Lifestreaming is killing my blogs

I am an avid user of Twitter and Facebook nowadays. They are not something really new in my life but for Twitter, I just realised its potential in being a way to document every single thing in my life as it happens and I can write, creatively or uncreatively, even with pictures and links, in 140 words and people can straight away comment on what I am doing. I am actually having real life conversation in real time with it. Hey, that is what I should tell people who just don't get Twitter the next time.

I have 2 blogs which I update constantly last year. This one and another called Legal Cat-asthrophe. I actually push the pause button my life as I was too immersed in these 2 blogs. Bad move. I nearly lost a book deal and may have not graduated at all from my second degree (which I still need to send in ONE LAST ASSIGNMENT). My existence then was go to places, events and live life while in my spare time, I update my blogs.

As I grow and grow, blog-wise, I was killing my real time social life (which was not that much but it does have a wife in there somewhere). I know that my wife supported my in my 'hobby' but it does put a strain on my obsession with trying to be too faithful to my blogs. Notice that I don't put too faithful to my blogreader? I don't think I have enough to justify living for them...

Anyway, I have lived my blog life for the past 2 years and I gained new friends through them but blogging is not a priority anymore. People did live blogging and use site such as Tumbler etc but as for me, Twitter and Facebook is the best way to lifestream your life. I found the word Lifestream when I joined the last session of Social Media Club Kuala Lumpur where they did a Skype conference with a guy from USA (which I just can't remember his name but a supposed technology evangelist who predicts a lot of things technologically). So, that was what I was doing all this time by updating my Twitter and Facebook in real-time.

Then, a Minister in Malaysia issue a statement we shouldn't be too obsesses with Facebook and Twitter. Especially, the Muslims he said...Yea, right. Then why is the Prime Minister suddenly want to engage with the people. Isn't he your boss? Foot in mouth anyone?

7 Years on...

...and we still can't keep our hands off each other...

And yes, I am talking about my wife. I don't want to jinx anything, with this 8.8.10 will be our 7th year in marriage and everything, but I do believe that this is the secret of a long marriage. My wife seems to be in the same boat with me as we are actually really very much in love with each other physically.

Yeah, yeah, I know....TMI...etc but I just want to share that as much as we love the physical comfort, we are a great partner in business too. In making money and in our taste for books, food, travel and in quieter times, music and just talking.

I do sometimes get on her nerve as much as she gets on mine.

But, what is marriage without some spice...

p/s : If you are reading this dear, I appreciate last year's birthday gift and your new year's resolution too... :)

2010, the year I travel

As of today, 8th of January 2010, I have booked three tickets for travel around Asia. I am trying to travel to a few countries this year and I am gunning for 4 continents at least. As of now, I'll start with these three booked dates. They are just around Malaysia, except for one which will require 8 hours plus of flight.

One island getaway which I had booked not realising one is on Valentine's day which I never celebrate. My wife will be happy to know we will be spending it on the island which we honeymooned years ago. 2003 to be exact. We loved it then and then disaster struck it in the form of a tsunami in 2004. Nearly the whole island town was gone. Now they say things are back to normal but a bit expensive.

I am talking about Phi Phi Island which is between Phuket and Krabi. We did try going there last year but a short-lived pregnancy terminated that trip. So, this February, I am going to travel to Phuket, straight away go to its ferry terminal, ride the afternoon ferry to Phi Phi Island, spend 3 nights there and then go to Krabi, which I never been to before and then fly off the next day. All is more or less below RM3,000. I think it is a steal. I am going to just lay there and not move and enjoy the view [Last them I was there, no one care to even cover up... :)]

Then in March (I know, bad right, talking about beach and babe then this), I am going to Mecca and Medina which is a small pilgrimage for my wife and I. I did went there in 1986 and I had wanted to go back ever since. And yes, I was there when I was 12 years old (as a gift from my parents when I managed to score 5As in the now defunct Penilaian Darjah 5).

Then in May, I am going to Singapore for Chicago the Musical which I missed when I was in London.

And these trips are not the end of it. For now, in the pipeline, there's Bali, Gold Coast and London. Maybe a few other local trips in between.

Yes, 2010 will be the year, I travel....Really travel....

Gonna be relaxing first in Phi Phi before all those other travels

Social Media Club, #TwtClub, #Tweetup and events

I know I have neglected my blog for quite sometimes but I was too busy doing things which actually relate to social media network itself. Just imagine this. Since New Year, even on New Year's Eve itself, I have been to three #Tweetups (Twitter Meet-ups). One of it was an unintentional meeting of a group of people I got to know through blogs and Twitter during New Year's Eve.

Then on the 2nd of January, I joined a tweetup which is the inaugural meeting of the #Twtclub which is actually short for Tweet Clubbing not Tweet Club, in which the former was a meeting to go clubbing and the latter is like a book club (?). It was really no problem for me as I had fun and even managed to close a deal....

As for the next day, I went for a real #Tweetup called #SembangLebat2010 which was a discussion among those who know each other through whatever social network either blogs, Twitter or Facebook. It was about everything under the sun and then some...

As I was saying, the internet actually brought me more real friends in life than any other real life. I was also privileged to get business, get new contacts and even had healthy discussion about computer, blogging, business, law, politics and all the thing you will talk with your friends if you ever meet them

I am proud to say that as much as my absence online, it actually due to me turning up off-line.

What you bring into the real world is the real reason why you are here....

As is now my norms, pictures of a few of the event can be found here in my Facebook profile :

#SembangLebat2010 #TweetUp

#Twtclub #Tweetup

New Year's Eve 2010 : A private party of 2

I checked in into the Mandarin Oriental Kuala Lumpur, a hotel just beside Kuala Lumpur Petronas Twin Tower and spent my New Year's Eve 2010 there. It was a plush hotel which set the standard of other hotel and the treatment by the staff plus the fact we were able to check out at 4pm on New Year's day, wow, it was an amazing experience. They really took care of the small thing like a turndown service with slippers put by the side of the bed, a party pack with Alka-Seltzer and their readiness of influx of houseguests who were mostly late for breakfast that day. And all this just for a standard hotel room, not even an executive room or a suite. I mean, now I know why they were so expensive.

If ever I was to open a hotel, big or small, budget or otherwise, this is the standard I am looking for....(I have been to JW Marriott, Ritz Carlton either in Malaysia or in other countries, so, I know a personalise standard when I see one)

As I am too lazy to do a transfer and I did post all my pictures while it happens in Facebook, here are my pictures of the whole celebration. If you have not add me in Facebook, add me and unless your name is a company which I may be a bit skeptical in adding, why not we be friend there too :

New Year 2010 celebration in Facebook

New Years Eve 2010 : 5 years in the making

This is a personal thing for me. To celebrate new year's eve at the place I have reserved for tomorrow. I have been wanting to do it for quite some times and without even having to say to my wife about it, I only asked her whether she knows where we would be celebrating our new year, without even giving any hint, she already knew it.

It all started when we celebrate our first and last new year ushering 2004 somewhere in the vicinity of KLCC, the twin iconic towers of Malaysia, home to our oil company, which for better or for worse, is the most recognisable symbol of Malaysia's success, in some way or another.We celebrated that year just a few blocks from KLCC. Far from the maddening crowd but close enough to feel the heat of the firework. That was a last minute planning and our room was not even facing KLCC. We had to go down to the floor where the pool is to look at the firework. As we were impressed with the firework, we promised to celebrate it at this one hotel where we think the firework will be much better viewed and hopefully, it can be seen from our hotel room.

The next year, 2005, we were busy moving the furniture from our apartment to our current abode and we foregone all new year celebration. 2006 was our first year in our new home and we just want to experience it there. The next year, 2007, there was no celebration as our ruler, the Yang DiPertuan Agung, our King, had just past away and out of respect, all government new year function was canceled. In 2008, the Gregorian new year coincided with the Haj pilgrimage celebration and in 2009, it was the Muslims new year where we did celebrate in a very neighbourly style with our neighbours.

(Caveat on the dates as I might have mixed up the dates and the events which made us decided not to celebrate)

So, this year is it. A celebration where we want to be a bit special. Not that far from home and no big celebration, except to watch firework at KLCC Park. We just hope that there will be one but I did checked out the internet and found a few websites which promised a celebration of some sort in the vicinity of KLCC. Here are the links to suggestions on how to celebrate new year in Kuala Lumpur by KLUE Magazine and Time Out KL.

What I want to do at least once in my lifetime

This is not my ultimate bucket list or I am doing it due to some illness which may kill me but I am doing it just because I want to...

1) Stay somewhere where no one know who I am for more than one week or at least a month...

2) Travel to Las Vegas;

3) See the sun rises on top of some mountain (not really too keen but if there an easy climb somewhere...)

4) Go to Disney whatever...I mean, it can be Disneyland, Disney World, Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Tokyo, Disneyland Hong Kong, but my ultimate will still be where Epcot Center is...

5) Go see Yellowstone;

6) Go see the midnight sun;

7) Go to Antartica;

8) Go to the Oscar (or the Grammy; the Emmy or even the Tony);

9) Publish a book (which is very much in the making and getting nearer and nearer);

10) Go to KLIA on the midnight of the day before New Year's Eve, points to a departure monitor and go where my finger is pointing, without reservation or without any luggage with my wife there and then

Just some wish which I might be doing next year or maybe if I am stable enough...But it all starts with a dream...

Wouldn't be amazing to be on a deserted island for a month just with your love one...

It's that time of the year

...where you celebrate Christmas even though you are not Christian....

...where you take a holiday somewhere as everyone else is doing it.....

...where you go and meet up old friends to catch up on their stories....

...where traffic jam is the order of the day but you still go out to mall to see about that hoopla about that snowflake machine...

...where some parents lost their child in the mall and some parents lost their child for good....

....where you remember that you haven't finish your last year's new year resolution and some were never done at all....

...where you plan to do new New Year Resolution....

...where you know you shouldn't have that second helping but ended having a fourth....

....where conversations flow, some with the help of lubricants

....where you spend more than you had budget for...


....where love might just be in the air....

....where you know you shouldn't be at Gurney Drive but you did and now your car is at the police station....

....where you went back to your hometown but the you got angry as they keep asking why you come back alone...

....where you are just glad that it is the end of the year....

....where you say to your self the usual stuff at the end of the year then keep doing it again until the time comes to reflect back on the year...

....where you just enjoy yourself like you usually do every day of the year....

....where there's fireworks, joy and celebration all over the world....

What is social media without the people behind it

I was invited to a few events which are closely related to social media for the past 2 weeks. An event called P1 Social Media Night, hosted by P1 Wimax, which is infamous for its "Potong!" advertisement to its maverick way in marketing their broadband. I have been to quite a few of their events this past one year as they seem to engage bloggers and other social media networkers more than any other telecommunication company. Now, we have everyone of them noticing the social media network as a place to market their products. Their event started at 6.30pm and supposed to finish at 10pm.

At the same time, in another part of the city, Starbucks Malaysia StarbucksMY was throwing another event to celebrate their 11 years presence in Malaysia. The day had started early for Starbucks as they gave out free coffee between 11am - 1pm which I did managed to get in the local Starbucks near my office. Their party started at 7pm until late.

How did I managed to go to both events? By sheer ingenuity and knowledge of the traffic within the area that day, that's how (traffic was a nightmare that day!). And I even managed to go and watch Avatar 3D after that, which I will watch again and again as there are so many Avatar Tweetup happening in the next few days (2 at last count)

Erin and Baki Zainal

Rebecca and Andy

All thepeople above were at the #P1SMN which stands for P1 Social Media Night

p/s : I actually have a picture who is behind @StarbucksMY but seems to misplace it....I wonder whether she will allow me to post it. Such a bubbly person

Starbucks 11th Anniversary in Malaysia

It was a very fun even with the host using social media to invite and keep those on Facebook and Twitter in the know of what was happening at the event. With the theme masquerade, I was curious at how they can use a Starbucks in a mall to throw an event to celebrate their 11th year in Malaysia. Thanks to the emcees who one of them in Xandria Ooi and the other Starbucks area manager, which I apologise as I can't for the life of me remember his name. However I do have a picture of him in the video below.

The invite was sent to me by email but conveyed in the first instance to me through Twitter. See how important to have a social media life to get invited to a gathering of real life people nowadays? I did had to divide my time with another event but that will be another post on another day

Here are some pictures and a video of people having fun...

The cake which was mutilated by the time we arrived

Other cakes on offer

Twitter updates there and then with a screen to check yours

And this is the dance off to the tune of Jai Ho!

(the guy in yellow is the area manager)