We Are Going Blu!

Well, maybe everyone else except LG. Universal Studios Home Entertainment and Universal Pictures Digital Platforms has now turn their backs on Toshiba's HD DVD - one day after Toshiba decided to end the development of their product.

However, LG decided to continue to develop players compatible with both Blu-ray and HD DVD format, which would "therefore create simplicity and convenience for the existing HD DVD consumer".

So I bet now Sony's PS3 would receive a little bit more attention since the game console comes with a Blu-ray player. However, the pricing of the console depends a lot on it's competition with XBox rather than the price of manufacturing a Blu-ray disc player. And the last I read, Microsoft is already slashing the prices of its XBox360 in Canada to compete with the PS3 and the top-selling Nintendo Wii.

Personally, I have only tried the Wii so far cause it's more popular and therefore more people has it. I can understand why it's making a hit and I certainly had a lot of fun with it. But as for getting a console that has more choices of games, I would prefer to get a PS3 - of course, now it becomes more attractive considering the disc player that comes with it. Or maybe if I can save up some money, I could get both Wii and PS3.

But...that would leave the XBox360...hehe...OK...can't be greedy now ;p

Red Alert 3 - How Not To Intro A Game

I thought the trailer would be something cinematic. Something interesting - if it's not "awesome". Even if this was just an introduction or a clip to tell the world that you have Red Alert THREE in the coming...you have done much better than this...



Can the guy interviewing be more wooden and expressionless? Even the voice is monotonous. Watching this clip kind of spoiled my anticipation for this game already.

In fact, WorldShift looks better in comparison. Though, game trailers are like movie trailers these days - to be trusted only after you have personally tried/watched it. Here's a peek at WorldShift:

Trailer: Indy in the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

The trailer looks good. But then again, these days we can't really trust trailers, can we? I thought Rambo4's trailer was great, but the reviews hadn't been the same (which reminds me that I still need to go watch it...).

For Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, having the same actor and same director - though both a lot older - I wonder if they managed to capture the magic that the last three episodes have so successfully created. Indiana Jones was like an icon to some, much like Luke Skywalker was to Star Wars lovers.

I grew up being a fan of this adventuring professor and I really hope they don't screw it up with this sequel. I've managed to download the high definition version from File Planet, but the size is more than 200MB, so I wasn't able to upload it onto Blogger. The best I can share is from YouTube - that is if you haven't already watched it. Or you can just simply head over to their official website and watch the high definition version - if you have a good connection (OK, the last bit was only meant for those connecting to the web using the line provided by TMNut. ).

Out on May 22. A must watch! :D

Of Losses...Of Different Sorts

I'm wide awake in the middle of the night - or should I say morning, reading the news on the web. Several pieces of news made Wednesday's headlines (for me anyway) and one of them is the death of actor Heath Ledger. I'm sure by now, most of his fans who are bloggers would have already blogged about this.

A death of an actor...
The news did came as a shock and my condolences goes out to his family - and may he rest in peace. I clearly remember watching '10 Things I Hate About You'. I was studying in the UK at that time and while it was supposed to be a chick flick, I enjoyed it nonetheless. I enjoyed his movies, including the comedy (or supposed to be), 'A Knight's Tale'.

I wouldn't say that I'm a fan, but I do admit that it seems a loss for one so talented to depart this world at such an early age. So for those who has not watch his acting in the famous 'Brokeback Mountain' - do go and get the DVD and watch it. It was a great movie and I enjoyed both the story and the acting very much.

The New York Times has a piece on his unexpected death: An Actor Whose Work Will Outlast the Frenzy. Indeed.


US Biggest cell phone maker...more losses...
The other piece of news that caught my attention was that Motorola's share price has slumped after reporting a loss in the last quarter - quite unexpectedly. It is said that their profit has slumped by 84% - they made a net profit of only $100m as compared to $623m for the same fourth quarter period a year earlier.

While analysts have been hopeful that Motorola would make a recovery in the year 2007, it seems that turning around the slump - that was experienced since the fourth quarter of 2006 - is not going to be easy. And not to be soon either. Greg Brown - the new CEO - said that there will be further cost cutting - by $500m - which probably means further job cuts. Would it help? Got to wait and see I guess. Motorola share price is hovering around $10 and it certainly isn't helped by the looming recession in the US.

So are you owning a Motorola cell phone? If not, why not? Cause it sux, huh? ;p Though I do think the new Z10 and E8 looks pretty alright, even cool. But again, I need to pick up the actual thing before I can really say that I would invest money on it.


OK. It's 3.37 am and I think I need to hit the sack. But I'm still wide awake...darn...must be because it's so darn hot these days...

Of Burger King and Those non Fast Food Thoughts

I remembered having a conversation with a friend during lunch last week about why there is no Burger King (BK) in Penang.

He said that there should be ample opportunities for a BK to thrive in Penang since its burgers are much better than the usual McDonald's. Not to mention the former seems a rarity up here in the northern region.

And the typical me tried to tell him that the burgers from these two fast-food chains - prepare their burgers differently...BK has theirs flame-grilled and therefore, in my opinion tastes better. While the burgers by McDonalds are different...don't how to explain it, but the method is just not the same. It's like KFC sells better fried chicken than McDonalds...(some might disagree though ;p).

Anyway, it came to the point when my friend said that he would go for a burger at BK every time he goes down to KL for a visit. And that ended any arguments from me - it's hard convincing a fan. Plus his question - more like incredulity - on why there were no BK outlets in Penang.

Well, perhaps now his hope of tasting these flame-grilled burgers could be fulfilled. According to this piece of news, Burger King is set to open up another 50 new outlets in Malaysia. Might be that one would end up in Penang.

Hm...Penang really doesn't have one? Strange...
Looking at how Asians like their fast food, I would have thought Burger King to cash in on the money opportunity far sooner. Anyway, the news report as follows:

Cosmo Restaurants Sdn Bhd, a franchisee of fast food Burger King restaurants in Malaysia, will spend 27 million ringgit (8 million U.S. dollars) to open 50 outlets throughout Malaysia in the next five years, local media reported on Monday.

Its director of operations Khaled Hammam made the announcement after opening the third Burger King outlet in Malaysian southern Johor state, which features a 24-hour drive-through on Saturday.

The restaurant is its 22nd outlet in Malaysia.

There are now five round-the-clock Burger King restaurants in the country, and six are in petrol kiosks.

"We are keeping an open mind and may open outlets in shopping malls if the terms and location are feasible," the New Straits Times quoted Khaled as saying.

Although drive-throughs generate attractive returns, not all of the 50 new outlets which the company is planning to open will have the service, Khaled said.

"It is not easy to find a good location and we also need a big area to set up a drive-through," Khaled said.

Burger King ranks the fourth by number of outlets in Malaysia's fast food market, after KFC, McDonald's and Pizza Hut. - Xinhuanet.com

The non-fast food thoughts...

But here's the thing. In my opinion, these so-called fast foods in Malaysia are clearly overpriced. It might not be overrated, since I do like a burger or two and pieces of fried chicken occasionally, but it is nonetheless overpriced.

I would have thought that because things in Asia are relatively cheaper than say, the more advanced countries, the prices should be set according to the cost and standard of living of the local area. And while it's definitely considered "fast food" in places like the UK, but in Asia, food from McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, etc. rank under the luxury food item. How did less than healthy food stuff become a luxury when there are far better and tastier food around the local corner.

But from a Malaysian perspective, I had to reconsider...is it overpricing OR is it just that we have low buying power. As an example, I was buying coffee at Starbucks with a friend the other day and the conversation came up on how expensive a cup of coffee can be from Starbucks, where else a cup of white coffee from Old Town next door costs far less. OK, one is local and the other is a "branded" product from the US - but the contents and even the taste are not so different. So of course, we would ask why the "branded" one needs to be so much more expensive.

Another thought came to me then. What if I was earning about twice my monthly income? Wouldn't that make a cup of RM10 Starbucks coffee seem affordable - even cheap? Then the flow of thought went down to...why are we earning less than our counterparts in more developed countries?

A whole host of other theories flooded through my mind then...on how the stupid inflation rate numbers the government is showing; how private companies will use these numbers when they decide on increments for their employees; and on how the hell the did the government not do more to raise our competitiveness and economic levels - so that we can buy more with a single RM.

Sigh...too many problems that is not my domain to talk about. And a lot of people say that this country sux...I cannot disagree. But then I still think that if it sux, surely it needs fixing, right? And who else but the people living in it? I know, I know...I'm being naive again. Haha...someone has to be naive when so many are thinking of leaving the country, no?

I believe that there is more than hope for those of us who chose to stay...because without it...what else is there to ensure survival? Why else do we complain so hard? Why else do we even care?

Maybe because we chose to be a part of it.

Adam Sandler is Zohan

Imagine an Israeli counter terrorist...becoming a hairstylist in New York city. Hard to frame the picture?

Well, imagine then that this has something to do with a movie that Adam Sandler has co-written and acted in...and now you should get the picture. I'm not sure why they picked an Israeli Commando as their main character...but it looks funny enough that this is going to be another movie by Sandler that I'm looking forward to catch in the summer. Wait...in Malaysia, it's always summer...around June-July time frame then ;p

Watch the trailer to You Don't Mess With the Zohan here:

Accidents in Taiwan...as it happened

A friend sent me of this clip, which recorded an accident in Taiwan. A terrible accident...one that had my mouth hanging after watching it. Did the truck driver not see the motorcyclist?!



I found another accident recording in YouTube...also happened in Taiwan:

At least the guy on the motor was still moving after flying from the impact...

Free Running

Know anyone who can do this? ;p

Vedic Astrology

I was reading The Star when I came across this article about the 2008 horoscope base on moon signs. It says that 2008 will be a better year than the previous. Let us hope so.

Now most of us would know what a sun signs are - the usual Aries, Taurus, Gemini,...etc. which are common in Western horoscope. But I was curious about what moon signs were all about since the article said that our moon signs might not be the same as our sun signs.

For example, my sun sign is Cancer, but my moon sign is Leo. This is calculated based on the time and location of my birth, couple with the position of the moon at that time.

There are many sites on the net, which you can use to determine your moon sign. I started off from here. And following the moon chart for the year of my birth, my moon sign is Leo and this is what it says:

MOON IN LEO

The Moon in Leo makes you strong, proud and courageous. You enjoy responsibility, and often take on too much of it. You have a natural attraction authority, and enjoy appearing the public eye.

You would rather lead than follow any day. Your inherent pride makes you very susceptible to love affairs. The opposite sex takes a strong interest in you because of the frequency and sincerity of these affairs.

Your actions at work attract the attention, and respect of your superiors. This can only mean good things for you as far as your career is concerned. As far as money is concerned you are very generous, a little too generous (much the same with your affections!).

The Moon in Leo makes for a strong intellect and a strong love of the arts. Don't be surprised if your occupation involves the theatre, music, painting or literature. You also have a love for luxuries. You like to drink the finest wine life has to offer. You are lively in spirit, have a high intelligence and have good prioritizing skills.

I knew I was in the wrong line of work! I should have been an actor or something... ;p

OK...usually I would go to more than one site to view my horoscope...shouldn't just trust one side, right? While I'm not really into horoscope nor truly believe in it's readings, I find it interesting to read if I fit into the described characteristics.

So the next site I found was Indastro. This site provides more detailed description and various other charts...which I'm not knowing how to read. Anyway, after keying my particulars - time of birth, year, location, gender...here is what it says about my personality in general:

GENERAL RESULTS OF BEING BORN IN MAGHA NAKSHATRA

Male Natives

1. Physical features: He has a prominent neck and a hairy body. There is a mole in the hands and also beneath the shoulder. Medium size height. Innocent looking countenance.
Ivan: Hairy...a bit la...and quite right about the other stuff...I like the "innocent looking countenance" part ;)

2. Character and general events: He is very enterprising. He will respect elders. He will be God fearing. He enjoys his life. He is expert in various sciences and soft spoken. He likes to lead a noiseless life. The native will be receiving honor and recognition from the learned persons. He has good knowledge about various arts.
Ivan: Hm...I'm currently a freethinker... but who knows... might receive a calling when I'm at an older stage in life...
And arts again... maybe I can fulfill my wish of being a writer? ;p

He will devote his valuable time for the expansion of his culture and actively involves in various cultural activities.

His dealing with others will be with a well thought planning and he doesn't want to hurt the feelings of others. In case any of his action is responsible for hurting the feeling of others, he is immediately tries to rectify such action. He also does not like any person who makes hindrance or causes troubles to others. That is why there may be several hidden enemies in the native's life. He is hot-tempered. He cannot tolerate any action or activity which is not within the purview of truth. But this mental feeling leads him into a state of failures. Selfishness is a remote question for him. He does several things for the community or society not with the intention of getting anything in return but for mental satisfaction. This is the reason why the native is able to catch the eyes of the public.
Ivan: What can I say? Pretty accurate except the last part about doing things for the public - can't say that I have done much, if at all. Again...could this be my future I'm seeing?

3. Education, sources of earning/profession: He will have many servants and great wealth. In the professional field he cannot attain much success in the material field as he is not business minded and mainly due to his straightforwardness. However, he will be a fitting example of sincerity and hard work. this inherent quality of sincerity and hard work do sometimes pay him some lift but not to the extent when we see the balance. He is bound to change his field of earning business. Once he takes a decision, he will stick to that decision. His dealings with his superiors and subordinates are very cordial and most technical. Hence he is able to be a link between his boss and subordinates.
Ivan: Haha...I don't really feel rich nor anything close... hopefully 2008 would be a much better indication ;p

4. Family life : Most of the Magha born male natives will enjoy a happy and harmonious married life. He has to shoulder several responsibilities, to be more specific, burden of his co-borns.
Ivan: Hm...co-borns...as in brothers and sisters? I have an elder brother...but I don't think he'll be a burden nor need much help for that matter... I wonder in what sense the reading is talking about...

5. Health: He may suffer from night blindness, cancer if Saturn and Mars jointly aspects Moon in this Nakshatra or conjoin in this Nakshatra, asthma or epilepsy.
Ivan: Ouch...cancer? OK...time to cut down on the drinks... and cigs. Is having one cig a day considered a lot? Pathetic, some might say ;)

It was certainly an interesting, if not enlightening, read. Which moon sign are you? Is it accurate or perhaps you do not believe in such stuff?

It's Friday again and it looks like a favourable day for me today...my horoscope says:

Happy Friday! And have a good weekend ahead :)

Paralympics 2008 - Everyone is No 1

Just want to share with those who has not seen this MV by Andy Lau, which was filmed for the upcoming Paralymics 2008. It was nicely done, very touching.

Thanks Kitty for forwarding this to me.



The Making of Everyone is No 1 MV:

Teaching Mother Tongue

A friend forwarded the following YouTube to me just now and I felt that it's darn funny. So I just want to share it. Some people might find it offensive because it's a talk about foul language - and how to use it correctly. It's being presented in a very "polite" manner. Haha...it's almost ridiculous to think that foul language can be presented in a polite way. I must say that it was that and was also witty and partially educative ;p

However, the clip is in Cantonese since it's on Cantonese foul words. For those who understands Cantonese - at least the foul words part - hope you find it as funny as I did. Have a good weekend ahead!

Icon's Story

Found this flash animation, called Icon War through Stumbling around. Though it seems to be an older work, check it out - it's pretty cool. Reminds me of the Animator vs Animation clip.

The Jakarta Post: Truly Malaysia

Something worth reading. Here's an article from The Jakarta Post.com
This is merely to share and so that I may keep a copy for future reference.

Truly Malaysia

Although the ongoing anti-government movements in Malaysia are still at a very preliminary stage, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi has threatened to impose the much feared and draconian Internal Security Act against those who still defy his warnings to cease street demonstrations.

The threat to jail protesters for an indefinite period of time seems to have worked, at least for the time being, because the number of street demonstrations has sharply declined. But the prime minister needs to remember that demands for justice, more freedom and more political and economic equality cannot be silenced just by throwing more people into prisons.

PM Badawi and the ruling United Malays National Organization (UMNO)need to remember that as long as the roots of discontent exist anti-government movements will not subside.

The experience of Soeharto before his fall in May 1998 showed there was a point where people lost their fear of the iron-fist man and did not care anymore about his brutal responses to their protests.

It is clear the current situation in Malaysia today is very different from what Indonesian faced nine years ago, especially in terms of economic conditions. In 1998, Indonesia's economy was on the brink of disaster, while Malaysia's economy today is relatively healthy. But as its economy shows declining growth amid soaring oil prices, many people have begun to feel the heat.

The attitude of many Malaysian officials in responding to the street demonstrations is similar to the attitude of Indonesian officials in 1998. They point their finger at "third parties", "western countries" or "irresponsible press" creating the political unrest. They are reluctant to accept the street facts, because they have been too long in power, enjoying all privileges.

As its constitution is perceived by the minority as discriminatory against non-Malays and non-Muslims, more Malaysians now are demanding real equalities. Sixty percent of the 26 million population is Malay -- synonymous with Muslim according to the constitution -- while the rest are Chinese, Indian and other ethnicities.

Badawi should demonstrate his strong leadership as the country prepares for an early election, because he has not been able to fully control the ruling party. Many Muslims in his ruling party are increasingly impatient with Badawi because they think things were better in Malaysia before Mahathir Mohamad handed over power to Badawi in 2003.

Mahathir is widely regarded as much more protective of Malays than his successor is. Many Malaysians perhaps forget that Mahathir left many fundamentals problems -- from an ailing economy to corruption -- for Badawi. The fact the succession from Mahathir to Badawi was not conducted by fully democratic means also created friction among the elites and dissatisfaction among the people.

The Malaysian government needs to be more sensitive in listening to the aspirations of its people. Defensive attitudes -- such as blaming others, probably including this newspaper -- will not be helpful at all.

It is time now to honestly listen to criticism from citizens. Putting anti-government activists in jail is only a very short-term solution. PM Badawi needs to show he is the prime minister of all Malaysian citizens no matter their ethnic or religious background.

Banner Problem

Update: The banner problem has now been fixed. Thank you Blogger.com!

OK, anyone reading this blog will notice that the banner has shrunk to about 2.6 times of its normal size. And it's not that I want to you guys to use a magnifying glass to view it. There is no hidden clues or treasures on the picture unfortunately.

Blogger has been having some problems lately, most popular is the problem with uploading pictures to blogs. And at the moment, we can't seem to view pictures that are posted on blogger in an "enlarged" manner, e.g. usually I would just click the pictures to view it in full resolution. Right now, on Firefox, blogger will prompt you to either "Open" the file directly or "Download" it to your computer for viewing.

I didn't have this problem (the banner one) till last night when I decided to design a new banner for Christmas + New Year - you know, too change the mood a bit on this blog? Well, the re-design part went well - just that it's not showing up right at the moment ;p

I have posted this problem on blogger's help group here and it seems that there are others who are experiencing the same. So if you are thinking of changing your banner, you might want to wait a while longer. Or you can give it a shot and let me know if you see the same problem ;p

Peel it quick, this is how

I meant peeling a potato that is. I think I saw this on the web some time ago, or was that in an email? Anyway, here's a reminder on how you can peel potatoes in a quick and easy manner. Though you need ice for this...weird, huh?



Actually what was more interesting as I stumbled upon this video is the 5min Life Videopedia. I haven't really explored it fully yet, but it looks like your typical YouTube - only that you can post up to a maximum of 5 minutes. And it consist of mainly knowledge sharing stuff - though as you can see in the above clip, can be pretty fun and interesting.

This is what 5min is about:

The idea behind 5min is very simple: any solution can be visually explained in no more than 5 minutes. Our goal is to create the first communal Life Videopedia allowing users from all over the globe to contribute their knowledge by sharing visual guides in areas such as arts, business, fashion, sports, health, tech, food, and much more.

If you have not already, go check it out!

What a formula...

I'm sure some of you have seen this before. I think I first saw this in an email. Anyway, I was Stumbling my around the web and found this formula again.

I just had to smile when I went through the equations again. It does make some sense, doesn't it? Haha...I'm sure female readers would object vehemently ;p

This guy (and I'm assuming it's a guy for obvious reasons) must have had some 'evil' stuff done to him by a girl. Either that or he's just too free.

Ever dreamt in your cube? Try it...you can dream in style...

I'm sure most of you who watch the previous clip had a good laugh. LOLz! I sure did ;p

Anyway, here something different today. A friend emailed me this song just now, but I couldn't embed it in here cause it's been disabled by request.

Do watch it. It's called Cube Dreamin', original composition and animation by Ivan Lim. Nope, not this Ivan - though I wish it was ;p The song apparently won an award at the ITV Awards Music Night. Though someone needs to tell me what an "ITV Awards Music Night" is all about.

The lyrics to the song as follows. I guess those of us sitting in cubes everyday working our asses off can relate to what the song is about.

It was just another day at the usual pace,
I'm sitting in my cube in the same old place.
I see the same old docking station,
the same old job in the same old situation.

Work grows, it's always like that,
the more time I have, it seems, the more work I get.
I sit alone and wonder why
it's been so long since I got to see the sky...

I'm sure, that you're just like me.
We all have our issues with our WLB.
But wait, there is a way,
to get you through the rest of the day...

and it's called:

Cube dreamin', you're dreaming in style,
I'll show you how to do it and it won't take a while,
you just lie back in your ergo chair,
take a deep breath of the office air,
and close your eyes and start cube dreamin' away...

I dream of pretty places where I'd like to be,
I'm lying on the sands on the beach by the sea.
With a warm breeze blowing at me,
it feels so good to be free...

and as I was dreamily watching the tides,
a pretty young lady comes and sits by my side,
and she looks at me with those pretty eyes,
tell me, what was I to do, when she said:
"Come with me now baby I wanna be with you..."

and then I wake up, to find that things are not what they seem.
I see my T41, that stupid machine,
it's got another fatal error, another blue screen.
I guess I'll just restart, then go back and dream....

'cause I'd rather do:
Cube dreamin', I'm dreaming in style,
I'll show you how to do it and it won't take a while.
you just lie back in your ergo chair,
take a deep breath of the office air,
and close your eyes and start cube dreamin' away...

I close my eyes, and start cube dreamin' away...

Perhaps the deer was deaf?

Check this video out: Worst Hunter vs Dumbest Deer

Came with target practice and still he missed...and I wonder why the deer is still alive - should have gotten shot by some hunter by now, looking at how slow it reacted.

Reject a rejection

The Ultimate Rejection Letter:

Herbert A. Millington
Chair - Search Committee
412A Clarkson Hall, Whitson University
College Hill, MA 34109

Dear Professor Millington,

Thank you for your letter of March 16. After careful consideration, I
regret to inform you that I am unable to accept your refusal to offer me
an assistant professor position in your department.

This year I have been particularly fortunate in receiving an unusually
large number of rejection letters. With such a varied and promising field
of candidates, it is impossible for me to accept all refusals.

Despite Whitson's outstanding qualifications and previous experience in
rejecting applicants, I find that your rejection does not meet my needs at
this time. Therefore, I will assume the position of assistant professor
in your department this August. I look forward to seeing you then.

Best of luck in rejecting future applicants.

Sincerely,
Chris L. Jensen

Now I know why sometimes they don't inform you when you get rejected for a position. They might be afraid that their rejection letter...get rejected.

So cute!

Not gals - unfortunately for guys who are looking for some cute looking Japanese gals' pictures ;p

A friend sent me this just now. It's a picture posted over at kilian-nakamura.com. Anyway, I just wanted to share this pic:

No offense intended to Muslim readers by posting this. But aren't they cute? ;p