First Day of School!!

I can't tell you how excited I was sending my kid to school on his first day! Din was asking me to go home, but I insisted because, honestly, I had a blast during my primary school years..

All this talk about pushing kids to the brink just for them to excel in the exams is just nuts to me. I believe kids should have fun while learning, and play as hard as they can. You are only young once!

LFC is Here - AT LAST!!

After so many years, the smart people at Standard Chartered Bank decided to sponsor Liverpool Football Club first visit to Malaysia soil. We had Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea recently, and I remember even the Toffees had landed on our shores way back decades ago..

So..



Did not think twice about going, more like whom to go with! Decided that this was to be a boys night out for me and my son - Din. He thinks football is better watched than played, and is currently begging me to get him a snooker table - Go figure..

Anyway, the highway to the 90,000 seater Bukit Jalil Stadium was so congested!

So, here we are at the majestic stadium, about 20 mins from Kuala Lumpur (on a good day).




The turnout was great, the seats were about 98% taken and everyone was clad in either the colors of the Merseysiders or the Malaysian national team.





















You football fans out there might notice that my son wears a Barca kit! That's because he thinks he's Messi. I for one agree, especially when he's having his spaghetti (messy - geddit?). To anyone who wants to send my son an LFC kit to make him think he's Suarez, you guys can go on right ahead..





Time to rotate the SS bezel on my EcoDrive so that I can keep track of the match duration better!





Back to the game.. Well, it started really cagey with both teams not wanting to be too adventurous. That all changed after Liverpool got a penalty halfway in the first half, and was duly converted by newbie Charlie Adams on his second try after the first attempt was disallowed due to encroachment into the penalty area.





The Reds then clicked into gear and created a few more chances after that. Noticing the danger, the Malaysian coach, Datuk (honorific, eqv. to knighthood 'Sir') K. Rajagobal sent in Izzaq Faris to beef-up the attack with pacy winger S. Kunalan and midfield maestro Safiq Rahim.





The trio earned Malaysia a freekick just outside the box and I think every 'Harimau Malaya' fan knew what was about to happen.





Brad Jones did not have a chance. That's Safiq's 4th goal in 3 matches. What a lovely right foot the boy has!!

That goal woke up the Tigers and it was really good stuff from then on.



However, halftime had to come and spoil the fun, and my kid's reaction showed what he thought of LFC's performance.. Hahaha..



Now, in the first half, LFC fielded what was realistically their 2nd stringers. However, the next 45 minutes saw the big guns entering the frame. Kuyt, Maxi and Ngog all was substituted in and that paid dividends in attack. Malaysia was down 1-4 by the 76th minute thanks to the trio's exploits but Malaysia had an ace in their sleeves as well in the form of AFF Cup topscorer Safee Sali who joined the fray in the 77th minute.



This self-confessed Man U fan had something to prove and did so with aplomb with two quick and well taken goals in the 79th and 80th minutes!



The game was really open by now and with everyone on the pitch throwing their defensive tactics out the window!




Naivete was the Tiger's nemesis however and a couple of goals from Maxi and Kuyt sealed the deal.





Final score: Malaysia 3, Liverpool FC 6.

I am so looking forward to the start of the new EPL season!

How to Write a Complaint Letter to Levi's..

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am fazed by disbelief as I am writing you this, but please take this as a formal complaint on your product.

My subject of dissatisfaction is a pair of Levi's 501, bought at your own boutique in Times Square, NY in 2008. This pair is in black and bought together with another which is blue. I have worn the blue one numerous times and I am well satisfied with it's quality and value.

The black one was left untouched, in it's original condition until I decided to wear it next Monday for work. As I took off the paper tags and labels, I discovered that it was spewing black 'powder'. I thought that it was nothing, until I looked behind me and saw a trail of black 'powder' as well. I then realized it was much worse than I thought when I found that my hands was covered in the same thing as well.

I then decided to put it in the washing machine to clean the black residue. I ran the short gentle cycle, with little detergent and left it to run its course.

Upon completing the wash, I was again mortified to find that the whole washing drum was covered in the same black material (which looked more like sludge as it's wet). Next, I thought that it would be better if I gave it a rinse manually, and so I did in my shower. As I was wringing that pair of jeans, IT CAME APART!!

Now, I for sure know that I have no superhuman abilities, nor any extra-terrestrial blood/DNA. And one thing for sure is that I have not been bitten by a radioactive creature of any kind. So, it MUST BE YOUR JEANS!

Please tell me how to return your product and get my money back as your disintegrated pair of pants is not really in the height of fashion right now!

BTW, I am currently domiciling in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Please don't ask me to return this to the store in Manhattan unless you are willing to send me a return flight ticket.

Thanks.

xxxxxx xxxxxxx

+601x - x1x x10x

Football Game? What Football Game?

Hahaha.. Lately, the inspiration to write has been at its lowest as I am swamped with year-end work, and issues around me have been pretty much the same.. Until recently, that is!

Take a bow, Harimau Malaya - the Malaysian football team, as tonight was the biggest game since 1991 where we won the SEA Games gold medal with our full strength national team. With due respect, the SEA Games in Laos was an U-23 competition, but heck, we don't mind winning that as well!!

I am such a happy man!

But, I only got to see the last 15-20 minutes of the game, as my boss for whatever reason unbeknown to me, decided to setup a conference meeting right smack at 8 pm local time. It was scheduled for 1/2 an hour, but went on well after 9 pm..

Anyway...

Here are some pics of the mamak stall I decided to stop at along the way home, just to grab a piece of the action:

Making Meatloaf..

Here's my Favorite meatloaf recipe:

Ingredients:

1/2 cup bread crumbs
1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
1 cup milk
1 large egg
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Mix all the ingredients except the barbecue sauce together, then spread the meatloaf mixture into an ungreased loaf pan.

3. Spoon barbecue sauce on the top of the meatloaf and bake, uncovered, for 1 hour.

I Really need to learn this stuff..

Yep, making money from Adsense. It seems that there are really some successful money makers out there!

I am going to spend the best part of the next 6 months to learn how.

So here are some tips that I can share:

"Some webmasters invest significant effort into maximizing their own AdSense income. They do this in three ways:

1. They use a wide range of traffic-generating techniques, including but not limited to online advertising.
2. They build valuable content on their websites that attracts AdSense advertisements, which pay out the most when they are clicked.
3. They use text content on their websites that encourages visitors to click on advertisements. Note that Google prohibits webmasters from using phrases like "Click on my AdSense ads" to increase click rates. The phrases accepted are "Sponsored Links" and "Advertisements"." - Wikipedia

Saving Money..

Here's my contribution to the Malaysian Public..

This is a sample letter to reduce your home mortgage interest rate as well as to increase your principal repayment so that you play less interest:

Manager,

Housing Loan & Mortgage Department,

CIMB Bandar Puteri,

Bandar Puteri Puchong
12 Jalan Puteri 1/1
Bandar Puteri
47100 Puchong
Selangor

Tel : 603 - 8060 3634 / 8060 3731
Fax : 603 - 8068 1544

Dear Sir/Madam

Re: Reduction of Interest Rate & Increase Of Monthly Principal Amount Payment for A/C: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.

I would like to request that the interest rate on my loan be reduced. My current rate of BLR - 1.9 is currently not competitive and I believe my solid payment history over the last years demonstrates my value to you as a customer.

2. From the information I have received from your institution, the current package you are offering your new customers are much better. I am expecting that such rates can be extended to me due to my loyalty to your bank, and further extended for the next 5 years.

3. I would also like to increase the ratio of my monthly installment towards the reduction of the principal amount of my mortgage, instead of heavily skewed towards the accrued interest.

Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter and please do not hesitate to contact me if you require further information.

Kind Regards,

Phone Number:

Email Address:

Account Number:

*BLR = at the time of writing

End of Ramadhan, Again!

Hey folks!

Like previous years, Ramadhan went by like a hurricane, and just as I started to adjust to everything that comes with it, it is already time to say goodbye (cue Bocelli's hit tune)..

Anyway, you see the greatest issue with the early morning 'sahur' for me, is the figuring out what to cook. Not the waking up, nor the woozy aftermath, but trying to fix something easy to eat with less than an hour of prep time.

Yes, once in a while, there's the occasional leftover food fest, but my family (the four of us, anyway) normally gobble up everything for 'iftar' and dinner, so much so that we have no leftovers! Talk about efficiency!

So, while preparing supper tonight, I thought I hit a damn fantastic idea for a website. Picture this:

1. You have 50 minutes to cook
2. You don't have everything in your fridge
3. You do have something (say, minced chicked)
4. You are sweating profusely, unable to Morimoto your way out in this Battle of the Mince Chicken ala Iron Chef!

What, oh what do you do??

You go to my brilliant website: whatsinyourfridge.com and just enter the ingredients that you have, click on 'Find' and presto, your on your way with the best-tasting recipe your available ingredient can be part of!

Only that someone beat me to the idea by well, about SIX YEARS!!

Hahaha..

Anyway the said website, CookingByNumbers is currently down, or at least that's what it looks like to me, so I'm having Toasted Broccoli & Cheese Sandwich tonight..

Citibank My A**..

When I went to the States a couple of years back, I got my brother to apply for me a supplementary card from Citibank.

Never got it, not a single letter on it ever received.

Checked my acounts recently, and BAM! The record's there, I am listed as a card holder.. WTH!

So just now, I called them up at 03-2383 0000 (I have a Savings A/C and Phone banking service) and told them to stuff the card up their a**.. Well, actually I told them to cancel it, heheh..

Spoke to Ms. Nida, and she just said "OK, sir. I'll do that for you.."

No Resistance at all. Wow!

Personality Plus..

Have you guys ever did one of those personality tests?

I got shortlisted for a job I interviewed last month, and they asked me to do a personality test on their site, so I wen Googling to see what it's all about..

Did this one on similarminds.com:

Big Five Test Results

Extroversion (56%) moderately high which suggests you are, at times, overly talkative, outgoing, sociable and interacting at the expense of developing your own individual interests and internally based identity. Accommodation (76%) high which suggests you are overly kind natured, trusting, and helpful at the expense too often of your own individual development (martyr complex). Orderliness (78%) high which suggests you are overly organized, neat, structured and restrained at the expense too often of flexibility, variety, spontaneity, and fun. Emotional Stability (88%) very high which suggests you are extremely relaxed, calm, secure, and optimistic. Inquisitiveness (68%) moderately high which suggests you are intellectual, curious, imaginative but possibly not very practical.

Take Free Big Five Personality Test

Doing the Unthinkable..

Sometimes, it takes something special to break your mental barriers..

It's all in the mind!

I got some great tips from the Miniclip forum today and it seems that one can score much more in all three jumps for Stunt Dive..

But here's my best so far:

Census 2010

Did the Census online just now, which took me about half an hour.

This was after being surprised by a visit of the census officer at 9pm last night! Such dedication, but I think they get paid really well.

Anyway, while at the doorway, the guy by the name of Fared asked me whether I would like to complete the census online. Huh? I didn't know we Malaysians are THAT advanced! But in the interest of convenience (and not having my wife dashing away to slip into something more appropriate), I just said "Yeah, why not?"

Anyway, all he did was ask me what my phone number was, and scribbled something on a small booklet which read "Panduan Mengisi e-Census Banci Penduduk dan Perumahan Malaysia 2010", and gave me the copy.

Took it, left it on the table, and brought it to work today.

The first part was getting the online registration done. Had my first glitch, when I found out that the identification code on the front page of the booklet wasn't complete! Tried to call the census guy (he left his phone no. on the cover as well), but nobody picked up.. Thanks a lot, Fared! :P

To cut a short story even shorter, I gave a call to their call center at 1-800-88-7828, and was attended to promptly. Spoke to an En. Azwan who advised me of the right code (Note: The last two digits labeled IR really stands for Isi Rumah - defines whether you have extended family living together), and sent me plodding along..

After entering my email address and the code, the web app sent a newly generated passcode for me to my email, and that was used for logging on to the portal.

Everything then on went smoothly until the part where I completed the last details of the house occupants. After I clicked 'Save', the whole screen went blank!

Thankfully, after a few reloads and re-logging in, I managed to complete the questionnaire and printed a PDF copy.

I am such a good citizen!

Measures

Took a measurement of my kids today with a tape meter and found out my son, Din has breached the 1 Meter mark!

Din is 1.15m while Mah, my daughter is 89cm.

The Secret to Success..

To the newbies, here are some guidelines on how to do well playing this game. Please post some of your really good dives on YouTube for my enjoyment!

1. Jump right before the blue dots on the spring board
- For maximum height thus time to do your tricks. A good leap will add on a couple of points to your overall score

2. Do the good stuff
- As with real life competition, you should focus on improving your Types B, D & E dives. Type C tends to swing wildly during landings

3. Timing
- Each trick has its own timing. Try to gauge it by trying different combinations of spins, side flips, etc.

4. Land Well
- A good manoeuvre can lose plenty of points if you land horrendously. To nail a perfect landing is sometimes difficult, but try to keep your routine pinned on the 'Very Good' to the 'Good' range - Always.

5. The 2 P's
- Patience and Practice. I just can't stress enough.

Nothing Better to Do..

Lazy Saturday? Well I am actually working today, as we have a firewall migration project in HK. But that starts at 6 pm.. So, in the meantime? Stunt Dive, of course!!

After huffing and puffing for a couple of hours, I have managed to better my score:





Ao proud to have the Malaysian flag beside it.. Keranamu Malaysia! (Hahahah..)

Getting Good at It..

After being more cerebral about the game, I can now boast of a >1000 score!






And after a couple of hours more, I managed to crack the so called "Magic 356" mark, this being the highest score I've managed so far - it can be improved, though..

Woohoo!

It's nearly 7 am and the first thing I did after waking up was peeing and STUNT DIVING!!

With good (ahem!) results, thank goodness!

It's an obsession..

Yep, to break the 1000+ point barrier is proving a tad difficult, it seems.. But here's my best score so far:

Stunt Dive Miniclip..

Sorry guys, I just had to post this..

Saw this on YouTube after getting the Gold award! So I thought, what the heck?

My current best score is currently at 972 minus this perfect jump.