Silence

Sighs, it's going to be really quiet for the next 2 weeks or so. Why? Because my car CD player decided to go on strike and refuse to be switched on! For the next 2 weeks, I will be driving in silence. Imagine being caught in a traffic jam with no form of entertainment!! Well, maybe its a sign for me to change my CD player after so long eh? My loyal Kenwood player has been with me for about close to 7 years now and the reason I didn't change it is because its still a very good player after so many years (top of the range back then, and the thing I bought with my first pay cheque!). Anyone who have seen my CD player still thinks it cool! Yea, and so far this is only the second time that this has happend. The last time, some circuit thingy got burnt and it costed me about RM200+ to just change a strip of plastic with circuits. Hope nothing worse has become of it. Oh well, at least I can do some thinking while driving now.

The empty slot in my car

Year of the 'Babi Panggang'

Yes, Chinese New Year is here again. It's the year of the 'Fire Pig' hence the title Babi Panggang (which means roasted pig by the way if you're illiterate). But somehow, I haven't been feeling really lucky this year yet. Having lost about RM200+ gambling in a span of 2 days, I decided I shall wait till later to try my luck again. Maybe bad luck from last year hasn't cleared yet.

So what's install for me in this pork year? Well I did a reading (courtesy of firepig.com) based on my chinese zodiac, and this is what they told me:

Sign: Sheep
Element: Earth
Chinese Name: YANG
Lunar Years of the Sign: 1943, 1955 , 1967, 1979, 1991, 2003, 2015

Description of the Sign Year
The gentle Sheep provides needed respite after the wild Horse year. This is the year to focus on those things that matter most in life, family, beauty, our wonderful planet. It's a great year to create a family or enrich the one you have. Go to an art festival. Enjoy the finer things in life---frequent that special restaurant and go to concerts and plays. Spend some time learning about ecology and participate in a local effort to improve the environment.

Description of the Sign Personality
Gentle and artistic, the Sheep is the feminine sign. Don't be mislead; the Sheep can hold its own. The gentle-hearted Muhammad Ali is arguably the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. Still, they do tend to be shy and reserved. The Sheep lady truly enjoys being a lady. Not every Sheep will become a Michelangelo of course, but many will have artistic talent and most will make sure their homes are beautifully decorated. On the downside, the passive-aggressive Sheep can be an irritating whiner at times. They also need lots of stroking and understanding when they go through different moods. Nevertheless, they make good team players.

Description of the Sign-Element Personality
Being in touch with the good Earth grounds the already stable Sheep. Although like any Sheep you must deal with occasional temporary loss of self-confidence, the Earth in this year gives you a more solid base. Earth grounding makes family especially important for you, and a happy family life is essential to your well being.

Description of the Sign-Element Year
Stable, consistent and calm, the year of the Earth Sheep will not hold many surprises. It is a good year to go back to the basics, taking steps to establish solid ground for your family and your career.

Description of Home Life
The Yin (feminine) sign of the Sheep makes for a natural domestic. Expect to find all the softer side has to offer when it comes to decorations. Fresh smelling flowers, delicate curtains, and a warm fire burning in the fireplace are not uncommon in your household. You are a team player and thus very comfortable co-existing with family members.

Hours Ruled by the Sign: 1pm - 3pm

Hmm, another intersting thing that I did. Check out my sexual astrology for the year. Any 'pigs' or 'rabbits' reading this? *wink*. Well I just hope that this year will be a better year for me than the last. I'm not hoping for a miracle or anything, just hope the turmoil is over.

I Need New Toys

It's been awhile since I last got a new toy. It was mid last year when I got my N80 mobile phone. Now, I need something new. So what do I have in mind?

1. Choice of Canon IXUS 900 Ti OR Olympus µ 1000 digital cameras

2. Choice of Sony NW-S706F OR Samsung YP-K5 Mp3 players

3. A project to enhance my ICE (In Car Entertaintment) which might need:
A pair of new speakers (got 'em already), an additional amplifier, and new head unit all together.

I think if I have the dough, I want all 3 of the above. However, due to financial constraints, I think I can only choose one of the options. My hands are getting itchy. What do you think?

King of the Road?

I was driving this morning and I saw a sticker attached to a Kancil that read "KING OF THE ROAD" in bright yellow. Then, a bus was tail-gating the poor car and it had to move out of the way. So much for being the King huh?

HP Inter-Action - Live Transmission

On Thursday night, I was invited by HP (yes that's Hewlett-Packard) for Inter-Action, the launching of their new HP Pavilion TX1000 Notebook at Maison club KL. So what so cool about this event? Well, for starters, It was a unique event, where DJs and performers from 5 countries took turns performing via satellite transmission, and being broadcasted on a giant screen with 2 large plasmas on the side. I was really surprised that the feed was so smooth, there weren't any lag in transmission and the music really sounded that it was coming from within the club itself! The transmission from Singapore took off first from Ministry of Sound, where DJ Kentaro were spinning. Then it followed by some DJs from Taiwan, Korea and when it was our turn to broadcast, we were told to be wild and crazy, and Too Phat performed right infront of us! Cool eh? I manage to catch some shots (not really good one though...try taking pics in a crowded environment while dancing then you know what I mean) of their performance.

Too Phat performing @ Maison

To wrap things up, it was then followed by performances from Hong Kong via satellite. Me and Sonia were happy as there were free flow of whiskey, tequilla and beers all night long! Needless to say, we were smiling thoughout the night. Funny to see our clients in party mode too! What a way to unwind on a weekday.

Damn Those Speed Traps

Fuck! I think it's that time of the year, nearing Chinese New Year and our cops are becoming broke. In the span of 2 weeks, I've been pulled over twice for speeding!

The first one was on my way back home about 2 weeks ago on a week night. Ok, in this incident I was actually speeding. I was doing about 150 on a 80km/h stretch. Nevertheless, when they pulled me over, I asked how fast was I going....to which to which they replied...."Not much...only about 15 over the speed limit". WHAT?? I know I was going way faster than 95.

The second one happend today on my way to Mont Kiara. I know I was going "slightly" over, but not really consider speeding. Nevertheless I still got pulled over.

It makes you wonder sometimes, do they really check the speed limit or do they see the type of car you drive and the driver? To tell you the truth, I only got pulled over once when I was driving my old car. Now, twice in 2 weeks??

This is the best part, on both occasions, they asked "you mau saman atau you mau tolong?" Any sane person would take the latter option. I think they were all so desperate, they litterally begged for a donation. I "donated" a total of RM80 so far for both occasions.

So to all of you...look out for our desperate cops on the highways. They want to share the festive season with you.

My First Public Phone Call

Before you think anything else, no, I'm not that sad to never have used a public phone before, but I must admit, yesterday was my first time using one in more than a decade! Why you ask? Well, my mobile totally ran out of juice and for that few hours, I felt really disconnected from the world. Yes, I did remember to charge it. In fact it was half full when I left the house. But yesterday my mobile was 'overworked' due to non-stop calls from my clients. When my mobile died, I did feel a sense of relief because the calls finally stopped, but yet at the same time, I feel uneasy as other people can't get a hold of me and vice versa. Whole afternoon, I searched for a charger frantically, but somehow, no one in the office seems to have a charger which suites my mobile. I was so desperate, I even went to the cafe opposite my office and ask if they have one.

So later on, I figured, I really have to get a second charger...a car charger perhaps. So after work I went over to the nearby mall. I manage to get one, but then..it just didn't work! My mobile is quite sensitive you see, and not chargers are able to work, even though they fit. Soooo...I went up and down the mall and to my car about 3 times, trying out the charger in my car (yes, I changed multiple chargers as the first one didn't work). So after the third time, I got fed up and bought the normal desktop charger instead. My mobile was still dead though, and I needed to make a call badly as I promised a friend to meet her up at her place. So I then went on to use the public phone. Woohoo! After more than a decade relying on my mobile, I finally used one last night. It felt kinda weird though, but I had to make the call to make sure my friend know I will be at her place at a certain time.

So lesson learned: Always carry a spare charger (or battery). You may never know when you really need one. Oh, by the way, when I turned on my mobile, I got 6 miss calls, and 2 voice messages. One of which was from the client who got upset that I turned my mobile off.