HTNet - A Notepad of Tech, Business, Science and Self Improvement

Missed me? Heh, anyway, I just got back from KL a few hours ago… actually my time of arrival is precisely 1530 @ GMT+8. By 1730, I’m at the office and being briefed by my MD on what has been happenning for the past three days (my leave period)… ah the challenges of business in these trying times It just makes me feel alive.

Soon after that, I went to a Proton Savvy launch at a close friend’s dealership. Seems bloody obvious that Proton has its eyes focused on the compact car market which has always been dominated by local rival Perodua. BTW, Perodua launched their latest model, Myvi roughly three weeks ago.

The two not only looks, but are priced similarly too… hell, even their names are almost the same! Both companies have gone on a totally different direction with their naming schemes. Nevertheless, from my first hand view of the two, I still prefer the Myvi over Proton’s new offering. The rear passenger legroom for Myvi is still much spacious compared to Savvy. But heck, both cars look much better than their predecessors. Finally, Malaysian compact cars that look modern and stylish.

Now back to my vacation story. I went for a swimming-cum-picnic-trip at Sungai Tekala, Selangor. Nice cold water, trees everywhere. I bet you can tell that I’m not really a nature lover, heh. I took a few pics, probably will upload them here later.

As promised, I also went to Times Square… and no, I didn’t stalk Lainie, nor did I go to any blogger convention. Like I said, I had totally zero interaction with the Internet whilst I was away… so I didn’t even know that there was such a blogmeet planned. My loss, I guess.

I did have fun on the rides at the indoor theme park in Times Square. I must have been a pilot in my previous life because not a single one of the rides made me puke… But I sure as hell had some long missing, g-force induced, adrenaline rush. For those with a weak stomach, stay the hell clear of DNA Mixer! It looks innocent enough when sitting idle, but when the ride starts… it’s really scary… heck, I rode the thing a few times and every time, someone pukes right after the ride! Definitely not recommended for those with weak stomaches.

Catching up on the latest tech news, I noticed that Apple finally confirmed that they do have plans to develop OSX for Intel chips (is it also safe to assume that it’ll be x86 compatible?). Never thought the day would come… heh, not that I’m actually pining for OSX on x86 anyway. And as usual, the paranoid “Linux is now oh so dead” crowd, will have something to say about it.

On a more personal note, I’m starting to have a feeling that vacations actually stresses me out more than working. I missed the challenges of operating a business severely. Heck… maybe I’m just a bloody corporate bastard… and proud of it too

I’m taking three days leave (Monday to Wednesday) and will be going to KL. I’m leaving JB in a few hours time. So if you notice that I’m not posting anything or replying to any comments during that time, chances are I’m living my life offline for a while

I’ll be taking a few pictures. I haven’t been uploading any for quite some time. I still do have some cool Petronas Twin Towers photos that I was thinking to upload, but I guess many of you have seen the towers anyway. I’ll be looking out for more unique photos.

Since I’ll be in KL, I would like to visit some of the shopping malls there… I would probably go to Times Square to see if there’s any chages to the place compared to when I visited it last, which was like half a year ago. If I’m not mistaken, Lainie works there somewhere… Let’s see if I could spot her

While reading Blogsforfirefox and Status Quo, I saw that both of them linked to an article on PCWorld titled The 100 Best Products of 2005. The magazine has named Mozilla Firefox as Product of the Year. Congrats to the MozFo, coders, themers and users who keep making this browser better everyday.

Browsing over to T. Longren, he has not one, not two, but three articles relating to Firefox. Really interesting read. Even learnt about this cool extension called Cute Menus from his site.

Well, another thingy I can put on my CV; Experienced Blogger

I saw this post on /. which basically states that blogging is now a real “business skill” which seems to be pretty much in demand. It also links to this article (which has a needlessly bloody long URL) in the WSJ.

After reading through the WSJ article, it really does make perfect sense to me that blogging should be regarded as a serious marketing tool. It really is! It creates awareness about a company’s products and/or services, therefore it’s only logical that the industry acknowledges its importance.

I mean, surely many of you have seen cult sites which criticizes the products or services of companies where the “former consumer” felt that he/she has been screwed over. I do find such expression of anger and/or frustration to be quite normal. Therefore I wouldn’t find anything strange with a blog that regularly praises the products and/or services of “well-behaving” companies… yeah, even if the blogger gets paid for doing so.

Anyone wants to hire me?

I’ve asked Suanie to interview me, and she has. Let the fun begin!

1. If you had dictatorship rule over Malaysia, what would you do/change?

The first thing I’ll do is to change the constitution so that Malaysia will be a Corporate Democracy. How does this work?

Simple. Basically I’ll come up with a Corporate Malaysia Index, a share market where the shares of all government bodies will be traded. Initially, I will own most of the shares for every “company” and will divest the boring ones.

Whoever has the majority share will control the particular government body. Simple? Yes? Next question please.

2. Would you rather be rich and stupid or poor and smart?

Easy one. Rich and stupid, of course. In fact, every rich person in the world is stupid. Everyone else says that what they’re trying to do initially cannot be done… but they do it anyway, and getting rich is just a side-effect.

3. Would you rather kill a nest of ants or a single puppy?

If the need arises, I would obliterate entire galaxies. So, I guess it makes no difference.

4. Star Trek or Star Wars? Why?

Neither. Because stars have the right to not be trodded upon and be at peace with their own kind, just like you and me.

5. If someone were to offer you 1 million euros to suck a guy’s dick, would you do it?

No. But I’d consider licking a clean shaven pussy for half the amount offered

The Official Interview Game Rules (copied to be passed on)

1. If you want to participate, leave a comment below saying “interview me.”
2. I will respond by asking you five questions - each person’s will be different.
3. You will update your journal/blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview others in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.