I Plant A Tree in Ulu Segama, Sabah!

sabah islands

This is what people usually think about when they think of Sabah! Azure waters for diving, white beaches for sunbathing…

mt kinabalu

…and of course Mt. Kinabalu! I climbed to the summit of Mt. Kinabalu in 2005. It’s a beautiful place and the trek towards the summit is filled with all sorts of flora and fauna.

mt kinabalu peak

However, all this is only possible through conservation and keeping nature pristine. Sabah is doing a lot towards eco-tourism and a lot of their recent efforts is helping environmental causes e.g. banning the trade of shark’s fin.

plant tree

I’m all for doing something for Mother Nature! I’ve been involved in tree planting campaigns before and I think it’s a wonderful way to give back to the Earth!

Every tree planted will help contribute to the environment by reducing greenhouse gases and producing more oxygen and that’s always a good thing in our fast expanding industrial modernization efforts.

senq plant tree

That’s what Sabah has to offer – lots of nature – and senQ Digital Station is doing a wonderful thing to keep it that way via their I Plant A Tree campaign.

Basically, senQ Digital Station is going to plant a tree to help conserve the environment in their brand new Eco campaign. For every pair inverter air-conditioners sold at any Senheng or senQ Digital station all over Malaysia, one tree will be planted in North Ulu Segama, Sabah!

I think that’s a wonderful thing to do since each tree will help offset our carbon emissions.

facebook contest

To top it off, senQ Digital Station is running a Facebook contest where you can win a trip to Ulu Segama, Sabah to actually plant a tree with your own hands! I can’t tell you how fulfilling that is! πŸ™‚

The Facebook contest is very fair too:

i plant tree

That’s all you need for a chance to win! It’s *not* another popularity contest so you don’t have to ask for β€œLikes”. All you need to do is to share that I Plant A Tree poster five (5) times throughout the contest period and you’ll get a chance to win that trip! The winners will be chosen randomly so everyone has an equal chance of winning.

6 winners will be selected from all the people who have met the contest requirements (sharing the poster 5 times) and the winners will experience an amazing vacation package to Ulu Segama in Sabah in the final phase of the I Plant A Tree campaign with other invited guests.

facebook plant tree

I’ve already shared the poster on my timeline.

plant trees

Go do your part by sharing the I Plant A Tree poster on your Facebook timeline now and you could win the trip to Sabah to do it for real! πŸ˜€

Beer ergonomics

ergonomics

Ergonomics is important, particularly if you’re doing something for a long time. You know, like how they have ergonomic keyboards for cubicle warriors. Now, beer lovers in Malaysia will have the same consideration – this is of particular import for those who loves their beer. πŸ˜‰

fuckyeah

Finally beer drinkers everywhere would have a more comfortable bottle to hold on to! I reckon that’s quite thoughtful of Heineken – designing a new bottle that’s not only looks cool, but feels good. The new bottle has an embossed curve on the neck and back with an embossed Heineken logo and the iconic star. It’s also slimmer but don’t worry, it contains the same amount of liquid. smirk

heineken k2

The new bottle of Heineken is going to replace the current ones for a more modern and easy to hold long necked design. I like it coz I can hold the bottle by the neck and not unintentionally warm the beer with my hand. There’s also a thumb groove that gives a bit of traction and grip! Nifty eh?

…and with Heineken being a premium beer, they’re not pinching pennies with the launch. It’s going to be an exclusive party where YOU can get a chance to attend as well. πŸ˜€

ferry corsten

Let me tell you about the party, my friends. There will be plenty of Heineken flowing to fuel the energy, which is turn in provided by DJ Ferry Corsten (a.k.a. System F) who will be spinning that night with VJ UTT as the host. It’s another money-can’t-buy experience that is a signature of Heineken events – it’s invite only and there’s an extremely limited amount of open spots.

The only way you can score an invite is by participating in the Heineken to.a.star app on Facebook.

receive beer

I’ve already received a couple on my Facebook Wall. All you need to do is to send your friends on Facebook a virtual new bottle of Heineken. Quick, send one now! Here’s how it works:

scan palm facebook

Go to the Heineken to.a.star app and virtually scan your palm to pull out your Facebook details.

toast a friend

Toast Your Friends by sending them a Heineken bottle. Choose them carefully coz you only have a limited amount (20 bottles) to send and you want them to return the toast. πŸ˜‰

send beer

Be a nice person and send one back coz it’ll give them points in the form of β€œbottles”. I currently have 3 bottles.

party

Collect as many bottles/points as you can, you need to receive at least 10 bottles to qualify and you just might win 2 exclusive invites to the Heineken bottle launch party! DJ Ferry Corsten is coming in all the way from the Netherlands, which is the birthplace of Heineken! πŸ™‚

It’s going to be big. It’s going to be epic. It’s going to be…wait for itlegendary! πŸ™‚

See you all there! πŸ™‚

Shotgun

I remember back when I was studying in Christchurch, NZ it became something of a trend to call β€œshotgun” if you want the front seat beside the driver. I know, it sounds silly but we were all 15 back then (with some older kids) and 15 is the age when you can get your driver’s permit over there.

Anyway, there are RULES to calling shotgun – you can’t do it, say, as soon as you exit a car. I can’t remember all of them but basically a valid shotgun call is when everyone is heading off and you’re actually in the car park.

amsterdam central station

Well, it was during those high school years that I first started taking KLM for Singapore – New Zealand flights. I had to to spend the night in Changi when I came back coz it was cheaper to transit in Singapore than KL.

flower market

I have been to a lot of places since then including two sojourns to Europe earlier this year. The last Europe trip I went on was basically a backpacking trip, from London all the way to Latvia and Georgia. The only place (besides London) that I visited twice in a row was Amsterdam. I love the city and all it has to offer! πŸ™‚

Well, KLM is the national airlines of the Dutch and they’re having this awesome contest where you can win a trip for two to Jakarta. The mechanism is pretty simple – it somehow reminded me of my adolescent shotgun anecdote.

amsterdam canal

I swear this has gotta be the best contest ever. It’s not a popularity contest so everyone gets an equal chance. It’s more like a lottery!

(except with WAY better odds)

klm facebook

Basically, you have to Like the KLM Malaysia Facebook page and wait for the game to start. Once it begins, you’ll be able to see 1-3 planes. Each plane has 400 seats and ONE of those seats is the winning ticket. The Golden Ticket if you will…

…and if you happen to be lucky enough to tag that particular seat, well, you’ll be like Charlie and off to the destination you’ll go, courtesy of KLM. You’ll get to bring along a friend as well!

Now who’s gonna turn down a trip for two – especially if there’s a myriad of destinations to choose from. It’s as easy as it comes, kinda like playing Bingo, except again with better odds. πŸ˜‰

Like the KLM Malaysia Facebook page now and get a chance to win flights for two!

nutcracker

I really expect a frenzy of activity when they start this coz the mechanics is simple, fair and the odds of winning are really high. πŸ˜€

Planking

beach

I just came back from a trip to Kuantan where I got to swim in the blue seas and get some planking photos done. Heh!

sandcastles

You’ve all heard of the phenomenon that started in Australia and swept worldwide…unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the past few months, that is. It really only hit mainstream news when someone died while planking on a balcony.

balcony planking

I’ve seen some crazy stunts by plankers on the Planking Facebook page which started it all. What is planking? In a nutshell, all you do is lie face down with your hands by your side at the most ridiculous places. It’s just as simple as that.

rail planking

I did the heated swimming pool rail at the resort (or at least tried to). This is a totally failed planking attempt since it’s really hard to balance on a wet and slippery 10 cm rail and perform a perfect plank.

heated pool

The good: I was cheered on by a bunch of people vacationing there and chilling in the pool. Plus, since it is the Hyatt Grand Regency Resort, none of the staff wanted to be the one to stop a paying guest at a 5 star hotel. Heh!

fail planking

The bad: I have bruises everywhere and my family jewels hurt like nobody’s business. Why? Think about it. It’s a 45 degree railing. You’re planking on a steep downward incline, trying to get the perfect form. It’s wet. When you lose your grip (what grip?), guess which part of your anatomy hits the rail before you slide into the pool or fall on the side? Yes, ouch indeed. -_-

planking

I also did the notorious balcony planking photo there. We were at the 4th floor so it wasn’t very high up and the rail was relatively large enough to do it without an excessive chance of you falling down and ending in the ER. It’s not the perfect form but it’s close enough without being too dangerous. Also, if you look, there is a safety awning which would probably hold my weight if I fell down the wrong side of the building.

I have to say though, planking is a very idiotic meme that has swept the net for reasons unknown. It’s dangerous and it’s stupid. I suggest you do something better with your time…like playing the Funbots Dance Facebook app!

facebook

It’s also another Facebook activity so there’s that in common. Heh! It’s basically a game by Munchy’s to celebrate their 20th anniversary. They’ve been around since 1991 and this year, in the spirit of the Share the Fun campaign, four Funbots have been created – Michael Oven, DJ Mixer, ChopChop, and BeatBox. Witty! smirk

funbots-origin

There’s a real life parallel to this – the Funbot characters will begin their physical journey from 19th May, starting at the Munchy’s factory in Batu Pahat and ending in 1 Utama Oval Concourse where there will be a grand celebration from 1-5th June. Mark your calendars now coz fun and games await! Come and join the celebrations! πŸ™‚

funbots-melaka

In the meantime, stay out of trouble and play the Funbots Dance app on Munchy’s Facebook page. It’s strangely addictive and you get to win prizes including a Macbook Pro, iPad 2 and other Apple products instead of a trip to the hospital. πŸ˜‰

You can also track the progress of the Funbots journey to 1 Utama on the page. Come and beat my score now! w00t!

What is your first car?

aussie-car

My first car was a second hand vehicle I picked up during my university years in Melbourne, Australia. The cars are cheap over there, especially used cars, and it’s served me well during my time there. I was rather sad to see it go.

However, it does make me wonder – if I were in Malaysia at that time, what car would I choose as my first car?

Well, if I used the same selection criteria, it would have to be economical, fuel efficient and yet look awesome. I can really only see one possible selection here.

roads

Did you know that the Myvi is the bestselling car in Malaysia for 4 years running? I can see why it’s so popular – it’s priced cheaper than most other cars in the market and unlike other Malaysian made cars, this one actually looks great!

The Myvi is a result of a collaboration between Perodua with Toyota and Daihatsu and even Richard Hammond (of Top Gear fame) praised the Perodua Myvi. I know a lot of people who owned Myvi’s as their first car – some of them still drive them. It is a rather neat car and the size and engine makes it very practical for use in Malaysia with our traffic congestion and parking problems.

myvi-boot

On another related matter (you’ll see), the song Marry You by Bruno Mars has been stuck in my head for ages. I saw the glee version of it first and I didn’t know who the original artists were. I was a bit appalled when I found out it was Bruno Mars coz I don’t listen to pop music so I decided this would be my secret guilty pleasure. πŸ˜‰

I’ve always liked how the cast of glee can break into song and dance at the drop of a hat and pull it off so well. I can’t sing to save my life. People PAY me to stay out of their karaokes. πŸ˜‰

Okay, I’m exaggerating there but you get the point. I’m basically tone deaf but I like to sing anyway. I love singing in the shower, when I work, and I occasionally also inflict my horrible singing upon all and sundry. This is one of those times. smirk

telawi

I made a video with my own version of Marry You – I totally butchered the lyrics, of course. It’s meant to be a bit of a parody, like the fun and quirky Singaporean β€œremakes” of popular songs back in the ’90s, and most importantly, leave a happy vibe. Don’t let my singing put you off, check out the video that I made:

This video is for The Perodua Auditions in conjunction with the launch of the Perodua Facebook page. They’re running a contest where you can win RM 10,000 by making a video and sharing it with your friends. The video can be about anything – sing, dance, act, jump, scream or just show why you’re Perodua’s biggest fan and upload it. Don’t forget to include the line β€œPerodua, lagi best” as part of your video – it’s the only requirement. πŸ™‚

perform

Feel free to submit as many videos as you want as this contest does not require proof of purchase or anything ridiculous like that to enter. You can get a better chance at winning the RM 10,000 grand prize if by sharing it with your friends and getting them to vote for you. There will be also 5 consolation prizes of an iPad 2!

ipad2

Well, not this one, this is the custom engraved iPad 2 that I just got, but a new iPad 2.

boot

Like the new Perodua Facebook page now and start uploading your videos and sharing them in The Perodua Auditions to be a winner! RM 10,000 and iPad 2’s are up for grabs, so it’s nothing to sneeze at, and it’s just so easy to join. πŸ™‚

The Social Network (Facebook movie) ticket giveaway!

You don’t get to 500 million enemies without making a few friends. smirk

I like this.

The_Social_Network

I can’t wait to catch this movie. The Social Network is now the #1 grossing movie in Hollywood and it’s all about Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg. As with most people, I started out with Friendster and switched to Facebook. Despite the fact that this movie is based on a book in which no Facebook staff is consulted, including Zuckerberg, it still intrigues me.

I still remember the early days of Facebook – they had really awful banner ads in black and white that goes something like “Find Your Friends” but for the Google Images of me I can’t find it now. Nevermind! This is about The Social Network:

I don’t care if it hurts. I wanna have control. I wanna perfect body. I wanna perfect soul. I want you to notice when I’m not around.

The Social Network screening details:

Date: 1 Nov (Mon)
Time: 9 pm
Venue: GSC Mid Valley
Ticket collection: 8 pm till 9 pm

I’ll keep this short and simple. I’ve got 19 tickets to give away so if you want one just comment and say:

I Like This!
(insert why you want to watch The Social Network)

The ticket collection will be handled by Nuffnang so please ensure that your email address when you comment is accurate so I can email you and get your full name. Please state if you want a +1 so I can allocate two tickets for you.

500 million

I love Mark Zuckerberg’s take on the unauthorized movie – We build products that 500 million people see. If 5 million people see a movie, it doesn’t really matter that much.

FUIYOH! That’s confidence for you. smirk

25 Random Things About Me

I have been tagged so many times that I feel obliged to do this. This narcissistic meme has run its course, but that’s the best time to be doing it coz I’m not particularly a big fan of doing lists. Thus, without further ado:

1. I have a problem with time. It makes me nervous if I’m about to be late so I give myself a 15-30 minute “grace period”. Even if I know it’ll only take me 10 minutes to reach a certain destination I will leave the condo at 8:15 pm for a 9 pm appointment. Cutting it too close to the deadline makes me feel like my bladder is going to void itself. :S

2. I was locked in the toilet of the local public library when I was 9 years old. The library was closing and I went to take a pee and the guards didn’t know I was in there and locked the entire place up. My mom realized I was missing and called the library people to open up the place. I was in there for perhaps half an hour and it felt like an entire night! I think a lot of this has to do with my issues with time.

3. My mom used to lock me in the store room when I misbehaved when I was 5-6 years old. It was totally dark inside the store room – it’s the kind that goes under the stairs and comes sans windows. I was also afraid of our table fan (without the protective cover) so when I didn’t want to take my afternoon nap she would open the protective cover and put the fan next to me so I had no choice but to close my eyes. The naked unmoving fins – I remember it was blue – scared the shit out of me for reasons unknown.

4. I was punished by beatings via broomsticks, vacuum cleaner tubes and belts when I didn’t get good results when I was in primary school. I would get beaten if I didn’t get 80 marks, a scolding and a good twist of the ear if I didn’t get above 90 and a verbal lashing for anything above that. Even for 99. “It’s just 1 mark till you get 100, why can’t you even do that?”.

5. I got so sick of it I threw a kitchen chopper at my mom when I was 13. I really meant to hurt her. I faced off with my dad at around the same age and totally rebelled. They never did beat me again after that.

6. My mom started to pull out her hair and cry (reverse psychology) whenever I did badly in exams after that. I think my tolerance and seeming indifference to girlfriends crying and begging stemmed from that. It just doesn’t bother me anymore coz I have been desensitized to all that reverse psychology shit.

7. I think the way I treat my girlfriends has a lot to do with how my mom treated me when I was a kid. It’s a really bad thing, all the mistrust, the misplaced anger, the suspicion, the constant demand for perfection. It drove me nuts, and I imagine it drove many of my ex-girlfriends nuts too. πŸ˜‰

8. I started masturbating when I was 7 years old. I blame a faulty shower head at the public swimming pool for my early forays into the world of carnal knowledge. The faulty faucet caused a high intensity, high pressure jet of water into my swimming trunks and gave me a “funny feeling”. I kept it there and got the first orgasm of my life. I soon started emulating it at home, pushing away the bucket we use for collecting water and went sitting in front of the tap. It worked but it took me about an hour or so to come. My parents were always wondering about my long baths. I suspect they knew but didn’t want to ask.

9. I didn’t actually have a wet dream until I was 14. I remember it being the first or second day of Chinese New Year and I came all over my pajama bottoms (I wasn’t a fan of wearing underwear). I rushed out, feeling guilty despite all the sex education I had and tried to wash it off. My dad walked out, saw what happened, and sleepily told me to just dump it into the laundry bin and change my clothes and walked back into his room.

10. I have only really loved one person in my entire life. She was 29 and I was 25 and she was perfect for me. A series of unfortunate events caused her to break off the relationship. She’s a Senior Pharmacist in a private hospital and had a great education, speaks perfect English and is intelligent to boot. She cheated on her boyfriend to be with me and she’s the only one I really wanted to have kids with. The last I heard from her, she got back with her ex-boyfriend. I can still remember her cell phone number. :S

11. I had a crush when I was 17 on a classmate, but it was just a crush and we’re still friends now. I was also recently involved with someone whom I might have loved but unfortunately she was engaged. She revealed her plans to break off her engagement to her parents and that didn’t go down too well with her parents (nor the parents of the fiance) and she was forced to go to Singapore and be with her fiance. I haven’t heard from her since. These two are the only other relationships worth mentioning.

12. I have problems maintaining long term relationships. The longest relationship I ever had was with Louisa but it was more like a friendship than a relationship. *shrugs*

13. I hate coins. I never ever use them and it just piles up in my room and random places around the condo. I only use notes. The reason I hate coins is coz they’re bulky, heavy, scratches your gadgets and they smell funny. Once my friend harvested over RM2,000 in coins from my apartment in Kuching. No shit. Granted, I have been living there for over 3 years and my distaste for coins is bound to result in a bounty like that. I gave him 10% of the harvest.

14. My favorite comfort food is stewed pork leg. I love it to bits! OMG! The tender, soy sauce marinated flesh just practically falling off the bone, the chewy fat and skin with the creamy mouth-feel, the chunks of meat soaked in slightly garlic soy sauce marinate. I can eat a pot of this stuff. It’s gonna clog my arteries, but damn, I love the stuff! πŸ™‚ I’m drooling just from writing about it.

15. I’m a very poor judge of character. I let people get too close to me and trust people too easily. It’s a very bad thing and I’ve been burnt more than a few times but I still keep on doing it. I have learnt to be more cautious in relationships though – at work and off work. I’m sick of people I consider friends backstabbing me.

16. I have a problem with people who asserts their authority over me. I don’t like people who are loud and brash when talking to me, a sure-fire way to piss me off. On the other hand I’m not too bothered by this at the office coz the real people in power are usually tactful and polite. It’s just the wannabes who tend to be insecure that feels the need to be loud and assertive. I work well with people who are polite and respectful. I have no respect for people who feels that the best way to communicate is by shouting. I usually have to restrain myself from choking people like that. :S

17. I listen to a lot of ’94 Orange County bands like Green Day, The Offspring, and Rancid. I love NOFX and have listened to all of their albums (and know practically most of the lyrics). I used to hate Eminem coz I grew up listening to Tupac Shakur but tried him on for size and realized that I relate better to Eminem’s lyrics. I don’t think I’ll be “bringing terror with this Beretta I clutch in my paw” anytime soon. πŸ˜‰

18. I read a lot of books. I have loved reading ever since I started at 7 years old. I used to read a lot of Stephen King (and have read all of his novels except the Dark Tower series) but have diversified my interests to stuff like The Kite Runner. I’m a voracious reader and can go through a lot of books in a week – I read anything from Dan Brown style religious thrillers to science fiction/cyberpunk. I love books and I love reading.

19. I could drink 5 liters of milk a day (the huge 5 litre family bottles) when I was in Australia but I seem to have lactose intolerance nowadays. I can barely drink 500 ml without feeling slightly sick and getting diarrhea the next day. I blame that on my impaired liver function.

20. I used to drink every day. I would drink every single ni
ght right after work just so
I can sleep. I realize I have a problem with alcohol and have stopped drinking every single night. Nowadays, I tend to keep the drinking to weekends. I didn’t drink the past weekend though coz I was having a fever and not feeling all that well. πŸ™‚

21. I’m paying RM 1,100 for rent for a condominium all to myself. I’m wondering if I can afford it anymore and if I should be getting a housemate to share the expenses.

22. Time heals all wounds. I really believe in that. I have attempted suicide before in my deepest and darkest hours due to the girl I loved (see #10) when I thought it wasn’t worth it anymore, that I couldn’t live without her. I’m glad I didn’t kick the bucket then, coz it feels great to be alive! =D

23. I tend to be very sleep deprived all the time due to not getting my prescribed 8 hours. I wake up at about 6:30 am every morning and I sleep late coz I have to update the blog, and get involved with other social obligations.

24. My recent favorite emoticon is the :S in MSN. I’ve been using it a lot lately, coz I’m feeling :S in recent days. Heh!

25. I’m very lazy when it comes to doing household chores. I don’t like ironing, hanging out the laundry and sweeping. It’s just not my thing, thus the rapid degradation of my living quarters whenever I don’t have a girlfriend to clean up after me. :S

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