F1: Singapore did it .. and they did it differently

News about Singapore's featuring in the F1 Grand Prix calendar recently did not came unexpected. However what made the new kid on the block so intriguingly interesting is their wittiness. If KL GP is touted as the hottest race on the planet ... our kiasu neighbour upped the ante by introducing the first night race of F1 ...

Interesting but not totally unexpected though ... our F1 organizers tried the same thing in their proposal to extendt their F1 contract with the FIA body by proposing a night race as well. I do not understand and agree with the need to match Singapore stick by stick. So what if they came up with the night race ? I still think our own F1 GP is one most interesting of F1 races in the GP calendar. KL F1 GP has always been known not only as the HOTTEST race on earth but also the most unexpected race as well thanks to our very own 'unexpected' weather.

How can we forget the race a few years back which caught all the F1 teams by surprise. On a sunny afternoon, all the cars were equipped with dry tyres and were ready for another hot and blazing race. Unbeknownst to them, our 'best friend' the weather give the drivers a very 'warm' and trademark of Malaysian hospitality and welcoming gestures ... by 'offering' a heavy downpour the moment the cars turned to the first corner. To make it weirder, for the first couple of laps ... half of the circuit was raining whislt the other half is still as hot as ever.
I still remembered at that particular time, I was so 'proud' t be a Malaysian because the Mat Sallehs were all sweating because their weatherman apparently got it all wrong. Looks like our bomoh overpowered their costly technology gadgetries...

Thus, so what if Singapore hosts their very own night race ... let them be .... I personally feel that our own F1 race has its own beauty and attraction. In fact I am confident that ours will be much more better than them ... coz Malaysia Boleh !

To Wii or Not to Wii ?

A proud owner of a PS2 console, I gotta admit that I am a self professed Playstation fanatic and without a doubt I very much fancy the latest addition of Playstation console which is PS3. The reason is pretty simple, the raw power contained within the monster itself will simply blow away the competitors and at the same time the likes of game titles such as Metal Gear Solid 4, Final Fantasy XIII, Devil May Cry , Gran Turismo are simply a handful of gamers must have series to play.


Unfortunately, PS3 got off to a rather dissapointing start. Being pested with delays as well as the low amount of gaming titles currently, PS3 certainly wouldnt hope to be in a position they are in today. However, I am quite confident when more game titles starts to grace the PS3 console especially those must play titles which surely will make gamers yearn for more of PS3 in the future . PS3 is still abit too on the higher spectrum in terms of pricing. But then again, its still a fair price for a machine which packs the best of gaming technology all in one sleek box.






However this article is not about my aspirations on PS3, instead I am more interested in talking about the newest in gaming innovation ... Nintendo Wii. Recently I was given the pleasure to have a brief sight of the console which is taking the whole gaming world by storm. Looks like good old Nintendo is not gonna throw in the towel losing the console war to Sony and XBox ( Nintendo Dreamcast dint really fared well against them). The new Wii is touted as the console which will change the way gaming experience will be .... forever ??. Instead of the old button bashing way of experiencing your video gaming console ... Wii tends to be different with their very own Wii Remote - a remote sensing joystick which sense and translates the movement of your movement into the game you played. (Means you just wield your joystick whence you play tennis instead of just button bashing). Not that I am new to the hypes around but reading it on the internet is not the same as experiencing it by yourself and I got to admit ... it is a whole new gaming experience ...

My first game is Tennis under the Wii Sports title belt. A first taste of the game instantly proved why Wii was an instant hit ! I just swing the joystick around and in no time ... I am Roger Federrer. ( At the end of the day, I am officially the best Wii Tennis champ amongst those who played that day having clipped off Calvin 2-1). Wii does offer quite a number of titles such as NFS: Carbon and I gotta admit the experience is pretty different compared to mine of PS2. At the end of the day, I concur that Wii did what it was supposed to do ... bring the gaming world a totally new gaming experience... and it did not dissapoint.

Having said that, I do have some reservation on Wii ... Though the likes of Wii Sport is very interesting the first few tries, in no time you will find it to be abit boring because the gameplay is rather monotonous. Maybe the likes of EA Sports can come with a more commendable title. Another aspect which I find a little intrigued is that though Wii remote joystick might be an instant hit, it might not be an instant hit but then again it might not suit for a games especially the likes of Street Fighter, KOF etc. (Maybe Nintendo and the game publishers has some thoughts workin out as I wrote this blog).

The BIG question ... will I be getting Wii thus the title of this posting ... to be frank ... I am very much tempted to but then again at this point of time I am still very much towards PS3 because I am more of a gamer whcih prefers game titles and I will regret if I missed the opportunity to gaze thru the likes of Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy titles at least. But then, at 1.5K it will still be a good idea for me to get one whislt waiting for my ultimate gaming console.

Preview: Formula One GP 2007

18th March seems to be rather far butthe heat of the Formula One GP Season 2007 has been scorchingly burning through my veins. Leading competitors unveiled their racing cars recently, vying for the title of the ultimate speed monster in the ultimate motorsport competition in the globe. Australian GP will be the first venue for us to witness which team would stand out for the rest ... at least for the earlier portion of the season.
But then again ... why 2007 is so special? Personally, it would be the dawn of a new Formula One era. As most of Formula One fans know, Michael Schumacher [Schumy] whom for me is the best Formula One driver which throned the sport for the last decade [yes i know, some might prefer Senna] has retired from active racing thus paving the way for new blood to battle it out to be the next ultimate maestro of Formula One GP.

Who would it be ?
Kimi on the Prancing Pony be fast enough for the Fin to give a serious shot at the throne tis year ?
Will the defection of Alonso to McLaren gives him another title this year?
Button whom long has been a promising driver would break out and mount a serious challenge ?
or Old Guard Fishicella with R27 will roar his way to the throne ?





Then what about battle of machines?
Can R27 of Renault, the master of straight line last year blew away its competitors again ?
Or Ferarri will be able to provide the best overall package to upstage the dominance of Renault this year?
What about MP14-22 of McLaren, is this a car which provides the stability that McLaren always yearn for for the past years , and without Adrian Newey ?
Red Bull Racing ? With Adrian Newey as the designer of the car ... would it be a masterpiece ?
Toyota again announced that this will be their season ? Samurai threat or mere Japanese fiction ?

Whom will we miss ?
Michael Schumacher ? Not so much though. For me, he has scripted a new chapter of Formula One with his rewriting of the record books. But that chapter has been closed and a new chapter will be written. The author ? We will find out by October ...
Battle of tyres ... Michelin vs Bridgestone. This epic battle has added the dynamis to the sport. Michelin does stood out to give Bridgestone a run for their money. In fact, I personally rate Michelin way higher than their Japanese nemesis. However, with F1 ruling that only ONE tyre supplier shall provide the "black gold of motorsport" for the upcoming season, Michelin has no choice but to pull out from the sport.
Andy Murray ? Even though he left commentaring for about a year now, I still miss him in many more of aspects. Legendary of equivalence in commentaring as to Schumy in the race track, Andy Murray will be greatly missed.

Whom do i put my money on?
I have my trust on Kimi to lead the crimson wave. For me, he is the successor of 2 champions of the last generation. Succesor to Finnish hero Mika Hakinen and Ferarri Michael Schumacher. Have the drive and hunger to deliver. I believe with Ferarri ultimate racing package, Kimi will drive all the way home with his first World Championship in his career. However one thing remains uncertain is the way Kimi drives. He is the kind of driver whom will push the car to the limit. Banging on the accelerator all the time and it would take an ultra-stable car package to cope with Kimi's aggresiveness. Ask McLaren about it ...

Why not Alonso ? After all, he is the double reigning World Champion. Well, I personally thinks that the main reason Alonso won last year's championship is due to the heavy support he got from the ultra-speedious R26 package he had which brings me to the next topic F1: Man or Machine ? . He was a relative unknown before the might roar of R25 and R26 helped to propel him as the youngest F1 ace of all time. However, he shall not be underestimated as I see him battling it out neck to neck with Kimi this season around.
So may the best man wins !

F1: Man or Machine
Had a few arguments with my friends on this topic. I personally thinks that the ratio factor that ascertains the drivers success in F1 is approx 75% car/package and 25% human. Whilst some of my friends would be very dissapointingly disagree with me, my reasoning has always been that no matter how good the driver is ... an inferior package would not guarantee success. On the other hand, a mediocore driver with superb package will give them something to cheer about.
Example ? Loads of it .... ask Rubins Barrichello [Rubins was 2 times runnerup] , David Coulthard, Jensen Button, Jacques Villenueve [former World Champion] ... they were from a pack of elite challengers to fringe drivers that forms the backline of the grid.
However we cannot discount the drivers ability in the frame as well. Drivers like Takumi Sato does not deserve his place in F1. Luckily Alex Yoong from Bolehland realized about it and quitted [or fired ?] the sport earlier enough before being recognise as the clown of F1 like Sato. I do not think that my statement here will convince most of you to agree with me but I stood by my opinion as I am entitled to.

Before I sign off, have a look at the upcoming line up for the season:

ING Renault F1
Engine: Renault Tyre: Bridegstone Country: France/UK
Driver Line-up - Giancarlo Fisichella(Italy) - Heikki Kovalainen (Finland)

Scuderia Ferrari Malboro
Engine: Ferrari Tyre: Bridgestone Country: Italy
Driver Line-up - Felipe Massa(Brazil) - Kimi Raikkonen (Finland)

Vodafone McLaren Mercedes
Engine: Mercedes Tyre: Bridgestone Country: UK
Driver Line-up - Fernando Alonso (Spain) - Lewis Hamilton (Britain)

Honda F1
Engine: Honda Tyre: Bridgestone Country: UK/Japan
Driver Line-up - Jenson Button(UK) - Rubens Barrichello

BMW Sauber F1
Engine: BMW Tyre: Bridgestone Country: Germany/Switzerland
Driver Line-up - Nick Heidfeld(Germany) - Robert Kubica (Poland)

Panasonic Toyota Racing
Engine: Toyota Tyre: Bridgestone Country: Japan
Race Driver Line-up - Jarno Trulli(Italy) - Ralf Schumacher(Germany)

Red Bull Racing
Engine: Renault Tyre: Bridgestone Country: Austria/UK
Driver Line-up - David Coulthard(UK) - Mark Webber(Australia)

Williams F1
Engine: Toyota Tyre: Bridgestone Country: UK
Driver Line-up - Nico Rosberg(Germany) - Alex Wurz (Austria)

Scuderia Toro Rosso
Engine: Ferrari Tyre: Bridgestone Country: Austria/Italy/UK
Driver Line-up (both drivers yet to be confirmed)
PossibilitiesVitantonio Liuzzi (Italy)Scott Speed (USA)Neel Jani (Switzerland)

Spyker F1 Racing
Engine: Ferrari Tyre: Bridgestone Country: Holland/UK
Driver Line-up - Christijan Albers (Netherlands) - Adrian Sutil (Germany)

Super Aguri Formula One
Engine: Honda Tyre: Bridgestone Country: Japan/UK
Driver Line-up - Takuma Sato (Japan) - Confirmed - Anthony Davidson (UK)

Astro Over The Internet for Free ? No Kidding !

My weekend nights has been relatively uneventful with due respect to following
my favorite football team Manchester United weekly EPL games. Whilst most
of my friends and cousin enjoys the dazzling performance of the Red Devils, I was left
alone following LIVE Text updates of the games. Why ? Because I dont have Astro, Malaysian
only Pay-Channel that shows Live Football telecast ...

However, recent visit to Singapore for training introduced me to a FREE service that can
make me glue to my PC during those LIVE EPL Games once again ! Why ?
Thanks to TVAnts ! I can now watch live channels through the NET for FREE !!!!! Yes no charge at all.

The trick ? TVAnts is a P2P program that enables its user to watch and broadcast their channels to the web. Its more or less like Bit Torrent concept where u share ur files whilst downloading it. Pretty cool huh ?

How possible is it? I have tested it on Singapore Broadband line and its pretty smooth.
A couple of my friends actually tried it back home using Streamyx ... the line is pretty slow. So I guess with a 1MB package we should get a decent transmission.

So ? why wait ? TVAnts is the obvious choice ... ! But then be forewarned.
The legal implications of it is not very clear as to whether the program is legal or not.
But till then, Manchester United ! Here I Come !

Farewell Bro ...

My dearly beloved brother, the one and only guy [except me dad] who has been with me through those times be it rough and sweet. Lived with this big guy for the past 27 years where 21 years we basically lived under one roof especially those 4 memorable years we have been staying together renting our auntie's house.

Well as people says good times does not last forever, me bro and sis in law has moved to their new paradise in Bandar Sentul Baru last Saturday. Mixed feelings drowsed thru my heart, one part excited and happy for my bro and sis in law because they hv finally been able to move and find their promised paradise and at the same time commencing the next stage of their life in their new found paradise. On the other side, I am a little depressed that after 4 years living under one roof with this big fella I would certainly miss his presence ... though at times can be annoying with his ultra-egomaniac [i think i am not any better also lar] ... but he is above all a very caring and understanding brother being there lending a helping hand through my rough times giving me opinions and advices. Those moments when me and him will stick our throats off debating of topics would be happily embedded into my very memories.

I would really miss the presence of the big guy and my sis in law in days and months to come. Without their voices around the house ... I will need to get used to the more hollow environment now and then :P
Anyway life goes on and bro and sis in law, I wish u all the best in ur pursue to eternal happiness with Lil Renee [and in the future baby Ryan :P ] with the moving to ur new house as the starting step.

Lastly, bro and sis in law thanks for all those support and helping hand that you lend me during my rough times. I will miss u all dearly especially little cutie Renee ... I will mostly miss the presence of this little cutie everytime she come and 'pest' around my room ... she is just sheer fun and enjoyment ! I will definitely miss her ... !!!!

Counting those who owe me meals

I am not a very good mathematician of any sorts but the last time I counted the stack of meals owed to me
is not so staggering but I think they can make me fell to the extreme obese category. Well thats how a kind and good hearted men get ... helping people with such they end up trying to repay you by promising you meals of any sorts. If my memory still counts correctly below is the list of those who still owes me:

i) Michelle Khong - 23 meals [1 meal equals to a LARGE value meal in MCD] since 2004 and she still mums on
it !!!
ii) Hooi Sin - 2 Japanese meals
iii) Cindy Phoon - [Special Egg Tarts + Devils Curry]
iv) TYTan - [Chicken Curry (pending when she cook it wor ... )+ 1 Cheese Cake ]
v) Sam - [Chillis]
vi) Afrah - Cozy Corner or Victoria Station
vii) SBHoo - Victoria Station
viii) Penny Tan - Secret Recipe Lamb Shank
ix) Soon Beng Wooi - Hee Lai Ton

Now who said good men easy to do ? Have to claim so many meals ... hurts the heart leh !

Tianamen Square - The Tank Man

I guess most if not all of us have heard of Tiananmen Square protest back in 1989 which led to a bloody civil bloodshed. Tanks and army personnel were deployed and gunned down thousands of protesters fighting for better civil rights, economic reforms, freedom of speech and against the ever corruptable ruling government.

However, we are not here to talk about that since most of us knew the background of the tragedy. The topic here as stated above is about the Tank Man. I doubt many would have known about the "Tank Man". Me in particular knew nothing about him until I watched a documentary of the symbol which the Tank Man carries.

Purpotedly happened a day after the bloodshed [5th June 1989] where the army tanks are to make their way back, a young man apparently carrying shopping plastic bags stood in front of the tank and blocked the path of the tank. Apparently disgusted with the massacare of unarmed civillians, the young man defied the military threat and hurled abuses at the army commanding the tank. It has been heard that his piece of mind have been carried out through words of anger "Why are you here? My city is in chaos because of you"; "Go back, turn around, and stop killing my people"; and "Go away."
The somehow "powerful" army tank couldnt do anything but just withstood the young man verbal attacks. These happened until a few people eventually hurled the young man away before he would suffered the same fate of his buried comrades.

What significance does this young man bring ? In the West, many lauded the young man as a SYMBOL to the Chinese democracy movement. A feeble young man, braving himself against tirades of juggernaut tanks eventually becomes the symbol of an individual's power to halt government and force a change in direction

But what becomes of the young man's fate ? The identity of the Tank Man remains a mystery though there are numerous reports claiming him as Wang Weilin(王维林), a 19 year old and was executed then. However the last official statement has it said that the Tank Man was not being executed in an interview between Barbara Walters and then ex-President Jiang Zhe Min in 1990.

For those who are interested in the documentary here is the link for the torrent : Tiananmen Square: The Tank Man

For those who wants to watch the 26 seconds video clip in youtube: You Tube - Tank Man

My tribute to my Alma Mater

SAINT PAUL'S INSTITUITION

( Founded in 1899 )

School ... a definite pathways for most of us if not all. Sweet and fond memories beckons and now I have left school [University Malaya] for good 4 years now. In my schooling life, I have been enrolled into different schools:

i) SRK Saint Paul - primary school
ii) SMK Saint Paul - Form 1 - early Form4
iv) SMK Teknik Tuanku Ja'afar - Form4 - Form5 studying Civil Engineering
v) SMK King George V - Form 6
vi) Malaya University - Computer Science

I can single out my time in Saint Pauls Instituition as the most memorable and cherished. Those thug fighting times, class ponteng times, study times, scratch teacher car times and yes,"flirting with those Convent gals times" has never faded and still vividly lives in my ultra-GazillionByte memory.


A school of old traditions, we called ourselves Paulians and as a self-professed True Blue Paulian I am proud to live my teenage days with my Alma-Mater . We used to have a spirited shout of "Whos The Best ?" and echoed with proudful roars of "SAINT PAULS !!!!!". My particular favorite are times when we manifest our love to our Alma Mater whilst singing our School Rally. But the highest of "highs" is when we sing our Victory March ! a spirited rendition of a song which carries the TRUE BLUE Paulian spirit to battle.

School Building ClockWise From Left: Old School Building located at Seremban Town, Primary School in Labu, and finally SPI Seconday School situated on top of Mount La Salle

What is so unique about Saint Paul's ? Well just the Paulian SPIRIT and its tradition alone is unique so to speak. Roars of "Saint Pauls The Best Of The Best" was never alien to us and our love to our Alma Mater has always been deep burrowed into our heart.

Serving Brothers Directors:
Highest Row From Left: Bro.Isidore (1909), Bro. Basilian (1910-1914), Bro. Adrian(1914-1921),
Bro. Lewis Edward( 1921-1930) , Bro. Dominic (1928-1930)
Second Row From Left: Bro. Barnitus (1930-1931), Bro. John (1933), Bro. Joseph (1933-1939), Bro. Anselm (1939-1941), Bro.Henry (1941-1946)
Final Row From Left: Bro. Lawrence (1947-1953), Bro. Chronan (1953), Bro. Casimir (1954-1959),
Bro.Celestine (1960-1963), Bro. Thomas (1963-1969), Bro. Felix (1970-1975),
Bro. James (1975- 1991)

Note: Brother James Macken served as the longest Brother Director of Saint Pauls Instituition building an era of unprecendented success

Saint Pauls has their classes and sport houses name after their serving Brothers. While other schools names their classes Science 1 or Kebaya1, we Saint Pauls has the classes named after our serving Brother directors.
In alphabetical order are Anselm,Basillian,Casimir,Dominic,Felix,Henry,Isidore,James,Lawrence,Thomas.



If class naming is not enough, try matching our Sport Houses as well ... we are too much into those unclassy Rumah Merah,Biru,Hijau,Kuning but Saint Pauls again with their past Brother Director has Adrian[Yellow], Barnitus[Red],Edward[Green],John[Blue],Director[Grey] and Paul[Purple] as the names of our sport houses. Now try beating tat for unique and meaningful naming for classes and sport houses. A symbol of class, history and uniqueness which also defines Saint Paul's Instituition.



Well as what people say, you dont proclaim yourself to be famous unless you are in Wikipedia, and guess what? Whilst I was searching somethign on Wikipedia, I somehow got this urge to search for my Alma Mater and GOD the search result is SPOT ON and for the next hour or so, I was back in memory lane.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._Paul%27s_Institution%2C_Seremban

Eventually I was also brought to Old Paulians Association (OPA) and came to the knowledge that for a Semi-Government school-English medium-Christian based school, we were offered the "Sekolah Bistari" status. Now what are the odds of that happening ? And heard that finally we were to have our own school hall !

My apologies to my Alma Mater again because of my poor command of English here though enrolled into such prestigious English School, my command of English has not been up to YOUR expectation.

The Great Alma Mater of mine reached its Centernarian earlier than Manchester United or Real Madrid and the tradition has never faded and hopefully will stay intact for centuries to come.








Hail Alma Mater ! , Hail John Baptist De La Salle !!!

And my tribute to the following teachers who made an impact in my life:
Mr Chang Yok Son[Form2 Science Teacher],Mrs Wong Tee Soon [my Form 1 form teacher], Miss Wong Lai Kwan [ Form 3 Science Teacher], Puan Khor Yul Lin[Form3 History Teacher],Puan Velayuthan[Form2 Geo teacher], Mr James Wong[Form3 Form teacher], Puan Ng Yen Yen [Form3 M3 teacher], Cik Koh Seow Pen[the pretty and sporting teacher] and Mr Jakob [the discipline teacher who always "hentam" me]

Not to forget Mr Lam [My Form6 Maths teacher in KGV, he is the biggest role model]

[Review] The Departed

I fell in love with Infernal Affairs the first time I watched it. For me, its a new and refreshing to have the idea of a mole of a mobster living within the police force. Unforgetably, with first class acting dished out by HK's finest made this a classic to be remembered and amongst the finest HK shows that have graced HK movie scene for ONE decade. Two uneventful and unnecessary spin off sequels dampens the already highly acclaimed Infernal Affairs movie but it did not deter Hollywood from engaging their own version of Infernal Affairs ... Mafia style ... well not really Mafia .. but Irish thugs.

The Departed represents a badder, meaner and more violent version of Infernal Affairs which also promises amongst the finest and brightest stars of Hollywood with Matt Dammon filling in as Andy Lau's character as a high flying cop who is also a mole for the mobster boss of the show in which Jack Nicholson did a splendid job potraying the role of a mobster [played by Eric Tsang in Infernal affairs]. And how can we forget the purpoted hero of the show Leo Di Cap who plays Tony Leung's masterly potrayal of a police undercover working under the same mobster.

I think most of you already know the storyline rite? Well I would say 98% of the show follows back the script from Infernal affairs with minor adjustments to a few unrelevant characters and also a new character has been slated for Martin Sheen and Mark Walhberg.

Review:
As I said earlier, The Departed is just plain Infernal Affairs -> US style, simply badder, meaner and more violent. Unlike Infernal Affairs, The Departed is more physical and brutal and no hold barred. And of course 4 letter words flies here and there. Personally for me, the only enjoyment I found watching this show is to relate back to Infernal Affairs. I gotta say I am not too impressed with Martin Scorsese tis time.
As for acting, kudos to the ONE and ONLY Jack Nicholson for his ultra potrayal of the Costello the mobster. His trademark facial expression has always made him amongst the finest in Hollywood. Let me put it this way, this show was supposed to be Dammons and Caprio's .. but somehow Jack's acting simply blew the others away .... and I really mean blew them away like an F5 tornado.

In a nutshell:
I will watch it again in my PC ["when the original version comes out"] because watching in cinema the censoring of the show made me feel uncomfy and at times confused coz the conversation suddenly stops. So by watching in my PC I can hopefully grasp the entire movie ...
The feeling is like to watch a movie based on a book ala Da Vinci Code where u compare the movie against the book. This time is to compare a Hollywood made movie against a HK classic ... same feeling just different experience.

[Review] Death Of A President

Me buddy Mudz passed me this video a couple of weeks ago. I wondered why it took me so long to actually finish this 1.5 hours movie-documentary. Well actually it mades headlines back in the States recently where it got a big bashing from Republican politician calling it a movie of bad taste and exploiative. Too add wounds to it, 2 of American biggest chain of cinemas [something like our GSC,TGV lar] refused to screen the movie. It eventually won the International Critics Prize (FIPRESCI) at the 2006 Toronto Film Festival recently.

Well, what makes this documentary-movie to generate so much fanfare around? For those of you all still scratching your heads, this movie is purpotedly reporting the "actual events" prior to and post of the "ASSASINATION OF PRESIDENT GEORGE W BUSH, The 43rd President of The United States Of America.



Minor spoiler alert:
We are being brought forward to the events that "have taken place" in 19th Oct 2007 whereby President Bush is being fatally shot and eventually pronounced dead on the table. The whole movie revolves a documentary styled show whereby the "witnesses" ranging from "Secret Service" to the "suspect" as well.
Eventually and unsuspectedly, the whole assasination is being used by the US government to point the finger at the Islamic world [purpoedly Syria] as those behind the assasination. At the end of the day, a "scapegoat" has been caught, "tried" and death sentenced with just minimal evidence of gun residue on the shirt [which could be a contamination] and so initial reports of him being "involved" in al-Qaeda training during his visit to Afghanistan. The actual killer is a disgruntled father of 2 US soldiers that served in Iraq and ONE was killed, whom was angry at the President sending troops to Iraq for a rather senseless cause.

Review:
Its a very interesting movie for me as usually documentary based show are more towards events which already happened but this one is rather fictional one. I was particularly impressed at times on the level of details being potrayed by the show ranging from the CCTV shots, "secret service agents" rendition of events, footage of George W Bush being gun shot ! [i heard that its technologically imprinted on .. see the above pic] ... and I am still figuring how Dick Cheney could give a "BUSH" speech at the funeral because the source footage of the funeral is the funeral service for ex-President Ronald Reagan. [ I could actually see his lips uttered George W Bush !] ... cant imagine what i am talking about ? Watch it to see what I am talking about ... [its in most torrent sites anyways].

The storyline aint bad but yet is very expected. I can predict how the storyline goes from the assination of the president to the Syrian finger pointing to half -cooked trial of the scapegoat but not the actual killer ... [i tot his son, the other surviving US soldier did it].

Verdict:
3.8/5 for being creative and bold to have such attempt taken, enough homework being done on the events of the "aftermath", current global political climate.

Summary:
Death Of A President is a MUST see for those who follows the events of the current global political cimate especially those pertaining to the "main actor" here, how he was loath by both the Middle East Nation and also people in his own backyard. For those who dont have a SINGLE clue who George W Bush is, then dont bother watching this ...

Bolton 0 - Man Utd 4

My cousin bro passed me the torrent link to download the recent Man Utd game against Bolton Wanderers away in Reebok Stadium. Touted as their best performance for recent years especially the first 25 mins, I was tempted to see how good we were.

I gotta say I was not very dissapointed. A few slick passes and a couple of 1-2s shows that Man Utd post Van Nistlerooy era has been playing very fluid football.[So can we attribute Man Utd demise off late is because of the style of play is too Ruudy oriented? which resulted in stale movements]

I can see Saha + Giggs + Rooney + Evra [at times] starting to built a very good understanding with their slicing and one touches. Ronaldo having a rather quiet game at times shows his mettle, outrunning his opponent. But I gotta say I am encouraged with the prospects of Carrick-Scholes partnership. Though not up to my reserved expectation, I can see Scholes is trying his best on the field very contrast to his jogging days. Carrick has made a couple of long visioned passes which is a trademark of a world class passer.

Having said tat, are we EPL champ material yet? I doubt so, maybe its still early to tell. We need to play more of such fluid football week in week out and try playing it longer instead of just 25 mins. Maybe we havent peak, see how after Christmas ...

[Lyrics]Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars

We'll do it all
Everything
On our own

We don't need
Anything
Or anyone

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

I don't quite know
How to say
How I feel

Those three words
Are said too much
They're not enough

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

Let's waste time
Chasing cars
Around our heads

I need your grace
To remind me
To find my own

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Forget what we're told
Before we get too old
Show me a garden that's bursting into life

All that I am
All that I ever was
Is here in your perfect eyes, they're all I can see

I don't know where
Confused about how as well
Just know that these things will never change for us at all

If I lay here
If I just lay here
Would you lie with me and just forget the world?

Now you all know where I got the nick for MSN, YM and GTalk.
Soalan Cepumas -> Wat are the 3 words ?

The week it was ...

A week started off with a mid-distant trip to Southern Malaysia to Liang wedding luncheon with 2 beauties. Jalan2 cari makan in Melaka with guided navigation by dearest Pinky -> yummy. Tired, sleepy and energy-less

The next few days has been pretty boring except for some hours of senseless button PS2 bashing with Okami and FIFA2007. And that is how I call life without direction and aim. I am a bagged-eyed, senseless zombie. Sleeping and eating is all i do for the next 3 days. But then at least I settled "something" that has been burdening me for the past 1 month ... shoulders has been very light ever since.

Went back to Seremban on Friday with Auntie and I saw light in life for the first time in ONE week ! All those merry hoo haas has enlightened my rather quiety and hollow life of late. Made a few delicious curry puffs and the eating gala has started.

Watched Dog Bite Dog, loath it ....

Good new, Man Utd bashed Bolton 4-0 with Rooney bagging a hattrick and Ronaldo taking the other one. But Chelsea is still on our trail with a 2-0 win. Damn u BLUES .. get off our tail !

Finally the hoo haas of the Zakaria saga is coming to an end ... but as one story ends .. another unfolds .. LRT services has been giving lots of probs off late but the final scene was rather uncompromised for me ... a LRT deck overrunned ? This is such a BIG LOOF !

Racing GP, my expectations from both legends for F1 and MotoGp suffers from similar fate. Schumy dreaded in the first few ... only to mount a serious comeback but the be dampen last minute due to mechanical failure.
Tis week, Rossi whom I hope that can add another feather to his cap, lost his crown to Hayden ... a Double Blow for 2 of my pickcs this season. To add salt to my wound, Ross Brawn is leaving Ferarri for a one year sabatical with Schumy being offered the post of Special Assistant to Jean Todt. Will Schumy take it ?

A hell of a week? NOT !

Movie Review - Dog Bite Dog

Me bro commented about this show that he watched in a DVD he bought recently. He gave full thumbs up for this one noting that this one is rather different from those silly HK movies of late and I was thinking hey why not ? With the recenly influx of darker HK genre of films which harps on the grim yet successful Infernal Affairs saga which spawns equally society boggling movies such as "mobster-Democracy" Election 1 & 2 and a few more I think this is worth a shot.

The synopsis of Dog Bite Dog is pretty simple, no it aint ur next door Cinapek uncle rearing Rottweilers biting ur opposite indian neighbours Cina-auntie Beijing Shih-Tzu. This movie potrays Pang [played by Edison Chen who threw away his heartthrob image to don his first challenging role] a brutally bred and brought up Cambodian assasin being illegally shipped to HK to do a job on a barrister lady [whom the order was placed by her judge husband because she asked for a divorce which will take half of his wealth away]. Playing catch and mouse with the HK police force, Pang found himself lost in the cosmopolitan city and therefore seeks way to survive including bloody and brutal massacare of those who are in his path. The one who always on his tail is Wai [played by former funnymen Sam Lee but now an exaggerated SOB in an unwelcomed scene] who from time to time gone berserk with the downfall of his beloved comrades tries all his best to track the physco Cambodian maniac down hence the cat and mouse.

Recipe for a good and grim HK adventure? Not quite ....
Well HongKies are always masters of exaggeration ... this movie promote hatred, cruelty and brutality to the max. Blood are shed everywhere until there are no pints reserved for the blood bank. You witness the brutalest of murder even the beheading of POW are mere-childplay. I was disturbed with one scene where Pang took the ice breaker and slit in right to the throat of the police officer he held hostage [ I think Sharon Stome handles ice breaker the best].

As for the relevance of the homework done on how Pang was brought up, I cant comment much because I hv no depth knowledge about this but I thought I bumped somewhere abt children being raised to kill each other brutally. Art of survival to the max ... the most efficient way to nurture the PERFECT ASSASIN. Heartless

But for all that Dog Bite Dog offers, as usual I will ask back another question to those who brought this to the screen ... wats the message behind this show ? Sheer violence wihtout humanity values ? Or rather blatant promotion of hate of a heartless Cambodian physco assasin who found himself lost in the cosmopolitan city of HK? Call me narrow or shallow but I might not be artistic enuff to understand this ... but then HK movies are a bunch of crap which is riding on a direction-less [oh understatement] .. I would say that their industry is into no direction at all !!! Its just that they simple coax up a brutal, heartless and sheer violence show to the audience who enjoy movie without thinking ? I know I am not a moviegoer who does not think whilst watching ...

To top things, the ending is ridiculously stupid and at times hillarious. Sam Lee, my advise to you is that your business lies elsewhere in comical role, you cant play eye-lash shaven hard kicking phyco SOB maniac ... its not ur cup of tea. Your sheer exaggeration of the character is laughable at times ... and if this is how HK celebrate such movie that generates the future of HK movie scene, its rather pitiful for them as they are dying ... and worse than Malaysia because at least we have Yasmin Ahmad as the saving grace with Sepet and Gubra.

I cant be that cruel anyways, the saving grace of this show actually lies in Edison whom I think did an Oked job in potraying a confused lad running away from the law. At times his potrayal is less convincing but I reckon if he plays more of such roles will do him good than of those his heartthrobbing roles of late.

To sum it up => DOG BITE DOG .... I think it the Dog dropping in front of my neighbours gate smells better ...

Ciaoz

The day i rot in boredom...

The entire DeepaRaya was supposingly making me all hyped up with one week to go [October 19]. Liang supposedly wedding luncheon on the following Sunday [21st October] was supposed to light up a week of refreshing fun and eventful holidays. Moreover, the jalan2 cari makan at Melaka with 2 of xST's and Kok Seng was supposed to be fun. Well fast forward -> Good times flies fast, before I could utter my NRIC Number backwards its 0900 hours on a cloudy morning of 23rd October 2006. Liang wedding luncheon has already gone, the jalan2 cari makan adventure has pass thru all i find my stomach full of Malacca finest gourmet.

A great start to an eventful evening? God I am dead wrong, else I wouldnt be sitting here writign this uneventful blog rite?

The next few days was spent on senseless button bashing on my beloved PS2, gosh how do i live without my PS2 filling my void. After 2 days of mindless senseless and meaningless button bashing of PS2, I find myself havign a big gap to fill. One day, 24 hours of no objective no direction ... OMG wat is this kind of life ? I aint want this kind of life when I negotiate with the CREATOR to be brought to this world !

Today was supposed to be working day for most of my friends, and I am left alone at home looking at the top of my ceiling, marveling at the fan turning ... Spent about 2 hours preparing for the upcoming LANDesk training presentation for my client and then ... its boredom all over again. IM-ing with a couple close acquiantances managed to fill in for another 2 hours [thanks to TYTan,Michelle,Joey,Fuishi,Philip,Brother Tianhong for filling the gap]... and then boredom strucks again ...

My body,soul,spirit and energy is dwindling ... I am lying on my bed with nothign to think .. nothing to do... My soul is wounded like it has never been ... flesh is rotting with maggots of boredom eating the bits part by part .. consuming my flesh of soul. The foul stench from my rotten soul stinks the entire world i am now. I am turning into a zombie of my own boredom. I now hope that the holiday end faster before I turn into a mindless, directionless zombie. A modern walking Frankenstein.

And then I still have 12 days of burnt and non-carry forward annual leaves yet to clear ... Oh GOD why me ? Its unfair !

The Gauntlet Has Been Thrown: Morning Crew vs Big Bang Breakfast Show

The recent buzz surrounding the airwaves especially on local English radio station is about the new FlyFm Big Bang breakfast Show hosts, pairing the ever witty Fly Guy with the ever bubly Phat Phabes. Unsurpisingly this will not come good with Malaysia top English station Hitz.fm whom more or less ruled over morning airwaves for English station listeners.

Hitz.fm Morning Crew has long dominated the airwaves with their funny, witty, bubbly and at times "over" deejays. It was in fact, Fly Guy whom with Lil Kev tat started the Morning Crew hype that dominated the morning airwaves. It was Morning-Crewmania for those who tune in during the morning and many find these guys simply irrestible. However good times are over for them and also their legions of fan listeners when both of their services were terminated due to disputes in their contractual obligations .[ I could still remember that they were to interview by then outgoing Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir when suddenly the issue arised]. Hitz.fm initially has difficulty in finding replacements for the celebrated deejays which has been quite worrying for them since Morning Crew has a huge followers who has not fail to tune in to their favorite morning show. Eventually the pairing of Rudy and J Lo seems to work out a chemistry which give a glimpse of hope and Morning Crew breath sight of relief .... until J Lo was reassigned to HyperDrive slot and Jay Jay will fill in together with Rudy and the New Hitz.fm New Morning Crew. These new pairing was the best since Fly Guy and Lil Kev left the much celebrated radio station. More than a year has passed since the new Morning Crew gone on air and they have been quite of an entertainer minus some unnecessary "events" [especially the April Fool Gotcha 2005, that a very lame one].As for Hitz.fm paymaster, business are as usual ... Morning Crew once again dominates the airwaves ...... errr .... that wat they would like to think ... until now.

Fly FM, a spin off from Malaysia Premier Media Consortium -> Media Prima, was launched earlier this year with Fly Guy [surprise surprise, Hitz.fm .... look whos back ?]. If thats not enough, the morning show which is helmed by the ever witty FlyGuy would add another mouth bubbly radio icon .... no its not Lil Kev [though I hope it is] .... its Phat Phabes ... who jumped ship from .. guess who ? .. yes .. Hitz.fm. The bubly Phat Phabes will now join FlyGuy for FlyFm Bing Bang Breakfast Show and with these two guys around .. I would put my money that these 2 guys would give the morning crew a run for their money. Expect funnier, crazier breakfast show with these 2 guys around.

Unsurprisingly, the benefactors of the close fight are the listeners themselves .. who also hv to endure the sight of needing to choose ... which one to tune on to ? Morning Crew or Big Bang show ?

I dunno abt u guys out there ... but I hv now saved 95.8 as my second favorite channel ... and if they are good enuff ... for the first time in over 4 years [since i get my car]..... Hitz.fm will be dethroned as my favorite radio channel .....

Malaysian Idol vs One In A Million - Part3

Judges

Judges always played a rather important role in talent shows especially American Idol where ultra-cynic Simon Cowell seems to be influential in determining how things goes around in terms of the contestant's fate throughout the competition. However can we say the same with both Malaysian Idol and One in a million ?

Malaysian Idol again, harping on the immensely popular Idol franchaise follows strictly to the judges selection and they did comeout close -> against American Idol.
Let us take a closer look:
->Randy Jackson - Roslan Aziz [both very famous producers in their own market]
->Paula Abdul - Fauziah Latiff [both golden girl of the industry during their heydays]
->Simon Cowell - Paul Moss [One is a well known figure in the entertainment industry and the other ? well a
guitarist of a NZ band which has its short days back in the 80's (to be precised
Aishah and the Fan Club)]

If we take a little closer at the judges, Roslan Aziz for me is a man who dares to speaks his mind though at times does not make sense but we hv to give him credit for that. However we cannot deny that his way of commenting on the judges is more towards of a producers view and therefore at time could be excusable.
Fauziah Latiff or Gee, one might say that she is a singer who has sweet little voice but not a powerful diva and therefore her suitabilty to comment as a judge is questionable. However good sweet little Kak Gee is as sweet as ever, very often if not always she would post positive comments and her only usage of criticism in terms of singing is "pitching problem". However having said that, we have to admit that she is one of the most beautiful lady ever to grace the local music industry for 2 decades.
Paul Moss oh Paul Moss, always the Cowell wannabe. At times I wonder whether he actually got instructed by the producers to actually mimic Cowell moves. Eg: Remember the times Cowell left the audition ? And our friend Paul Moss did the same .. coincident or mere copycat. Anyways, Paul Moss position as the judge is to stand in as a honest, critical and most of all influential judges of the 3. Well, at times he did that quite well but at the other end his preference towards pretty girls makes people loath. Unlike Simon, Paul Moss focuses on the performance of the contestants without digging in to the micro level of the contestants ... like the feeling of the song etc. ..
To sum up, Malaysian Idol judges is just a blind carbon copy of the American Idol judges. Though I respect their status in the industry but at times their views are questionable.

One of the biggest accomplishment before One in a million even started is that they managed to rope in Syafinaz as one of the judges [having featured influentially in AF series as guest judge]. And guess whos back to partner her ? YES PAUL MOSS !

Syafinaz the UITM music lecturer has always been strict and technical in terms of judging contestants and she did very well whislt featured as guest judge in AF2,AF3. Her judging credibilty is dearly needed for one in a million in order to bolster the image of the show in bringing out The Next Big Thing. However I am quite worried in the initial stages of the competitions esp in Central Eliminations where Syafinaz did not showcase her sharp criticism towards the contestatns in terms of technical aspects. But we do not need to wait long before Syafinaz was all herself again. In the finals, her sharp criticism towards the singing techniques of the contestants is straight to the point and sharp as ever. This is what we need as in a judge, able to comment and pinpoint a contestant's weakness to the details of levels so that they can reflect on this after the show and put on a better one in the future. We do not need a judge to thrash out the contestant with vulgar and ultranegative comments just to make them feel bad and not knowign where gone wrong ? Kudos Syafinaz
On the other hand, Paul Moss is back as the judge for one in a million ... geez are we surprised. His criticism did not wane either .... but again like what I said earlier ... we need constructive comments ... not "You are pathetic" , "THis is rubbish" .. etc. We have to admit that these contestants are still raw ... they need guidance and not mere condemnation. I would strongly suggest Paul to reflect on this one. If not, the contestants would just feel bad not knowing where they done wrong .... or maybe Paul cant see where is wrong .. he just knows its wrong ... FULL STOP .. this is very unfair to the contestants themselves. Paul, u gotta learn from Syafinaz ...

Another thing which I believe most of us can realize that there seems to be a rift between Paul and Syafinaz. Somehow I think most of us can see that Paul Moss has been rudely intercepting whenver Syafinaz voices her opinion. Izit because after 2 years of "monopoly-ing" the judge's table somehow Paul Moss got intimidated by Syafinaz sensical comments ?

Malaysian Idol vs One In A Million - Part2

Competition Format

Malaysian Idol format follows closely in line with the already successful Idol phenomenon franchise. Its very simple -> Audition -> Central Eliminations -> Top 24 -> Top 10 and after that each week the lowest contestants who garnered the lowest number of votes gets the boot. Its as simple as that.

One in a million IMHO tries to take its shape out of the shell of Malaysian Idol ... again not wanting to be closely associated with MI. Instead of those simple format mentioned above for MI, One in a million tries to add some so called "added flavor" which for me more confusing, unfair and at times STUPID.
One in a million started out with auditions -> Central Eliminations -> Head To Head competition [Top 20]-> Second Chance -> Top 12.

Central Eliminations is the joke for the competition, why ? ... Though most part of the central elimination is acceptable but at times I am disturbed by the gimmicks from the producers

i) Male - Female group elimination -> unfair
Heres the rule, there will be 9 person in a group whereby each will try to outsing each other and the top 4 from each group progresses to the next round. It does not take long for the fans to notice how unfair this system goes because there are weak groups and there are strong groups. At times, not even the best of the weak teams can match those of the contestant from the strongerteams that could not make the cut... this is so unfair for the contestants who have better package ... if they are to do this . they should at least have to group the contestants equally ... I am tottaly against such idea which is unfair to deserving contestants.

ii) BLIND TEST-> STUPID
Of all the gimmicks, this one is the biggest joke. Well at first its sounded as a good idea. The contestants will sing behind a closed area where the judges can only evaluate the contestants voice quality instead of their physical appearance[Pity u Paul]. But then again ... the timing of the blind test is done at a very late stage of the elimination that I wonder whether it makes any difference or not. I mean by this time, the judges already know whom they are listening to because they are so used to the contestant by now. At times you can even see that the judges tries to act dumb as all they do not know the identity of the singers ... at the end of the day ... the blind test started out as a good idea but the timing of when it is done is simly stupid.

However, having said that One in a million did have something that is rather interesting in terms of its competition format. Blind test is actually a good idea in only it can be done in a stage whereby the judges does not have the time to "know" who are who. Another catchy idea is the personality test, I like the idea where each contestants personality is put to test. The entertainment industry nowadays professes alot on the packaging of an artist themselves. Whats the point of one having all the talent in the world but cant be packaged into a "sellable" figure. However the one that I love most is the head-to-head battle whereby the Top20 would be ranked first. Then the top10 got to choose whom they want to sing against. The one which outperform the other will be chosen as the top10 while the loser will get another chance to perform once more to strive for another 2 places to make it Final Top12. You will be surprised that the lower ranked contestants at times outperformed those whom the were pitched against. But then this shows that as a contestants you can never let your guards down because it can cost you ... DEAR !

Malaysian Idol vs One In A Million - Part1

VS


One in A Million, a relatively new "Talent Reality Show" braces Malaysian airwaves recently. Up for grabs is a million ringgit [well not so after u kena taxed by IRB] which would be invested into the development of the winner's label in terms of getting the best in album production such as song composition, marketing etc... [1 million enuff ?]. But why "One In A Million"?. After 2 successful season [yes, we can still say season 2 is a success] with Malaysian Idol, why not continue doing it? Maybe because the "Idol" franchise is too expensive ? Therefore a locally produced talent show fits the "budget" ? [Or the buy British goods last campaign still continues?]. But is the RM 1 million catch really worth it ? After a few episoded of One In A Million, I can see some rationale in giving this show a shot ...

So lets get a head to head comparison:

i) Contestants quality
Both talent show focused on giving a birth to the next Malaysia's Big Thing after Siti Nurhaliza [or maybe Mawi]. The very first incarnation of Malaysian Idol nearly did that, Jac possess the quality of international class. Flawless vocals, she has most of Malaysian regardless of race and religion backing her up all the way to crown her as Malaysia's very first IDOL.

Malaysian Idol, a franchaise from the "Idol" phenomenon globally has to follow the rules of acceptance in terms of contestant's participation. A person who is 16 -29 years old who is a Malaysian and WIHTOUT a PROFESIONAL SINGING CONTRACT will find themselves eligible to participate in this competition. If we are to reopen history books, except for Jac [who herself courted some controversies with her own published album] none of the other Malaysian Idol Top 10 contestants really lived up to the high standards that Malaysia's Next Big Thing needs to have. Not even the winner of Malaysian Idol2 Daniel Lee [though he is starting to make waves in Taiwan]. No not even both runner ups Dina nor Nita ... So one might question, are we the proud owner of the "Boleh-land" does not have talents out there and Jac is just one of those tiny handfuls of "real" and undiscovered talent out there ? But then what about other talent competition like AF, Asto talents search, Vaanavil talent search ... the likes of Mawi AF3 [the new phenomenon of Malaysian local music industry], Bob AF2 [for what his voice power has been discounted by his rather "incommercial" physical appearance, or what about Zhang Dong Liang [ the winner of Astro talent quest who made it huge in Taiwan]. What we are finding is a STAR which can appeal to most of Malaysians .. not one ethnic group

One in a Million, tries to tackle the weakness of or rather the limitation of the Idol show. Instead of all those singing contract limitations, now all Malaysians who are 16 - 30 years old can participate in this talent show regardless whethere they earlier signed any recording contract or not. This means that even recording artists have the chance to participate in this competition and before you realize, many recording artiste who did not make it big time takes this opportunity to give their singing career another shot. However havign said that these people have to gamble on ONE thing ... their most precious FAME, the one they have been working on for years. One fine example is the participation of Dayang Nurfaizah [Dayang]. A lot of people has been crying foul over the unfair advantage that she has over the other contestants since she has been pro for quite some time. But then many would also agree that she faces the risk of paying the MOTHER OF ALL RISKs, she needs to prove week in week out that she is way above the rest else her credibility would be heavily criticized and so is the pressure she has to face. But we have to agree that these bunch of top10 that we have in One in a million is one of the most talented lot that ever graced local talent shows lately. For the first time, I have more than 3 favourites to look forward to week in week out (Dayang,Zai, Faizal, Azfar [at times, coz i like Zainal Abidin and his performance reminds me of Zainal Abidin] , Aliff and Suki [coz shes from Seremban]) ... something which I only have the luxury on American Idol ...

One in a milion 1
Malaysian Idol 0

ANNOUNCMENT

Begining from 24th July 2006,

I Kwan Thean Keong in the eyes of the Malaysian Law is now a legally married man.

The Marriage registration took place at Thean Hou temple on the 22nd of July 2006. Giving the government office not working on weekends, I believe my new marital status will effectively take effect on the 24th July.
The pictures of the registration day are available here.

After 6 wonderful years of courtship, I finally decided to settle down with my now wife Louisa Moak Soo Fung.

Knowing this might heavily dissapoin my legions of fans out there, I cannot say much but hope that you all wish me all the best and a blissful marriage.

However having said the above. I hereby declare that nothing will be changed in my life.


" Horse Still Run "
" Karaoke Still Sing "
" Manchester United Still Supporting"
" Drinks Still drink " [ apologies to some of my Muslim frens]
" Outing and gathering still attending "
" Maybe no more womanizing "

For those who crazed on TOTO's -> the number is 5353.

Will need to learn not to tick on BUJANG or SINGLE options for "marital status" on any forms in the future.