Ding Dang Datang Lagi!

Haha I still remember that quote from the commercials in TV1 and 2 every evening during the shows and cartoons I was watching 10 years back. My mom used to buy Tora, Ding Dang or occasionally JoJo everytime she comes back from the market (the old parasol-shaded vendors market where the Central Market building is now located). 10 years later, I don't really watch the TV and not sure if they're running the commercials as often as they used to, if any. So I bought some anyways just for nostalgic values. And yes most of the things are still the same; they still come with free toys and they still have the same flavored chocolate balls. But I don't remember the chocolate balls to have an extremely chewy and plastic-ish center, and the plastic taste overwhelms the chocolate taste. And with the melamine scare still fresh I decided to discard the balls (despite it's made in Malaysia attribute) and just enjoy the random free toys inside.

Back Home 2008

Hah, finally arrived home safely, and I'm still looking for a steady thing to do for the 3 months semester break. Any peeps in Sibu do holler, maybe another year-end pizza session is at hand. Cheerios~

SOAR Training Sem 2 08

Huwah, just finished facilitating the SOAR training for semester 2 2008 from 22-26th November. All's good, minus the fact that I can't online at h3666 X(

The 5 days ended so fast, and hey, had some laughs and fun. Hope to see those who made it through in second training ^^

Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 Review

Seeing EA's logo in the game's development made me have a low expectations for the game, after what happened to me in the rushed Mercenaries 2: World in Flames [K4L]. But hey, after 2 minutes into the game, I was "Hey, not bad at all"

So RA3 wasn't all that bad after all. The traditional silliness from previous RA2 was kept and this time the game feels more cartoonish (Awww... the Kirov Airship is both dreadful and cute at the same time FTW XD). Apart from the traditional feuding Soviets and Allies factions, the addition of the Empire of the Rising Sun (Japan la) is somewhat not so surprising. It reminds me of Command & Conquer Generals however, where three factions; USA, GLA and China are at war (feels lke it's becoming a trend to have the Blue West, the Soviet-arms equipped Middle East or Russia itself, and the technological/numerical superior Far East /Outlandish (e.g. Yuri, Skrin) factions in wargames nowadays).

All the Red Alert RTS gameplay is retained, from the right-screen build menu to the the Iron Curtain and the raging makes-you-wanna-go-to-war soundtracks. And the in-game cutscenes are originals, with several famous actors such as these:

Why are all the Russians Americans? I mean the hilarity of them trying to imitate Russian accent is there but...

And yes, if you've noticed from the snapshots, there are more cleavage this time around. RA3 feels a bit more sexualized than ever, and those snapshots are just the tip of the iceberg. Imagine them in HD quality, the very reason why the game is 7.77Gb X___X. Oh before I forget, RA3 is surprisingly friendly to low-spec machine, and a 2005 Intel Media Graphic Accelerator powered laptops can handle the game in Low settings.

Anyways, I'm gonna come back to RA3 from time to time to finish off the campaign and enjoy the Red Alertness while trying to cope with the game bugs. And here's the second part of RA3 intro showing the Imperial invasion force invading Russia. Enjoy comrades :D

Travelling Along the West Coast

Right after I arrived home I had to return back to Oil Town to attend functions. So that means only a few hours of good night sleep in Kampua Town for me.

Anywho, this time drove to Miri to save more time (another 7 hours trip in the bus the day after the same trip yesterday can be too much). And instead of using the old standard 5 hours Sibu-Miri road, we took the 4 hours coastal highway road. And after we drove past the boring rolling palm-oil plains and hills for an hour, and AFTER we checked in at the hotel in Miri, only then we found out about this:

(Click: Read more)

Wow, didn't expect the road was 'hot' when we went through it. Luckily it was 2am, not 11am or so. I mean a gunfight is cool, but it can be nasty if one get caught in an epic gunfight with family. This is one of the reasons why the bus don't use the time-saving and smoother coastal highway, apart from the SNAFU they will get into should the bus gets some technical difficulties (no line in that ladang).

Just Another Trip Home

How to fix a flat tire:

Step 1: First get flat tire(s) and get stranded in the middle of nowhere where the coverage ranges from poor to LOST.

Step 2: Bring out the jack and place it firmly under the platform (it's like a cube dent, which fits the jack's head) of the affected tire's side. Then firmly (but not with force) grab hold of the handle and jack it away until the flat tire is left hanging and sagging above the ground...

Step 3: Then get everyone to get as close as possible to the jacking to lend a helping hand and ensure the success of the jacking. Have at least a colleague to have a peek from above to get an aerial view while the jacker jacks on the ground on his belly. We don't want to jack wrongly and cause a mechanical mishap due to misuse of the jack.

Step 4: After the jack is successful, pull the flat tire out and bring in a new one, which is usually located in the rear.

Step 5: Shove the new, fresh, tight and firm tire into the relevant place. Then remember to screw all the nuts around the tire's rim to lock it into place. Then we're good to go.

Quantum of Solace Review

• WTFBBQ title. Not much relevance of it in the movie. The BM subtitle in the movie: Ketenangan dalam ruang kesengsaraan. Lol?
  
• Bond girls that that have less personality and curves than the 'RM5 bang..' ladies
• No gadgets like a DBR9 Austin Martin equipped with Sidewinder missiles
• 5 minutes intro with Bond dancing, aiming his gun and falling aimlessly with fancy graphics
• Nauseating car chase camera-play in the beginning worse than Cloverfield (or could just be my far left seating angle in the theater)
• Gay final battle with the movie's 'villain' who just so happened moans and groans to the point of making me feel like I'm watching a sadistic stallion prawn, I mean who axe his own feet and moans like a ninny?
• No gadgets like a bunker-buster bomb guiding laser pen
• Repetitive use of James Bond's name like 'James' or 'Bond' or 'James Bond" instead of his 007 codename. Since when did MI6 become so casual and careless while doing international top secret espionage?
• No gadgets like instant bra-strap slicing $5 Swiss army knife
• What happened to the good old suave, cool, womanizing and kinky-accented 007? This one feels like a heartless RoboCop who goes on a killing spree from Europe to Latin America with this robotic "I will try my best, affirtmative" attitude
• I did not fully watched the previous Casino Royale, so WTFBBQ just happened?
• Go watch Madagascar 2
  

Finals Over, Now What

Ok, so my finals is officially over by 8.55pm 11/11 2008, the second day of degree's first week of exam. Weee...

Now what. I got roughly 3 months ahead, and I'm not taking summer course since they don't offer any unit of my interest, siot. Man, this is going to blow big time for me... a job it is then. Good luck to all comrades who are still fighting for their credit hours. Gambatte ne!

Congratz to Barack Obama

Congratulations to US 44th President Barack Obama for his victory in the presidential election. Now that the United States have embraced change, when's Malaysia's turn?

Yoga Going to be Banned in Malaysia

(Read full article here)

WTF? Why on Earth why would they ban a HEALTHY practice that slows down aging and reliefs stress? Why don't they go ban the widow-making smoking instead? I practice yoga myself along with other colleagues under the guidance of my lecturer and he don't insert any Hindu elements in it, it's pure slow stretching and breathing here and there to reset the body system to default, an alternative to pumping iron at the gym. Yes, yoga originally created with religious elements, but now most people would want to do it without any ritual basis, and as a pure physical exercise just for health benefits. Whatever la these conservative extemists wanna do. Before you know it they'll ban taichi, aerobics, jogging, walking, roti canai...

But please la macha, more research should be done here. Don't forget to use Chicago Author Date referencing.

For those who are new to yoga, it's more than putting your legs behind your head. It's more on breathing to regulate your body system and reset your backbone (of course la kan, most of us sit like a prawn while we face our laptops and do our assignments. Benefits?:

• Increasing Flexibility – yoga has positions that act upon the various joints of the body including those joints that are never really on the ‘radar screen’ let alone exercised.
• Increasing lubrication of the joints, ligaments and tendons – likewise, the well-researched yoga positions exercise the different tendons and ligaments of the body.Surprisingly it has been found that the body which may have been quite rigid starts experiencing a remarkable flexibility in even those parts which have not been consciously work upon. Why? It is here that the remarkable research behind yoga positions proves its mettle. Seemingly unrelated “non strenuous” yoga positions act upon certain parts of the body in an interrelated manner. When done together, they work in harmony to create a situation where flexibility is attained relatively easily.
• Massaging of ALL Organs of the Body – Yoga is perhaps the only form of activity which massages all the internal glands and organs of the body in a thorough manner, including those – such as the prostate - that hardly get externally stimulated during our entire lifetime. Yoga acts in a wholesome manner on the various body parts. This stimulation and massage of the organs in turn benefits us by keeping away disease and providing a forewarning at the first possible instance of a likely onset of disease or disorder.
• Complete Detoxification – By gently stretching muscles and joints as well as massaging the various organs, yoga ensures the optimum blood supply to various parts of the body. This helps in the flushing out of toxins from every nook and cranny as well as providing nourishment up to the last point. This leads to benefits such as delayed ageing, energy and a remarkable zest for life. (Ham: pissing foams after yoga session? I got those, it's the toxin. You know what they put in our food nowadays)
  
• Excellent toning of the muscles – Muscles that have become flaccid, weak or slothy are stimulated repeatedly to shed excess flab and flaccidity. (Ham: hahahahaaha)
  

(Source: http://www.healthandyoga.com)

Yes! 15! Sen! Decrease! Thank! You! Government!

Oh thank you very much! This is the how-many-times-already 15 sen decrease for fuel! Huzzah! Thank you very much for the decrement! Really impressive job in increasing the price ridiculously high at RM1++ overnight and then bring the fuel price down 15 sen every 2 weeks or so. Thank you! The effort is much appreciated by the people who will now have so much money to spend on other ridiculously uncontrolled priced goods!

And yes! We will shut up and be happy with the price! We will continue comparing Malaysia's fuel price with Thailand and Singapore who don't produce petroleum as you told us to! Thank you again!

Supreme Ruler 2020: The Future is Boring

Imagine the year 2020, where world economy crumbles and inflation is at 200,000,000%, nations dissolve and extremist states emerge, China's PLA army marches into Tibet, Israel dropped the nuke on Gaza and Malaysia still squabble over who should be the next PM. This is what Supreme Ruler 2020 aimed to be. And it failed.

The quaint town of Sibu, Sarawak, Malaysia at its best. With a realistic population figure of 167,000 and diminishing heavy logging industry, Kampua Town can produce RM1 billion worth of GDP, in 2020. How cool is that? Now if I can only start my own City-State...

Yes, it's cool to take command of any of the world's current nation, from Cuba to Malaysia, managing all of the country's aspect from its nationwide militarization to the policy on inflation to what to build next in Sibu. Yes this is amongst the few games (or first) that is minutely detailed in terms of the world map and features good 'ol Kampua Town in it. Everything runs in real-time and not turn-based, and this poses a unique challenge.


In most games where war is the main focal point of excitement is, Supreme Ruler 2020 will throw in other aspects to keep you busy when you are not warmongering. The economic issues is a pain in the ass and varies across countries, e.g. little Brunei have a hard time compensating costs compared to Iran that can easily generate $1 billion in 6 months. And then there's war. I don't think I need to cover much about this, because every nation have their own realistic(?) military capability. The best example is when playing as Brunei, you guys can just use the current army available and reclaim back Sarawak; Miri in 3 hours, Bintulu in a day and Sibu on the next morning (can't reach Kuching, Malaysian government deployed heavy military presence there by the time I reach Bintangor area).

Besides the war and economic crisis shoved up your face, there's nothing else to do. Peace can be BORING and messages from other countries asking for trade spams your inbox. Researching a new tank may take 1 hour, developing a town can take 5 hours. So basically one can just play a bit with their nation and leave it on overnight to see the progress the next day. If one is lucky, the strangely simple AIs will be busy attacking each other and ignores your country. You will not get the same feel of facing aggressive AIs as seen in Civilization or Rise of Nations. By the time (playing as Iran) I got dozens of SCUDs, bought in a few Taepodong missiles from North Korea, and created my own armageddon army, I lost interest. I was expecting the US to be wary of my military build up and send in their army to stop me, but they just idly sit there (huh ftw?). So what happened afterwards? I uninstalled the game after I posted this post.

I give it a 5 out of 10. Sorry Battle Goat, the game just needed more love and 'human touch'.