Its gonna be a tight month..

Of all the past earnings, this month's paycheck may be the worse ever.I scored below average with enough cash to skim through the entire March. Hopefully, there won't be too many
cash outflow from my stash. Lucky for me, I've managed to save up a bit for the rainy days. I plan to divert at least 30% from February's
wages to my savings.I need to set aside at least RM1K for my vehicle road tax and insurance in mid-April. The sucky part is that the
Government had revoked the petrol subsidy of RM665.Speaking of daily expenses, bringing food from home helped a bit especially in the mornings. I am slowly
weaning off my dependancy on rice cos the doctor ordered me to do so.As Vegas looms ahead, the April, May, June, July and August are gonna be really lean months. My focus is on
paying my debts and limiting expenses on the hobby. And yeah, this means - fewer knives and gear.

Senile buggers..

Its no fun spending one and a-half hour in the car just to get to work.This morning was no exception. And what would be better to start the day with a senile old bugger on the phone
demanding for his letter to the Editor to be published.I get plenty of calls as such and well, some people - especially agitated gereatrics - can be a fucking pain in the
neck.This old dude who lived in an apartment was grumbling and ranting about his letter which was sent on Tuesday.
Its not published and was pushed to us by the main desk.He was pissed off and demanded an answer, so I told him that his letter was being queued and publication
depends on the availibity of space.Pushy old farts like these would actually shorten your life. So, the best thing to do, is a little bit of tact and
diplomacyAnd when all else fails - just slam the phone down.

Pain in the neck

I must have slept in an strange position that my neck hurts pretty bad.

For the entire day, I have been dealing with nothing but pain. It strained me so much, each time I turn to the right, there is a sharp pain.

So, the natural thing to do, is to slap on one of those pain relieving plasters. Hopefully, the situation would improve over the hours..

Back on the trail..

It's back on the trail.I had my week planned and today is one of those easy days where I get some fieldwork done. And best of all, I
have closed a deal with a food company to sponsor my column. Went to Bangsar and had a bowl of duck thigh noodles. It was at the Chun Heong coffeeshop where I regularly
have my meals. At RM5.50, the lunch was a steal. When my bowl of noodles arrived, I snapped a few shots and went on eating.
The angle which I was seated didn't really gave some good indoor shots of the coffee shop, so, I skipped to the
exterior which came out pretty well.After filling up and completing my task, I head off to the Bangsar Village mall and checked out two bookstores
and later shot off to pick up my buddy CM Khor and had tea with him before heading back to the office.We exchanged notes about what's happening in the business. I told him that Michelle had noted the fact that one
of the lady who went for dinner last Saturday had appeared to be stuck-up.He concurred and well, I guess since her PR company is in the shits, we'll have to see what is in store next. And
as usual, I had no issue submitting my take for the Food Trail stockpile. There's much to be done - especially when its going to be tied-in with a major food manufacturer in March!

Sympathy for the devil

In a superficial society, people often associate success and prominence with power and position.And once all that is yanked away under your feet, you are left with nothing. Which is why some folks who were in
power and rank found it so hard to let go.This is an ego trip and when you are in the 'inner circle', the benefits in terms of business contacts and
association with the powers that be comes into full swing.When you are right on top of the food chain, things like money, women, drugs, booze and expensive toys comes
easily.You have an entourage of cocksuckers tailing you and giving hymns and praise freely. In short, you are God. In
the course of my life, I have seen people rise and fall. The higher they hit, the harder they fall. And when they lead, everyone looked up to them. They get freebies, favours, even false courtesy from the
doorman that greets them everyday.But life as it is, is harsh. And as Sir Isaac Newton would put it: "Everything that goes up, must come down". The
gravity of the whole issue is that if you feed on power and greed, the journey to oblivion is inevitable.I can say this when I observed the life and times of some former media bigwigs. When they came into power,
they surround themselves with cronies and share the loot.As time is a thief, these folks too became victims of their own misgivings. After leaving the fraternity, all the perks
came to a grinding halt.People no longer call you to attend functions or even send you a greeting card during festivals. The kissasses
will move on to the next honcho. That's the vicious cycle in the lifespan of a corporate leader.Well that said, I admire some of the good guys who leave their profession with dignity and integrity. But seeing
as it is, in a world that is ruled by greed and malice, its very hard to find a good leader who is honest and
sincere.

Karma, karma, karma, chameleon..

Word had it that a multi-million ringgit Public Relations company which was set up to cater to the country's economic development region and the local corporate titans may be going under.

And guess what? The stuck-up lady who was once my boss is an employee there.

Funny how Karma gets to you when you fuck other people up. This company, which is helmed by some former media bigwigs is also funded by the hidden hand of a local tycoon.

Well, to be exact, the same guy whose father was a humble canteen operator in Jalan Raja Muda.

The said person also gave me 20sen and told me to fuck off. Now, that's getting what you give. I learned from my buddy that the PR company retains a quarter-million ringgit monthly for doing fuck-all.

So, with the good times ending in a flash, I guess all the employees for the firm would have to look for jobs elsewhere.

As PR practitioners, I don't think they hit the mark. Some former journalists in the set up - like their present precessors are primadonnas.

They are spoon-fed motherfuckers with sky high expectations who knew next to nothing. So, are they going to make it after the mountain crumbles?

Well, frankly, I don't give a flying fuck nor I feel sorry for them because they are fucked up right from the very beginning.

For all the misdeeds and wrongdoings - they deserve every bit in this Karma payback.

Moral of the story - be your own man. Don't get sucked into a mutual masterbation club and live like maggots when the shit hits the fan.

There goes 12 hours..

Time surely flies!
Started my day at 05:30 this morning and well, kinda waited till 06:50 before I hit the road. With the morning rush, it took me about 1:15:00 hrs to get to the office. 

That's routine cos I spend an hour everyday stuck on the road. And there was a near collission at USJ 4. Some shithead made a sudden turn and I braked just in time.

Had salad and a sandwich for breakfast at the office canteen. Since I went off rice, I lost about three kilogrammes.

The greens also helped my bowel movement. I had plenty of turd to flush down the outhouse. Anyways, my day went down smooth when I closed my pages at 2:00pm.

There were other office chores on sight and I managed it in the nick of time. As the working hour ends, I started my daily migration back to the house.

It rain and well, when I got to the gate, my gurl was soggy and smelly. The boy, on the other hand, was okay.

Watched the Oscars on TV and I guess the instant noodles are giving me some indigestion... The tummy's bloated and full of gas.. Sigh! Oh well, tomorrow begins now.. Two more days before I break on Thursday..

Ambushed..

Ambushed..

Here is a shot of my dogs at walk and while they were at it, a mutant spitz ambushed my boy..

In the company of friends, came some snobs..

Aaah! What a weekend! I caught up with some old friends last night at a dinner in the city. And right there on the guest list, were some
folks from the website Malaysia Insider.They were no strangers, as a matter of fact - ex-colleagues of mine from the New Straits Times. What annoyed
me was the fact that I welcomed one of the dinner guest who was my ex-boss.She walked past me and my wife with attitude and behaved as if we did not exist. This kinda confirmed my
conclusion that people change and when they are affiliated to a certain hand that feeds them, you are 'ejected'
from their life.Well, no love lost. I found the said person to be more stuck-up than ever and since I only see her once in a few
years or never, the best course of action is to move on with life.My loss, their gain. Anyway, the food was allright, and it was a treat from the restaurant owner for media folks
who supported him.Strange thing was this 'food critic' who brought nine guests to fill up the dining table. As far as I am concerned,
she was the same obnoxious bitch that gave hell to many people while she was at the NST.Retired, she now writes for the website. Again, no love loss. I guess that in the course of my life, I will come
across more folks like that. Well, hopefully, they won't get into my nerves.

Seiko Spacewalk

Another timepiece to be added to my 'want list' would be the Seiko Spacewalk Springdrive.This was made for an American space tourist and the styling for the kinetic movement watch was truly ahead of
its time.I like everything there is on this watch and way I see it, this would be a premium priced item. Right now, Seiko is
only going to produce about 100 pieces of the Spacewalk.

Eating well

Michelle and I had changed our diet from rice to greens and pasta.We are reducing our carbohidrate intake. Well, to be frank, rushing home to cut the vegs and tossing them as our
starter meal can be a real pain.I rather have the salad prepared in advance so that the only thing left to do, is to toss it. Greens helps digestion
and a high fibre diet is good.Its been nearly a week without rice and I think we can handle it. As a matter of fact, my rice intake has also been
reduced to half of what it used to be.Eating raw greens is not as filling as stuffing your belly with rice, but it helps. We hope to maintain this as a
long-term committment to our health.

Year two, day one

I made my way to the office this morning the old-fashioned way. Took the normal route and got stuck in the rush hour for an hour - which is pretty much the norm these days. To
get from USJ 26 to Section 16 in Petaling Jaya, it takes nearly one and a-half hours if I leave my home before
07:00am. Any later than that would be a disaster. Today also marks year two of my employment at The Star. So far, I have
learned a lot in terms of co-managing my section. I've been given the daily task to select stories for publication and present the dummy pages during the late
evening meeting.Way I see it, these are the daily routines unless I am doing the regional pages for Metro South and East. The
hours are long and if the execution of my plans are made according the schedule, I can enjoy my off days without
carrying the burden of work.This may be a tough year as it seems, but come what may, I'll have to weather it out. My significant half is also
very busy preparing herself for a few overseas trip.The only break I can look forward to this year: is the Suspect's Gathering in Vegas, US. Hopefully, it will bear
fruits because I have yet to apply for my travel visa to the States.

Naked ambition

When you are a personality in the public eye, you must be accountable for your actions.This goes beyond your 12-hours of work. Strange as it seems, people then do have knack for scandals and in a recent development, a female politician came under the microscope for her alleged 'indecent' photos.Way I see it, her private stash of naughty photos was made a public finding. She came out of it in shreds and was seen weeping like an old lady.If seasoned pro in the business would have been going through the same situation, I bet it would make him or her more famous.Take our former Health Minister for an example. He was secretly taped doing the wild thing and at the end of it, admitted to it and walked out. He made a comeback and we Malaysians, have forgotten about his misadventures. He got away with it and the to part that most people would forgive - is the fact that he came forth without denying about it.Sex scandals are not new in the political scene. People should not judge their community leader by how they screw in the bedroom.If the woman is a useless bugger who is good for nothing except for showing her nasty bits, then those who voted her into office are the ones who are regretful...

Full circle

One year ago today, I started a new lease of life.I put behind 15-years of employment in Malaysia's oldest newspaper to join the winning team.

My decision was influenced by: poor management, racism and zero growth. I also found that mangers that were hired to run the former workplace were fond of victimising people who actually work and contribute to the growth of the company. Sad but true.

Apart from that, the corruption bid was also way over the top. I see managers sending their favourite employees on overseas jobs and claiming exhorbitant allowances where they worked in cahoot to score the loot.

Other than that, some favourable employees were actually doing outside job for their bosses on company time.

It took me a while to realise this but when it came to my senses, it was too late. I was forced into starting up a section and was given two deadbeat co-workers for the task.

And in the blame-game, I became a statistic. So, having given it much thought, I decided that it was best to leave.

After I tendered my resignation, no one from the management side actually bothered to ask what were the reasons of my departure. That was how badly the situation was managed.

I took my stride and worked till my last day. The folks who were at help were oblivious to that. No farewell parties, no speeches. Just a clean break.

At my present workplace, my hope was to carry on with my trade. And for the last 365 days, I survived.

In my years as an employee, the fact that you can never put a good man down is a reality. To reap the seeds you so, you have to tend the fields diligently.

The greatest honour for me, is acceptance and full cooperation from my co-workers. I found that the present set up is highly professional in achieving their goals and the best part of all - are the
rewards given in the form of bonuses and ex-gratias.

At 40, I still have 15 years to serve and with the great vibes given, I will see to it that I perform at my level-best.
After one year, I have gotten over the neglect, oppression, double-standards, bigotry and cronysm at the old workplace. To those who are still finding their bearings over there, I simply wish them the best of luck...

Eastern promises

I had a day off yesterday and well, time really flies! The first half of the day was spent on organising the home laundry, then walking the dogs and doing some
errants. I had two packages to send out and by the time I got home, it was past 03:00pm. Since I am still recovering from
a chest infection, I had to sleep it off and the afternoon nap did come as a great convenience.Before I left the house to run my errants, I had a small chat with a contractor who was renovating my neighbour's
house. Seems that the paintjob that he was carrying out really sucked. The painter had painted across our boundary and
when I approached the man, a Chinese contractor in his mid-50s, he wasn't pleased.Instead of acknowledging the fact, he put on a fuck face and insisted that what he had done was right. Debris
and dirt from the construction had been washed down by rain and now, the drain is filled with sand and dirt.He said this was normal and it happens everywhere. What I heard, was the lame excuse from a lazy
motherfucking contractor. And my soon-to-be new neighbour was no big help either. I found that this moron is mentally retarded. When he
used to visit his mother at the house, he parked his vehicle right across our front gate, obstructing our passage.I don't want to confrontational on this matter and from what his next door neighbour has done, I can see that
nobody likes him.Well, the only saving grace for the day, was some good TV time. On the HBO channel, 'Eastern Promises' with
Viggo Mortensen and Naomi Watts.I am a big fan of Mortenson and found that the flick was worth my full two hours. Its a story about a midwife and
the Russian mafia in London.Love the plot and director David Cronenberg did a good job with the flow and ending of the flick. Mortensen
played a convicing Russian mob henchman who is actually an undercover agent infiltrating the vory v zakone. For his effort, Mortensen was nominated for an Academy Award. This is a good flick and if you love those heavy
drama stuff - I highly recommend it..

Crime spree

I received a phone call from my aunt two nights ago and the topic of your conversation sent shivers down my
spine.According to her, the house next door was broken into. And a coupla days earlier, one of the houses behind
where she lives was also broken into.The crime rate in Setapak had gone from bad to worse in the last 15 years. Not only that, people are now double
parking on the main road in front of her home.What worries me the most is the fact that she now lives alone. I had told her over time and again that she should
keep her home well-lit and locked at all times.She told me that thieves had broken-in at her neighbour's place through the ceiling. The house, she added, was
ransacked. I don't know the details and told her that she should keep her place lit at all times. God is watching over her
because this only happened to her neighbours. I pray for her and hope that nothing untowardly would happen to
her.

Farm trip

Here are some shots taken from a recent trip to farmer Wong's place in Karak, Pahang. Hanging out with some old buddies is absolute fun!

The cough..

Officially, its a weekday and technically speaking - its my second day back at work. And the cough is getting from bad to worse. I can't sleep properly last night cos I had to wake up and clear my
throat in the bathroom.Sink or swim, I had to get treatment from the company clinic today. A course of anti-biotics and some medication
to ease the chest infection ought to do it. The day is still young as I made it to the office before 07:00am this morning. Way I see it, if everything is planned
out smooth, I should be able to finish up by 07:00 pm this evening.

Chillin'

Rain over Mid Valley Gardens

My sandwich

Hanging out with Mrs Samo..

work and be merry..

Ah... Back to work. My day started at 6am and with the chest infection, life at this very moment sucked.Walked the kids at about 06:45am. I actually had time to catch the History Channel before shooting off to work.
Sundays are great because traffic is at a breeze.By the time I got to my workplace, there were some things to sort out. High on the order of the day, was to spring
clean my drawer.Next, plan the stories and inform the boss. Before I knew it, time for lunch break. I made a brief stop at Section
17 to get some medication for my cough. Seem that the phelgm had made it rather uncomfortable for me. Right now, I am working at 85% efficiency. Hopefully, I can get some treatment from the company doctor
tomorrow.

116 years heritage site...

Kuala Lumpur's oldest public school - sponsored by towkays and businessmen in the turn of the century, is now 116 years old and counting. 

And on Feb 14, the Government had declared it as a heritage site. Phew! Originally built at Jalan Bandar, the Victoria Institution was relocated to Jalan Hang Tuah.

There, it stood through the ravages of time. This school saw the surrender of the Imperial Japanese Army at the end of World War II and is the alma mater to many statesman and corporate leaders. 

Well, if you dig deeper, scums and tyrants included. I studied here for five years in my teenagehood and the best years of my life was spent there. 

Although I did not ideally turned out to be what my family had expected, me education continues till today.

In this school, I made some good friends. To me, the building is just a monument. Its the teachers and the pupils that made it great. 

A small percentage of the kids here had done very well while the vast population that went through the gates of KL's oldest public secondary school are still searching for their big break.

Well, many of the old boys from Victoria Instition are proud of their heritage. Why not? The school is steeped in tradition and each time there is an opportunity to round up the old geezers, its either self indulgence in ego trips or mutual mental masturbation. 

I for one, had never associated myself with the old boy's association or any of its alma mater activities. 

I scoff at the sight of pretentious people and fake cammaraderie. That said, all the best VI!

Valentine Day

Is for suckers. 

I don't see the need to splurge on roses, chocolates and a fancy lunch or dinner that is going to break the bank.

For starters, I didn't even knew it was Valentine's Day till my wifey told me that it was so. We spent the weekend in the city centre.

First on our schedule, was a stop at the Pavilion Mall in Jalan Bukit Bintang. This place is huge and posh and we marvelled at all the strange people that parked themselves there.

We covered Lot 10, Sungai Wang Plaza, Low Yat Plaza, Berjaya Times square and ended up having lunch at a corner coffee shop in Jalan Imbi.

Later, we shot off to the Mid Valley Gardens to utilise some gift vouchers from Robinsons. As usual, on weekends, the crowd is at full swing. 

Lucky for us, finding a parking spot was not an issue. So, the order of the day, was to get some garments for the wifey.

She did the shopping and I mostly said: "mmmph... yeah, that colour is nice.. bla-bla-bla.." After she picked up her garb, we walked to the Docker's outlet.

There, she went for some work pants. While she was shopping, I saw this Ah Lian, who was over dressed in a casual clothing store. She was waiting for her man who was in the changing room.

And just as I predicted, lo and behold, this drug dealer Ah Beng came out parading with his new pants. It was a sight to behold - gangsta fashion show.

I kept saying: "drug dealah.. drug dealah.." And noticed the dirty look on the woman's face, nevertheless, I couldn't give a flying fuck cos she had some serious attitude.

The store assistant who tended to my wife was okay except for this bum whom I asked about sizes. I picked up a pair of pants and asked if the sizes area variable. 

"Yes, we have sizes up to 40," he said and led me to a corner to show me a different cutting. Then he took off. So, I put the pants back and went back to Michelle.

Moments later, this fucking bum came up to me and asked: "So, how? You want the pants?" I said: "Nah, not interested." He left with an embarassed look on his face.

Way I see it, that fucking bum is a lousy salesman. So, fuck him. After my wife had sorted out her selection, she was told to wait for an hour. 

We worked our way to Borders in the third floor and had some coffee. Michelle said we had never gone out like that for years. 

Yeah, solely because we have our own place and the dogz. Which I rather do - cos spending a quality weekend with the family is much better than cruising in malls. 

The party's over..

Ah, fourteen days of leave and expanded off days - over! 

It's back to work tomorrow and a full week ahead. First order of the day, is to plan my trail column and all the places that I need to mark as 'must do'.

There's plenty of paperwork to do and I guess in my absense, the hygiene campaign may have been neglected.

Depending on the page load, my working hours are dictated with the story count in the queue and how much work was done by the reporters. Since the honchos are not around, I'll have to man the desk alone.

This means - planning the section's content and sitting for the evening editorial meeting. If my day is planned well, its gonna be a smooth run. 

Another shameless plug...

I received an email some time back from a reader who wanted me to do a write-up about a 'traditional' chicken rice stall in Kepong.

To put it for the record, I never like people beating their chest to tell the whole world about how good they are.

As a matter of fact, the guy actually asked for a favour. This, is ethically - a thing that I don't do. If I need to work on such an outlet, I will personally make the arrangements myself.

I brushed off the guy and thought that he had forgotten about it. But this dude is persistent. He came back with a barrage of emails demanding a session. 

Way I see it, I better 'conveniently' forget about going to the place or even ask for a session with the stall owner. 

Based on the vibes, I don't think the stall is doing well... 

Spoonfed

A guru once said: "The purpose of a newspaper, is to educate, entertain and enlighten". 

Such a phrase - of course, was ripped off from another guru. Yes, the paper has its purpose to serve the public.

But sometimes, the folks who pay RM1.20 can be extremely demanding. I've receive a number of emails citing that I have ripped off and given despair to folks who spent hours and hours looking for a certain outlet. 

My column reads: "Food Trail". Now, where's the sense of adventure when you have everything thrown in such as full address, telephone number and maps? 

Since I paid for my food and waited for my turn like any other customers, that privilage to such an information is mine. 

Its up to me on whether I want to state the obvious or not. Anyways, I find that some readers are plain ignorant and demanded to be spoonfed all the time. 

Sorry, if you want something done, you've got to do it yourself. There is no such thing as a free trip.

Weathered and down with the count..

Oh man! The cough really got me this time. Woke up this morning and felt like a car wreck. With the off days factored-in and more snooze time, I sprang up from the couch at 8am this morning. 

Since my Food Trail stockpile had dried up completely, my mission for the day, was to get some stories. 

I set out to USJ 10 and checked out a coffee shop in the area. Their assam laksa is said to be the best around.

Having tasted it, I also snapped some pictures with my Nokia N82. This cellphone, in my humble opinion, offers the best 5megapixel camera in the market.

Its been proven many time and is actually the best equipment for my work. After I've completed my task, I caught up with Eric Cheong, a friend from Ipoh.

He helped me to send flowers and fruits to an old timer who was warded in his hometown a coupla months back.

That factored in, my day passed very quickly. Tomorrow, is my second last day of R&R and I would be back at work on Sunday.

I got mentioned in a top food blogger's entry!

Fuah! Nowadays, I've got to really be careful on what I print. Hahahah! Seems that my 'Food Trail' column that appears every Thursdays (now, nearing its 1st anniversary mark) is a item in Star Metro (Central Edition) which most folks would pay close attention to. 

Well, officially in March 2009, my sponsor would be knife cooking oil and the end result is a guide book project. Hahahah!

Here's the link to Boo_liciou's blog : http://masak-masak.blogspot.com/2009/02/curry-laksa-restoran-mei-sek-usj14.html

Food bachelor

The Asian Food Channel on Astro is kinda like a sucker punch to our local food programme. 

Its crammed with sackloads of Singaporean-made series and one of the most disgusting slot I've come across is the 'Food Bachelor'.

Technically speaking, its one of the worse programmes depicting good looking boys as sissies in the kitchen. 

It may be good TV for some madam shopping for a toyboy, but the way I see it, its marketing for the channel and well, the word 'bachelor' itself has been overly abused in the context.

I see pretty boys, mostly picked for their screen presence and some photogenic qualities to attract more womenfolk to watch the programme.

And man, those guys can't even cook a packet of instant noodles to save themselves. While the producers maintained a mix of guys - mostly above average in the looks department - to keep the show going, I see mostly faggy guys. 

One of the faggiest dude was shown as a 'successful executive'. His intro showed him driving a sports car and making his way to the restaurant where a house chef was already waiting.

Now, bachelor or not, that faggy bugger is eigther a drug dealer or some man-pimp. Five minutes into the programme, I flicked the channel button. 

I prefer watching Andrew Zimmern in 'bizzare food' rather than 'Food bachelor' and well, frankly, if they can survive another season, its good TV baby! 

Another long day...

The coonster riding shotgun

Me and the coonster...

I laid out the plan for today and three things had to be done. 

First, a visit to my aunt Lorraine's at Setapak. I fixed the timing and told her that I am bringing the kidz over for lunch.

With that confirmed, I made my way to my old house which took about 25-minutes on the road.

My kidz are really excited about the car ride and when I got to my aunt's place, there were a lot to catch up.

I left Setapak at 2pm and shot straight home to drop off the dogs and head straight to the supermarket to get some veges and meat for dinner.

Tonite, we had wantan soup and stir-fried pak choy with siew yuk. There's also some curry chicken leftovers.

Tomorrow, well, tomorrow is another day..  

Dug in and sittin' tight...

I had the day to myself and no desire to step out of the comfort of my home.

The dogs were excited in the morning and browled me to put on their harness for their usual morning walk.

So, I obliged and did the usual 15-minute loop around USJ 27 & 26. When we reached the corner of the neighbourhood, I caught a steely stare from an Indian muslim man who was manning his garden. 

Some months back, the guy made a remark and warned me not to let the dogs poop in his yard. I think he's a crazy old bugger who needs a good facial reconstruction with my fist. 

Anyways, as we reached the guardhouse, I can see the mad morning hour rush to work. I am glad to be away from that and when we made our final approach to our gate, the contractors who were working on renovating my neighbour's home had just arrived.

They took months to do up the home and frankly speaking, these are the worst construction people on earth. 

Why? They painted the house during rainy season which goes to say that they are brainless. Nevermind the builders, I can't wait to see the new neighbour.

As the dogs settled in from the morning heat, I fixed my breakfast. Today, I had oats only. For dinner, I cooked pasta in chicken soup. 

Then, came the 9pm slot where I watched the iditarod race which was shot last year. It was a good programme but the advertising bit was irritating.

Tomorrow, I'll take the dogs for a drive to my aunt's place in Setapak. Will spend half the day there and well, hope for the best..

Grand Theft Auto IV

Our XBox 360 has been lying at home collecting dust.
But of late, my interest kinda soared with a videogame called: Grand Theft Auto IV. Played the Playstation 3 version at my in-law's place and never seemed to be able to let down the game controller.
So, in short, I am hooked on this game. I also learned that the game was released in XBox 360 but stocks for this game is scarce.
Many of the XBox games are also over priced. I guess that Chap Goh Meh, being the last day of the Chinese New Year meant spending some quality time at the in-law's place and this assures some game time on the Playstation 3 with the GTA IV. Oh yeah!

Grand Theft Auto IV

Our XBox 360 has been lying at home collecting dust.
But of late, my interest kinda soared with a videogame called: Grand Theft Auto IV. Played the Playstation 3 version at my in-law's place and never seemed to be able to let down the game controller.
So, in short, I am hooked on this game. I also learned that the game was released in XBox 360 but stocks for this game is scarce.
Many of the XBox games are also over priced. I guess that Chap Goh Meh, being the last day of the Chinese New Year meant spending some quality time at the in-law's place and this assures some game time on the Playstation 3 with the GTA IV. Oh yeah!

The 'browler'

Seikos are the way to go..

Grandma bought me my first Seiko wristwatch when I was 10 years old. It was the first manual-winding timepiece in my keepsake and frankly, the watch kind of a disappointment. Its
hour and minute dial kept falling apart and grandma had brought it for repair so many times, it was not worth the
amount it was paid.My second Seiko was a digital watch. This was back in 1982 and sadly, the watch was stolen. I watched from a
distance as a thief went through my pocket when I played soccer with my friends. Then, for a long period of time, the Seikos were never heard of. Not until five years ago when I revived my
interest on Japan's number one watchmaker.I bought my first diver's watch through Ebay. It was a Seiko 'Black Monster' and was shipped to Malacca from the UK. Subsequently, the 'Orange Monster' followed suit.Later, I received a Titanium Samurai diver's watch and scored a Seiko 5 40th anniversary diver's watch from a bro. Seikos, well, depending on the model and movement, are affordable and unpretentious.As a matter of fact, you don't have to sell your left kidney to get one. And best of all, its truly and Asian made timepiece.Recently, I scored a Seiko 5 sports watch at RM350. Pricing wise, its cheaper than any G-shock digital watches and frankly, its military styling kinda nailed it.To fund the purchase, I sold some knives. I particularly love the robust 7S36 movement on the watch that tells good time and one of the advantages of an automatic movement is that you don't have to waste money on batteries. This means - I can stash the watch in my drawer and when I need to wear it, I just give it a coupla shakes and its good to go!

Sick as a dawg...

Today, my whole universe came to a grinding halt. 

I caught a cold and my nose has been playing up since this morning. Tried to sleep it off, but it didn't help. 

May need stronger medication to get rid of the bugs. Michelle came back from her overseas do at 3pm and the moment she got home, my cold became much, much worse. 

Slept for two hours and after I woke up, prepared dinner. Later, I took the dogs out for their evening walk. 

I thought maybe 15-minutes of sweating it out may help, but the situation did not improve. Tomorrow, its back to to work for one day and five day's break is in hand.

A month of family emergencies..

Oh what a day! 

Been moving around so much, I am practically physically worn out. Took the train to the city this afternoon to meet my contacts. 

Its just a 20-minute meeting and the journey took almost three hours. I managed to sit on the train back to Subang Jaya and had a very late lunch - well more like an early dinner.

After filling up my tummy, I made my way to the Sime Darby Medical Centre. My brother in-law Vincent was out of surgery to remove a piece of kidney stone from his urethra. 

He complained of some excruciating pain in his back and was later given referral to a specialist in the Klang Valley.

This afternoon, he was wheeled-in to the surgical theatre to get the stone removed. When I saw him, he was pretty chirpy. Pat, my mother in-law was also at the recovery room. 

The 24-year-old boy will be discharged tomorrow and we will be celebrating Chap Goh Mei together on Monday night.

About the gurl..

My gurl is gonna turn three in August and well, I found that her behaviour had changed tremendously. 

She used to be highly independant and never really bothered to seek attention from us. But of late, she's gotten really sticky.

Compared to the boy, she is more outgoing and sociable. Her rank in the pack as an Omega kinda put things in balance.

Queenie is very good with kids and is a well-loved pooch by the children of my farm friend in Karak, Pahang.

The farm trip..

Getting a face lick by spot the pup

Master Wong and our lunch

Master Wong and his catch

Sensei Steven and Master Wong in action

A scene from Karak town

Waking up at five in the morning with your right hand still raw from doggy chomped wounds is no joke.

I made a splint for my right middle finger which was badly wounded last nite and drove all the way to Karak.

When I arrived at Master Wong's farm, sensei Steven Leong had just gotten up from sleep. Ah Pan, my nature guide turned farm hand buddy was walking his dogs.

To date, the farm has nine dogs and the pups that I saw three months ago had grown. Ah Pan took great pains to train one of them called 'spot'.

After breakfast in Karak town, we shot off to Lanchang for a fishing trip. Ah Pan and I caught nothing while sensei Steven landed two sizeable snakeheads.

The man of the hour was master Wong who landed 4kgs of snakehead and a table sized 1.4kg marbled goby.,

We had that for lunch and were feted by farm owner Maggie Liew to some brew and good food. My hosts showed some generosity in serving their home-grown veggies and the awesome steamed marbled goby.

The great company and hospitality took away the pain from my throbbing right hand. And seeing the dogs at the farm made me really homesick. 

Each minute and hour, I kept thinking of my kids especially the gurl. Hahahah! The middle finger splint helped reduce the swelling and my dexterity is now at 70% efficiency.

After spending the entire day in Karak, I took a drive back to my home which took nearly two hours. Rain slowed down progress but nevertheless, I made it back in one piece.

Tomorrow and the day after that, I will live out the remaining off days in my books... And nurse my busted right hand back to health..

A bitch on heat is a dangerous bitch!

My hand and digits got fucked up really bad

The bitch 

There are some rules that are not meant to be broken.

And when you deal with a frightened dog, don't stick out your hand. Why? Because it will chomp you out of fear.

Yep, you heard me. My right palm felt like a car crash. I was repeatedly bitten by the bitch and when I managed to free my hand, half my palm was punctured.

Immediately, I flushed it under running water and I could feel the throbbing pain. The lady who owns the bitch was shocked to see her dog attacking me.

I told her that it was allright and went home to clean my wounds. When Michelle got home, I told her about the mishap.

During dinner, she put my right palm under cold compresssion. It helped to bring down the swelling.

This had screwed up my plans to fish tomorrow cos my dexterity and mobility has been affected by the wounds.

I still have control of  my thumb and trigger finger. Now, I am training my left hand to do my chores. 

13%

When it comes to getting the feedmeal for my kidz, I made sure there is enough to go around. 

Round about the third quarter of last year, I overstocked the dog food. Three things came into mind.

First was the hassles of getting one bag a month. The kibbles last about one and a-half months for two dogs.

Next, was the uncertainty factor. Road blocks, rumoured collapse of public order. Lastly, I just got tired of worrying about the broken chain of supply.

Its been two years since I fed my kidz the Blackwood 3000 super premium dog food and it yielded some really good results.

From RM120 for 15kgs, it went up to RM150 and now, the price stood at RM170. More than 13% increase. My math sucks, but I thing the calculations were close. 

If the price gets any higher than RM200 per 15kgs, its time to search for an alternative source of sustenance for the kidz.

Right now, things are manageable. I hope that for the months to come, I'll be able to overstock their feed.

Forgetful

Time ravages on even when you are not concerned about it. I am on my annual leave till Friday and I found that each hour, minut and second passes by really quickly.

First order of the day, was to get an early lunch. This, I found at USJ 6. I went to Q'-up coffee shop for a bowl of fish head noodles.

When I got there, I noticed the owner Mr Ang who was talking to a customer. One prominent thing at the eating place was missing. 

The lady selling wantan noodles, it seems, was out of there. I asked an Indonesian woman who served me drinks where she went and her answer was: "Tidak tahu" (I don't know).

My guess was there has been a clash between Ang and the owner. That said, the store was gone. 

I saw a banner in Chinese a few doors away from his shop. Maybe that's where the stall had shifted.

Later, I went to Nick Ooi's tacklestore in SS15. I needed to get some hooks and swivels for tomorrow's fishing trip.

There, I met this funny dude who told me that knives that rust are good knives. After leaving the tacklestore, I went to get some dog food.

From ss15, I drove to the Giant hypermart in Putra Heights to post a parcel. After getting some groceries, I noticed that I had completely forgotten about the basic ingredients for cooking.

I missed out the garlic and small onions. For that, I made another trip to Jusco at IOI mall in Puchong.

When I rounded up all the essentials, it started to pour like mad. That said, half the day was gone.

For dinner, I made cabbage soup with pork and pork meatballs. And to liven up the day a bit, I am stir-frying some pak choy with shrimps.

Looks like its going to be a light evening cos tomorrow, I am gonna hit the road and join some buddies in Karak, Pahang.