Blog Clean-up And Easter Sunday Happenings

Mua ha ha ha ha! I spent the past 1 or 2 hours cleaning up all the posts on my Multiply account and tagging everything more cleanly. Everything's spick & span now. As you can see from the tags on the homepage; the blog's gonna be more streamlined now for easy access to topics of interest. A blessed Easter to everyone of the Christian faith as we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus today.

It's been a long day today, I got up at 5am to go help out at DUMC's Easter Sunrise Celebration. Didn't do much there but help arrange some chairs and directed traffic a little. We had a good turnout today and it was nice to be at a sunrise service that is so very Methodist. I didn't realise how much I missed Easter sunrise services until today.

Dawn of War: Winter Assault

When we were done I spent the better part of the morning with my best bud J-son at a cyber-cafe! Ha ha! I know it's Easter but since I had time to kill till my 2pm lunch appointment I just hung out with him. It was nice to just hang back and chat while playing video games. J-son was playing Dawn of War: Winter Assault while I played Hellgate: London. The cool thing about cyber-cafes these days is that you can actually save your games states with this nifty piece of software. Very cool ... maybe I'll go back again to TBun in Aman Suria to continue from where I left off. Hellgate: London was pretty fun cos' it reminded me of my Diablo II obsession back in 2001 or was it 2002?

The NEW Diablo!

I'm looking forward to catching 27 Dresses in the next two weeks or so. Katherine Heigl is such a bombshell and I am SO up for a romantic comedy. I'm not a fan of Grey's Anatomy and the first time I saw her was in Knocked Up which surprisingly I kinda enjoyed. Anyone up for 27 Dresses? I'll go get the tickets!

27 Dresses Anyone?

Till next time ... Cheers!

Tony DiTerlizzi

Oh my!

Tony DiTerlizzi is one of my favourite fantasy illustrators. I have quite a few 3rd Edition D&D manuals that I bought 4 or 5 years ago that have quite a fair bit of his artwork in there. I love great art and DiTerlizzi's style is phenomenal. There's a magical & whimsical quality to his pieces and it's a shame that I had almost forgotten about him till I watched the credits at the end of "The Spiderwick Chronicles" last night.

Deep in thought ...

I did not know that DiTerlizzi was the creator of "The Spiderwick Chronicles" but once I found out that he was involved in the movie; that explained why I loved the creature designs. I'm definitely gonna pick up the books now because I'm such a big fan of his illustrations. The story in the movie was pretty good too and I've always been fascinated by faeries and such (the result of too much Enid Blyton as a child maybe).

A warrior in repose

For more DiTerlizzi goodness check out his official website here. One of the wallpapers adorns my iBook desktop now. Nice! I'm sure we'll be hearing more about Tony DiTerlizzi as they make more movies out of his books. Way to go Mr. DiTerlizzi!

Anger Management

I've been thinking a lot about anger and in my own experience of it not much good comes out of it. When I'm angry I get riled up and for the most part unable to think straight or see reason. The worst part I guess is how prolonged anger & bitterness can affect one's health.

Forgiving someone for hurting us is tough. It's taken me 3 years to work through my issues and at times it felt so very unfair that I was the one burdened with the hurt. It's not an experience that I would wish on anyone but it does make me question the benefits of loving someone especially when there are unsaid expectations. Unconditional love isn't something that comes natural for people.

Having said all that ... I've come to learn that anger management is all about turning the other cheek and forgiving the parties who wronged us. Better that than to hold a grudge cos' sometimes hurt can come through misunderstandings too. It's difficult but I'm doing the best I can to give people the benefit of the doubt. It's tough though cos' I find it a little difficult to trust people and right now it's more natural for me to view things negatively rather than positively.

At the end of the day I really want to be settled in myself. There's just so much to take on in life and I truly just want to be content. Being less angry certainly is something worthwhile to have in life. Wouldn't all of you agree?

Indiana Jones is Back!

I am so stoked. I just checked out the trailer for the upcoming Indiana Jones movie and just hearing the strains of the theme song & seeing the fedora in the opening few seconds got me going. Indiana Jones certainly brings back a lot of fond childhood memories and the whole high adventure magic of movies. Harrison Ford looks really good ... I must say that when I heard of the new movie I wasn't too sure but my fears are laid to rest by the trailer.

May 22nd folks. That's when Indy's gonna be swinging into cinemas. I am so thinking of getting the Indiana Jones boxed set now. Ha ha! The trailer certainly made me feel better even with this headache pounding on my skull now. Check out the trailer here.

Magic's come back to cinema. Transformers' Shia LaBeouf's in it too I believe! Hooray! That kid's certainly going places.

The BIG Three OH

Ha ha! I can't believe I've been sitting down here all afternoon just watching Kyle XY after getting back from Bentong after voting. It's my birthday today and yes I turn 30 today. I celebrated it some last night with my parents and we had dinner which was really nice.

Today is quiet; nothing special but I will be having friends over to just kick back and play video games. Um ... that and getting some dinner as well. The video games don't matter and just having people that have been friends and there for me around on my birthday. That's what matters the most and for once I don't care that I'm single; I'm contented having good friends around even though it's gonna be something juvenile as video games. It's gonna be a good day. It already is.

Thanks everyone for all your birthday wishes! Every SMS and call has been great. Cheers and have a great day ya'll!

One Life REVOLUTION

Doorway to Awareness

I was at an AIDS awareness campaign today organised by World Vision called One Life Revolution that was very unique. It's different in sense that it doesn't just talk about symptoms or how you get AIDS but it's a sort of sensory experience that walks you through the life of a victim. Pretty powerful stuff. The One Life Revolution experience is on from today till 8th March in Monash University before it moves on to Midvalley. For more about the whole thing check out the official site here.

And for all you Juwita fans out there here's Ju showing her support for the campaign at the front entrance.

Ju giving her "thumb-print" of approval

Go check it out cos' it's an eye-opening experience. It was especially special for me because I walked through the life of a Cambodian girl as I went through the exhibits. Having been to Cambodia three times in the past two years the whole thing really struck my heart. There was a point when I actually teared a little. Again I'm reminded how easy it is for us to forget the suffering of others when faced with our own urban challenges.

One Life, One Revolution. Check it out ya'll!

The Top 5 Thank List (5th Mar 08)

Here's this week's Top 5 Thank List:

1. Thank God for all the strength that I had to do all that had to be done for my best friend's wedding on the 1st of March. It was an awesome wedding and I had loads of fun despite all the things that I helped manage that day. The dance & the speech was super fun ... thank God we looked cool during the opening dance during the dinner even though we couldn't make out the music at all!
   
2. Thank God for Nic my fellow best man ... for being such a support too! And to my MAG members who were sporting and made the Cip San Leong & wedding dinner an absolute blast.
3. Thank God for the gorgeous bridesmaids Tans & Keongs! You guys totally rock and the same goes for all the chee muis for J-son & Esther's wedding.
4. Thank God for Paul's wedding! It was a beautiful ceremony even though I was super tired & zombied.
5. Thank God for being able to start on work after resting some yesterday. It's been a productive day today!

And guess what?! I've just been asked to be best man at another wedding happening in April! What an honour. I hope I can do as good a job as I did for J's wedding. Ha ha ... more speeches! What fun!

Caught Up

I've been reading the Bible a lot daily since 2008 started and it's been refreshing to be able to delve again into God's Word without feeling angry at Him or sullen. I was just reading Mark 4 and verses 18 & 19 stood out to me. It goes exactly like this ...

Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word;
but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth
and the desires for other things come in and choke
the word, making it unfruitful.

It's true; it can be so easy to be caught up by the cares of this life. I've had to grapple very much with finances, thinking about the future and also the materialism that I've afflicted myself with. Everything from wanting a nicer car to clothes and even my expensive hobby of video games & comic books. It's so easy to just want more and more.

I realise that the the desire to want more & more never ends. There will always be something new out there that we'd want ... something cool that catches our eye or something beautiful that we must own. I use the word WANT here because it often feels like we MUST have it. Whether it's a girlfriend or wife (something I want very much by the way) or a 40-inch LCD TV. That's why it struck me that I need to be content in my life. Sure I'm working hard at making things better for the future but isn't it better to live within my means? That's something that I'm working towards and it is challenging cos' the human heart is inclined towards being greedy rather than being content.

But godliness with contentment is great gain.

1 Timothy 6:6 is sort of a motto of mine these days and it helps also to consciously be thankful about the things that I already have in my life. I'm working on both ... there's learning how to be more Godly plus there's the bit about being content. Learning to be content is why I have a Top 5 Thank List that reminds me I am already blessed with many good things. It is such a privilege to be able to bless others too and I begin to appreciate the freedom of time I have that allows me to help people out. Sure I may not be able to always afford nice gifts to give away but I can give people the gift of time and that sometimes can be more precious than an expensive item.

And the Winner is ...

It's official! The replacement format to current gen DVDs is ... Wait for it ... *drum roll please*

Sony's Blu-ray media! Announcements have been flooding the internet and my first news of it just came in over CNET. Boy! Am I glad I got me a PlayStation3 cos' there is a huge difference in terms of picture quality over DVD. But then again not every movie deserves a Blu-ray purchase I suppose. DVD is a great format for movies in itself.

So for all you movie junkies and AV-philes. You don't have to stay on the fence anymore cos' Blu-ray's the new King of the Hill. For more about the closing chapters of the format war click here or check out www.blu-ray.com.

My Dog Rose

I haven't yet introduced all of ya'll to my doggy Rose! My family got her as a puppy when I was in my 2nd year in varsity. When she first came to us she looked adorably like a small polar bear. Her fur was not as speckled with black as she is now and it was pure white with just the black patch on her left eye.

Anyways, we didn't get to name her cos' my cousins already named her Rose after the character in Titanic. So she came to us named Rose and we affectionately call her Rosie. She's a cute and slightly greedy dog but very well behaved. She never snatches food away from us but just waits there at the dinner table whenever we're having a meal ... she especially likes to wait around my mom cos' my mom has a soft spot for her these days and always feeds her scraps from the table; more so compared to my brother and me.

I'm proud to say that I'm Rosie's favourite. He he ... I guess cos' maybe I spoil her and in general I'm the gentlest to her. All the disciplining comes from my dad & brother and rarely from me plus I suppose I'm the one who picks her up and hugs her the most. Ha ha! Not a very manly thing to do but Rose is just so adorable.

I have no idea why I'm writing about my dog back home. I guess maybe I'm inspired by that cute picture I took. Hmm ... alright back to my preparations for my best friend's bachelor's weekend that starts tomorrow. It's been a crazy busy January & February and I think it'll be this way for the whole of 2008.

Cheers!

The Top 5 Thank List (11th Feb 08)

My friend Raz keeps this regular list of things to be thankful of that she updates on a regular basis. I was just thinking about it this morning as I was meditating on what I read in my daily devotional reading and I guess now's a good a time as any to learn how to be grateful for the good things I've been blessed with.

It's so easy to look at other things and to covet what others have. It's even easier to be trapped by past hurts and the funny thing is that Misery loves company. And so Misery welcomes us back again & again. I don't believe that God would want any of us to live in this manner and if I really were to think about the good things in my life; well there are many so here goes the first of many that are to come.Thanks Raz for reminding me that that we need to be thankful all the time.

Here's this week's Top 5 Thank List:

1. Thank God that I have Four Forty Records and that my pursuit of the vision laid on me puts food on the table & clothes on my back.
2. Thank God for more quiet mornings in my soul & heart where I can sit with Him.
3. Thank God for my buddy Paul Sebastian; for all the good things in his life ... and most of all for his wedding on March 2nd.
4. Thank God for my best bud J-son, for the time he spends with me and for the calls that encourage me and also for his wedding on March 1st.
   
5. Thank God for the 4 days back home where I had not a care in the world over the Chinese New Year break.

And here's a bonus for everyone ... Thank YOU for reading!

Vote for Altered Frequency on Fly FM's Campur Chart!!!

Hey guys,

Altered Frequency's new single "Beyond Now" has just been released on Fly FM and we need all your help to spread the word to get it climbing on the their weekly Campur Chart! At the same time it'd be great if you made the effort to request for the song at as many radio stations as you can to help us get the song into rotation (that includes Fly FM as well).

I'll be making the rounds to drop the single off at some of the key radio stations so do keep your fingers crossed.

In the meantime do vote for AF via SMS by typing "Campur AF" and sending the message to 33399.

Check out the Campur Chart online at http://www.flyfm.com.my/campurchart.asp or email them at campurchart@flyfm.com.my.

Oh! And Gong Xi Fa Chai everybody!

The SWITCHFOOT Experience

That blur right there is Mr Jon Foreman ... of Switchfoot!

The Switchfoot concert that just ended an hour ago was an awesome one. The band had a full sound and their keyboardist Jerome added a lot to the music. I never thought much of keyboards but now that I'm older I see the error of my ways. Ha ha!

In case you guys don't know (I didn't at first), Switchfoot is made up of (drum roll please) ...

• Jon Foreman on vocals & guitars (plus he writes the songs)
• Tim Foreman on bass & backing vocals
• Jerome Fontamillas on guitar, keys & backing vocals
• Drew Shirley on guitars
• Chad Butler on the drums

I loved the songs. It's so refreshing to hear songs about change and these things resonate in my soul. I guess that's why I do it. That's why I've given up living a normal every day life to try to build something in music. Nights like these remind me that it's all worth while and God knows I need reminder frequently so that I don't give up.

It's kinda tough though when I find myself doing daily mundane stuff like accounts but there are days when it's exciting ... to be at a radio station, a press conference or a gig itself. What I love most is the music and I should take a listen to what my label mates have done so far more often to force myself to remember that I do believe in their music ... each one of them; Juwita, Altered Frequency & Liang! The challenges of the market get to me sometimes but looking at Switchfoot ... well, the dream burns in me still and I hope that we make it somewhere further in time to come. It'd be so awesome to tour the country and the region ... and hopefully one day someplace far away like the States.

I had a great time at Switchfoot. Met quite a few industry contacts (Shaz ... this one's for you! Radio mention of the blog would be really nice! Ha ha!) which was great. I loved the music. I loved the awesome, awesome sound that was just so big & full. The band sang so much for us and you could hear the conviction in Jon's lyrics. Most of all I loved the fact that I got to hear one of the best & most refreshing bands to come out of the US of A in recent years LIVE!

For more on Switchfoot check out their official site here and more pix from the concert here. I must run out and get a copy of all their albums tomorrow (what an impulse to have?!). Till then adios amigos!

Switchfoot Live in KL!!!

It really is an exciting time to be in Four Forty Records. A whole bunch of things are happening this year, and in a sense we start off with a bang cos' Altered Frequency the rockers in our family will be opening in a couple of hours for Switchfoot!!!

The boys were asked to attend a press conference over at Sri Pentas and I came along to make contacts and at the same time see what I could do to help them. There wasn't much to be done because they were just expected to take part in the group shots. It was pretty cool and I befriended Andy (one of the guys traveling with Switchfoot) and talked to him a bit. He videos the band's activities and makes PODCASTS!!! Pretty cool! It's something to think about but there's just so much to do at Four Forty that really sometimes I just get so overwhelmed that I don't know where to start. Even with all my web expertise and experience we don't even have a proper website. That totally sucks. Sigh ...

Anyways, enjoy the pix below I took at the press con. Here's one of Switchfoot as they just settled down in front of all the reporters. The guys were rushed to Sri Pentas without even having gotten a bite to eat after touching down at KLIA. But that's what life on tour is like ...

Switchfoot!!!

And here's a group shoot of Andy, Agnel & Daniel together with the band their opening for. The guys in Switchfoot are really chilled out and it was a very enjoyable press conference. It was good to hear them talk about their music in such a positive manner and really digging the fact that their music makes a difference in the lives of their listeners PLUS to hear about the different causes that they support in the States. One day ... I hope we can be like that while at the same time not having to struggle as much as we do now in our start-up period.

AF & Switchfoot (duh!)

Anyways. the concert starts 18-and-a-half hours from now and I am pretty excited about it. I don't know all of their songs but I certainly will enjoy it. Tickets are going for RM140++ at the entrance so if you haven't gotten your tix yet tomorrow's still very much a go for all you last minute music goers. I got mine already and saved RM20 but no sense rubbing it in. Switchfoot is gonna be a once-a-lifetime experience and so far I think I've really been blessed with so much good music over the past 3 years (and also a lot of pain but then again that's past right?).

Here's to Switchfoot. And here's to good music compadres!

Hap ... hap ... Happy Birthday Raz!

Today's blog entry is dedicated to my friend Razlin (check out her Multiply page here).

Raz, is a good friend and it's great that not all my friends are Chinese. It's kinda uncool that most of the time most Malaysians hang out mostly with our own ethnic groups rather than having a mixed group of friends.

Razlin is one of the prettiest, sweetest and gentlest persons I know. She's got a great zest for the outdoors and life. I think what I like best about her is her laidback attitude, she knows how to take a step back and enjoy life instead of being caught up in the endless pursuit of things. She's on of the few people from my days in UM that I do catch up with. Unfortunately we don't catch up as often as we should even though we do enjoy each other's company.

Raz, I am so happy for you that you're doing so great after going through so much over the past 2 years especially. Here's wishing you an excellent year this year. Yeah, yeah I know we both hit a milestone in terms of age this year but I pray that all the wisdom that you need will be granted you by God. And here's to living life more fully and to enjoy all that He has given us ya? So much blessings to you Raz and don't forget that I owe you a birthday treat like I said over SMS last week.

Thanks for being a good friend and for listening & identifying with me when my heart was in such a bad shape. Have a great time with all your friends and loved ones today. I know you've got a packed birthday schedule.

God bless you on this your special day & beyond of course!

Living Below One's Means

Money, money, money

Money. Don't we all just love money? I for one know that I do love it to an extent. Money affords us a lot of things but today I learnt that money is meant to build up our families (especially when you're the head of one) and also to build up others.

Not that it's wrong to buy nice things for ourselves but if that's all is we're doing with our money then I guess perhaps there's an imbalance there. In my last post I was mentioning some of the things I wanted to get for myself this year and today I realised that I've just been thinking about self, self, self! *gack*

I'll be bold and make this statement: we tend to be selfish when it comes to money and lately I've been very much less generous compared to before. To a certain extent I'm guilty of trying to keep up with the lifestyles of my friends and I've grown more accustomed to more upmarket things. My choice of eateries especially can be very extravagant. It's gonna take some time to really learn how to stick to a monthly budget but I guess now's a good a time as any to start.

The challenge would be to live below my means I guess. That means living life and putting aside a whole lot more that would allow me to invest into other people's lives and also to save for the future. Right now I know that I really don't make a whole lot due to the nature of Four Forty Records being new and all but I know that it is do-able to live in a more simple manner. It's just gonna take time to adjust to things. Since I started driving my monthly expenditure has gone up tremendously and I realise now that my riding a bike all these years really allowed me to enjoy life a whole lot more, hence why I've gotten so accustomed to spending so much on myself and on food!

Gosh! I've been telling myself to draft up a proper monthly schedule for myself so I can measure how much time I spend on myself, on work, on church and on catching up with other people but I STILL HAVEN'T done it! Procrastination is such a terrible thing. That's my challenge for this year really ... to order my life while living room in it for a lot of spontaneity. Order is good. And I know that I need to balance it just right cos' I'm very much a creature of spontaneity. Some people really get annoyed with me for that cos' I can just up and go for a movie and be perfectly satisfied with even front row seats. But that's what exactly allows me to be spontaneous cos' I don't fret over getting the best all the time. More so when it's an impulse thing.

Lotsa food for thought in this post. Stay tuned for more!

P.S. If you're interested to find out more about what I mean about money drop me a line and I'll gladly start a discourse with you OR just comment on Multiply and let's start a running thread for everyone to chip in.

Perspective

I was thinking about writing about this yesterday and filed the idea away in my brain so here it is ... I got up pretty early on Tuesday and was getting ready to settle into my daily routine of reading the Bible & writing in my journal when my mom calls me to let me know that she & dad are on the way to my apartment and they wanna have breakfast together.

Anyways, to cut a long story short ... I was having breakfast with my mom & dad at the market when this little Standard 2 boy walks up to us to sell nasi lemak. My parents have bought nasi lemak from him before many times and as I observed this exchange a thought struck me that us young adults can be very selfishly stuck in our own wants, desires & petty problems. Here I have in front of me a very young boy going from table to table, person to person to help his parents make ends meet. Sigh ... It's all about lifestyle really ... all of us are caught in a trap where we want to look good, have the latest things ... have luxuries. I know I'm caught ... I have an expensive hobby in comic books, video games & movies and when it comes to food, gosh I find it hard to resist a nice meal at Chilli's or some other eatery that has a price tag of at least RM10 above for a bite to eat.

What really is need & what really is want? A lot of the things in my life are wants rather than needs. A real need is to have food on the table & clothes on our back. A need is having electricity & running water. A need is having the means to get from point A to point B in whatever form of transport that we're using. A need is being loved. Wants are all those shiny new things that eventually we get tired with. How do we stay contented? The answer to that eludes me right now and I'm still trying my best to be more sensible with my money. After spending the whole of 2007 going crazy on purchases I'm in a better place now although I still have to clear things off with my mom for my lack of self-control.

That little boy gave me a sense of perspective. Are we looking around us to get a little perspective or are we all stuck with our eyes fixed on our own problems & selfish desires? Just some food for thought. I've been telling myself that I need to order my life more and also work on keeping those expensive purchases in check. This is my wishlist of stuff for this year.

Number 1
A pair of Levi's jeans. The one pair I have now just doesn't cut it. Actually any other pair of comfortable jeans would do ... it's just that I don't know any other brand other than Levi's that are actually very comfy. You do pay for what you get I suppose.

Number 2
A couple of new shirts. I don't really buy clothes for some reason. Heh heh!

Number 3
Some ties ... Again ... the reason why I'll have to pick some up is cos' I don't have any nice ties at all! Ha ha!

Number 4 (the FUN stuff - clothes aren't FUN!)
Video games of course! In alphabetical order:

Fallout 3 (PS3)

Final Fantasy XIII (PS3)

Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of The Patriots (PS3)

Resident Evil 5 (PS3)

Super Smash Brothers Brawl (Nintendo Wii)

As you can see the list of things to buy never really ends. But I think I shall keep it to these few items this year and these will really cost a bomb. At the end of the day I guess I really want to be wise with what little I have. I do realise that money & material possessions aren't everything and so these items will remain as wants rather than needs. It's really hard right now cos' I know I want a nice lifestyle as much as the guy next door and perhaps God is teaching me to simplify the way I live. I always figured myself to be an anything goes kinda person but that's increasingly becoming not true.

I guess by putting down all those things above I hope to really keep my frivolous purchases to a set of items this year and learn how to save for them or work a freelance job or two extra to afford them. After all I do get my reality escape fixes at the movies already don't I? No more comic books this year I guess ...

Perspective & contentment. These are 2 good principles to live by don't you think?

Crazee, Crazee 2008

It's been a crazy few weeks and January is already half-way through. I've been super busy juggling freelance work while at the same thing doing my utmost to make things work for Four Forty Records. 3 major things are happening right now ... getting more publicity for Liang, Juwita's upcoming participation in a major singing competition and Altered Frequency opening for Switchfoot. There's just so much to do and at the same time I've been figuring out whether or not I should take up a part-time position to bring some order into my work-life. Things are looking up this year but I've not been handling the stress that well and there are days when I just feel so drained. Gosh! Is this what it's gonna be like for the whole of this year?!

Agnel & Andy of Altered Frequency

That's a pic of Andy & Agnel of Altered Frequency doing a promo over at FlyFM last Monday. I really had to rush things out for this and all lot of things happened all of a sudden. The band will be featured on FlyFM's Campur Chart this Sunday so do tune in from 7pm - 8pm to catch the debut of their brand new single 'Beyond Now'. Vote for the band if you like the song at the official FlyFM site by clicking on this link.

That's all from me folks! I hope I can find more time to sit down and write like this. It has been awhile. It'd be good to hear from some of you so do drop my a line to let me know that this blog is being read.

Cheers!

End-Year 07 Movie Mania

I've been going crazy on movies for a bit over the end year season and I haven't had time to write about any of em' due to a busy schedule with Children's Church in DUMC. The kids did an awesome job with the play and 13 of em' even appeared on the 8TV Quickie Christmas eve special. I've got some pix but my iBook sorta gave problems and now I don't have iPhoto anymore. Bummer. Anyways here are my quick thoughts on the 7 movies I caught as 2007 drew to a close.

The Golden Compass
It's a little draggy and after a run of good movies I didn't think much of it. I didn't read the novels and again it's one of those movies like Harry Potter that sorta lead you into next one. It had cool polar bear warriors though and I thought Nicole Kidmas was beautiful (as usual) although her character was a little psycho. (2 Stars)

The Heartbreak Kid
Dumb stuff but there were sweet moments too. The movie wasn't terribly funny but it wasn't terribly bad either. Michelle Monaghan's sweet but I found Ben Stiller's character a little wishy-washy cos' for all he felt for her he still ended up messing up even at the end of the movie. (2 Stars)

I Am Legend
Will Smith was strong in this one. Loved his acting and the plot was somewhat interesting although in the end I don't think it was as good as the original pulp novel it was based on. I Wiki-ed it and found out about the book and the plot which was brilliant. The movie didn't use much of what the book was about I think - except for the basic premise of Will Smith being the last man on earth and the vampire-like creatures. (3 Stars)

National Treasure: Book of Secrets
I loved this one. Nicolas Cage is one of my favourite actors. National Treasure is like a modern-take on the whole adventure genre (much like Indiana Jones). I loved the way the writers take urban legends and other modern myths; spinning it all into one delightful story. (5 Stars)

Alvin & The Chipmunks
A fun watch but I think that's cos' I went with 2 kids from Children's Church. Sorta had to mind them for a bit while the parents went Christmas shopping. But that wasn't the main reason-lah ... since my involvement with Children's Church it's nice being in the company of kids. The movie was cute on the whole and I quite liked it. Definitely a better watch compared to The Golden Compass & The Heartbreak Kid. (3 Stars)

Aliens Vs. Predator: Requiem
Gory. Bloody. That's all I can say. I liked it a lot more than the first movie. And the Predator is a much stronger one in this one. The idea of a roving Queen-like Pred Alien's pretty cool though. Freaky. (3 Stars)

Atonement
A Kiera Knightley flick. I went with my ex-cellie Daphne & her cell member Michelle. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was a bit of a depressing movie but the plot was really good and it just demonstrated how life can be sometimes and how things can't be fixed. We suffer the consequences of our actions. A moving & thought-provoking movie. (5 Stars)

2008's here! And there's just so much to sort out in my life. Happy New Year everyone. Hoepfully I can post a bit more instead of being so sucked into working out personal issues and vegetating on my PS3. Cheers!

Never After

I came out of Enchanted today wishing that love was as simple as the silver screen makes it out to be. All of us want to love and want to be loved but as time goes by we develop lists and other things to complicate things. Sigh ... Shouldn't love be about caring for that other person and wanting to be the best person you can be for him or her? Shouldn't it be about looking into that person and finding the best qualities in that person and believing that in time the person can grow to be something so much more beautiful?

I hate reality in some ways. It's harsh. It's complicated. And it's ugly. I hate being here because it's so imperfect here.We all judge each other so much and it's so easy to not like someone because of how they look or how they are. I used to think I was an OK guy and I could get a long with everybody but increasingly I find that isn't true. As much as I want to be able to accept everybody I realise that some personality types and some traits just don't agree with me. Is there really a happy ending out there for us? Is there a happy ending for me?

Things seldom work out the way we want to and I guess we just have to accept that as part of life. Maybe part of being happy is being content. Although there are things that I want very much to happen in my life but I'm learning to take all that I have now and to enjoy it. That means enjoying the freedom that I have in being single rather than seeing it as a curse. I do have freedom now but there's a price to be paid for freedom. This isn't a perfect world after all hence why there will never ever be a happy ever after here on Earth hence the title of my post.

What is Love?

I've been thinking a lot about being in love and how easy it is to fall in love with someone we've made up in our minds. A part of me wonders just how much I truly know about a person before I fall in love with her. How much of it is made up? How much of it really is her? How much of me is blinded by the attraction that I feel and the deep need to be attached?

Attraction and character don't always match and I am very much confused on how to judge the kind of girl who'd be good for me in the long haul. Someone who'd love me for me and would accept me just as I am. Who can see the person that I will be one day and is willing to invest in my life. Seems like such a tall order to make of someone. I was reading 1 Corinthians 13 and it says this.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

I broke it down and I realise that I've failed to love her in all those ways. I've not been patient. I've not been kind when my heart was broken. I was jealous and at times arrogant when I lashed out at her. I was angered. And the worst part is that I had so much bitterness in me because I was so hurt & could not forgive. I want to love in the way that Paul writes about. Am I able to always protect & always trust? Am I able to always have hope and persevere? Now that's something to work towards and I hope one day my loved ones will be able to truly say that I have loved them.

Right now being able to love like that seems so far away ... I can love like that a little but the past 3 years have shown me just how angry I can be and it saddens me cos' I wanted nothing more than to love & care for her. Oh how easy it is to hate someone and how difficult it is to forgive. I'm glad that I've chosen to forgive cos' life is to short to hate and I do enjoy life a lot more compared to before.

I am recovering and I thank God for restoring a lot of things in my life that I had lost along the way. I smile a lot more easily now and my mind is not far away as much as before. I thank God I can live in the present now and am a lot more contented. That's a good thing isn't it? :)

Emotional "Flashing"

Is it rude to over-expose what one is feeling even if it's something as public & voluntary as a blog? Does it greatly damage the reputation of the person who is baring his heart and soul? The Bible says this in 1 Corinthians 10:23-24.

1 Corinthians 10:23-24
"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

Blogging in some respects can be a very selfish thing. I know I do it for my own therapy. Why do I just bare everything? Because it's difficult having all these thoughts & emotions cooped up inside. It's easier to just vent it out rather than to be silent about it. Maybe it's a selfish thing to do ... the question I'm asking myself is this; do I blog for my own good or do I blog for the good of others?

A part of me really would like something good to come out of this blog. Maybe what I'm going through can help encourage someone else who may be going through something similar? Maybe some of my deep thoughts will strike a chord in someone and lead them to discover what the Bible says for themselves? Maybe my foray into the music industry will also inspire someone else to pursue their dream to make a difference in our country and beyond?

What I do not want this blog to be is this - a meaningless exercise that I go through in putting my heart & thoughts down on paper. I want this blog to make a difference in the lives of the people who actually drop by regularly to read my posts. That's what I want. So here comes the hard part ... I leave it to all of you to make a decision through a poll.

Drop me a line. Let me know what you think. Because blogging for no reason means that I'd much rather stick to my own private journal and forego putting my heart on its sleeve here.

The Long & Lonely Road

I had a pretty long day today, was up at around 7:30am and spent the better part of the day in church at a leaders planning from 9:00am all the way till 2:00pm. Then I caught Lions for Lambs with my brother, his cell leader Jac & her boyfriend Alvin. But the kicker came in the evening when I hung out with some of my old Varsity Christian Fellowship mates in UM and wow ... almost everyone of them have kids & are MARRIED!

Some of my old PKV mates (GOODNESS! I AM FAT!)

I'm really happy for everyone but they made me realise that my life is heading down a very different path. I too want a family and kids but I can't have both. Not at the moment. WIth every challenge that I face building Four Forty Records it's gonna be difficult to raise a family much less take care of a wife whom I wanna love with all my heart. No sacrifice ... no victory.

A testimony I heard from one of the leaders in my zone (thank you for your honesty Uncle Beng Keat) made me realise this. We all wanna achieve something, do something in life but not many of us are prepared to pay the price. In Christianity one of the things we believe in is that all of us share the sufferings of Christ. I figure I'm sharing in a part of it right now - going through a huge career challenge, being rejected by the very person I loved with all my heart, etc and we feel like quitting or gripe/complain about it. The part of me that is still somewhat strong says ... "BITE THE DAMN BULLET! STICK WITH IT!" and there's the part of me that is so emotionally scared that goes "I FEEL LIKE I'M DYING...". Ha ha! I should just listen to the strong voice and stick with it. So what if she doesn't love me back. I know I have done all I can to love her and prove to her that I love her and I wanna grow as a person. And that should be enough ... it's her choice at the end of the day. And we all have the gift of choice so it's her right.

This is my road to walk ... WALK IT THEN! And stop complaining about how darn tired I am and emotionally drained my inner being is. Just walk the line! No need to charge into battle but just walk the path and take my time to do it.

And that as they say ... is that.

Slow Burning Music?

Do you know what it's like to feel like you have a raging anger in you that's on slow burn? As it simmers ... it continues to fuel you and then at the wrong time & wrong place it'd just explode. That's what it feels like for me. I feel like I'm on this timer that threatens to overwhelm me when not kept in check. It's damn frustrating to feel so stuck and trying hard to get unstuck but not really making much progress.

I am very sure of a lot of my choices and it really hits me hard when I get questioned constantly. It drives me up the wall that people assume I have not thought things through and what's worse is that it feels as if people don't realise that a lot of times I have counted the cost of making a decision. It's not easy to stick with things but the cost has already been weighed out. What I cannot say is what the future would hold ... while I know that my decision now to build up Four Forty Records means sacrificing every short term financial payoff, it doesn't make it any easier especially when everything I work towards now goes towards building the artistes in our stable. What do I see out of it? Honestly ... nothing much right now in terms of personal gain but everything in terms of working through the daily grind. What's worse is doing a lot of waiting around because we don't really call the shots. I really love what I do but it's tough facing the reality of the challenges that I must face. I do hope that this investment will pay off in the future but there really is no guarantee to that is there? I guess that's what it means to risk it all doesn't it?

The state of the industry is not too great right now and world-wide we're seeing a shrinking in terms of sales. That's why it's really important we begin educating the young about intellectual property and the damage it does to just go out there and download or buy a pirated CD. That includes software as well. Don't any of you every wonder just how many people depend on the sale of software or a music CD to keep on doing what they love? And while I'm on a roll here ... would it hurt to support local music or even international artistes as well? I really have seen lots of great local talent but what do we hear on radio more? Lots of recycled international songs and not that many local efforts. Make a difference ... and start listening to all kinds of music. We have some really good stuff locally and I'm not just talking about Juwita but people like Reshmonu and so many others both in the English & Bahasa Malaysia segment of the market.

Nuff said! I shall shut up now ... but I leave everyone with this question. Is there a future for the Malaysian music industry? And what can you guys do to be a part of it?

Control

It's been awhile since I last put up a blog post. I've not been feeling like writing anything lately but that's cos' I'm pretty busy with the Children's Church Christmas party helping the kids out in the play. I am so glad that I'm able to put my creative thinking cap on.

Anyways, I've been thinking a lot about control and how much we (we as in we humans) want so much to be in control of our lives. We want our choices. We want to be able to determine the outcome of things through our actions. We want to believe that we have control over our lives and our place in our part of the world. I realise more and more that we do not have control over a lot of things. While we may be able to put our hands to the plough and work hard at things ... many occurences in life just aren't within our control.

I've been feeling this a lot in my singlehood and Ps Mike (the guy who has been spending loads of time with me to sort out my internal issues) has been sharing with me a lot about surrender and making a daily decision to surrender my deep, deep desire to be with someone. It's just the same as forgiveness ... where whenever I feel the urge to still be angry I remind myself that I have chosen to forgive despite the fact that she may not even be sorry for the pain that she caused. Forgiveness is an act. Just the same as surrender.

I guess there goes all the control that we want ... all out the window. We can't control whether a person will fall in love with us. We can't control the share market. We can't even control the outcome of our work short of just putting in our best. The actions of people around us affect everything and nothing is truly predictable. The point I'm trying to make is ... is there truly control? And does it make sense to some of you to believe in a God who loves us so much and takes care of us regardless of whether we appreciate it or not. And that's what I hope to really learn out all this; to learn how to be secure in who I am rather than to let someone else judge me with a measure that he or she can't possibly hold up to as well. It's not the easiest of things though.

Cheers! I'm off to Children's Church now ... by the way I just received a shipment of Liang's new album After 8 so look out for it in stores soon. Enjoy a sneak preview of the album cover right here ... The CD is loaded with goodies, a coaster, postcard (I think) and of course the album itself. Check it OUT!

Colours of the Rainbow Charity Concert 2007

Catch Juwita & Liang as they join hands with other artistes & musicans in supporting the Shelter Home for Children. Details are as follows:

Date: 26th Oct 2007 (Friday)
Time: 8pm - 10:30pm
Venue: Maranatha Auditorium, Glad Tidings AOG Church

If you're not sure how to get there then the map below will help out lots. Hope to see ya'll there!!! And of course if you bump into me don't forget to say hello!

AVANTI Presents: Juwita Suwito

Hey everyone! Juwita's gonna be doing a very special gig right after Raya at Avanti Italian Restaurant over at Sunway Hotel. So bring your loved ones, friends & music fans especially because we've got great numbers planned for the evening AND all you guys will get to be a part of a LIVE recording that we'll be doing for an upcoming live album. Now isn't that something?

AVANTI is packaging the whole evening together with a 4-course dinner at RM168 per pax. Scrumptious delights await ... check out the menu!

• Marinated Barramundi roulade with asparagus, stewed lentil, baby lettuce & balsamic reduction
• Double boiled chicken consommé, infused with woodland herbs & pearl vegetables
• Oven baked rack of lamb with sundried tomato crust, mushroom polenta, baby vegetables & rosemary jus
• Caramelized Poached Apples with Homemade Almond Croquant Ice Cream

And of course let's not forget the evening's performance by Juwita herself! Make your bookings quick cos' it's gonna be a night to remember.

Parenting 101

I just got a taste of what it's like to be a DAD over the past 6 days. Gosh! It is difficult! I'm sure all you parents must be laughing your head off to read this! *grins*

I've always loved kids and for some weird reason I've always wanted to have some of my own for the longest time. Strange thing for a guy to say huh? There's just something about passing on something about me to my own flesh & blood that warms my heart. Having said that it sure isn't easy ... having to take care and pay attention to 5-year old Daniel & 9-year old Jonathan was not easy. Having to stop them fighting and to just love one another was a daunting task. For the most part I was succesful I guess but there were a lot of times where I had to be stern which I didn't like doing one bit. Sigh ...

Daniel!

Jon assembling the LEGO Rescue Copter

Anyways, I'm glad I got a taste of it and now I'm not too sure now how I can be a good father when the time comes. I want to be there for my kids when I have some of my own but right now I don't know how I can do that. Raising kids isn't just about playing with them but it's also about instilling good values in their lives and just spending LOADS of time with them.

Both K & YM's boys love me to bits and it brought a tear to my eye when they prayed a bit for me today just before I left for Phonm Penh to catch my flight. I started missing them 15 minutes out in the car ... sigh ... anyways to carry on with the point I wanna make today; kids aren't just there to entertain us, having children adds so much more to life and I hope one day (when the right girl comes along) that I'll be blessed with a family of my own. Right now I guess I still got a looooong way to go to learn how to take care of myself for starters.

Cheers!

A Nite of Reflection

Join Juwita and other local celebrities as they join hands to support the fight against child abuse. All proceeds for the evening will go to P.S. The Children, an NGO that has been working in this area for quite some time. The event will also be in memory of adik Nurin Jazlin so come and show your support. Place are limited! Tickets are at RM20 and every dollar may save a child's life.

Date : Friday, 5 Oct 2007
Venue : Bed @ Asian Heritage Row
Time: 7.00pm - 11.00pm

For more information about the event tune in to Hitz.fm. For directions to Asian Heritage Row check out the map below.

Goody Goody Gosh!

It has oh so been a hectic week and I've got a lot to finish up tomorrow before I leave for Cambodia on Wednesday. What? Cambodia again? Well ... this time it's more of a favour as I'm taking Kenneth & Yin Meng's kids back cos' they can't fly unaccompanied by an adult.

Err ... so yup ... I'm officially an adult now, I guess forgot to read the operating manual that came with me at birth. Lots to do when I wake up in the morning ... holograms to get done, purchase orders to fax, barcode to prep and I'm doing it all for Liang's upcoming release tentatively titled "After 8". Look out for it soon at most major stores in the Klang Valley & Malaysia.

It's been crazy but I supposed it's been a good kind of crazy.

End blogpost here. It's late ... I need to sleep. G'nite!

Mirrored Stranger

I look in my mirror, this stranger I see
Who is he that stares back at me
A familiar face but those eyes they pierce
They burn, they stare so fiery fierce

I fear what I have become
A stranger in my skin that's numb
My heart I once thought pure
How different am I to a whore

I am darkness once thought bright
My soul yearns to be free of its night
Once broken, twice shattered
Can I break these chains that fetter

Who am I that stares back at me
Who am I that stares back at me

As I sit here at 11:37pm my mind ponders the events of recent months. How much I wanted to just let things slide but yet listened to the darkness within me that wanted revenge and wanted to hold on to anger because of my so called rights. In the calmness that I occassionally have I realise that I am still in love. But what is love that is not reciprocated?

I find myself being assailed by the memories of all that has happened. A very quiet voice says forgive her and start anew but I am so afraid. I don't want to make anymore mistakes ... I can't afford to. I've made far too many in such a short span of time.

Papa, how do I make things right? Please help me make things right with the person that I love. Can she ever love me? Lord am I the right person for her? What do YOU want from me? I want to do the right thing ... help me do the right thing because the right thing matters. Very much.

Here's to thoughts that echo in the still of the night. May they make a difference when the dawn breaks.

Juwita Suwito & Friends LIVE @ Alexis Bistro


Hi everyone, keep your evenings free this weekend as my biz partner Juwita hits Alexis Bistro once again. Titled Juwita Suwito & Friends, Ju will also be joined by Christine Chin on vocals and backed by the able quartet of Alena Tan, Hiro, Tony Leo & Wagner. Admission is free but table bookings are exclusive for diners only. Details for this weekend's performance are as follows:

Date: 28 & 29 September 2007
Venue: Alexis Bistro, Great Eastern Mall, Ampang
Time: 10:30pm to 1:00am

For more information give the folks over at Alexis a call at +603 4260 2288. You can also reach them on the web by mailing them at info@alexis.com.my. I'll be there too so if any of you are there do say hi.

Cheers!

Forgiveness

In the past few months I've been working through a whole lot of anger & bitterness in my heart. I know that the best thing for me to do is to forgive her for hurting me so much but forgiveness is not the easiest thing to do. Today I had my very first online conversation with her. It was brief but I think I got a bit more pain out of my system by speaking to the very person who hurt me. What I learnt about forgiveness these past 2 months or so is this:

Forgiveness does not mean that the person who hurt you was right. And it does not mean that you are OK with what was done to you. And that's true for me. For a while now I kept justifying why she did what she did but the fact is what she did was plain wrong whatever her intentions were. The ends do not justify the means.

Forgiveness does not mean that the hurt goes away. I puzzle with this bit but it's true. I still hurt very much and even though it's frustrating I'm somewhat more at rest that it's not my fault that I'm hurt this much. She did what she did and she bears responsibility for that no matter what she may think or feel. Nothing changes what has happened and truly the best thing for me to do is to forgive her.

Forgiveness does not mean that reconciliation happens. This part is pretty difficult to grasp but it's a sad truth. Also things between us will never be the same again despite her claims of friendship. If you can hurt someone who loves you so much then I cannot imagine what a regular friendship could become because of selfish behaviour. Trust once broken doesn't mean it can easily be regained. I guess it still hurts very much now and again I am so very frustrated. I get very angry with myself and with how I feel. How can I ever love someone else with all this crap inside me? Time has healed a lot but it still hurts like hell at times.

There's still so much to learn about forgiveness. And I'm slowly beginning to pray blessing into her life ... in what little I can do now in praying for other people. I don't know if things will ever get better and even if it does nothing can change what has happened. That's the suckiest thing you know?

Anyways, I had a very productive day today. Attended the RIM AGM in Vistana Hotel then dropped off Juwita's brand new single "Reach" at Red104.9 & Suria FM. Got our dispatch guy to send the single over to Hitz.fm & Mix FM also and I finally prepared cheques for payments this afternoon! Another big plus was meeting up with my good friend Mary Ann for dinner. To cap the day off I changed some Singapore Dollars from sales in Singapore to Malaysian Ringgit and then banked in some cheques too! On a more fun note I changed the 2nd disc on my Spider 3 DVD set cos it was faulty AND browsed through Borders. It's been a good day. My brother is watching Spidey 3 now while I blog and I'm gonna be joining him in a bit.

Sorry guys! No pictures this time round but I will have some up soon cos' I'll be at some events this weekend plus my friend Lionel's wedding.

Cheers!

Spending Habits & Piracy

Spidey 3 on DVD! With free Golf Umbrella!

Spider-Man 3 arrives on DVD today! Mua ha ha ha ha! I've been hanging out here at Cineleisure and catching up on work after my lunch appointment at Dorae Garden in Hartamas. I've been seated here at Kopi Oh since 2-something leeching their internet & electricity. I think the proprietor is getting a bit annoyed with me so I'll probably have dinner here ... the nasi lemak & asam laksa is starting to look very, very good. Hopefully the Spidey 3 DVD will arrive at the store before I have to head off for my 8pm appointment with Juwita.

Korean BBQ Lunch!

I'm feeling super pleased that today has been a productive day. This week overall has been pretty productive and I got to spend quality time with the people that mean the most to me. I got to spend some time with Tim from my cell yesterday and on Tuesday I got to hang out with my best friend J-son too.

Anyways, I've been buying original DVDs, CDs & video games starting end last year and so far I've not picked up a single pirated movie. I think it's a good habit to pick up because it helps me think twice about how I spend my money and also I spend less time watching movies. I've thought about this long & hard and basically came to the conclusion that it's better to spend less time on the non-essentials. I figure that if I were to buy an original video game for example it'd be far better to buy a good one and make the most of it. When I was playing pirated stuff on my PS2 I realise that I played probably like 2% of my purchases with 98% of the games mostly gathering dust somewhere. Besides! Packaging on original stuff is a whole lot nicer and I think it's great to have a collection of things instead of crummy loose CD sleeves lying around.

Some of you might say "Why are you so bodoh (stupid)?" "Why spend a couple of hundred ringgit on original stuff when you can buy a pirated item for far less?" My stand on this would be that the makers of the games & movies work hard to put it out their craft in very much the same way that musicians work on their songs. Have you ever stopped to look at the film credits after a movie? That's like a few hundred people who put their expertise into making that movie you just watched! It took me going into the music industry to fully understand that fact especially in a difficult market like Malaysia ... plus pirated stuff generally finances a lot of underworld elements that we don't know about. Piracy is a crime! But I do question what our government is doing to make stuff like music, video games & software affordable to the general public. Now that's some food for thought no? Who are you financing when you pick up a pirated video game or movie?

Hectic-ity, Guitar Hero II & Relationships?

It's been a pretty hectic few weeks and almost all of us were busy helping out Jac & Shawn on their big day. It was a beautiful wedding and even though all of us were so busy it was a joyous event. I must say that even though I was helping out a lot I felt super loved by my cell members. It was an honour really to be given a seat at the main table and I felt that my life does make a difference in the lives of others. I do so want to get out of this emotional rut I'm in and once again God reminded me that I have so much to live for. Check out what few pix I took at the wedding here.

We did a whole bunch of things for the wedding and it really was a blessing to be able to be there for the couple. We even managed to squeeze in a small photo slideshow with 2 days worth of effort. While we were at it Nataly & Ling Yew managed to give Guitar Hero II a whirl in between our slideshow creation. Check out these pix of Ling Yew getting a few notes off on the guitar controller!

Go go! Go Johnny Go Go!

That's what LY was looking at as he played

Oi! Aren't you supposed to be working on Jac & Shawn's slideshow?

Plus my TV has been fixed! Hooray!

The innards of my Panasonic TV

The innards being placed back in

A whole bunch of us also celebrated my best friend J-son's birthday with an awesome awesome BBQ. It's a good thing those of us who got dunked in the pool didn't fall sick. I didn't bring a change of clothes and so ended up driving home quite wet ... ha ha! Thank God air-conditioning in cars can be switched off!

I've been wondering some though ... how does one bridge the gap between being friends and something more? My greatest fear is that things get messed up and the friendship doesn't remain the same. There is someone I've known for a few years now and I have always been very attracted but I just can't shake the feeling that I'm not the kind of guy she's looking for. We're comfortable around each other though but for some reason (I guess due to my own insecurity also & lack of confidence) ... I think we've just not bothered giving each other a chance. It'd be nice to give things a try and find out more in a healthy way. I honestly don't know how to figure relationships out anymore and after my last painful experience I am so afraid of being hurt deeply again. It is scary no? Especially when you've known that person for quite a long time already. Any thoughts on this anyone?

Quik Customer Service

I'm writing with some glowing praise for customer service that I've gotten recently right here in Malaysia. I gave Panasonic a call last week about my TV which was on the blink and guess what? They responded almost immediately and just this week on Monday, the technician dropped by and made off with the innards of my 29-inch Tau Giga TV.

My TV! It looks healthy doesn't it?

Not quite! It's all empty inside! An empty shell ... heh heh!

Imagine my suprise this morning when Panasonic gives me a call again to tell me that they've fixed the problem! Oowah! Awesome no? Unfortunately for fixing the problem they are charging me:

• RM80 - Service fee
• RM62 - For the component
• RM25 - Delivery charges
  

All in all the repairs on my TV is gonna cost a whopping RM167. Crappola! That's a lot of money!!! Sigh ... I wish I could earn more money. Anyone got any freelance copywriting jobs out there? I've won a few Kancils you know? Hire me ... please? Anyways, Panasonic has really been very good to me ... even when I had problems with my DECT phone. Kudos to Panasonic's Customer Support department!

Another glowing report about customer service here in Malaysia involves Maxis. About a month or so ago I also made service complaint to Maxis and imagine my surprise when they actually sent someone to check out the reception in my apartment. The tech guy was in my apartment for a good 30 minutes before leaving with all the data he collected. I still haven't heard from Maxis yet so I guess it's time to make another call to them.

The one thing I've learnt in the past few months is this ... quit complaining about things to people who can't make a difference. If you have an issue with something bring it UP! My friend Paul Gan told me this ... if you don't inform Maxis or whomever about your problems they won't know. And if they don't know how can they fix it? So my advice to all of you out there is to VOICE OUT and don't just RANT OUT!

On another note my dad's old bike got stolen in Bentong last night! Sigh ... thieves really are desperate these days. I hope the police can locate it. A moment of silence please to my dad's faithful bike ... it really was a workhorse bike! It's gone everywhere ... well almost everywhere in the Klang Valley PLUS it's even travelled from Bentong to KL & back. I remember riding with my dad all the way from KL to Bentong on that trusty steel horse! If the police can't find it I will miss it so.

Till next time!

Remember, Remember the 11th of September

I woke up this morning and again battled through my hurt but it was a bit different today as I read Our Daily Bread. It's September 11th today and it just seems like so long ago that the World Trade Center was taken out in New York in 2001. Has it really been six years? I remember watching the events on TV back at my first job in Arachnid and it seemed like a waking nightmare. The world has in a lot of ways moved on but in my own pain it seemed as if God was prompting me to pray; to pray for comfort for all those who lost someone in the attacks. And so I did just that.

Remember those who were lost

For the rest of us, these events seem so far away but it's very real. Pain & suffering is real. The question is; are we doing anything to reach out to touch lives? I find myself being so self-centred at times and it is a struggle to care for others when I'm hurting too. I do the best I can and I guess I still believe very much that this world would be a much better place if we all just looked beyond ourselves and cared for others.

Let's spend a minute in silence for those who lost their lives today. For the victims & for the rescue workers. And for the families who miss someone that was taken from them. I pray for God's comfort on you.

On another note, I was surfing through Apple Trailers today and lo & behold the Iron Man movie has a trailer out! The closing bits brought out the fan boy in me but somehow the trailer didn't do that great a job in exciting me at the start. Whatever it is I'll still catch it when it releases next year especially since Iron Man is playing such a crucial role in Marvel's comic books since Civil War last year.

Check out the trailer here. That's all from me today.

Cheers & spend a bit of time today thinking about what you can do to make a difference in someone's life.

Elusive Freedom

Hi everyone, I've been battling my thoughts & emotions a lot especially in the last 2 weeks. It's tough when I don't really understand why my heart still hurts after so long. My best bud J-son tells me that I know what I need to do and perhaps I do. But it just seems like such a chicken & egg thing cos' it's hard to ignore the hurt that's so palpable when I get up in the morning. It's FRUSTRATING!!! Sigh ...

I don't know if I still want to be with her or if I just want to move on and be with someone else. The worst part is that I don't know how I can be with anyone else with such damaged emotions. When I sit down and close my eyes; a picture of my heart appears and I see it still bleeding & hurting. It's sad that the people you love have such power to hurt you. For the most part I've succeeded in not looking back at things but it's just come back all of a sudden with a vengeance in the past month or so.

At any rate I've had a huge measure of peace today after attending church at our brand new Dream Centre. It was strange being in such a huge place and at the start I felt so overwhelmed by all the people. I feel that DUMC as a whole is such a big place and I'm glad that at the very least we have cell groups that meet and minister to the needs at a micro level. It's awesome being a part of this church and I'm a bit sad that with all my disappointments & heartache that I'm just not able to contribute to the church but I hope to be up & running soon. There is a part of me that just can't wait to write a new stageplay and to take up cell leadership again. For now I guess I just gotta receive and really get deeper into God in this difficult period of my life. Here are some pix I took of our brand new sanctuary ... AWESOME no?

My view from upstairs. Huge ain't it?

Presenting the DUMC Dream Centre!

There! I've gotten all of my negative thoughts out of my system, it's time to get back to some Metroid Prime 2: Echoes after finish Metroid Prime 3: Corruption for the Wii. In time I hope to really live life out there with more freedom in my heart. Pray for me guys ... in the meantime I wish everyone out there happy thoughts and lotsa love! I leave you guys with this cute picture I took of some kids playing at 1U in the concourse area ... they made me feel happy cos' life is good really isn't it?

Life's full of colour to a child