Blipvert Update

Blipvert #1

Saw a news article a few days back that creators of Facebook’s Scrabulous is suspending the application after a lawsuit was slapped on the creators for the application by Hasbro Inc who owned licensing rights to Scrabble which the application was based on. Logged on to the application after I read it and found that it was still accessible so I think that the suspension might only be for the North American territories only. Still, if the Hasbro wins the lawsuit then Scrabulous might possibly be removed permanently and it might also include access from other users outside of North American territories.

Used to really hate Scrabble but this online version of the game on Facebook really got me sucked in to the game. It would definitely be a shame to see it go especially when the official version seems to only be available to users with North American territory IP address. I think I read an article that reported that they reasoning for this was that due to cultural difference, Scrabble players are clustered in the same geographic location. I guess no one told them what being online means geographically.

Blipvert #2

Will be taking a city break and heading out to Melaka for the weekend with the gang. At first I was planning for an island getaway in Pulau Pangkor but on reviewing the travel plans, it looked like it would take longer for us to get there than us relaxing on the island itself. My second option was a overnight stay in the forest at Serendah Resort near Rawang which I have been wanting to go to ever since I found out about it from another blogger. Unfortunately the glass cabin that I wanted to rent out was fully booked all the way till Oct.

I’m looking forward for this trip as the last time that I went to Melaka was back in 1990 and it was an overnight stay there after arriving very late from Seremban. I didn’t get to see any of the sights the last time I was there so I’m really excited about seeing the place where our country’s history began. The prospect of walking down Jonker St and savoring Melaka’s signature food dishes will definitely keep me in high spirits until I get there tomorrow.

Till next update, y’all have a great weekend ahead.

Blipvert Update

Blipvert #1

You definitely know when I don’t really have much to write about in the blog when I start falling back to the blipvert format. Things have been fairly routine of late and the few things that are not of the routine … well .. lets just say that they are not blogworthy or blogready to be included here yet.

Blipvert #2

California Fitness gym will be holding their 3 hours charity spinning event this coming 2nd of Aug. I had earlier planned to join in the event considering that they were going to do it at my CaliFit gym branch in Sunway especially when I found out that they will be doing it in the indoor studio instead of Sunway Pyramid concourse that they originally planned. The thought having your behind off the seat, sweating buckets on the bike in such a public space was enough to make me want to run for the hills when they came with the sign up sheet.

In the end, I decide not to join in this year as the date conflicted with another event that I have already planned with friends. I don’t know if I’m even ready for a full 3 hour session yet since the classes that I’ve been in were only 1 hour in duration. I usually come out of those classes totally drenched with sweat and I dread to imagine the state I would end up with if I decided to go with a 3 hour session. I may do it next time when the opportuinity comes up again since it is for a good cause.

Blipvert #3

I realized that I have not really blogged/reviewed any movies at all this year. I still go to movies when I can but just don’t feel up to reviewing them like I used to. I guess maybe I’m not as excited about writing down my thoughts after watching each movie that I seen this year. It’s not that there has been a dearth of exciting movies, in fact I thought that the recent “Dark Knight” movie was brilliant even if it was overly long, but I just not feeling the compulsion to write reviews any more lately. I much prefer sitting back and enjoying the movies with a less critical eye nowadays.

Blipvert #4

I very rarely follow what’s happening with politics in the country because I find the whole subject distasteful. I am of the opinion that none of the politicians, on both sides of the Dewan, are to be trusted when they say anything to the media. Everyone is playing a spin game to further their own personal agendas and to come out on the top. With recent reports like the finger pointing statements and vague mathematics used to justify unnecessary spending of funds in the media, one could be forgiven to think that the country is not heading to a place that we would like to see it head. They say that it could take one person to change things but you’ll be hard pressed to find any politician voted in power today that fit that bill.

It’s hard not to be apathetic towards them when all they do is everything else other than the business of running the nation.

Blipvert Update

Blipvert #1

Had my annual buka puasa with my old secondary school gang this past weekend at Subang Parade. I have been organizing this for them without fail for the past 11 years ever since I came back and started working. It started off back then as just me treating them for buka puasa as I was the first one of the group to complete my studies and get a full-time job. Now, it’s has evolved into one of the few times we can get together to catch up on the news of what has been happening in the preceding year after the last buka puasa gathering. I would usually be the one who decides where we go to since I’m the organizer and the one who pays the bill for the meal. It’s a thing that I do every year during the fasting month as one of the virtuous things that one can do during the holy month is to provide food to others to break fast with.

The turnout this year was not that satisfactory as only 2 of my buddies came with their wives. I’m just happy that they were able to make it considering the number of people who didn’t really reconfirm their attendance the days before. Nothing worse than organizing a group meal and have no one turn out. We had a good time catching up with each other’s news and check on how everyone else was doing. Since I had the buka puasa at a buffet, there wasn’t any worry about running out of food to keep our conversations fully fueled to go the distance through the night. We must have just sat there and gabbed for almost 3 hrs since it was almost closing time when we got up to pay the bill. Good thing that the manager of the place already knows me by name so they just let us have the run of the place

Hopefully, I’ll get a better turn out next year. Still hoping that I would be able to one day have them at my own home with a proper home cooked meal.

Blipvert #2

Saw that they opened the access way to the new wing at Sunway Pyramid mall when I was there yesterday looking for a place to buka puasa alone. Most of the shops were not opened yet but the have a few interesting ones that were opened. Seemed like the main tenant for this wing will be the Jaya Jusco department store which was good since the Parkson Grand at the other end of the mall had decided to go more upscale with their offerings. At least at Jaya Jusco, I would still be able to get things that are more affordable for me than in Parkson. Of course that means I should sign up for the Jaya Jusco card again since I can’t find the one that I had before. I wonder if they could just reissue me with a new card.

The also have a new food court at the supermarket level which looks to be under the same management as the one in OneUtama. At least they share the same name so I think they are under the same management. I’m also happy that they brought in the Jusco supermarket section since they carry more products that I can’t get at Giant which is where I usually shop for groceries at Pyramid. I wished that they would get Cold Storage supermarket in but I guess what they had was good enough for now. I can always go to Subang Parade if I needed to get anything from Cold Storage supermarket.

I’ve also heard that the bagel shop at Avenue K will be opening a branch at the new wing so you know I’m just looking forward to that.

Blipvert #3

Bought the new Anuar Zain CD and it has been playing from my playlist non-stop since Saturday. It is definitely one of the more enjoyable listens that I’ve had for this year. I usually try to avoid his CDs as I always felt that he was too popular/mainstream (?) since everyone I know listens to his songs (kind of telling of the crowd I keep). This is the same reason why I don’t listen to Siti Norhaliza songs as well. Too commercial to be cool admitting that you listen to their songs. Not that I’m the picture of what is hip to listen to …

This latest Anuar Zain CD was an excellent buy as I liked almost all of the songs in it. There were a few that made me stop and think which I have not had to do with cds by Malay artists for quite some time. I guess that I’ll write more about it once I get some time to fully digest the album. What I’m sure at this moment is that it’s one of the must buy album for this year. Personally, it is fast becoming my life's soundtrack with the recent developments in my life.

And if you want to look more butch buying the CD at the shop, feel free to decline the free poster that comes with it … bwahaha!!!

Blipvert #4

I will start working with a Personal Trainer at the gym tonight. They finally called me last week to arrange it after exactly one month of me working out there even though I had paid for the sessions well in advance. I haven’t met the PT yet but I think I know which one he might be if I heard his name correctly. I don’t really know if I should be concerned when a PT insist on being referred to as “Boy” when you page him for the appointment. Makes you wonder how old that person really is. Yes .. I admit that I still get called that at home but that’s another thing altogether. I guess as long as he doesn’t start calling me “uncle” then I should be ok with it. There will be hell to pay if I get called that in the gym. Bad enough I get called "uncle" at the shops by the young cashiers.

One thing of note for those in the know, I finally heard “Mr. Hover” speak and I have to say that I had to literally stop myself from dropping on the floor laughing out loud. It was an illusion shattering event just like that other famous person that we will be hearing more of this month. Why can’t people with that type of look have voices that match? Is it asking too much that eye candy don’t have voices that would leave the listener trying their best not to break out into a giggling fit.

Guess there is a reason why people call them eye candy to begin with.

Blipvert Update

Blipvert #1

Yesterday was my first time working out at the gym during the fasting month and it wasn’t as hard as I expected it. Either it is just because it is still early in the fasting month or if my current workout routine is just not as taxing as I would like to think it is, I was able to go through with the plan with some adjustment. One thing that I had to drop from my original plan was the 10 minute that I spend on the rowing machine for cardio exercise. I had to drop this as I was late going to gym yesterday after breaking fast. I only broke my fast with 3 pieces of kuih, half serving of bubur pulut hitam and a mug of Complan mix but I still had to wait for about 45 minutes before I felt comfortable enough to go.

Even without the 10 minute rowing workout, it was still a good one as I managed to get through all the goals that I set for myself. Guess that just means that I have more than enough fat supply to burn off on top of the fasting which exactly why I need the gym time. I fully intend to stay with the program for the duration of the fasting month so we’ll see how it goes in the days ahead.

Blipvert #2

The route that I take to walk to and from work used to be full of stalls selling food for buka puasa every fasting month. That changed a few years back when they started the food bazaar in the parking area of the Sunway mosque which gathered all those separate stalls into one location. I’ve always looked forward for the Ramadhan food bazaar there since it would be the time that I could get dishes that I normally can’t get for dinner during the rest of the year. This year is no different but I have to be mindful of not overindulging like I always do.

For the 1st day, the food bazaar was quite good. There were quite a wide spread of selection and of course the crowd was out in full force. There were a few sellers that I recognized from previous years returning so I already know the quality of their dishes which make the task of selecting what to buy that much easier. I’ve overheard some of the sellers talking that they expect more stalls to start operating at the end of the week so there would be more to check out later in the month. I would definitely make a return visit soon.

Blipvert #3

I will be going back to my parents house this weekend to break fast with them. I have this rule that I would make sure that I came back at least once during the fasting month for that. This year it looks like I will be coming back twice since this weekend is just so I could get everyone together to plan what our Hari Raya plans will be at the end of the fasting month. Since most in the family have families of their own, we have to make sure that we have plans drawn up in advance so there won’t be any grumbling about it later. It was different when we were all younger. Hari Raya meant that everyone us at home with the parents. Nowadays my siblings have in-laws and related parties on their spouse side to consider.

Obviously, I don’t have that to take into consideration but I still like to know who would be around to celebrate Hari Raya with my parents. If nothing else, I know how much “duit raya” to prepare for my nieces and nephews which as I rule I dole out only on the first 3 days of raya. The other agenda that I have for going back this weekend if to check how many of my siblings will be helping me to make the dodol this year. I’ve already scheduled that for the last weekend before Hari Raya so I need to get their commitment that they would be there to help out. I would definitely need their help as making dodol can be somewhat a back breaking job if one had to do it alone.

Blipvert Update

Blipvert #1

I finally decided to bite the bullet and went ahead with my decision to invest in Public Mutual’s unit trust with the money from my EPF savings. Filled up all the forms and signed them this week and the first withdrawals from EPF should be completed in about 1 week’s time. I’ve decided to spread out my investment risks by putting my money into 2 separate fund. My first would be a moderate risk Islamic fund which at the moment is a good buy as the units are due for an upward price correction. The next time when I am eligible to withdraw more money from my EPF account, which is after 3 months of the prior withdrawal date, I’m going to put that money into a conservative risk Islamic fund. Hopefully having both would allow me to balance my investment risk.

It took me 11 years of working for me to be able to even think about investing my money into funds like this. I guess I would have been able to do this sooner had I gotten a higher paid job but I am happy with what I have now. Years of hard earn money have given me an adequately diversified investment portfolio that I can be comfortable with. All that I’ve done in terms of investments is with the goal of being financially independent by the time I retire. I’m sure that I would never get to be one of those millionaires with these investments but I would be happy enough to be able to know that I will be able to pay off all debts and retire comfortably.

Blipvert #2

Luciano Pavarotti died this week at the age of 71.

I was first exposed to his music back when I was a college student in the US. Until then, I always thought that opera made no sense and was just a bunch of people singing at the top of their voices in an unintelligible language. It all changed when I first heard “Nessun Dorma” sung by Pavarotti and immediately I was hooked. I started to look for more of his arias just to hear more of that wonderful voice even when I hardly understood what the words meant in English. There were occasions back then that I would be moved to tears just from listening to a CD of him singing as one could not help by feel the heartbreak that reverberated from his voice.

He made opera less daunting to appreciate, at least for me. He’s was a voice that would never be forgotten and rightly so as a voice like his comes very rarely in a life time. I don’t think that I would be able to ever hear “Nessun Dorma” without a lump coming up in my throat.

Good bye, o’ great maestro.

Blipvert #3

This week is my second week of going to the gym and I must say that I’m starting to get into the hang of things there. Breaking up my work out routine into different days does actually help in allowing me to focus on my goals more efficiently. The only thing that worries me is that I’m spending more time at the gym than I originally planned. I’m currently averaging a 2 hour workout session 4 times a week with an extra session of 4 hours during the weekend. I could be more disciplined and stop my workout early but when I get into the zone when I work out, I tend to ignore both pain and the time. When it comes to working out, I take the old adage that “No pain, no gain” quite literally.

I have to watch out that I don’t over exert myself and hurt something major. I could easily do that being the obsessive compulsive person I am. This would be something that I would need to discuss with my PT when I have my sessions with him.

Blipvert #4

Fasting months starts next week and I’m really looking forward for it. Aside from the spiritual aspects of fasting, I am also anxious to see how I can keep up with my current diet plan for the duration of the fasting month. I have always dependent on small meals every 2 hours to keep my metabolism up but that would not be possible to do during the daylight hours starting next week. I have to find a way also to keep up with my workout sessions as I believe that the fasting month would also a good time to lose more weight and gain more lean mass since the fat reserves are not replenished as fast as they would during the non-fasting month.

I’m also looking forward to my annual buka puasa do that I organize yearly for my old secondary friends. It has been my tradition since I started work to get my friends together for breaking of fast on my treat at least once during the month. This year I’m also thinking about organizing another buka puasa dinner for my other set of friends whom I’ve know from my blogging activities but I have not decided on that yet. I know that I’m going to be having buka puasa with one blogger at least so I might as well get some of the others in as well.

I’m also looking forward to making dodol for Hari Raya again this year which I’m currently scheduling for the last weekend before the end of the fasting month. I have to put it in the calendar early lest my dodol – stirrers i.e. my bothers and brother in law tries to escape their duties.

I’m such a slave driver when it comes to making our traditional dodol .

Blipvert Update

Blipvert #1

The 3-day Merdeka weekend officially starts for me in a few hours. Everyone in the office is looking forward to it i.e. not really taking anything major on so they could have the weekend free.

Planning to go home to my parents house tonight before deciding whether to go out a watch the Merdeka eve countdown festivities at Dataran Merdeka tonight or go and watch the Merdeka Day parade at the same venue on the following day. Being that this year is the 50th anniversary of Malaysia’s independence, being able to participate in either event would be a significant event that the family can share. At least we can say in years to come that we were there to celebrate when Malaysia turned 50.

A lot has gone through in the past 50 years and we all should take stock in the journey that has brought Malaysia to what it is today. It is also a time to look forward to what we as a nation need to bring the country to the next level. I’m excited every time I think about it and if I’m lucky, I might even be able to watch the next time Malaysia adds another 50 years to her independence.

Blipvert #2

A colleague of mine almost became the victim to a credit card scam. I have heard about it but this was the first time I actually witness it with my own eyes.

He got a call from someone who told him that she was from the credit card service center. She told my colleague that she was calling him to check his credit status and wanted to verify that they have the correct credit card number on record. She proceeded to give my colleague the first 4 digits of the credit card number that they have on record and asked him to verify. The strange thing was the 4 digits were wrong so my colleague give her the first 4 digits of his card. She then gave the second 4 digits which were correct and then asked for the next block of 4 digits from my colleague.

At that point, my colleague realized that something was fishy about the call. He asked the female caller again if she was calling from the bank to which she answered no. When he asked her why the bank doesn’t have his credit card info on file, she quickly apologized for calling him and hung up. Had he not become wise to the fact that there was something wrong with the whole thing, he could have easily given his credit card number along with the authorization code over the phone to a total stranger. I was in the office when he got the call and I could hardly believe that it was happening. I wonder how many people have been conned this way?

According to my colleague, the caller was a Malay female with a nice sounding voice. The way she talked sounded professional as if coming from a real service desk up to the point when she hung up. Since the bank that issues your credit cards already have your credit card number on file and would communicate directly to you via mail, there is never a valid reason for someone to call you up on the phone to verify your credit card number. So if you are a credit card holder, be wary of such calls.

Blipvert #3

I am about to make a decision involving my retirement fund.

I was approached by the son of one my acquaintance who is a full time agent for Public Mutual selling unit trusts. I’ve always be intrigued with the idea of investing in unit trust since I can actually make use of the money currently locked up in EPF to better use. Quite a few agents have approached me in the past about it but for one reason or another it was never the right time for me to start. I guess seeing my first 6 figure number for an amount of money that actually belonged to me was the main motivation for me to start now. After 11 years of working, I feel that it was time for me to make use of what I already accumulated in EPF to plan for a bigger nest egg when I retire.

We spent some time discussing the options and the packages that I could invest in. As with many unit trust agents, they try to butter you up to get you to buy what they want you to buy. Instead of falling into that trap, I simply told him to cut the bull and tell me which unit trusts he buys and I will buy those. To me, if the agent is not confident enough to buy his own product, why would I want to risk my own money buying it. In the end we narrow it down to 2 unit trust packages and another that I would be buying as well later in the year when I have more cash. I asked that I get some time to think about it over the weekend before signing all the required forms next week.

Being able to be financially independent by the time I retire is a goal of mine. I have seen how hard my parents have to work even after they have retired to make sure that everything was paid off. No doubt that they were earning less than I do now but they also didn’t have the financial opportunities that I have today. It would be silly for me not to take the opportunity when it comes my way.

Blipvert #4

I have another alumni dinner coming up after Hari Raya Puasa this year. Since I’ve already worn all mine and my father’s batik shirts for various alumni functions, it was time for me to get a new batik shirt made. I’ve decide to go ahead and purchase the material that the alumni sells to make the official alumni batik shirt since I don’t already have one. I should have done this earlier since it would have saved the trouble of having to decide which batik shirt to wear to my alumni functions.

I’ll be sending it to the family tailor this weekend where the whole family have been sending our shirts and baju Melayu to be made for the past 15 years. The tailor practically knows every thing about us and has detailed records of how our body measurements have changed across the years. Of course this meant that he could easily get away ribbing me when I sent in my cream colored material to be made into my Hari Raya baju Melayu this year. One look at it and he declared that he would make sure that it was made well so it could be my “baju nikah” as well! Of course, every time someone said that particular “N word” directed to me when my mum is within hearing distance it would indubitably result in her asking the person who said it to pray hard for me that it will happen soon.

It was cute the first few times she does that but it gets really old really fast.

Blipvert Roundup

Blipvert #1

Finally managed to finish “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” last weekend after borrowing it from my sister for the past 3 weeks. I usually take much less time finishing Harry Potter books, the last one took me only 2 days to finish reading, but just couldn’t get the time in read it in one sitting. I guess in a way it was good that I didn’t go through it as fast as the other installments since it gave me a chance to reflect on the links that this last installment had with the preceding books. I found myself looking back at the other books to see if anything that was in this last book had been forewarned before.

My verdict … I liked it. Even with so many long time characters dying in the story, it was a fitting way to close out the series. The translation of prose to film will be quite interesting to see especially when it comes to which parts of the story that will get the chop in the film treatment. If there was anything that I felt a little hesitant about from the book, I have to say that it would be the epilogue chapter at the end of the book. I can appreciate why it was put there especially from the point of view of the fans who have been following the characters in the past 7 books but it did make the ending slightly sappy.

It’s time to move on to a different book to read.

Blipvert #2

The California Fitness gym branch at Sunway Pyramid is finally opening this week. I saw the banner that they put up at the gym area the last time I was there that said that the soft launch was scheduled for 25th Aug and the grand opening sometime early Sept. Could not see the reception area setup yet when I was there as the area was still boarded up. I’m still waiting for someone from their sales team to call me to personally inform me about the launch since that was what they said they would do when the date came. I think they still have my number as I do get SMS msg from them about the other promotions that they are currently running.

I’m looking forward to start working out at the gym after signing up for their gym membership back in Feb. I still need to meet up with the personal trainer that I will be assigned to so we can hash our schedules and routine. I’ve already paid up for 24 sessions with a personal trainer which should take me through the first 3 months of my workouts if I schedule 2 sessions with PT per week. It wasn’t cheap to do so but I’m hoping that the dividends of working with a PT will offset my initial investment. I’m expecting to tone up, get some definition going and help lower my blood pressure levels from my workout sessions with the help of my PT.

Looking at my schedule now, I might be at the gym between 8-10pm on my workout days. Looking forward to that.

Blipvert #3

Had another WooHoo! moment at the office today.

I was sent a Visual Basic script that was used in one of our customer sites in India that was supposed to be used in other sites in Asia. The original charter was that the tool was to be used as it was written by someone who has already left the company and did not leave any documentation for the tool. When I ran the tool in my test environment, I discovered several items that could be modified in the script. It wasn’t a showstopper if those modification was not made but it would mean that the resulting output file needed to be manually modified before it is in the final usable form. Since there was no one who was interested to modify the script, I decided to take a look at the innards of the tool to see if those modifications can be done easily.

I am not a programmer by trade and the last time I actually did any coding work was back in college 11 years ago. I have never done any Visual Basic stuff and could not even tell you how the syntax should be like even if my life depended on it. Somehow, I was able to look at the script and figure out what it was doing by following the logic that was quite well structured in the tool. After overcoming my initial feeling that I would be overwhelmed by it, I was able to quickly see where everything fitted and where the modification had to be made to generate the output that I wanted in the format that the tools was suppose to deliver. I was even able to add new conditions which reflected the recent changes to the tool environment as well as replacing hard coded constants with variables that look up the required values from the registry so the tool would be more robust. Tested the tool successfully and it is now on it’s way to be used in our customer sites in Asia.

Not too shabby for someone who has never done any coding before. It may be just a glorified exercise in code reuse but I’ll celebrate my own successes, even small ones, whenever I can.

Blipvert Roundup

Blipvert #1

Had an early dinner at Dome, KLCC last weekend when I discovered a new favorite thing to order there. Usually I would always order their Cajun Chicken Sandwich but this time around I was a bit more in the mood for pasta and ordered the Aglio e Olio Pasta instead. Turned out it was an inspired choice as it was simply delectable with just the right amount of kick from the chili flakes and garlic. While it’s among the simplest pasta dressing to make, not many places does it justice especially when they skimp at getting the best extra virgin olive oil for the dressing. There is no way to hide the fact that you’re using the cheap stuff in Aglio e Olio Pasta as the olive oil is the main ingredient that flavors the pasta.

I’ll definitely order it again next time I’m there to see if they are any consistent with it. With my current diet, Aglio e Olio Pasta seemed to be the only choice that doesn’t leave me rolling in guilt when I order it.

Blipvert #2

I sent E a text message last week to check if he was still using the last mobile phone number that I got from him. Good thing I did as he was just about to change his number again after leaving the law firm that he was a partner in for a new job. Turns out that his new job is in the Subang area which is not that far from where I work. He is also considering to move his wife and kids with him to Subang Jaya sometime next year so he doesn’t need to commute from Subang to Seremban everyday like he does now. I told him that now that he is closer to where I was there is no reason for us not to get together soon to catch up.

I have to be honest and admit that there was a part of me that just went wild with excitement knowing that he is so close again. Even after all this years, he still affects me that way.

Blipvert #3

I guess that the general elections would be held fairly soon.

How else would you explain the large sign board proclaiming my apartment area as being in the area of a certain political party coming up almost over night at the entrance to my apartments? Given that the other camp of the political equation has supporter bases at the apartment buildings directly opposite mine, it could get interesting as the election date comes nearer.

Blipvert #4

After being foiled again by bad batteries the last time I wanted to use my mum’s camera, I’ve decided to get my own camera the next time I get my yearly bonus hopefully towards the end of the year. I have my eyes set to the Sony DCS T100 camera as I was thinking of getting one that is more of a point and shoot camera and more conveniently sized so I could keep it in my pockets on the ready for the candid shot opportunities. The Sony DSLRs, while do take very good pictures in the hands of those who know how to use it, seemed to bulky and complex for a beginner like me to use.

Maybe when I’m more confident of my photographer’s eyes, I’ll consider trading up to a DSLR camera.

Blipvert #5

I have inavertedly created a Facebook account.

I got an invitation in my email account to join as a friend for a person that I thought worked in my project group. The name was close enough that I didn’t think much about creating the login and to check out her Facebook entry. It turned out that the invitation email was not from the person that I thought it was. Instead it was from some girl that I met once while I was on vacation a few years ago. We met, I was on vacation and she was on a business trip, and we had a meal together once. After returning to KL, we exchanged text messages a couple of times and that was as far as it went. We kind of drifted apart after that first few weeks and I have totally forgotten about it until last week when she wrote to me after I joined her friend list by mistake.

While it might be flattering to know that she still remembers me after all this time, I can’t help but feel a wee bit creeped out that she was able to track me down and now asking for a photo of me.

Update : Now she’s sending me compatibility quizzes to answer. This is a bit too needy than I would like it.

Odds and Ends

Blipvert #1

For the past week, I have been mistaken as a Nepali a total number of 3 times as I walked the road that I usually use to go to work. I guess that it might be due to the fact that there seems to be an increase of new Nepali migrant workers setting up house near my apartment. I have been mistaken for Chinese more than a few times, as a East Malaysian due to my name and as a Latino almost every other day while I was studying in the US but this is the first time that someone has mistaken me as a Nepali.

Sounds exotic but I have to wonder why.

Blipvert #2

Been reading the new Harry Potter book this past week and am really liking it. Could not read as fast as I would like to but I’m getting there. Bloodbath aside, the book really does feel like a farewell chapter of the saga. It would be interesting to see which parts of the book will get filmed and which won’t. I’ve already started to imagine how the story might be in my mind especially in this installment as most chapters lend themselves really well to being translated into screenplay. Can hardly wait to see it!

Blipvert #3

A new project was sent across the table to me this week. I don’t really have the lead the project this time but I do need to be the lead subject matter expert for the project. The thing is that the project involves something that I have never even worked on before much less be a subject matter expert of. I guess it would be a challenge for me to pickup the necessary skills to lead the implementation team but I try to think of myself as willing to raise the occasion come what may. Better to try and fail so I can learn from my mistakes than to not try at all.

The project will be based in Cyberjaya, though. Trying to get there on time for meetings would be a b*tch and would be even worse if I need to be stationed there for any extended periods of time. It’s times like this that I wished that I had taken that driving license.

Blipvert #4

I was watching an episode of “How I Met Your Mother” on Astro (I’ve got time!) last week and ended up sobbing my eyes out at the end of the episode.

It was the one about the lead character meeting someone at a wedding party and they decided to just hookup without any obligations to meeting up later or even give each other their names. At first I was thinking that it was a good story point .. never seen done before so it sounded fresh. I don’t know if it was because of the Ray Charles song they played at the end or if it was because the sentiments resonated loudly within me but I ended up trying to stop the brimming tears in my eyes.

I do cry at movies and if it was an extra special episode that someone dies on TV but this has to be the first time I ever cried while watching a silly sitcom show.

Till today I am still left wondering what was that all about.

Blipvert #5

Looking forward to my alumni grand dinner this coming Thursday night. Our school is celebrating our 50th anniversary along with 2 other boarding schools so the dinner would be for ex-students for all 3 schools. I’ve paid up for my portion of the table and even borrowed my dad’s batik shirt to wear to the dinner since I already wore all my batik shirts in other alumni functions. Since the dinner would be in Putrajaya, I had to make arrangement to get a ride from one of my friends who would also be attending the dinner. If all goes well, I should all set for the dinner but nobody knows if anything will crop up at the last minute.

Looking forward for it actually to catch up with all friends. I wonder if my old girlfriend from our sister boarding school would turn up. That would be a surprise!.

Blipvert #6

I am actually writing this blog entry at the OldTown Kopitiam café in Cyberjaya after my project meeting. This is the first time I have been in this neck of the wood and I have expected it to me more impressive than this. I guess that I was expecting too much and that the area has not been fully developed yet.

I wonder if the place does grow on you once you start to work here.

Blipvert #7

I have a sinking feeling that I have been making someone I know unhappy lately. It’s not that I have been purposely ignoring that person but sometimes I just feel like I don’t have enough hours in the day to put into the effort of keeping in touch. That doesn’t excuse the way that I have been treating that person so I do really feel that I’m at fault here. If it is any consolation, there is not a day goes by that I don’t listen to our song and think of the person.

Out of sight doesn’t necessarily mean out of mind.