50+4 Malaysia: Malaysia, I Still Love You..

As per my previous years, I'm continuing my writings for beloved Malaysia this 2011.. in conjunction with her 54th birthday.

Dear Malaysia

You seem so cool when I was younger

You seem near perfect when from abroad

But now that we are together

The imperfections are clear

Racism

The antics of politicians

Rising cost of living

The 3 main things preventing from making you wholesome

Plus a few more..

All these easily blind me 

From the beauty that you have inside

It takes more (effort)

To find those beauty now

Something that I keep reminding myself

To not forget

Cos I want to still love you

Like the way I admired you when young

Or when I look at you fondly when abroad

And the moments when we were reunited

So despite all these imperfections you have

I am choosing to see the other side of you

I still believe in you

And that you still boleh

But just remember

Don't take too long to change those imperfections

But do it while the longing heart is still here with you

For Malaysia, I Still Love You..

*I did a book 50+1 Malaysia when Malaysia turned 51, and wrote a blog post 50+3 Malaysia (Yes, I Love Malaysia) for Merdeka last year (Malaysia was 53 then). I wonder what project/ writings I'll do when Malaysia goes 50+5 :)

When Being A 'Loser' Aint So Bad

So I'm a Gleek (ie. a Glee fan).

And here's one inspiring & original song from the series that I'd like to share.. yeap a song that I've been playing over & over again the past few days..!

Btw, before you think how can a song about being a Loser be inspiring, well... listen to the song below.. and read the lyrics! And then, you'll know that being a 'Loser' ain't bad at all!

*To me, this song is like the heart of Glee, and its beliefs.. and that's something I like! So the next time someone criticise us or look down upon us.. just play this song! :)



Yeah, you may think that I'm a zero
But, hey, everyone you wanna be
Probably started off like me
You may say that I'm a freakshow (I don't care)
But, hey, give me just a little time
I bet you're gonna change your mind

All of the dirt you've been throwin' my way
It ain't so hard to take, that's right
'Cause I know one day you'll be screamin' my name
And I'll just look away, that's right

(Chorus)
Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth
So everyone can hear
Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down
Baby, I don't care
Keep it up, and soon enough you'll figure out
You wanna be
You wanna be
A loser like me
A loser like me

(Cory Monteith/Finn)

Push me up against the locker
And hey, all I do is shake it off
I'll get you back when I'm your boss
I'm not thinkin' 'bout you haters
'Cause hey, I could be a superstar
I'll see you when you wash my car

All of the dirt you've been throwin' my way
It ain't so hard to take, that's right
'Cause I know one day you'll be screamin' my name
And I'll just look away, that's right

(Chorus)
Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth
So everyone can hear
Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down
Baby, I don't care
Keep it up, and soon enough you'll figure out
You wanna be
You wanna be
A loser like me
A loser like me
A loser like me

Hey, you, over there
Keep the L up-up in the air
Hey, you, over there
Keep the L up, 'cause I don't care
You can throw your sticks, and you can throw your stones
Like a rocket, just watch me go
Yeah, l-o-s-e-r
I can only be who I are

(Chorus)
Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth
So everyone can hear
Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down
Baby, I don't care
Keep it up, and soon enough you'll figure out
You wanna be
You wanna be
A loser like me
A loser like me

(Chorus)
Just go ahead and hate on me and run your mouth
So everyone can hear
Hit me with the worst you got and knock me down
Baby, I don't care
Keep it up, and soon enough you'll figure out
You wanna be
You wanna be
A loser like me (A loser like me)
A loser like me (A loser like me)
A loser like me

What's Your (INspiring) Story: Ken Wooi & Funny Blogging

It has been 4 months since I started this What's Your (INspiring) Story series. I have wanted to feature 12 people for the start, and 11 people have been featured since 18th April 2011.

I'm proud that what started off as an idea on the plane trip back from the Philippines has materialised. It's not a big project in any way but there is full satisfaction from it. I'm happy to have had the opportunity to invite some really cool friends to share their stories, with an aim of inspiring you readers out there (I hope u did/ are!) :)



Anyway, this is the final feature story - by Ken Wooi. This guy is one of the other Power Bloggers out there - known for his humourous side, and funny blog posts.. and I must say I'm grateful he is willing to share his story here.

Again, it's the power of social media that brought me to know him, and his blog. I particularly like his posts concerning Malaysia, where he dare put a funny twist to them. And so of course, I invited him to share about his passion on that creative side of his. And this, is his story..

Hi, I'm Ken from kenwooi.com and don't be misled by the title, I'm not funny.



Let's be honest, I'm nowhere close to being a comedian in real life. If you've met me (and not known me well enough, yet), you'll get the impression that I'm totally different from the blogger I portray on my blog.

But that's not the point. This article is mainly about "Funny Blogging". And let's be honest again, many people see my blogging style as witty and humourous. When someone asks me, "What do I blog about?", I would directly tell them "normal stuff with dumb silly jokes".



Yeah, that's me - Banana-fied.

I may not be one of the top funny bloggers in town. Being funny is very subjective. Some may think that prank videos are funny, some only like jokes from Russel Peters and some are very hard to be entertained. What is funny to you may not be funny to me, get it?

Prior to blogging, I would've laughed my ass off if you tell me that I'll be writing funny stuff on the Internet one day. But here I am, occasionally publishing parodies on Malaysia Boleh news, my thoughts on random stuff and silly things that revolves around me.



Well, Mr. QC was kind enough to invite me as a guest blogger on his blog. And he asked, "Tell me, how do you come out with funny posts?". You know, it's like an essay homework given to me.

So I sat down, thinking of what to write - I find it quite hard to explain the mechanism of funny blogging. But after spending some time at the toilet bowl (yes, I think while I shit), I've successfully thought of 5 points.

----------

1) Be observant.

Details about a seemingly normal activity/thing can be funny, if you want it to be. Whenever I see something typically out-of-the-ordinary, my mind would somehow start to process on the funny elements.

For example, this...



For many, it's just another road sign with French words. But for me, the name of the hotel captured my attention. Are you thinking what I'm thinking? ;)

Click here to read the joke.

2) Think funny.

I'm sure in each and everyone of us, there is a sense of humour. We all laugh and giggle, we know what "funny" is. Well, unless you're immune to humour, I think you should learn to laugh first.

Anyway, I believe that a simple thing can be funny if you want it to be. Well, I don't normally see funny thing in everything (or else I'd be confirmed mentally crazy) but there are certain features that can trigger my funny-alert senses.

For example, my name Ken was mentioned on a newspaper.



Looks like the usual news. London's best hope is Ken. Yes, I know that's not me but I love putting myself under the limelight.

The people of London will need my presence, and off I go to save them with my suit!



I'm actually Iron Man, you know? :P

3) Be unpredictable and random.

I normally don't echo what we already have in the news. Random ideas are actually fun to write about. If you're asking what random stuff, try coming up with "How to..." or "10 Things..." posts.



Of course, don't write "How to Clean a Ceiling Fan" and embed a video from Youtube. That's effortless and pointless. What I would do is to get myself dirty with the fan, take photos while cleaning (an act) it and come up with some not-so-practical yet funny points.

After all, you don't expect to read a serious guide on cleaning a fan on kenwooi.com, do you?

A good example would be a recent How to be Cool with Words for Noobies.



Just by playing around with words and phrases, it turns out to be one of the favourite posts on kenwooi.com!

4) Don't hate. Love instead.

Being in Bolehland, you won't miss interesting news about the country. Some top funny posts are largely contributed by parodies on Malaysian news. You can check out the Malaysia Boleh section if you're curious. ;)

The thing is, using a different approach is the key. Instead of joining the majority in bashing up the gomen for coming up with unnecessary policies and projects, I tend to 'help' by providing insight updates. Yes, they are fake - but with all the existing bashing news by almost every website, who needs another one written on kenwooi.com?



Yeah, Malaysia definitely inspires me sometimes. ;)

5) Photo manipulation.

An avid reader of my blog would know that I do lots of photo manipulation - with Photoshop. To me, photos are good at grabbing attention and it's probably the best method when presenting something funny.



I created my own 1Malaysia Warisan Merdeka Tower with Photoshop. Awesome or not?



I'm also a Mat Rempit, thanks to Photoshop. So awesome my stunt!



I have cool abs thanks to Photoshop too! Damn awesome abs! :P

Other than that, simple speech bubbles with captions will do. In a non-existing survey done by myself, chances of people reading from a photo is higher as compared to text-based paragraphs.



Photoshop has really been a great blogging companion. :)

----------

Well, I hope this essay is good enough for a passing mark. Or else I'll fail this homework and Teacher QuaChee will rotan me! o.o



ME SKEDDD!!!

Alright, I think that's enough for now. I don't wanna bore you guys anymore. Feel free to read kenwooi.com or if you like, follow me on Twitter for more fun, I promise. ;)

Thanks Mr. QC for having me here! :D


*Ken Wooi's story marks the end of the 1st Season of What's Your (INspiring) Stories. Stay tuned for the next season - though I haven't decided when as yet! Oh, I've got another series coming up - stay tuned! :)

I'm A Gleek Too!

I'm usually slow in watching hit TV series. Like for example - it took me quite a few seasons before I started watching one of my all time favourite sitcoms - Friends. So was the superpower sitcom - Heroes (I followed it only while it was in Season 3.. or was it 4?).

But comparing it with Glee... though I somewhat maintain being a 'late watcher' (I prefer to call it 'late bloomer' hahaha!), I actually watched this series while it was still running in Season 2!!! (now thats a record!).

Now, how did it all start? Well, first off... I've been hearing so much bout Glee from friends, from the media and of course, via the social media networks. I was curious.. though I didn't pay much attention.



And then, someday I chanced upon this video by Max Adler, one of the cast of Glee. He was sharing that life can get better under the It Gets Better Project.

I was inspired by his message, and belief.

And I knew that somehow it relates to the Glee show.

And so.. I knew that I had to watch... Glee!

Finally I knew what the L was! Hahaha! (thought it was something else, at first... ooops!)

So, what's so great bout this musical series? Well, yeah, that's the answer... it's a musical series. They feature cool pop songs resung by the cast. One of the better ones are like Teenage Dream (check below). While Katy Perry's version is cool, so is theirs!



In fact, some of the songs turned out better. Like - Friday!!!



Wait, music alone is not enough. There's more.. such as the witty cast. Each of the cast has very unique & interesting roles.. and this builds up the love-hate feeling for each cast member, as a viewer. This, I'd say is so well done by the producers & scriptwriters... making all of the cast rather equal.

And then comes one of my favourite reason why I love movies/ TV shows... the fantasy bit! This is most apparent in the coach Sylvester's role. Like seriously, where in the world can a coach be so crazy yet at the same time get off with it..? (and we laugh along with it too!!).

But most of all.. why do I love Glee? 


It's the message behind it - that everyone is different and have different interests/ quirkiness.. and rather than casting these aside, instead we are to accept each & everyone uniqueness. 

And that brings me back to the beginning of this blog post - and how the message by Max Adler links it back to the series!

Oh one final note, Glee 3D movie is out...! And I'd say go watch it - if ur a music fan. Or is someone open to be inspired.. I guess of course, I don't need to tell fellow Gleeks this! :)

To understand how AWESOME this movie is, check the opening number! Love the atmosphere!



*I think I can go on & on bout this series, but I think that's enough for now. I am officially a Gleek! Hahaha!!!

Jom Buka Puasa @ Holiday Inn KL Glenmarie!

Bulan Ramadhan dah pun tiba.. dan jikalau anda nak cari tempat best untuk buka puasa.. mungkin anda bolehlah cuba Restoran Kites di Holiday Inn KL Glenmarie!

Baru baru nie, hang bertuah dapat mencuba lauk pauk yang 'sedap menyedap' yang dihidangkan di restoran ini.. dan inilah antaranya.. (jeng jeng jeng...)..

---

Bulan Ramadhan is here! And lucky me had the opportunity to try out the Ramadhan buffet at the Kites Restaurant, Holiday Inn Kuala Lumpur Glenmarie!

Selamat Datang! Welcome!

The buffet has a wide spread, and I tried a lot... However, I will be focusing on local Malay dishes, and here are some of the enak (yummy) food! Btw many of the dishese were new to me too!

My first time trying the telur itik masak lemak (curry duck egg). Say ooooohhhhh! 

The oh-so-juicy ayam (chicken)!!!

Ikan keli salai berlada (keli fish with spices).. one of my favourite ways for a fish to be cooked.

The other juicy meat - the beef tandoori! U want a 2nd helping of this, trust me!

Another unique dish - the gelama ikan masin (salted fish).

The ketupat palas & ketupat rice! I loved this lots too. Ahh, now this sure gives the feeling of Raya!

And of course, the pencuci mulut (desserts)... the not to be missed kuih muihs!

Datang, jangan tak datang! Jom buka puasa bersama!

(I like the friendliness & hospitality of the staffs here. See that big welcome smile) :)

*The buffet dinner at Kites is priced at RM 88++ for adults while for children and senior citizens it is priced at RM 50++.
For booking and reservations please call +603 7802 5200 Extn: 3/2941.


*Harga bufet makan malam di Kites adalah RM 88++ untuk dewasa, RM 50++ untuk kanak – kanak dan warga emas.
Untuk tempahan & pertanyaan, sila hubungi +603 7802 5200 smbg.: 3/2941


*Antara masakan lain yang istimewa:
- Kambing panggang – di hiris secara terus dari gerai yang di sediakan dan dihidangkan dengan halusan tepung pasta yang dinamakan couscous.
- Ayam Bugis Panggang – ayam yang telah di peram dengan daun Salem,
asam jawa, sambal udang kering dan di panggang khas.


*Address/ Alamat:
1 Jalan Usahawan U1/8, Seksyen U1, 40250 Shah Alam, Malaysia.

Mando Time!

I am a student.. all over again. While, I'm not enrolling into any study course full time.. but I am taking quite a fair bit of lessons - be it weekly classes or online.

And one of the lessons I'm learning is... Mandarin!

I've been going for Mando classes every once a week now at YMCA KL.

This is not all new to me (I've gone for Mando classes before), but the difference is this class emphasis a lil bit more on writing those Chinese characters.

I must say I am still no pro... instead still very very ameteur-ish actually. But this weekly routine kinda keeps me disciplined in some ways to study, study & study - like it or not.

The teacher is not too bad. We learnt lessons from the book, but he throws in a fair bit of ancient Chinese poems and even a song too which is this famous Chinese song: 月亮代表我的心 (the moon represents my heart).



To further enhance my Mandarin, I log on to Chinesepod.com, an online site with pretty cool lessons which they break down into a few levels (eg Beginner, Intermediate, Advance).

What I like from this online course is mainly the dialogue which is interesting, and suitable for adults ie not just classroom greetings, but conversations that I use in daily life (eg going to the gym, pick up lines - ehem, ehem, etc etc).

Also the 'teachers' have very clear voice especially the lady teacher, Jenny. And together with her ang moh partner, John, they make a good teacher pair.



There is also the PDF versions of the lessons with both pinyin & Mandarin characters which makes it easier to learn.

Oh btw, why Mandarin? Well.. my answer is this. The face is Chinese. The eyes are sepet (squinted). And no matter where I go, I'm regarded as Chinese (if not Korean or Jap that is).

And besides, it will come in handy someday or rather - especially with all the dreams & ambitions I have. Cos no matter how Western influenced I am, the fact is people in the industry will still look back to having the ability to use Mandarin one way or rather.

And so, Mando classes I go & Mando lessons I learn! :)

What's Your (INspiring) Story: Rames Harikrishnasamy & Digital Art

I have always loved the online world.. one of the reasons is for the power of how we can connect to nearly anyone & everyone out there.

There are many 'strangers' whom I got to know via online - who have sinced turned out to be friends. And along the way, as I know them better, I know their potential & talents too.

Sometimes, it's the other way around - where I know their talents first, then know the person better. This is the case for Rames. I've been seeing his works on some social media sites - especially on Instagram. I like his drawings & designs of superhero logos & characters (see the Batman logo below!), and that made me find out more about the person behind it & his works. Truly, I am amazed!

Then of course, I had to invite him to be part of this series. And without much further ado, here is Rames, and his story.

From Business Student to Art Director/ Digital Artist.

It’s all started when I was still in college. That time I was studying in Diploma in Information Technology in Binary College. Even though my passion was more towards design, IT on the other hand was more in demand during early 2000. Moreover, design courses was much more expensive compared to IT.

These kind of ‘forced’ me to take the IT course and I studied for 1-2 years. Every time, I’m done with college, I will rush back home and start exploring my hobby + passion towards design.

I first started to register with Geocities (its absolute now) and setup a mini website about me. I opened up Photoshop & Flash without knowing how to operate it and start digging it. It took me 1-3 years to really master these softwares and I was still studying hard for my business classes.

After graduating in Bachelor of Science in Applied Business Computing, I applied for a few jobs and managed to get 2-3 replied from different sorts of companies. The funny thing is it got nothing to do with what I’ve studied because I applied for “Web Designer” post. I’ve no certificates on these fields except for the portfolio that I have - some design mocks/sites I’ve designed using Dreamweaver and Flash.

I was hired by foreign company, which deals with SAP consultation services and got to work there for 3 years before getting an offer from Astro. It’s totally different environment compared to the consulting company. Here, I worked with a team and each has their own specialties when it comes to design. Definitely challenging at first, but after some times I manage to coup up with the rest.

Now, it has been 7 amazing years since I’ve joined Astro. From Web Designer to Multimedia Specialist to Art Director. Long process but I’ve learned a lot. Not only on design’s perspective but also on how to interact with colleagues, solving problems, find alternative solutions and so on.

Up to date, I’ve done over hundreds of artworks. That consists of web design, print, vector artwork, photo manipulation and graphic design.

There are many types of artwork out there. What interest me the most are photo manipulation and vector artwork. Such artwork requires very good imagination to manipulate images. It helps me to train my brain from different sorts of angle as well as sharpen my skills (how to tweak the color balance, image positioning etc). 


Different artist can come up with various final artwork from one reference photo. Vector artwork is a very interesting artwork & it takes longer time to work on compared to Photo Manipulation. The Batman logo is a sample of one of my recent artwork.

Thanks for spending your valuable time reading my story. Hope it’s inspiring and helpful in any way.

Last but not least, Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.

*Rames artwork can be found at Rames Studio. His photography shots can be found at: Rames Photography.

More New Toy!

I'm suppose to stay off blogging for a bit. But I just can't help it.

Especially when I have such happy news to share. Like this one.

Okay, so I've been having some toy craze of late. It's like I'm suddenly into toys. Of course, toys come in many forms - especially for grown men.

Cos anything can be a toy. A car can be a toy. So is the iPad. Or the Wii. Even figurines.

I like all the above. And more. Haha!

Here's one of it - a new video camera!

This may not be a very expensive toy - but still, I'm blessed with it. Though I have the heavier handycam, I hardly use it.. reason mainly of its bulk. For I am a fan of light & easy to shoot devices.

And besides, I want a video cam that is so easy on the hand - like those flip cams... that anybody can use.

So, well, I got myself this 'toy' the other day.

The Xacti is light. And so easy to shoot. It's like a gun - a light one. And use for any hand - doesn't matter if ur a left hander or right hander!

I've not done full test shots with it yet. But be prepared to see them real soon :)

Btw, if the shots turn out good, I might even get a few of these for my next video project so that we can get different angle shots! I just can't wait!


*On a side note, I still don't own a digital camera cos while it's light, the phone camera is lighter.. and more convenient :)

Dear Santa: Lazy Boy Chair

Dear Santa

I'm suppose to take a few days off blogging. But then, this came to mind, and I just have got to share it.

I know I've wrote to you bout my 1st Christmas wish on the Final Fantasy figurine. That - I still want for Christmas.

But today, I want to write to you about another 'toy' that I'd like to have this Christmas - the Lazy Boy Chair!

I first had my first Lazy Boy Chair experience in the Philippines. A friend recommended me to try the cinema there with this luxury experience. The chairs were the lazy boy chairs... and there were free flow of popcorn & drinks too.

I tried this again in Jakarta and also back here in Kay El's cinema - minus the free flow. And I must say - I'm so loving it.

It feels so good to lay on the chair.. having my Happy Feet up, and just watch the big screen. I was like on a floating cloud. Pure luxury & pamper. That was bliss.

Then the other day, while walking at the mall, I saw the Lazy Boy Chair on display. And I thought to myself that - hey I don't need to just be at the cinema to enjoy life. I could do this back home. So I said to myself that that is oh-so-what I want! Hence this letter to you, Santa!

Well, it wasn't this that I saw at the mall.. it didn't come with the girl. It would be nice if you could package them together in the present box though.

But in any case, if you can't, then just get that Lazy Boy Chair for me. The girls - they will come when the chair comes.

So, Father Christmas please reward a 'good' boy like me! For you will not only make me happy, but a bunch full of others too!

*Btw, if you get that chair, I promise you that I'll allow you to use it whenever you deliver presents to my home!


Sincerely,
QuaChee


PS: Do u need my address?

Taking A Break & Recharge Moment

This year, I've been quite active on blogging. So far, I must say I am happy with the things I've written & shared this 2011. My posts have been much different from the previous years - more open, perhaps? :)

However, at the same time, I wanna make some changes - changes that are in line with my lil change in personal branding.

So for that, I'm gonna take a few day or so off blogging. It's time to get some inspiration and come back fully recharged, and with a refreshing new feel (I hope!) :)

Batman needs to rest too. Hahaha!

Pepper & Salt: The Mandarin

It's been another long wait till I got the series up again. Well, busy-ness is always the answer for most reason... and this is the case again.

With work taking a big chunk of time & working on productions on the side... not to mention gym + Mando classes myself.. time is quite a constrain. But, then I found a 'miracle'.. No call that a miracle app.

In fact, this app is not superly new to me. I have used this Photoshake app on the iPhone many times already but not so much for comics.

But I thought I'd try it out today... and got this next installment of the Pepper & Salt comics up while lunching today! To that I say Yay for it sure saves time. 

Hopefully with me finding bout this new app, I can create more Pepper & Salt comics in the future :)

More Happy Feet (Cherating!)

My feet are getting pretty happy of late.. from foot massage to now.. basking in the sun, with a cool pool view!

I must say, this was awesome-ness to the max!!!

Beach - owh, how I love it, and being able to be there the past weekend is simply oh-so-cool or should I say oh-so-syiok!

So, I was at Cherating for the weekend.. and couldnt be any happier! See the smile below! Hahaha!

It has been nearly 2 years since I last came here. And once again, I enjoy the long beach. In some ways, it reminds me of Boracay's famed white beach, but less people, and a lil less 'dreamy'.. but still, one nice place to chill!

Anyway, this time round - my trip here was a lil different. Firstly, it's a real short getaway - like only 24 hours. And secondly, I took a video this time round and did a lil editing to it.

Here it is - my cuti cuti Cherating journey! :)