RyeUrn - A Blog Kegful of Wry

6-3-1 Formula for Success?

2008-03-14T11:46:00.002+08:00

Keadilan Online reported that as the allocation of seats for the Perak Exco namely 6-DAP, 3-PKR and 1-PAS. Mr Nizar will be the MB flanked by Mr Ngeh as Deputy 1 and a yet to be named PKR candidate (nothing new here).

Its a sign of inroads being made, PKR being the first party to make the announcement. Suffice to say Mr Ibrahim played a vital role in mediating the agreement.

As of now, yet to be confirmed in the main stream media. This remains an interesting development.

Related: Perak - Agreement Reached.

Perak - Agreement Reached

2008-03-14T11:39:00.002+08:00

An agreement has been reached among the DAP-PKR-PAS coalition in Perak according to Mr Anwar Ibrahim.

It seems increasingly likely that the only person who can hold the 3 parties together will be Mr Ibrahim by the looks of things.

Yet to be reported in the main stream media as of now, it'll be interesting to see what transpires.

Asia's Tallest Statue of Jesus in Indonesia

2007-12-12T13:02:00.000+08:00

Indonesia unveils one of Asia's tallest Jesus Christ statue. Standing at 30m tall, it naturally pales in comparison to the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro but Brazil is predominantly Catholic, Indonesia is not. That says it all.

Malaysian Born Minister in the Australian Cabinet

2007-11-30T08:48:00.001+08:00

Just out of interest. Penny Wong has been hand picked as Minister for Climate Change and Water in the new Australian government under Labor leader Kevin Rudd.

PENNY WONG (39) - Minister for Climate Change and Water. South Australian senator. First elected 2001. Opposition portfolios have included employment and workforce participation, corporate governance and responsibility, public administration and accountability. Labor's 2007 election campaign spokeswoman. Malaysian-born Wong has worked as an industrial officer, solicitor and barrister.

It'd be interesting to watch next year's election back home.

Alma Mater Makes the News

2007-08-16T09:49:00.003+08:00

Its not always your alma mater makes the news but when they finally do for something good, you can't help but feel proud.

*bangga*

Any fellow ACSian out there? Me 'graduated' 1997.

The Ang-Mohs Do It Better

2007-08-16T09:49:00.002+08:00

If you arrived here in anticipation of reading something about what you usually do with your partner in bed I'm sorry but this post has nothing like it. I'm talking about presentations, you know of the PowerPoint kind.

I'd like to insert a disclaimer here: that this is not an Asian bashing-whitemen worshipping post but just something that I've noticed after having worked in a corporate environment in a multinational company in Australia. While naturally many would disagree to what I am about to say, I thought it'd be a good debating point to bring up.

Many a friends have always sat down and debated who are the better employees in today's world. A Malaysian or an ang-moh. Lets not waste a minute on most Malaysian Uni graduates who have a difficulty stringing a proper English sentence together. I'm referring to those, whether local or foreign grads who most MNC and major local companies look to recruit based on pure merits alone and not skin colour. Lets pit one against a typical English-speaking, polished ang moh.

The first finger would be pointed at our local employee being the more industrious, more courteous, more diligent, more I'm-running-out-of-vocabularies-to-describe worker while Mr Ang Moh would be the more articulate, easy-going and at times boozy one. Sadly though in a foreign country and it seems in the local environment as well especially among MNCs, its the more hip and vocal one that most employers are after.

You see barring a lot of well-respected jobs and generalising to most corporate, office environment a lot of our jobs are based on presentations. And this is where I feel that a lot of Asians are losing out to our Western and in this case Southern counterparts. While I was here assimilating myself to the new environment and culture, I can't help but notice the wave of change that Australian children are being subjected to in education. Kids as young as kindies have been exposed (and almost daily at that) to the wonderful world of 'powerpoint' presentations.

One mum told me how her little girl was given a task of drawing her favourite toy and present it for 5 minutes to the class. They start them that young. This is where the educators think the workforce of the future will be based upon. The competency and ease of making a good, seamless presentation.

You can't deny that most of the time, its not exactly the substance of your presentation but the delivery of it that wins you clients. You can have a blank slide save for a one-liner and that can gain you that coveted contract over a competitor with a more fanciful slide, just by how confident you deliver and the believe in your own presentation.

I remembered when I was studying in the UK, 50% of our classes are made up of presentations. It has become the norm of today's environment. And frankly I think most of our schools are not exactly catching up to this not-so-new phenomenon. I'd dare say majority of our younger generation today have difficulties facing a room of people, let alone presenting something to them. I strongly feel that we can emulate the starting them young concept. More show-and-tell and less examinations.

Spoon-feeding is still the standard delivery of information to our students, even with increasing use of the internet etc. Time to sit back, take a good long look at ourselves, and think where we actually stand in terms of making an influential speech or a delivery in front of big time corporate clients.

Just about anyone that I've worked with so far can readily stand up and make a decent presentation even though the allowed preparatory time was less than a minute. That can't be said when I was back home, even in a multinational company. I am not saying that Malaysians do badly at presentations. There are the occassional few who clearly define the term toastmaster to its fullest but just about every other one is known to have cold feet when asked to present.

I sincerely doubt its our mastery of the English language. One English teacher used to quip that most Malaysians rarely make grammatical mistakes compared to native-English speaking people. We write flawless English. Its just that our spoken, presenting that ends up flawed most of the time.

This can really give us a competitive edge. But so far, the 'ang-moh's do DO IT BETTER.

The Wizadry of OZ

2007-07-27T14:50:00.000+08:00

I like toying with words. Inline with the recent 'hoo haa' with Harry Potter the movie and the book, I just can't help picking this title. My hiatus aside, a curt detail of my life so far in enchanting OZ ... ok ok Australia, warrants a mention.

So we are here for more than 4 months now and have more or less braved the winter cold. Compared to my tenure when I was scraping through University in Scotland (Pottermania suggests that Hogwarts is actually located somewhere in Inverness, Scotland)...ok that aside....winter in OZ has been great. No snow of course not and the lowest recorded on the mercury was 3 degrees celcius. Hardly anything to go by. I recalled when I was in my primary school days, if your friend holds a party at McDonalds, you get to visit the McDonalds freezer and that was way colder. Anyone of you experienced something similar in the not too distant past?

I got myself a driving licence in NSW though not before failing the first attempt. Driving rules are pretty strict in Australia and a pain in the neck, literally. Those of you with Australian driving licences will get the drift. Barring funny traffic lights that have a mind of their own (don't most traffic lights) driving here has been heavenly compared to the war zone we used to encounter in KL. No complaints in that particular department then.

Was surprised to see a selection of Malaysian food on offer of course in a number of restaurants, notably Temasek in Parramatta though the notion of calling it a place for Singaporean & Malaysian cuisine was a put off. Still the food tasted alright, nothing you can't get back home and it ends there. Its the Hong Kong, Taiwanese and Chinese variety that you get which makes it interesting. On the other hand, not finding a kebab stall will be a rarity and the portions served will make sure you'll always have enough on your plate.

The people are exceptionally friendly with the knack of being able to strike up a conversation with you at will wherever you may be. Sydney is pretty vibrant and she has much to offer. Its a place where a drive to the beach from a bustling, city environment takes less than half an hour. Now that is something. Though I dare say Penang island offers something similar.

So there you have it. The first part of many more commentary on my part I hope of the wonderful and Harry Potteresque land of OZ (hey its still Pottermania right?)

Wrath of Nature

2007-06-12T12:21:00.000+08:00

I read with interest Pablo's article on how KL was revisited by flood waters after a 3 hour down pour and noted how quick human beings can come up with the conclusion that what transpired was an act of God. Though I'm miles away from the 'muddy confluence' as popularised by PabloPabla in his article I fail to see how a 3 hour down-pour can result in a flood and the conviction that God had a part to play in that.

I dig the rain bit, but what was reflected in the pictures must surely be the inept ability of certain quarters of the authorities to curb a problem which was never new anymore in the city of KL. Coincidently, three states in Australia namely NSW, Victoria and Queesland experienced an almost similar 'onslaught' of rain water though instead of being a mere 3 hour down pour, nature played 'show hand' and devastated certain parts of the states with 3 consecutive DAYS of rain resulting in damages highlighted in the local newspapers here. In what would be termed a disaster that happened once every 30 years, I wouldn't be surprised if God did play a part this time Down Under.

Perhaps its a clear message to the government that more steps have to be taken to ensure a Greener Earth and perhaps Mother Nature is fed-up with taking in her fair share of mishandling by Earth's inhabitants. What would ensue will definitely be more stringent steps to ensure damage are minimalised should a storm of this proportion ever creep up again say 30 years later?

With the sort of money spent on tunnelling smartly and fortifying drainage systems, it remains to be seen and bemused at how 3 hours of rain can turn a street in KL into a river. I echo Pablo's view in his column. Perhaps someone else should have a go at tackling the drainage issues.

Mr Selvam Saved the Day

2007-05-11T11:29:00.000+08:00

It takes guts to admit your mistake and make sure you deliver to your customers. Mr Selvam from the Customer Service Department of Noel.com did just that and hence deserved a link from me. Free advertisement at its best huh.

Following up on my recent outburst a while back on the lack of professionalism and my ding-donging email replies to first get a compensation and next a correct and timely response from our local gift shop (by local I mean Malaysia) I finally got to the right guy who would be brave enough to do the right thing and actually send the goods I paid good money for without actually charging me extra, and unfairly as well on top of that.

This is what I call customer service of a high level. Keep it up and you get customers coming back. It was foolhardy initially for a company of that stature to even think of cashing in on an extra few ringgit and risk losing a potential customer forever. Still things are salvaged, my principle left intact and my brother can finally receive his overdue birthday gift.

We need more examplary officers like that of Mr Selvam in our workforce most definitely. If not the quest for first-world status will forever be an air-clutching over hyped dream. OK over-hyping fits better for what I'm writing here but still I feel deeply appreciated that justice has once again prevailed!

Now for the Mother's Day gift....

Unprofessional Service from NOEL.com

2007-05-05T13:55:00.000+08:00

Sorry to say my first post after laying off for so long is to voice my complaint over the services received from local gift company, NOEL.

Being in Australia and unable to actually celebrate my brother's birthday, I bought a gift for him online on NOEL.com and have it arranged for delivery. They asked me for an expected delivery date, I put in 2/5/07, I expect it to be delivered on that date. They didn't. Delivery supposedly came on the next day at 4.45pm with no prior calls etc. They inexplicably failed to get my sister who was at home at that time and then have the cheek to contact me informing me that they will have to incur a recharge for the parcel to be delivered another day.

That drove me off the wall when firstly there was clearly no mention of such a thing on their website. Secondly, how can you expect people to wait at home day in day out for a parcel to be delivered when you can't even specify to people an expected delivery time. And thirdly why was there no indication whatsoever of a failed delivery (a note) that was promised on their website.

I refused to pay the additional charges. Its not a matter of money but rather a matter of principle. I even have thoughts of bringing this up to a consumer tribunal or something of that sort. So what do you guys think? Am I right to be unhappy with such a service? Legally am i correct to refuse additional payment? You tell me.

Sydney Pretty Hot

2007-03-30T18:54:00.000+08:00

Weather-wise. City-wise. Though in terms of traffic, it fares not much better than dear old KL.

Still staying at company sponsored serviced apartments as we've been hit time and again by roadblocks in terms of house rentals etc. Its tough in Sydney or rather Australia. Unlike Malaysia, when it comes to rental they basically do a FBIuesque, CIAuesque, CSIuesque whatever you call it; check on your background to make sure you can pretty much take care of the property as well as the rentals.

Landlords are the kings here and coming from another country with not much 'records' in Aussieland makes it difficult for real estate agents to recommend you to the owner.

Still have to carry on searching. Thanks to generous company I don't have to sleep in the streets.

More updates later.

Cold Cold Melbourne

2007-03-20T17:37:00.000+08:00

Touched down Sunday morning with high hopes that we'll be greeted by great weather. The captain's voice over the plane sort of dampened our spirits abit when he announced that its about 10 degrees. To a Malaysian that's like standing in front of the fridge (opened of course) for ages.

Anyhow my first impression of Melbourne, friendly people, kinky weather and hilly. Yup you better check on 'em brakes if you own a car here. The way the slopes go about while on the road, it pains to imagine how its like walking all the way.

One thing about Melbourne though is that the food is rather impressive. Especially Asian food. Firstly the proportions are real big and secondly, I think they are second to none, even to our very own malaysian choices in Malaysia itself. The thing is, 'em Hong Kies cook well. And they are filthy rich!

I'll be in Melbourne for a week before flying to Sydney where I'll be settling down. Probably a bit short this time. Don't even have time to catch up on local (I mean Malaysia) news and you other bloggers out there. Apologies in abundance.

Right anyway, till the next time.

Sporadic...

2007-03-07T13:45:00.000+08:00

That's how it'll be for the next two weeks. My blog posting that is. I can't help it. With all the moving etc etc , internet connection will be scarce apart from the odd Starbucks visit. I've already cancelled my Streamyx and the only internet connection I can get is from kind souls (friends that I visit with my laptop) and the occassional Frappucino.

You somehow feel that you've lost an important part of your life if you know what I mean. I'm referring to internet connection. Being in the cyber world these days, its hard to believe how we can ever be without the internet, your mobile phone and CONNECTIVITY. All those shows say SURVIVOR is typical bull shit. No one can survive 40 over days on an island without the internet.

Further to my previous posts, I've secured a job in Sydney so that's where I'll be going next. Its gonna be a big move for me and my family, starting anew in a foreign country but its a step that we feel is encouraging to take and probably will be better for the future (at least in our opinion). Still blogging will never stop , as encouraged by a lot of you out there and our friendship will continue. As Andy says, bloggers are nice people and make good friends.

So till the next post, take care guys!

Oh yeah, the TAGS will have to wait a while.

YAWN......

2007-03-02T17:50:00.000+08:00

Finally! I have awaken from my slumber.

It has been a hectic few weeks. Ever since my mention of divine intervention for a position Down Under, (Praise the Lord!) it was more good news thereafter as I've been offered a job and a mighty good offer at that too. (Double Praise the Lord!)

After that it was Chinese New Year, and my laptop has been left in the cold for so long I failed to mention the amount of dust its gathering. Heck an ant would get lost rummaging through the dirt.

But anyway I'm back and after I've cleared my mails and possibly go through one or two comments a few of you kind souls out there have left me, we'll be back in business.

Now what did I miss...what did I miss!!

CNY Ang Pow: The Z List

2007-02-12T09:16:00.000+08:00

This is probably a Chinese New Year angpow from PabloPabla. I'm not exactly sure how this thing works but whatever big brother Pablo says, I'll pass it on. So here goes.

**Instructions**

The premise is simple:
Write a post, and copy and paste my list from below into it. Make sure the links are active and correct. If your blog is on that list, remove it because your post isn’t about self-promotion. Don’t worry, because if your name is on mine, it’s on others and will spread. Add your favourite deserving blogs to the top of the list (not compulsory). Publish the post. People will notice the incoming links, and hopefully write their own z-list posts. The result will be that we all get more links pointing to our blogs, and more readers - got to be good!

Key Points
1) Create a new post on your blog.
2) Copy and Paste the entire list of blog links below
3) Add any blogs that you want to include near the top of the list. (Optional)
4) Include the blog where you first got the list from, on the list in your post.
5) Do not include your own blog links on the list in your post.
6) Make sure that all links are copied intact.
7) Publish the Post.

The List:

My adds:

Andy's Anything Goes

Beng Beng

Kleio

Che-Cheh

Originals:

Paris Beaverbanks

Rojaks

Melting Wok

Rasa Malaysia

Organic Income

My Mothering Corner

Mummy In Vain

Lovely Mummy

Desperate Mummy

Judy

Home Office Women

Shoppingmum

Cyberpartygal

Hochiak! Delicious Asian Food

Blueapron

Make$ Money$

Owen of Ugh

Jules is Utterly Geek

Internet. Serious Business

The Sabahan

Critical Thoughts

Blog-Op

Carols Vault

Blog About Your Blog

Monetize Your Blog

Cosmin PTR

Make Money On The Net

Successful Online Money Making

Turn One Pound Into One Million$

Work at Home Blog

Blogging For Beginners

How to earn money online?

Dosh Dosh

Money Money Money

Money Making Quest

Connected Internet

Mike’s Money Making Mission

Time to Budget

Can I Make Big Money Online

Blogtrepreneur

Flee the Cube

Blogging Secret

Blogging to Fame

Million Dollar Experiment heads Down Under

Quest to make money on the internet

Kumiko’s Cash Quest

Calico Monkey

Internet Bazaar

Shotgun Marketing Blog

BrandSizzle

bizsolutionsplus

Customers Rock!

Being Peter Kim

Pow! Right Between The Eyes!

Billions With Zero Knowledge

Working at Home on the Internet

MapleLeaf 2.0

Two Hat Marketing

darrenbarefoot.com

The Emerging Brand

The Branding Blog

CrapHammer

Drew’s Marketing Minute

Golden Practices

Viaspire

Tell Ten Friends

Flooring the Consumer

Kinetic Ideas

Unconventional Thinking

Buzzoodle

NewsPaperGrl

The Copywriting Maven

Hee-Haw Marketing

Scott Burkett’s Pothole on the Infobahn

Multi-Cult Classics

Logic + Emotion

Branding & Marketing

Popcorn n Roses

On Influence & Automation

Bullshitobserver

Servant of Chaos

converstations

eSoup

Presentation Zen

Dmitry Linkov

aialone

John Wagner

Nick Rice

CKs Blog

Design Sojourn

Frozen Puck

The Sartorialist

Small Surfaces

Africa Unchained

Perspective

gDiapers

Marketing Nirvana

Bob Sutton

¡Hola! Oi! Hi!

Shut Up and Drink the Kool-Aid!

Women, Art, Life: Weaving It All Together

Community Guy

Social Media on the fly

Munich '58 Remembered

2007-02-06T16:39:00.000+08:00

This is a tribute to the footballing heroes of the Busby Babes. Those who lost their lives to the Munich air disaster on this day 49 years ago. They will forever be remembered for their fighting spirit and never-say-die attitude. Who knows what great heights they might have scaled had they survived. Their true potential will never be known and witnessed.

Duncan Edwards, who died at such a young age was ear marked for great things for the English team. God only knows how many more World Cup he would have lifted had he survived.

So here's to the Busby Babes. The lot of them. Rest In Peace, the pride of Manchester.

Geoff Bent
Roger Byrne
Eddie Colman
Duncan Edwards
Mark Jones
David Pegg
Tommy Taylor
Liam Whelan
Walter Crickmer
Bert Whalley
Tom Curry
Alf Clarke
Don Davies
George Follows
Tom Jackson
Archie Ledbrooke
Henry Rose
Eric Thompson
Frank Swift
Kenneth Rayment
Bela Miklos
Willie Satinoff
Tom Cable
Source

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God Listens

2007-02-05T14:19:00.000+08:00

God works in miraculous ways. I admit I have been a doubter at certain points in my life but He showed me one way or another how wrong I was and how far I can go with a bit of faith. I feel that after every 'fall', I came back stronger after that.

A few days back I read Tine's post on the power of prayers. That I have to admit is something that I have neglected recently. I do feel ashamed how often we only turn to God when the going gets tough and how lax we can be whenever things are rosy. But everytime this happen, it just shows time and again how your prayers will always be answered one way or another. To take the words literally from my friend, "When your prayers are not answered the way you want them to, it simply means God has another plan for you." Thanks Rheiboy.

After my euphoria of having finally handed in my resignation for greener pastures Down Under, it never exactly struck me how difficult it is to gain employment in another country without local experience. Our deadline to make a first entry is in March and from then till now looking for employment has been a stumbling block.

Admitting finally that its probably we didn't pray hard enough, my current boss dropped me an e-mail about a position in our counterpart Down Under. To cut a long story short, I'm all lined up for an interview tomorrow morning. Though in no circumstances I'm guaranteed a job, at least I can take solace in the fact that I was given an opportunity in the first place.

Incidentally, my wife has an interview lined up effectively the following day. This also after a few days of disappointment, having been greeted with unsuccessful applications.

Never actually being the really spiritual type, I am 100% certain this round all these is dealt with a bout of Divine Intervention. Thank you Lord for the opportunity and of course, though I am in no way certain of getting the job, I'm glad that the chance presented itself in such a timely manner. It all goes to show that with a little bit of faith, how easy things can turn out to be.

Praise the Lord!

The Ten Brothers

2007-01-29T13:59:00.000+08:00

I'm a sucker for Chinese folklore and mythology which is why my all time favourite TVB series have been Journey to the West and A Step into the Past. No other movies can portray Chinese folklore better than those guys at the Hong Kong TV station and due to the fact that I'm a banana and I can't read Chinese, I can never really get my hands on Chinese novels on Chinese folklore and immerse myself mad in reading them. I do however have a translated version of the entire Journey to the West which has three volumes and is completely unabridged.

Recently, Astro's Wah Lai Toi began showing The Ten Brothers an adaptation of a famous Chinese folklore though I am not too sure whether there really is a book or a poem written about these famous brothers. Shown every week night at 8pm, this show chronicles the adventures of ten mystical brothers born to a rich man's daughter after she swallowed 10 beads and had no choice but to become the 'wife' of a poor congee seller. The couple is played by real life husband and wife Frankie Lam and Kenix Kwok while I know nought of the actors playing the role of the 10 brothers though the youngest of them resembled someone familiar.

The eldest is capable of seeing things thousands of miles or "li" in Chinese away, the second brother has a sharp ear, the third brother has incredible strength followed by the fourth's inpenetrable skin and the fifth's ability to fly. Brother number six has a strong head while number seven can stretch his legs. The eighth brother is capable of tunneling while brother number nine and ten is probably the most famous of all since we use their names as Chinese idioms while referring to someone with a big mouth or a cry baby respectively. Justin Timberlake's Cry Me A River may have suspiciously borrowed from Brother Number 10's ability :)

I remembered my mum used to tell me about these 10 brothers since it was really famous during their time and I cannot recall ever watching a series or movie during my time though I know of their existence, well the story at least. So now my 8pms have been fully booked for the series though I can't say convincingly that TVB really delivered the myth to their full potential. Its probably a low budget flick as the 10 brothers are relatively unknown actors with only Frankie Lam and Kenix Kwok helming two of the main characters though both popularity are on the wane.

That aside I have always followed Jin Yong's stories closely especially the funny Duke of Mount Deer and the Condor Heroes series though these are essentially WuXia novels and not exactly Chinese folklore. Thus Journey to the West has always remain my all time favourite cause honestly, you just can't help but like the Monkey King and the Pig can you? So peeps, any favourite Chinese folklore among you guys?

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Funny

2007-01-29T13:11:00.000+08:00

This is a sponsored post.

I remembered when the internet was in its infancy, ok ok to me at least since I only started going online 10 years ago, I used to browse for joke sites since funny stuff have always been a good quick fix for me especially when you come back from school and you ran out of jokes to tell your best pals even though you took a long time working up that reputation and having them hanging on to your very words whenever you speak, your friends I mean. So drying up on topics, funny, dirty topics to talk about is a big No No!!

How these sites have changed. For instance now the in thing would be
funny videos like those available on Jokeroo.com. Just reading the name will start tickling my tickle buds. Now this website is the perfect reservoir for anything funny and it would definitely be funny if you don't find any of that sort here. :)

Leo Ku's Belated Love

2007-01-22T16:47:00.000+08:00

Like I said previously, I'm a banana so when there's a nice Chinese song playing in the airwaves, the task of learning it has already been a painstaking process for me. Recently, Leo Ku's Belated Love (愛得太遲) caught my attention, not so much of the infectious melody, but the deep meaning it carried upon learning the song. In many ways I feel that the beautifully written lyrics reflected our lives so much that at times, I really want to sit back, relax, pause and think of how I've been living mine thus far. Anyway here are the lyrics of the song, in Cantonese, the romanized PinYin lyrics and the meaning.

我過去　那死黨　早晚共對　各也紮職以後沒法暢聚
ngo guo hui / na sei dong / jo maan gung dui / gook ya jat jik yi hau moot fat cheung joi
I used to spend day and night with my best buddies but due to our jobs, we spend less time now

而終於　相約到　但無言共對　疏淡如水
yi jung yue / xiong yeuk do / dan mo yin gung dui / soh tam yu sui
When we finally meet, we have nothing to say, its as plain as water

日夜做　見爸爸　剛好想呻　卻霎眼看出他多了皺紋
yat yeh jo / kin pa pa / gong hou xiong san / keok saap ngan hon chut ta do liu jao man
Working day and night, met papa, wishing to complain. Never did I realise his wrinkles have increased

而他的蒼老感　是從來未覺　太內疚擔心
yi ta dik chong lo gam / si chong loi mei gok / tai noi gau dam sam
Never realised that dad is aging. The guilt worries me

最心痛是　愛得太遲　有些心意　不可等某個日子
jui sam tong si / ngoi dak tai chi / yau se sam yi / bat ho dang mao go yat ji
The thing that hurts most is to love too late. There are certain things that shouldn't wait.

盲目地發奮　忙忙忙其實自私
mang mok dei fat fan / mong mong mong kei sat ji si
Working hard is more due to selfishness

夢中也習慣　有壓力要我得志
mong zhong ya jap gwan / yau ngak lik yiu ngoh dak ji
Even in my dreams i'm used to being pressured to do better

最可怕是　愛需要及時　只差一秒　心聲都已變歷史
jui ho pa si / ngoi sui yiu kap si / zi cha yat miu / sam seng dou yi bin lik si
The scariest thing is, love has to be on time. A missed second and feelings will become history

忙極亦放肆　見我愛見的相知
mong gik yik fong si / kin ngoh oi kin dik xiong ji
To find time in my busy schedule to meet the ones I love

要抱要吻要怎麼也好　偏要推說等下一次
yiu poh yiu man yiu zham moh ya ho / pin yiu tui suet dang ha yat chi
To hold, to kiss, to do whatever, but I always wait till the next time

我也覺　我體質　彷似下降　看了症得到是別要太忙
ngoh ya gok / ngoh tai jat / fong chi ha gong / hon liu jing dak dou si bit yiu tai mong
My body is not as fit as it used to be. After seeing the doctor, I'm told to relax.

而影碟　都掃光　但從來未看　因有事趕
yi ying pin / dou sou guong / dan chong loi mei hon / yan yau si gon
Having bought all the DVDs I haven't watched a single one because I was busy.

日夜做　儲的錢　都應該夠　到聖誕正好講跟我白頭
yat ye jou / chou dik chin / dou ying goi gau / do sing dan jing ho gong gan ngoh bak tau
Working day and night I saved some money. Should be enough to tell her to marry me during Christmas

誰知她開了口　未能挨下去　已恨我很久
sui ji ta hoi liu hau / mei nang ngai ha hui / yi han ngoh han gao
Who knows that she told me first she couldn't stand it any longer. She hated me for quite some time

錯失太易　愛得太遲　我怎想到　她忍不到那日子
choh sat tai yi / ngoi dak tai chi / ngoh zham xiong dou / ta yan bat dou na yat zi
Its too easy to lose when you love too late. How would I have known she couldn't wait till that day

盲目地發奮　忙忙忙從來未知
mang muk dei fat fan / mong mong mong chong loi mei ji
Working blindly always busy never bothered to know

幸福會掠過　再也沒法說鍾意
hang fook wui leuk gwoh / joi ya moot faat suet jong yi
Happiness can pass by me. No chance to say I love you.

愛一個字　也需要及時　只差一秒　心聲都已變歷史
ngoi yat guo ji / ya sui yiu kap si / ji cha yat miu / sam sing dou yi bin lik si
Even though love is only one word, it still has to be on time. Even by missing by one second, feelings can become history

為何未放肆　見我愛見的相知
wai ho mei fong si / kin ngoh oi kin dik xiong ji
Why didn't I make the effort to see the ones I love

要抱要吻要怎麼也好　不要相信一切有下次
yiu po yiu man yiu zham moh yah ho / bat yiu xiong sun yat chai yau ha chi
To hold, to kiss to do whatever. I don't want to believe there's always a next time

相擁我所愛又花幾多秒這幾秒　能夠做到又有多少
seung yung ngoh suo oi yau fa gei do miu / je gei miu / nang gao jou dou ya yao doh siu
How long will I hold on to my love. How much can I do in those few seconds

未算少　足夠遺憾忘掉
mei suen siu / juk gao wai ham mong diu
Its not too late. Its still enough to feel regret over

多少抱憾　多少過路人　太懂估計　卻不懂愛錫自身
doh siu poh ham / doh siu guo lo yan / tai dong goo gai / keok bat dong ngoi sek ji san
How many regrets? How many passers by? Know too well but do not know how to love oneself

人人在發奮　想起他朝都興奮
yan yan joi fat fan / xiong hei ta chiu do hing fan
Everyone's working hard. Excited by the future.

但今晚未過　你要過也很吸引
dan kam man mei guo / nei yiu guo ya han kap yan
But the night is not over. You can still spend it wonderfully

縱不信運　你不過是人　理想很遠　愛於咫尺卻在等
jung bat sun wan / nei bat guo si yan / lei xiong han yuen / oi yue chi chek kuek joi dang
Even if you don't believe in fate, you're still human. Your goals are afar, love is just here yet you are waiting

來日別操心　趁你有能力開心
loi yat bit cho sam / chan nei yau nang lik hoi sam
Don't worry about the future. While still possible be happy

世界有太多東西發生　不要等到天上俯瞰
sai gai yau tai doh dong sai fat sang / bat yiu dang doh tin xiong foo ham
There's too many things happening in the world. Don't have to wait till you're looking down from the heavens

I know the translation is horrific but that's the best that I can do:) Besides what I want to say is that I find this song extremely meaningful in the sense that we chase after glory and financial stability, so much so that in our lives we have forsaken those that really mattered. Meaningful as it may be, I always feel its never too late to love. So go, give you loved one a hug this very minute!

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Please American Idol, spare my soul!!!!

2007-01-19T10:07:00.000+08:00

There goes my Wednesday and Thursday nights. I tell you, American Idol is the devil in disguise. It haunts you everytime and you want to come back for more. Your colleagues talk about it, the LRT commuters talk about it, the road-sweeper talks about it, I bet you even Osama talks to Bush about it.

It has now garnered another round of "exceptional ratings" and we are still in the preliminary rounds. That is, we haven't even got to the top 12 aka people who can sing in tune. When it comes to American Idol viewers, there are two separate sects. Those who only watch the preliminary rounds and those who watch the final rounds. I belong to the latter. Hence thus far I have managed to stay off American Idol TV for the moment. Must. Fight. Temptation.

If you want to know why I am more inclined to watch the later rounds, its all due to one basic reason. I cannot stand the fact of being conned of my viewership just because I want to see another fool literally make a fool of himself on world wide TV, and then being made a mockery of by the judges paid to smash you into a pulp just because you are dumb enough to go for the auditions even though you know two hoots about singing. Man an owl can hoot better than you and I rather watch a dog howl in the process.

Why oh why do people still fall for it. A friend of mine who attended the Malaysian Idol audition told me that basically there are a few rounds of audition before you finally meet the Big Three. Dawg Randy, Giggly Paula and Simple Simon will only grant you audience if you are SO BAD YOUR GRANNY CRIES BECAUSE YOU CAN'T SING or you are the next Taylor *hic* Hicks in the making. Therefore, the filter and filter again process will determine what will be or will not be shown on TV. Suffice to say, William Hung had been an inspiration to all and many crave that odd 2-minute of fame even though you basically get raped of your-first-time-on-TV.

Still the appeal is there for all to see. Didn't I just tell you that American Idol is the Devil's show? Innocent as it may seem, it saps you of your sanity and common sense and it drills into you the omni-mantra *I love American Idol* and also *Ryan Seacrest is the Best* when you know hell-no they are not!!

What I am expecting from this year's show. Rock will finally prevail!! Ryan Seacrest will probably get into a wrestling bout with Simon Cowell, Paula will cry and cry again while Randy will stay clean of anything. Absolutely fantastic ratings driving schemes. All non-FOX can pack your bags and go for an extended holiday cause no one would be interested in anything but American Idol during prime time cue *mantra in the distance*.

So there you have it. A soul-cleansing post to rid of American Idol witchcraft.....oh who am I kidding! I can't wait for the top 12!!!

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Tags: American Idol

Steiner Binoculars

2007-01-19T08:35:00.000+08:00

This is a sponsored post

I'm writing a sponsored post on steiner binoculars, one that I think would be perfect for use by military personnel especially. If you watch a lot of war movies or those commando one-fella-beating-em-all-up flicks, chances are you might have spotted something similar to a steiner binocular along the way.

Besides military personnel, it would also be of great use for surveillance purposes, hunters and police personnel for monitoring situation from afar. These binoculars are famous for their ruggedness and elasticity. Rubber-armored, this made them tough, shock resistant and waterproof, typical of a German product.

The best place to get these binoculars would be Eagle Optics which offer great low prices coupled by good after sales service and even free financing.

Do check it out.

Scrumptious Food at Jalan Batai

2007-01-18T16:02:00.000+08:00

I don't often do food reviews. But taking a leaf from my good buddy Pabloman and his quest for culinary delights with his newly acquired DotCom recipe site, I've decided to write about what I call the lunch saviour along Jalan Batai.

To those of you whose office is housed along restaurant-starved Jalan Semantan (real apology to non-KL lites, good food is in abundance all over Malaysia, say Ipoh and Penang, but KL you have to dig and dig deep) you will know how difficult it is to look for good food around these areas. Not to mention cheap ones that don't burn a hole in your pocket.

Most of you would know that there are a few coffee shops located along Jalan Batai. If you were coming from PJ, you will need to keep left just before you hit Jalan Semantan. Instead of going straight at the traffic lights to go into Bukit Damansara, take a right turn and you would see a row of shops on your left. Take a left at the second traffic lights and another left to enter the car park. Though they charge a rate of RM2 per hour, its worth it when you enter the food galore offerred.

Though there's nothing special that you would not find at any other coffee shops, the variety offerred here and the level of taste accompanying each master piece is enough to have the place thronged with lunch-time crowd. Expect to wait for seats if you are there after a quarter past 12. The corner shop at the back row offers yummy "wan-ton mee" and "fish head mee hoon". The "pan mee" is not too bad either.

The coffee shop in the middle has good "char koay teow" and parked right in front is a rojak stall that's famous especially among regulars. For the area that these guys are mounting their stalls at, the price can be considered relatively cheap.

Coupled with friendly hawkers (except Mr Char Koay Teow), its culinary heaven that's what I call it! Give it a try should you have to visit a client in these areas, or you worked here but have been ignorant all these while, God-forbid.

Lovely.

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Chicken Rice is Better Than Sex

2007-01-17T14:37:00.000+08:00

The rate we go about eating chicken rice, it certainly gives me the impression that chicken rice is better than sex. Heck if you do a "chicken rice" image Google, you'll get over 20,000 hits!

I will not be surprised if Malaysians find chicken rice orgasmic. The way we make a bee line for the chicken rice stall at every single restaurant that offers them, it certainly looked that way.

Now we have so many variations of chicken rice. From the ubiquitious "white" chicken rice to roasted chicken rice, the occasional fried chicken rice that are only available on Wednesdays, curry chicken rice, vegetarian chicken rice, tandoori chicken rice, rendang chicken rice, boiled chiken rice, salt-baked chicken rice, baked chicken rice, rice with chicken soup. One can never take the chicken out of the rice. Even during a time when bird flu was rife, people still make their way to the chicken rice stall. They ordered roasted pork or barbequed pork instead. Though no chicken involved, its still the chicken rice stall that people visit.

I hereby declare then that chicken rice is the sex goddess (or sex god if you are female) of all Malaysian food. Why must it be associated with sex then you say?

Well firstly, its the only food where you can have in many positions. You can have chicken drumstick rice, chicken breast rice, chicken wing rice, chicken butt rice...just about any position. If someone were to write a Kamasutra of Chicken Rice, I'll call it Chickasutra, we will have a best seller. In fact, I foresee it being translated to all sorts of languages, and they will get a chicken to be the spokesperson, and KFC will be put to shame because they offer no rice.

Secondly, chicken rice is the food thus far that you do not have qualms with shouting out body parts. Usually these things only happen during sex. But you can go "I love eating chicken breast rice" without feeling uneasy at all. Or "my uncle loves chicken backside" or "oh that thigh is so smooth and yummy"...the rate I'm going, I'm beginning to sound like a pervert.

Thirdly, you can be pretty adventurous with your chicken rice. Forget about smearing your body with honey or chocolate while going kinky. You can smear your chicken rice with dark sauce, smashed ginger, chilli sauce, curry, gravy, tomato sauce, mint sauce...anything you like. And best of all, you don't even have to clean up after that. Forget about stained bed sheets. All you might get is maybe a stained tie or shirt. And water it down with a nice, warm glass of Chinese tea or your favourite teh tarik and there you have it....instant orgasm.

People say Malaysia is a food haven. I would say its all due to chicken rice. No one can say no to chicken rice. White rice, oiled rice, tomato rice....as long as there's chicken its good rice. Available for lunch, dinner and supper, wherever you go you definitely would not miss it. I say we go all out and promote chicken rice for Visit Malaysia 2007. "Nasi lemak" is way too fattening. Chicken rice is healthier.

*This post was not and never was intended to be sponsored by any chicken rice establishment*

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Tags: chicken rice, sex

Adulterers Beware!

2007-01-17T11:31:00.000+08:00

"Thou shalt not covet thy neighbours wife"

Those of you foolhardy enough to ignore this commandment of the Almighty has better think twice. Once your partner , wife or husband alike got hold of one of these gadjets, cards in fact, you've had it. Husbands, be ready to let go half of your ranch or your car. Your John Hancock on the dotted line is a mere formality. Divorce beckons.

Ok Ok I'm being over dramatic here *tee hee*. I'm being paid to write about SpoofCards. Wait wait wait, don't 'x' the browser first.

Imagine being able to change your caller ID....make that better, being able to change your voice when you make an anonymous call maybe to the unfaithful other half to check on his extra-marital activities. All you need is a calling card and to dial up the toll free number available. Voila! You can be the biggest joker on earth!

Besides being a potential cheap Private Investigator, it can come in handy as a joke. I mean hey you don't call it Spoof for nothing right? www.SpoofCard.com is the place to go.

I'd talk about the cool icon that comes along with this post. The one they required you to put on the post. Kinda reminded me of a James Bond. I wonder whether that's where they get the idea from. Changing caller ID's and voice. Heck, the world is such a funny place.

Of course, this post is sponsored!