Going Off

Had a big meeting this morning, Q1 performance review. Not to forgotten, days of preparing for the day, last-minute changes to the presentation and logistics. And it all went through well without major hiccups and a big sigh of relief from anyone of us to sum it all.

Really looking forward for the long break beginning from tomorrow with the new King's installation. Take 2 days off from your annual leave will grant you a much needed and deserved 7-day long break.

...and Jakarta, here I come!

I'll be meeting my long lost friend - not really lost lah, we still keep in touch via sms, calls and lebaran greeting cards, but last week he wrote his first email to me and that was after 9 years since we last met in Eugene, Oregon.

I sensed that we'll have lots to catch up and told him not to reserve any hotel for me as we don't really need hotels as we'll be talking all nights, reminiscing the good old days. Anyway, I haven't put much thoughts on this trip, but he's the one who does all the arrangement from what time to catch train to Bandung to what type of room we will be checking in to. Thanks, bro!

This trip will take me to Jakarta, Bandung and Cilacap/Purwokerto. Many have heard about Jakarta and Bandung but not many have heard about Cilacap and Purwokerto. Both, located in Central-South Java, are small town where everyone practically knows each other.

Cilacap, 8 hours by train from Jakarta, is a fishing village/town while Purwokerto, I think, is a smaller-version of Jogja where everyone is pretty much laidback and near the foot of Gunung Selamat volcano. Don't know much about these two places. Wait until I come back, if ever. :-)

The fun starts tonight with another midnight movie show, Tornado, followed by live Champions League match between Liverpool and Chelsea and a 'banana leaf lunch' tomorrow with a friend and the rest of the day packing for the trip.

However, while I start to feel the excitement, I'd rather not to be too happy and will just wait until my flight takes off to Jakarta. Who knows anything could happen, especially after reading my horoscope today...

Jangan Pandang Belakang

Last Friday, I decided to watch midnight movie again. And, it's the second Malay movie I've watched this year (in cinema), more than the last five years combined.

But, unlike other time, I've to call my friends first before deciding to watch the movie. Not because I'm already tired or bored watching movies alone but because, I just damn scared to drive alone, especially after the movie ends - at around 1.30am.

Well, a big applause for Metrowealth and Ahmad Idham for coming out with this genre of movie. Jangan Pandang Belakang - it wasn't really scary but could give you goosebumps during certain scenes. But, I couldn't really concentrate or 'put myself into the movie' as the audience were noisy most of the times, busy commenting and giving their predictions to the ending of the story and just uttering negative words on some not-so-scary parts. Which I found it so damn FUCKING with the audience.

That's one reason, maybe, I don't like watching Malay movie in cinema. Too much unofficial, unprofessional and uncertified critics in the cinema. You can critic but do it outside, after watching the entire movie, STUPID! Read this again, STUPID!

Oppss.. back to the applause paragraph. Kudos to the producers and director!

I never like Yusof Haslam as he being a leading director/producer and who could and was in the position to enrich the local movie industry, just being profit-minded by coming out with typical love-story movies or police-action movies, one after another. For those who admire him, so sorry for saying that I think he's a coward, self-centered and selfish director who never want to try doing something different.

Where's Your Wheelchair?

There are several spots reserved for handicapped people at my office parking. And I've never seen any of these spots vacant. Interestingly, everyday it's different cars occupying these spots, although I've seen one car occupy one of those spots 3 out of 5 working days. Conclusion: There are lots of handicapped staff working in my company.

So this morning, I got a spot in adjacent to the one reserved for handicapped. And I saw a sweet lady driving a red SUV drove her car into the parking spot. How sweet and beautiful for a handicapped lady, I was saying to myself. So, I waited to see which part of her body has dissapeared or eaten by a crocodile? Then, she came out from the car and.. there's no wheelchair, no crutches and she was walking like you and I walk. And she was smiling to herself, maybe because she got a spot close to the elevator or maybe it's just her dream to park in a reserved-for-handicapped spot and dream fulfilled today!

Being nasty on Friday, when everyone's tagline should be TGIF, I determined to spoil her day. Why not?! She could be smiling all the way to the office when a handicapped staff would be crying!! So, I walked besides her and said, "I thought that spot is for handicapped?!" She smiled at me and said, "Well, there's not many handicapped staff who work here, right?" I stared at her and said, "STUPID!" and walked away. I just don't want to walk side by side with a pretty woman or bitch with ass on her head and breasts on her knees. And it was still early with lots of parking space available.

Anyway, put that aside, read this excerpt from a real-life experience of a friend who work in Sweden...
The first time I was in Sweden, one of my colleagues picked me up at the hotel every morning. It was September, bit cold and snowy. We would arrive early at the company and he would park far away from the entrance (2000 employees drive their car to work).

The first day, I didn't say anything, either the second or third. One morning I asked, "Do you have a fixed parking space? I've noticed we park far from the entrance even when there are no other cars in the lot." To which he replied, "Since we're here early we'll have time to walk, and whoever gets in late will be late and need a place closer to the door. Don't you think?"

What would you say?

Dreamless Nights

Since I got my iPod video my nights or sleeps have never been the same again. Earlier, I would sleep until morning with songs playing into my ears. (did I tell you that it will take 7 days to complete a cycle of my collection of songs on my iPod?!) :-) But now, I've been experiencing intermittent sleep at nights... it's like 30 minutes to 1 1/2 hour sleep then awake by 15-30 minutes, then sleep again then awake again then sleep again then awake again until I'm fully awake to go to work.

Reason why? I just found this cooooooooooooooooooool blog which allows you to download movies including those haven't been released in cinemas. But, the tricky part is you have to download from Rapidshare and as a non-paying user, you can only download 1 file at a time. One movie usually is broken into 7-8 parts (due to the maximum of 100Mb upload in Rapidshare).

And, depending on traffic, time of downloading and connection speed, one part could take between 40 minutes to 3 hours to download. And, I can only do this between earliest on 7.30 pm to 7.15 am on weekdays. So, when one part of downloading is done, you have to get the second part and key in the pass key and where to save before it starts to download. No automation of process here!

So, it'd take me 2-3 weekdays to download a movie and I've so much to catch up with what the blog offers. Until I've done my catching ups, I'd be sleeping this way and my notebook by my side.

Guess what, I've watched Wild Hogs and TMNT before everyone seen it in cinemas! That's one reason why now I don't drive to go back to my hometown... more time to watch movies on my iPod.

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The link to this site is on my "Bloggers - Endless List" roll. And remember this... RESET YOUR MODEM. It'll save you lots of time and days of downloading! Why?! Go figure!

Fear on Magazine Subscription

While I was in college in US, subscribing to magazines or publications was normal. My favorite magazine, GQ, even arrived in my mailbox before anyone could find it on the shelves. Besides, you get some discounts off the published price, free gifts and avoiding the trouble to look around town for special edition like the end-of-year Sports Illustrated, etc. Not to forget, if you subscribe to Playboy, Penthouse or other magazines alike, they'll mail the magazine in black plastic wrapper, which people can't see what magazine is inside, than having to keep yourself being stared on (or feel like putting the hood on) when paying for it at the 7-Eleven cashier.

Here in this BOLEH land, I always wanted to subscribe to some magazines but I'm always worry of things to happen. The worry of the magaziine not reaching my mailbox, someone steal the magazine from my mailbox, the magazine received not in good condition, or I received it late when anyone else finished reading it, etc etc. The worry was still with me when I decided to subscribe to 'Off the Edge' - the arts & culture magazine for the businessperson. It's a light reading material on lifestyle with article contributors include the likes of Hishamuddin Rais, Khoo Kay Kim, Patrick Teoh, Kam Raslan, etc.

And my fearmost worries... is when my worries came true, right from the beginning of my subscription process.

1) I faxed the reply card with details of my credit card. I even enlarged the size to make the small writing clearer. Not long after, I received a call asking me to re-fax as it was dark. What do you expect if the color of the reply card is grey, genius? They even refused when I wanted to spell out my name and address or read out my credit card number and insisted me to re-fax, or mail it instead which I didn't bother doing it.

2) They call me again three days later, asking me to read out my credit card number. At last, BOLEH pun?! They said, if the transaction is successful, I will receive my first edition in the second week of March. (this happened in middle of February)

3) My credit card was charged three days after the call. Very BOLEH when comes to collecting payment!

4) Until the third week of March, I still haven't received my magazine and I don't want to buy from the shelf because I may ended up having two copies of the same magazine. And my credit card has been charged.

5) I called the subscription desk on the start of 4th week of March. After being passed on by three people, I managed to talk to the person in charge. I managed to keep myself calm (which seldomly happened!) and I asked her whether this is normal, which obviously she said no.

6) I was even asked to re-confirm my address. She even suggested that my mailbox is too small for the magazine? I told her, I receive my Astro magazine every month, and even if the mailbox is small, the postman would leave it with the security. She even suggested that my mailbox is not locked. BULLSH*T <-- Malaysia BOLEH blah!

7) Finally (at LAST BOLEH pun), she said she will send another copy to my adddress.

8) And now when March has gone and when everyone who reads the magazine already or almost finished reading the April edition, I just received my March edition and have not even started reading it since I want to blog this entry first.

What a PISSed off experience and a Malaysia BOLEH blah syndrome!

Movie Weekend

Took Friday off from work, for nothing. Well, at least I did something which I haven't done for years, watching midnight movie show. I couldn't really remember when was the last time but I could well remember back in 1993 when a bunch of us sneaked out from school to watch a midnight show but couldn't remember what movie was that since the thrill is more on the sneaking out part than the movie itself.

So, I catched '300' on Thursday midnight. It was cool going for midnight show on weekday, as not many people are around. The movie sucks big time! An easy fighting/battle plot, like other battle movies, but unlike Braveheart! And I just couldn't understand how could 300 muscular semi-naked Greek warriors in speedos win every battle even against the deadliest beast, even elephants they brought from India and millions of Persian army. Nothing to shout about the movie. Again, it's the thrill (of going out for midnight show) than the movie itself.

And on Friday, after getting my car equipped with audio system that's compatible to my new love (my iPod), went for a local treat. Curse me as everyone else had watched this movie, some for more than once, and it's my first time. So, Mukhsin was a much better movie than '300'. Winner at the Berlin International Film Festival, the movie is the prequel to Sepet, Gubra and Rabun. I didn't know this until I read movie reviews the next day. Like both the lead actor/actress, really touching.

Somehow, I left the cinema with lots of questions. Hope someone or anyone could help me to answer them:

1) What happened to Mukhsin's mother? Why she committed suicide?

2) Why Mukhsin's mother don't want to talk to his brother (can't remember the name)?

3) What was written by Mukhsin on the tail of the kite he gave to Orked?

4) Remember the scene when the sofa set in Orked's house was repossessed? The scene not long after that showed the sofa set is back into the house and at the end of the movie, the family were getting a new sofa set?

5) After Orked found out that Mukhsin has left, she climbed up a tree and saw a taxi passing by with Mukhsin inside it. Why didn't she screamed for Mukhsin or is it just imaginary?

Or there'll be another prequel or a sequel to answer these questions? :-O But it's still a good movie.

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Now, I'm going to get myself a kite and play it while camping on the beach in Port Dickson.