Guess The Songs #3

Pools of sorrow, waves of joy are drifting through my open mind, possessing and caressing me

Jai guru deva om...... nothing's gonna change my world

Let them all pass their dirty remarks..... there is one question I'd really love to ask.... is there a place for a hopeless sinner, who has hurt all mankind just to save his own beliefs?

Getting angry doesn't solve anything

Relax, take it easy..... blame it on me or blame it on you

It's as if I'm scared, it's as if I'm terrified. Are you scared? Are we playing with fire? Relax.....

Just gonna stand there and watch me burn, but that's alright because I like the way it hurts....

Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you when you think everything's ok and everything's going right....

Well I hope I never have to see that day, but by God I know it's headed our way, so we better be happy now cos the boy's gone home....


I will never wish bad things, but I don't wish you well.....

You know I'm not gonna diss you on the internet, cos my momma taught me better than that.

Humphry, we're leaving! Kaching!

Year End Note 2010

Well, here we go again.... Christmas is just around the corner again, which means that this blog is celebrating it's 2nd birthday!! Happy birthday, blog! May you always be filled with updates and ramblings, may you always be true to yourself and don't let anyone or anything prevent you from expressing yourself in writing. 

So, in case anyone wondering where I have been for the past few weeks..... we'll get to that in a minute. But first, as it is tradition, I would like to start with a recap of what I have done / accomplish this year. 

If I were to compress everything that happened in 2010 in one word, I would have to say it's a year of "EVENTS". Lots of things happened..... major decisions were made, and let's hope it's all for the better.

Let's do this feng shui style.....

Friendship

The year started off very good with not just one, but 3 very special events. Three couples from my group of friends got married....  two couples in January 2010 (same day!), and the other in March 2010. Congratulations again, Mr. and Mrs. Hendra, Mr. and Mrs. Ngamino, and also Mr. and Mrs. Chaidir :)

 

 

 

Following up to that, now we are expecting the arrival of mini Panda in May next year =D

Also, congratulations again to Mr. and Mrs. Pratikno, who got hitched in September 2010.

However, as hurtful as it is, not all things are going good in the friendship aspect. BIG DRAMA ensues in the middle of the year, and even though I have tried everything I can trying to salvage whatever's left, I guess things will never be the same again. It takes two to tango, and it's out of my hands now..... well, que sera sera, c'est la vie......

Work

Everything is going GREAT at work this year. I got a new boss early this year, and he might just be the perfect boss. Well, nobody's perfect, but he's a good mentor, a joy to work with, and best of all, he cares for me. I finally get what I deserve, after 3 years of being severely underpaid and nobody gave a damn about it. 

Also, the travel budget freeze is finally over! The crazy travels started at the later half of the year, starting with Seoul in September, USA (Columbus) in November, and ended off with Vietnam in December. 

The Vietnam trip is the one that is really an eye-opener for me. It started last Wednesday 4pm. (I have just got back from my US trip on the Sunday before that). 

I was in a meeting, and suddenly my boss called me outside the meeting room.

Boss (B) : "Do you need visa to go to Vietnam?"

Me (M) : "No"

B : "Can you go tomorrow morning?"

M : "........ Huh?"

B : "Yeah there's a new operations there that need help with reporting. The customer request this to be done by Saturday. Can you help?"

M : "...... Errr..... OK"

Then it's a mad rush to arrange all the tickets, hotels, contacts etc etc. Later that night, I got an email from my Vietnam colleague saying "Welcome to HELLLLL"...... and that's when the nightmare begins. I really shouldn't be saying a lot about work here, but all I can say is I worked my a** off when I was there.... average of 13 hours a day for 8 straight days. 

But, as I said, it's a very interesting experience for me. Suddenly I feel that what I do every day is very insignificant compared to this.....

Home

At the home front, as you know, it's the end of an era. The 2 year lease at Stirling expired, and we decided not to continue. Also, I have put the downpayment for my new home, but since it's only gonna be ready mid next year, in the meantime I am staying with another group of friends. 

In other news..... I sold my car earlier this year, after realizing that it's not worth the $$ that I have to fork out every month for parking, maintenance, petrol etc etc. 

Love

Nothing much going on in this department, as usual. How the hell did you guys find time to do this? Sometimes, when I'm busy at work, I don't even have time to pee :P

Life

This year is also supposed to be a major milestone for me, as I celebrated my 30th birthday. Well, to tell you the truth, I don't really feel anything different. Life goes on as per normal..... I try to be wiser and smarter everyday, but I don't feel any older :)

But it doesn't mean that I didn't have a special celebration. This year, I kinda go a little bit over the top..... starting with getting myself a little birthday present all the way from Barcelona....

Also, I celebrated with an awesome trip to Phuket...... and when I think about it, actually it was the only real holiday that I had this year.... the other trips were business mixed with a bit of pleasure :P

OK folks.... that's it for 2010. It has been a bumpy ride, but hey, life's not always perfect. Here's to a better 2011 in all aspects of life! :)

Happy Holidays!

Movie Review : Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, Part One

Let me start first with the storyline, just for the sake of all of you who are too lazy to read the books. I will not go into details, just the big picture. Continuing from the last book, now Dumbledore is dead and the whole world (magical and muggles alike) is in chaos, with Voldemort getting stronger every day and his army of death eaters growing by the numbers. Just before he died, Dumbledore asked the trio (Harry, Hermione, and Ron) to find the remaining horcruxes (things magically enchanted to contains part of Voldemort's soul) and destroy them so that V-man can be destroyed once and for all. So they go on a journey with very little clue of where to go or what to do. Most of the time they are just moving from forest to forest and try not to get caught by the bad guys. At the end of the movie, they managed to destroy one horcrux, but still have another 4 to find and destroy.

At one point of time, they discovered the legend of the Deathly Hallows, which turns out to be the 3 most powerful items in the magical world. Legend says that the person who have these 3 items will be master of Death itself. The first item is the most powerful wand, named the Elder Wand. The second item is a stone that can bring the dead back to this world. It is called the Resurrection Stone, and the whereabouts of it is still unknown up to this point of time. The third item is the Invisibility Cloak, which makes the owner, um... invisible (d'oh!!). Harry actually already owns this item since the beginning without even knowing it.

V-man, pissed because his own wand seems to always be on the losing end against Harry's wand, go on a quest to find the Elder Wand. After some torturing and investigation, he found out that it is actually Dumbledore's wand. So he go and open up D-man's coffin and took the wand for himself. And that's the end of the first movie.....

Now on to the movie review. Having read all the books (some of them even more than one time) and watch all the previous 6 movies, I don't really have a high expectation for this movie. To me, the movies are a nice visual treat, but what I always get from the previous movies is that they always screw up the storyline and leave out many details that makes the books magical.

However, this time they actually managed to get it right. Well, there are still a few minor modifications, but it is still bearable and doesn't affect a lot to the main storyline.





OK I have to admit some details are best to be left in the books, like the joke that Fred (or is it George?) makes when he lost his left ear, and the other twin ask him how he feels. He actually said "Saintlike. I'm holey, get it?". I was smiling when I read that in the book, but in the movie theater, there was no response from the audience, because they just don't get it. Or perhaps it's just the bloody thick British accent that they had. 


By the way, doesn't the poster above reminds you more of James Bond rather than Harry Potter? It's nice to see Emma Watson blossomed into a beautiful woman, and Daniel Radcliffe becoming more and more like a serial killer mature. Sadly, the same can't be really said for Rupert Grint. Sorry, Ron, but you're just the same ugly boy as before, only with messier hair and even more contorted facial features.


Can't wait for the 2nd part, coming in July 2011! Hope they don't mess up the epic battle at Hogwarts. 


If you want to know more about the stories, well it's about time to get your fat ass out of that chair and pick up the book at your local bookstore. Or, buy an ebook reader and I can email you the epub version :)

Movie Review : R.E.D.

R.E.D is another action comedy movie that is loosely adapted from a comic book series. The main character is Frank Moses (played by Bruce Willis), a former CIA agent who is now retired and live a lonely life in the suburbia. The only companion he has is his pension agent, Sarah (played by Mary Louise Parker). They chat a lot over the phone, but they never met each other in person. One day, a team of hit squads comes to his house and tried to kill him. So, after he killed them, he protected Sarah by kidnapping her and forcing her to go with him to find his old mates (Morgan Freeman, John Malkovich, and Helen Mirren). Together they found out who is after them, boom boom boom, and in the end they get their revenge. 

In the movie, R.E.D stands for Retired and Extremely Dangerous. Well, perhaps they got the color wrong, because to me, it's more like B.L.U.E = Boring, Lame and Uninteresting Elderly (people). The fact that I can think of that abbreviation WHILE watching the movie says everything. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against old people, but I just don't think that they should star in action movies anymore. Another excellent example : The Expendables.

To me, Mary Louise Parker gave a good comical performance in this movie. Bruce Willis is also always great being a tough guy. However, the movie was brought down by boring, predictable plots, unbelievable action scenes (is it really THAT easy to break into the CIA office??), and the general slowness of the conversations. Helen Mirren was OK, but I'll take my Hit Girl over her character anytime, thank you very much. Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich was just cuckoo, and I never really liked them anyway.

So, my advice is to skip this movie and save your money to buy popcorn next week when watching Harry Potter :)

Movie Review : Megamind

Setelah sekian lama gak nonton bioskop (terakhir ya Eat Pray Love itu), akhirnya tadi sempet juga nonton Megamind. Tadinya sempet bingung mau nonton Due Date apa Megamind, tapi dari baca2 review sama kata temen2 sih bagusan Megamind. 

Ceritanya lumayan simple sih. Tokoh utamanya itu ya si Megamind itu, dengan kepala biru gedenya. Ceritanya dia tuh dari planet lain, trus pas masih baby planetnya mau hancur, trus bonyoknya kirim dia ke bumi. Nah dari planet sebelah juga ada baby yang nasibnya sama, namanya si Metroman. Mereka berdua sampe ke bumi, tapi si Metroman mendarat di rumah orang kaya, sedangkan si Megamind mendaratnya di penjara. Since dia bentuknya aneh, anak2 lain pada gak suka sama dia. Akhirnya dia jadi jahat deh. Dari kecil sampe gede mereka kerjaannya cuma berantem melulu, dan si Megamind gak pernah menang. Until one day...... akhirnya dia berhasil. Dan si Metroman mati. Well, that's just the first 10 minutes of the movie. Apa yang terjadi selanjutnya? Nonton sendiri ya..... :)


Menurut gua sih film ini masuk ke kategori biasa banget. Ya memang storylinenya lumayan original.... not your typical good guys vs bad guys. Pengisi suaranya juga beken2..... ada Will Ferrel, Tina Fey, dan bahkan Brad Pitt. Ada beberapa scene yang lucu juga. Tapi overall  tetep menurut gua sih gak ada greget2nya.... taon depan juga udah lupa deh ada film ini. 

Next stop : Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows, part 1! 

Christmas Wish List 2010

I went to town yesterday (October 27) and they have already started to put up Christmas lights on the streets. This morning Starbucks has also started to introduce their Christmas beverages and merchandises. So, in the spirit of things, I have decided to be kiasu as well and put up my wish list early this year, hang up my stocking, and hope that one of you stalkers readers out there is Santa a billionaire with a big heart, and make me a very happy man :)

1. iLife '11 and Snow Leopard bundle

You probably know by now that I am a Mac, not a PC. Well, I use PC at work, but for everything else, I have my iMac, iPad, and iPod. Last week Apple has just released their latest offering for 'fun' softwares, which includes upgrades to iPhoto, iMovie, and Garageband. Well, I don't really use Garageband, but I do use iPhoto and iMovie. It releases the inner movie director in me :P

Unfortunately, this version only works with the latest Mac OS, which is the Snow Leopard. So if I want to use this, I would have to buy the upgrade for Snow Leopard as well. Hmmm... evil, evil Apple! Now I have seen through your labirynth of upgrades! (but still hopelessly addicted to your products :P)

2. Playstation Move

Sony's answer to Nintendo Wii, this is one of the most anticipated gadget for gamers everywhere. Basically it allows you to control the game through body movements, thus giving parents one less reason NOT to let their kids play video games :P

Looking like a dildo flashlight with candy colored bulb at the end (it changes colors depending on the usage), I personally think it's a bit tacky, but hey, as long as it works fine.....

Currently there's not a lot of games available yet, and actually I don't have space to play.... yet, so I guess I can wait till next year to get this one.

3. Soulmate
Would be nice to have somebody who can cook, clean, do groceries and do household chores for me to love and to share my life with. As the song goes..... "a house is not a home when there's no one there to hold you tight, and no one there to kiss you goodnight..."

4. Bottega Veneta iPad case
Back to the material world, may I present to you the ultimate luxury in iPad casing. Many luxury brands have produced their own version (Louis Vuitton, Gucci, TODS, Chanel, Salvatore Ferragamo etc etc), but none looks as luxurious as this one. It is understated elegance at it's best.

Sadly, it does come with a hefty price tag of S$920. That's even more expensive than the iPad itself :P

So, anyone have any extra cash or girlfriend to spare, contact me and we can exchange Christmas gift this year (just let me rummage through my stuff first and see if I can find unopened gifts from last year so I don't have to buy anything )

Singapore Taxi Uncles

Lanjutan dari posting sebelumnya, topik kali ini adalah macam2 taxi uncles di Singapore. (memang ada juga sih yang auntie, tapi kayaknya 95% (or even more) supir taxi di sini cowok deh)

1. Talkative Uncle
Mayoritas taxi uncle masuk ke kategori ini sih. Biasanya dimulai dengan
     Uncle (U) : You're not local, ah? Where are you from?
     Me (M) : Indonesia
     U : Study here ah? 
     M : Working oredi..... (emang muka gua masih kayak anak kuliahan ya? senyam senyum sendiri)

Abis itu biasa ditanya udah berapa lama di sini, udah merit blom, bisa ngomong mandarin gak, kerja di mana, trus kalo dah tau kerja di multinational company, pasti ditanya gimana kerjanya enak gak dll dll. Pokoknya kalo dapet uncle tipe ini gak bosen deh di perjalanan, kecuali kalo emang lagi gak mood ngomong, capek juga jawabinnya.

2. Silent Uncle
Nah kalo tipe ini kebalikannya dari tipe sebelomnya. Pertama duduk kagak nanya tujuannya mau ke mana, trus kayak gak ada respons gitu dia tau tempatnya apa kagak. Kalo ditanya "Uncle, you know the place or not?", palingan cuma dijawab "Mmm". Mungkin si uncle lagi sariawan kali ye, males ngomong. Abis itu radio juga kagak dinyalain..... total silence. Pas sampe juga gak pake ngomong, cuma terima duit dan balikin doang.

3. Smelly Uncle

Not being racist, tapi biasanya ini kalo dapet unclenya yang dari Indihe atau Malay. Well, CinDar (cina daratan) juga sih. Anyway makanya penting deh selalu siap sedia anti bacterial lotion di tas =D

4. Radio Uncle
Paling enak kalo dapet uncle tipe ini. Perjalanan jadi gak berasa lama.... tau2 udah sampe hehe. Tapi kalo dapet yang radio classical music atau bollywood music sih pusing juga hahaha. Kadang2 ada juga uncle yang merangkap karaoke king...... ikutan nyanyi2, terutama kalo di radio pas lagi lagu jadoel (e.g : Elvis, Bee Gees).

5. Chinese Radio Uncle
Yang gua maksud di sini tuh stasiun radio yang isinya cuma ngomong2 doang..... mana gak mudeng ngomong apaan.... kayak semacem lecture keagamaan gitu deh...... Kalo dapet yang ini mendingan pasang iPod sendiri aja....

6. Gahment Uncle
Entah kenapa, banyak taxi uncle di sini yang gak suka sama pemerintah (gahment tuh bahasa kerennya Singlish-nya government). Jadi uncle yang tipe ini tuh suka ngomong sendiri complain2 tentang pemerintah. Walaupun lu udah pasang tampang cuek secuek cueknya juga dia teteppppp aja ngoceh tentang tuh gahment. Kayak waktu itu pernah sekali waktu ceritanya si uncle mau ngambil shortcut lewat jalan kecil, eh tiba2 jalannya udah ditutup karena ada konstruksi baru di sebelahnya.

    U : Eh??? How come like that ah?
    M : Don't know (don't really care too)
    U : Walauwe...... (insert hokkian curse words here)...... how can do like that??? Gahment ah..... anyhow change the road one.... people want to go there now must U-turn so far away you know! (insert more hokkian curse words here)
    M :  ....... (-_-)"

7. SIM nembak Uncle
Ini gak jelas unclenya belajar nyetir di mana. Sebenernya ada beberapa sub-kategori lagi sih..... ada yang gaya Crazy Taxi (inget gak game itu?), ada yang gak bisa bedain kiri kanan, ada yang pengen cepet tapi takut kena speed cameranya si gahment, jadi nyetirnya gasssss, lepas.... gassss, lepas...... yang ada guenya yang pusing @_@

8. Expressway Uncle
   M : Uncle, go to Orchard Road please
   U : OK. You want to go by CTE, PIE, SLE, BKE, or ECP? (itu semua nama2 expressway di Singapore)
   M : Up to you lah (ini yang supir taxi siapa sih???)

9. Handsfree Uncle
Uncle tipe ini selalu siap sedia dengan handsfree earpiecenya. Uncle ini tipenya pekerja keras, gak suka buang2 waktu, jadi dia multitasking antara nyetir taxi dan ngobrol sama istri/temen/simpenan di telpon. Biasanya sih diiringi dengan ringtone yang super kenceng dan norak (lagu2 chinese / english jadoel).
Kalo dapet yang tipe ini serasa lagi dengerin sinetron, tapi gak ada gambarnya hehe. Percakapannya biasa seputar makanan, atau ntar mau ketemu di mana, atau gosipin temen / selebritis.

So, next time you're in a taxi, identify the uncles by category..... bisa mix and match juga loh..... contoh : smelly talkative expressway uncle, atau gahment handsfree uncle hehehe. Try it, it's fun! ;-)