Tuesday, 31 January 2006

I'm grabbing life by the balls

Sometimes fate deals out a card that will either make you want to break down and wish for the Apocalypse or you could do the most logical and sane thing, carry on and prove that fate's just a horrid old beeyatch. Sure life will be one helluva bumpy ride ala Kuala Lumpur potholes of death because of the many obstacles that will be faced but I'm going out with all guns blazing.

Therefore, I bid you all adieu for the moment while jump start a new chapter in my life. This is by no means the end of my blogging, it's just something temporary which will render me unable to update as much as I want to. I'm gonna miss reading many of you comments and your respective blogs (I'm directing this at Richard, Jingy, and especially to the dynamic duo of Syar and Nadia, these have been great to me and they're really awesome writers who inspire to me write more). I will miss it dearly. But once I get settled down, when the sea calms and its water is as cool and serene as before the storm, I will return...

Chris is signing off, for now...

Saturday, 28 January 2006

TONG TE TE CHANG! TONG TE TE CHANG!

*caveat: if you’re the type that is easily offended when someone pokes fun at lanterns, fireworks, waxed ducks, bak kwa and other things related to Chinese New Year (CNY), PLEASE, PLEASE, READ ON.

As those of you who know my being rather Scroogy when it comes to celebrations of any sort, this year I’m going to try to be less Scroogy. Let’s see, for me Christmas is about seeing girls wearing skimpy dresses and far too short skirts (it happens in churches here WITHOUT FAIL. Practically tradition it is.). Hari Raya is all about eating far too much ketupat and rending and other meaty meats (i.e. NOT lamb :P) while watching Siti Nurhaliza (I like her) belt yet another Raya song. Whereas for Deepavali, it’s about eating with hands (I’m quite proficient unlike some of my friends who tend to shove their hand instead of the food. Seeing them wince in pain is so much fun.), and devouring as much vegetarian chicken as humanly possible. But for me, CNY is all about the red packets and seeing girls in skimpy dresses and far too short skirts and going through it sulky and wishing I was somewhere far, far away from it.

I grew up not knowing what the hullabaloo was all about. I see red packets, I go delirious. That’s it. And not forgetting the massive feast the day before which is given the rather portentous title of Reunion Dinner. It’s where all the brothers, sisters, cousins, grandparents and relatives gather to eat more food than is normally eaten. My memories of CNY are always the same: me being left by myself because none of my cousins could understand me, aunties trying to outdo each other’s bouffant and overall auntieness, uncles boasting and guffawing at the top of their lungs about absolutely nothing while the grandfather calls me up to his room, surreptitiously opens his cupboard and gives me extra ang pow.

While it may seem that my CNYs are all right but to be very frank, I hate it. Seriously, I couldn’t give a shit. It’s not like Confucius is going to appear out of thin air and say, “You bad boy. No play the filewoks! No olanges!” or the ever glib businesswoman Lillian Too with the extremely awful dyed hair (She looks like a burnt mangosteen.) is going to personally espouse the virtues of some green stone which can make your house more feng shuied. I’m not bothered by it. To me, it’s just another day. The only difference is that I have to wear red instead of my customary black (groan, red makes me look like an over-ripe tomato.), I have to be nice to people I have no clue who they are even though they know me.

I tend to have a crummy and dreadful time at my dad’s side whereas at my mom’s I will ALWAYS have a ball of a time. You won’t find any faux pas nonsense; it’s all about the family. Everyone is genuinely happy to see one another. And the food, bah! It’s way better here. This post may come across as bitter, angry or even sacrilegious.

Chris signing off…

PS: Have a great Chinese New Year to those who celebrate it. And don’t eat too much olanges ya. ;)

Wednesday, 25 January 2006

Chris’s Weird Weirds

Syar has bequeath onto me a most pernicious and salacious mission that I simply cannot refuse. It’s called a meme, a term that may seem ambiguous at first but when you keep repeating it loudly over and over and over again, makes perfect sense. It involves me digging very deep into the very being of well, me. So without further ado (and other cryptic messages), I present to you: Chris’s Weird Weirds.

1. Weird habit: This is really, really hard. As those of you who know me, my idiosyncrasies are far and wide and downright bizarre. But I would have to say that my weirdest habit is that I can read a book, magazine etc, listen to music (really loud and heavy stuff) and once in a while I’ll throw in a couple of push-ups. At the same time. Don’t ask me how I do it because I just do it.

2. Weird aversion: Oh my. This is one tricky as heck weird theme. I have literally tonnes of aversions. I guess my biggest aversion would be anchovies and dried prawns. And cockles (or in its more popular known name: kerang). For the life me, I can’t devour those blighters. I’ll spend ages carefully removing any anchovy from my plate of nasi lemak. The same goes for the dried prawns. Yucks.

3. Weird anatomy: Hahaha! Now this weird theme is really hilarious. I guess it would have to be my feet. I wear size 11 shoes, sometimes 12 depending on the cutting. What is weird is that I’m only 5’8 and stocky and I have shoes that are reminiscent of Ronald McDonald’s. Think a bouncer with dorky glasses.

4. Weird sayings: Yet another tricky one. There are quite a number of things I love to say especially lines from movies, music or whatever. I usually change some of the words to enhance so to speak. Unfortunately, I only use them when I remember to but at this point in time, I don’t recall any of hand. Some of my favourites (the ones I DO remember): Holy cow of God! Oh my Godness!

5. Weird posse: I wouldn’t say that the posse I associate with is weird; it’s me that’s the weird bit. He he. It’s mainly because I tend to hang out with people who are either criminally insane or slightly demented.

In hindsight, I’m pretty sure my mind will change and the list above will be different slightly or radically. But I think the above represent me best at present condition. Thanks for reading.

Chris signing off…

PS: To my good (and highly demented) friend, Richard I bequeath onto thee to write your own meme. Go go!

Tuesday, 17 January 2006

Kids are wonderful

It's a magical thing when kids think you're cool. Seriously, being cool in their eyes is well, cool. Kids being kids will hate you once you make them pissed. Of course, you have to be a complete jerk to accomplish such a feat.

I'll be the first to admit that children under 12 scare the bejesus out of me simply because I’ve not a clue on how to handle them. Do I play along and go "Goo goo bah!" or do I be the meanie with a perpetual stern look? Not too long ago, I figured it out. Finally, I now know the secret. The secret to make kids believe that you're one of them. I’m in the inner sanctum of Kiddom. All I had to do was just talk to them. Of course, talk to them about their likes and dislikes and not how one does detects a face using algorithms from Laplace, Sobel and Canny.

After much time spent with my wee free cousins, I’ve come to the conclusion that I’m not the ogre I thought I was. Sure I do feel like smacking overly rude and downright stubborn children who after repeated threats of bodily harm, continue to wreck your beautifully trimmed bonsai trees. Or trying to see whether or not lil Jack the terrier has worms in its tummy, with a machete no less. I gush (ugh, this is so unChris) whenever I see babies and kids. Provided they're cute and not bugging the heck out of me.

In their eyes, adults are just bigger people with even bigger wallets. They see us older folk as a means to fuel their passion of cheap plastic toys made in Taiping, contraband like fireworks the size of my shoes (11) and sweets so sweet I swear diabetics will run away for dear life. But it's all good really. To see their smiles, the laughter, the pure joy of it and its innocence, is simply priceless.

The greatest achievement so far for me was when I made friends with this little girl who upon seeing me beat my cousin at rock, paper and scissors, announced that she can beat me. Me being the obliging guy, proceeded to beat her senseless. Her incredulous look every time she lost left in me stitches. She even sat on my lap at one point. And I found out later on that she's actually a really shy, quiet girl and doesn't take to anyone easily.

That's when I realized that the world is not that bad a place when there's such happiness and purity.

Chris signing off...

PS: I can tolerate naughtiness to a certain extent but if it happens to be the spawn of some cacodemon, then that's a different story...

Wednesday, 11 January 2006

Catharsis Overkill: The Concluding Chapter of Chris's College-capades

I love the word “catharsis”. It makes me sound smarter whenever I say it. On 23rd December 2005, I felt the full release of the emotional baggage I’ve carried for 3 years.

On that day, it was the last exam ever for most of us. For my stream, it was the easiest paper ever. For the rest, it was their hardest paper ever. (My abuse of the word “ever” does not stop here by the way). It did help that we had some *coughhelpintheformoftheactualquestionscough* tips before the exam. It was like activating cheat codes in a game, fun as heck but it makes you feel like a loser for not trying your best. I left the exam hall victorious but it was nothing meritorious about it.

Perhaps it’s because I’ve watched far too much American shows where every time there’s a gathering or whatever you call it, feelings and actions of all kinds will be displayed. Oddly enough, none of that happened. This is may be due to the Asian culture of ours, it could be because that APIITians are just unemotional automatons who’re hell-bent in creating the ultimate program. There was not a single person who mimicked a waterfall of tears. There weren’t any embraces that would have put bears hugging bears to shame. Strangely, there was more of the manly man type of hug where the dudes involved will embrace by grabbing each other’s hand while the other hand pats the back and saying things such as, ‘Macha all the best ya’, ‘Dude all the best ya’, ‘Yo Mafaka you, take care ya hear me?’ The women folk of course did the air kissing of each other’s cheeks. Smiles and lots of camera flashes bore witness to the unspectacular and tepid end to our tertiary education.

Since it was only 1pm and most of us were quite hungry even though our dear college threw us a farewell party (it was more like “Get the Heck Outta Here Lah” farewell), we headed to good ole McD’s for lunch. After devouring my fries, Big Mac (which was bloody hell tinier than the last time I ate it (which was about 2 years ago)) in about 2 minutes, I spent the next hour or so sitting next to my dear friend who shall be known as Amritsar. As we were in the middle of a group of unemployed and uncertain of graduating people, we chatted about gory movies, how much we’re actually terrified of them and intermittently talking to the rest. I could hear from her side tales of someone’s brother’s cousin’s sister’s friend’s uncle who knows another uncle’s friends from somewhere who did something and in the end, in true Bollywood fashion, they all lived happily ever after. My side was mostly tales of how Singaporeans treated them poorly and how spacious the taxis were. And not forgetting how the chicks dressed. Ooo.

As I was driving back home, wonky feelings started to creep out slowly. It was like a cross between of relief and sadness. Relief because of obvious reasons while sadness for well, even more obvious reasons. Let me put it this way: Last day of college = last day I’ll probably see some of these people. Call me sentimental. Call me sappy (but not the Richard Clayderman kind of sappy yes?). The memories will be cherished. It will be reminisced whenever I and my friends get together. We’ll laugh. We’ll cry. We’ll sigh. We’ll smile. But most importantly, I’m glad and proud I went through the many dimensions of hell together with my friends cos honestly, it was well worth the trip.

Chris signing off…

PS: O right, this is going to be my last college based post for the time being. Hope you all enjoyed reading.

Wednesday, 4 January 2006

The only constant in life is... Change

Inevitably, as everything in life undergoes entropy of some sort (this does not apply to the Rolling Stones apparently), so do mere mortals such as myself. Hair will start to fall, teeth soon after and a most unpleasant pot belly will erupt out of nowhere.

So with the new year in my mind (and of the fact that I am sitting here in Starbucks all by myself, dead bored and watching people order their lattes and fraps while trying to look as hip as possible while sipping their drinks. I have absolutely nothing to do for the next 3 hours or so really) I thought, what the heck, let's do a Queer Eye for the Straight Blog on my blog of course!

A change is necessary, no doubt. I'm unemployed (Teehee) and I haven't thought about anything else besides wanting to shoot pink bunnies. Just kidding bout the bunny thing, maybe I'll catch up on my reading and of course, my never ending metal (the music kind, not the metallury one OK) eductaion. So I hope to land meself a job by next month, save as much as I can and God-willing, get a small place for myself.

So until the next post, take care and have a nice weekend.

Chris signing off...

PS: Green tea fraps are teh bomb.

Thursday, 29 December 2005

2005: The Good, The Bad, The Fugly

*caveat: This is going to be a rather long post, so either leave now with your sanity intact or please proceed further…

Ah, 2005. The year where my birthday looked like this: 050505. I turned 21 on that day. All right, enough of the Lillian Too special. Looking back, 2005 was the most terrifying and satisfying roller coaster ride of my life.

It started where 2004 left me, in immensely excruciating back pain. I greeted 2005 on my bed, staring at the ceiling wondering if could go back to normal. To cut a painful story short, my back finally behaved but it also ended any chance of me doing any sports unless I want Mister Very Painful Pain to come a knocking on my spine again. No more wearing tight spandex was the only consolation.

I finally travelled! And now there’re 2 stamps in my passport. All from Singapore but hopefully soon it’ll be filled with other countries’ stamp. The best part of travelling to someone’s country is that you feel more of yourself, and you think that other people are odd because they obey the traffic rules. While Singapore shares quite a big number of similarities with us, it’s the “Hey we do that too back in Malaysia but you guys seem to do it differently” things that leaves a smile on my face. It makes proud to be a Malaysian even though I dislike most of the people.

So the beginning of my last year in college I was tossed unto a cold floor without a soft, pink pillow to cushion the impact. All the crap that kept being shoved into my face however made me stronger and realized that this is really do or die. Suffice to say, while I could have done a much better job if I’d only concentrated harder, I’m pretty proud of the fact that I managed to do most of the work by myself as opposed to some who ‘borrowed’ or even procured their entire system for a fee. 2005 was also where classes seemed to be at their best simply because of the great people who were a part of it and who’re now my dear friends. I’ve forged some new relationships and solidified further already existing ones. To all my friends, I thank you all, you know who you are.

2005 also brought the Most Crushes Ever outbreak. For the life of me, I really didn’t know why I fell for so many girls at first. Now I know that it was all merely me wanting to believe that these girls were right for me. In a strange and eerie way, they could’ve have been but it wouldn’t be fair to them since I don’t feel that I’m the right one for them. However, there was one ‘episode’ which produced some fairly interesting results. However I didn’t take any action even though there were some positive signs from her. Sigh, I’ll never know…

As the days came rolling by, I became more and more aware of myself really. I learned more about how to be Me. Maybe it’s me turning 21, which finally and officially means that I am an adult. It’s like when Peter Parker finds out that by Spider-Man, it means with great power, comes great responsibility. Being 21 doesn’t make you powerful, it just means that you’re no longer a child. I feel that I’m more cynical, grouchier yet more understanding and patient at the same time as a result of my ‘new’ way of thinking the things I think about.

Below are the things I’m hoping for in 2006:

Find me a woman (not really high on the Must-Do-Ya list but what the heck, I’ll keep my sensors on full search mode).
My woman would have to be able to withstand the gale like forces of my utterances, thoughts and of course, my acerbic sarcasm on life’s trivialities. She would have to calm me down whenever my face turns redder than red due to extreme stupidity of some jackasses. But most importantly she would have to completely understand that no matter what, I’m her man and not even a stalker with pantyhose on his head and a machete will stop me from loving her.

Drive more patiently.
On second thought, nah, don’t think this will happen. Ever.

Listen to other stuff besides metal and rock.
Nah.

Stop putting on weight just because I ate two helpings of mud cake.

I don’t want to buy any more new trousers la! Dockers are expensive la!

And finally,
My life to be predictably unpredictable. What’s life without FUN?

So there you have it folks, my recap of 2005. Some things were left out naturally due to forgetfulness though I can assure many of you that I didn’t leave out the juicy bits. I bid all of you adieu for now, I’ll be back next year with more tales for sure. So until then, Happy New Year and stay beautiful. Even if you’re not, just think you’re beautiful la. Okie dokey? :P

Chris signing off…

PS: Narnia >>>>>>>>>>> King Kong :)

Tuesday, 13 December 2005

Byebye Education World, Hello Fun Fun Fun World!

I think this is where I explain certain things. There's only 1 more week to go. 1 more week before what has been a ride of a lifetime will come to an end. It'll be like letting freedom ring with a shotgun blast. What took 3 and a half years all of a sudden feels like it was only yesterday I stepped into the room filled with eager-faced, genuinely-innocent-before-all-the-corruption-and-vice souls who were just as nervous and sweaty who are now my friends for life. And not forgetting the first time I ever saw a butt crack that did not belong to ANY of my relatives.

I remember thinking to myself that I would be the token loner of the class. I honestly didn't think I would make many friends. Oh boy was I seriously wrong. And Everybody Loves Raymond kinda dumb. The first year was spent getting to know the people and just growing up. Somehow, when you're 18 you think you're the biggest, the wisest mofo on the block but that quickly turned to embarrassment when I was put in my place. Suffice to say, that was only the beginning of a long road...

Second year was spent making mistakes and learning from them. Well, most of it anyway. It also gave me the opportunity to get to know more people and also be a part of something special. While my second year was plagued with many shitty incidents and downright sad moments, I wouldn't want to trade those experiences for anything because I believe it made me more of a man. It made me buck up, and say, "Hell yeah! This life of mine is meant to be something of a great plan and I ain't gonna ruin it by making funny faces!". Well, I of course still ended up doing funny faces (as evident in the many photos of me) but the fact of the matter remains the same; i'm living life the way I want to.

Third year was/is simply amazing. The best year ever. The final stepping stone in being a college student. Turning 21 made me think about what the heck I did the last 20 years. It gave me a sense of what being an adult is all about. It's about taking responsibility. It's about taking ownership of your life.

Basically, 2005 is an all-rounder; I had my fair share of hiccups, girl issues which resulted in me having the most crushes of my life though I'm pretty thankful it ALL ended quickly. Interestingly, some of my feelings were even reciprocated albeit not in a serious fashion. But it's still not bad eh? (I never took ANY action by the way. What seemed like a good idea at first just didn't feel right.)

As I type all of this down; I've yet to watch Narnia, I wished I hadn't said no to the G3 DVD, wished I had girls waiting in line for me, wishing I could drive a Bugatti Veyron and bla bla bla yadda. But there's only one thing I wish would stay the same, and that would be that my friends will stick with me until the very last day of the world if that were to come.

I salute and acknowledge all the guys and gals of TP3F0503 especially my CMT mates. I would also like to give my warmest thanks to all my buddies and buddettes for being a friend to a self-absorbed, headbanging twirp in Dockers, downright weird fella that is me. Here's to more years to come!

Chris signing off...

PS: Hope to see all of you beautiful people some time in the future, those I've met and yet to included. Cheers!

Friday, 25 November 2005

Minor freedom tastes like shit.

It took me 3 and a half years to get here. It took me through a journey to Hell and back and back and back. Again. And each time I come back more cynical. More vitriolic. More handsome (Teehee). It took me on a ride on the rollercoaster of feelings that has left me craggy and sappy. And it's about to come to an end...

Flashback scene 1:
A(RM)PIIT is a college where nerds are born. Its most famous attraction is of course, its degree courses and the dreaded final year project with its equally infamous abbreviation, FYP. Of course many of us who have went through it will fondly remember it as Fail Your Project or my personal fave, Fuck Yer Project. It's an 8 month ride into Hell and back and back and back again. Wait, didn't I already say that?
End of Flashback scene 1.

It feels very funny. Extremely awkward even. After 8 months of toiling thru the purest of shit, it finally came to a rather lacklustre end. Not because I didn't jump up and down yelling "Fuck Yeah Fuckers! I'm FREEEEEEE!", it just ended with a simple sigh of relief. No fireworks filling the sky. No bottles of Cristal (I would prefer a green tea frap but um, let's not go there ya?) being popped. No white pigeons being released (though I suspect the poor birds were "hidden" before anyone could yell "Tamiflu!").

Flashback scene 2:
I decided to set up camp in 3rd floor's main discussion room. Which became dis-CUSS-ion room once my chums came. So for 10 hours, these 5 sentences were the most uttered:

1. Fuck la! (It IS a complete sentence)
2. Fuck la! I no yet finish la!
3. Fuck la! Gimme your documentation la! Dun worry la, I modify for sure wan la. (Most of the time that never happen)
4. Fuck la! How to put header and footer ah?
5. HAHAHAHAHAHA! My laptop save your degree wor!
End of Flashback scene 2.

Gosh I love Manglish.

Flashback scene 3:
Seeing one of my friends doing his work at 5 friggin' pm when the due date was at 7pm time was probably one of the best highlights. He was nonchalant. A perfect picture of Cool. He was like the WHOLE Fellowship in one taking on the entire hordes of Uruk Hai, goblins, Saruman, and various pretty males elves. And there I was thinking about dinner.
End of Flashback scene 3.

The road still has to be travelled a little bit more. The end of it draws nearer and nearer. But as it ends, a new road will beckon me. It might lead me to total disaster or it could be my ticket to a life of happiness and chicks (a man can dream y'know ;-) ). Whatever it is though, i'm gunning down the accelerator and not looking back.

Chris signing off...

PS: I wonder how does major freedom tastes like...

Thursday, 27 October 2005

Confessions of an unwell boy

Never walk in the rain, no matter how cool you may think you look like, it's not worth having your joints aching like a mutha. And do not ever doubt the power of an umbrella and its protective reach against Mother Nature's wroth.

It's taken me twice as hard to come up with half decent sentences for the past few months. I used to think I could spew out line after line of prose that would make any English teacher smile, even if I was down with flu. I even used to get rather pissy when someone corrects my work, especially my style. Not anymore. Bubble of confidence now has been burst. Now I'm left wondering, how the heck could I have been so arrogant?

Seriously speaking, I strongly believe that my writings have been rather under par lately. And i'm not just talking about my blog entries too. My college work is ultimately suffering because of my inability to come up with believable bullshit, which I SO NEED RIGHT NOW. Maybe it's the pressure, the fact that I am known as the Documentation King, the Walking Dictionary (I swear my grammar is so much suckier now) that's been so drilled deep into my skull that I may have left out HUMILITY. And being sick made me realize how incapable I was. I was helpless. I couldn't turn to anyone besides myself.

I have been humbled. I'm more willing than ever in correcting whatever flaws because I want to become a better man. So if you see me making a mistake, don't feel shy and correct me will ya?

Chris signing off...

PS: This will be my last entry for the time being. Deadlines are very aptly named. Fret not, if I have the urge to blog i'll definitely come up with something. So thank you all (all meaning 5 loyal readers but i'm truly grateful all the same) for reading and do take care. Happy Deepavali and Selamat Hari Raya to all my friends who celebrate. Until then, have a nice lunch.

Wednesday, 19 October 2005

Sitting on the throne of thought...

Everyone does it. Some take little to no time at all, while others do it for such a long time you'd think they're planning some scheme to take over the world. Some call it 'Go To Do Business', 'Post Office', 'Pusat Melabur', and my three favourites of all time; 'I Go Bomb', 'Laying waste to (insert random country)' and of course, 'Taking a dump'. I do mine when I get up every morning. What am I talking about, you may wonder? That's the TOILET for all you conundrum hatin' people.

And now before any of you yell in repugnance, "Disgusting la you Chris!", this here entry isn't about how one goes about doing his/her lavatory escapades, it's whether or not you're a Thinker or a Reader. I fall naturally under the former mainly because when my stomach REALLY aches, the last thing I want to do is grab the newspaper. Without fail my mind will proceed to wander; sometimes I think about things that had happened the day before, recounting tales of how I managed to stuff myself silly eating mixed rice or how my hot lecturer pronounces words wrongly yet says them with such confidence it almost sounds right.

Sometimes I look forward to my sojourn to the lavatory, it'll give me that time to finally sit down (I can't really um, do it, standing up yes?) and think, think of things I wish I want, need, love and hate and all in between. Some of my most brilliant ideas pop out (literally too...) when I'm in there.

So the next time when you're out of ideas, go ahead, try sitting on the throne of thought. You'll be amazed by the things you'll come up with. And 'come out' with as well.

Chris signing off...

PS: Funnily enough, I didn't get the idea to write this while I was going about doing my 'business'.

Wednesday, 12 October 2005

I am man, hear me um, burp?

The newpaper today came out with this very interesting article on gender. It revolved around a group of people in the good old land of stars and stripes (that be America, duh) who, when they feel like it, 'change' gender like it was their underwear. Or panties.

It's their choice. They feel like a woman one day then a "grrl" he becomes and if he feels like being a man again, he becomes a "boi". Don't worry, I was confused at first. It is as one girl succintly says, "You are what you feel".

I also don't see the big deal when it comes to someone's gender and their sexual preference. If they're gay then they're gay. God created them that way and so be it. Who am I to say that I am better than them just because I like people of the opposite sex. I do feel uncomfortable when some gays express their joy upon seeing my slitty eyes. Friends say that I'm gay because of the fact I keep myself fit (which isn't much so no need to fantasize about me ladies, though thank you all the same for thinking so :P) and that fit men are mostly gay.

I know me. I know that I love being a guy. I'm a twit with wit. I don't EVER see myself as a twit with wit and tits.

Chris(tine) signing off...

PS: Thank God I feel like a man, all the time.

Thursday, 6 October 2005

I’ll drink a six pack of apathy tonight. While wearing leotards.

Recently the papers highlighted the fashion sense of Malaysians and one particular person who was interviewed put me in a fit of chuckles with her comments:

“I like to watch Jap shows to check out the latest fashions”. She looks like a reject Goth girl o'right.

But here's the clincher: "I don’t like to copy others”.

WTF? That's totally contradictory. Here we have this girl who thinks she's one of a kind when in fact, she's copying what she sees from the idiot box and then aspires to look like those featured in the said shows.

It got me thinking about my own sense of dressing. My sis calls it conservative. I call it not giving a rat's behind. I'll wear what I want to wear. I've been wearing the same three quarter pants for the past 3 years. Granted i'm a bit of a prude when it comes to fashion. But the fact is, the changes in fashion has no grip on my style consciousness (or the lack of one). At one point in my youth, I wanted to look like Fred Durst with the baggy three-quarter pants, the baggy tee, and the wallet chain of mine that really could have been used to lock up a factory in Malacca.

As most of you know(I think only 5 regulars actually read my blog but oh well), i'm from a college that requires students to wear like a working person because of their belief that once you graduate, you will straight away be sucked into some IT department, coding the latest program and drinking 4 litres of coffee everyday. So you would think I would go wild when it comes to my "normal" clothes right? Nope. These days I wear like an Ah Pek; three-quarter pants, some raggy tee, sandals and a cap. These are the things I could live with the rest of my life. With a bottle of gel for those days where the cap needs a break.

Maybe i'll start wearing neon pants, have my collar upturned and have hair that could impale an elephant. Maybe..

But could you imagine me like that?

Chris signing off...

PS: I hate jeans. Slacks all the way!

Thursday, 29 September 2005

Hypermarket Madness

Carrefour. Tesco. Giant. They're everyfrickin'where. What do these hypermarkets have in common besides funky names(Giant however sounds like a really cheap Kedai Runcit)? They're jam-packed with people from all walks of life wanting the best deal for a bar of soap. These places are also the best way to see how Malaysians are really like. The best way to describe a certain kind of hypermarketeer is simply to break them into groups as such:

Average (Joe,Jane,Mat,Siti,Muthu,Kumari,Lai Lai,Ah Fatt)
The most common of the lot. Anything and everything average applies to them; the time they take to decide which detergent they want, time it takes for them to pay, time for them to put the goods into the car... Well, you get the picture.

The Jostler
The most violent of the lot. They'll barrel their way thru the crowd like a mad bull whose behind has been poked with a hot poker. Before you can grab that last packet of Maggi Mee they'll push you aside, they'll chuck the loot into their trolley and continue on their war path. And they're the most likely to cut lines especially during peak period. Best avoided at all costs unless you want battle scars.

The Deranged Trolley Pusher
Trolleys are like cars. You have to steer them, manouver them properly around people. If it weren't for the din that it creates, the trolley in the hands of this nutter is a lethal weapon.

The Scrutinizer
This hypermarketeer doesn't actually directly annoy or irritate you in any form but sometimes you wonder, just take the damn toilet paper already!

The Bulbous Monstrosity
No matter how you try to manouver yourself, you still end up being flattened because you've been squeezed silly by this shopper just when you saw that tiny gap and you thought you could get pass.

I on other hand am a Take 'N' Go Pay hypermarketeer. I take what's needed and i pay the amount due and i'll get the hell out from the place.

So what hypermarketeer are you?

Chris signing off...

PS: Jaya Jusco's supermarket rocks cos of Siti Nurhaliza. She nice.

Monday, 19 September 2005

I like 7

I was actually in the midst of coming up with "Things That Will Make You Go Huh and Buh: The Secrets of Chris Revealed" but thanks be to Syar and Nadia who came up with this cool thingy and I thought, what the heck, let's do this instead.

Before I gloriously die, I plan to...

1. Settle down with the woman willing to spend her remaining days wishing she didn't have to, make some Chris Jrs and Little Miss Christines and own a really BIG and EXPENSIVE car.
2. Experience life as much as I can. Which includes me working in some foreign country and wishing I was eating nasi lemak instead of stinky French cheese that has blue markings to denote its profound stinkyness.
3. Travel as much as I can. No tour groups for me, I want to experience people's country and lives without an overweight tour guide with a scraggly beard and moustache telling me about the local cuisine.
4. At least see Dream Theater, Metallica (they may suck tremendous amounts of donkey ass now but without them I wouldn't be the metalhead I am today), Slayer or even Audioslave in concert.
5. Make an impact on society. I don't know how exactly I am going to accomplish this but I do hope I leave something for my children and their children to talk about.
6. Find and hold a job I truly enjoy. "Because I don't want to wake up one morning with the sudden urge to blow my brains out." (Completely borrowed from Nadia since it's so good I couldn't change it)
7. Meet the people on my list who I haven't already done so. Don't worry, I don't bite.

I can...

1. Curse, drive, drink, look out for cute girls, adjust hair: ALL at the same time.
2. Burp on command.
3. Headbang, read/study/write and air guitar/drum: ALL at the same time.
4. Admit it when I'm in the wrong.
5. Go on and on and on and on and making people's lives more unpleasent by coming up with cryptic analogies and sentences that should be called paragraphs.
6. Devour a Whopper in under 1 minute. That's like downing 2 Big Macs. My stomach then rebels thus sets me in the privy for the next half hour or so as revenge.
7. Make people laugh with my wit, my lack of self-efficacy, and my sometimes cute face that resembles a Pillsbury dough boy.

I can't...

1. Shut up before it's too late.
2. Write simple and staightforward. I will beat about the goddamn bush 'till there's not a single leaf left.
3. Drive at night properly. And if it's raining, get ready to tell me the traffic condition. It may get a bit rough.
4. Look people in the eye. I'm afraid I might get crossed eyed.
5. Dance to save myself.
6. Watch horror movies and not laugh and be scared out of my wits at the same time.
7. Let incompetence lead me on in anything that I do, or worse, people who can't admit it when they're wrong. Especially men, to me if they don't then their a bunch of pansies.

Say most...

1. Rubbish
2. Bugger
3. Macha!
4. Dude!
5. Cool
6. What the heck/hell
7. Shit

Attract me to someone...

1. Being completely herself, for I do not want a girl who at first seems all genuine and is my kind of girl, only to turn out she's ditzy, self-centred and worse, is a fan of Britney Spears.
2. Likes music for what it is and knows the difference between real rock and pure garbage.
3. Looks. Anyone who says looks are not important is either blind or is just trying to sound sensitive. While I know I may never be able to date a model, but I do hope to meet a girl with beautiful, souflul eyes, lips that demand to be serviced, and hair that whence is flipped is able to whoop me across the floor.
4. A girl who knows what she wants.
5. Knows that I will always be there with her and vice versa. But, um, she may have to fork out petrol money. Expensive wor.
6. Is able to stand my quirks and thoughts about many things in life. I'll forgive her for calling Good Charlotte "Good rock" if she accepts my love for metal. And Norah Jones. Ooooo.
7. Is able to take my jokes and turn it around and making it funnier.

Celebrity crushes (This list is in order. You'll know why.)...

1. Kristin Kreuk - THANK YOU GOD. She's so beautiful, that everytime I have notty thoughts about her I immediately hit my head for such a creature of pulchritudinous shouldn't be treated like a mere vessel of pleasure. And those green eyes of hers just melts my soul.
2. Jessica Alba - From the first time I saw Dark Angel I was mesmerized. Not only does she exudes sexuality like an oozing chocolava pit, she manages to tickle my happy spots everytime I see her. And those lips, oh my.
3. Hannah Tan - Malaysia Boleh! As cliché and rather lame as it is, she goes to show that Malaysian chicks are a million miles better than Singaporean chicks. She's got one heck of a brainy mind (she can prolly teach me more about IT than my college ever can) and is an all round mighty fine package.
4. Angelina Jolie - Lips of wonder. Body of amazement. Eyes of steely determination and unquenchable sexual drive, and who could blame El Pitt for dumping that Aniston woman. She can raid my tomb anytime.
5. Rachel Weisz - Her American accent goes off tangent sometimes but that smile of hers makes me want to smack Keanu Reeves for getting to see her in a more intimate fashion.
6. Scarlett Johansson - She proves that curves and having a beautiful complexion is so much more appealing than looking like an anorexic milkmaid. And that husky voice is like butter on hot potato buns.
7. Evangeline Lilly - Beautiful. Just beautiful. When she cries, I feel like crying too. When she laughs, i'm over the clouds. She's one of those rare actors who can pull off emotions with such conviction. I'd so love to be Lost with her.

Honourable mentions go to Marg Helgenberger (CSI), Camelia (i've always liked her, *blushes*), Aishwarya Rai (bite me), Fergie from Black Eyed Peas who's possibly the sexiest and scariest woman alive.

So there you have it, things you may have known or suspected, all for your reading pleasure. Hope you all enjoyed it.

Chris signing off...

PS: Who would've thought I'd need almost 5 days to complete this...

Wednesday, 7 September 2005

Of pretty faces and meaty bodies...

Boys at the ages of 6 to 12 normally detest girls. Then suddenly, one (explicit and lurid) dream changes it all. And the fact that the bedsheet too needed a change marked the transition of detesting to desiring. I should know, I was one.

A good friend of mine who shall be known as FengTau recently told me that during the holidays that he didn't do anything remotely work related. No coding. No documentating his work. No research into his subject. And i went, "Hahaha. Same here dude." But what he told me next made me splutter my laughter fluid all over his car. it was "HAHAHAHA!". Notice the Caps Lock-ed laugh and the exclamation mark? it was THAT funny. The reason:

Me: I went down south to our neighbour and ate so much 'til I couldn't fit into my cargo pants and I ended up walking with a really uncomfortable feeling in my crotch area whilst looking at animals who were either sleeping or displaying their behinds. At me nonetheless.

FengTau: Guess what man(at this point he was smiling wider than a hippo's behind). Me now a playa. A mutha focker. A daddy with sugar. Bling bling chicky at me side. *and cue the very serious face* I got to kiss. Girls. Ah ha.

Me: Holy hell...

One month and a half of holidays and most of the time he spent it at clubs, gets to know a couple of girls(naive no doubt) and when one just happened to say that "I like you. Wor." He's now a bonafide lothario. This is coming from a guy who was more interested in just undressing girls mentally. But now is with no clothes on them preferably. What surprised me more was that he's actually going to go after yet another girl. And get this, the reason is because "She's quite pretty". I waited for a more in depth answer but i knew it wouldn't come.

It all boils down to the fact no matter how much we progress toward a more egalitarian environment, there will be some men who will always want the bimbo type, the pseudo peroxide chick with a super pushup bra, the stick thin and wafer-like bodied girls. One thing that irks me to no end is when they don't know how to differentiate between slightly meaty girls(read: girls who are nice to cuddle with because there's something to hang on to) and girls who simply just have too much meat. They'd call the poor slightly meaty girls straightaway as FAT simply because any girl with a slight tummy(and i mean even the slightest hint of a tummy too) is deemed as overweight.

As for me, I prefer my girls to have some meat. I find that it is more appealing to show off curves as opposed to the exact bone structure of a stick girl. Of course, even if the most perfectly proportioned and beautiful woman were to be attracted to me(a guy can always dream of such dreams...) but has the personality of a serpent waiting to devour its prey i'll stay away from her as far possible.

I believe having a partner is something that is to be cherished and not treated like a Sunday cone. You can call me old fashion, I don't care. At least I know my principles, beliefs and most importantly, my soul, aren't soiled with sinful acts.

Chris signing off...

PS: Stick girls do not be offended. Here, have a carrot.

Thursday, 1 September 2005

Merdeka! Merdeka! Yam Cha*!

Raise your hand for those of you who TRULY embraces the spirit of our country's Independence Day? No-one? Add me to the list of no show of hands. Honestly, I've never been to a Merdeka celebration. Nor do I think I would participate in anytime soon. To me, it's just an excuse for many to go out, wave the flag lackadaisically and then down a pint or so of beer. That's how many view it, just another public holiday to blow away the hard earned money on booze and ciggies. Ask them where's their Merdeka spirit and they'd probably puke their dinner on you cos they're too drunk to say, "Huh? Merdeka ah?".

And who're these people? I'm referring to the people of today. The people of today who will one day take over this country. And who will lead the next generation into the future. I'm talking about me and YOU. Yes, YOU dearie. I may not be the best person to talk about patriotism but I will be the first to tell you that no matter what, always respect and love your country. I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't want to go to another country and work. If the opportunity came, I'd take it in a heart beat. But in the end, home is where the heart truly is. It is where I was born and made. It made me the man I am today. The good and the bad that happened serves not only as lessons learned but also the most cherished thing one could ever possess, and that is experiences of life. Besides their virginity as well.

I must say that i'm proud to call myself a Malaysian. I love to tell people from other countries about Malaysia's character, idiosyncrasies, culture, cuisine and of course, the people. Whenever something happens, I'd say "That's a Malaysian thing" or "It's Malaysian la".

I shall end here with a simple wish, let's strive to better ourselves and not succumb to trivialities.

Chris signing off...

*Yam cha is Chinese for "drink tea" which is commonly used when one is going out for an outing. Usually alcohol is accompanied. Being inebriated is optional.

PS: Happy Merdeka everyone. Yes, i know i'm a day late.

Tuesday, 23 August 2005

Music to my ears

Even metalheads need a change of pace once in while y'know.

Recently i went to the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra for a free preview of their upcoming season. Since it was free, my family and I sat ourselves in the hall awaiting the start. As the light started to dim, i found myself actually not knowing what's really going to happen. I've never seen a real orchestra perform. But when the conductor started to wave his wand-ish thingamajig and the orchestra finally unleash their instruments, i was enthralled. The orchestra played note perfect renditions of John Williams's body of work which sufficed to say is incredible in its grandeur and evocation of the senses. I had a tremendously enjoyable time.

There were some things that bothered me. First is the freeloaders, or more appropriately, shameless charlatans who just because it said FREE doesn't mean it's something that your mind can comprehend let alone appreciate. Real fans stood in line for hours and yet all these village people got seats because they were there slightly earlier. Secondly and it's something that i have an ambivalence to, a sort of love/hate relationship with: Children. Specifically, 8 years and below. I've always liked kids, well babies to be exact, apart from the crying and the occasional poo moment, babies are okai. I just can't stand naughty, bratty, uncontrollable monsters who pester, moan, whine, scream, yell, lie down to the floor because they didn't get their chocalate bar. They're angels when they want something but become their true demonic self when they don't get their way. If you know your kid's the type that can't keep still for half a second then DON'T bring them. As i was immersing myself in the music, i closed my eyes to savour the sweet music. I let the music flow into me so to speak. Since they played stuff that i actually know and like such as Hedwig's Theme from Harry Potter and Duel of the Fates from the Phantom Pen..Menace, it made the experience even more enjoyable. Then a kid starts yelling and a baby goes "Agoo agoo agoo bla wahhh!" and it totally disrupts my concentration. My mental state shifted to PSYCHOTIC for a few moments.

I'm not saying these village people aren't allowed in there or they can't even listen to this kind of music but for crying out loud, just because it's free doesn't mean it'll mean something to you. It's like queueing up for some free thing only to find out it's free tampon samples. This is sadly the mentality of many Malaysians. This kiasuness is apparent mostly in the village community simply because they display it on their sleeves, pockets, collars and tassels. They don't hide it. Snooty rich people are also capable of displaying such behaviour albeit in a subtle but still as shameful way. They're conniving and greedy and they'll do anything to get their way. You would think that with bucketloads of money, people would be more polite or just? It seems that they're only worth what their handbag contains. Free is free yes but taking it for granted merely causes one to lose the meaning of what is good and what is easy.

FREE is truly the most universal word in the world. Use it freely.

Chris signing off...

PS: To the chick with the unbelievable body and cleavage who ran up the hall: Thank You so, so, so much.

Friday, 12 August 2005

Home is where the heart is...

Greetings everyone! Yes i know, many of you have missed my witty and insightful posts. Fret not, i wasn't abducted by aliens wanting to stick probes up my lovely proverbial behind nor was i taken hostage by Amazonian women who want to make me as their um, head of reproduction center, but rather i was down south in Singapore! Ah ha, the land of the kiasu, the land where the women are snobbier than poodles, the land where the guys don't seem to wear caps and the land where it has made me miss Malaysia. A fucking lot. While i do love being able to cross roads in an orderly fashion as opposed to mad dashes, where service with a smile is actually happens(though the old ladies here tend to subscribe to the mantra of Service With a Dour Face from Hell), where at night i don't feel as though i'm being stalked by a deranged drug addict, but the thing is, there's really no place like home.

Just think about this, the area that i am staying at has no mamak stall where you can just go to and plonk your arse down, no Internet cafes hosting Counterstrike sessions(or the highly awful DOTA), no stalls selling kuehs and such, no Chinese DVD peddlers. The only thing that my area has that is of intellectual interest happens to be an adult shop. Hehehe. Apparently, this is pretty much the same situation as the other places. It's just shopping mall after shopping mall with Old Chang Kees and 7 Elevens. And McDonald's and Burger King. And girls. Pretty ones. How do i know? Try taking a walk around Orchard Road. For 6 hours. I don't mean to talk big but i went round Orchard Road for 6 hours straight and in the rain. And guess what i found out? Everything's the same. I got bored in no time. It's a shopping paradise yes, especially for you of the female kind, but too much shopping is just ridiculous. Not too mention also very hurting the wallet. Luckily the eye candy provided me with some drive to continue.

While some of the girls there are really pretty, i can't help but think that our girls are still better. The girls here think every guy is checking them out thus start to then put on the most annoying pout of arrogance i've ever seen. Sure the tight tops, the short skirts, the rather lovely derrieres on some of the females there did leave a lasting impression in my mind. I just wasn't convinced that they're doing it because they feel like doing so. The girls here do it with conviction whereas the Singaporeans do it because it's a fashion.

To me, the food was a sight; chocolates of all shapes, sizes and flavour were on display, gelato stations serving some of the best looking non-fat ice cream known to man... the list goes on. The food courts are every friggin' where. All their shopping malls have at least one corner where all the restaurants are located. But the taste of it all felt bland. The Western type of food however was simply sumptuous. A real feast for the eyes as well as for the palette. But I still craved for nasi lemak with rendang, roti canai telur with dhal curry and noodles with dumplings that taste so good.

And as i am writing this, the haze is getting thicker, water is running low in some states, rain has not fallen for quite a whie in my area, the prices of certain goods are increasing, traffic jams have reduced people to maniacs... and yet all these and more make me love my country even more. I may bitch about it every day but i'm proud to call myself a Malaysian. And i'm sure many of you too share the same sentiment.

Chris signing off...

PS: Any Singaporean chicks out there who're reading this, PLEASE do not feel offended. I still think you all are really hot. You're just dumber than i thought.

Sunday, 7 August 2005

Patience everyone!!!

Ah, if any of you are wondering, i am in Singapore on holiday. :)

Yes, i'm having a blast here. Some of the reasons why so:

Chicks
Metal
Food

Ahhhh, life is good. Anyways, i'll give an update once i'm back which will feature my superb observations here in the land of kiasu. Until then..

Chris signing off....

PS: I'm broke. :(