Something Fishy Happening With YM...

It is a fact of life, those of us who sit in front of the PC or laptop everyday will use some form of Instant Messaging (IM) Software... and of course Google... Internet.

It is also another fact of life that when you spend a lot of time sitting in front of the PC or laptop, we will become dependent on the Software.... and Internet.

It is also another known fact that people who use IM will prefer to use that to speak to another colleague who is just seated less than 5 feet away... Go figure.

So, when one popular IM goes down, it causes a slight ruckus amongst us....

OOIII!! YAHOO MATI LIAO!! MATI GAO GAO!!! -----> Me make announcement... :P

However, it is also a known fact that those of us who sit in front of the PC or laptop everyday will often rely on more than one form of IM account.

My taskbar is just full of different IMs and I'm not fond of using those 3-in-one or many-in-one IM software as the interface is often confusing and I don't get the full features as I would get with using the normal IM provided by those big companies. (^^)

Oh well, come after lunch, we all had some funny problem with Yahoo! We can't explain why.

We're finding it difficult to login and when we do, after chatting for a while, we get disconnected for no reason.

Lucky for those of us kia-su and kia-si folks who have more than one IM a/c. We just continued chatting elsewhere using another competitor's IM software...

Friend #1: Eh... Can you connect to Yahoo?
Me: Can... Wait.. dc liao. (dc = disconnected)

....

Me: Bla bla bla... bla bla.... (on YM)

** waited for 10 minutes **
...

** colleague walked over. **

Me: Eh! Didn't you get my message?
Colleague: Huh??
Me: Aiyaaa... YM died...

....

Friend #1 (thru MSN): Can't connect to YM still. :(
Me: Yala. I think some tmNut must have capped YM traffic by mistake...
Friend #1: Hahahhah

Shit. It's taking me freaking longer and longer to connect to YM. I keep seeing that smiley face and I feel like bashing it in because it's taking me so long to connect. I can go off to boil water, cook an egg, make tea, wash the dishes and come back and it is still not connect. WTF!!

If some TmNutz is reading this, please check to see that the port 5050 is not blocked and that traffic coming from cs*.yahoo.com is just for YM chat, ok???

BTW, doubt that the sys admin had anything to do with this as I still can't connect to the f**king YM from home. I did my tracert and etc but found that although there was latency in looking up the yahoo.com domain, it wasn't all that bad.

Two is a Better Number Than One...

I'm not talking about the buy-one-free-one, where you'll end up with "two" of something. But isn't it interesting that nature gives you two of everything?

Don't try to be naughty here, but just think about it...

You have two eyes,

Two ears....

Two nostrils to breathe from...

Two things sticking out of your.......... (OI!! no dirty looks here), sides of your body - arms

Two legs...

Two small round little things with helps you procreate the next generation.... (yes, it's either testes or ovaries, you may have referred to them as "balls")...

It is just natural that nature thinks in two's.

Two-by-two....

I'm just talking nonsense here. Kekekeke... Please bear with me.

Anyway, just over the weekend, a couple of friends of mine got hitched. One of it is my close friend from work, while another I met through a dog enthusiasts forum.

Well, for one thing, having another person in your life certainly makes things a lot more "interesting". The reason why I state "interesting" is that it is not all happy-happy-joy-joy all the time in a relationship. Believe me, its a lot of work!! However, at the end of the day, we being social animals, we would like a little bit of company.

I'm right behind you... I'm in front, protecting you...

Although I'm for one who cherishes my "alone time", but I can't help thinking that life would be so dull if I can't share it with another human being or dog. After all, God gave us two hands/arms and it is complemented with another pair of hands/arms...

*Alamak.. Talk rubbish again...*

Anyway, I'm doubly happy because of all these nuptials in June (since it is the wedding month). I also have great news that my little baby sis is getting married soon! Her fiance popped the question on Sunday night after dinner, asking my parents for permission. Very old school and gentlemanly. Guys, take note, ya?

To Harsha and Mary, Congratulations & God Bless!!

To Joo Ann and husband (I can't recall his name... ), Congratulations & God Bless!!

Pssssst... How are the photos I took for this blog entry?? **Pai Seh asking for comments**

Happy Belated "Bak Chang" Festival

*Phew*.. I just got back from my Bangkok business trip and am still very tired from it.

Anyway, it was a very very short trip and I didn't managed to upload my "bak chang" wishes...

Yummy... Yummy... What is under the wrapping is more important...

I'm not sure about the origins of how this festival came about, but all I know that we have lovely "bak chang" or 粽子 which literally translate to "meat rice dumpling". Anyway, it is normally eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival as stated by... you guessed it.. Wikipedia. ;)

My aunt happened to make the Nyonya version of the rice dumpling, which is basically a rice dumpling filled with sweet and spicy minced meat. As I recall, it is made with adding the Chinese 5-spice. The minced meat is cooked first before being packed into the glutinous rice prior to being "steamed" or "boiled" in hot water.

My late grandmother used to make very lovely bak chang which consisted of fatty pork. We always look forward to the fatty pork bits.. *slurp*... Just thinking about it makes my cholesterol level shoot up a few points! (^ ^)

Unwrapped in all its glory.... *SSLLUURRRP*

Anyway, thanks to Aunty Mag for making this lovely batch of "chang" for us to "chang" our stomachs with.

Meanwhile, happy "chang-ing"... Kekekee...

Monthly Gifts..

A conversation with some friends reminded me about something... which occurs monthly...

NOTE: The nature of this post may not be suitable for young kids. Though, puberty is a fact of life which you will go through one day. (Some never get out of it)

Friend 1: Can't make-la... Got my "aunty"...
Me: I see. Then, we'll postpone the dinner-la.

Friend 2: I'm feeling rather sh*tty today, got my "friend visit". Talk to me another time.

Friend 3: No wonder I had a craving for all things meaty... "AV" today...

Me: Sorry-la. My temper is a bit short today. Must be PMS
Friend: Yea-la! Suddenly kena marah for no reason. Must be-la...

Anyway, what I'm talking about is the monthly condition of having your menses. No... No... This is not the time we lose our "senses", but some guys keep saying it as "that time of month-la".

What irks my curiosity is, what do you call your monthly menses? Here's a list that I've compiled...

"Best Friend Come"

"Aunty Visit"

"3rd Aunty Visit"

"My Friend"

"Nehhhh... My monthly period... shhhhhhh" *spoken softly*

"Period-la"

"Banjir" - Heavy Period

Anyway, call it what you want, some are relieved that it does come; some hate it like hell because of the pain they get (due to fibroids, etc); but it is something we females have to live with until menopause.

However, i hate it when guys use this against us.

Guy 1: You got your period esit???

Guy 2: Ok, I'll stay out of your way. Looks like you are having PMS...

ARRRGGGHHH... Sometimes, people can get a bit grumpy for no reason at all. Maybe its because they didn't have a good night's sleep or they are under some stress. Maybe they had a bad morning caused by terrible traffic or by other idiotic colleague. *Sigh*...

Anyway, there is a funny side to this. One friend's boyfriend used to joke that whenever she had her period, another chance for a baby is lost. Which is true... cause the coming of the menses signals that the lining in the womb is destroyed. However, it is just 'cute' the way he said it. (^ ^)

Whatever it is, this "monthly gift" is our female species special gift because the female species (not counting asexual reproduction) of most animals are able to bear offspring. So, even if you feel nauseous, bitchy, sh*tty, lousy... embrace the fact that this is our "monthly gift".

I Am S.O.R.R.Y

I got a very very angry SMS just now....

Anyway, I am sincerely sorry if I have caused you some hurt by exposing some story about your bulu...

So... I'll say this...

Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry Sorry

Ok? (-.-)

I'd guess I'll pull down the posts then. Just give me some time, ok?

Photos In The Rain

I've been fooling around with my camera lately, a pretty antiquated Nikon Coolpix 5900.

So, I've been trying to learn some of the features of the camera as well as practice some basic photography skills of "composing your shot"... despite the rainy weather we're having in Malaysia.

So, when it was raining heavily this afternoon, I thought to myself, a great way to learn how to photograph rain. Boy, it isn't easy. For one, I don't have a weather-proof camera and so, getting water on my camera is a no-no. Another thing is, I didn't want to get wet and neither did I want to stand with an umbrella in the rain.

Finally, the skies opened up for just a bit for me to take a few shots. I still had to use an umbrella and my mother thought I was going nuts. Hehehe...

Anyway, I like this shot because the brown pole breaks up all the green of the bougainvillea plant set against the ivy-covered wall.

To show how heavy the rain was, I pointed my camera at the giant ceramic vessel we placed in the garden and got this shot...
I had to use a flash since there wasn't enough light. The photo was captured using ISO200.

The rain had pretty much stopped to a drizzle and so, I decided to have a close-up macro shot of the flower from our drumstick tree, planted next to our garden swing. I like the look of water droplets caught on the leaves and flowers. It makes the picture sooo refreshing.

This probably the best shot of the lot, showcasing my antiquated Nikon's ability to take a great macro shot. I had to take this shot with the umbrella over my head. You can see a hint of sunshine creeping through at the edge of the photo.

I still have a long way to go in my study of photography. (^ . ^)

For one thing, I have to look at things like how a camera looks like an item, be it landscape, potrait or objects.

Angie Goes Shopping... Seriously!!!

Guys do it.

Girls do it.

Kids do it.

Your father's 2nd cousin's 2nd aunt also do it.

Heck, even my dog does it.

OIIII!!!!!....... Don't think dirty here... OK??? My blog does not have PG-13 stamped all over it. I think it is rated U-for everyone to read. Kekekeke... (^^)

I decided to take a break. It was time for me to indulge in something I have not done in a long while..................

S H O P P I N G !!!!!!!!

Today, I have shopped like I have never shopped before.

I would have done EV proud.

My loot - ARRRhhhhh...

As you might have known, I am unlike most Malaysians. If you ask any Malaysian what they did to relax most of them would say, "Shopping-lor..."

Malaysians love malls and shopping. If Olympics were ever to be hosted in Malaysia (I don't think I'll be able to see this in my lifetime.. not as yet), I think we might list shopping as a sport. We may not have the largest malls in the world but we do have a lot of malls. More malls than libraries. That's shocking.

Anyway, whenever EV hits KL, she will drag me to go shopping, because I have the "kaki" (legs, a.k.a car) to take her around. She does not want to drag another friend to go along because the other friend is too scary of a shopaholic for her. Imagine this...

Me: Waaaahhhh!! What happened to you?? Look so "chan" (haggard) one???
CPP: Yeah... Very tired. Lots of work. Just got back from Bangkok after 1 week there.

Me: Wahhhh... What did you do? Wrestle with the elephants there?
CPP: No-la... Just went shopping. Actually, it was a company trip.

Me: Serious??? 1 week?? Your company trip is to go shopping in Bangkok??
CPP: No-la! The company trip lasted the weekend. They did the tourist thing, a few of us did the shopping thing.

Me: What you mean??
CPP: When the rest of the group went out to see all the tourist stuff, my colleagues and I went shopping around Bangkok.

Me: Oohhhh... Wahh.. You extended your stay... Wasn't it expensive??
CPP: Not really. We switched hotels to a less classy one. After all, our objective was to shop until closing time and then balik to the room to tidur only. No time to eat also, just grab some bun and water and keep walking. No time to pee/poo as well because that would waste time.

Me: ** Jaws wide open **........ Then, how about transporting the thing back?

CPP: My Gawwdd!! Don't remind me. I had to get those big, huge plastic bags, you know, with the stripes and all to pack all my barang back.

Me: (o_______0) Is shopping in Bangkok really thaattt cheap??

CPP: My Gawwdd!!! It is!! It is!!! I think I shall do it again, next year!!
Me: **pengsan**

I know I can't keep up with this woman. She is probably EV's sifu. I remember from my Uni days that they did hook up once to go shopping at Richmond (a suburb near the Melbourne city centre, Australia). EV came back and said that she was "keng" (expert, excellent in Cantonese).

However, I do have this thing about gadgets and etc. Only a true "Nerd God" will be excited about PC Fair (held twice a year). Yeap, I do make a countdown clock to PC Fair every year. I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm a gadget phreak. EV makes a lot of noise about me spending unnecessarily on gadgets when it could be better spent on clothes, shoes and other human-beautifying products.

Anyway, for you shopaholics out there, I heard that come 16th June 2007, the sale would begin again. (By the way, the website is not functioning just yet...)

God help me should EV come down that time... (o______0)

The Bulu Conversations Part 3... (OMG!!)

EV has just returned from Shanghai after spending a week terrorizing the townsfolk there.

- POST REMOVED AS REQUESTED -

Foto-la...

I just realized that I don't have a label for Photos and so, am just creating one.. (^.^)

Anyway, on Friday, I had a day off since the company recognizes Agong's b'day on 1st Saturday of June.

Yes, yes... Agong's b'day will always be 1st Saturday of June, regardless of when his actual b'day is. Anyway, this is just an official b'day for the Agong.

So, I decided to scout around the garden to take some photos. I've been playing around with my aged Nikon Coolpix 5900 for a while now, learning to use some of the advanced functions without a manual. Kekeke.. I'm a geek and hence, by default whenever we get some gadget, we're such lazy bums that we don't read the manual at all.. *phhbbbbpppttt*

The first picture I took were of the pandan leaves which my father planted in the garden. We brought this over from our old house and we frequently use it for cooking and also as car de-odourizer. My Dad heard that pandan was very effective in removing odours from cars as well as prevent cockroaches from entering it as well. So, he used to place a few pandan leaves (knotted up) in our cars.

Imagine how the smell of pandan + durian is like... Mmmmmmm... Heavenly!!

Later, I thought that people would be bored with looking at just pandan leaves and so, decided to take a picture of the lonely hibiscus flower blooming in our garden. Hibiscus flowers tend to bloom during the dry season. However, lately due to the wet weather, we didn't get many flowers and so, just had one flower to look at.

My dad also planted a guava plant - I think back in 2000-something. We got it from our granduncle's place in Kepong that Chinese New Year. So, he brought it back to try to plant it. As of now, the plant still stands at 3-feet tall and still growing.... slowly. Not sure why it can't grow... Maybe need Snoopy's help to "fertilize" it. Kekekee...

Here's another herb which we almost take for granted in Thai cooking - sweet basil. My mom got this from her friend and after we planted it, it multiplied like crazy!!! My mom likes to use the leaves when cooking with eggs. Tastes absolutely yummy and sweet!

Anyway, it was raining very heavily on Friday and after the rain, I went out to take a few nice photos too. This is the best picture I've taken.. :P

Anyway, I didn't just take pictures of plants all day long. I also managed to take one photo of an inanimate object...
I'm not sure why the clock is stuck at 4:59. Anyway, this is an old, wind-up clock which requires frequent maintenance by winding up the spring. We also have to oil the spring if we want it to work. However, we've not used it in a while because my sis finds the chimes to be irritating. Yes, it chimes every half and full hour.

Of course, aside from all of this, there's my trusted camwhore - Snoopy... :P She's my favourite subject to photography because she's a natural and always, her white body makes a very nice contrast against any background. Hahaha...

Snoopy: Oiii!! Don't simply take my photos without asking for my permission first, ok???

Anyway, I'm still trying to get a foothold on this digital photography. Somehow, one must always remember that what you see with your eye may not be what the camera "sees".

Recently, while scouring dpreview.com, the samples gallery for the Canon PowerShot G7 caught my eye. Now, this camera was released in September last year and the photos were fantastic! Got to tip my hat off to the photographer who took those beautiful shots which showcased the camera's sharpness very close to the fine image of what a DSLR can produce.

Some of these pictures I've corrected using Picasa, a lovely tool by those nice folks at Google. I've blogged about them quite some time back. Anyway, have a look at Picasa if you can't afford to buy/install expensive apps like PhotoShop. ;)

So, I'm still learning... OK? :P

Scam!! Scam!!

Did you get this recently??

That someone called you and there's a recorded message telling you that you've missed a hearing at the Malaysian High Court?

It's a SCAM. The news was finally published here.

My Dad picked up one of these calls a couple of days back. He looked very grave as he listened attentively to the phone. When I drew nearer to him, he said, "Listen" and then laughed. He turned to me and said, "I think its a prank call".

I agreed with him. If you had to turn up at a Malaysian High Court for something, you'll first receive an official letter - Surat Rasmi (in BM), not some phone call.

Anyway, we speculated that this "architect firm" - which uses our house phone number (by accident) probably got into trouble or something. Yes, we still get the odd phone enquiry from some law firm or developer about "TK Architect" from time to time.... (@___@) Each time we have to insist - This is a house of residence, not an office!!

A couple of days later, my Dad received an e-mail from his friend regarding this scam involving some recording played on the phone about you missing a court hearing or something. They would ask for your details and etc. I'd guess naturally, if something urgent and important like this were to happen, you would first want to meet up at the balai polis (police station) or something.

Oh boy... For a moment there, I thought the burst pipe at the courthouse at Jln Duta had caused so much havoc that the courts were calling up the wrong people for the wrong thing. ;)

So, if something like this were to occur, just be on your guard.