10 reasons I need a new ride

#1 My current one is getting a little long in the tooth

long in the tooth

I own a Toyota Vios 1.5G which I bought in 2006 and from the multiple accidents that its been through…well, it doesn’t handle as good as it used to.

#2 It’s My Life

…and I did it my way. I’m 29 and I’ll be purchasing a condo in a couple of months. The next step is getting a new car. I like to think that I’m still young (oi, at least I’m not 30 yet okay?) and I want a performance car which handles well on the road but won’t make me file for Chapter 11 just for gas. I come from a family of Toyota owners (my dad has a Land Cruiser and Lexus, which is not technically Toyota but same company) so when I trade in I’m gonna get me a Vios 1.5G TRD Sportivo.

#3 Steer me up Scotty!

central panel

This the redesigned steering wheel in the new Vios. I love steering wheels with integrated controls. It just helps prevent #1 – accidents. You know how it is when you’re driving your friends. Everyone with different music tastes and so forth. Switch channels? Volume up? Sure!

#4 Reat flat floors

flat seats

You will not appreciate this until you come to that hallowed time when you really want a flat floor. I won’t elaborate further. The official SPL is that you can…er, recline and just chill like you’re the King of the World (or at least the King of the Backseat).

Erm, it kinda sleeps two at the back too – one on the backseat and one of the floor. No…ah, backache to worry about. πŸ˜‰

#5 Big Pimpin’

vios g trd

You want a sweet ride, right? Nice, sleek and new with perhaps that extra boost to get you from Point A to Point B a little bit faster.

aerokit

TRD decals on everything would do wonders too!

rims

Pick up chicks as easy as ABC. By chicks of course I mean baby chickens (the poultry, the white meat we eat).

#6 You’re hot and you’re cold

hot cold

Okay, this is one of my pet peeves. Not everyone is created equal…at least not with regards to cold tolerance. Some people just feel chilly at a relatively warm 18 degrees Celcius. Of course, being the courteous driver, you have to accomodate for them…and this is where the centre instrument panel with brand new aircond control dials comes in handy.

#7 Red is the new black

trimmings

Check out the new red stitching on the seats, shift and steering wheel of the Vios 1.5G TRD. It’s subtle but it’s noticable. I feel faster already!

#8 God is in the details

The new Toyota Vios 1.5G and 1.5G TRD Sportivo has design and performance changes which makes one of the best selling cars in Malaysia all the better (better-er?).

vios g front

There’s a new grille

vios g back

A remake of the rear combi lamp

An all new combination leather seat in addition to the other details in this Vios makeover documented above

#9 Economical with the truth

concealed

If you noticed (which you won’t) the new Vios 1.5G varients have concealed front center storage. I love this. Anything with the word “concealed” appeals to me…until the 5-0 learns about it of course. πŸ™

Otherwise, you can just put whatever you want inside there and there’s no one to stop (and search) you.

…and another thing about (fuel) economy, the VVT-i engine will get you far. Take it from a Vios owner. It’s easy on the wallet when you pull up to a gas station.

#10 Fast and furious

rear

Well, at least look the part – with the new TRD Sportivo aerokit, seat fabric and suspension kit.

sportivo

Now the latter will really help a lot when that ciplak car beside you with its big modified exhaust and boosted up sound system makes the driver think it has +666 HP – until you leave him in the dust. πŸ˜‰

I kinda feel bad after going for that test drive with the Toyota Vios 1.5G TRD Sportivo coz it makes my current ride feel…so old. And I don’t like being reminded of my age. :p Time to save up then for an upgrade!

i want

Desirability…do you have it?

Webpage: http://www.toyota.com.my
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/ToyotaMY
Twitter: http://twitter.com/ToyotaMY
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ToyotaViosMy

Reclaim the night!

zouk

phobia /f’oʊbiΙ™/
Synonyms:
noun: fear
phobias (plural)
A phobia is a very strong irrational fear or hatred of something

twin towers

Remember my post entitled Fear of the dark? BTW, for red blooded men “hatred” is a synonym for “fear”. πŸ˜‰

party people

I just thought you’ll like to have an insight into the XY Chromosome brain.

sony tx7 touch screen

I managed to get my grubby paws on a Cyber-shot TX7 and decided to take it out for a night out of clubbing!

intro

Their were hens night too.A hen party is seen as a special event their. All were dancing with pole and shirtless. That was really a treat for girls eye.

cheers

I’ve always been apprehensive (Read: afraid) of taking photos at night due to the tragic results that inevitably happens. I’ll take 10 photos in a row and ALL of them will turn out bad. >.<

camwhore

However, ever since the Cyber-shot TX7 I have faced my fears and conquered them! Here’s my awesome night out at Zouk in KL with friends the previous weekend.

b52

I love the rich and textured quality of the photos. There’s Intelligent Auto Adjustment – perfect for the lazy ones among us.

the girls

Hand-held Twilight is another Godsend from the good people at Sony. A lot of clubs don’t allow you to bring in dSLRs so a compact that can rival a dSLR in night shots is your best bet.

night out

There are also heaps of Scene Selection options – from Twilight Portrait to Gourmet (for taking food photos) in addition to whimsical features like Pet.

food

Food, glorious food! It finally looks like what it should be!

panoramic

A panoramic shot! Easy peasy to do.

our family

The thing that really takes the cake in terms of the Cyber-shot TX7 is the option of taking 16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio photos.

velvet

You won’t know how useful widescreen is until you’ve used it in a club with people jostling you around and elbowing you to get some dance space. You can also take 8 photos in a row – perfect for OCD people like me who likes to choose the best possible picture from a range.

photos

Personally, the feature I like the most in the TX7 is the ability to shoot in HD quality video, so I’m going to show you how well it performs in low lighting conditions with multi colored strobe lights messing with the sensor.

I have had a lot of problems with shooting videos in my previous digicam and with the HD quality video recording with this, it’s really tempting me to go back to Cyber-shot digicams. It’s sleek as hell and easy to slip into your pocket or purse for a great night out. The touch screen works wonders too in getting a lot of appreciative glances from the people around you. πŸ˜‰

Check out the full product specs here. All photos taken with the TX7, except the ones featuring it, obviously.

I only have one complain about the Cyber-shot TX7. I’ll have to return it tomorrow. πŸ™

sony tx7 model

Can I keep it please?

iPhone plans explained in terms you can relate to

maxis iphone 3gs

ON ARM CANDY VS A REAL GIRLFRIEND

I’m sure you know the difference so I won’t insult your intelligence. Oh wait, I will. Haha! Arm candy is someone you bring out but it doesn’t make much financial sense to be with while a real girlfriend is someone practical whom you are planning to start a family with. How often do you go out? Do you really need all that data when it’s nigh impossible to surf that much (1GB and above per month? WTF you doing? Downloading porn?). Your steady gal here is Maxis who gives you the thing that matters the most – minutes of talk time. Practical, sensible and probably the XX Chromosome you wanna have kids with.

breaking up

ON BREAKING UP

Okay, think of it this way. You’re dating this hot new girl and you’re not sure whether you want to be in a relationship with her. Say you want to change girlfriends. Maxis allows you the option of either breaking up with them after a year, or going into a long term relationship with them.

With the competition, there is no option. You’re stuck with that girl for 2 years even though you would gouge your eyes out and poke out your eardrums with sharp toothpicks to avoid her constant nagging.

Options = good.

booty call

ON BOOTY CALLS

You want it now and you want it fast. That hot, sweet and fast action without the girl suddenly going all psychotic and renegading on the arrangement and wanting to get into a 2 year relationship. You call, she comes, whether in KL, Penang, Ipoh or JB. Maxis has near 100% HSPA+ coverage in Klang Valley and HSPA coverage in most major towns. The competition on the other hand, only has limited 3G coverage in most areas. Why are you buying an iPhone 3GS if you’re surfing on a lower speed?

It doesn’t make sense brothers and sisters.

high maintanence

ON HIGH MAINTENANCE GIRLFRIENDS

Let’s say you’re dating two girls. One of them only expects you to buy her the occasional dinner (you need to eat anyway) which works out to about RM 80 per month on Maxis’ 0% interest easy payment option (iPhone only). The other one sounds good at the start, but constantly bugs you to buy stuff you don’t need every month, which works out to RM 106 per month…and after two years of her crap, she hits you with another whammy – you still haven’t paid for her, and you’re stuck with her for another loooong year. Let me spell this out for you – after two years on the competition’s iPhone plan, you STILL have to pay for your phone (technically, you don’t own it yet) and ALSO the monthly commitment fee. By the Gods above, Fine Print (TM) is a fine thing indeed eh? *sarcasm*

Drop that high maintenance girlfriend and check out the iValue Maxis iPhone plans now!

Maxis customers also get free local calls and SMS between family lines – something that’s important after all the time you’ve spent chasing tail and neglecting your filial obligations. πŸ˜‰

I’m going to the Gatsby Deodorant Street Fair

carnival

I have very fond memories of carnivals and fun fairs. It just brings you right back to when you were a little kid with no worries at all. The good ol’ times when your father and mother is nothing less than deities in their own right. I remember my dad bringing me to a circus when I was a wee one – they were sold out but I sulked (it was in Kuching so I was younger than 7 then) and my dad managed to hustle a couple of tickets. It was the best night ever.

I’m 29 now but I like to think that I’m young at heart. I love carnival games and going to theme parks. It just evokes nostalgia through rose tinted glasses – a better time, a safe period, the sanctuary of youthful folly.

mimes

Walking through street fairs while taking in the scents of food is one of the best things in life.

However, sometimes the scents are more accurately described as odors. Human traffic, crowded conditions and our fine Malaysian weather is a recipe for BO.

…and my friends, that recipe can rival even Martha Stewart’s best cooking. πŸ˜‰

I’m sure you’ve had unwelcome smells invading your olfactory senses while out and about. Heck, sometimes I can even smell the very same on myself. >.<

gatsby clear ocean

I use a lot of Gatsby products – look at the mousse, gel and wax that I have in my bathroom. I heard Gatsby came out with a new deodorant and I popped into the local friendly Guardian (against bad BO) to check it out.

There is a wide range of roll-on and spray deodorants and after the smell test I settled on the Clear Ocean Gatsby Deodorant Spray.

gatsby spray

Who doesn’t want to smell like the beach? A surfer boy scent which rates high on Fresh, Sweet and Sporty. It’s a clean and fresh fragrance that lasts throughout the day so you won’t have to worry about raising your arms to snap your fingers at the waiter during lunch. I know, damn CINA right?

gatsby range

The best thing about the Gatsby deodorant spray is that it smells fresh and it’s affordable to boot. You won’t even have to shell out RM 200+ for eau de toilette to smell nice.

Anyway, back to the Gatsby Deodorant Street Fair – it’s happening on the 17th of April from 10 am to 5 pm at Front Foyer, Ground Floor, Berjaya Times Square, Kuala Lumpur. *blocks calender*

ly

I’m excited coz there will be lots of fun fair games that day and lucky draws featuring prizes worth up to RM 15,000 up for grabs! There’s also Sumo wrestling (remember that?), gladiator battles (w00t!) and various other carnival games – something for everyone!

Unfortunately, this event is not an open invite…you have to earn your way in. Blog about the Gatsby Deodorant Street Fair with the title “I’m going to the Gatsby Deodorant Street Fair” and send your full name, IC number and permalink to gatsby@nuffnang.com to get your tickets!

You’ll also have to include in your blogpost:
1. The date, time and location of the event.
2. There are going to be lucky draws and we have various cool gadgets worth up to RM15,000 up for grabs!
3. Among the exciting fun-fair games on that day – Sumo Wrestling (in air bag suits!), gladiator battles and other amusing and addictive games you would expect at a fun-fair!
4. Lastly, share this link with your readers : www.gatsby.com.my/streetfair

(Gatsby Deodorant Clear Ocean Spray) surf on over to the Gatsby Deodorant Street Fair site to find out what’s going on that day. Don’t miss out – I’ll be there with the rest of the Nuffnangers and Nuffies and it’ll be a blast, so get your entries in now.

Not a blogger? No worries! Just log on to the site and play the games there. The top score of each week from any game will win a pair of invites to the Gatsby Deodorant Street Fair!

playing ping pong

I love the smell of napalm in the morning!

Fear of the dark

overexposed fire

Fear of the dark, fear of the dark, I have a constant fear that something’s always near. You know that Iron Maiden classic? I always get reminded of the chorus whenever I have to take photos at night. It always comes out terrible – noisy if I set the ISO too high, overexposed if I use flash.

Case in point(s):

jestina

Birthday karaoke session gone wrong due to low lighting

overexposed

Flash fail

beach

This pristine beach in Kota Kinabalu looks like a sandbox in a playground

fire

Overexposed…and not in a good way

mystery meat

WTF is this? I can’t even tell if it’s chicken, beef or pork. I am forced to caption it as Mystery Meat.

Another beef (no pun intended) I have with my digicam is that it can’t record in High Definition. HD is the way of the future, even YouTube supports HD uploads now. I feel like I’m in the Stone Age (okay maybe not, Bronze Age can?) whenever I take videos with my digicam – the details are lost and with a lot of people connecting their computers to large screen LCDs now you really need to film in HD to keep up.

This is what my videos look like currently:

640×480 – VGA. It’s a marvel…back in 1994 when that was the resolution of most monitors. Now with large LCD monitors running on high resolutions it just looks like a postage stamp. πŸ™

Enter Sandman! (another song reference)

Cyber-shot_DSC-TX7

The new Cyber-shot TX7 is loaded with the BIONZ IPE (Image Processing Engine) which I am really familiar with. I can vouch for the image quality. Combine it with the Carl Zeiss Vario Tessar lens and a respectable 10.2 MP “Exmor R” CMOS sensor that reduces noise and you have the perfect digicam for night photography!

blurry

Blur be gone!

The Cyber-shot TX-7 has features like sweep panorama and anti-motion blur in addition to the impressive Handheld Twilight mode. You won’t have to worry about shaky photos and with the AVCHD Full HD movie recording mode, you’ll be able to present your nights out in full glory!

At 1920 x 1080 @ 50i movie mode, you’ll be hard pressed to find another digicam with similar qualities. It’s a touch screen digicam too, and having had 3 Sony digital cameras in the past, I have to say that it’s very nifty. The best part about it is that you only have to touch the LCD screen to focus on the subject.

uncover-the-night

Alright party people! You’ve had nights out where you think you captured awesome photos but when you go back home and upload it to your computer, you find out that it’s crappier than a lavatory full of excretion. Right? Right?

Don’t be ashamed of them photos – play “Uncover the night” or submit the pics to the “Night gone wrong” contest and stand a chance to win your very own Cyber-shot TX7!

fire eating

Enjoy your nights out without worrying about taking horrible photos!

The Beautiful People

jerine beach

I’m an Aries and have strong attributes related to that horoscope. It describes me down to a T. We like beautiful things. Now, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and all that and there are many beautiful things in the world.

jerine bubble bath

Yes, this is what comes into mind for most guys but there are beauty in other things too.

nature

Nature

friendship

Friendship

Heck, there is even beauty to be found in random notes on a toilet door in a 10 room shared home. πŸ˜‰

toilet

However, the thing I admire the most is the design skillz that people have. I just don’t have the necessary creativity with art as I do with the written word. I’m constantly amazed by the stuff that people can come up with.

old style

This is the Best Entry in the Dell Design Studio contest. Titled “Old Style” by Amirul Hasrie it features an abstract pattern which reminds me of the concrete jungle juxtaposed with hues of green in an attempt to re-conciliate nature with the big city. He walks away with vouchers and a Dell Design Studio laptop with his design on it. How cool is that?

dell

The other winner is the design by Sin Ong Toh called simply “Dell“. It has a very Zen feel to it with the budding lotus flowers. He won the Most Popular Design by Votes and I can certainly see why. It’s a photograph with post production elements that garnered him 333 votes.

Dell has a new range of laptops to cater to every person and the current one features a partnership with OPI, producing a series that matches your notebook to your nail color. I’m particularly intrigued by the “I’m Not Really a Waitress” design:

studio-1555-Waitress

This design called 100 Years in NY by Deanne Cheuk is awesome too!

studio-1555-100NewYork

The Dell Studio 15 laptop is not just a pretty face but has plenty of horse power under the facade, with up to Intel Core i7 Quad-Core processors with a nifty 15.6″ 16:9 aspect ratio LED screen and other features like Blu-ray, mobile broadband and surround sound complete with sub woofer built in.

dell-studio

I’m quite tempted by the laptops coz it has both beauty and brains and comes at a reasonable price tag to boot! It’s very convenient to buy Dell coz they have been offering online purchases since Time Immemorial (TM).

I remember buying a Dell tower PC back when I was 14. This was in the heydays of e-commerce and understandably, my dad had reservations about using a credit card to make purchases online. How the times have changed, you’ll think of purchases online first before buying from a brick and mortar shop nowadays.

Interested in the Dell Studio series? Get it here!

How I met my girlfriend through football

football

I remember the 2006 World Cup like the back of my hand. I was single and earning quite a bit so I had a little something riding on each of the matches. I was on a total winning streak, raking it in like nothing else. I supported the underdog in every match and stayed up late to watch the matches.

Anyway, after a long winning streak (and a couple of losses) I decided to bet higher during the semis. I lost in both of the matches as well as the 3rd place ranking game so I was forced to try and cover my losses by putting RM 20,000 in the finals on France.

I went to a sports bar with a couple of my friends (who were all betting on Italy) to watch the kick off of the final match of The Beautiful Game (TM). I thought it would be wiser to put it on Zidane, despite having to concede 1 goal. I was right.

Zidane scored at the 7th minute! SEVENTH! It was a penalty kick and I downed my beer in celebration while my friends complained about the controversial goal. I just needed ONE MORE GOAL to seal the deal. Unfortunately, Italy equalized within the first half and I kept on waiting for another goal for the rest of the match. By the 80th minute, I was practically praying for France to score just so I wouldn’t lose any money. I just needed 1 goal to keep my 20k – I’ve already given up on winning so I wasn’t gunning for 2. Alas, it was not meant to be. It tied 1-1 at the 90 minute point.

fortune reversal

It was fortune reversal most foul.

I had to be extremely frugal after that and stopped seeing my expensive psychiatrist and went to another one at a private hospital. I remember seeing a cute pharmacist there and it so happens that my bookie takes bets from the hospital as well. I still remember the conversation when I passed him the 20,000 smackeroos:

Me: Hey, I saw this really cute girl at the pharmacist today.
Him: Oh, that’s Stephanie.
Me: Really? You sure? I thought her name starts with an A from her tag.
Him: Yeah man, her name is Stephanie – hottest girl in the pharmacy.
Me: Hmm…alright I’ll call her.

I did just that and went out on a date with her the next day. She asked me what car I was driving and the licence plate and the next thing I knew, I saw this girl smiling while walking towards my car.

I was aghast

It wasn’t the person I had my eye on.

She was hot but it was not the cute girl that I was interested in.

sri_shan_meal

I couldn’t very well bail (gentleman here k?) so I opened the door for her and we went out for lunch. That was a very memorable lunch coz halfway through it, she told me she knows me and reads my blog. Next thing I knew, a bottle full of DF-118 slid across the table.

It’s for you. A gift. I know you like this so I got it for you

I was delighted and abashed at the same time. I didn’t even bring her flowers!

We started going out after that and went to Thailand together during a pharmacist’s convention there. It was a whirlwind romance and she was the person I loved the most – I was 24 and she was 29 and oh so worldly and wise.

fansign_hc

She even did a tattoo of a stylized “6” for sixthseal.com on her chakra.

iberry_sorbet

She dumped me about six months into the relationship though.

You know what they say, with one hand He giveth and with the other taketh away. πŸ˜‰

tuk_tuk_me_driver

BTW, I never did tell her I was originally interested in her friend, who I later found out was called Amanda. Heh!

What is your football story? Living in a football crazed nation where “World Cup Fever” (Symptoms: Unexplained medical leave, fatigue in the office, et al) I’m sure you have a lot of interesting stories to tell! It’s every football fan’s dream to watch a football match live. Sony Ericsson is running a contest where you just have to email your football story in to stand a chance to win a trip to South Africa to watch not just any football match but a FIFA World Cup 2010 match live!

Zakumi

Yes, the prize is an all expenses paid trip to watch a FIFA World Cup 2010 match live! Fulfill your dreams and get bragging rights by writing your football story, posting it on your blog and sending the permalink to extratime@waggeneredstrom.com. Your entry can be in the form of pure text, a photo story, video, slide show or just about anything, so go crazy with your creativity!

The Sony Ericsson Extra Time contest is only open to bloggers in Asia. Please submit your entries before 31st March 2010. The blogger with the most public votes from 1-15 April 2010 will win the contest! You can also email extratime@waggeneredstrom.com for more information.

More details about this once in a lifetime chance here.

Lead and I shall follow

directions

I am notoriously bad with directions. I have problems remembering roads and routes and going places is always a chore for me since I have to account for time spent getting lost. >.< I used to get by with handwritten directions scribbled on a piece of paper after a quick consultation with Google Maps but the problem with that is…

…holding a piece of paper in your hand while driving is not exactly what you do if you want to pass a driving exam. πŸ˜‰

garmin asus nuvifone m10

I managed to get my hands on the Garmin-Asus nuvifone M10 courtesy of Kim to test out. Garmin – the King of GPS, on a phone running Windows Mobile 6.5.3!

Alright, I admit I have my doubts about GPS enabled phones so I decided to take this out for a spin.

The Good
The M10 includes a windscreen mount so you can dock it while driving, like a regular GPS

The Better
It also connects to the cigarette lighter thingy in the car and charges the phone while you’re using it!

The Best
The Garmin-Asus nuvifone M10 READS OUT ROAD NAMES

Keep going on Jalan Sulaiman

Heh! I love the foreign accent in the M10.

nepalese food

Anyway, as I was saying, I used the M10 to get to this Nepalese food place near Kota Raya. I am suitably impressed with the device – it gets me where I want to go, it’s as good as a dedicated GPS unit and you don’t even have to keep it in your car (coz it’s a cell phone) so you don’t have to worry about walking out to find your side window smashed by some desperate person trying to hock your GPS unit.

This is the 5 MP cam on the phone in action:

pron

Jerine‘s stash of por…er, I mean TV series. πŸ˜‰

birthday present

Her early birthday present for me – Macallan 12 year old single malt!

Alright, I know most of you have short attention spans so let me put in point form what I like about the Garmin-Asus nuvifone M10:

word mobile

  • The burst mode – it takes 3 photos in a row. It’s perfect for me coz I take 3 photos using regular digicams anyway just to get the right one
  • It’s running on the latest version of Windows Mobile
  • As per the above you get the best of Microsoft – Office Mobile. I wrote this in Word Mobile
  • Facebook? YouTube? Internet Explorer? No problem – like I said – Windows Mobile 6.5.3
  • Awesome Garmin GPS functionality!
  • Messenger! Communicate with your friends on the go!
  • Geotagging on the photos you take – let you friends know where you are
  • 3.5″ WVGA touch screen – no more squinting!

gps

This is an engineering review unit – the Garmin-Asus nuvifone M10 will be released on the 25th of March! It’s the best GPS phone I’ve ever seen – and the awesome thing is you have one less gadget to lug around. Integration FTW, it’s the way of the futureeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

All photos taken with the awesome 5 MP cam on the Garmin-Asus nuvifone except the ones which has the phone it in, obviously. πŸ™‚

You wanna be a rock superstar?

band of brudders

Big house, 5 cars, the rent charged? I think most guys wanted to be in a band when they were teenagers. I sure did. I grew up listening to Green Day, Rancid, Offspring, and the other OC punk scene bands. I’m a huge fan of Araya of Slayer too – he has mad bass skillz. I tried to pick up the guitar when I was 15. A friend of mine actually taught me how to play Smashing Pumpkin’s Zero (can still memorize the chords) but that’s the limit of my talent.

I thought that I’m just not musically inclined, but with hindsight I realized that I just didn’t put in enough effort. We had a band going in Christchurch (did my high school that year in NZ) but I never got to play coz I’m not good enough. However, I do enjoy the jamming sessions and I’ve always wondered how things would turn out if I really gave it the good ol’ college (or high school) try and kept practising.

menzhard

This was me back when I was 15. Damn, I look the part right? Very rocking if I may say so myself.

rave

I party like a rock star and I thrash hotel rooms (and my own place) like a rock star too so I think I can pass off as one so long as I’m not holding a guitar.

bedroom

Yeah, I know a thing or two about thrashing rooms. Heh!

party people

Imagine the groupies you’ll have and the fans throwing their panties at you at your concerts! Think about the ridiculous stuff you can put on your contract rider – M&Ms with all the brown ones taken out, Alaskan King Crab air flown in, Fiji mineral water and all that ludricous crap. πŸ˜‰

Right. Since I’m a little too old (going to be 29 soon) to be starting a band, I can always pretend – a “what if” scenario:

tattoo

Band of Brudders allows you to indulge in your rock star fantasies by creating a band with your fans and customizing it. You start at your house and you can change your hair, body, clothes and even shoes (Jeff wears Birkenstocks).

This is not how I actually look like, I’m not that buff, it’s called “artistic liberty”. I also wanted this flaming skull tattoo but I don’t have enough Street Creds so I need to earn more. I’m nearly au natural coz I’m scared and angry, so I went to take a shower (coz that’s what people do when they’re scared and angry). πŸ˜‰

hair

Okay, all kidding aside, I can be whoever I want to be so I’m donning a hairstyle that would probably get me a warning letter at work.

clothes

This is my virtual wardrobe! I can change everything and best of all, it never needs to be dry cleaned and it’ll never crease. I’m sure you all know about my ongoing run-ins with my laundry service. >.<

There is no ‘I’ in band – even Slash can’t form a band solo (although he tried, kinda, sorta, with his album Slash’s Snakepit) so you’ll need to invite two of your most rockin’ friends to join you in your musical endeavor.

Anyway, after all that is done you need to play the guitar, keyboard and drums before you can proceed. Now, this I can do – it’s like Dance Dance Revolution. Believe it or not, I used to play DDR at the arcades. Heh!

audition

Stages are progressively unlocked as you explore the Band of Brudder site – there’s a driving game where you have to pick up your friends (use your Street Creds instead – this is a tough one), mixing your own song (downloadable as an MP3!) and making your music video (downloadable as an AVI!) until you hit the big time.

songs

We not only rock your socks off, we blow your clothes away!

Check out my underwater music video! It’s easy to create an MV – much like Windows Movie Maker, just click and drag. We’re not wearing any clothes since it’s really hard to swim while jamming 30,000 fathoms beneath the ocean. The musical instruments still work though – like I said – artistic license! πŸ˜‰

music-video

Your debut single from Tune Studio and your MTV from Spotlight Film Studio will be rated by all. Try and get to the Top 10!

ranking

I currently have 0 votes and 0 views. WTF? Our band very 1Malaysia okay! We have a lead singer who used to have a drug problem (hey, it’s part and parcel of the rocker lifestyle!), one Kadazan female from Sarawak and a local girl! Support a bit, ya. Local artists are never going to make it big without grassroots backing. πŸ™‚

Oh, and if you’re wondering how to earn Street Creds, it’s by clicking on the Brylcreem deodorants and facial wash!

sixthseal-mtv

Check out my Band of Brudders (okay the other two are female – fresh026 and KaYe – but hey, equal rights and all).

end

I got my first real six string, bought it at the five and a dime. Played it till my fingers bled, it was the summer of ’69.

My Dream in the Year of the Tiger

jestina

Jestina sent me a photo she took from her BB last Saturday and it made me smile the entire day. I sat there, pondering on why I felt so happy when the proverbial light bulb came on. *cue That’s Amore song* 

bbm

My dream in the Year of the Tiger is, in no uncertain terms, get into a relationship with Jestina Goon. My calculator tells me that I’m hitting 29 in a little more than two months so that means I’ll be pushing 30 next year. The Lunar New Year and Valentine’s Day falls on the very same day this year so this would be the perfect opportunity! =D

I remember singing Ai De Lu Shang Zhi You Wo He Ni (Just the two of us walking down the road of love) over the phone a couple of months ago to her. It’s not as good as Richie Ren’s version, far from it, but it’s the thought that matters right?

I also sent her a rather cheesy email some time ago: 

love-letter

However, with the slow progress, I’m thinking maybe she just doesn’t like the player type. Jestina is a really nice girl so I shall do it By The Book (TM) (1920 edition, went out of print 1950 due to changing times but my dad has a First Cover Edition). πŸ˜‰

Dad: Be a good boy, old skool is gold school, treat her well.

Okay dad. 

melaka chalet

I should take a page from The Egg Yolks‘ book and pursue her properly. He’s getting married soon so he’s gotta be doing something right. Now here’s where the RM 8,888 comes in.

According to the Gentleman’s Playbook (circa 1920) the obligatory procedure is the classic flowers, dinner and date.

a bouquet for you 

However, a small aside on the entry mentions that all these can be skipped if you already know the lady. Thus, I’m going to use it all for a romantic vacation to seal the deal! πŸ˜‰

What is the first thing that comes into mind when you think of romance? Venice

venice

I’ve got this free unlimited flights thing going on (the Year of the Tiger has been good to me) so we’ll only need to pay for one person which comes up to RM 4603 for a return trip.

That leaves RM 4285.

Il-Palazzo

The majority of that will go into accommodation – Il Palazzo is the place to be! It overlooks the Grand Canal and has a personal concierge service. The suites at Bauer Il Palazzo is considered to be the most luxurious in Venice – perfect for a romantic getaway. The suites don’t come cheap at 750 Euros (which works out to RM 3,600) so that leaves me with:

RM 685 

venice-italy

We’ll be doing the gondola thing, visiting all the art museums and dine in romantic hole-in-the-wall restaurants so I really hope I win the Grand Prize which comes with extra RM 1,888 cash to fund the trip.

Crap, that sounds like a something out of a player’s handbook after all. Haha! Oh well.

Anyway, if all goes well you’re all invited to our wedding. πŸ˜‰ 

wedding

Tiger Beer is the official beer for the Year of the Tiger. Do you have a wish you want Tiger Beer to fulfill in the Year of the Tiger? Just write a blog post like this in order to stand a chance to participate in Nuffnangers Run to Win towards the Year of the Tiger. If you snag the first prize, you’ll get your RM 8,888 wish fulfilled in addition to RM 1,888 in cash.

The first male and female runner ups will also have their RM 8,888 dreams granted by Tiger Beer. 88 bloggers will be selected for the run and one of the tasks is to post something on the Tiger Beer Facebook fan page, so if you want to be fast, you’ll have to be a fan of it first!

Just send in your entry to fulfillmywish.tiger@nuffnang.com with your full name and blog post permalink. This very auspicious run will be happening on the 6th of February at 4:30 pm at Bar Madrid, Jaya One! 

jestina-goon

Jestina, I will run like a stampeding bull is behind me with full intention of goring my gonads in its blind fury during the Nuffnang-Tiger run!!!!11111



Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...