Earth Hour 2009 & TwentySevenHundred

As I sit here in total darkness (well, except for my 21" Sony) stumbling over my laptop's keypad, authoring my blog, I empathize with the faith of the poor 2,700 Agilent souls that would cease to exist from this former HP spin-off company.

Ok, back to Earth Hour, it was a pleasant surprise to see all my neighbors (well almost all) switching their lights off. Actually, I almost forgot, watching Malaysian badminton exponents battling out (yes, battling) with some 2nd stringers from India and failing miserably. Well, after the post Prakash Padukone era, I couldn't recall any name coming out from this 1 billion people continent. Duh !

Anyway, kudos to those that have contributed in some way or another to preserve what is left of our beloved Mother Earth. Viv called and apparently, they just managed to rush home after dinner to switch off the lights ! Yeah ! She was asking whether she should switch on the TV :-) Of course, coz I was doing it - can't live without this bloody idiot box, I guess.

Ah, back to the grim economic reality - the common buzz word nowadays seems be the three awful letters - VSS. 'V' supposedly stands for Voluntary, but trust me, not many people bother to volunteer, not at this moment, as humankind is seeking for the "Bottom". Well, whether we like it or not, something has to give and in less than 3 weeks time, the "victims" would have been identified. Fingers crossed, fingers crossed. Wonder if I can find any work in Ipoh, lest at these dire times. Sigh ! Like Tecky said, "Let the culling begin . . . "

Best of luck, everyone !

On behalf of Mother Earth, a big 'Thank You' to those that have supported this simple but noble praxis.

Ciao ! Gotta go switch back on the lights . . . . . .

I'm Back !

Well, gosh, it has been like an eternity since I last posted anything. Ha-ha, I can briskly offer a bunch of excuses - no, not just plain lazy, lar. You see, since I got my loaned Nikon D-SLR from my bro-in-law last Christmas, most of my time has been gobbled up with this new passion of mine - photography. Spent most of my lonely weekends in Penang taking a gazillion amount of photos, going to spots in Penang that I would not have gone.

Now, spending time taking photos are one thing, but in actual fact, much more time is spent in doing the post-processing work, particularly the fun in experimenting the various creative method via the digital darkroom approach. Put it this way, probably I would not have indulged myself into the photography field if we are still stuck in the film area :-)

Anyway, if you have some time and interested in the appreciation of photographic artistry (photography and arts are very much mutually associated now), check out some the photos in my Flickr website. It is also portrayed at the right side on the main page of my Blogger page. Feel free to drop in any constructive comment ! With the advent of digital photography nowadays, Flickr is one of the really cool creative photo/video-hosting website to enable us to share our photos and essentially, to form a personal network or community. If you are not a member yet, do check it out.

Well, I wanna talk a little about my beloved soccer team - Liverpool. I have been utterly gutted the past few months, looking at the way how the Reds kept dropping precious points at home against sides which 'supposedly to be beaten'. With Man Utd continuing to garner points consistently, Liverpool is evidently trailing behind now. Having said this, the past two matches performances (vs. Real Madrid in the Champs League & yesterday vs. Man Utd in the English BPL) have been incredibly surreal. Pumping in 8 goals in total (and conceding only one thru a penalty) past these 2 biggest clubs in the world, within the span of 4 days was just un-thinkable ! For me, the most memorable has to be the 4 goals Liverpool blasted past the 'sure-win' Red Devils. You could have asked every soccer pundits or fans and they would tell you Liverpool would crash and burn at Old Trafford, prior to the match. Huh ! Huh ! Stranger things happened, I guess ! I believed the pressure to win and the hunger to defy the odds, had augured well for the underdogs. Doing a double on their arch-rival (Liverpool also beat Man Utd at Anfield earlier in the season) was the final icing on the cake, and not forgetting that this is the biggest margin of victory since 1936. Utterly breath-taking. Moving forward, I sincerely hope Liverpool can march on with the same fiery determination towards the end of the season, inclusive of the Champions League.

--- "You'll Never Walk Alone !" ---

Buckle Up !

Caught this in yesterday's paper. I'm sure as we approach the New Year, there will be a lot more hoo-hah on this and I'll bet our beloved government will keep rectifying the criteria . . .

Personally, since my good ol' jalopy was registered way back in 1992, I wouldn't care less, or should I ? Well, as stated here, the rear passengers in my car will not need to buckle up. However, I'm starting to imagine already (if I ever get stopped by one of our esteemed police personnel), with the police quizzing me as to why my passengers not wearing the seat-belts - since I have them there already. Sigh, that's how Malaysia regulations go lar, there's always a loop-hole of ambiguity, somewhere, somehow. Guess I should just keep this newspaper cut-out in my car then . . . . at least until when I have the dough to change my jalopy !

Ho-Ho-Ho.

Introspection

If you are having a grandeur of a life now, probably you will want to skip this blog entry of mine :-) If you perceive I'm being too long-winded, well, think again, when you hit mid-life . . . .



Seemingly these days, I've been indulging quite a bit in self-reflection, mulling over my inner thoughts (of desires, hopes, despair, frustration, etc.) and soul. After having staggered through half of my life-time (hopefully :-) ), I should have sufficient capacity to exercise some self-observation. On the other hand, needing to do this may not be a good thing I guess, coz if one is currently enjoying a charming life, there is nothing to ponder about, right ?

I've been experiencing quite a bit in loathing of the soul nowadays. At any moment of time, Life can never be fair, but in the long run, will everything equal itself out ? Deep inside, I'm praying it will be, soon. People says, Change is good. Is it ? My life has been reverberating quite a good deal the last half a decade or so, resonating between the peaks and valleys within the wide spectrum of emotional upheaval, although it appears that I've been spending most of my time in those lonely and dispirited valleys instead :-( Aargh, when can I crawl myself out of this black hole ? One year, 5 years, a decade or till eternity ? Like Viv says and I concur : Day by day, night by night - yes, my life's vista is only that small of a window, each hour, each minute, each second, wearily waiting for that faint light of hope. Guess this wispy promise of a better tomorrow will have to be my guidance and encouragement for now. When can I be reunited with my family ? When can I resurrect my listless career, or will there be any positive twist of fate ? When will my financial situation improve, from the current 'survival' mode ? Well, I imagine the next 24 months would be pivotal for the next half century (or probably less) of my existence. Fingers crossed, that my family and I will not need to labor through much choppy waters, by then.

May God Bless . . . .

From Beijing to London

Well, time flies and after an eventful fortnight of constant chasing and following-up with the latest and greatest on the tube (aka Astro), the Beijing Olympics baton was finally 'handed over' to the mayor of the city of London, where the 2012 event will be hosted. Arguably, this Olympics has been my most watched ever, partly with the wide coverage on Astro. Somehow, I didn't remember much of the 2004 Athens event, probably because I was in the U.S. with my family then.

Anyway, the Beijing Olympics has been pretty eventful, right till the end, with the incredulous Taekwondo incident, where an unruly (over-80kg category) Cuban exponent launched a flying kick at the referee for discontinuing the bronze medal fight due to the longer than allowed injury time taken by this 2004 Gold medalist ! So much for the Olympics spirit ! Needless to say, both the exponent and his coach have been banned for life. Talking about rage ! And, the exponent's first name is Angel :-)



Well, I'm not going to blabber about the countless drama and happenings during the course of the 2 weeks, but just couldn't resist to take a jab at the Datukship bestowed upon our Mr Badminton Silver Medalist ! Now, I have no objection of the 300K, or even the monthly 3K pension granted to Chong Wei, but awarding the Datukship, was just plain silly and well, I just felt it was purely of a political stance. He just basically played to his ranking, and even if he would have won the gold medal, I wouldn't agree that the Datukship should be conferred. Anyway, this will be my last Olympic's comment !
[Update : :-), now Misbun will also get a Datukship and RM60K as pocket money !]

One sporting event ends, another just begin - Yes ! The Barclay's English Premier League, and for those of you who're scratching your heads - English Soccer season has started . . . . Duh ! Go Liverpool !

The Lone Ranger Rides Again !

Gosh, how time flies when you are having fun with your loved ones ! All the last 120+ hours of it, at my Home Sweet Ipoh Home. What a drag, driving home this morning. Sigh. Gotta wait another 9 dreary days before can see my family and Comet again. Wonder how long can I bear this long distance commute. If I only have the dough to drive to and fro - in a nice, comfortable and powerful auto with no regards to petrol cost or the casual 'saman' from our friends in black and white.


Sigh ! No matter how efficiently I drive my 16-year old jalopy, it still costs me a bomb for the return trip, a big No Thanks to the RM2.70 per liter of ancient liquid, called petrol ! Will see how much our puny headed govt reduce the price next month ;-|


Talking about Comet, he's now the family 'rooster' coz at exactly 7.30 am (well, give or take 10 min), you will hear him squealing, waiting for Viv to greet and play with him. Such an extremely playful dog. The kids and Viv leashed him out for a walk the other day, and our dearest canine friend was trying his best to get friendly with a few 'bigger' dogs in the neighborhood, barking and hassling them. What a daring and nonchalant 3-month old doggie !

Anyway got a pleasant price checking in to work today, as apparently one of my projects earned a Merit award via the Agilent Innovates program, thus, was bestowed a smalli$h windfall :-) Cool ! I could really use the money to buy some fuel for my frequent Ipoh trips. Time to send my jalopy for service already, before my next trip back. Jeez, compared to last time, I need to service only once a year, but nowadays, I will hit 5000 km in just a handful of months, and the motor oil and tire has been on a constant price hike. Ouch !

Recess !

Wow, seems like eons since I last updated my blog, almost 2 months actually . . . . have been kinda busy, lazy or probably too much Facebooking ? :-)

Anyway, TGIF tomorrow, and I'll be back in Ipoh for 5 days. It's the kids' school holidays and also, trying to contribute to the company's financial by clearing some of my leave ! As a matter of fact, I've been sauntering to and fro Penang-Ipoh-Penang for the past month and a half to help Viv and the kids set-up our new place in Ipoh. Gosh, it's like a never-ending job, investing loads of effort, time, and $$$$. Sob, sob, there goes my D-80 DSLR :-( Well, at least I know Viv and the kids will have a lot more fun hanging out in their own house. Oops, Viv, the kids and little Comet ! Who's Comet ? Ha-ha, he's our 'pudden head looking, but pretty intelligent' canine - courtesy of a good friend. Extremely playful and the family (esp. Viv) loves him so much. Check him out :-


He knows how to 'sit' and 'shake hands' now :-) Good for the kids too - impart on them some responsibilities in taking care of another living being and the mutual exchange of endearment. Can't wait to hit the road again tomorrow !

Promised myself not to bring this up, but well, I think I'll feel better if I just holler out a little. What/who else, our 'intelligent looking, but pudden headed' govt - ha-ha, the total opposite of Comet ! The more they say or defend themselves, the more bemusingly dullard they seem to be. Duh ! Looking at the staple diet of soap operas - "The Mongolian Mystery", "Sodomy I & II", "Honey, I Found Another Billion Ringgit Under The Drawer I, II, III, IV, etc.", "Let's Go Nuke", "The Conspiracy Theory" and not forgetting the latest blockbuster - "Pirated Police Gear", I couldn't but felt totally helpless as to whether I would ever live long enough to see this country wholesomely and truthfully achieve the Developed Country status. Probably won't be within my life-time, if things still stay as status quo or worse. Sigh !
Nuff said !

Seventh Heaven

Aargh ! Got conned ! As promised to TT, I'm supposed to buy her Häagen-Dazs coz with her constant pestering to co-author a technical paper for external publication (so she could sell more switches !), I was fortunate to get a small windfall$ after it was selected to be published in the May issue of Agilent's Measurement Journal. Pretty prestigious one, you know !

So, off we went for ice-cream, after our lunch at Q-Bay, with the initial thought of getting her a pint, but CC, PM, KY and TT suggested that we just sat down and eat. Wrong move - depending from who's view, I mean ;-) Couldn't really just grab a pint to be shared among 5 persons, right ? Pai-seh lar. Flicking thru the menu, 'we' decided that the 'Seventh Heaven' (7 normal size scoops) should be sufficient to satisfy these 5 souls :-). Thought of the Fondue, but, the bite size scoops just not worth it lar.





Check out those pics. Ha-ha, forwarded them to YP, who was still pitifully stuck in Kelantan, then :-). There's always a next time, Ok !

Oh yeah, was told that currently, no discount via any credit card (used to get 10% off, via Citibank's). Luckily, TT got her member's card with her, so, the 20% discount did help.

p.s.
KY also received a monetary windfall from her paper - probably she should buy us Baskin-Robbins, huh ? To compensate YP ??

A 13-Year Retrospect

Today should be a day of celebration, one of the more significant annual joyous diversion, coz this is the 13th blessed year of wedding anniversary between Viv and I. I said 'should' because, due to a more compelling unforeseen circumstance occurred half a year ago, it was mutually agreed that a sacrifice was a necessity, splitting the family back to Ipoh. Don't get me wrong, as Viv and I are not pondering over whether this has been the best decision. Just that, we can't help enkindle the usual "why us" sighs. Viv and I will always abide by our beliefs that we should always give more than we take, and this is what we will strive to continue to uphold. Nevertheless, just being human, sometimes among the sporadic continuum of depression and melancholy that inevitably hit us (like today), we do question and wonder where our holistic actions and decisions will lead us to. The combo of being separated from one's soul-mate and off-springs, coupled with the never-ending unpleasant reality of financial $hort-coming$, can really stress the hell out of one's soul. On some days, I am just trying to hold on to my dear life and how I wish I could just simply pinch myself and wake up in a gusto, from this nightmare. (Sigh) Sadly, it's all wishful thinking. Reality bites, painfully.

Some folks have been actually congratulating me (hopefully they meant it to be a joke) for being a bachelor again ! If this comes from a bachelor, well, I wouldn't fault him too much, but I really hate it, esp. if it orginates from a married person ! No class at all, man ! Zilch, zero, nada. How in the world can you rejoice, for being separated from your loved ones ! Have heard frequent re-assurance blabber that the separation is just 1.5 hours away, but trust me, it does not help much, esp. when it's time to bid our goodbyes, either on Monday mornings or Sunday afternoons. It really hurts, and I shudder thinking about it everytime. Lumbering back to the once merry home, which is all devoid of laughter, shoutings, jokes, etc. now. Every corner of the house evoke memories of Viv, Chloe & Ryan. Gosh, it's so quiet that sometimes I thought I'm hearing my own sighing echo ! For the past few months, having TF around, has been an utter welcome of good distraction and great company, though.

Have been pondering how long this near 40-year old will have to linger around Penang and packing back "Chap Fan" home every evening. Definitely, not something I would have envisioned many moons ago. How long more to go ? A year, 5 years, a decade ? I really hate to be alone, in all honesty, esp. now, it has become indefinite. Bummer.