Tuesday, July 20, 2004
Pitter Patter
I carried over the warm fuzzy feelings over from yesterday to this morning. Even though I didn't get my mandatory 8 hour sleep, I woke up easily enough. A quick wash of the face with cold water swept away the remnants of blurness, and as I drove to Youth Park I half-wished that the momentary pause in rain would start the moment we reached there so that I can continue my slumber. Alas, that was not to be, so I made my way up after the preliminary warm-up stretches.
There was an Alstatian there, it was very well groomed and had a collar on. It followed us halfway up to rest point 3, but left without me realising it. The last flight of steps to No. 3 proved to be the last for the day as the heavens opened, leaving another prayer answered. The timing could be better though ;) Half-wet on a cool morning, I set my things upon a dry bench and planted my ass on a table. Had a really great sleep in the 45 minutes that followed, cool breeze and all :) The rain hadn't stopped when I woke up, needless to say I reached the car rather wet.
I wonder what happened to the Alstatian though - it prolly knew that it was going to rain really soon and bailed out halfway, that mangy dog! :P
I carried over the warm fuzzy feelings over from yesterday to this morning. Even though I didn't get my mandatory 8 hour sleep, I woke up easily enough. A quick wash of the face with cold water swept away the remnants of blurness, and as I drove to Youth Park I half-wished that the momentary pause in rain would start the moment we reached there so that I can continue my slumber. Alas, that was not to be, so I made my way up after the preliminary warm-up stretches.
There was an Alstatian there, it was very well groomed and had a collar on. It followed us halfway up to rest point 3, but left without me realising it. The last flight of steps to No. 3 proved to be the last for the day as the heavens opened, leaving another prayer answered. The timing could be better though ;) Half-wet on a cool morning, I set my things upon a dry bench and planted my ass on a table. Had a really great sleep in the 45 minutes that followed, cool breeze and all :) The rain hadn't stopped when I woke up, needless to say I reached the car rather wet.
I wonder what happened to the Alstatian though - it prolly knew that it was going to rain really soon and bailed out halfway, that mangy dog! :P
Monday, July 19, 2004
Gluttonious Rice
Saturday Brunch
- Beef Koay Teow and 2 Eggs and Roti Kahwin
- 1 Yoghurt
- 1 Guinness
Saturday Tea
- 3 slices of butter cake
- a couple of curry puffs
- No Guinness :(
Saturday Dinner
- 1/2 Large Seafood Lover and 1/2 Large Meat Lover's pizzas and 1/4 Veggie Lover's pizza
- 1 Guinness
Sunday Brunch (for a table of 4)
- Dry Beef Koay Teow
- Char Hor Fun
- Mixed vegetable soup
- Stir fried pork
- Stir fried leafy vegetables (kai lan with anchovies)
- 1 Roasted chicken
- More stir fried leafy vegetables (dunno what its called)!
- 1 Yoghurt
Sunday Dinner
- 1 Cheese Naan
- 1 Tandoori Chicken
- 3 Bendi in Fish Curry
- 2 Sotong
- 1 serving of Long Beans
- 2 servings of cabbage
Monday Breakfast
- 5 Bananas
- 1 Milo
Monday Lunch
- 4 Bananas
- 1 Neslo
- 2 Plates of fried noodles
- 1 egg, sunny side up
I gained 1.5kg after yesterday's lunch, but after shitting I lost 1kg :( I'll be damned if I don't gain any weight by the end of this month. Its literally money going down the drain!
Saturday Brunch
- Beef Koay Teow and 2 Eggs and Roti Kahwin
- 1 Yoghurt
- 1 Guinness
Saturday Tea
- 3 slices of butter cake
- a couple of curry puffs
- No Guinness :(
Saturday Dinner
- 1/2 Large Seafood Lover and 1/2 Large Meat Lover's pizzas and 1/4 Veggie Lover's pizza
- 1 Guinness
Sunday Brunch (for a table of 4)
- Dry Beef Koay Teow
- Char Hor Fun
- Mixed vegetable soup
- Stir fried pork
- Stir fried leafy vegetables (kai lan with anchovies)
- 1 Roasted chicken
- More stir fried leafy vegetables (dunno what its called)!
- 1 Yoghurt
Sunday Dinner
- 1 Cheese Naan
- 1 Tandoori Chicken
- 3 Bendi in Fish Curry
- 2 Sotong
- 1 serving of Long Beans
- 2 servings of cabbage
Monday Breakfast
- 5 Bananas
- 1 Milo
Monday Lunch
- 4 Bananas
- 1 Neslo
- 2 Plates of fried noodles
- 1 egg, sunny side up
I gained 1.5kg after yesterday's lunch, but after shitting I lost 1kg :( I'll be damned if I don't gain any weight by the end of this month. Its literally money going down the drain!
Friday, July 16, 2004
The Twist in the Yellow Brick Road ;)
A title that pays plaudits to esteemed CH-MY writer, TSD :P But sniggering aside, let's put paid to a different topic.
Choices. What's so great about them? I like the power of choice. You have freedom to do anything that you want, but the consequences of your choices are always bound by a few universal rules that are immutable. Throw yourself against those laws, and you break yourself. You can dissipate that feeling of doubt by trying to do so :P
The fantastic thing about making a choice is there is no downside. Take off the regular glasses of life's view that you're wearing at the moment, and ponder for a bit. Unfortunately most people make only half a choice and think its a full, 100% wholesome choice instead. The other half of a choice is to take responsibilities for making that choice. Responsibility for the consequences of making a choice is not a negative value or a con - its empowering. It makes you think carefully before making a particularly important decision.
Simple, yet hard to follow, isn't it? Its beautifully illustrated by a humble stick. Pick up one end of the stick, and you automatically pick up the other end. You cannot just break the stick into half and claim that the end of it is broken - no, in fact by doing so you have just chosen to get the shorter end of the stick ;)
There's a price tag attached to everything in this world, but I fear the way the world is hurling us into. Its all about instant gratification and having the power to do whatever you want without facing the consequences or having the guts to do so.
As for me, I've now to pay the price for not getting enough sleep the night before. Damn Windows and their many updates! 46MB of updates took 3 hours and 30 minutes to download on a 56kbps modem :( And I can't seem to install the Windows XP Express SP1 because I've got a pirated copy. Bah! But its great to know that the weekend's load is lightened by Keira Knightley presence on the silver screen later this evening *slurp*
A title that pays plaudits to esteemed CH-MY writer, TSD :P But sniggering aside, let's put paid to a different topic.
Choices. What's so great about them? I like the power of choice. You have freedom to do anything that you want, but the consequences of your choices are always bound by a few universal rules that are immutable. Throw yourself against those laws, and you break yourself. You can dissipate that feeling of doubt by trying to do so :P
The fantastic thing about making a choice is there is no downside. Take off the regular glasses of life's view that you're wearing at the moment, and ponder for a bit. Unfortunately most people make only half a choice and think its a full, 100% wholesome choice instead. The other half of a choice is to take responsibilities for making that choice. Responsibility for the consequences of making a choice is not a negative value or a con - its empowering. It makes you think carefully before making a particularly important decision.
Simple, yet hard to follow, isn't it? Its beautifully illustrated by a humble stick. Pick up one end of the stick, and you automatically pick up the other end. You cannot just break the stick into half and claim that the end of it is broken - no, in fact by doing so you have just chosen to get the shorter end of the stick ;)
There's a price tag attached to everything in this world, but I fear the way the world is hurling us into. Its all about instant gratification and having the power to do whatever you want without facing the consequences or having the guts to do so.
As for me, I've now to pay the price for not getting enough sleep the night before. Damn Windows and their many updates! 46MB of updates took 3 hours and 30 minutes to download on a 56kbps modem :( And I can't seem to install the Windows XP Express SP1 because I've got a pirated copy. Bah! But its great to know that the weekend's load is lightened by Keira Knightley presence on the silver screen later this evening *slurp*
Tuesday, July 13, 2004
Excerpt
The search for an AIDS vaccine has long been overshadowed by the search for new AIDS drugs, which are far more profitable because patients must take them for life. But that cost already is beyond the means of most poor countries. Considering there are roughly 5 million new infections a year, "we won't be able to be keep pace with the demand for treatment," Helene Gayle of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation told the 15th International AIDS Conference here.
A rather simple solution that doesn't cost a single cent - stop screwing around? Drawing parallels with the much-circulated story where NASA spent huge amounts of money to invent a pen that can be used in space, while the Russian cosmonauts just used a pencil.
Unfortunately, its easier said than done. Discipline's the keyword here I guess, and the road's filled with many distractions.
The search for an AIDS vaccine has long been overshadowed by the search for new AIDS drugs, which are far more profitable because patients must take them for life. But that cost already is beyond the means of most poor countries. Considering there are roughly 5 million new infections a year, "we won't be able to be keep pace with the demand for treatment," Helene Gayle of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation told the 15th International AIDS Conference here.
A rather simple solution that doesn't cost a single cent - stop screwing around? Drawing parallels with the much-circulated story where NASA spent huge amounts of money to invent a pen that can be used in space, while the Russian cosmonauts just used a pencil.
Unfortunately, its easier said than done. Discipline's the keyword here I guess, and the road's filled with many distractions.
Friday, July 09, 2004
Illojikal
I backed into my old man's Toyota this morning. Damn my carelessness! Its only July and I've learnt many (expensive) lessons in the first half of this year alone - I wonder what the next 5 months will hold. Hopefully better stuff!
Read the news lately? Seems that our Army boys are screwed up mentally and physically as well. They are now considering giving a holiday to those in the Army who can lose 10kgs within a certain period of time (6 months if I'm not mistaken), due to the fact that many of our country's defenders have fallen to the enemies called heart attacks, diabetes, and strokes compared to bullets.
A reward for keeping fit in the Army. How wonderful! There's another reason to laugh at Malaysians for having an Army with bulging waistlines and tits bigger than Pam. It should be the other way round, those who do not make the cut within 6 months be given corporal punishment, because you're supposed to be damned fit when you join the Army, and also maintain it because that's part of the job description, damn it!
Other laughable aspects where our politicians screwed up due to corruption :-
(i) The poor sods in toll booths handing out tickets. You just need a machine that dispenses tickets - save money and energy constructing a booth with an A/C unit.
(ii) Not using solar powered energy - cost is not an issue, we get lots of sun all year round, the technology has already become affordable, too bad the greedy bastards still want to milk Tenaga for all its worth.
(iii) Tenaga is making billions in post-tax PROFIT alone each year, and is still straggled with debts amounting to the BILLIONS year in, year out. The debt isn't even shrinking, but growing!
(iv) So many projects here and there, but where's the maintenance?
That's but a little bit of what's going on here. I shan't even delve into the special priviledges issue as there really isn't anything to iron out other than the fact that a lot of people take things for granted. The monster's appetite will not stop until the bubble bursts, then a revolution will sweep across the country, and we'll start over. I fear for that day.
I backed into my old man's Toyota this morning. Damn my carelessness! Its only July and I've learnt many (expensive) lessons in the first half of this year alone - I wonder what the next 5 months will hold. Hopefully better stuff!
Read the news lately? Seems that our Army boys are screwed up mentally and physically as well. They are now considering giving a holiday to those in the Army who can lose 10kgs within a certain period of time (6 months if I'm not mistaken), due to the fact that many of our country's defenders have fallen to the enemies called heart attacks, diabetes, and strokes compared to bullets.
A reward for keeping fit in the Army. How wonderful! There's another reason to laugh at Malaysians for having an Army with bulging waistlines and tits bigger than Pam. It should be the other way round, those who do not make the cut within 6 months be given corporal punishment, because you're supposed to be damned fit when you join the Army, and also maintain it because that's part of the job description, damn it!
Other laughable aspects where our politicians screwed up due to corruption :-
(i) The poor sods in toll booths handing out tickets. You just need a machine that dispenses tickets - save money and energy constructing a booth with an A/C unit.
(ii) Not using solar powered energy - cost is not an issue, we get lots of sun all year round, the technology has already become affordable, too bad the greedy bastards still want to milk Tenaga for all its worth.
(iii) Tenaga is making billions in post-tax PROFIT alone each year, and is still straggled with debts amounting to the BILLIONS year in, year out. The debt isn't even shrinking, but growing!
(iv) So many projects here and there, but where's the maintenance?
That's but a little bit of what's going on here. I shan't even delve into the special priviledges issue as there really isn't anything to iron out other than the fact that a lot of people take things for granted. The monster's appetite will not stop until the bubble bursts, then a revolution will sweep across the country, and we'll start over. I fear for that day.
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Tupperware
The Tupperware, it seems, has made an ubiquitous return! In my life, at least. I searched for some really old Tupperware around the house a few months ago and discovered that those could still be used! If only I brought bread to work like how mom used to pack sandwiches for me back at school - so them old plastic antiques were shoved back to the cupboard, disturbing the family of dust mites there.
I bought a few 500ml 'Wares to carry along as I hike, and a 1.1L one to bring to work. Problem is, after 4 months of use, the cover has begun to fall apart. Somehow the "Lifetime Guarantee" slapped on their products seem to have lost its edge...they just don't stand up to vigorous usage (now I'm using that term rather loosely) - heck, I haven't dropped my 'Wares on asphalt until today, just simple opening and closing of the covers and they've already begun to tear!
Since getting my bottled goodness, I have noticed that many people sling those around their shoulders whenever they go out, and its popular across all ages, from school kids to hot mamas and doting grandparents.
Met up with Edmund yesterday, and had a pleasant chat with him and his colleague. Also did bump into Desmond who's now doing medicine stateside. Do all my friends who end up there come back with a buffed body or what? So far the track record stands at 3 out of 3, with Chocobo taking the lead. He busy making ca$h now though :)
Here's some parting advice, don't watch Chronicles of Read-A-Dick! It is the sux!
The Tupperware, it seems, has made an ubiquitous return! In my life, at least. I searched for some really old Tupperware around the house a few months ago and discovered that those could still be used! If only I brought bread to work like how mom used to pack sandwiches for me back at school - so them old plastic antiques were shoved back to the cupboard, disturbing the family of dust mites there.
I bought a few 500ml 'Wares to carry along as I hike, and a 1.1L one to bring to work. Problem is, after 4 months of use, the cover has begun to fall apart. Somehow the "Lifetime Guarantee" slapped on their products seem to have lost its edge...they just don't stand up to vigorous usage (now I'm using that term rather loosely) - heck, I haven't dropped my 'Wares on asphalt until today, just simple opening and closing of the covers and they've already begun to tear!
Since getting my bottled goodness, I have noticed that many people sling those around their shoulders whenever they go out, and its popular across all ages, from school kids to hot mamas and doting grandparents.
Met up with Edmund yesterday, and had a pleasant chat with him and his colleague. Also did bump into Desmond who's now doing medicine stateside. Do all my friends who end up there come back with a buffed body or what? So far the track record stands at 3 out of 3, with Chocobo taking the lead. He busy making ca$h now though :)
Here's some parting advice, don't watch Chronicles of Read-A-Dick! It is the sux!
Monday, July 05, 2004
Gastronomical!
Mmmmm - the normal coffeeshop where I have my brunch on most Sundays ran out of eggs! Skipping breakfast yesterday was a bad idea, I was starving by the time service was over, and the fact that all them young taekwondo exponents thronged over after their practice, devouring all the yolky-goodness that I had been craving for. Damn them! Had to wait extra long for the main dishes to arrive :(
Firstly, there was the standard Sar Hor Fun, with lots of sotong, meat, and spinach interspersed with slightly burnt bihun and extremely broad koay teow (just to my liking). Gravy was ok, but I put devouring the noodles before taste in my state. This was taken slowly when the Kampung Chicken steamed in a claypot with thick soy sauce, garlic, and lots of mushrooms arrived. The gravy was really excellent, and was I ever a happy man digging in. The usual 2 dishes of vegetables arrived in a short bit - stir fried kai lan with salted fish, and sambal kangkung for the tortoise in me. There was some seaweed soup with lots of other stuff thrown into it for good measure (prawns, sotong, chicken, etc) to help ease the food down. Of course what's a meal without some pork? Stir fried pork in thick gravy - what a treat! :)
Dinner was a much watered down affair - I wolfed down some Nasi Melayu opposite Terengganu Road...there was the usual queue outside but it was worth it. Top marks for the sambal and the bendi! :) Will definately pay a visit to the uncle one of these days...
Mmmmm - the normal coffeeshop where I have my brunch on most Sundays ran out of eggs! Skipping breakfast yesterday was a bad idea, I was starving by the time service was over, and the fact that all them young taekwondo exponents thronged over after their practice, devouring all the yolky-goodness that I had been craving for. Damn them! Had to wait extra long for the main dishes to arrive :(
Firstly, there was the standard Sar Hor Fun, with lots of sotong, meat, and spinach interspersed with slightly burnt bihun and extremely broad koay teow (just to my liking). Gravy was ok, but I put devouring the noodles before taste in my state. This was taken slowly when the Kampung Chicken steamed in a claypot with thick soy sauce, garlic, and lots of mushrooms arrived. The gravy was really excellent, and was I ever a happy man digging in. The usual 2 dishes of vegetables arrived in a short bit - stir fried kai lan with salted fish, and sambal kangkung for the tortoise in me. There was some seaweed soup with lots of other stuff thrown into it for good measure (prawns, sotong, chicken, etc) to help ease the food down. Of course what's a meal without some pork? Stir fried pork in thick gravy - what a treat! :)
Dinner was a much watered down affair - I wolfed down some Nasi Melayu opposite Terengganu Road...there was the usual queue outside but it was worth it. Top marks for the sambal and the bendi! :) Will definately pay a visit to the uncle one of these days...
Thursday, July 01, 2004
T-SQL
Was out with Sekz and Alisa yesterday evening, and we went into our normal routine of talking cock over a couple of drinks and the conversation was steered to the following SQL statement...
SELECT Name, Age FROM dbo.Ong
WHERE son = 'Dylan' AND ring = true
ORDER BY Age ASC
Congratulations to my ex-classmate, Kevin Ong and wife on having their first son, Dylan Ong! Dominic (Kevin's brother) got married a couple weeks' back also, and it looks like Robin could be next but Alfred could change his mind to put a damper on the SQL statement above.
Siti's gotten engaged as well, and I heard that Melinda and her man are gonna get hitched as well. Banana leaf rice or shark's fin soup? Tough choice! I'd go for BLR since sharks don't really deserve that sort of treatment.
Was out with Sekz and Alisa yesterday evening, and we went into our normal routine of talking cock over a couple of drinks and the conversation was steered to the following SQL statement...
SELECT Name, Age FROM dbo.Ong
WHERE son = 'Dylan' AND ring = true
ORDER BY Age ASC
Congratulations to my ex-classmate, Kevin Ong and wife on having their first son, Dylan Ong! Dominic (Kevin's brother) got married a couple weeks' back also, and it looks like Robin could be next but Alfred could change his mind to put a damper on the SQL statement above.
Siti's gotten engaged as well, and I heard that Melinda and her man are gonna get hitched as well. Banana leaf rice or shark's fin soup? Tough choice! I'd go for BLR since sharks don't really deserve that sort of treatment.
