Some Wacky Stuff

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Japan Trip 2006

Well, I am finally in Japan after 2 long exhausting flights all the way from KLIA to Singapore, then Japan. Both flights were pretty full and inside the plane is like a microwave, I was sticky and sweaty by the time I got to Singapore. The flight was pretty packed, and having to sit in the middle aisle is not fun at all. I actually quite disappointed with the Singapore Airline this time. Their food was nothing exciting and man, they were so tight with their drink. I asked for a Coke, and they poured me a glass but won't even leave the rest of the can with me which they usually do on other airlines. And the heat isn't helping so I had to keep asking them for more drink the whole time. Not to mention the infotainment was pretty boring, there isn't many good movies on the flight so the whole flight was unexciting and boring. I was pretty much stuck in there and couldn't move. But it was late, so I pretty much slept all the way through.

I arrived at Narita Airport around 7am, and just the usual queueing up to go through the custom and ready to go out and explore the city. But hey, seems like they decided I should have my journey more exciting start right at the airport. I was at the custom counter, and the custom officer is asking me where's my visa, I said I don't have one. Uh oh!!! Wrong Answer!!!! So I ended up detained in the custom room for half an hour or so, filling up forms before they letting me into the country. It was a bit of a drama, but all went smoothly, despite my rugged look and I still able to convince them I am not an illegal migrant trying to get a job here.

Mr. Nakamurasan was waiting for me at the airport lounge. He was bigger from what I had expected. The sumo clad pics he sent to me was sure an indication he was an ex-sumo wretler. I apologized for being late and he was polite enough to wait for me. He then purchased my first JR train ticket to catch the train from Narita Airport all the way into city. We stopped at the Tokyo Central Station and it was pretty much a blur. It took us some time to exchanged our JR Rail Pass ticket, and also lugging the heaving backpack around station trying to look for the Tazai Railway line to get to our hotel isn't funny. But we did manage to find it and got here at ease. Thank god the concierge of the hotel is very nice and let us check in early into Kayabacho Pearl Hotel. Hence, I will have a shower and head back out again into the city for bit of sight-seeing. Wish me luck!!!

I went out to check out the local touristy stuff around Tokyo for the rest of the day. We went to the Imperial Palace for a walk and check out the Shogun emperor used to live in during the Edo period. Afterwards, we walked back to north to check out the Tokyo International Forum. The building is shaped like a ship and made of glass, but inside is just a big wide space. While we were there, there's an antique market happening outside the forum. There were so many good Japanese antiques and wish I could buy them but carry them back with a heavy luggage does worry me. Then we headed back towards Ginza to have a walk around and window shopping. The area is filled with expensive posh boutiques like Hermes, Christian Dior etc. We walked into the Sony building and checked out some really cool gadgets, but we were fascinated by the staircase inside which will play the octave notes while stepping on each step. As this is our first day, so we played it casually by just taking some cheap Japanese curry meal. It was bit comprehensive to order food, as it was my first time, but I did manage to order without any problem and able to speak few Japanese words.

The rest of the night, we took the metro to go to Akihabara to check out more latest gadgets. Akiban (Akihabara) is quite a fascinating area, there are just shop over shop, selling mobiles, game consoles, everything, you name it. And not just that, there were also young Japanese gals dressing as servants (maid) to lure the businessman to have some relaxation time in the love hotels. Then we also saw some guys having cosplay there, promoting a Halloween party at a night club. Definitely an eyeful for a single day before we heading back to hotel and ready for tomorrow adventure.

HatYaii, Thailand

Just for the sake of putting up pictures again. Hey guess where I was at ?? Hatyaii, Thailand. If you squint, at the back there is a military personnel standing. Actually there are a lot of them. Apparently, security has tighten in the south of Thailand after the bombing and Tak Bai incident.

Recently there was a bombing in Hatyaii near where we stayed. Send shivers down my spine thinking about it. It could have been us !!!

Back in Vienna

Finally back in Vienna. After quite a stint in Malaysia. I finally got the green light from my sponsors to come back to Europe and start my 1st classes.

It was not easy since the recent Muslim Comic uproar, it's not really safe to go anywhere in Europe. Fortunately, in Vienna they are oblivious to such things and I managed to convinced my sponsors that I should be fairly safe here.

The Faculty of Computer Science is a huge complex which houses all of the computational departments in here. There was a small get together with the professors and I was formally introduced to much of the facilities available here. I have access to the supercomputer grid and ample computing time given for my use.

These 2 girls are my research assistant. Jessica and Larissa. They have been assigned by the university to help me out while I am here.

I accidentally saw a faculty that interest me: http://www.univie.ac.at/gender/
The Faculty of Gender Studies. I might take up a few extra courses there.. hehehe

Picassa from Google

I've been using this new software from Google called Picassa. It's really cool coz I can now manage the thousands of pictures in my Harddisk and some I have never seen before hidden away in some remote folder.

It also has the functionality of uploading it to a blog and making a webpage out of it.

The final kick was the functionality of viewing videos as well as pictures.

It's really fast since it uses the google desktop engine under it's hood. Here are some jewels I found tucked inside my HDD.

A candid pic of my late friend Riez ( ...miss you so much! )

The late Riez, Syed & Me

The 1st JB Gathering - Circa year 2000

My Computer

Okay I know it's lame to brag about one's own PC. But this machine has served me well and I am proud of it coz I built it with my own 2 hands. Up-to-date, i currently have 2 PCs. One running on Windows XP and the other on Linux Fedora Core 4.

Here are the specs:-
PC1 (win XP)
- Intel Pentium 4 - 1.7Ghz - Overclocked to 1.8Ghz ( with Intel Xeon 2.4Ghz as backup)
- 1 DVD Combo Drive, 1 CD-Writer
- Nvidia Geforce 5200 - 256MB RAM - AGP
- 15" LCD Display - HP 1502
- 1GHz DDR RAM
- 3 Harddrive (160GB Maxtor, 2 x 120GB Maxtor = Total 300GB).
- 1 External HDD (80GB IBM) - for backup

PC2 (Linux)
- Intel Pentium III - 553Mhz
- ATI Rage 8MB PCI
- (no monitor)
- 40GB HDD

The primary PC1 is used for all my work and stuff (surfing the net, e-mail, video editing etc)
The secondary PC2 is for proxy, website development, code experiments etc.
PC2 has no monitor since I prefer to use linux via remote which is faster than using the conventional KDE/GNOME GUI.

In all these years, I have technically owned 6 PCs. Starting with a modest AMD 486 - 100Mhz with a green monitor (coz I couldn't afford a a display monitor). The monitor was a hand-me-down screen from the matriculation computer lab. 8MB memory was the in-thing at that time. DOS 6 was the only thing it ran. I found the motherboard which someone has thrown away. Fixed it up and it works. Walla.. my 1st PC. Bought a printer EPSON LQ-100 (money shared with my roomates) for thesis typing purposes.

The second PC was a Pentium 1 - 133Mhz. I bought the parts bit by bit from the extra money I had when I was working part-time when I was a student. It was running Windows 3.11. I gave this away to my brother as he badly needs it for this studies.

By this time, the third PC was in the making. It was an Intel Pentium 1 MMX - 200Mhz. The processor was a thing of beauty with a black encasement. This one ran Windows 95. It has a Sound Blaster 16 Card. Someone stole this machine when I was moving to a new house in Serdang.

Fortunately, when the 3rd PC was gone. I was already using the forth PC was an AMD - 300Mhz. Running at a 75 Mhz FSB. I had a copy of Windows 97. I also added a TV card so I can watch TV from my room. An El-cheapo Sound Forte 16 card. I traded this one away to a friend for some networking parts (a 16 port 10/100 3com hub etc etc).

My fifth PC was Pentium II - 350Mhz. Running on Windows 2000. Later I upgrade the processor to Pentium III - 550Mhz. Bought a CD-Writer for this one. Added a Sound Blaster Live Card. It had a Geforce 4 card. Later this was stripped down to make way for the sixth PC. But I still retain this one as my Linux machine.

My sixth is a Pentium 4 - 1.7Ghz. Initially I planned to built a dual processor machine. But due to budget constraint, I use only one processor. It's my current one running on Windows XP. Added an Altec Lansing 2.1 speakers. It had an internal display, NIC and sound card. But I added the Sound Blaster from the old machine coz it just sounded better. Later added a Geforce 5200 card for 3D gaming purposes.

It was a love and hate relationship. I had many sleepless nights trying to get all the components running. Installing and re-installing software after each hard-disk crash. There were many things added/removed/borrowed/never-returned. But overall it has served me well and I'm already preparing for my seventh PC as we speak.

Who knows, it might be a Pentium Duo with a Mac OS Tiger inside.

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 .