Friday, March 26, 2010

Saturday Morning Visits


I dread going to the dentist.
I have been there many times, and still that dread doesn't get any lighter. But of course sometimes we do what we need to do, and today, i needed a filling.
Heck, in my previous visits, i have never opted for any painkiller jabs, so this is just one of those days.

I walked up to the counter and presented my name, telling the lady at the counter that i have earlier made an appointment.
She couldn't find my card. I apologized for i forgot that i have actually registered as Daniel. No wonder they couldn't find my card, since it seemed like any other random chinese bloke name.

I went in to see the Doc. I told her that I may have chipped off a filling. She checked and confirmed that there was a growing cavity instead and I asked me if i wanted to do the filling. Yes...of course, i obliged. She started drilling and it hit my nerve. I winced. Then she asked me if i needed an anesthetic jab.
Reminiscing my past experiences with my filling sessions, i said...its ok..i can take the pain. Then she drilled somemore...I winced in 'slight' pain.

And then i asked her:- "you're almost done rite?"
She coolly stated :- " "i have just begun.....it's gonna be worse when it hits the decaying part"

OK. Screw it i thought. Bring me the jab! Suffice to say, the filling was done in no time and painlessly. In Fact, my mouth still feels numb as i type. hahaha..Damn....




The lesson of this post:- Sometimes, when the pain is too much, Don't pretend to be Hero or Macho. Nanti susah....

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

O' Ye of Lil' Faith

I swear if I'm still idle in office, I'm gonna hang my head and doze off. To remedy that, I need to write, and write I shall.

I admit, I have been a lousy supporter this season. Ever since Ronaldo's Judas-inspired departure to Real Madrid, I have written off United's hopes of retaining the BPL. I mean Crybaby Ronaldo has been fantastic for the seasons before, and with United heavily relying on him to conjure up the points,surely there is a huge void to fill following his departure. With Carlo Ancelloti at Chelsea's helm and a squad full of depth, surely they looked like Champions. These were my thoughts. I wrote off Arsenal as well, being a relatively young squad, but one to watch in the future and Liverpool....well...for obvious reasons...they suck! ahhaa..and hence..my undying faith in Manchester United ...seems to be wavering.....

8 months down the line, the title race is wide open, thanks to Chelsea blowing off most of their matches, I wouldn't have guessed that United were still in contention to achieve a treble (without the FA Cup but with the Carling Cup instead). Now Chelsea is playing ketchup, but with Arsenal keeping close tabs with United, this looks like another race to the finish. BUt what's interesting is also the battle for 4th spot, the final Champions League spot, between not 1, not 2 but 4 teams!! Lets see, Aston Villa, Spurs, Man City and Liverfool.

After the United v Liverpool match on Sunday, 21.3.2010, it further fortified Liverpool's position as a truly sucky team. My uncles are gonna kill me if they read this post, but it is highly unlikely that they will read this :) haha...


Park Ji Sung with the winning header against Liverpool

Suffice to say, KING ROONEY has filled the void left by Ronaldo. Many say Ronaldo's departure had paved the way for Rooney to play upfront more freely and with confidence. But the other player whom I would especially mention is Darren Fletcher, who has finally proved, after what...4 seasons me thinks, that he is actually a good player....if not, an industrious player. This is one season where I dare not kutuk him because he does not give me the opportunity to do so. Hence, I shall concentrate my kutukans on Berbatov, whom time and time again has failed to deliver.

So...I have been wrong...and gladly I accept that my judgments have been wrong, in good ways! Of course, the race is far from over, be it the BPL or the Champions League, we still have another old enemy to battle, Bayern Munich. I haven't watched a single Champions League match other than the highlights, and if United makes it to the final, I hope my Boss is willing to grant me the indulgence, to be a part of it.

OK now...i'm less sleeepy and i can continue on my written submissions.
:)Lethargy my good friend, we meet once again......

Monday, March 15, 2010

A Glass of Pink Martini



So, there i was in my office room on a Friday morning, having a McMuffin and browsing through the Star, hoping there won't be any pictures of the First Lady, but damn....there always is a picture somehow...and i was flipping through Metro for events. I hardly do this, but its been 2 years since i last went for a concert which Switchfoot, I figured I might as well check for some stand up comedy acts. I knew Placebo was coming, but that didn't appeal to me. While browsing, I chanced upon Zee Avi....hmm...her songs are not bad....maybe can la....and then i saw it...in an obscured tiny spot....PINK MARTINI, live in Dewan Philharmonik. I checked the for the dates....15 and 16 of March! Jeepers Creepers! Thats next week!!

I picked up the phone and called Colin, my usual concert kaki, but he couldnt make it. So I called Eugene, and he said maybe. And i posted in FB...useless effort. Within less than 4 hours, RM110 ticks were gone...and me and Eugene and He Xiang got ourselves RM150 ticks.....instead. :) Still, these were good ticks.

And so there we were on Monday night, 15 March 2010 in Dewan Philharmonik.At a Pink Martini concert! It was a formal event, and many were in their dresses and lounge suits. Everyone looked like Vesper Lynd and Bond. As for me, I was pretty comfortable without a jacket but still, not only did I feel underdressed, I felt out of place cause I thought i had stumbled upon some upperclass community gathering of sorts...but hey, I'm here for good music....and that's all that should matter to me. I was prompted by an usher, asking me not to use my camera (damn....no pics or evidence of me being at a Pink Martini concert, i thought!). Oh well..you win some you lose some. When the light went out, a bloke in a suit went up on stage, and gave the band it's intro...something like this;

"Tuan-tuan dan puan-puan, mempersembahkan, dari Oregon, USA, Martini Merah Jambu!!!!"...hahaha...what a way to start....and when the music played....really....nothing else mattered at that time. We were experiencing our first sip of Pink Martini...

They started off with Bolero, an instrumental, which gradually introduced each member of the band/orchestra. After a grandiose introduction, Thomas Lauderdale, the pianist/ band leader thanked us for coming...in English and Bahasa Malaysia!! He carried himself very well, and we had a laugh as well. And then he introduced China Forbes, the female lead and voice behind Pink Martini. She told us that she had no idea how we have ever heard about Pink Martini, but nevertheless thanked us, to the laughter of the crowd. She started singing Let's Never Stop Falling In Love, in English and in Bahasa Malaysia!! hehaha...we clapped and laughed through the song.....it was excellent really.

And the band played on. Then they played one of the signature songs, Sympathique, which is probably an ode in French to people who refuse to work ...haha...and explained the meaning of the chorus. It was greeted with huge applause. The band then played some new songs from their latest album, Splendor in the Grass, with 2 concept pieces entitled ....hmm nevermind...i don't really remember the titles at this point.

The band had a 20 minute interval, and that's when me, Eugene and He Xiang went down to check out the Cd's on sale, for we were told that there will be a meet the band session! I wanted to get the latest album, but it was sold out and what was left was Sympathique and Hang on Little Tomato....so....i pondered for a while and....decided to check after the concert, if they had anymore stock of the latest album instead.

The band played on....again after the interval and further introduced new songs including the album titled song Splendor in the Grass, claiming it to be influenced from music by the Carpenters......and they were not kidding! It sounded like something out of my old AIWA hi fi cassette player when my dad played the Carpenters in it! Nostalgia habis!!

Before they closed, they stated that they were gonna play two songs. After playing the first song before the finale..and i knew that they were gonna end the night playing Brasil. That would have been a finale to remember! Instead....to my disappointment, they played Dovedanya Mo Bombino....it was ok larrr...but not what expected and wanted to hear....sei..:( but when they finished, the crowd (including myself)...gave a standing ovation. They truly deserved it! So they went backstage......and then they came out!! The crowd cheered and whistled!! I was correct. My hunches never fail me. I knew they would end with Brasil! Great! it was a rousing finale and it got the crowd to their feet and samba-ing albeit from their seats.... It was great fun to see the crowd and the band enjoying themselves. We were only an inch close before actually forming a mosh pit! haha kidding...and they ended with a Bang!

4 thumbs up for showmanship! They are one band which really enjoyed themselves while playing on stage. Its like, they were entertained by themselves playing music with each other! Well...there were 11 of them in all. Just imagine Slipknot, only with evening jackets,loungesuits and without the Boiler suits and masks. No cussing, swearing and shredding of guitars but delightful, easy listening and oft-quirky music. :)

Suffice to say, after the concert, I went down, got myself a copy of Sympathique (since they had no more stock for Splendor in the Grass) and qued with my concert kakis to meet the band and get my memorabilia stuff signed. In conclusion, I had a great night out and Pink Martini gives you goose bumps and a happy feeling and leaves you wanting more :)

Below are pictures during the meet the Band sessions, Lauderdale is the guy with the silver hair and the lady is China Forbes....the rest are members of the band. Pics far below, Eugene and He Xiang...and last picture below - yours truly...haha

Good night and selamat bekerja besok.











Friday, March 5, 2010

WCW live in Malaysia

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/index.php/malaysia/55339-zaid-pm-is-two-thirds-crazy

The points laid out by Zaid Ibrahim in the Malaysian Insider link could not have been any clearer. The government isn't and was never going to accept a strong opposition. He pointed out that the US government flourished due to the battle of policies between the parties, which in the end, created better and improved policies. In short, good governance.

We do not have good governance. Everyday, in the newspapers, people are hopping more than ever. The Perak fiasco has clearly proven it is the people who suffer most from party hopping. I have voted for the legitimate state government, the PR state government, and even that has been robbed away from me.

I suppose, the party hopping encouraged by Dato' Seri Anwar has clearly backfired badly. And these days, PKR members hop like crazy. But it's a good thing in the long run. The bad need to go before the good comes in eh? Therefore PKR shouldnt be disheartened by it all.

As evidenced, perhaps we should be reminded that the current Federal Government has clearly put intentions of building the nation aside. Rather the agenda or policy before the next General Elections is to wrestle back the 2/3 majority. This is blatantly evident....everyday!!

So where does that leaves us? half baked policies for the Rakyat?? But whatever it is, i know who i will be voting for in the next General Election. Without a doubt.
So perhaps people, these few years before the next GM, be prepared for a reign of darkness before the morning arises. We are still at dawn at this point.