April 2009 Archives

I was sharing the Rule of Three during a post-coital conversation with my partner. The Rule of Three, for the uninitiated, is the formula which aims to nullify male bravado and female diffidence with regards to the number of sexual partners.

The formula goes:
Male: Take number of sexual partners and divide by 3
Female: Take number of sexual partners and multiply by 3

My partner told me she only had one prior sexual partner - her ex-boyfriend. I told her that according to The Rule of Three - that means she actually slept with 3 guys (multiply by three for females). I've told her previously that I've had 3 sexual partners in the past so she's the forth.

HB: Thus, according to The Rule of Three, I've only had one - 4 divided by 3 leaves one, so you're the first. :)
XX: I don't believe that.
HB: Yeah, I told you the truth the first time, I've only slept with three of my ex-girlfriends before.
XX: Why the hell did I sleep with you?

.............

XX: Coz I really do like you.
(This was said after 3 minutes as she took off her clothes to take a shower. The 3 minutes was spent diligently typing the entire conversation on my cell phone with one hand. One thumb rather. With her watching over my shoulder. I was LMAO the entire time.)

.............

(after the shower)
XX: You're the only guy I spontaneously slept with. I've only known you for two days. I still don't know why I slept with you.
(after a minute of pondering)
XX: Okay, I do know. I like you. You're only the second guy I slept with.
(after looking at me for my reaction)
XX: Damn, I should not have fallen for that smile of yours in the first place.
(after a pause while smiling at me)
XX: Hey, if I said I actually did fall in love with you in the past few days, would you believe me?
HB: Yes, I would. :)

...now go to sleep, we've got work tomorrow.

Sheeple is a concatenation of the words "sheep" and "people". It's used derogatorily to describe people who follow without questioning. Are you a person or are you sheeple? Do you lead, or do you follow? Are you a trendsetter or a trend follower?

I always do my own thing coz I don't like following. I would rather get lost leading than follow blindly. Lao-tzu once said "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step". I am no guru (Pitka), but I am here to help you take that first step to reclaim your identity and find your true self...

...by showing you how I snack on Corntoz. ;)

It requires one (1) Ramly burger, one (1) 60g pack of Corntoz and a lot of tissues (coz eating Ramly burgers is messy business). This heretical act to the great Malaysian institution of Ramly burger might be frowned upon by the orthodox community, but hey, who cares? ;)

The Corntoz Express Yourself campaign is giving you the opportunity to share with the world how you snack on Corntoz in your own unique way. It may be ugly, but hey, it's who you are!

Joining the contest is fun and easy. It's also your ticket to the two tempting T's - Fame and Fortune! Got your attention? Good. I shall break it down to two simple steps:

1. Get a pack of Corntoz 60g from any hypermarket or convenience store.
2. Go to www.corntoz.com.my and record/upload your own video of how you snack on Corntoz.

You can record your own video right on the website if you have a webcam - it auto detects your gear and you can even add layers and other fun stuff to your video to pimp it up. You can also opt to upload it to YouTube and submit it on the Corntoz website.

The top video will snag the grand prize of RM 8,000 and your homemade video will also be aired on nationwide television (!). The second prize will bag RM 5,000 and the third prize walks away with a cool RM 2,000. Not too shabby eh?

Also, check out the celebrity videos on the Corntoz site:

Jaclyn Victor - Malaysian Idol winner (First Season)
Faizal Tahir - Runner up of One in a Million and a famous singer in his own right
Stacy - Akademi Fantasia Season 6 winner
Nabil - Raja Lawak Astro Season 2
Ajieb - Host on Murai, Editor of Murai
Huai Bin - Blogger on sixthseal.com
(I'm kidding about the last one, but my video is inside :p)

You like snacking on Corntoz while reading a good book in the toilet? Hey, no problem. I've got nothing against enhancing the flavor of Corntoz with some olfactory stimulation. Just remember to flush after you're done.

There's a plethora of snacks on the supermarket shelves vying for your attention, but only one gives you the Golden Ticket to fame and fortune!

The Corntoz Express Yourself campaign gives you artistic liberty - just be yourself and eat Corntoz the way you enjoy it. Be you and nothing else. Express yourself in the way that only you can. I'm particularly interested in getting my video aired on national TV so I made several videos. Check out the Corntoz website to participate.

Just get your entries in before 30th June 2009.

You are a unique and beautiful snowflake. Don't follow the crowd, let the crowd follow you! :)

I met up with Wai Ching at Niu Che Shui for a couple of beers and some food. I haven't been to Niu Che Shui before - we hung out at Full House Cafe until it closed and then adjourned back.

K, you're gonna be so fucking surprised. Small world eh?

 

Okay, scheduled posts resuming tomorrow. I've gotta hit the sack. *cough*

I headed to Jogoya (which translates to the title of this post - I kid you not) at Starhill for a buffet lunch just now. We had this 50% off coupon which allows us to eat at half price, not too bad considering Jogoya charges RM 78++ for their buffet lunch.

I ate a lot of sashimi - I'm a big fan of anything raw, and Jogoya does not disappoint in their offerings. Other noteworthy dishes are the century egg with salted egg and their "sauna egg" which is a bit of a contradiction to the naming - it's a cold poached egg.

Jogoya also has a decent portfolio of alcoholic beverages - there's white/red wine, gimlet, "AK-47" (no relation to the shooter), and other cocktails of their own device, some of which were quite tragic and some rather good. Don't expect vintage years though, it's a buffet, be happy with the table wine. ;)

I was there primarily to eat as much raw oysters as I could. The oysters disappeared from the bed of shaved ice as soon as it was arranged there so the person preparing the oysters decided to serve it on a person-to-person basis, thus the long queue for the oysters.

I think I ate about 8 or so oysters. They weren't as huge as I'll expect (definitely no palm-sized oysters to be found) but it was surprisingly fresh and I slurped the poor mollusc straight of the shell without any Tabasco sauce or lime.

Mmm...

Other things you shouldn't miss are the Haagen-Dazs ice cream, desserts, and mini sweet fragrant Thai coconut.

We had the most unfortunate experience of encountering a nymph of the Blattaria order of insects while eating. It must have been attracted by the vanilla scented Haagen-Dazs ice cream on the spoon.  

Well, like I said earlier, Jogoya means "A shop which full of culture should be visited by the high class people". ;) I don't consider myself "high class people" but it sure expanded by waistline by approximately 5 inches during the 2 hours we were there. Thus, if having a potbelly is a sign of prosperity...well, I guess...

Another interesting (but unverified) anecdote, there was a sign by the oysters which states that consuming milk (and dairy products) with raw oysters may cause food poisoning. I have yet to Google this, can anyone corroborate this statement?

This is the (in)famous Hoegaarden 5 liter glass of beer available at Brussels Beer Café. It's so huge, it takes no small amount of effort to even lift it. The size and girth of this "glass" is staggering! It holds 5 liters of the good stuff and it made me wonder...

...can a person drink (scull) 5 liters of beer?

I'll just preempt you by saying it's possible, but not recommended. You'll live to regret it. :p

TGIF people! w00t! It's been a super long week for me since I've been working my ass off. I'm thinking about paying homage to the 5 liters of goodness after work. ;)

I have a tendency to forgive easily and I don't hold grudges. I've been reconsidering my stance since this character defect (?) allows people I care about to hurt me again and again (and again, for good measure).

I always maintain that I won't ever forgive anyone if a transgression is deemed to be serious enough to justify it. I can be nice to you, I can work in a professional capacity with you, but no, we won't be "friends" ever again. I've only been able to do that coz I approach it like my relationships - I distance myself.

It can be hard to distance oneself when the other party goes out of the way to patch things up. This is a bad thing coz at the slightest enticement; I'll just fall back and go back to trusting that person again...just like nothing ever happened.

That's my Achilles' heel and over the years I've learnt that in order to learn from mistakes, I should never let someone who's embezzled my trust to ever get close again.

It might sound harsh, but it's just self-preservation. I know myself. I'm the type of person to just brush off apologies and easily slip back to being friends again, and a lot of people have abused this personality flaw that I have.

This is a reminder to myself - never get close. Trust no one.

Okay, to counter that short and concise overshare, here's something I found funny today.

Link of the day: 20 funny job related charts and graphs

I'm going to have to evac my current premises by 27th of May. It's rather unfortunate that I signed a tenancy agreement that allows for a 1 ½ month termination notice by either party. I didn't think much of it when I put my John Hancock on the dotted line since I needed a place to stay. This condominium has great security, plus it's spacious and quiet. I've grown to love it in the six months that I've lived here.

Anyway, I'm quite adaptable so I don't mind moving. It's just the hassle of finding a place that's close to the office AND affordable that's the problem. I've been looking into Kelana Sentral Apartment but the place is a bit too small for my liking. The rent is RM 1,100 (which is essentially the same amount I'm forking out right now) and it doesn't even have air conditioning to boot.

I guess it's time to hit The Star and look for places to rent...which brings me to another dilemma - should I be purchasing instead? Paying 1.1k for rent every month for a place you won't ultimately own is a financially ludicrous arrangement. I hear Casa Suites is going for RM 1,100 per month after the initial down payment, but it's a bit far from my workplace.

Does anyone have any idea where I can establish the sixthseal.com pad in Petaling Jaya? I work in Kelana Jaya so I need to be reasonably close. Cheers!

Teow Chew Meng is a Teo Chew eating establishment located at Sunway Mas. I would not be surprised if the proprietor's name is Meng and people call him Teow Chew Meng, but that's not the case. The owner goes by the name Steven and there are photos of him adorning the entrance of the place with various local and regional celebrities like Jack Neo (the Singapore director).

The boiled octopus (RM 12) came highly recommended so we ordered that for the appetizer. It's just boiled baby octopus but involves no small amount of effort and skills to make it come out slightly crunchy (!). It pairs well with the spicy peanut sauce served alongside it. It's nothing to write home about though - perhaps a lot of that has to do with being overshadowed by the superb Shark's Fin Mee Sua Tow.

We also ordered the Apple Beancurd (RM 10) which is an unusual combination of deep fried tofu with sauce and prawns. There are finely shredded green apples topping this dish and the texture and taste contrast between the tofu, chilli sauce, green apples and prawns gives a tantalizingly palate-confusing yet delicious experience.

The other side dish we ordered is the Seafood Roll (RM 10) which is stuffed with prawns, fish, vegetables and salted egg. It's another one of the house specialties, the salted egg yolk is supposed to add another dimension to this classic (and usually meat stuffed) dish. Teow Chew Meng is a big fan of substituting meat with seafood. The salted egg is like a surprise in the seafood roll - there's a burst of flavor on your palate when you bite into it, which increases your appetite exponentially. :)

The flagship dish of Teow Chew Meng is their excellent Shark Fin's Mee Sua Tow. It's similar to their popular Mee Sua Tow (all aquatic creatures are intact) except this version includes an added premium ingredient - Shark's Fin. The strands of shark's fin are sprinkled liberally on top of the dish. It costs about RM 11 per person, which is actually quite cheap considering a bowl for four (4) allows everyone second helpings with leftovers to boot.

Teow Chew Meng does not skimp on the seafood either - marine biologists would have a field day identifying the large chunks of fish, clams, squid, prawns, oysters, crab sticks, fish maw, and cuttlefish inside. I love the mee sua over here. It has the consistency of porridge (not congee, porridge) but the starch and abundance of seafood and gravy makes it go down really well. It's slippery in a good way.

The Shark's Fin Mee Sua Tow tastes great with seafood. This is the distinguishing feature of Teow Chew Meng - they use various creatures of the deep which unleashes (not infuse, it literally lets loose) a plethora of delicious seafood flavors into the mee sua. Nom nom nom. I ate three helpings.

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Teow Chew Meng is located at Aman Suria and it's surprisingly free from the usual office lunch crowd. I think we were the only ones there. Parking can be a problem during lunch, so car pool if you plan to go. The bill came up to about RM 160 for 9 people. I highly recommend going in a group and getting the Shark's Fin Mee Sua Tow.

You'll thank me for it, it's awesome! Just thinking back makes me drool...

Download: Director's Cut (with proper music)

sixthseal.com celebrates its 7th blogniversary today and in remembrance of that, I have made a 10-minute video documenting the progress from Melbourne to KL to Kuching to Sibu and back to KL.

Notable posts of the year:
The Big Mac Chomp Challenge
Tongue Piercing Photos and Video
Hilton Batang Ai Longhouse Resort
Marina Bay Seafood Restaurant
JCI Seduan Wet & Wild Pool Party
sixthseal.com Guide to Eating Live Sago Worms
The evolution of Chinese names
Zuiho Daiko performance @ Sibu Gateway
My sister's wedding @ Grand Jasmine Ballroom, RH Hotel
Wrist piercing - sub dermal piercings on my left wrist
CNY in Ipoh
Genting Greed: A Tragic Tale of Losing RM 5,300
Don't Drift and Drive
Ride of the Valkyries
Hate the sin, love the sinner
Nuffnang Music Bash 2009

It's been a long journey and I'll like to thank everyone for reading the chronicles of my life...

...and to show my appreciation, I'm going to buy the first 50 people who comments on this post lunch.

RM 10 each x 50, straight into your bank account via TT. Please ensure that a valid email is provided so I can email you for your account details.

As a bonus (and also to round up the figure to RM 600) I'm going to give the best comment RM 100.

Yes, I'm broke but I'm also feeling generous. :p

Thanks for all your support; I couldn't have done it without you.

Long live sixthseal.com! =D

This weekend has seen a series of unfortunate events of such magnitude that I can't even begin to describe it.

...and you know what the worst thing is? The weekend just started! It's only Saturday night. :p

I shall go to sleep now.

I've always been a big fan of single (and available) malt whiskeys. I guess it appeals to the more refined side of me (yes, you have to squint, but it's there :p). I've had Glenfiddich Solera Reserve before and I loved it. Thus, I jumped at the chance when Kim invited me to a Glenfiddich whiskey tasting session.



It's tantalizingly called Glenfiddich - Taste The Future and I was told that we'll be sampling several Glenfiddich products, including some that are not available in the market (!). How could I refuse and still sleep at night? The ethanol connoisseur in me (no, you don't have to squint to see this part) arrived promptly at 3 pm to meet up with Mr. Ong (Kim's dad).



The tasting session was held at elle six art gallery and it was conducted by Mr Ludoviq Ducrocq. I love names I can't pronounce - Mr Ludoviq Ducrocq is the Global Ambassador for Glenfiddich and he travels around the world to conduct tastings. I want his job. :(



There was a righteous spread of food before the whiskey tasting started. I'm not one to eat before drinking since I like drinking on an empty stomach. Just to torture my body, ya know. ;) However, I grabbed a plate and nibbled on some food just to be polite. Heh!



The highlight of the evening started with a presentation by Mr Ludoviq Ducrocq. There were 7 glasses in front of each seat. The glasses were on a paper liner detailing the age of the Glenfiddich single malt. Present in the parade was:

Glenfiddich 12 year old
Glenfiddich 15 year old
Glenfiddich 18 year old
Glenfiddich 21 year old
Glenfiddich 30 year old

...and two mystery glasses labeled "New Make Spirit" and "Future Glenfiddich". Intriguing. I like!



I'm lovin' it already. :)



Mr Ludoviq Ducrocq taught us the proper way to taste single malt. You swirl the liquid around and smell it before sipping it. The whisky is rolled around your tongue while you breathe in to capture the notes of the whisky before swallowing.



We started off with the Glenfiddich 12 year old and progressed throughout the years. Each time before we taste the Glenfiddich, we were shown a video of what happened during the year the aged single malt was made.



I can recognize scenes from 1997 (12 year old), 1994 (15 year old), and 1991 (18 year old). My memory started getting hazy during the 1988 (21 year old) video since I was only 7 then and I can't relate to the 1979 (30 year old) video at all. I was still a good year away from swimming into my mother in 1979, accounting for the incubation period of 9 months so I don't remember anything at all.



The Glenfiddich - Taste The Future session also had covered items on the table in front of us. The glasses contain items ranging from honey to figs. You're supposed to compare the single malt with the items so there was a lot of sniffing and touching going on. Okay, that sounded wrong, but you catch my drift.

Glenfiddich 12 year old has pear and subtle oak notes.
Glenfiddich 15 year old has warm spice, honey and rich fruit notes.
Glenfiddich 18 year old has oak, apple and cinnamon notes.
Glenfiddich 21 year old has vanilla, rich toffee and new leather notes (!).
Glenfiddich 30 year old has sherry, fig and dark chocolate notes.



It's a bit disturbing to actually be able to taste the notes in the whisky...especially the new leather. :S



Mr Ludoviq Ducrocq told us to close our eyes and think back to what happened when a particular whisky was bottled. It should be noted that a Glenfiddich 15 year old (for example) could be much older than that - it just means that it's aged for at least 15 years prior to bottling.



I particularly liked the New Make Spirit. Weighing in at a staggering 70% alcohol, it's Glenfiddich before it goes into the casks for aging. It has a really strong bite - reminds me of this 95% alcohol I had back in Melbourne.



The Future Glenfiddich is intriguing as well. It's 7 years old and a good 5 years away from bottling. However, you can taste hints of this Glenfiddich-to-be. It's only going to be sold in 2014 at least so in 2014, when you drink a Glenfiddich 12 year old, I'll be there to say "Hah! I drank that 5 years ago!" in a smug manner. :p

...if I'm still alive in 2014, of course. ;)



I liked the Glenfiddich 30 year old the best. It has character and I can appreciate the aging process it went through. It's as old as my sister and retails for RM 1,430.



There is also a bottle of Glenfiddich Rare Collection 40 year old on display, which we unfortunately did not get a chance to taste. This bottle retails for an astounding RM 8,455.

I got to hold it though. =D



I hear it's the next best thing. :p

I was working on some copy for one of our projects and did the usual screen shot with text box (and arrows) to show which sentence goes where. However, I neglected to clear my search history before taking a screen shot and emailed it to about 7 people. I didn't even think anything was amiss until my dear PM emailed me:



I honestly couldn't stop laughing. It just so happens I was researching for tag lines for a project and I typed in "condom trust" coz I wanted to see Durex or Trojan's take on their branding strategies with regards to trust and reliability.
 
My PM's exact words were: What have you been researching la...

Her reply totally cracked me up. OMG! I'm still laughing now.

It's just little things like this that brightens up your day in the office. :)

Hot damn! I went to the friendly local neighborhood Ramly Burger stall and ordered a Double Chicken Special Cheese (RM 5.20) for my supper. I was prepared to fork out that amount coz I'm a little sick of eating bread with marmalade every meal.

Anyway, while the dude was flipping my burgers, this van pulled up with a PDRM insignia in all its glory emblazoned on the side of the vehicle. The car plate was WXX 28XX and it offloaded four (4) people - one in police uniform. The others were drunk, judging from their gravy stained shirts and the offhanded way they were consuming their lok-lok.

Well, one of them struck up a conversation with me - small talk, mainly about burgers and stuff. I found out that they are from the Narcotics Division of Bukit Aman (I shit you not) and they acted like they owned the place. I was a bit miffed when the burger guy served them first, and was about to voice out my displeasure at the preferential treatment when the alpha male slapped a RM 50 note down and said everything is on him.

There were about 7 people there - the four police (high ranking ones judging from their attire and attitude), myself, and two kids. The top dog paid for all of us, making a circular gesture with his forefinger to indicate that everything is on him. I wanted to pay my share but the burger guy refused payment - "Boss belanja", so I reckon they must be regulars as well.

Thus, I nodded at the man who paid for my burger and said thank you. He smiled (in a rather inebriated manner) and waved it off with a shrug.

In Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, you don't pay the police in the Narcotics Division. The police in the Narcotics Division pays YOU!

(or at least buy you a burger)

I love KL!!! =D

I won a Sony LCD TV from Sony Style. It's from this contest the good people at Sony entered for me when I purchased my dSLR. The lucky draw gift I snagged is the KLV-20S400A BRAVIA LCD TV. It retails for RM 1,799 and it's a flat, compact LCD TV which you can also use as a monitor. Check out the specs here. It's brand new (just picked it up last Sunday) and unopened and comes with the full Sony warranty.



I need cold, hard cash more than a TV to get through the month (please refer to previous post) so I'm planning to sell it. I'll let it go for RM 1,300 (RM 500 cheaper than retail) but before I list it on Mudah.my I'll give anyone who reads my blog the opportunity to purchase it for RM 1,200.



Email me if you're interested. I'll even cut a deal with you for more discounts if you're a blogger (Terms & Conditions apply of course ;)).

I am going on a frugality drive this month due to a shortage of funds. I am only left with RM 200 for the remainder of the month (!). Ginny tells me she can survive on RM 2 per day on food (WTF?) and my coworker Karen taught me some sound financial tips to conserve money so that's what I'm going to do this month.

I dropped by Giant to purchase some groceries to tide me through the month. I will be eating bread for breakfast and dinner this month. Let's see a breakdown of the items I got:

Sandwich bread 500 grams (store brand): RM 2.29
Nescafe 3-in-1 instant coffee x 2: RM 17.78 (purchase first pack at RM 10.29, second pack goes for RM 7.49)
F&N Rose Cordial 2L: RM 5.49 (it was the same price as the store brand)
Marmalade (store brand): RM 2.99
JW Chocolate & Banana spread: RM 9.89 (it's the cheapest I could find, Nutella is almost double the price)

I've been going for the cheapest products and purchase store brands if I can. However, I was (un)pleasantly surprised when I went to the cashier - I had to fork out RM 38.44. Money doesn't go that far nowadays...

I've calculated the cost per day though, and it's still cheaper than what I usually spend so it's worth it.

My breakfast: RM 2.20 (from the bakery across the road where I work)
My lunch: RM 5 - RM 15 (will be cutting down on this starting tomorrow)
My dinner: RM 5.20 - RM 14.50 (depending on whether it's burgers or nasi kandar)

With my new frugality drive (somewhat related to Project MISER) I have assessed my current spending as such:
Breakfast: RM 0.27 (based on two slices of bread with marmalade with 17 slices in the loaf - inclusive of crust)
Lunch: RM 5 max (will drink air suam)
Dinner: RM 0.54 (four slices of bread with banana Chocolate & Banana spread)

I'm hoping to get through this month with just RM 200 to my name.

I went for lunch with Eiling at The Curve this afternoon - it was supposed to be last week but we were both kinda busy so we postponed it to this week. Eiling told me about this place called Waroeng Penyet which serves authentic Indonesian food so we headed there for our midday sustenance.



You can tell it's authentic by the teh botol (except this is teh peket) that they serve. My Indonesian friends in Melbourne had this thing about teh botol - literally "bottled tea" - it's practically an institution in Indonesia.



The ayam penyet (their flagship dish - translated as flattened chicken) was awesome as well.



The new answer to life, the universe and everything is not 42...but 32. Economic recession la...10 people retrenched. :p



Yiling passed me some cigarettes by proxy from her recent trip to Perth - these are premium Dunhill tobacco products which I swear I'm not gonna smoke and collect instead. Then again, I've said that about a lot of things as well and I always end up smoking/drinking/consuming them anyway. :(



Eiling gave me the best present ever - a wallet! I have been (not so subtly) hinting about being relieved of my wallet in Bangsar when I was mugged and I've never gotten a wallet since then. Eiling kinda picked up the overt hints and got me...



...a HIDESIGN natural leather wallet. Awesome! Thanks Eiling! You the best. :)



I'm glad I'm fortunate enough to have friends like these. Cheers EZY (Ziling included or she's gonna say you guys make her look bad again :p).

Thanks for making time for lunch with a commoner instead of the usual Tan Sri, Datuk and Datin company you keep Eiling.

Honored la, I. ;)

I came into possession of two tickets for the David Archuleta Showcase at 3 pm today and picked Ginny up to go to Sunway with me. I planned to arrive at her house at 12:30 pm but missed a turning and ended up being stuck in KL traffic on a Saturday. I only managed to get to her place at 1:30 pm.



Anyway, we arrived at Sunway Lagoon Amphitheater at slightly before 2 pm. We were turned away at the parking area for reasons unknown. They had barriers to the David Archuleta Showcase Car Park and despite plenty of empty lots, everyone was asked to park elsewhere so we had no recourse but to park at Sunway Medical Center and walk over.



There was a huge crowd waiting at the amphitheatre and we queued up at the entrance. I should have expected a massive turnout since I watched the YouTube video of David Archuleta being mobbed by fangirls at KLIA when he arrived.



I thought we managed to get in just in time, since we passed the first security check, but everyone was turned away from the second security check due to the place being filled to capacity. The reason given was that the stadium was already packed with 3,000 people and they could not accommodate any more.



There were at least a hundred people waiting to get in and most of them have waited there for ages, like us. Just look at the disgruntled faces in the crowd.



It's neither DiGi nor Sony Music's fault - the tickets had Fine Print (TM) at the back that clearly states ticket holders are not guaranteed entry. I still feel it could have been better planned though. The tickets were oversold - there were 3,000 people in there by 2 pm and they stopped letting people in after that.

I got the tickets thanks to Nuffnang, and we wanted to get in to take photos and videos of the showcase. I felt sorry for the fans who came later than us, who either bought the CD or won the tickets from a radio station, and was turned away. We left at 3:15 pm when it was clear that they were not letting anyone in come hell or high water.

We bumped into some latecomers after that who asked us why we were leaving and we told them they couldn't get in coz the stadium was filled to capacity. They had bought the CD and was pretty bummed about being turned away.

I felt really bad coz I was working and I couldn't pick up the tickets so I got Ginny to pick up the tickets for me...and we ended up not being able to see David Archuleta. We just lost the window of opportunity by probably 10 minutes - if I had not missed the turning to Ginny's house or managed to park at the amphitheatre entrance, we would have gotten in.



Thus left behind, we headed to Ajisen Ramen at Sunway Pyramid and had a late lunch before heading back.

I knew we should have arrived earlier considering the popularity of David Archuleta with his...er, enthusiastic target demographic. Oh well, at least I'll remember the turning to Ginny's place now. :p

I've always believed in carrying a digicam with me at all times, coz you never know when a Kodak Moment (TM) will present itself. I have never gone wanting since I usually purchase compact digicams which I can slip into my pants. I've had a bulky "prosumer" digital camera in the past, but lugged it around with me everywhere I go anyway (with a tenacity that would probably put most jihadists to shame)

.

I still maintain this practice (old habits die hard) but for some reason I left my dSLR in my car today.



Murphy's Law kicked into effect just now and I found myself in the presence of a young, nubile girl (OMG, did I write that out loud?) blowing bubbles from a bathtub.



I had to take the photos and video using my crappy cell phone.

/kicks self.

Must. Carry. dSLR. At. All. Times.

...a long time ago (actually it was last Saturday) in a galaxy far, far away (Maison is quite far from PJ).



Warning: This post contains over 25,000 words.



I didn't recognize Kim - she came as Bob the Builder. OMG! I thought she was a dude. ;)



Julian came as Bob Marley complete with a huge joint. A white guy passing off as black and an Asian trying to pass off as white. Heh!



Cindy did it again. Geddit? Britney Spears? Oops, I did it again?



Carol is strapped and she's not afraid to use it.



Audrey makes me feel tall. I love taking photos with her. Heh!



I played Guitar Hero on the PS3 with Jamie. I sang Everlong and Drain You.



I met Jess for the first time.



Food was served.



Yvonne pan cool. She also liddat first time I met her in Sunway Pyramid. :p



Desmond representing. Sarawakian Pride!



Tim, the man.



Andrea Tee!



Ginny was security (see it rhymes).



More camwhoring.



Jolyn damn hardcore - she took a bus down from Penang and back just for the event.



Sue - Red Bull vodka without vodka.



The male Nuffies doing a number on stage. It was awesome.



The female Nuffies doing the Jai Ho dance. Jai Ho!



I was called up on stage...



...attempted to rap.



I won Worst Celebrity Impersonator as predicted. ;) I got a broom (very useful for cleaning the condo) and two Gold Glass tickets to GSC. Not too shabby. =D



Who wants to touch my broomstick?



Tzia texted me but I didn't see her until after the event.



I stole the FREE HUGS sign from Dusty to pose with Pam before heading home.

It was fun - a congregation of the Nuffnang community. A picture speaks a thousand words and there are 25 in this post. It's quite possibly the longest post ever and it's going to rape your bandwidth. =D

F1 is synonymous with fast cars, grid girls and pit babes. I hear most girls won't kick the drivers out of bed for eating cookies under the sheets too but I can't comment on that since I'm heterosexual. ;) The final race was on the 5th of April at 5 pm in Sepang International Circuit.



I went to watch Formula 1 last Sunday with Debra and Desmond (one of the Top 10 bloggers in Malaysia, it was an honor to meet him). It was the final race day (and my birthday) and we met up at 1 Utama before catching the SkyBus down to Sepang.



We decided to take public transport instead of driving there. I'm glad we didn't drive there - the traffic was appalling. The bus cost RM 15 from 1 Utama to Sepang International Circuit.



Our tickets were in the C2 area - covered hillside tickets, right around a tight corner which allows for great photo ops. It's RM 200 each. Formula 1 tickets isn't exactly cheap, cheers to Nuffnang for furnishing the tickets. Anyway, we caught the 3 pm bus, thinking we had ample time for the 5 pm race...



...except we did not account for the massive turnout. The inbound lanes were gridlocked so badly that some people resorted to parking their cars by the roadside and walking to the circuit. One of the outbound lanes had to be opened for inbound traffic to accommodate for the astounding amount of vehicles on the road.



Our bus was in that lane. What was supposed to be a 1 hour journey took more than two hours (!). The race had already started by the time we got there. There were street vendors everywhere - enterprising souls selling everything from umbrellas (it was drizzling) to beer (at a whopping RM 15 per can).



I managed to find this corner where the F1 cars slow down to make the curve. It's the perfect spot for taking photos of the cars since they brake before approaching the sharp bend. Ferrari, baby!



The crowd turnout was amazing - we have some hardcore fans braving the rain (it had started to pour by then) in the uncovered areas.



There were even some people trying to get a Mexican Wave going. I have no idea why, it's not a soccer match, but to each his own. :)



No one can be told what F1 is. You just gotta hear the scream of the F1 engines to experience it for yourself. ;)



It was fun though...the crowd was great, and so was the company.



The sky turned a forbidding shade of ebony and the loud rumblings of thunder could be seen (and heard, respectively) about an hour into the race.



The inevitable downpour was nothing short of prodigious - the drains behind the covered hillstand overflowed and caused the already muddy grounds to be even muddier.



I think all of us had a tough time walking without slipping due to the poor grip afforded by the wet mud.



It got to the point where I had to stand under Deb's umbrella ella ella eh eh eh since we decided to go up to the uncovered concrete instead of slipping around in the mud.



The pacer car came on the race track after that and we all thought the race would be postponed until the rain stops. It was seriously POURING on Sunday.

The race never resumed. It was canceled.



People started leaving and we headed for the bus back to 1 Utama as well. We managed to catch the 7:30 pm bus back. Desmond had to meet up with his friends so I had dinner with Deb at Sushi Zanmai before sending her back home.



It was fun to watch the race - the powerful roar of the high octane engines, the energy of the crowd, the company of good friends. I'm glad I went even though the race got canceled due to the heavy downpour.

It's a great way to spend a Sunday. :)

Matthew 7 has a really good quote about judging others. The first verse goes "Do not judge, or you too will be judged" (NIV) of which the famous phrase "Judge not, lest ye be judged yourself" comes from.



I was born and raised a Christian and part of the reason I drifted away from the church is due to the unbiblical conduct of Christians. Christians are supposed to be followers of Christ, a beacon of light, the salt of the earth. I'm not talking about Christians committing sins, for that is the lesser evil.

I am turned off by the misguided fundamentalists who are quick to judge, inflexible and unforgiving. These are the ones who whisper, gossip and hate. Yes, hate. Not an emotion you usually associate with Christians. They sow seeds of hate, which is prohibited by the teachings of Jesus.

The Gospel according to St. Matthew has a gem of a phrase in Matthew 7:5: "You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye."

Taken in context, the preceding verses go "Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye?"

The "speck" and "plank" refers to sin, for the uninitiated. These are the very words uttered by Jesus Christ to his disciples 2,000 years ago.

I like the commentary by Matthew Henry (no relation to the Matthew who wrote the gospel, obviously) which describes the chapter as follows (emphasis mine):

We must judge ourselves, and judge of our own acts, but not make our word a law to everybody. We must not judge rashly, nor pass judgment upon our brother without any ground. We must not make the worst of people.

The Bible is very clear about this.

Gossip is another thing The Good Book (TM) has a very firm stance about. The Bible equates gossip to murder. I shall pick some choice morsels from the Bible to back this up.

Romans 1:29 - "They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips." (Note how Paul puts gossipers and slanderers in the same league as murderers)

1 Timothy 5:13 - "Besides, they get into the habit of being idle and going about from house to house. And not only do they become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies, saying things they ought not to."

Ephesians 4:29 - "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

James 1:26 - "If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight reign on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless."

One thing that my father (who is a very devout Christian) taught me is this: love. I'm sure a lot of you is familiar with The First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians - an epistle is a letter) where Paul wrote on the subject in Chapter 13. "Love is patient, love is kind." Perhaps a more familiar phrase would be "Love your neighbor as you love yourself".

I asked my dad once, how is it possible to love when the people around you insult you, gossip about you, and slander your good name? He replied simply, "Love the sinner, but hate the sin".

A lot of fundamentalists claim this is not actually biblical and originated from Gandhi's autobiography where he writes "Hate the sin and not the sinner". However, St. Augustine taught that ages before Gandhi was even born - Cum dilectione hominum et odio vitiorum which translates to "Love all mankind, but maintain a hatred of their sins".

I've always liked that phrase, not because it provides a convenient excuse for my lifestyle, but because it is biblically sound. 1 John says "Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love."

A true act of love is treating someone with respect and kindness even though you do not approve of their lifestyle.

You talk the talk, you attend church every Sunday, but do you truly walk the walk?

You ask yourself that before you judge me.

I find solace in The Beatitudes: "Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you...rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven."

I leave you with one last verse from the Bible: "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your brothers, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

I turn 28 today. My birthday is on the 5th of April 1981 (it's always Cheng Beng except for leap years) but I don't make it a habit of celebrating my birthdays.



I remember less-than-optimal serotonin levels during my birthday, being in rehab during my birthday, and being so totally messed up that I forgot it was even my birthday! Birthdays are not exactly my favorite day of the year.



Anyway, I had an office birthday this year, thanks to SH (less than 3 you, always). She was kind enough to go out of her way to get a cake and a miniature helicopter (to commemorate my helicopter ride) for me. Thanks SH! :)



It's a nice feeling to have people remember your birthday and the people at work set up a diversion and got the conference room ready for the cake cutting ceremony. Thanks to Mimi, Vei Teck and all the others for showing up (and the ones who were there in spirit - thanks Joyce). Cheers! I appreciate the gesture.

You the best SH. I know what you did and I'm touched. My eternal gratitude for the office birthday on Friday. :)

Cheers to Eiling and Yiling who were the first to wish me a happy birthday and the lunch invite next week.

Doris, thanks for the birthday wishes. I'm glad you remembered.

Cynthia, Zoe, Mel, Sze, appreciate the birthday wishes. :)

Cheers Teng Loo for the birthday wishes. You didn't forget the article that Karen sent us. ;)

Abby, my real estate agent, I suspect you read this blog from your text and I'm surprised you let me rent the place despite all that you know. Thank you for your birthday wishes. :)



Thanks Cherie for the...erm, *cough* birthday gift, the single malt whiskey and the kolo mee all the way from Kuching.

The best birthday wish goes to Arthur, who sent me a text which goes "May you be as handsome as you think, as rich as your friends believe and may you have as many women as everyone suspects! Happy birthday!" LOL! I still can't stop laughing. Cheers buddy.

To anyone I missed out, my apologies, here is a catchall - thank you everyone for wishing me a happy birthday!

Alright, this "Thank You" post has gone way too long so let's go through what I did during my birthday. I went to the Nuffnang Music Bash on Saturday, dropped by Cherie's condo after that to chill, and went to the F1 race in Sepang on Sunday. I just got home and I'm coloring my hair back to black now before heading to bed. My apologies for the disjointed post - I'm sleep deprived and I need to catch up on zzz.

...and finally, thank you all for peppering my Facebook wall with birthday wishes. You made my day. :)

Oh, and if you want to give me a birthday present, I really need a wallet. I suggest Mudah.my - get it delivered to my office. ;)

I have been loitering around various places during my lunch hour, dodging security and soliciting strangers in an attempt to sell off my Rolex. It's harder than it sounds, most people look at me with a mixture of apprehension and disdain when I approach them. It wasn't a very successful experiment...

...perhaps a lot of it had to do with the fact that I accidentally let slip about the Rolex being stolen goods while attempting to hock it to a couple of women walking out of their office. My friend was there to film me coz I bet I could sell it (the watch is hers) and my less-than-successful attempts cracked her up.

There's gotta be a better way to go about this. I mean seriously, who does this anymore in the Internet generation? I want an easier way to sell stuff I don't need - easy being the keyword here. I'm not going to stand around looking dodgy and approach random people. There's got to be an easier way.

Mudah is the BM word for easy. I'm a bit low on cash so I tried to...er, make my services available on this online marketplace. I advertised under Services - 27 year old for sale, reasonably sane, overseas educated, available for the low, low price of RM 20,000 a night.

It didn't get listed. :(

I'm not giving up though. I have a lot of stuff lying around at home that I can sell on Mudah.my to help tide me through the month. I'm testing what does and does not contravene their Terms & Conditions to maximize the wares I can sell. :) 

I have a slanting breakfast bar which requires a plastic container to prop it up to a reasonable angle. I'm willing to let it go for RM 300. Installation and dismantling charges not included. I'll throw in the garbage bags for free if you come and pick it up yourself. 

This is a bottle of CK Eternity purchased in 1997. I'm serious. It has undergone an aging process for more than a decade and I've barely used it. I'll let it go for RM 400. My rationale for the higher price is that alcohol is more expensive when it's been aged. Eau de toilette has alcohol. :) 

All kidding aside, I got a call from Sony Malaysia telling me that I've won a TV. I'm serious. I bought a Sony alpha 350 dSLR earlier this year and the people at Sony Style filled up a contest form for me with proof of purchase. Well, I was informed that I won a Sony TV from that contest and I'll have to pick it up from Sony Style. I don't need a TV but I need the cash so I'm going to list that on Mudah.my as soon as I pick it up. No, I'm not selling my dSLR. :p 

You can conveniently buy and sell on Mudah.my anytime, anywhere. Property, cars, cell phones, computers, and more can be found listed on the site. It's a Malaysian online marketplace too so you don't have to worry about customs and expensive postal charges. The possibilities are endless!

It's particularly useful for those of us who works long hours. I can buy stuff and get it delivered right to the office. 

The convenience of getting gifts for your loved ones online nullifies the effort and time required to go browsing about traditional brick and mortar establishments. Mudah.my facilitates this - I can order a gift online, get the seller to deliver it to my office and pass it right after work. 

It didn't go down too well though. Perhaps cacing merah (red worms) wasn't the best choice. I just thought it would be useful for fishing. *shrugs* 

The Toyota Vios 1.5G was a hit though. Spoil your loved ones (or yourself) by browsing through the "marketplace of Malaysia" and pick an item at rock bottom prices.

Mudah.my - the possibilities are endless! :)

Okay, I've seen a lot of wacky celebration days but this just takes the cake. Did you know that there's an International Pillow Fight Day? I kid you not, Google it, and ye shall find the answer (complete with photos of hundreds of people bashing each other up with soft, fluffy pillows).

Well, such interesting events are not limited to the States anymore. Does everyone remember the KL Freeze in Unison flash mob? It was awesome - I didn't get to participate in it (coz I wasn't in KL at that time) but it was featured on Astro. Mainstream television!

Anyway, the great mind(s) behind the first flash mob in KL is organizing another event - just as zany, and twice as fun. Pillow fight, anyone?



Lucky for us, Corntoz is sponsoring the Corntoz Pillow Fight. It is happening on our very shores on the 4th of April 2009 at 4 pm.

Now, a lot of us have been deprived of the simple joys of slapping each other silly with a feather stuffed piece of fabric since sleepovers are not exactly common over here. It's great fun, especially if the pillows are made with real feathers and it all comes out. Just like in the movies. ;)

Now, since I don't have a bedroom sparring partner (okay, that didn't sound right coming out) I have re-enacted a pillow fight...with miscellaneous action figures and fluffy toys.



Poor Panda: Ouch! You did not just do that. I'm going to get my team to give you a proper pillow smack down.



Belligerent Bear: O rly? You and what army? Those miniature Gundam figurines?



Poor Panda: Nope, this huge Spiderman.
Belligerent Bear: *gulps*

Anyway, if you're interested in the Corntoz Pillow Fight, you'll have to jump through some hoops to get at the details. The location of the Gathering Point will be revealed at the Corntoz Pillow Fight website on the 2nd of April (tomorrow) at 2 am.

It's all very hush-hush. The Gathering Point is not the venue of the pillow fight, but rather a rendezvous point. The actual venue will only be revealed on the day itself so be there at 4 pm on the 4th of April 2009. You'll be split into two groups and battle it out. There are 60 cities around the world participating! Don't forget to bring your own pillow.



You know the best thing about Corntoz Pillow Fight? It's organized by the same people as KL Freeze in Unison so who knows which media station is going to show up? Fancy your ugly mug on the TV?

I do. I'm going!

(and I'm sure going to stick to the cameraman like peanut butter to the roof of your mouth)


Corntoz Pillow Fight 4 April 2009 from RandomAlphabets on Vimeo.

Look ma, I'm on TV! =D