Snapshot: Penang

I've been meaning to take this picture for quite some time. It's of this quaint little doorway, shaded over head with old-world roof tiles and set against the wall washed in periwinkle blue. The potted plant on the side and a naked bulb hanging in the shade (not-visible in picture) all contribute to it's charm.

- It's just one of those sights which really add character to a town.

Meanwhile, this will be my last post from Penang before I fly off to Chicago tomorrow night. I will be there for a month and will be back when my next semester commences.


Stay tuned for Chicago updates.

Movie: State of Play

I asked Zhi X. out yesterday for a movie before his semester commences. Sunday is not a good day to catch a movie because of: 1) the crowds and 2) the fact that you can't get student priced tickets. But since this was the only day we could meet up, we went ahead.

Although we have both watched the new Transformers movie, we wanted to watch it again for some odd reason. But when we arrived at the ticketing booth, the tickets for the first three Transformers screenings were already selling fast, and not wanting to get horrible seats, we decided against it and chose State of Play.

As we were waiting in line, a woman approached us and asked "Are you watching Trnasformers?"

Seeing two tickets in her hands, we sorta responded "Yes."

And that woman proceeded to offer us tickets to the Transformers movie. Free of charge. (They were having some sort of event and the woman who approached us was probably part of the organizers and were giving out extra tickets they didn't want to waste. We weren't the only ones who were offered free tix.) So needless to say, we thanked her and ditched State of Play for a second round of Transformers.

And as you guessed it, my title is utterly irrelevant.

Oh, and when we got to our seats, there was popcorn and a drink ready for us.

What an interesting day. Transformers was cramazing!


Stay tuned for more.

Jetty

What did I do yesterday?


Woke up.

Showered.

Picked up Jeff.

Drove said Jeff and myself to Jelutong Expressway.

Arrived at the Jelutong Expressway jetty fishing village which extends far out into the sea, perched cautiously (and yet somewhat haphazardly) over the muddy seabed.

Cam-whored.

Drove home.


And now for the pictures...(cam-ho shots not included) :)

- The jetty with Penang Bridge in the background (click on the image to get a better look)

- Haphazard conditions of the jetty which freaked Jeff.

- Lovely boat.

To get to the jetty, I had to illegally drive onto a motorcycle lane and over a short uneven dirt road. And to get back, I had to cross said dirt road again and make an illegal u-turn. Oh, the things we do.

Stay tuned for more.

Snapshot: Penang

- Retro Black and White checkered floor tiles
Chinese Recreation Club,
Georgetown.

Stay tuned for more.

Shorts: The Long and Short of it.

Shorts are pretty much a staple for me. I've been wearing them since I was young. I wear them at home, out to class and to everywhere as long as it's suited to the occasion and the weather permits. Some people have told me that wearing shorts for them just feels weird, as though they've outgrown them. Showing some calf skin makes them feel naked and self-conscious. But when it's a hundered degrees outside, shorts aren't such a bad idea after all.

Then comes the debate of how 'short' should shorts be? Well, I've done some reading up on this matter in magazines and online and have more or less complied the information and digested it into the following:


- Shorts are all about the length and the fit. There are cargo shorts which are slightly baggy with pockets, ones which are more slim fitted but still casual, tailored ones and those typical khaki shorts. Personally I prefer a pair of fitted shorts because they tend to look more sleek (And I said FITTED and NOT 'FIGURE HUGGING' because skin-tight shorts are awful). But then again, I have loose ones as well when comfort comes first.

- When you wear shorts, they are supposed to sit comfortably on your natural waist which is about 2 inches below the belly-button. And you should be able to stick in about 2 fingers at the waist band so that it's fitted and still comfortable and you're still able to have a meal without having to unbutton them.

- The length of shorts really are to your preference. But the length should fall between slightly covering your knees to about 4 inches above your knee. Put four fingers above your knee, that's about the shortest they should go. Any shorter than that is considered short shorts and that's a whole other topic. Another tip is stand straight with your arms on your side and the tip of your middle finger should be the shortest they should reach.

- Shorts should not go wayyy past your knees. Shorts which are too long may end up looking like pants which are too short (does that make sense?). If your shorts are halfway through your calves, then they might as well be capris and guys usually don't wear capris. It's about proportions. Just remember that shorts which are too long cuts off your legs and make you look shorter; and you don't want to look short do you?

- You should have more or less decent looking legs to pull off shorts. And the word 'decent' is quite subjective. Some believe that you should have fit legs to be able to wear shorts. Others say that skinny legs are also alright. Some think that you shouldn't have too much hair or scars, etc. So, ask a friend when you're trying out shorts for a second opinion.


Here are some examples of the good:

- Knee Length Shorts which skim the knees are a good length to get started on.
Gianfranco Ferre, Spring/Summer 2010


- Knee Length Shorts.
Armand Basi


- Above-the-knee shorts.
D&G, Fall/Winter 2006


- A good length for board shorts.
Bottega Veneta, Spring/Summer 2010


- A good length for shorts.
Neil Barrett, Spring/Summer 2009

And the bad:

- Let's be honest, these are just too short.
Trussardi 1911, Spring/Summer 2010


- HELL NO...TOO LONG! You'd look like a midget in these.

Shorts are great when it's just too hot or when you want to break away from your everyday routine of jeans/pants. Just mixing up the wardrobe a little.

Aside from that, one thing I don't get are the board shorts. They are called board shorts for a reason: for surfing and/or activities related to getting drenched. Don't wear them out for other occasions for god's sake. THEY ARE NOT CASUAL WEAR. THEY ARE SWIMWEAR!!!


Stay tuned for more.

Some Assembly Required

Today's the day Brother Paul Ho, principal of St. Xaviers and last brother principal of Malaysia, retires. I remember much about him since he was after all the teacher advisor of the society I was chairperson in: The Catering and Hospitality Club. I remember him mostly of his thoughtful leadership, considerate thinking and wry sense of humour.

In the years 2001-2005 and even until lately, I could see and appreciate the work and contribution he puts into the school. Whether it's the Shangri-La toilets, renovation to the canteen or even that awesome double-decker oven for the bakery, it was truly the work of a visionary.

I present to you some of the pictures from Bro. Paul's retirement assembly:

- Bro. Paul, waving to us (ex-students) during the assembly.

- Commemorative tree planting.

- His portrait which would go alongside the pictures of the former principals.

- A group shot with the man himself.

This would have to be the last school assembly I attend with him addressing the crowd. And one of the best assemblies at that, since we (the ex-students) got to sit on chairs!

Now that he's retired I just hope he has a great life ahead of him. And the best of luck in his future endeavours.

Stay tuned for more.

Common Sense

I know I've confessed that I was once a fat kid. And the fact was, I actually knew and admitted to my being slightly overweight. I remember standing upright and looking straight down and to my dissapointment, I couldn't see my toes. It has been eclipsed by that bulging belly that had grown significantly. Sure, I remember how each time I sat down I noticed a little blub getting in my way and making me uncomfortable. But I was young and weight control was something that is obviously unfamiliar territory.

But as I entered high school and the rest of my friends started to shoot vertically up, I was still the old unimproved version. Around that moment, I sorta decided that it was time. Time to change something about my lifestyle. I began by altering my eating habits. I cut down on my consumption and monitored my food intake. I didn't go on any kind of diet coz' that would make me look weird. I just used the best tool at my disposal: Common Sense.

I wasn't the active kid when I was in school. I was never excited in PE (until form 4). So by using common sense, being less active meant that I didn't need to eat more food, thus the decreased intake. Yes, it is difficult to say no to that extra helping of rice or that extra plate of whatever but I had to begin somewhere. Then, when it came to eating healthy, again, it's common sense. You will KNOW when you're eating something unhealthy. If you don't you're just lying to yourself. I just began to be more selective in what I ate.

Months later, I lost some of my weight and shortly after that, I think puberty kinda hit and I too started to climb vertically. Now, I still watch what I eat. Any of you who knows me well, knows I eat alot. But then again, I'd like to think I'm quite an active person since I prefer to walk to most places around my neighbourhood and I like cycling along Gurney in my free time; and that's why I need the food for energy. So, it's all common sense.

If you don't start somewhere, you'll not progress. It's as simple as that. And this watching-what-you-eat thing is not a one-week let's-see-how-much-weight-I-can-lose thing. It's a process.

The best advice I've gotten in eating:

1. It's okay to fill up on fruits and vegetables. Eat as much of those as you like.

2. Eat on smaller plates. They fool you into thinking you've eaten more than eating the same portion in bigger plates.

3. Eat meals at regular times.

4. DO NOT SKIP BREAKFAST.


Stay tuned for more.

The One with the Survivor

For the past 2 days, I've been pretty much home bound; cleaning up my room which has been in a hot mess ever since I came home. I had boxes and boxes piled up on the floor and laundry strewn here and there and a layer of one inch thick dust coating most of my stuff. I went through most of my things, getting rid of a lot of crap (HSC notes anyone?) and more crap (12 year old magazines) and even more crap (dried up stationary and expired products).

And along the way I found this:

- I wonder if all who were involved still remember this.

I just wanted to keep a snapshot of it before I throw it away. Y' know, just for memories sake.


Stay tuned for more.

Behavioral Disorders

When you are Narcissistic, have a tendency to Stalk and have Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), you get:





Now, I have a facebook account and I twitter. What does that say about me?


Stay tuned for more.

Tea Visitor Center

Here're some of the stuff I rendered for my final Studio project. Our clientele was a tea company and we're supposed to propose a small tea center with a dining area, kitchen, toilets, office, store room, gallery and a gift shop. Kinda like a visitor center. I do admit that this semester I tried stepping out of my comfort zone by trying something different. Something I wouldn't normally do, because if I don't try I'll never know.

I'm glad that I took a gamble even if the person who critiqued me said (in her exact words) to my face "I don't like the entire structure." At the end of the day, I learned something.

- the model I built (The layers of foam which look like steps are actually the contours of the hill)

- the tea center

- the kitchen counter where you queue to get your tea and food.

- the gift shop would be in the empty space on the left and at the far end is the view point.

- the dining/seating area where you can enjoy the great view

This project was also a competition in collaboration with a company producing different finishes (tiles, paints, etc.). I managed to get a meritorious award for my application of different materials creatively into the structure. And don't for a second think that I take it for granted; I'm extremely grateful towards everyone especially my friends for being so helpful and supportive. There's pizza on the way...in August.


Stay tuned for more.

Snapshot: Penang

- the moon was on a bit of steroids last night.

Stay tuned for more.

Some So-Called Facebook Advice

Yes, we all know friendster is so yesteryear, virtually everyone I know has made that point clear. And now with facebook as THE social networking site, having an account is almost crucial. But the thing is, do you portray yourself as you really are on the website? Are you really who you say you are, or is it just a front? Do you talk like the way you do, or are you just pretending? Do you really know all those people, or are they just there to occupy your 'friends' list?

Maybe you're setting up a whole other virtual version or yourself, who knows. If that's what you're doing, is it important to monitor your secondary persona to make sure that your personal and virtual lives don't start to bleed into one another. But then again, more often than not, they will.

So, to avoid this whole mismatched identity crisis, you might as well just set the record straight and behave in virtual reality as you would in the public eye. Here are 5 golden rules that should be taken into consideration when manning your virtual self:



1. Not everyone needs to know EVERYTHING about you. Keep some things personal. Remember, you can let someone in on your dirty little secret, but you can never un-let them in.

2. Please, no slutty/drunk/horny/wild/awkward pictures of you. Nobody wants to see them. And you certainly don't want your future boss or *gulp* family to see them either.

3. This one is more for grown ups: Treat others how you would the actual person. Would you really spank or dry hump someone in public?

4. Someone should actually be your friend, before they are your 'friend'. This is not some stupid popularity contest. (I think I need to do some spring cleaning in my friends' list.)

5. If you find it irritating everytime someone constantly invites you to 'join their mafia' or 'become a vampire', don't bitch and whine about it and just politely tell your friends you are no interested in their dumb-ass applications and promptly remove them from your friends' list. Okay erase that last part.....unless you're very irritated.



Now that you're equipped with some basic rules, go ahead and review your virtual persona, you may want to make some changes. I know I do.


Stay tuned for more.

Go Watch This: I Love You, Man

Straight to the point, this is one of the best comedies I've watched lately. This is one of the best bro-mantic comedies to hit the cinemas. It's one of the most under rated movies here in Malaysia probably because it premiered against blockbuster movies like Angels & Demons, Night at the Museum 2 and Star Trek (oh, that was a good movie too!)

It tells the tale of Paul Rudd's character having realized just after his engagement that he hasn't any 'guy best friends' to become his best man. Thus, a frantic search for that perfect guy friend with plenty of laughs along the way. The casting was great, you can not go wrong with Paul Rudd and Jason Segel and Rashida Jones.

In this movie, you'll encounter everything from man-dates to bromance to awkward (but hilarious) situations. Bring your best guy friend to catch this movie! It'll make you see male-friendship in a new perspective.


Stay tuned for more.

Motivation

Karl Lagerfeld once said:



So whip out that shirt you can no longer wear* (because when you do, it hugs and tugs at all the wrong places) and hang it in front of you each time you go for a work out. You probably just need a little motivation.

*Just because you managed to squeeze yourself into some tiny shirt doesn't mean it fits. It could be too small for you, making you look like one of those pork cocktail sausages. A good way too know: ask a friend.


Stay tuned for more.