2016 in a glance.

2016 has been a roller coaster. So much has changed in such a short year.

First of all, I've completed one of my bucket list. A trip to New Zealand. What a wonderful trip it was with some of my loved ones. Nothing could prepare me for the beauty of New Zealand. From the North island to the South island, I was constantly mesmerized.

Second, I bought another place. This time in my hometown. It's not a big place but I love that it has a seaview. It won't be complete till 2020 though but I'm already looking forward to it. I'm just hoping I'll be able to cope with the extra burden.

Third, I got married. Yes, finally I found the one and I settled down. Life will change but hopefully for the better. Love is kind of like a double edged sword. You win some, you lose some. Give and take. Forgive and forget. Happy wife, happy life. Those kind of things.

Now that my wedding is over, I can finally pen some of my feelings and thoughts in regards to that one day which every bride looks forward to and every groom dreads.

I'm happy on my wedding day. Mainly because I didn't fuss too much about the small things. I let everything work exactly as it should and if some problems arise, I let some of my friends or family members help with it. I try not to settle problems that other people can assist with. I think that's important on your wedding day. You can plan for a perfect wedding but something will go wrong. The important thing is getting the courage to just say, it's OK. If it's meant to be, it is meant to be. Then smile and still rock on.

I'm grateful to so many people who came to my wedding and also grateful to some who can't make it. It is times like these that you know who you can count on. There are people who cancelled last minute and decided to ignore the whole thing and wish it'd go away. The buggers didn't even have the courtesy to notify me. To them, I say my thanks too. It's all part of knowing who you can count on. Planning a wedding is hard and allocating seats is even harder. There's so many people you would love to invite and there's only limited space. If someone invited you to their wedding, it's definitely not for the money. They sincerely want you to be there. And if they can make arrangements in their limited space for you to be there, please return the courtesy by being there.

Anyway, end of rant.

To the relatives especially those that came from Singapore and some who just finished their vacation, you have my utmost gratitude. I know it's tiring and sometimes troublesome but your presence makes it all the more meaningful. We don't have as much gatherings as we do when my dad was here because as I grow older, my cousins and uncles and aunties are all busy with kids and grandchildren. They all have a small family to take into consideration and I know it makes gatherings more difficult. I remember when Chinese New Year was simpler and merrier. Now that I'm married it gets more complicated because I need to be at my in laws also.

To my friends who came from Johor, KL, Ipoh and some that took leave because a religious person decided the suitable date for me to get married is on  Friday, thank you. I only hope that you guys had fun and had a great time connecting with friends. In some ways, all of you changed a part of me. Some more than others but memories are sums of a person. I always had this idea that my friends are better than others. We all didn't do bad. We might not be extra rich or millionaires yet but we're all alive and happy and not in jail. We're all good people and I guess in the end, being good trumps being rich.

To the people who has lend their hand in my wedding especially my best man Julian Yeap, my favourite singer Chelsia Ng and my favourite Miss Hard Rock Ling Wei... Thank you. I owe you guys a debt and if ever you need any help, I'll do my best for you.

Not to forget part of the four horsemen, Vincent, Mars and Abbas. You guys truthfully are some of my closest people. We've been through so much and watched so many movies together. Life is better shared and I'm glad you guys were there to share this occasion.

Last but not least, to my singer Joven Goce with his driver Noel... and my photographers Kitoki and XJun, I am grateful to have you guys as part of the day. It feels a bit easier having people you know and trust to do the things they do best.

2016 has been great. I want to ask for a better 2017 but it just seems a bit too much to ask more from god.

Thank you 2016.

Oh, 2017, new studio in the heart of Raja Uda. :)

Horology Journey

Recently I've become very fascinated with watches. Vintage, automatic, mecha-quartz. high beat, chronoscope, chronograph, telemeters, you name it, I want to know more about it.

The beater - My go-to watch when needing to bang and crash. The old school G-Shock DW5900. Since 1983 which coincidentally is my birth year. The watch was not made in 1983 but the history of this brand sure is.

I think what got me into this hobby was first experiencing the demise of my Apple Watch. I set out on an endeavour to repair it and to find out a 1800 piece of smart watch couldn't be repaired after it's screen broke got me thinking about the price and longevity of the watch. Definitely the watch couldn't last more than 3 years as technology advances and we consume more through our watch. I might even want to watch a movie on my watch in 3 years time.

However, as I ponder upon the death and try to repair this Apple Watch, I took a look at my dad's Seiko Diamatic. That is one watch that has lived through it's time and took some serious beating. It still runs but not as accurate as it was supposed to. That was when I decided I should wear this watch for my wedding. That decision spurred me to find a place to repair this watch. I've went into forums to look for more information in regards to this piece but found not much info. I've also went to an old shop that repairs watches but he said he couldn't fix it.

The everyday workhorse - The green lume, cathedral hands, vintage applied hours and 6R15 movement makes me smile everyday.

It was last Saturday that I finally stumbled upon an old watch shop near my office who could fix the watch. He took one look at the watch and said no worries, he has absolute confidence in repairing it. He even took it apart and immediately told me the problem and quoted me.

I was immediately relieved that this timepiece which lasted more than 30 years now could still be revived and would walk with me as I take another step in my new life with a new partner. Something that my dad left for us would be on my wrist and near to my heart.

He couldn't see me get married but I could see him when I'm getting married.

Oh, and in part due to this search and study, I've gotten addicted to watches and horology. I've read more about vintage and new timepieces. I've even begun collecting some old and new timepieces myself. I've never put much look into timepieces but I look back at my previous timepieces now and have a new sense of appreciation for what goes into the mechanics and the perfection of each timepiece either in their workings, their dials, their casings or even their history.

My dressier piece - the blue sunburst is just beautiful. 

I owe you guys an apology.

I didn't realize it has been so long. My last post was in July. That was when GoT was still showing. It feels like an eternity since then. I've been busy with work and getting married. OK, not really getting married cause I haven't really done a lot. We've signed our papers last month though and being married has its pros and cons. I also just came back from Jakarta for my Bachelor Party with SillySeng, MiniMars and KhooKuCao. It was wild but we came back to a whole plethora of problems. All of us had diarrhea. I had it the worst and was admitted. Nothing much happened since July. If you're really interested, either follow my FB or instagram. I update there more often cause it's so much easier to write 14 letters or post a snapshot than writing a shit long essay. I do enjoy writing though. It's something that has captivated me since I was young. Reading and writing. I feel that this blogpost will serve as a great diary in the future. It's not a daily diary but it has some of my most treasured memories and opinions. Sometimes I feel like posting too much about my thoughts and social life puts people off, mainly because my life is really boring. Sometimes I feel like writing reviews might get me traffic but it doesn't actually serve to feed my soul. It's just me churning out datas and opinions. I'm having my wedding reception in December but I haven't actually done shit. It's definitely going to be hectic. Tomorrow I have another job early in the morning and I'm looking forward to it. I love doing my work because I love creating something beautiful. I love making memories for other people. I love capturing moments. But I also love being able to spend more time with my loved ones, being able to have some alone time, being able to travel. I guess everything has to have a compromise. We can't really have everything we want. We need to determine which one's worth having and compromise on somethings. Anyway, TWD will be back soon, and I'm so excited about the coming Marvel's DR Strange. I haven't bought my tickets because I don't actually know whether my wife will be able to make it. :(

Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 9 - Battle of The Bastards (Sansa is pregnant)

First of all, this review is not spoiler free. This review is a fucking spoilerdom! Proceed with caution.

Anyway, have been reading a lot of people come up with theories that Sansa Stark is pregnant and all but after last Sunday's episode, I have come to the conclusion that she is. I might be wrong but who cares. Everyone is giving predictions and ambigious lines so here I am offering my 2 cents.

First of all, we started thinking Sansa is pregnant because she said " I can still feel what he did, in my body, standing here, right now." during her speech to Littlefinger.

Now, we have Ramsay telling her that she could never kill him because he's part of her now. This is the part where everyone surmises that he was referring to his child.

However, what she answered after that was the one that confirms it for me.

Your words will disappear.
Your house will disappear.
Your name will disappear.
All memory of you will disappear.

This quote leads me to think that she is referring to their child. Which she will name as a Stark and his child will never know the name Bolton and will never know Ramsay. His house will disasppear as there will be no more heir and his words will disappear because no one will ever remember him.

Success stories

Success to many is one big step and one big opportunity given or provided at the right time. That is entirely false.

Success is the culmination of years of hard work and preparation. Years of slogging it out there and making yourself known. Success is all about that 10,000 hours you put before that big opportunity. 

I am not successful and at the age of 33 this year I wonder whether it's too late. A lot of people who are younger than me are already successful. That's what I see through social media and the news. The truth couldn't be farther from that. Everyday we hear about the success stories but not the mundane ones, not the ones where people fail. We are not tuned for storytelling about failures and mediocre achievements. 

It is true, we are a generation of youngsters who want to achieve something without putting in the hard work. We feel we are owed these achievements because we are promised greatness since young. We forget we grow up with people who work hard for the promises they made to us. They were not brought up with promises but they promised us everything because they want us to be better than them. 

We were brought up to believe that studying hard ensures success. We forget that studying is just a small part of our life. We were not taught finances, marketing, management and the benefits of hard work. We have the rest of our lives to make not something wildly successful but to try our best in whatever that was given to us. To work hard in achieving something and I've always believed that if you know what you want and everything you do is in the purpose of achieving that... you will either get it or die trying.

A preview of Plan B's new menu. #yournewlocal

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending Plan B's new menu tasting @ Gurney Paragon.

They had a range of interesting food subjects and their menu is really good. However, we're not exposed to the pricing yet. Hopefully the pricing is also local. The french fries dips are awesome. The Singapore Chili and Salted Egg Yolk were my favourites.

Drop by the place if you're in Penang. Available in Gurney Paragon and Queensbay Mall.

A full review of BATMAN vs SUPERMAN : DAWN OF JUSTICE minus the spoilers

OK, just watched the much hyped and anticipated Batman VS Superman : Dawn of Justice movie yesterday at 9.00 PM on IMAX 3D.

My first review is whether it's worth it to watch in IMAX 3D. Truthfully, if you have the IMAX 2D version, just go for those. 3D effect I thought would be much better in this movie but I was wrong, it was a good addition but it is not something that I think we must have unlike The WALK.

Having Gal Gadot is a very much welcomed addition and brings a very dynamic chemistry to this film. Instead of just watching Batman hate Superman and vow his vengeance, we also get to see Wonder Woman's entry into all of this and how she could shape the battle to come. Her history is also very intriguing and I am looking forward to Wonder Woman.

The story mainly tells of Superman and how his powers are viewed in the world 18 months after the devastation in Metropolis or 18 months after the world was introduced to Superman. A lot of mixed feelings about his powers and whether to govern him through man's law and code of conduct. How to make him accountable and whether he will be a force that can be controlled by the government?

The best twist in the movie and the person that brings everything together in this movie is Lex Luthor aka Jesse Eisenberg. Watching him make Doomsday and how his plans all unravel was just the highlight of the movie.

The movie is titled Dawn of Justice because it really is the Dawn of Justice League. If you plan to continue with Justice League in the near future, you shouldn't miss this. I can't say how he connects every other superhero in this movie without giving away spoilers but it similar to how the movie WATCHMEN strings together their heroes. I can only thank god I don't have to wait another 5 years for the introduction of every character before they begin Justice League. That would be so boring.

The next Wonder Woman movie will be the movie that brings Justice League together before the actual Justice League movie.

Overall, I think DC made a wonderful job with this movie. I was not such a big fan of Man Of Steel due to their convoluted timeline and constant flashbacks. Their fight scenes was also not something I prefer. However, this movie brought a whole new different appreciation to DC. The superpowers & their abilities are more pronounced than Marvel and they are so much more devastating than Marvel. Watching a whole city destroyed in 5 seconds is so much more satisfying than watching 5-6 person protect a beacon (Age of Ultron?)

All in all, I'm a fan of Marvel and their styles are totally different to DC and I guess choice is a good thing. Marvel has some work to do though now. It's no longer the only capable comic franchise in the cinematic universe.

Selamatkan Malaysia. Why Now?

I've been reading news and comments about the new petition to remove Najib spearheaded by Tun Mahathir. Among the things the sceptics are saying cover mainly:

1. Mahathir himself was a tyrant who set the government into becoming what it is today. 

2. How politicians are so fake they can pretend to be friends to mutually benefit each other. TWO FACE.

3. Some are not doing it for the country, they are doing this because they want to be the prime minister.

4. With the disposal of Najib, some see it as less of an opportunity for a whole change where they can dispose of the ruling government and go straight to the big change. They are hoping for an opposition win in the next election.

Well, I have only one thing to say, National Security Law. 

Instead of seeing Mahathir as a tyrant who was wrong, why not see him as a person who has changed. Maybe even trying to protect a modicum of what is left in his legacy. Politicians only hate each other on the stand. Outside, how sure are you that they do not call each other and just hang out to discuss other issues. They might argue over a thousand things in the parliamentary debate but I can assure you, some if not most of them have kids going to the same school, face similar issues in regards to their constituency, talk about health, bitch about people who they both dislike and others. 

Yes, some want to be the prime minister. They are doing it because they want to be at the top. But think of it this way, if he/she is at the top, they won't be making the same mistake and they won't be so desperate to cover up their track till they have to persecute and maintain tyranny in order to survive. 

Lastly, they are trying to change Malaysia and we can't wait two more years or hope to unseat him in the next GE. Truthfully, the effects up till today will take years to rectify. People will not see us the same way again. From the way MH370 is being handled, the Altantuya crisis up till 1MDB, think of our country's reputation right now. What if you're reading this about Bosnia or Turkey. Would you send your kids to study there? Would you invest your business there? 

What about the racial tensions that are cropping up. It has garnered international attention. People from China and Hong Kong are asking us whether the fracas during Low Yat affects everyone in the country. Remember, what they see in the media is a bunch of hooligans attacking a racial minority. They don't see Abu and Ah Chong drinking teh tarik in Subaidah. 

Lastly, I don't know whether they have selfish reasons for this declaration or pact. I only want to know what they are trying to achieve and how they plan to achieve it. Sitting down in a room full of reporters signing an agreement that only fulfills your agenda or does it have any relevance in the grand scheme of things. What are they actually trying to do and how do they plan to achieve it. That is important. 

Foreign Worker is BAD BUSINESS

The reason we bring foreign workers into the country is because a lot of the odd jobs which are low paying is being refused by our countrymen.

The low paying jobs are still paid with minimal wage because of the influx of foreign workers. If no one is going to work that job, companies offer it to foreign workers because they are cheaper. However, if there's not enough foreign workers, the companies have no choice but to hike up the salary in order to attract locals. This in turn generates income for the common people and takes the minimum wage higher.

The truth is, it's all about supply and demand. If there's not enough supply of foreign workers, ultimately the locals will gladly fill it up. However, this can only happen if locals are given adequate payment and remuneration based on current living standards. We should not pay our locals based on other countries' living standards. True, a foreign worker can work at a baggage loading terminal of a reputable airport for minimum wage because this is their short term solution to their economy crisis in their country. However, if there is no foreign workers in Malaysia, the job will have to be given to locals who will then demand a salary according to the current market. This in turn will benefit the economy and increase our living standards.

Or the locals can go overseas and be treated like foreign workers in other countries plucking fruits or cleaning plates for a salary much better than a graduate in Malaysia.

Underwater Surfing in Gili Trawangan

Sedang belajar edit-mengedit video ini. Kali pertama buat video travel log. Mungkin tidak sebaik yang saya mahu tetapi cubaan pertama ini menjadi petunjuk kepada cubaan akan datang.Harapan saya lain kali akan menjadi lebih baik lagi. Kalau ada silap salah saya akan perbaiki lain kali. 

Jan 14- 17, I took my bags and left for the island of Indonesia. Some of my most life changing moments happened during this trip. But that's another story for another day.

First time trying my hand at this travel video logging thing. It didn't turn out as good as I expected it to be but hopefully in time I'll get better. This first video will serve as my benchmark for other videos to come. My next trip is not until April but hopefully in between, I'll try something out again. Have a good weekend.