Sinbad in better times

This was taken in Jan 04. It was almost 2 feet long.


This was taken after its first 'Jump' out of the tank last year April 06. The light fixture had come loose and fell into the tank which ofcos cause Sinbad to jump. You can see on the side one of its scales came out. It was a little more the 2 and half feet long.


Sinbad observing in the background during APMs prayer sessions last month April 07. It doesn't look it but Sinbad was almost 3 feet long. Its hard coming back to an empty tank... didnt think i would take it so badly...
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Sinbad.... I will miss you buddy :(

My pet Arowana, Sinbad,... past away last saturday night... actually in was more like early Sunday morning. There must have been something in the water because I had changed the Aquarium water on Saturday. Sinbad did look pale and pressed against one side of the aquarium before we went for the Pentacost Rally. I put in some salt then we left.

When we got back things didnt look any better.. he looked really bad. Actually have seen him look worst so i washed the pump and because it was already going to be 3am we went to bed and i said i wld go to the aquarium shop to get some antibiotics for it first thing in the morning.

Just when i hit the bed I heard the familiar trashing of water and tank cover. I jumped out of bed and raced downstairs and found Sinbad upside down but still trashing up trying to get out of the tank. I yelled for rose to bring the the big tub while i rush to get an old t-shirt... Filled the tub and removed the tank cover, rapped the t-shirt around Sinbad and carried it out to the tub.... but it was too late it was not moving at all. I put in a pump and set it at maximum bubbles right up to Sinbad' s face but it did not move either... it was too late... I was too late....

I have kept Sinbad since it was 4 months old and it wld be 6 years old this June. It was about 5 or 6 inches long when i bought it... gleaming like a pearl...

He was always happy to see me and it wasnt because i feed him... because the few times when i was outstation or out of the country, Sinbad would be so down that it wouldnt eat when my sister fed it. It wld start swimming really fast in excitement when i came back home.......sometimes i would talk to sinbad and it would stop swimming and just look at me and when i stopped talking it would start swimming again. It does a little dance when it wants food.

Sinbad was one tough fish... it has been through many jumps out of the tank... and even from the tub on the many moves I did over the years. It has even lived through many kinds of diseases. I had checked the Clorine, Ammonia and Nitrate levels and it was all ok but for it to deteriorate like that in a single day....... there must have been something in the water.... :( .... I will miss you old friend... :(

mo

Somebody to love...

I was tagged by Daniel with 'Which Act No Longer Performing Live Would I've Loved to Have Seen?' ... this is a tough one because i am not really into music... growing up my daily music intonation was just anything good thats playing on the radio, U2, Sting, Queen, actually almost all 80s pop songs and anything from Hillsongs(praise and worship songs btw). And Im supposed to list 5 ah... Actually most of the bands i do want to watch Live are still actively making music... and the once that are not active or defunct are so boring to watch live for example CCR... i like their songs but i once watched two songs performed live on tv and it was soooo boring.....

I believe a good band with really good songs dont necessarily make good entertainers... anyway lets get along to my list shall we;


1) Queen
Its hard to deny that their catchy tunes really creep right into your blood... They are infectious entertainers.... Freddy's energy on stage is just amazing... I love every single song ever sang by Queen, i even love the song that Mecury sang for the Barcelona Olympics... it is truly a sad lost as he was one of the best entertainer and singer whose unique persona made Queen (the band) great.

2) New Order
You can be born in the synthesizer age and not love Blue Monday right? but hmmm are they still actively playing music?

3) Genesis
I cant dance, I cant talk. The only thing about me is the way I walk.... Phil Collins really made Genesis 'move into the light' when he joined them... I have seen Phil play the drums on one of Genesis concerts i watched...again on tv.. and i must say, it was really really good... and when Phil played along side Sting on live8 it was total bliss. I heard that Genesis is getting together for another concert tour... dont know if this is true..

4) AHA
Yes yes... i like AHA... actually i like many 80s pop bands but most dont do good concerts... And AHA, like New Order make fairly entertaining concerts one of which i watched on tv a long long time ago. Again i dont know if they are still together and are able to do a concert in the near future.

5) Jean Michel Jarre
You're probably going.. "say what!??" or "Jean Michel Who?".. he is one of the fathers of New Age Music and i caught he's concert, yes you guessed it 'on tv' back in 1988 and i was simply blown away... He incorporates his music with fireworks laser lights and all the elements around him ...simply awesome. Here is a wikipedia search on him or you can click on the title above to go to his official site.


hmmm after looking at the list above its most likely that Queen is the only act no longer performing live that I'd loved to have seen......


American Idol updates: Yes its finally over... and Jordin the victorious champion... Watched the late nite reapeat cos i had Pentecost Rally practice. Only watched till Bette Midler croaked on stage then I went to bed... Actually other then Bette Midler showing us she has lost it... the show was pretty entertaining.. Tony Bennet showed us that he still got it even at hundred and eleventy years old. Even Paula looked good and finally did not look like a drag queen..

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Batteries!

I was lining up for what was going to be a spectacular sunset yesterday evening ... the light was just right the clouds were peachy... I knew it was going to get even better... and just when it started to get goldies purple...(can you even imagine goldies purple)... my camera just died on me... I am like WTF!!... ok ...dont panic... i just charged the batteries .... but when i tried to on the camera again... the battery light was going wild... and in died again.... and as so to tease me further ...the sunset stayed that colour for a good 10 minutes...

Rose came out with here camera phone and took a few shots... not as niece as how it looked but ok lah... will try and nick it from her and post it here another day. My rechargeable batteries i believe have reached its maximum lifespan... I think I've had them for 2 years... hmmm cant be sure.. sld find the resits to be sure..

APM has been going all out to practice for the Pentecost Rally, i am actually feeling drained like my batteries...am I (or are we) taking on too much... hopefully we will be ready for it this saturday. Click on the poster below for more information on the Pentecost Rally.

Rose is finally cursing Astro for introducing Channel 78 Discovery Real Time.... because I'm on it every chance i get... kekeke... i feel sorry for her... keke ok maybe juat a little bit ...... Overhaulin' is my favourite show...


... today will be the final time the two American Idol finalist will be able to show us what they've got... So who will be the 'unworthy' American Idol this year!!???



mo

Lets make lots of Money

Read an interesting article on Hong Kiat’s Blog about a website were you can put your picture on any kind of currency... ringgit malaysia also got. It was fun for a little while then i got bored and went to the next blog....

Talking about Malaysia... how about Malaysia two most finest 'Yang Berhormat's' who really showed how much they 'hormat' (respect) women... Joking or not joking WTF lah... hai yo... bunch of monkeys in suits... or as Patrick Teo put it 'Pigs in Suits'.... you can look up the video on your tube...

American Idol... Blake i feel looks so out of place and his beat boxing is beginning to annoy me... Doolittle did alot yesterday actually..... she really is versatile and a really superb singer while Jordin showed her inexperience eventhough she sang well...... no surprise If Blake gets booted.... but if he does get into the finale 2...... i will not eat Peanutbutter choco strip sandwich for breakfast tomorrow.

Mo

A Bland Weekend

Took this picture last saturday early in the morning,... I dont know why i was awake so early but i was so i thought hey... i will just venture out into my porch and see if the sunrise was any good. Overall it was a reasonably good sunrise but something was just missing. ...hmmm maybe i did need a better location after all.... well... do you know what i do in this kind of situation... No i didnt drive out to the nearest interesting spot which would make a better location for a shot of the sunrise......

.....I just looked 180 degrees to the opposite direction... in this case West' and found the sky and other elements in the frame a little better, took a few shots then went right back to bed again. So readers.... dont just take normal or even fabulous pictures of Sunsets and Sunrise.... look around a bit.... you never know if there might be a more interesting subject to photograph during that golden hour. For example the reflection of the amber sky on a window or in fact the whole building for that matter. Some buildings tend to look nicer during sunsets or sunrise. You maybe even get better looking sky or clouds on the opposite direction of the rising or setting sun.

Well the weekend was pretty bland and it was also not fun watching Bridge to Tebititiah... i mean Terabithia. It was like a Hallmark movie mixed with HBO and a hint of Disney. When you look at the poster or in my case the DVD cover ...you are promised alot of fantasy and imagination.... but 30 minutes in and you're still waiting... well it was an ok movie but maybe i had too much of expectation so i shall add one more point to make my rating for this movie 5/10

Sunday did not fair any better... even if it was Mother's Day..... I landed up missing my father even more... thinking about him the whole day... sigh... i really miss him...

Well ....APM played the 11:15am mass its an extra mass we are doing this month. We are also involved in the Pentecost Rally in Assumption on the 26th of May... Anybody interested please register for it.... Dinner is provided.......The sessions will be 5 ringgit and the Rally Mass and Prayer & Praise will be animated by APM. . If you're not up to a whole day event just come for the Prayer Praise and Mass Rally... starting from 7pm onwards...

Evening Star

If you looked at the sky yesterday evening northwest to be exact, you would have notice a really bright star. Im sure some of you know that its not a star but a planet. It is the planet Venus is making it’s was across our skies this month, an evening star shining ever so brightly. So look up and make a wish then wonder what shall I eat tonite?… Well that’s what I was thinking yesterday at least… Setting the tripod would have made a better picture but I just rested in on the car….. not a good idea… picture looks alittle fuzzy.

Last Friday Rose and I joined some of my colleagues and bloggers to a farewell Karaoke session. It was for one of my colleagues who was leaving for greener pastures that day. We made our way to Neway in One U, and had a ball of a time. The only thing I did not like was having Chivas and Green Tea as a mixture. I am sorry guys I don’t know why you guys like it but I think that’s the worst concoction I have ever tasted. Dono, Rose and I had dinner in Chilis that nite… the food is still good but the Draft Beer tasted funny.

Rose and I left early cos she works on Saturday…slept about 3am … I don’t know what it is but I guess I am not used to it already… For the rest of the week I was just trying to recover from Friday nite….gone are the days where I can go for 3 days with just a few minutes sleep lah… sigh…so sad wan…

Saturday was pretty much clean that Aquarium Day. I cleaned my tank, my mum’s tank and my mother-in-laws tank… and the weekend was pretty much Channel 78 Discovery Real Time…. It a new channel on Astro and it seems to be my favourite channel right now… I watch it every chance I get… keke (I wonder why).

Sunday after mass I was craving for McD’s Big Breakfast so me and rose when by the house to pick up my something while she went over to her brothers house for a bit. When I came back to my idling car I realized that I had locked the door with the key inside… Not to worry I have a spare key….. and then in horror I groped when I found that the spare key was in the car too….. tried for what seemed like hours then my brother-in-law helped by getting a mechanic from the nearby shop (yes this guy was actually open) to try and break into the car….. 20 minutes later and 20 ringgit poorer I was driving around again. Wife had ordered for the Big Breakfast to be delivered to the house but by the time we ate it was like 11:30 or something… I was really grumpy after that.

These past few weeks I managed to watch a few movies;

FOUR BROTHERS
Watched this movie in PD. Its like a Tamil movie meets Hollywood kinda’ movie… it was enjoyable without being too predictable… a few unnecessary scenes here and there..But an overall good lazy afternoon DVD movie. (6/10)

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SPIDERMAN 3
Crap which I won’t even bother talking about it except maybe VENOM was cool but such a wasted character. Would have given a 3 but I love that actor that played Peter’s boss what’s his name…. Jonah Jameson (4/10)


HAPPY FEET
I probably would have killed myself if I went to the cinema to watch this movie but likely I watched on DVD… yes that little penguin tap dancing on ice was really cute… and Robin Williams just stole the show with a small role as Ramon. Oh… and the music is pretty good… but other then that ‘yawn’ (5/10)

MOMENTO
Watched this about a month ago but thought I would review it today…. Its about a guy who has short term memory after an accident. He cant remember things after a few hours and takes and keeps Polaroid pictures to remember things. This is quite a clever movie and its well made. (7/10)

MUSIC & LYRICS
Ok… yes I will admit that I watch girlie soppy love movies… I have no choice… I am married!!.. but some are nice like ‘For Love of The Game’, ‘Love Actually’, ‘Notting Hill’, ‘Four Weddings and A Funeral’… is it a coincidence that 3 out of 4 movies mentioned above stars Hugh Grant?... thank god its not… it just that Rose is a huge Hugh Grant fan.. I have no idea why… I think he looks like a buffoon but unfortunately I must say his latest outing is quite good. Drew Barrymore is such a darling and the story is witty with a hint of British humor… … the opening song to the movie is still stuck in my head..’Pop! goes my heart’. (7/10)

The next two movies has got to be the weirdest movies I have ever watched… really not suitable for cinema… not only will you be trying to kill yourself, you’d be doing it with a spoon …

MIRRORMASK
An interesting movie I watch on Astro…. It was interesting enough for me to not turn to channel 78… Just kept watching to see will happen next. It was made by the Jim Henson Production Company. I don’t know if you are familiar with Jim Henson who is the creator of the Jim Henson Creature Shop who is responsible for giving us the puppets of Sesame Street, The Muppets and even the famous Jedi Master Yoda and many good puppets and animatronics used in movies. The best movie from the Creature Shop is the infamous movie Labyrinth, starring David Bowie and a young Jennifer Connelly. It would be unfair of me to compare because Mirrormask is a pale reflection which one has to have an open minded imagination to swallow. (4/10)

THE FOUNTAIN
Talk about an open minded imagination. The fountain is a movie about 3 stories spanned through a millennium. It felt very much like an experimental film…..or a really good attempt by a film student, what with its unconventional camera angles and colour contrast and lack of a full script… there where so many scenes void of conversation, one gesture after another… But story wise it was really interesting… If you have the stomach for it …by all means go for it….. (5/10)
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Idol updates: So what was your perception of this weeks American Idol….. I actually know the second song that Blake sang…… I actually love BeeGees.. except for their birdie stuck in the zipper singing. Barry Gibg is a superb song writer and composer. The show was so boring….. the only thing I can say about Wednesdays show was Jordin Sparks looked good… love the hair and love her makeup…
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Tagged for the very first time....

.....ok maybe not like a virgin... but like a kid in the school yard running around saying "sape!!! jadi...!!jadi...!! jadi..!!". "Police and Thieves" or "Catching" ring a bell anyone?... (jadi means 'become', but in this case means 'Tagged!!, you're it')

Well, its been hard trying to think of 6 weird things about me to list down... Apart from the fact that I'm duller in person then i am on the net blogging about stuff and the fact that I do have quite a number of excessive compulsive behaviors, which one would be the 6 most weirdest things about me... hmmm.. ... lets see

1) Hand Wash OCD
I wash my hands thoroughly with soap every time after; i go to the loo, eating, working on the car/garden/house and aquariums, petting any kind of animal. And i am not talking about a burst of water and a whiff of soap... i'm talking surgeon getting ready for an operation kind of hand washing... Long soapy wash from finger tip to elbow kinda wash... Hey it might be OCD but at least you know my hands are clean when i shake your hand...

2) Eyebrow Aerobatics
I can move both my eyebrows, I am not talking about simultaneous but individually lah. When i move my Right eyebrow up it normally indicates; Anger, Intrigued, A strike of an Idea, Showing off, Coolness etc etc. Then when i move my Left eyebrow it indicates; Confusion, A funny form of being afraid or Sadness etc etc... You could say i have looked in a mirror to observe and understand my eyebrow expressions. Did this because many people always laughed when i convey a story and my sister says its because of my expressions, especially my eyebrows....... when she said this,...my right eyebrow moved up...

3) I cant lie to save my life.
Whenever I tell a lie everyone knows I'm lying, heck even the feller in the other room sighed when I tell a lie. I must thank my friends of whom i had lied to, who just brush it off by saying "Oh, OK...." even though they knew i was lying.....
Now the only good thing about this is... I can keep secrets for years and years and years.... I know what you're thinking,.. That's an Oxymoron right......how can some one who cant lie for nuts be able to keep a secret.... its simple really...... to avoid lying I just totally avoid talking about anything that I don't want to reveal..... So.. what I don't reveal... people won't know I know... and when they don't know I know... they won't know to ask... and when they don't ask me what they think I know .... I won't have to lie about what I know....... know what i mean....

4) Peanut Butter and Chocolate Stripe Sandwich
I eat Peanut Butter and Chocolate Stripe Sandwich for breakfast almost everyday and i wouldn't like it any other way. Even on weekends when I go out and bring back breakfast for my wife, I will just prepare myself my PBnCSS. The only time I eat something else is when I am on vacation, out with friends or I'm if I'm out of PBnCS. Of cos occasionally I do have a craving for McDonald's Big Breakfast... yum..

5) I'm a VW Beetle Nut
If you dont know already, I'm a vw beetle fan... When i say vw beetle, I mean classic vw beetle lah. I am able to differentiate all VW beetles by the model year. You might be saying "You mean there is more then one VW Beetle model?" or "That's a 65 and the other one is a 71?! They look the same to me!"........ Yes I can tell if the beetle is from the 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s or even the brazillian 80s. I can tell a 63 to a 64 no problem.... but just so you know, ....I dont like the current NEW beetle ....I think the new beetle is a stupid car.

My mates have told me if a beetle and a beautiful girl passes by... i wouldn't even notice the girl cos i am too busy guessing the age and condition of the beetle that past us. That's true ofcos... but i check-out the beetle first then take a quick glance at the girl... then continue to check-out the beetle. Unless ofcos that girl was Jessica Alba........

6) I see dead people
Ok maybe not as dramatic as Haley Joel Osment in Sixth Sense but yes i have had my share of paranormal encounters. From the scary to the not so scary and to the down right funny... ok maybe not so funny... I would like to just leave it at that because a ghost story just doesnt have the same ummph! when told in writing...

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and there you have it folks... 6 of the most weirdest things i could think of, about me.. and I am sorry to say that I'm not going to tag anyone because i think i am getting too old for this (Said in a Lethal Weapon kind of way). Besides... I believe every blogger I know has done this tag already.

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Go Fly Kite...

Last Sunday I went on a holiday with my wife’s family for the first time. That’s two of her brothers’ families, her parents and her cousin sister (Just to clear things lah). I did not know what to expect but I wasn’t surprised that I honestly enjoyed myself. I'm blessed with the best in-laws anyone could have. It was a pleasant vacation spent in Avillion Port Dickson. It was not too far from PD town (near the Rotary Club) and was tastefully laid out in lush well groomed landscaping. Its water chalets and hill terrace chalets were comfortable and well kept. The food was good but nothing to shout about and although the staff was friendly and attentive I think they could not manage the troves off people who took advantage of the long weekend/ weekday Wesak and Labour Day holiday.
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The beach at Avillion is same like any other beach in PD, again nothing to shout about and some what dirty (not so dirty lah, I wld say clean by PD standard). Wanted to teach my nephews how to fly a kite. So I went into PD town and bought a couple of kites. The first day wasnt too windy but we still managed to get a kite stuck in a tree. There was no wind on the second day but on the morning of the last day in was windy like hell. My wife and sister-in-law managed to clock in more kite time then my nephews... keke i think even my father-in-law flew the kite more then me... :)

(1st Day Stuck in a tree................3rd day windy like hell)

There were a few bad points about Avillion, the biggest being its over inflated room rates. For the same amount of money you cld go to an island on the east coast… or even book yourself into Cyberview Lodge which has way better ambiance then Avillion, but ofcos Cyberview lacks a beach lah… But apart from its room rates Avillion is a nice place to get away from it all. And the ultimate advantage of PD is that its not very far from PJ and KL… so your there in a jiffy and back again… no jet lack.. no ass burn and no rushing to the nearest rest stop for a toilet break…

(we were greeted with traditional music when we arrived)

(The view from our balcony.......................The waterlilly!!!)

(The terrace or shld i say the semi-D we stayed in)

(at the top of this coconut tree there were familiar creatures taking a nap..... relatives of the cave dwellers in Gunung Senyum)

(these are two of my favourite pics i took in this trip.... its good to have a good zoom lens, otherwise these shots wld have been impossible to take)

(The water chalets at low tide...... Just to illustrate the picture with the boat without zooming)

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Oh yah...From morning to evening, you can go to the Karaoke Lounge in Avillion and watch a movie for free. You can choose from a list of DVDs they have. I watched 'Four Brothers'. I tell you its like a Tamil of Hindi movie, only its made more better and much coolers... other then that its a typical Tamil Movie...

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American Idol updates.... yup that nasally guy whats his name is gone... Phil is out too, even thought his Bon Jovi stint with 'Blaze of Glory' was pretty good... Jordin must have got the most votes last week to have survived her butchered job of 'Living on a prayer'. Lakisha and Doolittle did very well...the latte outshining the former and Blake... mmmm well he is quite an entertainer.. i actually like his rendition of 'You Give Love a Bad Name'....

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Anybody watched Spiderman 3?...... dont bother... 4/10 for me... The first halve was ok but as soon as we are introduced to the black suite spidy... it was down hill from there....

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coming up next is '6 weird things about me'..... yes yes... i was tagged by my friend Shanti 'the pandi'... will try and come up with this list soon.......

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