When I grow up, I wanna be a bear.
Strong and powerful.
Can hang keys off it somemore.
ADV: The Future Is… What?
If we stop and think about it, it’s kinda obscene to see how far technology has come.
When I was first exposed to the Internet at the virginal age of 12, my modem was from a brand called US Robotics. It was 33.6KBps fast, made clunky noises when connecting to the Internet and cost us a hefty RM700.
I remember the price so clearly because back then, my dad gave me a choice between an internet modem and a Sony Playstation (One).
As much as I’d love to see Chun Li fight in pixelated 3D, I instinctively knew I’d have more fun with the Internet.
The day those JARING technicians came to my house to install the modem was the day my life changed forever.
As soon as my modem was installed, I booted up my Pentium II PC, started Windows 95, dialled up 1511, fired up Netscape Navigator, then logged onto Yahoo! and entered into the search engine the magical word every young boy typed when the first got their hands on the Internet.
Come on, you know EVERYONE has done it.
But that was 15 years ago.
Back then, if I wanted to see a picture of Pamela Anderson in her red bikini, I gotta wait AGES for it to load.
The most embarrassing thing is - just when the picture is about to load up her most interesting bits – SUDDENLY mom walked in!
I panicked as I frantically try to close the window. But then my computer FROZE!
Quickly, I unplugged the computer’s power cord before my mom stared at the screen enough to realise what I was doing.
It’s ridiculous. Come to think of it, we have it so much easier these days.
No longer do we have to limit ourselves watching Pam Anderson in JPEG photos. Thanks to the advancement of broadband, we can in fact now watch Pamela Anderson AND Tommy Lee in full video glory.
That was one of the points I raised at the “Future Is…” panel discussion co-organized by HP and Microsoft.
I was one of the panel speakers alongside Joyce The Fairy, Cynthia Ong, Red Mummy and Jojo Struys.
Yeah, noticed something?
Thorn among roses.
Although the event was kicked off by HP and Microsoft, our discussion have absolutely nothing to do with the organizer’s products all.
The “Future Is…” campaign is basically huge online discussion about what we think future trends are. It’s a discussion that spans 4 countries. Apart from us in Malaysia, the online community from China, Korea and Singapore are ALL taking part on this discussion of trends that will shape our future.
I’d like to invite you to take part in this discussion.
In Malaysia, what we did was just to kickstart the process and get the ball rolling.
For you guys, HP has thrown in some awesome prizes (like a 5,000 buck touchscreen PC), just for pitching in ideas about what you think is gonna be the next big thing.
You must be wondering – why is HP doing this?
Simple. Because sometimes, even the simplest of ideas can spark a trend and transform the world we live in.
One example: text messaging. The inventors of SMS originally only intended it to be used for emergency when voice calls break down. Never had they imagined it to be used as such a commonly-used tool of communication these days.
But look at what it has turned into. Instead of having to tell your mom you’re coming home late because you are out partying hard in a noisy nightclub out studying hard in a quiet library, nowadays you can just send her a text without her suspecting anything.
Ridiculous.
But such are how trends are created, and future trends will be created. What future trends do you foresee? That’s something for us to ponder upon and blog about.
Anyway, just because HP and Microsoft organized this does not mean our discussion was just limited to technology. It could be future of fashion, entertainment, education, music, social media, the environment – basically anything and everything.
Anyway, we have done our part. The rest, is up to you guys.
Here is your homework for the day.
What is ONE trend you predict that’s gonna take off in a big way in the future? Could this be the future of handphones?
ADV: Zhng My Walls
Four months ago, this was what my cardio area looked like.
This is my cardio workout area today.
I was very much involved in the entire design process of my fitness centre. Everything, from what fitness equipment to buy, to which toilet bowls to use, to what colours were to be painted on the walls were all decided by myself.
The members love the look and feel of my fitness centre, but I kinda regretted not giving the walls more colour and design.
I wasn’t thinking too much back then. It would be a different story if my fitness centre were called “Sistine Chapel Fitness”. Or if my name were Michaelangelo Sia.
Unfortunately my name is only Kenny Sia. So I left the walls blank because I seriously had no idea what kinda drawings to put on them. I was way too busy choosing toilet bowls that I neglected to give my walls more forethought.
But Cindy, Cheesie and KY went to the Nippon Paint workshop and they’re like experts in home renovations now.
This is what Cindy did after she transformed a section of her house into a work of art.
She cheat one ‘cos she got someone else to paint the wall. She only drew the Pacman herself.
KY and Haze took 3 days to create that mural on his empty piece of wall. Don’t play play, got guitar some more.
There are a couple of other creative peeps who did a kickass job giving their rooms/table/shoe cabinet an extreme makeover.
From the top to bottom are works by Nara, Sixthseal, Redmummy, Kampungboycitygal, c33ram00n, Pinkstilettos, Nicolekiss, FoxyFarah and PlusSizeKitten.
All they used were masking tapes or paper cutouts and Nippon paint..
I must say, they made it look easy.
Which brings me to this blank wall I have in my cardio area.
I want something less dull, but easy enough to do it myself. Perhaps some random straight lines like this would brighten up the place a bit.
Now, I just need the time to do it.
If not, I’ll just hire my 1-year-old nephew Ethan to decorate those walls for me…
I mean, what’s the worst that could happen, right?
Cat Betrayed His Girlfriend
Here’s some light-hearted Youtube fun for a lazy Sunday evening post.
I guess must be what Tiger Woods is going through if he was a cat.
ADV: Silhouette Review
Every year whenever Christmas comes around, one thing immediately pops into my mind.
The Guinness Christmas menu!
Like birthdays, Prosperity Burgers and how often Kenny gets laid, the Guinness Christmas menu is something that happens only once a year.
It’s sad I know. That’s why when it happens, I cherish the moment by trying as many different selections as I can (the menu, not the getting laid)
Last year I had a ball of a time trying out all the Guinness-infused dishes on offer at various restaurants over in KL. This time round, it seems like restaurants in Kuching are also getting in on the act.
Silhouette is a restaurant and bar located just outside The Spring shopping mall. Most people would’ve seen it before, but few know that it is owned and operated by the son of Tan Sri Ting Pek Khiing – John Ting Rich Man (pretty sure that’s his full name).
John’s brother Bobby runs the Original Car Wash and Four Points Hotel. Just like all F&B outlets under the Ting empire, elegance and opulence are central to the restaurant’s decor.
Everything inside is so GOLDEN and SHINY and SPARKLING. I had to be careful not to break anything here.
Tan Sri Ting Pek Khiing could easily sue my next four generations’ backside bankrupt.
Most people come here to party at night, but few have stepped in to try out the food here. It’s a pity, ‘cos the food here is not bad.
Despite the extravagant looks, the menu prices here are fairly reasonable for its standard – about RM20 for mains and RM10 for drinks. The pizzas at Silhouette are known to be legendary. The hot plate seafood pasta got pretty good reviews too.
But those weren’t what I was here for.
I came here of course, for their Guinness special.
The Guinness Christmas menu at Silhouette features Guinness Beef Stew and Lamb Chop for RM35 a pop. If you order those, then a pint of Guinness Draught is on the house.
The lamb chop looks good, but taste-wise I felt it could do with a bit more sauce and flavour.
If you order it, make sure you ask for EXTRA GRAVY.
The beef stew on the other hand – that’s a WHOLE different story.
This, my friend, is DA BEST. Chunks of beef and potatoes stewed in Guinness Stout make this a beautiful, hearty and flavoursome dish. It’s a dish that reminds me of the ones prepared by the aunties inside traditional pubs in Ireland.
What I love most is the tiny hint of spice in the gravy. Confirm got kick one. I wasted no time gobbling it all up.
It’s closest thing I ever had to the authentic Irish stuff. And it even comes with a free pint of Guinness. How cool is that?
Even without the free pint of Guinness, it is still worth it. But if you don’t want the free beer then let me know. Because it’s wasteful.
Good beer should never ever go to waste.
Follow Me On Twitter
O HAI!
Unfortunately, it seems like I have updating this blog from once a day, to once every two days, to now almost once a week.
Not that I’m lazy, just that I have been way too busy. I am on the move a lot more often now that sitting in front of a computer is such a luxury.
Fret not – I’m always on Twitter.
Video Travel Guide To Copenhagen
I know I haven’t updated for a while, but what to do lah when my life revolves around Level Up Fitness?
For the sake of blogging something not gym-related, here’s one amateur online video travel guide I did for Tiger Translate while we were over at Copenhagen. Pardon the product placement. As expensive as it is, I still maintain that Denmark is one of the nicest countries in Europe.
What’s not to like about a place where traffic jams don’t exist, people work 6 hours a day, speak good English, get tipsy at night and still have time to make sure everything looks good?
Not sure how the Danes did it, but I’m pretty sure it didn’t start with some publicity stunt called 1Denmark.