5/24 UM Won

Today filled with a lot of basketball games watching. I watched 2 semi-final games the whole morning, then watch the Final again in the evening. About the tournament, it is Malaysia inter-university basketball game. UM emerged as a champion, beating UPM team with a bunch of arrogant ex junior national players. Yeah, i like to see those arrogant people lose. btw, I support UM as well. Since UTM (my ex university) cant even make it to the semi, so i choose a team to support. I just dont want UPM to win, and happy that my wish came true :p

btw, another comman thing today is that i spent a lot of eating time with Ah Beng. We had breakfast, lunch and tea time today. Something like his turn to bring me around for good food near the Jelutong & town area :) Thanks dude. One funny thing is that he intro me to his students that i am a Korean guy, and his students bought it :) damn funny. He just like to play around with his students since they are talkative and naughty too :) Another thing is that they said i am good looking korean, hahahaha...

Afterward, I went for some food shopping at Queensbay & watched some of my friends playing inline skating in Queensbay. At home now, checking emails, login to friendsters, and stumbled across a friend in US for business trip under intel, spoil a little bit of my day, as i build up my anger again >_<>

Hopefully, the new work place that i am joining soon would be as what good/up to (if not all) what i hope for. Just hope so >_<

5/20 Butterworth Food Hunt

Again, last weekend was a happening weekend. On Sunday, after kara-ok session in the afternoon until 2pm, after that i went watching basketball game at Han Jiang until 3.30pm, then 5 of us (Jules, Beng, er jie, jlaw & me) meet up again and went on Butterworth food hunt in the evening as i had promised them, as most of them havent really tasted the good food in Butterworth :)

We started with some appertizer - the Lok Lok style rojak stall in Bagan, then went on to my favorite Raja Uda Laksa, went on a car ride passing the Malaysian Air Force base, then went on to Teluk Air Tawar beach front (the only beach left in Penang mainland) for digestion, then went to Chai Leng park hawker centre for Lok Lok. The only thing that we miss is the AA Burger King stall, which wasnt open for business yet as we are early (~7.30pm). It was around 3 hours of journey, and we went back the island with a good sunset view and a full stomach, YEAH!!! Another happy day :)

Julles & jlaw posing at the Rojak stall. I remember Jules ate 3 bird eggs with, saying that he was hungry :p

2nd pit stop, Raja Uda Laksa. "er jie" the camera gal :)

Yummy + my favorite laksa. RM2.20 for a small bowl ;)

3 "strangers" posing in Teluk Air Tawar beach front

Nice view. Been years since I last came to this beach front (actually there is no more sandy beach left, only mud now). But that day's beautiful view was really rare.

Gay pose :p enjoying the view and clearing Beng's mind from work stress

The Lok Lok stall's table for us.

4 kinds of sauces - the sweet, the satay, the ginger spicy & the sweet sour spicy.

Selecting our favorites :)

What a nice view to end the journey of 5 on 5/20.

5/19 Penang Hill Climb

Last Saturday, Lan Sin has gathered a group of friends for a journey up Penang Hill from the Moon Gate. The initial plan is to climb till the top, but then reduced to Station 84, then again reduced to Station 5 due to time constraint :) But managed to climb a quarter of Penang Hill that day, is an achievement, lots of laughter, lots of photos, and a very GOOD morning :) Thanks everyone for the happy moments.

Posing at carpark before the climb, CHEERS!!!

jlaw struggling with the staircase, guess she will have staircase phobia in the coming week :p

Up we go :)

Breath-taking views from one of the stops that we made

Yeah, we reached Station 5!

Sir! Prisoners ready for execution skuad :p

jlaw with the award winning shampoo advert pose :)

This Jules never give face, wearing sandal for hill climbing :p

Jules, babaleo & "er jie" on physioterapy stones :)

our big brother expression walking on the stones :)

The feast after the climb :)

Heroes

Just finish watching the series Heroes Volume 1 of 23 episodes, and I would say that it is indeed a good show with a good ending in ep23.

Watching the series is like reading a comic. Ever wonder why there is so many comic readers? Sometimes, in certain way, everyone need a hero inside them. It would be carried as a symbol of hope, something that they can cling on when they are lost, a sense or security or the person that they look up to as example. So, who is your hero/heroes?

Sharing with you a meaningful quote "The future is not written in stone" - Nothing is inevitable, there is always the other way, and you are the one who can make a difference.

Boston

Get to know this song from Jules, like the piano starting part :)
Enjoy...

http://www.9ymp3.com/song/213215.htm

1st Day Jobless

Life without job and without laptop really really feel very NICE... Totally dont even feel the stress of thinking what I am going to do next when I power on the laptop. This is very very true. Since yesterday until now, for a stretch of longer than 24hrs, I didnt touch the PC and get online :) Feel so relax.

So, you must be wondering, "what have i been doing in the 1st day of jobless?" :) Well, I went shoppings (groceries, kitchen wares, books etc), banking, Penang Bridge Marathon registration, house cleaning, reading, tidying, washing and ... I think that is about it for the day :) When I am free, I like to do these kind of stuffs, cleaning & settling daily house chores, probably to have a better, cleaner & comfortable place for me to live :)

Actually i have a mix feeling when i left intel yesterday. Am happy because I am leaving the "owes" me and pathetic place, but am reluctant as well to leave the bunch of friends and colleagues that i had get acquainted to after all these years...

Anyhow, i will start work in the new place on 1st June, will be having half a month resting :) should be sufficient to recharge myself, and looking forward to the new challenges.

Signing off now. Good night.

5/17

The happiest day, at last i can tell intel in the face "I QUIT!!!" :p

looking forward to the new challenges, will start work in June >_<

p/s: image borrowed from a friend :)

Post PDC Cup Syndrom

>_< face="verdana">
Off work around 5.30pm, went back home directly, cooked instant noodles for dinner, watched 24 Season6 EP21 & took a nap until 8pm. Wake up, did my laundry, bathed, then took motorbike out to watch a basketball game nearby.

In the afternoon, one of my ex-Penang coach told me that the Philippines' University Champion basketball team - UST (forgot the long name) is in town on a friendly match tour. Of course I would miss the chance. The weather is nice as well for a drive. Besides, most of the dudes were watching Spiderman3 in Queensbay GSC :) Therefore, I am quite free.

By the time I the basketball court at 8.30pm, the game just got started. I sat besides another ex-coach and watch the game together :) He told me that the players are all under 21, yet all of them are physically fit, tall (some are taller than me too), skillful, fast, agile & played never seen yet effective defense strategies. The UST defeat one of the Penang's Club (Youngsters) easily. Imagine a player as tall as me played outside and shoot accurate 3 pointers. They are really really fast, their fast break executed in less than 3seconds. Their plays really an eye opening, and I am lucky to watch and understand some of it :) However, in order to execute it, really need a lot of hard effort to train up. May be I will just keep it as theory at the moment :) I took some photos as well, sharing it over here

Many Thanks

Today, PEDAS won the PDC Cup 2007 Basketball title. It is really a sweet moment >_<
My msg to the PEDAS players...

Hi guys,

It has been my pleasure to have played with you all. Today’s Final indeed a hard one, but I like the spirit that none of you did give up until the end, as well as listened to instructions. We did start very bad, totally not good compared with the previous games, most probably due to nervousness. But that is the past; the important thing is we won, as a team. We can review our mistakes, and learn from it, but at the moment, I just would like you guys to savor the feeling of winning the Final :) You all deserved it :)

To Linus, sorry man, that I fail to let you played in any of the game. I know that you would reply that it is ok, and I would say again and so on and so on... But I just would like to apologize >_<>

To Swee Ping, Jimmy, Ignatius, Woon Loong, Siew Loong, Kevin & Wee Soon, I do believe that you all can play as well as the other, you all just need some basic trainings, more tournament exposures and more playing 5on5 on normal Tuesday & Thursday at PG9. But am sorry again that I can’t lead you all in the future and see to that moment.

To Sze Wei, Chee Yee, Chan Kim, William, Ching Seng, Kok Wei, Howe Yin & Ricky, you all had improved much since last year. Ching Seng is the one that impress me the most with his rebounds and scoring under basket. Do keep it up. I believe you all now have the basic team formation and knew the basketball strategy concept, gained from the past 2 PDC Cups. With this, I hope you all will keep on improving, because the journey for betterment still long way to go. I really hope that even though I am not at intel anymore, you all still can win the title next year. Basketball is a team game, and I would not have won any of the games by myself. Remember this. Thanks guys for the indeed happy & memorable farewell “gift” :)

Btw, I, of course will send out my last day email with contact before I leave intel. No worry :) we will still keep in touch. My last day is 17 May 2007. Till then, rest well.

Lastly, my gratitude that I had kept for quite a while, goes to all the PEDAS supporters that had cheers for PEDAS. Hope that you all enjoy the games as well :) Many thanks to all. Till then.

Like A Star

Like A Star

Just like a star across my sky,

Just like an angel off the page,

You have appeared to my life,

Feel like I'll never be the same,

Just like a song in my heart,

Just like oil on my hands,

Oh.. I do love you,

Still i wonder why it is,

I don't argue like this,

With anyone but you,

We do it all the time,

Blowing out my mind,

You've got this look i can't describe,

You make me feel like I'm alive,

When everything else is a fade,

Without a doubt you're on my side,

Heaven has been away too long,

Can't find the words to write this song,

Oh.,.. Your love,

Still i wonder why it is,

I don't argue like this,

With anyone but you,

We do it all the time,

Blowing out my mind,

I have come to understand,

The way it is,

It's not a secret anymore,

'cause we've been through that before,

From tonight I know that you're the only one,

I've been confused and in the dark,

Now I understand,

I wonder why it is,

I don't argue like this,

With anyone but you,

I wonder why it is,

I wont let my guard down,

For anyone but you

We do it all the time,

Blowing out my mind,

Just like a star across my sky,

Just like an angel off the page,

You have appeared to my life,

Feel like I'll never be the same,

Just like a song in my heart,

Just like oil on my hands

http://1.100mp3.net/1000mp3/2006/C/2006224654009/6593566.Wma

Honesty

Today, i put my honesty into test...
Hmm... Think again... Nay... It is not that hard :)
I easily break that honesty test :p

In the morning, the notorious cut throat intel PG12 cafeteria cashier generously treated me for the breakfast that cost RM1.30, as well as slipped me additional RM9 for the breakfast, haha... :) Yet, the "Koay Teow Goreng" is a bit oily, :p

I paid RM50.30 for the plate of mix Koay Teow & Maggi Goreng, and she gave me the change RM59 :) I only notice this when i sat down on the table with my colleagues, and just right before that, i quoted to xwei that "today is a good day, not because is a working day, but because is a PDC Cup basketball day" :), then i counted the change in my hand. Wow, is RM59, my eye opened wide n_n. Then come to the question should I returned to the cashier, without hesitate, i kept the $$, kakaka... I am bad right. Well, I take the money as redemption incentive after patronizing the bad food cut throat cafe for such a long time :p

Well, today is a really good day, although i am a bit sleepy :p Good day to every :)

Durian

Durian season is back again. I love durian a lot. As a warm up, posting some durians here, courtesy of AsianExplorers :)
What is your pick? Who wanna join me for the upcoming durian feast? Any suggestion? Yummy... Just loving it :)

A selection of branded durians in a plantation in Balik Pulau, the durian centre of Penang Durians of Balik Pulau

In Penang, Malaysia, the best place to get good durians is in the town of Balik Pulau, on the southwest corner of Penang Island. Balik Pulau is a 30 minute drive over the main range and has a lot of durian estates.
D11
"Number Eleven" is a very popular durian in the 70's. It has creamy yellow flesh with a pleasant taste and a subtle smell.D604
The D604 was first cultivated by the late Mr. Teh Hew Hong of Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh is quite sweet, and has some "body" to it as the seed is small.
D600
This durian originates in Sungai Pinang in Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I documented is a bit hard.
D700
The flesh is darker than D600, like chrome yellow. Also slightly hard. Crispy, but the smell is not very strong.
Ang Sim (Red Heart)
Ang Sim is a durian with flesh which is quite soft and very sweet, and dark yellow in colour. It also has a nice aroma.
Khun Poh
This durian takes the name of the late Mr Lau Khun Poh, who first budded it. Khun Poh has beautiful orangy flesh with a slightly bitter-sweet taste and a heavy aroma.
Hor Loh (Water Gourd Durian)
The flesh of the Hor Loh is very soft, dry and quite bitter. It has a sharp smell to it. Hor Loh was first cultivated at the Brown Estate of Sungai Ara. It got its name from its appearance resembling a "Hor Lor" pumpkin. If the durian hits the ground hard when it falls, the flesh tends to be bitter thereafter.
Ang Heh (Red Prawn Durian)
Ang Heh originates from Pondok Upeh, Balik Pulau, and has a round-shaped husk. The orange reddish flesh is highly aromatic, very soft with a bitter-sweet taste.
Xiao Hung (Little Red Durian)
Xiao Hung, whose name means "Little Red One," originates in Sungai Pinang, Balik Pulau. The flesh has a bittersweet taste to it, with a touch of sourness. The one that I tasted for this write-up is a bit hard. There are only one or two seeds per section, but the flesh is thick.
Yah Kang (Centipede Durian)
Yah Kang is one of my favourite durians. Although its flesh is whitish, the taste is superb, milky, like very sweet, melting chocolate. The name "yah kang" means centipede, and accounts for the number of centipedes found at the foot of the tree, hence giving it the rather unusual name.
Bak Eu (Pork Fat Durian)
Bak Eu has a slightly acidic aroma. The flesh is whitish while the taste is quite bitter but nice.
The following are some of the durians I tried the first time at Peng Siew Durian Estate in Titi Serong, Balik Pulau, on the AsiaExplorers Durian Feast, 17 June, 2006.
D17
D17 is dark cream flesh. The taste is slightly dry but sweet. It is a tasty durian.
Coupling
This durian is gets its unusual name because it looks like two durians joined together, one big and one small. When split open, you almost thought the two halves belong to two different durians. Coupling has whitish flesh which is slightly dry but tastes good.
Ooi Kyau (Tumeric Durian)
The name Ooi Kyau (tumeric) describes the colour of the bright yellow flesh of this durian. It is very sweet and tasty.
Chaer Phoy (Green Skin Durian)
Chaer Phoy is shaped like a small canteloupe. The skin is bright green, giving it the name which means "green skin". Chaer Phoy has creamy white flesh which is a bit dry, not too sweet but tasty.
Ang Jin (Red Yoke Durian)
As the name suggests, Ang Jin Durian has deep orange flesh. It is very sweet and tasty.
Lin Fong Jiau
This durian is named after Lin Fong Jiau, aka Mrs Jackie Chan. I wonder whether it is indicative of the relationship of the celebrity couple, for Lin Fong Jiau is a bittersweet

spiderman 3

An hour ago, just finish watching the just released movie "Spiderman 3" with a few friends of mine. Took me some effort yesterday just to get the tickets :)

I think it is a nice movie, including the previous 1 & 2. But everyone has their own preferences, it depends. I like the movie as it is more realistic about life. Summarizing a couple of points from the hero movie:-
- Whenever you made a mistake, the first and the hardest thing you have to do is to forgive yourself.
- Life is full of choices, it depends on you to choose the one that you think is right and be responsible on the choice that you made

10 things I hate about you

I still remember watching the movie "10 things I hate about you" years back. Thought of it again today, sharing with you all. Still like the movie :)

I hate the way you talk to me,
and the way you cut your hair.

I hate the way you drive my car,
I hate it when you stare.

I hate your big dumb combat boots,
and the way you read my mind.

I hate you so much it makes me sick,
it even makes me rhyme.

I hate the way you are always right,
I hate it when you lie.

I hate it when you make me laugh,
even worse when you make me cry.

I hate it when you are not around,
and the fact that you didnt call.

But mostly I hate the way I don’t hate you,
not even close
not even a little bit
not even at all...

And here is the serious version of "10 things your boss hate about you", courtesy of Babaleo :)
http://money.guardian.co.uk/work/story/0,,2048182,00.html

live & learn

Ghandi said:
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow; Learn as if you were to live forever."

(Criminal Minds S02E19)