Chemically or comically atrocious?

Perhaps we should switch to something more organic and pricey body care. Or perhaps, we should do some body detox/cleansing every now and then to help remove any harmful toxic that may remain longer in our body?

From Daily Mail:

Revealed... the 515 chemicals women put on their bodies every day

Women and beauty products - it's a love affair that's been going on for centuries. And no wonder. There's nothing like a new lipstick or favourite perfume to make us look and feel good. Or so we thought...

In fact, according to a new report, most of our favourite cosmetics are cocktails of industrially produced and potentially dangerous chemicals that could damage our health and, in some cases, rather than delivering on their potent 'anti-ageing' promise, are causing us to age faster.

Research by Bionsen, a natural deodorant company, found that the average woman's daily grooming and make-up routine means she 'hosts' a staggering 515 different synthetic chemicals on her body every single day.

Many of those are also used in products such as household cleaners, and have been linked to a number of health problems from allergies and skin sensitivity to more serious hormonal disturbances, fertility problems and even cancer.

Parabens, for example, which are designed to preserve the shelf-life of your cosmetics, are one of the most widely used preservatives in the world, and are found in shampoos, hair gels, shaving gels and body lotions. But their use is becoming increasingly controversial - a range of different studies has linked them to serious health problems including breast cancer, as well as fertility issues in men.

Research from the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine suggests that some parabens we had previously presumed to be safe, such as Methylparaben, may mutate and become toxic when exposed to sunlight, causing premature skin ageing and an increased risk of skin cancer.

Methylparabens are found in more than 16,000 products, including moisturisers and toothpastes. Cosmetic producers have always defended their use of parabens on the grounds that they can't be absorbed into the body.

But many leading researchers disagree, including Dr Barbara Olioso, an independent professional chemist, who says: 'Research shows that between 20 and 60 per cent of parabens may be absorbed into the body.'

More...

• Beauty confidential: My hair is brittle and lifeless, what can I do to get back the shine?
• I'm a celebrity: From Katie Price to Kerry Katona, battle of the make-up free D-list stars
• As Boots celebrates its 160th anniversary, we look back at the rise of the High Street chemist

There are a number of laws designed to protect us from dangerous chemicals in cosmetics, but researchers worry that they don't go far enough. For example, cosmetic manufacturers are required to list their ingredients, but they don't have to tell us about any impurities found in the raw materials or used in the manufacturing process, so long as they don't end up in the finished product.

The industry insists that our cosmetics are safe. The Cosmetic Toiletries and Perfumery Association said last night: 'Stringent laws require all cosmetics to be safe, and each product undergoes a rigorous safety assessment. The number of ingredients in a product, or whether it is natural or man-made, has no bearing on how safe it is.'

They also say that any chemicals are present in safe doses that can't harm us. While that may be true, there is some disagreement over what constitutes a 'safe' level - for young people and children, or sensitive adults, these levels may not be so safe at all.

And even if the relatively small amounts in individual products don't hurt us, there is growing concern over the number of products women use daily, and the cumulative effect of so many chemicals being used all over our bodies every day, for many years.

As Charlotte Smith, spokesperson for Bionsen, says: 'Women have never been more image-conscious and their beauty regimes have changed over the years, from a simple "wash & go" attitude, to daily fake-tan applications, regular manicures, false lashes and hair extensions.

'Lots of the high-tech, new generation cosmetics and beauty "wonder" treatments naturally contain more chemicals to achieve even better results, which, of course, means women apply more chemicals than ever before.'

If you want to protect yourself from chemical overload, reduce your overall cosmetics usage; switch to natural or organic products, and read the labels on your beauty and grooming products with care.

• The Women's Environmental network has more detailed information and advice about ingredients contained in beauty products: www.wen.org. uk; The Cosmetics Database, a website which gives a 'hazard rating' for products: cosmeticsdatabase.com. Or read Skin Deep: The Essential Guide To What's In The Toiletries And Cosmetics You Use (Rodale), by Pat Thomas.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/beauty/article-1229275/Revealed--515-chemicals-women-bodies-day.html#ixzz0XPta5oN3

Raya Aidil Fitri 20/09/ 2009

Nice date combo innit? 20 - 09 - 2009 happened to be 1 Shawal 1430H. Its Raya Aidil Fitri again!

Not so much happening, but that 1st day was really the day I really celebrated. And after that dozed off...and visited just one house the day after....and many sleep off....

Oh well....at least on that weekend I went out to KL with a buddy of mine and we went around Pavillion and Berjaya Times Square (for Krispy Kreme that was).

Another internationally famous Malaysian lady

The world just love this kinda news particularly when it could be easily ridiculed and joked around by those anti-Islam people. It is a bit beguiling this case as she JUST so happened to be THE ONLY ONE caught in the act while downing her Beer in Malaysia. While alcohol drinking has become more of an open act at a certain areas in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, this lady may have then chosen the "wrong" spot by condoning her own happy hour act like nobody's business down at an east coast city, Kuantan.

So much of this brouhaha....However, she should also be given the laudable credit for sharing her own guilty conscience - a feisty chick. While drinking is forbidden in Islam, I also personally think that if she was doing it in a proper drinking vicinity then it is her own problems and not the authority. She did not ask the whole Kuantan to be merry with her on the street or in kampung thus making her an innocent in the eye of the civil law. Knowing that she has committed one of the biggest sins, she succumbed to the punishment and allowing herself to be caned as part of her repentence. Now, this is really truly brave of her to face her own peril while she is alive in this world. Lets pray that her acceptance toward such predicament will be rewarded greatly by God in the hereafter. I hope she may get excused for her first error like what Tun Det said.

The news is for your reading:

Caning of Malaysian woman who drank beer postponed

By SEAN YOONG, Associated Press Writer Sean Yoong, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 2 mins ago

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia – The first woman in Muslim-majority Malaysia to face caning for drinking beer was reprieved Monday because of the holy month of Ramadan. Her family said she would rather get the thrashing with a rattan cane now and put the ordeal behind her.

Islamic officials had taken Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno (pic), a 32-year-old mother of two, into custody and were driving her to a women's prison for the caning when they abruptly turned around and sent her back to her family home in northern Malaysia.

"She feels like a football being kicked around," Kartika's father, Shukarno Abdul Muttalib, told The Associated Press. "She's so exhausted and unhappy with the delay. She would prefer to just receive the six strokes and have everything finished."

Amnesty International, Malaysian lawyers and some politicians have condemned the sentence, while other critics have warned it would tarnish Malaysia's image as a moderate country. Islamic officials have defended it as necessary to uphold Islamic values — underscoring tensions between religious conservatives and more liberal and secular elements in society.

Beer, wine and liquor is widely available at shops, bars and restaurants in Malaysia, unlike in more austere Islamic nations such as Iran and Pakistan. Christians, Hindus, Sikhs and other minorities in Malaysia are free to consume alcohol but its Shariah law forbids Muslims — who make up 60 percent of the 27 million population — from drinking, although a minority of Muslims still indulge despite the religious stricture.

Islamic morality police — enforcement officials of the Islamic Religious Department — arrested Kartika in a raid for drinking beer at a hotel lounge at a beach resort in Cherating in Pahang state in December 2007. Kartika was sentenced to six lashes of a rattan cane by the Shariah court last month in what was considered a warning to other Muslims to abide by religious rules.

Islamic law provides for a three-year prison term and caning for Muslims caught drinking. Most previous offenders were fined and no woman has ever been caned.

The morality police are not a pervasive force in Malaysia, and most citizens were surprised at the verdict against Kartika.

Mohamad Sahfri Abdul Aziz, a state legislator in charge of religious affairs, said Monday the Attorney General's office advised that Kartika's caning should be delayed for compassionate reasons until after the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which began Saturday.

"The sentence is not being canceled," Mohamad Sahfri said, without specifying exactly when it would be carried out.

In an interview with the AP last week, Kartika said she regretted drinking and was even willing to be caned in public in order to send a clear message to other Muslims to avoid alcohol. Authorities said the caning had to be done at a prison.

Government officials have remained silent on the issue even though the local media have reported on it extensively. The only prominent personality to comment has been former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad.

On Monday, he urged authorities to check Islamic teachings to determine whether it would be appropriate to cane Kartika for drinking.

"Is it possible that a judge may have been unfair or mistaken in his consideration? Is there no room in Islam for mercy toward those who commit an error for the first time?" Mahathir wrote on his widely read blog.

Chandra Muzaffar, president of the Malaysian think tank, International Movement for a Just World, said the international attention on Kartika's case could "provide ammunition" for some people to criticize Malaysia's capacity for religious tolerance.

"She should not be caned in the first place," Chandra said. "What we should do is advise her. This punitive psychology is a bane for Muslim societies, and we should get away from it."

Islamic officials had insisted that the caning's purpose is to educate rather than punish. They say the rattan cane supposed to be used on Kartika would be smaller and lighter than the one used for men, and that she will remain clothed.

Men convicted of crimes such as rape and bribery in Malaysia are caned on their bare buttocks, breaking the skin and leaving permanent scars.

Rattan canes used in the punishment are made from palm plants common in tropical parts of Asia. They have been used for decades for corporal punishments in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei.

Separately Monday, officials in the central state of Selangor near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's largest city, stepped up efforts to deter drinking by empowering mosque officials to arrest Muslims who consume liquor in public places, The Star newspaper's Web site quoted state lawmaker Hassan Ali as saying.

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On a lighter note, caning a model sounds a bit kinky innit? U have been a naughty girl aren't u? Zappp.....Naughty naughty....zaaaappps.......You want some more caning? Zaaaaappps.......You loving it doncha? Zaaapppp.....

NO, wait...this IS Ramadhan. How could I be having such an unpure thought? Naughty me!

Watching the sunset from Marina Bay hotel suite

While killing my time waiting for Maghrib and then dinner at Admiral Cove, Marina Bay, Port Dickson, I took pictures of the scene just outside my hotel window by my Sony cybershot DSC-T77:

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4.

I see. You are expecting the Sun slowly setting like a half shape circle on the horizon eh? Naahh...it didnt happen like that the day I saw it. But I like the sky colours as the day turn to dusk. And whats more, I was facing the Sun. So I reckon my Sony Cybershot is quite nifty at capturing such shots.

Gucci, Levi's, Bonia, Ms.Read dan sandal Bata

Sabah.....where do i begin?

As if I went anywhere further than Kota Kinabalu, the state capital.


I instantly like KK...the people, the ambience, the south china sea along the newly appointed bandaraya status .They wrote it as "Bandar Raya" instead of bandaraya on their signboard. Initially i thought, there might be a bandar raya somewhere. But the Pusat gave out the clue. And so it was. ONE of the endearing yet quirky things about KK that I love. Dont mention the cutesy kadazan fellas clad in their hotpants and cultural tribe, similar to a Red-Indian ensemble custom (and those Amazonian tribes) siap ada feathers stuck in their headband lagi for culture shows laaa dey! Ape ingat diorang berkeliaran like that ka? I dunno why but I couldnt help looking at them and how they are almost FREE of visible body hair except on their head (hell, dont ask me whatever between their thigh ok....!)


Their coconut is only RM2.5o during the daytime, sold like abundant(!) along jalan tun fuad stephen opposite warisan complex, the one where Centre point is situated just behind it. The juice? Marvellous! One fruit could easily fill up THREE 300ml plastic cups. What a joy kan?

Where the fish is Pasar Filipino? OOOoooo now it is called Pasar Handikraf. But everyone seemed to be sticking to its old name and what is it famous for? Sabah handicraft laa...what kinda question is that? Ada orang filipino ka? Takda! They all kat Pulau Gaya bah. Or perhaps creating an eye-sore somewhere in the heart of the vibrant city. No, i am no racist bah (thats bah bah sabah for u), but apparently this filipino arent really accepted well in Sabah but they survived anyway, those political asylum seekers dating as far as 3 decades or more. So if anyone wanna start hunting for some decor or pearls (harvested ones), this is your starting point. Prices are bargainable and most sellers are ladies. One thing though, it was bloody sauna inside the market. They should install air-condition la!

What a conference trip that was. I enjoyed the city more than the conference though i met many researchers across malaysia, korea and india there. Organized by UMS and held at Novotel, 1Borneo, the ICCBPE-SOMChE 2009 conference was OK but that was it. I met my old friend there too, Rachel Mansa. She was soooo into her 2 beautiful princes and she just kept going on and on telling me how great her kids were and all. I bet she must be feeling so proud now that she is a mother of 2 and how she loved them to bits. It inspired me to be a mother more n more.


And so we rented a manual Iswara for only RM60/day, drove by yours truly, the 4 ladies went out shopping for pearl brooches, ikan masin, udang kering, pearls, Swarovski brooches etc all around KK.

BY Saturday, I was all alone again, and in the morning, I went on foot all the way to Jesselton Point from Promenade, stopping only 4 times at kedai kelapa muda and taking nasi ayam for brunch at a nearby resto, then to a local mobile phone shop to top up my mobile credit and after that bought four types of hot bread rolls. It was a fine day indeed and the only thing i had in mind was an island stroll. I also rang another old friend of mine, Sakinah reminding her of our meeting in the afternoon on my way to the jetty. I had 3 choices: Sapi, Mamutik or Manukan island? After a not so long thought, Manukan made into the top. Off I went to the counter asking for the boat ticket and so on. The price was very reasonable! Only RM17 return plus another RM6 for jetty tax. Brilliant innit? Duncha just love Sabah?

There I was, a pretty voluptious damsel riding the boat that also carried another 2 passengers , i presumed a couple, and they hailed from Thailand. The boat driver was a jolly tubby fella who probably has been doing his job driving to and fro for most of his life. He nonchalantly manouver the boat that occasionally, no, more than a couple of times sending the boat into a few bumpy rides. Thank god for my ample bottom, i muttered silently. They dont call it a bumpy ride if it wasnt for inflicting your bum or is it? Otherwise, lebam ok.


What can Manukan Island offer u? Besides the clean and shallow shores, yes, they also have this one mile , make it 2 miles return jungle trail. I took the trail 1st upon arriving and didnt really make it exactly 2 miles though but enough to have taken pictures of small monitor lizards which seemed to be the main inhabitants of this island. And while trudging on my returning route, i saw this 3-feet monitor lizards with the head the size of an average lady's fist. It was so shy (of my presence kot?) that it hid between the bushes as soon as it saw me heading not far from it. As if aku nak tangkap dia kan? But i stopped to wonder in amazement how old must this lizard be looking at his relatively massive size compared to the little ones that were only slightly bigger with tails longer than the house gecko. I felt , ok, i imagined like I was a National Geographic documentary lady just doing this trail. Only that I was in my Gucci shades (bought for Rupiah-150,000), Levis' jeans, Bonia sling bag , Ms.Read top, Ariani-like tudung and a pair of comfie Bata sandal. Which doesnt qualify me as a jungle documentary lady lest i would damage the whole dressing ensemble.


I then made more strolls down the beach, passing by bikini clad ladies, some looked like a whale on the lazychair. Why la she had to bare everything? Anyways, i picked some shells too, saja to kill the time. ON my way back I met 12 of our postgraduate students who were enjoying their time there too. We took some photos together and one of them pointed to a sea-cucumber creature near us resting and curling near the rock under the sea water. At 1st i thought it was dead, so i picked it up, but guess what, the Gamat , as it is known locally (also very famous in Langkawi) actually a living breathing sea urchin, with jelly like body as I squeeze it. I then put it back to where it was and not long after that, it started to curl again. Apa la punya animal. But it was sold at high price in the market, dried and ready to be converted into local cuisine as well as a source of ointment and healthy supplements.


Those postgraduates were more adventurous as they rented an Avanza and went all the way to Ranau where they headed to Kundasang and marvelled at the Gunung Kinabalu view. And all I had was the banjaran(rocky ranges) Crocker that could well be seen as the backdrop of KK itself. I told myself , with a little jealousy already creeping inside of me, that I will come back and this time will do the driving out of KK definitely. And of course, I will have to fork out some money too so i will only select the auto-clutch car for easier and more convenient cruising around some dodgy,potholed road en route to those places like Kundasang, etc. Maybe i can plan the trip with my parents and whoever nak follow to sabah for that reason. Or maybe i can ask out kot2 ade orang nak join. Ye la most of my friends are married people hence the difficulty for them to leave their family and be my travelling company. Susah kan? Thats why I ended up a lone traveller who happened to come across many wonderful people.


What else? Perhaps to get fitter with more money (or more conferences/outstations) so I can travel more.

Short Sojourn in Penang 4-6 Aug 2009

I came here for a meeting with our 3 3rd year students at MOX-Linde, Bayan Baru, Penang, and I still managed to have 2 lovely days here.

Upon arriving at a not so grand Berjaya Hotel at Jalan Burmah, Pulau Tikus, i had a quick rest before meeting an old friend, Ku-man who took me for a dinner at Chilli's , Gurney Plaza. It was our first ever meet since 2005. He got his Masters degree during that year and I was with a PhD degree from Imperial and we were friends since the end of 2004 when he began doing his Masters then.

Tuesday morning, from 9.00am to 12pm I was at MOX having discussions and presentations on visiting our students there. It was a pleasant meeting but I was tired nonetheless. Then I took a cab to Jalan Penang to shop for some pickles at Chowrasta Market. I thought of taking lunch too but the funny weather of hot-humid-rainy-hot-humid seemed to kill my appetite that I decided to just head back to the hotel for some afternoon siesta. That evening, I met more old friends at Queensbay Mall but the dinner was somewhere else. I was craving for Penang taste so I managed to coax Ku-man, the ever willing driver by the evening to go search for some awesome Char Koey Teow. So off we went near SunTech not far from bayan lepas and i ordered a small plate of Char Koey Teow. Definitely delicious! Thumbs up. Well, the dinner didnt stop there and our Jalan2 Cari Makan continued its journey to Restoran Hameediyah along Lebuh Campbell, off Jalan Penang for some biryani and some few dishes complementary to our taste bud. And what is biryani without raita salad eh? Though i didnt get to "down" mango lassi as it was already finished, it was still a fantastic meal. I got to taste turkey curry too for the 1st time ever. We ended our night by hanging out at Starbucks Cafe at Gurney Plaza before he sent me back to the hotel.

Thursday I checked out from the hotel and headed to Queensbay Mall by myself. It was a safe bet at it was the nearest mall to the bayan lepas airport. And I was also to meet Ubi, another blogger mate for the 1st time. For the 1st few hours, i went around the mall while tugging my lugagges around with me. Apparently that Mall didnt have the storage service. Oh well. I went to Borders just browsing the bookshelf and then i passed by a manicure spa. The prices were quite reasonable so i had some upper lips hair removal and pedicure - for the 1st time ever in my life!

Alrightie then, I am with Ubi at Coffee Bean over a nice warm Earl Grey tea and will then be heading to Bayan Lepas Airport.

Obituary: Michael Jackson and Yasmin Ahmad

26 June 2009, one early morning at Aston Hotel, Bandung, I was shocked to receive the news that the King of Pop died. It was 25 June in LA that afternoon.

Goodbye dear Michael Jackson (1958-2009). Although we have never met in real life, I still remember vividly the dream I had with u when i was 9 years old and we were "engaged". And then u changed your face and skin colour in Bad and thats when I lost my whole admiration on u as a man but you remain one of my favourite singers/performers/artiste of all time.

I began knowing u during your Thriller golden years. U wore those huge black sunglasses, and that was how you become my idol then.

Just one month after his demise, God has called Yasmin Ahmad to leave the world and to rest in peace. I only knew her through her blog and she did response to some of my comments in her inbox. But I was also shocked and saddened nonetheless.

Almarhumah Yasmin Ahmad (1958-2009) is survived by husband Abdullah Tan Yew Long (pic), parents, siblings and her children(?). Her movie legacy though not many but almost all have stroke a chord to many. Her last movie , Talentime was my first ever Malaysian movie that I watched at a local cinema. I considered myself lucky as I won 2 free tickets to watch the preview at Cathay Cinemaplex at The Curve with one of my Masters student, Rahimah on filling an online contest in The Star Online sponsored by SilkyGirl. It was also the first movie I watch at a theatre for 2009. Transformers II: Revenge of the Fallen was the second movie I watched with my 3rd brother., Hakeem (at 1 Utama) also on a 2-free tickets winning as I entered the contest through SMS held by MIXFm. The 3rd and the 1st movie bought on my own was Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

I had actually wanted to watch another Yasmin Ahmad's movie, Mukhsin 2 years ago as I was thrilled that she picked the movie tag that I felt the most suitable one as part of her movie exercises/opinion polls from the blogreaders. But the 1st 7 months of that year was a bit turbulent for me , consequently I wasnt in the mood of going to watch movies, usually by myself.

Both Yasmin and Michael born in the same year, 1958 and she was only one month older than him. Yet they both died tragically in the same year, only one month apart too. These 2 genuises die early and become immortalized through their art works, songs, movies, controversies, etc.

I shed tears during MJ's death, and today, I shed tears again for dear Yasmin. May God rest both of you in peace with bountiful blessings.

AlFatihah to Yasmin Ahmad (and perhaps MJ too as he was announced as Muslim since November 2008).

Wot-e-va

Le me see....first it was watching 1st seededRoger Federer winning his 15th Grand Slam at Wimbledon by defeating a long time underdog and one time grand slam champion Andy Roddick in 5-set "thriller". Well Fed already made a new record now as far as winning tennis grand slam is concerned. He now topped the all-time great with Peter Sampras now holding the second place winning 14 grand slams. We also seen Rafael Nadal dropping himself out of the Wimbledon tournament due to knee injury and has now become the 2nd seed. As for women's single, Serena Williams beat her sister Venus in straight set, and they both teamed up to win another winning trophy in women's double.

Last month, it was a bit of jetsetting and out and about for me. 1st week of June, i was in Pahang, stayed at Legend Hotel Cherating with parents and youngest sis, went to Pekan to see some relatives and went for the 1st time to Kemaman, well all that was my 1st ever driving trip to pekan and kemaman. Surprisingly, Kemaman was really getting better and modern and we had very nice terengganu luncheon at Warung Aziz Satta at kuala kemaman.

A week after that, I flew to South Korea attending 2nd MFC symposium at Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, GIST. It is situated in Gwangju province,south west of S.Korea and it is about an hour from Gwangju City. Before we went back to malaysia, we managed to spend just a day at Seoul for some bit of shopping, well, brooches mostly. Korean people are very nice and helpful, most of them. My colleague, Puan Shahrom and I had a good time there, and I felt at home in korea in no time. There were a lot of churches everywhere and apparently christianity has become like the 1st religion there. On our way to Seoul from Jeongsan train station, Gwangju, we passed along churches after churches and even a few cathedrals too. They also have one big cathedral in Seoul city itself and just one masjid.

2 weeks later, I went to Bandung with half of the department members to attend a seminar and MOU meeting with Institut Teknologi Bandung, ITB in Bandung, Indonesia. That was my 3rd time visit to bandung and we still took time to do some few more shoppings at Pasar Baru, a 7-storey clothing and household market as well as at the factory outlets.

This month marked another turn of the year and i celebrated with my 2 other nephews also born in the same month. Whats more significant is that I received quite a number of well-wishes on my Facebook site. Thats really something. I also got treated with a birthday lunch with another colleague of mine who was also my senior in KISAS and a cousin to Pak Adib, Wan Fariza.

Else, this is already the 3rd week of Semester 1 2009-2010. Lotsa things to do.

Oh yes, we also received visit from our collaborator from Lincoln Venture Ltd, New Zealand, Dr. Neil Pasco who then gave a one day seminar on bioelectrochemistry and single culture microbial fuel cell.

Pictures of the above mentioned events will be posted later.

One Wisdom tooth gone

I have just had one wisdom tooth pulled out (extracted) from the upper left hand side of the palate.

It was a less than 30 mins job to pull one mighty wisdom tooth that was already infected by caries and it was located pretty much in the back that brushing alone might not be that effective and regular gurgling with mouth wash might help. Good thing the other 3 wisdom teeth are well intact and i am planning to be more conscious when it comes to taking care of my teeth.

And today was my very 1st time ever to go through such an experience as an adult.

More on wisdom teeth, read here.

Now my left cheek looked a bit puffy coz i am biting a thick gauze to stop the bleeding and to speed up the healing process. I have also been prescribed with painkillers that will help ease the after-extraction pain once the 3 anaesthetic jabs effect i had withdraw.

Seriously, it does not look good at all, that tooth as it is full of cavities but the bone structure is mighty strong. It was nearly an inch size when i saw it placed on the dentist bowl next to my seat. Gigi tu memang power, uols.

I did it FOC uols. Because it is a UKM campus clinic.



Moral of the story:

#1. Do not neglect washing our mouth with a proper mouthwash as brushing alone is not totally effective and dental flossing cannot totally remove the debris between our teeth especially when it is so far behind like wisdom teeth.

#2. Love your teeth. Take care of them more often and have it descaled at least twice a year.

#3. Marry a dentist if it helps beautify your teeth (ok pun intended)

Byebye for now, Nadal.....

BYE BYE Nadal......

RAFAEL Nadal's unbeaten record at Roland Garros is officially shattered by his shocking loss to Swiss 23rd seed Robin Soderling 6-2, 6-7 (2), 6-4, 7-6 (2) on Sunday afternoon.

Another not so big upset was seeing 8th seeed Ana Ivanovic, the 2008 FO champion off too beaten by Belarusian 9th seed Victoria Azarenka.

See I told u there're gonna be a few UPSETS soon. But I did not see it coming for Nadal. Poor poor baby. This is also rather shocking as the most defeat Federer ever had so far as no.1 on a Grand Slam turf was losing in the semi. And Nadal had to bye bye us now in the FOURTH round.

Rafa, pull yourself back together soon ok, and get that Madrid loss to Fed images off your mind too. And BURN that PINK tshirt, literally speaking.

Novak Djokovic gone too, losing to Philip Kohlschreiber.


Meanwhile, Safina is doing rather excellent with successfully causing 2 bagels already for her 2 opponents. Her brother, the handsome Marat Safin already left the turf much earlier losing in the 2nd round. At least people will remember him as a two times Grand Slams champion.


Who am I rooting for FO men and women's single champions? I better not say.

Roger Federer: Will he or will he not?

Its already Day 5 into the Roland Garros aka French Open, and things are heating up so does the French weather judging by the bright sunny day as I watched the games on Astro channel 816+.


Will we ever gonna see him again like what he did back in US Open 2008 , throwing punches in the air and winning the only Grand Slam of 2008:

Or will he be doing his now infamous watershed trademark just like the one at the Australian Open 2009 nearly 4 months ago? :

He was so full of tears, trembling and mumbling words. And Nadal had had to console him even though that was supposed to be his Day! What a big baby Federer was. BUT then again, all those agonies of not beating Nadal and losing another of his favourite tennis court just took its tolls. Nadal "unceremoniously" defeated him at Wimbledon 2008 at what was touted as the game of the millenia and he did that again at Rod Laver arena. People have been saying that the only way to beat Nadal is at where he is best: Rolland Garros. However, they are also mean to Nadal, as if he always needed to prove he is WORTH his skills (and those butt scratching and bottle lining routines and counting the steps along the base line stuff) and that he is seen as the Obstacle to Federer. Cant they just leave him alone and stop crucifying him for making Federer the No.2? He's such a cutie. He is. In the rugged spanish way.

A few weeks ago, Federer has just defeated Rafael Nadal at the ATP Madrid Open 2009 AND the world was seeing a newly wedded man and a soon to be daddy looking all sharp and happy., full of satisfaction, something probably not even his Missus could have provided (OK I was talking cock, but Federer probably doing better with Wawrinka. OK My bad! Oops I did it again?) That was like his 1st ever win in 2009 as opposed to his appalling 1st quarter of the year performance. Save for his marriage and the baby news. Other than that, he seemed to not accumulating much point at all but he was and still is No.2 based on his over 10000 points , just a few hundreds, sorry, a few thousand short to Nadal's. Murray and Djokovic are catching up very fast too, in the 3rd and 4th place.

What about the Women's single drama? Dinara Safina is now the world no.1 and she has YET to win any Grand slam. Ana Ivanovic, though she has yet to win any for almost a year now, seemed to be playing really hard to win back the French Open title just like what she did last year. Safina has been winnning a few WTP tournaments already and she sure is on fire trying to prove the critics that she too is a grand slam champion material. Nevertheless we cannot sideline people like Serena, Venus, Jelena, and even Maria Sharapova is back with her revolting grunts (but kinda erotic too in a SnM way).

We will be seeing some few upsets soon too. And some new players making their first impact on the leading board. Its a whole "ball in the court" thingy. And some luck of course. Who will be doing more unforced errors and who will be capitalizing on it too.

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This is another ball game altogether.

We can call so many names, and curse many crude words when it comes to slamming a man. But if its a woman, either they are dumb or they are told off as the bitch (or cow). As in stupid cow, smart bitch, or just "bitch". Men are prolly so used to getting so many curses thrown at them that it prolly becomes like music to their ears except if they are told to eff their sister or mother or SOB. That would prolly set them off the hook and end up in a massive brawl.

Can we think of what else would send men berserk? They said those with a challenging something ( feel free to guess whatever u like) might have a shorter temper too but they arent necessarily the scariest.


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Am I intimidating? Or just assertive and gutsy? They say its in my eyes. They can turn from a humble loving glare to a fierce, fiery glare. I can make a baby love me or prolly scared of me. I can chase more than 20 monkeys away from our faculty porch and I can make a cat come purring and rubbing its head around my ankle. I could even make a cockroach creeping away to hide from me only to end up dead as I spray them with Shieldtox for roaches.

It prolly affect men too. It either lure them to me or scare the shit outta them. OK I was exaggerating but there were some truth in that too. My mother always told me (so as some of my friends) to not be garang sangat /little bit aggresive/ taunting with men (this she meant when I see a prospect). BUT I am not. OK sometimes a little bit and that remind me of Bree Van Der Kemp/Hodge (Desperate Housewives) doing her best "queen" look and talk, it either turn them on or repress them. Well, sometimes its hard to suffer a fool gladly so to speak.

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Oh well, lets leave a few more later. Nonetheless, I would like to remember ITEX 2009 that was held on 15- 17 May 2009 as a sweet memory winning a gold and bronze for two product inventions.

Of happier times and thoughtful exes

To be frank, I do not feel like posting an entry just to elaborate the subject above.

What is more, it could also bring tears to my eyes.


Despite whatever remorseful feelings and how I kept getting in and out of a relationship, I am grateful never the least. Consequently I cannot hate them or bear very ugly thoughts or murderous ones even. Sure such a relationship would led to two souls or just one feeling sad and blue, hurt and jilted. But come to think of it, would I want a divorce or a broken engagement? I certainly would not want that. Perhaps it is another reason and another challenge before I will get into another better level, meeting another better man and getting a better outcomes rather than facing yet another predicament.


What I have yet to achieve, I made it like a "volunteer" job to help uniting other people. Which gives me some sort of an inner satisfaction seeing them tying the knots. Which I know they are meant to be together. But my situation has it that I rather carry things on my own. That "on my own" are the very 3 words that could describe my actions, behaviour, decision, etc. That too made me a good observer and a well, I should say, have a knack in good character/personality judgment. But it does take time and patience while I am carrying out the observation part. Apparently,that observer skill does help instigate my self-control too. You see, I didnt fall in love right away and managed to do it so that I will bounce back into my usual momentum in a shorter period of time after one unsuccessful relationship. It keeps me grounded and wanting to be a better person having learnt more things in life.


And tomorrow I will be rekindling an old friendship with a girl mate after nearly 6 years of moving apart. We had a fall out in 2003 and then 5 years later, we reconnected through Facebook. She's now happily married to her long time boyfriend and they have a 7 months old baby girl. What pulled us closer again is perhaps the fact that we somehow share similarities in thinking and personality having born on the same birth date and year. One was born in Sri Lanka and yours truly was born in Malaysia. During the separation, we sort of keep in touch now and then through our mutual friends. I went asking about her, and I found out that she too did the same. WE did miss so many things during that 5 years. BUT i dont know why, probably it is a cosmic thing that I actually saw her wedding reception back in 2007 March in my dream. While I did not know that she got married that time, I kept that in my heart as it was too real.


Then some time in early 2008, well, almost a year after that, we added each other in the Facebook. I collected all the courage I had and began writing her an email telling her of my dream. I told her how surprised and amazed I was when I found out that she and her husband looked exactly the same in the dream as their wedding photos. That was how we gradually revive our old friendship. She would update me with the news on her 3 months pregnancy and 6 months later bearing the news of her 1st born baby. She emailed me photos of her baby girl too, from the few days of birth to a few months old.

As we spoke on the phone, it felt like we have never been apart. I know deep down that I was and still a bit nervous of such meeting, but I am liking the fact that no matter what , we feel for each other. Whatever anger, resentment, disappointment I had is slowly dissolving. Nevertheless, I must always remind myself to not repeat the same mistake again and be more matured and sensible. The fact that she is willing to see me again is something I really appreciate. We can forgive and we can never forget.

And to my exes, thanks for still being nice and thoughtful to me even if we are no longer a couple. It is awkward and can be very awkward at times talking/meeting with an ex, but their ability to charm their way in and to put me on a pedestal is somewhat a relief and a personal victory that I know I am appreciated and will always be, which makes me a very special person. Walaupun I juga sangat mengharapkan that bakal bini diorg will suffer but tu la kan, nak marah lama2 pun ape guna. Dia akan jadi milik orang lain seperti juga saya.

Dreams are like my signs and premonitions

It may be like a miracle bestowed upon me based on my truest and deepest faith to God (albeit can be a bit mischievous and stubborn of a lady), but dreams are and have been like an almost a true source of premonition, of things that would be predicted to happen, things that are actually going on and so on, a link between 2 souls who loved each other so much, or a sort of a demonstration of how much i was disappointed with a person, a good or bad omen, etc. Well,some are just forgettable, meaningless dreams, faceless, shambled and disarrayed. Quite a few times i became some friends to some big names in Hollywood too. That include having a dream with Brad Pitt (3 times but not in a row but not that far ahead the gap of the sequence either, and I am not a big fan of his ) who befriended me and told me he was having problems with one of his former girlfriends, Gwyneth Parltrow (now the wife of Chris Martin of Coldplay). Not long after that i read in the news and saw on the tv on their breakup.


Alhamdulillah i very seldom getting nightmares but I can never forget the last one I had back in October 2005 after my viva. In it I saw a ghostly lady figure who had tormented a family in malaysia while i was still in London. Boy, did I relay that message to them and how thankful they were for having foretold such premonition despite receiving such warning that it may well be an act of a sihr (voodoo and all those black magic evil things). Scary siotttt I tell thee. No, nothing of a vampire or that sort. But that lady "tried" to fight with me in the dream that ended with the victory on my side. She appeared to be of a half woman, half serpent apparition and I sort of "killed" her. And in that dream too, her "father" came to me so furious that he got so balistic that I was his daughter's "brutal" killer. I can actually still remember him shouting at me :"Pembunuh! Kau pembunuh! Kau bunuh anak aku!" (Murderer! You are a murderer! You killed my daughter!) . Truth be told, such sihr did try to disturb the family's peace and what I have seen in the dream were actually real evil people who tried to do black magic to them. And that was actually my first ever experience that I really wish I wont have to go through it again, ever!


No, i didnt end up having a Harry Potter scar either.



Dreams like these have helped me to go through so many odds and obstacles when it comes to having a relationship with the opposite sex. How i prayed and wished silently what would be the outcome as my instincts began telling me we were not meant for each other, that it was merely infatuati0n or gap filler or that we have crossed our lines from being just ordinary mates to something else and it didnt feel right or as matter of fact, didnt go that well.

Dreams have also been a likely indication and an almost real connection between myself and maybe my mum, or my exes, and so on. I one time woken in my dream to see my dad "appeared" in my old en suite room in Vellacott House, Du Cane Road (west london). He was asking for my health and was like looking at me hoping i am doing well and all. It was so very real that in that dream i was like just awaken , lifting up my duvet upon hearing the sound of my dad in the room. That was just an example of the many true premonition or indication of the feelings that reconnect two close souls.


I dreamt how one of my exes,of whom i had the closest most intimate relationship thus far, the east london fella, about how much he loved me and how much he had wanted to be with me, and the part where we were both in his mother's homeland and so on. Amazingly, he did go there after like 6 months or so of those dreams, recurring ones even but at a different spot. And strangely enough, even though i have never been there, i actually saw things as if i was there. And those places are real.



I dreamt one time i met that ex through a newly found friend of mine and it so happened that she was his new girl. It was about 3 months or so since our last fallout and in that dream he didnt even wanna look at me. That "girl" seemed so nice, that she prepared snacks, food and all for me as her guest. And by the time i was about to leave, i asked her which bus would take me to central london. Coz once i am there i will be just fine on finding my way around. She and that ex discussed in front of me, his eyes never really met mine, and they settled on either bus route 53 or 26. Strange enough, once i woke up (in my parents house in Bangi, Malaysia), I quickly went through the bus map and found out that both routes indeed came from east london and their last terminal would be around trafalgar sq and somewhere near The Strand.


And those were only dreams.



I also dreamt how much that ex kept coming towards me, from the end of last year trying to woo me again and so on, and i kept pushing him away, ignoring him and the whole shebang.


And I also dreamt that my soon to be ex was not really that bloody serious with me. A coward and a self absorbed man he can be, but a caring one too. OK I am a bit of a self-absorbed person too but with more sensibility and in a positive way. We both have yet to really fall in love and now we are already growing apart. All because his family opposed my existence in his life and he had had the audacity to tell me that he just could not love me to fight for both of us to be together. Boohooo....what a fucking retard. Good thing i never really bow down and surrendered my feelings to him too. I am just too posh and an ice queen . I need reassurance and he failed to do so almost miserably. I didnt even shed one tear, ok i lied, just one tear drop and its all sunshine again.


In that dream, both of us visited a girl mate at another country (the scene was supposed to be somewhere in Spain). I was about to tell them the fact that many Greek people can be a bit too into their own kind when I saw him kissing her cheek fondly and held up the tip of her chin and looking at each other's eyes lovingly. That dream ended there. I woke up with some feelings that something aint going fine soon and I am ready to accept the outcome. Not that I dont sense that things were getting more obvious that we were slowly drifted in the different current direction....


It is never a full stop "quest" and "an adventure" to find the one who will truly loves me and ask for my hand and so on and he is in the rightful mind, stable, likeminded and shares many similar thingssssss (that many ssss is meant for soooooo many things i am not bothered to spell out further ). Even though the east londoner ex was so deep into me, he was still struggling to make ends meet and that he has issues with his family. Somehow i also dreamt that I saw him as a successful entrepeneur that he had always wished for and I would not mind extending a friendship with him knowing that he can never get me out of his head....I am like a force of nature or so it is.


Honestly, I am happy that my guardian angels and God love me so much. And i have never stopped believing that He has the best laid plan for me.

And my mum is trying her luck again to try to match me up with some fella known to be a friend of a member of our family. Sabar jer laa....heck who knows, her persistence may soon hit the jackpot, wallahu a'lam (And Allah knows more).

No matter how awkward it can be at times, I did stay as friends with those exes.....(many that have remained friends)

Octuplets and Federer got Hitched

For reading pleasure:

News #1 :

An army of nannies and a frenzy of feeding... as the last of the octuplets comes home from hospital, life in the Suleman home

Source of news, click here.

Having six children to care for would give any mother sleepless nights.

But that was before Nadya Suleman gave birth to octuplets in January - bringing the total number of her brood up to 14.

The last of the octuplets, Jonah, was released from hospital last night. Jonah weighed just 1 pound, 8 ounces (0.67 kilograms). Hospital officials say he now weighs 4 pounds, 10 ounces (2.09 kilograms), and is able to bottle feed.

In residence: Nadya Suleman and the six babies that have come home so far. Josiah joined his brothers and sisters shortly after this picture was taken, Jonah is yet to come home from hospital

News #2:

Source of news, click here. They have their own blog too, click here:

Roger Federer marries long-term girlfriend in intimate ceremony

Tennis star Roger Federer tied the knot with his long-term girlfriend over the Easter weekend.

The 13-times Grand Slam winner married Mirka Vavrinec in an intimate ceremony in his home town of Basel, Switzerland.

He broke the news on his official website.

Married: Roger Federer and Mirka Vavrinec tied the knot in Basel, Switzerland

On Saturday, Federer, 27, wrote: 'Earlier today, in my hometown of Basel, surrounded by a small group of close friends and family, Mirka and I got married.

'It was a beautiful spring day and an incredibly joyous occasion. Mr and Mrs Roger Federer wish all of you a Happy Easter weekend.'

Dynamic Duo?

We read 3 different kinda news today but they are all shocking and surprising (some are exciting ones) nonetheless:

1. The new Malaysian PM, Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak (made and swore as the 6th PM last week) had lined up his new cabinet, some of which managed to remain in their Pak Lah's position since PR12.

Najib also retains his hold as the Minister of Finance and made Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin his DPM. The latter also acts as the Minister of Education.

But are they really the NEW dynamic duo? A force to be reckon with? A partnership sealed for the betterment of rakyat? I have yet to see anything as dynamic not since the pairing of Anwar and Mahathir when these two veteran politicians held the topmost positions. But they ended up being a volatile duo as the then DPM was sacked by his premier during his service nearly 11 years ago. And THAT was the beginning of the whole new Malaysia Boleh that led to political reformations and debacles, people doing public demonstrations and the dramas just kept going on and on, more twisting plots , wives with bigger hairdos and their men getting naughtier too.

Muhyiddin (right) shook hands with Najib

We will see how it goes.



2. The hooliganisms in Kota Bahru, Kelantan and a goalkeeper who was charged with an assault as he went berserk by punching in the face and stamped his foot over an opponent team player.

WTF?

3. The UNCLEAR reasons of why Sirul and Azilah were sentenced to be hanged to death over the Altantuya murder case. They may or may not be the one who shot her and explode the body using a C4. But who knows kan who is/are THE real criminal(s) here. Altaltuya has her motives so as her killers. May Allah have mercy on Sirul and Azilah's souls and He Knows Best.

It is pretty much a Tamil Movie scene, this whole high profile case. If only someone or whoever or i dunno, if ever, took that Rajnikanth or Kamalhassan role (Raja Petra Kamarudin probably not yet a suitable candidate or a likely hero here but at least he made his point clearly that has risked his life) , hopefully the good will win (in style!).

May Allah continues to shower his bountiful blessings on Malaysia soil. Ameen.

JAI HO!!!!

AR Rahman did it again in this masterpiece which has already won an oscar for The Best Song in the recent 81st Annual Academy Award from the best movie "Slumdog Millionaire":




They could've done it better using other more soulful singer but Pussycat Dolls seemed like the best they can settle for some commercial value, IMHO.

But I like it anyway.

Here is the original one in Sanskrit-hindi-urdu with some Spanish Rap:




Enjoy.

Weeeeeee!!!! Aztech Wireless Adaptor

Awesomeness....

Exciting innit when your desktop can be connected sans cable to the internet modem? To me it is, and for that, I thank thee AZTECH (and other few companies) who has come up with this Wireless Adaptor model WL851USB. Its so simple to install on the USB port and voila, I can now use my mobile and my laptop simultaneously via wireless connection.

Whats more awesome? I can use this adaptor for my laptop as well to increase the wifi reception strength. Quite handy this gadget.

Price I paid: Rm95.00 from a local PC shop at Jalan Reko.

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I happened to observe a little gecko lizard of perhaps 1 week old or less trying to defend itself against 5-6 red ant armies at my car porch this morning. A full grown-up lizard would just happily catching those red ants with its long sticky tongue and swallow them in one big gulp to its heart content one after another without much worry as it is far bigger than them. But for poor young lizard, it struggled to keep those ants away from it no matter how feeble it was. Those ants seemed like they wouldnt let their "prey" get away that easily and so they made attacks left right and center and even managed to crawl over its tiny tail. Little Liz fought hard, really really hard. It managed to keep those predators away at bay for a while with all its might, till one TM (telekom malaysia) guy came to my house this morning and accidentally stepped on those ants and lizard mercilessly . He probably never really care whatever small things lying on the cement car porch. But there it was, little Liz, all squashed up head to tail! Soon there will be more and more ants coming forward to clean up the carnage and ultimately succeeded to secure a food supply for the day in the form of baby lizard flesh. Who knows what sort of a delicacies it might offer those ants, but being natural hardworking creatures , I presumed they are more than grateful to whatever type of food as long as its edible. Heck, they have also done some good thing to the environment by removing those bits of carcass off my place.


PS: I have been watching Animal Planet on Astro 556 and one time, the image of a bigger lizard (biawak -monitor lizard) swallowing a baby crocodile is still fresh in my mind. I guess no matter how ugly and gruesome an adult crocodile might be, its babies are practically meek and susceptible to being a prey for any hungry carnivor lurking near the river bank/swamp etc crocodile habitat. I have also seen on huge gecko lizard at my parents place some few weeks ago and it was like 10 inches or so long. One would wonder how it has survived all these while eating smaller insects off the wall and growing larger than its average 4-5 inches lizard mates.

That TM fella came with his other 2 technician mates came to check on my wifi modem as I lodged a report 2 days earlier having lost the internet connection. After a few tinkering and troubleshooting here and there, they somehow found the source of the problem (and that too after i talked over with them and all that fella said was he knew his job and he'd get it done) and went locating a Streamyx Main Port near a playground about 200 meters from my house. I asked them if thats TM way to help their customer solve their problem by keep sending in their contract technicians and all? They said thats how it works in TM and if one external Streamyx port got hit by the lightning, chances are other users may be affected the same. They replaced the faulty port with a new one (or whatever they claimed they did), and I got my connection back on.

Commiseration? Its FOC. Not complaining.

Aku seekor nyamuk terhebat

Aaahhhh.......aku tak takut laaaaa Shieldtox tu??? ape sangat sembur2, ingat aku dah tak reti bina kekebalan dalaman ka??? bodo itu pompuan...! Oooooiii kawan2....mari la kita joli sakan and sambil2 tu hirup darah dia kan? dah la sorg2 dok dalam office, banyak kerja sangat la tuh konon!


Maka berterbangan laa 5-6 ekor nyamuk keliling office yang seluas 14 kaki x 14 kaki bersamaan 196 kaki persegi itewww. Maknanya, 14 kuasa dua la tuh.

Kawan2!!!! Dia still sembur2 lagi laa Shieldtox kat kita!!!! jom kita hover2 around office dia sampai dia naik bosan. Cheehhhh dia pon tengah on alert tu, kemut taknak derma barang 1-2 ml darah. Kemoooooooooooottttt!




Eiishhhh sembur laaaaa sembur laaaa......aku pedulik hapaaaaaaaaaaa!

Seketika dia berpusar2 di udara mencari kawan2nya yang lain. Ke manakah mereka pergi? takkan dah mamposssss kot benak hatinya berkata2.

Tak pe....Tak Pe, ko dengan Shieldtox ko menang ini kali. Aku nak sembunyi kat ventilation atas bilik ko and tunggu sampai dah segala bau2 harum Shieldtox hilang. Kan ku serang ko once ko masuk jer office ko balik! Ko dengar tak! U hear me???! eh ape bangang aku ni, mana dia dengar, tengok ajer la size badan aku yang agak2nya kalau di scale down kan adalah serupa nisbah 1: 10,000, yakni pompuan tu 10,000 kali lebih bagak dari aku!

Pagi keesokannya.

Cissss.....dia main sembur lagi????? dah la aku lapaaaaaarrrr gilaaaaa vaviiii ok....vavi pon tak laparrrr macam haku, how? I need blood, u stingy old hag! Naaaahhh aku serang ko dari tepi.....eh eh fuhhhh selamat dari kena pelepaaapppp tengah kedua2 tapak tangan gergasi dia.....

Dan nyamuk itu masih belum dapat habuannya.


halaaaammaaaakkkkk, dia pi sembur baik punya kena daaahhh!!!!!!! Nampak nya aku mati kekempisan perut juga laaa....

Lalu menghembuskan nafasnya yang terakhir di atas sebuah black planner-diary.

Sekian karangan saya pada pagi ini.

Adam Sandler or Ben Stiller?

It's not a new topic to debate on, but if u were to chose between the two Jewish American Comedians, which one would u go for, or which movie would u prefer, Sandler's or Stiller's?

Ben Stiller

I like Ben Stiller in Dodgeball, Meet the Parents, Meet the Fockers, There's something about Mary, Night at the Museum, and as a memorable bad Old People's (retirement home) nursing home Male Nurse, Hal Orderly in Sandler's Happy Gilmore, whose appearance apparently was not credited. His wife, Chistine Taylor acted in Sandler's Wedding Singer movie. I have yet to see the more recent movie, Tropical Thunder and that's why it is yet included in my favourite Stiller's movies. Along Came Polly was not that bad either.

Adam Sandler

ON the other hand, I have more Sandler's movies that I do enjoy and they are:

1. Happy Gilmore
2. The Wedding Singer
3. The Waterboy
4. 50 first date
5. Click
6. Anger Management
7. The longest yard
8. Mr.Deeds
9. You dont mess with the Zohan
   

And even if they arent that funny, i'd still watch them: Little Nicky, Big Daddy, bulletproof, I now pronounce u chuck and larry. Somehow I have yet to watch the movie that has first propelled him as a mainstream comedian : Billy Madison, but I am sure I would like it as well. Sandler's movies did not just made Stiller uncredited in "Happy Gilmore," Courteney Cox, or more famously known as Monica Gellar in "Friends" also did not appear in the casting list rendering her (victim?) uncredited in "The Longest Yard". I am not too sure why that happens when we know both actor and actress did play a certain important supporting role in that 2 movies although they only appeared no more than 10 minutes and the fact that they are already a big name or a rising name in the movie industry at the time they were in those movies.


Stiller or Sandler?


Both tried to reinvent and rebrand themselves and both do have a set of actors and actresses that would frequently appear in each of their movies. They also showcased some Jewish tradition and/or culture in some of their movies and have casted themselves as a Jewish man in their movies as well. Stiller's usual cast usually comprise people who are mostly already famous like the Wilson brothers (luke and owen), Vince Vaughn, and his own wife Christine. Sandler also has a share of famous people appearing in his movies like Steve Buscemi and John Torturro alongside the usual faces we would see in almost all his movies. He also gave Henry Winkler who used to be identified as Fonzie in "Happy Days" another shot to fame when he appeared in "The Waterboy" and again in " Click".

Stiller got living legends and Academy award winners acting for him like Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Dick Van Dyke, Robert Downey Jr and Robert DeNiro while Sandler did his comic act with those like Jack Nicholson, Kathy Bates, Winona Ryders, Drew Barrymore (twice) , Harvey Keitel, Jon Lovitz,Christopher Walken and Marisa Tomei. Each also managed to make a pact with other big comedians acting in their movies like Jack Black who acted in two Stiller movies while Chris Rock, Kevin James and Dan Aykroyd added more humours to Sandler's movies.

Each also experimented with a few family comedies and in each of these movies, they have an ensemble of equally big celebrities playing the wife role: Rachel Weisz and Debra Messing for Stiller, and Drew Barrymore, Kate Beckinsale for Sandler.


Are they really competing against each other in real life or they are mostly satisfied in complimenting each other's work and trying to work on different things just so that each will produce a movie solely based on their creativity with the help of great castings?


Many of Stiller's movies generated spoof and parodies in other people's movies including that of Mike Myers in "Austin Powers 2: The Spy who Shagged me", but not many would do spoof on Sandler's. Perhaps the one I could remember is a parody on "Click "in a (VERY DUMB) movie called "The Epic Movie".


Stiller also has his shares of appearance in both 2-D and 3-D animated features. He did one time in "The Simpsons" and lent his voice to "Madagascar "-1 and 2. Sandler has done none of these so far.

Both has wrote, co-wrote and acted as a producer to their own movies and movies they did not act. Stiller however also added director under his resume, something which Sandler has yet to achieve.

Adam Sandler composed and performed some songs in his movies using his own voice and even played guitars too, while Stiller tried to show some dance talent in "Along came polly".

Before they were movie stars , they were both a product of "Saturday Night Live" (SNL) shows, a popular weekend sitcoms on American tv. They are both New Yorkians and they made friends with some of their co-host in SNL.

Sandler is taller than Stiller and if I were to chose which one I'd snog, I'd go for Sandler. He looks athletic in "The longest yard" and "Zohan". Right, Stiller works out too, but I usually go for the taller guy.

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I like quite a few comedians apart from those 2 above: Jim Carrey, Billy Crystal, Steve Carell, Will Ferrell, Jack Black just to name a few. I do british ones too like Ricky Gervais, Catherine Tate, Jack Dee, and a few others., especially those who appears on "They think its all over" , "nevermind the buzzcocks" , "have i got news for you", and a few other sitcoms/talk shows. Lately, Jim Carrey isnt as funny as he used to be or his movies arent of my liking. I still love his older movies like Dumb and Dumber, Liar Liar, Bruce Almighty and Lemony Snicket. Billy Crystal, i dunno, prolly retiring or didnt get as many offer as he was when he was younger, but his When Harry Met Sally and City Slickers were some great oldies. Steve Carell just got funnier and funnier lately. I saw him first on Bewitched the movie and thought he was alright. But when he appeared on Get Smart and the TV series, "The Office", he is definitely another mega comedian star. Will Ferrell, well, he can be a little bit OTT, but he was funny in "Elf", Wedding Crashers, Talladega Nights and Blades of Glory. People will mostly remember Jack Black in The School of Rock and Shallow Hal and he also lent his voice to a few 3-D animated features like Ice Age , Shark Tale and the more recent one, Kung fu Panda. He does not do only the comedic act but also the more mainstream/serious roles in King Kong and The Holiday. He has actually made appearance in many movies to date and mostly are smaller roles and some are quite forgettable ones.

Nephews

Just sharing some photos of 4 of my nephews (I've got 5 nephews and 1 niece altogether):




Pic #1: Dua beradik anak my 3rd sis. Boys of 6 years old and 8 months old. Picture taken when the baby was nearly 6 months old.


Pic #2: Second child of my 1st bro, just a day older than his cousin (that fair tyke) above.


Pic #3: First child of my 1st bro. He's going to turn 2 years old this May.

Penang, I'll be back

It's not like it was my 1st time ever leaving a footprint on that Pulau Pinang (penang island) soil but during the Thaipusam weekend (6-9 Feb 2009), it WAS my 1st time driving all the way from Bangi to Penang and really driving around , a 360 degree mind you around the island. It took me over 5 hours to reach Penang Island from Bangi and took me another 90mins or so to make my tawaf of this Island on a sunny Sunday (and pretty hot too, prolly 35degree Celcius or so). We made one stop only at Perhentian R&R Sungai Perak and I bought a Labu Sayung there.


I had a retreat organized by our Faculty at The Northam Hotel (not the infamous E & O as has always been mentioned in Uncle Lee's blog) . See, that 60-something fella totally romanticizes that island and how can he forget it especially knowing that his wife is also a Penangite?

Anyways, I took time to drive around the city all the way to Balik Pulau, some sort of a totally 180degrees the opposite of the Georgetown and the north and north-west and north-east areas of the island. That Balik Pulau place apparently has a Malay majority population and its northern counterpart are mostly populated by the (hospitable) Chinese and Mamaks (the muslim indian descendents). Not that I wanna draw so and so comparisons between Balik Pulau (located in the south of Penang) and all the other places around the Island, but it was rather my own personal observation of how a dynamic island like Penang could actually conserve a more laid back , kampung style place like Balik Pulau. And to reach Balik Pulau, I had had to drive through winding, hilly stretch of roads passing some jungles and waterfall areas, another total opposite of the drive from Batu Feringgi all the way to Tanjung Bungah seacoast. Honestly speaking I was thinking of Monaco F1 drive and perhaps they should take this idea after all...(if ever).


I didnt manage to visit those tourist spots but me, my dad, my mum and youngest sister went borong-ing Penang Pickels instead at the Chowrasta Market not far from the island signature tower, Komtar. For a little headstart on Penang pickles, please click here (Rad's blog).

Suffice to say, I love the atmosphere and will definitely plan for more visits in the future.

Adios, Penang, till I see you again....

Photos below taken on our Ferry ride en-route to Seberang Perai, the mainland of Pulau Pinang that boarders with Kedah in the north and Perak in the south. This was actually my first time on that ferry too. We came through the longest bridge in South East Asia, the Penang Bridge and we left the island (FOC) by ferry. That tall building is Komtar.