A Merry Christmas

Wishing all my readers a Merry Christmas!!

A triple dose of Jason Statham...

We had time.....and nothing else better to do. So we decided to catch up on some movies that we have stored in the box. I decided to watch Crank which we found quite interesting, then we decided to follow up with Crank 2. With more time to spare we continued to watch The Bank Job, which we didn't know starred Jason Statham. Overall these movies are pretty good.

Advise for Crank and Crank 2, it contains alot of violence, cussing, nekkid ladies and $3x scenes. So try not to watch it with kids around.

Movie Review : Avatar

I first heard about this show about 4-5 years ago when it was announced that James Cameron the director wanted to wait a couple more years so that technology would allow him to really show what he visioned this show to be.

As expected James did not disappoint, with a solid story line, beautiful CG and smooth character development, I found myself quite attached and immersed to the much predictable storyline. Yes I did say "predictable", why? maybe because we've seen similar story lines before in the past couple of years, it could also be the fact that James wrote the story quite a few years back.

Never the less it is a must watch for every movie junkie. Say what you will, but I think this is a really nice and fresh movie just in time for Christmas.

Andy's Movie-O-Meter : 9.5/10

IKEA Continued...

Just after you think everything would go smoothly...you find out that something is wrong. Unfortunately it was an IKEA part which was a problem, plus upon unwrapping the coffee table, there were some chip and scratch marks, what was worst is that we discovered that there were no screws. So we decided to return the item, which was okay. The whole process of returning and getting another replacement unit took about 20 minutes.

We were happy with our new unit as we ensured that there were no scratches, chips and had all the screws and stuff.

Well....this time everything went well until we found out one of the screw mounts had no grooves to take the screw! Once again we headed back to get that small piece changed, but another issue arose. There are grooves in this screw mount, but the grooves are for the wrong type of screws! Apparently the guy who went in to get a replacement part didn't notice that there were markings on the screw mount.

Let's just say that until now we have an incomplete coffee table. I'm not pissed, but just a little dissapointed.

Time to get that part changed again.

Shopping in IKEA

This trip to IKEA sweetie and me actually bought stuff! We had this plan to make some more space in the house, this is a 2 year plan I might add hehehe. Got rid of the huge 6 person dining table in the living area and moved the piano out from hiding. Got a nice coffee table and computer table for the desktop computer, plus a book case, finally a place for the books!. Everything looks much tidier now and we're working on cleaning up the store room now, which I might double up as a tiny studio to do some photography. Photos will be posted a little later when I get around to take them. But here are the items we got :

1x Billy Bookcase
1x Lack NN Coffee Table
1x Vika Amon Table + 4x Vika Curry Legs
1x Not Floor Lamp
1 set Bulbs
1 set KALAS Plates

Total $490 MYR which isn't too bad, these items were definitely within our per-item budget cap. Putting these items together was pretty fun and sweetie enjoyed her time using pliers as a hammer to put some nails down. Zoey was just watching us from the couch, she occasionally came over to sniff around and check out how we did.

Total Sideways Drifting!

Now this is what I call a good recovery which turned out to be an excellent drift!

Bikram’s Yoga

I've never taken Yoga, not because I didn't want to, I just didn't feel like paying for it. Well I have a couple of free passes to go for Yoga classes this month and I decided to give it a try. Went to the Bikram Yoga center in USJ. Now I've read about Bikram Yoga and it's suppose to be in a hot room and they weren't kidding. So we got down to business and started easy stretches, oh yea if you didn't know, there are about 26 yoga positions to complete in the 1 1/2 hour session. Each position will be repeated 3 times or more and with more intensity. Controlling your breathing is very important but being in this hot room which after 15-20 minutes feels like a hot sauna, breathing isn't easy. There were a couple of positions I couldn't complete because I was feeling light headed or I just couldn't stretch all the way, although you are encouraged to go as far are you can to get to the final position. Some of the positions really get your heart racing. After 1 1/2 hours of this, I was soaked in my own sweat and the following day I felt sore.

I never knew Yoga could be such an extreme workout! Kudos to those who do it every week :D

Here are the name for the 26 positions :

1. Pranayama Breathing
2. Ardha Chandrasana - Half Moon Pose
3. Utkatasana - Awkward Pose
4. Garurasana - Eagle Pose
5. Dandayamana Janushirasana - Standing Head to Knee
6. Dandayamana Dhanurasana - Standing Bow Pulling Pose
7. Tuladandasana - Balancing Stick pose
8. Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Paschimotthanasa - Standing Separate Leg Stretching Pose
9. Trikonasana - Triangle Pose
10. Dandayamana Bibhaktapada Janushirasana - Standing
Separate Leg Head to Knee Pose
11. Tadasana - Tree Pose
12. Padangustasana - Toe Stand
13. Savasana - Corpse Pose
14. Pavana Muktasana - Wind Removing Pose
15. Sit-up
16. Bhujangasana - Cobra Pose
17. Salabhasana - Locust Pose
18. Poorna Salabhasana - Full Locust Pose
19. Dhanurasana - Bow Pose
20. Supta Vajrasna - Fixed Firm Pose
21. Ardha Kurmasana - Half-Tortoise Pose
22. Ustrasana - Camel Pose
23. Sasangasana - Rabbit Pose
24. Janushiransa with Paschimotthanasana - Head to Knee with Stretchig Pose
25. Ardha Matsyendrasana - Spine Twisting Pose
26. Kapalbhati Breathing - Breath of Fire

Kings Of Leon - Use Somebody

I came across this song while searching for some alternative songs on youtube. I've heard of Kings Of Leon before but never really heard their music on the radio or tv. What really caught my attention is the simplicity of the song and also the lead singer's voice, which is pretty unique. Enjoy.

Happy 40th Birthday Sesame Street

As a kid I Sesame Street was "THE" show all kids watched. I'd say that I can remember some shows but what makes this show special is that they do teach morals about what is good and bad. A good learning experience for all kids, even today. Recently if you visited Google.com you'd notice that they have Sesame Street characters with their logo, which is pretty cool. So I salute all those people who are behind the scenes and everyone who makes the show interesting even after 40 years. Kudos!

Happy Birthday Rosie!

H@pPY bIrthday Rosieeeee!

...no updated photo of you to post...

Jusco Mid Valley

I'm kinda annoyed with my experience while shopping in Jusco Mid Valley today. First off let me mention that whenever I go into Jusco I don't feel welcomed, the sales people just wander around doing their own thing and they don't look enthusiastic. From what I see, there are staff that are stocking up stuff, some doing some paper work and some who are playing solitaire on the computer, yup! this one person with his computer monitor facing the open area where customers walk by...was playing solitaire!. The reason I took notice of this is when I went in to buy a lamp and there was nobody at the lighting department. How is a customer suppose to know which bloody box that particular light is stored at? So I approached one of the people around the counter and asked for help, they seem to look around for another person who they managed to call out to. This lady attended to me and said the stock is out, well since that's the case I opted to take the display unit. Now the lady looked confused and acted as if she can't sell the product without the stupid box!. She then made a call and confirmed something with somebody over the phone then told me to come back at 4pm when the lighting sales girl is around. I was okay to come back later.

But here's what pissed me off. When I was there earlier I wanted a white colored desk lamp which looked pretty cool. So as I arrived at the lighting department I looked over to the shelf that had the white desk lamp...IT WAS GONE!!!. I went on to look for the sales girl I was suppose to see and I asked her "where is the white color lamp, was it sold?" She looked puzzled! I guided her to the shelf and asked her "where is the white display unit?" Now she looked even more puzzled and said "I didn't notice it was gone". WTH!!!!. I was pissed! I wanted to see the manager but I told myself that it wouldn't do any good. In the end I opted for a silver display unit and when we got to the counter the sales girl was asking one of the counter people if anyone bought a white one and how did they pay for it since the correct procedure is to record down the detail and price before bringing it to the counter. Guess what, the counter didn't have the receipt for that white one!

What that tells me is that I could have bought the bloody white desk lamp when I was there the first time and the person who attended to me was just too f-ing lazy to do the paper work! I'm not sure if this would ever get to the Jusco management but I hope the are able to read this post. I'm pretty sure I will lodge a customer complaint with them soon when I figure out who to direct the complaint to.

So the next time I see something that I like and there isn't anymore stock, I'll just take it from the shelf and if it breaks or anything it won't be my fault because there isn't anyone around who is able to assist me anyways.

GRA Round 4 2009 - Videos

Andy Kow - Subaru by CSLim


In Car Cam - Subaru


Driver Cam - Andy


In Car Cam - Charlene (Kelisa)

mmmm durian...

I was invited by a durian lover to join him in enjoying the King of Fruits....The Durian. It's been quite a while since I had durian and there are soooo many choices and types at this store in SS2. We had about 4 different types which came up to about RM120 including coconut drinks.

GRA Round 4 2009

The day started cloudy in the morning as the Grass Class/Novice Class went out for their timed runs. Road conditions for the day was hot, slippery, bumpy and tight! Alot of drivers had a hard time finishing the course, this is because pointing cones were removed in progression of the sport. As the day got hotter and hotter, the Pro Class ripped up the course at superb pace. I didn't pay much attention as I tried to stay cool under the shade and inside an air conditioned car. So I'll let the photos do some talking :)

I managed to finish 2nd in class and 4th overall this time around. But that was enough to seal the championship this year. Phew!

more photos on Facebook

I'm on TV!

This program was shown on local satellite tv. I couldn't stop laughing at myself hahahahhaa. I wasn't making any sense!

Wedding Shots - Kuan & Irene

Sweetie's friend invited her to his wedding and which was in Kuantan, roughly 3 hours drive from Kuala Lumpur. The ceremony took place in Wesley Church, come to think of it, that was my 2nd church wedding experience in my life. First one was waaaayyy back when I was only a child.

Just made it in time for the bride to walk in, talk about being on time! We got in the church and I whipped out my camera all in the nick of time. I've got to say that it was a nice wedding, I did notice a whole lot of cameras when a photo-op was coming up, wish I had a shot of that. So I did my best taking photos and keeping out of the way of the official photographers and videographers.

Here are some shots. Do let me know what you think of them :)

Metal Gear Solid 4 : Guns Of The Patriots

I've finally finished MGS4. I must say that it was EXCELLENT! For those of you who don't know, this is the fourth installation of the Metal Gear Soild series which was first released on Playstation One in 1998. I won't go through the details of the storyline and all but I must say that the creators did an a superb job this time and it was worth all the time I had spent playing it. This game is one of the reasons I got a PS3 and it's never too late to complete a story. For those who haven't played it yet, well I have to suggest that you do.

Toyobaru : FT-86 Concept

Here is a photo of the highly anticipated remake of the Toyota AE86. Toyota/Subaru team-up is looking really good. The car will be displayed at the 2009 Tokyo motor show. This model would most probably show up in Gran Turismo 5.

Here's a video clip from Gran Turismo :

Thunderbirds Malaysia Tour 2009

I found out about this event from a local photography forum and thought it would be cool to take some shots of these jets in action. Unfortunately I didn't get any shots of planes on the ground because of the horrendous traffic jam. Thanks to Alex for driving. We managed to catch the Malaysian Sukhoi show from the comfort of the car. We made it just in time for the Thunderbirds show. They were flying pretty low, which was good.