Firefly : Ep 1 - Serenity

Anyone even remotely interested in sci-fi fare should go and watch Firefly. This series has the potential for a cult (if somewhat cliche'd) following!

The first thing that will suck you in is the theme song which is a sweet country style ballad. The imagery and CG effects is somewhat reminiscent of recent sci-fi revivals like Battlestar Galactica, with slick high-def closeups and fast camera movements.

The story is par course for a sci-fi flick. There is the 'evil' alliance (huh?) and the rag-tag crew of a renegade ship (sounds familiar?).

Anyway, its a good watch. The characters are a lively (somewhat motley bunch), with lots of potential for development. I'd love to see how each character is expanded upon throughout the season.

Not a Kimchi in sight!

Went out for a team lunch with my colleagues from the office. Our destination, the Seoul Bulgogi outlet at Plaza Pantai (near Kerinchi LRT station).

Now, this is the first time for me. I didn't know what to expect. The only Korean food I know is Kimchi (that spicy fermented vegetable dish). Okaaaay...

So I was pleasantly surprised. It turns out, 'bulgogi' or Korean BBQ is an interesting mix of steamboat and yong tau foo. A bit of marinated beef, chicken and seafood and the usual yong tau foo fare. All served raw, to be cooked at the communal steamboat and hot plate grill at the center of the table.

Jose and His Amazing Technicolor Overcoat by Mario Rosenstock

What can I say, absolute genius! This guy just hits the right notes and even the old gaffer likes his song parody.

Satay Kajang Hj Samuri is now in Tmn Melati, Hulu Kelang!

This is going to sound commercialised, but I like Satay Kajang, particularly, Hj Samuri's (notwithstanding the environmental offence hoo haa). Anyway, I used to have to travel either to Awan Besar (KESAS Highway) or Restoran Jejantas Sungai Buloh to get my fix. Now, with the opening of the Tmn Melati branch, its even closer than ever! (from my house). My only worry is that, initially it'll be such a big hit that it'll be congested and takes forever to get a seat...I mean, its Hj Samuri! Woohoo! (edit: some people may digress and swears off Hj Samuri. There are probably better tasting satay out there, but right now, Hj Samuri fits the bill - for my taste buds!).

I do marketing, and I just marvel at the potential of the Hj Samuri 'brand'. I wonder if Hj Samuri is thinking about franchising!? Can I sign-up?

The Fellowship of the Twin Towers!

I'm kinda absorbed in all things Tolkien, foremost of which is his literary masterpiece, The Lord of the Rings. The White Tree of Kings, in the courtyard at the uppermost level of Minas Tirith is the symbol of the strenght of men (the free races of Middle Earth) and as such, plays an important role in rallying the tattered spirits of men facing the full might of Sauron's armies.

To some extend, I can draw parallels to what is happening in our world, where a group of people band together for the strenght that each offers, to face the harsh realities of our existence.

For that, I offer my thanks and salute' to my friends, my captains, my kings! My friends from yore (you know who you are), we've been thru a lot together. Thank you!

To the Fellowship!

Star Wars escapism, online!

I know, people will point out to me the virtues (or lack thereof) of Star Wars Galaxies, the Star Wars MMORPG that's available online now, but I have my reservations about the game. After World of Warcraft, my expectations for a subscription based game is pretty high.

However, there's no denying the fact that I'm a Star Wars fan. I wouldn't so much as declare I'm a downright fanatic, but its pretty close (althought no contest against the likes of the Star Wars zealots and the purist!)

Anyway, put my 2 loves (read: passtimes or hobby) and you have one hell of a combination. I mean, virtual avatar/existence and the Star Wars universe! What more could you ask? Other than a virtual Carrie Fisher of course!

Anyway, here's a mug shot of my current foray into the virtual Star Wars universe courtesy of Star Wars: Republic Commando for the PC, published by LucasArts.

Politics Commercialised OR Commercialised Politics? Take a guess!

Look at what I found when I attended a relative's Raya Open House. Amazing, and disturbingly frightening at the same time!

Puffy cheeks? How's that?

"Nuff said!"

Everyone we meet is immediately taken in by the ginormous puffy cheeks...so much so, it is perpetually red, from being pinched! Poor kid!

Speaking of which, the whole clan got together last weekend for my cousin's wedding. It is a rare sight indeed to see all my Uncles & Aunties under one roof again.

Thunder Bluff by night!

"Behold! The majestic scenery of Thunder Bluff at night"

My adventures in Azeroth often takes me back to the Tauren capital city of Thunder Bluff. It is a magnificent sight to behold as I soar above the towering spires and columns of totems that embodies the shamanistic and tribal ways of the nature loving Taurens.

Gaming Hitlist! - Nov 2005

I enjoy gaming, no doubt, but one game has me in its thrall and its very hard leave. No guessing what it is then. Good thing I can't play games in my sleep (or can I? *wink*). Here are some of the things that's keeping me occupied....until the next batch of releases!

Now playing;
On my AMD Sempron PC;
1) Call of Duty 2
2) Battlefield 2
3) Star Wars: Battlefront 2
and forever playing;
4) World of Warcraft ....online on Smolderthorn and Frostmourne
(Horde FTW!)

On my PSP;
1) Need for Speed: Most Wanted
2) Lord of the Rings: Tactics

How's that for a deep peaceful sleep!

"Not a care in the world!....

*sigh*To be a baby again...."

My son Aliff continues to amaze me. Everyday, a new facet of his personality manifest itself and I get to know him better. His very demeanour and character literally is shaped and transformed everyday right before my eyes.

signed,

Proud Dad

Eid'ul Fitr Family Gatherings

Phew! 11 days holliday! Feels good to get some time off but now its time to get back to work and earn a living. Anyway, this year, my son is the latest addition to the family, so he got a lot of attention from relatives (ipso facto, lotsa 'duit raya' too!).

(Wife's family photo. Everyone is here except for the youngest (sister) who is away in England.)

Anyway, I'll have more updates later as I'm at the office now and there's tons of stuff to do! To anyone still on holliday, have a great time! Don't worry, the work'll still be there when you get back....mwahahaha

MCKK MAC'ed

Some updates is due I guess;

...So, eversince I got the PSP (PSP'ed and loving it!), I've been spending a lot of time with it, so much so that my WoW gaming has been at a virtual standstill (managed to get my Druid to lvl38 a few days back). I also found out, some colleagues of mine are also into WoW (husband and wife playing the game together! GG Alena! FTW!).

Got together with some buds from my Alma Matter (MCKK),...

"FIAT SAPIENTIA VIRTUS"
1987-1991

"I spent 5 years of my life here, I wished I had spent 5 more (years)...",
quoted from a collegian, circa 1991 A.D.

It just so happens that they are MAC afficionados too! Both of them now have an Apple iBook G4! Leaving me as the sole innovator with my AMD/OS X hybrid. Anyways, we've been spending some time together getting familiarised with the new OS.

Head here to read about the exploits of a new MAC owner!

Finally, my wife and son is due to rejoin me in KL by this weekend. The wifey's confinement isn't exactly over, but I miss them too much. Besides, I need to get some raya shopping done...

Dual Personality, my PC marries a MAC!

TA DAA! ....just wanted to show what I've been up to these past few days.

I'm posting this blog from the 'cheap' PC that I bought the other day. Remember the Sempron? AMD S754 64bit budget cpu. I had XP Pro on it, but today, it is wearing an entirely new face!

VOILA! ....meet the OS X/x86 hybrid AMD PC, dual boot and running well with SSE3 from a MYR270 cpu!

More to come as I explore the wonders of this new OS!

October 5th, 2005 (D-day +1)

"THE DEED IS DONE...."

quoted by a friend of a PSP fanatic right after he handed overthe cash to the retailer

*look out for coming obsessive, compulsive and downright fanatical ravings of a deranged PSP owner lording it over the rest of humanity by virtue of being a PSP owner!

The PSP Dilemma!

And so it begins....All my thoughts are bent on it. While Gandalf may resist the power of the One ring and while Frodo bears it with a heavy heart, I can no longer resist the temptation to get myself ....a Sony PSP. Damn you Sony!

".....the craving is there,
buried deep within
the recesses of my psyche!"

Damn you for designing such an alluring device...so chock full of things I probably don't need, yet the craving is there, buried deep within the recesses of my psyche. No amount of hypnotic regression is going to suppress that desire...

The journey begins, tomorrow!

*most probably picking up a PSP tomorrow at Imbi Plaza, with my buddy (and fellow sucker for Sony gadgets). We'll see how it goes...

My new PC!

Well, today was a loooong day...Just got back from Batu Pahat yesterday, after spending the weekend with my mother and in-laws. My wife and the baby Aliff -I miss him already :(- stayed behind so that my wife can complete her confinement period in peace.

My sister-in-law, Hidayu, finally made her way to Nottingham University in the UK (yup, that famous land where Robin and his merry men once resided).

"cheerfull farewell...
for somebody going half-way
around the world!"

The bonus is here (good news finally!), so I settled my bills and all....and decided to get myself a new PC! (its the separation I tell you...it wreaks havoc with your will and desires!)

I knew I had to keep it relatively cheap (nothing of the sort I would've put together during the heydays of my PC gaming addiction). Nowadays, my requirements are more modest...I just need enough computing power to do some work, a bit of gaming (mainly World of Warcraft!) and a little torrent here and there....dum dee dum

Here's my cheap PC specs;

AMD Sempron 2800+ 64bit CPU
CMV CT-529A 15" LCD Monitor
80G Western Digital HDD
1024mb TwinMOS DDR400
ATi Radeon x700 PRO 128mb
Aztech 600EW ADSL, Wireless G router

*the rest of the PC specs are not worth mentioning!

When I have some free time............

Well, its just only 19th Sept, but its beginning to look like it'll be a very long month *sigh*. Still no sign of the bonus yet *glum*. On the bright side, my kid is doing just fine! *relief* and mommy is doing well too (despite the 'pantang-larang ') *joy*. In any case, this weekend I'm sending them back (balik kampung) to Batu Pahat for a needed R&R.

Umm..back to the topic;

What do I do when I have free time? Just so happens that a lot of 'free' time is coimg up...with baby and mommy back in Batu Pahat. I'll probably only visit fortnightly. That means I'll have two whole weekends to myself!

This is probably what my programme'll be like;

Weekend #1
Saturday : AM - Play WoW PM - Play WoW
Sunday : AM - Play WoW PM - Play WoW

Weekend #2
Saturday : AM - go back to Batu Pahat PM - Play WoW
Sunday : AM - Play WoW PM - go back to KL

"Me and Chumps hanging out
at the blimp tower,
Tirisfal Glades, UnderCity"

Weekend #3
Saturday : AM - Play WoW PM - Play WoW
Sunday : AM - Play WoW PM - Play WoW

Weekend #4
Saturday : AM - go back to Batu Pahat PM - Play WoW
Sunday : AM - Play WoW PM - go back to KL

Google WoW to find out what it is, or visit my links...

FTW!

KL Boy born to Johorean Parents

"Hi, my name is Mikhail, Muhammad Aliff Mikhail"

It had to happen...I mean, after all these while, everyone in the household is of Johorean descend. The Boy would have nothing of it. He's bent on being a citizen of the capital.

So, there I was, off to the NRD office at Maju Junction, right here in the heart of the city of Kuala Lumpur, to register the birth of my son, the KL Boy.

(about 2 hours later) voila! "Muhammad Aliff Mikhail bin Norkamarulazhar" is a proud citizen of Malaysia (with the relevant Birth Certificate to prove it) !

8 September 2005: My BOY comes into the world!

Baby boy!








Yeah, you read that right... My wife laboured to give birth to a bouncing baby boy on Thursday afternoon (3.01pm to be exact). Mom & baby is fine. We don't have a name for him yet (so AFundi's are still open!)

Anyway, I guess you'll want to 'see' him...

Hmm...he sleeps a lot...and feeds a lot too!

On the trip back home from the hospital, he was busy checking out the world...:) (unfortunately, the haze is back, or so I heard)

Baby's vital statistics:

Weight: 3.26kg
Height: 48cm
Eyes: brown (just like mom's)

* update about the bonus. Its coming! (soon!) and its a generous amount...All I can say is, its coming at the right time (finances are a bit stretched already)...AlhamduliLlah

Salary Revision rumors true! But where is the bonus?

I've been reading with earnest my friend's blog (URL: http://the-kimster.blogspot.com) and couldn't help but feel that, each of us have vastly divergent interest, yet we stick together through sheer ties that binds, e.g; friendship and camaraderie. Excellent!

"More often than not, its more of a token of appreciation by the powers that be (and is not at all related to performance)"

Also, its that time of year again. Everyone (employees at the company I work with) is anxiously waiting for the annual announcement of the bonus payouts. We'd all like to think of the bonus as a reward commensurate with the performance of the company. More often than not, its more of a token of appreciation by the powers that be (and is not at all related to performance). Either way, it means different things to different people.


meh!

Haze hits KL!

I guess every blogger worth his salt in KL will already have this on their blogsites, its becoming a critical event! How accurate are the API readings released to the public?

">300 API is already considered hazardous."

We're at >500 API, and I'm not hearing any call to actions at all?!? Things are getting worse...and the lack of action (or apparent lack of) is increasing anxiety levels.

Wedding Photos

A lot of sayings goes like this; "life starts at 40...." or "you'll never know the joys of life until...." etc....We'll, my life has seen its ups and down, but I will always remember my wedding day (August 21, 2004) in Batu Pahat, Johor (Malaysia).