Should We Be Afraid Of Doing Good ???

In this day and age that we live in, the world has become a completely different place than what it used to be. From the increase in the number of con-artists out to make a quick buck from the gullible to the alarmingly large number of criminals who take advantage of the kind hearted souls, what has the world come to?

I read in the newspapers sometime ago that there was a new gang initiation ritual in KL, where the new gang members are required to prove their worthiness by beating up someone else. And just how do they choose their victims? They are supposed to drive out at night without turning on their head lamps.

When the 1st driver flashes their headlights at them to politely inform them about their head lights not being turned on, this new gang member is supposed to chase that car down and beat up the driver as part of the gang initiation process.

Other stories include using small children crying at the road side, and when a concerned passerby (usually women) takes the child back to his/her ‘house’, 3-4 guys appear from within the house and rob the passerby whose crime was only to be kind hearted and took pity on the crying child.

Even the donation collection bodies are not spared from rumors regarding embezzlement of collected funds, now whenever I want to donate to charity, I instinctively think twice whether my money is actually going towards the intended charity.

I wonder why has society degraded to this level? Where have all the honest and trustworthy people gone? Am I being naïve? Should I expect only the worst in my fellow human beings? That thought is actually quite depressing…

My Big Mouth ...

There have been many a time in my life where I seem to shoot my mouth off incessantly. The problem is I’m only aware of it after it is too late or rather the words have already left my mouth and cannot be recalled. It is really a classic case of speaking without thinking through it first. The worse thing is most of my comments are either of a nonsensical or condescending nature although originally intended in good humour.

Thankfully, I am in more control of this nasty bad habit at my workplace and it is mostly among friends that my mouth chooses to betray me. I guess I really should try to control what I say so that I don’t constantly wonder whether I have accidentally insulted anyone else when the memory of what I said hits me like a tons of bricks later.

Am I just being oversensitive here? But then again I know many people who have gotten miffed over the slightest remarks and I do try to apologize when I realize what I said could be misconstrued as being an insult. Its when I don’t realize immediately that I’ve said something wrong that worries me as I’m the type of person that wants to be in everyone else’s good books and I wouldn’t feel comfortable if I knew that a friend or acquaintance was pissed off at me.

Having said that, if there is anyone out there that has any misunderstanding with me, please let me know! I hate to think that some careless words on my part would have caused anyone to be annoyed with me and there was something that I could have done but didn’t do due to sheer ignorance on my part.

Happy Birthday Sis !!!

Just wanted to wish my baby sis a very HAPPY 22ND BIRTHDAY!!

Do you remember...

When we used to play those silly car games in the back seat when Dad was driving? =)

When we used to send each other pen-pal letters even though we lived under the same roof? =P

When you used to pretend to own a cafe and I would be your best customer eating pretend food and drinks? =D

When you were so clever to use my phobias against me when I tried to bully you as a little girl? hehe..


She's the one on the right standing next to a passerby ;D

Happy Birthday Sis! This year seems to have started off well with you getting your dream job, well one of them anyway =P Hope you have a terrific 22nd birthday with celebrations yet to come, haha... This will probabbly be one of those rare times where the family gets to celebrate your birthday together on the actual date as we all know where your priorities lie..

Random Filler Post

In the mean time until I get into a mood to resume my blog, here's some pics of the sunset that I took along the LDP. Enjoy!





 

A New Direction...

I should have known by now that I wouldnt be fully rested if I went to sleep with many thoughts swirling around my mind. Last night was such a case where I was thinking about my previous post and today, I've decided that I really want to express myself fully in my blog.

However, I shall refrain from posting personal information about my friends and family (for now) I will celebrate this change in direction by an increase in font size =) Hence, the blog entries are now bigger and better (OMG! So Lame...) But perhaps what I really mean is that I no longer want to discourage people from reading my blog by using a really small irritating font =P and now will focus on expressing myself in the manner that I have always wanted to.

Nevertheless, I will take this opportunity to apologize to all readers (if any) if the content of future posts causes any offence or insult. Please feel free to email me with your comments and brickbats.

I have finally seen the light!

PS: Credit to Wawa for the photo

To Blog Or Not To Blog...Annonymously

After a most terrific weekend, I'm feeling absolutely exhausted and even though I forced myself to go to bed early to catch up on my sleep, I instead find myself tossing and turning not being able to doze off. Rather then continue to be in agony, I decided to update my blog instead..

---@---

Since I started my blog, my initial decision was to maintain the blog annonymously without revealing any details that could be traced to myself. This way, I can blog about pretty much whatever I wanted without the fear that something I write will be misinterpreted and offend someone else.

However, as time went by, I realized that keeping the blog annonymous in some way defeated the purpose of why I started a blog in the first place. The primary reason being able to express my thoughts whatever they may be without any ramifcation or fear of repercussion.

Many of my personal experiences involve my family and friends and I was hesitant to post information about them as most of them are unaware of this blog (and I intend to keep it that way) so asking for their permission to post is out of the question. There is also this nagging irrational fear of them being linked to myself which also reduces the possibility of maintaining annoymity.

I really want to post whatever I want but then I face the fact that because of the nature of a blog, its actually accessible to anyone with a browser and an Internet connection. But then I ask myself, why am I so afraid of posting personal information in my blog? In the first place, my head must be rather big to think anyone would be bothered to read my blog at all but thats a post for another day :)

Perhaps at the end of the day, I still have this fear that whatever I reveal or express will be abused by total strangers to be used as ammunition against me in whatever way. Am I going to live my life having all these sorts of irrational fears?

My Daily Laughter Fix ...

Due to rather long 45 minute commute to work everyday, I normally resort to the radio to alleviate my boredom. Inthe morning, I try never to miss my daily fix of Hitz.FM Morning Crew Gotcha. For those of you poor sods who have never got a chance to catch their show, the Hitz.FM Gotcha is about making prank calls to unsuspecting victims trying to terrorize them before finally revealing its all a big fat prank. =) Rather entertaining although you must be able to understand lame humour to appreciate it fully.

This morning's antics include fooling a young girl that was previously involved in a traffic accident telling her there were some problems with the insurance documentation and that she would need to come down to the police station. It sounded like the girl was on the verge of tears up when put up against a bully of a policeman and the owner of the other car involved in the accident both impersonated by the Hitz.FM morning crew.

When they finally revealed to her that it was a prank set up by one of her friends, I could actually hear the relief in her voice which she expressed rather openly if you know what i mean ;) Well, I guess I'm not ashamed to laugh at her misery as its all in good humour and they did finally expose the call as a prank call. So, no harm done.

Anyway, I had this silly grin plastered over my face listening to the entire episode and when I happened to look at the rear view mirror, I saw that the driver behind me also had a similar expression on her face. This amused me and I began to look at the other drivers beside me and also found both of them either laughing or smiling. (The cars were all Single Occupant Vehicles) No prizes for guessing which radio station they were tuned into at that moment :D



Random picture of the jam I brave through daily

 

Movies That Really Touch Me ...

I discovered long ago that my preference for movies did not perpetuate the stereotype of a typical guy having a preference for romantic comedies and love stories *grin* although I do enjoy the odd action film now and then. (This might be my attempt to recover some masculinity).

However, even in the long list of movies that I've seen, I can easily count in one hand the movies that actually moved me to tears. I dont exactly know for sure what kinds of movies will trigger an emotional response, but I guess it has something to do with how well I can relate to the portrayal of the main characters in the movie.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to re-watch "Sepet" in preparation for "Gubra" which I have not had the chance to see yet...*darn* Towards the end of the movie, I realized that I had tears flowing from my eyes which I hadn't even noticed earlier. This struck me as strange as although I was moved during the first few times I saw "Sepet", it still didn't cause me to tear.

Perhaps, something happened between the last time I saw it and last night that caused me to react differently. I shall ponder upon it in the effort to better understand my complex self...

PS: Thanks to Wawa for lending me the "Sepet" DVD. Guess I should get myself another copy as it looks like I wont be getting my DVD back anytime soon. =(

No Consideration ???

Was in the office washroom just now and literally had to hold my breath the entire time I was there. Some &@#&(%#^*#$)@*$(@#)*$)(*% decided to annoy the heck out of everybody by smoking in the toilet. I could not risk taking even one breath for the whole washroom which in the first place already has bad air circulation was stank to the high heavens with cigarette smoke.

Now, I personally abhor cigarette smoke and will tend to avoid it whenever possible so I was extra pissed with the audacity of whoever was satisfying his own selfish needs at the expense of others. Nevertheless, I feel even the most cigarette smoke tolerant person would also go into a rage at being forced to inhale the cancer-causing cigarette smoke the moment they entire the washroom.

I had a half a mind to kick the door of the cubicle down and confront the selfish S.O.B when there is a blanket ban on smoking in ALL the air-conditioned areas in the office building. Who does he think he is that the building regulations does not apply to him! Talk about lack of consideration! Perhaps I should lodge a formal complaint to the building management about this...

Rojak Again!

Finally, decided to catch up on my sleep after being sleep deprived for the past few weeks. Slept in until 11AM with strict instructions not to disturb me even to save me from a hailstorm of ice or a rain of fire :D Unfortunately, my next door neighbour didn't hear my warning and proceeded to begin pounding and hammering (He is renovating...) at 10.30 AM. =(

Oh well, at least I got 10 hours of sleep :P which should last me another week or so before the cycle repeats itself. After watching Rojak last Thursday, I had rojak again last night but this time with my mum's homemade rojak sauce! I wont bother going into detail on how delicious it was but I guess the best word to describe it is 'decadent' :P


Super yummy rojak sauce with guava

 

Two Shows In Two Days

I had an extremely busy week trying to squeeze in work, preparing for my next MBA module, doing my taxes and catching two great shows all in the span of 5 measly days. *Phew* No wonder, I'm exhausted. Doesn't help that I'll have classes tonight as well as throughout the weekend thus depriving me of my much needed rest. :(

On Tuesday, I managed to catch "Disney On Ice" showing at Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil. Watching the performance brought back so many memories as the last time I caught "Disney On Ice" was as a little boy about a decade and a half ago. Hmm...I must be getting old..*sigh* This time, "Disney On Ice" had brought in many characters from their newer animated features as well as some of golden classics such as 'Finding Nemo', 'The Incredibles', 'Mulan', 'Toy Story', 'Lion King' and 'Beauty And The Beast'

The entire performance features short snippets of each Disney story with some fancy skating by some of the characters in full costume even! That must be some extraordinary feat! The Disney costumes were very elaborate and colourful. I was amazed at the detail that went into making each costume to the extent of the some of the main Disney characters even having multiple wardrobe changes :)

Overall, I enjoyed the show very much, well worth the time spent but I guess it was more interesting to see the newer characters being portrayed in "Disney On Ice" and I'm not sure whether the next time will feature a great many additions to the characters so I might end up waiting another 5 years before catching it again.


Disney characters dressed in various costumes!


Spot any of your favourite Disney characters? :P

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to attend the opening night performance of "Rojak" at KLPac which is a play by the The Oral Stage Group. Basically, the play consists of many short stories and monologues each telling a unique story. I have to wonder who or what insipired each story and whether there are any hidden meanings behind each scene or perhaps is more than meets the eye.

Some of the scenes left me dumbfounded trying to figure out what the cast were trying to portray. But then again, half of the fun of theatre trying to interpret an ambigous storyline. I especially enjoyed the last story featuring 7 cast members each doing a monologue. I remember this format was also present in Life Sdn Bhd 3 and I loved it then was pleasantly suprised to see it again featuring the all so senstive topic of cigarette smoking in Malaysia.

On the overall, it was a most enjoyable performance and I definitely look forward to future productions by The Oral Stage Group. Incidentally, I spotted KY at the play as well. I chanced upon his blog some time ago so he looked very familiar when I saw him last night. You can read his review on Rojak here.

 

The new KLIA LCCT ...

Over the weekend, I followed some friends to check out the new KLIA LCCT. For those of you who are still unaware, all the budget flights (read: Air Asia) have been moved to the new KLIA Low Cost Carrier Terminal starting last 24th March 2006. A friend of mine had planned a trip to Phuket and wanted to scout out the place so that he would be more familiar when he was due to fly the following week.

The KLIA LCCT is actually located further away then the main KLIA terminal by an estimated 10-15KM. I estimated it took us an extra 10 minutes to reach the LCCT terminal compared to driving to the main KLIA terminal. There is clear signage leading to the LCCT terminal from the NKVE KLIA exit so getting there should not be a problem.

The LCCT building itself looks like a huge warehouse. It seems that the term 'low cost' is evident even in the construction of the building itself! The walls seem to be made of zinc type material similar to most warehouses. Thankfully, the interior of the LCCT is much better looking although slightly cramped. The airport layout is well designed and there should be no confusion between the check it counters and departure gates for the average traveller.

My biggest gripe with the LCCT would be the lack of sky bridges. I understand the need to bring down the cost of airport charges but the lack of sky bridge would equal to huge inconvenience to passengers. I saw the planes parked about 500m away from the terminal building and walking that distance under the hot Malaysian sun is no pleasant experience I assure you.

Accessibility to KLIA and KL Sentral is pretty good with shuttles provided in a pre-determined interval that is relatively short. Just RM9 to KL Sentral and RM1.50 to KLIA which is cheap compared to the price most cabs will charge you for that same distance. Didn't stick around long enough to find out whether the buses were actually punctual or not. =)


Cool photo of the sun!


Might as well snap some planes flying at low altitudes


The previously mentioned shuttles to KL Sentral

 

My Internet Addiction ...

I was reading an article in Star last week featuring the confessions of some self professed Internet addicts. I remember thinking to myself whether I was in any danger of being labelled an Internet addict myself. The thing is due to the nature of my job, I'm already spending most of my working hours infront of my notebook connected to the Internet.

In between work tasks, most relating to research done on the Internet, I check my e-mail or rather MS Outlook checks it for me every 15 minutes or so. Hotmail or Yahoo Messenger conveniently informs me whenever I receive any new email in real time.

I guess the thing that worries me the most is that when I get back home, I still go online either to do some personal research, check up on some blogs I read or even just to chat online. Do I really have an Internet addiction or perhaps I just lack a social life? =)

At least, I can take comfort in the fact that I dont suffer from withdrawal symptoms when denied access to the Internet like when I'm travelling or on holiday. But its still kind of sad that my early morning ritual actually involves turning on my notebook to check my email and going online even on weekends...*sigh*

Freedom !!!

It felt so good to finally be able to relax after a week of intensive studying at the wee hours of the morning. I decided to celebrate by going out to my favourite Nasi Lemak stall which has to be the best nasi lemak in the whole world! (At least i think so =P)

I normally try to stay away from Nasi Lemak as its not exactly the healthiest breakfast, but such a wonderful occasion as escaping from the jaws of my exam deserves to be celebrated by a steaming packet of Nasi Lemak!

So there I was, queuing up at the stall at 8AM in the morning, and still I wasn't the first to be served. I wonder what time the stall starts selling, perhaps I should go earlier to avoid the long queue....I shall have to balance losing 30 minutes of my precious beauty sleep versus waiting 10 mins in a long queue...Anyone who knows me will immediately guess my choice :D


The aforementioned long queue


The yummy delicious Nasi Lemak!

 

Arggghhhh....Exams Incoming!

Well, its certainly been awhile since I last crammed for an exam having completed my Bachelors degree course 4 years ago and honestly, can't say I miss the feeling. Been keeping odd hours trying to cram for my Economics Exam this Saturday afternoon. As my ability to retain information reduces dramatically while studying at night, I have resigned myself to waking up in the wee hours of the morning in the hopes that all these random facts and elaborate graphs will find a home in my brain, at least until Saturday anyway :P

Logic would dictate that I should be sleeping earlier so that it would be easier to wake up but unfortunately I lack discipline to stay away from the evil force that is MSN and Yahoo Messenger. I really have to admire people who successfully work and study at the same time now that I've tried it. Its certainly no piece of cake I assure you. After you're doggone tired after a day at the office, more of your precious leisure time is taken up by assignments and studying for these tests and exams.

The thought that this would be my life routine for another 1.5 years is exactly every comforting. Ok then, enough rambling. Back to work and perhaps I'll try to squeeze in some studying time during lunch. =D

A Day Of Firsts! [Continued....]

Oops...just a short addendum to my previous post as I completely forgot to list down one more on my lists of firsts last Sunday. I also had the opportunity to visit Halo Cafe at Sunway Pyramid! Having lead a most sheltered life, I never even knew there were places in Kuala Lumpur where the local talent show off their vocal prowess and musical skills.

The music was good, totally justifying the trip to Sunway Pyramid and hey, its another notch on my lists of firsts. Look forward to expanding my lists of firsts to include other crazy stuff :D Perhaps I should make it my New Year's Resolution. Its not too late I hope...

A Day Of Firsts!

Last Sunday will go down in history as day of many firsts. First of all, I finally managed to try out the Italian place in Kepong that has been raved about by Wawa since forever. I liked the interior deco at Bel Pasto and it gave me a cozy feeling that made me feel right at home. The place was quite empty considering it was lunch hour on a Sunday afternoon.

I had the Spaghetti Vongole while Wawa had her favourite Fettucini Carbonara. Erm, how shall I put this? (And still give credit where its due =P) I found the sauce too bland for my liking and the spaghetti noodles a tad on the soft side. But the ambience and customer service was superb! =D


My Spaghetti Vongole (Quite A Large Portion)


Fettucini Carbonara (Someone was too impatient to dig in before I had a chance to take a photo)

Next, we found ourselves in Wong Kok Char Chan Teng in 1 Utama for yet another first for me. Embarassing though it may seem, I have never got around to trying the food at the Hong Kong styled eateries even though they have been around for a few years already.

The sad thing is I might have never made the trip if not for the shocked expression on Wawa's face when i told her that I had never ever eaten the so called "Cheese Baked Rice" dish. Frankly, I'm not a big fan of fusion food and cheese baked over steamed rice certainly fits the bill of fusion so I remained sceptical for sometime.

But after being exposed to many comments like "I can't believe you've never had Cheese Baked Rice!" or "What??? You've never been to Wong Kok before?" soon got to me and I found myself wondering what I've been missing all this while. So another first for me to finally step into the Wong Kok Char Chan Teng branch at 1 Utama. =P

However, after the heavy lunch at Bel Pasto, all that we could fit in was some very delicous Ice Cream Peanut Butter Thick Toast which I absolutely loved! What have I been missing out on here?? How come no one dragged me here before to sample this delicious foods? Why?

Anyway, after sufficient time had passed for our stomachs to digest the lunch and tea, I at last had a chance to try out the famous "Cheese Baked Rice" dish. When it finally arrived, it looked fabulous! I could feel my mouth salivating looking at the amount of cheese in the dish which I felt was calling out to me. How can anyone resist cheese?


The Absolutely Yummylicious Cheese Baked Rice


The Cheese Baked Rice again with the Sherlock Holmes Milk Tea that I was deprived off *cries*

Long story short, I'm officially a converted Cheese Baked Rice addict! Plan to make many more trips here in the future =D

PS: Since when did my blog become a food blog?

I've Been Fooled!!!

Happy April Fools Day! Oh well, maybe not very happy for myself personally as little did I know a sweet innocent looking cute person would actually stoop to pulling a April's Fool prank on lil ol me. Hmmm...must be getting naive as I grow older, I would have smelled something like this coming a mile away a few years ago! Perhaps I'm just too trusting... :D

Now I will probabbly have to live with the humiliation for the rest of the 364 days until next year where I shall exert my sweet revenge! Other than that embarassing episode, today was a normal boring day with classes to attend and exams to study for except I wanted to make sure everybody knows! (well, those that actually know of the existence of this blog anyway ;D)

The McDonalds Fish Fiesta Is Back!!!



I remember McDonalds first introduced the fish fiesta a few months ago with this weird blue coloured drink. Thank goodness they didn't bring back the blue detergent coloured drink this time. Yay! Can't wait to try the new Fish McDeluxe burger although you must admit, the burger bun looks kinda obscene. Hmmm...wont stop me from trying it though!

Oooh...can't wait for McDs to bring back their Banana Pie which is supposed to make a come back on the 6th April 2006. It reminds me of pisang goreng albeit super over-priced pisang goreng but this pie comes with chunks of banana! *Drools* Will be counting down the days...