curious about Benjamin Button...

yesterday...wednesday...movie day...went to a movie with my dear...
"The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"...



we watched the trailer a few months back...and it immediately got us interested...and curious...
of course its curious enough to watch an old man getting younger as he grows older...
but for me...i want to watch Brad Pitt...i love to see him acts...i think he is one of the few hunks who can really act...

i don't know how to write a movie review without revealing any spoilers...
but even from the trailer you can already guess the story...

just want to share...i like this movie...
its really an amazing experience to see a couple in love...both are my favourite (Brad and Cate) on screen...one growing old...while the other growing young...

although the storyline is easy...it is actually a movie with great depth...philosophical...as it deals with life and death...

one line that i could recall...
when someone left us...we feel very sad...but if they don't...how else can we know how much we miss them...

all in all...the visual experience was great...come on...3 oscars for art direction, visual effects and make up...expect nothing less...
the story is simple yet special and very meaningful...left you something to ponder...
value for money...RM6 (ipoh price) for 2 hours and 45 minutes (bring a pillow if you want) of Brad and Cate...can i ask for more?
perhaps its too long...but towards the end, i still felt a bit in a hurry to end...
if you want to watch a romantic and "extraordinary" movie instead of bats fighting with wolves...this is it...

收工过年!!!

friday...4.30pm...i was still busy in my little "kitchen"...my colleagues told me through the little window...

"30 minutes to go"

"what?" i asked...

"收工过年 lah"

it was the first time for us to declare that...
all the time we just say that for fun...but this year...this time i can finally realise the significance of this phrase...

on this day...we put down our works...rest for a few days...balik kampung...meet up with old buddies and distant relatives...and have fun...

appreciate this precious holiday (especially us poor tiny little creatures who have to work on the 3rd day)...have fun...but dun drunk n drive...
wishes all a very Happy and Prosperous Chinese New Year!!!

(for those who drive back to hometown...while you leave your stressful works behind...can you leave your "skillful" driving as well?...once in a year...drive your car at your hometown...your hometown's way...remind yourself that you are on holiday...relax...not rushing to meet any deadline...if you told your friends you are on the way...and you are bringing loads of cash...they will not stop gambling until you arrive...don't worry)

my fantasy..

when we talk about fantasy...especially guys...one thing always come to mind...SEX...
nope...i'm not going to tell you my sexual fantasy is xxxxxxxxx...

recently picked up my guitar again...
clean the dust...spray some WD-40...tweak a bit...and voila...guitaring again...

perhaps due to the boringness of working...need a lot of good music...
came across a good song from my old mp3 collection...which can be played easily and nicely with guitar...



even the lyrics is good...gave me some idea to write a simple love story...really wanna write...but lack motivation...as usual lar...lazy mar...

then came across another song...which is even easier to play and even nicer...



and the lyric is also as good...give me more idea for my simple love story...but still i'm lazy...

and suddenly...these 2 songs reminded me of my fantasy...not a simple love story...
that is to sing and play guitar live...unplugged...surrounded by a small crowd...
and the crowd don't have to sing along with me...just move their head or tap their feet to the rhythm...enjoy the performance...em...so fun...

but too bad my singing is like a frog...my face is like a frog...and my fingers are like frog's...can't really play that well...so fantasy remains fantasy...

the closest i had to my fantasy...was the experience of my lifetime...the best 10 minutes of my 5 years of secondary school...to play in a band in a Scout's gathering...
i guess it was form 4...or 5...not sure...
back then Hitz.FM was still Hitz FM...and still playing a lot of Westlife and Backstreet Boys instead of Kanye West and Justin Timberlake...

first song...Blink 182...who cares what a bunch of noisy fellas doing on stage...



ok...we don't play half as good...we don't sing half as good...the crowd was not half as big...in fact no crazy excited crowd at all...but i can assure you our drummer was almost half as impressive...damn he was so cool at that time...i mean our drummer...
but we shiok sendiri on the stage...it was fun...

second song...Linkin Park...



it was still the Boy Band, Pop era...so we didn't really expect anyone to know this song...most them thought it was licking park...but we just want to play for the fun of playing...

but when we started...suddenly a small group of girls rush to the front of the stage...and they were singing (em...screaming) and jumping with us...though it was just a small group...i guess the rest of the hall just wanted us to stop the noise...

but damn i tell you it was the best feeling in the world...
girls screaming with a rockband...
at least for once in life...i could experience the rockband high...really high...

"my fantasy"

my favourite alcoholic beverage...

friends who had seen me drink before would realise...most of the time i take...BEER...
i always enjoy beer...

nowadays most of the young people were into wine...especially red wine...duno why...
perhap the other spirits such as whiskey, cognac or brandy were too "ah pek" for the young people...or i think the main reason is that they are just too damn strong...
and beer is too cheap?
perhaps the tempo and "kick" and status of wine is just nice for them...

personally...i like wine...but if i were to choose...i would say i enjoy beer more...
the keyword is enjoy...

i find wine too formal...in fact a bit pretentious...
hold the glass by the neck...stir the glass...sip by sip...let it linger in your mouth...savour the after taste...

wtf...
with beer...just grab the bloody can...pull the damn trigger...gulp as much as you can...and let it "kick" you...
in the mean time...go ahead and laugh and yell at your buddies as loud as possible...or flirt with whoever around you...who cares...you are drinking BEER...

the science of Beer...
there are always a few question that people want to ask...
perhaps with my freshly graduated knowledge...i could help answer a few...

1) why drink beer?
Unlike drugs like ecstasy...which is a stimulant...Beer is actually a depressive agent...
in your brain there is an inhibitory centre...it acts as a brake to your brain...
and beer depresses this inhibitory centre...and two negative gives you a positive...

for example...under normal circumstances, you may not laugh as loud...because the inhibitory centre is there to stop you...telling your brain that it is inappropriate to laugh out loud in the public...

but with beer...this brake stops to function...so nothing to hold you back...and you laugh and joke and flirt and do things that you are normally "inhibited" to do...this effect is called disinhibitory...again...two negative gives you a positive...

also when the inhibitory system could not function...you feel a little elated...a little happy...
and i begin to enjoy alcoholic drinks when i began to recognise these effects...damn pharmacology...

2) why easier to get drunk if drinking without food?
food, especially fatty food, delays absroption of alcohol into your blood stream...

3) why beer has to be carbonated?
perhaps carbonated drink tastes better...
but carbonated drink absorbed into the blood faster as compared to non-carbonated drink...this help to get the "kick" faster...

4) why have to go toilet more often while drinking?
the obvious answer would be the fluid from the drink itself...
but the main reason is that...being a depressive agent...it inhibits the secretion of the anti-diuresis hormone from the brain...
this hormone act by concentrating urine...thus less urine output...
when secretion of this hormone is inhibited...urine become more diluted...thus more volume...

5) why beer belly?
alcohols are actually ethanol...short chain carbohydrates...
when ingested...they will then be converted into carbohydrates...energy...
unused energy will then be converted to fats...
thus...ultimately...the ingested alcohol will be stored in the body as fats...
and belly is one of the "storeroom" for fats...

6) Can we (mainly guys) make "mistakes" while drunk?
if you are totally drunk...my answer is no...
first of all...if you are really drunk...chances are you are unconscious...
secondly...you may have problem getting an erection...

but if you are not totally drunk...yes...
when slightly intoxicated...you become disinhibited...thus...you could be doing things that you wanted so much...but normally inhibited to do so...for example...use your imagination...

(also interested with cocktails...curious with the taste of a few types of drinks mixed together...currently experimenting Red Eye)

first week into 2009

first week into 2009...
so far what do you think of 2009?

me?
like many other citizens of the world...i'm truly shocked and enraged by Israel's invasion...
today...the 16th day of invasion...and after "...more than 800 Palestinians have been killed in the attacks, including 235 children, and about 3,300 people have been wounded, according to Palestinian medical sources..." (CNN.com)...Israel shows no sign of ceasing fire...wtf...

so what's the big deal about this Israel vs Palestine thing?

i was lucky...5 years ago i had a 1 and a half hour Pengajian Am tuition dedicated to this topic...the tutor Miss Tan explained to us what on earth was going on with this two "countries"...all the way back to the beginning of the story about 4000 years ago...the story of Abraham...the father of 3 religions...

if you understand the complexity of this issue...you may understand why it can never stop?
in my opinion...it can never stop unless either one of these people being totally annihilated from planet earth...or USA stop being a coward...

in a nutshell...as far as i could understand...
why both Israel and Palestine want this piece of land so much...

because it was promised to the Jews (Israelite) by God...which...by purpose or accident, only God knows...God also promised the land to another group of people...the Palestinians...

God must be funny...playing a thousand years old joke with these people...
or God must be very angry...
because God (not sure to use He/She or It) promised the land to these people...why can't they share and make good use of it? God wants them to be so selfish?
i wonder...

for an outsider like me...i don't care wtf your God tells you...but i'm sure God didn't tell you to kill...unless that is your God's teaching...i don't know lar...

so please...for humanity's sake...stop killing in the name of God...and
STOP VICTIMISING INNOCENT CIVILIANS AND CHILDREN...
thanks...

first Gin Tonic

recently watched an animation...the Bartender

it is about the interesting role of a bartender...
first of all...what do we visualize when we talk about bar?
noisy drinking den with flashing neon, loud music, cigarette smokes or live sports telecast?

in the story...the bar is a place with two extreme...
at one end...it is a meeting place for happy people...
at the other...it is a hiding place for sad people...

in a bar...a sad person can be disconnected from the outside world...and have a peaceful place to rest...and in this story...with the help of the bartender...

how many cocktails do you know...or tasted?
martini? the glamorous tequila 'pop'? margarita? bloody mary? long island tea?
do you know every cocktail have their own story? their origin?
and each cocktail has its own purpose...this is what the animation is all about...how the sensitive bartender "prescribed" the appropriate cocktail to help his troubled guests...

Gin Tonic?
it was said to be rejuvenating...

today i made one for myself...not that i need any rejuvenation after work...
just that coincidentally i found an old bottle of Beefeater Dry Gin in my dad's wine cabinet...and Gin Tonic is one of the easiest to mix...

i'm not really an expert...but i find this gin tonic thing good...
could be due to the fruity gin (not sure if i'm correct), the ice, the slight bitterness of the tonic, and the lime...the combination is really refreshing...or should i say rejuvenating?
after the first sip...the after taste will tempt you to have another, and another, and another...
and of course, combined with some good music, relax me a little after a day in the OPD...

i also found old bottles of Smirnoff Vodka and Bacardi Superior...got more things to try out...
oh no...i'm becoming an alcoholic...

(Beefeater is said to be a smooth but inexpensive gin...how can you have a 47% alcohol drink which is smooth and not burning your throat? try a sip of Beefeater neat)

New Year...welcome to OPD

started my new year at a new department...the glamorous Outpatient Department (OPD)...
this is where the public perceived as "the" pharmacy in a hospital...and all the pharmacists must be working in here...of course we have a few more departments and services...nevermind...
this is where the patients get their medicines before they go home...they could be discharged from the ward, patients from the clinics or patients taking their supply of medications for chronic diseases (Hypertension, diabetes, etc, need to take lifelong medicines)...

7.50am...before the OPD open...before i even step into the OPD...i was greeted by the long queue...all along the corridor...wow...
when i entered the OPD...in addition to the long queue...the benches in the waiting area were all filled up...in fact the whole OPD was filled with waiting human beings...wow!!!

got in and work...newbie filling presriptions...bla bla bla...in a zappp...5pm...time has never moved so fast since i started working...

because of me lar...my first day...everything don't know...have to think slowly...ask here ask there...slowing everybody down...clogging up the counter...

5pm...time to go...but the stack of prescriptions to be filled and dispensed was still an inch thick...gotta stay back...luckily by 5.30pm...most of the counters also finished their job...fellow PRPs coming over to help...thanks very much girls...(yep...most of my colleagues are girls)...we finished just in time...6pm...

once got home...after bath and all...once sit down...resting my legs...suddenly one thing came to mind...a beer...
after a day of stress and hard work...i do need some beer...ice cold beer...

well...this may not be the most interesting department...but it certainly is the most challenging of all...and fun...and i'll spend another 2 months here...
i shall work harder...and faster...and more importantly more careful for the sake of the patients and their patience...

well...come...to...OPD...

Christmas Joke...

came across this funny strip...just wanna share

Finally...a re-conditioned Blogspot...

new year...new blogspot?
the previous one...hosted by friendster...was heavily spammed...damn
forcing me to move my blog here...so...here i am

this was initially created as my LAG 400 (German) homework...i am too lazy to remove the old entries...so anyone interested can view them...i gotta tell you they don't make any sense...cause i myself not sure what i was doing...

New Year again...
reminds me of an entry i posted a year ago...
perhaps i should review them before the new year comes...

1) well...i did finished my dissertation
2) and yes i finished in time...although my presentation was not that perfect...
3) i enjoyed my time in the campus and hell yeah i enjoyed the final examination...
4) i expected a vacation with more coursemates...but they (only four) were still my coursemates, weren't they?...accomplished
5) well i graduated...
6) and got posted back to Ipoh...yeh
7) and kicked off my career...so far so good
8) some ups and downs...still trying hard...
9) still in good shape...
10) hopefully all got my blessing...

after the "penilaian prestasi kerja" (PPK) 2008...time to set my "sasaran kerja tahunan" (SKT) 2009...

i've gotta admit...since leaving campus...it gets a little difficult to set sasaran...back then was simple...study aiming for exam...after exam planning holiday...then start study again...and then start looking forward to holidays again...

now?
work...work...work...seems to have no aim...nothing to look forward to...funny...
well...i try my best to set my target now...

1) finish my "internship" by October...
2) get a good new posting...hopefully stays with Ipoh Hospital...hopefully...
3) have the motivation and wisdom to solve all my problems...
4) to give my best to the patients...
5) start training and participate and finish the Ipoh half marathon...now this is a big one...
6) have time for holiday with my dear...cuti cuti Malaysia...
7) kick off my expensive-fun-but-rather-pointless hobby...
8) bring our relationship a little bit further...
9) peace to my country...hopefully our leaders are bringing us to the right direction...
10) once again good health to my families...and all my friends...and all the best to all...

Finally...
Happy New Year To All…!!!
Willkommen 2009…!!!
Ein Glückliches Neues Jahr…!!!

Integration von Jugendlichen aus Migrantenfamilien

1.
a) Woher stammt Metin?
Aus die Türkei.

b) Ist Metin Deutscher?
Ja, er ist gebörener Deustcher.

2.
Was hat Metin gemacht, als er 15 Jahre alt war?
Sie ließen CDs mitgehen, klauten Fahrräder, waren richtig gut im "Abziehen". Sie bedrohten auch Kinder, meist Jüngere, auf dem Schulweg, die sich mit Geld, ihrer Jacke oder Baseballkappe freikaufen mussten.

3.
Warum, glaubst du, hatte er Aggressionen?
Er hat an der Hauptschule scheitern würde, kein Geld zu einkaufen und unter Druck von seinen Kollegen und Eltern.

4.
Was bedeutete damals ‘HipHop’ für ihn?
Mit HipHop konnte er die Aggressionen abbauen und Anerkennung von seinen Freuden bekommen.

5.
Was ist für Metin bedeutend?
Für Metin, Anerkennung ist das Wichtigste.

6.
Was sind die ‘Hamburg Allstars’?
Die sind Metins Tanzgruppe.

7.
Was macht Metin heute?
Heute ist Metin ein Tanzlehrer und Tänzer mit seiner Gruppe ‘Hamburg Allstars’.

8.
Wie kam es dazu?
Das GEZ-Ding war eine Chance und es hat Metin viele Türen geöffnet. Metin spielt einen HipHopper, der sich als GEZ -Mitarbeiter entpuppt und ein paar Jungs in einer Fabrikhalle mit einem nicht angemeldeten Ghettoblaster überführt. Der Spot ermöglichte ihm, sich als Tänzer und Tanzlehrer selbstständig zu machen.

9.
Wie sieht Metin sich selbst? Als Deutscher, als Türke?
Er sieht sich selbst mal deustch, mal türkish, aber eigentlich grenzenlos. Er meint, dass er von Rassen, Nationalitäten und Grenzen nichts mehr wissen will.

10.
Wie viele und welche Nationalitäten sind in der Gruppe ‘Hamburg Allstars’ vertreten?
Sieben Nationalitäten. Die sind: ein Indonesier, ein Portugiese, ein Pole, einer von den Kapverden, ein Inder, ein Deutscher und ein Halb-Amerikaner.

11.
Wie sieht Metin die HipHop Szene heute?
Heute sieht Metin, dass die HipHop-Szene eine Familie ist und woher man kommt, interessiert er nicht.

12.
Ist HipHop eine Art Heimat für Migranten?
Nein, HipHop ist nicht eine Art Heimat für Migranten. Aber mit HipHop könnten Jugendlichen aus Migrantenfamilien Anerkennung und Identität finden.

13.
Wie gehen andere Jugendliche türkischer Herkunft mit den beiden Kulturen um? Welcher Kultur fühlen sie sich angehörig?
Vom text, etwa 50 Prozent der jungen Deutschtürken sind in ihrer Freizeit mal mit Deutschen und mal mit Türken unterwegs.
25 Prozent blieben privat unter Türken und 25 Prozent wollten mit der türkischen Kultur überhaupt nichts mehr zu tun haben.