V original - The comic series

This morning I got up at about 8 O'clock after a good six-hour sleep and opened the language centre at ten to nine before teaching two classes, then second of which ended before 12. Now I'm sleepily procrastinating and waiting for my friend to pick me up and take me to Port Dickson, where I will teach two more classes again finishing at 9pm. That's a twelve-hour day, and then I'm going along to see the new film, "2012" for which I'm not too expectant. I expect I would otherwise be dissapointed, and I expect to be wrong either way!

I will probably say my bit about it after I've seen it anyway... so all you readers... out there... stay tooned around @.@

Windoze Pirates!i!i! - M'soft cutting costs on music production software?!

Nachlass, Friedrich Nietzsche

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_to_Power#Interpretation

...a favourite anarchist concept

I started watching 'V for Vendetta' last night for the first time in a while, and it inspired me to compile a little scrapbook here of things that interest me from wikipedia.org...

V for Vendetta deals with issues of race, homosexuality, religion, totalitarianism, and terrorism. Its controversial story line and themes have, inevitably, made it the target of both criticism and praise from sociopolitical groups.

Several anarchist groups have rejected the film, while others have used it as a means to promote anarchism as a political philosophy. On April 17, 2006 the New York Metro Alliance of Anarchists protested DC Comics and Time Warner, accusing it of watering down the story’s original message in favour of violence and special effects.^[48][49] David Graeber, an anarchist scholar and former professor at Yale University, was not upset by the film. "I thought the message of anarchy got out in spite of Hollywood." However, Graeber went on to state: "Anarchy is about creating communities and democratic decision making. That’s what is absent from Hollywood’s interpretation.

While the film may lack acceptance by some anarchists, it has brought renewed interest to Alan Moore's original story, as sales of the original graphic novel rose dramatically in the United States."^[48]

I think I want a copy now!

V - "V" in the film 'V for Vendetta'

http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/template2/index.html

And because I feel like cheating, the last entry I wrote around the fifth of September and shouldn't publish because I haven't got round to publishing it for so long...

Last week on Monday night, I was locked into the stairwell and upstairs section of my workplace in Seremban by newly transferred staff from KL. I had no phone credit and very little battery, so I turned off my mobile 'in case of emergerncy.' I also realised that in many buildings, including this one, the fire escape is always locked by key; There is a very low likelyhood of someone escaping a fire that way, even if they were granted responsibility for the one-use key. I threw a minimal tantrum after confirming the only way out to be by leaping onto the roof of the lower floor of the building across the lane. I then went to sleep on the floor in the corner of a classroom, away from the windows and mosquitoes...

I was woken up in the morning by a fellow teacher who switched on the light in curiosity. I was then given an apology by the jolly new admin manager. The previous night I had, of course, planned my exit in the morning to be let known with a blunt "Tell Singapore I'm on PAID leave today." I realised the futility of this idea after a nap in the staff hostel and simply accepted a lift with a student to the new language centre in PD to teach my lessons.

The following Friday, I opened the same centre myself to find the electricity had been cut. So with no light in the window-less classrooms and no air-conditioning, my class eventually relocated to the terribly hot and dusty (from renovations and uncovered concrete)  unprepared front room for the first two lessons until the bill was paid and electricity reconnected.

I am also expected to put my (new) passport back into the hands of my campany again to be restamped and processed! With the help of my knowledgeable friends I investigated the alternatives and found few others, but will insist on keeping my passport on me in the future.

Plenty more has been going on but I'll leave it here, and suggest that I'm lucky there was no fire on Monday night (and that I managed to sleep in the morning hours rather than wait in a craze), that I didn't have to pay the bill, and that I do actually have a passport again! Hey, my friend smashed the front of his car last night; the poor bugger rather depends on it too!

I won't mention the other unfortunate details of my employmet with this company here, but you'll be further intrigued to know that I've agreed to stay until March now before going to UK. Personally, I don't have alot more room for patience though, so 'who knows?'

"No, thank you, but I don't think we have any newsagent's. If you pass by the bread could you get some?"

"OK, I'll write it on my bakery. Do you think the road will be open? I need to get this supermarket."

"It should be... That's right across the letter from the post office, isn't it? Could you send me today's list?"

-- A slight variation on the intended dialogue for my elementary English students this week. Don't worry, we didn't drill it like this!

At my work place there are a lot of new admin and marketing staff, mostly transferred from KL.

On Wednesday I got up and midday and slowly got ready to head to Seremban for a farewell dinner/party for a long-time staff member. I decided, a bit too late, to make oat cookies because I hadn't thought of anything else to bring. I wasn't even sure what we'd be doing (In Malaysia eating out is the simple answer to any gathering arrangement). I did it though, Toasting sesame seeds and oats in a bit of oil in a wok first and then heating sugar and a bit of oil in another pan, adding water to stop it all burning. I put it all together with a bit more water and salt and stirred it around till it was difficult, then laid out out on newspaper and put it in the fridge (for about half an hour; I didn't have more time). I made one batch with cocoa and one with orang rind.

Having done that and not being ready yet, I rushed to put my clothes on after running to my friends' workplace to deposit some 'seconds' cookies. I missed the last bus for Seremban and didn't manage to negotiate a lift with anyone, so I paid the taxi to take me where the other teachers were waiting outside for twenty minutes after finishing for the night. We went for dinner at a Chinese place in an area I didn't recognise, and I had a couple of small beers (a couple too many for me) with the dinner. I was terrified to notice my colleague and superior so passionately fond of the act himself (haha no need to take that seriously).

*Must note that various attending persons tasted the cookies with mixed responses, including that of mine, 'a bit sweet for me.' ...Yes, I accidently dropped the suger into the pan in my hurry(!)

 Back at the staff hostel, I watched an American nasty comedy with one of the transfers on his laptop, called 'Sex Drive'.

Nothing else happened during this period of slumber...

We got up at 7.30am yesterday and went to a school promo fair. I wasn't sure exactly what to expect but rightly presumed a booth-in-a-hall type situation. I didn't realise it was an all-girls government high school or that I was expected to simply walk around chatting with the hundreds of students. There were boys too, from visiting schools, but not so many. I think it must have been great for my company's booth to have a young white guy there (although I'm not proud to know it); Countless groups of school-girls were asking to have their photos taken with me. I quote from communication with friends, I 'turned colours,' and it was 'shameless fun' (I hope). Despite the unfavourable implications, it was a good laugh and I had some fun.

Last night I watched that guy David Blayne on TV for the first time. My friend says he's British. He sounds American. I guess he's almost a bit too cool to be American. :P

Now I'm downstairs from my workplace in Red Internet Cafe, feeling very hungry. Bye...

I'm pretty sure it comes close to my chronic arm pains on the distraction scale.

I've heard of this symtom before; please let it not be something too serious by the time I get something done about it!

Today is a national horror-day here in Malaysia but it being on a Sunday makes tomorrow the public holiday instead.

When I turned up for work this morning, the door was still locked and there was nobody, no students, teachers or staff around. I thought that after staying up cooking and eating late, sleeping late again, getting up early for my week-ly-dead-end and letting my friend drive me all the way to work 'cause I was late, I would get the day off!

Fortunately (or not) I phoned my colleague who said she was on the way.

Very fortunately, my friend spotted my (second) wallet sitting precariously between the door and the passenger seat when I got up. Of course, I wasn't ready to declare another important item lost in Malaysia just yet after only two days. I was badly and madly glad.d.d.d.d.

So, i went to KL with some nice friends and picked up my passport the other day at the same time as dropping off my slightly malfunctioning laptop to be repaired. I thought giving up the laptop for a few weeks was the sacrifice for the passport, but then I was devasted for the last 48 hours to have lost my address book/wallet too!

The passport is empty right now and I've been here much longer than a social visit period, so I'll be off to an immigration office whether or not voluntarily before long I guess. Actually, I've probably spent close to half my time here without a passport, presenting my police report only in the process of getting my passport back!

Time for me to go get some nasi lemak, or something of the sort.

Yeah, last night I cooked pasta and it was not too bad either. Had a couple of Indo friends to share with. I think they like it as long as I make the sauce plenty spicy. I made the sauce with basic ingredients but with fresh coriander being the most suitable available herb. I made sure some 'cili api' along with cayenne pepper went in this time. I stir-fried brocolli, red onion, chopped chillies and deep-fried tempe. I was happy to make use of some of the cheese my mother brought with her from my 'kampong' but I can't stomach much myself.

And for anyone who reads and doesn't know, my brother's darling cow has had a baby girl.

This is my Linux/Cruncheee (Ubuntu Intrepid) desktop almost just the way I want it for my ASUS EeePC 1000HE notbook... Why are these tags and acronyms so long?!

 I have the combined webcam but that's no go for including a snap of the laptop.

And this is the way it was with Eeebuntu:

All that downloading, and I have already formatted

 All that downloading, and I have already formatted and repartitioned to make way for a freshleee cruncheee install.

I also dualboot with Windows Xp(ensive) but I don't see a reason to show a screenshot of it!

Yesterday I tried the rojak sold near my work place on Jalan Rasah. It was very nice, and I actually drank the remaining peanut sambak with thin slices of cucumber floating in it. Jalan Rasah is just one of those initially unattractive places where you always discover something new.

Last night I finished reading the second novel by Tash Aw, 'Map of the Invisible World'. Must say it's up there with the best; The previous book I read, 'A Case of Exploding Mangoes' by Mohammed Hanif was only entertaining in comparison.

Now I'm going to try 'Midnight's Children' by Salman Rushdie but the first page already seems a mouthful.

Food 'n' books; Books 'n' food; Bood 'n' Fooks...