Verdon

You know, I can totalyl get used to blogging first thing in the morning. Maybe, it will be a good start to end those 'This is for Yesterday' and 'This is For Two Days Ago' posts.

How do you pronounce L'occitane en Provence? I actually didn't really have a clue until I saw this:

How to Pronounce Lóccitane en Provence.

So, yeah. It's pronounced Lox-ee-tan (Lox as in lox and bagels, ee as in the letter 'E', and tan as in a tonne of bricks) on (as in on top) Praw-vonce (Praw as in sounding like claw, vonce as in sounding like... Beyonce minus the Be- and the -ce).

Yeah.

All because my mum got me a gift from L'occitane some time ago - eau de toilette (which you can go ahead and try to pronounce) Verdon, which is fantastic because it is subtle and my nose approves much of it (my mum knows my taste so much, thanks mum!).

And then she went and buy me a second bottle because she had points or something.

So I have two. Haha. Not that I'm complaining, but yeah.

Verdon.

홍순각

He is 59 years old. I want to be this guy when I grow up (drools). Heck, I want to be this guy now!

홍순각

Fullness Fear

I have been trying to stuff more food into my body, but that feeling of never being hungry and always needing to eat food even when you still feel the food in your stomach isn't a comfortable feeling at all. You can blame me for not taking shakes, but this is a sacrifice I have chosen to pay.

Somehow, reconnected with a long lost friend who happened to be completing her personal-training training, so I'm her guinea pig for a slightly adjusted routine and focus on form. Luckily, she encourages my taking the au naturale method, since her boyfriend who is still bulking for 13 years have been utilising such method (and he is bigger than what I want to achieve, so it should be possible). I still need a diet mentor, I spend a lot of time cooking and preparing meals in the morning, sigh.

At The Toll Plaza

... I saw a lorry try to go through the Touch and Go lane when it was almost my turn to pay at the queue in another lane. As I wound down my window, I heard a loud crash, and I saw that the lorry has crashed into the Touch and Go sign.

Quite a hilarious sight actually. Some newbie driver trying to create a scene by pretending not to know height clearances, or just sheer stupidity and drama. Not that I don't appreciate the humour.

Today has been a slow but sure start of the week. Hope it continues this way!

This is for Yesterday XCI - Deliberation

You know what they say about hard decisions?

One goes along the line of 'flip a coin and before it lands you will have known what you actually wanted'.

There's also the other 'what would you do if you would die tomorrow'.

It helps loads.

Oh, and not comparing helps even more.

No regrets.

This Is For Two Days Ago V - Regular Faces

Finally swam again after a long time, and as expected I saw several familiar faces at the pool. The regulars are really consistent, aren't they? Perhaps we should learn from them.

Out Of The Frying Pan And Into The Fire

Do I stay in one place and get fried, or jump off and get burnt. Both choices have too many cons, and so few pros. Maybe I'll find a third option somewhere? Who knows. As for now, I'm left to decide on either the red or blue pill.

Take the red?

This is for Yesterday XC - And I Am Still Not Decided

... I have various reasons for this, but I don't want so many dreams to go crashing just because I've taken on more than I can chew.

This Is For Two Days Ago IV - I Have Been Thinking

... about the job offer mostly, and how the decision I make will transform (and limit) myself over the next 6 months.

Of Bottom's Preferences, Yammering Sphincters, and Diving Into Work

Had a discussion with a friend, and he claims that most bottoms prefer guys who are more successful than they are. I hate using stereotypes, but I will be observing amongst my bottom friends whether this is true. Anyone care to help me ascertain this?

Oh, and I hate it when I start talking non stop then realise upon finishing that I talk too much (or so I believe). Maybe it's just a perception thing, but meh.

Had the formal interview today. Basically, I think they want me quite much that I have the job unless I don't want it. Don't know whether I should dive in. We'll see.

The next 2 days will be late-sleep-late-gym days to accommodate some social life. Darn.

This is for Yesterday LXXXIX - I Can't Remember Much About Yesterday

Don't know whether it is an issue of not having any significant progress in life or not. Hmmm.

Why Are HR Forms So Darn Long?

Seriously. Do they even use all the information?

Tomorrow is the interview with the HR Director. All the best to me.

Oh, and I killed my first hardcore character to Belial. So exciting!

Error 37

... is the new blue screen of death.

A full review will be done tomorrow. Have a great weekend peeps!

And thanks to a dear friend who had dinner with me at Santai, yums!

And Where Are You Now, Now That I Need You?

Emotions - Destiny's Child

Don't mourn inwards, for you may be blinded to see those you could have helped grief. Happy weekend guys!

Paying for My Piracy Sins

My first original game. I feel proud. But my pockets are crying. To be honest I should have waited a bit, but I guess God has a way of teaching us lessons.

No life moments coming soon.

Payback for Piracy.

There Is This One White Bullet That I Have To Bite

... and it totally hurts. I think it is God's way of punishing me for pirating games all these while.

Impulse!

I will have no life soon. Please join me in a simulated reality, thanks. There will be sexy demons, I promise.

I'm going crazy.

Om.

Of Delayed Gratifications, Possible Work Opportunities and Looking Up at the Stars

I'll be waiting for the second batch of collector's edition. I don't know why I even hesitated before, but yeah. This means by the time I start playing, I'll be as n00b as can be, but I guess the dynamics will be interesting. Same goes for buying my future lappie from the States, I'm waiting for the optimal time when the USD forex is lower. Same goes for plenty of other materialistic goods I'm eyeing this year. Must resist, I really don't have the finances yet.

My close friend hooked me up with a possible job opportunity at the MNC he is working at (I shall keep confidences as of now). It's a HR contract position, but it is the kind of experience I need to start collecting in preparation for my masters programme, even throughout my studies. It's stressful, but its a dynamic environment with a higher pay (for sure). We'll see what happens.

And because I'm not stuck at home in front of the computer screen saving Sanctuary, I stare up at the sky and see wonderful twinkling stars. Even with street lamps distorting the panoramic scenery, it is really a good experience to just look up and see fairy dust sprinkled over a dark blue canvas. How many of you actually do this?

Mid week is here. Let's do it.

Out With The Old, In WIth The New

I pride myself in my ability to be productive, and now I'm in the process of slowly changing file systems in my workplace, for better navigation and organisation. Sure, it'll take a while to be fully implemented, but I have great confidence that it will make a significant improvement in the workplace (and to reduce my own stress with their native systems).

Tomorrow is coming, and I don't have my copy of the third demon yet. Cis.

Have fun kids!

The Science Of Pyramids

To those who have friends in MLM, close friends especially, I ask that you be patient. It's often that we severe ties too early, but sometimes the problem isn't your friend, but the problem itself. They do not have a clue about the entire system, and I blame our education system for this for not teaching is higher level critical thinking skills that is actually required to analyse these sort of situations.

First, be educated. Read Dean Van Druff's article on MLM here: What's Wrong With Multi-Level Marketing? or Robert L. FitzPatrick's article here: Half of Amway's Products Are Retailed. Really! Plus Other Wacky Numbers. There's plenty of other stuff around, and somehow, the MLMs don't seem to even bother countering these critical issues that are raised. That in itself is already a dodgy problem.

Second, do not lose faith in your friend. They are sometimes (not always) truly sincere.

Thirdly, believe in the higher ethics (unless you don't care, which means you shouldn't be reading this to start with).

Love.

This is for Yesterday LXXXIII - Diablo 3 Is Coming...

And I don't have a copy ready by then. GG.

Invisible Pyramids

Okay. Time for a long post, which is part rant-ish, but primarily thought evoking, or so I hope.

Three days ago my friend invited me to a business meeting. And so I obliged, keeping an open mind and still having my own set of reservations. I did ask my friend what the agenda will be about, and he just dismissed my doubts by saying it is eye opening and will introduce me to a wide range of professional individuals for networking. That and I just wanted to see the group of people my dear friend has been hanging out with since he started helping run his family business.

I arrived, and the atmosphere felt uncertain. I watched a boring and very outdated video introduction, and then listened to an old man speak horribly for the next 30 minutes or so about business concepts, mostly focused on getting people interested in passive incomes. Then it hit, it was Amway.

I do have my own preconceptions about multi-level marketing businesses, and no matter how you try to hide it up, it is (at least to me and some other people) obviously a pyramidal system. Heck, it is even defined as such on the first line in its Wikipedia page. It wasn't even my first encounter with such people as I was approached before in the mall at a bookshop while I was perusing psychology books. I don't deny that the system doesn't work, I just have a large issue with its transparency, its concept, and its entire branding leverage.

I noticed immediately that when they ask the group to bring more friends to future meetings, they constantly warn not to reveal the brand, as others have misconceptions about such a wonderful system. I believe that this is bollocks, as you do not trust your own brand identity to share the idea and/or not have enough confidence to defend yourself with the truth and facts about the brand you have already sunk your commitment into. Secondly, if that horrible presentation was supposed to get rid of my preconceptions, I'm sorry but I believe there are nervous kindergarten students who can be more convincing that you, despite your passive income of probably more than 5K.

Next, they keep insisting that coming to a RM210 regional workshop will answer all my questions. Why can't you just answer my questions now? Are people high up on the upline having that much privy to business information and structural secrets? Why is there even a seniority complex in the system, creating an obvious tiered relationship between each other. The atmosphere does not lie, everyone there wants to be higher up then the rest as fast as possible.

Like I said initially, I don't think MLMs are particularly bad. They are an interesting application of gamification in business and albeit being hierarchical, it has a strange resemblance to a Utopian system (resemblance on the surface though, nothing beats an ideal Utopia). There is plenty of potential for this system to be used in education and all, but I guess a hierarchy will always involve politics, and flatness seems to be the new future of the world.

Most importantly, I am very disappointed that my friend does not trust me as a close enough friend to tell me the truth upfront. I am more worried for him than am I angry. I really should talk with him soon enough.

Have a stupendous weekend peeps.

Nothing Much But Yeah

Okay, I have to delay yesterday's story one day more.

Today I feel guilty.

That's all for today's updates.

Darn, I need more friends. The proper kind. So lonely!

Sleep plan fail again today because everyone refuse to leave me alone and I refuse to say no to everyone. So now, I'll respond with a bitter "Go die la you!" if I get anyone ruining my cycle. Yes. I mean no.

Today Is International Masturbation Day?

So, exactly how do we celebrate this day? Meh.

Something disappointing happened today, but I'll leave the write up to tomorrow, when I have more time to do some research and put my thoughts together.

Tomorrow, I will seriously start to be antisocial, sleeping early, waking early and having no life.

Interesting Questions @Strictly G.

Was wondering about what I should blog about and happened about my dear godbro's blog, so here goes:


1. What is the strangest thing you've ever eaten?
Shirako (fish sperm sacs)

2. If you could bring one character to life from your favourite book, who would it be?
Uncle from Uncle by J. P. Martin.

3. Would you rather go a week without bathing, but be able to change your clothes, or a week without a change of clothes, but be able to bathe?
Bath everyday without changing clothes. I'll just treat my clothes much better than normal.

4. If you had to be trapped in a TV show for a month, which show would you choose?
The Big Bang Theory. So I can get to be the gay guy who acts straight while Raj is the straight guy is so gay. This is actually a blog topic I want to write about soon.

5. You can select one person from history and ask them a question to which they must give a truthful reply. Whom would you select, and what question would you ask?
I'll ask The Unknown Rebel who stood in front of tanks in Tiananmen Square, "what was going through your mind?"

6. Would you be willing to commit perjury in court for a close friend? What if your lie would save his life?
I would lie if the friend wants me to unless it is an extremely serious crime.

7. If you could have personally witnessed one event in history, what would you want to have seen?
The beginning of time.

8. Would you enjoy spending a month of solitude in a beautiful natural setting? Food and shelter would be provided but you would not see another person.
I don't have the heart to do that. I'm lonely enough as it is with people around.

9. Would you have one of your fingers surgically removed if it guaranteed immunity from all major diseases?
A pianist needs every finger. So no. Die then die lor.

10. Would you cut short your life span for 5 years if you could stay forever young and attractive?
What's wrong with looking old? I plan to age gracefully.

No Shakes Attached

1st May 2012.

Okay, let's recap from my previous readings three months ago.

In the course of three months, I've gained 2.6 kgs, of which 1.6 is muscle and 0.9 is fat. Body fat percentage went up by 0.4% to 20.2. Metabolic age remained the same at 22. All this without shakes or supplements, and mind you, a lot of people think I'm an easy gainer when I really am not. And all this without having the most optimal routine, thanks to horrible sleeping patterns and occasional sore throats.

And it's not funny, you actually rarely feel hungry and always feel something in your stomach. It's not a very comfortable feeling.

I should be a little worried that I'm gaining 1/3 of the weight in fat though, so let's see how disciplined I will be for the next 3 months. The plan is to gain 2.4 kg of muscle mass with less than.9 kg fat.

I need a diet partner. I guess that's more important than a gym buddy at this point of time. Any takers?

This is for Yesterday LXXXII - Breeding Antisocialism

I feel tempted to be more antisocial, perhaps go back to my old geek-ier lifestyle. Expectations are easier to manage. And I'll get enough sleep and exercise at the loss of social life. Not to say I have much.

Have a great week ahead, and my late pay check is finally coming in! I feel a tad bit less poor now.

Devotion Ends When You Reason

I'm a Christian. Not a staunch one, but not a whatever kind. I used to be a regular church goer, but somehow, things just didn't work out, and I'm left to float through the lifestream. Not giving up though.

Today is Wesak day, and I, as a tradition with my close friends, volunteer at the Buddhist Maha Vihara at Brickfields, KL. It's a small deed in a big universe, but no questions are ask and no judgments are made. Your devotion is indeed what you make it.

Some of my Christian friends/relatives don't use joss sticks because they say it means you are committing idolatry. I do it as a tradition, and I don't empower it other than the fact that it keeps family together.

Goodness is universal, and religion is your own relationship, however you choose to go about it. Be good, be loving.

Have a great weekend, and Happy Wesak.

Gay Friendzones

I think I have a problem with this. How to help?

Bersih 3.0

Okay, time to get down to writing about my Bersih 3.0 experience and thoughts I have gathered from what has been surfacing these past few days. This will not be exhaustive or even comprehensive, as you'll probably get more information from Facebook alone, but will be more personal. I also won't tell you how my day went, since it was relatively safe and can be summarised as follows: went Bersih, waited, marched, stood stuck, sat, saw the first few gas canisters released but too far away, dismiss, took 2 hours to get home cranky. Yeah, not exactly an example of heroism or calculated bravado.

One week before the rally, I still didn't know I was going, but as the days creep nearer, more news of problematic governance and conspiracies of both sides flood news feeds and online tabloids (again, you can find those news by yourself without too much problem). I became more and more concerned about our country's current predicament, and my body yearns to join my brethren in their quest for a better democracy. Having other friends who were planning to go on the journey helped much as they support you through spirit if not in presence. However, I believe many of us do not ask ourselves the question, or perhaps not give a satisfactory answer to themselves for 'Why were they rallying for Bersih 3.0?'.

I went to Bersih for symbolic reasons. It is true that appearing as merely one number out of 250,000 to 300,000 citizens will not simply make any changes, but this country needs more than just actual change now: it needs a firm sense of unity and sensibility of having ideal concepts of how our country should be run. We need to know that we are not alone, that we are intellectual organisms able to see both sides of the coin and request for what should be rightfully ours, the truth and nothing short of it.

I just want to make some points that you might already know, but I'll say them nevertheless:

1. Bersih is not the rakyat (citizens, it does have a nice ring to it doesn't it?). Bersih simply represents the rights that the rakyat should possess.
2. There are many pawns in this whole game. The opposition and other factions are using Bersih 3.0, and the government uses the police, the KL governance and other unknown forces. We are pawns in their game, but we should be self-aware and choose to affiliate ourselves with what Bersih is, neutral and non-partisan.
3. The government is putting effort into reforms, but they leave much to be desired for, and their timing of red tape cannot be any fishier.
4. Our media is not objective, and I feel sad for the journalists much, for I believe they truly want to report the truth when they are stifled.
5. Many people actually still do not care, or believe that the current government is still the lesser of two evils. You can argue this point till the dogs come home, but there are lines that the current government shouldn't have crossed, and they did without any form of guilt.
6. Our economy is screwed, and some say that unwinding it will involve a leak that might weaken our walls and release the waters of finance. Better a small and solidly grounded than weakly caught in an illusion.
7. The race card is so last millennium. Or religion. Or sexuality.

There's still a long way to go with all this, and the war is definitely not over. A dear friend once told me that Malaysia will have to go through its own civil war before rising as a develop nation. Maybe, this is it. I can hardly wait, but I worry much for the sanctity of our democracy.

Meh. I felt that I said nothing in this wall of text. In all, love everyone more than you love yourself. Kudos.

Choose?

Sleep or social?

Ugh, my blogging roll is completely decimated by my complete lack of discipline or my overwhelming care for my friends.

This is for Yesterday LXXXI - Labor Day 2012

Woke up late, lunch with friends, gym, dinner at home, supper with friends, slept later than wanted.