Magnum

Sometimes they say there is a first time to everything. So I decided to try Magnum Ice Cream which a box of 3 sticks costs me more than $10.00. One stick essentially costs me more than $3.00. So it gotta be worth something. Hey if Walls could get Eva Longoria to love Magnum, I believe I can love Magnum too although its sort of hurts my pocket.

Verdict is, this is a magnificent ice cream. No worries of fearing the cream will melt in your hand because it ain't going to happen. The cream is so firm and creamy, it just melts in your mouth. The chocolate is not too bitter or sweet, it blends nicely with the ice cream. And Magnum itself is so thick in diameter, I feel sorry to those who have smaller mouths. Try open your mouth wider. That should do the trick.

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MT

Who is MCMC. Who are they to be the judge and jury in banning access to Malaysia Today. I never heard of them before. If Malaysia Today is publishing defamatory articles, I suggest the relevant authorities brings a civil suit again RPK. That also if you dare to do it.

Apparently MCMC rationale is based on this flimsy Section 263 below. Maybe I am referencing to the wrong act. And I am no lawyer as well except for my little knowledge from my university days taking a few Law modules and my current job now vetting through contracts with my Legal Dept. But it seems to me, its such a bad excuse to block the site.

National Interest Matters

263. (1) A licensee shall use his best endeavour to prevent the network facilities that he owns or provides or the network service , applications service or content applications service that he provides from being used in,or in relation to the commission of any offence under any law of Malaysia.General duty of licensees.

(2) A licensee shall, upon written request by the Commission or any other authority, assist the Commission or other authority as far as reasonably necessary inpreventing the commission or attempted commission of an offence under any written law of Malaysia or otherwise in enforcing the laws of Malaysia, including, but not limited to, the protection of the public revenue and preservation of national security.

So whats the problem here? I didnt see any reference in the act above saying one violating this section can be taken offline? Do I see any remedies if one contravenes the section above? No.

So has Malaysia Today violated any laws in Malaysia and succesfully charged in a court of law? Again No. And funnily the heading is under National Interest Matters. More of a reason why Malaysia Today should be a must read to all loving Malaysians who love their country.

Plus Malaysia Today is hosted in a foreign soil. So theoratically speaking, does MCMC has the rights to block Malaysia Today?

I am no lawyer nor am I sure that above Section 263 is what MCMC reffering to, to justify their actions, but if the answer is Yes, it stinks sky high.

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My Heroes, Malaysia's Heroes

Anwar Victory

15,671 majority votes. I thumped both my fists into the air with 3 shouts of jubilant cries, "Hidup Anwar" when the results was announced.

Kemenangan rakyat Malaysia!!! REFORMASI............

Ayam Penyeh

Kim had told me time and time again that this Nasi Ayam Penyeh is a must try. So yesterday decided that I should make my way down to Tampines to try the food. Indeed it met my expectation.

The chicken is not too dry, just nicely crisp with a taste of curry and maybe ketumbar. Thats just a hint on my part. The chilli given as you can see above might be a tad too spicy to those who are not spice lovers. So be warned. For a meal priced at $4.00, its reasonably price for the given taste and portion. And if you have the extra space to spare, can try the fried cempedak just adjacent to this Muslim food stall. Only at $0.40 per piece, I regretted only eating 2 of it.

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Anwar

Tomorrow is D Day, for what has been branded as the mother of all by elections. Dato Seri Anwar back in Permatang Pauh. After campaigning tirelessly for Pakatan Rakyat, I believe its time that the voters and Pakatan Rakyat coalition members to pay back the effort put in by Dato Seri Anwar.

To the detractors, who are spewing malicious lies and hatred, I only got this to say to you. You will not win by waging a dirty war. And thats exactly what happened in 08-Mar when rakyat denied Barisan Nasional a handsome win. So bring it on again.

To companies who denied giving holidays to their employees. Shame on you. Yes, the public holiday given by the state government is not a mandatory holiday, but nevertheless I hope the company do not deter its employees from exercising their rights in casting their votes.

This is just the beginning, hopefully on the quest to reach Putrajaya. We will win because those on Pakatan Rakyat's side are on the side of righteneous. Anyone standing at Barisan Nasional's side, you all nothing but cowards and soulless individuals,a disgrace to your family name and your own families. We will win because we are the good guys. Sometimes its just as plain simple as that.

Fireworks

Fri it rained, Sat it rained and Sun it rained. I was supposed to attend the Singapore Fireworks Festival on Sat night. Left home about 6pm. At the back of my mind, I really didnt feel to lift up my ass and go to the venue, but then again I had purchased 2 tickets for the festival, so I thought I might as well make the trip down.

Alas, when I was there it was still pouring. But to sum it up, the fireworks shows put up by the Korean team did justice. it made the trip down worth the effort. Although the rain did dampen the mood a little. To me the highlight of the show was when the song to the Korean hit series The Legend was played accompanying the fireworks. I am such a sucker for that series.

We didnt stayed long after the fireworks, we went down the gallery not before stopping by to catch about 3 songs from 3 piece outfit Cats In The Cradle. I hope they know that I was routing for them in the last competition. They played Starlight - Muse, so we stayed there to enjoy the song before we left.

Chong Wei II

I need to reiterate this again. Chong Wei is useless, period! Look at the picture. What the hell is he doing there? This is Malaysia representative in sports? This looks to me more like a representative for Barisan Nasional.

This is what he said

“I am here just to collect the cheque. They have already announced that I would receive the reward. I don’t want to comment anything on politics. I don’t know much about it,” said Chong Wei, who is not a registered voter.

If he doesnt know anything, he shouldnt be sitting there during the BN campaign. Right? Would you sit through an event you are clueless about? I dont think so. And I am glad he is not a registered voter.

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Whitley Road

Its back to Old Airport Road again to try whats heavenly good there. This time its Whitley Road Big Prawn Noodle stall. The name Whitley Rd might ring a bell to some since the infamous detention centre where Mas Selamat escaped from is situated there.

The queqe is short by Old Airport Road standard. So it was worth trying, so I ordered the dry bak kut noodle. Oh boy, was I in for a suprise. The wait was super long. Is it that hard to whip up a simple meal when all the ingredients are readily made? Its not like I am ordering something that they need to prepare from scratch.

As for the taste, yes the soup is good. But I wouldnt say its fantastic. As for the noodles, they put alot of dry chilli and mashed shrimps in it. So you really need to stir the noodle well so that the paste really reaches every nook and cranny of the noodles.

Overall, I wouldnt bother going to this store again since in Old Airport Road there are so many other stalls that I can choose from.

PA

Noticed that Pan Pacific Hotel in Singapore had lost its PA, if you know what I mean.....maybe its going through a name change to become N Pacific to rival another hotel with one syllabus name, M Hotel?

Lin Dan

So there the story goes, there is a player by the name of Lin Dan and rest of the players out there. If the pool is ruled by the King of all Kings, the phenomenal Phelps, and the fastest man alive is No. 2163, Usain Bolt, in badminton, there lives a legend by the name Super Dan.

World #2 Chong Wei, had no answer to the speed, prowess and leaping smashes of Lin Dan. And tonight's final has revealed the great gap between World #1 and the World #2. I could have put 2 Chong Wei's in each side of the court, and the game could have still gone the same way to Lin Dan.

Yes, Chong Wei had beaten Lin Dan before in the team event in Thomas Cup and Malaysian Open, but Lin Dan has gone into hiding for the last few months. So if Chong Wei had expected to give Lin Dan a run for the money, he certainly had no idea what was coming ahead of him.

In the 2nd game, Chong Wei was even at a stage trailing 8-0. And Lin Dan simply just leaps into the air with his powerful smashes which Chong Wei has simply no answer to and then moves to the net with lightning speed to grab the points. So the game ended at 21-12, 21-8

As Lin Dan bagged the final point, it was indeed a sweet victory after he faltered to Ronald Susilo of Singapore in Athens 4 years ago. As for me, this is the same Super Dan I saw before a year back. Playing a tight flawless game, there is simply nobody in the world today that can match Super Dan. And thats a fact.

And as for Chong Wei, his total points didnt even reached 21, so I guess its back to being MCA sports ambasaddor for him with RM300,000 for winning a silver medal. Since Permatang Pauh election is now underway, so are we expecting to see Chong Wei there? Well, I dont give a damn.....

As Lin Dan gives his final salute to all the fans, we the fans salute you for a gutsy brilliant performance that many will speak of for a very long time to come.

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Chong Wei

Yes, everyone will be cheering for Lee Chong Wei, Malaysia's pride for an Olympic gold. Thats if he can pass 2 more hurdles. But you know what? I will not be supporting Chong Wei. I am kinda pissed off with him being MCA sports ambasaddor. And what's up with him being buddy of Ling Hee Leong. Anything that has the name Ling Liong Sik, Ling Hee Leong or MCA, makes me sick to the core. Names that are tainted with scandals after scandals.

So if Lee Chong Wei gives his seal of approval to a useless party and individual, then it looks like me and him have no similarity. He is an insult to wear the national yellow colors of Malaysia if you ask me. He wore a Sedia Gempur BN t-shirt during the last campaign trail. Chong Wei even said that Hee Leong is a good leader who is ever willing to help others. That even makes me want to puke all over his bloody face. Makes me wanna give my sepak terajang to his bloody cock. And I am not talking about shuttlecock here.

I hope Lee Hyung Il beats the crap out of Chong Wei, then he can pack his tight ass, and his lantern face and kiss sayonara to his medal hopes.

Yes, its a daunting task to beat Chong Wei, given that he is peaking at the right place and at the right time, but in sports, anything goes. And for Chong Wei, I hope he goes home with nothing.

Go back and cry to your useless MCA and Hee Leong. All of you are losers and pretenders in your own games.

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Pizza

If you're in Singapore, you'll probably fall mercy with the heavy onslaught of advertisement from Pizza Hut on their new product, Starbites Cheesy Extreme Pizza. You see it on the papers, tv adverts, bus billboards, its everywhere!!.

The final straw for me was when DBS/POSB credit card holders are swayed with a 25% discount apart from OCBC cardholders of course. Thats it, I am on my way to try this Starbites Cheesy Extreme Pizza, I want to see how great and cheesy this is. I settled for $25.50 Super Supreme taste.

Gosh, its all hype after my first and second bite. I wouldnt say its that fantastic. But its certainly not worth the price even with the 25% discount. Plus after the meal, I still have room for durian if you asked me. I went over to Cold Storage with a faint hope of getting to buy their fire sale durian since they will lelong it 3 boxes for $10. but my hopes were dashed when the leftover durian to me looks dry and pale. So guess I am going home only with Starbites Cheesy Extreme Pizza in my stomach and no durian.

Oh well, another day then.......another day here in my context is not later than this Saturday....

Persepolis

If I had more than 2 thumbs, I would have given Persepolis a 3 thumbs up. Another movie for me over the weekend. Trying to play catch up with some of the movies I have at home. This animation revolves around the life of Marji at the age of 10 where she lived through the hardship of life under Shah of Iran and how she and her family went through life during the Iran-Iraq war in Tehran from 1980-1990. Eventually her family sent her to Austria fearing her outspokenness and different way of life will land her into trouble with the hardliners.

This is one animation that everyone should take seriously. Anyway, Persepolis is situated 70 km northeast of the modern city of Shiraz in the Fars province of modern Iran. Do lookout for the rendition of Eye Of The Tiger by Marji. I can play this over and over again. That rendition alone is enough to send the point home that Persepolis is a brilliant masterpiece and hillarious at the same time. Try tackling a serious issue by injecting a classy humour in it. Not easy I must say.

The ending for Persepolis might bring tears to some of you. And some may feel sad for Marji. I know I did in my case.

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Gatesminton

If you're a badminton fan like I am, you would be glad to know that Bill Gates is officially in the club. Yesterday as I was watching the match between Indonesian Sonny Dwi Koncoro going up against Thailand's Bongsak Ponsana, suprise suprise who I say on telly. Yes, you have it, Mr Bill Gates. He was seen enjoying the game. So I called my Dad did he spot Bill Gates on tv, my Dad said no. However today's newspaper reports confirms my sightings that my eyes werent playing trick on me. The article below was lifted from Xinhua news agency. Maybe we will be seeing some badminton related IT wacky gizmos or gadgets in the near future by Microsoft?

BEIJING -- Bill Gates watched badminton matches at the ongoing Olympic Games here on Monday morning, and joked he was a badminton player.Gates, founder of Microsoft and once the richest man in the world, said the competitions were "great" and he was impressed. When asked if he had been a badminton player, he replied with smiles "I became one."He wrote "badminton is great" and signed his name at the Badminton World Federation's signature book.The matches in the Beijing University of Technology Gymnasium on Monday morning were between the world top men's singles, women's singles and women's doubles players, in which the defending Olympic women's doubles champion Yang Wei and Zhang Jiewen were ousted early in the quarterfinals.





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KIMono

Kim's company had a traditional costume competition last Friday. One of her colleagues thought that it will be a great idea if she joined in the fun. So what transpired after that was, her colleague loan Kim her kimono. Kimono is Japanese traditional attire and not Hanbok which is Korea's traditional costume.

Anyway, the end result, Kim got 2nd prize for the competition. I knew she would have bagged something. And prize was $100 voucher for CK Tang departmental store. Kim of course split this 50-50 with the kimono original owner as a token of gratitude though.

If it were me, hmm...maybe I would have just nicked the $100 prize all for myself......

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Badminton

I had been playing badminton ever since I was young. What still sticks through my mind till today is the memory of me playing badminton in my home using a wooden racquet. I still remember I was sick and my Dad was edging me to play badminton to sweat it out with the hope that it will reduce my temperature. I gotta thanked my Dad for departing his badminton skills to me. Till today I still enjoy a game of badminton anytime anyday.

Recently I had a session with my friend on Thurs night. I dont remember what happened, but it seems like both our racquets clashed. The following 2 weeks, he brought his racquet for me to see. Wow, bye bye racquet. Due to the impact of both racquets, his racquet gave way. Well he was using the brand Apacs. Badminton enthusiasts out there would have heard of this brand before. Supposedly a clone to Yonex racquet. They are even selling this racquets in some states in Johor for RM100 for 2. The catch is that you need to buy 2. I really take my hats off with the makers of this racquets.Look at the bright side, if you broke one, you still had another to play with.

Anyway, I am using a free racquet to play. Flymax, a racquet I found it in one of the badminton halls I was playing many many years ago. Apart from that I have 2 other Yonex racquets which I bought ages ago. Anyway I am not too particular about racquets. As long as it suits my grip, the tension of the string is fine and the weight of the racquet is suitable, I'm okay with using it.

Back to Apacs, thats the difference in quality. If you pay more for brands like Yonex, its unlikely you get a crack and it lasts longer. Thats what we call quality. But then again it depends what sort of quality and feel one's looking for.

Korean Food

Its time to sample Korean food again in Singapore. Lets check out this restaurant Ju Shin Jung located at West Coast Highway. To those residing on the east, there is another outlet located at East Coast Parkway.

A point to note, unlike other Korean restaurants, one needs to pay for the towel and water and tea provided. So the 2 of us actually paid $2.00 for this. If I had known, out goes the towel and tea. Thats what I usually do at chinese restaurants.

Anyway Kim went for the Galbitang, the lunch set priced at $9.90. I did taste some of it, it was just okay for me. It didnt made me all excited. The taste was sweet, and the meat was tender. It was okay for the price.

I opted for Samgetang. I still miss the delicious chicken soup I had back in Korea. I know its kinda unfair for me to benchmark the taste of this samgetang with the one from Korea. Anyway again, another run on the mill offering from the restaurant. The chicken was huge. Its kinda odd because usually smaller chickens are used. The soup was sweet but not that thick.

As for the side dishes, nothing great to shout about. Its again a decent offering. However I did ordered a total of 3 times for one of the side dishes. The kimchi was not ferment enough though.

Overall I would come again but not for the ala carte though. Might try the buffett charcoal BBQ. So I better find a reason starting today to see what occasion is best suited to appease my craving for the meat BBQ.

P/S: Kim had a very bad food stomach ache after that. We suspect it could had been the galbitang. But I guess we'll never know whats the cause for it.

Tragic

You have not watched the grand daddy of all caped crusader movies, if you havent caught Dark Night. Forget about the fact this is a sequel to Batman Begins, and Christopher Nolan made Gotham City looks so ordinary and real that it scares you that hiddeous evil villains lurking around your neighbourhood might be real.

Running at 148 minutes, this movie falls nothing short but the word GREAT. This is a masterpiece that people will talk about it for years from now. And to make a 3rd sequel is really upping the ante.

I am not going to review this movie here, but I find this movie is jinxed if you know what I mean.

Whats the odds of having Heath Ledger playing the Joker died after filming the movie, then you had Christian Bale that plays Batman got charged with assaulting his mother and Morgan Freeman playing Lucious Fox involved in a car crash yesterday.Are all this a tragic coincidence?

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Movies

Managed to catch 2 movies. Darjeeling Limited and Juno. Darjeeling Limited stars Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman and Adrien Brody playing three brothers on a spiritual quest and male bonding in India. The movie is directed by Wes Anderson, the same guy who directed Royal Tennebaums a sleeper hit back in 2001 about a dysfunctional family. The movie is a little weird by my standards. So were the characters.

I had a great time watching Juno. Its no suprise that with a cool soundtrack accompanying the movie, the zest and feistiness of the character radiates the movie. Ellen Page plays a 16 yr old girl that experimented with sex and hit the jackpot. If all unwed mothers in the world is dealing their pregnancy the way Juno did, the world will be so much a better place to live in. Guess the world needs more Junos.

Joss Sticks

So today begins the 7th Month Hungry Ghost Festival. Many had asked, why I dont pray or do any offerings whenever my company hosts an offering session for the hungry spirits. Well the answer is believe it or not, I heard from my Mum that once you started with this kind of offerings, there is no turning back. You gotta do it each year. Well, thats a commit that I am not ready to commit myself into if you ask me.

Anyway I stumbled upon this article in the papers on joss sticks burning. Hey, its a food for thought since most of us are in the "spirit" of burning if you know what I mean.

The smoke from smouldering joss sticks is a health hazard, according to a two year study of temple workers by a Thai doctor. "One joss stick produces the same amount of cancer-causing chemicals as one cigarette," said Dr Manoon Leechawenwong in a report by The Guardian yesterday. " I knew there would be some carcinogens, but I was suprised by the levels."

He studied 40 workers in three temples at Ayuthya, Chachoengsao and Samut Prakan - the shites chosen because they are far removed from Bangkok's traffic pollution. The findings were compared with those of 25 people living in a joss stick free environment.

Dr Manoon found the temple workers were exposed to high levels of chemicals such as benzyene, butadiene and benzopyrene, putting them at risk of leukaemia and lung and bladder cancers. He said that the risks could be reduced by putting out the lit sticks after a minute or so, rather than leaving standing in pots of sand as they burn down.

So before any of you inhale a dose of smoke from joss sticks, do spare a thought from the article above.





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Song

Mat Kearney Lyrics
Breathe In, Breathe Out Lyrics

It has been for weeks now, I have tried guessing what is the song on the promo of Grey's Anatomy on NTV7. Just for the records, I have never watched a single episode of Grey's Anatomy . Not my cup of tea. But one cant take away the fact that the show has cool songs. And one cant deny as well that part of the show's success comes from the songs they aired in each episodes. And who can forget how the single Chasing Cars by Snow Patrol was made famous in US after it was featured in the finale of Season 2.

So on a wild goose chase, I tried searching for the song on the internet with a faint hint of what the words to the lyrics might be. But to no avail. So I wrote to NTV7 to get the info. Alas, after few weeks of waiting, I was about to give up when an email came in. Thought it was a spam mail, because the subject goes something like this "RE:Please Help".

Anyway I decided, what the heck, I got some time to spare anyway since I am sick. Suprise suprise, NTV7 did reply. This is their reply

Hi Chee Yong,To answer your question, the background song that we use in our Grey's Anatomy promos is from Max Kearney called Breathe In Breathe Out.

So finally my doubts had been answered. Thank you NTV7. Its better late than never. I know you guys had better things to do then answering my question.