Squirrelized!!!!!!

On 19th August 2009, this appeared:

From yahoo.com:

"The rodent first made its appearance in a holiday photo taken by an American couple in Canada and has gone on to become a Web sensation.

Melissa Brandts and her husband, Jackson, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, were taking a time delay picture of themselves in front of a lake at Canada's Banff National Park when the squirrel jumped into the frame.

Melissa Brandts submitted the picture to National Geographic's "Your Shot" photo gallery with an explanation of how the unusual picture came about.

"We had our camera set up on some rocks and were getting ready to take the picture when this curious little ground squirrel appeared, became intrigued with the sound of the focusing camera and popped right into our shot!"

"A once in a lifetime moment! We were laughing about this little guy for days!!"

The holiday photo has since gone viral on the Internet and websites such as "The Squirrelizer" have sprung up in which the photo of the squirrel can be inserted into any picture.

And thus I thought, it would be nuts not to Squirrelized thy-self. And the below is me spending the most time with a rodent ever (besides my boss)...

It's the attack of the 60-foot giant Squirrel!!! AAAAAARRGGHHHH!!!! And it swims too!!! DOUBLE AAAARRRGGHHHH!!!!

Squirrel: "Hey Disney, where's my payments to my image rights eh?"

Goooood squirrel, Baaaaaaaad Uncle!!!

Squirrel: "Hey!! This ain't Kansas no more!!"

"You humans sure are NUTS".

Squirrel bowling via water slide. Poor squirky.

Whooaa squirrel, impressive "3rd hand"!!! So are you just happy to me or are you just going nuts over me?

My place or your place tree eh?

So what would be next...dog? cat? lamb? Barney?

Of Food and K...

Ahhhh.....The morning is rainy again, no mood to work yet again, and thus my blog comes a-calling!! Massive windy rains last nite by the way, dustbins and garbage strewned all over, windows smashed from flying debris, tents akimbo, signboards awry, but enough of my room already, here's some updates on weeks past....

No, didn't go woody horse-riding, it's actually the front of Ming Room @ Bangsar Shopping Center. Come, come, follow me and I'll shall you what's on offer...

Promo promo promo: Buy 1 dimsum dish and free another @ Ming Room, BSC. This one is the pomfret, 2 bowls of it for only RM8. And yes, it is delicious!! It's so good, I had to order 2 bowls...

'Chee Cheong Fun' warpped in 'Yau Char Kuai'. One of my mostest favouritest dishes for Dim Sim. Crunchy crunchy 'Yau Char Kuai', again had to order 2...Btw, that chilli concoction is to die forrrr.

Don't remember what this was, but it's something fried tinged with dashes of mayonise. Caterpillar perhaps? Maybe not in a place like Bangsar. But it was yummy yummy yummy nonetheless.

Of course, what is Dim Sum without the 'Siew Mai' and 'Har Kao'. But to be honest, these dishes here wasn't that good. I've had much better someplace else. Quite a shock that this was just so-so but the rest of the not-so-popular dishes was so good.

But enough of Dim Sum. Time to get some flower-power going. And no, nobody gave that flower to me unfortunately (and contrary to popular belief, guys DO appreciate getting flowers too y'know. Sounds completely weird, but besides the usual stuff that gals give guys, i.e. CDs, ties, shirts etc., some cool flowers are a new and modern way to go. Cool flowers? Purple roses rock). But enough of my feminine side, here's me @ Meatworks, Solaris Damansara for some meaty action (steaks and all, not call girls).

The T-Bone @ Meatworks, Solaris Damansara: Simple it may seem, but its surprising yummy. Good place for your meat fetishes...I guarantee it.

The Rib-Eye @ Meatworks, Solaris Damansara: Succulent and tender meat made to perfection. I'm saying this not because they gave me a free meal or anything, but this place is GOOD. I bumped into this place at Solaris when Tenji was fully-booked, and still am glad Tenji was fully-booked.

Flower Power!!! Nothing like a cuppa hot warm tea to wash down the meat grease. Ok that sounds yucky but it's true...

And on the same night, joined some frens for some K-Session @ Red-Box, Sunway (now you guys know why I was so late. But fret not, the Meatworks was for a good cause, i.e. to celebrate SL's achievement is some academic certification, so I have my alibi!!)

...and when you take off the top from the mike, it becomes a Lightsaber!!! Luke, I AM YOUR FATHER!!! The Force is indeed all around us.

*Wooot Wooot!!!!*

And that's all for now lah. More updates on my next post. Cioz!!

Photos To Remember

Disneyland is truly a magical and wonderous place to escape from anyone's harsh realities. But when unsuspecting visitors meet lousy Disney workers plying their cheeky trade behind Disney costumes, the result can only be below:


Now that's just Beastly.

Of Early Week Blues & Freaky Shit

Been surfin around youtube on a lazy Monday morning, armed with a temper to refuse all work that came my way, and it starts to rain, my mood goes down the drain along with the rain, and like a coincidence that was bestowed through the rain by the Gods of Heaven, I bumped into a freaky video of creatures living down in drains. In North Carolina, USA to be exact. Weird shit, this is:



Aliens or some other person's ass? Frankly, this is basically Karma. What you eat is what you'll get. You eat bad shit, you'll poo bad shit down the drains, and it'll come back up and bite yer ass. So save Mother Earth, cut down on the Sambal Belacan.

P.S. I'm a wee bit vulgar today. Probably's the Mexican I ate. Cut down on that too people.

What The...??!!!

"When a hawker and his two customers saw a car heading at full speed towards their stall, their first instinct was not only to save themselves but also the bowls of laksa that they were eating, reported Kosmo!.

A Proton Iswara crashed into the stall after colliding with a Nissan Sentra at the junction of Kampung Guar Jentik, Beseri, near Padang Besar, on Sunday.

In the 1.30pm incident, hawker Dahli Saad, 36, was making a bowl of iced shavings while the two customers were eating laksa.

“I heard a loud bang and saw a car spinning towards my stall."


The food's THAT good ehh...

The Devils (Re)Visited

Went to the Man Utd training session the Friday the 17th July. Was supposed to go to the actual match on Saturday, but had more important things to do (i.e. a photoshoot). Not much regret ‘cause the 2 players I really, REALLY wanted to see above all else was Carlos Tevez and of course, Christiano Ronaldo. Too bad, both are now gone to pastures anew. The new recruits for this year i.e. Valencia and Obertan ain’t nothing much to shout about, while Michael Owen, well, not much as a fan either since he’s an ex-Scouser haha. If only they came last year, while Ronaldo and Tevez were still in the team, it would have been perfect. Last year was also when they won the Premier League and the Champions League, so I’m sure the euphoria would be out of this world. Plus the cancellation of the Man Utd tour in 2007 due to the clash with the Asian Cup being held in KL, there goes the chance of seeing Ronaldo and Tevez running rings around Malaysian defenders in a red shirt of Man Utd (thank you very much Mr. Peter Velappan).

So far, I've seen Man Utd in 2001 during their last visit to KL (when Beckham and Co. was around); Chelsea, Newcastle, and Birmingham City during the 'Premier League Asia Thorphy' tournament in 2003 in Malaysia; Arsenal waaaaay back in 1999 (all hail Dennis Bergkamp); Real Madrid Vs. Valladolid in Madrid itself (during my UK years); and a few League Two matches (it was some match between Barnet, Northamption, Screwsbury and Hereford I think...can't remember which versus which already haha).

But the training session was still fun, and heck since it’s free, why the hell not….

So the only team I haven't seen on Malaysian shores is Liverpool...Somebody make them change their sponsors please??!!

That Daryl Weekend

An Australian cousin dropped by last weekend (i..e Daryl), and since he don’t drop by so often, I just had to spend some time with him don’t I? So, dragged up all the rest of the cousins around KL (with gfs) and went around Sunway and MV to eat, shop, and chat (what else is there in KL, eh?) Oh yea, managed to have TK to bring all of us to a far-away Bak Kut Teh stall in Teluk Pulai, Klang. Comparing this stall to the Hokkien Association stall that we normally go? The latter is much better ;) Anyway, here’s some random photos just for posting sake:

The last photo before we all bolted from the place and left Daryl to bill. Now that's Malaysian hospitality...

Phil, why you holding your crotch? Down boy, down!!!

Mr. Greedy Eyes aiming for the Salmon Roll. Or issit the Dai Roll? Doreime Roll? Can't remember.

I still don't know what this is. And I still think the waiter ordered this and not us. REFUND!!!

Bak Kut Teh for breakfast!!! Actually by the time we reached there it was more like brunch. And we also had to make a U-Turn to fetch some leftover (i.e. Phil). Haihzz. This was in Teluk Pulai, Klang.

Bong Juice, anyone? Available at Teluk Pulai, Klang.

Daryl, your crack's showing...

Of Fame & Its Ills...

Could this be the reason why Michael Jackson succumbed into passing? This is taken from Yahoo.com's Associated Press Exclusive:

LOS ANGELES – Michael Jackson was so distraught over persistent insomnia in recent months that he pleaded for a powerful sedative despite warnings it could be harmful, says a nutritionist who was working with the singer as he prepared his comeback bid.

Cherilyn Lee, a registered nurse whose specialty includes nutritional counseling, said Tuesday that she repeatedly rejected his demands for the drug, Diprivan, which is given intravenously.

But a frantic phone call she received from Jackson four days before his death made her fear that he somehow obtained Diprivan or another drug to induce sleep, Lee said.

While in Florida on June 21, Lee was contacted by a member of Jackson's staff.

"He called and was very frantic and said, `Michael needs to see you right away.' I said, 'What's wrong?' And I could hear Michael in the background ..., 'One side of my body is hot, it's hot, and one side of my body is cold. It's very cold,'" Lee said.

"I said, `Tell him he needs to go the hospital. I don't know what's going on, but he needs to go to the hospital ... right away."

"At that point, I knew that somebody had given him something that hit the central nervous system," she said, adding, "He was in trouble Sunday and he was crying out."

Jackson did not go to the hospital. He died June 25 after suffering cardiac arrest, his family said. Autopsies have been conducted, but an official cause of death is not expected for several weeks.

"I don't know what happened there. The only thing I can say is he was adamant about this drug," Lee said.

Following Jackson's death, allegations emerged that the 50-year-old King of Pop had been consuming painkillers, sedatives and antidepressants. But Lee said she encountered a man tortured by sleep deprivation and one who expressed opposition to recreational drug use.

"He wasn't looking to get high or feel good and sedated from drugs," she said. "This was a person who was not on drugs. This was a person who was seeking help, desperately, to get some sleep, to get some rest."

Jackson was rehearsing hard for what would have been his big comeback — his "This Is It" tour, a series of performances that would have strained his aging dancer's body. Also, pain had been a part of his life since 1984, when his scalp was severely burned during a Pepsi commercial shoot.

Several months ago, Jackson had begun badgering Lee about Diprivan, also known as Propofol, Lee said. It is an intravenous anesthetic drug widely used in operating rooms to induce unconsciousness. It is generally given through an IV needle in the hand.

Patients given Propofol take less time to regain consciousness than those administered certain other drugs, and they report waking up more clear-headed and refreshed, said University of Chicago psychopharmacologist James Zacny.

It has also been implicated in drug abuse, with people using it to "chill out" or to commit suicide, Zacny said. Accidental deaths linked to abuse have been reported. The powerful drug has a very narrow therapeutic window, meaning it doesn't take doses much larger than the medically recommended amount to stop a person's breathing.

An overdose that stops breathing can result in a buildup of carbon dioxide, causing the heart to beat erratically and leading to cardiac arrest, said Dr. John Dombrowski, a member of the board of directors of the American Society of Anesthesiologists.

Because it is given intravenously and is not the kind of prescription drug typically available from pharmacists, abuse cases have involved anesthesiologists, nurses and other hospital staffers with easy access to the drug, Zacny said.

In recent months, Lee said, Jackson waved away her warnings about it.

"I had an IV and when it hit my vein, I was sleeping. That's what I want," Lee said Jackson told her.

"I said, 'Michael, the only problem with you taking this medication' — and I had a chill in my body and tears in my eyes three months ago — 'the only problem is you're going to take it and you're not going to wake up," she recalled.

According to Lee, Jackson said it had been given to him before but he didn't want to discuss the circumstances or identify the doctor involved.

The singer also drew his own distinctions when it came to drugs versus prescription medicine.
"He said, `I don't like drugs. I don't want any drugs. My doctor told me this is a safe medicine,'" Lee said. The next day, she said she brought a copy of the Physician's Desk Reference to show him the section on Diprivan.

"He said, 'No, my doctor said it's safe. It works quick and it's safe as long as somebody's here to monitor me and wake me up. It's going be OK,'" Lee said. She said he did not give the doctor's name.

Lee said at one point, she spent the night with Jackson to monitor him while he slept. She said she gave him herbal remedies and stayed in a corner chair in his vast bedroom.

After he settled in bed, Lee told Jackson to turn down the lights and music — he had classical music playing in the house. "He also had a computer on the bed because he loved Walt Disney," she said. "He was watching Donald Duck and it was ongoing. I said, `Maybe if we put on softer music,' and he said, `No, this is how I go to sleep.'"

Three and a half hours later, Jackson jumped up and looked at Lee, eyes wide open, according to Lee. "This is what happens to me," she quoted him as saying. "All I want is to be able to sleep. I want to be able to sleep eight hours. I know I'll feel better the next day."

Lee, 56, is licensed as a registered nurse and nurse practitioner in California, according to the state Board of Registered Nursing's Web site. She attended Los Angeles Southwest College and the Charles Drew University of Medicine and Sciences in Los Angeles.

Comedian Dick Gregory, who knows Lee and her work, said he believes Jackson's insomnia had its roots in the pop star's 2005 trial on child molestation charges. Jackson's health had deteriorated so much that his parents called Gregory, a natural foods proponent, for help.

Gregory said Jackson wasn't eating or drinking at the time and, after he was persuaded by Gregory to undergo testing, ended up hospitalized for severe dehydration.

But Jackson obviously was healthy enough to withstand the level of medical scrutiny needed to insure him for the upcoming high-stakes London concerts, Gregory said. "That you don't trick," he said of the exams.

Lee, who has also worked with Stevie Wonder, Marla Gibbs, Reynaldo Rey and other celebrities, said she was introduced to Jackson by the mother of one of his staff members. Jackson's three children had minor cold symptoms and their pediatrician was out of town.

Lee said she went to the house in January, the first of about 10 visits there through April, and treated the children with vitamins. Michael, intrigued, asked what else she did and took her up on her claim she could boost his energy.

After running blood tests, she devised protein shakes for him and gave him an intravenous vitamin and mineral mixture — known as a "Myers cocktail," after Dr. John Myers — which Lee said she uses routinely in her practice.

"It wasn't that he felt sick," she said. "He just wanted more energy."

Lee said she decided to speak out to protect Jackson's reputation from what she considers unfounded allegations of drug abuse or shortcomings as a parent.

"I think it's so wrong for people to say these things about him," she said. "He was a wonderful, loving father who wanted the best for his children."

Review: Transformer 2

The movie that almost everyone is looking out for this year, 'Transformers 2: The Revenge of the Fallen' arrived on Malaysian shores with tremendous euphoric greeting of Michael Bay’s (and Megan Fox’s) latest summer popcorn smash (GSC’s online booking website almost crashed from excessive demand!!). Transformers 2 was hoped to live through a life of a better sequel, i.e. Terminator 2, Aliens, Godfather 2, The Dark Knight) whereby the sequel was arguably a better version of the original. But alas, you may put some money on James Cameron or Christopher Nolan to deliver such a promise, but never Michael Bay. Free from the supervision and shackles of Steven Spielberg’s guiding hand in the first Transformers movie, this time around Michael Bay is let loose, and what a loose-cannon he is, and his unrestrained bayhem was unfortunately personified on screen for all to see.

No doubt bigger in every way (except where it is needed, i.e. the script), this film represents Michael Bay at his most undisciplined and ridiculous. Any reason and logic that can be associated to any fleeting likeness to a plot or script is thrown out the window with an adredelin-induced kick. Whatever words or sentences muttered by the actors serves no main reason whatsoever except to move from one big action scene to another, and in instances when there’s no action scenes, the words are simply fillers to entertain the viewers with mainly childish humor that would mainly perk the pre-teens and grown men that suffers from a serious case of 80’s nostalgia.


But almost everyone would have expected nothing less from Michael Bay, he is after all, Michael Bay, the great action conductor that brought us memorable popcorn fun in movies like Armageddon, Bad Boys I & II, The Rock, and of course the original Transformers. With Michael Bay, action is what he is all about and action he doesn’t fail to bring us with a big, loud bang. Armed with almost USD200 million of a war chest, he spends them without a care in the world and the special effects are certainly a USD200 million visual feast of a joyride for all to see. With more robots, bigger action sequences, more explosions and definitely more Megan Fox (I just have to throw that in), Transformers 2 is unquestionably an action opus that would make any action and robo junkie’s wet dream.

But speaking of action sequences, in general Transformers 2 suffers from an over-ambitious intent that leaves the overall movie composition feel like a one big expensive mess, in particular the last hour where it’s set in a Middle-Eastern desert. With almost an entire hour devoted to this piece of action scene, it becomes one long drawn out and untidy desert fight scene that has characters running amok from explosions igniting from anything that can be exploded, robots appearing and disappearing just as quickly from nowhere and the heavy participation of the military that made the movie feel like a half-commercial for the army, it all drags on and tires out, leaving any feeling of excitement sucked completely dry and what is left is a mindless and soulless MTV video clip glorifying Michael Bay’s crack-induced action flair (and Megan Fox running in all different manners possible in slow-mo).


A novelty of the first Transformers movie was the design of the robots, but in this sequel it has become a chore to watch. With the Decepticons’ similar chrome coloring and spiky designs, it all becomes somewhat confusing, especially in the desert action scene. With Michael Bay’s usual hyper-editing and extreme close-ups, it is often someone would confuse Megatron with Starscream, Scoponok with Soundwave and so on. When the action is on hyper mode, one would need to take a moment or two to recognize a specific robot or whether that robot is good or evil, but by that time when this realization is complete, one would already have missed a significant chunk of the action as the quick-fire editing moves things along at hyperspeed. Due to this, it is best to just not bother and simply watch the action. The result of this is that all the action becomes cold with no connection between the viewer and what is on screen whatsoever, and this contributes to the overwhelming disorganization and disorientation on screen.

Coming off best from this carnage is the comedic roles played by the side actors such as Ramon Rodriguez as Shia’s roommate as the web crazy oddball with a senseless energy. Kevin Dunn and Julie White as Shia’s parents almost stole the show with their comedic slack, especially during the scene when Shia was just checking into his new college. John Turturro returns and continuing what he did best in the first movie, and virtually saves the second half of Transformers 2 from over-induced action and tediousness, he picks up the comedic slack amidst all the sand-blasting and metal-clanging carnage by helping to leave a smile or two on our already sensory-overloaded faces.

Besides the robots, Megan Fox is certainly the next in line for the reason why hordes of boys are lining up at box-office for this movie. With the help of Michael Bay’s MTV flair for bringing out the best curves humanly possible from Megan, she simply remains as the sole person in the world at the moment to ooze testosterone –filled charm without uttering a single word. With that however, is how far Megan can go at present because besides her perfection in displaying her curves and looking so hot in slow-mo not seen since Pam Anderson in Baywatch, her acting abilities still has some way to go. She already seduced the masses with her good looks and now all she needs is a few good acting performances for her to be propelled to real super-stardom and not fall into the void of “all looks and no brains” category of an actress.

The bottom line is, as a mindless summer popcorn movie Transformers 2 will provide all the thrills but not the satisfaction associated with the first Transformers movie. The first Transformers movie enjoyed the novelty of a CGI spectacle not seen since Jurassic Park with the dinosaurs, or the Lord of the Rings with the fantastic creatures and battle scenes. But with Transformers 2, the novelty wears off, and it wore of thin and fast. As the movie moved along, the action becomes repetitive, the jokes became corny and the story is just non-existent, with the viewer simply waiting for the ‘next thing big’ to happen, but it never did. For all Michael Bay had achieved in the first Transformers movie, the sequel sadly falls into the category of “should have been much better” and it should really could have been much more better. Michael Bay made a mess of this movie, he was out of control and hopefully he knows it.

Reviewed by: Raymond Choy

Verdict: 7 / 10

Gary Chao, Back on Form

Have you heard Gary Cao Ge’s latest album yet? This lad from Sabah packs a velvet voice coupled with explosive vocals that propels him to a level at par, or even better with any international artiste, in my opinion. Already achieved international stardom in major Chinese markets like Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and of course Malaysia, Gary keeps his super streak going with his latest effort, ‘Supermarket’ (previous albums were titled ‘Superman’ and ‘Super Sunshine’). To be honest, even though those ‘super’ albums were not so super, I was really looking forward to his latest album as always. His first breakthrough album ‘Blue’ remain as one of my all-time favorite album and it has and forever will be in the ‘loop’ mode on my iPod for many years already, and for many years still to come.

Now, his recently launched and his latest effort titled ‘Supermarket’, is a tremendous return to form. While his previous 2 albums were more playful and somewhat failed to serve as a convincing follow-up to his fantastic ‘Blue’ album, however this time around he returns to what he knows best, and returns to what made him excel, which are ballads. Track after track is easily likeable, and the more you listen to them, the more you tend to admire the depth of his songs. Depth, not just in his lyrics, but also his vocals. He boasts a voice many international artists would be proud to call it their own, and with already 4 albums under his belt, he possesses a collection of songs many artists would be envious, envious not just because they are hits, envious because they are songs that not many can imitate. For another artist to achieve a cacophony of vocals to match Gary is a tremendous challenge, and by achieving such a feat by someone would usually render him a protégé to almost certainly reach super-stardom. And that is why many upcoming artists look up to Gary, to strive to reach his level of talent.

Have a listen to Gary’s latest effort, titled ‘Ji Mo Xian Shan’ from his very latest album. It roughly means lonely man, and even if you don’t understand mandarin, the vocal of Gary mirrors the feeling of solitude and desolation of a person; the isolation simply reaches out and touches you. An amazing song, and an even more amazing vocals, he’s simply the personification of velvet soul.




From all the singers that I listen to, Gary’s the best I’ve ever heard, not just on recorded material but ‘live’ as well. His vocals do not differ much from recorded material, if not at all. Some singers sing brilliantly on CD, but when it come to ‘live’ performances, few can match Gary’s consistency. I was lucky enough to witness a performance of his many years back during a concert held by a major local radio station in Sunway Lagoon. Many singers from abroad were in attendance, so each performer had their limited time on stage. Although Gary sang only a total of 3 songs, he didn’t disappoint and it literally cemented by admiration for him. I never did get to witness a full concert from him before, but when the time comes, I will be there, God willing and finger’s crossing.

And on that note, do you know when I really got to know Gary? This is a true story, honestly. I still remember during his very early days, before when he was a superstar, I was in Sungai Wang and he was promoting his very first album ‘Blue’ at the main concourse area. Sungai Wang was packed as usual with the weekend crowd, but the queue for Gary’s signature was embarrassing compared to the other crowds there busy with better things to do like shopping. It was so bad, I honestly remember Gary literally got off from his chair at the main concourse area and started walking down towards the crowd shuffling past him that didn’t pay much attention to him. He had to get himself among the crowd to promote his CD. I asked my friend on what Gary was saying as he got near to him, and my friend replied that Gary was simply asking people to try out his album. During his early days, he had to literally look for followers. Many years passed, and look at him now. It makes you wonder how one must persevere in times of adversity and only then one can reach, and then appreciate, the times of victory.

And just to share with you, here's one of my all-time favorite Gary Chao song, titled 'Shi Jie Wei Yi De Ni'. Roughly meaning 'You are the only one', it's a simple song but it’s a simple song, but it’s simply about love, love from all walks of life in this world, because there’s always someone for somebody, it’s just a matter of time.



Ballad now, Gary Cao Ge.