Henry's Blog: March 2005

Initial D

Initial D - The Movie

Wow, the past few days were crazy. I didn't realize how long it's been since I've fired up the PS2. Managed to complete two games in my collection, Killzone and Urbz. Personally I prefer the Urbz: Sims in the city, as I loved the Sims series. Basically you run an alternate life in the game where you create a character and see him through his daily routines. E.g. simple tasks such as eating, going to the loo, taking a bath, watching tv, getting a job, getting a social life, etc. Got this game like half a year ago, but it's been sitting there in cold storage cause I just didn't feel like starting it. But got around it, and I've gotta admit that this latest installment from Maxis (not the telco provider) is a great game! Features tracks from Black Eye Peas in Sims language. For those who have played any Sims game, they will know that the Sims speak in a unique language. I think it sounds a little Latin, French, Spanish and gibberish all mixed in one!

I've finally managed to finish the game and now am looking for some time to have my own social life. Everyday it was like going to bed late and waking up early so that I could finish the game. Ohh yea, the members of the Black Eye Peas make an appearance in the game, so if you're a fan and have always wanted to get close to Fergie (the chiq in the group), you can do so. But remember when you are Kissing her, make sure Will.I.am is not around or he'll give you a fistful. Hehehe.

Now back to the movie. I am so excited to watch this film come to life! I think it's been in production for some time now. It's better late than never. Hmmmm, I wonder if they'll have an English dubbed version for release in Australia? It's going to be wierd watching a Chinese show dubbed in English. Or probably subtitles like they've always done with international screenings. Though come to think of it, I haven't seen any HK movies while I was over in Brisbane. The last international film I watched there was 'The City of God', with Kay (this Thai chiq from Bangkok). Like I said, I have no qualms marrying a Thai chiq.

I've heard comments that some people think that Jay Chou may not be suitable for the role of Takumi Fujiwara, but who else do you think should play the role? There's no denying that he's the hottest teenage star in the Chinese music scene at the moment. Though I am interested to know what language be used for the film. Now Jay's a Taiwan star and speaks no word of Cantonese. The rest of the cast are HK actors and a Japanese actress. Here are the cast member: Edison Chen (Ryousuke Takahashi - Red Suns), Jordan Chan (Kyouichi Sudou - Emperor), Shawn Yue (Takeshi Nakazato - Nightkids) , Anthony Wong (Bunta Fujiwara - Takumi's dad), Kenny Bee (Takumi's boss), Chapman To (Itsuki Takeuchi - Takumi's best friend) and this Japanese chiq named Anne Suzuki who plays Takumi's love Natsuki Mogi. This movie is directed by Andrew Lau and it's scrip written by Alan Mak, yes the very same people who brought you the Infernal Affairs Trilogy. The movie should debut on Malaysian shores somewhere in the middle of the year. I am counting down the days!

Dorifto!!!

Hitched by 30?

Alright, it's been some time since I've written anything into my blog. Anyway, here's an interesting dinner conversation, which Merv brought up. Since seeing that most of us are single at the moment, to put the motivation in looking for a life partner, we've set up a dateline for us to get a steady girlfriend or hitched, or whichever comes first. I hope it isn't the latter. If we are still single by the time that we turn 30, in the middle of the year, that's June 2009, we'd all need to make a pilgrimage to a Thai village across our national borders to marry a Thai wife. This is something that I've gotta see! Honestly I don't think that any of them would have the, pardon my French, balls to even do this!

As I was telling them, it's going to be interesting to see that in the event that we marry a Thai wife, I can see us out on a Sunday family outing, the guys will be sitting on one table speaking English and our wives would be sitting on the next table speaking in Thai! Now that's a sight! I can't imagine what the kids would be speaking.... Thaiglish?

Rudy's apparently pulled out from the agreement. I think he doesn't wanna be pressured into a forced marriage. Come to think of it, that leaves us a time frame of less than four years to find a steady girlfriend. Hey, is there some judging or scrutinizing team set up to assess if the claims of the girlfriend is genuine or made up? I mean, those fellas who are really not up to marrying a Thai wife would probably be forced into finding someone to stand in as a girlfriend and weather the storm. After that date, it's bye bye stand-in girlfriend. I've always had a fancy for Thai girls. Back in Brisbane I was always bugging my housemate to introduce some Thai girls to me. Too bad that I've graduated and left Brissie, sigh, and the Thai girls have gone back to Thailand. It's hard to keep in touch through Messenger.

So who's in for the pact? I know Merv, Wan Yee and I are. Rudy's pulled out, chicken! Haven't told the rest of the clique yet. I'd imagine Azuan and Khay Hoi would be in. Alright guys, good luck in finding your respective girlfriend/steady/wife. Otherwise it's pack your bags and fly to Thailand to choose your wife in June 2009. Time's ticking...

Disco Inferno!

50 Cent - Disco Inferno

This is one video not to be missed. Preferably the uncensored version. 50 Cent man, this video has got more booty shakin' than anything I can remember. Guys, if you've missed this video... one word... Wasted!

Anyway, yesterday's air was filled with crap! It was so hazy and visibility was really bad. We went on with tennis anyway. Had lunch with Zoe, Rudy and Wan Yee in Megamall. Was supposed to be strictly lunch and nothing else. Instead, Rudy gave a suggestion that we visit the dive shop, Dive Station. Walked in and guess what? Fins, Tusa Imprex series were on sale! To be precise, RM 190 per pair. Way cheaper than what I saw in 1 Utama last week. Ended up trying a pair and buying it! Wan Yee did the same as well. Sigh, more money spent. Alright, I've got a wetsuit, gloves, mask, boots and fins. Now all I need is to go scuba diving! Wan Yee's keen on going to Dayang. Heard from Zoe that the waters were really choppy at the moment cause she just returned from there on Sunday night. Tentatively the next dive will be organized in May. Can't wait!

As I was saying, tennis went on even though the haze was bad. I sat there waiting for the fellas to arrive. Belinda, who's substituting Merv (out for the next few weeks) said that she will be late. Wan Yee was late as he needed to stop at Merv's place to drop somthing off. Jackson totally forgot about it. I'm thinking these people are really taking the regular tennis session on Tuesday nights for granted. I was left there waiting and utterly pissed! Wan Yee will heading off to Singapore next week for a meeting so we will be one person short again. I think I shall not book the court for next week.

Pictures of Todd and Fran on the launch night

As requested by Zoe L, I've managed to get hold of a few pictures with Todd and Fran looking smart. Hopefully, these pictures may help in your assignment. I found one with Todd holding a beer and Fran holding a glass, but then again Dicko's in the pic. Though the one with the poodle would make a nice photo.

Todd, Fran and Poodle

Todd & Fran 2

Todd & Fran

Todd, Dicko and Fran

The Restaurant Louvre

The Louvre

Here's an interior pic of the place. Damn, now I wish I was still in Brisbane so that I could be on camera!

Recovered from the fever

So the hottest race is over! One of the many events that I look forward to in the year. The Malaysian Grand Prix! But again, I've missed out on the race. Didn't manage to buy the tickets as I didn't want to settle for the Hill Stand that Kelvin and gang bought. Was hoping that Merv could get some complimentary tickets, but that fell through. At least following the race on the telly was good, we had our snacks, drinks and an airconditioned room. Nothing beats being out of the heat.

As expected, Ferrari didn't do much better than they did in Australia. Then again, they were using a 2004 spec car, hence it wasn't on par with the other teams. Come to think of it, they've been doing that for the past few years but I guess this time the other teams caught up and have proven that they have what it takes to over throw the defending champions.

Over the weekend, there's been a series of events that took place in the city. There was that street performance from the Sauber Petronas team, which I missed. Managed to catch a bit of the action on Race Day, the program which Star Sports air before the race. The qualifying race was interesting. Amazing that Toyota improved over the winter, which I supposed is about time. They've only been in Formula one for a short time and the amount of money that they were spending on promotions really surprised a lot of people. There was that event in Dragon Bar, where they had the Toyota Rev Party. I was invited for it, but unfortunately I had other engagements. Damn, missed the race queens. Saw some pics of the Denso, Panasonic and Toyota girls in the newspaper! Makes you wanna droooool!

Anyway, must've been the weather. Although we were watching the race from an aircond room at Merv's place, I fell sick anyway. Had a bad fever that night. After dinner with Merv, Wan Yee and Gary at SS2, I went back feeling worst than ever. It's been a while since I've fallen ill. More like 2 years and a half! Ever since I went to Australia it's been a while since I've gotten sick. But then again, not drinking enough water and eating that sirloin steak with fries for dinner the night before probably didn't help much either

Didn't do much over the weekend either as the gang took it really easy. On Saturday we were supposed to go test drive a Mini, but Naza was out of stock! The last time I drove a Mini was in the Gold Coast. Managed to rent one for like A$ 75 per day. Damn, it was expensive! Though the sight of the other magnificent marques did improve my mood significantly in the showroom. A whole bunch of luxury sports cars, the ones that I can only dream about. A Ferrari F355 Berlinetta F1, a Ferrari 575 Maranello, a Porsche Carrera GT2, the Lamborghini Murcielago and Gallardo, a Bentley Continental, two BMW 6 series, a Z4, SLRs, SLKs... ahhhhh.. what else could a guy ask for? Oh yea, I think I can. I would've loved to hear them being fired up and being able to take them for a test run. Somehow after looking at these gorgeous sports cars, the RX8 and the Evolution VIII didn't seem so appealing anymore.

Was really looking forward to another Ferrari win this weekend, but unfortunately it wasn't meant to be. Hopefully with the release of the 2005 car, they will pick up the pace. All you other teams, watch out!

Got me own wetsuit!

Zoe woke me up this morning. She said she wanted to go collect her IC (Identification Card). I asked if she has gotten any notice from the Registration Department, but she said no. Like she said, better be safe than sorry. The government has imposed a ruling, which states that if you do not collect your IC within 90 days from the date it is ready, one will be fined RM100. Like all Malaysians, she leaves things to last minute and thought that it was 90 days from the date she got her IC made. I didn't complain as she was driving. Went to Maju Junction, parked the car and went up to the 6th Floor. The lady at the counter checked Zoe's IC status and found that it wasn't ready. I hate to say it, but... "I told you so"

After that we headed to her house in Mutiara Damansara. The place is nice, but honestly for a link house I feel that there shouldn't be any pillars in front. It kinda takes up a lot of porch space. We were there to deliver a tap, yes ladies and gentlemen, a Tap. I guess the builders were supposed to install it somewhere in the house. I checked out her new room and it's very small. It's even smaller than my room! I wonder how is she going to fit all her stuff from her current room when she moves in a few week's time. This will be interesting!

We had lunch in 1 Utama, Wong Kok Restaurant. Zoe wanted her cheesebaked rice, while I took the beef fried rice. Checked out the dive shops for wetsuits. Very expensive. Honestly, didn't think it was worth the money. We went to pick her Kembara up from the service centre in Section 17 after that. Guess who had to drive the Kembara? I've forgotten how it feels like to drive that 4x4. Ever since I got my car, I've avoided driving my mum's Kembara.

After dropping her Kembara off at her house, we went to Planet Scuba in Bangsar. They were having a clearance sale for the Aquanauts wetsuits. RM 225.50 for a piece of long wetsuit, which covers the whole body neck down. Choy, couldn't even get one at that price! I noticed that there was an offer on gloves as well. Since I've got itchy fingers, gloves were a good idea! I think I am spending too much money on the dive stuff. Better not buy anything more, otherwise I will really be broke!

Happy Birthday Wan Yee & Kum Wah!

Well, it's the 17th of March, so it's happy birthday to the two birthday boys, Wan Yee and Kum Wah! May your wishes come true. Sad to say for Kum Wah, we couldn't celebrate his birthday with him. As for Wan Yee, we treated him to dinner at the Sudu Restaurant in Hilton KL. Since I'm the free one around, I was left to organize the dinner for tonight. The usual suspects which turned up for the dinner were Azuan, Shahzima, Zoe, Jackson, Andrew, Gary, Rudy, Sue Ann & Toby and of course the birthday boy.

Turned out, the dinner was pretty interesting. Presentation was the theme for the restaurant. Everything was laid out very nicely and unlike other buffets, the dishes came in small single portion serving. You just walk, see what you like and help yourself to a dish of your choice. And another point to note was that you have to order a main course of your choice before starting the buffet. I chose the beef fillet, which wasn't a big serving. Thankfully for that because I have to admit that I won't be able to finish it. The spread was not as great as compared to Lemon Garden. After going there, this place may seem smaller. But it makes up for being unique.

After dinner, we headed off to the pool side to have a little chit-chatting before leaving the hotel. Azuan and I had the naughty idea of bringing Wan Yee for a special treat a.k.a. Health Spa, but looks like he wasn't too interested with so many people being present.

The Uncompleted Bridge to the Jetty

The Ride

Journey Home

Wan Yee and I

The Beginning of the Journey

Zoe having Char Kuey Teow with two sets of chopsticks!

The culprit for the excessive redness

A bottle of Martini... mixed with 7-UP. Really, the best way to celebrate after scuba diving!

Rudy

Rudy feeling a little tipsy. He didn't want to pose for the pic, but managed to get one anyway. At one point he was offering me some 'Twisties', and we heard him saying, "Do you want some pussies?"

Zoe and I

Wan Yee and Zoe

Zoe was commenting on this pic. She was wondering where Wan Yee's eyes were focusing while he offered the deck of cards to be cut. What do you guys think he was looking at?