Thursday, June 30, 2005

throw out the history

Poor Yan Yiing is in the hospital now. She, Pui Yan and two more of their friends were in Pui Yan's Kelisa when a drunkard crashed head on to their car. Thank god no one died! Both of them looks ok, although Yan Yiing had to wear that thingy around her neck because the impact of the accident is taking its toll on her neck.

Work was stressful today, and it’s going to be like that for a very long time. I have just been given extra workload with my already heavy workload. I had no choice but to accept it because I'm the only one out of the 20+ people in my team that can\have access to certain servers. It's kind of grand to be the only person who can get the review done, but at the same time it’s really a burden...plus I don't get extra credit for the work I have done. I just hope this show up pretty on my monthly report. Got to show some good stuff to give a positive impression to my new supervisor.

Anyway, I found out something really disturbing. What if everyone was playing the game and I was the only odd ball that chooses to ignore? Ignorance is bliss until the blizzard comes hit us on the face. And when the blizzard does come, how will I know if a game is played, or is it just plain ol' plain ol'? Maybe I think too much, but after listening to views of the 'experienced' friends (This is when Darth Vader, Anakin and Luke comes into play, you know who you are.) I know it's not me because I was talking to the players (one of them the winner) of the game(s). The question is, if everyone was playing it, so can I right? After all, (morally speaking) it's all the matter of Vader, Anakin and Luke right? But if that is the case, why do I feel like it’s unethical and immoral?

Things are complicated, I know. Maybe it's time to throw out the history, move on and open up to the world.

Tuesday, June 28, 2005

Let me go

I have been listening to the song over and over again everyday because it keeps playing on the radio. Nice song and all but I have just realised that the lyrics is so ironic for me. Brings back bitter sweet memories.

3 Doors Down - Let Me Go
One more kiss could be the best thing
But one more lie could be the worst
And all these thoughts are never resting
And you're not something I deserve

In my head there's only you now
This world falls on me
In this world there's real and make believe
And this seems real to me

You love me but you don't know who I am
I'm torn between this life I lead and where I stand
And you love me but you don't know who I am
So let me go
Let me go

I dream ahead to what I hope for
And I turn my back on loving you
How can this love be a good thing
When I know what I'm goin through

In my head there's only you now
This world falls on me
In this world there's real and make believe
And this seems real to me

You love me but you don't know who I am
I'm torn between this life I lead and where I stand
You love me but you don't know who I am
So let me go
Just Let me goo...
Let me go

And no matter how hard I try
I can't escape these things inside I know
I knowww..
When all the pieces fall apart
You will be the only one who knows
Who knows

You love me but you don't know who I am
I'm torn between this life I lead and where I stand
And you love me but you don't know Who I am
So let me go
Just let me go

And you love me but you don't
You love me but you don't
You love me but you don't know who I am
And you love me but you don't
You love me but you don't
You love me but you don't know me

Monday, June 27, 2005

Rojak buah

Despite the busy schedule and heavy workload last week, my colleagues and I managed to have our monthly Makan-makan (eating) session. This time, rojak buah (mix fruit salad) was on our menu.




Let's see, we had guava, pineapple, mango, papaya, cucumber, jambu batu, kang kung, sengkuang, tofu pok and some rojak keropok. And some chillies too. Mix it all in a bow along with the rojak sauce and VIOLAH! Ready to eat.


mixing up the fruits


...now back to work :(

Saturday, June 25, 2005

Yoga Vs. Pilates

After reading the below article, I still have no idea which to take. Yoga classes are more available tho.

Yoga Vs. Pilates - Which Is Better?

Over the past decade, people have increasingly come to see fitness as a mind-body experience. This trend is an excellent one; a mind-body approach to exercise keeps you interested longer and in the long run, it's more effective too. The mind controls the body - if you engage your awareness, you perform any task more effectively. And if your mind's engaged there's less room for boredom to set in. All forms of physical fitness can, and should, utilize both mind and body, but there are many exercise techniques which are just naturally mind-body experiences. The two most popular are - as you no doubt know - Yoga and Pilates. People who are interested in adding a mind-body component to their exercise routine often ask, "which is best - Yoga or Pilates?"

Actually, there's no real "Yoga versus Pilates" debate - each one has a different focus and approach. Whether you gravitate towards one or the other really depends on your personality and own personal philosophies. If you have the time you can even do both without a lot of overlap - your muscles and flexibility will be trained from different angles and actually benefit. Most people, however, only have time for one or the other. Here's a brief overview to help you decide which one is right for you.

Keep in mind that neither discipline is new - Yoga originated in India and has been around for thousands of years. It was brought to the Western world more than a hundred years ago and was popularized by people like Paramahansa Yogananda and Indra Devi in the middle of the twentieth century. It has increased in popularity since the 1960s counter-culture movement and today it is a mainstream form of fitness. Pilates is a mere youngster by comparison - it was created in the 1920s by a German, Joseph H. Pilates, who built upon rehabilitative techniques he used on wounded soldiers during World War I. When he relocated to the United States prior to World War II, dancers soon embraced the movements, which helped them recover quickly from injuries and made their bodies long and lean. Only since the mid-1990s has Pilates made inroads into mainstream fitness, but it has been catching on very quickly for the same reasons that dancers liked it so much - nearly everyone wants long, lean muscles, combined with truly functional fitness.

The biggest difference between Yoga and Pilates is more philosophical than physical. While Pilates takes a mind-body approach to exercise, Yoga's view involves mind, body and spirit. Its principles come from Hindu ideals and its approach is decidedly Eastern in nature. In reality, this should bother few people outside of those with fundamentalist religious beliefs - Yoga's Yamas and Niyamas (suggestions for living) bear some similarities in principle to Christianity's Ten Commandments (they're not quite as stern as the Commandments, however). Yoga's teachings encourage us to be kind to all beings, including ourselves, and to search for balance in our lives and lifestyle. You won't find any of this in a Pilates class, which only focuses on mental concentration, breathing and movement.

The physical differences between Yoga and Pilates derive from their contrasting outlooks. Yoga's approach is holistic, emphasizing balance in all areas - equally strengthening all muscle groups, creating mental and physical balance, encouraging moderation in everything. Pilates mainly works on the core muscles in your trunk (called the powerhouse), and building strength there above all. Yoga, for the most part, involves static poses, which are held while exploring your breathing, physical feelings and emotions. Pilates is about moving in ways that help strengthen your powerhouse, including your stabilizing muscles. Yoga emphasizes flexibility over building strength (although it enhances both), while Pilates emphasizes toning over flexibility (but, again, it enhances both).

The choice between Yoga and Pilates depends on what you are looking for. If you want an exercise that improves flexibility while toning your muscles - especially those abs - then Pilates is probably your better choice. If you want to concentrate a bit more on flexibility and a little less on toning (perhaps you're getting your strength training elsewhere), and you are also searching for something that helps reduce stress and gives you an opportunity for some quiet time, then you should try Yoga. If you have strong religious convictions, you may also be better off with Pilates, although many Yoga classes these days offer little or no philosophy and are acceptable for all religious persuasions. Either choice is good - you're enhancing your body's health in a way no other form of exercise can accomplish.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

Legend of the Sea


Legend of the Sea


Starfish, Squid, Whale, Hammerhead shark, Sardine?


Look at the cheese! It's no wonder I'm gaining so much unhealty fat. I'm totally hooked to the Legend of the Sea. I finished 2 packets after dinner myself!


Ok, other than gaining weight, I got my first autographed book today! Weee! Thank you so so much! Going to finish reading Deception Point today and start reading the book tomorrow. Hohoho.

Hip Hop class was ok. Some of the steps were not really Hip Hop, but a mixture of Modern Jazz to it. But it's nice too. Didn't sweat a drop during class tho *sign* I need something more. I think dancing is not enough for me. I need the gym! I'm so desperate for a good work out.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005

Hip Hop classes

I pissed off one of my counter part in Dallas. But it ain't my fault.

Anyway, here's something I have learnt at the office. The Malaysian Style Vs the Pro Ang Mo style

M: Ooi! Where's the reference number? You suppose to give me that two days ago.
A: Hello XXX, Appreciate if you could provide me the reference number for this matter.

M: Eh you sure or not? How come the reference says one thing you do another thing one?
A: There were limited information in the reference, could you clarify the below matter?

M: Need your help ASAP. Very urgent matter ah.
A: Could you please assist with this urgent matter? Your help is much appreciated.

M: Ooi so busy meh? How come you never reply my email? Report you then you know.
A: Appreciate if you could assist with the below matter the soonest. If no response is received, this matter will be classified as pending and will be reported to management.

By the way, I'm sick of waiting for everyone to be free and start a dance class... so I'm going for my first Hip Hop lesson tomorrow. Muahahahaha. People, join me if you are free. 8 to 9pm on Wednesdays. RM75 per month, no other fee. Venue is at SkillPoint center in Taman SEA, near Taman Megah Ming tien. Call me for more info.

Monday, June 20, 2005

Fete De La Musique in One Utama

I was at the Fete De La Musique in One Utama yesterday. It sucked big time. I will make sure I carry myself to KL where the real music is played.

I got to One Utama about 6 in the evening and found the oddest location for the event. The event was held in the RainForest area of One Utama shopping complex. There was no open space for audiences to sit and watch and the location was definitely secluded.

The arrangement of the stage was really off. The register for the bands was in the wrong location also. Band members had to walk in between the audience and stage to register...while the other bands were playing.

The MCs are.... the worst MCs I have seen\heard. They don't know their facts when introducing bands, they say things that should not be said by MCs. At a point they were actually complaining to the crowd how boring they feel!

All the bands that played in One Utama are local. Yeah... you can guess on the quality of music already. The Fete De La Music in One Utama is more like an amateur battle of the bands. Some bands really sucked. Some are Ok. Some are different, but you know la, not everyone can accept different music. The band had to stop playing after one song. Sad. I enjoyed their Iron Maiden =) The last band that was performing was nice. The vocalist had a really good voice, the playing band wasn't that impressive though.


The Last band


I think really good vocalist is really important in a band. No matter how well a band can play, they will not stand out unless there's a strong\unique voice singing. All the 'ok' band played nice music, but many didn't have a good vocalist.


The 5pm to 10pm Fete De La Musique crew in One Utama

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Green mint soup

I think I was the only one that enjoyed today's luncheon. Sorry guys, will try to introduce something less green in the future. I took the people to Restaurant Hor Poh* to let them try a Hakka type of dish called Lui Char. Most of them can't accept the green mint soup that was part of the dish. Only Soloh and finished the soup. Ah well, maybe they will enjoy the next unique dish\restaurant I bring them to. I already have a place in mind. Muahahhaha.

It was funny though. When the food came, the looks on their faces was like "har? how to eat? why so complicated one?" Hehehe well some thing new huh? When I first tried Lui Char, it wasn't my cup of tea either, but I fell in love with it when I ate it the second time. Anyway, some pictures below. More pictures here.*



This is how you actually eat Lui Char. All the vegetables are mixed in a bowl like this. Looks disgusting right? But you know what they say, the more disgusting it looks, the more delicious. This is Soloh's bowl. He actually poured his whole bowl to mix with the rice. I usually only pour half of it into my rice, and salver the other half after the meal.

We had Assam Prawns, Hor Por Tofu and vegetables too, that were of course delicious.




Soloh's empty bowls after the meal.




I have no idea what was going on here. ??!!?




Poh Seng while he was mixing his Lui Char vegetables.

*Please note that the map is not up to date. There are two additional traffic lights along the Kepong road. Soloh and Yong Ching who were the drivers got lost. Sorry guys. I didn’t know they added more traffic lights.

Saturday, June 18, 2005

Durian cake

“Do you still friend me or not?” Sounds familiar?

I have been hearing and even reading this a lot for the past few days. My Do Re Mi (I call them Do Re Me because all three of them are sisters with an age gap of one year) cousins are here. My room is now crowded by their belongings and at night, my king sized bed is fully utilized. I cuddled up with Do yesterday night, she felt like a mother.  It actually feels really nice to cuddle up with a child. Me being the ‘big strong mama guardian’ protecting her offspring. LOL!

Anyway, since there’s three of them, I can’t be hugging all three. One of my left one on my right, the third is left out. Had to persuade one of my cousins to sleep with their maid.

I woke up early today to bring them for McDonalds breakfast. All of them and little stomach, they usually have to share their food. I have already predicted that all three of them do not want to share, so I let them pick what they wanted. I become the ‘black hole’ aka the dustbin, I ate all their leftovers. One of the girls just took two bites off her hash brown! I had to finish up her whole big breakfast set for her. *burb*

Then of course they were hungry again later. Baked them a cake! Hehehe. More about that later.

During lunch all three of them wanted different things. Fine with me. I didn’t order my food and plan to be the black hole again. But….

Do: I want watermelon
Me: Ok.
…watermelon comes. Do takes a sip.
Do: Not nice one. I don’t want already.
Me: !!!! …you never stir la. Come I stir already. Try again.
Do: Don’t want la. Yerrrrrr.
Me: *fruss*

....the food came
Do: Har, like that one, I don’t want to eat
Me: *Arhghghghghhghg Breath in, breath out*
Do: Eh I though someone said she wants this one. Try first ok? If you are scared to try I try first la. Then you try.
….take a bit and *yum yum*
Do: No I don’t want.
Me: *Alah…damn sien* But the food come already. No one eat how? So wasteing. Have to throw away.
Do: No I don’t want.
Me: *Gives up* Then what you want to eat? I bring you to look around, then what you order you must eat ok?
Do: Ok

…..before the food comes Do Re Mi argues. *NOOOOO*
…..food comes

Do: *sulk sulk*
Me: Do, your food here already. I help you cut, then you eat ok. Remember what we agreed just now?.
Do: *Gives me the ‘you are so dumb, I’m not going to eat*
Me: *ARGHHHH breath in, breath out. Tahan! She just a kid*
Do: You don’t eat later hungry you know. See your sisters, all of them eating already.
………

It took me 20 minutes to get her to her first bite. And I have to feed her. *stress* By that time the two other sisters already done with their food. ….then they started complaining. “I want to go home” *criessssss* At the end, none of them finished their food. I don’t have stomach space to finish them either. I’m so stuffed!

It doesn’t end there you know.

Baby sitting three of them really takes up a whole lot of energy. I have to make sure I’m up and ready before they wake up. I have to make sure that they brush their teeth before they go to bed. I have to make sure they drink enough water during the day. Have to make sure so many things. What really requires skills is persuading them into doing all those. What is harder is to make sure I do all that without favouring any one of them.

Even Do Re Mi are sisters, the “I don’t friend you” is common. It’s common in all kids actually. There are instances where two sisters will team up against the other sister. They do that to boycott, for fun, and sometimes due to jealousy. It’s really difficult to come up with solutions where “We can all friend each other”. It’s also difficult to console the one that is left out. I feel so helpless when I cannot let them “friend” each other.

Anyway, I baked my first cake today. My mom used to do all the mixing and I was only in charge of preheating the oven and eating hehehehe. But this time I did it all on my own. What cake? Durian cake! Hahahaha yeahhh good choice for my first cake. LOL. It turned out quite well too!




I got the recipe from The Star’s Kuali. I was a little careless and greedy though. I used 250g of castor sugar (castor sugar is actually fine sugar...I didn't know that until today) instead of 225g. Careless mistake. I think can cut down on the sugar because the durian itself is sweet already. Put 400g of durian instead of 150g. HAHAHHAHA I KNOW! Big difference! But more durian only nice ma. The cake turned out a little moist. I think 200g would be just nice.

Thursday, June 16, 2005

If Microsoft was General Motors

For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way computers have enhanced our lives, read on. Have came across this a few times before, but always found it funny everytime I read this. Enjoy.

Echo("
At a recent computer expo (COMDEX ),Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated, "If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000miles to the gallon.

"In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release stating: If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows, shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.

4. Occasionally, executing a manoeuvre such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would run on only five percent of the roads.

6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation" warning light.

7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.

8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned
the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.

");

Wednesday, June 15, 2005

breast cancer

I don't know why, but I seem to hear more and more people getting\dying of breast cancer. I guess once a person is aware about something, in my case the dangers of breast cancer, the more obvious the topic is to a person.

First encounter was 2 years back when my mom went for a free breast cancer check up. Pak Lah's wife. End of last year, my mom's good friend went for an operation to get her breast removed. I visited her before my graduation. It scared the shit out of me. One of my relative’s wife then was diagnosed with breast cancer. And then Kylie Minouge.

When catching up with one of my dearest buddy, I found that his mom went through an operation to remove the cancer. During the school holidays, one my sister's teacher went for her operation and took the holidays for recovering.

Today, a dear workmate of mine told me his mother passed away, fighting Stage 3 breast cancer.

1. Ladies (and gentlemen too) should understand how breast cancer comes along.
2. Ladies, so a BSE (brest self exam) every month. Some times your partner can help you with it because he knows your regular shape. Research shows that a lot of breast cancers were detected by their partners\spouses.
3. We all should go for full body check ups yearly.
4. Do not take things for granted. You believe in God, but believing alone cannot cure cancer. Please believe in medication and pray to god!
5. Malaysian Breast Cancer Education Project
6. Who says a 22 year old can not get breast cancer?

Sunday, June 12, 2005

The Melbourne Shuffle : The head on paper.

What is shuffling anyway? Give me a deck of cards and I will show it to you. No cards? Well I can still shuffle with a stack of bills *grins*. But nope, I'm not referring to gambling or magic tricks. I'm referring to the dance that originated from Melbourne that is now (in my personal opinion) over rated in Malaysia.

But as a (kononnya) 'dancer' I did picked up a few shuffling techniques and style. I'm not some superb shuffling guru (I think they only exist in a person's personal view), and I have not been in the shuffling scene long enough to really say something. But never the less, here’s my analyst and views on shuffling.

Please note that is post is written based purely on my personal (and I think non bias) opinion as a dancer. Some words\shuffling jargons are self created. What I'm about to write maybe not be agreeable by all dancers (in this case, especially Melbourne Shufflers) or even the original Melbourne shuffler him\herself.

The Melbourne Shuffle : The head on paper. Writen by Teckiee.

INTRODUCTION
Like all dances, the Melbourne Shuffle (MS) consist of some basic dance theories such as the technique, the style, music genre\tempo and attire. Mixing and matching these 4 different elements in the shuffle brings out a different shuffle vibe. MS style varies from different continents, countries, and even states. Because of this, many shufflers that are influenced by their own vibe or style tend to prefer a certain style. And from these styles, shufflers usually built their on style on them.

There’s no correct technique or correct style to shuffling. All we actually have is different techniques and different styles. When a shuffler says “I think you can’t shuffle” what I think he\she really means is “I don’t like your technique or style”.

1 TECHNIQUE
So what the hell is shuffling? Shuffling focuses on mainly footwork. Both left and right foot. One foot will be the shuffling leg, and the other called stomping leg. Basically, the stomping foot will stomp\step on the floor following the beat\bass of a song. Mean while, the shuffling foot would shuffle on the floor.

1.1 Stomping foot
I have seen many different stomping techniques, but most of them (if not all) falls under 3 main categories. The tap, toe-heel and the stomp.

The tap is just basically the stomping foot doing a tap on the floor with the tip of the foot (toes area) while shuffling. The heel does not reach the floor.

The toe-heel involves the both the toe and heel area, stomping the floor in a toe before heel motion. Which means, the toes meet the floor first, before the heel 'steps down' to the floor. The toe-heel motion is smooth; it's usually not obvious if you are just looking.

The stomp is, well, the stomp. The whole bald of the foot come banging down on the floor.

1.2 Shuffling foot
A few years back when I was searching the web on shuffling techniques, I have no idea what shuffling on the floor with the feet meant. I had to see the dance for myself in order to understand. What the shuffling foot does is actually rubbing the foot on the floor in a direction, and then rubbing to the opposite direction before a beat ends. Which means one beat\bass count, you will have to move the foot in two different directions.

Most shufflers shuffle in a sideways (left-right vice versa) manner, I have only seen one shuffler on video shuffle in a front-back manner (RESPECT!).

The technique does not end there. According to my observation, there are mainly two ways how a person can shuffle sideways. Bald of the foot, or the toe-heel. It all lies on 'where the weight is placed?' If you are a dance, you would get what I mean already. But for non-technical dancers and my friends out there, I'll try to explain.

Bald of the foot basically means when the shuffling foot shuffles, the 'weight' of the shufflers are on the whole bald of the foot (both the toe and heel).

Toe-heel means the weight while shuffling is transferred from toe to heel, toe to heel.

If you still don't get what I mean, it's like when you are standing and waiting for someone, some of us might tend to 'sit on our hips', putting the weight on one side of the leg\hip. When standing straight, our weight is centered, but if we sit on our hip, it’s on one side. You can apply the same understanding to the above. Bald of the foot's weight is centered to the whole foot, while toe-heel is the shifting of the weight from toe to heel.

Sometime you can tell which technique a shuffler is using. The 'bald of the foot' kind of shuffler usually shuffles on the spot. The 'toe-heel' shuffler tends to move around a lot because in order to shuffle using the 'toe-heel' technique it makes a shuffler shy away from his\her original spot. Most seasoned shufflers will sooner or later learn and combine these two techniques.

2 STYLE
Like all dances, once a dancer grasps the basic techniques, it’s all the style of the dancer that brings him\her out of the shadows. I think it's the same for shuffling. The shuffling style is not fixed. Even as we speak someone is developing a new style\moves that might be the next big ‘in’ thing in the shuffling scene.

I found that there are actually 2 main styles. Aggressive and smooth. The aggressive shufflers (to me) usually have big energetic moves, strong stomps, and have a certain 'roaring' feeling to it. The smooth shuffler is like Michael Jackson and his moon walk. Their movies are less energetic and gives a "I'm floating"* impression to the on lookers. And of course there are many that fall in between aggressive and smooth.

2.1 Head
Shuffling focuses on the lower part of the body, but of course, upper body works brings a different look to a shuffler. This is where some shufflers try new style like bobbing their head to the bass to bring in a different 'feel'.

2.2 Arms and shoulders
Arm movements actually play quite a big part in the whole upper body area while shuffling. It really depends on what style a shuffler is into. A shuffler I know once said not to keep the arms at the side because "You will look like a stick floating vertically in the water". Another shuffler said "Don't simply fling the arms, it will fall off". One also said "...shouldn't keep the arms like that, ....looks like chicken dance", "Eh there's no mosquito here" And once "Use your hands, don't keep em' in the pockets". Well those are different views of different shufflers. One may like it with minimal arms movement; some may find it boring without them. My opinion, stick to what you are comfortable with.

Same goes to the shoulders. Some have shoulder movements some don't. You'll get different styles with\without them.

2.3 Leg movements
If you are thinking "Huh shuffling is shuffling. We have leg styles?". The answer is yes. A shuffler will get different styles just by adjusting the bending of the knees, shuffling on one leg, the weight shift on the legs, stomping area.

Some shufflers like stomping their foot behind the shuffling foot (aka Back steppers), the 'look' of shuffling will look different compared to 'Side steppers'. Some adjust their shuffling 'height' go get different looks for different steps\techniques. I think a year back shuffling on one leg (Shuffling without the stomp. The stomping foot reminds in the air.) was the 'in' thing in the shuffling scene, that's a style. And now a variation style where the 'hanging leg' (The stomping leg) does not hand but kick to the beat\bass.

3 ATTIRE
Again, like all dances, I think what you wear makes a difference while you are shuffling. But of course wearing a pair of phatties* does not automatically improve your techniques.

3.1 Phat Pants (Phatties)
I realise that I like seeing smooth shufflers with full-length phat pants. It really makes them look like they are on roller skates. Aggressive shufflers look really nice with 3\4 length phatties. With the shoe exposed, it really shows off their techniques and when the cloth bounces with the beat, it gives additional'aggressiveness to the shuffler.

3.2 Other that phat
Other than phatties, some wear head gears (caps caps caps, seriously, caps are flooding the clubs), try out new hair styles to fit their own shuffling style, stuff like that. Those without phatties stick to cargos, jeans, full length track bottoms, some ladies even wear flare A-line skirts to shuffle. Some looks really sexy.

3.3 Shuffling shoes\soles
The most important element for comfort when it comes to shuffling is definitely the shoes. Soles designed to give extra grip to the floor are definitely a No No for me. Flat soles or the less rubbery ones are nice because it has just enough grip, and not to much.

Then again it all depends on the individual (and his\her techniques). Some find it difficult to shuffle with smooth flooring and soles. Some just can't shuffle without powdered floor.

4 MUSIC
*dub dub dub* Trance! The bass is important. Since the stomping foot follow the bass, it's always nice to have music with strong bass although you still can shuffle without one.

Some shufflers prefer hard trance, some just trance, some well... not trance at all. Technically any music with a continuous beat\bass is 'shuffleable'. But there are beats and bass that are more suitable. The speed of the music\beat\bass also plays a big part in the 'shuffleable' factor.

CONCLUSION and Final Comments
Don't let anyone tell you that you can, or cannot shuffle, do or should not do with your style. Every shuffler has his\her own style and have different techniques for the same pattern. Don't go telling other shufflers that he\she can't shuffle either.

You don't need a pair of phat pants to shuffle. I won't mind if you are only clad in your under garments ;P

We are all dancers on the dance floor. People who shuffle are not superior. Please look out for people around you. It's annoying when your arms or feet 'meets' theirs.

If you can shuffle it does not mean you can grove. Vice versa.

You don't have to shuffle to club (go clubbing). Shuffling is just a dance. Everyone seem to be thinking that "oh man, I need to shuffle if not I can't go clubbing anymore". Some how the 'shuffle only' trend is pouring in the clubs, it's so darn over rated. It's really saddening to see people shuffling to 50 Cents - In Da Club. What happen to grooving and sexy and dirty dancing?! Pick up lines have turn from "You look hot when you are dancing" to "Do you shuffle?".

I wonder why the Sydney stomp did not make it to Malaysian dance scenes.

Little\well known fact about the Melbourne Shuffle;
1. You can shuffle on the keyboard like this /\| /\| /\|
2. Some clubs have 'shufflers only' section. (Either because they are attracting more shufflers or (I think) are just sick of shufflers pouring water\powder** on the floor)
3. Pioneer shufflers are emphasising and organising\ed events like GLOW and GLOW2 to promote clean*** clubbing and shuffling.
4. A pair of phat pants cost more than RM350.

* Phatties is a short term for phat pants.
** Some shufflers use various ways to 'smoothen' the flooring to give their dance moves\style a floating effect.
*** Clean clubbing: No drugs, no alcohol.


Related links on the Melbourne Shuffle
Hayden at Clept.net
One of Melbourne's renown shuffler\ that is know to most Malaysia shufflers. More video download at his page.

Dance trance
By Farrah Tomazin, Patrick Donovan, Meg Mundell

Underground Epidemic Productions is currently producing a ground breaking DVD documentary called the “Melbourne Shuffler”.

The Melbourne Shuffler: A portrait of eclectics & the evolution of PLUR through dance
By Tek-ku

xes.cx
One of the Malaysian shuffle pioneer. More video download at his page.

Update [7 June 06] : I have been getting quite a few hits for this post for quite sometime now, so I have decided to add some video I took during Park Shuffle 2.
- Park Shuffle II : Video A
- Park Shuffle II : Video B
- Park Shuffle II : Video C
- Park Shuffle II : Video D
- Park Shuffle II : Video E
- Park Shuffle II : Video F

Update [26 Aug 06] : More current shuffling styles. More on maintaining the smoothness and flow. The first four is taken during the World Cyber Games 2006 in the KL Convention center. The last was taken at the Port Dickson rave last year.
- WCG: Clip 1
- WCG: Clip 2
- WCG: Clip 3
- WCG: Clip 4
- PD Rave July 2005

Thursday, June 09, 2005

I lost my phone!

Ladies and gentleman, please email me your contact number(s). Hand phone numbers and house lines too please. I lost my phone along with all your numbers. =(

My careless mistake. I was having coffee in Starbucks in KLCC after work and left my phone on the table. By the time I got back to retrieve my phone (about 10 minutes later) it was gone. A nice Indian couple told me that a Malay couple took my phone. White cap blue shirt. Couldn't find them ... it was finding a pin in a hay stack. Darn. 10\90 theory. I'm learning from this and moving on.

So ladies and gentleman, kindly email me, or MSN me, or Friendster me, your contact numbers. I won't be contactable on my hand phone for a while so call the house yeah.

Yes you, ladies and gentleman. That includes you my Kindergarden friends, SR Taman Megah friends, SRK Taman Sea friends, APIIT friends. IM, Friendster, clubbing and Clept people, freelance people, FAB and KLDT people and my dancing kakis!, MUG and Apiit Profile Team people, cousins, I need your numbers too! Friends and friends of friends whom I have not mentioned, yesss your numbers too! Please leave me your contacts. Me is desperate for your numbers. I don't care if I haven't seen\talk to you in ages, just give me your number and I'll call you!

*cries* I want my contacts! Now I know how JK felt when he lost his contacts when his phone memory got wiped clean.

Tuesday, June 07, 2005

90/10 Principle

90/10 Principle
By Steven Covey (Author of bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People)

Discover the 90/10 Principle. It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations). What is this principle?

10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react. What does this mean?

We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us. We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic. We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%.

How? By your reaction. You cannot control a red light. However, you can control your reaction. Do not let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.

Let us use an example: You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just happened. What happens next will be determined by how you react. You curse. You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over.

She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus. Your spouse must leave immediately for work.

You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit zone. After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home, When you arrive
home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter.

Why? Because of how you reacted in the morning. Why did you have a bad day?

A. Did the coffee cause it?
B. Did your daughter cause it?
C. Did the policeman cause it?
D. Did you cause it?

The answer is "D".

You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day. Here is what could have and should have happened.

Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "Its ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel, you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.

Notice the difference?

Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different.

Why? Because of how you REACTED.

You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle.

If someone says something negative about you, do not be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You do not have to let the negative comment affect you! React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic?

A. Do you lose your temper?
B. Pound on the steering wheel? (A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off)
C. Do you curse?
D. Does your blood pressure skyrocket?
E. Do you try to bump them?

WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive. Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it.

You are told you lost your job. Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job.

The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take out your frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on. Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger.

Why are you stressed out? It will just make things worse. Now you know the 90/10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it.

The 90/10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle.

The result? Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache.

We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle.

Monday, June 06, 2005

90th Grand Birthday

M-Nite (MEFIC)
Date: 19th June 2005 (Sunday)
Event: Pacific/Metro College Student Nite
Venue: Cream @ Renaissance Hotel, KL
Time: 7.30pm till 3am
Happenings during event: Games, lucky draw, dance floor open to clubber
Attire: Clubbing (meaning, it's not formal)
Ticket price: RM 40
Inclusive of -- dinner, door gift, 1 alcohol drink, free UNLIMITED soft drinks through-out the night, lucky draw.
Organiser: Pacific/Metro College, Malaysia.
Contact: Sonia OR J.R. 012-2085756 OR Edwin 012-2929860

Contact Sonia for more info. Sonia, what time does your event start?

My weekend sucked. I went back to Setiawan for my grandma's 90th grand birthday.




Got stuck in this on the way. And saw the below.




When we (my family and I) were out of the jam, we saw the ambulance coming to the rescue, and bomba after that to clear the road.

When we reached Setiawan, we have to go back and forth a few times to 4 hotels because we couldn't get rooms. All the hotels seems to be fully occupied. We ended up staying a hotel near Lumut and had to take up one of the largest (and expensive) room because the other rooms were not available.

Luck wasn't there either for the next day. My grandma's luncheon had to be delayed because there was no electricity in the restaurant! Thank god it came back at 12.45. The whole planning was really off. Bad service and the food weren’t that good.

Had to put on my ‘innocent’ face when talking to relatives. *stressful* Got surprised by some of my cousins statements too. But all in the past … not relevant… so I’m saved. *phew* Better luck in the sea next time. (LOL! …sorry private joke here but if you are smart enough you will get it ;P)




Singing the big birthday song to my grandma. She's the one with the greenish blue kebaya top.




Everyone that came got a door gift too. A bowl, a pair of chopstick and a red egg. Not many Chinese practise this custom but according to my family, the bowl and chopstick is given out as a symbol of thanks and good wishes. 'If you keep this bowl and chopstick with you, you will have my luck of having a good life and live past 90'. Something like that I guess.

The journey back home was DREEDFUL! It took us 5 and a half hours to get back! It usually only takes 3 hours max on normal days. There were jams on costal roads, and the traffic on the North South hi way was really heavy. There were a few times where the cars all came to a stand still.

Friday, June 03, 2005

The couples good night chat

LOL! I read this on my friendster bulletin board. Funny stuff.

Echo("

dong.. it's midnight.. ah kong and ah lui talking on phone.. ah kong wanna sleep leh.. but the gf..geng!

Guy: sei loh.. abit sleepy tim..(everyday's word)
Gal: u wanna sleep d ar??(again?)
Guy: nolah.. what could be more important than u..i no talk to u whole day liao.. but feels like ages..miss u so much.. i love u (get some nice words from chicken soup book)
Gal: (happie).. lie lah.. ok lah.. sleepy tell me ok..
Guy: okok! we chat a while more ok..
Gal: ok!
Guy: aiyah.. very sh*it la.. ah beng ajak me go play basketball tomoro 5am woh..(think of the earliest n most reasonable time).. so early.. duno can wake up or not tim..
Gal: dun go loh then..(yesterday football, today basketball, tomoro sure baseball one lah)
Guy: (smack on the head.. sei lor.. y today different phrase geh..).. cannot.. not shud go or not.. i scared tomoro no tenaga play ar.. need enuf sleep ma..
Gal: then r.. sleep earli loh..(merajuking)
Guy: then u how r??
Gal: dun worry bout me.. u sleep la DARLING..ok! goodnight..(talking vv sweet)
Guy: goodnight(blessing)(my dream came true..now i can sleep peacefully) B4 ah kong can hang up.. he heard ah lui say.
Gal: I shall call ah joe to chit chat..(gals aso quite smart leh)(ah joe is ah kong greatest enemy..also like ah lui one)
Guy: (wat the F%^%$) for wut?
Gal: nothing la.. i boring ma.. u sleep so i call him chit chat loh.. so long no call him liao.. siu siu MISS HIM tim..(wahahahah)
Guy: (tiu, ham ka ling, cebai, farker) actually i not that sleepy aso..
Gal: har?? not sleepy?? tomoro u got basketball game with ah beng woh..(acting innocent)
Guy: (sounds abit angry)not important.. i chat wit u.. u no nid call that MOTHER!
Gal: ooo.. ok loh then.. we chat sin loh.. what wanna talk about?
Guy: [eyes going to close] anyting.. u like..
Gal: oh.. yesterday i go sunway pyramid.. i buy this padini skirt.. a green color shirt n bla bla bla den i got mid valley buy.... bla bla.. then i go KLCC buy... bla bla.... offer ar..RM 300 plus oni..(600 words)
Guy: what! pasar malam aso got lah.. buy 1 free 5 ar..[eyes closing]
Gals: cheh! AH JOE say pasar malam one not good ar.. the quality cloth tak baik..(i noe u closing eyes d)
Guy: (ah joe again.. dun let me c him).. aiyah..then u like loh..
Gal: then AH JOE say i wear the padini skirt very beautiful woh..(wahaha)
Guy: (fully awake in great shock) WHEN HE C U?
Gal: just now loh.. in lot 10..
Guy: (ah diu.. get the fark outha here) y u go with him one??
Gal: u aso duwan go with me.. yday u sleep..AHJOE call me.. ajak me chut kai kai ma..
Guy: (feeling positionless in her heart).. i LOVE U..
Gal: thank you.. i sleepy loh..goodnight lah
Guy: (happie but angry n moodless) ooo.. ok la..goodnite..B4 CAN HANG UP..
Guy: i'll always love u..
*toot toot toot toot*
Guy:(diu.. idiotic ah joe.. tomoro smack u with the basket ball)

Ah Lui sleep happily.. Being so evil.. Ah Kong kenot sleep.. thinking the gf will be dirampas Ah Joe anytime.. not in peace.. aihz!
");

Thursday, June 02, 2005

French Art Festival

Very very busy day at work today. I panicked in the morning because my counterpart in Houston have not been replying my emails for days! My work submission is due soon. I have got to get hold of the file in order to complete my work. Later I found out that Monday was a public holiday for citizens of the U.S of A and my counterpart took another day of vacation. Thank god he came back today and sent me the file I needed.

Kind of pity him though, I received the file at 3pm, there's a 13 hours difference between Houston and Kuala Lumpur. He was up really early in the morning...working. *glups*

Lunch with my ex-supervisor was so so. We ate at Rain Nudle House in KLCC. The food wasn't that nice this time. I remembered the food was really good the first time I ate there. But that was like 3 to 4 years back already. None of us really enjoyed the food, most of us said we wound be happier in KFC enjoying the X-Meal. Ah well, maybe next time. Oh yeahh...my new supervisor did not join us. I wonder why? I really wonder.


Me eating fried flat noodles with seafood and vegetables sauce. Rating: 3\10 Ignore the thumbs up.

I shifted my stuff and my PC to my new location after lunch. Took me quite a while to get settled because I can't seem to adjust myself with my new cubicle. The chair was nicer than my old one so no complaints there but my table seems to me slanting a little. Sucks. My phone extension is still not available because me shifting to another location was pretty spontaneous, the Telco guys didn't have time to swap my extension.

Really bad planning. *sign* I had to do all the moving myself. By right anyone who is shifting would have movers to move stuff for them. I had to do it myself. The phone wasn't ready. And surprisingly not everyone knew I was moving! One of my team leader rung my extension. No one picked up of course because I wasn't there already. She thought that I went back early! At 4pm! Thank god she rung one of my colleagues asking for my where abouts. Let me repeat, bad planning.

After 5pm, ....I as still working, I have to finish some of tomorrow's work so I won't have much back log when I go back to work on Monday. One of my new supervisor's colleague came up to my new cubicle looking for my supervisor. ??!!! Bad planning is bad planning. I mean no one knows what’s going on. What is this man. I have really got so much to say about this...but I can't do it here. Geram betul.

Anyway, putting work aside, I can't wait till this!



GLOW 2! I was there for GLOW and it was the bomb! I will definitely be there for GLOW2!

Want to go for some of the French Art Festival events too. Anyone interested?


Wednesday, June 01, 2005

Initial D = Celica + LDP?

While I was fetching my sister back from her BM tuition, I turned on Initial D sound track for music. At some point, I reached this curve on LDP (the tunnel area) and there was two metallic black Celica (my favourite car) behind of me at quite a distance. Both the cars speed pass me. I heard the tires skidding.

Fooyohh chee kek. Really like the scenes in Initial D. And the most 'WAH' of all, both were Celica's MUAHAHHAHA.

But.... anti-climax when I realised that screeching of the tires was actually from the music. *cheh* I should have known. The curve wasn't really that curvy, plus they weren't going fast enough.

Ah well. You'll get to see a lot of that at GT races.

Anyway, work was ok today except my team's secretary told me I have to shift cubicles. Apparently my new supervisor does not want to sit at my ex-supervisor's place. He did his rounds and surveys and decided that he will want to sit at mine. So... too bad for me because he is the boss after all. *hais hais hais*

A supervisor wants my place, and I'll be shifting to my ex-supervisor's place. So when am I going to be a supervisor myself? Hehehe

I don't really want to move actually. I like my cubicle. I have Jy with me and the two nice helpdesk guys behind of me. Although I'll be shifting to my ex-supervisor's place which is among my other team mates, I don't think I will learn anything from there. I'm sitting with the noisiest bunch (and to my analyst, I think the least productive bunch) some more. *sign* Work will be more fun, but less discipline. *sign again* Why?!

Blahhhh ...boo hoo.