Late nite with Mike

Finally I got time to listen Mike Prabawa Mohede latest self titled debut album which we bought from Jakarta. I had followed Mike's on and off since his Indonesian Idol 2 days. He had angelic voice which is so unique to much of his big sized stature.

His slow renditions are perfect for late nite listenings. The best song in the compilation is BESAR which has a jazzy and snazzy touch. It's easy listening with a cup of coffee and PC in front.

While "Semua untuk Cinta", makes me feel in love again. It's a ballad rendition of his winning tune in Indonesian Idol 2. I like both version as he sang them very very well.

Among the other songs in the CD are:-

MIKE – SONG LIST:
1. SEMUA UNTUK CINTA cipt. Hendy Irvan
2. KEMBALI cipt. Sophia Levy / Inge Januar
3. BESAR cipt. Andy Rianto / Monty Tiwa
4. TERBAIK cipt. Dewiq
5. YANG HITAM cipt. Lukman H. Almaz
6. CINTA KAN MEMBAWAMU KEMBALI cipt. Dhani Ahmad
7. SEMPURNALAH MIMPIKU cipt. Harry Budiman / Ivana N.C. Paradita
8. CINTA TAK BERTUAN cipt. Glenn Fredly
9. PERSEMBAHAN cipt. Opic
10. ARTI KESETIAAN cipt. Yovie Widianto

More info can be found here:-
http://www.sonybmg.co.id/?action=af&id=437

Preview of Mike - BESAR can be found here:-
http://www.mychub.org/podcast

p/s: This album has not yet reached the shores of Malaysia as of this writing. Hopefully, Malaysians too can enjoy the wonderful voice of Mike Prabawa Mohede in the near future.

Jakarta Trip 2005

Okay this is gonna be a very long post. So I'd better start with an Introduction.

On the 27th of Nov. me and Abu_Chub departed from KLIA airport. Our destination Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta. Due to some glitches, I arrived 10 minutes before departure. Phew! that was really a close call.


Day 1 (Sunday)
Arrive in Jakarta and met Ndut waiting for us at the arrival hall. Went for makan-makan at Sederhana Nasi Padang. Then to a nearby sundry shop for some provisioning. Then off to Alila Jakarta Hotel. The hotel was an impressive 5 star hotel with a designer decor. Ndut left us at the hotel since he got a wedding to attend.We went out for a walk around the area. After a long and tiring walk we finally found a shopping area. Bought a prepaid card and top-up (pulsar). Called Nurul for directions. Unfortunately, he was unable to join us. Later that night, Bobby and Sam arrived. We went for Nasi Uduk (sorta like nasi lemak at one of the street stall) and we decided to go clubbing at this new place called Heaven. Luckly for us, it's their grand opening. The security was really tight as they do a body check on all the people going in and out of the place. There was a fashion show and performances. It was really crowded. Met Fahmi and Kiki over at heaven.
(sorry no pics coz my mobile ran out of battery)

Day 2 (Monday)
We moved to another Hotel called Banyan Boulivar. We got lost while trying to find Taman Anggerik ( a huge shopping mall) even when it's just behind the hotel. Ndut later joined us at Taman Anggerik and we bumped with a few more friends at Taman Anggerik. Bought a travel charger at Taman Anggerik since the one we brought from Malaysia had a different plug. Went to a place near Semanggir called Clownice / Comedy Cafe. Word has it, that it's the place is for chubbies and the staff are cute and flirtable. How very true that was. The concept was a comedy/kareoke place with food and staff was really funny although we couldn't understand the jokes. But we still laugh. Crooned a couple of tunes for the guys. Really had a blast.

(see how small I was compared to all the chubs around me)

Day 3 (Tuesday)
Went shopping at Grogol for VCD/DVD bought a whole lots of Indonesian MP3 and later to Mangga Dua where the DVD cost around RM 3 (cheap!). Going back the jam (machet) got really bad. Had to take a bajai to look for a taxi to go back to the hotel. Meet up with Karimun but he couldn't stay long. Our newly bought phone charger blew up in the hotel. Later Bobby, Sam, Ndut and a few more friends came. Sorta like a mini gathering. We all went for dinner at a road stall and later for some kareoke at Happy Dolphin.



Day 4 (Wednesday)
Travel to Bandung via train. The jakarta hotel was nice enough to book a hotel in Bandung.. Arrive around 12 pm. Took a taxi to Istana Hotel, Bandung. Walk to the shopping area (abt 15 minutes from the hotel). Ate nasi timbel (nasi ulam). The air was realy cold. Bought a new phone charger and lots of tea as souvenirs for family back home. Had a shopping spree at one of the Factory Outlet. the price was dirt cheap. For dinner we had Bakso Karapitan. Took a van (bus ?) halfway and walk back to the hotel.

(some of the exotic food we ate)

Day 5 (Thursday)
More shopping this time for Busana Muslim (moslem clothes). Met up with Boby Semarang and Edi. Travel back to Jakarta again via train in the afternoon. Arrive in the evening. Went out for dinner with Karimun at the Pempek stall. Nearly got busted as we didn't bring our passport along and there was a police road block (Wadjia ?) which was common after the Bali bomb scare. But alhamdulillah they let us through.

(inside the bandung express train)

Day 6 (Friday)
Spent the entire day at Taman Anggerik. Meet-up with Ndut and Andre and wooing the chubbies over there. They sent us back to the hotel.Had a late supper with For3etful and friends at Gajahmada.

(andre trying to run away from the camera)

Day 7 (Saturday)
Our final day in Jakarta. Went for breakfast and pack our stuff. Took a taxi to bandara (bandar udara) Cekerang. Meet up with Karimun and he sent us off to the departure hall.
Arrived in KLIA around 1.00 PM.

(I look soo small beside Karimun)

~ To Ndut, Bobby, Sam, Karimun, Bobby Semarang, Edi, Fahmi, The Clownice staff and a whole lot of other Indonesian Chubs & Chasers that we met, thank you for the most awsome experince. Even though time was short. We really had a good time. To Ferryanto and Ryo sorry coz we can't extend our flight to meet u guys.

Back in Malaysia (but not for long)

Yeah people.. I'm back in Malaysia. But only for a short time due to some stuff i need to settle before the start of my next semester classes. Since I have done my foundation years, so the Uni decided that I can skip the foundation German course and go straight to my 1st year semester. Which will start on January. A little too late I guess since I've already arrived in Vienna before they told me this. Anyway, arrive in KLIA 4 days after Hari Raya. But still it's good to be back home and celebrate even if it's kinda belated.

Went to Penang a few weeks after that. But i missed the gathering in Pulau Sayak. Anyway, it was fun none to say the least, esp meeting old friends and getting to know new ones. The adventures with the gatei massage man (who tied my wee wee with cabai.. arghhh). The sneaking out of Pak Abu's house when the parents were having breakfast and nearly got caught. hehheeh. Ijan and ah siong caught red handed.. LOL (new skandal). Imran's tasty telur sambal. and much much more.

On 27th Nov - 3rd Dec I'll be in Jakarta for some work and a little bit of fun. Can't wait to go there actually. There will be a new project coming soon and I don't know if i can handle it. But I'll try my best. But first i need to get my priorities straight.

Till next time...

Greetings from Strasbourg

Update from Vienna...

After a month in Vienna, I find that life is chugging along with the good and the bad. Should I talk about the good or the bad? Well, like my very respected ex-BF used to say “No news is bad news, good news is bad news and bad news is good news”…I am not quite sure how this applies here. Its been quite an experience in just a short one month here. Met so many new and interesting people in just a short time ! My classmates are all mostly young chubs (some said cute looking too!) and friendly which makes studying a lot easier! Thats the good news here.. is this really good when there are so many cute looking austrians around me in class? Though there seems to be a problem with the "subjects" here... .I guess what they don't teach in Malaysian Universities are always the tougher subjects! So this is the bad news which I am not quite sure is good news at all after making the move all the way here..

Socially its just been hectic hectic hectic! Impromptu having coffee (or the famous melange) with new friends and walking in the parks and central of the city is just so "gemutlich" as they like to say about austrians (means comfortable). Though this is also breaking my wallet... seems the same culture like going to the warung (coffee shop) in Malaysia but the coffee is expensive coffee (for a malaysians like me - each time i have a kopi, I spend around 3-4 euro per cup!)...So its nice but I got to watch the wallet. The food here is just so good.. .dessert-wise ...mmmmm.. the apple strudel and the cakes... all done in the traditional cake houses once frequented by mozart (i think so! hehehe) and other famous celebrity. The main cuisine is really too heavy for me but delicious nonetheless. Gaining weight is always a good thing.

My problem with the uni hostel is temporary solved as I am now living in a ferien wohnung (something like a service apartment) where I can cook some rice finally! You know how it is with asians... There's also broadband Internet here, so I can still keep intouch with my friends in Malaysia. Thanks Daddy Chub Zahari for allowing me to stay with him and keep him company.

More stories on my adventures in Strasbourg, France .

The Chub ... (a graphical poem)

The beauty of this poem is that if you look closely, there is another 3D picture within it. Takes a couple of minutes for the untrained eye to see. Walla! not only have poetic value but esthetic as well.

I take credit in creating this lovely creation, just killing processing time on the Cray Supercomputer. LOL.. just to show - what a combination of literary verses and prose with high technology can do.

Greetings from Vienna

Upon landing at the Vienna International Airport, I couldn't help but wonder if there is anything else going on in Vienna apart from the waltzes of Strauss, world class concert haus(es), and the Danube river.

Well, it didn't take me long to find out that Viennese – partly due to German being their first language - had the same passion for chubs as the Germans do.

Just stroll along their high-end shopping street Karntnerstrasse, often referred to as the centre of Vienna, and you will not miss Steffl – the lifestyle department store. On the fourth floor, I hit the mother lode: chub heaven. There we no signs of skinny skimpy twinks around. Most of the patrons here are above the average sizes.

Later I found out, that it sells extra large attire. The Kauffman Big and Tall Store is also a popular chub cruising place. They are even considered an alternative lifestyle activity here – cruising - something the predominantly German-speaking Viennese must have adopted.

How shall I put it in context for you? Imagine finding a whole complex floor devoted to chubs in KL. (KL Sentral?). The people here are polite and direct. If they like you, they would approach and ask.

I was pleasantly surprised to find most of the popular chubs here are Asians, with a bonus that they are super chubs. I think it's the darker skin that attracts them. The tanned looks perhaps. Whatever it is, I'm just plain lucky I guess. I was approached by several suitors, whom I regrettably had to turn down due to time constraints.

A short walk down south to Mariahilferstrasse, the longest shopping street in Vienna. You'll find various assortments of chubs abound. Tall ones, shorts ones, wide ones and even beer bellied ones. An awesome sight indeed.

A cute Viennese chub couple I met at the sidewalk café said that you could pick up just about anybody here. With a little persuasion, even str8 ones. That reminds me of our own Bintang Walk in KL.


Till next time…

Today I lost a friends....(14 August 2005)

....in loving memory

During afternoon tea, i got an urgent call from Adie informing me about the depature of one of my closest friend. I didn't believe it at first until i called Riez's family and they confirmed my worst fears. Riez passed away on the 14 August 2005 at 4.00 pm malaysian time at his home. The funeral service was done at 10.00 am the next day.

Our last conversation was a few days ago where he told me that he suffered with some breathing complications and is going to be hospitalised. My initial reaction was anger. I was angry with the haze. I was angry with the unpredictable weather. I was angry at the people who had no concern about the environment.

In the 5 years that I had known Riez, he was not only my best friend but also a strong believer of love. He has a big heart which can only be match by his body. He is more concern about other people's feelings than his own. He is also comfortable with himself and takes no concern about what other people thinks about him.

brunodiehard: aku tak sangka sampai camni, last week yg dia masuk wad sakit paru2 bengkak tu. Dia mintak balik rumah lepas sehari pasal katil sempit tak selesa. lepas balik dia makan medication dooktor bagik tuh, dua hari lepas tu ada side-effect dia kata, badan dia sejuk semacam, pastu entah badan bintik2 merah. Aku suruh dia bawak ubat tu gi jumpa doktor ckp pasal side effect tuh, mata dia yg jahit dulu tu pun merah dia kata. Aku suruh dia refer doktor jangan pandai2 sendiri tapi dia stop ambik ubat tu dah 3 hari tak makan. Sebab dia taknak gi jumpa doktor tu balik pasal doktor tu cakap dgn dia 'takmau tengok muka dia lagi kat hospital tu' sebab rizal cerewet.

To Kebab, be brave and take this as one of the test in life.

Rizal a.k.a Riezchub, we will all miss you dearly....

Ummmm.... Cakkk!!!

Sebenernye moks dah update dah blog terbaru. Kisah2 gi lepak kat Cameron Highlands and Penang baru-baru ni. Tapi entah camano, tetiba je the server kat opis ban plak. Nak kata penuh ngan carut-marut, tak der la plak. Nie musti gara-gara kerajaan ban site2 lucah. Tapi blog moks maner ader benda2 lucah? Iskk.. poning! poning!

Anyway, moks malas la plak nak tulis pepanjang macam pagi tadi. Cukup la ngan blog pendek ni.

FAV MOVIE
- Star Wars / Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy / I Robot / Bicentenial Man (mostly sci-fi)

FAV TV-SHOWS
- Tremors / Babylon 5 / Star Trek / Queer as Folks

FAV FOOD
- Assam Pedas / Steak & Lobsters / Sara Lee Ice-Cream

FAV PAST-TIME
- surfing the net / writing stories / computer programming

FAV ACTOR
- George Dzunza / Paul Sorvino (Chubby Italian Daddies Type)

FAV RADIO STATION
- Light & Easy / Gaydar Radio

FAV WEBSITE
- MyChub.ORG

FAV CAR
- Proton Satria GTI / Gen-2

Cuti Cuti Malaysia

"Bersama kapitan tokey kebun durian"

Dah lama tak update blog nih. Maklum le aku kat Johor sekarang ni. So takde masa sangat nak online lama-lama. Ini pun aku postkan entry pendek je, tapi harapnya menarik perhatian korang.

Ari tu si kap ajak pegi makan durian kat dusun durian bapak dia. Haiyoo, makan free beb... mesti tak tolak punyer. So pegi ler kami berempat; abu, moks, arwah riez ngan syed. Tapi kami tak tahu pulak yg dusun tu punyer la jauh masuk ke dalam estate.

Sesampai kat dusun tu, Kap plak lupa bawak kunci pagar dusun. Jadi terpaksa le lalu ikut celah kawat pagar berduri. Riez (sebab badan dia besor), terlekat kat kawat pagar tu. Kami dlm gelak ketawa, tolong le dia.. kesian gak, terkial2 dia nak lepaskan badan (ada la dekat 15 minit). Merah padam muka dia.

Tapi tak per la.. dia sporting. Dah lepas pagar, terus kami kumpul durian untuk makan. Hmm.. best jugak. Tapi tak dapat lepak lama kat dusun tu, sebab hari dah nak gelap. (mcm biasa le, kalu plan gi mana2 mesti last minit). Kami cepat2 la makan, sbb biasanya kat dusun durian ni ada HARIMAU !! Fuiyooo...Takuttttttt

Balik kenyang perut.. senang hati. TQ Kap! Musim durian lain kali jemput le lagi kami melantak kat kebun ko tuh.. sure habis nyerrrr.. ahaxxx

Pejam celik pejam celik, cuti sekolah pun dah bermula. Tapi aku punya cuti tinggal lagi sebulan. Sepanjang cuti ni aku jarang online dan tak berkesempatan nak update blog. Sebenarnya banyak cerita yang aku nak cerita, tapi asyik tertangguh-tangguh sampai lupa topik yang nak diceritakan.

Cuti sekolah, juga dikenali sebagai ‘musim mengawan’ di kalangan orang-orang muda masyarakat kita. Ye'lah, time ni lah ramai orang memenuhi chatroom mychub dengan pelbagai harapan. Tak kurang juga bapak-bapak budak yang mencari anak-anak ikan. Kemeriahan terasa terutama diwaktu malam. Tak menang tangan berceloteh melayan kengkawan.

After 6 hours...

Phew!!! Managed to reconstruct 1/2 of the server functions. It was no easy task. The Active Directory keeps fumbling with all sorts of errors. My back-up server was an old Win2K. It didn't connect very well with Win2003. But after a few trial and errors, i managed to find a trick to fool the system into believing it's a PDC and overwrite the old configuration.

The second problem was Oracle 9i. The enterprise edition was very fussy about it's settings and with the scarce documentation that I had with me. I set about to re-install the whole thing instead of trying to salvage whatever i can from the old back-up tape. Fortunately for me, there was a system snapshot of the old config so that I have at least a way to revive the database.

The third problem was with the ApacheTomcat installation. The provided documentation was totally different with what my system was configured. So with what little I have on my hands, i changed the whole lot of the XML files to suit the system need.

Well.. things to do:-
1) Optimize and tweak the system for peak performance.
2) BACKUP! Backup! backup!
3) Harden the security of the system to prevent my stupid apprentice from fumbling with the system.
4) Claim exorbitantly for the service so that it could pay my trip to Europe (i wish*)

Hahahha... 6 more hours to go