Pregnancy

This is so cool. It describes how pregnancy happens, with fun cartoons and hillarious story telling. Mildly offensive but you have been warned.

http://flickerlab.com/pregnancy/

Star*ucks

Berg confesses that he secretly went to a comic signing session to meet a girl. This shocked Irene and she started to hyperventilate. She even asked for the other woman’s address.

Berg : No, Irene, don’t over react okay, we just had coffee

Irene : And coffee leads to sex! Everyone knows that. God! Why do you think there’s a Starbucks on every corner in America?

This is a dialogue extracted from episode 77 (season 4) of Two guys and a girl. It is one of my favorite sitcoms. Too bad it ended in 2001 and all I have is reruns of it. This episode I watched last week. And thanks to TV capture cards for PC, I have my own TiVo. The picture quality is low though.

Ah, I get another shot of it tonight at 10.10 on NTV7. Can’t wait. My favorite characters are Michael Leslie "Berg" Bergen played by Ryan Reynolds and Ashley Walker played by Suzanne Cryer.

But lets go back and talk about sex and Starbucks shall we. Wow, I’ve never had that combo in mind. It does make sense though. No wonder there are t-shirts with Star*ucks these days. It fits so freakin’ well.

“Hey, you want to come in and have some coffee?”

Oh that is so yesterday.

Come to think of it, that was not the only thing that reminded me of Starbucks this few weeks. Just two days ago I went to Starbucks to meet up with an ex high school junior. We exchanged life histories over the past years and I discovered that we both share a passion for coffee. I should have known better since he is effectively the store manager, duhh…

He a cool (may seem eccentric to some) dude and his life journey is nothing short of inspiring, having roughed out the trials during his early adult life and still come out doing pretty well for himself and his family. He’s a law graduate but he chose to stay in the coffee business. I guess it beans a lot to him. Hey, I would stick to it until I get to the top myself , had I brewed my passion a little longer.

But all is good. I now have a connection in the business. And for starters, he even offered me his benefits as a staff to get me discounts and free gifts on beans purchases.

"You'll get a mug for a bag of beans. But knowing your love for espresso, I'll let you have the espresso cup and saucer"

"Oh seriously, you'd do that?" My eyes widened, my ears pricked and my face beamed a joyful smile.

Friends with benefits, how's that for a cuppa. But seriously dude, you have no idea how much I appreciate that.

And there we have it, two good things from Starbucks.

Hmmm, looking at the time it’s almost six. Time for me to hit the road home. Yep, Thursday has left the building. Tomorrow I thank God it’s Friday. I have scattered plans over the weekend but Friday night is still lonely.

Starbucks ladies? Anyone?

Tuesday, and I'm alive again

Ah, nothing like the fresh morning breeze of Tuesday morning. Look ma, I survived Monday!

This morning I left the car window open while driving from home to the office. Loved the journey till I entered the city, when the morning's rush hour pollution kicked in. Blow my trusty air cond did. And it was nice again, all the way to my cubicle.

I couldn't say the same for yesterday though. It was Monday and I felt like shit. No, I'm not talking about the typical Monday morning cliche'. And I don't normally bitch about Monday mornings either but yesterday was different. I felt so tired and lack of sleep. I guess my bedroom renovation on Sunday really took its toll on me, phisically. All the rearranging and reorganizing. Woodworking and screwing my new D.I.Y. wardrobe to optimize space in my decimal place ached my whole body. The wardrobe was done by nightfall but the entire space needed some rearranging. I did some and left the rest undone because I so needed some sleep.

But I couldn't get my eyes shut. I kept tossing and turning. It was half past three and I was still looking at my watch, trying to note the time I dozed off. When I finally fell asleep, the alarm knocked me out of bed. So I obliged and got my butt to my cubicle, punctually at 0900, Monday! Now that's new.

Geez the morning sucked. I've never felt sleepier. Having lunch didn't help either. Since all the blood I needed to stay alive was working in and around my tummy. So, not only did I feel bad, I looked bad. I mean, what was I to say when one of my workmates say I look pale. Swell! Now I'm a zombie. A half life. I struggled through the day nodding off time and again until it was 5 pm. I guess by now you would have guessed that I really had nothing to do at work. And you're right! Gosh I need to get off work early. Half hour early. I waited till the coast is clear and at 5.30pm, I disappeared and hoped I survive the journey home.

When I finally got home, it was 6.30pm. I wasted no time, curled into bed and slept till 11.30pm. It was weird waking up at 11.30 at night. Now there's something I haven't done in a long time. I even got a minor headache. That gradually disappeared though.

I made supper, ate, continued rearranging my room and slept at 2am. This time I really slept.

So now, here I am, feeling like any other day again, at work, and what do I do? I browse and blog. That's why I'm still here. Lovin' it.

Temptations : Part 1

Going through a diet program is never easy. Hell, it's hard to even start one, let alone maintain. I had no idea how much sacrifice I'd be forced to make before I set on this journey. Think about not being able to indulge in food you enjoy so much before. Think about giving up staple food like rice and bread. Think about times your friends or coleagues eat around you, the great food they partake while yours is reduced to cow chew. Even if you are having the same thing, the guilt and fear of derailing from your goal is enough to make an emotionally tough guy cry.

It gets worse when you are the only one in the household on a diet. I'm lucky since I live pretty much on my own. My two housemates and I, we eat at our own time and place. We get home at different times so eating together is often out of the question. But it's a different story at work. My coleagues eat in the office pantry. They buy takeouts and have lunch together. That was also my lunch routine until recently. The problem is, well, it's not really a problem. I would call it the challenge. The challenge is that the pantry is open and a mere two meters away from my workstation. I feel like the character Jerry in Tom and Jerry every lunch hour. I'd be the mouse floating toward the food, hooked by the smell.

And getting visual stimulation on food doesn't help either. For example the ad for pizza hut, lying seductively on the pantry table. Everytime I walk by it kicks me in the bowels.

Tell me you are not the least tempted. I mean, this is definitely a visual stimulus to every pizza lover. Myself at least. With the three cheese present, and a crust full of holes so the cheese comes out oozing from the juicy core. The image looks so divine, my religious conscience whisper... Holy Trinity!

And let me tell you this image goes by me not once, not twice, but everytime I get myself a glass of water to dilute my gaster juice down, because it is in the pantry. And since the pantry is on the way to the rest room, guess what I see everytime I need to go? And if you count the times I get up to get some fresh air, a different angle or just to get away from my cubicle, this image feed could easily cave in on my determination to lose weight! Oh, the frustration! The anger!

Why the hell do I feel this way today?

Cheeses crust! Get a hold of yourself. Breathe deep...ooozaaaa

Savvy Accident

This just in. They came from mail forwards. Looks like the commercial is not true after all. Note the date.





Built tough my ass.

Help

Somebody save me. I’m a couch potato! Nothing gets done around here. Not tonight!

I got home ten to nine, made dinner and ate. A quarter past nine and I’m well in front of the tv. The channel ; Star World on Astro. The show is Desperate Housewives. God it’s desperate. I never thought I’d go through a whole hour of four ladies trying to get by their lives in Wisteria Lane. May I also tell you, there is no all-women-issue when it comes to TV. I have issues.

Just when I thought the night is over, Tru Calling comes grabbing me by the nuts. And it’s a whole hour too. There is one word that’s good for it; brilliant. However, what really bugs me is this line at the end, spoken by none other than her morgue boss,

“Have a seat Tru. I’m about to tell you all that I know”

That left me dangling and craving for the second part, which comes next week. I don’t have another week! Not when someone else knows the real thing about Tru. I wonder how she's going to go about saving the dead after this.

It’s eleven, and guess what comes next…Friends

I know the show is no more and I watched every episode but hey, it never gets old. Friends still makes me laugh, no matter how many times I sit down and watch. Imagine having all seasons on DVD and still catching the repeats on TV. What can I say, I'm a fan. And given my slow pick up speed, I get a new joke each time I watch an episode. This time it’s the one with Ross’ new sparkle, Charlie the paleontologist.

And as I’m typing this line, Ed comes up next. I used to follow Ed. The show feeds me. However, it’s now 11.37pm; time to get ready for bed. So I reached for the remote and gave silence a chance. This way, I can finally finish this line and stuff some more juice to this initially short post.

Cat food

A friend is in Kuching this week and she is very excited about the idea of travelling outside of KL, especially in the capital of Sarawak. Whenever the day approaches lunch hour and she sees me online on Yahoo Messenger, she would buzz me up and one of the topics is where and what to eat next.

Now, I'm not an expert on eating out in Kuching since I don't live there. Plus I rarely hang out for lunch during my visits there. However, I do have my cravings when it comes to Sarawak food, particularly Kuching food.

"Have you tried Sarawak Laksa?"

"Or mee kolok?... .... ...."

And the blank is left empty due to the fact that I have no more suggestions. You see, when in Kuching, those are the only food that comes to mind when it comes to my mission.

And my mission, to explore the places that serves good Sarawak Laksa and mee kolok. Occassionally, friends have brought me to some good places. However, I have never gone all out on a gastronomic adventure to come up with a reliable list. Time is always the essence, besides keeping obesity and cardiac disease at arms length of course. So don't sue me.

Where is this leading you might ask. Well, since I can't help her and whomever is interested, based on my own experience, I present to you the stories of two foreigners, living in Kuching. These guys give out useful information on touring Sarawak. One of their fields of research is eating out and food in Kuching. The aricles were passionately detailed. Some are also funny but all are very useful, especially for a native like me who has less means and resources for discovering on my own. So, enjoy.
Gastronome's guide to Kuching : BorneoTravel.com : Both by Wayne Tarman and Mike Reed

If the suit fits

The weekend was a blast! I went to a good friend's wedding reception. The bride, Anisah Tinguan. The groom, my good friend, Azhan Abdullah. The venue, Alor Setar, Kedah. The day, Saturday. So I drove up with a couple of friends on friday, arriving a day before.

The reception starts around noon. But the bride and groom gets ready early. So was I, at my sister's place in Sungai Petani, when a message came in.

"Agus, be my best man. Terrence could not make it. The suit is all ready."

I replied, "Sure, but only if the suit fits"

So I got ready even faster to speed off to the venue. I borrowed my brother in law's suit just in case my friend Terrence's would not fit.

I arrived at 11 am, tried the suit and wha'd'ya know, they fit!

Didn't know much about Malay wedding. What's a best man supposed to do?

"Kipas pengantin, lap muka pengantin..."

Oh, that's easy. But when we arrived at the dias, there was no kipas. So I stood beside the couple, smiling away.


Group photo with friends from PPP, ITM.


Pose upon arrival.


Hanging around after the ceremony.

This is certainly one of the bright moments of my life. And all was captured for a lifetime, in prints and moving pictures. Thanks a million Azhan.

Tip toe

A routine visit to my favourite waiter gave me something interesting to think about today. Tipping. It has long been a big issue in the restaurant business worldwide. Well, at least between America and the rest of the world.

Just look at the divided opinion from the comments page for the post. The original post is the waiter's response to Steven Shaw's suggestion to implement the 'service charge' instead of tips, much like the rest of the world. And the response to it, love them. Simply fascinating. Do yourself a favor and enjoy discovering where you stand on this matter.

Let me tell you, I'm 100% behind the rest of the world when it comes to tipping. Dont get me wrong. I love waiter rant. His stories, fantastic. But tipping is just not my thing. Plus, it's very uncommon here in Malaysia. It bugs me that I get to pay for service charges when there is hardly any decent and worthy service given. I've never gone so far as to decline paying the service charge after getting bad service or no service at all. It always makes me feel that I have been cheated and that makes it harder to live the day.

I've had my share of waiting in my life. And thanks to hollywood movies, I knew waiters in America receive tips rightfully deserved. Boy did I wish I worked in America and wait the American way back then. Coz I waited damn well. But that is just not how it works here. And that didn't change my attitude toward waiting either. Waiting on tables is a real job and I did mine with pride and responsibility. I always knew I did well when a customer is satisfied and they show it with a smile, a thank you and come back for more. That kept me going and helped me through rough times.

As a diner, it is always nice to be in a place with good service. And it is common knowledge that the higher standard restaurants charge more for good food and service. But that is not always the case and it's on days like these that you just feel like tearing the whole place down. Never ask "does it get worse?" because it never fails to.

So, whats the difference between paying service charge for good and bad service? Not much, just paying it with a satisfied and content feeling and you will definitely come again. No doubt.

Dog in the city

It's a doggy dog world they say. What with the cars and busses here and there. At this corner, minding my own business, I contently sit. My bones are tired but I can't sleep.

It's a doggy dog world out here. But after a while, I got used to the atmosphere. People, they walk about, they pass me by. They find it's easier to let sleeping dogs lie.

It's a doggy dog world, I have no complaints. No job, no insurance, no bills, no rents. But here I am, enjoying the happening nightlife. I mean, would I be here if I had a wife?

Even if I do, I'd still be here as I wish. Coz my wife, she'd be such a bitch.

It's a doggy dawg world and you should see. Get on with life, live it full and free. Remember to stay fit, young and healthy. Coz nine lives, they're only for pussies.

It's a doggy dawg world, for tonite, I'm done. Same time, same place, tomorrow, I'll come. Like them I walk these lines and surrender my post. Good nite to all, hasta la vista, mi amigos.

Starry, starry night

I don’t know why but this ringing suddenly floats in my head. Like there aren’t enough things to occupy this Malaysian idle.

I guess it’s the hazy, hazy days.

Anyway, it’s kinda nice to be reminded about Vincent today. It made me Google him up.

His work, so great. His life, so sad.

Vincent Van Gogh

My first artist interest. Back when I was in form 4 or 5, the year, 1995, there was this collectible series from Marshal Cavendish. Whatever your interest, they publish them. In collectible partworks. There was the dinosaur series, handicrafts, the universe and more. First issues were usually sold at introductory promotional price, half.

I wasted no time and picked up Great Artists. The first issue featured, you guessed it, Vincent. Being a student, I could only afford half of anything so I never bought the remaining i-don’t-know–how-many issues. With the only edition available, I absorbed the contents for what it’s worth. I learned to appreciate his work and feel his life.

It was touching to learn about a life so troubled, and yet, so inspired. He was doing great but his health just went the other direction. As if his tragic death wasn’t bad enough, his loving brother gave up living soon after.

Years passed as I went to college. Eventually I learned about this song, Starry, starry nights. It was a beautiful song and it still captivates me now. Don Mclean did it right. And Josh Groban nailed it tight.

Click here to feel starry, starry night.

Hazy hazy days...

Remember the hazy days last week? Well, they're still here. Many are complaining they're getting sick. Sore throat, flu and all. Rain has decided not to pay a visit. It's not worrying yet but still, a cause for concern. I can still see where I'm driving. I can say I feel fine. But for how long? Hope it goes away. Hope it rains today.

Sign of the times

Two thousand and five.
This year, it fills with drive.
We have struggled, we have strived.
And thus far we have survived.

But as I scan these generations of lives,
An unsolved equation slowly derives.
As the world got hectic like a beehive,
Has our time eventually arrived?

This was the question that bugged me as I tried to sell the idea of a collective blog to my high school friends. Most of them are 28-ish by now. No doubt they have heard of blogs. But never in their mildest dreams have they thought of sharing their thoughts online; open for all to see. Let alone trying to start a personal one. I suppose this blog thingy wasn’t around back when we were in high school. Even if we do have our own personal blog, none of us ever got to link each other up. Maybe it's a confidence issue. Or maybe ...

Even stuff like friendster is still trying hard to penetrate into our slice of the cake. Again, I suppose it’s because we weren’t exposed to it during our young and dangerous days. Kids these days have it easy, I always believe. Almost everything is served on a silver platter. And judging by the number of servers web-wide, it just get easier. Just Google it up and viola! Answers galore!

Whatever it may be, there’s one thing I know for sure. Getting older, being the child of the times, career focus or ignorance should not be the issue. Me and my friends, we are not about to fade behind thickening curtains of the digital tech world just yet. Besides, who ever put any age limit on catching up with the world anyway.

Sure we will never come close to understanding how stuff works behind the glitzy and glamorous GUI but how many truly have that? The least we could do is swim with the current. Fly with the flow. Believe me, we’ll do better when we work collectively. Like migrating birds we provide air lift and support to each other, flying in proximity.

All that said, I’m pretty happy with the outcome. It was difficult for me to start selling the idea but once I sense the excitement, curiosity and longing to have and belong, I know it is going to be great. Nothing is going to waste. I am sure it would turn out great. So guys, here’s to a rewarding blogospheric experience.

Peace out.

Hazy days

Yesterday was awfully hazy. No idea why it was. Probably some major forest fire in a land nearby. Usual suspect; Indonesia. A fire in KL wouldn’t cause such haze. Besides, it engulfed the whole KL. I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole Malaysia had the same problem.


I could see some people wear respiratory masks, the ones usually worn by doctors and carpenters. It's a good thing I drove. It was approaching late evening but if it got much darker than it was supposed to, that would really be something.



















Creepy thoughts crawled my mind.

Warning! Movie spoilers follow.

Having watched War of the Worlds, I know I won’t survive if a series of freak lightning ensued. Heck, skip the agonizing fear and zap me right now, pants down and all. Unless I was born Tom Cruise’ character. How’z abbout that guy huh? Was he invincible or what. He AND his mama in-law.

“Oh, and don’t forget to spare the whole clan too, okay, aliens”

The story build up was incredible. Helplessness and frustration quickly cloaked everyone in the cinema. I do agree with what some reviewers think of the aliens there; TOP CLASS. They scared the jiga-nuts out of me. Forget about 3D, I swear I was there, almost zapped by the bastards. I could smell my hair burning. And what’s with the spraying of blood to create a creepy crawly forest man…













The climax, well, I couldn’t tell. Was there even a climax? I mean, there was the fall of the invaders. It was definitely ass-kicked. But none of that is caused by human. They just finished up what the tiny organisms did. Yeaaaap, our beloved bacteria and viruses.

Here’s what I got. Since the aliens just came in, they have not managed to evolve to counter react with the effects of our tiny friends, living in air and water. So, little bacty and virie beat the crap out of the newbies. And we human, got on with the show. Maybe Spielberg should have portrayed the aliens contract diseases and suffer painful deaths caused by bacty and virie. Now that would make for a swell climax.

The climax wouldn’t be human though. Contrary to popular flavor. How’s that for a taste of hopelessness, eh mate! Uhuh. We, somehow, are not very fond of being out of control. People we care and love are dying and there’s nothing we can do about it. The idea of a remarkable happy ending, brought about by things so tiny, hurts our ego.

Why didn’t I think of that? Why couldn’t I do that? How did it managed that? I’m better than them tiny guys. What’s wrong with my solution?

Well, doesn’t that ring a bell?

What bell?

Try Afghanistan. Try Iraq.

New York. Madrid. London.
No, we are not talking about fashion capitals.

The bell of war. The war against terrorism. That same terror, killing everything that breathes. Men, women, children. Senseless. They’ve done everything in their power to stop the slaughter. Air and ground infantries. Guns and grenades. Rockets and missiles. Invasions and embargos.

But the bloody violence keep on blasting. Fresh new recruits ambushed and slayed. Erroneous hunt-down ending in tragedy. Like horrific deja vous. They all swear it happened somewhere, sometime before, but nothing they did to stop it, helped. And so it repeats when it’s least expected. I guess they just can’t figure out its weakness.

Where are our tiny little friends? In what form shall they appear, assisting us in ending this war?

Is this wishful thinking? Will we ever win?

Unlike the movie, this, our war, is raging on. So much damage has been done and yet, here we are, fumbling as we desperately look for answers. Sheer frustration racing from every side and every corner. Those who bear the burden, they march forward. Those affected, they seek shelter and solace.

Those hearing the news, we pray;
for the victims, a better day,
for ourselves, none alike comes our way.

And just as I watched in the theater, helplessly, I now watch the news unfold in the comfort of my living room. I can only empathize with the victims and their grieving families. Tragedies that strike away from home remind me time and again, not to take peace in this land, for granted. On the disturbing flip side, it saddens me that people die so we can wake up. I wish the deaths and suffering remain as nightmares, disappearing as soon as we’re awake. Then we would all thank God it was just a bad dream. But alas, it does not work that way. In this real world, nothing is fair.

So now, with my gratitude huge and afloat, I truly thank God I’m blessed with a peaceful and secure setting. Born into this safe land I call home. Yes, there came hard times, but I am glad I read it in history texts instead of living through them. All thanks to heroes, fallen and alive.

Happy Independence Malaysia. Peace and harmony fill this world, eventually. God willing.

Your mother

Yesterday I received a mail from a friend, a well mannered, no BS kinda girl. The subject read "UR MOTHER".

Now some of us will immediately think that this is a forward of the joke of the day, some insult or something. But coming form her? It puzzled me a little.

The next thing that came to mind was that there was something wrong with my mother, a bad news of sort. And since she lives in my hometown, in the vicinity of my neighborhood, and knows my parents, it worried me even more. So I quickly opened the mail and to my relief it read,

"I was visiting someone in your neigborhood yesterday and your mother was there. She and several moms were cooking dishes together".

Oh my goodness! What a relief. For a moment there I was preparing for the worst. The subject really prompts grave concern. The first impression however suggests humor. Second thoughts, offence. Like, what is going on?

Any way you view it, it's a suspense. It hits you all the same. The only difference is the resulting feeling, governed by reading the content. Thank God everything is alright.

And now, everytime I browse my inbox and come across her 'UR MOTHER' mail, I don't really know how to react. Should I be humored, offended or alarmed?

Why don't you try it on your friends once the opportunity comes up.

For now though, knowing the content, I'll just smile. Maybe giggle a bit.

1 Utama Landscaping

Love the tropical setting.