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Visit my new home at
www.adriantai.com
for more comprehensive updates.

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Wednesday, November 28, 2007

New look for my website, again...

Seems like November is the month when my personal website gets a facelift.

Decided a few weeks ago to use Wordpress to run my site. I could not find a easy to use CMS back then. Anyway, the main site and Friends of Seaport have already been 'migrated'. Just need to spend a few more days fine-tuning it.

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Tuesday, November 20, 2007

Terter... Rest in Peace

Terter passed away just a few hours ago. I guess I should already be prepared for it, but no matter how prepared we are, Death is just something that will still jolt even the most prepared.

Once upon a time, there lived Hamham and Terter
Yesterday, she was already very weak and not taking as much liquid vitamin as she normally would. I knew it means she's getting worse. I told her what Phenom had commented -- that Hamham is probably waiting for her at the 'other side'. Yes, I do talk to my pets... I also told her that my wife would be coming back from in-law's place in a day or two.

Taken on 8th Feb 2006, the day Hamham died
I got home from work today around 7pm. Checked on Terter. She was sleeping but I could tell she was not too comfortable as she was twitching and breathing very heavily. I left to pick up my wife around 8pm. Bad jam on the LDP and my car breaking down made me arrive at my in-law's place only around 10+pm. Luckily my brother-in-law was around to help me with the car... He asked me to use his car and told me that he will get someone to send my car to the workshop tomorrow... He's really good around cars!

Anyway, by the time my wife and I reached home, it was already past 11pm. When I went to check on Terter, she had stopped breathing. Maybe she tried waiting for my wife...

Terter, rest in peace... Thank you very much for staying with us for the two plus years. Thanks for all the momories...

Hamham is really golden in colour whereas Terter is a bit grayish


Hamham looking at the 'fat' Terter gobbling down food


Hamham and Terter during their evening walk with one of their kids looking on


Another photo of Hamham and Terter at home


Terter stuffing herself with food... Again!


Terter taking a break from being a first time mummy. Daddy Hamham is no where to be found


Terter's first batch of baby hamsters


The babies are no longer babies...

Terter

2005 - 20th Nov 2007
Goodbye, Terter...

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Thursday, November 15, 2007

Interesting questions

Got this in an email this morning. I sometimes do asking questions like these -- interesting, funny and sometimes thought-provoking. Feel free to add to the list of 'burning' questions you may have...

Can you cry under water?
Hmmmm... Anyone tried this?

How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated instead of just murdered?
I just noticed there's 2 'ass' in assassinated...

Why do you have to 'put your two cents in'.. But it's only a 'penny for your thoughts'? Where's that extra penny going to?
Malaysians should know this...

Once you're in heaven, do you get stuck wearing the clothes you were buried in for eternity?
And if you're going to hell, will your clothes be burnt when it gets toohot?!?

Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
Hmm... Maybe we should have square pizzas.

What disease did cured ham actually have?
?!?

How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would bea good idea to put wheels on luggage?
I did ask why we've not put any man on the moon in the past 30 years... A friend explained that its pointless to send a moon there now since we have unmanned probes that can collect samples, take photos, etc...

Why is it that people say they 'slept like a baby' when babies wake up like every two hours?
Yalor... Why ar?!?

If a deaf person has to go to court, is it still called a hearing?
?!?

Why are you IN a movie, but you're ON TV?
English... Ever so confusing.

Why do people pay to go up tall buildings and then put money in binoculars to look at things on the ground?
People like to do weird things...

Why do doctors leave the room while you change? They're going to see you naked anyway.
?!?

Why is 'bra' singular and 'panties' plural?
Hah! I'm also curious...

Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp, which no decent human being would eat?
Very true... Why design something with a setting that burnts bread?

Can a hearse carrying a corpse drive in the carpool lane?
?!?

If the professor on Gilligan's Island can make a radio out of a coconut,why can't he fix a hole in a boat?
Wah... It's been a long time since I saw the show. This one reminds me of the Disney afternoon matinees I used to watch on TV back then as well.

Why does Goofy stand erect while Pluto remains on all fours? They're both dogs!
?!?

If Wile E. Coyote had enough money to buy all that ACME crap, why didn'the just buy dinner?
Yalor...

If corn oil is made from corn, and vegetable oil is made from vegetables, what is baby oil made from?
?!?

If electricity comes from electrons, does morality come from morons?
?!?

Do the Alphabet song and Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star have the same tune?
Hmmm... Let me see... Never realised it till today!

Why did you just try singing the two songs above?
Wah lau eh... Mind reader! How did 'it' know I was singing out the two songs...

Why do they call it an asteroid when it's outside the hemisphere, but call it a hemorrhoid when it's in your butt?
?!?

Did you ever notice that when you blow in a dog's face, he gets mad at you, but when you take him for a car ride, he sticks his head out the window?
My Gerger likes it when I blow in her face.


DO YOU EVER WONDER WHY YOU GAVE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS TO ME IN THE FIRST PLACE?
Hahaha... So I can get amused in office?!? :)

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Monday, November 12, 2007

Growing old...

Every night when I feed my hamsters, I feel sad when it comes to Terter. She's more than two years old now. She is one half of the original pair of winter hamsters. The other half, Hamham died very much earlier.

Terter, the Winter hamster, looks like a beauty, huh?
It really saddens me to see her condition now. She can barely walk. Her two hind legs seems to have given up. When she moves, it is with her two front legs, dragging the hind legs as she crawls around. She does not seem to have any appetite to eat these days. All she does now is just lie down and sleep.

Terter and her lil babies. Yes, she's very fertile. :)
Terter has not been playing with her wheels for the past few months already. But the past week, she's gotten weaker. I guess this is a cycle everyone of us will go through. Since she's not really able to move about, I've been feeding her vitamins, water and peeling the kuachi for her. And how I wish I had spent even more time with her. I neglected the hamsters ever since I got my puppy -- Gerger.

Actually, Gerger should be grateful to Hamham and Terter. I had made a deal with my wife (still girlfriend back then) that if I could keep the hamsters and show I can take care of them, then we would consider adopting a puppy. And of course before we had the hamsters, I had to prove I was capable by taking care of some cactus (died not too long after we got the hamsters).

I am doing everything possible to make Terter feel comfortable. I just hope she's not suffering...

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Friday, November 09, 2007

More Wii

I am a Wii (wee) mad this week. Here's one video showing a typical Wii game session.

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Thursday, November 08, 2007

I want a Wii

Eu Jin, Jude and yours truly went to check out Wii this afternoon. We are planning to buy the console but wanted to test it first before deciding further. Yes, we have heard about how the console is really bringing gaming to a whole new level with its motion sensor controls. But how good is it, we have always wondered.

So off we went to Best Denki (it's one of the few official Wii resellers in Malaysia) in 1 Utama. First thing we checked out was the price and warranty. The official set (will explain on the non-official set shortly) costs rm1299. It comes with 1 console (US region), 1 Wiimote, 1 nunchuck, 1 stand and I Wii Sports game. Warranty is only for 3 months. I suspect this is a MaxSoft policy rather than Nintendo's since I know consoles usually have 1 year warranty.

How was Wii? Very nice! I tested two games from Wii Sports - Tennis and Golf. The graphics are relatively simple (though I suspect only for titles from Nintendo since I know Resident Evil 4 is also available on Wii and graphics in that game is not 'simple'), but playing wii is a totally new experience. Since I was in public place (remember Best Denki), all I tried out was backhand and forehand. I was not too comfortable (shy) trying to do smashes, etc... So its just swing left and swing right. Yes, in case you have not realised, you swing the Wiimote like how you would when you play Tennis.

Next, I tried Golf. Still shy, I tried not to swing the Wiimote like what I would do with the golf club... Unfortunately, I found out that if I did not do a 'actual' swing, I would not be able to hit the ball far enough. So no choice... Had to do the full swing... Yes, you use the Wiimote just like how you would use a golf club. A truly different gaming experience -- no more classic controllers like those in PS3 or even Xbox360.

I've fallen in love with Wii. BUT... (yes, a BIG but)
We also checked out the games. Original games here cost around rm180 onwards! That's bl00dy expensive. Make that super Bl00dy expensive. Common... How can they expect the average person to afford the original games?! 3 games would almost be equivalent to a policeman's salary! For some, rm200 can pay for a month's petrol. Or a month's rent. If it's rm50, yes, I will go Ori... Common la Nintendo. Common la Max Soft. Even music CDs here are not that expensive.

And three months warranty only?!?

There are of course the unofficial sets. These are the ones that have been modded (modified). There are many modchips that allows you to modify the console to do more things. But bear in mind that using these modchips will void your Wii warranty. Modchips usually will allow you to play your backup discs. Let's be practical here. If your game is going to cost you a month's rent and constant playing will definitely scratch your disc, you will eventually have a disc so scratched that it can't be read anymore. Of course you would surely want to make a backup copy (hey, I believe this is allowed for music CDs). But official consoles will not allow you to play backup discs. I think a modded console is going for around rm1600 (comes with extra set of Wiimote and Nunchuck).

Anyway, Nintendo will be launching more accessories (and games, of course) for Wii. One of them is Wii Fit. It's supposed to be a game cum fitness thingy... Here's a video (yes, my first ever video embed) showing what Wii Fit is all about:

Finally, for latest news on Wii, click here.

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Monday, November 05, 2007

BERSIH & Peaceful People's Gathering

Remember, remember the Fifth of November,
The Gunpowder Treason and Plot,
I know of no reason
Why Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
10th November. 3pm. Dataran Merdeka. Nope, we're not going to do anything bad to the Parliament on that day. 10th November 2007 is the day that Malaysians who want a change will stand-up and be counted!

Extracted from http://bersih.org/:
"Only when elections are clean and fair, can citizens be real masters of their own destiny and expect holders of public office to act accountably and effectively.”
BERSIH started out as the Joint Action Committee for Electoral Reform, which was formed in July 2005, and the coalition’s objective was to push for a thorough reform of the electoral process in Malaysia.

We may be 5 days late, but it is hoped that this gathering will mark the start of a positive change in our country's electoral process. But I just hope no one starts something stupid on this day.

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Sunday, November 04, 2007

10 sen incident

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I wonder...

If anyone is following the keris-wielding fashion this time around?! Tsk, tsk... this is the guy who claims militancy is not his style and that others perceive his style as 'lembik'. Maybe 'lembik' in other sense, gua...?!

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I was having breakfast this morning when I saw a guy drop a 10 sen coin after getting his change from the chicken rice seller. The guy paused for just 2 - 3 seconds to scan the floor before walking away (I guess he could not find the 10 sen). I could see he couldn't really be bothered about the 10 sen.

I remember back when I was still a kid, finding 10 sen on the ground is like striking the lottery. All the coins would go into my piggy bank which my mum and I would open, count and take to the bank every few months. 10 sen back then could buy me 3 sweets or even a bubble gum. But many years later, 10 sen seems like nothing to many. I don't think you can even buy a stick of cigarette with 10 sen.

Has the 10 sen devalued so much over the past 20 years? If so, what then with the 5 sen and 1 sen. Just to side track a bit... At one time, there were talks to stop circulation of 1 sen since the process of making 1 sen actually costs more than 1 sen. After some discussion, it was decided that 1 sen will still continue to be circulated.

Going back to this 10 sen thing... The thing is... How much is 10 sen to Malaysians these day? How much is 10 sen to you? Heck, the price of fried beehoon went up by about 20 sen per plate since 1st November (this is another thing that puzzles me... There is an increase of 15 sen per kilogram of rice flour but how come my plate of beehoon that definitely weights less than 1 kg goes up by 20 sen?!). And during the last petrol price revision, 1 litre of petrol went up by 30 sen. I don't think I've heard of the price of something going up by 10 sen, or even 5 sen for that matter.

Me? I still look for my 5 sen when I drop it... Money is still money.

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Friday, November 02, 2007

Time flies...

...Whether you are having fun... Or feeling sad... Or anxious... Or busy.

It felt like yesterday was just Monday but before I even realise it, tomorrow's already Saturday. I need a time machine.

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