Tagged By A Princess

Alright, I got tagged by Her Royal Highness a few days ago and I didn't even know it. And believe it or not, I had to ask "How does one get tagged?". *sigh*

So, here's my entry.

Best:

Male friend: Eddie
Female friend: Casey
Vacation: Never been on vacation! How sad is that? But my best working trip was to the States. It felt like a holiday!

Worst:

Time of day: When it's time to haul myself out of bed.
Day of the week: Monday. Isn't that everyone's worst day??
Color crayon: White. Cos it is totally unnecessary. Noticed how it is the least worn in a box of used crayons?

Last:

Person you talked to that went to your school: Colin
Talked to on the phone: Mrs Premster
Text: Mrs Premster
Person you instant messaged: Colleague from office

Today:

What are you doing now: Duh?!?!
Wearing: Long-sleeved shirt, black pants, leather boots, toe socks, watch, bracelet, wedding ring, chain.... should i go on?? ;)

Tomorrow:

Is: The end of today.
Got any plans: Yup, to come back to this entry to read the comments.
Goal: Not to screw up tomorrow like I screwed up today.
Dislikes about tomorrow: Not Saturday.

Favorite:

Number: 7
Song: Depends on my mood or state of mind.
Color: Black or darker shades of blue

Currently:

Missing Someone: Yes - Mrs Premster
Mood: Down.
Wanting: A new posting or a new job

True/False:

I am a cuddler: True.
I am a morning person: That is a big NO!
I am a perfectionist: True.
I am an only child: False. And I have to say that this is truly unfortunate.
I am currently in my pajamas: Trick question??
I am currently pregnant: Hahahahaha.... that would be quite a feat, wouldn't it?
I am currently suffering from a broken heart: Yes, as a result of my uncles, aunty and cousins.
I am left handed: False.
I am addicted to Blogging: Not yet but I think I am getting there.
I am online 24/7: True. But that's only because I am an IT Engineer.
I am very shy around the opposite gender: A little, I guess. But I chalk it up to just being polite.
I can be paranoid at times: At times? Try all the time.
I currently have a crush on someone: False.
I currently regret something that I have done: False.
I enjoy country music: Not at all. Country songs are mostly about broken hearts and broken relationships. I find them depressing.
I enjoy smoothies: True. Mrs Premster introducted me to them when we met and I am hooked.
I enjoy talking on the phone: I prefer talking face to face.
I have a hard time paying attention at school/work: True. It is because of the..... er.... what was the question again?
I have a hidden talent: Yes. I'll let you know when I find it.
I have a lot to learn: True. But my brain says "Disk Full! Unable to write new data."
I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal: False.

Anger:

Are you currently mad at someone? A colleague.
Which of your friends has the worst temper? I am hot tempered enough for all my friends.
Have you ever thrown something at anyone? Yes.
Ever had something thrown at you? Yes.
When you’re mad do you prefer to stare angrily or yell and scream? All of the above. ;)

Excitement:

Has anyone ever thrown you a surprise party for you? Yes. But I was not too amused.
Are you easily excited? Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes! :D
What are you most excited about? New gadget launches and currently, my new home!
If you won a million dollars what would be your first thought? Buy a safe!
If you could have anything right now what would it be? Mitsubishi Evolution IX. I like going places... fast!

Self-Discovery:

Name: Prem
Where were you born? Bed ;)
What’s your main goal in life? Work-hard, play hard and retire early.
How do you want to die? Unexpectedly.

Opinions:

Sex before marriage? Nope!
Gay Marriage? To each, his own. I don't judge.
Lower the Drinking age? No. Young people of legal drinking age cannot handle alchohol as it is. Recycling? Yes!

Dreams:

What was your latest dream? I usually forget my dreams. See "I have a lot to learn" above.
Have any of your dreams come true? Not sure. I can't remember most of them!
What was the weirdest dream you’ve ever had? Falling down stairs and jolting myself awake. Used to happen to me frequently when I was a kid. I kinda miss it.
Love-Life: Straight, Gay, Bi? Straight
Do you have a bf/gf? Nope! I did have a girlfriend who is now my wife.
Do you have a crush? No.
How many beds did you lay in yesterday? One.
What color shirt are you wearing? Blue.
Name one thing that you do everyday? Sitting on my throne - aka. the toilet.
What color are your walls? Debutant. Check paint colour codes for details. :)
How much cash do you have on you right now? About S$30
I can’t wait till…? I get home today. I am dead tired.
When was the last time you saw your dad? January this year. He passed away shortly after.
What did you have for dinner last night? Fried rice and sweet and sour chicken.
What’s the last piece of clothing you borrowed from someone? Never had to.
What website(s) do you visit the most during the day? Blogspot, Gmail and Gizmodo.
Does anything hurt on your body right now? Ask me what doen't hurt.

Have You Ever:

Have you ever failed a class? Yes, I have. :(
Have you ever sung in front of a crowd? Unfortunately, yes. That's what too much alchohol does to you. See "Lower drinking age" above. ;)
Have you ever not taken a shower for 3 days? *yucks* I shower at least twice a day!!
Have you ever slept with a night light? No.
Have you ever danced in the rain? No. That's only for Bollywood stars. :P
Have you ever lied? Who hasn't?
Have you ever had contacts? Nope. I am fearful of putting my finger into my eye.
Have you ever tripped over something stupid? Yes. And I have tripped over someone stupid too!

Pick One:

Samosa, Pakora, Kebab: Kebab. I love them! *slurp*
Bollywood, Lollywood, Hollywood: Hollywood.
Love marriage, Arranged marriage: They're both alright if you know how to make it work.
Honeymoon, no moon: Honeymoon.
How many kids would u like 1,2, 3+: Ideally, twins would be great. But one would be just as good.
Kulfi, Ice cream: Definitely ice-cream. I've tried Kulfi. :(
Shah ruk khan, Orlando Bloom: Orlando Bloom. Mrs Premster would beg to differ.
Meenar-e-Pakistan, Eiffel Tower: Eiffel Tower. I don't know the other.
Lahore, Khi, Islambad: Err.... help??

Alright, if no one has tagged Zizo yet, allow me to do the honours. :)

Spellbound

In case you were wondering, I am not dyslexic. Just thought you might like to try this. Read on...

I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs.

The guys down at Cambridge University are really free, aren't they? ;)

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Killing Me Softly With This Song

Maybe I'm just weird. Or maybe it happens to everyone. That's where you come in.

Have you, after many years, heard a song from the past that churned up painful or even forgotten memories? It happens to me all the time. Perhaps it is because I have been surrounded by music all my life. So, when a song is hot on the airwaves and something bad happens in that period, that very song will stir up those same painful memories even years later.

The thing is, the songs that evoke bad memories are in no way crappy tunes. Unfortunately, these bad events ruin them forever for me. If only there was a way to 'reset' the situation - then I will be able to fully appreciate these great tracks.

So, without further ado, here's my top ten songs that guaranteed to leave a bad taste in my mouth. In no particular order, they are :

• Bad Day - Daniel Powter
• Can't Fight This Feeling - REO Speedwagon
• Where Do You Go - No Mercy
• Ain't No Doubt - Jimmy Nail
• Would I Lie To You - Charles & Eddie
• You And I Both - Jason Mraz
• Friends - Michael W Smith
• Don't Call Me Baby - Madison Avenue
• Se A Vida E - Pet Shop Boys
• You're Beautiful - James Blunt

So, do you have a list too?

Japanese "Technology"

The Japanese are well known for innovative technology. They are, after all, the first to bring us portable music players like the infamous "Walkman" back in the 70s. This evolved into portable disc players and today, portable MP3 and video players. So, I was not too surprised when I came across this video.

Why was I looking for something like this on the Internet? I've been doing quite a bit of my own ironing these days and I realised that while my ironing skill is average, I am hopeless when it comes to folding t-shirts... and that is putting it mildly.

The video is in Japanese and I am no Pat Morita. But it seems easy enough to follow.

Try it out and let me know how it works out for you. Have fun!!

Cool, isn't it?? I thought so too! :)

Pimpin' My Ride

As if I didn't have enough to do already when we started massive renovation works at our new apartment, I decided to "renovate" my car as well. I am a gadget fanatic and the more tricked-out my car is, the happier I am. It is no wonder that I was a huge fan of Knight Rider back in the 80s. For a long time, I believed that KITT was real and more intelligent than his owner, Michael Knight, played by David Hasselhoff.

So, the project to upgrade my black 2003 Subaru Impreza began in May and is still on-going. The modifications will include :

• A new height and damping adjustable suspension system
• Electronic gauges that will monitor oil temperature, oil pressure and the intake manifold
• New 225/45/17 (17") rims
• A souped-up sound system
• Voltage regulator
• New twin-pipe exhaust
• Rev / Speed monitoring system

The project will be done in stages because I suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms if I am away from my car for more than 6 hours. So, I will not allow my car to be kept overnight at any workshop unless I am also allowed to stay over.

Here's a picture of my ride from June at a workshop getting the suspension system fitted on. More updates very soon!

Note : Poor picture quality inherent in lousy camera phone. Please do not adjust your internet browser. ;)

Missing In Action

It has been awhile since I've posted anything here. It is not that I have abandoned the idea of writing a blog but things have been absolutely crazy in my world over the last week or so. With the work on our apartment coming to a close in a week's time, there are a million things to sort out - delivery of furniture, home appliances, TVs and audio systems (*cheers*) and other miscellaneous items. This has left me little time for anything else.

Also, there have been a large number of major hiccups at work. So, troubleshooting and writing reports take up all my time. Fortunately, for all the effort put in, my team and I have been receiving lots of pats on the back. This is good, especially since our annual appraisal is just around the corner. *wink*

Although I have not been by to update my blog nor visited the other blogs I love reading everyday (you know who you are), you guys are always in my thoughts.

I'll put up the final installment of "Home That Prem (And The Mrs) Built" very soon once the work is done and I can take a decent picture of the place. Also, if you read my earlier blog "Home, Bitter-Sweet Home", I talk about "a very recent development". That will soon be revealed too.

So stay tuned, boys and girls. The best is yet to come!

Oh no, I'm Snoopy!!

Found this quiz on BlogThings and decided to take it. Turns out I am a Beagle Puppy! My two Jack Russell Terriers will be none too pleased.

I am a Beagle Puppy!!

Cheerful, energetic, and happy go lucky. And you're sense of smell is absolutely amazing!

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

Give the quiz a go and let me know how it turns out for you. Have fun, ya??

Velvet Smooth

This man is multi-talented. He's a singer, song-writer, producer and guitarist. He is none other than Lenny Kravitz (born Leonard Albert Kravitz on 26 May 1964). And if you think that this list of talents is not enough, he also plays bass, piano, saxophone, drums, trumpet and even the sitar. Still not impressed? How about the fact that he plays all the instruments on each of his tracks? Ah, that got your attention, didn't it??

Anyhow, I was down town shopping for a gift for my wife's birthday a few weeks ago and ended up in a music store. That's no surprise for my family and friends. Long story short, they were playing a track called "Black Velveteen" and this caught my attention. I found my feet tapping to the funk beat and eventually, my feet moved to the sales counter to enquire who performed it. When I heard "Lenny Kravits - Greatest Hits", I remembered his other fantastic tracks like "American Woman", "It Ain't Over Till Its Over", "Again", "Are You Gonna Go My Way" and "Mr Cab Driver". If you dislike cab drivers, "Mr Cab Driver" is one for you.

Whipped out my credit card and Lenny Kravitz's Greatest Hits became the latest addition to my massive CD collection.

With distractions out of the way, it was on to my main mission... my wife's birthday gift.

Chained To Superstition

A mobile text message came through at about 8 am when I was deep in slumber last Saturday morning. Thinking it was from my office, I forced my tired eyes open and reached for my mobile phone. The gist of the message read "Today, there is a special prayer at a particular temple. Send this message off to 10 people and you will get good luck". "Not again", I sighed, tossed my phone back onto the table and tried to get back to what I affectionally call New-"Z"-Land. Ok, I agree that's lame.

Later in the day, the text message got me thinking. If I had actually forwarded this message to 10 people, would Lady Luck be so pleased that she will shower me with good fortune? If I didn't, would something bad befall me? Yesterday, I lost my keys to my home while out shopping with my wife. I've never lost my home keys in my life. Was it my own carelessness or was it because I did not heed the instructions to forward the text message to 10 people? I'll never know.

Superstitions aside, what really bewildered me was the fact that the person who sent this to me was a family member. While I know that the intention was good, I can't help but feel that if she believed that if such supernatural powers existed and travelled via text messages, I could just as easily be hurt by such receiving one.

In my opinion, sending out chain letters (which today has evolved into chain emails and chain text messages) is just downright inconsiderate. You receive a chain text message and to selfishly secure your own good luck, you pass on the "bad luck" of being the receipient of the text message to others on your contact list. I would never do that, especially to a family member or a good friend. To me, it is a reflection of a lack of concern to the intended receipient, burdening him or her with the task of forwarding the message to 10 other unfortunate souls.

I received a letter in the mail about two months ago addressed to my late father. When I opened it, it turned out to be a chain letter requesting him to make copies of it and send it out to 10 people or else he'll suffer an unfortunate fate. Considering my father has passed on, I guess the joke is on the sender.

The bottom line? I don't believe that you can change your fate with 10 text messages. The only people whose fate you can change is the mobile network service provider who charges you for each text message you send out - and in a good way at that! So, messages like these usually suffer the wrath of my mobile phone's delete function.

For good luck, forward this blog to 10 people....