My Own Amazing Race...

Ok, not my own. Last Saturday my company had a treasure hunting event...(omit personal stuff and move to private blog)...I basically disowned my own team and joined another team as that team had better, erm, attractions...Or so I thought, which I was dead wrong....

In any case, I actually got drafted into a good team. It was a balance of sorts; Of 4 persons;

2 male, 2 female,
2 fit, 2 not so fit (I'm not so fit),
2 wise cracking, 2 not so wise...

One thing though, all 4 of us were quite resourceful..And at the end of the event my team actually came runner's up. This after realising we had at least 7 incorrect answers...The sad thing was that the winning team consist of 4 men who, IMHO, are generally DIVA males in the company...Not that they're gay, (thought one of them is rumoured to be), but they're just diva-like at work, in a world much of their own....Or maybe it's just me who's jealous...Whatever...

(I can't write anymore, it hurts...)

All this time...

(that's about 90 minutes of working time) I've been humouring myself reading my private blog...I must admit I am mentally insane, and emotionally challenged...Ingredients of a ggrreeaatt mind!!!!

Yippee...


Ok, being nuts aside, I feel shite the past weekend...

Wait, I actually have something to post......

Tomorrow is Doomsday....

Just a gentle reminder to self that tomorrow one of the milestones of mylife is crossed, and hopefully successfully...Else I'd have to do it all over again...It's one of the 10 things I need to do, and this is one of the more easier ones, I think.....

Blogging has somewhat fadded amongst my peers, and for that reason I've stopped somewhat too..Even my other blog have not been been updated for a couple of months now..I guess I have fewer emotional issues these days...But with December around the corner, that might change...

Funny, I hope I would stop being childish and be a man once in awhile...That way I won't miss that moany oppoetunities.....But that's just me, so leave or live it.....


Maybe more later, my right thumb is somehow sore....

Quick Funny

Actually, the video's quite long. It's really fun, especially if you're tuned to the Call Centre Industry..


http://callcentermovie.com/movie/movie2.html

Oh, don't worry, it's PORN safe...

Ten Reasons For Not Accepting a Counteroffer

Haha, someone forwarded me this today:


1. What type of company do you work for if you have to threaten to resign before they give you what you are worth?
2. From where is the money for the counteroffer coming? Is it your next raise early? (All companies have strict wage and salary guidelines which must be followed).
3. Your company will immediately start looking for a new person at a lower salary price.
4. You have now made your employer aware that you are unhappy. From this day on, your loyalty will always be in question.
5. When promotion time comes around, your employer will remember who was loyal, and who wasn't.
6. When times get tough, your employer will begin the cutback with you.
7. The same circumstances that now cause you to consider a change will repeat themselves in the future, even if you accept a counteroffer.
8. Statistics show that if you accept a counteroffer, the probability of voluntarily leaving in six months or being let go within one year is extremely high.
9. Accepting a counteroffer is an insult to your intelligence and a blow to your personal pride, knowing that you were bought.
10. Once the word gets out, the relationship that you now enjoy with your co-workers will never be the same. You will lose the personal satisfaction of peer group acceptance.

After reading it, I thought:


Top reasons why I think people accept counteroffers..

1) They needed the money. The new job stats were inflated to make them look good.
2) They were trying their luck and got lucky. You can't say no to luck, can you?
3) They never did have that much of a good relations with peers anyway, so who cares?? I'm getting higher pay!
4) They do plan to leave in 6 months..In the meantime, enjoy the given extra spending power..
5) Obviously they thought they could play they bosses like pawns...With the counteroffer, they proved it..So, better the devil you know (and can manipulate) then some new devil that you don't know!
6) They don't care where the raise came from. Someone's gotta pay anyway, why me??
7) Promotion?? What promotion?? Why work in a decision making position and earn peanuts (for that position) when you earn the same pay with your current position. No thanks, you can have the stress and lousy pay...


8) THEY HAVEN'T READ THE REASONS ABOVE!!!!!


Ok, I have nothing better to do at work......NOT!!!

I'm confused....

recent events have put me through a phase where I'm confused with what I want....

I've lost significant interest in card games...I need to revivie it, but I'm not sure how (telling myself it has cost me a bomb should help, but....)

I've lost interest...No, I've not lost interest in someone, which is a major issue. Bridges burnt don't grow back. Period..

I'm not having any luck with Liverpool...Watch them they lose...Don't Watch them they lose...

And my body aches in places I didn't even know could, since i'm not doing anything...

I think my time is soon, more reason for me to get myself insurance....

And I'm no closer playing Moonlight with both hands....Not in a million years.....

sob sob

latest updates

Ok,

quick and short. What I've been involved in the past couple of weeks:

1) Playing 3 different online soccer manager games....Should make it 4..Add NFC to it..at least can hope to win some jerseys....

2) Just got the latest Raw Deal Expansion..Looking forward to upgrade RVD and play with Andre the Giant....Go 100 card decks!!!!

3) had a brief encounter with the third kind..OK, more like with the Magic Organised Play people...it seems like the door is available for me to return to judging. Provided I can still pass the exam....Hmmm, studying again, anyone??? While I do enjoy judging, doing it again after such a long departure (it's been 3 years).........Dunno..Still contemplating (you indecisive freak!)

4) Still don't have a license to drive a car....but went go-karting last weekend and found driving quickly without caring much about others was somewhat fun..Somewhat because on the first lap I got sandwich between 2 cars only to have the guy behind hit me and flew off the track..Ok, a little exxagerrated, but it did got off the track like about 2 sec or so...Doesn't hurt now, but over the weekend it was quite painful....Really...

5) I'm replaying NeverWinter Nights, with new characters classes; Sorceress, Monk and later Cleric....No other social time left/required. Enough said....

6) I'm finally debt free.....NOT...At least one of my ongoing debts are finally gone...My own B'day gift for 2005 is now fully paid for...And it was one heck of an expensive gift.....And no, it wasn't a car.. I'm not driving anybody anywhere anytime at alll...

7) Did I mention the last time work is catching up?? Well, it's now even worse...Not anybody's fault but my own...I just have to stop asking for more.....No more Being Oliver for me...sob sob..

8) Haha! I have 8 points!!! Betcha never thought that could happen! I've decided that I need to do something about by exponentially increasing weight.....First thing is to halt the increase...From last week, i've been giving myself a curfew of no solid after 8pm.....The only porblem I have now is that I have a Chinese wedding dinner to attend this weekend...how how????

I need help, i know......You wanna help??? Haha

Reminiscence WrestleMania 21

I just love the trailers, don't you???


http://www.freewebs.com/jonoswrestlemaniavideos/

Touching?.....

I can't believe this, but I actually find Unfaithful, by Rihanna, really, really good.

Ofcourse, I've always been a sucker for songs with heavy piano accompaniment. That, and a really nice tune (though somewhat simple) should make it good.

What peeves me for liking it is because of it's lyrics. The song is basically about a girl feeling guilty for two-timing her boyfriend, with the boyfriend's knowledge. The fact that the guy (somewhat) condones it makes it even sicker (ier...whichever). I mean, look, if you're male and you know your girl is "happy with another guy"; And, with most (not all) affairs, it's usually all about...erm...How could a man live with that???

Of course, the fact that the girl is feeling guilty to the extend of implying that she's killing her man, is some consolation, but nowhere is she indicating she planning to stop the extra-curriculum activities....She just sounds like she wants to ditch her guy to save him all the pain. Though the ditch is going to hurt too, but at least that should be the last..Should be....

Yet despite knowing the lyrics (I have a softcopy, haha!) I still find the music soothing. Something must be really wrong with me....

And I love Evanescence latest single. Can't wait for the album...

More ANGST for me!!!!

Hiatus???

Ok, so I haven't blogged for awhile.....

Why I haven't blogged:

1) Someone actually asked why I haven't. So out of defiance, I didn't (Who says I'm not a dumb kid at heart?)

2) I really had nothing to write about. (What about this year's birthday?? How did that go?) (God knows, God cares...)

3) I've been busy with work. Not something I've associated with since May 2006, however things have picked up and once again I swallow more than I can chew...( I just don't think that sounds right...whatever...)

4) ( You're gonna somehow cook up 7 reasons, aren't you?)

5) Someone stood me up from a trip to UK...OK, lie. I just missed out on an opportunity to get a free trip to UK. The issue obviously lie with the fact that I don't have an hourglass figure...No, lie too. I wouldn't have really been able to go, though if the opportunity did lie with me I'd throw caution to the wind and spend every single cent I had there....And I'm still glad he got to go...Too bad he couldn't get the REAL person he wanted with him..(No, what you updated in your blog isn't the whole truth!)

6) EPL is back!! Bigger than ever!!! (OK, how on earth does this explain you not writing from 2/8/6 till 18/8/6? EPL only really started on 19/8/6!!!)

7) 9 81225 1851121225 14152089147 512195 208120 31513519 18513152051225 31215195 119 1 1615191992125 1851191514/524321195.

So that's why I didn't write....Because I was just plain l......shhhhh, nanti saham luput! (that's malay for 'drop in stock value'...OK, something like that).

& I still can't think of anything else to write. Maybe next time....

I felt like Oliver....

Prologue 1:
Oliver as in Oliver Twist. The orphan in a story about how someone without family can still find one in the old world...Something like that. Made famous with the musical with lyrics, " Food, glorious food!" At least that what I think...haha.

Prologue 2:
My company is going through restructuring and thus to pacify those affected, we had an Annual Dinner last Friday. We haven't really been having Annual Dinners as one-big-happy company, so this obviously had quite a positive response from my collegues.

Venue:
Mandarin Oriental...The venue already indicated that the company decided it was worth splashing money to their employees (I've since stopped using the word 'staff' because I am dirty minded..So sue me). But don't trust my word for it, visit the hotel yourself and make up your own opinion..

Theme:
Black Tie - Optional. Yup, that's what's written, printed and dead set. Black Tie - Optional..I wonder what that really meant. I mean, if you don't want to pressure attendees to wear expensive Tux and dresses, just have a fine print that says compliance to theme not mandatory for attendance...Trust me, if you know where I work, you'd expect them to be able to use big words like that...So much for expectations. Now, focusing literally on the theme, I wonder if it was to get people to turn up in colours other than black, i.e. orange, green, pink, purple, etc...Unfortunately, it was mostly (boring) blakc that night...

The Whole Damn Show (Reference to Rob Van Dam, haha!):
We had Sarimah Ibrahim (I think that's her name) as host, and for some reason she mentioned her marital status as part of her introduction. Must have gotten word that people in my company don't hold their beer well and will...You can guess the rest..Though I don't think that's true. Most of the people who drink in my company do hold thier beer..Just not when combo'ed with hard liquor....And heavy smoking...I was originally (spelled ORIGINALLY, under no circumstance forget to type the I after the R) expecting some can can dance when I sneak peek the agenda a couple of hours before. To my dissapointment was just several scantilly-clad ladies and 2 men strutting their stuff on old Moulin Rouge...I mean on stage. They danced to Lady Marmalade, which really, Black Tie? No wonder they mentioed optional. It was only black tie in attire, not in nature. I mean, Black Tie means official, professional, serious stuff, no??

There rest was your standard stuff, Country Manager attempting to inspire with speech, standard employee performance, one karaoke session gone bad (they really couldn't sing, but since they were leaving, everyone gave face) some Malaysia Idol reject (a bit harsh, but if you didn't win...) and lastly Ferhad with his gropes and boring sexist performance. Yes, I don't like Ferhad. so sue me. (erm, one day that might just come back to haunt me..haha) Not to mention a jury selected best dressed male and female that the crowd had no influence on. They just annoucned the winners..Boring.....

At the end there was no final speech, no big hoo hah, no sea of tears....Just another Annual Dinner

Sight for sore eyes?:
Ok. No prizes for guessing I didn't turn up dressed ot theme. I went collar T & slacks, extremely pale in comparison with the host of Tux's, Blazers, Jackets and such, but who cares? I wasn't winning best dressed anyway.. (Ok, the first 10 minutes was tough, because I now understand the feeling of being out of place. But after that, everyone is more interested in everyone else, and I dived into the crowd like I didn't exist..Fine with me, haha!)

Ok, the girls weren't hot wearing less than bikinis (can't say much about the dancers though...) but the obvious choice for an evening wear, If Ya Have It, Flaunt It! If Ya Don't, Flaunt It Anyway!! Despite the 'colder' environment, ladies seem HellBent (I'm impressed with the number of cards and card mechanics I have in this post) to show skin, at the very least those above the...breast. Not too much legs though...

Last but not least, Food, Glorious Food!:
It was an eight course dinner, which really was just 6 course with 2 dessert. The food was so-so, with one issue; The decided it to be more 'service oriented' by serving us our portions, and each person onlu got one. Eventually I had to Ask For More (no, I'm not advertising for Pepsi here) if I wanted seconds. Sound like Oliver? At one point they messed up one course when they put old dishes onto an unfinished portion (those wasteful punks!), when I did an Oliver they had to find some other table's portion for me.

Epilogue:
I didn't stay for the second round because I don't. I didn't even take a single photo because, well, I just chose not to. Not somethnig I need visual aids to remember.....

When I can do music I can't do lyrics...

So this is lyrics in progress.....haha...Yes, I have nothing better to do...



I'm trying to find out,
What my life is all about,
Yet everywhere I turn,
I only crash and burn.

So now I'm standing still,
Though much against my will,
Fear has kept me from moving,
Despite while here I'm dying.

I really want to fly,
To feel the wind and cry,
For once my body feels,
And know that this is real.

I'm still at where I stand,
I just can't understand,
Why don't I feel alive,
Why do I feel deprived.

I know it's in my mind,
Look harder, I will find,
The solace that I seek,
And not all is so bleak.

I really want to fly,
To feel the wind and cry,
For once my body feels,
And know that this is real.

One day I will know that I have lived despite I'm dead,
Until that day I'll keep on breathing,
And when the time has come for me to face that which I dread,
I wish with me is just but one thing,
you....

History unrepeated..

For the past 2 years history repeated itself....

In June I would have the time of my life, by July I would feel like shit...

Coming to this June I was worried it might happen again, so I somewhat made conscientious efforts to avoid that from recurring. I did as much as I could to not find something overjoyed for (World Cup wasn't really all happy for me..England got kicked out by the undeserving Portugal, remember?)

I still won myself a Wrestling tournament at the end of June (which I have done for the past 2 years, if anyone noticed..) but I didn't win this time because i was lucky (which is one hell of a source of joy) but because I.........Cheated...

Ok, so 3 years after I became the all-righteous Magic:the Gathering judge I am now a player who'll cheat to win..Blame the late Eddie Guererro on that please. Like he said, "if you didn't lie, you didn't try.." Ok, so that sentence can be intrepreted in many other context. I didn't like do a Mike Long (edited accordingly) and kept some cards under my thigh. Nor did I have more prematches than I should, carefully interchanging them as required...I simply chose not to highlight the obvious, which many who have played Magic with me would agree. i like to state the obvious, when other forget about them..

I still do that in real life, you know, telling others obvious things when their common sense eludes them. Not many people can accept it, but I do my part in making life simple and straight forward..I don't do it with my words, but my actions are relatively straightforward...Choose to read between the lines (of my actions, not my words.. My words almost always have double, if not more, meanings) and you'll miss my true intention...

Back to not having history repeat itself, so the lack of sources of elation has resulted in no need to be in anguish due to the lack of it in July..And come August, please, please not have another shitty Thursday...Let it pass without event nor encounter, which is fine by me, but have easy on me...Don't give me more headaches and heartaches... (wait a minute...Not's like the 'person' who decides this would read me here, would 'it'? haha)

So life goes on...And hopefully I'd scraped through the rest of the months in relative safety.....

I can't help it! ( Conspiracy Theory ahead!!)

With all this talk about why Zidane decided to head butt his way to a red card and a World Cup Finals' Final send-off....I just feel compelled to tell my side of the story (haha, like I was there to have a side of the story..)

Why Zidane Head Butted Marco Materazzi:

At half time Zidane was in the dressing room when he called his publicist.

Zidane: Hey, I don't think I can win this for France. But since the whole world knows I'm retiring from foootball, I won't have a chance to make my mark in football history if I don't do something great now..
Publicist: Look, you can always come out of come out of retirement. Euro 2008 is just 2 years away...
Zidane: I can't..I don't think I'm up to this level of football anymore...
Publicist: Look, it's level now, you 've got another 45 minutes to be the man...
Zidane: And what if I fail? It's not like my teammates will step up to the plate...
Publicist: Hey, you're a smart man..Use your head. You'll think of something to be etched in World Cup History...

And so Zidane ponders how is he going to make that happen...After the match ended 1-1 in 90 minutes, with Viera out, Zidane is even more concerned he's losing out on making WC history..." Must find a way...Must use my head...."

1st half of extra-time sees Trezeguet subbed in and Henry subbed out (not for each other). Zidane is extremely anxious now as he doesn't have henry to pass to and everyone knows Trezeguet had score for nuts in World Cups...Zidane realises he must, more now than ever, take the game in his own hands and make a mark for himself..

An opportunity arises and he gets a free-header with a thundering shot on goal. But Buffon was up to it! "Your head is not good enough!" Shouts Buffon as he recovers from palming away Zidane's bullet header. Zidane is running out of ideas.." My publicist says to use my head..And I did..But it isn't working!!" Zidane thinks to himself..." What else can I sue my head for?? (we all know the end result, but stay for a moment, ok..)

Then came the EPIPHANY....Marco Materazzi decides to 'molest' Zidane and as Zidane looks back at him, Zidane thinks " hey, that chest looks tough..Wonder if I could..." ( Of course, what Zidane says isn't what he thinks.. MM decides to insult Zidane further and finallt Zidane gets it " I'm suppose to use my head..Yeah, that what I'll do!!" Zidane turns around, headbutts MM in the chest and MM goes falling like a Flair Flop...Must have had some Sports Entertainment training...

And after that is history..Zidane makes a mark for himself in WC history..People talk about him as much as they talk about WC winners Italy...And as far as his publicist is concerned, all in the name of free publicity and Zidane did use his head, as advised!!

If I haven't indicated my hatred enough...

Out on her royal yacht the Queen was enjoying the sea air when she spied a man in the water off the port bow - clearly being menaced by a very large shark. Through her binoculars she could see it was Cristiano Ronaldo, struggling frantically to free himself from the jaws of a 20 foot shark! The Queen ordered the captain to change course to try and save the poor man, but she knew the yachts top speed would never get them there in time.

At that exact moment a speedboat containing three men wearing white England shirts sped into view. One of the men took aim at the shark and fired a harpoon into its ribs, immobilising it instantly. The other two reached out and pulled Ronaldo from the water and, using long clubs, beat the shark to death. They bundled the bleeding, semi-conscious Ronaldo into the speedboat along with the dead shark and prepared for a hasty retreat, when they heard frantic calling ....... It was the Queen calling them to the yacht. On reaching the yacht the Queen went into raptures about the rescue and said, "I'll give you a knighthood for your brave actions. I thought the England team would hate Ronaldo after the World Cup. But I see that the England team are true heroes and should serve as a model for sportsmanship to other countries." She knighted them and sailed away.

As she departed Rooney asked the others, "Who was that?!" "That," Beckham answered, "was our Queen. She rules the Commonwealth and knows everything about our country." "Well," Rooney replied, "she knows F all about shark fishing.. How's the bait holding up Frank?"


Yes, I hate that prick!

Semifinals - WC 2006

Actually, no..I'm not going to discuss my incorrect predictions....I'm not going to discuss what's on show for the semifinals......

I just want everyone who feels the same way to join me in visualising ( I don't pray, so that option isn't available) Cristiano Ronaldo's face when he breaks both his legs during the semifinals match VS France...

That prick! Say whatever you like, any player that goes to the referee after the whistle blows due to a foul is trying to instigate the ref into booking a player....I don't know what he said to the ref, and in what language, but it was surely a language he wanted Rooney to understand..he probably wasn't expecting a shove from Rooney, but the end result is he had a hand in getting Rooney sent off..

Ok, for those who didn't see the match, this is what happened (IMHO):

1) Rooney fouls some Portugese player near the centreline...
2) Referee spots it and blows the whistle. He then proceeds to the spot where the fouls was committed.
3) The prick then walks up to the ref and says god knows what to the ref, with Rooney inches away..
4) Whatever the prick said made Rooney unhappy and he got a shove by Rooney. Ref, being just in front of them, immediately signals Rooney to him...
5) by some stroke of magic, the ref pulls out a RED CARD and sents Rooney off....The prick looks pleased...

There are reports now that the prick winked at the bench when Rooney got his red card. The ref, in his post match discussions with Sven (the dumb England Coach who should have been sacked and not allowed to leave peacefully) insist that it was the initial foul that warranted a red card....But everyone knows it was the shove that make him decide he's seen enough of Rooney for the day...

Ok, so Rooney's at fault too. He shouldn't react so physically. When will footballers learn to just let the ref do whatever he wants and focus on the game instead?? Don't they ever learn that protest never got them anything but bookings??? So Rooney's fault is 15%...

The ref. One wonders how a shove is equal to a red card....Or even when followed by the foul before...it's not like the prick was injured in the process....he was still in excellent condition after the shove.... Obviously the ref felt he needed to show Rooney who's the boss, and thus a red card was shown instead of the correct yellow...Ref is thus 10% at fault..

So we have it. 15% Rooney, 10% Ref, and the Prick is 75% responsible to getting Rooney sent off and Portugal's eventual penalty victory (yes, Ricardo did excellently during the shoot-out, but if England had 11 men, there wouldn't have been a penalty shootout..).

Somebody break that pricks legs...He should sit out next season's EPL watching Rooney play every MU match...

One wonders if the Portugese have an effect on Refs by getting them to flash cards...

As for the Semis, I hope France kick Portugese butt...Ok, not all Portugese butts, just that prick's...As long as he gets a permanent disability, I don't mind Portugal winning...

Really.....

WC 2006 Quarter Finals

WTF!!!!!

Damn boring Italians in the quarters????

OK, so I have no love for the Italian team, like that's not to be expected...But let's check out the top 8, shall we?? (No, I will not entertain any negative responses here...haha)

Germany VS Argentina - Toughest yet most open of the 4 quarter matches, the host surely has form and the Argentinians have....flair??Class?? Whatever it is, both deserve to be in last eight (Yes, Mexico may disagree) and this should be a tough game. The Germans have strikers on all cylinders, and a Ballack that's pulling all the strings in the middle. The Argentinians don't have a similar midfield general, Riquelme may pass well, but boss the midfield?? However, they do have wide men and strikers who have excellent eye for goal and score them. I say 3-3 all the way to penalties, and Germans win.....OK, a little too dramatic. It'll probably be a 1-1 draw and penalties won by the Germans....

Italy VS Ukraine - No prizes for guessing who I am to diss here. Amongst the most boring(st) teams in the WC, Italy has a couple of red cards, unimpressive attacking, a scandal back home and the prettiest defender in the world. So if it was a catwalk competition, surely the Italians will win it. But it ain't, so no amount of ooze from Cannavaro & Buffon will keep them in the WC. Ukraine, new they may be, at least play better and have less first team players out. I say Ukraine win 1-0...If Ukraine does fail to beat the boring(st) Italians, then I hope they break Cannavaro's leg, get Buffon red-carded (since he's so distraught by Pessotto's mishap) and have Totti miss a penalty....Twice...(how that will happen truly beats me...haha)

Franze VS Bracil - Old guards VS older guards..Despite all the flair, skill and technique up for display with Henry, Ronaldo, Zidane, Ronaldinho, Ribery, Kaka, Viera, Robinho, etc...(No, I will not put Roberto Carlos' name with them....He's just speed and power...haven't seen him score from free kicks in ages...Please, please, please let Chelsea take him....haha!!) I expect this game to be dirty and boring...Expect some cards from the Frenchies, and some faked injuries ala Rivaldo from the Brazilians...Wait, Henry did the same thing to Puyol in the last match...Match made from Heaven?? Ok, ultimately I expect the Brazilians to win because, well, Vengence awaits in the Semis......

England VS Protugal - (C) Ronaldo wants to play in Real Madrid? By all means. That way Man U keeps a no longer performing Ruud Van N. (can't spell, you see) and sells the other attacking option...Man U out of top 4?? About time!! OK, the Portugese have been playing well, with Figo deciding it's his last chance to be somebody other than the one who got phased out by Beckham...But hey, look, it's England, ok.. With Rooney, Gerrard...wait, with Gerrard, Rooney & Lampard (who hasn't scored a single goal, btw....) How can England lose??? (If you haven't noticed that I'm an England Fan, I Have 2 Words For Ya....(Google for DeGeneration X)). England will once again bore the viewers to death with yet another unconvincing victory, but a victory no less....1-0...Or 3-0, if Gerrard feels like it...If fact, simply because he's there, England can afford to be 3-0 down in first half and still win it!!

WHO SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN THE LAST EIGHT INSTEAD:

1) Australia....They deserve it more than Italy...
2) Switzerland..... Ukraine who??
3) Spain.....Franze are old...OK...

The grass may be greener on the other side....

But you've got roses on your side, so surely yours won't be green....

I wrote this while trying to explain that sometimes when you're not happy with what you have, you get lectures to be happy where you are, so they go something like this:


Sometimes you don't know what you've got is good,
And you always wish things were better,
And while all you need is shelter, clothe and food,
You want more, you want trend setters...

So you'll dream of better things,
And build a plan to fly away,
So in order to get those wings,
You'll sacrifice what you have today...

Now you've made you dream come true,
You're finally where you want to be,
The grass is green, the sky is blue,
And life is good, well, so you see...

Then you look back at where you were,
and realise you miss your home,
But all has change since you were there,
What was once Jerusalem, is now Rome...

And thus you finally see the truth,
That what you had was just as good,
In front of you were all the proof,
But you were blinded, you were fooled...

So now you lie in your new world,
And see what it really is,
All the warmth has now turn cold,
And the past is all that you'll come to miss...

Corny ain't it...haha

WC 2006

In case you haven't noticed, I'm a football fan. No, it's not called soccer, you American @%^@#!!!

And World Cup 2006 in Germany has just passed the 10 day mark... What's transpired thus far:

1) England is out of sorts. Sure, it has qualified to the second round, beaten Paraguay & Trinidad & Tobago, but really, did you watch them play? (no, I don't really expect all of you to have watched...) It's like they didn't know how to play with each other. They don't exploit the flanks. They don't take up each othe's runs. They don't see players in empty spaces...When they did, Crouch scored from Beckham's cross, and Gerrard found space to blast a long-ranger... But Rooney's back, and bar a repeat performance in Euro 2004 (more specifically the injury against Portugal), England should go far. It had....Better.....Go....All.....The....WAY!!!!

2) If England was out of sorts, at least they've got 6 points..1998 Champs France looks like the Netherlands of old. Gifted with all the world class players you could ask for, in the likes of Henry, Zidane, Gallas, et all, it's currently the oldest (average age) team in the Finals. Not to mention it has drawn 2 matches thus far, with the Swiss and the (south) Koreans. Looks like their in for a repeat performance of WC 2002. The team seems to have lots of issues amongst players; Between captain and experience players, between keepers, and the sheer lack of coherence when attacking. Defensively their fine, but going forward.....I could almost say I can do better....Almost... (almost can still be anywhere between 1% and 99.999% difference...It's all about point of views...)

3) Czech Republic whooped USA 3-0, only to then go down to Ghana 2-0..Obviously an off day for the Czech...But their last opponents, the Azzuri....Who incidentally couldn't finish of the USA with a 1-1 draw, but did beat Ghana 2-0.... This group is wide open...And I hope the Italians fly back after the first round....

4) Ronaldo of Brazil (not the kid from Man U) looks more and more like a schoolboy footballer...Random moments of skill, but insignificant when you review the overall Brazilian performance.. Wonder if he'll be the fall of Brazil???it would be so easy if he gets injured, then the coach could actually pick Robinho to start...But Ronaldo's taknig good care of himself these days...avoiding tackles, run less, sprint less....So he should come out of the WC in tip top condition...what ever that is...Real Madrid would do well to let him lead the B team, haha!

5) Argentina on the other hand is off with flying colours..A 2-1 win over Ivory Coast, and then a 6-0 trashing of Sebia & Montenegro showed that they've got what it takes to claim the trophy this year...But since it's a WC i Europe, chances are it's going to be a EU nation that wins it...Sorry Argentina...

6) Germany has also qualified to the second round, but currently in Group A it's Ecuador that's stealing the headlines. A 2-0 win over Poland, and then a 3-0 win over Costa Rica put's them at top spot in Group A, and that wil be decided by the final match between Germany & Ecuador...But I like Ballack, so I'll still root for Germany to nick it. Besides, that makes it easier for England to avoid Germany in the second round....

7) Other notable mentions include Netherlands, who have also qualified by beating S&M 1-0 and Ivory Coast 2-1. Top of the group clash with Argentina next up.. Portugal also through to second round and Spain did a 4-0 over Ukraine and looks prime to go through tops.


What's bad about WC 2006...


1) Business worldwide other than FIFA would be less productive for a month.
2) Health of most football fans deteriorate over the tournament. Heart attacks and depression will be higher, especially when popular countries get knockout; England, France, Brazil, Argentina....
3) People who don't gamble will wager on somethnig during WC. I don't understand why, but that's the simple truth...Hell, even I have had a wager...Luckily I won...But until when??

And another 20 days to go...Have you the fever???

Time for Change

I no longer subscribe to Friendster......

If you were to ask why, the excuses are:

1) I don't own a digital camera, thus have no materials to post in Friendster. Something I notice everyone on it likes to do. "Look at me, I'm R&D"........have no idea where that came from, but who cares? Besides, putting photos of me online is dumb. The world's got enough eyesores to have me add to it...

2) I have no friends...Hmm, to some extent that's true, but then again it varies with definition. Some people have millions of friends (check out their Friendster links, and you'd agree), but wonder how many would visit him/her when they end up warded? Others have no 'friends', yet when in need, find their whole world chipping in. Oh, note difference in their whole world and the whole world....

3) I'm too shy to use it as a tool to meet new people......Ok, this may not be so much of an excuse....haha..

The reason why I quit Friendster is because I joined for a purpose, and that purpose no longer applies. As a result, staying connected that way no longer serves me any good, but in fact, does me a whole lot of bad....

Sorry, if those who saw the heading was hoping for something more positive...It still is to me...

Nothing to write...

So will just blabber a few lines and count it an entry. For those expecting a proper update on my life, sorry...

Recently I have come to realised that I have found little interest in songs today. Back 12 months, I would generally chose a song every 2-3 months to learn up (the lyrics only, btw) as an effort to increase my repertoire. However, since Evanescence (and even this is an album like 3-4 years ago), I have found little that interest me. And this despite me going to work in a car nigh daily, having the radio on for 45-50 minutes each day...Sad, isn't it?

Erm, looks like I'm running out of ideas...(better check what i've already written...)
Sob...I have nothing to wirte about..

I'm bored!!!

A little Ego Boost...

2 comments, another via email.....

It's nice to know I'm not the only person reading my own blog...Yes, I know, it's sad to say that i ma my own reader...I actually quite enjoy reading my own blog, mostly because of the memories I associate with the entries. And yes, I do have a lot of memories & emotions associated with my blog entries.

So for those of you who are reading, do feel free to comment. I may not respond to them accordingly, though maybe I should, but it's nice to know someone out there reads my silly rants. Sometimes not so silly, but most of the time, truly silly.

Back to work.

Weekend Wedding

Most recently I have been troubled by my biological clock. However, since the beginning of the week, I have ceased to have these crazy thoughts and well, safe to say I'm temporarily cured. Whoever that said that men don't have their, ahem, monthly cycles lied. We just don't have them in such a scientifically reseached manner.

I was at a Malay wedding last weekend; Actually took the trouble to drive 3 hours/300KM just to be at a dinner reception that lasted 2 hours.. The main attraction was the supposed appearance of the crown prince of Pahang (that's a state in Malaysia) as well as the Sultan himself. Guess what? They both no show....Sad. The highest ranking person was the second son of the Sultan of Pahang.

The wedding took place in a hall, with a capacity of about 1000 persons. While the decorations were truly remarkable, candles, gold, silk, etc...The food was......common. Unlike the standard Chinese weddings, the food was displayed on each table wrapped in plastic so that people don't eat until the time is right (which is about 9.45pm???) And since there's only so much space in a table of eight, you can imagine how much food and variety is available. For those who are imagination challenged (can't seem to get this right), we had 1 chicken, 1 beef, 1 Acar (preserved vege), 1 vegetarian curry and desert. That's it. Thank god I didn't go all this way for the food.

The only consolation would be that being in Kuantan, I had the opportunity to buy really nice salted fish for my mom, and somewhat fitting for a Mother's Day present?? (Yes, call me El' Cheapo)...

Pissed with...

myself..

Been feeling rather bad about myself as I am seeing many others in my company, less senior than me, overtaking me in the corporate ladder. Pissed because I am progressing slowly, more pissed that I am pissed.

OK, not making much sense, I know, but I've always accepted that I am not up to this corporate ladder clombing. Don't like the politics, don't like the lies. (nothing against the money though, haha!) So I have been through this myself, over and over again, how I am not ready for this progression, at least in a people leader function. So I shouldn't feel bad that others have progressed ahead of me because of this. I shouldn't.

But I am. And that pisses me off. If anyone who ever knows me were to tell me I need help, I agree. But shrinks are just to expensive for me. So maybe one day my alternate personalities will finally manifest, and take over....At least I can then blame myself for my own shortcomings (not that I'm not already doing so.).

Ah, feeling sorry for oneself...Such a nice thing to do....Back to work....

Age is catching up on me!!

I even asked some friends if they wanted to go Karaoke today. They didn't reply, though, so I'll be trudging back through some really nasty Friday traffic only to go home and eat, sleep, and play PC games....Did I mention I'm 28???

I tell you, eventually I might actually ask random people to movies!! Now, if ths was done by someone in their late teens or early twenties, it shows boldness and courage. At my age, it shows desperation!!!

Arrgggghhh.. Why am I writing this???

Ok, so it's becoming increasingly obvious that my biological clock is pushing my limits..I know i'll crack eventually, just hope that when I do, there's actually someone there that's worth it...

He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...He he...I'm going cuckoo...

About Conspiracy Theories...

For those who have read my Blog before, you'd know tht at some point I coined a conspiracy theory with reference to my workplace.

I'd like to say now that the conspiracy theory has failed to materialised, and that all components to the theory were accurate only until half way. Since then, I have moved jobs, some other guy has taken over my role, and the girl who's supposed to be the 'preferred' choice is now poised to join another team. No more powerpoints to run for you....

I'm glad I was wrong....Maybe not that glad, but still...I mean, of the 2 persons who were suppose to benefit from this 'theory' both are now still doing ok....So no harm really done...

So now it's time to move on to another conspiracy theory....Now, where's my black book?

Redang's over

And boy, was it BBBBOOOOOORRRIIINGGGG....

Ok, so there were girls in (not less than) bikinis...Beach was sandy white and crystal clear waters....

But the group I went with didn't have the...."factor" so I ended up sleeping early at night. I also forgot to bring a recorder, which would have entertained me for a couple of minutes....haha..

I also couldn't snorkel properly since my nose kept on getting water (even with the mask) and I still had problems with large body of water....

All it needed was that certain someone....Holy shite....My clocks screaming like hell and I'm still not in any position to provide.....

Lightning strike me down!!!!! Save me from my misery......



On lighter note, what's life without (false) hopes and (unachievable) dreams???

Tomorrow....

I shall travel to Redang...

While it is a company trip, I don't fancy myself enjoying too much. No, I have nothing against sandy beaches and lovely corals, but the sheer thought of spending such quality time with 'strangers' and not....

Hmm, maybe I should try to regurgitate my whole experience? I don't expect much to happen, as I'm sure I'll be bored stiff and end up all by myself (due to my un'happening' character)...

In any case, someone's B'day is today and I hope he scores....And I mean well, you punk..

Another person's B'day is tomorrow and I hope she has a good time after clearing her taxes...

In any case, your birthdays could not be worse than mine!!

Singapore, 5th March and beyond (should be conclusion)

Ok, ok, it's been 1 month already and I haven't finished this story...So let's move straight to where we left off.

So the tourney is over, and we decided to go for a little snack..So where do we go to snack?? Burger King of course!! I decided to go for the 3 burger for $10 Sing combo, while the other 3 shared the combo (yes, my snack cost me RM 25).... Then we proceeded to go to the hotel and slept...Guess a day of wrestling can be rather tiring....

Later I woke up about nine and we decided we should go do some snacking, and later the rest of the gang wanted to go cybercafe...Some of us seems to have important things to do online...like update Fantasy League teams!

So Sunday night was almost like nothing happened.....Wait, let's think for awhile.....Actually Loco went to meet up and hang out with friends, me & Dawn slept, and Azmin went cybercafe after we returned from the tournament...Then Loco returned and we started to return back borrowed items....And Dawn showed her promo card, the Atomic Powerbomb Suplexbuster Piledriver Bulldog DDT of Doom.......And me and Loco began a bidding/pleading war for Dawn to sell/give it to us...We didn't succeed, of course..Then we went mamak and after that....The next morning....

Woke up about 7am and everyone started packing up. We decided that we'd look for the closest bus stop and get a ride across the causeway and then get a ride from JB to KL...Unfortunately we left rather early on a Monday, and no shopping complex opened yet...Oh, Oh, (see, memory failing me), we actually wanted to take the MRT to the last stop that let's a get a bus across the causeway, but no one remembered which train it was and how to get there. So we stumbled to the nearest MRT station, Bugis, I think and was advised by the counter person to take a bus across instead. So here we have, 4 persons with heavy bags over our shoulder, being directed to the bus station behind the church around the corner...Piece of cake, right?

Wrong. We got back up (the station was underground) and lo and behold...what church? Just outside the entrance was a bus stop, so we thought this must be it. Only to find out that no buses really go across the causeway from here, and Azmin's 1st attempt to get directions was a failure as he ended up asking a (what i think is) Vietnamese....After further enquiries with other locals, we were finally shown the way and had to walk another 10 minutes before finding the church...Even then, we had to make another enquiry (what would we have done without Azmin asking random strangers) before realising the bus stop was behind the church....

Actually, I saw the bus stop behind the church, but who would believe me??? Ok, so we found the bus stop, got on a bus that crosses the causeway, corssed the causeway, had no problems with Immigration, and finally reached the JB bus station. After resisting bus operators hoping to get us to hop on the next bus out to KL, simply because we were hungry (haven't taken breakfast) and I still had stomach issues, we stopped by McDonalds. Once we have had our meals, and Azmin & Loco having another 'eye' experience, we got on the bus and head back to KL....

And there rest is now history....Sorry it took so long to complete this story, but I'm glad it's finally finished. I'll be back, Singapore, stronger than ever and I promised, next year, I'll make top 16. Else, I'll retire......




NOT!!!

Singapore, 5th March

OK, by the way, Liverpool has since scored 18 goals in about 4 matches....

It's now Sunday morning and as usual, someone else' handphone alarm went off (not mine), but I woke up first....So we freshened up, got ready and left the hotel by about 8.15am. The cool thing this time was that we booked for Sunday night as well, so no need to lug around our whole travel bag and stuff and look like nomads at the tournament (last year that was what happened). Breakfast was unfortunately not Burger King.....Since we were somewhat late (by my standards, anyway, we were there early), we had to go to the venue first, scout around and then decide to have breakfast near the venue.

Breakfast for everyone was similar to KL, Roti Chanai, Fried Meehon and Wantan Mee for myself. No pork though, damn. After a quick (like 15 minutes?) breakfast, we returned to the venue where I proceeded to find some trade opportunities. Dawn made some moves on some Adrian she met last year, though it's intentional here to mean something else, when it actually wasn't. Who am I not trying to confuse here??? Moving on..

Trading didn't go very well in the beginning, probably because everyone was tense over the looming round one...In any case, let's see if you notice anthing about my next seven matches...
Oh, in case you forgot, I'm playing Face Your Freakin' Hero

Round 1:

Edge (Superstar Value(SSV) 3)

Was actually quite confident I'd nick a win, simple because I didn't know any better. Prematches that included Fan's love an Underdog, and I'm an Underdog, sent my SSV sky high and Edge having a handsize good for Road to Victory(RtV). However, due to my lack (none) of practice, I played like a noob( amatuer) and let Edge smack me silly and call me.....I of course, lost....

0-1


Round - 2: Rob Van Dam (SSV 3)

This is actually a kid that Dawn had to rematch with, after (not sure who) they decided to play wrong opponents for round 1. Dawn won the match, got incorrectly paired down to play me, and thus her opponent met me instead (Swiss Round rules....Don't know about it? too bad, haha). Being a kid that he is, he wasn't very confident of his deck and thus by sheer maturity, I won. (yes, me the bully...)

1-1

Round 3: Big Freakin' Machine (SSV 3)

Yet another kid, but this one knew how to play the deck. The moment he dropped the Throwback (TB) Inferno Match, I knew I was doomed. Before we even started the match, I had lost about 20 cards to overturn..Safe to say, I killed myself this match.

1-2

Round 4: Shelton Benjamin (SSV 3)

Aha! My namesake, and a 'tou tai' (student) to my SuperStar....Unfortunately my lack of playtesting meant that I was yet again bashed to bits, and My Freakin' Hero was freaking out due to the number of losses that I have. At this point I was truly contemplating dropping...Wonder why I didn't...Oh, I had a trend, i wanted to know if it would continue...

Round 5: Chris Jericho (SSV 3)

This is by far my best matchup, simply because locally I have a "jericho" player who does nothing but say "Dis-card...a-card..." every turn. Knowing how this SuperStar worked, I manage to do the unthinkable....I Victory rolled this basta@^@^@^@@^!!!!!!!! fyi, this is what the local guy does to win..(you know who you are ,you pirate!).

2-3

Round 6: Junkyard Dog (SSV 3)

Who the hell is this??? His ability was that all his grapples are -7F...Which meant a lot of the big grapple manuevers can be thrown at me from the start. Couple that with him playing Hell in the Cell, I was doomed. I was actually trying to save myself, but my last ditch effort with Do You Live By the 3 I's to shuffle back 7 face/heel cards didn't save my ass and I lost in the end. ( I also cheated by shuffling It's True! It's True! which isn't a face/heel card for me....)

2-4

Round 7: John Cena (SSV 3)

See the trend? I did.. This John Cena player probably played this guy for fun, because he idolises Cena, or he doesn't have any deck and was given Cena to play with. Cena is actually very week in the meta game, and therefore even without my playtesting, Cena lost....A clear indication he was just as ill prepared as I was...He didn't dicard my backlash card at all, and he had about 15 fortitude....

3-4

And so goes the ex- 6-1 performer to a meager 3-4 result. I should be ashamed of myself...Actually I am....NOT!! (lie)

So what did Benjamin Lam learn from this fruitless venture to Singapore?

1) Who needs a backstage signature when all your opponents were SSV 3? Reduce their SSV so that they could Underrated SuperStar???? I tell you, SSV 3 SuperStar rocks now!

2) Don't go to a tournament unprepared, thinking that theory is suffice. My indecision cost me lots of games, if not all, and my lack of playtest as well.

3) Have burget King for breakfast, lunch and Dinner, no matter what your other travelling mates say...Else, what else have you got good to remember by??

Oh, I also failed to mention we did end up having Burger King for lunch.. While they shared a set for 3, I had my own set...But that's not the main story....

Oh, time to go home, last part coming next!!

Singapore - 2006 Quick Note

(Writing this has been harder than I thought this year. With the slowing down of blogging amongst people I know, as well as my own laziness, coupled with my stresses at work and home, this is going to take me quite a while to finish..But I will finish it, albeit very slowly.....And with loads of memory losses)

Singapore, 4th March 2006 (part II)

So where was I?

Oh, we discovered that we were about 300 lots away from our hotel on the same street. With the luggage that we have, the 300 lots weren't as appealing as you'd think. But our need to settle down (as in check in, not anything else, mind you) as well as my need to, ahem, clear certain parts of my body, was good enough motivation that we proceeded to the hotel asap...Oh, asap differs especially when you have people who don't walk fast (you know who I mean, haha).

Upon reaching the entrance to the hotel (fyi, it's a budget hotel, so no fancy lobby to s(h)it and wait...Me and Azmin went up to the reception on 2nd floor to check in..(read this) As we checked in, the receptionist/front desk/owner (probably) asked if it was just 2 persons....And Azmin said yes!!Then we got a room that just outside the reception!! Once we moved into the room, we had to decide quickly how we were going to get Loco & Dawn in as there was no way would could sneak them into our room. It didn't take too long for Azmin to 'bear it all' with the hotel and bring in the rest, while I decided to clear my bowels. (!)

After I finished taking care of myself, I found it worrying that they were still not inside the room. My guesses include:
1) They came in, and went out to chill;
2) The hotel said no to having 4 persons in the room and forces them to check in in another room, thus Azmin is with them;
3) The hotel has no other rooms and wants them elsewhere;
4) The hotel isn't happy we (Azmin, I'm so crucifying you on this one, haha!) lied, and thus god knows what else would have happened'
5) They're still negotiating the deal.
So I decided to go out to look for them, only to discover them all seated in front of the room and the reception. It seems that the hotel does not have extra keys, and the one I have in the room (needed to turn the power on) was the only key that can unlock our room door. So they had waited all this while (I was happily freshining myself, haha) and they were obviously unhappy. It didn't help that I could see no wrong in what I've (not) done, I mean, I really didn't know. But an apology would have made things easier. And you guessed it right, I didn't apologise.

So while Dawn proceeds to freshen herself, the guys (3 Liverpool fans, btw), decided to do some deck practice. At the same time, the trip got it's eventual name, 2 liverpool fans, 1 random girl and a dumba$$ in the toilet came from....that's not relevant. It did, ofcourse, made me feel bad (I actually reacted like a very mean kid, haha)...Fortunately, the other 2 liverpool fans were more adult than myself and the whole situation was 'resolved' peacefully. It wasn't fully resolved, but an understanding was achieved to allow us to proceed with the trip without too much bad blood.

Oh, I should mention, I haven't decided on which deck to play yet. I brought GoldBerg & Chris Benoit, as well as borrowed (insert serial caller)'s Your Freakin' Hero...but still continued to question myself who to play. Everyone's advise to play the deck I'm most comfortable with didn't seem to sink in, and I continued on my streak of insanity by even building yet another deck, RVD, and playtested it that night. It didn't work, of course (and thank god, you'll find out too tomorrow) so try and guess who I played the next day?? (Those who already know need not answer aloud).

In the end, after several games (which actually isn't enough), I decided the inevitable......I shal play Your Freakin' Hero!!! And then I proceeded to go to sleep, got to wake up early tomorrow, you see.

Sidenote: The was EPL that night, and as usual I decided against watching the Liverpool match. They didn't lose, but they didn't score either....And they haven't won since....boo hoo..

Saturday, 4th March 2006

It's 6.10 am. I'm actually quite awake, but sometimes getting out of bed isn't as easy as it seems. So after a couple of snoozes (of my alarm) I finally woke up to get reasy for the trip to Singapore. Then some bloke (you know who you are) decided to call me while I was brushing my teeth! At least it's good to know the rest have woken up too, but getting a call at 6.45am when you have already awaken isn't very nice. However, when you are asleep.......

Got a ride from my sister all the way to Puduraya. Meeting time was supposed to be 8.00am, however I arrived at 7.30am instead (This is not the only time where I do a reverse of the Malaysian timing culture). Called the others to ascertain their location and ETA and then proceeded to find a Mamak restaurant to have some tea. I wasn't feeling so well in the tummy, so couldn't bring upon myself to look for a moeny changer or get the tickets for our rides down to Singapore. About half an hour later, Azmin called to find out where I was, only to pass by the Mamak and not know I was there because they thought I was inside Puduraya...

Oh, maybe it's time to introduce my travelling party....There's me, well, you should have known that by now...There's Azmin, who also went to Singapore last year for the same event. There's Dawn, who for the second consecutive year, is the only female player in the tournament, and lastly there's Loco, the 'new arrival' who isn't that 'new' really because he's actually older than all of us... So this was the trip of 2 Liverpool Fans, 1 Random Girl and a DumbA$$ in the Toilet (Did I get this right? Something like that lah, ok?) I'll explain the dumba$$ later...

Funny number 1: All 3 'veterans' forgot about getting Singapore currency, and as it was way too early, the money changer isn't open. While the turn of events made it possible for us to change Sing dollars before we boarded our bus, the truth is, we would have gotten better rates had we have changed in Singapore instead.

By the way, we managed to secure bus tickets for a Bus to leave at 9.00am, only to have the 'traffic' situation in Puduraya make us wait until 10.00am before the bus went on it's way. Thus we managed to get some Sing dollars, as the local money changer opened at 9.00am.

Funny 2: As I mentioned, I had some issues with my digestive system, and took the delay as a chance to 'relieve' myself. However, i took longer than the gang expected, so they sent Azmin to go search for me. After I was done, I noticed 4 missed calls (god knows why I didn't hear them in the first place) and an sms "dude, where are you?". I rushed to the platform only to find Azmin is still looking for me...Luckily we all managed to get on the bus together (obviously helped by the late, late bus).

The bus stopped somewhere in Batu Pahat, I think, for a break. We alighted for lunch, and then Azmin and Loco made a startling discovery...It seems that a certain cashier was demanding a lot of their attention, and they made very little effort to hide it. They also brought to my attention that one of the passenger was somewhat, tomboyish. Unfortunately, me in my unwell state (still having stomach issues) it took Dawn quite a number of sentences before I got what they were saying. Back to the cashier, Azmin made a second trip for tissue, while Loco was admiring the scenery very much. We only had 1/2 an hour, though, so time to get back on the bus.

Nothing much else happen, we passed through Malaysian Border, then Singapore Border, with little fuss. Loco was made a pass on by the Singaporean Immigression officer, but other than that, nothing we didn't expect.

Conversation 1:
"So Azmin, do you know where our Hotel is?"
"It's on Beach Road."
"And how do we get there?"
"I don't know."
"So you have the map with you?"
"No."
"You have their number?"
"Yes. And the address too."

(Please note that having the number isn't reall helpful as all of us are on prepaid mobile phones, and calling/receiving calls cost a bomb!)

In the meantime, we were also having this serial caller calling each of us, one after another, almost every other hour..(You know who you are)..Will talk about that person later...

The bus drove into Beach Road (road signs help, I tell you!) and we asked to be allowed to board off. However, the driver explained that Singaporeans are very strict towards where busses may offload their passengers, so we only manage to get off (ahem) another block away. Taking all our stuff, we had to walk about 150-200 metres before reaching the junction of Beach Road.

Conversation 2:
"What's the address again?"
"97 Beach Road"
!!

The lot number of the first building on Beach Road that we saw was 397!! Long, long walk ahead....


(to be continued...)

Singapore 2006!

It's that time of the year again where I make my way to Singapore for a Raw Deal Tournament. For those who have actually followed this site, you'd recall my 'amazing' adventure last year.....Ok, maybe not that amazing, but who knows??? So I'll make a pre-empt move today and talk about it before it even happens!

Singapore Raw Deal Qualifiers 2006 - Prologue

I've actually been deck testing for a 2 weeks (only) and have not yet settled on a deck. This time the travelling party is much smaller, with only myself, Azmin & Dawn from previous trip and Loco who's the newbie....I mean, new to this travel to the next country and bash up singaporeans in a tournament.....Wait, I think he's done those too, just with a different card game...Oh, whatever....

So the past four days have had me going to AmCorp Mall every night, trying to get back in the groove of playing wrestling....You see, I've been somewhat sidetracked for a couple of months with other, erm, 'priorities' not amounting to future planning. In fact, nowhere close..Oh what the hell, I've been Anachronism-ing, playing Space Rangers and Football Manager 2006 on PC. Therefore my wrestling skills have somewhat, dwindled?

So, back to wrestling, as I mentioned, I can't decide on what deck to play. So I'm currently deciding between Chris Benoit, GOLDBerg or Your Freakin' Hero ( those with no WWE interest would have no inkling what I'm talking about). I haven't even built the Benoit deck yet, and am relying on another player, who, unfortunately can't go, to supply the Freakin' Hero deck. Oh well, what should I do???

Tonight I have to build a Babe of the Year deck for Dawn, pack my luggage, pack the stuff I need to bring to Singapore, and hope that I wake up on time tomorrow.....Did I mentioned I offered to be an alarm clock for Azmin??? I wonder if I'll oversleep and miss the whole thing.....Actually, that's not too bad an idea....

Wait.....MY CREDIT CARD WAS USED TO BOOK THE HOTEL!!!!!! I can't not go!!!!!

And the conspiracy continues.....

Remember I posted last year on a conspiracy, where certain events were happening to allow someone to move into my position??? ( I hope I didn't move that entry, haha...better go check later) Well, it's been awhile and Part 3 didn't happen. So I decided to do my little bit and give it some push by vacating myself....psst...Don't tell anyone in my office, it's not official yet...

So since then the ball is rolling again, and Part 3 (Creation) will commence pretty soon. Once that happens, I am confident Part 4 (Reconciliation) will take place and I will be free!!!!!!!!(?????????)

Planning for a trip down to Singapore next week, yet another Raw Deal qualifiers....Might just go crazy and post it like last year....Let's hope my poor spirits don't stop me from writing another story for your enjoyment!!

How are you??

I hate that question. Really. Because everytime someone ask me that I have to lie. Either that, or I'll end up deliberating what should my answer be, and eventually still lie.

I'm Fine. Excellent. Ok. Great.

My best honest opinion is " I'm still alive". Yet when people hear that they think that I'm being difficult, or that I'm being sarcastic. Why can't they see that it's the only non-lie non-damaging answer that I have?

I can't tell them I'm not getting any, can I? I can't tell them I'm broke? Or that I'm having a pain in the neck and wished I was at home. I can't say that I would've been better until I saw their face, no?

So that I believe is the question I hate most. If you read this, and you meet me sometime in future, just say hi. I'd like that much more.

No post for so long....why???

I've noticed that I have had nothing much to write about myself ever since I've decided not to write about my feelings. I have been writing about them, just that their in another blog (those who know me well would be able to find that blog...).

So, as it turns out, my thoughts now are very much inclined to emotions, so I continue to have nothing to write here..

So Updates it will be then:

Have resumed playing Anachronism CCG, though my sucky dice rolls have cost me way too many games. Hopefully I'd be able to improve my luck in the future.

Have decided that by February, in my living conditions don't change, I will change it personally...(wonder if this is an update, after all).

Uh, too tired to do much more considering it's 7.42pm and I'm still at work..

Boring, boring, me....

Extended nothings.....

couldn't think of how to tilte this post, therefore I chose to word what I would say to explain my lack of updates.

1) New Year came and gone. Went to a colleague's house on New Year's eve, spent the whole time watching fooball instead while the other people played blackjack. Nothing much else happened...since there were only single men, the women all came as partners...

2) Played 2 hours of futsal yesterday. Had a cracking good time, scored 3 goals and did quite a number of dribbles. I guess I can do some random burst of speed, however my shot power and accuracy is way, way, off. Still, in company of game lovers and not game players, I guess I fare quite well. Hope to do this more often so that I can play better in the upcoming competition in my company.

3) Mood is extremely low these days. Made some impulse purchase of card games just to sate my poor emotions. Hate that phrase, "that won't keep me warm at night". What's wrong with just a good, heavy, blanket!!??? (depression obviously looming).

4) Actually had my first.....wait, can't say this yet...Give me a few months, and one of my "to do" list items should be completed.

5) You know what, I think my heart likes to be in pain. No amount of trying by my brain to get it out of situations seems help. I forsee a hear attack in like, say, 5 years, tops? Not often you find a person foreseeing it's own demise, eh? Wait, it's just a heart attack, not a life ending one!!

6) I can't take my workload anymore. I use to have a breather everytime my boss goes on extended leave, however with 2 bosses, I'm never getting that breather. I need a new job, and fast!

I don't expect to be able to update much for the next couple of weeks. Will have a lot of personal and external demons to fend off.....May I survive a better man.