I can resist anything except temptation!

Bubble Shooter

Peik Lean Y.

It all started more than a week ago when I finally gained my freedom from the self imposed prison (herein known as "that episode" in my life). I met up with my sis for dinner and she showed off her brand new PDA. While messing around with this "new" toy, I discovered "the bubble game"!

Now, I know it's not new to the tech savvy and the "in" folks but as I did not aspire to be an "opinion leader", this toy is kinda new to me! Ya! Ya! I am a marketer's nightmare! I refused to be trapped into keeping up with the Joneses by buying all these costly gadgets which would become a white elephant in no time! :P

I digress. In any case, I started playing that game on the PDA throughout dinner. I was so hooked. I only returned the PDA to my sis on threats of dismemberment. Bleh! Anyway, being the smarty pants that I am, I had this great idea to google the game and download it on my computer. And so I did!

Thus began the journey of succumbing to temptation and getting drawn into total addiction. I have been playing that game every night and I played it till the wee hours of the morn. Every time, I would tell myself it's only for an hour, but I ended up playing like 4-5 hours! My god! I was soooo hooked.

However last night was the last straw. Once again, I exceeded my allocated one hour of play. The game was taking over my beauty sleep. It was taking over my time to blog and to reply emails. It was taking over my life! Goodness!

I finally took a huge step in prevention and self preservation! I uninstalled the game. Oh boy! Temptation is sooo difficult to resist! So far so good today. I have yet to download the programme. I best go off to bed now while my will power is still strong.

Good night Malaysia wherever you are.

Disclaimer:
The link for the game is at the top if you want to check it out. However, I shall not be held responsible for any addiction and temptation. You are on your own. Try it at your own peril! :P

Old Man’s Club

Running out of ideas on what to do on a Friday night?

Tired of the endless rounds of hanging out at a “meat market”? That’s what one of my ang moh IT contractors called Beach Club and the likes. He claimed that folks go there to “trade their wares”. He also claimed to have been approached by quite a few SPGs (Sarong Party Girls, to the uninitiated).

Getting sick of watching American Idol on national TV? Need a dose of a little more excitement?

You can try the old man’s club at Rain Tree Club! For those who are old enough to have heard of the club during its heydays, yes! it is still around! A friend has been raving about this old man’s club he has joined in recent times. He said it’s the best place to de-stress and talk his troubles away. He claimed that his “old” friends there (literally old) have been a fountain of advice and good cheer.

In any case, you would understand my lack of enthusiasm when my trip to JB was cancelled yesterday, and another friend called me up and asked me to join them to chill out there. Chill out on a Friday night at the old man’s club?!!! I’d rather spend Friday night watching the hunks in the gym having a go at the weights or watching the gorgeous “Ace” belting away on American Idol. But, went there I did. After all, what are friends for if not to give way some times to hare brain schemes? : )

But enjoyed the night, we did ~ drinking and karaoke! We (my other girlfriend and I) caused a bit of a stir when we walked into the pub. Understand this ~ the club is a hangout joint for retirees and semi retirees and they are mostly men. So there! For certain, it was good for the ego and of course, one feels very young there. : ) But what is interesting is the regular patrons there. Beers and conversations flowed easily in an intimate setting. And everyone seems to know everyone else. And if they don’t, they warmly welcome you to the pub. It reminded me of the sitcom “Cheers”, where everyone knows your name.

Now, that’s the way to live after retirement! : ) Cheers!

Liberation!

Fair Warning:
This is not a post on political affiliation or the fight for freedom and liberation. This is a post for my own self gratification after a 3-month long hiatus on a self-imposed prison!

Gosh! Finally the sword of Damocles is off my neck! I have finally completed my dissertation. Will be submitting it this Monday once I have it bound.

I am so giddy with relief and elation that some friends thought that I am high on marijuana or something. Bleh! It's just good old liberation my dears! Now I understand how imprisonment feel although mine is a small matter compared to the real McCoy.

I have been out of the "doghouse" since Wednesday. Had a small dinner celebration with the siau gang. I was off to a badminton game last night with my fellow MBA coursemates. Woo hoo! Life after dissertation is simply perfect! After months of no exercise, ze ol' bones and muscles are finally getting a real workout! Luckily they are not in as bad a shape as I thought. I only feel a wee bit of ache today. Hehehe ... We shall see about tomorrow. Seems like there's a whole line up of activities in store this weekend. Woo hoo! Look out world. Here I come!

Alrighty! Gotta leave now to catch up on some shopping and a combat class. It's a Fly day after all.

Good weekend ahead folks!

Demonstration at KLCC

The gathering crowd


The recent fuel price increase has proven perhaps too much for the rakyat. At approximately 2.30pm today, a crowd gathered in front of KLCC to protest the recent fuel price increase of 30 sen per litre. This is the second demonstration since last Friday although that demonstration did not appear on national TV or national news.

It was a peaceful demonstration by the rakyat holding banners in protest of the price increase. The FRUs were at the scene of the demonstration and there were press taking photographs although I suspect these were foreign press. A helicopter also hovered around the building during the period of the protest. Looking at the various banners, it was obvious that the demonstration was led by the opposition. The people were carrying PAS and Keadilan flags and banners. There was a spokesman speaking through the hailer although we were unable to hear much of what was said.

The protest lasted perhaps about an hour to an hour and the half before the crowd dispersed.


Below are three messages seen on the banners:

Ten things NOT to do when you are on leave to finish your dissertation!

1. Wake up at 11.30am as you are catching up on weeks and weeks of lost sleep!

2. Download and answer office emails. (You might as well go back and work!)

3. Have a teleconference with your regional bosses to settle some issues. (See comment no. 2)

4. Channel surf the idiot box.

5. BLOG!!!!

6. Read other people's blogs!

7. Chat with friends on yahoo messenger.

8. Try to figure out how strangers found your blog.

9. Watch DVDs. (OK. I have not done that yet. Just a reminder to myself not to do so! :P)

10. Get Online. (That's the start of most of the above chain of events! :P)

Alrighty! I better get back to the dreaded "thang"! Don't think I can stand much of this self imposed exile. Will surface later if I actually get some work done!

Ciao. Good day Malaysia!

I want to thank ... blah blah blah blah

Have you ever been put in the spotlight and suddenly your memory draws a blank and you can think of nothing witty to say? Have you ever wished that you are able to woo your audience with such eloquence? Have you ever dreamed of being witty, funny and serious all at once? Have you ever wanted to be able to say so much with so little?

For me, yes to all the above!

And that's what I love about watching the Oscars. It can be a pain watching speech after boring speech after boring speech ... zzzzz. But once in a while, you catch a glimpse of such eloquence and brilliance, that touches not just your mind, but your heart as well.

Tonight, what stood out for me were two speeches. One by George Clooney and the other by Ang Lee.

George's speech encompassed the three ingredients that I wish I could have made so effortlessly as he seemed to have done. He managed to sound witty, funny and serious all at the same time. The following is an excerpt from his speech.

The part that drew the chuckles ...
"Wow. Wow. All right, so I'm not winning director. It's the funny thing about winning an Academy Award, it will always be synonymous with your name from here on in. It will be Oscar winner, George Clooney. Sexiest Man Alive, 1997."

The part that made one feel proud to be a part of Hollywood ...
"And finally, I would say that, you know, we are a little bit out of touch in Hollywood every once in a while. I think it's probably a good thing. We're the ones who talk about AIDS when it was just being whispered, and we talked about civil rights when it wasn't really popular. And we, you know, we bring up subjects. This Academy, this group of people gave Hattie McDaniel an Oscar in 1939 when blacks were still sitting in the backs of theaters. I'm proud to be a part of this Academy. Proud to be part of this community, and proud to be out of touch."

And as for Ang Lee, I have only the deepest respect for him ~ to be able not only to cross the racial and cultural divide, but to be able to direct a movie that has nothing to do with his Asian upbringing. Here, I am talking about the cowboy and the gay bits. Although if we consider deeper, love is universal. And despite all the countroversy of gay cowboys, Brokeback Mountain is first and foremost a beautiful love story.

Despite and in spite of all his achievements, it's a pleasure to hear Ang Lee speak as he still managed to come across as that humble Chinese man. In the words of a friend, "... the really great thing about Ang Lee is that you can still see him as that Ah Pek sitting at the Kopitiam"!

And his speech is equally eloquent. The following is an excerpt that I like.
"First of all, i want to thank two people who don't even exist. Or I should say, they do exist, because of the imagination of Annie Proulx and the artistry of Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. Their names are Ennis and Jack. And they taught all of us who made "Brokeback Mountain" so much about not just all the gay men and women whose love is denied by society, but just as important, the greatness of love itself. Thank you."

Here's to great speeches and public eloquence. May I be bestowed with them from herein onwards! :)

Of "quality men", mama's boys and "Fly Guy" ...

Pardon moi! I just can't get over the NST article last Saturday on the reasons why women are not getting married ~ one of which is because of the lack of "quality men" in Malaysia! Hahahaha ...

In any case, over the Big Bang Breakfast show this morning, the topic of discussion is "what should a woman do if her boyfriend turns out to be mama's boy"! I am sure you notice by now that I am a fan of "Fly guy"! I used to listen to "Fly and Little Kev" on Hitz FM until their contract ended. Then, I tuned in to Richard and Shaz on Mix FM for the Mix Breakfast show. (Can't stand the trio of Hitz FM morning crew.) But ever since Fly FM got on to the radar, I am back with "Fly guy" again. I admit I do not quite like his song selections but I love his brand of zany humour!

Anyway, I digress. Back to the mama's boy topic. A lady caller called in with her "Dear Abby" question today regarding what to do with a boyfriend who is a mama's boy. (I believe it's a planned gig.) In any case, listeners were asked to call in with their opinions and advice. One guy's advice was to dump the said boyfriend. Another male listener said that it's ok as long as the boyfriend in question knows when to draw the line. I had a feeling that he's a mama's boy! :P

But the real kicker was this lady. She called in and mentioned that the girl should perhaps act like the boyfriend's mother so that he would like her ... etc. etc. Seems like the lady caller is facing a similar problem and that's how she tried to resolve the issue. And the strategy seems to be working, according to the lady caller! This drew a loud protest from Natalie, another zany radio personality and Fly's partner in crime! Natalie was worried that the boyfriend might start thinking that the girlfriend is the mom! Hahaha ...

But the ultimate one liner came from Fly! He said that looking at the issue of quality men here (I bet you he has read THE NST ARTICLE!!), one might just have to make do! Hahahaha ... Don't you just love this guy?! He comes up with the greatest lines! And that's why I am still a Fly fan today!

Marriage? No way!!!

Now, before I continue blogging and before someone cry "man hater", let me put in a disclaimer.

Disclaimer:
The title of the piece and the piece itself do not represent this author's (meaning me) opinion, in any respect or form. It is merely an unbias journalistic endeavour to bring to this author's (meaning me) blog readers an article published in the NST last Saturday ~ which this author (meaning me again) had missed, and which this author's (yeah, me again) dear friend had "kindly" seen to "educate" the said author (yeah! me! me!). :p

The survey suggests that "women professionals between the ages of 25 and 40 prefer to marry after 30 or not at all."

Now, that is not the farnie bits yet. What brought a chuckle to my lips is the following. Get this, "...the reasons given for this: A lack of sexual desire, career priorities, infertility and a search for rich husbands."

And further more, " ...while they want their husbands to spend on them, they refuse to share their salaries with their husbands." Did I see a couple of male heads nodding or was that purely my imagination? :P

And get this! This is the statement that top all statements in the article, "women were not interested in marrying because "men of quality" were lacking in the country." Eh! "Men of quality"? Err..is the article suggesting that there is a serious lack of quality men in Malaysia? Hmmmm ...

Oh! Oh! The article did define what this lack of quality men is about. Read on! Quote: "Many men now are involved in drugs and are gay or soft." Hmmm! Influences of Hollywood in the form of Brokeback Mountain? :P

Wait! Another two excuses coming up! "Another problem for professional women, he said (he as in University Malaya lecturer and counsellor Hushim Salleh), was that men had inferiority complexes and did not like marrying women more qualified than them."

And, "Parents are now more understanding when their daughters don’t marry as they know they will be able to take care of themselves."

Hahahaha! I had a ball reading this article. Check it out at the above link. Just click on the title. True or not, you be the judge! I remember writing something along the lines of why more women are still single. Something to do with, "Why buy a cow when you can find milk everywhere?" and a friend replied, "Why get a whole pig, when all you want is a little sausage?" :P

This has made an otherwise frustrating day at work bearable! Have a blast! I now have a host of extra excuses in my arsenal waiting to be dispensed in the next CNY gathering. Three cheers for ze single ladies!

Hip! Hip! Hooray!
Hip! Hip! Hooray!
Hip! Hip! Hooray!

Friedman, Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon, Spearman, ANOVA, t-tests ....

Alrighty! If you know half the gibberish I have written above, then welcome to the world of statistics and do read on ...

The last four weeks have been an exercise in frustration as I had to redo my research tests over and over and over again. I put the fault squarely on the shoulders of my statistics lecturer who taught us only parametric tests and did not teach us non parametric tests for ordinal data! (If you are still wondering what I am going on about, just google it!) In fact, we used parametric tests on ordinal data in her class which is a big NO NO for pure statisticians! What kind of education standards and lecturers are we paying for these days? Grrrr ....

Or perhaps I should put the blame on the researcher whose published work used parametric tests for ordinal data! The publisher who published his work should be blamed too! How can they publish work that use the wrong kind of tests??? What happened to data and research integrity? Makes me wonder if the research companies we hire to do consumer research actually pays attention to data integrity?!

And the worst of it all is that after all the tests and retests, my findings are still the SAME!!! Blardy hell .... four weeks of pure torture. Running tests after tests after tests and looking at the endless data. I am almost cross-eyed by now! And the results? It's the same! What the heck is wrong with this scene? Geee, can't the higher ups in the learned society simplify statistics? If it ain't broken, don't fix it! And don't invent something new to confuse the issue!

Goodness ... I don't think I want to see another Friedman or Kruskal-Wallis or Mann-Whitney or Wilcoxon or Spearman or ANOVA or t-tests in this lifetime!

Begone with thee!

Extended D - Day

"So, the house bound policy is finally over? Can start painting the town red?" A friend called to ask the day before.

"All done? The pain is finally over?" A colleague asked early yesterday morning.

"Macam mana? Dah habis? Got it bound and handed in?" Another friend called during lunch yesterday.

"Woo hoo! Out celebrating tonight?" The text message came earlier this evening.

And a few more enquiries and well wishes came via sms, emails and phone calls. Thank you for your concern dear friends and coursemates. Guess I am dragging the pain on for another two weeks, which means I am grounding myself for yet another two weeks. Sob! Sob!

Gasing Hill will have to wait.

Nuang will have to wait.

Swimming and Body Combat will have to wait.

Pink Panther will have to wait!

Makan galore will have to wait!

Gosh! This self imposed exile is killing me! I will definitely be on a self indulgent spree when I surface from this nightmare. And why is the lyrics "who let the dogs out" keep playing in my head now? Maybe I am just going stark raving mad!

Alrighty folks! Countdown starts now for another two weeks. I hope I can survive this extension. Women are not meant to live in self imposed exile for three whole months!!! Ok la ... there were a few field trips in between but heck, it was darn few to begin with. Really! :p

Back to the grindstone. Good night Malaysia wherever you are!