Google Mobile App

I use the 'seat of the pants' philosophy when it comes to the Iphone... no instructions, not tutorials just tapping on the trans-reflective capacitance touch-screen opens a world of wonders, interests and social networking for me...

Still, nothing surpasses the intrigue of the human mind...we ask plenty in our lives and Google is almost now the default search engine for all and sundry....

Google's Mobile App is the most ideal app for me, employing visual and audio search parameters... take a picture and the app will launch a search on the description, location and origins...although, the potential is not exactly known yet...literally speak and you shall find, ask and you shall receive...

"Hachiko" was my first vocalised search...and wall-a!! The loyal Akita canine who waited unceasingly for his master at the train station to which master and dog would walk to before and after his untimely death... that is now a Richard Gere flick...a tear-jerker I reckon...I am digressing...

GMP uses essentially intuitive searches...you ask a question and the parameters will be displayed...usual disambiguation ... text and contextual ...as well as pictures and videos... this app is also available for Android phones and Blackberry devices...the limitation...well, if you had a prominent Russian accent or a heavy southern slang...the app may have trouble analysing ...I tried... it was hilarious when I said "Pizza" ...which sounded like "Pisa"... the leaning tower populated the web page...

The app also recognizes pictures, photos, landmarks, books, artwork and logos...and I anticipate the categories to increase and more sophisticated search parameters...

It's free and it's real fun... but I'd be damn if you won't have some bystander looking at you funny talking to your mobile device...and wonders....is the caller deaf or is the delivery man hard of hearing...

Logic and Love

A friend of mine recently got out of a love triangle involving a married person and another party. The person in question could not choose and ultimately made my friend leave instead of choosing between them. On top of that, the person in question was married and divorced by the same fidelity issues. What's more, the other party was mired with the delusion that all they be good friends despite being conflicted in their interests. ...

What a tangled web we weave...

I had a chat with my friend recently...Since we were both on the subject of love and relationships, I expressed beating myself for being able to make so many mistakes in the past and was shortsighted...not only to the one but moreso, I owed it to myself first to be the discerning one...

I have always pride myself for being able to make the right decisions and own my emotional faculties without exception...till the one came along...again... I asked... "

What happened to logic in all of this...for the both of us....if I couldn't see it....why didn't she?"

"Was both of us fooling ourselves and each other when the commitment issues on the outset were not certain?"

My friend's reply ..when a person is in love, all logic flies out the window... what's more...having the awareness of potential escalations and obstacles and plunging into it nonetheless... both of us were to live with the consequences of our actions... there should be no regrets ....it is futile to regret ... the choice was made and we only reap what we sow...

Then I asked... "So, I guess "love conquers all" is not true then"... To which my friend replied, " It's a lie"

I guess so... It's not enough and 'she' said it before...

My friend's counsel is no doubt harsh but true. We all live for each other but sometimes, we all have our own selfish reasons... whether it be to have someone to be a silver lining on a cloudy day or a companion to fill in the void, they may have been selfish to some extent... Why must we all long for someone so badly sometimes that we cast ourselves adrift in a sea of uncertainty...

What's sick about the entire thing... the realization of the illusion of happiness which beguiled ... completely overshadowed the probably downside and hurt which was to become... if only I were Vulcan... More than anything else, I look at myself these days and wonder what got into me... yes, I knew the circumstances and was dead sure I had all the solutions and the fortitude to overcome then... I was never a gambling man...and the stakes for this bet is way too high....

The past was one excruciating lesson I had to learn and is life changing, to say the least. I knew myself to be too idealistic at times... Many a times, I would listen to my heart and ignore my head... regardless of what everyone else tells me to do...and then suddenly ... reality abruptly violates that contentment ...

I suppose everyone is selfish in their own ways...'she' has no choice but to be selfish and so was I...unfortunately... our beliefs were unshakeable...and I believe this was the uprising of resentment.. too mired in our pain and loneliness of past relationships so much so, the first opportunity of filling the void...we took it...so much so I failed to realized or ignored the risk that we were setting ourselves up for sake of momentary bliss...

But looking at this from an outsider... I feel disgusted by the harsh realities but after dissecting the entire scenario...it's about how selfish we are or how much we are willing to sacrifice.... I can sacrifice my life but not my soul...the price of which was bought by the Prince of Peace ...it's too high of a price to sacrifice... I hate being torn in between but ultimately, love is nothing if it was not God led... for God is Love...

The week before CNY

The week before the Chinese New Year celebrations for 2011 is really hectic...

Many of us at Citi Malaysiaare scurrying up and down, trying to get loose ends tied and assignments completed before the 'auspicious' season during which, no one would carry the fortitude for work until the traditions, reunions and dinners are over and done with.... which is probably the only time I get to enjoy the traffic or lack thereof...

By the end of this week, the exodus would be reaching the peak... and I hope that people will drive safely to avoid turning a holiday into tragedy....

I am looking forward to reuniting with my friends from far and near, some flying in to be reunited with their family domiciled here...a time for fellowship, renewal of friendship and the joy of seasonal celebrations across the nation...

I sure miss the good ol' days when firecrackers and fireworks were not banned...the times when my friends and I would plague the playgrounds to let off a myriad of pyro-oriented incendiaries...

Derezzed (Daft Punk)

"Derezzed" by Daft Punk

Tron Legacy was below my expectation...but the score was great.... this one here is one of my favorites~

Being "single" a social stigma?...

yes and no?

A friend described being single as having "small blessings" ... constituting small adjustments in life... and I can only speculate what it means...

...the problem with the heart lies in the nature of its inability to keep still... our lives are in perpetual motion and it stands to reason that a statistic state can never last for long... for the pleasures of being single are apparent and yet, being with someone too much could sometimes invoke likeness of the idiom, "familiarity breeds contempt"... and yet, in between togetherness, the rest of that idiom, "distance makes the heart grow fonder"... is also true...

Life is in a constant state of flux...

I shun small talk resonating like "You should settle down...you're 30+ ...it's about time you tied the knot... why are you not getting hitched yet?... don't you want to wake up next to someone who would make your mornings worthwhile"... Why? ... because you now have your mate and children gives you the moral right to lecture whom you perceive to be "incomplete" or "unfulfilled"... let's not forget who were once single; are now extolling the virtues of relationships and marriages? spare me...

I do not desire to be a citizen of this state... but I my time has not come yet...

Why we do the things we do....

A close friend of mine says "we are only human"...

We are sometimes immensely altruistic in our deeds...which can be a good thing and at times, lead to short-sighted and selfish decisions...which in turn leads to disappointment and suffering... this attribute is one which I possess...

Some people would describe me as "having a good heart"...whilst others would describe me as "reckless, unreliable and unaccountable"...

Over the course of a year, I've learned that both qualities are true about me...as recent events have proved...the more I wanted to do good, the more harm it begat...the irony of it all was that the confidence I had was what I thought would be enough...having little regard, and I think this was the watershed moment...the permissive will of God in my decisions... I may have wanted, but He says no...I am mortified by my actions...I am no devil but I am no angel too...

decisions I've made are life-changing ones...of the wisdom which I have so flippantly overlooked...perhaps it's the most important lesson in life that I must know how much of me I am willing to give before giving...

I dare not profess to be above anyone...I can only try to be a better person everyday and learn from the painful lessons in the past...

I may never see the benevolence or engender the same trust again...but nothing will prevail over my will to try...for to err is human and to forgive is divine...

I hope the hand of acceptance and forgiveness will reach out ... for I have no more desire to be impetuous and inconsistent...

As you sleep, I offer my prayers for His angels to watch over you and your precious one...

Why alone....

Retiring to and waking up alone can be a therapeutic and peaceful activity when one craves "alone time" and yet the heart years for the warmth and comfort of another...

The daily sojourn into a dream-state has somewhat become a constant and unwelcome reminder that waiting for the right person is not an easy suffering, especially after so many of your friends have found their significant halves to settle down with.

That makes the heart feel desolate at times ...

The irony of it all and the supreme being who condones it... some tell me it's the sins of the father for which we are suffering now (I don't think so)...some tell me it's just not my time yet (which irritates the blazes out of me because that has become so generic now)...

Finding a suitable companion is no easy task... amongst others, one drove me up the wall, another couldn't keep them out of her pants (yes, read it carefully) ...and the one whom I thought was for me turned out to be a test of my resolve and faith...one which I barely scrapped through...

What does the prefix "NCC" on a starship mean?

Interesting question...there are several answers found on the internet:

• Star Trek Wikia says: The Starfleet starship registry prefix "NCC" doesn't officially mean anything other than it is the standard prefix for starships in service. There have been other prefixes, notably "NX," denoting a prototype, or experimental vessel- Captain Archer's Warp 5 flagship was designated the NX-01, and its sister ship, the Columbia, was NX-02. Archer once referred to that style of starship as "NX-class." Whether or not "NX" was intended to indicate prototype status in the 22nd century is unclear- this is pretty consistent with Gene Roddenberry's answer (below).

• When Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry was asked this question, he replied that there was no significance to the letters and numbers comprising the registry of the U.S.S. Enterprise. At the time Star Trek first aired, airplanes commonly had "NC" on them, and adding the extra "C" updated the look.

• The Star Trek Encyclopedia says: Original series art director (and avid pilot) Matt Jefferies commented that he chose the "1701" combination of numbers because it was legible from a distance and the numbers wouldn't be confused. Other numbers, like 3, 2 and 5, were not used for this very reason. Also, the extra "C" in "NCC" was a nod to the Russian abbreviation for the old Soviet Union, "CCCP." According to Jefferies, "If we do anything in space, we (Americans and Russians) have to do it together."

• According to non-cannon sources: "NCC" is short for "Naval Construction Code", "Navigational Contact Code" or "Naval Construction Contract" (Star Trek Starfleet Technical Manual. New York: Ballantine Books (1975). ISBN 0-345-34074).

• Another possible explanation for the "NCC" registry code comes from 20th century US Navy Hull classifications. "CC" was the classification for a Heavy Cruiser during Gene Roddenberry's stint in the Navy. The "N" would imply that the Cruiser is nuclear powered. This explanation would account for the Enterprise, but is unacceptable for explaining many of the other ships shown in the motion pictures and subsequent series, which would have used other designations (CV=Aircraft Carrier, BB=battleship, etc.)

Never Ending Story (1984) (Limahl)

Probably the most memorable song for a fantasy movie... as a kid, my mind sauntered the infinite corridors of possibilities...and in the world where the lines between fantasy and reality are thin...

Bastian Bux, an unbelieving a boy who picks up the book with the intertwined serpents who spends the rest of his reading time being pricked and evoked by a world like never before seen.... The book describes the fantasy world of Fantasia which is being threatened by a force called "The Nothing," a void of darkness that consumes everything...

The character Atreyu sought long and hard to find the Ivory Tower ...the Empress reveals that he in fact succeeded: the quest Atreyu went on was the only way to get in touch with a human child and Bastian is listening to their conversation at that very moment... where the Empress reveals to Bastian that the only way to save Fantasia was for him to say her new name...to believe...

I believed...

Turn around
Look at what you see....
In her face
The mirror of your dreams....
Make believe I'm everywhere
Given in the light
Written on the pages
Is the answer to a never ending story...

Reach the stars
Fly a fantasy....
Dream a dream
And what you see will be....
Rhymes that keep their secrets
Will unfold behind the clouds
And there upon a rainbow
Is the answer to a never ending story...

Show no fear
For she may fade away...
In your hand
The birth of a new day...
Rhymes that keep their secrets
Will unfold behind the clouds
And there upon a rainbow
Is the answer to a never ending story

Legal's first birthday celebration in 2011

hApPY BiRtHDay EliA!

...the youngest member of our team getting the privilege of the first birthday celebration this year.... Elia is a PS3 aficionado and a big fan of sleep....she's been an asset to the team, handling the administrative part of our work and now under the tutelage of Mew San in the nitty gritty task of reviewing ICSA / asset custodising...

Where? ...Delicious, Dua Residency


...the salads are awesome and the burgers are succulent. Not to mention their cakes and pastries downstairs... A personal recommendation...the macadamia nut cheese cake...the macadamias are caramelized, glistening over the top with a thin layer of biscuits for the base and the middle is just heavenly cheese... not baked, but heavenly!

It was great that Jen Pink could join us in the midst of her 1.5 glorious week of sleeping-in late pending her transition to Citi Singapore...feels like the team is together again... nothing like a good get together ...

F.A.B.: Thunderbirds Are Go!!

"F.A.B."

The British Royal Post issued six stamps to mark the 50th anniversary of Gerry Anderson's Thunderbirds, at Claycots Primary School.

It's evocative and nostalgic recalling the rainy Saturday mornings when as a kid, I would tear my sheets away, rush down to the living room and turn on the TV to watch the marionette puppets, calling "International Rescue, International Rescue, come in..."

Here is a Youtube presentation of the unveiling of the commemorative stamps.

The stamps are split between 1st Class and 97p value and feature 6 of Anderson's most popular vehicles and characters: Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Joe 90. The countdown begins with Thunderbird 5, International Rescue's orbiting space station keeping a watchful eye over the Tracy's rescue operations. Remember Scott, Virgil, Alan, Gordon and John Tracy.

What's great about these stamps? They're LENTICULAR!!...yes, you can see Thunderbird 1 blasting off by tilting the stamp on angle...F.A.B.

My favorite Thunderbird vehicle...Thunderbird 2 carries the value of 88p. It always played in my mind back then that TB2 was a cute, green, flying guppy fish in the air. TB 2 was piloted by Virgil Tracy. My second choice is TB 1, the flying hot-rod, hypersonic rocket flow nby Scott Tracy..

These memorabilia will be great for collectors and fans of the 1965-1966 series. A reboot was done in 2004, starring Bill Paxton, among others, albeit with lukewarm success...

I suppose it's time to call in a favor from my friends in the UK to bring some back on their next visit...

Thunderbirds are go!

Rest in Peace

I was in a somber mood yesterday after paying my respects to an old friend...

Pravin was AirAsia's Senior First Officer and a father-to-be...

Pravin's funeral ended 3.30pm thereabouts...

The most unbearable moment was Yvonne gentle laid down his pilot's uniform (with a full compliment bearing insignias and epaulets) on Pravin's peacefully resting body together with his pilot's hat. Her final act of love for her beloved husband. Her saying goodbye to him.
I could not stop my tears...
knowing that this is the last time his loving wife is ever going to prepare his clothes for him....
knowing that his son or daughter would have never had the chance to know his/her father...
knowing that Yvonne will have to deliver the baby next month without him around...

My prayers will go out to Pravin's family: Mr. Chandra Tilaka, Mdm Santha, Monsieur Tilaka, Yvonne Wong Tilaka...

As one life ends, another will come to exist soon...live for him/her and Pravin's memory will always be preserved...

Pravin Tilaka (1981- 2011)

I am shocked to hear of the passing of a friend.

He was a kind person, a filial son and was a soon to be father. His untimely death is unfathomable...

Now, you are committed to God.

I will pray for Yvonne and your unborn child. That in the midst of this
sorrow, God's hands of providence will bless and
keep them safe and well...

May you rest in peace.

To Pravin's family: Uncle, Aunty and Monsieur, my deepest condolences for your loss. My prayers are with you...

Jen Pink's Farewell

Jen Pink and Elia

Parting is such sweet sorrow....

Yesterday was Jen Pink's last day with Citi Malaysia...In her almost 5 years of service, she handled equity and derivatives.... Though only 6 months in Citi, I have gotten to know Jen Pink and enjoyed her company. There were quite some good times all of us had in 2010...

I remember Jen Pink during Citi's Treasure Hunt (with our boss and Country Legal Counsel - Lee Chee Ming and our colleague, Stantley James Tan- Head of Markets, Treasury) in July 2010, exasperated when we did not win anything despite our confidence we came in top 10 (we discovered thereafter that our results went missing) ...

I remember Jen Pink when both of us made the theme flag for our team, aptly named "Legally Treasured" for the treasure hunt... (which we won nothing out off too...Sanjeev (CEO) liked it though...)

I remember Jen Pink during Citi's Global Community Day in October 2010, planting tree saplings with Elia and I in our bid to help Mother Earth...

I remember Jen Pink scolding the Relationship Managers over the phone....

I remember Jen Pink saving "sun credits"...

Only a mere 2 months have gone by since we learned of her departure to Citi Singapore...the day came too quickly...

We had her farewell lunch at Benkay Japanese Restaurant, Nikko Hotel.... Before we left, I twisted her into giving a parting speech and the coy "Thank you for the wonder lunch...bla bla bla" routine was given... and back at the office...things became more relaxed .... spending just that little bit more time with our fellow comrade...as a matter of fact.... we had a rather long coffee break with JP just today...

Citi Malaysia's Legal Team- Yvonne, Mew San, me, Pui San,
Jen Pink (now Citi Singapore) , Elia, Chee Ming

Our team of Legal Counsels is now one less....
It has been too short of a time to have known a fun colleague, only to know that her days were numbered at Citi Malaysia. I hope Citi Singapore's Private Banking will treat her well.

Farewell Jen Pink... All the best in the undertakings on which you are about to engage.

God speed!

Silence Is Golden...

At San Francisco Coffee (Menara Citibank)...Andrew Chong (Treasury), Jen Pink (Legal) and I having a drink talking about Iphones and Jen Pink's last day today with Country Legal. Among the topics...

Peter: Andrew, how do create folders on the desktop ?

Andrew: You drag, say a game into Angry Birds. It would automatically create a folder called "Games" and then, just drag the rest of your games in there. I noticed you've got quite a number of apps already...in just a few days.

Jen Pink: Peter got used to the Iphone very fast. Yea, these techie nerds are like that.

Peter: Hey! It's just user friendly, that's all...

(Then I showed them my Tricorder app)

Jen Pink (to Andrew): Yeah, he's probably a member of www.nerd.com. In the office, you will hear beeps and sounds from his cubicle occasionally... phasers and scanning sounds. He's quite a techie kinda-guy.

Peter: Hello!

(I couldn't figure one thing out on the Iphone, so...)

Peter: Andrew, how do you put the phone on silent mode. Do you do this?

(That's when I flipped the phone the other way around on the coffee table)

Andrew + Jen Pink: ............................

(followed by implacable laughter)

Peter: ???

...after a few minutes when the laughing stopped...

Andrew: For a guy who can figure out stuff so quick, I'm surprised you didn't figure this one out...(then he showed me this little slide switch on the top left corner of the phone)

Peter: *silence*

You

You are angry for my inability to be honest, as you say,
I am not angry for your inability to love me anymore.


I love you but I cannot be with you,
I could never leave you without making you hate me.


Perhaps it was easier for you to let go,
Perhaps it was harder for me to hold on.


I sometimes ask what supreme being would condone this irony,
You have renewed your faith since then.


I embrace whatever joy and hope future that holds,
I will neglect the prejudice and contempt in my heart.


One day you might find the grace to forgive me,
And one day I might find your love and friendship again.

The first few days in the new year...

It's been a great opening for the new year...

Yesterday-

I met up with Pat Lee and Cheryl Lim, my schoolmates whom I haven't seen in ages. Pat is now in Singapore and is probably the most energetic, out-doorish and active individual in our high school batch. She has run Boston, NY marathons, scaled the heights of Kilimanjaro and dove in waters around the world. Cheryl is now the creative director of Redfm and had always had the flare for all things philosophical and existential...

...in many ways, lost friends found recently...

We satisfied our palette with vegetarian and all Indian delights at Annalakshimi, at the Temple of Fine Arts in Brickfields, which was short-lived as Pat needed to rush for rock climbing classes. After her class, we congregated for a cuppa. As we made it up as we went along, Ezral came to presence at Sari Ratu (Indon food) at Kota Damansara after Pat's departure... As usual, the 2 ex-debating teammates bore no less wit and satire than they possessed back in hey-days in SMDU.

Yes, those 2 were my sources of vocabulary, language and linguistic appreciation...

Monday-

I got my Iphone 4, a device with which I have become quite enamored over the last few months- I kid you not, queuing up at 7 something on a Monday morning for a 40-a-day quota is not for the impatient...
My upcoming assignments has in store a plethora of issues and challenges, which I am gladly to take by the horns...probably something about becoming accustomed with the job

My colleagues are back in full swing, as is our ever zealous business units... after all, its business as usual.

Though I felt I have left a big part of me in some other temporal plain, this year, I suspect has started to unfold in the most ubiquitous of ways....

Perhaps this year, I might meet a mate whose life would I share with God... I was chess understudy once from which many important lessons are thought..... this time, avoidance of a stalemate is going to be the mainstay in my pursuit...

It feels like...

coming home after a long and uncertain voyage...

The final days of 2010 were momentous and benevolent...

I have restored and renewed my faith in Christ Jesus...
I have found inner peace and the strength to remain steadfast under His permissive will...
I have wonderful colleagues whose guidance and tolerance have made my transition into Citi Malaysia less awkward...
I received a WOW Service Winner Award from my colleagues (undeservingly, of course) for my contributions to the franchise at Citi Malaysia...

My prayer for serenity, courage and wisdom will not cease, for I lacked two of these qualities in the past...leading to much suffering...

God willing, my loneliness will be filled by someone who trully loves God and me unconditionally...

Happy New Year 2011!!!!!

Happy New Year everyone!!! It's 2011...
the year before 2012, the supposed end of the world
the year after the first decade in the 21 century
the year I am hoping is filled with new challenges and new happiness

I ushered the new year at the local joint in Damansara Kim...Online. It was moderate compared to the years before. After the countdown, I picked up the check and joined my ex-colleague Sankat at Finnegans (an Irish pub) in Sri Hartmas...man, was the new year quiet...first time in my life, parking could be found within the first five minutes of me reaching the neighbourhood!

I am sober for the most of it... a fellowship of lawyers and friends....

To all my beloved family and friends, I urge everyone to waste not any time to make this year a phenomenal one!