Present

Today is 25 Aug 2004. Today is Ain's Birthday. Today is my sis' convocation at UiTM Shah Alam.

For my sis, i give a bouquet of flower, a big one. For Ain? I dunno. It's hard to choose a present for someone - at least to me (any tips?) :P So, i called her and asked her what she wants. No surprise element i admit, but it's better than giving what she eventually don't like :P

Is it means that i don't really know her? Perhaps, but i don't think so. I know what she likes. But by asking, i just wanted to know what she really likes for present for this once-in-a-year occasion. By asking, i make the present customized especially for her (and prescribed by none other than the person herself :P)

At least that's my opinion right now (You can read: lame excuse :P) . Time moves, and my opinion may change based on certain occurences.

And what's more? Heyy, I save the surprise later! (hopefully you are aware the existence of Forrester's Theory of capturing girl's heart- of course from the movie, Finding Forrester :P : "give unexpected thing at an unexpected moment!")

And what i give for myself? Livita, white kit kat and barbeque twisties while playing chess online! :P Great!

KLIA, erl and me!

Last Saturday, i went to KLIA to send Ain's sis, Ida, before her departure to US, continuing new semester of her study. Others who came were Ain, her mom, Ida's bf and her Aunt.

Knowing that she would check in at 12.00 p.m., i took ERL (for my first time!) at Bandar Tasik Selatan. The ticket costed me RM 26.50. It's ok with me. But, on my rushing there, i forgot i had only small amount of cash in my wallet! Luckily, it was enuff for me to pay for the ticket, and after paying, only 40 cents remained in my pocket. :P Ironically, it was fun!

The story was told later while we had meal at KLIA, and they laughed. Her mom pointed out that she only draw out money once per month for big amount of money and put in his purse.
Thinking about that, i believe, whether you want to draw cash once a month or draw little by little, it's up to your displinary level. Like me, there are people who could not have a lot of cash in hand, or they would easily spend it on something. :P

Hurm! And, you know what? I might be lucky with the ticket, but i was not so lucky when the train came when i was buying the ticket. It is impossible to across to the other side using the bridge above in such a short time. I wish i could fly, reaching the door on time. Anyway, it was just my imagination, and i've to wait for 30 minutes more for the next train. Argghhhhh! Poor me! I didn't know how many times i looked at my watch :P And, no matter how fast the train was, I reached KLIA at about 12.10 p.m.!!

Was i late? Nope! It happened that Ida would come aboard only at 2.15 p.m :P And, i was lucky after all. :P

Should i tell you the moment when a mother has to say goodbye to her daughter? Better not, lest you can't handle it. :P

"Who Moved My Cheese?"

Last Saturday was a working day. It has been for a while i haven't working on Saturday, mainly because my previous company has adopted the 5-working-days system.

At Dagangnet Tech, on working Saturday, we have activities to fill that half working day. Last Saturday, we got to watch a DVD presentation on "Who Move My Cheese?", and later, listened to a talk about that very topic presented by Mr Chandra Sikaran from MIM.

If my mind didn't deceive me, I believe, the very last talk i attended was one given by Datin Ampika long time ago on The Power of First Impression. So, i'm glad to have this opportunity.

So, what is "Who Moved My Cheese?"

It's a book - a worldwide bestseller written by Dr Spenser Johnson. This book is basically trying to explain the importance of adapting ourselves to any changes occur. According to this book, we must realize that changes do occur and we have little power to stop it. So, willy-nilly, we've to anticipate change and fearlessly adapt to it quickly. Change ourselves if needed and enjoy it. And, after that, we must always alert and become observant to our surrounding because by doing so, we can see better and reflect better to any changes.

I bought this book some time ago. You can read this book in one sit since it's not so thick. Unlike other motivational book, the explanation comes in a short story form.

Mr Chandra is a fluent, proficient, knowledgable with a lot of experience presenter. He has unfolded a lot of things in front of us. Yeah, a lot, but i want to draw your attention to one thing - this equation. IQ=(mental age/physical age)*100. This is a simple equation to show how we've to update our knowledge and embrace any changes in our surrounding. Or else we end up like a 40 years old man with a mentality of 20 years old back, who when doing thing he always refer to the old method of his time with outdated technology.

Sounds good enuff. :P

The problem with this book, like mentioned by many, is that the writer seems to think that all changes are positive, or what we call "improvement". Meaning, when a change occur, it's our job to distinguish whether it is for better or for worse. And only then, what has been preached in this book become applicable.

It's a nice book after all. The insight given at least can broaden our perception towards new things and changes.

I'm afraid you would take less time to finish reading the book than to digest what i've written here :P

Wah!

// Martian's in red

Lot of things happened during the time of me not updating :P

"So what happened?", you might ask.
// I dun give a damn!

Ok.Lemme tell on what happened. So, prepare your cup of coffee! :p *drum rolling*
// drum? How about bomb exploding? :P

So, as i told you in my entry, i have transferred to Dagangnet Technologies commencing 1 August. I could not give you my opinion yet about the company, since i'm only working there for about 2 weeks. But, whatever my opinion is, it is not as surprising as this fact: i will soon be back to Johor Bahru! Ok, now you can start crying, oh, kidding! :P
// HA. HA. HA. Not funny!

Actually, when i was being interviewed by the Director and HR of Dagangnet for the inter-company transfer, i emphasized to them on me being back to JB sooner or later. So, if there is any vacancy there, i would like to fill the position (or i might resign after working for 1 year). And lucky me, i was just in time when the head there asked for one more tech guys to support the increasing users. And yesterday, my director has confirmed that soon, i will be transfered to JB office at Taman Tampoi Utama. He said, it depends on me now - how fast i can learn here - and expects me to catch up whatever relates to the system. The sooner i learn and reach a satisfying level and confidence with my own skills, the sooner i will get transfered. He believes i can catch up quite easily and confident that two weeks time is enuff for me. I have a mix filling about my own ability. Hurm! :P Meaning, by Sept, i have already been there! Wah! Still, it depends on me. October pun ok :P
// Eleh! Mr Polt kerek! You're having delusions about your own ability!

Ok fren, here we go. A pantun:

Tuai padi antara masak,
esok jgn layu layuan,
Intai kami antara nampak,
esok jgn rindu rinduan. *sob* *sob*

// Nak jawab:

// Sapu tgn tepi berkelim,
// Kelim mari gigi belalang,
// Hati nan rindu tak boleh di kirim,
// Hendak dikirim bukannya barang.

//Muahahahhaha! Pantun lama!

Hurm! Ala, bukan jauh pun :P

Yay, i will be closer to my fiancee!
// fiancee? hey, i don't know that!

Wait! Aha! I can hear some of you saying this: "fiancee? hey, i don't know that!" ok. It's no secret. I got engaged last Sunday. No futher details about it needed. :) If you have any question, ask me personally :P And big thanks to those who had given their personal congratulation to me via any means of telling me so. :)
// Hey, at last you get an Earth girl huh?

And, it was quite weird that on Monday, her family (Ain, her mom and sis) and i went around visiting her relatives in JB, introducing me to them (since i could not attend the engagement ceremony :P) Hey, it's fun after all getting to know them and minggling around. In addition, we had dinner that night. Four of us. Wait. Forgive me, five of us. Yeah, including her sis's bf. :)
// Erk!

So, you see, a lot of things happened that will change my future. And now, i'm trying to cope with it. Pray for me! :)

:P

Short update (can we take this as an update?) :
Lack of update. I need some time to cope with new workplace and daily life - to "stabilize". :P

This is of course an excuse :P I know you can smell it. Therefore, a big sorry from me! (Iqa! Help me! S.O.S :P)

Internet Freak

Taken from [[here]] . My annotation in red:

You know you're an internet freak when...

• You refer to yourself and your friends with names such as "pimpdaddy2000" and "sugarbaby14" on the phone.
  // OMG! I think people start calling me mr Polt here and there!
  
• You have met more people online than you know in real life.
  // This is soooo true. We have a lot of friend online. Some of them become so intimate yet we have not met them yet. Who cares.
  
• You constantly type between *stars* to express emotion or your actions. *rolls eyes*
  // Hehe! Always. Undeliberately following others, especially my sis Dihah yg comel :P
  
• You use LOL, WBS, LMAO, JK, YGM, or any other net abbreviations, in real life.
  // In writing, yes! But, have you ever heard someone laughing like this: "LOL" -- i mean, with the exact similar pronounce? I think i've :P
  
• Your chair has an ass-groove because you have nothing better to do than sit in it.
  
• You have your own email, webpage, every possible messenger, a message post/board, your own chat, and a telnet talker.
  // I've webpage at Geocities. In addition, i've a shared blog. I'm using Yahoo Messenger regularly and sometimes, MSN Messenger. I own Yahoo, Hotmail and Lycos mail accounts. Hurm! And terato and Netscape mails too altho i dun think i use them. :P I'm teratorian and post in the forum now and then. I join several online group like Malaysia-chess, sck9697 etc. Argghh.. ! Hehe! But still, they are manageable! Dun worry yah! :P
  
• You spend 4 hours or more online each day, on a regular basis.
  // Hahaha! 4 hours? More than that. Being online is my job. ( I dunno in my new company la! :P)
  
• You are outraged if someone doesn't message you back, and you spam them with hate mail.
  // Sometimes, yes. But, we have to think positively: the reason being, their line is suck at that very moment :P
  
• You seem to value what people on the other side of the country think of you, whom you will most likely never meet anyways, and you burst into tears if Jiggy007 doesn't say goodbye to you.
  
• You've met more than twenty 17/f/blonde/blue eyes/skinny/big boobs/professional model people in chats.
  
• You acctually believe they're all big-breasted, blond models.
  
• You threaten to punish someone by banning them from your internet club or talker, as if it will affect their lives deeply. (oh boo hoo!)
  // sounds familiar! :P
  
• You openly admit your a looser, and rejoice in it.
  
• You dominate all chats and clubs, because you know everyone.
  // It hards sometimes to join other groups when they have already known each other, and you are a new member in that group.
  
• Everyone refers to you as "that cyber bitch" because of your incessent need to challenge everyone with your opinions
  
• You think that cybersex counts as loosing your viginity.
  
• You have imaginary cyber babies with your cyber boyfriend/girlfriend. You name them.
  // :P How about cyber pet?
  
• Your eyes hurt from staring at the screen, and there's a buildup of dishes on your desk. You haven't seen the light of day in a while.
  // Yeah. Soo true, it happens to me. Yay, i'm a computer freak :P
  
• You imposter people, ie. Celebrities, on a regular basis.
  // Erk!
  
• You SPEAK IN ALL CAPITALS BECAUSE IT'S COOL. Or you condemn those who do,
  saying that they're huritng your ears. (It's friggen typing, how the heck does that hurt your ears?)
  // Haha! All in capital isn't cool. It simply means people speak loudly. And it hurts my eyes more than my ears. :P There are people who dunno what it means to write in capital, when they do so, misunderstanding always occurs - like we think thay are angry, or the message is urgent etc :P
  
• Your nickname is garnished with ~'s and *'s and such.
  
• You take your rank as an Admin. in a chat VERY seriously, as if it were a real profession.
  // I dunno. I'm not an admin :P But, i've seen several who just as mean as that :P
  
• You think you're God, because you're the owner or founder of a chat/talker.
  
• YEW DUN SPELL RITE N-E-MORE. And you acctually understand that.
  // Hehehe! A lot of example! Assignment=esemen, catch up=kecap etc. :P But, that's not mine. :P
  
• You get in a bad mood if you're away from your computer for more than 10 hours.
  // No! Well, sometimes :P
  
• You demand a picture from everyone, and you're always posting usless pictures of yourself. "Here's my left big-toe.."
  // Long time ago, i used to ask for pics. But, not anymore :P Getting tired of it.
  
• When you're not online, you're thinking about, or talking about what you do online.
  // Yeah. Sometimes, i feel very uncomfortable when i haven't online for one day! Now, that's a serious symptom! :P

Inter-company Transfer

Short Update:
Today, i received letter of appointment and inter-company transfer from Dagang Net Technologies Sdn Bhd (UEM is one of DNT shareholder), stating that i will be transferring there effective 1 August 2004 as Technology Support Executive. For your information, the office is located at HP Towers, Bukit Damansara.

After 3 years and about 6 months working in current company, new environment may enrich my experience. Wish me all the best of luck! :)

Jonathan Livingston Seagull

Jonathan Livingston Seagull - A Story
by Richard Bach.
Avon books. 127 pages.

I read this book for the first time when i was in form 5. It was meant for my book review assignment for my English class. I guess, I chose this book because it was thin and simple and i would be able to read it in one seat. Only later i found that despite its simplicity, it contains what those thick motivation books have to offer. I bought my own copy long time ago and read it again and again since then. (You can find the full text here!)

I should say reading this book is a refreshing experience. It shows the value of self-improvement and self-perfection in our daily life.

The story focuses on Jonathan, a seagull. He finds that life is more than finding food day in day out. To him, it is more than that. He thinks: "Instead of our drab slogging forth and back to the fishing boats, there's a reason to life! We can lift ourselves out of ignorance, we can find ourselves as creatures of excellence and intelligence and skill. We can be free! We can learn to fly!". So he learns how to fly better. He tries to find reasons every time he fails on mastering certain technique, figures out what goes wrong, and later try again until he succeeds. Never one second he satisfies with what he has achieved. He really looks for perfection!

It is not easy though. He faces resistance from his mom and dad and his flock. One day, he tries to show to his flock how they - seagull - can get more foods by mastering flying techniques and only to find they do not like it. To them, he breaks the traditional way. The flock cannot distinguish between breaktrough and breaking ways they have adopted for years.

The elder in the flock makes Jonathan an outcast. He says that Jonathan is a shame to Gull Family. 

He is sad but he learns still and meets other outcast. He finds seagull with better technique and learns from them. Until he has a real mastery on how to fly. The mastery helps him in simplifying his ways to take simpler tasks like catching fish, and that is what his flock cannot see.

No! He is not stopping there. Yes, he has mastered the technique but he still thinks of his flock. He wants to teach them that by taking time to learn, all other matters will become handy. His friend thinks that it is futile but Jonathan believes there must be some way to change their perception. Off he go, and later he succeeds.

What i wrote above of course not as entertaining as reading the original text :P But i hope u get the ideas.

You see, in daily life, we must find reasons for our doing. (In chess, trainers always tell their students to find purposes for every move they made). We must think of ways to improve ourselves. We must learn anything we think that can make our job easier. Once we fails, we must find the cause of the failure,  and find the right way. Once we succeed, we must think of others and teach them of our findings. We must not become so selfish and think of no one but ourselves.

What a lesson!

This book was written in 1970. It still being published until now. What that's supposed to mean? It's classic!! A lot of people find some inspiration through it. A lot of people just like Rad Bradbury: "Richard Bach with this book does two things. He gives me Flight. He makes me young".

Small Creation :P

This pic has been created by one of my friend. I think most of teratorian know her. I should say it is cute. I wonder, is she in the mood of wanting being loved by someone dear to her? Anyway, i guess, Hallmark should hire this girl to come up with brilliant ideas and create more lovely cards for them :P

In terato YM conference session, she explained:
" hmm
bukan la
itu kan sweet kiss
kalau boy kiss, dah biasa
sweet ke?
so, we turn to other side
kiss pipi..sweet per
pastu tagline dier
'i love EVERYTHING about you' "

Attitude

I get this when i did sites-hopping (here!)

What makes life 100% ??

IF,
 
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

Then,

H A R D W O R K
8 1 18 4 23 15 18 11 = 98 % Only

K N O W L E D G E
11 14 15 23 12 5 4 7 5 = 96 % Only

But,

A T T I T U D E
1 20 20 9 20 21 4 5 = 100 % 


My note:

Sorry if i bore you with this topic! :P I don't actually like to talk about motivational stuff directly, but i can't help myself on this one. Simply because it's one of the most basic things. And i believe, if you want really take care of a tree, take care of its root first :)

To be frank, i didn't really recalculate, and see whether the calculation is correct. Why should i when that's not the main point. The one who came up with this isn't a number freak - rather, he was trying to show us that attitude is more important than hardwork and knowledge.
 
I can't see how an individual or an organisation can move forward without the right attitude.  

It's sad to see how educated people don't have right attitude. They blame the world for their failure when the very problem they face is actually come from themselves. They never stop whining day in day out talking about problem on their way; blaming other people for something that turn out not to be as they like; not admitting the mistake they actually do; giving 1001 reasons when the goals are hard to achieve, etc. 
 
Even a big organisation will stumble when this thing happens.  

A lot of problem our country facing right now are due to attitude problem. Like the increasing number of accidents. Like the increasing number of crime among teenagers. You can list them down. 

William James says: "the greatest discovery of our generation is that human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind. As you think, so shall you be. Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives."
 
Viktor Frankl told us the story on how he and the other who lived in concentration camps could remember the men who walked through the huts comforting others, giving away their last piece of bread. They may have been few in number, but they offer sufficient proof that everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms -- to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.  

If you want to change something, first change the attitude. If you want to get something, first change the attitude.

Right attitude can attract many good things to us. Plus, it's free of charge. No cost at all. No consultation fees needed.

Sounds soooo book!  But, it's up to us to make its practical. To change our bad attitude, and to influence others to change their bad attitude. 
 
Yes, i admit, it's hard! BUT, we have attitude problem if we don't try. :P

Nice Avatars!!

I want to put pictures in entries. So, let's begin with this. The lovely avatar owned by teratorian.


   

   

   

   

   

   



Cute, dun you agree? :P

On how a blog affects one's life

Let's begin with a question:
How do you think a blog can affect one's life?

I happened to read Pick Yin's "Life Is Great" with absolute interest. I find this blog rather thoughtful in most of its entries. For July 10, she told us how her blog affected someone's life. The story started when it happened that on June 21, she wrote about "My Take on Polygamy in Islam". A reader read it and redirected the pages to her friend, who contemplating on taking a second wife. In the email to the owner of the blog, the reader wrote: "After reading all the comments, he was a bit insaf. After a week, he said 'I don't think I will proceed'. ([For] whatever reasons that might be.)"

In one example given by Biz Stone, written for blogger.com: "Salam Pax blogged from Iraq with bombs exploding all around him. The whole thing with the bombing and the fighting and the explosions is not always a good way to go but in this case it worked out for Salam. It turns out people wanted to hear what was really going on over there and not just watch television news about how great America is." It was a first hand experience; someone wrote it and it was being read worldwide and made people realize the real situation. It changed the perception of many.

These are serious examples.

How do you think a blog can affect one's life?

Perhaps, it comes from a simple note or short list, which turn out to be very helpful. Like "10 ways how to save your money" i read the other day! (forget from whose blog :P).

Or from the pictures they take and put in the blog. Or jokes they share.

Nobody knows when it happens, when something will, out of nowhere, affects us and changes our life.

Therefore, when a blogger share their ideas or experiences, we should have fun reading and sincerely think about it. Then, we should be able to draw our own opinion and later, perhaps, we can share our opinion and experience with others if there is "comment" part included. Both parties should open-minded enough about this and by this exchanging process, both parties will get the benefit from the little blog created.

Or at the very least, we can take that as a friendly gesture, a contact that will make us closer. No harm done.

(Having written this, i still don't really care whether people are seriously reading my blog or not. :P The rules number 10: Relax! :P)

So, back to the question:
How do you think a blog can affect one's life?

I think, now, you are able to tell me how :P

Random Topics

Sorry for such a long interval between entries. Anyway, this entry is dedicated to Aan who very nice to be the update beggar of the week. :P Hurm! Hihi! She wrote at the tagboard: "Update! Update! Dah ulang baper kali 10 tips tu, tapi tak amal gak! 'write often' ". I was like being slapped on the face! :P Damn, baru ingat, i still owe her her birthday present! ( i'm waiting for my engagement and if she doesn't gimme present, then it's 0-0. So, no need to give, muahahaha! erk! :P )

Since Aan likes a lighter entry, so here we go:


Euro 2004 : "A Greek theory to beware"

As we know, last Monday morning (M'sia time), Greece beat Portugal to become the winner of Euro 2004, 1-0. Against all odds, they overcame one game after another and they did it with his defensive style.

A lof of people loves attacking style and opted to support Portugal that night. I was behind Greece's back.

Anyway, the title above was taken from an article at SkySports. In the article, the writer stated that "German tactician Rehhagel amply demonstrated what can be achieved by constructing a team whose primary target appears to be stopping the opposition from scoring." and then he asked a question: "True, this is an important facet of football but is this defensive-minded, negative outlook the vision for the game which should be promoted?".

This question of course makes the world think whether "fun to watch" is more important than "winning". Wait, why didn't they think that watching people defencing is as entertaining as watching people attacking? Wait, again. I don't think that Greece lacks of attacking skill at all. It is only they chose to play defensively and attacked when the time was right.

It's up to them to play any style they like. The style they chose is not new, and it has been in the textbook long time ago. A lot of team has adopted it, but with little success. This team on the other hand adopted it with flying color, made the giant team stumbled on their feets.

Sun Tzu in the Art of War told us the importance of knowing when to attack and when to retreat. He wrote, "the general who advances without coveting fame and retreats without fearing disgrace, whose only thought is to protect his country and do good service for his sovereign, is the jewel of the kingdom." That's what Greece did in this tournament!

p/s: I dunno why suddenly people are really looking for materials on Greek myth and stuff. :)


Spent RM 20,000 on SMS Contest

The Sun front page for yesterday revealed how a part-time agent spent RM 19,613.25 in an SMS contest ("Jom! Senang Mesti Menang"). She hoped to win the Grand Prize of a four-wheel drive but ended up only got the second proze of Suzuki VR125 worth RM6,143.40. How unfortunate!

To make the things worse, she went to the Consumer Claims Tribunal to get her money back. But, her claim has been rejected. She should accept the fact that the winners were chosen based on the best slogan and not the number of SMS sent.

Nowadays, a lot of transaction based on SMS has been introduced. Contest, voting, info etc. Heyy, you know what the word "afundi" means right? :P I dunno, how much the telecommunication company making money based on that.

How about having donation through SMS? It will be charged in the bill and the money will be donated to the needed. We can choose either RM 10 per SMS or how. Or is it already existed? If so, poor me for not knowing :P

It is easy to squander money nowadays, right?


Torrent and my Poirot Collection

I should blame this to Aan! :P She taught me about torrent and told me how good it is to download big files using torrent.

I happened to be Agatha Christies fan and when i found a website where a lot of Poirot's series available to be downloaded, i thought i just hit the jackpot. I loves Poirot, so i put other things in the bottom of the list and download all the series first. So far, i finished almost 20 of them. Crazy!

Wait! Dun ask me "Who is Poirot?" :P


Chess World Championship

Currently the FIDE World Chess Championship is underway where it's come in it's final stage. Two player who passed the elimination process faced each other competing for the title. By the time i wrote this, Rustam Kasimdzhanov, 24 years old, the top Uzbekistani player leads 1 1/2 - 1/2 against 32 years old and England's top GM, Michael Adams, after winning the second game. The first game is draw.

Kasimdzhanov, like Greece, is underdog, 27th seeded in this tournament. He has already won against top seeded and big names in his way to the final. He is only 2652 Elo rated while Adams is 2731 (2nd seeded in this tournament). For comparison, Kasparov is 2817 ELO rating.


Aan

Aan crazy! (This sub topic doesn't mean to be here!)

On Selecting a Dictionary

Yesterday, i read a short acticle in The Sun (which you can get for free), pg. 16 on how to choose a dictionary to suit us.

Currently, i own only two dictionary: COBUILD (stands for Collins Birmingham University International Language Database), and Oxford Fajar (English-Malay, Malay English), 2nd Edition. If i do online, i always refer to dictionary.com. I love COBUILD because it explains the meaning in simple way, and the examples on how to use the words are extensive.

Below is the said article:

Selecting a dictionary WITH so many titles out there, choosing a dictionary can be difficult. Here is Gwyneth Fox's advice. "The common mistake people make in choosing a dictionary is that they always look for something that is big and prestigious," she says. "That should not be the case. In reality, you should choose a dictionary that fits your needs. For example, if you are interested in the language of Shakespeare, then the Oxford dictionary is what you should look for. In the same vein, if you are an architecture student, get a dictionary that specialises in architecture terms. "Also, if you are a school student, go for the Macmillan School Dictionary, as it has been specially written for school students who learn their curriculum subjects in English," Fox adds.

If you wonder why the words you try to find the meaning are always not in the dictionary; or you think that you could not understand the definition given, or the definition given does not suitable in the context; or you find that you hardly understand what two IT Techs are discussing; then you should start agree with Gwyneth Fox and follow her advice. :)

Big one does't mean it has good explanation for the words.

Letter to my blog

Dear Blog,

I dunno why i feel that time flies very fast, and it's already several month after i created you: sharing you with Iqa in writing some thought, ideas and common happenings.

Looking back at what i've written on you, i didn't know how i manage to write them all. Some are serious thoughts, some are craps. Reflecting, i thought some of them should be elaborated more so the ideas will be clearer. Some should contain more examples to elucidate the gaps. Words could be changed to more precise one. Sentences could be reconstructed to show the meaning better. Grammatical error could be corrected. More than that, now, i might find some argument have holes after my friends pointed it out.

But, dear, you know what? Despite that facts, I just write and write. (that's what Forrester taught me right? Wait, dear, have you seen "Finding Forrester"?) If i care too much about that and think i can find some masterpieces by being careful and make people saying their "wow!" everytime, then i think this blog would lack of entries. Or worse, i would not be able to write at all. If i'm afraid of harsh comment given by people, then my fear will make me stand back and my ideas and experience never reach others. If i'm afraid to make mistake, and afraid that people will find my writing dull and uninteresting, plus full of craps, then i don't think i would be able to publish anything at all. So, it's better just to write leisurely and follow whatever style i've built in my subconcious mind. :P

One nice day long time ago, i was looking for some article on how to write when i stumbled to this website containing practical advice, and it's inspired me (10 Tips on Writing the Living Web). I printed it and read it again and again. All 10 listed advices are very good: write for a reason, write often, write tight etc. And more, my eyes fix on no. 10 where it is stated that we should relax, don't give so much worry about the grammatical and spelling errors, don't worry about your size of audience, don't worry about those who disagree with you, etc. You can read it there, dear.

Several of my friends stopped writing because they thought it was not their thing. I dunno how long i will be able to write in this blog, but since i just love writing, i just write. Only time will tell when it will end. But, i want to make sure, at that time, at least, i can proud because i have already written something and written with passion!

So, blog, thanks for making me think hard; making me learn my writing style, words, grammar etc; making me become more observant; making me feel comfortable with myself; making me improve my English. I know you won't be able to reply, but thanks just the same. :)

regards.

J Card Member's Day

Short Update:
Yesterday was J Card Member's Day at Jaya Jusco Mid Valley. So, people who own the card thronged to JJ Mid Valley since morning, which caused a heavy traffic jam around there. It continued until late at night - until the shopping complex closed.

I happened to work at Mid Valley and became the victim of the situation. :P

If you happened to be at Mid Valley, you would be able to see people with their bags of stuffs, and trolley full of things here and there. It was like they bought for one year of supply :P Not a surprise since the price got cut up to 70% of the original price. It's cheap!

I heard, there were people who even took one day leave just to be there!

Loose Adaptation?

If you have read my 21 June entry, you would know that I watched "Around the World in 80 days" last Saturday. This movie is based on the Jules Verne's novel. I've read the original, unabridged copy. When I was a kid, I've watched the adaptation on TV, which covered in several episodes. I should say it was a wonderful experience.

After reading several reviews, I didn't expect much from this movie. But I still watched it because it was based on the classic. Because I've read the novel. Because I've watched the previous adaptation. So, I wanted to see this one. If it would disappoint me, I wanted to know how far it would disappoint me.

And, so it did disappoint me. At least, storywise.

You can see a big difference between this one and the original if you have read the novel. I don't really mind if the director decided to do minor changes which would not affect the storyline - like what they did to LOTR, Sleepy Hollow etc. But when Phileas Fogg has been portrayed wrongly; and when the fake Passepartout suddenly become the main character; and no the lovely Aouda; and the missing of wonderful journey in India; and several other reasons that make me love the story, then I can't see why they stick the title to the movie.

Luckily, one of my friend highlighted the words "based on" to me. Meaning, they don't necessary to follow the book closely; just follow the main idea. And luckily, the jokes injected were not bad after all.

If you are going to any bookstore, now you can see how the cover of newly printed of the classic bear the picture from the movie, and this is a disaster. I'm afraid that people would confuse between those two versions.

The problem happens when we seem to love the idea of "don't need to read the book-lah, just watch the movie"!

Last time, i watched "The League of extraordinary Gentlemens" before reading the graphic novel. I found that the story between the moving picture and the hardcopy are not even close . They just took the idea of having such an extraordinary people to accomplish a mission. That's all. Sorry, not only that. They were playing with Alan Moore's name. Crazy!

And, you can find a lot of examples! So, should we agree with this kind of loose adaptation?

Weekend: TGV KLCC, Uptown and Sg Tua!

This posting is just a plain description of my weekend. No serious thought inside. So, read leisurely. :P

I've told myself that i would be hitting the cinemas last weekend, watching movies till i puke. :P So, i slept early and woke up early. I found my way to TGV KLCC and reached there at almost 10 a.m. that Saturday morning. TGV was still close yet people have already waited in front of it. Not many of them, thanks God, since this time around, it is football fever - the matches are between midnight and early in the morning so people spent their time sleeping! (I've foreseen this! Hehe!)

So, I got a good seat for both movies. Did I say both? Erk, I mean, I watched "Around the World in 80 days" and "Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban".

Here we go, my short notes:

1. Around the World in 80 days.
This movie didn't follow the storyline in the original copy, and this made me a bit upset and dissapointed. I dunno why suddenly Phileas Fog become an inventor who lack of confidence. And, hurm, no lovely Aounda that they supposed to meet in India. The gadgets are a bit exaggerated. And, they have no respect to Jules Verne at all. Still, there have parts spare for us to laugh. :)

2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
I still think i love the 2nd one much much more than this one - in the 2nd one (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets), the creature in there are much much cuter and the climax of the story, astounding! But, hey, it's Harry Potter series so it is a must watch just the same. The time travelling is so much like of the Back To the Future series. But, the effects - hey, i can't resist to feel like a wizard myself, and study at Hogward! (Damn Rowling! :P)

Wanna watch for my 3rd of the day, but my head spinning, and my eyes were unwilling to let me to! I guess, i should have some exercises in order to have the stamina required for a such long watch. :P

Anyway, that night, for the first time I watched Akademi Fantasia until the end. Dunno what made me so absorbed and hooked with it. Perhaps it's because all the participants are almost equal in their skill - singing and entertaining. Only Yusof Haslam looked as if he didn't know what he was saying by giving some mere general comments. :P I can't guess who will be at the top place among them and who will have to leave (revealed next week?). I don't think I will follow this closely. :P But, since I come from Johor, I should be proud to have a Johorian being praised owing to her perfect show. :P *clap* *clap*

I didn't vote tho. No afundi this, afundi that, hehe!

After watching the Akademi Fantasia, I dunno what spell suddenly gotten over me to follow my housemate to Uptown to eat and wonder around, looking for things - if there is any - to buy. I had chicken chop, and fresh orange. Wait! AND carrot juice with milk (so thirsty, thus two glasses of juice to quench my thirst!) Didn't buy anything tho, so u can consider me just went there to observe (or sight-seeing? :P Hey, I just followed friends!). And, we reached home at about 3.00 a.m. Gosh!

On Sunday, after a long sleep in the morning, my roommate suddenly asked me whether I want to come along with him and the others to Sg Tua. "Sana ada kedai makan tak?" was my reply. :P Sorry, but i was very hungry and could not help myself from asking a stupid question. Since there are some, at least that was what they said, off i went there with 4 others.

After having my lunch (see the word "my", hehe! They only accompanied me!), we moved to find a nice spot. A lot of families. A lot of couples. A lot of groups. But we managed to find a nice place. My housemates did plunge and take bath and play around with water, but me didn't - because i didn't bring any clotch to change. After putting my feet in the water, i felt regret a bit - it's cool and refreshing! The flora around at least relaxed my mind and eyes a bit. And the clean air. "Peaceful", yeah, that's the word! I felt so calm!

After sometimes, we went back and reached home at about 7.30 p.m. It is good for us to befriend the nature and escape from hustle and bustle of city life once in a while.

After all these activities, i felt tired. I'm human after all! (Human from Mars, can? :P)

Happy Father's Day!

Short Update:
I did call my father today evening to say Happy Father's day! I love him so much! He taught me a lot of thing about life. And, most of all, he gave me freedom to make my own decision, to really stand on my own feet! Thanks dad!

To all fathers out there: Happy Father's day!

Erk, how to explain, eh?

It's weird how sometimes it is hard to explain your thought to others.

Everything is very clear in your mind, but you could not make them understand.The words you lay in front of them are not enough for them to grab what you mean.

Or perhaps you could not simplify your ideas and explain in simple, plain words.

Or is it due to your vocabulary?

Yesterday, i was unable to explain a simple idea to a friend of mine. I know what i wanted to say, but after regurgitating words after words, i found myself entering a forest and losing my way. And, i've to stop and think again, and eventually laughed at myself. But, luckily, that fren of mine was quick and offered a single, simple sentence to conclude what i've said.

I just feel, sometimes, it's hard to explain than to learn one thing. Like what happened yesterday!

The one who can think clearly does not necessarily can explain what he thinks clearly. Even words sometimes fail him.

It is like a great thinker who unable to write down their thought, and who unable to preach and talk fluently in explaining their ideas. The ideas are meaningless.

That's why brain is a mysterious thing!

I should stop before i got confuse here :P (If you think you want to laugh, you can laugh now! :P)