Monday 27 June 2005

moslem jedi knights?

interesting article, claims that george lucas obtained his ideas for the "star wars" trilogy from sufism and islam.


happy birthday! and the royalty fees...

i frequently get a newsletter from www.indiajuris.com.
recently, they mailed me something quite funny:


HAPPY BIRTHDAY A TRADEMARK NOW

Happy Birthday can no longer be legally used on any other products. A private Chinese company has claimed to have registered the words as its trademark in 25 countries, including the US, Japan and European Union members.

The Fufeng toy plant in Anhui Province said it has more than 70 products with the Happy Birthday brand, including toys, dresses, shoes and hats.

With fierce competition in the world toy market, the company realised the importance of brading. They were inspired to register the "well-known and pleasant phrase", a company official was quoted as saying.


interesting. i guess now we'll have to start trademarking well-known malaysian phrases as well. here are a few:

selamat pagi = good morning
selamat petang = good afternoon/evening
selamat malam = good night
apa khabar? = how are you?

there's an indonesian word that might merit trademarking too:

bringsek! (it's a four-letter word in indonesian ;-)
very powderful. sure to get attention one...

going to KLIA by train?

someone sent me a mail about going to KLIA by train:
how to get there on less than RM20!

here is the post, copied and pasted for your viewing pleasure:



Do you know that you can travel from KL Sentral to KLIA for as low as RM12.50 instead of the normal fare of RM35.00?


A closer examination on the ERL fare structure using the link below will reveal the following weakness

Sentral(1) --> Bdr. Tasik Selatan(2) RM 4.20
Sentral(1) --> Putrajaya(3) RM 9.50
Sentral(1) --> Salak Tinggi(4) RM 12.50
Sentral(1) --> KLIA(5) RM 35.00

But,
Bdr. Tasik Selatan --> Putrajaya RM5.30
Putrajaya - -> KLIA RM6.20

So to save money on fares -->

1. Either take the ERL to Putrajaya for RM9.50. Get down and buy another ticket from Putrajaya to KLIA for RM6.20. Total cost works out to RM15.70 instead of RM35.00

The inconvenience is having to wait for the next train for about 15 mins(peak) or 20 mins(non-peak). But the substantial saving of RM19.30 per person may be worthwhile.

Or

2. Take the Komuter to Bdr. Tasik Selatan for only RM1.00 . From here take the ERL to Putrajaya for RM5.30. Get down and buy another ERL ticket to KLIA for RM6.20. The total costs add up to only RM12.50 instead of RM35.00.
This option is cheaper by RM3.20 but the additional hassle may not be worth the additional saving.

ERL is banking on the fact that despite this apparent weakness in the fare structure, nobody will take advantage of it mainly because everybody is in such a hurry nowadays!

Saturday 25 June 2005

whoa, frigid with ma friiiiiiidge woes

Imagine: you are thirsty. You plan to sleep, you're sleepy, and the Malaysian weather is no doubt a catalyst for mosquito breeding. What nicer way to end the day than to take a glass of ice cold water? Ah. Ahh... The cool droplets forming on the outside of the clear tube-like glass, the ice cubes clinking clinically, and the water.. sloshing down a thirsty, greedy, throat. (Yours, of course!)

Ideal situation: Open fridge, fill glass with ice cubes, fill glass with water, drink water, and go to bed.

Imagine: the fridge stops working. The chill factor is gone, just like N'Sync. Gone! Gone! Gone! The fridge won't make ice cubes. Instead, you've got water cubes. Which, if you like, you can add to your glass of water. Well, admittedly... it's not as rigid as ice, and doesn't retain its shape... So, you don't get your glass of cold water, and you wonder what to do with all the food in the fridge. And you wonder if Oliver Twists of Brickfields would like to help clean up the food before it begins to smell. Not too bad.

Imagine: the fridge has stopped working for two (or three) days. And your mom's gone outstation since Monday, in the natural course of the scope of her duties. That means nobody's been opening up the fridge since Monday morning. Until, of course, your sudden urge (ah, the pangs!) for cold, iced water.

High voltage revelation of the day: The fridge opens with a strong, ugly whiff of rotting veggies and various (assorted) meats. You look at the "archived" meals (courtesy of a doting mother who cooks more than her health conscious sons can eat) and see the curry chicken bubbling.

Second high voltage revelation of the day: The fridge ain't bin cold for the past few days! In fact, it's hot. So hot, it reminds you of the clothes drier. Not a bad use of the fridge, in fact. Hang up a few of your freshly washed knickers within its interior and return two hours later: Guaranteed smelling as fresh as your freshly bought veggies! (They wilt, in the warmth of the fridge, alongside your knickers).

Ah, these are funny times. The electrician said it was a problem with the Kompressor. Kompressor? Why, goodness me. My fridge and a certain luxury car are relatives...

to do: podcast

Most folks know what an iPod is. It's that clean looking brick with a nice dial in the centre. Everybody's favourite MP3 player, so to speak.

Recently I discovered what are called "podcasts". It sure as heck beats downloading songs off of KaZaA Lite Resurrection. Podcasts are mini-broadcasts, anywhere from ten minutes long to 2, maybe 3, hours long. Songs are usually included, but some are pure interview/commentary, drama, etc... Stuff that radio used to do before television gained ascent as the entertainment of choice. (I've read radio scripts for sketches that can't be topped by some of our present day soap dramas!)

So, this here entry is a "marking" in my journey: Download Podcasts!

Some choices are present below. Click to visit via:








Next thing to do: make a podcast. Well, perhaps not in the near future...

Thursday 23 June 2005

their numbers

their numbers are legion
all over the region,
their leader's charm
a spreading contagion
strangling the youths:
the roots of our nation.

it is about time that people who value freedom and democracy stand up. as the pages of our history books are being written, the hansard diaries are continually disregarded. instead a sanitized version of the truth is oft-times presented, perhaps because of its more palatable nature. in some instances the truth is not at all presented. instead, certain parts are played down. and some parts are played up.

case in point: recent furore over japanese gov't amendment of japanese history textbooks, which described the nanking massacre in such terms that the incident was "insignificant".

the issue: more palatable to whom?

(some nonsense follows)
he left this life in a well-mangled car.
he was in his lifetime a new fangled star.
he kept by his side a hot angled bella.

at present listening to french music. little known fact: many french music superstars were refugees from former french colonies (african continent) who escaped extreme harshness to the lushness of gay paree. stars of choice: k-maro, tragedie, corneille.

Friday 17 June 2005

henpecked

he goes woof-woof when he sees his wife;
the nasty little lady doesn't need a knife.
he would grovel to the ground
and shovel without sound;
he made up his mind to forever bind
his freedom to the happiness of her fat behind.

Thursday 16 June 2005

dropped like a rock

a certain individual was dropped
much like a stone into water,
with not so much of a plop
his heart sank as his leader
announced that his previous "in"
had become an "out" ...


moral:
"laughter" is part of "slaughter"

Friday 10 June 2005

Tuesday 7 June 2005

taek soon getting married

i wonder if anyone here knows im taek-soon?
he's getting married.

emcee on friday

i'll be emcee-ing a dinner this friday.
it's my first time emceeing.

i'm not worried at all.
i shall be with my friend and co-emcee...
Albert Chin.

i think we're going to be great.

venue:

(courtesy of Selangor State Gov't)

how to get there:


(courtesy of Wetlands Int'l)


(courtesy of Quattro... who are they??)

and for a bird's eye view:


(courtesy of Jaring)

and a really big one here...


(courtesy of Aztech)

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