How does it feel to be tagged for the first time?

Ok, since it's Friday and I'm in a weekend holiday mood, I'll respond to a TAG request.

1. What is the show you hope to watch now?
Simon (a TV cabaret show)! And by TV, I meant transvestite.

2. Given the chance, what special ability/power would you like to have?
Make the blind see.

3. What do you think of your brother(s)/sister(s)?
Extremely intelligent, and super lazy. Kidding. Stupid and hardworking. Kidding again. It is somewhere between those two extremes.

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?
Heaven, so I can tell those religious suicide bombers: "relax, I've been there, it is no big fuss. You can love Almighty without killing yourself."

5. If you can have 1 dream coming true, what would it be?
That I shall be easily contented.

6. Do you believe in seeing a rainbow after the rain?
Pass.

7. What are you afraid to lose the most now?
My blog readers. You think?

8. If you win $1 million, what would you do?
I would question the legitimacy.

9. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
No. Let them guess till death. Of course I will tell.

10. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
To cook better than me and to do maths better than me.

11. Do you believe in "forever"?
Pass.

12. Which type of person do you hate the most?
Thieves.

13. What is your ambition?
To, one day, stop having one.

14. If you have fault, would you rather the people around you point out to you or would you rather they keep quiet?
Pretend you didn't see my fault and keep on treating me like a king.

15. What do you think is the most important in your life?
People around me.

16. Are you a shopaholic or not?
Of course I'm not. Hang on, define shopaholic.

17. What is the thing that you really want now?
Sex. No, blog traffic. :P

18. If you have a chance. Which part of your character you would like to change?
The one that sucks.

19. Is there anything that you have done which you regret?
Doing this tag?

20. Are you hungry right now?
Yes.

Have a good weekend!

How to Win A Female Blogger's Heart (when she has a boyfriend)

EMAIL

Dear P_____ (fellow blogger),

This is how you win her heart. Seduce*.

SSL.
(29 March 2008)

THE BLOGGERS SEDUCTION MANUAL

This is not any different from seducing any other women, except that you have several key advantages here. The idea behind this entry is to highlight these key advantages and help you make full use of it. This is a generalised set of instructions, and it should be tailored to your individual bloggers situation. This entry assumed that the seducee and seducer already know each other either via MSN, Yahoo, Innit, Pajama Party, wherever...

Ok. Step one.

Proximity
Of course, the ideal situation is that you happen to live in the same town, better still, same neighbourhood. This would make things a hell lot easier as far as wooing goes. Never mind if this isn't the case. She already has a boyfriend, don't be put off, contrary to popular belief, this does not actually make seducing any harder. First step is to get to know the boyfriend also - make him your ally. In fact make him your makan kaki ("eating" mate)- eating is obviously big in Malaysia and Singapore. Use every meal time possible, invite them to join you for a meal. You will soon find out that the couple cannot be together every meal time - due to work time constraint, church commitment, etc.

Time your subsequent meal invitation when the boyfriend is away. Expect a NO from her to begin with. But you'll find that she will soon relent to your repeat friendly requests - she needs to eat afterall; and a friendly "eating" companion, especially one that is on good terms with the boyfriend isn't going to be that harmful.

Remember NEVER EVER RUSH. This is a long term plan. Use tact, common sense and sensitivity - moving too quickly will ruin all your earlier effort. Unless this girl is a freak with dire need of psychological help, haste never appeal to any woman. Play to her self-esteem always. Importantly, play the waiting game.

Stepping it Up
You can now move to next phase of subtle courtship. Remember she is a blogger. That automatically makes her easily excitable whenever she gets a blog/aggregator mention. Use this opportunity to post a blog entry about your shared meal experience. Use emotive words to describe the meal, when in fact, you are actually conveying your feelings to her - include phrases like scents of happiness, longing aroma, burst of chilly excitement (ok, the last one sounded stupid, like you skipped English classes) - but you get my meaning. Oh, you need to ping her so she reads that entry.

Ok, now you are ready to inject some manhood into the relationship. Try to communicate with her via the internet (Yahoo, MSN etc) to get her opinion on your latest entry. Gently slip the topic of your interest in the opposite sex in the conversation, and you must quickly point out to her that you pretty much have the same taste as her boyfriend. It is here that you want to take stock of her opinion on the matter. If she has a brain, she will at least suspect and give you a sign either way. Anything short of a definite NO signal, and you stand a pretty good chance. You can now relax and smile.

The First Move
Making the first move requires a little bit more common sense. The advice here, as in life generally, is only bet on a sure thing! Never make an overt approach until you are (1) certain that she wants you, (2) able to pass it off as something else, OR (3) have no intention of having anything to do with her and her blog friends ever again. If you have been paying attention all along, this should be relatively simple and stress free. The fact that you have waited this long will make this soap opera even more appealing. Never underestimate the appeal of the forbidden fruit to a woman.

But these are the things to avoid:
Don't call ever call her "sister" or call her boyfriend "brother", it is pretty hard to kick start a physical relationship if you regard everyone as part of your family.

Don't get jealous of the boyfriend. Tell yourself it's ok, he saw her first. And never get tangle in emotional distractions and paranoia; time is on your side, unless you are inflicted with terminal illness.

Don't avoid the boyfriend. He is key to winning the girl's heart. If he is away, play the handyman/friendly companion role. If they quarrelled, be her listener. If he mistreated her, be her saviour. Just wait and find the right time.

Good luck and God bless!

*as inspired by d.i.r.t.w.r.i.t.e.r.

Pak Idrus and Sisuahlai: the sky and earth connected by blogosphere

PERSONALITY

When NST ran a series of articles on senior bloggers not too long ago, one name caught my attention. I have always been an advocate of blogging, but when you read about a 68-year old embracing this new media and strongly recommending it to the young and old, I just have to meet the man.

His name is Pak Idrus (of idrus.blogspot.com).

It started with an e-mail, saying how I'd like to meet him if he was free. I was not that hopeful; why would an accomplished retired civil servant want to meet a kid that goes by the blog-name Sisuahlai?

I was wrong. He e-mailed the very next day, gave me his mobile number and suggested we meet. So we did, on the historical date: election day, 8 March 2008.

Our very first phone conversation went something like this...

SSL: (just got up, picked up the ringing phone) Hello?
PI: Hello Allan, this is Pak Idrus.
SSL: Yes, yes. (looked at the clock: almost noon!) Hi. Hi. Hello Pak Idrus.
PI: Have you voted?
SSL: (sudden overwhelming guilt and shame) No, my hometown in Kuching. Not going back remember (half-truth, I wasn't even registered!).
PI: Oh, you didn't vote? I think there is going to be a big change. I have not missed a single election since our Independence, and I have never seen anything like today. There is going to be change.
SSL: Is it? Really?
PI: Yes. Are you free later? I'll be at home all day today.
SSL: Yes Pak Idrus. Shall I come to see you later?
PI: Ok.

That was really how the meeting was set-up - between a responsible, voting citizen and a half-asleep kid.

The car journey to his place was very interesting. I honked delightfully at every PAS/Keadilan booths. My wife gave me this puzzled look each time I did that. I guess it was just a normal feel-good reaction.

honk! honk!

We arrived at his Ampang residence in less than 15 mins (thanks to GPS). I could smell fresh tarmac being laid on the road as I stepped out of the car; that was definitely and positively the smell of election season.

"worried my tyres might melt in the newly laid tarmac"

Pak Idrus is an exceptional man. I don't know if this entry can do justice to his many accomplishments as a husband, father, grandfather, blogger and retired senior civil servant.

Pak Idrus sees himself as a social scientist who is ever curious about the world and more recently, the internet and the blogosphere. He has been blogging for 4 years and there is no sign he is giving up this pastime anytime soon. (Btw, his blog does not need plugging from a small-timer like Sisuahlai- even RockyBru reads his blog!)

Our blogging style could not be anymore different, but what we had in common is a need to write, inform, (occasionally) amuse and to reach out to friends and strangers through internet and the blogging medium.

We are also connected by one important Sarawakian statesman, the late Datuk Muhd Taha Arrifin. Pak Idrus had worked alongside Datuk during his posting in Sarawak, whereas for me, I just played and waited in Datuk's office after primary school hours (my mother was the Housing Ministry secretary then). Datuk Taha had given me one of the best advices before my uni years in the UK - whatever you do, never forget home. Like a good boy, I didn't.

Pak Idrus and wife were great hosts. We had so much to talk about - good eating places in KL, blogging, doctor's career, travels, living in Ampang, Sarawak, etc. They were such lovely couple, and I just wished we had more time to talk about their passions - orchids, gardening and the assortment of handicrafts acquired in their travels.

a blogger is not complete without a cam

fridge magnet collectibles of the well-travelled

Pak Idrus' Volvo

two bloggers, one ambition: getting everyone to blog!

Since our meeting, Pak Idrus had met up with Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi (Pak Idrus had subtly suggested that Pak Lah should start blogging!); his eldest granddaughter scored 9A1s in her SPM; and I think Pak Idrus and wife may be planning a trip abroad soon.

I really cannot see this wonderful man running out of blog materials.

Happy blogging Pak Idrus!

pic from idrus.blogspot.com

"I thought that after I retired I would just lie low and enjoy life as it is but with blogging everything changes for the better. It is just like starting a new adventure into the unknown. This time in cybersphere where most of us have never been before. With blogging I began to get into the limelight again and with that getting to know more people of all ages which I never thought possible." -Pak Idrus

A blogger should invest in a good camera

If I wanna take good pictures for my blogs, I better start investing in a good camera and then teach myself some basic photography.

I reckon there at least 12 steps to ensure a happy camera-buying experience for any novice...

Step 1: do some homework and find out about good value cameras that take decent pictures, yet simple enough for a beginner to operate

Step 2: ensure enough credit limit on the credit card

Step 3: walk into a camera store

Step 4: ask to test the cameras

Step 5: commit - ask for the retail price and start bargaining

Step 6: after agreeing on a price, ask for accessories (free!)

Step 7: bargain some more

Step 8: ask store keeper to assemble the camera before your eyes

Step 9: take some pictures with the new camera, meanwhile ask the sales guy to stamp the warranty card

Step 10: pay

Step 11: take a picture of the sales guy, in case you wanna refer back to the person at a later date


Step 12: do not check prices on ebay after purchase!

2006: Sisuahlai at a glance

2006 is a good year for many reasons.

Reason number one: I started this blog. It was partly boredom, and partly because I really missed home, Kuching. Then, I was working in London. Work abroad paid me nicely, but the hours, rituals and the uncertain career direction were slowly sapping my motivation. Friends in the same profession were either jobless or holding down jobs they never wanted, just to pay their student loans and mortgage. (see subscript)

I couldn't hang around and pretend everything was rosy and promising. I needed a fresh start. If there was a reset button in life like on your computer, my thumb would be on it in no time. Reason number two: I have pressed the reset button and now waiting for something to appear on the "monitor". Anything.

Reason number 3, 2006 was a good year: I travelled to places I never could have afforded if it wasn't because of my generous boss, the leave and the pay... Places visited this year: Maldives, Thailand, China, and Hong Kong. The Maldivian island we stayed in was heavenly. I could not recommend it enough.

Reason number 4: Lots of time to think. And travel. Just returned from Australia. I didn't have my digi-cam on me, so no photo-blog on that trip. I was in the Mediterranean-territory of Perth. Perth is one of the world's top ten best places to live, according to a recent holiday poll. Rising house prices, increasing immigrant population, expensive food... all the usual accompaniment of a successful city.

Reason number 5: This blog. I don't think I can call it a Hokkipedia. It teaches Hokkien in quantity sufficient enough to teach a jellyfish fly. But I love it. I want to rename it Hokkien tham-pok tham-pok. But it's too much of a mouthful. This blog started as a challenge to explain certain Hokkien words and phrases, its idiosyncrancies, and its absurdness. It gradually evolves into a holiday blog, food blog, The Star bashing blog.... ya, like rojak. But still, people keep on reading. I am so happy 25,000+ returning visitors think it's not boring and worth a repeat visit. I hope I won't disappoint in 2007. Importantly, I have made many friends through Sisuahlai. You, you and you.

Reason number 6: It's always scary to try something new and untested. I will always remember 2006 as the year I swapped a conventional, secure career for something I am completely unfamiliar with. I might be right, or I might fail miserably. But at least, I am happy and satisfied that I have given myself that CHANCE and CHOICE.

Let's bring on 2007. Ah, and a happy Christmas to you before that.

Subscript: The new system punished the toilers, and if you reached your 4th year post-graduation and didn't have a senior training post, or you are a non-EU passport holder, you automatically become a second-rate worker. There will be winners and losers, sadly there are more losers here, as not everyone gets a senior training job. The bottle-neck in the system are driving the ambitious workers elsewhere to find better fortunes. (Fortunes of my eight close, hardworking course-mates: 1 senior training job, 2 moved abroad, 3 stuck in junior posts, 1 quit the career, 1 went back to study.)

Blogging about a Blog

What do you call a blog about blogging itself? Blog-a-blog? Blog-in-blog?

Well, this idea came to me one evening. No, it wasn't a special momentous evening. And I didn't see any light from the sky, leading me to the path of righteousness. It was just an ordinary evening, when one had too much free time.

Yup, it's possible to be a victim of too much self-reflection. And this blog is a product of it. Like an unwanted child.

I just wanted to see how it would be to blog about Sisuahlai's entries. Why choose this Hokkien word today? Why this topic today?

Ok, let me start with the first Bangkok holiday entry.

Arrived in Bangkok three days ago. There has been so much media coverage on the lead-up to the King's 60th anniversary celebration. Everyone's talking about it. Everybody is wearing that royal yellow colour T-shirt. Aargh. And the shirts are even selling on E-bay. And they are seriously selling like hotcakes. I don't know who set the standards here, but Thais are expected to wear yellow on Mondays. And I look like Thai. Like it or not, I might as well succumb to this "yellow" fever. My yellow shirt is washed and crisp... I am ready to march the streets of Bangkok.

I have been to Bangkok several times, but I've never done the tourist thing. I haven't seen the Emerald Buddha, I remember the Choa Phrya river more from pictures in holiday brochures than memories. I need to catch up on the tourist thing. Desperately.

Yes, I am keen to be a tourist. My digital SD memory card is emptied, the cam battery is charged, and I have loose bahts, just get me to Bangkok Central now!

I am staying in an area which is 3 hours Bangkok-traffic jam away from the city centre. So I am taking the first bus/taxi/anything to Bangkok central tomorrow.

Imagine my head exploding now.