A message to my friends...

I have two friends who will get married in the next five months or so. Knowing them, and what their friends will do to them, I've got an important message: don't drink too much during your wedding day.

Because in Taiwan a groom just died on his wedding day after having too much wine and beer.

No one should mix wine and beer anyway - unless they're free.

Alternatively, if the wedding can be something similar to this bar in the U.K. (also shared by a friend), that would be, like, continuous yum seng. Yay!

And ladies - or the brides to be, there is another reason to not let your loved ones get drunk in your wedding day. Because a study found that after drinking alcohol men actually see women as less attractive. You don't want that to happen on that D-day. At least not before they say "I do".

All the best for your weddings.

Cheers!

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Appreciating and understanding others

This is the period where people forgive each other - though we should do so everyday, every moment of our life.

To forgive, or to ask for forgiveness, in a way is like corrective maintenance. You know, we correct or replace what is wrong.

The better way is preventive maintenance. That is, maintain it before it fails. Or in this context, try not to do stuff - intentionally and unintentionally - that will require you to ask for forgiveness later.

To do a good preventive maintenance, one may require to perform analysis and, in some cases, simulations.

One of the biggest challenge in social life is the interaction between men and women (one of which men usually apologize without knowing exactly what was wrong). Time Out New York did a little simulation to better understand each sex, particularly in the area of bouncing boobs and dangling dicks. Their reporters traded parts to find out how it feels.

And here are the verdicts:

Guys, I’m not moved by your penis plight. Granted, had I been wearing a pair of loose-fitting boxer shorts, I may have had some motion-control issues—it couldn’t be any fun to run or bike with a set of sweaty objects thwacking against your thigh. But dudes, take advantage of the fact that American Apparel has brought back the brief and as far as I can tell, you’ll be golden. I’ll never make fun of your tighty-whities again. —Kate Lowenstein

I experienced no chronic back problems or sore nipples; the problem that plagued me the most was the punching-bag effect that occurred when doing arm curls. Though this was catnip to my perpetually fifth-grade male mentality, had the boobs actually been attached to my chest, the overwhelming feeling would’ve likely been one of pain, not fascination. —Drew Toal

Let's better appreciate and understand others.

Happy Eid, selamat lebaran, mohon maaf lahir dan batin.

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Being an Olympian: what to expect

A lot of practice sessions. Tough ones, to be sure.

But once you get there to compete, and stay in the Olympic Village, the expectations might be different.

Matthew Syed, a former Olympian, shares a story of interaction among athletes in the Olympic Village. A fact which, perhaps, caused some 100,000 high-quality condoms made available at the Village's clinic.

Do you want to be an Olympian? (or just being there in the Olympic Village)

clipped from www.timesonline.co.uk

This sex fest was not limited to Barcelona: the same thing happened in Sydney in 2000, my second Olympics as an athlete, and is happening right here in Beijing, where this time I'm a commentator. I spoke to an Aussie table tennis player this week to check out the village vibe and he launched into the breathless patter common to any Olympic debutant: “It is unbelievable in there; everyone is totally crazy once they are out of their competitions. God knows what it is going to be like this weekend. It is like a world within a world.” A British runner (anonymous again: athletes are not supposed to talk to journalists unaccompanied by a PR type, least of all about sex) said: “The swimmers finished earlier in the week and it was like there was an eruption.”

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On beach volleyball

As a response to Anita's "no problem with men's beach volleyball - for a different reason", watch again the women's beach volleyball final. It had it all: beach, bikini, rain, and women jumping, rolling and hugging each other. What else can a sport fan ask?

Though this is inspired by some other websites, I think I win my case :)

Check out these pictures from FIVB.

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At least

Here I am, waiting for the Olympics closing ceremony and watching Astro reviews how Malaysian athletes performed in the Olympics.

It's been full of "at least".

Like, "At least he broke the national record."
Or, "At least she got the international experience."

Then, the commentators talked about how Lin Dan studied the video of Lee Chong Wei's moves - enabling him to play fast and anticipate most of Chong Wei's shots. Surprised?

Well, at least next time they can consider using video too...

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Beijing 2008

I was lucky to get the chance to go to Beijing early this week to see some actions in the Olympics. This was a corporate hospitality program of which I was selected to participate. So I'd like to think it has something to do with the cigar I celebrated last year.

The visit was only three days short, but the schedule was packed. It started with table tennis on the first day, men's beach volleyball and athletics on the second day, and women's diving on the last day.

I brought along my new Sony Alpha SLR camera, and took a lot of pictures. (Yes, some of them were the cheerleaders from the beach volleyball game.)

Here are some of my observations.

Olympic Lane. To anticipate traffic during Olympics, one lane is dedicated as Olympic lane in some streets and highways. Surprisingly (or not?) people are pretty disciplined in keeping this lane only for the Olympic-related vehicles. I was also told that during this period Beijing implements odd-even license plate number to match with the days; that it was quite bad that some offices allow their employees to go to work during the days they can drive. Hey, it's the Olympics after all.

Supporters. When their countries do not play, most supporters will support the better-looking players. At least that's what I observed during the table tennis matches. Tetyana Sorochynska from Ukraine (was playing against Wenling Tan Monfardini from Italy), for example, received full supports from my Indian colleagues.

Chinese-descendant players. Most table tennis players are Chinese-descendant. Whether they represent France, Italy, Canada, Poland, and more.

Men's beach volleyball. My colleagues made fun of me going to see the men's beach volleyball game. Sure, women's beach volleyball would be perfect. But we were definitely entertained by the cheerleaders (the game was of high quality too!) See, men's beach volleyball isn't that bad.

Athletics. Usain Bolt was damn fast, and he really looks enjoying every single moment. That's the way it is!

Foreigners. The city is full of foreigners. Most are corporate guests from the main sponsors, and the athletes and coaches themselves, of course. I met a Texan, quite arrogant, who comes with the U.S. soccer team. He doesn't like to sightsee (though I met him near the Forbidden Palace), only to drink and boom-boom.

English. More people in Beijing, I believe, are able to speak English. Some information booths are trilingual. Cops can clearly explain where to get cabs. Servers can even explain that the yummy Peking duck was cooked with pork oil. (damn it!)

I uploaded some of the pictures to my flickr and facebook.

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R-rated exhibition

Or NC-16, if there's such thing. Admission is free. No one under the age 16 is allowed. No short. No slippers. No photography.

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Busy

Been busy like bees - mostly over the weekends, with works, guests, and trips. I went to Genting, (yup, again) with guests, spent a weekend observing my team going through a teambuilding activity, interviewed an MBA applicant (and completed the evaluation), and went to Singapore for the Police concert (they rocked!). My parents are visiting at the moment.

Here's Tari's hand during the concert (and some other pictures below):


And other things that occupies and just can't get out of my mind. I hope to settle many things in the next few weeks.

I've missed reading blogs for weeks now, but created a lot of drafts. Yeah, those unfinished, useless drafts that sometimes I didn't even remember what I was trying to say. Not that I have much to say -- Tari can attest to that.

Some photos I took in the concert.

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Happy new year

Happy new year, everyone!

For the third time in a row, we spent the new year's eve in KL. This time, though, it wasn't in an apartment.

We celebrated the new year countdown at SouledOut, with its SoulStock theme night. We got companies too! Thirteen guests were joining us -- seven stayed in our place. Full house!

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Ana and the queens

Update - For Ana Ivanovic and 2008 French Open, it's on Ana Ivanovic and Traffic Surge.

Update - I guess I got my wish - a perfect final between Henin and Ivanonic. The only thing is, that it wasn't perfect. Justine was way too strong and experienced for Ana in her first grand slam final. Too many unforced errors, too many double faults. Nevertheless, an excellent tournament for Ivanovic, having beaten both the 2nd and 3rd ranks.

Original post June 4, 2007:
There are many reasons why people love tennis. 19-year old Ana Ivanovic is one of them.

(picture from www.anaivanovic.com)

Ana Ivanovic is currently world's number seven. Born in Serbia, she now lives in Basel, Switzerland, unlike many other players who choose Florida.

She hits and serves hard. Her fastest serve in the last game was 201 km/h, compared to Federer's 213 km/h and Nadal's 198 km/h in their respective 4th round matches. The ladies final between her and the one-handed-backhander Justine Henin would be perfect.

The ladies quarter finals itself is almost perfect, with almost all the eight top seeded players, today's queens of tennis, in. The only exception is seeded nine Anna Chakvetadze, taking seeded five Amelie Mauresmo's place. Not bad.

Here are the queens (pictures from Roland Garros website):

#1 Justine Henin vs. #8 Serena Williams
vs.

#4 Jelena Jankovic vs. #6 Nicole Vaidisova
vs.

#7 Ana Ivanovic vs. #3 Svetlana Kuznetsova
vs.

#9 Anna Chakvetadze vs. #2 Maria Sharapova
vs.

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Another recall of contact lense solution

It was Bausch & Lomb's ReNu almost exactly a year ago. Then Complete MoisturePlus last November. Now, another recall case of Complete MoisturePlus. This latest case has been linked to a rare but serious eye infection that can cause blindness.

The recall includes products in Asia, so if you currently use one, please stop using it. Check the manufacturer's Southeast Asia website for more info.

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The naked mile and peer pressure

It's this time of the year that the naked mile usually held in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Naked Mile is a tradition at the University of Michigan where graduating Seniors run through campus naked the evening of the last day of classes. It started in 1986 and finally was banned in 2004.

I went to the event while in Ann Arbor, 1998-1999. The crowd was superb - the runners as well. Some runners would shout "pervert!" to the spectators. But no one seemed to care. Everyone was too busy taking pictures.

And it was cold too. Late April in Michigan can be as cold as in the 40's degree Fahrenheit.

No, I'm not sharing any naked mile pictures in this blog. An article from the Michigan Daily has a considerate picture of naked mile in 1998. And of course, there are websites selling pictures and videos of the naked mile. Just google "naked mile"...

One would wonder why these students would do such things. Some would say fun. Others would say keeping the tradition.

The rest were under peer pressure, as implied in another Michigan Daily article written by an ex-runner sharing her experience, and an article where a student was having an inner battle whether to run or not to run.

I agree with Cam who said: "It appears to me that the power of peer pressure and social acceptance is the main attraction here. The old saying, "Would you jump off a cliff if everyone else is doing it?" certainly pertains here. Most people would say no, but when confronted with the actual decision, they cave in and conform."

Peer pressure is, loosely, a concern with being accepted by others. Here's a brief TV ad that we used while discussing peer pressure as a motivation for conforming to others. It's quite a big challenge for teenagers. It's a mix of positive and negative influence, and may include things from fashion to alcohol, and from way of life to getting actively in sports.

By the way, it is actually illegal to run naked through the streets. But at the same time it is not illegal to take pictures of naked people. There was a period where most runners were wearing underwear to avoid arrest. That way, the only violation was interfering with traffic...

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Find what's not right

Can anyone find what's not "right" in the picture below? (not to be taken seriously)


The image is from Yahoo!News Photo, one of the most emailed: "A man holds a little dog during Saint Lazaro's celebration in Masaya, some 25 kms (15 miles ) south of Managua, Sunday, March 25, 2007. Every year hundreds of parishioners take their dogs, most dressed up in costumes, to ask Saint Lazaro for their health." (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

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March madness

Perhaps it was too soon for me to say I didn't get killed. Didn't get shot is probably more correct. The fact is, in the past two weeks I haven't had time to write anything other than over the weekends.

Since March Madness has just started, I just want to post the bracket. The way I see it, this is one way to legalize organized gambling at workplace in the U.S. During this time in the year, many people would bet on the games. At the end, the house always wins.



Question: why are gambling markets organized so differently from financial markets? The answer might be here. :)

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2007 Super Bowl

I heard the Indiana Colts won the Super Bowl, beating the Chicago Bears 29-17. But Super Bowl is really not about the game, isn't it? It's the commercials and half-time entertainment.

Remember Janet Jackson in 2004? (Don't worry, the link is to Wikipedia)

Past commercials like Reebok's the Office Linebacker or Visa's Yo or Levi's Crazy Legs are pretty cool and popular. And if I'm not mistaken, some of those commercials were made and aired during Super Bowl only. Hang on, this one's cool too: FedEx's Caveman.

For this year, my favorite is Bud Light's Rock, Paper, Scissors.

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Father

This is to my buddy in Royal Oak, MI, in welcoming his newborn son on January 17.

"To become a father is not hard. To be a father is, however"
- Wilhelm Busch

Well, conceptually and comparatively.

All the best, pal. Cherish every moment.



About the quote:
My wife used to buy Real Simple magazine regularly. There's this one I happened to find in the bathroom a couple of days ago, with the quote on the side cover. Pretty simple, yet true.

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2007 North American International Auto Show

aka Detroit Auto Show

I was a regular to this show while in Michigan. I'm not, and wasn't, into cars, but it was more because the creativity and imaginations of the concept cars (and to keep up with everyone else in Michigan...). The concept cars are just simply stunning.

Here's a few: the Honda Accord Coupe concept, the Accura Advanced Sports concept, the Chevrolet Volt concept, and the Mazda Ryuga concept.

This year there is ChangFeng. What? Ah, a Chinese automaker - making their first appearance outside China. As ugly as their concept cars mighy look to some, the point is they made it to the biggest auto show on earth! Effect of brain gain?










And last but not least... like any other exhibitions, there are always the SPGs...



(all pictures from Detroit Free Press)

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