Space Cadet BLing

Life in Technicolor II, (I guess Life in Technicolor I was the teaser…), this is hands down my favourite music video of all time. With all the pretentious crap teenagery videos that’s peppering MTV, (on hindsight, I’m actually with Kanye on that Taylor Swift issue, God, she’s annoying…), or mindless oversexed displays of body gyrations (think Shakira’s She Wolf) this was a real breath of fresh air. What other trailer elicits all these adjectives at the same time: funny, nostalgic, beautiful, inspiring, clever, thoughtful, cute, and even… creepy… all at the same time? Check out Puppet Chris Martin’s creepy appearance at 3:45. Chills.

This should be Arsenal’s new pregame stadium song, to rile up the juices, better than the old fogey Elvis Presley’s “Wonder of You”. No wonder the Emirates Stadium seem so quiet. If they’d played this or Viva La Vida, that’ll surely bring the club up. And on a sad note, poor Aaron Ramsey… boy, seeing that injury was heartbreaking, but for some strange reason, I feel like that could be the spur that kicks Arsenal’s sails into second wind. Come on you Gunners! And come on you Emirates Stadium A/V guy, play that Life in Technicolor II song. Make this our anthem!

There’s a wild wind blowing,
Down the corner of my street
Every night there the headlights are glowing

Theres a cold war coming,
On the radio I heard
Baby it’s a violent world

Oh love don’t let me go
Won’t you take me where the streetlights glow
I could hear it coming
I could hear the sirens sound
Now my feet won’t touch the ground

Time came a-creepin’
Oh and time’s a loaded gun
Every road is a ray of light
It goes o-o-on
Time only can lead you on
Still it’s such a beautiful night

Oh love don’t let me go
Won’t you take me where the streetlights glow
I could hear it coming
Like a serenade of sound
Now my feet won’t touch the ground

Gravity release me,
And dont ever hold me down
Now my feet won’t touch the ground.

The lyrics just feels right…

1. Movies I need to watch before my mountain pilgrimage: Fantastic Mr. Fox, Up In The Air, Where the Wild Things Are, Haunted University, and if I can catch it in the cinemas right before I leave, Alice in Wonderland!

2. Did some shopping and got the Kata 3-in-1 Bag, Tamron 18-270VC lens, 8 Gig SD Card, Spare Nikon D90 Battery, DigitalEye Monopod/Hiking Stick (RM90, much more affordable than the RM545 Gitzo I saw at ShaShinKi), Hoya 72mm Polarizer, Kenko UV Filter, and now, I’m po. Credit card ‘po.

3. Playing Left 4 Dead 2 with my bro = lots of screaming n’ shouting, “HEEELP HEEELP!” “WHERE ARE YOU?” and “I’m dead.”

4. I’m saving up on episodes of Mysterious Universe Podcast for my trip in Nepal. There’s nothing better than listening to a creepy Alien/Ghosts/Cryptozoology show in the dark at a remote area of the world. Got to remember to cache their shownotes in case I’d like to check out those video clips n’ pictures of them alien sightings and ghost images.

5. Someone should come up with a blog for interesting Malaysian number plates seen. And I’m not talking the boring  WBM 1, BBB 888 kind. I’m talking about the more clever ones like JED1 or something like that, those with meaning. So far, I’ve seen MAF14, TV3, PEN15, NAB1, WRG1665 (on a Manchester Utd fan’s car).

OK, I must admit, I’m a review-hound. Meaning, I tend to follow the general consensus of people’s opinions, such as not bothering to watch The Wolfman which got sucky reviews… playing only games rated at least 8.5 or higher on Gamespot/IGN or XPlay. And such is the case with me purchasing my very first DSLR camera, Nikon’s D90 (it’s all Ken Rockwell’s fault!) Got it for RM2600 from a dude named George Lee (like me, BLing, has a pretty nice abbreviated name of GLee) Bought the lens separately, a cheapo RM300 18-55 Nikkor without VR (which I may regret later, we’ll see)… Thought I might start slow, but now that I’ve started getting into this photography beezkneez I’m really starting to get a little tempted to splurge… Stuff I’m looking at:

Gitzo Hiking Stick/Monopod... too rich for my blood

Kata 3 in 1, this bag is so ergonomically awesome, I gotta get this one...

1. 12-24 or 11-16 Tokina Landscape Lens – RM2250-2350

2. Kata D-3N1-30 3 in 1 Large Sling Backpack – RM505

3. Nikon 50mm f/1.8D AF Nikkor Autofocus Lens – RM420

4. 55-200 Nikkor VR Zoom Lens – RM950

5. A Polarizer (not sure how much and for which lens)…

6. Lens Hood

7. A Gitzo GM1130MT Monopod/Hiking Stick – RM545

8. An SD Card (4 or 8 gig)

and all that shingamajig… adding all that together… more than RM4770 and not to mention the RM2900 I’ve already spent on the camera. Maybe I won’t splurge on the Tokina as the 15-55 should work well enough.

And to continue my list with non-photography-related items:

Buff from Corezone: If I do ever get this, I'd better make sure not to look this gay

9. Buffs from Corezone (RM79-115)

10. Teva from World of Outdoor @ Mid Valley (RM299 -20% if I get it before the 21st Feb, dang I’m tempted)

11. Compression Sack from Corezone (RM140 for large, RM129 for med)

MiLi Powerskin for my Iphone... It's an Iphone cover, it's a battery!

12. MiLi Power Skin to give extra battery life for my Iphone, from Machines (RM299, trying to get some sort of 5-10% discount if I can nego)

13. Princeton Halogen Headlamp from Corezone (RM100)

Those I had listed for now, will cost me another extra RM879!

You know, it’s easy to get carried away with all these shopping even though some of these stuff seem pretty essential, but once you see the grand total, it makes you think twice. And I’m thinking I’d better cut some serious $$$ from my want list at the moment. Well, after tennis tomorrow, maybe a trip to Pudu and check out the camera shops there. LowYat too, perhaps for SD cards? Not to mention, a trip to Corezone & Mid Valley for the final day of CNY sales. See if I can get better deals there. In the meantime, I’ll be scouring the FTZ for some good deals if I can find any. Wismilak!

Holy Mother of God view from Poon Hill

The time has almost come for my 3-week break from civilisation, away from traffic, work, bills, facebooking, pollution, politics, fast food, ladida… and embrace the splendour of nature, Avatar style. It’s my long awaited Annapurna Circuit trek where it’s just me and the mountains! Can’t wait… On the flipside, boy, I’m gonna miss my Arsenal FC, tennis on the weekends, mom’s birthday, episodes from the final season of Lost, and Clash of the Titans premiere (well, I’m just missing it by 3 days, so it’s not that bad after all) Crap. I’m already dreading the backlog of work, bills and tax matters upon my return. Well, gotta get my matters sorted out this week best I can so I don’t have to worry too much when I’m away.

In a nutshell, I’ll be leaving on the 6th of March and arriving on the 30th, almost a full month. No Keith and Adam this time. Keith taking care of his new family, and Adam who I suspect regards Himalayan trekking as once is enough. This time, it’s just me, Nava Raj (same guide from my first trek) + porter, and another fellow kindred spirit traveller, João from Portugal who replied to my Lonely Planet Thorntree Forum post.

So, some stuff I’ve already lined up, a few of these being carried over from the last trip:
Hiking Backpack, Columbia Coremic Ridge Hiking boots, Iodine Water Purification Tablets (thanks, Keith), Raincoat (thanks again, Keith), Deuter cargo bag, Gore-tex jacket, Polarized sunglasses, Wooly cap, Gloves (I think Maya has these, gotta check), Camera tripod, Iphone (essential!), Swiss Army pocket knife, playing cards (hmmm… should I bring a couple of playable Magic: The Gathering decks, I wonder and have fellow trekkers marvel at my geekdom?), earphone splitter (for that shared music experience), quick-dry towel, quick-dry undies, toiletries…

And some which I still need to get here:
Nike+Ipod patch, Halogen head lamp, compression sack, excedrin, Tevas outdoor sandals, Mili Power Skin for my Iphone, super glue, mini sewing kit, a Digital SLR (looking at something cheaper like a 2nd hand Nikon D60 or sonething), lip balm, sun-block, SoundMagic PL30 earphones, immunization, travel insurance, spare batteries, some of those Isonotic pills Mun Kitt plops into his bottled water for tennis (gotta ask him where he gets those), Ziploc bags, binoculars, trip to the dentist just in case, cash in USD, travel pouch, souveniry items & snacks…

And some which I’ll get at Kathmandu itself:
Adjustable trekking poles, sleeping bag, some extra winter clothing, thick sock…

Am I forgetting anything else? Some other notes:

1. Wished I could’ve gotten myself an astronomy telescope for my trip but shipping it to Malaysia costs a bomb! Gotta make a trip back to the US next time for this.

2. Have thought about bringing my laptop with me. But, perhaps more likely, I won’t. Would’ve been nice to have an IPad for this trip, though.

3. Should I download GTA: Chinatown Wars to my Iphone for this trip? Tempting.

4. I’ve a running bet with João whose team, Porto FC, plays Arsenal in the Champs League. Come on, Gunners! Win me dinner.

5. Last time I went for a hike, my Ipod went for a drink on day 1. Tragic. At least I had a few moments of bliss when Keith loaned me his. There’s not much better moments when listening to Hans Zimmer’s “Now We Are Free” from Gladiator when up on a majestic view of Poon Hill. Gotta be extra careful this time.

Now, back to work.

Who dat Superbowl XLIV champs?

Ok. So I’m a diehard Ravens fan, but there are just some games where I just feel as passionate rooting for another team. Cases in point: NY Giants beating the NE Patriots couple of years back. Really wanted the Cardinals to beat the Steelers last year and got slightly… only slightly, depressed when they didn’t in a pretty heartbreaking fashion. And today, when the Saints finally achieved their storybook ending. I think this is the storybook endings to end all sports storybook endings. The kind of story that people make movies out of them. Seriously, if it needs any more reiteration… New Orleans, post Katrina. The tragedy. The team who has never reached the Superbowl and who has ever only won 2 games in the postseason. (this season, they won 3, more than they ever had combined in their entire history!) People thinking that the city won’t bounce back. Few years later, hosting the Superbowl. 9 days away from Mardi Gras. Playing against an almost invincible quarterback in Peyton Manning, the best athlete to play the game. Coming back from 10 points down to win it in the end. Jeezus.

Come to think of it, the past 3 superbowls have been priceless. Giants and Steelers winning it at the final moment and now, this. It’s like having 3 Liverpool comebacks against Milan in a row in the Champions League.

Congrats to the Saints. Can’t wait for the movie to come out in a few years. (Luke Wilson to play Drew Brees?)

Well, I’ve been away… okay… discouraged… for a while to post my stuff on the site here. It just seemed that Facebook gave me more exposure it seems for friends to hear my rants. But you know what? Sometimes I don’t only need to hear from my friends. Sometimes, I need to hear from Tony Farley from the Beautiful Places in HD… or Larry Brown (are you the coach of the Charlotte Bobcats???) to post a comment or two to make me realize that wow, my stuff do actually go out there to people halfway around the world. You know what? I’m starting again. I don’t know what I’m gonna write about, usual randomness again, and to heck with it if nobody reads it… feck it! Eventually, perhaps…, it gets out there somehow with Google search’s help… (just keep plugging down those tags), and being active in message boards perhaps, and maybe… just maybe… I could reach the pantheon of internet niche celebrity stardom! Or maybe not.

For starters, I’ve posted my comic strip, the Stupid Zone (aka the Loony Bin, but I find the Stupid Zone sounds more adorable dontchathink?), which I started for a while with the Malay Mail. Well, you get a sense of my humor there… a little bit of Far Side, a little bit of Bizarro. Dang. It seems like the days of Comic Strips have come to an end with the apparent “death” of newspapers. I guess I could start an online comic strip. Hmmmm…

Pirate vision

Along with that, I’ve finally upped my portfolio section, starting with a few of my older stuff. I’ve got to upload the more recent works I did for Nestle and Magnolia. Probably will take me a day or two. Well, hope to get my name out there, perhaps give me a little bit more drive to pursue more of my illustrative career which I’ve put somewhat on the backburner with my full time job at Linear Creative. Well, that’s it for now. Back soon for more awesome randomness.

PS: Let me end the day with a few thoughts:
1. Loved Conan’s final show speech. Almost choked up myself when he started choking up. You know what? The mention about cynicism was brilliant, and I think that got me thinking about being active on my site again.

2. 500 Days of Summer. I hate being one of the many who say, “Whoa, I so relate to the movie”… but I do. I do a lot. I’m giving it some time to simmer for a while before I call it one of my emotionally favourite movies of all time along with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and A.I. … but not yet. Affection needs to simmer and grow slowly, just like in relationships.

3. What can you tell about a person by the Halloween costumes he/she wears in the the past? Mine? WWII French La Resistance Commando, Clark Kent, Dick in the Box, Samuel Jackson, Soviet Officer are those I remember. Not much, I guess, except that Clark Kent seemed to stick out for being the most normal.

4. The Annapurna Circuit. I haven’t been thinking about it the past few weeks, but slowly, it’s sinking in that I’m going back there again. I’m almost worried that I might not be in good physical shape enough for the trek since my stamina is shite at the mo.  I’m hoping the fact that trekking means walking and not jogging and crazy climbing, that my body can take it. Yet, I need to start sleeping right, eating right, and do my jogs at Kiara Hill more often.

5. Sometimes, I wish I could be a NATURAL indie band hipster. They’re real cool emo and get the cool Tina Fey and Zoey Deschanel types whom I find so attractive and feel so unworthy of them. The Jason Schwartzman types, Death Cab for Cutie members, those dudes from Infomania on Current TV. But I find I’m more D&D geek or shallow sports jock than that. I think I gotta be me and just embrace my “me”. Is there such a thing as Movie Soundtrack Hipster?

6. Hilarious quote I found at Bash.org: http://bash.org/?908184