To Change or not To Change.

Some people are so used to sumthing that they find it hard to change to another alternative. Take handphones for example. Some people 'die die' must use Nokia phones. Why? Probably they had been so used to the phone that using other brand phones might seem 'strange'. I've known people who had been so called 'die-hard' fans of Nokia phones that after trying out a different brand phone for a few days, they eventually reverted back to their preferred brand.

Me? I'm OK wif anything. I've used phones by Philips (lurved their 1 to 1 xchange), Bosch (excellent voice quality), Sony (cool design), Seimens (waterproof, shockproof), Nokia (user-friendly), Motorola (business-like) and currently Sony Ericsson (aka my MP3 player). Yes, they each have different 'personality'. Some are more user friendly than others but i've never found difficulty in changing different brands. Probably i'm used to the changes.

Humans CAN change. But are naturally most reluctant to do so. It's a normal human reaction. They dun like going through the hassles in adapting. If u were given the chance would u want to return from work to a different home everyday? It's only when forced or pressured by certain conditions or situations will they take necessary actions to conform to the changes.

Duh!

The difference between us humans and animals is our ability to think. With this extra capability, we are able to be smarter, creative and innovative. But still, even though we might have this extra advantage, there is a kind of stupidity that exists in all of us which i would term as the 'DUH!' factor. Haha! Read on to find out what i mean by this.

One example is after u cut your hair. People can still say

"U cut ur hair ah?"

Duh! What kind of silly question is that? Dun tell me the hair fall off that night rite?. So neatly and 'stylo' some more! Acceptable questions/comments would be,

"U look nice with this hairstyle"

or

"Wats that fur on ur head?"

Haha!!

One personal experience for me was at one time my motorcycle tyre had a puncture and i had to push the bike to the nearest motorcycle shop. Got this 'apek' riding his bicycle slowly slowly and when he passed by me he asked...

"Pancit ah?"

Wah lau eh! Cannot see meh? Already so tiring pushing the bike still got someone to make ur temperature rise even higher! Luckily that 'apek' did not end up with his bicycle tire in his mouth! Haha!

Perhaps people just want to be nice and wanted to break the ice to have a conversation but dun ask stupid questions lah... Can get quire irritating yer noe.. Haha!!

But sometimes, such a situation is reversed. Instead of being asked, people sumtimes tell silly things. I bet some of you ever had friends telling u...

"Eh, hungry ah"

*sigh...

Wait!

Let me think of a good answer...

Dun tell me....

What would u do if ur hungry....?

Hmmm....

Wah! This is a tough question....

Can i ask the audience?

50-50?

Phone a friend?

Ok! I got it!!

If hungry...

Go fly kite lah! Haha!!



Stupid questions deserves stupid answers!! Haha!

Skyjuice Anyone?

Gulp gulp gulp... aaahhh... Just when i thought the 'Crocs' were becoming a popular fashion trend, little did i realised that another form of popularity has quietly been making it's mark. And it's not sumthing new. It's more of like a 'comeback kid'. And it's the water bottle.

Back when i was in primary school, water bottles have already been around. Only at that time. it was a bit 'obiang' lah. Children would sling their water bottles around their neck or shoulders filling it with a choice of their drink such as 'Ribena' or just plain water.

At one time, containers which were once used for drinks such as coke were recycled and used as a water bottle. But ever since the scare on using recycled bottles, i guessed everyone wanted to play safe and use protection. They come in different thickness and flavours. Some even glow in the dark! They come in packs of 3's or 10's and are usually available at the checkout counter. Alamak!, wrong story lah.. Hehe..

Nowadays, these water bottles come in different shapes, colour and sizes to attract the consumers. Some are made of plastic while the more expensive ones are made of metal. Wah! Very 'stylo' leh. I guessed those who do have one probably followed doctors advise to drink 8 glasses of water per day. Haha! U all very the healthy one ah. Hehe...

I'll stick with my coffee, for now... :)

The Cylons Strikes Back

Most of us are familiar with the movie Star Wars. And some are 'gila' about them. It's probably the most successful science fiction movie in history. But there is a science fiction show which exists only on television and has quite a number of followers. No. I'm not talking about Star Trek with the pointy ears guy. I'm talking about:

Battlestar Galactica.

Perhaps some of you may remember this show on television long long time ago in a galaxy far far away.... For those who can't remember, you're probably too young at that time or still in 'liquid' form. Haha!! Starbuck (not the chic coffee shop), Apollo (not the biscuit), Commander Adama and the Cylons (not the country where tea came from) are just some of the characters in the show.

The show is basically about a group of people aboard the spaceship 'Battlestar Galactica' trying to find Earth as they try to run away from their enemies, the Cylons, who have destroyed their home planet. The Cylons are robots with eyes that looked like the red running lights on a 'Knight Rider' car. (dunno 'Knight Rider'? Go ask your dad)

Until recently they had a remake of the show. Now, as many of us know that, quite seldom a remake is ever going to be as good or better than the original. Expectations of viewers are high and most are best left forgotten.

Only one word that i can say about the remake of 'Battlestar Galactica'. Fantastic! Never have i seen a remake so good. Of course there are changes here and there but storyline and acting wise was brilliant. The Cylons were robots in the original show but in the new show they take the form of a human. So there's a mixed bag of 'Terminator' and 'Species' movie thrown in. Some original aspects of the show are still being used in the remake. Kudos to the director, producer or... whoever!

Curently, the new version of 'Battlestar Galactica' is shown only on cable tv. Not many may have the opportunity to watch it but if you do, do give it a chance.

As Master Yoda (yer noe, that little green guy from Star Wars) would always say: "Do. There is No Try".

The eX-Men(Women)

At one point of our lives, we may have fallen for someone. Crush, puppy love, infatuation, admiration, love... watever you called it. And as fate would decide, fallen out. Incompatibility, religion, no common understanding and status are just some of the reasons. I'm not gonna talk about when one is in a relationship but instead being out of the relationship.

They say u cannot forget your first love. Very true. In fact, i don't think you can ever forget the people you loved, be it the first or twenty first. How can you forget the person? Unless u knocked urself on the wall or suffered amnesia. But it is forgetting the feeling, now, that is the hardest to achieve but not impossible.

Some would start questioning 'whys'. Some wished they had a second chance whereas some wished it never happened. Others may start having negative reactions, such as mistrust for the opposite sex, be anti-relations and even rebound. (i.e. where u 'grab' the next available person without giving much thought just to fill up that loneliness).

It is painful in trying to forget the feeling, yes, i agree. And only time is the medicine. Time is a natural healer for matters of the heart. Some probably take just a few days while others may take years. And if it is any consolation to any of you going through this, it took me 7 years to do so. All because the element of hope and possibility is still there.

In the process of trying to forget the feeling, it would have been easier if not for our senses. Many things we do, hear or see reminds us of the person. It could simply be walking down a particular road, songs and even smell. Heck! Sometimes even dreams can rekindle the feeling! My advice is, be strong and patient. Occupy yourself with other activities, stop questioning 'whys' and dun wallow urself in self-pity. Only time will tell...

Right now i'm missing someone dear in my life. I've known her for about a year but i guessed we were never meant to be together. Never did i knew or expected that 2 person can occupy my heart at one time. She makes me happy with her presence and i never had a dull moment in my life with her. I guessed it's all part of the plan. She was my companion, friend and inspiration. She was there when i was feelin lonely and we were happy together until one day it was apparent that we cannot be together forever. She was...
.
.
.
..
... my MP3 player! *sob (Hahaha!! Who do you all think 'she' was?!)

Love Thy Neighbour

Last week i attended a gathering under a void deck at my parents place in Woodlands. It was organized by some volunteers living around the neighbourhood to have a short prayer for the coming fasting month followed by a small feasting. Foods served on that day were prepared and contributed by the residents under no obligation. You can feel a sense of togetherness among the residents there.

Such a sight are diminishing nowadays. And i started to wonder why. Have we lived too privately? Have we become anti-social? Have we ignored the people living around us? How many of us knew the full names of our nearest neighbour? I could only find fault with one thing:

The architecture of our living environment.

Flats nowadays are structured to provide privacy for it's tenant. Gone are the days where flats have common corridors and having to get to one's house would mean having to pass through many others. Nowadays, the most you would have to pass through is ur closest neighbour's house. And that's it! Having to go though many units increases the chance of meeting with the tenants. And u dun just pass through them. The most u smile and that goes a long way. From such small gestures, over time it eventually transforms into friendship.

And then there's the lift. Lifts nowadays are abundance and stops at every level. Everybody wants to get on the lift by themselves. How many of you all have tried to close the lift door quickly knowing that there is somebody also wanting to get on the lift? Guilty eh? Hahaha! Me too!! Hahaha!!! Lifts in the 'older' days stop at certain intervals with no look-out windows. And sumtimes that confined, boring space forces people to make friends.

It seems that in our effort to have privacy, we have neglected our surroundings. (i.e our neighbours). It's kinda of a trade-off. It is sumthing we have learnt to accept and that is how the community will remain... unless sumthing is done.

Aiyaiyaa... Your My Little Butterfly....

'Pasar Malam.' In English it means Night Market. However that term is quite inappropriate for Pasar Malam nowadays becoz even in the day, they are already open for business. Usually, a Pasar Malam would last, at the most, for 3 days and are usually during the weekends where human traffic is highest.

'Pasar Malam' is a favorite among the locals. Many things can be found at 'Pasar Malam'. Probably becoz they are cheap! Haha! We are always interested of a good bargain and 'Pasar Malam' is no exception. Sometimes auctions are even conducted at 'Pasar Malam.'

OK, let me think wat u can get at 'Pasar Malam'...

• clothing
• homeware
• toys
• any 3 for $10 crackers
• watches
• handphone accessories
• mattresses
• thai coconuts
• bags
• VCDs
• 'potong' ice-creams
• oilments
• Ramly burgers
• otah-otah
• cotton candy
• century eggs
• door gates
• steamed sweetcorn
• roasted chestnuts
• cars! Yes! The thing which has 4 wheels!

(Since i can provide such a long list, it's evident that i'm a regular at 'Pasar Malam'.. Haha!!)

From the local foods and kueh such as 'Goreng Pisang' and Ramly burgers to the hard to find freshly roasted chestnuts, there's almost sumthing for everyone. And if u have nothing to do, u can always move from one end to the other end of the 'Pasar Malam to brush urselves against girls... Haha!!

Larger 'Pasar Malams' have little amusement area with kiddy rides for the children while the 'big budget' ones includes adult rides too. Sometimes i wonder is it the 'Pasar Malam' or the amusement park that attracts people...

Oklah. I wanna go to the 'Pasar Malam' near my place. Today last day u noe...!

Uncle, Orchard Rd. Go by PIE

Taxis. For me, there's always this 'love-hate' relationship wif them. Taxis have been around for a very long time now. I can never forget those days when taxis have a small metal, blue colored blade fan situated above the tear-away-per-day calendar. And the gear changing was done at the side of the steering wheel. But those taxis are extinct. Perhaps U can still find them at Ubin.

As a passenger, most taxi drivers are nice. However there are some talkative ones who just love to have a conversation wif u. They talk bout politics lah, soccer lah, 4D lah, complain here, complain there... anything under the sun. Eh! I wan to sleep lah! Can dun 'kacau' or not!? Haha!

I'd prefer to stay quiet on my taxi trips and the occasional giving of directions would be fine. To me, Merc drivers are the best. Perhaps it's because they had to undergo training before they could drive one of those luxury cars.

As a road user, i had my close brushes with them. Popular moves include suddenly changing directions to pick up passengers. Wah lau eh...! They can stop so suddenly right in front of you! As a result, i usually keep my distance away from them when possible. The road can be a safe place if everybody follow traffic rules and be mindful and considerate to all road users. And taxi drivers have to remember that if they have to go to court for an accident, the passengers involved in that accident cannot be a witness. Sometimes u just couldn't blame them for acting in such a way.

My dad was once a taxi driver too and he said that the wave of a passenger's hand represents money. A wave is the most looked out signal for taxi drivers. And in the process of getting one, they sometimes forgot about the safety of others. We are all humans, and psychology affects our behaviour. Dun forget, taxi drivers have to pay rental fees, petrol as well as other expenses and 'breaking even' can sometimes be hard.

My dad once said that there was this day he was driving his taxi looking around for passengers. It was basically a bad day and not many passengers could be found. After driving around for quite a while, he spotted what appears to be someone in the distance waving his hand. Only when he comes near it did he realize this 'someone' was actually the "McDonald" figurine. (u noe the one where 'he' was standing wif his hand in the air). Haha! I guess desperation results in hallucination!

Another story i heard from a taxi driver was there was this day when he picked up a transvestite. The taxi driver was kinda of the religious type. Upon reaching the destination, 'she' admitted of having no money to pay for the taxi and offered to 'blow' the driver as a form of payment... Haha!!! I guess 'she' was let off with only a sermon!

Changi anyone?

Say Cheese!

I was out grocery shopping one day when sumthing caught my eye at the dairy section...

CHOCOLATE CHEESE!!

I was like... Gosh! This is sumthing new! I've heard of Chocolate Cheesecake but this is Cheese in Chocolate form! (or is it the other way round?)

Ok ok. For some of u who have already known the existence of the Chocolate Cheese can call me 'suaku' but for those who dunno, dun pretend to be on the other group hor! Dunno means dunno.

Watever will they tink of next? To me, it's a pretty nifty idea to have cheese in chocolate (or is it the other way round?) but will consumers sink their teeth into it? If you asked me how it taste, well, it doesn't have that 'cheesy taste' and the chocolate taste is quite bland. U'll have to try it urself to judge it.

Durian Cheese anyone? (sounds cheesy to me...)

For English, Press 1

Have you ever tried to terminate your mobile phone line only to end up being persuaded by the phone company to stay with them? They usually will offer you more attractive perks compared to what you are currently having based on your plan. More talktime, more sms, more mms, lower subscription rates are just some of the 'carrots' which they offer. Wah lau eh! Early early dun want to offer. Now when people want to terminate den say all these.

I find it quite irritating and annoying. Anyway, in case you want to terminate your lines, here are a few excuses which might work to prevent them from talking more...

1) Say that u are moving to another planet. Over there no need handphone.

2) Radio waves from handphones are ruining ur brain and u tend to be forgetful. After that say "Who do you want to speak to?"

3) There is a voice in your head saying that technology is evil and u dun want to have anything to do with handphones or any forms of gadgets.

4) Connecting two empty milk cans with a thread or rope does the trick already so no need handphones anymore. Want more bass? Use MILO tins.

And if the above fails, you can instead make a deal with them saying that you will DEFINITELY STAY WITH THEM UNTIL YOU DIE provided they can fulfill ur 5 wishes:

1) Give unlimited incoming and outgoing calls all day to wherever,

2) Unlimited smses and mms

3) No monthly subscriptions

4) They pay u instead when u make a call.

5) The above applies to ur brothers, sisters, parents, grandparents, friends, relatives and everybody who knows u. Haha!

Aniwae, just tell them ur migrating and that should do the trick. ;-)

Room with a View

If i were to tell u that to see the sunset or the sea view u will have to pay me, would u do it? Of course not. In fact it would be the most nonsensical thing to do. Why would a person pay for something which is already 'FREE'? It's something natural rite.

BUT how come when it comes to booking a hotel room with such a view u have to pay extra compared to the other rooms which does not have this 'FREE' view? Ridiculous if u ask me. Just because the hotel was built in front of the sea doesn't mean the seaview or sunset belongs to them. Got such thing one meh? If such is the case then how come airline companies never charged extra for window seats compared to the aisle seats? Window seats can see clouds yer know! Can see the moon big big some more! These are just some of the things which puzzles me.

My house kitchen can see the sunset. How? Want to charge or not?!

Free Watch, Anyone?

Recently the Sunday Times reported of the hard selling tactics of some companies in the areas of time sharing and others. Many people have complained about the unscrupulous ways of such companies leaving their customers to be forced or pressured into buying their products. I myself has personally encountered such things and i lived to tell u the story...

It happened many years ago. I received a call from somebody that i had won a prize. Never play anything oso can win prize! Dunno oso who go and give them my number. Gila! So, i went down lah to collect the prize. The collection area was at a hotel sia! Orchard Rd some more! But when i reached there, they said i had to attend a talk for abt 1 hour before i can collect the prize. Huh? But on that day i didn't had much to do so i went in.

Apparently they were trying to sell some time sharing thinghy on holiday accommodations. Wah lau eh! There, they have prepared several tables for for the sales person to talk to potential customers. So i sat down and listened to this girl talk non-stop. Even aeroplanes need to transit to fill up fuel! Bla bla bla... nothing goes into my head. I was more interested on the food that has been prepared for the people there. Got coffee, tea, cakes and sandwiches.

During the talk, they prepared a video presentation for the customers to watch. It was a video on one of the hotels in Australia. The video showed the interior of the hotel rooms as well as the exterior. Got girls wearing bikini swim here swim there.

When the salesgirl noticed that i was losing my interest (she was boring me from the start anyway), she brought me to a wall where pictures of customers who have taken up the 'scheme' were displayed. Wah...! Trying to tell me got people take it up lah. Watever..! And if that is not enough, at any point of time they would ring the bell and everybody's attention is focused on the table which is ringing it. The salesgirl would then say that that means the customer at the desk has taken up the 'scheme.' Haha! Got like that one meh?! I go 7-11 by cigarettes oso nobody wants to ring a bell!

Aniwae to make the story short, the whole nonsense finally ended when i said that i needed to leave. Wah, can see she so damn disappointed leh. It's like she says 'Please marry me' and I said 'Dun wan lah'. Ekekeke... Rileks lah.. And if you all wanted to know, i wasted her time for 5 hours! Haha! (seriously, i really had nothing to do on that day) I'm so mean...

I eventually got the watch which i seemingly deserved after 5 hours of talk cock. Want to noe wat kind of watch is it? The type where u can get at 'Pasar Malam'! Make at hotel can. But give cheapo watch. Cheapskate!

Weight / Height x Height

A colleague at work once asked me how i stayed in shape up till now knowing that i already have 3 wives and 18 children. Well, i replied to her saying that i signed up for Mr Manhunt up to the age of 85 so must maintain this condition lor (my dad is in Senior Manhunt). Haha!!

Aaahhh... weight. Something which many of us may be concern off. Well, there are ways to reduce weight. One of them is by dieting. Eating of course affects your weight. U are wat u eat. And for some race groups, the problem of being overweight seems to affect them more due to their food lifestyles. Then there's exercise. Exercising helps to burn fat in your body. 'No Pain, No Gain' as the saying goes. But some of u may argue, how come there are people who can eat and eat watever they want with minimal or no exercise at all and still be in shape? Well, that my friends, bring us to another reason: Genetic.

Genetic affects wat our body may be. Some consider it a blessing. Some dun. It's a hederitary thinghy if u ask me. That is why doctors say we are at risk of getting some ailments from our parents or forefathers. Me, it's mainly due to genetic. Every since Secondary 3, my waistline has remained unchanged at the size of 28. Some say (like my mom) i'm thin due to smoking. Well, there's no difference in my weight before and after i started smoking so that cannot be considered conclusive.

Thin is beautiful. Well, at least that's wat the majority of the world thinks. For those defensive type who are overweight and flabby, they say fats are undeveloped muscles. Yeah watever. Watever it is, be happy wif wat u are. Just stay healthy n happy.

Ok lah, here's a little tip from me when it comes to eating. Eat when you are hungry. Stop before you are full.

Burp!

TEACH. Do Something Worthwhile With Your Life

To all the teachers* everywhere in the world...

Happy Teachers Day.

Without you, we would all be uneducated.


* Teachers should not and should never be, limited to school teachers only. They can be our parents, friends, advisors, religious people or anybody who has imparted their knowledge to us.