tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52111402011-08-16T15:41:08.943+08:00Ash.ox currently resides in Subang with a sister, several hundred books, an Xbox and a PS2. Author of such non existent bestsellers as "The Nimble Horsefly's Wife" and "Adventures In Pantyhose", he feels strongly that he should be knighted, which is a matter he's currently pursuing with the British government. In the meantime, he pretends to write his own entries, and hopes he will never get caught (or worse, thrown in jail). Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comBlogger7041100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1109524472026590702005-02-27T23:01:00.000+08:002005-02-28T08:37:54.703+08:00

As of the time of writing, I am still reeling from 8 episodes of 24 back to back. Something tells me that when I finally grow up, I want to be Jack Bauer.(although I'd prefer to have Kim Bauer as a possible love interest, not as a daughter..but then again..oh no I'd better stop)Ahem.So anyway. I managed to snag Christian Bale's latest, The Machinist on DVD after nearly a year of waiting; and as

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1109394454209942242005-02-26T12:37:00.000+08:002005-02-26T13:10:19.073+08:00

I had to write: the smell of the mess in my head was driving me crazy; and the voices were broadcasting their weekend song on every channel on every other frequency, up to the point where I couldn't even think.So you see, I had to write.I woke up at 730 am in a hotel room somewhere on Jalan Bukit Bintang. Alone, yes, but not clutching the sweat-soaked sheets (simply because they weren't) not

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1109071907165259202005-02-22T19:20:00.000+08:002005-02-22T19:31:47.166+08:00

Dear Readers:As of today some of you may have had trouble accessing my new blog at www.insaneox.org. That's quite understandable. You see, my hosting company, Mercumaya, experienced the latest in a series of debilitating "occurrences" with this final one totally wiping out the contents of my account and domain (as of 5 pm) and of several others, including voicefromwithin.net and

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1107311651758504422005-02-02T10:31:00.000+08:002005-02-02T10:34:11.756+08:00

Hello there. If you've come here before you may be wondering where the new entries are. I've moved to someplace slightly bigger and better. It's all the same content, the same style, the same ox. Just a change of address. So visit me: www.insaneox.org

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1106421482980267642005-01-23T02:46:00.000+08:002005-01-23T03:18:02.980+08:00

Hello, people. This is your friendly neighbourhood InsaneOx, speaking to you via delayed blogocast (rest assured though that everything will have been tailor-made to your particular time zones by this time). There'll be significantly fewer updates this week as he struggles with exporting all the goodies you're used to be reading to somewhere a little more advanced (but not too much so that he

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1106397780393861372005-01-22T20:04:00.000+08:002005-01-22T20:43:00.393+08:00

Talking to a friend earlier this weekend I remember him saying two things that for some reason made the most sense among all the other sentences I've heard all month: 1) "You're a pig, Ash." - on what I've been getting up to recently (you don't want to know). 2) "That's a bit rich, coming from you." - this in response to certain statements I made about my approach towards relationships these

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1106248219006313302005-01-21T02:12:00.000+08:002005-01-21T03:14:35.960+08:00

There are days when I feel positively old. Not physically, mind you (although there are those occasions) but it's like I missed a step, fell out of sync, did a Rip Van Winkle - but you know what I mean. One missed login into PPS, an RSS feed overlooked and all of a sudden it's this sudden deluge of information, rantings, pr0n, and news. Oh, and I got fondled today at the pool. Believe you me,

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1106158666307539312005-01-20T01:37:00.000+08:002005-01-20T02:26:52.286+08:00

Okay, so technically we're past the midweek - but what IS time but something we came up with to explain why we're so hungry during the days, and why "night" is good for a..myriad of activities. I nearly forgot: American Idol's back. It's nice to see Simon and crew again, although Paula DOES look like she's had a little too much Xmas turkey. Still - it made for an entertaining slot tonight, with

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1106054847647241122005-01-18T21:26:00.000+08:002005-01-18T21:27:27.646+08:00

Mmmm. I love Picasa. It makes looking at those snaps I take sooo much simpler.

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1106052806691950132005-01-18T20:22:00.000+08:002005-01-18T20:53:26.693+08:00

The trouble with opening my big fat mouth, as I've found out time and again is that I generally land myself into trouble - even when it doesn't seem that way to other people. For a demonstration, let's look at today's little retreat at the Shang in Putrajaya. On the one hand there were several notable pluses: 1) I managed to convince the audience we needed the shift in syllabus content. 2)

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1105978037423519192005-01-17T23:22:00.000+08:002005-01-18T00:07:17.423+08:00

I had one of those dreams again, last night. When I woke up, there was a nasty taste at the back of my mouth, and my teeth were on edge. I felt more tired than I did going to bed, and that was after a near two hour swim. I've got a long way to go, apparently. The trouble with these types of dreams is that they never seem to need any trigger - they just happen; and when they do, they make this

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1105889853531284292005-01-16T22:30:00.000+08:002005-01-16T23:37:33.530+08:00

God how time flies. It's Sunday night again, and this time I'm a little bit UN-excited about the coming week, for several reasons: 1) It means I have to get going on the whole university celebration thing, when I already have several other things to take care of (refer below). 2) My brother's here on a short break -and it's unfortunate that this is one of the busiest weeks I'm ever going to

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1105728706898473542005-01-15T02:34:00.000+08:002005-01-15T02:51:46.900+08:00

Crazy night. Flashes of memory, past stains. Old hurts. It's all in the package, you know? Don't mind me, I should be sleeping. There's some work to do early this morning, and I'm debating if even sleeping is a wise course of action. Jack Bauer's cool. He makes words like "debrief" sound official, as if the fate of the whole world rests on how well it's pronounced. Tension headaches we all know

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1105620278942107892005-01-13T20:15:00.000+08:002005-01-13T21:01:15.846+08:00

There's nothing like a near-nationwide blackout to provide instant blogfodder. I can imagine some people like myself this afternoon, trapped in another dreary workday, thinking of tomorrow's potential shenanigans when WHOOMPH! the electricity cuts off and we find ourselves blinking and wondering if we saved that document we've been working on. I hope I did. I also came back early from work today

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1105542081614272152005-01-12T22:01:00.000+08:002005-01-12T23:02:30.346+08:00

It's a time of beginnings and endings. Literally. Coming home from work I booted the PC only to find out all my bookmarks had disappeared from Mozilla. The customary cussing and thrashing of foul language ensued, following which I realised I only had one thing to do: Re-bookmark every single one of those pages. Kids, please. Back up your bookmarks, at least if you value your hair (and sanity).

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1105496097412361632005-01-12T10:03:00.000+08:002005-01-12T10:14:57.413+08:00

Reading through Jordan's post today (Link) reminded me of something I'd wanted to post up here awhile ago, and it made me do some digging in my inbox. Luckily, the offending document was still there. I present it to you now, in its entirety. I even include those irritating "forwarded marks" for authenticity. Aslm, detail kronologi usaha membawa 300 orang yatim piatu daripada > acheh ke

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1105433619044509032005-01-11T16:46:00.000+08:002005-01-11T16:53:39.043+08:00

Seems like things are starting to go topsy turvy. It's half past four, I'm sleepy as hell and there's a busload of work I have to do before the week ends. There's a small throb in my left temple right now, and that can't be good. Marking assignments, drafting exam questions, a course outline for a new programme that was never my job to begin with, coming up with a suitable paper for the

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1105321626548967122005-01-10T08:41:00.000+08:002005-01-10T09:48:23.050+08:00

Come this March, I'll have officially been blogging for two years. Man, how time flies. One thing I've noticed though (don't worry, I'll not get all mushy, sentimental and constipated yet) is that every couple months or so, as the face of the blogiverse (my own term, can't stand blogspherewossname) evolves two little issues will come out of the woodwork with the consistency and perseverance of

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1105273185337499462005-01-09T20:03:00.000+08:002005-01-09T20:19:45.336+08:00

Oh my God. It's been such an excellent Sunday. In fact, for some people who are in the know, it's been absolutely 'banging'. But that aside, not only did I get to spend an extremely fun time having breakfast with some very wonderful people, I also finally got to sit down and watch the first season of 24 I got from eflix (Link). I remember I started around 3 pm, and after my sis joined in we went

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1105129871031355032005-01-08T04:11:00.000+08:002005-01-08T04:35:34.456+08:00

4 a.m: He doesn't sleep, though he knows he needs the rest. There is a tangible impatience in the air, as if something's waiting for someone to do some other thing somewhen. KL is quiet. He knows because he drove there himself to see. So's Shah Alam. In fact, everywhere's quiet. The light drizzle that fell on the city and its surrounding areas must have helped speed the slumbering populace to

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1105079860599491202005-01-07T09:48:00.000+08:002005-01-07T14:58:51.550+08:00

Busy rushing about today - I've got classes up the wazoo, but I still thought I'd share some nifty little links to my faithful readers. Hello, there. I've always been fascinated by Coffeelese (you know the pidgin pseudo latin they use in Starbucks) so when I came across this site (Link) I was very happy (thanks, BoingBoing!). I think it'll help the next time you need to step up to the counter

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104981844146251862005-01-06T10:33:00.000+08:002005-01-06T11:24:04.146+08:00

I love going to work early these days (though I can assure you it's not for the love of the office) simply because the internet connection seems a little faster, and I can catch up with stuff to post for my readers (hello again, you three). Thursday sure comes up fast when you've got mountains to move and water to walk on. In between marking, setting exam questions and trying to come up with a

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104940503288878372005-01-05T23:19:00.000+08:002005-01-05T23:55:03.290+08:00

I needed a bit of quiet before an evening engagement (not with Das Experiment, if you MUST know) so I found myself at a table, assignments on one side, an Ed McBain paperback on the other, the MuVo and a caramel latte. This is possibly as close to bliss as I can get without breaking the bank (though IKEA has possibly the best way you can spend RM 2, ever) but what I liked the most was simply

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104902909622583452005-01-05T13:20:00.000+08:002005-01-05T13:31:27.760+08:00

Just as I was wrapping up my previous entry, the news started to crowd in. A Disney GBA game, Monsters Inc, contains the phrase "Fuck off and die". According to the Sun (Link, not one of the most trustworthy tabloids, on or offline) little Beki Stewart booted the game and got the foul message. Her dad who apparently spent a wad of dough on two GBA consoles and the games for his kids was suitably

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104899675353694662005-01-05T11:17:00.000+08:002005-01-05T12:34:35.353+08:00

There is reason to celebrate: Monolith is safe after a round in the operating room. For those uninformed, Monolith is my Xbox. I consigned it to the service shop last Saturday after spending several worrisome hours wondering why the hell wouldn't any of my games load. As the service people remarked yesterday, the cause was apparently "a timing failure". What this means is that the data being

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104844899717492752005-01-04T20:16:00.000+08:002005-01-04T21:31:45.560+08:00

God, it's already 9, and I feel like a sack of potatoes. Bad ones, to boot. It's been a long and tiring day - so much so I can't wait for the weekend simply because I would so like to wake up a little later than the usual 530 am. With the new committee assignments coming out for the uni's 35th anniversary (not to mention I have to break the news to the faculty that branding IS essential) I'll be

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104710936878136112005-01-03T07:42:00.000+08:002005-01-03T08:08:56.876+08:00

It's Monday all over again, and my God, I never knew I'd be so fearful of schools reopening. Note to self: leaving at 630 am seems to be safest bet for getting out of Subang before the monster jam starts. Yesterday, I came across a little piece of office equipment that I'd REALLY like to get my mitts on, and it only costs USD 6! Anyone feel like giving the Ox a staple-less stapler (Link)? Like

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104677799465314322005-01-02T22:15:00.000+08:002005-01-02T22:56:39.466+08:00

Since I had a relatively lazy Sunday ahead of me when I finally woke up this morning, I thought I was feeling brave enough to conduct a little experiment I'd been meaning to try for ages: Go out on a date with a girl five years younger. The subject: an acquaintaince from Yahoo! Messenger, who is now finishing her TESL degree (which somewhat ensures a competent command of English). The task: Go

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104591416168614932005-01-01T21:19:00.000+08:002005-01-01T23:02:55.463+08:00

Last night, as I was sitting down with a couple of friends in Taipan, it suddenly struck me how the new year is very much like a muffin. (Before everyone screams how I've all of a sudden turned potty, please bear with me. When you're done reading, you may contact the authorities.) When you first get a warm muffin, you will at first be tantalised by the way it looks, and the smell. Any muffin (

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104480749882407372004-12-31T15:08:00.000+08:002004-12-31T16:12:29.883+08:00

Here I am at the office, internet connectivity finally resumed, and only some odd hours away from the next year. It's strangely quiet, perhaps due to the fact that somehow everyone's on some sort of leave. God, what a year it's been. As much as we'd like to hope and wish the new year will take us out of the low we're in after the events in the Indian Ocean, the fact of the matter is that come

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104378037283299142004-12-30T11:27:00.000+08:002004-12-30T11:40:37.283+08:00

Here's an interesting bit of news I found today: Our days may be permanently shortened by a fraction of a second, and the earth's rotation increased in velocity due to the recent seismic activity (Link) in the Indian Ocean. So it may be true what I read earlier this week - that the earth literally "jumped" in orbit. Wow. Anyway, here are some unified torrents of amateur videos taken during the

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104343929768641862004-12-30T02:08:00.000+08:002004-12-30T02:12:09.766+08:00

PPS (Link) made it into the mainstream again! The article on Star's TechCentral (Link) described the deluge of information related to the tsunami last Sunday and how bloggers rose to the occasion to provide updates almost as they happened. Several bloggers were interviewed for the article, and it bodes well for the emerging usefulness of blogs to provide a stopgap (as they say in the article)

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104292351882169372004-12-29T10:58:00.000+08:002004-12-29T11:54:53.380+08:00

Imagine: Walking along a stretch of beach. It is another ordinary day in a string of ordinary days. Something catches your eye - there is something different about the water. You squint into the distance, and you see something like this. A friend of mine who was in Penang at the time told me that what caught most people by surprise was the fact that the water suddenly receded into the sea, first

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104230452089415202004-12-28T18:32:00.000+08:002004-12-28T18:40:52.090+08:00

I was just reading some other bloggers' thoughts on a very distasteful Maxis mass SMS (Link, and link) when I got one myself. The first thing that went through my head was - wow, and you didn't even wait. Asia Tsunamis? My God. Talk about insensitivity. Thank you so much for restoring our faith in human greed. By the way, if anyone is interested, information on the Star's relief fund is here (

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104227968899175132004-12-28T17:54:00.000+08:002004-12-28T18:13:37.456+08:00

A brief visit to SE (Link) brought me to the Phuket International Hospital's website (Link). They have a listing of patients who were brought in post-tsunami as well as some pix of several children who are still missing their parents (Link). There's also a direct link to the Phuket Disaster Message Board (Link) where survivors/family members can post messages looking for their loved ones, or to

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104209280055704362004-12-28T13:21:00.000+08:002004-12-28T12:48:00.056+08:00

I'll admit it now - I'm probably one of the people most unaware about the tsunami episode. Its genesis, the aftermath, everything. In a sense PPS deserves some kudos for functioning as a clearinghouse of information, and as Idlan mentions, it's a good showcase of the power of blogs as compared to mainstream media (Link). Today, catching up on some links pertaining to the incident, I ran into

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104202319614219712004-12-28T08:42:00.000+08:002004-12-28T10:51:59.613+08:00

There's about all of three days left in 2004, and man what a year it's been. For all the gamers out there, Gamespot (Link) has prepared their annual Best and Worst of list, and as usual it's an entertaining, informative and in-depth affair (Link). They start out with a full year in review, with listings of all the top news stories (sorted monthly) and then they jump in straight to the awards.

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104154221935887932004-12-27T21:00:00.000+08:002004-12-27T22:03:49.773+08:00

I have to say I'm already quite impressed with Eflix (Link). My second delivery of the month just came by at about a quarter to eight, and I didn't have to lift a finger (well I lied, my fingers had to do some work choosing the titles I wanted for tonight, and here they are). The bloke came, took the DVDs I wanted to return and gave the new ones I requested. I don't think it gets any simpler.

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104113540912408762004-12-27T09:57:00.000+08:002004-12-27T10:12:20.913+08:00

First of all: I only got wind of the earthquake and resulting tsunami late yesterday evening, and therefore would like to extend my most heartfelt condolences to the victims and their families. Growing up ingrained with the knowledge at school that we are safe from the Ring Of Fire the news came as an unexpected and sad shock. When the world moves, everyone keeps quiet. Perhaps it's time we did

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1104068821132661312004-12-26T21:18:00.000+08:002004-12-26T21:47:01.133+08:00

I've been told that happiness is an elusive thing, that often times the moment you realise you're finally happy it evaporates into thin air, and that perhaps we were never really made to be happy. That thought, more than most, scares me to death. This past weekend however, I've been fortunate to see some things happen to some good people. Things that seem to remind me that events don't

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1103898489536219102004-12-24T22:23:00.000+08:002004-12-24T22:28:09.536+08:00

I am bloody tired. It feels just like a couple hours ago that I stumbled out of the car (thanks, Fische!) and into the apartment. The whole day's been a bloody whizzbang, from morning to night - but it's been a good one, overall. This knowledge comes from the simple fact that I am actually looking forward to Monday morning - and that only happens when I am well and truly sick of being a bum.

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1103897651913534962004-12-24T21:52:00.000+08:002004-12-24T22:14:11.913+08:00

It's been a long day, and I am back. A little worse for wear, but definitely back. Anyway - to business. Hot on the heels of this post (Link) as promised I hunted down the premises of local DVD rental company Eflix (Link) and finally located them hiding in a little shop lot in Hartamas. I was delighted to find that the shelves were filled with a lot of titles - some of them were those I'd been

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1103766875593313202004-12-23T09:41:00.000+08:002004-12-23T09:54:35.593+08:00

Right. It's my final morning in JB (with any luck I will be speeding back up to KL this evening) and God do I miss that crummy little estuary. I miss the lights, the DVD sellers, the noise and exhaust (not to mention all the little bits they like to toss out their cars) that my fellow drivers seem to contribute to the world oh-so-voluntarily. My spider sense tells me that when even THAT

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1103731842940926712004-12-22T23:44:00.000+08:002004-12-23T00:10:42.940+08:00

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, the deed is done. I have gone where I never thought I'd venture: The world of commercial blogging (Link). Now now, before we all get into a tizzy and write long angry letters to me complaining how I've sold out, here's the thing - Think of it as an experiment. Don't just picture the Ox having a whale of a time with a new sponsored tech toy, whizzing by the

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1103518176891275952004-12-20T13:18:00.000+08:002004-12-20T12:49:36.890+08:00

In recounting my adventures of the past week, I have been somewhat remiss in mentioning some of the minor details concerning my sojourn in this southern part of the country. Chief among these was the fact that the college where I am invigilating is reputed to be haunted by restless spirits - especially the examination hall where I am obliged to spend several hours a day with the students, and

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1103521281085891722004-12-20T13:03:00.000+08:002004-12-20T13:41:21.086+08:00

It's ten more days to the new year. I will be twenty-seven in six months. This is about the time when I generally get wistful and things have a tendency to unravel. There'll not be any soul searching necessary to find out why this time, though. The answer's obvious enough. I've gotten used to solitary experiences for so long that nothing really hits me anymore - until of course the realisation

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1103345828552198272004-12-18T13:33:00.000+08:002004-12-18T12:57:08.553+08:00

Friday, December 17th I woke up - and I instinctively knew the worst was over. Sure, my head felt like someone took a lopsided brick and introduced itself repeatedly and vehemently to the side of my face, and my throat didn't fare much better - but I could think, and that certainly counted for something. As I managed to swallow what meager morsels of breakfast I could stomach (and to no fault

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1103344260837132642004-12-18T13:11:00.000+08:002004-12-18T12:32:56.236+08:00

Thursday, December 16th I have to say something about the Taurean fortitude. Us Taureans will generally run out of energy way after the bubbliest critter has given up the ghost - sick or healthy. We're usually built like some sort of a farm animal and have the stamina to boot. However, once we take a hit, we take it bad - and the next few entries will reflect that. Morning found me half

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1103343048546857072004-12-18T11:47:00.000+08:002004-12-18T12:10:48.546+08:00

First of all: my apologies for the lack of updates. As I'd expected, this trip turned weird on me even before I left. The following post will be a summary of the past three days - so please bear with any inconsistencies and digressions, the reasons will soon become obvious to the gentle reader. Wednesday, December 15th After managing to squeeze everything into my sisters' huge bag, I set off

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1103074027876171682004-12-15T09:05:00.000+08:002004-12-15T09:27:07.876+08:00

At work (briefly) before I shove off to prep for my trip down south later today. The worst of the fever's gone, although I do get wobbly from time to time - but that's just me. There are a couple loose ends to tie up, like how I'm gonna trunk the exam questions without going over the luggage limit (smart boy, Ash) but otherwise I AM kinda looking forward to the whole gig, the unavailability of a

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1103039253179118712004-12-14T22:49:00.000+08:002004-12-14T23:47:33.180+08:00

How would you compress two years of longing into 30 seconds? I guess I might as well come out and say it. I saw the Ex tonight. She came by to pick up some of her things she'd left from 2 years ago - the books, the gifts, the knicknacks, the boxes. As I write this, barely 20 minutes have passed since the last goodbye, and I can remember everything: The way she looked, the way she walked up the

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1103011394319860692004-12-14T14:46:00.000+08:002004-12-14T16:03:14.320+08:00

Update on the fiasco: I came into the office today, feeling a little better and hoping (against hope) that something had changed regarding my travel plans. No such luck. For one thing, the bloke (whom we'll call Mr Arse) decided to take leave today without informing anyone else at his department of my situation. Not only that, several calls later to the same department confirmed my suspicions

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1102943119388364162004-12-13T20:46:00.000+08:002004-12-13T21:05:19.390+08:00

I knew they'd do this to me. It's day two of insanely massively high fever day, and I've been in and out of consciousness for pretty much the past 36 hours (my sister maintains that I was delirious last night, and I'm inclined to believe her, simply because I dried a wet cloth with my forehead) and trust me - this is no condition you want to be in when you've got a week long trip in a couple

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1102832145176805152004-12-12T14:08:00.000+08:002004-12-12T14:15:45.176+08:00

It's official: I am sick. Nose running, there are elephants stampeding in my head, and I feel totally and utterly shite. To celebrate, have a totally deprecating entry: /whine As I lie in bed, the sun blinding outside, all I want is for someone to fuss over me, ask me if I'm okay, and feed me porridge. Okay, maybe not feed me - but you get the idea (and stew would do fine, too). /end of whine.

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1102786294178414382004-12-12T00:31:00.000+08:002004-12-12T01:31:34.176+08:00

Saturday night, and I'm at home. No, this is not something new. I happen to like it here, and I think so will some other people (whom I will not name). Besides, there's something brewing on the horizon that's taking up a lot of resources on my side, but expect updates as soon as I can get them - although this doesn't necessarily mean that the Ox will cease and desist his views, overinflated

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1102671827777893332004-12-10T17:20:00.000+08:002004-12-10T18:25:39.600+08:00

Everyone knows I love movies on any format, and these days I seem to love DVD more than others. Therefore when a friend mentioned Eflix (Link), my curiosity was more than piqued. A Netflix (Link) clone here, in Malaysia? It sounded too good to be true. Too good, in fact that I decided that before I hastily urge my readers (yes all three of you again, hello) to all register for this service I

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1102579729819453962004-12-09T15:27:00.000+08:002004-12-09T16:13:24.826+08:00

It's been a good day. For one thing, I managed to get Nikita checked and serviced, Jordan (for some as yet inexplicable reason) mentioned me TWICE in his blog, and I managed to have some quiet "me" time - all in time to start the ball rolling for classes tomorrow. And yesterday I think I just cemented my status as a wannabe pop culture mediaphilic geek. Yeah, I'm still trying to figure THAT out.

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1102488442258724562004-12-08T14:41:00.000+08:002004-12-08T14:47:22.256+08:00

Something I saw in the KLUE classifieds today (Link): hi there.im a singlemum..not married yet.im pregnant 9 months and will due within this 2 weeks.im looking for a minor loan of RM 600 to top up my saving to deliver my baby.hope anyone here can help me.i will pay back.tq Whilst the paranoid cynic in me has bells, alarms and whistles all going full blast and yelling "fraud!", some part of me

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1102469991912025192004-12-08T09:02:00.000+08:002004-12-08T09:39:51.913+08:00

I had a nice helping of crow on Monday. Early this week, Nikita had her first 1000 km, and I'd made it a point to get the checkup and servicing done while I'm still relatively free. Logging on the network, I remembered seeing an online appointment booking feature on EON's site (Link), which I utilised. As I confirmed and sent the email, the system returned a message that went something like: "

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1102376349294742162004-12-07T07:23:00.000+08:002004-12-07T07:43:32.786+08:00

One can't help it if the first thing one sees when he opens up BBC for his daily fix of news are two rather - er- scintillating articles, can he? Today, they're both about men of course. More accurately, rather, men and their penii (I so dislike the word penises , plus this makes me sound smart). The first one is good news for a fraction (optimistic?) of the male populace out there: a new

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1102351356014583412004-12-07T01:37:00.000+08:002004-12-07T00:42:36.013+08:00

Just because I can, here's a link that's NOT pr0n, but interesting nonetheless (Link): It's completely safe for work by the way, unless your office has something against downloading legal mp3 tracks. I quote: "Even if you have never seen a porn movie in your lifetime, almost everyone in the

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1102290520580565412004-12-06T07:42:00.000+08:002004-12-06T07:56:57.786+08:00

During the drive to work just now, as Baz Luhrmann was telling me the benefits of sunscreen I glanced outside and saw a flock of birds heading somewhere (north, south, don't ask me, I still get lost in KL) in a perfect V formation. It was somehow amazing, and I realised that though this may have happened with some regularity all my life, it was the first time I actually noticed it. And then it

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1102258399717722162004-12-05T21:00:00.000+08:002004-12-05T23:01:00.546+08:00

It's been a long weekend. The trip to Malacca was cancelled, but in between work, errands for the parents and other things culminating with a very enlightening session with some mentors this afternoon, this Ox is now very, very tired. Thank God I have CSI: NY to come home to. Last night, there was that niggling feeling again. The one that starts at the base of your brain, wiggles its way onto

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1102097415557450422004-12-04T01:23:00.000+08:002004-12-05T23:04:12.556+08:00

Come tomorrow I'll know if I really need to drive down to Malacca for work, so I'm on perpetual standby. It must be said that having waxed the car, I am altogether reluctant to leave for anywhere I don't have to. In the meantime, it's time for a long-delayed movie review! Tonight, it's Saw. You're right. Not many people have heard of this, and for some bloody good reasons. Reason No. 1: It

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1101946320273304762004-12-02T07:54:00.000+08:002004-12-02T08:12:00.273+08:00

I know, it's a bit early - but I figured this would be too much fun to not post. TIME regular columnist Joel Stein tells us what he thinks of Manhattan's Museum of Sex (Link). Not only does it cost a bomb to enter (USD 17) but it falls short of the mark in many, many ways: There's a cover from a sixth edition of Margaret Sanger's Family Limitation and a display of Wonder Woman comic books under

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1101905738558128632004-12-01T20:21:00.000+08:002004-12-01T20:55:38.556+08:00

The Netherlands scores a first again. After being the first nation on earth to legalise euthanasia, the country has revealed that it has proposed guidelines for terminating the lives of fatally ill newborns - and has been secretly carrying the procedure out at a certain hospital (Link). As Yahoo! says: "The Groningen Protocol, as the hospital's guidelines have come to be known, would create a

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1101879717977557182004-12-01T10:32:00.000+08:002004-12-01T14:07:15.746+08:00

Academia seems to like branding. Mention Oxford, Cambridge, Carnegie-Mellon or MIT, and for some of us, our eyes glaze over in that brief recognition of all that these names seem to convey. Since they can't really advertise like other businesses, they continually attempt to revamp something or other as they grow older, in the hopes of remaining in "tune" with the populace, or failing that - the

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1101777805884305382004-11-30T08:52:00.000+08:002004-11-30T10:11:50.030+08:00

This is a rant of sorts. No, scratch that. Call it a personal observation. Pardon the angry tone - and also, the contents. Having had a particularly good Monday (from beginning to somewhat late end, and then some) I was more than slightly perturbed to suddenly get one of the most incomprehensible and perhaps irritating kinds of people smash their stuff in my face. Today's lesson, boys and girls,

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1101703341311173132004-11-29T13:36:00.000+08:002004-11-29T12:42:21.310+08:00

Hot on the heels of my post on the perfect poison, we find that blogs can now have something infinitely sinister attached to them (in addition to everything else): Murder. 16 year old Rachelle Waterman, a LiveJournal user, had two 24 year old boyfriends kill her mother, and then calmly blogged about it (Link). In her blog, called My Crappy Life (Link), she posts this: "Just to let everyone

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1101632579939340392004-11-28T16:17:00.001+08:002004-11-28T19:30:28.143+08:00

Back in KL now, the dust's settled, and as I begin to (apprehensively) gear up for the next working week, I look back and reflect on change. Amazing thing, that - but most of us know that already. This past weekend, I said goodbye to a friend of seven years. She'd been through a lot with me, and not once did she ever complain. Looking back, I am still surprised we lasted this long in the first

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1101629587089658412004-11-28T16:05:00.000+08:002004-11-28T16:13:07.090+08:00

I love low-tech, sometimes. Just as I was about to despair about ever finding a good undetectable poison, scientists decide to give me a helping hand (Link). It's called the "suicide tree", it's common in India and parts of southeast Asia, and it makes for a wonderful tool for the discerning poisoner (or one with a grudge). Appropriately named cerbera odollam, the toxin produced by this plant

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1101450680775506302004-11-26T14:20:00.000+08:002004-11-26T14:31:20.776+08:00

A couple hours from my trip back north, and I have seen the future. Well, perhaps not exactly the future, but what may well be it. (Link) Go ahead, click on it. Watch the 8 minute presentation, and think about it a second. If even half of what it says is plausible (and I'm thinking why not?) the world will be a hell of an interesting place to live in come the next few years. Damn, it will be a

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1101300085710287562004-11-24T20:14:00.000+08:002004-11-24T20:43:56.990+08:00

Before I begin - a little update on the student email saga: I followed my reply with another email telling him/her that I gave the idea serious consideration, and to be in class on Friday to see my decision. I also apologised for the somewhat stern tone my previous email took, and explained why. I hope he/she understands. Really. In other news: I'm not much of an artist, or an art lover for

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1101275876684641542004-11-24T13:54:00.000+08:002004-11-24T13:57:56.683+08:00

There are moments in our days when everything seems worth it, and we take a little extra delight in the things we do. I did not have such a moment today. In fact, I'll call it a non-moment, if you will. It all started when I received this creative composition in my inbox about an hour ago (and this is it in its entirety, no cuts): "di sini sy nk bg sket cdgn mengenai projek.sy rasa utk subjek

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1101215027458098732004-11-23T20:40:00.000+08:002004-11-23T21:03:47.460+08:00

I just knew it. Barely two days into the semester, and my earlier hunch was right: they gave me the 8 am slots. Having spent just four years doing what I do, there are some trends that can easily be picked up: 1) You'll never get dibs on a nice, suitable-for-everyone teaching slot (and by nice I mean anything after 9 am). Most of those will already have been given out to senior members of staff

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1101130058225107672004-11-22T20:27:00.000+08:002004-11-22T21:27:38.226+08:00

The first day of term, and I am oh-so-mentally-drained. Let's face it: 2004 is almost over, shopping malls have started to hang up their Xmas decorations even though the best bet for a Christmas tree in these here parts may come from Carrefour, and we're seeing the final wave of the cinematic onslaught Hollywood (and certain other parts of the world) deems it necessary to wash us over with.

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1101008114167929082004-11-21T11:30:00.000+08:002004-11-21T11:35:14.166+08:00

Just in case anyone missed the NSFW part of the title, I'll say it again: this post is Not Safe For Work (although if you work at home you lucky bugger, you may access it with impudence). Also, if anyone's wondering the Kink Test rates just how kinky you are from a possible score of 700. I figured this particular test would be interesting for all us sexually repressed Malaysians out there. Don't

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1100955295773732512004-11-20T20:39:00.000+08:002004-11-20T20:54:55.773+08:00

Responsibility. It's amazing how some words can have such ominous overtones, much like the phrase "we need to talk" never seems to precede good news (as couples all over the world know by now), or the surprising way the word "hollow" conjures up an image of an empty tube of some sort. You know what I mean. Sitting here in the study room at my parents' (and Meet Joe Black in the background),

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1100876804347430492004-11-19T22:04:00.000+08:002004-11-19T23:06:44.346+08:00

My, how time flies. All of a sudden it's November, there's the new semester peeking through next week (entailing the loss of most of my weekends in December), more fiscal commitments that I have to adjust for (this time it's one I can't run away from, but more details later) and there's an odd feeling of an almost imperceptible moving. I can't explain it. It's as if something's changed

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1100838993299514872004-11-19T13:33:00.000+08:002004-11-19T12:36:33.300+08:00

Short update on the router saga: Managed to swap my faulty USB (&^#%@$) router for a sleek D-Link all ethernet one, and it's running like a charm. I've got LinksBoks open, GameSpy Arcade (for online Xbox games working) and am updating my Kai Evolution (also online gaming) config. Life is sweet. I have to run now, it's a Friday. Cheers!

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1100827838545332582004-11-19T09:19:00.000+08:002004-11-19T09:31:55.070+08:00

You know, just when I thought things were going relatively alright, this happens: It died on me. One moment it was alright, the next thing I knew none of the indicators were blinking. Fearing a connection problem, I tried my trusty old DSL modem. No problems there, so I power cycled the router. Zip, Zilch, Nada. My worst fears had come true: somehow the whole thing had just fizzled out. Word of

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1100770059419104972004-11-18T17:02:00.000+08:002004-11-18T17:27:39.420+08:00

Routers, to me, are in the running to be the new spawn of the devil. After recently getting wind of GameSpy's Tunnel app (which allows me to hook up and play online Xbox games via my broadband) I hopped off to LowYat, got myself a DSL router and several metres of CAT-5 patch cable. In theory it was REALLY simple: 1) Connect router to PC 2) Connect Xbox to Router 3) Let DHCP do the rest 4) Sit

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1100628482360936492004-11-17T01:53:00.000+08:002004-11-17T02:08:02.360+08:00

Back. KL's deathly quiet, there's tons of work to do and I have classes to teach come next week. Before that, though there's a little matter of a side project I need to finish up in my apartment involving a router, some miles of CAT-5 cable, and the Xbox. Call it obsessiveness, but I wanna see what else Microsoft's little black box can do for my personal titillation. Yes, like Spongebob and his

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1100362752312265962004-11-14T01:02:00.000+08:002004-11-14T00:19:12.313+08:00

It's Eid. Snippets from tonight's takbir session in and around a certain small town: It's the second house of the night, and outside, not far off a group of youngsters (mostly in their late teens) gather under a stall. Closer inspection reveals that they are having a sort of inpromptu barbeque, with more people joining them as the hour passes. Someone inside the house comments on their feast.

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1100277929136168892004-11-13T01:21:00.000+08:002004-11-13T00:45:29.136+08:00

Ramadhan's set to leave us, again. Inevitably, one might say. As it is inevitable that being at home somehow makes me more reflective of the things that's happened in the part few years, and of the place I'm in right now. Metaphorically speaking, of course. When I was six, my father first proposed that we move to a small town in Perak, one that I'd not heard of before. Strangely I remember a

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1100105016636809732004-11-11T01:41:00.000+08:002004-11-11T00:43:36.636+08:00

As much as I'd like to celebrate my finishing Halo 2's campaign mode, I won't. For one thing, not because it's bad (in contrast, it's probably one of the best single player experiences out there), but because Bungie and Microsoft have singlehandedly ensured that at least several million gamers out there will have their cash primed for the release of the Xbox 2 (or Next, or Xenon, or whatever it's

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1100016412101463622004-11-10T00:04:00.000+08:002004-11-10T00:08:07.506+08:00

The clunky, slightly dusty ovehead fan whirred noisily above their heads as they sat in the heat of the late afternoon. Outside, the air was still and stifling, carrying almost all of the sounds the kids made in the school nearby inside. It had been a long day. She reached nervously for the pack of cigarettes on the table, seemed to think about it, took it anyway, and shook a single one into her

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1099972878319025382004-11-09T11:42:00.000+08:002004-11-09T12:01:18.320+08:00

While the whole world is still reeling from the impact of Flores Man (you should google the debate between the Creationists and Evolutionists) I found out that it's not the first time anomalies like these have been found. As I'm typing this, Discovery is showing a highly interesting special on something the Chinese desert has coughed up relatively recently- mummies, and lots of them. On their

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1099897860481843822004-11-08T14:30:00.000+08:002004-11-08T15:11:00.480+08:00

First off: Halo 2 is officially out in stores, and I'll be forking out for the original 2-disc Limited Edition release after Christmas is over (and the online stores get back their delivery capacity). I am doing this simply because it's THAT good. The French bootleg I've been sampling just blew me away, and joystiq has a page full of links to reviews in case you need any more convincing. (Link)

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1099771581833734042004-11-07T02:20:00.000+08:002004-11-07T04:06:21.833+08:00

The clock says 3.25 am. Outside, a brisk breeze seems to portend some later rain. There is a stillness in the air, somehow; the kind that is only noticeable at times like these, when the whole world seems to take a collective breath and all is calm. He likes it this way. He's tried to sleep, but all he seems able to do is to roll around aimlessly on the bed, his breath loud in the stillness of

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1099576049575223032004-11-04T21:21:00.000+08:002004-11-04T21:47:29.576+08:00

I'm in a bit of a sour mood today, so forgive me. For one thing, after being tasked last week with taking over a final year subject formerly taught by a full professor (it's Multimedia Project Management, in case anyone's interested, and which I thought would be kinda cool) I finally managed to catch the man himself to get the course outline and materials to digest before classes resume and the

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1099535499425914812004-11-04T10:19:00.000+08:002004-11-04T10:34:53.650+08:00

So I wake up, and nothing much's changed. Unlike George Orr in The Lathe of Heaven, my dreams don't shape reality, so Bush is still president of the US of A for the next four years. Congratulations, Mr Bush. Victory should be savoured. In the aftermath, amidst more reports of e-voting problems, FOIA (Freedom Of Information Act) requests and all that, the fact of the matter is that the whole

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1099495815715562882004-11-03T22:06:00.000+08:002004-11-03T23:38:32.183+08:00

Tonight's CSI: Miami episode wasn't really remarkable except for the fact that it starred a certain character who played a strange mutant-type killer in one X-Files episode (as a murder suspect, no less), a brush fire that damn near kills Alex and Delko, and the fact that no one can dissuade a victim of an abusive relationship to give it up, no matter how bad the damage. Alone, they don't add up

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1099465603536897152004-11-03T14:53:00.000+08:002004-11-03T15:06:43.536+08:00

Since the US election today is perhaps the single most important media event this year (as evidenced by the many rants, blog-postings and other stuff online) I thought I'd jump on the bandwagon as well, with something posted by an American blogger (and with photo proof too!). Just goes to show that blogs can keep up, if not top the regular media in terms of speed and coverage. Since I don't want

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1099408489609147202004-11-02T22:13:00.000+08:002004-11-02T23:14:49.610+08:00

It's ten pm, and I'm slightly ashamed of myself. You see, just as I got back from work today, I popped the French release of Halo 2 (which was leaked all over the internet a couple weeks ago) into the Xbox, booted it up and for the hour and a half before iftar was just lost to the world. Nevermind that the Master Chief, Cortana, and even the Covenant aliens were all speaking French (which made

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1099316368782593542004-11-01T20:55:00.000+08:002004-11-01T21:40:02.886+08:00

I've just finished fixing several light fixtures around the apartment (yes, I am THE great procrastinator) and as I am typing my bedroom is filled with a warm, subdued orange light. Having relied on the lone fluorescent for the better part of a year (or was it more) the room feels different, somehow cozier. I can also stop sleeping with that blasted fluorescent on now (don't ask, it's a habit I

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1099142978734114792004-10-30T21:09:00.000+08:002004-10-30T21:29:38.736+08:00

It's a cold, wet Saturday night, and I'm glad I'm home. This weekend is a long one (one of the perks of working in Selangor) and I'm relishing the thought of having a night to myself without worrying about what time I need to get up tomorrow or whether I've put in enough fuel for the 35 km trip to work (which I have). There's still Return Of The Jedi to watch, Black Hawk Down to test my audio

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1098972713889364432004-10-28T21:43:00.000+08:002004-10-28T22:26:51.643+08:00

Looks like Big Business over in the US is preparing to sic the power of PR on bloggers. (Via BoingBoing): Popular Silicon Valley blogger Dan Gillmor received a PR pitch that contained some freaky insight into The Empire's (read PR and oldschool journos) take on the new Rebel Alliance (read bloggers). Here's a quote: "(PR client) is working with F1000 companies who are using our services to

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1098970271380538202004-10-28T20:37:00.000+08:002004-10-28T21:38:33.220+08:00

When a colleague asked me for the time this afternoon, as usual I pulled on the lanyard holding my mobile inside my breast pocket, held the volume button down for two seconds to activate the external LCD screen, and then told her it was about three p.m. The whole operation took slightly more than ten seconds. "So why don't you wear a watch?" She asked. "I'm planning to get a new one, soon," I

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5211140.post-1098898838371546372004-10-28T01:11:00.000+08:002004-10-28T01:40:38.373+08:00

Long day, and for the first time in awhile I actually don't have anything much to say. I did manage to finish my colleague's copy of Zhang Yimou's Hero, though, and for the life of me I can't figure out how he managed to screw House of Flying Daggers up so badly. Perhaps it's true, that too much of a good thing ain't really a good thing. So what's a semi-insomniac-aspiring

Embiggened!http://www.blogger.com/profile/10727191540764097658noreply@blogger.com