4 Weddings and a Funeral

It is the school holiday, starting on Friday in Malaysia. And as much as I want to post about the movie 4 Weddings and a Funeral which is excellent in a lot of way and which I considered to be not a chick flick although insisted by my wife who just got the bug of watching and understanding all the British comedy in it, I actually am using it as a premise to blog about the many weddings that I am to attend.

Last night was my first one of these 2 weeks holidays and today is where I have to bring my mom to another. In short, I am just the driver and the one who will 'benefit' from all the food. But as this wedding is for the child (not sure son or daughter) of my parent's ex-company, which both of them retired from and is one of the biggest land cultivator in  Malaysia, your guess is correct if you think I am willing to drive my mother to go from my hometown, 50 km away, to KL and then back again, is due to the potential of meeting some business people there.

 

This was last week, which is not even the holiday yet...

There is no 'off' button for any entrepeneur. Weddings are a great place to meet people informally then the following week, follow-ups can be done. 

As of now, let me enjoy all those glorious food. Nyums....

p/s - there is no funeral here, if you are looking for it

Ergo Ego

I thinks people have said this again and again. Men have ego and rarely will back down from a fight just to save their face especially Asian. Men will always like to be in control and will never admit that they need help. Hence, the problem between men and asking for direction. 

I beg to differ. That was of men in the past. When they control the household and the household, be it the wife or wives or the kids rely on the men to bring back the food and whatever a household needs.

Nowadays, men are no more in control. The key word is equal. 

How do they retaliate? 

By being violent.

And why does this happens? My selfish answer is due to the ego being transfered from the male to the female of the species. Ever heard of a women NOT answering back when they were asked to do something or not do something?

Women have their ego too and when they wield it, they are much more ruthless and capable of higher threshold of holding to their ego, not giving in and even retaliate. Much better than men.

And, the songs/movies/people which taught them how are partly to blame.

But the biggest blame, fall squarely on...
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MEN!!!

T4 : Prequel, sequel or equal?

(There is no spoiler here, just hints)

...what's up with the cameos. There were 2 old actors and you guess it right if you are thinking about that guy who has not acted for quite some times as he changed his career. I was not even sure whether that was him or just some digital feature of him.

Then there was the song from T2. If you remember the first time you see the late Edward Furlong in T2 (and yes, he's dead) then you remember that song by THAT defunct band (with the original members but came out with new material just last year).

Then, for the first time, I did not know that places can also be a cameo. Or was there 2 places being used again? Your guess is as good as mine. 

I did not give any part of the storyline away right? Just go watch it yourself...

The T4 poster at the cinema

But, before I fade away and try to seem to give the game away, let me ask you this (which was asked before by some columnist in a newspaper, which I can't remember when or where) :

If this story is about John Connor and he met his father who was then sent to 1984 who impregnate his mother while saving her from the Terminator, what is T4, is it a sequel or a prequel? I mean, it has to come first before events in T1 happens. And then, should this be T1, then T1 becomes T2 et cetera, et cetera?

To me, it was too confusing to be thought of and it was a good movie, but still I am waiting for that movie that I want to watch again and again, which I have to say Star Trek is a good bet. For now...

And you better revise back all those Terminator movies here

Testerone leaden movies

As I was typing this (around 4pm, Wednesday the 27th), I have just bought movie tickets for the new Terminator movie which I am very excited to see as much as the next guy. As that day was Wednesday and since cineplexes took over theaters all over Malaysia, we get to watch movie for cheap on Wednesdays. For the Terminator, it was not the case. They hiked up the price and even though it was a Wednesday, we have to pay a few Ringgit Malaysia more.

Anyway, out of curiosity, why does these type of movies always seem to be able to draw the crowd. The word, Summer Blockbuster Hits, has been in our conscience since Terminator itself, in 1984, brought the big bang of the sound of summer. These type of movies are those which starts with a bang and then end with a bang. One of the first was the Die Hard franchise and the Lethal Weapon franchise. Then when digital technology became more and more pronounced, people are blindsided by very good artificial people moving on the screen and no one really know the difference. 

 

One of the old testerone filled movie

Universal Studio was once so famous as people pay tickets how movies were made and stunts were performed. I bet in a few years, that will not be the case anymore. Everything will be played out in front of the blue or green screen and actors are just another props that the directors and studio executives have to deal with. Ridiculous demand from divas will be no more.

Aren't all these sound like machines are taking over people already? Actors, you are terminated....

p/s - You can rent those movies from Blockbusters if you haven't seen them... ; ) which you can click below :

p.p.s - Read my take on T4 tomorrow

Playing tag with 2 ladies

I was tagged in the space of this week twice. One is by Daisy of InLove With Daisies, with her post  Saturday Seven which was done last Saturday. The rules for this tag are:

1. Link to your original tagger and list these rules in your post

2. Share 7 facts about yourself in the post

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names and links to their blogs

4. Let them know they’ve been tagged.

(Sorry to say I am not going to tag another seven as I don't think I have that many willing bloggers. Most of those I know are too jaded for this tag game. Spoilsports!)

So, here is my answers :

1) My blog name (K ruel) is very near my real name if you break it into two words in which one of it has only one letter (and remember Malay is spoken phonetically);

2) I maintain 2 blogs and I post something new every day for the past 9 months;

3) I am married for the past 6 years and here is hoping to many more (to the same person);

4) I am a lawyer who is hoping to be one until I die;

5) I love travelling around the world and driving around in my own country;

6) I never studied in other country except my own; and

7) I have 4 cats which were born right at my back door

Another one by flawed angel who have a password protected or was it lifted off already? As I am not sure, I just mentioned her blog but not linked her here. Her blog is The Temple of Irreverence. Flawed Angel tagged me with this meme and I again am cheating by not passing it to anyone. Her's doesn't have real rules except tagging others. Here goes :

6 important things that make me happy (in random order):

1) Writing just about anything;

2) Hanging by the beach anywhere in the world;

3) Reading anything including the menu at a restaurant;

4) Sleeping in late after my morning prayer;

5) Playing with my cats; and

6) Making love

So, ladies, I hope these will satisfy the tagging requirements....

Looking for sugar mummy/daddy

I am actually not sure whether I should post about this here or my other blog, Legal Cat-asthrophe which deals about business and such. Why you ask? Well, having sugar mummy or sugar daddy to me is more of a business deal than anything else.

Just imagine when you negotiate for the 'sugar' that you will be getting from your benefactor who may supply you with cash, car, place to live, clothes and a gym membership for the guys, so that they can keep in good shape. How about those pills either for the women to ensure no unwanted pregnancies or for the men, to make sure they can perform at any time and as long as they possibly can. Of course they want to get their money worth.

So, that is why having a sugar daddy/mummy is a business deal and not just an affair that you have out of the blue where you are deprived of sexual satisfaction by your spouse or partner. Or maybe you are just bored and need some excitement. Being a 'kept' person is hard work, if you ask me.

Where do one get any of these mommies and daddies? I myself thought, you need to prowl the town in clubs and discos or at least at lobbies of hotels, which maybe kind of competing with the local ladies of the nights who may be doing the same thing. It wouldn't be good for your reputation to be mistaken as such and might even be scandalous if you work during the day.

Why not try this website (or maybe you like prowling those bars and clubs) :

How I wish I am at a beach now

I have actually planned a getaway with my wife during the weekend as I have been too busy with a lot of things at the office for the past 6 months. Although I am going away to Singapore for the Singapore Sale with my parents, siblings and of course, my wife, this coming 6 to 8 of June, I still want to have my beach break. I have a beach bum dream if I have not became a lawyer. Maybe I will still have the chance to weave it after the trip. The problem with me is, I hate to go holidaying while the school is on a break which is in a week time.

I love going to scuba diving site although I am not a diver. I have been to a lot of beaches and have been wanting to do it for some time again, but I am not really sure why I still not doing it yet. I think because of the work at the office which seems to pile up even though I have managed to finish it day in and day out. Of course, one of the best reason to go for a holiday is a quote I always heard said by those who said that, "Work will never be finished, so why wait for a holiday"

I bet that guy who was chosen as the winner of The Best Job In The World, is having the best time of his life. Getting paid to snorkel, scuba dive, blog and just sits there in one of the best beach of the world. In Malaysia, we have quite a few famous scuba diving sites such as Pulau Perhentian for the amateur and then there are those in East Malaysia like the Labuan Island, which has 3 to 4 shipwrecks. There is also the heavily guarded Pulau Sipadan in east of Sabah which was infamous for the kidnapping which had happened there once. It is safe nowadays and the Sabah government has also limit the number of people on that island at any one time.

How do you know whether a place is a great scuba diving site or not? If you do need reference, why don't you try the website Best Travel Destinations for Divers which has a list of all the best destinations for divers. Maybe you yourself will have an unforgettable beach holiday of your own....

Off the coast of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, East Malaysia, during my trip last year

Pulau Perhentian, circa 2007. And yes, this was only snorkeling

Morning in Bali, circa 2004

Women like to hide their intelligent by being blonde sometimes

The 'in' word in between my wife and her friends, and even between my partners who are all ladies is "My blonde moment" to show that sometimes they acted in certain ways just to get what they can by doing just that. And as the name suggested, with apologies to all the intelligent blonde around the world, it is by acting dumb and giggly and all those things that one associates with bimbo. And they do get what they want when they do this.

The problem with me is, I am surrounded by women in my life. From my wife to an office full of women ranging from the school leavers, attachment students, interns, clerks and my partners. In an office of 20 people, there are 4 other men but only one stays in the office all day as the other three are always working in the field. That leave me having to deal with women wiles all day long.

My wife has been out of the equation long ago and she only get her ways when I let him be. As a husband, of course you let her twist you around her finger. What are husbands for, right?

As for my partners, as all decisions that we make are business decisions which may affect our livelihood and even tip the economic scale for the better or worse, that is where everyone knows, if a decision has to be made, I am equal to be the occasional uncooperative boss who just wants things done without caring whether it was going to lead someone to go crying later or hates me for making the decision.

As a boss of nearly 10 years, I have never let any one of my staff to be too 'friendly' or any incident happens which border to the word 'scandal'. It did happen once among the staff but that was considered a one time incident.

In short, women do act as if they are dumb sometimes just to get away with something. Out of being summoned for traffic offence. Batting eyelids to jump queue. Asking strangers to help them change tyres. But in my view, society has wisen up as women themselves have asked to be treated the same. And that is where the game is played on equal footing at times unless it is played by players who never know there are such a rule...

Those coupons book

I have a car which have a certain type of membership and with it there is certain times of the year where I will receive coupon books for me to get discount on certain things like clothes and such. The same goes when I have these credit cards which supposedly give of points for every penny I spend on any of the purchase which I use these cards on. Usually the points can be converted into items which sometimes are useful around the house or if you are a big spender you can even buy handphones and such with these points.

I actually are too lazy to take these coupons around and even if did have it in my briefcase, being a man, we are more of an impulse buyer than women. We buy things when we think we need it. This is one big different between women and men. Women are willing to wait for sales and deal with crowds and such whilst men will just buy whenever they feel like it.

That is why, I suggest the women in North America who think they want to save on their purchase to bu 2009 Entertainment Book which can help them save at any time. They can save on dining, shopping and even travel. Their main retailers are Best Buy, Target and Home Depot. It is specific to wear you live. It has coupons, membership cards and even more printable coupons. And the price is also attractive with free shipping. During this

I know my wife would love one if it applies here in Malaysia. We do have those coupons from a company which owns boutique like Chloe, Hugo Boss and a few others. I do need a new pair of shoes.

Maybe we will utilise it this weekend.

Handy Man

I have always been known to do the odd jobs of repairing when I was living with my parents. Then, I got married and I was supposed to be the one who try to repair anything that is broken. It was still true that I do repair things like always but laziness do crept in at times and I do take my time, sometimes, even to change a blown fuse or a bulb which has gone bust. It fell to me on try to repair any broken things which may have resulted in my clumsy hands using it or is due to normal of wear and tear.

However, there are times that there are things which I can't fix. Currently, like what we had with the toilet bowl, we found another problem that I couldn't fix. The flush keep on collecting water without stopping as if it is never full. The sounds show that there are water filling it up. It drove us crazy.

Unlike Tim the Toolman Taylor (if you know who he is, then you are old...), I do have an affinity to really fix things. In the first instance, I opened up the flushing mechanism and put it back. It worked for a few days then the problem cropped up again. Then, I play around with the position of the whole flush by tilting it to the front and back. Still the problem persisted.

Sometimes, after working on it a few times, the fill-up stops. And I considered another problem fixed. Then after using it a few more times, the sound returns. 

Now, after nearly 3 months, I have given up and surrendering the job to a real plumber. 

Being a handy man is one thing but really knowing what you are doing is another thing altogether.

Man, your fly is open!

How do you tell a man that his fly is open?

I mean, do you just walk up to him and tell him? Especially if he is a stranger? 

What if he is a person in authority? Or a VIP?

During college, this is one of the easiest thing to do. Humiliation for the person and if luck is against him, the whole class might know about it.

It happened to me once and the guy just said to me, you are doing a "Bill Clinton". Huh? I actually did not get at all what he was trying to convey until I went to the toilet. Even then I needed some time to really get that he was trying to warn me.

Hmmmm...too complicated for my taste. For me, maybe the best line for this type of situation is : "Man, your fly is open man. Better zipped it up before your little man decide to peek out"

And just imagine if this happens when he decided to go commando (a topic which I have posted before)

Choice of television shows...

The real use of television

One of the problems in household usually is the choice of what to watch or what to listen when all the members of the family are around. With nearly more than 50 channels and various genre, the choice of what to watch on the television can result in war erupting on who gets the remote.

Although in my household there are just the two of us, my wife and I sometimes do have the problem of trying to have control of the remote. My wife hates it when I want to watch something while doing my work. I sometimes do not really watch the show but concentrate more on my work. That was when she hijacked the remote and watched whatever she wants.

There is also the case of good show being show at 8pm on the cable like Samantha Who on Monday (we have just finished with Season 1) and at that time, if I am home, I would like to watch the news. My wife don't really care for news as I am considered as the one who will update her on whatever needed updating. As I also love the show, I usually will try to watch the headlines then see whether anything of interest is there to watch. If not, we will have a laugh or two at the wicked amnesiac person.

I  wonder how those household with 5 to 6 persons in it manage to be civil when choosing something to watch on tele.

Feared Drivers (Mother in the Morning)

One of the time which I feared for my life when I drive is when I had to go out early and I have to pass schools. This is where you can find one of the most feared drivers in Malaysia. Mothers who have more than one child trying to drop their children to school while trying to get to work.

They will do it in one fluid motion and methodically. Drive out of their driveway and hope to not hot anyone. Drive as fast as possible to the first school. Hold hand of the child to the school gate or if he or she is old enough, they will alight from the car and maybe, even before the door is properly closed, the car will shoot of to school no. 2 or the babysitter.

Then, if the mother is a career woman, without having one strand of hair out of place, they will arrive at their office or wherever they have to meet anyone.

If they did not have had the time, they can still apply make-up, all the while driving. Driving very fast, I might add.

And they can asked us to not to text or check our emails on our Blackberry while driving.

I hope this won't be another dissappointing summer

This summer, I had the opportunities to watch quite a number of advance screening. For those who know me, they would know that I am a movie addict in which I would always try to watch movie as soon as it opens especially the popular ones. Some of my friends when I was still studying had this game of trying to beat me as the first person to watch a movie.

This time around, I managed to watch Wolverine, Star Trek and Angels & Demons before anyone else. Thanks to having blogs and joining certain forum blogging community. Come to think of it all these are sequels or prequels. Of those 3 movies, Star Trek and Angels & Demons were good. Surprisingly, they were not what I expected. I remembered those summer (I think the year when Tomb Raider 2 was released) I was not satisfied with the offerings of that summer at all.

Sometimes, with all this sequals like Transformers 2, Star Trek 13?, Wolverine (which is like X-Men 4), I would very much love it if I could revise the movies which precede this sequels (or in the case of Wolverine and to a lesser extent, Angels & Demons, the prequel). If only those guys from Blockbuster opened up their store here in Malaysia.

There are video stores here or maybe there is only one, but they don't carry that many old title. This would be great for really old movie like the first Terminator or the early Star Trek movie which I I thought as corny then. Seeing the new one makes me want to see the storyline of the old movie like The Search for Spock or The Wrath of Khan.

Advance screening of Angels and Demons

This spells Illuminati, either way

And you can know more of this in the movie Angels and Demons, which does not have any angel and demon at all. I was given the chance to watch it when the 'other' internet advertisment company here in Malaysia, Advertlets gave out tickets for the early screening. I did not win it the normal way as I did a posting but did not received any email from them. I considered myself out of the race then. However, on the day of the screening I log on to my Blogger United account which is frequented by the Advertlets owner and lamented that I may not be watching. Then I message him through twitter and guess what, he asked me to attend the screening. It pays to join a bloggers community website sometimes although I am one of the more passive member.

  It was a great movie, surprisingly, as I still have not read the book. My wife bought it and commented along the way on how changes are made especially to the main character way of dressing which was supposed to be inappropriate for the Vaticans. There was one special effect at near the end of the movie involving an explosion which I think was spectacular, although I had watched Star Trek and Wolverine this summer. As I have recommended others to watch Star Trek than Wolverine, I would say that this movie also can be recommended.

It made me want to rent that movie, the Da Vinci Code, and watch it again. If there is an internet site like the Blockbuster here in Malaysia, I would have rent it. That is why we still rely on our only cable company and sometimes those downloads that we do for movies.

If my friend had known there was Ethical Hacking then...

I had this one friend who was in law school with me between 1992 and 1998. We were one of the naughtiest batch around as during those days, even when we were to sit for exams the next day, we still went out to clubs and party all night. We did bring along our notes but in one of the exams, we went straight from one of the club straight to the exam hall. Luckily, none of us failed that particular subject.

However, this friend of mine was so engrossed in the advent of internet then that what he did all day was sit in his room, chat and play his guitar. Before he became engrossed in internet, which then was connected through dial-up services, he was a grunge guitar player and his idol was Kurt Cobain. He only came out of his confinement if there was any Metallica, Nirvana or Megadeth new album. And to eat occasionally. Usually, he just asked one of his housemate to buy some food for him.

It was the final semester for the final year when he did not came out at all for anything. Even classes. He just sat in his room, chat and by then he already learned how to even set his own program. He did not take the final of the finals. We begged him and even get his father to come and talk to him so that he can at least go to take the exam hall to take the exam. Even the Dean had given him exemption for all the classes that he did not attend. 

He did not go. 

Later, we learned that he actually was one of the respected hacker then. What he did after dropping out of law school was becoming an IT Security Expert. He did take formal education as his skills became more refined. He is still in the IT industry. 

And nowadays, I heard that there is this concept of ethical hacking. There are classes which basically covers

• Security Fundamentals
  
• Ethical Hacking
  
• Penetration Testing
  
• Computer Forensics
  
• Disaster Recovery
  
• Secure Coding 
• Introduction/First LOOK! Courses!
  

These courses are offered by EC-Council iClass and hundreds of IT Professionals have joined EC Council for their FREE, One day, First LOOK! IT Security Events! If you really have the forte in IT, why not try them. Try their IT security course today!

If only my friend who is now one of the best IT Security Expert in Malaysia have had the opportunity then. Maybe he wouldn't have wasted the 8 years he spent in law school. Except for the fun that we had together. That part was priceless....

He was my north, my south, my east and west

That is the most romantic line by a poet which I have ever heard uttered in a film (not by the poet but by an actor). The poet was W.H. Auden and the actor is John Hannah who played Matthew, a gay guy whose partner had just past away in a chick flick made for man, Four Weddings and a Funeral. 

John Hannah is more well known for playing the bumbling brother of Rachel Weisz character in The Mummy.Here, he was funny and tragic at the same time.

R
The whole line for the poem was :


He was my North, my South, my East and West,

My working week and Sunday rest,

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

I thought that love would last forever:

I was wrong

These lines are just a part of it. Read the whole poem. This poem has two things, love and death. I bet in the west, people used it often enough at funerals.

How true it is when you have given everything to someone, the only feeling that you can have is owing that person your life.

Then that person dies or love dies....

Open book

"I have no secret..."

That was my approach in life when I was still single. That was the time of bachelorhood and not really seeing what I would be doing in 10 years. Just graduated and just started a career as a lawyer. Not really knowing who I would be spending my life with or whether I would be another failure to contribute nothing into the Malaysian economy. I was free to choose and was not held accountable to any debt unlike now. As Americans dream their American dream, I was living the Malaysian dream. Being a law graduate sure helps.

Why the sudden change when you are married?

It is easy. Although I might only have another person within the marriage to ensure no loose lips sunk ship, it is still hard work when you have been telling everything to everyone for the last few years before. Everyone knows how talkative I can be if the topic is just right. But when I now have to ensure harmony reign in my life, what I share is limited to general matter or things which is agreeable to both.

Pillow talk is always a sensitive matter. So, shouldn't it extent to those that you have with your spouse?

p/s - What I recommend is read the Bedroom Secrets of Master Chef by Irvine Walsh which does not have anything to do with being open at all

Sexual stamina

So, that Michael Phelps guy really have the stamina huh? Three straight hour of sex. Of course, this came from a stripper who suddenly wanted to reveal this information just when the name of Michael Phelps has died out from everyone's mouth. Maybe it is true or it may be exaggerated a bit. Hell, maybe in a few weeks we may can be served with another sudden appearance of a sex tape. It may not even be Phelps'. It maybe that of the couple who had a very public fight during the Grammy award and in which one of them suddenly had a few of her private photo stolen and released to the public. Too many celebrities nowadays that they need to have an edge even if it means showing their sexual prowess.

Just a thought, how long actually sexual stamina last. Most are more in awe of a male who can last long than a female who can last a few sessions hours even. Who was that Singaporean lady who had sex with nearly a 100 men? Or was it more than that? But if a man can last long or have more than one orgasm, suddenly he is a sex god. Maybe the difference in our anatomy is the answer to that question. Though our natural appetite is another thing altogether.

Maybe doing things in moderation is still the best way to go. We do need to live our life other than fornicate all day and all night, unlike those who do it at the drop of the hat. What is it with porn anyway? Does it ever happen like that in real life? Come to think of it I never see any giant robots fighting at the highway too. At least sex is something real. Both may be postings for another day (the porn and the robot issues).

So, how long is good for you?

Our Travel in 2005_Part 1

A posting which I have wanted to do since forever. Our holiday for 10 days in Europe in 2005. Through a quarter of Europe actually. These postings are just pictures with a bit of explanation :

 

In Cologne, Germany, at one of the oldest church there

 

  

Around the Rhine river

Dropping everything to travel

 

My idea of a perfect getaway is stolen from somebody else's mind. I had a client once who told me of his idea of success. He even promised me to do just that if what we built together then became a reality. It didn't and he has already migrated to China. In view of how much he still owe me, I hope to never see him again.

Anyway, back to that dream holiday.

It was to be on or near the new year's eve.

Go to the airport (whatever the nearest, for me is Kuala Lumpur International Airport).

If there are a few of you, choose one person (through whatever mean).

That one person go to the departure television screen, close his or her eyes and point his or her finger to any one of the destination.

If it falls to New York, buy plane tickets to there and celebrate your new year there. If it falls to Kathmandu, go there. If it falls to a small town within your country, just go there. You get the idea.

Do it every year.

Oh, and this was before 9-11 where travel was easy anywhere.

I nearly did it last new year but I was bogged down with something.

Still hoping to do it one day....

Do you know everything about your partner?

This was brought by a few things. An episode in a television series where a character suddenly said she did not know fully well his partner though they have been married for nearly 20 years (they were the parents character for the main character and this was brought about by the main character's best friends antics). When the woman realised she did not know everything about the man, she became suddenly unreasonable. 

Then there was this one episode of the Kardashian which was where the girls got to see their stepfather giving a motivation speech to a bunch of people and brought about the issue of what do their father do. It seems that he is a well-known motivational speaker (in USA) and he is well respected. That was between a father and daughters (albeit they were stepfather and stepdaughters)

That was also what happened to me today when I gave a talk to a few universities students. Thanks to my friend who wanted me to fill in a slot for a short course on entrepreneurship. I was to talk a bit how to decide if one wants to become an entrepreneur. So, I did. In the presence of my wife. Who said he did not know I could talk. Not to harp my own horn or anything but given the time I spent as a lawyer of course I know how to get a point across.

This is considered as the good part of not knowing someone as fully as you think you do. How about if it is a bad thing? 

How would you deal with it?

Somebody wrote that the new Star Trek is sexy...

...and I would like to concur.

I usually do not easily say the same thing about certain movies which are love by critics or fans. I never find certain romantic movies as what is said about it. Some are just too plain although it was filled by a lot of attractive names and stars. Such as what I have felt when I watched the hyped up movie called He Is Just Not That Into You, in which all those in it seem to just going through the motion. Not really acting. Even when emotions were shown. The whole movie was predictable.

This new Star Trek is different due to many reasons. I am kind of quoting that article I mentioned above which said that the new Star Trek movie is sexy. The casts are all young and makes you want to rip their Federation uniforms from their bodies. They are actually acting the way their adult personas have been presented in the 60s through 80s in which some of them were grumpy, fun, moody, leaders, serious, have killer touch and all that you have seen embodied by the like of William Shatner and of course the much cooler Leonard Nimoy.

If Wolverine : The Origin was about how Wolverine became Wolverine, this is more fun as there are more character to play with. For my wife and I, as most of the actors has just crossed into mainstream movie like Zacahry Quinto as Spock or John Cho as Sulu, we spent most of the movie trying to guess where we have seen them before. Maybe the younger generation would recognised them more which is why this Star Trek will be a must see for them.

Check it out here.

It's smoking

Usually, if I followed my business partner to clubs, the problem that I usually have is when I have to endure these small enclosures seem to make my eyes water. Of course, all this comes from the accumulation of smokes which came from all the cigarettes being smoke in them. I did not know how I managed to went through my high school without picking up the habit but I have never been a cigarette smoker and I hope I will never be one. I did pick up the habit of smoking cigars but I don't really have friends for this hobby, and it kind of died by itself.

My office is full of smokers. Most of them are women and nearly all are still young. In Malaysia, this phenomena of smoking cigarettes by young ladies are considered as a new one. When I was still a students, back in the 90s, the ladies who smoke are considered slutty or at least of loose moral (even though most grandmothers who was young girls in the 50s or 60s smoke like chimneys). Then the millenium came and girls started to pick up the habit. 

Nowadays, even those who wear headscarves smokes. Which shows that people already accepted such habit to be normal (or they are just those who buck the trend).

As for me, as a non-smoker, I have no problem if people smoke in my presence or not. My only beef with them is their cigarette breaks which sometimes impede their work when they take it too often. Especially when there are pregnant ladies in the office and they have to go up on the rooftop area to smoke. That is when we have to limit their smoking time....

 

The only think I know how to smoke

It's all relatives

Just a few days back, I posted about when one have to follow his or her spouse or partner to an event which may not be to that person's liking. They may be invited to a dinner in which there are guests of honours and you have to dress up while being seated next to someone who you know will forget your name the minute you introduce yourself to him or her.

How about those time when your spouse drag you to his or her relative's houses or friends whom you know you couldn't possibly gel. For whatever reason. Sometimes there are parties. Sometimes so they can catch up with each other. Sometimes for the Asian reason of being Asian and we must always keep our relatives closer than any of our friends. If not Asian reason, then there is the Islamic reason of us having to ensure we know who we will need to go to for anything to do with families if anything ever happens to any of our parents or brothers or sisters (it has to do with who have the rights to one's property which is very much different than the civil concept). 

That movie scene where daughters across United States are always receiving calls from their mother even at unreasonable hour. Amplified that by 20 times when you have this or that auntie or this or that uncle who love to know what you are up to. The problem for me is I have bad experience with relatives on my mother's and my father's side with regards to certain part of my business and the problem with me is I am one of those who rarely want to mingle with them even when they come visiting at my parents.

Of course, among all my siblings, as I am the one who usually send my parents around their house, I am the one who usually have to meet them and know them. And I sometimes to mess their name or their relation to me or what I should call them. Asians (or is it just Malays?) have different way of calling for each siblings of their father and mother. Thanks to me jumbling up their names, usually I will be reintroduced over and over again by my mother or my dad. Especially my dad. 

And this differ greatly from my wife who has closer relationship with her aunties and uncles. Which made her sometimes angry at me for not wanting to go with her for visits. Which I know she wants me to when she goes around their house. Which I usually try to not go. Which sometimes she manage to get me to go.

And then...

Awkward moments like I am just sitting there happens...

Or I watch television....

And answer questions with monosyllabic answers...

Yes, I know. I am bad in this way.

Turning in early

Sometimes, it is one of the best thing to do in life. The luxury of turning in early.

Just switching off everything. Taking the plunge into the heavenly bed. Saying goodnight and then off you go.

That was what I did yesterday.

Having a good night sleep.

Then waking up early, fully recharge.

Some of my friends consider it a luxury having to work overtime and some of them wrote on their blog how they did not even know how they reach home. You need a holiday guys! (But it does seems you have a lot of those too)

Man! That was a good rest...

Coming back late

I was quite late coming back to the house yesterday. I had quite a full day at work and then I had to go for this talk (which I have post extensively in my other blog, which you can access just beside this post) and then a friend ask me out to meet him for a drink as we are thinking of setting up a business together.

When I arrived home, it was already 12 pm. I did texted my wife before I got into the car I was on the way home with my favourite "OTW home" type of message. Usually the reply was just as curt. This time it was "I am already in bed. Going to sleep". 

I rarely come back home late nowadays but as both of us are working it bound to happen. We usually ate together either at home or somewhere on the way home but when we are out by ourselves, we would eat whatever we can grab wherever we can. So, at home, we would just take a bath and go to bed or in my case, I would sit in front of the PC for some times. 

The other thing about coming back late is having to tip toe around as I hate making too much noise while I am preparing for bed. Though my wife is a heavy sleeper, I just felt it is obligatory for me as I wouldn't want her to wake up. That is until one of the cat meow loudly to be let out. Which usually still wouldn't stir my wife one bit.

However, what I hate most when I don't spend the evening with my wife is having to see her go the next day as I am usually the last one to leave the house. It would have meant that our only conversation is while I am still in bed while she is leaving. And it is usually about what we would be doing that evening. 

It would be a bad week if we would not really meet each other for 2 whole days except when we are sleeping side by side. Like this :

Women always have unfair advantage

In the Apprentice, in the first season, in which one of the team was full of women, the creator and producer of the show, the well-known Donald Trump, noticed that the women in the gameshow tried to use their sexiness as an advantage for them to win each task given, especially if it involves enticing people to buy something. They would pout, coaxed and even dressed a bit more revealing to win that task. They were finally warned of their conduct but they actually managed to get away with it for quite some time. Maybe the rating went up during that time.

In a relationship, it is well known, this happens too. Men sometimes gave in into what was asked  of them as  they fell obligated or they were turned around when they see their love one wants something. Sometimes, they are willing to sacrifice everything they have. Around the world, how many infamous stories about rich old men marrying nubile young girl who would then just waited for their much older spouse to die before being the new rich heiress. That is the extreme.

There are the moderate day to day manipulation of women trying to get the men in their life to do things for them. 

Pout lips.

A promise of some bedroom fun which might not even come.

So many things. 

We men sometimes felt or know that we are being used but we sometimes like it. I even know a few of my friends who crave for it. There must be something in our hormone which make us melt in their hands. But who else would we move mountain for except for the one we love...

Following your spouse to his/her event

I think this has been argued since time immemorial because I have seen it happened between my parents. Whether my mom was asked by my dad to follow him to an event or my dad being asked by my mom to come to her event.

Usually, only the one where my dad was invited to would the both of them would go. They rarely go to the one where my mom was invited. Even if she went to it, it was either she went alone, or she brought me. Her eternal bodyguard.

In my household, it has kind of spilled over to follow nearly the same path. I rarely follow any one of my wife's event and she usually follows me to some of mine. At least I did not really twist her arm to follow me every single one of it. Being an owner of a medium size legal firm where most of my other partners do not really like to entertain, we don't really have office events. Usually our 'event' is done during office hour and usually it was just us eating. Even then not all the staff and partner make it a point to stay. So, I think that is one part I don't have to worry about. 

The whole of last year I followed my wife to just three or five events but she followed me to nearly 10 to 15 events. As I gave her the right of refusal, some of it I did go alone or I ask any one of my friends to follow me. Most of the events that she refused are either the one that have anything to do with lawyers or those where I went to meet my schoolmates. The former is due to she having enough of lawyers (and she finds them boring) and the second is she just couldn't gel with the spouses of my schoolfriends.

It is just that some times, I hate questions like "Why didn't you bring your wife?", in which I would just answer, "She has some work to do", whether it is true or not. Easier than saying, "Oh, we like to do our own stuff sometimes".

Do you have this problem?

Space the final frontier...

...this is the voyager of the U.S.S Enterprise. I think I didn't get that right but being a non-fan at a Star Trek event was the least of my worries on Friday. I was invited to see the new Star Trek movie a whole week before it opens worldwide on 8th of May. One whole week!!! Of course, as a movie fan, I just couldn't resist. So, I agreed to go and managed to coax my wife to come. She was the one who queued at 1.30pm as I went for my Friday prayers. The tickets :

 

Then, we were treated to so many activities that we were actually exhausted when the time for the movie came. Everyone was a bit grumpy as the security was tight and all have to leave their handphones, PDAs, cameras and in one case, the couple beside us was asked to leave her iPod outside. As everyone knows (except the guards) that iPod is not a recording device, the girl was grumpy as we were seated a bit high within the theatre that she has to go down, out and then vigoriously body-searched again. That was the price we had to pay, right?

So, back to the movie : Star Trek (I try not to spoil it for those who wanted to not know what is the storyline but to be safe, you better stop here)

The movie starts with birth of Captain James Tiberius Kirk with how his parents gave him his name. Then we were given the low down on Spock. Suddenly, everyone grows up 22 years ahead and they then enrol in the Academy. 3 years later, the event which brought them all together came to be. As you had guessed from the trailer, Kirk is not the goody two shoes type of teenager. He was a rebel.

The whole movie was peppered with the introduction of all the U.S.S. Enterprise most famous crews (who some of them I did not even remember). There was Uharu, Montgomery Scott, Sulu and that Russian guy who I don't know how to write his name. But he is funny... Racist kind of funny but funny nonetheless.

The villains were the Romulans and they have a beef with Spock. There was some recycled storyline which seem to be the Star Trek movies curse (blessing?). Not exactly the same with other Star Trek movies but there is that kind of deja vu. And I am speaking as a non-fan and not as a fan. They have action. Explanation on how relationship in Star Trek happens. In-joke. A cameo (hint!) and then some reference to all that you ever know on Star Trek. The cast was great and fresh. There are battles. Scientific stuff.

All in all, I think with this movie Star Trek can gain new fans. What with no television show which is based on Star Trek now. I bet they are going to do one now. I bet it has to do with the Academy. What happens in it and all. At least a cartoon. Oh no, they don't call it that anymore. Animation. My mistake. It was a great movie by a non-fan director and a few non-fan actors. Yes guys, if you don't know already, J.J. Abrams is not a fan of Star Trek. They are all the fan of that Other Universe. Where R2D2 rules!!! (or is it Boba Fett?)

Another movie preview : Star Trek

I was given a chance to join some Star Trek fans to watch the new Star Trek movie thanks to a newspaper in Malaysia which had extended its reach to Malaysian bloggers by doing a website called the All Malaysia Bloggers Project (AMBP) which basically listed all the Malaysian blogger and having events throughout the year. They have not been holding any event in a while and when we got to know they are offering tickets for the new Star Trek movie, I grabbed the opportunity and won the places. It was not just the screening of the movie but a half-day event where there were some treasure hunt, Star Trek quizzes (Which I failed at the first question. Who knows what is the battle cry of Klingons or was it the mating call?) and some cool stuff given away. As AMBP is an extension of a radio station as well, the radio announcers were on hand to entertain us while giving away stuff. Here are some pictures which I have managed to take. The review? I'll talk about it tomorrow

 

Deejay J.D. and Dili from Red FM

  

 Our national car being made into the Millenium Falcon? Nope, U.S.S. Enterprise (sorry trekkies)

The place was full of signs and buntings related to Star Trek

These are the Malaysian trekkies/kers

The two final contestants of the quiz (of course them trekkies won)

The captain won and not the crew (that is why he is the captain)

2 bloggers (serge and julian) emmulating a scene from the new movie

Free gifts galore

Do you love all gifts ever given by your other half?

Easy question but I bet one of the most dangerous question you would ever attempt to answer.

As dangerous as all other questions like "Do I look fat in this?" or "You never told me that???!!!"

If you are honest with each other, I don't think it would cause much problem but even then it can still lead to a you can sleep outside type of situation or at least a I have tried my best and now you are saying that you don't like it?

So, as with other things that happens in relationships, some things are just to be known by one party. Like in some court case, this is know as ex parte. One side only. Remember that commercial where you do whatever they asked you to as long as you can watch your football game when they are on? Yep, do like that...

Just smile and bear with it. It will make you a better partner..

and no dear, this is not about any of the gift you have given me. I love all of them. Really...