Meatloaf & Macaroni Of Fashion

I know that this is way long overdue but I want to count my April’s Blessings. April has been a very unique month for me. This blessing that I am counting, that I am appreciate for, that I am grateful for is not something good that has happen to me – but a lesson well learned – Stay On Course, Be Faithful :) Yes, just these 5 words will do.

Design To Change

Close your tired eyes
Relax and then
Count from one to ten and open them
All these heavy thoughts will try to weigh you down
But not this time
Way up in the air
You're finally free
And you can stay up there
Right next to me
All this gravity will try to pull you down
But not this time

When the sun goes down and the lights burn out
Then it's time for you to shine
Brighter than a shooting star
So shine no matter where you are
Fill the darkest night with a brilliant light
'Cause its time for you to shine
Brighter than a shooting star
So shine no matter where you are... tonight
Woah, Woah, Woah

Brighter than a shooting star
Shine no matter where you are...tonight

Gaze into my eyes when the fire starts
And fan the flame so hot it melts our hearts
Oh, the pouring rain will try to put it out,
But not this time
Let your colors burn and brightly burst 
Into a million sparks that all disperse
And illuminate a world that will try to bring you down, but not this time

When the sun goes down and the lights burn out
Then it's time for you to shine
Brighter than a shooting star
So shine no matter where you are
Fill the darkest night with a brilliant light
'Cause its time for you to shine
Brighter than a shooting star
So shine no matter where you are... tonight
Woah, Woah, Woah
Brighter than a shooting star
Shine no matter where you are...tonight

A thousand heartbeats beat in time
And makes this dark planet come alive
So when the lights flicker out tonight
You gotta shine 
When the sun goes down and the lights burn out
Then it's time for you to shine
Brighter than a shooting star
So shine no matter where you are
Fill the darkest night with a brilliant light
'Cause its time for you to shine
Brighter than a shooting star
So shine no matter where you are...tonight
Woah, Woah, Woah
Brighter than a shooting star
Shine no matter where you are...tonight

-OWL CITY: SHOOTING STAR-

Fresh Code

Work Tales – honestly speaking, I am struggling, I am being overwhelmed, I cannot manage and I am not being able to cope. I wonder how Jonas used to deal with all of this. Moving aside the boredom & the routines that I have to endure everyday, I try to sustain that motivation, trying to do more, to deliver more, to contribute more, to achieve more, to accomplish more, to share more – but it seems more futile as my efficiency is not there, I am moving backward, I get de-motivated easily and lacking of sharpness :) Where did I go wrong? How I could get everything so wrong?

Nonetheless – first of all, I’m definitely keen to finish the season. I know that I need to have a change of job scope. Perhaps, it's the portfolio, not the industry itself. Procedurally; the team, the system, the process, everything is fine for everyone except for me. Perhaps, the problem is ME. I am keen to finish the season as high as possible, put together a very strong campaign as best I could, finish it off as strong as possible and going into the next season with good momentum. The question is whether there will be a next year? :) I’ve made some mistakes; I was incompetent in some areas. But I feel that mistake, everybody can make. To have the guts to own it? Unfortunately, not all has it, but fortunately I did. I will face Leonardo sooner or later and I know that it will be a very uncomfortable for the both of us because I have underachieved. Me; as a buyer, as an employee. We need to find out what the reasons are and then it’s for Leonardo, hopefully with me, to decide how to go forward. The point is that I have indeed underachieved; I have not delivered my best, given my best performance that I used to, I was not in my usual old form…and I have to take up the responsibility. Leonardo certainly feels that I have made the category even worse than before, the category have no clear direction, the category is even messier than before, it is in a much dire state compare to Jonas’s era. The ultimate decision is also both mine and Leonardo’s. Leonardo has to decide whether to make a move for another new buyer to replace me. It’s about making sure the department move forward and put right some of the things that were wrong this year.

Of course, it also fell below on my own expectations. I also wish that I could contribute a little bit more. It is indeed my worst disastrous season ever. All of a sudden, I feel that I am back into the very first square where I began to hate my life, hate working, hate people, hate everything. I felt that as an individual – I’ve just got worst and worst. I am going through the moment where everything is totally meaningless. These are the days when nothing seems to go right, and I am being overwhelmed by circumstances that I cannot control. A writer once said - If the outlook is grim, try looking up. And that is a little bit of truth in there - what are the problems in this world compared to the majesty of creation? We can walk into the office and feel trapped by the 'same-old-same-old' feeling yet if we look up to the sky, we realise that we have new blessings every morning. If our heart is in the right place, it will yield blessings that we may not even anticipate.

The best moments in our lives are not the passive, receptive, relaxing times...the best moments usually occur when a person's body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile - Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi :)

OneFiveSix

Shelter 101 Project – Bukit Raja – Sime Darby Properties – Qaseh >> Thank You GOD, Praise To The Lord, Bless You GOD :) Searching for a livable house, in a right location that meets the budget is like a never ending race; and an infinite finish line. Sime Darby put on an advertisement in the The Star newspaper for affordable homes – 20 x 70 Double Storey House from only RM380K. This is done via the balloting system. They are only building 161 units. Completion date will be on April 2015. It’s bloody cheap for sure. No doubt, I have mention in my previous blog post that Bukit Raja is too inner from the convenient hub but this Qaseh houses is being built in the new area; across from the area that we saw. It will be near to the Klang Bus Terminal, Tesco Hypermarket, Giant Hypermarket, the Setia Alam Mall, the Setia Alam shop lots and the Setia Alam pasar malam location. Still not walking distance convenience to my liking but still accessible. So, I have registered online, prepared the documents accordingly – photocopies of 3 months of pay slip, Income Tax, EPF, EA Forms etc. I drove over to their Sales Gallery in Jalan Meru, drop off the envelope – so good luck A003381 :) When we were at the Sales Gallery, we saw the mock-up of the house and also their land master plan. Massive. Impressive. Lots of new housing areas are mushrooming up for sure, to meet the future demands, but they are sprouting even further away from the city.

Lord & Lady Frodsham

Shelter 101 Project - Sri Permata Part 2 – I have decided to let it go. I feel that I lost this race was because of a wrong sun angle :( It was a ready-to-move-in unit, everything fits in so nicely but I also think that it is also important to get the Father, Mother & Sister’s approval & blessings. After all, this will be our base for the long run, thus it is crucial that every family members must feel comfortable with it.

50 + 1 Rule

Iron Man 3 – it was awesome. I love the movie :) Robert Downey Junior again delivers a very solid performance as Tony Stark. The beginning of the movie was a bit slow but it gradually picks up the pace as the story line moves along. I love the conversation between Tony & Harley; a precocious 10-year-old boy. The Dora The Explorer watch (limited edition) was so funny :) Guy Pearce who plays the actual villain Aldrich Killian was simply amazing. Guy is one of those actors that are not really that blessed with Hollywood good looks but he is blessed with such an amazing acting talents & skills and inner charisma. When he is given the right script and character to play in, he will deliver it to even greater heights and his fictional characters will always be so memorable. A nice small surprise is when Pepper Potts also manage to get into one of the Iron Man’s suits. But the biggest surprise of all is Mandarin played by Ben Kingsley. His kingly performance gave the image to the whole wide world what a cold-blooded terrorist looks like, how he speaks, his threatening manners, his behavior, his cold impossible demands, his eccentricity – it was so altogether real. So believable. Ben Kingsley was so polished. But Mandarin was just a dummy; Mandarin is actually a British actor, Trevor Slattery, who says that he is oblivious to the actions carried out in his name. The Mandarin is actually a creation of Killian – I certainly didn’t see this twist coming. The cream of the cake is during the final scene where Stark summons each of his Iron Man suits, controlled remotely by JARVIS, to provide air support. That was so cool :)

I also get to meet up with Adrianna; a former Uni mate during the free movie preview. The only person that I know. Jo, Troy, Eloise was a no-show. Also manage to strike out conversations with random seniors & juniors of Murdoch University students. A great morning outing :)

Laman Grille

David Beckham retiring from football is not shocking - Alex Ferguson's retirement from managing Manchester United; that is shocking. He will be replaced by his fellow Scots David Moyes who is currently Everton’s manager. The icon has never given any indication before this about his retirement plans but it was good because he have retired in style this year as MU also sealed their 20th EPL win. So I hope that the next season, it will be Liverpool’s turn to shine :) After all, the Red Devils will be having a post-Alex Ferguson era and with any new leadership, there will always be a transition period. It’s just too bad that Alex Ferguson himself will not be there to witness for himself when Liverpool knocks Manchester United off their perch :)

Chup Chup Ke

Oh my gosh - I cannot believe it :) The month of May just breezes me through and now it’s already June! May have been such a busy month for me and I only manage to put in 2 blog post. It’s so pathetic since I have so many stories to tell. And yes, I still have lots of stories to spin out and I don’t know which one to dish out first :)

Ok, let’s start off with something light – Football. Besides the retirement announcement made earlier by Michael Owen & Jamie Carragher – the next unexpected announcement was from David Beckham himself. The 38 years old stylish footballer has decides to hang up his boots for good. He may not be the best player of all time, but he certainly was a good one, a champ in his own right and is somewhere up there with the rest of the legends. His career was fantastic, he played for some of the best clubs in the world – from Manchester United to Real Madrid, LA Galaxy and his last club; French based Paris St Germain. But my salutation to him is how he harness, manage & sustain the Beckham Brand. The Spice Boy has evolve so much, at one stage; even taking over from his famous spouse ex-Spice Girl Victoria Adams. His personality & hairstyles have so much of character in it. Now, the Beckham Brand is not about him alone, it has include his wife, his sons Brooklyn, Romeo & Cruz and his daughter Harper Seven. The Beckham Brand will not stop right here. As a matter of fact, it will grow even further collectively. Even little Romeo has a pet modeling project with Burberry. That’s the power of branding.

The Guardian

Good Afternoon Malaysia :)

The votes are in and they have been counted. The Verdict – Barisan National still remains in power. The BN won 133 seats in the 222-member parliament. The government failed to improve on the 140 seats won in 2008. For those people who voted against the government, they were very unhappy & disappointed that this morning the government remains unchanged. As for me, this is certainly has been expected. I expect that the next coming general election in 5 years time; in 2018, the third wave will finally changed the whole landscape of Malaysia’s politics. In 2008 – the first wave – many did not expect such a tsunami for the Opposition, but it was their first baby step into a bigger foray. This year 2013 – the second wave have shown that BN’s majority have been reduce further a little compare to 2008. Thus, moving forward, for 2018 – the Opposition needs to step up, they need to show that they are capable to govern, they have to show that they too is an ideal government and start to tackle some of BN’s fixed deposits – East Malaysia (Sabah & Sarawak), the civil servants, the rural areas (FELDA) and the arm forces & security personnels.

Now as usual, all loses were blame on the Chinese; claiming that this is the Chinese tsunami. Mathematically, this is impossible. Chinese use to hold 30% of the population, now, it hovers between 25%. Moving forward, come 10 or 20 years down the road, perhaps the Chinese only holds 20% or lesser. Therefore, for this GE13 – it is the collective effort of every race in the urban seats who wants to topple the government. The Chinese cannot do this alone. I am also very proud that for the urban seats, people no longer see themselves as Malay, Chinese or Indian first. They see themselves as Malaysian first. They put the Nation as their priority.

Yes, the Chinese wanted a change. A change that comes with transparency, honesty, integrity, just & fairness. The Chinese have grown up in Malaysia, we are more educated, more civilized, are more highly aware - we accept the fact that we are the minority in this community, we accept the fact that the sovereign belongs to the Sultan, we accept the fact that Islam is the official religion, we accept the fact that Bahasa Melayu/Malaysia is the national language, we accept the fact that we will be govern by the Malays – and we are certainly fine with that arrangement; provided it was a fair & just government that champions the welfare of the Rakyat. Not a government that keeps quiet when some fella from the Perkasa said that we are pendatang. Not a government that is highly corrupted. Not a government that is incompetent in its policies. I think the Chinese do not mind to let the Malays to run the country’s administration & politics. I think the Chinese are just comfortable in running their own business. But we want a fair & just government.

Yes, to a certain extent, the Chinese is indeed punishing the MCA & Gerakan. That’s because they did not stand up for the Chinese, they just keep quiet. The Chinese community wants a party that can highlight their frustrations, speak out vocally and provide solutions to the problems. Even though that Perkasa fella have caused disharmony, at least he does speak out about protecting the interest of the Bumiputra. Even though, I find it to be an outdated piece of policy, at least the Malays feel good about it. At least the MCA & Gerakan should speak out, at least the Chinese feel that you are with them, sometimes there may be no actions in sight, but no one will ignore the effort. This GE13 – both MCA & Gerakan is totally wiped out.

To the Prime Minister – I have to give you the credit. Your effort is there. Some may say that it’s an act of desperation, but you have done many things that the previous Prime Minister has not done. I also appreciate your National Reconciliation effort after this GE13. Malaysians have changed. Listen, listen, listen – there is no longer polarize politics anymore. No doubt, traditionally, the BN brand of raced-based patronage has ensured stability but it has also led to corruption and widening inequality. We see ourselves as Malaysians now. The people want change, your administration was not fast enough to change it and you do know what change that they need. MCA & Gerakan needs a revamp for sure. Your own people are also rebelling against your team. This is also quite alarming; for UMNO. The support from the majority Malays have also weakened, a sign that the middle-class Malays are agitating for change too. Malay unity is at stake here. Some of the Malays are rejecting Umno. That is obvious. There was a mini-Malay wave in the urban areas against UMNO. The urban-rural divide was clear. Pakatan won votes from all races and religions in the urban areas while BN retained their rural base. It is an election result between urban and rural, West Malaysia versus East Malaysia, between the better educated, better informed versus the lesser educated and lesser informed.

So, what’s next after this…it will be very interesting. For the Chinese – either the government is going to go all out to bodek us or they are going to make our lives more difficult. GE13 have already proven that they can capture the Federal Government by going it alone. Because the government is still trap in the old world thinking. Everything is also our fault. And the most crucial thing – for the next election, all the parties now need to groom and bring up a new generation of politicians. Some politicians have already passed their expiry time frame. By 2018, the country will be even younger, more urbanized and more demanding.

Malaysia – Refreshed & Redefined.

GE:13

BATTLE FOR MALAYSIA 05.05.13