Music = Time Travel Device

"The Blowers Daughter"

And so it is
Just like you said it would be
Life goes easy on me
Most of the time
And so it is
The shorter story
No love, no glory
No hero in her sky

I can't take my eyes off of you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes off of you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes off you
I can't take my eyes...

And so it is
Just like you said it should be
We'll both forget the breeze
Most of the time
And so it is
The colder water
The blower's daughter
The pupil in denial

Damien Rice

One of my fav songs...it is from the OST to "Closer" (a brilliant movie, with Clive Owen, Julia Roberts, Natalie Portman, Jude Law)

Isn't it funny how our mood would be THIS one moment, and completely sway over to THAT in just one instant, and all it takes to achieve this dramatic swing, would be a song?

You'd be happily whistling and whatnot and then a certain song, which carries with it certain memories, would start playing, and next thing you know, you are feeling kind of emotional, you don't feel like singing anymore, and your head is flooded with associated memories of a different time and place, and, it is as if you are seeing the actors in your memories like you are watching them on a black and white silent projector all alone in ur dark basement. And it is funny that while the person you are watching being projected (yourself) seems happy and laughing in there, the same person now watching it (you) are feeling sad instead.

Life is funny like that sometimes. Fate likes to play tricks on us.

I was dropping off someone after work today, and was happily going on my way home, when the CD in the car switched tracks...instantly, my cheerfulness vanished, and nostalgia took over, big time. Perhaps it was the combination of the rain pelting down against the window, the darkening sky and the contrast against the headlights of cars caught in the jam in the rain...

There I was, just coming off work, caught in a rain and jam, sitting in the car, but my mind was far away...

Its a combination, I guess, of the lyrics, the music, and most of all, the place/time/person you were with when you first heard that song...

{Note to self: Must..not..be..weak}

Braces?! Or no braces?!

Boy...you've got great teeth. Really, it is very good. The teeth are all there, none are senget, everything is in its proper position and alignment, no holes, no cavities, no plaque buildup. But, there are some gaps between your teeth . Nothing extraordinary or bad, but, in case you want your smile to look better, you might want to consider doing braces.

So, the good dentist told me that the other day when I decided to go and get some dental work done (it's time).

Hmm....a 24 years old guy wearing braces? I already look kinda young, but with my braces, work uniform, I could pass for a high school kid albeit a slightly more mature looking one.

Can you imagine, going for job interviews wearing braces?
In my current capacity, managing a troop of people up to 30 years older than I, while wearing braces?
Presenting to the top management board, wearing braces?
Going out to meet girls, wearing braces?
Trying to make out, wearing braces?

This is a tough dilemma! No, a 24 year old guy with braces just won't cut the cheese. So, the options are:

a) Seem more respectable without braces, deal with consequences eventually
b) Suffer the indignity (behind the back giggles laughs pointed fingers stained reputation) for one year, then, have good teeth rest of life.

F#$@....what kind of a choice is that!?

I took, and now, I give

Do you believe in karma?

A few short years ago, in a far away place called Melbourne, there was a little boy, struggling to pick up the fine intricacies that waitering in a posh restaurant demanded without condition.

He didn't need the money. That was secondary. He did it to gain some real world working experience, wanting to experience the self sustaining overseas lifestyle without using any of the $ that was sent from home. Wanting to improve his emotional toughness, he ventured out to work, subjecting himself to the whims, fancies, emotional tirades, unreasonable rants, overboard, out of line, harassing nature of his boss. It was a good experience, as he learnt how to handle all sorts of people by waiting on tables, how to read people and react to them, how to control conversations, how to deal with his boss, how to stand his ground and make his boss respect him, and eventually worked his way up from the guy who JUST delivered drinks to the guy who made the drinks and eventually the guy who supervised some of the shifts.

He had to learn 100 items on the menu (in a foreign language) by heart including the fine details so he could make recommendations, memorize and understand the wine list including some basic aspects of each wine's characteristics, dealt with rich/posh/snobby customers, worked 12 hour days, put up with a f***head of a boss who was fond of swearing obscenities and vulgarities at all and sundry and his bit*hy fiancee (who happened to be 30 years his junior oh boy oh boy).

In his line, he met his fair share of a$$hole$ and f**ktards. Those who were unreasonable. Those who had no qualms of ruining his night. But there were nights that reaffirmed in the goodness of human beings. When you are having a shit day...those kind words and smiles can mean soo much.

The lady patron who patiently watched as he struggled in his first ever solo attempt at opening a bottle of red, and then, in a kindly manner, standing up and teaching him, helping him, and when the boss came over with a threatening glare (at me, not her), she barked at him to back off, and left him a $20 tip. The Andrea Bocelli lookalike man who, upon learning that as a newbie he was not allowed to take orders, instantly declared and demanded that for the rest of that night, no one else is allowed to wait at his table except him, made him take his orders, and at the end of the night, searched him out in the kitchen and then pressing a $20 note in his hand and whispering conspiratorially "Great job mate" and then proceeding to raise his voice so the Boss could hear "And this is for YOU and YOU only. Don't share it. Thanks for the wonderful job. Gnite, and remember, next time, you CAN take orders!", before walking off and disappearing into the cold night air. There was that lovely couple (and the girl was a ravishingly hot beauty with that sexy accent) from Manchester where the pleasure in serving them was all his and they had a great conversation, talking about everything from Man U to Daphne from Frasier, and when they left, lo and behold, a $50 dollar tip. How about that visiting professor from Georgetown who chatted with him about the Hoyas, and left a $20 tip?

They taught me how to be a good patron. And how to bring joy into the oft forgotten waiter's life.

This boy is all grown up now. Being a working young man himself, and no longer needing to wait on tables to grow up, he is doing well enough. Recently he went to a posh restaurant.

The waiter was a young boy, foreign, couldn't speak English well, and made some mistakes, e.g. wine pronunciation, not pouring the red with a twist, letting the bottle neck rest with an audible clink on the glass, etc. He looked nervous. Inexplicably, I liked him instantly. And, feeling more suave, mature, and more experienced as a waiter that he seemed to be, I immediately tried to soothe his nerves and make him feel better by asking him about his home, his family, and teaching him the proper way to pour and hold the bottle when displaying the label etc. All this while I kept smiling at him and giving him encouragement. And when the manager walked over, I brushed him away, and continued to lavish encouragement on the waiter, whose entire demeanour, self confidence, posture and technique was improving. As the night drew on, I managed to make him smile and open up some on his background.

And when we left, I pressed RM10 into his hands, whispered conspiratorially to him, "Great job tonight bro...you can be even better.. believe in yourself, even if you think you can't do it...I know.. I've done it before." Then I said louder, "And that, is not meant to be shared.". Then I gave him a wink, and walked out into the cold night air.

Back up / Exit Plans

I'm sorry. At the risk of writing about something boring again and risk my *HUGE* legions of fans leavin this blog never to come back again, I will talk about politics again today.

There is far too much going on for us to be ignorant about. We might not be able to do much right now, but at least, lets be armed to the teeth with facts, use our developed analytical skills, and make the correct voting decision come election time. I rather at least try to disseminate my dissatisfied feelings here instead of just whining.

- Everyone is laughing at us. Everyone realizes that we are competing on a macro level, nation vs nation, except Malaysia, who is still fighting over who gets how much of the pie. Soon, there will not be a pie left to fight over. The greedy guys at the top will bleed the country dry. People, wake up. Lets be aware of what is happening here, don't just suck in your balls and run under your blanket everyday living your glitzy life until the shit hits the fan and you're taken by surprise. At least know whats going on, live your glitzy life, and make preparations, so when the shit hits the fan, you implement your back up plans, instead of plunging ur head into the sand.

- We have been threatened again. Spoken by our UMNO Youth Chief, Hishamuddin.

Opportunistic leaders who stoke the “fires of disunity” have no place in Barisan Nasional, warned Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Tun Hussein.

The Umno Youth chief said Malaysia could not be moulded by the narrow-mindedness, chauvinism and extremism of those who play the racial card in order to emerge as champions of their race.

He also reminded Umno Youth not to engage in the “game of the politics of hate.”

“Race and religious issues are being discussed without considering rationally the impact they will have on race relations in the country.

“What should have been constructive criticism has turned out to be vindictive, a venting of anger and hatred, malice and envy,” he said.

And...

Hishammuddin also warned the component parties in the Barisan Nasional not to fall prey to narrow political thinking and chauvinism.

"We must remember that creating a Malaysian nation will not be possible on narrow thinking and chauvinism. Don’t gamble the future by championing race politics.

I AGREE!!! Well done, you are - but hey... wait a minute...What a hypocrite! Look at this...


The guy in the middle there, yup, thats our hero, waving the keris.


Ooh, look look there he is again! Looking damn handsome and intelligent.

HE and his gang started the whole racial shenanigans thing...his deputy, the First son in law of the country, Mr Khairy. And now, twisting everything around and making US seem like the firestarters. Excellent, excellent. Keep going, we DO need the comic relief (while making our exit preparations of course).

- You guys who have gotten so used to handouts that you will twist statistics and scenarios, start fires, create tensions, spread lies etc just so you can maintain your power...do you know why some people are more successful and some aren't? Why some make it, and some, despite affirmative policies and the like, are doomed to failure? This is the reason. Because you will never be like this, you will never make much of yourself in life, forever reduced to asking for handouts.

- Our infamous Khairy, son in law of our PM. He who runs the show, who controls our PM, who cannot explain how he can afford ECM Libra shares, who uses racism and plays the Malay card shamelessly (oi hello stop tarnishing ur race can? I feel bad for my many capable Malay friends and colleagues, much better than you supposed Oxford grad can ever be). This is a pic of him wearing a sash labelled PM's son in law around his neck, creating a mob scene and wanting to issue a memorandum to Rice, who undoubtedly will go back and tell the US corporate sector that Malaysians love us please invest more there.


So this Khairy dude goes on the news today lambasting Anwar Ibrahim's call to abolish the NEP. Now Anwar's main reason, as he should very well know, having served as Deputy PM once and being very clearly groomed to take over Mahathir, is that "only the cronies and the “Umnoputras” became rich from it". Khairy's reply? “Pandai dia cakap (What cheek he has to speak). He was the greatest Umnoputra of all and a very rich one too”.

Conclusion: Everyone knows that only the cronies and UMNOputras benefit, everyone knows the real purpose of the NEP, and yet, Khairy goes "let’s set a new target. Let’s make it 70% for the Malay equity,” he added." And he dare taint the Malay race by adding that word there, when in fact, the word Malay should be switched to UMNO. By the way, the NEP in itself implies that bumis are somehow incompetent, incapable, and need to cheat. Have some pride - if YOU yourself are like that, do not lump your Malay brethrens into your stupid scheme.

Don't you just love these jokers?

- Our PM. Who when he came on board, promised us 12 pillars, fighting corruption and freedom to express opinons among them. This time I just want to talk about these 2. His son in law dutifully obliges by saying “The actual message is that the Malays are feeling dissatisfied in Penang and they have the right to express their feelings,” he said." when elaborating on why the Malays in Penang are protesting that they are being marginalized. No, nothing is wrong. After all, our PM did say he wants an open environment for discussion. Ok, so dutiful M'sians, when seeing things not right, decided to take up his offer. The response? "LAY off the debate on Malay rights and stop pushing for religious freedom, Umno Youth warned yesterday, signalling the end of its tolerance for the public debate on race and religion."

Ok.

- "'Don't play with, dispute or challenge the position of Malays and Islam in this country,' he said to thunderous applause by the delegates."

- " Several Youth delegates picked up on the theme. Mr Mohd Zan Abu from Johor said that the movement would continue to defend Malay dominance. 'We will not budge an inch to defend our rights, we will defend it to the last drop of our blood,' he said."

- Mr Razali Idris from Terengganu said that if the Malays are provoked, the May 13 sort of racial riots could erupt again.

- 'Do not challenge the Malays - it will ignite our spirit to run amok,' he said.

Great. They can say WHATEVER they want. But WHATEVER we say is tantamount to blasphemy, disturbing race relations, and can risk getting us thrown in jail to muzzle us or getting chopped up. Whoop de damn do you UMNO people, way to go. By the way, again, stop simply bandying the Malay race about can? Since you never really fight for them and improve their lot, only you UMNO people yourselves, at least have the decency to replace everytime you use the word Malay with the word UMNO.

- One brilliant politician's solution for alleviating poverty. Check it out, it reallly makes sense. An example of Malaysian boleh, where brilliant economists have failed.

- Our friend Najib, justifying the NEP by declaring "that the Malay Agenda and NEP will go on forever (no time limit) because “Malays were being oppressed by the Dutch, Portugese and English for more than 400 years”."What a brilllllliant explanation! That perfectly justifies it. Screw statistics mate.

- Our MAT REMPITS. Khairy and his honchos plan to invite at least 50,000 of them to Bukit Jalil for a great carnival. Even the police have washed their hands of the affair. If I stayed in that area, I'd make sure everything valuable in the house including me and the family were out of the country those few days. Geez. These lawless, lawbreaking, inconsiderate, dangerous, road menace, hospital-ward-hogging people are now being roped in to join UMNO. Talk about desperate measures to boost flagging membership and a cheap tactic for votes! And they are being hailed by our Puteri UMNO as future leaders of the country! A national ASSet! Hahaha!

- Taken directly from Malaysia Today.....

."the Deputy Prime Minister announced that the RM600 million will be slotted under the Ninth Malaysia Pan (RMK9) and that the RMK9 will be increased by another RM600 million to cover this amount. That is well and fine. But the RMK9 is government money while the RM600 million is an Umno thing. How can they hijack government money and use it for party purposes? This is downright illegal. And the fact that the money will be managed by Umno and not the government makes it even worse. Abdullah said that the division heads would be the trustees and managers of the RM600 million and anyone who wants a share of the cake will have to ‘panda-pandai bodek Ketua Bahagian’. I can’t believe Abdullah would actually say something like that. Not only is it downright stupid to expose himself in that manner, but it shows that he has absolutely no class. A person with class would be able to put it better.

What happened to the plan to eradicate corruption and money politics? Is not giving RM3 million to each division head and asking the members to lick the balls of their division chiefs for a share of the RM3 million considered corruption and money politics? Sheesh! What is wrong with the Prime Minister? I think he is not playing with a full deck of cards. Have we put the lunatics in charge of the asylum or what?

---

How can you blame people wanting to run away? How will you ever reverse brain drain with this kinda leader? And with brain drain, how do you expect to compete and survive? If I were you, dear reader, I'd definitely make back up plans.

Let me tell you a story

Let me relate a story of what kinda idiotic people we have helping us run this country. My subordinate, Hairol, recently lost his mother. She had diabetes, then 1 day she had fever, fell on the ground at their home in Malacca, knocked her head, and went into seizure. The father, took her to a local clinic, where they had a doctor. This doctor basically said Sorry, I am not trained, I don't know what to do. I only know how to cure fevers colds and flu. You have to take her to a hospital - the only one equipped for this stuff is in KL. He was trained locally, and worst still, could not speak proper English (claims my man Hairol, who, incidentally, comes from a background that can speak decent English).

So the dad drives to KL with the epileptic wife foaming from the back seat. Halfway through, she has a stroke. Now they reach KL and theres a jam. Then they reach GH. The docs operate on her - but its too late. She goes into a coma, and dies 2 weeks later. Hairol is totally devastated and this tragic and preventable incident. I can understand.

And the papers are highlighting the issue of the Malacca MP for Jasin saying close one eye to his flouting the law, clamouring for and sulking because he didn't get his Mercedes as a spoils of Customs confiscations. A right of his denied to him he claims. So while the powers that be are throwing national tantrums over not getting a Mercedes, and accusing each other of trivial things, their constituents are literally foaming at the mouth in epileptic fits.

And in their haste to employ grads, even half past six grads (as a result of skewed policies that allows them to gain entry into our unis, which are themselves half past 6) are churned out to be doctors. And these guys refuse to learn and improve themselves and update themselves - content with being a very basic GP. And a doctor who cannot speak good English!?!! Come on!!

Our leaders go around enriching themselves, semuanya OK, spout some religious stuff once in a while to maintain that religious image (truely religious people have good hearts, carry themselves well, and feel no need to constantly display in excess their absolute subservience to their faith) until election time, bagi sikit duit, and lo and behold, a vote is won.

You know what is the scary part? I cannot see any good, competent, modern, able leader up and down the ranks, who can take us into this new globalized world. All I see are half past 6 leaders such as the racist Khairy (what a global embarassment, to see our Youth Deputy climbing among rioters with a war cry and war attire screaming anti US slogans and burning the US flag in front of the Amercian Embassy while Condoleeza Rice was here. Imagine her assessment of the country to George Bush). There is another keris wielding Hishamuddin. There is the Nazri, with no backbone. And, as with history, the next batch of leaders will hail from the current batch of UPM student leaders. And we all know what happened in UPM.

The bumi equity

OK I gave Exhibit 1 earlier to demonstrate the world class-ness (less) of our govt and leaders. Unfortunately I'm all fired up now, and will proceed to ...

Exhibit #2

- The bumiputra equity. They have fluctuated yet again! Marvellous! Wonderful! OK, lets forget all the shenanigans of the past (not enough space here), and start from the point when Asli produced its report on bumi equity in the economy. First, the government commissioned Asli to research into what amount this equity was. It came up to about 45% (I am going to round up the figures here for easier discussions). The government made a BIG shout against this, and the call came alllll the way from the top when our PM also criticised them for making such a conclusion. Basically, they were not allowed to come to that conclusion. Bottom line. So amidst the mounting pressures and criticism, in a courageous step to stand by his name, the man who headed that team resigned from his post, citing regret for publishing it, but not regretting his final calculation. And they openly published their methodology and workings. And this man is a man held in high esteem by the local and international banking, finance and monetary community, having served/serving in esteemed positions in organizations such as the IMF. So the government says NOPE, Asli is wrong wrong wrong, and WE are right right right. WE have the proper number. How DARE Asli conclude what they concluded?

OK. So then the people asked...

Q: So what IS this proper number?
A: 18.9%.

Really? After FIFTY YEARS of Independence and UMNO control, you mean to say that our bumiputras equity in the economy is STILL MERELY 18.9%, a barely marginal increase over the time when the NEP's creation was first deemed necessary!? [OK, back to this point later.]

So they said 18.9%, and gave all sorts of stupid reasons why it could not be 45%, and why it is 18.9%. For example, they used the companies' shares' par value. Now any decent economist will tell you that to calculate a company's true value, you calculate how much it is worth today. By the way, par value is, in a very basic nutshell, the amount in capital that the company has, to start up. Now, how can you calculate a company's worth using par value? Let me ask you something. If I asked you how much your house is worth, would you quote the current market price, or the original price you bought it for 10 years ago? [Btw, if anyone wants to sell their house to me at their 10-years-ago-originally-bought-for-price, please contact me, I think I have a great deal for you.]

So after they claimed that it is 18.9%, the public heaved a deep sigh and prepared for the expected protracted smoke and mirrors that was to follow, and that sure enough, followed. We demanded to see the methodology. We will not attack the 18.9% number if it can be justified. Just justify it with the methodology. If it is justifiable, then we can accept it. So after some silence and dilly dally, the Govt says OK, we have the formula. If you want to see we will show. Don't make trouble. Don't make so much noise. So we go, yes babe, we want to see. And they go, yeap, we have the figures. If you want to see, we will show. So then we go, YES HELLO FOR THE 5th TIME, WE WANT TO SEE. And they go, yea yea, SHH hush hush don't stir up sensitive topics, we got the figure, if you ask, we can show.

And this little show went on for a few weeks. Finally, silence all around.

More silence.

Perhaps hoping, as usual, it would be swept under the carpet. Semua-nya ok! Mudah lupa!

Then came another round of reminders..EH WE WANT TO SEE...SHOW LA!

Finally! The results came out. 36.64%.

Ah hah!

Then the people go hey wait a minute...you guys said 30 years ago that the original aim of the NEP is to help the bumis to achieve a 30% equity..once that is done, the NEP will be shelved. Now the equity IS more than 30%!

Silence.. then...today.

"Bumi Equity Now at 18.9%".

All I can derive from the excellent screen play above, are the following thoughts:

1) The moment the 45% figure came out, they instantly browbeated its supporters into oblivion, while promoting their 18.9% figure. Meaning they must already have that figure beforehand. Meaning they already must have the formulas and methodology to derive it. So why the hell did they not publish those numbers until so much later? What stopped them? Did they actually have it or not? There is only 2 explanations for this delay. A) They DID NOT have, they just don't like to see the high equity, and thus lambast the Asli conclusion. B) They want to hide something.

2) Why when they did publish it, were the numbers still not the 18.9% they so vehemently pushed for to stomp on the 45% figure? Is our Govt so incompetent, it cannot even calculate an important statistic like that? That statistic is used to determine national policies...so how can they not, at all times, either have that statistic or be able to produce it in triplequick time? Gosh, how incompetent must they be to get this sort of stuff wrong and keep changing it?

3) It took them alllll these weeks to tweak, remove/add components into their formula so they can work backwards and arrive at that 18.9% figure?

Goodness! After 50 years, how come still so low? Only 5 possibilities.

A) The policy's implementation mechanism sucks
B) Something wrong with methodology, true number is higher
C) Bumis are not capable, thus even with 50 years of crutches, still cannot possess high equity
D) The money all went to a select few
C) Some combination of all this.

You know what is interesting? In a UM study years ago, it was discovered we hit 30% in the early 90s.

If you asked ME, humbly, I would say that the answer is A,B and D. I do not believe the Malays are incapable - I have met, and respect, far too many Malays and their achievements to believe C could be possible. No, the policy is geared in such a way that there is no transparency, only cronies benefit, there is no proper fil down mechanism to ensure the masses benefit, that the 18.9% is a fabricated cover up, and the $ is enriching just a few at the top, while the lower classes continue to expand. Just look at how many super rich bumis there are within a few years of them or their cronies coming to the top. It is only 3 years after Badawi's ascension to the throne, yet his son and son in law, Khairy Jamaluddin and Kamaluddin have gone from nobodies to among the richest in Malaysia. Scomi (Kamaluddin's company) has seen its share value rise exponentially. And Badawi keeps saying to every allegation of nepotism "I don't know", and furthermore, to every wrong doing, he directs the purported perpretrator to prepare for him a report. As if the guy would say YEA MATE, I SCREWED UP, I BRIBED SOMEONE WITH A SHOPPING TOUR OF EUROPE AND THATS HOW I GOT MY CONTRACT. PLEASE PUNISH ME. And he tells Mahathir, your sons got bigger contracts then my sons got. Ahhhhhh....

Corrupt dogs and idiots

There is much more to life than sitting comfortably in my room blogging about and focusing on myself and my emotional rants and experiences. Thats a very 'self-focussed' point of view. Today, let me talk about something that is more 'big picture' - the doings of the political elite of this country, and the ramifications for us, the little man on the street.

Instead of sitting idly on my sin-prone hands, today I will use this little space of mine to rant about something more important than....me.

As if we need any more proof, our country is run by a bunch of corrupted idiots and dogs. Let us first start off with some examples. To be VERY fair, I will ONLY use ONE incident printed in today's The Star, and not use past examples, in an attempt to minimize the amount of stupidity I could spout lyrical about:

Exhibit #1

- The operator of the CCTV in the Penang City Hall, instead of focussing on the proceedings, zoomed the camera onto the leg of a female journalist present. And held it there for a good 15 minutes. Now THAT in itself is obviously a gross breach of CCTV usage policy and a violation of her privacy and an outrage of her modesty! The reporter was dressed in a jacket AND the skirt ended below the knee - all of which are in conformance with the dress code. What kinda desperate twisted depraved sick #@$ would do that? And, the operator has not been punished, or even suspended. But wait! Thats not the best part..the best part is that the Penang Island Munincipal Council President Datuk Abu Bakar Hassan has gone on record blaming the woman and her choice of attire for instigating this shameful deed. And he even went on to give the analogy, "if we leave some meat in the open, and the cat eats it, is it the cat's fault or the meat's fault?"

OK since this is my blog, I shall break my promise. Let me (now that I am properly warmed up and getting into the spirit of things) expound on and include a few more examples of idiocy.

So with these inept incompetent jokers running the show, our country is in for a majorly shit time ahead. We have that Penang guy blaming the woman for the CCTV operator perving on her. We have some majorly incompetent, thieving, lying, conniving leaders who deceive the nice gullible rural majority and create racist issues in order to cling onto power where they can further enrich their fat selves. We have that Klang guy who built his illegal mansion, built his illegal satay stall, semuanya OK, no real big deal, nothing torn down. Years ago when we wanted to renovate and extend our kitchen an extra ONE FOOT the councillor basically told us if we did that, they will come in, and not only pull down n demolish that ONE FOOT they will also pull the whole kitchen down. And we have Samy Velu saying in Parliament something along the gist of women are like toilets. When first obtain it, look brand spanking new want to use it. After a while, looks gross n don't want to use, need to get new toilet. We have MR NAJIB waving the keris and clamouring for blood of other races. We have our MCA running dogs who keep quiet while watching their representatives and members being crucified for raising pertinent issues. We have funds denied to Chinese national schools until the rotting and termite eaten floorboards gave way under a teacher and killed him. We have honest Malay Kubang Pasu reps getting beaten up in front of their families and homes and labelled 'pengkhianat' to their race for confessing there was money politics in Mahathir's defeat. We have that good man of ethics, backbencher Shahir or Shahril, forced to resign for daring to speak the truth. We have Rafidah Aziz, in this time of regional competition, telling foreign investors, OI, IF DON'T LIKE OUR RULES, take ur money and BYEBYE. Alamak...die die.

No wonder we are dropping lower n lower in competitiveness, FDIs generated and corruption indexes. Dont you friggin get it? Its no longer about competition between races - it is a regional competition now!!! We as M'sians have to unite and not be fragmented, and compete against Vietnam, Thailand, etc. At a time when everyone is thinking how can the country get a bigger pie, our country is slapping restrictions left and right - must have X number of directors of a certain race, Y % of shareholders of a certain race etc. Don't they get it? It is not about race - it is about competency and capability! Don't look down on that race like that! I personally know A LOT A LOT very very intelligent and capable ones who definitely do not need crutches, can stand up with the best of anyone, and frankly, its an insult to them to imply they need crutches and to taint them with the same brush that automatically makes people think that some of their brethren only succeed coz of aforementioned crutches. Some of these people are extremely capable and intelligent, easily world class. For the first time, Indonesia has overtaken M'sia as a FDI destination. This is very apparent in my line of work, where many of our clients and jobs have gone to Thailand, Vietnam...

Why, since Independence, has the Sing dollar doubled compared to us when they used to be on the same level? How did Taiwan and South Korea, who were behind us, now lead us? Die ... die...

Now, with leaders like these, leading us into the new world with these policies, can you blame me for saying that our country is run by corrupted dogs and idiots?

The NEP

Basically, the NEP, in a nutshell, the crux of it, is that it implies that Bumis are inferior, need cheat crutches in order to compete with other more capable races. How demeaning is that? You would think that the Govt would want to throw it away to reflect it is doing a good job, eliminating the need for it.

Long ago, it was promised that the NEP had a shelf life. That came and went. Again, it was extended in the late nineties. And then the 30% target was given. Each time we meet the condition, it is extended. Is it never going to go away? Why are the UMNOputras so gung ho about defending this and enforcing and upholding this? Why are they sooo bent on perpetuating this, above our many other important issues? Because it is in THEIR interest that this NEP goes on, and they continue to delude the non elite Malays into thinking it is necessary (by instilling fear/jealousy/dislike/ignorance etc towards other races) for their own survival or or else the Cina kui will encroach upon their land and steal their sleeping mat from under them. And they harp on the ketuanan Melayu and how they are the original sons of the soil. So people are fearful and think only UMNO can protect them, and the NEP is great. But seriously? Who does the NEP REALLLLLY benefit? Think about it.

Just study the gap between the haves and have nots between the rich UMNOputras [we shall not include deserving, honest, capable Malay professionals and businessmen] and the rural Malays in the kampongs. They are being deluded, and used, to enrich those at the top. The gap is widening, the top are getting fatter and richer while the poor are being marginalized, regardless of race. How many obscenely filthily UMNOputras do we see, living the high life which they definitely can't live using their drawn salary? How many politicians live in mansions? Look at our AP Kings!

The biggggest victim here is the poor rural Malay himself. He never benefits. I feel sorry for him. Nothing trickles down to him. At each level something goes into that guy's pocket. He doesn't get the govt contracts handed out by the fat cats to their cronies. He doesnt get the hot chick (sorry, this is more relevant to me heh). No sir, the rich ass politican's son will get those hot chicks. You can't blame the girl for choosing the richer guy - its a natural law. This guy has to settle for selling his kuih and layang-layang in Kelantan and perhaps marrying some nasi lemak seller lady's daughter, have a simple ceremony (no Siti Nurhaliza extravaganzas), and live a life of toil and hardship, and due to bad nutrition, probably suffer from diabetes in their old age, while not being able to see their kids as the kids have migrated to the big city to work at menial jobs (ala my factory) while suffering from malnutrition and the like. So the poor gets systematically and institutionally marginalized and disadvantaged, while clinging onto the UMNO perpetuated myth that they could be even WORSE off eithout UMNO. He doesnt SEE, at their expense, the rich corrupted ones sending their kids overseas, living the high life, chasing prostitutes, drugs, driving Porsches and fast cars (crashing it and buying another), drinking, spending a thousand pounds on strip shows in 1 night, owning bungalows, thousand pound shopping sprees...He thinks that his lot is the best that it can be, thanks to UMNO...he cannot see that his life would be much better if the natural laws of economics were left to be, and the free market controlled things. It is not perfect but at least the pie would be distributed slightly more equally - at least, not the current 90% direct into aforementione fatcats' accounts.

The sad thing about the NEP is that it taints the actually talented, capable, intelligent Malays with the brush that implies they got their positions not due to meritocracy. Now, I would be the first to defend these people. If they have shown they are capable, they should stay on, and ignore others' whispers. I believe in meritocracy - capability comes first. There are lots and lots of very successful Malays who have achieved a lot, without the help and crutches of the NEP, relying only on themselves. These have earned my respect. But it sucks that the NEP insinuates that they are somehow unable to compete on their own, that they are an inferior race, and needs unfair cheat advantage to play the game. Because this insinuation is a total fallacy - these are what I label 'Towering Malays', who can stand tall, hold their own, and outperform, anyone else in their respective fields.

But the bad part about the NEP is that it provides for and encourages shoddy shit quality production. Breeds incompetence, laziness, dependence on foreigners, bleeds the country to death, reduces our efficiency, reduces public funds going back into the system to improve our way of life, breeds complacency, and renders the country more ineffective as a whole.

Nobody has studied the NEP's effects on the rest of the population. So many half past 6 grads graduating with a degree in something unmarketable or relating to religion, ending up being unmarketable and unemployed, jacking up the unemployed grads numbers, and forcing the govt to dig deep yet again into its coffers to temporarily come up with a stop gap hare brained resource wasting scheme to engage these 90,000 unemployed grads. So many people from other races, due to the tremendous disadvantages and uphill battles EVERY step of the way, live it tough - the deserving denied a bright future by seeing his scholarship given to a less capable person. And he ends up taking over the family's pork noodle business. It is a grim time for us non bumis indeed. And the cheek, to ask the qualified ppl to come back and serve your country and reverse brain drain- when the country rejected them in the first place by denying them a scholarship, so these people had to apply for (and got) the Asean scholarship and ended up being educated in S'pore. So many Chinese & Indian families being broken, or having social issues.

Now don't get me wrong. I am not against Malays receiving help. All I am saying is, I don't care what race you are in. If you are poor, lets see what we can do to help you. It is no longer about giving it all to just one race. I think we should now divide ourselves into income gap. Those who fall below the poverty line (incidentally, it is mostly Malays. Now where did that money go? Glances at my friend's neighbour's mansion, he who owns Naza) should receive help. Regardless of race. Those who are standing on their own feet. Well done. Regardless of race. A country should be united, for we are only as strong as our weakest link.

Friends....or just Colleagues?

When does one cross that line from just colleague, to good acquaintance, to friend?

In my previous working experiences, I have always tried to separate quite clearly 'colleague' and 'friend', and tried to keep em apart, and not let one cross the line of the other. I guess I achieved this by detaching myself from them inside while being there on the outside, or not hanging around them much, or not opening myself up, or just viewing them as a hang out together bunch.

But today I find that thats completely reversed with this current company. I find that I can quite definitively define some of these people as friends, people I still want to keep in touch with even if we are no longer colleagues. We get along well, laugh at the same dumb things, at each other, have various shared ups and downs, understand mostly what the other person goes through, and share that same half sinking feeling on Sunday evenings when we think of the immense workload we got to cut through again tomorrow.

Its a cool feeling to have friends working in the same place. I don't mean friends from previously; that'd be awkward. But its cool to make friends while working in the same place, to form friendships that can last down the line, with people who are nice to you, and whom you can trust not to play politics behind your back, and without where work would be a lesser place. It is not easy but I suspect some of the reasons this situation with me happened because:

- Our *so called big firm* makes our jobs so stressful (its mostly the workload n expectations) that its a common thread that draws us together, and allows us to vent n bash, and in the process, open up to each other

- Our HR dept does a great job! Consistently selecting like minded ppl (wow! better than a matchmaking service, only, this is the 'friends' version)

- This bunch of people is so great by themselves that it is impossible to exercise self restraint successfully, and I end up relaxing the controls n inbuilt mechanisms and seeing them as more than just colleagues and liking them on their virtues by themselves

I do not like to invest my time and effort into building relationships that has no potential to turn into a lasting friendship, or whereby I will not be in touch with that person 5 years hence so whats the point of building it up now? It's like pouring money into a drain.

What sparked this post? Well, an initially colleague, who later turned out to be more than I thought, quit. I already regarded him as a friend, and his departure left a little gap in my everyday work life; without our shared jokes and laughter, and same zany sense of humor. Granted he is a little weird at times (yea, wat the heck!?) but its this uniqueness in everyone that makes us individuals, and makes us endearing to others (or disliked).

And there is 1 other person whom I also regard as a friend already. Being the tough cookie she is, has decided to stay on and fight a bit more. For her position, its not easy for a girl to excel, but unbeknownst to her, excel she does, but, we can't please everyone. Its that spirit thats so stirring - independent, look this is the cards that life dealt me, I will have my emotional moments, but I will pick myself up and move on and just play with the hand life dealt. No complaints. Just puts her head down and does wat needs to be done, never whines, expects someone to come out n bail her out, just sorts out her problems. When she was considering quitting, I felt that same pang of slight loneliness as when the aforementioned guy left for more compatible pastures.

But the real story behind this post is with another colleague whom I regard as a friend already as well. See, when I first knew her, just like how I treated everyone else, I tried to maintain this little barrier (internally lah, not on the outside). But over time, she struck me as more n more interesting and we seemed to get along well (i dont care if ur a great actress, let me believe this lie), and by now, has leapfrogged into the Friend zone (how privileged!). Possesses among the best sense of humor I've seen on a girl (doubtful claim, but I am trusting). So anyway, today she mentioned something about quitting. Now, I have never taken her such statements seriously but the more I know her, the more I realize I have no idea when she is kidding.

And that sparked off the following trail...When I started in this company, more or less these were the ones who I hung out with, had the most fun with and made life at work sort of fun. When we went out after work, whereas with previous companies I would have declined, this time, I actually liked to go. So among the close bunch of us, it made me realize the possibility I could, soon, be the only one of us left. These are the three whom I consider 'Friend', and not just, no longer, colleague. And that feeling that I'd be the only one left filled me with some kind of sad feeling. I would miss them.

I won't go into it here...but if I work with them, they automatically fall into the Colleague category. But if they display qualities that matches the criteria I use in my life to decide who are Friends and who remain Colleagues, then they can switch to Friends. And these do. I completely trust them.

But can colleagues also be friends? Would it be weird? If a colleague-who-became-friend later ended up, in his professional capacity, at complete loggerheads with me in my professional capacity, that results in 1 of us having a worse outcome, would maturity be enough to sustain this fship? And normally colleagues have a lot of politics.. they might smile at you, but behind your back, at best, while hearing someone criticise you, they will not speak up for you. And I hate those people who constantly say things to 'test' you. See how smart you are, etc. OK, look, quit it ok? I am not smart. There. I'm not a threat. Now go and feed your insecurity someplace else. OR behind your back try to spread bad things about you. And believe me I meet a lot of such people. Or people who intentionally keep a low profile and make themselves seem sillier than they are. Why!? Whats with all this godddamn mind games? Why want to pretend to be a pig to eat the tiger!? Be yourself!

So when I see ppl whom are totally so not like that...and whom I can hang out with.. have fun with...can trust...can count on to be honest...no headgames...its like a refreshing breath of fresh air. So I guess thats how I know who are colleagues still, and who I consider friends - if I will miss you, you are a friend.

Ribs and Pasta!!!

Can't sleep!!! Not sleepy!!! Hungry!!!

How!

I keep thinking of those cold Melb winter nights... when if I was hungry I'd order in RIBS and SPAGHETTI AMATRICANA (extra chillies please, yes sir!), SOUVLAKI, GARLIC BREAD & MILKSHAKE.


Ahh...

And watching a DVD from VideoDogs..I remember watching 'Sideways' (good show) in precisely that manner, while sipping a glass of red...ah the joys of being overseas and not working full blown.


Why is it I can't sleep when I need to be awake in 6 hours time and I know I should sleep?

I know.. it is coz I know that once I close my eyes the wkend is OFFICIALLY over and SOON its time for work again. If I sleep, I know what awaits me. And I don't look forward to that.

So...I try to max it and lengthen my wkend this way...so silly.

How a napkin became a transmogrifier

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Listening to...Jack Johnson: Breakdown [in fact, the entire album is on queue]

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I was surfing through my photo archives.. when I happened to chance across this photo, taken at that Vietnamese restaurant at 1 B'sar.


Now why is this significant? Well, this napkin was folded in the EXACT same way that I used to fold (and teach new recruits) the napkins at the *classy Thai restaurant* where I used to work back when I was a little mosquito in Melb. So this really brought back a lot of memories...and I took a little walk down memory lane...but thats a post for another day =) Anyway I tried to fold the napkin that way again...and I totally couldn't! I forgot completely. Its funny how something I could do while sleeping 2 years ago, I completely forgot now, due to lack of practice. It makes me wonder...well, they say practice makes perfect, and lack of practice makes 1 forget, so, if intimacy and constant physical togetherness is required maintain a rship, how about the lack of it? On my part, I can attest its not so, but, maybe not everyone is like me. And I can understand that. Hmm... Just like how some people could have been so in love..but that was once upon a time, in another place, another world..its sad isn't it? How circumstances and times shape and change people...I guess thats just people evolving..

Anyway there was a neat little item there ..

Think Az took this photo..

Then I stumbled across this little gimmick..

Little gimmick

The white part is plate + bowl, the blue stuff is ... just little hard pellets. And when you put a lighter to the blue pellets, they became alight, like a self burning source of fuel used to heat/cook whatever is in that bowl, right then and there! How amazing... jakun people like me...really find this an eyeopener.

Self burning pellet

The nice thing about the entire One B'sar area, which is a great place to hang out, and chill with a nice drink and great company, is the whole environment...they TRY to make it look nice..

Can you imagine little ducklings in there?

And when I saw this gem...I was immediately reminded of s'thing I find very true and profound..

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet."

--From Romeo and Juliet (II, ii, 1-2)

The Bard

I think I shall lie down and enjoy my last few minutes of freedom and listen to Jack Johnson...sigh...another week of work begins in a few hours...

The Scholars!

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Frank Sinatra..I've Got you Under My Skin

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OK this sounds really lame, but the bunch of buddies buddies that I have...theres 9 of us, and its exclusive all male (unless we include Bernie who is a half guy already to us so she can be considered a 0.5), we actually gave ourselves a name - The 9 Scholars.

7 of us...fear not SikSan and Rand..we'll do this again when ur back

Haha don't laugh...well truth to be told, none of us are particularly brainy except for Randy (not his real name) and none of us ever won a scholarship.
But we were inspired by that Stephen Chow movie, The Flirtong Scholar..and the rest is history.


We kinda started in early primary school...and friendships got forged, reinforced, etc all throughout until we more or less hit upon the final current 9 of us in our current state. Its nice, for all of us, to know we belong, to a group that wants us, that we are an integral part of, that we form, and that needs us there in order to be complete. Of course, us being guys, there is only SO MUCH closeness we can bond...(cough, taboo word)...so, being fairly representative of the general population, we have accountants, engineers, IT buggers parading as engineers (hey, thats me!), entrepreneurs, auditors, and even a do it all school administrator who one leg kicks all buckets. And theres our fair share of girl stories...women stories...broken heart stories...things like that. We have our fair share of being heart broken, breaking ppls hearts, acting like jerks, being bitched to, been betrayed, betrayed others, 50% smoke, 50% don't, etc etc. Over the years I have learnt that, guys being guys, we are always not going to be too sensitive towards each others' feelings and stuff...we arent gonna remember everything...we are quite blunt to each other...things like that.


So this year was a kinda faith renewing year, becase ALL of them remembered my birthday (a SIN in the male friends world) and also SMSed me (double SIN). I took them down to Alexis, since only 1 had previously been b4 whereas I've been quite a few times with other ppl and thought good things shared are better. And I was mighty glad when everyone thoroughly enjoyed it. Coz live jazz isn't normally a scholarly thing we do. But the best part was that (and nowdays this is getting really hard to coordinate) everyone who was in KL managed to make it for drinks for it..it's no easy feat I tell u. U have no idea how much wrangling goes on...deals that has to be made, lies to be told, alibis created, jams braved, money spent, work to ignore, sleepiness to keep away, chances for sex neglected...and u have no idea how much this stuff could mean to us. Anyway..so as usual when we got together...we talked for yonks about all kinds of shit under the sun...ppls jobs, career..but, as usual, we would come back to our favourite topics - sex, our bfs/gfs, sex, and, er, well, sex.


Of course, me being totally a good little boy, and being lacking in experience of these matters (happy now RukiReka? BUT you have first preference among those lining up to ahem, assist me in my education in this dept), will refrain from such discussions. So last night's topics involved:

- Mushit's finally losing control and deflowering of his current lover (lover is the most honest description)..yep and we got alll the gory details..yes girls, sometimes we talk about this, just like yall

- FCC's recent trip to a neighbouring country where he did not meet a single hot chiq

- Our resident teppanyaki chef's and East Malaysia scout's recent revelation that *local telecoms giant* has a lot more hot girls than he realized, and how even those normally plain types can be transformed during annual dinner

- Bodyguard lilblur casting away the ropes of being in a rship and is now on the hunt...

- Self proclaimed good boy's 'no i will never cheat on my gf! ever ever! how could i!.....ahh but theres this girl at work, she...'

- And then theres GoodBoy..who walked into Alexis with us, and he hadn't even sat down while we walked to our table and sat, looked around, where is he, and saw him standing there, SAVING INTO HIS PHONE the number of this girl standing in front of him. I mean, thats jus illegal man.. the normal mode is.. u walk in.. u sit down.. u glance ard... spot someone... glance some more... wait a bit... see no bf.. ok.. walk over and say hi... but noooo...this guy gets the number b4 he even sits. Aish..

So yea, last night The Jordan Rivers Band was playing...first time hear, and it was quite a good blend...

..except, as typical of Alexis, towards the end, the performance geared up and it wasn't SO pleasant..but the performers were quite good..

Not a bad night..then I tried to experiment with the camera's settings with Mahadren's guiding me...at least now I know how to adjust the setting to take photos that can capture the original lighting w/o the flash perverting it..


Ahh...so we have reached that stage in our lives...from those rowdy heady days in high school dances, proms, balls, to discos, clubbing, hard core trance, to lounge music, live bands, and now, listening to jazz and actually enjoying and starting to differentiate the wine. Haih..a sure sign of old age.

Are you an avatar?

Received this in the email a few years ago, cannot remember who sent it to me.
But it makes for a great read for idle minds and hands.
I don't know how blogspot allows me to upload files, but since I stumbled upon it in Scott Adams' blog, I will post the URL here. Check the sidebar for the link.

Shit it is already 7 15...gotta run folks!

Of staggering and Jo

Drifting in and out of alternate periods of sleep and wakefulness on a rainy Saturday afternoon...
Devoid of emotions save for tiredness physically and mentally...
What better way to pass time then to sleep/blog/music/read/sleep/blog?

As you can see, I might not blog everyday but when I do it comes in 1 big flurry...

Like rapid fire staccato bursts of gunfire... I emerge from a woozy sleep induced daze to park myself at the keyboard, read something interesting, plop, an idea drops on my lap, and away I go to blog about it...and after an appropriately mind numbing post (I know I know I'm not the most briliant writer) my eyes start to close slowly again...and then I turn around and crawl back under the covers. B4 the whole cycle repeats itself again. And the bouts of sleep are hardly fitless.

But you know what? I cannot think of a better way to spend today. The sheeeer joy of not being at work or preoccupied with work stuff, which actually permeates into virtually aspect of my life literally, completely overrides everything else.

I mean, after 12-13 hour days at work for the week, and a late night last night, and then going into work for a few hrs this morning, my situation is understandable right?

This reminds me of my Melbourne days, where I would remain awake into the morning, sleep at the break of dawn, and emerge as the sun set, stumbling in a daze onto the sidewalk as I spilled out of my humble place of abode, eyes blinking rapidly, staggering and trying to keep my balance. I must have looked a sight, another Viet druggie in a drug induced stupor.

At times like these, there is nothing better than loud pumped up music, letting in fresh air and sunlight, dressing up, and going somewhere nice.

Makes you feel alive again, y'know?

OK next order of business for the day.

I understand that everyone works really hard during the week, so I was OK that nothing happened on my birthday, which fell on Thursday. They have more than made up/still making up for it this wkend, hence my current spent state. But still, it would have been nice to not be alone and squatting in my room watching the clock silently count away the last few hours of that 1 special day for myself. Hence, thanks Jo!...For being so valiant and coming out at an SMS' notice, inspite of the rain and ur respiratory issues. You might not realize it, but I did enjoy that little snippet of time that I could be not alone, as I am pretty sure that with the current state of affairs at work, I would have fallen back onto work related thoughts - not pleasant.

1) Now you know why I had to buy, and not let you do so. Its a silly thought on my behalf but like I sort of would like to think if I paid for dinner on my birthday, somehow some cosmic effect would be that I can continue to earn enough to do that everyday.

2) Pls cut down on the carbs, especially so late at night.

3) Eat less fried food, n sugar laden liquids! Watch ur health woman!

Hope the below eases the confusion.

This the one in KL

The Fullerton, Sg

BTW, some of you (if I know you like I think I know you) would enjoy this great site - blog by Dilbert's author. Check my links on the sidebar.

Flashback...in appreciation

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Quote of the day: Every Jordan needs a Pippen in life. Not just basketball.

Listening to...Peter Gabriel - I Grieve

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When we had that Drama exam b4 leaving Trinity? And I came up with that whole idea of you being the comatose brother (sorry! but u did a good job leaking saliva with a stoned faraway look in ur eyes.)? And that idea of killing you off while Peter Gabriel's I Grieve is playing? And when I did kill you off with that pillow and the crowd went wild and clapped? And everyone was still talking about our performance some years later? People kept asking did I use onions to cry. I said yep. But I lied, for dignity reasons. Truth is.I really did tear. And I did that by imagining what life would be if that wasn't just Drama class.

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Trinity College - Autumn, 2000

And then. We had a chat after that, just the 2 of us, just like the ones we used to have. I shan't go into what we said. But its moments like these that make me realize, I'm not ever really ever literally alone alone. Not with friends like these. I'm glad we met when we were.. what, 14, 15? And went to Melb together at 17...and listened to Out Of Africa in ur living room...and broke ur glass playing basketball in ur room..and running from rats in my room..and killing the rat in Cardigan...and comforting me when I had a ghostly experience

...and lying in ur room staring at the ceiling fan spinning slowly with the glow in the dark stars...and suffered/mucked through uni years together...

Home..for 6 years..

and braved Uncle Joe and the haunted Palmerston House...sort of took care of each other.. graduated together...and 10 years on are still friends. Whoever could have envisioned us like this, back when we were making Mrs Sathi jokes in AddMaths? And being disgusted at Mr Loo's stick whole hand into pants to scratch ass with scritch scritch sound. Tassie..

The photography sessions

Fighting against those who sought to steal our home court..

Acting like kids again at Sentosa...

Trying to be grown up when we clearly weren't ready..

- - - -

Here's to the next 10 years.

MahaDren, the Best Friend. Totally.

- - - - -

Rainy lazy Saturday afternoons...

*WARNING* PHOTO HEAVY POSTS ALL THE WAY DOWN FOR TODAY

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Listening to...Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Tenderly

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Ah...after the appropriately late night as befitting the occasion, I stumbled into bed, was awake in what seemed a second, and was off to work by 8am. But by the time 10 30 rolled around...I was THIS *makes a 1mm gap b/w thumb and forefinger* close to rolling over onto my side and gasping like a goldfish denied water...

Well, after flailing around a bit I decided that my levels of concentration were nowhere near what they needed to be to perform at optimum levels as was expected of me, so I did the usual - tell Fac A I am going to Fac C, tell Fac C vice versa, and then walked out of whichever Factory I am in, and head straight home. Muahaha pray do not snitch on me.

Touched base station at 11am...took a quick shower.. and hey presto lo and behold I am wide awake again! And decided to go blogging...b4 heading out in the afternoon and perhaps tonight..

*Update update* >>> This jus in: another guys only night out tonight.

We seem to have a lot of these...a disgruntled lot we are.

Well, gripes aside, I have this photographer friend who is admittedly light years ahead of me in skill and experience. In fact Mahaguru Dren was the one who pushed my fledgling interest into the somewhat blurry grey area of avid amateur with no time/skill/patience/$.

A specimen of MahaDren's handiwork from last night...

And he has kindly sent me more camwhoring pics of last night to load up. How efficient.

K lets do this chronologically.

Drivin down...

Really like this pic...just the right items in it, without the main doors/window etc..

Here we go again...

And so, the night endeth...

As we made our way home, me and MahaDren launched into a long discussion on the magic of music...and we discovered yet another thing in common...

Robbie Williams - Mr Bojangles (Live at Knebworth version)

Ahh..we both agree its not just a great song.. its a beautiful and magical song. Why? Well, this version beats all other versions. Its indescribable, it's just magical. The piano, the song itself, the pace..aih...*contented*. Well, when you first hear a song, the ambience, mood, person you're with, atmosphere, timing, etc, all really ties in together to make or break it. And I suppose he was doing something somewhere when he first heard it that really sold it to him. I know I was...but what the situation was, I cannot tell.

- - -

Robbie: 'Let me start again. Maxie, when you play this music, it makes me feel really sad..'
Crowd: 'Awww.....'
Robbie: 'Do you wanna know why. Because me and Max were having a chat before the show tonight. And we realized the [can't catch it] was here, the time was right, and then we thought - What does it mean? Without love? Without a girlfriend? [Pause]
Robbie: 'Umm ..is there anybody in love in the audience tonight? You 2 down there. How long have you been going out with each other? Married. 10 years! See thats love right there for you. Congratulations. You look great together. This is for you. This is 'She's the One'.

- - -

And when you couple in the piano playing..the Brit accent..and the concert atmosphere (I of course wasn't there but I've been to concerts b4 and I can so picture it)..its just magic.

But wait! Thats not all. MahaDren says the next part, the next song, is conjoined and its very nice how he switches the lyrics with the couple's names.

I must get a copy of it!!!