My perennial favourite Malaysian cuisine...

A search and discovery engine for music and movies with information exposed by Amazon's open API. Really cool web app as it allows visitor to see how their favourite artists are linked together in a hyperbolic hyperspace.

Liveplasma

Have been contemplating on my financial predicament often lately. With the bearish share market and jittery oil prices of the past few months, my current investment portfolio sure looks very depressing. Recent liberalization of the foreign exchange administration rules for overseas investments also failed to generate enough interest among many local investors.

If the current economic outlook persists and the impeding developments of government's policy come into effect, there's only one possible outcome for little men on the street...

Don't remember how I came about Cheryl Tan's blogsite. Her post on Sek Man Ng's murder caught my attention initially. But when I drifted over to her personal photo collection, I discovered beauty.

The INTERNET.

The single largest entity that is shaping the world today. It drives economies. It drives population demographics. It drives freedom of expression. It drives us insane... or so we think.

A CONGLOMERATE.

Of ideas and ideals. Of passion and fears. Of brilliance and lunacy.

A WEB.

It entangles you. Binds you to its complexity. Alluring dynamics and yet amazing simplicity. Every single link visited reveals new webs.

The INTERACTIVITY.

Not just publishing. Not just broadcasting. Constraint overcome. Where egos are boosted. Where a nobody becomes somebody.

Read this, whenever you are lost...

Nathan Torkington, O'Reilly Radar's contributor, posted a very interesting example of what Ajax can do for our web client browsing experience.

AJAX is an acronym for "Asynchronous JavaScript and XML". Reminding myself here to check this thing out one of these days.

Related links:

• Ajax: A New Approach to Web Applications
  
• Asynchronous JavaScript Technology and XML (AJAX)
  With Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition
  

Read about kimberlycun's entry on her night out with her mom to watch Batman. Before the movie, they decided to pamper themselves with some new clothes at a shop nearby (I am guessing here). She was pretty frustrated (and mad) when her mom did not pay for her two halterneck tops while at the sales counter. Her mom told her to buy those clothes with her own money. Naturally she was hurt and felt unloved. Not sure if she is still sulking now, but am sure she'll get over it.

This made me wonder when was the last time I actually asked my parents for money to buy anything. Ever since leaving university, I have never asked my parents for anymore money. In fact, I DO give money to my mom albeit not much and not consistently (not sure if any of you guys out there are doing this filial peity thing, but if you are not... tsk tsk tsk). Anyway, I DO reward my family with my share of my bonuses every year now.

Being born under the Chinese zodiac of the ever *cough* talented, *cough* perceptive and *ehem* handsome Horse, naturally I have a totally self-reliant and indepdendent streak. So this is my stand on money...

Using people's money = DEPENDENCE
Using own's money = SELF-EMPOWERMENT

Ok, so the lines above may not be some deep truth. But contemplate on it. Every time you purchased some item that you desire, was it from your own cash? If yes, did you feel the high sense of self-worth? The pride of achieving self-fulfillment via your very own means?

Sure, one of these days I will definitely seek my parents help for some financial assistance. But only when I know I do not have the capacity to fulfill those needs myself. I hate to do it but sometimes certain situations do demand it like when my parents knowing that their first son is getting married (What?! My son got girlfriend already meh?) or settling the downpayment for my house in KL. Well, neither has happened yet, so not need to worry.

Wished I had a more lucrative paying job, all the problems in the world sure can solve one... sigh.

But hey look on the bright side. At least, I am owning my first car fully supported financially by yours truly now.

Here you go guys, I made a map for those who require directions:

Finally, after all these years, Ampang folks have a cineplex to call their own. Where did you say it was (those in KL would wanna know)? It's at the new Galaxy Ampang Shopping Centre situated at Taman Dagang, right next to the Ampang Jaya Police Headquarters. All 10 cinema screens for the viewing pleasure of movie buffs.

YES, 10 SCREENS! Now here's the surprise for you. It's neither from the TGV or GSC movie houses. It's MBO! Yup, that's right, MBO for Malaysian Box Office (I think)! Never heard of it before but it sure packs enough punches to beat up the old players.

After lunch, my ex-housemate (who's from Kota Kinabalu for a HQ meeting next week) decided to check it out after I told him about it. His enthusiasm caught on me, so what the heck, might as well see what's there to offer. It's a Sunday anyway and I need to relax more.

Not many businesses at the moment apparently and finding the cineplex wasn't too difficult. It's at the 4th floor (but the lift only had a '3A' button to push). When we came out from the lift, what we saw blew us away. We were like... WOW!

Check out the photos for yourself... no kidding right?


I mean, this place is much more high-tech then both TGV and GSC combined (ok, may have exaggerated a little there). You can even buy movie tickets from a vending machine. Just get a membership card (with a fee of course) and you can watch your favourite movies for less than a ringgit compared to other cinemas around KL.

We ended up watching Batman Begins in a brand new cinema hall in hot red seats. Sound and screen quality is a blast.



Ampang isn't so bad after all. Better than staying in Shah Alam, believe me, ;-)

PS: Had wanted to take more shots but got stopped by one of the cinema dudes. Bummer!

Little Freya, my colleague's baby daughter is slightly over a year old. She's the cutest toddler I have ever seen. I have seen her grown up since when she was just only a bundle of joy in her mother's arms. Check out the little princess' cherry lips.


She's so CUTE!

PS: Photo was taken during the PETRONAS Sprinta AAM Cubprix Championships 2005 roadshow at Megamall Penang, Seberang Prai on 7th May 2005.

Would be glad if anyone out there can sponsor me for the following course. Just look at the virtues below that are being expounded by these enlightened Java masters.


The title "J2EE without EJB" displayed on the projection screen in the photo above should give Sun Microsystems some jitter. Their efforts of establishing their own EJB framework as the de-facto standard all these years going down the drain. It's not .Net that is bringing EJB down. It's the Java community's open source movement.

Anyone who sponsors me will be get free one-on-one tutorials, :-)

Attended the 10th Asian Oil & Gas Conference at the newly opened KLCC Convention Centre last Thursday. An old friend, Jane, whom I bumped into on Wednesday, invited me to her Schlumberger booth. Had wanted to visit this prestigious event when she called but was too preoccupied with other commitments then. The event was held from the 13th to the 16th of June.


Wished I had more time to visit the booths though. The major corporations such as PETRONAS, ExxonMobile, Schlumberger and others sure had very large and sophisticated booths. Some even had a coffee bar at the side and a lounging area at the top. You sure can imagine the number of deals made and sales leads generated during this event. By the way, some companies even hired gorgeous ladies clad in skimpy dresses to the promotions. Now, what does a sexy girl and a drilling pipe have to do with each other? You go figure, ;-)

My admin clerk visited the exhibition booths and came back with loads of cool 'designer-like' paper bags, pens, etc. Sigh, I took none and wished I had gone earlier or had been more kiasu, *cough*, forward like her.

Getting there: Above ground, you can't missed it among the modern architectures around the KLCC Park. Underground, from the Putra station, walk your way towards Suria KLCC new wing located at the concourse level. Right between Tower Records and Guardian, you will see the entrance to the passageway, and mind you, it's a very long walk towards the convention centre. No one is complaining though since there's air-conditioning all the way.

Got this story to share from a funny bird.

After attending a recent international conference at the new KLCC Convention Centre, some delegates from a foreign country decided to check out Kuala Lumpur's bustling 'nightlife'. Apparently, they thought they didn't need to go far when someone observant in their group spotted the neon-like blue signage of Aquaria right at the concourse level of the convention centre itself. Aaah, how convenient. Located below ground, entrance at a corner, bright lights... must be lar. 'Fishies' and glass tanks... definitely got good action one. The RM38 entrance fee must be for the cover charge only. They went in expectantly, and needless to say, soon discovered a variety of fishies obviously different from their original liking, ;-)



Biggest 'fish' tank in town?

Biggest fish tank in town...



A good friend of mine told me this story. Apparently, the fishies in the tanks now are from a 3rd batch one. The 1st batch was caught from all over the world and were kept in Sri Lanka last year. So when the tsunami hit the island's shores, all the fishies died. And then when a 2nd batch was gathered and finally placed in the Aquaria tanks, temperature control went bonkers and dropped until the fishies died cold. Kesian.

Hmm...need to bring cute girl go see the fishies before they all die again (if lar). But tickets a little pricey lei.

Location: Concourse Level of the newly opened KLCC Convention Centre.

Another round of applause please for the Selangor administration. According to the state government policy, Shah Alam is not going to have any cinemas at all. Since no explanation is provided for this sudden move, one can only assume that the movie theater is not a suitable public entertainment venue for the masses anymore. Maybe several city council officers witnessed some hanky-panky happening among young couples during a particular movie screening and was thus morally obliged to prompt this matter up to their superiors that such 'vice' must be stopped.

Do the Selangor authorities really think they can control their citizen's every move and behavior? Think about it, most citizens in Selangor are quite well off. Families in this prosperous state seem to own at least 2 cars. Driving up, let's say, to Mid Valley is not really a problem for them. But hey, wouldn't that then contribute to the weekend jam along the Federal Highway, already terrible as it is now?

Urban planning requires proper distribution of modern facilities so as not to create congested activity areas with over-crowded population. This latest 'no cinema policy' definitely does not take this perspective into consideration.

By the way, what about the Government's drive to eradicate pirated VCDs? Wouldn't this policy also encourage a comeback from the stalwarts of this illegal industry. Since demand is always present, removing one source of supply will only guarantee another source of supply to fulfill the void.

Sure, movies, being one of the most powerful forms of media today, do have its positives and negatives. But if we remove this media from our lives, we risk of alienating ourselves from the global influences of today, usually depicted so well by the movies on an emotional level. We need to expose ourselves to the good and bad of things where we can contemplate or debate openly on the issues portrayed in the movies. Irrational supression of public needs will only create an unpopular backlash.

Why stop at Shah Alam then? Why not implement this exact same policy to the rest of the state. Are not all citizens treated equal. Why should the residents of Shah Alam be more 'virtuous' than residents staying in other Selangor constituencies such as Petaling Jaya, Subang Jaya, Damansara, Gombak, etc? Or is this move for Shah Alam the beginning of an overall 'sinister' roadmap already laid-out in secret? Next, no more GSC at Mid Valley? Next, no more TGV at Bandar Utama?

You do wonder what else they (the Selangor state authorities) would come up with, don't you?

Citizen Nades has a very interesting take on the Selangor Government again in the Sun today. Apparently, some little bird told the Sun columnist that the state government is planning to have a celebration to commemorate the occassion of Selangor having achieved a fully-developed state status in August. So, I googled any related news item on this and discovered the following web-page from the Selangor State Development Office:

"Penggerak utama ke arah pencapaian wawasan
Negeri Selangor maju yang syumul tahun 2005"
I had a good laugh looking at it. So there you have it, the 'VISION STATETMENT' but hey, where's the roadmap towards that ideal dream? Shouldn't there be some form of explanation on how that vision is to be achieved? What are the key strategic thrusts that must be realized? Who will be the benefactors? The list of questions grows as I ponder more on this relatively plain and simplistic page.

What were the criteria used to justify that Selangor should be the first fully-developed state in Malaysia? No one explained this upfront to anyone at all. Maybe it's being measured by the number of huge mansions or villas scattered around Selangor that gave the people 'up-there' the impression that we have achieved the highest level of state governance.

I have always thought that a successfully managed state should inspire its citizens to achieve the best in all fronts of civilisation development. Everyone should feel it but I don't. Is this another one of those feel-good 'shock-sendiri' campaigns again?

Anyway, here's a list of reasons why we should NOT declare Selangor a fully-developed state... yet:

• Corruption is still the perennial favourite topic of discussion in all projects related to the government.
  
• Inefficiencies and lack of customer-oriented behavior at government service counters.
  
• Blatant mis-management of government funds and non-willingness to open up further for public scrutiny.
  
• Chaotic property and housing development due to inefficient planning resulting in traffic congestions and over-crowded population areas.
  
• City folks are still waiting and commuting miserably in public busses.
  
• Water flowing from our taps are yellowish in colour. If yours appears green, I truly feel for you.
  
• Insufficient reading resources at libraries.
  

But when you think about it again, we, as citizens, must play a contributing role too in the improvement of the state. We have to admit that to some extent, some of the problems we faced today in urban living are also due to our own selfishness and irresponsible actions. Having the Selangor government to drive the vision alone is just not possible. We need to know our role to support it too. We will know then when we have finally arrived.

Here's some naughty pics I took while on my unusual site-seeing tour of Vienna early in the morning (last day actually).


PS: Photos were taken at the northern residential area of Vienna, accross the river from Hilton.

The newly opened Borders at Berjaya Times Square is officially my favourite bookstore, at the moment at least. Anyway, I was there the other day, deep in thought after a lengthy discussion with my boss on strategic directions for my company's e-commerce initiative, trying to find some inspiration evidently lacking from me then. I was browsing around the Business Management section and I discovered this wonderful gem titled "Re-imagine!: Business Excellence In A Disruptive Age" by Tom Peters. After flipping through a few of its unconventional and innovatively designed pages, I immediately decided to buy the book. Here's the cover for your eyes only...


THE book

I have to tell you this, I had fun reading the book for the past 2 weeks or so. Unlike other books' academic and templatized approach to business management, Tom Peter's take on this topic is so much more refreshing... so much more DISRUPTIVE. We live in a modern era where the pace of doing business, interacting with customers and working with people is so fast, that we cannot be entrenched with a particular mode of business thinking. In reality, the only reassurance you have is that there are no reassurances at all. Global influences of TODAY will shape the way how we, in Kuala Lumpur, will talk to the people in Shanghai or Perth TOMORROW. Look beyond the obvious when it is required to but be mindful still of the obvious when a particular idea is staring at you right in the face.


Tom Peters, the author


Other reads:
Interview with Tom Peters

I am on a very exciting quest right now. To look for the most beautiful, most stylish and most alluring digital SLR camera as my soul companion. My quest shall begin with the Nikon D70.


Source: Nikon Imaging

Features

• 6.1 effective megapixels
  
• New Nikon DX Format CCD image sensor for 3,008 x 2,000-pixel images
  
• New advanced digital image processor to optimize image quality, control auto white balance, auto tone and color control
  
• Accurate white balance regardless of lighting conditions achieved by Nikon's acclaimed 3D Color Matrix Metering with the 1,005-pixel RGB sensor
  
• Continuous shooting at 3 frames per second for a continuous burst of 144 pictures when using JPEG NORMAL - Large setting, and a SanDisk SDCFH 256MB (ultra II) CompactFlash™
  
• Immediate power-up has the D70 ready to take pictures before your finger can reach the shutter button
  # High performance System LSI uses next-generation programming to greatly increase the speed of all processing and writing operations
  
• High-speed, high-precision 5-area AF system
  
• Maximum shutter speed of 1/8,000 sec. for full creative control
  
• Seven new automated Digital Vari-Program selections including Auto, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait, and Night Landscape for crisp and vivid results that match the intended shot
  
• New generation color reproduction system offers a choice of three color modes
  
• New JPEG and NEF Combination Filing System enables simultaneous recording of NEF (RAW) and JPEG data for the same shot to optimize and accelerate workflow
  
• Large LCD monitor with user-friendly menus
  
• New AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED zoom lens designed to deliver high performance and outstanding value as a perfect match for the D70
  
• Built-in auto pop-up flash features exclusive i-TTL flash control, fast 1/500 sec. flash sync shutter speed, and supports Nikon's Creative Lighting System
  
• Nikon software bundled
  

Specifications

Effective pixels	6.1 million
Image sensor	23.7 x 15.6 mm RGB CCD; 6.24 million total pixels
Image size	L (3008 x 2000) / M (2240 x 1488) / S (1504 x 1000)
Sensitivity	ISO equivalency 200 to 1600
Storage media	CompactFlashT(CF) Card (Type I/II) and MicrodriveT
Color setting	3 modes available
LCD monitor	1.8-in. 130000-dot low-temp. polysilicon TFT LCD with brightness adjustment
Exposure metering	3D Color Matrix Center-Weighted and Spot
Exposure control	Digital Vari-Program (Auto Portrait Landscape Close up Sports Night landscape Night portrait) Programmed Auto (Flexible Program possible) [P] Shutter-Priority Auto [S] Aperture-Priority Auto [A] and Manual [M]
Interface	USB: Mass Storage and PTP selectable
Power requirements	Rechargeable Li-ion Battery EN-EL3 Quick Charger MH-18 Multi Charger MH-19 AC Adapter EH-5 CR2 Battery Holder MS-D70
Dimensions (W x H x D)	Approx. 140 x 111 x 78mm (5.5 x 4.4 x 3.1 in.)
Weight	Approx. 595g (1 lb. 5 oz.) without battery and storage media

Source: Nikon Imaging

Would be great if there are some guys or gals out there who can provide some opinion too. Thanks.

Related links:

• Nikon D50 Preview, April 2005, Phil Askey
  

GOAL: Capability to build any domain web applications using a robust and flexible development architecture based on the Java platform.


Web Application Framework

Utilizes open-source solutions:

• MySQL
  Open-source RDBMS system with huge install and support base. Constant development guarantees improvement over time.
  
• Hibernate
  Leading Object-Relational Mapping framework that provides a solid persistence layer for OOP development.
  
• Spring
  Robust, modular and non-intrusive framework that employs Inversion of Control (IOC) and Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) concepts to manage how objects collaborate with each other. Sub-projects Spring WebFlow allows finite-automata development of business processes for web.
  
• Apache Tomcat
  Lightweight application container and web server for deploying web applications that uses Java, JSP, XML and other related technologies.
  

Open source development tools:

• Eclipse IDE
  
• Ant
  
• XDoclet
  
• Middlegen
  

PS: In future, will need to add in another layer to support a portal front-end.

A line-up of Mini's to whet my appetite.

Mini One
RM147,454.30

Mini Cooper
RM172,254.30

Mini Cooper Convertible
RM185,254.30

Mini Cooper S
RM206,754.30

Mini Cooper S Convertible
RM224,254.30

Read an article on Thursday, 9th June In Tech. Summarized points here:

Everything Bad Is Good For You by Steven Johnson, American pop science writer

Last Child In The Woods by Richard Louv, Journalist

Johnson observed that modern computer games require concentration, forward planning, lateral thinking and sustained problem solving, thus offering a cognitive exercise for mental development. Games like Sim City, Age of Empires and Civilisation provides great opportunities to see how the multitude of variables and social forces interact with each other to produce different or alternate outcomes of history. IQ scores are increasing relentlessly over the past few generations. Simple answer from Johnson is that kids are able train their minds to be sharper than ever before. An important part of intelligence is social network mapping. Shows like 24, The Sopranos, The Apprentice and Survivor have more complicated social interactions as compared to 70s and 80s shows like Dallas and The Dukes of Hazzard. For example, 24's intricate plot is enough to fire all the synapses in a child's mind. Watching The Apprentice brings about new ways to cope with real-life situations. Hand-eye coordination gets improved too in the process when playing videogames.

Louv argues that modern children are too plugged into television and videogames, thus losing their connection to their natural world. Television is not dumb, just that there's too much of it. Too much electronic media creates a problem Louv called "nature-deficit disorder" where children becomes understimulated, overstressed and disconnected. Cultural autism. Television and videogames does not provide the most condusive setting for leaning complex situations in the real world. Best place to learn is still in the playground.

One of the good things about my company is the ample opportunities that I am given to go for self-improvement trainings. It is compulsory for executives (including some senior management too) to ensure that they complete all of their respective skill group training courses. I absolutely have no complaints about this. I get to be away from the office, in other words, away from my boss... hahaha. Besides, it's also a good opportunity to meet new people, especially seldom seen colleagues from other parts of the country.

Since my skill group is SKG03 Marketing & Trading (way way off from my background which is engineering), I had to attend one of these courses called Negotiation Skills from 31^st May till 2^nd June at our training centre. I was afraid that this might be one of those lecturer-student style classes where the only mode of communication is via the presentation slides. Fortunately, it was not. Mr David Lee from Curtin University of Technology / Curtin Consultancy Services was brilliant and he actively engages the audience. We had plenty of role playing activities to try out the concepts that we learned.

[More]

Last week, I came upon an interesting article in the New Sunday Times, titled "Recognise Fine Differences" by Mohamad Radzi Mustapa. According to him, categorical thinking is a flawed approach to understand the socially constructed world around us. Due to the evolution from a primitive past in the physical environment, the human mind has the built-in capability to perform automatic categorization of subjects based on general cross-cutting attributes and effectively eliminating the finer differences of details. Obviously this kind of thinking comes from generalizations that are based upon premises supported by unsubstantiated assumptions and unvalidated facts. The danger of this thinking is evident from statements like "Muslims are terrorists!", "Only sexy women invites trouble" or "Girls have better brains than boys". We certainly must always be self-aware of our thought processes less we subcumb to the pitfalls of categorical thinking. Give some credence to the wisdom of "think before you speak" (better still, "think before you act").

This set me off thinking. How do we eleviate ourself from the shackles of such primitive thought processes? What then are the other forms of thinking that we may constructively apply in our daily lives? Here's some that I think may be quite useful:

• Associative thinking. This is one of my favourites but also the hardest for me. The ability to link two or more seemingly unrelated set of ideas to create a larger over-encompassing idea. Very valuable in organizational management, marketing and communications.
  
• Mathematical thinking. The ability to apply symbolic abstractions to model the real world. Hallmark of theoretical sciences like physics and astronomy.
  
• Spatial thinking. Thinking in terms of 3D space. Ability to manipulate space in mind to create new world perceptions. Understands how subjects in the physical realm interact with each other. For instance, how light reflects on a given surface. We see this in the field of design and arts.
  
• Patterns thinking. The ability to model the real world via graphical constructs for detailed analysis. Have similar charateristics with categorical thinking but is more objective. Suitable in domain like software development and system design.

Obviously, an individual must first understand all the strengths and weaknesses for each type of thinking before it can be applied effectively. Just remember, your mind has the capacity to think at a higher level. Categorical thinking in a social context leads to discriminative behavior.

Question, what forms of thinking are applied when one:

• Gets a piece of a jigsaw puzzle and endeavours to create the pieces around it?
• Gets the surrounding pieces of a jigsaw puzzle except for one in the center and endeavours to create that final missing piece?

Other related articles:
What Goes Wrong: The Human Factor

There you have it again. Some genius in our Malaysia Boleh country made a 'brilliant' observation and then decided that our national anthem, Negaraku, has not been fully appreciated by its citizens. So what do we do? Well, someone suggested that we should probably make all cinema-goers sing the Negaraku before their movie begins. What a wild idea, if you ask me!

While we are at it, I can suggest a few suitable venues for the anthem to be played too:

• CONCERTS. Might as well do it at the international level. We can be the perfect model country for foreigners to see how patriotic we Malaysians are.
  
• PUBS. Since lots of party goers will be losing their sense of self during this time, better bring back some soberness into them.
  
• KARAOKE CLUBS. Singing venue right? What a good way to start off the vocal marathon.
  
• WORK OFFICES. Why not? Semangat maju jaya!

How does increasing the frequency of hearing and singing the Negaraku inculcates our love for it, I couldn't comprehend. Our anthem should be appreciated at the right moment. We should feel proud of it during moments of national glory, sporting events, international conferences or national functions. NOT just before a horror movie starts... the setting, the sentiment is just not right.

Verdict:
"The Working Committee Meeting on the Culture and Appreciation Campaign of the Negaraku has decided yesterday that while the law does not compel cinemas to play the national anthem, they should be encouraged to do so." Source: The Sun, Friday, 10 June 2005.

This is a great day! I won in today's MixFM Battle of the Sexes game. I didn't plan this at all. I heard Richard's cue on-air just before I was about to start my car for work. I thought, well, what the heck, might as well give it a try... nothing to loose anyway. By the second time I dialled in, I heard Richard's voice on the other end. Richard asked me if I was ready to play and I said YES! I maintained my cool of course and immediately switched my car's radio off. As it turned out, Richard had to announce another cue on-air because no ladies seemed to be up for the challenge this morning. It was funny because I was all ready to go. Finally, a sweet sounding lady called in and her name was Kelly. Richard sounded relieved and we were all set to play. What happened next, well, like what they say... is all history, :-)

Richard's questions for me were:

1. Which of these islands is called the Emerald Isle? Scotland, Ireland, England? Answer: Ireland
   
2. What long-legged bird carries babies to people's houses? Answer: Stock. Never heard what the options were.
   
3. In the 70s show "I Love Lucy", what was Lucille's last name? Answer: Ball
   

Kelly got her answer wrong for the first one though, unfortunately for her... hehehe.

I won myself a cool RM150 voucher from Ikano Power Centre while Kelly got away with RM50 voucher too. Congratulated Kelly anyway... as any gentlemen should, like yours truly. Really wished Shazmin was on-air too with Richard though. It would have been so much more cooler... =)


PS: Played the game at 7AM and heard my voice over the radio at 7:10AM. Was very weird though, hearing my voice over the air... hehehe.

Got the latest issue of WIRED from my boss the other day. One of the cover's title, "Time's Up, Einstein" caught my attention. Having been a physics aficionado (all right, call me a geek all you want, I don't care) back in my college days, I was naturally interested to know what those people in the upper echelion of human's intellectual realm is up to this time. To my surprise, the story is revolving around this 27-year old college dropout (who had been through a lot in his life apparently) by the name of Peter Lynds.

Lynds' paper "Time and Classical and Quantum Mechanics: Indeterminacy vs. Continuity" seeks to confront our perception of time again. According to Lynds, time is an illusion and the notion of divisible units of time (like chronons) would be absurd. Reality is made up of sequences of events happening in relation to one another.

Ironically, the biggest leaps in science came from how we have defined time. Believe me, we sure have come a long way. Newton required his definition of time to set the foundation of physics for five centuries. Einstein turned everything upside down by incorporating time into another dimension. Now we are being confronted with the notion of no such thing as time at all? Our mathematics will definitely crumble (and most probably go through hell too).

Simple isn't? If you want to make it big in the world of science, don't go with the flow. Go the big bang approach by shaking the very foundation of our modern scientific world. And how do we do that? Even simpler... proof dear Einstein wrong and you may well be on your way to international stardom. Probably a status symbol as sexy as Aerosmith himself.


And if he (Lynds) is right, the world might be revolving around him sooner than before he even knew it. Hmmm, time to pick up my physics book again... never know when that may come in handy in the future.

But one thing is highly plausible. Lynds may still be able to make a name for himself if his deal with Heide Lange, the literary agent for Dan Brown's successful Da Vinci Code, comes through.


WIRED June 2005

PS: In the meantime, probably I will try to contemplate on the theory of everything, holy grail of science......................... nah, dream on.

Bumped into 2 extremely cool looking Mini Coopers on exhibition while on the way to work this morning in KLCC. Now, this is a car where a man can have a love affair with. If I have all the money in the world, the Mini is definitely one of the cars I would have in my collection. No doubt about it. In fact, I will even have every colour in the edition too... muahahaha.




PS: Since I can't afford a Mini at the moment, I will just have to settle with my Kelisa, :-)