Aidil fitri celebration 2009

It was 2nd day of Aidilfitri, when me and my sister, Annie drove off to Perak to visit my mum. We took off from home around 11 am and reached there around 3.30pm. Luckily to road wasn't really jam. We wasted our 30 minutes on our long-cut road. I missed the correct turning to Sri Iskandar. Anyway, what matters after all is that we reached our destination in one piece.

As soon as we reached , we had our lunch. We didn't know that they were waiting for our arrival for lunch. So my other sister, Rita was a lil' bit grumpy ( as usual ). So glad to be there, celebrating Raya with my mum and my stepdad. They were happy to have us there. My stepdad's elders son ,Herman was also there with his family. Her daughter was so cute. I think she's almost as Mimi's age.

After lunch, i helped my sister with her presentation for Nikko Hotel. Taught her some tricks on Powerpoint. Don't know whether she still remembers it or not. At night i had a good mother and son chat. As usual, my mum with her advises. About my life, marriage, future,..etc. She gets emotional very easily when it comes to those kind of topics.

We left from Perak back to KL in the early morning around 6am. Luckily it wasn't jam. On our way back, i saw a dog got hit by a CRV 4wheel drive. It died on the spot. It happened just infront of me. The dog was crossing the highway when he got hit. Poor dog. After the incident, we stopped and grabbed some food. We reached KL around 11am.

Can't wait for the next Hari Raya.

Why barbers use this pole? What does it really mean?

Bloodletting History

The history of barber poles dates back to the 7th or 8th century in Europe. Today we think of barbers and doctors as being in completely separate professions, but in medieval Europe, hair cutting and treatment of injuries were done by barber surgeons, who employed some crude medical techniques that would have many of us fleeing in terror today…

In the Middle Ages, barber surgeons frequently performedbloodlettings on patients, believing that draining excess blood from a sick person would help them recover. This seemingly shocking treatment was recommended by physicians, but usually carried out by barber surgeons: The patient would squeeze a pole to make the veins in their arm dilate. The barber surgeon would slit the patient’s wrist, and blood would flow down the pole and to be collected in a dish. It is believed that in order make the blood not so noticeable, the poles were painted red. Another theory is that white and blood-stained bandages would be put on the pole and hung outside the shop to dry, and get twisted around the pole by the wind, creating a spiral pattern.
Although bloodletting treatments ended in the 19th century, barber poles remain as a symbol of this gruesome past.

Business Separation

By the way, both barber surgeons and surgeons used the poles to mark their places of business, making them indistinguishable. In 1745, however, the surgeons formerly split from the barbers, after which laws required that surgeons used red and white poles, andbarbers used blue and white ones. There are lots of theories on what the blue colour represents, including that the colour combination was based on the French flag or the American stars and stripes. Another theory is that they represent blue veins.

Antique Barber Poles

What a homely atmo! An old and very nice Japanese barber shop, with a barber pole just as old (or even older) out front.

Barber poles in very antique styles can be found around Japan, but actually they first arrived here when the country opened up to the West during the Meiji period, after the mechanism and design of barber poles had already been fully developed.

Another cute barber pole on a stand made in an antique style…

… and a new barber pole in old-school style.

Men's best friend....

Her name is Mee. We had her right after we had laksa Sarawak at Taman Megah SS.24. That's how she got her name. Its a cute name.. 

When we just got her, she was only 3 months old. She's a Miniature Shnauzer. It is really rare to see a black one.

Now, this is how she looks like after staying with us for 2 months. She's getting bigger and smarter. She listens to some commands and tricks we taught her. For example, sit, wait, go into your cage, don't!, and even dance.. She is a very smart dog. That's why some people said Shnauzer is a dog with a lil' bit of human brain.( not literally).. but she can sense your emotion. When you're sad, she will be sad too, and she will come to you and comfort you, or try to make you happy or laugh by doing some of her tricks or funny moves. She is very adorable. We love her very much.

WHAT IS "GOOD DESIGN"?

Dieter Rams’ 10 Design Commandments

1. Good Design is innovative
It does not copy existing product forms, nor does it produce any kind of novelty for the sake of it. The essence of innovation must be clearly seen in all functions of a product. The possibilities in this respect are by no means exhausted. Technological development keeps offering new chances for innovative solutions.



2. Good Design makes a product useful
A product is bought in order to be used. It must serve a defined purpose – in both primary and additional functions. The most important task of design is to optimise the utility of a product.



3. Good Design is aesthetic
The aesthetic quality of a product – and the fascination it inspires – is an integral part of the its utility. Without doubt, it is uncomfortable and tiring to have to put up with products that are confusing, that get on your nerves, that you are unable to relate to. However, it has always been a hard task to argue about aesthetic quality, for two reasons.

Firstly, it is difficult to talk about anything visual, since words have a different meaning for different people.

Secondly, aesthetic quality deals with details, subtle shades, harmony and the equilibrium of a whole variety of visual elements. A good eye is required, schooled by years and years of experience, in order to be able to draw the right conclusion.



4. Good Design helps a product be understood
It clarifies the structure of the product. Better still, it can make the product talk. At best, it is self-explanatory and saves you the long, tedious perusal of the operating manual.



5. Good Design is unobtrusive
Products that satisfy this criterion are tools. They are neither decorative objects nor works of art. Their design should therefore be both neutral and restrained leaving room for the user’s self-expression.



6. Good Design is honest
An honestly-designed product must not claim features it does not have – being more innovative, more efficient, of higher value. It must not influence or manipulate buyers and users.



7. Good Design is durable
It is nothing trendy that might be out-of-date tomorrow. This is one of the major differences between well-designed products and trivial objects for a waste-producing society. Waste must no longer be tolerated.



8. Good Design is thorough to the last detail
Thoroughness and accuracy of design are synonymous with the product and its functions, as seen through the eyes of the user



9. Good Design is concerned with environment
Design must contribute towards a stable environment and a sensible use of raw materials. This means considering not only actual pollution, but also the visual pollution and destruction of our environment.



10. Good Design is as little design as possible
Back to purity, back to simplicity.

Mercedes McLaren SLR Stirling Moss

Sexy, elegant, sporty, fast, furious, style, flawless,......OMG!

Skating with d ol'skool.

It really brings back the memories, when skating with my old buddies. We skated at Shah Alam few nights ago. It was really fun. Me, Raymond, Clifton, Greg, and Ricky Goh. Ricky was one of the pioneer of skateboarding back in Kuching in the 80's. And he still skates like how he used to. We are expecting other ol'skool skaters from Kuching who are in KL to join us, reunion. 

Food Bazaar, Segi College Subang Jaya.

It has been so long since the last time i went to college that early. I reached there around 8.20am. Before that I didn't even had a good sleep. I think I slept only for 2 hours. The rest of the time i was on my bed, was trying my best to find my comfort zone and position. Maybe I was stressed thinking about the food bazaar. Alright, back to college. I got ready almost everything except for the ice cubes and my red shirt ( our group were suppose to wear red- i forgot ). I called the "iceman" earlier, and waited for almost an hour. Luckily, the ice supplier for the canteen was around. So I got 1 bag from him. 

So,let the game begin!!

 

Morning was a bit slow. Tim's muffin sells good in the morning. My mocktails were selling a bit slow. But after some shaking on the shaker, people started to come and see what was going on there. I was pretty shocked noticing that the students love the mocktails. I guess they enjoyed watching me making it and shaking it. Surprisingly, my mocktails sells like " durians". I realized  that people don't mind paying more for something good. My mocktail was served in a very small cup ( 6.oz ) and I charged RM2 for it. People still asking for it. I sold amazingly 72 cups. That was a good start for me. I should really open my own bar next time. Thanks to my team mates, Timothy and Cynthia. Without them I'd be crawling back to class. They helped a lot. The food bazaar was a success.! Yatta!!!　やった！！

Mocktail menus

Here are some of the mocktails that i'm gonna sell during the food bazaar. Damn! How I wish I could pour some alcohol inside. I'm sure it would sell like "durians" during its season. Lets just hope mine does.

Food Bazaar, Segi College Subang Jaya.

Hey guys, me and my group mates gonna sell something on our food bazaar day. Its gonna be on Wednesday, 4th Feb 2009. My mates gonna bake some muffins - chocolate, vanilla flavour- and I'm gonna shake the shaker and provide you my specialities on the mocktails. There're gonna be various kind of mocktails you can taste. From orange, strawberry, cranberry, honey, pineapple,..etc. I'll guarantee you its good,tasty,n cheap. Satisfaction guaranteed. Here's some preview on the mocktails. 

Hope to see you there. 

New year, new life....even better

2008 have passed. It was full of memories that cannot be forgotten. Some were bad memories and some were very wonderful. Let's just treasure them, let those memories remind us how we deal with our life. Our decisions that we made, the road we took, the path we walked, that led us here today. Have it changed our life? Are we being better or worst? That, we have to flashback. Because those are the things that reflects us.

Some of us may have lost some friends, family members or relatives. We did not decide that to happened. God decides when it comes to life. For us who are still alive, we still have a purpose to be here. We are still looking for answers to everything in life. There are no boundaries in searching those answers. From questions, it gives answers. From answers, it gives life a meaning. Now it's 2009. And your life spend has increase to another year. Use them wisely. Knowing which is good and which is bad leads you to a better path in life. So, let us hope that this year will bring luck, more love around us, more joy, and the most important thing in this world is peace. Peace be with you all always. 

Anakena's love portion...

Now I'm seating here with a bottle of red wine, Anakena from Chile, thinking about how sad my Christmas gonna be...don't worry...getting used to it anyway. Its my 3rd year here, in this f*%$&#g west side. I miss having my festive celebration at my hometown. I miss my dad, my friends, the hospitality (even when you don't need them), the foods,.etc. I'm not saying that things here are sucked. It's just not the same. While I'm thinking about all those sad things, good things also around me, to comfort me, to make me worthy, to change me to a better person,.... my only love. That's her. Just in front of me now. Lying there, feeling tipsy and sleepy, and always looking gorgeous. She's my engine, my fuel, my generator, my power source, my cold-ice-chrysanthemum tea-when-you're-stuck-in- the-middle-of-the-dessert, my life. When I'm sad, and when a bottle of red wine doesn't really helps, she could be the only thing in this world  that could make my level of sadness decrease. Thats one of the signs that could assure you, you're in deep love! 

Monday blues...

Monday blues...Everything seems so slow, the time on my wrist watch, the traffic, the people around, etc... Got a call from my friend, Kamal, and decided to meet up with him for lunch in Bangsar Village. Took me 45mins to washed myself and speed off for the rendezvous. Thank God i wasn't late... Neither one of us were waiting. Kamal was already chewing on something,..(hmm..some  bun, i think)....didn't bother to ask though. My stomach was already making some cave-echo sound, so we sat at the restaurant near cold storage ( cant remember the name of the restaurant) and started to order some food. I was recommended by Kamal to try their beef pie. So, i did..   Kamal was right!! The beef pie was absolutely marvelously delicious....uuhhh, si'dik ai!!!( that's what Bidayuh would say). Anyways, after lunch, we went to MPH bookstore. And i found this wonderful book, Young Asian Design. I was really fondly in love with it, unfortunately, my cash flow wasn't flowing in a right path. It cost RM150. DAMN!!!!! Knowing that i haven't started my Christmas shopping yet, gets me worried over the presents. Thats when you started to have crazy imaginations over your money, your needs, how i wish i could grow my own money tree, with diamonds and golds, how i wish i could work with Santa and help him giving out presents, .....bla bla bla bla... Come back to the reality, i'm broke! But i'm thankful and happy for my life. Thats what matters!...About the book, i'll get it next year..soon! 

In the evening, me and Emi had dinner at Asia Cafe, right before my

 Japanese class. On the way to my Japanese class, we stopped by at the

 DVD shop and bought a drama series, called Weeds. Its a comedy series about this widow selling and dealing weeds in the suburbs. We watched it after i got home from my class. It is very subversive, satirical and hilarious story! Recommended by me, myself and i.......watch it!!! Even better if you got a joint... 

PutraJaya Extreme Games Challenge

Start Time : Saturday, Dec 20th 2008 at 9.00am

End Time : Sunday, Dec 21st 2008 at 6.30pm

Location : Dataran Putrajaya, Precint 3 (in between Palace of Justice and Komplex Perbadanan Putrajaya)

A handrail will set foot on the 5 feet step. A flat / square (3 inch width) handrail will install in the middle for skateboard and bmx competition. Meanwhile, 2 round rails will be install on the left and right side of the 

stairs. 

So, for you guys out there who are planning to join this competition, you better start practicing your tricks. Good luck!

Japanese translations

Japanese to English / Malay / Bidayuh

はじめまして。Hajimemashite.= How do you do?(literal meaning: i am meeting you for the 1st time. Usually used as the 1st phrase when introducing oneself)

どうぞ　よろしく。Dozo yoroshiku.= Nice to meet you

わたしは　ジョセフ　です。Watashi wa Joseph  desu.= My name is Joseph./Nama saya Joseph./ Aden kuk Joseph.

おげんきですか。O-genki desu ka? = How are you? / Apa khabar? / Oni abar muk? 

なにおたべたいですか。Nani o tabetai desu ka? = What do you want to eat?/ Nak makan apa?/Oni de ri'ek man muk?

どうぞ。Dozo.= Please, here you are./ Sila kan./ Nah...(with a smile & be gentle)

おきます。Okimasu.= Wake up./Bangun./ Mokat.

ねます。Nemasu.= Sleep./ Tidur./ Be'es.

はたらきます。Hatarakimasu.= Work./ Kerja./ Kroja

やすみます。Yasumimasu.= Holiday,take a rest./ Cuti rehat./Pimisi, rirek diek.

べんきょします。Benkyoshimasu.= Study./ Belajar./Brajar.

Okonomiyaki - おこのみやき

Okonomiyaki is a Japanese dish consisting of a pan-fried batter cake and various ingredients. It is usually served during lunch or dinner. Its very easy to make it. I don't think it would be a problem for you to try making it, since i succeeded on my 1st attempt. Let me guide you step by step in making it.

First you need to prepare all the ingredients - 

egg, cabbage, meat slices(pork,beef), milk, Otafuku sauce , Sakura ebi(little shrimp), Benishouga(pickled ginger),katsuoko(fish powder),Aosa(seaweed powder),Tenkasu(brown)

First step is, you need to slice the cabbage as small as 1cm sq.

Then you pour the Katsuoko into a bowl approximately 50g. 52g is still ok.

Then you need 30cc of milk and 30cc of water, and an egg, mix it well together onto the bowl of Katsuoko powder.

After that, pour together the cabbage that you have cut onto the mixing you did earlier. Then, put all ingredients together then mix them again. Meanwhile, you can start heating the pan. First you start cooking the meat slice. Put 3 slices. Cook till both sides are in light-brown.Then pour all the mixture onto the pan.

When it is cooked, bring it to a plate, and start to pour the Otafu

ku sauce, Mayo, Aosa.

When its all done, bring it to the table, switch on your TV, and enjoy it.hhmmmmm.....Oishii!!!!

NIPPON PREMIUM beer

This beer is clearly an answer to the award-winning The Premium Malts, which is entirely underrated. Like other Japanese beers, the head did not retain, but for as long as it lasted it was a beautiful golden amber color. The smell was a little tart and the malty flavor ( it advertises itself as Malty) doesn't kick in until way later. It is obviously quality, and the dynamism of flavor is to be admired.

Honestly, it attempts to be a high-class lager and just ends up something that you wouldn't want to drink the whole sixer of.