2008 In Captions

Take that Tony Fernandes!

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Kabbalah aerobics. Guitar optional

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"Hey, at least I'm still black, ok??"

...What happens on Songkok Swapping Day

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"Finally, a dream come true!!!"

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"Are you enjois???"

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"Berat giler awek ni"

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"Cheater on the left! Cheater on the left!"

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The scramble for the last J.Co donut proved to be competitive

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"Oops, wrong turn. My bad!"

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Channel [V] latest VJ's quite enthusiastic

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"Yes, I need a new pair of Batas please..."

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The kindergaten's math progamme was quite successful...

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"Sabar dulu tuan-tuan, goodie bag kita bagi nanti, ok?"

Xtremely Awesome

So peeps, I'm not quite a car guy, but with not much to do this past Sunday, I made my way to the International Xtreme Autoshow at Stadium Putra in Bukit Jalil. And it was quite an awesome experience.

All sorts of modified cars were there with all sorts of gadgets, bodypaint and um, other stuff stuck to the machines. I would rather spend my money on food and travel, but hey, whatever float their boat, man... Anyway, enjoy the pics and video!

Start Spreading The News - New York, New York Deli SUCKS!!!!!!!

So I was at One Utama just moments ago and was delighted to see this new eating place - New York, New York Deli. Whopee! Being a big fan of hotdogs and burgers, I took a seat and ordered Root Beer float and some NY orginal hotdog.

The drink came fast and tastes like any other root beer float.
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Then I waited. And waited. And waited. And waited.

After 30 minutes, no hot dog. So I called the waiter and said: "Can you check on my order please?" And guess what? He didn't understand a word I was saying. Imagine that, English not being understood at a New York deli.

Anyway, I did some sign language and he finally got me and went to check on my food.

But still, I waited. And waited. And waited. And oh, the people behind me who themselves were complaining about the lambat-ness already got their burgers.

At the 55min mark, I finally got up and went to the cashier to cancel my order and pay for my float. I complained to the dude but the bugger didn't really seem to care.

Only this other guy offered some "I'm sorry sir".

So now I'm back at the office having NOT had my lunch. I'm hungry and grumpy. Macam sial je New York, New York Deli.

My Favourite Stuff of 2008

Book

Watch You Bleed: The Saga of Guns N Roses. Sex, drugs and rock n roll. And then some...
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CD

AC/DC’s Black Ice. Straight up rock n roll with big chunky riffs and awesome choruses. Brilliant.
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TV Show

Entourage. Ari is Gold.
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Magazine Entertainment Weekly. Loads of good stuff. Every single week.
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DVD

Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip. Finally watched it and I’m pulling my hair now knowing there’s never gonna be a second season.

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Website
http://www.flisted.com/. Go on, have a look…
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Movie Iron Man. Great action with a cool suit and music. Apa lagi nak?
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Piece of Clothing This obviously unofficial KISS T-Shirt bought at the Jatuchak Market in Bangkok
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Food The Coffee Bean bagel. I could eat it every single day.
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Gadget My brand new iPod Classic. 2,000 songs and counting so far.

What's Up With The Pout 'O' Doom???

So apparently I never got the memo. The one that said to exist (or be popular) in the web 2.0 universe, you have to deploy the Pout 'O' Doom.

What am I on about? Well, just check out the pics of your facebook or friendster friends/enemies. I'm sure in most of their photos, they pretty much look like this...

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(sorry Miya! nanti bos belanja something)

And there's nothing spontaneous or candid about it. The Pout 'O' Doom is 99% posed. And that's a good thing these days. I've tried looking for answers as to why this is so, but have failed to find one.

But I AM jumping on the badwagon. Hey, if that's what people want, I have no choice but to give it to them...

I Could/Should Have Been An Army Man

So a piece in The Star today brought back some fond memories for me. It's about the gruelling "interview" process young hopefuls need to go through in order to get admitted into the prestigious Royal Military College.
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It's something I went through myself some 25 years ago and the experience actually left a lasting impression on me. And no, I didn't do it 'cos I was forced into it, but because I genuinely wanted to be an RMC boy. "Askar" was actually one of my original "cita-cita", if you would believe it.

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Anyway, the whole process started back in JB when I was in standard 6. We had to take some sort of written test, and then a thorough medical check-up. Pass both, and you're off to RMC itself in Sungai Besi, KL. Which I managed to do.

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I remember taking the KTM train from JB to KL. And went we arrived, all of us were loaded on to army trucks to take us to the college. I was damn excited just sitting in the truck and breathing in the polluted KL air.

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At the college, we were assigned dorm rooms and the "interview" process started. I remember we could only wear all-white sports wear, and we were immediately taught how to make our beds, military style.

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Then we had to go through some gruelling physical tests including running, doing tons of push-ups and chin-ups and other forms of organised torture. But guess what, I passed all of those as well, and actually got into the final interview stage.

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I felt confident that I'd get in, but in the end, they gave me the snub. Ah well. But I think my late parents were kind of relieved.

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But if I had gone through, I'd be launching bazookas now, instead of online dramas. I'd probably have spent some time in exotic places like, um, Rwanda, or Somalia. And I'd at least be Major Zulkifli by now, looking something like this...

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Thanks Again Peeps!

So earlier today, my thoughtful peeps threw a surprise birthday do at the office. I was in the middle of an "intense" meeting when a few of them burst into the room uninvited. I was about to fire their asses until they shouted the magic word: "SURPRISE!!!". I guess I'll just have to fire their asses another day... KIDDING!




Anyway, 8th December was also our Head of Web Design Nick's birthday. So we had TWO yummy cakes, 2 cards, but one additional gift for me. Sorry lah Nick, but I'm the Boss. Haha!



So, thanks again peeps! The card just keeps getting bigger by the year and that is very much appreciated :) Best part - no one actually asked me about my age. Phew!

My 8 Favourite Moments Of 2008

1. Got into KLUE magazine's Top 20 Under 40 List.

2. FINALLY had some Krispy Kreme donuts in Jakarta. Yum.

3. Launched guamuzik.com.my in April, and unleashed the Supergig a couple of months later...

4. The MTV Asia Awards baby!

5. Enjoyed Bangkok before the whole shit happened.

6. Rocked out in the name of D'Kechewas. Twice.


7. Celebrated GUA turning one!

fd

8. Did the whole "Layannn..." thing live on Melodi.

A Wedding, A Birthday & Chinese Democracy

So today’s sort of an interesting day.

Mawi came by the office to personally deliver his wedding invitation card. Unfortunately yours truly had just stepped out for lunch shortly before and missed out on the hu-ha that ensued. But in case you’re curious, this is what the card looks like…
hj


And a couple of hours later, a special package arrived at the office from Sony Music.



It’s Britney Spears’ new album launch ‘Circus’ which coincides with her Birthday! Selamat Hari Jadi Brit-Brit. We’re Sagittarians lah : ) And look at what was in the package….

And oh yeah, I finally got the latest Guns N Roses album ‘Chinese Democracy’. It came with a free T-Shirt some more, which I immediately put on!

When Meeting An Old Friend...

So I bumped into an old University mate yesterday and during the obligatory handshake, the dude muttered: “Gemuknya kau”.

Two things I need to highlight here. Firstly, I am no Afdlin Shauki. And secondly, while I’m the type who generally doesn’t give a damn about what others think of me, the context and tone of the statement somewhat irked me.

And you know what I did? I simply blew him off, by turning away after the handshake and went about my business. Hah!

Personally, I’m one who practices “prasangka baik” when meeting people. Always say hello, ask how the person is doing and maybe fire another question about family or work. Even if the person had grown an extra nose, I’d find it rude to mention it right in front of his face.

Anyway, back to my ‘friend’’s earlier statement, the tone was undeniably sympathetic. Hey, I don’t need your sympathy, dumbass. And I think it’s clear that when someone says something like that, it’s more about him saying something about himself indirectly. “Gemuknya kau, tengok aku ni, still fit lagi.” How sad is that.

Thing is though, I was more irked by my own quick wit failing me at that moment. But having thought about it for a few hours, I’ve got a string of comebacks that will clearly show that I too can play the game. Here goes:

- “Yes I’m fat. Hey remember how you failed Arabic Language for four straight semesters? Are you still THAT dumb?”

- “Yes I’m fat. Hey when I got into the Juara Lagu finals TWICE, where were you. Oh I forgot you had no such talent.”

- “Yes I’m fat. I’ve also published a book. You still can’t spell for nuts, huh?”

- “Yes I’m fat. But it’s so sad for you how they’ve not found a cure for ugly…”

Damn I can be really mean…

Lunch!

Lucky for me, everywhere that I end up working, there’s always plenty of good places to eat. But still, after sometime, that “don’t know what to eat” problem will crop up. Normal lah right?

Anyway, here’s my typical week in lunch…

Spicy Chicken McDeluxe. McD takeway.

When it gets too busy and there’s no time to think, I just head on down to the nearest McD (America’s 2nd greatest export after Pam Anderson) and order up a value meal. And I must say the Chicken McDeluxe is quite good. Almost finger lickin’ good.

makan makan

Aglia Oglio with Grilled Prawns. Pizza Uno.

This is quite a treat for myself lah. Pizza Uno serves THE BEST Oglio in the whole of Malaysia. Add a couple of big fat grilled prawns and you have the perfect meal. Only setback – the price tag lah. Can fill petrol go to Genting ok?

makan makan
Beef Set With Rice. Yoshinoya, One Utama.

Going Japanese without the sushi. The beef is excellent and the vege’s always fresh. With white rice, it’s a finely-balanced meal. Guilt free! Which means at night can eat a big fat greasy burger already :)


Texas Ted. 1901.

Another don’t-want-to-think option. Hotdog size is still pretty generous. And the iced-tea’s good as well.

Nasi Campur. Stall at Masjid TTDI.

Friday is always Mixed Rice Day. And the stall parked outside the TTDI mosque just before prayers serves up some excellent dishes. But I’m always late, so my favourite paru is usually gone. Fish, kentang and sambal belacan also oklah.