Monday Morning Blues ...

It's a nice cold, rainy 'spend-the day-in-bed' kinda Monday morning and here I am at work ... I don't usually post anything in the morning's but today I just can't seem to start any of my work. I already have some work on my desk (and it's only 9.10am - groaaann!)

I don't know why but my mind just isn't in 'work mode' yet (then again, it's always never in work mode anyway). I can hear the rain outside and it's the prefect kind of weather to be snugly curled up in bed with my beloved. Sighhh ... it's a long way until the weekend (yeah, yeah I know the weekend just ended).

Hopefully, somewhere along the day, I'll get into the swing of work again, but somehow I doubt it. When I feel like this, I'll feel like this the whole day. I could do what my good buddy told me to do when he called a little earlier, 'bum off and go home like you always do, Nick'. How could he even suggest that I do such things, I'm such a loyal staff ... LOL! Right now, this very second, your 'suggestion' sounds like a mighty fine idea Buddy ... :)

Ok, gotta drag myself away from my blog and try to start on my work now but before I sign off, I'd like to thank Ann of A Nice Place In The Sun for awarding me the 'The Inspirational Blogger' award (which I hardly think I deserve) but thanx anyway Ann. I got this from her quite a while back but have been sitting on it and it would do great injustice to her if I sat on it any longer. I'll get down to naming my 5 deserving bloggers a little later today. Have a nice day people :)

Client From Hell ...

I haven't posted anything in quite a while (well, 3 days is quite awhile for me anyway ...) It's been partly because of my workload and the other part is because I'm such a lazy pig at times :) I've been so lazy that I've even neglect my running for close to 4 days now, well, it's also due to the rainy evenings we've been experiencing in my area. I could just run in the rain, I have no qualms about it, but it's the lighting accompanying the rain that frightens me! I guess I'm gonna have to step up my training from tomorrow (today cannot la in case you're wondering, need to do grocery shopping with the wifey, who knows maybe can get those 'almost-free' longans again ... hehehe).

I actually have no idea what to post right now. I wanted to bitch about this client I have who gave me grief a couple of days ago, but my anger with this particular client has subsided. I'm a person who seldom loses my temper, if and when I do, I usually cool down pretty fast (like maybe in a couple of minutes ... hehehe).

Well, since I'm on the subject of anger, I might as well rant about what happened with this client I mentioned about. I have this client (duh), a public listed company (I shall not name names for fear of being sued!) and all that. We're one of the Agencies on their panel. We do quite a lot of work for them, have been for the past two years or so. They expect a lot from us, in terms of creativity, concepts, costings, delivery, time lines etc. As a professional (we'd like to think we are anyway ... hehehe), we often go out of our way to accommodate their requests. I personally had to work till the wee hours of morning when we were doing their annual report making sure everything was completed on time. Had weeks of sleepless nights and all that (to the point my wife was complaining ... ).

So, the other day I called them to ask about outstanding payments (which is quite a bit by the way), some even dating back to September of last year. I called the accounts department and asked in a polite and friendly way about whether there was any cheques ready for us. Boy, was I ever not prepared for the response I got. She went in this loud, unwomanly, irritated, shrieky voice 'NO, NO PAYMENT LA, DON'T CALL ME' and hung up the phone! Who am I supposed to call if not the accounts department? I was speechless for a whole 30 seconds (which is an eternity for a blabbermouth like me).

For a while there I thought we owed her money or something cos from the tone of her voice it sure seemed like it. Then when I finally recovered I was totally boiling from rage. I mean, here I was just inquiring politely about our payment status and I got treated like shit! Hey woman, your company owes us tons of money, the least you could do was reply politely that the cheque wasn't ready, how hard is that? I didn't dare call her back to give her a piece of my mind cos I know I would have said some very nasty (maybe even vulgar) things to her. I was that mad!

Sometimes I wonder if it's worth going through all the trouble for clients who in the end have no respect whatsoever for the individual or the Agency. I treat all my clients with the utmost respect (after all they are what pays the bills for me). I never say no when they ask for something to be done within impossible deadlines. I personally go out of my way to get things done and I'll always find a way somehow to make it work for them (by harassing my suppliers no less ... hehehe). Even my wife complains that I baby them too much. Maybe I should just be nasty to them ... then again, I can never be nasty. It's just so not me. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to put up with the crap they throw at me.

But all that said and done, I'm not letting that accounts lady off the hook so easily, the next time I call her for payment which will be next week, I'll be much more prepared and I have a 'nice' response ready for her ... muahahahahaha ... I'll let you guys know how that went ;)

The Tag Marathon!

I've been meaning to do this for ages but haven't really got around to it. In the past two weeks (I think), I've been tagged by at least 5 bloggers for 5 different tags (and one award ... hehehe) and I've yet to post a single one (sorry people!). I've been busy with some work (ok, ok, I've been pretty lazy too ... hehehe). Anyway, today I managed to wrangle up some free time on my hands and decided to do a Marathon Tag Session. I'm going to post all the tags that I've been tagged with in this one single post in no particular order. So, to these 5 nice people who tagged me, Nessa, Janice, Bobo, Jean & Ann, I would like to say a big thank you and my apologies for the late postings! And to those who have also tagged me and I didn't mention your name here, please do let me know, ya? Age is catching up with me, memory is not what it used to be ... hehehe ...

Tag No. 1 - The Face Behind The Blog
Janice was the one who tagged me to reveal the face behind the blog. And as unlikely as it may seem, even though I work in an advertising agency equipped with all the fancy tools of the trade and all its sophisticated high tech computers and scanners, for the life of me, I don't have a single photo of myself saved online or on my hard disk (it's the truth, I tell ya ... LOL!) So, short of not displaying anything, I decided to post an image (of what I'd love to look like) with some description of what I really look like (and the description is the only thing that's absolutely accurate, btw ... hehehe). The image on the other hand isn't though :) Use your imagination ... hehehe ...

(Click image for larger view)

Blog Title : Anything Goes!

Description : A slightly 'off centre' person with a place to post his gibberish rantings.

Why "Anything Goes!" : Why not :)

Name : Nick Phillips

Country : Malaysia

Occupation : Urmmm, high class dispatch person. LOL!

Email : Do I have to?... hehehe ...

Birthday : Somewhere in the month of March

Fav Color : Aquamarine

Fav Drink : Coffee, what else!

Fav Fruit : Green apples

Fav Dessert : Urmm, none actually. Not the dessert kinda person.

Hobbies : Reading, Running & Sleeping (Can't say blogging cos it's an addiction, not a hobby ... LOL!)

Some of the blogs that I know which put up picture(s) of me are : I have absolutely no idea, not that there any pictures of me out there anyway ...

Okay, get ready people cos you're gonna be revealing your faces next :)

• Adrian of First Time Dad
• Hui Sen of Brain Spillage
• Seiche
• Lis of About-every-little-thing
• Diamond of Nonsense, fun, tears, happiness and anger all roled into one

The usual rules apply:
Post a short article and include your photograph (or more if you want to). If you already have a pix online somewhere, the get creative with a new one :)

Next include the link to the others who have displayed their pix, or even include their pix in your post, adding a reference to it.

So far, these are the brave ones :)
Gayla at Mom GadgetChar at Essential KeystrokesPaul at Reflections Rob at 2DolphinsZep at The In-Sect Ingo at StixsterStevie at Lost In Cyberspace The Paper Bull at (oddly enough) The Paper BullLisa Sabin-Wilson at Just A Girl In The WorldDawud Miracle at dmiracle.com Wendy Piersall at eMoms at Home The Beta News Randa Clay at Randa Clay DesignDrew McLellan at The Marketing MinuteBecky McCray at Small Biz Survival Phil Gerbyshak at Make it Great!Steve Woodruff at StickyFigure Dave Olson at Live the GREAT life that you desireGreg at Become a Remote Control SEOAriane Benefit at Neat Living Blog Genesis at the At Home Mom BlogArmen at iFFECT.NET Mihaela Lica at Online Public RelationsTara at Graphic Design BlogDoris Chua at Home Office Women Edward Mills at Evolving TimesTony D. Clark at Success from the Nest Jonathan-C Phillips at SmartWealthyRichKaren at A Deaf Mom Shares Her WorldLisa Gates at intrinsic life design Rammel Firdaus at rammelfirdaus.comCarol at Pentimento Adam Kayce at Monk at WorkThomas at Technical BloggerTammy Lenski at I Can?t Say That! Chris Brown at Branding & Marketing Rory Sullivan at HamelifeDerek Wong at Going The Wong WayEmbuck at embuck.comMs. Q at QMusings Shelly Tucker at This Eclectic Life Steve at Ramblings from the MarginalizedTroy Worman at on!blogLilith at Lilith’s Owl NestRevov at REVO-OVER Karin at Stop/Start Jamy at Seay's Kopitam this is a miracle Anything Goes!

The final step is if you do link back to me, then do send me a buzz and I'll be sure to include links back to you. Easy, ya? So, go ahead, post that picture already :)

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Tag No. 2 - Ten things I hate!

This tag I owe to Jean. I'm supposed to list 10 things I hate, can that include all the people I hate? LOL! Well, here's some of the things I truly, absolutely, positively, most definitely hate :

• Food I hate : Anything that's from inside an animal !! Urgghhh !!!
• Fruit I hate : I would have to say pineapples. Looks too dangerous to eat :)
  
• Veggies I hate : Petai (is that even a vegetable?)
  
• Celebrities/People that I hate : Paris Hilton, Paris Hilton & Paris Hilton.
  
• Event/Situation/Incident that I hate : Working, but the bills have to be paid ... sigghhhhhhh!!!!!
  
• TV shows/movies that I hate : Those bad Malay soaps. Man, you should hear the dialogue ...
  
• Music I hate : Dangdut!
  
• Household chores that I hate : taking out the garbage.
• Things that you hate around the world : War. Give peace a chance!
  
• Things that you hate about yourself : Laziness.
  

For the other 1,000 things things I hate, please visit my blog at hate-the-world.com .... LOL! Ok, now here's a few more unsuspecting victims that I'm gonna make reveal thier hatred for all things out there :)

nessa lavender johnmjustice cbenc12 ann clemons

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Tag No. 3 - The Love Link!

The final tag I have is a love link from both Nessa and Bobo. Writing just a paragraph wouldn't do justice to them at all, go visit their blogs and you will see what I mean :)

1. Write a short paragraph at the beginning of your post and link back to the blog that put you on the list.
2. Copy the list of originals below COMPLETELY and add it to your blog. If you would like a different keyword for your blog then change it when you do your post and it should pass to most blogs with that keyword.
3. Take the adds from the blog that added you and place them in the 'Originals' list.
4. Add at least 1 new blog that you KNOW is using the DO FOLLOW plugin to the list in the 'My Adds' section. (Add no more than 5!) Let the people you've added know, so that they can keep the list going.

My Adds:
Seiche
Brain Spillage

Originals:
Anything Goes! Nessa Mariuca This is a Miracle Revellian d bImBo Secret of Mind A Great Pleasure Little world of thoughts Renisphere mott's island Kev's Walkabout iBubbs woof Down Memory Lanes Woof & Arf Lovely Mummy Bubba Stuff Mommibee Moments in My Life Rambling Moo All about Zara & Zaria Hip n cool momma Random Thoughts of a Blur Mommy Mylittleanelqianyi Bits & Pieces De’moments chinneeq Giddy Tiger Huei Rabbit Rinnah Simple America Niceheart Ethel Sanna The Queer Chef Shoshana Leahgina Haze GheeNeng aka Sirena Angelo Ju aka The Border aka Juana of Femjo Tina Keep the Faith jsonvlog Suncoast Scribe Blogging Kenneth My 2 Centavos Worth Manila Mom 3 Dogs, 3 Pigs and A Family Cafe Romanza Earn Global Credit Ability Macuha Flee the Cube Smart Wealthy Rich MomReviews.net Fellow Eskimo Pajama Mommy Amanita.net WebStyle Meredith’s Weight Loss Blog Pink Blog Tricia’s Musings Ugh!!’s Greymatter Honeypot Midlife Musings Utterly Geek Whatever I Feel Like My Dandelion Patch Surviving NJ GeekySpeaky Simple Kind Of Life 3DayMom BuyMeBlog The Hockey Dad Confessing Girl Dani Jesse

The Girly Man ...

It's been a pretty busy day for me today. Been doing some spring cleaning around the house with the wife and we've only just finished all the chores, well, most of it anyway. Still got a little more to do, but we decided to keep it for tomorrow.

Anyway, while helping the wife with the chores which included sweeping and vacuuming the hall, room & kitchen and also doing the laundry I kinda realized something today. I would normally always help the wife when she does the laundry and when it's done washing, I'd go and dry out the clothes for her in the sun (I don't have dryer, btw).

But today, I was busy with something in the kitchen and when one of the wash cycles (we had 4 cycles of laundry to do today, that's how much clothes we had to wash, we only have 2 kids but it feel like we're raising a battalion! LOL!) she said to me (in jest), 'I'll go dry these out, don't want people thinking you're some 'sissy boy' hanging out the laundry'. It never occurred to me that people may actually think that a man hanging out the laundry is a little on the 'soft' side. I have no issues with it and in fact, most of the men in my neighborhood (which I've noticed) also hang out the laundry to dry. Does doing something that's been perceived as a woman's job (not being a male chauvinistic pig, here) make me a lesser man?

I'm the kind of man who loves helping the wife with her household chores. I'll always be on hand to help out in any way I can be it sweeping the floor, cleaning the room, doing the laundry, even cooking for the kids, ironing their school uniforms and doing the dishes. No one, least of all her, forces me to do any of these things. I enjoy doing stuff like these with her cos I enjoy being by her side always :) In fact almost everything that she does, I'd be there helping her. Sometimes she says I'm like her shadow ... LOL!

I'm just wondering what people think of this? Does doing stuff that's basically been perceived as a woman's/wife's job (actually I don't think there are any set rules here) make me less macho? (not that I ever was macho to begin with ... hehehe) I've known people who would say that men who do stuff like these are being 'queen controlled' and such rubbish. I have cousins whom I know would practically frown upon these things I do if they knew I do stuff like these. Some of my cousins (the male one's anyway) basically still have the mindset from my grandmothers time where men go to work and earn a living and women stay home and do all the household chores. For them it's, I work! you cook, clean and iron! Dinner must be ready for them when they get home, then after that it's time out with their friends while the wife stays home and look after the kids!!

So, what do you think? Do you think that it would make men less manly if they help out with the 'traditional' womens household chores at home? I for one definitely don't think so at all. I believe if you really love the person you're married to, you'd want to be by her side always and what better way to do this then helping with the chores :) Tell me what you think ... I'd really love to know. Besides I really couldn't care less if people think I'm a sissy man!!!

What's In A Blog?

It's been a rather slow afternoon after a hectic morning. And this is probably the last free afternoon I'm gonna have for the next week or so. Got some new 'urgent' (aren't they always) projects that need to be completed and it's gonna keep me pretty busy for a bit.

So, I've been sitting here all afternoon (of cos after I completed whatever work that needs to be done ... hehehe) and have been randomly visiting people's blogs. Some are pretty cool, some are not. I'm actually pretty particular about the blogs I visit. It has to be attractive enough, visually as well as content wise (for me anyway) to make me wanna stay and read more. If it isn't I'm out of there in a heartbeat.

What kind of blogs attract me you might ask. Well, I'd rather read blogs that are more personal in nature, stuff that relates to the author of the blog. It should be sort of like an online diary, for want of a better word. That's what I really feel a blog should be all about, but that's my own humble opinion anyway.

A blog that's too serious, business oriented, political and with loads of video's and animation (and I mean loads to a point where it takes forever to load) are definitely a no-no to me. I don't really know about the rest of you but I cannot for the life of me relate to blogs like these.

Every morning, I have this, urrmmm, you may call it ritual, where I visit all my regular and favourite blogs out there before I start my work proper (unless I'm rushing for an appointment or something). And the reason I keep on coming back for more from these blogs is because I can relate to it. They're all written in a very warm and personal way with loads of funny, witty, informative and thought provoking stories.

I started blogging just for the fun of it and to have a place to rant and rave about anything at all under the sun (especially things that concern me) and It's bloggers like you (you guys know who you are) that makes my blogging experience fun. And I must say a big thank you to all you guys and gals out there for supporting my blog by visiting me and always leaving such funny, encouraging, thoughtful and nice (I haven't received any bad one's yet and hopefully never ... hehehe) comments.

Most of these blogs I've actually been visiting since the start of my blogging days (which was actually pretty recent) and they're really pretty great blogs. So, to all you bloggers out there that I've left comments with, you can be rest assured that in my humble and honest opinion, I think your blogs are awesome :) Two thumbs up to all you guys and gals!

It Can't Get Any Cheaper!

It was a dark and stormy night. The wolves were howling in the distance with the pitter patter of rainfall on my roof amidst the never-ending flashes of lighting in the distance ... oopppsss, wrong post. That's the script for my horror movie ... hahaha ...

Yesterday, the wife and me went for a quick shopping stop at Giant Hypermart near my place. I was out of shaving cartridges and pestered her to follow me to get some. After some intensive persuasion on my part, you see, she was really grumpy (and when I say grumpy, it would put Grumpy the dwarf to shame) cos she just woke up from her nap (which she hardly never takes) and she didn't want to go with me but after my incessant pestering she gave up (I never like to go out on my own without her) and followed me.

So, as I was cruising the aisles looking for shaving cartridges, she disappeared to the fruit and vegetable section. When I finally found her she was busily picking out longans. So, after picking all the good ones we went and got it weighed and could hardly believe it cos it cost only 0.17 sen for a huge bunch of longans. Boy, I was totally astounded by the price. I mean, 4 pieces of sweets cost 0.20 sen and here I was getting one huge pack of longans for 0.17 sen!

We left the place feeling pretty good with ourselves, I mean, 0.17 sen longans and it tasted so sweet as well when we ate it later at home that this morning, we decided after the boys Sunday school to go back and get a whole truck load full of it (... hehehe ...)

So, there we were, gleefully picking a years worth of longan supplies along with a bunch of other people. Then we got to the weighing station to get it weighed and the damn things cost about RM9.00 or so. Somethings not right here I said cos yesterday we bought a whole load and it cost 0.17 sen and today it cost RM9.00. So I went back and checked the price and it actually cost RM3.99 a kg. Apparently, the cashier keyed it as 0.39 sen per kg yesterday, that's why it was soooooooooo blooming cheap! Damn, and here I thought I actually found something in this world that was really really really cheap. If I had known, I would have taken a whole truckload yesterday.

For a while there, I thought things were getting cheaper again but it was just plain old good luck that the cashier was so careless. How I wish they were careless everyday (or at least every time I shop. LOL!) Anyway, we bought the longans at the actual price today and it still tasted pretty good. But yesterdays tasted even sweeter cos it was only 0.17 sen :) What can you buy for 0.17 sen nowadays?

The moral of the story : he who laughs last, laughs best! Ok, ok, I know that really isn't the moral of this story but I honestly didn't know how else to end this post, besides it sounded like it would compliment the start of this post ... LOL!

The Burger King!

It has been a hectic 2 days for me. Had this client who wanted to host an event and they gave me a whole ONE day to get things done! Like as if I'm some miracle worker or something. But then It's also partly my fault cos I did say no problem and that it could be done. Besides, I like this client (gosh, I must be losing it, I actually like my clients. LOL!). Though they always want things done at the last minute, they're pretty nice people to work with and are extremely good paymasters too ... hehehe ...

Anyway, that little story aside, it wasn't really what I wanted to post about. I was reading Hui Sen's blog a few days back and he mentioned something about chilling out with a Ramly burger, drinking a fizzy drink and sitting by the road side and it got me wondering at the amount of times I've done done with it my buddies.

I'm sure most of us would have noticed these little burger stalls located outside almost every 7-11 in town or pretty much by the roadside in most residential areas here. For those not from Malaysia, Ramly burger is a local manufacturer of burgers and sausages. They don't produce the best of burgers but it's almost always the choice brand for these little burger stalls.

I seriously don't know what it is about these burgers but everyone, no matter what race or religion you are, has at one time or other tried these burgers, me included. There's really nothing fancy about these burgers at all. It contains a burger (but of course!), loads of cut up lettuce, tomatoes, carrots and cucumbers, spread with an extremely generous (and I mean extremely generous) amount of mayonnaise, tomato and chili sauce. It is so generous that it makes the buns soggy and difficult to eat. Can you imagine biting into them and the sauce dripping all over your hands and onto your clothes? (Damn, I feel like having one right now!)

But the thing is, these burgers are popular as some unofficial after dinner 'snack' (it's called supper, Nick!) and is best enjoyed with a nice bottle or can of fizzy drink (coke's my personal favourite) and sitting by the roadside (the nearer it is to the stall, the better) with a good buddy or loved one (ok, ok, I'm a cheapskate, honey) and enjoying the burger. It's totally unhealthy, the amount of oil from those burgers are sinful enough but its like some kind of iconic thing over here with everyone.

Every neighbourhood will definitely have at least one, two maybe even three or four of these stalls scattered around. And the weirdest part is, you will deifinitely find one just outside a 7-11 store. I guess that's why fizzy drinks are popular with these burgers. It's also pretty cheap too, a normal chicken burger with the works would cost a measly RM2.00 - RM2.50 (depending on the seller) And a 'Special' Burger (usually wrapped with eggs, twin patties, etc) would probably cost in the range of RM3.00 or so. Now that's pretty cheap compared with all those fast food joints!

I happen to have my favourite stall just a 5 minute walk across the road from my place (yup, you guessed it, outside a 7-11 store) and he makes a mean burger :) I always custom order mine, less mayo, no chili sauce, no lettuce and tomatoes but loads of onions ... yummy! But I've cut down on it ever since I started running again. Ahhhh, the things I sacrifice to stay healthy ...

I Have The Power! To Schmooze, That Is ...

First of all I would like to say a big thank you to Adrian, Mariuca and Jean for this award. I'm totally honoured once again to be given an award by them (not that I do deserve any awards). I actually received the Power of Schmooze award for quite a while but haven't gotten around to displaying it or even naming 5 fellow bloggers (I don't have all that many blogger friends .... hehehe) to present this award to. Besides, it's really getting hard to choose from so many bloggers out there cos as far as I'm concerned, everyone should get this award. All you guys and gals out there have done such wonderful jobs on your blogs and it would really be unfair of me to ONLY pick 5 of you for this award. So, in the spirit of fairness (some call it laziness ... hehehe) I would like to honour everyone who has taken the trouble to visit my blog and leave me such nice, encouraging, funny and thought provoking comments this Power of Schmooze award! You all deserve it :)

Okay, a little history on what Schmoozing means. Up until I got this award, I never knew there was such a word as Schmoozing ... hehehe! Schmoozing, according to Adrian, Mariuca and Jean, is the ability to converse casually, in order to gain an advantage or make a social connection.

Legend has it that a good Schmoozer effortlessly weaves his or her way around the blogsphere circle, leaving behind a trail of friendly smiles and at the same time making a host of new friends along the way. They don't just visit the sites of the rich and successful but spend a generous amount of time saying hello to new bloggers as well. They are the ones who engage others in many meaningful conversations, not just leaving it to a simple hello - all the while fostering a sense of genuine closeness and friendship.

So my honoured bloggers, give yourselves a pat on the back and display the Power of Schmooze award proudly on your blog :)

Me, My Hair And My Barber ...

The rain is pouring outside my window as I type this post and I'm ever so glad to see the rain even though it's gonna ruin my run for today. The weather for the past 2 weeks have been so hot I'm sure hell had much cooler temperatures :)

The weekend has been good for me though I really didn't do much except go for my daily run and take the boys and myself out for a haircut at out regular Indian Muslim barber shop. Yeah, people, I don't go to no fancy schmancy hairdressing salon to get my totally unmanageable mop of hair cut. Only these Indian Muslim barbers can handle my hair.

Ever since I was this wee young lad in primary school I have been very particular about my hair. My hair has this hopelessly natural curl when its long (i dream of having straight hair) and I was very conscious about how it looked and how it fell in place. At that time (when I was between 6-12 years old) my mom always took me to this Indian Muslim barber and got me this horribly short hair cut every month. I use to dread going for a hair cut and every snip of hair that was cut from my head, I felt like killing the barber! You should see the killer stare I gave the barber back then ... LOL!

Then when I was in my teenage years, when I could go on my own for haircuts, I went to this professional hair salon to get my haircut done by student hairstylists (I wasn't working yet and there was only so much I could spend on with the allowance I got ... hehehe) These haircuts were more like a game of chance cos with student hairstylist, you never knew how your hair would turn out. I always go in there asking them to cut my hair like Nick Rhodes of Duran Duran but on more than one occasion I've come out of there looking like Don King!

When I went to college (the very same college I met my best buddies) I use to take at least an hour just to get my hair done at home before leavening for classes (Yes, yes, I was a vain pot back then!) I would actually stand in front of the mirror plastering my head full of gel and whatnots and then blow drying it place and I would not leave the house until it was perfect (or so I'd like to think). I'd even close all the windows on the bus so that the wind wouldn't mess my hair! There were times in class when my hair got messed up that I'd take a taxi all the way home just to blow dry it back in place! (yes, yes, yes, I admit, I was a hopeless conceited fool!) Ask my good buddy Adrian, he could tell you hours of stories about me and my precious hair.

Nowadays, I'm more sane and have reverted back to those trusty (though i didn't know it back then) Indian Muslim barbers. These are the only people who really know how to tame my unruly mop (and besides I'm no longer as vain as before ... hehehe) I keep my hair real short now which makes it more manageable and gives it a slightly straighter feel. (My beloved is sitting next to me and laughing at this posting as I write it). At nights before I sleep, after my bath, I purposely flatten my still wet hair like Mr. Bean just to irritate her cos she hates it when I look too goody goody and doofussy ... LOL! It riles her up especially when I imitate Mr. Bean but I just can't help teasing her!

I'm so glad I don't really bother about my hair that much nowadays, as long as it's short it's okay with me. And I'm ever so grateful to those Indian Muslim barbers :) Though I still harbour this fantasy of looking like Nick Rhodes ... LOL!

Awards, Awards And More Awards :)

This morning while I was going through my daily routine of reading all my regular and favourite blogs, I was pleasantly surprised (well, totally thrilled actually) to read on Diamondssaphire's blog that she bestowed upon me the 'Awesome Guy Blogger' award! Wow, what an honour :)

When I first started blogging I never dreamed of receiving anything let alone an award. My thanks goes out to diamond for this award and with this, I bestow this 'Rockin' Girl Blogger' and 'Awesome Guy Blogger' award to these 5 wonderful, great, rocking and awesome people out there who've made my blogging a wonderful and learning experience :)


Nessa, the author of mumblings who has made my daily morning experience all the more fun with her often funny, up-to-date, thoughtful, witty and warm stories. She was one of the first ever blogs that I visited when I started blogging and she has contributed countless hours of advise and opinions on the workings of my blog. In fact, my first ever comment came from her. A friendly, easy-going and approachable girl who always takes the trouble to answer each and every single comment posted on her site :) A trait that endears her to many other bloggers and makes her blog one of my favourite. She rightly deserves the 'Rocking Girl Blogger' award! Keep on rocking' Nessa!


Adrian, a very good buddy of mine who runs the blog First Time Dad is my recipient for the 'Awesome Guy Blogger' award. I know he has already received one of these but I cannot not give my buddy this award simply because of the wonderful work he has done on his blog. A relative newcomer to the blogging community with a blog that has shaped up nicely with charming stories about his adorable little daughter, mixed with humorous articles makes this a blog a worthwhile visit.


Another blog that deserves the 'Rockin' Girl Blogger' award is Mariuca of wishing on a falling star. Marzie's blog is written with a passion that stems from deep within her. The warmth and friendliness found in her writings makes this a very popular blog indeed and a blog worth visiting daily. She is also one of the first few people to have left me a comment in my blog when I first stepped into the world of blogging. A fun, warm, friendly and well written blog that's not to be missed.



Though I have only known Bobby of Revellian for a very short while, I have been impressed by the friendliness that he exudes to everyone that visits his blog. A person not afraid to let his emotions loose. A person who always has a kind and encouraging word or two or maybe even three for all those who visit his excellently written blog with a large offering of various topics that he writes upon passionately. I gladly bestow upon you this 'Awesome Guy Blogger' award, Bobby.



Leigh of Thoughtprints is my final recipient for the 'Rockin' Girl Blogger' Award. I discovered Leigh's blog while browsing through My Blog Log one fine day and her blog is filled with enjoyable friendliness and humor. With a range of diverse topics that include her family, the world at large, right down to her dog which are all so well written that it draws you back for more daily. Definitely a deserving recipient for the award!



So, there you have it folks. My pick of the 5 bloggers I feel who deserve the 'Rockin' Girl Blogger' and 'Awesome Guy Blogger' awards. To those not in this list, you all deserve the award too but I think I'm only allowed to list 5 people or else I'll be put in blogger prison for breaking the rules ... hehehe ... I think you all deserve the award!

Best Friends ...

Most of us have best friends, rite? Some may even have 2 or 3 best friends. How long have you known your best friend? And when I say best friend I mean someone so close to you that they feel like one of the family.

I've know my best friends (yes, there's 2 of them) for close to 20 years now which is exactly half my life. The funny thing is when I first met them, I never knew they'd end up being my best buddies. After my secondary school education, I didn't really know what to do with life, so I decided to waste my mom's money and go enroll for a hotel and management course in Stamford College KL (Stamford was the 'in' and 'happening' college those days ... hehehe). But along the way while on the bus I changed my mind and got down in PJ and ended up enrolling for a different course instead cos the college was located nearer to my house! (can you believe that?)

This was where I was first introduced to 2 of my future best buddies, in the men's toilet no less :) At that time (which I only later found out) they actually didn't like me, they thought I was stuck up and arrogant (arrogant? me? and here I thot I was a nice, sweet guy .. hehehe). But somehow, I guess they accepted me as a friend (I'd like to believe ... LOL!) and from that day onwards we've been friends right up to this very day. Initially they were seven of us. But as the years went by, the rest decided not to stay in touch (for reasons only god knows) and now it's down to just the 3 of us.

We all have our own families now but we do make it a point (well, most of the time anyway) to meet up at least once a month to chill out. These two guys (one of them some of you out there would probably know - Adrian of First Time Dad, the other doesn't have a blog) are the only 2 guys in this world that I can really relate to. We've gone through some good times and bad times together and we've always come out of it stronger. We can sit for hours and talk about anything at all under the sun, rib each other, pull childish pranks on each other and never get bored of it. Sometimes, we talk about the same things over and over again that our spouses are probably fed-up of hearing about it by now :)

The thing is I've had many friends in my lifetime but none of them share the kind of relationship these 2 have with me. I've always been a very shy person (yeah, as hard as it may seem to believe, I really am shy ... hehehe) and those days I would never form any kind of bond with anyone. But these 2 are different. Maybe it's cos we're so alike in most things that we relate to each other naturally. Or maybe they're like the brothers I never had. I'm an only child by the way.

But whatever it is, I'm proud to call these two guys my best buddies! By the way, Adrian, you owe me a drink for the free advertising plug for First Time Dad in para 4 ... hehehe ... Best Friends. Life would be dull without them!

Questions, Questions, Questions ...

Here are some pretty interesting questions about life. Sure had me stumped reading some of them :)

• Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, "I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here, and drink whatever comes out"?

• Why do toasters always have a setting that burns toast to a horrible crisp which no decent human being would ever eat?

• Why is there a light in the fridge and not one in the freezer?

• Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?

• If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of coconut, why can't he fix a hole in a boat?

• Why do people point to their wrist when asking for the time, but don't point to their crotch when they ask where the bathroom is?

• Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if they are going to look up there anyway?

• Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!

• If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that Acme crap, why didn't he just buy dinner?

• Why is a person that handles your money called a 'Broker'?

• If quizzes are quizzical, what are tests?

• Why is it that when someone tells you that there are over a billion stars in the universe, you believe them, but if there is a "wet paint" sign somewhere, you have to touch it to make sure?

• Is Disney World the only people trap operated by a mouse?

• Why do the alphabet song and "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" have the same tune?

• Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him on a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?

Credit for this post goes to Interesting Facts.

Getting There ...

I'm actually pretty happy with myself. Those of you who've been reading my blog would know that I started my running programme again about 4 or so weeks ago. I was totally unfit the day I started the programme and running for 3 minutes was a chore! Now I'm glad to say that after sticking to the programme (there where so many instances where I was sooooooo tempted to make excuses and quit!) I've worked up quite an appetite for running again and I'm feeling fitter and healthier that I ever was in a long time :) I started the first week with just running and walking 3 times a week (boy, that was a difficult time) and have moved on to running almost everyday now. The only bump I had was when I fell sick.

I've even lost considerable weight and my clothes fit all that much better now :) I used to have this huge tummy from eating too much and now it's gone, now my beloved doesn't call me 'bulat' (round) anymore. I know it's supposed to be an endearing nickname but I wasn't too fond of it, honey! I'm so happy cos I achieved in losing that bloated tummy in 4 weeks (of cos due to some strict changing of my eating habits as well).

I used to skip lunch and eat this huge mountain of rice during dinner (trust me, the amount I ate could have fed half of Africa, my beloved and my good buddy can testify to this ... hehehe ...) But I decided to cut down that portion of rice to less than half the amount and the first week was hell. And my beloved made sure of it by dishing out smaller portions of rice for me (the looks I gave her for the teeny servings she gave me could have frozen hell over ten times ... hehehe ...) My body kept 'pressuring' me to eat, eat , eat but I held on and I'm glad to say that nowadays just a teeny weeny portion of rice fills me up :) I owe it all to her. Better yet, I used to hate eating vegetables, now I eat a whole load of 'em! Even my beloved is totally flabbergasted by that. LOL!

Now I look forward to running everyday after work. The first thing I get home from work, I'll get into my running gear and I'm back out on the road again. I'm hoping I don't ever lose this will to run ever again! The actual reason I'm doing this is besides the health factor and the love I have for running, I'm doing this for my beloved :)

Hopefully I'll be fit in time to take part in the Subang Jaya 10K run next month (urmmm, maybe the 5k run for now ... hehehe). It has been a while since I've entered any races but I'm looking forward to this race. Will let you guys know if I actually finish the run!