Oh, what a night.  Early in the evening, the conditions were already ripe.  Moist, the discharge gets heavier as the evening continues.  It came up to a point where it just got wild.  But it did not last long, minutes later, it grew quiet again.  Just as earlier, the momentum slowly builds up, and the discharge goes wild again.  This goes on and on through out the night.  It was still like this when I woke up this morning.  Yes, mother nature had a good time last night.  It left several areas of Penang flooded, some landslides, and a pissed off colleague who got his shoe wet stepping into the car park puddles. 

JamLegend is a web rendition of the popular game Guitar Hero.  Using your keyboard as a guitar, you can Jam through various gene type of songs.  I have not played guitar hero before, but I know what it is and have seen youtuber showing off their skills.  This looks the same and I enjoy it much.  The pace was a little fast when I started, but once I get used to the beats, it comes in natural.  Sometimes, I think my subconscious mind was driving the finger rather than me.  This was especially evident when comes the tricky sequences.  Somehow the fingers just grace through the buttons automatically, while I was thinking when I will be screwing up.  And the second that thought expires, I screw up.  As I played the song more and more times, I got better and able to accomplish the tricky notes, and that felt really good.  I wonder if playing the real guitar felt the same way too.  There are a total of 5 strings, and 3 levels.  Easy only plays 3 strings, while medium 4 and hard all 5 strings.  As you play and scores, you get groupies, which is like a trophy of your accomplishments.  Currently there are a total of 38 accomplishments, and it will take an expert of the game or a lot of time to get them all.  You can also invite your friend to a Duels to see who is better and also to climb the points ladder as well as collect accomplishments.  Currently the game only has guitar, but I see Bass, Drums and keyboard as part of the future offerings. After all, the laptop keyboard has so many buttons, enough to support the mention instruments. 

The songs selection are good, I enjoyed the beats most of the time.  As the game are currently in Beta, I expect to see some minor tweaks in the near future.  Currently, the game seams to load in segments over broadband, so if it is not fully loaded, you can expects to pause once you have finish the segment.  This disrupts the game.  I guess sometimes the loading speed is not that fast, and people may get tired of waiting, that is why they allow you to go first.  I have been addicted to this game for a couple of days and now tired of playing alone.  Come join me with the invitation below.  Just click “Join Jamlegend” and it will bring you the sign up page.  You will automatically be my friend.  Train up and challenge me.  Oh, the game is free, forgot to mention that. 

Join JamLegend

After yesterday’s rant, I felt a little better and the craving seams to have subside.  Then, on a follow on message over at facebook, GP forwarded me another couple of sites who post their moleskine drawings on their blog, and I am hooked again.  One side of me screams to get one, another side screams that it is not pratical.  i dont paint, and I dont write, and I have only plans for it to be a scrap book only.  And so, I thought maybe I rant on moleskine again today, I can shake off some of the cravings away. 

If only I have discovered molekine during my university days, I would have a wonderful book for my friends to write some few words before parting.  Instead,  I handed them an ordinary notebook.  It was a desperation as it was already end of the semester and everyone is leaving.  I got to get a book for them to write, and I just grab the best book off the student shop at the refectory.  It was nice, but moleskine would have been nicer.

If only I have discovered moleskine after graduation, i would have a wonderful travel book on Europe.  Subsequently, another wonderful travel book on US and last year Japan.  In use, i pathetically printed a booklet with compiled photos and web clips.  It was nice, but after a few months, the color faded and now, I am left with blank pages of once a nice remembrance of the time I had in the US.  If I had a moleskine then, I could still bring it out now and then to dwell on yesteryears.  On Japan, just days before leaving, I went to the study and grab a notebook I kept from my previous company.  It was a fab paper notebook where it does not shed any paper flakes.  We filled it up with chops or some called it stamps from all the tourist spots in Tokyo.  It was nice, but moleksine would have been nicer. 

Check out moleskine over at youtube and flickr. I love those arts, just can’t get enough of it.  At the end of the day, it was the art created by individuals, and not the moleskine that was great.  Moleskine was just a medium or a tool to those arts.  So, why am I craving for a medium? I am crazy…

Photo Attribution: China Guccio

What is a Moleskine? First and foremost, it is not made of Mole Skin.  It is basically a paper notebook with round corners and a elastic strap to further secure the entire notebook.  Moleskine is a brand.  Why is it so hip? Moleskine was reputedly used by world creative geniuses such as Hemmingway, Picasso and Matisse.  Because world creative geniuses uses it, people looked at it from a different light.  For me, it was the strap notebook outlook that I fancy.  I have always love paper notebooks, where I carry one at work everyday.  To fill it up, I use a fountain pen, sometimes blue, sometimes black, sometimes a little of both.  It gives me great joy to write with a fountain pen on a paper notebook.  If there were no computers in the world, I would have blog in one of these paper notebooks.  I would fancy myself one of those Moleskine.  Unfortunately, its too expensive here in Malaysia.  A decent size notebook cost RM80++ and this is too much to pay for a notebook for me to write crap.  I have seen some people do put it to a good use, others make it as a casing for their portable Hard Drive, totally creative.  I dont paint like Piccaso, and I dont write like Hemmingway, so what do I need one for? I would use it as a scrap collection of my travels and events.  Every little junk in my life will be kept in a tiny little book, which can be burn with me when I die, or donated to the Smithsonian or maybe buried with a time capsule to be found in year 8000 where people can see how prehistoric 2008 people live and travel.  As I crave for a Moleskine, I can’t afford one, at least, not willing to pay for one, and it shall remain as my craving for now.  Picture above by NoPastforSkud.

I for one love musicals, and when Mamma Mia comes to the silver screen, I had to see it.  It was just formidable.  Me and my wife had so much fun that we could not stop talking about it on the way home.  The movie had ended, but the characters and songs were still playing in our mind.  It was a Fun and feel good movie, and with Abba timeless songs, it was just amazing.  The guy 3 rows to my right, sang almost to every song, I know he had a great time.  Me on the other hand was moving and swaying and I pity the girl on my right.  On her left, she has a guy that sings during the movie, and on her left (mua), she has a guy that dance, it must have been dreadful for her.. but I see she still enjoys the movie.  

During the movie, there were moments that I felt free, to let go all the woes and rekindle me with my younger days of less worries and carefree.  This is what a great movie does, stirring up emotions unexpectedly and shows you how life can be different by just change your mind or the way you think.  This was a fun movie, the actors were visibly seen having a ball of their time.  The location were also lovely, especially towards the end, where the wedding were about to take place, a little chapel up on the hill, with lanterns grazing the entire pathway, it just bring awe to the entire audience.  Luckily I am already married, so my wife just say “when you want to bring me to a Greek Island” rather than, “I want a wedding like this”.  Oh, maybe the latter was cheaper.. haha, Reality of marriages where the guys wants a cheaper wedding so that the money can be spent on the honeymoon, the girl on the other hand, wants it to be a day of remembrance for the rest of her life, ie. grandeur. 

I saw 5xMom Lilian there, and I dont recognize any of the other Penang Bloggers.  The girl behind me brought her teacher (I suspected), and the guys was hilarious.  He smuggle food into the cinema, and keep saying that this was smuggled food, also he was saying that this was a ploy by the government to capture all bloggers into ISA.  I thought he was a funny chap. 

Its a must watch movie, something light, fun, and feel good to take you away from the current political and economical issues.  It will make you dance, sing, and talk about funny scenes after the movie.  If it does not do all that for you, then there is always Eagle Eye, which is coming soon.  Thanks to Nuffnang for the tickets.  Now, where is my old Abba CD?