Blogging From Duisburg

Guten Tag!

Hi people. Managed to work in some blogging time between discussions. Am now on the UDE campus (University of Duisburg Essen) and waiting to go to lunch. It's lovely weather here in Germany, lowest was -1 C, which was fine. I had my German moment the instant I stepped onto the Hauptbahnhof (you know what I mean, Shey) and I think I must've been grinning like a little kid all along. Typing's a little slow since the keyboard layout's slightly different.

Hopefully I'll be able to sneak some time off to other parts of Germany or even Amsterdam (hehehe) by Wednesday. In any case, have a good week, people! Miss all of you loads!

Signing off from Deutschland,
Ash.ox

A Piece of Sad News

Sad, sad news. Thanks to Meesh, I found out this morning that Johan Ismail (of Joe Blogs) has passed away. I didn't know him, and only recently started reading his blog (especially his excellent pieces on the Mediface fiasco), but the sense of loss still hits me like a ton of bricks. It's truly a sad day for the blogiverse, and at the same time I can't help but marvel at how such a simple technology links so many different people, and affects their lives in so many ways. My deepest condolences to his family, and may God grace you with the strength to face the days ahead.

Innalillah..

From God we came, and to Him we shall return.

Al Fatihah.

A Hot, Hot Week

I think plenty of people have written about the latest fiasco regarding our soon to be departing Prime Minister. I won't add to the conundrum, God knows there's been so much said, and almost all of it something new for me to learn. In any case, it'll be interesting to see what the ramifications are halfway around the world. As I've blogged earlier, I'll be leaving for Germany today and it'll sure be interesting to see the Germans' take on it, if they're aware (which they probably would be).

I'm only halfway packed, but the throbbing migraine that's been attacking me these past few days won't let me do anything more complex than open my eyes for longer than half an hour. Ugh. In any case, I should be done by afternoon, and I hope I've brought enough clothes, heheh. Thanks to everyone for their travel tips, and I couldn't have gotten ready for this without your help! Am very very excited (since it's my first trip to Europe) and I have every intention of enjoying myself. The digicam's loaded and ready, and I'll try to find a way to blog from there, since I AM going to be at a university.

In case I can't, I'd just like to wish everyone a good weekend (and week) ahead. I'll miss blogging and especially the PPS, but hopefully we'll see each other again in a week. Keep up the good work, guys, and to the TBRB, I am so very sorry I can't make it, but I'm sure it can't be in better hands. Well, I'm sigining off for now, and as always: If you can't be good, be CAREFUL!

Cheers!

Kuman Di Seberang Laut Nampak

So much has been said about violence and vandalism among schoolchildren and teenagers. Today, it's this. It's always easy to blame the West, TV, violent movies, video games, Linkin Park. But honestly, are we to believe that hooliganism is purely a byproduct of the media? I remember fights like this when I was in boarding school, and that was 10 years ago. Go back another 10, 20 even and I'm pretty sure this 'gaduh' phenomena was already there. I've heard enough stories to think otherwise.

So who do we blame? Let's start with ourselves. It's not as difficult as it sounds, really. Start with how we have more TV dinners than anything else. Start with how we expect children to follow what we teach, when it's what we DO that gets stuck in their brains. Ever overtaken a car on the wrong side of the road or the emergency lane? Your kid is watching. Threw rubbish out the car? Ditto. And then we yell, cry and point fingers at the evil, Zionist TV, or that devilish tool, video games.

So where's the Gajah, you ask? It's here. Right in front of our noses. P Ramlee made movies about it, and we laughed, not realising he was showing us what really was. It's our fault, ladies and gentlemen. We chase after the Big Buck, so we leave our kids with Indonesian/Filipino maids then get all miffed when they start speaking Tagalog better than Malay. Interest in a child's day? God forbid. It saddens me greatly to mention this, but about the only time I've ever heard a parent asking a 6-7 year old child how their day at school went was at BSC and in Hartamas. Did I mention they were all expats? Well, I just did.

So what about the kampungs, you ask? They surely don't have maids there. Like I said, watch any P Ramlee movie. Notice how there's always a Sarip Dol? There's been bullies in our villages and schools for ages. We all like to think that just by 'returning to our traditional values' all the evils will go away. Not so, IMHO. Traditional values will be nothing more than superstition if no effort is spent actually practicing and adapting them to our increasingly 'global' society. I guess the point of this rant is that before it's too late, we need to get in touch again. With our kids, and our families. I know it's easier said than done, but a little affection goes a long way. I can only pray that no more potential doctors, lawyers and astronauts are needlessly killed or hurt.

Amen.

Aaargh!

It's almost midnight. I am awake, suddenly nervous. Would you believe I've been spending the last hour or so trying to soak up on anything that may be useful for the coming trip (you may have realised that I haven't travelled all that much). Anyway, here's a secret:

Until 4.00 pm this afternoon, I did not have any idea what this whole trip was all about, or who was going. Sure, I half remembered several visiting professors from some uni there, but I was away from the faculty when they came, and thus missed out on the whole shebang. Okay. So tomorrow morning I'm to see the Deputy Dean of Academics for a briefing on my 'official' function on the trip, bearing in mind I am replacing one of the most senior members of the faculty.

Ooo - er.

Number two: Thanks to some of you, I now have a vague idea of what to pack. A big heartfelt thank you goes out to those of you who've offered to lend me your jackets/windbreakers. Still, with barely 3 days to go, the prospect DOES seem slightly daunting, because:

I have another 150 answer scripts to finish by Friday, one student in PTPL Shah Alam to evaluate Wednesday afternoon, and another one Thursday morning. And did I mention tomorrow (or today) is already Wednesday? Arrghh! So all I have to do now is finish up the marking, dash through the evaluations, get the jackets/suitcases what have you, shop for some additional stuff and pack it all in before Saturday.

Can I do it again? Arrghh! Panic attack!

Looks like it's gonna be a sleepless night for the Ox. Gah.

Stay tuned.

Help! Advice Needed!

Okay, I've got less than a week to get stuff to bring over on my German trip. Been looking at the weather reports, and it looks like it's gonna be a very cold one. Anyway, I'd just like your opinions. Anyone ever been there this time of year? What should I bring? The Ox is totally clueless in this regard, so any and all help is greatly appreciated.

Germany! Germany!!

Oh my God! I've been chosen to go to Germany for one whole week! And to think I was moaning and groaning just five minutes ago! Oh well, this is life for you. I'll prolly be busy getting stuff ready for the trip, and the tentative date is 18th to 25th Oct.

Hopefully I'll be able to blog from there, but in the meantime, keep tuning in!

Tuesday Doldrums

It's a hot little Tuesday and man, am I blanked out. It's not fatigue (since I had a good weekend and loads of rest), so I guess it must be a general quality of bleh-ness. The Uni's nearly empty, all the students have gone off for their semester breaks, I'm knee deep in marking answer scripts and theses... you get the picture. So here I am, feeling the oppressive heat of the sun seep through the walls of my room (which is made of corrugated iron, by the way) and also uh-ohing the fact that another episode of the doldrums is on its way.

A recent post in Strizzt's blog got me thinking: How far have we strayed from our dreams? Are we the same now as what we'd always envisioned ourselves to be? Can we STILL afford to dream? The Ox was a big dreamer once. Got toned down a bit when he realised early on that he'd have to fight for every little pleasure, every little thing he would ever want. In this respect, he's come to embrace what he feels is a fundamental principle of the universe: Murphy's Law.

If something can go wrong, it will.

So it goes. Especially in matters of the heart where he is most vulnerable, the Ox sometimes wishes he doesn't feel anymore and likes to pretend so. But every so often, he ponders the possibilities, the what might have beens and what-ifs. So he burrows his way into his work, coming up just for air (and perhaps food). He throws himself into the alternate worlds presented by his games, into lands where he is a warrior, fighter, king, jumping bandicoot, chipmunk. And in the end, he is so tired that there is no time to think of dreams, that sleep is the only thing he needs.

And it works, for a while. But day comes, and the Ox gets yanked out of Morpheus's land earlier than he would have liked (although it might be a good thing, since in sleep also there are what-if creatures). The cycle begins, and he realises that there are still dreams, and he still wants them to come true.

Alas, he is scared. Past wounds still ache, and some scars run deep. Does he dare hope?

My Pirate Name

Arrr! My pirate name is Dirty Harry Flint, according to this website. Additionally, it says that :

You're the pirate everyone else wants to throw in the ocean -- not to get rid of you, you understand; just to get rid of the smell. Like the rock flint, you're hard and sharp. But, also like flint, you're easily chipped, and sparky. Arr!

LoL. Worth the time, just for a laugh. Try it, it's a hoot!

Movie Mania: Warriors of Heaven and Earth Review

I admit, I wasn't intending to watch WoHaE, although I did have it slotted for a later viewing. I wanted to go for the Tale of The Two Sisters. But as it happened, my sis lost her phone in college and to cheer her up, I bought her a new starter pack (since thankfully she was using my old phone and thus has a spare) and decided to take her for a good ol' Chinese yarn with action and drama. I walked into the theatre with no expections whatsoever, and was very pleasantly surprised. If stories of fighting, honour and comradeship are your cup of tea, then WoHaE is for you.

The story begins simply enough. Set during the time of the Tang Dynasty, a special agent on behalf of the emperor plies his deadly trade. An emissary from Japan, Lai Xi (played here by Nakai Kiichi) is forbidden by the Tang Emperor to return to his country of origin until he has tracked every last outlaw in the western plains of China. In the process, he is also entrusted with the safety of Wen Zhu (Zhao Wei, looking oh so delightful) the daughter of a former general. Lai Xi systematically cleans up every itinerant, outlaw, bandit and the odd Mongol, making the Plains a better place to live in. We also find out that he is tired of his voluntary exile, and wishes to return to his mother. As the agent is preparing to leave, he receives one final assignment: to capture the man known as Butcher Li (Jiang Wen in a shining role, IMHO). Butcher Li was once a famed Liutenant in the emperor's army, whose skill, courage and loyalty were legendary. He disobeyed a direct command to kill some civilians, however, which resulted in his fall from grace. Hunted and despised, Li hides away in the great Gobi desert while the other members of his unit also deserted their posts to live peacefully.

All that ends when a caravan of Buddhist scriptures is attacked by a freak storm, leaving only one survivor. Stumbling upon the remnants of the caravan, Li promises to escort it, picking up his old friends along the way, and inevitably, bumping into Lai Xi, the enigmatic Master An, an enemy who just won't quit and a relic that might save China. I can't say anymore without giving the story away, so I'll proceed with the rest of the review.

Thematically, the whole film reminds me of a spaghetti western (with dashes of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai). I'm unsure if the director's vision was to create an epic, sweeping story ala Crouching Tiger or Hero, but the finished product is more of a Musa. The story is holey in parts, sometimes asking the viewer to fill in their own explanations and plot devices (for instance, how does an abandoned outpost store so many NEW looking weapons, how the remains of Sakyamuni- oops!). Where the magic really shines through is in the characterisations. Jiang Wen is absolutely believable as a distinguished warrior, and he pulls it off so effortlessly. The commanding tone, the way he carries his responsibility, the little tap of sword against helm as he prepares to battle. It is easy to see how his comrades would follow him into battle and beyond. Kiichi is the slick, suave Imperial officer, whose swordsmanship is of equal measure to Li. Mostly silent but deadly, he learns in the movie that true honour is not always found in serving the court. As for Zhao Wei, for some reason she's vastly underutilised until the final act, when she dons armour to join the fray. I only wish her character had been sketched in deeper (although, as my sister pointed out, being a general's daughter she must have been very sheltered).

As for villains, Master An (Wang Xue Qi) is an Ernst Blofeld in the Silk Road. Charming but lethal, he is at once someone you HAVE to hate, but hope he doesn't know. Additionally, the supporting cast (mostly playing Li's former unit members) play their parts with gusto, tinging the whole film with a slight aura of nostalgia and making it even more believable. Perhaps the stark desert locale also helped flesh out what could have been a simple hack and slash flick.

In short, WoHaE is a good film in the vein of Musa and Hero. It doesn't aspire to much, and the effects are serviceable, but it provides some good action and acting, making it a perfect way to wind up a Friday (besides, it'll make you feel way better than My Boss's Daughter). Recommended.

Ash.ox gives Warriors of Heaven and Earth a 3.5 out of 5.

For more info, hop on to their website.

Perspectives

Sometimes we get lost. Too caught up in our own worries, fears, uncertainties. We create little coccoons around ourselves, a sort of mini-universe, if you will, with us as its absolute centre. Can't reallly say that it's a bad thing, since I do it as well (poor justification, but hey). People tell me, take a step back, look at the big picture. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. But more often than not, that big picture will show you something you didn't notice before. Maybe it's that cloud formation you never notice as you walk to your car, or the way the scenery on the road you take to work has changed. Take myself, for instance. I suffer from complete tunnel vision, sometimes. I keep my gaze locked on firmly ahead and bulldoze my way through. It's ONE way to make it, but I do wonder if there's so much I may have missed.

Enough jabbering. Take a look at this site. I don't know what it will do for YOU, but it really gave me something to remember, the next time I think I'm the biggest deal in the universe.

Peace.

Elementary, My Dear Watson

Interesting reads from the net today:

It seems that our favourite American, Mr George W Bush, has a blog of his own! Zounds! What an astonishing development. I only wonder if he writes the entries himself, or do his eager interns do it FOR him (I'm inclined to believe the latter). Intrigued? You can access it here. Way to go, Mr Bush! No better time to hop on the IT bandwagon.

On a related note: those of us in the blogiverse who like to sneak entries in during work, might want to read this little article. I wonder if Malaysian companies will start creating policies for their blogging employees too?

Midweek Madness

Again, it's midnight and I can't sleep. It's been a cold couple of nights recently, meaning there's never been a better time to catch up on some shuteye. So many things to do, some directly my fault (since I am a Master Procrastinator) and others just seem to drop in me lap. Ugh. In any case, to chase away these omnipresent depressing thoughts, I shall share with you my a list of upcoming movies grouped by how I think of 'em.

Yay. What stimulating content. Here goes:

Movies I'm Psyched About
1) Kill Bill
Uma Thurman, David Carradine and Lucy Liu in a Tarantino flick? Count me in. Thurman is the protagonist, an assassin betrayed and seeking revenge from her mysterious employer, known only as Bill (Carradine). Martial arts action, violence, and even a dash of anime all thrown in Tarantino's peculiar style. I'm hoping it works.

2) Once Upon A Time In Mexico
What is it about Robert Rodriguez? I dunno. But with Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek reprising their earlier roles in Desperado, as well as almost all the other actors from that movie, I'm definitely going to watch this one. Besides, it's got freakin' Johnny Depp! God knows I'll watch anything with him in it. And Willem Dafoe as a drug lord? Yaay! It should be showing soon-ish.

3) Hitchikers' Guide to the Galaxy
Finally! After a long hiatus, the film is coming to the big screen, under Disney, no less! Scripted by the same feller who gave us Chicken Run (closely based on Doug Adams' book) I'm crossing my fingers AND toes that I'll be able to see Arthur Dent and Marvin the Paranoid Android cavorting on screen! Yay!

4) Lord Of The Rings: Return of The King
All good stories should have an ending. And judging from the trailer, the final instalment will be one huge lip-smacking delight. Can't wait to see Aragorn and the gang again.

5) The Rundown
The Rock as action hero? I cringed during the Mummy Returns and Scorpion King, but reviews say this little piece of celluloid kicks butt! Am definitely going to see if Mr Johnson can pull off a Willis.

Movies I'm Curious To See
1) The Matrix Revolutions
Okay. I know bazillions of fans all over the world are sooo excited about this final episode, but I'm just interested to see how the Wachowskis will end the trilogy. Hopefully there'll be less pseudophilosophical gibberish and more of what made the first Matrix great. And for God's sake! Please, no more raves!

2) League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Having read the comic book, I'm just waiting to see if Steve Norrington can deliver a tight action package with a little British schoolboy hero flavour. Failing that, suspending my disbelief will do.

3) Darkness
Horror-thriller with Anna Paquin. Looks creepy, and everyone knows the Ox is a horror geek.

4) Underworld
Kate Beckinsale, fresh out of nurses' school is transformed into a werewolf hunting vampire. No, I'm not kidding you.

5) The Two Sisters
Korean horror flick, based on popular myth. I KNOW I'm going to watch this one, and most probably alone. Sigh.

Movies That I Just Don't Give a Sh** About
1) Superman
Yup, it's still underway, although no one can say for sure who's playing the title hero or if there's even a director! I'm sure they'll mess up the mythology anyway, so who cares?

2) House of 1000 Corpses
Rob Zombie's directorial debut? Word of advice: Direct to Video. Enough said.

Actually there are too many in the latter category to mention. I'll be adding more to the list as we continue on our spiral outside 2003. Till next time, people!

This Road I May Not Follow

Pieces of dreams
(past and present)
are nothing but.
From far enough away,
mine must look like grains of sand.

Did you know?
That the sand at the beach is made of the shells
of millions and millions of creatures?
The waves crash
and pound them
so little children (and adults, too)
can walk and run
and cuddle and laugh
(do you miss that too?)

I am:
What was, and what
might have been.

You have:
What may be
and what will be.

Sleep well, Ce'Nedra.
And walk safe.

Movie Monday: The Life of Brian DVD Review

It's lunchtime, I've got some time to burn, and I desperately need to escape an encroaching depressive episode. The game consoles are all at home, so what do I do? I write my review of Monty Python's second feature film, The Life of Brian, which my sister somehow found on DVD (don't even ask if it's a pirated copy).

For those of you yet unfamilliar with the Pythons, they were a troupe of British comedians popular throughout the 60s and 70s. Mostly producing short, satirical skits, they were known chiefly for their often blunt criticisms of Western civilisation. Surviving members include John Cleese (Charlie's Angels 2, Die Another Day) and Michael Palin (Full Circle with Michael Palin). Alright. Enough expository info.

The Story
Made several years after their first movie, Monty Python and The Holy Grail, The Life of Brian revolves around Brian Cohen, an illegitimate son of a Roman centurion and a Jewish woman. Born about the same time as Jesus (the same night, actually) he survived being visited by the Three Wise Magi of the East (who thought he was Jesus) and quickly grew up to be lanky young lad obsessed with the size of his nose. Having grown up rather quickly, he made a living selling snacks at the local colisseum. He thought (as all Jews did) that Roman rule sucked, and therefore recruited himself into the People's Front of Judea, not to be confused with the People's Popular Front or The Judean People's Front. As the story progresses, Brian gets sucked into a plot to assasinate Pontius Pilate, has sex with a fellow committee member, and gets appointed as the Messiah (in no particular order). The story ends with Brian being crucified (no nails, just tied to a cross) and being comforted by the other crucifiees with an amazing rendition of "Always Look on The Bright Side Of Life".

It's obviously not everyone's cup of tea. But still, if you're interested (and have the stomach to see several Pythons naked), The Life of Brian is a wonderful look at all the cornball biblical films of the era, as well as the obsession with celebrity that still holds true even now. It's not meant to be a serious film (obviously), but as Terry Jones puts it, "It's to show the life of someone growing up during the time Jesus was alive..all around Brian important things were happening..but he doesn't see them! Although the audience does.."

Audio and Video
This was supposedly from a Criterion Collection remastering, so it's pretty passable..although the print does show its age. However, compared to the footage from video cassettes also included, you can see that the audio and video's been jazzed up quite well. Don't go expecting your subwoofers to rattle any windows though.

Extras
We get 2 commentary tracks featuring four of the Pythons, a half hour long documentary on the group, original BBC radio ads, deleted scenes (with commentary) and the theatrical trailer. Not bad at all, especially considering the Pythons have so much fun on the comments!

Final Word
If you're a fan of the boys, then by all means. But if you're not (or less experimental), stay with B. Jones or Hugh Grant.

The Bloody Kahwin Thing

Before I proceed, let me just get one thing straight. I have nothing against marriage. Honest. I plan to enter that particular state too someday, have kids, the whole shebang. Just not yet (for a number of reasons). Anyhoo, what ticks me off is when married people try and enforce their particular views on the subject to us Singletons (thank you, B. Jones). Something a friend said today brought back a topic that I was supposed to blog about earlier but for some reason, forgot. I got so angry I nearly killed someone. Luckily, he avoided a messy death from 15 storeys up. Well, here it is.

Scene:
THIRD DAY of symposium.

Location: INT of HOTEL ROOM at CROWN PRINCESS, KL

Dramatis Personae:
OX, CLOSE FRIEND (CL), IRRITANTS (IR) 1 through 5

OX: CL, remind me to iron my shirt for tomorrow, eh?

CL: Sure thing.

IR1: You wouldn't have to do that if you were married, you know. (Other IRs snicker in background).

OX: What's the matter with ironing clothes myself?

IR2: Well, I COULD do that, but then the wife would be out of things to do! (All IRs laugh). Women are like that. What else can they do?

IR21: Yeah, you should get married soon. What are you waiting for? Now's the time, man! You don't know what you're missing. Besides, you can save yourself from sin.

(All IRs laugh)

OX: And I suppose those incest cases were done by single people? Never heard of an unmarried grandpa.

IR3: That's cause the wife's 'no good' anymore. (Gales of laughter).

OX: Well at least if I slept with a hooker tonight I won't be cheating on my wife.

ALL IRs : Wow! You're really wicked!

My dear friends, need I continue? If this in any way represents the mindset of my colleagues in the uni, then count me out, make that double pronto. I can take some ribbing, off-colour jokes and what not with the best of them. Yeah, I even got the grunting laughter down pat. But what gets to me is the sheer...irresponsibility of their remarks. It just hit me that these people stand for everything I despise and loathe in the male sex. The tendency to not look beyond the tip of their own penis (however short) astounds me. And this is not the first time either. It's like a national sport, this blustering about how they don't need to do the laundry, or how the wife never says no. Men like these make me ashamed of my species. And before any of you start labeling me, this has nothing to do with feminism or women's lib. It's about respect. Judging from this and other conversations, they regard their wives as only being slightly higher in station than a pack mule.

So go figure. Right now, practically speaking, I can't imagine myself settling down with a woman that doesn't have at least a tertiary education and a job, or better yet, a career. Want to call me a snob? Check out what IMHO justifies this statement:

1) Living costs are high, and we'll need every penny.
2) I'd like it if I don't need to look outside for mental stimulus, thank you.
3) If anything happened to me (death, crippling disease, etc) she'd be able to take care of herself and the family.

So there. At this moment, God's probably lining up someone who's the total opposite of what I've written down here to steal my heart, but right here and now, this is what I think. To the women reading this, be aware, men are a tricky species. Take time out to read, watch the news on the telly (if you're not working), learn a new skill. Don't let these bastards propagate the illusion that you NEED to do the laundry, that you're MEANT to be subservient. I just pray that I never turn into one of THEM, since a long time ago, someone told me never to forget that:

"It's always somebody else's sister/mother/daughter, until yours gets hurt."

Shit. This is getting to be too long already. Good night, people.

Sunday!! Sunday!!

It's Sunday again! My mum's on the way down, since my Grandma's in the hospital and we're off to see her (I think). There's some family drama that I won't get into here, not yet. Anyway, been catching up on a whole week's worth of e-mails, and man, is it never fun. All the newsletters aren't current, there are people who think I'm lazy bastard (I am, sometimes) and there's the ubiquitious Spam folder to empty. Oh well.

I start marking exam papers tomorrow, and according to a friend of mine co-marking it, I'd better get a bin and label it 'Zero'. Sheesh. I had no idea it would be THAT bad. In any case, am reasonably energised after my three day weekend to actually start doing something work-related. Oh, and having good games to while away slow patches really helps. I hate to say it, but it looks like the Xbox is starting to show strong promise in its efforts to contend with Sony's now ubiquitious (does anyone notice I used this word twice already? I really need a thesaurus) PS2. I shall not digress into a gaming frenzy, since there's ample time to do that later in the week.

Well, I'm off to enjoy what's left of the Sunday, and maybe I'll decide to post more thought provoking material tomorrow. Or maybe I won't. The Insane Ox's still unsure if he wants to be one of those serious, topical-like blogs, or just stay, well, Ox-y.

Reminder to self: Sunday is no time for self debate.
Blurgh.

Thank God It's Friday (and I mean it!)

It's half past nine on a Friday morning and I am at home. Every muscle and joint in my body's screaming for some sleep, but my mind decides otherwise (blasted force of habit!). Instead what I do is look out the window, at the kids on their way to school, the buses, the parents on their way to work. In the half dazed lump of tissue that is my brain the thought that I'm lucky as hell to be where I am now flashes and is quickly replaced by another one saying 'there's still a long way to go'. And there is. But today (on leave), right now, I'm just happy to be alive.

The past week's gone by in a massive blur. It seems like only yesterday (sorry folks, HAD to use that one) I rushed over to the Crown Princess to await the first shipment of equipment for the symposium. From that point onwards, it's been rushing from point A to B to H and back again, with last minute plan changes, registering delegates (and ferrying them about), lifting things, putting them back down..you get the picture. Oh, and I was Master of Ceremonies throughout the whole shebang, which meant that the attendees had to endure my faux British accent for all of 3 days.

Heheh.

A lot of knowledge was passed around in those 3 days, and I missed quite a bit of it (scurrying around whispering on a two-way radio does not help an attention span). I WAS able to get close to some of the foreign delegates (thank God) since most of them joined the tour of Putrajaya and KL that I handled, during which I realised an interesting thing: Malaysian conferences rely too much on protocol. The opening ceremony was officiated by the Vice Chancellor of my uni, and as such we had to endure a huge mountain of protocol (who to mention first, next, last etc etc) as well as be careful not to step on any professor's little toe. What I found during the tour was that most of these researchers don't need such a formal atmosphere when they present their findings. They get enough of that in their own universities. And here they are, 5000 (or more) km from their homes, and we stick them with boring formalities and a speech that's more gilding the lily than anything else. I gleaned more knowledge (IMHO) talking to them in the bus, over lunch, and while walking than I think I did overseeing their parallel sessions (anyone don't know what one of THOSE is, don't worry). And best of all, I made some new friends.

There's Cristoph, the Swiss who's doing his doctorate in Hawaii. Carl, the big bad American with the PhD who has his own consulting firm and who I had loads of fun discussing comparative religion, knowledge dissemination and general geeky stuff with. Prof. Kargal Gurumurthy from Bangalore who kept me on my toes asking where the materials for building Putrajaya came from and oil prices, among other things..(not to mention he says we're lucky that Malaysians seem to be so rich),the funky guys from Pakistan, Dr Ponrudee from Thailand (her name's pronounced nowhere like how it's spelt).

You get the picture.

At the end of the day, I was sore, my feet were whole pillars of pain, but I felt good, for a number of reasons. For one thing, I received no end of compliments on how I handled the events and tour (hee heee). For another, it was good to see that all that hard work paid off, and I even managed to learn something. And finally, I'm slightly strengthened in my resolve to not stay with the uni. There's a whole wide world out there, and I'm not prepared to let someone else just trample all my hard earned work into dust. Risky, I know..but what's life without risks?

And what a beautiful life it is.

Hiatus Ends!!

Hello people. The Ox is back after nearly a week chock-full of academic goodness. The first International Symposium of any kind I've ever handled in my life, and I must admit, it gives me a very very vain buzz to hear the compliments from satisfied attendees.

But more ego stroking later. As for now, I think that my "little grey cells" need some rest, and the doughy body too.
Yecch.

But anyway, regular transmission resumes soon! So have a good Friday, and if you can't be good, be careful.

P/S: Thanks to everyone who's dropped by this week! Am a very happy Ox!

AXN Anime Fest 2003: First Impressions

Oops. Almost forgot. I was among the bazillions of people crowding MidValley Exhibition Centre's Hall 3 for the first AXN Anime Fest to be held in Malaysia. Well, actually me and all my siblings. Yup (we're all otaku). So there I was (a little late but not too late) with my 2 sisters and brother in tow. I don't think crowded even began to describe it. It was like a madhouse. A friend of mine who was there earlier told me that the moment the gate rolled open, this huge tide of mankind rushed into the opening, despite the best efforts of the staff to contain the 'flood'. And flood it was. And then I got there.

I'm going to have to make this short, but pics will be on the way soon.

High points:
1) Cheap original Anime DVDs (courtesy of Anime-Tech). Yaaay!
2) Plenty of merchandise (at least when I got there)
3) Charlie's Angels style sumo!
4) So many female (read: gorgeous) anime fans! Yay!

Low points:
1) The Hall's bloody small! Do it in PWTC next time!
2) The Hall's bloody small!!
3) Get an MC who at least knows his anime! The Cosplay (Costume Play) contestants barely got introduced.
4) Again about the Hall size.
5) Bloody "action" kids who were boasting they knew better katas than the samurai performers on stage and that their cameras were the most expensive, and thus they should sit in front.
6) Mad parents who insist on shoving their 3-4 year old kids onto the stage.

So there it was in a nutshell. We crawled out of there early since we were all tired..but I sincerely hope (on behalf of all the anime fans) that we'll see it again next year. Thanks AXN, and keep up the good work. Oh, and if it's on next year, look out for the Resident Evil Zombie in the Cosplay Competition. That will be me.

Hiatus!!

As much as I'd like to avoid it, it's already Sunday! And that means I'll be off to the Crown Princess soon. Expect little to no updates till the 3rd, and hopefully I'll be hanging around KLCC a lot after the sessions end each day. So until I come back. have a good week ahead, and God bless!

The Crassness of It All

So now we have another cutesy, lovey little ad campaign going on. You know which one I mean. The one that goes "There's this girl in college. Pretty, but..."

Eww. What is the deal with all these whitening ads?

"And then I saw her, light playing on her FAIR, rosy face.." Oh yeah. Stick it to us with a blunt hacksaw why don't you.

Regardless of personal preference, this whole 'fairer is better' craze has to stop. What, we'll have to spend bushels of money just to get somewhat 'rosier'? What if you're dark all over? Does this mean you have to slather the miracle cream on your whole body? I'd be damn spooked if my partner had a white face and dark everything else.

Ewww.

Fairer, whiter, rosier..this has to stop. This whole ridiculousness has to stop. But then again I'm just me. Thanks to their masterful marketing strategy, I'm sure the product will do very well.

Can I just do it one more time?

Ewwwww.

What The Hell?

I'm bloody pissed. What's the point of asking Linkin Park to come down if they're only allowed to act like N' Sync? Can't someone make these people grow brains? Are we doomed to only have the likes of the Scorpions and Modern Talking perform? Did the Cheeky Girls' butt-touching song hypnotise the Ministry (or God knows what forsaken body) into letting them perform on our National Day? Talk about hypocrisy. Oh, and by the way, might as well call up the boys from MLTR. God knows they need the work.

Way to go, Malaysia. I'll be surprised if they decide to turn up at all.

Grr.

(Thanks to the nicster for the link)

Replacements

It's almost midnight, my head's spinning, and I'm reading blogs. Long, long week, which will spill over to the next. As I look at the stuff I've bought these few days, it occurred to me that however nice the suit, wonderful the game console or funny the book, I'll only have myself to enjoy it with.

Yay.

I know I shouldn't complain, especially after watching Children Of Heaven. Considering the circumstances, I'm not too badly off. Sure, I'm not filthy rich, but then again I don't know what I'd do if I was either. Small steps at first, I tell myself. So then I ask myself 'what's with all the stuff, man?'. The answer's pretty obvious. They're replacements. Surrogates, if you will. The most mouth watering dish fades into nothing if you have no one to enjoy it with. A funny line in a book? Ditto.

Of course, I've got my friends (and thank God for them too). But still..

So people ask me, "Why don't you get off your arse and FIND someone?"
I ask myself the same thing.
And then it always occurs to me that I don't even know if I WANT a relationship anymore. I've stopped thinking about it so much (partly due to the mountains of work) that it doesn't even appear as an option. I used to feel longing. Now I just don't feel. Except for the odd twinge of jealousy when intertwined couples pass by. Do I really want one, or am I just going to go through the motions? I probably COULD start something, but for some reason there's no drive.

Weird, innit?

Work, read, game, sleep.
It's a comfortable little cranny I've stuffed myself into.

Mc Sex: The New Dish on The Block

Got this article from rense.com. Purportedly written by an editor for Cosmo, it highlights what may be a worrying new trend among single females. An interesting read. Here are some quotes:

"...Why else would we cram our feet into the worst-quality but most expensive heels? Because we're dedicated followers of fashion and right now, it appears, 'Sex is the new black'..."

"...It's these conversations that disturbed me the most. We spoke to a 27-year-old who'd had sex with "about 40 men" this year but never had an orgasm. We spoke to a woman vomiting on a beach as the sun rose. Was she happy?

"No, I just want to go home," she replied but when her friends arrived minutes later to pick her up she told them what a great time she was having. We spoke to women who described the sex they'd had the night before as "actively unpleasant..."

The article can be accessed here. Let me know what you guys think, especially in light of what's been happening in Suara Malaysia and Najah's blog.

(Hint: That's blatant bait, so bite it, you-know-who.)

A Very Ashamed Ox

Really. Ask anyone who's known me for a few years (at least). I rarely spend on anything for myself. Really. The last big tech buy I made was for my Palm m130 (which has served me tremendously well) about a year ago. Well of course there's the odd game or two, then books (glorious books!) and maybe a DVD if there's anything worth buying. But yesterday..yesterday I think I went bonkers. The meeting scheduled for Monday morning was cancelled and seeing that I'll be having a very packed week, I decided to hop over to KL and get my suit (while peeking at the Xbox of course).

Thanks to G2000, THAT trip was fairly short. With their sweet "buy-one blazer we throw in a pair of trousers" deal, I walked out of G2000 a very happy puppy..with every intention of coming back Thursday and picking up some shirts as well. Until I went over to Mr Wong's (my friendly Sg. Wang gameshop) and I saw IT. There I was, with money to spend, and months of planning/drooling/dreaming echoing in my brain. I looked at it. It winked back. Taking a breath, I remembered my walk-away point (established not too long ago) for buying the Xbox:

1) If it costs more than RM 1200 including the games and another controller, forget it.
2) If the must have games I want are not available immediately, forget it.
3) If 1 and 2 are don't apply..buy it.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I am now the proud owner of Microsoft's not-so-little black box. And I didn't even have to break my walk away rule either. Of course, I had the pre and post buying jitters. I recognised them a mile away. Only now, I didn't feel so bad after buying the devilish console. I wonder why.

In case anyone's interested, here are the games I got free with the console:
1) Halo (of course!!)
2) Shenmue II
3) Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic
4) Hunter: The Reckoning (sweet multiplayer action)
5) DOA 3 (not to be confused with DOA Beach Volleyball)

Oh, and I'll still be going back to KL Plaza on Thursday. It's to pick up the suit (post alterations) and some shirts. Hell, maybe even another pair of flat-fronts.

Shit.

Coming Soon : Romero-Fest

Okay. I think I'm a schmuck. The reason being while trawling through some DVD shops last night I chanced upon a copy (you know what I mean) of George Romero's final installment in the Living Dead Trilogy: Day of The Dead. Me being me, I decided for some weird reason not to purchase it, knowing full well it would be the last time I'll see it on a shelf anywhere in KL (and don't get me started on waiting for Speedy-weed to bring it in). Oh well, I suppose I'll find it again when I'm NOT looking for it, as is usual. Right now though, I keep thinking: What if??

Damn.

Oh well, I suppose I can wait until I can afford to order the whole Special Edition from Amazon or something. Not much fun working your way backwards is it? I used to contribute a lot to DVD Malaysia, a forum for DVD fans here to share tips, tricks and news on the DVD and Home Theatre scene. Haven't been there in awhile, mostly cause I had to stop my collecting due to some (ahem) unforeseen law enforcement, hehehe. In any case, I expect I'll be getting my hands on the DVD soon enough (knowing me). For the uninitiated, the Trilogy kicked off with Night of The Living Dead (1960, 1990), continued with Dawn of the Dead, and ended with Day of the Dead. Although you may call them sequels, they don't feature any continuing characters. Instead, the films show a progressively decaying world where the dead come back to life, and humans are scattered all over the world in small pockets. I think I posted on this some time back, and I'll try to link it (if I can ever find it again that is). I'll be sure to post reviews as re-watch these films, so for those Horror aficionados out there here's what you can do to tide you over while you're waiting:

1) Watch Clive Barker's Candyman (or read the short story first).
   An intriguing look into urban legends and the power of belief. Done much better than the pseudo-smart schlock that was Urban Legend (1999) and its even more insipid, uninspired sequel. Tony Todd (Final Destination) is THE Candyman. Maybe you dare to say his name five times in a mirror?

2) Watch Night of The Living Dead (either version)
   Interesting social commentary on the paranoia in 1960s America. Never before have zombies become so thought provoking.

3) Play the Simpsons Hit and Run on the Xbox/PS2
   Imagine GTA, but with no guns. And plenty of humour from our favourite yellow skinned sitcom family. Guaranteed fun to be had.

Right. Back to work!

This Is A Work Related Plug

Hello people. Just got back from the vastly tiring Family Day Sunday afternoon, and am now in the final stages of organising what we like to call ITSIM '03. Being a good member of the faculty and stuff, I thought I'd post a plug about it here:

International Symposium on Information Technology 2003
Date: 30th September to 2nd October 2003
Venue: Crown Princess Hotel, KL
Theme: Challenges and Innovations in Knowledge Engineering and Knowledge Management

There'll be a Pre-Con Workshop on the 29th with the topic Making Knowledge Management a Reality- The IBM Experience. More details can be found at the official site. Yours truly will be firmly ensconced in the hotel starting Sunday afternoon, so expect little to no updates until it's all over, unless of course I can find some way to blog from there. So anyway, have a good Monday and a great week ahead. The Ox needs to get himself a suit and quick!