It is good to be back.
It is going to be a good two weeks getaway from the summer. Altho not long but i am contented. My mom is the happiest person on earth when she knew i would be back. I have family dinners and activities all planned for the weekends.
Fantastic!
p/s: im very sleepy now. i had to work on US timezone for some meetings that are critical for the project. i think i will take a nap so that i will have enuff rest for tonite's team dinner... see ya!
Angela was in town for business so we met up for dinner @ Fogo E Brasa for some Brazillian food. John has been to one of these type of restaurants when he was in Brazil few years ago, but neither me or Angela has ever been to one. So it would be very interesting to give it a try.
I and Angela.
It was an all-u-can-eat affair a.k.a. buffet style. They have an appetizer section in the middle of the restaurants, ranging from salads, pastas, seafood, etc. And each table will be given one "traffic light" cylinder wood. If you are not ready, show a red sign; if you are ready for meat, give it a green sign and if you are done for the nite, lay the wood flat on the table and they will clear your table for desserts.
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It was Game 4 for the NBA playoffs between Spurs (San Antonio) and Hornets (New Orleans) at San Antonio so we decided to make a trip to back to Austin to catch up with John's frens, besides watching the game live.
Touchdown @ Austin.
The weather in Austin is pretty much similar to Malaysia. It has a higher level of humidity compared to Phoenix. John did not like it too much cos he doesnt like the sticky feeling on his skin - which surprised me because he worked in Austin for 9 years. How can he stayed there for so long if he doesnt like it at all?
Anyways, we set up a luncheon with Kenny and Deotis @ Chuys, their favourite Mexican restaurant in Austin. The restaurant provides free flow of tortilla chips... anyone, i meant ANYONE can eat it. We had a few basket of tortilla chips while waiting for our table and I must say, I was 2/3 full even before i ordered my food. -____-
Misty, Mckenlee and Kenny.
Brianna, Deotis and April.
This is the first time i met Kenny and Deotis families. They are a bunch of nice people and coincidently, both of them (black men) married white women. McKenlee is very cute and pretty - cant stop smilling. *hugz*
The next day, we drove for 2 hours to San Antonio for the Spurs game. There are a lot of people going for the game, as expected but we bought a very good seat - closer to the court.
The Spurs cheerleaders in an autograph session.
In the fake locker room, but it looks real..
The game started!
The Spurs won that nite! It was amazing watching the team won at home court - the fans were incredible. We were happy too, so we went to the River Walk, one the famous places in San Antonio for a small celebration. We had some drinks at SWIG and guess what? We saw someone familiar, a face that we always see on TV at any basketball game. It was Jim Goldstein - the basketball superfan! He has a very unique taste in fashion because you will always see him with long gray hair and wears leather jackets, hats and interesting boots. You can never miss him if you see him on the street! More info about him at Wikipedia.
Jim Goldstein, the superfan and me.
Before we left San Antonio back to Austin to catch our flight, we went to The Alamo - another famous tourist attraction here.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alamo_Mission_in_San_Antonio
The Alamo.
Front of The Alamo.
Let's go in!
It was a nice getaway...
EXTRACT FROM DOUG COPP'S ARTICLE ON THE: 'TRIANGLE OF LIFE'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_of_Life
My name is Doug Copp. I am the Rescue Chief and Disaster Manager of the American Rescue Team International (ARTI), the world's most experienced rescue team. The information in this article will save lives in an earthquake.
I have crawled inside 875 collapsed buildings, worked with rescue teams from 60 countries, founded rescue teams in several countries, and I am a member of many rescue teams from many countries.
I was the United Nations expert in Disaster Mitigation for two years. I have worked at every major disaster in the world since 1985, except for simultaneous disasters.
The first building I ever crawled inside of was a school in Mexico City during the 1985 earthquake. Every child was under its desk. Every child was crushed to the thickness of their bones. They could have survived by lying down next to their desks in the aisles. It was obscene, unnecessary and I wondered why the children were not in the aisles. I didn't at the time know that the children were told to hide under something.
Simply stated, when buildings collapse, the weight of the ceilings falling upon the objects or furniture inside crushes these objects, leaving a space or void next to them. This space is what I call the 'triangle of life'. The larger the object, the stronger, the less it will compact. The less the object compacts, the larger the void, the greater the probability that the person who is using this void for safety will not be injured. The next time you watch collapsed buildings, on television, count the 'triangles' you see formed. They are everywhere. It is the most common shape, you will see, in a collapsed building.
TIPS FOR EARTHQUAKE SAFETY
1) Most everyone who simply 'ducks and covers' WHEN BUILDINGS COLLAPSE are crushed to death. People who get under objects, like desks or cars, are crushed.
2) Cats, dogs and babies often naturally curl up in the fetal position. You should too in an earthquake. It is a natural safety/survival instinct. You can survive in a smaller void. Get next to an object, next to a sofa, next to a large bulky object that will compress slightly but leave a void next to it.
3) Wooden buildings are the safest type of construction to be in during an earthquake. Wood is flexible and moves with the force of the earthquake. If the wooden building does collapse, large survival voids are created. Also, the wooden building has less concentrated, crushing weight. Brick buildings will break into individual bricks. Bricks will cause many injuries but less squashed bodies than concrete slabs.
4) If you are in bed during the night and an earthquake occurs, simply roll off the bed. A safe void will exist around the bed. Hotels can achieve a much greater survival rate in earthquakes, simply by posting a sign on the back of the door of every room telling occupants to lie down on the floor, next to the bottom of the bed during an earthquake.
5) If an earthquake happens and you cannot easily escape by getting out the door or window, then lie down and curl up in the fetal position next to a sofa, or large chair.
6) Most everyone who gets under a doorway when buildings collapse is killed. How? If you stand under a doorway and the doorjamb falls forward or backward you will be crushed by the ceiling above. If the door jam falls sideways you will be cut in half by the doorway. In either case, you will be killed!
7) Never go to the stairs. The stairs have a different 'moment of frequency' (they swing separately from the main part of the building). The stairs and remainder of the building continuously bump into each other until structural failure of the stairs takes place. The people who get on stairs before they fail are chopped up by the stair treads – horribly mutilated. Even if the building doesn't collapse, stay away from the stairs. The stairs are a likely part of the building to be damaged. Even if the stairs are not collapsed by the earthquake, they may collapse later when overloaded by fleeing people. They should always be checked for safety, even when the rest of the building is not damaged.
8) Get Near the Outer Walls Of Buildings Or Outside Of Them If Possible - It is much better to be near the outside of the building rather than the interior. The farther inside you are from the outside perimeter of the building the greater the probability that your escape route will be blocked.
9) People inside of their vehicles are crushed when the road above falls in an earthquake and crushes their vehicles; which is exactly what happened with the slabs between the decks of the Nimitz Freeway. The victims of the San Francisco earthquake all stayed inside of their vehicles. They were all killed. They could have easily survived by getting out and sitting or lying next to their vehicles. Everyone killed would have survived if they had been able to get out of their cars and sit or lie next to them. All the crushed cars had voids 3 feet high next to them, except for the cars that had columns fall directly across them.
10) I discovered, while crawling inside of collapsed newspaper offices and other offices with a lot of paper, that paper does not compact. Large voids are found surrounding stacks of paper.
Spread the word and save someone's life... The Entire world is experiencing natural calamities so be prepared!
'We are but angels with one wing, it takes two to fly'
In 1996 we made a film, which proved my survival methodology to be correct. The Turkish Federal Government, City of Istanbul , University of Istanbul Case Productions and ARTI cooperated to film this practical, scientific test. We collapsed a school and a home with 20 mannequins inside. Ten mannequins did 'duck and cover,' and ten mannequins I used in my 'triangle of life' survival method. After the simulated earthquake collapse we crawled through the rubble and entered the building to film and document the results. The film, in which I practiced my survival techniques under directly observable, scientific conditions , relevant to building collapse, showed there would have been zero percent survival for those doing duck and cover.
There would likely have been 100 percent survivability for people using my method of the 'triangle of life.' This film has been seen by millions of viewers on television in Turkey and the rest of Europe , and it was seen in the USA , Canada and Latin America on the TV program Real TV.
A video in conjunction of the 2008 Olympics. I hope i can be in Beijing too...
First of all, congrats on your graduation day tomoro. Your parents must be so proud of u.
To express our gratitude for your work during the internship, we went for a farewell lunch @ Kona Grill in Scottsdale Fashion Square.
Very delicious American dishes with Chinese influences in it. Lovely.
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It was good seeing u guys here in PHX. I think Bee Kheng will have to put on a lot of whitening moisturizer on her face before her wedding next month - because she has some pretty good tan when she visited the Grand Canyon. That is how hot it is now and it is getting hotter.
We went to The Cheesecake Factory (Eddie's favourite) last Friday and we again, ordered too much food. How can u resist good cheesecake? No one can get away with the temptation...
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Feeling to eat something healthy? High in protein and dietary fiber?
Well, we did 2 weeks ago and so we decided to have Quinoa. Pronounced as "keen-wah", it is a type of grain that is not widely available in the supermarts.
Cooked Quinoa.
Quinoa can be eaten in replace of rice, and we had it with tuna and soy sauce. A very simple dinner but full of nutritions. :)
NATIONAL EXCUSE FOR HAIR LOSS:
Maggi Mee
(a popular instant noodle brand)
NATIONAL EXCUSE FOR BEING LATE:
Traffic Jam
NATIONAL CONDOM:
None. Most Malaysians still feel embarrassed buying condoms. So they rush into a 7-11, hurriedly grab the nearest pack, any pack, pay and leave before the cashier can even blink an eye.
NATIONAL FRUIT FOR INDUCING MENSTRUATION:
Pineapple
NATIONAL APHRODISIAC DRINK:
Stout. Many swear by it. But after a few pints they start swearing at everything...
NATIONAL FAKE ILLNESS FOR GETTING MC (MEN):
Food Poisoning
(MC - Medical Leave)
NATIONAL FAKE ILLNESS FOR GETTING MC (WOMEN):
Menstrual Pain
(MC - Medical Leave)
NATIONAL EXCUSES GIVEN BY WOMEN WHEN REFUSING SEX:
Headache, kids not asleep, maid not asleep, mother-in-law around, early appointment, period, haven't removed make-up, haven't had a shower, no water supply, going to watch 'Desperate Housewives', depressed, no mood, etc...
NATIONAL EXCUSES GIVEN BY MEN WHEN REFUSING SEX:
None. Malaysian men never refuse sex
(oh ya??)
NATIONAL CURE FOR HEADACHES:
Panadol. The 'cure for all'. If it fails we have another secret weapon; Tiger Balm
NATIONAL CURE FOR DIZZINESS:
Minyak Angin Cap Kapak
NATIONAL CAUSE OF DIZZINESS (FOR YUPPIES):
Happy Hours
NATIONAL INSTANT CURE FOR DIZZINESS (FOR YUPPIES):
The sight of a police roadblock
NATIONAL RUBBISH DUMP:
Anywhere. As long as it is not your house.
NATIONAL MOST MIS-PRONOUNCED NAME:
Carrefour. Sometimes even pronounced as Carry 4! On second thought, why bother pronouncing stupid French brands like Peugeot, Renault or Citroen correctly. I think it sounds better,when the local mechanics say 'Pew Jeot'. When I was in school, Milo was always 'MeeLo', now that I'm sophisticated, I say 'My Lo'. So don't be embarrassed saying 'Carry 4' when the Mat Sallehs shamelessly pronounce orang utan as 'rangootan'.
NATIONAL ROADSIDE DISTRACTION:
The Bra-less Tourist. See how heads turn and traffic slows down when a bra-less Mat Salleh backpacker goes 'bouncing' about on the streets.
I havent seen this cute "little" friend for so long. Hey, when you wanna come and visit me in the states? *wink*wink*
Happy Birthday Tee Hui! All the best and give me a hug please.... :) *hugz*
I guess i havent been exercising for a while since i moved here. No running, no badminton, no bowling, no whatsoever. I have been thinking to start running in the morning or evening, but the weather here is really killing me. U know how i hate hot and sunny weather.. especially when it is getting hotter and hotter in the summer. I will get sun burn for sure, and that is not very appealing to me.
After getting the Wii last week, i have some indoor "exercise". This is a good start. I had bowling, golf, tennis, baseball and some boxing. I have to really swing my arms hard as if i am really playing them for real. And the fact that i havent been using my muscles for some time, my body is very sore for the last couple of days.
No kidding.
I need to work out a bit. Seriously. Maybe i should play more Wii. And since we just bought Super Mario Galaxy - you will see me sitting in front of the TV for quite a bit. *wii..*
Super Mario Galaxy.
More info about this game at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Mario_Galaxy
This was taken way back.. a couple of years ago. BUT this doesnt mean that i dont remember your birthday after so many years!
Have a good birthday.. and im really hoping that we can meet up soon! Love ya, PIG! *muaks*
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