The year that was.

On the eve of a new year, it would be just plain ungrateful to let Lady 08 go without reflecting on some of the lessons learned and the fantastic moments that were experienced.

Two thousand and eight started off on an extreme high with the birth of our little girl. She has grown so much and given us so many happy and memorable moments with all her first experiences. Her first word, her first smile, her first tooth, all of which were very special to us and makes us appreciate both the simplicity of life and the fragility of it.

It was a year when the Pope rolled into town in the Pope mobile for World Youth Day, the year China wowed me with the first opening ceremony I did not fall asleep on and the year, THE man, Barack Obama, became the President of the US of A. All these events helped spice the year up and gave it the added 'oomph'.

Heading down the final stretch, things were a little disappointing for me but I think the lessons that I take away from it were more invaluable than the ill feelings that I felt.

It was of course the worst year in the history of the local stock market. A staggering 41% loss in value with more bad news ahead. It made a lot of people realise their greed and that good times always come to an end.

Career wise, my resignation brought out the true colours of some people I treated more than just my colleagues but my friends. I guess some people really do wear a mask when they go to work. Imagine asking a close colleague at work for the security pass to the wash room on your last day after you've handed in yours and his response was to ask you to use the reception's pass for fear that you might duplicate his. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Then, there were the bosses that gave me the cold shoulder after receiving my resignation letter. Communicating to me only via email instead of face-to-face. It really left a bitter taste in the mouth but I suppose the few bad apples in the barrel tend to ruin the experience of the majority good. The farewell lunches and gifts did make me think twice about leaving but in the end, it was the right decision and I look forward to starting my new job in the new year.

So, while 2008 draws closer and closer to the end, I bid her sayonara and arigato for giving me the year that was.

Here's to having a fine oh nine. Cheers!

CL: Man U v Milan

I haven’t watched a full football match on tv for a while. The last time I watched Man U play a full game, van Nistelrooy was still around. SBS, a local tv station here, used to show a live Premiership game in the wee hours of Sunday which I would stay up for but ever since Pay TV won the rights to air them, I’ve lost touch with English football.

Then yesterday, I caught wind that Man U was playing Milan this morning in the Champions League semi final and seeing that today is a public holiday (ANZac Day), it got the juices firing to get up at 4.30am for it.

MANNNNN! WHAT. A. MATCH!!!

I was totally glued to the tv. Getting to see the young guns like Ronaldo, Rooney and Kaka in action was relatively new to me. The last time I watched them play was at the last World Cup. I remember Ronaldo being a ball hogger then, with people screaming, 'PASS THE FUCKING BALL!!!' when I watched Portugal play in a public arena. Now, he’s still a ball hogger but much better at it I reckon. It’s amazing to watch him blow by 3 defenders with ease but I'm sure that everytime he loses it by trying to dribble pass the entire defence and midfield line-up, somebody in the stadium would have yelled out THAT phrase. They should really make a tee shirt out of it. The thing that capped the night was seeing the players from the United of my era play. Giggs and Scholes were still doing what they do best.

The funny thing was, when the scores were locked at 2-2, I kinda’ had a feeling that Man U was going to steal it cos’ they have a knack for doing that in big games. It reminded me of the United of old when they had Sheringham, Beckham, Cole and Yorke. That team pulled off some miracle finishes. The performance this morning was certainly reminiscent of vintage United. Ferguson really is a genius and a legendary coach. He's proven time and again that he doesn't need a team full of superstars to win matches.

3-2 United. To Milan and then, the finals.

Glory, glory Man United...

Good Friday 2007

Happy Good Friday people!


Hot cross buns from Krispy Kreme. Sugar must be free nowadays cos', MAN! Were they sweet!!!

Melbourne - Australia Day long weekend

I was in Melbourne for the Australia Day long weekend which was also the Aussie Open Finals weekend.

This is my second time there and I still find the city a little boring compared to Sydney.

The good:

Caught up with my buddy, his lovely wife and some friends, Nike Melbourne, the food, Maggi Assam Laksa (which I can't find in Sydney), the cafe culture, Chapel Street, Sneakers exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria, the fashionable people, won some money at the roulette table at Crown.

The bad:

The weather. Felt like friggin' winter on one of the days when we're in the middle of summer.

The ugly:

The weird sculpture that was at the National Gallery of Victoria.

Hear ye! Hear ye!

One afternoon during my recent trip back to K.L, my mate Kelvin took me on a shortcut through a residential area. I thought I was dreaming at first but from a distance, I saw this…



As we got closer, I was like, "DAYYYUUMMMMMM!!!". This house, or should I say castle is A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Definitely takes the cake if you want something different.



Some of the questions that came to mind were - why the heck would someone build a home like this? Who’d buy it if they decide to sell? Is the owner sane?

Maybe this is the residence of Walt Disney’s no.1 fan. Maybe it used to be a White Castle fast food joint before they packed up and left Malaysia or maybe he took the phrase, ‘being the king of the castle’ a little too literally.



I have to give props to whoever’s home it is. It’s really something out of the ordinary. Although, they should do away with the cars. It just kills the effect. Wonder how much is road tax for horses these days?