Need For Speed : Carbon

I just picked up Need For Speed : Carbon today. After playing 80% of Most Wanted, I thought I pre-ordered the Collector's Edition of this game (RM 40 cheaper as well!), and give it a go.

Like all NFS series since Underground, NFS : Carbon features tons of exotic cars, customizations, race events, and a cliche back story. The FMV sequences in Carbon is much more in sync and better than Most Wanted. There's also a return to Drift events though the Police events have been taken out (it doesn't matter now how many Police Cars totaled in this game - it's just an added distraction). Personally I prefer it if they have all in-game. Gives us players more types of races to play with.

I tend to get addicted to the NFS series, and had once played until 5 am in the morning (on a working day!). It's always that one more race to tackle before turning in, and it keeps going even though my body is dead tired and my fingers are numb from all the key-pressing. Need to get myself a new joypad soon else my third finger maybe paralyzed.

A Mazda RX-8 , one of the cars featured in NFS : Carbon

Right now, I got another territory to take over, and another race to finish ...

"Puberty haven't hit yet."

I saw some of my old classmates from DU school during TL & LC's wedding both at the church ceremony and the dinner reception. Most of them were girls from my class (can't recall which year), and there was a guy there as well who is married to one of them. So when I spotted them, I did the usual "Hi, how've you been?" routine, or just smile at them if they were far away when we spotted each other.

One of my Subang friends later asked me,

"Hey, why you don't talk much to your old schoolmates? I thought you always hang out with girls wan." (or something to that effect).

To which I replied

"Uh, puberty haven't hit yet."

I guess some of us are just late bloomers.

Lazy girls

I went out with an old friend for gym and dinner today, and she quoted to me a tagline stating that "There are no pretty or ugly girls, only lazy girls."

Well, she is from a Health and Beauty company so that could tell most of her customers that they should take time to groom themselves, but I think its true not just for girls but for guys as well.

We leave in a world where we are bombarded by visual media everyday from TVs, to magazines, to newspapers, to advertisements, and so on.

The common theme that runs across this? Handsome / Beautiful people.

So much so, that they are the standard by which all of us are judged in terms of looks. I will admit first that I'm a bit of victim of this perceptive view, and it takes hard conscious effort to try to look beyond the physical features of any person. On the opposite side, society-perceived less attractive guys / girls who try to overcome this social stigma normally would tend to be more personable, jovial, and defiant towards people's opinions on their looks. Again this takes effort and lots of courage.

So coming back to lazy girls (or guys), my guess it is just like any other real life situation. You want to look good, you need to spend time grooming yourself. You want to score As, you need to spend time studying. You want to get that great job, you need to spend time preparing for interview. And if you want to score that guy or girl, you need to spend time wooing / attracting the person.

I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness

As I suspected last week, this episode of OTH highlight 2 issues.

1. Stalkers - Peyton's supposedly brother is just another guy who has been observing her and trying to get pics of her (a la serial killer/rapist thriller movies type). Again Lucas comes to her rescue aided by her supposedly actual brother who just happens to be black. Can't wait to see how this storyline progress.
"I remember one of my ex being stalked before and I was around way back in my early uni years and I do admit it was a very scary thing then. The guy would trail us around shopping complexes, on the road, etc. My ex did not want to inform the authorities, so I had to deal with him face to face once. Even then, she persuaded me not to inform her parents at all so I respected her decision and leave it as that. It was not as serious as the TV show but it sure was some crazy shit at that time."

2. Teen pregnancy - So it wasn't Brooke who was pregnant but Haley. I suspected that as well. Standard TV series trick to keep us audiences glued to the suspense of the show. Her hubby Nathan was offered a scholarship to Duke university and the first part of the show actually shown him being cold and frustrated towards his wife. But it ended happily when he announced that the final decision will be a joint one between him and Haley, so it was kinda happy ending for them in this episode.
"Now being a teenager and having to deal with pregnancy is never a happy episode for both the guy and the girl unlike the TV series. Some will have an abortion, while some will get married at a very young age. Then there's the economic issues associated with this (e.g. costs, career sacrifices, etc). I've seen and spoken to enough of my friends (whom I will not reveal here or ever) about this topic, and I daresay it is never as simple as what happened in this episode. There's no right or wrong answer but whatever the choice one takes, be prepared for the consequences."

TL's Stag Night

Stag Night = Bachelor's Party

Hen Night = Bachelorette's Party

Was at TL's supposedly stag night which turned out more like a "chi mui's" night for him. His getting married to his girlfriend of around 10 years (talk about the longevity). Other than myself and Tony (his UM coursemate) the whole gang was his close friends from SJ.

I won't go into so much details for this blog other than it went pretty wild (though pretty tame I believe compared to Western standards - is there a standard for stag night? i.e. as shown in TV series such as Friends, etc.). So I'll let some of the pictures below speak for themselves.

TL with his "Chi Muis"

TL with giving his thumbs up for his "Chi Muis"

With YJ as chaperones

Boogying with his "chi muis"

Striking a Pose!

Congratulations TL! May your marriage be bless with happiness & prosperity.

The Season So Far ...

Ok, so One Tree Hill is already into 4 episodes as of yesterday (US time). I'm not too sure where it is headed but after 3 seasons of drama I can pretty much gauge certain storylines.

By the way, for those who haven't catch it yet and waiting for our country to screen it, you better not continue reading as there are some spoilers ahead. My guess is only next year will they screen Season 4 whether it be on Astro or NTV7 or 8TV.

Back to OTH.

Firstly, the introduction of a stalker/serial killer/rapist is a bit far fetched. Sure Peyton advertise herself on her webcam since like her teen years (or earlier), but to have someone actually stalking her and pretending to be her brother is a bit mindblowing. I can already see the next episode showing Lucas saving her from him (the trailer is out at CWTV website).

Secondly, another pregnancy storyline is going to happen. This seems to be a recurring theme and finally it actually happened. It always seems easy to get pregnant in high school in US TV dramas. Is the teen pregnancy quite high in reality? I'm sure the writers could have found more storylines then a pregnancy to throw off Nathan and Haley.

Thirdly, Deb's recurring addiction. In a way I'm getting bored of the shenanigans between Dan & Deb. Will someone kill the other and end this? And Dan moving in on Karen? Hmmm, I guess it's always difficult to get over one's ex.

Even so, I still love One Tree Hill, and have regularly downloaded the day the episode goes on air in the States. It's a nice break from the realities of daily life.

Can't Stop This Thing We Started

"There comes a time when every life goes off course. In this desperate moment, you must choose your direction. Will you fight to stay on the path? Will others tell you who you are? Or will you label yourself? Will you be on it by your choice? Or will you embrace your new path? Each morning you choose to move forward or to simply give up."

Sometimes I sit around and wonder what life might had been if I had chose a different path.

I was having dinner with an old friend of mine today who I once told to stay away cause I do not want to be reminded of the past. How silly I was then to say that knowing that sub-consciously I was orchestrating the whole thing.

Well we had dinner, followed by coffee and we chatted past midnight about things that have happened, things that might have been, and some things about the future.

So here I am, contemplating the course I'm on. Where am I going? What labels are there over my head? Should I choose a different path? Or should I just follow where the wind blows?

Double Wedding Whammy!

The past two days I attended my cousin's wedding (the same cousin!). On Saturday it was under the groom's finances at Mariott Putrajaya while on Sunday it was under the bride's finances at Marco Polo restaurant. Guess one wedding wasn't enough for both families.

Here are a few pointers which I surmised during this time :

1. Play movie trailers while waiting for the couple to arrive (or maybe music videos especially lovey dovery ones) but make sure to keep the volume to a level where it is not too loud especially for those who sit near the speakers.

2. Play presentations off a powerful laptop or computer, whether its a video or a powerpoint. Discs these days are too cranky for players and may result in technical glitches.

3. Have slideshows of wedding photos (or other family photos) during the dinner. (This I got from another wedding, not this one).

4. Have some fun during speeches, especially in both English and Chinese. It will definitely pep up the guests.

5. If you want good atmosphere and less cramped space, do it in a hotel. If you want good food, do it in a restaurant ('Nuff said).

6. Have door gifts, or lucky draws (no singing). After all, its one way to thank the guests for coming. I remember giving Twisties to another of my friend's wedding this year as part of the appetizer :).

Hmmm, maybe I'll do mine with the KL skyline as my backdrop view. Haven't been to one of those yet.

Stranger things have happened ...

I just hung out with my sister's friends after my cousin's wedding in Bangsar today.

Stranger things have happened ...

Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol

I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me, and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own ...

Games, games, games ...

Back in my university days, there were lots of times where I both conduct and participate in small team building competitive games. Most are pretty much AIESEC-related but there were a few from the other societies where I joined. I never thought at that time, when I was to enter the workforce, that I would be doing the same thing again.

This month's theme for my company's event - Deeparaya. It took place at a hall in one of the Mont Kiara condominiums, and I had thought it would just be another dinner to celebrate Deepavali and Hari Raya (and also the birthdays of those that fall in September & October).

I should have known better that this company always like to organize activities that involve a little bit of competition and a lot of fun. As usual we were splitted into teams (mine was blue). The first game was to wrap around 1 team member in toilet roll, followed by the same member drinking beer out of a baby's bottle, and finally sucking on a pacifier. The fastest is the winner plus some extra points for artistic ability and such.

Guess who have to step up to the plate? Yours truly. Shades of younger days come to mind. It is not easy to drink beer from a baby's bottle. The good thing is, no one would recognize it was me in the picture, and I could always deny it.

With my team mates who dressed me up

Covered in all toilet roll glory! That's not me!

Some things just never get too old ...

Good News For People Who Love Bad News

"You ever looked at a picture of yourself and see a stranger in the background? It makes you wonder how many strangers have pictures of you. How many moments of other people's lives have we been in? Were we a part of someone's life when their dream came true? Or were you there when their dreams died?
Did we keep trying to get in? As if we were somehow destined to be there. Or did the shot take us by surprise? Just think. You could be a big part of someone else's life. And not even know it ..."

Looking through my pics, I had a moment of nostalgia. When life was much simpler, more carefree, and worries were less. Friends come and go. Some got married, some moved overseas, and some still chilling out close by.

I perceived some to be my close friends. And some perceived me to be very tight with them. I wonder where my photo would lie in their album. Would be pasted all over the wall ala stalkers/serial killers? Or would it just lie amongst the other photos gathering dust over time?

Still ... a picture paints a thousand words. It captures the moment in all its splendor. It tells stories that are always different from what really happened. And sometimes, it is both the source of our sadness and happiness.

Losing Passport

The karmic balance around the world works in mysterious ways.

I was finishing a meeting at Zon Hotel in JB, and was heading out to Singapore with my colleagues. I placed my passport on top of my car while helping my colleagues put their bags in my car's trunk in the car park of that hotel. Forgetting I left it there, I just drove off. Reaching Tuas, and looking for my passport a sudden wave of horror hit me.

It was on top of my car when I drove off!

Immediately I rang my colleagues who were just passing the Malaysian immigration. My other colleagues in my car then went over to the other car, while the Southern manager followed me back to the hotel. Time check - About an hour after I left the car park. At this time I thought, man, what did I do to deserve this.

On the way I called the hotel and they started to scour the car park and check the lost & found for my passport. No reply. Reached the hotel almost 2 hours later and immediately did my own scouting. No passport in sight. Panic has gone to thinking of the hassle I had to go through later on to get a new passport. Perhaps I was not meant to be at my director's farewell dinner in Singapore.

Made a report at the hotel to make it official. Went back to check the car park again when my colleague (bless his soul) noticed some CCTVs. Suggested to check the CCTV to ascertain the precise moment I passport dropped off and at which floor (a whole lot of CSI mumbo jumbo went on here). I had actually given up and wanted to go for dinner and called out my ex-colleagues in JB, but intrigued I called the security and asked to check the CCTV tapes.

Went to the security room and look at the monitors. Honestly, they are not as sophisticated as what we see in the movies. No zoom capabilities, black and white color, and placed at various odd angles. Didn't really go anywhere for about half an hour staring at those screens.

Lo and behold, the hotel manager called me. At that time and in that situation, I knew someone must have found it (since I already given up searching). And found it someone did. It was picked up by a cleaner who kept it as he didn't know what to do with it. Only about 3 hours later he brought it up to the security room and pass it back to me. I was very relieved and wanted to give him 50 bucks but at my colleague's advice only gave him 20.

So off we went to Singapore and made it in time for the farewell dinner. It was like the topic of discussion for awhile and I was truly grateful to my colleague for helping me out.

All's well, end's well? Not really, the next day I kissed the ass of my colleague's car on the way back. Maybe I should have not gone to Singapore.

I wonder if someone up there is trying to teach me something ...

Things I Forgot At Birth

"There are moments in our lives when we found ourselves at crossroads. The choices we make in those moments can define the rest of our days. Of course when faced with the unknown, most of us prefer to turn around and go back."

How many crossroads does one really have? How many times have I turn around and go back? How many times have I forged ahead? Sometimes I charge through without care or whim of the world. Sometimes I cower within my own shell and the comfort of my blanket.

Or maybe sometimes, I'm not sure whether I'm standing at the crossroads at all ...