Voice Dubbing Gone Wrong.

As the original had too much noice (captured at a parking lot), we tried to do some voice dubbing. Initially there was a suggestion that we should dub everything, but after this attempt, I think we'll just work on capturing voices at the shooting itself. In the end, we went with the original video, which wasn't that bad after all...

Yesterday night was the special screening of the movie Where There's Will, There's Wei, and we received a lot of feedback, both positive & negative ones. And since now the movie is over, I'll focus more on making the bloopers & blogging about my first movie... Cheers, everyone. Happy New Year, enjoy the movie.

You can also view the video here. For the Lah readers, sorry I have not posted about my first movie on this blog. Will be posting a lot of the bloopers here. You can read more about my first movie here.

I'm talking about it now.

I have a question. Why the increase in toll prices? It seems like no one really knows.

Let me try to understand the situation now. The government hires a company to make the highway. So in the agreement, the company gets the government to promise that a certain amount of cars will use that highway, thus covering cost for the company. And less the required number be met, the government would have to pay a penalty for breach of service level agreement? Am I right so far? Please correct me if I'm wrong.

So now, the increase in toll prices is the government transferring that penalty to the drivers?? Those that mean that the service levels have not been met? That the numbers have not been met? That there aren't enough cars using LDP and the others?

Hmm, wouldn't increasing the prices cause the number of the highway users to be LESS, and thus NEVER meeting the service level agreement?

More & more Malaysians own cars. And with places like Kepong & Bandar Utama developing into commercial paradises, there still aren't enough cars passing through LDP? That is very surprising...

Hmm, correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't most government money the tax payers' money? So since a part of those money is already being used to pay the penalties, what will the extra money from the toll hike pay for?

So many questions... Can someone provide me some light on this matter?

Away

Dear all,

As I type these words, my heart is heavy, my hands are weak. Because I know that by the time you read this, I'll be on my way to a far far away place. The journey won't be pleasing, as I'll be travelling with a bunch of radical, extreme, and loud people. Not forgetting to mention that they are very energetic. And I desperately need my sleep today, knowing that it's going to be a long day ahead for me. Well, at least I'm not alone. And I know your thoughts are with me as I leave my comfort zone & follow my dreams.

You won't be seeing for a while - 4 days to be exact. Perhaps being apart for this period of time will do much good to our friendship. I also want you to know that it's not easy for me to write this to you, because this keyboard is disfunctional & I need to answer nature's call like 5 minutes ago. I wish I could leave you with something - a gist of what Joash is up to - but YouTube only allows its users to upload a maximum of 10MB file... Hai... When I come back lah...

I'll be in Melaka. See you on Friday.

Joash.

Don't Ask For A Big Gift...

 

 ... unless you're willing to write thank you cards to each one of them.

 

Thanks again, guys!!

Everyone's Making Fun Of English Football

Has anyone else noticed how the English national football team is being made fun of in movies? For example, I was watching the animation Flushed Away and in that show itself they made several jokes about England... SERIOUS!! Let me list down what I can remember...

>> When the hero (Roddy) was about to do something impossible to save the day while the world was watching the World Cup Final, the heroin, Rita, said "that's not possible!!"... Our hero answered " England's winning, anything's possible!!"

>> The last time the score was revealed, England were beating Germany 4-1... That was before half-time. But at the end, the headlines of the newspaper was "ENGLAND LOST ON PENALTIES"...

And after all that, a new movie is coming up next April. The movie is called The Game Of Their Lives...
"America's Finest Moment In The World's Greatest Game"... wow. Want to guess what that finest moment was??

Haha... It's funny. Seriously...

It's America beating England in the 1950 World Cup finals after training together for only 10 days.

Too Busy To Put Up Warning Signboards

Car plunges into sinkhole along highway

 

 

(source)

 

2 elderly women in their 60s are injured because they were TOO BUSY to put up the warning signboard. You know what they were busy doing??

 

That's right, they were calling for a press conference to announce the exciting news that the toll prices will increase next year. Then they have to throw a celebration, and then set up a committee to come up with excuses as to why the toll prices will increase.

Public Transport - Trains (7)

This is my 7th post on the train commuting system of KL. I remember being frustrated many times more than 7 times.

It was rush hour, a Friday evening. The weekend has come & everyone is extremely anxious to get home. The train was late again, and that resulted in more people having to squeeze into 1 train. It's common for commuters of Seremban - Rawang route. We can never understand why the Port Klang - Sentul trains come more often & on time when they carry less passangers. When they pass by, you would think it's an empty KFC with drops of water flowing down the windows.

And as if that's not enough to cause someone to scream & yell & kill somone (here I must congratulate Malaysians for being EXTREMELY PATIENT), the train stopped in between Putra & Segambut. We were on a stand still for 10 minutes before the captain announces that something fell onto the tracks (AGAIN!!)& we'll have to share a same track with the trains coming from the other direction.

And finally, from the silent & frustrated crowd, people started bickering (YES!!)... Strangers began to talk to each other about the many many frustrations they have faced while commuting, people started to call their loved ones to inform that they aren't physically dead - that only their HOPE DIED... And admist all these reactions toward the announcement made earlier, one stood out. In fact, he literally stood up. He & his 5 la-la friends had seats, but he suddenly stood up. For the next 2 seconds, you would hope that this young man would walk away from his seat & allow some poor old lady / a guy carrying his 2-ton laptop to have his seat.

But for the next 10 minutes, he was just standing up at his seat. He didn't allow anyone to take his seat. Nope. He was just standing there. He and his friend were still chatting happily (you can afford that when you have seats in a crowded train) when after 5 minutes 1 of his friends asked the question everyone else in that crowded coach was asking...

"Why are you standing up ar?"

You tell me if his reply wasn't enough to yell at him, put your hand on his throat & squeeze, or take out your camera phones (like the SN k800i I didn't get) and snap & blog about it the next day.

"because my butt hurts..."

My Want

Tomorrow night, my company will have our annual dinner. Because we are a very profitable yet small company (less than 30 staff), everyone gets to win something (worth at least RM200) via lucky draw. Last year our doorgift was a 128MB thumbdrive, with our own company logo on it. Sweet huh? I wonder what this year's doorgift will be.

Last year the 2 big prizes were a Sony Ericsson phone (don't know what model) & a Motorola phone (don't know what model). This year, there are 4 big prizes - 2 Sony Ericsson, 1 Motorala & 1 Nokia phone. So you can imagine that our company is getting more & more successful.

Last year I only got a RM200 Giant voucher. This year, I want to get this:-
If I do get this, I'll start using Celcom. So Mr.Celcom, can you please make sure I get this phone? Ok thank you.

Missing The Point

So now they are questioning the wisdom of broadcasting the UMNO general assembly. They are saying that because of the live feed, people have a misconception of UMNO... I question that reasoning.

I question that reasoning, because I have not watched a minute of the live coverage. I merely read the newspapers' reports, and those alone were enough for me to consider moving away from this country in fear. I fear for my life & my loved one. I fear for the country's development & future. All that emotion & considerations were stirred by merely reading. It wasn't at all about how loud they said it, or how they veins were popping out when they gripped their fists, or the sight of people kissing the keris... It was what they said - the intent & content of those speeches.

So what happens if the same things are said & there's no live coverage?? Don't let reporters write about it?

The Star Online's columnist Wong Chun Wai shares my views. But he concluded that "after all, they get their votes in the general election from not just one but all ethnic groups". It shouldn't be about elections. Not at all. I believe that that mindset is the very thing that causes politicans to play the racial card. It should be about making Malaysia a safer place, creating a better future of our children... where they can live peacefully together with each other, without the ancient wounds that we carry.

An Apology

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eK1Vbn5ffS8

The Reporter & The "Sorry" Politician

Extract of transcript of council president Datuk Abu Bakar Hassan’s press conference (source) + comments by me (J).

Q: Dr Teng (state Local Government committee chairman Datuk Dr Teng Hock Nan) has said that you denied making the remark.
A: There is a misunderstanding. I have said in the press release that I apologise if my remark had hurt anyone’s feelings, including Melissa (New Straits Times reporter Melissa Darlyne Chow). I openly apologise.
J: wow, this guy apologise. Amazing. But what's that misunderstanding? Where got misunderstanding? You said something stupid, everyone is clear on that.

Q: Can you explain why the misunderstanding occurred? We had asked you whether you thought the reporter was sexily ...?
A: Reply: No ... no ... no. I have explained (in the press release) that it is a misunderstanding ... that is all.

Q: Do you think all the reporters (at the function) quoted you wrongly? We confirmed the remark with you twice.
J: This reporter is good!! Respect!!
A: I was talking about the dress code. I said (newsmen) must not wear sexy dresses (to cover council meetings) ... please do not relate this remark to the CCTV incident. I did not say because she was sexy, the incident occurred. I did not mean that.

Q: That day you said “being sexy is the issue ... and then you said if she had worn a normal dress, this would not have happened. We all heard it.
J: and that was what i read....
A: My statement was misunderstood. I was only talking about the attire in general. Do not relate it to this case because it is unfair.


Do you think that's a sincere apology? He didn't apologize for making that statement. He apologized for the being misunderstood. Can reporters take that sitting down? He's apologizing for using words that are too deep that reporters cannot understand & misintepreted the statement. Hmm, is he saying that reporters are dumb?

A Right To Express

Check this out:

'He told reporters later that the statement by a Penang delegate (that the Penang Malays are being neglected) was important for the Penang government led by Gerakan deputy president Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon to take stock of the situation and address the problems faced by the Malays in the state.

“The actual message is that the Malays are feeling dissatisfied in Penang and they have the right to express their feelings,” he said. '

Read here for more.

I wonder if that same right is available to all Malaysians.

The Racial Card Crap.

"We must remember that creating a Malaysian natoin will not be possible on narrow thinking and chauvinism. Don't gamble the future by championing race politics" - Umno Youth chief.

Read here for the full report .

I don't understand the thing about "Don't play the racial card"... The fact that our Barisan National constitutes 3 political groups, each representing the 3 largest races in Malaysia, shows that it is impossible to not play the racial card. In his speech, he passionately declared that Umno will continue to fight for the Malays. He also warned others by saying "Do not make fun, question and challenge the position of the Malays and Islam in the country. Any movement in the name of freedom of religion, freedom of speech or freedom of the media will not be allowed to challenge our rights". Now with these 2 statements, isn't he protecting the Malays? Isn't he championing the cause of his people? I sn't he clearly, therefore, playing the racial card?

"We will not compromise our country's future," he told the Youth assembly yesterday (link). Amen to that, I say. And I sincerely believe that's the desire of every person living in Malaysia - politician or not, Malay or non-Malay. Unfortunately, different people have different opinions of how the future should be, and how to get there. Like Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute that claimed that Malay corporate equity could have already reached 45% and the NEP was no longer needed, and how the Umno Youth deputy chief slammed that report and said that "If we want to use the Asli figures, let's set a new target. Let's make it 70% for the Malay equity." (read here and here for more.)

I too agree that politicians should stop playing the racial card. So, shall we disband MCA, MIC, and UMNO, and create a truly MALAYSIA political group that would champion a cause for ALL MALAYSIANS?? Rightfully, this should be the way to go. But the truth is, no one can see that happening. Not in the near future, anyway. Can a Chinese feel secure without MCA? Can an Idian feel safe without MIC? Can a Malay be protected without the existence of UMNO? Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein pointed out that "beneath the surface, it's still very fragile", and I couldn't agree more. & that is exactly why there's UMNO, MCA, and MIC; that's why these organisations will continue to fight for their people; that's why he will continue to not compromise the rights and privileges of the Malays, and that's why the racial card will continue to be played.

Rightfully, we all need to be united as ONE NATION. But how far are we from that ideal? Ancient wounds need to be healed. And they won't be healed if all we do is shut up and not discuss about it. How long more shall we remain silent and let anger, pass hurt, unforgiveness & hatred hinder us from achieving TRUE UNITY, TRUE HARMONY, AND TRUE MALAYSIA?

Still No Beckham Recall?

Of the original 28-man squad, 8 have been hit with injuries (Read here and here). Aaron Lennon, who was expected to claim his first England start, won't make the trip to Holland... What should Steve Mclaren do now?

 

One possibility is to use Steven Gerrard on the right. He has proven that he can do a decent job for England there, but that won't go down well for Liverpool fans - who are much wiser than the club manager, knowing that Gerrard is meant to play in central midfield. Another alternative would be Shaun Wright-Phillips, who has played well every time he comes on for Chelsea as a substitute. But his crossing aren't world-class. And with Mclaren likely to drop their tall man for Andrew Johnson, crosses from the flanks need to be of the highest quality.

 

With all these factors coming into consideration, would Mclaren give David a call? If both Gerrard & Wright-Phillips join the injury list soon enough, that might just happen. But you would wonder if something fishy is going on... =)

Bring back Beckham!! (*or more players will get injured)

Why Are You Doing This To Me? I HATE YOU!!

I watched you as you turned your sight away from me, not that we had made any eye contact previously.

I  patiently waited for you. I didn't open my mouth & ask but that does not mean you can ignore me. You can't pretend that I'm not standing right in front of you. I treated you with respect, are you not capable of the same?

 

Let's reason like civilized human beings here. Sure, I took what's yours but I have already paid you. Why can't you just give me back what's mine? You're not being fair to me. I gave you exactly what you deserve but now you're treating me like a piece of shit? 

 

Come on, we are both adults here. We know what's expected of each other. You give me what I need, I pay you, and then you return to me what's mine. Hey, stop bickering to your friends about it, ok? I don't owe you anything. What are you talking about anyway? Can't we settle this first? After all that we've been through, can you at least give me the attention I need?  What's done is done, we can't change that. Just give me what's mine, so I can go on my way & we won't have to see each other again...

 

 

 

AHh, finally. Was it that hard? All you had to do was push some buttons & return me my 20 cents change.

 

(thoughts while waiting for the cashier to return me my 20 cents).

Blunt Truth

Last night I was listening to the tv2 news while playing Winning Eleven... yes, again... Only this time, it wasn't funny.

 

The newscaster reported a conversation in the parliament. One dude was expressing his concerns for providing equal opportunities for all races to handle government projects, or the lack of that equality. Immediately I paused my game & turned my head towards the tv. On screen was another dude, I think lah, and obviously the footage was from the 'parliament tv'. Tv2 didn't let us hear the exact words he said, but he looked extremely calm to me.

 

He said something along the lines of "yes, the malays are getting all the projects, but this will still benefit all races". He continued to say that in fact, other races are benefitting more because most of the suppliers are Chinese & Indians. 

 

I don't know what you heard, but I sense a great vibe of RACISM here. But I would like to hear your thoughts first before writing more.

 

 

Oh The Lameness

2 of my colleagues were discussing about the doorgift for the company annual dinner...

 

Colleague A: So what's on your mind?

Colleague B: My brain...

Joash: Stupid. Your mind is in your brain. Your brain is in your head, not on your mind.

Colleague B: OK loh, you win loh...

 

Don't say I reacted unnecessarily. Seriously, I can't take it anymore. Having a 2 hour lunch with them earlier had really taken a toll on me. Maybe it's the age difference, but their humour is totally of a different brand. It's senseless to me, but everyone else laughs. Worse when they use me as the subject matter... ARgghh!! Their jokes are so lame & senseless, I can't even remember them!!

 

 

 

 

--
_ joash.
http://b4jc.blogspot.com. http://fccjournal.blogspot.com . http://malaysianlah.blogspot.com.

We Want Answers

I was reading Jeff Ooi's blog, and in it I found the statement released by Dr. Mahatir on 28 Oct 2006.

"The questions and issues I raised have not been answered. What is being questioned is my right to comment and criticise."

It's tragedy, really. Even the former Prime Minister can't comment and criticise the government. What about us then? Surely we must have the right to fight for what is right. Surely voting isn't the only way Malaysian citizens and commoners can contribute to our beloved country.

There are actually genuine cries out of sincere hearts, with the desire to make our country a better place for everyone. But all they get is "Don't criticize", "Take back that comment", "Don't kacau me and let me work", "You go to jail, bad boy".... What happened to the art of answering a question with an answer?

Joash Chan

Malaysian Citizen & Commoner.

Top Ten List - Baskin Robbins 31

Call me an idiot, but I never knew that Baskin Robbins 31 gave 31% discounts on every 31st of the year. Bloody geniuses, they only give discounts 6 times in a year!! I only found out a month ago, and I was eager to get hold of my first Baskin Robbins ever since then.

 

I told Cely about it, and she seemed all set to go as well. But she was having doubts about the 31% discount thingie and she smsed me to confirm. I replied, saying that I was pretty sure (as if I tried before), unless Baskin Robbins 31 suddenly decided to change their name to Baskin Robbins 346 or something. I don't know if she laughed. She didn't reply with a "LOL" sms.

 

ANYWAY, I want to do a video blog post about it. I have my footages from last night. All I need now is a top 10 list - Top Ten Fun Things To Do While Having Baskin Robbins Ice Cream. Fellow bloggers, can you help me out here? If you have a suggestion for a better top ten list, don't hesitate to tell me. Hopefully I have all the feedback and inspiration I need by this week so I can complete the video by next week.

Cross yourself?

I was going my morning routine, reading yahoo.com sports news where I stumble across this article, where Fabio Cannavaro, the Real Madrid was speaking to the press ahead of their clash with Barcelona this weekend. Now I don't know if he speaks English, or if he used a different language while addressing the press... But I saw something funny... Check out what Fabio Cannavaro said, or presumably said, about Ronaldinho...

 

"We know all about Ronaldinho, he is a phenomenal player. I don't know how you stop him. When your rival has a forward like that you simply have to cross yourself and hope for the best."

 

Did you see that? No? Read it again.

 

"you simply have to CROSS YOURSELF and hope for the best."

 

Wow. Listen to the World Cup winning captain of 2006 Italian team giving advice on how to defend against one of the world's most feared strikers...

 

"You'll first notice him being beamed down from his space ship... "

 

"You do know he's an alien from Planet Brazil, don't you? That's where he got those funny teeth..."

 

"No, stupid!! Funny teeth doesn't give them greater skill or speed. It's just the way they distract you. They sometimes show up with funny hairdo too. You remember Ronaldo in 2002?" 

 

"That's how he scored 2 goals lah... They want you to think that they're stupid. Don't fall for that... Anyway, listen to me. When he comes charging forward..."

 

 

"CROSS YOURSELF!! Like this..."

 

"or like this..."

Gosh, I hope that I'll be able to blog more, so that this post won't be on the front page. But will my site now have much more traffic? I wonder...

Catch Phrase (1) - In My Heart

So this is the beginning of a new category called Catch Phrases. Throughout recent years I have had the ability to cause an epidemic, where people around me begin to use a particular phrase frequently. Some phrases were self-created, others were inspired or directly copied from sitcoms & movies. Friends have caught the bug & we have shared many laughters with all these catch phrases. They have brought colour to our lives (seriously), and I want to share them with you, in hope that you and your circle of friends could enjoy them.

 

So today, I would like to introduce to you the catch phrase of the moment - IN MY HEART.

 

Have you heard of people giving an excuse for not doing something, citing innocence as they have done it in their heart? The times where you needed something practical, some obvious action, some initiative, but all you got was moral support & empty words? Let me refresh your memory.

 

"Yes, son. I have always loved you. In my heart, I love you."

 

"I may have acted cold. But in my heart, I really pity that poor kid."

 

"Believe me. From my heart of hearts I wanted to, but I just couldn't..."

 

"Sorry I don't spend as much time with you now. But believe me, in my heart, you're number one"

 

The truth is, that we all desire words in action. We can't say that we love a person if we don't give, we don't spend time with that person... You can't tell your teacher that you've done your homework without showing the work you've done. You can't say that you have a compassionate heart if you don't give to or help the poor & needy. You can't shit in your heart, you can't sleep in your heart, you can't eat in your heart. Gosh, you certainly can't blog in your heart.

 

So in essence, the catch phrase "IN MY HEART" means "NO". All you need to do is insert "IN MY HEART" at the back of your sentence. The following are examples to help you put this catch phrase in to good use:

 

1. When your boss asks if you're coming to work over the weekend, you answer "Yes I am coming. IN MY HEART"

 

2. When your mom asks you to throw out the garage, you answer "It's already done. IN MY HEART"

 

3. When the mamak shouts at you & demands that you pay for your meal, you answer " SUDAH BAYAR LAH. IN MY HEART"

 

4. When the police interrogate you as a suspect, you boldly answer "yes I killed him. IN MY HEART"

 

5. When the charges against you were read, you peacefully answer "I plead guilty. IN MY HEART"

 

Disclaimer: you'll need the other party to understand the idea as well to cause clear communication.

 

So now that you know how to use "IN MY HEART", go knock yourself out in your heart.

 

Can The Right Prevail?

http://www.jeffooi.com/
http://blog.limkitsiang.com/

Will the fight for a voice ever end? Could we ever prevail? It's pretty obvious that the leadership of our country doesn't want to hear anything negative spoken about them. Bloggers were warned with no clear line drawed for us. I've seen Parliament meetings where politicians refusing to respond to debate and don't allow fellow politicians to 'question their integrity'. Then there are requests for respectable people to retrack their statements. And of course, there's still ISA.

What's with all these? There are people who are suffering from government orders & rules & quotas & whatnots - should these voices be silenced just because it might piss people off? To make sure the right prevails, the stepping on toes is inevitable. I believe if the government is genuinely concerned that some 'inappropriate' statement would cause riots or any bad stuff to happen, then they should look into dealing with the root problems. I know it won't be easy, but shutting people up ain't going to solve anything. And there's no need to mention that it's impossible to shut everyone up.

And what's the deal with getting people to retrack their comments or statements anyway? Things that have been said have been said. It's not like the minds of Malaysians will stop pondering about issues highlighted. So let the actions & results prove them wrong. Malaysians aren't so dumb that we can't think for ourselves.

Let the doubters speak, and let our actions speak for themselves.

Dreams

Got this sms from Daniel... Not sure who composed it, but it's quite inspiring...

 

When we ponder upon the stars,

When we reach for our dreams,

We're never bothered by how far away they seem.

Instead we are inspired by the beauty of our vision.

Dreams are like stars=brilliant & enthusiastic.

The beauty of the stars will give you strength,

Inspire you to move on,

& make your dreams come true.

On the news

Lately I have spent my nights playing Winning Eleven on my PC while listening to the news of the television. After nightline on tv3, i would switch to tv2. And I really don't know what's going there. It's either we Malaysians have lost common sense, the politicians have nothing smart to say, or the news highlights NOTHING at all. Let me explain myself.

The newscaster was saying something about a recent study revealing that most Malaysians have only RM100 in their savings accounts. And in response to this, a politician (won't tell who) said during some speech somewhere that 'if parents don't save, it would be difficult to send their children to higher learning institutions & that the burden would have to be beared by the government'. WOW, WHAT REVELATION!! DUH!!

The forecasts concerning the haze seriously pisses me off, man. The lady kept saying that according to so-and-so forecast, due to the wind-blowing-at-whatever-speed-and-direction, that WE CAN EXPECT clearer skies & greater visibility. But the past week the haze situation has got worse. MY EXPECTATION IS NOT MET, TV2!! So who can I blame for not meeting my expectations??

Then there's this recent study in Australia proving that 'having a DVD playing + screen in your car would increase the likelihood of accidents, as other drivers would be attracted to check out the source of the flashing lights in your car'. I laughed after watching that news. I can't believe that they need a study to realise that. But that was not the end. tv2 showed the same thing AGAIN the following night, as though it's some super discovery that deserves a noble award or something. I was dumbfounded.

Leave you with 2 phrases lah...

"Common sense is not common to common people"

- heard this from my favourite English teacher, Mr.William.

"The foolish says things because they have to say something. The wise says things because they have something to say."

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Nightline yesterday revealed that Malaysian citizens are enjoying an 80% subsidy off the electricity bill. TNB promised that there won't be another increase in price this year, but did not guarantee the same for 2007. So congratulations guys. Turns out we're not as well-to-do as we think we are. And at this rate, it looks like we will all die of either a car accident, a robbery, or a decease.

Subsidy down + Inflation up + salary same = cost of living up, resulting in increase in crime rate, stress level, & mortality rate.

I dunno, press the button and find out...

Your Famous Last Words Will Be:

"I dunno, press the button and find out."

What Will Your Famous Last Words Be?

I don't agree with this result, but I'm going to attempt to make it my catch phrase for the next month... haha. What will your famous last words be? Click the link to find out. What would happen? I dunno, press the button and find out...

Wait a minute...

Was reading this post on Cely's blog when I found something fishy. I saw this post previously, but I didn't really read through. And I was shocked when I read the news ( here and here) on 2 attempts to steal ATM machines.

 

This is the first case, and read the following statement...

 

"Four of the gang members were arrested at a roadblock in Kluang during a routine crime prevention operation."

 

As for the second incident, the following was written...

 

'ACP Acryl Sani said the thieves tried for almost one hour to cart away two ATM machines, including one which was for cheque deposits, by pulling them with steel wire attached to the backhoe. "Their attempt was believed to have been foiled when they spotted a patrol car on a routine check approaching the bank and they fled the scene."  '

 

THE BANK NO ALARM ONE AH?!! MUST BREAK THE FRONT DOOR IS IT?!! THEY HAD ONE HOUR TO TRY LEH!!

 

Some people say that the thieves are idiots. I would like to emphasize that the police were lucky. And you know I'm right.

Public Transport - Trains (6)

This past Monday I was happily walking towards Bank Negara KTM Station. I timed it just right so that I can get on the train once I arrive at the platform. Then this killed my joy...

For some reason, the counter dude decided to give himself a break & close the counter. Now the "TUTUP" sign is obviously self-made, so I reckon that KTM doesn't close its counters until after the final route is completed. So I had to queue up along with the rest of us who doesn't own a TOUCH 'n Go Card to buy our ticket from the ticket machine. If you're a frequent KTM user, you'll know that the ticket machines are super unfriendly towards coins (that's another problem altogether). And as you can guess, the train left without me, and I had to wait for another 30 minutes for the next train (that's ANOTHER problem too!!). Funny how the Sentul route trains carry so much less people (you can see drops of water forming on the windows) but appears faithfully & always on time(problem #3!!).

Now, perhaps that KTM staff who placed the "TUTUP" sign during rush hour, when he was needed most, had an emergency to attend to. I mean, come on, let's give him the benefit of the doubt. And I'm all out for food, man. If you're hungry, go & have a meal.

This sign occasionally appears at Segambut KTM slightly after 9am. But thankfully the crowd then is way smaller and it wouldn't cause too much of a problem.

What KTM needs to do is place 2 personnels, at least, at each counter. I remember once the electricity was down at Segambut train station, and that affected even the TOUCH 'n GO cardholders. Of course the ticket machine can't be used too, so everyone had to rely on the KTM personnels. And guess what? There were 2 personnels there!! 1 was handling the tickets, while another was using a machine to help those using TOUCH 'n Go.

So my question is - why the inconsistency? Kadang-kadang ada satu, kadang-kadang ada dua.

Project Petaling Street

Today I decided to sign up for Project Petaling Street. Been reading Kenny Sia's archives a lot lately & he said that he got his big break there, so I thought that I could give it a try. In the sign-up process I found 2 spelling mistakes...

"Sign up" was spelled as "Singup", and for a while there I thought I just entered a singing competition.

"Received was spelled as "recieved"... Has anyone ever informed the moderators about this?

**Had a dream last night about checking my mailbox to find 170 emails from Cely. Could it be a prophecy? Don't know if I should rejoice or mourn...

Sad sad situation.

Read my post at The Star Citizen's Blog and read the 2nd comment. It's just sad.

 

Give them a chance.

Don't make Mat Rempits state enemy number 1, alright? Too much has been said about them. Why should we cast our hatred towards these people? All of us have bad habits that we need help with. Yes, perhaps their Rempit-ing is a more annoying & obvious habit when compared to our foul-mouth, back-stabbing, gossiping, littering, cursing, judging, prideful ways.... but how can we treat them as lower class citizens?

I'm not saying that The Mat Rempits situation isn't serious or doesn't need attention. But to say that they are hopeless, stupid, uselss to society - that's equivalent to putting down an entire generation, damning them to failure & insignificance. And to be saying all these while standing on the sidelines & condemn efforts to help this situation is inappropriate indeed.

We don't have all the answers yet. But at least we make the first step towards change. Give grace.

God bless Malaysia.

Featured at last!!

Recently I decided to join The Star's Citizen Blog.

I wasn't too keen when it was first started. I checked out the website & found that it wasn't as user-friendly as Blogger. The screens weren't appealing enough, & I didn't like the idea of sharing a page with other bloggers. Besides, I already had 2 blogs. There was no motivation, until I saw this...

Wow!! They're giving away RM50 for the best blog of the day. That's enough motivation for me. Immediately I signed up & that was 2 months ago. Today I enter the website to check out if there's any sensible posts & I found this...

It's my blog!! Yes!! It's finally featured!! I know I could have done better by posting the picture correctly. Nonetheless, I'm still featured!! I hope they'll publish it on the newspaper tomorrow... RM50, here I come!!

Update: My post has been taken down. Haiz... didn't even last for a day...

Scensorship

If we should cut out suicide scenes from movies to prevent people from getting crazy ideas, then how about the scene from Memoirs of a Geisha where the dude took off Zhang Zi Yi's clothes? Shouldn't it be removed as well?

The movie started off with the line "A story like mine should never be told", and at the end of the movie, I couldn't agree more.

Proton Advertisement

I was really mad when I saw this Proton Advertisement on the Star newspaper yesterday.

Isn't Proton a government company? And isn't the government also responsible for the public transportation infrastructure of our country? So now because they do a lousy job with the public transport system we have to get a car from them?? And mind you, it's NOT going to be RM288 per month. Remember that you're also paying the government money for petrol & road tax.

So now we are encouraged to buy car, resulting in more cars on the road. Then you'll have traffic jam, then you'll have to make the road bigger, wider. Then have to build more roads. Building roads need money, so have to put tolls and sell more cars. And the circle goes on.

Listen to me. Sell Proton. LISTEN!! Take all the resources from there & make them taskforce to improve the public transport system. Reduces pollution, reduces road accidents (death toll). We also won't have to worry about competing with import cars (besides, those cars are much better anyway. More safety features, more environment-friendly). Then we can export more petroleum to generate more money. Without traffic jams & travelling heartaches, Malaysians will be under less stress. Workers will be more energized & motivated upon arriving the office. Bloggers won't use office hours to complain about how the bus came late. Greater effectiveness, more creativity, increased productivity.

"but our workers only know how to build proton cars...."

"then make the trains like LOOOOOOOONG proton cars loh... Use your brain, use your brain."

Let me breathe

Why do people get pissed off by the fact that I was mad at them? Can someone just let me be angry?

Money Politics

Here our PM ordered an investigation into allegations made by Dr.M about the money politics that led to his defeat, and then  here our Deputy PM said that they won't investigate without a formal complaint. So how wo?

Safe Neighbourhoods

Page 6 of the New Strait Times has an article entitled Neighbourhoods under siege, telling how the residents of USJ17 combatting crime by fencing up their area, closed up all access roads except one and hired guards. I salute their efforts, and the fact that they are willing to actually spend RM10,000 is prove that they are doing all they can do fight crime.

 

I thought that that article would actually inspire other neighbourhoods to do likewise, but Page 7 has an article entitled Paying the price for condo living. This article tells us how residents of a particular condominium pay RM3,000 yearly for maintenance fees, which is to include security, and still end up being robbed.

 

So there you go. People doing everything they can, and still suffer from social ills. Can somebody who can & is suppose to do something please do something?

Safe Universities Please?

I am gutted as I read and hear of crimes happening in universities. In a place where we expect doctors, engineers, scientists and what-nots to emerge, we hear of peeping-toms, rape, sodomy, sexual harassments, gang fights, bully, thefts... Then there are neighbouring universaties whose students intentionally hurt one another in the name of justice & idealogy.

My friend returned to KL for a one week holiday. It was only 6 weeks since she left for university and already she has told of several crimes happening in her university & hostel. She said that her friends had their clothes stolen. She also witnessed a snatch-theft at the main bus stop.

All she can do is take preventive measures & live her life cautiously. All I can do is pray & write. Can someone who can & is suppose to do something do something to make universities safe again?

What if, Kenny?

I was just reading Kenny Sia's post on the Merdeka Celebration in Kuching. Upon visiting his website you can tell how much it meant to him that the Merdeka Celebration were held in his hometown.




Anyway, something he said really got me thinking....
























What if they do really name a road after him? Hmm. What are the possible consequences of such a move? Here are a few:

1. If a tourist calls his/her friend and is asking for directions and somehow ended up on this road, he/she won't be able to tell where he/she is.

2. If a crime happens on that street, no one would bother calling in to report the crime as pronouncing & waiting for the police officer to grasp what you're saying would be an impossible task.

3. Perhaps sending an sms would be easier, but by that time the criminal would have escaped and the victim, bled to death.

4. If your office is there, you won't be able to order pizza or any fast food.

5. School teachers would have to attend a week of special training to learn how to teach students to pronounce & memorize that name.

6. A very busy road or highway would be named with it & toll booths would be in place. Those who can pronounce the name would receive a discount.

Just a thought....

Steve Irwin dies.

2 years back a friend said that Steve Irwin, the crocodile hunter, died while trying to stick his head in a crocodile's mouth. He was laughing about it, but not for long. We went all-guns-blazing when we saw the show that every same year to find that Steve was still alive & kicking. But now this is real... Read this.

Don't believe this - Free Sony Erricsson k400i WAP H/ Phone

Dear all,

 

I can say with confidence that the email you received with the subject title "Free Sony Erricsson k400i WAP H/ Phone" is fake. Probably it's a scheme to get email addresses for SPAMMING purposes. Read the original email carefully.

 

Dear All,
 
Please pass on to all your friends and relatives the following mail from Sony Erricsson.
Sony Erricsson is giving away phones for free. Sony Erricsson is trying word-of-mouth advertising to introduce its product and the reward you receive for advertising for them is a free phone free of cost. To receive your free phone all you have to do is to send this email out to 8 people (for a free Sony Erricsson j200i) or 20 people (for a free Sony Erricsson k400i WAP).
Within 2 weeks you will receive a free phone. (They will contact you through your e-mail address).
 
Please mark a copy to:- anna.swelam@sonyerricsson.com   
 
Can you see? They ask you to mark a copy to that particular email address - why? They want you to believe that the email address is genuine (with the @sonyerricsson.com) & that the email is REAL. But it's not. How do I know?

 

Because the correct spelling is Sony Ericsson - with only 1 'r'.

Once In A While

Everyone deserves to be in a bad mood once in a while...

Work

For once in a long time I am finally able to spend more than 2 hours at my office desk, where no one asks me what I am doing or gives me any work. Here I can do whatever I want whenever I want to. Here, everything is more effective, more efficient, and more fun.

Let me share with you how work has been like here in my company & what I have to put up with:

1. An insecure colleague who has the urge of repeating everything she says twice. If you know your Math & your English, that's 3 times I have to hear her mention the same thing. My mom is older than her & she only repeats once!! And she only does that because she forgot that she had mentioned in a day or 2 ago. I'm not exaggerating one bit.

2. Colleagues who raise their voice when I manage to challenge something they said. It is my practice to stop talking when the other party begins to raise their voice, as it is a sign of irrationality. So often times they & other people have the perception that I lost the argument. AND, they often say one thing at this same & then say something totally different later. I call this lying.

3. Colleagues who plan on Monday to come to work on the coming weekend & expect me to join along. Very softly I say, "Why are you planning to come in to work on the weekend when it's only Monday? You're allowing yourselves to procrastinate. Why not plan how we can finish the work over the weekdays? That way we all can enjoy our weekend?"... After a moment of silence, they raise their voice again & say "Can finish the work meh? Sure cannot finish one?"...

4. 2 incompetent managers whose supposed-job is to manage our work. But the slow work progress is mostly due to their failure to hire additional resources (and hiring at the right time), their obvious desire to please the client & totally neglect the people who will have to do the real work, their imcompetence in time management of meetings, their annoying questions, & their lousy timing. Sigh, I use to like one of them, but that was when he was just a supervisor handling 1 department. He's a real nice guy, but I just can't work under him.

5. Programmers & developers who actually blame the QA team for not testing thoroughly enough when they themselves have not tested their own program!!

Hopefully this will give you a gist of what's going on in my workplace. Maybe I'll blog about the real incidents & you'll get a clearer picture. I have to insist here, though, that apart from work I do like these colleagues of mine. But the daily dose of stupidity is truly unbearable.

2.30am Phone Call

Last night my sleep was disturbed by my phone's ringtone. I was charging my phone so I had  to walk to the table to get to it. The guy on the other line sounded Middle Eastern. Can't really understand his English, only his last line "sorry maybe wrong number"... Went back to sleep again & the phone rings again. And again this same dude. He explained that he saw my number attached to some "girl finding" business. Don't know where he saw it - on the wall of a toilet or a flyer or a website - but it's FREAKY!! HOW IN THE WORLD COULD THIS HAPPEN??

 

Feel like putting his number here so you non-existing readers can harass him. Haha....

Fly Away

There's a saying that "if you can't beat them, join them". I say "if you can't beat them, run away and start a revolution. Make them join you". Never settle for the ordinary or the mundane or the acceptable or the norm... Never accept "Life's like that" or "whatever's like that"...

 

Life is short. Time is precious. More & more I am convinced that all that matters is loving people, receiving others' love for us, & giving our best in our circle of influence... So go on holidays with your family. Voice out when something isn't right, & don't let anyone silence you until change comes about. Learn to love. Care for people. Don't waste your time worrying or doing things that don't matter. 

 

It's time to fly. FLY.

 

_ joash.

 

Evening News

I've been meaning to post these pictures(from The Star Newspaper) a while back. As you can see it isn't hot news. Nonetheless, I feel that if I'm going to write about anything, I have to write about these things that happen in our beloved country.

3 men decided to rob a jewellary store, and 2 other men ended up dead. Just like that - without warning. Life is so fragile, isn't it? One moment you're thinking about going home and watch the World Cup; then the next thing you know death is near. 2 families are left behind.

This family had been facing financial problems. Husband lost his job a few months back. Don't really know what triggered the mom to want to commit suicide, along with the 4 children. 2 managed to escape. I wonder if the other 2 even knew what's coming. I wonder if anyone offered to help them get back on their feet. I wonder if I would give to this family if they came to me. I know something needs to be done, but I don't know what.



Anyone thinks that cutting out suicide scenes would help? If this would help, then we shouldn't publish news that talks of people jumping down from a tall building. Then CSI shows would have to be banned, because they give details on a murderer's ways. They even mention what mistakes a murderer made that led to his arrest - so would that help other murderers from avoiding the same mistakes? Not forgetting the local shows that depicts how the husband beats up his wife.

Are tv shows the main problem? I don't think so.

Yup, in spite of the increasing crime rate, we still want more nightlife - for the tourists. I believe that the majority of tourists that come to Malaysia wants to enjoy the Malaysian life - how it is like to live in a Malaysia... Isn't that why people go to different countries? To experience the culture and way of life over there?

As far as I'm concerned, there can be only 2 activities that Malaysians do after midnight - Sleep/Eat. Hot Nasi Lemak at 2am in the morning, baby!! Syokness!!

A Quote

The World Cup 2006 - Semi Finals (2)

France 1 vs Portugal 0

 

Wow!! What an exciting match!! I saw the replay, and knowing the results beforehand did nothing to put off the excitement the game brought (maybe my Winning 11 did).

 

I have nothing much to say about this match lah. Zidane's penalty was superb lah. It was always curling away from the goalkeeper. Had it not been for Thuram, though, Portugal would have had won the game easily. I'm very happy that France is in the final and I'm really hoping for a high scoring match.

 

Ok now I have somethings to say. Don't judge me. Judging from this match, I have a few suggestions for the French team manager that would make their game against Italy a great one.

 

_ Replace Abidal with Silvestre. Abidal conceded possession in dangerous areas and defended poorly.

_ Replace Barthez with Coupet - or you'll be staring calamity in the face!!

_ 4-5-1 has served you well throughout this competition. Now Henry would need Trezeguet as his stricking partner to break the Italian defense.

_ If you insist on going 4-5-1, then you'll have to make Cristiano Ronaldo french and replace Malouda.

 

 

Public Transport - Day and Night

Last night I took a taxi from Jalan Ipoh back to Segambut. Told the taxi dude not to take Jalan Segambut - everyday there's a jam from 7pm - 10.30pm, I have no idea why. It's just is. It would make a lot of sense to widen Jalan Segambut, considering the number of people using it. But don't think anyone intends to do it - you'll know why when you go there.

So the alternative route I chose is Jalan Ipoh batu 3 - Jalan Duta round-about - Jalan Kuching - Taman SPPK - Taman Sri Sinar. Anyone familiar with this route? This particular taxi driver wasn't. Can't blame him lah. We were suppose to stick left to be able to turn into SPPK from Jalan Kuching, but we missed the turn. He stopped on the emergency lane, slowly go backwards, and managed to take the left turn.

I was too busy looking at the back to make sure we don't collide with any oncoming vehicle, I didn't pay attention to the fare metre to know how long and how much we wasted for his mistake. I was wondering if he would admit his mistake and give me a 50 cents discount. Wouldn't that be nice? I wasn't very hopeful though. Most probably we would not be mentioning that particular mistake of his and I'll just pay whatever is on the fare metre. Guess what happened?

I was half right. I arrived home and the fare was RM8.80. And then the shock of my life... Not only did he not give me a discount, he looked me in the eye and....

Taxi Driver: Bang, kasi RM10 boleh? Sebab tadi ada jam...
Me: (shocked, mouth wide open) masa jam pun ada charge 'kat metre kan?
Taxi Driver: (pissed and unhappy) ok lah... 9 ringgit lah.

I was too shocked, I tell you. Looking back at that incident, maybe I should have shouted "Nei mm hou gi gi kat kat ar!!"

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

This morning I walked out of the house at 8.50am. Once I arrived at the bus stop, 219 bus (Rapid KL) came along and took me to the Segambut KTM station. Again the train immediately came and I reached the office at 9.30am.

40 minutes journey + RM2 = excellent transport system / lucky day??

I really don't mind the bus not coming around as frequent as every 20 minutes. 1 hour a bus is fine with me (non-rush hour)- as long as they come on time. At least we can manage our time better that way, don't ya think? I believe it will save Rapid KL a hell lot of operational cost too. Selah (meaning reflect, meditate, consider, ponder)....

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Ok this segment has nothing to do with public transport.

Our company gives fruits to us every Friday. Our admin staff came by just now as i was blogging to pass me 2 oranges. She said that these are "mandarin oranges - from Africa". Chinese people are everywhere it seems.

This Morning

It was a lovely morning indeed. The air was cool and refreshing. The flowers on the tree were blooming and again I wished I brough the camera. Sure a friend chose his sleep over breakfast with me, but breakfast was good even on my own. Waking up in Kolam Air... It's just a different feeling altogether.

Heard a rumour that Metrobus won't be allowed in KL town from July onwards... but thank goodness it wasn't true. I got a lovely seat and the journey was smooth. As I walked towards my office, I experienced something I have not seen in a long while. A van actually stopped at the Zebra crossing to let me walk across first. Wow. There are still courteous and law-abiding Malaysians around. That put a smile on my face. If I had a camera with me, I would have taken a picture of the driver and sing of his praises.

So I was in a good mood walking into the office today. I had it all figured out. I was going to spend the whole day in the comfort of the office, working on a 115-page document. I would make myself a cup of joe and write a few blogs before fully focusing on my work... And then I met my colleague. He was the one that gave me that unnecessary task of changing the format of a 115-page document and now he wants to go and perform some testing. Basically what i need to do is create transactions and transmit them to our partners. If an error was found, I would have to wait for them to debug before sending another transaction over. I don't understand why they need another man to do such an insignificant task. Couldn't they do it on their own?

Sigh... what a day spoiler. Potong steam... i wonder if you're (yes the non-existent-reader you) having a bad start to your day. The following pictures were taken a month ago. It's the sunset view at Kolam Air. Hope it will contribute something good to your day. I'm out.

The World Cup 2006 - Semi Finals (1)

Germany 0 vs Italy 2

 

I managed to wake up just before the end of the first half... I chose to do that, because I know if there were any goals, it will be shown during the half time show. That way I don't miss a thing, or waste my time watching nothing. Anyway, after the first half of extra time I turned off the tv. Somehow sleep became my main priority. I had a feeling that Del Piero would score the winning in the final minutes. But didn't expect it to be 2-0 though. The following are a summary of my thoughts of the match.

 

_ Ballack and Pirlo were the engines for their respective teams in midfield. Pirlo had more of the ball and a tougher job to do, in my opinion.

_ Both keepers played extremely well.

_ Saw flashes of brilliance by Totti - ineffective ones.

_ Bastian Schweinsteiger didn't even try to take on Zambrotta. Phillip Lahm looked more like an attacking player than he did.

_ David Odonkor - the commentator introduced him as the fastest player in the German league. He went on to say that "he looks like an olympic runner who found his way into the national football squad... by accident". I have no clue...

_ Did you see how Ballack intentionally stuck Iaquinta when they both went in for a high ball? He then pretended as if he collided head on. And it seemed like the commentor didn't notice that after 2 replays.

_ Alberto Gilardino was unlucky to hit the post with Lehmann beaten. Italy finally looked like winning the game.

 

Will have more motivation to watch tonight's match - Portugal vs France - because I'll be able to play Winning 11 at the same time. HAHA.

The World Cup 2006 - Quarter Finals

The Good:

 

_ Zidane's diplay and Henry's goal.

_ England with a new manager and captain.

_ Aaron Lennon.

_ Germany's equaliser - superb build-up.

_ Germany's and Portugal's goalkeeper during penalty shoot out.

_ Germany's subtitutions.

_ Italy's 3-0 win.

 

 

The Bad:

 

_ England's 4-5-1.

_ England players treating Rooney like Crouch.

_ Frank Lampard's clear misses.

_ Argentina players slow to shoot. 

_ Cafu. Should have used Cicinho.

_ World Player of The Year Ronaldinho not making an impact at all!!

_ Cristiano Ronaldo making a fuss out of a foul he didn't see from 40 metres away. Go figure.

 

The Studipity:

 

_ Argentina not starting the game with Saviola.

_ Argentina not bringing Messi into the match when they needed magic.

_ Sending Rooney off.

_ Starting Ronaldo - remember how bad he was against France in 98?

 

This is Joash Chan reporting - without watching any of these matches. Woo!!

I told you so....

Read The Star online this morning and this headline captured my attention - Female bookie, 21, nabbed. The headline basically says it all. But read further and you'll find that this 21 year old is actually an accountancy student. See? See what young people can do with their knowledge? And now we want to teach them to use an M16?? Please, use your brain.

 

 

NS + Firearms?

I read this news while I was taking my lunch break, and I thought to myself "I'm so going to blog this"... Right after I take my world cup nap, of course.

 

So here I am, wide awake (not really) and ready to go guns blazing... To read story, click here.

 

I have no idea why the NS Department is so keen to allow trainees to handle M16 assault rifle and live ammunition. WHY? WHY? I just don't get it. These 18 year olds will be handling a real gun. What values are they trying to instil in those kids? That guns are fun? That holding a gun gives you boldness? So MAYBE there's a perfect explanation to this, and there are advantages in training a bunch of 18 year olds how to handle a M16 (i can only think of one. A lame and risky one). But there is just too much risk involved in it.

 

"This follows Defence Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak's announcement that the practical training would be voluntary. Only the theory part would be compulsory. Any trainee or parent who was apprehensive about firing live bullets could apply for exemption. Furthermore, the NS Department would question the trainee before allowing him or her to go through with live firearms training."

 

What kind of questioning would be given by the NS Department? I wonder...

 

"Do you want to fire live bullets?"

"Do your parents allow you to participate in this training?"

"Would you end up pointing the firearm and shoot me?"

"Are you in a bad mood?"

"Do you hold a grudge against anyone here?"

"Would you purchase a M16 in the future?"

"Are you one of those with tendencies of violence?"

"Are you a Hitler fan?"

 

Whatever it is.... It's so risky. Let me give you several examples of situations where things would go wrong, and would go horribly wrong with the presence of M16s. These examples would be under the category of "bad". I'll leave the "horrible" and "unthinkable" situations for you to imagine.

 

1. Girl just broke up with boyfriend, because the boyfriend was cheating on her, with her best friend. All 3 are in the same training camp.

 

2. Boy plans to study the same course with the girl of his dreams. They were about to get into the same intake when boy was called up to go NS. A chance of a lifetime gone. Boy's sorrow is deepened when he receives an sms from a friend on the "outside" that the girl of his dreams got attached.

 

3. Trainee is angry with the trainer for pushing them too far in training. Same trainer is at the firing range.

 

Better be safe than sorry loh. I wonder if any politician (with a sound mind) reads my blog.

The World Cup 2006 (10)

England 1 vs Ecuador 0

"Who the man? I the man. Who the man? I the man. *throws up*"

Man, he does look pale... I know the football ain't that beautiful in this game, but I still wished I had seen the match. No Astro...*sob*. A Beckham free kick sealed the game. He made history by becoming the first Englishman to score in 3 World Cups, all in dead-ball situations.Can anyone tell me if he's the first to throw up in a World Cup match?

Portugal 1 vs Netherlands 0

Portugal's performance was pretty impressive. The 3 frontmen for Netherlands tried to expose Portugal's defense with their speed, but Scolari's men did exceptionally well to break the attacks. I wonder how they will match up against England. I would say Portugal go into that quarter final match as favourites to win. But they'll have to hope that Beckham doesn't feel queasy next Saturday.

So there goes my team of choice again. Czech Republic gone, and now the Netherlands. Won't be seeing these 3 guys in action together anytime soon.

What I think about Anonymous (2)

Update!!: It would seem now that Anonymous has multiple personalities. Read his/her comments here!!

A Moment Gone

Thought I saw a rainbow yesterday at Jalan Ipoh. It was a lovely sight and a wonderful experience after a day's work and trouble with public transport once again(I shall not discuss it now). Then something happened. I saw a 2nd rainbow. It wasn't as beautiful as the first one, but i was just thrilled to see 2 rainbows at once. It's just an amazing sight.

 

My gratefulness towards the Painter in the sky turned to disappointment and frustration when I thought "Aiya!! No camera!!". Haha. And the only person I shared this special moment with was this old man sitting in front of me. He pointed to the rainbows and asked me what it is. I think he has a mental disorder... Anyway he was a sweet and polite person. Felt good that I spoke a few words to him.

 

Anyway, Cely has some nice pictures. She has a camera...

The World Cup 2006 (9)

Oh, hey, Pavel... What's going on? Why you're looking so down? Oh... you don't want to talk about it? Oh, you'll just show me some pictures? Oh ok.... Let's see now.

Oh, another 1 of your teammates did something stupid to earn a red card in last night's match? I can see what you mean. You guys struggled with 10-men in the last game too, against Ghana. It must have been even harder last night, huh?

Ya, I saw Italy's second goal too. Amazing how this dude actually beat your off-side trap and scored a goal, huh?Petr almost managed to steal the ball away from his feet... It was so close. He tried his darnest, I'm sure. To be fair to him, you all did leave the defense exposed... I guess you all really trust him to deliver the stops while you all chased the game.

Yea, I feel for you, Pavel. Can I call you Pablo? Pablo is so much easier to pronouce, and it sounds cool too. Oh Pablo is an Italian name? Is that what you think, you racist?!!

Ok ok, I'm sorry. I know you're in a bad mood. Your last tournament and the team failed to perform up to your potential. I was hoping you all would go all the way. I guess now you'll have to let the younger ones fulfill your dream now, huh? Oh speaking of younger ones, I have a picture of one of your young teammates... Can you recognise him?

That's right. It's Tomas Rosicky, the headless chicken. Now we both know why Fergie didn't buy him... So inconsistent. Anyhow, I do hope he'll find his head soon. He has potential. I still believe that.