"Table Manners"

"I remember once, during an office hour lunch, I kept talking to my colleague in a low voice, then my boss asked me "Where's your table manners?" *took my phone out under the table & continued my conversation through Whatapps* :P"

Iphone "O"

"In light of the rife competition among the giant phonemakers, as a suggestion, in order for Apple to obsolete all its competitors, they should come up with something like an Iphone "O".. Yup, the Iphone "Obsolete" that is :P"

City Of Thieves - David Benioff

At first, when I picked up this book, I really didn't know what to expect from this book.. I thought this was going be another mundane read.. 'Cause the book deals more with the oppression in Russia during World War II..

As soon as I went past Chapter I.. Man.. I knew I was going to be in for a treat!

The read really started with aplomb. In the beginning, the story delves in a Jewish protagonist's predicaments in the face of an incoming war. Overall, I really like how the story begins. At first, it talks about the protagonist's, Lev's first brush of the war with a company of friends. Deeper into the story, we only get to know that Lev's friends were actually from the same flat as him. They managed to make a camp at the rooftop or rather, at the top of the building. They volunteered  as firefighters or as an army for their country in their area.

In the midst of the beginning of the story, they discovered a German soldier in a parachute who had fallen from the sky. It turned out then that fortunately, the German had in fact died during the fall due to the extremely cold weather in Leningrad. From this, the story then quickly moves on to the imprisonment of Lev.

It then quickly talks about Lev being imprisoned in a dark prison, in total solitary. Lev, who couldn't sleep in his cell, only had his thoughts to entertain him. Next, he heard some shuffling outside his cell's door, he knew that the guards had came over to deliver his sentence. On the contrary, it turned out that in fact, they wanted to insert a new prisoner in the same cell as him. He only managed to catch a glimpse of the new prisoner before the cell's gate closed on them.

I actually like how the story turns out later. At first, as it starts with the introduction of a group of youngsters serving as army for Russia, I thought it is about the survival of a bunch of kids during a war, although in retrospect, I knew it was about two persons' quest for a dozen of eggs during a city's siege. I didn't really know how the story would pan out. I didn't know later it would talk about, albeit briefly, the philosophical insights of a teenage boy in a dark cell, his last thoughts before his final execution. I was quite surprised by that, honestly.

After all these surprises, I was actually quite glad and content with the introduction of Kolya, Lev's companion in their quest for those eggs in the command of a colonel for making of the colonel's daughter's wedding cake (Huh? Lol..). I really enjoyed his company, his musings and his witty banter with Lev. He is indeed a wonderful character. I would definitely consider it worthy to listen to Kolya's rambling all day long, if given the chance. I wouldn't mind it really. Without any spoilers, I was pretty amused with Kolya's reference to a book. Hmmm..

And not forgetting the cute Vika of course..

Below are some excerpt from the book that I really like, so enjoy!:

"He looked at me just as the guards left, shutting the cell door and bolting it from the outside, taking their light with them. His face was the last thing I saw before the darkness resumed, so it's stuck in my mind: the high Cossack cheekbones, the amused twist of the lips, the hay-bound hair, the eyes blue enough to please any Aryan bride."

"He tossed his pad of paper on the desk and I could see that he hadn't been taking notes, as I'd thought, but simply drawing X's, over and over again, till the entire sheet of paper was covered with them. For some reason this frightened me more than his uniform or his brawler's face. A man who drew pictures of tits or dogs seemed like a man I could understand. But a man who drew nothing but X's?"

"We stood on the sidewalk, beneath a powerless streetlamp cobwebbed with hoarfrost, the great guns firing to the south, the moon veiled by muslin clouds, listening until the final note. When it ended, something seemed wrong: the performance was too good to go unacknowledged, the performer too skilled to accept no applause. For a long moment we were silent, staring up at the dark windows. Finally, when it seemed respectful to move again, we resumed our march."

"He tugged me down from the hill of rubble and I was too weak to resist, too tired for grief or anger or defiance. I wanted to be warm. I wanted to eat. We walked away from the Kirov's remnants and I could not hear my footsteps. I had become a phantom. There was no one left in the city who knew my full name. I felt no great misery for myself, just a kind of dull curiosity that I still seemed to be alive, my exhalations still visible in the moonlight, this son of Cossacks still marching beside me, looking at me from time to time to make sure I kept moving checking the night sky for bombers."

"I never understood people who said their greatest fear was public speaking, or spiders, or any of the other minor terrors. How could you fear any thing more than death? Everything else offered moments of escape: a paralyzed man could still read Dickens; a man in the grips of dementia might have flashes of the most absurd beauty."

"I was sitting on a window ledge watching her and trying to make sure she didn't know I was watching her. She had stripped off her coveralls to let them dry. She wore a heavy wool woodcutter's shirt that once belonged to a man twice her size and two pairs of long underwear. Unlike most redheads, she didn't have a single freckle. She worried at her upper lip with the bottom row of her crooked little teeth. I couldn't stop looking at her. She was no man's idea of a pinup girl-underfed as she was, looking like she'd spent the last week sleeping in the forest-but I wanted to see her naked. I wanted to unbutton the woodcutter's shirt, toss it aside, and lick her pale belly, strip off the long underwear and kiss her thin thighs."

"Talent must be a fanatical mistress. She's beautiful; when you're with her, people watch you, they notice. But she bangs on your door at odd hours, and she disappears for long stretches, and she has no patience for the rest of your existence: your wife, your children, your friends. She is the most thrilling evening of your week, but some day she will leave you for good. One night, after she's been gone for years, you will see her on the arm of a younger man, and she will pretend not to recognize you."

OneRepublic - Native~~

OneRepublic's Feel Again really reminds me of Florence Welch.. I honestly don't think that song has been influenced by her songs but as the new album is gonna be titled "Native", one could predict that all the songs from their new album is gonna be native-ish (if you know what I mean..) Lol.. However, with their newly released "If I Lose Myself", I can actually see the beginning of their foray into the contemporary dance music.. Well, anyways, I can't really wait for the release of their new album "Native" on March 26th (& hope everyone does too) :P

A Good Day To Die Hard (Die Hard 5)...

Well, I've watched this movie last week.. What I can really say about this movie is that it's really a high-octane action movie.. Well, there's a bit of lag in the beginning, but once you get past the mundane talk on the taxi (Opps, a lil' bit of spoilers :P), it's really packed with action literally from the word "get-go" till the end.. The Garden highway's scene is really awesome.. I really like all the stunts especially the jump from the high-rise building.. Did I tell you that the movie also features a lot of damn cool helicopters' scene? Definitely worth your cinema ticket from the "action" point of view.. Totally on the edge of your seat! (Did I also tell you I dig the got-censored chick? Is she Russian? Lol..) :P

http://eyeris.blogspot.com/2013/02/why-hasnt-john-mcclane-actually-died.html

Mylo - Into My Arms

This song was played on a radio station last night & it's one of the best (dance) songs that I've heard for a while.. Can't believe all these old dance songs're making a comeback.. They were.. & are still good, all the same :P

Jokes 1 Jan - 19 Feb 2013

"Drivers today are indeed better drivers than the drivers in the olden days.. It isn't that cars were just invented in the past.. It's just that the drivers nowadays can drive while still talking on the phone :P"

"I saw a guy wearing a t-shirt that said "I'm here" before.. I was like "Dude, of course I know you are here lah.., if not?" Then, one day while I was driving on a road and at the same time talking on the phone, I saw a guy crossing the road wearing exactly the same t-shirt, I was like "What the..? Again??" But after a short while, while I was still on the phone, I thought about it again.. I guessed I finally knew what the "I'm here" meant :P"

"When I'm out and on the move, I like to fiddle my phone 24/7, this is why I always like the escalators more :P"

"There was a pretty woman who walked past me & I heard her picking up her phone & said "Hello".. Within seconds, she pulled the phone off from her ear & yelled at it "Hell no!!!" (Me: Woah, that was extreme..) :P"

"What's a harlem shake?
Past 2 weeks: Err.. Some kind of drinks??
Past 1 week: Err.. Shake your harlem pants till they dry off??
Now: Oh.. Ok ok.. I get it :P"

"That awkward moment when you enter into a lift with some others, & as the doors close, you see someone wearing a helmet rushing in, & someone's phone rings, & the tone is that Harlem Shake song.. (then you mutter to yourself: "Oh shit" *put your head on the lift wall*) :P"

"CNY's eve: Working mode, OFF; Holiday mode, ON..
Post CNY (on the 9th day): Holiday mode, OFF; Monday's blues, ON :P"

"That awkward moment when you mistakenly send a Valentine's day wish to your ex-girlfriend (uh-oh..) :P"

"Congratulations to all the non-single brothers out there who manage to survive post-Valentine's apocalypse *pat on your back* :P"

"Pick-up line: "I won't buy u drinks.. I will only buy u kisses.." :P"

"Pick-up line: Please don't look into the mirror.. 'Cos you look pretty fine to me :P"

"Pickup line: *While in the club* I have been waiting for a good song to be played... Till you come around.. :P"

"How to pick up a chick who doesn't know Thai language: *whispering into the chick's ear* "Sawadeekupppp".. "Do you know what that means in Thai? It means u're very pretty" :P"

"Whenever I read those tweets people tweet on Twitter, I can understand how lonely they are.. When I go back to Facebook, I feel the same way too :P"

"Pick-up line in a Library: "Hi, if you need any help, yup, I'm used to be a librarian" :P"

"That awkward moment when you were tossing Yee Sang and yelling "Huat arr! Huat arr!", then suddenly someone's jaw of fake teeth landed on the yee sang, and everybody went silent and all the chopsticks held in mid-air :P"

"The next level of swimming is not scuba diving, it's Mahjong!! :P"

"Well, it's Monday's blues but I'm seeing red :P"

"At night, sleeping to the sound of firecrackers.. In the morning, waking up to the sound of lion dance drumbeats :P"

"Yay! It's Chinese New Year! It's time to stare more at my phone :P"

"Gong Ssst.. Fa Cai!!"

"As this is the snake year, shouldn't they put ssst ssst sound (snake's hissing) into those Chinese New Year songs played on the radio station? Hmm.. :P"

"Why do they call it as Chinese New Year shopping when it is done "before" Chinese New Year leh? :P"

"Hollywood: Batman begins..
KL pre CNY: Jam begins.. :P"

"If you go to the back of my car & look through the rear window, you would see a sign that reads "Thanks for cutting queue, I no longer need an excuse to call you an @$$hole" Lol :P"

"I didn't know snakes can actually piss alot.. (sorry for my crude-ity or my crudeness (is there such a word? Lol..)) :P"

"Jack: All work & no play make him a dull boy..
KL: All rain & no shine make her uncool :P"

"We never realize that as humans, we actually have some animalistic instincts within us.. This is why whenever we go to Mid Valley, the toilets are always crowded ('Cos these shoppers there are too "eager" to claim the whole shopping mall as their territory) :P"

"The perk of having eaten a heavy meal & not feeling guilty about it: you would only get fat in at least another 24 hours :P"

"Whenever someone has done some bad things to us, we would feel like we want to lash out at the person, but deep inside we know it wouldn't clear away the pain of being hurt.. Same goes to when a mosquito has gone and bite us, we would feel like we want to kill the mosquito immediately, but deep inside we know that it wouldn't clear away the itch :P"

"Who says life never slows down in KL? #jam"

"The dilemma of having slimmed down is that you still think you are fat :P"

"Taylor Swift on boyfriends: I knew you were trouble when you walked in..
KL drivers on KL highways: I knew you were trouble when I turned in.. :P"

"I never know Paramore is a fan of the opposition: "If there's a future, we want it, now now now-ow-ow-ow-ow!!!" :P"

"If you are using Maxis, you would be a fan of Twitter.. If you are using Digi, you would be a fan of Facebook.. But if you have Unifi at home, you would be a fan of Youtube :P"

"Well, summer is coming soon, it's time to change your worn-out shades!! Err.. I don't mean the 3D glasses, I mean the curtains (this time) :P"

"Smartphones would usually vibrate when there's a notification on a social network or there's a new email (on a silent mode).. Now, seeing that they are merging tablets and laptops, I wonder whether one day ultrabook & tablet could also vibrate when they receive a notification :P"

"There's a reason why people post nonsense on their Facebook wall, it's not because they're are muka buku, it's because they're all muka tembok :P"

"Why a papan kenyataan is called a "papan kenyataan"? Is it because whatever we paste on it would become "kenyataan"?

"With all the Tweets people posted on Twitter are all nonsense, why am I still addicted to them? Lol.. #nocomplaint"

"Last time, when I was still working, I always woke up with dread for the busy day before me.. Now, I always wake up with excitement for the day ahead of me *check Twitter & Facebook for updates*"

"No money, no honey.. & definitely no poney :P #westernjoke"

"No pain, no gain, but rain :P #malaysianweather"

"I remember once I went to the kitchen, my father was cutting a papaya, he offered me some, but I declined.. As I went across the living room, I realized that the TV was left switched on, its volume was even audible from the kitchen (obviously my dad's doing), & it was tuned to the Travel Channel.. At that point, I knew I just had a Haruki Murakami-esque moment with my dad :P"

"Sometimes my dad is like a cat.. Usually, when I came back from a trip, he would usually finish the snacks I brought back home, however, sometimes, he would leave some untouched & I would always wonder why.. I figured it out in the end.. It turned out he didn't like them :P"

"While we were hungrily waiting for our dishes to arrive during dinner, I didn't wonder whether the next table of 8 could finish their yee sang.. But why they didn't even invite us for a bite!! They were so harsh! Lol (the yee sang was too appetizing) :P"

"The definition of a hot seat: Feeling the heat of a person who has just occupied the seat :P #airasia #hotseat #joke"

"I think you guys know the answer to why the tiger in the picture of the Tiger beer is male & not female.. How about the "sister" beer of the Tiger beer? It's beer "Bintang" 'cos harimau bintang :P #beerjoke 

"When you're in KL, it's actually very easy to break a record, just drive home in 30 mins (during a state holiday) #kljoke"

"When my friend was driving in Cheras (he doesn't stay in Cheras), he asked me whether it was a one-lane or a two-lane road, I said it was two-lane :P #cherasjoke"

"If Cameron Highlands is famous for its strawberries, then KL is famous for its what? Its jam :P #kljoke"

"The awkward moment when your soup spoon slides into your soup :P"

"When your mom asks you something like whether you want to watch a movie titled "Mama", can you really resist it? The answer is really NO (Yup, she's a horror movie fan..) Lol.. :P"

"Home.. What is home?
Home is just an illusion..
You actually don't belong to anywhere..
Home is actually not a location,
Home is when you accept there is no home.. :P"

"When I was washing my bowl, I automatically felt like I wanted to fill up the bowl! Lol.. #everydropisprecious"

"As I walked past some houses in my neighbourhood, I heard someone playing CNY songs already!! Lol.. :P"

"Today I went to a mamak stall & ordered a milo panas.. Later, when the drink arrived, I asked the mamak "How much?".. He said "Tiga Ringgit, bang.." (for kecik one).. Then, I asked him back why it was so expensive.. Then, he said "tarak air mah, ape nak buat?" while shaking his head :P"