Converted!

One more reason to like Drew Carey! Excellent interview with David Letterman.



Drew talking about football.

In a related bit of news, two more teams join the MLS. Seattle Sounders FC next season and a team from Philly the year after that. They haven't named it yet but Philadelphia Athletic has a nice ring to it.

And closer to home, our own football team is in a shambles at the moment what with the match rigging scandal and lack of money. I just hope our new partnership with Hartlepool will bring good things.

Ahh Indy...

I watched the new Indy movie on Sunday night. It was great.

Indy. He's getting old. He's not as fast as he used to be. But damn he stills kicks ass. Fans of Indy with like this. I know I did. It's like a trip down memory lane.

It's great to see a new Indy movie after all these years.

Unlike some other people who saw this movie, I actually liked Shia Lebeouf in this one. Will he be the next Indy? I'm not sure how that would work. There is actually talk of another Indy movie sometime soon with Shia in the lead and Harrison Ford supporting him. I'll watch that but I'm not sure if that's going to be a good idea if it does happen.

So how is this movie compared to the previous ones? I really can't say. The memory is a bit faded these days and I haven't watched the other three in a long time. But one thing for sure, it isn't "bad" in any sense of the word. The important thing is the movie stayed true to the spirit of the series and no attempt was made to "update" it. It's new but it felt like watching an old school action movie. I highly recommend you watch this. It's fun.

I watched this at the Riverside Cineplex and not at Star. There was a power outage when I got there to buy tickets. The entire building was blacked out but at lifts were working and the cineplex had power. Unfortunately, the backup generators didn't power the airconditioning so we decided to skip it. Good thing the friend I was with remembered there was another show at the Riverside so we went. There weren't too many people with was nice.

I pity those people who bought their Star Cineplex tickets early. They either had to forfeit or watch the show in a sweltering hall. The smell wasn't that nice... I'm thinking maybe the management should've given options to refund the tickets instead of going ahead with the show.

Afterwards, me and Esther (my company for the evening) went to look for some place to sit. We wanted to go to Khatulistiwa but apparently it's being renovated. So we went to the Waterfront instead.

I haven't gone to the Waterfront in years. It was quite nice. There were many people about and the place looked cleaner than I remember it.

We hung out for a while. It was very refreshing.

That got me thinking. I know a few women friends who are considerably younger than me and they are great but that night I thought how great it would be if I had another single woman around my own age for company (or more...).

It's not just the age. Someone who I could talk to and who enjoys conversations as much as I do. Someone who has gone through similar growing up and life experiences as me and who isn't afraid to share and compare notes.

Like me and Esther were saying that, a person fitting the above description is kind of rare these days. A lot of people behave more... stereotypically. I sound like an elitist like that but I don't know how else to say it. I can hang out with anyone really. As long as they speak up. I can't stand people who are too quiet. They're hard to fathom and that makes me nervous. I can carry a conversation well enough but that needs two or more people to work.

I don't like people who are too conservative either. Nor do I like people who are too secretive. Or too intense. Or incapable of empathy.

You'd think it's very easy to talk. But no, not many people can "talk" the way I mean it. It's hard to explain but I get bored really fast if I'm with someone who won't/can't have a conversation with me.

Hmm, this post is deviating.

In conclusion, I had a great evening and Esther and I will definitely be going to watch movies again this summer season.

Yum..

That is a pint of Kilkenny Irish Beer. It's very good. It's 20 bucks a glass so it's not cheap but it's so good. It's an entire pint so I say the price is worth it. We had a really good time at The Cottage on Thursday night drinking this stuff.

Also, they had a promo that night. Buy three pints get another pint free. So we had quite a lot of this stuff. It was great. The perfect compliment to go with a very heated conversation about politics. It was fun.

I've had a decent enough few days. I got a haircut and what a relief it was. It's not really comfortable to keep hair long during these very hot times.

Speaking of relief, it's been raining. It's... well, a relief.

I'm supposed to go and fix another PC. I'm feeling rather lazy at the moment. Maybe later.

Last night I had another good evening teaching a friend of mine how to get the most out of his new notebook. He managed to snag an Acer Aspire 4940 for literally half price! I'm no Acer fan but I can recognize a good deal when I see one. That thing isn't even 2 months old yet and he managed to get it for RM1400. Brand new it would be worth 3k at least.

Really good spec too except for the RAM being just 1Gb. Apart from that it was a good spec.

Anyway, I do enjoy showing people how to use their new PC/notebook. My friend is a total noob so there's lots for me to show him.

Apart from all this, things are the same as they've always been.

Later I'm going off again to teach my noob friend more things about his PC. I might even remember to take a picture of it.

Five Minutes

is what I have to post this.

I have to rush of for a seminar afterwards. Looking forward to that. I wish people would send me to more of the same. At least I can get out of the office. It can get claustrophobic here at times.

It's a cold morning. What a relief. Tomorrow I'm off work. A bigger relief.

I was checking my blog counter just now and yet again the name of an old friend came up in the keywords section. Can't say I'm surprised. She made quite an impression on a good number of people while we were in college.

I read many blogs and the sheer volume of photographs in some of those blogs amaze me. I must commend their authors for their patience and their diligence in putting them up.

I take many pictures myself but somehow I feel too lazy to post them. It's something about the posting of photos and arranging them in my posts that seem to bother me. Hence I don't do it much. I find it rather tedious. I don't like tedium.

Need to work on that. Some of the photos I've taken are worth an entire post all by themselves.

While driving to work this morning, again my mind wanders a bit. And again, I wonder why is it so hard for us to walk away from something that clearly isn't good for us. I guess that's a very human flaw indeed.

In the end, it's a choice. A hard choice but a choice nevertheless.

I could write a very long post about choices and the difficulty in making them. But not this morning.

How to Get Instant Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

With this. On Saturday night I played this at Rin's house on Ivan's 360. It was..... interesting. And quite addictive. One thing for sure, you need the guitar controller for this to work. I've tried this on a regular controller and it just doesn't feel the same.

Now if only the guitar controller was bigger and had a longer neck closer to that of a real guitar. Then maybe it wouldn't physically hurt to play it. Still, the game is so good you'll be in pain and continue to play anyway.

I wished they were more songs.

By the way, I finished the game on easy. Despite my sore wrist and fingers.

I'm quite sure this game will continue to feature in our gatherings. Hopefully they'll be more people around so we can face-off on medium or higher difficulties. That is going to be a lot more interesting...

I'm looking forward to playing this again.

Apart from this, there's not much else to write about. Life is still the same and things are still the same.

Oh yes, we had this weird brownout situation in my area last night. All our lights were on.... kinda. It was freaky. And inconvenient because I couldn't turn on my PC.

Look at that, the middle of May already. Almost half a year gone.

What's in my Head Right Now

I went to this nice place called Hijau the other night. It's quite nice. Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures. The only thing I didn't like about it was the lack of parking spaces.

It's been very hot these last two days. I wish it would rain more during the day. It's a good thing I'm not at work these few days. It's hard to sleep when it's this hot.

Me talking about weather. A sure sign of me not knowing what to write about.

Actually, I do have some things to write about. But it's really hot right now. Can't think straight.

I've been invited to a birthday thingy later tonight. I'm not sure if I'm going. Maybe I'll drop by for a while. Not really up for socialising at the moment to be honest.

Maybe I'll go out and look for DVDs or something.

Oh look, my credit card statement has arrived...

Underdogs

I don't write much about football and I'm no fanatic but I do follow it with interest.

The 07/08 English premier league is done and Man Utd won it. Again. I can't say I'm too thrilled about that. No, I'm not a Chelsea fan. I just like a close fight in any sporting event and if the same team/person won it over and over again it gets boring.

We still have The Champions League Final coming and I hope Chelsea wins that. If they do, it will be their first time.

Most people won't care about this year's FA Cup but I'm hoping Cardiff can pull an upset and be the first lower division team in a very, very long time to win a major English trophy. It's also fine by me if Pompey won it too. As long as it isn't any one the usual big teams. What is the FA Cup with it's giant killing magic (think Barnsley FC)?

I'm so glad that Sunderland survived. I'm looking forward to seeing more Roy Keane next year. I'm also hoping Stoke City will do well and that Bristol City go up via the playoffs. It would be awesome. In season 06/07 they were in League 1 and now they are on the verge qualifying for the big show. That's almost unthinkable.

If not Bristol City then Hull making it through would be good as well.

What can I say, I like my underdogs. I like it when the big and powerful suffer and struggle and the small timers win things or survive against the odds ala Fulham and Wigan. I like the fact that a tiny Spanish Primera Liga team like Almeria can finish mid table and a huge team like Valencia can struggle.

Not only football. Other sports as well.

I love my underdogs. By the same token if someone or something becomes too dominant in anything I will gradually resent them. I don't know why I feel this way. That is why I could never see myself as Man Utd supporter. Or a Ferari fan.

I hate glory hunters.

And not only sports. In everything.

Perhaps I see myself in these underdogs. I can relate to them. I know what it's like to try your best fully knowing that your "best" isn't really good enough. I understand how it is to realize that you will never be able to compete with those bigger than you but you try anyway. I know the plight of the also-ran and the has-been and the guy who had so much potential but somehow never made it. Most of the time you lose and no one cares what happens to you. I know how that feels like too.

But every once and a while something special happens and you win despite all the odds. It doesn't happen a lot but when it does it's unforgettable. I also know how that feels like.

I raise a virtual glass to the underdogs of the world. Perhaps one fine day, we will have a shot at our own personal Cup Finals.

Engrish!

Hur hur hur...

Cooked asses? You betcha! Available at Ta Kiong supermarket! Get yours today!

What a Girl Wants: Guide for Clueless Men

I found an excellent thread in the lowyat Kopitiam forums...

What Girls really want in a man.

Guys should read this stuff. Girls should read this stuff too. Might be a useful insight to how things work between men and women.

Dell Vostro 1310

I've been waiting for this since it was announced last month. Two new Dell Vostro models are finally available in Malaysia, the 1310 and 1510.

Looks really sweet, especially the 1310. At last, a cheap and cheerful 13.3 inch notebook. Really good for those people who need something small but not too small.

Very cool and hopefully somebody I know will buy it so I can do a hands on test.

Idiots

I read the papers just like any other person and sometimes I come across stuff that I really can't understand.

Like the Malay Regiment having a detachment doing ceremonial duties at the Windsor Palace. I thought this was a good thing. An honour given to one of our most veteran units. I myself was thrilled about this. Unfortunately there are people in this country who miss the point entirely.

How is this prestigious assignment considered demeaning? Thankfully, there are people who do get it.

Yet another sign of people not understanding culture. That's what happens when you don't read any books at all. Ok I'm just speculating but seriously, it's hard not to notice the lack of cultural thought and intellect in many locals.

Another thing that many people don't get is why we need to beef up our military. Left wingers especially love complaining about this especially about the cost. Well, these people don't get how a strong military helps with international relations and strategic posturing. Especially important for Malaysia since we are involved in some very important territorial disputes.

Without a strong military presence how do we strengthen our position. Some people will say this type of tour de force is unnecessary and all we need is to negotiate. Sorry but people who believe that alone is enough are incredibly naive. Just like people who say that love is all you need in a marriage.

Anyways, I like our armed forces and it fills me with pride when I see RMAF fighter aircraft in the sky over Kuching. Whenever they are here anyway.

That's the problem with ideals. I was once quick an idealistic chap as well what with my ideas of justice, fairness and all that white knight in shining armour stuff. Sounds good on paper but later on I find that the world isn't an ideal place and being too idealistic is only going to disappoint you when you see that it doesn't work half the time.

I've learnt the hard way that one needs to be pragmatic as well as idealistic to live properly. The world is what it is with all the shit that goes on but we can live in it quite nicely. Provided we see it for what it is not for what we think it should be.

Hmm, I have noticed that this post and the last one is quite random, quite long and quite rambly. This is what happens when I get in the mood.

Anyway in other news, I'm so glad it rained this evening. The last few days it was so hot it was ridiculous. Not a good thing if you need to work at night and sleep during the day.

I'm off work tomorrow and I will definitely be writing again. I haven't finished rambling yet...

Hmm

"Your good intentions slowly turned to bitterness
Reoccurring episodes with each and every kiss

And I can tell you're going through the motions
I figured you were acting out your part
Once again we're playing off emotion
Which one of us will burn until the end?

Catalyst,
You insist to pull me down
You contradict the fact that you still want me around

And it's all downhill from here"

"All Downhill From Here" - New Found Glory, Catalyst

That song has been stuck in my head for the last half a day. I have no idea why. Maybe I was thinking about the "stories" I could tell as a continuation of my last post. The bolded part of the lyric is very appropriate to what I was thinking. Or more appropriate relative to the rest of the song. The song itself is quite appropriate to the things I'm currently thinking about.

I know some people who have quite a bit of relationship trouble this week.

Anyway one day earlier last month, my mom was asking about a friend of mine. There were quite surprised to learn that he was married. I in turn was quite surprised that they didn't know. I mean everyone knows. Everyone was supposed to know anyway.

And then suddenly out of the blue, she asked me whether I wanted to marry. No, I said. Well the real answer isn't exactly no, I just wanted to avoid a potentially awkward conversation. No luck there. She continued on about how I should seriously think about it and how it will help during old age and other why-being-married-is-a-good-thing points.

To be honest I can't really disagree with what she was saying. I didn't really say much else apart from saying that I don't have anybody in mind at the moment and even if I did I wouldn't do it anytime soon. These things cost money you know. Money which I don't have...

Recently, that friend we were talking about dropped by the house to check his PC when my mom mentioned the married story. She also made some jokes about me still being single and asked him to "help" me...

I want to say that I chuckled and felt unbothered, but the fact is I was bothered. It did make me think. And all the stuff mom and other people have said about it, not all of it is wrong. I should be doing something about it. Especially at my age. I can't really say it doesn't matter because it kinda does actually. Not exactly a life and death thing but it's not entirely frivolous either.

Should be no problems right? Pretty straightforward, I should just go and meet as many people as possible. The law of averages means that eventually I'll find somebody. Worse come to worse, I could just ask the parents to arrange it and settle down with whoever they pick, my own feelings be damned. I mean it works for other people right? It might even be a good idea, considering that I can't seem to do it right by myself.

The question here is "Do I want to do this or not?"

Things can change, but today's answer is no. If my mother didn't bring it up I wouldn't even be thinking about it. I may have become a little too jaded and defensive when it comes to how I feel.

I once wrote that young people shouldn't really be getting involved in serious relationships. I mean they lack experience and often, the blood is hot and makes one very impulsive. But all that may not be a bad thing.

I remember how easy it was to feel and give in to attraction. No need to think so much, you just follow it. When you are young, you haven't been burned yet and you aren't so defensive and not so cynical. You still believe in romantic ideals and the people you are with also still believe it. Unless you're totally clueless, falling in love is the easiest and the most natural thing in the world.

Some people are very lucky and it works out and it continues to work as they get older. For others, they might need one or two more tries. But it works out in the end.

When you are young, it's a good time to fall in love. It's a good time because you can do it so easily.

But for those who didn't get any joy, it gets harder over time until eventually they harden. Eventually, it becomes harder to open up and remain hopeful.

I think I may be at that level now. It's just not so simple anymore.

So what am I trying to say? What I'm saying is that I want to be in a relationship again but at the same time, I don't want to suffer all the pain that it could bring. Again. I've had enough of that and it upsets me enough just to watch other people in bad situations. I can only imagine how I would feel if it were me.

Maybe that's why I can't do it anymore. Maybe I'm too afraid. Or too cynical to even bother anymore.

Poor mom, I guess her grandchildren will have to come from her other kids...

Edit: This post contains a slight error. Apparently, I never said that younger people shouldn't be in relationships, I said younger people shouldn't get married so soon. Very sorry, memory isn't so sharp these days.

Stories

Only 9 posts in April. That's not enough posts for my liking. I actually have plenty to write about. I'm not sure why I didn't write more. The mood just wasn't there.

Anyway, the theme for today's post is "stories".

If I could just dictate my posts for these last 2 weeks instead of typing them out I would have many stories to tell. Good stories.

Talking about good stories, I watched one on Saturday night.


No need for any long winded description or review or comment or whatever. Ironman is so good words aren't necessary to describe it. Just go and watch it. It's excellent. You WILL like it.

And still talking about good stories, over the weekend I played a game I just got recently. It's not often that I feel driven to keep playing a computer all the way to the end more for the story than for lush graphics or gameplay. I think the last game that did this for me was Baldur's Gate 2 Shadows of Amn.

Nothing came close since then story wise. These days many games rely more on flashy graphics and presentation instead of a compelling story.
Assassin's Creed isn't one of those games. I mean yeah, it's got all the bells and whistles of a contemporary computer game. It's got amazing graphics. It's got good movie style sound effects. It's well animated and many times while I was playing it, it didn't feel like a computer game.

In addition to that, it had a good and well scripted story.

I won't be talking much about the story. It involves things like cellular memory and old legends and religion and climbing tall buildings and lots of very, very awesome sword/knife fighting. The story itself is quite long and there's nice twist at the end.

Oh yes, it's also screaming out for a sequel which I eagerly await.

I don't want to spoil it for anyone. It's enough for me to say that the game's plot is the main thing that drives the game forward. Not the flashy parts.

I wish more game developers would devote more effort to tell a good story with the technology they have at their disposal. I'm not alone when I say that. I've read articles that say the same thing.

If more games told stories the way Assassin's Creed did maybe then people will finally recognize the medium as a legitimate art form.

I look forward to the day.

Another game that is sure to have an engaging plot would be GTA 4. Too bad I don't have a PS\3 yet. However, I know someone with an Xbox 360... I'm contemplating splitting the cost of the original game among ourselves.

In other news, I have other stories to tell. I've had many interesting conversations this week. About life and people and the kind of trouble one could get into without realising it. I've also had quite a good deal of reminiscing, only this time it's from a different, older perspective.

But those stories are for other days...