The Same Quaint Town :)

I went back to Kampua Town for the short tuition free week. I originally planned to go back by Friday, but I pushed it to Sunday since I had an appreciation dinner on Saturday. So on Sunday the 22nd, the prodigal son embarked on his 7 hours journey home.

Nothing biggie happened during the trip, but I kept my trusty penknife sheathed under my long sleeve just in case. In the bus I was wtfbbqed for a moment after a young boy took my seat (Seat 3, I always sit there) since his mom wants him to be in a row with his other 2 sisters next to him. Being a sporty dude I just meh-ed and sat at seat number 2 in front of him (the boy's original seat) till we reached Little Jogjakarta, Bintulu. The 3 siblings left and I waited for a few minutes to make sure those 3 are gone for good. After the short wait humming to my MP3 player and checking out leng luis at the next bus (oopsie), I decided to shift back to Seat 3 but an old lady sat there first. So I just meh-ed again, put on my earphones and continued to enjoy Paul van Dyk's album In Between. 10 minutes later shortly before departure I was abruptly pulled away from van Dyk's trance by a lady and her student daughter (how do I know she's a student? I got marketing eyes haha either that or because she was carrying luggages that only a student would lug around). I turned around and sieng-ed at the lady in Seat 3 politely and began a quick 35 seconds talk (since it's in foozhou it sounded more like a quarrel XD). In the end I got my favourite Seat 3 and enjoyed the rest of the trip back.

I knew I was home when the sky suddenly turn dark and rained. I was home. Kampua Town has that distinct weather of being hot by day and rainy by evening. And yeah, the flood is still here. Global warming's effect can be felt here. I was told it's been like this for 1 month++ and at the current rate this town will be Venice by the time it reaches city status on 08.08.08. It sure sucks to be in the low lands.

The big drain in front of my crib in Jackfruit Village at 10am with Godzilla having fun in the murky teh C peng water. Big G said there's no sweet teh C peng flavored water back in Japan, so it was a unique experience for him. The flood subsided at noon.

Basically Kampua Town is still the same as how it was when I left 5 weeks ago. After being a while in Oil Town with all the rapid developments there, I can frankly say this Kampua Town's growth is stagnant. You guys (who came back for last December's holidays) remember the new expanded road that runs in front of Metho, Playboy J's house and Sing Kwong? It still like that. Aiks XD.

Anyways I'm gonna spend the tuition free week here and MIGHT go around town to see what's new. Until then, I REALLY need to haul arse on my assignments, so stay tune.

Somebal's Secret

Just another night-out at town in Siamese Secret. Thanks Ray for the hilarious vid XD

WARNING! PG13: Somebal's Secret

Sights and (no) Sounds at e-Mart

A night at e-Mart, an über big marketplace a few clicks from Senadin. I'm just gonna let the pictures to do all the talking, but I'll kepo a bit in the captions. May thanks for the pics :)

Hey there's a Sinta branch here in e-Mart, Miri. Although it's 1/4 of the size of the one in Premier, Sibu, it still gives a little sense of home :] And the dude on the foreground is Georgie aka Georgina aka Bush aka Bushy, a fellow Sibuian.

Click on it to enlarge. Tastes Kingly P:

Hmm... I wonder if they know what Ali Baba means in Malaysian business context :/

At Mr. Magic waffles place. I love the waffles. And I'm getting prosperous.

I save the best for last :)

We're 1/3 Way There

As you all already know it's Week 4 according to Curtin and some Australian U standard calender. Officially we're 1/3rd through, as we have 12 weeks of studies for this semester (excluding the tuition free weeks and the week-off before the finals). The pressure starts to mount as projects, midterms, presentations and assignments' due date are just around the corner waiting and grinning maniacally. Fortunately I have no midterm for my units this sem, but either way the projects are super poking me badly. Furthermore, time flies so fast, someone should give it a speeding ticket. For now, just gonna say gambate to all comrades and colleagues everywhere. And here's a song to kill your time and perhaps give you some inspiration to start that assignment.

Fatboy Slim - RIght Here, Right Now. You've come a long way baby. Classic :)

Today's Toilet Surprise...

Ok so it's Week 4 and I was going to start off the week with a big :) but ended up with a big |( when this s#!+ happened:

Even the creators of the Ring or Dark Water wouldn't be able to produce this kinda special effect

No, it's not that me or my roomie didn't flush for a week or anything. This happened AFTER I flush whatever NH4 that was in that bowl. Then I tried to wash it down with the shower but it only made it worse. That's right folks, Senadin water was yellow again, yellower than ever. It's not chrysanthemum level, but liang cha and almost nin jiom pei pa kao level =.=

I will be honest and frank, I didn't brush my teeth today after losing my selera when I saw this. I turned to the expensive RM1.40 first water to rinse. So sue me...

After staying in Senadin for 4 semesters this liang cha day is nothing to be alarmed about. Happens occasionally and only for a day, if not two or three, or a week. Just another good thing that one will experience whilst staying in the backyard of Oil Town.

Although it looks like something out of the movie Dark Water, the water is somehow odorless and tasteless just like any average tape water (but common sense tells me not to drink it, duh). However you will feel sticky if you try to take a shower with this liang cha water, and I can't confirm if it will cause some kinda skin allergy or other health hazard. An engineering senpai who went on a trip to the town's water treatment plant told me that the dudes at the plant told him that the color of the water is normal. Normal. Right. Here's his quote:

"...it's natural. The water is like that because of the nature of the underground water sediment in this place..." [Paraphrased quote from the treatment plant dudes]

Either those plant dudes are color blind or they just couldn't care less about the problem. Haihz... And of all days why does this have to happen on my laundry day? I didn't pay RM6.60 per month for this kinda water. Double haihz...

Another Random Sunday

I've been so busy for the past 3 weeks with assignments and campus events that I was unable to chuck in new blog posts. Heck, I forgot what I wanted to blog about when I decided to give K4L an update. And even if I do remember most of the stuff I want to touch about is basi already, such as the election and what not. Ouch.

Lookie at all the shoes belonging to the members coming over for a meeting at 3666. My rugged pair of shoes is somewhere in that orgy. Try to spot it, draw a red circle around it and send the pic back to me for a reward :)

Anyways, everything has settled down (for now) since I've settled most meetings, completed some assignment drafts and got over with some campus events. And I'm kinda happy because my Black Book tells me that I will be free-er from now until the tuition free week on the 22nd. Technically we (Curtinians of Miri Campus) should be free by 2 days earlier since the Prophet's Birthday (IF they give a day off) is on Thursday the 20th and Good Friday falls on the 21st. This leaves us with a total of 10-11 days of tuition free, enough time for almost everyone to rest after 4 weeks of studying/"studying". I'm just gonna head back to Kampua Town to defrag on that week, and if possible enjoy the new RM2.70 kampua...

Before you start thinking that there's something wrong with Ham, let me explain what this pic is all about. I ordered 2 Chicken Eggs and 1 Hotdog Special like usual from the Senadin burger stall (between Villa and Village, next to the Chinese stall) and dapao-ed the whole thing back. Then when I arrived back at 3666 I just chucked the whole thing out of the plastic bag onto my desk and the three foodstuff landed and randomly formed this phallic symbol. WTFBBQ... Oh well, don't let this incident gross you out. The burger there is not bad, and the price is ok la for Miri standard. The stall opens at 7pm++ till 3am. If you're around Senadin you can order and dapao the burger by SMSing them at 016-8844099. Don't ask me about the dude's name, I never asked for it, paiseh XD...

Talking about food and price, did you guys catch the commercial on TV saying most goods' prices will be dibundarkan? E.g. For a RM4.02 char sau mien, you will only have to pay RM4.00. Here's how the system work:

For any item that have RMXX.02 and below the the total price will be dibundarkan to RMXX.00.

For any item that have RMXX.03 and above the total price will be dibundarkan to RMXX.05. [Citations needed]

The system applies to other value apart from the 2 cents such as RM45.33 (converted into RM45.30) I suppose. I'm not sure if this pricing style applies to all goods and services, but if it does, I'd be one happy dude since I have a somewhat strict "No Coin" policy. I don't enjoy carrying around coins since they unnecessarily fattens my wallet, they jingle a lot and imagine the paisehness when some of the coins fall out of your pocket, roll away and literally force you to make a run for your money. =.=

Gonna stop here, since I'm gonna enjoy my Sunday. The song below is dedicated to you all. Enjoy your weekend :)

Git Rich or Dai Tryin'!

It's just one of those silly Facebook quizzes, and I got this result:

You roll tough - maybe a bit too tough. You'll die in an epic gun fight, guns a-blazing.

Shait XD Oh well I was expecting it anyways, considering the things human beings will do to possess cash. Get the bloody quiz here. And FYI the video is a snip from the 1983 movie Scarface, with Tony Montana having a blast with Sosa's army in Tony's mansion, complimented by the 2005 song "Piggy Bank" by 50 Cent.

The Mist: A C**** Emo Movie

STEPHEN KING'S LEGENDARY TALE OF TERROR

THE MIST
FEAR CHANGES EVERYTHING

WARNING!: This post contain spoilers and somewhat biased criticism. Readers discretion advised.

I wanted to watch One Missed Call (ah mo version) for the weekend after a tiring week but my buds dragged me to watch The Mist instead.

I thought this was going to be some horror movie but it turned out to be another B-Movie, something similar to Cloverfield where the movie focuses on the survivors instead of the nature of the 'things' that is terrorizing them. It's a mixture of Half-Life and Silent Hill. Here is The Mist's review...

Spoiler begins mwuahahaha!:

So we began with David Drayton, a painter who lived in some small American town near a lake getting busy with his odd job. Then a nasty lightning storm spoiled his night and he took shelter with his wife and son until the storm subsides. The next morning David found his house and boat dock were wrecked by uprooted trees (one of them belong to his NY lawyer neighbor). The power was out, and David noticed a thick mist from across the lake. He wanted to 'discuss' about insurance issues with his neighbor (the lawyer dude's classic car got wrecked by a tree too), and both of them, along with David's son, went to town to get some supplies.

At town, David and the other townies were in a supermarket to get the stuff they needed when authorities and military dudes rushed towards the lake. Moments later the uber siren went off, signaling something wtfbbq was going on. Then the mist, ala CNY midnight firework smoke, slowly engulfed the whole area like a typical mosquito fogging session conducted in my hometown. The people who were outside the market screamed their heads off as the thick soupy white mist shrouded the scene. Everything outside was white.

People in the market were blurred and terrorized with the current situation. David went to the supermarket dock area (where the stocks, forklift, generators and stuff are located) to get a blanky for his son. There he got the scare of his life when something BIG was humping the dock automatic door from the outside. He fled back into the supermarket and returned with some shoppers and staff to see wtfbbq was going on. When they opened the automatic door one of the staff dude got mauled and dragged outside by huge tentacles (imagine tentacle hentai, but don't get all excited because the dude is a dude). They closed the auto door and told the other shoppers about what happened.

Some shoppers didn't believe or were blurred about what happened, and then came a beeyotch who kept on preaching about Judgment Day. A small band of shopper led by the NY lawyer decided to go outside, only to be silently pawned by those 'things' in the mist. After that the other survivors decided to stay put and think about what they should do next, with complimentary preachings from the slightly psycho but annoying beeyotch.

That night mutant bugs the size of my foot who were attracted by lights hogged the supermarket glass facade, followed by some winged creatures the size of Ham who feasted on the bugs. The glass wall eventually cracked from feeding frenzy, and gore, blood and violence ensued. Luckily the shoppers managed to pawn all the mutant creatures and got a hold of themselves, with the cost of several staff and shoppers.

The next morning David with a small band of survivors went to a pharmacy nearby to get some medical stuff for the injured. Too bad some of them got d***ed by some more 'things' and David and the survivors fled back to the supermarket. In the supermarket tit-bits of the info about the mist was revealed by a soldier who was amongst the survivors. Apparently the military was trying to make a 'window' to another world, only to have it turned into a door (sounds like Windows Vista).

The survivors in the supermarket were split into two: The people following the beeyotch and those still sane enough to try to run away (David's crew). So David and his crew decided to leave behind the supermarket and attempt to flee as far as his fuel can away from the mist.
SUPER SPOILER WARNING!!! RUN! NOW!!!
David's pickup stopped (no more fuel, minyak naik harga ma...) somewhere out of town with the remaining survivors. With no options left, and suicide is the next best thing to do apart from being eaten and mauled to pieces if they step outside the car, David and his crew turned emo and committed suicide with point blank head shots. Bad news is there were only 4 bullets and 5 heads, and David was the one popping his crew's heads (including his own son, bastardos...). David went out of his vehicle, cried like a student who forgot to save his 5,000 words assignment which is due tomorrow, and then kept quiet as he listened to an incoming noise.

Expecting the worse, a column of tanks and other military folks rolled past David. Shait. David was 1 minute away from being rescued when he blasted his son and 3 other people in his car moments ago. He was WTFBBQed. What a crappy ending. END.


HAM'S RANTS:
Shait! I've wasted 2 hours and RM8 for an ending where the characters turned emo and committed suicide when they were just a minute away from salvation? WTFBBQ... And why is it called The Mist? It's more like The Fog to me... though there is another movie with the mentioned title.

HAM'S RAVES:
Wee!!! I love all the gore, blood and violence in the movie, kudos! The idea is slightly fresh and the plot is nice too (minus the ending). A slight relieve after what happened to me after watching Cloverfield.

O-Week Sem 1 Foundation

Woowee what a tiring week. O-Week for Pre-U students for semester 1 2008 was a blast. I was so tired from all those max exertion I can't even recall what happened on 3rd-8th March. So, excuse the bland post about this O-Week. But one thing for sure, Ham had maximum fun XD

P/S: For pictures, candid shots etc from the O-Week Pre-U and Degree, visit the relevant links. You'll find them scattered throughout the networks. Oh and kudos to SOARs, CV!s and SCs for doing a job well done :]

Age of Pirates: Beautiful but Sucked

Let's start off the month of March with some game reviews, yay! These are the games that I've played from January to February 2008, complete with uncensored criticism and biased ratings:

AGE OF PIRATES: CARIBBEAN TALES

Arr sad to say in the great Pirates vs Ninja fight, I'm 90% on the pirate side and thus the need to play a sea dogs related game nyaharrr!!! Age of Pirates: Caribbean Tales gave an impressive presentation when I first played it. It's a RPG/Action/Tactical game where you choose to either become Blaze or Beatrice Shark. But seriously there are no pros and cons to both of them, just the gender and appearance. Next is your faction (Spanish, British, Dutch, French or the Pirates). Then comes the gameplay. Hey wtf should I do? Some scurvy dude gave me half a map during the short cutscene and then what?. Where's the tutorial? What should I press? Where's the damn minimap? Where the hell are the wenches?!! Yes, the game has NO TUTORIALS so you will have to go to the Options and check out all the keys for yourself. Shait.

Me raiding a Dutch fort (I think) with my crew. Not much to complain, just that it can get REALLY repetitive when you have to raid forts and settlement to take it over from the oppressive colonial superpowers. By the way, ignore the pop up message paiseh XD

Age of Pirates offers a good combination of RPG/Action (you fight, do quests and level up), a bit of settlement management (what to build on the conquered settlement), and some typical captain skills (control your own ship and crew and pwn the Caribbean sea with you fleet). The game would have been fun with all those beautiful graphics and swashbuckling, if not for the fact that Captain Obvious laid down his comment saying this game is incomplete and the plot sucked. Ok so I got a map and then I have to meet my step-sister Beatrice (I chose to play as Blaze Shark), who was somewhere in the Caribbean. Then I accidentally found her in Dominica (oopsie spoiler alert) when I got tired of constantly having my hull pounded by 17 lbs French and Dutch cannonballs. From there I was told to complete 1-2 more story related quests, until I reach a part where Beatrice said bye-bye to me to help me complete our father's dream of uniting the Caribbean states. After that you wouldn't see her again as you repetitively conduct your plunder ships and raid the next few dozen more settlements until all of Caribbean is yours. It's really boring doing the same thing over and over again, and things would've been nicer if the developers spent more time on the game plot instead of the cannonball physics.

My ship, the Black Sultan, cruising slowly after sinking a French frigate. You start off with a super mini ship, but later with higher skills, gold and luck, you can own uber huge ship like the Black Sultan. I got her for free when I hijacked her from the Dutch fleet pursuing me somewhere near Havana XD Oh and later you can upgrade your ship by buying parts and accessories such as cannons, hull buffing and sails.

That's just how big the Black Sultan is. The sound of 270 cannons firing off simultaneously at smaller ships is like music to the ears... "Cease using grapples, load up those bomb kegs! Smithy bring us to port! Wait for it.... wait... FIRE!!!" BOOM! x270 wheeeee!!!! Harr har haarr!!! The ship fights in this game is nice, somewhere near PS2's Naval Ops: Warship Gunner (bullshitty futuristic tech but deep plot).

RATING:
As mentioned earlier the details and graphics in this game is awe worthy, 3 years ago anyways. Sadly it's just another one of the games that is just shiny but doesn't shine. So here's my rating:

Graphics:

Everything looks nice and pirate-ish, just click on any of the image above to see for yourself.

Sounds:
Ok la, different sounds and music for different scenes. But the limited dialogues from the NPC can get repetitive

Game Play:

Good, you can poke your cutlass on land and pound your cannonballs on enemy fleets at sea, AND manage your very own Caribbean fleet and empire.

Storyline:
No star for this one, not even a kesian star. The plot is so bad it makes the nearly plotless Space Invaders more interesting.

Longevity:
Sure all those fights can be addictive but after 2 hours it gets repetitive. Imagine the looks of your scurvy crew members when you shout :
"Look! Another Spanish merchant fleet!"
"Yay... -____- again"
"Oh c'mon you sea dogs! Lighten up a bit"
"Our hands are tired and blistered from loading cannonballs and hoisting the sails"
"Ok what about if we raid Puerto Rico?"
"Don't want! They all look the same! We're tired of plundering settlements with the same architectural layouts!"

All in all, this could have been a good game. But too bad, I was personally let down by it. However if you enjoy a pirate life and don't mind the repetitive gameplay (or really bored and got nothing better to do), try this game out.

If you like pirate games Captain Ham suggests:
Tropico 2: Pirate Cove
Pirates of Caribbean Online
Buccaneer