Reminiscence

There are times that I still can't believe that I've been there. I guess it happened way too fast.




























I still get the shivers when I think of the breeze during the long walks to almost everywhere.




























And of course the buzzing city centre where frozen foods are always on the top of the shopping list.




























But somehow, I miss this the most. The kitchen, the pots and pans and the ting ting food.

Geez. I need a ticket now.

Jerejak

It was fitting that the trip made was on the 10-01-10. After all, its been 10 years since our graduation from the school. I haven't made a return to that school in five plus years. Shall do it one day.























Although its just a few of us. But its a milestone that we ought to celebrate. And hopefully by coming gatherings, there should be more of us.

I digress abit.

As for Jerejak, its my first time there. It's embarrassing because for 22 years as a Penangnite, I had never step foot on it. And its a shame that the government did not promote much of it or even make an effort to transform it into a much more delicate and exciting place. I saw at least a potential of Pulau Sentosa. In fact, I would be very glad if they can emulate half of Sentosa.
















Nonetheless, its a fine place to relax and a (almost) perfect getaway from the hectic life. They have a nice resort with, surprisingly, good food. Outdoor activities included archery, fire...sorry...flying fox, cycling, camping, ball games, (tedious) jungle trekking and wall-climbing. Not to forget paint-ball. Unfortunately and regrettably, no water activities.





















Wheee....

As mentioned, I was surprised that there was no, zero, zilch promotion of Pulau Jerejak as a tourist attraction for Penang. Unless I'm pretty ignorant and blind.

End word: Worth exploring if you want a getaway and to shred some flab.

Halo Ineptitude Bye Bye Creativity

When I first saw the action figures, I suspected somebody stole my imagination while I was a kid and now they are billionaires with a smirk on how they come across the inspiration to architect this out.
























Image via Kotaku.

Seriously I was a creative kid back then who watches too many war movies and played too many strategy games. So after the show/game, i will try to create my range of universal soldiers on pen and paper. And those eerily resemble these Halo action figures.

How times had changed. Now I am just a person who can't figure out how I walked straight into a wall and knocked myself out.

Of Gatherings and...Well, More Gatherings

So its 2010. Its 5 years since my graduation from high school and geez....10 years from primary school. You don't really feel the years until you think and remind and talk about it. That was done when all these gathering invitations come to you and after the Hello part, the next exclamation would most probably be: Oh gosh, its like 10 years already can you believe it?

Its always interesting to have these gatherings, gossiping updating each other about each other or others that could not make it.




















High school small gathering. Emphasizing the word "small"

I always liked the surprises. You know, something that starts with this expression: "You know what? All these years.....blah blah blah" then you will go like: "Holy cow. How come I did not know about this?!"

Catching up is a determination. I am crappy at that honestly. If not for all these occasional impromptu small gatherings, I would have lost lots of contacts.





















Group photo for primary school reunion. In bars.

Its even more exciting after I missed a few years of reunions. Filling the wide gaps. The very significant changes and the aforementioned surprises. What are you doing now? Where is he now? How come she chose that path, eh? etc etc. My personal favorite is of course....What?! She is married?!

I appreciate the peoples who dedicated their time in making these gatherings happen. And all the updates. Its not easy and I am totally lousy in doing all these. Thank you.

And oh, happy 2010. Till then.

And A Happy New Year.

Its the end of the year. Everything needs closing closing closing. And that means hectic hectic hectic. Ok I shall stop with echo echo echo. Pek chek-ness sets in a swarm. Really they just don't come solo or in pairs. In swarm. And then you don't really realize it when it hit. Its the aftermath that triggers the pain nerves.

Ah yes coming back to end of the year. I am trying very hard to resist switching off my phone (company policy not to) during the festive seasons. Heck. I had missed two dates because of that. Then they have to downgrade my computer. Yes downgrade you see it right. Then again, the amateur geek inside me still makes my computer looks super high tech compare to others (lansiness sets in). But that will be for another post.

So 2009 gonna be over. Hooray. I guess. Its been exciting and challenging year. Looking forward to 2010. No new year resolution too for this year. Just hoping for a smooth sail ahead.

Happy New Year. In advance.

Please Spare Us The Misery

I said it once. I said it twice. I had now said it a gazillion times. Please sack Benitez now. He has lost the plot. Now he is complaining about referee being bribed. Omgforgodsake. Admit that Liverpool play like shit lar. Who the hell put two idiotic uncreative midfielders and keep playing the ball back to the defender. TMD where can score?!! And Aquilani....wtf.....20 million to put him on the bench. Then somemore lost to a bottom club.












Sack! Sack! Sack!

Please faster find new manager. Find new owner also. And also please reassemble the team. And also please give more money. Bullocks.! Might as well disband the whole club and recreate a new one. Spare us the misery.

Update: At least Manu also loosing 3-0. Lightens me mood a lil bit.

White Collar

This should be up two centuries ago, but I was so hooked up with the series that I did not realize I haven't introduce it. Not until it was half-way through and currently on hiatus.

Ok so the overview. Con-man escapes prison with three months sentence left. Love sick puppy go find girlfriend. Got caught again. Make a deal with FBI dude. Helps him solve white collar crime. Ta-da.

So the what-I-like-part. The chemistry between the two protagonist. Neil Caffrey (Bomer) with his charm, street-smarts and skill versus the genius by-the-book crime fighter SA Peter Burke. Its amusing because it keeps me guessing the trust level of both thief and cop in their relationship. Added with some very quirky and awkward moments from each character, it added personality to a traditionally serious and dark theme of cops and thieves. Oh and I totally love the FBI's wife (Thiessen). Sounded wrong but.

As mentioned, series is on hiatus and the twist on the last scene of the 7th episode had me grabbed the screen screaming Oi don't give me such a suspend faster screen next episode puh-lease.

Conversation of the Day

In Hokkien...

Me: The Nepalese behind us speaks real smooth ang moh.
J: Kanasai....then I need to bring him to factory with me van....for 30 minutes.
Me: Can handle it?
J: (pondered for a few moment) I think I shall just put on English music and tell him to sing along.

Its hard to capture the moment and its almost lost in translation. But the above conversation really make my day.

Forbidden Fruit

It seems like it, when taking everything into account. The amount of discreetness needed could have been compared to Top Secret of CIA files, prior to me spilling out, albeit abstractly, in this blog of course.

It ain't hard for two souls to come together and share the endearment. What makes it hard is the antecedents and the consequences and the given circumstances. It happened way too fast for my dim-witted sense of logic and reasoning to process it. Probably they were gagged by the swift rapid slash of id-like ecstasy of a feeling.
















I felt the joy and delirium of it for the first time of me life. But sadly, it had to come under almost dangerous waters of a circumstance. The circumstance that the metaphoric title had just describe.

Because Of The Ankle

Its always sad to see good footballers go in such a cruel way. It seems to be the case for Dean Ashton. The ankle injury must have hurt a lot that it takes the hope out of a footballer to recover from it. I am still pretty shocked when he announced his retirement today, aged just 26.

























Certainly the way Ashton feels of his forced retirement.

My thoughts are with him and hope he can manage well with life after football.

Rat Race

Exactly one month into the rat race. To think that my next pay slip is coming soon seems to give me the feeling of satisfaction. I won't say that I love the job, but I am very appreciative that in the wake of credit crunch, I can get still get a job with a reasonable pay. Don't get me wrong on the lovey-dovey part, but its a likable job. Equipped with a space for growth and improvement.

When the elders say that the working life is nothing in the books, they are almost correct. Books help, but being practical is a dimension that needs experimenting and exploring. So that will be critical lesson number one.

Critical lesson number two. Always give a pat for yourself at the end of the day if its a fruitful day. Work ain't a smooth ride, and stressors always lurks around. So rewarding oneself is important to leverage the stress that comes with it.

I may as well start a motivation seminar by the looks of it. XD. Anyway, to me comrades that had joined the rat race, all the best. And to those haven't, well, enjoy your life first lar.

I Want/Need This

...depends on whether the system requirements fulfills my need. But when I see mass pieces of news on Kotaku hardworkingly promoting Modern Warfare 2. I am really trying hard to resist the temptation.
























I shall test system requirements when I finished work. YesIbloggedthiswhileatworkheh.





















Who the hell can resist this?

RIP Enke

Its always devastating to hear such tragic news. Apparent suicide just makes it sounded worse. Although I am not a vivid fan of Bundesliga, I've watched several matches featuring Robert Enke, mostly his Hannover 96 days. I remember that when I played Championship Manager 4, he eventually became my Barca's first choice keeper and I kept him for 5 seasons.

RIP Enke.

Mantra

My mantra in the office: : "Google it lar."

I mean seriously, it saves me time and saliva. I am a bummer whattodo. And in addition, it is the better way of getting information, rather than I misinform people.

I shall continue whatever I'm doing or risk sotong-fried.

Kickstart

Today will be the last of free weekdays. Come Monday, I am taking a new route life where wide varieties of unpredictable circumstances may put mind and body in chaos if the wrong choice is made. Purely practical. What I learn as student is to be strutted and paraded on the vital decisions that can change the course of the company, the rise and fall of it.
















The scene that I am going to look at every morning.

In the most simple translation of the cow dung I just presented, it means I'm going to embrace a working life liao. Gheez.

Can They Make It Five?

Come this Saturday, Liverpool is a demoralized and beaten bunch of misfits going to face the champions of England. Four defeats in a row ain't the best of situation to go into a crucial week against an arch rival.











Benitez: Should we sack him by now?

Somehow, when the club finished second last season, I got a bad uncomfortable feeling that they are not going to cut out this season. Its a psychological thing. Just look at the clubs fighting for promotion in the Championship and failed to do so. So many have suffered. Some even got relegated.

Ok, I digress.

I was at Anfield watching Liverpool vs. At. Madrid live. And I thought they played terrible. A team without drive and basically clueless. You may say its a friendly so what? But they bring such form into the actual season and suffered six defeats already. By the time they reach the Sunderland fixture, the team is totally utterly (honestly and hard to accept it) a pile of shite. Nevermind the beach ball scenario (which is comical according to Reina), they have a full 80 minutes to punch in a win. But nothing of such happened.















The oh-me-god-holly-cow scene.

And the overly cliched hype of Torres and Gerrard partnership. So, why is it a club vying for trophies is still a two-men team. Just look at the other elite teams, everybody can cover each other. Without Gerrard and Torres, as portrayed in the Sunderland and Lyon games, the first team looks like a Division One team. It makes me wonder that: (1)why rugby player Dirk Kuyt is still in team, (2) why Lucas is still paraded as a talent, (3) why Rafa spend 17mil for Johnson when they lacked a striker of Torres pedigree. They should have bought Darren Bent with that money. Two of him in fact, with that money. And by the way, Andriy who?

Such is the frustration of one Liverpool fan. Imagine the millions around the world. What is wrong and causes so many downsides everyone is wondering.

Which leads to a million dollar question somebody asked me....Are you going to watch the Man U match this week? My answer: Are you kiddin?!

Of Exploring and Gluttony

Sometimes you went to a foreign place and came back, realizing that what your hometown had been offering for all these years had been taken for granted. It may have been 2GB worth of pictures of a romanticized Paris or a magnificent Rome, but I find Penang still has its charms. Its own quiet way of charm.


























I had some tourist-like walks and food-hunting trips upon touching-down the island. Komtar brings back memories of me being dragged along by my parents while shopping. The first KFC that I ever been is still there. Although the current government tried to have revive the deadening shopping complex (just by setting up a few pitiful tents and a walkway), the historical and once glorious sections of the complex still stand in waiting for the promised refurbishment and makeover.

Certainly I have to speak something of the food. Oh yes the food. The I-had-been-dreadfully-missing-for-months food.


















Georgetown is of course the main focus point where mouthwatering food are available and spread among the streets and across the city. Ok, pretty much a cliche.

Its challenging and exciting because you have to treasure-hunt for it and get the directions right. Exhausting especially walking under the hot sun. But then....
















...this is worth the effort.

So its an all you can eat situation. Curry mee, hokkien mee, char hor fun, char koay teow, etc etc. Occasionally, even non-Penang food are also welcome...
















Sapu semua.

Then comes the chilling session. Seriously, its not because we have much to catch-up, even its old-time buddies. But we need more space for more food...
















...so just chill loh. Relax. Then go find some more...
















...then eat some more....













...then chill some more.

And it goes on routine for several cycles. That is until we announced enough is enough. Then its time to go back. And sleep.

I call this the true Penang spirit. And its the total opposite of living a healthy lifestyle.

Nonetheless, its the essential guide of routine to explore Penang.

Relief

I would be damned if my laptop decided to get cranky and died without any possible warning and all my data lost just like that.

Well, the first part did happen. Thank goodness the data lost part was not in its plan of destruction. Oh shit, touch wood.

After one week in the ICU, it finally came out fine. Data intact. Diagnosis: Mobo got fried. Deep fried.

The lesson learned: If you have an AMD processor, please use good air ventilation pad. That's all I'm going to say. Hack, it was even stated in my receipt. In bold capital Time News Roman letters. Totally appreciate that, although they spell ventilation as Vandilation.

The Soothing Effect

Piece of advice: If you feel pissed-off or angry or anything within that range of emotion, listen to LP.

Or at least this is my best remedy. The soothing effect is kinda guaranteed after an hour of Chester shouts. Sing along if you don't mind the neighbour shouts back at you. Freedom of expression what.

However, the catch is, only Hybrid Theory and Meteora helped. Other albums seem not to have the same impact as these two.

My two cents. Have better recommendation?

Exactly...

I came across this article, and I can utterly relate it to my recent experience in Europe.

First World? Mana Ada First World? Satu Dunia pun Kampung.

Well, although not absolutely true, it still provided a good humour. Moral of the story, not everything is nice and excellent abroad.

Still, I would rather be there than here.