Kenny's Cafe Corner
Friday, February 25, 2005
Got Orange?
Yesterday, our office lunch discussion strayed to the topic of meeting girls. Since it was the Chinese celebration of 'Chap Goh Meh' last Wednesday, (FYI: Chap Goh Meh = Chinese Valentines Day) my boss asked me if I picked up any Mandarin oranges with 'potential'.
For those not familiar with this tradition, it seems that every 15th day of Chinese New Year
celebrations (Spring Festival in China) single, available females would line up in a row and all
throw Mandarin Oranges into a body of water...usually the ocean or in the case of landlocked
Kay-Elle...a lake.Don't ask me how this tradition came about, I just know it's real popular in Penang Island and since everyone likes these sort of thing, people start flinging left-over oranges into water all over the country during Chap Goh Meh!
So what are the guys supposed to do while the female race go about wasting good food? I don't
think this is even in the original tradition but it seems that soon, amorous males that we are,
some of us started collecting the oranges from the water. We come in row boats, motor boats, jet skis and for those really desperate ones...even snorkeling gear!
Inevitably, oranges soon come with phone numbers written on it. Or for the more Internet-inclined, email addresses, ICQ numbers, Instant Messenger IDs, Friendster and AhMoi.com
profiles even! Nah...jes kiddin on the last two, but it'd be a good idea since an online profile
complete with a photograph would be a pretty good 'resume'.
Anyway, did I get any oranges? Unfortunately no...Was too caught up in work at the time to drive recklessly through heavy traffic in order to catch a few oranges. Not next year though...I'll try my darndest to make it next year. I heard this event was on at the Taman Jaya and Taman
Permaisuri lake parks so any of you cute single chicks out there...seeya there next year! ;)
Yesterday, our office lunch discussion strayed to the topic of meeting girls. Since it was the Chinese celebration of 'Chap Goh Meh' last Wednesday, (FYI: Chap Goh Meh = Chinese Valentines Day) my boss asked me if I picked up any Mandarin oranges with 'potential'.
For those not familiar with this tradition, it seems that every 15th day of Chinese New Year
celebrations (Spring Festival in China) single, available females would line up in a row and all
throw Mandarin Oranges into a body of water...usually the ocean or in the case of landlocked
Kay-Elle...a lake.Don't ask me how this tradition came about, I just know it's real popular in Penang Island and since everyone likes these sort of thing, people start flinging left-over oranges into water all over the country during Chap Goh Meh!
So what are the guys supposed to do while the female race go about wasting good food? I don't
think this is even in the original tradition but it seems that soon, amorous males that we are,
some of us started collecting the oranges from the water. We come in row boats, motor boats, jet skis and for those really desperate ones...even snorkeling gear!
Inevitably, oranges soon come with phone numbers written on it. Or for the more Internet-inclined, email addresses, ICQ numbers, Instant Messenger IDs, Friendster and AhMoi.com
profiles even! Nah...jes kiddin on the last two, but it'd be a good idea since an online profile
complete with a photograph would be a pretty good 'resume'.
Anyway, did I get any oranges? Unfortunately no...Was too caught up in work at the time to drive recklessly through heavy traffic in order to catch a few oranges. Not next year though...I'll try my darndest to make it next year. I heard this event was on at the Taman Jaya and Taman
Permaisuri lake parks so any of you cute single chicks out there...seeya there next year! ;)
Thursday, February 24, 2005
Of Cats & Dogs...& all God's Creatures
Designer Smokey
Originally uploaded by Kenny Fong.
I like pets...be it cats or dogs or any other animal of God's design. Pets are domesticated while wild animals must be treated with more respect.
The above is a picture a friend took of one of her cats: Smokey.
My friend told me Smokey wakes her up every morning by snozzling her with its nose. That triggered another memory of my spending a Thanksgiving at another friend's house...
She had 4 cats in her house and they all automatically snuggled up to me in bed providing much needed warmth since i slept in the freezing basement. One purring 'slipper' to each of my feet! And when i woke up, the one named 'Snoopy' leapt up to the bed and greeted me a happy morning...in cat-talk of course! :)
Wednesday, February 23, 2005
Complaints.com.my
Jewelry made of white gold seems popular these days. Here is an article about how to take care of your white gold jewelry...
Jewelry made of white gold seems popular these days. Here is an article about how to take care of your white gold jewelry...
Tuesday, February 22, 2005
Sci-Fi Eye for the Geek Guy || kuro5hin.org
Here's a Rorshach test of sorts. You think of your favorite Science Fiction authors or franchises, then select first one that comes to your mind. After that, look up the short description of people who are huge fans of such a franchise.
BTW: I'm an Isaac Asimov. ;)
Here's a Rorshach test of sorts. You think of your favorite Science Fiction authors or franchises, then select first one that comes to your mind. After that, look up the short description of people who are huge fans of such a franchise.
BTW: I'm an Isaac Asimov. ;)
Monday, February 07, 2005
Night of the Hermit - AGS Games Database
Here's a fan-made game set in the Monkey Island universe. Haven't tried it out yet so I can't guarantee a quality adventure game...but it looks interesting enough.
Here's a fan-made game set in the Monkey Island universe. Haven't tried it out yet so I can't guarantee a quality adventure game...but it looks interesting enough.
Lacuna Inc.
This is actually a pseudo-website set up to promote the film 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'.
All throughout the film, I kept telling myself it feels like a 'Memento' meets 'Being John Malkovich', the former I like but the latter I hated. Turns out 'Eternal Sunshine' is written by Charlie Kaufman who was responsible for the Malkovich story.
Nonetheless, I quite enjoyed this film starring Jim Carrey (in a performance refreshingly un-JimCarrey-esque) and Kate Winslet. Their characters struck me as truly realistic since I've actually the shall I say...privilege of meeting 2 such characters in real life. One a disturbingly introverted dullard and the other a bi-polar dynamo.
Better still, often times I've wished for such a medical procedure...the ability to remove memories...thus removing certain people from my life...no pain, no baggage. Hmm...interesting.
This is actually a pseudo-website set up to promote the film 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind'.
All throughout the film, I kept telling myself it feels like a 'Memento' meets 'Being John Malkovich', the former I like but the latter I hated. Turns out 'Eternal Sunshine' is written by Charlie Kaufman who was responsible for the Malkovich story.
Nonetheless, I quite enjoyed this film starring Jim Carrey (in a performance refreshingly un-JimCarrey-esque) and Kate Winslet. Their characters struck me as truly realistic since I've actually the shall I say...privilege of meeting 2 such characters in real life. One a disturbingly introverted dullard and the other a bi-polar dynamo.
Better still, often times I've wished for such a medical procedure...the ability to remove memories...thus removing certain people from my life...no pain, no baggage. Hmm...interesting.
Truth Or Tradition - Did God Really Forsake Jesus Christ on the Cross?
Oh cool! So that's what Jesus meant when he cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” while on the cross....and finally, "it is finished"...He was 'quoting' and reminding us of what is happening at the time. I've always wondered why Jesus felt so afraid and even sounded disappointed with the Father even before his crucifixion. I sensed that it was the human side of him that made him tremble and sweat blood knowing what was about to happen to him...Hmmm...now I get it!
Oh cool! So that's what Jesus meant when he cried out “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” while on the cross....and finally, "it is finished"...He was 'quoting' and reminding us of what is happening at the time. I've always wondered why Jesus felt so afraid and even sounded disappointed with the Father even before his crucifixion. I sensed that it was the human side of him that made him tremble and sweat blood knowing what was about to happen to him...Hmmm...now I get it!
Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) Review
Forget your Nokia N-Gage...quit playing with your kiddy-GBA! Here's the next techno-lust... *grin*
Forget your Nokia N-Gage...quit playing with your kiddy-GBA! Here's the next techno-lust... *grin*
Wired 12.10: START
A study of Mona Lisa's smile...geeky cool!
A study of Mona Lisa's smile...geeky cool!
Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Romans 12:2 (The Message)
Romans 12:2 (The Message)
Souf Oaklin Online
Getting a tattoo is fun! Especially when you get it done by this artist! Kudos!
Getting a tattoo is fun! Especially when you get it done by this artist! Kudos!
A Personal Movie Milestone? A Pause To See Where I'm Headed
Thanks to Alan's sharp eye, I've finally got a chance to see 'Before Sunset',
the sequel to 'Before Sunrise'. As expected, the ideas expressed so
'clumsily' yet eloquently by the banter between the two characters in that
movie ring true as ever.
When Ethan Hawke's Jesse and Julie Delpy's Celine talk, they make love to each other's minds and hearts. It is intercourse in the truest sense of the word.
They talk about love, politics, the messed up state of the world and joke
around, make fun of each other, disagree with each other, listen to each
other, share intimate feelings of hope, grief, the future past and present.
Small talk, big heavy serious talk, heart-to-heart talk, painful excruciating
disappointments, sometimes holding information back only to reveal it later
on when they realize they said something wrong...trying to correct things.
They talk with they bodies...gestures, sure yet uncertain coy touch and even sex. You know....talk.
And in both movies, they do it with limited time together...a deadline.
Though not mentioned by them, Celine and Jesse both knew that any other form of communication short of actually being there with the person is a poor and
unsatisfactory compromise. Just not the same.
It's been nine years since the two characters met on a train in 'Before
Sunrise'. The sequel perfectly captures the evolution of the characters since
1994. In fact, Jesse and Celine were 23 and 24 in 1995, I was 20. Now they're
both in their 30s and I'm 29.
We all have emotional baggages by now. Wiser (I hope), nevertheless feeling a sense of loss for the hopefulness and I-can-conquer-the-world attitude from 1994/95, all gone now.
Then I realized that watching this movie is a milestone of sorts. A time to
stop and reflect on how things are so far since my earthly birth. I remember
watching a young dreamy eyed Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix on 'The
Explorers'. Then Ethan Hawke as a cool goateed artsy student in 'Before
Sunrise' and now, he's so thin and crinkly you could see his cheek bones. So I looked at myself in the mirror to see how I've aged. People tell me I look young but I think that's because of my short stature. I know I've grown paunchier which is hmm...interesting because I've always been a skinny gawky awkward kid even till my college years.
I've quite a lot of thick unruly recalcitrant hair that I've given up trying
to 'sculpt' as so written on all those hair gel jars. Which again, is hmm...interesting because I know I'll only go balder and balder as I advance in life. How do I know? I look at my father!
Note that I've called these conditions interesting...Why? Because I've often
wondered what God was trying to do with me. So I thought, hey, since I'm
gonna lose it all anyway, why not flaunt it while I still have it? Hence my
'hippy' years in Canada. I grew a beard and moustache, and let my shoulder
length hair all grow wild. I'm happy to report that I was satisfied with the
hair on my scalp even though I had less success with facial follicles. I
looked real odd with a beard...or even a goatee so I shaved it all off after
a year. Even now with my 5 o'clock shadow, I'm nowhere near 'macho'. Think Elijah Woods with a goatee...think Michael J. Fox with a stubble...think unshaven Macauley Culkin in a police photo...just ain't right.
I enjoyed my long hair though. Washing and conditioning it. Blow-drying it
afterwards even though I have to becareful not to apply too much heat. Felt
good though. And wow! Did it felt great when walking right into a breeze in
my trenchcoat and hair whipping out behind my ears! :-) Yeah, I really think
little joys like that God gave me!
Anyway, back to 'Before Sunset', these two friends were done catching up so the conversation moved on to their respective present tenses and how dissatisfied they are with their lives. And here I must say I am very dissatisfied with my life too! I guess it's just the human condition to be always discontent when on Earth.
So I ask myself...where am I headed? I *know* where I want to go, I have goals and life objectives, but am I on track? sigh! I can't honestly tell....really! I try my best...sometimes not my best (when a little burned out) but all I could know for sure is I'm doing *OK*...
So here's the State of MY Nation, as at February 6, 2005:
Maintenance (bills, car, apartment, hygiene etc.) : Manageable and on par, but could be better.
Career : Good, stressful sometimes till the There-Must-Be-A-Better-Way-To-Earn-A-Living level but at least I enjoy working with my colleagues a lot. Scary but they say doing at least one scary thing a day is a good thing.
Pays enough(provided I don't get carried away by
the materialistic metro lifestyle)...working on some extra pocket money
anyway. Saving requires immense discipline and ridicule from friends.
Recently got offered a permanent position at the company along with a much needed raise in salary.
Love life : The absence of one proves to be the biggest distraction and most miserable source of pain. I don't know why I lack the confidence to pursue avenues of opportunities.
Words can't adequately describe the complex cocktail of phobia, shyness,
panic, giddiness, self-deprecation, silly joy, mushy thoughts of affection,
warm friendship and lust that accompanies every hey-i-kinda-like-this-girl
opportunity that comes along. Or the extreme frustration when the timing
never seems right so I can't make my move yet. It's incapacitating and I kick myself everytime I didn't do something I think I should've...replaying the scenario with alternate endings never-endingly.
And then, the loneliness and desperation gurgles to a boiling point thereby
urging me to sprint, like a fool off my starting block only to crash
spectacularly, mere metres away. Face to the ground. Never really got
started... An illusion of courage and blind impulsion made me do it.
Actually, all of the above was the good part...it was fun and worth it...well
at least until the eating ground pie part that is. Then comes the horrifying
part of it...the process of letting go of someone you love but can't
have...no matter what. Seeing that person being so happy with someone
else...that person wanting to be such a good friend still...That person
getting married and crossing the finish line without you. Oh sure...rub it
in...while you're at it, here's my heart so you may stomp on it!
Still, I'm glad I could still fall in love all over again with someone
else...I just wish the phobia ain't there, that's all. At least I'm still
alive and passionate about the *possibility* of meeting someone who will wash away all past bitterness and make it ALL worth it. I'm fucking naive! So
spank me! ;P
Spiritual life: My relationship with God has gone through a lot of ups and
downs. Nothing unique there...but I'm glad I never stopped thinking about Him or talking to Him...even during that low period when my faith was challenged.
Right now I'm riding a crest and I only yearn to go higher and closer to Jesus.
Oddly enough, despite some abortive attempts I never found closeness
in the church...any church for that matter. I must admit I'm deeply troubled
by that...after all, there were times when I really did find fulfilment being
part of His church and yet...I dunno, something's missing...I'm sorry if i
can't describe it here...mostly because I haven't found the answer
yet...hmmm...I intend to find out. Lord, I *so* want to please you...what is
wrong with me?
Friends: I've been neglecting groups of my friends lately. It's mostly due to
inconveniece. We hardly meet because of conflicting schedules and whatnot.
Physical distance is a factor too. And sadly, one of them I just want to
avoid...to avoid emotional suffering. Even worse, some friends I'm avoiding
due to their association with this person. It's not their fault really...I
don't know why I'm this way....
Other than that, my relationships with most of my friends are pretty good ...
I think most of them don't know how big a jerk I am yet! LOL!
Thus ends yet another incoherently long and masturbatory blog entry...I've
got to wake up early for work tomorrow(Monday). Most people will have taken
leave for Chinese New Year celebrations but I'm working...don't know
why...maybe I wanted to save up my annual leaves for some future use.
Goodnight and sweet dreams.
(HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR *boc! boc! boc!*)
Thanks to Alan's sharp eye, I've finally got a chance to see 'Before Sunset',
the sequel to 'Before Sunrise'. As expected, the ideas expressed so
'clumsily' yet eloquently by the banter between the two characters in that
movie ring true as ever.
When Ethan Hawke's Jesse and Julie Delpy's Celine talk, they make love to each other's minds and hearts. It is intercourse in the truest sense of the word.
They talk about love, politics, the messed up state of the world and joke
around, make fun of each other, disagree with each other, listen to each
other, share intimate feelings of hope, grief, the future past and present.
Small talk, big heavy serious talk, heart-to-heart talk, painful excruciating
disappointments, sometimes holding information back only to reveal it later
on when they realize they said something wrong...trying to correct things.
They talk with they bodies...gestures, sure yet uncertain coy touch and even sex. You know....talk.
And in both movies, they do it with limited time together...a deadline.
Though not mentioned by them, Celine and Jesse both knew that any other form of communication short of actually being there with the person is a poor and
unsatisfactory compromise. Just not the same.
It's been nine years since the two characters met on a train in 'Before
Sunrise'. The sequel perfectly captures the evolution of the characters since
1994. In fact, Jesse and Celine were 23 and 24 in 1995, I was 20. Now they're
both in their 30s and I'm 29.
We all have emotional baggages by now. Wiser (I hope), nevertheless feeling a sense of loss for the hopefulness and I-can-conquer-the-world attitude from 1994/95, all gone now.
Then I realized that watching this movie is a milestone of sorts. A time to
stop and reflect on how things are so far since my earthly birth. I remember
watching a young dreamy eyed Ethan Hawke and River Phoenix on 'The
Explorers'. Then Ethan Hawke as a cool goateed artsy student in 'Before
Sunrise' and now, he's so thin and crinkly you could see his cheek bones. So I looked at myself in the mirror to see how I've aged. People tell me I look young but I think that's because of my short stature. I know I've grown paunchier which is hmm...interesting because I've always been a skinny gawky awkward kid even till my college years.
I've quite a lot of thick unruly recalcitrant hair that I've given up trying
to 'sculpt' as so written on all those hair gel jars. Which again, is hmm...interesting because I know I'll only go balder and balder as I advance in life. How do I know? I look at my father!
Note that I've called these conditions interesting...Why? Because I've often
wondered what God was trying to do with me. So I thought, hey, since I'm
gonna lose it all anyway, why not flaunt it while I still have it? Hence my
'hippy' years in Canada. I grew a beard and moustache, and let my shoulder
length hair all grow wild. I'm happy to report that I was satisfied with the
hair on my scalp even though I had less success with facial follicles. I
looked real odd with a beard...or even a goatee so I shaved it all off after
a year. Even now with my 5 o'clock shadow, I'm nowhere near 'macho'. Think Elijah Woods with a goatee...think Michael J. Fox with a stubble...think unshaven Macauley Culkin in a police photo...just ain't right.
I enjoyed my long hair though. Washing and conditioning it. Blow-drying it
afterwards even though I have to becareful not to apply too much heat. Felt
good though. And wow! Did it felt great when walking right into a breeze in
my trenchcoat and hair whipping out behind my ears! :-) Yeah, I really think
little joys like that God gave me!
Anyway, back to 'Before Sunset', these two friends were done catching up so the conversation moved on to their respective present tenses and how dissatisfied they are with their lives. And here I must say I am very dissatisfied with my life too! I guess it's just the human condition to be always discontent when on Earth.
So I ask myself...where am I headed? I *know* where I want to go, I have goals and life objectives, but am I on track? sigh! I can't honestly tell....really! I try my best...sometimes not my best (when a little burned out) but all I could know for sure is I'm doing *OK*...
So here's the State of MY Nation, as at February 6, 2005:
Maintenance (bills, car, apartment, hygiene etc.) : Manageable and on par, but could be better.
Career : Good, stressful sometimes till the There-Must-Be-A-Better-Way-To-Earn-A-Living level but at least I enjoy working with my colleagues a lot. Scary but they say doing at least one scary thing a day is a good thing.
Pays enough(provided I don't get carried away by
the materialistic metro lifestyle)...working on some extra pocket money
anyway. Saving requires immense discipline and ridicule from friends.
Recently got offered a permanent position at the company along with a much needed raise in salary.
Love life : The absence of one proves to be the biggest distraction and most miserable source of pain. I don't know why I lack the confidence to pursue avenues of opportunities.
Words can't adequately describe the complex cocktail of phobia, shyness,
panic, giddiness, self-deprecation, silly joy, mushy thoughts of affection,
warm friendship and lust that accompanies every hey-i-kinda-like-this-girl
opportunity that comes along. Or the extreme frustration when the timing
never seems right so I can't make my move yet. It's incapacitating and I kick myself everytime I didn't do something I think I should've...replaying the scenario with alternate endings never-endingly.
And then, the loneliness and desperation gurgles to a boiling point thereby
urging me to sprint, like a fool off my starting block only to crash
spectacularly, mere metres away. Face to the ground. Never really got
started... An illusion of courage and blind impulsion made me do it.
Actually, all of the above was the good part...it was fun and worth it...well
at least until the eating ground pie part that is. Then comes the horrifying
part of it...the process of letting go of someone you love but can't
have...no matter what. Seeing that person being so happy with someone
else...that person wanting to be such a good friend still...That person
getting married and crossing the finish line without you. Oh sure...rub it
in...while you're at it, here's my heart so you may stomp on it!
Still, I'm glad I could still fall in love all over again with someone
else...I just wish the phobia ain't there, that's all. At least I'm still
alive and passionate about the *possibility* of meeting someone who will wash away all past bitterness and make it ALL worth it. I'm fucking naive! So
spank me! ;P
Spiritual life: My relationship with God has gone through a lot of ups and
downs. Nothing unique there...but I'm glad I never stopped thinking about Him or talking to Him...even during that low period when my faith was challenged.
Right now I'm riding a crest and I only yearn to go higher and closer to Jesus.
Oddly enough, despite some abortive attempts I never found closeness
in the church...any church for that matter. I must admit I'm deeply troubled
by that...after all, there were times when I really did find fulfilment being
part of His church and yet...I dunno, something's missing...I'm sorry if i
can't describe it here...mostly because I haven't found the answer
yet...hmmm...I intend to find out. Lord, I *so* want to please you...what is
wrong with me?
Friends: I've been neglecting groups of my friends lately. It's mostly due to
inconveniece. We hardly meet because of conflicting schedules and whatnot.
Physical distance is a factor too. And sadly, one of them I just want to
avoid...to avoid emotional suffering. Even worse, some friends I'm avoiding
due to their association with this person. It's not their fault really...I
don't know why I'm this way....
Other than that, my relationships with most of my friends are pretty good ...
I think most of them don't know how big a jerk I am yet! LOL!
Thus ends yet another incoherently long and masturbatory blog entry...I've
got to wake up early for work tomorrow(Monday). Most people will have taken
leave for Chinese New Year celebrations but I'm working...don't know
why...maybe I wanted to save up my annual leaves for some future use.
Goodnight and sweet dreams.
(HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR *boc! boc! boc!*)
Friday, February 04, 2005
What is Hell?
A very interesting article in a very interesting website. Really good read for you Christians out there.
A very interesting article in a very interesting website. Really good read for you Christians out there.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
The Folly of Valentines Day / Entertainment magazine TheCheers
Just a good read of an article. Of course, I don't think Valentines day is a totally useless day.
If there can be a Father's/Mother's/Secretaries day just to remind us to appreciate these people, why not your Significant Other? Perhaps this whole I-Hate-Valentines thing is a backlash reaction to the over-commercialization and over-hyping of such a celebration. Then again, Christmas is over-commercialized (buy buy buy) and over-hyped (it's Santa's birthday!... DOH!!), does that mean we should be rid of Christmas too? 'Nuff said!
Just a good read of an article. Of course, I don't think Valentines day is a totally useless day.
If there can be a Father's/Mother's/Secretaries day just to remind us to appreciate these people, why not your Significant Other? Perhaps this whole I-Hate-Valentines thing is a backlash reaction to the over-commercialization and over-hyping of such a celebration. Then again, Christmas is over-commercialized (buy buy buy) and over-hyped (it's Santa's birthday!... DOH!!), does that mean we should be rid of Christmas too? 'Nuff said!
