Doraemon is cool

With the arrival of high quality Japanese manga/anime which are now very quickly gaining vast popularity, the new generation of manga/anime fans no longer remember nor are even interested in one of the very best manga in history - Doraemon - the blue robotic cat who has a magic pocket which contains.. well.. everything.

Apparently, the first of the series appeared in December 1969. That pretty much explains its rather simplistic character drawing and design, but the author Fujiko F. Fujio is one brilliant man to have come up with something so endearing that it is still being clearly remembered by fans even after decades. (Okay maybe only me).

Clockwise from bottom right: Doraemon, Sinyu, Giant, Sizuka, Nobita

Although personally I'm a BIG fan of modern anime, none of them can be as memorable as Doraemon has been to me. It's storyline is almost non-existent. Every chapter, Nobita will either get himself into trouble and come home crying to Doraemon for a solution or come home crying to Doraemon and then get himself into trouble. With a storyline as shallow as my sense of humour, how did Doraemon become such a widely loved cartoon character?

Beats me.

I didn't know why I loved Doraemon so much, even when I was questioned on why. I didn't know. I didn't care. I knew I just loved Doraemon. For being Doraemon ^.^

How can you not like Doraemon???

In case you're wondering why Doraemon doesn't have ears when he's supposed to be a cat, a robotic one nevertheless, his ears were bitten off by a rat when he was sleeping. In case you're wondering why the rat would bite off his ears when he's supposedly a robot, please refrain yourself from trying to do so. Attempting to figure out the logic to that would be equivalent to trying to figure out why Superman wears red undies.

Doraemon likes Dorayaki. It's some sort of Japanese donut, with two pancake-like thingy sandwiching red bean paste in between. I've actually eaten a few of those. Although there's nothing particularly special about them, just the fact that it's Doraemon's favourite food made it a fun thing to eat. I never would have tried them if it wasn't for Doraemon.

One of the few Japanese foods which I do eat

I practically grew up reading Doraemon. The only other manga which rivalled Doraemon during its time was Dragonball, which has also gone absolutely horribly obsolete by today's standard. Although Dragonball was far more action-packed and had a proper storyline, I remember Doraemon more clearly than anything else. My friend's chinese version of Doraemon actually made sense to me! I can't read chinese.

Don't let a masterpiece go to waste. Pick up a copy of Doraemon and immerse yourself into the world of illogicalness.

And Dorayakis.

The 8th UGS Gathering

This was pretty much a spur of the moment thing, deciding to have a gathering on the last day of 2006, just before some UGSers head for National Service tomorrow, and school starts next week. So, to the people who did go, Cedric, Kenny, Danny, Tay, Jylene, Jeryl, Benjamin, Angeline and Garrick, good on you guys for making it on such short notice.. And thanks especially for Cedric and Kenny for helping to inform everyone. If Kenny is going to blog about this, probably going to mention how many people he has had to chauffeur for the gathering. Haha. Thanks anyway.

First stop was at Star cineplex, where the plan was to catch the so called "most terrifying movie of the year", The Host. Due to some mix up, we ended up in the wrong cinema hall, wasn't until few minutes of seeing Amber Chia on screen did we realise "Posessed" was on. So, half of the gang moved over next door to catch The Host, albeit 20 minutes late. The other half of the gang, tsk tsk, wasted RM9 to watch the Malaysian made movie that should only cost RM5 to watch. Well, The Host isn't all too bad. Have to confess that it's the first horror movie and first Korean movie I've watched at the cinemas. Actually, it isn't all too much of a horror, more of a thriller. In fact, the most cringing moment was watching the medical team extract tissue sample from the main character from the collarbone area using a syringe, which should be done with the patient under general anaesthetic, however the person seemed to be immune to anaesthetic. All in all, it's a movie that requires some afterthought to realise it's significance.

After the movie, another problem cropped up, where to eat. Seems a bit ridiculous, considering that Kuching is a heaven for good cheap eats, but it's actually quite tough to find somwhere that can accomodate everyone's preferences. Plus, the rain did somehow made things worse, had to figure out to get from one place to another. Finally, we did settle on going to the Philipino place at Padungan Road, Pinoy something something, I couldn't get its name. Food there isn't all too bad, but servings were kinda small, considering the price. Don't know whether the guys felt full after that meal, I don't think I did. Haha. Oh but nevermind, it's nice to try new things for a change.

So there the 11 of us were, including Angeline's friend, Aricka, all in some kinda shady looking Philipino eatery, the rain pouring outside, and foreign Philipino karaoke music blaring in the background. A bit surreal. As usual, I guess I kinda clammed up, tend to get a bit quiet at these gatherings, what with such noisy, boisterous people around. Plus, it's interesting to hear them talk, and observe. Haha.
There was Cedric, with his self mantra, "I'm a blogger", while he snapped photo after photo of the food and people. And there was Jylene, the person who introduced us to the eatery and ordered our food for us with confidence that only an experienced person could have, I have no idea how to pronounce all those weird food names. Then there was Angeline, who was watching as her brother, Benjamin was obviously not following his diet. Not to mention, Tay, who just had to showcase his gadgets, his Sony T30, blue Ipod Nano, nokia 6630, but somehow his usual companion the sony ericsson w800i was absent. Certainly an interesting lot of people.

Okay, sorry for the lack of photos, the current pc I'm using is going to be replaced next week as it's too ancient and can't be fixed, been with me for about 6 years. So, until I get my new pc, wouldn't be uploading and posting any new photos. Ah, can barely wait to experience what dual core performance is like...

UGS Gathering - New Year's Eve Edition

[UPDATE! The list of people who can come has been updated, and the plans have been finalized. Comment and post in the tagboard!]

Since some people have not checked the forum due to the quake, so i'm posting a notice in the blog, since blogger have (so it seems) local servers.

Okay, New Year's Eve UGS Gathering

On Sunday, 31st Dec, 2006.
Location: Green Hill Corner or Pizza Hut downtown [(opposite Tun Jugah) read below for details]
Time: 12:00 noon or 3:00 pm (read below)

[Update!] The plan's like this: We meet at 12:00 at Green Hill Corner, walk around and buy some snacks. The Host (review here) starts at Star at 1:00. Members who hate horror movies (although this is not entirely a horror movie) or who've already watched can pass. After the movie, at about 3:00 we leave for the Pizza Hut* opposite Tun Jugah. Other members who've decided to skip will meet us up there and eat, as well as tokkok conversation.

*We've chosen Pizza Hut because, it's halal, it keeps our options open and everyone knows where it is. Food there isn't the very best, but it is the best when you consider location, price and the crowd size.

A tentative list of people who can go:
Kenny
Wen Qi
Cedric
Andrew Liong (Kubuk)
Jylene
Jeryl
Joshua Lim
Paul Lim
Danny
Garrick
Ben
Angel

People to ask:
Cassy and Nicole
Vivian (not confirmed)
Amanda (cilipadi, don't know if you guys can remember)

People who can't make it:
Samantha (off to miri)
Gabrielle (babysitting)
Andrew Ho (countdown party and fear of Jylene)
Nadia (Hari Raya Haji)
Joshua Baru (not in Kuching)
Erna (Hari Raya Haji)


*For UGS members only, meaning you have to join the forum, and you have to be in Kuching. Tell us if you're coming in the comments, or in the forum, here.

Behold the Power of Green!

Lookie lookie! St Thomas's, known for its creatively gushy stunning excercise books every year, have finally hit green! After puke inducing blue, rash inducing brown, red and hues of purple and pink, we finally get Green. Right after i left, if i must add.

The following was taken from Kubuk's blog, of which i'm blatantly advertising because of the fish. Hehe.

ITS GREEN! WHATS WITH THE THEME THINGY! Last year was purple, NOW GREEN? LOOK CLOSELY! SEKOLAH MESRA ALAM?

Diary for the year 2007

LOOK AT THE LINES! BAD DESIGN

Okay, so he disagrees with me.

Another year has just gone by

It's already the 28th Dec. Yes, New Year is almost here. Time for new resolutions(which are meant to be broken anyway) and a good time. I think New Years is going to be a very depressive time of year(besides Christmas!) and yes, I think suicide rates actually go UP this time of year. New Years is a time to look back at the year and think about everything you've done and repent or celebrate your actions. I think this year has been quite a roller coaster for me. It might not have been as full of dramatic events as it was in '05 but nonetheless, it's as intense, if not, more intense than it has ever been. Looking back, I'm not proud about some of the very(note VERY) silly things I've done. In fact, I feel like such a complete idiot for doing such things. Come to think of it, I've been such a DRAMA QUEEN that Í think I turn myself off what more, other people. Ah yes! regret hurts and the thing I hate most about regret is that it just floats about in your mind waiting to strike you as a embarrassing thought making you cringe and just moan "Woe is me". However, I think, looking past all of this, I guess I have learnt so much this year. And this is what I want to share with you all(Yes, yes, you're probably thinking, "Jylene's life lessons, how BORING!" but just bare with me here)

1. The number of acquaintances does matter at the end of the day for bragging rights but to get the best support you need, have at least 3 good friends. Why 3 you ask? Well, I like the number 3! Just kidding. Our life is basically divided into 3 important parts; our everyday life, our love life and our social life. Sometimes, I have friends whom I can tell everything to about my everyday life eg. school, family and so on but I just can't bare any details about my very risqué(I'm just overrating it. It's hardly risqué at all) love life. So yes, find a good friend whom you can share your details of your everyday life with(minor yet urgent details LAH!) and another friend who has the experience of breaking up, hooking up and so forth as your good buddy to share your love life details to. You also need a good social life friend because he/she probably has many connections and will tell you the newest goss about whosleptwithwhoandwhocheatedonwho. However, if you find someone whom you are very very comfortable with to tell almost everything to, then stick with that person(your best friend assumably) and have a small bunch of friends whom you can still have an intimate conversation with. At the end of the day, you are most likely to hang out with your very good friends/best friend so have more so because you will have a BLAST when you go out with them.

2. It doesn't matter what people say about you(Yes, it's so clichéd) Screw them! If it really matters to YOU, then do what you want to do under wraps. Don't let people find out. Just have fun and enjoy life and ignore what people might say. Life is not about what if's.

3. Always have a back up plan when it comes to EVERYTHING! la la la. You get what I mean.

4. Love just makes you BLIND! Be level-headed and just stop, and think for a second about what you are doing and imagine what the consequences might be.

5. When you get angry at someone, STOP talking. Say this "Let's stop talking. I need time to think or the next thing I might say may just screw things up forever"

6. Sometimes when you are very very tempted to do something, just ask yourself, will you regret this tomorrow and ask yourself whether your pride is going to be affected and will you be embarrassed to face the world.

7. There are plenty of idiots in the world. Don't assume that someone understands something you're saying. Just use basic vocab(unless you're trying to dazzle everyone with your intelligence and your purple prose) and it's good to lay-low and stick with the norm sometimes. People tend to descriminate people who use complicated words and idioms/similes and such.

8. Only open a bottle of wine if you're planning to finish it. OR only open a bottle of wine if the people around you are going to finish it. And what you pay is what you get. If you buy cheap wine, well, don't buy cheap wine for god's sake. Yes, it might not matter now. But it will in years to come.

9. Virginity is overrated. If you don't agree then too bad. If you want to condemn me for saying this then I suggest you look at lesson #2.

10. Sarcasm always works. Unless of course you are stuck with an idiot. But then again, you will always have the last laugh.

11. Revenge is a dish best served cold. Revenge is a must. I'm not trying to condone it....what the heck, yes, Revenge is GOOD! Who cares, just get even.

12. I'm mean. Just deal with it. And no, it's not to cover up my insufficiencies or what not. I'm just blunt thats all. If you're fat, then you're fat. Deal with it! If you're fugly, then, get plastic surgery. Personality matters. Muahhaha.

13. Sometimes, it's good to be selfish. After 13 pieces of very VALUEABLE advise, it's time for me to stop and let you figure out everything else. Yes, life is all about learning things for yourself so my giving this advice column/post is just a crappy way for me to waste time because the tsunami incident has unabled me from accessing many parts of the internet.

Boom goes the internet

Earthquake in Southern Taiwan Cuts off Communications!

I wonder how many of you right now are doing something else, playing games, watching tv, reading a book because you can't go online. Or how many of you can go online but get half loaded pages everywhere and completely cannot access ANY .com pages OR log into MSN at all!

This earthquake that so conveniently killed the underwater cables came at a pretty good timing didn't it? Just when everybody thought they'd grab the last few moments of the Holidays, Boom goes the Internet!

I'm surprised I can even blog! Though, I'm not sure whether I can publish this... Weird thing is, as the fully accessible thestar.com told me, only OVERSEAS websites were not accessible...so I take it, kennysia.com is an overseas website but blogger.com isn't? A bit weird to me...

Another thing... Inside the first link, it was mentioned that

"Repairing the cables harmed by Tuesday's 6.7-magnitude quake could take three weeks but "quality will improve day by day''"

Three weeks. DOH~! School would be in FULL SWING by then! ='(

Say it with me. THIS SUCKS.

So much for getting the Streamyx upgrade. It was just not meant to be...So much for updating my own blog!!! Loading the pictures would take years if not millenniums. *Sigh*

That's all I've got to rant about now. Maybe...Just MAYBE...by some miracle...Another earthquake would come and REPAIR the damage done by the first one.

I was here. Very frustrated. Pissed. And unable to do anything online but THIS.

An analogy: Shopping and Guys

During my short holiday at KL with my friends, all the hours spent walking and strength-training (shopping bags are heavy) made me realise there are some uncanny similarities between shopping and finding guys. Which leads me to write this post...

An analogy: Shopping and Guys

• When shopping, females can spend hours searching and searching, in search for "The One", be it the perfect dress, shoe, bag, top etc., which doesn't always exist. With guys, go figure.

• We may see the signs, "Sale!", "Limited time only" and make a bad buy, tell ourselves "never again" and still end up falling for the trick again some time later.

• Be prepared to walk far, and search high and low; no pain, no gain.

• Sometimes, what you put on in the fitting room may not look as good in the real world.

• Friends can potentially be dangerous, making you buy something which doesn't look good on you, is over your budget or is just not your style.

• Don't be disillusioned into thinking that what looks good on another person or mannequin would look equally good on you.

• We can spend hours drafting up a shopping list, but end up getting something we didn't plan to or even worse, don't really need or want.

• The good thing is, good things can be found in the most unexpected places and most often than not, when you least expect it.

• Don't just buy something for the sake of buying something. You may feel guilty about not buying anything after hours of shopping, but it's worse to feel that you wasted your time and money over something you'll just leave in the back of the wardrobe.

• Going into shops that are out of your league is a sure fire way to make you depressed and turn a few shades greener due to envy.

• Finally, keep your eyes and mind open when shopping, you never know what you may chance upon.

Okay, enough brain straining trying to think of the analogy? Haha. Here again is another one of my posts scattered with half baked ideas. So, do feel free to add more points to this post in the comments. I just know there is more to this list than I can think of at this moment.

Laugh, Go On.

It's boxing day. Loosen up, forget the new school year and let's take a look at poor Britain. Yes, laugh out loud (especially watch out for the 'Google generation part'), and remember politicians in Britain luurve dancing.

Not.

Fame and Blogging

I've been wondering. What exactly is it that makes blogs so popular? I mean, sitting here in my computer room in Kuching, one can already hear and know of many famous blogs that get daily hits by the k. But what is it about the blogging styles and content of these blogs that make people want to read them so much?

Let's try and analyze a few.

Kenny Sia of kennysia.com.
Probably the most famous Kuching blogger. He blogs about things ranging from all the sweet stuff he gets from companies to his own personal life and travel. With his sense of self injected coconut humour, his posts range from small one photo 3 sentences posts to a post that takes 3 minutes for me to load. Rather obviously it's his way or writing that can make people rotfl and smile no matter what they're doing (try reading a few of his comments. There usually are stuff like that) or be very blunt on his own perspective OR inadvertently cause arguments when blogging about windows screens.

Wendy of Xiaxue.blogspot.com
Famous Singaporean blogger. Description are subjective to the person who is reading. Has a VERY pink blog and is described as a bimbo blog. She's selling Pixel spaces on her blog!!!!!! And people BUY okay! She blogs constantly about herself and got a Nose Job! She's so famous people even bother to HACK into her account and delete her blog. I don't know exactly WHAT you get from reading her blog, but it's famous alright.

Jason Goh of Smashpop.net
A rather well known Malaysian blogger for food entries, event coverages and his jumps? The guys photographs are good, the food makes you salivate if you read on a hungry stomach and he looks like UGS-er Tay. I'm not kidding. Even Bugger Wen Qi says so. I don't see him blogging any controversial stuff or anything else that's got to do with politics or datuks or what ever, so I can safely say this is more of a light read? Atm his total page views stand at 203698, so that's gotta count for something.
Fireangel of Fireangel.com What's her real name I don't know. Whether you've heard of her anot I also have no clue. Her blog isn't really updated frequently, there's a truck load of curse words in her posts and cam-whoring is a ritual for her. It's not really Xiaxue, not really Mayzhee...sort of an in between? Her own personal style I guess. There are 30-40 comments on each or her rare posts so she probably has a loyal band of blog-followers?



MrBrown of mrbrown.com
I suppose that's his name? Mr Brown? Famous Singaporean blogger for his podcasts particularly because of Zhng my Car. A spin off Pimp my ride with what seems to me a cooler name. According to wikipedia "His podcast attracts some 20,000 downloads per day". I don't know much because I don't read his blog nor listen to his podcasts, but I know enough to say he's a semi serious blogger? Not bland and stiff, yet not bimbo and "Lee Kuan Yew? Isn't that a school?". Yeap, people read/listen to his stuff. Last but not least.
Cheesie of Cheeserland.com Don't ask me her name! This would be classified under the "super kiut kawaii until can *squeal* peng!" kinda blog. I guess she's somewhat a model? Beauty Queen? Shopping enthusiast (shopaholic isn't too nice a word). She even has her own Wardrobe where she sells her clothes! Marketing through the blogosphere. Ingenious much? Has a lot of puns, usually concerning cheese...or bunnies...or pink? Her blog is...(for lack of better word)...Cheesy ^.^

Okay...So what is it that these blogs have that attracts people who go online everyday to check out their sites and read their words be it purple, black, blue, green, purple...?

Is it the humour? Is it the different perspectives? The fact that they don't wanna buy books? They're madly infatuated with the blogger?

Then what about bimbo blogs? Why are people so attracted to other peoples blatant narcissism? AND THEIR obsessions with PINK. Bimbo blogs always seem to be pink...Or not. The cute-ish-ness of it? Mild Porn?

When I find out, I'll come back and post it. But till then, people who are reading this, try and answer the question.

What makes blogs (any blog, yours mine, hers, his, its) so popular?

(The fact that it's mine is not an answer.)

P.S: Any of the aforementioned bloggers above have any problem with my template stealing habits, leave a line and I'll remove it.

I was here wondering, pondering, thinking, obsessing...

Mastercard, not Vista

Tell me you've heard about it. Legions of geeks all over the world are probably drooling, waiting for the next generation of the blue screen of death Windows. Yeah, and it looks very nice, overly polished, and Applelified.
The fact that something so big is hitting stores early next year (everyone's crossing fingers for a January release) means that us mere mortals will have to make the choice to switch soon, and then start tearing our hair out as something goes wrong with the computer. It always does, especially if its not new.

Personally i don't know whether to install it or not. First off would be the reports that Microsoft has locked the core of Windows Vista in a deep vault in the com, thrown away the key and stuck its tongue out at virus writers. Unfortunately this also means antivirus software makers are locked out in the cold too, making Microsoft the sole gatekeeper for your computer's safety. And we all know how sucky Microsoft can be with patches - user reported vulneribilities in XP has gone unrepaired for as long as 6 months (compare that to Linux, with a patch time of several hours).

Microsoft is playing chess with hackers. Yes.

Apart from the chocolate handcuff security Microsoft is known for, there is that teeny problem of minimum requirements. Windows's is now 3D and resplendent in visual candy.

Microsoft has listed the following requirements for what they call a Vista Premium Ready PC. A PC that meets or exceeds these requirements will be able to use the new Aero technologies, being mainly:

• a 1 GHz 32-bit (x86) or 64-bit (x64) processor
• 1 gigabyte of system memory
• a DirectX 9 compatible graphics processor, with a Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) driver, and a minimum of 128 MB of Video RAM
• 40 GB hard drive with 15 GB(OMFG!) free space
• DVD-ROM Drive
• audio output and Internet access

And the minimum requirements for graphics cards from the major vendors include the Radeon 9500 from ATI Technologies and the GeForce FX from NVIDIA, which means more money in your computer before you can actually get your internet explorer window to ripple.

Hmmph.

On the bright side, the all new file system makes locating pictures and music a breeze, it looks very good, wizards are more intuitive (although not all the time) and I pray the blue screen of death is forever reduced to a mere footnote in PC.

The new windows media player.

So what should we do? I say wait till Microsoft get's its butt kicked by a hacker before we even purchase Vista, just to make sure they know they shouldn't get cocky.

Because, you know, what is Malaysia going to do without pirated Windows? Get Gates to answer that.

I am self-obssessed

Ladies and gentlemen, I welcome you again to read my entry. I know I know, your heart says 'I'm so damn unwilling to read him talk again', your mind says 'f*** him good time'. But remember you must never listen to what your mind and heart tells you because the only person that you should listen to, obey and worship is me. Yes, you eyes are not blurred, I have just said that. And I'm not apologising.

You must be wondering what kind of boy I am to have blaspheme like that. Let's see...

Well well, the tagboard says that I'm self-obsessed, I don't know how that happen, but if the admin let it says so it gotta be true.

I'm really down and sad because I'm gonna be just like Donald Trump, the big fat blond ape with a ridiculous haircut and a lot of money naming everything after himself. It's a kind of sickness people suffer that make the world more interesting like 'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart', 'The Colbert Report', 'Late Show with David letterman', 'Ophrah Winfrey, 'Late Night with Conan O' Brien', 'Kennysia.com', 'xiaxue.blogspot' and a LOT more.
I'm sick of myself and all those people who use their own name

You know what, I'm sick of myself and all those people who use their own name, why must the name Jesse Mccartney appears on his own album, why must Jessica Simpson uses her name to publish her own album. Why can't they just call it 'An Album for Sale', or '14 songs from a random singer'. These people are totally ridiculous, just because they think they are so hot and their breasts are flaming gloriously like winter melons does not give them the right to use their own name.

But we must remember that it is vital for us to make every good out of ourselves and see ourselves and others good. Even when we are a pathetic self-obsessed. Always look to the positive side. Self-obsessed can be good people too. For instances, self-obsessed loves themselves, they put up 30,000 pictures of themselves on their blog and become famous like Xiaxue. Besides self-obsessed are selfish and don't care about others. How cool is that. When they don't care about others, they will not harm other people. They would not molest you because they don't care about you, they don't love you, they are not mindful of you so the only person that he would touch, rape and **** is himself. What a contribution to World Peace.

My point is, love yourself. Regardless of how others would see you, like you, hate you, or how many times they undress you in their mind. Better or worse, bitter or sour they judge your character, insult your dignity, mock your personality, invade your self-esteem and leave you alone naked wandering alone in your endless dessert of suffering without an oasis of hope. Just take care alright, I'm little hungry, I have to stop writing this. Bye bye

Disclaim: My entry is not intended to attack any person, people or animals. I have chosen to write in a bold and senseless way in this blog and nothing writen depict myself, my faith, my stand or my character in real life. If you are below the age of 14, easily-offended by foul-expressions or your country does not allow you to read this, please don't tell anybody you are reading it.

Inside In Inside Out by The Kooks

I'm quite sure most of you(if not all of you) have never heard of this band, The Kooks. Yes, they are British.I know I know, ANOTHER British band with a band name beginning with a pronoun, BORING right?! Quite the contrary actually, this band is unlike the many other pronoun-named bands. The band is a quartet of boys/men from Brighton and they are very young(note that the youngest is ONLY 17). I just have to say this(boys, feel free to roll your eyes) that they are a good looking bunch of lads. They possess this scruffy, ragged rocker look which is SOOOO HOT in my book!

That aside, Inside In Inside Out is the band's debut album which was released in January 2006 which means that they are relatively new to the limelight. The band is your atypical Brit pop band; they sound like a cross between The Arctic Monkeys(I LOATHE THEM), Blur and Libertines. Impressive really, I actually ENJOY this album, A LOT! Undoubtedly, they are a talented bunch and I think this is a REALLY GOOD album considering it is their FIRST! The album consist of 14 energetic, albeit angsty songs:

1.Seaside
2.See the World
3.Sofa Song
4.Eddie's Gun
5.Ooh La
6.You Don't Love Me
7.She Moves in Her Own Way
8.Matchbox
9.Naive
10.I Want You Back
11.If Only
12.Jackie Big Tits
13.Time Awaits
14.Got No Love

When I first heard this album, I swore I sensed a bit of Bob Marley;a very impressive feat. The band managed to infuse bits of raggae, ska and blues into their album which shows that they are a very creative bunch. In addition to that, the album has really cleverly placed guitar hooks(kudos to them) and i love the rhytym and the synchronization of the band. I assume that the band members have really good chemistry(musical chemistry! not THAT kind of chemistry) with each other.

Lyrically, they might not be as profound as Fiona Apple's but they write good lyrics nonetheless. I love the way they write about teenage angst, love, lust and so forth. That said, I suggest you get this album A.S.A.P. If you can only get one CD this Christmas, get THIS one! JUST GET THIS ALBUM!

That said, if you want to know more about the band and their music and tour dates, check out their website http://www.thekooks.co.uk

This band is one to watch out for as I think they are going to be BIG! I look forward to their 2nd album and I hope it will make me go 'Ooh La'.



Forgive me, but i JUST HAD TO embed this video so i can show you my future lover. Yes. I know.

Aussie Jingle Bells

For those without the privilege of experiencing a white Christmas! ^_^

Dashing through the bush, in a rusty Holden* Ute**
Kicking up the dust, esky*** in the boot
Kelpie**** by my side, singing Christmas songs
It's summer time and I am in my singlet, shorts and thongs***** (Oh!)

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day (Hey!)
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute

Engine's getting hot, we dodge the kangaroos
The swaggie****** climbs aboard, he is welcome too
All the family's there, sitting by the pool
Christmas Day the Aussie way, by the barbecue (Oh!)

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day (Hey!)
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute

Come the afternoon, Grandpa has a doze
The kids and Uncle Bruce are swimming in their clothes
The time comes 'round to go, we take the family snap
Pack the car and all shoot through, before the washing up (Oh!)

Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way
Christmas in Australia on a scorching summers day (Hey!)
Jingle bells, jingle bells, Christmas time is beaut
Oh what fun it is to ride in a rusty Holden Ute

Traditional/Colin Buchanan © 1992 Rondor Music

* Holden n - An Australian car manufacturer
** Ute n - (from "utility") Pickup truck
*** Esky n - Portable cooler
**** Kelpie n - An Australian sheep dog
***** Thongs n - Sandals
******Swaggie n - (from "Swagman") An old Australian term describing an underclass of transient temporary workers, who traveled by foot from farm to farm carrying the traditional swag (his collection of worldly possessions)

Kiran Desai's The Inheritance Of Loss

Loss is a word. Not an action; a feeling in shades of darkness. To say Kiran Desai's Man Booker Prize winning effort deals about loss is an understatement. The book itself gives new definition to word loss: all the characters lose something: the setting loses, everyone loses. In between highlighting the various guises loss can take Desai manages to slip in themes of globilization and white dominance, of loneliness as an unwanted foreigner.

The story opens with a teenager, Sai, living with her grandfather Jemubhai the Retired Judge, his dog, Mutt, and a cook. They sit around, the mist encroaching, nothing to do, looking forward to ... what? Nothing.

And on silent feet rebels approach their house, their aim the Judge's cache of hunting guns.

For a novel that opens so promisingly like a love story set in a period of insurgency Desai's novel quickly moves to state its purpose: I am here to tell about LOSS. Let us take a look at these case studies....

Yes, the content is like that of a text book.

Sai is in love with Gyan, her math tutor, and Desai's beautiful prose narrate their meetings with such innocence it pains the heart - awkward attempts to relate to each other, for the most part.

"Kiss me!" he pleaded.

"No," she said, delighted and terrified.
She would hold herself ransom.
Oh, but she had never been able to stand suspense.
A fine drizzle spelled an ellipsis on the tin roof....
Moments clocked by precisely, and finally she couldn't bear it - she closed her eyes and felt the terrified measure of his lips on hers, trying to match one shape with the other.

Each of the characters in The Inheritance Of Loss are scarred by the West and by white dominion. Jemubhai wants to fit in so much he creates within himself a class of cultured man hated by both Indians and the English, and so haunts him till his retirement his sins against his family. Sai's parents are killed in Russia, the cook's son, Biju, is lonely and poor in America, praying for a green card while forced to leave his ideals by cooking beef -'Indian cow holy, American cow is not holy'. Perhaps the single most telling paragraph of this theme is through Sai:

... cake was better than laddoos, fork spoon knife better than hands, sipping the blood of christ and consuming a wafer of his body was more civilised than garlanding a phallic symbol with marigolds. English was better than Hindi.

The book is a sad thing. The love story ultimately fails to find happiness, Biju does not find success in his endeavours, people are killed by the dozens in the insurgency, most of the soldiers 'living like Rambo'. There may arguably be no climax, but there is a turning point - when the Judge's dog is kidnapped (or was it dognapped, hmm) he is forced to repent for his sins, praying to a God, any God, whom he has cast away as an agnostic.

You have been warned. The novel reads like a case study, exploring themes, not concluding some, just exposing the characters in their pity and loss. I should have probably saved the money to buy something more useful, like a hundred bags of toilet rolls, rather than to read the slow slide to the starkness of the human condition. It doesn't hit you in the face with its majesty of a conclusion (Lord of The Flies or Lord of The Rings) but it does show you how eccentric these Man Booker Prize judges can be.

Go off and save money for the next Harry Potter.

Embers and Ash

I just found a video of Ash, one of the finalists of Malaysian Idol last season, who struck me with his near spot-on U2 reproductions. I really wanted him to make it to the finals, rather than that pretty boy can't-sing-at-all Daniel, but what's done is done. This video is surprisingly CGIed, and i don't know what MSC certified company did it, or if it was local at all, but its good. Very good. Enjoy.

To Kill A Mockingbird

It's been years that people have been pressing me to read this book. To Kill A Mockingbird is a classic beyond classics, a story that lives long beyond the era the author wrote it. But do i like it? Hmm. That one bears thinking.

The story is from the perspective of Jean 'Scout' Louise Finch, born to a family of 'background' (one concept prone to mention by her Aunt Alexandra, but one she cannot understand). Harper Lee peppers her main character with such wit, and her opinions are with such alacrity, it is at once impossible to imagine such an insightful eight-year old, and at the same time entirely acceptable (my, what quick kids they breed in the Deep South, you hear yourself mumble).

Her father, Atticus Finch, brings along a load of trouble when he takes on the case of Tom Robinson - a negroe who is brought to court on the charge or raping a white girl. While the case is certainly the main core of the narrative, Harper Lee weaves in two subplots (or more, but i can only think of two) and these do not help in any way the presentation of the story itself. The first is that of Boo Radley, a neighbour of the Finches that provokes such mystery as he's never seen outside. Ever. Naturally kids get curious and go poking about his property - Jem (Scout's brother) and Dill, a friend who comes over every summer, thinks of tiresome ways to find out how Boo Radley looks like. The second is that of old Mrs Henry Lafeyette Dubose, a monster of a spinster. Jem and Scout are forced to read to her after Jem wrecks her garden in a fit of rage, and it turns out they helped her overcome her morphine addiction, although a woman like that doesn't earn much sympathy with all the 'Nigger-lover!' yelling she does.

I guess the only reason Harper Lee put those subplots in was to pound in the message 'look at it from the other man's point of view!' again and again. It stays throughout the climax at the courthouse and the extremely long-winded conclusion, where Lee, thinking it isn't enough, takes the time to pound it between our ears again. And in the end my impression of the novel is diluted.

It is funny, laugh-out-loud so. It is startling in its moments of genius, where the author's wisdom seeps through.

After Atticus unwittingly reveals himself to be have one time been the deadest shot in Maycomb by sniping the head off a mad dog, Scout asks Miss Maudie why he never revealed it to them:

"Maybe if i can tell you," said Miss Maudie, "If your father's anything, he's civilised at heart. Marksmanship's a gift of God, a talent - oh, you have to practise to make it perfect, but shootin's different from playing the piano or the like. I think maybe he put his gun down when he realized God had given him an unfair advantage over most living things. I guess he decided he wouldn't shoot till he had to, and he had to today.

"Look's like he'd be proud of it," i said.

"People in their right minds never take pride in their talents." said Ms Maudie.

The tension builds up and it'll make you scream in outrage at the unfairness of it all, of how they believe in democracy, yet descriminate against certain classes. But in my list, it wouldn't be at the very top. I reserve that for Lord Of The Flies, awe-inducing in its conception.

It won the Pulitzer Prize. Libraians, better read people than me, i should say, think it is The Book Everyone Must Read Before They Die. Is it? You read it to find out.

Colonized By Politicians. Two Worlds Apart.

The poem below struck me as how relevant it still is today, long after the NEP was supposed to have acheived its aim. Racial tension is at an all time high, Malaysian lethargicness is paraded in the streets for all to see. Where is our country going? We do not know. What is Pak Lah doing? We do not know. Read and think:

Father Utih

I

He has one wife - whom he embraces until death
five children who want to eat everyday
an old hut where an inherited tale is hanging
a piece of barren land to cultivate.

The skin of his hands is taut and calloused
accustomed to any amount of sweat
O Father Utih, the worthy peasant.

But malaria comes hunting them
even though he offers a million prayers
and Mother Utih calls the village medicine man
for magic formulas, curses repeatedly chanted.

The medicine man with his reward goes home
with money and a pullet tied together.

II

In towns the leaders keep shouting
of elections and the people’s freedom
of thousand-fold prosperity in a sovereign state
a golden bridge of prosperity into the world hereafter.

When victory brightly shines
the leaders in cars move forward,
their chests thrust forward
O! the beloved subjects wave their hands.

Everywhere there are banquets and festivities
delicious roast chicken is served
chicken from the village promised prosperity.

Father Utih still waits in prayer
where are the leaders going in their limousines?

1954
(Translated by Adibah Amin)

Pak Utih

I

Punya satu isteri mau dakap sampai mati,
Lima anak mau makan setiap hari,
Teratak tua digayuti cerita pusaka,
Sebidang tanah tandus untuk huma.

Kulit tangan tegang berbelulang,
Biasa keluarkan peluh berapa saja,
O Pak Utih,
petani yang berjasa.

Tapi malaria senang menjenguk mereka,
Meski dalam sembahyang doa berjuta,
Dan Mak Utih bisa panggil dukun kampung,
Lalu jampi matera serapah berulang-ulang.
Betapa Pak Dukun dan bekalan pulang,
Wang dan ayam dara diikat bersilang.

II

Di kota pemimpin berteriak-teriak,
Pilihanraya dan kemerdekaan rakyat,
Seribu kemakmuran dalam negara berdaulat,
Jambatan mas kemakmuran sampai ke akhirat.

Ketika kemenangan bersinar gemilang,
Pemimpin atas mobil maju ke depan,
dadanya terbuka,
Ah, rakyat tercinta melambaikan tangan mereka.

Di mana-mana jamuan dan pesta makan,
Ayam panggang yang enak di depan,
Datang dari desa yang dijanjikan kemakmuran.

Pak Utih masih menanti dengan doa,
Bapak-bapak pergi ke mana di mobil besar?

Tongkat Warrant a.k.a. Usman Awang
1954

What do you get when you have a hyper dad and an athletic mom? Easy, a hyper active son. And what do you get if you have a hyper active son who starts to pee at a friend's Christmas party? He starts to pee on his father. This is how it all went down. Little R was playing with a bunch of people jumping up and down, laughing when suddenly he stops and has a sour look on his face. Usually this means he's upset, sleepy, or hungry. But not this time. He starts peeing in his pants! Obviously, the parents are called in, M and S. Dad, M, quickly picks up R and rushes him to the toilet. R continues peeing on his dad while dad is cupping his hands on you know where. But after all that commotion R still manages to put a smile on his face, most likely not knowing what happened. And dad? You should have seen the look on his face.

Fiona Apple's Extraordinary Machine

P.S This is an album review. (Woohoo...my 1st album review!)

Fiona Apple's newest album Extradordinary Machine is her 3rd album and it is sort of a miracle her album got realeased. Her record label was worried that her music is too 'uncommercial' and not 'marketable' or 'single-like' enough. In addition to that, her songs leaked on the net. However, her fans made sure her new album was going to be released via 'Free Fiona' to release her album Extradordinary Machine. Thus, her album was finally released last year.

This album comprises of 12 songs:
1. Extraordinary Machine
2. Get Him Back
3. O' Sailor
4. Better Version Of Me
5. Tymps (The Sick In The Head Song)
6. Parting Gift
7. Window
8. Oh Well
9. Please Please Please
10. Red Red Red
11. Not About Love
12. Waltz (Better Than Fine)

This is a very good album from Fiona Apple. In comparison with her previous 2 albums, this album is definitely less melancholic. This album is apparently more 'Fiona' as her producer (something Bryant) didn't work with her on this album.

What i really enjoy about Fiona Apple is that she is a non-conformist, hence her music. It isn't your everyday bubble gum pop or the commercial pop sort. It's different and you can hear this in all of her songs. The melodies are different, the beats are different and her lyrics are different. However, I would like to fore-warn, her music is only for those who enjoy something different as the commercial pop-culture lovers might not understand her music. Nevertheless, this album is a good effort; a good marriage between emotional, intelligent lyrics and queer beats & melodies. I quite enjoy this album and i love the songs Extraordinary Machine(she was writing this about herself), O'Sailor, Tymps(this tune is really catchy) and Please Please Please(a critique towards today's society which want people to conform and make similar music)

Fiona Apple is a very intelligent person who writes well and manages to display her emotion via lyrics. The main theme of this album is love and this album examines the way couple's work eg. how they compliment each other, arguments etc. Read the lyrics and you will understand a whole lot about how her mind works and how she portrays a lot of situations through her perspective. I love the fact that she hits a chord and when you listen to her lyrics, you get a lightbulb moment(awakening, enlightening & so forth). For instance, i especially love this line from the song Please Please Please:

Please please please

No apologies

At best they buy you time

Until you next step out of line

More amazingly, she can put all these lyrics into melodies that are Unique(and that with a capital U). She stays true to herself and her music and it's undeniable, that Fiona Apple is a talented not so conventional femme fatalé. That said, if you're looking for music that makes you think, listen to this album. If you are looking for something different, listen to this album. If you are bored with commercial music, LISTEN TO THIS ALBUM!

BUGS Bug Photos

Cedric just provided me with a new UGS Blog abbreviation just now when I said UGS blog was a bit too long to write out all the time. I mean…Even Undergroundsquare got shortened to US before it became UGS.

UGS Blog now referred to as BUGS by those who would like to refer to it as such. And ironically. That was EXACTLY what I wanted to post about. Bugs. Insects. Crawlies.

Recently, (In this week or so) I’ve been facing up with SO MANY DAMN INSECTS!

My house got chosen to be the Red ant empire. There was a Moth conference at Crowne Plaza. I went to Lundu and got bitten 29 times by sandflies thus contributing 2900 baby sandflies ( on an estimation of 100 babies per bite) to the ever growing sandfly economy. There was a nice beetle rolling around on my grandfathers house. And my “Brother” Shuzzle overturned a roach. And we all know how much I HATE roaches.

May I present the first BUGS bug photo post.

Hanging by....a tail? My Garden.

Moth at Crowne Square. I like its reflection.
(I, having no photoshop or whatever, did not edit this photo in any way.)

Primed and ready to bite. At Lundu.

This is a sandfly. (I didn't take this picture)

This is the real size of a sandfly. (I didn't take this picture either)

A fat ant beneath a bottle that I placed on top of it in Hilton. (Still alive okay)

Beetle in my grandfathers house.

Cockroach outside my front door that was over turned...

By my brother. Shuzzle.

Insects. Bugs. Spiders. Moths. Crawlies. Please...Please stay away from me. Unless of course you were delivering my Christmas Present.

TWO DAYS TO CHRISTMAS!!!!

Middle of Nowhere; Hot Hot Heat

This song is a definite 'WOOHOO' as it starts out with the song rhythm played with the maracas and i personally think that is a very good sign that the song it is going to be an upbeat, enjoyable, fun song. The keyboard riff is amazing; it's catchy and has a really cute beat to it that makes you smile. However, the most important part of a song, i think, is most definitely the lyrics. Here's a sample of the 1st verse:

Don't get mad if I'm laughing

Blame the caffeine for all the 5 am phone calls

I haven't slept a single night in over a month

And not even once did you start to make sense to me

Well maybe I'm a little bit slow, or just consistently inconsistent

She said, "Unpredictability's my responsibility, baby."

What i really enjoy about this song is that the lyrics are comical but not in a very commercial funny (kick my butt-haha) kind of way. It's subtle humour and it makes sense. I love the way the band writes their lyrics; smart, sensible, light-hearted & amusing. Lyrics aside, the song has a good guitar solo near the end(it makes you want to play the air-guitar). The vocals are good and most importantly, the melody is solid. The drum beats are well versed and the bass is very very well planned. It's a solid, fluid song and it'll get you dancing and it'll most likely make you laugh and mouth the lyrics like i do. A well written and well played song. An all round good listen and if you're interested, this song is from the album Elevator that has pretty good songs eg. Talk to me Dance with me. Check it out. Hot Hot Heat might just be your next favourite alternative indie pop band.


powered by ODEO

Green Eyed Monster

Why is the MSN man green?
Crystal Jo, by tagboard

Dear Crystal,
Green is a lovely colour. It is the colour of trees in spring, the slashes of neon in Tokyo. Green is the feeling of freshness by the waterfall. Green is the chosen corporate colour by many companies, most of which escape my clever mind now. Green is the colour my hair is going to be. In fact, Green is The Best Colour In The World. Unlike Purple.

I love green. Dark green is mistletoe, under which lovers kiss. Green is a color with many different shades, all within a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nm. Green is considered one of the additive primary colors. It is the complement of magenta. Green in the Flag Of Ireland is called Shamrock Green. In the Middle Ages, green represented evil or demonic beings (including dragons) and sometimes love. Green Day crafted that critically acclaimed album American Idiot, in which a journey of warped proportions is recorded (Jesus of Surburbia, if you're wondering).

And i have to say green is .... yeah, what was your question again? ^.^

Whose Side Are You On?

Metal bullets, frag grenades and missiles versus plasma bullets, plasma grenades (sticky bombs) and energy swords. Covenant versus Marines. Elites versus Spartan. Who will win? The BIG question ( okay maybe not that big because I know who'll win ). Anyway, this is just a foretaste of what's to come in the new Halo Wars game. Unlike the previous Halo games this is not a FPS (first person shooter) game. In Halo 1 and Halo 2, players would have to fight through a mass of enemies be it Covenant or Flood. Halo Wars however puts gamers in control over the troops themselves. Halo Wars is a RTS (real time strategy) game, putting players in a command mode instead of having to actually play as one of the troops themselves and getting killed by, for instance, an Elite armed with an Energy Sword.OUCH! Halo Wars would be something like C&C Generals or Starcraft. The build a big army and send them to fight another big army kinda game. The funny thing about this game is that it is supposed to be played on the Xbox 360! Yup, the 360. Too bad it is not on the PC ( sorry Ced )....or on the PS!!! ( muahahaha!! ) I had hoped that the produces got the game type wrong, not RTS but FPS. You all heard of hopeless hope right (paradoxical, I know)? Well this is just one of that hopeless hope I have about the game. The producers had initially got it right much to my disappointment. Besides that, I give a 9 out of 10 for this game.

Back to the not-so-big question. Basically, players would be playing or two factions. Covenant or Marines. The winner of this war I think would be the Marines. I mean look at the picture! 5 Spartans ( the ones with gold visors )! In Halo 1, it took just one Spartan to take out one Halo ring. Imagine 5 Spartans? The basic Marine arsenal would be the frag grenades, handguns, SMGs, battle rifles, 12 gauge shotguns, sniper rifles, and laser guided rocket launchers. Standard vehicles would be Warthogs armed with a 50 cal 3 barrel machine gun or a Gauss cannon, Scorpion tanks and Pelicans.

On the Covenants side, they've got Elites and Brutes. Elites are taller bigger and stronger than the standard marine. Brutes on the other are a bunch of overgrown mutant speaking gorillas that carry guns around. Then you have all the smaller troops such as the grunts, jackals and flying bugs. The Covenant weapons revolve around plasma laser stuff such as the Plasma pistol and the Plasma rifle. There's also Needlers (it shoots out exploding purple needles once they're stuck on you), Covenant carbine, Beam rifles and the heavier weapons Brute Shots and Carbon Rods. But of course there is the Energy Sword which I am eager to see in action. Vehicles used are Ghosts, Spectres, Wraiths and Banshees (the planes in the picture above).

Just a mental note, the stuff mentioned are all from Halo 1 and 2 which would most likely be used in Halo Wars. Who knows, maybe the guys at Ensemble Studios and Bungie decide to do something different. But anywho, the game would definitely be a 'blast'!!

Eragon

Eragon is a movie about a boy that didn't have sex with his female dragon by the name Saphira. When I first heard about the movie, I thought Eragon is the name of the dragon itself, but to my gentle astound, it's the name of the main character. Eragon, what a crappy name for a boy.

The movie itself talks about a boy who found a dragon egg while hunting in the woods because some sexy gurl sent it to him, the dragon egg hatched and a small dragon came out and it's a gal-dragon, her name is Saphira, she's here to rescue the world with the boy fighting against an evil king. It's just a very typical fantasy movie like any other.

The movie has many confusing terminologies and names, nobody really cares what they are. And one big problem with the movie is that there is no naked women and the girl-cast which should be Eragon's galfren looks much older than him. Overall, I rate it 3.875 star out of 5.

By the way, wonderful wonderful computer effects. Still, I'm tired of those movies with talking lions, dragons and monsters. You know CONLORTEHP. (Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Ring, Harry Potter, Eragon)

Black Comedy

People spend countless hours on youtube that costed Google 1.65 billion and I guess there must be a good reason why.

Black comedy, also known as black humor or dark comedy, is a sub-genre of comedy and satire where topics and events that are usually treated seriously – death, mass murder, sickness, madness, terror, drug abuse, rape, war, ocult etc. – are treated in a humorous or satirical manner

South Park is undebatable one of the best example for modern day black comedy. This cartoon drawn and produced by Comedy Central is never meant for children, as a matter of fact it is only allowed to be aired late night and promotional advertisement can only go up after 9.00 p.m on the TV. Little did they know that children do not go to bed at 9.00 p.m. anymore in the 21th century.

Here's a selected clips which was bounded to offend many people after airing.

So this is my atempt for black comedy, I don't believe in scientology and you are stupid if you believe in it. I mean really stupid.




Tom Cruise did threaten to stop his contract with FOX if this clip is aired. However, Comedy Central went on.












Andrew loves Comedy Central to it's bits.
This post is priviledgely sponsored by Comedy Central

?

The beginning

Holidays Holidays Holidays. They’re half over. Or there’s half of the Holidays left. However you want to look at it. *Most people would say Half over no?*

So far, what productive things have come out of this Holiday?

Let’s see. This Blog came up and running. Two Gatherings were accomplished. People made friends. People interacted. Went for Holidays. Celebrated their birthdays. Went to work. Helped out at home. Vegetated.

I’m sure I’m not the only one who is suffering from lack of brain usage here. I mean, stringing a proper sentence and saying it out, not thinking for 5 minutes and typing it out, has become a challenge for me and not a natural reflex.

Playing Zuma on my sisters computer has reduced me to a blubbering frazzled mess when I used to be able to beat my mum. (I’m nowhere near her score anymore)

I can safely say my reflexes and my brain have deadened gone to sleep for a bit. Soon, school will start. The NS trainees will go answer the governments command calling.

Those who were lucky enough to escape from NS would be applying for F6 or College or Matriculation or starting their own multi million empire of purple computers. Something like that...

A new year would start and year 2006 will end. What will 2007 be like I wonder.

So, Merry Christmas to readers and UGS members alike! Maybe snow will fall…

...In our freezers.

Enjoy the rest of your holidays!

Decisions, decisions, decisions

I wonder if anyone remembers the good old days of the first Pokémon on the Game Boy (I was a proud owner of a Game Boy Colour, woohoo!). Mew was coveted because it was the “rarest Pokémon of all” (even though there were so many other one-of-a-kind critters to be found, meaning they’re equally rare… but I digress), and because it could learn ALL FIFTY attacks available from the Technical Machines! Gasp! *eyes grow wide in wonder* Problem was, it only had a capacity for FOUR different attacks. Oh dear. The gamers’ reverence for Mew’s wide range of choices is an accurate mirror of the general society’s desire to be able to make their own choices for everything. And I do mean everything.

I developed a new headache recently after heading down to Karrinyup Shopping Centre, hunting for information to help me choose a bank to join and to choose a mobile phone service provider. (Yes, yes, I’m finally getting a handphone. Now leave me alone!)

Phones galore. Which one to choose?

The number of options is just mind-boggling. I went home with a bagful of brochures and spent the next several hours recharting and comparing the pros and cons of opening a Bankwest Student Account with that of the ANZ Progress Saver account; and the same went into trying to decide between a Vodafone Talk&TXT Contract and an Optus $49 Cap.

Information galore

Ok, so maybe I was being finicky. Few sane people would spend hours and hours and hours poring over a collection of papers to aid them in their shopping. So why do corporations spend precious resources to bring you all this information that can’t even fit into Einstein’s brain? Why do gamers make such a huge fuss about Mew’s outstanding learning capability?

Here’s the thing: People just LOOOVE to be in control. The idea of being able to choose exactly what you want and shape your own life is extremely appealing. Thus, commercialists are presented with a wonderful opportunity to make money.

I’m not crusading against their right to make a profit. What irks me is that they TELL you that you’re in control, put lots of effort into making you feel good, but actually make it *&%#@# difficult to know what you’re getting yourself into. I'm sure everyone knows brochures have a way of providing incomplete infor and tucking away the most crucial bits in the Fine Print, so there you go.

The people who invented fine print obviously never learnt the concept of paragraphing.

Heed my warning, denizens of the mall. Let not your desire for control cloud your judgements. Forget not that your yearnings may lead you down unforseen roads.

Please excuse me now, I need to go decide what to give my Mew Bubblebeam or Flamethrower.