A night out at the theater

I managed to catch Puteri Gunung Ledang : The Musical on Thursday night, this time after missing out on the first one. This time there was no qualms that we paid good bucks for good seats ( Stephenie said it was on only 100 bucks!) and a good performance by the cast. The cast led by Tiara Jacquelina (Gusti Putri) & Stephen Rahman-Hughes (Hang Tuah) were excellent in delivering their performances on stage but i must say that A.C Mizal ( Gusti Adipati) was the star of the night as the Majapahit emperor where he exudes charisma on stage and brings the character of Gusti Adipati to live (albeit dramatic). The singing and song arrangement was good although the surtitles on top of the stage could be better placed ( we have to strain our necks to read it) but i can see that the second time around everyone seemed to be comfortable in their roles and enjoying it to full measure ( Adlin Aman Ramlie seemed to enjoy his tyrant Sultan Mahmud role ).

On a more serious note, i think this production has shown that a locally staged play/musical in Malay language can succeed as well or even better than the usual suspects such as Cats, Miss Saigon etc. It was done professionally and it was fantastic to think that the creative crew were all Asian with Tiara being the driving force behind it all. If only more future local Malay language plays/musical can be as good as this, i think we can expect to see more support as what we have seen with Puteri Gunung Ledang : The Musical.

Never Gone

After being away from Earth for about 3 months, i am back again ( i wasnt in Marijuanaville searching for my roach clip on a rope, i swear). So what did i missed out? oh yeah, the World Cup which Italy triumph and i wont talk more about it as everyone else has done it. Not forgetting also the political turmoil at home (old man vs. successor) and also some fudge brownies.

So here i am writing again inspired by the taught and the fact that i am 25 but i felt like 30. Is there a reason for this? Perhaps its a sign of burnout like the one suffered by Michael Owen & Nicolas Anelka both which are still young but seems like they have been there for a long time and now is fading. Am i fading away or is it that i am losing focus on my ambitions? Maybe its all of the reasons and at my age i should be on top of my form and nearing peak but here i am still sturggling to get back on form with some flashes of brilliance now and then but inconsistent throughout the season.

But what i like to do in the near future is get my life sorted. Maybe i should find someone and get involved in a relationship again. Its been too long i guess and it always leaves a bitter taste whenever a girl breaks your heart and leaves for another guy. But i didnt sulk like Jose Mourinho and moved on but at times i do feel that perhaps i dont want to experience the deja vu again ( i've been hit twice) and want to be on safe side. One day perhaps things will change, till then i'll continue to blow bubbles in the air.

Words from my speakers: Ada Band

I found words from this song 'Manusia Bodoh' by Ada Band interesting and thought wanna share it out. Dont get the wrong ideas.

Dahulu terasa indah
Tak ingin lupakan
Bermesraan selalu jadi

Satu kenangan manis

Tiada yang salah
Hanya aku manusia bodoh
Yang biarkan semua ini permainkanku
Berulang ulang kali

Chorus:
Mencoba bertahan sekuat hati
Layaknya karang yang dihempas sang ombak
Jalani hidup dalam buai belaka
Serahkan cinta tulus di dalam takdir

Tak ayal tingkah lakumu
Buatku putus asa
Kadang akal sehat ini
Tak cukup membendungnya
Hanya kepedihan
Yang selalu datang menertawakanku
Engkau belahan jiwa
Tega menari indah di atas tangisanku

Bridge :
Semua kisah pasti ada akhir
Yang harus dilalui
Begitu juga akhir kisah ini
Yakinku indah

Discovering Hong Kong

I am now writing this piece about my trip to Hong Kong(HK) for an ICT & Electronics Expo which i just got back recently while i am still recovering from the lack of sleep and chili padi.

First Impressions
Hong Kong is well connected by public transportation ( it's the current issue most Malaysians talk about) and pratically you can get anywhere without the need to own a car (unless you want to show off your new Merc or Porsche). Its like Singapore but slightly dirtier and less restricting in its laws. The people here are quite friendly to my suprise and are willing to help but the only thing slacking or lacking is pretty girls. For my whole duration of stay I only saw about 2 pretty girls and i think they are from Mainland China (maybe all the cun chicks are at TVB). Oh well.


Sights
Well, in my cramped schedule i managed to take a ferry ride from Kowloon to HK Island (great view at night but more expensive too) , visited Disneyland at Lantau Island (you should go visit the giant Buddha in the morning and then only explore Disneyland till night), thronged various shopping mall around Central & Causeway Bay, visited the Peak and walk around Mongkok. Seriously you can cover alot in a short amount of time.

Food & Beverage
Well, what can i say that the food is good! the wantan mee is great and nothing beats the roast duck rice there. Its abit pricey though costing around HKD 23 - 30 (RM 12.50 -15) per meal but large portions are assured. A great place to start is at Kowloon although the food is consistently good around HK's various 'char chan teng'. As for drinks, skip Lan Kwai Fung as its very much like Bangsar and get a good place at Soho (where the escalators are). The drinks are about RM 25 per glass and you cant drink much if you are on budget.

Overall
There is nuthin much else for me to add here which you cant find in the internet and furthermore i was supposed to be working. But feel free to drop me a line if you want to know more as i have lots of comments which i kinda lazy transferring to words.

A small step to end Fatman's reign

I have finally join a gym nearby my house after all the procastination that lasted months. perhaps after this, my pants wont so tight anymore.

Something brewing in my mind

Hmm...after a long break here i am again at this page. Anyway this week has been great in a whole, a good effort by the CFMMU for their Easter Event and also meeting up some old friends at that event(CFMMU seniors just keep coming back for these events) , and of course a great movie out with some good pals.

This year's Easter Event by CFMMU was an event to subsitute the usual CyberChristmas and its a refreshing experience. Although they had a good story to tell, i still felt more can be acheived with less. I shall not comment further on what my critical mind (too much movies & being in theatre does that to me) as it wont be fair for the great effort and hard work they have shown to get it done (hats off for that!) but like what i said to Terry, it has given us at least some ideas to toy about for our upcoming MVA project. Oh yeah, we spotted some talent could use for our project as well (theatre has always given many their first motion picture break).

Movie wise, 'Inside Man' by Spike Lee is a good movie to catch. It may be your usual heist movie but great acting and also tight directing made this a pleasureable experience. Also being a Spike Lee effort the movie exposes the viewer to the soul of New York, all kinds of characters from diverse ethnicity that co-exist (New York puts Malaysia to shame with their Muhibah spirit). Catch the movie if you can, its great.

Fading Flames of Patriot

It is true that in today's world, its hard to make a honest & decent living. The honest & decent have no place in the realm of deceit, lies, dishonesty and agendas. It does send a piercing arrow to the ones that work hard everyday when they are defeated by those to flew above. But the challenge lies in holding true to one's principle and believe that our turn will come. One way or another.

Broken Wings

On broken wings I'm falling

And it won't be long

The skin on me is burning

By the fires of the sun

On skinned knees I'm bleeding

And it won't be long

I've got to find that meaning

I'll search for so long

Cry ourselves to sleep

We will sleep alone forever

Will you lay me down

In the same place with all I love

Mend the broken homes

Care for them they are our brothers

Save the fading light in our souls

In my opinion seeing is to know

What you give

Will always carry you

And who's to say

We won't survive it too

Aint Losing It Yet

Being under work stress is quite worrying. It causes one to talk cork and sometimes look delirious. Friends will give you the look as though you have lost your marbles. Yeps. Alot of shit happend man but all is under control (i'm not denying). I have been through worse though, there were times in the past where i was lost and questioned the meaning of life but faith changed me. At times or peril or troubles, you dont have to look far for inspiration as He is right there. Tough times are there for us to reflect on things and to stregthen our weaknesses. Our burden is no more than what we can handle. Believe it and keep the faith.

Get Rich or Die Trying...again

I live in a third world country where discimination is openly practiced and the country's economic riches are controlled by a few. Not only that, the goddam government is wiping off the decent wealth of its people by imposing unreasonable taxes on imported goods. Oh yeah, i dont live in Africa either.
Damnit man, if the government wants to save money then just remove the bloody fuel subsidies and make cars cheaper by abolishing the high taxes. Oh..they cant becoz bloody factory that aseembles cars called proton will be killed if that is done. Well, it aint gonna live long too i tell ya. With the sweeping wave of globalization comes the cleansing tides change. Actually, why am I ranting about this country, heck i wasnt even born here anyway. But the people around me are and thats the only reason why i continue to bitch instead of moving my bum back to where i came from far up north.

What drives me?

It seems vague these days for me. I used to have the fire within and the hunger for ambition but I dont seem to see it now. Its those questions you ask yourself now and again "what am I doing?". Are my ambitions dimmed? Has the burning fire gone cool? What drives me? I seek definition.

Immanent Demon Blues

Man, i hate working with retards. This is the problem when you are involved in government projects when there is a huge gap in mentality. On one end, we the private company would bust our ass to complete a project by giving full cooperation and autonomy to our partner but what you get as a result is a back stab and the blame for their own incapabilities and incapacity to solve problems. So what can you do? take all the blame and hope all ends well.
Professional issues aside, these days my inner demon is surfacing again. All this while i thought i have locked that side of me away but somehow time and again "he" started appearing. My darkside has returned and i need to find a way to seal it. Either that or harness the full power of my inner demon (i might not return normal if that happens) i'm in for a rough time.

The Valentine Posting

Yeps, its inevitable that this kinda crap will show up in my blog. Normal blogs will go and say how the day or night has been great or even how it sucked big time and shit. As for me, i'm joining the bandwagon but with a question "Whats the fuss all about?". Truth is i never had a chance to "celebrate" Valentines Day as all of my relationships somehow ended before Feb 14 and spared me from financial disaster. It may be novel when you are like in your teens and the gal in the tuition class seems hot but as you grow up, its just passe. Now instead whining around and in true Hi-Fidelity fashion, i'll give you my top 5 list of Valentine's Day songs:

1) Black Eye Peas - Where is the love?
2) James Ingram - Just Once
3) Dewa - Pupus
4) Rascal Flatts - Bless the Broken Roads
5) Nirvana - Seasons in the Sun

The CNY Posting

Whew, i have been eating and eating like mad since CNY (Thank God for the plentyful bounty). After this i must remember to exercise otherwise i'll end up looking like Jabba the Hut. Anyways, this CNY has been quite a low key affair as on the 3rd day when the usual 30 over odd friends go visiting my house as well as a few other homes were skipped due to us gambling overtime at the few houses we went. But all is good, i managed to get some time off from work to regenerate and refresh my energy and cells. I have spent good time with my family and though most of my hometown friends are busy its still great to hang out and catch up with them once in a while.

Its a great start to the Year of The Dog and i pray to the Lord for Him to keep continue His blessings to me and my family. Gong Xi ! Gong Xi!

Dreamtheater Rocks in Singapore!!!

Yeps...i have just gotten back from down south with my regular Singapore and Concert kaki Mr. Ong and made it for my family's CNY dinner. What can i say, Dreamtheater and Singapore rocks!!. Here are the highlights:

1) Upgraded our concert tickets from SGD 120 to SGD 150 at Kallang Indoor Staidum straight away when we reached Sgpore (we are kiasu to get infront of the stage and hopefully infront of John Petrucci).

2) We stayed in a cheap hotel at Geylang where you can get hookers legally. ( nope, we didnt)

3) Shop, Shop and Shop the whole two days till i'm broke.

4) Singapore girls are damn chio!! ( i like)

5) Somehow everyone thought we were Singaporeans. (damn)

6) Concert rocks!!! ( we were right infront of the stage and John Petrucci)

7) Deep in my heart, Singapore is like an alternate universe of how KL can be. ( its every Malaysian's dream that we can be like them someday hopefully)

8) Bloody JB taxi drivers charge us RM25 to get to Larkin Station from the Train Station.

9) Double Bonus in the bus. (kekeke)

10) Home Sweet Home

January Updates

Yea, i'm lazy and busy alltogether. You can definitely tell by how my blog is iregularly updated. But since we are in 2006, i guess i can try and fix things abit eh. Well, here's what happened so far:

Resolutions
Like a true champion, i achieved last year's resolution just days before 1st january. Its was just something i needed to say to someone and i did it after 4 years of procastination and nearly missed it after i set it as a new year resolution (yeah, i had to turn it to a resolution after 3 years to get it done). This year my resolution is to Get FIT! Its about time i trimmed down so i can fit my new clothes better (its more like i dun want to buy new sizes) and i believe from experience resolutions can be achieved at the very nick of time. So, do remember to ask "Why you still Fat??" whenever you meet to remind of my resolution.

Career
I am now a confirmed executive of Pharmaniaga Solutions, a Supply Chain Management Consultancy and recently i have been given more responsibilities in my portfolio which will augur well in my plans to climb the corporate ladder (i'm still on track to be a Tan Sri) . I also very much hope to get about RM 5 million worth of projects for this year. It aint easy but thats what i am hired for. Its gonna be a great year for my career! (with rants here and there)

Financials
With the year ending 2005, my financial standing is that i am in deficit (about RM 30, 000 in red) so i guess i will be working towards black.(just like Idris Jala of MAS only my number is far less than his)

Life
For 2005, i have done what i set out for and i am glad i did it. Sometimes the outcome is not what you expected or even wanted but the important thing is to keep the faith (God has His plans for us, so be patient). But i believe that you miss 100 percent the shots you didnt take so i just do it.For this year, i'm gonna be a bit more laid back and let things take its course. I've found my inspiration and I'm all fired up to acheive my dreams.

So thats the summary of what i think i'm gonna do this year. It aint gonna be rosy all year long though, so expect some bitching and ranting here and there (hope its not often). Be Blessed and Yosh!!

Happy New Year 2006!!

Yahoo!! its a new year again!! and i am still recovering from the party fatigue i had last nite. Had a great time at Ryan's wedding dinner where i did some catching up with some friends which i havent met for years. And after all that party, i still managed to catch some theater action today at the Actors Studio where Actorlympics was the show of the day. And to cap the day off was chilling out at Chilli's BSC with Joeboy, Terry and Kelvin. I guess with blurness, this is all i can write so far. All in all, the new year starts with a bang!

Congratulations to Ryan & Joanne!!

One of my best buds, Ryan is having his wedding today on New Year's Eve and what a great day to party!! All best wishes and may God bless you and Joanne always!! Congratulations!

Is the stars out of reach?

It is often said that we must reach for the stars but there are times that i think the stars may be out of reach. Theres not a lot of them on streets either but the not reaching what you aimed for aint the best feeling in the world. At work i am pressured to perform and the financial market out there aint looking that encouraging for me to convince clients that investing in IT is the thing to do to max their ROI. On a personal front things aint looking so rosy either. I felt like i got a cross to bear but sometimes during times like these i wish i can get someting for this pain. The bleeding of disappointements is indeed painful and I do wonder what will happen when it dries and theres no more to bleed. What will I become then? will the fabric of my being change? will I fall to the darkside which is always enticing me with glitter? or will i hold out my essence till my rescue? The only inspiration i can get into my mind is the trials of pain and suffering of another only son that was sent to deliver us all. I think its enough for me to go on through the tough times.I hope i hold out long enough.

A quiet Saturday slumber

Finally after a week long of hard work, its time to rest. Its rarely that i stayed home during weekends and thats been the case for the last 3 weeks. So today i decided that i am gonna recuperate at home watching a stack of DVDs that i havent watched. Oh yeah, the time of the year is also around the corner. I can already feel it in the air. Can you feel it too?

Been Burnin Purple Haze

Its almost one month since i posted anything here. I'm having a hectic schedule for the past weeks due to report writings and all. Till now I'm not having enough sleep and slowly i can feel myself being buggered by fatigue. I'm testing my human treshold time and again by doing this.Is it that i spend so much time for others i dont spend some for myself? Maybe, or perhaps its just part and parcel of life. I got so much to tell here but i'm just to stoned to bother. Remind me of what could have been in this space.