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Don't miss me too much =)

on 3/19/2009 06:26:00 AM

I'll be gone for 12 days for 'Umrah' so yeah just follow what the title says.


I'm really excited to go the Holy Land and I hope to find spiritual peace within myself (iyea). Hahaha seriously. It's been 8 years since I've been there last and I expect many changes. Last time I went there, it was just me and my parents. But this time, I'm going with my whole family with my grandparents, my 'bungsu', two of my cousins next door with their parents and my youngest aunt with her daughter.


I heard it's cold there this time of year. 10 degrees celsius during the day so just imagine how low the temperature is night time. Thank god I 'improved' my insulation lately. The others will be so jealous of me. hahahaha


I'll be bringing my camera along so to Sim: "Don't worry dude, pictures are coming". Also I'll try to bring back camels for all of you. But no promises.


Ok guys I guess that's all I have to say. See you in 12 days or so!


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Not That Chatty Now , Huh?

on 3/18/2009 01:15:00 PM

So much for consistency, huh?


Some of you might have noticed that I've been missing from the tech-world lately. The past few days have been somewhat blissful. I've been watching a few movies, 4 movies precisely.


1. SE7EN (Seven)


se7en.jpg


Rookie detective (Brad Pitt) teamed-up with a soon to be retiring veteran detective (Morgan Freeman) investigates a case of serial killings revolved around the '7 Deadly Sins'. Looking at movie reviews and film critics columns, it was rated very highly. The acting was good, the flow of the story was too. The thing I really liked about the movie was that it made me think. It made me think about what the killer would do next. It made me think of the who, how, when and why. But the ending sucked. Not big time though. It just normally sucked. THat's why it only deserves an A- from me. Not really an A but sure as hell not a B.


2. Taken


taken.jpg


Ex-government special agent (presumably black ops) Bryan Mills (Liam Neeson) goes to Paris not only to save his daughter but also to find and track down the people who kidnapped her so that he could kick some ass. And let me tell you this: "Liam Neeson can totally kick ass!". He's just like an old Jason Bourne. Now that being said this movie also warrants an A-. Not because I didn't like it but because I just liked it. If I loved I would've given it an A but sorry no. It actually seemed kind of realistic. No superhuman BS going about. Just like the movie mentioned before, the ending was just an ending. Nothing big.


3. The Punisher: War Zone


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I just don't want to give a sypnosis here. It was really unbearable. I thought all the violence would amount to something. I thought wrong. It was so unealistic and GD boring I started blogging. Let me tell you one thing: Frank Castle, or the Punisher as you may know him, sure is a badass, sure he's a an anti-hero who kills bad guys but he's not a freaking superhuman. I just saw this one scene where he punched a guy in the face and his fist just went through the guy's skull. I do not recommend this movie to anyone. Even if it's the only movie left in the world. I liked the first movie more. The frst movie, I gave it a B+. But this movie doesn't even deserve an F. F is too good a grade you can give it. Even Elektra was better than this movie. And Elektra did suck. Now I just pray that the Punisher isn't included in any Marvel movies in the future. I don't even want to hear anyone mentio the Punisher in the Avengers movie. But wait, they could punish the Punisher. Maybe the Hulk (the Incredible Hulk was fantastic by the way regardless of whatever people say) can rip his head off. But unliek the movies before, the ending was the best part of the movie - because it was the end of it all.


4. Gone Baby, Gone


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Amongst all the movies I saw, this was the best. I've been wanting to watch this movie for a long time now but I just got to it toady. It was very compassionate and gripping tale. The cast was excellent in their portrayals, indivdually and as a group. The flow of the story was absolutely magnificient. It peaked right in the middle of the movie and it stayed that way until the end. I don't want to spoil anything here because I am certainly recommending this movie therefore no spoilers will be attached. Oh yeah A+. This movie deserves going back to. Like Fight Club, I could watch this movie over and over again and not get bored.


The common thing about all four movies was that they all made me want to kick open a door. You know detective style kicking the door in around the door handle area. When I was a kid I wanted to be one of those trench-coat detectives smoking cigs and catching bad guys. But I realised that in Brunei, those kind of cops only existed in comic books and movies.


I also watched 'Sixth Sense' yesterday at Syd's place but I've watched that before. The kid sees dead people. Who can complain about that right?


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Can't seem to catch a break...

on 3/06/2009 09:59:00 AM
Man I've got to go to another wedding thing tonight. Last night I went to my great-grandma's house for a family gathering, then this morning I had to wake up real early to go to an Umrah briefing. This afternoon I had to go to my uncle's place and help out a bit for tonight which leaves me no time to take an afternoon nap because soon I'd have to go back to his place for the thing tonight. Don't get me wrong or anything, I kind of enjoy these things but its piling up too fast for me.

I haven't been able to sleep early at nights. Sound familiar to you? Oh so you've read Zimin's blog. But seriously, last night I tried to sleep at 11 but ended up sleeping at 2. All that time I was lying on my bed. I switched off everything that emitted light so my room was pitch black but still I couldn't sleep. I wanted to make myself a cup of hot chocolate but I was afraid that if I got off of my bed I'd be tempted to do something else other than sleep.

After tossing and turning looking for the perfect sleeping position I found it. It was very comfortable but still I couldn't sleep. Smells like insomnia right? I hope its not. I don't wanna be like the 'Fight Club' guy coming up with a Tyler Durden of my own. It would be cool though, in a really, really freaky wax.

I found a solution to my problems though. I talked myself to sleep. HAHAHAHA. I know it sounds crazy but it really works. I didn't do the split personality thing because that would be crazy. I just thought of a history essay that I could right and I laid it down note by note, fact by fact. I discussed about JFK and theorized that if he wasn't assasinated he wouldn't be the American hero he is now. I think 5-10 minutes after I started I finally dozed off only to be woken up three and a half hours later. Talk about sleep deprivation. 

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Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

on 3/05/2009 10:17:00 AM

The title directly translates to "Who will guard the guardians?" but in colloquial English terms it can also refer to as "Who will watch the Watchmen?". The answer to that would be "ME!".


No I don't mean that I'll be a protector of any sorts. I'm talking about watching the movie 'Watchmen'. It just premiered today in Brunei so probably I'll be able to watch some time before I fly off to the Holy land of Mecca and Medina for Umrah (which is in exactly 2 weeks. wow O.O).


Unless you didn't know, the movie Watchmen originates from wait for it, wait for it...) the award winning 12-issue comic book titled 'Watchmen' (Yeah no duh!). And as you all might know (or might not know) I know the whole sequence of the story since I've already read the comic book. Ok so now you might say that, "Why should you watch the movie if you already know whats gonna happen?". My answer to that is "Why not? I read the 'Wanted' comic book and still watched the movie". And also I won't be the only one who has watched something that I already know about. Why not ask the millions or possibly the bilions of Harry Potter fans. HAHAHAHA


Watchmen was created and written by one of the most critically acclaimed writers, Alan Moore, the same person who brought you V for Vendetta. Yes it might not ring a bell. The Watchmen is based in the 1980s in a 'what if' scenario in which the 'what if' was that the Watergate incident didn't happen and that Nixon had carried on being President. So in this so called 'alternate world' superheroes, 'masks' as they call them, were considered renegades and criminals of the law. SO one thing comes after the other, some explosions, nuclear missiles, treachery and so on. So the 'Watchmen' have to save the day and all. Just like the Justice League but they're 'renegades'.


Now that I've mentioned it, why did this get a green-light but not JLA? hmm


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SOAS Memorial Lecture by MM Lee Kuan Yew

on 3/05/2009 03:06:00 AM

Finally got my hands on the speech. As mentioned a few posts back, I didn't get to hear to the whole lecture. So to those who were unfortunate ont to hear it last time, you could read it here.



"THE LEGACY OF SULTAN HAJI OMAR ALI SAIFUDDIEN"


I am honoured that, with the consent of His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei Darussalam, the Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Foundation has invited me to deliver the first of the Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Memorial Lectures. It is fitting and proper that the Seri Begawan should be commemorated. At a turning point in its history, the Brunei Sultanate would have ceased to exist as an independent state without him. In August 1963, Indonesia was opposing the proposed Federation of Malaysia and confronting Malaya and Singapore. Only eight months earlier, on 8 December 1962, Brunei had faced a revolt by Sheikh Azahari of the Partai Rakyat Brunei (PRB) and British forces from Singapore put down the rebellion. It was a time of great peril when the Sultan decided not to join the proposed Federation. Singapore went ahead and joined the Federation. Sultan Omar Ali was under great pressure from the British who had hinted that they would be leaving the region soon. But he stood firm. He put his position as Sultan and the fate of his people on the line. His judgment was that the British would be responsible enough to give him some time to get his country in better shape before British forces left.



Let me briefly recount his personal history. Sultan Haji Omar Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien the Third was born on 23 September 1914 in Kampong Sultan Lama, a ward in Kampong Ayer. He was the second surviving son of Sultan Muhammad Jamalul Alam the Second, the 26th Sultan of Brunei and the Rajah Isteri Fatimah, seventh in a family of ten. He received an informal traditional Islamic education based on the study of the Quran. He was taught good manners, respect for elders and Islamic prayers. He was interested in traditional Malay literature and was familiar with the text of the Hikayat and Syair. He had a bent for Malay poetry and wrote four works of poetry. That earned him the accolade "Penyair Diraja" or "Royal Poet". In 1932, at the age of 18, he left with two of his cousins to enroll at the Malay College in Kuala Kangsar, Malaya. He studied there for four years and returned with a Standard 4 examination certificate. He then entered the State Administrative Service with the encouragement of the British Resident, later Governor of North Borneo, R E Turnbull. He was stationed in Kuala Belait for a year, lived and worked in the jungle in Ulu Belait. After a year, he joined the Legal Department as a cadet officer, and learned aspects of civil and criminal law, understudying H Hughes-Hallet, the Assistant British Resident.



In 1938, he left the legal department and devoted his time to study religion under well-known religious teachers. In 1941, he joined the Resident's Office. On 6 September 1941, he married Pengiran Anak Damit, the daughter of the Pengiran Bendahara. Brunei was occupied by the Japanese military in early 1942. He was nominated to the State Council from 29 June 1942 and worked at the Governor's office at the request of the Japanese military administration. His brother, the Sultan, Ahmad Tajuddin, died on 4 June 1950, and Omar Ali was proclaimed Sultan on 6 June 1950. He was crowned on 31 May 1951 as Brunei's 28th Sultan at the age of 35. He was made a Knight by the British monarch.



I first met him in September 1960 when he had invited the Yang Di-Pertuan Negara of Singapore, Yusof bin Ishak, me as the new Prime Minister and our wives to Bandar Brunei for his 46th birthday celebrations. He had gathered some Malay literary figures from the Dewan Bahasa Dan Pustaka in Kuala Lumpur, including Syed Nazir, the then-President of the Dewan. He spent time the next few days discussing Malay literary works. The late Sultan was a modest man. He was soft-spoken, with a frequent smile when speaking to his friends. He lived a simple and frugal life. For his birthday, he had built an annex to the old Istana. It was not air-conditioned. He did not like air-conditioning. The room that my wife and I stayed in within this newly-built annex was very hot, like an oven even at night. The sun would shine on the building in the afternoon and there was not enough ventilation. So I quietly moved out to stay at the rest-house in a room with a window-model air-conditioner. It was during this visit to Brunei that we struck up a friendship that was to grow and endure the rest of his life.



On 27 May 1961, Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Malayan Prime Minister, at an address to the Foreign Correspondents Association in Singapore, mooted the formation of Malaysia, to include Brunei, Sarawak, North Borneo (subsequently to be named Sabah), Singapore and Malaya. On 5 December 1961, Sultan Sir Omar Ali described the Malaysia proposal as very attractive. In January 1962, he appointed a Brunei-Malaysia Commission to report on the opinion of the people. On 18 July 1962, the Sultan stated that he accepted the Malaysia proposal in principle, but that it did not necessarily mean it was final. If agreement could not be reached on important conditions affecting benefits to the people and the state, Brunei would not participate in the Malaysia plan. In August 1962, the Partai Rakyat Brunei (PRB) won a landslide victory in four District Councils which in turn would choose 16 members for the Legislative Council (LegCo). The PRB won 54 seats and had all the 16 members required for the LegCo. But they could not form the government. The 17 government nominees outnumbered the PRB in the 33-member Council. Sheikh Azahari, Leader of the PRB, rejected the proposal that Brunei join the proposed Malaysian Federation. Azahari put forward three motions at the Legco meeting, for 5 December 1962: first, to reject the proposal of a Malaysian Federation; second, to request the restoration of Brunei's sovereignty over Sarawak and North Borneo and the installation of the Sultan as constitutional monarch of the North Borneo Federation; and, third, a request to the British to grant independence to Brunei not later than 1963.



The Speaker of the LegCo disallowed the motions because the issues fell within the purview of the British government under the 1959 British-Brunei Agreement. Sheikh Azahari, the PRB leader, decided to resort to a military solution and staged a rebellion led by its military wing, Tentera Nasional Kalimantan Utara (TNKU). The revolt began on 8 December. It was put down in short order by British forces flown in from Singapore. On 20 December, Sultan Omar Ali declared a State of Emergency, suspended the Constitution, dissolved the LegCo, and appointed a 14-member Emergency Council comprising four ex-officio members, including the British High Commissioner, Sir Denis White, and 10 members nominated by the Sultan.



Negotiations on Malaysia were resumed in earnest following the end of the rebellion. The Sultan did not accept the terms that Malaya offered him. When the Malaysia Agreement was signed on 9 July 1963 in London, Singapore, North Borneo and Sarawak signed on. Brunei did not. I had been in frequent touch with the Sultan in London, then staying at Grosvenor House. He was very firm in his decision not to join. As a result, after Malaysia was formed on 16 September 1963, Tunku Abdul Rahman, the Prime Minister of Malaysia, recalled hundreds of Malaysian teachers and government officers seconded to serve the Brunei administration. Their departure caused a temporary dislocation in Brunei. Several accounts were given to explain the reasons for Brunei's decision not to join the Malaysian Federation. One account cited disagreement over oil revenues as the primary cause. Kuala Lumpur wanted Brunei to hand over control of its oil to the Federal government after 10 years. Kuala Lumpur also wanted to immediately tax any new oil and mineral finds discovered after Brunei joined Malaysia and to make the Sultan's contribution of $40 million to federal revenues compulsory rather than voluntary. The Sultan was said to have found these terms unacceptable.



Another account from Kuala Lumpur alluded to the Sultan's unhappiness over the issue of royal precedence. However, I believe Sir Omar was neither willing to compromise Brunei's control over its oil revenues nor ready to have his privileges as the Ruler of Brunei curtailed. More to the point, the vibes that Sultan Omar Ali felt during the negotiations were that he would become subordinate to Kuala Lumpur's leaders and he would rank behind Malaysia's nine Sultans in seniority, besides giving up a chunk of this oil wealth to KL. When we met soon after Singapore was asked to leave Malaysia in August 1965, he nodded with satisfaction that his decision not to join was wiser than Singapore's acceptance of Malaysia.



Just over two months after Malaysia was formed, on 1 December 1963, the British Colonial Office cut its long-term connection with Brunei. The British High Commissioner in Brunei, no longer called the British Resident, henceforth would deal with the Secretary of State for Commonwealth. When the Labour Government took office in October 1964, it became clear that sooner or later they would withdraw their forces from east of Suez. This would jeopardise Brunei's secure position as a protectorate. British advisers pressed the Sultan to hasten the implementation of constitutional reforms so that there could be a democratic government in place. In March 1965, a second general election was held for District and Legislative Councilors. 36 candidates contested for 10 LegCo seats in the 21-member LegCo that would comprise six ex-officio members and five members nominated by the Sultan. 88 candidates fought for seats in four District Councils. A large number of candidates contesting under political parties were defeated by independents because the political parties were weak.



On 4 October 1967, Sultan Omar Ali, then aged only 53, abdicated in favour of his 21-year-old eldest son, Hassanal Bolkiah, born on 15 July 1946. It was a strategic move he made to buy time before a British withdrawal. I was invited to the coronation of his son in 1968. Protracted negotiations with the British on Brunei's future continued following the abdication. The Sultan, now the Seri Begawan, dragged out the discussions. He wanted his son to get familiar with the administration. Moreover, his son was only 21 years old. He deflected pressure to adopt the British adversarial Parliamentary system. He argued with the British that he needed a few years for the young Sultan to learn the ropes and strengthen the domestic situation ahead of any constitutional changes. He bought time from 1963 to 1983, over 20 years, when the British finally withdrew, and Brunei became an independent state. Without the skilful and determined stand taken by Sultan Omar Ali in the full knowledge that he was risking the future of his Sultanate if the British were to leave precipitately, he saved his dynasty, delayed majority rule before Brunei was ready, and he secured Brunei's continued defence by an agreement to pay for one British Gurkha battalion that would stay in Brunei under British control. A discreet British presence remained. The Seri Begawan had preserved Brunei's oil wealth. He left the bulk of his country's reserves with the Crown Agents to manage. He was fortunate that Britain acted with responsibility. Most of all, the Seri Begawan played his hand with considerable skill. He pleaded for time to educate enough local Bruneians who could manage the administration of the country.



Way back in the 1960s, he and I had become close friends. He trusted me because I never took advantage of his friendship to ask for favours. On one occasion, he asked his sons to sit in when I met him and he told them that I was a friend who could be relied upon. He wanted the friendship between us to continue with his sons. It has. The close ties continue between the Sultan and his brothers with the present PM and other leaders of Singapore. Less than three years after independence, on 7 September 1986, he passed away. He was deeply mourned by the people of Brunei. They knew that he had saved their independence and are able to live as they wish, keeping their oil wealth. It was Sir Omar's statecraft. He built the infrastructure of state. By the 1980s, he had given the sultanate's 200,000 people a high per capita income of US$20,000, among the world's most privileged. He strengthened Brunei's Islamic institutions.



Sultan Omar Ali took calculated risks with courage. He had a keen sense of what was politically possible. During the 17 years from 1950 to 1967, he brought economic, social and political developments to Brunei. With two Five-Year Development Plans, he provided for an education system throughout the state. He built schools to teach English, gave scholarships to promising young students to study in overseas institutions. He provided school children with at least one free meal a day. Religious schools were given high priority. Hospitals, clinics were set up and dental services to schools were provided. He eradicated dysentery and malaria. He provided electricity for the whole state. He developed the roads and telecommunication systems. He reclaimed swamp lands and resettled people. He set up the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment in 1961, which evolved into the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. The Currency Board was established in 1967. Sultan Omar Ali had ensured the survival of an independent Malay Muslim monarchy at the end of the 20th century. He had built a strong foundation before passing the mantle to his eldest son. His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has guided Brunei since independence in 1984, a 25-year period, during which Brunei has progressed in material and social terms. The old Sultan would have been happy to know that an independent Sultanate in Brunei has progressed in the quarter century after independence. His son, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, has preserved his heritage. Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah has continued to expand the numbers of abler Bruneians who are educated abroad, and created a thicker layer of the higher educated and well-informed elite.



It was good for Brunei that at the time it became independent, the leader of ASEAN was President Soeharto of Indonesia. He knew that I was a good friend of the Seri Begawan. So he asked me to invite Brunei to join ASEAN. Brunei did join and became a member of the family of ASEAN states. This consolidated Brunei's sovereign status, especially when it was recognised by its neighbours. Joining ASEAN also reduced the dangers of conflict between Brunei and its neighbours. The close friendship and mutual trust that the father established with me have continued in the leaders of the next generation. This is a special relationship. We are the two smallest countries in ASEAN. One natural area of cooperation is defence, where our two countries have a longstanding, deep and extensive relationship that goes back to 1976. There are extensive interactions between the two Defence Ministries and the Armed Forces at all levels, from the Ministers to the younger officers.



All Singapore Prime Ministers and Ministers have scrupulously followed my policy of never taking advantage of our close friendships with the Brunei Royal Family, their Ministers and officials. The two Armed Forces train together in Singapore and Brunei on a regular basis. They conduct seven joint exercises annually. The Singapore Armed Forces is particularly grateful for the opportunity to conduct some of its training in Brunei, given Singapore's land constraints. RBAF officers and soldiers attend a wide range of military courses in Singapore, together with their Singaporean counterparts. These range from technical courses to Officer Cadet School and the Command and Staff Course. Likewise, SAF officers attend courses in Brunei, such as the Executive Development Programme and the RBAF Junior Staff Course. A recent addition is the Scholars Exchange Programme for scholars from the defence establishments of both countries before they depart for their studies. These exchanges have enabled the officers to enhance their military knowledge. More importantly, they get to know one another at a personal level. Such interactions provide the foundation for ensuring that the relationship between our two armed forces remains strong in the coming years.



Another important area of collaboration is the Currency Interchangeability Agreement. In December 1964, a year after Malaysia was formed, the Malaysian government decided to terminate the Board of Commissioners of Currency and to issue a new currency for Malaya, Singapore and the Borneo territories, including Brunei. The Malaya-British Borneo Currency Agreement was terminated two years later. The Malaysian government in Kuala Lumpur declined Brunei's request that it be given a seat on the policy-making body. Also, Malaysia opposed Brunei's request that the portrait of the Yang Di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia should not appear on the new notes. Hence, Brunei enacted legislation in January 1967 to form its own Currency Board. Brunei, Malaysia and Singapore adopted a Currency Interchangeability Agreement, which allowed our currencies to be accepted inter-changeably in the three countries. Although Malaysia withdrew from the Agreement in May 1973, Brunei and Singapore have maintained the arrangement till today. In June 2007, His Majesty Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong celebrated the 40th anniversary of this Agreement and jointly launched two $20 polymer commemorative notes in Bandar Seri Begawan to commemorate the event. This Agreement reflects our long-standing friendship and mutual trust, and has deepened economic ties between Brunei and Singapore.



Singapore's leaders have continued the close ties with Brunei after my long association with the Seri Begawan and his sons. This association has endured and flourished because it is based on mutual respect and trust, and utmost good faith. Future generations of leaders and officials should build upon and enrich this special relationship.



The history of Brunei has been a most unlikely story of a Sultanate that has survived into the 21st century as an independent oil-rich state in a turbulent part of the world. Singapore and Brunei share fundamental similarities. I remember during one of the Seri Begawan's visits to Singapore after our independence, he had smiled broadly and, with his eyes twinkling and his moustache twitching, said "You are now like Brunei. It is better for you." As small states surrounded by bigger neighbours in an increasingly uncertain and complex world, we share similar aspirations and concerns. We can complement on our respective strengths to enhance our development and growth. Both bilaterally and multilaterally with our other partners in ASEAN, we can help ASEAN become an integrated, stable and thriving regional association at peace with one another and with our larger neighbours, including China and India.



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Profiling

on 3/04/2009 02:43:00 PM

In my previous post I forgot to mention that for the past two days I'v been picking up my sister from her new school, PTEB. Let me just tell you one thing, the traffic is horrible. Yesterday I spent close to 30 minutes to move the car for about 800 or so metres. Today was bettter but still took quite a while.



But looking on the bright side, I had company along the way. Before picking up my sister, I usually pick up my brother first. So yesterday when we were stuck in traffic, he and I came up with this game (actually I was the one who came up with the game and he just played along). The game was called 'profiling'. The rules were to look at the drivers of cars passing by and assess them of who they were by just a glance. It was a lot of fun and hilarious too. My brother didn't get it at first so he just decided to describe the person. "Moustache" or "funny shirt" was what he said first. But as the game progressed he soon got the gist of it.



Ok so you might think I'm kinda shallow judging people by their looks. Yeah I'm aware of the phrase "don't judge a book by it's cover" but that wasn't it (at least not all of it). It was sort of like an analysis of a person's personality, status, occupation etc through assessing what they drive, what they were wearing, how old they were, their mannerisms and body-language or if they had company in the car. The only thing we didn't take into account was the race because I guess it would be just bland as we'd come up with boring stereotypical perspectives of the people. So it was sort of like playing detective like in the TV show 'Criminal Minds' (you might have seen this show before but it used to air a lot on Star World).



For example, what would you think of a man, early 40s, buttoned down formal shirt (presumably tucked in) with the top buttons undone, side-parted hair, flashy watch and car and not at work at 4 pm? First thought I had was that the guy wasn't a government official, was a busines type person (maybe did not own one but was one of the highly-ranked) and picking up his only child (probably his daughter because he was punctual). That was my assessment of the guy and my brother did quite a good job doing it too. He said that the guy looked like someone who sold cars. Not bad for 9 year old I thought.



Next was a lady driving a compact car, with a son inside wearing 'sekolah ugama' clothes sleeping. It was (about) 4.15pm and the lady was in her late 40s. She didn't wear anything fancy from what I saw. She clutched the steering wheel close to her body. She didn't lean back on her chair, was sitting up straight and seemed kind of jittery. What I could come up with was that she was a stay at home mom, because she was able to pick up her son at 3.15pm then be there stuck in traffic at Berakas/Lambak. So she wasn't in a hurry (to get back to work at least). But the way she held the steering wheel and sitting in the driver's seat, it seemed that she was late to get back home. And also I thought since she was this late and got caught up in traffic, she must've stopped by somewhere and maybe bought some groceries. When I mentioned this my brother added "maybe she has to prepare dinner or something" and I was quite impressed. Again not bad for a 9 year old.



The last one was not at all tricky. There was a guy, late teens (not a day over 20 I presume), looked ravaged and bored. This was a no-brainer. I instantaneously desxribed him in one word: "ME!". He fit the profile of a guy who had nothing to do. Didn't wear working clothes, hair messed up, car was not new but also not really old and he was damn right BORED!!! But then my brother got me again. He said "Yup he is you.... without me to play this game!". Then I guess we burst out into this laughing fit and as soon as we knew it, my sister had just seen the car and was on her way.



Well the point here is that my brother is quite an awesome person. Although annoying at times, he serves good company when you're bored. He never fails to make me laugh (out of joy or irritation). But he also never fails to make me wanna strangle him like Homer does to Bart. HAHAHAHA!



And oh yeah, profiling is cool in a weird but fun way.


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Holy Headaches!

on 3/04/2009 10:20:00 AM

So yeah I missed two days of blogging. I hope all 12 of you didn't miss me that much.



So Sunday night was a blast. I had great fun with the gang. We had dinner for Kahar's birthday party which was like a first. Usually birthday parties meant music, dancing (although I normally avoid this), shouts and yells, jumping around and you know the usual stuff. But this was different. It was tame and civilised. Which comes to the verdict: I liked it!



After dinner we had cake and played Guitar Hero: World Tour on Kahar's Xbox360. One thing I found out is that Cheah Wen is really good at playing the guitar (hero). She amazed us all with her precision and accurate timing. After she finished one song, I think she burned Imi. I was wowed after that.



Then the ladies (and some guys) soon left the party and only the sleepovers were left. Wait, did I just say the sleepovers? I meant the STAY-overs. I don't think you could really call it a sleepover considering during the niht no one really slept. While some of the guys chilled outside, me, Zimin, Fadhil and Faris were inside. Fadhil and Faris were napping while I listened to Zimin sing on Faris' karaoke machine. He's kind of funny that guy. I think he sang non-stop for an hour or so. Then after that the guys were finished with their air-time and we all went out for a drive on Fadhil's car.



We 'explored' Jerudong (overstatement). We went to the elephant place but it was just a place (minus the elephant) the to the 'Red Rocket' house which we just passed by. Then to Kahar's area then to the beach. It was very serene there on the beach I might say. We climbed the rocks and each and everyone of us claimed a rock for ourselves to lay on or make territory. It was awesome and relaxing. I think we spent one and a half to two hours there 'chilling' until there was light and we headed back to Kahar's place.



I think by that time people started to feel tired. Each and everyone of the guys started sleeping. I didn't actually sleep. I took a short nap downstairs with Zudin, Kahar and Fadhil in company. Only for 15 minutes I think. Then I woke up and joined Fadhil playing videogames then not long after I got bored and just watched him play with Quasim. Then we went back.



As soon as I got back (at 11am), I slept up until 3.30pm and then took my brother from school (I was late). When I reached home at around 4, I continued sleeping until 9 in morning the next day. I vaguely remember being woken up by my parents a few times but I can't seem to remember any details.



Man did that result in a major headache. It felt like being hit on the head by a sledgehammer. TWICE!!! I was so disoriented. First thing I did was freshen up. Then I went to eat then there was a note downstairs from my mom. It read: "Suruh Agus jump kereta, bawa ke workshop usai... ada duit." And next to the note was some cash. I took it and did as instructed. Fixed the car and then bought a few DVDs to indulge my self in these times of boredom and stagnancy.



Today was the same as yesterday minus the workshop thing and the buying of DVDs. =)


0

Update pasal bual.... ummm I mean bula!

on 3/01/2009 02:47:00 AM
Hahahaha sorry jengkins. I felt the twitchies.

Last night me, jeng, zudin, das, kam and syuk joined the jocks (jimmy, vovie, azmi, tom, wafri and man i can't seem to remember the other one) had a little game of futsal at Harun's gym. It was a great deal of fun. I scored two goals last night each scored with my left and right foot. Could've scored more as I had a few shots hitting the upright and some shots were just wide off the target. Me and jeng suffered (exaggerated) a few knocks last night.

Jeng upon attempting to score a goal (before that I think he scored 2 goals), slipped in front of the goal post and somehow cut his toe. It looked kind of gruesome but hell was it enigmatic how he fell down. He fell while trying to stop the ball and ball rolled under his foot. I don't know how he got cut though. HAHAHA

My injury was a re-occurance of the one I had during last year's cross-country. Last year during the cross-country the soles of my feet got cramped and swollen due to poor or lack of hydration. Since that incident, whenever I was due for physical activities and exercise, I made sure to drink a bottle of water before. But last night I forgot and now my feet hurt. It's not as bad last year as both my feet were out-of-service, this time only my left foot hurts bad. But I healed faster than last year and as soon as I reached home, I could limp faster.

Mystifyingly, yesterday the MS Cross Country was held. Maybe its just a coincidence that I acquired the same injury on the same day of a particular occasion. But I'd like to think that cross-countries have something against me.

Seems like this is gonna be the only post for today. Later in the afternoon (at around 3) I'm gonna go to my cousin's 'nikah' ceremony and I think after that I'm gonna go straight to Kahar's (who is celebrating his birthday today by the way). Or maybe I'd go home first and prepare my stuff. My parents finally gave me a green light to go to a sleepover. I don't think they'd mind if I go to a few of these things. Just as long as its not all the time I think.

OH YEAH HAPPY BIRTHDAY KAHAR!!!

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