The other day my wife went to MV Doulos and came back with a couple of cassettes of children’s songs. “Three bucks only!!! So CHEAP!” (I’m assuming ‘three bucks’ here infers to RM3, not USD$3…) Since it was SO CHEAP she even bought a few extra copies to be given to our friends who were expecting mothers. When PN got one, she said she didn’t have a cassette tape player. Except in her car, but as you all know, the 32nd law of Malaysian weather states clearly that: “Don’t ever leave your cassettes in the car under the Malaysian sun or the tape inside will become like Maggi Mee and…

The other a friend asked me if I wanted to help her freelance to write and edit some reference books to be used in schools. Sure, I said, I’m always looking to add to my measly income. What subject, I asked? I’m not very well-versed in brain surgery and rocket science, I joked. No lah, she said. Form Five Physics, she said. I say man. Form Five Physics, ah? Standard 2 English can or not? That one I very good lah. “See Jane Run.” “See Dick Run.” “Run Jane, Run!” See? That one I very good-lah, Form Five Physics I very difficult to kelentong*. By the way, what was Dick’s…

I’m watching the prime time delayed telecast of the Miss Universe 2006 on Astro. I haven’t seen one of these pageants for like a million years, my mom used to watch them when I was a kid. She used to go ‘Wah, Miss US Virgin Islands also not bad ah?’ and ‘Eeyer, Miss China not pretty one…’) Anyways, I have a few questions. I can understand ‘Miss World’ or ‘Miss Earth’ or ‘Miss Carlsberg Seedy Pub 2006’, but ‘Miss Universe’? Where’s Miss Jupiter? Miss Uranus? (I said ‘Uranus’, not ‘Your…’ never mind…). If you’re gonna say your competition is representative of the universe, at least the eight-legged translucent green bug…

Dear Leading English Newspaper, I am OUTRAGED. As a long time esteemed reader of your respectable newspaper, I want, no I DEMAND to know why there has NOT been any coverage on the FRONT PAGE of your hallowed newspaper for the past two days. Yesterday, there was a fantastic write-up about that Datuk K’s ex-wife making claims to some of the Datuk’s house and property. Although i was over the moon the see you manage to dig out this fabulous piece investigative journalism, i am slightly disappointed that it only made the 4th page, not the FRONT PAGE. Plus, you did not give the exact details of the condo and…

I just took the LRT to work the other day. Usually, I drive, but I dropped off my car at the workshop to get the radiator fixed. Cost me RM900 (the repair, not the LRT ride), and I don’t want to talk about it. There goes my lunches for the next two months. Anyway, I haven’t taken the train for almost a year now. I was mildly shocked to see how drab and poorly maintained was the station in PJ and the train itself, too. My friend PN says the air-conditioning breaks down frequently, resulting in near-sauna conditions. But I’m not going to diss the LRT. Not in this post…

In case you didn’t notice, half a year has already passed us by. June 30 was the end of the first half of 2006, it’s now the third week of the July. People always say that time flies when you’re having fun. That’s true. But it flies even faster when your chest deep in working every freaking day. Looking back to the first half of 2006, Chinese New Year seemed so long ago. I went on a couple of trips early in the year – Penang and Ipoh with my friends and Singapore with my family. Regular readers (yes, all three of them) will remember them. June was predominantly preoccupied…

Apparently, durian is in season again. If you can’t tell from the Chinese businessmen selling stacks of durian from their small lorries by the roadside, or the unmistakable smell wafting every lift / office pantry / supermarket / every street corner of Malaysia. The durian is not only the king of Malaysian fruits (and what would be the queen? The chempedak? Nangka? Kedondong?), there isn’t another local fruit or foodstuff that clearly divides our masyarakat majmuk into two camps. There are those who think it’s the greatest thing on earth, right next to sex and free goodie bags from IT fairs at PWTC. And there are those who think it…

My favourite German blogger Jay has tagged me with an interesting meme (actually he’s the ONLY German blogger I know. Does Angela Merkel have a blog? Or Heidi Klum? Want to recommend me some few good ones of your friends? Must be in English though.) It’s a football-World Cup meme. I don’t know if it is supposed to be for THIS World Cup only, or can I include other past ones? In comparison, this WC was kind of forgettable for me, but I’ll try to answer the best I can… Your Best worldcup experience? This has got to be the Final of USA1994 between Brazil and Italy. It wasn’t a…

Some 2 weeks ago I received my car insurance renewal notice. It’s from this company (Let’s call them Insurance Company A) that did the coverage since when I got the car. I left it for a week or two, waiting for my credit card monthly cut-off date to pass so that I only have to pay at the end of following month (which is what I call an interest-free short term loan…). So the other day when I wanted to renew the policy plus reduce the sum insured (old car), I dug out the renewal notice and called the agent who stamped her name and contact on the notice. What…

Most people still have that post world cup hangover. Sudah lah, over already man… money lost cannot get back lah. But seriously folks, I’m thinking it’s going to be a few more days before the hype dies down. Just in time for the EPL coffeeshop talk to start. Top Ten Post-World Cup Lines Still Heard Around Malaysian Coffeeshops “See? I was right! I TOLD YOU Italy was going to win, right? Remember I told you that day don’t know when? I remember I told you Italy was going to win…!” “You know what, Joe? Yesterday my girlfriend blew her top off when I forgot her surname… I mean, Joe, you…