MunY - TangTangTang!

My random thoughts on Anwar Ibrahim

2012-01-09T21:49:00.003+08:00

Today Anwar was acquitted of his Sodomy trial, it was probably one of the most intensely followed trial in Malaysia for sometime.

And in an article, it noted that Anwar back in the 90s was suppose to be the heir apparant to Mahatir. And it got me thinking, 'what if'.

Would Anwar be the champion of change he is today? Or would he just be another one of those umnoputras that are despised by the opposition and the people today?

In an alternate reality, probably. It begs the question, is he fit to lead the country to new policies once the current government gets rejected by the people. (if it ever happens)

I'm of 2 minds, but the gist of it is. Change is needed, and the catalyst of that change seems to be day Anwar and Mahatir came to clashes.

I missed my opportunity to vote back in 2008, I am hoping I will not miss it in 2012. If it happens this year that is.

Vote for change, vote for the future generation of Malaysia.

MunY Movies: Crazy Stupid Love

2011-09-05T01:08:00.001+08:00

What's Crazy and Stupid all at the same time? Love apparently. But we all know that already don't we? But what the heck, why don't we let another movie tell us that.

Have a look at the trailer here. warning : 2mins and 32sec long

Ok, if the trailer didn't make you feel like watching this movie. You should then forgive the trailer. I actually really like this movie. And not just because it stars Emma Stone.

A good cast as you can see from the poster, Steve Carell and Julian Moore takes the lead in this sweet and touching comedy.

I pulled the synopsis of movie from rotten tomatoes.
At fortysomething, straight-laced Cal Weaver (Steve Carell) is living the dream-good job, nice house, great kids and marriage to his high school sweetheart. But when Cal learns that his wife, Emily (Julianne Moore), has cheated on him and wants a divorce, his "perfect" life quickly unravels. Worse, in today's single world, Cal, who hasn't dated in decades, stands out as the epitome of un-smooth. Now spending his free evenings sulking alone at a local bar, the hapless Cal is taken on as wingman and protégé to handsome, thirtysomething player Jacob Palmer (Ryan Gosling). -- (C) Warner Bros

IMDB rating: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes : 75%

I used the word sweet above because it really is, didn't even need caramel popcorn during the movie to leave the lingering taste of sweetness in my mouth.

The cast is super talented, Steve Carell and Julian Moore needs no introduction. Steve Carell again brings to the table a strong performance as the main character you would root for. If you've seen Steve Carell previously in Dan in Real Life, you would now what I mean.

Emma Stone is quickly becoming one of my fav actresses in the industry, Zombieland, Easy A, and she will be in the upcoming reboot of spiderman movie. Can't wait!

For the ladies, you have eye candy in the form of Ryan Gosling. The bunch of girls sitting in front of me during the movie just went 'oooooooo' when the below scene appeared.

Also special mention to Marissa Tomei and Kevin Bacon, both gave solid performances to complete the movie.

There is a good surprise within the story, which I really didn't anticipate but really liked.

So if you have time, I recommend to go watch it with a love one. It's probably one of those movies that'll be entertaining and heartwarming at the same time.

Watch it if
You like Steve Carell
You like Emma Stone
You want to watch a good movie this summer

Lost....

2010-10-17T21:28:00.000+08:00

sorry guys, been abit lost as of late.

Hope to be back soon....

Looking forward to : resident evil:After Life

2010-06-22T23:50:00.001+08:00

seems abit matrix like, here's the latest trailer.

Something to look forward to? Probably.

MunY Movies: Toy Story 3 - 3D

2010-06-21T20:31:00.000+08:00

Did you enjoy Toy Story and Toy Story 2? Do they bring back memories for you? Well, Pixar is back with the 3rd installment of the Toy Story franchise. And I'm so glad they did.

Almost every year, I look forward to Pixar's animated feature. Because they are not only movies, they are stories told by excellent story tellers.

A year ago, I paid extra $ to watch 'UP' in 3D. This year, again, I forked out extra $ to watch another Pixar animated feature.

Last year, I said I'd prefer non 3D. The feeling is the same this year. I didn't like the glasses dulling down the colors of the movie, but didn't give me the exact 3D experience I was hoping for.

But back to the movie, Pixar brings Toy Story back after 9 years since it's sequel. This time, with a darker storyline.

Andy, the toys' owner, is now grown up and is ready to goto college. The toys, faced with either life in the attic or becoming landfill, decided to take a 3rd option.... donation to sunnyside daycare center.

Woody and Buzz returns, with Slinky, Mr and Mrs Potato, T-rex and Jessie. This time also joined by Barbie. Yes, Barbie finally arrives in toy story playing the blonde that she is.

Thinking the day care centre is a heaven for unwanted toys, the group soon finds out a darker side of the new toys they meet. Do not want to put any spoilers out here, so really, go watch it.....

Pixar captures the essence of emotions between owner and toy so well, I heard a few sniffles nearing the end of the movie. Did I choke up? OF COZ NOT. ehem....

The only warning is to watch it on a day when children and toddlers are unlikely to be present...... if you want to enjoy a disturbance free movie. Can't fault the kids as they get excited about the characters on the big screen, you can only fault the parents for not telling them better.

My Verdict: one of the best movies I watched this year. yes, BEST.

Watch it if.....

You love Pixar movies
You want to feel warm and fuzzy at the end of a movie
Because it's just that good.... just watch it.

Having Fun at work?

2010-06-03T23:48:00.000+08:00

Steve Jobs: I have one of the best jobs in the world. I get to come in and work with some of the most brilliant people in the world. We play in the best sandbox...

Recently I saw this excerpt from the D8 interview with Steve Jobs.

Made me think of my own job and work environment.

Used to be alot of fun, still fun today. But could be better. Yeah, everything could be better.

But having fun at work is probably one of the most important things to really consider. And when I say having fun doesn't mean smoking up and going into work all high.

Enjoying the experience, the people, and environment...... it makes all the unbearable annoyances.... bearable I guess.

I remember my fist 2 years with the company, it was fun at work, even though there's the pressure of daily numbers.... there was still a bunch of friends who'd have a smoke and play 'six degrees of Kevin Bacon'. After that, the learning and the 'circle of trust' made for a totally new fun experience.

'Stress is a figment of your imagination' - words uttered by someone truly legendary... in my mind at least.

Then came India, also alot of fun because it was a new country, new environment, and a whole team of awesome people.

And coming back, having a team of great people working together with me...... still fun.

Friends betting that you'd throw a punch at the annoying man at work..... well... ok, fun.

Comments like, 'Mr B, you're a bit soft there' uttered during conference call makes for big laughs!

Am I still having fun at work? probably, just need to find that happy place again soon.

MunY Movies: Prince of Persia, The Sands of Time

2010-05-30T23:40:00.001+08:00

Did you play the game prince of persia on your PS2, PS3 or PC? I didn't, but I heard enough of it from friends that made me curious about the movie. And you know what they say about curiosity......

Prince of Persia, the Sand of Time is a summer flick to replace the likes of the pirates of carribean franchise. That is of course my humble opinion...... but did it manage to do that?

The trailers were actually quite superb, but then again, i've been fooled by trailers more than once. But I still go back for more.....

Jake Gyllenhaal stars as Prince Dastan, an adopted prince, because the king saw him throwing apples at the royal guards.... no, that's a sign of courage, not stupidity.... but if at just that moment, the king was not looking, he'd be handless.... now that'll be a sign of stupidity alright.

Gemma Aterton stars as Princess Tamina, the guardian of the mystical dagger, and also Prince Dastan's love interest in the movie..... Gemma Aterton was previously in the movie Clash of the Titans, where her role, same as this movie, feels...... insignificant. She started off the movie with promise.... but as the movie went on...... she turned from fierce protector of the dagger to damsel in distress..... yawn.

Oh, Ben Kingsley also stars in the movie. And before Prince Dastan figures out who the villain is, the audience would've know far earlier when they see Ben Kingsley in Adam Lambert's eyeliners....

Any movie that touches on the topic of time travel is always cool..... but very hard to pull off.... and I feel it's the same with POP, TSOT. But if you don't think about it, sit back and relax.... the movie does it's job of entertaining you with special effects, breath taking scenes, Jake G (for the ladies) and Gemma A(for the gentleman).....

Is it a must watch? The jury is out on that one. Really depends on personal preferences...... I know there'd be alot of people out there that'll be giving it the thumbs up.... for me, the only response was the one I put up in facebook. 'MEH'

My Rating: Standard Blockbuster movie..... watchable.....

Watch it if
You are a fan of the game
You have the hots for Jake Gyllenhaal (both men and women) cause he is super buffed up.

You want to take your 3-6 year old kid to annoy the row sitting in front of you

All is LOST.....finally....

2010-05-25T22:34:00.000+08:00

I am talking, of course, about the series finale, one of the most talked about TV series in the past 6 years.

Frankly, I did not watch the show until it's final season. I did not watch it when it first debut back in 2004, I did not watch it along the years, I did not watch it when I was in India...... I just did not watch it.

Then one day, after returning from India, sitting in the living room of my new house, tuned into channel 701 on Astro. It captured my attention, I sat up, and that one single episode blew my mind. And the rest, as we all say it, was history..... at least for the past year.

I already had the first 3 seasons of lost on my hard drive, I did not download them, I had them for 3 years, passed to me by a friend. But did I go back and watch every single episode before diving into season 6? No.... I watched episode 6x00.

Yes, Episode 0. What's that you ask? It is an episode, which sums up the past 5 seasons in less than 60mins. Is it even possible? Well, it sure did it for me.

I find the show interesting because of the characters, the story.... and most importantly.... the music. The music along the show could give me goosebumps.... yes, they were that good.

Alot of people told me that they are lost when watching LOST. Well, I'd still recommend it.

The final episode was heartwarming and probably tear jerking to some. (not me, :P)

For the final episode, I avoided all online chatter of the show, and it's a good thing none of my friends on Fb actually watches the show so no one could really spoil it for me.

Was it a great finale? I think it was adequate. The story telling was great like all the other episodes, and it provided the right closures and left some of the story to the imagination.

What will I do next now that the show is over? Why, get the Blu-ray and watch it from the beginning of course. :) Lost marathon, anyone?

looking forward to these 2 movies....

2010-05-25T00:23:00.000+08:00

Inception

with Christopher 'The Dark Knight' Nolan directing Leo 'Titanic' Dicaprio and Ellen 'Juno' Page in this sci-fi thriller..... and with the sound track sounding like The Dark Knight's...... what can I say?

Splice

The trailer looks interesting, the poster looks ok. And starring Adrien 'kiss halle berry at the Oscar' Brody... not a big fan of his....... but then it's sci-fi..... It's human cloning, and I just recently finished reading Y-The last Man. what can I say? I'm a big geek at heart.

The evolution of alcoholic drinks in my life...

2010-05-23T23:53:00.001+08:00

Back when I was 5 years old, I had this.

Then when I reached my teens, it was this. (hmm... kinda giving away my age with this)

And just before college, I had this.

Then when needing to feel more grown up, I turned to these.

And when I started working, we went on these....

God forbid that my liver hates me the most during those years..... 'You make me work overtime you son of a bitch!' I hope you puke your guts out and drown in them!!!! - note to liver, 'sorry'

then after puking too often, I decided to cut down and goto this in moderation....

No more drink till you drop, no more loud music.......

It's funny when I think back to all those years of drinking, each alcohol kinds of depicted a certain stage of life for me.

Not saying I don't drink beer, hard liquor or Shandy anymore... I love shandy. But it's just the progression and evolution of my drinks.

I know I had not posted something for quite sometime now, so hopefully the inspiration comes back so I can continue where I left off.

MunY Movies: Clash of the Titans

2010-04-04T23:27:00.000+08:00

Oh, how the greek gods have fallen. Clash of the Titan totally dumped them from Olympus to the pits of hades, in my humble opinion.

Starring part terminator, part naavi Sam Worthington, movie is a remake of the 1981 movie of the same name. Movie also stars recognizable names such as Liam Neeson, Ralph Fiennes and Gemma Arterton.

In case you don't recognize the name Gemma Arterton, formerly from Quantum of Solace, she will again appear in another summer blockbuster movie alongside Jake Gyllenhaal in Prince of Persia. So keep an eye out for her. Frankly, she's not my type but she might tickle your fancy.

Liam Neeson plays Zeus, and he is clothe is BLING armor that really really hurt my eyes. That is not the Zeus I know. While Ralph Fiennes plays Hades, lord of the underworld, where he tries to petrify human beings to his submission by releasing the Kraken unto Argos.

Oh, did I forget about the leading man? Sam Worthington..... he plays Perseus. The bastard son of Zeus, Demi-god that slays giant scorpions, rides a pegasus, beheads Medussa and destroys a kraken. Yes folks, that's the gist of the story. Sounds awesome? well, it's not.

The story telling is poor and the movie badly edited. I think Percy Jackson and the lightning thief might even be better than this, again, in my humble opinion. The director tries to educate the audience on Greek mythology by having a voice over at the beginning of the movie, but fails to further bring cohesiveness to the rest of the movie.

For people who are expecting a fantasy genre extravaganza, I suggest to lower expectations, or just probably not watch it at all in the cinema.

My ratings: Epic........ fail.

Watch it only if
You are deeply entrenched in Greek mythology and must see every single movie with the mention of it
You watched the 1981 version and would like to have a compare
You want to see Sam Worthington wear a skirt and dance around with a shiny sword

You've been warned.

My thoughts on Performance Reviews

2010-03-28T01:18:00.000+08:00

I have gone through several performance reviews through out my time with the company, usually only requiring me to just listen and provide some feedback to my manager about my thoughts on the assessment.

This year's been abit different for me, I had to provide performance review to my staff. As a first time people manager, it was a learning experience for me.

This year was particularly difficult, as the economic environment, though improved globally, still has effects on business worldwide. So there were some tough news to be delivered to my staff across the region.

Everyone on the team worked really hard through out the year, and trying to deliver news that are not ideal can be really difficult. I tried to be as fair as possible, but it is always difficult. So one thing I learned through the process, is to not only manage expectation, but to have a constant development review with my staff moving forward.

Time needs to be invested, from both manager and staff. This gives a good compass to your staff on your expectations, and the requirements from yourself. This is to avoid any ambiguity on performance and expectations.

In a large corporation, I've seen at many times, that expectations are either incorrect from a staff, or direction unclear from the manager, that causes the loss of key talents. And retaining talents should be one of the key priorities of the organization, because for me, I believe, people are asset.

My advice to people who aspire to be successful:
1) Stay passionate, and keep on learning daily.
2) Be humble. Whatever you think you know, there will always be someone who knows something you don't. So keep an open mind.
3) Be detailed. As the saying goes, 'Devil is in the details'. There are too much fluff out there, to rise above it, you need to put in the work and get into the details.
4) Be patient. If you are doing all the right things, you will be recognized. Even if you don't, your personal growth will get you to a better place.
5) Be paranoid. Yes, they are all out to get you. No, I'm kidding. But always be on alert, remember, calm before the storm. So always be prepared, check and always check again.
6) Trust and earn trust. Be sincere, to people you work with or for. If you are insincere, people can see and sense it.

You are your biggest roadblock to success, always reflect and work towards improvement. Always keep on asking yourself, 'what can I do differently to improve?'. Having a victim mentality, will only get you no where.

I'm still working on how to improve daily, and I've been told I'm too anal. I call it perfectionism. :P

MunY Movies: Green Zone

2010-03-14T20:57:00.000+08:00

Did you watch Bourne Supremacy and Bourne Ultimatum? Did you like them? If they answer is yes, then you should probably consider watching Green Zone.

Starring Jason Bourne, oh wait, Matt Damon..... Green Zone is a story set in 2003 during the invasion of US troops into Iraq to stop Saddam and retrieve WMD (Weapons of Mass Destruction).

*Spoiler Alert*

There are many conspiracy theories on the attack of Baghdad, the movie written by Brian Helgeland and directed by Paul Greengrass tackles one of them.

Matt Damon plays Chief Roy Miller, who has been deployed with his troops in Iraq to recover all the WMD based on the 'reliable' source received from a top secret source from teh white house named Magellan. However, all these sites turned up empty of WMD and he starts questioning the intel.

So during one of his operations, he comes face to face (almost) with the Jack of Clubs, Saddam's top man General Al- Rawi. But instead of taking in the POW, Special forces show up and takes them away from Chief Miller and crew.

Smelling a rat, Miller starts investigating with the help of CIA Martin Brown and confirmed his suspicion with WSJ journalist Lawrie Dayne, that info from the white house was not realible and the reason US went to war with Iraq was based on a lie.

Clark Poundstone(Greg Kinnear) is the controversial figure in the middle of this conspiracy, and will stop at nothing to keep everything under wraps.

So did Chief Miller manage to get the truth out there? That Bush made the wrong decision, on making the wrong war? Well, partly yes and partly no. You'll have to watch the movie to know what I mean.

My verdict: good action movie with a good pace and suspenseful storyline.

Watch it if
You are a fan of Matt Damon
You are a conspiracy theorist
You just love to watch war movies, regardless if it's Vietnam or Iraq

MunY Movies: Alice in Wonderland

2010-03-13T00:46:00.002+08:00

If you feel like falling through the rabbit hole, and remembering childhood bedtime story telling... Alice in wonderland is the movie for you to watch this March.

This time, directed by Tim Burton, Alice in wonderland is brought to you in his vision. Tim Burton's movies have always fascinated me, ever since the first time I watched Beetlejuice back in 1988. (don't forget the 1st and 2nd Batman movie too... )

Special effects were used to make Johnny Depp's eye larger.

This time round, he's brought Alice in wonderland to life. With Mia Wasikowska(try saying that 5 times fast) as Alice, Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter, Helena Bonham Carter as the Red Queen and Anne Hathaway as the white queen..... this is cast that is pretty solid.

really liked all their acting in this movie

Story brings Alice back to Underland(wonderland in her younger days) after 13 years, where she is required to slay the Jabberwocky. Upon her return, she is met by Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Mallymkun the Dormouse, McTwisp the white rabbit and Uileam the DoDo bird.

And along her journey, she meets up again with Absolem the Blue caterpillar, Chessur the Chesire Cat.... goes to the tea party where Mad Hatter and the March Hare was partying away.... in a rather torn down party environment.

So she retrieves the vorpal sword, slays the Jabberwocky, the white queen returns to power, the red queen is banished forever. Very fairy tale like I must say, and a very different version of alice to the one we all grew up with.

I loved the pace of the show, the animation and the world of underland is definitely a true trademark of Tim Burton. If you liked Edward Scissorhands or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, this world will feel very familiar.

My verdict: Entertaining movie for anyone between 6 to 60.

Also, stay back to listen to the song at the end of the movie..... I loved it. But if you don't wanna, here's a sample from YouTube.

Watch it if
You are a fan of Tim Burton movies
You and your kids love fables, and want to see the characters like Chesire cat, blue caterpillars come to life
You want to see a true shining star in the form of Mia Waskowska (hope to see more of her)

And the Oscar goes to.....

2010-03-08T22:27:00.000+08:00

So another year, another glitzy show at the oscars.

Unfortunately for me, I did not get to watch the Oscars. Not during the live show, not during the repeat telecast at night?

Why? Cause I don't subscribe to Astro's Starmovie channel on Ch412. :( Tried to look around for the torrent, but could not find it. Next stop will be online streaming sites...... right after this little article.

Friends who know me know that I watch quite a number of movies, but probably not to the extent that I only hide out at home and become a movie hermit. Last year served up quite a number of cool movies, and now it's award times!

And really, the only Oscars we really care about are best movie, right? no.... ok, ok. So i'm over simplifying again. :P

But because I'm too lazy to write about the whole ho-hum of the event (even though I heard Alec B and Steve M did a great job of hosting the show), I'm just going to write about the nominees for best movie of the year.

And they are:

Avatar (watched)

The Hurt Locker (have it, waiting to watch it)

The Blind Side (watched)

District 9 (watched)

Up in the Air (watched)

Inglorious Basterds (have it, don't know when i'll watch it)

Precious (have it, erm... abit too heavy for me)

A serious Man (don't have it, not sure if i'll watch it)

An Education (same as the above)

Up (watched, I don't usually miss pixar cartoons)

For the first time, there were 10 nominees. And some of them pretty heavy weights in the box office.

So here's the deal, just in case you have not heard.
The Hurt Locker won best movie, Sandy Bullock got her first golden statuette for her role in the Blind side, Jeff Bridges won for Crazy Heart, Mo'Nique for Precious and Christoph Waltz for Inglorious Basterds.

Some movies mentioned above did not even show in the cinemas here. So now that it's got 'oscar' recommendation, I'll bet it'll start showing up on DVD racks all over and the guy with the funky hair will try to sell it to you with his thumbs up saying, 'Oscar one ah, must watch!'

So at the end of the day, the real winner? DvD peddlers? nah, it's for the love of the movies. So if you really like them oscar movies, go watch it. Legally or illegally, it's up to you. :)

Never piss off your P.A...

2010-02-07T09:54:00.000+08:00

No matter how powerful u think u r..... U r not. The PA holds the power. Be kind!!!

A Malaysian Valentine Gesture?

2010-01-29T18:12:00.000+08:00

Today in the Star paper, this article Bare your love this Valentines Day, Female Student Urged is the most viewed.

It makes you wonder if times are really bad that these type of 'promotions' are urged. But it's not totally a bad thing for men if you get what I mean. ;)

However, my favorite part of the article?

State Islamic Affairs Department (Jais) director Datuk Mohammed Khusrin Munawi said:
“We will not allow Muslim students to be taken in by such celebrations that deviate from the teachings of Islam.”

First I thought to myself, how are they going to prevent?

Then, I wondered...... how they are going to check? hmmm.....

I'll leave it to the authorities to figure it out. ;)

MunY Movies: Legion

2010-01-26T23:13:00.002+08:00

Only two words. Legion sucks! Ok, you can continue reading if you want to find out why I think Legion is such a bad movie....

The only part of the movie that is worth watching is in the trailer, and that's how I got suckered into watching this movie starring Paul Bettany and Dennis Quad on a Friday evening. Here, let me put it here to save you the money that you should put into your child's education fund instead.

The synopsis of the movie reads,from IMDB: An out-of-the-way diner becomes the unlikely battleground for the survival of the human race. When God loses faith in humankind, he sends his legion of angels to bring on the Apocalypse. Humanity's only hope lies in a group of strangers trapped in a desert diner with the Archangel Michael

The out of the way diner is aptly named paradise falls, but I think it should have been named Epic Fail instead....

The movie feels more like a zombie movie rather than a fight for the survival of mankind. Human beings getting 'possessed' by angels. You can see the 'possession' is like how an agent in the matrix would take over a body. Is there no longer originality in the world of movies?

God is angry at man, for failing his expectations. And hence, the way to kill all human being is to ensure that a baby that is not supposed to be born is kill off. So who does god send to kill off the baby? Angels..... nice, very nice.

Angels that crawls on walls, tears of throats, uses a kitchen knife to kill people...... oh how the holy have fallen?

Not agreeing with god, Michael the Archangel comes to earth, tears off his wings, hijacks a police car and drives to the middle of the dessert to protect the unborn child from angel possessed humans hell bent on getting into the diner.

oh but wait, once the baby is born. None of these normal angels can kill the baby, it can only be killed by an archangel. And who else but Gabriel, with steel wings and a morning star, swooping in to do the deed.

So did the baby die? No, not even after a car crash and angels attacking it.

And there was a conversation between Michael and Gabriel at the end of the movie, which sounds more like whiny teenagers arguing over a guy/gal in a love triangle.

Gabriel: Why? Why did he choose you? I obeyed all of his orders.
Michale: Yes, that is why. You gave him what he wanted, I gave him what he needed.

sheesh.

And since when is god gender specific? ok, I will not open this can of worms.

Watch it only if
You like Paul Bettany/Dennis Quaid
You like zombie type movies
You don't believe me and would like to watch it yourself

P/S the kid from fast and furious 3 is in the movie too, but didn't do much for the movie anyway.

You know times are really bad when.....

2010-01-20T22:22:00.003+08:00

And that's all I have to say about that.

*yes, lame post. but sometimes a comic strip says a thousand words*

MunY Movies: Cirque Du Freak, The Vampire's Assistant

2010-01-13T23:42:00.000+08:00

Vampires are all the rage these days. You have the emo boy vampire from the Bella n Edward show, and then you have the ones with the southern accent on HBO, and of course the lovey dovey ones on that right Diaries on the CW.

Last weekend, I went for another vampire movie. Cirque Du Freak. Another book adaptation.

I didn't read the book. So I didn't really know what to expect. The poster looks like some cheesy b-grade movie that was shot on a $50 budget.

But names like John C Reilly, Salma Hayek and Ken Watanabe were front and center on the poster. Making me wonder if they were just actors/actresses with the same name as the ones that are really famous.

Nope, it's them. I'm surprised and intrigued.

First of all, an introduction of Cirque Du Freak books. Taken from Wikipedia.

Cirque du Freak (Cirque du Freak: A Living Nightmare in the United States) is the first novel in The Saga of Darren Shan by Darren Shan. It is part of the "Vampire Blood Trilogy", which comprises the first three of the 12 book saga. Cirque du Freak was first published in Great Britain by HarperCollins in 2000, and was later published in the Vampire Blood Series in 2003 and 2004. Cirque du Freak is now a major motion picture.

This installment of the movie shows Darren Shan, a straigh A student, and his friend Steve, a rebel at school going to a freak show that comes to town. Not know what awaits them.

Darren, who is fascinated by spiders, steal ones from a vampire during the show. And the Consequence of stealing that spider? Steve getting a big bite from it, and doesn't end up with any spider powers. So in order to save Steve, he makes a deal with the vampire Mr Crepsley to be his assistant, and to be turned into half a vampire.

And hence his journey begins as a freak show of the cirque.

The movie was..... meh. Didn't like it, not worth the $10 ticket to watch, definitely not on a weekend. Acting, if there was any at all, was not apparant to me.

Watch it only if
You want to see Salma Hayek with a beard.
You can't get enough of vampire movies.
You just want to see John C Reilly not being stupidly silly.

When the photogs strike!

2010-01-12T21:27:00.001+08:00

So what do you do if it is a Saturday, you have nothing better to do, you have a DSLR camera lying around collecting dust, and there are friends who ask you to go on a photoshoot? You go obviously.

Waking up at 6am in the morning was definitely how I planned my Saturday when the first week of 2010 started. I would have probably be lazing in bed until 10am and then crawl out of bed to find food after the stomach starts growling.

However, instead of taking the lazy routine. Alf, Joe and I headed down town for a photoshoot with a very sporting couple. Alf was kind enough to come over my place to pick me up. (I know I know, I need to get a car)

We stopped by Joe's and jumped into his car and headed downtown. The sun was just rising as sprint along the Jelutong expressway. Met up with the sporting couple that Alf have somehow convinced to do this photoshoot with us.

It was a beautiful day and the sky tells it all.

The experience of shooting live people was interesting and to a certain extent intimidating. I mean, what if we fxckxd it up? (we didn't, obviously. ok ok, still a looooong way to go)

Alf was the main guy of the day, you can see he was really into it.

Scouting locations, dealing with the sun light, struggling with the humidity, enduring a stupid lecture by the 'tour guide' of Cheong Fat Tze mansion...... you name it. All key and important lessons learned though, and we're still trying to get the hang of stuff.

Where are the pics we took you ask? Well, it'll be up...... soon...... where? Will let you know.... soon.

P/S the first picture on this post was just something random I took, just in case you were wondering...

Higher price, less sugar? hmm..

2010-01-03T00:26:00.000+08:00

The year 2010 started with sugar prices here in Malaysia rising as much as 20sens/kg.

The first thought on my mind? Prices of food is going the same direction, mainly drinks we so adore in kopitiams. Will our beloved teh tarik cost more? How about that cup of Kopi-O that we enjoy every morning?

So far, no price increase..... yet.

This morning, saw an article in the paper stating that some groups are happy with the price hike on sugar because it will deter people from drinking beverages with high sugar content. And I think to myself, 'really?' Or will coffee shops start putting less sugar into the drinks to maintain the price? (no, I don't think so too)

So it's a burden that will get passed onto the consumers, mainly you and me. But makes you wonder if the prices for drinks will be raised by 10sen, and that essentially is an unjustified price hike if it's 20sen/kg sugar price hike.

But that's what usually happens, the coffee shops will whine and moan about their profits getting thinner, but in actual fact these are the best opportunities for them to increase margins. So I really hope that they don't increase prices on drinks so as to not burden the consumer.

Well, if they do, let's just order water instead. That's a health improvement and a way to show your dissatisfaction with vendors who increase their prices on drinks.

Places like sega fredos Belissa Row will tell you they don't serve water because they are out of glasses, that happened to me on X'mas eve. What a lame excuse..... but they'd serve you coke in a hearbeat instead. WTF? At least charge for it, some customers really do want to drink water, on top of the beer and other drinks they ordered.

Anyway, less sugar means healthier lifesytle, and smaller % of diabetes.

P.S Don't go taking a bunch of sugar packs out of starbucks just because it's free now...... yes, the thought did cross my mind. :P

2009, Exit, stage left

2009-12-31T09:32:00.000+08:00

Last day of 2009. Gosh. Wow. Hmm. Time flies. Where did it all go?

As I sit here in my new room pondering the year that was, I just can't help feel a pinch of relief that this year is almost over.

Two Thousand and Nine and best be described as a year of changes for me. I got myself back to Malaysia, I moved from my old house of 30 years to a new house with my family. I became responsible for a team for the first time and saw a whole bunch of people leave (yes, I'm a slave driver). I went to Sydney, US and Shanghai for the first time in my life.

I think those were the significant highlights of the year for me.

Thing I did not upkeep well is this blog, and it's unfortunate that I lost the zest to write. The posts dwindled from 12-15/ month to the measly 1-3/month that you are seeing now.

Need to regroup, and restart. And I think 2010 will be a good way to start it.

Read an interesting article the other day, Carpe Diem, maybe tomorrow. Interesting read, and it reminds us of the things we put off till tomorrow to do. And I sure as hell am guilty of that. Maybe tomorrow, Maybe next week, maybe next month, maybe next year(!!!). As a friend told me, and a very old Chinese saying, 'how many 10 years do you have in life?' or in English you'd just say, 'you only live once'

Not going to set resolutions this year, as I didn't fully achieve the ones I set last year. So going to try to keep the 3 that I did not do, and adding one more, which is to keep this blog going so as to keep my mind going.

Happy to year to everyone, thank you for your love and support. See you next year!

now I know why movies here gets 'cut' so badly....

2009-12-27T23:28:00.000+08:00

I've always wondered why our movies get censored beyond recognition when it shows in a cinema..... now I know. (this is old news, just been on my mind a while)

A Younger Censorship board

PUTRAJAYA: For the first time ever, the Film Censorship Board will have members aged below 55.
Of the 16 new members appointed yesterday, four were from the private sector — the youngest being a kindergarten teacher aged 31.

Holy cow, all this while, the friggin Malaysian censorship board is run by dinosaurs! (no disrespect to the elderly). A kiss here, they censor. A name with 'devil' in it, they censor.

They say 'First Time Ever' like it's something to be proud of.... boooo

Let's hope, that movies in 2010 do really get a 'fair' assessment from THE BOARD.

MunY Movies: Sherlock Holmes

2009-12-26T23:19:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I last wrote, feeling abit rusty. Have not kept to the promise I made to myself when this year started, so I thought I start here, with Sherlock Holmes.

A holiday movie starring Robert Downing JR and Jude Law, directed by Guy Ritchie, it's a movie I've been looking forward to since the middle of the year.

Well, let's just say the wait was well worth it.

Sherlock Holmes, the detective most of us read while growing up. The one detective that uses his superior intellectual and awesome power of observation to solve cases beyond the common man, is brought to life by Robert Downing JR. Another outstanding performance by RDJ, he is the ideal person to be playing the legendary detective.

Playing the role of Dr Watson is the ever charming Jude Law, different from the Dr Watson that I've always had in mind. Short and fat with a mustache, but I'm sure the ladies do not mind seeing him taking up the role of Holme's trusty sidekick.

I don't want to spoil the plot for anyone, but it's definitely an evil plot to take over world that need Holmes and Watson to solve. Apparently, the police back in the 1800s did not have CSI abilities like the ones Grissom or Horation possesses.

Guy Ritchie puts his signature on the movie, some may argue that his style of directing may not be best suited for the introduction of Holmes to the big screen but I think he did a good job.If you've watch Snatch and Lock,Stock and Two Smoking barrels, you'll feel right at ease watching this movie Don't expect Michael Bay type of action, you'll be disappointed.

Some argue that this is better than Avatar this holiday season, for me, the jury is still out. Weighing more towards Avatar for the best winter holiday movie just because of it's sheer effort.

My Rating: excellent watch, should not miss it this holiday.

Watch it if

You are a fan of RDJ

You just like a good mystery/detective movie

You liked Snatch and Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels

P/S Rachel McAdams is also in the movie as Ms Adler, but her role was reduced to merely fringe character and produced little chemistry with RDJ.....

Muny Movies: 2012

2009-11-15T17:42:00.000+08:00

Everybody loves a big disaster movie, and it doesn't get bigger than the latest end of th world flick by Roland Emmerich, 2012.

Plot is simple and straightforward, the world is coming to an end by 21-12-2012 based on the Mayan predictions. So the film starts with a discovery of super sun flares and increased earth core temperatures in 2009, and hence starts the plan to save the human species.

The movie is 2hours and 40 mins long, but you don't really feel the length of the movie because of it's awesome scenes depicting the destruction of big cities such as Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Washington and so on.

Danny Glover plays the President of the US, a black president, hmm..... does that sound familiar? In the film he is also the last US president, because once the world ends, there will be no United states of America.

John Cusack and Amanda Peet plays the role of normal American divorced family brought back together by the tragedies of the disaster. The fights and arguments we go through as a family seems petty once an event as huge as end of the world comes knocking on the door. So try to forgive and do right by the one you love, you'd never know when the earth is gonna split up and swallow you in, or a tidal wave that's gonna come rushing in and drown you out.

'all the technology that we have today, and the Mayans already saw this coming few thousand years back', this was definitely a fav line of mine from the movie. So what did human do with their technology in this movie? They build arks to ensure the survival of not only the human species, but also animals that would probably not survive the 'big cleansing'

So where does religion fit into the movie. In a particular scene, you will see people at the vatican, praying... when suddenly a crack appeared on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and the whole Vatican city came collapsing down. So, you tell me if prayers are going to help during the end of days? Probably spiritually..... the phrase, 'you can run, but you can't hide' comes to mind.

I'd recommend the movie as a watch, awesome special effects. The script has nothing to shout about, but just watching some of the amazing scenes is well worth the money paid to watch it on the big screen.

Credit card pains from the budget...

2009-10-25T19:47:00.000+08:00

Recently in Malaysia's Budget 2010, one of the key discussion points of many working class people, and undoubtedly of employees of the banking industry, is the RM50 charge for each credit card owned.

I have had many passionate discussions with my better half about credit cards, the pros and cons of it. This move by the government moves the score more to the Cons column.

The PM thinks that this will curb and reduce credit card debt. He may be right, but it's also a burden for people like me who use the credit card for it's convenience. Not to say I have alot of them, I cancelled most of my credit cards back in 2007 and 2008 because the bank that issues them was providing really crappy services. (ask me and i'll tell you which bank it is)

But then again, the PM might be wrong too. People who needs credit will continue to get more cards to cover debts, and the Rm50 charge will only add on to those debt. It's definitely something up for debate.

This will be a burden to the employees of the credit card dept. As if their jobs are not hard enough, the new budget just made it harder. So do you think the banks should pass this cost to the consumer, or should they absorb the cost to ensure continuity of growth for their credit card business? Or either that, just give a huge credit line on one single card.... that move of course, has it's own risks too.

What about the banks that promised free for life credit cards? Will they start charging the customers who signed up based on that understanding? Would it be a breach of contract? Or does the government ruling turmp all prior contracts? I'm curios, still trying to find out the answer.

If you know, educate me. I'd like to know too.

Shopping? Do we really have to?

2009-10-24T16:44:00.000+08:00

The answer is apparantly a big YES for bfs and husbands out there.

But the big question I have is, why?

I walk into shops seeing really sad faces of men waiting for their better half frolicking over dresses, shoes and bags.

Does the shopping experience increases if the bf or husband is there? Or is it they are needed there to pay the bills?

Women will tell you that they want you there for your opinions, but in reality most of them already know what they want. Wouldn't it be better to shop with women friends instead? They should be able to give better opinions than fashionably challeneged men. No?

And when I mean fashion challenged men, I mean me. No doubt.

Men and women shop differently. Men goes in, lock on target, buy and leave. Women on the other hand.... I call it shotgun shopping. They land everywhere, except for electronic shops that is.

Well, it's a thing that'll continue to go on. Men or boyz who just started dating, there's no escape. Take the hit and seal the deal, or don't take the hit at all....and roll the dice.

Shopping, in my opinion should be mostly a women only activity. So ladies out there, be nice to your man or partner who are allergic to shopping. Set them free....

I am still alive....

2009-10-11T21:01:00.000+08:00

Just thought I update this 'commitment' of mine so that friends and readers still know I am alive.

It's probably been 3 weeks(?) since my last update, bogged down by work, moving and life.

Bogged down by life??? I must be crazy right? Better to be alive than to be dead, that's what I always tell myself.

So I'm moving, from my resident of 32 years, I'm moving. It's going to be bittersweet when that moment arrives, but I'll accept it with earnest. Light shopping, bed shopping, furniture shopping...... I should've been doing this way earlier.... just never got down to helping my mom with it. Sorry moms!

At work, you can say things are pretty chaotic. People leaving, people joining, idiots that make your life difficult. I can't believe how some people can be all knowing one day, and amnesiac and stupid the next. I am trying not to figure that out, I hope some of those people wake up before their face gets bashed in. Coz they need to know, the things they do are low impact and high nuisance..... ergh..... where's wally when you need him?

And life, ah life.... it's a bed of roses. I wonder who thought up that phrase, cause a bed of roses with it's torn still on is not comfortable at all..... but it's something that comes with a rose, until u slowly trim them away. At the moment, learning how to deal with the torns...... and eventually I can admire it's beauty without getting pricked, albeit with some scars to show......

I am, trying, to get back onto the discipline of writing. I will find time, I know I need to. For my own sanity. I'm glad for friends who are with me, both physically and mentally..... The light is there, we just need to find it. Keep on searching, it'll show up.

Corporate moroness 270909

2009-09-27T20:06:00.001+08:00

This is a classic case of how dysfunctional corporations are. So boys and girls.... If you wrote in corporate rat in your 'what I want to be when I grow up' essay. Expect the most outragous moronic stuff to happen in the world we call corporate......

MunY Movies: The Ugly Truth

2009-09-13T23:52:00.000+08:00

The Truth is always ugly, that's why lies are a much better and elegant solutions. People don't want to hear the truth, they can't take the truth. You remember 'A few good men' ? Ok, this is not a review for a few good men, but the romantic comedy, The Ugly Truth.

this is the official movie poster

But I like this.... the promotional one

Starring Grey's Katherine Heigl and 300's Gerrard Butler, the movie is your standard romantic comedy with the usual formula of girl detest guy, guy doesn't care much for gal, guy and gal works together, guy suddenly finds himself falling for gal, gal also unsuspectingly fall for guy, drama entails, both parties part ways, both party gets back together. They live happily forever after? Sounds familiar?

Katherine Heigl is her usual sunshine blondy self, what's there not to love about her? Loved her since the Roswell days. Gerard Butler...... is ...... erm..... another guy with facial hair. Tries to play sensitive type, didn't think he carried it well, should keep to swords and chopping off heads.

Movie starts with Katy Perry's Hot and Cold, in between there's Natasha Bedingfield's Pocketful of Sunshine, and also another good song by Flo Rida Right Round. So that's something that a little enjoyable.....

The movie is also filled with sexual innuendo, and with the Malaysian censorship board, there's a few jokes that was missed.... I hate the stupid censorship board. If anyone has the email or phone number to the director please let me know.... I want to tell him that he should either fix the process or just fire himself. What's the point of rating the movie and still censoring it beyond recognition?

Anyway, sidetracked.

Is the movie watchable? probably. Is it worth 10 bucks? Probably not.....

My rating: So-So kinda chick flick......

Watch it only if:
Your gf insist that you watch it with her
You like Katherine Heigl and like to see her moan and scream to orgasm at a dinner table (think when harry met sally)
You are a hopeless Romatic Comedy fan and must watch every single one of those movies out there....

It's Friday, smile!

2009-09-11T18:51:00.001+08:00

The weekend is finally here. It's been a long and tiring week. Both mentally and physically.

Friends continue to tell me how emo I am. Can't help it, part of life. Losing people is a difficult thing to deal with, may it be from work or life.The only thing I can tell myself is that I choose how I want to feel.

Interestingly, colleague of mine told me he's surprised I'm still so upbeat after the week I had. Guess it's a matter of perspective. Take it all in stride and learn from it.

So today morning, while looking at what to wear. I picked the fcuk superman T. I think subconciously need to tell myself I can be strong.

I had this questioned asked to me before, 'you think you're superman ah?' I never answered directly, but I try my best to be as close to one. Haha.... Delusional indeed.

More challenges to come, no doubt about that. I leave you with my quote.

'plan for the worst, hope for the best, burn through the rest.'

O nine O nine O nine

2009-09-09T08:49:00.000+08:00

Gosh, it's such a big deal I just can't not write about it.

9 in the Chinese culture signifies longevity, and with that, alot of chinese couple think that today's a good day to get married. I just think the couples just want an easy date to remember their wedding by. Guys thinks it's easier to remember, and women think it'll be harder for the guys to forget.

500 couples in Malaysia getting hitched today, heard it on the radio while driving to work.

Sis mentioned that means 1000 people not working today, and that's not calculating friends and family going for the ceremony. Productivity lost? probably? Happiness gained? Yes.... for now... until someone flips and throws in the paper. :P yeah, i'm cynical. sue me.

Radio also mentioned that this morning, 200 couples getting married will be taking their photos together. Ah... everyone sharing their happines...... and 10 years later when you try to find yourself in the photo, you can't. The joy of mass marriages.

Another random thought moment.

Time to get back to work.

Random thoughts 080909

2009-09-08T20:48:00.000+08:00

This morning I posted this on my blog, though I didn't get alot of response on my blog itself, I did manage to get some friends telling me what's gone missing in my life.

Other half, Youth, Passion, sense...... are the few things that they mentioned. And some of it actually strikes a chord, and it also reflects what others are feeling.

Youth, definitely something that's too short, and not well appreciated enough. Only when it's gone you go in search of it. Men do it by either seeking companion of a younger partner or a sports car(ok, that's mid life crisis), Women probably try a little bit of cosmetic surgery..... But then, this is just my personal opinion.... in my own demented way.

Passion flickers, I don't think I lost it. It's just dimmer at the moment. So many things to do, so little time. And Microsoft is not making my life any easier. No, their current operating system is not giving me any troubles....... the new one that is 'launching' is sure adding to the stress-o-meter. bah.

Friends around me been telling me that I've been >Emo than usual. Well, probably am. Might just need to get less constipated and visit the toilet more often.

Maybe hang upside down more often as well to make sure blood gets into my head.

When will I win the lottery? Don't know why this cross my mind, since I'm not big on gambling. Maybe it's time to try my luck? Or is it an indicator to my own personal boredom that I'm trying to find a little risk in life? Lotto? Risk? yeah...... i'm outta my mind...... maybe I should try high stakes poker?

I need to start writing better stuff, this is just bullshit to fill up my personal commitment to my blog..... so time to get cracking.

But again, thank you all always. For your support. I'll really miss it if it goes missing. 0_<

Ever woke up in the morning feeling like something is missing?

2009-09-08T07:57:00.000+08:00

Had that feeling this morning. Looked around, most of my stuff are still around.....

So it's not 'stuff', then what is it? Something is definitely amiss.

Shrugged it off.... And now on the way to work. Abit dazed. Didn't work last night coz tm nut was down.

Will see if this feeling continues to haunt me as I descend to nothingness.

I love my job.

MunY Movies: Imagine That

2009-08-29T21:05:00.000+08:00

Now what if your daughter's imaginary friends was the key to your success? Imagine that! That's the tagline to the latest Nickelodeon movie.

Story is about a very busy financial trader, Evan Danielson(Eddie Murphy), who also has a 7 year old daughter with an attachment to her 'googaa'(blanket) and imaginary friends.

Evan starts getting tips from her daughter's imaginary friend about stock and company tips, which makes him the talk of the financial trade industry. By doing so, he spends more time with his daughter, which he never did previously..... and so rediscovers the importance of fatherhood.

It's a very predictable story, but Eddie Murphy is a riot and he makes it work. Yara Shahidi who plays Olivia Danielson (the daughter) is also very cute and likable.

The movie reminds us of how we prioritize our life, or how we get lost in our careers and pursuit of wealth, and forgetting the other more important things in life. Family, friends, loved ones...... we make excuses not to engage, and yet try to make it up by telling ourselves we are doing the right thing for their future...

It's a movie that definitely very light and enjoyable, suitable for family viewing together. I did see alot of parents and their kids at the movie, and that warms my heart on a cold rainy day like today.

My rating: I said it above, light and enjoyable. The money paid is well spent.

Watch it if
You are a Eddie Murphy fan
You want to have a nice family outing with your kids or parents
You just want to feel warm and fuzzy at the end of a movie

MunY Movies: Up (3D)

2009-08-24T00:25:00.000+08:00

Up is Pixar+Disney's 2009 animation offering to us. So far I have not been dissapointed by Pixar's animation and story telling abilities, and with up they continue that streak of successful movie that tugs at your heart.

Up is a story about love, life and promises. The first 10 minutes of the show really did it all for me, the remaining 86 minute of the movie was just to fill it up.

The story of 76yr old Carl Fredricksen, how he met his wife, who shares his interest for adventure. How they planned their whole life on going to South America to 'Paradise Falls'. But life happens, and the money they save is needed for life's different needs. They grow old together, have fun together..... But unfortunately, Ellie, Carl's wife.... had to move on earlier.

Trying to fulfill his promise to his wife, he gets a gazillion ballons, ties it to their home and UP he goes. Along the new adventure, he meets an Asian Kid, Russell, a wilderness scout of sorts, and finds friendship and companion.

It's a movie that really tugs at your heart. Reminds you of how life just passes by, and how we should live life and go with the flow....

This is also the first time I'm watchign a movie in 3D. Not really worth it because there aren't really that many 3D effects that will make you go 'wow'. So I'd recommend sticking with the normal version instead.

My Rating: definitely a must watch

Watch it if
You loved the past Pixar movies
You have kids and it's the holidays
You just want to have a fun day at the cinema

walking in the rain....

2009-08-22T18:36:00.000+08:00

Last week, I talked about going for a morning walk every weekend here.

So this morning I tried to keep to my regime. The elements were out to stop me.... rain started pouring at 230am in the morning, and yes, I was still up at that point in time.

So crossing my fingers I hoped the rain would have stopped when 7am comes. But I knew the challenge would be climbing out from bed on a cold morning, just like it was last week.

It did stop raining, but the sky was cloudy, ready for another downpour. Mother nature was either out to stop me from getting my exercise, or testing my will and commitment to it.

As I was getting ready to go, my mom, being a mom and ever considerate, told me not to go since it was going to rain. And given normal circumstances, I would probably have taken her advice and just went back to bed.

But this time it's different, I had a point to make. I wanted to make sure when I say something, either to someone or about something, I keep that promise.

So, being the unfilial son that I am. I went ahead without taking heed my mom's advise. Oh boy....

As I reached the botanical gardens, you could see dark heavy looking clouds hovering above the hills, about to burst at any moment. At that point I could just turn the car back and go home.

I didn't. Forged on I did instead.

Surely enough, as I stepped out of my car. The rain came pouring down without mercy, splish splash all over. I took my umbrella, and walked into botanical gardens.

It's eerily quiet even though the rain was pouring away, because normaly there would be alot more people walking or running. But the rain made the the garden so beautiful..... and I was walking alone taking it all in.

Then it struck me it's the 7th month of the lunar calendar, will I run into anything unexpected? nah.... I told myself. This blog would have been more interesting if I did 'bumped' into something, but matter of fact is, I didn't.

actually when I said there were no other people walking, I was wrong. There were people like me, walking in the rain with an umbrella.

One thing I really don't like, is walking in wet socks and shoes...... but I did it anyway. 3 rounds around botanical gardens, and I'm happy I did it.

Try to wake up tomorrow morning again to do it..... Let's hope mother nature is kinder tomorrow.

MunY Movies: G I Joe

2009-08-21T19:02:00.000+08:00

The GI Joe cartoon was enjoyable for me when I was a kid. Now that it's made into a big screen movie with ultra super cool GFX, hot looking female actresses, totally awesome looking weapons..... does it still work for me?

Well, the answer is yes and no. Let me tell you why....

I walked into the cinema with very low expectations, was expecting the worse because all the bad hype and ugly looking suits......

Checking rotten tomatoes, it only received a 37% rating for the movie goers..... so is it worth the watch on the big screen?

I think it is, if watched on the right day. (meaning discount day)

Action wise, it was packed from beginning to the end. One might have mistaken for going into the wrong movie in the first 5 mins because the backdrop was a 17th century castle with people in 17th century clothing talking in 17th century scottish accent.

Well, it was 17th century for the first 5 mins....... anyway........

The movie goes about how this super secret band of soldiers assembled from across the world tries to overcome an evil plan by weapons builder MARS. Predictable, alot of flashbacks to tell the characters background, and only a very late showing by Cobra commander....

The money scene is the one in Paris, with the chase sceen in suits and alot of car crashes ending with the destruction of the Eifel Tower. (viva la France!) What? It's not a spoiler, it's all over the trailer lah.... oh, you've not seen the trailer? Sorry !

The movie left itself to comeback with a sequel.... how I won't tell because I don't do spoilers. (ok, maybe I do. A lil bit here and there)

My ratings: Decent watchable action flick

Watch it if
You have been and still is a GI Joe fan (donno many out there)
You are just nostalgic of your childhood
You enjoy action flick with alot of explosions.... (though not as many as transformers)

Life Happens.....

2009-08-18T23:31:00.000+08:00

It's only Tuesday, and I feel like I've been knocked down by Mike Tyson at least 20 times. Ok, maybe I'm exageratting, but I sure feel all the life sucked out of me today....

Still have 99 unread emails in my mailbox after 12 hours of work and non-stop con calls. Ah, the pleasures of life I signed up for.

Going through some tough times at work, people moving out of my team, non-stop requests from different people sitting in different locations, firefighting on an hourly basis...... it's stuff you only dream of doing. :)

Life sometimes just happens, you know? Or more appropriately, when you don't know it.

People come into your life, becomes a big part of it, and suddenly, they leave.

And these are things we can't control, we can't control how other people feel, sometimes we can't help or control how we feel about certain people.

Yea, I'm mumbling really vague stuff here. In my work induced stupor.....

But we make the decisions, to stay or to go. And for me, I'm making that decision to stay for as long as I can. And as long as you let me stay in your life, I'll try to keep my promises and commitments to you.

Life keeps on happening, we can't stop it. 'Life is like white water' , it's never easy, we just need to take it all in. Good or bad. We just need to smile and keep on marching ahead.

Life is not measured by how many achievements we have, but by the challenges we overcome.

Go live life, good night.

MunY Movies: District 9

2009-08-16T21:28:00.000+08:00

District 9 is not a ulu kampung area in the inner parts of Perlis, it's the latest Sci-Fi movie to hit the Malaysian cinamas this week.

Being abit lazy and tired today, I decided to shamelessly take the sypnosis from rotten tomatoes and paste it here.

Genre master Peter Jackson produces this science-fiction film, the directorial debut of Neill Blomkamp. In District 9, South Africa has become a haven for refugees--from outer space.

Yeah, I think that sypnosis is a little bit too short too. So let me elaborate abit more....

Aliens have landed, not in New York, not in Washington, no where in the USA. This time round, they are in Johannesburgh, South Africa. They are not here to blow up the white house or take over the world, they are just lost. So what do we humans do for them? Throw them into a refugee camp and treat them like thrash....

Of course, there is a bigger subplot brewing, but to tell it here is to give the story away. I would rather not do that, because I'm recommending this movie to all you Sci-fi fans out there.

The movie is shot in a very unique manner, first from a CNN-like news view and then documentary view.... and then later from a first person point of view. Movements of the camera may cause dizziness to some viewers not used to the rapid pace of change.......

As far as summer flick goes, this one rates 88% on the Rotten Tomatoes meter.... and that's very good. The only other movie I remember rating this high was Star Trek.

Was it enjoyable? Yeah, definitely. The story is intriguing, pace of the movie is well done and some scenes are absolutely priceless. (some girl behind me commented that it is one of the most disgusting movie she's seen.... bah, what does she know?)

My Rating: Pretty decent watch, a must for sci-fi fans out there

Watch it if
You like Peter Jackson's stuff (you will not be dissapointed)
You are an alien-phile and can't get enough of them green men with tentacles
You want to watch something different from your average pop corn movie

Time out to enjoy a walk

2009-08-16T13:19:00.001+08:00

After a week away from home, and hearing a vey inspirational speech from Nigel Marsh, I decided that I just gotta take a time out from the madness that is work and return to some normalcy.

So yesterday evening I decided on goin for a walk in Penang's Botanical Gardens. Getting out of bed was the first challenge of the day, the cool weather that came along after the rain made it extremely difficult to crawl out of the warm and cozy blanket.

But I prevailed, willed myself to a 4 round walk, a few cramps(yes, that's a sign of how unfit I am) and a renewed appreciation of mother nature.

I want to do this week in week out. So I better, and for friends out there that can help out, FB me, shame me, remind me, it will help this friend of yours live longer.

Carless and I could care less

2009-08-08T23:49:00.000+08:00

Being back home in Penang for 3 months now, I still don't own a car. If you ask any penangite, they would tell you it is essentialy to have a car in Penang to go around.

Fortunately for me, I get to carpool to work with my sister, and she lets me use her car whenever she is not using it.

I've been told repeatedly from people around me, 'get your own car! Be a man' but I still see no incentive to buy one.

But I may soon need to start looking and most probably purchase one soon. As I may not have a transport to work due to some unforeseen but not unplanned circumstances.

I am not sure what type of car I should get, as long as it gets me from point A to point B at the lowest cost. Pride is the for the young and restless out to prove a point.....

But whenever I say a Myvi, friends tell me they do not see me in that car or that I'm not a myvi type of guy....

So what type of guy am I? Or more specifically, what type of car guy am I?

I'm still trying to figure out, but maybe you can tell me what type of a car guy you see me as?

MunY Movies: The Proposal

2009-08-01T00:28:00.000+08:00

Sandra Bullock makes a come back after a 2 year hiatus, together with Ryan Renolds in The Proposal.

And whenever we think of Sandra Bullock, the first thought that comes to mind is.... ? The Romantic Comedy Genre.... But the truth is, her last movie in 2007 is the thriller/drama 'Premonition'. And remember the Net? So she's quite.... erm.... versatile?

But the truth is, Romantic Comedies are best suited for her. And The Proposal is no exception.

It's a chick flick, 100%. So for those 'I'm too man to watch it' guys out there, stay away..... at your own loss.

I think it's refreshing to go watch a romantic chick flick once in a while. Sure, it sets really unreasonable expectations for women watching it, but that damage has been done 10,000 movies ago. So don't worry about that and bring your gf/wife/partner to watch this movie. Brownie points for ya for sure.

Checking out Rotten Tomatoes, the movie only garnered a 44% approval from viewers. I think that's a fair rating. Don't get me wrong, it's not a bad movie, it's just not one that I would rate in the high percentile.

So what's the movie about? Margaret Tate(Sandra Bullock) is a successful book editor, and she is about to get deported from the US of A because her Visa is about to expire. That means losing her job and everything else she worked hard for. In comes Andrew Paxton (Ryan Reynolds), Margaret's executive assistance for the last 3 years, who she gets to marry her to ensure she stays in the US.

To avoid the immigration dept detecting the fraud marriage, Margaret travels with Andrew back to Sitka, Alaska for Gramma Paxton's 89th birthday. During the weekend there, she finds the thing she's lost for a long time. Family. And of course, she falls in love with Andrew.

Predictable? Yes. But we still lap it all up. Cause we are suckers for emotional stories of love and comedy. And I am a fan of both Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. (If you did not watch Van Wilder, I'd recommend it)

Betty White who plays Gramma Annie is also a riot to watch. If you watched Boston Legal before, you would know what I mean.

My Ratings: Average Good

Watch it if
You want to score brownie points with your gf/wife/partner
You are fan of Sandra Bullock in the Romantic Comedy Genre
You just want to have a good laugh and a stir of emotions

Mobile blogging

2009-07-27T20:09:00.001+08:00

Been trying to do this for a while, I'm finally able to blog from my phone! Could've done it alot earlier but I thought I waited for this. Awesome....

This is the work of either a very passionate Zack Efron fan or very angry hater of the 17 again star.

Tongue or fist......it's both disturbing.

MunY Movies: Land of the Lost

2009-07-26T22:25:00.001+08:00

Did you know that Land of the lost is a remake of a 70s TV show of the same name? I didn't, not until I saw behind the scenes on E!

This time, Will Ferrell stars in this big screen remake of a TV show. And I know alot of people do not like his brand of humor, me included. But after a number of bad summer movies, I kept an open mind going into this one. I mean, how bad can it be right?

To my surprise, I was well entertained throughout the movie. I don't remember when was the last time I laughed this hard or loud in a cinema, and yes, it could possibly be that the bunch of bad movies have soften me up to like Will Ferrell's brand of comic.

Starring together with Will Ferrell is the lovely Anna Friel. For those of you who went, Anna 'Who', Let me jog your memory.

Did that help? Probably not....... but I'm sure it jogged something else for the guys....

Anywayz.... I first noticed Anna Friel in the movie Goal and Goal 2, playing the gf of Santiago Munez. She next appeared in the TV series Pushing Daisies as the resurrected Chuck. She's British. That's all I'll say about Anna Friel.

The movie is about Dr Rick Marshall, who finds a way to travel through to alternate realities with his super gay boombox like dimensional transporter of sort. The adventure beginz when they visit a 'cave' in the middle of the desert in a 'routine' expedition and end up in the land of the lost.....

I'm not big on talking too much on a comedy, so I'll leave it at the synopsis. But the overall feel of the movie is quote 70s and retro, so it's fun.

My Ratings: Go watch it, I think it's worth the time and money for a good laugh this Summer. (the aircon's a bonus)

Watch it only if
You find the picture above of Anna Freil intruguing and want to see more of her
You want to see a book titled 'Matt Lauer Can Suck it'
You want to see a T-rex/Will Ferrell smack down

Harness the power of SALE!!!

2009-07-26T18:08:00.002+08:00

It's that time of the year, where you see big signs with bold fonts calling out 'SALE! x% Off'!!!

The species we all call Woman will lose all ability to think logically and start spending with no hesitation. That is the power of the word 'Sale' and '% off' in the same sentence, my theory is that it is a secret code that triggers some long hidden program in the brains of the female species....... but it's just my theory..... don't blame me for that. You can still call me crazy though.

Ok, so what does this post has anything to do with that? I just got back from a shopping trip with my gf in Queensbay mall, and there are loads of other women there frantically taking out their credit cards and pushing them towards the cashier like it is some plagued ridden item...... begging them to quickly charge the items they are purchasing so they can move on to their next purchase/conquest.

So base on my theory, there should be some other way to apply this primitive DNA coding already build into Women. We could probably help out the men in the world who are ready to find a mate, but are having difficulties doing so.....

Wedding and matchmaking agencies could also harness the energy of the sale to help out their clients....

Gents and Gents, I give you........

ta-da! Use this knowledge wisely.

*disclaimer* Any harm or damage done to anyone is entirely their own fault, and may not quote this post as a reason for said harm and damages..... (also, you may not whack the writer for such a lame idea. he's bored)

Bon Odori Penang 2009

2009-07-19T21:39:00.000+08:00

Bon Odori Festival is a Japanese Buddhist observance honouring the spirits of ancestors, who return once a year to visit their families.

This year I believe is the 13th year that Penang is celebrating Bon Odori.

This is my 3rd time to Bon Odori, usually not a big fan due to the weather and crowd, this year I decided to brave the humidity and the crowd just for the heck of it.

I left early around 8pm, but here are the stuff you get to see at Bon Odori:

Cute little Japanses kids, that gets hounded by photographers all day long..... poor kids

The popular goldfish game, which I have no idea what the name is..... I have 3 with me, one just died... so 2 left....

Japanese Merchandise such as paper dolls

.... and ceramic dolls

Lady death made an appearance (Cosplay??? Stockings in this weather? Thumbs up)

Can't be at a Japanese Festival without Japanese Beer

Loads of food to eat.....

The Penang Chief Minister was also there to give his blessings and talk about our food....

Performances by Japanese Ladies.....

And drumming by kids.....

This man has very big balls that he's showing off by bouncing them around.......

Last but not least....... Ninjas made their appearance.......
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MunY Movies: Ice Age 3 Dawn of the Dinosaurs

2009-07-19T20:50:00.000+08:00

Everything is a trilogy these days, even digitally created ones are jumping on the trilogy bandwagon. Ice Age 3 Dawn of the Dinosaurs is a 3rd installment to the popular Ice Age franchise.

This is my second movie review for the day, and so far this summer, only one movie lived up to my expectation. And this is not it.

Ever notice how cartoons these days have alot of adult inuendos in them? Are they trying to cater to a broader audience or are the kids these days growing up that fast?

The 'herd' is back, with Manny, Ellie, Diego and Sid living in the the post 'melt-down' era of the Ice-age. where Dinosaurs are supposed to be extinct. Wonder what movies are telling our kids these days....

Manny and Ellie are expecting a baby, Diego the sabertooth tiger is losing his edge and wants to leave the 'herd', and Sid the sloths wants to be a mommy because he doesn't want to feel left out once the baby mammoth comes along for Manny and Ellie.

He stumbles across 3 dino eggs, hatches them and becomes mommy to 3 baby T-rex.... until the real mother comes along and takes all of them, including Sid, into a lost world.

So in order to save Sid, the 'herd' goes to the lost world of Dinosaurs and tries to rescue Sid. You can pretty much imagine how the story goes.

The most interesting character must be the insane Weasel the herd meets along the way named Buck. Stuck in the land of the lost, and taking a page out of moby dick, Buck is out to hunt for his white dinosaur that took his eye......

It's a family flick, so don't expect too much.

My rating: Average only...........

Watch it Only if

You want to experience it in 3D (which I should have done, damnit)
You want to take your kids out (make sure they don't pester other patrons)
You are a fan of Ice Age (HUH? Are there any out there?)

MunY Movies: Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

2009-07-19T19:31:00.000+08:00

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince is another highly anticipated book to film adaptation that many fans and movie goers are waiting for, but like many of the adaptation through out this year...... it's disappointing.

HP & THBP is the 6th installment of the Harry Potter series, so for the non-HP fans and readers, catching up will be necessary before watching this.

Though I mentioned that the movie is disappointing, it is not a bad movie overall. I guess it lands in the average basket for me, while alot of other feedback from friends gave it a thumbs down.

I read this book a few years back, and the only memory of the book is the end, which will be a big spoiler if I mentioned it here.

Though the director could not capture the full essense of the book into the movie, he pace of the movie was done well during the 2hour 33 minute ordeal.

With all characters all grown up, teenage angst and hormones are splashed all over the movie. The innocence giving way to teenage hormones, and it plays well with all the actors and actresses growing up too.

All in all, I'd say potter fans will still want to watch it. (this includes people who read the book as well)

As for non-potter fans and normal movie goers, if you did not read the book or watched any of the previous movie....... I suggest a refresh before going to the cinema to catch this installment.

My rating: Average watch, reading the book is definitely better

Watch it only IF
You are a Harry Potter fan
You watch the first 5 movie and want to continue watching this till the 7th
You want to take your kids to watch it because they love harry potter....

scratch that doggy!

2009-07-18T01:16:00.000+08:00

ok, I could not think of a proper title for this so you can flame me all you want.

The Monday that passed by was a public holiday here in Penang, and it just so happens that my friend's dog, appropriately named Indy had the coughs and needed a trip to the vet.

Indy is a hyper active Jack Russell, and the reason my help got enlisted was that there was no way in hell my friend could survive alone with the dog in the car while driving to the vet.

This is Indy.

Don't let the size fool you, he is one heckuva active and strong fella. 2 grown men almost could not contain him.

As a result, this is how my hand looked like just after the vet visit.

I got Tatted by a dog..... not my proudest moment.

crossdressers beware!

2009-07-15T00:12:00.001+08:00

Woman dress like man can get fined too ah?

RM25 fine for cross-dressing

By AUSTIN CAMOENS

JOHOR BARU: A 26-year-old man was fined RM25 by a Magistrates Court here on Tuesday after he pleaded guilty to dressing up like a woman.
Sutesa was charged with committing the offence at a back alley in Susur 4 along Jalan Tun Abdul Razak here at 1:40am on July 14.
Magistrate Hafizah Johor Ariff Johor issued the maximum RM25 fine for the offence, under Section 21 of the Minor Offences Act 1955, which includes a 14-day jail term if the fine is not settled.
Sutesa paid the fine.

Ridiculous.......... what will they do next?

MunY Movies: Public Enemies

2009-07-13T21:46:00.000+08:00

Public Enemies is a movie you should not try to watch if you are hoping for loads of actions, because there is only one word for me to describe the movie. SLOW.

Johnny Depp takes on the role of John Dillinger, a bank robber during America's great depression era. One of the many criminals during that time, this movie tells about the (short)life of Dillinger and how his actions lead up to a Federal law that created the FBI.

Another big named actor in this movie is Christian Bale, who plays FBI special agent Melvin Purvis. Bale now has 2 bad summer movies on my books. This and Terminator.

I really don't want to spend too much time talking about a movie that I caught my gf dozing off to. I was also rather uncomfortable at the pace of the movie that lasted for 2 hours and 20minutes.

If you really want to watch it, wait for it on DVD or watch it off a plane when you are travelling. I don't recommend to watch this movie in the cinema....

My Rating: Slow...... and below average. I give it 3 Yawns

Watch it only if :

You are a fan of Johnny Depp
You are a fan of Christian Bale
You are a fan of Michael Mann's movie directing....

Greener Pastures

2009-07-07T20:43:00.001+08:00

Today, I was at the pantry when someone asked if I have move to greener pastures.

Guess my response?

'The pasture is greener because there's more shit there' :)

Ah..... life at work.

The 2009 Wimbledon Men's Championship

2009-07-06T01:37:00.000+08:00

After last year's epic match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, this year's final served up another great match between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick.

The total duration of the match :

The final score: 5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6 and 16-14

The Winner : Roger Federer

And history was made.

It was a real test of mental strength for both players, and an amazing display of athleticism to last up to the whole duration of the match.

It was nailbitting stuff for supporters of either camp, but for the neutral I'm pretty sure they were thinking 'somebody please just win it already'. here's an example.

In the end, Federer won @ 130am Malaysian time. And it was definitely a match worthy of making history.

Thank you for the entertainment, and it's time to sleep.

anniversary missed........

2009-07-05T23:13:00.001+08:00

on 28th of June 2009, it was the one year anniversary of this blog. However, because I was caught up with work and travels that I totally missed that milestone.

My blog is 1 year old!!!

My first actual post then was warning the danger of smurfs to children, if you have not read it. click here

At that time, I was still in India, and having free time on my hands I thought I start my own blog to express myself in the digital world and share my totally crazy mind with friends and family.

But since then, I have not really been that creative. Some ideas come up once in a while, but I have to say I have yet to live up to my own potential.

Now, some of you might just say I'm just too demanding of myself and I am a perfectionist. But I think there are alot of stuff that I could be doing here that I've not put my heart and mind into yet. I need to find that niche for myself.... and expand upon it, and at the same time, be a digitally responsible netizen.

So what's been my top content? it's Achmed the dead terrorist, you can find it here.

I'm still amazed that I've reached a total of 190 posts as of today, and I hope I can continue this even though work has been piling.

I thank you call for your past and continued support, even if it's only during your lunch time or before you sleep. I hope that I'll be able to bring more to the table in the coming 2nd year. :)

MunY Movies: Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen

2009-07-05T19:01:00.000+08:00

After much fan fare and anticipation, I finally caught the much hyped about Sequel of Transformers. Aptly names Transformers 2, Revenge of the fallen.

Since the last movie, Megan Fox became the hotest female on earth,Shia LaBeouf starred in Indiana Jones and the world got plunged into economic turmoil.

But heck, Michael Bay still went ahead with his multimillion dollar production, and movie fans sucked it all up.

Sure, if you are reading reviews, they are all saying that transformers 2 is a dud. No substance, and just sequence of blurry motion made to induce dizzyness from the Audience. But those are the critics, and they rarely have the same taste of mere mortal movie goers.

All I've heard are people watching it twice, or planning to watch it a second time here in Malaysia. The reason they are citing, not intellectual stimulation, but rather entertainment worthy.

You get to see alot of more robots this time round, mostly decepticons, where you get to see the the constructicons destroying the pyramid (which is already in the trailer). Also, prepare to see lots and lots of explosion. Yea, that should've been expected from a M.Bay movie. But this time, they planned for the biggest explosion scene ever in the middle of the dessert.

So overall, it's visually and audiobly entertaining. As a customer, you would feel satisfied having paid for the ticket to watch it in the cinema. But if you are looking for a movie that is thought provoking and intellectually stimulating, avoid this at all cost.

My Verdict: Good...... enough for summer movies.

Watch it if
You want to see how Megan Fox is able to arch her bodies in impossible ways

You just want to know what the big fuss is all about this transformers thingy
You need some mind numbing entertainment

I found where Donald gets his haircut....

2009-07-04T00:34:00.001+08:00

Yes, I finally know the secret to Donald Trumps hair cut.

Want to look like this and be rich, powerful and erm... good looking?

Go here.... it's in Sydney. TRUMPS Hairdresser

Back from Sydney

2009-07-01T22:30:00.001+08:00

Yes, I have dissapeared for a week. Family wanted to call police, thought I was kidnapped. Silly them, who would want to kidnap me? Silly in a very warm family loving way.....

Was on working trip for the past week in Singapore and Sydney, just got back today. Dang tired. Just wanted to update and let everyone know I'm still active.

Yes, blog duties have been ignored. Hope to resume normal service soon.

For now, this is for your viewing pleasure.

Heading down under....

2009-06-24T19:01:00.000+08:00

I am on the road again..... this time on the way to Sydney.

Yea, seems like I've been travelling non stop since I got back from India. Well, if the job calls for it....

But this time round, it got me abit worried. With H1N1 rampantly spreading, and hot spot being Australia right now. It begs the question if this is the best time to go there.

With it being winter and temperatures hovering between 9-18 degrees..... the flu blug is espcially potent. And I'm not a big fan of the cold weather.

Initially had to go there for almost a week, now it's getting cut short to 4 days.

So now with the flu formerly known as swine getting more rampant, I find myself more paranoid as ever. Every person with a sneeze, cough or running nose will get a second glance from me. You just can't be too careful.

Do I have my mask on? yea, I do. And I feel so invincible because people can't see my face! Muahahha.... ok, that's crazy talk.

And I had to miss Transformer 2 because of this trip.... argh. ok ok, yes, my priorities are different. sue me.

Let's hope I come back with pigs following me. :)

Penang's progress....

2009-06-21T10:26:00.000+08:00

It's been kind of an embarassment when Singapore MM Lee Kuan Yew mentioned that Penang has not progress for the last 20 years or so....

It's even more embarassing now that the people responsible for the 'progression' of Penang dares to defend the lousy work they've done. I think they are just delusional if they think that in the past 20 years they have done alot of Penang.

Being a die hard Penang kia, I just can't swallow the type of bullshit they are trying to feed the public. If Penang had been under steady progression over the past 20 years, we would have alot more going on right now.

As it is, public transport is almost non existent. Infrastructures are in a mess and opportunities getting lesser. So tell me, besides the key move of making Penang a manufacturing hub a long time what else has been done?

I have seen an exodus of people from Penang to KL because there are better opportunities there. As it is, Penang is a great place to stay, but not a great place for career opportunities.

Some people may argue the fact, but I believe alot more could have been done if the brains behind the operations did the right thing for the state and not for themselves.....

And to criticise the current administration may be harsh at the moment, given the shit they need to unravel from the previous ones.....

So let's be sensible here, ask this question, did the previous administration really bring the progress they should have to Penang?

MunY Movies: 17 Again

2009-06-20T23:52:00.000+08:00

Ever thought of going back to highschool again? So just you can do everything else differently to ensure your life goes right?

In 17 again, Mike O'Donnell(Matthew Perry/Zac Effron) gets to do just that.

I have to admit, the movie is quite good. I know alot of you guys out there are unwilling to go watch this movie because Zac Effron is starring in it. But as far as a fun movie goes, this is top of my recommendation to anyone looking for a simple and uncomplicated movie for the weekend.

Story is about Mike O'Donnell, a high school basketball star who had to give up his dream of sports stardom and college because he got the love of his life pregnant. 20 years later, at 37 years old, stuck in a deadend sales job, marriage on the verge of divorce...... he gets a second chance, transformed back to his 17 year old self, and goes back to highschool to makes thing right with his kids and wife.

Some really fun stuff in the movie. Star wars fan may or may not be delighted with the light saber fight scene between Ned(mike's best friend) and Mike.

Some slutty teenage cheerleaders trying to get Zac Effron to not 'respect' them..... you'll catch this when you see the speech Zac was trying to give to these girls about self respect. It's hillarious.

I really don't have anything bad to say about this movie, because in the sea of summer movies so far.... this one is refreshing.

My Verdict: Good Watch

Watch it because
Zac Effron is in it and he is a very handsome boy/man
Matthew Perry is in it and he is always the funniest friend character
It's just a friggin relaxing movie to watch

MunY Movies: Drag Me to Hell

2009-06-20T10:43:00.000+08:00

With work responsibility taking up my time, I have become the classic case of a man who neglects his personal life. And that can make you feel a little lifeless.....

Ah, but thanks to weekends.... there's an opportunity to recuperate. And what better way to watch a horror movie and scare yourself silly to make sure you're still alive.

So decided to head to the cinemas to watch Sam Raimi's Drag me to Hell.

The movie stars new comer to the lead role, Alison Lohman, previously in non noticable roles in Big fish... and other non worthy mention motion pictures. There's also Justin Long who play's Alison's bf in the movie...

So how was the movie as a scarefare? Did Saimi get it right? With his experience with the 'evil dead' series, one would expect him to hit this nail on it's head....

Well, unfortunately for me, I was tired, so was my gf who was watching this with me. And watching a horror movie with her is always a boon for the cinema because she closes her eyes through half of the movie....

But ultimately, the movie came in abit flat. Yes, it did solicit a few jumps off the chair and accelerated heartbeats during the movie. But it is not what I would call a classic 'scare you till you shit your pants' type of horror movie.

Don't get my comments up there wrong, I think it's just the right dose for people like me with a weak heart and do not want to get nightmares during the oh so little sleep time I get.

For those of you wants the story line, it's about Christine Brown, a loan officer who gets cursed by a gypsy woman after her loan application got denied.....

The curse develops in 3 days, so Christine needs to find a way to get rid of the curse before she gets...... what else.... drag into hell......

that's pretty much the whole gist of the story, to find out more, go watch the movie. Is it worth the Rm10 to watch it in the Cinema? The verdict is on the fence. But hey, let's support the local cinemas abit, don't want them closing down....... if that happens, where do we go for our summer blockbusters right?

My Verdict: average watch

Watch it only if
You want a good jump out of the chair
You are on a date and hoping to get some hug or hand time with the girl/guy you're out with
You just want to support the cinema industry...... zzzz....

Passing English...

2009-06-16T07:00:00.000+08:00

Why is this even a discussion? Because I've been reading it in the newspaper and listening it to the radios the last 2 days, and can't believe the comments that are coming outta certain people... you probably think they've exchanged their buttholes with their mouths.

What in the world are they thinking??? We are talking about a passing grade here, not asking the students to become scholars of the English language. Why are there so many protest about making it 100% mandatory for all high school student to pass this subject before obtaining their certificate of graduation????

Situations like these really explains the state of our great country..... the other day, I was at a certain government department, and the person I was asking for help walked away after she asked me ' you tak cakap Bahasa Melayu ker?' and my answer was no.

How are we suppose to promote Malaysia as a 2nd home to westerners when the people who serve the people are unable to converse in English?

How do you think these students are going to get hired by MNC if they can't even speak decently in English?

I just hope the authorities wake up and do the right thing. First, to fix the students..... please fix the teachers....

On my way back home....

2009-06-13T14:54:00.003+08:00

After one whole week(almost) in Austin, I am on my way back home.

Did I get to see alot during my trip? Not exactly, because for most of the time I was cooped up in a meeting room with a bunch of people looking at either really secret secret stuff or some guys praising themselves for a good job they didn't do.

It was however, an interesting trip to meet up with people you probably worked with for many years but have never met. And also the sharing of different perspective is very enlightening.

The part that suck is after a whole day of meeting, I still got to check emails as Asia starts working. No rest for the wicked?

I did manage to take some pics of some of the places I went, so hopefully I can get them up because i am way way way behind on my personal commitment for this blog.

I am currently again sitting in Narita typing this as I wait for my transit to Singapore. 2 hrs, not enough for me to go out to sight see, but long enough for me to get bored. Reaching singapore at midnight and have to spend the night at the aiport. Booooo!

Bright side is, I still get to have my Sunday. :) See ya all soon.

No Free Internet.....(almost)

2009-06-07T08:20:00.001+08:00

After 6 hours of flight, I am now sitting in Narita Airport in Tokyo waiting to transit.

Manage to catch some zzzz, but still pretty zoned out. Hopefully I can sleep longer on the next flight.

When I first got there, all the shops are still closed. Unlike the ones in Singapore, which goes full force by 630am.

So I whipped out my..... laptop and tried to find a wireless connection. Yes, I found one. Unfortunately, It is not free.

I think I take free internet connection for granted, cause everytime at any airport it is usually free.

So what did I do? Walked around, read a magazine...... zzzzzz...... no, did not sleep.

And how am I using the internet now you ask? Well, it seems like the Yahoo! Japan cafe here gives free 40 minute internet access to junkies like me. And here I am, getting my fix......

Do I need rehab? bah...... that is for ppl like Amy Winehouse and Lindsay Lohan.

Till my next update.... c ya.

On my way to Obama land....

2009-06-06T21:29:00.000+08:00

Am sitting in KLIA at the moment, have to take a >20 hour flight to the US of A.

And I'm flying AA, coach.

Yes, unfortunately. There is no mroe biz class flights for mere mortals like me. In the current economic environment, corporate hamsters like me needs to abide by the wisdom of the executives.

It's gonna be tough, I was told by many people. I'll find out pretty soon.

What got me really pissed was I didn't get my agency to put me on SIA instead. That would have been alot better.

Not going to write too much now, let's see how the flight goes from here to Narita.

Will update if I can get connected!

Wish me luck!

US Visa application - done and dusted

2009-06-04T00:27:00.000+08:00

Well, I'm heading to the US. And let me tell you, it's been busy and crazy trying to get this done.

I only got told that the whole travel was approved last week, and in between last week and now, I had to get a flurry of activities done, and on top of that try to meet my daily and weekly work commitments.

First of all, let me tell you, applying for a US visa is kinda intimidating. The FAQ I read before going for the interview really gave me an impression that they don't want people to get in.

well, as for me. I had to in the past 5 days since Friday, get my photo taken, book a flight down to KL, prepare all the necessary documents, follow up with my US counterparts for invitation letter and fill in 30 over questions on a for.

It's been tiring as hell, and that's why I've not been updating. Creative juice aren't flowing here because my new job is sucking the life outta me at the moment.

Hope to get things in order, else I foresee myself burning out and whittling in the next 2 months or so.

Going to Austin for a week, hopefully this trip will bring more insight and connect me with the right people to work with.

As for now, the only thing that's suffering is my personal life. And I really gotta work on getting that balance back.

Hope to be updating back here soon again.

MunY Movies: Terminator Salvation

2009-05-31T23:01:00.000+08:00

Terminator Salvation is the 4th installment of the Terminator franchise. Humans facing off against machines, who's going to win the war?

To be frank, I was waiting for this movie with abated breath. But it turned out to be a rather dissapointing affair. Yes, that's my verdict of the movie, and you can take it to the bank.

'The End Begins', hell, the end should have stayed with T2.

The movie continues after the Skynet has awaken and gained consciousness, knowing that humans are it's main threat. It decides to nuclear most of the world. The year now is 2018, leading the resistance against the Machine is the much balihooed John Connors (Christian Bale), after surviving 2 terminators..... yes, 2.... in T2 and T3 only, he is not fighting a whole bunch of them.

This movie you get to see the predecessor to the T800, the first terminator played by Arnie, along with other machines like the 'hunter killer', a flying plane like terminator set to seek out humans and kill, and motonators which looks like racing bikes with guns.

*spoiler alert*
In an attempt to kill John Connor, Skynet has come up with a devious plan of infiltrating the resistance with a new breed of cyborg. In comes Marcus Wright (Sam Worthington), a death row inmate that was supposedly executed in 2003. But before dying he signed his body away for the worthy cause of science, and the price of a kiss from a cancer dying Dr Serena Kogan (Helena Bonham Carter).

He is the first of the infiltator cyborg and the only of it's kind. Basically, he is the 6million dollar man...... or the bionic man.... I don't know, it's all very confusing. Why is skynet not controlling him/it?

Arnie makes an appearance courtesy of computer generated graphics as a T-800 terminator.

John Connor blows up skynet in Los Angeles, nukes it bad. But the war is not over, because skynet's global connection is so strong that it can't be destroyed......

*yawn*

Not impressed, wasn't really entertained. So far, all the summer flicks, with the exception of Star Trek, has been dissapointing.

Oh, one more thing. I don't know how this movie got the U rating...... the Malaysian censorship board is whacked. You could put monkeys in there and get more accurate ratings.

My ratings: Average

Watch it only if
You are a fan of McG's directing
You are a fan of Christian Bale
You are an absolute terminator franchise fan

Take Ownership

2009-05-25T20:33:00.000+08:00

Well said..... well said......

Just love them Dilbert comic strips, it's a reflection of true corporate life.

Let's say it together now, 'Take Ownership!'

MunY Movies: Night at the Museum 2:Battle of the Smithsonian

2009-05-24T23:14:00.003+08:00

Did you watch the first movie, Night at the museum? Did you like it? If you did, you will probably enjoy the sequel Night at the Museum 2: Battle of the Smithsonian.

Ben Stiller reprises his role as Larry Daley, and 5 years on, Larry is no longer a nightguard at the Museum of Natural History in New York. He is now a budding business man/Innovator.

The movie brings back old characters such as Teddy Roosevelt(Robin Williams), Jedediah Smith(Owen Wilson) and at the same time introduced new ones such as Amelia Earheart(Amy Adams) and General Custer(Bill Hader). The Villain this time is Kahmunrah(Hank Azaria), the evil ancient Pharoah that wants to take over the world, along with the cohorts of Al capone, Ivan the terrible and Napoleon.

So in order to save the world and his old friends, Larry has to suit up in the nightguard's uniform, infiltrate the smithsonian and retrieve the golden magic tablet that makes everything come alive when the sun goes down.

Personally, I felt the first movie was better.(Mostly true for all movies....) This sequel felt slow and dragged out for me, not much element of fun. Sure, giant talking statues and 2 monkeys slapping ben stiller around might be funny, but it's not THAT funny.

I think family with kids will enjoy it, the movie is an hour and 45 minutes. Should be shorter if you cut out the credits.

My Rating: Average watch

Watch it if:
You want to have a fun time with your family
You want to see Ben Stiller getting slapped around by 2 monkeys
You are a fan of Amy Adams (she's cute)

Status update

2009-05-23T02:44:00.000+08:00

No, I'm not married. My status is still legally not married, or if you have to tick something on a form, it'll be categorize as single.

However, a friend of my recently got her status changed legally, to married. Good for you Jar. Congrats.

Anyway, did not manage to update much. The first 10 days back in Penang has been crazy.

Work has been non stop, con calls from Mondays to Thursday every evening.... it's mind blowing, and not in a good way.

Alot of challenges coming up, high expectations and a short timeline to execute is a formula for unprecedented pressure. *wipe sweat off forehead*

I've been in Singapore twice in the last 12 days, before this, the frequecy I goto Singapore is about once a year. When I first moved back, I thought I get to at least 3 weeks to stay put for 3 weeks before I start travelling again.....

No such luck, now it's a mad rush to get a US Visa...... Is it a good idea to go now with all the H1N1 happening? Reminds of a SARS back in 2003 when I had to cancel my trip to Singapore Magic Grand prix tournament..... let's see where this goes.

Got all my stuff from India shipped back home, no problems with the customs since I don't have any 'Special' DVDs. Got most of my stuff unpacked.

It's been a tiring week, hope to get a day's rest and jump back onto work.......

I'll be writing more again.... soon.....

'Special' DVDs?

2009-05-18T21:07:00.002+08:00

Today, I got a call from the relocation company handling my personal stuff that are being shipped back from India.

This was how the conversation went:

Courier lady: Hello, Mr Tang. My name is xxx and i'm calling from xxx company. We are managing your personal items from India.
Me: Oh good, when will it be arriving?
Courier lady: We expect this Wednesday morning, will you be available?
Me: No, but can my family member take delivery of the items?
Courier lady: No problem.
Me: Ok, good. Anything else?
Courier lady: err.... yes Mr Tang. We need to know if you have any items that are not listed on the manifest?
Me: Huh? What do you mean? All the items are on that list.
Courier lady: Oh, I mean. Do you have any unlisted DVDs or CDs in your shipment?
Me: oh, no. Only the PC CDs that comes with the PC.
Courier lady: errr..... I mean do you have any 'special' CDs or DVDs in there?

At this point, I thought she was mentioning pirated DVDs or CDs, since the authorities are so rampant on cracking down.

Me: Oh, no. I didn't bring any pirated DVDs or CDs back. I only support Authentic items. All 'lesen' one!
Courier lady: errmm.... ok. Good that you don't have any pirated DVDs or CDs lah, but do you have any 'SPECIAL' DVDs or CDs?

At this point, I finally understood what the lady meant. She did not want to mention pornographic or illicit items, or she just don't know how to mention them.

Me: Oh, 'SPECIAL' DVDs and CDs issit? No lah, I don't have any of those.
Courier lady: Oh, good lah. If got you let us know so we can make preparation before going to the customs.ok, thank you Mr Tang. *click*

After the call, it got me thinking? What did she mean by preparation? hmmmm........

TMNut and Pos(not)Laju is lame lame lame

2009-05-17T21:50:00.000+08:00

Sometimes you wonder, if the management hires and companies here in Malaysia lack the right brains... it's a reflection of how far behind our country has become.....

During the weekened, I went to TMNut and Pos(not)laju to do 2 seperate task, one is to upgrade my broadband connection and the other is to pick up a registered mail that I missed in the morning of Saturday.

Well, the ladies sitting at the service desks were taking their own sweet time, took 40 mins before I got to my turn even though there were only 6 numbers ahead of me. hmm.... am I being to harsh, resolution time of 7 minutes per customer ain't that bad now is it? Anyway.... I didn't manage to get to get my phone line updated because the account is in my dad's name, and they won't let me do the upgrade even though I have all the details like IC number and account numebr available..... 'it's our policy sir' , well, Your policy SUCKS TMNet. Ever heard of something called the internet? or phone? Saves you cost and increases your efficiency....

Then it was Pos(not)Laju, I went there, passed the slip that the postman left behind in the mornign. tick tock tick tock, the lady that took my slip went to the back and took like 20 mins before retruning with 2 envolopes. She probably went back to one of the rooms and did something funky before deciding to come back out with my envelopes...... What type of frigging service attitude is this anyway?

That's pretty much it, but I think I would have to live with this. Because with the people they are hiring and running the company....... in any other country they'd be out of business, but hey, we're in Malaysia. So continue with the Malaysia Boleh!

MunY Out!

MunY Movies: Angels and Demons

2009-05-16T00:42:00.001+08:00

Did you read the Angels and Demons book? If yes, then you can probably skip the movie.....

This movie is the adaptation of the Dan Brown book of the same name, after the release of Da Vinci Code 2 years ago, Tom Hanks and Ron Howard teamed up to bring us the other Dan Brown movie that may or may not cause controversy amongst Men and Women of Christian faith.

The movie starts off with the death of the pope in the vatican city, then flips through to CERN Science institution in Geneva, where scientist are trying to create the big bang, or the god particle as they call it to define the creation of the universe. Fast forward, scientist killed, highly explosive Anti-Matter (which is the opposite of matter) is stolen and the Vatican City is now under threat by it's old enemy, The Illuminati.

Enters Robert Langford, harvard professor, expert symbologist and excellent riddle solver. Enlisted by the Vatican city to help discover the location of the anti-matter, he goes on a chase around rome to find the path of illumination. Along these path, 4 of the preferetti, the preferred cardinals that could possibly take over as the pope, will be killed every hour from 8pm till 12pm......

To avoid giving away too much of the story, Professor Langdon manages to solve most of the puzzle, get to the bad guy in the end and save the vatican city.......

So why did I watch the movie after I have read the book? I was intrigued on how the director plans to show the vatican city, sistine chapel and other religious places in rome when they got denied permission to film due to the controversy of the story. And after Da Vinci code, there was no way the vatican city will allow Ron Howard to film there......

Well, I found out how...... not entirely, but I saw what the did to get at least the scenes in place. All through out the movie I had a pre-determined scene in my mind, but I guess the movie can't cater to every aspect of the book. They did change how and where the story started, and how the story ended..... so that kinda disappointed me abit....

At the end of the day, it was an entertaining movie, better than Da Vinci Code for sure. A story that is easier to follow, and you get to find out what the Illumati is and see the Ambigrams. (see below) The ambigrams are words and carvings that looks the same from both angles.

My rating: Good watch, standard summer flick

Watch it if
You have not read the book
You are a fan of Tom Hanks
You are like me, read the book, and curious to see if the movie turns out like what you have in mind....

MunY Movies: Star Trek

2009-05-16T00:17:00.000+08:00

Admittedly, in the past, between the 2 'Star' franchise, I am a bigger fan of Star Wars and knew little of Star Trek beyond James T Kirk and Mr Spock. But Star Trek 2009 sure helped tip the scale in favor of the trekkie franchise.

I have to say, the movie is one of the best I have seen this year. Yes, I have said it. It totally blew me away, from Story to soundtrack, it was just way beyond my expectation.

If you always thought of Star Trek of a movie for the geeks, I urge you to have an open mind. This particular movie will provide you a whole new perspective of the trekkie franchise.

A fast check to rotten tomatoes and it's showing a 91% approval rating, pretty darn good.

The story pretty much gives you a background to the character, but in a whole new different way. And thanks to J J Abrams (Lost, Cloverfield) directing, you get to experience the drama and suspense on this big screen galore.

On the day I went to the movie, I had a con-call up till 9pm, and the movie starts at 9.40pm. I was pretty much tired out by the time I reached the cinema after a long day of work, but after the show I just didn't feel the fatigue anymore......

Go watch it if
You are a Star Trek fan
You are not a Star Trek Fan
You trust me, and I'm telling you. It's that GOOD. You don't wan to miss it

How HR left a bad taste in my mouth....

2009-05-12T22:54:00.005+08:00

No, don't get wrong Ideas. Ok, maybe it's me who's in the gutter. :P

Anyway, after today's event I strongly believe HR is a waste of time. They say human resources, but they don't really care about humans. Or either that, they are too lazy to care.

Today I went back to office...... thinking most of my relocation stuff would have been sorted out. But getting into the office, I had no cubible, no phone and no idea what's going on.

Ok, the last statement is not true. I know what's going on, that's what made things alot easier for me. I knew who to talk to, what to do and where to go. Else I'd be like a blind bat shouting around hoping to hear a bleep of help.

And this HR guy that is supposed to be a 'talent aquisition' manager..... he's not very talented.... so not sure how he acquires talent. All my info are available in the system because I am already an employee, but I was still given a whole stack of form to fill up. Talk about laziness......

He knew I was coming back, he did not do anything to ensure my transition back went smoothly. Even before the move, he never returned my calls even after I left several messages. Sure, I know you're busy acquiring talent, but have some fucking courtesy to do your job......

A company's culture can be measured by it's HR, and with what it is today.... I'm worried for my company.

P/S also not happy with what I got for my package coming back home..... as I mention in my previous post...... long time employees are worthless......

Touched down in Penang..... For good.

2009-05-10T23:50:00.000+08:00

Today, on the 10th of May 2009. I am finally home for good.

Been missing my blog duties because I'm abit overwhelmed with the move, and also alot on my mind with the changes that are currently happening.

The return home is marked with many changes. I am starting a new chapter in my professional career, I will probably also be movign away from my home of 30 years, and also there a quite a few personal decisions to be made in the months to come.

There are going to be challenges, I can foresee that. Things are never easy, but I am ready to face them. I just hope don't have to make some unfavorable decisions too early on.

The following weeks will be full of work, catching up, food and some good old relaxation in the form of summer movies.

For now, after 72 hours, with only probably 15 hours of sleep, I am going to hit the bed and recover from the lack of shut eye.

peace...... zzz

My welcome back gift

2009-05-09T12:35:00.001+08:00

This is a gift from Ch & HL...... this is SO WRONG. But thanks guys.

Yes, that's what my friends always think of first when they think of me. :P So Wrong.... sigh....

Almost done....

2009-05-07T03:41:00.000+08:00

After 27 months since I arrive in Bangalore, my Indian adventure will be ending in less than 24 hours.

Have not been updating because been tied up with arranging my relocation, getting my stuff packed and shipped.

I was pretty stressed out until 4pm this afternoon. You see, I opted to arrange my own packers and movers. So up until yesterday 12noon I had not receive confirmation from the movers.

Stress level @ 12noon @ 5th May 2009 : 8.0

Fortunately, I got confirmation at 7pm yesterday. Today, the packing took 2 hours and the volumetric measurement of my total items over exceeded the initial quotation. The surveyor that came could not give me an immediate quote on the additional weight and size........

Stress level @ 3:30pm @ 6th May 2009 : 8.5

In the end I had to pay an additional USD140 for the exceeded volume and weight. Ouch. But relieved that everything got completed in time.

Now I just need to cross my finger and hope everything else goes according to plan, immigration, electronic funds transfer, customs....... (gave up my stash of DVDs, sigh....)

come cross your fingers with me? :) see you all soon back home.....

Ahhh..... Choo!

2009-05-03T00:07:00.000+08:00

Whenever you sneeze, somebody must be thinking about you. That's of course the non-scientific old saying.

Someone somewhere must have been thinking about me alot yesterday, because I sneezed non stop. But the truth is I know that it's a prelude to flu I am starting to feel today.

Swine flu is all the rage right now, last checked on CNN was 600 cases world wide. And it has invaded Asia, not seen anything in India yet, so let's hope for the best.

At first I thought my sneezing was caused by the dust during my packing of oh so many unnecessary items. We buy too many things we don't need, really. And we only notice them when we try to pack and move. Lesson learned here.... less shopping is better.

Anyway, I started to have this odd feeling on the tip of my throat and immediately recognize it as a symptom of early flu. Then came the nose block and the burning eyes....... I knew I was hit.

So today morning, though not feeling well, I had to goto the bank to deposit and arrange for electronic transfer. It was not a pleasant experience trying to move your hard earned money out of India, well, not for me anyway. Have a feeling they are just trying to make moving money as hard for you as possible. Bah, Hope to get it settled by Tuesday.Publish Post

Didn't do anything today, just slept through the whole afternoon to try and recover, feeling better but the flu is still there.

There goes my long weekend, hope that it goes away by tomorrow so I can get all my stuff 100% settled before I leave India.

Wish me luck!

Beginning of the end......

2009-04-30T23:02:00.002+08:00

of my journey here in India.

I am finally going home, and this time it's for good. Today I booked a one way ticket back to Malaysia and printed it out nicely tugged into my bag.

2 years and 3 months. Some call it long, some call it short........ it's all relative.

Me? I'm just glad I made it here, and will be making it back.

The next few days will be a hectic and manic rush to get everything settled. And I will try to chronicle as much as possible. And you will probably see the return of the stress-o-meter as I posted here .

My 'Journey to the West' is finally coming to it's final chapter.

;)

MunY Movies: The International

2009-04-26T14:19:00.000+08:00

If you have trouble sleeping, then The international is the antidote to that problem, at least the first hour of the movie is.

Starring Clive Owen and Naomi Watts as an interpol agent and a NY ADA respectively, the story evolves around the the International Bank of Business & Credit (IBBF) wicked plan to sell arms to rising African nation, controlling the debt in order to gain profit. And Clive Owen's Interpol Agent Louis Salinger is trying to expose the IBBF for what they are, wicked henchmen of Satan trying to control the world......

Maybe it's just me, but I don't see how the movie title has anything to do with the movie....... it could be the backdrop of the movie moving from Frankfurt, then to NY, then to LYON, then to Milan, then back to NY. Absolutely........ tiring.

The one interesting part about the movie is the shooting scene in the Guggenheim Museum, where they absolutely thrashed the place. Well, of course we know it is not the real Guggenheim, but it's still interesting to see the resemblance of the place get thrashed by semi-automatics and revolvers.

I really have nothing good to say about this movie, so I will not thrash it any further.

My Rating: Boring & Bad

Watch it ONLY if

You have nothing to do on a weekend (like me)
You want to see the Guggenheim get thrashed
What am I saying? don't waste your time....... Naomi Watts or Clive Owen just ain't worth the time...

swapping saliva

2009-04-26T01:36:00.000+08:00

You know how it's unacceptable when someones saliva gets on your face, either intentional or not, that feeling of disgust?

My friend keeps on telling me his boss speaks so closely to his face, and spit always comes out when the boss tries to 'emphasize' his point.

Also, you always hear your mom telling you don't drink from cups or use utensils from people you don't know.

Can't blame people for being paranoid of foreign saliva, with Hepatitis rampant and all...... one should take precautions.

But even with all these paranoia, there is certainly one scenario where people just swap saliva willingly and with huge amount of transfer.

I am of course talking about the art of sucking face, or the more romantic of you lot call French kissing.

There are absolutely no inhibitions when either one sticks his/her tongue into the other party. you see it all the time, it's just all action between the 2 tongues, with endless amount of saliva migrating from one mouth to another.

Of course it's fun, but that just totally defies the convention of what we have been told all our lives, don't eat other people's saliva.

But like all rules, this one is also subjected to double standards. There is a list of pre-approved people for 'acceptable' saliva contact, and everyone has a different list. Actually using the word 'people' is wrong, should use the word pre approved mammal.

So pick your list wisely, and don't hesitate to tell that boss or friend that is not on your list, that their saliva is not cool when transferred with high velocity onto your face.

Angels and Demons

2009-04-25T20:45:00.003+08:00

I finished Dan Brown's Angels and Demons around 2 nights ago. Ever since reading da vinci code I've been itching to read this, and finally I did.

So why did I? Master procrastinator reader, 3 years ADVC (After Da Vinci Code), finally decided to pick up this book?

First and foremost, I'm bored here in India. I'm still in the midst of working out my move back home but nothing is finalized. Secondly, books are cheap here compared to back home. Finally, and the most important one, is because the movie is about to air in May.

Yes, that's the reason I decided to pick up the book and read it. Because based on my experience with DVC and other adaptation, the book is always better compared to the movie. Though I can't make a comparison now, but after reading the book, I'm pretty sure it's going to be hard to insert all the elements onto the big screen.

My thoughts about the book? It's definitely a page flipper, it just makes you keep on wanting to turn to the next page to find out what's going to happen. The book starts that way, and keeps on going until the end. A nailbiter this one is.

I don't think I'll talk too much about the story, don't want to spoil it for those of you who do not intend to read the book but just planning to watch the movie.

So just a simple summary, storyline involves secret society, the vatican and the ever struggle between religion and science. And for the conspiracy theory buffs out there, I'm sure you know what The Illuminati is. But the story got kind of predictable (for me) half way through....

So if you are looking for a good story to read, I recommend picking this up. A hot cup o chai on a rainy afternoon/evening with this book is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Schadenfreude

2009-04-21T22:56:00.000+08:00

scha⋅den⋅freu⋅de
–noun

satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune.

First came across this word while watching Boston Legal. (Who says you can't learn anything from TV?)

Recently, a friend of mine Susan put the word up on her facebook status. And it went back and forth on what's the best definition of Schadenfreude.

I think this is the best which Shen Hoei came up with.

Also on another case of Schadenfreude, I have to give it to my friend Jar. She says to me one day, 'life is all about perspective.' hmm... ok, very thoughtful.

Then she follows up with, 'I feel alot better after going over to see a few other people who are suffering at work'. Now if that's not Schadenfreude,I don't know what is...... hehe.

Anyway, just thought I share new word for the day. And also the deep dark secret that we as human beings have within us. Which is the joy of seeing others in pain.

I leave you with Avenue Q with the title song and lyrics below. (Thanks Susan!)

GARY COLEMAN: Right now you are down and out and feeling really crappy
NICKY:I'll say.
GARY COLEMAN:And when I see how sad you are, It sort of makes me...Happy!
NICKY:Happy?!
GARY COLEMAN:Sorry, Nicky, human nature-Nothing I can do!It's...Schadenfreude! Making me feel glad that I'm not you.
NICKY:Well that's not very nice, Gary!
GARY COLEMAN:I didn't say it was nice! But everybody does it!D'ja ever clap when a waitress falls and drops a tray of glasses?
NICKY:Yeah...
GARY COLEMAN:And ain't it fun to watch figure skaters falling on their asses?
NICKY:Sure!
GARY COLEMAN:And don'tcha feel all warm and cozy,Watching people out in the rain!
NICKY:You bet!
GARY COLEMAN:That's...
GARY AND NICKY:Schadenfreude!
GARY COLEMAN:People taking pleasure in your pain!
NICKY:oh, Schadenfreude, huh? What's that, some kinda Nazi word?
GARY COLEMAN:Yup! It's German for "happiness at the misfortune of others!"
NICKY:"Happiness at the misfortune of others." That is German!
GARY COLEMAN:Watching a vegetarian being told she just ate chicken Or watching a frat boy realize just what he put his dick in!
NICKY:Being on the elevator when somebody shouts "Hold the door!"
GARY AND NICKY:"No!!!"Schadenfreude!
GARY COLEMAN:"Fuck you lady, that's what stairs are for!"
NICKY:Ooh, how about...Straight-A students getting Bs?
GARY COLEMAN:Exes getting STDs!
NICKY:Waking doormen from their naps!
GARY COLEMAN:Watching tourists reading maps!
NICKY:Football players getting tackled!
GARY COLEMAN:CEOs getting shackled!
NICKY:Watching actors never reach
GARY AND NICKY:The ending of their oscar speech! Schadenfreude! Schadenfreude! Schadenfreude! Schadenfreude!
GARY COLEMAN:The world needs people like you and me who've been knocked around by fate. 'Cause when people see us, they don't want to be us,and that makes them feel great.
NICKY:Sure! We provide a vital service to society!
GARY AND NICKY:You and me!Schadenfreude! Making the world a better place... Making the world a better place... Making the world a better place... To be!
GARY COLEMAN: S-C-H-A-D-E-N-F-R-E-U-D-E!

Danger/Opportunity

2009-04-19T16:11:00.003+08:00

There is an old chinese saying, with danger there is always opportunity. Hence the combined chinese words of 危机(wei ji).

You will also hear in hongkong and TVB series, 'fortune is seeked within danger'.

And as the ecomonic situation deteriorate, some people are frantically looking for that opportunity within times of 'danger' and uncertainty now.

Single guys out there who could not get a female companion to save their life should also rejoice during times like these. Why you ask? Because during crisis, survivalism takes over.

No, I didn't make that up. It was from the school of dilbert. see below:

I think it works both ways, for men or women. So what are you waiting for, pick up the phone and start knocking on opportunity's door now!

MunY Movies: Monsters vs Aliens

2009-04-18T22:32:00.001+08:00

After Kungfu Panda and Madagascar 2, DreamWorks return with another animated movie. Monsters vs Aliens.

Now we have all heard of Aliens Vs Predators (and know how much that franchise sucked).

But how goes if we swap the Predators to Monsters? (definitely more fun)

The movie 'stars' Reese Witherspoon, Seth Rogan, Hugh Laurie, Will Arnett and Kiefer Sutherland to name a few.

Here're a few pics to put a face to the 'Monsters'

Story starts with Susan Murphy getting hit by a meteor on her wedding day. Incredibly, she does not die from said collision but instead absorbed the energy of the meteor and becomes the 50 ft woman. This is a spin on the movie from the 50s....... take a look at the pic below.
So Government agents had to subdue and imprison her with all the other monsters captured since the 1950s.

So now Susan Murphy is know as....... Ginormica! yea..... can't they come up with a better now???

There is also B.O.B, or Bicarbonate Ostylezene Benzonate. A blue goo that has no brains and no proper body function, and pretty says anything he wants.

Along with Dr Cockroach PHD, a mad scientist who tried to fuse cockroach DNA so humans can have the survival ability of a cockroach, and unwittingly transformed himself into half man half cockroach.

Then there is The Missing Link, 20,000 year old Ape-Fish hybrid that marks the fusion of human evolution. He got thawed out of the Antarctica by scientist, escaped, and terrorized girls during spring breaks.

So all of them are imprisoned for life with no human contact until.... the Alien Gallaxhar detects quantonium power source radiating from Earth and decides to attack earth with an Alien robot!!!

So the imprisoned monsters are offered a deal to go free if they defeat the Alien Robot. Below is one of my fav scenes in the movie. And of course, like every cartoon, the good guy always win win..... at first.

That's the Alien robot facing off with Insectosaurus, the nuclear radiated caterpillar.

So after going free, the monsters find themselves detached from society, Susan 'alienated' by her family and fiance. In the midst of all these happenings, Gallaxhar comes to earth after his robots defeat to retrieve the quantonium which is also the source of Susan's power.

After capturing Susan/Ginormica, and gaining the quantonium, Gallaxhar clones himselves to take over the world and eliminate all humankind.

And as all cartoon stories go, the team of monsters band together, defeating the alien via some funny activities along the way and manage to become heroes of Earth. The end.

The story is pretty simple, don't think it was as good as Kung Fu Panda but it's a fun family movie to watch. As usual Dreamworks likes to throw in subtle jokes that probably not everyone can understand... because they are mostly American jokes......

My ratings: FFW (Fun Family watch)

Watch it
If you want to have a fun time with your kids (but make sure you shut them up and don't let them bother other patrons)
If you have an affinity to cartoons and dreamwork's animated movies
If you want to escape the heat for 94 minutes

Paris Brest made my imagination go wild....

2009-04-14T00:23:00.001+08:00

Yesterday I wrote about my visit to Sunny's in Bangalore, and about the desserts we tried. If you missed it, you can find it here.

So I did mention that they have a long list of desserts right?

After finishing our dessert, I scanned through the menu one more time to see if there's anything I'd like to have.... (yes, after having all the dessert I still wanted to eat somemore, :P)

And as I was going through the list.... I saw this item on the menu. Paris Brest.

So my imagination ran wild, and I thought of.........

exhibit A

exhibit B

exhibit C

no, not implying cup sizes here.....

So will the real Paris Brest please stand up?

Thanks to my 'curiosity', now I know what a Paris Brest looks like....... next time to bite into them one.

UB City & Sunny's Restaurant

2009-04-13T03:03:00.003+08:00

For the past 2 years here in Bangalore, I have heard of the name UB City and Sunny's Restaurant numerous times.

UB City, according to Wikipedia, is the biggest property project in Bangalore pioneered by Dr Vijay Mallya. (if you don't know who he is, google him up. He's like the Richard Branson of India)

Actually, the reason of going to UB city is to visit THE luxury shopping mall there, called The Collection.

This mall houses all the luxury brands you can imagine. Louis Vuitton, Burberry, Tiffanny's, Paul Frank, Stella McCartney to name a few.

Yes, there is a Louis Vuitton here in Bangalore.

The guards did not allow us to take pictures inside the mall, so the above pictures are the only ones taken. (Thanks to my house mate ML since she was the one who took most of the pics) I will never understand this concept of not letting people take pictures inside the mall......

So after walking through the mall, we headed to Sunny's which is around 5 minutes walk away.

I heard about Sunny's from this friend of mine who worked here in Citibank Bangalore. He's in Singapore now, but the way he described the food in Sunny's lured me there.

Sunny's is a Italian type restaurant located on Vittal Mallya Road, ask anyone on that road and they will tell you how to find it. You could miss it because it's at the corner of the road and does not have big neon lights hovering over the restaurant.

Reading some of the reviews, seems like the main complain is on service. Most people say the place has double standards treating the locals and Expats. I guess it's the same everywhere huh? I've had the same feeling back in Malaysia.

The menu has quite a number of food that sounds good, and not knowing what to order I decided to go for the Glazed Ham with Orange sauce while my house mates went with Steak and Seafood pasta.

Tenderloin Steak

Seafood Pasta, quite a big portion

Glazed Ham with orange sauce and mashed potatoes

One thing I feel that all restaurant should do is put something like a 'recommended' items on the menu for each category. It makes life easier for new customers walking into the restaurant, and it also ensures that they order the best and signature food the restaurant serves.

Anyway, I got my Ham and was kinda disappointed, the ham is... a ham. And the sauce was just average and weak. Worse part of the dish is...... the mash potatoes came with remnant of a plastic cover that was holding it. I complained to the waiter, but the wise ass just told me, 'oh, it's part of the container that was used to make the mash potatoes'

WTF? I was not in the mood to be anal, so I finished my food, and then asked for the owner. He apologized, but I didn't get a free meal unfortunately. Minus points for services, maybe if my skin color was lighter I might get better treatment.

Anyway, after the main course we decided to try most of the desserts.

Below are the ones we ordered.

Frozen Chocolate Fudge with Rum and Raisins. Very nice with strong rum and raisins after taste.

Mango Ice Cream (using real mango according to the menu). Aromatic and tasty.

Blueberry Cheesecake. Average, needs more cheese!

Apple pie, always nice.... yumz.

We finished them all!

The pastries were quite good, so it was not a total disappointment for me.

All in all, I give it a 3 stars out of 5. Will I come back again? Most probably.

Good food and good company on a Saturday afternoon. I'd say a day well spent. :)

So if you want to try out Sunny's and visit UB City while you are in Bangalore, just ask your driver or autowalla to take you via St Marks Road, either turn in via Vittal Mallya Rd or cut through Lavelle Rd. It's not very far from MG Rd.

Just goto Google maps, and type in Bangalore and Sunny's and the below map will appear.

Do you have a backup guy/gal?

2009-04-11T22:16:00.004+08:00

You have heard it before, on friends or on of the multiple sitcoms or movies. A backup is a person you will marry at a certain age if both of you are still single.

Usually this person is a close friend that you are comfortable with and don't mind having as a life partner, but not romantically attracted to each other enough to be in a relationship with.

For me, I HAD a backup plan. Yes, HAD. :) It was between me and a primary school friend Juju.

The terms of our 'contract' were,

1) By the time we are both 35

2) and if we are still single (either not married or not seeing anyone romantically)

3) and is not terminally ill with disease like AIDS

So if the above 3 criteria were true by the time we reach 35, we would have to start planning our 'marriage'

And I mention I HAD this plan in place. That's right, the contract is now null and void. No, it's not because I'm getting married, she is. :) And she's darn happy and keeps on reminding me that our contract is 'void' now. I'm happy for her too.

You see, we have known each other for around 20 years or so, and over the years we've remained friends and colleagues. We probably don't share as much as some close friends do, but I feel there's always this bond of friendshio between us.

Well, the reason I am writing this is because out of a blue someone on MSN IM ping me and asked me if Juju is my fiancee. Totally confused and flabergasted, I asked the person how did he come up with that assumption.

Apparently, in the years we were using 'Multiply' (you know, the passe networking website before facebook came along), she cheekily put down my relationship with her as Fiancee. And I think till now it has not been changed. So recently when she updated her multiply page it showed up as Juju, Fiancee of MunY.

So i'll be informing her to change it, because I value my life and do not want either my gf or her REAL fiancee cause bodily harm to me.

And for those of you who are not married, and has a 'backup', do tell me about it. :)

Those of you who are married, and still has a 'backup'.... don't tell me. Don't want you to get bodily harmed. :P

'sex' education in English too?

2009-04-09T22:28:00.000+08:00

I remember this huge debate about teacher's in Malaysia not capable of teaching in English for Math and Science. (probably still on going....)

Well, if they can't teach I say we fire all of them and hire prostitutes or sex workers to teach instead.

Yes, you heard me. Get sex workers to teach our kids in English.

Why? Have I gone crazy? Why would I suggest such an outrageous and ridiculous idea?

Read this, I saw it in the local news paper here.

In Malaysia, sex workers give free English Lessons: Malaysia's notorious 'Guest relation's officers' are now offering two-in-one services - apart from the regular flesh trade, they are also teaching English to their clients. to remain competitive, the GROs are doubling up as English tutors to help clients brush up their language skills.

So why not get rid of the whiny,'I can't teach in English' teachers and hire these bunch of 'innovative' and 'motivated' individuals to teach instead?

It's a win-win situation. Clean up Malaysia while educating with the right people.

Some one should tell Muhyiddin Yassin to think about it huh?

Real life Frogger

2009-04-08T23:31:00.001+08:00

Do you remember the game Frogger?

Here's a video I grabbed from YouTube just in case you don't, or have not heard of Frogger ever before.

So now why am I talking about Frogger? Because I feel like the frog in the video game every when I try to go home from work.

You see, my company here in India is located on rather large' Ring Road', it's a highway of sorts. Why can't I take the rickshaws that are on the side of my company? Because the Auto-Wallas either refuse to go the other direction where my home is, or will charge me a king's ransom just to make a big U-turn.

So today I decided to take a video of me crossing the road, this is while I was already on the divider in the middle of the road. So I am half way through, but still have to maneuver through fast traffic to get to the other side.

It's a total of 71seconds....... that's how long it takes for me to get pass half way of the road almost on a daily basis....... it's quite scary. ;(

This is definitely one thing I won't be missing from Bangalore.

MunY Movies: Fast And Furious 4

2009-04-05T18:24:00.000+08:00

Mix Fast Cars, Sexy women and Drug lords and you will produce...... Fast and Furious 4.

Ok, so there might be more to the story than just cars, women and drugs. But I think guys go watch this movie for the first 2 reasons only. I might be wrong. :P

The movie's tagline, 'New Model, Original Parts' is a way to tell us the producers brought back the original cast from the first movie in 2001. Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Jordana Brewster and Michelle Rodriguez are back to reprise their roles from the original F&F movie.

Movie starts off with a Fuel-truck hijacking by Dominic Toretto(Vin Diesel) and gang. You will also find Han(Sung Kang) from F&F:Tokyo Drift in the action. Some very amazing and rather impossible driving sequences later, the gang successfully hijacks part of the truck and gets away.

Dominic later had to leave Letty(Michelle Rodriguez) because the Feds are catching up.

*spoiler alert*

Dominic gets a phone call from his Sister Mia(Jordana Brewster) one day, telling him of Letty's death. It was murder. TANGTANGTANG!!! Guess the producers really didn't want Michelle Rodriguez on the movie for too long, or it's just necessary for the story to develop.

So Dominic needs to return to LA and find Letty's killer. At the same time, Brian O'Conner is now reinstated into the FBI and is trying to bust a drug ring using illegal car racers to bring drugs in from Mac-he-ko. So, conveniently, the 2 of them team up by infiltrating the drug lord's operation by 'posing' as illegal street racers.

Now how convenient is it that the drug lord, known as Braga, is using car racers to import drugs??? Why not use drug mules? or hide them in soap? Oh wait, that's a different movie.....

So through out the movie, you will see close up of women's ass, Vin Diesel's head and 18" shiny rims.

The kissing scene between Paul Walker and Jordana Brewster came out of no where, ever since their break up 5 years ago on the first move (that's the timeline in the movie between the movies), I have no idea where that sudden spark of romance came from. The director just had to add it in for the sake of making up the romance quota.

So is it as good as the original? I would say probably not. But is it good enough to pay moo-lah to watch it? yeah. The entertainment of adrenaline pumping car racing scenes and Vin Diesel's shiny head is definitely worth 107 minutes in the cinema to escape the heat.

My rating: Good entertainment

Watch it if
You are a fan of the Fast and Furious Franchise
You want to watch scantily clad women shaking their booty and kissing each other
You are an aspiring illegal car racer that needs to learn a thing or 2. wait.... this movie won't help.

MunY's Morning Rant

2009-04-03T12:49:00.000+08:00

Sometimes I just want to say ' fuck all of this' and walk away.

The best intentions blow up in your face, as usual.

Reminder to self, always always act with caution. And don't do things that you are not asked to do by your boss, and screw all those whiny people who keeps on insisting you to do it.

nia ma CCB.

*end of rant*

Looking into the future...

2009-04-03T01:34:00.001+08:00

'Look at them, they have no idea what is ahead of them..'

That line came from the final minutes of the latest episode of Scrubs, and it reminded me of younger times when I did not know what is ahead of me. And it got me thinking, what got me through that fearful time?

I hear alot of people going to fortune tellers trying to take a peek into their future, and with the info they could make their lives better. Personally, I never believed in wanting to know my future. It's maybe I live in a bubble, a bubble of invincibility, a conviction that no matter what comes my way I will be able to handle it. Some call it optimism, others call it foolishness. Your pick.

The only thing about my future I am sure of is Death. Yes, that sounds depressing but that is the only certainty in life. (ok, them vampires might disagree. Or probably Chris Lambert...... ) But the journey towards that inevitable end is what makes it interesting.

'In life, prepare to be surprised' What fun is there in life if there are no longer any surprises? Yes, we bitch about misfortunes but we also cheer when good luck comes along. Life's random and chaotic, can't control it, just organize the chaos and go along with it.

So when you are feeling down, just try to see the lighter side of things and S.U.M.O (Shut Up & Move On). It gets us through life alot easier.

*end of thought* - who would have thought watching the latest episode of Scrubs could actually make a write something like this. I surprise myself sometimes. :P

It's all uphill after marriage

2009-03-31T01:49:00.004+08:00

Today, amidst the busy Monday activities my close friends all started doing group emails again. Why? Because someone is getting married in Dec.

So emails were flying around, discussing about venues, photographers, 'chi-mui', MC, organ playing (I meant the instrument!!!), drunk brides and wedding dresses.

Wedding dresses, ah, so many different types...... there are the simple elegant types, the oh-so-in-your-face-i'm-so-getting-married types, the 80s fluffy types and the what-were-you-thinking types. But today, I am not here to discuss about types of wedding dresses. Nope, the subject matter of the day is...... weight and size.

I remember a few of my friends who got married, and the girls who did went on this amazing weight losing run just to fit into the perfect dress on that perfect day. It's amazing when you set your mind onto something, what you can really achieve!

So to the tribute of these amazing women, here is a graph to depict the journey of weight over time before and after marriage. It's all the way up after that special day!

MunY Movies: Watchmen

2009-03-29T01:05:00.000+08:00

First let me just say, there are so many versions of Watchmen movie posters out there I had to plow through them and make a decision on which one to use.

The one I picked is this....

Alright, another superhero movie. But this is not your papa and mama's superhero. Well, they could be if your papa or mama were born in the late 70s or early 80s and are fans of Alan Moore.

Although I am the comic dork, I have actually not read watchmen before. And watching the movie will be my way of 'reading' it. So I could not really tell how true director Zack Snyder stayed to the comic version.

Just a brief introduction to the story, it is set in a different reality, where Nixon has been elected for a 3rd term and heroes are outlawed. The cold war is still ongoing between the USSR and USA, and the 3rd world war is about to happen, Nuclear style.

The plot of the story starts with the murder of the comedian, played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan (who was on Grey's anatomy as Izzy Steven's dead lover, Denny Duquette). And the movie reels into a series of flashbacks on other heroes, Dr Manhattan ( The blue naked man with god like powers), The Owl II (Batman wannabe), Silk Specter II (Latex Lingerie wearing wonder woman type), Ozymandias (The brains behind the operation) and Rorschach (Psycho superhero with a cloth as a face).

Story is too long for me to write it here, if you want to know more. Read it here .

Alot of people found the movie weird and boring, and not to mention long. (it's almost 3 hours. 162 minutes accordingly to IMDB). So visit the toilet before you head into the cineplex.

I personally like the movie. (Yes, no surprise since I am a dork) It's different, and thought provoking. The background sets you back to the 80s(good times?), and the plot unravels quite well. And there are quite a few 'easter eggs' in the movie.

What are easter eggs? They are cleverly placed items for you to catch. I saw the Twin Towers still standing, Apple's first TV commercial that is a cult classic now was playing on one of the tv screens and I'm sure there are more that I missed.

I'm glad I caught this in the cinema because most likely I'll be falling asleep if this was playing at home while I'm slouched on my bed/couch.

My rating: Not bad, Not bad at all....

Watch it if
Your boyfriend is a dork like me, and just accompany him to score some points
You read the comic, or have not read the comic
You want to see superheroes have sex on the big screen (yes, they do that. Not sure if it's censored in Malaysia)

The fairest of them all?

2009-03-28T02:10:00.000+08:00

'Mirror, Mirror on the wall.... Who is the fairest of them all?'

I can not believe the amount of whitening cream ads that is popping up on the TV here in India.

Almost every major brand is in on it, and it's whitening cream for both men and women!

Ok, I can understand the psyche of wanting to get fairer. It is after all an obsession with the Asian community because of the importance we place on skin tones.

This has no research basis, because I have not done any. It is purely based on anecdotal experiences and observations.

In the Asian community, the fairer skin tone would place you on the higher hierarchy of society. Symbolizing that you have good shelter,proper diet and care. While a darker skin tone is tied to the working class of farmers and laborers, the type of people that needs to be out in the sun the whole day.

You can also see the same obsession with Mr M Jackson, but his change is driven by a totally different reason.

So back to whitening creams in India... Must be huge opportunities here, since probably 90% of the population is dark skinned? But why the need here? In the land of Darlie?

My take is that it's also driven by social perception.... If you ask anyone in Malaysia, alot of people are familiar with the stars of bollywood. Stars like Katrina Kaif, Ashwarya Rai, Kareena Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra are all fair skinned. And the perception by alot of people, at least the ones back in Malaysia is that North Indians or the ones from Bollywood are fair and hot!

So can you blame the average Indian girl wanting to have a fairer skin tone? It links to glamor, of course they want it. Even girls back in Malaysia who are already quite fair, are trying hard to be like Michael Jackson.

But Indian men who wants to get fairer, that point I'm not too sure of........

As for me, I thought to myself.... Do I need to 'whiten' myself up? If I do, this is probably how I'll look like....

Yes guys, the 'dot' is always there.

Talent Acquisition

2009-03-25T00:00:00.000+08:00

First, Have a look at Dilbert's version of Talent acquisition.

Ever felt the same way before?

I know alot of people feel the same way where I worked, and it's also the main grouse I have towards my company.

But if you come from the business background, you will know that it is the right thing to do for the company. You need to inject new blood into the stream, stir up the pot, keep the mojo going. A fresh perspective is always good.

Thing that irks me is when some dimwit gets paid double your salary and does half your work. Yes, that is either called stupid manager hiring or super bullshit skills during interview.

And staying loyal to a company can suck at times, talk to my sis and she'll convince you that you should never stay with one single company too long. The only way to keep on getting your pay increase is to jump around, loyalty does not pay in the corporate world unless you are recognized.

Some people jump around because they can't stay in a place too long, they get exposed. But some can stay longer if the management are just as dumb.

Quoting a friend, 'The guys that are taking 5 figure pay are piling up the shit, coming in at 9am and leaving a 6pm sharp. While guys like me who cleans up their shit, works late, gets paid in peanuts.'

It is sad, but the truth. So before you go into the corporate world, hone your skills and always make yourself a 'talent' so you can get acquired more easily.