Government Vet (in)Efficiency

This morning I took one of my cats, Choccy, to the government vet in Cheras. She was feeling a little under the weather; sniffing, sneezing, the works. Anyway, we got there around 9:30am, and there were hardly any patients + owners around, so on to the registration counter.

Before that, let me describe the environment a little. It looks pretty well-maintained, clean, spacious, BUT, the air is so full of germs you can fall sick in minutes. I did. After about 30 minutes of exposure, my eyes start to water and my nose started running a full tap. I'm beginning to wonder whether the animals are brought there to be cured or killed.

Anyhoo, back to the story. The tudung makcik at the counter was on the phone, talking to her family (it was obvious) and not even paying attention to us. My mom kept trying to get her attention, but she still blabbers on and on over the phone. My mom handed over our reg card, she took a look at it and put it down and continued blabbering. This took about 5 minutes before she finally decided to hang up and serve us.

She got up and went looking for our file. About a minute later, she came back, with a file, but it didn't belong to us. Although the number on our card and on the file match, it's definitely not ours. Another employee (young Indian man) came by to help out. So off we send her to look for our folder based on another card that we have (yes, we have two, blame them for giving us TWO DIFFERENT REGISTRATION NUMBERS) and came back with another file. Again, it didn't belong to us, and the number didn't even match. Apparently, they can't differentiate between 0237 and 0236.

My mom made a fuss about how often we've come by (roughly 3-4 times a year) and yet they can still misplace/lose our file! A third employee (seems like the supervisor) came over to see what happened, and asked my mom for her IC. She handed it over, they keyed in the number in the computer, and voila, NO RECORDS.

At this point, I'm already pissed, my mom's pissed, and there are a few people waiting behind us to register. To keep it simple, they decided to issue a new file with the number we have been using. 0237. Lo and behold, the Indian man WROTE THE NUMBERS WRONG. He wrote 023A(A) instead of 0237(A). Fortunately, my mom and the supervisor noticed this and told him to rewrite a new one. He was grinning like a cheshire cat.

They say they will locate the original file and it's going to take a few days. I say bullshit. There were 3 employees there, not counting the supervisor, and all they did was sit around like lazy asses. Is it THAT difficult to locate a file with a name spelled in BIG CAPITAL LETTERS? They don't have records the size of the national archives, mind you. Only 4 cabinets. I could do it in an hour!

Registration = 30 minutes.
Waiting for turn = 10 minutes.
Checkup = 5 minutes.
See the problem?

So my advice is, if you can afford it, don't go to this vet. You'll be wasting precious time and hair dealing with these inefficient idiots, although the vets themselves are very efficient. To the government, FIRE THESE PEOPLE OR TRAIN THEM PROPERLY. I've seen monkeys do better work.

PROS: Cheap (cost us RM31 for checkup, meds and vaccination), hardly anyone goes there around 9-10am, efficient vets.

CONS: Inefficient employees, unhygienic environment, no proper procedure.

P.S. I got home with a flu. Go figure.

Sound Designer or Sound Engineer?

1. Designer, noun, person who devises or executes designs, especially one who creates forms, structures, and patterns.

2. Engineer, noun, a person trained and skilled in the design, construction, and use of engines or machines, or in any of various branches of engineering.

Maybe I should label my self as the "Sound Design Engineer"? lol

Audio - A Dying Profession

I have been working as an audio engineer (or sound designer) for the last 10 years. I have done many things in regards to the profession; live events, studio production, album production, electronic news gathering, film post production, you name it. The only thing I haven't done by myself is film mixing. Having graduated from SAE and trained by the BBC in broadcast, I pretty much know all the ins and outs of audio.

Recently, I was offered a job with a local production house, where I believe to be one of the best, if not the best, in the country. The prospect is good; I'll get to work with experienced people and hone my skills. The people seem nice, and they seem to be happy working there; having worked there for at least 5 years.

Here's the catch. The initial salary offer is paltry with no room for negotiation. No benefits to speak of and work is hell. I've been told there's plenty of work, which, in production terms, no free time for yourself, not even weekends. Hell, I got paid better 7 years ago!

Then a second offer came. It is slightly better, but it's the exact same pay I got when I left Astro 7 years ago. More recently, I did work for a lower pay at another production house but, I do get a percentage for each project that I worked on, which worked out very well indeed.

I am still undecided about this, and I have to give my answer tomorrow. On one hand, this will be an excellent opportunity for me to complete my audio skill set, so to speak, but on the other hand, I will be giving up the one thing I treasure most; my time. As the old saying goes, time is money, and I don't see the balance in the offer they're giving me.

Now which flaming idiot set the bar for audio engineers so low, and which flaming idiot accepted such a low bar? I call for all audio engineers in this country to stop accepting such lousy offers, and value yourself! Just because people who do not have an audio engineering background are undercutting you, doesn't mean that you should!

I'm also disappointed at how audio is valued in this country. Apart from the rare audiophiles, everyone else seems to be content to just having it "there". Quality doesn't matter, as long as it's "there". Everyone buys RM20 speakers for their computers, and they're happy with it. Everyone buys a cheap television and they're happy with it. Gone are the days when people would actually buy speakers and amplifiers to get a good sound.

Oh well, that's what I think anyway.

Quickie

Nothing much to say, just had to say that the events that has transpired today really made my day. I caught up with 3 friends, met a new friend, made someone feel psychologically threatened and made another guy feel insecure. That last bit has GOT to be the highlight of the day. lol

Psychopathology diagnosis is VERY interesting.

Everyone can ignore all my sappy posts before as it doesn't reflect how I feel anymore. I feel like a phoenix that just rose from the ashes.

Psychology is the bomb! ;)

Just a thought

For one month, I lay the foundation,
Hoping to build a strong connection,
Little did I know, it was just a show,
With all the lies and deception.

For one month, I waited for you,
Waiting to share my feelings for you,
What can I say, but to my dismay,
The feelings weren't the same for you.

My broken heart, my restless mind,
I pray I don't go out of line,
I have failed, I have lost,
To make you mine.

My heart will never be the same,
Ever since we played this little game,
Whatever you do, I still think of you,
But I doubt you feel the same.

People always say, you cannot rush love,
For it it is sent from up above,
But for you, I say thank you,
For I could've been the fool in love.

There's nothing more I can say,
That can make this feeling go away,
As much as I deny it, As much as I hide it,
You're in my mind always.

I am now free,
Free from your treachery,
For as long as you live, you'll never believe,
The ones who were there for me.

(Insert dracula-ish laughter)

10 Things

10 Things To Do When You Miss Your Love

1. Work overtime.
2. Spend time with friends.
3. Watch fast-action movies.
4. Smell weed.
5. Write a love letter.
6. Exercise.
7. Sleep a lot.
8. Eat a lot.
9. Play games.
10. Take up a new hobby.

10 Things NOT To Do When You Miss Your Love

1. Be alone.
2. Listen to your mind.
3. Drive for miles.
4. Spend time with friends who feels just like you.
5. Wank it off.
6. Watch romantic movies.
7. Wander around aimlessly.
8. Listen to love songs.
9. Waste money on silly things.
10. Read about others' love stories.

10 Things That Will Happen When You Miss Your Love

1. You get paranoid.
2. You assume things.
3. You lose appetite.
4. You can't sleep.
5. You feel sad all the time.
6. Time moves too slow for you.
7. You want to hear her voice every minute.
8. You want to see her every hour.
9. You feel like dying.
10. You plan for the day when you'll finally see her again.

2 weeks

I met her again last Saturday, after a long 2 weeks that felt like 2 years. She looked as beautiful as ever, and I can sense her glow of happiness. I have become addicted to her, and I know she knows it.

a little over 2 weeks more before I get to see her again; another 2 proverbial years. I can hardly wait. She is already loved; no doubt about it. Now it's my turn.

New script, new headache

I am going out of my mind writing this new script. I've pretty much got the story done, but I am still trying to include more plot twists here and there. So far, I've been unsuccessful.

I need a break, but if I do that, my mind will start thinking of other things. People. Her. Argh. I hate this feeling.

Gaming doesn't help much; it's a huge mental drain. Exercising wears me down physically, plus I've exercised way too much this week anyway. By right, I should be able to rest easily. Nope, doesn't happen. I feel like there's a surge of adrenaline pumping in my heart, yet I can't do anything about it.

From wikipedia:
"Recent studies in neuroscience have indicated that as people fall in love, the brain consistently releases a certain set of chemicals, including dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin, which act similar to amphetamines, stimulating the brain's pleasure center and leading to side-effects such as an increased heart rate, loss of appetite and sleep, and an intense feeling of excitement. Research has indicated that this stage generally lasts from one and a half to three years."

Increased heart rate: check.
Loss of appetite: check.
Loss of sleep: check.

Please tell me I'm not in love. Someone slap me. Pinch me. Torture me. Whatever. I need a good distraction.

She Will Be Loved

I don’t mind spending everyday
Out on your corner in the pouring rain
Look for the girl with the broken smile
Ask her if she wants to stay awhile
And she will be loved
She will be loved

- Maroon 5

Every time I'm with her, that song plays in my mind. Every time I hold her in my arms, that song plays in my mind. Every time I hear the song, I think of the scene Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling reenacted at the 2005 MTV Movie Awards from the movie "The Notebook" . Every time that happens, I would lift her up and cradle her in front of me. It's a vicious cycle.

Found it:


I know I tend to get so insecure; doesn't matter anymore.

P.S. Are mixed tapes/cds out of fashion?

Melancholy

I am bored with my life. I don't know what else to do. As time goes by, I feel my soul drifting away. I can't sleep, I won't eat, but this vassal still moves like clockwork.

The other one is slowly taking over, screaming to be released. We can only hold him for so long, but alas, we can hold him no longer. He will resurface and he will pass judgment to those he sees fit.

However, it is for the better, as he is more capable of handling this vassal right now. Masrey has succumb to love, and Dex has been locked away for a long time.

All we can do now is pray that he will be merciful, for he has only one weakness, and she is nowhere near. She holds the key to release Dex, and she can resurrect Masrey.

Be prepared.

The One

The symptoms: Lack of sleep. Loss of appetite. The longing feeling.

The cause: The girl who stole my heart, but gave me hers in return.

The solution: She's the one.

I wonder if it's true. It can't be; it's too soon.

Sofa King

Sofa King great.
Sofa King comfortable.
Sofa King cheap.

You gotta love SNL. :)

Scriptwriting

I had written a script, as usual, but this time, no dialogs were involved. So, I showed it to this experienced director, and he gave PLENTY of comments. Most importantly, he told me to write "the four": story, treatment, character biography and step outline. By doing this I got deeper into my script, realizing all the characters and roles they play, and even imagining every single scene in detail.

The original script HAD to be rewritten. It was so incomplete; it was so dead. "The four" were so powerful and detailed, it made the script look like an excuse of a pathetic writer. Now, my script is better, but I still believe there is room for improvement.

So I showed "the four" to a friend of mine who happens to be a scriptwriter/producer. Her comments were very constructive, and made me realize the missing ingredients I needed to make my script a solid one.

I learned so much. I finally understand why I need to write them. Without those, a script is just a collection of words, making little sense, especially if the script itself is bad. I had my first experience writing "the four" today.

Quote Of The Day

(Dex to Jarod): What kind of director is this?

Jarod had his directorial debut on Sunday. He should stick to being a producer. lol

Insomniac

I am now officially an insomniac.

For the past few days, I find it difficult to sleep for more than 3 hours at one go, except for one fateful morning on Sunday. Other than that, it's an hour here and there. Never in my life have I had this problem, unless of course I forced myself. I usually have problems sleeping at night, but never duration. Now, it's duration, regardless of when.

I can attribute this insomnia to my change in daily routine. Since early last week, I started exercising. Man, I suck at it. I could only go 15 minutes tops on the cycling machine, compared to an hour several years ago. Any longer and I'll probably get run over by the machine somehow. Working at home must've caused this shitty problem.

Anyway, the real me has returned. The one that has been buried since I was 14. The snake returns with a mission. No more facades, no more double lives, no more secret identities. There is only one.

How Sex Starts

The wonders of chain letters. I just found this one funny. lol

a smile leads to a laugh

...a laugh leads to a high 5
...a high 5 leads to a hug
...a hug leads to a kiss
...a kiss leads 2 makeout
...a makeout leads 2 finger
...a finger leads to a hand
...a hand leads to a lick
...a lick leads to a suck
...a suck leads 2 a .........

So tell me how many people are you gonna smile at after you heard this cuz sex is like math.

...u add the bed
...subtract the clothes
...divide the legs
...leave your solution
...and pray you dont multiply!

post this right after u read it, something good will happen at 2:25 tomorrow.

Get ready for the biggest shock in your life!!

Whoever breaks this chain will be cursed w/ relationship problems 4-10 years.

If you post this in 15 mins, your safe.

Something good will happen tonight at 1:11a.m.

REPOST THIS AS "How Sex Starts"

Quote Of The Day

"I'd cut your balls just to kiss her (Carrie Underwood) legs" - Me.

You'd feel the same way if you watched her performance on Saturday Night Live on March 24th. She has those proverbial "legs that go up to heaven"; legs that women dream of having and men would kill to caress.

She's already a great singer, no doubt, but that night, all I did was focus on her legs. Legs, legs, legs. Oh, and that ultra-mini-skirt she was wearing.

Took me a week to stop fantasizing about them legs. lol

The Five

The Bitch, The Whore, The Fucker, The Bastard and The Slut.

Awkward silence.

First Green Screen Attempt

The phrase of the day was: "Save the cheerleader, save the world."

Yesterday we had our first attempt at shooting with a green screen. Si Ying needed to do a montage for MMU's prom nite, and she needed silhouettes of a couple of dancers, so she talked to us and we decided to help out. We used 3 1x6m green cloth, and looking for a suitable location was a problem since it was literally just 3 pieces of cloth. We didn't have time to properly attach it beforehand.

Anyway, crew call was at 9am, and I was already in Cyberjaya half an hour before. Fortunately she's already awake at that time, so we went and look at the location (outdoors) to set up the green screen. Problem is, Jarod has yet to show up (stomach ache he says), and he's the one that's having the equipment at that time.

9:30am and still no sign of Jarod. Si Ying's friends, who we know as "That One" and "This One" (previously known as Friend#1 and Friend#2), along with the two dancers (one of them a cheerleader, hence, the phrase) and their friend are already there. Si Ying was panicking since the sky is getting darker. Yeap, it's gonna rain.

Eventually Jarod arrived, close to 10am. We set up the green screen, which took another 15-20 minutes (fortunately) and started shooting. Literally a few minutes into the shoot, the rain came. We scrambled to take down the green screen, packed up and waited. Wasted another hour on that. In the meantime, Jarod went looking for another location, indoors.

He managed to get another location, a lecture hall. Whoopee. Another half an hour wasted on re-setting up of the green screen. When it was all done, there were issues, like slippery floors (it was a smooth wooden stage, and the cloth had to be used on it), unprepared dancers, indecisive director, etc. We started shooting around 11:30am and finished around 4pm. I was told that the cheerleader (insert phrase here) had a cheerleading practice at noon. Crap.

While Si Ying was shooting her silhouettes, Jarod, Nick (who also came by) and I were "shooed" away because the cheerleader was a little shy about dancing in front of so many strangers. We weren't bothered about it anyway, and set up shop in the lecture hall next door. It has a working PC and a projector. Bam! Instant mini-theater. We watched SNL on that thing. hehehe.

That was it. What a day it was. Can't wait for our proper green screen production. :)

No one likes pizza?

We're supposed to have a pizza party this weekend to celebrate our win last week, but... Only 3 people wants in on it? Pizza people, come on! No? You'd rather have mamak food instead? lol

Fine by me. Cheaper for Jarod too. I'm sure he'll appreciate that.

Top Ten Things I Would've Called My Truck

This was on "How I Met Your Mother" this week. I thought everyone should have a good laugh too. Transcribed to the best of my knowledge. :)

10. The Winnebang-go
09. The Pick-up Truck
08. The Ford Explore-her
07. The U-scream Truck
06. Feels On Wheels
05. The Ride-her Truck
04. The 18-Squealer
03. The Esca-laid
02. The Slam-boni
01. The '69 Chevy

Barney rocks. lol

So we did...

Well what do you know, Detained won best director and 2nd runner-up for best film in the open category. To think, we were all somewhat disappointed with the production of this short, pointing out the flaws in everyone involved. We weren't even going to submit this, but we did anyway. Looks like someone liked it enough to give us something. :)

I'm sure there will be an issue as to who is the director of this short. Truth is, there are two, Tony was in charge of the creative production side, while I was in the technical and post-production. As long as he doesn't mind sharing the title, fine by me. I really need to pimp myself to get up the ladder in the industry.

Now I'm a little excited and inspired to direct another short, but I don't know what it will be. I have a few scripts up my sleeve, but they're either too costly or too complicated to produce. Doesn't matter right now, since the team's going to shoot another short using the green screen real soon. Mine can come after that.

Changing names

Dex Masrey. That's the name I've been pimping over the past few months. It all started almost 10 years ago, during the heyday of irc when I had to choose a nickname and using your own name was considered a hefty sin. :P I was watching Cartoon Network at that time and it just so happens that Dexter's Laboratory was on air, so I picked that name. Added a little extra at the end, thus dExtEr^Rr was born.

It evolved into other forms of nicknames such as dexter, dextah, sextah, sexydexy (I know, corny), dex8472, d3x and many more, but somehow Dex DeMarco stuck with me for a while; but DeMarco kinda got dropped, so Dex it is.

Now, for my production team, I've been pimping Dex Masrey, it's even on my business cards. But lately, I'm thinking of using Daniel instead. Imagine this: Daniel Masrey. Sounds more pleasant doesn't it? Dr. Jackson will be proud. :P

A lot of people have come to recognize my name as Dex, hence the tough decision on whether to use Daniel or Dex now. Or both?

Saint Valentine's

Hey guys, so it's that "romantic" time of the year again, and for me, it's gonna be my 10th year in a row without a date. What a sad, sad man, 29 years old, and hardly any action. :P Anyway, for those who have a date tomorrow, have fun! Hope you didn't pay outrageous prices for them flowers!

Regardless, I'm a little busy right now. I'm currently writing this MASSIVE trilogy of feature-films. I've finished with the story and I plan to start writing the script tonight. I will be writing it in English, though, hopefully my mates can translate it to BM once it's done. I wonder if it should be translated or not...

If you're wondering what the story is all about, I can't tell you just yet. Let me finish up at least the first 2 parts. All I can say is, they're gonna be action films with plenty of twist and turns in the plot (hence, needing a trilogy in the first place).

Day and night I've been getting dreams and images of how this trilogy should play out and so far, it's really something. I've even gotten down to having a specific person play the leading role. I just hope I can write it as good as I can dream it. If that happens, I can assure you, this trilogy will be the biggest Malaysian movie(s) of all time. :)

Yeah, that explains the lack of entries too. :P

TMNet 0, Me 1

Looks like I got my full speeds back again. I had to use *cough*vpn*cough* to get around it, but hey, now I'm getting what I paid for.

So TMNet, thank you for the short hair-pulling session.

P.S. I'll still switch over to another ISP if a competent one pops up. :)

Damn you, TMNET!

TMNet, you have taken it too far. First, it was the inconsistent connection. I had to complain to CFM to get you to fix my line. Then, your sorry excuse for not having enough bandwidth to serve the nation. Sure, blame it on p2p, but everyone knows TMNet can't cope.

Now, you block access to certain websites like wikipedia, google, and bittorrent trackers. That's the last straw for me. If I don't get access to these sites by the end of the day, I'm no longer interested in subscribing to TMNet. And please, don't blame it on the ACPN-2. Web downloads are at full speed, so it's definitely not the issue.

I hear Jaring's a little kind these days.

All stressed out

First day of dubbing, and I'm already stressed out. The day began mundane enough, going for breakfast, reaching the studio just before 10am, EXCEPT everyone decided to drive as fast as a trishaw! WHAT THE HELL?

People in the studio smoke. I don't. The whole studio is air-conditioned. Smoking in an air-conditioned place is bad. REAL BAD. The place looked like some soldier threw a smoke grenade into the building. Hell, I think I'm safer in the Middle East than in the studio at that point. So tomorrow, I will be wearing my gas mask. If they don't care about others, then I won't care about them. Feeling insulted? Stop smoking.

If that wasn't enough, I had to wait for almost 4 hours for dubbing to start. Sure, artists are known to be "fashionably" late, but don't tell me to push my working hours way beyond the time agreed upon! I'm supposed to work from 10am to 6pm, PERIOD. Not 10am to 9:30pm!!! The producer still wanted to go on, but I didn't want to continue anymore. No way.

So, I drove back home. I encountered a massive jam on Jalan Genting Klang. What the hell. So I turned around, hopped on the MRR2 instead. Okay, so no massive jam, but EVERYONE'S FRICKING SLOW! What is wrong with Malaysians nowadays? Can't drive at highway speeds ON A FRICKIN' HIGHWAY?

Enough is enough. I've had it. I should've listen to my instinct and not take this job in the first place. I'm already paid for 5 days of dubbing, so I will honor that and then I'm done. There's no way in hell I'm going to do dubbing ever again. Funny thing is, it's not even my ex-boss' fault.

One good thing happened though. Afdlin offered me to work for him. He mentioned several positions in his company that are "vacant". I told him that I'd think about it. Chances of me wanting to work for him: 20%. Why? The 2 main reasons NOT TO are; his office is in Wangsa Maju, nearby to where the studio is, so for me to go there I'd have to take the same route, which means, bloody jam. Then there's the smoking bit. The last time I went there, EVERYONE WAS SMOKING. Gee, sounds a lot like the studio too. Well, I guess my gas mask comes in handy after all.

I'm also thinking if I should bring my production team into Afdlin's company. Experience is always good for everyone, be it bad or good. Maybe I'll tell him that. If he wants me, he's gotta grab the whole team too.

Anyways, so long, farewell, WWP.

Oops! My bad!

Okay, so I finally grouped my blogs together. Yessirree bob! Imma gonna seperate them blogs. This one shall remain my personal blog, while this one will belong to ChillTime Studios. Production blog or whatever.

Okay so, I got my measly little check today. Whoopee! Let's go celebrate! Plus, my birthday is creeping up real soon. Anyone wants to buy me the Canon XH-A1? Please? Pretty please? With cherry on top? :P

Today I finally drove in KL, and I was cursing 90% of the time. Did everyone suddenly overdose on the slow pill? There wasn't any massive traffic jams around, and yet, everyone's driving like it's Sunday!

RM2.60 toll to get from Damansara to Melawati doesn't seem like a bad price after that harrowing experience.