December 2004 ArchivesMalaysia Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said that the Government has cancelled all celebrations to usher in the New Year in view of the tsunami tragedy and has called on all parties, including the private sector, to instead hold prayers for the welfare of those affected That means there would be no fireworks or parties. Hence , the event that i was looking forward to... Regenerate NYE 2005
Celebrate seven years of Tempo at Regenerate NYE 2005 with their current and guest DJs such as DJ Callen, DJ Burger, DJ Eugene, DJ Ben Katana, DJ Goldfish, DJ Blink, Spacebar, and percussionist Tabla Maniam (from Singapore). Two booming rooms await those who want to party hard to fresh and furious beats of this 7th anniversary bash. RM50 (inclusive of 1 drink) ....has been postponed to the next day. (Source: glo http://e-uphoria.blogspot.com/) Regenerate NYE 2005/Tempo's 7th birthday bash has been put forward a day. It is now scheduled for SATURDAY 1st JANUARY 2005. BAAAHHHHH But this is an event to look forward to :D
Unfortunately, invited guest only... UPDATE!!!!:
Not many countries in the world issue stamps based on comic characters. Japan has been issuing various comic character based stamps. They are too kawai!!!!
Last week, before the tragic event that befall us, there was a serious motor vehicle accident in Cameron Highland, one of the popular tourist spots in Malaysia. A bus over turned and crashed down a gown. Few passengers were killed. Surprisingly, there were many foreign tourist in the bus. There goes Malaysia's reputation. So anyway, here's a picture of the scene of the accident courtesy of The Star newspaper.
Well, I didnt spent my Xmas like that. My friend and I celebrated it @ the heart of KL, Jalan Bukit Bintang.. The entire town was in a Christmassy feeling. The roads were packed with cars and the traffic was almost standstill. Fortunately, Ping offered to drive, hence Jennifer, Rachel, Umeng and I sat on his car. Well, unfortunately for Ping, we were stuck for 2 hours in the standstill traffic.
There were loads of people selling some sort of spray that emits foam or some Spiderman sticky strings at RM10 for 4 bottles. However, it runs out after few sprays. Bloody cheats. Further, if you don’t buy those spray from them, they will start spraying foam etc at you.
Another group of friends rented a service apartment in the city, well not really friends, I barely know them! However, they were nice to share their apartment, food and liquor with us. We even traded gifts ^.^ Everyone had to pool in presents. Then we had to draw lots. I didn’t know bout the gift polling thingie while on my way to KL. Running out of time, I jumped to the nearest shopping centre which was having some sort of Thai Exhibition. I bought a wind chime from there. Well, in return, I got 2 packs of cigarette and a lighter. Great present, especially when I’m not a smoker. Beers were abundant. We bought a bathtub full of beer. By the end of the night, we were wasted.
Thousands of people have been killed across southern Asia in massive sea surges triggered by the strongest quake in the world for 40 years. The 8.9 magnitude quake struck under the sea near Aceh in north Indonesia, generating a wall of water that sped across thousands of kilometres of sea. At least 2,000 died in Sri Lanka and more than 1,000 were killed in India. Casualty figures are rising throughout the region including in Thai tourist resorts, packed with holidaymakers. 43 dead from tidal waves in Malaysia
BBC World News: http://tv.hao1.com/show.asp?type=1&id=943 Read experiences @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/talking_point/4125619.stm
I am not going to write about how i celebrated Xmas eve. it was so damn normal that i had decided to erase it from my memory.But, like the Queen of United Kingdom, i am going to give a Christmas speech to all our fans. --------------------------------------------------------------------- My beloved fans and fellow internet surfers , My beloved fans and fellow internet surfers, My beloved fans and fellow internet surfers, My beloved fans and fellow internet surfers, I pray that the blessing of Almighty God may rest upon all of you. Once again, Merry Xmas.
An abandoned car in a popular night spot in Kuala Lumpur. The wheels are stolen and the metal is rusting away. Certainly one of Malaysia's car of the year nominees. There's another picture of a run down car who got nominated for Malaysia's Car of the Year. It was from autoworld.com.my website. I cant find it though. Anyone has it? :D
CLP convo was held in PWTC, Merdeka Hall on 16-12-2004. The ceremony was so boring that there was almost nothing to write home about. Hence i am just going to give you a brief chronical of the whole event:- 10am - 12pm: CLP graduates register at the registration counter and collect their rob. 1pm - 2pm: The graduates were briefed on the manner and conduct when they recieve the scroll from the Sultan. The organiser made us wait for so long that, many of us became bored and started to take photo of each other. 2pm - 3pm: The graduates lined outside the hall. The damn organiser made us waited out there, STANDING for almost an hour. 3pm - 4pm: The organiser let us entered the hall. Another 30 mins waiting for the Sultan and VIPs to arrive. There was a group of annoying photographers taking photos inside the hall. 4pm - 5pm: We were told to stay back to have a group photo taken with the Sultan. In conclusion apart from being able to receive the scroll from the Sultan, this convo sucks big time cos the scroll they gave me was actually an useless paper that say "Ini bukan Sijil Amalan Guaman" (This is not The Certificate of Legal Practice). WTF!
Another recent fixture in Kuala Lumpur would be the mini karaoke booth. Priced @ RM1 per song, it could be split between 2 people, hence 50 cents per song! According to a friend, these karaoke booths originated from Thailand. The booth is made to fit only 2 people. Any amount more 2 might result in the booth exploding as the booth is made of wood. Of course, since it is made of wood, one may hear frogs croaking or dog howling from the wooden booth.
Feet Detox is the most recent talk of the town. Such detox shops are springing everywhere from popular shopping centres to lousy shopping centres. From the feet detox, one can remove toxin from their body just by placing their feet on a bowl specially mould to fit your feet. Then the bowl will be filled with a clear liquid. Few seconds later, the bowl will turn into a feet Jacuzzi and minutes later, the water will start to change colour! Apparently, the water changes according to the level of toxin on your body!
Of course, I couldn't authenticate how genuine this detox is. I have not tried it myself. I somehow suspect that it is some sort of chemical based water that reacts to some sort of crap in the mini Jacuzzi. A placebo maybe..
According to http://www.pressbox.co.uk/Detailed/16721.html
Following an initial consultation and assessment, you immerse your hands or feet, as advised by your detox practitioner, in the spa for 30 minutes. One treatment will be enough to impart a sense of relaxation and well-being and your body will, if properly hydrated, begin to detox. A course of treatments will be necessary in most cases if you want you body to re-balance itself to the best health it can achieve. This type of machine is described as a detox machine because the response of a rebalanced body is to excrete any excess toxins via the kidneys, liver, bowels and skin AFTER treatment. Therefore the client will experience the beneficial effects of a detox experience. Whilst immersing your feet in the water a gentle Bio-Energetic Resonance travels through the body rebalancing it and providing a catalyst for self-detoxification. The body now starts to release the toxins through the pores in the feet. The Hydra Detox System is completely safe to use. It is however, not recommended for pregnant ladies, anyone with a pacemaker or an organ transplant.
Often we hear and see in the radio or tv about a certain community leader or ministers blaming the reckless and selfish drivers for the increased road accident. However, have they ever think that their road planning,its design and the quality of the work carry out by their nominated contractors should equally be blame for the increased accidents? Do all these "leaders" have any right to point their blood stained fingers at someone else? Afterall, they are chosen by the people to serve the people and they PROMISED and VOWED on it. Citizen Nades aka R. Nadeswaran wrote about this on 1/12/2004:- " Way back in the sixties, pupils in Standard Six learnt the exploits of Francis Drake, Christopher Columbus, Mahatma Gandhi and Ali Jinnah. We also learnt about one Mr MacAdam, who revolutionised the road building industry. As 11-year-olds, we were perplexed that most of the roads in Malaya at that time were "MacAdamised" roads. Then came someone who decided 11-year-olds had enough of colonial masters and felt they should all learn about Hang Tuah and forget about the Hindu prince called Parameswara. But those in the public service presently, including Mr Suret Singh, the director-general of the Transport Ministry's Road Safety Department must have also come across Mr MacAdam. So, what has road safety got to do with MacAdam? The majority are of the wrongly held view that accidents are only related to speeding, careless driving and the like. But don't forget that the road signages, construction, condition and maintenance of roads are contributing factors to accidents. For example, a newly-constructed road in SS2 in Petaling Jaya has become a sea of pot-holes and pebbles after rain over the past few days. While we cannot tell government departments and agencies which contractor they should appoint to carry out road works, (lest yet another scandal ala PMC comes to the fore), at least we can tell them that we need good roads. Therefore, while congratulating the ministry for its far-sightedness in setting up a department to look after road safety, one must not forget to see if the DG and his officers are vested with enough powers to ensure that our roads are safe. Can the DG, for example, compel other departments and agencies to have more visible signs on dangers ahead? Can the DG ask the Public Works Department to realign any road which it deems is dangerous to the public? At a time when agencies are willing to pay up to RM16, 000 each for plastic coconut trees, will they be willing to spend a fraction for an "Awas" sign? From past experiences, the plastic coconut trees bring other sort of benefits for the people who sign the local order. But can road signs bring about similar rewards? Can the DG compel the little dictators in local councils to cancel the licences of billboards and hoardings at road junctions? There was a time when it was a government policy not to allow any sort of advertisements at junctions because they are a distraction to motorists. These days, they are premium spots, not only for the advertisers but also for those who sign the approval forms.The list goes on and on. Suret has the job cut out for him, but he will Be wrong if he thinks the number of accidents and the related deaths can be reduced with the snap of a finger. Already, the chest-thumpers are at work -- claiming that the latest Ops Sikap has brought down the deaths during the recent festive season to 200. The prime minister has chided such feats and rightly so, because one death is one too many. It will be impossible for the department with its small pool of people to undertake a national-level effort. I am of the view that the department identifies one municipality and implements the policies and measures, then fine tune it and then "export" them periodically to other municipalities. This is the only way to go forward -- focus on one area and then get the systems right. Otherwise, the attention will be divided and there will be no concentration in the efforts. We have already spent millions on road safety campaigns which have not brought about the desired results. We are going to spend millions more, but this time around, let us do a bit of planning and execute the plan well." Note: This article was published in The SUN on 1/12/2004.
A Singaporean lady was murdered in a hotel in Jalan Bukit Bintang today. She was tied on the bed, naked and suffered multiple slash wound. This reminded me of a story from my Dad. Many, many years ago, an English chap who works for my Dad’s company came to KL. He stayed in a hotel along Jalan Bukit Bintang. My dad and his colleague were due to meet him on the following weekday. Dad met him in Oxford during one of his business trips. So anyway, the English chap was murdered in his hotel room. Stabbed many times and blood all over the room. None of his belongings was stolen. The door was locked from inside, no sign of break-in. In the hotel room, there were two phone numbers, one belonging to my Dad another belonging to his colleague. Hence, the two of them were suspected as murderers. Our house was searched and his colleague was arrested in his jogging attire. He didn’t get the chance to change his clothes at all. However, his colleague did not know about the case. He was kept in a room for hours. Then a Chinese policeman came… Policeman: Just admit it, you wont suffer anymore. He was released couple of hours later. The murderer was not found until today. There were 2 conspiracies. 1. Few hours before he was murdered, he was seen talking to a transvestite in a disco below the hotel. However, there was no evidence that the transvestite went to his room. 8 – 9 years later, an enquiry was held. No further evidence was found and even the motive of the murder was not known. The court closed the case and hence some ah kua (transvestite) might have gotten away with murder.
Some great links I received today... For General viewing... http://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/videonews/fnn/20041216/20041216-00000125-fnn-int.html It a short clip of a Tanjung Rambutan (Tanjung Rambutan is famous for its mental hospital) man who could stick objects to his body. For mmm..the guys...ONLY fapfapfapfapfapfap
From Gapyong, we took a taxi to the Nami Island Jetty. Nami Island is where mmmm Yong Jun and Ji Wu rode a bicycle and kissed all those mushy stuff. I don’t watch Winter Sonata by the way, Jane watched it. Unfortunately, since its autumn, the sun sets by 5PM. We wandered around the island in the dark but thank god few parts of it were lighted! The weather was freezing as well. We had to get ourselves bottled warm drinks to warm our fingers.
This is what I call ART!!
So, you ask "What have Malaysians got to do with it?" I'm telling you, Graffiti has begun to hit the walls in Malaysia with a ssSSsssSSSTTTTTT~~! At least, it has in my bedroom~ Is it a good idea? Well, those of you out there, if you want to sembur, remember to...
Close shop?
Working life is pretty normal after 3 weeks. I woke up 6:30 am, walked to the LRT station by 7:20 am, reach there by 7:30 am, reach the office by 8:15 am, had my breakfast there...blah blah. My mentors have not actually give me a lot of work yet. They wanted me to be familiar with the court rules, document drafting, and case researchs. However, this week will be a very busy week. I have to draft an affidavit in reply for a client by tommorow afternoon which mean that i have to read through a whole pile of cause papers and also to research and advise the client by Wednesday. Then, i have to attend a court hearing on Wednesday morning as well and to research on the casae due for hearing that day. Right after that, i will take a day off to attend my CLP convocation in PWTC. I looking forward to thursday because my parents will be attending it. Although, my mentors are easy on me but they are very strict. They want me to maintain the integrity on the Profession. They expect no "half bucketed" work from me. However from time to time, they do tell me to enjoy life as a chambering student and spent my weekend well. I guess joining a medium sized firm is not a bad idea afterall because i get to learn and work with 3 senior litigation lawyers!
My firm booked a table for us Chambies and Legal Assistances for the KL Annual B4r D1nner yesterday. It was held in Sherat0n Imperial Ballroom with about 500 people. And yes, 500 lawyers. Imagine a bomb went off and we would not have any one in the courts on Monday. Despite the mediocre food, the stand up comedy was good. Jokes poking politicians and races cracked everyone up. They even sang a song about Viagra!
This time round, we managed to get to Cheongnyanyi in time. I got myself the latest Christmas Stamp issue at the Post Office there. w00t! While waiting for Jane to make a phone call, an old man pushing a cart of bananas was shouting loudly in Korean. Jane and I had no idea what he was doing. It sounded like he was trying to sell his bananas but in an angry tone. Maybe gone crazy due to the Korean War.
Chuncheong is the place where the famous Korean Drama, Winter Sonata was shot. It is also very popular in Japan. I heard many Japanese obasans (aunties) were injured after trying to catch a glimpse of the main actor, Bai Yong Jun when he visited Japan. Yong Jun’s face is everywhere. I see his face more than the President’s face. Japanese obasans were everywhere as well. There is a Winter Sonata tour as well. One can hire tour guides to bring you around . Jane and I decided to go on our own. Unfortunately, it didn’t turn out well. We got lost and even missed our train! We only managed to visit the part where Yong Jun and Choi Ji Wu first met. There were couple of souvenir stalls selling Bai Yong Jun merchandise and a Yong Jun mannequin. We wanted to go to Chongdo Island (also where Winter Sonata was shot). We couldn’t find the jetty though. We ended up abandoning that plan and also missing our train to Gapyong. Since we had to wait for an hour for the next train, I decided to commit a crime. I stole a stamp from an abandon post box. Hehe
South Korea aside, hello legal life. I started work in a law firm with 200 over people last week. Oh my god, so many people to meet!! I can't remember all their names!! I am now put in a crummy corner surrounded by mountain of files with 3 other chambies. So far not much work for me as it's the end of the year and most offices are closing for xmas. Despite the huge population, the firm is all work no play. Work finishes @ 530PM but most of them will stay till late! A colleague of mine stayed till 530AM went home, and came back to work..Too much work it seems.. I feel like I'm working like a Japanese... Frank and I are getting busier by day. Soon, we'll have no time for this website. Ladies and Gentlemen, put your hand together now and say.."CLOSE SHoP LUUUUUUU!!"
We had dinner at Dongdaemun. Initially we didn’t know where to eat but after passing a Korean restaurant with Japanese words, we decided to eat there.
Dongdaemun is a must when visiting Seoul. It consists of endless roads of shops and markets. For sports wear, head to the Dongdaemun station. Be prepared to bargain. Souvenirs are abundant there as well. I bought couple of Gundam keychains :D After a long walk, we rested at a café. The café had a funny looking cake. It looked like spaghetti cake.
Another thing to take note in Seoul is the shopping centres. Sometimes they would hold a performance or ask some of their customers to perform on stage. The one we saw was a dancing competition. It was really amusing as a weird looking schoolgirl did a sexy dance on stage. Unfortunately, she didn’t win the competition. She danced too much till the hostess had to pull her away. Then during the finals (she was eliminated in the semi finals), she gatecrashed the stage and danced. She got kicked out of course.
Ban this killer jelly A consultant pathologist has urged the authorities to ban cup jelly candy as it poses a high suffocation risk among children. Prof Dr Kasinathan Nadesan of the University Malaya Medical Centre told The Malay Mail that most children sucked the jelly straight from its container after lifting the tab. Due to the texture of the jelly, it gets sucked straight into the throat and this may cause children to choke. "If the blockage is not cleared quickly the victim may die within minutes," Dr Nadesan said when asked to comment on the death of three-year-old Wong Poh Yan on Sunday. Poh Yan was riding a bicycle accompanied by her Indonesian maid near her house in Seri Petaling when she choked on the candy, the second piece she had within minutes. The maid tried to dig out the candy using her fingers but failed. The girl was pronounced dead when she was taken to a nearby clinic by her father. A post-mortem at the UMMC on Monday revealed that the candy was lodged in her throat between the larynx and vocal chords. Checks by The Malay Mail at shops near the victim's house showed several brands of the jelly on sale at RM1.20 for a packet of 20 cups. Dr Nadesan said what happened to Poh Yan is not an isolated case. He said there have been similar cases in the past year, although he could not give details. "That is why I am calling for a ban on this particular type of jelly which is sucked by children," he said. "Meanwhile, parents should supervise their children when this jelly is consumed." Asked what was the best way to help a child who is choking, Dr Nadesan said the child has to be held by the legs, upside-down and slapped hard on the back, just below the neck. "This is the most effective and the fastest way to dislodge the foreign object from the throat. There is no point running to a doctor at that time, as every second counts," he said. "The child could end up dead by the time he or she gets medical attention." Poh Yan, the youngest of four children, was cremated yesterday at the Cheras crematorium. Note1: This story was published in Malay Mail on 24th November by Marhalim Abas Don't slap the victim's back. (This could make matters worse.) The Heimlich Manoeuvre is an option which may work better. How to do the Heimlich Manoeuvre: 1. Lay the child down, face up, on a firm surface and kneel or stand at the victim's feet, or hold infant on your lap facing away from you. 2. Place the middle and index fingers of both your hands below his rib cage and above his navel. 3. Press into the victim's upper abdomen with a quick upward thrust; do not squeeze the rib cage. Be very gentle. 4. Repeat until object is expelled. 5. If the Victim has not recovered, proceed with CPR. The Victim should see a physician immediately after rescue. 6. See a physician immediately after rescue.
We woke up late, very late. We couldn’t make it in time for Chuncheong. While walking around Cheongnyanyi, we sat a group of ladies preparing kimchi in front of Lotte Shopping Centre. They were stuffing some red coloured paste into the cabbages and a man was announcing something. Sounds like they were trying to break the world record..
With the huge amount of spare time, we ate some sort of grilled octopus with vegetables for lunch at a home like styled restaurant. Jane was fascinated with the huge scissors the lady used to cut the meat. The scissor was as big as her face!
We then spent the entire day reading map and writing post cards. We bought a pack of postcards with 12 postcards in it from the palace souvenir shop. We had some time left before the sun sets. Wasting no time, we headed to Gyeongbukgung Palace. It is bigger than Deoksugong Palace. However, there were not many artefacts lefts and most of the buildings were newly built. This was due to the fact that most of the buildings were destroyed during the Japanese occupation. Hence, most of the buildings were just a shell with nothing inside. We were lucky to witness the guards changing ceremony. Actors dressed in traditional clothing with weapons would give a great performance. However, it was just a procedure, no kungfu or fighting action can be seen.
Jane wanted to try the traditional costumes provided by a shop. Unfortunately, it wasn’t open. When visiting Gyeongbukgong Palace, one must see Gyeonghoeru. Official banquets were held and foreign envoys were once entertained there. The small pavilion is built next to a pond hence one can see the reflection of the pavilion on the pond.
I am so damn tired. I didn't sleep last night and ran around the court for fucks. I bumped into Siew Lee and her colleagues,Cynthia, this other guy (sorry, i forgot what is your name), and a CLP coursemate, Ricky. It was fun running around the Masjib Jamek Court with them, filling our petition papers. Although, we didn't manage to finish filling them today. Anyway,Hey, anyone wanna go for Putrajaya Court visit? I am going there soon to serve one of my paper to the Attorney General. Let me know, cause i don't wanna go there alone. Ok, story time! Today, I took a taxi to the Masjid Jamek Court in the afternoon. My taxi driver was an indian man. Like any other taximan, at first he talk to me about the traffic jam and the Arab Tourist who can't differentiate RM5 and RM50. Then he changed topic and said "Brader, you lawyer kan," "Yes but not yet. I am training to be one now," "So, u chambering student lar." "ya ya how u know ar (note:not many taxi driver know what is chambering student) " "I used to work for LC & co as a dispatch." "Huh! LC & co? U know my friend, CM or not." i asked the taxi man. "No lar. Is he fat ar?" "No but he is not very tall about 170m and he is a chinese," "Don't know him lar. I left in 2000." "Why u leave lar, brader? LC & Co not good?" "No lar, LC is damn good. She is a kind boss and even send my family to Australia. All expenses paid by company. Then this chairman (i think he meant partner) joined. He wanted me to come in and work after 6pm. Crazy lar!" "so, u quit lar" "ya, i tell him to fuck off and became a taxi driver!" Then, he went on and on about LC for... i don't know ...about 5 to 8 mins cos we were stuck in the lunch hour jam. After that, he asked me for legal advice on his credit card debt. "eh, brader i got this matter lar. Can ask you ar?" "Can can but if it doesn't help. Plz don't charge me extra for the taxi fare." "hahahaha...ok" (note:he must be thinking i am lame then...hahahahha) Then when i reached my destination. "Holy! I only have RM3 (the fare was RM4). U got change for RM50 ar?" "Aiya brader, we are friend now. I give u RM1 discount lar" "Ok ok, next time u pass by my office taxi stand and if i am waiting for taxi,You don't go fetch anyone else but me, okay?" "ok ok" (note: I doubt he can remember me tommorow lar..hehehehe) P.s. if the sentence is fragmented or grammatically unsound, don't get upset. okay? Just read it as if you are reading a mangrish book.
The sun was setting when we finished exploring Nandaemun. Seoul Tower, which is located on top of Nam San, was our next destination. One can opt to take the cable car or walk up to the tower. We took the cable car, as we were tired from walking the entire day. We could get a picturesque view from the cable car and from the top of the mountain. However, we decided to enter Seoul Tower for a better view. There is an entrance fee for it, student price available but only applies to University students or below (post graduates not included! God damn!) It was a foggy day. I was bloody frustrated with that. If it were not for the fog, we could see the mountains, which surround Seoul.
I was advised to wait till night time. We waited and it paid off. The night view of Seoul was excellent. A tripod would be great while talking pictures. However, beware of the reflection due to the glass panel.
Jane and I were laughing at a lady who works in the elevator of the tower. Her job was pressing buttons, look pretty and translate some stuff. Gee..what a boring job. We had bibinba at the restaurant next to the cable car station at the foothill. It didn’t taste good as it consist only vegetables and rice! However, according to Jane, in Tokyo, they serve meat in bibinbas.
We walked around Myeong Dong before heading to Yeouinaru. Yeouinaru Station leads to the riverbanks of Han River. It’s also a lover’s spot and a lovely place to spend the night with your love one.
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