Two or three times a week I have breakfast at this huge nasi kandar restaurant somewhere in Ampang. The food is OK, the place is clean, the service is quite acceptable. But there’s something I just don’t understand about that place. Every time I go, I order the same thing. Two roti kosong (they chop it up) and one ‘teh ais’ (I can eat this stuff 3 meals a day). But every time I got and pay at the counter, I get a different price. Sometimes RM3.10, sometimes RM3.20. The cheapest I got was RM2.40, the highest was RM3.60. Every time it is different. There can’t be a mistake in…

My friend company, a mid-sized, multi-national corporation, is going through some restructuring. By product of that process, the staff is put through some re-evaluation/soul-searching/identity crisis sort of thing. They each have to list down 5 priorities of their job, so he came to me for help. Well, since I’m happy at my job (and based on my experiences with my previous jobs), I was more than glad to lend him a hand. So I recommended the following 10 priorities for him to give his management. I know they asked for five, but by giving 10, it is called being ‘proactive’ and ‘efficient’. Which, by the way, is applicable for ANYONE…

OK, so let’s run them head-to-head, just like in those magazines…The RideBatman – The cool Bat-mobile. So many different versions, but the most popular one is the original long one. With flaming exhaust. As seen in the first movie.Darth Vader – No specific ride, except a special edition Tie Fighter, as seen in Episode 4. Got his ass kicked by Han Solo. Score 1 for Bats. The CribBatman – He has the Wayne mansion. Yawn. And also the Bat-cave. Housemate? Alfred the butler.Darth Vader – Death Star. Now this is cool. Plus if some planet is blocking your way, Kaboom! Score 1 for Vader. The GirlsBatman – Lots of love…

And so the Batman Begins hype is starting. Just as well, the Darth Vader jokes were getting old… Top Ten Disadvantages of Batman Working in KL instead of Gotham City by Simon (who, by the way, used to be the mechanic for the Batmobile) Everybody can guess that the secret Bat-cave is somewhere near Batu Caves. Damn Batmobile needs 2 parallel parking lots. Competition from ‘Keluang Man’. Every tried wearing that black metal suit at 2.00pm under Malaysian weather? All the ladies keep mistaking you for that Darth Vader flasher pervert. DBKL (City Hall) keeps sending the Bat-signal when they need to catch VCD peddlers, Vietnamese call-girls, illegal mamak stalls,…

Somehow I don’t know why I’m reminded of this song today. I’ve always like the song since I first heard it as a small kid. This was the age of the New Romantics, but this song is not typical of that age. Through the Barricades Mother doesn’t know where love has goneShe says it must be youth that keeps us feeling strongI see it in her face that’s turned to iceAnd when she smiles she shows the lines of sacrificeAnd now I know what they’re saying as our sun begins to fadeAnd we made our love on wasteland and through the barricades It’s a song about growing up in poverty,…

Top Ten Things Overheard After MJ Was Acquitted by Simon (Guilty? Not guilty? Does anyone really care?) “I’d like to thank all the little people that believed in me in this distressing time – my fans, O.J., Bubbles, The Elephant Man, Lenny my favourite oxygen tank operator, etc.” “Mummy! Mummy! Who’s this Michael Jackson? And why is he touching himself?” “Michael, Michael, we have a proposal for, you. How do you feel about being our spokesperson for SK-II face whitening cream? After all, you are our biggest customer, and we pay VERY well…” “Dammit it! We failed to get him! First Kobe Bryant, then Robert Blake, now this! Don’t worry,…

It’s a long and busy day ahead, so I’ll do the book meme that has been tagged on me for some time by 5xmom and Loc Kee. 1. Total number of books I’ve owned: Quite a lot. I’ve only began buying books since working, and a lot of books are borrowed or rented, but I still have quite a collection. 2. Last book I bought – Just last night I bought ‘Heaven Is So Real’ by Choo Thomas. For those who don’t know, this is a book that defies the logic of conventional religion. I read two chapters while sitting at the bench in MPH, so many people have recommended…

Top Ten Signs Simon Needs A New Hobby To Occupy His Time: Since American Idol and Amazing Race have ended, he has now resorted to watching Akademi Fantasia and Bob the Builder. The security guard at Kinokuniya knows him by name. He knows exactly how many days there are left until the new EPL season starts. He reads the newspaper TWICE everyday. He has taken all the humorous quizzes in TV Smith’s blog. He has colour-coded his office clothes in his wardrobe – Whites, Light Blues, Pink, Fuchsia and Neon Purple. Even his daughter is already sick of his “When I was your age…” stories. Al-Jazeera has got some cool…

Top Ten Things NOT to Do When You’re Lost while Jungle Trekking by Simon (NOT speaking from experience…) Drain out your phone battery trying to call Domino’s Pizza all night because you are hungry. “Oh, yeah? You think you’re a TIGER means you’re the king of the jungle eh? BRING IT ON, FAT CAT!!!!”. Try to emulate anything MacGyver ever did. It ain’t gonna work here, man. “We’re saved! That lion from ‘Madagascar’ is here to save us! Woo-hoo!” Freak out in the jungle just because you didn’t join the Pengakap (Boy Scouts) when you were young because you thought the Chess Club was so much cooler. “Don’t worry! We…

Sometimes you find that no matter how much you think or read up about a certain matter, you still can’t understand it. Don’t worry, there are many things out there that MANY people don’t understand, even if it seems simple to some other people. It’s OK if you find you don’t know some things, you’re not alone. It’s OK if you don’t know what NASDAQ stands for. It’s OK if you don’t know why the Speaker rejects a motion in our Parliament. It’s OK if you don’t know why our national football team is so pathetic. It’s OK if you don’t know what all the fuss about Zhang Yimou’s films…