Happy New Year!

OK, first of all, I DO feel guilty for not making an internet wish during Awal Muharram, which marks the NEW YEAR in Islamic calendar. That was just on the 29th Dec. So, I guess I missed it.

Then all of a sudden 31st Dec came in. And again, I missed this one. Today is the 1st day of '09, so it is kinda late to say, "Have a happy new year."

Good thing being a Malaysian, I have another chance to greet people with New Year wishes. And that would be on the Monday of Week 5 - Chinese New Year.

Having said that, I have 5 more weeks to come up with new year resolutions. Anyway, for those still feeling the vibe of New Year, be it Awal Muharram or 2009; HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU! May the new year bring better health and wealth to all of you :-)

A snippet on Penang

When we travel to another country, we somewhat dress like how they dress. For example, you go to Stockholm. It's cold there. Everyone wears winter clothing. So, you wear those too. Or if you go to Africa, you'd wear those khakis.

Yet somehow, when it comes to Penang, most people got it wrong. It must be that somehow, it's embedded to them that Penang people goes around in parios or bermudas (only). If it's the Europeans thinking that way, that's 1 thing. But funny thing is, Malaysians, e.g. from KL, seem to think that way too!

But I guess, it shows just how open and unique Penang is. Penangites just could not care less if you walked in a 7E shirtless. Or goes about the night market in parios. Now... try doing THAT in KL!

Hobbies.... & Children

The thing about hobby is that, it changes. You can say that it follows the wind. But if there's anything that'll break the wind, it's your kids. Yes, those pesky little beings that walk all over you, slap you for no good reason and shout at you for thinking they said 'tummy' when what they said was actually 'gummy' even though they pronounced it 'tummy'.

So, a question to the humans who feed these little human-looking tornadoes, can you actually 'make' time for your hobby?

For an average working family guy, weekend is the best time to work on a hobby. Heck, I look forward to it every working day. But the thing about these tired-less merciless machines are, they talk.. and very loud too. Just as you take the first breath of weekend, they say, "Space Chimps!!!!"... right at you ear.

Well, basically this explains the dusty guitar, bass, ukelele collection that I have. Not to mention rusty radio controlled gears. And a stamp collection book (sshhh!).

Hobby-bearing future daddys, until your kid is about 10 or old enough to join your hobby, I heard those zipper bags can keep your gears free from fungus.

But the funny thing is, the missus's hobby seems to be unaffected. Maybe it's God's way of repaying their painful labor ordeal. Either that or those little tazs are not really into handbag collecting...

Dec's Blog! 11/12 hit rate! Not bad!!

As usual, during worktime, I browse pictures in Flickr.

But before I start on my routine monthly head-banging dunnowat2write tasteless blogging, let's be clear on 1 thing: I am NOT a 'pro' photographer. I'm just one of those guys who loves viewing things from idiotic angles but does not have enough RAM in the brain to store the image longer than 20seconds. Hence, me + camera.

Anyway, here's my thought on photography. I know you don't care. But, so do I.

I think, the real essence of photography is capturing the moment. Not just an image. It does not have to be sharp. Or with perfect color rendition. It's about re-living the split-second moment every time you view it. Not many pictures have this 'mojo'. It has to be effective. It has to 'move' you.

I tagged a few photos from flickr as my favs. And when i view those again, it moved me again and again. And these pictures are not over the world sharp or with spot-on colors. My measuring stick on an image has always been the same when I view images from NatGeo mags. The good ones are those that gives out that magical feeling that made me go "Wow! How the heck did this guy do it??!!".

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tjasha/3095086459/

The Cheapest Hello

Something that I wanna share. I think most people out there already know but,hey, I need to blog something for November (Remember? My '08 resolution was to blog at least once a month - what is life without sharing, right?).

Anyway, how much do you think a 38minute long-distance call from USA (Oregon) to Penang (fixed line) would cost? USD40? USD30? Nah... USD0.86. Yes, that's a mere USD0.021 per minute. How?

Well, Skype of course! OK, so I'd looked like a moron talking to a laptop. But Sara, on the other end, was on a fixed line phone. And the clarity and quality could not be better. If I call her on her cellphone, it'd be USD0.058 per min. Well, sometimes, the line gets a bit noisy and breaks a lot, but not always. Just hang up and try again.

If you are not comfortable talking to a laptop, use the earphone. Or better yet, buy one of those USB-connect Skype phone.

Surprisingly, SMSing thru Skype is a bit high. It's USD0.097 per SMS. But it's cheaper comparatively speaking. And another thing, you can even set caller ID when calling someone. Cool huh.

At times like this.... go CHEAP!

What's up with this Blackberry thingy?

I kept bumping onto people who gives me lines such as "Is that a Nokia? A what-berry? Why didn't you get a Nokia?" So, I figure, maybe its time I share about what's a BlackBerry. A phone is a device to talk and text. On default mode, it's on 'voice' connection mode. A BB, is a device to talk, text, instant msg, email & internet. On default mode, it's on 'data' connection.

The only next thing that's on full time data connection is e.g. a PC that's on internet connection. And that PC is connected to a server e.g. Streamyx. Similarly, a BlackBerry device is connected to a server too. And that's the BlackBerry server.

Having said that, that would mean that, to enable the 'BB Service', be ready for an extra RM55 a month commitment. And an appropriate data plan is critical to go with it. A BB device without BB service would mean that it will be just a talking brick. At this juncture, a 40series Nokia could possibly be a better choice.

With a PC, you're only ONLINE when you're in front of your PC. But with BB, that acts like a PC, you're ONLINE as long as you have your phone turned on. So that explains why I'm always ONLINE on my Live Messenger, Yahoo! and Google Talk.

Happiness vs Materialistic

I'm not really sure about this, but I kinda have this theory that happy people basically does not need much. And unhappy people, well, they 'need' more than what they need.

Happy people is basically a bunch of mentally 'satisfied' humans. Who thinks that they have more than enough slices of 'life's' cake. They might not have a Ferragamo or a Milan holiday but could not care less about it. They are basically happy with their life, alongside their loved ones. And if they DO have a mansion in Monte Carlo and a luxury yacht, well, to them, it's a bonus and they would LOVE to share it with anyone.

In other words, they don't need that much to be happy. No gizmos nor branded stuff nor lifestyle to brag. The basic bare necessities of life are enough to move them along life.

Unhappy people on the other hand, needs more than life's bare necessities. They go around thinking that they NEED that over-the-top handbag or designers shoes. And at the back of their mind, each purchase will 'make' them happy. It's uncommon that unhappy people brags more about their life than 'normal' people. Be it that it's done discreetly or openly, it gives them satisfaction to feel 'higher' than other people. And that very little happiness counts a lot to them.

*Now, bragging discreetly is a very interesting topic - perhaps it's a blog of its own. Stay tune!

Back to this; I've seen couples who seemed so quiet and simple, who doesn't talk much about themselves but rather, listens more; are usually more happy than others. And to me, that is the ultimate measurement of confidence and success.

I've also seen couples who talks so much and 'bragging discreetly' all the time, would confide more with their friends than their loved ones. That, to me, is a measurement of trust (or the lack of it) and unhealthy relationship between 2 people.

I think I'm steering off the topic here. But, basically, to be happy, you don't need much. Just having someone to love, be it your family or your partner. That's enough.

Money makes thing easier. But does not bring happiness.

Sidetrack:
There was one time someone asked Sara, "Is it OK, after you've married, that the wife to have a close male friend, coz he's like the bestest of friend since forever?"

Sara just replied, "If that guy is the bestest of friends, why the heck didn't she marry him in the first place?? Your hubby is SUPPOSED to be your bestest friend. Period."