Now That's some spooky shit,...

Ok, I realize I haven't written in a while... n heck, most of the ppl who read this blog I keep in touch with anyways...

anyways, its the end of the 1st semester (of my MBA programme, for those of you i Haven't kept updated).. n during my week off, we're attending a short series of job-hunting seminars to help us search for an internship and, subsequently, a job :)

anyway, since tonight was an early night, a bunch of us decided to get together and use the massive projector n screen in the main auditorium as our personal cinema... just watched 'Disturbia' and before goin home, we thought of freakin out a buddy by watchin some bits of '1408'...

gettin to the scary parts in a bit.. SHIT Scare movie, folks!!!

I'm out for now... Will update soon on what I've been up to since July (or whenever the last time I blogged was).

Cheers, peeps!!!

Where are they now???

yea yea...

I know i havent blogged in a while..

keep yer pants on!!! i'll get back to u guys in a bit...

Cheers!

I’M TAGGED, THEREFORE…

Rules:
Repeat subject header “I’M TAGGED, THEREFORE…”
Copy + paste these rules in your entry.
Complete these 15 totally useless statements & questions.
Mention who you were tagged by, followed by 8 people who you’ll be tagging.

WARNING!
Fail to do so and you’ll be cursed eternally with a 3-holed nose and a low-cost flat.

Here’s another tag game. Blame it on Kotak!

If I was an opposite gender, what would my party clothes be like? Slutty!!! (thou women who give off an intellectual look turn me on like there's NO tomorrow!!! but thats another story for another time..)

At 10am this morning, I was… err.. checking up on a courier shipment to Korea, i think.. either that, or checkin my email...

At 10pm tonight, I will be… deciding between stuffin myself silly, actually gettin some work done, or headin to the bar for some companionship

Who should be the next Malaysian Prime Minister? anyone but Badawi... there, i said it...

If my spouse told me to do without sex for a year, I would… bathe in a tub of ice??? drug her??? i dunno.. i seem equally capable of either :P

If I was a piece of a car, I would be the… Insignia on the hood...

If I was told one day that I would have to give up either 1) anything chocolate OR 2) ever seeing the beach again, for the rest of my life, which one will I give up?
hmm.. i guess it'd be chocolate... thou i grew up next to a beach but never took enough advantage of it..

Singapore is good for… its Education, maybe?? never been there yet...

If I could only say 3 words before I die, what would those last words be? I did it!!!

Who would I like to be left on a deserted island with? The Jessica trifecta maybe (Biel, Alba, Simpson)... oh wait... maybe not simpson... (it aint about the Sex, ppl!!! Honest!!)

Die by drowning or by fire? Fire.. I'm gonna burn in Hell neways.. so mite as well start getting used to it now... (not to mention i already live in a friggin Microwave of a country...)

What one single thing would you buy with your last RM9.95? hmmm.. cheap toy gun and a bus ticket to the nearest bank, i think... simple, but effective...

If I opened a night club, what would I call it? err.. off the top of my head... Casa Diablo???

Don’t cheat: what’s “bulbous”? ehh?? another word for big?pulpy? i think ur lookin for Webster on that one...

I think my ass is… Totally Grab-able :P

And now I will tag:

Salameander
El Diablo
Munaks
Micyuki
Jasmine
Bodicea
Andrew
(this last spot open... lemme know if u wanna be tagged :D )

Gold-(dis)membered...

You say im Sittin on a friggin Gold Mine, free to dig into it as deep as I possibly can and extract as much gold as I can manage...

I merely point out the staggering number of deaths among mine workers...

Down again..

Sigh..

Mann, i dunno.. im just feelin depressed again... everythin just sucks right now...

i barely know anyone here, and any possibility of a social life depends on my mastery of the local dialect, since the locals arent ever gonna be even remotely keen on learning English.. atleast not in this decade..

i dunno where im going with my career.. ive resumed workin with dad for now, and there's hopefully hopefully some plans in the works, but i really dont feel like talking bout em since i) i dun wanna jinx em, and ii) it'll make me feel just THAT much worse if i talk about em n they dont happen... i guess i'll write bout em here once its confirmed...

Nothin's particularly happened to get me down all of a sudden.. i guess its just a sudden realization of a few facts... the realization that it all just seems to be tumbling downhill for me, right now... and wuts worse is i dun know who to talk to bout it.. cuz it doesnt seem like support's comin from anywhere.. i guess at these times men come to realize the one true fact: you really are alone in this world, after all...

oh well... if u find urself going thru this post, i sincerely hope you dont let it get u down... i guess this happens to me every once in a while...

i tend to get depressed... REALLY depressed... moody, and easily irritated... not to mention, sometimes repetitive..

i also tend to get REALLY depressed... oh wait i already mentioned that...

ah well... gotta go on somehow.. on my own...

Coke...Cooke...Coore...Coors.... How'd THAT happen???

My powers of observation have been fooled.. yet again... On my way to buy some onions to prep lunch, I stopped at a supermarket, and, in a rush, picked up a can of Coke Light...


I came home, cooked up a decent lunch, grabbed a glass n some ice, n plopped down infront of the TV... i open the can, n thats where things start to go weird... fine, my observation isnt as keen 24/7, but my super-human heightened sense of smell picked up the scent of alcohol in the air... so innocently, i begin to pour the contents of the can into the glass.. n out comes a pale-yellow fluid, totally not what I expected from a can of Coke... turns out, in my rush id picked up not Coke Light, but:

When i picked it up I thought its probably Coke Light in some sort of local packaging... I wonder how much of a boost Coors has seen in their sales since adopting the Coke Font type...

Lesson learnt: Ppl will use almost any underhanded tactic to get a sale these days... n always be more observant...

N to the curious: No I didnt drink the beer... I absolutely hate the taste of beer, regardless of whatever wonder it appears to be to others...

All in a Hard Day's Work...

I always knew the Chinese were hardworkers, especially their women.. but this is just a bit too much for the mind to process:


P.S. Dont make me out to be an advocate of Child Labour.. That lil kid just happened to accompany her dad on a delivery run... Honest!!!

Shanghai in Pictures...

Well, enuff talkin bout Shanghai between the previous 2 posts combined.. here u'll find some of the pix i took... more (and better) pix r on my uncle's camera, which I will upload once i receive them:

1) the motel room we got... REALLY REALLY cheap for Shanghai.. n as u can see, not too shabby at all!! (another 10 points up for grabs if u can guess which bed was mine :P )


2) the first place we visited in Shanghai... Nanjing Lu!! we first visited this place at night-time, n it was beautiful.. for some reason I cant recall right now I didnt whip out my phone-cam right then n there to capture it... hence these pix were taken the next evening during our 2nd visit there:


3) Up next, is the famous Bund, also known as the Waterfront or Waterfront Road to some.. This place, I presume, is most famous for the dazzling view of Pudong u get from across the lake... hopefully these pix will support that statement:



4) We also spent a considerable amount of time at Cheng Huang Miao, famous for its old-looking buildings and, more importantly, its cheap markets selling stuff at HIGHLY-negotiable prices... a woman's paradise, in short :P..


5) We tried visiting the Shanghai National Museum (or sumthing by that name).. im not really a museum kinda person, but my uncle insisted we go.. so bein the good nephew (really!!), i tagged along... alas, we arrived there just a few mins after ticket sales had closed for the day.. nevertheless, the faithful camera still delivered:

6) and Finally, a couple of random pix:

Shanghai Continued...

The first day (and night) in Shanghai went great: Caught the train on time, no problems upon arrival in Shanghai, checkin in to the motel or finding my test center, The GMAT went well (with minimal prep, thank God), we got a really cheap motel, and i found a BK after the test!!

so here's how day 2 went:

i) woke up at 8.30am, got dressed, showered, n made sure i had all the necessary docs for my passport renewal before i left..
ii) arrived at bout 9.30 at the consulate in shanghai... had to make copies of docs, fill out forms, pay some fees, blah blah...
iii) contemplated going to the Zoo.. instead we decided to first hit KFC for some finger lickin Fun, and hit up Cheng Huang Miao to visit what someone told us was a bunch of old buildings..
iv) upon hitting Chen Huan Miao, was pleasantly surprised to find a HUGE bazaar, including a handicraft market, where i bought stuff..
v) bout 2-3 hrs later, decided to check out the Shanghai Museum.. got there just after 4pm, only to find out entrance tickets were no longer being sold..
vi) made friends with 3 girls at the park (who i believe were conmen.. or rather, conwomen) who convinced us to check out a tea-sampling festival... didnt do it, cuz i refused to pay the fees they were askin for.. walked right out...
vii)ended up at Nanjin Lu again (supposedly called Walking street as well), this time in the daytime.. again got approached by bout 50 pimps n DVD- hawkers... passed by an adult toy shop... phone ran outta power by this point, hence no pix... weird incident occurred inside the toy shop, mainly caused by language barrier issues..
viii) by evening, i had to rush off to meet a couple of ppl i discovered thru the net engage in capoeira training twice a week.. training was good, followed by a roda.. by this time my uncle was waitin downstairs ready to go, so i went thru just 2 games (with both their instructors) and rushed off after saying goodbye... a group composed of very friendly and welcoming indivduals, their training certainly provided me the workout my trip was missing..
ix) 10am: PIZZA HUT!!
x) to the masseuse!!! ahhh that felt good..
xi) tired from the walk all day, the capoeira session, and relaxed from the massage, i hit the sack at bout 1am..

Day 3, which pretty much concluded the trip, went like this:

i) got up lazily, and we packed our stuff up.. uncle's flight was at bout 4pm, so id take him to the airport around 1pm to get checked in... no time for breakfast, as it would require searching for a decent joint...
ii) took a cab to the railway station.. n caught a bus to the airport from there...
iii) hung around at the airport for a bit.. then ditched uncle once he was checked in :P
iv) took the bus back to the railway station, which took AGES cuz of the afternoon jam.. one sucky thing bout shanghai, there's alot of traffic, which can pretty much be expected of any metropolitan city, i guess...
v) bought a ticket for the last bus back to Yiwu, giving me time to scout shanghai on my own for abit..
vi) after varying between Nanjing Lu and Chen Huan Miao (see previous post), i decided on the former, since it was nearer to the bus station and wouldnt get me too caught up in the jam during peak hours.
vii) had some food (my ONLY meal for the day), and walked around Nanjing Lu with my bag..
viii) interestingly a business proposition with a hooker came up.. more on that some other time.. or not...
ix) took a cab to the bus station, where i oh-so-patiently waited for my bus to depart... n finally began the 4-hr journey home..

needless to say, day 3 was not as eventful (aside from the hooker incident) as the previous 2 days... just ended with urs truly comin home to find dad gone out for dinner...

PIX to be up Next!!! with a few captions here n there :)

SHANGHAI!!! You had me at 'Welcome...'!!!!

Tired, Tired, Tired...

Not gonna write much for now..just gonna say the day's been going good, and am FRIKKING TIRED now!!! here's how it went:

i) Slept at 2am after finishin off with packin (I pack like a woman.. seriously)
ii) woke up at 5.30am to get showered n dressed
iii) caught the train at 7.40am
iv) arrived at shanghai at 10.40am
v) Checked into hotel, then headed off to the testing center ASAP for my GMAT Test (which went well.. got the results already :D )
vi) bought a BK meal n went back to my motel room to enjoy it (my first meal since the previous night)
vii) went touring.. first Nanjing Road, then the Bund (will post up pix later... spectacular view!!)
viii) checked out Xin Tian Di, premier Bar-hopping joint here in Shanghai..
ix) am now sittin here tryin to figure out this PC so i can tell u guys bout it...
x) gonna go get some dinner (PIZZA!!!.. well, maybe) and probably hit the sack to allow my legs to recover from the entire day of walking, and my mind to recover from GMAT stress and staying awake during the test :P )

tomorrow morning: heading to the embassy to get my passport renewed.. and another day of touring...

annnndddd....

I've arranged to attend a group of capoeristas' training session in the evening!!! RODA, RODA, RODA!!! WOOOHOOOO!!! hopefully there will be pix and/or vids...

Will update in detail later... Ciaos!!!

oh, n Shanghai Women... Ahhhhhhh!!!!!! (Nuff said for now... ask me in private)

I dont mean to sound Condescending but...

Hmm.. you know what???

After reading the previous 2 posts (both parts of 'Ever the Lone Gymmer'), I've sorta arrived at a conclusion:

This guy (The Manipulator) has something against me.. I dont know what it is, I dont know why, or for whatever reason, but I'm pretty sure he genuinely has something against me (he's already caused me to waste more posts on him than on She-Who-Greatly-Irritates-Me):

i) He keeps reminding me how built and muscular he used to be back in his home country
ii) He specifically came by a number of times to consider registering at the gym I work out at... finally succeeding, hence the pissed off Posts...
iii) He tries picking on me by tellin me I overeat and Im fat...
iv) He asks me to choose his clothes (WTF???)..
v) he asks me to choose his PC (WTF 2 ???)
vi) he wants me to advise him on his workouts (like there's ANY way in hell im gonna do that for him after all this shit... or maybe i cud screw it up for him.. hehehehe...)
vii) Heck, he bloody hell has nothin better to do than stare at me while im workin out in the same vicinity
viii) He keeps reminding me how un-social I am and how socially adept he is...
ix)He's bloody, friggin Rude!
x) All he can do is show off bout how much money he's made in life here and back in Pakistan...

Hmm... u know, im not brash, arrogant or cocky enuff to say it, but it seems like he's got some sorta inferiority complex he needs to deal with... n somehow it has somethin to do with me, or using me as a target to make himself feel superior.. but then y try to emulate me by asking for my taste?? maybe cuz he's SURE his taste in stuff SUCKS???!!! :P

Oh n did I mention that he rebuffed the same instructor who helped us out with the supplements previously?? She comes up to him to advise him.. sure, she had an alterior motive as she was trying to get him as a personal training client, hence more money for her (Cha-CHING!!!)... but instead he has to act the cheapskate n get her to write out an entire routine for him for free, and then tells her there's no way he's paying for lessons... he told me this himself, and I later found out, upon her confiding in me, that she was in trouble for not having sold enough lessons that month... so obviously u cant blame her for makin some money so she cud keep her job... if, on the off-chance, she happens to read this: Emma, youre HOT, and a GREAT instructor, and you'll have LOADS more clients in the future... but I still wont stop nagging u until u help me fix my stretching issues!! :P (guy's gotta improve his compassos, right?)

Sigh.. U know what.. after considering all of the above.. Ive decided I'm just gonna let him have it the next time I'm the least bit annoyed by his behaviour... hence, this quote from 'The Punisher':

- 'Sic vis pacem parabellum - If you want peace, prepare for war.'

(Hey, maybe it wasnt such a great movie, but this one quote stood out, dun ya think???)

Ever the Lone Gymmer (Part 2)

So here's what happened after he registered at the gym.. he drags me n the common friend out to help him buy workout clothes... Sheeeesh... talk about a complex... the only reason I consented to go along was cuz I'm on very good terms with the common friend, and the common friend agreed to miss Mandarin class along with me, so i wouldnt feel so bad bout it :P... neways, so 2-3 hrs later, he ends up with 2 pairs of training pants.. THATS IT!!! WHY??? cuz he cant F***ing make up his mind on what he wants... First, he asks us to choose a trainer for him to try on, and then he asks us to ask the salesgirl for a larger size, and finally he wants to buy XXL or sumthin, when he's barely like 5ft tall!!! sheeesh... despite numerous attempts at reasoning with him by sayin 'look, YOURE going to be wearing the clothes.. YOU decide what you want. we'll tell u if it looks good (thats the way it usually works, right ladies???)', he still wants US to choose his clothes for him... (this happened once before when he asked us to accompany him to buy a PC.. 'U choose a PC, guys, and tell me what u like, and I'll buy it'...)

N did I mention he now wants me to 'Help' him buy a workout bag... F*** Off, Mate!!! I've got better things to be bothered with... n he doesnt even have the nerve to ask me himself.. he asks the common friend to ask me to buy him a bag... sigh, the common friend's actually a very naive and innocent kid (compared to us), so either he doesnt realize when he's being used, or he's too nice a guy bout it.. i think its the latter, since he's a really nice dude n really smart too...

so neways, on to wut i mentioned at the end of the previous post:

So!! you wanna see wut my workout's like??? Suuure... Come Right This Way!!

So the Manipulator decided to drop in at around 5.30 or 6 the next day seein as thats when I told him I'd be in... n it just so happened that that was the scheduled day for my weekly Kicks/Pushups session... Here's how the routine goes: 16-20 sets of 10-20 reps of any kick, with each set followed by 10-15 reps of a variation of a pushup.. if all goes as well, i end up completing somewhere in the vicinity of 200 kicks and 200 pushups... peanuts for the average capoeirista or army recruit, im sure...

so neways, he walks into the room, and catches a glimpse of me throwing Compassos, and just stands there staring... so once im done with my set, i say hi, n tell him alright, get changed n blah blah n i'll see u among the weights later... so he goes off to presumably get changed... n then after 20 mins or so he comes in, and finds me grinding out pushups of the Queda da Rins variety with my legs straightened out (for non-capoeiristas, its a twisted sorta pushup where ur legs swing about throu the motion), and once again I find him staring... n then finally he speaks up: I dont want to do this, I wanna go lift weights... I felt an inward smile growing :)

but that wasnt all... I had to prove to myself AND to him how much more intense my workouts are than he imagines...

so I finish off my capo workout (during which I noticed at several instances him loitering around the gym rather than training... laziness, or waiting for urs truly to guide him?? i dont know...), by which time i'm absolutely drenched in sweat.. I realize ive got time to hit some weights.. so i went out, and loaded up some barbells for some heavy Clean n Press sets... i invite him along to train, which he accepts, using the cowardly excuse 'Im not afraid of ur workout.. if i cant do it, ill just back off' (I mean CMON!!! wud Instructor Rafael have tolerated that shit in Capo class??? Hi Rafa, Im not afraid of doing handstands, but im just gonna back off if I dont feel like it...Seriously, I wont divulge into the details of wut wud happen if I ever did that)..

So neways, barbells r loaded up with light weights since I havent lifted weights in quite some time.. n the instant I start with the drill, he runs off saying 'Man this is going to make me tired, I dont want to do this'...

Needless to say, Me = Confused...

Isnt getting tired part of the satisfaction and a good indicator of a fulfilling workout?? I mean, do u wanna lift measly 2-lbs weights n expect to be bulging like Arnold in a couple of weeks?? Ohh yea, I do forget, he wants supplements, doesnt he... not to mention, all the instructors are supposed to combine all their efforts and prowess into sculpting his miniature 5ft frame into the next Franco Columbo.. Urgently needed: A lesson in Humility and Work Ethics!!! Once again, I invite my Bantus friends to ponder Instructor Rafael's reaction to this statement.. :)

so neways, workout completed, I met him at Mandarin class later... n while we're waiting outside for the previous class to conclude, he tells me 'listen what ur doing is not good for u at all, u should do stuff to lose weight, this is only for fitness, dont do this...'

At this point, my mind started going 'Ummm, weren'y u sposed to be the Dipshit who pretends to know nothing bout working out??' so I didnt exactly lose it there, but i decided not to hold back: 'Listen, I know what I'm doing, and what my goals are.. You wouldnt understand the way I train, but I do... Dont bother with changing my routine, Ive got my stuff under control'..I dont even think I wanna bother givin him an intro to capo, since he'd probably say weird stuff bout it which would only serve to get me ticked off and a lil bit vindictive...

n to top it off, I dont think he has the slightest HINT of how to behave in a gym.. i mean, im not saying u shud know which is ur shrimp fork and how to use a napkin, but u have to be aware of others' around u... YOU DONT GO UP TO SOMEONE IN THE MIDDLE OF A F***ING BENCH PRESS AND ASK THEM FOR THE TIME!!! AND YOU DONT START SULKING IF HE DOESNT GIVE YOU AN IMMEDIATE REPLY!!! AND YOU CAN LOOK AT THE DAMNED CLOCK FOR YOURSELF!!! oh n lemme add, for no reason at all, he starts gettin cocky n tellin me 'Just gimme 1 month in the gym, and I'll be great friends with everyone here and be much more social than u r n will know so many ppl'.. uummm ok.. like I even care, dude... :s.. i mean, i enjoy makin friends n all, especially with hot chicks with a common interest in workin out (ahem, ahem..), but my main reason for joinin the gym is to get in there, go thru my workouts, and get the heck outta there n attend to other stuff...

That was the end of that... but wuts pissing off is being picked on for having weight issues and being bulky... Hey, I can pick on ppl for being scrawny too, but I know everyone's different, just cuz ppl arent like u doesnt mean its bad... n most importantly, i'm not the kind of person who prefers socializing by picking on others' weaknesses... Apparently he thinks he's back in high school where ppl respect the bully... I guess im just waiting for the instant when things get out of hand and I can finally put to good use the few lessons in boxing I got from my aussie friend... but ive gotta be mature bout it, since I've got a reputation at the gym, and I dont wanna start fights there.... Heck mann, the gym's where I do most of my socializing.. not to mention, meet all the women.. but i digress...

I guess all im going to do the next time he starts acting idiotic is deliver a warning: Either learn to speak politely in public with the proper etiquettes, or dont bother comin up to me... I know most of the folks I know out there wud have knocked this guy's teeth out by now, but I actually prefer non-violence to the alternative.. n also that i like the current image i have at the gym... Plus I believe in the following quote I read off somewhere in Wikipedia:

- 'Violence is the last resort of a fool'


GRrrrr!!! This is SO Pissing OFF!!! Maybe I should just stop thinking and let him have it the next time he frustrates me...

Ever the Lone Gymmer (Part 1)

This is a continuation of 'Damned Manipulators'... Its an anecdote that enhances the advantages of working out alone, and what a f***ing pest a workout partner can be at times.. NOTE: i do NOT in ANY WAY mean this within the context of a capoeira class (where partners are more or less evenly matched, and VERY RARELY, if ever, slow down the other person), but rather within the confines of a gymnasium, where not taking ur workouts can cause serious injury in the course of lifting some heavy iron...

So, when we last left off, said manipulator was intent on purchasing previously mentioned workout supplements. After weeks of repeatedly calling me up and letting me know 'i'll drop by ur gym today/tomorrow, make some time for me', he finally decided to drop by the gym with a common friend to check out supplement prices.. by this time, he'd already enrolled at another gym, let his membership expire after going thru just 1 workout, renewed his membership, and let that expire without a single workout... lots of money to waste, i presume...

Firstly, he doesnt try to speak chinese at all... he's been thru the same sessions the other classmates have, but he refuses to use his chinese in public, and instead forces n instructs those around him to communicate with a local on his behalf.. not that we mind helping out, but he cud be a lil more appreciative and a lil more gracious when askin for help, instead of literally ordering ppl who he calls his friends to 'do his bidding for him'... such ppl really PISS me OFF!!!

Second, being a long-time member of my gym, I share a friendly rapport with all the staff members there, especially the instructors... So this one female instructor who speaks quite a surprising bit of english offered to explain to me n my friends all the instructions... So once again, the dude literally orders me n the other friend to speak to the instructor n then translate wut its all about... this ive already gotten used to, so no point complaining bout the same thing over n over again.. wut REALLY got to me was in the middle of our whole talk with the instructor, he interrupts and barks 'you know what, these supplements arent a good idea at all.. im telling u, dont go for them, just train and eat naturally...' OHh Man!! like i said, such ppl REALLY PISS ME OFF!!!

Next, he starts teasing me bout my current health condition... fine i'll admit ive got some problems, but hey, Im improving my fitness every day with each strenuous workout i go thru, and my strength levels have improved to levels ive personally never experienced before.. no im not saying i cud outwrestle the Hulk, im just sayin its a new personal high... so neways, said Manipulator starts saying 'man im in ur gym now, lets see wut ur workouts are, ill show u wut ur doing wrong with ur workouts, u need to train harder', while at the same time asking me for help saying he doesnt know shit about working out and he doesnt know how to use any equipment, so he needs my help to show him what to do and to help arrange for an instructor to assist him with every workout... how convenient, this muscle-building thing, aint it? buy a few supplements, have some instructors tell u EXACTLY what to do, and then glorify ur results in the mirror... niceee...

So neways.. I decided its bout time I shut him up... by actually showing him one of my workouts! :D

To Be Continued...

The rest of this story will be up soon.. its not that I'm into creating mystery or suspense by having u guess how he ended up... im just too sleepy right now, cuz its past 2am.. have a heart n let a blogger get some sleep, ppl!!

Comin up soon: GMAT!

I FINALLY managed to successfully register myself for the GMAT test earlier today.. have been trying to do so for days, but there were weird credit card issues to overcome first..

neways, the point of this post is not to lament over credit card woes, but rather to unleash pent up worries over the test, which is basically used as an entrance exam for business schools worldwide... I dont really have much time to do the test and submit the results, hence I had to register to take it early and make sure I get the test results to some unis on time... neways... ive been thru similar tests before.. last year I took the GRE, on which I performed alright... Math was good, English was OK..

basically the GMAT's a test of high school math n english, but its a really TWISTED, SICK, n SADISTIC test.. it twists questions n tries to trick u.. hence most of ur time is spent on figurin out any tricks on the test, rather than solving the problem itself... i guess its meant to simulate analytical issues u can face in the business world or doing a business program, so it sorta makes sense... Math's always been my forte, so I've gotta look to perform really well on the math section.. English shud be OK, hopefully.. just alotta analysis and not so much focus on the vocabulary, so its something I hope I can handle..

Sigh.. I just keep givin myself more reasons n ways to end up insane, dont i??

A Lesson in Gym Etiquette

With the recent turmoil (thats been goin on for quite some time now) going on in my life, the only suitable outlet for my anger n frustration is the gym.. For me, aside from the usual gymmy (is there such a word???) stuff such as running or lifting weights, the gym has become the place I work on my capoeira and do the lil bit of socializing I have managed to accomplish since my arrival in this country bout 8 to 9 months ago... Hence, its safe to assume the time I spend in the gym is probably the only thing keeping me sane so far...

However, I've noticed a few people have no idea how to go bout behaving themselves in such an environment, let alone in public places... it surprises me to observe the VAST number of ppl completely unaware of appropriate public etiquette.. behold, a few Do's n Dont's in this matter:

i) Stop Wasting Time (Part 1): y do people INSIST on acting all eager to get on the treadmill, practically racing to beat other gym members to use the treadmill, setting the timer for 40 minutes and going at a SPEED OF 4-5 KM/HR?????? i mean seriously, im not sure what ur purpose for using the treadmill is.. either ur warming up for a workout, or ur looking to go long distance to burn fat quick... but trust me, the only thing u lose this way is a race with a turtle... wuts even worse is that ppl set the timer for 40 mins, and then get off after 2-3 mins, having already eliminated other gym members' hope of using the treadmill in this lifetime, thanks to the intended 40 min run!!

ii) Stop Wasting Time (Part 2): this one goes primarily for the ladies who engage in the following: the other day, i wanted to use the leg-press machine... turns out there's already someone using it, so i generously wait, hoping to hop on the machine after she's done with her sets... however, she's sitting there with a magazine, the weight she's lifting on her legs is barely 20lbs, and she's going on n on n on n.. well u get the idea... once again, WHY do people believe that if they keep doing one exercise repetitively Over n Over again, that part of their body is gonna grow immediately?? it was CLEARLY OBVIOUS this lady was hibernating at the press-machine intending to tone-up her ass to Jessica Alba standards, n in her mind the obvious way to go about this was to keep pumpin on the machine until the ass showed up... FRUSTRATING, I tell You!!!

iii) Do NOT Obstruct: This is fairly straightforward, easy to do.. YET SO MANY PEOPLE DONT!! when u see someone working out in a particular area, stop obstructing their workout space.. DO NOT go n purposely stand in their workout space n limit their movement.. it makes people VERY VERY ANGRY!! and when they're lifting weights, DO NOT get in their way.. not only does it stop them working out, its DANGEROUS!!

iv) Do NOT bring your kids to the gym: I'm talking bout lil toddlers who's just grasped the fine art of walking/crawling... Actually, wait, its ok if u bring your kids to the gym, provided you keep an eye on them at ALL times to make sure they dont cause any harm to themselves or others... the LAST thing you should do is get interested in your ass-workouts (see above), become totally oblivious of ur kid(s)' existence, and let them go wandering bout.. clearly, u shud be aware they get adventurous and try to pick up weights on their own, come in the way of others lifting weights, or trip n bump their head on something made out of solid steel.. the other day i had to interrupt my workout to make sure a kid didnt smack herself in the head with 2lb dumbells, all cuz the mother couldnt be bothered to look after the kid n decided to let her loose in the gym... n keep in mind the instructors arent always walking around free to make sure ur kids dont come to any harm... they have work to do, and baby-sitting isnt included in the job description..

v) Stop Ogling at the women: OK, I admit I do this myself.. but NOT in the following way: there r several dance classes every evening, some of which are belly-dancing sessions.. now i'll admit, generally we guys like to observe women in motion at the gym, especially considering their fancy get-ups.. n heck, i'll admit it, here ladies LOVE dressing up (not saying if they do it well or not), n the gym is no exception.. however, during dance classes (mostly all-girls dance-classes), the ladies r there for a reason other than attracting male attention (im guessing)... so oodles of guys drooling at the adjoining window doesnt really make em feel like goin at their workouts to the max, im sure... although, i dont really mind, to be honest.. it just leaves more equipment free for me to use while the dance class is goin on :D

vi) Keep the air around you clean and fresh: You know the gym is one of few places where several individuals may crowd into a limited vicinity... hence, always ALWAYS REFRAIN from passing gas when surrounded by other members!!!! I cannot STRESS THIS ENOUGH!!! i was workin my way thru a spinning session the other day.. my bike was one of those at the back.. i prefer it as its closer to the door, and a fresh cool draught comes in everytime someone enters/exits.. however, it also has the disadvantage of you staring an ass (literally) head on during the entire class... lets just say all of a sudden the air went extremely foul.. Definitely not the kind of fresh cool draught I had in mind...

vii) and Finally (for now), Stop misusing equipment in the shower room!!: U can take that for any meaning ud like, and ud probably be right... here's wut happened the other day: I come outta the shower, all dried off from my trusty towel, and went up to use the hair-dryer... and i see a guy at the mirror, butt-naked, using the hair-dryer.. now, ppl like to walk around butt-naked in the shower room all the time, so i didnt take any offense at that.. however, wut ive observed here is ppl dont bring their own towels.. hence they take showers, and then use the hair dryer to dry em off... so here's wut this guy does... he's drying himself using the dryer... and then PUTS THE DRYER BETWEEN HIS LEGS!!!! Me = SHOCKED (needless to say..)... at this point, id pretty much been 99% convinced not to EVER touch that dryer again, and started to walk away.. u know what he did to shove that remaining 1% in my face?? thats right, he took it between his legs again.. only this time, from the other way round.... im never using hair-dryers again.. nuff said..

Share your traumatizing gym experiences (if you dare) in the Comments Section...

(Dis)Satisfaction Guaranteed!

Spiderman 3 was released, what, 2-3 weeks ago?? This goes to show that some people are just NEVER satisfied:

i give up...

Sigh...

We all hear about those people who give up on life, and just float thru their daily activities with no foreseeable goals, no will or drive to succeed...

Usually its not that these people are born with no purpose.. its just that they face rejection over n over n over again, until all theyre left with is a heap of rejections and a totally useless and disgusting impression of their self-worth, leaving them to be nothing more than dried out shells of their former selves, incapable of EVER generating a positively lasting impression among others..

Unfortunately, I have turned, albeit unwillingly, into one of these people...

Sigh..

Its just one of those times...

Feliz Terceiro Aniversario, Bantus Capoeira Malaysia!!!

Celebrations!!! The capoeira group I belong to, Grupo Bantus Capoeira, is celebrating the 3rd anniversary of its branch located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia!!!

(pause for applause....)

Wow!! 3 years pass by really fast!! I havent been a member of the group since its inception in KL, but being present at the previous year's anniversary celebrations, I remember it like it was yesterday... or maybe thats just me..

Neways, if ur in KL, and happen to read this in time, DO drop by the academia (URL listed in my links, u'll find the address there) for the festivities commencing at 8pm (KL Time), and take some food along.. the more the merrier!!! and do let them know ur there to compensate for my absence.. they'll appreciate u even more for that :-P ... well, either that or u get Compasso'ed out the window (dunno wut that is?? then DEFINITELY visit!!!)..

Unfortunately, being where I am, I am unable to attend.. n if i chose to, it'd be a BITCH of a commute gettin there n back.. seriously...

i'd honour my group by going all out in a training session at the gym tonite, but since im burdened by work n the possibility of improving my chances at a better future, i cant make it... however, I dedicate a thoroughly enjoyable session of berimbau-playing (SERIOUSLY not speaking metaphorically right now... ) tonite, with Bantus/Capoeira songs belted out by the high-strung voice of yours truly, and the rest of the week will be spent engaging in capoeira workouts meant to destroy the practitioner... with sufficient recuperation time added in later, ofcourse...

Cheers!!!

Mais Uma Vez...Nao Macaco... :(

DAMMIT!!!

Chickened outta attemptin the Macaco (for the non-capoeiristas out there, its a really cool capo move!!) yet again during my workout last weekend... DAAAMNN!!!

Still gotta work on my fear of eatin floor... wud help immensely if the floor wasn't as hard, though... no suitable mats around to use either...

Will try again.. tomorrow...

Must get it.. i know i can do it.. i just KNOW I CAN!!! n i WILL!!!

Ahh, the smell of burning rubber on wet pavement...

'Twas a dark, stormy night (I read somewhere that stories that begin with this statement usually have a higher 'enjoyment' rate... but this time it REALLY WAS a dark, stormy night)...

So like I was sayin, it was a dark n stormy night... mainly cuz nights r normally dark (or else somethin's SERIOUSLY not right), n well, the storm had lasted all day long... One thing I gotta say bout this country, transitions between seasons are definitely anything but smooth... Most other places I've been in, the weather smoothly slides from summer to autumn to winter to spring, and then comes back full-cycle to summer again.. Then there r those countries where the weather almost NEVER changes, Malaysia being a prime example of this... I'm not saying I dont find it pleasant to live in constant summer (im more of a warm-weather person, the reason for which u'll find out in a sec), but it can be a tad bit unpredictable when planning outdoor events, not to mention causing highly irregular traffic problems... so neways, the weather here's starting to change for the warmer, gettin hot enuff a couple of nights back to tempt me to revert to my commando ways (in the sack, ofcourse, nowhere else...), but i managed to hang on to that slight bit of decency i had regained during winter (and my trip to KL...) n made it thru the nights throwin off nothin more than the blanket I'd gone to bed with...

neways, lets pretend I didnt just reveal something Highly inappropriate...

Gettin back to the story at hand, there I was, loungin around at home, thinkin bout wut to have for dinner, since there was nothin much to munch on at home... actually, to be perfectly honest, there's always loads to be munched on at home, by the grace of God... however, I tend to be a victim, more so than the average fatass, of the occasional junk food craving, so i decided to cavort over to the local joint for a bite of some fresh, extremely juicy, tasty, and mouth-wateringly tempting meat.. now, now, before u get any ideas, im just talkin bout hittin the local McDs for a Big Mac n some Spicy Chicken, nothin else... (mmmm Big Mac... Mmmmm Spicy Chicken...)

so i donned my Adidas jumper, mp3 player, picked up my wallet n keys (always ALWAYS gotta remember to keep my keys on me at ALL times, since the doors here automatically lock from outside) n headed downstairs to take a walk thru the cool, wet night to the Big M...

strangely, the instant I hit the streets, I picked up a strong scent of burnin rubber... instinctively reacting by checkin myself for burning parts, I realized the only rubber I was carryin was in my shoes, n there was NO friggin way i was goin fast enuff to burn that up... so i figure the roads r all wet, n the SERIOUSLY RECKLESS driving here cud pair up with that to exude a strong enuff smell of burnin rubber without folks gettin too suspicious, so i keep on my way...

by now i realize im walkin upwind, and against quite a strong wind, i shud add... this fact first became obvious by my earphones flying off (recovered safely, for the curious), n the smell of burnin rubber becomes more evident... then i cross the junction, n find the reason for the smell:

A taxi cab stood by the curb, literally half-burnt to a crisp amidst a relatively massive cloud of smoke... u ever see those cartoons where a character gets burnt to a total n complete crisp, only to fall to the ground in a heap of ashes.. this was pretty much the state of half the car... n there was a group of 5-6 firefighters workin furiously to extinguish all possibilities of a blow up, even thou all flames had been successfully put out... havin personally witnessed a previous incident of a car engine explosion, i understood the reasoning for this...

The weird thing was, every friggin passerby had to stop by and gawk at the wreck... IDIOTS!!! the problem with half of us asians is we're ALL suckers for free entertainment... cant the dumbasses realize these guys r workin fast to minimize the risk of explosion n potential injury to anyone nearby, n these guys r enhancing that risk every inch they edge closer towards the car??

havin said all that, i made to get outta that crowd Asap, partly cuz i didnt wanna contribute to the danger myself, but mostly cuz i had something else on my mind, which was hopefully burnt to a crisp to a slightly lesser extent than the automobile id just passed (Mmmm... Big Mac... Mmmm... Fries... Mmmm.. Spicy Chicken... Mmmm.. Juicy... Mmmmm.... Spicy.... Mmmm... Crispy...)..

so basically, long story short (mainly cuz lunch is comin up n im starvin, so im gettin lazy n wanna finish off this post quick), i got to the McDs just as it started rainin once again n the wind picked up pace... I felt someone up there really wanted me to stay home n enjoy a home-cooked (by myself) meal... on the way back, i noticed the wreck again, this time completely extinguished and thus abandoned by the firemen, but nevertheless still surrounded by a group of gawking and gaping shop-owners n the usual loiterers..

Annyyyways... so i got home, n quicker than u can say "Bob's Your Uncle", took my food, the laptop n a movie or 2 up to my room (if ur interested, the movie of choice for this night was 'Four Brothers'), and shut the door to enjoy this weekend night... Basically the whole point of this post was to rant about the stupidity of the locals here (partly owed to their village mentality and lack of education) in the face of potential danger, and complain bout the general driving capabilities here...

Also, last nite, as I brought home my meal n took it up to my bedroom to unwrap before diving right into it, I realized how pathetic life is startin to become for me, as other guys wud most likely be 'unwrapping' a different kind of meal on a weekend night, n here I am lookin fwd to a measly big mac n chicken... I'm not sayin i wanna turn to a life of player'ism n bed a diff lady every night (contrary to popular belief), but it seems im definitely taking to the life of a soon-to-be Fat-Ass... Stuff's gotta change... and soon...

Mainly, the changes to be made around here are in myself... Realized I still have a long way to go in terms of gettin my life straightened out n findin a direction to start upon, but at the same time, even a journey of a thousnad miles must begin with a single step...Help me Lord!!!

Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious... WTF???

Americans have WAYYYYY too much free time/money on their hands:

FYI, 13yo skool grl is nu US txt mssg chmpN

Am I the only one noticin how these ppl keep comin up with new ways to promote stupidity?? First the Razzies, then William Hung, now this???

Seriously... GET A FRIGGIN LIFE!!!

Capoeira Para Vida!!

Here's somethin for my capoeirista friends to absorb...

I was browsing thru Capoeira: The Roots of the Dance-Fight-Game (by Nestor Capoeira) earlier today, n came upon the following:

Menino quem te fez?
Boy, who formed you?
Quem te deu tanta quarida,
Who gave you so much shelter,
Quem te moustrou a beleza,
Who taught you the beauty,
De dancar dentro da briga?
Of dancing within the fight?

- 'Au' by Ronaldo Santos

Kinda subtly captures the essence of capoeira doesnt it?? I found it in a chapter pertaining to the concept of Malicia, so I guess it sorta gives off hints of the sly aspects of capoeira, n what games can turn to within the roda...

Its a good flick, Lads.. Savvy???

Alright, alright, this isnt the first time I've had to eat my words, but its definitely one of the few times I actually enjoyed it...

I FINALLY managed to watch Pirates of the Caribbean... both parts, yes...

Contrary to a friends assurance months ago, I did NOT want to watch POTC... I had relegated Johnny Depp to be forever limited to flicks like Charlie n the Choc Factory, Sleepy Hollow, e.t.c.. Not really bad flicks, just not stuff that QUALITY movies r made of..

neways, gettin back to the point.. id pretty much resolved never to watch Mr. Depp roaming the high seas dressed in rags, huntin for riches.. until I got SERIOUSLY bored a few weeks back.. n pretty much the only movie which looked remotely interesting (n which i hadnt watched) at the movie stands, was Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl... I got it, n it lay unwatched on the sofa for weeks... then came the next SERIOUSLY boring night... n i popped it into the dvd player...

turns out i was hooked... the concept of the movie was interesting enuff, but to be honest, it was his acting that did it.. i pretty much always enjoy watching characters that get sarcastic in the face of danger, n this was no exception...

Watchin the first movie got me searchin for the 2nd... finally managed to download it via torrents last night... watched it this afternoon... it wasnt as good as the first, but its def well worth the watch.. with a nice lead up to the 3rd installment, comin up soon...

So, dear friend, who just a few months ago I could not get to stop filling my head with POTC related nonsense (u know who u are :D ), u've won this round...

Good thing the next part's comin up soon... I'm not really good with the whole patiently waiting gig... dont even get me STARTED on waitin for Spiderman 3...

P.S. Dammit, after watchin Jack Sparrow spew sarcasm all over the big screen, I'm gonna be mimicking him, talkin with a british accent for weeks!!!

Cheerio, Love!!!

So much to do...

U know that saying: So much to do, and so little time??

Well, this is similar... only im not sure how much time I have... which is sorta worse, cuz if u have a deadline to work with, then u strive to work faster n beat that deadline... or atleast, thats how my mind works.. i usually need sumthin to keep me on the edge.. like someone puttin a gun to my head n threatenin to pull the trigger if i dun finish off that last piece of broccoli... or sumthin to that effect...

I've gotta:

- Write application essays for 3 diff programs... altogether thats bout 11 essays... done 4 of em so far... was just made aware of the rest...

- Get started on the intranet system I'm sposed to do..

- Gotta build up a contacts database... its easy, but hideously menial..

- Put together supporting docs for all those applications im sendin out

the worst part is none of the applications im sendin out have stated deadlines... all it says on the website is 'we are now acceptin applications'.. i guess i gotta keep workin on em until the day it suddenly says 'we are no longer accepting applications'..

N just found out another program isnt accepting applications from international students cuz its a part-time program, n visas for part-time program r pretty much impossible to arrange... good thing i found out bout that before i started working on the essay n application form...

Just takin a lil breather for lunch... n i gotta make sure I hit the gym today... havent worked out in a few days.. all the hard work prior to that went down the drain.. oh well...

Sigh... so much to do, n no idea how much time I have...

Short of Inspiration?? Read On...

Being a former basketball addict, I can pretty much recall most of the major events during Michael Jordan's dominance over the NBA.. The man provided sheer inspiration to many a basketball player... What most people were unaware of is the mentality, the drive behind all the championships n awards... I guess u have to read a couple of biographies, watch a few documentaries to understand that side of MJ a lil better...

Having said all that, if u have even the slightest hint of an idea of the achievements the dude accomplished, and , more importantly, are looking for some serious inspiration from watching a short video clip (or a collage of highlight reels, if u will), then I strongly recommend that you click on the following URL:

Michael Jordan - Fear

P.S. Im not exactly sure why the clip editor named it 'Fear'... but the soundtrack is just SWEEEEEETT!!! (I think its from 'Requiem for a Dream'.. there are several remixes of it out there, I'm not sure exactly which one is used in the video)

P.P.S. While I'm on an inspirational high right now, I highly recommend watching 'Invincible', which came out Late 2006. Based on a true story, the movie just kicked ASS for sheer inspiration... I particularly enjoyed the scene where Vince Papale's best bud gets tricked into helpin him jumpstart his car to find out he's just been selected to play for the team...

At a loss for words... for ONCE!!!

Take a look at the following:

1) Explain the reasons why you have chosen to apply to this particular Programme (100 words max)

2) Describe how you can contribute to the programme and your fellow participants in class (200 words max)

3) Describe a situation or experience that demonstrates your leadership ability or potential. The situation or experience does not necessarily have to be related to your current job. (300 words max)

4) Describe a failure you encountered and how you handled it professionally and personally. (300 words max)

These r 4 questions I recently had the pleasure of musing over.. Why would I submit myself to such torture, u ask?? Cuz they're part of the application process for admission into a respected uni...

My only problem is this:

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO QUESTIONS LIKE THAT?????!!!?!?!?!?!?!?!

- Wouldnt I want to keep my reasons for doing something like that private? Or do u just wanna make sure I'm doing this for 'the right reasons'?

- What self- pitying, insufferable moron would enjoy recounting past professional/personal failures to regale over pints of alcohol to potential future lecturers/professors/e.t.c.?

- If i was able to demonstrate sufficient leadership abilities n potential, would I be applying to your program in the first place???

- Contribute to the programme?? Errmm.. isnt it the programme that's sposed to be contributing to me???

Neways, frustrations aside, I managed to compose my final responses earlier this evening, and posted them via the online application system.

I guess I may post up my answers here sometime in the near future, when I am sufficiently assured that they will not be potential cause for future embarassment (read: when Pigs can Fly!!!)

Let's see you shake that ass... NOT!!!

So there I was, minding my own business, diligently workin on buildin my capo skillz in a particular section of a particular room at my gym.. n the bellydancing instructor walks in... she's a babe!! actually im just being very complimentary right now... she's pretty good looking, thou kinda short for my liking... but MANN can she shake it on the dance floor...


Neways, i better get back to the topic at hand before I lose focus... so she walks in, changes the music to her own: tunes that girls normally like shakin it to, i guess... so far this is totally normal, cuz she often comes in while im workin out, n works that ass to some tunes of hers, diverting my attention sufficiently long enuff for me to cool down in one way, and heat up in others...


so today was no different... she's practising her stuff, n im practisin mine... n in walks this dude... normal lookin dude, with specs n a crewcut, dressed to sweat it out at the gym... at this point im takin a breather, hence allowed my attention to focus on the goings on in the room (no, no, I wasnt staring at the instructor again... u gotta believe me!!! find it IN YOU to Believe me, Dammit!!!)... so this guy walks in, faces the mirror............

and he starts BELLYDANCING!!!! WTF???

I'm serious.. this dude was shakin it like there's no tomorrow... n to the tune of the music!!! (Shakira's 'Whenever, Wherever' was playin at that point)... so there I was, relaxin in a corner.. TOTALLY shocked at what I was witnessing... so I did what any normal human being with the slightest tinge of a sense of humour would do...



I took pics :)...


unfortunately I wasnt equipped with a high-res camera, but instead had only my pathetic phone-cam... n the timing was bad, so bear with the following:

There u have it ppl!!! maybe plenty of uve seen sumthin the likes of this, but it was most DEF a first for me... a Bellydancin Dude!!! (10 points if u can find me in the pic :P )

Oh, n later on he borrowed the instructor's belly-dancing skirt, put it on, n continued shakin away... no pics of that, cuz I still like my phone too much to have it violated that way....

*Yaaaaawwwn!!*

Slept at 2.30am last nite... woke up at 8am (just beat the alarm, infact!) this morning...
Trained like a dog yesterday... workout included capo, cardio, and weights...
Had some beef for lunch earlier today...
No Wonder I'm feeling sleepy right now!!!

*Yaaaaawwwwwwwnnn again!!!

One more Round!!!

Check this out:


Yup!! Thats my bruised knuckles... Nope, I didnt finally unleash my fury upon 'She-Who-Greatly-Irritates-Me'...

Recently, a friend of mine n I have taken to finishin off our workouts with a couple of rounds on the pads... Simply put, we hold up the pads for each other for 3-minute rounds, n go as many rounds as possible until we're tired out... My friend's got awesome strength n stamina (he's a much more experienced boxer than myself), so holdin the pads up gets to be quite a workout for my shoulders..

I on the other hand, have a stamina level comparable to that of Homer Simpson!! luckily I can pack in a lil bit of power every now n then... so that explains the bruises...

But it actually feels good lettin loose on those pads n givin it ALL I've got!! n it doesnt hurt imagining the face of 'She-Who-Greatly-Irritates-Me' as my target... allows me to come home at night with a smile on my face :-D

P.S. I enjoy the session even better when its time to work my kicks on the pads ;-)

Faked Out!!!

Ever see those movies where you've got these Big Bad Baddies who hatch some ridiculously evil scheme to circulate counterfeit currency around the city/country??

I became a victim of such a conspiracy last week...

I was rushing to my evening mandarin classes after a gymmin session, n hopped into the first cab available... the driver seemed pretty friendly, had a good chat (in mandarin, too... that means my mandarin conversational skills r improving Big-Time!! WooHoo!!)n when i arrived, turns out I didnt have change, so I paid him with a 100... no problems, as cabs usually carry alotta change here (found it kinda surprising when I first got here)..

so my change included a 50... i was still a novice in the art of differentiating between original n counterfeit currency.. little did i know that I was about to receive a crash course that very night...

later that night, i went out with a couple of friends for dinner, n threw in my 50 as we split the tab later.. turns out, my 50 was rejected as counterfeit... when i took a closer look at the note, turns out it was almost PLASTIC!!! n the hologram looked TOTALLY forged now that I took a closer look!!! Man, did i learn my lesson that nite... but its pretty common, so its not like they called the cops on me or anything...

neways, so i had that 50... n tried gettin rid of it a couple of times: at the bakery, cab rides, other restaurants... it got rejected EVERYWHERE!!! n then last nite, i went to the night-market to fill up my weekly quota of pirated (but excellent quality) movies... n just casually handed the shop owner my 50 n continued browsing the shelves... he was inspecting it (Damn, i thought... he's gonna reject it too...).. turns out, he hands me back my change!!!! Finally!! I'd gotten rid of the fake 50.... considerin id pretty much relegated that 50 to 'Lost-Money' earlier, i decided to splurge the balance...

So later that nite, a couple of burgers n fries later, a content n well-fed Diego hit the sack, having learnt a valuable lesson in the detection of counterfeit currency, and glad to have finally placed that 50 back into circulation within the economy...

Crash!!! Bang!!! SPLAT!!!

My back's feelin just a teeny bit stiff... i find it always loosens up when i stretch for a workout thou, so its nothin to giv 2 hoots about... but on a related note, I had my 2nd big capoeira-related crash:

I was attemptin to do a walkover... for those of u unfamiliar with that, you go into the bridge position, and attempt to flip your legs over n come up standin straight... or sumthin to that effect...

neways, so the other day i saw these stepping platforms that they use for aerobics piled up in the corner of the gym.. so i came up with a brilliant strategy for workin on my walkover:

Start off with 5 or 6 platforms placed one on top of the other, n attempt to do the walkover pushin off them... as i keep gettin better, i remove a platform, so i get to push off closer to ground level.. n finally, one day, id be able to do the move pushin myself off from ground-level...

Come on!! Lets hear it!!! You know u wanna say it!! Its right on the tip of your tongue!! Here we go:

"YOU'RE A GENIUS!!!"

neways, so i decided to go for it... lined up 5 of em.. got into the bridge position.. n pushed off... turns out i didnt have the mechanics right, n didnt push off in the right direction.. so what happens???? i almost get myself up into a handstand position, n then my left arm gave way (due to the preceding arm-workout which left me pretty much exhausted). So yea, on my way down, my leg hit the platforms: so i land sideways on the hardwood floor, n ALL (YES!! ALLLL!!) the platforms collapsed in a heap right on top of Yours Truly!!!

Surprisingly, I didnt get hurt a bit!!! I just preferred to lay there under all the platforms, since I felt oddly comfortable... go figure!! so the instructors nearby who'd witnessed the mishap rushed over to help me out, thinkin I wasnt movin cuz I was seriously injured...

Neways, a couple of sorries, n a few mins spent dusting myself off later I was back workin on the move... not from the platforms thou!!! Nooo way!!! aint goin for THAT idea again!!! Brilliant Strategy can Kiss My Ass!!!

Not lookin so good....

Hey... u there!!!.. yeah u...

Ever tried makin soup??? looks easy dun it?? n it is!!! :D

but have u ever tried adding some Tom-Yam paste in order to make it a lil more spicy?? i did....

i looked at that bowl of soup n thought, its a Big bowl.. surely i can add some MORE tomyam paste!!!

Hehehehehe... hehehehehehehe... n hehehehehehehehe some more....

All I need now is a BIG pitcher of oatmeal, n I can look forward to spending this evening in a VERY pleasurable manner...

I'm gonna go pass out my intestines now....

TMNT: Raising (S)Hell Indeed!!!

The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are back on the Big Screen!!! Bigger, Badder, Meaner, n Greener than ever before!!

Generally speaking, I like how the Turtles are portrayed as all grown up and evolved into their own.. What's particularly interesting to watch is the way conflicts and contradictions are portrayed into the movie, thus making our shell-backed heroes much easier to relate to with a much-needed human element (something which was evident to a much lesser extent in the previous 3 TMNT movies)..

Raphael n Leonardo have always been my personal favs among the awesome foursome.. Raph with his unusually short temper and vicious appetite for the battle, and Leo with his calm demeanor and unending desire to be the best leader/student as is humanly (or turtle-ly ???) possible.. The previous 3 movies always involved, as a subplot, the 2 dudes clashing against each other, Leo trying to establish harmony between the turtles along with a sense of brotherhood, and Raph always eager to shoulder the entire burden himself but preferring to operate independently...

All these qualities are displayed to some extent in this 4th installment, but what particularly appealed to me was that for once.. FOR ONCE... Raph triumphs over Leo in their personal battles... They've always shown Leo to be the psychologically superior one in the previous movies, but atleast they gave Raph the credit of being physically superior to Leo... atleast for the time being neways... N i Love the way they portray Raph's Anger...

Ofcourse, we cant forget the duo that completes the collection: Michaelangelo n Donatello... Unfortunately, I felt Mikey n Dony were pretty much overshadowed by Leo n Raph n their ongoing feud... Dony's technical side is displayed well, thou (thankfully) not to a nerdy extent... They dont show him comin up with new gadgets n stuff as in the cartoons n previous movies, but rather as the one who sorta establishes some sorta control over Mikey... Mikey, on the other hand, should have been alot funnier... The trailer definitely hinted at Mikey being his usual comic self, which he was, but once again, he was slightly overshadowed by Leo n Raph... Mikey does have his moments thou, so the rare joke from him would def get u cackling (or giggling, or laughin, grinning.. wutever tickles ur fancy..).. Overall, I wish there wud have been more from Mikey n Don.. but given that Raph n Leo n the ones I've favoured ever since I first caught them streaking their naked turtle rears all over NYC, I'm not too angry bout that...

Who can forget April O'Neil n Casey Jones?... turns out they've hooked up, n Casey has to face the typical guy problem of deciding if he wants to pop the question, or consider other options... n this may sound weird, seein as this is an animated movie, but April actually looks alot hotter than her appearances in the previous 3 turtle-flicks!! Nuff' Said.. n speakin of Hot, I'm kinda glad they got rid of the Shredder in this flick, cuz the babe replacin him cant be described in words!!! Karai Hot, an awesome fighter, speaks with a really deep n husky voice... Just the kinda babe whose hands I wouldnt mind dying by... ofcourse this is all animated, so let's forget I said all that...

Last but not least, the ever-lasting Splinter!! When Splinter came on screen (not literally!!), he first resembled those 2 possums in Ice-Age 2... but then he started speaking, n the vision turned back to that of a choking rat... Oh well... he's still old-lookin, n wise, and seeks to bring his sons, the turtles, back to working as a team... Big Dreams, this guy!! He still keeps counseling his sons during individual sessions bout how they've gotta keep trainin, bonding, blah blah blah... how does this guy keep living??? my guess: he charges the turtles for hourly sessions...

Neways, soooo.. seein as how I've gone on n on bout wut I liked most bout the movie, I'm gettin kinda tired now.. so i'm just gonna giv u a quick outline on the story, but I wont spoil it for u too much, so u can still enjoy it when u catch it!!

Basically, the movie starts off with an introduction to the supposed-baddie, who F***ed up 3000 years ago by turnin his entire brotherhood into stone in exchange for immortality (with the old 'I-wanna-conquer-the-world' dream), with the teeny-tiny side effect of unleashing 13 monsters into the world... who are also immortal, btw... so now he seeks to rectify his mistake...

Leo, meanwhile, is completin his trainin in a jungle somewhere in Central America, but is reluctant to return home, feeling he wud be more needed protecting innocent villagers...

Mike goes into showbiz, entertaining kids at bday bashes n parties by dressing up as.... You Guessed it!!!: A Ninja Turtle!!! Go figure...

Dony's Workin from home as a one-man call-center IT Helpdesk Technician... Sigh, we know bout that, dun we ppl..

N Raph.. well, Raph cant stand losin the old glory days, n after watchin 1 too many Batman/Spiderman movies, takes to the streets as a nightly vigilante...

Splinter's meditating.. still...

April n Casey have hooked up.. its not made clear wut they do...

So basically, Leo, thru no reasoning, decides to return to the Big Apple, and the 4 shell-backed dudes get curious when their arch-enemies, the Foot Clan, r helpin round up huge monsters, when its evident to them that the Shredder has, in fact, gone on to a better place, hence leaving them without a guiding force...

I'm gonna leave the plot at that... Tellin u anymore wud be ruining things for u.. So get out there n watch it!!! cuz its not just for the kids, its great for the child within all adults too!!!

On a final note: I noticed they didnt display the turtles' obsession with pizza at all in this movie.. maybe its cuz they'd already hammered that fact with all previous installments of the TMNT series.. personally, I think it has sumthin to do with NYC bein the first city in the US to ban trans-fats, so maybe there's this whole health-conscious drive going on...