Xandra

Today, I was at 1U sending my son for tuition when I bumped into an ex-colleague of the firm I used to work with. He used to work for me when he was a young analyst, doing some RFP consolidation work.. talented guy, had a great voice, he left the firm to do his own thing.

He saw me, and he introduced his girl friend.. Xandria. I was looking at her, Ray Bans, Bandana.. so I said.. "Xandria... Xandria Ooi ah?"

"Ya"

"Wah Lao eh (I said as I turned to my ex colleague), you sly bastard you... "

Apparently (apparently la) she just did some lasix surgery that's why she had to do the Rayban thingy (so she said when I asked if she dressed that way to avoid detection). She was quite bubbly. Not as chubby as when we see on TV, but she was covered head to toe in leotards so I couldn't check out her sexiness (haiya...). But my wife was with me so she was even more excited! ("Xandra Ooi worr....")

Who? www.xandriaooi.com

Scenes from Mumbai

This is the Gateway to India. Mumbai's most famous monument, this is the starting point for most tourists who want to explore the city. It was built as a triumphal arch to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary, complete with four turrets and intricate latticework carved into the yellow basalt stone. Ironically, when the Raj ended in 1947, this colonial symbol also became a sort of epitaph: the last of the British ships that set sail for England left from the Gateway. Today this symbol of colonialism has got Indianised, drawing droves of local tourists and citizens. Behind the arch, there are steps leading down to the water. Here, you can get onto one of the bobbing little motor launches, for a short cruise through Mumbai's splendid natural harbour.



Below is Ghandi's house in Mumbai.


Some pictures on Dhoby Ghaut, which is a hand wash service out in this massive space!

Guitar Hero Air Guitar Product

I want this!

check this out..

Hotel Intercon

I'm down in Singapore now. Decided to take a break and do my annual pilgrimage down south to help the economy there.

When I arrived at Hotel Intercon, the receptionist told me that her "guest relations officer" (mmm) will escort me up to my room. There she came, a cute one, perky t*ts, super short mini skirt. The only tak steam thing was my wife and son was with me. Alah..... lemah... So there I was, with my son bouncing up and down the hallway, making it hard for me to concentrate on her butt...

But I digress. The hotel was nice. But then I saw this super cheem 2 bottles of water, each only 250 mls in the room.. Pellegrino. I'm like.. wah lao.. why so branded one?

I called the guest relations chick and I asked her "eh.. these 2 bottles.. why not just give me spritzer.. my previous trips you guys always gave me the Singapore branded bottles.. it was like 500 mls each, and 3 bottles each day.."

The girl said "those 2 bottles are welcome gift. Nowadays, no more complimentary bottles each day"

Basket! Damn kedekut!

Astro sux

These few days, I'm damn fed up with Astro. For those not living in Malaysia, Astro is a satellite television broadcast service that has a receiver box with the tagline "Digital Multimedia Terminal". Now that is just one big freaking lie. Why? Despite all the so-called digital broadcast, Astro’s picture truly sucks big time. They are so shitty that Sony has to come up with an Astro Enhancement Mode for its Bravia line of LCD TVs. In fact, most stores refuse to use Astro when doing demos with TVs because if they did it would be the equivalent of watching your privates under a microscope. Lemah looking colour, grainy picture, slow frame per second, and sometimes pixelated picture makes me wonder if I’m watching our nation's premier cable station or a ciplak VCD. Try comparing terrestrial channels (TV1, TV2, TV3, NTV7) using normal VHF/UHF antenna to the TV1, 2, and 3 from Astro.

What's worst is recently I bought a brand spanking (tv lah) new 42 inch (i'm still talking abt the TV) LCD tv. True HD with 1960 pixel thingamajig and all those bells and whistles.

But Kanina.. my testicles nearly exploded when I hooked it up to Astro.. I'm like, WTF.. why is the picture quality like cock? Then I did some investigation and found out all these lies Astro says abt it being a "Digital Multimedia Terminal" (DMT) ... digital my ass.. Astro gives out an analogue signal.

I went to the DMT, turned it around, and worst still, it only supports S Cable. Not even the Blue, Green, Red Component cables... teruk...

Talking abt Component Cables, I originally hooked up my old PS2 to my LCD and again I thought the pictures were like crap. I realised that the PS2 gives out 576 resolution, and my TV terlalu sensitive so it picks up all imperfections. I recently I bought some component cables which seperated the blue, green and red signals to seperate cables and wah lan, I can now play Fifa 2008 and when Javier Mascherano sliding tackles Christiano Ronaldo, I can see Ronaldo really whining his head off so clearly. Sweet.

Simply Hantam video from 2005

Finally, I got around to posting this video of Simply Hantam playing at the 2005 BUM. It's only 30 seconds.. thank god!

Country Bumkin

I've been staying at my new place for 3 days already... and I can tell you the feeling is like Katak di bawah tempurung. Sudah lah, I'm a Malacca boy.. from small town.. previously staying in a modest housing area, now moving into an upmarket and yuppie area.. and I'm still not used to living here!

I still walk around shirtless. I still dress shambolically (if I do dress up) at home. I still throw my rubbish in re-used Jaya Jusco or Tesco plastic bags (instead of paying for proper garbage bags).... ya la.. my wife said.. how la, people look at us they cannot believe we're staying in such a place! :)

Moved In!

Here are some pictures of my new house!

My New House

Some of you have been bugging me to put up pictures of my new place. I haven't really taken much, but here's how the house was "being built" from many months ago..

This was one of my early shots of the house


Progressive build...




Here's after I gained possession, and me building a pond in the garden...

House for Sale!

In a day's time, I will be shifting house. I'm taking the opportunity to put up my house in Bukit Rahman Putra for sale. Here's a picture. Lemme know in the comments whether you're interested. Partially furnished. 20 X 70. 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms.

Kazahstan Idol

Last few days I was in a KL hotel attending an Asia wide conference..and in a bid to spice up my presentation, I spent a few hours thrawling thru you tube to find funny videos.

I found this one...



And apparently after that dude did that on the show, it became a hit! Look at this!

Sorry

It's been a while since I blogged.. and I have been getting many emails reprimanding me on why the sudden slowdown.. aiyo... normal la... busy.. but then again, that's not a good excuse...

Another reason why I have been holding back writing is because I guess the circle of folks reading this blog has indeed increased beyond my expectations. When I started writing this, I was quite a fed up consultant in a large consulting organisation (let's call it A).. so most of the folks reading my blog were folks from A.

Then when I moved, I went and joined organisation X. (haha.. you guys thought I would say "M", ya? Am I that predictable?). So then my circle of readers were both A and X.

Sometimes, when blogging, I may have said things that may have pissed off A, sometimes, X.. but more often than not, I have been careful of pissing off X, because they indeed pay my salary :)

And if you remember, there was a partner from A that invited me for talks to explore whether it made sense coming back to A. Honestly, I have restrained blogging that episode.. because I didn't want to send warning signals out to X.

But what the heck.. this is where I am. I think the thought of coming back has always been interesting. And I'll be quite honest, I do miss the work in A. Yeah yeah.. I bitched a lot abt the work, abt how clients treated us like crap.. but honestly, the work is interesting.

Where I am in X, yeah.. the work is interesting, but somehow, in my position doing a lot of virtual work, I find that at times, I need the face to face contact with clients, the thrill and excitement of pitting brains in a one on one discussion, the tense situation pitching something you know may not work in front of a client... haha... yeah.. I'm a sucker for pain..

So this thought has been lingering around for a while. And I think the partners in A sense this.. so they have been reaching out to me. Yeah.. I have had discussions.. serious discussions? So far, I think, things can only be described as "exploratory". I don't see it happening, honestly.

On one hand, I always thought the salary would be a stumbling block.. yeah.. I do enjoy a nice package in X, but I guess, I'm at a stage where a good career is probably something that needs more attention.

So, away with the salary.. what's the current issue? I think for me to come back, it needs to be a win win. When I left A, I felt that the firm marginalised kick ass executors like me. I still remember, project after project, bailing the firm out.. but when it comes to promotions, it's the guys who wine and dine the clients that get promoted.

And it's the same in X. Same thing.. so many projects have I executed, in fact, more in parallel compared with A, but it's the guys who just talk and talk that get all the glory. It's frustrating. I'm sometimes the brains behind a lot of ideas, but I have been in situations where my ideas get packaged into a nice ppt but somehow I don't ever get the recognition..

Anyway.. so back to the saga of "coming back to A". Like I said, it needs to be win win. Apparently the firm has now changed. I was told that they now value people like me who "execute". That's where the impasse is now... for me, the win win is for me to come back, I think it makes sense for me to come back at a certain level. I was a bit disappointed when I was told that even the firm A values executors, but to come back at a certain level, I would need to have demonstrated the art of selling. So what? Come back at the previous level where I left. Take a bet on selling a big project.. so this is where things are.. the art of selling.. does it make sense? And even if I did demonstrate it, all I want to do is to come back at a certain level, and just kick ass in projects. I don't really want to do any selling. I'm the best there is at what I do. And what I do isn't very nice (yeah.. I stole that line from a Wolverine comic - so sue me). This is why it looks unlikely of happening.

Does this all make sense? If it doesn't, it must be because of many weeks of not blogging. And I promise this won't happen too often any more :)

Malacca Food Guide

I am bringing this old post to the top as I have some visitors from Mexico!

I have been asked many times "where to eat cendol, where to eat satay celup, where's the best chicken rice ball" in Malacca that I have decided to put this guide up.

Firstly, when you're in Malacca, lets start with the Stadhuys as a landmark. This is a historical site that the Dutch left behind and besically it is a set of red buildings.


Immediately opposite the Stadhuys fountain, there is a cendol stall set in a mangosteen like structure. That fella has been there for years man! Good old traditional cendol. If you want more keng chow cendol with thick slabs of durian paste, you have to maken your way to Tan Kim Hock instead. Ask around. There's one Tan Kim Hock in Jalan Bendahara. You cannot miss it.



Now once you're at the Stadhuys or at the cendol stall, just up ahead is the Malacca River and there's a small bridge going across the river. Go across this river. You can see OCBC bank on your left, and a coffee shop on your right.



That coffee shop has the best chicken rice ball in Malacca. Don't get fooled with all thesae Famosa Chicken Rice stalls.. these are the very commercialised chains sprouting around. That corner shop is the best. Very hard to get a place to sit! Each sitting, whack lah 8-10 balls!



Now, after eating your chicken rice ball, it's time to head towards Jalan Bunga Raya. Head down that street that you turned into for the Chicken rice ball, and head a few metres until the end. Turn right.



After you turn right, you'll hit another small bridge. Go up and down. A few metres later, there's a fork in the road. Head left into Jalan Bunga Raya.



Now in this Jalan Bunga Raya, after you turn in, near the middle of the stretch of the road, on the right hand side, is a little lane shown below. This lane is well known for 2 things. In the afternoon, there are a few char siew farn shops there. Any one is good :)



Then at night, there is a guy frying wok chien there. This guy is the original guy's son. The original fella, he fry until his head oso senget man!


Now, I'm gonna take you to a different side of town. This is near the neighbourhood that I grew up. Ujong Pasir!

Start at the Hotel Equatorial very near the Stadhuys. Ask Around. It's very easy to get to.

From the Equatorial, head towards Ujong Pasir.


Now, as you make your way on Jalan Ujong Pasir, there are 3 great food shops all beside each other on the left.

First up is the Newton Food Place. This has a variety of food items. You name it, it has it. Satay Chelup, Satay, BBQ chicken wings, noodles.. everything lah! The satay chelup there is great!


Next to it is OUB. Not the bank, but another food court. Like Newton, this has a variety of items too. Notable try outs here are
- the hey keow
- the ee pheng (this is the prawn or fish balls and fritters). The guy here is exceptional. Must eat early! By 8pm the fella habis oready!
- the mee siam! mm mmm
- the fried Indo Mie



Lastly, next to OUB is this place called Perakanan Place. Newly renovated, this has the best nonya laksa down south. Previously, this place looked like the dumps - delapilated building etc.. but still the laksa was the best. You can also buy nonya kueh there. Great stuff. Also, there is thong sui like ang tau chui. All sorts of great food in these 3 places!


Now that we have finished at these 3 places, wanna have some nyonya food? Ponteh Chicken? Ikan Masak Asam? Top Hats? Lemme show you the inner depths of Ujong Pasir!

Head straight down the road after OUB.. there's a fork on the road, turn left into Jalan Bukit Senjuang.


Now head down Jalan Bukit Senjuang and keep your eyes peeled to the right. There's a small lane BEFORE the traffic lights. That lane is Lorong Bukit Senjuang. Turn right into that lane.



When you're on Lorong Bukit Senjuang, follow that winding road, then turn left at the end. You are now back at Jalan Ujong Pasir


Drive along Jalan Ujong Pasir till almost reaching Jalan Padang Temu. On your left is a row of shophouses and first up is Aunty Lee's - a nice baba nonya restaurant.



Opposite Aunty Lee's, you can see diagonally a lane where busses go in (sometimes the Malacca Town Bus Service goes in there). In the mornings, there's a guy with a cleft lip frying kick ass chai tau kueh there. Best chai tau kueh down south and some say KL!



After eating all that nonya food and chai tau kueh, lets try something different.

Head in the opposite direction on Jalan Ujong Pasir. Go straight right till the end, and you will see a fork on the road. Turn left into Jalan Melaka Raya


After turning left into Jalan Melaka Raya, keep right. There's another fork on the road. Turn right.



Once you are on this road, head straight for say abt 600ms, keep your eyes peeled to the right. You will see this Yong Peng Fish Ball shop. This guy makes his own fish ball and it's like the Chow Sing Chee movie: God of Kitchen with the pissing beef ball. Once you bite into this fish ball, it explodes out port pieces inside! Steam! The laksa there is also good.



Now for my last cool Malacca food item, let me take you to find pineapple tarts! This is a little tricky.

Start at the Stadhuys. Go up that little bridge crossing Malacca River with the Chicken Rice Ball shop on the right. This time, turn left.


Follow the road until you see Jalan Hang Lekir on your right. Turn into that road.

It's a short road that will bring you to the main Jonker Walk Road. Now Jalan Hang Lekir is like Hong Kong's Lan Kwai Fong or Bangsar with a lot of pubs at nite. At the end of Jalan Hang Lekir, with the Geographer's cafe at your right, turn right.



Go on this main road and quickly turn left on Jalan Hang Lekiu. Then immediately left again. Go straight and you will go past the famous Cheng Hoon Teng temple.



A few metres away from the temple, on the left, is a home made pineapple tarts shop. It's great!

Funny ad

On my many trips to korea, I came across this advert that I thought was just so suggestively funny!

The things I deal with

I'm showing u guys a sample workplan from a TOP Notch Big ONE consulting company.. but these are the Mexicans.. this is what I have to deal with man!

Did u notice it?

Redundancy

Last week, I was in Korea doing some reviews. This week, on the way back, I had to stop bye Hong Kong.

I had a mission. And its a mission of its worst kind. I had to make redundant one of the guys working for me.

Now with close to 15 years of working experience, I have never had to tell anyone that his or her job is no longer in existence so you must imagine that it was a traumatic experience for myself too.

This guy who I had to terminate, sigh.. long story la.. I actually am ok with this fella, but this fella somehow just rubbed the Asia CIO the wrong way. Yes, given, this guy is a Hongkie, and given that sometimes the way Hongkie's say things in a sarcastic manner, when this guy first started working on my project, he used to piss ppl off quite big time with his mannerisms. I really had to work on this fella, but somehow the Asia CIO felt that this guy is not "value for money".

So to cut a long story short, I had to go into the HK office, bring this fella into the room with HR and tell him the bad news.

And before doing that, I had to read the dummies guide of how to make someone redundant, what to say, what not to say etc etc.

So with my most professional voice, I had to say the memorized script of "After an operational review of the current projects in the region, it is a business decision that your role has been made redundant". Jialat.

And this guy didn't take it likely man. The guidelines say "plan for 30 minutes". The entire affair took more than 3 hours!

First, this guy insisted that he wanted to talk to the CIO of all CIOs. Then I arranged for a call with this Asia CIO instead. And all this time, we have been trying to get him to review his redundant package (which I must say is A LOT OF MOOLAH!) but he kept saying
"I won't sign"
"This is wrong"
"You can run thru the package but I won't listen"
"You can post this letter to my home address"

Wah.. all these reactions, the dummies guide never prepared me for it.

In the end, after 3 hours of ding dongining, he stood up and said "I'm taking sick leave".

Now the even trickier bit is that today is actually his last day. So we had to make it clear to him.

And this guy refused to leave his laptop behind. "You can call the police if you want my laptop". Sigh.. I didn't have the heart to wrestle his laptop away from him.

I feel very shitty today. So I did what any woman would do - I went shopping. G2000 had a sale!

But seriously, I felt crap. Never had to do this before. Felt that the company could have handed things better like creating a place for him to go, but I guess somehow the Asia CIO is so pissed that there was really no more avenues for this guy.

I hope that one day if I am in a position of power, I will always strive to create positions for one to go to...

Hasselhoff

No.. Hasselblad. Was talking to my brother just today and he said he angan angan nak beli camera baru. So I ask, which one. He said this

http://procamera.com.my/store/HasselbladH3D.html

Aiyo..check the prices out! RM72,434.70 On Sales! I nearly heart attack man!

Faceful

I was in a shopping mall recently and I got a faceful of this! Hahaha.. my son was laughing when I snapped this going up the staircase. Are we allowed to advertise indiscrimately?


By the way, I spotted Optimus Prime in Toys R Us recently...

Bad luck

Today I was in 1 Utama paying off my last payment to Signature Kitchen..hmm.. this signature kitchen, I also have something to say.. .. anyway, 1U, in conjunction with Mega Shopping Carnival, have this special deal where you spend RM100 and you get this scratch card. Match 2 out of the 5 scratches and you can claim a prize.

Wah lao.. this woman in front of me, she tikam her card and scratch, she won a Sony Handy Cam!

My spirits were high. I got my card. I scratched.. match! Then I checked the prize.. Mystery Gift! I tore open the envelope.. Kaninah.. Clarins RM30 facial voucher. Basket!

Comix!

Suddenly, I'm on a roll blogging about my comics. A lot of you ask why? Well, I remember when I used to start collecting comics. I got introduced when I was still studying in Malacca High School during the 80s. Then, there were no speciality shops. Cover price of one comic is abt RM1.80 (compared to RM12.80 or more today!)

The comics came only once a week or fortnight. They came to this Indian mamak shop selling newspapers which was abt 2km away from my school. So after school, there's a few of us hard core comic collectors, the moment the school bell rang, we start walking like the Olympics man... cause the issues that came very limited.. like X-Men.. if u lucky, maybe one or 2 issues. New Mutants.. maybe 2 or 3 issues. That scarce! So after school, it was a race lah! Those were the good old days where we had Uncanny X-men 193 (Heroes for Hope - the Ethiopia special), X-Men vs Alpha Flight 1 and 2, The Thor Saga where he became a frog, Alpha Flight during good old John Bryne days .. ah....

So why do I still collect comics?

The women lah!





HAHAHAHA

no la.. actually I'm not so perverted.. but I must say that nowadays, the comics art is getting better.. check some of these out