It was a surprise.

That guy apologized to me after I gave him some advice, in his own words , "I seem to become tiny under your words," and revealed to me some secrets which I'm supposed to withhold from my friend.

Now I'm saddled with a heavier responsibility.

Oh well, I guess I'd stick to keeping it, for now. Maybe I will reveal it some day.

Now I fully understand why people hate secrets - carrying with them to the grave sucks. I hope for my case I don't have to do this

Back to reading.

One of the worst things that can happen: a guy sulking.

In facebook, there is this application, friends for sale. Where you buy from people you know, or even those you do not know. It's silly, but fun in a silly way as well.

Things got out of hand when a little silliness took over a guy.

Going my routine buying and selling, for NO particular reason I just bought over this guy who bought over his ex gf from me. He exploded, insisting that he wants nothing to do with me and warning me that he will do things to me.

A guy like me seldom backs down from a good challenge.

It's my friend's birthday, however. Without wanting to carry on further, with a click, I uninstalled the application.

Sometimes you do wonder why some people go ballistic over the smallest of matters, but over a game? A good friend of mine suggested to me to send a sms back telling him to get a life.

No point. Why carry on an immature thing when it can die down with a party relenting?

Sigh. Now my mood is all spoilt by a guy who doesn't know where he's gone wrong and blames other guys for his own loss. If he's still sore over splitting up with my friend, the last thing he want to do is to spoil her mood on her birthday, which he did. Over a trivial game no less, which holds no meaning in reality apart of that of the virtual world?

What can get worse than acknowledging your own faults? Sigh. Better grab lunch.

Most gatherings are about networking and catching up/ bitching about old times. Of course, the recent sec 4 class gathering wasn't any different.

The highlight of the gathering, in my opinion, is the story of how my friend made it up to Mount Emei, so I shall try my best in recalling what he mentioned to us.

He was backpacking with a girl and another guy to parts of China, and it was nearing the end of the year. The girl was running out of money, and my friend, thinking that cash was everywhere with ATM machines in abundance, offered to pass the majority of his RMB to her to get her home by flight.

It turned out that he was wrong. Running low on cash, he happily reached a town next to Mount Emei. To his dismay, the bank refused to let him withdraw money, for some reason that I can't recall for the moment. Running around town, no atm was at sight. He went to a 5 star hotel, trying to get his foreign currencies changed.

"Sorry, we only offer exchange for our in-house guests."

Undaunted, he ran around town again, and he chanced on some townsfolk. The townsfolks know nuts about foreign currencies, which he tried to exchange with them offering better terms than those in banks.

"Trust me, I work in a bank, the rate I'm offering you is much more than what you can get from the bank"

He thought he could got away with that, but to his dismay again, the folks declined eventually. What to do? He proceeded to find foreigners to exchange for some RMB, he managed to salvage whatever was enough to get the bare essentials you see here.



The ascent would take approximately 3 days, and he thought he was some gung ho guy who braved worse situations before, hence he was determined to make his way up



Clothed in 4 layers of clothing, he thought he could do it, alone. It was a test of endurance and perseverance, which he did not waiver. The climb up Mount Emei was a long one, with millions of stairs that I doubt he remembers how many he climbed. With 3 sausages some more!



On the first day, with the cold and hunger striking him on a double whammy, he finally found his supposed savior - or a couple of saviors.



He asked them for directions, and eventually, of course, they shared their bag load of food with him, which left him in eternal gratitude (ok, I exaggerated). They remained in contact since, of course. With hunger satisfied, he offered to help them carry some load of stuff, which we jeered him about stealing and making off with the food, ha.

One might think Mount Emei should be full of nuns. On the contrary, he swore none was within sight. All over the mountains was monks. Ok, not that many. I supposed he didn't got too delirious to mistake nuns for monks. Also, one would also think monks are supposed to be charitable, and would render help to any poor soul aka my friend.

They didn't. Vitamin M was in their heart and soul, which suck. What a commercialized world!

At the end of the first day, he reached a visitors' hut. Without much RMB, all he could afford was a small room, without any electric heating blanket or anything to keep him warm. Temperatures were around minus degrees, and all he had was a tumbler of hot water which he had to hold to sleep.

"Wait. How did he answer nature's call?"

The bitter truth of it? He had to endure till he couldn't, and god knows how he managed to keep his willy willy in one piece.

The second day he woke up, with only his body heat to keep him warm, he felt watery all over his body. Shit! The tumbler managed to leak, and the contents seeped through his 4 layers of clothing. Struggling to even move, he used all his will to pull open the blanket, which was his only source of warmth.

Life sucks.

Continuing on his second day, the area was all saddled with snow and ice. Trekking through ice, he had to make his way up wearing army boots, and fixing something to the heels so that he can dig/claw his way through. Of course, the results? Heavy blistering all over the foot.

Undaunted, he continued to trek upwards. There was the famous "99 bends", where you had to climb up, down, bend here and there, which seems endless. That was among one of the tough points of the trek.

The highlight of the day? He chanced upon the monk, and asked him how cold it was. The monk was quite gung ho, not in as thick a clothing he wore, and he replied non-chalently. "Not too cold, it's alright. Only minus 20 degrees."

WTF

The second night, I wondered how he made it through. I guess he didn't ask the couple for some extra cash, but that's not the main point. The third day, he made it out early in pitch dark, hoping to catch sun rise.

The result?



Visibility was 5 metres. Without torch light, the view is as above. Not a pretty sight yah? It was symbolic for him though, making to the summit on New Year, where most of us are nua-ing or celebrating at home.

The view on top in mid day? Priceless.



Of course, there are many pictures, but this are the ones that can describe his crazy experience. In the end, giving in to everything, he bought a straight ticket on a coach to reach back the town.

Yes, there are bus service that transmute from the town to Mount Emei.

On the bus, all the way down, people surrounding him thought he was freezingly cold. Only upon reaching the town doctor did he realize he's got a fever of 39 degree celsius.

One crazy fella, ha. He was heavily ill for the next 2 days, and even the doctor thought he was crazy. Even he thought he was crazy to try the feat during the 2 days of illness, but looking back, it was worth it.

That's not the end. After he recovered, he found an ATM machine very near to a spot which he was just a few days back.

How he swore then.

It was one of the rare times since I went clubbing. In years, in fact. Not one to like fancy dancegrounds, waving lightings, I always make it a point to excuse myself in those occasions where friends wanted to head down for a dance.

Till yesterday.

It was alright, I had to say. After all, with smoking out of the area, the air was much better, and you don't come out smelling like you stink for a million years. While those friends of mine had the urge to head to the dance floor, the bottle of Corona in front of me look much more savory, with all its alluring seductions enhanced by a piece of lemon.

A sight to behold: guys and girls waving on top of platforms trying to crave the attention of people beneath them in the dance floor. As they sway their bodies about to the tune, it suddenly hit me: they're not even following the beat. I had to stifle a laughter when I see people trying to do what they're not, looking like complete idiots sometimes, without being obvious.

I must say the bottle of Corona is definitely better, though I wonder why they don't contract Pacific breweries for Stella. Damn!

While some people might think I'm aloof, especially in a night spot, I guess it's a matter of personal preference. Some drinks, lots of banal talk, and the perfect company is definitely a better proposition to waste the night away than spending time queueing to sashay away without knowing why one is doing it. While drinking, deja vu struck me: I'm like doing a Tony Leung's scene drinking while everyone is dancing in a fast motion speed.

Ha. I'm dreaming, of course.

Just before leaving, I had a chance to catch up with JJ. Seizing the opportunity to find out if a prior misunderstanding between her and WJ, the response was curt.

"Who did you hear it from?"

"I hear from a lot of sources."

"Oh, it's like that loh. If you don't know, it's ok already."

Somehow, I suppress the urge to find out more. I guess impressions made since the dawn of time (or back 13 years ago) always count against you. The girls in the clique always thought that I'm one of those guys who seem beneath them, who can't comprehend what is going on.

Well, so be it. Not like I had a point to prove anyways. Since the parties involved are the ones who avoid trying to solve the issue at hand. Somehow trying to put up a facade in front of everybody seems like what most people are doing nowadays.

Most. Of course. Kudos to Mindy though. She is going to quit her job and go on to Indonesia to lead a life she wants - working for an orphanage. Not many people can afford to do that. And of course, if the two parties really try to put their hearts in solving the problem, the prick in their hearts is definitely pluckable.

What a contradiction.

Currently listening:

As usual, in the yearly Macworld Conference, Steve went on to announce his big thing: product releases. It is often a day of anticipation for many Mac fans worldwide, and is almost a sacred event akin to that of a religious day.

Okay, this sounds too drastic, but you get the idea.

Apple has always marked itself as a iconic brand, a brand for people to follow. AAPL, its stocks, is hovering around usd$200. What is the problem with this? Some might say the stocks reflect the true value of the company, and some will think it is inflated. I tend to think to the latter. After yesterday's product announcement, many people are disappointed and stocks fall. What does this tell you?

Apple's consumers are changing.

Back a few years ago, if Apple were to release this product in the premium sector, I can see stocks rising. However, with the move towards consumerism, many people have forgotten that Apple as a brand stands for premium and good quality products. With yesterday's announcement, people's reactions are that the laptop is priced too high and many people complain about the features and specs.

Come on, this subnotebook is not meant to replace MacBooks, wake up, dorks.

By introducing a premium subnotebook between MacBook Pro and MacBook, Apple is trying to bridge the gap between affordable and professional. A product that is highly desirable by people who don't complain about price but more about aesthetics, size and weight. Most people don't understand this though. With the switch to Intel, expectations have rocketed to sky high levels, and people think they have a right to a all in one cheap and thin laptop, like that of Asus Eee PC. I would really be surprised if Apple were to introduce a laptop of that category, for it just doesn't fit in with an innovative company which always create products of desirability. Neither does Apple want to price the product to be near MacBook Black too, for it will cannibalize sales.

Folks, do think of Apple as a company you support and the brand behind it. ok? Don't blindly think, shit they're introducing such an expensive product and this is not what I want...duh!

The PR fiasco aside for iPhone's drop in price, I really think this time round, Apple has got it right, contrary of most people. They just don't understand what Apple stands for. Yet, they are the people who caused Apple's stocks to be inflated to today's price level. People who are looking at cheap and good stuff buying Apple's stocks in a crazy fashion and only to sell it away once their wishes don't get satisfy.

I guess people who thinks Apple is coming out with a cheapie should switch alliance now. Cheapskates :p

That saying, I don't foresee myself getting one soon. A MacBook Pro still serves my needs better

Tags: Branding, Apple

Scurrying home from work has always been a boring event. With half a bit of inspiration from out of nowhere, I went to Bugis Junction.

The same old shops, different people. What else, one might say? After all not everyone is working in that area.

Nonetheless, my quest for the perfect USB hub (sic) continues. Scavenging through the electrical shop (name forgotten), there is always a half chance of striking gold. Who knows, one might really hit gold?

Of course, it was not that easy.

Almost heading back to the escalator down to the train station, a sudden urge to visit Kino struck me, and in I went. Photography section, what else. Reaching the corner, I saw this lady holding a book to read. It's not the most frequent of sight in the store, for most books are tightly wrapped in plastic.

That was where I strike gold

This book by Scott Kelby, inexpensive yet full of tips, hit a cord with me. Of course, not one who makes uninformed decision, I had to head home to look for budget buys.

I especially like this tip: using the strap tied to your hand to keep your hand from shaking. Brillant yet simple!




I guess one just have to put down whatever views they had on anything, before they really can hit something.

My second $7 album is testament to this. Do try this album if you itch for some nice songs.

Back in office officially after the holidays. Unwrapping one Christmas present, I realized it was a special edition Star Wars lego figurine set! The kid in me decided to display it and make some poses, taking some shots, and of course, the comic was created after work.

Where's the kid in you? Is it aching to do something which you have not done for ages?

Release it, and let it overwhelm you, something unexpected might just make your day

Yes. The number came out as one of the winning number for the last draw.

Maybe this might just be the lucky year.

Before the counting down, I probably swore a dozen times in the cinema, watching I am legend with my brother and cousin. And yes, probably swearing off horror movies indefinitely. Maybe it's fated - swearing off the year and beginning one with a brand new approach.

Well, I'm still not too late - wishing everyone a Happy New Year ahead!