Just a short entry on our arrival in Australia. We arrived in the late afternoon in Perth, and my best friend Mei picked us up from the airport. We stuffed the luggage and ourselves into the mini (Note: Vin fits quite nicely into a mini cooper!) and headed to Mei and Colin’s place. We settled in, and then met up with Eu-Jene, Indra, Colin and some of Mei’s work friends for drinks and then dinner at EJ’s favorite restaurant: Uncle Billy’s. [[image:oz04.jpg:Vin, EJ and me:center:0]] [[image:oz01.jpg:Vin and Colin:center:0]] [[image:oz02.jpg:Mei and EJ:center:0]] [[image:oz03.jpg:EJ and his (then) future bride Indra:center:0]] As you can see, Vin and I are looking a little rough – we’d flown from the US to KL just a couple of days ago, then another 6 hours on the plane to Perth. Whew! We needed a nap after our dinner. Tune in later for more adventures in Perth!
Continue readingMalaysia Trip – Part I
I know I’ve been quiet. I don’t know why but somehow I sort of slipped into a bit of a hibernation period. I haven’t really done very much, haven’t swept the floors either (that’s next on the list). I really have to get started on sharing the pictures from our awesome 4-week trip (3 weeks in Malaysia, 1 week in Australia). So here it is, the beginning of the sequence. These are the pictures that I took the first few days we got home. I admit it – I was pretty exhausted and didn’t take as many pictures as perhaps I should have, plus then the camera battery conked out and all kinds of excuses. We were only in Malaysia for 2 and a half days before we had to set off for Perth. So we stayed on the 10th floor (enjoying the view) with Hisham and the rest of […]
Continue readingFirst a Book Review, Then a Painful Yelp
Here is a blog entry in two parts. The first is a review of a book. The second relates a tale that happens the day after the book had been finished. But first, I will complain that my car’s transmission, when engaged, will squeal like a dog but only for a second. Now on with the blog entry. A Collection of Four Tales, Each Attributed to a Season of a Year [[image:seasons01.jpg:Different Seasons by Stephen King:left:0]]Stephen King might write what critics consider the fast food of literature, as documented in the opening paragraph of this essay by Marylaine Block. Why settle for a Big Mac when you can savour cuisine? But Stephen King undeniably serves a very tasty Big Mac. I have experienced two tales told in Different Seasons before, but as movies instead of the written word. I have seen the adaptation of Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption […]
Continue readingThe Smell of Blood, Finally Realised
Long have I read in books where the author describes of the scent of fresh blood, especially in crime novels where a gruesome murder had taken place, or a horror novel where some unfortunate soul gets his or her skin flayed for whatever reason. Long have I also thought (each time I read such thins) that I know not the scent of fresh blood. Perhaps it was because I rarely visit places where gruesome murders, or supernatural flayings, or accidents in blood banks occur. Recently, during Aidiladha (Happy belated Aidiladha everyone) we went back to Pasir Mas where as it was normal during the celebration, many bulls and cows were slaughtered for food to be given to family, friends and the less fortunate. So there I was at the yard of Ain’s uncle’s home in the neighbouring village of Lati. We were there a couple of hours late, so we […]
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A Donovian Technician on SWAG
Here’s Frobi-wan Kenobi’s request which I did on Star Wars Artists’ Guild, a female tech from the rainy world of Donovia, Kaydra Leeronel. Click here to read the request thread. Click here to see a bigger picture on SWAG. Click here to an even bigger picture on deviantArt. Click here to play Chasm. It’s Irfan new favourite game and it has nothing to do with this post at all.
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Two Jabs and Electrically Cauterized at the Crotch
Two days before I got back from Langkawi, I was feeling a slight pain at my upper inner thigh. There was a small growth chilling out there, minding its own business thus far until my excessive brisk walks during the exhibition caused it to be chafed. There was also a slight bleeding to it probably because the thighs sliding as I walk caused a bit of a tear where the not-so-little growth attached to the skin. Several days after returning, on the advise of my colleague, I went to see the doctor to treat the pain. Perhaps the doctor would have some sort of salve or lotion to ease the pain. Or perhaps he would put an adhesive patch over it to avoid further physical trauma to the growth as it (maybe, I thought) heals itself. No such luck. What happened next was… well, you can read the transcript of […]
Continue readingUpdate on Travels
Vin and I just got home from a month-long trip home to Malaysia, with a short side trip to Australia. And we’re staying home now, for a while. So I figure I should first do a little update on the map of countries that I’ve visited. I’ve been to 11 now (up from 8 in 2006): create your own visited country map or check our Venice travel guide The 11 countries are: Malaysia, US, Canada, UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Australia. My percentage has gone up from 3% to 4% in a year. Woohooo! I think if I hit Russia, China and Brazil, this map will really fill up quick! 😉 In the meantime, we have also visited some new states. Last year I had 27 states listed. This year, I have now been to 32 states (62%)! create your own personalized map of […]
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Time To Get To Work. Oh, and Photos!
Let’s take advantage of the free wifi some more and post new pictures of work. Just like other entries of business trip photos on this blog, there are lots of exhibition booths and models of aircrafts. There are real full-sized aircrafts in the premises but I didn’t take any photos of them. Also, there is an aerobatic display outside which is quite loud and makes it hard for us to work inside the hall. I must be working at exhibitions too long already. Everywhere I turn I meet people I know. The booth below is ours. The 5-sided display stand with the spotlights in front was Shide’s idea. The graphic design on each of the five sides were done by me in .ai format. In the space of about 7 hours, then emailed to the booth construction people to be turned into stickers. Too bad the didn’t put it on […]
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I Was Last At Langkawi 17 Years Ago
The best thing ever that could happen is the discovery that this hotel I’ve staying at has a free wi-fi connection. This discovery is nothing less than imbuing me with the ability to post a couple of photos which I took earlier today, from Kuala Kedah to Kuah. We had to leave the car with a shipping company that conveyed our mode of conveyance to Langkawi by ship. Unlike the ferry to Penang, we had to travel separately upon a passenger ferry. The ferry played Resident Evil Apocalypse en route. I fell asleep soon after the movie began. I woke up 20 minutes before it ended. When the end credits played. the ferry was about to begin docking operations at the Kuah Jetty. Here was the muddy banks of Kuala Kedah at low tide. As the water began to rise, mudskippers and crabs plied their trade under the pier. Here […]
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Tomorrow I Go Off To Langkawi
I go tomorrow not for vacation, but for work. I can’t wait for it to be over. Ain and Irfan aren’t here with me now. They’re at Taiping attending Cik Eda’s wedding. I miss them. (No doubt Sila will be posting an entries with pictures of the event.) Ain and Irfan will be back on the 2nd, which means I wont be seeing them before I leave for Langkawi. I will be back on the 9th. I wont be seeing Vin and Sila again before they leave for home. It’s going to be a long week.
Continue readingIrfan, Uncles and Anti-Gravity
Irfan went swimming this morning at the building’s swimming pool. With him went his Opah Cu and his uncles, Pak Ngah and Pak Cu. Thanks to exotic technology that manipulates gravitons, Irfan, Pak Ngah and Pak Cu were floating about on the water using anti-gravity. Atuk Irfan was there to take pictures of the amazing event with his camera. Here are several images of the wire-fu hijinks. [[image:jumpwater01.jpg:We’ve lost artificial gravity!!!!:center:0]] [[image:jumpwater02.jpg:I know kung fu:center:0]] [[image:jumpwater03.jpg:Repair that damaged gravity! Yes sir!:center:0]] [[image:jumpwater04.jpg:Buddies in a road trip… into the water:center:0]] [[image:jumpwater05.jpg:Nathan Petrelli? He’s got nothing on these guys.:center:0]] Suddenly, the gravity comes back on…. and then, splash! [[image:jumpwater06.jpg:Impact!:center:0]]
Continue readingIrfan Gets a Diploma
There was a ceremony today. It was organised by the owners of the kindergartens, one of which was Irfan’s. So today Irfan got a diploma. Before that, though, there were a couple of speeches and performances by 5- and 6-year-olds. Irfan’s class performed a little dance. The music went along the lines of “going to the zoo”. Some kids were the zoo animals. Some were trees. Irfan was the middle ‘O’ of the word ‘ZOO’ and was in the middle of the back row probably because of his height. No surprise, cause that’s where I was usually placed in old school photos as well. [[image:letter_o_01.jpg:O RLY?:center:0]] [[image:letter_o_02.jpg:The march to the stage:center:0]] [[image:letter_o_03.jpg:He loves his white gloves:center:0]] [[image:letter_o_04.jpg:Assembly onstage.:center:0]] [[image:letter_o_05.jpg:Performance is over:center:0]] Then, the camera batteries died, and I had to switch to my phonecam for the diploma-giving. [[image:convo01.jpg:Getting ready to get onstage:center:0]] [[image:convo02.jpg:Irfan and friends get their diploma:center:0]] [[image:convo03.jpg:Irfan and […]
Continue readingThree Recent SWAG Requests
[[popup:berdan.jpg:(thumbnail):Berdan Angantire:left:1]][[popup:ryavar_dyarek.jpg:(thumbnail):Ryavar Darek:left:1]][[popup:jacen_fel.jpg:(thumbnail):Jacen Fel:left:1]]Here are three recent Star Wars Artist Guild requests. Each thumbnail is a link to a bigger artwork. From left to right: Berdan Ngajio Angantire is a Mandalorian Death Watchman‘s son, Ryavar Darek is a Togorian Jedi and Jacen Fel is an Imperial Knight from the Legacy era. Click on the links on their names to view even larger pieces of artwork on deviantArt. There are links to the SWAG pages from the deviantArt pages.
Continue readingGuess Who’s Back In Town?
[[image:uncleaunt.jpg:Cik Dik, Ayah Cik and Irfan in between:center:0]] What the title says….
Continue readingStarships of the Galaxy by Uncle Gary
Another one of Irfan’s Uncle Gary’s writing project has been officially been announced by Wizards of the Coast, which is Starships of the Galaxy for Star Wars Roleplaying Game – Saga Edition Core Rulebook the third edition of the d20 gaming rules. The book was a collaborative effort between Gary, Owen Stephens and Rodney Thompson. I’ve seen the Saga Edition Core Rulebook on display at Kinokuniya the other day, but I haven’t bought it yet. I’ve heard good reviews about it and maybe someday I’ll get a crew together to sit down and play it. Heck, I’ve only played the d20 revised core rule book version via a Play-By-E-Mail game that didn’t really finish. Maybe I’ll start a new crew beginning with this little guy beside me not really quietly playing with the N-1 fighter I got 8 years ago free with a Happy Meal. But the real question about […]
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