Is it better to get off at the old rail station instead of KL Sentral? |
- Is it better to get off at the old rail station instead of KL Sentral?
- Remembering September 11
- Identification With Form
- pOpcrap » Apollo 18 + Das Auto Show KL
- Happy is in Your Hand, Happy is in Your Hand!
- Let's Go Let's Go Chopping!
- Please don't go!!!!!!!
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- the arsonists at work
- the smoking cloud
- 6 Tahun.
- My Penang Trip... Day 4
- Cycling Along The East Coast Of Taiwan
- A pendulum only an engineer could love
- Culture of Pain
- you don't see the green again
- that's ah long
- Sung Yuri, Park Min-young, Sure Magazine
- Volkswagen Das Auto Show 2011 @ Bukit Jalil
- Short story by Celine Tee in the latest SELANGOR TIMES
| Is it better to get off at the old rail station instead of KL Sentral? Posted: 10 Sep 2011 10:51 AM PDT Last Friday was my first trip to KL on the ETS which took only 2 hours instead of 3 from Batu Gajah. Being a senior citizen, I paid only Rm26 instead of the normal fare of Rm34, almost 25% discount. Just before reaching the last stop, an announcement 'next stop KL old station' made me decide to get off before reaching destination KL Sentral. I thought it was walkable to Masjid Jamek where I was to take the LRT to Sentul. I had to ask a staff before I knew I had to walk northwards to cross the pedestrian bridge to get to Central Market and then to Masjid Jamek. It was not pedestrian friendly and the signs not useful for any first-timer. Initially there was a sign to Jalan Sambanthan and who was to know that it would lead to CM? Being ex-KLite, I knew where I should be heading to get to Masjid Jamek station. But my first try getting into the station was a mistake as it led me to the Kelana Jaya Line instead of Star line to get to my intended destination, Sentul. I would say it was worth my while to try out for myself getting off at the old station and walk instead of taking the LRT from KL Sentral to Masjid Jamek, since I had time to kill before DoReMi's 30th Anniversary dinner and concert. I don't think anyone in a hurry and unfamiliar with the route should do it. After getting off at Sentul, I looked towards the direction where my former school clock tower was visible. In the foreground next to the station is Wesley Methodist School, formerly known as Methodist High School. I had to walk round some old railway quarters before I could reach HGH Convention Centre which is in front of my old school, MBS Sentul. DoReMi's boss, Lim Cheng Wah is also an ex-student. My first purchase from DoReMi was a set of bongo drums, sold by my then niece-in-law who happened to be working for them at their first shop in Pertama Complex. They have grown since and celebrated their 30th anniversary with great fanfare. We normally deal with Lim's sister-in-law, Alice who always give us 15% discount! Because I did not expect much, I was pleasantly surprised when we were entertained by their own band known as Doremians comprising staff members. They have a group of percussionists known as By Heart Clan. But the highlight was the demo by Roland's V-drum specialist, Tony David on their TD-9KX2 and SPD-30. It was amazing how versatile the electronic drums could be compared with the conventional ones. Then there was a young Michael Jackson impersonator who is good enough to make a living with his skills. The band Rade was impressive and I particularly liked the drummer who had the advantage of playing a well amplified Sonor drums kit by DoReMi technicians. It seems the staff in charge of setting up the mass of music and sound equipment were at the hall since 10 am! Incidentally, the first prize for the lucky draws (for those who purchased Rm1,000 and above recently which we did not qualify) was a Sonor set worth Rm26,000! The second prize was a Carvin Legacy amplifier and the third was a Washburn electric guitar. There were many absentees when winners' names were called and the eventual winners for the top three prizes were really lucky because some did not turn up! More about DoReMi: http://www.doremi.com.my/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=106&Itemid=129 Link 
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| Posted: 10 Sep 2011 10:12 AM PDT I was a university student 10 years ago, staying in a guest house along with 8-9 other mates. It was late night at our timezone when the 9/11 attacks took place. Both the Twin Towers were already attacked (but still standing) by the time we caught the news. It took us a while to digest what's happening after the reruns, that it's a planned attack on civilians instead of some freak accidents (which we initially thought). The second shock came moments later when the first tower crumbled like a sandcastle, and my heart sunk, knowing that the casualties would be massive. And then came the inevitable moment, as the second tower collapsed as well. I can't remember if anyone of us cried, but the room was definitely gloomy, filled with sorrows and an overwhelming sense of disbelieve. 10 years have passed, to be honest the sadness was rather short-live (for most neutrals), but the memories last. Condolences to those who have lost their love ones. God bless. Remembering September 11 from YeinJee's Asian Blog
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| Posted: 10 Sep 2011 10:31 AM PDT Amidst all the shopping, it is easy to lose your identity and start assigning yourself to objects. Pretty soon, Tyler Durden is right. "The things you own, end up owning you." We are not our smartphones. We are not our bank account, the clothes we wear, the people we fuck. We are not our jobs. We are not who we know, or even what we know. The thing with identity is that it is entirely egotistical. All of it. We latch on to certain words and definitions, and we become it. When I write about people - and most of my writing is about people or people-centric, I have often encountered the problem that 800 words cannot fully capture the essence of a person. Or 1000. Or 10,000. Words are basically labels. How does one write the soul in shorthand? How can you not include the fixed, glassy gaze as well as his CV in an article? Or the fact that at some point in his life, this person was both a villain and a hero to a seemingly insignificant little bug? The tics. Not ticks. Tics. Facial expressions, the way the pupils go wide or narrow, depending on whether they like what they see, or remember? The tone of voice that carries with it a resignation to a well-rehearsed speech? It used to drive me crazy. And I probably was. Probably am. My parents are married for 46 years, and they do not know each other. 46 years. A lifetime. Longer than mine. If you can't know a person in 46 years, what hopes do 800 words have? So we go back to labels. And words are just that, as I said just now. It is an entirely imperfect system. Oh well. Time to restore contacts to my new Blackberry! Yay! 
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| pOpcrap » Apollo 18 + Das Auto Show KL Posted: 10 Sep 2011 09:52 AM PDT It's Sunday! Time to relax, sip some milo ais and watch some Techduology.
POPCRAP 1 Went to watch Apollo 18 few days ago.. thx Ewin for inviting.
I went into the cinema without any expectations at all.. and I did not know what the movie was about.. POPCRAP 2 Was at the Volkswagon Das Auto Show just now. Here's 3 photos as preview. A summary post will be up in few days. Detailed post in few months. LOL
Kate and workmates at the registration counter.
Hot wheels.
Transformers. More photos and video in a few days time. POPCRAP 3 In this week's episode of Techduology with me and Ben…
We talked about: CLICK HERE to watch
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| Happy is in Your Hand, Happy is in Your Hand! Posted: 10 Sep 2011 09:47 AM PDT I don't shop very much, so when I do, I try to get good deals and buy cheap stuff that would last a long time. Case in point, this tattered collared shirt I'm wearing right now is five years old. Some parts on my computer are from 11 years ago, including my monitor. My old Blackberry, I used it for three years and I'll post pictures of its state soon. I still have some t-shirts from 1995 which I still wear today. They are all torn and faded. My old PC used to have a power cable I Macguyvered from an old kettle I got from my sister way back in 1999. You can't expect much when you pay low prices, but if you care for the things you paid for, I believe you can make them last. If you want to, of course. It's about respect and appreciating what you have. It's about being grateful. I remember a time when there was huge drama over finding the right-sized shirts for me. Huge fucking drama. There was also drama about standing fans and shit. I mean, what the fuck? Fans? And the TV was a huge source of drama as well. Even when we had two TV sets, there was drama. Anyway, I generally go to Midvalley for fun. I watch movies at Gardens or Megamall. I buy computer stuff now exclusively from All IT Hypermarket at Ikano Power Center. I go to Bangsar Village to eat, and KLCC to deal with Maxis, though the Maxis Centre at eCurve is really very good. Oh well. Time to chill, y'all! 
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| Posted: 10 Sep 2011 09:15 AM PDT Whooo-eee! Err... I mean, KA-KAAAA! WOO-HOO-HOOOO! (Do it like Mat Sabu! PIS-M's very own Internet icon.) I just spent the whole day shopping. At The Curve, which is fast becoming my favourite place to do so. First thing's first - I needed a new phone as my old Blackberry Curve 8520 2G is almost dead. The battery is the first thing to go. After that, it WILL start to go crazy and then die. Before that happens on a busy workday, compelling me to go to hell and get resurrected as a masked avenger, I might as well get a new phone and avoid all the drama. So I went to the Maxis Centre at eCurve and was told by a very helpful staff dude that, "It will be a long wait." To which I replied, "Fuck it, man! I'll wait 15 minutes if I have to. Hell, I'll wait 30 minutes if you have the Blackberry Bold 9780 in Black." I waited patiently for like, 20 minutes, before a very helpful staff saw me and helped make savings on my account as well as get me this:  This is the Bold I want. I don't want the Bold Touch. Not yet. Always stay off the bleeding edge of technology, man. Plus, supposedly the Bold 9780 has better battery life than the Bold Touch. We shall see. I am charging the Bold 9780 right now. If you guys are interested, a brand new version of the Blackberry phone I am using right now, the Blackberry Curve 8520 2G, is going for RM90 with a two-year BIS 90 contract with Maxis. But I suggest you take the second package of BIS 55 as I doubt you'll need that much bandwidth. With a two-year BIS 55 contract, you can get the phone for RM300++. It's a good phone. I used my Curve for three years and did a lot of business on it. After buying some accessories at the Blackberry shop downstairs, I made my way to Harvey Norman to survey refrigerators and rice cookers. Then I went to Ikea, where I got myself these:  Identisk Crisis: Wok with lid I have an induction stove, courtesy of @YouTiup, so the Identisk, which is also suitable for induction hobs, amongst other things, is the perfect thing for me to cook in. Big enough to even hold my chicken curry and other stuff. The lid helps keep my apartment less greasy than it already is, when cooking. Plus, at RM69, it's cheap compared to Zebra and other brands.  Fatal-Four-way: Grunka Lunka Doopidee doo This is the four-piece Grunka kitchen set. Stainless steel, comprising of a (from the left) spatula, spoon, ladle and spaghetti server. RM25 for the whole set, meaning RM6.25 for each utensil.  Bonus: It IS a bonus! I was looking at spatulas when I found the Grunka set, and then discovered this wonderful item: the aptly-named 16-piece Bonus Cutlery set. At only RM4.90 per set, it is a steal with four sets of fork-knife-spoon-teaspoon in each box! I bought two!  Vanlig: Whateverlah I need some glasses, though I primarily drink out of empty mineral water bottles, so I got myself the Vanlig set. RM9.80 per set of half-dozen.  Lugn: Cheaper than Plastic! This is the Lugn plate, a stoneware thing going for... wait for it... wait for it... RM1.60 a piece! WHat the fuck? My plastic plates cost me RM2 each. So I got me five of these for RM8.  Heat Pot Stand: Blahblahblah For the Identisk. I don't want to set my wok just anywhere.  Frakta for My Matha As I exited Ikea, and finding nothing interesting at their As Is section, I got myself two of these large bags. My mother wanted one of these when I used it to carry stuff back home last Raya. She'll never use it, but who cares? It's RM1.90 Before going back to Harvey Norman, I stopped by a Bata shop at Ikano to buy this:  818: Beach Street Avenue! This is the Bata Power 818-9771 court shoes. Colour is royal/white. I buy Bata shoes not because I am being ironic, but because they're damn cheap and last a long time. Longer than Nike, and they look like Nike too. I wore mine for three years until I got bored. Only RM59.99, bebeh! At Harvey Norman, I met a very friendly sales dude and I bought this from him:  Paff-Paff The Magic Dragoon This is the Tefal RK 1012. Combination rice-cooker+steamer. It has stupid stickers all around it, but it is useful. And Tefal makes some good non-stick kitchen stuff, the same technology they use for the pot inside. Finally, there is this heavyweight:  Refridgeron! Transform! This is the Panasonic NR-BT223. It's a bottom freezer, with a net volume of 296L or 237L with all the stuff inside. It will be delivered tomorrow. I do not know whether this fridge and that rice cooker will be good. I'll definitely keep on posting reviews about it. However, I am done for the day and it's time to just chill while I wait for my Blackberry Bold 9780 gets up to full charge. 
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| Posted: 10 Sep 2011 08:06 AM PDT Mat: Please, please don't go. Where am I going to find another partner like you? Please. Don't you cherish all the good times we had together? Dollah: Noooooo! I'd rather die than to be without you please, don't go. Please, please, I can't take this. Samad: What is life without you? If you must leave, then please take me with you. I've never had a partner like you before. John: No, we have to go. It saddens us to go what with your tin and rubber but we must leave. Remember, you were never colonised, you were a partner, an equal partner. You have been independent all this while. Thanks for your gifts of rubber and tin. Her Majesty sincerely appreciated it. Bye-bye partner. Remember, whatever people may say about our relationship, one day a chosen one by the name of KELING would clear the air. 
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| Posted: 10 Sep 2011 07:54 AM PDT  
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| Posted: 10 Sep 2011 06:46 AM PDT The quiet housing estate Years nobody wanted to stay Houses bought owners didn't live in They hoped to get tenants earning income Waiting for the university to open Houses were sold quickly to eager buyers The property investors thought of wealth The large university population It was years before anything could happen On the streets the cow dung made the artistic impression Laying lumps on the roads as sign of protests The grazing ground gone to housing projects It was a while before university students came Then the quiet housing estate had life came alive Shops opened and Tesco nearby The lively activities begin to draw the crowd Then the arsonists came 12 attacks to make the housing estate scared Students rented homes got torched Some rascals making mischief Taman Kampar Perdana It slowly begins to come alive Now with the arson cases incident It makes a bad impression Security guards from the university Patrolling the area at night Police set up roadblock to check Hoping to catch the culprits Living at Taman Kampar Perdana The neighbors should look out for each other The arsonists may sleep for now End of year they may spring to action 
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| Posted: 10 Sep 2011 06:39 AM PDT The haze the smoking cloud In the morning going to the night Occasionally there is the sun It tries hard to get its rays down to us I remembered in Langkawi The first time I heard of haze That year was 1997 The haze came white smoking screen So it was Every year the haze blanket the sky The people seem getting used to it The newspapers dare not write as much anymore Yen Yen doesn't want to score low KPI She wants the country to feel the tourist dollar Streaming down to the tourist spots No bad publicity woe to her budget During the time of the sleeping beauty It was found the plantations owned by Malaysian companies No action was taken at our soil It just hung up in the ceiling as a decoration Now government officers talk Meeting in Thailand quietly on a low key What to discuss it has become a yearly affair Wooing each other without a permanent solution The haze in our sky It blinds the government eyes Now the illegals got citizenship For the power cooking up the wealth 
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| Posted: 10 Sep 2011 06:01 AM PDT Apa khabar semua...saya baru je balik dari Majlis Cukur Jambul anak buah saya kat Shah Alam. Alhamdulillah semuanya berjalan dengan lancar sekali. Kat Shah Alam sana ramai budak budak kecik..saya pulak bawa shemie dan ninja..habis diorang kerumun saya. Letih rimas. Huhu...tapi tetap seronok sebab dapat lepas rindu dekat Iman tersayang.  Apa kena mengena tajuk dengan entri ni...Entah apa yang saya fikirkan sejak kebelakangan ni. Saya banyak mengelamun je...bermimpi sana sini...Entah apa yang terbuku dalam hati ni...Entah apa agaknya rupa sebenar hati ni kalau dilihat dengan mikroskop...Entah apalah sebenarnya yang diinginkan dalam hati ni...Entah apa yang terpendam dalam hati ni...Entah apa yang dirasakan oleh hati ini...Siapa tahu ? Hanya Allah sahaja yang tahu...Hanya berharap apa yang didoakan, dimakbulkan Allah swt... Apa yang ada dalam 6 tahun. Entahlah... http://www.silampuneon.com/feeds/posts/default?alt=rss 
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| Posted: 10 Sep 2011 05:00 AM PDT Day 4 4 September 2011 Sunday  Domo took me, Giraffe, Diva, joined later by Pooh for another dim sum breakfast but this time at another shop in Sungai Dua named Maxim Dim Sum Restaurant (opens daily from 6.00am-2.00pm) which consists of three shop lots. So you can imagine how many tables they can put.  One interesting fact about this dim sum outlet is that customers are required to take a tray and queue up at the long counter where you just point or say which dim sum you want and the workers will put it on your tray. They will then tick how many you have taken and pass you the bill. The egg tarts are to die for! You must try if you're there.  After dim sum, Domo took me to Kek Lok Si Temple and Penang Botanic Gardens. Surprisingly, there was no congestion on the path up to Kek Lok Si and the weather was nice and quite windy. On the contrary, the Botanic Gardens was a huge disappointment because all the nurseries were closed and except for the orchid nursery, there was no other flowers seen in the whole garden. Below is a picture I took at the lily pond but I saw a broken broom floating by the side of the pond. Don't they maintain and clean the place regularly? Come on! It's a tourist spot.  We then meet up with Giraffe and Diva at Queensbay Mall for lunch at the food court. I had Japanese Teppanyaki Chicken set. After walking around the mall, Diva took us all to the beach at Batu Ferringi to watch sunset before heading to Sri Ananda Bahwan restaurant for banana leaf dinner.  Around 8.30pm, Diva fetched Giraffe to the airport as he's leaving to KL while I went back to the hotel room. When I was in my room, Healer called and after a short chat, I asked him to come for a chit-chat before I leave the next day. Healer came with his partner and they brought me popiah. No doubt, it was so good and I've never seen such huge size popiah in KL.  
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| Cycling Along The East Coast Of Taiwan Posted: 10 Sep 2011 04:06 AM PDT I am an indoor cycling instructor.
I am also an avid adventurer. When I travel, I hate just going to whatever city the international airport is located. I wanna go out of my way, see things at my own pace, preferably in my own vehicle. On the 1 June, I decide to combine two of my biggest past-times - cycling and travelling - on my trip to Taiwan.
I have long heard about the beauty of Taiwan from many of my friends. The 220km eastern coast of Taiwan is particularly renowned for being the most scenic in the entire island. Add a relatively flat surface, an abundance of bike service stops and a well-accepted cycling culture in Taiwan - I'm looking at a perfect holiday adventure right there. :) There is only one problem.
I may be an indoor cycling instructor, but I have never cycled long distance outdoors before in my life. This was the first time I'll be making such a long journey on a bicycle, and although I was a little bit afraid, I was also quite excited.
The plan was to cycle from Taitung in the south-east of Taiwan to UNESCO World Heritage listed Taroko Gorge in the north-east. Taking into account rest stops and side-trips, I estimate the journey to take 3 full days. GIANT is Taiwan's largest bicycle manufacturer, and they are amazing. I had booked my touring bike with GIANT beforehand. When arrived to pick up my bike from Taitung train station, the shopkeeper had already fully equipped it with tools, bags and all. The rental comes up to around RM150 for 3 days - a bargain for such a good bike.
This bicycle is gonna be my best friend for the next 3 days. The great thing about long-distance cycling in Taiwan is that you can hire a high-quality touring bicycle from a GIANT shop located at most major train stations like in Taitung, then drop it off at the GIANT shop at your destination. This saves a whole lotta hassle of carrying the bicycle back to Taitung when I reached Hualien. And so, I was ready to start my virgin long-distance bicycle journey, when sudddenly...
... IT STARTED RAINING! #@%*$!
But what to do? I have already made my plans. Suck it up and continue pedalling, Kenny. With a helmet over my head, and a yellow poncho underneath that, I began kilometre 1 of my 220km journey.
There are two main highways connecting Taitung to Hualien. Highway 9 is atop the mountains, where the air is cool and the road passes through green paddy fields and interesting aboriginal villages. Highway 11 hugs the coast and the basaltic rock formations by the sea. Both are interesting, but Highway 11 was the road I took.
"Siaoyeliu" ??? was an interesting stop about 20km in from Taitung. Here, the rocks look like tofu.
And crabs look like rocks.
A local cyclist saw my bicycle with luggage, and approached me asking if I'm doing the "round-the-island" bike trip. I politely replied that I am a noob (what's "noob" in Chinese?) cycling the east coast only. It would love to continue chatting, but it was raining and I have quite a distance to cover, so I continued pedalling.
Further down from Siaoyeliu, a signboard popped up in the middle of the road pointing to a visual oddity called "Water Running Up" (????). When looked from the bridge, it really did seem like the water is running up. See if you can figure out why.
The rain was beginning to subside a little bit by the time I crossed the next town on Highway 11. It was a town with an interesting name.
"Dulan". Everything in Dulan is Dulan. They have Dulan people. Dulan schools. Dulan cows.
Dulan Hand Made Bread. For real. I didn't wanna stay too long in Dulan because everyone was really dulan. But then barely 3km past the town of Dulan, a really dulan thing happened to me. I don't know if my bike hit a rock or what, but my ride suddenly becomes less smooth as I continued pedalling. Before I knew it, the back wheel started bouncing erratically. It was so bad I couldn't continue my journey. And that's when I realised the most dulan thing of my entire trip had happened.
MY BICYCLE TYRE HAD PUNCTURED. So there I was in the middle of nowhere, still soaking wet from top to toe because of the rain earlier, as I wheeled my bike into a wooden shack on the side of the road. Frustrated, I took up a handheld pump in an attempt to inflate the wheel. Nothing. I ran my finger through the tyre searching for holes. NOTHING.
An old man wearing a face mask sauntered out of the wooden shack where I was seeking shelter. Speaking in Taiwanese Hokkien, he asked me what's wrong. I explained to him my predicament. But there was nothing he could do. A phone call to the Giant bike shop I rented my bike from didn't help either. I was accosted for taking the road less travelled. Giant have plenty of bike service stations along Highway 9, but they couldn't help me since I took Highway 11. I had no choice but to act quick as the sun was setting. So I did something that no respected adventurer would do. I hailed down a cab.
The cab wasn't even available when I hailed it down from the roadside. A passenger was already sitting inside the cab, but she saw I was in trouble and therefore let me share the ride with her. She even said because I'm a visitor from outside Taiwan, and it's her duty to take care of me. I was so touched! Feeling relieved but shameful at the same time, I got inside the big yellow taxi.
So, from Dulan, I hitched a free ride all the way to ChengGong, the next town 37km along Highway 11. The cab driver dropped me right off at a dingy little bicycle repair shop. It wasn't an authorised Giant bike shop, but what choice do I have?
I was quoted NT150 (RM15) to replace the bicycle tyre. Barely 5 minutes after I set off from the bike shop, the tyre punctured AGAIN! So I returned to the bike shop once more, paid him NT150 once more before I set off on my journey once more. The tyre seemed to hold up better the second time round and I was confident enough to pedal my way out of Chenggong and onto the highway. This time I prayed hard that my bike tyre will last me the rest of the 220km journey.
No such luck. 2km out of Chenggong, the tyre went completely flat again as I free wheeled along Highway 11. With no roof over my head, I contemplated staying a night in a tunnel before the fear of being raped by a gang of bored Taiwanese truck drivers quickly put me out of that thought. I decided not to take any risks any more.
The time was 8pm as I freewheeled down to the nearest shelter to phone a cab. The adventurer in me died a little as a I hopped into the taxi again, but this time to the nearest Giant authorised bike repair shop, 40km across the mountains in a town called YuLi on Highway 9.
Perhaps, being forced to switch to Highway 9 is a blessing in disguise. YuLi is located in an area best known for its hot springs. After an entire day cycling in the rain, a hot bath and a good bed are two things I desperately need.
This is the cheapo hot spring hotel I checked in. Only NT900 (RM90 a night). It was obvious the hotel was terribly under-utilised. I didn't have reservation, but that's not a problem because there wasn't even anyone staying at the hotel. I walked right in, paid cash to the owner who promptly showed me my bedroom. There were lizard poo all over the bed, but that's okay. The owner swept them all onto his hand and threw them outside. No big deal to do so in front of the customer, obviously.
The hot spring water was piped right into the bathtub. I made sure there were no lizard poo in the tub before I sat in. It was so warm and soothing. They say the spring water here is so refreshing they could use it to make coffee. I never tried. I don't wanna accidentally swallow lizard poo.
Using the hair dryer creatively to dry my shoes, gloves and towel. Eventhough the hotel was basic, dirty and somewhat crappy, I was thankful that at least my bike was fixed and that I have a place to sleep.
Sometimes, all it takes is the thought of being cold and alone to make you appreciate the simplest things in life.
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| A pendulum only an engineer could love Posted: 10 Sep 2011 03:17 AM PDT ... or so the heading went, in the e-mail my buddy Lita sent me. But this is a pendulum that I have always loved - and I am no engineer. Not by any stretch of my feeble imagination ;) I had one like this, but my mum dropped it, and it couldn't be unknotted, though we did try. I have watched this so many times, now - and I am still fascinated at the many beautiful dances it produces. Brilliant :) Thank you for this one, Lita. I know it was a casual forward, but I am totally delighted with it :) 
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| Posted: 09 Sep 2011 10:37 PM PDT There is a currency more potent than gold. There is a God more powerful than the views of other people. Its name? Pain. It is a drug that can't be shaken off. I've battled this culture of pain for a long time, until I realise that the best way is to walk away. People and communities mired in pain, addicted to its justifying embrace, will never want to wake up. You tell people the great, big secret, that there is really no need for pain, and they will try to inflict pain on you. It's all bullshit. In Kino's Journey, episode I don't know which, Kino traveled to the Land of Visible Pain. That country is so technologically advanced, there is no need for manual labour or work of any kind. But the people work still, in giant halls, in front of adding machines, supervised by robots. What were they doing? Recalculating the computations of their computers. For what? For stress. Because stress is their only way of determining who gets more resources. I see this manifest in people who stay in abusive relationships, who want the pain so they could bitch to their friends. People who want to feel wronged. People who are addicted to being victims. Like a drug, it is addictive - that's coming from first-hand experience - and like a disease, it is infectious. Buddha addressed this a few hundred years before Christ. His mission was to understand suffering and how to escape it. His teachings are there for all to see, but no one is watching. In Islam, most of the conversations I have read concerning Muhammad reveals a rational mind. Not the crazy, bearded suicide bomber Fox News would have you believe. He'd say, "Go and fast, bitches!" And then some guy said, "Oh, sorry, I fucked my wife during Ramadan, in the day." "Okay, so go feed the poor as penance." "C'mon man! We don't have any food to feed the poor!" "Okay, then take these dates - my dates - and fucking feed the poor." "But, dude, we ARE the poor. The poorest-ass podunk people in the town." "Okay, so go and feed yourself. Safe journey, broseph!" Today, Islam is made difficult by PIS-M, Lim Guan Eng, DAP, Mat Sabu, and your mama. In my short career, I have had two nervous breakdowns and been hospitalised for stress four times. My insurance records recorded these. Once for kidney stone, another time when I had to have surgery, yet another for chronic abdominal pain. One time, I thought I was going deaf. All that pain, and it was really quite unnecessary. I explored meditation and New Age philosophy to understand pain and how to live a life without emotional or psychological pain. It all stems from the ego and the desire to be SEEN as better than everyone else. Not to BE better. Just to be SEEN as better. Pain is ultimately self-serving and stupid. Every day, when I wake up, I must make a choice whether or not to live a life of pain and subscribe to the dumbass culture or live free. I would like to say that I have gotten over pain, and that there is a nice ending to this rant with me growing wings and flying over Malaysia, shooting lasers and dropping bombs on politicians. The truth is, the only way to neutralise pain is to accept it and dissolve the thing by being still. So fuck you, I'm going shopping for a Blackberry, a fridge, a rice cooker, pots and pans and stuff. Cheerio! 
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| Posted: 09 Sep 2011 09:56 PM PDT  Going Green It's the falling from a grace It's like the world has gone away You look out through your windows You don't see the green again You try to remember what is like The Nature walks on the land She gives you shade and a life Yet you forget in the pursuit of wealth You put your face to the window You dare not want to open it You know what you have done Nature waiting to get her revenge It's the falling from a grace It's like the world has gone away The barren land the smoke in the air You don't see the green again 
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| Posted: 09 Sep 2011 09:50 PM PDT  Death on Duty That's Ah Long The work of death You better don't go there You should live without That's Ah Long The bearer of misfortunes You wish you never fall On the easy way to get loans That's Ah Long 2 brothers hang themselves They borrowed money The last rites for their mother That's Ah Long How many times death take? You wish you never fall On the easy ways to get loans 
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| Sung Yuri, Park Min-young, Sure Magazine Posted: 09 Sep 2011 09:04 PM PDT Korean actresses Sung Yuri and Park Min-young are featured on latest issue of Sure Magazine, with photos taken from Hawaii. Both ladies have just wrapped up their dramas (Romance Town and City Hunter respectively) in recent weeks.
There's more, read the full post » Sung Yuri, Park Min-young, Sure Magazine from YeinJee's Asian Blog
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| Volkswagen Das Auto Show 2011 @ Bukit Jalil Posted: 09 Sep 2011 08:52 PM PDT There's been a lot of BUZZ surrounding the Volkswagen Das Auto Show in Malaysia! With the event specially set up in a massive white dome + white tents outside Stadium Bukit Jalil, I was fortunate enough to be invited to the media + VIP event last Thursday morning.
Packed with people early in the morning!
Yay for yummy juices and breakfast canapes being served!
I couldn't resist the strawberry yoghurt.
Pottered around to see Volkswagen paraphernalia
I'm sure any man who gets to play racing games on a workday morning feels really happy.
Bumped into SueLynn yayyy
Other bloggers were invited too - Cindy, Kimberly, me
GDMT i look like a smurf next to Gareth. After some morning socialising and filling our tummies, They even have revolving doors instead of… normal ones.
This is as much as i could take of the whole dome with my lens.
Have to say it was all very exciting… how often does one get to sit in a dome knowing something awesome may happen but noone knows?!
Former Miss Malaysia Elaine Daly hosted the event
Volkswagen Marketing Director (Malaysia) Petra Schreiber talked about the Volkswagen brand, Then all was quiet as we waited to view the cars…
Music played, and all these 3D visuals were projected 360 degrees on the inside of the dome!
Luckily for my talent at handling my phone and camera simultaneously, Every time a new model was introduced, it'd drive around the dome before parking in front for all to see on a lower platform.
Volkswagen had different members from their team expand on the unique information and story behind each car, After all the models had been introduced (pix added below of all models shown, don't worry!), ALL the cars appeared on the platform one by one, till we were surrounded by a complete ring of Volkswagen cars driving around us with visuals rushing past. And last of all… the Volkswagen model to finish off the car exhibition with a bang,
It's the red one la (duh) and a bit blocked… for now. I thought it'd just be all cars, but a children's choir suddenly appeared
BEHOLD the new Beetle!
LOVEEEEEEEEEEEE
After schmoozing over the 21st Century Beetle, we walked through a tunnel into *another* massive tent that held all the Volkswagen models for us to drool at up close and sit in for 'the feel'.
VW girls walked around getting pix of us to upload to the Das Auto website.
OK. After the Beetle, this is my 2nd favourite VW car – the Eos!
SUH-WEET
Don't i look like i just BELONG in it?!
My 3rd favourite (yeah i'm playing the WHAT IF I COULD CHOOSE A VW CAR game) is the Golf GTI.
Ah Golf GTI… at one point BigBen was also convincing me to buy it,
I like the Scirocco R too… but can't keep my eyes off the aforementioned models to linger much on this one.
And of course, the Touareg!
The Volkswagen Das Auto Show is open to public! 10th & 11th September 2011 For more info, visit the funky VW website *HERE* If i were you, i'd make an outing of it with my family/friends.
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| Short story by Celine Tee in the latest SELANGOR TIMES Posted: 09 Sep 2011 06:14 PM PDT  The full issue may be read/downloaded here. This is the 40th issue and almost all had short stories in them, so there's an alumni of about 30 people (some with more than one entry). 
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