Top Ten Things Superman had been doing the last 20 years

Well, folks, it's now pretty well known that I got turned away during the ill-fated, much complained about preview of Superman Returns. I've put that incident behind me now, and I've sworn off cinemas for at least 6 months. I have re-opened a standing account with the local DVD-9 seller.

But you know why the flying man with tight underwear worn externally was so eagerly anticipated? Because he's been away for the last 20 years or so. Poor man. One wonders where he had been, and why didn't he stop great natural disasters and human tragedies all those years. I mean, he can't be always saving people who cross the street without looking right, then left, then right again, right? Be ambitious a bit lah ...

So ... where would he have been all these while? Oh, far from idling around and building fat around his waist, he's been around, ok.

• He was gainfully employed by the Works Ministry to keep the Middle Ring Road 2 flyover from falling down. And when he left to make the new movie, that's when the flyover had to be closed ...

• Superman did get a contract to bend a straight bridge into a scenic one in Johor Bharu. Unfortunately, that contract was canceled. =(
  

• Became the stunt double for Keanu Reeves in The Matrix. Remember how Neo could fly around?
  

• Was seen sometime in the past in some car repair shop in SS2, using his X-Ray vision to check wheel alignment and realigning bad wheels with his super human strength.
  

• Hired by Mid Valley GSC to chase away stubborn patrons who want to bring laptop into the cinema with his heat vision.

• Took a year long round the world trip backpacking with Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman to "discover himself".
  

• He was actually on WWE Raw as a masked wrestler called Dude Spandex.

• Took part in Fear Factor Superheroes where he lost out when he chickened out at a stunt where he was supposed to eat durians. (Yup, like most Ang mohs, he can't take durian too ...)
  

• Remember one of the Petronas Towers was tilted during construction? Guess who straightened that?
  

• For a while he was the standing in at KLIA checking luggage with his X Ray vision whenever the X-Ray machines there broke down.

Thank You Guys !!!

A couple of days ago, I posted a cryptic entry asking my imaginary readers to wish me luck.

I'm glad to say that thanks in part to those well wishes, I'm looking set to score the biggest success in my career so far. It all looks promising. I hope.

There was a high powered presentation that day, basically a customer demo that I was leading, and I was a little nervous about the preparations.

When I posted that note, I knew the demo system is down =(, and while I had no doubts at all that it would be fixed and running in time for the presentation, I was hoping fervently to get access to the system to have a bit more practice and also to rehearse once by myself.

Well, no luck with that. The system only came back about 2 hours before the demo, but still I was grateful that I did manage to squeeze in 2 hours of practice.

And those two hours came in very, very, handy indeed. I looked at the areas in my presentation which I thought I could improve and worked on it in those two short hours.

To cut the story short, we made a very excellent presentation and made a brilliant pitch about our proposal. And what seemed like a remote chance of success a month ago now looks like at worst, a 50-50 chance.

I damn Happy !!!

Thank you angeliuna joliu
Thank you HCity
Thank you Inevitable
Thank you Che-Cheh
Thank you Chloe
Thank you Laksa
Thank you Infectioner
Thank you abe

* come here .. lemme give you guys and gals a hug *

Superman: SUCKS

WARNING: Not suitable for Superman fans and audiences under the age of 18 and for folks against swearing.





I was invited to attend the Superman Returns preview in GSC Mid Valley just yesterday, and was obviously very, very, excited about it.

I made my plans, and although I'm really busier than you can imagine this week (a few very important documents to write, edit, compile and consolidate), I decided that 2 hours off work can be therapeutic. Boy, was I in for the surprise of my life. The whole experience basically SUCKS big time.

I have been told beforehand that I can't bring my handphone and recording devices, which made a lot of sense - piracy is after all a big problem in this region.

But what surprised me was that when I was at the entry, they kept repeating the announcement "For all patrons attending the Superman preview, please note that mobile phone and electronic devices are not allowed into the screening hall ..."

My first thought was that ... gosh ... digital wrist watches, pacemaker, PDAs, etc. ... how about those?

But I didn't realise that they won't allow me to bring my laptop in as well.

WHAT THE FUCK???

My laptop is staying with me. I'm coming straight from work, thus the laptop. There's a lot of information in the laptop - I can't risk losing it - so I'm not putting it in the car, I'm not depositing it with security as well. And you had to do the fucking preview on a weekday, which increases the chance of laptops ...

The lady we spoke to told me it'll be safe and she'll be out at the lobby area. SO WHAT ?? With all the handphones and laptops and whatever electronic devices out there, I can't take her word for it, can I? Who they FUCK is she anyways? The guardian angel of all electronic devices? The ultimate caretaker of deposited items? Can she guarantee if I lose my laptop or damage it that she'll pay up for the lost my company will incur?

And what does she think she's doing enforcing rules as she wishes??

The stupid sign says NO RECORDING DEVICES. The stupid ticket says NO RECORDING DEVICES including handphones, etc.

If I was informed earlier about no laptops being allowed, I might have made alternate arrangements or simply pass up the chance to watch the movie.

It doesn't say NO LAPTOPS anywhere except when I was there!!! And what am I going to do? Switch on the laptop and start recording the movie? I don't know if the resolution will be any good. I don't know if she actually thinks it's even fucking possible.

Look ASSHOLES ... it's more likely I'll download from bit torrent or eMule the movie. Or simply buy the DVD after a month.

And at least you can have the fucking courtesy to inform me in advance so I don't make it all the way there to not watch the movie. It's such as waste of time.

I hope they don't tell people next they can't wear clothes into the movie. I mean, they could do that, couldn't they, if they really wanted to? Or they could be telling people that they can't wear electronic wrist watches.

I didn't make any fuss out there because I was, after all, an invited guest. I didn't want to trouble my host any more, and was obviously disappointed for her that I can't attend. But the more I think about it, the more it was clear to me:

You know what? In your stupid, misguided attempt to fucking stamp out piracy, you've just encourage me to watch the movie on a pirated DVD. Why bother driving all the way to your stupid preview to be denied entry because you think I might be pirating away your stupid movie via my laptop (which has no recording devices, btw).

SUPERMAN SUCKS.

(But I'll still watch it. On pirated DVD, of course)

Wish me luck ...

The future starts today. The hour of reckoning is at 1430 (GMT +8).

Wish me luck. I'll need all of it.

=)

I'll blog about it later ...

Restful Sunday

I had a well rested day on Sunday, for a change.

After many unsuccessful attempts to get together for a game of golf with DP, we finally managed to get together for a friendly round. Although the hours are a little unearthly - 9 am - for Sunday, I'm not complaining. If it's anything else, 9 am in the morning is impossible. However, I make exceptions for golf with friends.

We had much to catch up about ... we have now both left the former company - both for somewhat the same reasons, I guess. So it was good time to compare notes. Well, from what I gather speaking to him, he's got himself a good deal, so all the best, brader.

Back to the golf ... it was great ... although we were always stuck behind some real slow golfers, the weather was nearly constantly pleasant, which meant it was all the better.

I picked up a couple of pars and a birdie, which means I've had a great day. There were a few 1 putts and a few close shaves, and I was constantly in with a shout for par, which meant that I'm getting more consistent =)

I managed to fix my slice problems with the drive, which meant all but a few drives were going arrow straight =). Thanks to Andy for noticing I've been getting the back swing way over the top. And that good first shot translated into more options for my second, I nearly always had a look at the green and today, I managed to get on the green in regulation around half the time. I think a happy person = better golfer.

After golf, we had a nice chat about just about everything - golf, life, work, university application (UPU sent me an SMS to register for some courses - unsolicited, of course - whilst we were on the course), and cars. It's nice to take the mind of the tenders and technical compliance statements for a change.

And then I had a shopping trip to 1U. Bought some work shirts - I need some more 'update' work clothes that will blend in with what my colleagues wear. Didn't notice a drop in business as someone mentioned following the you-know-what rumor.

And I topped it with a mamak session with liuliu angel. We talked about vehicular purchase negotiations skill, peculiar Japanese habits, correct usage of the liuliu language, how PJ mamaks beat Puchong mamaks, etc. etc. Hehe ... nice chat - we'll find a not-so-stinky place for mamak next time. Thanks for coming over.

It's a good Sunday. At last.

Missing the chums ...

It's about a month and half since I left my old company for my present port-of-call. Actually, it felt much longer than that.

I must say that the transition had been much, much easier than I have expected, I'm just hoping the guys I'm working with feel the same too. The amount of work didn't give me a lot of time to dwell about the folks in the old place, but I really do miss them.

I miss 3 things from the old job - (1) the view from Level 70 in KLCC, (2) the choice of food (but not the price though) and (3) the people there. In fact, I miss 'em in the reserve order of mention.

So ... here's a little tribute to the folks there ... actually, I have 3 little sketches ... so this is part 1. Depending on how people react, parts 2 and 3 may or may not see the light of day ..

A short comedy (1)
Al-kisah cerita benar - this is how lunch time used to be for me. And this is one of those things I miss at my new job. Having said that, I feel very welcomed here, so I guess it's just me reminiscing about the good ol' times ....

Top Ten Things KL Can Do To Be Friendlier ...

Well, the survey's in. Our people are RUDE - so says Reader's Digest. You can read it here.

You can start a comment war here and flame me, but I'm not taking sides. I'm not saying whether we are rude or otherwise. Everytime I think we're nice people, some rude people will turn up and wreck my day. And everytime I think the whole KL's gone south with politeness, some angelic, helpful people turn up and show me some love.. so I really can't decide, to be honest.

So ... whatever you think, I can see your point of view. We're probably not as bad as we're made out to be, but we're probably not as good as we think we are as well.

But just for fun, I'm making a Top Ten list about how KL can be friendlier ...

• Pass new law making it compulsory for snatch thieves to ask for permission from victim before stealing.

• You get your purchase free if the shopkeeper or assistant doesn't thank you.
  

• Instead of ignoring and chasing away salesmen who approach them when they are having teh tarik, KLites have been advised to invite the salesmen for a drink with them instead.

• Tax rebates now available for friendly people. It's called 'Rebat Sopan Santun'.
  

• Rude students will be allocated with courses they don't want in far away places when they apply for a place in a local university. Also valid for students with rude parents.
  

• After taking duit Starbucks from you, policemen will send you a nice Thank You card.

• The Religious department is establishing a vigilante group that will 'advise' people when they are not friendly.

• Create a Royal Commission On Friendliness to deliberate on this matter for the next 2 years, produce a 2000 page report and ... well ... do nothing else.
  

• Taxi drivers will now tell you up front that you're being ripped off.
  

• Drivers are advised to use official sign language to swear at each other instead of just using the finger.
  

4Meme found me ...

Some people attract good luck. Some people attract bad luck. Some leng chais attract leng luis. Leng luis normally attract all types and sorts of leng chais and leng luis.

But Moz? I attract just ... memes. There are no unsolicited date requests for Moz. No one asks me out for drinks. No one wants my phone numbers. But everyone wants me to do a meme. Why?

This time, it's inevitable's turn to tag me. Maybe I should make my name extra long to deter taggers ... maybe I should be called YouCanStillTagMeToDoMemesButMyNameIsSoDamnLongYouDontFeelLikeDoingIt. Maybe. Even the short form will still be long. YCSTMTDMBMNISDLYWFLDI. I win oredi lor ... =)

Anyways, here's me go at it ...

4 jobs I would stink at:
1. PR person for President George W Bush (no one can do that job well, ok?)
2. Road Safety Consultant to Infectioner
3. Pelf's Dermatologist
4. Store keeper in a Raisin warehouse (I would eat all the raisins myself !!)

4 nicknames I’m making up for myself:
1. Smilin' Assassin
2. Kiddo
3. OMGURSGL !! - "Oh My God UR So Good Looking !!"
4. muzillah mun-sadr - My Arabic alter ego

4 movies I can watch over & over:
1. Shaolin Soccer
2. Storm Riders - I always imagine I'm Wind
3. Forrest Gump
4. Ghost in the Shell (Anime)

4 alcoholic beverages I enjoy from time to time:
1. Vodka spiked fruit juices
2. Port
3. Kahlua. Preferably with milk
4. Chilled White Wine from Chile or South Africa

4 fantastic destinations I would like to go to on vacation before I pass out:
1. Tibet - I'm just attracted to that place. Don't ask why.
2. Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peaks. Supposed to be one of the best hikes in the world.
3. Travel the Danube River in Europe.
4. Walk along the YangTze River in China along Leaping Tiger's pass. I'm named after the YangTze River.

4 things I love to do on weekends:
1. Sleep. I don't get enough of it on weekdays.
2. Play golf - either on the course or at the driving range. Good stress release.
3. Breakfast with dad.
4. Photo-hiking - that's like taking a hike and shooting pictures.

4 celebrities I would go on a Big Date with:
1. Jacky Cheung - my first and foremost idol
2. President George W Bush - man, I'd look like the smartest man on the planet next to him
3. Patty Hou Pei Cen
4. Cameron Richardson - first noticed her in Good Humor Man (2005)

4 objects I could not live without:
1. My phone - work, live, play ... it's all there.
2. My iPod mini
3. My watch - I must wear a watch almost all the time. It's just something about me and time.
4. Internet

4 gadgets I do not have which I would quite like to have:
1. A BMW M5. Actually, is this considered a gadget?
2. A Pro SLR camera - with complete sets of macro, telephoto and wide lenses.
3. My very own GPS navigation device
4. My own telescope - I've always wanted to just gaze out at the stars.

4 wannabe celebrities tagged:
1. Pelf. **I am so evil.**
2. Che-Cheh. **Legs tired - yes, but fingers not tired, right? **
3. Abe. I wonder if Abe does meme's in the first place ... ?
4. Cheng Sim. Let's hear it from the gurl herself.

My Dad & Me

Ok, look. I'm not very good at these things. And my family doesn't ever celebrate any ocassions if it's not Chinese New Year. So, like all other years when Father's Day just comes and goes, I didn't do anything special with my dad. But hey, if you love your dad, everyday is a Father's Day - think about that, ok?

Anyways, here's what I have to say:

• Dad, I love you lots because you given up smoking cold turkey when I asked you to. That says a lot about you as a family man.
• Dad, I love you lots because you sold a house to finance my studies in Australia. You didn't have to do that.
• Dad, I love you lots because you have never said no to anything you could do, but didn't have to.
• Dad, I love you lots because whether I want it or not, you buy me breakfast every Sunday morning.
• Dad, I love you because you are the level headed influence when I lose my own head.
• Dad, I love the way you put everything in the family ahead of yourself.
  
• Dad, I just love you.
  

I simply love dad. Everyday.

I don't need to buy him massage chairs and chicken essence folks. Loving your dad is more than that.

Top Ten Signs You've Been Watching Too Much 'Star Wars'

I don't know if it's me, or if it's real, but lately, there has been way too many people I've been in touch with who're talking about Star Wars. It's Star Wars this, Star Wars that. It's getting to me, ok? I really don't have a clue why it's such a big deal.

There was a chat last night with some football kakis that drifted into the topic of Star Wars. Ok, I know England is like, boring. But Star Wars?

And then this morning, there was a small chat in the office that evolved into another Star Wars discussion. Full blown, blow-by-blow details on each of the 6 movies.

Look, I enjoy all 6 movies, but did you guys really have to make it like the centerpiece of your life?

If you don't think you've been watching Star Wars too often, then you shouldn't display any of the symptoms in this list then ...

• Your two dogs are called "R2" and "D2". And when their puppies are "C", "3", "P" and "O".
  

• You will only date girls who dress like Princess Leia

• Favorite pickup line: "May my force be with you?"

• Next favorite pickup line: "Wanna see my light saber?"

• Your version of Mr. Perfect? Tall, Dark and Hairy :- Chewbacca
  

• When you are deep in trouble, you ask yourself what Jar Jar Binks would do in the same situation.

• You wear a Darth Vader helmet whenever you ride your Honda kapcai to work. And your kapcai's nickname is the Death Star.
  

• Your sex life is strictly 'Han Solo'. Get my drift?

• You keep a photo of Yoda in your wallet to inspire you.

• You only help people when they use the magic words: "Obi Wan !! You are my only hope !!"
  

Top Ten Signs You're Taking Too Much Sugar

Ok guys. It's out in the news. Malaysians consume 2.5 times the sugar they need. We're all sugar addicts, ok?

Don't believe me? Read the papers. Here.

Yeah, I know its sad, but you and I, we're all taking in way too much sugar. Yessir, I think the signs are there for all to see. And I'm already thinking that mamaks who overdo their teh tariks should be all hauled up and thrown in jail because they're creating health problems down the road for us Malaysians. But who are we kidding? We're all responsible ourselves, ok?

But, wait. You say - NOPE. You're not taking too much sugar?

OK. Suit you. But here are Top Ten Signs You're Taking Too Much Sugar.

• When you forget to flush after peeing, the ants will come.

• When the nurse took your blood sample and gave it to the doctor, the doctor rejected it and reminded the nurse that he wanted a blood sample, not a tube of syrup.

• To make your teh tarik, here's what the mamak has to do: "Put 14 spoons of sugar. Add 4 spoons of sweetened condensed milk. Add hot tea. Stir like mad until everything's dissolved".

• The instructions says "Put sugar as desired to flavor". And you empty a whole gunny sack of sugar into the cheesecake you're baking.

• This year, the entire sugar industry is depending on you to make a profit.
  

• The Health Ministry has issued a circular announcing that you have been declared as bio-hazardous because it's now possible to get diabetes just by touching you.

• When Superman used his X-Ray vision on you, all he could see was cubes and cubes of sugar.
  

• You ask the waiter to bring you some syrup to add to your mug of cold beer.
  

• Dracula is sending you a lawsuit because after he got diabetes after drinking your blood.

• You simply can't sleep without eating 2 spoons of sugar.
  

Hehe ... hope non of these apply to any of you guys.

An interview with a Pelf

I'm out of ideas. I'll admit to it. The funnies have dried up. Really. Hopefully, it's not a permanent condition, otherwise, I'll have to play laught tracks in the blog.

In my brain, the part responsible for funnies / blog ideas and daily writing is the same part responsible for work. And whenever that part of brain is overworked, it switches off to preserve sanity.

The end result is a very glummy looking guy - Moz.

To bail me out momentarily while the work overdrive continues, I'm relying on blogger friends to give me memes, interviews, etc.

The senior Pelf-ster didn't exactly want to interview me, but the opportunity came, so I forced her to interview me. Really.

BTW, can Pelf educate me whether she should be addressed as THE Pelf or A Pelf? I know there are 2 Pelf's out there, maybe even more ... I'll stick with a Pelf unless you send me an official letter from your legal counsel advising me otherwise. *bluek* *tries to imitate a Pelf*

(1) What did you do in your free time before you started blogging?

Me? There wasn't any life before I started blogging. I was in a freezer, being cryogenically frozen until the Internet and blogging got invented. I was really born in 1732, and spent the first 28 years of my life in a monastery on a hilltop in Northern China. My life evolved around meditation, learning Shaolin Kung Fu, fetching laborious amounts of water from the bottom of the hill up to the monastery and being reminded that I'm supposed to remain chase my whole life.

One day, the chief monk had a vision of the future, and decided that I had to be a blogger. Thus, I was frozen in time until recently when I got thawed by a spell that would only work once blogging became the in thing.

Haha ... that's my imagination running wild.

Come to think of it, what did we all do in our free time before blogging came about?

I had my own little life centered around either: pubs and clubs, meeting up with friends, computer games and the odd drive to no where. Normal, I guess. What did you do before blogging came about? I hope you weren't a full time stamp collector or something like that ...

(2) Why exactly did you start blogging? Do you have plans to host your own blog in the future? Will you abandon your blog after getting married?

Not fair!! That's really 3 questions !!

I was all alone and overseas when I started blogging. I really started in Singapore during one of my very long overseas assignments - I was in Singapore for a whole year, really.

I was tapping into some neighbour's wireless LAN, and had lots of time to kill, so blogging was something I did out of boredom. That was around 3 years back. No one read that blog, I didn't even attempt to write anything interesting there - it was more like my life journal. And no one wants to read Moz's life journal. Even my mum would die of boredom if she read it.

I have no set plans in mind for my blog. It's fluid. It's dynamic. And it's the way I like it to be. I believe my blog should be a living project - it should reflect the life I'm going thru. I don't want to create plans such as having my own domains, etc. etc. Circumstances might change that, and I will get disappointed if I don't meet my own goals. So, it's much better to leave it this way and let the flow of time decide things.

Abandoning my blog after marriage? Hmmm ... There are a few variables here I have no control over. Assuming I find a partner, and assuming she wants to marry me, I'm not sure what will happen after that. I'd like to keep blogging as long as I feel up to it. Thank goodness I don't blog to an audience - with the paltry number of readers I have, I would have given up ages ago.

I guess the answer to that is - as long as there is a purpose in blogging, I'll keep at it. Of course, this is time permitting. I think the answer is no. I don't think I'll stop blogging just because I'm married.

Wei ... friend ... it's 3 questions you gave me there. You see how long the response is? =)

(3) Name some of the nice bloggers you’ve met only when you have started blogging (you’d better include me). And explain why you think they are nice.

(1) Pelf Senior. She's included here on strong recommendation from the interviewer. It's just a little funny how she strings perfect sentences together. And she appears to be nice genuinely - it's a character judgement I'm making without actually having met her, but I'm had some chats and think she's really nice anyways. And plus, that kinda shows in her blog as well. She's so nice she qualifies for a Beijing Panda Bear. However, she sorta FFKed me in KT, so I'm still keeping the Beijing Panda Bear in trust until a time deemed suitable by the sole owner of the Beijing Panda Bear (me).

Angel. I'm not sure if she's still singing or if she's orgasmic now. But she's nice. She was the first serial commentator on my blog, and gave me plenty of encouragement to start. I would have been so much less enthusiastic about blogging seriously if it wasn't for her. And yes, she's nice. Why? Tiramisu. That's why. And that's why she qualifies for a Beijing Panda Bear.

The Infected One. Honestly, he reminds me a bit of me when I was in college. Well except the auto accidents and the results part. And he's writes well and is funny. Again, haven't really met him, but he's nice enough to get into the nice club. But no Beijing Panda Bear. I'd hate to see what he'll write if he gets a Panda Bear from me. I'd be crucified for being a brokeback, dude. So, you're nice, but no Panda. Maybe a Mocha Latte when we do get to meet.

I'm including one more - The Banana Girl - Cheng Sim. She's nice ain't she? Again, she might not be concious of it, but some of her comments gave me encouragements. For that I've sent her a present from Beijing as well. But apparently, it's lost in the complicated Malaysian Postal Delivery system. Hey, CS, if it never gets there, you'll get a cheesecake or something when we do get to meet then, ok ?

(4) What is the one thing that you dislike about the blogosphere? And what can you do about it?

Blog wars.

OK. I don't exactly dislike it. It's interesting, and it makes for good reading. But do people have to be soooooOOOOOooooo nasty? It's like wrestling, only the fights are real.

It's a blog, for heaven's sake. Let people have their say, let people project their opinion. And if you don't agree, make it clear it's a disagreement in opinion. There's no need to resort to character assassination, back-stabbing and name calling.

Just disagree on the points - there's always room for healthy debate and disagreements - everyone looks at things slightly differently.

It's very interesting, but it's not all that positive, is it?

(5) Any embarrasing blogging moments to share?

Nah, haven't been caught on camera wearing my boxers or anything like that. And even if I did get caught, it'll probably be ok too. With all those nice pictures of pretty people floating around, I don't think anyone will pay attention to me. Moz not pretty.

Dah. Aced the interview =)

OK, here's the deal. If anyone of you have trouble sleeping at night, or is not interested in the World Cup, and needs something else to pass time by, leave a comment. Tell me you want to get 5 silly questions from me, and I'll be happy to respond to you in a comment entry with 5 questions. The degree of silliness will be at the sole discretion of the blogger (me, again).

Remember ... you're not supposed to be copying the questions above and answering 'em. You're supposed to get brand new ones from me. Just leave a comment. I'm tailor making questions to fit you. How exciting is that?

Feeling the heat ... but loving it

Well, I haven't been putting up posts lately because the job had been really taking a lot out of me.

I woke up this morning with bits of proposal papers, notes, pens, pieces of scrap paper, staples and my iPod with me in bed. For the first time since my teenage years when I was scrambling to read up the night before the tests, I actually fell asleep in bed with my homework. I was happy I didn't crush the fragile looking laptop in my sleep. Like, what do I tell my boss then when I have to ask for a replacement?

"I slept with the laptop? ...."

Just two nights ago, I fell asleep on the laptop. When I woke up, there was an unending stream of 'm's across my document. I had to delete about 200 pages of the letter m. Apart from that, I had the impression marks of the keyboard all across the right side of my face. I was happy then I didn't drool - what am I going to say to the IT folks who maintain the laptops when they ask me about the bodily fluids they found on my laptop?

"I slept with the laptop" is hardly a good response.

Anyways, you get the idea. I haven't been getting a lot of sleep. In between trying to learn the ropes in my new job, there are the real work - everyday tasks that needs to be done. And while I still get the luxury of some slack from people who know I'm still new, I don't expect that to last long. And there's the darned World Cup as well - not that I get to watch a lot of it.

The victim in all this? This blog is. I'm going to have to start blogging less now because I am going to need all the time I can get.

One of my own silent goals when I started to do this more seriously was to basically try and blog daily. It was a good stress relieve mechanism for me - and it still is - but time is one thing I don' t have. However, I'm determined not to stop blogging - I just want to blog when time permits. I'd really hate to stop this since this is one past time I enjoy a lot. I hope blogging won't just turn out to be one of those 'phase' thing.

You know, like the 'phase' you went thru when you simply had to have pen-pals because you needed to collect stamps and you don't just want to have an album full of 30 sen palm oil stamps?

Or the 'phase' you went thru when you can't fall asleep without kissing the picture of each of the F4 guys and then hugging the bolster with a picture of Wang Lee Hom / Julian Cheung / ?

Still, to those who think that this new job is stressful, it really isn't. There's a difference between stress and busy-ness. I'm really busy - up to my neck with work, learning and getting used to my new job. But guess what, I'm really happy too.

It's a good sign for me that I'm being involved in many tasks. It's a good sign for me that I'm entrusted with important tasks that have very challenging deadlines. It underscores the trust I'm getting, and it also shows that the level of expectation is high.

I can handle that. I wanted to have important tasks. I'll give up a bit of sleep if that's what it takes. I'm always one who wants to be the guy who takes charge, so this is my chance.

I so intend to take it.

Random Notes ...

The work so far ...
Well, it's been about a month now since I left my previous job. After a short break in the East Coast, I've now been working with a new employer.

I'm enjoying my work immensely ... the challenges are real, and they are big. But it's the satisfaction of having pushed my limits that makes me happy and content. I'm not a very old person, and I by no measure should stop learning, growing and pushing my boundaries further. In a way, I'd hate myself if I just had a 9-to-5 job that promises a life of monotony. I'd die of boredom ...

I'm still getting used to the surroundings and the work environment, not to mention the team. However, everything seems to be alright so far. I've been jumping into the action, which is thick and fast, and I'm loving it too. Seems like the best way to learn might be to get the feet wet.

I'm starting to understand the dynamics of the team better, so hopefully, I'll fit in well. I don't want to be dead weight on this ship.

Rain & Me
Ok, Korean idol fans - stay grounded. This is not Rain the person. This is rain, as in water falling from the sky.

The rain today ensured I had a very, very long commute home along the LDP. And wrecked the shine off my newly washed car. I haven't washed it for ages until last Sunday, when it hadn't rained for a while ... and then ... today, the damn sky had to open up on me.

I'm not anti-rain, but rain seems to just put a slow on everything. It's like that slow spell the wizards get to cast in some of those real time strategy games. Damn. And slowing down traffic while I'm driving home is no fun at all.

Don't we all despise the rain falling at peak traffic hours?

Broken down cars
On the subject of work commute ... I'd like to just say that since I have been driving on the LDP, it appears that cars breaking is a very common thing.

Look, car owners - take care of your car. It's the second most expensive thing you probably own - next to your house. Service it regularly. Keep it in working condition.

Because if you don't - it bloody breaks down when you least expect it to. Like when I want to be early for work. It sucks when you have to get somewhere early, and stuck in a jam because YOUR vehicle is stranded.

I encountered 3 broken down cars today at work. And that made a 30 minute commute turn into a 45 minute one. You multiply that by the number of people who're affected. Let's say everyone travelling my way is late by 15 minutes. And let's say there were 10,000 cars affected.

If you calculate ...

a) Cost of being 15 minutes late
b) Pollution caused by 15 unnecessary minutes the car spent on the road
c) Amount of carbon fuel burnt unnecessarily during the 15 unnecessary minutes of delay
d) Knock on effect 15 late minutes has on the rest of the day ..

Then multiply by 10,000 ... it's almost an insane figure. Someone from our government should make the calculation and decide that productivity is at stake. But, I guess it's another excuse for them to punch in late at work in those government departments, right?

IMHO, Those drivers should all be put into jail !!! It's your responsibility to keep your car in working order, OK? Exceptions will be made for folks whose car break down unexpectedly. But if it's things such as boiling radiator because you haven't been topping up the coolant, or you have not been sending the car for regular servicing, etc., I think a jail sentence works.

And I've been encountering broken down cars almost everyday on my drive to work. Why don't people learn?

Busy Busy Busy
I've been grounded in Malaysia to work on an urgent piece of work.

I'm expecting very little sleep for some days, and I'm expecting very much mental stress and agony. It comes with the job, and makes it fun and exciting. Well, sometimes it does.

Does anyone know a place for quick stress release near Bukit Damansara? I'm talking oxygen bar, foot massage or just a nice tong shui place. Things that will make me forget about work for about 20 minutes everyday. I'll need it. Sudokus don't work anymore.

Last night, it was the opium scented incense. I wonder if it'll work again tonight ... (Don't ask me if it really smells like opium ... I have no idea how real opium smells like !!)

My first time ...
I made my first solo presentation to a customer today in this job. It's nothing to shout about, but I thought I handled myself very well, and was able to carry off a pretty good job.

All journeys have to start somewhere, right?

Now, if I can only stop myself from talking forever and ever and ever. I need to cut down on the number of presentation slides.

The customer seemed happy enough, and my team mates gave me pretty good reviews as well. But they all agreed that it was best I cut down the presentation time ... so ... OK. Heard you. Will do.

Top Ten Ways The Higher Petrol Price Is Impacting ..

It's been a while since I've done a Top Ten thingy. Not much time with the new job bearing down on me, and with some other things happening in my own life as well. But since we're at it, why not ??

It's been a few months now since the gahmen decided it's a good idea to do away with some petrol subsidy, and since then, while the gahmen is acting like all is fine and dandy, we the rakyat faces the crunch. I haven't seen any real action with regards to improving public transportation - I'm a little embarrased to think I actually thought they would really do that in the first place. Heck, as long as our ministers gets police escorts that cut through all the traffic congestion, like, hell no - they're not going feel the pain we do.

Anyways, if you really ask me ... here's how The Higher Petrol Price Is Impacting ...

• Pizza Hut will now only deliver to places they can walk to. And they can't guarantee the pizza won't be all cold and soggy when you get it.

• Girls who stay 10km or further have turned me down - I'm now too expensive to date.

• My mamak sessions lately have been conducted by video conferencing to save costs.

• The delivery charges have actually become more expensive than the flowers I'm sending. So I've stopped secretly admiring anyone anymore.

• Girls no longer dig guys in IT line. Or any other line, for that matter. Girls now dig guys who run petrol stations. =(

• The fancy restaurants had stopped accepting credit cards, and will now accept either cash, or petrol.

• Houses built more than 10 minutes from petrol stations can't sell - they're too expensive to live in !

• Suddenly, your parents are ashamed of you at family gatherings because you don't have a job in the Oil & Gas sector.

• It really hurts you lots when you realise that the petrol pump attendant is probably going to get more bonus than you this year !!

• In the not so distant future, it will be romantic to give your girlfriend a truckload of petrol for Valentine's Day.

And since I'm all fueled up with nowhere to go, here's a couple more ...

• The F1 cars would all be running on electric engines starting from next season.

• The PM's convoy will be converted from all Perdana's and Benz's to bullock carts and bicycles soon.

• All the besi buruk thieves are now turning into siphon petrol thieves.

• Disney is modifying it's "Cars" animated movie to show cars drinking Cappucino and Mocha from Starbucks instead of petrol.

• The next time a tai kor comes and asks for protection fee, you have the option of paying in the form of petrol as well.

• Whenever you get pulled over by the traffic cops, they will now ask for duit Petronas instead of duit Starbucks.
  

Google Earth vs Real Pics

I'm one of those people who are lucky enough to travel a lot on the job. And I've always had this fascination with the view from the plane, so I never fail to ask for a window seat so that I get to take pictures from the window.

I know it's a little childish, but who cares? From my previous trip to Thailand, thanks to the unusually good weather for this time of the year, and also the better than expected visibility, I managed to take some pictures.

This time around - I did manage to get some great shots. Check out this one flying over the northern parts of Bangkok on the approach to the International Airport ... the patches of greens looked like one giant quilt !!


And then there was this great picture of a settlement that seemed to float over the flooded rice fields just beyond the shores of the Gulf of Siam, where the mighty Chao Phraya river delta meets the sea ... you can see the river at the top of the picture.



And just for fun, I went to Google Earth to check out the difference between the real pics and the Google pics ... it was good fun ... here are some results ...

Here is the Bangkok International Airport ...


And here, the city of Bangkok itself ...

And here's a golf course encountered along the descent to Bangkok ...


And finally, here's where the Chao Phraya River meets the Gulf of Siam. Just 50 kilometers downstream from Bangkok, ending a long journey from it's origin in the Himalayas ...


I should do this more often ... cool eh ?? I'm digging up older pictures now to Google !!