Inside Out

We hear many promises of change, but what we really need is a change from the inside out. External changes last but for a moment. Only internal change from deep within our heart of hearts will last forever.

God, change us from the Inside Out.

Blast from the past: Part 2

I received some feedback that I missed out some big names in the previous Blast from the past. I'm so sorry. Yea, I notice that the previous blast featured mainly pop artistes. So now I shall attempt to balance the equation by including some of those I missed earlier. Viewer discretion is advised.


Dire Straits


Bon Jovi


Guns N' Roses


The Police


Extreme


Mr. Big


Michael Jackson


Scorpions


Debbie Gibson


The Bangles


Paula Abdul


MC Hammer


Alias

And,
U2

Take a break

Let's take a break from the Lingamgate debacle, and enjoy some breath-taking sights from the top of the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge a.k.a. Bukit Tabur.

The reservoir that supplies drinking water to downtown KL

The jagged quartz ridge, weathered by the elements

KL in the distance

Top 5 Ways to Evade Telling the Truth

1. I cannot remember

2. I don't know

3. I was drunk

4. He was mad or drunk

5. It looks like me and sounds like me, but...

Amnesia Attack

Amnesia seems to be latest epidemic to hit senior Malaysians, especially those with legal and political backgrounds. I've been sporadically following the proceedings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry on the Lingam tape controversy, and I'm just getting sick and tired of all this nonsense.

It's incredulous that so many bright minds have suddenly gone dim, and can't remember names or events from a mere six years ago. They're making a mockery of the judicial system. At best, they're plain comical. At worst, they're downright contemptuous. They should be whipped for their blatant lies.

Yea, I'm a bit ashamed to call myself a Malaysian when I see such debacles unfolding in the halls of justice of the land. I certainly hope truth will prevail in the end, because right now truth dies a thousand deaths each time one of the "witnesses" takes the stand.

People, it's time to make a change. Deny BN their two-thirds majority in the coming elections. No, the nation will not crumble into racial riots, anarchy and chaos if BN loses. On the contrary, we will grow stronger when we get rid of the self-serving old fogeys who have been in power for too long.

Blast from the past

Some of the hits back when I was a kid... I can't believe we listened to some of this stuff... hahaha.


Milli Vanilli


Fine Young Cannibals


Vanilla Ice


Tommy Page


Belinda Carlisle


New Kids On The Block


Joan Jett And The Blackhearts


Roxette

Hmmm, I don't know why I posted this, but I hope you enjoyed it... :)

Lunchtime musings

Nothing significant to report here, except that during the lunchtime conversation I discovered that the name of the legendary Swedish group ABBA is an acronym of the four members' names -- Anni-Frid, Benny, Bjorn and Agnetha. And we talked about how advanced Finland is, for a nation of just three million people. Since we were talking about Finland and Sweden and that part of the world, I remembered that my new Nokia 6300 is from Finland. And I also remembered how lousy Malaysian customer service is.

You see, I just collected my new phone from the dealer yesterday after sending it in for repair last week -- the headset jack wasn't working, the silent mode shortcut button (# button) wasn't working, and there was dust inside the screen because the top panel didn't seal tight after I dropped the phone once. It's still under warranty, so I thought they would fix it properly. Result: The headset jack is back to working condition. The silent mode shortcut still can't work -- it's a worldwide firmware bug which can't be fixed. They cleaned the screen but left some streaks inside, and the top panel now has a larger gap than when I sent it in, which means that MORE dust can now enter. Sigh. And on top of that, the phone came back in different language and display settings (meaning that I had to spend a few minutes resetting everything), the display now has two blue bands on the top and bottom which were not there before, and the calculator function has TOTALLY disappeared from the phone. To top it off, this is what they call an AP phone, i.e. not distributed by authorized Nokia dealers, which I didn't realize when I bought the phone. So I can't take it back to Nokia directly.

This is just a small matter, but I think God is testing my patience... which is a good thing, actually. This is really not like me to complain like this, so thanks for bearing with me. :)

Have a good week, everyone.

Malaysian Conspiracies

Just doing some promotion for a local production. I helped to take some photos at the premier last Wednesday at Pavilion, and got to watch the show. I was impressed. It's definitely better than The Golden Compass or many of the other overrated foreign flicks.

JARUM HALUS is the directorial debut of talented young Malaysian filmmaker MARK TAN. It is an adaptation of William Shakespeare’s classic play "Othello", set in modern-day Kuala Lumpur and using a mix of Malaysian English and Malay (with English subtitles).

Starring RAZIF HASHIM, CHRISTIEN NEW, DATO RAHIM RAZALI, JULIANA IBRAHIM, JUSTIN CHAN, MEGAT SHARIZAL and FARAH PUTRI.

Also starring STEPHANIE CHAI and HILMY NOR, with cameo appearances by YASMIN YUSUFF, DOUGLAS LIM, COLIN KIRTON, MONTI and LAVIN SEOW.

Performance direction by COLIN KIRTON. Director of photography AARON CHUNG. Original music by SAN WENG ONN and RABBIT with vocals by MARIA YASMIN. Produced by ELEANOR LOW and MARK TAN.

Now showing at GSC Mid-Valley, Pavilion, 1 Utama & Gurney Plaza
Watch the trailer here.

*****

I have been asked about my thoughts on the recent Chua Soi Lek debacle. I think he deserves to be sacked for his gross lack of judgment, and I'm glad that he resigned (voluntarily?). But before we point fingers and wag tongues, we must remember that he who is without sin should cast the first stone. We all have our secret sins and skeletons in the closet. I know mine. However, sin has its penalty and someone has to pay. Admission of guilt does not absolve the sin. My hope is that more ministers would either be sacked or voluntarily resign, as they are as guilty of similar or worse sins. Not only "private" sins, but criminal breach of trust against the nation. But sometimes I wonder, is stupidity a sin?

*****

The person who was present at the recording of the Lingam tape has gone public with his revelation. Read about it in Malaysiakini. I have given up on the mainstream media to report the truth. I haven't bought any mainstream newspaper for more than two years, and I urge you to boycott them too. It's time to send the message that we the people do not condone the lies and manipulation that the BN newsletters are feeding us. If you can read this blog, then you can easily access the online versions of the media. Save your money. Or better still, subscribe to Malaysiakini.

First week of 2008

Here's some pictures from the first week of this year. I know, my life does get kinda mundane after a while. Same old pictures... :P

First limau ais of 2008

Critter

Nervous koi

Aquarium at the mamak restaurant

The Curve

Cineleisure

And then I went to Cameron Highlands over the weekend...

Spider in Tanah Rata

Morning spider

White

Orange orchid

Azure

Hello?

Purple fence

Dewy poinsettia

Up the hill, through the woods

The gate on the narrow way

I've got some more pictures, but it's too tedious to upload them here. So, they're all in my Facebook album.

Up up and away!

I'm going up to Cameron Highlands tonight, and returning tomorrow night. Just a quick visit. It's for a mission trip briefing session at the Residential Bible School. Yay.

I like Cameron Highlands, except for the rain and the long journey. It's been raining lately, and the road is still as long as before. What an adventure...

Gotta go!

Cameraphone pics

Here are some recent pictures taken with my 2 megapixel camera on the phone.

I spotted this juvenile toad at the car park near my office one evening last week. The light is from my car headlights. At first I thought of having frog legs for dinner. Then I thought of kissing it. But I realized that would be too risky. What if it suddenly "poofed" into Jessica Alba. I mean, that would be too much glamour and high maintenance for me. Nope. I just drove off.

Kermit lost in USJ 21

But, of course

Resolutions 2008

The standard question that follows the "Happy New Year" greeting seems to be "So, what's your new year resolutions?"

I've thought about it just a little bit, and so here's some of mine...

1. Love like I've never been hurt
2. Dance like nobody's looking
3. Eat like there's no cholesterol
4. Sing like nobody's listening
5. Run like there's five pit bull terriers chasing me
6. Learn how to use Photoshop to transform bad photos into nice photos, and nice photos into drop-dead gorgeous photos
7. Take photos like Bernard's
8. Decide once and for all whether to go with C or N, or both (crazy?!?)
9. Get my rescue diver certification
10. Read the whole Bible
11. Walk closer and more obediently with God
12. Rise on the wings of eagles


He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6:8