Happy 50th Merdeka

To all Malaysians who are here in Malaysia as well as those abroad, Happy 50th Merdeka! Continue to strive hard for our nation as we celebrate our golden anniversary as an independent nation.

Dating Wooden Chicks?

Now I just don't know if the name of the shop is hilarious or bamboo and wooden chicks really takes the cake. Call me dense or stupid but what in the world are wooden and bamboo chicks? I think it has something related to this. Maybe not, or it could just be some random item.

Maybe a Google might solve the answer. Anyone out there wants to explain this to me?

Completely torn up

Recently I have been bogged down by thoughts of whether I should move towards a Mac OS platform and work on my photo editing there or should I stick with the all familiar Windows. I was convinced at one point to actually purchase a MacBook but after this incident, I thought maybe I should be sticking with Windows.

Of course before actually making the final decision, there are two upcoming events which I am eagerly awaiting from both sides of the camp.

Firstly, on the Apple side, the eminent launch of Leopard is due in October and rumours have it that a new MacBook is also due at the end of the year with Santa Rosa.

Secondly, Vista is eagerly awaiting it's first Service Pack which offers vast improvements over it's current state of bugs and problematic driver issues.

What makes Vista appealing is that I don't have to spend a bomb on it and I get a better system. For example, the current price of the MacBook is RM4,999 which is pricey for a small laptop which offers meager performance. For RM3,500, I could actually get a Quad Core desktop system ever since Intel has released the latest pricing for the Q6600 processor which costs RM985.

The question now returns to me, mobility versus desktop processing. With a desktop, you can definitely get better and faster components for a cheaper price and the Apple equivalent of a portable powerhouse comes in the form of the MacBook Pro which is offered at RM7,299 for the lower end model.

Then again the whole idea of being able to work with a Mac, a machine and OS which has proven itself to be strong in the areas of visual and stunning performance and runs with the tag line, "It just works" is something which is of interest to me. I guess it could be because of the whole new environment which I am eager to try out.

At the moment, time can only tell as I continue to do a little bit more research between the two platforms and figure out what are the benefits and pitfalls.

Machines offer zombie service?

Every single day you would have read in the papers about complaints of poor service by counter staff, sales clerks or while waiting in a queue. Snobbish, rude or completely useless are the usual types of comments you might receive. Well to me, in the past, I haven't been one to really complain about service, usually shaking each bad experience with the phrase, "Ah, its just Malaysian service la".

Up till the end of last year, when I started work and was working in the area of a service provider (being completely on the other side of the fence), I realised the importance of why providing quality service really matters. It became critical in my job that the quality of service is to always ensure that the customer should always be happy and no matter how bad of a day you might be having, the customer should never get the brunt end of your emotions.

So now, whenever I do walk into shops, I really notice the really nitty gritty details of how poor each store's service is especially when it comes to sales people and dealing with customers. One of these shops I would love to highlight is the Apple Premium Service Provider, Machines located in KLCC.

Launched at the beginning of this month, I opted to drop in to check out the store. Boasting two huge 30" Apple Cinema Displays, the store looked incredible and it was packed with sales staff. Notice, that I bolded "sales staff" because the store was filled with a couple of other customers. To be frank, I was extremely tempted to buy a spanking new MacBook and I checking them out which were on display.

I did my homework on the internet, checking on the pitfalls and downfalls of the MacBook but it just looks incredibly sexy and too irresistible to resist. So I stood next to the MacBook and looked around for a sales staff. One saw me, and instead of coming over to me and being cheerful, he seemed to be frowning as though his Pokemon died on him!

So, he might have had a day. I didn't mind that and smiled at him. Gesturing towards him, he came over with the face of a living zombie and the stance of a slouching chimpanzee. I asked him how much would it cost to bump the MacBook from 1Gb to 2Gb and his only answer was to not say anything but to grab a calculator. He started punching out some numbers and then after much consideration, he showed me the price, RM6,299.

The original price of the MacBook (White & 2.16GHz) is RM4,999 and the extra 1Gb would cost more than a thousand ringgit extra. Hoping to strike a conversation with him or maybe find out why did it cost so much, all he could do was shrug his shoulders and say, "yeahlor, that is the price". After that, he just left and went on to ignore me while giving me the 'you cannot afford that' look since I asked him why was it so expensive (that really took the cake!).

Wow, I thought that the Apple store which boasts superb design (it did look great) and friendly staff would have been a great experience. I guess this is only exclusive for Apple Stores as Machines is just an Apple Premium Reseller. I wonder how they managed to get their Premium status.

Ok, maybe I was having a bad day that day. No, I went to the Machines store at Mid Valley over the weekend and was faced with the same problem. Well, same in terms of getting poor quality of service. Not a single staff attended to me, I guess they were busy entertaining some rich looking dude.

I guess I would probably take my service to MacAsia.

Other experiences on the Apple Store:

• Machines
• Macsimum News
• Seth's Blog
• Brad Baldwin

I've been tagged, again..

I was busy minding my own business and then I came across this site telling me that I was tagged. Oh wow, another tag. Well, if it weren't for these tags, you all wouldn't have known me any better right?

[one] what is your natural hair color?
honestly:- Black

[two] where was your default picture taken?
honestly:- Unfortunately, I do not have a default picture

[three] what's your middle name?
honestly:- Cheng Phang, no wait, does that even count as a middle name?

[four] your current relationship status?
honestly:- Attached :)

[five] does your crush like you back?
honestly:- I sure hope so

[six] what is your current mood?
honestly:- Feeling a little sleepy but thirsty

[eight] What makes you happy?
honestly:- Being a little more carefree and less pressured

[ten] if you could go back in time and change something, what you would change?
honestly:- Nothing, everything happens in God's perfect plan for me. How can we improve on something that is already perfect?

[eleven] if you must be an animal for one day, what would you be?
honestly:- I would love to be an eagle to enjoy what it means to fly about naked

[twelve] ever had a near death experience?
honestly:- Well, considering there are plenty of near death experiences like the world almost exploded. That counts right?

[thirteen] something you do a lot?
honestly:- Surf the web, watch TV series, relax and work

[fourteen] the song stuck in your head?
honestly:- Hey Hey You You, I don't like your PM

[fifteen] who did you copy and paste this from?
honestly:- James

[sixteen] name someone with the same birthday as you?
honestly:- No one I know

[seventeen] when was the last time you cried?
honestly:- Can't remember when exactly la. Also I don't want to sound like a girl online

[Eighteen] have you ever sung in front of a large audience?
honestly:- yes of course, just in March 2007 in front of my drunk colleagues. Thank God they were drunk to listen to my horrid voice!

[nineteen] if you could have one super power what would it be?
honestly:- Shape shifter

[twenty] what's the first thing you notice about the opposite sex?
honestly:- Their face, usually the eyes first and then see what comes out of her mouth.

[twenty-one] what do you usually order from starbucks?
honestly:- My two favourites, mocha latte (hot) or a mocha frappucino

[twenty-two] what's your biggest secret?
honestly:- I have a secret, that is my secret.

[twenty-three] favorite color?
honestly:- Blue, see the theme of this blog?

[twenty-four] when was the last time you lied?
honestly:- I think I lied too many times to even remember. Now I did say that I liked nasi lemak but in fact I like chicken rice more.

[twenty-five] do you still watch kiddy movies or tv shows?
honestly:- Well, only if there isn't anything showing on the telly.

[twenty-six] what are you eating or drinking at the moment?
honestly:- Drinking 100 plus

[twenty-seven] do you want to learn to speak any other language? if so, what?
honestly:- First up is to learn my native tongue, mandarin. Second, another chinese dialect (hainanese). Other than that, maybe some Italian, Dutch or French

[twenty-eight] what's your favourite smell?
honestly:- Would you believe if I said my own fart? Nah, its McDonald's banana pie!

[twenty-nine] if you could describe your life in ONE word what would it be?
honestly:- Random

[thirty] when was the last time you gave/received a hug?
honestly:- Less than an hour ago

[thirty-one] have you ever been kissed in the rain?
honestly:- No, unless if it is raining and I am indoors.

[thirty-two] what are you thinking about right now?
honestly:- How many more questions I have to answer

[thirty-three] what should you be doing?
honestly:- Sleeping I guess or chilling out since I have an early day ahead tomorrow.

[thirty-four] what was the last thing that made you upset/angry?
honestly:- Some stupid argument

[thirty-five] how often do you pray?
honestly:- Every day and whenever I am desperate and in need. Sounds awful right?

[thirty-six] do you like working in the yard?
honestly:- I don't have a yard

[thirty-seven] if you could have any last name in the world, what would you want?
honestly:- Leo is pretty special already to me

[thirty-eight] do you act differently around your crush?
honestly:- I try to be more patient and loving.

[thirty-nine] name one song that reminds you of an ex?
honestly:- That Japanese song which was sung at JVC. It reminds me of my ex company :S

Anyway, I won't tag anyone but if you feel like writing something about yourself, feel free to post it up on your blog. Now, back to my own personal reading time online.

If only I could do this

After watching this clip on the net, I found a new desire to play a piece such as this.

glumbert.com - Guitar never seemed so hard

If you are a serious musician, you must check this out. Else, just check it out for the sake of checking it out.

How do you react in an Emergency?

When facing an emergency situation, the first reaction one might do is look around for a phone or pull out your hand phone. The next thing one might do is then dial the wrong number! Apparently I find this article a little weird.

A customer at the shop said the old man had just called out to one of the workers in the shop for a cup of coffee and suddenly went limp before falling on the floor.

A police team from the Muar police station was rushed to the shop to investigate the incident before taking the body to the Sultanah Fatimah Specialist Hospital for a post-mortem.

If you see a man falling on the floor and being completely limp, would you call the police or call the ambulance? Looks like the people in the coffee shop did the former.

Either that, the people in the coffee shop must have thought that the old man was trying to make a run without paying his tab.

Read the full article here.

Photo Updates

Here are some photo updates for the mean time. I took these pictures at KLCC Park but from the comments I've been getting about them, I definitely need to improve.







More updates to come soon!