An Evening With Me

GSC = Garbage Screening Copies/Generally Screwing Customers

2008-07-24T03:02:00.001+08:00

Last week, I decided to go to the cinemas to watch one of the highly-anticipated movie of the year, The Dark Knight. The cinema; GSC at Midvalley Megamall. The ticket cost RM12, pretty expensive to my liking, but hey, it's TDK. So off I go.

The advertisements went on and on for about 30 minutes. Damn, that took a while. No trailers in sight, so what the hell? I was expecting to see at least some trailers; all my previous experience had at least a couple of trailers and probably only 10 minutes of crappy ads. Do these companies pay top dollar for a slot with TDK?

Right, so the movie started. Hmm... Doesn't look that clear. Is it the particular scene? I hope so. But after some time, it's still blur. What the hell is going on? Something wrong with the reels? Fine. Give it some time.

An hour into the movie and it's still blur. 2 hours into the movie and it's blur! Bloody hell, I paid RM12 for this crap? I've seen better pirated copies online! Oh great, the movie's over. FINALLY.

Wait a tick, it doesn't end there. Why is the sound so compressed? Why are the explosions at the same level as the speech? Seriously, was the movie really made this bad? Soft visuals and highly-compressed audio?

After the movie ended, I left the theater having this empty feeling. What the fuck happened in there? Did I miss something? Was TDK really that bad? I certainly did not enjoy the movie.

Off I go, back to my house. I decided, no, this can't be true. The Dark Knight, this horrible, no way. So I went online and looked for a pirated copy. Wonderful, a very-badly recorded camera version is out. Let's see how it looks like. Lo and behold, it's ALMOST IDENTICAL! How can this be?

Not satisfied, I looked further. I found a 720p HD version of a documentary titled "Batman Unmasked: The Psychology Of The Dark Knight" by the History Channel. Downloaded it, and played it. Oh my god, the visuals are BEAUTIFUL! The audio were crispy clear and clearly distinguishable! Nowhere NEAR as tragic as my experience in GSC!

So I've come to a conclusion. GSC probably only bought a couple of master reels from the studios, and then made too many copies of the reels, thus resulting in ultra-soft, degraded, multi-generational copies, and worst yet, this is what they're showing to the masses. This is GSC trying to save a few bucks while at the same time SCREWING the Malaysian public, who unfortunately, couldn't tell the difference between a REAL cinematic experience from a butchered one.

I for one will NEVER pay the local cinemas anymore. They have conned me out of my RM12 one time too many. I would rather GIVE the money to the pirates, at least I KNOW the quality they provide, or lack thereof. Why pay so much for crap when you can get the same crap cheaper? So Malaysians, take a stand and stop giving to the cinemas and get your movies elsewhere; DVD, Bluray, or even that half-past-six low-quality broadcaster everyone's raving about.

So fuck you GSC, you have totally ruined The Dark Knight for me. You owe me RM12 and 3 hours of my life I'd never get back. I wish a Joker wannabe will come along soon and blow up your theaters. I'd pay RM12 to see that.

P.S. Wall-E must be blind. Pirated copies look better.

So I'm bored...

2008-04-04T00:29:00.000+08:00

My Porno Name is Bonder Barney.
Take The Porn Star Name Generator today!
Created with Rum and Monkey's Name Generator Generator.

As Barney would say.. "Suit up!"

I'm slow.

2008-04-03T21:17:00.001+08:00

87 words

Speedtest

Attention Coke Haters of Malaysia

2008-03-31T21:27:00.002+08:00

I received another chain letter crap in BM stating that Coke is not sold in Israel due to the fact that it contains some kind of chemicals that makes women lose their fertility or some shit like that.

Well what's on this page then, dumbass?

http://www.buyinisrael.com/Coca-Cola.htm

I'm not speaking on behalf of Coke, but come on people, do some research first, please! Don't be a lemming!

3 Easy Steps To Learn Tagalog

2008-03-06T22:07:00.004+08:00

1. Sign up as a dubbing engineer for a tagalog-to-bm series.
2. Work with an incompetent translator.
3. Force-read tagalog hands-on to get the job done on schedule.

Might even work for other languages too.

Government Vet (in)Efficiency

2007-08-22T18:30:00.001+08:00

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?

2007-08-01T04:45:00.000+08:00

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

2007-06-29T21:33:00.000+08:00

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

2007-05-26T03:32:00.000+08:00

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

2007-05-24T04:16:00.000+08:00

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

2007-05-21T01:45:00.000+08:00

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

2007-05-10T00:04:00.000+08:00

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

2007-04-28T13:27:00.000+08:00

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

2007-04-24T18:03:00.000+08:00

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

2007-04-21T10:38:00.000+08:00

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

2007-04-20T15:14:00.000+08:00

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

2007-04-17T11:52:00.000+08:00

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

You gotta love SNL. :)

Scriptwriting

2007-04-11T00:34:00.000+08:00

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

2007-04-10T01:49:00.000+08:00

(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

2007-04-09T12:29:00.000+08:00

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

2007-04-09T12:25:00.000+08:00

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

2007-04-03T03:15:00.000+08:00

"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

2007-04-02T05:31:00.000+08:00

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

Awkward silence.

First Green Screen Attempt

2007-03-25T10:07:00.000+08:00

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?

2007-03-23T00:41:00.000+08:00

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

2007-03-21T07:12:00.000+08:00

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...

2007-03-20T01:57:00.000+08:00

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

2007-03-12T23:08:00.000+08:00

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

2007-02-13T17:17:00.000+08:00

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

2007-01-30T06:20:00.000+08:00

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!

2007-01-16T06:05:00.000+08:00

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

2007-01-06T22:29:00.000+08:00

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!

2007-01-05T16:16:00.000+08:00

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.

Rant Of The Month

2006-09-18T09:27:00.000+08:00

Hmm.. Not 2 months like I originally intended, but hey.. I just feel like blabbering today.

2 weeks ago, I upgraded my computer to the new (as of this date) Allendale CPU, the E6300. Man, it was worth every penny paid for! I sold a lot of my old junk just to raise enough funds to get me a half-baked system that runs pretty good to my surprise. :P Bought myself that, a cheap-ass mobo (well, cheapest of the lot), a 7300GT card and 1GB of RAM. I was supposed to get 2GB, but since the price has increased, that blew my already-tight budget.

I installed Mac OS X on my PC just for the fun of it. It works! I even have a screenshot that proves it right here:

Me on Mac

I just finished playing this game called Company Of Heroes. I have to tell ya, it's a great game. The graphics were lovely, the audio was very authentic and the gameplay rocks. The only problem is, there isn't enough single-player missions. Only 15? Come on.

I have been getting throbbing pain since the middle of last week, and it got really bad on Sunday. So I decided to visit the dentist. Doc told me that it is the wisdom tooth and that it better come off or it's just gonna get worse. So I had my wisdom tooth pulled out today. Ow it hurt! The anaesthetic didn't help much! The doc should've injected me with a horse tranquilizer instead. That'll take me out. I think.

It was a huge, rotten tooth. The doc showed me after the "extraction" (doc said it, sounds like a military operation to me) and despite that it was covered with blood, I could still see how disfigured it was. Ridges here and there, cavities, etc. Should've taken a picture. :P On my way back, then I realized that I should've taken that tooth with me to show to everyone. Damn, was too drugged to think properly I guess. Damn. I took a photo of the cotton swab with all the blood on it. I'll link it later. :)

Found this thingy on my friend's Friendster site, so I tried it and here's the result I get. Ladies, come take a gander. :P

The Keys to Your Heart

You are attracted to those who have a split personality - cold as ice on the outside but hot as fire in the heart.

In love, you feel the most alive when your lover is creative and never lets you feel bored.

You'd like to your lover to think you are stylish and alluring.

You would be forced to break up with someone who was emotional, moody, and difficult to please.

Your ideal relationship is lasting. You want a relationship that looks to the future... one you can grow with.

Your risk of cheating is zero. You care about society and morality. You would never break a commitment.

You think of marriage as something precious. You'll treasure marriage and treat it as sacred.

In this moment, you think of love as something you thirst for. You'll do anything for love, but you won't fall for it easily.

What Are The Keys To Your Heart?

Almost 2 months

2006-08-13T02:51:00.000+08:00

Well what do you know. It's almost 2 months since my last entry, and frankly I really don't have anything to say. Apart from getting addicted to an MMORPG called Ran Online (which I am quite respected in, btw), I haven't been doing anything at all. It's the usual routine; wake up, toilet, mmorpg, eat, mmorpg, toilet, sleep. I've been so out of touch with reality I don't know what's happening out there. What, you mean there's a war going on in the Middle East?

On the other hand, I've been having the time of my life. No stress, no traffic, no idiots to deal with; total bliss. Still, I kinda miss cursing at idiot drivers who don't know how to use indicator lights, slow-ass road-hogs and cheap imitation sports cars, Protons and Peroduas specifically.

I've been doing a whole lot of soul-searching. My soul says I must attain enlightenment, and yet I still don't know how to get there. If it's something like ascension in the Stargate series, man oh man, it's gonna be tough! Job-wise, I've decided to not work with computers, or at least not as much. I know, computers can do wonders, but I'm not gonna sit in front of it for hours on end working. That's for gaming. :)

So, I'll just end this entry here and look forward to my next entry in say.. 2 months. Unless something interesting happens in real life. Or until I don't get muscle aches around my neck from gaming too much. lol

End Of Malaysia For Me

2006-06-20T12:44:00.000+08:00

Okay, the title is a little too melodramatic. However, a few days ago, I was talking to an old friend of mine about what I want to do, as in job-wise. I told him, I was interested in archaeology and ancient world history, and that I would love to be a researcher in those fields. He laughed. Most people would find it insulting, but I know it's true. In Malaysia, it is virtually impossible to find a job in archaeology, which means the end of job-searching in Malaysia for me.

I can look for other jobs, but I don't know if I can keep them. If it's not something you're passionate about, it's not worth doing.

My Personal DNA

2006-06-14T07:20:00.000+08:00

Cautious Builder

That would be me. Just a quick little update, thanks to midnite lily's blog. Pretty obvious I still have nothing to do. Just finished watching 4 seasons of That '70s Show, so I'm feeling a little '70s right now. Bitchin.

What to do...

2006-06-05T18:35:00.000+08:00

Well what do you know, it's already June. A month since my last entry. I guess I'm just not cut out for blogging, especially when I'm feeling lazy for the past couple of months. What can I say, not working does that to you.

American Idol has ended, and Taylor Hicks won. Well, I have nothing against him, but I am kinda disappointed that Kat didn't win. I guess I'll just have to watch the whole season again to see those tig bitties. Over and over again.

I am still out of work, by choice, since the end of February. I am now at the greatest crossroad in my life where I need to choose what I want to do. I want to open up a business, but I don't know what to run. I want to write a script, but I don't know where to start. I want to be a historian, but I don't know what to specialise. I want to write something controversial, but I'm in the wrong country. I don't want to do audio anymore, but it's my backup plan. There are just so many things that I want to do, but either I don't have the means to do it or I am constrained by the people around me.

So what do I do? I play games. I watch tons of documentaries. I go on tv-series-marathons. I sit on my ass everyday, in front of the computer, whether I like it or not. I'm getting fatter by the minute, I'm becoming more reclusive and I'm losing the ability to talk. To most people, that is a social suicide, but to me, that's life.

Don't get me wrong, I want to lose weight, I want to go out and meet people and I want to talk crap, but they're all related. One huge chain. I break one, and the rest will follow. Plus, it's hard to find someone to talk to when your interests are very far from the common people of the country.

Don't worry, I'll survive. I'll swing back into action. Heck, I'll probably lose weight and socialise more than I've ever been. Only time will tell. Till then, there's still a whole bunch of tv series for me to watch. :)

To people who know me and reading this: Give me a call sometime, will ya? Let's go out for a drink and talk about ancient history. lol

Angel No More

2006-05-02T01:54:00.000+08:00

It is already Tuesday morning, and no sign of Angel anywhere. I fear the worst, that Angel is dead. I find it difficult to bid farewell to him and this is very untypical of me; having feelings. Maybe I was too attached to this cat, more than I would admit. I still stand at the door looking out several times a day, hoping that Angel would show up.

I read in a forum that some illegal immigrants eat stray & domesticated animals for food coz they don't have the money to buy food. I just hope and pray that Angel didn't end up being someone's meal. I'm not telling my mom, though. God knows how devastated my mom will be if I did.

I need to find something to do to get this feeling away. Games just don't cut it anymore.

Missing Angel

2006-04-30T11:06:00.000+08:00

So it's been a month since my last entry. I wish I have interesting things to say, but honestly, I have been sitting at home playing games all the time that it would interest no one. I'm still on holiday, though I must say now it looks more like unemployment rather than a holiday. :P

One of my cats, Angel, went missing yesterday morning. My mom cried, saying that he was the best and most tame cat we've ever had for years. He'd always sleep on my mom's bed next to her, and he's always there when she goes to sleep or when she wakes up. However, I fear the worst, that he's dead, far away from the house. However, there's still a glimmer of hope that he might just walk back into the house in the next few days, since we found no body yet. I think he just got himself locked up inside one of the houses up the street. Since tomorrow is a public holiday, a lot of my neighbors decided to pack it up and balik kampung for the 3-day weekend. If he is really locked up in one of the houses, I only hope and pray that he makes it until tomorrow night. Here's hoping for a miracle.

I was supposed to meet up with a potential client this past week regarding a corporate video, but it never went thru. No calls were received which left me thinking if they've already found someone to do it for them. This can only mean no money for me and no opportunity to produce & direct my first corporate video on my own. I was eyeing that new business card design too. :( I was also asked, some time in March, that there would be a video editing job for me in April. Since today's the last day of April, I seriously doubt that it'll happen, unless of course, the event is today, in which case I should be getting the material within a day or two. Here's hoping again, huh?

A few minutes ago I was standing outside my house, just trying to get a whiff of Angel when my neighbors came out and started talking in Cantonese. Yes, they are chinese, and I have nothing against them, but I just found it to be displeasing and uncomfortable. The same goes with all major Asian languages, including Bahasa Melayu, Tamil, Hindi, the many dialects of the chinese and perhaps Indo. I don't have a problem with European languages though, such as Italian, Greek, French, German, Spanish, Nordic, etc. in fact, I enjoy listening to those languages. What can this mean? Have I become incompatible with living in Malaysia, or do I seriously need to move to Europe or America? I wouldn't mind at all, but I think they might, considering how difficult it is to find a good job in another country, especially ones in the West. The biggest hurdle: my Arabic name format with the bin and the Arabic name. I plan to change it eventually, when I have to.

I have a McPheever

2006-03-30T19:04:00.000+08:00

It's official. I have a McPheever. And the only prescription is more *cowbell. For those of you who don't know already (where have you been?!?!), Katharine McPhee is one of the finalists on American Idol season 5. As of this week, she made it to the top 9, and hopefully all the way to becoming the next American Idol.

I didn't watch American Idol until about last week, where I've been putting all my downloads to good use rather than just keeping them on the drive. Rather than my usual "Pfeh, same crap, different people" perspective, this hot (and talented) young lady immediately caught my attention. Sure, it was figuratively love at first sight, but she's also talented, though I have to say that some of her performances were mediocre. Is it just me? Have I set my bar up that high? Or is it my disappoitment at the lack of REAL talent here in Malaysia (yes, especially Mawi) that prompts me to do so? I believe so. Irregardless, Katharine is a sight for sore eyes and brings joy to my already-injured ears.

Since we are in the topic of pop idols, I had an interesting discussion with my cousin last week. I told him that any one of the top 12 finalists from American Idol can EASILY beat the metaphorical crap out of any instant celebrities we have here from Akademi Fantasia and Malaysian Idol. He replied by saying that Malaysians' taste for music is different than that of the people overseas, in this case, America (American Idol, duh. :p ). Then I replied by asking, "So, Malaysians prefer singers who can't sing to those that can?" In which he replied by restating his previous comment. So is it true? Is quality not important in this part of the world anymore? Or are we Malaysians simply stick to our "bolehlah" attitude?

For Americans reading this, please vote for Katharine. Text them, call them, whatever, just get her to be your next American Idol. However I have to be realistic. There are some pretty good talents this season. Plus, did I mention she's HOT? :)

* cowbell: A quote from a Saturday Night Live skit featuring Blue Oyster Cult members recording "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" with a producer (Christopher Walken) telling them to add "more cowbell".

Me: For Sale

2006-03-20T04:08:00.000+08:00

Well, not literally. I've been somewhat busy the past week, hence the lack of entries here. Apart from midnite lily offering me a job, I have 2 other pending applications in the "Promised Land", one of which is what I've been waiting for for the last couple of months. Then, mid last week, I received a call from a friend of mine, who happens to be the personal assistant to one of our local artist, who I know personally. He offered me a job to do location sound for his production company. This is quite a surprise for me, but I did tell him that I'll think about it.

You see, when I first started work with Astro in 1997, I did both studio and location sound recording, but I excel in the latter. After my contract ended in late 2000, I did some other freelance jobs. Having said that, I don't know if I wanted to take the step "back" to doing location sound, as I am at a crossroad in my life, so to speak. Part of me is dying to venture into video, another part of me telling me I still have audio to fall back to, and then there's this other part of me telling me to start up a business. I'm all up for running a business, but what business do I run? What experience do I have? The only experience I've had was with computer games! lol

Anyway... I still have time to think all this through before my cash reserves run dry, which is roughly about 3-4 months from now, depending on how many trips I make to the nearest hypermarket. {grin} I'm hoping that one of my pending applications come through, though. In the mean time, there's Sims 2, Battle For Middle Earth 2, Empire At War and Tycoon City to keep me occupied. :P

BTW, my room's all patched up, I don't know when is daylight unless I look at the clock, dust is very MINIMAL (yay!) and with the air conditioning unit on, it's way cooler than before. Less dust, lower temperature, perhaps?

On the PC side, I've sold off my Inspiron 6000 to my not-at-home-with-me cousin. Didn't think I'd need a lappy for now, and by the time I need one, there are probably newer, better, cheaper models to choose from. I've also buffed up my current system to play all the games I mentioned above at medium-high level, so as not to hog my at-home-with-me cousin's machine.

Abalada!

2006-03-09T02:28:00.000+08:00

I'm sinking deeper into the addictive force of The Sims 2: Open For Business. If I'm not doing things around the house, I'm in front of my cousin's computer playing the game. His computer is currently the most powerful computer in the house, surpassing my own. Plus, I've got a great sim-me going on there. :P

While I was browsing my hard drives, I noticed I have about 90+ Late Night With Conan O'Brien episodes I downloaded that I have yet to watch. If only I could clear that up, that'll be a good 20+ GB of space cleared up. I don't know when I'm gonna get around to watching all of it, especially when I'm super busy with Sims 2. :P

btw, the title is Simlish for "I just recalled!" In this case, recalled/remember that I have other things to do than play Sims 2.. Or not..

Achtung!

2006-03-07T17:09:00.000+08:00

My room is currently in the process of renovation to make it dust-free, or at least close to being one. Now that I'm back on my feet, I needed something to do that doesn't involve me sitting in front of my computer. :D My first step, was to block up the windows with plywood, to make sure dust doesn't come in from outside. FYI, there's a frickin highway behind my house. Anyhoo, the second step is to seal up all holes and cracks in the ceiling, and I managed to finish up about half of it today. Another half tomorrow, and then the smoothing bits the following day. I used up 2.5 canisters' worth of putty filler, and I only bought 3, which means I need to get at least another 2 or 3 more to finish up the ceiling. I didn't realize I needed so much until I actually start filling up the cracks. :p

I also blocked the vent-fan on the ceiling, thinking that it might contribute to the whole dust thingy.

Step 3 would be to repaint the ceiling, or at least the parts where I had slapped the putty filler on. Right now, it looks kinda ugly, with my ceiling originally blue in colour with traces of white putty along the lines and cracks. Looks very "under construction"-y though. Smells like it too. At least it's better than smelling dust.

The Sims 2: Open For Business

2006-03-07T00:40:00.000+08:00

A warning to those who have yet to try this game; DON'T! I am now heavily addicted, playing it every waking moment. For those who don't know, "Open For Business" is the third expansion pack for the The Sims 2, a hugely popular life-simulator. In this expansion pack, you can run your own business, whether at home, or a comunity lot. You can sell almost anything in the game, and make money along the way. For a more in-depth description of this game, visit The Official Sims 2 Website.

What happened to Battle For Middle Earth 2? Well.. wait till I get bored of OFB. :D

Work In Progress

2006-03-04T19:57:00.000+08:00

I'm in the process of moving things around in my room. I was busy since yesterday evening, and even had to disconnect both my internet lines. The basic arrangement is all there, like them tables and my mattress, plus some storage cupboards. I didn't realize I have plenty of space in my room, and now, even my mom wants her room rearranged. I did some measurements on her room earlier, but it won't be much of a difference.

Thanks to all the dust flying around, I'm now bed-ridden. Well, sort of. I have allergies to dust, you see. Either I'll get a runny nose, or a constant smell of dust. Whichever it is, it sucks. Anyone know how to minimize or better still, totally eliminate dust in a room?

Game of the day: Battle For Middle Earth 2. Quite addictive, but I have 2 other games to play; Tycoon City New York and The Sims 2: Open For Business. :D

Fine dining

2006-03-03T04:07:00.000+08:00

Today was quite a busy day, from shopping for plywood in the morning, to fixing a friend's PC, to a nice tasty meal at a fine dining restaurant. Nothing interesting happened when I was shopping and fixing the PC, but let me tell you a little bit about this restaurant.

Located in KLGCC in Kiara, Kuala Lumpur, it is definitely one of, if not, the best fine dining restaurant that I've been to. The atmosphere is calm, the staff is friendly and best of all, the food was excellent! They serve a wide variety of malay and western food, but I ordered a Norwegian (smoked) salmon, and I honestly have to say it is the best that I've tried. So if anyone wants to give it a go, please feel free to drive to KLGCC. The restaurant is in the main building, and if I can remember how to spell it properly, the name of the restaurant is FajarRaz and it is open to the public. You can also call up KLGCC for reservations and enquiries at 03-2093-1111.

Tired...

2006-03-01T19:42:00.000+08:00

As I expected, nothing much happened today, except for my trip to my PJ house to spray weed killer in the yard, and scrape some wall paint to prepare it for repainting. We want to get it as clean and lovely as possible, as we plan to sell it off. However, the option of renting it out is still being considered, if selling the place proves to be difficult.

Now, the story must continue. The psychological technobabble, yes? Of course. You must've heard these popular idioms; "when in Rome, do as the Romans do", or "fight fire with fire". That was how it went over the past couple of months. You can't be nice to someone who snapped at you and never apologize, no matter how hard you try. It's even worse when that person thinks he's right all the time, and saying sorry is not in his vocabulary. And guess what, he wasn't pleased. I guess one should look in the mirror more often.

If you're a passive person, like me, how would you confront someone who is aggressive, literally loud and nearing obnoxiousness? Do you just keep quiet, or do you speak up to their level, literally?

Hmm.. I didn't realize that by using the two idioms above, I've pretty much summarized what had transpired. Good thing too, otherwise I'd be cracking my mind trying to figure out how to write it. :P

Computer games, anyone?

Fifth post, Five things...

2006-03-01T00:35:00.000+08:00

midnite lily has been kind enough to tag me for the five things... tsk tsk.. Oh well, here goes...

5 Things You Can’t Do
* Pat my head and rub my belly at the same time in-sync
* Walk on my hands
* Write with my right hand
* Eat red meat
* Swim without clamping my nose

5 Things You Can Do
* Sleep for 15-16 hours at a time (my specialty)
* Watch a movie, play a game and chat online, all at the same time
* Tell a convincing lie, or rather, "a cover story"
* Survive without human contact for days, weeks even
* Drive a car on momentum and inertia just to conserve petrol

5 Things That Scare You
* My ex-boss
* Creepy-crawlies
* Becoming the Donald
* People who follow blind faith
* Human physical contact (terms & conditions apply)

5 Things You Love
* COKE!
* Cold weather; sub-20 degrees celcius
* Chocolate
* Observing/looking at people (though some may find it invasive)
* The smell of grass early in the morning

5 Things You Hate
* Slow morons driving on the right lane (read: ROAD HOG)
* Inconsiderate smokers
* Money (can't live with them, can't live without them)
* Slow internet speed (1mbps and below)
* My senate-like mind

5 Random Facts About You
* Very shy and quiet
* Loves broadway, but have never been to one
* Have a strange fixation to New York
* Have never travelled further than the Philippines
* Have sixth sense but don't know how it works

5 Things You Want To Do Before You Die
* Visit a cold country, say Greenland
* Attend Saturday Night Live in New York (or any live shows there)
* Produce an heir to my throne (layman: have a kid)
* Orbital skydiving
* Visit the "Promised Land"

5 people to tag
ervan - http://ervanj.blogs.friendster.com/the_world_from_ervans_eye/
niki - http://seizuka.blogs.friendster.com/pretty_petals/
contact me to apply
contact me to apply
contact me to apply
(lol i need more blog buddies)

Marriage?

2006-02-28T23:35:00.000+08:00

I went to visit my friendly doctor yesterday. He told me that I'm too stressed out, and that I might get thyroid because of that. And I thought the Viagra that got stuck in my throat gave me a stiff neck. HEY! (tat tat dish!) Anyway, jokes aside, I better get me some extra rest, huh?

The doctor told me that I need to get married, and soon. WHAT? I was somewhat shocked to hear that from a doctor, but he said I need someone to talk to, someone to share all my problems with. I kinda agree with him, but how am I to find someone to marry and care for, when I can't even care for myself? Maybe I should visit a psychiatrist, and hopefully it's someone as beautiful as Nasha Aziz was in Buli & Buli Balik. Honestly, which woman in their right mind would want to marry a geeky environmentalist who loves to play computer games?

Anyways, I spent some lovely time at a local LRT station waiting for my media transaction. Yes, I purchase blank DVDs NOT retail, since they usually mark-up the price exponentially. However that's not the point. The point is, it was so fricking hot/humid, I was totally drenched and felt feverish. Not to self: Spend less time outdoors.

I promised everyone that I'd continue my story today, but I don't want to make this a lengthy entry. Let's save it for tomorrow, okay?

Cheque, mate

2006-02-27T17:52:00.000+08:00

Well what dumb luck. First, my cheque didn't clear, and I have to pay an extra RM 10 for someone's mistake for not writing the DATE properly. And to think, my handwriting is bad, but here's someone who's been doing administrative work and writing cheques longer than I have been receiving them and can STILL make a blunder.

I spoke to her earlier, and she said she's going to issue another cheque and counter-sign it so I can withdraw it immediately tomorrow. Well, hopefully it works, because I'm already a couple of days behind schedule to distribute the money. I was beginning to think that Wyn was right, that cheques do not clear over the weekend.

Good thing I sold some of my pc parts on Saturday. At least I have some money to use in the mean time. Plus it looks like part two of my previous story will be for tomorrow. Is anybody actually reading this?

Why quit? Part 1

2006-02-26T21:03:00.000+08:00

My answer to that would be, "why stay"? Honestly, the air has been sour for the past couple of months, ever since The Wedding Incident...

Last year, it was the wedding day of one of our friends, and we conjured up some video footage to give to her as a present. Actually, the idea was mine, but I prefer to say it was ours, because I don't believe in taking the credit to myself. Anyway, the initial video + audio edit was completed, with a last minute addition by another friend the night before. It took me until 6am to complete the editing plus encoding, and handed it over to him for surround mixing.

I got to the office by 1pm, and he just woke up. Nothing out of the ordinary. After much dilly-dally he finally began the work at around 2pm, so I left him alone. 4pm, and he's still at it. He was trying to encode it into surround and failed due to software problems. Sure, there are other software installed, but did he try them? No. I told him we're gonna be late, and we're gonna get stuck in a massive jam. He ignored me and I ignored him, or so it seems.

4:30pm, and he's STILL at it. So I told him, "it's late, jam started, so you drive". And at that point, he stood up, walked out of the room. He turned back, shouted at me, "You have no respect for other people! You treat people like they're dirt"! And yes, I left the vulgarities out.

After he snapped at me, I thought to myself, "I have no respect for others? More like he doesn't respect others!", knowing very well that I hate traffic jams; and I normally drive to avoid jam as much as possible. What does he know? He doesn't face traffic everyday. Maybe he should, then he would understand the world better.

Being the gentleman that I am (or rather, trying to be), I apologized to him (albeit with HUGE reservation) and I ended up finishing up his part to my dismay. Doing this just proves another thing, that he gets what he wants, regardless of the consequences. He told me that. Oh how true.

Then I had to do more encoding to multiplex the audio and video together before finally ending up with the final product. Then there's the DVD burning, the tests, all in all which took another hour or so. Voila, 5:30pm. Ish. The very HEART of the jam.

So with tense emotions and evil thoughts for world domination running through my mind, I drove us (there were 3 of us) to where the wedding was, which took a good 1.5 hours to reach (30mins on a normal day). If it weren't for my Vulcan mind training (self-control/emotional suppression), I would've gone MAD.

So where does that story lead to? It leads to me knowing how much anger he has, and how little I know of his true self. I'll leave today's post here, and I will get to the psychological technobabble tomorrow, which truely explains my reasons for quitting. Oh, and did I mention the video was only 7 minutes long?

The dawn of a new era...

2006-02-25T16:26:00.000+08:00

Hi everyone, this is my THIRD blog which I hope I will continue writing. I just got lazy with the first two. :P Anyway, let's begin with something biblical. Food for thought, if I may.

“And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and Jehovah caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all the night, and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left” (Exodus 14:21-22).

"We then inspired Moses: "Strike the sea with your staff," whereupon it parted. Each part was like a great hill. We then delivered them all." (Al-Shu'ara', 26:63-64)

Now, what came to me with the holy texts above as analogy was; everyone knows how bad the traffic is in KL, especially during rush hour, say 7pm-8pm. However, on Thursday, it was as smooth-sailing as driving on a Sunday, and on Thursday, was the day I quit my job. Coincidence, or is it God telling me that I've done the right thing? Has reading all 3 testaments made me closer to God, and God is showing me that He is the almighty? I believe.

Some close to me may wonder, why did I quit. I will tell you tomorrow. I've got things to do today, things to sell, money to earn. "The Promised Land" isn't gonna come soon, so I best keep myself prepared and stocked-up.