Rat-at-toie-lette

I didn't enjoy my dinner last night. No, the food was good; really, it was one of my favorites actually, black pepper fish with rice, with extra 'cili padi'.

So what went wrong?

It was THE ordeal before dinner.

Earlier in the morning I had to help Nat out with some spring cleaning at her house; basically I had to move stuff, the heavier ones mostly, & I had to dust, sweep and mop the place while she sat down drinking iced lemon tea. Nah, just kidding; she helped out too. Well, at least a bit.

Now, you'd be wondering why there's only the 2 of us in the whole picture, well that's because her family went down to a trip at some place, & the spring-cleaning job was rested on her shoulders, which meant it was my problem too. Sigh... As there was no running away, I started out in the morning, and finished the damn thing somewhere in the evening.

It was then when Nat complained that she smelt something funny, a foul stench to be more exact. She told me that she already smelt it in the morning, but she thought it was just a random smell carried by the wind. But it wasn't. It was worse. So, being the organisme with the XY chromosomes, I had to be the one to check it out, trace where it came from, & get rid of the smell.

I began sniffing around, and traced the stench to the toilet. Initially, I thought it was a case of bad diaorrhea 'floating' in the toilet bowl and someone had forgot to flush it, but it wasn't; I was thankful though, really. Now, on top of their toilet was a additional ceiling before the roof, housing a giant water tank.
I virtually checked the whole house, and it was at the toilet the stench was the 'strongest'. Thus I had to check the place as well.

So I got a ladder and climbed up the place, it was dark, damp and it stinked. With each step I climbed, the stench got worse, and finally when I could see, I saw a dead rat staring at me. I almost fell off the ladder from the shock and the stench, yeah, more due to the stench. Okay, target found, now to eliminate & destroy.

I called out to Nat telling her I found out the source of the 'lovely' smell, and asked her for 3 things, a pair of tongs, a large handkerchief & a plastic bag. Hell, I wasn't gonna hold the rat with my hands! After covering my nose and mouth with the handkerchief ala Mexican bandit, I had to brave the stench again, & I had to climb up to the ceiling in order to extract poor Remy. The climb wasn't easy, there was nothing to hold on to, and the damn ceiling floor was damp and dirty.

After struggling for almost five minutes, I managed and took the pair of tongs to put the rat into the bag. It took me 3 attempts, as dear old Remy was squishy and slippery, also the stench as I drew him nearer to the plastic bag was 'intoxicating'.
Post-extraction, I called out 'bombs-away' & dropped the plastic bag to the floor below, I was careful to ask Nat to re-locate the bag, I didn't want my 'leap of faith' to land on Remy.

I removed him out of the house, but the 10 minute ordeal had gotten rid of my appetite. Hungry as I was, I didn't seem keen on having dinner anymore, even though I was starving 15 minutes ago. And the guy, Anton Ego asked Remy to 'surprise him'; no thanks, I'll pass and stick to good ol' human chefs. Rats and dinner just don't mix.

Spaghetti in 5 easy steps

Women love men who can cook. Gone are the days when cooking was only for women, and ahem; most of the best chefs today are men. Yes, there are top women chefs, but I'm just stating the facts, no need to get upset, ladies.

I've been sitting at home and I've been cooking a lot in these few days, thus I decided to share a simple recipe in my blog, in order to update the drought of posts in my blog.

Okay, today I'm gonna list out a simple spaghetti recipe, this is dedicated especially to you Kav; I read your 'successful' burger stint the other day. Honestly, you gotta get yourself a girl mate, or... this recipe.

Right, let me list out the ingredients;

i. Spaghetti (San Remo or Buittoni)
ii.Sauce (Prego or Dolmio)
iii.The meat? (Sausages, meatballs, crabsticks)
iv. Garnish (basil, parsley, cheese powder)

The steps;

Step 1: Bring a pot of water to boil, add some salt into it. Leave it to boil for 10 minutes.

Step 2: Put the spaghetti into the pot, and leave it for 12-15 minutes, depending on the thickness of your spaghetti. (Angel hair takes a shorter time, spaghettoni types take longer times)

Step 3: Now it's time to prepare the sauce. Put 4-5 tablespoons of sauce into the saucepan, (I love mine thick!). Heat it up over a small fire.

Step 4: Add the innings into the sauce after 2 minutes. Slowly stir the sauce for 2-3 minutes.

Step 5: The sauce is done. Just pour the sauce on top of the spaghetti and dig in!

This recipe serves one, feel free to be creative and compromise accordingly to the number of people to be served.

p/s: I apologize for my 'inactiveness' in updating my blog recently, with me being quite busy with job interviews and no Net at home makes it quite hard to post.

But, as they say, 'absence makes the heart grow fonder'.

BEOWULF!!

A look at the poster or trailer will attract the average male to drag somebody along and queue for its tickets. It's got the medieval theme, monsters, the classic David vs. Goliath story, and it's got Angelina Jolie. Mind you, I went for the movie because of the initial three, and not the latter. I'm not a fan of her, no I don't know why, but I just ain't attracted.

When the movie played, I was a bit shocked as in my mind I pictured a real-life movie, but instead it was a full-CGI movie. All the better, I thought. It was like watching a video game's FMV (Full-Motion Video, if you will), but here you get to watch it from the beginning to the end, a full 115 minutes, which is a pleasant change.

The movie starts with a celebration being held in King Hrothgar's new drinking hall, the Heorot. The King, played by Anthony Hopkins is carried into a hall in a tandem and his garment almost falls off in his drunken stupor. (phew, luckily that didn't happen.) His people sing and dance and their joy so great, voice so loud and mood so merry that the noise can be heard miles away. Enter Grendel, an abomination of a man that's got 'super-hearing' and only converses in Old English. Apparently, the noise has disturbed his sleep and in a rage, Grendel slaughters all the noise-makers in Heorot. The King and his Queen are spared however, whereas the kingdom's 'warrior', Unferth, played by John Malkovich, takes a dip in the pool to escape the slaughter.

The light sleeper

Hrothgar closes his new hall, and announces that the one who would slay Grendel will inherit half of his kingdom. We're introduced to Beowulf, played by Ray Winstone (his Beowulf looks a lot like Sean Bean/Triple H) and the guy tells Hrothgar he'll slay Grendel. Come nightfall, Beowulf asks his men to sing and make merry in Heorot, and Grendel being the light-sleeper he is, wakes up angry and proceeds to Heorot to kill the noise-makers. Arrogant as he is confident, Beowulf decides to fight with Grendel in the nude, as he claims it's unfair to Grendel who has no armor. Now the camera angle is manipulated beautifully, as we never get to see 'little Beowulf' despite his acrobatic movements.

Beowulf pulls his adversary's arm off, and the defeated Grendel runs back to his cave whining to his mother that he was trashed by Beowulf before dying. Grendel's mother, upset by her son's death flies to Heorot and slays all of Beowulf's comrades, save Wiglaf. Hrothgar tells Beowulf of Grendel's mother and Beowulf goes to her cave to slay it, armed with Hrunting, Unferth's family sword. There he meets Grendel's mother, (a semi-nude Angelina Jolie) and falls for her seduction, and also the promises of him becoming King.

High-heels go back as far as the medieval times

He returns to Heorot, and lies that he's slayed the 'hag'. Hrothgar knows of his deceit and tells him that his curse has been passed to Beowulf, and announces him as his successor should he die. After the announcement, Hrothgar decides to go bungee-jumping but without the ropes and falls dead on the sea-shore, here in which his body is claimed by Grendel's mother. Beowulf becomes King, and after 50 years his past returns to haunt him.

His son, whom he conceived with Grendel's mother, a dragon, attacks his kingdom and Beowulf, claimed with old age decides to slay the dragon in order to repent for his past sins, as he claims that he has died may years before, clearly regretting his weakness.

The movie depicts the old English heroic epic poem in a new light, with Roger Avary and Neil Gaiman being the script writers. However, the movie deviates from its original poem, as the dragon is not his son, and Beowulf DID slay Grendel's mother. I enjoyed watching the movie, and I felt that it was a tad too short, even though it's running time was almost 2 hours. The script was beautifully written, as everything meshes together and there's no need to think in order to put two with two together.

Those who've read the poem or book may criticize it, as it's a major deviation, but it's the movie that introduces new readers to it, similarly to LOTR, Da Vinci Code, and other books which has been adapted into movies. The closing theme, 'A Hero Comes Home' by Idina Menzel is beautiful and truth be told, I stayed in the cinema just to listen to the song, something which I don't do when a movie's credits roll.

Here's a sample of the song.

Conclusion is, I enjoyed watching the movie, as it depicts a hero is not without his flaws. They're just human, who have their own weaknesses and prone to errors.

 

The Form 3 Incident

I remember the time when I was in Form 3. There was an assignment that needed to be handed over; a History assignment, in fact. The teacher requested it to be 'written with a computer', (I swear that was what she said!) and so being it completed using a word processor it had to be printed out.

Now, History was my favorite subject; I've always managed to score high marks in my tests, but alas for my SPM the examiner only gave me a bloody C. Talk about injustice. The facts were precise, writing was neat, it had the makings of an A paper. What the hell went wrong? Why did they have to ruin my life?

Ok, that's a bit too much.

Err.. where was I? Oh yeah, the assignment. It so turns out that I completed the assignment, and printed it out (back then my printer still existed) a week before the submission date.
Where is this going actually, you ask me?

Well, my best buddy cum classmate, Vincent's printer ran out of color ink , and my BC-05 just managed to print out a page with full-color, leaving another 2 looking like they've been left out in the sun for 2 days.

So, I accompanied him to the mall to get his assignment printed; where the mall had loads of CCs, cyber cafes if you will. We went asking around and the price was just too expensive, a color page was charged RM1.50 back then. I know, it might sound inexpensive now; but then the price was too much, furthermore we were just 2ndary school students.

We opted to go look for some shops outside the mall, and happened to chance upon a printing shop located in a housing area. The shop had tinted glass, so you can't look inside unless you press your nose on it. Initially Vincent was hesitant, but I assured him that I'll do the talking.

We went in and was greeted by a pretty girl sitting at the front desk. Clearly she was a receptionist and addressed us in Mandarin. Now, I've got a confession to make. During my school days, I studied in a Malay school, and was brought up in an English-speaking environment. Therefore, my command of Mandarin was almost null back then. So when she addressed us in Mandarin, I was unable to speak.

There was a photocopy machine just beside the entrance, Vincent and I kept staring at the photocopy machine while whispering among ourselves;

Vincent: Ei, she's talking to u la! (stares at the photocopy machine)

Me: I don't know how to speak Mandarin la! Die la! (stares at the photocopy machine)

Vincent: Who was the one who said he's gonna do the talking?! (continues to stare at the photocopy machine)

Me: How should I know? I didn't expect she'd talk in Mandarin. You know I'm banana-man! (continues to stare at the photocopy machine)

Vincent: You talk la! (staring hard at the photocopy machine)

Me: YOU talk la! (staring hard at the photocopy machine)

This kept on for 5 minutes, and all the while the girl was standing patiently and smiling kindly at us. At last, vincent plucked up the courage and told her we had something to print. She asked what was the material, whether was it for the school magazine and she asked us how many pages; 200, 300 pages?

We were shocked and told her that we wanted to print only..... 3 pages. She surpressed a giggle and kindly told us that this was a printing press and the minimum pages to be printed would be at least a 100 pages. Imagine our embarassment then. First we made a fool of ourselves by staring at a photocopy machine for 5 minutes, and then learnt that this place don't print your everyday school assignment.

We blushed furiously and apologized profusely as we scurried out. She was kind and told us to try the cyber cafe which was located a few lots away.

In the end, we went back to the CC at the shopping mall, with Vincent asking for the printing money from his parents.

Bee (grade) Movie

Well, I'm no movie buff, but when it comes to movies it's difficult for me to pass on them. Especially animation movies from Dreamworks. The previous movies were wholesome (wtf?); Chicken Run, Shrek, Flushed Away, etc.

So last Saturday I went to catch its latest release, Bee Movie.

Initially, Nat was reluctant to watch, as she disliked bees. However, I dragged her along as it's been quite a while since we watched a movie, and finally she relented. And it was a mistake.

The movie started ok at first, as we're introduced into the bee world, a look into how organized their world really is, with 2 bees standing in the middle of the highway all the cars seem to avoid them and traffic continues to run smoothly (yes, they have cars). Now why can't that happen in OUR world?

Ok, back to the review. The movie introduces us to its protaganist, Barry Bee Benson (or was it Barry Bee Benson?) voiced by comedian Jerry seinfield. Barry is a young bee which is about to start his working life and isn't pleased when he learns that he's gonna spend the rest of his life doing the same job.

Now, we have a plot here. From that point, I thought the movie was going to concentrate on the plot, and the rest of the show was about Barry, bees and a little human intervention. It turns out I was wrong.

Barry joins the 'Pollen Jocks'; larger, muscular worker bees for a an outing, gets lost and winds up with a human, Vanessa voiced by Renee Zellwegger. Barry interacts with Vanessa, yes, Barry talks to her in English; which is still acceptable as it's a cartoon. Then, the movie tumbles down the hill.
At least for me.

Barry & Vanessa hit it out

Barry soon learns that there's honey being sold in supermarkets, and is outraged that the bees are being 'ill-treated' and their hard work stolen. He then decides to sue humans, yes, SUE humans for depriving 'bee rights', which got Sting and Ray Liotta in some trouble too. Hahaha... That's the funniest part.

Long story short, the bees win the court case, and all the honey in the world is returned to the bees. This causes the bees to stop their work, and soon enough without pollenation the plants in the planet wither and dies. Barry feels guilty & comes up with a solution for the problem.

The movie started really ok, with a few parts being tolerable for it being a cartoon. But then, it seems to get too outrageous, even FOR a cartoon. Come on, bees suing humans? Where's the logic in that?

A cartoon is supposed to be fun and wholesome (there goes that word again), haven't we enough of movies that's got litigation in it?
Do you expect children to understand why the bees are suing humans? Oh, before I forget, the movie's most exaggerated scene, a Boeing jet is supported by millions of bees, which is really too much.

I don't know, but the writers really has outsretched the boundaries of logic, even for a cartoon. Geez, the plot sucked and the ending was worse, which I won't disclose. However, my colleague re-butted me saying that the movie was good, and crticized that 'I don't know how to appreaciate it'.

Oh well, everyone is entitled for their own opinion. I'm just putting mine on-line. One thing's for sure, to me Bee Movie is a B(grade) movie.

And so it begins...

I received news yesterday saying that the Sri Maha Mariamman Temple in Shah Alam was demolished. The Chief Priest of the temple was attacked ruthlessly and even though the officials pleaded to the authorities for minimal time in order for them to re-locate the deities, their pleas fell on deaf ears.
The order was the temple was to be demolished immediately, and for some dumb reason they can't find it in their hearts to respect another religion's request and grant them a day or two?

Is it too much to ask of a governemnt official whose country boasts of mutual respect? Is this really Malaysia? What's with the slogan I'm Malaysia all about? Isn't Malaysia for all? Where each race is bestowed equal treatment and their culture and beliefs respected?

Or is it just about the locals trying to show the world that we're a country which its multi-racial citizens pretend to live in harmony but our unity ties are rotten to the core?

The incident yesterday marks the commencement of project MM2M, which is the abbreviation for Malaysia's Minutes to Midnight.

As some of you know, Minutes to Midnight or Doomsday Clock is a symbolic clockface maintained since 1947 by the Board of Directors of the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists at the University of Chicago. It uses the analogy of the human race being at a time that is "minutes to midnight" where midnight represents "catastrophic destruction" To read more about it, please click here.

Malaysia's Midnutes to Midnight however, is the countdown to our country's demise. The senseless killings, the injustice, the lies, the corruption will be uncovered and listed to as how near our country's clock is to strike 12. This project is a collaboration bewteen me and my buddy Kav, herein which is actually his brainchild.

MM2M's core function will be to educate the public regarding our country's hideous, veiled affairs which are not highlighted in major newspapers and hopefully will wake many Malaysian's from their dream that Malaysia is still 'happy-land'. 

Those of you who are interested in joining this project, please comment on this post and be sure to include ur email in the form, and we would gladly contact you with details. We hope this wouldn’t be just another fruitless reach for the stars. Well, at least it won't cost almost a billion. Let’s unite.

Interview With A “Happy Penis” Datok

An interview with a Datok who's famous for his wearing of sunglasses, even at night. Either he's gila-glamour, or desperately wants to be blind. Or both.

An original work that's done by my buddy Kav, he's allowed me to post this as I'm involved in the interview as well. My version is R-rated, check out the original version, or U version here.

Finally, after much huffing and puffing, Kav has managed to actually get an interview with another politician. This dude is not a big honcho up in the pillars of national power, but he knows quite a bit of information.

Datok Happy Penis (DHP) is an ex-city council members in one of the richest states in the great country of Goblok. He is credited by many for being able to single handedly bribe town officials and circumvent tax payment to build a massive 4 storey-mansion in the middle of a local village.

DHP is also well loved by the members of his party, coz they allow him to still sit in the same room as them in political meetings. They gladly lick his balls (ewwww...) while he gazes at their dog-hungry faces through his cheap black shades.

For those of you who still seem a little dazed who DHP is, try translating his name into a few local languages. Go figure.

For this interview, unfortunately, KSW was not available. I was roped in, to assist Kav in this interview. We found DHP lounging in a bistro pub in Kuala Gempur last weekend, which we got to know from my well placed contacts. Here’s how the interview went:

Kav: Datok Happy Penis…! We demand an interview with you… to be published online, of course..

DHP: (stares beyond our presence… obviously looking for his bodyguards)

Me: Oi Datok! I know what you're thinking. You’re thinking “Did I bring 5 bodyguards, or did I bring 6? And where the fuck are they?!” (sniggers) Well, Datok, you gotta ask yourself this question now. “Do ya feel lucky, Datok?!” (brandishing two M1911s)

DHP: I feel the urge to bribe you. Name your price for leaving me in peace…

Kav: I am a true reporter. I don’t sell my loyalty to the readers. You will grant this interview, or I will publish these photos of you bribing the town officials to build your restaurant on government land.

Me: Kav! What the hell were you thinking?! We could’ve accepted the bribe! Transportation fares ain't cheap! Oh well… Cough up the facts, Happy Penis! We ain’t for sale. At least for now.

Kav: So, Datok, since you know about stuff that’s going on in your party’s general meetings, we’d like some inside scoop. Firstly, regarding the Goblokian dude in a foreign country who rapped about Goblok’s shaky social policies. Why the fuss? He mentioned only the truth.

DHP: Actually the fuss was started by none other than the Mis-Information Ministry of Goblok. We HAD to do something to turn the heads of the public from the much publicized foreign model murder case. Fingers were being pointed at a certain top minister. We all knew about the video clip in YouTube had existed many months prior to the case. But we needed a black sheep, and this unfortunate fucker got his balls slapped.

Me: You, of course, had your balls licked, right? (grimaces)

DHP: Yes… Urrmm.. I mean, NO!!!!

Me: Yeah, right. Now, what about the racial issues? Why the prejudiced and incorrect facts and rumours? Why do people bring up the word “racial” for every trivial issue and are at loggerheads, but when a Goblokian minister waves a traditional dagger over his head condemning others, nothing is being done? (surprised with myself)

Kav: Well said. C’mon Datok. You can entertain the GRO later. Answer the fucking question.

DHP: Errrmmmm… Actually, we couldn’t do anything. His speech while the waving was done was so inspirational.

Kav: You are wrong. It was plain racism.

DHP: Well, every government needs propaganda. Hitler was using the Jews as his. Since the country of Goblok is multi-racial, the minister had to appeal to the majority race.

Me: Not everyone from the majority race would sink to such a low level of blatant, single-minded belief. In fact, only a buffoon who lacks the ability of coherent and intelligent thinking, irregardless of race, would fall for that stunt.

Kav: That being said, the whole meeting during that point was filled with buffoons.

DHP: We prefer the politically correct term of “intellectually challenged”, thank you.

Kav: You guys deseve a pimp slap each. Next question. Why are our history books so inaccurate and also focusing on Goblok only?

DHP: We focus on Goblok only coz we need the younger generation to learn about our nation’s proud heritage. All they need to know is in there. And it is not inaccurate. We simply REFUSE to acknowledge facts and papers by foreign anthropologists and historians coz their presence would demean our nation. Thus we will stick to the current syllabus.

Me: Yeah right! Demean our nation?! You mean you wouldn’t be able to make money off them, right?! I got a bloody C only for History!! I wrote a bloody 6-pages during SPM and all that's worth was a fuc**ng C?! You know what, maybe I should blow a hole in ur head Datok!

Kav: Calm down, bro. We still need him for the interview. You can do whatever you want after the interview. Where was I? Yes.. Focusing on Goblok alone teaches narrow-mindedness to our children. There are no opportunities to learn about other cultures and their rise and fall of power. There are so many significant historical lessons to be learned from other nations but we Goblokians ignore them.

Me: Choose your next words carefully, Datok. They may be your last... as a dickhead. (smiles maniacally while pointing gun at DHP)

DHP: (shivers) Oh, is it so? Maybe that’s why the country is SLIGGGHTLLLY mismanaged.

Kav: Final question. Why do some members of the ruling party make unneeded ruckus whenever the Goblokian Goblok concept is brought up? The situation has boiled down to the stage where some rulers of this great nation voiced out opinions which are against the Goblokian government’s policies, but nevertheless stay true to the concept of justice and fairness to the public. Whis is this so?

DHP: That is a sensitive topic. Please don’t ask me that. We run the country fair and square.

Me: Then why the hell shudn’t we talk about it? Fair?! A promising student's History essay you gave him a C?! You call that FAIR?! You still feeling lucky, Datok?! Do yeh? Do yeh? Make my day. (points gun at DHP's head) 

DHP: (shivers ) Well, we just don’t wanna lose votes, y’know. Nothing can garner votes when you provide the illusion that you fight for the rights of your people. Our Minister of Mis-Information, Datok Alakazam tends to contradict himself often.

Me: For sure as hell you ain't gonna get my vote.

Kav: Maybe that’s coz he’s a dip-shit. But you ain’t fooling anyone anymore. Goblokians refuse to be divided by race and creed. But the Goblokian government is still trying to instill such thoughts into their minds with absurd actions.

DHP: The rulers are ruining it for us. They are speaking for the people; the sons of the soil, the minorities, the foreigners, everyone. We just can’t rob the people blind like this. Err.. I mean, help the people. Not rob. Help. The people. No robbing. Nadda. Zip. Only help.

Me: Robbing people blind? That’s funny. That’s what you guys did in Porta Kulang Free Zone right? 4 billion Goblokian dollars worth of the peoples’ money being used for the mistakes in mismanagement. Hell I could buy a V-SpecII Skyline with that. And a house. And throw parties all night. With chicks. And more chicks. And even more chicks.

DHP: This interview is OVER! Entourage, let’s go! (Pointing to me and Redgrave) You guys will hear from me soon.

Kav: Hah…! Maybe you’d be hearing from the high courts soon. We’ve had all this on tape. (shows middle finger)

Me: You got ownedddddddd, bitch! (shoots off DHP's sunglasses, laughs maniacally)

DHP: Argggghhhh, my shades!! My precious RM5 shades!!!!

A cycle down memory lane

What happens when you've gotten so used to driving and suddenly you find yourself devoid of a car? Of course, revert to the mode oftransportation that you were using before getting your driver's licence; and for me it was a.... bicycle.

It all started when I went to a certain gaming website and found out that Mortal Kombat: Armageddon was released yersterday (this happened last year actually). So, as a true gamer, I decided to get the game at my town's shopping centre. But, due to my car had some... erm... 'problems', I had to cycle to the shopping centre instead.

Well, before I started driving, I had a mountain bike which was my only means of transport, I & another friend still had bicycles only when all others were driving motorbikes to school. Back then, my stamina level was very high, and I could cover great distances with my bike. Yup, those were the good old days, didn't have to worry bout petrol though, just a full stomach to burn the energy that I need.

I had stopped cycling since I got my license, hmm..... that's about 5 years already. As I wheeled my bike, there was a feeling of nostalgia, and dread whether can I make it back with the bike or not.

(The journey home required me to cycle uphill you see......)

So, I braved myself and cycled downhill. It was great fun, as the feelings of past rushed back, wind kicking in my face and the sound of gears changing, brakes screeching was amazing.

But as the first 5 minutes kicked in, I started to grow tired. I was actually beginning to wear out, and after a great deal of energy burnt, and panting; I finally reached the shopping centre.

As I wheeled my bike to park it was only then that I realized my bike had no lock, and therefore I had no choice but to park my bike at my grandma's place which wasn't far away; but I still had to do some extra cycling and then had to travel to the destination by foot.

The best part was, after going through the hot sun, deflating myself, and almost got ran over by a lorry; the guy at the game shop coolly told me that the game wasn't out yet.

So, I began the long journey home........

Whatever you do will be insignificant....

I hate posting these kinda things. To me, writing about the tragedy of others is uncouth; and certainly this AIN'T about increasing my site statistics. Nevertheless, I need to say what's on my mind.

The recent news of the killing of an 8 year old girl recently shook the nation. There was an extensive coverage on the murder, with several keywords constantly getting highlighted; such as sports bag, sexually assaulted, cucumber, brinjal and such.

The one who committed this heinous act on a little 8 year old was inhuman, but the media and the public is just as ruthless as well.

There's no doubt that there'd be a repetitive statement on every news update of the murder, 'Her body was found stuffed in a sports bag', 'she was sexually assaulted'.

Come on, all the nation knows of what happened. Must the media constantly re-iterate what happened to her on every update? It disgusts me everytime I come across these statements.

And then there's the public. While most are saddened and mourning for the little one, there happens to be a few assholes who are selling her post-mortem pictures.

What the F88K are they thinking? Is this supposed to be some kinda joke or something? Is it a jovial matter that these sensitive pictures should be distributed? She was tortured and humiliated before her death, and now she and her family must suffer even after her untimely death?!

I'm really disappointed with the nation. Yesterday saw the 1st Malaysian going to space, a huge leap in terms of technology and development, but sadly we have degenerated in terms of ethics and morality.



Wild animals never kill for sport. Man is the only one to whom the torture and death of his fellow creatures is amusing in itself.


James A. Froude (1818 - 1894)

 

Resident Evil: Extinction

What do you get when you cross Resident Evil and Star Wars? Crap.

The recent release of the movie Resident Evil: Extinction saw me going to watch it last Saturday night. I wasn't anticipating this movie, but as a gamer who loved its game series, I decided to give this movie another try even though its previous sequel was disappointing, save Jill. Sienna Guillory is hot.

Where was I? Oh yeah.. Extinction takes place 5 years after the Raccoon City outbreak, and from there on the virus continued to spread across Earth, turning Earth into a barren wasteland surrounded by mindless zombies. Only a few survivors are left, with our heroine Alice going nomad and travelling via motorcycle. The film introduces a new heroine, Claire Redfield, who leads a convoy to lead the survivors to Europe in order to reunite with her brother Chris. Claire indeed is some eye-candy, as she's played by Ali Larter.



 

Ali Larter as Claire Redfield

Wesker was introduced in this new movie, and the 1st time I saw him I thought they got Eminem to play the role. The actor who played him was a bit fat though, compared to the game's version. It was until when I heard his voice did I realize it wasn't Eminem, as Jason O'Mara's voice was deep and Eminem has a squeaky voice.

The movie's got its gory scenes and some slick babe ass-kicking, but otherwise it was kinda dull. Apparently, Alice has undergone some Jedi training for the past 5 years as she's now been able to control the Force. She can create barriers, manipulate fire and even send a Tyrant flying. Come on... the story has was deviated from its roots. Why can't the director stick to good ol' guns and the protaganist use a RPG to blow the enemy boss to smithereens?

Also, I was wondering what the hell happened to Jill and Angela Ashford? And since when Wesker became the head of Umbrella?

The alleged head of Umbrella

Sigh... the title for the movie is befitting. Resident Evil movies should be made extinct, but from the movie's ending, we've yet to see the last of Alice. And she's bringing 'friends'. Great.

Devil May Cry 4: TGS 2007 Trailer

Devil May Cry 4 at its best trailer yet. I'd be a vegetarian for life if Ken Kutaragi would give me a PS3 bundled with DMC4.

Tarot, People & Workplace

Today's post is about the people at my workplace, and the characteristics they share with Tarot deck's Major Arcana. I figured that it's already 3 weeks in since I started my internship, and it's about time I wrote something about my workplace.

1. The Magician

Symbolism
It can mean a manipulator is floating around, usually if it's reversed. He may be a beneficent guide, but he does not necessarily have our best interests in mind. He can also represent the intoxication of power, good and bad.

The fat guy in the office, very hyperactive and is never void of jokes. An ‘ok-guy’ that’s offered to teach me a few things, and at the same time tries to manipulate me while chewing a donut.

2. The High Priestess

Symbolism
On a more mundane level, the High Priestess is a figure who has passed through most of life. She started as a novice when a child. Now She has grown and governs the convent which is Spiritual Reality. She knows God. She knows what we go through because She has been through it Herself.

My supervisor, the IT Manager. Started very young and has worked her way up to the top, sadly by doing so she looks much, much older than her actual age. Always full of smiles and so far I’ve managed to get away with surfing than actually doing my work; even though she’s just sitting BEHIND me.

3. The Emperor

Symbolism
The Emperor symbolizes the desire to rule over one's surroundings, and its appearance in a reading often suggests that the subject needs to accept that some things may not be controllable, and others may not benefit from being controlled.

The Managing Director of the company. Constantly full of motivational quips, speeches and lines to get you pumped up at work. Sadly his jokes never makes me laugh, I’m forced to express amusement because he’s the M.D.

4. The Lovers

Symbolism
In some traditions, The Lovers represents relationships and choices. Its appearance in a spread indicates some decision about an existing relationship, a temptation of the heart, or a choice of potential partners.

Haha… My senior and his girlfriend from another department. Tries to hide the fact that they’re actually a couple by acting cool towards her; but even a blind man can see that they’re going out. Sigh.

5. The Chariot

Symbolism
The battle is usually an external one, with a clear goal and plan of action. Qualities needed to win the battle are; self-reliance, righteousness, conviction and plain hard work.
The steeds represent powerful forces, internal or external, that can be controlled to achieve the goal.

My female colleague in the office. Can never stop programming, and has a high drive for success, similar to somebody I know back in my university. However she does enjoy chatting and Friendster, the only normal thing that’s normal about her.

6.The Fool

Symbolism
The Fool is the spirit in search of experience. Many symbols of the Instituted Mysteries are summarized in this card, which reverses, under high warrants, all the confusions that have preceded it.

The guy who operates a grocery shop in the company. A pleasant guy, but forlornly he’s a bit gender-confused. Very in touch with his feminine side; the other day he was telling me that he seriously wanted to join ballet class. No joke.

7. The Devil

Symbolism
It indicates an obsession or addiction to fulfilling our own earthly base desires. Should the Devil represent a person, it will most likely be one of money and power, one who is persuasive, aggressive, and controlling.

The old lady at the HR Department. Every time I fixed a bug in the system, she’s never short to point out another problem that needs to be rectified, even though a small one. Extremely demanding and very shrewd, in addition of having a big mouth. My guess is she’s not even married yet.


Click here to check Kav's categories of the people HE meets at work.

The 5 Dream Jobs

Remember when we were school children? Primary One? Primary Two? The teachers would ask us to fill a certain form about what we wanted to be in the future. Most of the kids would fill 'Doctor', as the 1st choice, among some other high-paying jobs, engineer, inspector, pilot and such.

We know that what we wrote last time and our current job now are two different things altogether. However, there are some who're lucky enough to accomplish their dream job, but fear not.
Here are some tips to help secure the 5 dream jobs of most people.

i. Doctor
Ahh yes.. The number one dream job of a lifetime.

What'll help:
1.You love to study. You can't live if you don't have a book in your hands.
2.The ability to withstand sleepless nights and feel fresh after a cup of kopi o'.
3.No fear of blood, smelly feet, or headless, naked bodies.

ii. Engineer
Hohohoho... Engineer?

What'll help:
1.Excel in mathematics. Well, not my cup of tea. I hate maths.
2.Loves programming, i.e. Dr. Sitharam (names have been changed to avoid confusion)
3.At least IT literate.

iii. Pilot
Don't even dare to attempt this if you're scared of heights.

What'll help:
1.Excellent sense of direction. (duh! If you can get lost in your own housing area then forget about this career)
2.Ability to play video games. Serious.
3.Good-looks would really help.

iv. Police Inspector
Go, Gadget, go!

What'll help:
1.Having a physique like Arnold Schwarzenegger.
2.Love reading Sherlock Holmes.
3.Ability to speak fluently in front of the camera instead of going uh, uh, uh...

v.Businessman
I'm looking for.... the apprentice.

What'll help:
1.Winning Donald Trump's 'The Apprentice' or at least, Martha Stewart's.
2.The ability to lie, cheat and steal without any pangs of conscience.
3.Memorised every word in Robert T.Kiyosaki's 'Why We Want You To Be Rich'.

Manda Bala

It's been a while since I've been myself. Normally I'll have spare time to do loads of stuff, but now I can't even find time to blog. Why so? Because of I'm an official participant in the rat race.

And given that I 'lost' my Internet connection at home means that I can't blog whenever I want to, I just can do it during office hours.

Even that's risky, cause I'm being unethical in terms of computer usage.
Yeah Right.

So, as I was being unethical browsing some trailers, I stumbled across 'Send a Bullet', a documentary which a LITTLE BIT reflects our country. RM 5700 for a jack worth only 50 bucks? And they say it covers installation fees. RM 5650 for installing. Wow.

Just watch the trailer and you'll get what I mean. In a word, brilliant.

The only difference is there they let the guns do the talking, but here ..... 

I rest my case. 


 

Interview with a Working Man

Finally! The much-awaited interview between me and radiuz! My sincerest apologies for delaying this. I got to interview radiuz one fine day at Kedai Kak Jah Tomyam, as the guy was a busy man,(don't get me wrong, he's not busy due to work, but busy for all the wrong reasons) and to my astonishment; he brought along..... the legendary KSW.

Check out what happened below.

Me: Ahhh Kav.... it's been too long. How are you, mofo?

Kav: Fine, fine... No chick, no life, no money, but other than that I'm cool.

Me: (astonished) You're.... the legendary Kirim Singh Wallu! I just realized! Oh, I've heard so much about you. It's a pleasure!

KSW: Pertemuan & perpisahan perkara biasa.

Me: (puzzled) Ok.... Kav, shall we begin our interview then? An exposure of a single, penniless man's working life?

Kav: Hey, hey, ease the insults. And what's with this TomYam shop, anyways? I was expecting at least Starbucks.

Me: Oh well, you know I'm not Bill Gates myself. So this is all I can manage. But help yourself, it's on the house. Kak Jah is an old friend of mine.

KSW: Otamak-otagi, orang tamak selalu rugi.

Me: (whispers) Hey man, does KSW always do this?

Kav: Ignore him. (shouts) Kak Jah, nasi pattaya satu. Tambah nasi, bungkus 2 telur!!

Me: Alright, let's begin this shall we? 1stly, what are you working as?

Kav: I'm working as a web programmer, specializing in PHP. That means I get to play around with PHP based Content Management Systems, such as XOOPS. In layman terms, I'm one of the guys they go to when some customer fucks up their CMS or try to fuck it up but failed. I also build web-based systems to be used internally, which translates to someone else taking up the credit as soon as I am done with my work.

Me: In layman terms it's a whole lot easier to understand. So ur the man who gets his ass screwed if something goes wrong, but never gets any credit for good work right?

KSW: (slurping teh ais) Lembu punya susu, sapi punya nama.

Me: I'm with you on that one, KSW. Ok then, your designation?

Kav: I'm designated as Programmmer 03. Prog03 for short. Doesn't have much ring in it, does it? Prog03 is the guy who gets all the crappy stuff handed to when Prog01 is just too fucking lazy and Prog02 is a sweet girl who is swamped with tonnes of work.

Me: Sweet girl? Is Prog02 still available? Do you have her number?

Kav: Forget about it. You've got your own girl. And don't think about steppin' into my yard.

Me: (disappointed) Ok, ok... Sheesh, talk about selfishness. So, what are your work responsibilities?

Kav: I do stuff the boss asks me to do, and ignore the stuff my supervisor asks me to do, unless it is approved by my boss. Quite a nice chain of command eh? I am responsible for anything that screams PHP, which of course . I am also responsible for maintaining the company's customized online payment modules for these shopping carts: Joomla, ZenCart and to a certain extent,osCommerce. I am also responsible for looking sleepy after lunch.

Me: Sleepy after lunch, huh? Figures. Is your company small one or a big company?

Kav: It's a biggish small company. Yes. That means I am not quite fucking sure how to classify a big or a small company. (shouts) Oi, mana nasi pattaya I?! Dah lapar ni!!

Me: Give her some time. You requested for additional rice, and I don't know how the hell is she gonna wrap the rice with 2 eggs.

Kav: (groans) Alright.

KSW: Berakit-rakit ke hulu, berenang-renang ke hilir; bersakit-sakit dahulu, bersenang-senang kemudian. (burps after his 5th teh ais)

Me: Hey KSW, you might wanna ease off the teh ais. Sure it's free, but you'll get yourself into trouble if you keep on drinking.

KSW: Semut mati kerana gula.

Me: (sighs) Alright. Suit yourself. So Kav, any chicks there?

Kav: Sensitive question. Hmmmmm... Chicks, got la... Hot chicks, nope.

Kak Jah: Nasi pattaya, tambah nasi, bungkuih 2 teloq, SIAP!

Kav: Alright! You don't mind, Redgrave?

Me: Carry on, Kav. You can answer while eating right?

Kav: (concentrating on eating) Huh? Right, right....

Me: Name 1 person there u like @ despise the most. You're free to use pseudonyms.

Kav: Ooooooo...... I call this guy The Incomprehensible Shit-Faced Loser Who Can't Communicate in Any Language but Mandarin and Has Fucked-Up Work Ethic and Manners With A I-am-only-nice-to-girls-but-not-guys Attitude. He is not racist. He is a sexist. And he doesn't even help his OWN sex.

Me: Hmm... Sounds like somebody I know from secondary school. Dickhead. Oh well, from 1-10, estimate ur popularity rate at ur office.

Kav: Among my lunch mates, I'm around 8 or 9. Among the whole office, I'm closer to 3 or 4.

Me: Are u still single?

Kav: (smiling sheepishly) Actually, hehehe..... Not exactly.

Me: If still single, describe the girl of ur dreams?

Kav: In lieu of question 8, I skip this question.

KSW: (in between his 9th teh ais) Tepuk sebelah tangan takkan berbunyi.

Me: Hahahaha... Right. Future plans, Kav?

Kav: I wanna work for a company that allows me to work from home, which suits my lazy ass body and intelligent brain. Make some good money, stack up some savings. Go to Germany's Oktoberfest, then off to Amsterdam to legally get stoned shitless with weed and engage in wonderous legal sexual activites.

Return to Malaysia, get married at 28, have kids at 30, retire by 40, run my own internet business and watch the money roll in while I shag my wife every day and play with my kids and take care of my parents.

An internet death calculator said that I'm gonna die on 31 August 2068. So I would have my final Merdeka celebrations and die happily ever after at 84 years old.

I will then be cremated. My friends will put my ashes on a homegrown cannabis plant as organic fertiliser, so I would appear to them ethereally when they smoke it up, just like in the movie How High. How's that for a future plan?!

Me: Nice plan dude. I was... (loud sound, KSW sprawled on the floor) KSW!! What happened?

KSW: Orang memberi kita merasa, orang berbudi kita berbahasa. (faints after his 13th teh ais)

Kak Jah: Toloooooooooooooonnnngggggggggg!!! Ada orang mati!!!!

Kav: Shit! Somebody get an ambulance!!

'Twas Merdeka Eve

10 hours ago most Malaysians were busy preparing for the celebration of Malaysia's 50th Independece, our Golden Jubilee Independence that our forefathers have worked so hard to achieve.

Notice in the previous sentence I mentioned 'MOST', which meant there are some who did not share this joy of celebrating, and unfortunately I belong in this category. Now, I am not unpatriotic, and I don't mean to say I'm patriotic too. I just belong on the fence, but with body leaning slightly on the patriotic side.

No offence, but raising a flag at your home or sticking hundreds of flags on your car does show your patriotism, but how sure are we that those people aren't hypocrites?
True patriotism is from the heart, and when it's time to do something for our country we do not hesitate.

Crap, I'm touching politics here. Truth is, I DESPISE politics.

As I was saying, 10 hours ago most Malaysians were busy celebrating and anticipating for the clock to strike 12. Sadly, I was at home playing PS2.

It's sad, as all my family were out except me; I was lazy to drive, there were too many cars on the road, and I was a bit feverish (yeah, right). Sigh... But when the clock struck 12, I was at my lawn watching fireworks and shouted 'Merdeka' thrice, much to the astonishment of my neighbours and passing on-lookers. And after noticing the unwanted attention I rushed into the house to continue 'Def Jam : Fight for NY'.

'Twas Merdeka Eve.

A New Chapter

I finished my final exam in my university today; the final exam of my final semester. When it was time for the papers to be collected and I was allowed to leave, I solemnly walked out of the hall, and straight to my car.

Funny, this wasn't how I pictured it 2 weeks ago. A fortnight ago I dreamt of this moment to come, where I'll be doing some backflips after handing in my paper & shouting mad like I just won a million bucks.

This was my final day here, I won't need to see the stupid guards, or follow any stupid protocols anymore, I was finally free from the boundaries & restrictions of the university.
I won't be missing any protocols, or classes or the routine of being here; but I feel a bit heavy to leave the people here, my friends & the lecturers.

It's ironic, stating how I hated the place so much when I was here but feeling reluctant when it's time to leave.

Coming September, I'll be starting my internship away from my hometown, beginning a life on my own. I'm a little enthusiastic, & hesitant to leave Nat, my home and my friends.

September, a new chapter in my life unfolds.

Of Digits & Breakfast

I had breakfast with Nat this morning at a kopitiam, which was famous for its koay teow theng. The place would normally be packed; it's a hotspot for elderly people as it's supposedly a long-established business, dating back to my grandma's days.

I was half-way through my koay teow theng when I heard a disagreement going on, between two old people, a lady and a man. They were bickering about some order of digits, initially I thought they were arguing about phone numbers; but the length was only 4-digits.

Suddenly the old lady went off and returned with a Chinese newspaper in her hand and turned to a page, showing the old man that her order of digits were exactly similar to the one on the newspaper. It was then I realized that they were actually arguing about the license plate of a bus which was involved in an accident recently. Why were they so interested? Ha.. no wonder they wanted to get the order of digits right; to buy 4D.

Honestly, I felt disgusted after that, they were actually looking to gain something out of a disaster. People were injured, or lives were lost in the accident, and here 2 people were bickering their tongues out just to get the order of digits right to buy 4D numbers.

Look at how caring we Malaysians are. And we'll be celebrating our 50th Independence Day in 8 days.

LSP No. 1

There's a lot of things that I tend to overlook, especially the small pleasures in life. So, I've decided to come up with a new category, 'Life's Simple Pleasures'; to list and commemerate each & every simple pleasures in life.

Actually, this category was decided when I came home today in the hot afternoon, after my exam. I was sweating like mad, and I quickly jumped into the shower. The water was cool & refreshing, and it felt like... heaven. It then struck me that how simple life's pleasures can be, like taking a cold shower after a hot, tiring day.

These are the things that're so regular, so bland that you tend to take it for granted. Well, not anymore. I'll be listing the simple pleasures in life as frequent as possible, appreciating each & every one of it now instead of doing so only when I'm 69 years old.

But, then again, I don't think I can take a cold shower when I'm 69.

Thus, LSP No 1: A Cold, Refreshing Shower after a Hot, Tiring Day

An Interlude of Awareness

It's funny thinking that you seem to notice and admire the little things around you only when you're in a period of stress. Only then will you seem to admire how pretty the trees are in the rain, wonder where does that road leads to, how relaxing it is to sit at the park, etc.

It seems that when you've got nothing to worry about, these small joys are easily overlooked cause you're supposedly 'busy' with something else.  And during this episode, you promise that 
you're gonna be more aware of these small things; only to forget about it after the worry-period is over. 

In the field so green and so free, seeds gaze up
The clouds keeps them from the light
And the sky cries white tears of snow
But still, the fragile seeds wait long for the sun to shine
Dark winter away, come spring
My young seeds once again will look up to the sky
And I know they will grow strong
My young seeds once again will look up to the sky
And I know they will grow strong

The Return of Tony Redgrave

Ahhh.... it feels good to be home, especially after a long holiday. The best part, there's a maid, oops I mean fantastic lady to help me to take care and decorate this blog.
Whatever would I do without you, A?

I personally would like to state my greatest appreciation to you for a job well done. And yes, my taste may not be so nice.... alright, I admit, it sucked.

The new layout is much better than the the previous ones.

It's a shame that she wouldn't stay to become co-author, it seems she despises writing in paragraphs. But that doesn't mean she won't be back to drop a post or two.

Well, I think that's about it for today. Gotta go study for an exam which I know nothing about.

Look out for the post; 'Interview with a Working Man', an exclusive interview between me & radiuz which will be out sometime next week.

Meanwhile, enjoy the vid below to commemerate my return.

Signing Off

It is with great pleasure that I wish to announce that Dante is finally cured of his emo-state & officially out of WOMBAT mode. This means that he'll be back to take care of his own god damn blog instead of me. Yippee-Yay!!

Now, I can go back to short msgs instead of thinking of conjuncting a string of long words to make a paragraph. Oh, I can't wait.

What I've learned from this short period is that being a blogger ain't ez, especially with coming up with ideas on what to post everyday, or 2 days once. However I enjoyed myself during the short period, I feel I've achieved a lot, especially in changing the layout of this blog. 
Honestly Dante, ur taste sucks.

Without further ado, I, Amanda would like to bow out gracefully from being the susbtitute author of 'For Tony Redgrave, by .45 Artwarks'.

Thank you.

Philosophy of space & time

In the Old Testament book Ecclesiastes, thought to have been written by Solomon (970–928 BCE), time (as the Hebrew word עת ’êth is often translated, as well as "season") was traditionally regarded as a medium for the passage of predestined events. (Another word, זמן zman, was current as meaning time fit for an event, and is used as the modern Hebrew equivalent to the English word "time".)

There is an appointed time (zman) for everything. And there is a time (’êth) for every event under heaven–
A time (’êth) to give birth, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill, and a time to heal; A time to tear down, and a time to build up.
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; A time to mourn, and a time to dance.
A time to throw stones, and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, and a time to shun embracing.
A time to search, and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep, and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart, and a time to sew together; A time to be silent, and a time to speak.
A time to love, and a time to hate; A time for war, and a time for peace.

– Ecclesiastes 3:1–8

With me currently re-vamping the look-and-feel of Dante's blog, I find myself running out of
time, especially the time to laugh.

p/s: Sorry for the Blogroll links people, it'll be up anytime soon.

Reservations?

I was driving to lunch today when I spotted something interesting, a sticker on a car wrote;

"Heaven or Hell: Have you made you reservations?"

I'll admit that it was intriguing, but then I pondered; 'Do I need to make a reservation to Hell?' Then what if I wanted to make a reservation to Heaven? Whom should I see or call? 
Can we just make a call to Heaven, or straight to St. Peter & demand that we're coming to Heaven at about 70 years old?

Ha, if only life was that simple.

O shoemaker, where art thou?

I recently bought a pair of shoes from a shop in Queensbay, I think maybe a few weeks back. As the design was so appealing & it was my favorite brand, I bought it without a moment's hesitation.

And guess what? The strap broke when I was heading to work this morning. I had just parked my car and was walking to office when it happened so sudden. I had to drag my right foot to my office which was on the 17th floor, the only place which I kept a spare pair of shoes. Virtually everybody was staring at me. Ohh... the humiliation.

sigh... they just don't make shoes like the way they used to. A lifespan of only 3 weeks? Gimme a break. And worse is shoes don't have any warranty. I can't go back and return the shoes like any electronic device and demand for a new one. If only that was possible.....

How I wish that I had the shoemaker's elves that would make beautiful & LASTING shoes for me, a new pair every morning I wake up. Now wouldn't that be nice?

Taking Over

With Dante down with exam-fever and being emo after his recent farewell party, I've decided to step up the threshold & take over his precious blog for a while. Since he's now in WOMBAT-mode, I'll guess I'll have to manage 'for tony redgrave' until he recovers.

Confused? Don't be.

I, Amanda have been entrusted with Redgrave/Dante's blog &, no he's not dead, he's just being emo & a WOMBAT (Waste of brains, money & time). Wow, I nvr thought it's so hard to think of what to write. Chatting seemed so ez, but writing a post for a blog is so hard.

So, you'll forgive me for my abbreviations, as good habits tend to stick with me, & I'll try to lessen my use of Internet slangs & short-forms.


rain dyes dark rows of houses black
brightness of gay neon cannot drive off the hand of the black evil spirit which finishes dyeing the world either
if a morning will comes darkness will retreat & suitable brightness will revive in the world where people live again
there is no it with how often... it's the business in the world which does not change from that day 2000 years ago until now itself

but are there those (any) who have noticed?

breathing in the shadow which sunlight produced & those other than a man
the black shadow which dances secretly & is out of order whenever the darkness of night covers empty
the doubtful signs of wriggling to a shadow to the extent that light does not shine

...if only one person that nobody has probably noticed & this man are removed...

the name of him who is feared from an evil spirit & despairs is 'Devil Hunter' Dante

The Room

For those of you who thought that I was killed yesterday by Amanda, fear not. I'm still here, alive & kicking. 

However, I do feel I owe her an apology, and therefore I'm posting the soundtrack of our favorite game, Silent Hill 4.

Enjoy, Amanda.



p/s: You'll forget about the Baskin Robbins treat, won't you?

1st potential candidate

I received a mail last night from one of my female friends yesterday, well, sort of my girlfriend; Nat's friend.

Apparently she had read my post looking for a sidekick, & she was interested in becoming a co-author.

So, yesterday night I IM'ed her thru MSN, and this was what took place.

Me: So.... you're interested in becoming the co-author for Tony Redgrave's blog?

Amanda: Duh... if not why are we having this conversation at the 1st place?

Me: (offended) Do you have to be so cynical all the time?

Amanda: It's who I am. Can we proceed? I've another window which I'm talking to a hot guy, Brazilian.

Me: (even more offended) All right. (thinks 'How am I going to work with her?') So, why would you want to co-author at the 1st place? I know you got the hots for me, right?

Amanda: Get a life. You're not my type. And I'll make sure Nat hears about this.

Me: (scared shit) Hey, come on, I'm not hitting on you. 'Twas just a joke.

Amanda: I'll forget about this if you treat me to Baskin-Robbins.

Me: What?! Maybe you should consider being an 'along' or something, since you're so good at exthorting.

Amanda: Yeah, maybe I will. And for that sentence, it's gonna cost you 2 treats to BR31; if not I'm gonna tell Nat every single thing you've done online, you cyber-wolf.

Me: (sighs) All right. (mutters; 'You no good she-demon')

Amanda: Hey, did you say anything? Coz I sneezed just now.

Me: You're being paranoid.

Amanda: Hurry up, you're stalling. I now got 2 hotties waiting for my reply, another is French.

Me: Quit boasting. So, can you post frequently? Whenever I'm busy I'll drop you a mail, or you can post whenever you like. Is that ok with you?

Amanda: Sure, considering I'm a Net freak. And I'll consider to re-decorate your page. Your taste sucks.

Me: The decoration is fine. You're not touching the page layout.

Amanda: We'll see about that. Now what about the benefits?

Me: What benefits?!

Amanda: The benefits of co-authoring. You think I'd do this for free? I expect the revenue generated from the ads be split 50/50. And for every post I make, a treat at least to Starbucks is charged; considering you'll be moving to Penang I don't think that'll be a problem.

Me: WHAT?!

Amanda: What's wrong, Dante? Is there a problem?

Me: Err... I'll get back to you later, Amanda.

Amanda: Heyy... you're not trying to run away, are you?

Me: My connection has a problem... (quickly disconnects my TM connection)

The search for a sidekick

I realize my posts are getting dryer & drier (can't decide which spelling to use, crap). I noticed I could write so long in my previous posts but now I'm punctured of ideas.

I racked my brains thinking of a solution, & I've come up with a wonderful idea.

I need a sidekick. A co-author. Someone who is creative, spontaneous & pretty.

Someone who can replenish this blog of its dryness with her woman's touch. Someone who can keep posting whenever I'm busy rushing deadlines.

Yes, I need a sidekick.

The hunt is on.

in lulz we trust

As I was chatting with radiuz this afternoon, he asked me to check out an interesting site. Hell no it's not a porn site, we're gentlemen (clears throat) ; we don't talk bout this online.

The site's called Encyclopedia Dramatica, and being the procrastinater I was, I decided to check the site out even though I had loads of work to do. And after browsing the site for about an hour, my mind was in a limbo.
I didn't know what to trust, as the information at the site turned everything I believed upside down. All right, maybe that's a bit too much.

I refuse to elaborate further, maybe this pic below will 'open' your mind. Wanna know what it is? Go figure.

You can take the red pill, and try googling for the site; OR you can take the blue pill, forget everything that you've read here.

But do you want to know WHAT IS ENCYCLOPEDIA DRAMATICA? It is a question of choice.

p/s: Matrix is my favorite movie. And I'm not emo.

Lazy Days...

I have never felt so lazy in my life. The past semester's Final Year Project has drained all of my diligent behaviour. And the fact that it's my final sem makes it worse, I honestly don't feel like studying.

I don't even feel like updating my blog, well due to the fact I'm busy with my procrastination attitude, and I'm busy rushing the deadlines. Huh, 3 presentations and 2 assignments this week. And I haven't started anything yet. Crap.

And with the fact of me coming down with the flu & a bad cough makes it worse. And today's Monday, my 'favorite' day of the week.

This just keeps getting better & better.

I know, I know. What's this compared to other people's problems? 'Appreciate what you have in life', 'Be thankful what you have', bla bla bla... Truth is I don't give a rat's ass about other people's problems.

This is my blog and I have the right to complain all I want. And that's that.

10 Craziest Excuses for being late....

I was browsing today and I came across this link from MSN.com; damn they're hilarious and I thought of posting this on my blog, with regards to Rosemary Haefner.

Here are the top 10 examples of the most unusual excuses employees offered their managers for arriving late to work:

1. Someone was following me, and I drove all around town trying to lose them.
2. My dog dialed 911, and the police wanted to question me about what "really" happened.
3. My girlfriend got mad and destroyed all of my undergarments.
4. I woke up and thought I was temporarily deaf.
5. I just wasn't "feelin' it" this morning.
6. I was up all night arguing with God.
7. A raccoon stole my work shoe off my porch.
8. I super-glued my eye thinking it was contact solution.
9. I was putting lotion on my face when my finger went up my nose causing a nose bleed.
10. A prostitute climbed into my car at a stop light, and I was afraid my wife would see her and think I was messing around... so I got out of the car.

Hang Fire

I realize as the semester is drawing to its close, my workload is starting to pile up. All the assignments, reports and stuff that were given few weeks or a month back are about to reach their dateline in this few days to come, some of them even have the same due dates.

What have I been doing then? Where is the time that was allocated to me gone?

And now, I sit in front of my PC working my butt off to complete all the work. I've been so busy until I've got no time to post anything, well, except some general stuff. Soul Calibur in HD is reallly sweet.

Err... as I was saying, procrastination is really your enemy. No, let me re-phrase that.
Procrastination is MY enemy. It was my friend until the week of 22nd July, until the closing dates started closing in.

Sigh, try as I might, I love to procrastinate. I guess it's a bad habit which I really can't let go. But it really fuels me to do better.
Guess I could call it a 'double-edged sword'. I can chop somebody up with one side of the blade, but the other side too can cut yours truly.

With that heavy load off my chest, I continue to work my butt to complete and submit my work before its deadlines.

Secret Garden

As I was browsing in Borders today, I happened to chance upon something that I've been looking for eternity; 'The Ultimate Secret Garden' album.

Secret Garden is a an Irish-Norwegian duo playing New Instrumental Music, also understood by some as Neo-classical music.
It features the Irish violinist Fionnuala Sherry and the Norwegian composer/pianist Rolf Løvland (how do I pronouce this?).

Listening at night really does wonders, especially a hard day's work.

Its alleviating tranquil music literally translates the saying 'music soothes the savage beast.'

The album came with 2 CDs and so far I'm listening to the 1st CD for the 5th time, albeit some repeats on several beautiful tracks which I can't resist listening for the umpteenth time.

A few of notable tracks;

i.Song from a Secret Garden (feat. Youngok Shin)
ii.Nocturne
iii.Heartstrings
iv.Prayer


I haven't gone into the 2nd CD yet, which features its live tracks. Maybe I'll indulge on them tonight.