Archive for December, 2005

31
Dec

::: summary :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: General

Today is the last day of year 2005, so I will just write down some summary of year 2005 or what happened, what I had done and etc.

1. Maria finally moved to KL. We used to have a long distance relationship when she was residing in Singapore.
2. Bought Maria a Shih Tzu as a birthday gift. It turned out to be one of the best gift I have ever given to someone because Fluffy the Shih Tzu turned out to be a wonderful and adorable boy.
3. Quit my previous job with a Singaporean company. It was a major blow because of many issues. But I got over it and learnt a lot of positive things there.
4. Got a major career slump because of a bad move, and learnt my valuable mistake then.
5. Landed another job, but the bad thing was the 2 months training period in Kluang, a in-the-middle-of-nowhere town in Johor.
6. Did a lot of self-evaluation and self-realizing, combined with the lessons I learnt to develop a new set of dreams.
7. Made certain move and started to implement the things that I always wanted to do.
8. A few friends of mine came back from U.S., namely Yong Tze and Wee Ping, and we had a great time. And then a few friends from Singapore came to visit!
9. A lot of my friends are getting married. Had to attend shitload of wedding dinners almost every month.
10. Writing this blog… the last blog of 2005!

Anyway, I would like to wish ya’ll a ….

Happy New Year!

28
Dec

::: the countdown starts :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: General and friends

I don’t feel like writing anything right now because I am really sleepy and tired. I woke up early in the morning to send Maria to go to KLIA, and now I feel like a zombie…

Last night I took Allen to Bak Kut Teh (direct translation: meat bone tea. But it is actually pork in Chinese herbal soup) in Subang SS14. Surprisingly, his father joined us (Allen’s father is running a company in KL but Allen is residing in Singapore) and we had a great time. Unfortunately, his father left very early (and his father paid for the dinner! *claps*)

Actually I felt bad for allowing his father to buy us dinner because I was the damn host! Luckily I got the chance to redeem myself at Darusalem (or however you spell that damn name) mamak in Subang SS15. We spent hours talking about many things, the jokes we had experienced ourself, and of course making some sensitive jokes that offended a Malay lady on the next door. We stayed until 12 plus am (and that’s why I am so fucking tired today) and we had lots of fun.

Anyway, I am too tired to write so will just post my son’s pictures … Enjoy :P

Click on image for the enlarged version


Click on image for the enlarged version

27
Dec

::: the christmas thingy :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: General and friends

It’s just another Christmas. For me, Christmas is just another public holiday, but this time it is special because I have someone special to spend a wonderful Christmas with me. Believe it or not, this is the very first time that my girlfriend spend Christmas with me.

Another wonderful thing happened during this Christmas is that a friend of mine, Allen, came from Singapore so we hung out at Sungai Wang Plaza on Sunday afternoon. Trust me, avoid Sungai Wang Plaza at all cost during the weekend and festive seasons (public holidays). The traffic was really bad, and then it rained! The traffic turned from bad to ultra bad. And then that damn place was so crowded, as if those people are deprieved from shopping and all of them just rushed there. Damn!

Anyway, about this Allen. He is a hunk. He is tall, very handsome, witty, funny, gentle and kind at the same time. Too bad girls, he’s married to a lovely woman. Anyway, this is not an advertising space, so let’s move on.

This is actually the very first time that we met. We knew each other through Internet Relay Chat (IRC) on DALnet for many years, and both of us were in the States last time. Anyway, we talked on DALnet almost daily, and we formed a close friendship. Not many years ago, he went back to Singapore and we lost touch right after that.

Luckily, I stumbled upon his blog space [website] (thanks to Jason!) and then we started talking again. (PS: Bro, I keep advertising your page, you gotta give me some fee! :P)

It was a wonderful experience and it was like we had known each other for ages. Tonight I will be meeting him and his wife again for dinner before he goes back to Singapore tomorrow.

23
Dec

::: a VERY quiet Friday :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: life

Today is ultra quiet. I have no idea what went wrong. There are not a lot of car around MPPJ area (normally there will be shitload of cars around this time of the month due to the banking available here) and during lunch time, there are not a lot of people as well.

Maybe because this is Friday, the Friday before Christmas holidays so everyone just didn’t have the motivation to work. Hell, even my phone calls are lesser today, and when I tried to call my customers, they all sounded very sleepy.

Damn, I don’t have the motivation as well…

22
Dec

::: a VERY weird thursday :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: weird shit

Today is a weird day. First of all, I went to IOI Business Park and when I was done with my appointment, I lost my parking ticket. The weird thing was that when I was taking money out from my breast pocket, I saw the ticket. In a blink of an eye, it was gone! So I was fined RM20 for a stupid lost ticket.

And then, on the way back, I was suddenly hit by arthritis pain on my right leg (No. I am not that old yet, so please refrain from leaving comment that I am old or that kind of shit. I don’t mind people leaving comment like complimenting my look, my intelligence, and all that tho). I mean, it was so bad that I had trouble standing, and I had trouble driving the damn car as well.

And then, my car alarm system gone missing in action. I had problem with the central lock and alarm system just 1.5 months ago, and I brought it to the Service Center to get it fixed. Out of no where, the blardy central lock and alarm system were dead again. So I brought my car back to the Service Center, and spent an hour waiting for the people to fix it.

After an hour, I got my car back, and I pressed the remote control. Guess what? NOTHING HAPPENED. Yup. Nothing. So I confronted the Service Center rep and he told me that he got time to service my car (?) only and no time to fix the central lock and alarm. They are suspecting that there are some wiring issues with my car. What the fuck? I didn’t ask them to service my car! I only asked them to friggin repair the central lock and alarm system! I just service my car like few weeks back! Damn those fucking idiots! Anyway, it was pretty late already and I got no choice but to make an appointment JUST to check on the wiring system.

And then, Maxis has decided to be a licensed loan shark and cut off my phone line. I got my statement 4 days ago and the Statement Account stated that the due date is January 9, 2006 (that’s next year, babe) and somehow, they gave me a call to ask me to pay up on Tuesday. I asked the lady for a reason why should I pay earlier since the due date is not until next year, and she didn’t offer me any explaination. She just said, “Sorry sir, please remit your payment as soon as possible” and hung up on me. Of course, during that time, I didn’t give a damn about it.

Today, I can’t make calls suddenly and I can’t even SMS out. So I quickly logged on to the Maxis website (thanks to the technology for WiFi. I have forgotten how to use a damn payphone) and logged a complained. It was a harsh complaint and very quickly, a senior customer service girl called and I just made a lot of noise. The conversation is as below:

Me: Can you please explained to me what the hell is all this? I have been using Maxis for so long and this is how you treat a loyal customer? This kind of service is totally unacceptable and when the MNP (Mobile Number Portability) takes into effect, I will switch instantly.

Maxis: I am sorry sir. I think it was the Collection Department (a nice way to say the Loan Shart Department) called and they are not trained to handle customer.

Me: That’s not an excuse! If they are not trained, then they should not be authorized to call me. Furthermore, what the hell is the DUE DATE for in the Statement of Account? If you want me to pay earlier, then you should put that into the DUE DATE and I will pay instantly!

Maxis: Sir, sorry for the inconveniences, but it was due to the fact that you (that’s me, for those who are intelligently challenged) didn’t pay the full payment last month and apparently you have an outstanding of … *long pause* … RM 6.20.”

*Another long pause*

Me: Excuse me? Did you just say RM 6.20?

Maxis : Yes… erm… RM 6.20….

Me: *almost shouting* So you are telling me that you are cutting off my line just because I have an outstanding of RM 6.20?? Then you should not set the limit on your payment kiosk at RM400! (The bill for last month was RM 406.20)

Maxis: I am sorry sir… sorry… *hesitate for a full two seconds* but can you please remit the payment?

Me: *again, almost shouting* Yeah! So for RM 6.20, you are going to charge me the stupid reconnection fee and all that? Oh my! This is not Customer Service. This is Rip Off!

Maxis: ……….

Me: Nevermind! I will pay it today. I will definitely change provider when the MNP takes into effect!

So I paid them RM 600 in advance to prevent this kind of shit from happening again.

Damn those idiots!

—————————————
POST: December 23, 2005

From: Customer Service
Mailed-By: maxis.com.my
To: aXXXXX
Date: Dec 23, 2005 2:48 PM
Subject: RE: Maxis Corporate Website Feedback (Personal Solutions - Existing Customer)
Reply | Reply to all | Forward | Print | Add sender to Contacts list | Delete this message | Report phishing | Show original | Message text garbled?

Dear Mr. Ang,

Thank you for contacting Maxis. We tried to contact you but were not successful.

We have checked and one of our consultants (Azlina) has explained the matter to you on the 22 December 2005 via telephone.

For your information, your Maxis Mobile account will be barred, should one of the following screnario occurs.

1. Exceed credit limit RM1,100.00 (Unbill amount + Outstanding Amount)
2. payment is not received by the payment due date

However, as a gesture of goodwill, we have decided to extend a one-time rebate amounting to RM30 to offset the charges incurred in your next month bill dated 10 January 2006.

We hope this clarify your enquiry. P Please do not hesitate to call us at 03-74922123 or 123 from your Maxis Mobile Number or email us at customercare@maxis.com.my for further assistance.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Leong Yen Ching
Customer Services
—————————————-
About time!! At least they are doing something about it!

22
Dec

::: coffee :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: about me

I seriously think that I am consuming too much coffee nowadays.

Let’s see:

1 cup in the morning

1 cup in the mid morning

1 cup during lunch or tea break

1 cup at night (normally after dinner)

1 cup during evening (sometimes before dinner) and then 1 cup after dinner.

Damn, this is so unhealthy. I also noticed that I consumed good’ol plain water less nowadays. Maybe just 2 cups a day? No wonder I feel so strange and I seriously need to cut down on my coffee consumption and I need to drink more goddamn plain water!

21
Dec

::: the ring :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: about me, friends and life

Surprisingly, no one sent me hate mails or whatsoever in the “Guy’s Rules” post, which is a good thing because generally I get a lot of hate mails everyday.

Last night an old friend of mine called. It has been a long time since we last talked, and she sounded happy. Well, let’s call this lady friend of mine T. I have known her since I was in Primary 3 (about age 9 or 10?) and we had played badminton together since then. But after our graduation, we went on a different path and then we lost touch a bit. But we wrote each other letters and she called me once a while from a pay phone (her housing area that time didn’t have any phone line, so she has to go out to make calls).

Before I went off to U.S., I tried to contact her but she didn’t have any phone system, so I wrote her. Unfortunately, I heard that she moved too, so we lost touch. 3 months after I went to U.S., my parents moved to a new place as well, and we have completely and totally lost touch for 7 years.

And then, in year 2002, I came back, and I met with few friends. It just so happened that an old friend of mine knew T also. So I called her. To my surprise, she was married when she was 20 (or is it 21 years old?), and she was a mother of 3! Yesterday when she called me, her daughter is already few months old (the latest delivery, and now the kids head count to 4!), I think…

It has been years since I last met her (more than 10 years ago). Even though I came back for few years already, I didn’t want to visit her because now she’s a married woman for years and she is busy with her kids, so I just didn’t want to disturb her life. And I have been busy with my life too, so we just drifted apart. But talking to her brought back fond memories and warm feelings because we are such good friends and we have known each other for so long. It was great talking to her, except for few things…

T bombarded me with marriage questions, like if I had a girlfriend, when am I going to get married, do I plan to have kids, and etc. Oh! She also warned me not to forget about her when I get married. She definitely wanted wanted to attend my wedding!

Damn, why is everyone around me asking me the same question? Am I that old?

19
Dec

::: the guy’s rules :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: General and life

We always hear “the rules” from the female side. Now here are the rules from the male side.

1. Men ARE NOT mind readers.

1. Learn to work the toilet seat. You’re a big girl. If it’s up, put it down. We need it up, you need it down. You don’t hear us complaining about you leaving it down.

1. Sunday sports. It’s like the full moon or the changing of the tides. Let it be.

1. Shopping is NOT a sport. And no, we are never going to think of it that way.

1. Crying is blackmail.

1. Ask for what you want. Let us be clear on this one: Subtle hints do not work! Strong hints do not work! Obvious hints do not work! Just say it!

1. Yes and No are perfectly acceptable answers to almost every question.

1. Come to us with a problem only if you want help solving it. That’s what we do. Sympathy is what your girlfriends are for.

1. A headache that lasts for 17 months is a problem. See a doctor.

1. Anything we said 6 months ago is inadmissible in an argument. In fact, all comments become null and void after 7 Days.

1. If you won’t dress like the Victoria’s Secret girls, don’t expect us to act like soap opera guys.

1. If you think you’re fat, you probably are. Don’t ask us.

1. If something we said can be interpreted two ways and one of the ways makes you sad or angry, we meant the other one.

1. You can either ask us to do something or tell us how you want it done. Not both. If you already know best how to do it, just do it yourself.

1. Whenever possible, please say whatever you have to say during commercials.

1. Christopher Columbus did NOT need directions and neither do we.

1. ALL men see in only 16 colors, like Windows default settings. Peach, for example, is a fruit, not a color. Pumpkin is also a fruit. We have no idea what mauve is.

1. If it itches, it will be scratched. We do that.

1. If we ask what is wrong and you say “nothing,” we will act like nothing’s wrong. We know you are lying, but it is just not worth the hassle.

1. If you ask a question you don’t want an answer to, expect an answer you don’t want to hear.

1. When we have to go somewhere, absolutely anything you wear is fine…Really.

1. Don’t ask us what we’re thinking about unless you are prepared to discuss such topics as baseball, the shotgun formation, or golf.

1. You have enough clothes.

1. You have too many shoes.

1. I am in shape. Round IS a shape!

1. Thank you for reading this. Yes, I know, I have to sleep on the couch tonight. But did you know men really don’t mind that? It’s like camping.

These are our rules!
Please note… these are all numbered “1″ ON PURPOSE!

18
Dec

::: king kong :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: movie

** Spoiler ahead! ** (not really)

Just watched King Kong recently, and to be honest, it is exactly (almost) the same as the original King Kong. Peter Jackson (the director of Lord of the Rings trilogy) has done an excellent job on the 2005 King Kong.

Well, the movie is 3 hours long, but you won’t feel that it was such a long movie because it was action packed from the start of the movie till the very end (except the introduction part that lasted about 20 minutes, but the introduction was necessary for character development).

The fight scene between Kong and the T-Rexes were especially good. Thanks to the new technology available, it was so live-like and the action is really smooth. A word of caution to those who cannot take violent: don’t watch the scene. Hey! Come on! What do you expect? It was a fight between survival of each, and it involved the bloody T-Rexes, so how can it be tame and clean (meaning: not bloody)?

Of course, if you have watched the original King Kong, you’ll notice that Kong is almost as huge as the Empire State Building. That was the way to make it scarier and give those innocent viewers (hey, it was the early 1900!) a sense of how large our Kong is. Unfortunately, the new Kong is so small when he climbed to the top of Empire State Building.

Naomi Watts is really sweet looking as Ann Darrow (the infamous screaming freak lead character in the original) and she has a superb performance in the movie. But I can’t help but noticed her teeth for the whole movie. It is not as bad as a rabbit, but it is still very noticeable if you know what I mean… I know I am nit picking and I am such as ass, but I just can’t help it…

Check it out. It is honestly one of the best movies in 2005. I have watched a few but most of them suck badly, and if there’s only one movie to recommend you to watch, it would be King Kong.

Check out the official King Kong [website].

17
Dec

::: the kuay teow man :::

By Adrian 0 Comments
Categories: Entertaintment and friends

Kuay Teow (translate: flat rice noodle) is ranked as among the most popular food in Malaysia, and it comes with various variety. People can fried it, or make curry chicken soup with kuay teow. No wonder million pounds of kuay teow are served daily.

Speaking of kuay teow, I remember clearly an indicent many years back (around 10 years ago?) that I went out with a friend, Bernard, who can’t speak Mandarin nor Cantonese. He is our very typical banana man that can speak ultra fluent English but can’t even write his name in Chinese. We were close friends and slowly but surely, he asked me to teach him Mandarin and Cantonese.

His roommates were Chinese speaking dudes, so I took up the responsibilities to teach him Cantonese, and there were a lot of funny and memorable incidents. Strangely enough, one of the incidents involved our beloved kuay teow…

I still remember that it was a sunny afternoon, and we went to KL for some shopping and checking out those beautiful women. After spending some time doing nothing, we went across Sungai Wang shopping mall for lunch. There was this famous curry chicken hawker that I visited frequently, so naturally I took him there.

Here is the conversation that took place (in Cantonese, but I take the liberty to translate for you guys who can’t really speak Cantonese) …

Bernard: Hello auntie, may I have a curry chicken mee? (translation: noodle)
Auntie: Sorry my dear. Mee is sold out. (From the way he speaks, the lady knew instantly that he couldn’t speak Cantonese very well)
Bernard: Hmm… in that case, bei guai tiu la (*Correct* translation: can you give me kuay teow instead?)

Everyone around there, including the patrons, bursted into laughters. Even the hawker auntie was laughing her ass out. All I could do was looking at him with my eyes going to pop-out, and then I dutifully did my laughing part.

Bernard: Hmm.. auntie, what’s wrong?
Auntie: Oh nothing (still laughing like mad)… just take a seat first ya? (laughed louder)

The problem is, when he said “Bei guai tiu”, he basically was telling the auntie off, and the direction translation for that phrase is “let the ghost fuck you”. Because he couldn’t speak Cantonese very well, his pronounciation was way off and instead of asking the auntie to give him kuay teow, he asked the auntie to be fucked by a ghost!

I noticed a guy got choke by his own food nearby, and a girl was wiping tears from her eyes. I slowly walked away while laughing, and pretended that I didn’t know him at all…

Years later, Bernard is now residing in Hong Kong, and taking up training as a pilot for Cathay Pacific. Oh, and after years of training, he can speaking ultra fluent Cantonese now.

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