Move on

During a harmless visit to IKEA last week, I lost my wallet containing my IC, driver's license, quite some cash that was supposed to last me till I get some dough inflow, ATMs and a few documents. How? Well, lets just say no matter the brand, do not invest in pants/jeans which have shallow pockets; you're bound to give charity sometime. Not to mention when it happens during buka puasa timing, people ain't what they used to be. But would've I returned a wallet that I found some good cash and I need it urgently?

It's like asking a rich man whether he needs more money.

Sigh, so I'm left IC-less, and everything-less. But thanks to some hard therapy I was forced to endeavor sometime back, I somehow mustered enough strength to let go of the loss of my wallet on that day itself. It's based on what someone once told me, the more you let go of all sense of material belonging, the more peaceful you'd be. Lets do a simple test, shall we?

Could you:
i) Lose your wallet and just do the next best thing? (e.g. get dough with your pass book?)
ii) Lose your handphone along with all your contacts and say "oh well.. was due for changing anyway"..
iii) Let go of your car for whatever reason and just wait for the next bus?
iv) Migrate to say, Swizerland for the next 5 years and with 2 weeks notice? (yes, you will have a job and stuff waiting for you there)
v) Lose your house to a diasaster (and all the history that has become you for all the years back when you were a 1-year-old toddler sucking on your pacifier?)

If you score:
0-1: Cement
You'll be hit hard when tragedy strikes. Devastated feeling of an identity crisis imminent.
2-3: UHU glue
You're right in the middle. You'll feel the tinge, hate what's happening but accepts the brutal reality that shit happens. You'll survive.
4-5 - Ice Kacang
Like the namesake, you're as cool as ice and everything else is kacang (peanuts). Your motto : "Steady/Rileks/Biasa-lah brudder..." You've developed this ability to just slide through when the going gets tough simply because you've literally "been there, done that". Because there's no replacement for experience: everyone wants to bury their head in a hole anytime any of the above happens, but we can't.

Only the tough survive.

Btw, saw this funny 'bumper sticker' in FB.
"Officer, I swear to drunk that I'm not God!!!"
I'd love to have one of those. XD

Steady steady...

Bleh.

4th day and I'm feeling burnt out. The change of clocktime is really exhausting. Hmm.. need some motivation. MUST sleep at 11 tonight.

Day 3 batMan

I've been having a pretty stretching first few days. The most obvious first would be the multitude of names that I've forced my petty brain to memorize. And I do this by saying their name in my mind for about 6 times and going round again. So far I've met about close to a sixty people in this past 3 days, so you can imagine the 'party' going on inside. And that's along with the hundreds of abbreviations they're constantly throwing at me. On top of my mind are DMM, DSM, ASS, BOI, BOE, HPR, SPR, SDR, RCS, CO, PO, CI.... Wala*eh. One fine day, I will understand all the terminology and write a rap song using only letters and Uhuhs, yos, ya-feel -mes.

Another pleasant surprise was the amount of effort actually put into the Management Trainee program. Today a few fellow Management Trainees and I were in a room with a few HR-Marketing managers, and for about an hour plus accumulatively, they discussed our 2 year program in depth. I tell you this because I honestly never expected this program to be taken as seriously as portrayed to us in the beginning and I thus doubted the alignment between its planning and execution. But it seemed like the bosses here were more gung ho about implementing it as well as continuously improving the program. BAT's HR and administration continues to amaze me.

Coming soon: A philosophical approach on life prioritizing

How's It?

Briefly answering the question most of you all have been asking:

First two days at work has been great! Although what I went through was mostly inductions but it made me feel a part of the company, a good company with even better employees. You can actually feel the energy everywhere you walk. Thank God for that, else I'd be dying in a dying office.

Tomorrow'll be my first day out on the field where I'll be attached with the CoE (Centre of Excellence) or DSS(Direct Sales Specialist) with the DMM(District Marketing Manager) and after that I might see the SS(Sales Specialist) and the ASSes(Asst. SS). Lolz, I can imagine some people begging to get out of that position. Yeah, it's like BMW all over again with the short forms.

Will update soon, as for now *yaawn*, feeling sleepy. And it's just past 12 O_o"

Hiccups Cure

Been pretty busy these few *hick* days and will update in abit. But I just had to post this cuz I've been *hick* having a bad case of 'serial hiccups' (as Devan puts it) for about *hick* a day and a half now. *hick* The moment I got back, i searched for a *hick* remedy and this is what I got.

30-Second Hicc*hick*up Cure

Step 1: *hick* Start by inhaling through your mouth until your lungs feel full (when it feels like you cannot *hick* inhale any more). For overall best results, try to *hick* do this as quickly as you can. DO NOT LET ANY AIR OUT.

Step 2: Swallow. You are not really swallowing anything but it seems that without this act, it doesn’t work. DO NOT LET ANY AIR OUT.

Step 3: Now inhale some more. You don’t need to inhale a lot, but do get some more air in. It will start to get difficult to do this as you go, but keep trying. You obviously can’t suck in as much air as you did initially, but just a little will do (think of it as taking a “sip” of air). DO NOT LET ANY AIR OUT.

Step 4: Swallow again. This too will start to get difficult as you go. DO NOT LET ANY AIR OUT.

Step 5: Repeat steps 3 and 4 until you cannot swallow again. While it seems you can almost always suck in just a little more air, it is the swallowing that gets to be impossible. When you feel like you cannot swallow again, swallow again anyway. It will be hard to do, your face will probably turn red, and you may make squeaking sounds. But you CAN swallow one last time. By this time, your lungs should also be quite full and it should be difficult to get much more air in as well. While you should try not to let any air out, if you have really repeated steps 3 and 4 as many times as you can, you probably will end up letting a little out before you can take that last swallow. If you find that air keeps escaping out of your nose even early in the process, try squeezing it shut with your fingers.

Step 6: Exhale.

Credits to Kevin and Kris from Cognitial.com cuz this shit WORKS!

Have a hiccup-free day today!

Poison and Antidotes

It's always been in me to be impartial and these are a few clips that I feel deserves attention about different perspectives of 'the story'.

The poison

Click if you want to read the unanimated version.

****************************

Neutral

"Human rights? Why should I care about that? Most people don't even know what it means.
Many people - like u and me - are only interested in one thing - TO BE ABLE TO LIVE IN PEACE AND HARMONY.
And that's the very reason that BN is still holding to power! That's exactly what they are giving - and can very much still do so - to the M'sians people *regardless of race*"

"If you look at history people have and will continue to vote for whoever can give them peace and harmony.
For now only BN can do that. Sure you can quote that Khairy monyet, but if you look at the big picture it's like the stock market having a slight correction - not a stock market crash yet - that's why people have no fear to rush to sell."

"In other words they are not interested in DAP criticizing what the government did not do. THEY WANT TO KNOW WHAT DAP/PAS/KEADILAN AS PART OF THE NEW COALITION CAN DO FOR THEM."

Click for full version

****************************

The Antidotes
(I)

This guy is goooooood. He got my first ever youtube comment and deservedly so.

Among the things he advocated, the most important was his honest and open attitude, to look at the situation beyond race and religion enough to objectively judge what was right or wrong (with hints of humor and sarcasm too!). Amin Idris, I await your involvement in the GE! =D

(II)
"Some four million eligible voters, who can make a major difference in a democracy, have not registered with the Election Commission (EC) and two-thirds of them are aged between 22 and 30." and therefore
-YOU-!
Even babies know that with great power comes great responsibility.

Ah, finally something to ease the bad blood. Glad there's still hope after all. =) I sure hope the government knows what they're doing cuz aside from the food, everything else doesn't seem promising.

Note:
I know I've been pretty engrossed in the whole problem issue that was sparked since 'that song' arose but can you blame me? Elections are coming mah, and it's my first time I (and most of you) actually play a damned real part in this. So bear with me, aite?

Pushing me away

I've noticed that the recent tribulations within our country and the government has made us less ignorant than we were before and even to the extent of being proactive in matters pertaining to our troubled nation - a rare sight.

So the average Bobby goes to a newsstand to get our daily press to read the dailies such as The Star or NST somewhat skewed from the news he hears around the water dispenser during breaks. Bobby starts doing the next best thing, internet research on Malaysian news. He finds links to the newspapers that he has read. The fourth site however, brought him to a whole new world; Malaysiakini.

Their:
Vision
To use the Internet to provide free and fair news to the Malaysian public and to set new standards in journalism as well as to support the development of freedom of speech, social justice and democracy in Malaysia.

---

Mission
To publish an online newspaper that informs the Malaysian public of the latest news and critical issues in an independent and fair manner, and to facilitate discussion of current concerns, thereby challenging the views produced by the government-dominated mainstream media.

It's a noble cause. See what others can't, know what others don't. See the other side of the story or even the gray area, because the 'white' side doesn't stretch very far. You never know who's right or who's wrong but one thing's for sure, it screams of a Malay metaphor I remember so well, "Ada ketam di sebalik batu" (translated as "There's a crab behind the stone") meaning hidden agendas.

Even the recently announced Budget 2008 that was aimed at enhancing the nation's competitiveness, strengthening human capital development and ensuring the well-being of all Malaysians was not spared and described as an "unusual one” with a mix of “confused priorities” and “mismatch objectives” and above all, pointed at elections.

Then there are numerous open criticisms concerning government decisions as well as reports of shady activities. I shan't comment on any of these as someone like me who barely reads newspapers or malaysiakini for that matter inadequate information and that it's better to leave it to the experts.

But I've seen what an overdose of MK can do to one. You feel irritated at the slightest things and would develop chronic Aaahism, the unwritten disease of someone incessantly going "Aaah" at the slightest things and proceed to come up with an alternate conspiracy theory. (a friend of mine jYong comes to mind, hahah) It increases your blood pressure, no matter which side you're on - because you either are losing due to certain unfair policies or (assuming you're a person who actually cares and have the slightest bit of integrity) are just plain ashamed.

I can feel that my love for Malaysia is slowly metamorphing into a love-hate relationship. The increasing problems faced by our people cause me to to think more. And the more I think, the more I wonder whether my permanent residentship is worth keeping any longer. Yes, you may argue that it isn't any better overseas with racism and poverty shooting through the roof. But for now it seems like it's led by more civilized and less selfish people. I don't think there's a conclusion to this post but more of a big rant that I had to let out. Can you feel my frustration?

Can you feel his? All for freedom of press, yo.

Links

I just found out that this blog is the FIRST LINK that pops up if you search for "Who kill Namewee". What Google thinks I'm some Sherlock Homes site now? Sigh, am terribly misunderstood.

Speaking of which, PLEASE watch these videos. I laughed my pants off.

Warning to Namewee

What were these people thinking?

And better yet - a video reply.

I've no comment but I just had to share that. My favorite part was the beginning when he went, "Hallo fren, go and stadee la.."; the priceless Malaysian accent. Although imo he went a lil too far with the piggy stuff but still, that's for humiliating your fellow Malaysians, guys.

Post edit:
I just clicked on the "who kill Namewee" link again and the results have changed. Google understands! Kudos to their efficiency. =)

Just B

Here's another twist in the unending fight for equality.

We are working for equality between early birds and night owls.

Now, that's what I call music to my ears.

First, let me give you a jist of what probably sparked these late bloomers' (a shocking fourth of our general population) shouting.
"Scientists have long known that early and late risers have genetic differences. A study from the University of Surrey found that extreme larks are more likely to have a long version of a gene called Period 3, while extreme owls are more likely to have a shorter version, leading to physiological differences. Professor Angela Clow from the University of Westminster in London found that early risers had higher levels of cortisol, the body's main stress hormone, than the alarm-clock refuseniks."
In other words, we, late sleepers are born this way and no one should question our times of sleeping as that would tantamount to questioning our genes.

Welcome to the world of B-society. Where we now fight back where we have been suppressed. Where we are wide awake when others are fast asleep. Where we rule when no one is on the streets.

I for one having wanted to be an A-group convert now have a conflict. I've always loved the thought of getting up early in the morning, taking my own sweet time, doing a light workout, smelling the yet to be polluted air, etc.

But is that as sweet as the joys of teh tarik, the late-night chats, the warmth of the midnight oil, the needlessness for sunglasses, and the uttermost effectiveness of my mental capability.

It's hard to say, not to mention as being known as one of the night owls among my groups. Wait, all my groups are ultra-nocturnals. I've a friend, whom we fondly refer to as Bobo and is known to switch his clock all the way to US time and back just in time for the exam period.
I quote, "Well, it's easy lah, you can either tahan for one whole day.. or sleep for one whole day..". Not to mention that our citizens are known as one of the most sleep deprived in the world. The things we Malaysians are capable of.

Signs of change are already prevalent in more 'open' countries like Denmark, which attracted almost 5000 members in the first month. How about the ultra-flexi-hours - as well as many many other irresistable perks - Google offers to their workers in Google Campus? Even science has proven we are why are are - signs are beckoning.

As for now, we all know it's better to hope for snow than to hope for drastic changes in Malaysia. You're not going to see government servants starting work at 11am and going back at 8pm. Call me what you will, but I don't think I have a choice but to (sadly) give up the lust of nightlife soon enough.

*proceeds to set alarm to 6.30a.m.* What're you laughing at?

For more info:
B-society Organization
Article

Verds are vital

Not too long ago, I wrote a piece on words; and I noted how carefully one should choose the weapons they wish to wield in verbal combat. As it has once been said, "Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words shall never hurt me." In my humble opinion, that phrase is invalid and even a contradiction of the truth; in other words, bullshit.

Because wounds from words takes the longest to heal - if ever.

So I started thinking about Soon Yee's request for examples and one movie clearly outstated any other movie I have ever seen in the usage of words. It's V for vendetta.

The particularly memorable scene was at the beginning where V introduces himself to Evey. Some jobless people have taken years off their lifespans and valuable brainpower to memorize this. Anyway, I found the script, found a translation and I for one, will attempt to further translate the speech to a more comprehensible Malaysian version.

V - The silent vanguard of what is right and just. But (imo) has a skewed perception of the solution.
Yellow man - The slightly sophisticated Joe who understands and wants to make a change.
Apek - Your average Malaysian.

Voila!
Behold!
See!

In view humble vaudevillian veteran, cast vicariously as both victim and villain by the vicissitudes of fate.
In sight, a retired entertainer cast indirectly as both victim and villan by the changes of Fate.
As you can see I'm an old joker blaming people..and got jokers blaming me because of nothing!

This visage, no mere veneer of vanity, is a vestige of the “vox populi” now vacant, vanished.
This mask, no show of pride, is a trace of the people’s voice, now empty, gone.
What you see is what you get.

However, this valorous visitation of a bygone vexation stands vivified, and has vowed to vanquish these venal and virulent vermin, van guarding vice and vouchsafing the violently vicious and voracious violation of volition.
However, this brave visit of a by-gone irritation stands animated, and has promised to destroy these corruptable and malicious vermin facing the front of immoral conduct and giving the violently vicious and power-hungry violation of will.
But right, watch how I come now angry and annoyed, and I swear I will whack the ^)*% out of those blardy corrupted b%#*&#$ who represents evil and are forcing me to do sh*t!

The only verdict is vengeance; a vendetta, held as a votive not in vain, for the alue and veracity of such shall one day vindicate the vigilant and the virtuous.
The only choice is revenge, a feud, held as a wish, not unsuccessful, for the value and truthfulness of such shall one day clear the names of the watchful and the morally good.
I got no choice but to shoot the b*#&@d (sure can wan) so that when they're dead, our names will have a clean sheet.

Verily, this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose, so let me simply add that it's my very good honour to meet you and you may call me V.
In truth, I need to shut up now because I am becoming too wordy, so let me simply add that it is my very good honor to meet you and you may call me “V”.
Actualleeee, I better shaddap now cuz I think I crap too much adi, was great to meet you, and call me V.. cuz it's cool.

So watch your words. They can heal as well as kill. And if you're 'jobless' like I am, start memorizing this mouthful of Vs.

I don't have to tell you that it's a good movie, do I?