iPhone 4G or Nokia N8?

I had just read about Apple making the changes to the shortcomings (multitasking is one of them) that kept me away from the iPhone not long ago. And then it was confirmed that the iPhone 4G was on its way. You can read about it here. It became a big issue... the missing test phone that is and it landing in the wrong hands. I have always liked the iPhone for its technology but not its functionality. That is why my ex-boss was surprised when he called me from Singapore to ask me if I wanted it since he was there when it first launched and I told him I was not interested. I was happy with my Nokia N95. I'm not going to trade that off with something that merely looks nice. It means nothing if something looks nice and does not have the functionality that you need. Same applies for hoochy-mamas... no point if they just look good. Performance is crucial too.

Picture courtesy of Gizmodo.com

Then I read about the Nokia N8... and that they have just upgraded the phone's camera sensor chip...  you see, to me the chip is more important than the megapixel... and Xenon flash  now... about time too... and that they were working with Dolby... and the phone has a HDMI connector. The phone doesn't look cool but that never bothered me... it has always been about functionality. So, I may stay loyal... and I have been a Nokia fan-boy for over 10 years.

Picture courtesy of Nokia.

Which will it be? Time will tell... both are expected to be released in the 3rd quarter...

23 & 29

I went for my check up today at the hospital's specialist center... Orthopedics. I went in... and handed my appointment card. Was told to have a seat. Then she called me and gave me my number and asked me to wait for my number to be called. I asked her, aren't you supposed to send me for an x-ray first? Oh, really? Yes, really... that's what the appointment card says here. Oh.... please have a seat again, I'll call you. She calls... I approach the counter and she gives me the form and tells me to go for the x-ray. Ummm... and which way is that? You go straight, you don't belok-belok... blablabla...

I find the place and hand my form over to the guy at the counter. He hands it back to me instantly and says your form is empty. You need to fill this part up or we won't know where to x-ray. So... walk back to that nurse and tell her you need to fill this up. Oh... ya ke? Kena suruh doctor la camtu... sigh.. if she were pretty she would be the perfect bimbo. She gets the form filled up and off I go again. Get my scans and hand them over to the nurse and wait. It took about an hour.

My finger's pretty much healed. Doctor says I need to do more physio... and that he will see me again in 4 weeks time. I say ok... then I ask him who do I give my insurance forms to? He says that would be at the counter and they will direct it accordingly. Then he asks me if I am working. I told him I am but I don't really need the MC coz it does not effect my work. Oh, and what do you do? A small chit-chat ensues on what I do and where I work. Then he says... I think I better give you the MC still for formality since you have insurance claims. Whether you take the MC or not is up to you so he writes me an additional 29 days of MC. Most people don't tell us they have insurance claims he explains. And they end up getting less than they should.

So, that's 52 days in total... hmmm.... SOCSO is at RM78.75 per day and my insurance is at RM50 per day (I thinklah)... that's a total of RM6695.00... I already know what I am going to tell the doctor at my next visit... my finger still hurts when I 'dig for gold'... tambah MC boleh? Ada berani? Hahahahaha......

Forks, Spoons and Resemblances....

Ayu started work yesterday. Yeah... this old botak failed to update. When we were at JobsMalaysia.com on Sunday, she applied for a waitress position as that's probably the only thing she knew how to do and office jobs were not being advertised. There were store help positions for an Optometrist at RM800 per month but I thought she would get bored and start to grow mushrooms on her head doing that job. She agreed. So she went in for her interview with Bayview Hotel. I knew she would get the job. The reason? Simple... she's worked part time at Hilton KL and JW Marriott KL. If you still can't get a job in the hospitality industry in Langkawi with that in your resume then there is something very wrong with you... and there's nothing wrong with Ayu... not at first sight at least.... hahahahaha.  Anyway, big names like those carry a lot of weight... whether the candidate lives up to it is another thing altogether and that is why we have probation periods.

Sadly, she didn't get the post... but fret not... instead the HR felt that she would be suitable as a Front Office Assistant despite her not having a good command of English and offered her that position. She was to report to the hotel the following day for the formalities and to meet the FOM. Basic pay, RM390.00 with two points with each point averaging RM150.00. Ayu was wondering why she was offered the job when she had no experience. So, I gave her my expert asshole.... I mean opinion...  I told her.... that's because you're pretty... well, she is very pretty by Langkawi standards... by KL standards different story-lah... but just for the record... most KL hoochy-mamas are NOT from KL. Anyway, I continued... it's really not nice to travel for hours and to be checked in by a cibai face (like mine)... so a pleasant face really helps... but only if the attitude matches the pleasantness.

Come Monday morning, I take her there. She insists to go in through the front despite me telling her she should go through the back but what do I know right? I've ONLY had 24 years experience in the hotel industry... I know nothing. I didn't want to ruin her mood so I just followed lah... we walked through the front and I asked her to approach the Front Desk to ask to see the person whom she was supposed to meet. They all saw us enter... I mean who wouldn't? Tall, dark, very dark and f-ugly botak with pretty chick... stands out... so all heads turned our way. She approaches the counter as I sit down at the sofa and observe. I put on my 'muka ketat' and eye-balled the scene... just waiting to see if they dared to be rude to her and I'll chew them up and spit them out. But they didn't... they were helpful.

There was this little girl there behind the desk... cute (modern day definition)... she looked just like Miss Dhi. I mean exactly... carbon copy. Size (heightlah, the other part cannot see coz she was behind the counter)... hairstyle and most importantly the face. Miss Dhi junior... I tried to take a picture but my stupid phone has its limitations so it was blurred. I'd be out of my mind to go get my 250mm lens right? Nak mati? Well as it turns out her name is Wani and she's 18. About the same age Miss Dhi started out I believe.... right Miss Dhi? Oh, and by the way... I didn't ask her for her name and age. Au related to me today. The resemblance is there... I will try to prove that one day if I get a chance to snap a picture of her and now that she's Ayu's colleague, I might get that chance. There's this saying that there are 7 persons on the planet who look alike. For me, people say I look like Yao Ming.... sure or not? But quite a few have made that comparison that's why I have accepted that I am f-ugly. Hahaha...

Coming to the forks and spoons.... when I worked in VKN and VKL, they both had similar problems in the staff canteen... missing forks and spoons. No matter how often they replaced them, they would still go missing. This was also happening in JWM. So, back when I was in VKN and VKL I noticed that at peak lunch time in the canteens, they would run out of forks and spoons. When tabled in the meetings, naturally I am told that it happens all the time no matter how often they replaced them. At both properties, I suggested that they give each employee their own set and hold them accountable for their own set... being charged for it if it goes missing. They probably thought I was mad when I suggested this coz they ALL went into selective listening mode (Miss Dhi is famous for this too) and just ignored my suggestion... or maybe they thought I was joking.

Well... it is very draconian to do it but if you have no other resolve draconian is the way to go then and this is what they do here in Bayview, Langkawi. You are given a set of fork, spoon and cup upon signing up for employment. You lose it, you pay. End of missing forks and spoons problems.

Jack Of All Trades...

I just got back from KL tonight. The flight was pretty much empty. My guess would be about 30 persons at the most. I arrived in KL yesterday evening. It was for my usual business trip. Met some suppliers and also sat and had a chat with my boss. Politics plays a major role in a country's economy. As I have said in my earlier posts Langkawi seems 'unkept' and after today's chat with the boss it becomes clearer. Ever since Kedah changed 'management' so to speak everything has changed... including certain regulations pertaining to land which is why the project is somewhat delayed. Anyway, that's for my boss to settle.

I was looking forward to go back this time as I was eager to pick up my mail which was couriered to my new office in KL two weeks back from the old place. I was anxious to pick up my subscription magazine... Digital Camera Magazine. I have been dabbling with photography for quite a while and decided to pay a bit more attention to it sometime early last year. The magazine has a section with a little competition where it gives you a theme and you shoot according to the theme and submit it and the winner wins a small prize. I submitted some shots last year for the theme 'Food' but I didn't expect anything as they weren't that good anyway and one of it was from my N95.

Two months back the theme was 'Feeling Blue' and I felt I had a couple of shots in my archive which matched the theme well... so I submitted two. I had a pretty good feeling about it hence my anxiousness to get my hands on the magazine. I got my mail... flipped through it and pulled the magazine out first. Ripped the wrapper apart in a jiffy and started flipping through... wow... I suddenly felt my ass start to expand to the size of "Gloria's" ass... there it was... one of my submissions. I didn't win but they normally feature the final 12 and mine was one of them. Oh wow... I just felt that I had to share this with everyone. This is the scan of my submission... at the bottom of the page.

Page 39 of DCM, Issue 52 April 2010. Out There section...

The magazine version and the scanned version really does not do the original any justice... as nice as it looks, the digital version is way, way better... so I dug through my e-mail and found the original version that I submitted to the magazine and here it is... best viewed large so click on the picture to view it large.

This is the view from unit 22-C-4 of Vistana Condo. If you look at my Flickr page there are a few other shots that I took from the same balcony of sunrises and sunsets which are worth looking at.

The following month the theme was Creative Portraits... and I have a shitload of Ayu's portraits so I submitted a few. Let's see if I get lucky again next month.

I am lucky... really... so Frankie and Jeff weren't entirely wrong when they said that my success in my career was a matter of luck.... whatever.... all I am saying is that I am lucky in the sense that I am a Jack Of All Trades, Master Of None... I have been gifted as such... ever since I was a child... whatever I did, I was quite good at it... I learn fast... let's see what I accomplished... I am doing this out of memory so I will skip what I am not sure of... to be sure I would have to go back to my mom's place to see what trophies are still there.

I have bronzes, silvers and golds for 50m and 100m runs in primary school and I even went for MSSS. Hmmm... what else? Gold medal for high jump in secondary school... I think it was Form Four or Five... and I got that medal jumping onto solid ground... no cushions ok? What a joke right? School team for hockey. School team for badminton... now I think I MAY qualify for BED-minton... School team and state selections for volleyball. School team for chess... and I remember losing to this nerd in St. Johns... since I was done and had nothing to do I played a friendly with some dude, and I whacked him in 11... yes... 11 steps. Then there's bowling... I was pretty good too (top score is 232... my max was 4 strikes in a row, 6 in a game) up until I broke my arm... I can still bowl but I guess I need to do some realignment. Hahahahaha....

Then when I started work I joined a bartender's competition... and I actually won... hahaha... I remember borrowing Tom Cruise's Cocktail video and watching it over and over again... I broke some windows in my home and almost broke my ex-GF's head too. I then represented Malaysia the following year in the Asia Pacific bartender's competition. Then I took a liking in pool... British Pool and eventually entered a competition... it was a sudden death competition and I made it to the last 4 for the singles (out of 256) ... I beat my cousin in the last 8 and she was good... yes, SHE... then her BF took revenge on me. Hahaha... In that same competition I took part in the Mixed Doubles for the fun of it. My partner, didn't show... so I had no choice but to replace with one of my part time staff who could not even hold the cue let alone bridge. And we won... what a joke... but we won as there were only two mixed doubles teams. It was funny... really funny. Funny because this reminds me of Lian being reported seen in someone's car 'hiding' when the car passed the staff entrance.

Then now photography... I wonder how far I will go with this. But to say that I am a master of none is not accurate. There are two things that I am a master of... Bullshitting and drinking... those were the days... don't you miss those days? The days of flying Beng-Wiras... one day I shall relate that to all of you.

Langkawi

There are two versions of what Langkawi means... Wikipedia says this, with a citation needed to verify one part of it while another site says this. There's probably other versions but from these two the similarity is Eagle... and that is undisputed as far as I can tell after being here for 26 days and here's the proof... all shot at Tanjung Rhu Beach. Click on the pictures for a larger and clearer picture... if you didn't already know lah.

1

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Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.....

This one was shot at the foot of the Telaga Tujuh Wells... cute bugger huh? My Coke gang...

Thankfully it didn't end up as Lang-nyet but that's only probably because the monyet population was smaller and insignificant then... but not now. There are other pictures at my Flickr page if you're interested.

What a Day!

Do you remember watching The Road Runner and the Coyote as a kid? Remember how the coyote always fell from high cliffs after getting duped? Silly bugger right? All the way down he falls till you only see a speck then... Poofff!!! Imagine how he felt falling like that. In reality you won't survive lah... but just imagine that. I woke up feeling that. This was due to yesterday's activity... not the doggie activity lah... I am used to that... that is syiok... aiyoh... otak kuning betul.

Here's why... yesterday was hot so we thought we'd go for a soak at Telaga Tujuh... 480 meters high and 638 steep steps to climb... only to find that there was no water... well not no water but kencing lagi banyak lah (figure of speech)... what a let down... like I said before... this island is full of unkept facilities. And this is why there is no water. Malaysia Boleh again. So after such a horrendous climb which then had me drenched in sweat and legs like rubber I had to make my way down again... damn... all the effort and no chance to soak in water. No can do...

I then decided to go to Pantai Pasir Tengkorak (supposedly Sandy Skulls beach) along Jalan Datai. Nice beach... clear waters... standing with the water level at my chest, I can still see my feet clearly. It's nice... not too many people but a shitload of monkeys there and they will steal your stuff... so be careful. So... the swim and the climb made me feel the way I did. My body was aching all over and my legs hurt so bad.

I took Ayu and her brother to the JobsMalaysia.com office this morning as they had sort of an open day where employers would be there to interview candidates. The turnout was good. I went in as well to usha around... eveyone who entered was chaperoned and showed where the forms were and told what the process was, etc... everyone EXCEPT me... hmmm... I wonder why?

By the time they were done I was famished so went for late breakfast... and by then it was starting to scorch... I decided to hit the beach again. This time we headed to Pantai Cenang... the most popular beach in Langkawi. The water was clear but the sea bed had a lot of crushed sea shells so it was a bit annoying and moreover, there were no public facilities such as shower rooms or washrooms. Probably due to the fact that the entire stretch is lined with resorts.

I didn't quite like Cenang so we went back to Sandy Skulls Beach. Less crowd. The sea is very therapeutic... it's so nice to just float and watch planes and eagles fly by. The soothing waves. The beautiful emerald waters. Makes you forget everything... everything... even sun block. Hahaha... pretty soon my skin colour will definitely match my first name.

Doggie/Doggy Style...

Here I am driving to the beach and I come across some monkeys... which is a common thing... but what was uncommon was that there were these two monkeys doing the 'bedroom lambada' but not on the bed lah.. but on the side railings... and doggie style... and honestly, this is the second time I have seen this here in this week alone.. monkeys getting it on... shagging... and on the railings again... such exhibitionists!

Monkeys do it doggie... cows do it doggie... horses do it doggie... hell flies do it doggie too... elephants... camels... I don't know of a mammal on land that does not do it doggie... so why do the dogs get the 'trademark'? Imagine this... what would happen if it was called piggie style instead? Does that mean that it will be a haram style? hahahahaha... I really wonder.

As for me you can call it whatever style... I don't care... it's compulsory for me.

It's Friday...

I took the PS3 to Ayu's place to install it since I couldn't get it to work on my TV that was provided in the apartment and for your info neither did the DVD player. So, I have been without DVD for over 3 weeks.

When I tried to plug the PS3 into the TV... nothing happened. Then I took the Samsung Full HD LCD screen that I got from the VKL dudes and dudettes and plugged it in. It worked. Aiks? Think, think, think... how come? Then it dawned onto me that it was a resolution problem. The PS3 was set to output at full HD so the TV could not recognise it. I changed the settings... unplugged from the screen (I would have left it but no sound coz no speakers) and plugged it back into the TV with the supplied cable and what do you know? Voila!! Magic... it works.

This got me thinking... yeah, yeah... me and my thinking.... this is why it didn't work on my TV too and this is why the DVD didn't work too... sigh... so stupid of me... my stupidity cost me three weeks of bored nights without DVD... I know some probably don't understand why a basic DVD player won't work... I'll try to make this simple and quick. Full HD is 1080P, the P here meaning Progressive. Most DVDs output at 480P and most TVs accept a max of 480P but can receive a 576I... the I is for Interlaced. Most DVD players... i.e. the el-cheapo ones don't give you an output choice so it is a non issue... just plug and play. The one that I have which is a JVC, courtesy of Crazee has got 576I, 576P and 620P selections... and it was set at 620P... so whenI got home I switched it back to 576I and tried again... Yippee!!! It works.... so I have DVD now... Phew! What a relief....

If you still don't understand the shit I just wrote please Google-lah... how you think I learnt? Heh, heh, heh... but seriously, you should... or you would end up buying things and not knowing how to use it properly... just like how everyone has a fancy ass phone but only use it for calls and sms right?

Ok... I'm off now... going to watch Arnie in Collateral Damage... ciao... I'll Be Back... but that's Terminator....

Bored...

Today was probably the most unproductive day for me since I got here. I didn't go out... just worked from home... cleaned the apartment a bit now that my finger is at about 80% recuperated. Swept, mopped, etc...

Then went out for dinner. When I got home I was shocked... my apartment was filled with bugs and insects. They were everywhere... it rained today so I guess that's why they came indoors and I always leave my balcony door open. Sigh... had to sweep the floor again... and probably again tomorrow as there's a lot more on the ceilings and walls.

I'm bored... :(

Interview Day

Today I conducted two interviews. One at 10am and the other at 6pm. Both worked on the island.

I was running late for the 10am interview. It's one of those things which I am sure ALL of you have had but were too shy or proper to talk about but me being me, I let fly about anything... I can talk about anything. So if you think you can't stomach what I am about to write, skip this paragraph... I was having a shit... and it was that last bit... you know the one that won't leave you in comfort until you got it out? The one that no matter how you pushed, it defied you? The one that made you sit on the bowl for a long, long time? Yeah, that one... I was caught in one of those moments. And since I am the employer, I indulged... and it was very satisfying. What? I'm grotesque? Aren't we all? I'm just open... in my opinion and you know what I think about opinions.

I sms-ed the candidate to say that I was running late and that I was on my way. He replied that he just arrived. Shortly after that he calls me back... he suggests that since I am on my way, maybe we should meet where he worked which was about 3kms nearer from where we were to meet. "My GM is away and left me in charge. I can show you around as well." I didn't like what I heard. I felt like just turning back and forget about it. But... I think it is only fair I gave him a chance so I said it was not appropriate... we will meet as planned.

The guy knows his stuff... too cheeky for his own good though... and drinks too much... from what I gathered. Then I spoke to him about bookings... he's one of the many who loves to brag... and he bragged on how he 'stole' guests from his previous place. Then he also bragged on how he by-passed his GM when his GM refused to give a complimentary stay to the booking agent. He called the regional GM. Yeah, yeah... I know... my alarm bells went off in the car remember? Scary how my gut feeling is so spot on. Anyway... depending on how the other candidates do... I may have to hire him... and who knows? I may be his worst nightmare... I am one cat that does not give the mouse the opportunity to come out to play. I still have other candidates so we'll see how those turn out first.

The evening interview went well... I was interviewing for a HRM. It went well enough for me to make the offer on the spot and I think she may accept the offer... but even if she does accept she needs to give 6 weeks notice and there may be the counter offer as she has been with the company for a long while. So... better keep my fingers crossed and hope for the best. It's no fun working alone all by yourself in a place where you know nobody...

Oh, by the way... she says that she was expecting someone older when I arrived as I sounded 'older' over the phone... whatever that means....

I Really Can't Wait...

A New Week...

It's Monday and for most of us... I mean you... that means the beginning of a new week. Here it is Sunday that is the beginning of a new week. But since my boss works on Friday, I work on Friday too... we'll sort that out later. This seems to be a problem here when you have inter-state communication. Here it is Friday and Saturday as the weekend so most offices are closed on these two days... whereas in places like KL and Penang it is Saturday and Sunday that the offices are closed. So due to the overlap in off days three days would have been wasted. Cool huh? Now you know why they are so slow-motion here. If you want anything done, get it done between Monday and Thursday.

Anyway, I started my week with a jog... yes, jog... get that smirk off your face ok? At least I am still capable of getting my lazy ass off bed to go for a jog. What about you? So stop smiling! Ok... I can't stop laughing myself so laugh all you want... it was more to 20% jog and 80% brisk walk... first day so have to go slow. I went for my jog at Taman Lagenda... such a shame really... nice place but not well kept or maintained which seems to be the mode here in Langkawi... no maintenance.

Just as I was about to begin... I saw a beautiful scene which reminded me that I have been neglecting my DSLR camera. I will go back and get that scene and post for all of you to see soon. I then decided to take my camera along with me to the resort today, just in case... just in case I see a topless hoochy-mama again at Holiday Villa sunbathing... yeah I saw two the other day... luckily I didn't throw up. We shall stop here... I don't want to have nightmares.

I'm glad I brought the camera along as I got this John Woo moment....

You could sit all day waiting for a flock of pigeons like this but you may never get the moment... so I must say I was very lucky... I was actually thinking of catching a shot of someone para-sailing when this caught my eye and I recomposed and caught the shot. If you want a bigger and clearer look, click on the picture or head on to my FLICKR page.

This is my breakfast and lunch which I had at 5:30pm... was rather busy today. This is called Mee Goreng Langkawi... I don't know if it is a generic dish in Langkawi or stall specific. If I see it anywhere else on this island I'll keep you all posted. Sorry... but was too lazy to walk back to the car to get the camera so I used the phone camera instead.

It is basically like your home-cooked mee goreng with the added condiments. It was a bit too greasy but oklah... not bad... BUT... RM5.00 dudes... and dudettes... so, expensive to me. The menu board showed that mee goreng mamak was at RM4.50.... expensive right?

Sunday In Langkawi

It was a very hot day... so I thought catching a movie would be a good idea. First I went for a haircut... and here you can botak your head for RM6. So... we now know that apart from booze, chocolates and cars... haircuts are cheap too... well, at least my kind of haircuts where any Dick, Tom and Thambirajah can do it.

Then we tried to catch the 5:00pm movie. A local movie but I went along because I think the lead actress  is a cute hoochy-mama... it was 4:00pm then so I went over to the counter and asked for 2 tickets. I was told there were no takers for the 5:00pm show so he could not sell the tickets to me. He asked me to come back at 4:30pm to try. I was hungry so off I went for food. While I was eating Ayu and I thought... wait a minute... you must have a minimum number to run a movie but if you keep refusing to sell tickets, how will you ever achieve your minimum number? You should have a disclaimer stating your right to cancel a show if the the minimum is not met. Strange... 

After food we went back... still no takers. What about the 7:00pm movie? Same fate... try again later. Geesh... Clash of the Titans was showing at 4:45pm so we decided to watch that first and then come out and see if there were takers for the 7:00pm movie. Clash of the Titans was so-so. I can't wait for Iron Man 2 though. After the movie we went to the counter again... hahahahaha... still no takers... you got to be joking I exclaimed. How about 9:00pm? Nope... only 11:00pm... and how many tickets have you sold for 11:00pm? FOUR!!! This is a real joke... So I ask... what's the minimum to run a movie? FOUR... it wa sthen that i saw the disclaimer... laminated and stuck on the counter that the management reserves the right to cancel a movie and refund the amount or reschedule if the number is less than 6...

So... coming back to my thoughts... why refuse to sell tickets when you have the disclaimer? How can you achieve your minimum if you keep refusing to sell? Sigh... but I can guarantee you this... come 30th April, I will buy 6 tickets if that is what it takes for me to see Iron Man 2 with Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow.  

Bikers Rule...

Generally, I think it is safe for me to assume that each household has a motorcycle. Here, everyone rides a bike. Grandma, grandpa, daddy, mommy, dudes and dudettes and KIDS... yes... if you can't ride a bike here, you ain't from this planet. Here, bikers are Kings of the roads.

They're King coz they ride as and how they please... with or without a helmet. The only time they put a helmet on is when the hit the highways... and they have ummm.... two highways? Ok... so we understand each other better... here the definition of a highway is two lanes heading in the same direction. They're LESS of a menace when they're on the highways as we have two lanes to choose from. The highways are not a good choice to travel as it is normally longer and has steep hill climbs. Therefore the shorter routes would be the trunk roads where it is one lane each direction. This is where the problem is.

To drive on the trunk roads you need serious driving skills if you attempt to go over 60kph. If you drive below 60kph... I dunno about you but I would fall asleep or maybe I should get off my car and start pushing. So, to avoid both scenarios I drive at about 80kph and sometimes I hit 110kph on the trunk roads. When you do these speeds there's a lot of evasive action or distance judgement that come in play... which motorists here do not have. Bikers here ride right smack in the center of the trunk roads and they don't give a rat's ass whether you're behind them or whether you drive a car or a truck or anything on wheels or without wheels... they just ride away... at probably 20kph... struggling to keep their bike steady due to the slow speed.... no helmet... one kid in the basket standing... the other sandwiched between mommy and daddy... suffocating from DD boobs... they just ride away without a care in the world. Motorists here do not use brakes... if there is a motorcyclist in front of them they will swerve into your lane... regardless of your oncoming speed. They would rather put YOUR life in danger and THEIR life in danger than to hit the brakes and slow down.... and their judgement in distance does not exist... they just drive away and endanger everyone... so it is evasive action all the way.

Yes... bikes are Kings... till they get knocked down.... then they blame everyone else but themselves just like this idiot I saw... he's at a junction... a HUGE lorry is coming... DOWNHILL... so obviously brakes don't help very much unless the lorry driver wants to skid all over the place... the driver honks away announcing his arrival... this IDIOT motorcyclist with half an ostrich's brain just decides to get on that lane... and he does it at his whim and fancy... he does not speed up... nor does he go to the side of the lane to make way for the lorry... and NO HELMET... the lorry had to eat into the oncoming lane to avoid killing the bastard! Really... scums of the earth... such a nuisance to society... and they will never learn... even if it takes the lives of the ones they loved the most.

Sad.

Subsidies...

Boleh-land is full of subsidies and a vast majority of its citizens 'enjoy' subsidies... subsidies provided by taxpayers like myself. I harp on this issue as the tax that I pay annually has 5 digits before the decimal point and is more than what some people earn in a year... and that's quite a lot of people taking into consideration that Boleh-land's average salary is below RM2k.

Now... getting to my point... 

Ever since I became management in my line of work, I only had to worry about one meal per day as I usually took the other two at work since I spend a lot of time at work. And in the past 4 years, I did not have to worry about transport as I lived in-house and in the past one year I could walk to work or even if I drove the fuel would last me a whole month with a full tank. This is a form of subsidy. Present day... breakfast, lunch and dinner is on my own.

The cheapest McValue meal during lunch hour is RM5.95. A nasi campur of three dishes would set you back about RM4.00 without beverage. So let's just say that on an average each meal is about RM6.00 with the exception of breakfast which may only be RM3.00 if you have just a drink and a roti canai or nasi lemak. So, that's RM15.00 a day... translates to RM450.00 a month... that is if you have the same bloody  boring routine each and every day. Can you?

Next... being in Langkawi you travel... and I mean you do travel... it is about 22kms per way to where I work... so two ways would be about 45kms... no detours. Add in the nature of my work now which requires me to look for places, suppliers and the what nots, I do about 100kms a day. But fro a realistic scenario we will use 45kms a day. My motorboat chugs approximately 1 liter every 8kms... yeah... that's a lot of fuel. So, on an average it is about 5 liters a day and at RM1.80 per liter that sets me back RM9.00 a day and that translates to RM270.00 a month.

That's RM720.00 a month just on meals and fuel... and with the scenarios used it is a BEST CASE scenario. And your imagination is the only limitation to what the worst case scenario is like. Here's some info to boost your imagination... I pump RM50.00 of fuel every other day and there have been a few occasions when it is the very next day. I've been here two weeks so every other day means 7 x RM50.00 which is RM350.00. I had a very nice Braised Lamb Shank at Tapaz today... and it costs me RM44.00++. A Grande Caramel Macchiato  in Starbuck's costs RM13.00. And if you have the same McValue meal at dinner it would be RM9.20 and not as earlier stated. Everything is expensive and we expect people to survive on their meager sub RM1k salaries... and they struggle. As long as you never experience something better, you will never be able to produce something better.

That's about all the time I have today... I'm at Starbuck's... the battery's low and my Caramel Macchiato almost finished. Subsidy... is that the answer? NO... subsidies make you weak. Take the freaking subsidies away... increase the average wage... increase efficiencies, increase productivity. Just my 2 sen... and for your information, I have a shit loads of 2 sens...

And before I go... Here's an article that may interest you.

One Month

This is the view from my would be room when the resort opens... this was taken with my crappy phone's camera... the DSLR is too much to lug around when you're 'handicapped'... The time was approximately 5:45pm when this was snapped. And you can see that the sun is still pretty high up the horizon. Sunsets are beautiful at this side of the island and this is a plus point for me. The island is therapeutic... the beautiful emerald sea... very therapeutic... especially up North.

I've been with the new job for a month now and it has been two weeks now on the island. What have I accomplished? Hmmm... nothing... I'm still the only employee thus far... I've received over 150 applications for 5 positions but less than 10% is worth considering. I've interviewed one on Tuesday... I have another interview next Tuesday. It's not easy working ALONE... especially when people don't seem interested to do business with you... you're the customer but is it YOU who have to keep calling them to follow up and even then it takes ages and some never get back to you. Annoying... damn annoying...

Hopefully next week things will move along faster. I'll probably end putting an ad in the Star next week. I need a HR desperately so I can start to focus on other things... I have a few candidates but they're all not from hospitality so I have my reservations on hiring them... but I will interview nevertheless.

Sigh...What's the Malay saying? Biar susah dulu senang kemudian? I hope so...

Car Fixed...

My car went back to the workshop for the change of engine mountings on Monday. They ordered the parts. It arrived on Sunday, they called me and I sent my car in. Then they tell me one of the mounts does not fit as it was the wrong part. They can't put the old one back as it was really 'buggered' so I have no choice but to wait till the part arrives which will take about two days. But I need the car or I can't work... so... the only option was to hire a car.

Got myself a VIOS... nice car... anyway... when I got in the car I did my usual... adjust the seat, adjusted the steering height... adjust mirrors... check indicators and then looked at the dashboard... no gauge... I know someone who reads my blog who knows someone who drives a Vios... you know who you are... do me a favour... ask the owner of that black Vios... where the fuck is the temperature gauge? I couldn't find it! Please don't tell me that Toyotas do not heat up... not after the fiasco they're going through. Ok... nevermind... the gauge is not THAT important... looked at the gears... hmmm... L, 2, 3-D, N, R, P. Ok... I think I got it and I drive off... with the gear at 3-D...

Not bad... good pick up... like it so far... but I quickly realise that at 3-D the revs remained at over 3k RPMs... hmmm that's strange... something wrong... took a look at the transmission again... took a chance and shifted the lever left to D... alamak... IDIOT... so stupid of me... 3 and D are on the same level... just 3 on the right and D on left... there's no OD (overdrive) though... ok... got this figured... I like it... better than the OD button though it has the same effect... but definitely much better feel... maybe because I have always preferred manual over auto. By the way... I finally found the temperature gauge but I ain't telling yet... let's see if the owner knows where it is.

Got my car back today... There goes RM460... and RM80 per day for the Vios... aiyoh... sakit lah my pocket. I really need to do something about my car... so I washed my car... I washed... NOT I sent for wash... yes, with broken finger... have to... no choice... while washing the car talking to the car... macam orang gila kan? Better be like orang gila than spend more money on repairs.I hope with the personal wash she will stop her tantrum. And for the record... I have no intentions to sell this car.

Back In KL

I was in KL today... arrived late last night and got myself a room in the vicinity of my office. RM98 nett per night at Sun View Hotel. Dodgy but cheap and suits my needs which was just for some sleep and a shower and walking distance to the office.

This is the TV... just local channels full of snow... and the No Smoking sign on top which means that you're not allowed to smoke... I thinklah... but wait...

Here's the 'coffee making facility'... and look what else we have... it says No Smoking but if you must smoke then here is the ashtray... hmmm... and how do I make coffee? Hot water from the shower? I figured it out when I was on my way to McD... they had a hot and cold water dispenser in the corridor.

It was nice to be back in KL for awhile... Kak Siti was complaining that it was very hot in the afternoon... I walked out and told her... THIS is not hot... this is how Langkawi is at NIGHT during the first half of the year. My boss asked me how my room was... was it dodgy? I nodded... she then asked me to stay at a better place... I said it was ok... the proximity was important... and I told her very frankly... when I start making money for you then it will be a different story. For now I will rough it out with everything.

While waiting for my flight I noticed that the 'season' had begun again... and I guess we're going to have to put up with their antics for the next 6 months or so. In the plane... they're seated all over but they speak to each other as if it was their freaking house! Geesh! Then there's this dude... seems like just married... he gets up and goes to the front row which was empty and sleeps on that row, three seats... legs ON the seat... even if you wanted to I think it would only be appropriate to let the flight attendant know and not treat this plane and country as though it was YOUR freaking home! I really hate their superiority complex... which sad to say, most of them have. They have no respect for others... then they wonder why they are disliked... sigh...

RM500

That's the salary of a store help at Billion... Billion is like Giant. Lodging is provided by the company... same apartment as mine. On one hand... Wow! Lodging provided! On the other... RM500? Let's bring the calculator out... meals are not inclusive and food is NOT cheap here in Langkawi. Assuming he spends RM10 a day for ALL his meals in a day, that would be RM300 gone... that leaves him with RM200. Being filial he sends RM50 home... that leaves him with RM150. RM30 for his phone top-up. That leaves RM120. There are 4 off days in a month so that means RM30 per off day to spend. There's only taxi here so if you don't have a bike, you're FUCK-ed... you're better off sitting at home wanking away. Sigh... no smoking... no fancy food every once in a while... and he hasn't even bought any toiletries and if you shop often enough you will know that toiletries are a killer! 

Sometimes I think too much... I remember my ex-boss Kareena advising me... Botak... don't get worked up about things that are out of your control which you cannot change... instead focus on what is around you and in your scope that you can change. See? I do take advise ok? Contrary to what some of you think.... heh, heh, heh... I hope I can make that difference now that I have the final say in my organisation. I hope our country starts to do something about minimum wages too as this is really ridiculous. Don't you think? I had to do two jobs when I earned RM300 a month 22 YEARS ago!!! 20 YEARS ago I took home approximately RM1.2k a month as a bartender... with overtime. Something wrong right? Malaysia Boleh!

Land Dispute

Today, I came across a hurdle... literally... here I am driving on the path to go to the resort when suddenly in front of me, the road was being sealed off... the neighbour was erecting a fence, sealing off the entrance. I got off the car and asked the guy why was he putting the fence up? He says that it was their land and that apparently they had given 'someone' two weeks notice to build a proper road and such but since nothing was done they were sealing the place off. If I wanted to, I would have to speak to their boss... forgot the name... TNB guy... the adjoining land belongs to TNB.

So, I call my boss and explain the whole scenario. I am assigned to take pictures with "my fancy camera" as per my boss. So I do as I am told. Apparently, there is a dispute as to whom that small piece of land belongs to. TNB seems to think it belongs to them. My owners claim that it is the government's land therefore they have the right of way and TNB was doing something illegal... well, not TNB per se but their representatives. So, now we have to do a land search and then get the surveyors in to ascertain for sure what belongs to whom before we can plan our next move.

This is the second dispute we've had... to do with land... the first was with an alternative entrance which suddenly saw a mini village emerge out of nowhere. Talking to a few locals, I found out that this was one of the modus operandis of the locals. Apparently they do this quite often... allow you to do your construction ... then at the eleventh hour, when you are 80% complete, they build things around you even when it is on government land. It seems the local law is that if you want to move them you have to relocate them and pay some kind of relocation fee. 

Are you thinking what I am thinking? Let's verify this so-called law first... if it is true then let us all go find out where there are projects being built in the next five years. Then we all go build small little huts around their planned roads and what not... then we just sit back and wait for compensations. 

What a life!

This Is How They Do It

It's been exactly a week now. I thought I'd share with all of you this little clip which shows how they move your car from the barge onto the wharf... I cringed... now imagine that car was your car... an Evo X... aiyoh... damn scary man... I dread to think how they got in onto the barge instead.

MacGyver

MacGyver was one of my favourite TV series of all time. I enjoyed how he came up with ideas using domesticated items. It was very inspiring to me and I do a lot of MacGyver-ing in my day-to-day life. Back to the probem at hand... pun intended... this is the third time I have broken a bone... twice on the same hand. The first one was on the same hand, just a little bit further up... on my left little finger... the 1st row phalanx. The second was my right arm and now the third. So, I basically have some experience.

The cast was giving me problems... it was hurting my wrist bone. So, it is either a lack of padding or it was too tight. I think it was the latter as I was having serious rashes... not that I could see but the itch was unbearable. Also I think it was too high up my forearm. I went back to the hospital yesterday to have it changed since I was told that I could do so if I felt any discomfort. At the triage, I explained my situation... these two dudes seemed reluctant to let me change my cast. So I said that the doctor did say that I could have it change. Then one of then tries to educate me and says that it is meant to be higher up to the forearm to provide support. I know I look stupid... but I am not that stupid lah... but nevertheless I did not want to get into a spitting contest with them. He registered me and I went in to wait for my turn.

Not long after my name is called. The doctor is a male. Sorry, didn't notice his name... hahaha... bad botak... at least it shows I am hetero. I explained the situation to him... he asked me if my fingers felt numb... which it did occasionally so I told him. The doctor agrees that a shorter cast would be better... he explained that as long as two joints were supported, it was fine. He said he would inform the plaster-ist which I did see him go over and talk to the person. He may have just talked about the birds and the bees, I wouldn't know but I did see him talk to the dude.

So... wait again... then I am called in. This plaster-ist claims he is an artist... and that he was promoted but he now comes back to this section to help every now and then so he wouldn't lose his skill. Whatever dude... whatever makes you happy... just fix my problem. Then he says that he felt the old one was too short... aiyoh... am I the patient or are you the patient? I wonder if these guys ever had their hands or legs wrapped up like a bloody lemang before? Maybe they should so they know how it feels like. I was not happy but I just didn't want to argue. Instead I start asking questions.... like when do they use full plaster and when do the use just half for support like mine, when do they use fiber, are there other types, are there detachable types, etc? No, I was not making conversation... my MacGyver mind was working to find a solution to my problem.

When he was done, I thanked him and left... artist my foot. If he calls this art, I wonder what crap looks like to him.

Anyway, I went home unhappy though slightly relieved as I got to scratch my arm and it was now clean and dry for the moment. But I am going to have to fix it when the itch starts again. So by late afternoon today my arm was driving me bonkers already so I cut it open. Yes... I cut it open with my little knife cum money clip. See below...

This is the cast... cut open... notice the rashes on my forearm? The so-called artist made it too tight as well as you will see in the following photos.

This is my cast cut open and ready for my MacGyver project later.

This my arm... see the rashes and the marks due to the tightness of the cast? That small little cut was due to a graze I got against a door in the common area of the apartment where the door knob had fallen off.

A different angle of the rashes. No wonder I was going bonkers with frustration. Gatal gile...

It was then time for project MacGyver. My days as a Corporal in PBSM/MRCS back in my school days were not in vain after all. I drove to Guardian and bought the stuff I needed. Everything was available except one item. I bought a velcro wrist strap and a elastic bandage. The arm guard was not available (kinda like a sock for the arm).

First, place my hand back into the cast so the metacarpus is supported by the plaster. This has to be done slowly and snugly so it fits perfectly for comfort and support.

Next use the velcro wrist strap to hold the two open parts of the cast together ensuring that it is tight enough and not too tight either.

Then use the elastic bandage to secure the rest of the cast again and fasten the clips and I'm good to go. As they say... if you want something done right, you're better off doing it yourself.

There you go.. removable cast. Now I can have a nice shower at home and take it off to air my arm when I am not moving around.  I'll take it off at home.... wear it when I go out and when I go to sleep.

I am looking forward to my shower tonight...

Impressions... Week 1

Here are my impressions for the first week here in slow-motion land... they may change over time as I get more data for my profiling... or maybe not.

The hardware business seems to be a thriving business next to lodging and of course, food... there is a hardware store almost everywhere. I think it has to do with the locals building their own rooms, houses, home-stays and what-not... then of course you have the Malaysia My 2nd Home program where the mat sallehs buy land here and build their own homes in kampungs... serious... there's quite a lot of them residing here. Next would be laundries... they pop out everywhere too... like mushrooms.

Transport... if you live on this island and don't possess your own transport then you are screwed, blued and tattooed... in short, FUCKED. The only form of public transport is taxi and they charge you an arm and a leg. I have clocked 600kms since getting my car on Saturday... go do your math...that's averaging 120kms a day.

Money is NOT king... the locals are kings. You are doing them a favour by giving them business... and this my dear readers I foresee as the one thing that is going to give me a real headache... but then I wonder... doesn't anyone ever try to make these people perform? Or am I trying in vain when the rest have adopted the "if you can't beat them, join them" attitude? It's a real shame as this island sure has a lot of potential to be something really great.

Ever since I got my arm in a cast, I have been getting friendly smiles from strangers... females mostly... and mostly bertudung... and then there are makciks too... I wonder why? Is it because of my arm? Or is it because I'm F-ugly with my moustache and beard (think Tony Stark,)? Really makes me wonder... and yesterday as I was having lunch with Ayu and her cousin, I noticed this kakak looking at me... there was someone else next to her but it didn't register in my brain just yet.... then after a few seconds the person next to her waved... then I recognised her... Siti Sarah Jasmia, my doctor., well not MY doctor but the doctor on duty when I went to have my hand checked... how do I know her full name? Hey! It's me! I have bionic eyes. Ok... she is not f-ugly... nor is she gorgeous... she's just your girl next door who goes to lunch with her back pack and eats with her back pack on... you would NEVER EVER guess that she is a doctor... she's young... mid 20s at the most and she is definitely playful... and got brains too... and I think still in training... during my visit she asked me if I had any allergies... in BM... I replied only money... it took about a second for her to catch the joke but at least she did while the 5 others didn't. She wanted to have my hand x-rayed immediately but was afraid to as the radiologist was on call and the hospital's policy was to call only when it was urgent, otherwise wait till the next day... she wanted to do it but the nurse said only if urgent... she asked, isn't this urgent then the nurse mumbled something and she gave in and asked me if it was ok to have my hand x-rayed tomorrow instead... just at that moment another doctor walked in... she consulted the doctor and when the doctor agreed with her to do it now... she went 'yes'... with the arm gestures... I was amused with her antics... I think most people would heave been annoyed with her perceived lack of seriousness... in my opinion she is just a bubbly person... the kind you would like to have with you in any group outing. But if she remains like that even during lambada sessions then... potong stimlah...

Oh... and before I log off... this place is damn fucking HOT!!! Very soon I will be applying Fair and Lovely or Oil of Olay or SKII on my skin... or my first name will start to match my skin colour... or is it my skin colour will match my first name? I think it is the latter...  Karavale, karavale... tall, dark and f-ugly... and botak... and buncit.

Car Trouble...

Last night when I was driving home from my 'Bukit Malut' run, I sensed some irregularities in the air-cond... I brushed those thoughts off and as I pulled into my car park I did realise that it was warmer. I took a quick look at the dashboard and noticed that the temperature gauge registered FULL!!! I shut the engine off immediately and popped the hood. I could hear the water boiling... literally... that spelled trouble... it was late and there was nothing I could do so I went up. I'll have to have it checked the next day.

I drove the car to the workshop before I started my day and I made it just in time... just as the needle hit the red line. 

The foreman popped the hood and did a check... he topped up the water and it seems he had to pour quite a lot back in. It was probably a leak... so he assigns a mechanic and instructs the guy to find out where the leak was. This dude starts checking and all that... then there was this mini debate between him and the foreman on where the leak was. He reckons it was at the base of the radiator while the foreman thinks it is at the top. I was a bit frustrated so I walked over and took a look. IMMEDIATELY, I saw the leak.... it was from the top and I pointed it out to the mechanic. Then he tells me that it needs to be repaired...  Amacam bang? Buat? I looked at him or rather I stared at him with a dumbfounded and bewildered look... Ahbudden? Annoyed I replied with my usual and instant sarcastic tone... Xdelah... biar je camtu... silence...... klu x buat bley bawak ke? Mestilah buat kn? 

He must have thought that I was an asshole... I am... I can understand that some people don't want to fix certain things so they have to ask but then... let's just apply a wee bit of logic to this... just a bit, not too much... you really, don't expect me to drive the car for 2kms then stop for an hour and wait for the engine to cool off before I repeat the same cycle again until I reach my destination, do you? Agak-agak sikitlah... some things are not a matter of choice. Maybe a ni kena buat sekarang... buat eh? would have been more appropriate... or am I asking too much? I think I am...

Well... I spent half a day there and blew RM350 to have the radiator top replaced. I had asked them to change my engine mounts too but they did not have the parts so I had the order the parts and inform me when the parts arrived... I think my car is merajuk-ing from all this Lancer talk of mine...

Frustration...

What is the definition of frustration? Or what is the epitome of frustration?

Imagine this.... just close your eyes and imagine it... of course, finish reading first then close your eyes and imagine...

Imagine you have both your hands in boxing gloves... got that? Now imagine you have an itch at your crotch and your arse hole... now imagine yourself trying to scratch them with your boxing gloves clad hands...

I am frustrated coz I have an itch in my cast and I can't fucking scratch the muttha fucking itch!!! CIBAI!!!

If Cows Could Fly...

...Langkawi's roads would be safer and so much more cleaner and needless to say, so will my tires. I remember my elders always scolding me... 'no cow sense' and till today, I have yet to figure out what it REALLY meant. Maybe, just maybe it has to do with what I have to share.

I am sure you have all come across dogs, cats, chickens and God knows what else crossing the roads and highways. Notice how they just know how to hurry up along as you get closer to them? Well... not cows... they just walk across... they don't look left nor do they look right and they sure ain't gonna look back! They just walk and cross without a care in the world... you can be coming at 50kph or 120kph... they don't give a flying F###.  They just strut along slowly and you have to hit your brakes. Geesh! And... and... they just shit everywhere... and I mean everywhere. So you have to dodge cow dung too. They are quite a menace...

For those of you who love to drive, like me... Langkawi has its mini Karak Highway.... it's called Jalan Bukit Malut... I was on my way home late last night... alone... so I decided to give it a try at night... nice... made me miss my Beng-Wira. This car's COG is too high and it being an auto tranny, the Overdrive has its limitations. and not so fun. Nothing beats a manual transmission on roads like this. This road is the coastal road from Kuah to the east coast... it's more challenging than Karak coz its bends are tighter. I wish I had my Beng-Wira with me... or a Lancer will suffice... heh, heh, heh...

Talking about Lancers... owning a Lancer is like owning a MyVi on the mainland... everyone has a Lancer here... buat sakit mata je... lepas sakit mata... sakit hati pulak... but then... better than sakit pocket... hahaha...

Mr. McGee... Don't Make Me Angry...

...You Wouldn't Like Me When I Am Angry... remember that phrase? That's from The Incredible Hulk. And that's what I am... ok, ok... I am exaggerating a wee bit... I don't turn green and all that shit but I just lose it. Yes, this botak who seems cool all the time can get angry and the few who have seen me lose it will attest to it that I am crazy when I lose my temper. I lost my temper this morning... and this is the result from it...

A swollen left hand... this was taken 2 hours after I transformed in the Incredible Botak... sakit gila... the swelling was almost instant... sometimes I do wish I could control my anger... but you see... when I get angry I need to vent and this is how I do it.

Anyway, I went about doing my things all day... despite the unbearable pain... I can take pain... sikit-sikitlah... but after dinner the throbbing seemed to get worse. I knew something was wrong so I went home, had a shower and headed to Langkawi Hospital at about 10:00pm.

This is the result from my visit to the hospital... I broke my left, 5th Metacarpus... and I have 3 weeks medical leave for now... subject to an extension pending my visit to the orthopaedic at the end of my three weeks. My visit to the hospital inconvenienced the radiologist and the guy who plastered my hand.... both were on call and had to come back... and this is the best part... I was asked what happened to my hand... ummm... I just moved here and was unpacking when a box full of books fell onto my hand... yeah, right.... hahahahaha...

And the moral of the story is... when you get angry... say Wooosahhhh and rub both your ear lobes with your fingers and thumbs.... like in Bad Boys 2.

Ok boys and girls... botak has to go and set his appointment with the orthopaedic.... and by the way, I'm fine so don't worry, yeah? Ciao...

Mr. DIY...

First let me make it clear that DIY in this context is NOT sexual in nature... not that I mindlah... nor am I denying nor admitting. Anyway... I spent the past two days painting Ayu's house. I've done the two bedrooms, the hall and the washroom. I'll leave the dining room and the kitchen to other 'volunteers'. I think I've done more than my fair share. The reason why it took me two days for those four areas is because with the exception of the washroom the other three areas were painted with two tones... and I did it all by myself... and yes, I am angkat-ing bakul.

They say... look before you leap... in my case it is, look before you alight from the ladder. This is what happens when you don't... all 85kgs of weight (berat tahi and dosa) and the momentum of getting off the ladder onto a hard object... nice eh? I limped for a whole day....

Day Two in Ghost Town....

I started my day by cleaning my washroom. Literally getting down on my hands and knees to scrub the place down. My desk at work DOES NOT reflect on how anal I can get with cleanliness... especially the cleanliness of my washroom. It is much more bearable now but the toilet does not flush still and I need to get this fixed. The shower was built for people like... ummm... I shall spare the two of you this time... ummm... built for Langkawi-ans... standing straight only my belly downwards gets a shower. Hahaha...

Then it was off to lunch and buy more cleaning aids to clean Ayu's place.  This is when i made a discovery... Langkawi is laid back but today really takes the cake. Friday is a public holiday in this state and on public holidays practically everything stops... almost all shops are closed. The place is literally dead today.

Anyway, during lunch I bumped into an old friend... Zaini... welll actually not my friend but Darren's friend but what the heck... he was with his kid... cute guy, the kid that is... so is his father... not that I'm into men lah... I admired the way he communicated with his son. Just like best friends... I think he will do a great job as a parent. Zaini's working at The Four Seasons now. Then we went to get ourselves tickets for a movie tonight. Bought tickets for Evolusi KL Drift 2. Since I was there I wanted to buy tickets for tomorrow's Clash of the Titans. The dude clicks on tomorrow's date on his terminal and...???...???... nothing happens. Geesh... I can only buy it tomorrow... this is not good... sigh.... I sure miss GSC's online ticket purchasing.

Spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning and washing Ayu's place and getting it ready for a makeover. This place needs a lot of work and I think I am going to have to call the landlord to negotiate more contras. We threw everything out, including the existing tikar getah and we washed the placed down. Ayu's dad is no where to be seen. She reckons that he is merajuk-ing... shit... I should be the one and not him... sigh... I just hope that her family does not force my ugly side out. I have been very humble and tolerant for a very long time but I have my principles and there's only so much shit that I will accept... but that's another story for my other blog...  

We finished cleaning in the evening. Went back for a shower and headed off for dinner and then went for the movie. Langkawi has THREE halls for movies. When I arrived, my hall was not ready so we got ourselves a drink and waited for the hall to be ready. Then the light came on for Hall 1... my hall... I was the first to enter when the lights came on. We proceeded to the hall... shit... it had like 40 people already seated... where the fuck did this people come from? Weird... really weird... anyway, the cinema is ummm.... in Ayu's words... 'like going to watch wayang kulit'... she said it ok? Not me... maybe some of my traits have brushed off onto her, I dunno... it's not that bad lah but the retro feel is definitely there... and you might want to bring your own Febreze with you. There were two occasions where people had conversations on the phone.... CONVERSATIONS ok? It's not like the normal "I'm watching a movie, I'll call you back" shit but real conversations... geesh... I think I may have to settle for Penang for the good movies... plan my days and time and take a ferry to Penang for jalan2 and movies. The movie itself was quite goodlah... I give credit to them for their effort. Storyline and ending... hmmmm... that, long way to go.

Day One...

I woke up feeling like I was just hit by a truck. My body was aching all over. The packing, carrying and driving has taken a toll on my body and Holiday Villa's crappy bed didn't help the situation. Just made it worse. Freshened up, had breakfast, checked out and made my way to the jetty to send the car. It costs RM161.00 to send the car. The process pretty simple too. Just bring a copy of the car's registration, fill up a very simple form and that's it. You're good to go. Then you drive your car to the jetty and hand over your slip. They show you where to park your car, you park and then leave the keys with them. I can only pick the car up on Saturday as Friday is a public holiday in Kedah.

Then I walked over to the ferry terminal just next door. Takes less than five minutes. Ummm... that's measuring with my legs. If it was Ms. Soon's or Ms. D's legs then maybe 10 minutes lah..... ha, ha, ha... sorry... just felt like taking a poke. Anyway, I arrived just in time to catch the 10:30am ferry. Arrived at Langkawi at just after noon. First order of the day in Langkawi was to hire a car for two days. I got myself a MyVi for RM80 a day. I chose the MyVi as it was zippy and fuel efficient. Pumped in RM50 worth of fuel and we're ready to rock and roll. I sms-ed the agent for my apartment to pick the keys up but she responded that they were fixing the air-cond and would only be ready at 5:00pm. It's lunch time so I decided to drive to have some laksa and cendol near the airport. The laksa is called Laksa Power but it is far from it.

It was still very early so I thought I'd drive to see Ayu's house in Taman Desa Kemboja. Her dad managed to get a place with two rooms at RM280 per month. It was ok... needed a lot of cleaning and some painting but pretty decent. I think it is about 800 square feet in built up area. Ayu will be staying here with her dad and his family (third marriage I think). Then we went to take care of the deposit and pay some bills off in contra. The owner resides in KL and the bills were overdue so we settled the bills in contra with the rent and deposit.Then I went over to TMPoint to have my Streamyx line line transferred.

Then I drove over to my new place. Quite a distance between Mi'dlbeach Resort and also Ayu's place. Looks like a shit load of driving is in store for me. Met the 'agent' there, settled the deposits and took the keys. The place needs a makeover... I'm only staying two months but it still needs a makeover. Sheets and towels were provided but there is no way I am going to use those. So, I made a quick recce of the place to determine my shopping list. Then off I went to buy the things I needed.... pillows, sheets, towels, cleaning aids, etc. Had to buy myself an iron too but oklah, got one for RM35. I made sure I got my supply of early morning drug... COFFEE.... not what you were thinking. Then I saw what Don and Jofadli would love... and if they were here they would swim in it.... booze... I got myself 6 cans of Buds, 6 cans of Tiger and a 1-liter bottle of 43% Jack Daniel for under RM100... yup... less than RM100... RM18 for the Buds, RM12 for the Tigers and RM68 for Uncle Jack! Wohooo!!! Mabuk balik lah ni...

Then had dinner... at Pantai Cenang... in a Chinese Restaurant. I saw some Garlic Prawns which I simply couldn't resist. Minimum order was 3 pieces so ordered the minimum. When the dish came my eyes almost popped out of its sockets...

These are the prawns... the grandfather of all prawns and Tiger Prawns... that's just two left, I whacked the other one already... the grandfather of grandfathers. 3 tiger prawns weighing in at 375gms... and the damage for the prawns... RM60.

After dinner, I went back... put the booze in the fridge... First things first lah kan? 7 Habit of Highly Effective People, applies to booze too....  then I changed the sheets, added a mattress protector... not to protect the mattress from me but to protect me from the mattress... I placed the protector ON the existing sheet provided by the 'agent' then topped it with my new sheet. The bed does not seem stable...I have a feeling the bed will give way one day... that means no bedroom lambada on this bed... I guess I have to get 'creative' then. Balcony? Whoa... cannot...  go figure... I'm off to bed.