The Rammifications of Thought

Sony Album T

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:25:00 +0000

The day after the BERSIH rally was held, I was up early to catch the launching of the new Sony Album T digital camera (also known as the DSC T2). Earlier on I was already informed that there would be an early bird promotion for buyers.

I had hoped to get a bargain but nearly lost the intention when I saw the length of the queue, despite reaching at 9am. Some came as early as 5am, and I heard the first person in line (who got the camera for RM11.11 by the way) had camped since the afternoon before! Really nobody can beat Malaysians when there's a good deal up for grabs.

So after standing in queue for more than 4 hours (and without a toilet break), I finally got my hands on the shining new camera at a price of RM888.80. Heck it wasn't as cheap as I expected but it's a good number no? Still it was a good deal as the retail price would be RM1399.

Blue is my new favourite colour

At this price, you get a 8.1 megapixel CCD along with the standard 3x optical zoom for a compact in this price range. It was also nice to have a 2.7 inch touch screen and Sony's Super Steadyshot thrown in. With the intuitive touch screen interface, using the camera was a breeze. No more buttons to confuse you.

The feature that sets it apart however must be the built in memory - a total of 4GB of space on board! With that amount of memory, a memory stick would be needless as more than 1200 photos at full resolution could be stored internally.

One of the features I found nifty was the 'smile shutter' mode. When the camera is set to this mode, the lens will automatically detect when a face is present and the shutter is depressed automatically when a smile is detected.

It was really quite fun trying out this feature for the first time, though I doubt I would use it often. After all, what's taking a photo without the classic "1, 2, 3, smiiiiiiiile" tagline? It would be useful however if your subject wasn't paying attention, hence saving the work of repeating the whole process.

Apart from that, you can also edit and add drawings to photos stored in the camera using the stylus. Another nice feature although I'd still use Photoshop for editing.

Sample photos that were taken turned out good when viewed from a PC monitor. The anti-shake function was superb too, maybe even better than my old Panasonic.

I thought Sony could have improved on Playback and Scrapbook buttons though. These two buttons are only one of the few that you can find on the back, and yet I did not feel comfortable at all using them. The buttons were tiny and too deep in so people with large fingers might find it hard to press down.

Overall, the Sony DSC T2 is a very classy, elegant camera and it comes with all the features that one would expect from a compact camera, even with some extra nice touches thrown in. At the price I got it, I would definitely say it's a good buy.

Technorati tags: sony, cybershot, dsc t2, album t

Independant journalism

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 13:57:00 +0000

After reading (or rather, not reading) what was published in the Star yesterday and today, I decided to subscribe to Malaysiakini.

Even though I was not able to attend the BERSIH rally, I'd say some good came out of it.

Comeback rant

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 15:59:00 +0000

I know I haven't posted in a while, and I didn't intend to actually. I just couldn't resist venting out my frustration and anger over all the stupid tactics the government used to prevent people from turning out for the BERSIH rally.

If you have no idea what the rally is about or have't even heard of it, I strongly suggest you throw away your usual reads (ie mainstream papers/news) and start to get educated on INDEPENDANT news.

As it turned out, I left home after lunch today to head back to KL, one and a half hours before the march to Istana Negara was supposed to start. I left a whole 1.5 hours earlier as I thought it would be just nice for me to reach the KJ station and hop on a train to the centre of action.

But no, as if the rain was not causing enough trouble (there was a pretty serious accident involving some vehicles on the Karak Highway), those dumbskulls who call themselves the poh-lis decided to crash in on the already-bad congestion just before the Gombak toll.

Vehicles were caught in a near standstill, about 10km from the toll booth. I was inching along, cursing under my breath that this could not be a worse day for me. After nearly an hour stuck in the jam, I finally saw ahead of me a police block set up to check each and every vehicle that went through the highway.

The traffic congestion was inevitable, since those morons had closed off two lanes and creating a bottleneck in the traffic flow. And the strange thing was, I did not notice them flagging people down for speeding (I would've known as I was going 110 on an earlier stretch), nor were they checking for road tax.

After reading some articles about road blocks being set up in various parts of KL, particularly the main entry points in the city, I came to conclude that the men in uniform were actually keeping an eye out for people who were attending the rally. I could not confirm this though as I was not wearing a yellow t-shirt when I was driving (I'm pretty sure they would have asked me to pull over and interrogate me if I was).

So to poh-lis at the Gombak toll booth, I salute you! I salute you for creating the worse jam I have ever experienced while driving on the Karak Highway. I salute you for coming up with ingenious ways of putting traffic to a standstill. I salute you for causing a delay to my scheduled trip to Dataran Merdeka. I salute you for driving me mad enough to post this rant on my blog which I thought I would never update.

Replace the words 'I salute' in the paragraph above with the word fuck. Now that makes perfect sense, eh?

*************************************************
Anway I heard the rally went well. As George Lucas would put it, the Empire strikes back.

It's alive!

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Sun, 12 Aug 2007 13:16:00 +0000

Yes this will be a short one, just so you know I'm still alive. It's so brief, I'm going to put it in point form.

I went through a 3 day detox programme. 76 hours without any solid food at all, just so I could experience the famine so widespread in Africa. Kidding! It was for my own personal health reasons.
I watched the latest Harry Potter movie. Kinda sucked like the book. I read the 7th book too. downloaded for free off the greatest resource known as the WWW. Hermione and Ginny didn't die yay!
A large piece of one of my premolars got chipped off while I was enjoying some Ipoh heow-piah. The cost - 3 visits to the dentist, a crown and RM880 out of my wallet! Damn those biscuit makers.
I got caught up in the heath craze. Went out bought a pair of dumbells, some nutrition supplements and a copy of Men's Health. I'm feeling as motivated as ever to get that ever-eluding six pack!
I have officially dropped off the Malaysiablog rankings, which mean I must be somewhere beyond 300. The price of not blogging too consistently.

There you go. Elaborations upon request only. Yeah, I'm not dead :D

Memories in Cambodia (Angkor Wat) - Part 5

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 02:51:00 +0000

On the third day, we were glad to visit somewhere other than temples, so that we didn't catch the dreaded NABTS (Not Another Bloody Temple Syndrome). So we set out to the floating village of Chong Khneas.

It was quite a distance from Siem Reap town and we were lucky we went in a car. This was because the road conditions there were simply disastrous. For most of the second part of the journey, we were travelling through muddy terrain. According to our guide, the roads would get flooded once the rainy season came.

After the bumpy ride, we reached the river bank and got on our own private boat.

Not far from the jetty we saw numerous buildings, built floating on the river surface. It looked like a real town, complete with residential huts, sundry shops, schools, a basketball court (!) and so on.

One of the few schools in the floating village.

A floating Catholic church - fancy praying on water?

Believe it or not, there was also a pig sty built on water. Cambodians really can't go without pork.

All the buildings here are easily relocatable, depending on the water levels. We saw a family 'moving house', being tugged by a small motor boat.

Check out the picture below. Anything strange about it?

Yup, the loos are open air. Boat people can see you peeing, how about that!

The entire tour took about one and a half hours and we were back in town after that.

After some lunch, we headed on to the silk farm operated by Artisans d'Angkor. There we were given a tour of the silk production line, free of charge. They also had a shop selling goods made of silk. The silk here is purportedly one of the best in the world.

On the way back from the silk farm, we stopped by one of the rural schools run by the government. There were only 2 classrooms, with students from both classes taught by one teacher. The education sector must be seriously understaffed.

We went in to say hello to the teacher and students. Since she didn't speak english, our driver acted as a translator. Apparently, english is only taught in certain schools in the suburbs or town area, while rural schools mainly use the Cambodian language as a medium.

The conditions there were frankly quite miserable, but I guess there are schools like these back in our own country too. The students were shy when we tried to take some pictures with them. Things changed though as my friend started a math pop quiz and gave out candy to students who managed to answer the questions correctly.

We also gave out some pencils which we purchased in town earlier. Many of these children are too poor to even afford proper stationery.

This practically rounded up our Siem Reap and Angkor. There were other mini excursions as well that I have not blogged about, but I'm feeling this has kind of been dragging on. So this concludes my post on the great journey to the land of the Khmers.

PS: Did you read about the landing gear scare which happened to an Air Asia aircraft when it was trying to land in Siem Reap? Think twice before flying Air Asia!

Technorati tags: cambodia, siem reap, angkor wat, chong kneas, floating village

Walk on air - Air Max 180

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 13:46:00 +0000

If you're a long time reader of this blog, you probably know I'm a Nike fan when it comes to shoes.

After one a half years using the Air Max Candela, I decided it was time to get myself a new pair of trainers. This time, it was the Air Max 180 TR.

The Air Max 180 is sort of like the little brother to the full-fledged Air Max 360. As the name would suggest, the difference is in the length of the air-sole unit which is only covers half the shoe. Why didn't I go for the 360?

a) It's damn expensive, 600 bucks per pair ok (but this doesn't mean the 180 is half the price of that)
b) This pair was on sale :)

The shoes are quite a comfortable wear, despite the air-sole units not being as soft as I'd expected. I'm just hoping the air units won't deflate like my old pair - there's always the risk on Nike shoes.

Ah I love my Nikes.

Memories in Cambodia (Angkor Wat) - Part 4

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 14:10:00 +0000

After exploring the Bayon, we went on with our tour of Angkor Thom, this time to the temple of Baphuon. Since restoration works were going on within, we didn't really get a chance to go in.

There was this long, elevated walkway right in front of the main entrance. My guess is it served as a walkway for the king when entering the premises.

'No admittance except on business'. I wonder what is considered as business here. Selling coconuts?

Best drink around Angkor Wat. Nothing like a cool coconut after a hot day's walk.

Gurl with my trusty Jansport backpack. I bought it with the purpose of travelling here, but it has served me well on other trips too. At this point where the picture was taken, we were standing on top of a high, flat wall. Interestingly, it is named Terrace of the Elephants.

I had to stop and plaster up my foot due to friction with my sandals. Walking around Angkor Wat is nothing like a stroll in the shopping mall.

We then headed back to Angkor Wat for a second visit, this time to go further into the building and explore it's many galleries. There are four sides to the building, each lined with intricate carving depicting scenes mostly from the Ramayana epic.

Many carvings were of women-like figures in various poses. These are apsaras, supposedly heavenly nypmhs who dance in the palaces of gods. Notice certain parts of their bodies shining like marble, caused by constant touching. Yes we humans are very curious indeed.

After a while it started to rain. We were trapped inside the temple complex while waiting for the torrents to stop. This dashed our hopes of viewing the sunrise, but nonetheless we were given a taste of Cambodian rain.

So ended our one day tour of Angkor Wat. It was a great experience and some of the views were just breathtaking. Pity it didn't get into the final 'New 7 Wonders', I guess Cambodians are too poor to vote for their national pride.

Next up, our tour of the floating village and other places in Siem Reap.

Technorati tags: cambodia, siem reap, angkor wat

Face off: Transformers vs Harry Potter

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Sat, 14 Jul 2007 13:25:00 +0000

Managed to catch two of the most touted movies being released this month over the weekend. Going to do a little comparison based on what I thought of both films. Be warned though, you might not like what you read, and potential spoilers ahead.

Transformers vs Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix (thereafter referred as HPOP)

The Background

Transformers has come a long way since I ever remembered watching cartoons when I was a kid. Optimus Prime was sort of the hero every kid wanted to have. Harry Potter on the other hand was only introduced a few years ago, and despite me being a fan of the books (yes, I'm guilty) this is not a childhood fantasy I want to relive. Can you imagine Harry Potter the cartoon series? Nuf said.
Score: Transformers 1, HPOP 0

The Plot

Honestly, both plots kinda sucked. Advanced robots coming from outer space to fight an age-old war with a couple kids in between, that basically sums it up for Transformers. But the fact that the Transformers were even in the movie, makes it pwn the draggy HPOP which was cut really bad. Why was Voldemort even after the globe thing? Bah.
Score: Transformers 2, HPOP 0

The Acting

The guy in Transformers was kind of funny, and Megan Fox is totally hot though her character is really a bit lebih (except to maybe show some cleavage to get the guys drooling). With HPOP it's the same old bunch of actors, who are getting more and more boring as the series drags on. But our beloved Dolores Umbridge is so wicked in HPOP she makes me want to slap her.
Score: Transformers 2, HPOP 1

The Special Effects

Movie with kids flying on broom sticks and casting spells over one another - been there, done that. Movie with alien robots with the ability to morph into super cool automobiles, now that's what we're after.
Score: Transformers 3, HPOP 1

Miscellaneous

Goofs in Transformers - Archibald Witwicky, the guy who found Megatron, is referred to Sam's grandfather, great grandfather and great great grandfather in different occasions throughout the movie, wtf? How did Megatron learn to speak English if he was buried for 1000 years and they supposedly learned the language from the WWW?

On the other hand, the whining kid who sat next to us during HPOP made the viewing so terrible I wanted to tick off his mother. And the film melted halfway through the show. Yes, MELTED and we could see the film dripping off the screen. Way to go, GSC.

So looks like we have a clear winner here. Yay, Transformers! Autobots, roll out!

Technorati tags: transformers, harry potter

Memories in Cambodia (Angkor Wat) - Part 3

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 15:29:00 +0000

As the day went on, we proceeded to one of the most famous ancient Angkor sites - Ta Prohm. This temple is famous for the massive trees that grow undisturbed and undeterred on top of the stone structures. What's amazing is seeing nature fighting relentlessly against man-made buildings - the eternal struggle between man and nature.

As a result from not clearning the entire jungle, many of the structures were in ruins. The reason to this was, as the trees grew, their roots would become entangled into the stone blocks. If the tree were to die, it would pull the structure down with it.

Some of the trees had trunks so wide in diameter I guess it would probably take dozens of people to form a circle around it. From what I heard, some of them were four to five hundred years old!

Ah, and for the famous part, I'm sure many of you would have caught a glimpse of the site before. It has appeared in none other than the first Tomb Raider movie, where our sexy Lara Croft picks a flower when the ground gives way and she plunges into....Pinewood Studios, Hollywood.

That particular site was so packed with visitors we didn't had the chance to snap some pictures. It was interesting to see middle-aged oriental faces speaking excitedly as they followed their tour guides. Most of them were Koreans or Taiwanese.

We didn't quite like the Korean tour groups because, contrary to the dramas they produce, they're actually quite a noisy crowd and can be quite rowdy at times. A good method of avoiding these crowds is getting ahead of the main groups, then fall back to visit the early sites once the crowd has dispersed.

After the temple in the jungle, we were escorted into the confines of Angkor Thom, literally called 'The Great Citadel' because of the size of its grounds. At the centre of it stood the grand temple, Bayon.

Like many other temples, the Bayon had its own attraction to visitors. What would look like rocks piled on top of each other from far, would reveal the real beauty once you came closer to it.

Most famous here were the stone faces carved into the many towers surrounding the central peak, as well as the peak itself. The faces, totalling about 200 of them, are said to be carvings of a Buddhist god, or even the king himself.

Looking at the huge faces, it kind of takes away the mistery of Mona Lisa's smile. If you're searching for enigma, try studying the various expressions on these stone faces. I bet it would be even more intriguing!

Hello...what are you looking at?

Next up, to the interiors of Angkor Wat as we round up our tour...

Technorati tags: cambodia, siem reap, angkor wat, bayon, ta prohm

Memories in Cambodia (Angkor Wat) - Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 14:49:00 +0000

And the journey into the land of Khmers continue...

On the next morning, we were up at 4am to prepare ourselves for the day ahead. Today our itinery was to view the sunrise at Angkor Wat. We would then proceed for the Mini Tour, which consisted of visits to a number of temples.

We bought a one-day pass on the way there, which cost a whopping USD20 per person. Pricey considering the living standards on Cambodia, but the locals get to go in for free. Just a note on the currency - here the US Dollar reigns supreme, and the locals only used the Cambodia currency (riel) for change or for small denominations.

Luck was not on our side that morning, as it was cloudy and we could barely see the sun rise over the magnificent structure ahead of us. We were not the only ones disappoited; the place was already packed with visitors eager to catch a glimpse of first light.

Our fellow travellers, Fenny and TL.

Despite the not-so-inspiring view, we snapped away. Standing before Angkor Wat, the temple of temples, greatest glory of the Khmer people was truly awe-inspiring. From a far distance we could already have a feel of the proportions, how grand the entire structure was.

As morning came, we moved on the the further structures which were now in ambient light. Two so-called 'libraries' lined the pathway up to Angkor Wat. We had our next photo session there.

Just to give an idea of how large the structure was, I look dwarfed by the buildings which seemed like they were built for kings of giants.

We did not proceed into the main building because there would be a visit later in the evening. So we headed on to our next destination: Banteay Srei, literally 'citadel of the women'.

The reason why it's called 'citadel of the women' is because of the intricate carvings found on the walls of the temple. It was believed to be too delicate to have come from the hand of man, hence the name. The details that were preserved in the carvings are amazingly preserved despite centuries of harsh weather.

After a couple hours, we stopped at Pre Rup, a relatively huge structure and definitely taller than the earlier ones we had been to.

I could reproduce the history of these temples here, but surely that would be boring. So just google it if you're interested :)

Our trusy Angkor guidebook which we bought from one of the kids constantly hogging you to buy their merchandise. It was one dollar cheaper elsewhere; I felt ripped off. By an 8 year old.

The steps up to the peak of the structure were so steep, we had to hold on to the sides while climbing down. A little mistep and I guess that would be the end of you.

By the time we finished our tour at Pre Rup, it was nearly 11am, and time for a visit to one of the more interesting temples.

More to come...

Technorati tags: cambodia, angkor wat, siem reap

My dept sucks...aesthetically

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Wed, 04 Jul 2007 15:30:00 +0000

Just a little detour from my Cambodia posts.

Why do other departments in my company always get the cute pretty interns? And we are forever stuck with those who either are girls but look like they're getting weekly testosterone shots, OR those who are not girls at all.

Eye candy can be a motivator to employees. The management needs to know that, seriously. Someone please educate them on this. Please.

Memories in Cambodia (Angkor Wat) - Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Tue, 03 Jul 2007 12:39:00 +0000

Greetings earthlings! I have just arrived from the far away lost land of the Khmers, all soaked up in the wonders and sights there.

Visiting one of the greatest wonders of the world was truly a breathtaking experience to say the least. And thus I have taken to myself to jot down the memories gathered during our stay there. The following few posts will be my travel writings, for reminiscence as well as documentation's sake.

Alas this will probably start off as more of a budget airline rant rather than document what I experienced in Cambodia. To start things off, our flight was delayed. No big deal for the usual Air Asia traveller, but being a first time passenger the wait can be agonizing.

The departure screen showed our flight being delayed, starting from 2 hours, which changed to 3 hours, which in the end (because the people were out of wits, I think) was changed to 'Unknown'.

To cut it short, we were delayed by more than 6 hours before the plane actually took off, including getting into one worn-out airplane which we were eventually shooed out of. Counting in the fact that we reached 2 hours earlier than the initial departure time, we spent a total of EIGHT hours in the LCCT.

Low-cost terminal of the year - A McDonald's, a cafe serving mediocre food at crazy prices, a convenience store and a Coffee Bean. They don't get more low-cost than that. Imagine the things we did (or rather, we had to find something to do) while waiting for time to pass.

After the announcement finally came that it was boarding time, we happily stepped out of waiting hall into...an Airbus 320! Well, at least they gave us a new plane to ride on.

"Ladies and gentlement this is your captain speaking. You are now on board flight AK846, an Airbus 320 which comes with it's own...dry ice maker! We hope you'll have an enjoyable flight while the mist keeps the environmet romantic enough for couples to make out."

After 2 hours of uneventful jourey, we touched down at the Siem Reap International Airport.

By then it was nearly 6pm local time (Siem Reap is one hour behind Malaysia time). Earlier on we told our guesthouse contact to pick us up from the airport at 2pm. What a surprise to find the guy still patiently waiting for us a the arrival hall, holding a sign inscribed with none other than my name!

The guy in the picture was our driver, Su Heuk. A pretty friendly guy who would ferry us around Siem Reap for the next 3 days. The plus point - he could speak basic English.

With half a day gone, our initial plans to go for the Mini Tour of Angkor Wat were dashed. We checked into our guesthouse, the Golden Temple Villa. The place was sort of a modified 3-storey bungalow, and at USD14 per room per night it was a perfect suit for our budget. The rooms were clean and colourful, and we had no complaints through out our 4 day stay there.

After a shower and some rest, we ventured out into the town area, armed with a Lonely Planet guidebook loaned from a friend. The hotspot to go at night is none other than Bar Street, so called for the numerous bars, pubs, cafes and massage parlours lining the street.

Hungry from the journey, we found this little place recommended by the guidebook to have some dinner. We ordered some Khmer dishes as we were anxious to taste some of the local food.We particularly fancied the national dish, Amok (steamed coconut fish with turmeric sauces and spices), which was really delicious.

Amok, Khmer curry with pork, and friend chicken with chillies and basil.

Khmer Kitchen Restaurant serves one of the best tasting food in the area at a reasonable price. It was so good, we went back for a second time during our last night in Cambodia.

I also tried the Cambodian national beer, aptly named Angkor. It's a very drinkable beer, tasting not unlike some of the European brands like Heineken.

Other than the usual delicacies, there were also some barbecue dishes for the more daring. With mains such as crocodile, snake and kangaroo meat on the menu, it was like a Cambodian Fear Factor showing live.

After a stroll around the street in aid of our digestive juices, we settled down at the Angkor What? Bar, one of the oldest and more popular bars in town.A vodka coke made that night's sleep very pleasurable indeed.

The walls of the bar were littered with messages left by the thousands of visitors before us. It was interesting to read some of the messages, and we did not leave without our own trail there as well.

If ever you visit this particular bar, at the left corner of the exterior, look up the space 7 feet from the ground.

There you will find what I left for your, my dear traveller.

Technorati tags: cambodia, angkor wat, siem reap, bar street

Random Thursday Update

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Thu, 14 Jun 2007 15:26:00 +0000

Sorry folks, been a bit distracted from me blog lately.

3 words to describe myself now...

Busy, busy, busy!!!

Ah the sacrifices one has to make in hopes for that measly increment at the end of the year. Plus my blog ain't a money making one either, so no choice but to stick back to my day job.

One question: When a 69-year-old gentlemen marries a 53-year-old lady, what are they looking forward to? Definitely not making babies, nor taking care of children for that matter. So, what's in it for them?

Assembly language is fun!

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Wed, 06 Jun 2007 13:33:00 +0000

I have been MIA for these few days and will probably be for the next week or so. The reason?

I'm writing assembly language again! (For the non-engineering-geeks, assembly language is sort of like a low level language that we use to program a microcontroller. A microcontroller is sort of like...oh go Google it if you still can't figure out)

Never thinking I could be involved in code development, I finally have the chance to practice my hard-learned-but-not-really-there-now programming skills. It might sound crude being a low-level language, but believe me it is still being widely used as part of the testing process.

How fortunate is it that I had to learn HC11 assembly code for a university subject? Coding is fun! (At least that's before I get to the validation stage...)

Angkor What?

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Thu, 31 May 2007 14:54:00 +0000

Did I mention I was going to Cambodia next month? More specifically, it's actually Siem Reap I'm headed to, the town just a stone's throw away from the famous Angkor Wat.

Air tickets have been purchased from Air Asia (who else), the time when they had this crazy promotion going on to attract poor travellers like me to go abroad. I didn't get the 'free' tickets though (if there is such a thing as free air tickets), but for a small fee plus a gazilion other surcharges, I've booked myself a trip to experience the wonders of the Khmer region.

We will be staying there for four days, so discussions are in place to determine a rough plan of our travels. According to a friend who went there recently, there isn't much of a plan at all, just 'temples, temples and temples'. Hmm...

Anyway I'm looking forward to this trip as it'll be a whole new experience for me, to visit one of the wonders of the world. The last time I went somewhere as far as this was to Beijing - which has the Great Wall, so that makes it 2 wonders in my book? :)

Branded apparel at low prices

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Mon, 28 May 2007 14:41:00 +0000

Are you a fan of branded apparel but can't seem to spend a bomb on designer wear? Here's a website that might just solve all your financial woes when it comes to shopping for branded stuff.

Introducing Multi Labels Connections, a website set up by a Malaysian graduate currently residing in the US. The webstore offers a few brands (mostly Esprit, Armani Exchange, Guess, FCUK) at pretty low prices, and it caters for both men and women apparel, though the latter has more variety.

Despite the fact that you can't use the online shopping feature yet, you can always drop the administrator (brianshu_23@yahoo.com) an email and let him know what you fancy. Payment is by depositing to a local bank account, and your goods get couriered to you in no time.

I actually bought this AX tee for Gurl via the website.

AX Rock Logo Tee - RM79.99

And it came inside a very nice and classy box too. I never tend to shop at upscale boutiques so it came as a little pleasant surprise.

And don't worry about being the laughing stock of your friends as all items sold are genuine! Yes, original, not the ciplak t-shirts you get from the local pasar malam.

As much as this may seem like a sponsored post, I'm actually doing some promo for the owner of the website who's a friend of mine. Being quite satisfied with my purchase, I'd encourage you to drop and have a look as well.

www.mlcon.com

Note: This is NOT a sponsored post.

Trusty Iswara

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Fri, 25 May 2007 16:27:00 +0000

Looks like Proton Iswara's are not too bad after all. Consider this lady driver who plunged her car from the sixth floor of the carpark and got away only with a broken arm.

All the more reason for me to cling on to my aging Iswara. More than 11 years usage (6 in my hand) and it's never let me down once.

I even drove it to Lumut, all the way from KL.

Was tempted to purchase a Chevrolet Optra, which was recently being sold at very attractive prices due to some stock clearing exercise. For a little over 60k, you'd get a 1.8l engine, leather seats, airbags, ABS so on so forth. IMHO, it beats the hell out of buying a Proton Waja.

But I decided to let it go cos I'm not really looking forward to having loans to pay back, at least for the time being. As the typical financial advice goes, a car's just a liability and not an asset (poor people tend to quote that).

Prison Break

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Wed, 23 May 2007 13:17:00 +0000

Prison Break is the GOOD!

I managed to catch about 13 episodes so far, in about 4 days time. Yes, that's 4 days and considering that I've been working past 7 for the last few days, that makes about 3 episodes a day and zero social life.

Anyway, one would think Michael Scofield, our hero in the series, would deserve all the credit for his sheer genius in designing the escape. And then there's Sara Tancredi, the lovely doctor who doesn't give a second thought about treating convicts and psychopaths (with a governor father no less).

I beg to differ however. Despite the strong performances from other actors, Robert Knepper aka Theodore Bagwell aka T-Bag has to be the best of them. His portrayal as one of the most dangerous (and charismatic) criminals in Fox State really stands out. You'd find it hard not to hate him and truly believe he is the character he plays.

Being a late boomer to the series, I'm still stuck at season 1 so I'm expecting to be in for a whole lot of surprises in the coming few episodes. I loved watching The Shawshank Redemption and other prison movies so I guess I'll be enjoying this one too.

Back to the DVDs for episode 14!

Friday rant

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Fri, 18 May 2007 14:14:00 +0000

Sometimes I find it strange how some people who are accepted as leaders in a particular organization do NOT act in a 'leaderly' way at all when they interact with you. Honestly, sometimes it's just plain annoying.

My definition of being a leader does not necessary mean one has to have great charisma and being inspirational. Sometimes it can be as simple as being nice to someone and to treat them with respect. Especially with leaders with this type of background, I would expect them to treat me as a friend, no less.

But the truth is opposite somehow. They are caught in their littly holy world, unaware that the people surrounding them are actually having some doubtful thoughts about...well, the very things that there are trying to instill. Not only that, at times I'm just pissed off by their ignorance in personal freedom and individuality.

I once promised someone I would be attending an event, but due to last-minute circumstances I had to tell him that I couldn't make it. Expecting him to understand my situation, I was surprised and angry when he told me off, saying I should go anyway since I had 'promised' him attend. Tell me, is this a display of leadership, or disrespect of one's freedom and feelings?

Why 'force' people to attend something when they can't? Why that display of attitude when people say 'no'? Why does every sentence start with a 'why' and not a 'hi'?

Sometimes I feel a little disillusioned by these people. I wonder what it is that makes them the leaders of the organization they are supposed to lead. Perhaps it is time to bail out...

Yes, this is a rant, and too bad I can't name any names here.

YB (Yang Berlawak) politicians in Parliament

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Wed, 16 May 2007 14:40:00 +0000

Woot! My Streamyx connection at home is finally up! After more than 1 month of waiting, no thanks to the lousy service our reseller provided, I'm once again connected to the virtual world at the comfort of my room.

Now that I have space to rant again, remember the infamous "bocor tiap-tiap bulan" remark by the two politicians in parliament? In today's paper, the MP for Jasin, Datuk Mohd Said Yusof had the gall to say that he did not say it.

In that same article, it was mentioned that a video of the two uttering the very same words was posted on YouTube. For clarity's sake, here's the link. Someone should really show this to our dear MP and see what he has to say about it.

I remember visiting the Parliament for the first time a few years back, as a guest of Fong Po Kuan who knew one of my friends. Never did I imagine the things that were really going on behind those walls. Even then we had been informed that these 2 MPs in question were the official clowns of the parliament.

Wonder since when did the term "YB" became "Yang Berlawak"? Truly a fitting title for two of the most 'colourful' politicians.

Hello people of Jasin and Kinabatangan, it's time for change!

Technorati tags: malaysia, parliament, sexist remark, BN, DAP

Worst salesperson ever

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Tue, 15 May 2007 08:00:00 +0000

Imagine this conversation between you, your girlfriend and a sales promotor (let's call her Nina) for some 'Ministry-of-Tourism-affiliated' tour agency at a booth near the local shopping mall. Apparently this sales lady is trying to coax you into joining as a travel club member to enjoy cheap hotel stays and travel packages.

Nina: Our package very simple only...you just pay one-time membership fee, and you're a member for life! And you can get hotel stays at agent price, very cheap you know!

You: The joining fee is not a small sum. We'll think about it and let you know if we're interested...

Nina: But sir, you don't know what you're missing sir. Normally we charge RM599 per year, but now you only pay once. Only 2 places left I tell you. All my customers have been very satisfied with the service (continues with her ramblings about all the benefits you're entitled to once you're members).

You: Ok just hold on a second. Frankly speaking, I don't know if I can trust your company, considering the recent news of a well-reputed tour agency that went bust.

Nina: Oh is that so? I guess the management wasn't so good at leading the company-lah.

Ok, just a moment here. This sales promoter, who's described herself as if she's a seasoned tour agent for the company, doesn't know the biggest news to hit the tourism industry in recent times? Either she's living in neolithic times or she's crapping about her so-called experience. Say you give her the benefit of doubt and let her continue.

Nina: It's a good deal sir, one time promotion only. After that you'll need to pay RM599 every year you know, every year! (Phone rings) Sorry sir let me take the call....Hello, oh no, I'm busy right now, kerja part-time, call you later? Bye.

Kerja part-time?? Another indicator that this rookie salesgirl isn't who she says she is.

GF: Hmm...I think it sounds quite good. What do you think?

You: I dunno, unless you're a frequent traveller, it's not very worth it. Let's think about it first and see...

Nina (cutting in): Miss, no offence ok. This guy here is your husband? No? Friend? Ok-lah miss, he's not your husband what, he can't tell you what to decide. If you want to join, it's up to you. Just hand me your IC and I'll help you fill up the form.

Wtf, you say? This annoying, unprofessional and insolent 'salesgirl' is actually showing disrespect to you, THE customer. Given the situation above, would you:

(a) Glare at her in silence for a few minutes and request to talk to another salesperson?

(b) End the absurd session by standing up and leaving the booth altogether while waving off the salesgirl?

(c) Retort the salesgirl by saying: "Hello, at least she's my friend. You on the other hand, barely know her. So please don't disperse your advice as if you're her BFF." and followed by (b)?

Kuala Selangor - seafood and fireflies

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Fri, 04 May 2007 05:52:00 +0000

I paid a visit to Kuala Selangor during the long holidays, as part of our CG trip. Our plans were to have dinner before going for the firefly tour that the place is famous for.

We picked one of the numerous seafood restaurants around the area to satisfy our hunger. In the end we found this restaurant tucked in one of the more secluded spots by the river. Judging by the number of customers it had, we thought it wouldn't turn out bad.

Restoran Kuala Selangor

Our spread for the day consisted of sotong, prawns, 'ha gou', lala, 3kg of crab and 2 plates of veggie. For 7 people, it seemed like a lot of food. The portions were not small either and we had doubts at first on whether we could finish it at all.

The seafood was good; prawns, sotong and crab were fresh and succulent. The veggie was also a favourite. After some hard work and cleaning up, we managed to prevent any of the good food from going to waste.

Mission accomplished

The bill came up to less than RM200, which was quite worth it. Downright cheap if you compare to what the seafood restaurants in PJ charge.

View from the restaurant - currently my favourite wallpaper

We then continued our trip to the popular firefly tourist spot, where according to the notice boards, 'it is believed to be one of the only places in the world where fireflies gather'.

And they didn't come cheap either. The fireflies, I mean. Accidentally squash a bugger while trying to hold them will cost you RM1000.

There were not many fireflies around that night, probably because there was a full moon. According to our boatman, the best time to visit is when there is no moon and after the rain.

Tried to capture those that were on display but here's what I ended up with.

Pitch black darkness.

Well, that concludes my trip to Kuala Selangor. It was a fulfilling one, if not interesting.

Things that make me go wtf

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 07:55:00 +0000

There are some things I just don't get.

You get a group of Mat Rempits, attempt to rehabilitate them by promising the ride of a lifetime, provide training while they give up their bikes temporarily, and send them to the North Pole for a skydiving trip into the record books.

And by spending hundreds of thousands of ringgit no less (and I wonder who's the sponsor for this gang of Umno Putera rempits?)

All in the hopes that 'other Mat Rempit out there will look to these youths and change their behaviour and attitude for the better'.

Wtf???

FYI, my take on these band of retarded, handle-bar wielding morons is perfectly put in words here.

*************************************************

Let's say you and a few friends decide to have a little picnic at a scenic garden, quite a distance away from your homes. To have this picnic, you need a basket to keep all the food in so that you won't have a difficult time transporting the food.

Now, all of your friends have their own baskets, but no one volunteers to use theirs. So out of good will and not wanting to complicate matters, you offer your basket so that everyone can put their food in. So now everyone is happy and content and the basket is full of delicacies.

But due to some unexpected circumstances in the last minute, you are forced to pull out of the gathering. Hence, you keep your own food in case you get hungry at home.

However, no ones mention about the basket, YOUR basket. Let's just assume for a while here that baskets are an important part of your fictitious life, a valuable object that is absolutely essential to you. In this case, would you:

a. Take back your basket with an apology that you can't make it?

b. Keep your silence and let them just use the basket?

c. Apologise that you can't make it, and offer your basket for your friends' perusal?

Of course, most people would pick (a) for an answer. But let's say your are such a nice friend that BFF was a term specifically coined for you and you have (c) as a choice. So you personally send the basket to your friends' house, instead of having them pickup what they need for the picnic that you won't be going to.

To summarise, you're not going to the picnic, you're not obliged to offer your basket, your friends don't say anything about someone offering a basket, you end up offering your basket, and you don't go to the picnic.

Wtf???

(It's a lousy metaphor, so don't worry if you don't get it)

Now and then

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Fri, 27 Apr 2007 08:00:00 +0000

Then...

Night view from D'aman Ria

Now...

Sunset at Ara Damansara

I'm afraid I'll get so used to the convenience of staying around here I won't budge when the time comes.

IWK: Full of sh*t?

noreply@blogger.com (Deriku) — Wed, 25 Apr 2007 13:39:00 +0000

Came across an interesting piece of news today.

Our Natural Resources and Environment Minister (heck, I didn't know there was such a ministry, shows how ignorant I can be when it comes to environmental issues...or are they not doing enough to attract attention?) reported that the main polluter of rivers in Peninsular Malaysia was our very own number one sewage management company, IWK.

Source: The Star

"Ninety one percent of pollution of rivers in the country is from inadequately-treated sewage," we were told.

Does it come as a surprising statement following all the 'we're-environmental-friendly' advertisements IWK has been placing in our local dailies lately?

Source: IWK website

Are the ads just a ploy to make us pay up our bills? So that they can reap all the profit and get away with improper dumping of waste?

Or is it just a spat between ministries / ministers? According to IWK's website, it is 'a wholly-owned company of the Minister of Finance Incorporated'. Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment vs Ministry of Finance?

A load of questions to be answered while our country gets loaded with shite.

Technorati tags: IWK, indah water