Oktoberfest

September ended and I’m wide awake. The holiday season came with candies, cookies and cakes. It’s almost the end of October and I’m not quite sober. Because yesterday I had beer, beer and more beer!

Last week was Oktoberfest in 1 Utama, KL. It was the best! Locally speaking of course…

The real Oktoberfest may have ended on 3rd October in Munich, Germany but it is never too late in October, especially in Malaysia!

I kept typing and deleting words here. *Hick*

Have a look at them pictures instead, aight!

Now that's a sign that would turn any beer drinker into a happy redeemer.

This is the last day, Sunday. I was here on Saturday with a longer 'Q'

Only Warsteiner beers go cheap. The rest go by the bucket. Four in a bucket costs 50 bucks. Heh, payback time I guess.

After my third bottle, they ushered in the roast pig. No, my vision's not blurred yet, it's just my camera.

Guess where a part of that little piggy went... on a plate in front of me. Ruff! That'll do pig, that'll do.

Loads of bucket; the other brands.

The band from Germany, Inntaler Musikanten. That lady can sing!



We sang and we danced to Bavarian tunes. Jolly good times!

And we took part in the beer drinking competition. Those are my fellow competitors/drinkers from the crowd. The first one to finish a bottle with no hands, no spills, strictly mouth to bottle contact, wins.

Guess what, a lady won. Go figure! Look Ma! No hands!*

The Bavarian dancers. They're all local though.

The tricked-out-cars' ladies of the track.

Can-can dancers?

Fiesta!

Hawaian flavor.

And the fun kept on coming.

I had to leave around 10 to hang out with friends who came late. They couldn't make it on time so I made a few new friends to get by. Isolation is not good for me.

What a great way to end the month. I'm wishing upon a star to be at the real thing.

X-Dream

Last night gave me the weirdest but most delightful dream ever. Somehow I was sitting in a common area with two elders, it was approaching dusk. We were each sitting on an armchair, a round coffee table in the middle. The conversation was strangely about heating a glass of water with bare hands. The demonstration was done by the wiser elder. Both his palms were holding the side of the glass and I could see the water starting to bubble. Vapors were appearing and finally the water boiled. I was so impressed that I took the glass and tried my hands at it. I clasped the now warm glass tightly. Nothing happened at first. I began to intensify my concentration and regulate my breathing. I remember someone said that breathing helps in meditation.

Or was it child labor?

Anyway, I soon saw small bubbles appear but the action was disrupted by my breathing cycles. The water seemed to be heating and bubbling when I inhaled deeply and stopped when I exhale. But I was pretty ecstatic with the result. I could actually heat water with my bare hands!

Not long after that I found myself in a special talent workshop. More like special powers workshop. (You know how dreams are, we get removed seamlessly from one place to another with no apparent reason) There were many other teenagers, (yeah, it didn’t feel awkward, I felt like one of them) all excited to start the session. The group was divided into two.

My group was taught to turn on light bulbs with just a touch. After most of us managed to do that, we were taught to control metals. By just pointing toward the metal object, the instructor orchestrated the movements of the white square metal plates forming the ceiling and the walls of the room; they seemed to twist, turn and wriggle. I don’t know how we managed to do it but one by one, each of us successfully attained the skill. One kid even rearranged the ceiling, opening it up before replacing it with fancy decorations.

“Hey, this is almost like having Magneto’s powers” I exclaimed in delight as my left index finger did its magic.

The two groups were then combined and I heard the other instructor said “Ok guys, show them what you’ve learned”

To our amazement, one kid started to float after another. They performed the skills that we were taught. Light up bulbs and bend metals, all this while floating.
“Ah, these could be the advanced kids” I assumed, all green with envy.

Everything seemed real and possible, it didn't occur to me that this might be a dream.

The workshop session ended and we mingled. Not long after that, we were dismissed and I found myself in a small group walking in the fields. Some of us were floating delightfully, happy with what they have learned.

Suddenly I heard someone yelled “Duck! Quick, into the bush!”

We scrambled toward a thick bush of high grass and thick vines. I looked up and saw a green dinosaur. It looked like T-Rex but uglier, and scarier. We were pissing terrified and the inconsistent bush didn’t help. Some of us were occasionally exposed as we cautiously maneuvered our way through.

“Geez, I hope it doesn’t see us before we get to safety” I thought as I rustled my way through the thick grass and choking vines.

And then I woke up.

How come so weird?

It could be the “Goblet of Fire” DVD rerun session last week. The floating and light bulb touches could be the effect of watching Justin Timberlake's 'Rock Your Body' during my daliy dose of MTV before bed. Add to that the holiday season just around the corner and life feels like a summer blockbuster.

Happy Deepavali to Hindu friends.
Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to Muslim friends.
And to everyone, Happy Holidays.
Let's all be safe.

Happy hours

Exactly last week, I was at a bar with some friends. Nearby was this middle aged man drinking with his friend. Our friends talked and it was only a matter of time that we did. We introduced ourselves and got the small talk going on. I asked him what he does and he told me he was in the insurance business. He didn’t reciprocate immediately. But when he did, he added one startling question, right after asking ‘where do you work and what do you do?’ Guess what the question was…

‘Are you happy?’

What the …..am I happy?! What’s that suppose to mean?

“I’ve been there four years. I’m happy with the environment. I like how things are done. No permanent stress. Heavy work load is seasonal. It suits me just fine.” I explained.

“It’s all about excelling in life. Where do you see yourself five years from now? You must have a plan. Even the government has a five year plan” he said.

“First you set what you want to achieve in five years and the steps to get there. After that five years you evaluate where you stand and trace your steps, improvise and customize your strategies. Set your plan for the next five years” he added.

I just smiled and listened, that’s as polite as I get.

“You see, there's not as much time as you think. When people graduate, they’re in their twenties. As soon as they finish their studies, they look for a job. After a while, you know what they do? They look for another job, a better one. And it goes on like that until they're satisfied with their positions. When people reach my age, there's not much time left. People my age can’t afford to change jobs anymore. Options are limited. So it's very critical to step on it while you’re still young and full of energy” he passionately elaborated.

All that left me thinking ‘when did I seek career consultation? Who does he think he is?’

“I train people to earn half a million each year. On average. Even those not doing so well earn two hundred thousand a year! I’ve been in this business for quite a while. Let me give you my card. Give me a call if you’re interested.” He concluded.

I took his card, gave it a quick look under the dim lighting and put it in my pocket. He was quiet for a while. A glance to the TV made him change the subject. “Hey, how about Schumacher in Japan eh?” he said to another regular. They talked long and hard about the race in Japan. I added the little that I know.

“Eh, switch to 8TV. I think they’re replaying the A1 race. I want to see how Malaysia won the race.” He requested to one of the bartenders.

I waited for him to turn to me and close his recruitment deal but I was spared. I was ready with the backhand smash should he decide to press on. I guess the lack of interest to earn half a million gave it away. Not everyone has the same priority and purpose in life. Sure we all want to earn a fortune, but the end never justifies the means, and neither is it fixed.

I too learned my lesson. If someone asks ‘are you happy?’ after asking about my job, I’d say I most definitely am. I come to drink and have a good time damn’it! Not to be told that my job is less rewarding and I could do better. Much better. I’ll change when I want to. When I see fit. I don’t mean to be rude but it’s my life. Have a nice day *Insert Bon Jovi songs here*

And the nerve. It’s almost like asking ‘how’s your marriage? Are you happy? Can I butt in?’

Oh, and it’s a good thing that he only goes there on Monday nights. There rest of the nights he’s at home. Including weekends! How’s that for a life.

Lil' Miss Me Not

Yikes! It's Thursday, almost the end of the week. I could make myself belive that I don't have a blog if I keep this up. How time flies when work weighs a tonne, and you're not even having fun...

This space has been idle for so many days, even I felt reluctant to drop by. I actually squinted when this page loaded. Sorry guys.

"Hey! I read your blog" said a friend.

Yeah, it's been a while since I updated and I was tempted to say "Huh! You read my what?"

Hmmm... looks like I'm not really into it after all. Damn if I do, damn if I don't.

Catch'ya later, lil' miss me not. *Oh, I'm just talking to my blog.

Later good people.

Micro but huge

Got meself this little genie last week and been busy tinkering with the features. It’s relatively new in the Malaysian market for the micro system range but you can bet your bottom dollar it’s obsolete in a few months. You know how it is with technology these days. It’s either wait for the latest edition or upgrade constantly. And we all know the latter is impractical, unless you run your own gadget shop of course.

So when is the right time to buy? Whenever you need one damn’it. There’s no point waiting for the better issue. There will always be a new hot chick on the block, somewhere around the corner.

So for the past few days this ‘jalapeno’ waits for me at home, ready to please with its luscious list of features and highlights.

The first rare treat that catches the attention is the USB hosting. Yup! Plug in the thumb drive and play! Music, movies and pictures. But then again, almost all new systems today have this feature.

I already have a JVC DVD player so this main feature here is nothing new. It’s good. Dragon pick, good. Rocket start, good. Universal compatibility, including DivX Ultra, good. And most will acknowledge JVC’s ability to play almost all CDs and DVDs, bootleg, scratched or the real McCoy. Good.

There’s also a karaoke function. Haven’t tried this though.

It’s classified as a micro system but really, it looks more like a mini system. I guess that explains the big sound it generates. Sound Turbo II to be exact. Whatever the counterpart gives; bass, treble - double that. The reason? A built in amplifier. There’s also music and movies mode. Plus, there’s 3D-Phonic for that great personal cinema experience.

The only regret is it lacks the basic tone modes for specific music genres – Pop, Rock, Classic or Jazz. Not even a manual equalizer setting. I guess I’ll have to rely on the available features; experiment with multiple combinations to get the ideal tones. I’m using a huge collection of beautiful Jazz tunes and the ‘Simply Brazil’ and ‘Simply French’ sets from UnionSquare's Simply compilation range.

The speaker box comes in grey only. It matches with the main control unit but I honestly prefer a woody appearance. This one looks… well, a lot like plastic.

But hey, besides the huge sound features, it is also affordable- RM899. Again, I wouldn’t sing too long and loud about this because in a few months it devalues. Walking past this at a shop then would only cause heartbreak.

Right now, while it lasts, I’ll just enjoy this micro system in my micro bedroom. If only I have LCD TV. Let's pray for a price plunge shall we....

Now there's a tongue twister for ya.