StarCraft II

Girl, please bear with us for few more days :p

无题

北纬二十六度十三分十二点二十秒,
东经五十度三十分四十点九十秒,
离家六千里路.

Hard-working

Before I start to write anything, I would like to say, “thanks god, it’s Friday”.

I have been stays at this desert for almost 3 weeks. I miss everything at the Bolehland; the rain, the foods, the weather, and my wife. But work is still work, no matter you like it or not, when you took the salary you have to complete your due diligence.

I’m used to be a workaholic. When I first join my current company, I was so busy until I admitted to the hospital because of appendix (I’m not sure whether these two are related or not, anyway, I always make it an excuse when I want to say I’m busy :p). However, I still dare not say I’m hard-working.

Ok, let us look at the definition from Oxford about hard-working. Oxford dictionary said that hard-working is tending to work with energy and commitment. Lots of people fulfill the first condition, working with energy, but very less people do work with commitment.

If you work in the construction site, you will see lots of general worker. Are they hard-working? I believe no, they just work hard to earn their food. I never look down on these people because sometime I feel like I’m part of them.

Last few years, when my company doing few projects at Bolehland, I used to work until very late, 2-3am, sometime over night, and I never off my mobile phone. Last year Chinese New Year eve, I went to one of my project side to help the operator to activate back the PLC after the power failure. So, I believe I’m a failure.

Talking about successful, how you define success?

Running to the work site after the CNY eve dinner definitely is not success. Working late also not success. Cancel my trip to stay back to finish the project is also not success.

I know few people which I considered success. Write very nice email, using those funny funny words like escalator, lift, etc in his email to express how hard-working he is, although he never misses the 6PM bell. Take emergency leave to go to South Africa to watch world cup, although there is a submission to close in the next day. Repeating saying “I don’t know” in his work and never learn.

You might think I try to promote myself using this blog, or try to condemn someone to promote myself. Seriously speaking, I will get nothing from this post, and I may end up with a warning letter if someone wants to be funny with me.

Then what for I wrote this?

I wrote what I saw and heard, which I believe is truth and nothing but the truth. I want to tell how stupid I’m, how unfair is this world, and how unbalance I’m. But somehow, I have completed my due diligence, my obligation as a worker; I own nothing to this society. Although there is no fairness in this world, which I believe is truth, but we can create our own fairness. Only those losers will complain the unfair and do nothing about it.

The next thing I want to learn in my life is to be fair to my family. Once I done that, I can only use the word hard-working, because I can fulfill the second condition of commitment, to the company, to myself and to my family.

最美的文字

有人问我这世间最美的文字是什么。瞬间我脑里浮现的是你的名字。

Abu Dhabi

Burj Khalifa

Now waiting at the Abu Dhabi airport for the flight going to Bahrain. Not much excited about.

Have been stay at Abu Dhabi for a week and everyday having fast food for my meal :s Now I start to vomit once I heard the word fast food.

Went to Dubai again last Friday with my colleagues. Nothing much at Dubai also but this time we tried to use their new transport, the metro. Expensive is the only word I can think of as compare to Bolehland. Service is so so like Bolehland.

We also went to pub at the most happening street, the Jumeira Road. When we at the front door of the pub area, we felt like at the heaven. Our eyes never tired with the girls pass by us. However, happiness is always very short cause we are not allow to go in to the pub due to no reservation :(

So when went to have a drink at stupid bar listen to arab song and see some stupid peoples throw the plate onto the floor.

Before we go back to Abu Dhabi, we went to have our dinner at a very famous restaurant. Heard the rumour said that this is the restaurant where Satan Hussein having dinner with France president.

Basically is a grill fish. I'm not fish lover and I can't differentiate between a frozen fish and swimming fish. Anyway the fish is quite nice.

5kg fish, please don't ask me the name of the fish

Will need to come to Abu Dhabi again in another 2 months time, but now I need to go back to Bahrain to start my control works. Will be busy soon.

N97 mini VS X6

Before I continue, I just want to clarify that this blog is not about mobile phone review and it is also not free commercial advertisement for Nokia. I don’t call it a review because I only start to use this phone since last 3 days, although I know I’m a genius :p but I still not a specialist in writing those technical blogs.

Ok, why I bought me and my wife a new phone?

I have been using S.E. K610i since around 4 years ago, and I bought it together with my buddy, Nic. It is a good phone, but recently, it start giving some problems. Mine phone start to hang once a while and my wife’s phone sometime the volume is too low. So, I start searching the net for a new phone since last month.

Other than the mentioned reasons, two very strong “excuses” for me to acquire a new phone.

First, I need a phone that has wifi. Ya, I think if you know me, then you will know I will get myself online whenever I can. From PSP to pocket PC, I try to get myself to net whenever I received the wireless signal.

Second, I need a GPS. I always get lost in the city, so I really need to get myself a GPS, although I already have a beautiful live GPS with me :p

So, I start to do the study. Symbian, Android, iPhone, Meomo, …

iPhone is definitely out of my list. Not because I don’t like iPhone, it’s expensive in the first place and a personal reason that lead me away from considering this phone.

I don’t like Blackberry, so it is out.

Now only left Symbian and Android phones.

Ok, I know Symbian is dying. No doubt that Symbian^1 is old and Symbian^3 is still in the lab. But when you look at the market, Symbian is still dominating the market of mobile OS. I hope by introducing the Symbian^3, it wouldn’t end like PalmOS.

I like Android although I haven’t uses it before. I got confident with Google. But, when talking about Android, the first thing come out from my mind is HTC. I never doubt of Google capability, but I doubt the name of HTC. It reminds me of O2 and dopod. I just hope HTC will not end like these two brands.

Other than the bad history of HTC, the price also stops me from looking at it. Then the second brand come out from my mind is S.E.

I was used to be the S.E. supporter. When that time Nokia is screwed up with its stupid phones, S.E. shows us hopes, that why I bought K610i. But today, S.E. didn’t continue to develop its phones. All the high end models are either using Android or Symbian. Xperial X10 is huge, nice hardware but using Android 1.6 -.- and the price is stoping all the poor man like me to think to own it. X10 mini is too small, X8 is still in the lab. Satio & Viva is expensive in the first place, and why I want to get a S.E. phone that use Nokia’s OS? If Symbian is originated for Nokia and it don’t perform well in Nokia, how can it perform better in S.E.? So, S.E. is out.

Samsung i5700 is another choice. Running on Android 2.1 with 800Mhz CPU and it is only cost around RM1100 (AP set), it should be a good choice. Too bad, the phone is a mid range phone with lousy camera that do not come with flash. Galaxy S is too expensive. So, that’s end of my consideration of getting a Samsung.

Now left Nokia. I choose N97 mini for myself and X6 for my wife, since she sent me an email with a big cross on the N97 :p

I was thinking getting myself a X6, but after that I changed my mind and get a N97 because it suit more to an old working guy. X6 is more suitable for teenage.

Thanks to Nic for helping me to get the phones and I accidentally poisoned him to get the X10. He is confirmed a rich man.

Once I power up my N97, I happy that I make a good choice. The keyboard is just awesome. The interface is OK, the respond is acceptable for an old man, and stability is ok although I make it hang for few times.

X6 touch screen is much better and sensitive than N97. I love its touch screen. When those days, people call a resistive screen a touch screen, now they should call the resistive screen a “press” screen and the term touch screen should reserved for capacitive screen. When my wife saw my N97 stylus, she is so happy to ask me to give it to her. Then I told her too bad that she can’t use the stylus because the screen is designed for human hand. Poor wife :p, now she need to learn how to use the phone in the teenage way.

So, both phones are good. N97 mini is convenience with the keyboard, the UI is ok. X6 got a very nice touch screen and bigger internal memory. Both come with a very sharp camera with flash. A little bit slow with the slow CPU speed, but overall it is acceptable. So get a N97 if you want to look pro and matured, and get X6 if you want to feel or look young.

The OS is quite complicated if you want to use the full power of the phone and it will hang when doing complicated tasks. Well, totally acceptable by me, even an i7 will hang with Win7, not to say an old OS with low speed gadget. 

端五节快乐

I don't know how to call this date in English, some say is dragon boat festival, and some say is double fifth festival.

In Chinese we call this day as 端五节, 端 is taken from the word 开端, which mean beginning, and 五 mean five. So, from the words it mean the festival that fall on the fifth day. Ya, we celebrate it on the fifth day of the fifth month of the year, that why some also called it double fifth festival.

So far I didn't have chance to see the dragon boat race, but something that I will never miss or never want to miss is the 粽子. You can called it dumpling if you want. I don't like those selling in the market, the home make is still the best. I miss those days that my grandmom cook this for us, I never able to find that taste again.

Ok, when you remember when is valentine, I hope you will also remember that today is a very important festival also.

Honey, I'm home

I have been staying at the Dustyland for about 1 month, and finally I'm going home today, few days earlier than the scheduled date because to put red carpet to welcome the orang utan to see the trees. Pity those haiwan that they seldom got chance to see tree. The biggest tree and most famous tree in the Dustyland is not even bigger than the lalang behind my house.

Ok, forget about those stupid thing, I'm going home today.

It's summer now, the temperature is very unreasonable. Most of the time, it can reach around 45 degree C at noon. The heat can cook you if you stand under the sun for more than 1/2 hours. Sometime, I see those workers working under the sun, I have to respect them. They are tough. If everyone can choose, no one willing to work under the sun, and no body will to work away from home (I'm not sure about some people, but me definitely hope can have more time with my love one).

But no willing and responsibility is totally two different creature. No body willing to be sent to war, but as an army, their responsibility is there to protect the country. I'm not army, but I clearly know my responsibility. Chinese idiom said take people's money, solve people's problem. I follow this rule.

Will stay at Bolehland for 2-3 weeks before come back to the Dustyland. Feel grateful that there is a group of friends that work hard to end this nightmare together. Without these heroes/sheroes, I believe my life in this piece of desert will be miserable. And have to thanks my wife for understanding my works. I wish I can have more time for her after this nightmare ended.

Ok, boarding time.

Honey, I'm back ^^

Paris-London Trip - Day 7

The first thing that comes out in my mind about London is red. The telephone booth, the bus, marching band, MU (I hate MU), … all are red colour.

We start our journey from Victoria area and walk to Buckingham Palace. When we reach there, there already crowded with people. Everyone is waiting for the marching band to march out from the palace. We hanging there awhile, and we planned to leave the area, the marching just started, ^^ lucky.

The Victoria Memorial

Victoria Memorial from front view

The marching band

The marching band

Sculpture at Victoria Memorial 

After Buckingham Palace, we walk pass Hyde Park and enter the Brompton road. It’s an area full with luxury brand, and there is a “shopping mall” that I have to mention here, the Harrods. I heard that Princess Diana like to shopping here. Ok, now you can imaging the price. We didn’t do any shopping there, first of all, it’s basically will only wasting our time; secondly, I’m afraid I will accidentally break anything and I need to wash dishes there forever :p

The next stop is Victoria & Albert (V&A) Museum and next to it is Science and Natural History Museums. Nothing much special there except it is free.

After walking in the museums, we went back Hyde Park. It’s a huge park. It’s so huge until we are not able to finish it. Kensington Gardens is just next to Hyde Park, separated by a lake called The Serpentine.

At a corner of the park is the Albert Memorial. Maybe you don’t know who Prince Albert is, but you definitely know who Queen Victoria is. The Albert Memorial is commissioned by Queen Victoria in memory of her beloved husband.

The Albert Memorial

My wife ^^

Next to the Albert Memorial is the Royal Albert Hall. If you like musical performance, then you may pay a visit here, but I believe the ticket is not cheap. Anyway, we only pass by the building.

Royal Albert Hall

At the end of the Kensington Gardens is the Kensington Palace. It was used to be official residence of our beloved Princess of Wales, Diana. We didn’t go in to the palace because it is not free and we also sick of seeing these luxury buildings after the Versailles.

Kensington Palace

Mirror trick :)

She is so sweet

The next stop is Marble Arch, which is neat to the Speakers’ Corner. Too bad we didn’t spot any speaker there. You may do public speaking here as long as the police consider your speech is lawful. I wonder when Bolehland can assign a area as Speakers’ Corner.

The Marble Arch

The next stop is Baker Street. If you are Sherlock Holmes’ fans, you definitely will know why Baker Street is so famous. Another tourist area in Baker Street is Madame Tussauds, the wax museum. The ticket price is £28 :s

Sherlock Holmes statue at the Baker Street

The next stop is at Trafalgar Square. When we reached there, the square is preparing for a concert. There are few famous buildings around the square. The National Gallery is at the back of the square, and right to it is Admiralty Arch which is a office building. At the left hand side is the St. Martin-in-the-fields, which is a church.

The Nelson's Column 

The St. Martin-in-the-field

The Trafalgar Square

Admiralty Arch

Walking from Trafalgar Square to the Parliament Square through Whitehall street will pass by Horse Guards and St. James’s Park.

The first building that attracts your eyes is the Houses of Parliament which have a huge clock tower called Big Ben. The building is also known as Palace of Westminster. Next to the Houses of Parliament is the Westminster Abbey.

Statue of Abraham Lincoln on the Parliament Square

My wife & Big Ben

The Big Ben

The House of Parliament

Westminster Abbey is a church but what make it so famous is because there are lots of great people buried in that area. Isaac Newton is buried there on 4th April 1727. Enter to the church is not free and when we reached there, it is closed.

The Westminster Abbey

You can see the London's Eye from the Westminster Bridge.

My wife & London's Eye

We end the day here.

To be continue…

Fish

That day when I was in the car talking about the gay (please don't think wrongly that I'm a gay, I'm 100% not gay and I only love girl), I look at my colleagues, the fan shue, my wild horse and my natural enemy, why in boy's school got so many gays and in girl's school there are les.

One of the reason that I can think of is the evolution. Well, how this idea came from?

Many people didn't know that some fishes actually can change their sex.

O.O unbelievable?

One of the example is clownfish. If you don't know what is clownfish, then maybe if I say Nemo, you will know what is clownfish look like. So, don't ask the seller to get you a male Nemo, at the end, it maybe a female or bisexual at the same time.

Fish change sex mostly due to the environment, to produce offspring. If you put all male fishes at the same pond, in order to maintain the species, some of the male fish will changing their sex to female and give birth.

So, that explained that why boy's school students are tending to become gay after some time :p

I better wear extra pants tonight, just in case my natural enemy realize this fact.

Dilbert comic

I love Dilbert comic, this stripe remind me the famous lawyer of Bolehland, "Sounds like me, looks like me, but how you know it was really me?".

猫

天暗了 天空被涂成深黑色
然而城市的灯 荼毒了它的美
它颈上系着蝴蝶结 在没有灵魂的废区中寻找它的晚餐
一个无魂的躯壳 徘徊在废区中
明亮的双眼 扫描着周围的一切
渴望能在午夜之前寻获一个让生命延续的理由
寻寻 觅觅
一个个的希望 接着一个个的失望
生命只为了活着而活
夜加深了 深得令它快要溺毙
心慌了 步伐也乱了
黑夜慢慢的吞噬了它 残留下的躯壳

Paris-London Trip - Day 6

We going to London on day 6. After check out from the hotel, we travel to Gare de Nord to take Eurostar to London.

Once we reach the station, we saw lots of passenger lining up at the ticket counter; it took us almost 1 hour to get our ticket. Guess what, the Iceland’s volcano Eyjafjallajökull (don’t ask me how to pronounce or spell this word, up of my knowledge) erupted and causing the ash that interrupt the airport operation. Everyone is queuing at the Eurostar station to hope to get a ticket for them to travel back. Lucky we book the ticket before we came, else it will be a nightmare for us.

Travel to London from Paris taking us about 2 hours and 15 minutes. Nothing much to see in the train cause most of the time, the train is travel in the tunnel.
The train stops at St. Pancras international station. It’s a much beautiful building as compare to Gare de Nord station.

After purchase the daily pass, £5.60, we went to our hotel at Hammersmith town. Well, nothing much to say about the hotel, it’s quite old but cleanliness is still acceptable. Nothing much to complain for a budget hotel.

After leaving our luggage, we went to China Town.

The china town is located at Piccadilly. There are lots of shops selling Chinese food in this area, but we didn’t try. Some of the shops are full with customer, some got none.

Walking around Piccadilly area, pass thru SoHo, have some rest on the park, looking at the pub full with people. The Regent street is a shopping area, any brand you can name it, you can get it here, but I think I didn’t see LV, lucky ^^

Ok, to be continue.

Paris-London Trip - Day 5

The 5th day is Wednesday, on Wednesday and Friday, Louvre Museum will open until 9pm and for other day, it will only open until 5pm. So, today is our museum day. If you are museum maniac, you can get museum pass and enter to almost all the museum in Paris for free. If I’m not mistaken, the two days museum pass cost €32. You may check the detail here. Well, it definitely save some entrance fees if you plan to visit other museums in Paris. However, my target is Louvre Museum and the entrance fee is only €9, so not worth for me to get the pass. Anyway, it is very much depend on how you plan your Paris visit.

Actually we plan to visit Rodin museum, but I know I’m going to take few hours if I went there and I may miss the Louvre Museum. So, I told my wife that we go to visit Picasso before go to Louvre Museum because I heard they can allow you to visit the corridor for only €1, but I’m not sure how true is that cause I can’t found the detail at the office website.

We went to Picasso Museum and it requires some walking since it is located in the residence area. When we reached there, we found that the museum is closed for renovation and will only open on year 2012. Too bad.

:(

So, we went back to the metro and went to Louvre Museum.

It’s a huge place and lots of people. We took almost ½ hours to get our tickets. The ticket didn’t include audio guide and you can rent an audio guide from the counter for €6. As usual, I don’t like those guides because it’s like reading a long history book and taking lots of time to tell you the story behind those collections.

I try to search the web about those famous collections in the Louvre Museum, hope it can give some explanations on the photos I’d took.

Milo of Croton

I believe you know this, I remember that when I'm at form 3, I study about the world history and one of the most famous subject is the Code of Hammurabi and I finally saw it with my bare eyes.

 Law Code of Hammurabi, king of Babylon

Don't ask me, I don't know what is this also :p

Sarcophagus box of Ramesses III

One of the most famous collections in Louvre

Aphrodite, known as the Venus de Milo

Imperial group as Mars and Venus

Fighting Warrior

Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss

Mercury and Psyche

Dying Slave by Michelangelo

The Slave by Michelangelo

I can't remember what is this also :p

The Death of Sardanapalus

The Intervention of the Sabine Women

The Meal at the House of Simon

The Wedding Feast at Cana

This is another most famous collections in Louvre

Winged Victory of Samothrace

The Coronation of the Emperor Napoleon I and the Crowning of the Empress Joséphine in Notre-Dame Cathedral on December 2, 1804

If you read my blog, you will remember this drawing, I love it so much. Empress Josephine is a very beautiful lady, too bad is that the story about Napoleon and Josephine is not a happy ending.

Again, the most famous drawing

Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo (Used to known as Mona Lisa)

My wife ^^, she is my tour guide also

We “finished” the museum around 8pm and after took some photos outside with the pyramid.

After resting in the park, we decided to go to have a look on the Eiffel Tower at night. You maybe surprise that I didn’t took much of night photo in this trip. Well, in April, the sun come out very early, even on 6am, it’s look like noon, and the sun start to go down around 9pm. So, if I want to take night photo, I may need to wait until 9pm and to get a really dark night shot, its start around 10pm.

Eiffel at night