i've been watching The Americans.

i started with no real expectations. well .. other than some action and nothing more. but you know what, its actually pretty good drama. some kickass action, and mostly drama. but i felt it was well balanced. and i was really able to emotionally connect well with all the main characters.

and in this video from about 2:48, Felicity .. i mean Elizabeth, was really badass.

view of the Kaaba

from my mama and brother's second night of their Umrah Mufradah. its probably not as good as the ones +Shaden Mohamed has posted, but its the best my brother could send me for now.

the cranes in the background are a spoiler though ..

seen at an Indian restaurant.

a table who loved their food so much, they were practically licking their plates clean.

but ..

they left their pappadums untouched. say what !?

currently featuring on the Verge's Classics is Lush, one of my all time favourite bands.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/18/4334562/the-classics-lush-spooky

been listening to all their albums when i somehow switched to Veruca Salt. not the best band in the world. but they were pretty awesome back in the day. this is Seether, from their American Thighs album.

".. erased. from existence .."

yup. free to air tv is good whenever it's a classic like Back to the Future.

with Person of Interest over for now, my Friday night work break was looking to be a black hole. then free-to-air TV decided to do re-runs of Criminal Intent seasons with Goren and Eames.

the best pairing on TV .. ever.

oh how i've missed Vincent D'Onofrio's quirkiness and antics as Detective Goren.

i've been checking out Aisha Tyler, who i only knew from Ghost Whisperer.

Aisha Tyler "Mama Loves You, Baby"

but why now?

because she'll be the new host of an all new Whose Line is it Anyway, coming this July. here's a preview of what's to come ..

New Whose Line is it Anyway? Preview (Greatest Hits and Scenes From A Hat)

when FB first ran timeline, i hated it. on the desktop, it was so difficult to focus on a post. but they did a smart thing and reverted back to a single column layout.

then G+ decided to (yet again) follow the shit trail and implement the same multi column timeline-esque layout. yes, you can actually switch to single column, but in single column, the width is too small - as though for mobile. poor form G+. poor implementation.

change is good, but not when it goes against my own principles of web interface (eye focus). but then again, maybe its just me. others seem to like this so far ...

V8 Supercars at the Circuit of the Americas this weekend.

it sure does look like an amazing track with plenty of good passing opportunities. while i haven't been following much of the V8s lately, i'm definitely looking forwards to this race this weekend.

http://circuitoftheamericas.com/v8-supercars/

spot on .. Sheldon Cooper. from about 1:38 ..

".. they can't just cancel a show like Alphas. they have to help the viewers let go. Firefly did a movie to wrap things up. Buffy continued on as a comic book. Heroes gradually lowered the quality season by season till we were grateful it ended .."

ps. i love Alphas too. and i too am disappointed it got cancelled without even having the chance to explain what happened.

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dear Mama,

as a little boy, i'm constantly asking silly questions. it must be annoying for you, cos its how i sometimes feel these days when you ask me questions like .. when am i getting married. but you've always answered me the best way you can, in such a caring motherly way.

you were not just other kids' teacher, but mine too. you've moulded me into the man i am today, and i am very, very, grateful.

being the eldest, i've been there with you looking after my brothers and most of my cousins, nephew and nieces. so i know what a tough job it is, yet you still do it till this very day with no complaints.

its apparently Mother's Day today, but i wouldn't know. cos every single day is Mother's Day for me. for you have 99 loves .. and i'm always still one of them.

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sometime in February 1979 ..

Rizal, where's fish?
fish sleep.

this. is a very famous phrase in my family, a simple exchange between my mama and myself.

being the first child of my parents' generation (both were the eldest too), i was very popular amongst my family, and hence, every single one of my aunts and uncles know this phrase, and still remembers it till this very day.

i (obviously) cannot remember it at all. but after [ http://goo.gl/WgFST ], i decided to go through some old family albums i have with me. and my oh my, imagine how excited i was when i came across the photo that captured this famous exchange.

my back hurts. and i'm tired. Joomla 3+. it looks soo much better but .. its still Joomla. i still absolutely hate it.

eyes and brains need a break now. so its off to bed to catch up on my rss feeds, with Arum Rae in the background.

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if you've lived in Singapore, you'll know ..

via +Elias Mårtenson 

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What happens when Google Glasses come to Singapore?

4: Google Glass SG

well done for having the balls and passion to stand up for what you felt was wrong/right.

the world needs students like this. rock on .. dude.

oh my god it actually happened!

earlier, none of the UWA kids rang the bell to alight at the main bus stop, so the driver just drove past.

in fact, the driver actually drove so slowly, as if to wait for someone to ring the bell. but no one did, until someone finally realised she wasn't stopping, and tried to quickly ring.

I swear I could see her (driver) grinning.

she did stop at the next one, which wasn't far. but oh my, this just made my morning!

i'm still unsure of how to take the news that Luke Evans has been cast to star in the reboot of The Crow.

http://screenrant.com/the-crow-reboot-luke-evans-starring/

no details are confirmed yet. but i really hope Luke will not be cast as Eric Draven. any of the other Crow(s), maybe i might not mind. but not Draven. because there has always been, and should always be, only one on-screen Eric Draven ..

the late Brandon Lee.

HTC One (Sense 5) fail?

album art quality discrepancy. Google's Play Music vs HTC's stock player.

note. all my album art are embedded into the mp3 itself.

Revenge of the 6th ..

is when you haven't been dusting your display in a long time, but strangely woke up very early this morning to do it.

happy monday ya'll.

woke up to very good news indeed.

Orphan Black, only five kick-ass episodes into its first season, has been renewed for a second season in 2014. bloody awesome!

http://www.bbcamerica.com/orphan-black/2013/05/02/orphan-black-season-2/
ORPHAN BLACK Trailer - New BBC AMERICA Original Series March 30

HTC One test shot. my (surprisingly) first daytime outdoor sky shot with this camera (default settings).

it really makes no Sense at all that such a beautiful looking skin is absolute nonsense.

so. for the first time since my Xperia(s) and Nexus(es) days, i've gone with a third party launcher. i seriously do not like how stupid and unintuitive Sense 5 is. i mean, for all of the ugliness, lag, and bloat of Touchwiz UX, i honestly felt more comfortable with my stock S3.

in fact, i think i'm looking at breaking my almost one year drought of not running a custom rom (started since i got my S3) to run Trickdroid soon.

but first. I need a third party lock screen ..

one of my mates in Singapore, grounded by the wife, forced to do Iron Man duties ...

HTC One day 7. battery usage.

today is an average work day for me. and I must say, I'm not exactly impressed with the battery. it's reasonable I suppose, but my S3 would be at about 50% with the same time/usage.

I took it off the charger about 2am this morning, and idle sleep time drainage is actually pretty good. I have full sync on, auto sleep, and no power saving.

but at least it got me through an average work day.

Person of Interest, season 2, episode 20.

after yet another two weeks break, POI returns with an unassuming kick ass episode. its got it all - classic revenge storyline, moral delimmas, long overdue focus on one character, set up of what's coming ahead, and ..

Allison Scagliotti guest starring!

well. actually its more like an "extended cameo", but its good enough for me.

this is an extremely huge biggup to Sheba, who served me at the Vodafone store F204, 660 Hay Street Mall.

the first store i went to (which i won't name for now) was useless. the dude who served me looked like a geek who would know Android and understand me. but no. he did a half fuck test and said cos he can't verify the issue, he can only send back to HTC. and he was pretty adamant about it.

so i left and went to F204, where Sheba served me. what a huge difference. she took the time and patience to verify my issue, did some trouble shooting together, and then fought to make sure i got a replacement there and then.

so now i have a new working HTC One which actually makes calls. +Vodafone Australia , you are lucky to have an awesome staff in Sheba, because the first guy's attitude almost made me storm home to cancel my contract with you.

HTC One day 4.

not happy cos i'm having trouble making calls. its most likely an issue with the microphone, cos sometimes its pretty clear as day, sometimes the person on the other line simply cannot hear me at all.

anyone know if i should go in-store (Vodafone), or ring them up first? i mean, anything else i don't mind, but i need the effing phone to make effing calls.

must have been a bloody rogue Nokia microphone ...

HTC One day 3, Anzac Day. and also my youngest brother's birthday.

and since i have 2 phones now, i figured i'd don my good eldest brother suit and told him i'll give him a phone as a birthday gift. so i talked up how awesome the H1 is. the beauty, the speed, the screen, the loudspeakers, etc. he sounded really impressed. but at the end of the conversation, he asked me ..

"so. i can have your S3 now" .......

ps. i'm still testing out various scenarios to write up about the HTC One's battery life (today is a music and video test). but seriously, i'm stumped at the conflicting results i've been getting the past few days

HTC One day 2, lunchtime.

for those that may be wondering, I can confirm that the standard USB OTG works with the H1. the only issue I have is the mount and unmount notification, which seems to be missing.

its now just over 24 hours since my HTC One [http://goo.gl/TclDy]. so its not going to be as full like my S3 [http://goo.gl/DHEbT], but here are just some quick first impressions at the end of Day 1.

it really is a nicely built phone. sexy even. but probably due to the way i hold my mobile phones, the H1 is not the most comfortable device to have in your palm for an extended period of time. the bottom edges kinda "cut" uncomfortably into the groove of my palm where i usually rest it, whereas with my S3, the curves really showed how well thought out it was designed, to be resting and not cut into your palm rest.

i get this feeling its actually a tall-not-wide phone. kinda like Manda's old Xperia Arc. and because of that, i have an issue with the power button being on top. the S3 had the volume and power buttons on its side, which really felt natural cos they were just so easy to access while holding the phone. but not the H1. it can be a struggle at times to power on/off quickly when you need it.

its blazing fast and super smooth though. menus and apps open and close butter. and so is the scrolling. and i have not had a single force close yet. but i find it strange how some apps that ran well on my S3, were deemed incompatible (from the Play Store) for my H1, even though both are on 4.1.2.

its blazing fast x2. the camera this time. OMFG it loads so quick i could only gape in awe. taking pictures had no hint of any kind of lag. and from the screen, the pictures really looked amazing. i've not played much with the camera yet, so i can't write much. but here's a test shot uploaded earlier [http://goo.gl/ennQY]

the screen really is amazing though. colours are strong. my wallpapers look awesome. and HD videos are just wow. in fact, i have to say, the screen is probably the best part of the H1. but i do seem to have issues with the back and home buttons. i find myself constantly having to press more than once to get it going.

speaking of video, i do miss how with my S3, you could rotate the video to landscape when you need to, even with auto-rotate disabled.

sound. oh my its loud. i guess its due to the speakers being in front. my ring volume is now only at the 2nd or 3rd level. but its really cool for when you're playing videos out loud.

i did plug in my headphones for music, but at the moment, i think i prefer my Wolfson powered S3 over the Beats H1.

blink feed? shrugs. to me its silly, unless they update it to pull in Google+.

battery seems reasonable after a full day. its now about 24% after 12.5 hours, but i can't tell how much screen time though, cos i'm still figuring out HTC's usage app.

most of my issues at the moment are with Sense. its definitely more beautiful looking, but TouchWiz (on the S3 and not prior versions) while looking ugly, feels more intuitive and has more functionalities like the in-built notification toggles.

i will write more when i get more comfortable with Sense.

one of the first test shot to be taken with the stock camera of my new HTC One this morning.

(edit) is there anyone else in perth, active in g+, that has a One yet? i've got questions that may or may not be bugs, and i just can't find anywhere on the web which "replicates" my issue(s).

Day 1, 0630

its now the first morning in bed with my new darling, the beautiful HTC One [ http://goo.gl/TclDy ]. but why you no turn green (notification LED) when fully recharged.

and the alarm. OMFG it was SOOO loud! i had the ring volume turned down to about level 2 or 3 last night, because this phone really is loud. but i totally forgot about the alarm.

and after playing in bed the whole night with her, unlike my S3 where you can handle her any way you want in the hands and still feel comfortable, my new H1 needs to be handled in a certain way to be comfy.

anyway, busy day ahead. but definitely will find time to orientate myself with her.

smartphone polygamy ..

my new HTC One boldly smiling for my current GS3.

(edit) does anyone know, or can confirm, if the billing will only begin for the new contract when i activate the SIM card? note - its a plan from the old 3 to Vodafone.

Logitech K810 bluetooth keyboard.

while i agree with most reviews that its over priced, it really has that premium feel to it. its really small, but has the right weight to make it feel sturdy enough to be the the main keyboard on my desk.

the switching between bluetooth devices at the press of a button, comes as advertised - hassle free. and i don't know how or where the sensors are, but the auto backlight really works well. you can disable it too (to save battery) if you want.

the only thing that isn't what it said on the box, was the quiet keys. no, its not noisy loud. but its not whisper quiet either.

its only Day 0, and i'm already comfortable with it. definitely a step up from my previous portable - the Microsoft 6000. and while i do recommend this K810, it still is pretty expensive, even though i got it at a sale price.

Continuum season 2 begins tonight!

based on this trailer, it sure looks to be a good season ahead. but its not only that. with the return of some of my other favourite series next week, my weekend couch time (aka break from work) looks awesome, with ..

Person of Interest, Elementary, Grimm, Orphan Black, Continuum, and Defiance. honestly, my TV slot has never looked so good. bring it on.

warning. the following #Continuum trailer may include spoilers.

no.

its still not ok to be taking photos with your iPad or tablets. even if it saves your life.

being a huge fan of the animated series (but not the comics), i totally agree with the following article that there should be a Batman Beyond movie. i mean the cool things you could do with the movie is just limitless.

http://geektyrant.com/news/2013/4/18/5-reasons-why-a-batman-beyond-film-should-happen-next.html

and while we're on it, i also think that should be a Cassandra Cain version of Batgirl, be it a movie or animated series. cos she simply kicks ass, unlike the rest of the Batgirls.

the attached clip is from the Batman Beyond animated movie

my nephew had his first Taekwondo lesson last night. he was excited, but nervous at the same time. my brothers said he looked so cute. me, i'm just glad he finally wanted, on his own accord, to participate.

he was never really into martial arts, or any "fighting" et al. maybe having two little sisters contributed to it. but ever since he saw his papa performed a traditional silat "dance" [ goo.gl/WMLac ] for my youngest brother's wedding, his interest skyrocketed. good for him, to maintain our family's "tradition" i suppose.

from the photos my brother just sent me, i think he's enjoying it a little too much. though at such a young age, i think us3 bros just want him to learn some discipline and experience some form of a regimental environment.

Wolfblood

its a children's supernatural tv series, but man i'm really enjoying it. chanced upon it the other evening when i had nothing else to watch while channel surfing during my break. its a simple storyline and very obviously aimed for kids, but it surprisingly managed to hold my attention with decent story telling and believable characters.

if you're like me, whose got nothing to watch this weekend since Person of Interest, Elementary, Grimm and even Arrow are strangely on a break, you should check Wolfblood out. i'm pretty confident most of you would enjoy it.

one from the other night.

the photo was meant to be darker but i missed a setting. but i actually like how it unexpectedly turned out. i think it looks pretty good (for me at least). i'm definitely getting the hang of quickly switching settings around on my J1. but more practice still needed to take "better" photos without thinking of what settings i need to change.

in the meantime, i'll continue hanging out at my uncle's backyard while humming Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft ..

granted, its only fried rice. but this is the first time i've "cooked" myself dinner in a long while ..

just for the sake of taking shots with my J1 (my first foodie snaps with it)

point. and shoot.

Orphan Black ..

where after only 2 episodes, the series has been elevated to be my favourite tv show. well, behind Person of Interest of course.

it kept the momentum up from episode 1 [ http://goo.gl/fGk4k ], and i was still gripping my seat at every turn of events. the writing is really solid, with the plot thickening at just the right pace. and the few humorous lines and scenes thrown around were well placed to balance the show (from being too dark).

if you have not watch it yet, you should.

stay classy .. Nedlands (!?)

to answer the title .. yes, they can. bloody good read, this article.

while i agree The Following is a really good show, i somehow still am not able to make it one of my shit-i-cannot-wait-for-next-episode tv series. with many of my favourite cartoon series gone, POI on a break, and GOT still not making my cut, there seemed to be a void in my weekly must-watch-now tv series.

and along comes Orphan Black.

it has only been one single episode thus far. but oh my frack i am already so into it. i have never been this intrigued, and at the edge of my seat, for any pilot episode .. ever. this is a much watch. i really hope it stays true to form for the whole season.

ORPHAN BLACK Trailer - New BBC AMERICA Original Series March 30
Meet Mysterious Beth: ORPHAN BLACK - BBC AMERICA March 30

my mobile phone contract is up soon.

now. i still love my S3, but whenever you have a chance for a new phone, you never push it away. hence i've been looking for a suitable backup phone that i could possibly give my mama.

i've always been a fan of the Xperia line. but since my tiny X8 way back, i've never owned another. so i looked into the new Xperia Z. really lovely phone with pretty decent specs. but i wasn't sure if my mama would like it.

until i found out its got an eyelet for a lanyard! with the S4 (and One) still without an S Hole [http://goo.gl/2LXUb], this Xperia Z is now a must have!

http://unleashthephones.com/2013/02/10/sony-xperia-z-review/
Sony Xperia Z Lanyard Strap/Connector

the trailer for this actually looked really good. normally I'd be excited. but ..

its Tom Cruise.

i've voted for my mate +Emilie Oehlers .. have you?

my Nikon J1 test shots.

i've not spent as much time as i wanted to on my new toy [ http://goo.gl/8ncFm ] yet, but so far, i don't think i've been able to "master" the J1 as quickly as i did with the Nex F3.

its only been indoor shots so far. and i'm not happy with any of the photos i've taken, especially with the macro / close-up shots. i think i need more time to get comfortable with the settings.

tomorrow though, will (hopefully) be the outdoor test shots.

photos have been manually renamed, resized, and meta tags removed. everything else is as is.

i think i've caught the bug.

i never really was into photography (the taking photos bit). but when i bought the Sony F3 for my brother's wedding (as a gift and to snap the wedding) few months ago, i actually found myself more than happy to be snapping away.

after the wedding, i kept surfing for camera deals almost every single day. i don't know. i wasn't exactly yearning for a good camera. but i just felt i needed a decent one to go snap happy again.

and then a pretty good deal came along for Easter, and i went out and bought it. now. snap snap. what else can i snap ...

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Alien Resurrection

where no matter how many times it gets played on free to air tv, i will still spend time watching the early part of the film .. not for Winona, not for the Ripley basketball scene, but ..

for the awesome SS Betty.

it seriously needs more airtime, if not its own series or movie that features it heavily.

Alien Resurrection "The Betty" 3d model

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my all time favourite is still the firefly class Serenity, but after watching Alien Resurrection the other night, it reminded me how the Betty is a very close second.

in fact, i think the Betty would probably top the Serenity (on my list at least), if it had gotten more screen time in the movie.

http://goo.gl/mLP0P
http://goo.gl/cwqpI

way back during my TP Grange Rd days, we used to have half day wednesdays. so me and my then GF spent those arvos at the cinema, every single week. many of the films we caught were crap, but once in awhile, a gem came along. and one of those was one of my all time favourite films ..

Before Sunrise

with Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy. nine years later, the sequel, Before Sunset was released, which i enjoyed too.

and this year, after another nine years .. the third installment is upon us. i'm really looking forward to it.

I'm now quite the regular at Ipoh's Corner. and I've been eating their signature dish, the Claypot Briyani, straight off the claypot.

but today, she finally tells me I'm supposed to mix all the separate ingredients together in the claypot, pour it on to the plate, and eat off the plate.

yeah. like i said before. I've never ever had Claypot Briyani before this ...

finally switched to a new wallpaper for my GS3's lockscreen .. to match my current mood.

(update)
i can't find the plain version, but if anyone is interested, the printed release is at - http://www.comicbookresources.com/prev_img.php?pid=4846&pg=1

I don't know about you all, but I certainly can't wait to get my ears into this RAMs ..

i've started to use my new profile pic on almost all my other social networks and apps that requires a profile photo. but there are some peeps who can't see, or don't believe, that its really me in the photo (in Spidey's reflection).

so here's a zoomed in, blown up view of my new profile pic. see me now?

in a fit of rage last night, i decided to use my Photoshop for proper use .. aka using it do some meaningless creative cover art instead of for my work.

hence, my new cover photo and profile pic. i like it. and i think this would be a long profile mainstay for me.

oh. look at the time. back to using Photoshop for work. sighs ..

i love the Voyager series, but i'm no trekkie. so outside of the series and/or characters, i don't follow much.

but i chanced upon this comparison video (and did the subsequent reading up) and wow am i glad the original cast for captain of the Voyager did not work out.

0:24 - Nicole Janeway
3:45 - Kathryn Janeway

apparently, Geneviève Bujold left after only shooting a few scenes, citing the expected workload and relevant interviews needed. and so they brought in Kate Mulgrew - who, i'm finding out now, is such a cool person in real life!

Mike Deodato, Jr.

i am a huge fan of his artwork. he's done some of my favourite Spidey and Hulk art, and i do admire his work on Thunderbolts and Dark Avengers (even though i'm no fan of those series)

i fell in love with his art during the mid 90s with the Wonder Woman (vol2) series - when they first introduced Artemis. but since i haven't been reading much comics for a long time, i don't really know what he's been up to.

until today, when i stumbled on this tumblr page while searching for a new Wonder Woman wallpaper - http://mikedeodatojr.tumblr.com/ . nice.

birthday wishes goes out to Miki Berenyi.

back in the 90s, there were bands like Elastica, Placebo, Radiohead, Pulp, Bush, Stereophonics, Suede, etc, that i listened heavily too. they were good bands. they were good times.

and then, there was Miki with Lush, the best of them all.

i've still got plenty (of my work) to finish up, but i'm really really tired now. the Split album should be a good listen to bed. goodnight Perth (and world) ..

Claypot Briyani

the signature dish of Ipoh's Corner has finally been officially launched. i trialed their "beta" version the other night, and if that was anything to go by, this is an amazing dish!

but don't take my word for it. you should go try it yourselves!

photo taken from their FB page

the Galaxy S4 event. so many S Functionalities. some cool. some meh. but very disappointed there's still no S Hole funtionality, where i can string my old Hello Kitty lanyard to the phone so i can hang the phone around my neck.

i miss those days ..

just wow.

when reading comics on my GS3, its usually a pdf version of it. but today was the first time I used the comiXology app to read the comics purchased the other day, and my am I impressed.

reading was easy. swiping my screen moves from panel to panel, or conversation to conversation, while keeping the reading flow. its amazing!

I now understand why people love reading digital comic versions on a tablet!

brother and sisters, stick together

this is a quick snap using a mobile camera. its of my nephew and nieces, walking home, holding hands, after yet another long day in humid Singapore. a simple photo that won't be winning awards anytime soon, but it spoke a thousand words to me.

i love my nephew and nieces. and i miss them so much.

dear friends,

my birthday is in about a month's time. you now know what to get me this year. thank you in advance.

http://geektyrant.com/news/2013/3/9/badass-iron-man-nikes.html

Grimm, season 2. its back, with episode 13.

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found at Oz Comic-Con Perth 2013 - my dream girl ...

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my life as a web developer ..

implementing eDM campaigns one day, floor plan designer the next. bring on the weekend alre.. wait. i work on weekends too.

fun times. only 3 weeks back to work, and i already need another holiday.

coding up an eDM for REIWA atm, i remember this true story ..

when the Convention Centre first opened, me and my ghetto Bentley peeps were bored and decided to attend. we came across a booth where the dude was like forcing us to enter a competition. my peeps were all excited but i couldn't give an eff. though i unwillingly entered in the end, thinking its no harm.

i forgot all about it, until one day my mobile rang to say i won. thinking it a scam, where they probably make you sign up for something before being able to collect the prize, i brushed it off.

but my housemate kept bugging me to collect, and so i did. and holy shit it was real! i was honestly shocked. too bad though, the prize was so so.

ps. oh check my hair out back then. and that goatee .. i miss you ..

since the beginning of g+, i've always had a photo of my self-made wallpaper of my codes, culled from different CSS, HTML, JS, and Smarty template files .. as my visible scrapbook and cover photos.

i felt its a way to tell people what i do. i did change it once or twice, but always reverted back almost immediately. and those codes kinda became synonymous with my online profile.

but with this new layout, i've decided to go a different direction, and present to people who i am. what do you think?

its Ipoh's Corner now.

my second visit here. but their Claypot Briyani still not available. most likely from this Friday though.

oh well. this will do for tonight.

sorting out the wedding photos some nights ago, i clicked on a bookmarked album with the picasaweb.google.com url. but to my disgust, it redirected to the g+album interface.

my main complain with the g+ interface is when organising an album with many photos. its a ridiculous chore trying to drag photos around. i found the picasaweb interface simpler since they go into a thumbnail size view, making it easier to drag and drop.

lucky for now, if you have bookmarks to picasaweb albums like me, you can add a ?noredirect=1 to the end of the url.

so yeah. i hate the g+album UI. or is it just me? since someone like +Shaden Mohamed don't seem to find it an issue - http://goo.gl/btrJi

ps. photo is of my brother greeting the bride from the video http://goo.gl/WMLac

from Singapore Malay Indian Cuisine, to Mak's Place, to Ray's Kitchen. its changed hands again, to ..

Ipoh's Corner

they just opened yesterday. but this time, some light renovations (painting) had been done to the place. its malaysian indian food. and i tried the curry puff, garlic naan, and nasi pattayya.

and it was good. really, really good. i highly recommend the curry puff. it was awesome!

(update) the menu at the moment is still limited, but they assured me, more to come soon, including their speciality - Claypot Briyani - which is kinda new to me, and i can't wait to try it.

ps. address (forgot to attach earlier) is 313 William St Perth WA 6000

good to see Lowndesy win the first race in this new COTF era, with a record win margin (Adelaide).

just wished he was driving for Mercedes, cos they look awesome.

its a lazy saturday morning, and instead of getting any work done, its the CSS on my screens that's staring at me, shoegazing at Whirr, playing Sandy ..

the rush in my chest. i know so well. i hope it swells.
the faster it beat. the harder i fell. i hope it dwells.

crush on me.

i hate when. it feels so distant. cos i know i'll miss this.
when i think of you. i feel that rush. i like you so much.

i'm so joining some greenpeace movement to fight pollution now ..

Shila Amzah

where have i been all this while? she apparently won some recent singing competition in asia. but i love her covers. i like her attitude. she can sing in a few languages. and ..

she's malay, and she's hot.

and that's 2 words i hardly put together in a single sentence. i think i'm in love ..

Megan Fox as April O'Neil in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (movie) reboot? - http://screenrant.com/ninja-turtles-reboot-megan-fox-april-o-neil/

pfft. seriously? what a joke. i mean, we all know who the better choice would have been ...

April O'Neil .. as April O'Neil.

(update) in case there are those confused by the photo .. no, its not Megan Fox. its April O'Neil, dressed as April O'Neil at the San Diego Comic Con '11.

Nikki Griffin and April O'Neil interview by G4 at SDCC 2011 Comic Con in HD

my friday morning basketball news.

the NBA trade dealine is over. KG, and more importantly, The Truth, are still bleeding green [ http://goo.gl/IfT2t ]. but no Delonte West still - well it was highly unlikely to happen, but one can only hope, can't i ?

meanwhile. over in Miami ...
please bring on the weekend.

in continuing my feel good sessions ...

i'm sure we all remember Sarah Churman, the 29 year old woman who could finally hear for the first time after an implant a few years back.

well here's another similar story i only just came across, only this time, its a little girl, which kinda resonates parallels with my Supergirl Princess' situation - whom i still hope won't have to go through such a need.

(update) full video here - Sammie's CI Activation.MOV

i never really liked Gavin DeGraw's Soldier. until i watched this video clip. sung in a group, it actually sounds like a pretty awesome tune.

oh and yeah. its a nice, simple, pleasant surprise proposal too. after three weeks away, i'm just clearing my youtube feeds. so much to go through ..

+Heather Bailey wanna join me cut onions?

i sure do love me some cheap girls.

no.

i meant Cheap Girls, the band. i just got their My Roaring 20's Acoustic album. so should you. its a good laidback easy listen. especially for a day like today ..

http://www.quoteunquoterecords.com/qur063.htm

RESHARE:
a conversation somehow came up at work today about the Forester being a "lesbian" car. lol. don't know how true that is, but i do love the older model Foresters. done up right, i think they're the most wicked thing on the road.

here's a video initially shared to a limited audience. love the Forester here.

Reshared text:
my brother's wedding, back in 2005, at the bride's place.

our arrival at the bride's residence was a noisy affair. the beat of the kompangs, and the Subaru horn blasts. i pity those other residents. but yeah. its the way we roll ...

you might wanna cover your ears from the 34s mark

before anyone asks
- we had the silat peeps cos me and my bros were gurus
- the cultural group was a spin-off club
- my brother worked for Subaru
- we're uhm .. eccentric

ps. i'm not sure though, if we're gonna be making such an entrance again, for my youngest brother's wedding come February. we'll see ...

back in perth. it was a full plane. 5 different flights squeezed into one tiny Qantas plane. so i could not stretch my legs. but at least the girl sitting next to me was cool enough for a good decent chat.

i'm still feeling soo tired after 2 naps and a lunch meeting. and i got shitloads of work to do, with one major deadline tomorrow.

welcome back to perth, me. welcome back to reality. and don't ask me why i'm having this song on repeat at the moment ...

a snake is in its element when on grass

much more composed and relaxed, this video is my younger brother again, in a more fluid silat pengantin "snake style" performance. its a slight (shorter) variation from his earlier performance [ http://goo.gl/MIBrL ] since this time, he needs to also acknowledge the bride, and then lead them both to their "throne".

i'm back to Perth tonight, and figured i'd share this now since my youngest brother's wedding was the main reason for this trip. it was a busy 3 weeks for me, but it was all worth it.

to those new peeps i met on g+ this trip, hola back to ya and hope we can continue plussing when i'm back in Perth.

oh. and no, that phrase in the beginning is just some bullshit i thought of ..

i had to keep the kids entertained. so i can't think of anything else other than connect my HDD to the TV and put on some Hi-5. they were happy for awhile, and then their faces put on a puzzled look, and they asked ..

why do they look so different (rough translation from baby speak)

well my girls, if i have to sit through Hi-5 for an hour with you, it can only be the old Hi-5 team, with the one and only amazing

Kathleen de Leon .. no Jones.

final Friday this Singapore trip. but lazy to head down for breakfast, nor cook a proper home one.

so ended up with boiling some sweet potatoes instead. and I have no regrets.

pussies don't hail cabs.
pussies ride em on top ..

satay.
the only way I know how ..

many many.

its a quick stop over on the way home from a day trip to Kuala Selangor, which was a pretty rural location.

despite the heat, i would have loved to explore more of the area. but the bus back to Singapore is tonight.

this place will definitely be in my sights, next holiday.

this is my grand aunt. she is 74 years old, and have been driving since 1958.

but she still weaves through the KL traffic at high speeds with such ease that she'd easily school most of the bogans I see on Perth streets.

oh, and she's an immediate niece of Yusuf Ishak. yeah, my family's minor claim to "fame" ..

my first time in Malaysia in ten years!

it was an impromptu decision. being a last minute thing and with the Chinese New Year weekend, I could only get my bus ticket at Larkin, Johor.

could only grab some donuts before the bus ride. and 4 hours later, I was in KL waiting for the trains to start service so I could get to my grand aunt's place.

pretty tired now, so a quick nap before I go rediscover KL. have to say, so far, its way different from life in Perth ..

caught up with a good buddy of mine, who happens to be the one and only remaining single buddy i can hang out with .. till she gets married that is.

we had dinner and coffee at Dhoby Ghaut, a place i used to hang out often. and oh-em-gee its very different now. in fact, i almost got lost trying to find my way out of the train station.

wait. i've digress from my original intent ...

what i wanted to say was, after catching the train to and from Dhoby Ghaut, i say its about time Singapore implements double decker trains.

and, being a Perth public transport user, i will never ever complain about the Perth crowds when i get back soon. i promise.

ps. this is also my first ever frappe from Dr Cafe. its actually not bad.

it was only the other day I was counting many colourful Yusuf Ishaks like a boss.

today. we just paid the wedding (food) caterer. I feel extremely poor now ..

but at least our wedding guests were very happy with the food. and our own extras was well received too.

time to clock in some overtime ...

a good home cooked chicken curry ..

is when you have it for dinner one night, and then still want it for breakfast the very next morning.

the eldest brother, video taping the younger brother, silat greeting the youngest brother, for the wedding entrance to the bride's abode ..

.. accompanied by the malay cultural kompang group banging away and making a racket that should be worthy of an amy cheong rant.

hosting a wedding reception from 11am to 8pm on a Saturday is no joke. my legs are still hurting, feet are sore, tummy still burning, and throat still dry.

i fell asleep at about 2am the previous night, but woke up at 5am yesterday morning to sort out more stuff. the whole morning was just rush here, rush there. and patching up last minute issues, left right center.

but it all turned out pretty well in the end. my brother looked happy. our relatives were all enjoying themselves. and more importantly, the guests sounded like they were very happy with the whole affair.

i've still not even looked through my own photos and videos yet. but here's one of us3bros snapped by my uncle.

unlike the last wedding, there won't be a train of Subarus to accompany the bride and groom's Liberty - limited post at http://goo.gl/256at

but the choice for this wedding should be good enough to be on its own.

decorations for the car would come later. cos right now, we still have plenty to set up for the reception tomorrow. busy day ahead ..

at about the size of ping pong balls, these are the smallest cutest pears I've ever had. they taste like the average pears, if not slightly sweeter.

yin and yang
noodle dishes
home made ..

chapati & kemah

my first food post for this trip. from the same place as always.

Madini Food Stall.

but the old man no longer comes in to do them in stall. while the kemah more than makes up for it, I have to admit, its just not the same when its not "fresh".

I still do recommend this place though, cos its still a damn good chapati meal.