firecrackers...

Damn dem firecrackers. Woke me up from my deep slumber. Arrgghh. Cracking and booming here and there. Some joker near my place got hold of some real loud ones and have been firing them up every now and then. Jerk. This is gonna go on for another 3 days at least. Sigh. Our great cops claims they have a crackdown on firecrackers but I don't seem to be seeing it. Its been going off for long periods. If only they would get off their fat asses (not forgetting cosy air conditioned rooms) and drive around, I guarentee they would catch at least ONE!

Its weird though. Before firecrackers were banned, my family would religiously play them every Chinese New Year. We would get all sorts and spend more than a hundred bucks on em'. My bro and I would actually look forward to it and we would even spend our own allowance to double up our supple. LOL. Ever since the ban, for the first few years it was ok, but now I get really irritated with all these jokers going about blasting away. I kind of understand the reason for banning em' since they make such a racket and nowadays the firecrackers are close to being grenades. The amount of force they have is amazing. Plus you have all these idiots thinking they are firearm experts making home made bamboo bombs and what not. At the end they lose their arm/leg or even their lives. Some cause damage by throwing them in other peoples houses. Blowing up stuff. Damn fools.

I guess you can never get rid of firecrackers. Firstly they have been in our culture for years. Then you have all the smugglers bringing it in like its candy. We can't even eradicate pirated CDs so I doubt we'll ever get rid of fireworks. Although they are 2 different things. One is illegal music while the other can actually take a life of a person. Oh well, hope our cops will be more active in catching these perps. Then only can I have some good sleep instead of thinking we are going to war.

Think I'll try to hit the sack again. Its gotten quiet outside. Hope this keeps up. Take care folks and enjoy the long break. Cheerio.

sweating it out...

Finally after a long hiatus (close to 3 months i think) we started playing Futsal again. This time we decided to try out a new place which cost only slightly more. Turns out its very much better than the others and might be out usual spot from now on.Only problem with this place is that they are strict with the time. Previously we could delay as our ppl gathered (typical msians, most come in 10 to 15 minutes late). It was quite a workout I must add. Feeling the age la nowadays. Lucky I was able to keep up although didn't do that much running. Managed to score a goal though, nothing special but a goal nonetheless. Hope we can keep this up and play regularly like before. Need to do some exercise to get rid of my belly. Getting rather annoyed of it. Plus not counting all the back pains I seem to be getting now and then.

The streets were pretty quite today. All the chinese folks have head back to their respective hometowns for the reunion dinner. Now I'm craving for a round of yu sang, which is only served during the Chinese New Year period. Hopefully next Saturday I'll be chowing down on some with a few mates. Think this Chinese New Year is gonna be pretty quit. Gotta work on Monday and then in the wee hours of Wednesday gotta rush down to Seremban to do my grandpas 31st day prayers. Its like a closing of his death so to speak. That would eat up whole of Wednesday. Then its back to working life.

*Yaaawwn* Starting to get sleepy. Better hit the showers, have my dinner and knock out. Was planning to head out with some mates to a nearby mamak and catch an FA Cup game but don't think I'm up for it. Gd'nite ya'll and Happy Chinese New Year!!

nonsense...

Not really sure what to blog about but thought I'll just spew some crap out.

songs in my head...

Dreams by The Game
Kenji by Fort Minor
Gold Digger by Kanye West
When I'm Gone by Eminem

places I would like to visit...

Bali
New Zealand
Sri Lanka
Italy
Mauritius

cars I hope to own one day...

BMW M3
Mini Cooper S Works
Mazda MX5 a.k.a Miata
Subaru WRX STi
VW Golf R32

movies I wanna watch...

Munich
Looking for Comedy in the Muslim World
Brokeback Mountain
Match Point

things I miss about US...

Freeflow on soft drinks (for those long nights)
Four seasons (especially winter)
Travelling (its so huge you don't have to leave the country!)
Freedom of speech (something we lack and its starting to screw us up)
Hot chocolate (at times Milo just doesn't cut it)

foods I'm currently craving...

Roti Bakar
Nasi Lemak w/ Rendang
Bombay Steak
Sushi
Premium Ice Cream

things I'm looking forward to...

World Cup 2006
A vacation overseas (haven't decided where yet)
Upgrading my MyVi's audio system

Okie okie, I think enuff crap for now. Even I am fedup of typing. Cheers folks and have a good long weekend. =)

kong hei fatt choy!

Ssup peeps?! Taking this time to wish all my chinese mates Gong Xi Fa Cai. Hope you guys have lotsa fun, put on weight from all the good food and get rich from all the ang pows (please collect extra for me ar). Below is an interesting chinese rap song to celebrate this prosperous new year. Got it via email and not sure who the original author is.


Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang tong,
Tong tong chang

Everybody please sing this song
Just follow me, you won't go wrong
And after when the song is done
Gerenti get good luck one

Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang tong,
Tong tong chang

Uncle, auntie, don't be cheap
The more you give the more you reap
If these wise words you do believe
Then New Year ang pow got to give

Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang tong,
Tong tong chang

New Year, Ah Beng go all out
With Tiger Beer or Guiness Stout
But if you wish to stay alive
After you drink, please do not drive.

Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang tong,
Tong tong chang

Ah Lian looking for a man
Must dress as sexy as you can
I hope this new year, him you'll find
Long one, short one, never mind

Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang tong,
Tong tong chang

Little children, have you heard?
New Year cannot say bad word!
Cannot sulk and cannot cry
Cannot grumble ? Ch*u ch*e b*i.?

Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang tong,
Tong tong chang

Ah pek, Ah chim, drink some wine
Show us you're not in decline
New Year is your golden chance
To prove to all you still can dance

Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang tong,
Tong tong chang

Everybody, sing with me
In sexy tone and humsap key
The New Year song of viewer true
Happy year of the dog to you!!

Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang
Tong tong chang tong,
Tong tong chang

espn party...

What an interesting night I had yesterday. The day started off with a trip to the wet market to get our monthly supply of mutton. After that I just bummed at home playing with my niece, reading the dailies and watching the telly. At around 7pm calls were made. We had planned to catch the ESPN EPL Party in Souled Out and we had to get our butts there early before the crowd gets in. This was something we couldn't miss mainly because there was an important game at midnite. Yup you guessed it, Manchester United vs. Liverpool!

After all the calls were made, we managed to reach Souled Out at 8pm which was pretty early since the party only starts at 845pm. Sadly when we got there the place was fully booked. No one was actually there to fill the seats but all tables were booked. We were annoyed as we didn't think reservations were allowed considering the invitation fliers stated gates were to open at 845pm. Anyways we chilled at the bar in hopes of getting a table. Shortly after we ordered our drinks, a table came up free. Best part it was right next to the projector. Which means we had a perfect view of the screen. Woo Hoo! No complaints there. After about 30 minutes or so more people started filling the seats. Before we knew it Souled Out was packed with MU and Liverpool jerseys. Our luck we sat right next to a table of the Liverpool FC Fan Club and boy were they noisy. What made things worse was that the fucked up host (a dumbass comedian called Sheikh Haikal) was also a Liverpool fan and I felt his performance was rather biased. They need to get someone more open so that the fans can go at it. Not the damn host! Anyhoo the night dragged on with the first game between Chelsea and Charlton. Since both MU and Liverpool wanted to reach the top of the league, obviously we were all cheering for the same team, Charlton! The game ended in a draw which ended Chelsea's winning run. Great news for both teams who were about to kick off.

At midnite the game kicked off and everyone were glued to the screen. The game was pretty hot. Liverpool seemed to shine more in the 1st half and it was pretty evident that MU were missing their ailing midfielders (Smith, Ronaldo & Scholes) badly. Surprisingly we came back strong in the 2nd half. Much better chances and more possession. The game looked like it was destined for a draw when a minute into injury time Rio Ferdinand headed a wonderful ball from Giggs. You should have been in Souled Out. On one side all the MU fans were screaming their heads off (I even had beer spilled down my pants from Rio's goal. LOL. Someone hit our table and knocked my beer mug over) and on the other side the Liverpool fans were dead silent. A big contrast from before the goal when they had the host on their side and they were shouting away. You could practically hear a pin drop if needed. LOL. It was a great SLAP in the face. A couple of minutes went by and the final whistle was blown. Woo Hoo, the Red Devils did it again! It was a thrilling game.

After everything cooled down, we settled our tab and headed to a nearby mamak for some Roti Bakar and tea. Spent about 30 odd minutes and headed home. Pretty tiring and my throat was sore from all the screaming plus the sore throat I was still recovering from. Reached home around 330am and after washing up I hit the sack. Been awhile since I had this much fun watching a game. Hopefully ESPN will have more of these and this time I'll make sure I make reservations! =)


wes brown celebrating with rio after the winning header...

flu bug...

Sigh. Caught the flu bug yesterday. Feeling real shitty now. Started with slight sore throat in the morning but now I can feel my nose is gonna start giving some problems. AC in the office isn't helping much either. Damn I hate colds. I rarely get em' but when I do, it goes all out! Got it from my dad who is still trying to kick his off. My mom has caught it as well. Plus it seems about 50% in the office is sick. Not a very good sign. I really hope this wears off soon with the prayers and what not coming soon. Hate being sick. =(

most fun i had in awhile...

Wow what a long day yesterday was but it was one with the most fun I've had in days. Started off around 12ish with a lunch buffet for the project I'm working under. We were celebrating our 2nd anniversary and decided on Crown Princess Hotel for their Hi Tea Extravaganza. Supposedly the longest buffet line in Malaysia (running between 2 restaurants). The food there was not bad especially for the price. Lots of good variety and tasty as well. The interesting thing was, my favourite there was Roti Bakar (toast with Kaya). I know it can be found in our local mamaks but this was cooked under charcoal and the Kaya was really tasty. Plus the bread their using is not the common type bought off the shelves. Yummy! Wish I could have some now...

Anyhoo after lunch we headed to Hard Rock Cafe for some drinks. Thought it would be relatively cheap since its Happy Hour but sadly their Happy Hour prices are actually normal prices anywhere else. Since we were already there we just sat through until Happy Hour ended at 6pm. Before we knew it we had finished off about 10 jugs. Once Happy Hour ended we were outta there and decided to head to Bangsar to continue our party. We ended up in Absolute, which I have to say is a sad joint. One of our colleagues said he had a contact there so we decided why not. The place was okie but I wouldn't really pay cover charge to get in. Plus there wasn't really any contact! Anyways time just flew when we were there. The crowd was so so. Not that many cute ladies. We ended the party around 2am when the club closed. Even skipped dinner.
All we shared was a plate of chilli fried ikan bilis and sausages. We polished off about 3 bottles of JD and a jug of Long Island Tea (between 5 of us). Phew. Luckily we were all still stable. No one puked and no unwanted scenes. Finally ended up on my bed around 4am. Knocked out till about 2pm today.

Been awhile since I drank that much. And to imagine I had a resolution to not drink so much. LOL. Hellave start to the new year huh. Surpringly when I got up this afternoon, did not have a hangover. Stomach felt fine as well. Usually my stomach would be all screwed. Guess I should count my lucky stars. I gotta admit it was a great night. Been awhile since I've been out from lunch time all the way past midnight to the next morning. I think I'm feeling the age la. Can't be doing this often. Maybe once in a blue moon.

Anyways I gotta head out now to K2OC's AGM. Would be my last day as a committee member. Hope it'll be a good turnout. Toodles.

celebrity comments...

Here are some funny comments made by celebrities. Got this via email.

"There are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual arousal, particularly in women. Chief among these is the Mercedes-Benz 380SL." -Lynn Lavner

"Sex at age 90 is like trying to shoot pool with a rope." -Camille Paglia

"Women might be able to fake orgasms. But men can fake a whole relationship." -SharonStone

"Hockey is a sport for white men. Basketball is a sport for black men. Golf is a sport for white men dressed like black pimps." -Tiger Woods

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." Jack Nicholson

"Clintonlied. A man might forget where he parks or where he lives, but he never forgets oral sex, no matter how bad it is." -Barbara Bush

"Ah, yes, divorce, from the Latin word meaning to rip out a man's genitals through his wallet." -Robin Williams

"Women need a reason to have sex. Men just need a place." -Billy Crystal

"According to a new survey, women say they feel more comfortable undressing in front of men than they do undressing in front of other women. They say that women are too judgmental, where, of course, men are just grateful." -Robert De Niro

"There's a new medical crisis. Doctors are reporting that many men are having allergic reactions to latex condoms. They say they cause severe swelling. So what's the problem?" -Dustin Hoffman

"There's very little advice in men's magazines, because men think, 'I know what I'm doing. Just show me somebody naked'." -Jerry Seinfeld

"See, the problem is that God gives men a brain and a penis, and only enough blood to run one at a time." -Robin Williams

"It's been so long since I've had sex, I've forgotten who ties up whom." -Joan Rivers

"Sex is one of the most wholesome, beautiful and natural experiences money can buy." -Steve Martin

"You don't appreciate a lot of stuff in school until you get older. Little things like being spanked every day by a middle-aged woman. Stuff you pay good money for in later life." -Elmo Phillip

"Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same." -Oscar Wilde

" It isn't premarital sex if you have no intention of getting married." -George Burns

online radio...

Wah what a nice find today. My mate Hybernating Bear found this and passed it on. Its called Pandora and created by the Music Genome Project. Its a nifty site with a comprehensive database of musicians. What it does is stream songs according to your tastebuds. So you just have to enter your favourite song or artiste and it will find songs related to it. So far I've been using this for about 2 hours now and its managed to get about 90% accuracy. Not bad. Plus point is no crappy adverts or DJs. There is supposed to be adverts by the website itself but I don't seem to see anything that is a big bother.

This is highly recommended to those in front of the PC all the time. Perfect online radio'ish service around. Go give it a try. No regrets!

resolutions...

*Yaaawn* Another boring day at work. Sigh. I'm feeling a need for change. Sadly the job market isn't that inviting. Guess I will have to stay put for a bit and bite my tongue. Anyhoo I thought why not jump on the bandwagon and do my 2006 resolutions. Not like I would fulfill them but I guess no harm in at least thinking about it. So here goes...

1. Lose weight (this is more like my life's resolution, not just for 2006)
2. Look for a new job (or scope at least)
3. Find a girlfriend
4. Travel overseas (thinking about New Zealand, Bali or maybe Australia)
5. Buy a house (somewhere around SS18 or 19)
6. Slow down on my drinking (mom would like me to stop but lets be more realistic)

None of them in any particular order. I am sure I have more but I can't seem to think of any right now. Alrighty time to shoot off for dinner. Adios.

so long 'Appa'...

Yesterday was a sad day for my family. My grandfather (affectionately called 'Appa') passed away at a ripe age of 100 years 119 days and 15.5 hours. He leaves behind his wife (Appachi), 4 daughters, 2 sons (my dad being one of them), 17 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren (plus 1 more on the way). Sadly he left with only one son, one daughter, 2 grandchildren and 1 great grandchildren by his side. He was a strong man who lived through earning a living in a foreign land (Sri Lanka was his home) away from his parents and siblings, being tortured during the Japanese Occupation, losing his job as an estate manager in his 40s (with 7 mouths to feed not including all the others in the estate who relied on him), marrying off his 4 daughters (not an easy feat with the emphasis on dowries), educating 2 of his sons (overseas), losing his legs to due to infection/diabetes and the worse part of all, watching his family break apart due to greed, money and selfishness.

Its a very sad thing to see my dad's family break apart. What once were a tight knit family with multiple gatherings a year (sharing laughter and memories) to everyone hating the sight of one another as well as picking sides on certain matters. The worse was to see my grandfather lose the love, affection and respect of his children. In the last 5 years of his life, only 2 of them cared for him while the others only visited once a year as a formality. Visiting was one thing but they wouldn't even touch, love or take the time to talk to him. How inhuman can a person be. For all that he has done for his family, to see this happen is something very sad. As I type this I can't help but tear.

One thing for sure is Appa passed away with a smile in his face and a peaceful heart. Actually, I can never recall a time when my grandpa never smiled. No matter what shit he had to endure, he never did put on a sad face. He always was happy and cheerful and very loving to his family. Even in the years his health was deteorating and he lost his legs, he was happy with his life and what he managed to achieve. He wanted to celebrate his 100th birthday and he did. He was able to see 17 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren grow. He lived passed all his friends and relatives. He had no major illnesses or vices. He also wished that he would pass in the home he built and lived almost half his life and he did. Ever so quietly and peacefully in his bed. I couldn't have wished for a better ending.

Today we cremated his body. We did everything as he asked. No elaborate ceremonies, no fussying over his body, no obituary and no ego boosting bullshit most would come to expect. Tommorrow in the wee hours of the morning, we are going to place his ashes along Sg. Linggi, where he spent his life earning a living and nurturing his children. His last wish.

I write this as a testimonial of sorts for my dear grandpa. He didn't want/have an obituary so I thought why not blog it. Plus I feel he deserved a hellave lot more than what he ended up with. To those that ignored him during the years he needed you most, I hope that what goes around comes around. Don't think 1 day of crying is going to solve it.

I end this post with a picture of my Appa and Appachi taken during his 100th birthday.

I love you Appa. God bless and take care. I'll see you when I get there. =)

happy new year...

Happy New Year folks!! Time sure flies doesn't it. Another year just went past in a flash. Hope all of you out there managed to have a great time ushering 2006. Just like the year before some of us decided that we ain't gonna brave through the crowds, cover charges, parking and traffic jams just to see some crappy fireworks, drink watered down beer/liquor and fight with other revelers.

The plan was to group at my house to party on the 'Pondok' (patio thingy my parents build for outdoor gatherings). About 8 of us. Liquors (2 whiskey and 1 vodka), mixers and snacks (peanuts, chips and what not) were bought plus 100 sticks of yummy satay were shipped in (from Subang that is). The gig got started around 1130pm due to some communication and timing breakdown. Sadly something quite typical from my group of friends. Anyways we managed to start before the year ended and we ushered in 2006 with cheers of whiskey and vodka! Now who could have asked for anything more. The night went on till about 630am where everyone were getting tired/sleepy. We managed to finish up 2 bottles and left about 1/4 of another. Before we capped the night, we headed down to SS2 for some lovely Dim Sum. Filled our tummies and we headed home.

It was a nice night. No crowd or noise to contend with. We didn't really miss out on fireworks too since around my neighbourhood there were fireworks were being lighted all round. Another hightlight was one of my mates brought along his friend's Teacup Poodle puppy and he was the cutest thing. Small lil fella, no bigger than 5 inches. He was about 3 weeks old or so. Made me wanna have a dog again. Sigh. Sadly my parents don't share the same thought and its their house. So obviously its a big no no. Need to try and poison my niece to bug his dad (my bro). Then maybe I'll get a chance. We'll see.

I guess thats all for now. My first post of 2006. Happy New Year everyone and hope you have a good year ahead. Cheers!!