I have 8000+ songs in my ipod but I only have like 2 of her songs.
Secondly, the concert's gonna be held at Stadium National..
Which is hugeeee!
Thirdly, looking at the ticket prices and the seating arrangement, its no value for money, for someone who doesnt fancy Beyonce.
RM83 tickets are at the third tier of that stadium...so high up!
I won't be able to see anything even with screens..
Next cheapest is RM183, second tier, and I'm not gonna pay that much to see Beyonce in action.
But of course, if I'm offered free tickets, I'll totally be there lah.
Her concert's a definite world class material.
I know a lot of people who's going though...
Have fun watching her shake her ass guys..
This week I watched tons of movies.. Just Friends, Camille, Keith, New In Town, Friends With Money, The Babysitters, Flawless, Major Movie Star, The Other End of The Line, Year One... all chick flicks hahha.. except Flawless...
Conclusion: a mundane week for me. Bleargh.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Feigning Indifference
I recently found out that my mom thinks I'll end up alone.
Its so typical of mothers (in general) to not reveal what they truly feel regarding this matter, but end up telling a stranger, in this case my friend who came to my house last weekend who had a chit chat with my mother while I was in my room getting ready to go out.
She started listing the names of all my good friends who are either married or doing something useful in their life like studying for masters and what not, and compared them to me obviously.
She sees that I do nothing but work, lepak and sleep.
Well I dont deny that I do all that haha.
But its not like I don't have a plan for the future, just haven't gotten around to take any action yet hahaha.
The point is, she's concerned, but will never say anything to me so that I won't feel pressured.
Which is a good thing really coz this topic is getting old and I'm tired of coming up with witty replies to the golden question.
I have settled with the answer "Just wait for the card" now, yeah even if it means waiting for the next 50 years, hahaha.
I will gladly pass the baton to my younger sister and her partner-to-be who have successfully completed the meet-the-parents ritual, both sides.
She has all my blessing hehe.
Its so typical of mothers (in general) to not reveal what they truly feel regarding this matter, but end up telling a stranger, in this case my friend who came to my house last weekend who had a chit chat with my mother while I was in my room getting ready to go out.
She started listing the names of all my good friends who are either married or doing something useful in their life like studying for masters and what not, and compared them to me obviously.
She sees that I do nothing but work, lepak and sleep.
Well I dont deny that I do all that haha.
But its not like I don't have a plan for the future, just haven't gotten around to take any action yet hahaha.
The point is, she's concerned, but will never say anything to me so that I won't feel pressured.
Which is a good thing really coz this topic is getting old and I'm tired of coming up with witty replies to the golden question.
I have settled with the answer "Just wait for the card" now, yeah even if it means waiting for the next 50 years, hahaha.
I will gladly pass the baton to my younger sister and her partner-to-be who have successfully completed the meet-the-parents ritual, both sides.
She has all my blessing hehe.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Kiwiland
Makes me melancholic (this word exists right?)
This is one of my favorite places on earth.. (not that I've been to that many places). Aerial view of Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu.
And this, I will remember forever but will never do, ever again! The Ledge Bungy. I actually wanted to do paragliding instead but the winds were too strong, so nak tak nak terpaksa lah buat aktiviti terjun katak ni.This is the biggest coal power station in NZ, Huntly Power Station, drive from Hamilton to Palmerston North. (Picture credits from this point onwards goes to http://www.sitifairuz.com/)
There was nothing much to do in Paihia so we drove further up north and found some gorgeous horses.![]()
Christchurch Cathedral in the background.
The horse was peeing on the tiang letrik. (top pic)
Breathtaking view of one of the many creeks on the drive to Milford Sound.![]()
(bottom pic).
(bottom pic).Stopped by the road side to take in the view. No cars passed by for a good many minutes.
The most beautiful sunset I've ever encountered in my life. Lake Taupo. ![]()
Crazy Maori people pretending to be in the band Kiss. LOL. This is a trip to the Maori Cultural Village.![]()
In Matamata. The sheep farm where they shot scenes from The Shire in LOTR. And here I am trying to make out with this cute little guy.
Thankful
I was ironing my baju kurung for tmrw's dept raya lunch, when ntv7 recapped its talian hayat program for the passed year. Something like tv3's bersamamu. I've never really watched these kind of programs coz its depressing to watch. Inevitably, it made me look at my own life for the past 27 years and reminded me of how privileged I am compared to these people.
I've never really experienced any hardships before. Not that I want to, and I hope it stays that way. My parents have always been able to provide for me and the family. I'm no rich kid, my mom was a primary school english teacher and my dad was a non-exec in tnb my whole life. But never once they've denied me of the things I need or want. Well, I didnt ask for much anyway. But whatever I did ask, I got. I know my parents didnt have any money saved for me and my sibling's education post high school. And I've never really thought about it ever too. I guess I was pretty confident that we'll all get scholarships, which we did. Ever since I got the tnb scholarship (right after spm), I've never asked any money from the parents, coz tnb gave me pocket money. Studies wise, I'm glad I went to tkc (which I've never heard before prior to getting the offer) coz that's where I got to know some really amazing people, and the standard of education and teachers there were also top notch. I also got to study in the states, which was my only choice. I was thinking of all the entertainment stuff I see on tv and they're all from the US, I wanted to go to concerts and all. Really shallow thinking at the time but I was young lol. It was a good decision anyway coz I've never regretted going to Umich (en.azman wanted me to go to uiuc but its too kampung for my taste). Umich has been one of the best things that's ever happened to me, regardless of the suffering I had to endure, studies-wise. I didn't want to go to UK (just because there's too many malaysians there, hhahaha action sungguh aku ni), and definitely not Japan coz I didnt want to learn a new language. Work-wise, I actually wanted to get into this dept I'm in right now. During our preparation program, we went to site visits to many places and I was always playing around and not paying attention coz none of the places interest me. But when we came to visit nldc (my dept now), I said to myself, this is the dept i wanna work at. Didn't think I'd get it but I did. I really like my job, its just that the management and everything else sucks, but what else is new, almost everyone I know are not happy with their company's management one way or another. Its just the magnitude of sucki-ness that differs. But complaining doesn't get me anywhere or do any good, its just a matter of taking things into my own hands. I have my own plans for the future. I'm lucky enough to have my own car (well not exactly mine but an extra car at home). It doesnt matter that none of the cars my father bought are brand new, but he does a good job in maintaning them and I've always had no problem with transportation. My office is 5 minutes drive from home. I'm lucky to have great friends in my life, and I also consciously stay away from those I don't like or give me bad vibes. I'm lucky to have enough money to spend for myself, and give some to my parents. And while I do, I'm gonna spend it the way I want and do the things I like and go the places I want and at the same time save some for the future, strike a balance.
So what I'm trying to say is, I've had a good life for the past 27 years, and I pray to God it'll stay that way till the day I die. I've never aspired to be rich but just comfortable and happy. There is probably one area in my life that I've never gotten what I wanted, or rather, I've been rather unlucky. So much so that I don't really care anymore. One of my friends even told me that I'm already jaded, and a large part of me knows that she's right. I know its the one missing piece in my life. But I'm not gonna dwell on that, and just concentrate on the good things. Whatever happens, or don't happen, these is a good reason for it. There are so many other things in life to enjoy and that's what I've been doing all my life.
But I'm still bummed that I'm not a rock star.
To a 100 more years of good and fulfilling life.
I've never really experienced any hardships before. Not that I want to, and I hope it stays that way. My parents have always been able to provide for me and the family. I'm no rich kid, my mom was a primary school english teacher and my dad was a non-exec in tnb my whole life. But never once they've denied me of the things I need or want. Well, I didnt ask for much anyway. But whatever I did ask, I got. I know my parents didnt have any money saved for me and my sibling's education post high school. And I've never really thought about it ever too. I guess I was pretty confident that we'll all get scholarships, which we did. Ever since I got the tnb scholarship (right after spm), I've never asked any money from the parents, coz tnb gave me pocket money. Studies wise, I'm glad I went to tkc (which I've never heard before prior to getting the offer) coz that's where I got to know some really amazing people, and the standard of education and teachers there were also top notch. I also got to study in the states, which was my only choice. I was thinking of all the entertainment stuff I see on tv and they're all from the US, I wanted to go to concerts and all. Really shallow thinking at the time but I was young lol. It was a good decision anyway coz I've never regretted going to Umich (en.azman wanted me to go to uiuc but its too kampung for my taste). Umich has been one of the best things that's ever happened to me, regardless of the suffering I had to endure, studies-wise. I didn't want to go to UK (just because there's too many malaysians there, hhahaha action sungguh aku ni), and definitely not Japan coz I didnt want to learn a new language. Work-wise, I actually wanted to get into this dept I'm in right now. During our preparation program, we went to site visits to many places and I was always playing around and not paying attention coz none of the places interest me. But when we came to visit nldc (my dept now), I said to myself, this is the dept i wanna work at. Didn't think I'd get it but I did. I really like my job, its just that the management and everything else sucks, but what else is new, almost everyone I know are not happy with their company's management one way or another. Its just the magnitude of sucki-ness that differs. But complaining doesn't get me anywhere or do any good, its just a matter of taking things into my own hands. I have my own plans for the future. I'm lucky enough to have my own car (well not exactly mine but an extra car at home). It doesnt matter that none of the cars my father bought are brand new, but he does a good job in maintaning them and I've always had no problem with transportation. My office is 5 minutes drive from home. I'm lucky to have great friends in my life, and I also consciously stay away from those I don't like or give me bad vibes. I'm lucky to have enough money to spend for myself, and give some to my parents. And while I do, I'm gonna spend it the way I want and do the things I like and go the places I want and at the same time save some for the future, strike a balance.
So what I'm trying to say is, I've had a good life for the past 27 years, and I pray to God it'll stay that way till the day I die. I've never aspired to be rich but just comfortable and happy. There is probably one area in my life that I've never gotten what I wanted, or rather, I've been rather unlucky. So much so that I don't really care anymore. One of my friends even told me that I'm already jaded, and a large part of me knows that she's right. I know its the one missing piece in my life. But I'm not gonna dwell on that, and just concentrate on the good things. Whatever happens, or don't happen, these is a good reason for it. There are so many other things in life to enjoy and that's what I've been doing all my life.
But I'm still bummed that I'm not a rock star.
To a 100 more years of good and fulfilling life.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
My New Toy!
JBL Brand.Bonus picture for the day! Tunggu Katy Perry sampai tertidur-tidur! Hehehe peace Hakam. Too bad Bashir woke up before I could snap him as well.
Out and About
Book Sale
This afternoon, I went to the best book sale I've ever been to, which was also conveniently located on Jalan Templer, less than 5 minutes drive from my house. Spent RM140 on 10 books! And the books are mostly in very good/new condition. All the books costs between RM10 to RM20. What a bargain! I got myself titles that I've been wanting to buy but never did due to the high cost of books in this country (Still didn't stop me from spending RM99 on The Lost Symbol, and a friend told me his friend got it for RM5 when that person went to China.. so unfair). God knows when I'll find the time to read la kan. But that's besides the point.
Now my collection of unread books have reached (gasp!) roughly 20 books. Its too bad though that not all the books that I wanted was there. Spent 1.5 hours looking through the massive collection of books, and since they didnt organize the books according to genre or author, kepala aku teleng and mata aku juling. But it was worth it.
To those interested, just head to Jalan 215 off Jalan Templer, at the Pearson/Penguin warehouse. I think its gonna be on till the end of the week, and they top up with new stocks everyday, i think.
The Lost Symbol
Still on the subject of books, I finished reading The Lost Symbol last Thursday. Read half of it at home, and the other half at work, dengan selamba. Hahahhaa. Cannot help it. *SPOILER WARNING*. This book has the same formula that made The Da Vinci Code and Angels&Demon phenomenal successes. Again, its Langdon racing against time to save someone, with a hot lady as his partner in 'crime', and of course toegher they have to decipher clues on the way, the usual characters whom you think is your enemy but is not (and vice versa), cliff hanger at the end of every chapter (on average 3 pages a chapter, that's a lot of chapters!), clues hidden in plain view on popular sites.. well, if u've read DVC and A&D you probably get the drift.
Basically, the book was really good and totally unputdownable. However the awe I felt and the novelty feeling after reading DVC was absent, I think because the generic storyline was expected. Its not something new when it comes to Dan Brown and Robert Langdon. Barring the conclusion (the final secret) revealed at the end of the book which made me go (ak e laaaaaaaaaa itu je?!), it is a really good book and I would highly recommend it to those who loved DVC and A&D.
I am currently reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer, although I didnt plan to read it but my friend lend it to me and since I have to return it to her this weekend I have no choice but to read it. Have to put The Constant Princess that I've read a few chapters in on hold for now.
Malaysian Open
Last Saturday, I was lucky enough to get free tickets to the Malaysian Open (Tennis), thanks to Hakam. I wanted to buy tickets for the finals but the person whom I was supposed to go with bailed on me. Got tickets for the 2nd semis at 7pm (Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil). It was really a double bonus for me coz apart from getting free tickets, I actually got to watch Fernando Gonzales play!. From the list of players who signed up for this ATP, aku mmg paling suka dia so I felt really lucky. The only thing was that he lost to Verdasco. It was a really good game though.
The same night, I got another offer for free tickets to the finals on Sunday, but only 1 ticket. So I said no thanks. I wouldnt wanna go alone, and I've already seen the player I wanted to. So all is good. I hope more good luck will come my way (hoping to get free Beyonce tickets!). Already was offered free tickets to the All American Rejects concert but I've seen them at MTV World Stage last August.
Singapore GP
Last 2 weeks I went to Singapore GP. It was such an experience. I loved it! The organizers were very VERY good, everything was smooth sailing, the volunteers were pleasant, the atmosphere was really something. Sepang has 10 years of experience but it seems that Singapore has done it way better. If Malaysia were ever to host a street circuit for F1, fuhhh I shudder even thinking about it. It would be really2 tough, if not impossible.
So anyway, the atmosphere was really awesome, although nothing close like the one I've been to in Montreal (which had a European feel to it), but its still something. Maybe because its smack in the middle of the city, they were able to create that atmosphere that is almost non-existent when it comes to Sepang.
But its obvious that most of the spectators doesnt really know what the hell is going on, especially during the race. You can differentiate between the people who were real fans and the people who were there just because. No I'm not condeming this people, its just really funny to see them confused and really have no idea whats happening. Like for example, besides looking at the screen for updates, I also actually looked at the order of cars that races, and its not hard coz every car is different, even the ones on the same team, so it is easy to know who's driving which car. So when I saw that Kimi passed Buemi, I guess I was the lone person (around my area) that clapped and cheered (Im a fan of Kimi), but the video feed that showed Kimi's manouvre over Buemi was shown like 2 laps later, and then only everybody else cheered. But oh well. I cant expect everyone to be freaks like me. hahahahhaha. At least these people filled the stands right!
There were ALOT of mat sallehs. Keliling seat kitorang semua Brit. It was really worth it for them because Hamilton won and they sang God Save The Queen while proudly waving the Union Jack. I felt really satisfied with the seats I chose, mainly because I could see the screen clearly without having to use binoculars, and we were close enough to the speakers to listen to the commentators (when the cars are not driving past our grandstand).
We went to all the free practices, and of course the qualifying. Bashir managed to get alot of good shots using his wonderful dslr, which I have yet to take from him. There were so many things going on at the same time on all 3 days its crazy. Its like a sunburst KL meets F1. We couldve watched Katy Perry but she didnt show up (sucks!). Didnt get to watch BSB coz their concert was right after the race but we were much happier to be walking on the race track. Yes we got to do that!! Got to see the kerbs up close. Saw Rivermaya performed for about 5 minutes. Knew about this band about 6 years ago (when they were still unknown) coz I met a friend who's friend is in the band and the band actually wrote a song about her. Haha. Wanted to see Travis but somehow didn't. But none of these concerts really matter coz I was there to watch F1!. Although I reallly applaud the organizers for having all these side entertainments. Banyak lagi entertainment lain besides the concerts.
When I first heard the F1 car I just got out of Raffles Mall and I was so freakin excited. Turned out it wasnt even F1 car but GP2 car I think. Its surreal cause I just walked out of the mall. If I say the sound of F1 cars makes me excited and my heart beat races and I'm so pumped with adrenalin, I guess almost nobody could understand. Its like all those people who say to me, "why pay so much just to watch cars going from right to left, and then u wont even know what the hell is going on else where, and u still have to see the screen and bla bla bla... at least kalau tgk bola ke lain la u get to see the whole field bla bla bla" I used to be pissed, but now, I'm just like whatever. You cant compare football to F1. Its totally different. You cant expect to know whats going on at every part of the track. Its a freakin track for God's sake! So that's why its important to seat where there's a screen in front of you. And if people say kalau camtu baik tgk kat rumah je, if u still need the screen at the circuit. It is a valid point but how can I make people understand how it makes me feel to be at an F1 circuit. Its what I love I'm very passionate about it. I dont expect people to understand anyway. Like how I dont understand some other people's passion on whatever the like. But I dont go around critisizing these people. And what I do with my money is my business. At this age, I'm 27... (technically im still 26, 2 more weeks to go hehehe), we are all old enough to know how to spend and manage our money. I for one never cared what other people do with their money, like buy 2K hand bags or spending 5-10k on dslr and lenses and camera gadgets (just an example, not pin pointing to anybody in particular). Everybody spends on stuff they like and which they think are worth it to them. So just fuckin shut it. Uh oh I digress. Emo pulak. Sorry about that.
All in all, I'm really happy with the money spent there. I've paid the same amount for the tickets at Sepang as I paid for the one Singapore, and rasa macam kena ripoff je coz Singapore offered so much more with value for money. And I also got to shop!! Bought an ipod speaker, 2 handbags, some ferrari and raikkonen tshirts, found the white polo shirt that was sold out at every polo store in malaysia, got me new jeans... a very satisfying trip indeed!
We stayed at a budget hotel in Geylang.. hookers aplenty at night. LOL. My next F1 trip that I hope to go to is at Albert Park, Melbourne. I hope it will materialize next year, but there's really no hurry coz their contract's been extended until 2015. But still. its the next closest one after Singapore! The F1 circle is getting smaller and smaller with Bashir getting married soon. I looked at the couples (mostly mat salleh) who attend these F1 GPs together, seeing them both passionate about the same thing, which enables them to go to these events and enjoy and experience it together... its so nice gives me a fuzzy feeling just watching them. hahaha fehlong jap lak. ..
For now I dont have any pictures to share coz they're all in my pc at home (Im on night shift la cam biasa). I'll post them later if Im rajin.
Padang Earthquake
I didnt want to talk about this initially, but I guess I'll mention a bit since I've been writing non stop for almost an hour. Might as well. I was working when it happened at 6.15pm. I was sitting at my usual desk and my friend was sitting in front of me we were chatting away and suddenly I felt this really horrible shake, and obviously the first thing that came to mind was an earthquake had happened.
It was really horrible and lasted like 30 seconds or more. The magnitude was not as strong throughout though. The first tremor was the worst and after that were smaller ones. I've felt earthquakes before but I was never scared. This time round I LITERALLY FELT FEAR, my heart raced pretty quickly and I was trembling a bit. All I wanted to do was run out the building but we've never done any contingency on this kind of event so I didnt know what to do and what would happen or what are the consequences if we simply left the control room and just leave the system unattended.
Afterwords when I actually have cleared my head and thought about it, it was possible to leave the system for at least 15 minutes, plus it was during off peak hours, it was possible. But at that moment, I guess none of us could think straight. it was a stupid thing not to leave the building I admit. But I guess now I know what to think and the right thing to do should something like that ever occured again. Anything couldve happened. What if this building collapsing is just something waiting to happen, dengan takde CF nye and with all the recent renovations going on. Its a scary thought, and I try not to think about it.
So anyway I googled and googled and we changed channels to cnn and awani and all but got no updates. Finally I found the USGS (US GEological Survey) which had updated its site, it was around 6.30pm. Very efficient. Earthquake some km away from Padang, 7.9 on the richter scale, at 85km ocean deep. One hour later baru other sites and the news channel had the breaking news.
Between 6.30 and 6.45pm, 3 bosses called the office and asked if we felt the tremor, and besides that, the only other thing they cared about was the system. First question (of varying sentences, but same meaning nonetheless was), how's the system? They really dont care about anything else, even the safety and lives of their subordinates. Need I say more?
December 2012 Apocalypse
So after the earthquake, me and my colleagues started talking about all the bencana alams that is happening around SEA and the neighborhood. Like the thyphoon in Phillipines and Vietnam, that red desert storm in Australia, earthquakes in Indo, tsunami in Samoa and god knows what else. And then the topic about how 2012 will be the end of the world like the westerners believe, predicted using the mayan calendar and stuff. There's even a movie coming out this november on this. And Dan Brown also mentioned it in passing in The Lost Symbol. Talk about being up to date. Its a very broad subject, just google 2012 and see what u can find.
This afternoon, I went to the best book sale I've ever been to, which was also conveniently located on Jalan Templer, less than 5 minutes drive from my house. Spent RM140 on 10 books! And the books are mostly in very good/new condition. All the books costs between RM10 to RM20. What a bargain! I got myself titles that I've been wanting to buy but never did due to the high cost of books in this country (Still didn't stop me from spending RM99 on The Lost Symbol, and a friend told me his friend got it for RM5 when that person went to China.. so unfair). God knows when I'll find the time to read la kan. But that's besides the point.
Now my collection of unread books have reached (gasp!) roughly 20 books. Its too bad though that not all the books that I wanted was there. Spent 1.5 hours looking through the massive collection of books, and since they didnt organize the books according to genre or author, kepala aku teleng and mata aku juling. But it was worth it.
To those interested, just head to Jalan 215 off Jalan Templer, at the Pearson/Penguin warehouse. I think its gonna be on till the end of the week, and they top up with new stocks everyday, i think.
The Lost Symbol
Still on the subject of books, I finished reading The Lost Symbol last Thursday. Read half of it at home, and the other half at work, dengan selamba. Hahahhaa. Cannot help it. *SPOILER WARNING*. This book has the same formula that made The Da Vinci Code and Angels&Demon phenomenal successes. Again, its Langdon racing against time to save someone, with a hot lady as his partner in 'crime', and of course toegher they have to decipher clues on the way, the usual characters whom you think is your enemy but is not (and vice versa), cliff hanger at the end of every chapter (on average 3 pages a chapter, that's a lot of chapters!), clues hidden in plain view on popular sites.. well, if u've read DVC and A&D you probably get the drift.
Basically, the book was really good and totally unputdownable. However the awe I felt and the novelty feeling after reading DVC was absent, I think because the generic storyline was expected. Its not something new when it comes to Dan Brown and Robert Langdon. Barring the conclusion (the final secret) revealed at the end of the book which made me go (ak e laaaaaaaaaa itu je?!), it is a really good book and I would highly recommend it to those who loved DVC and A&D.
I am currently reading The Host by Stephenie Meyer, although I didnt plan to read it but my friend lend it to me and since I have to return it to her this weekend I have no choice but to read it. Have to put The Constant Princess that I've read a few chapters in on hold for now.
Malaysian Open
Last Saturday, I was lucky enough to get free tickets to the Malaysian Open (Tennis), thanks to Hakam. I wanted to buy tickets for the finals but the person whom I was supposed to go with bailed on me. Got tickets for the 2nd semis at 7pm (Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil). It was really a double bonus for me coz apart from getting free tickets, I actually got to watch Fernando Gonzales play!. From the list of players who signed up for this ATP, aku mmg paling suka dia so I felt really lucky. The only thing was that he lost to Verdasco. It was a really good game though.
The same night, I got another offer for free tickets to the finals on Sunday, but only 1 ticket. So I said no thanks. I wouldnt wanna go alone, and I've already seen the player I wanted to. So all is good. I hope more good luck will come my way (hoping to get free Beyonce tickets!). Already was offered free tickets to the All American Rejects concert but I've seen them at MTV World Stage last August.
Singapore GP
Last 2 weeks I went to Singapore GP. It was such an experience. I loved it! The organizers were very VERY good, everything was smooth sailing, the volunteers were pleasant, the atmosphere was really something. Sepang has 10 years of experience but it seems that Singapore has done it way better. If Malaysia were ever to host a street circuit for F1, fuhhh I shudder even thinking about it. It would be really2 tough, if not impossible.
So anyway, the atmosphere was really awesome, although nothing close like the one I've been to in Montreal (which had a European feel to it), but its still something. Maybe because its smack in the middle of the city, they were able to create that atmosphere that is almost non-existent when it comes to Sepang.
But its obvious that most of the spectators doesnt really know what the hell is going on, especially during the race. You can differentiate between the people who were real fans and the people who were there just because. No I'm not condeming this people, its just really funny to see them confused and really have no idea whats happening. Like for example, besides looking at the screen for updates, I also actually looked at the order of cars that races, and its not hard coz every car is different, even the ones on the same team, so it is easy to know who's driving which car. So when I saw that Kimi passed Buemi, I guess I was the lone person (around my area) that clapped and cheered (Im a fan of Kimi), but the video feed that showed Kimi's manouvre over Buemi was shown like 2 laps later, and then only everybody else cheered. But oh well. I cant expect everyone to be freaks like me. hahahahhaha. At least these people filled the stands right!
There were ALOT of mat sallehs. Keliling seat kitorang semua Brit. It was really worth it for them because Hamilton won and they sang God Save The Queen while proudly waving the Union Jack. I felt really satisfied with the seats I chose, mainly because I could see the screen clearly without having to use binoculars, and we were close enough to the speakers to listen to the commentators (when the cars are not driving past our grandstand).
We went to all the free practices, and of course the qualifying. Bashir managed to get alot of good shots using his wonderful dslr, which I have yet to take from him. There were so many things going on at the same time on all 3 days its crazy. Its like a sunburst KL meets F1. We couldve watched Katy Perry but she didnt show up (sucks!). Didnt get to watch BSB coz their concert was right after the race but we were much happier to be walking on the race track. Yes we got to do that!! Got to see the kerbs up close. Saw Rivermaya performed for about 5 minutes. Knew about this band about 6 years ago (when they were still unknown) coz I met a friend who's friend is in the band and the band actually wrote a song about her. Haha. Wanted to see Travis but somehow didn't. But none of these concerts really matter coz I was there to watch F1!. Although I reallly applaud the organizers for having all these side entertainments. Banyak lagi entertainment lain besides the concerts.
When I first heard the F1 car I just got out of Raffles Mall and I was so freakin excited. Turned out it wasnt even F1 car but GP2 car I think. Its surreal cause I just walked out of the mall. If I say the sound of F1 cars makes me excited and my heart beat races and I'm so pumped with adrenalin, I guess almost nobody could understand. Its like all those people who say to me, "why pay so much just to watch cars going from right to left, and then u wont even know what the hell is going on else where, and u still have to see the screen and bla bla bla... at least kalau tgk bola ke lain la u get to see the whole field bla bla bla" I used to be pissed, but now, I'm just like whatever. You cant compare football to F1. Its totally different. You cant expect to know whats going on at every part of the track. Its a freakin track for God's sake! So that's why its important to seat where there's a screen in front of you. And if people say kalau camtu baik tgk kat rumah je, if u still need the screen at the circuit. It is a valid point but how can I make people understand how it makes me feel to be at an F1 circuit. Its what I love I'm very passionate about it. I dont expect people to understand anyway. Like how I dont understand some other people's passion on whatever the like. But I dont go around critisizing these people. And what I do with my money is my business. At this age, I'm 27... (technically im still 26, 2 more weeks to go hehehe), we are all old enough to know how to spend and manage our money. I for one never cared what other people do with their money, like buy 2K hand bags or spending 5-10k on dslr and lenses and camera gadgets (just an example, not pin pointing to anybody in particular). Everybody spends on stuff they like and which they think are worth it to them. So just fuckin shut it. Uh oh I digress. Emo pulak. Sorry about that.
All in all, I'm really happy with the money spent there. I've paid the same amount for the tickets at Sepang as I paid for the one Singapore, and rasa macam kena ripoff je coz Singapore offered so much more with value for money. And I also got to shop!! Bought an ipod speaker, 2 handbags, some ferrari and raikkonen tshirts, found the white polo shirt that was sold out at every polo store in malaysia, got me new jeans... a very satisfying trip indeed!
We stayed at a budget hotel in Geylang.. hookers aplenty at night. LOL. My next F1 trip that I hope to go to is at Albert Park, Melbourne. I hope it will materialize next year, but there's really no hurry coz their contract's been extended until 2015. But still. its the next closest one after Singapore! The F1 circle is getting smaller and smaller with Bashir getting married soon. I looked at the couples (mostly mat salleh) who attend these F1 GPs together, seeing them both passionate about the same thing, which enables them to go to these events and enjoy and experience it together... its so nice gives me a fuzzy feeling just watching them. hahaha fehlong jap lak. ..
For now I dont have any pictures to share coz they're all in my pc at home (Im on night shift la cam biasa). I'll post them later if Im rajin.
Padang Earthquake
I didnt want to talk about this initially, but I guess I'll mention a bit since I've been writing non stop for almost an hour. Might as well. I was working when it happened at 6.15pm. I was sitting at my usual desk and my friend was sitting in front of me we were chatting away and suddenly I felt this really horrible shake, and obviously the first thing that came to mind was an earthquake had happened.
It was really horrible and lasted like 30 seconds or more. The magnitude was not as strong throughout though. The first tremor was the worst and after that were smaller ones. I've felt earthquakes before but I was never scared. This time round I LITERALLY FELT FEAR, my heart raced pretty quickly and I was trembling a bit. All I wanted to do was run out the building but we've never done any contingency on this kind of event so I didnt know what to do and what would happen or what are the consequences if we simply left the control room and just leave the system unattended.
Afterwords when I actually have cleared my head and thought about it, it was possible to leave the system for at least 15 minutes, plus it was during off peak hours, it was possible. But at that moment, I guess none of us could think straight. it was a stupid thing not to leave the building I admit. But I guess now I know what to think and the right thing to do should something like that ever occured again. Anything couldve happened. What if this building collapsing is just something waiting to happen, dengan takde CF nye and with all the recent renovations going on. Its a scary thought, and I try not to think about it.
So anyway I googled and googled and we changed channels to cnn and awani and all but got no updates. Finally I found the USGS (US GEological Survey) which had updated its site, it was around 6.30pm. Very efficient. Earthquake some km away from Padang, 7.9 on the richter scale, at 85km ocean deep. One hour later baru other sites and the news channel had the breaking news.
Between 6.30 and 6.45pm, 3 bosses called the office and asked if we felt the tremor, and besides that, the only other thing they cared about was the system. First question (of varying sentences, but same meaning nonetheless was), how's the system? They really dont care about anything else, even the safety and lives of their subordinates. Need I say more?
December 2012 Apocalypse
So after the earthquake, me and my colleagues started talking about all the bencana alams that is happening around SEA and the neighborhood. Like the thyphoon in Phillipines and Vietnam, that red desert storm in Australia, earthquakes in Indo, tsunami in Samoa and god knows what else. And then the topic about how 2012 will be the end of the world like the westerners believe, predicted using the mayan calendar and stuff. There's even a movie coming out this november on this. And Dan Brown also mentioned it in passing in The Lost Symbol. Talk about being up to date. Its a very broad subject, just google 2012 and see what u can find.
Friday, October 02, 2009
Delicious
I think tonight went well.
But I don't have a clue what to do next.
I guess I'll just wait.
But I don't have a clue what to do next.
I guess I'll just wait.
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