...mood : freee :)
...listening to : spaceman, the killers
...currently reading : the five people you meet in heaven, mitch albom


im here today because i wont be blogging anymore, for a period of time....i still will be tweeting on a daily basis, no worries....

im here today because desmondkiu announced today that he wont be blogging anymore. -which is really sad news to us all of his fans. i've been an avid reader of his even before i started out blogging myself sigh. he was one of my inspirations, and will always be....

im here today because today, im guilt-free! for the past few days, im getting too hard on myself for fucking my alvel up. yes i know its solely my fault but hey, we're just human beings with blinders on eh?

im here today because i feel like being here right now. this is what i am. what i like to do and i do what i like. and im best at what i do....

im here today because as i stated earlier, i wont be back here for at least some time...

...and with that, ima wish y'all a happy chinese new year! may the year of the tiger prospers and brings health, wealth and stealth (wtf..?!) to you and your family and loads more laaaa.. you know d drill (:

*just incase cny comes and goes before i feel like blogging again...an early wish never kills (:

one two three

#1. cny drunk sessions inducer

#2. rich's cutest smile (some would argue this is also the ugliest)

#3. rich & me. and the cute lui between us

#4. take a break!

...listening to : space travel, yellowcard
...mood : blahhh -

i can finally see a distant rainbow from where i am standing right now. the first sight of hope after a 19 month long of storm. and just like that, the rainbow's gone. but it doesnt matter anymore. it was there before. i'll take it as a sign only for me to see..

and just like that, i witnessed the first flake of the winter melts as the breeze of the spring washed my face......
ok go! joggin time. kthnxbai

Verbal diarrhea

...listening to : walk away, franz ferdinand
i was browsing my blog archive a moment ago. tracing back all the moments of my college life as an a-level student. or more of a 19 month long vacation in a brand new environment with a brand new life - a reason to start over. but start over from what?? thats why 19 months ago i made a decision that pretty much fucked 2 years out of my life and now, i feel good.

for the first time since i learned about my results, i feel extremely good. knowing that i've paid the hefty bill of my 19 month long vacation. right now, im just glad i lived to see the end of it firsthand (:

as of this moment, my options are limited. either to resit 2 subjects in this coming may or enroll for foundation in law in june. i chose both. im gonna borrow some of my friend's leftover notes and really revise for my upcoming resit papers and at the same time, enroll for my foundation classes which i wish to hell i dont screw up again. i cant afford to screw it up again.i just cant.

right now, im still making excuses for my mistakes like i always do. and it felt great...
i wonder when the hell im gonna take some responsibilities for my own god damn mistakes....
okay enough verbal diarrhea...

I swapped my innocence for pride
Crushed the end within my stride
Said 'I'm strong now I know that I'm a leaver"
I love the sound of you walking away
Mascara bleeds a blackened tear
And I am cold
Yes I'm cold
But not as cold as you are
I love the sound of you walking away

Why don't you walk away?
No buildings will fall down
Why don't you walk away?
No quake will split the ground
Why don't you walk away?
The sun won't swallow the sky
Why don't you walk away?
Statues will not cry

I cannot turn to see those eyes
As apologies may rise
I must be strong and stay an unbeliever
And love the sound of you walking away
Mascara bleeds into my eye
I'm not cold
I am old
At least as old as you are
As you walk away

And as you walk away
My headstone crumbles down
As you walk away
The Hollywood wind's a howl
As you walk away
The Kremlin's falling
As you walk away
Radio 4 is static
As you walk away

The stab of stiletto
On a silent night
Stalin smiles
Hitler laughs
Churchill claps
Mao Tse-Tung
On the back

Pepper Lunch @ Pavilion KL

I've heard of this place a few times before. Read all about it in some food blogs that I came across before. In fact, I've walked to its entrance once some time ago before deciding to dine at subway instead.

Just a few days ago, I found myself with two of my friends placing orders at the counter. One thing's for sure, the place is really really cool. Everyone was busy sizzling their meal with/without skills and doesn't really give two hoots about all the passers-by looking through the glass wall with amazement. The ssss ssss sound of the sizzling is everywhere! Nice (:

#1 Salmon Pepper Rice

The catch is that once your order arrive, you have to practically 'cook' it yourself. Brown pepper sauce, soy sauce, pepper and salt were all provided and you can just mix and match according to your taste. On the wall, there's a big ass screen showing a video tutorial on how to sizzle your dish correctly and some other instructions were also printed on the piece of paper on the side of the hot plate. Not to worry if you don't really know how to sizzle it yourself, the friendly waiters/waitresses are always happy to help you with the whole sizzling process. They'll talk you through it.

#2 Curry Beef Pepper Rice

Anyway, we came up with a damn good plan to diverse the flavour of our rice. During the whole sizzling process takes place, the seasoning were kept untouched at the side -as opposed to the video tutorial. Then then cooked dish is divided into several smaller parts. Each part is then mixed with a different composition of the seasoning and then..,violaa diversity in taste! LOL

#3 Teriyaki Chicken Special

It was an awesome experience. Reminds me of the old stone grill lamb steak they had in Genting some time ago. It was equally good -the fact that you get to grill your own lamb on a red hot stone! Go try it! (:

The kite runner

The book
The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini

Short talk 
1970s Afghanistan : Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-flying tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. After the Russians invade and the family is forced to flee to America, Amir realises that one day he must return, to find the one thing that his new world cannot grant him : redemption.

More talk
Amir and Hassan have been each other's best friend since childhood and they grew up together. The boys have been involving in numerous mischieves together and every time they got into trouble, it was Hassan who stood up for Amir. The simple fact that Hassan is Amir's family servant's son also reduced his status especially when Amir plays with some of his schoolmates to which Amir only introduce Hassan as his servant, never as a friend, let alone best friend. One fine evening, disaster struck Hassan and Amir made a decision and walked a path of no return. A few years later the family's big secret is revealed and Amir is set to make things right again for after all those miserable years.

My talk & verdict
Without a doubt the best book I've read so far! The only thing i regretted was the plain fact that I waited until recently only decided to give it a try. This is Hosseini's debut novel and was published in 2003 and by far, sold more than 12 million copies. A motion picture was produced in 2007 based on this very book and carries the same title. Very very touching, devastating and powerful all at the same time. A very good piece. And a very good quote. For you, a thousand times over.

Buy it! Read it! Enjoy every moment of it! You won't be disappointed. I've waited for almost 7 years before finally decided to read it. Don't ever repeat my mistakes!

My rating
9.5/10

Life on the refrigerator door

The book 
Life on the refrigerator door, Alice Kuipers

Short talk 
An intimate story of the relationship between a hard-working mother and her teenage daughter during a year of crisis. It is about how we male our lives constantly rushing, never making time for those we love.

Summary
Claire, a 15 year old teenage girl lives with her single mother, a gynecologist who is constantly on duty. Due to the nature of her work, they hardly have time for each other and therefore they 'communicate' by leaving notes on the refrigerator door for each other. The days eventually passes on until on one quite evening, Claire's mother is diagnosed with cancer and the news shatter her live. Soon, they discover that nothing in the world is more important than getting to spend some time with their loved ones.

My talk
Firstly, the book itself is really really short (in the sense of storyline, pages etc etc). There are only 226 pages and the number of words on each page range from 2-100+. Yes from 2 (words!) to 100+ words. This is because the whole book is merely a collection of notes left written by the mother and daughter in the story. Having said that, any fervent reader could finish up the whole book in less than an hour or so.

My verdict
Fair. Can't say I love it. Can't say I don't. The fact that I've read this book almost 13 months ago and only posting about it now is something needed to be considered. However, there is this poem that I really like featured on the prologue of this book.

-This Is Just to Say-
 I have eaten 
the plums 
that were in
the icebox


and which 
you were probably
saving
for breakfast


Forgive me
they were delicious
So sweet 
and so cold


My rating
5/10

This other side of the town...

-"are you looking for a miracle?" , kele okereke -

thank god the whole jogging thing is finally working out for me. every morning at 10 or so, my body will crawl out of bed volunteeringly regardless of what my mind is ordering it to do and at 4.45 pm, i'll put on my pair of nike's and off i go. running around the neighbourhood. for at least 30 minutes or so. i just love how the early evening breeze wash my face entirely as i pace through the side of the old abandoned wild grass infested playground and watch housewives feeding chickens. i think i'll make it if i continue jogging consistently. lately i've been jogging every evening and im already having a 5 days steak. bravado!

and on this other side of the town, im finally enjoying my days off. appreciating it more and more despite the fact that i have parted ways with 'flicks & sticks' but hey, i'm happy for what i am right now....

-"so james dean...., so blue jeans" , kele okereke -

*in case you're wondering, i'm having a 'helicopter' binge. that explains the quotations ;)

A lady SCREAMED at me because she thought I called her a 'WHORE!'

I hate going to the supermarket. Period.

I hate it because you have to spend the whole day looking for a decent parking slot, engaging in fights just for a pack of cheap milo with a bunch of ‘aunties’ and queue for 1 hour in the express lane just because some idiots don’t understand what ‘3-items-and-below-only’ meant. Unfortunately yesterday was one of those days. Sigh.

Due to my long holidays at home, I promised mom to help her out with some grocery shopping in exchange for my joggings inconsistency. And that was mistake number one.

To cut the whole story short, I drove off to the neighbourhood Giant around noon yesterday. Holy shit the parking space was unbelievable! It’s fully packed! Damn, don’t people work anymore these days??

It’s only when I stepped inside Giant that the thought of the parking space horror fades away. It’s a nightmare inside. Grrrr…

People of all shapes and sizes, ages were all there. Buzzing around. Kids running around. Chasing each other. Playfully. It’s like a freaking funfair! Damn man those people brought along the whole village out just to get a bottle of cooking oil. Life is just great. >.<

I went over from shelves to shelves patiently to get the stuffs written on the list. –a lil bit of this, a lil bit of that- and in just a mere couple of minutes, I’m done. I gave the list a one last glance before I headed to the counter, happily thinking to myself ‘It’s over!’.

The queue was ‘amazingly’ long at each counter. And out of the 12 counters allocated, only 7 were actually functioning, in the sense that the there were cashiers overlooking them. And I ignored the express one. It was a disaster. God.

So I went over the shortest queue counter, there weren’t any, all of them are of the same length. I stood behind a young couple with a whole bunch of stuffs and their kids playing around. I stood there for a couple of minutes or so and then, it’s the young couple’s turn to the cashier.

And then, catastrophe struck me hard! There was this lady who stood behind me, maybe in her mid 40’s, definitely English educated, asked me in mandarin if she could go first after this. So I politely took a step back and blurted “OH” (Which is the mandarin word for acknowledging an order given by someone who’s elder than you) to her. But that word ONLY came out right AFTER I took a step back. Mistake number two

What happened next was perhaps the shittiest event of my entire life!

She screamed at me! SCREAMED!!!!

I flinched and stared at her blankly, with the expression what the hell went wrong?? She then barked at me, accusing me for calling her a “WHORE” and she wants me to apologize to her in that instant. She then continued saying that I’m some kind of ‘samseng’ who can’t even give way to an old lady out of courtesy blab la bla the usual rap sheet.

By then, the number of heads turned to our way were already beyond any human being’s counting limits. I was shocked. Refusing to believe what is going on that moment. Some ‘sampat’ apeks already began giving undesired remarks on me, and defended the lady. A few teenange girls behind me were already giving me the ‘death glare’. God! Wtfff….

Of course I tried explaining myself but she wouldn’t listen. And again, the thought of me taking a step back first before acknowledging her occupied my mind. It was my mistake. Mine and mine only. The perfect mistake.

Accepting my fate, I apologized to her profusely blab la bla some uncles there were already starting to give me some ‘friendly advice’. I was like ‘yea I know I was wrong to call her that’ ‘I’m sorry uncle’ …….

Some aunties were already whispering to their children ears, perhaps explaining what the hell is going on right now. Even the security guard almost came up to me and arrest me. Life is great huh?

When it’s finally my turn to the cashier, I put my stuffs on top of the panel and kept my head down. The cashier was a hot girl! I can tell she’s giving me the ‘death glare’ too.

After I paid, I practically ran out to the car park and drove off.

I really hate going to the supermarket.

January intake

earfood : one day, simple plan
current location : downstairs
currently reading : the kite runner, khaled hosseini

im sitting downstairs by the fridge blogging using my big-ass desktop right now. firstly, i donno what the hell happened but the internet today is retardedly slow and the agony is totally taking its toll on me right now. as of this moment my patience is running low so god help the monitor if something goes awfully wrong. the fan isn't working at the moment and the fridge - god the fridge! - its making the bzzz bzzz sound ever since i sat on this chair and its driving me nuts. just 20 minutes ago i was staring at the login page for the green bar on the lower right to load right after i keyed in my username and password. life is just great

yesterday was mom's birthday! as usual, i texted her in the morning wishing her happy birthday. as always, i was the last in the family to wish her - kajie was always the first to do so - however, this year around due to time constraint and insufficient 'funds' i didnt get her a proper present, instead i made french toast for her for tea. hah! i remembered last year i made dinner for the family but it was really troublesome so i decided toast is something easier to make and no fuss at all. glad she liked it.

right now i still havent decided whether or not i should enroll for the january intake law in help. many of my friends have already called me, virtually begging for me to join them and having said that, i do honestly really wanna go too. however, its the mid of january already and i havent pack/prepare a damn thing. if i were to join them, by monday i have to show up for classes already. and then the issue of accomodation; which i yet to settle. now how can i move in and join them in 1st year of law when i havent even settle a damn thing? and to be perfectly honest, there is a part of me who still wanna chill at home, enjoying the comfort that only home can provide. okay so now how? this was my initial decision anyway. that is to get a job as soon as possible and opt for the july intake in help. and by the way that's 6 months to go and if i dont get a job in that period of time, imma rot until nothing is left of me before i even step a foot into my first class in july. plus, a huge portion of my friends have started their first year and i really dont wanna fall behind. imagine having the same bunch of friends who chilled together at mamak, smoked together, get wasted and do shit and you gotta acknowledge them as your seniors. well thats not the case im afraid of right now.

the january intake law course is an express one. their 1 year is equivalent to 9 months. the july one however is the perfectly normal one - 1 year is 12 months - which in that case i can actually 'breathe' because the express classes are just insane. very hectic and imagine going classes from 8am all the way till 4. its just insane.

but for the january's rebuttal sake, by the end of the 3-year-course, all of them will graduate almost 2 years ahead of me! thats almost 24 months! now how the hell that can happen? as stated earlier, they are in an express class. 9 months = 1 year. okay so that makes it 3 years = 27 months. the july one will be 3 years = 36 months. okay what the hell its only 9 months difference. but wait, after the our second year, there's a 3 months wait for the results to be released. so for those who are in the january intake, they will be having their results released by august 2011 and by sept 2011, they can fly off to uk and continue with their third year. the july intakers however will only receive their results by july 2012 and only by sept 2012, they will get to fly off to the uk. so if my calcuations are correct, the january intakers will have a head start of 12 months. and adding the intial 9 months plus the 3 months i gotta wait before i actually enroll for the classes, thats 12+9+3 = 24 months! now thats a heartache!

if you ask me really i got nothing to lose if i join the july class. just a couple of years wont make much of a difference. but then again, they'll have much much more experience and definitely more opportunities. so im really at a crossroad here. i'm still clueless in deciding whether or not to join my fellow ex-coursemates who are now having their 1st year or should i wait for the july one instead and have them as my seniors?

so after much deliberation and consideration with parents, friends, relatives and counsellors, i think i'll just stick to the original plan and opt for the july class instead. and fucking get a job! chinese new year is around the corner! see you guys next week aite (:

My Valentine's Day

If I were to given a chance to spend Valentine's Day with one of the cast of the movie...

I would surely be pleased if I get to spend it with none other than Emma Roberts!

I am a big fan of hers (:

First things first, I would definitely get her a T&C bracelet as a gift! But wait, presentation is sometimes more important than the present itself. If that is the case then I'll need to come up with a plan. Hmmmm.... let's see

Okay I got the bracelet. Now I need something to make it 'special'. So after much consideration, I come up with a perfect idea. I'll give her a stuffed bear as a gift with the bracelet tucked under it's neck and display as it's collar. Then she will be amazed, hopefully (:

Next, I'll take her to the beach to have a delightful dinner while enjoying the sea breeze at the same time. Maybe a little fine french wine, perhaps? Just to go on with the ambiance. Later on, maybe I'll take her to the lighthouse and we'll climb to the top and just scream our heart out while the sun fades away from the horizon and we will take a stroll along the beach after that. Now that is a great date, at least to me it is (:

Just look at her smile...isn't she lovely? (:

It will be like a dream come true for me to actually go out with her...

A dream I would definitely not willing to wake up from...

Well in any case, Warner Bros. Entertainment Company is now giving away 80 pairs of Valentine's Day Premier tickets for a 3 days advance to Nuffnangers and you stand a chance to win yourself a pair of tickets! Just pick a star cast from the show and write a blog post titled 'My Valentine's Day' and share how would your Valentine's Day would be if you could spend that day with that star! Details goes here

Nuffnang rocks!

Simple breakfast 101 : Scramble egg with assorted fish balls

The say breakfast is the most important meal of all time. Your mom told you so. You school teachers told you so. Even your 4 year old siblings knew about it. Soon, you obeyed and began having breakfast at a regular basis. However, in times of dire need, you'll need to know how to make our own breakfast, simple but rewarding one ;)

Here's what you'll need :
1. An egg
2. 2 slices of bread
3. Fish balls;
   i) plain smooth white fish balls
   ii) stuffed fish balls
   iii) large fish balls with skin
4. Salt
5. Chilli sauce

Okay first and foremost, the first balls are absolutely necessary and are easily obtainable. You get can em' from your local supermarket under the frozen food section. You'll not be needing the whole bag of course, only a handful of them are sufficient. The mixture is totally up to one's taste, and of course availability. Alternatively you can substitute the fish balls with fish cakes, crabsticks, sausages etc etc

Okay get ready with your balls, fish balls. In this case, I'mma use 4 of the plain ones, 4 of the stuffed ones and 2 of the larger ones. Carefully slice them into 4 sections each for the smaller ones, a longitudinal slice followed by a latitudinal slice. For the larger ones, cut them into 6 smaller pieces instead, using the same method. Upon slicing, make sure all of em' are of equal sizes to ensure perfection.

At the same time, get ready with the egg. Crack it open into an empty bowl and add a pinch of salt. Beat it thoroughly until there's 'bubbles' are over (:

Next, heat up the frying pan for 4-7 minutes. It's essential for the frying pan to be at optimal temperature so that the fish balls don't stick to the bottom of the pan. This won't be necessary if you're using a stick-proof pan. After 4-7 minutes, add a chunk, spoonful of cooking oil into the pan. To be perfectly honest, the amount of cooking oil needed is totally arbitrary. The precise amount needed is proportional to the size of the pan, the time the pan has been heated and the amount of fish balls used. So decide yourself on the amount cooking oil needed.

After another 1-2 minutes, add in the fish balls and stir them evenly for a couple of minutes. Observe the surface of the fish balls. As soon as it turns solid white and smells good, pour in the egg on top of the cluster of fish balls.* Wait for 10-20 seconds for it to 'attach' to the fish balls. Then, mix them thoroughly. Continue frying for another 4-5 minutes or so. Depending on the heat of the stove. Lastly, you'll know it ready when it turns golden brown-ish. It's unmistakable plus the aroma is really good.

For an omelet version, repeat the all the steps above until right after the *. After that, wait patiently for 3-4 minutes instead for the egg to cook. Occasionally flip the side of the egg to check the bottom of the egg to ensure it is not overcooked. Flip it up side down once it's done and fry it for the other side. Wait patiently for another 1-2 minutes. Notice the colour change and once it's golden brown-ish, it's done.

As you can see, the amount of fish balls supersede the amount of the egg. Therefore, you'll need at least two eggs from the start. Shit >.<

Now, toast the two slices of bread in the oven for 1-2 or so. Preferably slightly toasted. When all that is done, serve.

I know it don't look so good but hey, its breakfast after all. It's not supposed to look good (:
Bon appetit!

The holiday (I)

i still couldn't get a part-time job. sigh. been searching around since the past 5 weeks but to no avail. however recently there's this tuition centre which i've heard of looking for young part-time tutor and pays peanut - 6 bucks a day - who the hell pays 6 bucks a day anymore? what is this the 60's? and then its 4 hours a day and mondays to fridays. so basically they are paying 1.50 per hour, which is a no-no for me. its not that i have high expectations or anything but its just unacceptable. so right now, i'm jobless. the dream of me buying my own dslr now seems somewhat impossible. okay la on the bright side, i can always give myself an excuse saying that im taking some time off for myself. like having a holiday or something, which is something i really need after all. after all the screw ups since the past 21 months, this is after all, a rehab for me. detox myself and indulge myself in books (:

as of this moment, im reading the kite runner by khaled hosseini. its not something new though, its been published almost 7 years ago and has been getting good reviews ever since. i admit im not particularly fond of sentimental books- books about relationships, friendships, kinship etc etc but after reading the prologue while waiting for a friend at a bookstore, i admit i'm hooked on it. the storyline is well connected and can be followed easily. well written and full of compassion. although i've only read 2/3 of it so far, i can relate to the story well.

#1 the kite runner

having said that, looks like imma finish this book in no time. also by hosseini is a thousand splendid suns which have also earned equally good reviews. maybe that's next but we'll see.

just last night i've developed a severe sore throat. the day before i've been caughing alot but i didnt expect this to happen. my voicebox was totally busted this morning. i cant even speak. all thanks to the bag of chips i gobbled down the day before. you know those kerepek that we loved so much back in our school days. those are the bomb.

i dont know why but ever since i was younger, im prone to sore throat every time i eat something 'heaty' - you know those kerepok, kerepek, potato chips even biscuits thats why my mom would used to control my food consumption when i was young. 

#2 this is the second bag of chips. the first one is sitting happily at the bottom of my stomach as we speak.

as promised, i went to jog just now! for a complete 30 minutes. it felt good. i think i'll do it more often. its not exactly written on my new year resolutions list but i felt compelled to do so. after all this while sitting at home rotting and been consuming bags and bags and bags of chips. a great jog is what i need after all. more to come i promise.

this holiday itself i've watched 24 season 1-7. all 168 episodes + 2 hours of 24: redemption. i dunno but i just love 24. with all the non-logical software connectivity and series of near-misses shots at the main character, its just pure lovely. season 8 is premiering on next monday. cant wait! also watched were the mentalist and fringe as both of the series just finished premiering their 1st seasons respectively. i kinda like fringe very much. its just simply awesome. a fusion of x-files and twilight zone, both which i used to watch like 10 years ago. wonderful way to spend the holidays - dramas! next will be more tvbs. i havent had the time to go download though. been busy lately.

#3 saw this on fb! damn funny (:

boredom can cause all sorts of shit. just a couple of weeks back, i thought i saw a ghost. i was surreal, hell it was creepy shit i'd piss my pants just thinking about it. it was right after the new year's eve countdown around 2.30 am. i was driving alone after dropping off a friend of mine and the car's radio broke down so basically it was all quiet and stuffs then all of the sudden i heard someone calling my name. so i turned around to check it out and the same time scared as shit and to my relief, no 'one' is there. as soon as i turned my head back to the road, i saw 'it'. sitting by the shoulder of the road, a figure, much less like the one in ju-on staring at the road. shit wei i just floored my car and get the hell out of there. that was my very first ghost encounter, or issit even ghastly i dunno maybe its some drunken dude/chick sitting by the roadside but at 2.30am?? no way man! everyone in my town sleeps at 1am, the latest!

the other day, i saw this book review on a blog. looks interesting enough. maybe i'll get this this saturday. after all i got plenty of time doing nothing at home. a good book is all i need right now.

i sleep 10-12 hours a day, online for another 8-10 hours a day and read for 2-4 hours a day. what a fucking great holiday. ok see you guys next week!

The Global Financial Crisis, The Flop & What the hell do we know about it

#technorati claim - QWATTZK7CR5H 
#short talk - for those of you who are following me on twitter, you should have known by now that my 'cooking post' promised yesterday which is virtually non-existence will not be published today due to unorthodox laziness and mid-afternoon wake ups. the market was closed by the time i got there (:



HEY! Someone please explain to me what the hell is going on with all the money on this planet?? Something really weird is going on right now but to much of my dismay, no one seems to have the answer to it or at least have a shred of clue of what is going on. Hang on a minute. I've heard explanations from financial experts regarding this matter and all they can summarized is that the whole world is currently undergoing Global Chocolate Addiction or something like that. I swear its something like that. Or at least rhymes with it. 

"It's hard trying to explain this to the public regarding this financial crisis, because only a mere 0.27% of the society are aware of that matter. And only 7% from the 0.27% understands the severity of it ", quoted by one financial expert. Actual statistics mind you.


So from what I can understand is that out of 10000 random people worldwide, only 27 are actually aware of the severe effects from chocolate addiction. And only, if my calculations are correct, 1.89 person(s) give(s) a damn about it!! 

The practice of converting currency is really getting out of hand these days. There is the 3.++ and the 5.6+ if that isn't enough, there is the 300+. Well, can we really measure the foreign exchange rate right now when the worldwide currency itself is not stable? 

Can I go like "Okay, USD$ 1 is equals to 12.78 seconds of laughter?"


..."Or also equivalent to a bag of cow dung. Take this down; the bag must be measured at a precise 16 X 32. Mind you. No room for errors"

Today, everything has change. Where are the good old days of "1 chicken = 3 papayas?". Sigh. Those days were great. No error, no debts, no REFUNDS! 

Nowadays, coins are practically useless. 20 years ago, they were considered gold bricks. How ironic? 

The other day, I stopped by the grocery store to get some stuffs. At the cashier, the electronic plate with green digits shows 13.40.


So i asked the shopkeeper, "Can I pay in USD$?"

"Okay that'll be 13 bags of shit, 48.23 seconds of laughter and 1 slap at the back!", he said


...."Also equivalent to 500 Terallion rupees. We don't take cheques. Mind you"....

#1. Photo of the day, 12/1/10

The story : I had bacon and eggs for breakfast this morning and I decided that the bottle of sauce looked fairly photogenic, or what should I call it? - magnificent - and that was before I grabbed my camera and took a picture of it.

...oh what the hell am I even doing here?! 
p/s : Excuse the bottle of cooking oil in the background (:
p/s/s : There might be a cooking post tomorrow. There might not be a cooking post tomorrow. See how larrr ;)

please

okay first you attacked 4 churches (some said there were more), then threw a brick at a surau and now, you tried to set fire to a school??

please larrr...
stop it before people start killin' each other!
to us they asked, "eh still got hope meh?"
to them i answered,
"no more hope liaw....."

thank god for twitter and innit! because i just learned that the 6th church was set on fire!

....or was it the 11th?

This side of the town

in case you hadnt noticed, the country's going to the dogs. with all the hulalala going on, i began to wonder what else can go wrong. our dear pm said that the torching of churches will not stop the protesting nationwide. then you tell me la what can? you need bodies starting to pile up before you get off that comfy chair you're sitting to start to get your hands dirty issit? well in any case, i wouldn't bet my coming ridiculous salary that that will not happen. its just a matter of time before people start dying unless you doing something about it. this is outta control! 

okayy enough blabbering about current issues that i dont even know half of what actually happened. 

as you've known, i just got back from a 1 and a half year vacation. actually its more like a dream. a good one. its been a month since i left that wondrous dream of mine but to be perfectly honest, it felt good to finally land my feet back on earth. i feel more secure. and closer to reality and that is definitely something i really need right now. for the past 19 months, everything's kinda mixed up. i donno how to describe it, maybe i dont need to seeing that im right now living life more than i can ever asked for. for the first time since the past 24 months, i actually feel happy now. and free! 

2009 has been great. apart from all the shitty movies, i can conclude that its better than the previous years. GI Joe, Terminator Salvation, He's Just Not That Into You, Avatar, The Hangover, 500 Days of Summer!! & Star Trek were some of the awesome shit shown last year. Not to mention Jennifer's Body that i just watched a an hour ago. the band was awesome -  low shoulders - i tried google them up but to no avail. it turned out that the lead singer is ryan levine from a band called no country. well in any case, through the trees is really great! got me hooked on it and i've been listening to them ever since.

the shitty ones? noo im not gonna elaborate on that coz' thats prolly gonna generate a list so great that that your eyes will twitch like a zombie on ritalin or shit by the time you reach the end of this post.

you know its true when they say some things dont change. ever. i guess thats true. im still the old same person and bat town is still the same old dead town. apart from all the 13 year old girls with miniskirts on and multi-coloured tops, everyone's gotta be in bed by 12am. which is rather saddening on the eve of new year when all of the sudden, everyone just disappeared in just a mere 3 minutes into the new year. i was shocked but not surprised! okayy what the hell is that even mean...

i got back around 2-3am on new year's day and signed in my msn and only to find out that loads of my friends are only getting ready to leave home to celebrate new year! i bet most of the kids of bat town prolly experiencing rem by now. sleeping soundly with their parents sleeping a room next to them. so monochrome yet so lukewarm.

just a few days, 2 good friend of mine came by. i had a great time after almost lost touch of the taste of cellulose filter. and i didnt know there's a new bar/lounge here! now thats a surprise! haha the band played that night was great too. the lead singer, amanda or something was really good. she for a moment sounded exactly like dolores o'riordan! she sang zombie with her heart out. . okay maybe she's not that good but we enjoyed it, heck. 

*edited - on this side of the town however, im experiencing really shitty internet connection for the past weeks until now. i just dont get it! i signed up for a 1mbps download speed package, im paying for a 1mbps download speed package, i've paid for a 1mbps download speed package and all i get is a 256kbps shit. its so slow until i swore i heard the unmistakable dialled up connection sound going on when i signed in my msn two days ago. yes im well aware of the fact that TM is undergoing some serious shit to improve connection in response to p1's packaging but after much careful consideration, i think i might just switch to p1 instead. or maybe those digi broadbands packages whose ads are going wild on nuffnang's adbox right now. who knows right? maybe its time to just give up TM and move on. all in the name of getting better internet connection that we, as citizens deserved. hell i cant even endure a day without going online! this reminds me the days on my college life, where internet is something like bank-queues. more or less the same. but worse. 


and on this side of the town, i cant get good tv. the reception is really bad until i have to practically watch it online.

#1. my first macro shot. i consider it a failure. i dont even know what went wrong

ever since i got back, i indulged myself in books. heavy books that are so heavy that i didnt even manage to finish up at least one of em'. i thought that my writing skills had deteriorate to some degree ever since i lost touch of the art of reading but how ironic, i feel happy writing all about it right now. amongst the recent reads, The Memory Keeper's Daughter - Kim Edwards, Urban Odyssey Kl Stories - Eric Forbes & Beyond Angels and Demons - Rene Chandelle. the truth is that i havent got time for myself. 

'the list' is currently still unattended. the-jog-for-3-months-straight plan was not executed yet. so is the detox shit. i secretly 'sticked' a few days back when my friends came by and bought a new zippo in the process. hey, what are good lighters for anyway? and again, i made up my mind to go jogging tomorrow morning. if i can wake up early tomorrow morning that is. . 

just yesterday, i dropped by the lake. fishing. great. so i thought to myself. 

mood : peaceful despite the world is going upsidedown

earfood : through the trees, low shoulders? 

#2. mr grumpy

wow its 3pm already. and i havent slept in more than 30 hours. m gonna crash soon (:

Innity vs Nuffnang?

Just a few days ago, I signed up with Innity Digital Media Vantage Ad Network after several recommendations from fellow regional bloggers. They claimed that Innity provides great payouts, so I checked on their site almost immediately.

Innity's site requirements ;
1. Websites must have a minimum of 15,000 Pageviews per month on average.

2. Websites must have minimum of 3,000 Unique Visitors per month on average.

3. Websites must rich in Quality Content and will be updated frequently.

4. Flexible with customizable ad formats/placements and any other advertising opportunities to optimize revenue.

5. Traffic cannot be generated by utilizing any of the following method ;
a. Listings on news group.
b. Unsolicited bulk commercial e-mailings.
c. Instant messenger postings.
d. Chat room postings.

6. Websites must NOT contain, produce or link to profane and/or adult content of any kind.

7. Websites must be hosted under a root domain. Not sites hosted on free providers will be considered.

Well the story is that I signed up with Innity a few days back and made a handful of earning with them. So far I've earned, up until this point, RM 8.95 in just 2 nights. Wayy better than my Nuffnang earnings I must admit.

But heck, there's a catch. I lost my glitterati status the moment I signed up with it. I just noticed it this morning. Apparently Nuffnang doesn't work well with Innity so I thought heck, why not give up Nuffnang and stick to Innity?

However, i realised that by giving up Nuffnang, I'm giving up innit too (which is something I'm not prepared to do so) and also all the cool events Nuffnang organized (also which I yet to attend any of those). So after much deliberation, I decided to just let Innity go. At least for the time being (although I can make a fortune out of it! damn!). Well in any case, Nuffnang pays me quite well too. I don't complain but heck, so far I've made RM259.74 with Nuffnang.

In the meantime, Imma' stick with Nufnang for a bit. They are, in other words, way cooler (:

Signing off,
A loyal Nuffnanger (:

(Contact lenses + BBQ = Permanent Blindness) = Hoax?

The claim :

"Those who wear contact lenses, remove them when you have to attend a BBQ party or whatsoever that got to do with flames... I heard a horrible true story about contact lenses.... It happened to a 21 year old guy, he wore a pair of contact lenses during a barbecue party. While, he was barbecuing, he stared at the fire charcoals. After a few seconds, he started to scream for help and moved rapidly, jumping up and down. No one in the party knew why... When he arrived at the Hospital, the doctor said he'll be blind permanently courtesy of the contact lenses that he had worn. Contact lenses are made by plastics, and the heat from the charcoal melted his contact lenses.

So, tell all your friends.....DO NOT WEAR CONTACT LENSES WHERE OVERHEATING AND FLAMES ARE CONCERNED... pass this message to all your friends"

They say :

According to this email forward, a young man who stared at a BBQ fire became blind when the contact lenses he was wearing melted onto his eyes. However, the information in this foolish "warning" is completely unfounded.

Years ago, I worked in a Sydney metal products factory. At the time, there was a story circulating among workers that a welder in a nearby factory had gone blind after a welding flash melted his contact lenses to his corneas. The rumour turned out to be untrue. In fact, the story is a long running urban legend that has haunted work places around the world since the 1960's. An American Welding Society Fact Sheet(.pdf) notes:

Since 1967, the American Welding Society has received reports concerning welders who have claimed to have had contact lenses fused to their eyes, either by the heat of the arc or by microwave radiation. Not one of these reports has been substantiated, and safety bulletins issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the National Safety Council (NSC) have all refuted that such incidents could possibly have occurred.

This BBQ warning message appears to be a mutated version of the older welding urban legend. Like the legend, it has no basis in fact. If an everyday occurrence such as staring at a BBQ fire for just a few seconds was enough to melt contact lenses and cause serious eye injuries, then there would undoubtedly be thousands of well documented cases of such injuries. If standing close to normal BBQ coles was enough to melt lens, then household heaters, stoves, and a variety of other common heat sources would presumably have the same effect. However, I could not locate even one credible report of such an injury. Given that there is at least 125 million contact lens wearers worldwide, it is vastly improbable that such injuries would have somehow escaped the notice of medical authorities and the news media. Quite obviously, if contact lens where so apt to cause blindness when exposed to commonly occurring heat sources, then they would have been removed from the market years ago.

There are potential risks associated with contact lens use, but these risks are generally concerned with possible eye infections and corneal ulcers and having nothing to do with lenses fusing to eyeballs due to heat exposure. Using lenses as instructed and following common sense contact lens safety guidelines can minimize such risks.

Because contact lens may, in some cases, "complicate eye safety", there is also some controversy over the use of contact lens in the workplace. Again, however, these potential safety issues are in no way related to eye injuries caused by "melting" lenses.

Forwarding errant nonsense such as this is nothing more than scaremongering and will serve no good purpose.

Their verdict :

This theory is a complete hoax.

We say :

You decide. Leave comments here if you think this entry is worth debating.



Source - hoaxslayer

My Latest Toy

I never hid the fact that I am an avid collector of spontaneous ignition products ;) Having said that, I've always been amazed by lighters even since I was kid. In my younger days, I always wondered how a little plastic tube filled with liquid topped with a metal wheel able to produce a flame that is rather dangerous nor harmless. Since then, I've been trying to get my hands on all kinds of lighters; all shapes, colours, sizes, fuel/gas source, etc etc...

Well certainly I don't deny the fact that I use them frequently enough , not anymore, I do still keep them most of them that I used back then. However, everyone eventually wants the best there is in every aspect of life, the same goes to choosing the best lighter. As time goes by, every collectors/user eventually wants an authentic Zippo lighter. The same goes to me.

I've always wanted an original Zippo lighter, not the pasar malam fake Zippo that you can get for less than RM 10 and to be honest, I do possess a few of those. I bought one from a Kek Lok Si Temple during a recent Penang trip for RM 15 and just recently, the flint wheel decided to just die on me.

Therefore, I decided that I had enough of all the fake ones and finally settle for an original Zippo.

This is my latest toy, a full-chrome body Zippo that I just bought. It's light, scratch-proof and possesses an insanely high reflective index. However, it comes with a few flaws. The most obvious one is that it catches fingerprints easily to the point of annoying, I must add. Next, the flint wheel is tightly secured which in turns hurt my thumb if I flick it too hard. Well, this can be fixed apparently after a few more flicks, the metal pole securing the flint wheel will begin to loosen up and the following flicks will be much much easier. Anyway, other flaws doesn't really bring any significance to me so I don't really give a damn and most importantly right, I'm lovin' it!

"It works or we fix it for free", Zippo ;)

3.0 - musing. about nothing.

"10!....9!....8!...."    *fades away*


I was there. Standing on my black worn-out all-star, I was there as I witnessed the crowd screaming their heart out all in the name of welcoming the new year. I was with a friend, whom I've known for more than 12 years and with a bunch of unfamiliar female faces for which I didn't get most of their names, let alone their numbers. All thanks to the loud but static music the band that was playing at that time coming from medieval speakers provided by the city council. Fuck you. A few minutes earlier, I sat and casually chatted whist enjoying my ice-blended mocha at 11 pm in a cafe who can't even think of their own name that had to borrow Old Town's. Anyway, the conversations we had were fairly disappointing, ranging from some lecture hall that I've never heard of to the new policy of my former high school which indefinitely exudes the stupidity of high school teachers. I spent the new half hour looking around, at that time was basically nothing. Some idea of time-spending huh?

"7!....6!...5!...."       *fades away*

The crowd was getting louder that ever before, something I don't particularly fond of. Anyhow, I maintained my facade pretty good and looked like I was enjoying myself very much as opposed to what I was really having in my mind, "What heck made this? The music was shitty. The crowd's enthusiasm was shitty. Even the MCs' on the stage was shitty. Good god!". Failing to disclose the fact that the crowd was enormous, I truly believed that the whole town was there at that time, and nothing else matter anymore.

"4!...3!...2!...."

My friend standing next to me nudged me. "THIS IS IT! THIS IS IT! THE FUCKING NEW YEAR! WOHOOOO!". Realizing I wasn't really paying any attention at the big-ass timer hanging on top of the stage, for the first time in the pass 10 seconds, I opened up both my eyes wide....just as the second hand reached the forth dot on the 11-12 section.

"1!..........."

"HAPPY NEW YEAR DUDE!!!"

Standing on the exact same spot for the pass 11 seconds, I shook hands with everyone there, greeting all of them the same ol' line..."Happy New Year" whilst maintaining a smile that was too hard for me to keep up.

And that was my third new year countdown in my life.

I know.

Fuck my life.

Right?

And exactly 3 minutes into the new year, Pete Yorn's turn of the century found it's way into my mind.

 

Saw my reflection, covered in glass
How it reminds me of you
Broken like a vision, an unfinished season
Terror had struck me, but all I could see is your soft skin
And I wondered
Inside the workhouse, you mind your own business
And I had the courage of two
And as I requested a lapse in your presence
I couldn't think of anything important to say
So I wondered
When this day will end
Yeah, I wondered if we'd speak again.
Yeah, I wonder.

  

2009 ended with a spark. 2010 began with a spark too. A spark from my zippo's flint wheel...

Great.

So I thought to myself.