Leading the wild into the ways of the man…
KL represent! This was inspired by a New York (NY) gesture that I saw a skater throw and I suddenly got an inspiration to do one for KL while we had drinks over the weekend. Lorraine (second from right) said that the L part of KL is terbalik (upside down) and she told me to invert it and took this photo on her BB:
Lorraine’s KL sign.
Which one do you think looks better? The first “inverted” one or the second one?
It’s made in China. Quality control is not a big priority over there and with no regulating body, malfunctions are bound to happen. When it happens with multi-shot aerial barrages, the results aren’t pretty. The first one happened to my neighbor during Chinese New Year eve when a 48 shot cake blow up right after the fuse went off.
It sent flaming balls of fire everywhere and I watched for a while before the tubes totally lost their integrity and sent some my way. I’m telling you it was the first time for years I’ve ran into the house. My neighbor shouted a quick warning and beat a hasty retreat as well.
It’s a good thing nothing major happened (except to the car of my neighbor).
One of my smaller fireworks cake (a 36 shot) also blew up on the ground a few minutes later. However, this happened after most of it has been sent flying into the air to burst at the proper distance so the damage isn’t that bad.
I was filming it too, and I didn’t even realize it blew up until I felt something zip past me into the house and set one of my t shirts on fire. I was remarkably calm in the video though coz I thought it was a plain misfire (when a tube goes awry) instead of the entire cake blowing up. I was just standing 1 meter away!
You can hear sounds of explosions and fireworks despite none going airborne and the clacking of flying cardboard mortar tubes flying everywhere towards the end.
My mom who was watching from the inside was more concerned since she saw the entire thing. However, most of it missed me though and it was lucky that it happened towards the end.
The other lucky thing that happened is that some of the tubes didn’t ignite (see the white, unblemished cardboard) so it didn’t cause an all out explosion – this can happen if the explosive force separates the burning ones from the rest in time. It’s not a built in safety precaution – merely chance and luck. 🙂
Why do fireworks cake barrages misfire?
1. Well, it’s made up of cardboard mortar tubes.
2. These tubes are linked by a fuse to create an aerial barrage of pyrotechnics.
3. A catastrophic event happens when the tube is not loaded properly and instead of the fuse burning into the next tube in line, the mortar tube (there’s a lot in a fireworks cake) explodes, causing a chain reaction that sends all the other tubes into a massive conflagration on the ground.
You can see where the problem has occurred – instead of burning on to the fuse, it explodes and sends the other mortar tubes on fire – the entire integrity of the cake has been compromised then (it’s not meant to go off on the ground but in the air) so the tubes all start firing in every direction.
This is caused by the Stepping Up 36-shot barrage and I had to pick up cardboard mortar tubes from as far as 25 meters away. 😡
It’s a good thing this is my smaller fireworks cake instead of the bigger ones. I have a huge 20 kg one with 3” shells that would probably wreck havoc if it explodes on the ground.
Happy Chap Goh Meh everyone and stay reckless safe! 😀
I’ve written about this on my FB and thought it was eventful enough to warrant a re-post. I just paid off my entire credit card bill…in one shot.
Why did I do something like that? *smacks forehead
I need *cash* for CNY not *credit*.
However, for the first time in (recent) memory, I have paid every single red cent of my credit card outstanding balance.
Damn that hurt.
I now owe RM 0.
Damn that feels good.
It’s like S&M, it feels good and hurts and the same time.
Happy New Year everyone! I hope you’re all recovering from last night and keeping to your new year’s resolutions. I have two and it’s been smooth sailing so far. I hope. 🙂
It’s a new year, time to start everything afresh. Hope you’ll have an awesome 2012 everyone!
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Saw this on the MilkADeal site:
RM17.50 instead of RM35 for USB Ionic Air Purifier from MLM Vision Enterprise [50% OFF]
I usually have serious reservations about these kind of things. I don’t believe in it. However, if it works as a USB drive, I reckon it’ll be a great novelty item since I collect USB drives. I realized after actually reading it that it’s not a USB drive at all – just a USB air purifier. Oh well, one for the novelty shelf. 😀
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This happened a couple of months ago – stumbled upon the unlisted video just now and thought it would be an apt time to put it up. Heh.
The story behind this was that a couple of us were eating at Jalan Alor late in the night and tried to convince a friend that tomorrow is a Saturday.
(it was not, it’s actually a Wednesday or something)
There were this roving band playing music and I got them to sing “Tong Hua” (coz it just came into my mind) and made a dedication that declared tomorrow a Saturday.
Have a good weekend everyone! 🙂
I started blogging really early. I started out way back in April 2002 when I was studying in Melbourne. There were only a couple of people blogging back then and it was still called a weblog and WordPress didn’t exist (needless to say Blogger).
Anyway, back in those days, people didn’t exactly have a super fast connection but I did. I was using the university OC-12 line so I wanted to be the first weblog updated daily with photos. I moved to Movable Type a few months later for a better CMS. I lost my entire blog once but got it back thanks to David Hicks from Australia, who had saved a copy of it.
I lost all the previous comments during a disastrous server migration once. That’s the reason why there are no comments in the previous posts. I switched to WordPress recently and will be finishing my design soon – but hell, I’ve been saying that for ages. 😉
My Nuffnang Story did not start until 2008. I just got out of rehab, started blogging again and saw that there were two Malaysian ad networks out there. I talked to Tim, who has a very sincere and personal touch, so I went exclusively Nuffnang.
The first time I met the Nuffies (although I don’t know if that term existed then) was in August 2008. I went to KL for the Chelsea match and had dinner with them in Jalan Alor. It was great to meet the people I’ve only known over the net (I was working in Sibu) for the first time.
…fast forward three years
I’ve been with Nuffnang for more than 3 years now and I have to say that it’s been a great time. I’ve been to a lot of their events and got to know all the Nuffies and fellow bloggers. It was still a small and close knit community about two years ago where you know everyone’s name.
Nuffnang, or rather, Nom Nom Media has grown by leaps and bounds since then with branches all over the world and sister companies like Churp Churp.
The community has grown larger now and the first Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards was held in Singapore in 2009. I went and had a blast! It was a very grand event that honored bloggers who excelled in their respective fields.
I won my first (and I think only) award for my blog when I snagged the Red Ribbon Media Awards in 2004. I believe that was the first time blogs were actually recognized in Malaysia in mainstream high-profile events. I didn’t submit my blog and never even knew such an award existed and was pleased when MAC flew me down to KL and put me up in the Mandarin Oriental for the gala dinner.
I got a pewter bowl for winning in the category of Non-Traditional Media (Blogs) and RM 2,500. It was a lot of fun and I can see how having awards can make a blogger feel appreciated. *cough* HINT *cough*
The nominations for the second Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards is open now. If you wish to do so, you can nominate my blog – I don’t know which category I’ll fit in though. It certainly doesn’t quality for Most Original Blog Design. 😉
Which one do I like to think I’ll be categorized under? I’ll say Best Lifestyle Blog seems to be the most fitting one, although I’ve always harbored a secret desire to win the Best Travel Blog. Heh.
Anyway, the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards has always been a very exclusive event and if you want one of the 500 seats available for the dinner, here’s how you get it:
Step 1:
Choose one of your preferred options.
OPTION A
a) Write a blog post titled “My Nuffnang Story”.
b) Tell us about your journey with Nuffnang – the fun times you had, the friends you’ve made; if you’re new to Nuffnang, you can write about the things you are looking forward to as a part of the community!
OPTION B
a) Write a blog post titled “Nuffnang Blog Awards, Here I Come”.
b) Tell us the top 3 reasons why you want to attend the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards 2011.
Step 2:
Your blog post must include information about the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards as below (can be re-written in your own words if you wish):
Come 16 December 2011, 500 bloggers from around the Asia-Pacific region will flock to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards 2011 in Putrajaya Marriott. The Awards aims to not only honour the region’s best bloggers, but also to bring together blogger communities from across Asia-Pacific. The Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards is brought to you by Volkswagen Malaysia and Putrajaya Marriott.
Step 3:
Head on over here to submit your details and permalink.
The best and most creative entries will win one of the 500 seats available! Most important of all, have fun writing the post coz that’s what blogging is all about.
I’ve always had fun writing on the blog. I used to have a category called The making of… which is a bit like the Bonus Features you’ll find in a DVD disc. You have to see it to believe it. Heh! I believe that blogging should be fun above anything else, so enjoy yourselves! 🙂
This is currently the #1 trending topic on Twitter and I figured I’ll do the blog version of #10ThingsIFindAttractive
1. Nice eyes
It’s the window to the soul and all that. It’s the very first thing I notice about a girl actually. I look at the face and catch the eyes. I’m a sucker for nice eyes. I don’t have a particular type that I like – I don’t mind Occidental eyelids as long as it looks good. Bright and intelligent is the look I’m after – it says a lot about the person looking out from them.
2. Filial piety
I know it’s weird to include this in the list but hey, you were raised with certain values and you…well, value those values above all others. Nature vs nurture, this being nurture. I like someone who respects their family (if any). I’m a meet-the-family kind of guy and usually (means more than 50% – would put a higher figure but I don’t know if I can back it up 
) their parents like me. I’ll like to raise a family with the same values – not the old skool MY WORD IS LAW version (au contraire) but one of mutual respect.
You want to know your children have your back, just as you’re there for your parents and this is a kind of thing that can only be pulled off with both parents believing in the same ideals.
3. Nice legs
Hey, what can I say? You know the question that goes “tits or ass”? I’m neither. I’m a leg person. I like nice legs. It’s what turns me on. I honestly don’t really care for breasts – my brain is just not wired like that, but legs…now that’s a whole different matter.
4. Thinks for herself
This is quite important as I abhor sheeple. I don’t like people who’s all cliquey and can’t think for themselves and follows the herd. Nope, not even if you’re the leader of the clique. I have nothing but contempt for group think.
Intelligence also goes into here. It’s either-or – someone who thinks for herself MUST be intelligent. It’s not a slippery slope argument, it just is. I love intelligence – it’s the smart ones that always attracts me.
5. Humor
I don’t need a comedian in my life. By humor, I don’t mean someone who cracks jokes every single day (that would be rather annoying). Humor is just perspective – a way of looking at our fucked up lives, shrugging and saying “Hey, it is what it is” with a wry grin.
In other words, someone who can still be upbeat in spite of all the shit life has thrown at you. Example:
Me: Fuck man, I’ve got liver cirrhosis.
Her: What song do you want me to play at your funeral?
Dark humor is fine, as long as you know she loves you and cares about you deep down. Devastated even, but still game for a final hurrah – a trip around the world in the last 3 months of your life.
6. Honesty
I once had an ex-girlfriend who told me something rather shocking. Verbatim:
Her: Huai Bin, we need to talk. I have something to tell you.
Me: What is it?
Her: You remember the Dormicum I took yesterday?
Me: How could I forget? I told you not to, coz you’re drinking after that.
Her: Well…I did and I ended up in a hotel room with this guy. I honestly can’t remember if we had sex. I think we might have but I’m not sure.
You know what? I forgave her for that. She was honest enough to want a relationship without lies and living with that guilt and I admired her for that. She considered hiding it from me but ended up choosing to tell me after a day. It was the bravest thing I’ve seen someone do as I know that she really loved me at that time and vice versa.
(after the initial shock and feelings of betrayal have passed)
Me: You did wear a condom right?
Her: I can’t remember but I’m pretty sure the guy would.
See: Dark humor. It really makes a relationship last.
7. Public displays of affection
I’m one of the people who likes it. Seriously, it warms my heart to see couples in their old age holding hands. I’m not talking about hand snaking into flies and groping under skirts – not the “Get a fucking room” kind of PDA but a more subdued, constant touch like holding hands, leaning into me in a cinema etc.
8. Straight hair
I can’t explain it. I just don’t like curly hair – the texture isn’t for me. It’s just a quirk of mine, just like I don’t like too much makeup on a girl.
I have a slight inclination towards long hair but have seen girls with short hair that looks awesome too. Just as long as it’s straight.
9. Caring
This shouldn’t even be in the list. It’s a no-brainer. Everyone likes to feel cared for, even the toughest Neanderthal back in the days would probably grunt in agreement. The opposite can manifest – fake and “routine” deals like saying “How was your day, honey?” without meaning it.
(and not wanting to hear the answer)
I’ll go for a more sincere understanding that we care about each other any day.
10. Kindness
Isn’t this the same as caring? No, kindness is a way of life. It’s about forgiving and forgetting the small stuff (and even some of the big ones).
It’s what keeps you going when all the serotonin excitement has gone out of your relationship and you’ve settled into a more comfortable dopamine – oxytocin long term relationship.
It also helps if you break up – you don’t have a vengeful and angry ex girlfriend on your ass threatening to castrate you with a rusty butter knife.
Hey, always better to remain friends right? 🙂
What are the things you find attractive in the opposite (or same, if you swing that way) sex?
I have written a rather lengthy post about my life. Most of you have heard that I’ve been through rehab. Some of you know that I’ve been to jail before. Not many of you know the whole story.
It’s one about how a young and innocent kid started experimenting with drugs out of curiosity and how it quickly snowballed from recreational use into a vast methamphetamine and opiate addiction that nearly killed me and brought me to depths of depravation I never have thought I was capable of.
They say curiosity killed the cat…
…but satisfaction brought it back!
I’m not really sure that statement is true. It certainly rolls off the tongue nicely, but with the sacrifices I’ve made and the state of my health as it stands today – it bears to navel gaze and ask myself – “Was it all really worth it?”
I guess that’s a question only I can answer.
It’s an unfortunate situation which I always say is essentially a “victimless crime” and drugs should be legalized but when you think about it and the havoc it wrecks on your family and loved ones…
…can you really say that it’s a victimless crime?
I don’t mean from a legalistic standpoint, but rather a moral one.
Pull up a chair coz here’s the entire story about how I thought I was too intelligent to be addicted. This is a story of an arrogant youth who played with fire, thinking that he’s the exception…not knowing that the road to hell is paved with people who thought the exact same thing.
It’s also a tale of redemption and most of all holding true to your core values, like loving my family, who has bailed me out so many times I couldn’t keep count. Here’s to my mom and dad for believing in their son, even after so many overdose hospitalizations, arrests, and rehabilitation centers.
I love you guys.
My article was published in Prudential’s R U Ready Facebook page in its entirety. R U Ready is a forum for adults to share your experiences, advice and tips about life. Go Like the page and surf on over to read the whole story, straight from the horse’s mouth.
I just love this shop. I found heaps of them in Hong Kong around Mongkok. They have exact replicas of most firearms – except these aren’t replicas per se. It uses 6 mm BB pellets loaded into a shell casing, which goes into your magazine. The Airsoft guns are remarkably realistic – you rack the slide back and a shell goes into the chamber. The pellet is released when you squeeze the trigger with a burst of propellant.
It’s made with stainless steel parts so it’s about as heavy as a real gun. I really like how these things work – they can be used as a prop or for paintball games, with a harder hit (steel BBs can kill a bird).
Unfortunately, you can’t get these things into Malaysia. The person told me he can break it down into three parts and I’ll have to take the risk in bringing them back. However, the largest part still looks like a piece from a firearm and replicas like these (realistic make, color, shape and to a certain extent – function) is not legal in Malaysia.
…and guess what? It just so happened that we were selected for secondary inspection at customs when we got out. It’s a good thing I didn’t buy it then. 😉
Time.
That is my particular pet peeve. I hate it when people are late.
It shows that you think your time is more valuable than mine.
It’s fucking disrespectful.
I don’t care if there’s a traffic jam – leave earlier if you know it’s going to be congested. There’s no excuses for being late.
I always try to be early and in the few occasions I can count on my hand that I’m late, I’ll call ahead and tell the people I’m meeting up with that I will be late, citing the reason(s) for my tardiness.
However, just now, I got lost (NO EXCUSES!) due to my GPS and was one of the last ones to arrive. I did call ahead to say I’ll be late (my GPS told me to go down an extremely narrow pedestrian walk and I scraped the front of my car trying to reverse out) but I still feel really bad about it. For every Garmin GPS user, it is very important that they keep on updating the maps to enjoy the latest and unknown territory. Sometimes, Garmin issues map updates with some unique features which you were not able to experience in the older Garmin GPS devices. To know about how to update garmin gps go through this.
I think it’s my obsession with time. I suspect it also has something to do with my past.
Back then, everyone had to wait, even celebrities (read Life by Keith Richards). It’s a mixture of two things – people in this particular line of work are generally tardy, especially if they are consumers too. However, it’s most of all, a power play.
It practically shouts – I HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANT AND YOU HAVE TO WAIT THE ENTIRE GODDAMNED NIGHT FOR ME AND THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. HAH!
It’s an expression of dominance. I know. I’ve done it before, sad to say. In closed markets like that – you have no choice. You wait.
I’ve waited eight (8) fucking hours IN MY CAR about 9 years ago when I haven’t established myself in a new place. He was the only person I knew.
I had delusions of shooting the guy in the face and that was what sustained me. I didn’t do it though. It would have gotten me shot as well, if not at that time, then sometime in the near future.
…when he finally came, I had to fork over the money with a shit eating grin on my face.
It’s degrading and shameful. You hate yourself, but still, you wait, coz the hold it has over you is stronger than your pride. Fuck, it hurts to admit that, but it’s true.
…but that’s all in the past now. I have started a new life (and brought over the emotional baggage where I abhor waiting ) and I don’t do it anymore.
I still have a thing about time though. I don’t like to be kept waiting and I don’t keep others waiting.
Being on time is a virtue a lot of people don’t get. If you say you’re going to be there at a certain time, then be there!
That is what I meant to say in this post – either be on time or inform the other person and postpone it to another date if you can’t make it.
Don’t make people waste their time waiting. Time is something you’ll never get back.
Tempus is fugiting!
I get angry enough to tackle a train when kept waiting. That’s my pet peeve.
What’s yours? Were you ever so angry you tackled a train?
