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Master Griller

2010-07-01T08:27:00.000-07:00

‘Real cooking is cooking over an open flame. The environment is so dynamic, you have to be constantly aware of it, or risk burning your food’

The quotes goes; or something along those lines.

Cooking by itself is a beautiful mix of art and science. Resting a meat, as simple as it sounds, has some science to it. Proteins in meat ‘coil up’ as the meat cooks, shrinking and lose out its water. Resting allows the proteins to ‘uncoil’ themselves and allow some of the water to be reabsorbed back. So, when you cut the meat, or carve it out, you will not lose too much of the liquid inside the meat.

The next time you go to a steakhouse, try and order a medium-well and a well-done and compare the ‘dryness’ of the two meats under the different cooking methods.

To be honest, cooking nowadays is too easy. We don’t have to worry about burning our food as we simply follow instructions set out in cookbooks. No more open flames, as I said earlier as well. Set the oven to 250℃, pop in your beef tenderloin, leave for 15 minutes and there, done. No more worries about the steak being under or overcooked. No worries about leaving carbon deposits all over the top (or bottom, or even worse, both sides) on the meat. Even better, we can buy premixes and just add water.

The last time I cooked ‘open flame’ was at a BBQ at my aunts. The only thing that annoyed the hell out of me was the mosquitoes. For whatever reason, even with all the smoke, I still got bit.

Talking about the food, it was okay. But we weren’t too adventurous. No beef or lamb, only chicken and sausages. It’s kind of a safe bet, since uncooked beef can cause a serious problem with the stomach. Everything turned out well, except (ironically) for the sausages. Almost all of them had a black strip along one of the sides. It wasn’t really a problem, since it could simply be ‘shaved’ off.

Then again, BBQ isn’t that difficult.

My Bunny Rabbit Died (and other stuffs)

2010-05-18T08:06:00.000-07:00

This post could be a very heavy one, depending on how you see it.

No, it does not involve me telling how my rabbit died from pneumonia after I took care of it since it was a baby (a baby rabbit, precisely).

If you can’t take the suspense, go here. Take on something bite sized first.

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Remember in March, President Barack Obama said he’ll press on with a possibility of offshore drilling around Alaska?

Fast-forward two months, and I can’t imagine what happened in Louisiana happening again in Alaska.

It’s a real mess! Yes, BP could afford the clean-up bills and any other ‘legitimate’ costs incurred due to the oil spill. But, the long-term effect on the environment will run for generations. At this point, it is not a matter of cost anymore. Well, unless BP also fund environmental-based recovery project for the ecosystem in and around the Louisiana wetlands.

The final verdict?

Drill Alaska. I have to agree with my friend here. The US needs to reduce its dependency on foreign resources and start moving to be a self-sustaining nation. We Malaysians can be proud that (I really think so about this point) we don’t depend much on foreign oil, be it petroleum or palm.

But here’s the catch to drilling in Alaska.

Make sure that whatever happened to Deepwater Horizon can never, ever happen again. Be it human or design error.

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I lost count on the number of by-elections held since the last general election. It doesn’t really concern me.

Take a look at the papers right after the election. It’s like a total information blackout if the ruling government losses. I have no idea why...

C’mon people! I want some news! Not why the Ringgit closed stronger against the American dollar!

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Hack attacks mounted on car control systems.

Though you still can’t really do it wirelessly (from home, in front of your laptop – no wait, you could probably though).

Oh well, I'll think of something.

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In other news, I received an email from my university. It's related to one of the units I'm currently doing.

I am not going to post the mail (as it does not really matter to me or even you)... But, I really think the person who wrote it needs to go for some English classes. No joke. It’s for his/her own good too!

Strictly Audiophiliac Only

2010-05-13T06:45:00.000-07:00

Nothing else comes close to this except for the Human Genome project.

A music ‘gene’ mapping system that takes into accounts the various rhythms, harmony and pattern within a song itself, and classifies similar one together.

We can finally say that music can be a part of us.

The next best thing that comes after this is probably Apple’s built-in Genius feature. Then there’s last.fm. But it ALWAYS lags during buffering.

And the best part of this mapping system?

It’s an online radio service!

There’s one catch though, the service is only available in the US.

BUT!

With some good Googling skills you should be able to bypass this issue easily. Best of luck, and rock on!

Traffic

2010-04-22T08:12:00.001-07:00

Why does the other lane always seem to be travelling faster?

Pork Chops and Cigarettes

2010-04-02T07:51:00.000-07:00

I fail to see the logic behind this move. Can someone please enlighten me?

Linking back to a previous post, it should give a rough idea of my stand on this issue.

Isn’t it a waste of resources to conduct the testing?

It’s like someone who’s speeding, realized he’s not wearing a seatbelt, buckled up, and continued speeding again.

Obviously we all know that speed kills, seatbelt or no seatbelt.

Smoking is bad, pork or no pork.

I really hope the 'right' people can get some sense knocked into their heads (or a good pork knuckle HAD to do the job).

ZQFMGB - 957 Points!

2010-03-07T05:48:00.000-08:00

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

The next time we play (internet) scrabble, remind me to play this word.

To Hell With Global Warming

2010-03-03T04:47:00.000-08:00

Environmentalists bother about the future of the planet...

...organizing intense demonstrations urging government to cut down emission and implement policies...

...be a vigilante 'nature cop'...

...and eat less meat.

Engineers say 'Screw that, less actually do something and have a life'...

...and they'll start by building spaceships and establishing settlements in space

The (Oil) Fix Is In - And It's F**king Cheap!

2010-02-23T19:51:00.000-08:00

The fix is in, and it’s cheap and simple!

Is curing a disease cheaper (and much easier) than preventing a disease altogether?
Is cushioning the head from a high-speed impact better than preventing a high-speed impact in the first place, or event preventing the head from hitting anything altogether?

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Come May, the government’s going to introduce a new fuel subsidy scheme. But now, it looks like it’s going to be the butt of joke of many (HAHA).

The idea is to use the MyKad (an identity card for ALL Malaysians above 12) as the point-of-sale. In a way, users need to register cars to their MyKad in order to benefit from the subsidy.

The idea is that cars with lower engine capacity (CC) would pay cheaper fuel than those with a higher one. And how do you monitor it?

The MyKad of course!

But, to date, the policy is so porous that even an elephant can undergo passive transport through the loopholes.

On paper, it looks quite simple. Simply install a special MyKad reader at ALL petrol stations across the country. Done, that’s it.

But I highly doubt these people that came up with the idea has ever tried filling up their cars in either Pangkor Island, or anywhere in Perlis (particularly the villages further inland).

As far as I know, there’s only one major petrol station in Pangkor, and even so, the pumps are quite ancient and they don’t accept credit cards. Apart from that, petrol is sold in 1.5L bottles, distanced accordingly along the roads.

So, how do you actually ask them to install ‘the reader’?

Wouldn’t it be easier to just float the fuel price according to the market price?

The only thing any authoritative figure needs to do is sit down and watch CNBC and check the oil prices per barrel.

Consumers, on their part could help out with the monitoring, indirectly. If a petrol station sets his price too high, they can always fill up somewhere else.

No need to go around and create random checks to see whether the sellers are abiding the law.

I, for once, want away with the subsidy and all for floating the fuel price!

And if anyone complains that the petrol price is too high, means that they cannot afford to drive and they can afford NOT to drive.

Higher fuel price means less Sunday drivers going out on a weekday clogging up traffic, less hormone-angst teenagers racing endlessly on the highways in the morning and less people driving altogether.

The last one is a fact. When the petrol price was at RM2.70 (or somewhere there), there were definitely less cars on the road.

Less cars on the road (and less racers) equates to lower road accidents. And if these speedsters know very well, speeding actually burns MORE fuel than driving according to the speed limit.

So yeah, two birds with one stone. The government makes revenue by doing away with the subsidy, and less people would be admitted into hospitals seeking treatment for road-related injuries, and less people getting killed.

Let’s wait eagerly for the month of May!

Lost in Translation

2010-02-17T20:00:00.000-08:00

There have been a couple of moments, when even in Malaysia I feel like I’m in a foreign country.

In terms of communicating, that is. With foreign workers, or those involved in the ‘frontlines’ e.g. guards, ticketing counters etc.

Here are just two of scenarios of how annoying it can become.

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SCENE 1: University guard house. I needed to drive into the university compound to drop off a project. So I needed approval to get in (or I could just ram the wimpy barriers – HAHA).

Me: Can I drive in? I need to send some stuff.
*points to rear compartment – it was FULL*
Guard: Can can.
Me: Thanks.
*Gestures with fingers acknowledging his comment and requesting him to lift the barrier and started to roll the car slowly*
Guard: Err, no no.
Me: Ah?
Guard: Cannot.
Me: No, I just need to enter and drop off some stuff there.
*points to Engineering building, which was roughly 50-100 metres from the entrance*
Guard: Can!
Me: Can you open the gate?
Guard: No no. Cannot. This gate for boss. Must use back gate.

At that exact moment I was WTF!

Tadi kata boleh, senyum-senyum semua. Mintak angkat barrier “no no” pulak. Dah lama sembang baru bagitau gate ni untuk bos je…

But I got the point. But I wasted a good 5 minutes, in which I could probably have already dropped everything off and get into class.

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SCENE 2: Some technical issues with the entry barrier at a parking lot that caused me to enter WITHOUT taking a ticket.

Okay, the barrier was up, I just drove straight in and… the barrier went down right after that! So now I’m stuck in a parking lot without a ticket. I needed one to exit, or I could end up paying the fee for ‘lost’ ticket.

Called the helpline. Was ‘okay’ with their ‘help’. Initially she said just go to the barrier again and take a ticket. Then in the background I heard a man said “Eh, tak boleh! Nanti kereta lain masuk kena macam tu jugak”

Which makes sense. So the lady asked me to go to the payment counter and requested a ticket.

Damn! The guy was also a foreigner. I was thinking of simple sentences to communicate with him.

I told back everything that happened.

And he said this, “Bukan hilang tiket ke?”

Man, we’re f**king telling the truth and you have the balls to give me a straight face and say that. But I can’t blame him. Probably he did get conned that way before.

But I could blame him. His line of sight was directly ahead of the entry barrier, and he could definitely see the barrier was up and I drove in.

I said that. He gave me another straight face pretending I was still lying.

Nak je aku cekik dia ni.

He probably read my mind. Instantly he issued me a ‘proof of entry’.

How many minutes gone? A good 10. And I was late for an appointment…

Chopped!

2010-02-12T06:23:00.000-08:00

There’s this show on AFC were 4 chefs are given a selection of ‘mystery’ ingredients and with a fixed amount of time, required to cook and present them to a panel of food critiques.

After each round, a chef will be eliminated and the last two will cook to win the grand prize.

I find it interesting, since the ‘mystery’ ingredients aren’t really a mystery. Usually it involves four ingredients, one would be the basis or ‘core’ of the dish like chicken, fish, beef etc. and a few others so-called ‘exotics’ like grapes, mangoes and tamarind (which is asam jawa).

It’s fun to see how these established chefs try to work with these ingredients.

I don’t really think the ingredients are that exotic – well apart from the grapes. But then again, I sometimes find them baked or grilled together (or mashed and the juices extracted) with poultry to give it a certain tang and depth.

I find mangoes stir-fried in rice or eaten raw with chicken and other spices (like kerabu manga).

Tamarind is a basic ingredient for curry and masak asam (and some cases of asam pedas) to provide the needed sourness. Heck, even the gravy for laksa relies heavily on it after the essential fish meat.

I would really love to see, at least, a chef which is an expert is Asian culinary style cooking come on the show. It’s tempting to note the possibility that for him/her the ingredients are probably a native for them.

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Usually, the chefs that are called up are experts in more western styled cooking. No fun. Bake, grill, and roast.

Herbs, herbs and more herbs. Salt and pepper.

Very bland.

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A Chinese chef can stir-fry pineapples and a Thai chef would be on top of the world to be working with tamarind. Add some chillies and ta-dah!

We can get a decent tasting food!

I really think Asian chefs have a more dynamic tastebud.

What should you major in?

2010-02-02T05:16:00.000-08:00

5 Monkeys, A Banana and A Bucket of Water

2010-01-19T07:14:00.001-08:00

Mmmmm, tasty! errr… say ♥_♥ ba-na-nas? okay, now throw me another banana!...♫♫ wildlife from bali ♫, originally uploaded by bocavermelha-l.b..

All 5 monkeys are in a cage, with a banana hanging in the middle, and a stepladder for the monkeys to climb and reach it.

The first monkey tries to grab the banana, but as soon as it reaches the second step of the ladder, water is poured onto it and the other monkeys.

A second monkey tries to reach for the banana but again, as soon as it reaches the second step, water is poured onto it and the other monkeys.

A third monkey does the same thing with the same outcome.

Now, a fourth monkey tries to reach for the banana. But even before it can reach the second step, the other four monkeys reach for that monkey and stop it from reaching the banana – in fear of being watered down again.

The fifth and final monkey does the same thing in trying to grab the banana. And again, the other four monkeys stop it from reaching the banana (for obvious reasons of course).

After some time, one monkey from the original five is replaced with a new monkey.

The newcomer tries to grab the banana -not knowing what will happen to it and the others. But the other four monkeys know. Again, the new monkey is stopped before it could reach the second step of the ladder.

Again, another monkey is replaced. And the same outcome follows.

The monkeys will try at all cost from preventing the new monkey from reaching the banana.

The monkeys are continuously replaced, and finally all five original monkeys have been replaced with new ones.

But again, even if one monkey tries to grab the banana, the remaining four will stop it from reaching it.

And, (I do hope that you readers have noticed it) none of the new five monkeys have been doused with water. Neither do they know why they try to prevent a monkey from reaching the banana…

I leave the back story to this story for you, the readers yourselves to think about and ponder.

Cheap is in! - Terrorism is Peanuts

2010-01-13T18:44:00.001-08:00

Playmobil Airport Security, originally uploaded by Jack Spades.

I remembered after the 9/11 attacks, airport security increased tremendously. Everyone was probably presumed guilty until proven innocent.

Then came the scare of liquid explosives being smuggled in and attempts to blow planes up over the Atlantic.

Airport security was again revamped, now only liquids/gels/cream less than 100ml can be carried with you as a hand luggage. Even so, they had to be sealed in a transparent resealable plastic bag. Any liquids found on you during security checks can be confiscated.

Not too mention certain airports require passengers to remove their shoes and belts sometimes. Even certain electronic devices such as laptops are required to be scanned separately.

Then, the latest attempt again. A Nigerian is suspected of lighting a fuse in which passengers were quick to react upon seeing smoke in the cabin.

And what has the ingenious people come up with again?

No walking in the cabin in the last hour of flight. And no objects may be placed on your lap too during the time period. This includes laptop and pillows.

And to top it off, it is not going to be applied on all flights. They want to have the element of ‘unpredictability’.

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What actually has this so-called terrorists achieved?

If, let’s say, they do manage to blow a mid-size plane up, they may get to kill around 150 or so people. Sounds a lot. But that 150 people may only be related to a few of us. Not all will be affected by the lost of those 150 directly or indirectly.

But considering the many failed attempts, the amount lost leads up to more than a 150 people.

Now, ALL of us are affected by any these attempts, whether successful or not. Normally, it’ll take approximately take 5 minutes to clear airport security. Now, with the added security measures, it may take around 10 minutes or so to get past those detectors.

That does not include the additional be-at-the-airport-3-hours-earlier to ease any form of security clearances or complications that may arise.

So much for advancement in technology.

But hey, at least we get peanuts right? So who’s complaining?

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Let’s take KLIA for example.

Stats say passengers’ volume for the airport is around 2.5 million people. An average airport clearance would take 12.5 million minutes to clear all of them. That’s roughly 24 years.

A 10 minute clearance would take double the time – 48 years.

The extra cost of implementing the added security feature wasted a whooping 48 years of time. If time is indeed money, that’s a really big chunk of money lost.

And remember that this only applies to passengers at Kuala Lumpur; not the whole country or even a larger country with much, much more security procedures.

Now, every 1.5 years a terrorist manages to waste a life of a person, indirectly (taking into account that an average lifespan is around 72 years) at KLIA by just having a blotched attempt halfway around the world.

Now that’s success that can be measured from failure.

Bangkok Calling

2010-01-13T07:35:00.001-08:00

Bangkok - mmm... Seafood Market, originally uploaded by derksenphoto.

"The best seafood meal we ate in thailand. Picture Wal-Mart, but all fish. You grab a shopping cart, select your choice, pick up some veg, and hit the check outs. Your [p]urchase is carted away for you, brought to your table, and they assist in selecting how each dish be prepared. Mmm."

Note the 'If it swims we have it' tagline and yes, they honour it to the last letter.

And on another note, Tom Yam literally translates as 'to boil and mix'.

Street Photography

2010-01-11T00:56:00.000-08:00

blue, originally uploaded by mR-StIck.

This might be the most phenomenal post ever, related to a graphic visual stimulant rather than the tried-and-tested ‘wall-of-text’.

calling at london marylebone, originally uploaded by 372.dpi.

My first ‘adventure’ as a photographer was supposedly to be a food photographer.

Then I realize it wasn’t really a niche that could be broken into easily. To sustain oneself as a food photographer, I needed a steady flow of the subject – food. And since I do not have parents that are celebrity chefs (though they cook well) and a proper home studio with strobes and reflectors, the only way for me to get the ‘subjects’ was to eat out.

At first it was nice, and then it started getting repetitive. New restaurants were hard to find since most were non-halal or vague at best and I did not want to take any chances. By the time, I’ve practically eaten at all the known restaurants around, and probably have shot most of the dishes served.

Even if there was any place new to eat, it was usually some hawker food-fare and though the taste was good, presentation wise, it wasn’t so.

Cucur Udang/Prawn Fritters, originally uploaded by muhammad_h.

How can anything shot out of a studio with fixed variables compare up to anything like this, shot in a studio with all the gadgets and gizmos.

My only chance was only to shot in a well-lit environment (preferably natural light rather than fluorescent, especially those pink ones that you get at a funky ikan bakar restaurant) and night shots were probably out of the questions.

food 6, originally uploaded by laprovocation.

Then it hit me. I needed a quick and cheap form of entertainment. I have the gear, but I needed the subject.

Street photography is the way!

So, yes, now I’ll probably be a food-cum-street photographer. Or a street-food photographer. Whoa!

On another note, here's some notable street photographers photos. Or a whole website.

Some good inspiration, if you're kind of lost on where to start.
The following two links are out of context, but it's still awesome and needed a mention.

Here and here

and these two as well, heck might as well go to the homepage and click 'Inspirations'

Sunsets and motion blurs

Now, on to proper photographers;

Nick Turpin - web and Flickr
Matt Stuart
Tom McGhee

I think street photography may be the easiest way to start, since it does not require (there may be exceptions) flashes and other accessories for the camera.

And to top it off, the whole city is the stage!

PS. This is somehow a loooong 'Thank You' response for my dear friend who actually linked me. Probably that could just be the right catalyst for me to ply my trade to another level!

Aiman! If you reading this it's another "NON-HOMOSEXUAL MALE-TO-MALE AFFECTION" back at ya!

Can Money Buy Time?

2010-01-06T18:30:00.000-08:00

I know very well that we university students always complain that there is too much to do, and there is not enough time in a day.

These involve assignments, reports and yes, even our social life.

But not to worry! With the advent of the magical piece of paper called money, there is more than enough time in a day!

Yes, as much as people deny that time can’t be bought, with a little dose of reality, time can indeed be bought.

This may or may not involve breaking the laws of the universe, but as long as it does not create a black hole or something of the likes, it’s relatively safe.

How do you buy time then, you may ask?

For starters, the idea may all be too obvious. Indeed some may have actually bought time before this.

Key thing here is prioritise. And by prioritising, don’t put social life at the top. That, people, is time buying money.

See, assignments and lab reports are all investments – to provide a good job upon graduation. Invest more time in them, rather than wasting time doing trivial stuffs.

Spend money hiring a cleaner and order fast-food or take-out. Deal with the costs spent later, when you actually have the money (from the big paying job).

With that settle, you have more time for your assignments and have a decent social life.

Better still; hire someone to write your lab reports and do your projects. That is also money well spent. Now, you would have even more time to actually study for the term and final exams (which, obviously cannot be done by someone else).

Time can also be gain from trading. Find a decent study partner, and share lecture notes. Your partner can attend the morning lectures, while you attend the later ones. At the end of the day, swap notes.

You have not only bought time for you, but also for your partner.

Actually, money can buy happiness.

I leave the answer to the post title for you, the reader to come up with.

Disclaimer: This post is merely the thoughts of the original author himself. Any injuries/damages arisen from following the above recommendations are not liable for any form of compensation from the author. Buy time at your own risk.

2010, Not a New Year...

2010-01-02T23:30:00.001-08:00

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

...but a new decade instead.

Smarty Pants

2009-12-29T17:14:00.001-08:00

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

The Governator

2009-12-27T23:25:00.000-08:00

Several big movie stars recreate iconic scenes from their cinematic past.

Check out The Daily What

Greenzone (2010)

2009-12-23T01:06:00.000-08:00

After Ironman 2 and Invictus, I'm quite sure of the next movie on the list to watch.

A few reasons on why it should be a 'must-watch':

Directed by Paul Greengrass. Who directed the last 2 Bourne Series. He might have his signature 'hand-held cameras shot'
Stars Matt Damon.
The fact that (2) and (3) are in the same movie, I can't think of any other reason for it to be watched.
And what is there not to like. The New York Museum of Modern Art acquired the trilogies to be considered a work of modern art.
So, Green Zone might be another modern work of art.

Check out movie details here.

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Now, I'm feeling like having a Bourne Marathon.

How Steering Locks Can Cause Car Thefts...

2009-12-15T20:42:00.000-08:00

...and a guide to city building for the uninitiated.

[insert relevant pic here]

Okay, this might be the geekiest post posted ever.

BUT…

…it’s not all numbers and equations!

My point is, after reading this, somebody else too had the same idea as me! Only that he got to publish it in the papers and someone else is going to re-write it again.

So, any budding city planner should (and must) play SimCity!

I have to agree strongly with him, especially with the road closure issues and the new LRT extension. On paper it may look good and seems that it will go according to plan, but once build and running, it may be a long-term nightmare for users or even those living nearby…

… like what economists call, externalities. Externalities can be divided into two, positive and negative. Externality in general, or its layman term, is an indirect effect by a producer onto a third party. The third party might not want to use what the producer made, but somehow is affected by it.

Steering lock perhaps?

A car thief scouting potential targets would definitely be deterred by cars with steering locks, for obvious reasons of course. But then, he would be more interested in the car without steering locks.

Imagine a car park with just two cars, one with and the other without a steering lock. Obviously, the thief would prefer to steal the one without right? Regardless whether the one with is of higher value. He would not want to risk getting caught trying to break the lock.

So where do we end up with?

The steering lock acts as a negative externality onto cars without them. Steering locks are intended to protect your own car, not others. Obviously, the producers of steering locks never intend to make other cars without their product a target of thieves. Indirectly, steering locks affect cars without them.

The next time you want to park your car, either have a steering lock OR don’t park next to a car with a steering lock – if you don’t own one.

A simpler (but much, much, much more boring) example (if you cannot comprehend the basis of the steering lock) would be pollution.

City planners definitely do not want residential areas to be wedged between heavy industries. No person would want to buy houses then. And it won’t be good for business or the economy in general.

Abandoned mining pits may be a positive externality. Take example the Sunway and Mines area. Both are a booming township with a nice lakefront. Obviously, miners back then (when iron ore was still aplenty) never had any intention for the mine itself to be spruced up and people live nearby. There you have it, two unorthodox examples of externalities.

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Not in my backyard or NIMBY for short, is one the famous acronyms coined up by SimCity creators. And clearly enough, the acronym speaks for itself. I, like others, do not want to live behind a county jail, a polluting coal-burning; or any other power plant for that matter or near an industrialised area.

In our case, NIMBY may point out to a LRT track running right above our heads. If you had noticed, LRT trains often ‘squeals’. An annoying high-pitched sound made from the steel tires. Imagine listening to them 7 days a week, every five minutes until 12 midnight when the last train runs. And the cycle starts again the next day at 6 am when the first trains are up and running.

But again,

A good LRT extension, regardless of whether it goes above our heads or below it, might be the solution to the never ending traffic congestion that plagues our streets.

The economist once again makes a return!

Is it worth the extra cost to re-route the tracks and please the people, while at the same time allow the traffic congestion to fizzle out like a wet fuse?

Or is it not worth it, and heck, screw you taxpayers, we’re gonna build the tracks right behind your houses and there ain’t nothing you can do about it…

I am very, very tempted to go with the latter… (Haha)

At crossroads like this, economists often apply the cost-effectiveness method of solving a problem and present the opportunity cost of such an action – or the next best alternative foregone. Yet again, money is the issue here, and like many other problems, is it worth the extra cent (or millions in this matter)?

That’s the opportunity cost of re-routing the tracks.

But what is the opportunity cost of not re-routing the tracks? A slimmer chance of winning the next general elections perhaps.. (cue sarcasm).

In a city, it is the small things that matter. Not a pretty skyline at sunset. For it to breathe and live, the people within it have to breathe and live too.

I strongly, strongly, suggest any up-and-coming city planner (if anyone DO WANT to be one) or an economists vying to be a city-planner-consultant, to play this game. Without the cheats of course.

PS. May, if you're reading this, remember you asked what's SuperFreakonomics was about (probably you knew it by now)? The steering lock part came from there.

Malaya, Circa 1975 | Malaysia, Circa 2009

2009-12-08T01:46:00.001-08:00

‘You can make a fortune in neon signs in Hong Kong’

I said I was sure of that.

‘But there were heavy competition. So the old man came to KL’

At first there were no competitors, then the fellow Shanghainese he had trained to make the signs left him and set up shops of their own. They almost ran him out of business, until the old man began training Malays to do the work. He had chosen Malays and not the harder-working Indians or Chinese because he could depend on the Malays to be too lazy to quit and start establishments of their own.

-The Great Railway Bazaar (1975) by Paul Theroux

That was back in 1975. Where do we stand now?

Hollywood vs. New York: Four Decades of Destruction

2009-12-01T19:11:00.003-08:00

Hollywood vs. New York: Four Decades of Destruction | /Film

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Remember a post a while back when I pointed out Hollywood just loves to destroy New York?

You don't?

Wait... Lemme find it....

...

Here it is!

Apocalyspe with a capital FAIL

2009-11-30T17:56:00.000-08:00

And by failing, it’s on an apocalyptic scale.

2012 at first glance does look like it is going to be a mega-disaster movie especially with all the posters and trailers. After all, the director (Roland Emmerich) was from Independence Day and The Day After Tomorrow. 2012 would be his last take at a disaster movie and it does look like he’s going off with a bang (and… the White House is re-destroyed – again!)

The movie in full force is really a beauty. The CGI effects, the stunts and all are amazing. Only problem, the plot is a bit cheesy with mind-boggling conclusions (particularly the ending). And not to mention how John Cusack always gets away in the nick of time (read: the RV drive in Yellowstone, the limo drive in Los Angeles etc.). Does he have a time-machine of sorts able to just slow time down a bit? Is he Spiderman?

One thing the movie manages to remove was all the annoying squeals by terrified little kids. Remember Dakota Fanning in War of the Worlds? She had this ‘alien call’, always screaming away at any sight terrifying enough (and annoying enough for us). Thank God Cusack’s kids were clever enough to understand most important rule in an emergency – DON’T PANIC.

John Cusack had this ‘oh-nothing-happened-the-ground-just-opened-up-and-going-to-swallow-us-if-we-don’t-run-quick-enough’ face. It looks quite genuine, but it beats to have someone like him than a wimpy plastic surgeon as your husband.

But with all those immense graphics rendered, one part of the movie is just too far-fetched. If indeed 2012 is the end of the world, why are there humans still alive 27 days after the apocalypse, cruising on mega ships like nothing happened? After we’re doomed, we’re entitled to a cruise?

Anyway, for some reason, they may be building this ‘ships’ like how they created a Doomsday Vault to store all of the crop seeds. We humans just like to go against mother nature where ever possible.

I can see this positively, as in, 2012 is NOT the end of the world. It’s just a bad cycle the earth has to go through. People could still live on after the year, albeit in a less comfortable world.

2012 could to a certain extent (minus all the neutrinos and ‘earth crust movement’) be a tie in with Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth. I bet if he watched this movie he would proclaim ‘Hah, I told you so! The world will be flooded!’ This is what makes 2012 a plausible environmental disaster movie.

Speaking of it, if it really wanted to be an apocalyptic movie it should have an ending like in Knowing. Everyone is wiped out. Minus the aliens and the spooky stuffs, Knowing is a real apocalypse movie – with no survivors at the end.

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So, here’s a quick list on how to survive the apocalypse:

Have a few billion dollars to buy a few ‘cruise tickets’ for your family and loved ones.

If, by any reason, you are unable to have a billion dollars, then;

Get married to a lowly author rather than a plastic surgeon. Plastic surgeons live too comfortably and can be a bit wimpy.
Be a top geologist and work with the government. Here, you can avoid paying a billion dollars and still be on that cruise.
Learn to swim, or buy inflatable armbands.
Build a ship or anything able to float. Ship must be self contained i.e. like a submarine.
Learn to fly a plane or helicopter, so if the ground suddenly sinks, just go up into the air. Try to keep any sort of flying apparatus close by to ensure a speedy escape.
Move to China (or Nepal for that matter).
Learn Chinese or Nepali to make life living in the highlands easier.

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It just occurred to me that the fight for global warming (or cooling – whichever rocks your boat) is pretty much like religion. As the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, states, any sort of policy implemented is just like all the propitiation and atonement we make. We would never know whether those acts were in anyway successful. We would have to trust in the God we believe in that it is successful.

At least any act of religion does not involve another person. Policies often rely heavily on statistics and affect the mast majority and most government always, ALWAYS hate a quick and cheap fix. So there’s a lot of money involved.

Any sort of problem is often tried to solve in the most complicated route possible. There's a lot to talk through regarding this, I'll leave it for another day.

A kid with a tiger is all we need...

2009-11-23T07:39:00.000-08:00

To all those people taking business or economics or the likes... always, ALWAYS take this as guide.

As much as the world revolves on capitalism, a kid riding a wagon makes more sense.

Physics 101

2009-10-31T07:13:00.001-07:00

I've found the best way to study for the upcoming Physics paper.

And Em (yes, I'm singling people out), I have updated!

Maybe it'll be more serious after I'm done with this paper.

Robotics 101

2009-09-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

Engineering is easy, damnit!

"There are just four simple machines to alter force: the lever, the pulley, the inclined plane and (um) the internal combustion engine"

CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR LARGER VIEW

The CIA’s Guide to Making a Sub

2009-07-20T05:46:00.000-07:00

It is to be noted that CIA is not the Central Intelligence Agency, but the Complete Idiot-proof Assistance.

And the sub here refers to a nuclear-powered submarine capable of launching a nuclear warhead.

Reference picture to it is as below:

Photo courtesy of pouryourheartintoit

We all have been through this, ordering our first sandwich. And at the same time not to be completely lost over the gazillion different possibilities that can be made or look like a complete fool by just saying ‘everything’ unless if you have a really unique taste bud.

So here’s the CIA’s guide to making a sub!

I’ll start of with the basics, from ordering your bread to actually eating one.

1. The First Move

You enter the premise and greeted with warm smiles accompanied with the usual ‘Welcome!’ yell.

So yes, greet them back with an approving nod and a smile, or just say thank you.

Here, we are overwhelm by the available choices (12 or more maybe), ranging from the old school to a full vegetable onslaught plus another 3 as a hidden bonus to be unlocked after defeating the final boss on the last level.

Wait. That doesn’t make sense…

But there IS an additional sandwich(es) apart from those which are nicely pictured.

So how do you actually choose a sandwich? Unless you are a vegetarian, as it narrows down your choice to just one.

We never choose. We let our stomach do it. As cheesy as it may sound, it’s as close as choosing the colour of our future car. If you don’t notice it, each and every time you try to pick one out, you would usually order the first one that actually rings something in your mind. Or twice, if you when through the menu twice la.

Unless of course, you already have a craving for a particular sandwich, or you simply lack the financial capabilities and have to opt for the sandwich of the day.

SECRET TIP #1 Try to refrain from staring too much at the cute guy/girl behind the counter. You can do that later when you eat (unless you ordered for take-out). It disrupts your ‘stomach brain’.

2. The Next Step

Here, it’s up to personal preference. But assuming it’s your first time, it can be really daunting since before this, sandwiches only came in those Gardenia slices, a baguette or a croissant.

Now you have the ability to pick not one but FOUR (or five) type of bread!

I can’t help much here, but rule of thumb would be, do not go for any of those wholegrain type.

3. The Deep Cuts

Refrain from saying ‘everything’ here. As much as you are tempted, the choices are very basic.

What do you expect to be on a sandwich?

For starters it could be lettuce, tomatoes and onions. That’s it.

SECRET TIP #2 Make up your mind when your sandwich is being ‘meated’ (the process in which they put the beef strips/slices on the sandwich). There’s a list of possible ‘fillings’ to choose from.

4. The Final Touch

You’re nearly there!

Here too, refrain from the favoured ‘everything’.

I do not eat Thousand Island sauce with beef pepperoni.

Or Teriyaki Sauce with tuna.

Mustard and chilli go very well with hot dogs and burgers.

Thousand Island with salad.

Mayonnaise with tuna.

And the chilli sauce is specially made from imported chillies from India and Mexico.

SECRET TIP #3 Sos letak lebih sikit!

Hey presto!

You’re finally done!

Now, that wasn’t too hard, was it?

Of Smoking and Religion

2009-07-04T01:21:00.000-07:00

“Smoking is only makruh if it is only one stick and only becomes haram if you smoke too much i.e. a whole box in a day”

This statement has clearly annoyed me from the first time I heard it. To annoy me more, I never did think about it when it was first stated.

Seriously though, is it even remotely possible for something to be in the grey within Islam? As far as I know, Islam is as clear as the religion is, black and white, right and wrong. No grey areas whatsoever.

Anything that falls within the ‘grey’ area is shubahah and automatically falls in the haram category.

At the exact moment when I heard that statement, I wasn’t really paying attention. Probably I was daydreaming or too sleepy to argue, but the words did stick deeply inside me.

I came back, sat, and thought about it.

Smoking is haram as it harms our body as well as others around us through second-hand smoke. Not only that, it is also a form of wastage.

Prophet Muhammad SAW also said;

“A person should not commit such acts which are harmful and cause harm to others”

And there is definitely nothing good about it.

Here is where it becomes interesting within my point of view.

Alcohol or red wine specifically is known to be good for our heart in small amounts. But alcohol is strongly prohibited in Islam.

Well, if smoking – which have no benefit to us – is only makruh if it is one stick, why isn’t red wine too? After all, it has some sort of benefit for us.

And My Point Is...

At this moment, most of the readers would silently think that I want to push ahead for red wine to be considered makruh in small amounts so that it can be consumed.

No. I am not asking for that. I know very well (and my readers too) that alcohol, is haram for Muslims to consume.

All I want is that the statement at the beginning of the post can be corrected and cleared of any doubts, especially for smokers who like to find all this small ‘loopholes’ for their benefit.

If there are any mistakes within the post, I stand to be corrected.

Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T07:12:00.000-07:00

A legend that will live on forever

See! I told you she was fake, but nooooo.....

2009-06-17T18:25:00.000-07:00

.....you wouldn't listen.

Hah! Megan Fox is CGI! OMG!

Click here

Adapt or Perish (and yes, Change Is Possible)

2009-06-16T00:16:00.000-07:00

The Obama Machine

This is it people. The long awaited megapost.

Before I begin; a prelude.

NOTE: It’s important to read this first (which is in Malay [shame on you if you don’t understand it]) before moving on. It will provide a rough idea on the forthcoming blitz of letters.

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We all know what’s happening lately. A huge hoo-ha on a subject matter than involves Maths, Science and…

English!

If you don’t, stop reading this and pick up a paper within the last few weeks. But do come back!

First up, should all three subjects be continued to be taught in English?

Next, should English become a compulsory subject to pass in order to pass SPM?

Arguments put forth by those disagreeing to these statements are that;

1. Students at rural areas will be at a handicap over the subjects.
2. (Probably) cause 13 000 students annually unable to graduate high school.
3. Cause a decline in the usage and proficiency of the national language which is Bahasa Melayu.
4. Learning English is irrelevant to success. Look at the Japanese.

It all sounds ‘sound’ to me. But let’s take a deeper look inside each and every one of them.

ARGUMENT 1

Fair enough. Students in rural areas are not much exposed to English. Not a lot of them listen or communicate with those who are able to speak English. To ask them to write and speak in proper English may be a problem.

But, students in urban areas too are facing such problems.

Then we ask ourselves,

‘Hey, it looks like students are incapable of grasping the language. Screw the policy then’.

Ah, but wait. We are belittling the capacity of the future generations that they are not able to learn a new language.

That they cannot grasp what is taught at them.
That they cannot possibly go on with this.

The main reason that students are like these is the lack of dedicated teachers. It is not the students themselves, but the attitude of teachers, especially the newer ones. They lack soul and passion.

If we were to put any of these rural students in a good school that have the resources, I am very sure they can thrive very well and come out as a top student.

Just read this.

The brain is a supercomputer. Never underestimate its full potential.

ARGUMENT 2

13 000 students failing? That’s sad. It shows that we do not have a competent education system. Of course , the implementation of English as a compulsory subject should be a must, but it should not be implemented there and then i.e. SPM 2009 (but maybe, just maybe SPM 2010).

Rectify the problem of these large numbers of failure ASAP. Make sure that the number would. If not, it shows that students are not receiving the proper method of learning.

ARGUMENT 3

Interesting. The master of one language may lead to a fall in another. I cannot comprehend on how that fact is arrived at.

Referring back to history, we could say new ideas often came from philosophical thinkers from rising civilizations such as China, India, Persia, the Greeks and even the Romans. They came up with creative ideas but it was unable to be shared with world due to the ‘language barrier’.

Then came the Islamic empire, and with that came too the rise of the Translation Movement. That period was a time when scholars and translators were gathered in Baghdad with all the books written from mentioned civilizations and to be translated into the back-then lingua franca which was Arabic.

It clearly points out that;

1. The translators must have understood those various languages (Latin, Chinese etc.) in order to translate them, and;
2. The translators must have a good understanding of Arabic to write down what was being translated.

See the connection?

The mastery of one language does not cause a decline in the proficiency of another.

The problem is that, we too do not speak proper Malay. That is a problem by itself and has nothing to do with learning another language.

ARGUMENT 4

Yes, I agree the Japanese are clearly much more developed than us, and yet they do not have a strong mastery of English.

But, they are producers rather than a consumer. Who cares if they can’t speak, as long as they provide the technology demanded by consumers.

Now, the current pool of information or knowledge is in English. Just like in the medieval periods when the lingua franca for knowledge was in Arabic.

We have to follow suit and adapt accordingly. The mastery of English is relevant at this point of time. Without it, we cannot tap the available resources and use it for our own good.

The world itself is already in English and if we are busy to promote Malay, no one is going to bother. We don’t produce products, we buy them. We need to play by their rules in the mean time.

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Let's hope we can start a good round of debates!

Burger to Beemer

2009-04-28T07:49:00.001-07:00

How do I shift my subject from something amazingly mouth-watering and stomach-gurgling [below]....

Beef Burger, originally uploaded by mH::.

....to something much more mouth-watering than that, like THIS [below]?

A Perfect Hello, originally uploaded by notbland.

Anyone?

So people! Listen up! I need cars to shoot!

And a 10-22mm or 17-40 lens along the way..

Or I can stick to shooting THIS

The Power Within The Beauty, originally uploaded by mH::

Hafiz's Economic Theory

2009-04-26T06:59:00.000-07:00

Assume a student has 5 subjects to take per semester. And each subject will be given an equal amount of treatment, in which is, the time spend per subject.

The problem of scarcity, however, shall arise. Time is limited. And the demand to study each subject is infinite. So how the student does overcome this problem of scarcity?

The student will now have to devote his or her resource (time) efficiently between the subjects. This however, will have an effect on other subjects. The student cannot possibly allocate more time for each subjects, unless, the time used for other activities (leisure, sleep, etc.) will be sacrificed for studying.

However, the opportunity cost (value of the next best alternative foregone) of doing so must be taken into consideration. Will the extra time allocated into studying yield an extra output (in terms of additional marks or a movement to a better grade)? Or is it worse-off, in which, the student simply gets too stressed up and tired with limited leisure and sleep, resulting in them sucking badly in their tests?

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This week is Mathematics and Advanced Mathematics. I have a better chance in scoring for the latter, so screw you Maths!

But my Maths is (almost) down the drain, so I can’t ignore it altogether. Damn.

Damage Control.

I’ll make sure I score more than my current average (which is quite acceptable, maybe). That’s it.

Nothing more, nothing less.

Just.

Next are Physics and Economics. Physiconomics. Or Econophysics.

The study of the production and consumption of atoms and other form of energy.

HAH!

No, really. It’s just a joke.

This semester looks meek compared to the previous one.

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Between a rock and a hard place, really I am.

Thank God English is over and done with. Quite pleased with it, even without the results yet. Economics is standing strong. Same goes with Advanced Maths.

I can chill for them, for the moment.

Physics, ironically is giving problems, after one hell of a run last semester. And by hell, I mean it.

Read: Manchester United’s current form.

I might have to cut lepak sessions. Time flies really fast when you do. All you know is *poof* an hour’s gone by.

I might consider cutting myself some slack this time round. Someone came over and said

‘You did great last semester. Chill la a bit this time round’

Well, that makes sense.

Final note:

I might just go for broke since there is nothing to lose.

And this is not ye megapost.

Chicken a la Carte

2009-04-21T05:15:00.000-07:00

This would be the prelude to the megapost.

It's just a video, but still, what the heck.

Watch it here.

Synopsis: This film is about the hunger and poverty brought about by Globalization. There are 10,000 people dying everyday due to hunger and malnutrition. This short film shows a forgotten portion of the society. The people who live on the refuse of men to survive. What is inspiring is the hope and spirituality that never left this people.

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On a side note, the megapost is quite politically inclined. Although it does not involve boring analysis on by-elections or why some people think the current PM is not fit for the job.

Just so you know, to let those who were waiting...

Genius!

2009-04-13T03:18:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the long break. I will be working on a megapost that will be in mega proportions.

Genius is just awesome. Its an iTunes application that creates a playlist of 25 related songs from any song in the library. It adds random to shuffle.

Maybe I should start thinking Genius-like. It generates ideas more efficiently and adds randomness to the bleak classrooms.

Taken

2009-03-11T05:38:00.000-07:00

Watch it. It’s really good.

It will be coming out soon.

Remember The Bourne Trilogies? If Jason Bourne got married, have children, and one of them gets kidnapped, you’ll get this.

An old Jason Bourne running around, pursuing his child’s kidnapper. No shit.

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Where do I start?

Initially, I thought it was going to be a cheap action movie. But I doubt it, especially with Liam Neeson in it.

The plot is fairly simple, like I mentioned earlier. Bryan Mills (Neeson) is a retired CIA agent. He’s divorced, due to his work. His daughter wants to go to Europe to follow the U2 European tour. Being an ex-CIA agent, he knows all to well what goes on in the real world, but, reluctantly let her go. From here on, the problem arises.

His daughter gets kidnapped, and from there on, it’s just Bryan Mills terrorizing Paris to hunt his daughter’s assailant.

For his age, it’s not bad for him to be running around, knocking out people effectively along the way.

Script is okay, but it has a lot of economic references in it. You should know if you studied Economics back in college.

Apart from that, it’s a good 93 minutes of action all the way. Right to the end.

Watchmen

2009-03-10T06:47:00.000-07:00

… And now, for a commercial break.

First things first.

The Nite Owl seriously needs a new ride. C’mon… For someone that builds stuff and is now retired, hello, new ride?

And a new suit too. The beer belly needs to be hidden away.

And what’s with the clichéd lines of [SPOILER!]

“... is your father”

That entire ‘father’ thing is very familiar…

Ooh, ooh, I know!

In a galaxy, far, far away…

We’re back! Thank you for staying tuned in.

Right.

I was a little apprehensive about this whole thing. But somehow I managed to drag myself into it. Initial reviews were mixed, both from extreme end of the spectrum (A said it sucked, B said A sucks because A can’t get the movie – I’ll go with B).

Hey, it turned out pretty well! And I have not read the graphic novel.

It had reminiscences of The Dark Knight at some points, though. But I couldn’t care less.

Some scenes were really cool, like in the opening credits. It was given a tilt-shift effect.

Boring scripts? Nah. Not all superhero movies are suppose to have explosions. That’s cheap thrill.

Oh yeah, the storyline at some point was quite The Incredibles-ish. Yes, Disney’s The Incredibles. Masked vigilantes being banned, yada yada yada. All that stuff.

And I found this ‘funny’ review. I think she totally lost it. Read some of the comments.

Actually you don’t have to. What’s being pointed out is rather lame, obviously.

Revenge of the Fallen

2009-02-21T05:31:00.000-08:00

Gasp!

You. Have. To. Check. This. Out

Teaser trailer. Make sure it's the two-minutes one.

Burn After Reading (or was it before?)

2009-02-20T06:17:00.000-08:00

Slumdog Millionaire is probably a sucky title compared to a good movie, but this time round, I think it will have a good title and be a good movie.

Probably Valkyrie will have to wait, again.

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I noticed my posts are becoming shorter. Twitter maybe?

NO! (Red for emphasize)

Never in a million years will I be involved in twitting like a twit.

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-02-16T04:52:00.000-08:00

At first glance, I thought it was one of those movies that I would never watch. It could be the title.

But after a few reviews, and some reading about it, I decided to give it a shot.

And boy was I in for a surprise.

I was thinking that it’s going to be predictable, or rather a heart-touching movie, since it was about someone from a slum winning the Indian version of ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire?’ Maybe it was those movies that had a slow pace, and filled with lengthy, pointless dialogues.

But no, the pace picked up from the beginning, and from there it never stopped. I love the filming technique. The images shown is ‘the real’ India. Very gritty, but vibrant too.

I wouldn’t mind catching it in theaters again, choosing this over Valkyrie. It’s that awesome.

Sunburst-ed My Bubble

2009-02-07T03:47:00.001-08:00

When The Heavens Shine Through, originally uploaded by mH::.

Pardon the ‘related’ image. It is related. It’s a sunburst. But it’s just not appropriate for the tone of writing here.

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February 6th came, and with that, the long awaited list for the Sunburst KL 2009 line-up. It was an absolute dismay.

Imagine paying RM200 (or RM143 if you have bought the early-bird tickets) for a bunch of local indie line-ups. I’m not saying they’re bad, but the price doesn’t justify their performance.

NERD is confirmed but, them? C’mon. Though, Coldplay, The Prodigy and Lupe Fiasco are still to-be-confirmed, again, after the whole hoo-ha I doubt they can make it.

Seriously.

• Coldplay’s last gig before 21st March is 19th in Auckland.
• The Prodigy’s at Paris, on the 15th. And later in New York on the 26th.
• I’m not sure about Lupe Fiasco.

I just lost hope with the music scene here.

But somehow, I know someone is snickering away at the whole thing…

A Hundred Million Suns

2009-01-28T00:40:00.000-08:00

The Lightning Strikes: Prologue – What If This Storms Ends?

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The last time I remembered a song that was +10 minutes was a Guns ‘N Roses piece. Estranged and November Rain.

Then came Explosions in the Sky with Your Hand in Mine. It was epic. Remember Mogwai? They’re that close. Similar music styling of layered guitar riffs and sound mixing. It’s an acquired taste though. I’ve only met a few who actually know about them two.

Snow Patrol came up with a piece The Lightning Strike. It too had similar styling of the previous two bands. Except it came with vocals and consisted of three individual songs combined into a medley of grand proportions. It has to be one of the best songs ever for me. Though I have to admit I have a soft-spot for British bands, though technically Snow Patrol is Irish. (Explosions is American and Mogwai’s Scottish – it’s probably an anomaly with my music mind).

Life In Technicolor is like a bite size version of the pieces mention here. And a point of note: I’m not involving G ‘N R’s pieces. They’re just there for reference.

Oh yeah, it’s by Coldplay in their latest studio album.

The Lightning Strikes: Interlude – The Sunlight Through The Flags

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U2 is planning a long awaited release of their latest studio album.

Bruce Springsteen just released a new one. Magic was classic. Especially the single Radio Nowhere. The Boss is awesome.

On a whole new note, I found out a couple of good jazz groups, particularly Fourplay and Mezzoforte. I’ve known the former, but up to now only I had the chance to own a proper discography of it. Mezzoforte is Norwegian (I think – they’re from up north for sure). But they’re still good.

Hopefully No Black Tie can kick up a few of those guys here. They’ll be really cool to listen to.

The Lightning Strikes: Epilogue – Daybreak

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Sunburst Kuala Lumpur 2009 is semi-confirmed. As in the posters are out but the line-up is not finalized yet.

No wait.

It’ll only be officially released on the 6^th of February. We can say its ¾ confirmed.

Radiohead’s not there since they decided to tour South America instead.

Paramore too since they have a gig on the date of Sunburst.

Jason Mraz will be here in March. No point calling him again.

More updates on artist line-up here.

And why can’t Radiohead have their own concert instead of Jason Mraz?! The nerve of some people...

Chocolate Dreams

2009-01-24T20:21:00.001-08:00

Chocolate Dreams, originally uploaded by element.h.

I feel nice today.

Random, I know.

Ceasefire and 'Victory'

2009-01-18T00:24:00.000-08:00

It was expected.

Israel declares a ceasefire, just hours before the inauguration of United States President-elect Barack Obama.

It claimed to have achieved the ‘objectives’ of the 22-day assault on Gaza Strip.

We are, after all playing by their rules of engagement.

Israel knows clearly the stance of the United States on the Middle East. They know that for all 22 days, no one from Capitol Hill, the White House even, would say anything about the assault.

But Mr. Obama?

He has said nothing regarding his foreign affairs policy. If they were to continue with the strikes, and Obama’s policies were to differ from Bush’s, they would have to stop the assault, and possibly not able to declare ‘victory’.

We have to remember that Israel did not bow down to international pressure. The UN has chaired several meetings over the period of the assault, urging for a ceasefire. No doubt it did come to light, but the timing and all?

It’s more than just a coincidence.

Right now, we can surely pray thankful that the inhumane attacks have stopped (and hopefully the ceasefire will continue - albeit continuing rocket attacks from Hamas due to the presence of Israeli soldiers in Gaza).

Whatever we've been doing, don't stop. Our boycotts, petitions, aids etc. may seem small, but it add ups to a long way.

2009

2009-01-03T06:59:00.000-08:00

Right.

Now it’s 2009. And it still feels like 2008. I guess numbers don’t play much a role.

I’ve just figured out that UK universities don’t accept Australian pre-u qualifications. That sucks. They only take IB, American and European.

This proves Australia have a low teaching standard!

Might as well make the best with what I have.

I won’t be joining you people in London then. Looks like Sydney will be a closer bet.

College starts again in a few days. Got my results, and…

… It is NOT what I had in mind. No, people, I did not fail miserably. Nor did I score significantly.

No doubt many still claim I’ve achieved the latter. Heh.

"Good is not good where better is expected"

P.S. Row 7 on a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737 doesn’t have windows. I pity the little kid sitting there.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-25T01:54:00.001-08:00

Xmas Tree, originally uploaded by R. Motti.

Before I forget...

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Action Speaks Louder than Words

2008-12-16T23:11:00.001-08:00

The Shock of The Lightning, originally uploaded by element-h.

Xing!

2008-12-10T01:07:00.000-08:00

Snowmen? Lot's of them?

I guess it'll take till spring for them to move!
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There's a lot more from where that came from - here.

Food Photography

2008-12-02T07:12:00.001-08:00

Satay, originally uploaded by element-h.

I'm moving into new grounds with the semi-newly acquired DSLR. I've been trying to find a niche I can start shooting in, and guess what, its food!

Can it be easy? Sort of, especially if you like food.

All you need is probably a DSLR camera or a high-end point and shoot. One that allows you to have some sort of control over its shutter speed etc. and a good macro setting and ISO since most shoots will be in under lighted restaurants.

On another note, I might start a food blog.

In the mean time, enjoy this or you can find more at my Flickr.

Star Wars Family Guy-style

2008-12-01T07:26:00.000-08:00

Hope you guys enjoyed the party! I guess there was enough time for an afterparty as well.

----

You don't know Family Guy? Pity you missed out on them.

I'm not giving any brief prologue of any kind, and am getting straight to the point.

Remember Star Wars? The weird-yet-awesome epic that had prequels rather than sequels? And by prequels it was three.

Anyway, let's cut the crap and get straight to the chase.

I'm short of ideas for the blog, so hopefully while waiting we can whet our appetite with these two short clips. Enjoy :D

They still need to buffer videos even after all these years...

Apparently Darth Vader owns properties in LA.

That's all for now, though. I might get more later.

It's Time To Partay!

2008-11-21T07:42:00.000-08:00

Alright!

It's finally done!

I've moved to a more personal space!

Well, not really. It's the same blog, with a different address. Haha.

----

Anyway, let's kick it with some tunes for the dancefloor!

We'll have The Infadels, and of course, Arctic Monkeys!

How about some 70's? Yeah, Play That Funky Music.

You can always request the DJ for something else though. At a price maybe ;)

----

Now, we need the food. So how about some nachos to whet your appetite!

Then, I'll order the pizzas!

And, lastly, FREE DRINKS for everyone! (Strictly no alcoholic beverages please)

And if there's not enough food to go round, don't sweat! I can get more!

So, let's party all night long!

Dark Matter

2008-11-17T06:16:00.000-08:00

You know what; my course is pretty dull compared to CIMP. They have physics projects related to dark matter and the theory of relativity. How you decipher the two topics are up to you. How you’re graded is up to how you deciphered them. And what do we do for our coursework? A five-minute oral presentation between three people. That’s it.

Right.

Now to dark matter.

To give you a rough idea on what it is, Google ‘dark matter’ and read up.

From a layman’s perspective, it’s the invisible matter that holds the galaxy in place, preventing the planets and stars from flying.

Wikipedia defines dark matter as

“A hypothetical matter that does not interact with the electromagnetic force, but whose presence can be inferred from gravitational effects on visible matter”

It gets more complicated after that, with it relating to a specific galaxy, galaxies in clusters and even the universe as a whole.

And no, Batman's not related.

----

The real point of this is for Wayne, who’s doing a project related to this stuff. Clearly I can say that you have probably found out about dark matter and dark energy on Wiki.

Right now I’ve only came across these:

1. A fuel for a spacecraft in Futurama
2. Dark matter doesn’t exist (Contradicts the whole point, but interesting enough to be noted)
3. Dark matter is near Earth
4. Relations to general relativity

P.S. Hope these helps

----

We’re almost there. Keep listening to Champagne Supernova and you should get it.

Caffeinated Gaffer

2008-11-08T00:53:00.000-08:00

Dropped down to a nearby Starbucks and wasn’t feeling all too well – going for caffeine free instead.

And this happens, at the same branch where they wanted to put syrup with black coffee. Pfft.

‘What’s your caffeine-free tea range?’
‘Err, we don’t have caffeine-free teas. Only these [insert brand name] teas. You can choose them by yourselves’

And smack right on the box were the words caffeine-free.

I was like WTF man… You work in Starbucks and you don’t know that you have caffeine free tea.

And I was s**t sure he wasn’t new.

Change Has Come

2008-11-05T17:10:00.000-08:00

From a dream, to a reality.

You go man!

MusicMosaic I

2008-10-11T07:08:00.000-07:00

It's not exactly the whole library. It's a big library.

Anyway, cookies for those who can figure out the artists behind the cover.

And more if you can spot the exceptional guilty pleasures.

Blank Cheque

2008-10-08T07:40:00.000-07:00

If only PMs can be changed as easily as writing their names on a piece of paper…

It’s not often that I get involve in the political scene in my own country, but all those mudslinging is really making me feel dirty and it needs to be cleaned up.

Honestly, who actually put the current PM at where he is now?

We did.

We selected him. Through the course of democracy, of course.

We should be responsible for putting him there. And we trusted him and his party well enough to actually give a majority.

But now, we seem to kind of, regretted in voting him. In reality, on the ballot papers, apart from BN, who else can we vote for? It’s either to spoil it, or, vote for the Opposition (and give them a few states on the way for them to test their mettle). Technically, there wasn’t much choice to choose from, and in simpler terms, it can be concluded that the victor probably won by default.

“The Opposition didn’t win, just that BN lost”

It’s a big difference between the two. And they two together carry a very deep meaning.

We voted for the current government. We should just let them get on with their job. If we don’t like it we can wait for the general elections. If we think you guys are doing a pretty kick-ass job, we’ll vote you again. If not, bye-bye. For the Opposition, prove it. You’ve got five states plus a bigger majority in the Federal Territory.

Show you can lead. If we’re happy, we’ll give you more states, and hey, why not the country too along the way?

See, it’s that simple.

And this crap on racism…

Being a part of the generation that is going to be future leaders, I think it’s just being blown out of proportion.

I don’t see it in school. I don’t see it in college either. I’m not exaggerating.

And ticking boxes in forms is NOT racism. Malays, Chinese, Indians all have too. It’s not like there’s only a box, say, only for Chinese or Malay or Indian. All three are there.

And why?

For statistical reasons, duh.

We need to know the racial composition. We may be Malaysians, but a Malaysian Indian still doesn’t eat beef. A Malaysian Malay needs beef, especially during Raya Qurban. If we don’t know the approximate amount of Malays, we might supply too little beef, and there would be a shortage of beef.

And for zakat or tithe, how are we supposed to distribute it? Zakat is only for Muslims. Majority of Muslims, if not all, are Malays. And for the non-Muslims we need to provide them other forms of social welfare benefits.

We need to know the number of Malays, Chinese and Indians so we can build Sekolah Agamas and vernacular schools accordingly. If we don’t know the statistics, we might have the right schools in the wrong places.

Trivially, even for supermarkets it’s important. Maybe during Deepavali they need to stock more on spices compared during the Chinese New Year.

See, those boxes are important, for all of us. Though, it can be a bit annoying at times, I’ll have to admit that.

Malaysia too can be one of the most libertarian countries towards a mix racial composition. All Malaysians including the Chinese and Indians can travel to the UK without a visa (for now) as opposed to Chinese from China and Indians from India.

Lastly to be clear, I am no racist. I have friends from all walks of life, I eat every halal Chinese and Indian food I can get my hands on (apart from Malay dishes) and I’m even from a mixed blood. Racism is sinful if not possibly haram in Islam as we should view every human equally. My family friends are from different races, but we don’t care. We see them equally too.

"And mankind is naught but a single nation” - Holy Quran 2:213

Selamat Hari Raya!

2008-10-01T09:00:00.000-07:00

As expected, I wouldn't be writing this on the day itself. But..

SELAMAT HARI RAYA AIDILFITRI
dan
MAAF ZAHIR BATIN
to everyone!

The Festive Cheer

2008-09-26T20:32:00.000-07:00

Raya is just around the corner and surprisingly, it doesn't feel like it. I don't know why though.

Honestly, when was the last time you actually felt the festive cheer?

It use to be fun when we entered Ramadhan and all those shopping malls started blaring Raya music while we were busy doing our festive shopping. And everytime you hear those music, you start having that warm feeling and think to yourself 'Hey, Raya is almost here!'

But now, it doesn't have the same effect anymore. I see the Raya break as a well-deserved holiday just to recover from all those studying and college life. I guess its part of being growing up.

It could be the dates though. Raya use to coincide with our end of term break. So it fits in nicely after our finals and we can truly enjoy ourselves. But now its starting to move towards the middle of the year.

I don't really think that's the case. My younger cousins are all too happy for the break, even when they still have a couple of months of schooling when they get back.

I guess it's just us grown-ups taking life a bit too seriously.

And during Raya, we often get new clothes! But now, it's like we don't really care. We still appreciate it if it's given to us, but we don't look foward that much like last time when we were kids, and Raya meant that new Superman or Cartoon Network T-shirt.

I guess it has come to the point where we can already afford (and allowed) to buy our own clothes by ourselves.

Though, even when the festive spirit feels a bit low, but being able to drop everything and sit down, to eat ketupat and rendang with family and friends, I think that is truly the 'warm' Raya feeling we should look foward to.

Chrome/Chromium=Cr [24]

2008-09-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

Pardon the geeky interlude. Yeah, chromium's an element on the periodic table.

And guess what? You mix some with Google and you get one heck of a browser!

It's a new open source web browser (layman - web browser = the application to view the web) just released by Google. Ironically its blue (not sliver like the natural element) but its just as slick.

I've ran the Average Joe test and its a bit faster than Mozilla Firefox [3] and definitely better than Internet Explorer.

All I have to say is get one!

Currently I'm switching between it and another browser since I am still somewhat pessimistic with its security. Though it doesn't have any bugs, I'll only open 'read-only' web pages for the time being.

Blank Stares + [Beijing08-London12]

2008-09-05T07:27:00.000-07:00

Right

I’m in the midst of college life, and its one hell of a speed. Either you lead it, or you’re going to be swamped. And I sort of learned it the hard way…

But, no worries people! I am in control again!

Assessments are on average once a week, no breaks, leaving me with a lot of hangover.

The only reason I’m writing in first person is, I kinda forgot what to write… Sheesh

Oh yeah, I kicked ass in my presentation.

***

Beijing concluded their Olympics a few weeks ago and they sure had a great closing ceremony. I couldn’t quite figure out the story behind it (like in the opening where they shared about their history) but I assume it should be that way since the performance were quite abstract.

The best part was when the London bus came in, gesturing the handing over of the Olympic sports to London in 2012.

And from there, I noticed one interesting aspect from what to expect from the Londoners during their opening ceremony. It’s going to be purely abstract.

Why? Because they don’t have any history or culture to boast!

***

Our own Lee Chong Wei received a Datukship for only being the second best.

Imagine if Usain Bolt was a Malaysian, wonder what he would get since he has 3 gold medals and two world records. Phew, I wonder…

Free Stuffs!

2008-08-22T08:47:00.000-07:00

Gotcha!

I know that Google searches stuff off the Internet by keywords, and if you are the lucky ones you'll be hit!

Hit in a sense it will show up on the first few search results. Honestly, how far have you been through your search results?

And.... we like free stuff. So free stuff on the web get the highest hits. Plus download. Free downloads will garner a higher percentage of hits.

Let's try.

FREE movie DOWNLOADS
FREE music DOWNLOADS
FREE games
FREE ****
FREE money?
FREE food?
FREE DOWNLOADS!

I'm dry. Really dry to this point. What free stuff can you actually get off the Internet?

Black Coffee... Only

2008-08-19T09:00:00.000-07:00

The inevitable finally happens.

Those people at Starbucks do not know, I repeat DO NOT know what a black coffee is. Okay they do know coffee, but they get stumped when I ordered for black coffee.

I always thought it was a myth from those saying you can't get black coffee from Starbucks. Personally I feel like they were exaggerating. But no, it was the truth, until that day.

The customary 'Welcome to Starbucks!' was hit upon me when I came in. Went to the counter and.. 'One black coffee please'. And the next thing to hit me was 'Would you like some milk with it?'

'No, just black coffee'

At that point I was still okay, since milk and coffee goes together. But later...

'How about some syrup?'
'No, just coffee'

C'mon, I want black coffee! I specifically said black coffee! Who the hell orders black coffee and asks for syrup? Syrup with coffee? Blasphemy!

Right now, I miss my classic kopitiam down the corner of the street where the apek knows exactly what I want, in what form, with the right stuff.

On Fire!

2008-08-18T00:46:00.000-07:00

I'll try and squeeze as much as I can about the past few days (weeks?).

World No. 2 Gets No. 2
Congrats though for our badminton player Lee Choong Wei to finish second in the Olympics. But since you're in the final might as well go for full glory eh? Lin Dan literally thrashed him all over the court but he's the World No. 1 so it's only fair for him to get first. :D

Better luck next time!

And for a country to even get one medal took that much of athletes, but for that athlete he could get 8. Eight golds that is.

Bring Back the 90's
I don't mind listening to music back from the 90's, but that's not the case. Yeah, I like those 90's...

Okay, I'm done with my first Continuous Assessment or Topical Assessment or exams (if you're still young and stuck in High School) and...

..I've never felt so good before!

No, I did not fail.
No, I did not get a 100 either.
And no, I'm not telling what I got, but it was awesome! Like Po, from Kung Fu Panda. Yes, that awesome.

Ironman/Indiana Jones Medley
Yes, I've only watched those two after, how many months was it since the two of them were released? And, they were good!

Weekend In Review - Kovailanen Wins First GP

2008-08-03T07:22:00.001-07:00

We could have predicted a McLaren 1-2 after their two drivers locked out the front grid after qualifying yesterday, with Felippe Massa securing third and the other scarlet car of Kimi Raikkonen in 6th.

As soon as the lights went off, Massa was quicker on the cleaner side of the track and managed to jump Kovailanen from the start and was all over Hamilton’s back down into Turn 1. He was late on braking, locking his wheels in the process, and with the momentum sling-shot himself pass the McLaren and was leading the race soon after.

Raikkonen meanwhile lost out to Fernando Alonso on trying to out manoeuvre BMW’s Robert Kubica at the start.

The field started to settle down in that order up to the first pit stops with Massa the first to dive into it. Hamilton couldn’t make the most out of it after being able to only complete a lap extra. With others following suit there wasn’t any change, except Kubica started losing pace and fell down the field after his first stop and surprise 3rd place man Timo Glock losing out some time after problems with the fuel rig.

Flash fires being the order of the day, affecting most teams as the Hungarian sun wasn’t to kind. Sebastian Vettel caught one, with Timo Glock and Rubens Barrichello. No serious injuries were reported.

The race continued, with the surprise came when Hamilton’s front left tyre suffered a blow out at Turn 3. He was forced to pit and change his strategy and joined back in 11th place, but with most in front of him being yet to pit.

Raikkonen was able to jump Alonso at the second pit stop, and was charging his way up to catch Timo Glock. Hamilton too was on a blitz, storming to 6th finally.

Another high drama was to come, when Felippe Massa’s engine blew 3 laps from the finish right on the start-finish straight. It was a disappointing blow to the team and his own championship race. Now, Kovailanen was pretty much in for the win of his first grand prix. Hamilton was still stuck behind Alonso in 5th and Raikkonen started to ease off his chase, making sure the Ferrari would finish 3rd.

With that, Hamilton still leads the championship with only 5 points over Raikkonen with Massa 3 points behind his team mate and Ferrari with only an 11 point lead over McLaren.

The Dark Knight

2008-07-31T07:17:00.000-07:00

The Dark Knight was… awesome! Not really awesome but good. I might sound bias considering the hype surrounding it and the fact it grossed almost $300 million within two weeks, being the best since The Godfather.

It’s not like the average superhero movie where, the good guy overcomes the bad guy and become a hero for saving the local town (or city). Dark Knight is dark. And gritty, giving it depth and feel. Although both Batman and Joker were acted professionally, I still feel something is lacking.

Many have noted that the Joker may be better than Hannibal, but I beg to differ. He is no where close to Hannibal.

The film is good, with the gritty feel, but at times, it kind of lost its direction. I could feel that the directors couldn’t choose on whether to make it a full-fledge action movie with lots of explosions and fights or a dark psychotic thriller, filled with cunning dialogues and thought provoking lines. They mixed both, and it gave the film a ‘there, but not quite’ experience.

Overall it is a good movie, but without the minor hitches, it could have received a perfect score.

Oh yeah, Batman’s new suit is slick.

College English 101

2008-07-15T01:40:00.000-07:00

As much as I can say my English is close to being spotless, still, it can’t beat the unpredictability of English here in college.

No, it’s not hard, it’s just…

To start, my English teacher is testament that humankind can indeed live without a hand phone. Yes, read: hand phone.

To only have a monochromatic coloured screen on your phone may seem absurd now, unless you’re sending your 32-bit phone for repairs. But honestly, no hand phone whatsoever? Need some thinking about it.

I know it is completely unrelated with my level of English proficiency (and so does my English teacher), but it was one way to introduce the thought of humans and hand phones have a mutual bond, except for the lucky (or unlucky – depending) few.

Weekend In Review | Hamilton Wins Home GP

2008-07-07T02:32:00.000-07:00

When Lewis Hamilton won his home grand prix, he was the first Englishman to do so after David Coulthard did it in 2000.

The race started off with a damp track, with rain predicted to fall along the course of the race. Hamilton clearly showed determination from the start, when he jumped from fourth to second, and nearly first, almost to the expense of his team mate. Surprise first row qualifier Mark Webber had a bad start going to fourth before spinning to the end of the field.

Kimi Raikkonen’s Ferrari was handling extremely well, being able to follow the two McLarens. After a spin from Kovailanen, Raikkonen jumped to second and was hot on Hamilton’s back.

The first round of pit stops came, and the Ferrari camp gambled to keep Raikkonen on his old set of tyres, expecting the track to dry up.

The rain came down, heavily and it affected Raikkonen. Hamilton was able to pull away, and Raikkonen was struggling to maintain his position. He waited for his second pit stop to change his tyres, but time clearly had run out by then.

He fought a late-race challenge with Alonso and Kovailanen to finally finish fourth.

Ross Brawn strategic thinking managed to help Honda clinch their first podium. They called in both drivers and put them on the extreme wet tyres. It clearly worked for Rubens Barichello, who managed to storm his way to second before needing to change back to intermediate and finishing third after the chequered flag was waved.

Jenson Button wasn’t too lucky and had to retire from the race.

The race was just thirteen finishes, with Felippe Massa completing it. He was one of the drivers which had the most number of spins, possibly six.

With the race finishing it that order, there is now a three way (possibly four) battle after three championship leaders are tied on points with Robert Kubica in fourth just two points behind them.

Sharp.Sleek.Edgy

2008-06-26T21:09:00.000-07:00

Weekend In Review | Massa Wins, Raikkonen Limps - In Second

2008-06-24T19:35:00.000-07:00

With Ferrari getting their 200^th pole position from Kimi Raikkonen and a one-two to complement it, with both McLarens penalised, surely it looks like the race was going into Ferrari’s way even before the start.

Being the leader for 38 laps only, Kimi Raikkonen’s F2008 later developed problems with the exhaust, having to concede the lead to team mate Felipe Massa.

Toyota’s Jarno Trulli had a strong drive in third and could catch up to Raikkonen, only being held back due to a strong challenge from Kovailanen who managed to muscled his way up. The red cars were clearly in the lead, even with the problems, the rest of the field could not catch up with them.

Lewis Hamilton had a dismissal weekend, started from 13^th and made his way up to 9^th only to be called in for a drive through penalty which clearly wrecked his race. It is his second successive race without scoring a point. He finally finished 10^th, behind David Coutlhard.

After a splendid weekend in Montreal a fortnight ago, BMW Sauber too had a poor performance. Robert Kubica kept his challenge as a title contender to finish 5^th and dropped to second in the overall standings, ahead of the scrap for the final points-scoring finisher of Mark Webber and the Renaults. Nelson Piquet Jr had a strong drive too, scoring his first points and finishing ahead of team mate Fernando Alonso. Nick Heidfeld only managed to finish 13^th.

Nico Rosberg who started from the back did little to change his position, only finishing 16^th.

The only retirement of the race was from Honda’s Jenson Button, which suffered irreparable damage after contact with Sebastian Bourdais on the first lap.

The win meant Massa is the first Brazillian since Ayrton Senna in 1993 to lead the drivers’ championship.

youTubeandwhatnot

2008-06-24T06:57:00.000-07:00

Let's see...

Last post was 16th June. A week ago maybe? Close.

So. This time round, we're going to go for something new. Taking full use of the HTML capabilities of Blogger to embed videos directly from YouTube and let you people enjoy it. That's geek talk for simply posting a post full of videos from another site.

We'll start of with some Elementary Dating...

... and a welcome note of sorts.

Enjoy :D

MAT 1

2008-06-16T00:33:00.000-07:00

Okay okay. So what’s the big deal? It’s just three alphabets arranged randomly with a number following it.

But, taking into consideration it’s on a black car with heavily tinted windows, it must mean something.

Suppose you people out there can see it. Or probably not.

MAT 1 = MATI (death)!

Roti Canai in London?

2008-06-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

We often associate a city or country with its local delicacy. As tourists wandering around it, we try to indulge in every possible way the idea of having a bit of the city rubbed into us, be it the culture, lifestyle, or most importantly, the food.

When we go to Tokyo, we eat Sushi.
When we go to Bangkok, we eat tom yam.
When we go to Montreal, we eat pancakes with maple syrup.
When we go to Rome, we eat spaghetti.
When we go to New York, we eat hot dogs.
When we go to London, we eat roti canai and teh tarik?

Isn’t London or more specifically England associated with fish and chips, Shepherd’s pie and their love of English tea?

I understand London is a diverse and multiracial urban city. Culture assimilation happens all the time in a big sprawling city like that. So it is no surprise to find an Indian, Thai, or Latin restaurants all over it. And in a way it’s good to promote our local delicacy to the local community of another country.

But, travelling for almost half a day just for a roti canai with a price that could allow us to buy ten back home might be the craziest idea (for me – if I ever do it). And I dare say, it doesn’t even match up with the best over here.

For starters, holidaying is a good way to know more about a certain country in every legal aspect possible. Meaning leaving your own country for a stint of another. So it should be noted that roti canai will be a complete taboo.

Maybe Malaysians should be banned from Malaysian restaurants overseas…

21

2008-06-12T01:10:00.000-07:00

Firstly, the movie is yet to be screened or probably banned. Go figure.

***

Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) is an incredibly brilliant MIT student who needs $300000 to continue studying at Harvard Medical School. His luck comes when he impressed his Maths professor, Micky Rosa (Kevin Spacey) during a class. He then gets an invitation to be part of MIT’s underground Blackjack team. At first, he declined the offer, but after increasing pressure from Jill Taylor (Kate Bosworth), a member of the team, he caves in, noting that he will ‘stop at $300000’. After a few weeks of Vegas, he finally accumulated the amount needed, but with a souring relationship with Prof Micky Rosa and getting on the ‘hit list’ of the casino security in the form of Cole Williams (Laurence Fishburne), he faces implications that he never thought would happen.

***

A pretty good movie loosely based from the book Bringing Down The House. Very technical at certain parts, but overall a good action/thriller/drama movie. Although it doesn’t compare with the Ocean’s 13 Vegas heist, it’s still a good movie to catch. Especially on knowing that only university students were involved is mass money making and there’s always Liza Lapira.

For the record, Jim Sturgess is British. He should have kept his accent!

Aperture!

2008-06-10T07:22:00.000-07:00

Pardon for the geeky interlude.

It took me a few days of tinkering to understand it.

Yes, the manual was given and I had the Internet at my disposal. Just that it's not fun knowing what the Red Button does without pressing it first.

What actually does have a Red Button?

A car? Nope.
Handphone? Maybe.
A new laptop? Nah...

I'm still going to keep the suspense hanging.

Still.

I'm not opening up.

I have in my pocket *que Nokia N95 ad images* a...

(Keep on scrolling)

..spanking new Canon EOS 450D! A DSLR camera folks!

Weekend In Review | BMW Clinches First Win in Montreal

2008-06-09T19:26:00.000-07:00

Forget the hat-trick; BMW Sauber finally took a long overdue victory as Robert Kubica leads team mate Nick Heidfeld to a deserved one-two finish on a day when Lewis Hamilton crashed into Kimi Raikkonen in the pits.

After the blistering pace of Hamilton in qualifying, it surely looked as if the Brit would carry it into the race.

The race went on smoothly until lap 17, when the Safety Car was deployed to safely remove Adrian Sutil’s car that was left in a dangerous position by the race track.

During that period, the leaders took opportunity to have a pit stop. Hamilton had a longer stop than Raikkonen and Kubica, whom was released at the same time and jostling for position, when rejoined, slammed into the back of the Finn for not realising they had stop for the red light at the end of the pit. That virtually ended the race for the both of them. Nico Rosberg too had a part in it, hitting Hamilton and resulting in damaging his front nose and had to pit again, thus ruining his challenge for a podium finish.

Ferrari had problems with Felippe Massa’s fuel rig and had to call him again, putting him at the end of the field when he exited the pit lane.

Nick Heidfeld was leading the race at that time before he himself and drivers behind were called up for their respective pit stops.

Many opted for a one stop strategy and after the first round of stops, the only threat for the Swiss based German team came from Renault’s Fernando Alonso who was charging hard behind them. The Spaniard almost took a place of Heidfeld, only to run wide at the last hairpin. A lap later, the Renault spun out due to a mixture of driver error and mechanical failure.

Felippe Massa was charging up the field, moving from 17^th all the way to 4^th only to be called for a second pit stop. He droved magnificently and at one point made a double pass over Heikki Kovailanen and Rubens Barichello at the final hairpin.

After the second stop, he rejoined back in 7^th, before charging back up, and finished 5^th, splitting the Toyotas that was virtue of the Japanese-team drivers own mistakes.

Joining the list of retirees was Giancarlo Fisichella who crashed out, Williams’ Kazuki Nakajima who tapped into Jenson Button’s rear end and loosened his front wing which dislodged under his tyres at the pit entry, causing him to slide into the pit wall and Renault’s Nelson Piquet Jr, with an unspecified mechanical failure.

Red Bull’s David Coulthard had a strong performance, and finished 3^rd, giving the crucial points for the team.

It Was Funny While It Lasted...

2008-06-04T18:51:00.000-07:00

No biggie. Petrol prices went up by 40%. An increase of approximately 80 cents.

Funny on how people rushed to fill up their cars.
Funny on how they freaked out in a matter of seconds.
Funny on the fact that, no matter how much the increase is, we still need to fill up our tanks.

Well, we are humans after all.

Weekend In Review | Hamilton Triumphs in Monaco Thriller

2008-05-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

One word to sum it all up - unpredictable.

The 2008 season had its first taste of a wet race, of all places, in Monte Carlo.

Bearing its usual charm of picturesque backdrop and a celebrity hot spot, the race itself truly was in a class of its own.

Words can only describe this much, when pictures can do more.

Overrated Stuff

2008-05-26T07:58:00.000-07:00

I have a strange feeling that there is too much blogs related to politics and current issues. No doubt they have the right to voice out their opinions, but it makes each and every one of them seems less credible since it is fast becoming saturated.

Political blogs are like a fad nowadays. Remember back then when the fad was ‘emo’ blogs? Who would forget the dark poetry and random ramblings that was pointless? Then it flipped out and blogs were sort of a personal diary.

Yeah, a diary that everyone reads it.

Then only political blogs started coming up. Probably there have been a few that lasted the changes, existed during those ‘dark’ ages.

But it’s growing now! Sheesh. Looks like every Tom, Dick and Harry wants a piece of their mind to be heard…

I’m cool with it, like I said earlier. Freedom of speech, democracy, bla bla bla (or etc.).

Everyone should have the right to give their two cents, but please, if you do not know anything about it (or a related matter), hold on first. Make sure you get your points correct with cold hard facts before your comments page becomes a direct assault towards you. Not fun, believe it.

So, any aspiring two-centers, please do some research, first. And get your grammar (spelling etc.) correct to show a certain degree of intelligence.

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And I'll get to my 'Weekend In Review'. Getting the right pictures.

Soulja Boy Related To Led Zeppelin?

2008-05-25T21:26:00.000-07:00

One is truly a musical legend, the other an overnight, over-rated mass media artist. See the link? Nothing obvious, but if we dig deeply we might get one…

Before I start, a side note of things:

DISCLAIMER: Any written words or sentence within this post are merely my thoughts and opinions and are not related whatsoever towards the future success or failure to the mentioned artists. All references and facts are to be cited from Wikipedia and iTunes and claimed to be true. If however, third party sources that are used for the articles from the original two sources are found to be inaccurate are used, tough luck.

Who would have thought that rock can be associated with cheap and cheesy rap? It sure does now.

Let’s start. Led Zeppelin is a classic rock band formed circa 1960s all the way to 1980 with a few reunions later on. Within this time too, bands such as The Who, Thin Lizzy, The Rolling Stones and Aerosmith were formed. We mainly classify these bands as ‘Rock’ but specifically (citing Wikipedia):

Led Zeppelin – Heavy metal, hard rock
The Who – Rock, hard rock, pop rock
Thin Lizzy – Heavy metal, hard rock
The Rolling Stones – Rock
Aerosmith – Heavy metal, hard rock

From there, we can see that all five of them are closely related.

How far have we gone from here?

Not far, we still have some distance to go.

For the ‘link’ to be found, we need to get a band(s) that crosses the timeline from the 60s or 70s all the way into the 21^st century. Apart from that, we need the find bands that are a hybrid of rap and rock or rap rock as they call it.

Rap rock was first established or known in 1980s and originated from the United States. Bands that are known to influence (or be influenced by) this genre, were among others, Aerosmith, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Linkin Park and Rage Against The Machine.

There. We have found the link for the age, which is between Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Linkin Park. Both are active till now, although the former has been doing it since the days of Aerosmith.

For the hybrid band, we have Linkin Park, pioneering the rap rock genre and filling the gap for the leap between rock to rap.

Things are starting to become clearer now. Since we have divulged in rap and Linkin Park, we can start talking about the likes of Jay-Z and Kanye West. Jay-Z and Linkin Park are closely related, especially in their collaboration but their music styles are almost similar, since both are within the rap circle. And within it lies Kanye West too.

And from there again, Jay-Z and Kanye West are also in the list of pop rappers, together with Soulja Boy.

A blasphemous relationship, but hey, the link is there.

So in a nutshell:

Led Zeppelin and Aerosmith [linked by genre]

Aerosmith and Red Hot Chilli Peppers [linked by genre and influence on rap rock]

Red Hot Chilli Peppers and Linkin Park [linked by genre and active years]

Linkin Park and Jay-Z/Kanye West [linked by sub-genre]

Jay-Z/Kanye West and Soulja Boy [linked by genre]

It starts with Led Zeppelin and indeed finishes with Soulja Boy.

Weekend In Review | Ferrari Make It Four

2008-05-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

The Turkish Grand Prix was in one word – fast. With the sheer power of the Ferraris and Hamilton running a light car due to his 3 stop strategy fastest laps were being traded one after another.

If not for the puncture of Kovailanen’s car at the beginning and the slight damage sustained by Raikkonen, it would definitely be a high-speed game of checkers beween four cars.

The first major (and only) incident started off with a crash between Kazuki Nakajima and Giancarlo Fisichella down in turn one at the start of the race. Although the Williams of Nakajima was still able to run, albeit an unfixable rear wing, the Force India car was totalled. Safety car was brought out for a few laps, and since then, there was no turning back.

No one knew that Hamilton was running a three stop strategy. His pace was unbelievably fast. Not until his first scheduled stop that lasted a mere 6 seconds (compared to the average 8-10 seconds) only that we know of his plans.

Further down the field, his compatriot was struggling to negotiate traffic after being force to pit for a puncture. Finishing just outside the points was all that was able. As for BMW, it was definitely not a weekend they intend to remember.

The race went on smoothly, without any other incident, except for a minor spin from a Toro Rosso that nearly brought out the safety car.

Towards the last quarter of the race, the top three cars were in hot pursuit of the one ahead of them, resulting in a time difference of only 4 seconds between each car.

Turkey is indeed the race track of choice for Felippe Massa, having a hat-trick at that place, winning three consecutive times.

Next up, the pack goes to the glitz and glamour of Monaco.

Horsepower

2008-05-12T08:26:00.000-07:00

Okay, reality check.

I've passed my driving exam,

In a Perodua Kancil. Without power steering, manual transmission and possibly an engine CC less then 1000.

The cars that are at my disposal have power steering, automatic transmission, and an engine with at least 2000CC. Talk about power transition!

It should be fun right?

Depends on how you see it. Creating more complications, they weigh at least 250% more than a Kancil. And two with a height of 6 feet, plus minus 6 inches.

If you could guess the cars, you get cookies..

And I still need to review the Turkish Grand Prix over the past weekend. No, I will not review on Manchester United winning the Premier League.

I Just Want A Cup Of Coffee!

2008-05-12T08:21:00.000-07:00

When was the last time you went to Starbucks? Or any other ‘high-end’ cafes they serve primarily caffeine infused beverages?

Today, yesterday, a week before maybe? But whenever it was, you have had at least one shot of those ‘Grande’ coffees.

Coffee has gone a long way since the days of plain and simple coffee. Days when you only order them by having it black, white or take away. Days when it the water just had to be hot, not precisely at a 101°C.

With the exception of tea, coffee-serving has very much change within these few years. More and more are longing to be pampered while they sip on their favourite brew, listening to their favourite jazz piece and catching up with old friends in the comfort of a modern and contemporary setting. This is the trend now. No more classic tuck shops where it is always humid and the sound of pots clanging together.

Ordering a cup of coffee has never been difficult, until now. There’s always the double or single shot issue, whipped cream or not and with a decaf option. The list goes on. And we’re not even into the part where there are different kinds of coffee. From the ice-blended Frappuchinos, the iced lattes and all the way to the classic non-coffee option.

All I want is just a cup of coffee! Is it that difficult?

Yes. Think again. When was the last time you ordered one and did not look up at the menu board to figure out what you want and how you want it? Never, was it? With the exception of those coffeeholics that leech on to caffeinated infusions day in and day out, knowing everything at the back of their hand.

On a serious note, I do feel guilty holding up the queue during lunch while making up my mind on what to order. But I have a certain feeling I may be doing justice with the people behind me by allowing them some time to think of their order.

So the next time I enter one of those swanky diners, no, swanky coffee shops, I’ll make sure that I just want coffee. That’s it. Simple, pure, coffee.

‘How many shots do you want sir?’

Ah, here we go again….

When Your Birthday Approaches(SP?)

2008-05-08T06:28:00.000-07:00

So, your birthday is fast approaching and you can't wait for it!

And when the day comes.. You're as happy as you can get! A year closer to the legal age of something.

Ever thought what really happens when you reach your birthday?

Mr Grim gets happy!

Being Behind The Wheel

2008-05-05T02:33:00.000-07:00

What can I say more?

I've passed my driving test! Considering I spent almost a day at the test centre I better be coming back with something good - making sure it'll be worthwhile.

I got the evening/afternoon session. The officer looked tense, but bah.. No difference either way.
It was flawless from point A to point B. And the circuit test, wrapped the whole thing in under 5 minutes.

So, there you'd go.

Weekend In Review | Spanish Ferrari Salsa

2008-04-29T05:54:00.000-07:00

Ferrari was on a roll all the way from Friday until Sunday, dominating the time sheets and securing a one-two finish for the race.

There was a record of 162000 spectators for the weekend.

The only incident that marred the Spanish Grand Prix was the high speed crash of Heikki Kovailanen who slammed straight into a tyre wall. Gladly, official reports are saying there are no serious injuries and is on his way to a full recovery.

After an uneventful Bahrain GP, Spain was truly the opposite. The safety car was deployed twice, one for the incident at the start of the race and another to clear the crash of the McLaren. But Kimi Raikkonen shrugged off both times, claiming dominance at the head of the pack for the majority of the race.

The Spanish GP is considered a litmus test for most teams, seeing it is the beginning of the European tour on the calendar. After three races away from the traditional home of Formula 1, it clearly looks that Ferrari are the team to beat.

Another team with standing the test is Renault. Although they had two DNFs the team remained upbeat as they were able to be on par with Ferrari, BMW and McLaren.

We shall see how things turn out for the next leg of the European tour where they will head to Turkey.

The Ultimate Fighting Machine!

2008-04-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

It's better if you click on the image to have a bigger view.

I don't know about this but it looks relatively easy. It isn't rocket science, so I might try it out.

Fool? Hardly...

2008-04-19T08:11:00.000-07:00

I know, I know.
April Fool's Day has passed for almost 20 days. More than two weeks.

I don't remember pulling off pranks or being pulled one on me. So it sums up to be a very lacklustre day.

I've only realized that it is celebrated (not in a massive kind of way - New Year) worldwide. Almost everyone knows it and take chances to pull tricks out of their sleeve on the unsuspecting ones, with (or preferably without) the knowledge of them.

I decided to make it special, with a piece, depicting the lingoes and languages related to this particular day. Showing that April Fool's, unknowingly unite us all regardless of colour, creed and race.

P.S. Click the image to have a better view or just go to my deviantArt link.

Weekend In Review | Ferrari Sweeps Bahrain by Storm

2008-04-06T08:08:00.000-07:00

It was clearly a stroll in the park for Ferrari as they headed home with a strong one-two finish.

Advantage: Ferrari can be clearly seen from the previous race (excluding the costly mistake by Felippe Massa). They have been dominating the time sheets since day one on Friday, although they did not carry that form on qualifying – managing only a two and four on the grid.

BMW on the other hand had a strong performance and with a Pole on pole, it was on of those days.

However, the race clearly swung back at the Ferraris after Robert Kubica had a slow start. Massa took the lead just into turn one, with team mate Kimi Raikkonen had to slug it out all the way with Kovalainen until the last corner before firmly stepping into P3 and another strong overtaking manoeuvre on Nick Heidfeld to confirm a one-two for Ferrari since the early stages of the race.

McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton had a poor start and got mobbed all the way into P10 and collided into Alonso’s Renault and had to be called in for an early pit. His race winning chances are truly over from the beginning and can only be contented with a 13th place finish.

The race itself was quite predictable from the early stages plus an incident free one, excluding those minor trips and clearly both Ferrari and BMW had a good weekend with both teams completing the top four.

After the sandy desert of Bahrain, Formula 1 heads back to its root in Europe with the European tour to start in Barcelona in three weeks.

See you then!

Why Blogs Fail

2008-04-06T01:51:00.000-07:00

Basically everyone dreams of having a blog at the top of the search engine. But getting there in the first place without Googling your own blog name may be something a bit difficult to do with. That is why some people give up blogging altogether as they can’t find readers. Or it ends up as a dark and gloomy place to vent out back at your previous employer.

To achieve Internet success is rather, tedious or quite impossible, taking in regard the amount of people that too are trying to get what we want. So yes it is hard indeed.

That is why after reading through one and scattered thoroughly with my own opinions I have come up with this. Simple reasons why blogs fail and how to not fail them.

Link people (and comment too)
The essence of every blog is basically the readers. No matter how good or famous you are, without them your blog is just a sitting pile of virtual spam.

How to get readers in the first place? Advertise. Sell yourself. Work out the first move. Don’t expect people to randomly stumble upon your blog. Tell your friends. Put it up on your Facebook and whatnot. A signature in your emails.

Other than that you can cling onto more recognized blogs and sort of, spam or drop a comment with your link. And by comment I don’t mean things like:

“Hey, nice blog!”

“Cool. Love it!”

Or simply thick skinned with a one-liner:

“Link me!”

Those will not work no matter how cute they look. Give related comments towards the post. Something natural and doesn’t look like it came from a spam bot.

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Don’t expect one-way traffic either. One someone drops a comment on your blog, comment back. Links are forged initially through mutual understanding. It is not going to magically attach together.

Most importantly when dropping a line try to refrain from initiating unwanted hostile relationships. You may not agree with his/her opinion but respect it. You can say it out in your comment, but know where to draw the line and stay within it.

Layouts/Presentation
Yes, they are important. Layouts may not have to be fanciful like those top notch artist. A minimalist approach would do. Try avoiding those fanciful glitters that will draw readers away from your writings and away from you blog. Colours and font sizes are essential as well.

I do not want to squint my eyes due to the small fonts or keep on rubbing them from the contrasting colours. And I am very sure the readers too.

Another important note is to try and set a good screen resolution and advise users upfront to set it to the recommended screen size.

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Your posts will be the centre or the focus point of your blog. It is VERY important. Remember a few helpful hints:

Try not to post a wall of text. Divide your post into a few paragraphs so that readers can see a break between them. A wall of text is very daunting to go through, so expect the same thing when others see it.
Refrain from posting (excessively) with IM slangs and SMS lingoes.

[wut, l8tr, d, u, coz]

It may give the wrong impression noting that you may (but surely not) a little slow during English and spelling class.

Honestly, there’s a full QWERTY keyboard in front of you, not a number pad.

Grammar is not necessarily important as long readers can understand what you are trying to point out.

Content
An engaging content is what most readers look for. Controversial topics can be hot-cakes but avoid them if you are just going to make sweeping statements.

A foot long essay with 10 paragraphs about your pet rabbit that is surely not in the direct interest of your readers will not go down well. Try keeping your posts centred and focused. Random pointless ramblings may be fun, but if I were to read one from a total stranger, I couldn’t be bothered about it.

Applications
It may not give a direct impact but it can surely spruce things up a bit. Music players, chatboxes, photo slides etc. cuts the dullness from the blog. But importantly, try not to make it the main point of your blog if they are just for décor. Make it less intruding, especially music players. Not everyone may share the same music taste as you. Keep it in place where it can be easily seen and the Stop or Pause buttons within reach. Reading a good post with disturbing background music is undoubtedly, a turn off.

There we have it. Some tips that I would have loved to share with the fellow readers. If you have anything that you would like to add on, just drop a comment ;)

The A Team

2008-04-05T09:35:00.000-07:00

What have I done? I’ve got myself not into one but TWO group blogs!

It’s still better than doing it alone, right?

Here goes

20secondslapse and ThePurpleBananas

Songs That Will Make You Sh** In Your Pants II

2008-03-29T06:13:00.000-07:00

You probably wondered how Rage Against The Machine and Guns N Roses can be grouped together. One has Tom Morello and the other Slash. Both are great guitarist of their own time.

That explains.

After picking up a copy of Guitar Hero, not actually the game but the list of songs in it, I finally found the greatest rock songbook ever. And even possible the greatest music songbook.

Describing it in words is just not possible. Here’s the list, with an addition of my favourites (and related) songs.

Don’t sh** in your pants after listening to them.

Roll it on.

Sweet Child O’ Mine – Guns N Roses
Surrender – Cheap Trick
Smoke On the Water – Deep Purple
One – Metallica
Anarchy In the UK – The Sex Pistols
Free Bird – Lynyrd Skynyrd
More Than A Feeling – Boston
Heart Shaped Box – Nirvana
Black Magic Woman – Santana
Rock and Roll All Nite – Kiss
You Really Got Me – Van Halen
Higher Ground – Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Shout At The Devil – Motley Crue
Even Flow – Pearl Jam
I Wanna Be Sedated – The Ramones
Message In A Bottle – The Police
Crossroads – Cream
Killing In The Name – Rage Against The Machine
Pride and Joy – Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
La Grange – ZZ Top
Cherub Rock – Smashing Pumpkins
Ziggy Stardust – David Bowie
Stop – Jane’s Addiction
Them Bones – Alice In Chains
Monkey Wrench – Foo Fighters
Bark At The Moon – Ozzy Osbourne
Barracuda – Heart
Welcome To The Jungle – Guns N Roses
The Number Of the Beast – Iron Maiden
Thunder Kiss ’65 – White Zombie
School’s Out – Alice Cooper
Killer Queen – Queen
Ace Of Spades – Motorhead
No One Knows – Queens Of the Stone Age
You’ve Got Another Thing Comin’ – Judas Priest
Rock You Like A Hurricane - Scorpions
My Name Is Jonas – Weezer
Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand
Search and Destroy – Iggy Pop
Frankenstein – Edgar Winter
Slow Ride – Foghat
Carry On Wayward Son – Kansas
Fat Lip – Sum 41
I Wanna Rock – Twisted Sister
Cochise – Audioslave
Rock This Town – Stray Cats
Girlfriend – Matthew Sweet
Woman – Wolfmother
Crazy On You – Heart
Nothin’ But A Good Time – Poison
Synchronicity II – The Police
I Love Rock N Roll – Joan Jett & The Black Hearts
Sharp Dressed Man – ZZ Top
Bang Your Head – Quiet Riot
No One Like You – Scorpions
Mississippi Queen – Mountain
Godzilla – Blue Oyster Cult
S**k My Kiss – Red Hot Chilli Peppers
Symphony Of Destruction – Megadeth
Bulls On Parade – Rage Against The Machine
Heat Of the Moment – Asia
We Got The Beat – The Go-Go’s
When You Were Young – The Killers
Round and Round – Ratt
18 And Life – Skid Row
Holy Diver – Dio
Cherry Pie – Warrant
What I Like About You – The Romantics
Raining Blood – Slayer
Kool Thing – Sonic Youth
Misirlou – Dick Dale and His Del-Tones
Hold On Loosely - .38 Special
Seventeen – Winger
Cult of Personality – Living Colour
Jessica – The Allman Brothers Band

That was almost 75 of one of the best rock songs loosely base from Guitar Heroes. Its all about the guitar actually. Now comes the part where my personal list comes into view.

Alive and Amplified – The Mooney Suzuki
All Right Now – Free
Almost Easy – Avenged Sevenfold
Anna Molly – Incubus
Are You Going To Be My Girl – Jet
Be Yourself – Audioslave
Beast and the Harlot – Avenged Sevenfold
Beautiful Flower – Default
Billie Jean – Chris Cornell
Bohemian Like You – The Dandy Warhols
Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
Bottom of a Bottle – Smile Empty Soul
The Boys Are Back In Town – Thin Lizzy
Breathing – Yellowcard
Breathing – Stereomud
Cliffs of Dover – Eric Johnson
Cocaine – Eric Clapton
Cold Hard Bitch – Jet
Come On! – The D4
Cowboy Song – Thin Lizzy
Dig – Incubus
Dimension – Wolfmother
Do What You Want – OK Go
Do You Want To – Franz Ferdinand
Downfall – Trust Company
Fall Behind Me – The Donnas
Father Of Mine – Everclear
Heart Full Of Black – Burning Brides
Helicopter – Bloc Party
Here It Goes Again – OK Go
I Am The Highway – Audioslave
Joker & The Thief – Wolfmother
Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door – Eric Clapton
Know Your Enemy – Rage Against The Machine
Lay Down Sally – Eric Clapton
Let It Loose – Rolling Stones
Live and Let Die – Paul McCartney and Wings
Lost Highway – Bon Jovi
Have a Nice Day – Bon Jovi
Mustang Nismo – Brian Tyler and Slash
Original Fire – Audioslave
Paint It Black – Rolling Stones
Paradise City – Guns N Roses
Pretty Handsome Awkward – The Used
Radio Nowhere – Bruce Springsteen
Renegades of Funk – Rage Against The Machine
Rollover DJ – Jet
Shake That Bush Again – The Mooney Suzuki
She’s Waiting – Eric Clapton
Stellar – Incubus
Sunshine Of Your Love – Cream
Sweet Home Alabama – Lynyrd Skynyrd
Take It Off – The Donnas
Once Upon A Time In The West – Bruce Springsteen
Voodoo Child – Jimi Hendrix
Wanted Dead Or Alive – Bon Jovi
What I Want – Daughtry and Slash
Where Eagles Have Been – Wolfmother
The White Unicorn – Wolfmother
You’re So Damn Hot – OK Go
Hotel California - Eagles

That sums up the whole thing. I am very sure that there are definitely other songs that I do not know or forgot to list down. Whatever it is, try to listen to them, if not all maybe half and tell me what you think.

Songs That Will Make You Sh** In Your Pants

2008-03-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

How could Rage Against The Machine be categorised together with Guns N Roses?

They are surprisingly. How? Ill tell you later. For now, listen to Bulls on Parade and the usual Sweet Child O' Mine.

Listen. Feel it.

This is just the epilogue.

NEXT | Michael Crichton

2008-03-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

Is a loved one missing body parts?
Are blondes becoming extinct?
Has a human already cross-bred with a monkey?

We live in a GENETIC WORLD. Fast, frightening - and potentially VERY lucrative. There are designer pets, a genetic cure for drug addiction, a booming market in eggs and sperm. But is there also a talking ape in Borneo? Has a 'master' gene for controlling others been found? Could an innocent man and his family be hunted cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes?

Those first three lines made the difference. Are those things even possible? The first seem reasonable. Bones dug out just before a body to be cremated for personal reasons or what not. But the other two just seem a little out of place.

I’m not going to spoil the book so I am going to write in a relatively grey area. Just enough suspense to let you get hooked onto it but covering enough of the juicy parts to leave it hanging.

Okay. The book simply talks about genetic engineering and what are the possibilities behind them. I tell you after reading the book, human cloning look very much possible. Although from an ethical standpoint it is not possible, but scientifically I can say it will happen.

Before this, I have always thought biotechnology and genetic engineering to be less glamorous. No doubt it still is, but the possibilities are endless. The book definitely divulge in the dark side of it.

It discusses a lot about genetic engineering from a social standpoint. How we are playing God and basic human rights on the possession of our own cells. The author manages to weave all those technical facts into a few small stories, yet they are related – like the movie Babel.

From what I have read from the book, biotechnological companies are starting to patent genes that they have found to be useful. In reality, it isn’t actually happening as fast as what is described in the book. But I believe that some parts of the book are true in terms of gene patenting. It is not for certain whether it is against the law, but again socially and ethically, it is. In fact if does, we all are infringing the law.

I, like the author, strongly agree that gene patenting should be stopped altogether. It is clearly against the work of God. What right do we have to own something that we can create, and created by Him only?

Another thing that is discussed within the book is the rights of our tissues after it is removed from us.

This fiction book truly discusses a heavy topic that is fast becoming a global norm. Potential students that are planning to be in the medical field should understand and know the impending dark side to it. It is not merely doing research in a lab. A doctor has to draw conclusions from both scientifically and socially. For certain, there will definitely be a clash of thoughts. The conscience plays a vital role at this moment rather than logical thinking.

Back to the point. Rights of our tissue after it have been removed. It is human nature to give something, but still have a sense of attachment to it. We give someone a present, and every time we see it we remember back the exact place, time and crucially the price of the item. However, we do not have control over it, as we have given it to someone. Tissues are slightly complicated and it doesn’t work out that simple.

From what I have written, it sounds as if the book can be very technical. No doubt there are parts, but it is cleverly written between the lines. It has enough action, suspense and even some drama to keep the excitement coming page after page. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Weekend in Review | The Iceman Cools Malaysia

2008-03-23T19:59:00.000-07:00

After a dominant weekend for McLaren in Australia, the whole party moves to Malaysia. Hot, humid and possibly wet at the same times prove to be a problem for a few of the teams.

After a dismissal start, Ferrari dominated the timesheets for all three days and importantly, during the qualifying itself. Ferrari locked the first row of the grid, with McLaren is the second, but later demoted five places each due to impeding Nick Heidfeld and Fernando Alonso, resulting in a final starting place of eight and ninth respectively.

To be honest, when I saw the video again it looks that the only driver that is NOT impeding the both of them was Kimi Raikkonen. He was well ahead of that bunch of cars that was grouped together.

The weather isn’t what was predicted. It should have been wet, but the rain never came, both days. Only until the chequered flag was waved did the rain come. Apart from Malaysia the other countries that can show a possibility of a wet race is Belgium, Singapore, Japan, China and Brazil. Expect a dry season in Europe. And if does rain in Singapore, it’ll be very interesting as it’s at night.

The Malaysian Grand Prix started as usual, 1500 local time. Both Ferraris got a good start, except that Felippe Massa looks like he was pushing Raikkonen sideways. McLaren got a good start as well, with Hamilton jumping to fifth from his ninth place. The big loser was Heidfeld. He did get third initially at the start, almost siding with the Ferrari. But he lost out in the jumble down turn 2. Dropped all the way to the back of the top ten.

It was an incident free, except Adrian Sutil spun off into gravel trap. No safety car, only waved yellow. The Ferraris were clearly dominating and lead by a healthy margin.

Compared to the Australian Grand Prix last weekend, Malaysia was not as dramatic as the previous race. Clearly it looked like a Ferrari one-two until Massa spun off into the gravel trap after possibly hitting a slippery patch on the circuit. Other than that, Hamilton’s right wheel won’t come off resulting in him not able to leap frog Mark Webber.

To sum it up, it was definitely a Ferrari dominating weekend and for Raikkonen too. It should have been clearly a one-two finish, but Massa could not hold on to his car. Not much action on the track and the forecast not holding up to what was expected.

BMW was the next biggest winner, with a strong second finish. It was good, especially since it was their main sponsor home race. Toyota was looking upbeat as well, since Jarno Trulli managed to drive all the way to fourth.

So, we’ll be heading to Bahrain in two weeks before the troop moves back to Europe after that!

Live and Let Die

2008-03-21T02:39:00.000-07:00

It was an instant favourite at the moment I heard it. It was just amazing. Paul McCartney sure did a good job in composing the song. The song was used in a Bond movie with the same title. It even got itself into a rock version, with Guns ‘N Roses playing the cover.

The song itself isn’t that catchy but it has more or less in the same tune with Bohemian Rhapsody. It’s like two songs in one. People go and listen to it!

True to the title, I was thinking, maybe I need a list of things or a to-do list before I die. Here it is then.

Ride the fastest rollercoaster.
Ride the tallest rollercoaster.
Bungee jump.
BASE jump.
Shoot a moving object.
Shoot from a moving object.
Drive on the Autobahn.
Drive around the historical Nurburgring circuit.
Climb a mountain.
Rock-climbing, naturally. Not in a sports complex.
Place stink bombs in a central conditioning vent.
Own an iPhone.
Surf in the Pacific. Not at an artificial wave generator.
Snowboard.
Start an avalanche without risking anyone during or after the process.
Fly a plane.
Drive halfway around the world.
Watch an F1 race other than Malaysia.
Go to South America.
Start or join a band, whichever seems more successful.
Be a dot com millionaire.
Invent a product that will be used by everyone.
Make sure if my name is Googled or looked up in any search engine, the first result would be me, not someone with the same name.
Start a fire without matches.
Involved in a heist in Venice or Las Vegas.
Visit the Amazon.
Watch a live concert.
Go deep sea fishing.

For now, it looks as if those are the only things that could come out from my mind. If I have anymore ideas, I’ll get it posted.