2012

I had been waiting for this film, counting down for a week when I thought it was just right amount of time to be excited of the film. I have always been a fan of natural disaster film. I don't know why, and neither am I interested to explain. Something about how the earth opens up and fury and anger of the mother nature terrifies me and I like it when the special effect catch the moments well. So, yes, I love The Day After Tomorrow, Dante's Peak, Armageddon, Twister and more. They were really good.

To know that the producers of this film are the same as The Day After Tomorrow is almost like an assurance that the film would be as exciting and good. So, I got my ticket early.. way before tickets are announced to be sold out, and only leaving front row seats.



Even the trailer was terrific, making audience with great expectation and excitement.

The special effects were good. I have to give the movie that. And that was what I was paying to watch. I mean, the special effects are the actual actor of the show. And of course, good stories and believable plots should be good too, except that I am not feeling them for this film.

I like John Cusack. I have liked this actor since.. I don't know when. I don't really recall his films right now, other than Must Love Dogs. But as much as I had wanted to see him in a believable reluctant hero spot, I was not. He was not supposed to outshine the film, and he did not. But neither should he had to struggle to convince me that he was a true hero inside. I was not feeling it for him. Neither did I care if he had lived or died, unlike Dennis Quaid or Jake Gyllenhaall in The Day After Tomorrow.

Maybe.. just maybe it was because I did not like the role he was playing - Jackson Curtis. Jackson Curtis is the divorced dad, who is struggling to prove that he is very much the good dad he believes himself to be. So, he takes his two young kids to a campsite in Yellowstone. There, although the place is already sealed off, with warning, he climbs over the fence, bringing his children to the 'no entry' zone. Not only that, he walks his children to the dried spot of the lake, which has mysterious steams oozing out, as well as corpse of a deer. Such a loving father.

And then of course later on, as he rushes to find an important map, he has to bring his daughter along, instead leaving her with the mother near the important vehicle to fly away with - the plane. And leave the kid in the van when an earthquake could have separated the child from him?

And what's with the kids and their inability to stick to a spot? After a wasted time explanation to the boy that he has to stay behind to take care of the sister, the boy still swims away to find his father.. irritating.. as irritating as the screaming little witch girl (Dakota Fanning) in Tom Cruise's War of the World. Just like that movie, I was screaming in my mind - Die you, kid. Die!

And then, the stupid speech. You know.. with only 14 minutes to go.. when people are already panic about survival, the director allows the speech of mankind and not. Damn. It was crap. Come on. Tsunami is coming. There's no time for a great speech of good humanitarian value and all that shit.

As well as Jackson's moment with his kid and the kiss for the ex-wife. Damn it! People are going to die. Stop being horny for the ex.

And then, as the door was shut eventually, the people in the ship did not even cheer for that their lives are already saved. Nope. They wait. They wait for some man - in this case, Jackson Curtis (whom they have no idea who he is, nor what he is doing in screen or that room) to merge from the water, and then they cheer. They cheer for a man they don't even know. No, they do not cheer when they are safe. They cheer for some seemingly unrelated event.

And really, I hate Woody Harrelson. I would have loved the volcano special effect at Yellowstone, but Woody spoils it for me.

Name Me a Name

I have always thought it is sweet of Americans to name their newborns after someone dear to their hearts. Like you know, little Sue is named after Aunt Sue who passed away 3 months ago. Or little Peter is named after Grandpa Peter, who passed away years ago. Bless his soul, after being run down by a car when he was out for a walk.

Apparently such practice is not allowed in the traditional Chinese custom. It is considered bad luck to name a newborn after a departed relative. It is like putting a curse on the newborn. I have seen how the elders in the family have to do their homework in recalling the names of all their cousins, uncles, aunties, brothers or sisters, just to make sure that the name Mei Hwa was not taken up years ago, by a bad luck aunt who died choking on fishbone, or an Ah Kow who had passed away a decade ago, falling into the drain due to bad street lighting.

It's a no-no thing. :(

Bra

I overheard my mom talking to my Tua Ee (Big Aunt) recently on the phone. My mom said that she would be busy later.. heading out to throw her undergarment to the sea.

My thoughts went on to think how in the world my mom, who's known to have weak knees, gonna ride her motorbike all the way to the sealine to throw her undergarment.

I know, you may be thinking - undergarment? Sea?

Apparently, yes.

It's a belief among certain Chinese that throwing undergarment to the garbage bin would be an inappropriate way to dispose off one's personal items, when they are no longer usable. They should be a proper way to get rid of them, and I think, my mom thinks that this is a way to return them to Earth, away from any perverts' touch or anything...

I asked her how she was going to do it, since that the nearest sea line would be perhaps 30 minutes to an hour ride away. She told me that when she said that she was throwing them to the sea, it did not mean so. It meant throwing to a rushing stream that would lead the undergarments to the sea.

I said - huh?

Mom said that she found a drain where the water was rushing fast. It was near a Tua Pek Kong's hut. I asked her if she was really going to throw such a thing near Tua Pek Kong? She giggled. I know.. it would be a distance away, but the water in the drain there was rushing fast enough to be considered as a stream.

Mom said that throwing such undergarments away, in a plastic bag, with name written, plus birthdate - Chinese birthdate and not the English one, with a clip of hair and nails, would ensure that bad luck is washed away.

So... if my state is flooded with my mom's undergarment, please do not blame me. I won't stand in my mom's way to uphold the tradition.

;p Hahaha...

Idiot Maybank.

After all these years, with the improvement of technology, Maybank still has a way to remind us of its inefficiency and incompetency.



Remember those years when Maybank has no cash or cheque deposit machines and the only way to deposit is to bear with the queue? Remember when you wamt to place a fixed deposit?

It's like you watch your live passes you by, when you wait for your turn in Maybank. Pick a number. Any number. And you can be waiting for more than an hour no matter how near or distance your number is. You know what? To be efficient and not to waste them, it feels so good if you can bring in your laundry when you are in a Maybank branch. As you wait for your turn, you can fold your clothes. Bring an iron, if you need to. While waiting, you could just iron your clothes.

And then, thanks to technology, we have more cash and cheque deposits. And thanks to technology, we have Maybank online. This really speeds things up, knowing that we don't have to deal with Maybank workers. I love the idea of e-fixed deposit.

Before, I did not mind not having an account in Maybank. I didn't care if it was supposed to be the BIGGEST bank in Malaysia then. It was digging its own grave and I prayed to see its collapse.

Unfortunately, my boss pays me through this bank, so I am kinda stuck with the account. With the online and machines, I am a contented customer now.

Except just now. I tried to call Maybank to inquire about the service charge on the cards. I waited. And waited. And waited. This is like an old dead boring storyline recycled to haunt me. And at the end, after minutes of standing by the phone and endless staring at myself through the nearest mirror, I gave up.

Maybank is Maybank.

One cannot expect an incompetent fool to be competent.

Touch

When you are about to flush the toilet, have you ever thought of the person who touched the flush handle before you? I mean, think of the thing he held before he reached out for the flush handle to flush. Now think of you touching the same flush handle.

It's like technically you have touched another man's penis.

Now, repeat the paragraphs above, to suit the diagram below, and you are still in the same situation.

And yes, unfortunately.. I flush always, unless there is no water.

An Affair with a Book Fair

I am a bad shopper. For clothes. I don't know the art of comparing and trying and testing and feeling the materials or even checking out details of the clothings to decide if I should fall in love with it or not.

I don't know how to shop for food or to buy vegetables and meat. I don't have the patience to do so.

But I have patience when it comes to buying DVDs. Or novels.

Piazza, beside Penang Sunshine Square, held a book fair for Times Bookshop recently. There were books sold 3 for RM10, 3 for RM20 and new books were sold at 30% discount.

When I looked at the rows of books, poorly stashed up on the tables for book-discount worshippers to oogle over, I decided to go for gold. I spent 2 hours plus, and almost broke my neck, reading the book titles one by one, to find familiar titles and authors.

Mind you, this happened on the day when I swore in the morning I would not be buying any more books soon.

Why?

Because I have been a tramp when it came to buying books lately.

I took advantage of HSBC's 35% discount on books bought in ACMAMALL dot com. This, in fact, happened several weeks after I bought my first sum of novels from ACMAMALL. Since that delivery is only free after a purchase of RM200, I did buy that much.

And then, there was this factor that my Godbrother went to USA, and he was able to get me books I am not able to get in Malaysia. So, I bought again, through him, books I ordered through Amazon dot com.

And although I swore that morning, a discount like that was too tempting to resist. So, I bought myself three more books.

I really need a long vacation to finish all these books. ;p

Malaysia Credit Card Service Charges

Malaysia government is starting to charge 'service charge' on credit cards. I don't have any supplementary cards under me, but boy, do I have principal cards!! I blame all those credit card salespersons who stalk all around shopping malls.

Take this credit card. Take that credit card.

And when I apply for one, the banks give me two. I apply for Visa Free-for-Life, and I get Mastercard too.

So, since that the government wants to charge RM50 per card, I bet most cardholders would be going to the banks in these two months to get rid of their cards. My friends have already pledged their devotion to one or two banks. I am stuck. I like 4 banks - Citibank, HSBC, Maybank and CIMB. So, I have to pay RM200?? Damn.

Dato' Seri Najib said something funny today. He said that he offered more tax reliefs but people are upset about the RM50 service charge on the credit cards. He said among all, he reduced the income tax rate from 27% to 26%.

Like duh..

I am not affected by that reduction, but I am surely affected by the service charge. Who is to be thankful for that reduction? Dato' Tony Fernandez? Astro owner, Ananda? What? These people need credit cards??

I told my friend who works for CIMB that I am canceling most credit cards, but not CIMB. He jokingly thanked me. I told him, not because of loyalty. I am stuck with installments. I cannot escape. ;p

Water Supply in Penang

A few years ago, when Penang state was under the perceived forever in-control Gerakan control ruling, there was a hush-hush argument about the installation of water filter outside of the flat. Residents who had done so were demanded to remove the filters. Actually, it had to be the unclean pipes.

This means that even though the water is clean when it is delivered from the dam, the water is washing up and flows with it the rust, dirt and everything and more of whatever that can be found in the pipeline and the container. Of course the authority blames poor management or maintenance of the buildings, which funnily, can be linked back to the authority. The authority is the one responsible for approving the pipes and containers.

So, then, the ex-Chief Minister stepped in to stop the demand of the removal of the water filters.

As usual, for someone who has too much time in my hand, I decided to snap photos of how fast the white water filter will turn ugly.

Day 1

Day 2 - already slightly brownish

Day 4 - already mild Milo color.

Day 7 - Teh Tarik pekat.

Day 9 - we are consuming this water, friends.

Hm. I guess only those who can afford expensive water filters in the house is able to survive. I have my Diamond Water Filter, which I am happy to know would help me, in my drinking water. Which also makes me feel guilty coz my mom and the kids in other home don't have such privilege. I am a horrible son.

I guess now I can blame the water supply in Penang too for my hair loss. Yeah, I know. There are many reasons for hair loss. It is just nice and convenient to blame others.

Anyway, to the poor and average income earners who cannot afford water filters in Penang, my condolence.

Cursing a Watch

I believed that when I curse my old watch hard enough, I killed it. Not that I was totally upset with the death of my souvenir watch. It gave me a new reason to curse it again.

Little did I know that my constant cursing brought it back to life, after more than 4 weeks not moving. (It's not the battery. I had checked with the shop). It just moved one day. I only knew when I accidentally picked it up instead of my substitute watch. So, I have brought a dead watch back to life.

Not that I want to be a big whiner, which I am. A watch has to say what the owner is. Looking at this Tissot watch, this watch says that I am plain. Boring.

I don't want to be plain. I don't want to be boring.

If Carrie Bradshaw in the Sex and the City can complain about her engagement diamond ring is all wrong, because the shape is not her, hey, why not me?

So now I am stuck with two watches.

Jay-Z Can't Rap

I don't care if this guy has already shipped more than 30 million albums. He may be a great producer and produces great music, but he should just stick to being a producer and not as an artist. So, if someone wants to make a record and cannot sing, he should just rap, right? NOT!

It's horrible. He's no Eminem, 50cent or Lil Wayne. Salt 'n Pepa did rap perfectly. Even the shameful Kanye West can. Jay-z is just an embarrassment.

There I said it.

My Drag Queen's Name

I was supposed to post something on Queens, but Google Search Engine popped up a suggestion, which I was tempted to try... Yes, the sporting me laughed. Loud.

So, I typed my name into the suggestion box.

I got this!

Your Drag Queen Name Is: Helena Handbasket

You go girl!

Drag Queen Name Generator

Blogthings: We're Not Shrinks, But We Play Them On the Internet

Tell Laura I Love Her

My mobile phone has three Jessica's, three Benjamin's, two Benson's, three Calvin's, three Chris's, two Jeff's, two Jenny's and two Patrick's.

My Facebook has 5 Adrian's, 3 Amy's, 2 Andrew's, 3 Andy's, 2 Ben's, 4 Benjamin's, 3 David's .. and you get the idea.

There are all from Malaysia.



My student's car player played Tell Laura I Love Her.

I realized I have never known a Malaysian named Laura.

The World of Remote Controls

If I would get myself another speaker, a better speaker system, with remote control, then I would have 6 remote controls lying near my LCD TV. It's either that or I have to manual bend down to tweak the volume button which is lying too low on the floor.

I know. Remote controls are good. If not, we have to get up from our seats to reach for the channel buttons. Future kids would be marveled at how we live in the past without remote controls. It's like a world without remote controls is an uncivilized world. Even ceiling fans now have remote controls, and one does not have to get up from the bed just to lower down the speed.

I look at my media remote controls. Do we really use all the buttons on the remotes? It's like we are speaking to foreigners in different languages.

This is my DVD remote control. What's a marker? Search button in unused. Program? What for? What's a A-b? Random? I don't do Karaoke. Angle?

This is my LCD TV remote control. The biggest space user. TTX/MIX? E.Mode? P.Mode?? Record button??? DMA? Red button? Green button? Yellow button? Blue button? Tools?

Speak English, man!

RMVB player remote control. Made in China!! Simple, and don't speak in English. Musica, which is not about Music. I know what OSD is for, but not N/P.

N/P - No Problem??

WDTV Player remote control. I have to say that this is the simplest, and the smallest, after RMVB player remote control. It makes a hell lot of sense.

The famous remote control in Malaysia - Astro remote control. I have no idea what the FAV is for. I hardly use the color buttons. Mail button?

My point is - the world can surely use smaller and easier to understand remote controls.

I Smell a Rat

Well, since I buried my wounded plant outside of the building, the rat in my office needed a new victim. My colleague jokingly accused me of purposely sabotaging her plant. By taking my plant outside, I left her plant vulnerable to vicious biting of the rat. And hence, this is my update on the new poor victim in the office.

Already one down.

A week later... the plant had no chance.

Brigette Lin Ching Hsia's Characters Trauma

I was in awe of Brigette Lin Ching Hsia's glamorous comeback in the 90's, signaling her retirement from her retirement from the movie industry.

Brigette Lin first returned in Tsui Hark's film - Swordsman II. She acted as a man who castrated himself to become perfect martial art leader. To become a perfect martial art leader, he must be a woman. I was surprised at first when my friend told me that Brigette was a man in the movie. I was surprised but I loved the idea of her comeback. It was different from her many roles of repetitive characters of same storyline love movies from Taiwan.


At the moment of the popularity of the film, I thought her character's death was one of the most beautiful in any film.

And then came Dragon Inn, where Brigette Lin again acted as a character with martial art ability. And in a male costume. And the character died again.

And then there was the famous Bride with White Hair, acting angrily against straight character played the late Leslie Cheung. She did not die in the first movie, but she went crazy, jilted by love.

And I believe there was the Ashes of Time, where again, in a male costume, her character went crazy with jealousy.

And there was the film Fire Dragon, where she was denied of love again.

And she was the cold killer, really depressing-like, in Chung King Express.

I think her character died again Handsome Sibling, acted opposite the not-handsome Andy Lau.

Actually, by the time her character was denied of happy ending in Bride with White Hair, I was already having a trauma - Brigette Lin's dead characters trauma.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows

I kept telling myself that sometimes we need to do something crazy.. something stupid. Not something bad like any violent act.. but you know.. like hiking up the hill at 4am. Or meditate whole day. In fact, once I was invited to meditate the whole night into the next morning. Something like this... something crazy.

I still remember queuing up for Harry Potter's last book. I was eager to know the conclusion. I needed to know if the unstable, though talented, JK Rowling was going to do something bizarre like writing off the one character that had made her a billionaire, just because I suspected she felt guilty for the fame Harry Potter received and not Neville Longbottom.

Here is the diary of the day Harry Potter Book 7 was released.

Lined up for my book at 6.40am, and I was already customer no.40. To fend talkative people who would blab out the spoiler, I blasted my MP3 out loud - letting Rihanna and her eh eh ella ella Umbrella to drown the voices around. No problem even at the cashier when I could pick up my order at Borders. And then, queued up for my free breakfast at Starbucks. And then, I saw it - this young girl, who sat down on an empty chair, already reading, like others in Starbucks. But she was starting with the last pages instead of the first chapter. Freak!! I scrambled. Breakfast or no breakfast, I was not about to let anyone tell me the ending.

I did not avoid internet and switching on tv for nothing, just in case any news blurted out the ending.

Skipped lunch. Skipped dinner. Did my reading from 8 am and finished the whole Harry Potter Book 7 at 1030pm. Phew!

Google Translation from English to Bahasa Melayu

I decide today to have fun with the translation of Google Translation from English to Bahasa Melayu (Malay language).

I eat French Fries. ---> Aku makan prancis goreng.
Hahaha!

I am going home. ---> Aku akan pulang.
Okla. Not bad.

I took a bath. ---> Aku memuat mandi.
Huh?

I am downloading a song. ---> Saya men-download lagu.
I think I can accept this. Anyway, 'download' in Malay language is muat turun. Serious. ;p

How do you do? ---> How do you do?
Serious. This was what I got.

Don't lie to me. ---> Jangan berbohong padaku.
Okla. Pass.

May I kiss you? ---> Bolehkah aku menciummu?
Wow. Pass.

I want chicken burger, with only tomato sauce and no onion, please.
--->
Aku ingin burger ayam, hanya dengan sos tomato dan tidak ada bawang, silakan.
Wow. Serious. Not bad.

Son of a gun. ---> Sompret.
Huh?! I did not know that.

Drag queen. ---> Drag ratu.
LOL.

In the wee hours of the morning ---> Dalam larut pagi
Impressive.

I am blogging this down, as a reminder to myself not to use Twitter.
---> Saya blogging bawah ini, sebagai pengingat untuk diriku sendiri untuk tidak menggunakan Twitter.
Okay.

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it

It felt so wrong, it felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it
--->
Aku mencium seorang gadis dan aku menyukainya
Rasa nya cherry chapstick
Aku mencium seorang gadis hanya untuk mencubanya
Saya berharap pacarku tidak keberatan

Semuanya itu terasa begitu salah, semuanya itu terasa begitu benar
Tidak bererti aku jatuh cinta malam ini
Aku mencium seorang gadis dan aku menyukainya
Aku menyukainya

Okay. Not bad.

This is no fun. :( I am moving on.

Titanic Rose Lied

Yes, Jack. I won't jump. I know.. I know.. I jump, you jump.
But if you jump, I won't.
Okay.. I'll listen to you. I will marry again.
I'll lie to that man.
I'll marry him although it is you I want.
Or I think I want.
You know what..
It does not matter.
Men are suckers.
I won't jump for you.
I'll lie to the man I would marry.
You and him won't win.
I will.
Suckers!

Ebookwise - Ebook Reader

My ebook reader arrived!! :)

After contemplating and desperat-ing for it for quite some time, my godbrother Stanley came to my rescue, reluctantly (yes, I went through the whole preaching about budgeting and not spending unnecessarily from him, the younger one among the two of us in our godbrother relationship), and told me that his colleague, Julian Kung is able to help me to get the ebook reader I want from America.

Of course I was torn a little between Ectaco Jetbook Reader, which is able to read many formats of ebook and Ebookwise reader. What's the difference? Around RM400. The ebookwise reader I manage to get costs me around RM400. Ectaco may cost around RM800.

I ordered online, and got it to be sent to Julian who was in America. Ebookwise is shipped only in America and Canada. (Of course eventually I came across another page where someone is willing to ship Ebookwise reader worldwide. Link is provided at the bottom.)


So, this is how my ebook reader looks like in my hand. I should be delighted, right? Well, it is only partial of my whole story.

Ebookwise reader uses no latest technology when it comes to the card. It uses the obsolete Smart Media card. I was lucky to have one in my drawer, and luckier that I am able to find it. It is only 8MB and this can already cost a coolly RM50 online.

But the unfortunate part is that laptop nowadays only read SD, MMC etc cards and not SmartMedia card. Last I heard, a smart media card reader costs around RM100+. :(

A check in One-Stop Penang got me to the top floor and I managed to get a reader, costing only RM20. There were two versions. First attempt failed, and succeeded to get the right reader only on the second visit. I should have brought my Smart Media card along during my first visit to try it out.

The purchase of the Ebookwise reader give me these two - a USB cable and a phone line cable. But since that I have the Smart Media card, I doubt I would be using them, since that the process of transferring files from my laptop to the ebook reader is slower through these cables, as compared to by Smart Media Card.

This was my BIGGEST mistake. I don't read. I didn't read of the input power and being the handyman-challenged person I am, I plugged the adapter into Malaysia's power source.


I killed my original adapter. It is no longer able to function - to charge my ebook reader. As the point is really narrow, it is difficult to find one in Malaysia.

I was lucky enough to find one in my second attempt at Macalister Lane. This baby costs me RM42, and it is REALLY heavy. So, imagine me traveling with this adapter. Hm.

Point is - I have my ebook reader now. :) I am so happy.

Taylor Swift versus Kanye West

Of course Kanye West was rude. If it had been Eminem or 50Cent who won the award, I bet he would not be so tough enough to walk up and took the mike away from Taylor Swift. And the worse part was this was Taylor Swift's first VMA award won. I like what Taylor Swift had said - She was thrilled she won. She was thrilled Kanye West appeared on stage with her. And suddenly, she was not so thrilled anymore. But a good person she is that she chose not to bad-mouth him. PR, people. PR!!! Perhaps Kanye can learn a lesson or two.

One website said that Kanye West acted that way because he did not like when things didn't go his way. Translated - he was losing BIG TIME. And he was a coward. Snatching the mike away was like taking a lollipop away from a young girl. How rude. Damn rude.

So, the world sympathizes with the talented country chick. Okay, so Kanye West is a jackass. Don't quote me. Quote the President.

What does this convert to?

• More album sales for Taylor Swift. It's bound to happen. Winning an award helps to promote the album. Sympathies promote even more.
• More airplays for Taylor Swift's You Belong to Me. I expect it to go up the chart again.
• Taylor Swift is going to win awards in Country Music Award. Not that she wasn't expected to before this whole incident, but I am talking about winning more than expected. Remember Dixie Chicks in the Grammy?
  

Ask Madonna. When Academy Award sneered at her Evita, the world did not disagree, but it did not stop the increase of sympathy for the lady who worked so hard to promote Evita and yet was rejected. That year, interestingly Grammy embraced her. She won 3 Grammy Awards.

Ask Nicole Kidman. When ex-hubby dumped her, talented Nicole who was overlook often for Best Actress nomination got her first one for her portrayal in Moulin Rouge and eventually won the year after for her role in The Hours.

Sympathy wins.

Shark Fin Soup

CNN news showed again shark fin story. I had heard of a few times. Something about the greed of human, wanting shark fin soup, and sharks have to die tragically. According to some sites and news, millions of sharks die each year for their tonnes of fins. Those shark catchers would just slice off the sharks' fins and throw the finless sharks back into the water. Without their fins, the sharks go into their death slowly.

Hm.

I am not one who is fond of real shark fin soup. I have been to Chinese wedding where fake shark fin soup is served. You know what. It is already good enough for me. It is not that I am so good with my taste bud to want the original, nor do I want to pay the high price for the original. Nor do I want to support such cruelty.

The video clip on tv showed how the shark's fin was cut off and thrown back into the sea. And here was what I was thinking.

They are sharks. Remember? Sharks??!!

It is not like they are the CUTEST thing ever on earth. Sharks! They bite.

Hi, I'm Bruce. Fish are friends.

I mean, it is not like the tv is making me any more sympathetic for the sharks. Look at those teeth. Look at those eyes. Even in a photo, the eye is looking like it is hungry for our flesh.

It's not like they looked adorable like the panda below.

Yup, I am the cute one, until Kungfu Panda made me a clown.

So what if I looked lazy? I'm still cuter than you. ;p

Yeah, I know. Pity the sharks. But it is not like the sharks are making it easy for us to pity them when they go around biting people and leaving evidence like half-chewed arm on the beach shore.

Hm.

Samsung I8910 HD vs iPhone 3GS

How much money can one carry in his pocket?

I so want the new Samsung mobile phone. I like it because its screen is 3.7 inches wide. And it records video in High Definition. I am talking about Samsung I8910 HD. However, reality checks. It is RM2899, which is a kind gesture of RM1 off RM2900. So, do I want to buy a RM2900 mobile phone and carries it around with me in my pocket? I mean, carrying an almost RM3000 in my pocket everyday? Since when our pocket become so rich for such pleasure?



So, that left me with the other temptation - iPhone 3GS, which is ridiculously priced in Malaysia as RM1200+, with monthly subscription of RM100 a month for two years. In Singapore, my brother-in-law can get one for only S$250+ and a cheaper subscription. Good, Maxis. Rob the poorer Malaysians for every single cents they have.

What I don't like about iPhone is that I need to install different application to use different files. I want iPhone to read ebooks but I do not want the headache to figure out if the free application is able to gain access to pdf files as well as storing them.

Moreover, my Maxis line is poor in my area.

The bottom line is that iPhone only costs me RM1200+ to carry around, unlike Samsung I8910 HD and it is less painful on my budget on my first charge. But iPhone is unable to record video at HD ability. Sigh..

And I am doing all this sighing even without having the ability to pay for any of this luxury now. Ha!

Swatch my Watch

If you curse a watch long enough, it dies. Mine died. If you should read the time and date, you can see that it died on 4.10pm Sept 2.

So, was it cursed? Well, perhaps I did curse it a little too often. Not that I stopped using it. I'm a watch-man. I use watch. For the past few days, I got uncomfortable not able to tell the time and needing to refer to my mobile phone again and again. So inconvenient.

So, why did I curse my watch? Well, to be fair to myself, a watch tells of the owner. I got my watch from my 10 years anniversary for working for my college. And to be frank, this Tissot watch says that I am plain. I am boring.

Hm.

Now, without disrespecting someone, I have to say that eventually it was no secret who picked out the watch for me. And just because it was bought by this person, a lunatic colleague thought I would definitely love it, or I have to love it, just because it was chosen personally by the person. You should have seen how she looked shock when I said the watch was ugly. It was like I had sinned in front of a bunch of innocent kids.

I thought perhaps it was the battery. At a repair shop, the battery was proven to be still having a more than 75% life span left. So, no one knows what went wrong with this Tissot watch.

Some believed that the watch is worth RM1500. It is not. It is less than RM1000. It is not even RM800. It is not even RM600, after discount. How I know? I called up the shop that provided the warranty, pretending to be interested to buy the same Tissot watch model. And of course, with my name engraved at the back, it is probably worth much less now, coz I am no celebrity. I am no Miley Cyrus or Zac Efron or even Paul McCartney.

I saw the watch that defines me. It is a Swatch. And it is also RM580. Which means it remains a watch that defines me, but not likely purchased by me coz it is bloody expensive. I don't believe in paying more than RM200 for any watch.

If Tissot can die on me, why not Swatch? So, nope. I won't be buying that Swatch.

The Key to Your Heart?

Once in a while, we need to do spring-cleaning our wallets. I mean, look at the junks we collect. We collect business cards, of people we don't even remember weeks later, or friends we don't even want to keep in touch with. Why do we take the cards? We are polite human. Not honest, but polite. And these cards, plus other credit cards, toll cards, membership cards of fitness centers we hardly go to, point cards etc make our wallets thick. The only thing missing would be the cash.

Well, wallet - I can clean. Keys? I can't. How many keys does a guy need? Apparently, more than five. Surprising, huh? Especially for a guy who does not have much.

What happened to the olden days when everything needed is locked in a house, of wooden door, which has a simple slide-down lock.

Olden Days Wooden Lock

Look at the keys I am carrying in my pockets and around my neck. Three keys around my neck - two for cupboards and one for my computer lock.

Two more for my motorbike - one to start the motorcycle and the other to lock.

Five more for my house - one for the mailbox, three for the front door and gate and one more for the metal case in front of my place - to keep my helmet and shoes.

So, a total of nine keys. A guy like me needs nine keys. Thank goodness I do not carry my room keys with me.

As a finale to my entry today, this is to humor you, the reader.
I love rainbow. ;)

Zac Efron Vs Robert Pattinson

There is a war going on. Apparently I did not know until I came across a poll asking me who is hotter. So, I voted. I was surprised with the result. I am not talking about the old Britney Spears versus Christina Aguilera poll. Nor the so-yesterday issue of Jennifer Lopez versus Mariah Carey. Or the poll of who is better - Beyonce or Rihanna. I am talking about the male heartthrobs poll - Zac Efron aka High School Musical slash Hairspray versus Robert Pattinson aka Twilight.

Not that I am not aware of teenage heartthrob. I think the earliest I was aware of was Shaun Cassidy of the Hardy Boys fame. This should not be a surprise because one, Shaun was in a famous teen detective series, two, he is blonde and three, he was adorable. Was.

Shaun Cassidy of Hardy Boys

I was aware of the fanatic crushes over Elvis Presley and also the Beatles, which of course still poses funny question of why the mob hairs?

In the 80's, there was a big hu-ha over Michael J. Fox who had steady female fans going crazy over him when he was newly mega famous in Family Ties. Of course Michael also got the girls hooked on him in Teenage Wolf and the big box office success Back to the Future saga.

Michael J. Fox in his famous red jacket,
back when he was younger and more adorable. ;p

Of course Michael J. Fox's good fortune in being a teen male idol did not last long. A replacement was found when Kirk Cameron smirked his famous smiles in Growing Pains. He was a hot item then. I don't really recall who replaces him as the next teen idol. Jonathan Taylor Thomas?

Kirk Cameron as the cute Mike in Growing Pains

Of course in the 90's, when Titanic was remembered not for the giant ship that sank but as the movie that got all the girls crying for Jack, Leonardo found himself to be the new male idol then. Oh, the stories I had heard, including one where girls would attend a Titanic party, and they would sit in a round, playing the Titanic soundtrack to see who would recall the movie best and be the first one to cry. Shucks! Did their mothers know they were out? Sheesh.

Leonardo Dicaprio, unsunk by the Titanic.

I think boy bands always produce heartthrobs. In the 80's there was Jordan Knight of the New Kids on the Block fame to make the girls scream. Somewhere along the line, came Back Street Boys with Nick Carter and Nsync with Justin Timberlake. Of course we know where Justin is now. Nick? Hm. Errr.. And although Nick's baby brother did not make as many hits as Nick, Aaron Carter did have a huge following.

Aaron Carter. Where did the baby cuteness go?

And of course I am moving to the idols that lead me to this topic. Zac Efron. Scream!!!! Well, since High School Musical, there is no looking back for this guy. Of course many girls will tell you all the reasons why Zac Efron is the best and the coolest, which makes it too easy for him to win the MTV Awards. That series, plus Hairspray's success, Zac Efron is easily one of the top searched names in the internet.

Zac Efron

After Daniel Radcliffe, it is interesting how novels can help to mold another heartthrob. The success of Twilight depends on the ability of the actors to deliver, and Robert Pattinson convinced girls around the world that he is the loyal and loving Edward, who is all out to be obsessed and to protect his love subject, Bella.

Protective Edward, I mean, Robert Pattinson.

And Robert is winning the polls. Either there are enough ten lunatic fans of Robert to go clicking many times on the poll, or that Robert does have more fans than Zac Efron to make this world goes round and round.

This? This wins the polls?

Well, if Zac Efron and Robert Pattinson are not careful enough, especially with the hairdo thing, perhaps someone else would benefit from their duels and emerges as the winner. I don't see Nick Jonas of Jonas Brothers fame having much problem to build his own fan base. Sure, these three brothers are not enjoying the limelight as big as Hannah Montana. But then again, remember that Beyonce enjoys a greater success on her own, than as 1/3 of Destiny's Child.

Nick Jonas

Robert Pattinson may win today, but when New Moon arrives in November, will his fans stay faithful to him, or they are going to jump ship? I mean Taylor Lautner makes an interesting shapeshifter.

Taylor Lautner, as Jacob in New Moon, Twilight