Life of a bored guy

New shoes for my car ~

2008-08-09T09:05:00.012+08:00

Just a sudden cut in line on the mods I've done to my car ~ This wasn't planned, but thankfully it turned out pretty well :p

Anyways, a week or so back, I was heading to Sunway Pyramid to meet up with a friend when it happened.... I experienced what most people would go through at one point of their driving life (especially in KL because of our "oh so good" road conditions.. ); I had a flat.... ARGGHHH!!!

Lucky for me, it was just metres away from a petrol station, just opposite Taman Bukit Jalil. I thought shouldn't do any harm driving a view metres to the petrol station ~ at least safer than stopping on the roadside of the very busy Puchong bypass.... =.=

Checked my tyre, found it wasn't really because of a nail (although there was one in it), rather, the sidewall erupted.. Which, unfortunately, is irrepairable... So , I changed to the spare tyre drove my car to my friend's place, then we went out for drinks (tea, not alcohol...).

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Nxt day, I took my car to a tyre shop in USJ, called QuickSave.

The tyre shop

The staff were rather friendly and approachable ~ told them I had a flat, they went on to check my retarded tyre. They found the sidewall crack, and told me no repair could be done... so, since my tyres were already getting bald, I decided to get a full set of new ones. I initially selected the "Falken Ziex XE-912s", as my friend gave quite good comments on it. I wanted to go for the "Goodyear Eagle F1" tyres, because I heard rather good comments on it (thus, a bit pricey...). It's good especially on wet road surfaces, which is important, especially driving in heavy rains. But, unfortunately, it didn't come in the form of 14 inches, which my rims were sized at...

My car on the "operation table"

So, I opted for the Falken's. Then, while removing the tyres, they found the rim was damaged... they said they could repair, so fine... then while removing the others, they also found it damaged!! 3 out of 4 of the rims were damaged!! NOOOO !!!! So, they gave me a choice, to either repair all 3 rims, or change to a new set.. seeing the price of the repair was already quite hefty, they convinced me to get a new set. I wouldn't actually say the set I opted for were new... they were actually taken from another car, i.e. stock rims from another car; it was from a Suzuki Swift. I do not know which batch of the Swift it came from, but nevertheless, I was quite reluctant initially, because I had the initial plan of changing the rims by end of this year... unfortunately, this had to happen now... sigh.....

Out with the old, in with the new

But thanks to some convincing, I finally decided to go for it.. (budget didn't allow for brand new ones....) And thus, got my car a new set of rims, and a new set of tyres.

My car with the new shoes

Since I was getting a new set of tyres and rims, thought of getting a set of new lug nuts, and a safety nut as well, to keep my tyres from ever being stolen. So, all in all, it cost a bomb... but I'm very satisfied with the new tyres and size :p

Ohhh, and the new rims are actually bigger than my previous; it's now running on 15inches, hehehe :D So I could opt for the Goodyear tyres, yay !! =D

Alignment being done

After driving it for a couple of days, I found that the larger rims do actually affect the performance of the car... it became rather sluggish... Don't know whether it's because of the weight of the rims, or because of the larger sized rims and tyres, or effectively... both =.=" But with the sacrifice of performance, I'm happy with the comfort level with the new tyres! My car's now drives really smooth~ me likey!! But I have to put up with terrible lack of power once again when it comes to ascending hilly roads.... sigh......

My car and the new shoes, the final product

Lastly, I would like to complain on something though. When I drove out of the shop, they actually over-inflated my new tyres... it was suppose to be at 30psi, when they filled it up to 40psi!! They blamed the measuring gauge, but as a tyre shop, specifically experts on tyres, I don't see how they could make a mistake like this! Anyways, had to drive all the way back to the shop at the end of the day to find that out... sigh.... I hope my car's suspensions were not damaged thanks to that mistake of theirs...

Hopefully, my tyres would last for a long time ~ since I'm not really a hard-driven driver anyways :p But so far, I have to say, it really brings more confidence, since the threads are new, and when driving along during a rainy day once so far, it felt like no difference between wet and dry condition, which was really cool ! :p

So that's how my car got a new set of shoes =D Hopefully, the next thing would be a new breathing apparatus for my car ~ heh heh heh ~

P/S: A good friend has suggested me to actually change the Suzuki emblem to something more appropriate for a Wira. I think it would be a good idea as well, but, due to some personal feelings, I decided to stick with the Suzuki emblem ~ Anyways, it's "super" to see it there, ehehehehe :p (get it? "S" super ? haha, lame joke...)

My Car: The introduction

2008-06-21T14:43:00.005+08:00

I'll be writing up on my car from now on, based on what I do to it, lol.

This first post will be a general overview of my car ~

The current car I'm driving now, is a humble Proton Wira year 2000 model, 1.3 litres, sedan version. It's deemed by many as a highly under-powered car... But for me, well, it's my first car, so it's a great car, no matter how I or others look at it =D

From the time of purchase, it's been really reliable; being maintain consistently by sending it for regular maintenance, changing parts that wears out over time (i.e. air-cond stuff, belts, etc.). Other than the occasional air-conditioning problems now and then, it's been a very reliable car to me =)

I've done some upgrades and mods to the car over the years, which I'll list out in coming posts. Suffice to say, it's still a humble car, albeit a little noisier than before, hehe.

I'm hoping it'll serve me well for the coming years, so I plan to "invest" in it, making sure it does not maintain it's performance as how it was purchased.. rather, perform BETTER than that over the coming years :p

My plans for the car is not over the top though, I'll stick with normal mods a slightly-more-than-average driver would usually do upon his/her car ~

So, stay tuned for it :p

FYI: it will not be placed with a forced-induction system, for those who think I'm "that crazy", haha. Neither would the "heart" be transplanted, rest assured =D

The future, with the ever-increasing fuel prices ~

2008-06-10T20:06:00.003+08:00

I came across this video recently. A good suggestion to how the World might be one day thanks to the continuously increasing prices of petrol :p

I found it very creative =D

Car fetish ~

2008-06-10T00:11:00.003+08:00

I'm suddenly getting the craze about cars ~ :p I've actually been interested in cars ever since I was in college, but not until recently only did I start earning my own income and actually able to afford those mods.

So occasionally I'll be blogging about what I've done to my car. :p At least something to keep this blog alive ehhh ? :p

On a side note, ever since the petrol price has increased, I've not actually filled petrol for my car yet... but imagine, about what.. 5-6 years ago, it took Rm50 to supply my car (Wira if I may add..) with a full tank of petrol. Today, it takes double that amount!! I used to admire cars which could fill over RM100 worth of petrol during those days (that time, I used to equate powerful cars with big petrol tanks, hahaha), now, it's a nightmare!!

but don't get me wrong... I actually support the move to reduce to subsidy ~ somehow I feel it's a good move to make us more ... independent, if you will. If you think about it the way the Government wants you to, it's true, they can't shield us forever when it comes to fuel subsidy. So sooner or later, we'll still have to face it.

The thing which I don't agree, is with our current salary range... the petrol may still be the cheapest in the region, but our salary is also one of the lowest as well. With the sudden rise of petrol price, it comes to no surprise that everything else will follow suit.. Some even declaring a hyper-inflation. I don't know how bad it's going to be, but one thing's for sure, there's no cheap way out of this....

Hopefully things won't get too out of hand (by saying this, I'm pretty sure things will get ugly, but hopefully it won't be too much..)...

The revival ~

2008-04-15T08:31:00.002+08:00

I've decided to revive this undoubtedly dead blog, since there are actually friends who still visits it ~

But since I'm working, the updates won't be frequent (as if it were frequent in the first place :p), probably once a week.

For a start of a new post this year, let me provide updates to those who are curious as to what is happening to me.

As of beginning of 2008, I managed to get a job in the field I pursued in college. I joined as a trainee, and still am a trainee. It's actually the main reason I'm inactive nowadays.

People say life at work is very different compared to college times. Well, maybe I'm still in training, but I find it not much of a difference... the one thing in common I still see though, is that life still revolves around datelines... which increases anyone's pressure in any field of work I guess.

I was told horror stories about office politics while I was still in college, so I kinda feel thankful and lucky I'm not facing that.... yet. In fact, I feel blessed having such wonderful colleagues for my training!

Yea, sure office rules are pretty strict, but thanks to my new found friends, life there's been pretty nice, albeit the long working hours as opposed to some of my college mate's job.

Other than working, less time for other stuff, I guess everything else is pretty much the same.. Just hope everything will turn out better in the future ~

I'll keep the updates till here for now, so until I post something again, peace out!

I'm a rebel in nature....

2007-12-14T22:28:00.000+08:00

The moment I say I want to do something, something will kick in that makes me avoid doing it... I wonder if everyone's like that or is it just me..

In my previous post I said wanted to create a new kind of blog post in conjunction of my new handphone, instead, I didn't blog for weeks.... damn my weak spirit....

note to self: next time I won't say anything about what I WILL do, and instead explain when I've DONE it.....

A crossing of paths, A game remembered in time... Chrono Cross

2007-11-23T13:53:00.000+08:00

I was looking for some games to play since my exams are over, when I suddenly recalled this game...

It's from the creators of Final Fantasy, Squaresoft(now Square Enix). I remembered it as a game of serene beauty.. a good storyline, enjoyable gameplay, and with tonnes of characters to utilize. It was, at that time, deemed a game with one of the best opening sequence, because it was so moving, and brings out the anticipation to those who watched it.

Anyways, better than words, watch it ~ I personally love the opening sequence XD Beautiful song...

Out with the old and in with the....

2007-11-09T20:53:00.000+08:00

Continuing from previous post... These are a couple of pictures of my old phone ~ My first and previous phone was the Nokia 8250.

Known by several names, i.e. the butterfly button phone and the blue phone, to name a few ~ It was the first time I owned a handphone, and, at that time of purchase, the price for a prepaid number was still expensive... But being new and all, I treasured it like my own precious baby~

After serving me for a quarter of my exisiting life, I had to unfortunately lay it to rest... it was giving some call problems months ago, but it finally reached it's limit... so I had to find a replacement... So after some reading and reviewing, I finally settled for...

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the Nokia N73 Music Edition !!

The N73 was actually a phone which I've wanted ever since it came out, but thanks to the long life of my 8250, I just waited it out, until now :p

When I first used it, I found it rather slow... I mean comparing a phone 6 years ago, with a phone which is deemed as a "computer",the comparison is rather inaccurate.. so.. I guess it's something I'll have to get used to.. Apparently it's a problem with all Symbian series phones, or maybe the S60 series to be more specific.

First impression.... cool!! I like the black and silver colour combination (Nokia's Nseries special edition signature), in terms of the physical build, it's rather solid, a little long in length for my taste, but I guess it's okay ~ the keypad is rather small though.... the keys are cramped up in such a small space, those with big fingers will have toruble... but all in all, it's a nice build :p

The reason I liked the N73 initially was because of the built-in camera; It boasts a 3.2MP Carl Zeiss camera, at that time, only the N90/N93 had ~ so it was very attractive to me :p

I'm still in the midst of exploring the software portion of the phone, so I won't write anything much about it... just that it's a world of difference compared to my old phone (DUHH !!), so I'm not used to the idea of multi-tasking on a phone yet... but I'll get the hang of it, hehe.

So for now, I'll continue exploring my new found phone, and hopefully, it will keep me company for many years to come, muahahaha !!

P/S : I'll be creating a new kind of post under my blog, this is in conjuction with my new phone's cam :p I'll occasionally take some pics with the phone cam, and I'll put it up in my blog. So, hope it'll be interesting, as well as improve my photography skills, which I currently have none...

Saying good bye to the old, and hello to the new

2007-11-06T20:14:00.000+08:00

After serving me for a quarter of my life, I'm finally saying goodbye to my beloved handphone ~ My Nokia 8250 has served me well, to the very last call.

But I'm finally going to replace my phone, which I did. I'm lazy to put up any photos as of now, so I'll keep the model my "dirty little secret" for now :p :p

But unfortunately.... barely a week in serving it's new master.... the master... dropped the phone !!!! I didn't even have the time to find a casing for it yet, and it's already physically scarred.... AARRRRGGGGHHHH !!!!!

It's so freaking hurtful, spending a sum on the new phone... and getting it damanged.... thankfully no internal problems... but... the flawless looks is now.... *sob* *sob*..... FLAWED !!!!Sigh..... terrible month for me....

Anyways, on a side note, I'm finishing my studies soon, gonna join the unemployed pretty soon ~ feel kinda excited actually, hehe. It's like... end of a phase, and beginning of another ~ the beginning of a new Money-ful age ~ the age of saving and spending, the age of money rules everything!! Man, am I money-minded or what XD

But seriously... whenever I mention to anyone that I'm about to finish my studies, they either tell me to cherish whatever life I have left, or ... enjoy the time before working, or... "dude, I'm sorry you're gonna lose your life..." kinda speech...

I mean I know it's pretty lifeless working day in and day out for another 32 years... I mean it'll be work, sleep, work, sleep, work, weekend, rest, rest, regret rested, then work, sleep, and so on... repeating the cycle.... yea, actually that kinda suck... but it can't be worse than what I'm facing now... eat, play, sleep, eat play, sleep, class (ponteng), eat, sleep, weekend, lepak, games, sleep, and repeat cycle... hmm... I think I'm beginning to see the point here....

An interesting concept...

2007-10-07T23:36:00.000+08:00

Went out for practically the whole day today, hanged out in the Bukit Bintang area with a friend whom I've never seen for quite some time.

For dinner, we went to a what I think is a newly opened cafe in Times Square. It's called the Gasoline Cafe. It's basically a restaurant which serve food somewhat like Kim Gary and Wong Kok. The biggest difference, however, is their concept; their interior layout and choice of dining err... equipments. And yes, what you saw in the background of the 1st picture are indeed wheelbarrows.

I don't quite understand their concept... except probably they're trying to potray a distant past. The seating outside, as you can see, they use wheelbarrows, inside potrayed somewhat of a dinosaur age-like environment.

It was a fresh and unique change of environment for a cafe, that is the first thing I have to say. The next is their hospitality; compared to any other shopping mall restaurants or cafe's you go to, they have by far the loudest "Welcome!" shout I've ever heard... Now, I don't really go to lots of places to eat, but this really gave me a shock when I walked in.. !

There was one part of the cafe whereby the seating was designed like... Fred Flintstone's car in the cartoon "The Flintstones". Customers have to remove their footwear before err... getting into the car to eat.

Now, their food was quite satisfying, with several types of fried rice, western style chops, drinks, and desserts. Expect to spend between Rm12-RM20 for a decent meal. Overall, it's a nice change of environment, the food is still the typical kind, but still good.

Final note, I thought their "Welcome!" was loud... until I heard the "Good-bye!!"... talk about a loud send-off...

An oasis in the urban jungle...

2007-10-06T02:27:00.000+08:00

Hectics days are bombarding me, as well as fellow coursemates these few days, as the final leg of our journey of formal education is here. It's during this trying times, which our strength of will is pushed to the limits. And it's during these times, distractions are at it's peak!

With the opening of 3 new shoppping complexes, 2 of which are extensions of existing ones, it's pretty irrisistable to not visit any of them. The 3 which newly opened are The Pavillion KL, The Gardens Mid Valley, and the newly remodelled Sunway Pyramid.

I took the chance last few days to visit 2 of the 3, the Pavillion, and the Gardens. Pavillion was rather HUGE! The area is spacious, with lots of walking space. Their shops are mostly of well established brands, ranging from boutiques, to sports, to electronic goods, to even cars(the Jaguar store)! Most of it are concept based, such as the Nokie Concept store and the Apple Concept, known as the EpiCentre. According to the directory available to the public, the Pavillion is divided into 6 precincts; each of which specializes in a specific category of stores. I won't go into detail, but suffice to say, it's truly a shopping paradise for those who got the money to splash.

Another thing I noticed about this place is that, I don't know whether it's because it recently opened, or if it's a permanent thing, the place is litered with their customer service staff, or better known as their "Courtesy Crew". They are dressed rather well, in suit-like clothes, and are easily spotted with the "Courtesy Crew" word on their suits. It's really helpful when you're looking for help finding a specific location in the complex.

Now, the other new shopping venue I went to was The Gardens, located in parallel with the current Mid Valley Megamall establishment. I manage to take several pictures inside. As it's a new building, certain parts of the place was still covered in dust and dirt... a common site for new buildings, but not a good welcoming symbol...

The interesting thing about The Gardens is that it was constructed with a concept in mind; it's suppose to be somewhat like an oasis in the heart of Mid Valley City. Their main concept is their "Holy Trinity":

Inspire, Reward, Relax

which is centered around their "valued guest" philosophy. The Gardens is designed to be just that... a garden within the Mid Valley City. It's meant to be relaxing for its' customers, with lots of seatings, and a leisurely design of the overall area. A garden, which is still under construction as of the time of visit, will be located on the rooftop vicinity of The Gardens.

Like any shopping complex, there will always be a directory whereby customers will be able to use to find a specific location of a place of interest. The unique thing of The Gardens, however, is that they use touch-sensitive monitors for their directory. So, you can actually use their touch-sensitive panels to search for a shop, and it will display the exact location on the map, rather than searching for it's lot number and referring it to a generic map.

The other thing about this place is that it has somewhat of a wooden theme to the interior, whereby you can spot wooden linings around the complex. And, with respect to thier concept, along the main walkway of the Ground level, sofa's are literally litered all across the walkway. This truly brings comfort and relaxation for any shopper.

The shops around the complex also comprise of well-established brands, with two flagship stores, Isetan, and Robinsons from Singapore. On the top floor, they have a unique layout whereby one side of the top wall is lined with lights, and the other lined with 7 projection screens of sorts, with constantly changing patterns projected on it. It makes it very pleasing to the eyes, rendering it a visual treat to those strolling along the top levels.

Now, the layout of The Gardens is also divided into segments, seperated by the levels. Each level, or floor, specializes in specific areas, such as the Lower Ground with food and supermarket, and so on. And each level is segmented to other categories which I will not go into. But basically, what I'm saying is that, they've carefully organized the layout of the complex well, which in turn, makes it more convenient for shoppers.

The last thing done in The Gardens that day, was to have a drink in their own Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf outlet (which to those who knows me would know I seldom miss this opportunity :p) located on the Lower Ground level. As the place was still new, they didn't accept any form of cards.

All in all, the place is a very relaxing venue, not as big as one might have expected, especially if compared to it's bigger "brother" (or sister, whatever it is...). But the one thing which disturbed me was, again I don't know if it was special for that night or applies to every other night, is that it closes up at 10pm, and I mean the whole shopping complex. I was enjoying my drink in Coffee Bean when suddenly they made an announcement to leave the premises as they were going to close at 10pm.. and that was 9.30pm when I just bought my drink... damn it.... had to rush through it rather than enjoy my cold drink after a tiring walk...

So much for the "valued guest" philosophy.... =.="""

An overly overdue birthday post...

2007-10-02T23:22:00.000+08:00

This post was intended to be put up many weeks ago, but thanks to my camera acting up... the photos were delayed... thus delaying the post in the process, hehe.

Anyways, this is about the birthday celebration of a friend named Nes.

Before I go into that, have to apologize cuz I only got 2 pictures... damn camera *(%&^^&%*&$^^%$^&&%$*(*&^!!

Anyways, we had dinner which he organized. The food was pretty good ~ After that went over to the nearby Secret Recipe for supper and to get "a cake" to celebrate his birthday ~ Now, take notice the inverted commas I used....

We all pretty much were there from the dinner. After ordering "the cake", we chit-chat, dilly-dally while waiting ~~

Then came... "The Cake". I must say, of all cakes I've had for a birthday celebration, this is the... wierdest one of all... might I present to you....
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Franken - Cake !!!

It's basically a full cake, which consists of 10 slices, and each slice comprises of a different flavour of cake available in Secret Recipe. I'd list them, but I can't remember them.... It was a real... interesting scene seeing a cake which was made up of "parts" from other cakes, hahaha!! But at least we could share and taste different kinds of cakes :p

That's all for the birthday entry ~ Hope your wish came true, or will come true Nes!!!

The countdown has begun, a new monster to be unveiled!!

2007-09-27T00:37:00.000+08:00

The moment is finally arriving ~ the moment many have been waiting for...

the birth of a new monster... Ladies, and especially Gents, the birth of the all-new Nissan GT-R !!

Let the countdown....
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BEGIN !!

SOURCE: http://www.gtrnissan.com

There's no one more important than.... friends

2007-09-22T09:58:00.000+08:00

Friend are the most important people in my life (it's through certain life experiences which got me to this point..). I used to believe friends were very important, that they will always be there for you, whenever you need them, whenever you're in trouble, and I still do.

And now, through trying times, friends are proving once again, as the most important people in my life. Indirectly, I did not know that so many people cared about me, concerned about my well-being...

Anyways, this is a post, dedicated to all my friends, I truly and really appreciate your care for me. It's through your concerns that I've managed to survive all these years.. I may have infuriated several of you, and I'm truly sorry... I've doubt I've ever made any of you sad, but disappointed several...

If there's any possiblity for you to see, I'm honestly trying to improve myself, it's just that deep within, I've reached a barrier so high, I've trouble seeing if there is another side to it... But your encouragement has made it that much easier for me to climb it, to make it possible to reach to the top to cross over.

Thank you.

Can't stand with my own two legs!!

2007-09-17T11:08:00.001+08:00

Something about discipline which I can never understand... why is it I need someone to push me to do something ? I've become such a retard, that virtually everything I do, I need an external force acting on it, in order to get it started.

I've become so prone to depending on people, it's not even a joke anymore !!

Ever since I was young, everything I do is done because people asked me to do. I've just only realized it. I've been pushed around so much by the people around me, that I can't even gather up the energy to do things on my own anymore!

The worst is that because of this, I'm now like a puppet with no owner, just lying around in some back alley, waiting to rot. It's now like I don't know what's going on around me, it's just that my body is so used to being controlled by the puppet-master, that I can't move it myself!!

I started to build a habit of procrastinating, because it seemd that my mouth was the only thing I could still control, despite being pushed around by this "puppet-master". It only became worse as people around me started to not take my words seriously anymore...

I've got to seize control of my "controlled" life again!! I vow to reduce my procrastination, but I just hope to gain control of my near-dead body of mine.

Can someone give me a wake up call??? It's time my wooden body is given life!! Give me a sense to achieve again, to achieve something!!

Life in college is about to end ...

2007-09-16T23:53:00.000+08:00

With around 2 months more till the end of the exam of my final semester in college, it's just a matter of weeks till the end of my official education. With that, I'd be starting work, and kissing my life of studies in formal institutions good bye ~

I can't help but to reminiscent about the past.. the times in college, the strangers I met who became friends, the experiences I went through which became memories, the failures which were engraved into the walls of the mind, and the successes which were immortalized ... okay, I'm being overly dramatic, but you get the picture.

It's basically turning over a new leaf... wiping clean the whiteboard of our life... starting anew in a new chapter of our life story. but during these times, you'll pause to look back at what you've written so far.

My life in my current college was not as bright as in my previous college. I admit, it's mostly my fault as I'm quick to adapt, but poor at adapting... I tend to compare myself and adapt to the closest I'm with, and once done, I seldom change as long as my environment stays. Long story short, I should have changed with the times...

Anyways, over the last... 3 years I've been with basically the same group of friends, friends which helped me though problems in class, friends who'd hang out together for movies, friends who share the same interests in hobbies and things of interests.... okay, I'm starting my drama-ish talk again... I can't help it..

It's been quite a journey through college years ~ a colourful one at that, though not fulfilling... but no regrets. I'll admit I didn't do my best in terms of academic achievement, but what I lacked in that, I covered up in social activities. I was relatively quiet during my secondary years, so it was a big change for me during college. Of course, this doesn't mean I was good in studies then as well.....

One thing I hear from friends who are currently working, is always to enjoy as much as you can during college life; cuz once you start working, you'll have no time for anything. You'll look back at adore the time you had then... and dread at the time you're working. You'll be like a mindless machine working in the corporate lines of factories, only feeding the corrupt and the evil .. !!! oops, went too far....

But basically, college is meant to be a colourful life, a time of social activities and studies, and time of mixing around. At least, the way I saw it.

It's been a wonderful college life, though it could have been better. Although I'd dread to leave this chapter of my life, I'm really looking forward in charting the routes for my new journey through the atlas of the open future which lies ahead of me!!

Fireworks Competition

2007-09-03T01:56:00.000+08:00

Today I went to the Fireworks Competition held in Putrajaya. Unfortunately my camera is not good enough to take pics during the nite, so I didnt bother taking it along.

It was pretty good overall~ the performance and pyrotechnics the Canada team used were spectacular. But somehow I didn't enjoy the display much... I dont' enjoy events as much as I do before... Instead, I tend to focus on other things rather than main events nowadays.

The past shapes a persons future, what do you think of that? For me, I personally think it's a fact. What you experience or the events you been through when you're young, especially when you're still pre-teens, tend to affect the way you act or think when you're older. Things which I do today, are all reflections of what I went through when I was still a kid.

For example, I can never stand seeing a child cry. It simply breaks my heart. This is because I used to cry a lot when I was young due to certain particular reasons which I won't disclose. So whenever I see a child cry, I tend to somehow... "share the pain", if you will.... but alas, it's not something I can just simply intervene...

KL or Singapore ?

2007-09-01T23:50:00.000+08:00

I'm torn currently between going to Singapore to work after graduating, or working in KL/ Selangor....

on the upside of working in Singapore, at least I can experience Singapore life, so called start fresh ~ better working ethics compared to those here in KL in general, more cost efficient (earning in SGD), overall as I heard better in the terms of an IT grad.

The upside for KL would be near home, no need to worry about place to live or cost of rental, won't be lonely as my friends are still around here, familiar with the places here, and I guess... won't get homesick.

Now for the downsides:
Singapore - homesick, worry for rental, little social life
KL - Bitching jam daily, not as much job experience I believe

So I'm torn.... do I go to Singapore or do I stay here in KL ? I don't really care about the pay, but what I'd like to know, how's the job experience ? is it really different between these two cities ? anyone with job experience in Sg mind sharing ??

saving the World a tech at a time.... ?

2007-08-28T23:22:00.000+08:00

Nowadays with the obvious results showing its ugly face caused by global warming, comapnies and countries are taking several measures to prevent it from getting worse.

The steps they take are always related to more advanced technologies. It's not a bad thing really, but the thing is, it's interesting how they're approaching a solution to the problem. Instead of taking actions to cut down their emissions, they're using this opportunity to introduce and market new technology, which would make the company look good, and also proof they're "doing something for the environment".

It's more of a 'who has the better toy" kind of competition, rather than "who can save the World" type. True, they're doing something to reduce emissions, but how much of these tech toys they show do they really use practically?

But I do admit, their stuff they show are really appealing though ~ Take for example, the car industry. So far, Toyota and Honda has commercialized the hybrid cars, which is a good effort to reduce emissions. While other car manufacturers are coming up with their own version of emission-reduction engines such as BMW with thier hydrogen engine and Tesla with their electric powered engine.

but with the weather becoming weirder and more dangerous by the months, it's starting to scare me, how long more does our dear Mother Earth have before it comes crumbling down... ? Nowadays, if it's not raining, it's blazing hot. US just recovered from a heat wave, as well as Japan, which according to what I read, they suffered the highest temperature ever recorded in history, marking slightly over 40 degrees celcius!

Frightening......

Local productions

2007-08-24T01:17:00.000+08:00

I don't see why people should be so closed up when it comes to local production movies, or even when it comes to mentioning about Singaporean movies. The moment I mention it's local or Singaporean to most, they would just shut out the idea, or to some, laugh, bitch, joke, and insult about it, then only say "wah, you serious arr...?"

I watched a local movie called "Impak Maksima" (Maximum Impact in English)today. The movie wasn't all bad... the cars were not bad, the girls were kinda hot... the story.... ok, it sucks... but that doesn't mean one should immediately close-off the movie and take it as a complete joke.

At least local production companies are actually trying to come up with something decent, even by going against what the local authorities are trying to stamp out (i.e. illegal racing). Of course, they can do much better in many ways though still... but hey, at least they got some effort ~

Talking about our neighbouring country, Singapore local movies are not bad at all, especially from Jack Neo. The comedy movies he directs are really hilarious, as it depicts to a certain level, the life of typical Singaporean culture, with a twist of humour :p The interesting thing about his movies though, is that he portrays the Singaporean government as seen by the public, and although humorous, it can be an insult to the government; yet they allow his movies to be published.

The other thing is the language in the movies. He uses "Singlish" in his movies and tends to mix other races' languages as well (Malay, Chinese, Tamil mainly). The interesting thing I read not long ago, is that even though Singapore is trying to prevent usage of Singlish (I think... I don't know if efforts are still being put in...), they are one of the best English-Speaking countries in Asia.

Anyway, coming back to the point I'm trying to say.. Singaporean Director Jack Neo was willing to risk it by commenting on his Government in his movies, and actually comes out really nice as a movie, yet, when I mention it's Singapore origin, they suddenly give a low-down sigh and say something like "haiyah... dun wan la..... sien...."

Another good example of bad reception to local productions is our infamous Proton. Mention Proton, and the first word people think of is QUALITY; not because it has it, but rather it lacks of it... yea sure they have I think a decade worth of bad quality products in their lines, but that doesn't mean they're not improving.

But when it comes down to it, I wonder if you can really plainly blame Proton in the first place.. I came across a post in a forum one day, stating that not only Proton cars has these problems, actually a few other international car companies with CKD models in Malaysia faces these problems, some with even major problems like brakes failure.. !! So, the way I see it, it's the workforce to be blamed.

Even when it comes to maintenance, Proton now I think is doing much better in the recent years. Their newly launche i-Care initiative has yet to proof it's worth, and their latest model, the Proton Persona, has yet to live up to the test of time. But before it's even launched, people are already bashing it. But their marketing strategy, in my opinion, is questionable however...

All these makes me wonder.. do people in Malaysia then generally "brands" a person by their biggest mistake? Sure, these cases I've mentioned have been there for years, but it's more or less branding them for good.

From what I see, people generally do maintain what they always do, but people can change. Although, for example, a guy is always lazy, but at some point, he can change to become hardworking, given enough motivation. But that doesn't mean with his efforts, you should just say "aiya, change also no use lar.. once lazy, always lazy" or shoot his efforts by saying "why a lzay person like you want to change, dun try lar, you sure go back to lazy again wan la".

Sure, I've got my moments like these, but does that mean you have to comment like this? At least give them some support !!

Then again, if someone's will can be changed by these trivial comments, it won't be able to last either....

Politics, politics.....

2007-08-20T17:09:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I was invited by a friend to go for a dialogue session organized by Democratic Action Party or more popularly known as DAP. Their dialogue was entitled "Whither Bangsa Malaysia?", which was mainly about the unity of races in Malaysia as a single group.

It was about 3 hours long, mainly talking about the racial unity in Malaysia. But throughout the talks, almost every member who gave a speech mentioned our current, infamous, online "star" Wee Meng Chee, or known online as Namewee.

It seems they are trying to push for Meng Chee's freedom, in other words, to try to make sure he's not prosecuted for his work, "Negaraku ku". I really appaud their effort in helping him, as from what I read, he's really innocent(individual's opinion will differ..).

All he's done is tell the truth basically. Yea, the truth is harsh, whether in the eyes of the public or the government, but it's nothing but the truth despite how you may deny it. It is true that he's "modified" the national anthem, but he only meant for it to portray his love for his country. The way he did it is questionable, that's true, but how many of us will actually go to this type of lengths to show love for our country, Malaysia?

I read in one of the newspapers article few days back, which mentioned him bringing along the national flag with him when he went to Taiwan to study... how many people can actually say the brought the flag overseas with them?? Don't even need to go that far... how many people can say they actually have the flag at HOME with them right now, barely 2 weeks from our 50th Independance Day ???

I pass shops, and see just a few hanging the Jalur Gemilang (Malaysia's national flag), I'm not even mentioning houses here. And here, we're trying to prosecute a 24-year-old, who brought the flag to Taiwan with him!!

Yea, people are saying it's an insult to the country, but from the way I see it, what's the insult ? Another thing mentioned in the dialogue was most of these political things are usually misunderstood because of a person's "state of mind". I mean, yea, it's true, a person may see some action or idea differently from others, but this is only because people's experience through life is different.

Show a child the a piece of paper with the exact phrase written as "D**k" and show an adult the same thing, what do you think would be their first word in mind? It's all a matter of perspective really. Just because someone used the national anthem as a means to promote patriotism in their song, it means he's already wrong ?

The song title, "Negarakuku", if you take it as what it actually is suppose to mean, it should have meant "My Negaraku". Instead, people are taking it as "Negara Kuku"! In Chinese, "kuku" means a guy's reproduction thingy... and in the newspaper, someone actually said it was taken as "Cuckoo", as in crazy !!

What the Hell are they thinking?? Yea, I go back to saying, this is all from a person's "state of mind". You only think it's negative because you want it to be negative. Can't you think of it in a positive mindset, as how it was suppose to be listened to???

That is only about the song. Now people want to take action on this guy for doing this. I'm not one who knows the law, but prosecuting him for modifying the song, I guessed it can't be helped since he did do it, but if he's doing that on the terms of insulting the country, I seriously disagree!!

Well, anyways, I don't want to go on, otherwise I'd be the next possible victim... since I've no idea how senstitive this is... but to cut it short, basically DAP is trying their very best to help Meng Chee from being punished because of this rap song.

Last time I used to hate politics a lot, but as time passed, I was more and more aware that politics is around us, everywhere we go, whether we want to care about it or not.. Everyone is influenced by politics, whether you know it or not, which is sad really, as not everyone will notice it, but suffers from it..

but one thing though.. although DAP is very noble in their cause to help Meng Chee, it seems that all these "special help" are suddenly emerging one by one by various major parties. I can't help but think that all these are done just to push themselves up in the coming elections.. Although their help is really a thing to be extremely thankful for, but don't you think it will also make DAP look really good in the light of the public ?

As it is, now almost half of what I browse through in newspapers are about what this party did, what this party said, what this party is fighting for, so on and so forth... But all this are just stepping stones for them to bring in more votes ultimately..

Maybe I'm still very shallow with all these national politics... It's something I need to understand more. But from what I believe in, the only way to see if a party is truly worth supporting, is what they do after the elections are over, the period between then and the following elections.

I take a quote from the famous CHILDREN'S book, Harry Potter:

"If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals. -Sirius Black"

As applied here, it's not how they treat thier own member's or "kind", but it's how they treat others with their powers which determines their true value.

Why do you blog ?

2007-08-11T22:24:00.000+08:00

Sometimes I wonder why some people blog ~

I initially blogged cuz I had hopes of becoming as famous as our local blog celebrity, kennysia. But after several posts, I found it's not as easy to make a post interesting, what's more, to keep it constantly interesting as he does.

So after awhile, I gave up, and started to blabber about everything and anything I can think of. Actually I still do it, which is now the reason I blog; I share out whatever and whenever I feel like telling or stating something. It's not a habit yet though, still trying as you can see how plain this posts are....

Anyways, on a side note, came across an interesting news, for those interested in Astronomy, I'm sure you're familiar with the Perseid Meteor shower. It's happening in in the wee hours of Monday morning if I"m not mistaken. However, I'm not sure the exact time estimate for Malaysia though. It'll be a sight to behold as it does not occur often.

me... myself.... ?

2007-08-07T01:07:00.000+08:00

just caught a new movie earlier today; a Thai romance comedy called "Me Myself".

It's a nice movie I would say, but warning to those who can't stand it, it's a sentimental movie, so generally slow moving.

But after watching the movie, one thing my friend made me notice... the movies this year all seemed to be themed on "making choices", haven't you noticed... ?

For example, Spiderman 3, it's about the choices you make... Transformers, also about choices (no sacrifice, no victory).. this movie, also about choices you can make.

I wonder if it's really just coincidence, or if there's a certain pattern... trying to say something to everyone....

_____________________________________________________________________________________

On a different note, my finaly year project is slowly progressing to submission date... another 72 more days according to the automated countdown feature available in my college personal website. That's roughly 2 months to complete everything, allocated time to proof-read the entire documentation, and preparing the hardcopy of it.

And as current progress... I've nothing to show... it comes as a shock, but not surprising, that time has passed so much... I was given 10 months to complete this project, and now it's down to the last 2 months.. and with a blink of an eye, I'll be working... it's funny how I worry about time passing so slowly now till the end of the semester, when I look back, and, like a flash of light, almost 5 years has passed since SPM...

People always say, don't look back to your past, look forward to your future. Yea, I'm doing that, but without looking at the past, what will be my motivator, my pushing force to propel me forward ?

Just a thought..

2007-07-19T23:23:00.000+08:00

Was watching Die Hard 4.0 for the second time the other day (nice movie by the way :p) when a thought suddenly hit me. This would be understood better by those who watched it, but anyways, it's a thought in general..

It seems like what they say in the movie is partially true, now virtually everything we do or use, there's some form of "computer" in it. Almost everything we use nowadays, it's always something to do with computers. For a lot of people, computers are our daily "bread and wine". We use computers for our work, for our studies, for our entertainments; virtually everything we use has some connections with it.

So what if there were a terrorist attack as shown in the movie ? I'm not saying our current computer systems are that vulnerable to attacks... but what if there was a failure in any ONE of those essential systems in a country ? the most critical, what would happen if our financial commercial servers were to fail like how they portrayed in the movie?

It seems that we're beginning to rely on technology too much these days. It's frightening to think if one of these crucial systems were to fail.. imagine the chaos... Although systems do have very secured security features and backups, but this doesn't mean they're full-proof rite ?

It won't be long before robots will be developed, and soon all human tasks will be slowly transferred to them.. soon, making us even more reliant on technology.. it won't be long till movies like.. I, robot can actually come true.. !!

Well, anyways, the thing is.. it's scary that soon, we'll be so reliant on technology, we'll be incapable to live without it. As it is, there are lots of people out there who can't even go 24 hours without the net.

Will there be any hope for mankind in the future... ?

What are people turning into!!?!?!

2007-07-09T11:47:00.000+08:00

Some people are just becoming sick with their thinking !!

What are they thinking !!?!?!

I always hear crimes occuring daily, but this is one which has crossed the line by a huge margin !!

I'm talking about the case of the missing girl, who as of last night, was found dead.. As if that was not bad enough.. her bone fragments were scattered in AT LEAST 4 different places !! This is a 4-year-old girl we're talking about !! What is this !!?!?! What World do we live in ???? She's still so young, innocent, barely experienced life, and this is how her life is ended???

What (NOT "Who", as if he/she still has the right to be considered a human) sick idiot did this ??

This is the link of the latest news... Girl Killed

The start of it all... Girl missing after mum leaves car for 10 minutes

This is just so wrong.....

I'm back !!! The return of the bored guy, muahaha !!

2007-06-27T22:16:00.000+08:00

Now that things has settled down, I'm gonna start my blogging again. And boy do I have stuff to write about !! Of course, I won't stuff down everything in one post, so it'll span for a few days before I stabilize my pace again ~

Now as the starting post, just a few updates since the last time I posted:

First, I can't finish the previous post regarding the F1 event I went to, as there was an unfortunate problem with my hard disk... so all of my pictures was erased... so I cannot complete the post... however I manage to salvage a couple of pictures but those are too "personal" to be put up, hehehe :p

As I'm on holidays now, I cannot predict how long I can sustain writing, so I could go into a sudden "freeze" once more, just a pre-emptive notice ~

So I welcome those who remembers my blog, and those who just want to browse through ~ either way... it's good to be back !!!! Watch out cyber-world, MUAHAHAHAHAHA !!!!

Temporary shut down..

2007-05-06T00:02:00.000+08:00

Been extremely busy lately.. all thanks to things coming out of the blue.. and also with the existing workload... it's a killer...

Anyways, I'm temporarily putting this blog on hold, as I doubt I'd be able to update it with proper posts until all these work have been completed..

And as for the brother blog site, I've decided on a topic to post about, but I'll keep this one anonymous, hehehe. :P

In other words, I'm not going to relate it to this blog, and on top of that, I won't even put anything that can link to me, so that it remains a mystery XD

That's the update for now ~ I'll announce when the blog will be up again.

sorry, thank you, and good bye ~

The main event .. !!

2007-04-23T06:57:00.000+08:00

We finally reached the parking ticket counter, it was like what... a couple of kilometers away from the circuit!!?!?! Anyways, we got a parking pass (which cost RM50 FYI) the counters were confusing !! there were 8 counters, people crowding all over, all look similar, but were selling for different section of the circuit! Their layout of the counters was ridiculous, I wonder what the "kwai lou's" thought about it...

After going through the jam some more towards the circuit, we finally could see the main entrance of the circuit, only to overshoot our designated carpark... Out of desperation, HD and TC decided to just park along the road, since many other cars were already doing that. A thing to keep in mind, it was already around 2.30pm by then, the sun was scorching hot that day, and we thought the races has already begun.

We walked from our car to the entrance, which was not that far. Once inside you could practically see the waves and waves of F1 supporters everywhere!! The dominating ones of course were Ferrari and BMW. They were selling F1 merchandises everywhere you looked.

Strolling around, we saw some of their stuff, saw lots of foreigners, their interesting reactions to their F1 "rivals". One of the Ferrari supporters were like "dude, your team's going down!!" and the Mclaren supporters (not really a fan of F1, so I'm guessing it's Mclaren :p)were like "Oh yea, watch your Ferrari's burn later !!"

We strolled around to see some of the stuff and after that, lined up to get into the paddocks. As expected, the lines were packed with loyal supporters from around the globe. With the intense sun, it added more heat with the sardine-like crowd.

Only after passing the gates did the fun actually begin :p

(The saga continues .. )

It was the best of days, it was the worse of days... (The dawn)

2007-04-09T19:36:00.000+08:00

It was a weird day for me, Sunday. It was both terribly lucky and horribly unlucky at the same time...

It all began on a beautiful sunny morning. I was just thinking what to write for my blog... When a friend of mine suddenly called me up. He said he had free tickets to see the F1 finals. Who'd have thought my question would be answered so quickly :p Since it was free, I immediately took the chance to go (he agreed to drive as well, so what the hey :p)!!

Since this was last minute, I didn't get a chance to recharge the batts for my camera, so the pics are rather limited.. Anyways, so I went to the F1 finals with my friends HD and TC.

I found out that the tickets he got were Grandstand tics!! For those who don't know, these tickets are not cheap! They were directly opposite the pit-area of the F1 race. So we were pretty much excited, what being the F1 finals, great seats and all. And so the journey began!

It was a good start, the highways were more filled with more cars than usual, assuming because of the F1 event. We drove comfortably for the next half an hour or so. We were nearing the KLIA exit when it started... a massive jam heading towards the Sepang SIC.

It took us almost... 2 hours to arrive at the designated carparks catered for F1 fans..!! Fortunately the parking was not that far from the entrance of the circuit. During that time, we started to talk about all kinds of crap.

(To be continued)

Sub-site in development (under wraps currently)

2007-04-02T17:54:00.000+08:00

Thinking of creating a brother site to this current one focusing on one particular topic. Will reveal when the site is ready. Probably by beginning of May.

Just wanna keep a side project, to help me and hopefully others with it as well. Will keep you updated with anything regarding it.

Random thoughts ~

2007-04-01T21:21:00.000+08:00

Determination and curiosity don't mix. I dunno, maybe it does, but for me, it's just a horrible mixture. If I'm determined to achieve something, I have to be single-minded and not let other things come to mind. On the other hand, curiosity makes me question everything I do. It makes me start digging into other matters which results into side-tracking.

Lately, I've been having a strange recurring thought about engineering. Everything around us is a result of engineering. From the pc's we use right down to the homes we live in. Even if you think about it, all living things are also a feat of engineering marvel. I can't recall clearly... but I remember once I received an email (if you're really a loyal religion follower, you might not want to read the following..) stating that God is the best of all engineers. If you think about it, it's really true. I mean think about it, everything seemed to be "designed" as it were supposed to ~ Everything is working in harmony. It's something which is still far from reach by any mere mortal on this planet.

More down to Earth however, engineering marvels are created constantly as well. For example, the toilet. Without it, this would be a inhospitable environment, with stinks everywhere !! And it's taken for granted by everyone since we use it everyday (except for the malaysian government who seems to be taking steps to ensure more cleanliness in public places now... or so they say). So, if you think about it, we can't live without engineers. If it's not because of engineers, I wouldn't be able to write this, and everyone would not be able to read my insightful (*Puke*) opinions. ; )

P/S: To make this sinfully boring blog more interesting, I'll be thinking of some topic to dish about to readers who are interested. Not sure what yet, but I'll think of something... for now.. well, I hope there'll be still readers, hahaha.

Idea shut down..

2007-03-25T13:30:00.000+08:00

Lately, I've been away from blogging. Can't multi-task... ideas screwed.... I'm lost... no idea what to write anymore... mind too hammered to think of anything else other than college matters now...

So from now until stated.. I guess I'll only be updating this site once a week.. Not like I have a clan of loyal followers anyways, so what difference does it make ? haha ~

Just bought a pair of new earphones yesterday, didn't quite live up to my expectations, but at least it was an upgrade from my stock ones. Hopefully can last longer than the previous 'phones I bought.. =.="

Btw, on a side note, did you guys know Mid Valley's increasing their parking fees???? They're implementing it on the 26th March onwards!! (that's tomorrow to those who are still blur)

For the first 3 hours, it's still the same (RM1 weekdays, RM3 weekends), but after the third hour, the rates goes up hourly to a maximum of RM7 on weekdays and RM9 on weekends. Ridiculous!!!

They don't get enough customers as it is ??? They want to cause massive jam more outside their vicinity ??? Or are they thinking with the increase of rate, less people will come to cause massive weekly jams both human and cars ??

Dammit, the place always hang out in now increease parking rates, looks like have to find a new long-hour hang out spot redy.... sigh....

Devotion .. Determination.. Commitment..

2007-03-20T08:57:00.000+08:00

How many of you guys are really devoted to whatever you do in your daily tasks ?

It's been years since I've ever felt any sense of devotion to anything, let alone anyone.

People always tell me, always put your heart and soul in anything you do, only then you'll be satisfied with what you do or achieve. But whenever I do that, I always end up being heart-broken or disappointed. It's been so hard for me to devote myself to anything after that.

It's not bad doing everything without devotion, but you just can't feel the "flare" of doing anything anymore. But it's so much better than getting hurt everytime I do it. Is it wrong to do this ?

Can anyone tell me something to burn my devotions again ?? I've always been settling for just above average because of this, I cannot achieve the best I can because of this, I'm only staying at the level of mediocrity.

During my 2nd year, there was this one lecturer I had. He used to say us (his students) as "zombified" whenever he were to ask questions and we fell silent. Others thought it was a real funny joke, and it did seem that, but that word shocked me, because it somehow described what I was feeling constantly ~ a hollow, half-living, half-dead being. I'm very much alive, yet I'm somehow dead within me.

Deep inside I want to achieve more, but whenever I think of this, my past comes back to haunt me, it's like an alarm triggered within me that tells me to back off..

It's calming, yet it's torturing everytime this happens. I'm at a dead end.. I've been figuring this out ever since I can remember... need some serious guidance...

Sorry for my absence ~

2007-03-16T06:37:00.000+08:00

I've been absent for quite awhile from blogging thanks to a new addiction I got in one game... A friend which I really want to "thank you" for introducing to me... =.="

Anyways, it's a game which I'm sure many will have heard of but might not know (and to those who do, might think it's really childish).

Harvest Moon: More Friends of Mineral Town (GBA)

Well, basically it's a harvesting RPG game. The thing you gotta do is like what the title suggest; harvesting. You have to mend a run-down harm to optimal profit by farming, and raring animals. You can interact with the town folks and well, ultimately get married :p

It's a really simple game really, but as all simple games, it can be really addictive... as I've learnt..

Now, from the game though, a thought, or pondering if you will, came across my mind. I think that those who are good at games, can actually be good at almost anything.

I mean think about it: To be good at a game, you must be, more often than not, goal-oriented, you must have extremely good reflexes to those real-time games, you must have superior strategies and tactics to outsmart your opponent, and for those team-play, you must be extremely well in managing or co-operating with your team members.

Now, with all these skills at hand, virtually any job/ career needs these qualities in the workforce. With team-play, you get great team-members or group leaders, with goal-orientation, you get great task accomplishers, with superior strategies, you get great planners or business people.

So, why I ask, do our guardians/ parents should stop their children (or even us for that matter) from playing more console/pc games ? It enhances all these soft skills which would be crucial for us in the future !!

So I say, play more games, it'll be good for your careers !!!

Disclaimer: I will not be responsible for any loss of sight or hearing or any physical/ mental damages from what I said above. I will also not be responsible for any loss of life, whether spiritual or social, for any who takes heed of what I said. Any loss of current jobs/ careers or bad result, well, I definitely will not be responsible for as well. Do it at your own risk, basically.

I'm Microsoft ~

2007-03-08T08:04:00.000+08:00

Lately Microsoft has been running a charity initiative via their MSN Live messenger.

Every time you start a conversation using i’m, Microsoft shares a portion of the program's advertising revenue with some of the world's most effective organizations dedicated to social causes. We've set no cap on the amount we'll donate to each organization. The sky's the limit. There's no charge, so join now and put our money where your mouth is.

i’m is about making a difference. Not in a huge expensive way, not in a time-consuming way. But in a simple, effective way.

It's very simple really, if you have MSN Live Messenger 8.1 or above, you just have to type in the text code in your msn title to display the logo. And, according to them, the more chats with that logo in your title, the more they will donate to whichever cause you participate in.

The available codes are:

Text Code	Cause
*red+u	American Red Cross
*bgca	Boys & Girls Clubs of America
*naf	National AIDS Fund
*mssoc	National Multiple Sclerosis Society
*9mil	ninemillion.org
*sierra	Sierra Club
*help	StopGlobalWarming.org
*komen	Susan G. Komen for the Cure
*unicef	The US fund for UNICEF

Click this link or click the link in my sidebar to go to i'm Home page to find out more.

Personally, I think this is a good initiative done by Microsoft to create some awareness about the different charity causes and their roles, as well as to contribute to each of the charities.

However, since it IS Microsoft, somehow, I always have the dark feeling that there's something hidden within the context... "udang di sebalik batu" if you will, hehe.

But anyways, it still for a good cause, so why not do it? it's a simple thing, and it's free anyways to begin with!!

So which cause are you gonna support ? =D

Final Fantasy Versus XIII !!

2007-03-05T19:02:00.000+08:00

This is the teaser for the upcoming Final Fantasy Versus XIII.

Forgive me, but I'm just quite a fan of the Final Fantasy series XD

Anyways, just FYI to those who are interested to know, none of the Final Fantasy XIII series, or also known as "Final Fantasy XIII: Fabula Nova Crystallis", are scheduled to be released anytime this year. So we'll just have to wait patiently.... sigh.....

Hope you enjoy the teaser XD

Fabula Nova Crystallis

2007-03-03T22:44:00.000+08:00

There is nothing either good or bad,
But thinking makes it so.

William Shakespeare

COMING SOON
to Life of a Bored Guy

protégé

2007-02-28T21:13:00.000+08:00

BEAUTIFUL

That's the word I use to describe the movie. Don't ask me why, I somehow came to that conclusion once the movie was over.

Some say it nice, some says it boring, but I find it really worth watching. It is both meaningful and insightful. One can learn a lot if you look through the given plot. There's just so much you can decipher from this movie! I, for one, have been enlightened on various ideas.

It blends powerful emotions and an amazing story together wonderfully well ~ almost artistic! To some, I may be exaggerating, but I honestly feel this movie deserves more than just a praise!!

And, I have to agree with my friend who I watched with, the actors and actresses were superb in the movie ! I especially liked Louis Koo's acting though, so convincing in his role :p

A part from the overall movie that I like, is how the director portrayed several views on drugs from both dealer and user alike. It's as if he wants people to fully understand the profits dealers make, and how much an addict suffer, covering just the tip of the iceberg of troubles endured.

From other perspectives, it also shows how much a person can suffer out of loneliness, the dark side of human nature, self-sacrifice of a mother for her child, human ignorance of others, illogical fear for greed, etc etc etc...

Overall, I think that this movie is worth watching. I've watched it twice so far, and for each of the time I watched it, I manage to learn something new from it, seeing the movie whole from a different outlook each time. So, for those who've not watched it, I suggest to catch it before they remove from the cinema :p

Ohh, and just to enlighten you guys about what the meaning of the word protégé:

A person who receives support and protection from an influential patron who furthers the protege's career.

Lastly, an attachment of the trailer just for the fun of it. Enjoy !

And so... it begins.....

2007-02-27T08:55:00.000+08:00

CNY is still proceeding for some, while for others it's already ended last week. Holiday is over and work has started since last Tuesday for others. As for me and possibly my fellow college mates, it's a time to clear out all thrash from our brains and start putting in new crap about FYP.

Just to bored you guys a little about my CNY, it was a really boring one this time around. I didn't have any reunion dinners, stayed home half the holidays, and just... contemplated how bored I was for most of the time.

Towards the end of the holiday though, went house visiting here and there ~ watched a couple o' movies ~ and before I knew it (which felt like ages to me...) holiday was over.

Now, back in college, still trying to gain some momentum.

That pretty much sums up my CNY this year ~ (for those who are still trying to figure out my CNY post previously, it's just a brainless, pictureful post wishing everyone Happy CNY which I tried to include a very lame joke... seriously, don't bother straining your minds... it's not meant to be figured out =.=")

Noir...

2007-02-26T22:50:00.000+08:00

It is the name of an ancient fate;
Two maidens who govern death.
To ward the darkness from the nursing babes,
Their black robes serve as shields.

It is the name of an ancient fate;
Two maidens who govern death.
To the depths of Hell's fire,
Their black souls lure the lost children.

It is the name of an ancient fate;
Two maidens who govern death.
The peace of the newly born,
Their black hands protect.

Les Soldats

2007-02-26T22:35:00.000+08:00

The man within the man.
The love within the love.
The sin within the sin.
The hermit told unto the sinner,
The Soldats is with truth.

A sinner, once passed away, will never return,
But the sins will never vanish
And the love will never die.
The hermit also spoke thus.

The blood of the Soldats will seep throughout the wilderness
And flow into the great river.

Gong Xi Fa Cai !!

2007-02-17T12:27:00.000+08:00

The year will be the year of the pig.

I wish everyone a renewed year of happiness.....

A year full of peace, love, lots of good luck, and health.....

I wish everyone will have a year full of wealth.

Happy Chinese New Year !!

Gong Hey Fatt Choy !!

Gong Xi Fa Cai !!!

Hey, are any of you guys reading my messages.... ?

Single's night out ~

2007-02-17T11:16:00.000+08:00

For Valentine's Day, I went out with a bunch of friends for dinner to celebrate our bachelor status.

I won't bother explaining the night since Olivia's has done that spectacularly already =)

All in all, it was a different experience for me since this is the first time I actually gave a rat's ass about this day.

Just to add a little something to Olivia's post though, in my defense, that steak is more filling that it looks... and my stomach kinda been having an "off" time lately. Must be because been stuffing myself a lot just before this day... Anyways, I was full till the next day afternoon. Phew was that a fulfilling meal ~

I told a friend that I was gonna bitch about this day but decided to let it go. I may not be good at anything I do, but there's one thing I think I'm the best (if you can categorize it as that...), is that I can forget events or occurrences extremely well :p Since my feelings have somehow subsided within this few days, I'll just leave it at that..

Forgot what I wanted to say here already actually...... So I'll leave this post at this too, haha...

Chinese New Year is coming to town ~

2007-02-12T21:06:00.000+08:00

And everyone's going back to hometown ~ soon, KL is gonna be a ghost town just like every year.

Angpau collection during the day and sounds of fireworks during the night ~ ahhh, the joyous celebration of the Chinese New Year. This year will be the year of the boar, wonder what this year will be like ~

In the month of January there were already flash floods in southern and eastern Peninsula Malaysia, today reported Tokyo is now expecting the latest snow set to fall record to be broken this winter, and Peru's "White Mountain Range" might soon be named "Brown Mountain Range" due to the melting of the ice-caps.

With the continuation of the news around the world of odd weathers and ice melting, it is all pointing to one direction... global warming. It's reached a level that the important people are finally noticing and starting to plan for actions to be taken. With the odd weather patterns around the world, and the increasing water levels, it is frighteningly beginning to sound like a disaster movie....

I guess we're closer to "Sinking of Japan" or "Day after Tomorrow" than we previously thought we were....

Happy Chinese New Year !!!

Have you ever wondered ... ?

2007-02-09T20:55:00.000+08:00

Have you ever wondered how your life would be like if you didn't/ did take a certain path in a fork during the course of your life ? Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you didn't make that decision and took another alternative instead?

I know I know, you shouldn't look back and instead focus on what's ahead... but sometimes I can't help it but to mirror my past ~ To look at the path that I took, if there were any better ones I should have taken, or should have avoided... Paths that couldn't be seen until it was too late, or just did not want to see...

If you were able to go back in time, would you actually do that and tell your old self to change your current trajectory ? Or will you just encourage yourself to proceed on with what you're doing?

P/S : Regarding the previous post, the short verse was taken from a Squaresoft original called "Chrono Cross".

Tranquil ~

2007-02-08T20:11:00.000+08:00

What was the start of all this ?
When did the cogs of fate begin to turn ?

Perhaps it is impossible to grasp that answer now,
From deep within the flow of time ...

But, for a certainty, back then,
We loved so many, yet hated so much,
We hurt others and were hurt ourselves ...

Yet even then, we ran like the wind,
Whilst our laughter echoed,
Under cerulean skies ...

An extract from a game opening. I'm not one who enjoys poems, but somehow I like this one a lot, I dunno why....

Anyone can guess where this short verse was extracted from ? :P

What different angel are you ?

2007-02-06T19:42:00.000+08:00

I recently took a simple quiz to see what kind of angel (animation-ish kind) am I from this site. I actually tried it based on other two friends, Olivia and YF, who posted their results on their blogs.

Theirs showed what angels they'd be, whereas mine showed:

You are completely different from what any of us could ever be. There is nothing to describe what path you have chosen, but you are nothing like an angel or a human. Hope for the best...

WTF!!!?!?!?!!!

I can't be considered as an angel, but I can't even be considered as a human!!! What did I do to deserve this!!?!?! Stupid *(^&%&%^*&$^%^$%^& quiz !!!

I was frustrated with that quiz, so I took the next one to see what demon would I be, this was the result I got:

You are a Silent Demon. You are the demon in the shadows. If you kill, you do it without mercy. You have no emotions whatsoever. You cant even enjoy the suffering of others. In a nutshell, you are there just to kill and nothing more. You are somewhat of a child too. Once you are turned to kill people... you do it on a basis on who is the weakest.

So, it seems that I have a potential to be a demon.... a "silent killer"... innocent as a child... but merciless as the worst of killers.... be afraid.... be VERY afraid.... muahahahaha................. *silence*

That special time of the year has come again

2007-02-06T07:04:00.000+08:00

Ahhh.... Valentine's Day ~ A special day to remind couples how lucky they are to have someone, and to remind the singles how miserable they are alone... So how do you guys perceive this day of the year ?

Although some takes it as a very special day to remember a lover, I personally think it's a marketing ploy for businesses to make tonnes of business (many share the same thoughts as me on this one =p). Call it an excuse for a single guy, but I still think thus.

I mean think about it, and you can even look up in Wiki for Valentine's Day. Even in the 19th century, when Valentine's was brought to the US of A, and I quote from Wikipedia:

In the United States, the first mass-produced valentines of embossed paper lace were produced and sold shortly after 1847 by Esther Howland (1828-1904) of Worcester, Massachusetts.

Actually we need not go so far, any definition of valentine's would surely state within it something about either "exchanging gifts" or "showing their love" or "sending a note/card". Through the evolution of time, from a simple paper lace, it is now modernly possible to express it through means that can cost a fortune!!

A survey conducted in the US states

that this year, both men and women plan on spending $119.67 on average Valentine's Day, up from $100.89 last year, with total 2007 spending for the holiday expected to reach $16.90 billion.

You see, in the US alone, Valentine's Day has become a billion dollar industry!!!

Even in the UK, it was recorded that an estimated 39 million stems of red roses came to the UK through the Dutch auctions during the Valentine's Day period in 2005. Imagine the numbers this year!! The source also states that the British spends around £40 million on flowers to say "I love you".

In summary, Valentine's Day is one of the greatest marketing ideas ever unleashed to mankind!!!

It makes you feel guilty about not spending money on a loved one, and it makes guys and girls alike think that the more money spent, the more love is expressed. And as for the singles, it makes you feel so miserable that you're alone, that you go out and buy something to comfort yourselves, be it to forget about the dreaded day, or just to feel better.

I still think that if you truly want to express your love towards someone, anytime and any gesture, as long as it is truly sincere, is the best. You don't need to wait till Valentine's Day just to show your loved one you love him/ her.

However, due to trends, it is still one of the best times to show a person that you love them. So... save up for your loved one as that day is approaching in a week's time !!

Lastly, just to give you a brief history of what Valentine's Day is about by a bunch of single guys, here is a video I found.

No such thing as a selfless good deed... ?

2007-02-01T11:09:00.000+08:00

I was watching the series "Friends" the other day when I watched one episode whereby Joey was telling Phoebe there's no such thing as a genuine good deed. Is it really true?

Of course, people read this would say "Of course got la!! you see people donating all the time, volunteering to help others as well". But see, in spite of all the good things they are doing, most of the time it's actually for themselves. Doing a good deed to feel good about their own self by helping out others. In other words, making other people as a means to an end.

But on the other hand, there are really people who really are willing to sacrifice their time and effort to help others. Of course, I'm not one of those kind of people, cruel as I may seem, but I'm sincere enough to at least admit that. How many people out there kid themselves by saying "I'm doing this for the less unfortunate" when they're actually using the less unfortunate to boost up their ego?

One very disturbing news recently, I think some of you may have read in The Star Newspaper. Regarding the Johor flood issues which is still going on. A source donated quite a number of instant noodles to the victims of the flood (300 packets or boxes I think...). It seems like such a honest and noble thing... until the authorities stripped a sticker COVERING the expiry date, only to find out that ALL the noodles are expired goods!!!

It's sad and downright sickening to find people who are willing to do such a dirty thing!! You see how they prey on other people's misery!! This is only the tip of the iceberg, I don't want to go into further details.

Anyways, there are good people around too, and many are thankful for their great help during these trying times (Thank you!! you know who you are!!). It's a pity that there are scums around too....

I guess this goes by the saying there's always a balance between good and evil... yin and yang... every action has an equal and opposing reaction...

Final note: point to ponder - do YOU really think there's such thing as a selfless good deed... ? Think about that ~

The inevitable ...

2007-01-28T19:34:00.000+08:00

My new semester's about to start ~ I just can't help contain my feeling of certain doom approaching... through the course of my life though, I've learnt to side-step it, although it's still an unavoidable feeling which everyone faces at some point.

Sometimes I wonder how soldiers face a battle. The thought of fighting for their country, fighting for what they believe in, fighting for what think think is right. But is this all really worth sacrificing life for... ? It's an inevitable thing as well, but like a line from a movie (forgot which movie...) the ideals of one man.. is it really worth fighting for... ? is it really worth... dying for... ?

Imagine this... you're going into battle for something you know is correct, you're holding a gun rifle in your arms, hundreds of soldiers surrounding you.. it's a hot day, you're sweating, you want to drink water but your battalion has just run out of it because the enemy has just destroyed the last waterhole..

It's scorching hot and there's a huge empty field ahead of you... you know the enemy is just beyond that field. Your commander told you there's thousands of them and only a few hundred of us. He says it'll take a miracle to win this battle... You know it's a losing battle, you know that you face the risk of dying with the rest of your battalion, you know that you'll be leaving everything if you die, your friends, your family, your loved one... and yet... here you are, with a rifle in hand..

At that point, are you one who'll still proceed against your enemies ? or are you one who'll run to consider what you're doing again? think about it....

Some of you might think of this as a plain joke, but think of it this way... why do you think Sun Tzu became so influential in the business world.. ? why do you think war strategies are being used in business deals?

Battles are being fought everywhere around us, whether you know it or not. It's just the matter of perspective and whether you want to accept it. If you look at life this way, every single thing you see or do is a war ~ to fight for what you believe in. So I repeat... the ideals of one man.. is it really worth fighting for... ? is it really worth... dying for... ?

A Japanese treat (Cont'd)

2007-01-23T22:25:00.002+08:00

Okay, continuing from my previous posts, these girls represents each of the districts style of fashion. I forgot the order of the districts though...

These Japanese girls really have a way of livening up a crowd ! (maybe it's just the girls :p) They were so lively and jumpy ~ adding to their "kawaii"-ness ~~~

This is a pic of the hip-hop style of Shibuya (I believe). As you can see, they're very trendy and fashionable to their style, which is quite a usual sight in areas like Sungai Wang in comparison with Malaysia.

This is the oh-so-popular Japanese school girl look of the district Harajuku. With even their uniform as an influential fashion statement, I wonder if the Japanese can EVER go out of style... =.=

The next is one of the most popular cosplay fashion... the maid outfit!! Cosplay is widely accepted as a fashion trend in the Akihabara districts, with waitresses dressed as popular anime characters serving thier customers.

And finally, the district which was made world famous more than it currently is by the latest "The Fast and the Furious" sequel, Tokyo Drift, Sinjuku !! These models however are locals which were featured in the TXN Xtreme Nights last year. However, they signify well how the style is like in this happening district. A true night-life dream for anyone whose looking for a good time :p

With all these styles converging within a single city, it's amazing how one style can be so different and distinct from another! With this diversity in taste, it's surprising anyone can ever get bored of the "fashion capital of the East"!!

A Japanese treat ~

2007-01-22T21:29:00.000+08:00

Last weekend I went over to Mid Valley to see a Gatsby exhibition featuring their products as well as some exotic stuff from native Japan.

The stuff that were exhibited includes the latest gaming consoles Nintendo Wii and Sony's Playstation 3.

There were two renown stylist that were invited for the event as well. Apparently they're one of the top stylists from Tokyo. There was a line of guys wanting to style their hair by these stylists. It was pretty interesting seeing them stlye the hair though ~ unfortunately I didn't get any pics to show...

There were also three cars displayed from last year's TXN Xtreme Nights event.

There were also a few models together with the cars ~

But the highlight of the show of course, were the Japanese girls which were, according to the event emcee, representing each major district in Tokyo: Akihabara, Sinjuku, Shibuya, and Harajuku. It was the first time I saw actual Japanese girls wearing those maid uniforms... it was... hell of an experience !! To be continued in my next post :p

The things that are remembered most ...

2007-01-19T20:59:00.000+08:00

I have always wondered, why is it people always remembers the blunders that we make rather than the success stories of a person ? Take... Bill Gates for example, he's one of the richest person on Earth, but to most pc savvy humans, we know him as the person who unleashed the "blue screen of death".

Another example... take... okay... can't really think of a good one... Britney Spears. Now, the mention of her name, more often you'll be hearing "Okay, who did she divorced/married this time?" or "Another child ???". But she was one of the first few teen singers to ever become an international singer.. !

The point I'm trying to state is that, somehow our mistakes will always cover up the great things or successes we accomplish... why ?? No matter how impossibly good you become, one little mistake, and you'll be known for that mistake for a very long time. In fact, I think there's a relation between how bad the mistake is with how great a person's success story is....

I sometimes feel it's just not fair to those who try so hard only to be labelled for the accident he/ she commited. It's not like they did it on purpose ! Then again... I'm reminded by a phrase I once read stating that a person becomes successful when he /she knows how to turn a mistake into something positive, like motiviation, to try even harder.

I guess that's how Bill Gates became one of the richest despite being dumped from Harvard, or why Britney Spears is still trying to be one of the worst dressed celebrities on the face of this planet....

I walk in a crowd, but I still walk alone . .

2007-01-17T19:44:00.000+08:00

I seem to be getting this feeling of distance from the people around me more and more often. It used to be a trivial thing whereby I can just brush it off my shoulders, but it's now bothering me to a very conscious level.

Lately, I've been thinking differently from others around me. It used to be very common that I have the same opinions with others, but nowadays, I feel like my mind's heading a different direction... it's as though I want something different in life.. something more meaningful... something more... "lifeful".

It's always easy to say that you want to do something, but it's always the opposite when it comes to actually doing it. Is it really possible to totally change a person's lifestyle from a total nerd to a party person .. ? is it possible to change from a zero to a hero overnight ? from Clark Kent to Superman instantly ? Or is it just a dream which others conceived to make the masses believe in something which can never be achieved; i.e. false hope.

The real question is.... is what a person do everyday really worth the effort they put in ? Is it what a person really want out of his/ her life ? or is what I'm saying all just pure crap ?

Well, you be the judge of that... as for me, as well as billions others, there are just too many questions left unanswered... and to find the answers is a lifelong journey which everyone have to go through themselves...

A new year, a new start ~

2007-01-15T18:29:00.000+08:00

The start of a new year ~ the regrets of not accomplishing new year resolutions made last year ~ the creation of new ones ~ the hope of accomplishing at least one of them within 52 weeks ~ 365 days ~ 8760 hours ~

With the fresh start of a blog, this will be my forte' for the year.

So without further adew ~ welcome 2007 and meet my window to the world.... "Life of a Bored Guy"!!

With the hopes of conveying some personal thoughts and insights, and the occasional crap, I hope for those who know me, to know me better, and those who don't, to know me, and well, generally just to get my thoughts out in the open, to try to open up to the world.

Initially it'll be majority in text as I want to create my own style of writing independant of other bloggers.

So anyways, in conclusion, hope you readers will like what I potray, and as a host to all of you, let me know if there are any thoughts, advise, or improvements I can make to make this your visit a better stay and me a better host! Thank you!!

So as all new things in life, there must always be an introduction. I'll keep this a brief one: My name's Joshua, I'll be 23 this year. I express better in writing rather than in person, however I've never doen much writing before, so this will be my first attempt at it. I'm a lousy sports guy, a decent friend, like japanese animes, and that's about it!

I'll try to log in to update as frequent as possible, so can't expect a "beautiful piece of art" to be posted.. but I'll try as best to make it as interesting as possible ~ In the mean time, sit back, relax, and have a great new year to all!!