I met up with Ashley
Adam today. It's been a damn long time since
we last saw each other. We had wanted to
meet up during fasting month but each of us
were so busy that the fasting month came and
left before we could say 'STOP!'. Damn!
Still, it was great
to see this sweet girl after a long time. We
were supposed to meet for dinner but had to
give it a skip as we both had to do overtime
at work. Yes, busy people we are.
But we successfully
found time to meet up to catch a show, 'The
Brave One'.
'The Brave One'
Synopsis
New York radio host Erica Bain
(Jodie Foster) has a life that she loves and
a fiance she adores. All of it is taken from
her when a brutal attack leaves Erica badly
wounded and her fiance dead. Unable to move
past the tragedy, Erica begins prowling the
city streets at night to track down the men
she holds responsible. Her dark pursuit of
justice catches the public's attention, and
the city is riveted by her anonymous
exploits. But with the NYPD desperate to
find the culprit and a dogged police
detective (Terrence Howard) hot on her
trail, she must decide whether her quest for
revenge is truly the right path, or if she
is becoming the very thing she is trying to
stop.
'The
Brave One' Review
From the point the main
character, Erica, was brutally attack, you
start to feel for the her. And from then on,
your sense of right and wrong is toss about.
This is because as the story unfold, you
start to wonder what would you in the
situation that was being depicted. And you
start to wonder if you would do something
that is wrong because it seems like the
right thing to do.
When a
seemingly good deal comes your way,
you have
to just go and grab it. You'll never know
whether it is a really good deal or not till
you give it a go. But it's better
to try and
fail than to not try at all, right?
So that's what I
did this morning. Yesterday around midnite I
saw a good deal online, about this Internet
cafe that is selling off it's furniture and
computers. What pique my interest are the
swivel chairs that they were selling. At $15
for a director chair with full back support,
that sounded like a good deal to me. And so
this morning I woke up especially early to
head down to Park Lane Shopping Centre to
check out on this seemingly good deal.
When I arrived, I
saw some people loading some chairs into
cabs. Without thinking I sped up my pace and
in no time found myself in a rather empty
shop. There were plenty of chairs around.
The conditions of these chairs were okay.
They're not spankingly new, nor were
they trash material. So I took my time and
narrowed my choices to two: one with arm
rest and one without. After much seating
down and testing, I decided to go for the
one without arm rest. It's easier to
transport and doesn't creak like the other
one.
Hooray! A new (2nd
hand) chair!
My new second-hand
chair!
Hanyutzz Gang Goes
Visiting 2008
It's that time of the year
again. The time when the Hanyutzz Gang does
our annual Hari Raya Visiting. Hooray!
Unfortunately for this year Rosz and Azza
weren't able to join us.
For this year's
visit, we had members who come and go during
the actual visit. In addition to that, we
played a league of games at almost every
house. Read on to find out the details...
The gang arrived at
my place at 11.00am. The first to arrive was
Radiah (Shasha), Tuty (Adek) and Azhar
(Boy). Soon after Faizal (Lan), Hafeez (Mamat)
and Zul (Jali) joined us (Note that the
names in brackets are our nicks in the
gang). We helped ourselves to the food
before proceeding to the first game for the
league of... Saboteur! That's right. The
plan was to play Saboteur at almost every
house. The objective is to see who can
accumulate the most points at the end of the
trip. So we started off at my place first.
The Saboteurs won. I was a miner. =\
Taken at my place
Taken in the car that
Radiah drove
Thereafter we
picked up Rizal before heading to Hafeez's
place. At Hafeez's house, surprise! Farhan
(Man) joined us! However, he was around only
for the visit to Hafeez house. He had lots
of work to do and so wasn't able to join us
for the rest of the trip. =\ Oh yes, over at
Hafeez's place we played the next game of
Saboteurs. The Saboteurs won again! This
time I was a saboteur. Hooray!
Saboteur!
Feeling the blues
Taken at Hafeez's
house
We headed to Zul's
house next. His house was a pit stop to sit
and chill and for resting. Means no game was
played here. But the rest was very much
welcomed. After all, a break is always good.
He recommended trying the pineapple tarts.
They were good. They were like M&Ms cause
they melt in your mouth, not in your hands.
Hehehe...
Taken at Zul's house
(courtesy of Radiah)
Once the rest time
was up, we made our way to Faizal's house. I
always look forward to seeing the evil cat
at Faizal's house. He has this pet cat that
looks really nasty. Actually not so nasty,
more like appearing to be in a bad mood. In
addition to that, the cat will bare it's
fangs and hiss when you go near it. Evil
cat...
By the time we
reached Faizal's house, it had started to
rain cats and dogs. And under such cold
weather, a hot meal is always welcomed. I
believe Faizal's mom understood that very
well, because she prepared for us a hot dish
while we were there. Awesome! We didn't get
a chance to play a game of Saboteur here
though. Everyone seems to have gone into
'relax' mode with the cold weather. But we
did take a number of photos!
Mirror, mirror...
Taken at Faizal's
house
From Faizal's
house, we made our way to Tuty's house. Tuty
is well known amongst us to have good baking
skills. However she admitted that recently
she hasn't been able to practice her skills
much due to lack of time. Still, I guess the
skills run in the family as there were other
Hari Raya goodies baked by her family. Tuty
baked 2 of the goodies in fact. After
sinking our teeth in them, it was confirmed:
she may be rusty, but she hasn't lost her
touch.
Taken at Tuty's house
Thereafter we
headed to Radiah's house. Her mom had
anticipated our arrival and had prepared a
feast consisting of chicken rice! Very nice~
Hahaha... oh yes, this was the only house
that we had rice. For the other houses, we
had noodles or cakes. The timing is just
nice for dinner time too. Our hunger was
evident when we tackled the chicken rice
speedily. I even had seconds! =X
Chicken rice, very
nice~
While we were
eating, surprise! Zul (Along) showed up with
his fiancee (I forgot her name). Now this is
a face that we have not seen in a long time.
Zul had been wanting to join us for our
gatherings and meet ups but wasn't able to
turn up for any. Till today that is. Quite a
good reunion, I must say. Oh yes, we played
Saboteur again. The Miners won. I was a
Miner. Wohoo!
Taken at Radiah's
house
We left Radiah's
place to head to Azhar's house. This was the
final stop for our journey. The final battle
of Saboteur would also take place here. But
before we got to that, we played Taboo!
There were 10 of us, so we split ourselves
into two groups of 5.
'Taboo' promoters...
Some of us played
this game before, while the rest haven't.
But everyone caught on pretty quick and the
competition went up a level. At stake? Pride
and bragging rights! Hahaha... But despite
which team won, we had fun playing together.
After Taboo, it was
time for Saboteur. The last two games to
decide who would be the overall champion.
Remember that at almost every house we
visited, we played a game or two. Winners
collect gold cards and keep their gold cards
till the end of the journey. After the last
game, the winner will be the one with the
most gold. Up till Azhar's house, everyone
had a gold card. Everyone except Tuty. For
me, I was wondering if she would break her
streak of gold-less-ness, of if she would
remain the gold-less champion.
Only one way to find
out. That was by playing the game.
The first round, she
didn't get any gold. The second round, she
did. At the very last game, the gold finally
landed into Tuty's hand! Hooray! Hahaha..
After which it was
tabulating results time. Everyone took out
their gold cards and counter. Eventually...
it was a tie! Between me and Faizal, at 9
gold each. But instead I gave all my gold to
Tuty so that she was the overall champion
with 10 gold. Hooray!
Taken at Azhar's house
And so our journey
ended with promises to meet up again, for a
picnic this time around. Everyone was tired
but happy. And there were plenty of photos
to see, all in
this online album. ;)
I met up with my primary school mates
tonight. It's been a while since our last
gathering. As always, there were new faces
at each gathering. And as always, we had
lots of fun together, catching up and
chilling.
Tonight, we headed to
Mind Cafe at Boat Quay. It was ironic
though. We wanted to play games to relax and
have fun. Instead we played 'highly
stressful game', as put by Colin. Hahaha..
Stressed-out Colin
Ben
the traffic controller.
Since everyone wanted
to retire early, we left the place close to
midnight. Our next gathering will be soon,
and it will be at Kylie's place.
Wow. Lots of couple
must have been actively making babies in
January many years ago. That’s because quite
a number of my friends are celebrating their
birthdays these month. In fact, many years
ago, 9 of them were born on today’s date!
Most were born in different year though. Oh
well…
Happy
birthday Zhijie, Ryanie, Caiying, Mabel,
Ash, Caroline, Caelyn, Jasmine, and last but
not least Lian Lian!
According to the
author of the popular Harry Potter series,
the
wizard Dumbledore is gay! No wonder
Harry Potter is one of his favourite. That
man likes men! I wonder why J.K.Rowling
didn’t write that down in the books. I’m
sure more gay guys would buy her books.
377A:
Speaking of gays, it seems that there is an
increasing call by the gays to remove the
law that makes gay sex a criminal act and
therefore illegal. This law is section 377A
of the Penal Code of Singapore, which in
summary says that a man can be jailed for up
to two years if he is found guilty of
committing an act of gross indecency with
another man. This is the basic law that
makes homosexuality illegal.
Yet over the years
homosexuality has become increasingly
visible in the media. There are little or no
censorship matters pertaining to
homosexuality that appears on the papers,
films and radio. Jokes on gays and gayhood
are more rampant (South Park). Films
depicting gay love become more graphic and
visual (watch Brokeback Mountain). This is a
reflection of an increased in tolerance for
homosexuality, and an increased in efforts
to make more people aware of homosexuality.
However, it should never be taken as an
acceptance of homosexuality.
So heated is the
debate on 377A that two websites have sprung
up to reflect this battle. Since it’s harder
to police and control the Internet, it is
only natural for the debate to go online.
The two websites are Keep377A.com and
Repeal377A.com. Both sites present strong
supporting statements for their views.
Besides these sites, various blogs and
forums contain materials that are for and
against section 377A.
Still, it is no
surprise that 377A is here to stay. The
reason for it is simple: Singaporeans are
not ready to accept an alternative family
unit/model. This is summarized in
this letter to Straits Times Forum and
in this
article in Tomorrow.sg. Traditional
family model and values are still the
preferred choice.
I'm not the easiest person to love
I'm often the one who lets things go
unresolved
Yet you choose to be
on the side of me
on the side of me
Yet you choose to be on the side of me
on the side of me
I'm not too proud of some things
I've done in my life
The skeletons in my closet
Are too big for me to hide
Yet you choose to be
on the side of me
on the side of me
Blessed Charity
You're on the side of me
on the side of me
Everyone needs a friend to hold
when it's cold outside
and there's no place to go
Everyone needs a friend to hold
all alone I cried
there was no place to go
I remember when nobody cared
but you
I'm not the easiest person to love
But you, you've opened your heart to show me
what I'm worth
'Cause you choose to be
on the side of me
on the side of me
What a mystery
You're on the side of me
on the side of me
Everyone needs a friend to hold
when it's cold outside
and there's no place to go
Everyone needs a friend to hold
all alone I cried
there was no place to go
I remember when nobody cared
Nobody cared
But you...
Yeah you choose to be
on the side of me
on the side of me
I
was watching this show called 'Art School
Confidential' at home. It was a pretty slow
show and a bit boring too. But one part of
the show caught my attention.
In that particular
scene, the students of an art school were in
the school hall asking questions to this guy
who made it big in the art world. That guy
was a former student. He was quite, well,
sarcastic and arrogant in answering. Then
came a question from a student which was
rather direct. The student asked the guy,'
Why are you such an asshole?'
And the guy replied
that was a very good question. His answer
was even better. He said,' I am an asshole
because that is my true nature. That is
everybody's true nature. Every single one of
you looks like an asshole to me. The
difference between you and me is that I have
gained the freedom to express my true
nature. Now what could be more beautiful
than truth and freedom?'
I don't know about
you, but I believe there is a lot of truth
in that statement. We all have a true nature
that we hide from the world so that we can
blend in, fit in and live in harmony. It's
hard to be able to express one's true
nature. To do so, you have to work hard at
gaining the freedom to do it. Then nobody
can stop you.
All Fired Up!
I woke up early this morning feeling very
motivated and alive. Strangely, I don't even
know why I feel motivated for. After all I
was on leave today. So I should just go back
to sleep and wake up in the late noon. Yet I
was unable to do so. Weird.
Still, since I was
all wake at 6.45am, I decided to make the
most of the time and proceeded to do what I
had always wanted to do: carry out phase 2 &
phase 3 of
Project Re-live.
Phase 2 of Project
Re-live involves packing the mess in my room
into boxes and bags. Phase 3 involves moving
these boxes and bags into the living room
(temporarily) followed by dismantling my
queen size bed and disposing of the frame
properly. That's one hell of a lot of manual
labour for one guy. But time is on my side
so I got down to it.
Everything was fine
up and went according to plan. Only one
major obstacle: how to carry lots and lots
of heavy wooden boards down to the dumping
ground nearby. Solution: get the help of my
younger brother. Lucky for me he was around.
So we both carried the bed frame and other
wooden boards and planks down.
Alice, now
in hiding in the Nevada desert, once again
joins forces with Carlos Olivera and L.J.,
along with new survivors Claire, K-Mart and
Nurse Betty to try to eliminate the deadly
virus that threatens to make every human
being undead...and to seek justice. Since
being captured by the Umbrella Corporation,
Alice has been subjected to biogenic
experimentation and becomes genetically
altered, with super-human strengths, senses
and dexterity.
'Resident Evil:
Extinction' review
It's pretty
enjoyable watching the show. It's made even
more enjoyable when the lead actress is a
hot model, with an attitude to boot in the
show. And to top it off, there's plenty of
hot babes in the show too! Oh la la~
The movie illustrates
a lot of desperate times for the survivors.
You know times are hard and desperate when
almost 80% of the population are zombies,
the world is one huge desert and everyone is
fighting to survive. Watching this, you
can't help but feel for the characters in
the show.
Another aspect about
the movie that's worth looking out for is
how corporations can be so powerful that
they control everything and supersede
governments in controlling the world. I
think that's what corporations now are
aiming for. Yet corporations are made up of
people and people have weaknesses that
remains no matter how advance technology
becomes. If this movie parallels reality
we're in for one deep shit.
Anyway the storyline
is paced comfortably and develops with
enough surprises to keep you entertained and
at the edge of your seat. Too bad the ending
was a bit too sudden. I guess the production
crew ran out of ideas, time or budget. Or
all of the above.
Still, if you like
action movies with zombies, this is one
worth the watch!
Why there will never
be a cure
I have often wondered
if there will ever be a cure. People are
always asking for a cure for some illness.
And pharmaceutical companies are always
asking for funding for their research on
finding a cure. But really, how long has it
been since we heard that a cure has been
found for some sickness?
Perhaps too long.
So long that I'm
under the impression that
pharmaceutical
companies are not really working on finding
cures for all the illnesses plaguing the
world. Instead, they are working
on ways to prolong treatment instead. And
even if they do find a cure, they won't be
in a hurry to release it, unless an epidemic
breaks out.
But that would be
wrong, wouldn't it? After all, these
companies have pledge to find a cure and
help make the world a better place. They
have always been championing healthier
living and a world without disease. So to
withhold a cure when it's found would be
wrong. Or to not put in concerted efforts at
finding a cure would be wrong too. But it is
possible this is being done.
Why? Simple.
For money, power and
survival.
For money and
survival. If such companies develop a cure
for an illness such as chicken pox, then no
one will ever get chicken pox ever again.
That means the vaccine will be sold only
once for everyone, thereafter no more
because no one would be suffering from it.
This means these companies will have only
one chance at making a huge profit and
that's about it. If everyone gets cured of
the disease, then no one will ever need
another vaccine. Means no one will buy the
companies' products. But the companies still
have salaries to pay, still need funding for
research, still have bills to settle and so
on. So it would be in the interest of the
companies to not find a cure, but find ways
of prolonging treatment for the illness
instead. Because when a person undergoes
long periods of treatment, he/she will
continue to depend on the products of the
companies. In other words money will
continually pour into the companies bank.
Profits over the long run instead of a one
time profit is better after all. And the
companies will continue to survive.
For power. Look at it
this way: 'In the land of the blind, the man
with one eye is king'. If a company holds
the cure to an epidemic, that company
instantly becomes the saviour of mankind and
can command and control the masses. It can
decide who deserves the cure and who
doesn't. Of course, we would be led to
believe that the company will do all it can
to cure everyone of the ailment. However it
will do so at a price that it can set. And
we will willingly pay that price to survive.
Even governments will be reduced to it's
knees against the power of the company.
Up till now, in our
modern history, only 2 cures have been
found. One for smallpox, the other for
polio. Since then, well, nothing.
So the next time you
fall sick, think about this. Are you paying
for a cure or a treatment?
Another dark thought to think
about: do most of the diseases come from
nature? Or are the diseases man-made?
Note:
I don't really fancy repeating
myself, but some things are
learnt after repeated lessons.
As such, this post was copied
off my entry from the previous
year.
To all Muslim
brothers and sisters, friends and relatives,
I will like to wish you:
Selamat Hari Raya
Aidilfitri. Minal Aidil Walfaizin. Mohon
Maaf Zahir dan Batin.
Semoga amal kita
diterima Allah S.W.T. Insyallah.
When Muslims
celebrate Hari Raya, we renew old bonds,
strengthen our ties, reconcile and seek
forgiveness for past wrong-doings. Some
wrong-doings are hard to forgive. But we
still try.
One of the most common
misconception about Hari Raya Aidilfitri is
that it is the Muslim New Year.
It's not. I repeat. Hari Raya Aidilfitri is
NOT Muslim New Year. Hari Raya Aidilfitri is
the celebration of the end of the fasting
month, a celebration that is marked by
forgiveness, unity, love and thanking God
for all blessings. Muslim New Year is a day
celebrated amongst Muslims even though it is
not a nationally recognized holiday.
Another common
misconception is that one gets green packets
till the day one is married. That
is not true. You'll get green packets
provided you are not working, as in when
you've ended your school days. The moment
you step into the working world, it is
expected of you to give green packets to
others. That's the way it is.
But one thing that is
never misunderstood about Hari Raya
Aidilfitri is the variety of food available!
It's almost as if everyone is trying to
outdo each other in cooking. Still, the
feast is very much welcomed. There is so
much different kinds food to try that you'll
be spoilt for choice. Really.
Note:
The following has been edited to
reflect the celebrations this
year.
In keeping with
traditions, my family went down to my
grandmother's place to celebrate this joyous
occasion. The only main difference this year
is that my grandmother is no longer around.
Her absence has a deep impact on the visit.
Because this year, few relatives dropped by
my grandmother's place. Seems like some
traditions don't last for long. Still, for
those who turned up, everyone was dressed to
their best. We took photos, enjoyed the
sumptuous meal and most importantly,
strengthen our bonds and seek forgiveness.
That's how family stick together. As much as
we can.
Today I shopped till I
almost dropped. A sale event like this
always brings the worst in me. I mean, I
just grab and buy things without really
putting much thought into it. It's like a
beast unleashed!
I ended up getting myself 2 pairs of shoes,
2 beanie hats, 1 leather jacket (I love
it!), 1 vest, 1 messenger bag, 2 pairs of
pants and more! I just can't stop buying! To
not evoke further guilt, I shall refrain
from sharing the damage. All I can say is
that I spent above $200. Ouch.
This isn't retail therapy. This is madness!
Hari Raya Eve
Since it was the eve of Hari Raya, the
Muslim employees of Timberland were given
half day off. Hooray! I used this extra time
to help clean up around the house a bit. So
much to do, so little time. I've yet to
continue with Project Re-live. Damn. Oh
well...
When 7pm came, it was like a celebration!
Hooray! No more fasting! I can finally go
for lunches! Hahaha...
To further celebrate this occasion, I met up
with the climbers to chill. They were
surprised that I could hang out, since it's
the eve of Hari Raya. Still we had a great
time in town. Maybe this could be a regular
feature?
Imagine your
favourite Super Heroes finally putting all
the Super Villains (SVs) out of business.
Without the SVs, there won't be much Super
Saving The World business for the Super
Heroes. So what can they do with their super
powers? Here are some clues:
Spiderman can be a window cleaner of
sky-scrapers
Captain America can be a Pizza Delivery Guy
Superman can be FedEx new delivery guy
The
Hulk can be a priest. Don't piss him off.
Daredevil can be a bellboy
Wolverine can be a garden sculptor
Colossus can be a fire fighter (he has metal
armour all over)
Zorro
can use his sword to pick up litter
Batman has no Superpowers so he can sell
hotdogs instead!
In
the end this guy is not really a Super
Villain. So he becomes a traffic controllers
instead!
Consultants anyone?
Captain America must fight for America
Storm
can be the weather girl (and she'll be damn
accurate too!)
Superman can be a Supermodel!
So
can Hellboy!
The
only Super Villain. He can be a pizza
delivery guy too!
Woke up at 4pm today,
after dozing off at 3.30am. Shiok!
Living Principles
I was cleaning up my room when I came across
a piece of paper that contained some pretty
useful living principles. These were ideals
that I followed for quite some time in my
youth. Some of it stick with me, others got
replaced by more value-added ideals.
Here they are:
- Be a thoughtful
person
- Offer assistance
- Be nice
- Reach out to others
- Be more generous
- Say thank you
- Be patient and
loving
- Absence of fear
will clarify your goals and help you see
beyond risks
- If you truly want
to excel, you must be willing to look in the
mirror and, with humility and honesty,
reflect on your contributions to what’s not
going right in your life. That way you can
do something about it.
- Standing out will
often make the difference
- The past is over
and done with
- The best strategy
is to ‘dive in’
- Try something
different
- Any new venture
that is destined to success is going to take
work and perseverance
- There is a great
deal of wisdom and joy in optimism
- Strategies are road
maps; you must walk the path yourself.
Take your pick on
which one/ones to follow. All are pretty
good I'd say. ;)
I woke up at 0830hrs to the sound of my
phone ringing. It was Bao Yan. She asked if
the early morning swim is still on. I said
yes. I've never swam so early before. Now is
a good time as any.
We went to the pool.
As expected, it was empty. There was a
jacuzzi there but no signs of how to switch
it on. Damn. I was so looking forward to
trying it out in the morning. At least it
won't be as cold as the pool. Oh well, just
have to brave the cold waters...
After the swim I had
planned on getting my hair done, by cutting
and colouring it. However before that I
decided to take a 20mins power nap. It
became a 2-hr power nap instead! By the time
I woke up, most of the gang had gone out
shopping. Damn!
Thereafter we did
some shopping at Sungai Wang Plaza before
heading back to the hotel to check out and
take the bus home.
Pretty tiring day
actually. Luckily I'm on leave tomorrow.
Yay!
Our bus from Johore Bahru (JB) was initially
set at 0030hrs. However, Rae managed to get
one that goes off at 0100hrs. Her reason for
getting a later bus is to ensure that we
reach KL at around 0600hrs. This means we
wouldn't have to wait long for our ride to
the waterfall. Our ride (a van) will pick us
up at 0800hrs. However, what she didn't
expect was for our bus to be a super-sonic
bus.
Normally it takes
about five hours for a bus to go from JB to
KL. This includes a half-hour stop for a
meal.
Ours took about three
and half hours. Including a 15min stop for
toilet break. So we reached KL around
0430hrs. Nice.
So amidst the sleepy
eyes, we made our way to a restaurant to
eat. Good for me too, as I was worried I
would miss my pre-dawn meal (sahur).
First
meal of the day, at 5.00am
The Guide & The Ride
Since it was our first time there, we got
ourselves a guide. He arranged for our ride
as well. His name? Yen K.L. Yup, his
initials were K.L. We didn't ask what it
means. He just wanted us to call him Yen.
Yen met us with our
driver, J.J. It must be fashionable to be
called by initials instead of names.
The Dragon Temple
After we left our bags at J.J's office, we
headed to our first stop, a Buddist Temple
called 'Dragon something something..' Sorry,
I forgot the name. My bad.
At the temple Yen
shared with me a bit about Buddhism history
and gave an overview of Buddhism itself. It
was pretty enlightening. It was also
interesting because as he shared the
history, there were pictures on the temple
walls to illustrate this. Quite educational.
Unfortunately I was too caught up in the
historical tour to take pics of the
illustrations.
But I did took pics
of the 18 Buddhas standing near the entrance
of the temple!
A Town Lost In Time
Once we were done there we headed to a
sleepy town that was called... well I forgot
the name again. But this town has a very
old-time feeling. It made me feel like being
transported back in time. The only modern
things around were the cars. And not all of
the cars were modern-looking. Some looked
really, really old. I was half expecting to
see a well or trishaw. The town was small
enough that we were able to walk around. The
buildings were mostly of the colonial-style.
Amazing! A Datsun car!
Close-up view of the Datsun logo
Check out the make of
this car. It's Nasa and Nike certified too!
Anyway we hanged
around the town while waiting for another
group of friends to join us. They were
driving up to the place from Singapore.
Eventually we met up
and headed to our next stop, the Selangor
Dam.
Well, all I can say
about the damn is that it is huge and had
lots of water. Took a bit of pics there
before heading to Chiling Falls.
Chiling Falls
Apparently, the name was a typo. It was
meant to be called 'Chilling Falls'.
However, the first person must have
forgotten to add the other 'L', hence the
name that it is now stuck with. And here I
was expecting to see a shrine dedicated to
Lin Chiling. Haiz...
The trek to the
waterfall is pretty easy. We started off
with crossing a bridge.
This bridge could
only take the weight of 4 person at a time,
so we crossed in batches. It was a pretty
shaky bridge. Thereafter we
followed a path into the jungle. Along the
way we had to do some river crossing. Yen
told us we had to cross the river 5 times in
total.
In one of the rivers
we could see a large school of fishes. These
fishes were waiting for us for food it
seems. The moment we threw bread into the
river, they would jump about in the water to
get to the bread. It's like watching a mass
fight for food. I strongly suggest you bring
loaves of bread to the waterfall if you
intend to go there.
Fishes in the river.
Millions of them. Pretty scary sight. (Pic
courtesy of Pangwei)
Finally, we reached
the waterfall. At first sight, it looks
pretty awesome.
Here, there are
fishes as well! And they jumped for food
too! Still, the best part is that you can
swim up to a boulder near the wall and jump
off it into the water! Now that was fun!
Caught in action: deAn
jumping into the waterfall~ (Pic courtesy of
Pangwei)
Unfortunately for me, I got too caught up in
the fun and forgot to take off my specs. I
lost it in the waters after that. Luckily I
got bring along a spare set, else I would be
almost blind as a bat in broad daylight.
After playing in the
water for some time (and taking pictures as
well), we left. On the way back, we got
caught in a heavy rain! Damn. But it was ok
since we were all wet from playing at the
waterfall.
(Pic
courtesy of Pangwei)
(Pic
courtesy of Pangwei)
Hot Springs
The
final stop for the waterfall trip was a trip
to a hot springs. But this hot springs was
rather modern looking, as the locals had
built a swimming-pool like enclosure to hold
the water. There were two enclosures
altogether. One which is hot and one which
is lukewarm.
It was a bit of a
challenge to go soak in the hot springs.
Beside the fact that the water is hot, it is
also dirty and had algae in it, especially
the one that is lukewarm. We 'warmed up' by
dipping in the lukewarm pool before going
over to the hot one. The hotter pool had a
temperature of about 41 degrees! Yen gave us
some pointers on how to cope with the hot
water. After a while, most of us were
shimmering in the hot tube. Some of us
emerged with red marks all over the body
after that. It did feel like we were being
boiled alive.
(Pic
courtesy of Pangwei)
(Pic
courtesy of Pangwei)
Partying Up KL!
After the hot and cold water treatment, we
had dinner (I slept thru it since I was
still fasting) and then headed to our hotel.
We were staying at the
Novotel Hydro
Majestic.
The hotel was good.
It's the best one that we have stayed in for
all ODAC trips so far. And since I was going
to get a room on my own, I opted for one
with a king-sized bed. Awesome!
Royalty has it's
privileges...
I spent some time
getting used to the room and pampering
myself with a nice shower and relaxing on
the bed. Thereafter at 10pm we all met up at
the lobby. It was time to party!
Tibu & Rae
Bao
Yan & me
Pangwei & Desmond
I brought the group
to Jalan P.Ramlee to get them acquainted
with the clubs there. Jalan P.Ramlee is
similar to Mohammed Sultan Road (when it was
still filled with clubs) in Singapore. But
after walking up and down, I told them that
if it was hard to pick a club to go to, an
alternative was to go to a chill-out place
located at the penthouse of some hotel. They
were game for it.
Luna
Getting to the
place was tricky. I had only been there once
in the day time. And when I went there, it
was in a car. This time we were walking up
to the place. So I had to recall some old
memories to navigate my way there. This was
evident because I took a wrong turn and had
to back-track. Oops!
But the place was
worth it. We finally got there amidst some
panting and perspiring. The place was up a
hill after all. After settling on the drinks
and entrance, we were in! Oh, the place is
called Luna, located in Pacific Regency
Hotel.
Everyone went on a
free tour of the club/pub/chill-out place.
There was a pool (which no one was swimming
in) and an open area to show the KL city
area. We had a great view of the Petronas
Twin Towers and KL Tower from Luna. Simply
splendid!
Thereafter it was off
to chilling and sharing stories. We had lots
of fun and laughter sharing the stories.
There were people from different batches for
this trip, hence there was a different story
from each.
As you can see, being
a part of the ODAC family is more than just
the activities that we took part together.
It is also the experience that we shared
with each other, the fun we had and the
friendships that we had forged and
strengthen from time to time.
Today I
didn't go work but went for my reservist
instead. It was a one day briefing event.
It's been a long while since I went for
reservist, so obviously I had trouble
fitting into my clothes. Everything was just
one size smaller. Damn!
The funny thing
about today's briefing was the coordinator's
assistant, who is a young chap and serving
his NS full-time. Since he was doing his NS
full-time, he behaved regimentally and tried
to throw his authority on us. What he failed
to realize that as NSmen, we've been there,
done that and so are generally more relaxed.
Anyway one
particular incident was after lunch. Almost
everyone was in the class, settling down and
getting ready for the next part of our
briefing. In comes the coordinator's
assistant, and the first question from him
was 'Is everyone back? Is anyone missing?'
That question was
funny because there was 96 of us, and almost
all of us didn't really know EVERYONE, so
there's no way of telling if everyone is
back. And if anyone is missing, we wouldn't
know too.
Common sense doesn't
seem so common after all.
Hanyutzz
Gang Ramadhan Gathering
After
much planning, the Hanyutzz Gang met up to
break fast together. Initially there were 9
of us. However, at the last minute, 3
weren't able to make it. Hence it was left
to Radiah, Azhar, Hafeez, Zul, Rizal and me.
We had plan on having
chicken rice together. However the
restaurant that we wanted to go to was fully
booked! Ouch. Thus we went to Manhattan Fish
Market instead.
I got caught up with
packing for my trip and was late, as usual.
By the time I got there almost everyone was
done with their meal. As I ate, we all did
some catching up and joking around.
This continued over
at Starbucks, where besides catching up, we
played Saboteur! It's been a while since I
played this game, and it took a while for
everyone to get the hang of it. But after a
while, we were having fun.
Unfortunately all
good things had to come to an end. I had to
leave early as I was heading out to KL
tonight. Before we left, it was decided that
we would meet up again for Hari Raya
visiting. I can't wait for that! =)
Off To KL!
I met up with Rae, Bao Yan, Eugene, Ti Bou
(French guy), Desmond and Pangwei at
Kranji MRT at around 11pm. Together with
Jonathan, CK and Tinghwa (who will drive up
on their own), we headed to Kuala Lumpur for
our waterfall expedition.
This is the first
time that we'll be going to this waterfall.
The waterfall is called Chiling Falls. It's
probably named after my ex-girlfriend, Lin
Chiling. Anyway this is the second time I'm
going on an expedition during the fasting
month.
To
show how big it is, I've placed it beside my
brother's 14" laptop. See how it's bigger than
the laptop!!!
I’m one big happy kid now. =)
Shopaholic
Anonymous
My name is Dean. And
today I realized that I am a shopaholic.
Usually when people go on retail therapy, it
means that they are shopping to make
themselves happier, or to get rid off their
upset feelings. Some times it is to vent
their frustrations. At the end of it is a
healthy outcome.
For a shopoholic like myself, we just buy
things on impulse. We just like the idea of
buying and spending. And the things we buy
usually end up either unused or left to
gather dusts for a long time. Some times we
even forget that we had bought such items.
And so right now I have a lot of things in
my room that are still sealed and unused.
Things that I bought a long time ago. Things
that I thought I need but ended up not
really needing it. I think I have more than
30 items sitting around gathering dusts.
Clothes make up half of it. Computer gadgets
and parts make up almost the other half.
Some of it are climbing gears. The rest of
it are toys.
Damn it. I could have save a lot if I didn’t
buy all these. Now I’m having buyer’s
remorse, which doesn’t really help. Double
damn it.
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