Happy Birthday to me

Turned 26 on the 24th.
Work was calling, thus the lack of blogging.

Thank you, guys&gals, for the cake!

Poetic excuse, ain't it? Tried to make a wish, not sure I'd eventually geddit.

My 4th Clubbing Experience

More crazy stuff happened.

Normally, I wouldn't even considered the notion of going out for clubbing during university & after starting to work.

But yesterday, I'd went out for clubbing for the 4th time this year at X2 for the following event:

Guess the title speaks for itself

X2 is quite spacious to the point it can even accommodate a catwalk walkway in front of the DJ podium. Music was cool, my legs were starting to groove even before midnight hit. On the other hand, the main event pretty much started after midnight. Till then I was pretty content with my small glass of Bacardi Light Rum & was looking forward to what the night has to offer. Then came a bottle of Red Label Scotch Whiskey. Even with the mixer, well... my alcohol intolerance prevailed once more. After downing the first glass, I was pretty much wasted. Hadn't even really witnessed the remainder of the event nor to dance the rest of the night away.

Should've known better to just keep my focus on the prize (was supposed to be the event or the dancing) rather than just downing the juices since everyone was doing it. Most importantly was that my other buddies had a good time since I'd promised them one. Twas a rather rare occasion the fact I'd came out to club in the first place. Haha.

Less than 15hours left till 24th Nov according to clock from home. I guess this event itself commemorates the Monday occasion. Cheers & Happy Sunday for now!

P.S. Yes I did get up around this time to write this blog entry. No idea how or why, I just did.

5 Tries for Terror

Phew... Just got off recently from a movie marathon (sort of) for the past 3 weeknights. But it was all not just some plain franchise movies, they all were horror movies. Hahahaha!

We all have our crazy moments sometimes. Breaking away from my usual routine, I & a friend decided to purchase some tickets for horror flicks being screened at Blitzmegaplex cinemas in Grand Indonesia mall.

Screamfest~~~ *Cue evil laughter* Muahahahahaha

Those 5 movies & respective screentimes were:
1. The Screen (Thai) - Monday late night
2. Soul's Code (Thai) - Tuesday night
3. Hansel & Gretel (Korean) - Tuesday late night
4. They Wait - Wednesday night
5. 100 Feet - Wednesday late night

Thought that I'd give myself a healthy fright once in a while. However, in the end, I still think classic Thai horror titles like Shutter & Alone did a better job at inducing terror into the audience compared to these flicks. Both The Screen & Soul's Code were close to meeting that criteria, but I could not really say the same for the other 3. H&G was more like a remake of one of the stories from the Twilight Zone movie. The remaining 2 IMO didn't have much of a compelling plot to have me glued to my seat in fear, but I give credit to the sound effects editor for both films for putting the "fear" in atmosphere (lame pun, i know).

More crazy tales coming soon!

Charting My Own Path

The choices laid before us...

"So what are you planning to do after you graduate?"

This was the question my dad asked me towards the end of my final year of university. My response was quick & simple: "Work for you, I guess." I very well recognize that my dad is a reputable man of talent and caliber in his field of industry. Looking back at that response, its pretty obvious that

1. I had no plan & didn't gave much serious thought about it;
2. It was the easiest, most straight-forward answer by instinct;
3.Although sincere, it can be also seen that such response is out of convenience, a choice for a shortcut in life.

Then came his response.

"If you truly want to help me in my business, go out there and get experience first."

Our conversation pretty much trailed off after that statement. But I still remember it word for word even past the day I'd donned the academic regalia and unfurled my degree which I'd earned. Being up to the challenge the world has in store for me, so I'd decided to have a taste of what constitutes to be real experience in the working world starting from job applications and interviews.

Today, after working at this MNC for close to 2 years now, the amount of experience I'd accumulated made thus far is sure one adventure of a lifetime! I'd finally reached this stage in life where I am able to relate & appreciate how invaluable real experience really is.

Few of my acquaintances had asked if I would be going to be joining my dad's company soon, since I had mentioned before that I would. But the fact is, the telco industry is going to continue growing even with the present global financial crisis. Market opportunities aside, furthermore I foresee that there is still much to learn in my current company. Guess my university's maxim Ancora imparo ("I'm still learning") still applies even as you proceed to another level in work & life.

What started with blindly letting life and circumstances dictate my career path, I'm confident that I had made a wise decision to chart my career path on my own. To that I owe my dad thanks and an apology: Thank you for your golden advice at the time when I wasn't even aware that I needed it; I'm sorry that I won't be "fighting battles" with you in the short term.

I'm charting my own path for the meantime.

Coincidentally...

Just woke up & turned to Channel News Asia for the morning news. Then the advert for Qatar Airways came up. At 0:27, the ad depicted the right eye of a stewardess (I think she was smiling too). Drawing parallels to that ad & my profile pic, hope I won't be subjected to some-whatnot advertising infringement.

Sad, isn't it? Can't even take a decent picture nowadays without worrying that the next dude might sue you for clash in artistry.
The advert as follows

-20 Years

I'd be close to 6 years old then. Life was much simpler back then.

I could faintly remember there were daily trips to kindergarten where learning is fun & simple. The most actual event I could recall then was a sport day event, followed by a trip to the zoo at the new kindergarten after moving house.

Back then what I look forward to the most was the cartoons in the evenings: Sesame Street, Voltron (Lions saga) & Thundercats top my priority list. This was followed by an immediate desire to own a most coveted material possession back then: an action figure selling at RM15 in the nearby Toys 'R' Us outlet. However, doing without it, there fortunately were other alternatives of distraction at home: VHS! I was considered lucky to be born into one of those well-off families who could afford a VCR from the late 80's to the early 90's. As such, I was able to record & enjoy my very own cartoon reruns.

Reminiscing Once in a While

Fast forward 20 years, I'd sure came a long way from then. Embarked on a career which has its fair share of frustrating headaches & enlightening experiences, coupled with constant traveling. I also have my very own personal laptop which I am currently blogging from. A set of values strongly influenced by my parents. Steady income. A degree. A recently renewed passport. A handful of Luggage. & still stuck in Single status with a capital "B"...

Here I would probably be either counting my blessings on life or sighing over my lack of ultimate direction. But I daresay that 20 years ago my life felt much simpler then, and I kinda missed it. Will be posting more on nostalgia in future posts. Later then.

Soup~! Glorious Soup~!

The sore throat which I had for the past week plus after my October presentation is finally gone!

2 Notes to remind myself in future: (1) No consumption of chilled drinks/foodstuff when feeling that you'd just recovered; (2) Daily consumption of soup/porridge/similar-foods are a consistently-proven remedy for swift recovery. And I'm not talking about MSG soup mix which comes with instant noodles, I'm talking about those properly prepared soups sold either by simple hawkers or fantastic soups served in various cuisines! I'd even got down to making my own chicken soup yesterday after getting the chickens from the wet market.

One of the most expensive DimSum dishes?

My health had just hit optimum level after today's brunch. For the DimSum buffet, I'd made sure to order this shark's fin wanton soup (鱼翅灌汤饺). Soup base includes herbal ingredients as well. Served while hot. Taste? Magnifique! I was informed that this DimSum item is one of the most expensive dishes in the entire standard DimSum menu. Since it was a DimSum buffet, I'd only paid a flat rate price & wouldn't know its standalone price. (Anyone can confirm with me this fact?)

Wouldn't mind patronizing this restaurant again soon for more of this soup. So... anyone fancy for some DimSum next weekend? Hehe..

Congratulations, President Obama!

Never too late to wish a fine example of a gentleman who had won the majority vote of the people in high places as well as common folk. May your efforts to help your country overcome the daunting challenge that is to come would bear the fruit desired.

To borrow your campaign's slogan "Change We Can Believe In", Malaysia at present is also going through a fair share of its own struggles in all quarters from the political to the home, seeking the same thing. Ever since our March 8 elections, subsequent events showing the utmost hypocritical statements uttered and distressing hard-handed actions taken towards our own people, makes matters seem that all hope is lost. There are those walking the corridors of power flexed their muscles to reassert that they're running the show. In the other corner, we also see opportunistic candidates who do recognize the ruling party's weakness, but only choose to take action at selected times that would further their own agenda into power.

However, Malaysians in general also abide by a set of values & principles which ultimately are no different across borders of race & religion, which cannot be taken away from them. (Also worth mentioning that thanks to a biased media here, we'd learn from our daily lives to read between the lies & boolsh33t) There are also many aspiring young candidates from various quarters who exhibit the potential & resourcefulness to turn the country around. There are also those heroes who had already begun their struggle for a better Malaysia even before the occurrence of our March 8 elections. I'm proud to say that I'm blessed to be living in such an exciting era to which there is so much potential for change & I could make a difference to realize change.

I shall look forward to your administration's endeavors to turn things around. May it be a total restructuring of how America does business, revitalizing education, seeking energy alternatives, or the re-imaging of your country in the eyes of the world, I wish you all the best for success!

Capturing (a pic of) the Scarlet Sight

First & foremost, most of the more popular blog addresses had been taken up. After racking my brains to figure out what possible phrase/name would be suitable for my blog, I'd chanced upon what would end up to be my blog profile pic.

The picture was taken with the secondary camera of my 2 year old Nokia n73. Back in Sept '06, it was new then. And it fits with my wishes back then to have a mobile phone with an integrated music player function. Didn't really care much for the camera quality then.
Everyday I would be having music in my ears, else I'd be fidgeting with Sudoku. Then there would be the occasional "OMG, I don't have a camera available. Heck, I'll just use my mobile then" to take a shot of a memory not to be missed.

However, as much as I have plenty of praise for this gadget of mine in terms of functionality, I sure agree a lot with the critics on its design flaws as well. After just past 1 year of usage, the joystick started feel more "flexible" than usual. Come Nov '07, with just a light tap from the back, the joystick would pop out like a Mexican jumping bean. Then its Hide & Seek time - with me as the seeker. I'd decided to get the joystick fixed, but Lo & behold... Nokia Service Center sez: "We have to replace the whole layer of hardware under the casing to fix your new joystick." -.-"

Like it or not, it still deserves credit for capturing my profile pic which I found interestingly creative & had been using it since in MSN & other sites' profile pics. Guess I'll be sticking to this little dude for a few years longer (if the removable joystick does not happen again!).Hopefully if a new iPhone v3.0 is released with a longer battery life. Perhaps I might consider...

What to write for Blog Entry #1?

After a painstaking hour of brainstorming for the title & address, I'd finally got down to writing my first entry! I wonder what bloggers would normally do for their first entry? A brief introduction? A shoutout to the Internet world?

Guess I'll just stick to the main title then.

On Travels, ever since I'd started working I had been traveling overseas a lot. I mean... really... A LOT! Heck when they'd said that this job entails plenty of overseas traveling, I guess by saying "I'm okay with that" I kinda got more than what I'd bargained for. But nevertheless, since I'm in for the ride, it would be good in the long run to chronicle my experiences overseas in writing as well as photos (Glad I'd purchased that Panasonic this year!).

On Tales, there was a time back in high school where I had inspirations to write short stories to the school magazine. But ever since work its been a routine of reports, reports & more reports. Perhaps at free times like this, inspiration can strike me once more to pen a potential Potter or Tolkien? Well, even if inspiration does not occur, I guess I could recollect past experiences to share. Then there's also my rants & raves about my other pastimes like reading & gaming. Better to keep a balance between fact & fiction on postings here.

Ultimately, I think most of my postings would likely fall under my Thoughts category. So often I'd like to share & discuss with people I know about values, principles & the like. Hopefully by recording such discussion in writing would enable me to understand & appreciate why certain people make the choices they do. In contrast, I could also hold steadfast to my own value system that there are certain lines not meant to be crossed; else we'd forever lose the part of our individual selves which makes us special.

Hmm... Any longer lines & I might sound like the architect from the Matrix Trilogy.

Hello, World!
& Signing off now.