Random Bla Bla Blahs

Hey guys,this is gonna be a short rant from me.I'm currently at Concorde Hotel in Jalan Sultan Ismail till tomorrow for a course. Judging from what's in stored for today,I'm sooo glad that it will be only for 2 days. It is an absolute torture! It's back to school sort of session,with the trainer being ever so boring! The attendees instead took the opportunity during breaks to bash about company's ridiculous initiatives and how they should instead show more concern on those people planning to leave the company out of dissatisfaction,nonsense KPI and forced ranking systems and the favourite; the work colleague (and bosses) who do you just want to kick them in the nuts.

Anyway,I did something interesting this evening.The last time I did this was when I was a student in the UK. I actually walked my way to the city centre and to the shopping mall! Yup,I wore my shorts,a tshirt and my loafers and march straight to KLCC. Honest to God, I kinda enjoyed it. The weather was pleasant and so was the crowd. For a moment I feel like a tourist,hihi..

Signing off from my HTC TD2

The Heineken Commercial...

I always wonder, but beer companies have always produced some of the freshest, original and creative advertisements I have ever seen on mainstream media. They must have hired themselves a damn good firm to come up with this genius ideas! It is also a wonder why us Malaysians could not come up with such an advert (with exception of Maxis and Digi adverts, I think they're brilliant). Anyway, I encountered this advert during the screening of Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen, and I thought it's just hillarious. Enjoy:)

Michael Jackson: Your Music and Moves Will Be Missed

The world mourns over the passing away of a great artist. The King Of Pop himself, died over a cardiac arrest at the age of 50. He was one of the most remembered artist growing up over the years. You can always talk about him either to the young generations or the elderly. His music has touched millions of hearts from fans all around the world. May you rest in peace, Michael. Your music and dance moves are unrivalled, and will be missed. Here's a tribute to one of the greatest singers of all time, i present to you 'Smooth Criminal'. It has a great arrangement, not to mention the ever awesome dance moves and video production. Definitely one of my favourites from his many hits.

Seen And Heard: Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen

Woww, I actually don't know how to start writing about this. Anyway, yeah after months of anticipating, hundreds of hours being teased and drooled by the trailers, tv spots and many more, the time has finally come; I have actually watched Transformers: Revenge Of The Fallen! Before I go any further, let me just brief you on the happenings surrounding this movie. All of our premieres should start on Thursday (they'll show pre-scrennings on Wednesdays), and somehow for this movie the premierre date was shifted a day earlier (and don't ask me, I don't know why). The buzz coming out from this movie was so big, all of the tickets are merely sold-out till next week! I do not kid you, I received feedbacks ranging from online bookings to people who queued for tickets, and radio commentaries. I can't even get access to GSC's website to check out the tickets! Let me tell you this, as far as I can remember, that NEVER happened before! I can't believe the magnitude of the hype for this movie (and all the more reasons to actually watch this movie). Long story short, my sister managed to get tickets for it @ GSC Signature, The Gardens (nothing beats watching an awesome title at awesome cinema, with comfy huge seats, less crowd (well, that's what I think at first)). So midnight at 12, I was there, ready to watch the movie I've been waiting for so long.

Now I'm attempting to write what I think about the movie. Before that, I've been receiving buzz about how 'not so good' the early reviews went, so I decided to actually check out what they have to say before I say anything. I'm trying to be realistic with what I am about to write, also to give some reassurance as to what I felt is true and not.

Let's go to some plot summary, shall we? (Note to readers: spoilers ahead!). First of all, I thought the title itself was referring to the fall of the Autobots due to revenge by the Decepticons, which...is not! The Fallen is actually a character on this movie (more on that later). So the Autobots and the military have formed a special force to combat the remaining Decepticons (the universe has started expanding, introducing cities like Shanghai and Cairo). On the other side of the world, Sam (played by Shia LeBouf) is moving on with his college life, and his ever awesome
superhot girlfriend Mikaela (that's Megan Fox y'all!), trying to work things out in a long distance relationship. All of a sudden, Sam got all wacko when he touched the frags of the AllSpark (the huge cube thingy majiggy) and saw images of weird symbols, ancient Cybertronian language of some sort; which in the end led it to a deadly machine once built by the Decepticons. The Transformers as we know it depends on Energon as their source of energy, and they sort of harvest it from planet to planet (with exception of planets with living beings). That's where The Fallen steps in. He is apparently the degil one, wanting to harvest Energon from the sun surrounding Earth. They then had this civil war (which happened thousands of years ago) whereby the key to leadership throne (on this movie it's called the 'matrix'). Anyway, the matrix was sealed off by the elderly leaders hoping the The Fallen will not ever find it, till today. So thus begin the battle in order to attain the matrix (oh and did I not mention, Megatron was resurrected by his fellow Decepticons?) and apparently take commands from The Fallen. And let me tell you this, it is lonnngggg battle!

So that's about the plot summary summary (I can't be bothered to write everything). Go watch it yourself, haha. Let's get to the good parts, shall we? In this movie, you'll definitely see new robots (for those who followed the series way back then), you'll know what I'm talking about. We're talking Constructicons forming into Devastator (it's massive I tell you!), Demolisher, Soundwave (the weird talking comunications Decepticon), Sideways, even Arcee is in! And the action was kick-ass in my opinion. You definitely feel like living in your childhood again, watching this characters battle it out. The battle and actions scenes have been increased up a few notches, and if you're into having a good time watching a good popcorn movie with mates and all, this if for you! The destruction magnitude is just gargantuan (I felt sorry for those who built the pyramids, let's just say it has undergone massive makeover) Another reason to watch it? Megan Fox! Simply translated, hot, hot , hot!!!

So, let's go to the 'not so good' aspects according to the viewers. First, the length of the movie claimed to be too long, and so some of the scenes are made too draggy. I can't complain much about the the lengthy running time. It is a little bit on a long side, but heck, the action scenes are long too! I got out of the cinema thinking ' man tere was nothing in between, action action all the way). I do agree on the draggy scenes though. The college scenes were a little long. Next people claimed that it lack storyline. Now, this I have to comment! I don't expect much storyline at all (at long as it makes sense, it's fine by me!) I'm not here to see a brilliant masterpiece of storytelling, I want to see top notch action sequence, things got blown up and stuff. That is why I wanted to watch Transformers in the first place! Robots in action turns me on! (haha, there, I said it). I'm not expecting to watch another 'The Dark Knight' and 'The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button', if I wanna see those type of movies, I'll get tickets for it. This is just not about that. Then, there's the comedy aspects of it. I think some are great additions but some of it are plain unnecessary. This is not a comedy. I don't expect to scene funny scenes in all scenes.

I know in the end this movie will not satisfy everything. So I suggest you guys to go and watch it, and give yourself a thought about how it went. Personally, I went to see robots (and Megan Fox) in action, and I managed to appreciate it. I enjoyed my time watching, it was a good popcorn movie with stimulating visuals, although some of the plot aspects can be improved or removed. A 6.5 stars from me. To those of you who haven' watched it, go to your nearest cinema now (let's hope that they're still tickets) Signing off, transform and roll-out!

p/s: do you have to ask why do I put Megan's pix on the header?

Waiter Rant: Thanks For The Tip - Confessions Of A Cynical Waiter

I happened to catch a few minutes of Oprah, and she was then recommending this book 'Waiter Rant' which she thinks is a good read. Basically it is based on a highly acclaimed blog of the same name, which basically...is about the raves and rants of the writer, living as a waiter. The blog apparently won an award for best writing in a weblog in the 2007 Bloggie Awards (I never know such award exists). Anyway, I thought that it might be an interesting read. So, I went to MPH, found the book and bought it!

I kinda enjoyed his style of writing. He is a little bit comical, but definitely a no-nonsense when it comes to speaking his mind. It gives an everyday person like me an insightful view of how restaurants are managed and how tough it actually is to be a waiter. In the book he addresses things like how people suddenly turned into their very own Anthony Bourdain when it comes to scrutinizing food, how dependable restaurant staffs are to tipping by customers, working your levels up in the ranks, not to mention the very basic question; why be a waiter? His writing is as if we are writing a blog, no proper formats, language structure like in those higher end literature, which managed to keep me reading till the last page.

Another thing, he incorporated simple phrases in Spanish which he learnt and conversed with his fellow immigrant colleagues throughout the years working (including pendejo, which I think is another word for butt-hole). I did learn some Spanish then! (if that counts as one). Also, reading this book tells you that the writer, although a waiter (which some might say is not decent job to be proud of) is actually a very observant,insightful and definitely knows his stuff well. He even shares 40 tips on how to be a good customer, and not some pain in the ass which only is waiting to get kicked out by the manager

So there you go, another book read and much-less reviewed. Feel free to check it out at MPH or other leading bookstores, if reading this sort of book is your cup of tea, although I think it is worth recommending (hey, even customers @ Amazon gave great reviews on this book, just in case you need a second opinion). Next, I might try reading the now-crazed Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer. My sister has all of her series, I might just took it from her. We'll see...Roger and out!

How Not To Twitter

Just in case you're wondering, Twitter is now the 'it' thing it today's world of social networking, and just like Facebook, Myspace and many other social networking sites, Twitter has taken the world by the storm with its unique concept. Unfortunately, there will always be somebody who took these things to the extreme. Austrian Times have reported that a teenage girl was electrocuted due to Twitter. Apparently she was twittering in her bath tub when suddenly her laptop dropped into the bath. How ironic, Twitter's catchphrase is 'What Are You Doing', and little that she know that subconciously she was about to type 'got electrocuted with 2000 volts, in the tub'...

Good Hospitality In Malaysia; We're Not Quite There Yet, Aren't We?

Last night I was Bangsar Village with my mum and my sister. After strolling along the retail outlets, we headed to have dinner (if you happen to check my Twitter, you know where are we dining). Anyway, we had our dinner and all (great food, ambiance was not bad at all, a cute chick was dining with her friend at the table beside, cehh sempat lagi usha tuh). We're about to leave the premise and there it strikes me, no 'thank you, please come again, have a pleasant evening' or any of that sorts of phrases you usually hear. From there onwards my mind starts to wonder. This is not the first time I have encountered this sort of acts in Malaysia, whether it's an entering a retail outlet, dining, even going for a haircut.

Back in the UK, I truly admire on how they treated their customers. They treated each and everyone with utmost respect, warmth together with a welcoming smile. While shopping, the salesperson will not follow you as if they are stalking you, but somehow their behaviour translates into the words 'I'll be here if you need any help'. They'll let you roam around their huge (or narrow) space. Upon payment, they'll ask you 'will that be all?' and they'll say thinks like 'thank you, please come again'. Honestly I'm saying, even if you're not buying anything that day, the treatment that you got makes you want to buy at least something, or perhaps enter the shop the next time. Even when I'm getting a haircut, they'll treat you like your favourite customer, asking if the water temperature is warm enough, if you'd like a scalp massage. I tell you, it is worth every ringgit and sen spent (in this case, pounds and pences).

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Malaysians are a brute when it comes to being hospitable. Heck, Malaysians are renowned as being a very welcoming and very warm people. But sometimes this sort of small gestures makes you wonder if Malaysians are actually warm in personality. If you ask me, if he/she does all of this small things, it's either his/her upbringing is delightful, or he/she have been trained well in hospitality.

In my observation, you will get these 'extra' treatments if you are 1) a very seasoned, regular customer. 2) a well known somebody. 3) you happen to know the owner (or someone influential) of that establishment. Oh not to mention 4) How you present yourself (I've heard that the typical apek in pagoda shirts and flip flops did not receive a fair treatment even though he's got two Benz and a BMW back home). Yes, it's not about whether you know people, it's about whether people know you. The element of 'double standard' is still there, and I think it's gonna take a while before it vanishes once and for all. Sometimes if you're lucky you can even see the hideous faces of the promoters having a bad day. The negative energy is scattered all over the place, the first thing you want to is to leave the place.

So, that is what I have to say about this topic. I say, everyone deserves a fair treatment, be it a window shopper, or a fashion diva; whether he orders only a teh o limau suam, or treats a table of 10. Any comments are welcomed!

When The Going Gets Tough...Will You Work Without Pay?

An interesting development following our upsetting economic crisis. Apparently British Airways (BA) is giving their staffs (that's 40,000 employees, mind you) option of working without pay up to a month, in order for the company to stay 'afloat' amidst the crisis. Wow, talk about being desperate. Apparently this is happening around us as we speak. Back home, I went for lunch a few days back, with a colleague of mine together with his mates from this well-renowned automation and systems company, and he claimed that the company is also taking cost-cutting measures, whereby they have to take 10 days of unpaid leave in 6 months. I guess the heat is now felt by almost everyone; even the professionals in well-established corporations. Let's hope that my company will not resort to this measure as well. It will definitely be a bad sign to the employees, and to the nation, as we have and always been the bread and butter of the nation. So spend wisely people, coz you'll never know whether you'll still get a paycheck by the end of the month!

More on the article can be found here

Web Albums Updated

I have just updated my Web Albums with some new pics. Feel free to check it out later by clicking the above logo, or the side bar!

His Name Is Yehya...

I happened to watch Jimmy Kimmel on Star World and I came across this character; Yehya. He was doing this interview at the MTV Movie Awards 09 and I thought he was just hilarious. So, I did the usual; looked it up on You Tube and shared it with all my readers. Enjoy laughing your ass off and have a good day!

Our Broadband Is So Fast Wann....Right...

Only if you have been living in some sort of shell or prison or something. Or else like myself or millions of other broadband users in Malaysia, we can only say this...our broadband sucks! You know what, I'll show you what I actually meant. I really missed the my student days back in the UK. Malaysia has lost one of its key ingredients in providing a great service to its customers; COMPETITION. Here in our boleh-land, Internet is monopolized by the great Telekom Malaysia with its pride of the family, the Streamyx. Oh yeah, Streamyx is God here in Malaysia? You don't want Streamyx? Then you go can go away living your life without broadband. Of course nowadays we have the luxury of having more options now that the telco companies have started introducing mobile broadband (which I'm not sure of their speeds, heard that they're pretty much sucks too). My point is, how long has it been since Streamyx was first launched in Malaysia? And little improvements (I won't say none, coz' there're actually some) over all these years? Come on, you are definitely ripping our pocket holes Telekom!

Well, back to the UK story. They have tonnes of competition over there when it comes to providing the best broadband experience. They have Telewest, NTL, Bulldog, Virgin, BT (I don't know what else do they have now); offering speeds that you have to experience it to believe it. 3 years ago, I've enjoying speeds of 15MBPS! I am not kidding you. No such thing as waiting for the YouTube bar to load. You can stream the videos for your watching pleasure without the need to wait! Movies and animes over the Bit Torrent are easily obtainable within 3, 4 hours tops. Geez, I really missed UK broadband.

I went to this website: Speedtest.net, just to check on the typical average speeds normally enjoyed by a typical user; me. This is the result that I got:


Now, compare this to the average results obtained by the rest of the world:



Did I not just prove my point? Oh well, guess I have to stuck with the snail net for a little longer. Till the next post...

Asia Will Have Its Own Biggest Loser

I currently have a liking to a TV show 'The Biggest Loser'.For me it is such an inspiring show (as compared to the other 'reality' shows (*cough* AF *cough*)).I mean,come on.Why can't we actually have a good reality show which in the end benefits the contestants and those who watched it.Looking at what they've achieved, I am certainly impressed.100 pounds lost in like 4,5 weeks?You've got to be kidding me.Just,woww.

Anyway,just when I thought there's no hope for a good quality reality show,guess what?Asia is having its own 'The Biggest Loser':yeayy!Not that I actually need to find a motivation drive to lose weight,I actually wanted to gain weight!haha. Anyway,I'm looking forward to watching the show and we'll see if it is as good as the US show. Malaysians who are weight-challenged should definitely check it out.

Signing off from my HTC TD2

A New Year Has Come. Heads Up For The Best!

As you can probably tell from the header, today marks my birthday; the day my biological self being brought up to the face of Earth. A lot has happened these past few years; some greatful moments like me graduating, getting a decent job, falling in love...of course there were some verry bitter moments that i wished it didn't happen: the break up. People also say that what did not break you will make you stronger, and yes I'm trying my very best to digest the very meaning of those words.

Am I happy now? Deep inside of course I would say I've had better days. But then that's just life. Sometimes your wheel is at the pinnacle and you have everything and for damn sure you'll hit rock bottom at some point. All I can say now is that I'll be alright. I've got the right people around me to get me through this. I'm trying to be more mature, more adult in handling all of these life lessons. All I can do now is keep my head up.

So, what am I looking forward to? I haven't actually give much of a thought to that question, although I might already know the answer to that. I think I'm now looking forward to settling down. You know, find a decent companionship and commit to it to the rest of my life. I am now starting to think of weddings, starting a family, children (you can't help but to think about all these stuff, especially when you received tonnes of wedding invitations by your mates). In fact, I'm among a few who has yet to get married (most of my friends have got married, or engaged at least). So yeah, perhaps I wasn't thinking of all of this 2 or 3 years ago. What do you expect, studying and thinking of marrying someone? Honest to God, I never thought about dating someone just yet. Deep inside, I still have loving feelings for her. If there is ever a slightest chance of me getting back together with her, I really really wanted to have that hope still.

Well, that's that. I would say that is the biggest thing that I'm looking forward to. Of course there are the supporting ones like getting a better pay, improving my self image (hopefully it will be a good start to improve my manly physique). I have started doing something to release my negative energy like blogging and jogging and I am enjoying it very much.

So, a toast to my birthday (and also those who happened to celebrate their birthdays today), wishing a wonderful year, a success in everything you do, and hopes and dreams coming true. Make a wish...

Things That You See On A Saturday Stroll In A Shopping Mall

Or perhaps once in a blue moon. Oh well, you be the judge. That's what happened. You go to a shopping mall, you walk around, you see things, your mind ponders and you can't help it but have a giggle deep inside (too bad no pictures were taken, it could have been some sweet memories:

1) A relatively large and round kid (neglected and he shall be obese) showing signs of fatigue after a stroll (in Malay you say jalan sikit dah mengah. How cute.

2) A security guard minding his own business and taking things a little too extreme. What did he do? Oh well, let's just say it involves his hand and...his bum (garu gatal tak hingat punyer, tak cover line langsung). And to think that he is displaying his actions close to the escalator is just disturbing.

3) A father missing his kid (D'uh typical). Not a good way to start your day. You just don't know what might happened in today's world if you left your kids unguarded.

4) A male promoter who showed his 'manly' enthusiasm a little too much when selling perfumes (He was even shocked to find out how much cash voucher is waiting for his customer: quote 'Hah ye ke? 50 ringgit voucher??')

5) Women (who obviously we know has a high taste when it comes to fashion) wearing items which I considered loud to the human eye. Yeah we're talking bling2 much to the extend of blinding your eyes should you look at it directly. Haha, well there's one with the yellow (yes, I said it right, YELLOW) leggings and yellow shoes (I guess she will survive walking at night, there's absolutely no f-ing way a motorist could not see her). And there's another woman that..let's just say her clother reminded me of disco balls. I'm dead serious!

6) And last but not least, people who treated shopping malls as a good place to play hide and seek.

What do you know..just when you thought you've seen it all...

On a seperate note, today is my mum and my eldest brother's birthday. So, mummy and abe ja: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

What Happens When You Bring Your Car To Work..Literally

I've been waiting to upload this video for ages and there's always something that came up like connection problems at work, etc2. This could be the funniest clip ever aired on an episode of Top Gear. The great Jeremy Clarkson took a car from the 60's for a spin and to work, quite literally. You're gonna love this!

Obama's Giant Leap To Bridge The Muslim World

If you missed out the big issues happening in the world, well here's one. President Barack Obama has made attempt of what could be one of the biggest speeches of his career as the US President; addressing the long awaited issue of bridging the gap between the United States and the Muslim world. This historic event took place in Cairo, and it is a big deal! I haven't actually got the chance to catch up of what he has to say (I'm waiting for the video to load as we speak, it's 50-ish minutes long), but I suppose it's worth the wait. Enjoy:)

The Black Money

Have you ever received a text or a mail regarding a huge sum of money owned by some Nigerian guy waiting to be collected? Apparently this scam has been popular among us Malaysians, and it has its fair share of victims. This article (courtesy of The Star) digs deep into the issue.

The Black Money scam, also known as the Nigerian 419 scam, was reported by Interpol to have surfaced in Malaysia in 1998.

(419 refers to a section of a Nigerian law that deals with fraud.)

Most of these con artists enter the country on a social visit pass which allows them to stay up to 30 days.

They tend to enrol in local colleges, some even reputable ones, just to obtain student visas so that they could extend their stay here.

These so-called students are believed to pay off college staff to mark their attendance.
They would then send out random emails and SMS, promising huge piles of money. Usually a “processing fee” is required in advance from their targets.

In some of the cases, the victim lost big amounts of money without realising it until the fraudster goes missing.

They are such smooth operators that a number of victims took loans from Ah Longs to pay them.

In the Black Money scam, victims are told about a stash of bank notes which had been dyed black to avoid Customs detection. The money was supposedly kept in a safe somewhere and the victim should purchase a type of chemical to wash off the dye which would then unveil “genuine” US dollars.
The victim would be promised a share of the money.

The supposed origin of the riches varied with each new victim. The most popular version is that the money is the lost fortunes of former Nigerian dictator General Abacha which need to be transported out of Nigeria without the Customs knowing it.

Commercial Crime Investigation Department director Comm Datuk Koh Hong Sun said the con men, upon meeting their target, would produce a small vial of washing liquid called “Universal Automatic Washer” and ask the victim to select any black bank note at random.

The black banknote would be washed but with a sleight of hand,the con man would substitute it with a real note.

Victims are given the “washed” bank notes and are encouraged to verify their authenticity at a money changer.
“They would ask the victim to buy the chemical in order to process more money and that the costs of the chemicals are very high,” he said.

These con artists modus operandi of “layering,” where a different person is sent to each meeting with the victim.

According to sources, places like Puchong Prima, a hotel in Ampang and several areas in Kepong are regular meeting spots for such transactions.

Using laptops along with a special software, the con men are also able to forge government documents.

Comm Koh, who confirmed this, said that raids on the “students’ residence” found no textbooks but merely computers and laptops.

In a raid conducted by the police recently, police arrested 29 Nigerians at their office at Metro Prima in Kepong.

All those arrested claimed that they were undergraduates in the Klang Valley, showing their student cards instead of passports. A check by The Star showed that some colleges here had about 70% African students.

These places provide hassle-free enrolment for foreign students who pay application fees ranging from US$170 to US$330.

Investigations also revealed that these so- called students did not have a clear financial source, yet they had no problems paying tuition fees and sending money home to their countries.

In fact, some of them live in posh condominiums and drive luxury cars like the BMW X5.

They are also known to use local women to carry out their deception, targeting single mothers or college students and using their bank accounts to conduct their shady business.

Some of them, when caught by police, would falsely claim to be Muslims and recite verses from the Quran to gain sympathy, said sources.

Most of these con artists are deported to their home countries as authorities usually lack evidence to charge them.

However, a number of them would return to Malaysia under different passports.

Comm Koh said the authorities were using biometric systems as a measure against such the conmen to prevent them from returning.

“But as long as there are Malaysians who are fuelled by greed, there will be someone to take advantage of them,” he said.