Ushering in 2006

I found myself in a place which I thought I would never be, and doing things which I hadn't remotely considered on New Year's Eve. And with people who were not even whom I thought be with at the back of my mind.

Normally my New Year Eve's are a private and quiet affair (except for the one time in KLCC / Bukit Bintang with some AIESEC friends). This year I found myself in Sunway Pyramid with a bunch of 23 year olds (one was a friend) sometime from 10 pm onwards. Had to park my car a taxi ride away due to the jam packed streets.

So there I was mingling with the crowd of thousands. There were family with kids, grannies with grandchildren and of course hordes of teenagers & young adults. At least I don't feel too old for this place. The pubs and nearby hotels actually had cordoned off areas so the crowd won't get in unless you're a hotel guest or willing to pay RM 100 for the cover charge (which gets you one drink and a pack of cheap thrills). I pitied the cars that were parked in front cause by morning it will be covered with fingerprints and confetti.

As standing around was boring, we bought a bunch of colored sprays that shoot streams of colored foam. It was only RM 2 each, and one of our group knew the sellers so he got some of them for free. Sprays in hand, we then proceed to spray everyone in our sight (who in turn are spraying each other as well). That's when I thought "Man I'm too old for this". It was fun nonetheless.

At midnight there were fireworks coming from the Lagoon but the view was blocked off by the hotels so we couldn't get a good glimpse of it. We were still spraying then, at least until the last cans finished. Boy the street was worse than if there were pasar malam the whole week.

Feeling tired we then adjourned to the nearby mamak where they were showing Liverpool vs West Brom. While it was already 2006 in Malaysia it was still 2005 in UK and what a way to end the year with Liverpool's 10 straight win. That sure puts the icing on the cake of a fun day.

East Coast trip

I'm not sure why but these days I have a craving to catch sunrises & sunsets. Ever since my Vietnam trip, I would always think when I can find the time to catch my next sunrise or sunset whether it be in Malaysia or another country.

During my leave days on the final week of December, I took a trip down to Kuantan. One to catch the rising sun and two to visit my cousin whom I've gotten very close to this year. I also got invited to spend a night in Cherating with some friends at some really dingy chalet. It was nice though.

As it was rainy season, there were lots of clouds early morning and it was difficult to get a good shot. Plus the fact that I'm using a consumer camera makes it hard to get a good color balance for a difficult view. Nevertheless, I got some really nice storm cloud shots. Nothing however beats standing on the beach and watching the clouds rolling towards you like from The Lord of the Rings movie.

Turning 28

Today I turned 28 and I have a training to attend. Actually this whole week I have training, so its not a holiday like I usually take during my past few years of working. Ever since I went to univervisty, I had a different birthday experience, and this year was no different. Let's see, some of the more unique birthdays I remembered include ...

1. Spent my birthday in a different country with strangers who sing birthday songs for you
2. Had a surprise party thrown for me
3. Romantic dinners with then girlfriends
4. A 21-gift hamper representing who I am on my 21st birthday (though the Tongkat Ali drink was definitely not needed)

Today was definitely different because I had dinner with my closest colleagues after the training, and neither one of them knew it was my birthday today. I was not bothered about it cause I've already gotten a great birthday present in mum's happiness (refer to earlier blog). I also indulged myself and picked up Need For Speed : Most Wanted. At least the cars I crashed in this game won't cost me a cent.

I guess during birthdays, most people will reflect how time has passed by, the mistakes they've done, and what they want to do in the future. Personally, I still haven't come grips to the fact that I'm aging, probably cause I'm still a kid in a whole lot of matters (or act like one anyway). A close friend of mine send me card that says "To the boy who never grows up" which pretty much sums up who I am. Sure I've been eating more green stuff and contemplating on taking up yogurts, but deep down, I guess I will always feel young and do things that may not be "adult-like".

It's like what Henry David Thoreau once wrote,

"Live each season as it passes, breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each."

Cheers.

The best birthday present

This year, the best present I received was not something material, nor was being treated to lunches or dinners. In fact it was something I did to someone I hold most dear.

It started out early December. I called all my close cousins & relatives and invited them to a surprise birthday dinner for my mum, who's birthday happens to be three days before mine. The only persons who did not know about it was my parents.

The surprise dinner was to be held at Pantai Seafood (this great place which I blogged about earlier), and I had a table for 15 booked a week ahead. Unfortunately they were out of Scottish clams so I have to make do with other dishes.

So on that evening, I told my mum to meet me at the restaurant and pretended that I have something on and will meet them there. She had thought that we would just have dinner with my dad, sis & her fiancee. Later she would tell me that she thought I would be introducing to her my new girlfriend. I sure laughed out loud when I heard that.

Actually I had to leave early to picked up a few of my relatives who came from Ampang. So at 7 sharp we had all gathered at the restaurant waiting for my mum to arrive. Luckily I mentioned to her to come by 6.45 pm as she turned up at 7.30 pm knowing my dad.

The sight of her seeing all her close relatives waiting for her at the dinner table was really priceless (just like the Mastercard ads though I used Visa to pay for the dinner). She was so surprised and watching her exclaimed in joy was truly a wonderful sight. Seeing my dad's stunned expression was also priceless.

The dinner was great as my relatives praised me for the choice of food (though it was difficult to for me to order in Cantonese and I had to get a colleague to write it down for me prior to the dinner). Everyone had a great time chit chatting and of course my mum feeling like a queen for the night. Later we adjourned to our condo and had some cake. And for me, seeing my mum glow for a long time was the best birthday present I could ever receive.

Danone Children's Day

It was a rainy & sunny & rainy again day. It rained in the morning, got hot in the afternoon, and rained in the evening. And yet, the enthusiasm and the fun did was consistently high during this Friday the 16th.

My company was organizing a Children's day, and we had 3 (or 4) buses of children from orphanages & other homes coming together for a day of fun and laughter. They had a tour earlier in the day at our office before heading for Impian Country Resort somewhere in between Cheras & Kajang.

I was actually on leave so I met up with them at the resort itself helping out as the cameraman for the day. I also had a camerawoman taking pictures with her Digital SLR camera at 8+ megapixels. The quality of the pictures taken was so good that I'm now considering getting my own Digital SLR though the bulkiness is a concerning factor.

It was a fun day, where the Danone volunteers were paired up with children to be their buddies. We had games (actually the children had games while the adults supervised though sometimes the adults took part too), a nutrition talk, a campfire, and skits. Every child went back with a prize, and formed a bond with their buddy.

Like any good country resort, there is a river that runs through it. The last time I jumped in one was during my old AIESEC UKM's Orientation Camp back in 2002. This time around I would be splashing water with kids half or quarter my age, and seeing who can splash each other more. It was a wonderful moment.

Believe Me by Fort Minor

Back then, I thought you were just like me
Somebody who could see all the pain I see
But you proved to me unintentionally
That you would self-destruct eventually
Now I'm thinking like the mistake I made doesn't hurt
But it's not gonna work
Cause it's really much worse than I thought
I wished you were something that you were not
And now this guilt is really all that I got

You turned your back
And walked away in shame
All you got is a memory of pain
Nothing makes sense so you stare at the ground
I hear your voice in my head when no one's around
What do I have to say
Maybe I should do what I have to do to break free
Whatever happens to you, we'll see
But it's not gonna happen to me

I guess
That this is where we've come to
If you don't want to
Then you don't have to believe me
But I won't be there when you go down
Just so you know now
You're on your own now believe me

Superhero mythology

Here's a great line from one of the cooler shows I've seen, Kill Bill Vol. 2 (the script is chock full of great lines).

"An essential characteristic of the superhero mythology is, there's the superhero, and there's the alter ego. Batman is actually Bruce Wayne, Spider-Man is actually Peter Parker. When he wakes up in the morning, he's Peter Parker. He has to put on a costume to become Spider-Man. And it is in that characteristic that Superman stands alone. Superman did not become Superman, Superman was born Superman. When Superman wakes up in the morning, he's Superman. His alter ego is Clark Kent. His outfit with the big red 'S', that's the blanket he was wrapped in as a baby when the Kents found him. Those are his clothes. What Kent wears, the glasses, the business suits, that's the costume. That's the costume Superman wears to blend in with us. Clark Kent is how Superman views us. And what are the characteristics of Clark Kent? He's weak, he's unsure of himself ... he's a coward. Clark Kent is Superman's critique on the whole human race."

Bet Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster (creators of Superman) didn't think about that when they created Superman.

One Tree Hill Season 3 takes a rest

Just watched yesterday's screening of One Tree Hill (Season 3, Episode 9 only in USA). Revelations abound though this time the ending was more happier than most of the episodes as the relationships among the main cast got back together for the better.

The show is taking a 3-week holiday break now and Warner Bros will be screening re-runs until the first week of January where they will release Episode 10. At least now I can finish off Season 1 of the OC and perhaps some of Season 2.

The Wish by Josh Canova

Well i wish that i could be someone else sometimes i
Understand that i'm not supposed to feel like this i
Should be happy inside i'm trying honest i am look how
Busy i am but i might not learn how to fix it or even change it

Well i might try opening up sometimes i can be angry
Inside i'm fine i'll do it myself like i've done it
Before and i won't need anyones help i mean anyones
Help but i might not learn how to fix it or even change it

Aftertaste by Ben Lee

And it's none of my business
I got a weakness
Can I beat this?
The autumn leaves
Are falling in the breeze
It's not my fault
There's a storm over yonder
You gotta wonder
What's it all about
Destiny was never up to me
And it's not my fault
Your love's like salt

The aftertaste is gonna break my heart
Feels like its over before it starts
The aftertaste is gonna break my heart

Value of Junk

Last week I sold of about 40 game books for RM 46. That's a whole lot more than passing to the recycling centre at Mid Valley where I'd probably get about 2 bucks for them. Also sold off a pair of original games (football related) for RM 50. The guy who bought it was very grateful like the father who bought 2 games from me a couple of weeks ago saying that it brought joy to his son.

One man's junk is another man's treasure as they always say. In fact after going through ebay, I found out that a few of the game books I sold could have fetch about USD 2-5 each! Luckily I still kept one which is going for USD 10 now on ebay. That said, I've catalogued and took pictures of all my junk, and see if I could make a small fortune of it. My Smashing Pumpkins Aeroplane Flies High Limited Edition singles box is already fetching about USD 50, while my Alanis Morisette singles collection is going at USD 20. Its on ebay though so time to learn about worldwide parcel posting.

Year End Appraisal

So I had my appraisal yesterday and it was about 3 hours long, probably because I talked too much again I think. After going through it, here are my list of five things to do during any appraisal.

1. Be 5 minutes earlier than the allotted time.
2. Have all supporting documents prepared beforehand.
3. Voice out your opinions & feelings as much as possible on work-related matters and avoid issues that are people-related. Better yet don't bring in your co-workers during the appraisal.
4. Be open minded towards criticism. If there's no room for development means there's no room for increment.
5. Lastly, have a fun time sharing and learning more about yourself!

Air conditioning

According to Lee Kuan Yew (ex-Prime Minister of Singapore), air conditioning is the most important invention in corporate history. Without it there will never be any growth in productivity.

Right now, my productivity has dropped by 80% as my air-condition in the office is not working.

Deuce Bigalow - Everybody's Gigolo

"Meeting of the Royal Order of European Man-Whores is now in order."

Just finished watching back-to-back, Deuce Bigalow Male Gigolo & Deuce Bigalow European Gigolo. These are the 2 most hilarious movies I've ever seen.

The first part focuses on poor old Deuce (played by Rob Schneider) trying to make a living as a fish tank cleaner. One day he stumbled upon Antoine, who's a gigolo making a lot of money servicing ladies in California. As Antoine needed to fly to Europe for a gig, he asked Deuce to house sit for him. Unfortunately it ended up in disaster when he wrecked the house, so he has to become a gigolo to earn money to fix up the house back.

It was very fun watching Deuce seduce all the women in California. Actually he was servicing woman who had defects by society's standards, e.g. super-fat, super-tall, disorders like Tourette Syndrome & narcolepsy, and so on. He didn't really had sex with any of them, but was being very gentlemanly and treated them to a good time. The underlying story of this movie is that it is not all about the dick and sums up in this line by Deuce, who was advising this guy,

"It's not your dick! It's you! If man-whoring has taught me anything, it's that most woman is unhappy with their entire body, as you are with your small penis. While you're worried about your penis, woman are worried about their height, their weight, their giant feet, the stream of obscenities that could burst through their mouth at any second. If you make a woman feel good about herself, it really doesn't matter what's wrong with you."

In part two, Deuce went to Europe to visit a friend and later helps him out with a murder case. In between he posed back as gigolo looking for a man-whore killer. Its even more hilarious as a lot of transnational jokes such as giving a Portuguese Breakfast, Cambodian Crimson, a Sneaky Castro, and so on. The women are even more freaky. There's a Russian who has a penis for a nose (being born in Chernobyl), another who has a hole in a her esofagus, and also one fully covered in mud 24 hours (played by Rachel Stevens of S Club 7 by the way). Again Deuce teaches everyone how to treat a lady nicely while the European man-whores were just thinking of giving them an orgasm. In the end he taught all the gigolos how to really treat a woman and ended up winning the Golden Boner Award for being the Man-Whore of the Year.

I recommend this two movies for anyone with an open mind and looking for a good laugh. This is because there a lot of funny cliche scenes which may offend some people such as Canadian tourists pissing everywhere, French guys being a dick, Greeks with a name like Assapopolous, Scottish guys complaining of not being able to screw underage girls, and so much more. There's even a cameo appearance of Adam Sandler (since his one of the producers). So if anyone wants to catch this show, watch it with an open mind, and focus on the underlying moral of this movie, which is, (sum up nicely by Deuce),

"Do you really think all a woman wants is some guy to give her a Mud Pretzel, or Turkish Snowcone, or Irish Facial? A woman wants a guy who asks her about her day and really listens to her. Or at least pretend to."

Weakness

Robert Louis Stevenson wrote,

"You cannot run away from weakness. You must fight it out or perish. And if that be so, why not now? And where you stand?"

One mistake away

We all always one mistake away from losing it all ...

But a life without mistakes, wouldn't be a life at all ...