will i am's delayed diary

collageWahiru2 Swiped from williamnyk . On Sunday morning, KH and Jeremy argued about whether it was Father's Day. Well, it does fall on the third Sunday of June and after squabbling, they both went off to wish their fathers in their own ways. It didn't occur to me then, but come to think of it, although I have not celebrated Father's Day for close to eleven years, I should have wished my late father too... Well, after breakfast, we were all lounging on Jeremy's king-sized bed when we noticed that his mattress was really quite worn out ( from regular humping?! ). Too soft. Bad support for the back. And so that got Jeremy into the mood to shop for a new mattress. We all took the bus out to nearby mall to check out the Courts Mammoth there, only to find that we have to go to their megastore to get mattresses. And so after a quick lunch at the food court, we took another bus to the Courts Mammoth Megastore. We took the scenic route as we didn't get off at the

collageSingZoo Swiped from williamnyk . Early Saturday morning, we dragged ourselves out of bed and headed for Singapore's Mandai Zoo. I was there during my last trip , but KH never did visit it all this time. Being a blood donor, KH got a free pair of tickets, so we made it a date. We invited Jeremy along as the official spotlight and photographer. Hehe. Was supposed to meet POD and Nic there, but we didn't see them until later as they started earlier and the crowds were really atrocious ( school holidays, Great Singapore Sale and free tickets! ). Nothing's changed in six months, but at least I visited the exhibits that I missed the last time due to exhaustion and rain, for example the reptile section and the African animals. KH was running around taking pictures of every animal while Jeremy and I followed closely behind. Some interesting sightings: Two Amy Winehouse wannabes were spotted at the Australian Outback section A woman dressed like a zebra was found roa

Jazz in Transformers Swiped from Quang Minh (YILKA) . The last time I met KH was during CNY . In those long months, we merely communicated via SMS and phone calls. Sometimes an e-mail or two. And the even rarer but meaningful surprise greeting cards in the mail. In those long months, we missed each others' physical presence immensely. Whatever snuggling, cuddling, hugging and kissing had to be done via abstract means that although serves the purpose, but it onviously doesn't quite cut it. To connect, one had be there in person. Hence, to avoid exhaustion in the relationship, I visited KH during a weekend in June. We were both extremely busy ( with uncertainties in my work schedule, my sister's delivery due date, KH's exam and work ), but we both welcomed the reunion. Things were much easier this time round as KH had already moved in to stay with Jaded Jeremy. No more yappy dog and weirdness around KH's ex-landlord's family. We got to be ourselves. The

collageNikko Swiped from williamnyk . Another one bites the dust. My colleague of three years has finally thrown in the towel. In exchange for the departure of an experienced colleague, I was recently given two newbies fresh from colleage. People at the office say that one of 'em looks like me and the other looks like my peer in Jakarta. Though I am all for teaching and guiding, but I it depends on the situation. If the pace of things are relaxed, I do not mind it, but if things are hectic, my patience grows very thin. So far, they're both infuriating in their own ways ( one knows not what he is programming and the other brings out his employment contract to question my accuracy when I tell him about company policy ), but they do have their uses. Better than nothing, that's what I always say. The next generation of cheap labour. Oh well, that's how I started out anyway. In break of all tradition, the farewell dinner for my colleague was done at Nikko Hotel! Th

Tower of Babel Swiped from Lawrence OP . Read Saturday's The Star and you'll see an article about the "towering achievement" of the Shian Yang 219th Kinta scouts troop. Basically, they spent MYR40,000 to build a 40.26m tall tower made of 5,000 pieces of mangrove wood and 300kg of rope. That "motivational and inspirational" white elephant earned them an entry in the Malaysian Book of Records. Whoopeeeeeee! I'm not sure whether I'll earn the ire of the scouts or anything, but I find the structure a real waste of money. And the mangrove trees that were sacrificed to "commemorate the 100th anniversary of the World Scout Movement"-- apalling. It would have been more meaningful if they had built a bridge that would have served some sort of purpose for the community rather than just some grandiose structure to stroke egos. And you know what? This is their 19th attempt. Well done!

Sweeney Swiped from williamnyk . I'm due to have an appointment with my hairstylist. My hair is already to thick to style with the mud I have. It all just flops down. Might have to resort to adhesive or high-voltage shocks to bring "life" to my hair if things continue to drag on. The reason for this delay is because my stylist is no longer with Snips. He has spread his wings, becoming his own boss. Apparently, his new salon is still under renovation. He assures me by the latest mid-June. There better be an opening discount. Since I'm on the subject of hairstylists, I just recently watched Sweeney Todd: Demon Barber of Fleet Street . Come to think of it, I have not seen a single haircut in the movie. Oh well. I found the movie quite enjoyable really. Nice twists. The singing was fun, not too long-drawn. Helena Bonham Carter looked great with her smoky eyes and wild hair. And the same pallid complexion for Johnny Depp. So Edward Scissorshands. So Sleepy Hollow.

After numerous late night discussions and heated negotiations, several lucrative deals have been closed. KH Pte Limited will remain as the sole distributor of Nyk Feelings in Singapore and Nyk Sdn Bhd will continue to source a steady supply of Love for KH Pte Limiteds manufacturing meds. The MoU signing was witnessed by Dato Jaded Jeremy. Operations shall resume tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.

Closed shop Swiped from ArminBxl . This blog will not be operational from this Friday till next Monday. The owner will be down in Singapore transacting important business deals with his sole strategic partner . All inquiries will be attended to after negotiations are complete and details finalised. We look forward to seeing you soon.

5th Series PLKN Swiped from Anan Amri . It's been ages since I complained about annoying advertisements , but that doesn't mean they don't exist. The top in my list right now is Maxis' Activ Ten radio advert. Ten, Ten, Ten, Ten, Ten, I got Activ 10. Ten, Ten, Ten, Ten... Stupid lyrics. Annoying voice talent. Interspersed with idiotic tribal chants. A real keeper. Have you guys been watching the prime time news lately? Keep your eyes peeled during Buletin Utama and you might just catch the promotional advertisement for the National Service. It seems that portraying the NS like a musical is supposed to make it look important. Kids with dumb expressions and exaggerated gestures. Dancing with brooms and marching like they have fire ants down their pants. I'm sure the NS will be taken seriously now. I'm sold.

Kal-Kool THE MAN... =P ... Swiped from nascity . Finally met Joe, the self-proclaimed President of My Di Association . He had finished his exams and flew in from KK for a short visit. I ffk him the first time due to unforeseen problems at work, but as luck would have it, I managed to see him before he went back to continue studying. With SK and Apollo with me, we met him and Pikey at OKR, our usual haunt for steamed fish head and BKT. Unfortunately, during that visit, the fish head was too big ( flesh not smooth lo ) and the BKT soup too salty. I must say that he looks a little different from his pics, but has admitted that all his pics are carefully posed for and selected before released into cyberspace. The vain little boy. It has really been a while since I met up with Pikey too, so it was good. After dinner, we adjourned to Old Town Kopitiam at 3 1/2 Mile Square. It was quite happening for a Wednesday night. The drinks tasted different from the outlet in Central Market (

Avillioncollage Swiped from williamnyk . Other than the annual dinner, the only other event that my company spends "unnecessary" money on its employees is the team-building getaway. Hence, I make it a point to attend these things though they may seem boring and a waste of a good weekend. Being unsure about my schedule, I postponed my participation until the third batch and just so happened to clash with Apollo's big birthday bash. Having booked my place in the trip earlier, I had to forgo the party ( sorry, Kawan! ). When Avillion and Port Dickson is mentioned in the same sentence, it usually elicits gasps and looks of awe and longing. That is what happened to me when I heard about the venue for the training. (Finally, my company is actually appreciating us!) Unfortunately, that sentiment didn't last long. Turns out that the training was to be held at Avillion Admiral Cove rather than Avillion Resort . The former is a budget version of the luxurious latter.

JAPAN - Sake barrels Swiped from BoazImages . After a month of studying, I finally took my Microsoft exam at a training center at Amcorp Mall. It was quite stressful as I did not have much time to finish the syallabus and do the test questions. Had to resort to late nights and whipping out my laptop in the LRT. Not much chance to steal time at work too. Luckily I passed the exam, or else I would have burned MYR300 as I did not register for the second shot voucher ( free retake ). Having finished my test early, I roamed the secondhand bookshops while waiting for a lunch date with Janvier. The first shop I entered was typical-- books piled mile-high, the smell of dust and yellowing paper with a hint of dessicated silverfish. Found a book, but I deemed it too expensive. Walking out, I stumbled across BookXcess. Spacious. Clean. Plenty of new books at prices lower than that of the ancient archive I had exited from. Bought Anthony Swofford's "Exit A" for myself and &

Sliced Chicken Hor Fun Swiped from williamnyk . Lunch on Sundays is always a big question mark. Restaurant A, boring. Kedai Makanan B , yuck. Stall C, ugh. Where to eat? Where to eat? Where to eat?! As a result, we always end up eating at some place random after mass. Something we have never tried before. Some place that looks inviting. Some place with a healthy crowd. Having gotten a bit wary and weary of the eateries at Aman Suria, we have now ventured into SS2 ( don't really like the place as it confuses me and the crime rate is high ). Tried a Restoran Ho Fun . From the name, it's obvious that it's a shredded chicken hor fun specialty shop. Ordered the signature dish, but with whole pieces instead of shreds and it was quite good. The first thing that you'd immediately notice is that the soup tastes and smels like prawn noodles. Even better than prawn noodles as it is quite concentrated. The compulsory kau choi was present and the chicken extremely smooth,

Horror of the Sleep-Deprived Flight Attendants! Swiped from jawboneradio . After months of late nights, the toil is finally over.... not. Oh well. The system that my team and I had been working on had finally gone live on the 19th of May. Things were seemingly hunky-dory, but there were some critical errors that really put some serious doubt into the minds of the ends users. They were already resistant to change of operations, and thus they took the opportunity to sink the ship by complaining to the President directly ( some vindictive bastard is pretty well-connected ). Instead of sending my system to the depths of abandoned software, it survived by a thread. Instead of the 22 branches that it is deployed in, it is now constrained to 7 branches. I am now under public scrutiny. Well, the problems started from a bad server configuration. The database was not allocated enough space, the maintenance plans were not in place, the servers were not time-synchronized, the NLB was crea

Sky Arena Swiped from williamnyk . Jaded Jeremy was recently back in Malaysia to clear his leave and settle issues regarding his HUGE financial estate. The cute uncle was in the country for days and didn't even bother to call me and SK. So pengz . Perhaps he was sulking that we told him we didn't have time to bring him around. :P. Anyway, he come down from Seremban to stay at his sis' place in Bandar Sri Damansara and on Wesak, we brought him to see the sights at Putrajaya. Had the chance to meet his sis and her fiance too and for the first time, I perceived him as "tall" ( jangan marah you... ). It was actually a photoshoot with Apollo as our professional photographer, with the offical theme "Red". SK even wore a skirt for the occassion(!). I told JJ to come with a few changes of clothes-- speedo, hot pants, tank top and mesh-T. But he just came with a few T-shirts. So boring. We started off at the Masjid Putra area, then the Ministry of Financ

Frangipani mosaic Swiped from robynejay . For the first time ever stepped into Frangipani , Changkat Bukit Bintang to celebrate the ulangtahun of one of the directors of the Jaylex Foundation, JL. Didn't go upstairs to the bar ( missed out on the alternative atmosphere ), just the restaurant. Helluva posh place. Walls of perforated steel with flower motifs and a pool of water smack dab in the middle of it. Tastefully surrounded by pillars around the water's edge. The ambience is good, and I can imagine a very romantic dinner with KH, dining right by the pool. Looks expensive and IS expensive. The cheapest main course is MYR52++ ( Wagyu beef-- the beef melts in your mouth and has a wonderful aroma ) and the most expensive Angus beef is priced at MYR98++. o.O. I had the Roughy fillet that came with a side of iceberg lettuce that has probably been blanched for half a day to make sure that every shred of vitamins had been leeched out. Anyway, along with the price, one can

collagePanMee Swiped from williamnyk . In my hometown of Kuantan, Pan Mee is actually known as Mien Fan Kou . That literally translates to "flour confection". Since I was a kid, I only enjoyed the "soupy teared" version. Only after I moved to KL that I started venturing into the "dry noodle" type. Over here, people seem to be obsessed with the "spicy dry noodle" version, which is best represented by the supposed pioneer, Kin Kee . For the usual "dry noodle" version I find the one at TTDI ( same row with Peek-a-Boo, opposite Plaza VADS ) to be quite good. One can also opt for it to be served with Assam Laksa soup which is kinda weird. But SK finds it so-so only. Her colleague recommends one in Wangsa Maju. Will just have to wait for her review. In Central Hypermart, OKR, one can also find a famous Pan Mee there. Also famous for its "dry noodle" version but the difference lies in its ingredients-- fried beancurd sheet

Innie Swiped from williamnyk . Although SK's recent underwear poll declared DanielH as the winner, I was not discouraged from pursuing my interest in he realm of all things loin-cladding. Hence, I shall do my first underwear review here today and you're all part of history in the making. In recent times, I have seen men's underwear manufacturer's in Malaysia getting bolder and bolder. Designing stuff that is both uncommon and sexy. From the boring but basic mini briefs of yesteryear, the underwear racks in department stores have spread out to jockstraps, pouches and boxer briefs. Even the boxer briefs have undergone a revolution where the inseam is getting shorter and shorter ( I heart low-rise ). Materials have gone from the practical cotton to the more luxurious and high-tech textiles like lycra, tactel, mesh and microfiber. Boring solids of blue, black, white and grey have also been replaced by bold prints, decals, embroidery and rhinestones. Much fusion can

Naive Swiped from williamnyk . Fancy paying MYR15,000 for a piece of art that looks like something that your bratty nieces or nephews could have drawn? Do visit the Naive Art Exhibition at the Annexe, Central Market. The resident naive art exponent there is Yusof Gajah, but I didn't notice any of his paintings there. Don't be mislead by my first statement about naive art. Actually it's quite interesting and pleasing to the eye. The colours are bold and vibrant. The themes are fresh and innocent. The intricate brushwork creates an illusion of texture and gives some of the paintings a 3D quality. It may look kiddy, but in an adult sort of way. Recurring themes include rural scenes and animals like cats, dogs and fish. FYI, for MYR50, you can be given guidance on naive art at Yusof Gajah's gallery. Inclusive of canvas and acrylic paints for you to finish one painting. You can come back again and again until you finally finish your painting. Cool, right? Liuli has

collageLaVista2 Swiped from williamnyk . The dinner for Mother's Day and mum's birthday was held at La Vista Bistro at Plaza TTDI, Taman Tun Dr. Ismail. Not that I heard rave reviews about the place, but I just took a gamble as it was one of the places that my Global Privileges voucher entitled me to 50% off food. :P. If you do a quick search on the net, you won't find many reviews on it because I suspect that it's the new kid on the block. The only useful comment I saw was that it's "house wine (white) sucked". I didn't realize that Plaza TTDI is suc a happening place. It has a covered boulevard concept reminiscent of NZX . Everything is basically white-washed and bathed in hypnotic blue light, with twinkly little lights overhead. Mostly occupied by night spots and restaurants, the patrons seem to consist primarily of the employees from nearby offices like Schlumberger and VADS. Too bad IBM had moved or it would be an even more "happen