"Once"

Lately, movie-goers had been served with big budget movies with super duper special effects (think Ironman, Narnia...). "Once" is really a refreshing change from the mainstay Hollywood blockbuster.

With a budget of just 130,000 Euros, this Irish movie is about a dude (played by Glen Hansard) who busk for fun on the Irish Streets. His performance draws interest from a Czech immigrant (Marketa Irglova). The budding friendship started over a spoilt vacum cleaner (the dude's dad owns a vacum cleaner repair shop). The movie really portrays the loneliness of 2 individuals, one a struggling immigrant, one a misunderstood musician and how does their love of music bring them close together. It also dwells on their own personal demons from their past relationship which proves to be stumbling block for this budding romance to go on further.

The music from the movie is so so nice. Helps that both lead are established singers rather than actors. I am so going to buy this soundtrack. Will be quite difficult to find though. Music aside, the chemistry between the guy and the girl (yes, no joke, the leads are credited as Guy and Girl) makes this movie the more so brilliant. Not surprising as Hansard and Marketa really dated after the production of this movie.

All movie lovers out there, i highly recommend this movie to you. It is such a refreshing fresh air after watching too much those main Hollywood staple. Like going on a vegetarian diet after one week of feasting.

Caution: You need to be a Scouser to really catch the conversations. Caused only scouse accent is more difficult than Irish accent.

TORRES IS NOT FOR SALE!!!!!

Rafa said it. Hicks said it. Certain Liverpool FC spokesperson said it. Hell, all Kopites are telling Roman to f*** off.....

Read my lips....FERNANDO TORRES, LIVERPOOL'S NUMBER 9, IS NOT FOR SALE, 非买品.

So, Roman go play your Championship Manager to fulfill your wet dreams.

I am so going to punch the next Chelshit fan who come up to me and say Nando is turning blue, seriously don't try my patience.

Eucharisitic Congress, Corpus Christi Procession

Today is the Eucharistic Congress of Holy Family Church, Kajang. I was tasked to take photos for the parish newsletter for Corpus Christi Procession. Here is what happened today.

Father George Carrying the Blessed Sacrament. Father can speak 4 languages fluently - Bahasa, English, Tamil and Mandarin...no joke...

When we go to town...we really go to town

My God Sis's Little Boy

His name is Kwek Zi Yi. He is 1 year old plus.

Sometimes emo...

So Small already poser....

Like to laugh a lot :D

Happy Family

Time really flies. It was just like yesterday when my god sis baby sat me when I was the one who was one year old ..

A Long Long Way from Home

When ppl ask me where I live, the reaction i get is always "Wah!!!! So far!!!" Then I will go about saying that "No lar...it's not that far"...that is until today....for the uninitiated, Sg Long is like 20 clicks away from KL. It doesn't sound far but it is the traffic along Jalan Loke Yew and Jalan Cheras that kills.

So, my gout made an almighty come back over the night. I still wore shoes to work and it had been getting worst and worst. As usual, the infection kicked in with mild fever and quite a fair share of headache. So I had been sauntering through work waiting for the clock to hit 6pm. But i forgot there is Fire Tariff Training...so went in, as usual Selvyn started the throwing questions that made us think think think....my gosh....EIC summore...the headache got worst and worst. Training finished at 6.30pm and I limped our to my place want to pack and go hoe liao. Then IT guy came over and say want to switch laptop for me....great....Everything settled at 7.20pm. My ankle is starting to scream in protest. The headache is splitting my skull. Limped for 10 minutes to my car carrying the bloody heavy Dell Latitude 505. alright....figuring that 7.30 already shouldn't be that jam....

How wrong was I...Changkat BB...Jam like f**k....tour buses where unloading passengers at Radius Hotel...great....taxi and van showing each other who is more man at the Jalan Alor Junction. Assholes cutting lane at Jalan Bukit Bintang. And suddenly i dunno where did all the friggin' tourist came from...really there are all sorts of coloured people showing Malaysians how to jaywalk...now that's something...Jalan Hang Tuah bloody road construction going on...3 lanes turn to 2 lanes...bottleneck...brilliant. As usual, turned into Loke Yew it was a bloody mess....in the end..took me 1 and a half hour to get back to sg long....with gout, fever, headache and hunger....

When everything that can go wrong does go wrong...home can seemed a bit far far away too....Maybe I should started looking for a place nearer to town. i'm going to crash early today....

P.S. I am driving a Manual Kelisa....it doesn't make much difference coz it is my right ankle that is killin' me....

Oh My Gosh!!!

I promised to 捧场 peiru's art expo. I was all geared up to get myself to Cenfad. Then just now I sms'ed peiru to confirm the time. Then she sms'ed back say, "Its yesterday. Saturday mah..."

I was like "....... the crow fly by" Typical me....

Sorry, Pei Ru. I really am.

Roman Wants to Buy Fernando Torres

Apparently Roman Abramovich tried to bid for Nando for 35 million pounds.

If I were Rick Parry I would give Roman a look of disbelieve and utter shock, and then I will roll on the floor laughing until my voice is hoarse....hahahahahahah...'nuff said...who the hell this Russian joker think he is? LMAO.....

Someone should direct him to the nearest for a quick fix....Wanker....

Interesting Day At Work

Yesterday I was not feeling well so on MC. Today got back to work and there were 59 e-mails waiting for me. Took me about 20 minutes to read everything. Read only, not respond. Half way through Emily came over and asked me to go to Mint Hotel for a claim meeting with adjusters and client. For the uninitiated, Mint Hotel is the huge green colour abandoned hotel next to the KL -Seremban highway. Apparently some wankers broke into the hotel and stripped of a mother load of copper wires.

Got there and together with the client and adjusters escorted by a security guard, climbed up to the 6th level. Climbing up is one thing but the whole hotel, abandoned for 3 years, is so bloody stuffy and dusty. And to think that I am not 100% OK yet. The whole 6th floor was a bloody mess. The thieves had destroyed all the ceiling to get their hands on the copper wires. It was like a scene from Alien with debris and pipes and whatever hanging from the ceiling.

We continued walking around and I tell you abandoned hotels are damn freakin' eerie. It really is like a scene from Resident Evil. The eerieness was enhanced by the fact that the Receivers and Managers kicked out the management like overnight. Files and books were like place properly. There are even a few pairs of lady's slippers under the desks. There is even a half drank coffee cup filled with molds. All covered in a thick layer of dusk. I half expected a zombie to jumped out from a corner. Only thing is that I did not have shotgun with me.

The dustiness more than anything, i think, have made me feel much sicker than yesterday. I think i will crash to bed early today.

Mahkota Cheras update: Just now passed by the junction and all seemed to be quite and well. Just a Grand Saga van looking over from the flyover. But i emphasize, this is definitely not the last we have heard from Grand Saga.

Defiance in the Face of Oppression

Grand Saga laid the foundations of the intended barricades in the wee hours of 9/5/2008, right after the assault of FRU on Mahkota Cheras/Sg Long. Later, some brave souls bulldozed the foundations and repaved the road. At around midnight of the same day, I was driving back from Choice 83, I decided to stop by at the fly over to have a look see of how's the situation. These are the scenes that greeted me:

The people were holding a candlelight vigil in the face of anarchy. Defiant in the face of oppression. Yes, enough is enough. 3 years of exploitation is enough. It definitely have to end.

Looking at the crowd, you will not believe that these were the people that were sprayed and gassed yesterday. The message is clear, you build it, we will mow it down. Enough is enough.


I am sure that this is not the end that we will hear from Grand Saga or their private army, the FRU. But we will stand fast in the face of oppression and fight for our rights in the face of exploitation.


The flame of justice will flicker on in the face of adversity. You'll Never Walk Alone.

The Hands of Oppression

In my previous post I reported that I saw FRU personals station at the Mahkota Cheras junction, paving a path for contractors of Grand Saga to rebuild the barricade. I did mention about the possibility of usage of water cannon and shield charge to disperse the crowd. Little did I know that approximately 2 hours after I drove past the site, or around the time I was writing my previous entry, the unthinkable really happened. FRU personally fired water cannon and tear gas canisters at my fellow neighbours citing that the gathering had "turned ugly".

I ran a search through YouTube and found the following clips uploaded by a fellow Mahkota Cheras resident:

First, the warning:



Then, all hell break loose. First salvo, water cannon:



Next TEAR GAS!!!!







Police were saying that the crowd was turning unruly and they had to use force to disperse the crowd. The video clip shows otherwise. Firstly, the crowd was not hurling stones, bricks or molotov cocktails at the FRU or contractors. Secondly, the crowd were already starting to disperse after the commander of the FRU sounded the warning. Yes, from what I can see from the video clips, the FRU used force unprovoked!They fired at people who are starting to turn back and on their way home!!!

Someone please tell me what have this country come to. It is not as if we are threatening national security or anything that deserve these kind of treatment. This situation does not warrant the highhanded action and drastic measures. Nobody's safety was compromised. No property was damaged (except for the barricade built by grand Saga). People were not smashing car windows. Is it necessary for the FRU to fire tear gas and water cannon at a people fighting for their right of a more convenient traffic system? Tear gas and water cannon should be reserved for rioters and I emphasize that there is no riot as proven by the video clips. According to eye witness the FRU were more interested in protecting the safety of Grand Saga contractors. Reminds me the PDRM motto "Kami Sedia Berkhidmat". Berkhidmat untuk siapa? I would love to ask. For Christ's sake there were children amongst the crowd.

Mahkota Cheras vs Grand Saga....Triumph of Injustice

I had been telling my friends that the Grand 傻瓜 won't give up so easily. Their revenue would had been hit real hard for the pass month due to the opening of the access road. With the Police and definitely certain well placed personals behind them, it wouldn't be that hard for Grand 傻瓜 to forcefully rebuild the barricade. On my way back from work, I passed by the scene around 8.45pm and true enough, the might of injustice was in full action. FRUs were lining up at both side of the access road armed with shields, with excavators hard at work in between the 2 row of red helmets. It isn't that hard to imagine how it happen. FRU would just need to force the human walls off the intended barricade site by moving in with shields or there is the infamous chemical laced water cannon. We don't stand a chance against the muscles of anarchy.

It seems that the Highway men stayed true to their words as they vowed to put the barricades up since they are "concerned" of our safety. Quoting today's The Star:

"Grand Saga business development and corporate affairs executive director Zainal Abidin Ali, who was at the site, said while he sympathised with the residents for being forced to use a longer route, a new barrier would be erected as the concessionaire was concerned about safety issues."

Give me a break. The only "safety" that he is concern is probably his bonus and the "safety" of those "hands" under the table. For the past months when the access road was open it did not even post a minor glitch to the traffic flow. As a matter of fact, it might have made the roads around Sg Long and Mahkota Cheras safer as there is less congestion. The newspaper report did say that the State Government is still waiting for a report from the State Survey and Mapping Department. I was like, Hang on a moment. Isn't the State Government supposed to be on the people's side now? It should be time to pay back the trust the people had given to Pakatan Rakyat. Time to show that your election campaign is not just a bunch of bullshit or your credibility will suffer the same fate as those of BN.

Power to the People!!!!

Just now on my way back it started to be bloody jam after the Cheras 9th Mile exit. At first i thought it was a bloody accident. Then, my instincts just told me something big was happening. I just had the feeling that certain quarters is trying to reblock the Mahkota Cheras (MC) exit. My fears were confirmed when I saw 2 FRU trucks parked near the exit. To cut the story short, Grand Saga highway blocked the exit since yonksago so they could collect more toll by forcing people to use the Sg Long Exit which is maybe half a click away. but you have to pay an extra 90 cents. Money is one thing but MC residents had to make a big friggin round through the Sg Long exit which congested the only access road of MC and Sg Long. My ex-colleague, Bee Heong, who is a MC resident said that it took 15 minutes to take the long way (no pun intended) compared to 3 minutes using the MC access road that was blocked. The exit had being blocked for quite sometime until recently some brave residents decided that enough is enough and drove a bulldozer and flatten the blockade about a month ago. The Pakatan Rakyat people had been setting up camp at the exit recently to avoid the highway buggers from re-erecting the blockade until the people's patrol was called off recently thinking that the coast was clear. Obviously, Grand 傻瓜 highway decided to rebuild the blockade and the residents were trying to prevent that.


Wanting to have a better feel of what was happening, I decided to join in the crowd. When I reached the exit by taking the long way through the Sg Long access road, the people were cheering and cars were honking in celebration. It seemed the the Grand 傻瓜 people had given up and decide to move along. I just arrived in time to see the coppers packing up and leaving. It was the greatest scene of people power I have ever witnessed. All races united in one voice, cheering and jeering at the cement mixer trucks and lorries. I got hold of a police sergeant stationed there and he told me that they were there not to stop the protest. They were only there to ensure that nothing untoward happened. Apparently there were some minor fracas between the residents and the 傻瓜 officials.Shame that I did not have my camera with me, so I had to make do with my camera with a lousy VGA camera.

You can feel the frustration of the people from this banner that was erected. The message reads "300 billion dollars for the highway company". There is a pun in the message. Highway in Chinese is 大道 which has the same pronunciation as 大盗 which means robber or bandit. Next to the words are 3 notes from the Bank of Hell (the kind chinese burn for the deceased).

Side Story: When i got home, I jokingly asked my cousin why she didn't join the human wall. She replied in all seriousness that they 慈济 people are not supposed to join "political demonstrations". Talk about political demos, dunno who joined and cheered for Taiwan Independence during their national day celebration. And guess who tried to sabotage the Beijing Olympics. Bloody hypocrites. Well, get on and continue to recite mantras and hope the world change for a better place. A certain someone once said, God only help those who help themselves.

Ironman, best Superhero movie adaptation

When I watched the trailer of Ironman a few months ago, it got me worried. Moviegoers had been spoiled by super duper special effects and paper thin plots of superhero movies recently. Think The Hulk and The Fantastic Four (except for the Silver Surfer). Rest assured my fears were unfounded. Being the first production of Marvel Studios, the producers made sure that this movie does one of Marvel fanboys' favorite characters justice. The gist and spirit of the comic was recreated faithfully throughout the movie. From Starks personal morality struggle to hints of his problem with alcoholism to the attempted coup at Starks Industries.

Of course, the special effects were stunning. The suit was had the wow factor in it to appeal to all audiences. The director made a masterstroke by casting Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark. Even though i was skeptical when saw the trailer, I am glad to report that RDJ carried the character well, especially half we through the movie when he started to become the Tony Stark that we knew in the comics. Casting of other characters also proved to be spot on. Gwyneth really made Pepper Potts as if the character was made for her. Then there is the loyal chauffeur "Happy" Hogan and Colonel James Rhodes.

A complain from the general audience is that there is not enough action in it. They are of course expecting over the top action sequences like they get in Spidey. But in place of the action sequences, we have a plot of more weight that asking questions that are very relevant to the World today. Changing the opening scenes to Afghanistan (in the comics, Start was kidnapped in Vietnam) proves the point the writers are trying to make.

Marvel fanboys will have their appetite welted for things to come. A sequel is definitely in the works. War Machine (Rhodes saying "Maybe, next time" when he saw a work-in-progress armor), S.H.I.E.L.D. (Yeah, baby, yeah!!!), Ten Rings (Mandarin, any one?). And Tony Starks announcing he is indeed Ironman (horrors!!!) suggesting that Civil War is in the horizon. Oh, I bloody hope so.

P.S. - The Chinese Language translator have to be shot in the head 2 times. Ironman is translated into 坚强的男人. Oh, please.......

Out but out with More than a Shout

The time is 5.57am. I am drained emotionally and physically. I was another roller coaster ride served up Liverpool for their fans. First, Drogba scored. Lucky if you ask me. Kalou was offside but IMHO as the self proclaimed 5B class of '99 top draw central defender (i know that was yonks ago :p) Riise was partly at fault for that goal. Now that's for another story. Then Benayoun produced some magic and to put Torres through and he equalized. M Bar was filled with euphoria. It seems all was going well as we were at the ascendancy. You can tell that the Mancs match was taking a toll on the Chavs.

Into extra time, Essian put one into the back of the net but it was rule offside. A bit lucky for Liverpool as would not think Pepe would have save that even if his view was not blocked by one the Chav players. Right after that, Sami lost possession in the box to Ballack and he was a judged to have fouled Ballack inside the box trying to get the ball back. Penalty. Up stepped Lampard to send Pepe the wrong way. All credit to him after a traumatic week for him. After the goal, Liverpool had a strong appeal for a penalty after Drogba brought down Hyypia in the box. For a moment the ref almost gave it but then change his mind in the last minute. It was basically curtains for us when Drogba got another one for the Chavs. Another pass from the left (why am I not surprised). Babel got one back for us but it was then to little too late. The Chavs are going to Russia.

Am I disappointed? Of course! Who won't be? But this is not a bad way to go out. Soccernet says our performance was insipid in the first half. Bollocks, I say. We were on the back foot but we soaked up the pressure and got back to them in the 2nd half. The lads have gave their all (except for 2 guys who needs to get a bashing from Shankly's ghost). Some might say Stevie was quite subdued but come on, we can't expect him to save our arses all the time. He performed his duty well but didn't went all gung ho. Tactically Rafa planned everything out perfectly. I can understand the rational of subbing off Nando for Babel. He wanted Babel to run the chavs ailing defense ragged. And he turn out to be the provider of the lifeline.

This match was loss by individual mistakes (some avoidable, some not) and also luck, or rather the lack of it. Decisions went against us time after time. Hyypia's foul on Ballack, his appeal for penalty, the first goal when Kalou was offside. Most importantly, we were creating chances. Especially the second half and in extra time. In football, sometimes you need luck. We were indeed lucky when we dumped Arsenal. Luck works as a double edged sword. Well, this is football for you. Wish the Chavs all the best in Moscow. I would rather they win it instead of the bloody Mancs.

Seeing that our season is already over, I will try to do a season review soon. Until then, YNWA. I will still be wearing the Liverpool badge proudly tomorrow.

P/S: By the way, the folks at myRawk was commenting on, "Wow!!!! So many plastic flags!!" Courtesy of a certain Russian Millionaire. Liverpool still has the best fans and the best stadium.