If a Hard Rain's gonna Fall ..... it might be Time for the Cocteau Twins

Driving home at night in the rain with traffic. The sound of raindrops on the car. The flash of tail lights as cars whizz by, the glare of headlights as cars approach and disappear - all filtered through the rainwater on my windscreen. Glancing in the mirror at the lights behind.

The Cocteau Twins on the stereo.

I drove an extra hour just for this visual soundscape.

Behind Bars .....

Waiting can be such a difficult task.

With expectation in the heart, but anticipating disappointment. Looking forward to the future, hoping to leave the past behind.Wishing and hoping that all will turn out well ........................

I took this photo in a little court house in Shah Alam. The court handled civil and criminal cases. Some cases were frivolous and really rather a waste of the court's time. Others would lead to people spending time behind bars. The windows in the court house were not bars, they just reminded me of bars - and not the kinds with liquor.

I'm just glad I was there on a frivolous case. At least the time I wasted could be counted in hours instead of years.

the little man wears Shoes ...

14 months in and he wore shoes for the first time in his life yesterday. We've been holding it off as there was no necessity for him to wear shoes seeing as he had only been crawling, but I guess yesterday was as good a day as any.

Melody's Echo Chamber - lovely music, this ...

I haven't gone walkabout in looking for new music for the past few years, so what little falls into my lap is greatly appreciated. I'm not big on what passes for music with teenagers and the young-ish set nowadays but there is a motherlode of great music which exist on the fringes of the musical landscape - in the back lanes and the street corners - and most notably, on YouTube.

So the latest group to catch my ear is Melody's Echo Chamber with a slice of psychdelic soundscape.



Also, check out another one of their songs which immediately made me think of the Cocteau Twins - Endless Shore (here).

Boh Tea Plantation, Cameron Highlands

On a recent trip to Cameron Highlands, we frequented the Boh tea plantation again. But this time, with the benefit of hindsight, we only visited at close to 16:00 hrs. This way, we would avoid the traffic on our way out.

Unfortunately, 16:00 hrs was too late a time to go. We would have had a chance to wander around and see more if we had visited an hour earlier, but we were kinda busy with the strawberry scones at The Lord's Cafe.

 Proof that tea leaves can work as well as flowers as a way to a girl's heart ...

Still, I think that everybody enjoyed themselves. And at the end of the day, that's really all that matters when it comes to holidays.

say cheese !

Felix Baumgartner - 128,100 ft skydive. Wow !

He's been in the news. He must have caught a lot of imagination. To jump from that high - the mind boggles. Wow !

128,100 feet.
To dive from that high is already astounding. To achieve a maximum speed of Mach 1.24 ?



Let's not leave Red Bull out of this. Felix Baumgartner is faster than Sebastian Vettel.
Not. Even. Close.

Tan Hong Ming in love - the Petronas ad that nearly wasn't

I've been reading "How you know ?", a book written about famed Malaysian director/advertiser Yasmin Ahmad. There are snippets and insights into what seemed a pretty unique woman.

I was pleasantly surprised when I read that she had publicly given up her government scholarship once she found out that she got it partly because of her bumiputra status. In an age when taking what is rightfully mine - taking what I think should be mine (even if it isn't) - taking what is yours but I'm making it mine anyways - what Yasmin did is practically unheard of.

Then the bit about Tan Hong Ming in love -  the ad that was a Gold Winner at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival in 2008 - and how they had already stopped filming Tan Hong Ming after he said that his best friend is a boy who wears a songkok. The entire final ad uses footage that was filmed simply to humour Tan Hong Ming, who kept following them even after his bit was done. They put the camera on him and Yasmin asked "Do you have a girlfriend ?" and the rest of the ad flowed out. Totally unscripted. Quite amazing, when you think of it.

Ian Poults for the Ryder Cup at Medinah

"We've revised the qualifications (for the Ryder Cup). It's nine spots, two picks and Poults."
- Lee Westwood

4 for 4 this weekend. 12 of 15 overall record in the Ryder Cup.

You've got to hand it to Ian Poults. He may never win a major, and lots of people may not like him or his image or his character or his clothes -  but stick him in the Ryder Cup and the guy will roar like an English lion....  And bring his A+ game to back it up.

The Ryder Cup makes for compelling TV viewing. Strange to say since I don't watch any other golf programme or event on TV or video or anything, really. But I've watched the last two Ryder Cups and I can confirm that it is right up there in the top echelon of sports TV.

Maybe it's because golf is a game that piques my mind. The possibilities, variables, strategy and the need to translate all that into the physical ...... it's a game that I find interesting.

Maybe it's because the players and the crowd and the TV audience are so obviously keyed in. Maybe it's because there are 24 millionaire golfers who are essentially playing for pride and little else - sports in it's purest form. Maybe it's the excitement, tension, potential .... whatever it is, I'll be waiting for the next edition in two years time.

Thanks Andy for Moon River

That song Moon River has many points of reference for me.

That it first showed up in 'Breakfast at Tiffany's'. What a title for a movie !

That Audrey Hepburn was the first to sing it (here). Moon River has a romantic, romantic melody.

That it references Huckleberry Finn travelling down the Mississippi River. Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn were two of the books I read and remembered when young. There was quite a lot of Mark Twain when I was young.

And later, when I found out that Johnny Mercer and Henry Mancini were the composers. Henry Mancini - the composer of the 'Pink Panther' theme !

But mostly, it was because I really liked the song. I've heard a few versions (including Morrisey's !) but the version that I've remembered is by Andy Williams. It's been there and thereabouts for a large part of my life.

For that, I thank you Andy. RIP.

Les Miserables ... coming to a cinema near you ..

I've seen it twice on stage - have the soundtrack and the video - and I'm still looking forward to the movie version.



Please, please, please ..... please ... don't suck.

turning One...

Cedric turned One earlier this month and the little man got to celebrate his birthday twice. Once at Cameron Highlands with his grandparents and uncle/aunty/cousin and once at home on the actual day itself. Nothing fancy - just a birthday cake. But it meant that he got his favourite thing i.e. Food.

I thought that it's a good time to mark where he is at this point of his life :

* He's got eight teeth.
* He can stand for maybe five seconds but that's about it. He's still crawling but we're in no rush to get him to walk.
* Despite the eclectic music played at home, his first favourite song is "Old McDonald had a farm". Sing the song and he'll do a head shake and a bum shake and since he's not very coordinated yet, it's quite a funny sight to see.
* He likes pulling things out - pretty much like any other baby.
* He's pretty much ready to eat any time. It means that he's constantly asking for food when we're having our meals. It's not particularly convenient when the food is not baby-friendly. I've fed him food with chilli a few times. He hasn't blinked.
* He's a pretty solemn baby. Getting him to smile and laugh isn't particularly easy.

He's pretty different from the girl in many respects, that much we know.As he grows up and reveals his interests, we'll get a better idea of how to channel them in the appropriate direction. At the moment, the only thing that he's shown any prolonged interest in is Food.

The Walk Men's Rat

Listen long enough and this song will grow on you.

the Perfect Guy

He's got a truck load of women despite having a wife (but then again, so did she...), but the man's got a point with this here quote of his.

On second class citizens in Singapore...

Tun Mahatir writes a lot of stuff. I admit that I take what he says with a rather large pinch of salt. But then again, I do that with pretty much every Malaysian politician who speaks. But this particular blog entry of his caught my eye :

15% of Singapore's population are treated as second class citizens. All right .......... I wonder what the precentage in Malaysia is ? Surely it can't be more than 15% ? Speaking strictly as a pendatang, of course.

There's a lot of other stuff about the independence of Malaysia and that we should honour the Jalur Gemilang flag. I agree with that. And I am grateful to the people who strived for Malaysia's independence. (insert Dream's arguments that it was Malaya and not Malaysia - I won't get into that) But the fact of the matter is that those people have since passed on from this world; and they still have my gratefulness. They haven't returned it to me so that I can pass on to their successors in UMNO.....

Anyway, I'm kinda sick of the shenanigans that turn up in the Malaysian political scene. From both sides of the divide. And from every Tom, Dick and Harry who decides they want a new flag or whatnot. But when time comes to vote, I'll probably be saying the same thing that I did the previous time : "I vote for my daughter." I'll just include the little man as well this time.

Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers, The Pacific - WWII retold

Sidney Phillips

How Company, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines, 1st Marine Division

"For the rest of your life, you appreciate a glass of clean water"

It was 105 ° - 115 ° every day. No rain. Very little water to be found. What little water there was had been poisoned by enemy soldiers. The ships couldn't supply any water to the Marines as enemy attacks had forced them away from the island. It was Peleliu Island in September 1944.

"For the rest of your life, you appreciate a glass of clean water."

I'm not an advocate of war. It happens. Wars can be senseless and destructive and cruel, but it happens.

I can't say that I particularly enjoy watching a movie or mini-series about World War II (or any other war, for that matter). There are three, however, that I would recommend. All three have been driven by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.
 

When I saw the first 30 minutes of Saving Private Ryan, I felt numb. Once the movie cut to the Allied invasion of Normandy on 6/6/44, it's depiction of the battle at Omaha Beach was unflinchingly realistic - the blood and bodies and limbs were all over the screen. It wasn't glorious, it was numbing. Very unlike previous WWII movies. The rest of the movie was good but I didn't forget the shock of that first 30 minutes. I still get the chills every time I see it.

The second one I recommend is Band of Brothers which tells the history of Easy Company in WWII. As it lasted 10 hours, a lot more could be showcased. In this case, they showcased quite a number of characters. In a sense, it was a quasi-documentary. As with Private Ryan, the combat scences are hard hitting.

The third one is The Pacific which focuses the on the war against the Japanese. Clocking in at 10 hours, it focused primarily on three soldiers thus giving a much more intimate view of the war through their eyes. Less gore in this one compared to the previous two, but that isn't to say that there's little of it or that it's not realistic. There's much greater focus on the effects of war on the soldiers' mental and moral capacities.

The truth is, I can't say that I enjoyed watching any of the three I've just recommended. 'Enjoy' isn't quite the right word. But I would recommend them because it's the most realistic depiction of war that I've seen on TV or the movies. Or to be more specific, the most realistic depiction of the horrors of combat. These three are more than just TV or the movies, they are an experience retold which helps me to appreciate what I have.

"For the rest of your life, you appreciate a glass of clean water."

is Bob Dylan Fading into Irrelevance ?

Yesterday I met a person who had never heard of Bob Dylan.

27 years old.
Malaysian university graduate.
Listens mostly to English songs.
Never heard of Bob Dylan before.

Maybe if she ....
only knew a little about Bob Dylan; or
had heard the name mentioned in conversation somewhere; or
knew that Bob Dylan was Somebody, but didn't know what he was known for ....
but No.
Never heard of Bob Dylan in her entire life.

How is this even possible ?



Maybe if it had been some remote native village where nobody speaks English. Or somebody who doesn't listen to any English songs or radio stations. Or some young child still singing Sesame Street songs. But a 27-year old university graduate ?

How is this even possible ?

I wonder how much of it is self inflicted as in the 'katak bawah tempurung' syndrome; but more importantly, I wonder how somebody could have gone through 3-4 years in a Malaysian university without ever hearing of Bob Dylan ?

yet another Arsenal player heads to Manchester ...

Unlike recent years, to United this time.

Robin Van Persie for GBP 22.5 - GBP 24 million.

29 years old and has only had one full season without injury. Wonderful talent nonetheless and he makes United a lot stronger. Strong enough for me to believe that United have got what it takes to win the Premier League this season. The return of Vidic and settling in of David de Gea can't be underestimated in terms of importance as well.

I can believe, even with the depth of talent in Man City's squad. Even when United's replacement for Paul Scholes is Paul Scholes himself. Even when the right back spot does not have a regular starter, and we're still dependent on Evra and a creaking Rio Ferdinand.

Hope lies eternal because Sir Alex Ferguson is recreating his Gang of Four from the 98/99 squad in Var Persie, Rooney, Welbeck and Chicharito. If nothing else works, he'll just load up on attack and hope to score enough goals to win. In buying Van Persie, SAF's made a statement that he intends to do exactly that.

Pity Berbatov, though.

Integrity, or Lack thereof ...

There was a time when I asked myself, 'Would I do anything for money ?'
The answer was pretty obviously No.

Then the question got a little more sophisticated. How much is my Integrity worth ? Quite a lot, back when I had the opportunity. Still, the price wasn't high enough at that time.

Why 'at that time' ?
I remember an ex-boss of mine telling me that he wouldn't trust himself with money . The way he reasoned it, honest people can resist the temptation of CBT when they can afford to; but what happens if they are desparately in need of the money ? Perhaps to pay for medical treatment for a very, very sick child ? Could that person walk away from the money and still look into the eyes of his sick child ? It was a stark illustration that he made some 15 years ago but I still remember it.

Why am I thinking about Integrity at this point in time ? After a year of listening to theories about what makes a good employee,

eg. ASK = Attitude, Skills, Knowledge

I've been asking myself why Integrity has never been mentioned. Maybe it just hasn't turned up in the management manuals ?

Tears for Lee Chong Wei ... again.

I feel for the guy ...... I really do.

To have a career defined by continually finishing second best to arguably the best badminton player of all time is a cruel fate indeed. People won't even remember who the third best player was, but Lee Chong Wei will be remembered as a marker of Lin Dan's prowess. As a measure of the badminton heights that Lin Dan could reach only when playing against his arch nemesis.

To be fair, it is not for want of trying. Lee Chong Wei has changed his game in a bid to match Lin Dan. Compared to earlier in his career when getting thumped by Lin Dan in major tournaments was a regular occurrence, he has lost the last two major finals by just two points in the final set. That's as close as he can get without actually getting over the hump that is Lin Dan.

I do hope that he will succeed one day, but until then, the tears in his eyes are a reflection of the pain in his heart.

Blur's Under the Westway

One of the best things to come out of the London Olympics so far ...

Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia .. again

Photos of the waterfront this time :

  

  

on things Past ...

Almost one year on, and I still miss my old office ...

Daydream in Blue ..

Heard this 2 nights ago at a food court. Brilliant stuff to chill out to. From the I Monster ...

It ain't Coffee, but it's still a little slice of Heaven ...

One good thing about my present home is the easy accessibility to the park below. It's a miniscule park compared to the likes of Central Park in New York or Hyde Park in London, but in developer centric Selangor, it's a pretty big plot of land to set aside as a public space in a housing estate.

In the early evening or weekends, there are people jogging, exercising, playing football and basketball, using the playground - generally being a community. Sometimes carnivals are held, like the one I took Catriona to last weekend. It's a little slab of green space, and it's 3 minutes walk from our home.

I took this photo on my way home early one Sunday morning. The soft sunlight was streaming through the leaves of the trees as I was driving. You could imagine the bracing air and the sound of birds chirping.I didn't really want to imagine it so I parked the car and stepped into the park. It made me wish that I went to the park more often. It made me wish I took the girl there more often.

Melody Gardot's back!

It's taken her 3 years but Melody Gardot is finally back with a new album - The Absence. I haven't heard everything yet, or taken the time to soak it all in but this song caught my ear immediately.

Dusty's Something in your Eyes

This is one of my favourite Dusty Springfield songs. It doesn't really sound like any of her Motown stuff - pop and saccharin would be a better description of it's genre - but then again, it was composed by Richard Carpenter. So there you go ....



I love that Dusty sang this but there's a part of me that wishes Karen Carpenter had had a chance to sing this song. It would have been perfect for her.

the Little Man

Originally, the intention was to call Cedric by the nickname Sun Ray, which was an approximation of his chinese name. It would have jived nicely with his sister's nickname, Sunshine. That was the plan.

The plan got hijacked.

It got hijacked the first time I saw him in this suit.

Now, he's simply known as 'Little Man'. It's a pretty cool nick name, no ?

The other name we sometimes call him is 'Gold Fish' -  because he'll take whatever food we give him and still be on the lookout for more.

Update on renew passport @ PKNS Shah Alam

Just some updates.

For those who wanted to use the kiosk for renewal of passport, please make sure the passport is still valid else the machine would not read the chip and you will need to proceed to the counter.
** do not seal the envelope where you insert the photo, old passport and photocopy of IC.

All passports can only be collected 3 days after the payment. NOT 1 or 2 hours as stated in the website.

For original post, refer here http://siao1.blogspot.com/2010/04/renew-passport-at-jabatan-immigration.html 

There's a dearth of Left Footed Players in Football ....

Back when Cedric was still in the womb, I used to exhort him to practice his left leg - reason being most football players were not very skilled with their left legs. Now, I had no way of knowing whether he actually ever did kick more often with his left leg, but .......

I do know that since he was born, when he sees something he likes and he's lying on his tummy, the left leg would go thump, thump, thump. He would raise his left leg from knee down and thump the floor, or bed, or wherever it was he was lying on. Kinda amusing actually, sort of like a dog wagging it's tail.

It's one of the things I'll miss as this little man grows up. I figure that it won't be long before he starts to walk and the chances of hearing a thump, thump, thump from him will eventually disappear.

the Pen just Lost a Friend ... Nora Ephron

Just a note on Nora Ephron, the writer/director who passed away on Tuesday. It's not exactly a name that will pop out for younger audiences or the big budget movie fans, but her work has drawn an audience and she will be missed. 

Her filmography is pretty long and I haven't watched everything that she's been involved with but she did make Meg Ryan's career and I've got a copy of 'When Harry met Sally' which I bought even though I had already watched the movie. So in remembrance of the woman who wrote some really terrific stuff, here's a video of her most famous work :

Balotelli, the Misunderstood Genius

You just gotta love this guy, don't you ? He's a regular riot.

Mario Balotelli finds it hard work being a genius

Mario Balotelli : "It's said geniuses are misunderstood. So perhaps genius is so different that people don't understand it."

Six of One and Half A Dozen of The Other ...

With the girl about to have her first rather larger size birthday party celebrating her 6th birthday with her classmates, I guess seeing this strip today makes it all rather poignant.

She's been fairly bouncing off the walls with excitement since she found out two days ago. And since it's happening during kindy hours, it's surely going to be a short party - but it's fun watching her anticipation.

In chess, we have a saying : "The threat is stronger than the execution". Sometimes I let her know about treats that are in store for her - cos the anticipation of fun sometimes lasts longer than the fun itself.

Longchamp Le Pliage bag from Mydeal @ RM250

At more than 50% discount, this is consider a good deal if it is authentic. The price is cheaper than the retail in Paris. So after a long wait, the merchant is not very on schedule, just got the bag from merchant (Beautilicious) and here is the finding. Look like the authentic version.

The bag came in a plastic bag. 

The handle is wrapped with plastic and with thick paper Longchamp tag. 

The material is matt, smooth and light. 

The button is engraved with "original" wording.

Transparent white disc on the button inside.

The Longchamp logo engraved on the leather front and back. 

The bag as we knew is from China.

The green care card attached,

 The zipper is with YKK mark.

The zipper logo is detail and clear. 

The leather is tanned and with natural marking. 

The E are with accents for the model engraved.

For those interested, the deal is on going from another merchant on the same deal site.