tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-251177822024-03-06T01:48:53.225+08:00Z-lite, abgefüllt von der Quelleeg9http://www.blogger.com/profile/12766843818153858542noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-91719813850992343812019-10-17T13:44:00.003+08:002020-06-10T19:53:50.789+08:00Hello Again After A LONG HiatusSo it's been a while hasn't it ? I looked at my last update 10 years ago and how things have changed. Since the last post, I've expanded the family - 2 more kids , bringing the grand total to 3 (And speaking of expansions, my waistline also increased by a couple of inches to match)<br />
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I've also recently in 2019, left my 15 career in Oil & Gas and moved to Singapore with my spouse and am currently playing house husband while looking for a new job.<br />
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More updates as soon as I figure out what I am going to be doing with this formerly defunct blog.<script src="//s3.amazonaws.com/downloads.mailchimp.com/js/mc-validate.js" type="text/javascript"></script><script type="text/javascript">(function($) {window.fnames = new Array(); window.ftypes = new Array();fnames[0]='EMAIL';ftypes[0]='email';fnames[1]='FNAME';ftypes[1]='text';fnames[2]='LNAME';ftypes[2]='text';fnames[3]='ADDRESS';ftypes[3]='address';fnames[4]='PHONE';ftypes[4]='phone';}(jQuery));var $mcj = jQuery.noConflict(true);</script><!--End mc_embed_signup--><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-39280371711239833812010-02-01T00:21:00.004+08:002010-02-01T00:38:38.862+08:00Changes - Lots and lots of themYes, it's been far too long since my last post and Blogger is probably targeting my site for decomissioning due to inactivity. For anyone who actually reads this site , accept my apologies for the long period of radio silence.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0_-dURn_2y5T52SFGER6LulHOaH0tZGIBYLzVGse8XdexPGTa8VEWapbrQcYT8cwreKLgwlTTbIB6glp7NikCZBpMMwYp_9VutrOdWnVV8haGAW2tG7at_asow9B43mdVVmLJw/s1600-h/Me+n+Cait.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432942353001162386" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE0_-dURn_2y5T52SFGER6LulHOaH0tZGIBYLzVGse8XdexPGTa8VEWapbrQcYT8cwreKLgwlTTbIB6glp7NikCZBpMMwYp_9VutrOdWnVV8haGAW2tG7at_asow9B43mdVVmLJw/s200/Me+n+Cait.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />So what's new with me ?<br /><br /><br /><ul><li></li></ul><ul><li>Am married to my wonderful wife Maureen</li><li>Am a daddy now to my beautiful daughter Caitlin</li><li>Changed jobs - well divisions more like but still the same </li><li>Will be moving out soon (if the contractor ever completes the renovation)</li><li>.....and nearing the end of the MBA - assuming I can find time to write up my<br />dissertation</li></ul><p>So yes, it's been a hectic past 12 months and if the last few months has been anything to go by, it's going to get a bit worse before it gets better.</p>zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-47515426668151767092009-04-26T17:22:00.002+08:002009-04-26T17:35:49.549+08:00Still Alive !<div>It's been almost 2 years since my last post but hey, I'm still alive and well. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>So what is new with me ? </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Job : No change. Still where I was 2 years back. Some role redefinition but ultimately nothing major to report </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>MBA : The end is in sight- 80% thru the taught modules and thinking about the dissertation</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Personal Life : Unmarried but currently attached . Nuff' said.</div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Family : Alive and well. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Political views : Still apathetic. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Religious views : Read above. </div><br /><div></div><br /><div>Anyway. Not sure who reads this blog but I figure I'd better post something new before Google deactivates it. </div><br /><div></div><a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3623/3475160563_b20d6cd789.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 375px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 500px" alt="" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3623/3475160563_b20d6cd789.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><div>...</div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div><br /><div></div>zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-42075304967660499262007-10-12T10:59:00.000+08:002007-10-12T12:33:20.049+08:00<em>So where have you been lately ?</em><br /><div><div><div><div><div><div> </div><div>I was in Dubai last week on a business trip. It is true that this is probably the worst time to visit the city given the fact that it is the fasting month and the UAE being a Muslim country severely frowns upon the consumption of food or water in public during the day and most of the entertainment type places are closed too. However I did manage to have a good time.<br /></div><div>The city itself is very surreal. All these sparkling new buildings and everywhere you look there's construction going on. I had a couple of days off so I took to the streets. This of course was a stupid stupid idea. <em>Dubai => Desert Climate => Thirsty Traveller Who Can't Get A Drink Because It's Ramadan - Duh . </em></div><div><em></em><br /> </div><div>Anyway, here I am at the Gold Souk (souk=market) near Dubai Creek looking a little worn out.<br /></div><div><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2136/1548472072_e9b43711ec.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2136/1548472072_e9b43711ec.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /> </div><div>The market itself looks almost exactly as how you would imagine a Hollywood movie portraying a Middle Eastern bazaar would look like with the exception: Instead of local Arabs attending the stores, most of the store workers are either Pakistani or Filipinos which I found to be the case everywhere else in Dubai.<br /></div><div><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2088/1548577088_8bb734cf2f.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2088/1548577088_8bb734cf2f.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /> </div><div> </div><div>The goods stacked outside of the market in the photo are transported along the Dubai Creek to somewhere on these exhaust fuming junky looking boats.<a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2040/1547604929_a06b7f2baf.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 151px" height="169" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2040/1547604929_a06b7f2baf.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2154/1547768721_203de59641.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2154/1547768721_203de59641.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /> </div><div>So that was the old part of the city, imagine my shock when I went to the new part of the city. The contrast was somewhat jarring.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2337/1548471918_3f5b1b754e.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2337/1548471918_3f5b1b754e.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Anyway, I heard a lot about this shopping centre with a ski slope in Dubai which I had to see for myself. Bizzare does not even begin to cut it. It was 40C outside and suddenly, you see snow and people renting winter clothing to get into the ski slope complex.<br /></div><div><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2275/1547604675_4586bc184d.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2275/1547604675_4586bc184d.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><br />Of course, no visit to Dubai would be complete without a cursory trip to Burj Al-Arab and I must say, the building is as impressive in real life as it is in photos.<br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2175/1547604513_7c0dab39d7.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2175/1547604513_7c0dab39d7.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /><br /> </div><br /><div>Only in Dubai I suppose, the same country that is in the midst of constructing a whole set of man made islands shaped like the world and will soon have a shopping centre/amusement park called Falconcity that will have a mini-eiffel tower among other tacky gimmicky attractions.<br /></div><div>I also took a Desert Safari where they take you out to the Desert in a beat up 4WD. Exciting to say the least as you would expect.</div><br /><div><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2346/1548472212_473ecd82b2.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2346/1548472212_473ecd82b2.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br /> </div><div><br /><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2229/1548635228_c1b1366220.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2229/1548635228_c1b1366220.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a>And I have to say this, the desert is not for the agoraphobic. With no landmarks anywhere for miles, it is only too easy to lose your way. </div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><div> </div><div>Just before I left , I made a trip to Jebel Hafeet ( Jebel means mountain ) , about 1 1/2 hours from Dubai and apparently a popular local weekend get-away for most of the Dubai city dwellers. </div><br /><div><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2001/1548472624_f8d2c4251d.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2001/1548472624_f8d2c4251d.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><div>And yes. That is in fact a palace in the mountains. </div><div><br /> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>And coming down the mountain we made stop at a hot springs oasis which only reinforced the surreal element I was talking about earlier. Sand sand sand rocks rocks rocks and bam suddenly lush green . </div><a href="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2294/1548473050_a96acb81bd.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2294/1548473050_a96acb81bd.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div>Anyway...It was an experience. My advice to anyone who wants to go there for a holiday is : Don't go during Ramadan and be prepared to shell out a lot of Dirhams, Dubai is expensive. </div><div><em></em> </div><div><em>So what else is new ?</em> </div><div> </div><div>Just started my part time MBA so felt a bit guilty about missing classes when I was there. It's not as bad as I thought it would be. A couple of night classes after work, some course work. Bearable.</div><div> </div><div>Anyway...more on this some other time I suppose.</div></div></div></div></div></div>zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-68281509130200072212007-09-04T21:32:00.000+08:002007-09-04T21:42:15.083+08:00<em>So what’s new with you?<br /></em><br />Well this is going to be a short entry. Unfortunately this post will not have any photos. No travelling this past few weeks which may be a blessing I suppose. Still stumbling my way thru life from one indecision to the next. Single obviously. A little older this month (It was my birthday two weeks back ) Not sure whether I’ve gotten any wiser though.<br /><br /><em>What have you been listening to ?<br /></em><br />The new Magic Numbers album – Those The Brokes . I have to say I am quite sorely disappointed. There are a few strong tracks on this album but a lot of the tracks are very formulaic. (I.e Three part harmony, a lot of “oooohhh-ooooohhh-ohhhh” and jangly guitar riffs ) Still “Take A Chance” is a catchy tune in a shoe tapping type of way. You might want to check out their web-site though…they’ve got a cute cartoon version of themselves <a href="http://www.themagicnumbers.net/">www.themagicnumbers.net/</a><br /><br />I’ve been going into a back catalogue mode. Was doing some research on Feist the other day and thought I’d check out her ex-band. Broken Social Scene. “Bee-Hives” (2004)<br /><a href="http://www.arts-crafts.ca/bss/index.html">http://www.arts-crafts.ca/bss/index.html</a> . Some of the tracks are a bit on the post rock side but generally I was more surprised that Feist used to be in this band. She sounds nothing like them! Probably best listened to when chilling out after a long day or on a Sunday drive somewhere.<br /><br />If anyone has been keeping up with the British music scene, you may have noticed Kate Nash as well. She sings with a very very strong London accent sort of like that other Londoner myspace starlet made good – Lily Allen. That’s where the similarities end. Kate Nash’s music is a slice of fresh air (Yes-I’m mixing up my metaphors again). It’s not ground-breaking but the somewhat quirky lyrics make her material highly listenable. “Right, birds can fly so high, or they can shit on your head, Yeah they can almost fly into your eye and make you feel so scared. But when you look at them, and you see that they're beautiful, That's how i feel about you”<br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/katenashmusic/">http://www.myspace.com/katenashmusic/</a><br /><em><br />So what have you been reading ?</em><br /><br />Got a couple of new books. Mostly non-fiction. I am halfway thru The Last Oil Shock by David Srathan. It’s about how all the oil majors and governments are covering up the shocking fact that the world’s supply of oil has already peaked or will soon and we are going to be in deep trouble if we don’t at least acknowledge it and get some plans in place to survive the “oil shock”.<br /><br />Centres on the idea of peak oil, the point or timeframe at which the maximum global petroleum production rate is reached. After this timeframe, the rate of production will enter terminal decline. The nasty part is that this is not sometime in the far future but IT HAS ALREADY HAPPENED. I am not sure what to think. Being in the O&G industry myself, I have been fed with some internal propaganda as well via the company communications so I am approaching the book with some skepticism. We will see I suppose.<br /><br />Anyway, the concept is interesting :<br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peak_oil</a><br /><a href="http://www.davidstrahan.com/blog">http://www.davidstrahan.com/blog</a><br /><br /><em>Watched anything interesting lately ?</em><br /><em></em><br />Funny you asked, I got this DVD from a colleague of an old film called: “<em>The Cook, The Thief , His Wife and Her Lover</em>” I really liked the film. It’s about this woman who is married to a brute of a husband , a gangster of some sort, and they keep coming to this restaurant that her husband owns which is run by this French chef and another strange quiet diner who has no lines until 1/3rd of the movie who she has an affair with. But wait….lest this sounds dull, perhaps I should add the fact that the costumes are all designed by Jean Paul Gautier and the piece de resistance , an epic ending involving a very well cooked human carcass. It’s shocking yes, but it suits the tone of the filmzer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-18678216201858807632007-07-15T22:57:00.000+08:002007-07-15T23:25:34.816+08:00<a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1001/744151587_75695dfd49.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 135px; CURSOR: hand" height="179" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1001/744151587_75695dfd49.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a> <em>So what’s new with you?</em><br /><br />Well, I’ve been traveling again on business. I was just in Australia (Sydney first and then to Geelong) and then to Singapore (Yes, exotic Singapore) last week.<br /><br />More work than play this time I am afraid so not as much photos as I would have liked. I however had a chance to take a long weekend in Melbourne where I graciously lodged in the living room of a friend’s place in a location that defies pronunciation.<br /><br />Paarhan ? Parahan ? Praharan ? Oh wait it’s spelt Prahran but pronounced Puh-ran. Obviously. C. dearie, if you are reading this, I wikipedia-ed Prahran and apparently “Prahran is also home to a large portion of Melbourne's gay community, with several gay nightclubs on Commercial Road” (Don't believe me...? Read it yourself : <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prahran">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prahran</a> )<br /><br />Bet you didn’t know that. Actually scratch that, I think I’d be worried if you did know that. Then again, wikipedia isn’t exactly a repository of reliable information. I remember looking up my own neighbourhood and reading <em>“Taman Tun Dr.Ismail , or as it is commonly known “the hood” is a main township in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia…”</em> This entry has thankfully been excised from the existing article but it was hilarious when I found it. Picture a tourist telling the cabbie. “Can you please take me to the hood?”<br /><br />But I am rambling of course. So what is new with me? Without delving into the details, I thought I found something but it turned out that I thought wrong. Do I hurt? Maybe a little. It’s difficult to tell these days. Mostly I feel kind of numb and anesthetized emotionally.<br /><br /><em>Right….enough with the emotional nonsense..any pictures of where you’ve been ?</em><br /><br />Well. I was in Rosehill for work. That’s not too far from Sydney but I only saw the airport and was there for too short a time to actually go into Sydney proper so the most exciting thing I saw was the race-track at Paramatta. I have no pictures to speak of so here is a shot of the view from my hotel window instead.<br /><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1268/819283200_d789bcfd4a.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1268/819283200_d789bcfd4a.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /></div><div></div><div> </div><div>I then went to Geelong which a nice quiet town an hour from Melbourne that overlooks Corio Bay. I had a chance after work to walk around Geelong town. I figure that it is probably very nice in the summer but since it was winter, it was awful. What was interesting was that the town was home to the Australian National Wool Museum. Doubtless I would have had oodles of fun it was open.<br /><br />So as I mentioned I was in Melbourne next. It’s a nice place. Very livable? Clean and new-ish looking to boot. I didn’t really do much sight-seeing but I had a nice time strolling up the river Yarra, watching a chess game on the street and wandering around the extremely over the top Federation Square, a mass of steel and concrete desperately trying to make a statement of some sort in the middle of Melbourne city.<a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1251/744151611_29a696a328.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 287px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" height="179" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1251/744151611_29a696a328.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1265/744151603_999e98a5b9.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 276px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px" height="179" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1265/744151603_999e98a5b9.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /><br /><br /></div><p></p><div><br /><br /> </div><div><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1384/744151557_98998c2aef.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 286px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" height="150" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1384/744151557_98998c2aef.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1298/744151567_87559bc172.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 281px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 149px" height="157" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1298/744151567_87559bc172.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1298/744151567_87559bc172.jpg?v=0"></a></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div> </div><div>I had a day trip to the Dandenong mountains with some friends of my friend which was pleasant. Note the amusing warning sign below.</div><div><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1231/818473091_20de29bdfa.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1231/818473091_20de29bdfa.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1293/819333648_2ab6eb76c9.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 299px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 262px" height="213" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1293/819333648_2ab6eb76c9.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1293/819333648_2ab6eb76c9.jpg?v=0"></a></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div></div><div><br /> </div><div>As a foot note, I should probably mention the wedding I attended in Singapore of some old friends before I shot off to Australia. It was such a nice feeling to see the both of them tie the knot especially since I knew them when they only started dating five years ago. Reassuring that love does work out sometimes. I unfortunately do not have any photos of the event as apparently there was a ban on external non-approved photographers snapping pics within the church. Go figure. </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1003/745031024_7fc9ca1b9d.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1003/745031024_7fc9ca1b9d.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a>The only picture I managed to bootleg was a shot of the very cute wedding car complete with the Hello Kitty hood ornament.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>I was back in Singapore last week for work again unfortunately I left my camera at home so I have no pictures even though I thought the city looked really pretty as I has a night out on my own after work that I spent strolling in the Esplanade/Raffles/Marina Square/Suntec City area. Next time I guess. </div><div><em></em> </div><div><em>What are you listening to ?<br /></em><br />Well, there’s this Swedish band “Loney, Dear” ( Not Lonely ! Loney ) that I am currently into. ( <a href="http://www.loneydear.com/">http://www.loneydear.com/</a> ). Strong layered melodies on most songs. The lead singer has a sad expressive voice. This of course is a prerequisite for personal soul baring tunes which the band has plenty of.<br /><br />I was also listening to the new Bjork album - Volta.( <a href="http://bjork.com/">http://bjork.com/</a> ) Weird as always. Just when you thought the stuff couldn’t get stranger than her last album Medulla, she tops it by coming up with an odd tribal track in the form of Earth Invaders which apparently was written when she visited Indonesia just after the tsunami in 2006. It’s not too bad, save for a few of the duller songs that were jointly produced with Timbaland and Bjork, however to be honest, I prefer her earlier material she co-wrote with Tricky.<br /><br />The new Travis album – Boy with no name.( <a href="http://www.travisonline.com/">http://www.travisonline.com/</a>) It’s nothing new or groundbreaking but then again, I wasn’t looking for that anyway. The tracks have the familiar Travis folksy touch with a banjo riff here and there. I watched the video for their single off the album “Closer” ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2hYn_4yuhc ) (Yes, I am too lazy to paste the video here so you will just have to hyperlink your way there) which had them working in a supermarket with Ben Stiller cameo-ing as the supervisor which was very out of place to say the least. Or maybe that’s just me. On the whole I guess it’s alright for easy listening but Travis may need to come up with a new sound soon or risk being lost in the sea of brit-poppy bands with the same sound that ironically they helped to popularize.<br /><br /><em>What are you reading ?</em><br /><br />I am halfway thru “ Fooled By Randomness” by Nassim Taleb. <a href="http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/">http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/</a> It’s very clever but also very snobby. It’s about randomness and how the human mind is not built to accommodate randomness when we think we are rational. It’s also about him ranting a lot and being very clever and well-read. Some bits are useful but some bits are just acerbic. </div></div>zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-46167487683062489872007-05-01T09:45:00.000+08:002007-05-02T15:39:48.317+08:00<div><div><div><div><div><div><em>So what have you been up to lately? It’s been like ages since you last wrote….<br /></em><br />I’ve been busy. Or rather I’ve been a touch lazy more like. Also it’s difficult to keep on writing. A quick review of my past material here has left me to conclude that most of my posts are insipid and devoid of any real emotional content. Sure it’s about stuff that I’ve done or places I’ve been to but it doesn’t really seem to capture the experience well. It’s a bunch of words really.<br /><br /><em>Right……so where have you been?</em><br /><br />I was in the States for the large part of March on business. Was in New Orleans, Houston and then Washington. I was also very fortunate that I had a day off at each city so I could do the whole sight-seeing thing.<br /><br /><strong>New Orleans, Louisiana</strong></div><div><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/83037325@N00/479231030/"></a><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/220/479231030_1cdc032288.jpg?v=0" border="0" /><br /><br />I had a walk along the Missisippi ( I know I’ve probably mis-spelt it ) river.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/479231042_5c77445182.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/182/479231042_5c77445182.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a>Paid a visit to the French Quarter (Unfortunately I was a few weeks too early for Mardi Gras) where they have all these really old looking houses.</div><div><br />The place was a bit run down looking but I think that was the whole point really.<br /><br /><br /><br /><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/207/479231034_60df9d2a2f.jpg?v=0" border="0" /><br /></div><div>I also checked out this cemetery where supposedly this famous voodoo lady, Marie Laveau is buried. </div><div></div><div>Actually I didn't really intend to go there but I was wandering around the city and found this congregation of tourists milling about what appeared to be a graveyard entrance so I sort of tagged along.</div><div></div><div>A creepy image crossed my mind while I was there. A local cabbie told me the day before about how at some of the New Orleans graveyards, bodies and coffins started surfacing when Katrina/Rita hit the city. Brr...</div><div><br />I didn't really dare take a picture of her grave for fear of what might turn up on the camera later so here is a sidelong shot of the rest of the cemetery instead.<br /></div><div>Get the dirt (har har) on her story here: <a href="http://www.experienceneworleans.com/deadcity.html">http://www.experienceneworleans.com/deadcity.html</a><br /></div><div>The city is still in the state of recovery from Katrina and you can see the signs on the repair works going on and the quietness of some neighbourhoods once you venture out of the tourist districts. Below you can seee workmen repairing the roof of the French Market and some road-works at Canal Street ( I am not sure whether the road works were Katrina related though...) </div><div></div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/224/479231050_98d5c62340.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/224/479231050_98d5c62340.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/211/479231060_30d067c4ea.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/211/479231060_30d067c4ea.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div></div><div><br /></div><div>I also had a chance to try out some of this Cajun cooking and surprisingly, I was quite impressed by some of it. Gumbo and Jambalaya was so-so …it tasted like peppery stew but I quite liked the Crawfish Etoufette. It’s this rice dish with teeny tiny crawfish (They are like miniature lobsters) tails in a peppery gravy sauce. Nice.<br /></div><div>Unfortunately, I left my camera back in the hotel room so I have no photos so you will have to enjoy this wikipedia entry instead : <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajun_cuisine">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cajun_cuisine</a></div><div><br /><strong>Houston , Texas</strong><br /></div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/195/479255553_1a48227717.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/195/479255553_1a48227717.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a>It was apparently the middle of the Spring Break so the Museum District was crawling with all these families thronging the museums and the zoo and the park. The weather was amazing. Sunny and breezy but amazingly not too humid. It was so nice I actually decided to have an ice-cream and chill-out on a park bench in Hermann Park.</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/229/479255555_b15cdd673b.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/229/479255555_b15cdd673b.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div><div> </div><div><div>I also had a great time at the Museum of Fine Arts where strangely enough I went to an exhibition on French Impressionism which was on loan from the New York Met ( Yeah, I know, visit America and get a slice of French culture ..who would have thought? ) </div></div><div> </div></div><div></div><div> </div><div> </div><div>The night before one of my local colleagues decided to take the visitors from out of town to the rodeo. I was a little apprehensive at first but that soon changed once I got there. The rodeo was in this fantastically huge stadium and all around the stadium there were stalls selling </div><div>paraphernalia and food. </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/194/479255541_7e9b109dd6.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 167px; CURSOR: hand" height="121" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/194/479255541_7e9b109dd6.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/211/479255545_9fc7e1c66d.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 178px; CURSOR: hand" height="121" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/211/479255545_9fc7e1c66d.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/200/479255547_a913c69e2e.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 175px; CURSOR: hand" height="123" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/200/479255547_a913c69e2e.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>What was most amazing was the sheer scale of everything, the stadium was massive, the farm equipment on display was huge, and the enormity of the food portions was only matched by the general size of the American locals. This statement was generally true for everyplace in the States but especially obvious in Houston.<br /><br /><strong>Washington D.C</strong></div><div> </div><div>I really did the tourist routine. </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/204/479630291_27b668e8b0.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/204/479630291_27b668e8b0.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a>I took the walk down "The Mall" starting from the Abraham Lincoln Memorial down to the White House </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/228/479630297_9c3fd5688d.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/228/479630297_9c3fd5688d.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div> </div><div>and the War Memorial (The toothpick obelisk )...</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/232/479630289_4e032c0e9d.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/232/479630289_4e032c0e9d.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a>then to the Smithsonian Museum(s) ...where they had really funky outdoor exhibits...</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/479630275_4cc3574ca1.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/479630275_4cc3574ca1.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a>...Capitol Hill ...</div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/231/479630277_4e22f45d37.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/231/479630277_4e22f45d37.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a></div><div>....and then to Chinatown. </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>I think of the three cities I was in, I liked Washington D.C the most. There is something very cosmopolitan about the place. I think I like the busy-ness of the town. There looks like there is so much going on everywhere. </div><div> </div><div>Actually, I’ve been to Washington before ages ago when I was about fourteen or something. Strangely enough I have little or no recollection of the trip. Another one of those memory lapses that seem to dot my long term recall for personal events I guess.<br /><br /><em>Wow…sounds like you had a good time..</em><br /><br />I suppose I did.<br /><em><br />Listening to anything interesting these days?</em><br /><br />I bought a couple of albums when I was in the States. I got this new-ish Sufjan Stevens album called Avalanche (<a href="http://asthmatickitty.com/music.php?releaseID=50">http://asthmatickitty.com/music.php?releaseID=50</a>) which is basically a sequel album to the Illlinois album made up out-takes and remixes. I really like it. I mean it is obviously more of the same stuff but hey who’s complaining right ?<br /><br />I also liked Regina Spektor (<a href="http://www.reginaspektor.com/">http://www.reginaspektor.com/</a>) so much I bought two of her albums Begin to Hope and Soviet Kitsch. She is adorable. She has this really retro look to her and I like the New Yorky accent that comes up in some of her songs. I’ve talked about her music in one of my earlier posts I think but I still think it is amazing that she put all her material up on the web for free.<br /><br />I have the latest Aqualung album, Memory Man (<a href="http://aqualung.net/">http://aqualung.net/</a>) but it is a bit of a let-down really. I think Matt Hale is trying out a louder more mainstream sound, which is not a bad thing considering that some of the material in the past album was really sleep inducing more than anything else but it’s a bit of a hit and miss affair.<br /><br />The biggest disappointment of course is the new Beth Orton album I bought, Comfort of Strangers (<a href="http://www.bethorton.co.uk/">http://www.bethorton.co.uk/</a>) .I am used to the stuff she put out during her <em>Central Reservation</em> period and this total about turn to “folk-sy” music was really surprising. There are one or two songs on the album which I think are worth repeat listens (Shopping Trolley and Conviction) but a lot of the other songs are somewhat forgettable. Kinda makes me wish she would go back to the William Orbit days (ala <em>Galaxy of Emptiness</em> type songs)<br /><br />I am also quite into Leslie Feist. She has a new album out called Reminder (<a href="http://www.listentofeist.com/">http://www.listentofeist.com/</a>) It didn’t register at first but then my sister kindly pointed out that she is the lady in the Kings of Convenience album covers. This Canadian has an impressive list of credentials having collaborated with a host of people and was in a band called the Broken Social Scene. Starting from there I’ve been surfing a lot of the Youtube/Myspace pages for the Canadian indie scene. It is way cool. I mean all this while the only think I knew about Canadian music was Alanis…<br /><br />Went for a gig recently at KLJamAsia with the coolest name “Tell You Boss You Had A Late Night With The Clients Discussing Multi Logistical Developments (Whatever That Means )”. I was there mainly to watch Furniture but the other bands were not too bad either. Playing that night were Silent Scenery, LightCraft and Azmyl Yunor.<br /><br />Azmyl Yunor got some chatter from the crowd with his silly banter but he is a showman through and through ( Complete with the guitar playing solo on his knees act ) .<br /><br />LightCraft were alright but they sounded a bit like a medley of lots of indie Brit bands.<br /><br />Slient Scenery isn’t really my cup of tea. The band has a really nice looking bassist who I offered a stool to that night as she was about to sit on the floor. Unfortunately I could not think of a good pick-up line to go with that ….<br /><br />Furniture is beginning to sound a bit tired. I have seen these guys perform a few times already and I think the lead singer should really just stick to keeping most of the songs instrumental or at the very least continue to let the feed-back drown out his singing. </div><div> </div><div>I am sorry but his voice is really quite difficult to listen to in it’s raw unedited form. It’s whispery and kind of lame. Aside from the duet that he does with the keyboardist ( Who is really cute I might add) all the other songs with him singing distracts you from the otherwise surreal-sonic experience<br /><br /><em>So read anything new recently ?<br /></em><br />I picked up a book at the airport to keep myself busy. Oil on the Brain by Lisa Margonelli. (<a href="http://www.oilonthebrain.com/">http://www.oilonthebrain.com/</a>) It’s a good read for anyone who wants to get up to speed on America’s addiction to oil in a hurry. It covers everything from the O&G business from the gas station to the refinery to the wells and then to the stock market floor. </div><div> </div><div>The narrative is simple and to the point, written in an easy to understand style. It is especially interesting for me I suppose because I am in the business of O&G. It was a lot better than that Tom Friedman (Mr.I-won-a-pulitzer-prize-The-World-Is-Flat ) documentary called Addicted To Oil which I thought just glossed over a lot of issues and went straight into the renewable/unconventional energy technologies. </div><div><br /><em>Anything else to add...?</em></div><div> </div><div>If I think of something I'll let you know but for now..no not really.</div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div>zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-62115675730819677412007-02-19T21:44:00.000+08:002007-02-19T22:31:50.743+08:00<div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><div><em>So what’s new with you ?</em><br /><br />Well, Holland was interesting. I learnt a few things : </div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/395330231_9bbff81170_m.jpg"></a> </div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/395330231_9bbff81170_m.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 184px; CURSOR: hand" height="310" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/185/395330231_9bbff81170_m.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div>1) Tulip bulbs look like great big onions.<br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div> </div><br /><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div> </div><div>2) In Amsterdam the term coffee shop means a totally different thing from what I thought it meant. A head-trippy kind of thing in fact.<br /><br />3) Amsterdam and The Hague seem to have a lot of water-ways criss-crossing the city. It seems a bit stupid now that I’ve actually said it. Must be like someone going to the forest and saying gosh…there sure are a lot of trees here..<br /><br /></div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/178/395330238_cec7717db9_m.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/178/395330238_cec7717db9_m.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The Hague – A random road somewhere.<br /></span></em><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><em></em></span><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><em><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/395330232_3cbc7b7b43_m.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/137/395330232_3cbc7b7b43_m.jpg" border="0" /></a>Amsterdam – Some water way with a lot of shops selling drugs and tulips and another shot of an artificial skating rink smack dab in the middle of Amsterdam city.</em></span><br /></div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><div><br />4) According to some of my Dutch colleagues, the most popular “Dutch” cuisine is fries with mayonnaise. Seriously. Although I think Stroopwafelen ,a type of soft waffle-like biscuit sandwich with caramel filling, comes a close second.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/145/395330239_ee8d9efa6c_m.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 232px; CURSOR: hand" height="366" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/145/395330239_ee8d9efa6c_m.jpg" border="0" /></a> <em><span style="font-family:times new roman;">A notable mention is this chain of eateries “Feebo” I saw in Amsterdam that has a nifty concept. There is nobody to serve you but there are rows of food in little vending windows. Put some coins in and hey presto you get to open the window to get to the food. The staff behind the little vending window then re-loads the food.</span></em><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><br /> </div><div>5) I may look extremely dopey in a hat but the alternative was having my ears freeze in the cold.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/162/395340071_81b9a6a58f.jpg?v=0"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 200px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/162/395340071_81b9a6a58f.jpg?v=0" border="0" /></a><br /><em><span style="font-family:times new roman;">My ugly mug</span></em><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div><br /> </div><div>It was fortunate that I was able to find a little time to go tourist-ing in Amsterdam/Hague. Among my pit stops were<br /><br />The Escher Museum in The Hague ( Lange Voorhout Palace to be exact ) – </div><br /><div><br /><a href="http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/escher/day_and_night.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 408px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" height="178" alt="" src="http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/escher/day_and_night.jpg" border="0" /></a>For anyone who doesn’t know yet, M.C Escher was the Dutch artist who was famous for creating all those pictures/paintings that mess around with the viewer’s sense of perception. Difficult to explain here so what I’ll do is lazily link to a page elsewhere showcasing some of his work. </div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><div><a href="http://www.escherinhetpaleis.nl/">http://www.escherinhetpaleis.nl/</a><br /><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.C._Escher">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M.C._Escher</a></div><br /><div><br />If you ever do visit this place , try out the 3-D virtual reality thing at the top floor. This alone is worth the price of the admission itself. You literally get to walk into an Escher painting and look around.<br /><br />The Sex Museum in Amsterdam (Damrak 18) –<br /><br />I wanted to include the Rembrandt or Van Gogh Museum in this list but unfortunately they were closed by the time I got there. Not because I was hanging around the Sex Museum for too long I might add to silence the snickers of anyone reading too deeply into this. Surprisingly, for all that I’ve heard of it, it was mild and somewhat cheesy. Disappointing really. Everything about it screams tourist trap. Honestly, if you want a history of wanton debauchery and all things naughty, you’d be better off googling for it.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/395345193_d7e759172e_m.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 262px; CURSOR: hand" height="150" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/395345193_d7e759172e_m.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><em><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The Rembrandt Museum ( I think ) ? Anyway it was almost about to close by the time I got there and I wasn’t going to fork out 10 euro to spend only 15 minutes inside.<br /></span></em><br /></div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><br /><div></div><br /><div>More recently, I made the mistake of going to this post Valentine’s Day event, Single’s Night Out event at KL Jam Asia. I figured that since the event was touted as a fun way to get to know single people ( And most importantly it was free ! ) and I liked the performances/atmosphere from the last time I was there, I didn’t have much to lose.<br /><br />I made the fatal mistake of turning up on time. Well not exactly on time, the event was supposed to start at 7.30pm so I figured if I turned up at 8.00pm, in the typical Malaysian fashion, it would be alright.<br /><br />Wrong! I got there at 8.10pm with not a soul in sight. Not to look too sheepish, I got myself a drink and sat around till 8.30pm where I decided that if anyone was going to turn up it would probably be much later and the likelihood was that only single desperate men like myself would appear anyway. So I left. So much for that.<br /><br /><em>So been listening to anything new lately ?</em><br /><br />Not really. I was given a sampler CD of Filipino music by one of my colleagues from abroad. Not too bad but I haven’t had time to really listen to it yet.<br /><br /><em>Read anything new lately ?</em><br /><br />I just finished “Why Things Fail and How To Avoid It” by Paul Ormerod. Interesting read. It’s basically deals with the parallels in biology and evolutionary science with reference to extinctions and the economic modeling of failure of firms and businesses. </div><div><br /><a href="http://www.paulormerod.com/">http://www.paulormerod.com/</a></div><div><br />It’s a reasonably light read as he doesn’t get too involved with the math of the problem but the basic thrust of the book is :<br /><br />1.) The current economic model subscribed to by most economists is utter bollocks as it produces models that have no similarity to reality.<br /><br />2.) There is an underlying pattern that links the extinction of species over the evolutionary course of the world’s biological history and the failure and bankruptcy of firms/businesses in human economic history.<br /><br />3.) If you can ignore the fact that the integrity of the data gathered for both are somewhat questionable (Note: This is only my personal opinion) and the fact that some assumptions and exclusions have to be made to make sense of the analogous behaviors, then there is a shocking revelation: Governments and firms/large organizations seldom know what they are doing. Despite of the fact that they are supposedly act intentionally with meticulously thought out plans, often the results produced are beyond their control and unexpected. Duh.<br /><br />Seriously though, it is a rather good read.<br /><br />I also skimmed through “ The Definitive Book Of Body Language” By Barbara and Allan Pease. What seemed at the time, an interesting read when I was stuck at Schipol Airport, quickly became somewhat silly as I got through the rest of the book. </div><div><br /><a href="http://www.peaseinternational.com/">http://www.peaseinternational.com/</a></div><div><br />The material is necessarily superficial and reminiscent of the type of stuff you’d get from a women’s magazine but I suppose that was the whole point.<br /><br /><em>Anything else interesting to add ?</em></div><div><br /><div>Inspired by the works of Escher ( I use the term inspired loosely - In as much a Neanderthal can look at the Last Supper and go away to scrawl a stick figure drawing with dead animal droppings on a cave wall ) , I have decided to put in something my sister and I created.<br /></div><div>We haven’t thought of a name yet though. I was thinking maybe “ Attack Of The 10 Foot Disembodied Hand ”. </div><br /><div>Cue the cheesy 60-s sci-fi B movies music. </div><div><br /><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/94/395340083_aa22635ee3_m.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 227px; CURSOR: hand" height="177" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/94/395340083_aa22635ee3_m.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/395340079_ae68ec1ed4_m.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 224px; CURSOR: hand" height="182" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/177/395340079_ae68ec1ed4_m.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/395340073_c0e48dca8a_m.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 225px; CURSOR: hand" height="159" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/395340073_c0e48dca8a_m.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/395350586_ab60d8c46f_m.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 226px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 165px" height="147" alt="" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/395350586_ab60d8c46f_m.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><br /><br /><div><a href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/395350586_ab60d8c46f_m.jpg"></a></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><div>Oh before I forget : Gong Xi Fa Cai !!! to any of you people who actually read this blog. May the year of the pig bring you prosperity and happiness ( And possibly bacon as well )</div><div> </div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1170018142137958392007-01-29T04:59:00.000+08:002007-01-29T05:02:22.150+08:00I’ve been trying to keep this blog light and fluffy. None of that soul baring nonsense that you normally find on the blogosphere. But then I thought what the hell, maybe I should jump on the bandwagon too and start doing that whole self centred emo-charged dialogue act too.<br /><br />I am writing this on a plane at around 30 thousand feet above sea level on my way to a conference in the Netherlands for work. I’ve just had an extremely surreal experience about an hour ago. By sheer chance I ran into my first ex-girlfriend at the airport.<br /><br />Some history may be required to explain the context of why this was so important ( to me at least).<br /><br />About eight years ago, when I was a little younger and a lot stupider, not only did I break this girl’s heart but also I chose the worst possible time to do so. Her parents were in the midst of a divorce or something of that sort.<br /><br />For reasons that I can’t fully understand myself, I had begun to feel somewhat trapped in the relationship and suspected that I did not really like her after all. She was the very quiet type. I felt I was not making much headway in terms of getting her to open up emotionally.<br /><br />I panicked and pushed the eject button so to speak before I had to get too involved in her emotional/personal problems and pretend/carry out the great charade of being the good boyfriend.<br /><br />Yes, yes, I was a selfish idiot, roll your eyes if you want.<br /><br />After my rejection, she cut me off completely and honestly I can’t blame her. When I came to my senses shortly after and realised how callous I’d been and how tactlessly I handled the entire situation, I made up my mind to make it up to her. I even thought that if I couldn’t work things out, we could at least maintain a healthy long lasting friendship but she effectively ex-communicated me. I became a non-person to her, to be avoided at all costs which was awkward as we still had to sit in the same classes for a few more months until our pre-university course concluded.<br /><br />My reconciliatory phone calls to her went unanswered. Letters were not responded too and basically after we went our separate ways for university, it became next to impossible to get in touch.<br /><br />Since then I have a lot of time to reflect on my actions. For a period of time, I was carrying around a lot of penitent guilt of having done a bad thing and not being able to “fix” it later. I think it is fair to say that this event had a great effect on shaping my entire approach to relationships.<br /><br />The influence of this event extends to today where I suspect that my stubborn ( and probably bordering on emotionally sadomasochistic need ) to keep in touch and be friends with my ex-s even if they are the ones who want to break-up with me is driven by this past experience.<br /><br />I’ve had plenty of opportunity to imagine what it would be like to run into her again and I’ve played out the scenario a few times in my head.<br /><br />When I finally did get the chance a little while ago, it was unsurprisingly very cathartic for me to a certain degree.<br /><br />Frustratingly enough, my first ex has not lost that characteristic emotional detachment therefore it was, in fact, extremely difficult to determine how this impacted her, if at all. She seemed to be partly amused and partly uncomfortable by the whole thing.<br /><br />We exchanged pleasantries, did the five minute where have you been all these years soliloquy and I am afraid that I may have weirded her out with my “prepared” apology speech which I’ve been drafting for a number of years.<br /><br />She said that it was a long time ago and there was no need to bring it up again. So much for that. Anyway, she looks fantastic and seems to be doing quite well for herself. Apparently she works in the UK somewhere as a doctor in training.<br /><br />I left her my business card and e-mail but it was quite obvious that she will probably not write back. She did not offer me with a way to contact her but then again, somehow, it felt right that way.<br /><br /> So I suppose (or rather I hope) with the new job, my recent break-up with my current ex (sorry, I know it sounds like an oxymoron) and this totally unexpected opportunity for emotional closure, things will begin to look up for me in the coming yearzer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1169393964233440652007-01-21T23:26:00.000+08:002007-01-21T23:39:24.263+08:00It’s been a while since the last blog.<br /><br />Part of which was contributed by the fact that Blogger has been acting up ever since the quake in Taiwan about a month ago and partly due to my own laziness.<br /><br />Thankfully, I think I’ve made this post just in time to keep to my promise of a minimum of one blog a month. Didn’t say anything about the quality of the blog though. Ha.ha.<br /><br /><em>So what’s new with you ?</em><br /><br />I’ve finally swapped jobs. I am now working in the KLCC area doing some consultancy work. It’s not exactly rocket science but I am glad to have a change of environment. I think if I had to hang around my last job for any longer, I would have gone bonkers.<br /><br />Then again, the new job location is a lot further from home than I’m used to and the fact that I’m no longer field based means that I can no longer have the flexi start times that frankly I’ve become accustomed to having.<br /><br />I’ll be traveling to Holland for a conference sometime next week as part of the new job. Hopefully, it won’t be too cold and I won’t be too lost figuratively and literally.<br /><br />So been listening to anything new lately ?<br /><br />I’ve been keeping up with some of the local music scene. Earlier this week, I went to a gig at Laundry @ Curve featuring Lied, Citizens of Ice Cream and Furniture.<br /><br /><a href="http://laundrybar.blogspot.com/">http://laundrybar.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />I think it is great that Laundry is making local music so much more accessible by having these sort of performances for free in a pub/bar setting in a popular shopping complex but at the same time, there are a lot of casual bystanders who happen to wander in and looky-see , instead of actual music fans who would come specifically for the music.<br /><br />This brings me to the next venue I went the following night: KL Jam Asia at Desa Seri Hartamas. The first great thing about this place is get this : No smoking allowed ! This is fantastic news for non smokers like me who end up smelling like a bloody ashtray every time I go for these sorts of gigs.<br /><br />I was supposed to be there a bit earlier but I missed most of the bands but I managed to catch Furniture again and Azmyl Yunor and the Sigarettes.<br /><br />I’ve appended the myspace pages for the bands below and some short commentaries.<br /><br />Lied : To be honest, I wasn’t so crazy over this band. Very goth but also very manufactured. Interesting but only if they try something a little different.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/lied">www.myspace.com/lied</a><br /><br />Citizens of Ice Cream: They had some new songs to their line up. Not too bad. Check out my review at one of their earlier gigs. Still quite funny because they still get the “Huh, no words one arr this band?” from the audience.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/citizensoficecream">www.myspace.com/citizensoficecream</a><br /><br />Furniture: I quite enjoyed this band. The music sounds fresh. It’s a mix between twee pop and post rock. A lot of distortion driven tunes and wispy falsetto warbling but in a good way, which is why I went for their second gig the following night. Now if only I could get a hold of one of their albums.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/earsofa">www.myspace.com/earsofa</a><br /><br />Azmyl Yunor and the Sigarettes : The music sounds very Americana at times but the lead singer Azmyl is no doubt a very seasoned performer who has no problems striking up some banter with the audience. I didn’t like the music all that much but I liked the style though. He had this whole pseudo soulful selamba mat rock thing going on.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/azmylyunor">www.myspace.com/azmylyunor</a><br /><br /><em>Watched any good movies lately ?</em><br /><br />I finally got a hold of Borat : Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan ( Phew-That was a mouthful ) a few weeks ago. Sasha Cohen is a genius. A sick twisted type of genius but still very clever nevertheless.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.borat.tv/">http://www.borat.tv/</a><br /><br />The odd thing about the movie is that I think it was funnier because I watched it in small measured doses. I had to watch the DVD in 2 or 3 parts as there was always something interrupting me but I think that sort of helped because I would have probably O.D’ed on the whole audacity of it if I watched the entire movie in one sitting.<br /><br /><em>Read anything new ?</em><br /><br />I am about to start Paul Ormerod’s Why Things Fail sometime soon , probably on my long plane flight next week. I have long since given up the Neal Stephenson Quicksilver Trilogy.<br /><br />I have however found this fantastic website that has a lot of scanned and translated manga so I have been gorging myself on Naruto and Deathnote.<br /><br /><a href="http://media.unrivaled.info/">http://media.unrivaled.info</a><br /><br /><em>Anything else interesting to add ?</em><br /><br />Probably next time. I’ll try to snap interesting pics of Amsterdam and the Hague when I’m there to (hopefully) spice up this dreary little blog.zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1167036380443152132006-12-25T16:44:00.000+08:002006-12-25T16:46:20.456+08:00<em>So what’s new with you?<br /></em><br />I went for this art festival of sorts “Rantai” in Lost Gen Space off Jalan Robson Heights ( Famed as the venue for the NotThatBalai exhibition ). Well to be honest, I actually went because I wanted to watch Citizens of Ice Cream perform again.<br /><br /><a href="http://rantai-art.blogspot.com/">http://rantai-art.blogspot.com/</a><br /><br />The art, what can I say about the art? Erm..not much as it turns out. At best, it was amateurish at worst it was very juvenile-college-kids-with-nothing-better-to-do-with-their -time or out-to-shock-you-but-too-timid-to-do-anything-actually-provocative. So it was alas, unfortunately, for the most part , more fartsy than artsy.<br /><br />I am a bit disappointed that I couldn’t stay till Citizens of Ice Cream started. It was quite amusing because I sms’ed the keyboardist Phang earlier ( his mobile number was listed on the band’s Myspace and my friend actually exchanged a couple of sms-es with him earlier after the first gig a few weeks back ) and he didn’t know himself.<br /><br />He wrote back “I don’t know myself. The organizers didn’t really specify. They just told us that it starts at 4”.<br /><br />They had a gazebo like thingy set up in the garden area for the bands to perform.<br /><br />Lost Gen Space is actually a bungalow located in an actual road where people live on so I can imagine a lot of disgruntled residents trying to have a Sunday nap having to bear with the noise.<br /><br />Point in case was NAO a mandarin punk rock band. They are good but not quite my thing. To be honest, I had a chance to speak to the lead singer Tat, but I had no idea he would sound quite that um….loud. Don’t believe me ? Check them out for yourself , especially the song Mata-mata which had the Malay crowd head banging as well even though it was in mandarin. (Incidentally the song is about police corruption, the band is apparently very political or rather they seem to be out to make a statement)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.myspace.com/isnao">http://www.myspace.com/isnao</a><br /><br />The low point of the entire event was unfortunately the syair / poetry reading of some awful maudlin rubbish complete with violin accompaniment. I kid you not. Yes, I did in fact say violin accompaniment. It was so bad that (in addition to the fact that I had separate dinner plans that night and it was getting too late ) it put me off staying on to watch Citizens of Ice Cream.<br /><br />I also had an opportunity to have dinner at Jogoya at the Starhill Gallery, Jln Bukit Bintang. Now before I get to the restaurant, I should mention that this complex has the strangest floor naming convention I’ve seen so far.<br /><br />Rather than using a sequence of numbered floors some nutty architect decided to name the floors after “theme” names like Indulge, Adorn, Relish, Fornicate. Okay I lied about that last one.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.starhillgallery.com/">http://www.starhillgallery.com/</a><br /><br />I can say this much, it was confusing. It also doesn’t help that they decided to break the sequence as some floors for parking are called Lime, Kiwi or something like that.<br /><br />So, about the restaurant. Very posh, very swanky but horribly complicated. It had a buffet spread that made me feel like a lab rat in a maze. Too many dividers and screens which were supposed to provide a sense of privacy for the patrons ( I assume ) made me feel really hemmed in. It did not help that the buffet did not have a logical convention of start middle finish. It was all over the place. Messy. It would have been alright if the food was good but for MYR 88 ++ per pax , I’m quite certain I could have done better else where. Then again, I shouldn’t be moaning since it was on the department expense account.<br /><br /><em>Watched any good movies lately ?</em><br /><br />Not really.<br /><br /><em>Read any good books lately ?</em><br /><br />Erm….No.<br /><br /><em>Bought any new albums ?<br /></em><br />I am currently listening to the new Damien Rice album “9”.<br /><br />To be perfectly honest, it’s more of the same raspy folky stuff. Which isn’t necessarily as bad thing, don’t get me wrong but I was really hoping that he would try a different sound for this album.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.warnerbrosrecords.com/damienrice/">http://www.warnerbrosrecords.com/damienrice/</a><br /><br />There is a notable song “Rootless Tree” which has an angry chorus of “Fuck you , Fuck you, Fuck you and all we’ve been through”.<br /><br />Also, the video for the first single “9 Crimes” is quite freaky. Watch it yourself and tell me that you don’t think it’s a bit disturbing especially when the kids blow up the freaky girl-baloon head.<br /><br />Yes, I should be learning how to insert pictures/videos on the blog but since I am such a slob, here’s the link instead :<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU5v3MMCxZo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU5v3MMCxZo</a><br />I am also listening to My Chemical Romance ‘s new album : Black Parade.<br /><br />I have their older album but I was never that into the whole emo loud-whisper-loud nonsense so I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the songs in this new album. Without a doubt the standout tracks , Black Parade and Famous Last Words are fantastic operatic rock ballads.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mychemicalromance.com/">http://www.mychemicalromance.com/</a><br /><br />It’s not just me, a lot of people agree that “The Black Parade” reminds them of Bohemian Rhapsody. Maybe so, but I think it’s likelier that Bohemian Rhapsody just happens to be a better known “operatic” rock song. I think the Beatles or more recently Guns & Roses also had some songs like that.<br /><br />I also have the Killers new album, Sam’s Town. I haven’t really listened to it yet but a passing “glance” proverbially speaking , it does sound rather awful. All the 80s elements that I disliked in the last album seem to be present in full force here. Will give it a proper thrashing once I muster up the courage to sit thru the whole thing.<br /><br /><br /><em>Any special messages for the holiday season ?</em><br /><br />To the few of you, and I stress the word “few” who actually read this blog (You should know who you are) : Yes, I am too lazy to write each of you a personalized Christmas greeting but I do miss you so especially the ones who aren’t here in KL.<br /><br />Take care of yourselves. May 2007 bring Good health and Good fortune (note the capital G-s ) in the coming year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone !!!!zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1166971688127200542006-12-24T22:43:00.000+08:002006-12-24T22:48:08.146+08:00<em>So what’s new with you?</em><br /><br />I went for this art festival of sorts “Rantai” in Lost Gen Space off Jalan Robson Heights ( Famed as the venue for the NotThatBalai exhibition ). Well to be honest, I actually went because I wanted to watch Citizens of Ice Cream perform again.<br /><br />http://rantai-art.blogspot.com/<br /><br />The art, what can I say about the art? Erm..not much as it turns out. At best, it was amateurish at worst it was very juvenile-college-kids-with-nothing-better-to-do-with-their -time or out-to-shock-you-but-too-timid-to-do-anything-actually-provocative. So it was alas, unfortunately, for the most part , more fartsy than artsy.<br /><br />I am a bit disappointed that I couldn’t stay till Citizens of Ice Cream started. It was quite amusing because I sms’ed the keyboardist Phang earlier ( his mobile number was listed on the band’s Myspace and my friend actually exchanged a couple of sms-es with him earlier after the first gig a few weeks back ) and he didn’t know himself.<br /><br />He wrote back “I don’t know myself. The organizers didn’t really specify. They just told us that it starts at 4”.<br /><br />They had a gazebo like thingy set up in the garden area for the bands to perform.<br /><br />Lost Gen Space is actually a bungalow located in an actual road where people live on so I can imagine a lot of disgruntled residents trying to have a Sunday nap having to bear with the noise.<br /><br />Point in case was NAO a mandarin punk rock band. They are good but not quite my thing. To be honest, I had a chance to speak to the lead singer Tat, but I had no idea he would sound quite that um….loud. Don’t believe me ? Check them out for yourself , especially the song Mata-mata which had the Malay crowd head banging as well even though it was in mandarin. (Incidentally the song is about police corruption, the band is apparently very political or rather they seem to be out to make a statement)<br /><br />http://www.myspace.com/isnao<br /><br />The low point of the entire event was unfortunately the syair / poetry reading of some awful maudlin rubbish complete with violin accompaniment. I kid you not. Yes, I did in fact say violin accompaniment. It was so bad that (in addition to the fact that I had separate dinner plans that night and it was getting too late ) it put me off staying on to watch Citizens of Ice Cream.<br /><br />I also had an opportunity to have dinner at Jogoya at the Starhill Gallery, Jln Bukit Bintang. Now before I get to the restaurant, I should mention that this complex has the strangest floor naming convention I’ve seen so far.<br /><br />Rather than using a sequence of numbered floors some nutty architect decided to name the floors after “theme” names like Indulge, Adorn, Relish, Fornicate. Okay I lied about that last one.<br /><br />http://www.starhillgallery.com/<br /><br />I can say this much, it was confusing. It also doesn’t help that they decided to break the sequence as some floors for parking are called Lime, Kiwi or something like that.<br /><br />So, about the restaurant. Very posh, very swanky but horribly complicated. It had a buffet spread that made me feel like a lab rat in a maze. Too many dividers and screens which were supposed to provide a sense of privacy for the patrons ( I assume ) made me feel really hemmed in. It did not help that the buffet did not have a logical convention of start middle finish. It was all over the place. Messy. It would have been alright if the food was good but for MYR 88 ++ per pax , I’m quite certain I could have done better else where. Then again, I shouldn’t be moaning since it was on the department expense account.<br /><br /><em>Watched any good movies lately ?</em><br /><br />Not really.<br /><br /><em>Read any good books lately ?</em><br /><br />Erm….No.<br /><br /><em>Bought any new albums ?</em><br /><br />I am currently listening to the new Damien Rice album “9”.<br /><br />To be perfectly honest, it’s more of the same raspy folky stuff. Which isn’t necessarily as bad thing, don’t get me wrong but I was really hoping that he would try a different sound for this album.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.warnerbrosrecords.com/damienrice/">http://www.warnerbrosrecords.com/damienrice/</a><br /><br />There is a notable song “Rootless Tree” which has an angry chorus of “Fuck you , Fuck you, Fuck you and all we’ve been through”.<br /><br />Also, the video for the first single “9 Crimes” is quite freaky. Watch it yourself and tell me that you don’t think it’s a bit disturbing especially when the kids blow up the freaky girl-baloon head.<br /><br />Yes, I should be learning how to insert pictures/videos on the blog but since I am such a slob, here’s the link instead :<br /><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU5v3MMCxZo">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FU5v3MMCxZo</a><br />I am also listening to My Chemical Romance ‘s new album : Black Parade.<br /><br />I have their older album but I was never that into the whole emo loud-whisper-loud nonsense so I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the songs in this new album. Without a doubt the standout tracks , Black Parade and Famous Last Words are fantastic operatic rock ballads.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.mychemicalromance.com/">http://www.mychemicalromance.com/</a><br /><br />It’s not just me, a lot of people agree that “The Black Parade” reminds them of Bohemian Rhapsody. Maybe so, but I think it’s likelier that Bohemian Rhapsody just happens to be a better known “operatic” rock song. I think the Beatles or more recently Guns & Roses also had some songs like that.<br /><br />I also have the Killers new album, Sam’s Town. I haven’t really listened to it yet but a passing “glance” proverbially speaking , it does sound rather awful. All the 80s elements that I disliked in the last album seem to be present in full force here. Will give it a proper thrashing once I muster up the courage to sit thru the whole thing.<br /><br /><em>Any special messages for the holiday season ?</em><br /><br />To the few of you, and I stress the word “few” who actually read this blog (You should know who you are) : Yes, I am too lazy to write each of you a personalized Christmas greeting but I do miss you so especially the ones who aren’t here in KL.<br /><br />Take care of yourselves. May 2007 bring Good health and Good fortune (note the capital G-s ) in the coming year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone !!!!zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1165239887809649612006-12-04T21:20:00.000+08:002006-12-10T22:38:17.410+08:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1472/2640/1600/204146/Hibiki-1-JFKL.gif"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1472/2640/320/12543/Hibiki-1-JFKL.gif" border="0" /></a><br /><em>So what's new with you ?</em><br /><br />I had an extremely surreal experience watching a traditional Japanese "butoh" play a few weeks back. Hibiki -Resonance From Far Away by Sankai Juku was playing at the Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre. One word: Bizzare.<br /><br />It had these bald men all dressed up in white body paint and robes , performing this painfully slow dance ( If you can call it a dance, it's more like really dramatic miming )<br /><br />It was especially odd because the butoh experience feels like someone is messing about with the slow and play button on the remote. They sort of slow down and pause. Then the next thing you know, a burst of activity ensues.<br /><span style="font-size:+0;"></span><span style="font-size:+0;"></span><br />There was an obvious lack of narrative but as far as I can tell, it had to do with some funky saucers , dripping water, rebirth and the eternal cycle of s<em>omething</em>.<br /><br /><em>Watched any good movies lately ?</em><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1472/2640/1600/813964/casinoroyale_poster.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1472/2640/200/60068/casinoroyale_poster.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><p>Well, against my will, I was asked to watch the new Bond film, Casino Royale. <a href="http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/casinoroyale/">www.sonypictures.com/movies/casinoroyale/</a>.</p><p>I guess I have to eat my own words. It's not too bad. </p><p></p><p>It's about time they distilled out the trashy "pulp" 60s elements of Bond movies. I.e No distracting gadgets, no pointless hotties steaming up the screen, Bond doesn't have the libido of a jack-rabbit anymore and does a lot less posing and more killing . </p><p>I know I'm not really convincing you but I like it. It's gritty and a bit darker than the usual Bond movies. Plus, yes the lead isn't exactly very suave but let's face it, am I the only one who thinks that the Pierce Brosnan Bond was a bit gay.<br /><em></em></p><p><em>Read any good books lately ?</em><br /></p><em></em><br />Not really. Honest.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.nealstephenson.com/">http://www.nealstephenson.com/</a><br /><br />Okay okay.... I'm currently starting Neal Stephenson's System of The World. I am however struggling to get past the first few pages as it is soooooooooooooo dull. It's like a history lesson disguised as a novel.<br /><br />At first I was all excited about this book that had Newton and Liebnitz interacting with fictional characters and then I realised that this was supposed to be historically accurate. Read : No steam punk , No time travel , No aliens, No explosions or saucy pent-up Victorian sexual innuendos ( Wait a sec, anachronism there.... I mean Elizabethian sexual innuendos erm.. nevermind )<br /><p>Will get back to you once I manage to get past at least half of the book. And yes to anyone who has actually read the series, I know I am reading it out of order, System of The World is in fact the last book in the trilogy.</p><p><br /><em>Bought any new albums ?</em> </p><p>I haven't actually bought anything but thanks to the internet I've been listening to Regina Spektor via her website. This artist has made ALL of her material available for free via a streaming player on her site. How cool is that ?</p><p><a href="http://www.reginaspektor.com">www.reginaspektor.com</a></p><p>She sounds a bit like Tori Amos but a bit rougher. She does this "warbling" thing that is rather annoying though in some of her songs but in general, most of her stuff is quite listenable.</p><p>On a side note, I attended "The Great Escape" at Little Havana down at Tengkat Tong Shin. It's a gathering of local post/progressive rock (I.e what some people call shoe-gazing rock ) musicians. The line up was quite cohesive except for The Ferns who were the only "twee-pop" people the whole night. Plus I think I stepped on the keyboardist's foot a few times because the venue was so tiny the musicians were actually milling with the crowd at the same time.</p><p>Bands of note that night:</p><p>Citizens of Ice Cream - Cool keyboards. </p><p><a href="http://www.myspace.com/citizensoficecream">http://www.myspace.com/citizensoficecream</a></p><p>The Ferns - They didn't really sound that great on stage but I got their album anyway. It's got this cool astro-turf on the cover. I don't think it's on sale at any of the stores though... Plus if anyone knows the keyboardist, tell her I'm sorry I kept stepping on her feet the whole night through.</p><p><a href="http://www.myspace.com/fernfrens">http://www.myspace.com/fernfrens</a></p><p>KLPHQ -These were the most professional of the lot , they even had a projector and their own fluorescent light would you believe ? </p><p><a href="http://malaise.malscene.net/klphq/">http://malaise.malscene.net/klphq/</a></p><p>You may also want to check out my sister's webpage for a seperate review on the event. Check out the entry on 7th Dec 06. I would have pasted the photos here but I got a bit lazy. </p><p><a href="http://keropok.blogdrive.com/">http://keropok.blogdrive.com/</a></p>zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1164380554702924482006-11-24T21:46:00.000+08:002006-11-24T23:02:35.436+08:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1472/2640/1600/423578/Stranger.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 158px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 119px" height="168" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/x/blogger/1472/2640/320/804219/Stranger.jpg" width="223" border="0" /></a> So w<em>hat's new with you ?</em><br /><br />Has it been a whole month already ? Gosh, how time flies.<br /><br />What's been happening with me ? A lot I guess. Where do I begin ?<br /><br />Well for starters, the holdiay that was supposedly scrapped did in fact happen after all. We went for a whirl-wind weekend trip to Chatuchak Market in Bangkok. I wish I had photos to show but apparently as luck would have it, my camera decided to "ascend to the great scrap-heap up in the sky" right after the plane landed.<br /><br />Kat was going on and on and on about this place which to me sounded like nothing more than a glorified flea market. I was a little dubious myself. but to it's credit, Jatujak or Chatuchak is rather enormous. We went there over two days and we still couldn't cover the entire market. This sprawling labyrinth of stalls sells everything from kittens to teapots to fried sausages. (And I bet if I looked long enough probably somewhere there would be stall selling fried sausages made from kittens served in a tea pot.)<br /><br />At the other end of the spectrum, we had a chance to visit this ultra-modern shopping centre , Siam Paragon, not too far away from the market. It was a bizzare experience to have shopped ( or rather window shopped - unless you have a lot of cash to spare, you're not going to be buying anything at Siam Paragon ) at both these places. The scale and overall swankiness of Thailand's malls put Malaysia's to shame.<br /><br />I wish I had the photos of the food court. Imagine a hall full of designer food and snacks of myriad colours, shapes and flavours. All screaming for your attention. Damn tantalizing morsels ! I will devour all of you once I strike the lotery and have enough spare baht to get home.<br /><br />The only complaint I have about the entire trip was that it was a bit too hurried. I was stupid to assume that I would still be able to turn up for work the next day . I ended up going to work the next day even though I only got home at 3 AM the day before. It took me almost 3-4 days to fully recover.<br /><br />I was also in Kuantan last week doing my usual (and I hope my final) round of meetings for work. One of my colleagues introduced us to this club in Kuantan town called "Swing". At first I thought it was quite dull but amazingly god knows from where all these people started streaming in at 11.00PM on a weekday ! The live band wasn't too bad either although I wish they weren't that loud. It made it difficult to carry out any sort of meaningful conversation aside from the yelling sort. You know, the type that goes like <span style="color:#666600;">"SDdfsdfwf!!!! "</span> , " Whaaat ? Haaaaar ??" , <span style="color:#666600;">" I SAID .... THE MUSIC IS VERY LOUD ",</span> " Haaarrr ? I THINK THE TOILET IS OVER THERE !!! " , <span style="color:#666600;">"NEVERMIND !!! "</span> , " Harrrrrr ? " ... You get the picture.<br /><br />I was at the beach at Hyatt Regency Kuantan and a funny moment was when I thought I was about to be the victim of an alien abduction. There I was on the beach , looking out at the night sky when suddenly I saw this white glowing shape zip-zapping around , heading right for me ! Oh crap I was going to be whisked away for god knows what twisted experiments oh it was just a bunch of birds. I felt kind of silly afterwards until I realised that if aliens really did abduct me they could have implanted false memories ! Gasp !<br /><br />Anyway, my slippers also mysteriously disappeared. Coincidence ? One moment they were there and the next, poof. So if there is extra-terrestial life out there , we know that they value footwear more than human beings. When the mother-ship lands, don't be surprised if it's a really large flip-flop. Picture a giant slipper hovering above KLCC.<br /><br />Rambling again. Oh by the way, I am desperately trying to switch jobs. So far, it looks like a partial success as I've gotten an acceptance confirmation. Now I'll just have to agree a release date with my soon to be ex-boss who is conveniently moving on to a new role as well. Just hope that he doesn't squeak away before he approves my exit date.<br /><br /><em>Watched any good movies lately ?</em><br /><br />Saw "Death Note". Wasn't too bad. In fact it was a little better than I thought it would be. Can't wait for the sequel. For the uninitiated, it's about this student that finds a book that allows you to kill someone by writing down their name in a book. Sounds like a cheap horror flick no ? Surprisingly, it's a lot more of cat-and-mouse detective/intrigue than horror.<br /><br /><em>Read any good books lately ?</em><br /><br />Actually, I watched the Russian flick, Night-Watch and I liked it so much I bought the book ( translated into English of course ) as well. It's about these magicians in modern day Russia. You see there is a truce between the forces of Light and Dark that is precariously kept in place by a 'police' force that enforces the rules of the truce. The Nightwatch keep an eye on the Dark Ones and the Daywatch keep and eye on the Light Ones. A lot of brinkmanship and clever plot twists in the novel but they dummified the plot-line somewhat when they adapted it for the big screen. So which did I prefer ? I suppose it sounds like such a cop-out but I think I like the movie more. Despite the simpler story-line, they didn't do that bad a job. I just wish I had the original Russian version instead of the Russian Accented English dubbed version.<br /><br /><a href="http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/nwnd/">http://www2.foxsearchlight.com/nwnd/</a><br /><br /><em>Bought any new albums ?</em><br /><br />Through The Broken Window Pane by the Guillemots - I suppose a lot has been said about this band but truthfully, I want to like them badly but either I've gotten to mainstream lately or their stuff is just too far out. There are a handful of songs that are quite accessible but some of the songs are just plain weird. On the plus side, I can however say that they sound very original. <a href="http://www.guillemots.com/">http://www.guillemots.com/</a><br /><br />Give It Up by the Postal Service - I really like the album. It's pop-electronica at it's best. Catchy tunes, clever lyrics. Doesn't take itself too seriously, which I suppose is rare these days with all this emo nonsense getting the limelight. <a href="http://www.subpop.com/bands/postalservice/">http://www.subpop.com/bands/postalservice/</a><br /><br />I am trying to look for some local Malaysian music but aside from Myspace, I can't seem to find any shops that carry stuff like The Ferns, KLPHQ, Telebury , Jerome Kugan . So this probably means that I'll have to start going to gigs and clubs. More on this in the next blog update I suppose.<br /><br />Meanwhile I suppose Myspace is still the best source.zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1161748630983973882006-10-25T11:25:00.000+08:002006-10-25T11:57:10.996+08:00<em>So what's new with you ?</em><br /><em></em><br />Am away from work along with the rest of the other 20 million or so other Malaysians ( Not a number I plucked out of nowhere, check out <a href="http://www.statistics.gov.my/english/frameset_keystats.php">http://www.statistics.gov.my/english/frameset_keystats.php</a> , <em><span style="font-size:78%;">makes me feel really backward because we didn't have access to all this info when I was a student trying to do my primary school projects and I often had to look up outdated stuff in encyclopedias in the days before Wikipedia and before everyone from your favourite bakery to your distant grandaunt had a presence on the Internet</span>.)</em> who are enjoying the long Deepavali-Hari Raya break. Was supposed to be away on holiday but something came up at Kat's office so we scrapped it at the last minute. So I've got nothing exciting to report unfortunately.<br /><br />The haze , a perennial affair here in Malaysia courtesy of our Indonesian neighbour's forest fires in Sumatra, is still quite bad. They've been cloud-seeding again to get rid of it but doesn't seem to be helping. It's not the worst haze ever but definitely this year's haze has been the longest lasting. It'd driving Kat nuts and her sinus has been acting up.<br /><em></em><br /><em>Seen anything worth seeing recently ?</em><br /><em></em><br />I'm not sure if watching the haze or rather watching the haze and not seeing anything else beyond the severely reduced visible range of 500m counts as something worth mentioning. Urmmm....seriously though , no I haven't been watching anything recently , but I can tell you what I <em>want to watch</em> sometime soon ?<br /><br />Been meaning to watch Howl's Moving Castle but haven't gotten down to it yet. The Prestige looks reasonably worth watching but can't seem to convince my girlfriend to watch it with me at the movie theater so it looks like I may have to get a VCD from the friendly neighbourhood pirate. Oh any also, I've heard quite a bit about Nightwatch, this Russian vampire flick that makes me want to hunt it down once I get the time.<br /><em></em><br /><em>Read any good books lately ?</em><br /><em></em><br />Have just finished Neil Gaiman's Fragile Things. ( Check out <a href="http://www.neilgaiman.com">www.neilgaiman.com</a> for more info)Decent stuff. It's a compilation of various short stories or prose. Some of them are misses but in general there are more hits as you would have come to expect from someone of his writing calibre.I am particularly pleased that he did a "novella" sequel to American Gods that featured the protaganist Shadow. I am not complaining but it would have been equally interesting if he decided to do an entire story on some supporting character instead. Or did he already do that with Anansi Boys ?<br /><em></em><br /><em>So what are you listening to currently ?</em><br /><br />I've just gotten a copy of Thom Yorke's Eraser. (Check out <a href="http://www.theeraser.net/Stage2UK/">http://www.theeraser.net/Stage2UK/</a> ) It's not that bad but I was expecting something different and not Radiohead all over again, what with the synths and looped samples. Makes me want to go hunt down Johnny Greenwood's earlier solo album, Bodysong, which apparently was a big departure from the usual Radiohead navel gazing fare.zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1160412755811055922006-10-10T00:40:00.000+08:002006-10-11T23:26:22.626+08:00<em>So what's new with you ?</em><br /><br />Well I've had a recent addition to my hat wardrobe in the form of Ratty, the plague rat from UK.<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/1600/rat%20on%20kor"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/320/rat%20on%20kor%27s%20head.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />Warm , fuzzy and bubonic, what more could a person ask for in a fashion accesory ?<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Seriously though, what have I been up to ?<br /><br />Let's see.....a few weeks back, I went to the KOMAS Freedom Film fest (<a href="http://www.freedomfilmfest.komas.org/">http://www.freedomfilmfest.komas.org/</a>) held at Taylor's College.<br /><br />It was very surreal going back to Taylor's especially when everything seems to have changed so much ( the shops look completely different ) since I was there 6-7 years back. Kinda makes me feel old. Anways...nostalgia moment over.<br /><br />I watched a number of films but what was funny was that the bulk of the Malaysian entries e.g Andrew Sia ( o he of the Star's Weekender Teh Tarik fame ) 's Kopi O Khau Kurang Manis, despite being reasonably provocative, tried to mask it's inherent uneasiness in dealing with *ahem* "no-no" taboo issues of police corruption/brutality by using a lot of unnecessary humor, which I felt, made it a bit too light. Then again that's just me. I'm no activist.<br /><br />But it was an interesting way to spend my weekend. Plus it was a lot more interesting to say that I went for an independent film fest focusing on documentaries on freedom of speech and human rights when people asked me what I did over the weekend as opposed to the usual " work-work + tv + catching up on lost sleep".<br /><br />I also happened to be at Bar Savanh that same weekend, it's this joint down at Heritage Row somewhere beside Sheraton Imperial, for some drinks with a friend/colleague who will be going away soon to work in the UK. Not my kind of thing, clubbing/pubbing. Had some amused co-workers who asked me to stop using my "Work-Face" and loosen up. To which I replied. " I have only one setting, unfortunately and this <em>is</em> it"<br /><br />Enough about what I've been up to..Back to the program.<br /><br /><em>Seen anything interesting lately</em> ?<br /><br />Well. Not really. I am quite pleased that NTV7 has brought back the last few episodes of Threshold, an excellent concept driven sci-fi series about an alien signal and this shady government agency ( American, no less. <em>Typical </em>) that has to stop it from spreading. I am quite worried though because I read that they axed the show before it could get to the end of the first season. Which is surprising because there is a lot of junk out there that is far worse.<br /><br />Movie wise, I'm planning to see the "Banquet" but am worried that it might be a massive flop.<br /><br /><em>Read any good books lately ?</em><br /><em></em><br />Sadly. No. Have re-read Freakanomics by Steven whats-his-name and have found the second reading to be disappointing. I mean, yes, it <strong>is</strong> all very interesting how all these statistics and facts seem to lead to counter-intuitive conclusions but what does it all mean really?<br /><br /><em>Any new music ?</em><br /><br />Well I've suddenly discovered myspace and some local Malaysian bands like (the?) Ferns and Furniture but can't seem to find their albums on sale anywhere.<br /><br />Currently still hunting for the Guillemots- Thru the broken window pane and listening to the Such Great Heights by the Postal Service. It's catchy and guiltily very poppy in a rock kind of way.zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1158935561884591072006-09-22T22:12:00.000+08:002006-09-22T22:32:41.903+08:00Keeping To My WordAnyway, I did say that I would attempt to blog at least once a month. So I've decided to go with this standard set of questions ala interview format to help myself along.<br /><br /><em>So what's been happening with you ?</em><br /><br />Hmm... I was away almsot the whole of last week in Pahang/T'ganu on business so I had to do a fair bit of driving.<br /><br />Which I suppose is alright because I find a zen like calmness in driving on long scenic highways. Just had to watch out for the occasional cows or kampung dwellers on their bicycles.<br /><br />The stretch of high-way at Kerteh was especially interesting as I had a sense of awe as I was driving past these massive industrial refinery(?) structures along the road.<br /><br /><em>Anything new aside from work ?</em><br /><em></em><br />I suppose not. Nothing I'd care to post publicly here anyway..Changing the subject, I've been trying to switch jobs but can't find any openings that interest me where I'm working. Maybe I'll hold out a little while longer then I'll have to start looking outside.<br /><br />I've taken up swimming with limited success. Still trying to sort out the whole "breathing" underwater thingy. Anyway, the rate I'm going, I don't think I'll be doing the aqua man anytime soon. Special thanks though to my sister and girlfriend for being patient enough to coach me.<br /><br /><em>Found any good places to eat lately?</em><br /><br />Found a place to avoid. Deustche Gausthaus place in TTDI. Pork overdose. Pork Knuckles + Sausages + Lack Of Vegetables = Pig Out Session = Indigestion.<br /><br /><em>Read any good books lately ?</em><br /><em></em><br />Just finished Globalisation and it's Discontents by Joe Stiglitz. A bit dry but interesting in certain sections. Read it out of curiosity on what the book had to say about Dr.M and Malaysia's defiance against the IMF policies in the mid (late?) 1990s<br /><em></em><br /><em>Heard any good music / Bought any CDs lately ?</em><br /><em></em><br />Been listening to the Guillemots. Am contemplating buying the album if they have it in the stores.<br /><br />Also been listening to ADEM, this folk-tronica-ish music.<br /><br />Listening to Sufjan Steven's Illinoise for the umpteenth time and surprise surprise, I still like it.<br /><br /><em>Watched anything good recently ?</em><br /><br />Not this month. Been watching some new Bleach episodes but the quality is going to be Bleah soon if this "Bount" stuff doesn't wrap up soon.<br /><br /><em>Anything to add ?</em><br /><em></em><br />Youtube is addictive. Been surfing it lots for music videos and such.<br /><br /><em></em>zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1156697540154130952006-08-28T00:45:00.000+08:002006-08-29T22:51:52.320+08:00Yes, I know that this post is as good as dead because I never update it regularly<br /><br />Last Sat was my birthday, the 26th of August and I figure that it's as good a time as any to start making some resolutions:<br /><br />1. I will update this blog at least once a month rather than once a quarter.<br />2. Either I will start looking for a new job within or outside my company or stop whining about the one I have <em>despite of the fact that it is probably going to disappear in a year or less once they outsource the entire department. </em><br />3. I will start having a positive outlook on life. ( Which is ironic considering the comment in Point No 2. Haha)<br />4. Start planning realistic goals for the next five years rather than airy-fairy ones.<br />5.Live a little.<br /><br />Dinner was nice. We went out to the Boat-house TTDI with Kat, Christine, Jen (and her significant other) and Joa Quim. It was a bit dicey as the latter three people had never met before so there was a risk that they wouldn't <em>gel </em>but it turned out much better than I had expected.<br /><br />So all in all it was a good day. Good company, good food, what more could I ask for ?zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1146223122552705032006-04-28T18:45:00.000+08:002006-04-28T19:18:42.566+08:00Boat House Restaurant - TTDI - ReviewFirst off, I probably have to apologize for the sub-quality pictures below. Most of the pictures came out wrong as the flash was too strong , turning a plate of lamb chops into a scrumptious plate of white.<br /><br /><p><img style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" height="178" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/320/Plateowhite.jpg" width="189" border="0" /><br /><br /><br />BoatHouse is located at:<br />16, Lorong Rahim Kajai 14,<br />Taman Tun Dr.Ismail,<br />60000 KL<br /><br />Affordability : 9/10*<br />Ambience : 8/10<br />Food : 9/10<br />Service : 7/10**<br />Total : 8.25<br /><br />* They had a special 30% off on Saturday for all Chops and Steaks . Yay!<br />** Honorable mention for the waiter who went out of his way to pick up a pack of ciggies for Pat when they did not have that brand in-house)<br /><br /><strong>Photos:</strong><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/1600/Squiddy.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="255" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/320/Squiddy.jpg" width="184" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Jo, pictured with the Teriyaki Enoki starter thingy which sort of looks like some evil squiddy in this shot.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/1600/Kat.jpg"></a><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/1600/Kat.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" height="214" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/320/Kat.0.jpg" width="264" border="0" /></a>Sneexe's main course which was a Meatball Pasta thingy with a tomato based sauce. <em><span style="color:#ff0000;">Sneexe - I can half imagine you frowning at the extremely unappetising description I have given. Feel free to amend this to something nicer sounding.<br /></span></em><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/1600/Beefsteakthingy.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" height="157" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/320/Beefsteakthingy.jpg" width="252" border="0" /></a><br />Li Ann had a Beef Something Steak. <span style="color:#ff0000;"><em>Again, this is my first time at this restaurant review thingy so the descriptions of the dishes may be somewhat lacking</em></span>. Anyway she seemed to have enjoyed it immensely so I'm sure it was nice.<br /><br /><br /></p><p>Other randoms pictures of which I am too lazy to put any captions as per below:</p><p align="right"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/320/GroupShot1.jpg" border="0" /><br /></p><p align="right"></p><p align="right"></p><p align="right"></p><p align="right"></p><p align="right"></p><p align="left"></p><p align="left"><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/1600/GroupShot2.0.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/320/GroupShot2.0.jpg" border="0" /></a></p>zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1145367196292616522006-04-18T21:26:00.000+08:002006-04-18T21:33:16.303+08:00It is now 9.25pm and I am just about to end my day at work. This is not healthy.<br /><br />I was reading this article one of my colleagues sent to me <a href="http://www.skorcareer.com/malaysia-eng/articles_longhours.htm">http://www.skorcareer.com/malaysia-eng/articles_longhours.htm</a> where it says<br /><br /><em>"When you work with big, private corporations, the stakes are high among the employees to exhibit their capabilities and compete among others. </em><br /><em></em><em></em><br /><em>As a result, the inner working world in the organization become the combat zone for the staff to outdo each other.<br /><br />The one showing the best results will become the hero"</em><br /><em></em><br />Hmm.. well slap some geeky glasses and bad hair on me ( oh, wait I may already have those) and call me Clark Kent.<br /><br />At least I'll get to wear my under-wear on the outside, and won't that be fun.<br /><br />Up up and awaaay !!!!<br /><br /><br /><p> </p>zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1144646233666132522006-04-10T13:15:00.000+08:002006-04-10T13:17:13.683+08:00Feeling quite zombie-fied today. Trudged into work late and counting the seconds till I can get out without raising too many eye-brows.zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1144322928346874212006-04-06T19:19:00.000+08:002006-04-06T19:33:17.786+08:00Having one of those days again.<br /><br />Probably because I had a late night yesterday working away at my laptop past 1 am for a meeting that didn't go the way I planned (I.e the participants seemed more interested in the refreshments and snacks than the meeting content)<br /><br />Anyways I have learnt an important lesson. No more drinks/snacks for future meetings.zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1144150305311689622006-04-04T19:22:00.000+08:002006-04-04T19:31:45.320+08:00<span style="font-size:85%;">It is difficult to get started when you don't know what it is that you want to say. </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/1600/PICT0008.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/320/PICT0008.jpg" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I suppose the only person who reads this now is you. (You know who you are *wink*wink*)</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">It would be easy if I could just rant about work but I've seen some moany groany complainy blogs that give the entire blogging scene a bad name. </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Plus I have it on good authority that I could lose my job if the corporate watch-dogs find me out. </span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">I'll come out with something interesting.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Tommorow.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">Maybe.</span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"></span><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">We'll see.</span>zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1144065270617990002006-04-03T18:33:00.000+08:002006-04-03T19:54:30.640+08:00<a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/1600/Picme.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/1472/2640/320/Picme.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /> This is still a test I suppose.zer0zer0http://www.blogger.com/profile/08811311481894661474noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25117782.post-1143796691958243492006-03-31T17:17:00.000+08:002006-03-31T17:18:11.973+08:00testtesteg9http://www.blogger.com/profile/12766843818153858542noreply@blogger.com0