Rants & Raves

Expired Domain

2007-08-13T15:49:00.000+08:00

My new domain is http://adrianang.merlion-city.com/

The http://adrianang.net domain has expired and I have no desire to register it again. Bearing our real name in our blog is not such a good idea anyway.

So please visit the new blog site at http://adrianang.merlion-city.com/

quick update

2007-06-13T15:30:00.000+08:00

It's been a long time since I updated this site.

Anyway, for those who still drop by here, please remember that I have moved my blog to a new domain

http://adrianang.net

So remember to visit my new site!

MY NEW DOMAIN

2006-08-13T02:57:00.000+08:00

I am moving my blogs to my new domain.

HTTP://ADRIANANG.NET

Please go to the new site from now on, and remember to bookmark it. If you happen to link your site to mine, kindly update your links. Thanks!

PS: I will still keep this blogger site alive.

::: i hate filling ::::

2006-08-11T18:15:00.000+08:00

This is a reminder to myself that I will hire a secretary to do filling work for me.

Of all the job functions, the one I hate most is filling. I can design good filling system, but I just hate to sit still, sort out everything, take out the files, and then put the paperwork accordingly. For me, its a waste of time.

And I am doing filling now, and I hate it!

Ugh!

::: the island :::

2006-08-11T03:38:00.000+08:00

When your girlfriend/wife is asking you something like an island, or remotely close to that, you have to be very careful because that will be a big trap and once you get strangle by the web of trap, it will be very difficult to get out, no matter what your excuse/reason is.

Example:

GIRL: "If we have an island, but only big enough for 2 more person beside you, who will you bring?"
BOY: "When will this take place?"
GIRL: "Huh?"
BOY: "Ya, when will we be going to that island?"
GIRL: "Let's say early next year."
BOY: "Okay, why do we need to go to that island?"
GIRL: "Let's assume that we have earned enough money and we bought that island, and then we just wanted to get away from this place."
BOY: "Oh.... okay...."
GIRL: "So? Who will you bring?"
BOY: "Well, I will definitely bring you."
GIRL: "And the next person?"
BOY:[scratching head] "Then I will bring my mom. She gave birth to me and spent so many years to keep up to my crap...[message truncated]"
GIRL:[looked at her pet racoon] "How about him? He's our son!"
BOY: "Yeah, you said two person, and racoon is an animal, and there's no limit on how many animals we can bring."
GIRL: "Okay, any 2 living things you can bring."
BOY: "In that case, I will let you, racoon and my mom go. I will stay back, work harder to earn more money, and make sure the next island we buy will accomodate more living things."
GIRL:[started to walk away] "Okay..."

Clearly, logic doesn't win the case here. Reason doesn't win the case here. The only winning way is to say what she wants to hear, like "Oh, just you and me, and our pet racoon." It's just the same as if-me-and-your-mom-fell-into-the-sea question.

See, in the first place, men will ask for additional information like when, how, why, and etc to clearly define out the logic and scenario, and then we will start looking at a solution. Then we deduct the answer from logic and then answer the way we see it.

Unfortunately, logic doesn't work on women. Just say what they want to hear!

If they are holding two dress, one white and one blue, and ask you which one they should wear, you gotta be smart on this. If you think white is better, keep your fucking mouth shut. Normally women already have a decision in their mind, and asking you is just to confirm their decisions. They wanted to make sure they are making the right choice.

If you say, "Take the white one." You are fucked.
If you say, "Take the blue one." You are also fucked.
If you say, "Anything." Then congratulation, you are fucked upside down, inside out.

Instead, try this. "Honey, it is a difficult choice. Both also compliment you very well, but I personally would choose white."

If she smiles, goes in to change, then congratulations! You just made it.

But, if she says, "Well, I was thinking of the blue dress."

Now, don't press the panic button yet. Be calm, smile, and say, "Yes, of course honey, the blue dress will be a good choice. It compliments your skin tone, bring our the color of your hair and make your eyes sparkle."

Trust me, if you want to speed things up, use the method above. Otherwise you will have to wait for another 30 minutes before she will decide which dress to wear.

(Luckily Maria doesn't ask me which dress to wear. She has excellent fashion sense that she made the decision herself.)

* * *

On a side note: I will be moving to a new domain. Remember to come back and check this space for the new URL!

::: the modern mom :::

2006-08-10T03:46:00.000+08:00

No, I am not talking about my mom here.

I had a chance to meet a middle age lady (around 50) and she was one of the modern type, or so she thinks. She has great education abroad (UK, many years back, studying hair styling) and she is in her own business, and all her customers are by appointment. And she has a daughter.

She invited me to go after her daughter, thinking that I would make the best son-in-law and I would take good care of her daughter. She was recommending her daughter everyday that she would be voted as the best sales-mom, selling her product (her daughter) because she was telling me stories of her daughter, how behaved she was, and telling me that she was still at a virgin at the age of 25.

Of course, to make this post more interesting, I will concentrate on the virginity issue. *winks*

She was telling me that she taught good values to her daughter, how to take good care of herself and up her value by keeping her virginity. She even made her daughter promised her that she would keep her virginity until the day of her marriage. Well, it was all interesting and I didn't show any interest. She noticed that I wasn't so interested, so she put in more effort to tell me about her daughter and her virginity.

She also told me about her daughter's ex-boyfriends, and there was this one that got very close with her. There were a few nights when he was sleeping over at her place (with the parents) and that crap. And then she went on to complain about that guy because she said he got long pubic hair. When I heard that part, I was like, "Huh? What?? How do you know that?" And she told me that in the morning when she was cleaning the room, she noticed a few strand of pubic hair, which was long and curly, on the bed whereas she knew for the fact that her daughter was trimming her pubic hair to keep it tidy (another lesson she taught her daughter). So naturally it would be that guy's pubic hair she found on the bed.

That got me to think, "Virgin? Yeah, my ass!"

Now, it has been a few years and lately, I saw them on the street, and I heard from another friend that the daughter ran away from home few years back, and stayed with a guy. Of course, she disapproved it with vigor because that guy was not tall, not good looking enough, and didn't have the potential to earn big bucks. Then the daughter got knock-up and got pregnant. The daughter knew that the mom hated her, so she didn't invited her to the wedding reception. The modern mom then went on to tell everyone that she didn't have such daughter and all that crap.

Then, there she was, holding the baby in her arms, with the daughter strolling the street beside. Well, no one know exactly what happened in between and how they got back together. But its good to see a happy family being together.

So for you potential parents, here are the lessons you should learn.

1. Do not think too highly of your offsprings. If you say they are virgin, you better have the proof.
2. Don't try to stop them from loving someone. You will only push them further away.
3. Stop teaching your children too much lesson. Let them enjoy life while they can, and
4. Don't try to "sell" your daughter. It doesn't work that way.

::: beuno the great :::

2006-08-09T15:36:00.000+08:00

The other day when I was browsing for pDVD in PJ area, I came across some ultra old movie titles, such as Gone with the Wind, Rambo, Die Hard, and then I saw Jim Carrey's Dumb and Dummer. Somehow the movie reminded me of Beuno [refer here and here] the great.

I still remember the day when I was taking him to visit customers since he has to takeover my accounts since I was leaving. Well, I had to transfer only 4 accounts to him since he is taking over those big accounts, whereelse medium and small size accounts will be handled by someone else. 4 accounts, and it took me 3 weeks to transfer to him. Yes, that's our dear Beuno.

First, I took him to see my then biggest account, and he was spending time there talking nonsense to those highly skilled and experienced people in the industry. After that one customer, he spent the next day on MC. Yes, I think he was over stressed by seeing the customer. Normally he would stay in the office for one whole month without seeing any customers.

Now, the story I want to share is the last customer that we had visited together.

That particular customer is famous for scolding people, and they are so good that the reputation is indesputable and everyone is afraid of them. Of course, the only exception is our Mr. Beuno.

The customer was telling us that there is a different between invoicing them on month end and beginning of the month (example: July 31st and August 1st), and this knowledge is a common sense in everywhere. Yet, our dear Mr. Beuno didn't understand that, and argued with the customer that it was only 1 day difference so there won't be any big difference. Unfortunately, he was totally wrong and he even gave example of how the invoicing process took place (which has nothing to do with the topic in discussion). He kept insisting about the fact and the customer tried to explain three time, at one point using graph and chart. But he insisted.

The customer looked at me, and tried very hard to refrain herself from exploding on his face. The customer likes me so she didn't want to make the scene ugly. But she was giving me the sign to ask me to interfere, so I stopped Mr. Beuno from talking, and simply said, "Beuno, the customer is right. Stop arguing now."

Good thing is, he stopped. Bad thing is, the customer was unhappy about his attitude.

Later on, the customer said something like this...

Customer: "I have some very stupid staff. Not only stupid, but stubborn. They kept repeating the same mistake over and over again even thought I have told them many times."
Beuno: "Wow they are so stupid? Sometimes people just won't listen one lah. What to do?"

I looked at him with a huge eye. Yes, he didn't know the customer was being sarcastic and was indirectly saying that he was stupid and stubborn.

Man o man, this is going to be great. I can't wait for someone to update me on how things are going between that customer and our dear Mr. Beuno.

::: word verfication :::

2006-08-09T15:14:00.000+08:00

Sorry folks, I am turning on Word Verification again because lately there are too many spams on my comment page (an average of 5 spam comments a day).

I know it is kinda troublesome for some of you to leave a comment or something, but this will make my life easier, and the most important thing is that I am making my life easier, not yours.

So there you have it.

ON!

::: short update on recent account :::

2006-08-08T09:12:00.000+08:00

Work. Work. More Work.

Yes, that what I have been doing for the past few weeks. There are a lot of paperwork to be done, a lot of things to prepare, a lot of things to think about, a lot of plans to make, a lot of proposal to attend to.

But I got a little suprise yesterday.

I got a call from Allen announcing that he is in town. Unfortunately I already got dinner appointments, and so we decided to meet up later. It is always good to hear from friends, especially those who has gone missing on blogspace for the past few months. Allen is also another victim of heavy workloads, so its great to find a chance to catch up in person.

We will try to make plan to meet up before he goes back to Singapore.

I have been hammered by work, work and more work. Maria has been busy with her business and also her family member has been ill and that takes a toll on her, both physically and mentally.

Hopefully this weekend our plans will come true: we are planning to go for a short vacation somewhere. We have not decided where, but we are certainly looking forward to a short vacation soon.

::: work has overtaken my life :::

2006-08-05T02:26:00.000+08:00

I have been working hard.

For the past few weeks, I have been getting less sleep, bringing more work to home, and there are a few nights when I was working and working, and before I knew it, it was bright outside. Two days ago was the same. I was online chatting with Maria, and then I was doing some work. I worked and worked, and before I knew it, I had pull an all-nighter again. I didn't get a minute of rest, and I went straight to office to continue the work.

And then there were many things and I couldn't get off until 6pm yesterday. So I came home, took a short nap (around 30 minutes), woke up, played with Fluffy, and headed out for dinner. By the time I came back, I was online with Maria again and after that, I worked and worked, until 4:30am.

Right now, its 2:36am, and I am still working. There are so many things to do, like budget, project planning, project budget, proposal, and million other things to do.

Yes, work has finally overtaken my life.

So I am going to stop now, shutdown the laptop, and watch Over The Hedge before I head to bed.

Good night!

::: me and my malay :::

2006-08-03T01:00:00.000+08:00

The other day I was talking to Damaris about our language capability in Malay, and we both laughed because we have been told by someone not to speak in Malay, because it would make people laugh.

My Malay is seriously bad, that if I were to confess my profound love to a girl in Malay, it would sound like I 'd be asking her to strip and dance naked on the street.

BUT!!!!

I can speak very fluent Malay when I am high on alcohol.

Yes, that's right. I have no idea why, but there was this one time when I was very high on alcohol, and when I got back to my apartment, I was talking to this Malay guard. We talked about everything, and I was so high that I just had to sit on the available chair before I went up because I felt so dizzy. After a while, the guard asked me if I were a Malay, and I laughed.

Guard: "Hey, awak ni Malay?" (translation: Hey, are you a Malay?)
ME: "Bukan. Saya 100% orang China." (translation: No. I am 100% Chinese)
Guard: "Wah. Tapi awak punya Malay sangat bagus." (translation: Wow! But your Malay is very good!)
ME: "Kerana saya mabuk mah! Hahahaha!" (translation: That's because I am drunk! Hahaha!)

So there you have it. If you want to speak Malay to me, please wait till I am drunk, otherwise it would sound like I am trying to fight with you, or worse, it would sound like I am trying to sleep with your sister. (Don't ask)

::: limitation of our vocabulary :::

2006-08-02T11:02:00.000+08:00

How many times when you are in public places and you see vandalism in terms of drawings or writing on walls, signboard, and door, the word "Fucker" or "motherfucker" comes up?

Yup, that is as good as it can be.

The limitation of our vocabulary is disappointingly low. I mean, can't these people think of something else to craft on the wall, signboard, or door? I mean, seriously, even the word like "Slut", "Sleazy Bastard", or "Son of Bitch" is even more creative. Do you know how many times when I see those vandalism is repetitive, all "fucker" or "motherfucker"? If I see someone write "slut" or something other than "fucker" or "motherfucker", I would open a champagne and celebrate with fireworks.

So guys, let's be creative and think of something else. Don't disappoint your readers.

::: the first encounter :::

2006-08-01T17:14:00.000+08:00

It was during a business trip to Singapore that I met her.

A colleague whom based in Singapore invited me for dinner at China Jump (now defunct) and it was a calm night, with the moon shinning above us quietly. We had our sandwiches and beer, and there was this table of girls sitting near us. We did not pay much attention to them in the first place, concentrating on the issues at hand, like work, food, and beer.

China Jump is a place where they serve food from 6pm to 9pm, and after 10pm the indoor will become a clubbing area whereas outside will still serve food.

Then I saw her. The girls that were sitting near us finished their food and drinks, and they got up and walked into China Jump at 9:30pm. While they were walking in, I saw the big eyes looking at me, and I looked back at those big eyes. Those eyes were big, crystal clear and have an unexplainable aura in it. My heart skipped a beat and my breath was stopped for few seconds when I saw those eyes, and under her mesmerizing stare, the place seemed to be asleep and dreaming, rendered in the silver-and-black palette of most dreams, every object as insubstantial as smoke.

Without knowing how, I was inside China Jump as well. After ordering our drinks, there I saw her again, standing with her group of friends near the bar area, wearing a black spaghetti tube with white dot marking, her hair flowing like Turkish silk and then, she turned back, and stared at me. Her stare was like a ray of sunlight in the dark dessert, piercing right into my inner soul, warming my hands and legs, and then, she smiled at me.

I was stumped.

I had had experiences with women, and certainly I am not the shy type, but under the mesmerizing eyes and the warming smile, I was stumped, and I didn’t know what to say or what to do. All I could do was trying not to look stupid or clumsy while looking at her, and smiled back.

Then, her friends pulled her to another side of the area whereas my colleague pulled me to the bar area, and I was clearly disappointed. I have to entertain the colleague but my heart was clearly over to the other side. I tried to peek but she was nowhere to be found.

While talking to the colleague, and ordering drinks at the bar, I working on getting my courage to walk over to her, and planning on ways to introduce myself without sounding too desperate and stupid. Suddenly I felt a hand patting on my shoulder, and I looked back. There she was, standing behind me, smiling at me.

My knee grew weak, and my colleague was saying something, which I could not hear, and I just looked back. She extended her hand, and I held her hand into mine. Her skin texture was soft and smooth, and the handshake was the first contact we ever had.

We introduced ourselves, and I got so nervous that I was acting like a complete idiot. I tried to order drinks for her (actually it was more for myself as I needed the alcohol to calm my nerves) and yet it turned out the bartender was giving me a few pieces of napkins. Then she laughed. That was the first time I heard her laughter, and it was like a bell in the middle of a field, clear and attractive.

She invited my colleague and me to her group of friends, and we agreed. For me, I was mesmerized by her and I would follow her to wherever she goes, and for my colleague, it was more for the purpose of the 3 girls in her group. We performed the formal introduction, and then I kept looking at her and dancing near her, whereas she danced near me.

The timing was good, and everything was going well. Except one thing.

A girl came out from nowhere, hugged me and introduced herself. I was stunned and I was screaming inside, “Oh come on! I am trying to pick up a girl and you are here hugging me and trying to pick me up? There goes the first impression….” Then the girl pulled me behind her while she was giving me the erotic butt-smooching-your-tool dance, rubbing and grabbing my hands and guided them to explore her body.

I turned and looked at those eyes. She looked back and laughed. After only a brief moment, I struggled and escape from the octopus where gentle massaging my ego. Yes, it was a nice compliment but it came at the wrong time.

Then, her friend was getting in my way as well. This girl was talking to me, and playing with her hair. Yes, the signs all pointed to “Flirt with Me!” but my concentration was like a bull charging towards the red flag. I brushed her friends off with ease and proceeded to pursue my target. Those big crystal clear eyes.

Finally we had some time for ourselves, talking, dancing, all in good manners. But the time flew by with speed and without waiting for us, and it was time for goodbyes.

Yes, this is our first encounter.

::: the swordfish, the sambal, and the swimming :::

2006-07-31T11:35:00.000+08:00

Ok, this is another hit on GSC @ 1Utama. Please click here for my previous experience.

During the weekend, Khien, SH, Maria and I went to GSC 1Utama to watch movie. After browsing during the minutes on the screen, we decided to watch Dragon Tiger Gate because there were not a lot of choice. But mainly we didn't want to watch Lake House because:-

(a) The review said it suck bad,
(b) The conversation that went on during the wait

ME: "So what movie?"
SH: "Whatever also can. The Lake House also can."
ME: "Huh?"
Khien: "That means she wants to watch The Lake House, but doesn't want to say it out loud."
ALL: "HAHAHAHAHA!"

So at the end I chose Dragon Tiger Gate just to piss her off.

For me, don't turn a big circle to say something. Just be direct and tell me what you want or else I'll piss you off in one big circle.

Anyway, when it was our turn, I asked the dude at the counter for Dragon Tiger Gate at 9:30pm.

Dude: "Sorry sir, the movie is fully booked today."
ME: "What? You mean no more seats for the whole night?"
Dude: "Yes sir."
ME: "Then why the screen [pointed at the screen on top] is showing 'Selling Fast' and not 'Sold Out'?"
Dude: "Hehehe"

At that moment, I was really tempted to bitch-slap him. The image of me riding on top of him, scissor-locked him with my legs while bitch-slapping him was constantly in my mind and I was so tempted! He smirked at me!

Okay, maybe they saw my blog and the black-listed me from going into their premises in the future. Darn, I didn't know I have such a wide audience.

Anyway, we went to Fish & Co. for dinner. For the guys, we ordered Salmon Cajun and Grilled Seasonal Fish (Cajun style), and for the ladies, Maria ordered one Sambal Fish and SH ordered the Swordfish Collar.

SH: "Give me one Swordfish Collar please."
Waiter: "Sorry miss, the Swordfish Collar will take around 25 minutes. Is that okay?"
SH: "Make sure its very good."
Waiter: "....."
ME: "Hey, give us one Grilled Calamari to stuff her stomach because she is really hungry. Make it quick k?"
Waiter: "Hahah! Okay!"

Then SH glared at me.

Surely, my Grilled Seasonal Fish (Cajun style) came first, and then, it was Khien's Salmon Cajun. Maria and SH waited and waited, and finally the Sambal Fish arrived. Our eyes almost popped out because it was so darn huge! And SH pointed at the fish and laughed heartedly because the fish was as big as Maria. Then, from the corner, we saw the waiter bringing out one huge wok and walking towards us. I mean, the wok itself is as huge as my ass, you can imagine how big it is.

Yes, the Swordfish Collar had arrived. This time it was our time to laugh at SH because her order wasn't much better than Maria's and she looked pale after seeing the Swordfish Collar. It was gigantic.

There were four male young patron next table and they were gawking at the Sambal Fish and Swordfish Collar.

Anyway, after spending a long time to finish our dinner (and most of the time laughing since we all joked about the size of the fishes) and when we were done, we swore not to eat fish for the next 3 months (oh come on, we being the boyfriends do have the duty to help them to finish their food, don't we?)

ME: "Hey SH, it is customary for the waiter to ask 'How is the food?' so you gotta tell her 'Big' and that is the best summary."
ALL: "Hahahah!"

Precisely that moment, a young and attractive waiter came over to clear the table, and she overheard the conversation. She tried very hard to supress her laugh, but failed miserably.

SH: "I'll tell them 'It worth the 25 minutes of my life.'"
ALL: "Hahahaha!"
ME: (asking the young waitress) "Do you want to ask us how is the food?"

Our poor young waitress couldn't help it anymore and burst into hysterical laughter.

After paying for the food, we proceeded to the front (we were sitting at the back, the smoking area) and we saw a sign saying, PLEASE SWIM TO THE FRONT. SH was doing breaststroke, I was doing freestyle, Maria showing off her backstroke skill, whereas Khien was showing off his doggie style (since he doesn't know how to swim).

A tear, as clear as summer spring, sprang from the waitress's eyes. She was laughing very hard.

Did I mentioned that SH and Maria vowed not to eat fish for the next 3 months?

We are such jackasses, but funny one that is.

::: no outside food please :::

2006-07-28T09:52:00.000+08:00

The other day Maria and I went to watch Pirates of the Caribbean at GSC @ 1Utama. We have anticipated the movie a lot and we had been waiting for a long while because Maria was outstation for one whole week.

Right before we went in, we saw this store selling nice tidbits (just outside of the ticketing area) so we went in, browsed and picked the things we wanted to munch during the movie. After making the payment, we proceeded to the entrance where these three dudes were collecting the ticket tabs for entrance (sometimes you have to wonder why the fuck they need 3 people to work on the job since it wasn't very crowded on a weekday).

One of the guys saw our bags, and stopped us. For the sake of simplicity, I will just call him Bastard.

Bastard: "Sorry sir, no outside food allow."
ME: "What outside food. I bought it at the store over there." (pointed to the store)
Bastard: "Sorry sir, only food bought from our concession is allowed."
ME: "So you mean if I buy things from that store (pointed to the store again) and I cannot bring them in?"
Bastard: "Yes, that's correct sir."
ME: "Confirm?"
Bastard: "Yessir."
ME: "Then why the fuck you have a store in GSC premises and yet you don't allow the moviegoers to buy things from there? If you do not allow it in the first place, then you should not allow the shop to be opened there!" (pointed to the store again while the people behind us gawked at us)
Bastard: "Sorry sir, that's our policy."
ME: "That's a stupid policy. Do you believe that I will blog about this whole fucking situation and tell all my readers about it? Besides, I have thousand readers daily from all over the world."

Okay, you cannot possibly think that I said the last sentence. Besides, I don't have thousand readers falling on me daily. Hell, I'll be lucky if I get thousand hits per year. Anyway, that's a story for another day.

Back to the story.

Looking behind us, I saw that the line was getting longer. So instead of arguing with that bastard, I just glared at him, and said, "That's a fucking stupid policy."

Then Maria and I walked out of the line to the side, and Maria, being cool and calm as usual, just tugged the bag into her HUGE handbag. I mean, that handbag was really gigantic! Then, we went back to the line to catch our movie.

No one stopped us this time, and after going through the gate, I couldn't resist but to throw them another hot glare and whipped out the bags of junk food, waved at them, and continued to our Cinema 2.

No outside food allowed? Sure! Just hide it.

Simple eh?

::: the fortune teller :::

2006-07-27T10:19:00.000+08:00

The other day Maria met up with a friend and that friend is an avid fortune-telling junkie, and her interest cover numerology, astrology, tarrot reading, and all the thing that involve fortune-telling, personality analysis and whatever you can think of.

Being a proud parent, Maria showed her Fluffy's picture. She saw the pictures, and she exclaimed loudly, "Wow! So cute!"

Then she said Fluffy looks like having a good life, and in return, he will give good luck to his owners.

Guess what she said next?

She asked us to give Fluffy some cards and let him choose the numbers. Then we should buy those numbers.

Guess what?

I wrote down the numbers, from 0 to 9, on post-it notes (folded the adhesive side as not to poison him), and let him pick those number.

Then, do you know what?

Fluffy really did pick 4 numbers from all the notes on the floor.

Now, guess what???

WE

DID

NOT

STRIKE

THE FUCKING LOTTERY!

Damn. She is one half-baked fortune teller wannabe.

#$@!#!$

::: singlehood :::

2006-07-26T12:16:00.000+08:00

There was a time when I was single and very available, and the period lasted for about 2 years. It wasn't because I had turned homosexual or whatsoever but I wanted to enjoy life more, to have more and such. But my mom disagreed.

Mom asked my sister, "Hey, do you know what is wrong with your brother (that's me, you smartass)?"
Sister: "Huh? What is wrong with him?"
Mom: "Well, lately only guys call him, and he doesn't seem like he has a girlfriend."
Sister: "Yeah so? What is wrong with that?"
Mom: "Your brother used to bring his girlfriends back, but now, it has been quite a long time... so I am worried"
Sister: "Worried about what?"
Mom: "I worried that he has turned gay."
Sister: "Hahahahaha!"
Mom: "Can you please talk to him?"
Sister: "What? How?"
Mom: "I don't know. You just talk to him."

At the end, it was my brother-in-law who passed me the message because my sister found that talking about homosexuality with me is not a simple task, unless if we are talking about other people. Of course, I am not gay, not even close.

During this period of time, one of my ex was calling me. It was raining, and I was in Port Klang visiting a customer.

EX: "Hey Adrian dear, are you free now?"
ME: "Sort of. I just came out from customer's place. What's up?"
EX: "Oh I am at the Pudu station, and my boyfriend is having a meeting."
ME: "Er... so?"
EX: "Well, can you give me a lift? Its raining heavily here."
ME: "I am at Port Klang now and I have another meeting to catch. By the time I reach Pudu, it'll be late already."
EX: "So you mean you cannot come and pick me up lah?"
ME: "Yup, I can't. Why not you take a taxi?"
EX: "You suck!"
ME: "Yeah, at least I suck good."
EX: "Hahahaha"
ME: "Take a cab, and then claim your boyfriend. See ya!"
EX: "Bye!"

Well, something happened after that and somehow we just couldn't remain friends. Let's just say a jealous boyfriend is a dangerous animal and it would end up somewhere between very ugly and extremely ugly.

But I had my fun during that two years of singlehood.

Right now, at this stage of life, I am just contemplated to have found Maria and we are being together. Just spending one quiet evening together, doing nothing, and it felt wonderful. So yeah, I am out of singlehood.

::: young at heart :::

2006-07-25T12:50:00.000+08:00

This is simply frustrating.

I just hit the big THREE O! And I am still young at heart. But somehow my body is getting much older than I thought.

I have been having backache since the accident and yesterday, it was getting so serious that I had problem walking, and even sitting on the toilet bowl was a huge and daunting task for me. Imagine that the when the shit came out from the orifice, a small pressure like that could send throbbing and spasm pain. Mind you, the shit wasn't particular huge in diameter.

This morning, enduring the torturing pain, I drove to the Chinese Massage and it was a torture. The reason was it was a painful session, but right after the massage, the pain was completely gone (except some minor muscle pain that I got during the massage) and I was able to walk and jump again!

But, it is still troubling me that I have a body of a 60 years old. So I am not going to write much today and rest more.

::: a girl tried to pick me up at the groomer's place :::

2006-07-24T01:50:00.000+08:00

This is based on true story.

The other day I brought Fluffy to do his regular grooming. As I went in to the groomer's place, there was this girl followed me into the shop, holding a long-hair Shih Tzu. Without thinking much, I took off Fluffy's collar, his Adidog (not Adidas) shirt, and set him on the floor to explore the place.

Fluffy has been to that place many times so he was just exploring, sniffing out other dogs, and just being himself.

The girl (I will call her Z since I don't know her name) went to that place for dog grooming as well, so she chatted with the groomer a bit while I was playing with Fluffy and the groomer's dog (Golden Retriever. I am a sucker for Golden Retriever). Z then asked the groomer what time her Shih Tzu will be done, and the groomer told her it would take about two hours.

She was about to set off, but suddenly decided to stay in the shop. She started to play with the Golden Retriever, and then she started telling me about her Shih Tzu and how she's taking care of the furkid while her sister is away on oversea trip. I answered her politely, and I continued playing with the Golden Retriever. Then, she started to massage the Goldie in a slow soft way, stroke the Goldie, scratched his ears, all the while throwing me a few glances and gave me a smile.

Yes, she was definitely giving me THE LOOK.

You know, THE LOOK like saying, "Hey handsome, wanna have tea together?" or "Hey hottie, you available?"

I threw her this look: o_O

I kept quiet for a few more minutes, because I didn't want to be rude. The Goldie was very comfortable and he actually felt asleep on the floor. It was quiet, except some background music playing and the shaver that the groomer was operating. She threw me glances and gave me the seductive smile.

Finally, I stood up, and I said, "You know, under normal circumstances few years ago, I would have asked you out for coffee downstairs, but I am attached, so I am sorry."

At first, she gave me this look: O.O

Then, the expression changed to: -.-"

I heard a loud thud, so I turned and I saw the groomer on the floor, sideway, pressing his stomach as if he has been shot in the stomach. But instead of groaning in pain, he was laughing and kicking on the floor. Then his assistant was wiping her eyes from the tears she shed, and the dogs, well, you don't want to know about the dogs.

I collected myself, and informed the groomer that I would go for coffee and would pick up Fluffy afterwards, and the groomer said, "Hahaha...O...hahahaha...k....hahahahaha"

I left that place, and went for my daily dose of java to satisfy my caffein addiction. Man, how I can't live without my coffee. But that's another story for another day.

Guess I have read the signal wrongly.

PS: Actually the story is only partially true. The rest is made up by me.

::: brain operation :::

2006-07-23T03:50:00.000+08:00

Since young, a lot of friends like to pick my brain on ideas, methods, and my opinions. It has been like this since as long as I can remember.

Sometime during highschool, female friends would just sat down next to me at the library, and casually popped a question on how to pick up guys.

XX: "Hey Ad, how do I pick up this J? He is really cute?"
ME: "Huh? What? Why are you asking me?"
XX: "Cos you are guy, and maybe you can give me a pointer or two."
ME: "Hmmm... ok, who is that guy again?"
XX: "J..."
ME: "Oh him. He is outgoing kind of guy, extrovert, so you should....."

Sometime, at the library again (to be honest, our highschool library was more like a place to talk instead of doing seriosu study. Well, it was air-conditiond, so we like to hang out there), some girl asked me to give them a course on sex education. (No, its not what you think. We did not do anything bad behind those bookshelves)

YY: "Hey Ad, just a question..."
ME: "Yeah sure. Shoot."
YY: "How do guys get an erection?"
ME: "What?"
YY: "I mean, how come the penis will be erected, like from limp to hard, and what is the color of the sperm?"
ME: "Huh?? Why ask me?"

At the end I spent hours explaining to XX on the ways to pick up that J, and also spending hours to explain erection to YY, and at one point using my water bottle for illustration (don't ask). Instead of doing my studies, I had helped more than 4 female friends ways to pick up the guys of their dreams, and also a few guy friends on how to go after those girls. But the biggest accomplishment was explaining erection in front of more than 10 girls (well, a lot of them were my junior whom I didn't know, but I was surrounded by them that time and they listened).

Hey, all of that in highschool is a huge accomplishment, okay?

Then, one day, something strike me real hard. I suddenly woke up and asked myself, how come those girls kept asking me about ways to go after the guys and they always have the HOT for other guys, yet none of the girls would come after me?

Nope, even your highness like me couldn't figure out an answer, and I didn't get an answer from them (they told me "because you are a good friend!" or "well, you are like brother to me". Okay, translation is I am not cute/hot enough for them. I didn't accept that kind of excuse, of course). So that question was buried underground not long after that.

Now, its way after highschool and did anything change?

Not really. Just few years back one of my colleagues was asking me on how to go after this really cute guy (Cute meh? I asked). Again, I offered her the answers. Of course, when your highness like me came up with a plan, those two lovebirds are living happily forever and ever.

And then the friends will asked me on ways to deal with their bastard/bitchy colleagues or bosses, and again, I offered them my extremely valuable insights. How about business ideas? No problem, I gave them my ideas and opinions as well. They just love picking my brain for ideas and sometimes, I feel that they were actually brain surgeon giving me brain operation, trying to extract my brain from my skull, examining it carefully and poking here and there.

Man, maybe I should start charging some kind of consultation fee or something.

::: grandma :::

2006-07-22T01:20:00.001+08:00

When I used to be a kid, living is a small village where the back of my house (and my father's wood factory) is a jungle, I used to spend a lot of time at my grandma's place, which was just 1 minute walk away. The house was a mixed of wooden and concrete (meaning the lower-half is concrete and the top-half is wood) and it was always cool because of the trees around the house. We used to have a few mango trees around us and we get to eat mangos during the season.

Being such a cute little angel that I was, my grandma loved me a lot and she would always pampered me. She was the culprit of my coffee addiction, because at a young age, she would leave the pot of coffee on the table and I would help myself to a cup. Unfortunately, most of the time my uncle and grandpa would finish the coffee, and at the end, I was having a cup filled with 75% coffee beans. Yes, it was those traditional coffee where you need to filter the grinded coffee beans.

Did I care? Obviously not. I drank it with those coffee beans and that's why now my coffee addiction level is much higher than average person. (Thanks grandma!)

Anyway, that place gave me a lot of childhood memories. I remembered how I was whipped by my parents after I was playing with fire at the garden, with my cousin, and pretended that we were cooking. (That's how I trained myself to be such a good cook - it has been years and I have yet *touch wood* to food poison myself) But the main attraction wasn't the cooking. It was the fire.

I also remember how I broke my elbow when I was a kid playing the swing. Well, I was playing, and then my cousin (yes, him again) pushed me real hard, and I just fell down, and my elbow went first. After I hurt myself, I sat on the recliner and I didn't tell anyone. I just sat there for hours, and until my parents came to pick me up. They were puzzled that how could I just sit there without playing because I was such a cute little angel (Okay, the correct phrase should be "little playful devil"). They touched my, and suddenly I screamed like mad. They found out, and rushed me to the hospital for X-ray. Of course, I couldn't avoid the typical ear cleaning session from my parents.

And then, I also witnessed another cousin of mine trying out his new shoe. He wore the new shoe, walked around (to show off), and did a kungfu kick in the air. Unfortunately, not because of his shoe but because of his stupidity, he fell down with a loud thud. Of course, being such a good kid, I gave out a big laugh.

Anyway, enough of those memories. Back to topic.

My grandma was very sweet and kind. She treated us with kindness and tenderness, and I remembered how she used to cover my ass when my parents found out about my mischieves. She would calm my parents down, asked them not to punish me, and if they did, she would sit down with me, talked to me and just hugged me.

In no way I am saying that my parents were the evil kind. They were just using the traditional way to whip some sense into me.

It has been years, and the other day I passed by the house, and I saw that the house was completely run down because no one has stayed there for years, and I felt a pang in my heart.

It was my childhood playground.

::: unreliable pdvd :::

2006-07-21T23:15:00.000+08:00

The other day when I was enjoying my sumptuous dinner and drowning my fruit juice, a young man in early 20's with at least 4 colors on his hair approached me with a basket. Yup, he is our typical pDVD salesman walking the beat (the term I use).

He approached me with great enthusiatic and asked me if I wanted anything. Well, I was sucking my finger (yeah I use hand, but some food taste better when you use your hand) and all I wanted was that he go far away and don't disturb my finger-sucking session. Then, that was the time I spotted the movie I have always wanted to watch, yet Maria has developed very little interest so at the end we did not watch it at the cinema.

ME: "Hey, this one, is it clear?"
pDVD salesguy: "Yeah, very klear! This is DVD 9 man!"
ME: "You sure its clear ya?"
pDVD: "Garanti klear! If not klear, come back and I change it flee!"

I nodded. I wanted to watch that particular movie so much and, against my better judgement, I just nodded at him to give me the pDVD. He fished out the movie I selected from his backpack, and he then put the pDVD into a non-descript plastic bag and handed me the movie while I gave him the money. He turned, walked away and approached another table with great enthuastic again.

After finishing my dinner and downed my fruit juice in 2 gulps, I proceeded to pay for my food and went home straight. First thing I did, was of course to play with Fluffy and then, I turned on the system. With great anticipation, I played the movie.

The first thing that came to screen after the brief introduction was two shadows, one male and a female, walking to their numbered seats. I thought, "Shit, I was fucked by that dude." Then I was thinking, well, their are not obstructing too much viewing are so I will just continue watching the movie. Then the sound came on and it was clearly that the guy who was recording the goddamn movie didn't do a good job because the conversation in the movie is inaudible. But I continue to watch it because I was bored and it was a movie that I always wanted to watch.

Approximately 6 minutes passed, and I saw the male and female shadows getting closer, and they started kissing. Great, now I have a bonus scene to watch. Then, I heard some people were talking at the background, and believe it or not, those whispers were actually audible, not like the movie's conversation. It was starting to get annoying. But I stayed put and just hope the kissing would stop so they won't block my damn view.

A few more minutes passed, I heard a sudden and loud sound of compressed air pushing through a tight orifice. Yes, the fucker farted right next to the damn recorder.

That's it!!! I have had enough! I pressed the STOP button, ejected the disc and threw it out of my apartment window.

Guaranteed clear? Over my fucking ass (and a cute one too)!

PS: Should have bought the pDVD at my regular place where they only sell clear pDVD.

::: rsi :::

2006-07-20T14:25:00.000+08:00

Shit. There is a clear sign of me working too hard.

Now I have developed Repetitive Stress Injury (RSI) on the right wrist. When I open and close my palm, I can see a lump the size of 10 cents moving from the top of the wrist to the about 3 inches below. When I put my finger (left hand, of course), I can see the lump pushing my finger whenever the lump is moving.

Also, I can feel a sharp pain on the wrist and arm, like those acute muscle pain. Man, the laptop keyboard bite me and now I am totally injured.

I need to go for a good massage soon.

::: the different way that our parents show us their love :::

2006-07-20T02:25:00.000+08:00

Our parents have a very different way to show us their love.

Example:-

Aunt: "Ahh... Mrs. XXX, your son is very tall and handsome!"
Mom: "Ya meh? No lah, he is normal looking."
(But she replied the aunt's comment with a broad smile and with obvious pride)
Aunt: "Ahh.. Mrs. XXX, your daughter is really bright!"
Mom: (broad smile and obviously proud) "Ya meh? No lah, she is just a plain girl."
Aunt: "Oh Mrs. XXX, so what is your son doing now?"
Mom: "Oh, he is just working at some small company as an engineer lor."
(Need to guess if she's smiling and feeling proud?)
Aunt: "Oh but I heard he is the Technical Director of SHELL?"
(No, this is just an example. I am not working for SHELL)
Mom: "Ya lor.. nothing special lah. He is not around all the time since company has to send him to China, so he got no time for family also..."
Aunt: "And I heard your daughter is working as a top surgent doctor with a top hospital."
Mom: "Aiya, its a lousy job. She got to work long hours and the pay also not good."

Does it mean that our mom don't love us? Nope, I don't think so. (NOTE: I am using mom as prime example because normally women-talk will be like that. Men? Its about share market, cars, women (ahem) and politics) Somehow they just have a different way of showing their pride and love toward us. Maybe they just didn't want to brag about us, and want to paint a very normal and plain picture of us to their friends, but that doesn't hide the fact of our parents unconditional love to us. All you got to do is just understand the subtle meaning underneath those words.

If you hear those not-so-well-received comments about you from your parents, don't think otherwise. All you have to understand is that they have a different way to show their love and affection towards us. Once you accept that, you will have to love them back, unconditionally, because for us human-beings, our days is numbered and you will have to love them while you still can. If not, you will regret it when its too late. (speaking from experience now)

Sometimes, late at night, my mom would call, and asked if I have taken my dinner, if I drank enough water because of the blistering hot weather, and reminded me not to eat too oily food. No matter what she'll say to others about me, she cares for me a lot.

For me, I got a kick out of listening to what my mom got to say about me in front of the relatives and friends.

::: dammit, i have been tagged :::

2006-07-19T00:04:00.000+08:00

Today has been a busy day. I had been visiting customers, working on those paperwork, and finally when I got time to read a few blogs during break-time at Starbucks, I found out that I had been tagged by Damaris. Dammit...

Okay, I am totally being forced, at gun-point (literally), by D to do this. So forgive me.

10 YEARS AGO I WAS :

having fun in colleage...

5 YEARS AGO I WAS :

having fun with my job as a Tool Designer....

1 YEAR AGO I WAS :

working hard for the future, and making long term plans...

YESTERDAY I WAS :

Watching "Failure to Launch"

5 MOST RECENT SONGS I LISTENED TO :

Akon: Lonely
Stephane Pompougnac: Nickodemus - Cleopatra in New York
John Mayer: Your Body is a Wonderland
Maksim: Claudine
Dishwalla: Somewhere In The Middle

5 SONGS I KNOW ALL THE WORDS TO :

Unfortunately, none.

IDEAL PLACES FOR RUNNING AWAY TO :

Phuket. Or any

5 THINGS I REALLY WANT :

1. Money, money and more money.
2. Freedom, freedom and more freedom.
3. A happy and healthy family (including my mom and sisters, etc).
4. A Golden Retriever
5. Actually, none of the above except family and golden retriever.

5 THINGS I SHOULD BE DOING RIGHT NOW :

1. Rest. But I am unable to rest. There are too many things to do right now.
2. Play with Fluffy. But he is taking his dinner now so I got to wait.
3. Watch another DVD I bought, "Over the Hedge" but that can wait. Got to finish work now.
4. Pull Damaris' ears for tagging me.
5. Rest, again.

5 BIGGEST JOYS IN MY LIFE :

My family (that includes Maria)
My friends
My dog
GOOD food
Speed. Ya, I like to drive fast.

5 PEOPLE I TAG:

Eh, D ah, don't want to tag anyone, can or not? If you force me, then I will tag you again.

::: the conversation (2) :::

2006-07-18T02:59:00.000+08:00

I had an opportunity to talk to my ex-MD the other day. It has been quite a while since we met (she retired 5 months ago at the age of 49) and the opportunity to sit down and talk was rare. Anyway, we sat down at a nice coffee shop, and we talked about many things; life, business, vacation, and etc.

When she asked me how I was doing, I told her that I am doing my own business. She threw me an approval look, and congratulated me.

T: "Congratulations! So what is your business about?"
I gave her a short description of what I do.
T: "Hey, that's great! You are a smart guy and you should do business."
ME: "Well, then why you hired me last time?"
T: "Last time I used to be the MD, so of course I wanted to hire good people to help me out. Now that I am no longer the MD, and as a friend, I of course hope that you are in your own business since you have the brain for that."
If you don't call that straightforward and honest, I don't know what else to call it.
ME: "Err...Thanks. Well, I have my fair share of experience..."
T: "I know. Even though you are only 30 years old, you are much smarter and mature than people around your age. Well, you are even more mature than people much older than you."
ME: "Well, we have to learn in life."
T: "True. I am sure you will do well. Now that you are doing your own things, just make sure that if you need any help, you have my number and email."
ME: "Of course! You are my teacher!"
T: (blushed) "I have my fair share of experience and I would like to share."

To be honest, I have the utmost respect for her because she has worked her way through to become the MD, and she didn't cling on to the job. She saw what was important in her life, and she made a decision to move on. Besides, I had learnt a lot from her and she has taught me a lot about business.

We proceeded to talk about her recent vacation, her son, and about her plans after her retirement. After 2 hours plus of conversation, we finally said our goodbyes and went our separate ways.

I didn't know I am an old fart in her eyes.

::: simply inspirational :::

2006-07-17T13:14:00.000+08:00

I didn't know that I was that good. But apparently I have been told repeatably that I am simply inspirational. Let me give you a few examples:

1. I was talking to DEE, whom is currently completely jobless and lazying around the house, and we talked about vacation, back-packing, and etc. Somehow I managed to inspire her to backpack to some beach resort on some island, where she can work part-time on the beach and maybe she'll get accomodation and food in the pay package. Wow! At least she was about to check out some information on those locations, or so she said. Maybe she's taking afternoon nap right now. *shrugs*

2. I emailed a friend's daughter about her driving force, and she confessed that I gave her a lot of inspiration and she wants to work harder to achieve the goal of her life. Wow!

3. A friend of mine who is an author (yet to publish her very first book) was in discussion about something, and also about some of her articles. For some unknown reason, I gave her a great inspiration and she managed to whip out the whole article with a different approach in a cool 5 minutes. Wow wow!

Am I that good or is it my imagination?

I think its my imagination. Let me continue my afternoon nap.

ZzzzZZzzzZZzzzz

::: uZap vs tummy rub :::

2006-07-17T10:18:00.000+08:00

The other day Maria and I were taking lunch with SH and Khien at 1Utama, and we had to sit a table apart because those goddarn tables were too small to fit 4 adults. Anyway, when we were done with our food and cleared the plates altogether, we sat down together and talked about their Shanghai trip.

During our conversation, I couldn't help but noticed that SH kept rubbing her stomach. At first I thought she was experiencing some stomach discomfort or something, so I ignored it. But after 10 minutes, she was still rubbing her stomach and I couldn't help it anymore. I just gotta ask.

ME: "SH, why are you rubbing your stomach?"
SH: "Oh! Khien's mom told me that by rubbing the stomach, it will grow flatter."
ME: "Hahahaha! You think what? Your hands are OSIM uZap ah?"
SH: "His mom told me leh!"
ME: "Hahaha. So you are rubbing it to create the vibration effect, and then by that it will cure all the flabs? Later your stomach got blue-black only you know."
SH: "Hmm.. will meh?"
ME: "Of course! Do you think Khien's mom was hinting at you that you need to loose weight?"
SH: (-.-")
ME: "Hahahaha!"
(and Khien and Maria joined me laughing at SH)
Khien: "Yeah! The other day CLL called me and told me that she dreamt of SH being pregnant."
ME: "Hahaha! That's not pregnant. It's that she ate a bit too much lately!"
Khien: "Hahaha!!! I never thought of that! Should have told CLL that. Hahaha!"
(Then all of us laughed our ass off)

What a great boyfriend Khien is. I must learn, and learn a lot, I have indeed. But SH and Khien still love me a lot :P

::: fruitful sunday :::

2006-07-16T17:45:00.000+08:00

I woke up extremely early today (at around 6am) because I had to send Maria to the airport (the ultra cool Low Cost Carrier Terminal), and came back to the apartment to watch some pDVDs, Infernal Affairs I (so you can guess how bored I was for watching the movie of yesteryear), and The Sentinel.

After the movies, I went off to IKANO to send Fluffy to the grooming. Instantly upon his arrival, he got his usual "special treatment" and also became the center of attention. After sending him there, I was at the starbucks sipping my cup of java while waiting for Fluffy to be done with his grooming. It was a cool because when I was waiting, I browsed the web (using my cellphone since I didn't bring my laptop), checked out a few blogs, left some comments, checked mail, and sent some SMS as well.

When I went upstairs to check on Fluffy after bored myself to death for more than an hour, the Pet Safari was getting crowded and there were a lot of people just browsing. I picked up Fluffy, played with the groomer's Golden Retriever, spent some time there, and then took Fluffy around the area for a short walk. Again, he became the center of attention and when we were at the puppy's area, we were literally surrounded by hundreds of people, and all of them were looking at Fluffy and they were busy patting his head. Fluffy gave me a disgrunted look, as if telling me, "Yo dude, this is not patting zoo. Get me outta here!"

Now, at 5:35pm, I am back to the apartment, and there's no more pDVD to watch, unless I check out those ultra old movies, and it is still too early to go out for dinner.

Damn, what a fruitful Sunday. I am bored to death already.

::: shuffle :::

2006-07-14T00:50:00.000+08:00

No, this post is not about iPod Shuffle. Its about shuffling between time to do work, to blog, to play golf, to spend quality time with family, and to do the things I like.

There are more and more things to do in the business front and more plannings, bugettings, meetings, seeing customers, and I am working longer hours than usual. But that is totally understandable since it is a new start-up and things more not so stable at the moment. Not that I am complaining, but I find that I am not spending enough time to do the things I like.

I used to play golf, but now, it has been months since I touch the golf set.

I used to spend quite some time blogging about the things that I experienced, but now I find that reading blogs alone is a huge task, not to mention writing a blog. (That's why sometimes I continuously save the blog in draft so that I can continue writing in the future)

I used to spend quality time with family, but now I hardly got time and sometimes I don't go back to hometown. We used to talk after dinner time at the dinning table and it was all good fun. Now? Besides hardly going back, I also felt so tired and just wanted to rest.

Sometimes when I get home, I felt so tired that I just took short naps on the couch. Fluffy will be watching me from afar waiting for me to play with him.

I do feel guilty for ignoring the love ones, but I do try to make it up to them. Sometimes I take off early to spend some time with them, and sometimes I take the whole night time off just to spend quality time with them.

It is never easy to be an entrepreneur.

It will take up all your free time because there are so many things to do, and you need to worry about cash flow, cost, budget, spending, new sales, new income, and etc.

You have to make a huge and serious commitment, not only to yourself, but to the people around you. Your family and friends do put up hope on you, and you cannot let them down easily, and you don't want them to worry about you. You are responsible for your actions and the outcome, and you have to commit to the team so that you won't let your partners down, and you will have to work very hard to ensure that your employees will get their monthly wages on time.

You will be tired all the time because even after work, your mind is still thinking about the next strategy to secure the projects, and your mind will be on fire when there is a new lead around the corner that you spotted during the day, and you will do a lot of research, talk to a lot of people to understand the situation better, so that you have a higher chance of securing the deal.

And definitely, your mind is filled with S-Eleven signs (click here to see what S-Eleven means if you don't already know). Sometimes you worry so much about it that you can loose sleep over it, and think of how to attain more of it. I am not saying that the entrepreneurs are the greedy bunch, but we want to grow the business, make more profit, and enjoy a more comfortable life. Who doesn't want to have a comfortable life?

Yes, its a huge commitment, but its a commitment that we cannot break and we have to live up to it.

So right now, I see it as the rough stage that will eventually ride out just fine in near future. So I will continue to shuffle between work and life.

::: fluffy the great :::

2006-07-11T14:56:00.000+08:00

Sorry, just could resist to post my Fluffy's pic here.

Gosh, isn't he cute?

::: what a day :::

2006-07-11T14:35:00.000+08:00

THUD

When I heard that sound, my heart sank to the bottom of the abyss, together with the macbook.

Yesterday when I was walking, and carrying the laptop bag with me, the shoulder stripe snapped at the buckle area, and the laptop bag fell to the ground, and hit with a loud thud. I was shocked and it was too late, and when I heard the sound, my heart just sank lower and lower.

Yes, I just fuckingly dropped my one-week-old macbook.

Yesterday morning when I was getting my car from the carpark, I noticed a bulge on my right tyre. I went to inspect and to my horror, my tyre was pregnant! (That's the local term for swelling tyre) I was about to go outstation and that happened.

So, 10th of July, 2006. What a day for me.

::: tattoo :::

2006-07-10T12:33:00.000+08:00

Just got myself a tattoo during the weekend.

What do you think? Nice eh?

::: i still miss you, a lot :::

2006-07-08T07:45:00.000+08:00

The other day when I was talking to a friend on MSN, we talked about many things, including the meaning of life, politics, world cup, boyfriends and girlfriends, and death. Yes, our range of topic is a bit different, but the most memorable talk was the topic about parents and passed away loved ones. That reminded me of my father, and I had been thinking about him ever since that conversation.

Let me be clear on this: I did not try to forget about him, but I buried him in my heart for the past 6 years and think of him once in a while. I remember him very well, but I must move on with my life.

I never really wrote about it because I was ashame, and the guilt was in me after so many years. Until now, that is.

It was during one faithful night 6 years ago (coming to 7 years soon) in U.S. I was online working on some research and doing my assignment, and the technology last time was using dial-up modem (56Kbps! Bite that!) for internet connection. I had spent many hours working on it, and finally, after turning off the computer, I went straight to bed. And then, I received a phone call at 5 in the morning. I was grunting and was still in dream land, and I heard my eldest sister's voice talking rapidly.

Sis: "Hey, can you come back now?"
ME: (still in dreamland) "What? Huh? Er... what?"
[I heard phone changing hand, and some noise in the background]
Mom: (in a hushed voice) "Son, I got something to tell you. Be calm first ok?"
ME: (coming out from dreamland quickly) "Huh? What is wrong? What happened?"
Mom: "Your father has been admitted to the hospital, and the doctor said its not so.. erm.. bright looking. Can you come back a.s.a.p.?"
ME: (fully awake at that moment) "Okay, no problem. Is he okay? What happened?"
Mom: "He fainted outside the office, and doctor said it was heart attack."
ME: "How come? He just called me two days ago asking me if I got enough money, and he told me his medical report few months back was excellent."
Mom: "We also don't know. Just come back okay?"
ME: "Okay. I will make arrangement now."

I was in bed, fully awake and my mind was racing at full throttle. I was making plans, and when the first sun light broke into view, I drove to campus and made an appointment with my main course counselor. I told him my need to go back, and he agreed upon it even though the midterm was just the week after. I then request help from him to break the news to my other lecturers and he agreed.

Then I went home to make phone calls for fligt ticket booking. That's when I encountered the bad experience from MAS here. Anyway, I managed to get a travelling agent in California (my regular flight ticket agents) and the very-pleasant lady was helpful enough. Besides, I got the round-trip flight tickets (including the domestic connecting flights) for USD850 (compare to USD1700 economy class round-trip excluding domestic connecting flights by MAS). Besides, at a later stage when I was at LAX, EVA Airways was kind enough to upgrade me to Deluxe Seats for free (I think the travel agent lady inform EVA Airline or something, and Deluxe Seats is like Business Class).

Anyway, rushing back to campus to borrow their fax machine to fax my credit card info to the travel agent (because of security purposes), I was told that my lecturers were sending regards to me and wishing my father well. After sending the fax, I was told that the ticket will be couriered to me by FedEx and I will be getting the tickets by 12noon the next day (and consider that I faxed the info at 4pm) so I would get enough time to catch the domestic connecting flights.

Now that's what I call Customer Service. Try to beat that, MAS.

It was a cool Friday night (during Winter season), and we headed out to the gym to play basketball. For me, I just wanted to vent out my frustrations and my anxiety was killing me. If I didn't go out to play basketball, a very high energy game, I think I would have gone over the edge. After playing basketball for more than 3 hours, my friends and I headed for late dinner. It was late, but I wasn't tired. I was on the bed, tossing and thinking.

Until 5am.

The phone rang again. I quickly picked it up, and I heard my mom's voice.

Mom: "Son, be calm ok?"
ME: "What? Tell me."
Mom: "Your father has just passed away."
ME: "WHAT? How? Why? When?"
Mom: "He just passed away. We are at the hospital now. When are you coming back?"
ME: "My flight is at 2pm, and I will be reaching KLIA at 1:45pm on XX/XX/XX date."
Mom: "Ok son. Come back soon and be safe ok?"

I hung up after that. No, I was trying to ask for more information, and I wanted to find out more. But I was too numb. I was so numb that I was just staring at the room ceiling, mind racing but without direction, and I didn't even shed a tear. I was just too shocked.

Getting on the flight, and the long flight (including the transit time), I was just sitting there, and I didn't feel asleep. It has been more than 40 hours but I was not feeling asleep. I was just so damn numb.

When I reached KLIA, I saw Mak (my sister's then boyfriend but brother-in-law now) and my uncle and aunt awaiting me at the gate. They were holding a bottle of herbal tea (specially brewed by my mom for knowing that I didn't sleep and afraid that I would fall asleep) for me, and I climbed into the car silently. Without ushering a word, I just stared at the scenary on the way back, while my relatives were asking me if I was fine and shit like that. I mean, I appreciate their kind gesture but I was in no mood to talk to anyone, except my mom.

And then, when I reached home and saw my mom, a drop of tear sprung from my eyes. That was the first drop of tears I shed after hearing the news, and soon after, the tears were like waterfall after hugging my mom and saw my father's body in the coffin. My mom was one tough cookie. She didn't cry after my father passed away, and she was managing a lot of things, like funeral, the ceremony, talking to the guests, and all that crap. But when I reached home, and when she saw me, both of us were crying.

He was just so peaceful-looking and it was so surreal. If no one told me about it, I would have thought he was just taking his afternoon nap.

And I wrote about the funeral here. I don't want to repeat it because that would piss me off big time. I couldn't sleep on the first night of my arrival, but the next day morning, I finally slept after staying awake for more than 50 hours, and slept I was. I slept for more than 20 hours and my mom didn't even try to wake me up.

When I was a teenager, I used to misunderstand my father. I thought he was too strict on me and everything I did was wrong. I argued with him, and sometimes I would ignore him. My longest record for ignoring him was 3 months, and whenever he was talking to me, I would give him the standard respond of "Hmm" to acknowledge the question. And then, when I was around 17 or 18, I started to understand him, and we would talk. But after spending years of cold relationship, it would take time to warm up our relationship again. But time was the thing that we did not have. Upon graduation, I attended INTI College in Subang Jaya, and I moved out from the house since it was not practical to travel few hours per day to attend class. Soon after, I was already in the States to further my studies. At the end, I did not have the chance to get to know him.

After he passed away, sometimes during family talk, my sisters and mother would talk about him, and I found out a lot about him during these conversations, and I also found out that he actually has done a lot for me, without me knowing of course. I also found out different side of him, and the reason why he was so strict on me. Yet I blamed him during my younger days on his decision and I actually loathed him during those years. But when I started to know him, and wanted to be a good son to him, it was already too late.

Sometimes at night, I would think of him. Sometimes at night, I would dream of him. When Nicky, our faithful dog, passed away (here and here) this year, I couldn't help but hope that my father has Nicky's company in heaven.

Yes, I still miss you a lot, dad.

::: superman returns :::

2006-07-07T01:30:00.000+08:00

"Yeah, I am back," I told Khien.

We just came out from the movie Superman Returns, and I was wearing my Onitsuka Tiger and without realizing the color of the shirt, I was practically following the Superman's theme. Sample of my shirt? The blue shirt in the middle, with red-stripe around the collar and sleeves. And I was wearing a blue jeans.

No. I wasn't trying to follow the theme. I just took the shirt from the drawer and wore it. Then when Khien's girlfriend, SH saw it, she asked, with curiousity, "Wow! Trying to be Superman? But the tummy is a bit too .. er... round."

The Japanese are fucking skinny. Maria bought XL (Japanese standard, and it's so-called L size in US) for me, but it was really tight. Maybe it was meant to be a muscle cut, but on me, it became the fat-cut. !!!@@#~~@

"No, I am not trying to be Superman," I told SH. I inhaled deeply and tried very hard to shrink my tummy. But it was a huge effort. Within seconds I started to feel a sudden involuntary spasmodic muscular contraction on my stomach. Yes, I was having cramp on my tummy. Then all of us laughed together.

"Where is your underwear? Pull it out so we can see it. Otherwise we won't see the most important symbol of Superman," SH exlaimed.

Maybe its a good idea to wear the red underwear outside, but I will be setting a new trend by wearing a read boxer outside instead of underwear. Anyway, after the show (I am not going to write a review for the movie. Go watch it yourself. For a die-hard Superman fans like me, I find that it is great, but some might find the plot a bit too simple), when we walked out from the cinema, Khien and SH were walking behind us, and they pointed at me and words were whispered in their ears, and they laughed.

I counter-strike them with a superman pose (the standard one hand up front flying posture), and all of us burst into laughter and the patrons around us were looking at us skeptically.

But I do feel like Clark Kent tonight.

When we first came out from the apartment to go to the cinema, I pressed for the elevator and waited patiently. When it arrived, we went in and I pressed "G" and stood to the back of the elevator. After travelling for quite awhile, the elevator stopped and we walked out automatically. But there were two guys standing in front of the elevator and they had to give way for us to go out. The two guys were giving us the puzzle look, but I was thinking, "What? We had arrived so its normal for us to get out."

I turned left after getting out of the elevator, and I saw a wall right in front of me. I looked right and saw another wall (the wall on the walk-way), and I looked around. Then we headed back to the elevator where the two guys had the liberty to hold the door for us. Yes, we had stepped out on the 1st floor.

After we went in, the two guys were sniggering loudly behind me. Then Maria laughed, and I laughed, and the two guys were laughing hysterically while pounding on the elevator wall and covering their mouth at the same time.

Maybe I am the real Superman. Who knows? I just haven't developed the flying skill.

::: childhood sweetheart :::

2006-07-06T17:43:00.000+08:00

After bumping into an old friend of mine whom I had a crush with the other day, I was lucky enough to bump into an even older friend of mine. We knew each other since we were primary 3, and we used to play badminton together (both of us were representing our school in badminton competition) almost everyday and she was the reason why I went to school on Saturdays to attend the extra curriculum. We liked each other very much that when we went for our graduation roadtrip around Malaysia, we spent a lot of time together, talking, and also holding hands. Incidentally, she was also the one who took my first kiss.

(Okay, you must be wondering how many first kiss I had. Let me clarify the difference. This one is a quick fly-by kiss on the lips. The one in this post was the first tongue-swirling-in-the-mouth-and-damn-wet kiss. The one in love story was the mouth-to-mouth-lock-kiss-but-too-stupid-to-use-the-tongue kiss. Understand?)

I still remember during a roadtrip from Genting to Kuantan. The road (about 20 years ago) was very bad and it was those twisty-windy country road (and I remembered the road was unpaved and there were a lot of military vehicles on that road). We were sitting together, and both of us were taking a long needed nap after spending the previous night talking. So you can imagine how innocent I was, just talking to such a lovely girl whole night without doing anything dirty. Anyway, back to the story. The bus driver was driving quite dangerously and he would attack a corner with quick brake and hard acceleration. The road was really bouncy and dangerous. My head was leaning on her shoulder after I slept, and then, I slipped lower and lower....

Lower and lower....

Yup, I know you are anticipating what I was going to say next. Was it some juicy descriptive involving some body parts and organs?

Anyway, some kids took our picture while we were sleeping and I was leaning on her. It was one of the most sought after picture in the school because no one else dared to lean on girls like that. What a bunch of idiots.

Fastforward to current day.

She got 5 kids and she has been married for 9 freaking years!!!!

Fuck me! My jaws dropped to the ground and I couldn't manage to snap it back, and I almost cried on the spot.

Reason? Why is every girl that I used to adore all got married with at least 3 kids?

But she still look good, and even better in my perspective.

::: the night stalker :::

2006-07-05T20:44:00.000+08:00

The other day I received a phone call very late at night (it was during a World Cup match that started at 3am). It was a number which I did not recognize, but I answered the call nonetheless because sometimes I don't save the numbers off from few people.

When I heard the voice over the other end, I almost freaked and went rigid. It was the stalker that scared the shit out of me. I deleted her number and I remembered her number, but somehow she changed her number and I didn't know, and I answered.

X: "Hello? Deric?"
ME: "Nope. This is not Deric. You got the wrong number."
X: "Oh is it? Then who is this?"

I hung up. But I was silly to think that she would stop.

X: "Hello? Is this Deric?"
ME: "I am not Deric. You got the wrong number."
X: "Don't play lah!"
ME: "Sorry, I am not playing. You got the wrong number, and I am not Deric."
X: "Then who is this?"
ME: "I think you should know..."
X: "Oh! Sorry. I just pressed the number off my phone and I am driving. I obviously keyed in your number by mistake."
Yeah right. Over my fucking ass!
ME: "Then don't key in numbers. Go to your contacts and find him. Bye."

Again, I was silly to think that she would just stop bugging me. I slipped the phone back into my pocket and was concentrating on the game. Next thing I knew, it was ringging again and later I found out she missed call me 5 times already during that short period of time.

X: "Hey. Do you know where is Crystal Pub?"
ME: "Nope."
X: "How about Crystal Park?"
ME: "Nope."
X: "I don't know which one, is it Cyrstal Park or Crystal Pub?"
ME: "Why don't you call your friend and ask him if it's park or pub?"
X: "He won't answer my call."
(And there I was thinking, "Who would answer your call?" Apparently it was me who would. Damn)
ME: "Well, continue to call him. Maybe its pub so its noisy. Keep calling. I really don't know where is that place."
X: "So where are you now?"
ME: "Watching world cup at a mamak."
X: "Can I join you?"
ME: "Nope."
X: "Tell me which mamak and I'll be there."
ME: "Its okay. Don't need to come. The game is going to be over soon and I'll be on my way home to sleep."
X: "Why not like this. When you are done watching, we meet at a mamak near [location]?"
ME: "Its late, and I need to sleep."
X: "Why? Scared of me?"
ME: "Nope. Just don't feel like meeting up with you."
X: "I will wait for you there."

And she just hung up.

I wasn't planning to meet up with her, and after the game, I paid my drinks, walked to my car and was on my way home. She called again.

X: "Sorry, I am at home now. Can you please come to my house and pick me up?"
ME: "I am not going to mamak. Its late now."
X: "So you still scared of me. Why? Scared that I will rape you?"
ME: "Say what you want. I am going home. Bye."
X: "Don't be like that lah! It has been a long time and I just wanted to listen to your voice."
ME: (and I was thinking that it wasn't long enough) "You can call your friends to go out now but I am on my way home now."
X: "Don't be like that, please? I was scolded by my boyfriend today and I am actually in a very sad mood. He said I was self-centered and manipulative, and I always use the people around me, especially guys, to my advantage."
ME: "Rightly so. You are self-centered and manipulative."
X: "Do you have to be so straight forward?"
ME: "Well, that's just me."
X: "But..."
ME: (interrupt) "There's no 'but' here. You are self-centered and manipulative. You do not care what other people feel. I have told you over and over that it is late and I wanted to go back to sleep, but did you care? Obviously not. You kept pestering me and calling me again and again. Can't you just think of how other people feel for once and not getting things the way you want, just for once?"
X: "Do you have to say that?"
ME: "Do you think I want to say that? I was just being honest, and that's why I tried my best to avoid you."
X: "So that was the reason why you avoided me?"
ME: "Yeah, and I believe I told you that many times before I finally pulled the plug and stopped talking to you."
X: "So if I wasn't like that, do you think we have a chance to be together?"
ME: "It's too late to think about that now. I am already attached and I believe you are too. Besides, I am planning to get married next year, so there's no point to discuss about it."
X: "But seriously, do you think we had a chance?"
ME: "Nope."
X: "Thanks Adrian. Not a lot of people would be so honest to me and name the faults in me. Normally the guys will just give ways and I would get what I wanted. But you are different. You are telling me what I didn't want to hear and always being so direct. Thank you."
ME: "You are welcome. Good night."

And I just hung up on her. It has been 3 years since the nasty fight we had, and she missed-call me 99 times a night (Well, I was using an old model Nokia and maximum number of missed call is 99), and my voicemail box was literally exploded after she recorded 50 over voicemails. Go figure.

Sometimes its good to respect yourself, and you will earn the respect that you deserve.

::: the world cup fever :::

2006-07-05T00:26:00.000+08:00

It is evident that there are a lot of people are crazy about the World Cup 2006. They can think of something and relate it to the World Cup, and they sleep and breath the World Cup as well, talking about the next game, thinking about the previous game they watched and replay the game inside their brain over and over again. They can cry sadly after their favourite team lost, and the last time they cried was when someone in their life passed away. Hell, some didn't even cry so hard when their father passed away.

The evident of the World Cup fever? I got an SMS yesterday from a friend of mine:-

To be a real man, you have to be like the Australian team. They can hold it for 80 minutes without shooting, and when they shoot, they shoot three times in a row. Don't be like the Japanese. They shot very very early, and at the end, they were completely exhausted. But the Chinenese team are the best. They never shoot from the beginning to the end. (Because they were never qualified)

I got a few more, but I think you got the points.

::: ah fook :::

2006-07-04T11:01:00.000+08:00

Lately I have been getting flashback of my childhood memory, particularly during primary school when it was the happiest moment (happy cos no need to worry about homework and all that). I don't remember most of the friends by then except Ah Fook. I don't know why my mind was reminding me of him but everyone else.

We were the heng dai (translation: brothers, like a pack of guys taking care of each other), and we went places together. We were like each other's shadow and even thought I was physically bigger than Ah Fook, but he was like a big brother to me, taking care of me sometimes (Hey, I did take care of him as well). His family members (namely his parents and eldest brother) were selling vegetables and stuff at the pasar (translation: market), all of them were tough and coming from a tough family like that, he has developed a skill that were rarely seen in kids of our age that time.

He was skinny, but a tough baby. We liked to take the ice-cream across the school, and sometimes those older kids from another school came over to bully us. We fought our ways to safety and sometimes, we were beaten up (not the kind you saw on newspaper lately). Sometimes I went over to his house since it was just nearby our school, and we watched porno (stolen from his father's closet) together. I still remember our innocent mind went "OoooOOoo...ahhhhh.... how come got hair one? Why the guy pee on the girl's face?" It was all fun and sometimes we even went to disturb girls around school.

Somehow, we grew up. That's why people say that the good things don't seem to last. One year before primary school graduation, he was pulled by his parents to help out at the store because the business was so busy and they needed some help. Who was the better choice to help out than your own family members and it is also free of charge? He helped out after school, early in the morning at around 4am until it was school time. So we had no chance to spend much time together.

Then, after graduation, he moved to St. Paul, an all-boy-no-girls public school, and I was sent off to a co-ed private school. Actually we made a pack to go to St. Paul together but somehow along the way, I was convinced by my parents to go to the private school, and part of the reason was that it was a co-ed school! How could you ask a young and innocent (and don't forget to mention cute) kid that I was to attend a monk school, right?

Anyway, after that, we hardly saw each other because the communication system last time sucked big time (mobile phone? yeah, my ass).

Now when I come to think about it, the reason why I kept thinking of Ah Fook is maybe because we made a pack to go to St. Paul, but at the very last minute, I jumped ship and I broke our pack. Maybe I feel guilty. Maybe I was wondering how would my life turn out to be if I did join St. Paul instead the private school.

I don't know.

::: busy and tiring weekend :::

2006-07-03T14:33:00.000+08:00

It has been a very busy weekend. During the week, I obtained a Mont Blanc fountain pen from a friend, F, to repair the nib while I was going there to do some engraving on my pen. Well, F is actually a customer of mine and we developed our friendship over the course of my career. Nowadays we are close friends and we always go out for lunch/tea.

Unfortunately, on Saturday morning when I was playing with Fluffy, he wagged his tail a bit too hard and his tail swapped the pen from the table and at the end, I ended up with a RM1,100 Mont Blanc on the floor with a broken cap. I called F immediately to inform him about the bad news and apologized on Fluffy's behalf.

ME: "Hey F, got a bad news. I broke your pen. I will repair it and if it is beyond repair, I will replace a new pen for you."
F: "Wow! Don't worry about it. Was it above the clear coat?"
ME: "Nope. It was the cap."
F: "Its ok. Don't worry."
ME: "I broke it while it is under my care so its my responsibility to repair it, or at least replace it."
F: "No, don't spend the money. Its okay. Just bring the pen back to me."
ME: "How about this. Let me bring the pen to Mont Blanc Boutique and see what they say."
F: "Yeah! Blame them. Tell them the pen is so freaking expensive and how can that happen? Demand free replacement. Hahahah!"
ME: "Hahaha! I will certainly try. Hahahah!"

Now this is what I call friends. Anyway, I had a very busy weekend and this is what happened during the weekend:-

1. Went down to Mont Blanc Boutique @ KLCC and looked at the messenger bag while engraving my pen, and F's pen cap replacement can be done easily. Now still awaiting for the nib repair quotation. 2. Went back to hometown briefly to have dinner with family.
3. Watched England vs Portugal and Brazil vs France. Dammit! Brazil lost :(
4. Sent Fluffy to do grooming.
5. Maria wasn't feeling well so I was busy attending to her.
6. Went to computer shop to buy a new mouse and browsed for new laptop bag.

Oh! Did I mention that I bought a new MacBook? I bought the white color (instead of the black because the black needs a long waiting list) and love it very much!

::: highschool :::

2006-06-28T15:30:00.000+08:00

Last weekend Khien and I were attending a wedding dinner @ Cheras and it was an opportunity to meet up with those old highschool friends whom we haven't met for the past 10 years.

Don't ask me about the wedding dinner.

Anyway, seeing those familiar faces, hearing those familiar voices, and being surrounded by those ~~old-fark~~ friends, it certainly brought back those sweet memories from highschool. I still remember the days when we didn't have to worry too much. Exams? Fuck exams! When I was in highschool, my purpose was to have fun, so I was never too worried about exams. But I got by and graduated in the middle-tier group. I still remember my SPM (something like O' Level). Because in need of some cash, I sold off my revision textbook, textbook and notes to my junior at the end of the semester (this is a tradition in the school because new books were much more expensive).

But the SPM exam was three weeks into the school holidays, so I had nothing to study and no notes to revised. I sat there looking around, whereas my friends were busy studying. Well, I was very well connected so I managed to borrow some books to study (the problem is, I can only borrow the books ton the subjects hat were coming up much later). During mathematic exam, I forgot to bring my beloved calculator.

Right before the semester break, we decided to make a huge impact on the school system. The guys decided to wear skirt to school whereas the girls will wear long pants. Unfortunately, 99% of the guys chicken-out at the last minute, so me and the other 2 guys were among the class that got the balls to wear skirt to school. Oh and that reminds me that I didn't know wearing skirt was such a cooling experience. I felt so cool down there and at a point when I squatted down to take group photo, I was totally "exposed" to the camera.

I guess you know what kind of student I was back then.

But who cares! That was me. I managed to graduate so I have no complain.

* * *

I also remember my almost first-time. It was also during the final year. She was the one with experience and I was completely new to the field (I refuse to use the word "green"). She fell in love with me and I liked her. But it was end of the year and she was one year younger. I was about to go to colleague whereas she was staying in the highschool. After that, we would have gone separate ways so we decided not to start.

During one afternoon, I was at her room (she rented a house with schoolmates) and somehow, we started kissing (yup, that was my first kiss), and then we were rolling on the bed. I was filled with energy back then and the flag was skyhigh due to the excitement. I was groping and kissing, and I was clumsy like a pig. Suddenly, she pushed me away and said in a very shy voice, "tonight you come here, ok?"

I could feel the blood rushing into my brain and I could hear my heart thumping in my ears. I was having problem breathing that time and I was nodding with all my strength that I almost snap my neck. I was so excited. She even asked me not to forget about condoms!!!! I thought I was finally going to get laid at a very tender age! (Yeah, I was 18 and the teenagers get laid when they were 12. But I was innocent k?)

But I didn't go to her place that night. My very first time didn't happen that year. I decided not to go there that night because I didn't want to do something which I would regret for the rest of my life and I didn't want to use her for that purpose. I was leaving school to pursue a higher dreams, and I knew we couldn't be together. So I passed the opportunity, abide with a very sore arm.

::: superheroes :::

2006-06-27T12:18:00.000+08:00

I just found out that we have superheroes in the company. The nickname is the tell-tale sign of what kind of person they are.

My Sales Manager - The Elastic Man.

Beuno - The Rock.

Export Sales Manager - Batman.

Another division sales exec - Robin.

Customer Service Reps - Charlie's Angels

Head of Customer Service - Charlie

Charm - The Incredible Hulk

You must be thinking that I have a super hero nickname too. Yup, you got that right. I am the super cool Superman

Now talk about being the ultra cool one. Who else is wearing their red underwear outside?

::: the world is not a fair place :::

2006-06-26T23:52:00.000+08:00

Beuno has been getting lucky. Besides being the ~~dumbfuck~~ weirdo in the company, and being isolated during the company outing (the colleagues had been ignoring him), he has been lucky in career wise. During an unofficial Company Idol survey, he was ranked last in the list, and among the colleagues, only very few people even care about him.

As of late, we all noticed that he has no personal style. None of us have a regular eating time (that's why you can see me taking a late breakfast or early lunch somewhere nearby) and he has been the one who always stick to the fixed lunch time (and talk about being sales and yet got time to eat at fixed time). Lately he has been eating at wee hours as well and that is freakish. Besides, I had been told that his dressing sense has changed also. He used to wear one-size-too-small plain color shirt. Now? Viola! The very cool correct-size stripe shirt (yup, that's what I usually wear).

The other day I overheard his conversation with a customer (I was unfortunate enough to have my cubicle in front of his), and it was one of the classic. The customer called, and obviously I could not hear what the customer was saying, but from what I heard from our Beuno was saying, it was enough to give me a century shock.

"Yes Mr. X?"
"Oh there are thousand of this products. Do you know which one are you talking about?"
"Mr. X, you must make sure which one it is. There are thousands of this products, so you better make clear which one you are talking about. If not I wouldn't be able to help you."
"Why not like this. You go make sure first, and then call me back."

WOAH!!!! If this is not a classic sales talk, I don't know what is. We are selling a product to a customer, and customer is telling us about their application so we should check with our products to make a proper recommendation based on the application. Yet our dear Mr. Beuno can ask the customer to make sure which product to use only then ask him. So what's the use of him being in the sales team?

Anyway, the new higher management likes him so much that he is going to handle all the big customers of mine. In a way, his portfolio is going to grow and suddenly he is handling those key customers. Before this, he was just taking care of those tiny accounts, and watching with red-eyes about those key customers since the previous MD didn't believe in his ability to serve. Now he has 3 key accounts that contribute to 80% of the company's sales. Good for him, and good luck to those customers.

That's why sometimes we have to wonder how ~~those dumbfuck asshole like him~~ these kind of people can get so lucky in work. He is a hardworker, on the surface only, and he doesn't know how to communicate. I still remember the one instance where he stood in front of the admin for a full minute, like a rock. The admin asked him what was wrong, and he said, "call courier." The admin looked at the clock and it was already 5:20pm, so she said, "Beuno, the courier service is off. Why not I call tomorrow morning?" He just stood there, and said again, "call courier." The admin felt that she was being challenged on her patience, and she said in a controlled voice, "Beuno, as I told you just now, the courier service is off work. I will call tomorrow ok?"

Guess what? He stood there again, like a rock, for another minute, before he said, "Oh! I mean how to call international. I want to call Korea."

Pardon his lousy English. He doesn't understand complicated words like apologize, grateful, and such. Yet the new higher management likes him. So go figure if the world is a fair place.

::: tired :::

2006-06-22T03:05:00.000+08:00

There has been an exhibition and I had been busy running around, managing the booth, meeting current customers, greeting new and potential customers, and driving my outstation colleagues because they are not familiar with K.L.

It has been a good experience during the exhibition, and for some in the industry who had known each other for years, this exhibition is like a reunion party for them. You get to see the happy faces those people expressed when they saw an old acquaintance. It is weird that they are in the same industry and sometimes their office locations is just a street apart, yet they only get to meet and catch up during the exhibition.

Generally, it has been an exhausting time because of the effort to put into the exhibition while trying to keep up to the things in the office. Other than that I have to work on other things as well, and it was like juggling thousand of things at the same time in this difficult period. But somehow I am enjoying the busy schedule and the up-pace since I like to keep myself very busy.

The announcement has been made and I am getting calls non-stop from close colleagues and they all expressed their sadness. Yes, it is a sad thing but I have to move on and do the things I want to do. We have only one lifetime, and the chances to do something we like is just so limited. The path might not be an easy one but there will be no regrets as this is something I decided to do.

Some people might not understand it. Some might even disagree with me. But who give a shit? This is how i want it to be so I will not allow others to stop me as there are too many people who are afraid of change, and there are many pussies who are naturally pessimistic.

Well. Let's see how things will go. I hope that after many years, I will still rant and rave on Blogger and see how I fair in life.

* * *
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::: mindless rants and raves (2) :::

2006-06-19T12:55:00.000+08:00

The back is not getting well. There has been an improvement but there remains some pain and the movement is quite rigid. Oh well, I am really not getting younger.

* * *

The other day I got a SMS from a friend announcing that she's getting married and gave us the date/time and location of the wedding dinner. The invitation is the SMS. Damn! That's a new way to save money.

(Keep a mental note on this and remember to SMS to friends when I get married.)

A lot of friends are not in contact on a regular basis. In normaly days, they are too busy with their very own circle of friends, like after graduation you are the circle of ex-friends, and completely out of touch. You see them once a year if you are lucky (and that is during Class Reunion). If you are really lucky, you will see them twice. Three times is totally unheard of. That's why I treasure those friends who stick around for ages even after graduation and it's like fine wine; the longer you keep it, it will brew and blossom into something great. Just like Khien as one of the examples.

Then, out of nowhere, they just appeared in front of you (by email, SMS, or phone calls) and they don't waste time. Just 1 minute of chit-chat about your well-being and then, they will throw the red bomb to you. What can you say? "Congratulations! That's great! I didn't even know you got a boyfriend/girlfriend!" or something as simple as "Congratulations!" and just pretend that you are listening carefully on the avenue and date of their wedding. I guess any chit-chat longer than 1 minute is really expensive so they got to watch their budget.

I will really appreciate it if they could just spend some time before announcing the wedding to call and talk a bit. Otherwise I get a feeling that I am just the target because they wanted to collect the angpow money from me before taking the wedding dinner.

* * *

On the motivation side, I am really low on motivation. I just feel like curling up and sleep. I am so darn tired and no motivation.

Damn the World Cup.

The truth is not the World Cup. It is personal things that needed to be done and I have been working hard, that's why I always appear tired and exhausted.

* * *

I have lost my phone last week. It was devastating because I love the phone so much, and I have a lot of information saved inside. The experience was unique: I was urinating when someone called, and I talked to that person for a quickie and when I was done talking, I put the phone on the wall (yup, I needed two hands to move the piece around and zip), and I washed my hand, wiped it clean, and went back to the office. Once I sat down, I realized that I forgot about my phone. I quickly went back to the toilet and it was long gone.

Next time don't fucking call me when I am urinating! Bastard!

::: new people, new style :::

2006-06-18T23:57:00.000+08:00

There had been some reshuffling on the corporate side and there are people making noise on those relocation of office and what not. I was just thinking one thing; why not?

Just like our previous Prime Minister, Tun Dr. M. During his reign, he had his very own strategy, planning, and method of doing things. After 22 years of ruling, he stepped down and the new Prime Minister, Pak Lah, changed things here and there so that whole system will suit his taste and his method of working. Of course, during this reshuffling, there are new blood joining the team whereas some of the old birds just retired. The new Prime Minister just had to get the people he trusted to get into the team. Or so to speak: put the right people on the right job.

Is there anything wrong to that? Nope. If there is, at least I don't see it.

Of course, what went wrong was the fact that Tun Dr. M made a lot of noise in the press defending himself on various decisions he made during his reign after the new P.M. made another different decision. Unfortunately, that's not a wise move (at least in my opinion). He stepped down gloriously and the people are seeing him as the hero of the country, propelling the country to where we are right now. There's not a single person attacking him, just the new P.M. changed the strategies and planning as he sees fit. So why is Dr. M trying to raise all this kind of noise and make him look...ermm... not so glorious? Why would he want to spoil the memories of the people and change our views of him from the "Hero of the Country" to a "Grumpy Old Man"?

Anyway, that's another topic of discussion. So to the people in the office: new management, new management style. It is as simple as that. If you jump ship as soon as possible, then you will enjoy an easier life (less stupid stress). If you are still holding to the old style of management and refuse to change, then your life will be difficult as the people around you are changing. Adapt to the new environment and you have a great chance to grow if you apply your experience and knowledge correctly.

Nonetheless, all these changes got nothing to do with me. I am seeing the whole thing from another totally different perspective and I am actually enjoying the moment.

::: what is driving you? :::

2006-06-16T14:34:00.000+08:00

The other day E asked me a really good question. "What is driving you? Where do you get all those drives?"

Well, drives are from within, your deep desire and thus wanting to achieve thoser inner desire, the drives give you all the energy to go on even if you fail, fall down, hit the ground with a thud. But you will just get up, pause for a split second to think of the mistakes, and continue doing what you do.

The reason E asked me that question was because E's daughter was going for an interview and the interviewer wanted to find out what drives her. So E came to me and asked me since she found that I am the only person in the whole company with a shitload of drives. Anyway, in order to help her, I came up with an email to send to E's daughter.

---------------------------
From: Adrian Ang
To: xxx@xxxxxx.com
Subject: What Drives You

Dear J, I had heard from E that you needed some guidance on answering those interview-questionaires and particulary on the "Drive" issue. I cannot claim that I am expert in this but I can try. First of all, you have to understand that the key engine that is driving you is unique. Not everyone has the same driving force within and I simply cannot just tell you on what to tell the interviewer. So this will be a long process to discover on what's driving you. Check on the list below on common driving force within:-

1. Money
2. Fame
3. Satisfaction
4. Security
5. Recognition

Fame as in you want people to follow you and adore you like a movie star. Recognition can be defined as being known in the industry, and recognize your contribution to the industry/company and also community. I don't think I have to explain much on the "Money" but Satisfaction and Security are both very different.

Satisfaction is your job satisfaction and this is a very wide definition. It can be something you have done and you are happy with it, and it can also include the paycheck amount. Some people see Satisfaction as a fulfillment in personal goals, like having a challenging project and you come up with a great victory, or something like that.

Security, on the other hand, is for wuzz and that means they are scared of being fired.

There are two ways to answer "So tell me, what is your driving force or what's driving you."

It can be your personal answer, or the something what the interviewer wanted to hear. If you want to answer your true driving force, then go ahead, discover the 5 items listed above and list down which one is the most important.

If you want to answer what he/she wants to hear, then you have to study the interviewer during the interview and see what kind of person he is. If he is aggressive, I would say Fame and Recognition. If he is those very nice guy, then I would say Satisfaction.

"My driving forces are my desire to do well in each responsibilities I was given and my desire to contribute to the company and the community. Of course, during the course of these contributions, I would like to be recognized as some one important in this industry and also be rewarded financially so I don't have to starve myself while working really hard." (say this with a faint smile) (NOTE: Sometimes they will ask you on how you contribute to the community. My answer? Meaning that I shift the trend in the field, or started something new, going extra miles and set the benchmark as high as possible so our competitors will have a hard time following us)

That's what I told the interviewers if that's what they wanted to hear.

Hope this helps and good luck!

Rgds,
Adrian
--------------------------------

Darn. I am good!

::: you are not me! :::

2006-06-15T14:18:00.000+08:00

Today finally the news has travelled the globe for 3 times in one second. The people had been called in for meeting and the news was announced. So I guess you can say that it is not "official" and there's no turn-back point.

"Why?"

I heard people asking me that question all the time. It's not like I don't want to answer but I do reserve my rights for the things I want to do. Besides, what's right for you don't necessarily right for me. I have my future that I want to achieve and there are things that I want to do. In another word, I like to build the road myself instead of riding on a highway being made by someone else.

"Ah, but it is such a pity!"

Thanks, but I need no body to pity me. Besides, that's what YOU think. Yup. YOU. NOT ME. I don't think it is such a pity that I make certain decisions. Maybe it was for you, but it wasn't such a pity for me. As I said, I am trying to lead a life that I always wanted so I might as well as take a move. All the stops I had made were like Pit-Stops to rest and gather my thoughts. I was learning about things, knowing the life-long friends and I like to stop and rest for a while, and then move on. YOU might think that the pit-stops are a place for you to rest, unpack, and stay there forever. Unfortunately, pit-stops are just pit-stops. They are not "destinations".

Of course, living in this society, we all have to be a bit well-rounded so I just smiled, and said, "Yeah, it was such a pity but I made a choice."

There. Thank you. I don't need your pity. If you want to wish me luck, I will really appreciate your kind gesture.

::: black night :::

2006-06-14T14:55:00.000+08:00

One advice: Don't watch it. The movie sucks!

At first we thought it was such a scary movie that we went in with high anticipation. And then, just 3 minutes into the movie, Khien and I were talking about jokes and we were laughing so hard during the movies. And then, Maria was bored and then we talked about things, and we all laughed.

Go figure.

The whole movie was in Thai language even though there were 3 stories from 3 countries, namely Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand. We had to puzzle really hard why all 3 were in Thai language with all the "Po", "Kai" and "Chai". Besides, we are in Malaysia so doesn't it make sense to at least bring in the movies where those actors are speaking their home language? I made the conclusion that the movie were brought in from Thailand because it was cheaper.

And the movie was really cheap. RM6 per person for Cineleisure (the Curve) and at first we were puzzled as of why the price was so low. We were expecting RM10 per person. Later I found out that the price was so cheap so that we couldn't buy a hammer with that RM6 to pounce on ourselves.

Go watch it if you want a good laugh.

::: sign of aging :::

2006-06-13T11:21:00.000+08:00

Yesterday Khien, SH, Maria and I went to the Curve for dinner, and then we headed to IKEA because Khien wanted to buy a closet to fit into his room. Everything went great and we had our fair share of fun around IKEA (no, we are not furniture fetish, except maybe SH, but we joked and talked).

All was well until when we were about to check-out the closet. See, in IKEA, the arrangement was that the assembled furniture you saw in the display area are not assembled, so you got to find out the aisle and roll number to pick up the boxes of goods. Well, Khien and I were taking out the boxes out from the bottom roll and it was pretty heavy. I mean, come to imagine it that it was a darn closet, so it must be heavy unless if its a paper closet or those plastic-zip-lock closet.

Anyway, because the stupid trolleys did not have any brake-lock (not like those found in U.S.) so we asked Maria and SH to hold the trolley still so we could load the thing up. We loaded up the first box (yup, it was a cool two box set-up closet) and when we were loading the second box, both Maria and SH were busy talking to each other in animated way and both of them were looking around (that's what I call eye-shopping). Neither of them were holding the trolley.

When I loaded the thing up, the trolley slipped and glided away. Because of the sheer weight of the darn box, and I was bending down at an awkward angle and I strained my back. It was painful alright, and I shouted (literally) at them to hold the trolley and they quickly did so. By the time we were done, I was having problem standing straight, and it was like burning on the lower back. Hell, it was so painful that when I was taking a dump in the toilet, I had problem getting up because it was too painful. Luckily I didn't have problem getting the shit out of the orifice, or else if pushing needed, I can imagine the pain involve (duh! Lower back muscle strain, not the orifice pain).

So today I have problem walking, carrying laptop and I am walking like an old man. Shit, that's the first sign of aging. I hope at least I will age gracefully.

::: taking day off :::

2006-06-12T12:26:00.000+08:00

Not feeling very well today. I think I am coming down with a flu or something because I have a runny nose. I might even have a fever or something.

Gosh. The damn break is not long enough and the World Cup is still on. Damn it.

I think I will crawl back to rest for a bit.

::: fair play :::

2006-06-11T05:21:00.000+08:00

I had just finished watching the World Cup game between Argentina and Ivory Coast. The result was a heart-crushing 2-1.

I like to support the underdog and I always support Brazil. But in any circumstances, I will not support Argentina and I don't wish that they will advance to second round.

Just in case you didn't notice, I really dislike Argentina. No doubt that they have excellent skill and they got the chance to win the World Cup, but I don't like the way they play the game.

All the players play professionally and they are paid millions (Euro) per year to play the game. So you would expect that the players would have very strong foot, so strong that they could at least stand up and run. Unfortunately what I saw in the game was that the players from Argentina have such weak feet that when they opponents were running past them (no matter from front or behind), those Argentina players would just fly in the sky, stumbled down and rolled 200 meters in pain like their foot where ran over by a truck.

I personally think that the Ivory Coast players were running so fast that the side-wind they created just flatly knock-out those highly paid Argentina players.

I like to watch soccer or any sports. But I hate those players whom tainted the game by fakes and cheats. Yes, that's why I hate Arsenal so much.

I admit that there are some black sheep from Brazil whom tainted the game. You can name me the players from Brazil that cheated and faked the fouls. I admire your ability to name those players and your ability to spell their names. But there is not dispute that they have the best skill.

The theme for this year's World Cup is "Fair Play" and I really hope to see fair play from all the players.

Note: I wish for those of you who wanted to post comments about my critism, especially the Arsenal and Argentina fans, please understand that I will not respond on your lame comment.

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::: mindless rants and raves :::

2006-06-11T02:06:00.000+08:00

The World Cup has started on June 9th, 2006. This is a world wide fever and it was reported that there were 1.1 billions viewers. 1.1 billions! That's shitload of people watching the game, and I am one of them.

* * *

Yesterday Maria and I were at 1 Utama and we stumbled into this shop called PePe2. After browsing for a few minutes, both of us ran out from the shop for our life. They were charging RM862 for a very simple shirt and the more sophisticated shirt? A whopping RM1400! I was shocked to look at the price tag but I have always been a "careful" shopper. I will only make expensive purchases for my girlfriend but for myself, I will try to save whenever I can. And knowing that Maria is a ... Er... "shopper", she definitely knew that the price and the clothes were all wrong. She even claimed that it was an extortion.

What was worse was that the shop owner hired a guy wearing eye shadow and high-heels. Gosh! Did they teach the owner how to do business? They were trying to sell traditional European clothes and the deco is conservative, yet the sales staff was a hippie. If that guy is working at MNG or Zarra, that's understandable and appropiate.

* * *

Yesterday (Friday) I was actually on leave and it was a great day of relax activity and it has been a long time since I had a break. It's good to rest once awhile because I had been working my ass off on things and I was very much exhausted. So I took my day off from doing anything at all, and I didn't even try to blog. Anyway, I would like to wish ya'll a great weekend.

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Mobile Post

::: crimson room :::

2006-06-07T16:17:00.000+08:00

Maria gave me this website to play Crimson Room. In this game, you are to seek the clues, find the items and wisely combined the items you found inside the room and safe (clue) to open the darn door so you can "escape".

It took me around 30 minutes to figure out everything, but I managed to escape from the room and completed the quest. It can be quite daunting and yet addictive. Go ahead, check it out!

So there you have it. Enjoy!

http://www.fasco-csc.com/works/crimson/crimson_e.php

::: the kid who has no leg :::

2006-06-07T13:04:00.000+08:00

Many years ago, there was this man who had to raise the only son alone because his wife was killed in a hit-and-run car accident. Raising a child is not an easy task, and he tried his best to provide the best he could because he felt that failing to provide a mother to the son, he has to work hard to provide him attention and also material.

The son was only 12 years old, and he was a very smart kid. He did well in school and prior to the death of his mother, he was a sweet and tender kid. Unfortunately, the accident took part of his life away from him at such a tender age and he was feeling that the world is unfair, at least to him.

At school, he started comparing himself to other kids. He looked at his friends that they got their mothers to pick them up in a luxury car after school time, and he had to take a school bus to get home since daddy was still working. Yet, he failed to see other kids in the school bus with him. He was eyeing a small number of friends for comparison.

One day, when the father went home, the son asked, "Daddy, can you please pick me up in a car tomorrow after school?" "Dear, I got to work extra shift so I can't, and I don't have a car. I ride a motorbike, remember?" the daddy replied.

Knowing the frustration of his son, the father went to a stationary shop to look for a pen the very next day. He finally found one that he could afford, and by that it means he has to skip lunch for few days because his pay was advanced earlier on when he was buying a badminton racket for the son since he wanted to play the game with his friends. He went home that night and left the pen, wrapped in a nice red ribbon, on the pillow next to the sleeping child. The father was clearly hoping that the son would be delighted when he saw the gift.

The son woke up in the morning to get ready for school, and he saw the lovely gift. Jumping up and down, he ran to his father's room and kissed the sleeping daddy. He was delighted, and he put the pen into his shirt pocket carefully, and taking the pen out every few minutes to make sure that the pen was still in his shirt pocket. It was his precious little gift from daddy.

When he reached the school, a few friends joined up for small talk before class begun. The one of the kids saw the new pen and took it out. Everyone was looking at the pen, and one of the bigger kid whose mom was driving a luxury sports car, exclaimed, "Hey! Look! A new pen! But this kind of pen is cheap. Look at mine!" and by that, the big kid threw the pen back to the our yound kid and took out his Mont Blanc to show off to his friends.

The kid went home, and he was really sad and he felt ashame of the event. He then put the pen into the drawer and vowed not to use it again in his life time since his friends would laugh at him. The father, not knowing what went wrong, asked the son how was the pen, and the kid said, "Its ok daddy, but I saw something better that Jamie (the rich big kid) was using." The daddy, consumed in his own thoughts about work, said, "Ah great! I am glad you like it!" and by that, he went off to do some work in the store room.

A few months down the road, and it was the kid's birthday. Being a good daddy, he asked the son what he wanted for birthday, and the son said, "I want a leather shoe! I saw Jamie wearing a leather shoe the other day and it was really smart and handsome!"

"Okay, son, no problem," smiled the father.

The next day, the father bought a pair of leather shoes. He made sure the shoe was in excellent condition and the size is right. Of course, the shoe had to be within the price range because the father was working as a low-paid gardener for a rich family. He again wrapped the shoebox in fancy ribbons and put the shoes on his motorbike carefully because it was THE present for his son.

On the way home, a broad smile on his face and taking half day off from work to celebrate his son's birthday, he was simply blimming with delight and he was glad that he remembered the birthday cake. He did not see the incoming truck at the corner and he was full in thoughts on how to give a surprise to the beloved son.

The next thing he knew, he was in the hospital, taking shallow breathe and still being drowsy from the operation. He looked around and saw the son, with swollen eyes and runny nose, reading a comic. He called out softly, "Son... hey... how .. are you?"

"Daddy! Are you ok? I was so scared daddy," the son said in between heavy sob.

"I am ok. Do you see a box around? That's your birthday present," the father said, with much effort.

The son's eyes glistered with joy, and looked around. Finally, he saw the box under the bed and he opened it. In it, he saw the leather shoes, soaked in mud and some blood, and not as fancy as Jamie's shoes. He was disappointed that daddy didn't buy him the fancy leather shoes, and instead, he bought the economic leather shoes.

"But daddy, I wanted a real leather shoes with fancy work on it," the boy said, clearly disappointed.

The father felt a pinch on his chest. It wasn't the accident, but it was the pain he felt in his heart upon hearing the words from his son. He looked around, and a drop of tear sprung out from the corner of his eye, and he lifted his injured hand.

He pointed to the bed on the other end of the room. The kid turned, and saw another kid, about 10 years old, looking outside the window, deeply in thoughts. The son looked carefully and saw that the kid has no leg. He later found out from doctor that the kid has lost his legs in an accident.

* * *

Posted as story.

::: love story :::

2006-06-06T15:33:00.000+08:00

Yesterday when I was nearby PJ Hilton, I saw a lady which looked extremely familiar. We looked at each other for quite a bit and finally, my curiosity was pushing me forward and I popped the most common pick-up line, "Hey, have we met before?"

"Yes," she smiled.

I said, "Yeah, I thought so too because I wasn't sure if you are the person that I knew during highschool. You have changed a lot. You look excellent! How are you?"

She replied, "Oh thanks! Yeah, it has been more than 10 years since we went our separate ways. I am doing okay. You are still looking good."

I blushed a bit, "Thanks!"

Then I heard noises behind me. I turned and saw 3 kids running around, and ran towards me and called, "Mummy! Mummy! Can I buy the tic-tac?"

I turned and looked at her. She smiled to the kids, "Yes dear. But don't eat too much sweet k?"

My jaws almost dropped to the floor. I was stunned.

"Surprise? Well, don't be! It has been more than 10 years, and I have been married for more than 5 years," again, she smiled, "So are you married?"

Shit, here comes the same old questions, I thought. "Congratulations! No, not yet, but I am actually planning to get married next year."

"Oh that's great! Remember to invite me to your wedding dinner ya?" she said.

I looked at the kids, and my mind was drifting to a far away land. "Sure," I didn't know if I should invite her, "Your kids look lovely and very adorable."

"Thanks," again, she was giving me the smile.

Then, there was a huge silence in between us. It seemed like everything else in the world has stopped moving, and every people around us, including the kids, were in ultra slow motion, and they were making very little noise.

My mind drifted away again, and this time it was back to highschool. I knew her since I was in primary school, and we kept in touch during highschool period. We were very close, and we went out a lot because we practically grew up together. I remember how I used to look at her, paying all the attention I could muster just to look at her perfect face, the curl of her eye brow, the clearness of her eyes, and the body scent she was emitting (I used to wonder what kind of perfume or body shampoo that she was using). We used to spend hours and hours talking on the phone, and we used to hold hands when we went out for movies.

I also remember vividly that she was the girl who took my first kiss. My first ever kiss. And then, there was this one night before our graduation, we went out together for a movie, and then took dinner together, and all the time holding hands. And then, we started kissing, and my hands were moving up....

"So are you still single?" she asked, and that snapped me back into reality again.

I shook my head to clear up my mind from the memories, and she looked at me and exclaimed, "Oh I asked you that question just now. Sorry!"

I said, "It's ok. I do have a girlfriend. We have been together for more than 2 years already. Sorry, just now I was just ... ermm...."

"Thinking of the good old time?" she continued my sentence, reading my mind like an open book, and giving me a faint smile.

I replied, "Uhmm.. yeah," and I gave her a faint smile also.

"Yeah, those were some good times that we had," she looked at her kids running around outside, playing and laughing at the same time, and not thinking about the cruelty of reality and not knowing the pain of growing up. "Well, look at me! It has been few years and now I am mother of three."

I got the hint, and not wanting her to misunderstood me, I laughed and said, "Yeah, now that you are married and have 3 kids, I will tell you the truth: I used to like you a lot and a lot."

She laughed really hard, and said, "Seriously? Me too! Do you know that I used to like you so much that I wanted to go out with you and I was thinking that you were the greatest and in my young mind, I was thinking of marrying you?"

"Seriously?" I replied, and we looked at each other for a split second. Then we laughed.

Yes, we did like each other so much so that we wanted to love each other to death, holding hands and not wanting to let go. But due to fate and circumstances, we drifted apart. But the liking we had for each other had not subside. Upon meeting up, by accident, it was transformed to become something more pure: a life long friend.

* * *

Thank you.

::: the friends who con friends :::

2006-06-05T14:28:00.000+08:00

Last Saturday when I was back in hometown, I went out with a friend for tea at night and we talked from 11+ pm til 5:45am. Yup, it was a long talk and yup, both of us are straight so please don't go and assume we had some indecent activities going on.

Anyway, we came to a topic about the Water Boy because that's our common friend. And then we came around the topic about another common friends of ours that were trying to con our very own group of friends. See, we have this group of friends that we called Brotherhood. Whenever someone in this group is getting married, we will be the bestmen and also the brothers. Even when our own siblings are getting married, we will participate and help out during the wedding to ensure that the whole event is running smoothly.

Unfortunately, time and environment change a person. We are grown up now and a lot of times we do fall-out from each other. This proves the point that "Nothing will last forever" (Maria: "But baby, diamond will last forever!"), especially friendships.

What happened was that 3 friends, including the Water Boy (for the sake of discussion, let's call them R, I, and WB), started a business. The business wasn't doing so well for 5 months so they decided to ask for investors to come in so with fresh capital, they could last longer. When they started the business, they put in 30K on investment, and then when its not doing so well, they are selling a combined 70% share of the company for 35K. So by holding on to the remaining 30%, they have their own investment back and a 5K working capital. What pissed me off was that they were selling it to our very own group of brothers, and it was a clear rip off.

They did not offer me anything because they knew I would reveal the secrets and I know how to look at those P&L, Balance Sheet, etc. They were proposing to someone who doesn't have this knowledge and they didn't even come up with any plan for turn-around for the company.

But I do respect them for being able to make this kind of decision in ripping off their own best friends. They are, in a sense, the real businessman who can put aside friendship and deal business as business. Hell, they even know how to use friendship at their advantage to get the best out of them.

For me, I rather have a group of close friends when I am old and be able to yumcha (drink tea) with them.

::: gay men and me :::

2006-06-02T14:02:00.000+08:00

Due to popular demand (actually, the only pervert that demand this is BunnyWunny), I am going to reveal another story that was related to the previous post, about gay men and me.

Actually, after the big fat lie I mentioned in the previous post, there were actually a total of 3 incidents that were etched to my memory, instead of the two that I revealed. The 3rd incident, also happened in a night club, caused a permenant damage in me that I have phobia, even up to to-date after so many years. Before I go on to the story, I can hear the young readers asking me why it always happened in a night club. The reason is simple. Nightclub, as you know, operates at night and it is always pretty dark inside. When it is at night and the environment is dark, a lot of things can happen, including funky, erotic, or stupid things.

Anyway, on that particular day, I went clubbing with a bunch of friends (guys and gals). We danced, gawking at girls with very low cut and talking about girls. Yeah, we were young so we all could think of were about girls and how to get laid. After having plenty of drinks and dancing for too long, I felt the urge to flush out my bladder, so I headed to the washroom area. See, the design of that place was that right in front of the entrace of the washroom was the rectangular bar area, where there were a lot of stools for patrons. So no matter what, if anyone who wish to go to the washroom, he/she must go through that area. That was the only way in and out of the washroom.

Just as I was passing through the bar area without thinking much of anything else beside the urge to pee, I suddenly felt a hand gripping my left butt. Automatically and subconsciously, I contracted my butt to as tight as possible, squeezed them hard and leaped forward in an akward way. I turned around and hoping to see a cute girl. To my horror, it was a man with lots of facial hair. He was smiling at me and said, "Hey boy, you have a really nice butt!"

I glared at him, and angrily said, "Get your banana hand off me!"

Then I heard laughter around. I saw my friends standing nearby and yelled, "Yo! Adrian! You have found your boyfriend tonight!"

That was it. They encouraged the hairy gay dude to molest me and stalk me whole night. I was so scared to go to the washroom because I was afraid that he would follow me and.... gosh! I couldn't imagine what would happen that night. So I kept my flush in the bladder for almost whole night while avoiding that dude, and avoid drinking anything because that would break the already-full bladder.

So at the end, I left early with a seriously damaged bladder and a night of horror. Nowadays when even a girl touch my butt, I will scream and run, because that would remind me of that night's incident.

Yes, I have butt-touching-phobia.

::: rumor mill :::

2006-06-01T16:08:00.000+08:00

Today while I was having tea with colleagues, we came upon a topic about rumors and it reminded me of one particular incident where I was cornered and the rumor back-fired against me, big time.

It was during the transition period between highschool and college. There was this girl having a huge crush with me and she was doing quite a number of things to attract my attention and also trying to get me to go out with her. She was a really cute girl with charming smile, attractive personality and a bright mind. Unfortunately, that time I was interested in someone else so I avoided her quite a bit.

Then one day while I was clubbing with a bunch of friends, she was with her friends. We smiled at each other a bit and I continued my conversation with friends and putting up my radar on the girls on the dance floor. Obviously having a bit too much drinks herself, she walked up to me and confronted me, asking me why I avoided her, and why I wasn't interested in her despite the fact that she liked me so much. She started crying.

Hitting my soft spot (seeing a girl cry), I felt guilty and I didn't want to hurt her further by telling her that I like another girl, so I came up with a stupid reasoning, a reason that I regreted for a long time.

I told her I was gay.

Yup. I know it was a stupid decision, but that was years ago and I was young.

Anyway, the girl were very shocked. Her eyes were so huge that I was thinking of getting a cup or something just in case her eyes popped out. Her mouth opened as wide as a quarter mile and then, she was just standing there for a long two minutes, which seemed like eternity to me, and then she cried, and started running away.

Two weeks later, a friend's friend came to me, and he was talking to me about things. I knew him but he was those hi-bye friend, and nothing more than that. After talking for a while, over a cup of teh tarik (pulled tea), he literally jumped on me and started kissing me, on my mouth! To my horror, I pushed him away and the crowd at the store were gawking at us like some aliens with 4 arms and 5 penises.

The guy was offended and confronted me, asking me why I won't accept his invitation because he was gay too. He said he heard a lot about me, and me being gay, so he thought we could have something going on. Then he reminded me that at one point while we were clubbing together, I pat his shoulder and was really friendly. I had no choice but to tell him the truth. Ever since, he hated me.

And then, the girl that I liked a lot started to avoid me, and won't even answer my calls. I mean, before that we got a good chance to develop a relationship, but obviously she heard about the rumor as well. Worse still was the fact that I found out her friends were telling her that I wanted to get close to her as a cover up my gayness, and she avoided me because she felt that I was using her. She was really upset.

So to all the people reading this post: Please do not spread rumors about yourself or someone else. It could backfire big time and burn you to death. I experienced that and it took me years to clear up the rumors and telling the truth of my sexual orientation.

Yup, I am NOT gay. So for those whom I had known years ago and didn't have the chance to hear about the truth, please print out this blog, read it three times, fold the paper into a cup, burn it, and fill the cup and the ashes with water and drink the mix with one gulp.

Disclaimer:
I have nothing against people with different sexual orientation. To all my gay and lesbian friends, I hope I don't offend you or anything. This post is not intended to offend anyone at all, except maybe the girl I lied to. Please bear in mind that I like you all as my friends and some of you are great friends.

::: the kid that taught me a lesson :::

2006-05-31T10:46:00.000+08:00

I am not a very patient kind of person, and obviously (I think), I am not married, yet, and I do not have a kid myself yet. Somehow a lot of people kept reminding me that I always have a way with kids and the kids love and respect me. So you can imagine me wearing a purple outfit, flag in a hand and be the children-leader (erm.. Barnie? Anyone? How depressing is that?).

Althought I do not have children myself, I do have a 4 years old niece and she's the gem of the family. Being the only young one right now in the family, we tried to spoil her and pamper her a lot (actually, I am more the disciplinary figure to her, but that's another story) with toys, nice shirt, dress, and of course, sweets.

During the weekend when I was back home, we have our usual weekly gathering and spending a lot of time on the dinner table to talk about issues, discussed about many big news, joked about things and all of us had a good laugh. Suddenly, my niece joined into the group, her eyes glistered with curiousity and happiness, and sat down to listen to our conversation. I was wondering, "Being a 4 years old that she is, how could she be possibly understand our converstaion?"

When we were talking and laughing, she laughed with us, and clapping hands while laughing, just like my eldest sister. And then, she blurted out, "What the fuck! Hahahaha!" and we went really quiet, and all of us were bewildered. I mean, where the hell did she learn that from? She smiled at us.

I asked her, carefully, "K, where did you learn that?"

"Oh! I hear you saying that some time," came the reply.

"Uhmm... ok, but try not to say that because it is a bad word," I told her.

K, with her left hand on the hip and right hand pointing her small finger at me, "How come you can say that and I cannot?"

Her expression was exactly like her mom when scolding K. We couldn't help it and burst into laughter. My eldest sister laughed so hard that went she was rocking herself in the chair, she hit her head on the wall.

K, being a smart kid and a very fast reflex system, put up a thumb and said, "Verrrryyyy gooooood!" Now, if you ask me, I would say she was really good at impersonating my eldest sister because that's how my eldest sister treat K when she was being active and fall down (or bang the wall).

And then I beat the crap out of her.

Obviously, I lied. I talked to her slowly and carefully because I came to a realization. I told her I was sorry for using bad words and I asked her not to use that word if I am not using bad words.

Anyway, the kiddo taught me a good lesson and she actually made me a better person, understanding the fact that my action and behavior will influence a lot of people around me, and the impact I can make on other people's life. Furthermore, kids are an imprint to the adults around them so we all need to lead by example.

Yes, I do not have a kid (yet), but the kiddo taught me and prepare me for the future to learn how to deal with kids, and how to lead by example.

::: is customer always right? :::

2006-05-30T11:47:00.000+08:00

Now this is one of the biggest questions that had ever been asked. Is the customer always right?

In a lot of corporation, you will hear the mantra that the customer is always right. Or you will hear some sales person telling you, ranting and preaching that the customer is always right. No matter how wrong the situation is, or how screw up your customer became, he is always right. Does that sound right to you?

For example: a customer bought something front your boutique shop. Two days later, she brought the shirt back to you, with signs of wearing and also some small stain, and demand an exchange because she said, "You packed the wrong shirt for me. I ordered the other one!" But she was the one who picked and picked through thousands of shirts and picked that particular one. You were there to witness it, and took the order. You are 1000% sure that you didn't make any mistakes. So, is the customer still right?

What I mean is, no one is ALWAYS right. Unfortunately, a lot of bosses or managers will tell you that the customer is always right, and no matter what, if you fail to get the insight that the customer will not go wrong, then you are in deep shit. For me, this is a very unhealthy environment for personal growth because we will be hard-pressed by customers and supervisors that we will grow suppress and we will be depressed. Furthermore, the same customer who know how to take advantage of the situation will abuse again and again.

Let me say it out loud now: The customer is NOT ALWAYS right! Yup, you heard me correctly. The customer is NOT ALWAYS right.

What we need to do is to make the customers feel that they are always right.

::: car repair :::

2006-05-30T10:54:00.000+08:00

Last night I found out that my car's headlights were burnt so I took my car to Eunos @ 1Utama for a quick fix. While I was at it, I shopped for wiper blades as well, and went for an all round shopping for parts. It has been awhile since I do any car accessories shopping. I remember the days when I used to spent hours and hours digging into the online catalogue to buy those aftermarket parts, and also spending numerous hours at the shops just to check things out, compare prices, and etc. Anyway, I found out that a normal aftermarket headlight bulb is like RM30 and above (USD8.30) whereas a good pair of bulb is from RM168 to RM500 (USD47 to USD140). A H.I.D conversion kit is from RM1,399 onwards (USD390).

I almost forgot how expensive it was to do anything meaningful to our cars. I remember exchanging K&N air-intake for my Honda Civic for mere USD30, whereas the price here is around RM180 (around USD50).

Anyway, I bought a new pair of wiper, a pair of headlight bulb (better ones cos I got experience with those cheap so-called white bulbs that were emitting black light; can't see shit at night and especially when it rained), some brake-light replacement, and also the installation fee. The total came up to a cool RM191.20 (USD53.10). Wow! That is expensive in my own term.

Normally I would do the replacement myself since I have the experience, but they were charging me a flat fee and I knew for sure it was very difficult to do the replacement myself since the design of the car was so badly done that only a baby hand can fit into the compartment to change the bulb. So it requires one to dissemble the front grill, take down the headlights in order to change one stupid bulb. You would have thought that a commodity products like lightbulb which has limited lifetime should be easy to change. No, the designers think that one should not change the bulb.

Anyway, I left my number with the repair dude and he said he would give me a call when things were done. So Maria and I went off for dinner at Wong Kok restaurant. We waited for quite a long time (about one and half hours) and we decided to check on the repair. Once we reached, we found out the replacement job was done long time ago. Now, where was the phone call that they promised when the job was done?

Ugh. Customer Service? My ass!

::: the kampung boy :::

2006-05-29T13:17:00.000+08:00

Whilst sitting in front of the laptop, I couldn't help but let my mind wonder back to the years before today. It was a warm summer holiday (Well, it is always summer in Malaysia), and I was wearing shorts and a skimpy singlet because of the warm day, and licking my 10cents ice-cream.

See, I came from a kampung (small town, like a village), and I was living in my father's factory with my parents and two sisters, and right behind the factory was the jungle that was once my favorite hang-out place, until I was scared to shit by a gigantic serpent. I came face to face with it twice, once in the factory and the second time was in the jungle. It has a body size of a big milo-tin and when it crossed the road, we won't be able to see the head and tail. It was that huge.

Anyway, back to the story. I was licking my ice-cream and watching my sisters riding the bicycles. See, my second sister, K, is not a very athletic kind of person. She spent the past few years to learn how to swim, and yet she could barely float. And then she spent the past few months trying to learn how to ride a bicycle, and she couldn't even ride the bike for more than 2 meters without falling. So my eldest sister, B, being a good sister that she was, tried to help K to learn. She was pushing and stabilizing the bike while K was paddling and it was all good, except a few near-misses where K was falling.

Then, K made a right turn, and they both zoomed past me. The problem is that right in front of me, it was a very steep slope, almost 30degree and it was one long slope. B, only 10 at that time, didn't have the strength to hold on to the bike when the slope being so steep, and K, being a clumsy baby (at 7 at that time) and didn't know how to hold on the brake, so all I saw was B trying her best to stop the bike from behind, and K was screaming on top of her lung. B screamed, "Press the brake! Brake!!!" and K just went "Aaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh....."

Finally, B couldn't hold on to it any longer, so she let go of the bike. All hell break loose because now without the physical constrain the bike, it was like a kite in a strong gust. K was screaming while the bike was going extremely fast, downhill, unstoppable, and I was watching in astonishment while I heard K's scream wailing.

And then, there was a loud Thud coming from the bottom of the slope. B looked at me, and I looked back. We started running toward the bottom and what we saw haunted us for the rest of our life. No, it wasn't that scary, but it was so funny that it haunted us for many years. K was literally glued to the tanker at the bottom. See, the slope is steep, but at the end of it there was a wide turn and it was all flat ground. But K was too scared and clumsy to take the turn, so she has gone straight and hit on the empty tanker.

K got a few scratches, and she got a bleeding cheek. We were very scared because B and I were sure that father would beat us to death if he knew about it, so we applied some Detol on her face, and ordered her to hide somewhere when dad was home from the factory floor. K forgot about it and watched TV when dad was home, and then, we were beaten for endangering K's life.

It was a great time. We were so free, innocent, and our worries were about homework, and that's all. Unlike now, bearing huge social obligations, responsibilities, worries about promotions, about financial status, and protecting ourselves from the preying eyes of our nemesis. Now, at the ripe age of 30, innocent no more, having a few white strand hair, constantly thinking about the business, the social obligations, and worry about tomorrow. The childhood days were just so free, happy and life just went by without worries.

It was the best time in my life. I miss the innocence and freedom. Oh and I miss the kampung boy in me.

::: it's time :::

2006-05-27T12:32:00.000+08:00

I think this is the right time for me to move on. I have been thinking and planning for the past few months about the next move and making plans to get things done, and now things are falling into the right places, so I guess its time for me to take the next move.

This might seem as a bold move, but it was really a well-planned move that I have been doing for months, if not years, and now it is the right time, or so I think, to move to the very next stage of my life that I think will benefit all the people around me.

Of course, there are friendships built and solely be missed, and there are knowledge gained that I will fully utilize in the future, and there are deals made that mark the high points in life. But we cannot just hold back and use all these as excuses to remain stagnant in life. We must move on, create some excitement, and then turn things into gold (or rather, turn our dreams and hopes into reality).

I might not update the blog as often as I used to because there are new ventures in the world that I must attend and there are things to be done. I will update once in a while and let ya'll know about things.

So you ask: what's your next move?

My friends, you will know in due course and I will let you know very soon. Just wish me luck and that will be sufficient for the time being.

::: x-men: the final stand :::

2006-05-27T11:40:00.000+08:00

Last night (or rather, this morning), Maria and I went to One Utama GSC to watch X-Men: The Final Stand.

The visual and sound are top-notch, acting is not bad, and I particularly like their tight leather outfit, especially when seeing Storm (Halle Berry) in that oh-so-tight outfit. Yummy. I like the new hairstyle and the color.

In the movie, Jean (in the previous installation, she was the psycho-kinetic and the apparentice of Xavier) came back to life and tranformed into Pheonix. During the transformation, she became the Level 5 mutants, the highest level for mutants in the world, even higher than Xavier and Magneto. She doesn't only can move objects with her mind, or read other's people mind, but also can do anything she likes, like turn everything into ashes, and destroy anything that's in her path.

Oh! Did I mention that my favourite character, Beast, was finally on screen? Portrayed by Kelsey Grammer (the Frasier dude in Frasier), he appeared smaller on screen than in the comic. But it was beautifully portrayed by Kelsey Grammer and the acting is excellent.

In the movie, a great leader and a teacher, Xavier, was killed in action. Being the leader and one with high power, it was a sadness to see the character going away. He is not the only character being sacrifice to acccomodate the growing list of mutants in the movie, but I am not going to give you the spoiler here. Also, there was a war between mutants and human beings, and it was a great war. Of course, the mutants win at the end.

Go watch it. It is definitely better than MI3 and the visual/audio effect is top-notch. Halle Berry is still so yummy.

::: wanton me! :::

2006-05-26T12:39:00.000+08:00

Last night Maria, Khien, SH and me went to Bangsar Shopping Center to attend Wonton Me!, a comedy talk show by none other than Salena Tan (from Singapore - if you watched the infamous "I am not Stupid" by Dick Lee, Salena Tan is the one portraying the fat mother) and it was a blast.

The topic ranged from oral sex (do I get your attention now?), bird flu, mad-cow disease, the half-crooked bridge, the difference between gay and straight men, the sadness of having weird (but funny) surname, and the difference between Singapore and Malaysia. Did I forget to mention that she also compares the difference between the millenium porn with old-school porn? It comes with excellent singing, music, and performance. It is a great show and we had lots of great time during the show.

A lot of times, the things that she mentioned really strike a chord with the audience and the audiences just couldn't agree more (NOTE: This is particularly true for women audience. So you can guess it. Men were, sometimes, underfire during the show). So before you enter the show, make sure you have big appetite for sarcasm, brutal truth, and also munch some chewing gum because she will make you laugh so loud and hard that you might have facial muscle cramp.

Oh! There's one surprise that I am not telling at the moment. Go catch the show and you will find out for yourself.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

The show ends on this coming Sunday (28/5/06), so you have just a few more days to attend this great show. Make sure you attend this great show.

Location: Bangsar Shopping Mall @ Actors Studio (3rd floor, West Wing)
Time:Friday (26/05/06) - 8:00 pm & 10:30 pm
Saturday (27/05/06) - 5:00 pm & 9:00 pm
Sunday (28/05/06) - 8:00 pm
Ticket Price : RM 50 to RM 90

::: stupid bosses around the globe :::

2006-05-24T10:13:00.000+08:00

I was thinking of dedicating one new blog for the things I have heard about the companies from my friends (working or worked there). There are just so many things that got my blood boiling because it seems like a lot of people do not know the fundamentals nor common sense. If I were to get one dollar for listening to the complaints from people about their bosses (or companies), my wealth will make Bill Gates pale in comparison.

First, those bosses like to reward the wrong behavior. For example, they want to cut down on the complaints, and those managers, in order to appear superior, will ask the staff to supress those customer complaints. At the end of the year, the managers will get an award from the boss for the department with the least complaints. Unfortunately, what these managers are doing are nothing but driving the customers away.

Secondly, the bosses like ass-kisser (or licker, in a sense). When a person can put words in a flowerly order and say all the right things, the bosses will think that this person must be damn good and trusted him in anyway he can. Unfortunately, if looking deeper and ignore the surface, one can clearly see that this ass-kisser is nothing but crap. He did not perform anything, and of all the time he was there, he has no performance to speak of, and he didn't even accomplish a simple task. Yet he gained popularity and trust from the stupid boss. At the end of the day, the ass-kisser is promoted despite the fact that everyone, except the boss of course, in the company knew about the capability of this ass-kisser. He is egocentric, and he is "Mirror first, and window later" kind of guy. It means, when there's a credit due, he'll look into the mirror and says, "Here! I have done it (again)! I am doing such a good job! I planned everything, worked vigorously to get things done!" And when it comes to failure, he'll look at the window and points "There! He was the one who have failed to secure the project. And she's the one who failed to support me to get things done."

In a simple sentence: He is the one who will take all the credit and he will never make any blunder or mistakes.

There are just too many instances to list down and I am not writing a novel, so I will just cut it short:

There are people out there who can do a much better job, more efficient, and more professional than those ass-kisser. They can go all the way out, self-motivating themselves to get the job done despite the challenges in the marketplace. The only one thing that they didn't do is spending lots of time trying to kiss the bosses' hairy dark ass (this is not a racist remark. If you have enough experience, you will know that the anus area is dark. Don't ask me how I knew).

But who doesn't like to listen to good things about ourselves? Unfortunately, this is not the way to grow a business. Brutal facts are, well, brutal and cruel. But that's the way to grow the business. We have to face our weakness, know what we are doing wrong, and correct it right away so we can move further ahead. Nope. The bosses like those ass-kissers to fondle, caress, kiss, lick, squeeze and poke their asses.

Yet those bosses will wonder why they can become a bad company; high human resources turnover, lousy sales, bad margin, competition are getting ahead in marketshare, and the staff are not motivated. The bosses wanted the company to be great so they can pocket lots of money personally, yet they wonder why their companies are still mediocre.

Here is the sublime message: The bosses want the company to be great. But there is a difference between wanting for personal gain or for the good of the company.

Bad <---> Average <---> Good <---> Great

Maybe, just maybe, the bosses can do something to turn the company from bad to average. But it is still an average company. Is there any chance to turn the company into a good company? Not impossible but highly unlikely with that kind of management style. Can they become a great company? Absolutely! If they change the boss and get a great leader.

Good is the enemy of Great - Jim Collins, from Good to Great

Here, I have said it. I can hear you say "But who are you?"

I am a nobody.

::: lost underwear :::

2006-05-23T11:59:00.000+08:00

This morning when I was busy attacking the keyboard to reply emails, writing up my reports, and typing some official letters, all at once, a friend of mine popped into MSN and the following conversation was carried out:

F: "Hey, got time for a question?"
ME: "Sure"
F: "What should I do when I find out that I lost my underwears?"
ME:[paused for a long time, and stopped my other typing because that question is a big distraction and attraction] "Huh? You what?"
F: "Oh! I brought my laundry to laundry service. Came back and I found out I lost some underwears."
ME: "#$@#@! Can't you be a bit more clear? Anyway, just go back and ask the laundry guy lah!"
F: "Oh, its a girl..."
Me: "Darn, now you are being very clear. Tell her you lost some items and you would like to find it. Normally laundry services will pack those unclaimed clothes and stack it somewhere, and you got to find it."
F: "Oh okay. If I cannot find them? My favourite pink underwear is missing..."
ME: "Wow! Thanks for the info. I didn't know guys like pink underwear. Anyway, I guess you gotta buy new ones."
F: "Oh... :("
F: "Thanks anyway..."
ME: "You are welcome, my pink-undie-fettish friend."
F: "Hey!"

Don't we all experience this? No, I don't mean meeting guys who like pink undie, but the missing clothes when we go for laundry services. I have yet to encounter a laundry shops that do not misplace my stuff, and lately I have the same problems as well. I mean, how difficult is it to bag those clothes into a laundry bags and wash them? Why do they give us the problems of digging through a big pile of clothes to find our belongings? Can't they use their pothead to think of it and solve our troubles once and for all?

Because of their stupidity, I have to buy underwear quite frequently because those potheads kept missing mine!

The best way is to do the laundry ourselves. This is on top of the To-Do List of mine. I don't want to loose my underwear anymore.

::: the stupid policy :::

2006-05-22T18:55:00.000+08:00

I was really bored at work and I had problem waking up because I was tired, both mentally and physically. I guess the fatigue is mainly caused by mental and emotional fatigue. I was really not motivated and there's no more emotional challenges. Everyday is the same old task and the problems, while huge, but was totally uncessary. If they would do things differently, we don't have to face this kind of stupid problems, and we could save time, money and improve the operation of the whole system.

Unfortunately, those people sitting behind a closed door think they can do things just by sitting inside the fancy offices, instead of meeting customers and know what the customers really want.

But what am I to complain? I don't think my contribution is highly appreciated and those who are in charge want to exert their "power" and let everyone knows they are the bosses.

Hey, look at it this way. I am not complaining.

I will be out soon.

::: The Da Vinci Code :::

2006-05-20T10:44:00.000+08:00

I am trying to make this short. I am actually with Khien at the Curve and I am using his laptop to blog.

The movie? Not bad. But go read the book and that's better. Tom Hanks, as usual, gave a very good performance, but he doesn't look a bit like Robert Langdon and he is a bit old for the character. The girl, Audrey TauTou, is not bad but she doesn't live up the to character in the book as well and she is too petite, and ultra thin. I bet she got a good body figure but in the movie she was covered up by too much clothes.

All in all, its not bad. Go watch it if you can.

::: spring chicken :::

2006-05-19T23:57:00.000+08:00

Maria and I were taking dinner at LaVazza at the Curve. I ordered a bolognese and Maria order the 1/2 spring chicken. The spring chicken reminded me of a not-so-pleasant distant memory.

I was headhunted by a software company dealing with engineering software quite a number of years ago. Since the pay was not bad and the two bosses seemed nice, I joined this start-up and ventured into the new world.

Because we were a new company, we had to run quite a number of "roadshows" and "conferences" around Malaysia. Because of the conference, my bosses, a colleague and I went to Cherating and we were staying at Legend Hotel.

On the very first night we went to the hotel restaurant to eat. The bosses both ordered Fried Kuay Teow, and I ordered Spring Chicken (I forgot what my colleague ordered). After I placed my order, the following conversation took place.

Boss1: "What is Sprin Chicken?"
Me: "Errr... its whole chicken..."
Boss2: "Is it nice?"
Me: "I don't know."
Boss1: "If you don't know, why did you order?"
Me: "Because it depends on the chef. If he is no good then of course it won't be nice."
Boss1: "Oh ya hor. Hehehe..."

Finally, my order came.

Boss1: "So how is it? Nice ah?"
Me: [about to launch into attack mode to my food] "Huh? I haven't started yet..."
Boss1: [skeppishly] "Oh hahaha..."
Boss2: "Hahaha"
Boss1: "But it sure looks nice.."
Me: [munching] "It's nice..."
Boss2: "Oh okay..."

After about 2 minutes.

Boss1: "So is the Spring Chicken nice?"
Me: "Err... Ya... Its nice."
Boss2: "You sure?"
Me: [very irritated] "Yes. I am sure."
Boss1: "Aiya, I should have ordered this. Its RM13 and my kuay teow is already RM12."
Me: "........"

The next day they both ordered Spring Chicken, whereas I already moved on to try something else.

These two guys were the funny bunch. We tried the Vietnamese coffee and he double confirmed with the waiter that it was java. When the drinks arrived, they pushed to me and told me they cannot drink coffee.

When they reached the hotel, they will straight away jumped into the swimming pool and kept pestering us to swim with them. The problem is that the beach is stone-throw away.

Anyway, I didn't stay there for long. I moved on after 3 months and ventured into another nigtmare. But that's another story.

By the way, after taking dinner at LaVazza at the Curve, Maria and I have diarhea and we are schedule to watch The Da Vinci Code tonight! Damn! Not sure if we could last during the movie or not.

::: sensitive or plain stupid? :::

2006-05-18T15:35:00.000+08:00

I have met and known a lot of people, and a vast majority of these people became friends of mine and I have seen different sizes or shape, height and width. And I can say for sure that those annoy me the most are those who are ultra sensitive.

Are they really sensitive, or just plain stupid?

For example: I came back from vacation (Phuket) some time ago and at night, our group of friends came out for tea. A new dude joined us, and we didn't bother because being the sunshine boys, we welcome any new friends. During our talk and joke about politics, weather, finance, billionaires, and etc, a friend of mine commented that I was very tan (of course! I was doing sun tan on the beautiful beach and it was so nice that I slept for 4 hours straight, under the sun!). I told him the reason and I pointed out that he was getting darker also. Guess what? That new guy just jumped on me saying that I was racism (all of us where some very innocent cute Chinese dude) or I was getting close to racism. I was like, "Huh?"

And then, another friend of mine, James, was trying to crack some jokes so he told the new dude, "Yo! You coming from the dark side?"

The new dude was really offended and started shouting at us being racist pigs and we should be condemned to death. All of us were just thinking of one thing:

"This dude is from another planet and he has never watched Star Wars trilogy!"

We were stunt and quiet. I told that new dude, "Hey... Calm down. Dark doesn't mean you are an Indian or African. Is it really necessary to scold us because you misunderstood us?" That got him further, and he shouted louder. After scolding us, that guy just stood up and walked away. At that precise moment, all of us burst into hysteric laughter.

So are we being racist? I don't think so. That new dude is from a Chinese family, and he is of normal tone, but when we were talking about darker skin color, the only thing he could understand was "Indian" or "African American".

Sometimes when I look back at BunnyWunny (a.k.a aurora) comment, I tend to agree with her completely. The great bun said that "Hmm, how come people find it hard to believe that there really are open books around?" We are just saying what we mean, and yet there are thousands of people who can hear it differently, or interpret it completely off the mark.

Now, is that sensitive or just plain stupid?

::: happy birthday & welcome back :::

2006-05-17T14:15:00.000+08:00

I would like to wish Elsie a Happy Birthday!

Will all your wishes come true!

And welcome back, Khien!

Okay, now I'm off to do my stuff. Latez!

::: chinese massage :::

2006-05-16T23:01:00.000+08:00

Last weekend Maria and I went to Cheras for a masseur, highly recommended by my sister. This is not one if those Thai massages or bone-cracking skin-rubbing kind of massage, but the ultra traditional Chinese massage.

According to Chinese analogy, there are those blood vessels circulating our body and at certain location of those vessels, there are weakness and those points are pointing exactly to certain part of our body. For example, if let’s say you have a really bad shoulder pain, by rubbing the blood vessel on your arm and shoulder, the masseur will sense a “blockage” in your blood vessels and by rubbing these blockages away, the blood will flow better and you will feel better.

That’s the exact case for Maria. She was having such a bad shoulder pain that she was experiencing migraine and numb arm. After visiting the doctor, the pain went away, the numbness went away, and the migraine was gone too. Amazingly, prior to the massage, her shoulder muscle was very tight and it was swollen. After the massage, it was back to normal, just one session!

And the price is very affordable. Only RM30 per session!

Damn, I sound too hard sell. Anyway, if you are interested, drop me a line at adrian(dot)akl(at)gmail.com and I can pass you the info.

::: on leave... yeah right :::

2006-05-15T12:21:00.000+08:00

I am actually on Emergency Leave today, not because of emergencies but because I really needed the rest I can gather. Well, that justifies as emergency in my own sense. Unfortunately, it wasn't much of an off-day for me.

At 8:10am today, my Sales Manager called. Well, it wasn't much of anything but to show concern, and he asked me if everything is OK (because I SMS him last night for the Emergency Leave), and to inform me that the office elevators are out because of some short circuit problems early in the morning. I do appreciate that, but I was in the middle of a sweet dream-land.

And then, there were numerous phone calls from 8:30am til 10:00am and I was disturbed constantly because there were just too many emergencies (not mine, but customers') and that brought me into office today. That is just so depressing. I deserve some offtime and I definitely want to take a break. Unfortunately, the people in the office cannot help because the works are too dedicated so I got to show up at work even thought I was supposed to be on leave. Damn!

I wish there are people who can help me to settle those work so that whenever I am on leave, somoene can help me out.

::: yet another national pride :::

2006-05-11T14:18:00.000+08:00

In today's New Straits Times [Prime News, page 16 ], title "Linguists seek Harry Potter Ban", it was revealed that after the controversial call to ban The Da Vinci Code, the Malaysian Linguistic Association (Malas) is now targeting the final installment of Harry Potter, which is due in July of 2007.

It's president Ambi Mohan wants the final Harry Potter book banned. What's unusual about this is that the book has yet to be published! The seventh and last installment of British writer J.K. Rowling's franchise about a boy wizard is due out only in July 2007 and does not even have a confirmed title yet.
"There is nothing wrong with asking for something to be banned before we can fully ascertain its contents," he says while adjusting his trademark bow-tie. "This read-before-you-judge concept is very Eurocentric and not suited to our tropical climate."
The association's objection to Harry Potter is not merely linguistic this time, but in the interest of national security. "As a patriotic Malaysian, it is my duty to speak up," he says.
"My sister Anadil, who attended a charity dinner hosted by an anti-drug foundation, told me that 'pot' is slang for marijuana. Therefore I suspect that Harry's surname of Potter indicates that he is a drug addict. Potter means he specialises in pot, just as "fighter" is someone who fights and "forester" someone who deals with forests. You'd need to be a linguist to figure this out."
Ambi confirms that he has no solid evidence to back this claim "but the data that we have is highly persuasive. Only a drug addict would imagine he is a wizard who can fly and disappear and perform magical tricks.
These things cannot happen in reality as they defy the laws of Physics, which I studied at secondary school. Also his initials are Happy which can stand for Hemp Promotion."
He has another theory. "The reason why this final Harry Potter book is shrouded in mystery is that the author does not want to reveal its drug content. She knows this will cause the book to be banned in Malaysia (a very important market for the books) so she is keeping quiet.
I think the final book will reveal that Harry gets his amazing powers by smoking ganja, tooting on joints, and firing up doobies!" he says and starts to giggle uncontrollably.
Rowling and her publisher could not be reached for comment although we really tried.

Read the full article here.

Gosh! It seems like our Malaysian Linguistic Association President is smoking pot himself. Let's look at it this way.

The association's name is Malaysian Linguistic Association, also called Malas. Anyone in Malaysia knows what is the meaning of Malas? Please? (For those who doesn't know, Malas in Malay means lazy)
Does that mean the Malas asses up there got to read everything before its publish? So we are denied with the freedom to read the books before the Malas asses do?
So his basic finding is from his sister that pot means marijuana, so Harry Potter means he's someone specialized in marijuana? (And he said "you need to be a linguist to figure this out." Trust me, no one in the right mind will figure this out, except those who are high on drugs.)
He also said that wizards who fly around and perform magical tricks "cannot happen in reality as they defy the laws of Physics, which he studied at secondary school." Does that mean our President of Malas is only a secondary school graduate? And if things cannot happen in reality and these books need to be banned, I figure MPH will go bankrupt.

Should surname Kok be banned because it sounds like Cock, which means penis or male reproduction organ? Maybe we should ban Mission Impossible III because it is "impossible" and defy laws of Physics, or we should ban Spider Man because again, it defies the laws of Physics. Did I mention Batman, Superman, and all the novel out there?

Gosh... No wonder our national is suffering so much linguistically.

No wonder J.K. Rowling and her publisher should refuse comment on claims like this.

Do you want to know the reason why Malas call for a ban for The Da Vinici Code?

I'm a loyal reader of the New Straits Times. Reading the article (May 4 - 'Linguists call for Da Vinci Code ban – Amir Muhammad’s Column), I can't help it but feel ashamed as a proud Malaysian.

The Malaysian Linguistic Association (Malas) has called for ban of the movie The Da Vinci Code because the word 'Da' is being used as a lazy shorthand for 'the'.
It even compared the usage of 'Da' in the movie title with rap lyrics i.e., 'hanging out with da hoes'.
Has it ever occurred to them that the movie’s title 'The Da Vinci Code' is actually taken from the name of a renowned philosopher and one of the greatest artists of the 16th century, Leonardo Da Vinci? It is embarrassing for linguists to make such a remark and protest against the screening of a movie based on their ignorance of the subject.
This certainly does not reflect well on the image of the Malaysian Linguistic Association.

Check the article out here. Be very fast because News Straits Time will remove the articles after one week and then you'll need to pay to read the archieves. For some reasons, our News Archieve (http://archieves.emedia.com.my) requires a fee to subscribe to the service, and I am not willing to pay for that kind of things.

So guys, if you have the Login Id and shit, here's the URL: http://archives.emedia.com.my/bin/main.exe?f=doc&state=k2u1fo.2.9

::: exhausted :::

2006-05-11T12:30:00.000+08:00

I have been so busy lately that I feel exhausted and suffocated. Rushing here and there, going down to headquarter in Johor for Sales Meeting, customers calling me like mad for deliveries and other issues.

Guess what's worse? This morning a customer miss-called me 26 times.

Yes, you read it right.

26 fucking times!

If that's not lame, I am not sure what is.

I was at a customer's place where visitors are not allowed to bring their phones, so I left my phone at the guard-house. The stupid ass kept calling me non-stop until the guard came looking for me and asked me to answer the phone because he thought I got some family emergencies or something, because it just won't stop ringging! I can tell from the guard's reaction was that it was damn annoying.

I checked my call log and found out in one minute, there are 4 miss calls. That means once it got disconnected, the stupid ass called again.

That is just too fucking much! I felt like almost going to explode on the spot. I wanted to call back and screw the bitch.

What? Customer is always right? My fucking ass! Buying small quantity, so small that it is actually less than 0.1% of my big customer, and yet demand most of my times, always trying to rip me off and always asked for unreasonable things, like express delivery, big quantity of sample, and all that crap.

On the spot, at that particular moment, I could feel my blood boiling and I almost wanted to tell the bitch that I don't want to do business with them and ask them to fuck themselves. If they cannot fuck themselves, I will arrange some desperate Indon or Bangladesh workers to satisfy their needs. Somemore, the problems could be avoided if they just listened to me. Instead, they insisted on their ways and of course there were delays! And now they are blaming me. Fucking hell....

I am seriously overloaded with work, so I need to get off and relax. I am really exhausted. I couldn't sleep at night and I couldn't wake up in the morning. I feel tired, and my shoulders are in pain because of the stress.

Man, I need a break. Hopefully it will come soon.

::: angels :::

2006-05-09T11:32:00.000+08:00

After reading Ayesha's post about Angels, it reminded me about the experience I had when I was in the States.

Many years back when I just packed one luggage, one backpack and headed to the States alone, I was venturing into a new stage of my life. I didn't inform anyone about my arrival, and I just settle things on my own, including opening an account, apply for my social security number, looking for apartment, and all that.

Not wanting to stay too near to campus because of many concerns, including the fact that the campus village is too far away from any grocery areas and it is pretty expensive compared to off-campus living, I rented one small apartment, which was a street across Kroger and Foodmax, and even nearer to the only KFC in town. Did I forget to mention that it was a really small town that has nothing but Wal-Mart, Foodmax, and Kroger?

Back to the topic.

Not coming from rich family, I couldn't afford to buy a car, so I had to make a choice between staying near to campus or near to shops where I can get things easily. I decided the later, and the end result is that I have to walk 50 minutes (one way) to reach the campus. It doesn't help at all when it is winter, with freezing gale brushing through your face and you can feel that your nose and ears are frozen. Sometimes when I was really lucky, I would receive a package from my family and that required me to walk another 50 minutes to the other direction than campus to collect the package from the postal office. The experience is still vivid in my mind and sometimes I wondered how did I survive that period of tough time.

That was the time when I met my angels.

The first Angel: It was my first week in the States and I was just at the Registra Office to enroll myself to the Uni, and on my way back, I kinda lost my way because the campus is really huge. While walking and beating the heat (it was end of Summer), a Jeep stopped by and a guy said, "Hey dude! Do you need a ride? Where you heading to?"

Being raised in Malaysia during most of my childhood and learning from parents that we should not ride with strangers because it could be dangerous, I said, "Yeah sure. I'm heading to Yellowjacket, if that's not too much trouble for you." It was a daunting experience because everything was new to me so I thought to myself that I should open myself and experience this new venture into a new life.

"Nawww... not a problem at all. Hop in!" came the reply. We talked a bit and he found out that I was new to the country, and I had no car. So he offered to pick me up everyday to send me to class. I was so embarrassed that I rejected his kind offer, but the wonderful thing is that he actually timed my being and would "coincidentally" saw me on the street and offered to pick me up.

The second Angel: It was winter and I was walking head down to because of the freezing gale, and suddenly a blue Saturn stopped next to me. Her head came out from the window and her blonde hair flowing in the strong wind, and asked, "Hey! Its cold out here! Do you want a ride?" I beckoned her with my million-dollar smile and hopped into the car to welcome the warm air generating from the heater.

Angel2: "Man, its cold out there. How could you walk under this kind of weather?"
Me: "Because I don't have a car."
Angel2: [eyes almost popped out from her socket] "What? You don't have a car?* So you walk everyday? Where are you staying?"
Me: "Yup. I don't have one, so I walk everyday. I am staying at the Yellowjacket apartment."
Angel2: "Gosh. Okay, I am actually staying quite near there. Why don't I take you to class everday?"
Me: [blush] "Its okay. Thank you very much for your offer."
Angel2: "You sure?"
Me: "Yeah. Thanks"
Angel2: "Alright then. If you need a ride, just flag me when you see me k?"

There are angels living among us. If we keep our eyes and minds open, we could see them. They are actually everywhere. Be gentle to these angels, and be nice to them. You won't know when you will meet with one again in your life time.

For the two angels I met as mentioned above, sorry that I don't know who you are and I don't remember your names. But I thank you for giving me a chapter in my life and I learn how to be nice to others. If you happen to read this blog and you are the angel, please accept my thanks and hope everything is well for you.

Of course, I bought a car later, and that's another story.

*In small town, almost every people and dogs have a car.

::: choices :::

2006-05-08T23:18:00.000+08:00

There is an ongoing battle between my conscious mind and subconscious mind. Not up to War of the World because the aliens were having such good upperhand that mankind were totally helpless against them. The nearer comparison is The Good and Evil; both sides are equally powerful and compelling.

To put my dilemma into a clear context, let me give an example. In one hand, I want to go left. But the other hand, which incidentally and ironically is my right hand, wants to go right. Making choices are daunting task, but we have to live with this burden all the time because life is full of choices! No wonder a lot of people always say, "Up to you lah!" or "Anything" when we were deciding what to eat. I guess we are not trained to make choices since our educational system is making choices for us, like those predetermine answers in exams.

It not as easy as flipping a coin and say, "Hey! This is how I should do it!" because we have to put a lot of things into consideration. If it was that easy, I guess I won't be here complaining about choices. Duh!

On the flip side, the good thing is that I have already known what I should do and how I should do it. I even made the plan clear and wide. It is now about the timing of the action.

* * *

On a totally separate issue... There is a good news to inform ya'll. Today I got the news that C is ok after the operation. The operation is a major success and the cancer tumor has been removed, and most wonderfully is that she is ok, beside being week for not eating anything 12 hours before the operation. Thanks to ya'll who are concern about her. Thank you.

::: happy birthday khien :::

2006-05-07T23:04:00.000+08:00

Today is Khien, or rather preferred to be known as Elken (yeah, the Elken guy in this post), birthday. I have known him for far too many years. We were highschool mates and we had always contacted each other. Damn, it has been 15 years. How ~~unlucky~~ lucky is that?

Happy 29th Birthday, dude!

Damn, that is young.

*Admires the number of 29. Still not 30 yet.....*

Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you that everyone is anticipating your return from the States. Come back soon!

And don't forget to bring back my stuff.

::: mission impossible 3 :::

2006-05-06T12:09:00.000+08:00

On Thursday night, Maria and I went for M.I:III. Surprisingly, the theater wasn't as crowded as I had imagined. Maybe most people hate Tom Cruise for flashing his million-dollar smile (I for one has already hated it) and the fuss about Katie Holmes. Or maybe people are saving few bucks for The Da Vinci Code because there is a price increase for a stupid flick like this! For whatever reason, it wasn't very crowded and we had our fun time walking in leisurely.

The movie itself is a let-down. There's no more fancy stunt (remember the MI2 style motorbike-stunt-spin-1020-degree-shooting-scene?) and the stylish gadgets (like the sunglass that explode after Tom Cruise throwing it away, with lots of style?). In this sequal, Tom Cruise is more down to earth and there's no more impossible stunt. Hell, maybe his age is catching up with him so he can't perform the fancy stunt anymore. Even the missions in this movie is not so impossible!

Oh! If you understand cantonese, you'll notice that when the bad guy was in Vatican city, and Maggie Q was talking to him, the conversation was more like cursing and swearing game than a seductive and flirting conversation. Did I mentioned that you'll hear Tom Cruise speaking Mandarin also?

It is a pretty draggy movie so you got to tolerate Tom Cruise's bad acting with a very normal stunt. In the movie, the agents kept referring themselves to the organization of IMF. I was like thinking something more sophisticated, like Impossible Mother Fuckers. But at the end, only then we heard from the mouth of Tom Cruise that it means Impossible Mission Federation. What a disappointment!

Will I recommend it? Yeah! I will recommend it to those who has nothing better to do and wanted to waste few bucks to watch it. For those who has better things to do in life, its a definitely NO.

::: the one who is always right :::

2006-05-05T17:38:00.000+08:00

There is this girl who works in the office next door that has constantly created a lot of hoo-haa around the office block, and nowadays I believe she is one of the most recognized person in the office are and also the most despise-like-a-rat person.

The problem with her is that she's always right. When she comes to office at 1030am (by the way, the office hour is 8am sharp), so the guard asked her for I.D. or to sign-in as visitor. She got very angry, and put her hands on her hips and started barking very loud, until everyone in the lobby area surrounded the scene to see what went wrong. I was one of the unfortunate to witness the whole thing. She was shouting, pointing fingers, and scolding the guard what he meant by asking her to sign-in since she a staff here.

Oh come on. You come in at 1030am everyday and you expect people to know you are staff here? All of us think of you as a visitor only, including me.

After scolding the guard in front of everyone, she stomped to the security office and scolded everyone there. Again, I witnessed it because I had to submit something at the office next door.

And then, there was this one time that the maintenance contractor was doing something in front of the office, and she just jumped on that guy like a bulldog and scolded that maintenance guy for not changing the lightbulb. The poor dude asked her when did she request about the lightbulb and she barked back, "Half an hour ago!!!"

Poor dude.

Yesterday I had witnessed another incident in the carpark. She was tailgating another Wira (she's driving a Wira herself) in the parking lot, and when the car in front stopped, engaged the reverse light, she tried to swirl around the car and found that the space was too narrow, so she stopped. Unfortunately, she was being too close to the car so when the car upfront reverse parked, the driver accidentally scratches her car.

Woah! You should have seen the way she opened the door, stood there with legs wide opened, hands on hips again, and started scolding like a mad bitch. Then the car behind me accumulated and there was a massive jam in the carpark building! But she won't back-down even after everyone asked her to park the car aside and talk to the other driver so she won't block the way.

When we all started to press our air-horn (I was the one who started it, actually) and blasted her out to space (how I wished), it was too noisy for any meaningful conversation, and she turned and shouted at all of us. Luckily we pressed the air-horn and couldn't hear what she was saying. After that she slammed her car door and parked the car to the side. We zoomed past her and she sneered at us with her snake eyes.

Oh well, last I heard she won the debate and the other lady driver (which is a lousy driver herself) got to pay her the compensation. Damn, she's good. She is always right.

::: is this really me? :::

2006-05-04T11:56:00.000+08:00

Today Jason sent me an URL on MSN.

Check it out:

http://www.adrianbro.youaremighty.com/ [click here]

Damn, am I really that good?

::: unfair :::

2006-05-04T11:03:00.000+08:00

I have a friend, let's call her C. I have known C for close to 15 years, and we went to the same highschool, and we joined the same club. Nope, she wasn't my highschool sweetheart or whatsoever. She is 2 years younger than me and she is like a sister to me. So naturally she called me "bro" or something like that.

I still remember vividly that after I went to the States 10 odd years ago, I got a call from a friend and that friend told me that C felt extremely ill. She couldn't eat, couldn't walk, and she was having pain everywhere in her body. She was having trouble tying her own shoe-strings and she couldn't even walk down the stairs. After sending her to the General Hospital in KL, and the very best hospital in Singapore, all those dumbfuck doctors can't even tell her parents what went wrong and what kind of disease she contracted. No answer at all. Their best guess is that she has joint-problems.

She took off from school for few weeks, but with her strong will, she stayed put even though it was draining her energy rather quickly. She even attended the SPM exam and scored 6A's. I was really proud of her, and during this difficult time, I had known her parents rather well and her parents love me like their own son. I went to C's place a few times and her parents made me the VIP, always treating me to nice restaurant, asking me to stay overnight and all that. When I first came back to Malaysia few years ago, her parents actually wanted to travel few hours to my place to meet up with me. Ah the good folks...

(Ok, some of you might think that its only 6A's. Let's put aside the fact that she was so ill that she couldn't even sit up to study. The standards nowadays are like comparing who got the biggest dick. Those students are scoring 15A's or 16A's, and I can foresee that one day they will score 21A's. But please be reasonable and realistic. The education standard has dropped so much so that all dickhead can score at least 1A or better. So what is 16A's? Let's not get into that...)

After highschool, and spending a few years struggling to regain her strength and with her own will, she managed to overcome the difficulties. She still has problems walking, and she has to decend the stairs sideway and a handrail is a must. She can't sit too long because it will be very painful for her back, and she is always cheerful about things. But I do know that sometimes at night, she will cry quietly in her bedroom because it was really difficult for her to go on.

But go on she did. Despite her father's strong objections, she moved to KL, found a job and worked really hard. She doesn't want to feel cripple and she wants to be independent. Later on, she became an insurance agent and worked really hard. She managed to buy a new car, so you can imagine the difficulties that she went through.

After being so difficult for the past 10 years, and trying very hard to keep her chins up and be charmful, she has been hit again last week.

She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and she will need an operation next week. From what I know, her body is still very weak and it might be difficult for her to take this heavy load on her body, but she has no choice but to go through the operation to remove it. She is packing and getting ready for the operation next week.

She's a happy lot, and she has been working very hard to live the life she wants. She tried very hard to be happy even though her whole body is aching all the time, and she went through crazy times because of her illness, she was having problems securing any jobs since those fucking employees discriminated her. (And she says, "Ah its ok. They just don't know what they had just missed.")

Yet, when her live is getting calm and steady, the bad news will always surface. Why is it that she has to suffer so much? Why is it being so unfair to her? She's only at a tender age of 28, and yet she has to go through all the pain, all the difficulties.

Anyway, I am going to pack as well to visit her next week after her operation in Melaka.

Keep your head up, C. The unfairness will not defeat you. I will be at your side whenever you need me.

::: random :::

2006-05-02T11:43:00.000+08:00

Here's a random conversation on my MSN

Elken says: i got no old phone now at all.. not single one
ME says: ok la, give you my old phone
ME says: so old until no color, no polyphonic, no camera, no memory, and oh... no cover
ME says: got to find a cover
ME says: and I think my brother-in-law bought a Hello-Kitty cover
Elken says: hahaha
Elken says: Can use good already
ME says: Ya lor...

[NOTE] This guy, Elken, has nothing to do with the Multilevel Marketing company (or someone prefer to call it Direct Sales) Elken (Spirulina shit)

::: long weekend :::

2006-05-02T10:25:00.000+08:00

I dread long weekend. I hate long weekend. I despise long weekend.

Reason? Simple. After a long weekend of nice vacation or rest, its work again and that is just so depressing. I had my long sleep, lots of rest, and even though I spent quite a substantial amount of time and energy to work on something, I still got my good rest and quality time with family. Then I thought to myself, "Ahhh... if this can last a bit longer...." SNAP! I am back to reality and before I knew it, today is time to work.

And work it is.

Early in the morning (8pm), there were customers calling me already regarding their deliveries. Thanks to some smart-ass who changed the system and insisted on the new system for "the sake of cost-saving", I am now facing a lot of complaints from customers. For him, he can just change the system without first testing it in prototype, because he is not facing the customers. The proper way is to test the system thoroughly in prototype, and fine-tune the systems to work flawlessly before introducing it to the respective deparments.

No. He sat behind the desk, and "Ding!" (the lightbulb) he came up with a great idea. Next thing is he sent out an email to everyone, and viola! A new system is born.

After all these hoo-haa, complaints and lots of stress, I burned him with questions and asked him to face the customers, and guess what he said? He said, "Well, you have to educate your customer to better forecast their purchasing so they can give us orders in advance. In case of those emergencies order for their customers, they have to educate their customers in order to avoid this kind of delays."

Great. I am talking to a complete idiot.

This system is a bastard child.

Hold. He's not a complete idiot. Some parts are missing.

::: the resting place :::

2006-04-28T22:32:00.000+08:00

Today I had a conversation with mom, and it was about many thing but never about Nicky. It was clear that mom was trying hard to steer the conversation away from Nicky as she knows how much Nicky meant to me.

I found out that my brothr-in-law, after allowing the vet to put Nicky to sleep, brought the body to a hillside and buried him under a tree, so it was a shaddy and breezy spot with great scenary.

knowing that he has a good resting place and knowing that he had a great meal before the injection made me feel slightly better.

I also found out that my brother-in-law whispered in Nicky's ear, on my behalf, that we all wished him to rest in peace, and thanked him for giving us all these good years and great memories.

Later, both mom and me wondered if he found dad since he is dad's favorite.

I really miss both of them...

In Memory of Nicky

2006-04-27T18:57:00.000+08:00

Today I received a SMS from my sister anouncing that Nicky, our beloved dog whom has companied us for 15 years, passed away in the afternoon at 2:30pm.

Nicky has been with us since I was in high school. He was a stubborn stud with an attitude, a white prince, just like me (except the white part). He was like a brother to me, companying me through late nights (study or tv), waiting for me faithfully whenever I went out. We had great times together jogging and tracking at the hill side near my previous home, and when we were tired, we would nap together.

After I went to the States, not a lot of people would play with him because he can be very silly, stubborn, and clumpsy. So he became lonely and slowly, he became depressed. The biggest reason was that I wasn't around and he felt that his best pal had abandoned him.

Whenever I came back for vacation, he would bark at me when he saw me, not because he hated me, but because of dog's limited eyesight range, and also to confirm it was really me, his best pal. Then I would call his name, and he would dash to me upon hearing my voice. He would follow me wherever I go and played with me. I trully believed that he was really happy, and sometimes I swore that I saw him grinning.

And then, one year I came back after receiving the news that my father had passed away, I saw Nicky staying next to dad's casket, like guarding dad's body. He won't leave and he won't eat. All he could do was to stay near my dad, guarding, whinning, and crying.

Years went by, and I started my carrer in K.L., so the time we spent were less than I desired. His health has started to deteriote due to his age, and his legs were growing weak. About a month ago, his front left leg gave way and it was dangling totally after the joints were dislocated completely. Also, he was diagnosed with nose and throat cancer after we discovered huge lump in his throat. The vet couldn't do anything about the cancer and the dislocated joint, so he had been resting near the door a lot. Ocassionally, he would get up with his other good legs, limped around and went for his bowl of food. Sometimes when he saw me, he couldn't get up to greet me the way he used to, and just waited for me to talk to him, to pat him, and to company him.

Two days ago, his hind legs experienced the same joint-dislocation and he was completely paralysed. He couldn't get up, so he poo and pee on himself.

Taking the advice from the vet, my sister and brother-in-law decided to put him to sleep, so he could rest in peace and all the suffering would end.

Hopefully he has reunited with dad in heaven.

I really miss both of them.

::: selfish :::

2006-04-26T15:27:00.000+08:00

The sky is extremely dark, and it is raining extremely heavy right now at PJ area, with roaring thunder around me, and the people are running for their life on the street to find a shelter. I am stuck at a place where failed attempts to pay for Maxis were made. Without anything better to do, I decided to order a cup of java at Coffee Bean, and blog while waiting for the rain to stop.

Some of you might wonder why I choose the title "Selfish" for this blog. If you have some time, read through it and you will understand.

A lot of time, most of us will just think that our actions are only limited to ourselves and the small matters will not affect others. But this is not true. Whatever we do today might bring a collateral effect to a thousand years later. Unfortunately, a lot of people failed to see through this and still do things their very own way, regardless if the other party is requesting something else because in their mind, it was only a very small matter and it was ok.

For instance, let's say two person are on MSN chatting about something. Suddenly, one party just failed to reply for more than 1 hour because he/she went for meeting. How selfish is that to let the other party wait without informing him/her? How long does it take to type "brb. meeting" so that the other party will find something else to do instead of waiting like a fool in front of the MSN chat just to wait for an answer? Unfortunately, the answer is it will take a long time. That's why a lot of the people do not have the responsibilities and conscious to let the other party knows about the meeting. They might think that the other person waiting for the answer for 30, 40, or 50 minutes (sometimes longer) is okay. They don't understand that not only their time is precious, but other people have their own schedule to keep, and their time is precious as well.

I will really appreciate it if you would just inform me about you going away. I am not asking you to explain to me about where you are going (toilet?) or how many piece of shit you planning to poo. A simple "BRB" will do, or "brb, meeting" will be more than sufficient to let me know that I can do something else better than waiting for an answer.

If it was because of all these stupid my-time-is-more-precious-than-yours thing that got things delayed massively, or resulted in me waiting for more than an hour, don't blame me for getting really upset, especially after I had repeated numerous time requesting that you inform me so I could do something else.

Now, if you will excuse me, I will BRB.

::: driving force (part 3) :::

2006-04-25T22:32:00.000+08:00

After a few days rest (seems like ages), I have finally regained my strengths, energies, and motivations to move on.

Simply put: I was exhausted.

After spending endless days and nights to work on things, and those energies, sleepless nights, and brain-power to plan for strategies, the next move, and so on, I simply didn't get the much deserved rest and so I burnt out.

I am okay now. After the much needed rest for few days, keeping my mind blank and stuff, I finally regained the strengths and energies. But there are still few extra miles to go. I still got a few important things to settle and once I got those going, I will take a much needed vacation.

Till then, I will still be here. But don't worry, I am okay now.

::: the steps after breakup :::

2006-04-24T12:49:00.000+08:00

NOTE: Previously published as ::: would you do it? ::: but republished as current title because the author believes that the current title is more adequate.

I believe a lot of us experienced failed relationship and had to break up with the guys/girls (except there are TWO person I know that felt in love with one person, got married until now, so they have no experience about breaking up and the heart-broken episodes in our lives). I am not an expert here, but I do have a few experiences myself. Last time when I was talking about this with my friends, I found out that a few of the things that is ultra common.

The following case is generally for guys breaking up with girls:-

Tears - Now, this is universal. During a lot of the breakups, be it the woman or the man initiated it, there will be some tears involving. Crying seems like a norm to a lot of people, and then they will do the next thing:
Why - This is the undoubtfully the most commonly asked questions, especially during breakups. Well, if you have noticed, when you asked a person why he/she loves you, they cannot give you a clear answer. They can tell you how attractive you are, how gentle you are, the things you had done, or about how cute your character is. But those are only the reasons, or excuses, that they can come up with. But during breakups, they can give you thousand and one reasons why they hate you, despise you and wanted to break up with you. The once-they-like-character can instantly become something like a thorn to their eyes. That's why I always tell people, "One doesn't need a reason to love someone, but they only need one reason to hate"
Anger - Sometimes, after the crying, and asking why, the victim (should we call them victim? I don't know, I will let you guys decide on this) will become angry because the breaker broke the heart of the victim by telling him/her how worthless he/she is, and by giving all these reasons why the breaker don't love him/her anymore.
Sex - Ok, this sounds weird, but it happens. I don't know why, but I believe its because the woman will try to give us the farewell sex as a way to convince us to stay. Maybe they think that a good fuck will keep the guys at bay and he will change his mind once he get it for one last time.

So the ~~assholes~~ smart ones nowadays will use the line "No, its not your fault. It's all my fault," or "I am the one who don't worth your love," or "It has nothing to do with you. Its me" or something like that. Unfortunately, too many people are using this line so we all know about the fact that the people using this line is just trying not to make the other party feel too shitty about themselves.

Among a lot of case, if the woman is the person initiated the breakup, the following will normally happen: SEX.

Why would I say this? Well, beside my personal experience, I also found out from a lot of my male friends that they had the same experience as mine. But I cannot say for sure since not a lot of guys will admit that the girls broke up with them, so I don't have too much data to analize. Damn those male egos. Anyway, I will only relate this conclusion using whatever information I can get, and my very own experience.

The reason for the woman giving sex is like they feel pity for the guys, or sometimes guilty for breaking up with them, so they normally will tell the guys to have sex ONE LAST TIME (as a compensation, or consolation). After this farewell sex (or farewell blowjob, whichever), the woman will feel that they do not owe the guy anything at all.

99% of the time, the guys will be so stupid to take the bait and have the farewell sex. Sometimes its because those guys will not know when is the next time they will get laid without paying, so they see it as a precious moment to release their load. A really smart guy will not take the bait because they know this is a way of compensation and stuff. So in order not to make the woman feeling good after the break up, the smart ones would refuse to fuck her.

So would you do it if you are being offered a farewell fuck?

As for me? Of all my failed relationships, I was the one who initiated the breakups except one. And that one was exactly the same case; wanting to give me a farewell sex. Did I take up the offer? You bet! But it was more of a revenge than anything else. She was engaged to someone else, and she used it as a reason for the breakup after treating me like shit. So after unloading myself, I told myself, "Okay dude, you can have her now after I have fucked her."

I am evil. I know...

::: driving force (part 2) :::

2006-04-23T03:27:00.000+08:00

After resting for few days, not thinking of anything, and not having any motivation to do anything, I think I managed to recover some of the lost energies. I am not saying I am fully recovered, but I guess I am on the right path to regain self-control and motivation.

The sign of loosing the driving force (at least for me)? Here are the few signs:-

Lost of concentration - I can read a book, watch a movie, but then I will end up just staring at the book/screen and lost all my concentration.
Shut-down - when I shut down, I won't think of anything, or rather, in this case, I couldn't think of anything. My mind was in constant blank state.
Tired - well, I can sleep whole day, so go figure how tired I can be.
Quiet - I am naturally a talkative person and active in communication with the people aroudn me. But when I shut down, I will remain ultra quiet. Sometimes, I can remain quiet for two days, not even muttering a single word.

I am not sure how many of you have experienced this kind of feelings; lost, no energy, no driving force, and just feel so damn tired that you want to sleep whole day and night, and hoping that you won't wake up and see the world again. It was like someone just ramp you over with a 18-wheeler and knock you out of your breath. It was like you had been floored by Mount Everest.

That's what I went through. I was in no mood for anything, and that was so unusual for me. I didn't even bother to stay up late at night to work on certain things. I just... ermmm.. stayed lazy.

I believe it is very important for all of us to have the kind of driving force that push us harder, to make us better, and to make us feel hungry (not for food, but for personal achievement, success, etc). Once we loose the driving force, its like we lost our motivation; we will be directionless. We won't know what is our next move or what we should do next. So keeping a clear direction and good driving force is important, not just for our goal, but for general well-being of our life as we know we have a purpose, and/or a dream to fulfill.

I am not going into the details of what affected me, or what happened. That will remain as personal as possible. This blog is serving as a reminder to myself that I will try my best not to loose my driving force again.

::: drving force (part 1) :::

2006-04-20T18:33:00.000+08:00

Yesterday I slept very early, so early until I couldn't believe it myself. It might be a new world record for me ever since I turned 1 (well, new-born sleeps almost 24/7 so we might as well as just exclude it).

I slept at 530pm.

Suddenly I just felt so tired, like all my energies had been sucked out of me, and I just became a deflated ballon; totally empty inside.

The reason for this flat-out effect was because previously I had a lot of dreams and passions driving me, like driving forces. These forces kept me going, kept me staying awake at night, and kept me working hard. Because by going further, working harder and spending more time on it, I could sense that I was closer to my dreams and passions.

Then yesterday, after months, if not years of hardwork only then I found out I wasn't an inch closer to my dreams and passions, I felt completely defeated. It was like someone just took the wind out of me, the driving forces that had been driving me had evaporated.

Like a car without petrol, I stalled and I just felt so tired. All the late nights I spent, the energy I used, all came back to me and hit me hard. So I sort of collapsed due to exhaustion.

Since yesterday, my mind has been blank and I couldn't think of anything. Mind you, I am a person with very active brain that keeps thinking, so that would tell ou something.

I guess after going through the extra miles, I just need some time to recollect myself and take this opportunity to rest a bit so that I can go further...

::: another great :::

2006-04-18T11:01:00.000+08:00

This is just great. I am currently running at a streak of good lucks.

I just went to check on my tires and saw that two of them are completely flat already due to the leakage, and when I was planning to send my car to the tire shops around to fix the safety valve, I found out that I left my wallet at home. Worse of all? I didn't have the apartment keys with me because I gave it to Maria since she left her keys at the office.

Oh! Did I forget to say that today Maria is not going to be office? After she went into the office, her colleagues are dragging her out. She will be out visiting key customers for the whole day so ....

Damn, this is just great. What a great way to start a day...

::: low class animals :::

2006-04-18T08:53:00.000+08:00

Okay, that's it! I had enough of this low class animals act!

Those people from Pelangi Damansara apartments are trully low class animals. Ok, let me clarify that I am not saying ALL of those living in low cost or medium-range apartments are low class animals, but a lot of them are pretty much an animal at best. Why am I saying this? Well, low cost apartment normally rents cheaper, so it attracts those low class animals that's jealous of people having car (or something, and I am not saying there's no RICH low class animals. Because the population density is higher in those low cost apartments, the contrast the low class animals ratio increase as well).

Pelangi Damansara Apartment is not really low cost. It ranged from 120K to 130K, not like those 40-60K apartments. I invested in this apartment because the time when I bought it, I was single and didn't need a big place. At first it was a wonderful place, with plenty of space, quiet moment, and my apartment view is good, overseeing the golf course. But later, I noticed a lot of foreign workers residing there because the apartment is very near to The Curve, and Ikano PowerCenter (IKEA).

About four months ago, during the Chinese New Year time (in fact, one full month before the CNY), those pricks played with firecrackers from their apartment. What they did was they light up the firecrackers, and threw them out from their apartment windows. All this happened between 12am to 5am. At the end, it kept blasting around and woke the residents up all the time.

About two months ago, those fuckwits started to throw stones from their apartment window. With the velocity and size of those stones, when it landed, it shattered windshield and dented the car hood. As a result? My hood was dented, the wind deflector broke, and a dent on my windshield.

Then, about a month ago, those low class fuckwits started an arson on the fucking elevators! One of them was badly burnt and it triggled the fire alarm in the middle of the night. At the end? All 19 floors of residents (each floor has 16 units, so go figure) have to share one fucking elevator because the other one was so badly destroyed (the wall panels, cables and flooring were damaged) that it cannot function at all.

Well, can you guess what prompted my outburst today?

This morning when I reached my car after taking the stairs (because in the morning, a lot of people are rushing to work so at the end, the elevator is always full), I noticed that 3 tyres of mine were flat. I looked around and saw that the cars around me all have the same symptoms. Some cars were a bit lucky with 2 flats, and some with 4 flats. Looked further around, and I saw no less than 20 cars got the same treatments from those pricks.

I thought to myself, "Okay, nevermind. There's a Shell up front so I will just pump the gas then."

When I drove pass the guardhouse, I told them what happened, and the guard said, "Yea kah?" and that's all!

!@!$!@#$@!~#@

After I crawled to the Shell station (hey, you are not suppose to go fast with a flat or else you are endangering your life, and others), I saw 3 cars lining up in front of me, and all of them have the same thing; more than 2 flat tires. Further inspection reveals that they are from the same apartment (I can tell from those car stickers).

When it was my turn, I pumped the gas and noticed that those pricks actually pull out the internal pins (the purpose of the pin is to prevent the gas from leaking) so at the end, no matter how I pump it, there's leakage and it will run flat again!!!

THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS WILL SURELY GET IT.

Don't let me find out which fuckwit pricks did this. I will surely beat the shit out of them.

Machaohai....

::: good one :::

2006-04-17T10:30:00.000+08:00

Today I saw a video clip from Seraphe's blogsite and it is really good. So good until I have to steal it from his site and show it to you guys [sorry bro, got to steal it].

Here goes...

[Lyrics provided by Seraphe]

I thought I saw a man brought to life
He was warm, he came around like he was dignified
He showed me what it was to cry
Well you couldn’t be that man I adored
You don’t seem to know, don’t seem to care what your heart is for
But I don’t know him anymore
… I don’t care, I have no luck, I don’t miss it all that much
There’s just so many things that I can’t touch, I’m torn

I’m all out of faith, this is how I feel
I’m cold and I am shamed lying naked on the floor
Illusion never changed into something real
I’m wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn
You’re a little late, I’m already torn. torn.

::: too much choice :::

2006-04-14T10:40:00.000+08:00

[Note: This is a back-date post because I got no time to post this]

There is a type of person that you simply cannot give them too much choice.

This morning when I was at the car park, a Kembara came into view. At first, it turned left, stopped (and there's a car waiting behind him), looked left and right, and turn right. After moving 3 meters, he stopped again, turn right, stopped, turn left, stopped, and decided to go straight. And then, there was a Waja coming out from her parking space, and that Kembara just stopped and waiting for the parking.

Well, that seems like nothing. But get this...

The parking lot was very empty! When he turned left, right and left, swirling around, he was passing through all those empty spaces, and when the Waja came out, it wasn't even anywhere near the entrance nor exit. What cracked me up was that there were 3 cars in a roll, and he waited there when there are shitload of car parking spaces surrounding that Waja!

So it was darn obvious that he has problem making a decision on which parking space he wants to take because there were aplently. So what's the solution for him? See a car coming out, wait, and park into that space, treating it like the parking lot is full.

I can imagine that if he goes to a restaurant, he will have a tough time because there are too many choice! It's best to just make the decision and give him what to eat, instead of letting him choose. Or else the line behind will crawl from PJ to JB.

::: hello kitty ... or? :::

2006-04-13T11:15:00.000+08:00

Yesterday afternoon I was having tea with a friend whom I haven't seen for ages, right after his marriage, so it was a great time catching up with a long lost friend. We talked about many things, including the recent economic shift in global market, the business, the politics, cars, the thunderstorm that has been happening almost daily in PJ area, the National Automotive Policy, but not even one time he touched base on his newly wedded wife (for 18 months).

And then, he looked at his watched and screamed, "Oh my fucking God! It's already 5:45pm!" I was puzzled so I asked, "Why? Dude, you hungry already or what? You mean to say you want to take dinner at this hour?"

"No! You don't understand. I must go now!" came his reply. Being a curious angel that I am, I asked him what's wrong and he commented this, "Well, if I go home late, my wife will give me a really tough time."

I asked him to elaborate more, and his story went on like this, "If I go home late, my wife will scold me. If there's a colleague calling me at night, she'll get mad and suspicion. It's worse if its a lady colleague. When company sends me off to other place, no matter if its Penang or England, I cannot stay overnight unless I bring her along."

I was amazed and wanted to laugh so loud. Trying to suppress my laughter, I said, "Dude! You are such a pussy!"

He said, "No! I just treat her nicely with respect."

I said, "Hell no! You are a pussy! If you ask the cleaning lady that's pushing the cart (point my finger to the washroom area) and ask her, she'll call you a pussy!"

He said, "No lah, don't be like that... will get use to it..."

I asked in disbelief, "Dude! If that's the case, why you marry her in the first place? I thought you said she was a very nice person?"

"Before marriage, she was Hello Kitty. After marriage, she's Tiger Woods." He said.

"Tiger Woods?" I asked.

"Yeah!" came his reply, "Try to imagine a tiger with a log of wood in her hand..."

I couldn't help anymore and burst into hysterical laughter. Damn, I am such a bastard.

::: of new stuff :::

2006-04-12T13:36:00.000+08:00

By looking at the image above, what would you imagine? Ok, I will give you 3 chances to guess what the heck is this....

1....

2....

3....

Okay. This exotic-expensive-and-luxury-top-of-the-line-vagina-looking ~~sex~~ toy is actually a Stainless Steel ~~Vagina~~ Odor Eater by WMF. (Sorry, couldn't resist)

It is said to be able to remove the odor on your hand just picking it up. Now you can "chop onions and garlic with confidence!"

Further to that, for all of you who are really desperate, you can now watch ABC's Desperate Housewives online [here]. The online version will be available the day after the show is aired. So get ready and get the latest Desperate Housewives (as if you are not desperate enough, and it is even faster than ASTRO). But don't expect it to be in ULTRA huge screen and stuff. And if your connection is slow, well, you get the drill. Also, Lost will be available as well. Just check out the website if you are lost and desperate.

Enjoy :P

::: elevator conduct :::

2006-04-12T09:18:00.000+08:00

It may seem like I like to write story about elevator after this post and this post. Or I don't have anything better to write about. Or that I have something against elevator. Please rest assure that I am not an elevator-fetish or something like that. It is just that in an elevator, I see a lot of moral and common sense practiced by people, and trust me, it is not something good.

How many of you notice that when the people are waiting for the elevator, they like to surround the elevator? And how about when the elevator door opens, the people will push around and rush into the elevator, even when there are people inside struggling to come out? I don't want to get into the elevator, get to my designated level, and try to get out and at the end I am being forced to go up/down again.

How many of you notice that once the people pushing into the elevator, they will press the level button, and hog that place, and simply refuse to move? And then the people trying to press the level has to maneuver around the hogger's body just to press a damn button? And then, they will pick a spot, and simply refuse to move when there are more passengers coming in.

How many of you stay in budget apartment/flat and when people go in, you see those fuckers smoking as if it is perfectly good and legal to do so? How about those fuckwits that smells like he/she had just bath in a bathtub full of fragrance?

How many of you experience that when the door opens, and there is not one person outside the damn elevator?

How many of you experience that when the door opens, some fuckwits come in, press one level higher/lower?

How many of you have been torture by someone who is on the mobile phone while in the elevator, and shouting "Hello? Hello???? I can't hear you!" when there's no mobile coverage in the elevator? Or those fuckwits that talk nonchalantly on the phone about his/her affair, his/her new car, or his/her penis/breast enlargement program while there are around 20 people cramp in the elevator?

Those fuckwits just won't use their brain at all. That's why I am coming up with the Rules of Elevator for all the poor souls out there to read and practice:-

1. If you need to go one floor up or down, please make sure you move your fucking ass to the stairs and exercise a bit. If not, you will hit with heart attack, high cholesterol, and weak knee.

2. If you are going up, just press the UP call button. If down, then the down call button. You don't need to press both, unless you are brain-dead or simply blind.

3. When you go into the elevator, select your level and then move your fucking ass to the back of the elevator so that not everyone has to see your ugly face. Just move to the back, you fuckwit.

4. When you are waiting for the elevator, please stand on the side and let the people come out first. Don't complaint if all of us are going to push our way out with armor or weapon (no point to install those armor or weapon in the elevator for those passengers, they will be stolen).

5. Please don't smoke, fart, or breathe in the damn elevator. If you don't know that you should not smoke in the elevator, please enroll yourself into the Education for Mentally Challenged or Primary School (best if its Standard 1). If you do not know that you have a strong body odor, please see a doctor or shave your fucking arm pits. If you do know that you have strong body odor, and try to use fragrance to cover up, please understand that the best fragrance in the world fails to help you. You are beyond help or hope, so please stop pouring those fragrance on your clothes and choke all of us to death.

6. Refrain yourself from using the phone while in the elevator. If you are planning to use the elevator, please hang up before you go in. If you are planning to talk to your customer about the million dollar deal, please hitch the next ride or until you are done with your talking. None of us will be interested to hear about how you can't hear the caller clearly (Hello? Use your pea-brain please! Its common that there's no coverage in the elevator!), or how you fuck your mistress (unless you let me fuck her, provided that she's beautiful, and below 45kg. And if it's free), or how your mother being a virgin (ok, I admit this will be something interesting but please, tell me somewhere else).

Well, there you have it! Please print the rules out, and read it over and over. Memorize it, and practice it daily. You'll find that you will be the King/Queen of Elevator and there will be guys/girls falling in love for you in the elevator.