boon's log 4003.03 supplementary A
Missing Albino Tetra Found
When I came back from my long weekend away, I found what looked like a dead fish floating in the Tank. It was white. For a moment, my heart dropped and I thought, "There goes another Albino Tetra...". But as I look further, I saw 2 Albino Tetras swimming about in the tank. For those who have been following the Tank series closely, especially the Missing Tetra episode, would have noted that there should be 2 Albino Tetras with one missing Albino Tetra. The floating one was actually that which went missing about 2 weeks ago. When I tried to remove the fish from the tank with the net, the whole body disintegrated into many small pieces, in the water. 'twas an ugly sight. What was left was the head, bones, tail and a some flesh. Ugly. Sad. Finally, the Missing Tetra has been recovered, but the mystery is still yet unsolved - where was the Tetra throughout the 2 weeks and how or when did it die? Due to the severe damage caused to the body of the Tetra, our CSI officers were not able to conduct any post mortem on the fish. Rumours has it that the Tank Authorities are going to shelf this case until further notice or until further evidence is uncovered...

Tank Population has been updated.

boon out...

boon's log 4003.03
Alternative Beverage
While in KL, we were having lunch at Pizza Uno at Centerpoint and we saw written on the blackboard, "Italian Soft Drinks". Out of curiosity, we all ordered one each. I had the Gusto Limone. It was so-so, quite bland actually. While drinking this Italian Cold Beverage, I read the label and found some interesting read...


Analcoholism?

Boy-o-boy-o-boy, I sure want to read the drinking inctructions to this alternative beverage... :o)

Consumption Instructions:
1. Shake well before use
2. Open bottle
3. Strip
4. Bend down
5. ....

boon out...

boon's log 4003.02
Reunion
Just got back from an extended weekend of wedding bells and reunion with some old college friends, some whom I have not met since I stepped out of college (nearly 10 years ago!) "Gosh, how time flies!" - was on the edge of everyone's lips. It was a fantastic weekend. We practically did whatever we want, whenever we want. Just like college days, but a little bit more canggih (or hi-tech, in Malay) stuffs at our expense :o)

It was a weekend of catching up, renewing friendships, and reminiscing those good ol' times. I was even mistaken for being a Japanese holding on to my notebook, who happen to hang out with the rest of my college-mates.

I still remember vividly, we used to ride on our motorcycle and raced to the nearest shopping mall from the college hostel, park our bike and then run to the arcade centre to play a game of Outrunners and then rush back to the college within 10 minutes! Those were the days...

We were talking about climbing the steel bars on the building from the ground floor to the second floor of the hostel complex and was caught by the warden for doing so... MAN, those REALLY were the days.

Really wanna thank God for this circle of friends! Awesome...

Managed to catch a few cool images of Malaysia newest hi-tech township, Putrajaya. Quite impressed with the way they did it. It is impressively clean and well kept. Just hope that they will be able to maintain it that way, when people really start to move in and stay there!


Bridge linking the City to the Convention Center (yet to be opened, both bridge and the Convention Center)
We spent more than an hour looking for this place! And finally found out from the security guard that the place was still close to the public...


One real huge kahuna home-shopping center



Jambatan Seri StarTrek


Jambatan Seri StarTrek (close-up) [actually known as Seri Wawasan Bridge]


Prime Minister's Office


Putrajaya Mosque


Baghdad?


Wine on racks in a restaurant in Damansara Heights

Looking forward to the next reunion...

boon out...

boon's log 3903.03
A bit about Dim Sum

Wanna guess what photo is this?
It is actually the bottom of the dumpling tray that used to contain Char Siu Bao (Roasted Pork Bun, Cantonese) held upright by another similar tray. Here is a picture of the Char Siu Baos before we consumed them...


Char Siu Bao

Dim Sum actually means "touching the heart" in Cantonese. It is a Chinese cuisine where little Chinese delicacies are being served in small portions; mostly served as breakfast till late breakfast. It is not surprising that this meal can last anything from half an hour to the entire morning.


A variety of Dim Sum; clockwise from left Siu Mai(Chinese steamed pork-filled wonton wrappers), Pai Kuat(Mini Pork Ribs), Kau Choi Gao (Nine vegetable dumpling), Chee Cheong Fun (Ricesheet rolls), Seen Chuk Guen(deep fried bean curd roll filled with pork, shrimp and oyster sauce), and Har Gao (Prawn dumpling)

In Hong Kong, it is said that the elders (Grandfathers and Grandmothers) will first, go for their morning exercise (e.g. Tai Chi, etc.) just before dawn for about an hour or so. Afterwhich, they will head off to the nearest (or the ones that they frequent) Dim Sum restaraunt and book for a table of 10 persons; order a pot of Chinese tea with the day's papers in their hands.


Chinese Tea

By this time, it should be around 7 or 8AM where their sons and daughters will wake up and join them for the morning tea. At around 10AM, which when the grandchildren wakes up, the dads and moms will then fetch the grandchildren down for Dim Sum which will then last until late morning or noon. So, you can see, it is a entire family event... lasting the entire morning. Some may not involve the entire family, but just a hang-out time among the elder folks...


Pear Dumpling - actually made of Yam and pork filling


boon out...

boon's log 3903.02
"Life is like water, when it becomes stagnant, it stinks!" - found written on the back of a Schwarzenbach Tee Shirt

Well, my week has basically stunk so far since Monday (or should I say it peaked these few days after a few weeks of excruciating pain - think I am getting some sort of migraine. Oh! Happy! Happy! Joy! Joy!). So bad, to an extent, I believe that some ........ people are placed on this earth for one reason: to bring "balance to the force", otherwise, there will be too much happiness and peace and tranquility and joy on the face of this earth. Without the existence of these people, everyone will not know the true meaning of patience. Perhaps, the very existence of "bad words" or swearing words may not have been! Our teeth would have fallen out of our very jaws from smiling too much! The highest fatality on earth would be people suffering from lack of breath due to laughing (out of joy and happiness) too much! But most of all, we would not have appreciated the machine guns or the Scud Missiles or the Bazookas or (for those who do not have access to hostile weaponry) - perhaps a simple sand-bag at the gym or a whack of the golf club at the driving range or a swing with the bat at a baseball game! The satisfaction of whacking the living daylights out of the poor ball can sometimes be rewarding. Of course, for those who like to inflict pain on one's self (which many of us guys do!!!) - just slamming your own fist against the wall or perhaps the ground will just do the trick!!! Or just dropping by at the nearest watering hole and just "drink your sorrows away"! Until we throw up so much that we see milk that we took when we were 2 years old. Interesting world, ain't it? Damn I am stressed and f ed up.

boon out...

boon's log 3803.04
Superb Engineering!
I was partially watching Discovery Channel last night while working and bumped into this pretty cool website where it has some of the engineering projects and plans that we would have once thought impossible (or still think) that it is impossible to build or will never come to being in this lifetime. Well, imagine traveling from New York to London by train... under the Atlantic Ocean, traveling at speeds of up to 500miles per hour! This trip will only take you slightly less than an hour! Can't believe it? Check it out at Extreme Engineering. I find this site quite interesting and the ideas seem real enough to be achieved in the near future... After all, we did build an airport (or two) in the middle of the sea, did we not? Upon entering the site, you would've probably thought, "Hmmm... looks very familiar. Wasn't that in one of the Star Wars movies?"

boon out...

boon's log 3803.03 supplementary A
We made it into P.O.D.!
Found out yesterday that one of the images I took in Tioman and posted in Sony's Imagestation, titled "Boat in Mid-Air", was selected as the Picture Of the Day (P.O.D) for 09.12.2003. It was unexpected, but indeed a pleasant surprise. "Boat in Mid-Air" was featured in this blog in boon's log 3603.04 (main log) on 4th of September 2003.

You can view my P.O.D. and also other P.O.Ds (account needed for non-Imagestation members) by clicking HERE.

boon out...

boon's log 3803.03
Missing Albino
One of the three Albino Tetras in the Tank has gone missing for almost a week. Have swept the entire Tank, under the wood, swept the plants but could not find the missing tetra. Only place left is the filter. Could it be that the tetra is trying what Nemo did in Finding Nemo?! Definitely too much T.V. for de fishes! The other possibility is that the other guppies and tetras devoured the poor fish. The search goes on...

boon out...

boon's log 3803.01: Mid-Autumn Festival

Long exposure of Lanterns passing by with Mid-Autumn Full Moon at background
We celebrated the Mid-Autumn Festival last Thursday night (yeah, September 11th!) with my bunch of colleagues down in Villa Emas (and their bunch of friends and colleagues). Each bought a piece of mooncake and a lantern and of course BYOD (bring your own drinks). It was kind of fun - reliving those childhood days when we played with lanterns and candles and fire; not forgeting tendency of destroying stuffs by burning them!!! ALSO got to find out that some folks have not "played" with lanterns or candles ever before when they were young - not until this very year - their 26th year. :o) Amazing? Believe it or not....

Anyways...

The Mid-Autumn Festival (or also known as Lantern Festival or Mooncake Festival) has roots which traces back to Yuan dynasty (AD 1280-1368). According to one Chinese Legend, mooncakes helped to bring about the revolution. According to the legend, Liu Fu Tong, a Han Chinese rebel devised a plan to arouse the Han Chinese to rise up and overthrow the ruling Mongolians and eliminate the Yuan dynasty. In his plan, he managed to obtain the permission to present gifts to friends as a symbolic gesture to honor the longevity of the Mongolian emperor. Needless to say, these gifts were round mooncakes, inside which, Liu has hidden the masterplan on small sheet of paper of the time and date of the supposed strike - which is on the fifteenth night of the eight month of the Chinese calendar - which was last Thursday night. With that, Liu managed to get the revolutionary message out and gather his gang together to overthrow and thus ending the Yuan dynasty. Merdeka!

Here are some lantern pictures...



As for the lanterns, the displays and decoration of lantern during this festival traditionally dates back to 230 B.C., when the Chinese prayed for peace and to celebrate the harvest.



Now, the consumption of mooncakes and the displaying of lanterns (mostly children and in some countries, processions are held) are just a part of the celebration to commemorate the traditional mid-autumn Moon Festival, as with most festivals.

Hope you had a good one, for those who celebrated.

boon out...

boon's log 3703.04 supplementary A
Interesting Shop names...
Check out these two shops. Took these pictures during lunch earlier today...


These two shops are actually separated apart by probably just 5 to 6 shophouses somewhere here in Penang. At the top is the name of one of the most wanted person in the USofA - perhaps in the Top Ten in FBI's Most Wanted List. While at the bottom, are the initials of the 35th President of the United States. Seems like both these shops are living harmoniously in the same neighborhood... not so in the world outside Malaysia, though.

Ironic? Coincident? Well, Believe it or not....

boon out...

boon's log 3703.04
Driving Range

Went for a few swings at the Bukit Jambul Country Club Driving Range last weekend. It was a good work out and a truly great experience. Yeah, that was the first time I've ever played the game. The furthest I ever made was 150m with an iron (not the steaming ones, smart alec! :) ). Anyway, only had like 3 out of 150 balls that made it to the 150m mark. the rest were either 100m or below... BJCC is charging RM12.60 for every 150 balls... that amounts up to USD$3.35 for 150 golf balls. You cannot even get a decent meal with that amount of money in the States! But that bought us a great one-hour of sheer fun and stress relieve. Not to mention torn skin (cause we did not get any gloves!) and body-aches.

Read this in one of the cubicles in Intel Oregon (believe it was Dave P.'s cubicle):

"I don't want to play golf. When I hit a ball, I want someone else to go chase it." - Roger Hornsby, 1896-1963, arguably the finest right-handed hitter in baseball's history

Perhaps he's never tried swinging at the driving range, huh? :)

Anyways, here are other interesting golf quotes...

"The golf swing is like sex. You can't be thinking about the mechanics of the act while you are performing." - Dave Hill

"I played like s___." - Greg Norman after the Masters.

"The right way to play golf is to go up and hit the bloody thing." - George Duncan

"I know I'm getting better at golf because I'm hitting fewer spectators." - Gerald Ford

I kinda like the last one because I can identify with it.

There was this "uncle" in front of me (or next to me, whichever) at the D.R. and some of my balls actually went berzerk and diogonal across his path!!! Man, that was not one of the good ways of introducing one' self to another person, right? Anyway, by the time my second ball crossed to his side, he was kind of avoiding me or stepping slightly away from me. Then, he was getting quite annoyed by the time my 4th ball crossed his path and stopped playing totally and broke for a 100Plus while waiting for me to improve on my swings! Geezz... that was embarassing! But this "uncle" was something else, he was fantastic! He was my "golf-idol" that day at the D.R. when he consistently drove his balls 250m and beyond! I mean, WOW, man! The Swoosh and the Clink was fantanstic! Awesome... Three cheers for the "uncle"! Yaaammmm Seng! Yaaammm Seng! Yaaammmm Seng!

All-in-all, good game and don't mind doing it again - this time, with gloves...

boon out...

P/S: There is another quote which I am quite hesistent to put in, but thought hey, for the fun of it, what the heck, right? here we go...

"In Scotland, a new game was invented. It was entitled “Gentlemen Only Ladies Forbidden”. . . and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language." - anonymous

boon's log 3603.05 supplementary A
Watched Identity last night; with a cast including John Cusack (ConAir), Ray Liotta (Hannibal), Amanda Peet (Changing Lanes), Alfred Molina (Road to Perdition), Jake Busey (Tomcats), Clea DuVall (Girl, Interrupted) and Rebecca De Mornay (The Hands That Rocks the Cradle).
It is perhaps a cross between I Know (or Still Know, or whatever!) What You Did Last Summer with Silence of the Lambs or Psycho. The movie has its own originality in a sense that the murderer does not go on a rampant killing spree but it messes with your mind a little and manages to capture your attention because the cause of deaths is not revealed until the very end of the movie. There is even a pinch of spirituality thrown in. The revelation of the cause of the 10 mysterious deaths in the motel is rather intelligent but it may be blurry to some, like a sudden plunge and may not be that straight forward - well, as with other well-written thrillers of the similar league, right? Nevertheless, the way the thrilling sequence of events were being stitched together is pretty interesting. Overall a well written and well done movie. Recommended as this summer's best thriller - 4/5 boon-thriller-tokens.
Don't watch it alone, though...

boon out...

boon's log 3603.05
Here are more picture summaries from my Tioman trip...


True R&R.
I can almost picture myself with a glass of pina colada and my laptop with me, making this place my office with WiFi...... WORK??!?


Ripples in the sea.


The tides' "footprints". When the tides are gone...


Sunset at Tioman, from Berjaya Beach Resort.


Cresent moon with Minangkabau roof silhoutte in front.
err... can you see the moon? ;)


The real "Fire in the Sky". Lightning captured off the shores of Berjaya Beach.
Managed to capture this during the 1-0 match where Southampton beat Manchester United with James Beattie scoring the only goal of the game at the 88th minute at St. Mary's. The resort actually had a big screen projector set-up by the beach next to the beach bar where you can just enjoy a chilled-glass of Carlsberg Draught with the sea breeze sweeping past your face and the sound of waves hitting the beach...

boon out...

boon's log 3603.04 supplementary a
Managed to catch another one of those sniper photo (yeah, sure...) of the DVD stalls while back in Ipoh. Yes! The "Pirates of the DVD::The Curse of the Copyrights" are back! Sorry, dudettes, no Johnny Depp in this "movie"!

Getcha wallets ready! "...land of the free, home of the brave..." :)



boon out...

boon's log 3603.04
Had a long, relaxing weekend last week, a slightly extended one from the National Day celebration weekend (31st August). Tioman was fantastic. Was snorkeling most of the time. Weather was fantabulous - no rain until the very last moment before we left the island! You can see the awesome weather from the pictures below. Very much like a red lobster right now, especially the back portion. It's so bad that I almost wanted to hang a sign on the back that says "Touch my back and I will slap you!" Anyway, it is better now compared to Tuesday or even yesterday. I had to sleep faced down for two nights... some say that sleeping face down is good for the heart...

Anyways, here are some of the photos from the Tioman...


Took this boat for snorkeling... (yeah... sure!)


A boat floating in mid-air?


Ahhh.... paradise...


A supermarket trolley in Tioman?

Owing to the great sunshine, you can see the clarity of the clear sea water and it helps very much during snorkeling as well. Hope to get some of the underwater photos in here later...

Left on Saturday with an extra pinch of fish food for my fishes, praying really hard that they will survive the long weekend without food - no one to feed 'em while I was away. Upon returning yesterday to my condo, true enough, by the grace of God - the fishes are still very much alive and kicking (or swimming!). Fish-count still maintains! Will upload more Tioman photos later...

All in all, a short and tiring, but great weekend...

boon out...