Things That Make Me Go Hmmm...

Women Rule!

2011-04-17T08:17:00.003+08:00

Just in case it slips people's attention, and since that I am a follower of female dominance on the music charts, it should be pointed out that women rule UK Album Chart this week. All Top 5 positions in the Album Chart are occupied by ladies. I can't even find any further info on such feat in the UK past.

Anyway, good for the ladies. May more feat such as this come their way.

Penang Darul Ghost Town?

2011-04-16T10:35:00.002+08:00

Someone wrote that Penang is becoming a Ghost Town. By evening, it can be seen that shops in Kimberly Streets are closing, leaving nothing much for Penangites and tourists to venture into that Chinatown.

Not true. One, even during the broad daylight, Kimberly Street is never known for its busi-ness for many, many years. Two, if one wants nightlife in Penang, the places are Upper Penang Road, Gurney Plaza, Queensbay and Batu Ferringhi. Who goes to Kimberly Street at night?

Penang has never been short of being called in names - Penang Darul Sampah and Retirement Home. It is not a major attraction for beach tourism, losing much to Phuket and Bali, where foreign tourists worry less of offending the locals or strict rules and regulation.

It has no bungee jump spot. No water resort. It's surrounded by water, but it is not fully utilised. It has no theme park, nor high mountains. Someone quoted that 25 years later, Komtar remains the tallest building in the state, without any prospect of it being challenged. But then again, it was Penangites who rejected PGCC, and hence, no taller buildings...

Sad. Maybe it was really a case of 'do this, wrong; do that, wrong'. One can never satisfies all. Still, even without tall buildings, we should innovate Penang. Where's the Tiger Park???

Tooth Cavity and Minyak Cap Kapak

2011-04-07T17:32:00.002+08:00

Years ago, my mom told me how to temporarily solve tooth pain if there was cavity. This is only for a temporary measure. Dental clinic is not open at night, and just in case if the tooth pain is only noticed late at night, and one has to bear with the pain until the following morning...

She told me that to get rid of the tooth pain - find a small cotton bud, and soaked it with 'Minyak Cap Kapak' - which was stated on the label as Axe Brand Medicated Oil, and to stuff the hole in the tooth with the medicated-oil-soaked-bud. I remember my reaction when she told me. I was horrified at the suggestion. I was, at that point, suspecting my mom was playing some kind of cruel joke on me, and was waiting to trap me with this silly, fatal act.

However, a few years later, when I was suffering toothache late at night, I was in such a pain that I was willing to do anything to get rid of the pain. Then I remembered what my mom told me. Still, wearily, I tried out her tip. It was surprisingly true! The moment the bud was stuffed into the hole, I was imagining all the excruciating pain possible. None happened. What did happen was my tooth pain was gone.

Well, it was gone for half an hour or one hour. And then, I had to stuff in again a new bud.

Someone asked if it was okay to put Minyak Cap Kapak inside the mouth. Well, technically, I was not drinking the whole bottle. It was just a drop or two. I really did not know the side-effects, but it was not like I was doing it often. More than 10 years later, I am still okay. So, small doses should not be a problem.

Anyway, there. Minyak Cap Kapak. Impressive small little wonder, huh? Hehehe.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 (2010) Deleted Scene 1

2011-04-03T11:30:00.004+08:00

The excitement of waiting for the finale on July 15, 2011 is building up, as the world's Harry Potter's fans are gearing up to watch the ending of the wizardry saga.

Found this video of deleted scene of the 2010 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallow Part 1 - where Harry Potter had a moment with his aunt. Surprisingly, there is a sentimental spot in the heart of the usually cold-hearted Aunt Petunia. I guess the director did a good job trying to bring up the depth of certain characters.

Ladies and their Number Ones

2011-03-31T09:39:00.004+08:00

Billboard Hot 100 celebrates Katy Perry's claim to her 5th Number One hits this week. E.T. is her 4th Number One from her album Teenage Dream, a feat difficult to achieve. Albums do produce multiple Top Ten hits. Occasionally, multiple Top Fives. Seldom, triple Number Ones. So, a quadruple Number One hits is admirable. Plus her only Number One from the previous album, the famous I Kissed A Girl, Katy Perry has a 5 Ones now.

Although sensational, Lady Gaga is only credited with 3 Number Ones so far in Billboard Hot 100. However, judging from her popularity, she could still cook up some storm. Beyonce has 5 in her belt. Rihanna is doing better with 9 Number Ones. However, some of these female artists' Number Ones are hits with them as artists featuring other artists, or as a featured artists.

Needing less help from artists or as featured artists are Mariah Carey who is still at the top in the list as Female Artist with the Most Number Ones in Billboard Hot 100. She has 18. Madonna has 12, with all her hits as a solo artist. Whitney Houston produced 11, including the multiple weeks Number One song I Will Always Love You. Janet Jackson commands the next placing with ten Number Ones in USA.

Of course, Rihanna has a good chance to overtake them. However, she needs another 12 Number Ones to beat the reigning king - The Beatles, who sit at the top for decades with 20 Number Ones.

A glory time to listen to Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves.

How many Emails do a man need?

2011-03-30T15:33:00.002+08:00

One, said a friend, without even a hint of bashfulness. Two, said a few other friends.

Me? Six. Yup. You heard me right.

My fav mail is and always will be gmail. But eventually with more requests for me to chat in msn, I signed up for... not hotmail, but msn.com. I have always wanted an email address looking cool, ending so short, instead of the long hotmail. (This is one of the few times that short matters more to me than long.) So, I did msn. The mailbox is practically empty. Of course before gmail, I needed a webmail to replace my old favorite Eudora webmail. I signed up for yahoo mail, but that is way abandoned once I liked what gmail felt to me.

Then, there is the workplace email which I see spams, and I don't check that email often enough. Heard that gmx mail is the cool new thing, and I signed up, without really fully utilizing it.

And then, good ol' Facebook offers me Facebook mail. I like the username. So, Facebook mail has potential to be my 2nd favorite in the list.

One email only? Seriously?? Life is fun for me to register for free stuff. They are free!!!!!! Why limit myself to only one? Hehe.

Dalam Botol - Malaysia's First Gay Themed Film???

2011-03-28T13:01:00.002+08:00

Dalam Botol (2011), translated as "In the Bottle", is hailed by some activists in Malaysia as a breakthrough in reducing Malaysia film censorship. Reducing, and not eliminating, because Malaysia government still has the final say - that the gays must be shown in the film as regretting and feeling remorse of the immoral behaviour and turn over a new leaf.

I don't really expect anything different from Malaysia government. What is it expected to do, since that its hands are tied by a majority of homophobic voters. Telan mati emak, ludah mati bapak (Swallowed - mother dies, Spitted out - father dies). Either way, I don't really care for the position the government is in.

However, I am more bothered of the storyline, the plot. It is funny how the movie is made about two guys falling for one another, because they don't feel the same for women. They know not of love and passion for women, but for men. So, why in the world would one of them go through the operation to be a woman, and then feel disappointed that the other man cannot accept him in the female form???

What's wrong with the picture? It is planting wrong ideas among the non-gay community who are trying to understand the gays. It may give the ideas that guys who are gays.. because they want to be women. That's so misleading. Secondly, the only way to be together is if one of the men becomes a woman.

Oh, grow up.

Hey, Hey.. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend.

2011-03-27T11:54:00.001+08:00

I have this theory that you can pick out 'who the good boyfriends' are from badminton games. Well, from any games.

It's my observation, although not correlated-tested, that good boyfriends are those who do their parts in making things easy for all - the need to serve. Once shuttlecock falls onto the ground, just watch those who are committed to pick their shuttle up for the next player who is to serve.

The rule applies not to those who pick up once in a while. Or when the shuttle is near his feet. But those who walk the few steps to retrieve the shuttle for others. That's a good-boyfriend material.

As for those who are indulging in their ecstasy in scoring or pain in a shuttle returned poorly and often walk away when the shuttle is nearest to him, self-centered boyfriend alert. Don't say you have not been warned. ;p

Georgetown or George Town, Penang?

2011-03-25T17:46:00.003+08:00

I love Penang, despite that it has poor town planning since its development, no MRT nor lRT, no IKEA, shrinking Borders Bookshop and that I have to pay to see my own state's Fort Cornwallis, I love Penang. Even for the fact that it is one of the poorest plan for names.

In Bahasa, Penang is called Pulau Pinang, which means Penang Island. But Penang is not only an island. It is made of Penang island and Penang mainland, which is known as Butterworth. Look at a Bahasa map, and you'll see that the whole state is called Pulau Pinang. Poor name-planning No. 1.

Georgetown is Penang's capital city. Or capital town, depending on who is seeing it. To the international eyes, it is a city. A city too, if you ask a Penangite. Ask the Federal Government of Malaysia and you'll be informed that it is a town. Plus you'll get historical lecture on why it is not a city, although this injures the pride of Penangites for Georgetown was the first place in Malaya to get the city status, obtained from the British Queen.

Back to the Georgetown name. Check international map and you'll see Georgetown. Check local newspaper and signboards, and you will see George Town. To make it even more confusing, some semi-old signs are still directing drivers to Pusat Bandar, which means Town Center. Georgetown was a sensitive name for the state administrators a decade or more ago. Imagine foreign tourists reading, checking and double checking their map for Pusat Bandar when they visit Penang, equipped with Penang map, made by foreigners. Pusat Bandar?? What area is that? Where is Georgetown? Or George Town?? Poor name-planning No. 2.

Little do young Penangites know, we have Penang Cybercity. Except that Penang is a state, and not a city. Bayan is Penang Cybercity, and just like Malaysia's Cyberjaya, its name is all that is prestige-feeling. Go around Bayan and there is no different in the tech advancement there, compared to other none-cybercities in Penang. And oh, Bayan is not a city either. Poor name-planning No. 3.

There were plans for PORR and BORR. ORR refers to Outer Ring Road. P is for Penang (Island) and B is for Butterworth. While BORR plan is completed, it is difficult to build PORR because there are more rich people living in Penang Island. Those who had bought condos by the sealine objected to the idea that highways would rob them of the proper sea view. And since that they were voters, Penang state government then obliged and drew a new map where the highway cut through Gelugor, Farlim and Jesselton before ending at Gurney. There were new objections, of course. The funny thing was that it was still labelled as PORR, when it was no longer an outer ring road. It was planned as a road that cut through Penang's heart, without any connection link to the outer ring. Poor name-planning No. 4.

Well, at least the public transportation RapidPenang is serving in Penang.

Address? What's that?

2011-03-23T23:45:00.003+08:00

What's in an address? My iPad demands my attention to fill up my contact list. The Contact icon is staring at me, making me feel guilty that it is minus 2 blank. (I have only 2 entries so far.)

That makes me ponder... In the mobile phone, email and Facebook age now, do we need addresses? I know where the people I visit often stay. I don't know their exact addresses. Others, well, I don't visit them, except for their Facebook pages.

So, are addresses still valid?