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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Gunung Senyum 2007 Day 2 part 2

A few misc pics of Day 2

**Taken by Chin

(On our way........................................................The Finger)

Gua Ular

The following taken by me;

Termites!!!!!!!!,,.... this was taken near the campsite.

Boy! this guy was fast...................... mushroomssss!


(Daniel doing his Tarzan routine infront of a Giant Ara Tree)

Scorpion Spider.......... cooool!.....


(My hand print............................................Paradise lost)


(Alates.... or winged termites... eventually these guys will make new termite colonies)

(no this nothing wrong with this picture... click on it to open the full version... then stared at it for awhile..... you will see millions of stars)

There was this tree near the campsite which was riddled with coins..... its been that way for awhile cos the tree has actually grown over some of the coins.... what did the tree do to deserve this

looks like a Viagra add doesnt it?...

We had lunch at a chinese restaurant in Temerloh Town..

This trip was a blast... I told my self this is the last time i go to Gunung Senyum...but i just dont know why i still feel like making another trip there again,,,... I would definitely what to explore Gua Ular further and also go to the peak of Senyum... well maybe next year yah......

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Gunung Senyum 2007 Day 2

The second day was fantastic..... my whole body was aching, my toe was sore and painful... and i was raring to go.. We had hired a guide to take us to Jebak Puyuh to make sure we did not miss a few caves like we did the last time. His name was Husin, a nice friendly chap whom if i remember correctly was karoke'ing his heart out in a sarong the last time we were here.

(*Gua Rangkak)

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The hike to Jebak Puyuh toke some 45 minutes to reach and the first cave we visited was Gua Rangkak (Crawling Cave). Next was Gua Terewong (Tunnel Cave) and Gua Kapal (Ship).

(*Gua Kapal)

(**Gua Terowong)

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We bypassed a few caves to get to Gua Straw and Gua Jandi. These two caves had the most interesting formations i have ever seen... the sad part was that there where visitors who either did not know or where ignorant about how fragile the 'straw' formations where and they touched it and it broke... so when we were there we did not see any which were more then 2 or 3 inches long. Husin explained that one which was 3 feet long can take up to 60 years to form.... woah...

(*Gua Straw,.. howlong did this take..................................... *Meditating in Mayat)

(*Can you see the mayat)

Gua Mayat (Dead Body) was next... was not to keen to stay too long in Gua Mayat if you know what i mean. Did not have good memories of this cave the last time I was here.

The last cave of the day is a cave i have not visited before. It was called Gua Ular (Snake). It was the most interesting cave in the whole trip. From the first chamber we went trought a small opening which lead up to another chamber which then lead to a Garden... Something about the place felt so peaceful... we all dub the place 'Secret Garden'. Donovan and Daniel explored the place well... Donovan especially was always eager to explore ever crevice.... hmm that didnt sound right...

(**Gua Ular)

(*The Secret Garden.......................................*The MARS like features of Gua Ular)

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Anyway... the place reminded us of MARS... too bad this was the last cave because i was too tired to explore it further... it didnt help that i had kicked another tree stump and my toe started to bleed again just before entering Gua Ular. The funny thing is in the jungle trail i had kneeled to check on my toe... there in front of me i saw 4 or 5 leeches heading towards me from different directions... i quickly jumped to my feet and hopped out of there..... Husin and YanKeat came back to get me and helped me reach Gua Ular... it was a really funny sight seeing those leeches heading towards me like that...

Talking about leeches all in all there were 40 over leeches between the 12 of us. I had five bites. Donovan and Lee Wen had the most, 8 bites each!!

(a 200 year old ARA Tree)

From Top Left: Wan Shen, Anelie, Lau, Kam, Donovan, Chelva, Andrew (endrooG) , SzeLin (Tihtahpah)

Seated in Front: Lee Wen, Daniel(The Gallivanter) , Chin Yan Keat, Me