Thursday, August 30, 2007

TOW Merdeka Celebration

Tomorrow, 31st August 2007, Malaysia will celebrate its 50th Independence Day. There are so many things happening all these years that bring Malaysia from nobody to a country well known today.

The celebration for Merdeka this year is expected to be the grandest of all. All the preparation is done properly and thoroughly to ensure that the festivity is celebrated successfully. Many buildings are decorated with Malaysia Flags, making it more colorful and festive like. The KL city centre is decked with lights, plants, flags etc with variety of colors to ensure that every corner of the city is attractive enough to the tourist and locals.

I thought of sharing some of the eye catching buildings decorated with the flags and photos in their own creative way… just to show the support to Malaysia’s Merdeka celebration.
Sime Darby


Bank Negara
Angkasapuri

It’s nice to browse thru KL City during this time. Take a glance at the colorful buildings in KL city and enjoy the scenery the best you can. I’m so proud to be a Malaysian.

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

TOW.. my Wednesday movie date

Wednesday is always my movie day. This is a day where I will enjoy watching any type of movie with my friends. So, as for today, a friend of mine already bought in advance tickets for 2 movies in a row. I am fortunate that my friend, who is a movie lover, makes sure what movie to watch every week. Why Wednesay? Because the ticket is slightly cheaper on Wednesdays compared to any other days of the week. Tickets sold for only RM7 in GSC and TGV, whilst RM6 for Cathay Cineplex in The Curve, Damansara.
So, this week, we will be watching movie in GSC MidValley. The place is always cramped with people all the time, so buying tickets in advance would be good.

OK.. now I’m gonna enjoy my movies, and relax.

The first movie is none other than RATATOUILLE.
Language English
Classification U
Running Time 1 hour 51 minutes
Director Brad Bird
Cast Brad Garrett, Patton Oswalt, John Ratzenberger.

Synopsis:
"Ratatouille" is about a lovable rat - Remy - who constantly risks his life in an expensive French restaurant because of his love for good food, as well as a burning desire to become a gourmet chef. Obviously, this is rather far-fetched for a rat but opportunity knocks when a young boy, who desperately needs to keep his job at the restaurant despite not being able to cook to save his life, makes Remy a partner. The two of them learn to avoid the insane head chef, bring the rest of Remy's family up to his culinary standards, win the boy a girlfriend, and of course, produce the finest ratatouille in all of France!
(Source: Buena Vista Columbia Tristar Films)

** Brilliant movie! Honestly, a rat becomes a chef?? In a real world, that would be gross, but then again, it is just cartoon, and similar to normal cartoons, so many illogical thingy are expected to happen. Anyway, I really enjoyed watching the show. Entertaining movie I can say!

My second movie is EVAN ALMIGHTY
Language English
Classification 18PL
Running Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Director Tom Shadyac
Cast Steve Carell, Morgan Freeman, Lauren Graham, John Goodman, Jimmy Bennett.

Synopsis:
Newly elected to Congress, Evan leaves the city of Buffalo behind and shepherds his family to suburban northern Virginia. Once there, his life turns upside-down when God appears and commands him to build an ark. But his befuddled family just could not decide whether Evan is having an extraordinary mid-life crisis or is truly onto something of Biblical proportions...
(Source: United International Pictures (Sdn))

** If it isn’t because of the corky yet entertaining acting of Evan's PA named Rita (who is absolutely amusingly hilarious), I will definitely fall asleep during the movie. It is somehow amazing that each and every word that comes out from that her mouth is funny and so very cynical. The way she brings the accent completely reflects her character and she definitely nailed the movie… big time. What’s the name of this actress? I gotta check it out.

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

TOW... a small town within the metropolitan

I always a a soft spot for Pekan Sungai Besi. For some reason, the place has its own unique character of the the 70s kinda old town. My every visit to this small town ease my mind as it is peaceful and relax.
The architecture of the town is simple. You can see 2 main rows of antique historical buildings. Occupying the ancient shophouses are a mixes of traditional and new occupants selling variety of thing. Somehow, it reminds me of small towns in Perak area which has this kind of character to its town, like Pekan Tambun in Ipoh or Pekan Kuala Kurau nearby Taiping.
Sg Besi is also famous for the army camp and police quarters. So the mixture of people here is somehow makes the town unique. You can still see the old men sit at the kedai kopi, sipping teh tarik or plain coffee while reading newspaper in the morning. You can see the makcik coming back from the morning market holding the "raga" with full of vegetables and fish to cook. You can still see an ancient mamak shop selling 'BOND' cream for hair. Somehow, it feels like you are nowhere in KL. That makes the town unique, and whenever i feel like having the laid back environment, or for a cheap dining, Pekan Sg Besi is the place to be.

Monday, August 27, 2007

TOW... Memories in Time

I got an email from my high school friends a few days ago, but only today i ave a chance to open it. Attached in the email is a photo that really makes me happy.. and sad. It is an old collection of photos from our schooling days. I used to school in a boarding school in Kedah for 5 years. Those years had taught me about so many things… being independent and how to manage the life on my own. And the memories I had there were still fresh until now.

Our batch will organize a reunion this coming 31 August, marking our 15th years of leaving our beloved school. I will not be there at the reunion, but surely I support all the efforts made.
Hope it will be a successful one!

Sunday, August 26, 2007

TOW the laid back Sunday

I woke up rather late today, at about 1.30pm. For once, my Sunday plan doesn't seem to kick off at all today. We are supposed to go to Ulu Langat's Gabai Waterfall today, but some of my friends can't make it... so the plan is cancelled.
Since I'm still tired of my full day activities yesterday, I decided to take it easy today. Somehow, my brother also spent a night at my house so we decided to go to UPM for the Convocation Expo. My other brother has a booth, selling women clothes there.

The location is quite tricky as we have to pass thru the student's dorms out of nowhere to reach the expo. It is somehow questionable why the expo is located in the land far far away from the convocation hall, from the real world and from the outer world… completely out of the way for people to come and visit.
When I reached there, I am quite surprised to see so few people at the expo. Mostly, you can guess that the crowd is either the students or UPM's staff. When I completed the tour, I later understood why there was lack of people here. The expo was simply boring and not so many exciting booths around. What more with no reputable companies participating, making it just plain dull. The music is just boring and I can’t feel the ambience of going to the expo.
One of the booth sells orchids… so I plan to buy an orchid to my mom may be tomorrow as a present for her new job. Which one of the unique orchid plant to choose? I will decide later.
Another site that interests me is Paint Ball. The game is quite interesting and I have in mind to join the game soon. Other than that, noting else was appealing, so we decided to go home after spending a few long hours there.

What’s for dinner today? Errmmm… Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa in Kg Baru. It’s been a while since I last go there. So, I had a Fried Bihun with sambal sotong and boiled egg. I always like spicy food. So for my bihun, I make sure that the sambal (gravy) is enough to tear my eyes and burn my mouth (it’s not that spicy here so a large amount of gravy sure helps).
My friend also decided to have a bihun and fried chicken with only a little sambal. Still very nice I can see. For me, Nasi Lemak Antarabangsa is one of the places to have a good nasi lemak (Coconut rice). The food is just fine with lots of selection to choose and the taste is ideal for Malaysians, be it Malay, Chinese or Indian. A very aromatic rice added with the spicy sambal and slices of cucumber and anchovies, it’s really YUMMY YUMMY!!
KL is not that jam tonight. So, my journey home was rather smooth. Might be because tomorrow is Monday and everyone is looking forward to start a new working day tomorrow. Hahahahah! You Wish!

TOW.. My Karaoke session and Putrajaya Fireworks

Yeahaaaa!! It's Saturday, the weekend is officially started, and I really have to make use of my weekend the best as I could. I have a full list of activity to do today.

KARAOKE SESSION
Today is my karaoke session with my brother and a friend at Redbox Ria of Sogo. It’s been a while since I last went to this place. I used to be a karaoke freak, and rest assured I’m a frequent to the karaoke bars in KL… E-Box? Redbox? Yow Chuan? You name it.. ‘Been there, Sang there’. Of all, my favorite place must be Redbox Ria of Sogo. This is simply the best place for karaoke.
Why I said that? The sound system is commendable; the service is just fast with a user-friendly staff, the widespread of unlimited juice bar for you to choose, and the most important thing is the price is simply reasonable, RM13 for 3 hours (only from 1-7pm daily) with unlimited access to the juice bar and tidbits. (The only bad thing is the traffic jam is really horrifying, especially during the weekend… So, find an alternative to reach here)
Well, ain't that just what a karaoke lover wants… ample time to sing with unlimited amount of liquid (ermm.. juice only) to satisfy your thirst after your hard work of singing? Hehehe! Well.. suits me just fine. We had a small Room 61, enough to occupy the 3 of us. And one thing for sure, we fulfill the whole 3 hours to sing our heart out. Sing guys, sing your heart out!!

MAKAN TIME
After the karaoke session, we decided to eat at one of the Chinese Kopitiam opposite Sogo, called Capital CafĂ©. It’s simply famous for its Nasi Padang. But for me, the best of all is their Chinese Fried rice and Kueyteow kungfu (Am I not a kueyteow lover? Hehe!) Simply delicioso!! We had a quick lunch as we need to get out from the KL jam as fast as we could as we need to rush to Putrajaya for Firework Show.

PUTRAJAYA FIREWORKS
Anyway, quotes from Bernama “Malaysia will host the biggest International Musical Fireworks Competition in the world from Aug 18 to Sept 2 in conjunction with the country's 50th national day celebration. This event will be held at the lakeside in front of the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC). The countries that will compete for the Golden Merdeka Trophy are Italy (Parente Fireworks), Japan (Tamaya Kitahara Fireworks Co. Ltd), Australia (Howard and Sons Pyrotechnics Pty Ltd) and Malaysia (Pyro-Splendour Services Sdn Bhd). The Australian team will become the first team to present their spectacular musical fireworks on Aug 18. Malaysian and Italian fireworks team will compete on Aug 22 and 25 while one of the World Champions in Musical Fireworks technology, team Japan will present their classical fireworks on Aug 30.”
We arrived there at about 7.30pm, under the impression that the show will start at 8.30pm. Unfortunately, we have to wait until 10pm for the show to start. A very kind policeman guarding the traffic told us about it. Damn… we have to wait for another 2 and a half hour for the show to begin. The crowd started building up and by 9pm, it was a sea of people gathering at the PICC square, awaiting for the show to start. Finally the show started at 10pm sharp. And everyone was in amazed.. clearly potrayed in their face and expressions during the show. And everyone clapped their hands together when the show ended. That's amazing!

Now, this is what I called a marvelous, groovy, spectacular fireworks presentation for 20 minutes from the Italian team. It’s worth the wait. I've been looking for this kind of show as the one seen in Malaysia weren’t even close to this level. There will be another show from Japan team on August 30th, and the grand finale on Sept 2. I may not be here in KL next week, so this might be the only show I can attend. How sad! Anyway, the traffic jam was horrendous. It’s so horrible when everybody is set to go home right after the show. It’s a terrible jam so I won’t be parking anywhere near the place if I ever come again. Arrived home at about 1am and so tired. Want to take a good rest and looking forward for another day of exciting activities planned tomorrow. Good night Mr. Invisible.

TOW.. busy day and a simple dinner

Friday was a busy day for me. So I decided to make a sweet and simple entry on what I did on Friday. All I want to share was my nice simple dinner in Pekan Sg Besi. This stall has always been a frequent stop for dinner as it serves my favorite Thai kueyteow soup (Thai white noodle soup). It is just a plain bowl of white soup with fish ball, slices of beef, liver, taugeh and kangkung, Well, I not that good in describing it, so the photo below will merely portray how it looks.

Of course it won’t be good without a little spiciness to it, so I added lots and lots of Thai dried chili in the soup.

Now, that’s what I call food. Nice superb spicy taste of soup with juicy ingredients really made my day. Now, wont that makes me hungry again? Simple yet delicioso.

To those who would like to try, the restaurant is just in front of Star LRT Sg. Besi station, the corner restaurant next to the car wash. I also tried other dishes, which is just yummy and not that bad a price. Try it. You won’t regret it.

After a fulfilling dinner that stuffed my stomach, I and a few friends went to Uptown Danau Kota. It’s one of the best night markets of all the chain, opened until 4am on weekends.

The crowd was just jam-packed, resulted a massive jam around the area. May be its gaji (paycheck) time, so people decided to spend there buying the necessary stuff. Nothing seems to interest me there, except when I looked at those crowds, it makes me really thankful that I’m a Malaysian living in Malaysia, a peaceful democracy country with so many races living under one nation in harmony. I’m really blessed to be in my own country, Malaysia.

Thursday, August 23, 2007

TOW.. BEING A GEMINI

I am a Gemini born in June. Somehow I found out that there are so many negative reviews about a Gemini having 2 different personalities, superficial, moody, unstable and emotional freak. So I thought of sharing 3 reviews of who the Geminians really are...


Characteristics of Zodiac Sign Gemini – Two For One!
When examining the characteristics of zodiac sign Gemini you are in for a comparison. This sign is one of the more interesting ones to examine because they are known to have two different personalities and traits that sometimes clash with one another.
When you get to know a Gemini personally, you'll soon realize that they are generally intellectual, spontaneous, inquisitive, cheerful, imaginative, curious and extremely witty people. The Gemini astrological profile also mentions that characteristics of zodiac sign Gemini can also be inconsistent, restless, tense, irresponsible and two-faced. Known to have a strong desire to learn, to express themselves and tell stories, they have been considered to be the "seekers of knowledge."
People born under this sign can often appear to be interested and interesting, but sometimes emotionally detached. Constant questioners, they love to dominate conversations by sharing information, but not of a personal nature. They can really get others talking. For instance, they'll know your birth date, your first grade teacher’s name and your blood type after your first meeting, but you won't know theirs.
If you want to learn about Gemini symbols you will find that it is a masculine sign representing the two children, two bright stars, Castor and Pollux of classical mythology. To summarize their story is the following: Castor and Pollux were half-brothers sharing the same mother. Pollux was the son of Zeus and so he was immortal. Castor was the son of the King of Sparta, Tyndareus, which made him mortal. Castor was eventually killed and Pollux mourned over his brother so much so that he wanted to follow his brother into death and asked his father Zeus for permission to give his own life for Castor's. Zeus half agreed, only allowing them to share death and Olympus (on alternate days). Then later Zeus rewarded the connection and attachment of the brothers by placing them among the stars as, the Gemini Twins to be together forever. Always two sides and never together would sum up the personality of many Geminis. They aren't fickle it’s just a personality trait that they feel strongly both ways!
This leads us to wonder about the zodiac compatibility of this sign. Gemini's are compatible with a few signs like Aries, Sagittarius and Libra. However, many more times than not, there is more than meets the eye. Zodiac compatibility is filled with many factors that are a basic guideline for your signs relationship with another person’s sign. If your signs don't match up, it doesn't mean that you can't get along with that person, it just means that you're going to have to work a little harder to get it done. Astrology rules are simple rules, and rules can often be broken!
Characteristics of Zodiac Sign Gemini are just your starting points, if you’re a Gemini, your natural curiosity will probably drive you to look at your own astrology chart to see nuances of yourself you thought were cleverly hidden. There's so much more to learn about yourself, you won't be disappointed or bored in the least!
http://www.circlesoflight.com/astrology-introduction/characteristics-gemini.html


Characteristics For Those Born In June
The planet Mercury rules the sign of Gemini. You are intellectual, nervous and adaptable. Because of your strong desire to communicate, you are classified in Greek mythology as "The Messengers of the Gods." You inherited a gift of youth, a double personality and a quicksilver mind enabling you to adapt easily to any situation.
On a negative note, Mercury, the "Lord of the Thieves" breeds volatile and unreliable people due to their dual characteristics. You are a gifted communicator and radio, language, photography, sales, movies and any type of public relations work appeals to you. Your natural speed for life's experiences makes you impatient and nervous. You must learn to focus and crystallize your powerful mind. You have the potential to become an efficient speaker and produce interesting books.
Due to your strong desire for security, many of you will be attracted to the real estate and food industries. Your financial potential is unlimited if you learn and make a good use of the Universal Law in charge of your Second House of income. A strong Mercury will produce an incredible amount of physical and spiritual energy that must be dissipated. Those children are classified by the unaware psychological fields as A.D.D. ("Attention Deficit Disorder"). Contrary to what scientists assume and perceive as an indisposition, it is actually a potent gift from God. The soul is simply programmed to naturally reject traditional education, thus opening the rare door to genius and with it the potential for new discovery. Incidentally, President Clinton, Einstein, and I were born with "ADD."

Thus if a teacher is mistaken about some information, the Mercurial soul's inborn sense of curiosity and discovery will bring about potential information leading to the truth. Impatience, nervousness, mental curiosity, and a short attention span are your characteristics. You will never follow long established dogmas. Your Mercurial spirit will open new doors to mental exploration. You are curious by nature and are always questioning. Boredom is your worse enemy and you must associate with intellectual people who can stimulate your incredible mind.

Telling jokes is also a part of your mental agility. A word of caution for you: Always be alert when the Moon crosses the deadly sign of Scorpio at work, especially after the Full Moon. Remember to respect the Universal Law (see Moon Power) as your awareness and moon planning will be a major contribution of avoiding dramatic experiences, and will help you reach many of your dreams. The location of your natal Dragon's Head or Tail will seriously alter the strength or weakness of Mercury in your chart.
http://www.astrostar.com/articles/born-in-june.htm


GEMINI
General behavior:
Gemini (the twins) is a very complex and confusing sign. To some people you can seem like a wonderful friend, while to others you will seem two-faced and sneaky. You will act like a child for most of your life. That includes both the good and bad characteristics of children. You are happy and energetic when things go right for you. However, when things go wrong, you can be passive-aggressive and very mean. You find decisions hard to make, since you can never stay with the one that you originally choose. You tend to fight loosing battles for something that you call a "moral" cause (even though you know it isn't). One quality (you decide whether it's good or bad) you have is the ability to lie and appear that you are telling the complete truth. You prefer to use someone else's solution to a problem than thinking of your own. Many of Gemini's poorer traits are due to your lack of self-esteem. It is very tough to get your attention. You will be thinking about many things at a time and you can't concentrate on any particular thing at one time. You may be praising somebody but at the same time you will be thinking against him (her). But the most intelligent people on the earth are Geminians.
Romantic behavior:
The uncertainty of the Gemini temperament does not favor lasting affairs and is the cause of much friction in their love life. You are little swayed by passion, and the only way to retain your fidelity is to meet your varying moods constantly in a fair and unsuspecting manner. You prefer light relationships to more lasting ones.
http://kamalkapoor.com/sun_signs/gemini.asp



I wonder how they come out with such a general characteristics. There must be some kind of human behavior research and analysis being conducted and studied by the experts that sums up to the conclusion. I couldn’t deny that some of the characters possessed matched me perfectly. Despite the perception, somehow I always believe that a person is different from one to another. It’s the way a person leads his/her life that makes them who they are at the end. Regardless of what the zodiac says about my personality, it is only me who is entitled to determine my character and how to live my life. And that makes me a person I am now. I want to take it easy and enjoy life...

TOW.. MY FIRST ENTRY AND THE TALLEST YOUNG MAN IN THE WORLD


It is 2.30am now, and this is my first entry.. Somehow it feels good to finally start my own blog. I've been meaning to register my own blog for quite some time, I guess since the last 2 months, but never had a chance to do that since I have no internet connection at home. Well, at last I made it.. which is a good thing to do. Bravo to me!!! The average citizen me!!
I always wanted to be tall. I’m only standing at 175cm tall, which is only an average height for Malaysian (Somehow I noticed that the new generation of Malaysian is getting taller and taller). So when I accidentally had a chance to meet the tallest young man in the world (he's only 19) tonight at Pekan Sg. Besi (what on earth is he doing there? Of all the places in the world, he landed up at a small KK mini market Pekan Sg. Besi), it is somehow amazed me to see how tall he is. I think I’m lucky to meet him.. as it is rather hard to see him 'live'. I remember reading the newspaper about his story on the visit to Masjid India where he is in a 3 weeks tour in Malaysia. Anyway I can only take a snap of his photo as the crowd is building up and the appearance caused a massive traffic jam at the small town like Pekan Sg. Besi. So to avoid the jam and all, I decided to 'chow' as quickly as possible.



On my way back, somehow I can't stop thinking about him.. questions like what he really feels holding the 'title', whether he enjoys living his life with that height, and whether it brings him more good than bad. From my humble eyes, I could only see how uncomfortable he is with the attention given. Well.. I'm pretty sure I won't be comfortable if I have that height. Anyway.. who am I to judge what he really feels.
Somehow, it taught me to be thankful with what god has created me. I have just a nice height (I think) and not being a centre of attention. I can be an invisible man enjoying my freedom to the max, free to do what I want to do.. loitering at mamak stall till late night, not behaving myself whenever I feel like it, and go wherever I want to go without being noticed. I'm happy with who I am today.
I don't like to be noticed. That's why I named the blog "my invisible self"

Till later.. Good night.. and welcome!