Keep Tryin'

I don't care about anything
Dou demo ii tte kao shinagara
Zutto zutto inotteita
Naimono nedari
Chotto ya sotto de manzoku dekinai
Dakara keep trying

I don't care about anything
While making a face like, "OK, Whatever"
I've always, always been praying
I want what I don't have
I can't be satisfied that easily
So I keep trying

Juu-ji no owarai bangumi
Shigoto no tsukare iyashite mo
Hitori ga sukoshi iya ni naru yo
Souiu no mo daiji to omou kedo

Watching a 10 o'clock comedy show
Working off my stress from work
I don't like being alone
I think that kinda stuff is important

Kyonen yori, mendoukusagari ni natteru zo
Chousensha nomi, moraeru gohoubi
Hoshii no

This year everything seems like a real drag
I want the reward that only
Challengers receive

I don't care about anything
Chotto chikoku shita asa mo koko kara
Ganbarou yo
Nando demo kitai suru no
Baka mitai nanka ja nai
Dakara keep trying

I don't care about anything
Even if I'm running a little late in the morning
I'm gonna try my best
How many times have I stupidly got my hopes up?
There are no barriers
That's why I keep trying

Honto wa dare yori hangurii
Kimochi no midarekakushite mo
Maiasa, yowakime na sugao utsusu kagami
Taiji shitai yo

The truth is, I'm hungrier than anybody else
Even though I try and hide my messed up feelings
Every morning, I want to destroy this mirror
Which reflects my weak natural face

Tsukiyo no negai, utsukushii mono dakeredo
Hyouteki ni natte, doro ni tobikonde
Lady, rettsugoo

A wish on a moonlight night; it's a beautiful thing
But become the target, jump in the mud
Lady, let's go

I don't care about anything
Kuuru na poozu kimenagara
Jitsu wo iu to tatakatteta
Taisetsu na inochi
Tottemo kinishi na anata wa sukoshi
Yasuminasai

I don't care about anything
While deciding on a cool pose
To tell you the truth
I've been fighting
It's such a precious life; You'll have to
Reach for each and every bit of rest

"Taimu izu manee"
Shourai, kokkakoumuin da nante iu na
Yume ga nai na
"Aijou yori money"
Daarin wa sarariiman datte ii jan
Ai ga areba

"Time is money"; Don't you dare say,
"My dream is to be a politician"
Don't you have any dreams?
"Money rather than love?"
My darling is a businessman
But that's alright, but only if there's love

I don't care about anything
Dou demo ii tte kao shinagara
Zutto zutto inotteita
Naimono nedari
Motto da motto da manzoku dekinai
Dakara keep trying

I don't care about anything
While making a face like, "OK, Whatever"
I've always, always been praying
I want what I don't have
I can't be satisfied that easily
So I keep trying

Donburakokko
Yo no naka, ukishizumi ga hageshii naa
Donna toki demo
Kachi ga kawaranai no wa tada anata

Bobbing up and down in this
World of ours can be so fierce
No matter the time, the value doesn't change
That is 'cause you just...

Shounen wa itsumademo,
Itsumademo kataomoi
Jounetsu ni, jounetsu ni
Onedan tsukerarenai
Otousan keep trying, trying
Okaasan keep trying, trying
Oniichan, Shashou-san, Oyomesan
Keep trying, trying

Boys are always,
Always stuck with unrequited love
With passion, with passion
You can't put a price on it
Father, keep trying, trying
Mother, keep trying, trying
Brother, Mr. Conductor, Ms. Bride
Keep trying, trying

Shounen wa itsumademo,
Itsumademo kataomoi
Jounetsu ni, jounetsu ni
Onedan tsukerarenai
Otousan keep trying, trying
Okaasan keep trying, trying
Oniichan, Shashou-san, Oyomesan
Keep trying, trying

Boys are always,
Always stuck with unrequited love
With passion, with passion
You can't put a price on it
Father, keep trying, trying
Mother, keep trying, trying
Brother, Mr. Conductor, Ms. Bride
Keep trying, trying

Shounen wa itsumademo,
Itsumademo kataomoi
Jounetsu ni, jounetsu ni
Onedan tsukerarenai
Otousan keep trying, trying
Okaasan keep trying, trying
Oniichan, Shashou-san, Oyomesan
Keep trying, trying

Boys are always,
Always stuck with unrequited love
With passion, with passion
You can't put a price on it
Father, keep trying, trying
Mother, keep trying, trying
Brother, Mr. Conductor, Ms. Bride
Keep trying, trying

__________________________________________


Artist: Utada Hikaru
Song: Keep Tryin'
Lyrics: Utada Hikaru
Music: Utada Hikaru
Released: 27th February 2006

Technorati Tags: entertainment, life, songs

How Bizzare

Why is it, if you leave a plate of bihun goreng in the open, after a while the ends of the noodle curl upwards?

Technorati Tags: food, nonsense

Man Marries Goat

I came across this shocking news on the BBC website.  What the heck was he thinking?  There was no mention of the man in question being drunk.  So the goat must have been really attractive or found the necessary skills to provide the man with a very impressive lap-dance.  Oh well, congratulations to the newlyweds! I wonder how their kids would look like? Yikes!

In any case, here's a similarly sickening, but crucially noteworthy joke:

When Van was just a youngster, he went to the chemist and asked the pharmacist, "Sir, can you tell me where the ribbed condoms are?"

The chemist replied, "Son, do you know what condoms are used for?"

"Sure do. They keep you from getting venereal diseases."

The chemist was impressed. "That's right, son. Do you know what the ribs are for?"

Van paused and then answered, "Well, not really, but they sure do make the hair on my goat's back stand up!"

Technorati Tags: humour, news

The Devil Makes Work For Idle Hands

Yes I have been very busy. So many things to do, so little time.  This morning, a package arrived for me via Royal Mail.  It was the sellotape dispenser that I've wanted for some time now along some jiffy bags (that's padded envelopes to you).  All from this wonderful and magical place called eBay. I like their tagline, "Buy it. Sell it. Love it."  I think it would be more suitable if they changed it to "Buy it. Buy again. Buy some more."

Now don't get me wrong, eBay is a great place to get and sell things.  Anything from zippers to clippers, logs to clogs, socks to clocks.  People sell anything and everything on there.  A guy even sold his ex-wife's wedding dress for US$3,850.00!!!

Where was I? Oh yes. The one bad thing about eBay (actually there are more, but this one really got on my nerve), is that you can't be sure where the items come from.  Upon opening my package, I was overwhelmed by the strong smell of weed. I felt a bit stoned just standing there looking at my cheapo £2.49 sellotape dispenser.  Trust me, I know what weed smells like.  I've never done the stuff.  My neighbour downstairs on the other hand, smokes weed like a chimney on overtime.  I live above her, she smokes weed and never opens her window.  Are you following me so far?  Where does all that smoke go? Bingo. Which is why I place a towel under the door to stop all that foul-smelling weed-smoke from coming in.

Anyway, I wonder where my package came from?

Cleveland? Isn't that the name of a city in the States or something? A quick search on MultiMap.com reveals that a district called Cleveland exists in Middlesborough. Duh.

So Mr Jones from Billingham has been smoking weed a wee bit too much; he left out three of my free six sellotapes that was supposed to come with the dispenser!  I emailed a complaint immediately to Mr Jones.  His reply came back shortly afterwards claiming "it was the missus' fault".  Typical. Blame it on the wife. Shame on you Mr Jones. You better break that weed-smoking habit of yours or "the missus" will leg it, unless of course, she smokes the stuff too.

In any case, the reason I got a tape dispenser was because I have been selling stuff on eBay myself. Packing and wrapping up the goods were taking too much time.  If you've wrapped birthday presents or gifts before, you know you will need some tape.  Out comes the sellotape and scissors and before you know it, one hand is holding down a fold and holding the sellotape while the other hand has the scissors and you're trying to cut some tape to hold the fold down. Bah.  Maybe it's just me. I can't multitask.

If you haven't noticed it already, towards the bottom of my sidebar on the left is a list of items I'm currently selling on eBay.  I just have too much clutter (mainly computer stuff I don't use anymore or never got around to using) at the moment and could use the extra money.  I started doing this over Christmas and made over £400!  That's a whole lot of clutter! To attract potential buyers, I've even opened up an eBay Store called Bargain Bits 'N' Megabytes.  It's a rip-off from a close friend's business venture back in KL.  I've even made a logo for it hehe (please ignore the perut).  So if you happen to be in the UK and need some really cheap components like mice, keyboards, memory card readers, etc., help a fellow Malaysian will you and buy something? Thank you.  *grin*

Oh yes, as another side-project, I've quietly launched my own website called eJoneClicks.com. It's been up for almost two weeks now and I even got May to contribute my first Click Back entry hehe.  I'm not entirely sure what this website is meant to be yet, but at the moment, it's where I try to share my IT knowledge and skills with everyone; by writing down as much as I can.  I must warn you, it is a complete contrast to this blog; it's all bright and cheerful!  I'm still not happy with the layout and design so you might see things break now and again when I start messing with things hehe.  Oh and one more thing, it's powered by Wordpress.  Feel free to drop by and leave a comment, coz you know how I love 'em.

p/s: By the way, both my eBay Store and new website have a very recent mugshot of yours truly.  The question is, can you find it?

Technorati Tags: blog, life, personal

Scent of A Woman

I walked into town earlier today to run some errands.  More specifically, I needed to send some items off at the post office.  It was freezing and got worse when heavy sleet started coming down.  People with high cheekbones be forewarned: when walking against falling sleet, they will hit your cheekbones first before any other part of your face.  Seriously. It hurts.

As I was walking uphill (funny how most places are always at the top of a hill when you choose to go on foot) in the heavy sleet, I was bombarded by the following thoughts:
1) It's freaking cold
2) My cheekbones hurt
3) This is really really really bad sleet.
4) My clothes are getting soaked.
5) Why is the post office at the top of the hill?

At that very moment, a lady in a black trench coat in the opposite direction walked pass me, brushing the back of my arm. I didn't manage to see her face, but the smell of her perfume.. I didn't know what it was, but wow, the effect was amazing.

Immediately afterwards, the thoughts in my head changed to:
1) Who the heck was that lady in the black trench coat?
2) Where is she going?
3) What perfume was she wearing?
4) Does she live around here?
5) Maybe I should go after her and get her number?

In the process, I also managed to:
1) Step in a puddle
2) Almost walk into a lamp post
3) Forget where I was going
4) Almost get run over by a bus
5) Walk pass the post office

Can something trivial like the smell of perfume on a woman, turn you into a gibbering idiot just like that?

Wow.

Technorati Tags: encounters, humour

Speaking of Cartoons...

If you're wondering what made 10,000 Muslim protesters gather in Trafalgar Square for the third consecutive weekend earlier this evening, have a look at this.

More information and stories can be found on the BBC News site.

Technorati Tags: culture, news

The Unbearable Likeness of iJun

I've been immortalised on Jimbo's blog! You can find me on his sidebar.  He sure do has a talent for such things.  I must say, the resemblance is uncanny. Nice one dude! However, one particular sheep-loving, ManU-supporting and postman-wannabe described how I look in my cartoon portrait as "horny giler".

Tak guna betul.

Technorati Tags: blog, humour

The Milkman Has All The Fun

I saw this advert on BBC1 Jon Culshaw's Commercial Breakdown (also star of Dead Ringers).  I burst into fits of laughter watching it.



Why would you want to be a postman again?

Hehe.

Technorati Tags: ads, entertainment, humour

Any Blondes Out There?

I came across this hilarious blonde joke on the web while looking at some designs for a side-project.    On the subject of blondes, I had a very short argument with Ayu about Jennifer Aniston.  Is she blonde or brunette?  She looks very brunette to me.  Nonetheless, poor Jen. Things sure don't look so good after a very public break-up with then-husband Brad Pitt.  With news of him impregnating one of the hottest chick you can have for your desktop wallpaper, Angelina Jolie, you can't help but feel a bit sorry for her; she must be torn to bits. But no, apparently she remains upbeat on things, or at least she makes you think she does.

She has since started dating Vince Vaughn (they made a movie together recently called The Break Up). Vince had previously admitted he couldn't have a serious relationship with her due to his commitment issues. By the looks of it, she's trying too hard to please him and her closest friends are beginning to worry. But seriously, Vince Vaughn???

What's to become of Jen? Nobody knows.  Her birthday was five days ago and from the looks of this, it wasn't a very happy one.  Kesian dia.


*******

After watching the Brit Awards on ITV tonight, what did Chris Martin (also the husband of yet another blonde, maybe Jen should have listened to her advice) of Coldplay mean when he said "We won't be seeing you for a very long time. We mean it."?  Is the team splitting up? Is he going away somewhere with Gwyneth? What? Answers on the back of a postcard please*.

*© Copyright 2006 Kambing Brokeback


*******


By the way, does this look the least bit appetising to you? It's penne pasta with garlic, trimmed beans, chopped leeks and salmon flakes (with pepper and a dash of salt of course).

May said I should put the recipe up.

So that's a no huh?

I didn't think so.

Technorati Tags: entertainment, food, news

Sayang u :)

Do you remember when we first met
We both were feeling blue
We stayed up late and chat for hours
And ended up saying "I Sayang U :)"

You hung on to my every word
And laughed at my stupid jokes too
Sometimes you laughed so hard, it scares me
But don't worry, coz I sayang U :)

One day I'll take you to Zanzibar
Or maybe even to Peru
Or just take a long walk by the beach
Coz U sayang I, and I sayang U :)

I'm no Gael Garcia Bernal nor Johnny Depp
I'm a mix of Kojak and Gerard Depardieu
Hey you're no Jennifer Aniston yourself okay
But what matters is that U sayang I, and I sayang U :)

Happy Valentine's Day sayang.

(cheesy tak? hehe)

Technorati Tags: personal, rhymes, seasonal

Ye Blog - Part 3

After spending the last few days looking at my template source code, it became apparent to me that there was just far too much sampah in it. I remember back during my wild programming days when we were forced encouraged to write neat, clean codes with proper indentations for each different things that a particular code does. Commenting your code not only helps you remember what they do, but give yourself a better understanding of your own work by breaking them down. Trust me, try writing a few thousand line of codes and leave them for a few days. You won't have a clue what they were supposed to do.

Part of my degree module was to master several programming languages (i.e. Fortran, Haskell, Java, C++ and Assembly) in about, oh what was it now.. three months? Don't be fooled into the word "master" though, because as I found out after panicking for a week, all we had to do was to get "Hello Word!" displayed on the screen. Back then (in 1994 to be precise), the Internet was still new and a lot of programming resources were still mostly available in hardcopy format. Even books were still new and we were amongst the first batch to part with our (government-funded) cash for a "Master <insert programming language> in 21 Days". Most of you ex-students know that seniors are the excellent source for used books, but since we were the first, didn't have much of a choice.

Perhaps it was due to this that I extremely hate don't enjoy programming (hate is such an ugly word) as people think I should. If you take a look at the Appointments section in the newspaper today, you would find that most high-paying jobs in the IT industry are Programmers, Software Developers/Engineers. I don't care how much they pay, I have been scarred for life! I repeat, I do not like programming!

Nonetheless, I can code in HTML quite effortlessly, like it was my second language. However today, the way to go is PHP and CSS. I won't dwell into that here of course. Apa, ingat aku nerd sangat ke?

Anyway, my blog, since it first came online in late 2004, has been the subject of my own brutal sloppy work. As soon as I came across a piece of code that I thought would "enhance" my blog (thanks to his majesty), I immediately slapped it to the template. I have done this plenty of times without proper consideration of how it would affect my blog and far too many times I did it simply because I know how to and that I can. More importantly, I was just doing it for a bit of fun. As a result of this, the blog became very messy and cleaning up the code was a huge chore. I decided that after a few days, after trying to patch up pieces here and there, I would just start fresh with a new design and a set of clean codes (heavily commented for my own benefit).

So what I've done is ditched the old template and came up with this new 3-column layout. The biggest issue with this design is that the main column width has been greatly reduced from 500px to 375px. This means that older posts (especially the ones with big embedded photos) might break the layout or make the blog appear manky. I'm prepared to search for those entries and resize the photos to accommodate the new design.

However, before I log on to my flickr account and go on an mass editing frenzy, I would like some feedback.

So what do you guys think?

Technorati Tags: blog, personal, technical

Because I'm Worth It

Something strange happened today. Firstly, I got up way too early.. 7:00am.. on a Sunday! Secondly, I got into the shower, picked up a bottle of shampoo by L'oreal (left behind by a previous guest), poured some into my hand, slapped it on my hairless head and began lathering it in. It was completely bizzare!

Now my scalp is silky smooth and smells like papaya and mango. Hehe.

Technorati Tags: humour, nonsense, personal

The Last Baulu

Come closer, yes closer, I have something to tell you
A tale so unthinkable, so unmentionable, so taboo
It’s undeniably disgusting, it’s fact I can’t chew
That I’m actually on my last baulu

I don’t know what happened, I haven’t got a clue
It was only a week ago that they made a debut
All the way from Kuala Lumpur, they flew
I was so over the moon, I did some kung fu

This can’t be happening, how I wish it wasn’t true,
But I have no doubt that you’d agree with me too
It’s blindingly obvious that you’ve had a good view
There’s only one baulu left, not three... not two

How now brown cow? What to do? What to do?

Technorati Tags: humour, personal, rhymes

Life gives you a hand

Who said
broken pieces don't mend
I say
I say to think again

You may
take advice from all your friends
but I say
that I'm living in your head


Chorus
Just let it grow
let it grow inside of you
let it grow
let it flow inside of you
let it grow let it grow let it grow


She said that it's easy for men
and I said that we all feel the rain
then she said
move a little closer then
who says that broken pieces don't mend


Chorus


'cause in the garden of reason
you can't change what youre given
but you can go where the river flows


let it grow grow grow grow
let it grow grow grow grow


yeah yeah yeah let it grow


yeah
let it grow


life gives you a hand
you're playing by the rules
you'll never come through it.


life gives you a hand
you're playing by the rules
you'll never come through it.


('cause in the garden of reason
you can't change what you're given
but you can go where the river flows)

_________________________________________


Artist: Kubb
Song: Grow
Album: Mother (2005)

Technorati Tags: entertainment, songs

Ye Blog - Part 2

Okay, I've managed to clear up a lot of stuff off the sidebar. I immediately noticed faster loading times on my blog now. I must remember that some visitors/readers are still on dial-up or a shared broadband connection. Hope this helps.

I mentioned previously that I wanted to add more content to this blog. I do have quite a lot to write about, but most of my thoughts tend to disappear into thin air by nightfall. I've prefer making entries in the evenings as I'm mostly out and about during the day. It's funny how a thought or an idea comes to you when you least expect it; i.e. in the shower, crossing a pedestrian bridge, buying grapes at the supermarket, avoiding dog poo on the street, etc.

Another strong possibility is that I'm easily distracted. Once my train of thoughts is interrupted, it's very difficult for me to get back on track. I have recently moved my "blogging workspace" to the dining area as opposed to the living room where the big TV shines almost 24hrs a day. I should be able to concentrate better this way.

I may also have a very short attention span. I think most people who don't read books suffer from this. Hand me a magazine anytime, but J. K. Rowling? Dan Brown? Haruki Murakami? Takpelah, terima kasih. No, I'm not ashamed by this. I bought quite a lot of books last year to try and pick up the habit, but it was taking forever to finish them, let alone a single book. I really really really wanted to like it, but... I just can't. It's like forcing yourself to like something you dislike; e.g. cucumber (hehe), curry (yes some people dislike curry), excercising, report-writing, etc. well you get the idea.

Can a person be good at writing if he or she isn't fond of reading?

How do you tell good writing from bad? Is it the choice of words? Or the style? Or the topic?

No, I'm not a writer, but I enjoy sharing my thoughts and telling stories. Perhaps that is what makes a good writer?

Oh well, let's see how it goes.

Technorati Tags: blog, personal

Pumbaa's Friend

So?

Technorati Tags: health, humour, nonsense

Ye Blog

The last few months saw me neglecting this blog. I used to update almost daily and sometimes a few times per day. Not that I don''t have time or anything. I just couldn't be bothered anymore. I mean, I wasn't getting paid to do it, so why should I?

It worked pretty well last year, especially when I was going through a rough time with relationship issues. The blog was a big help as I was able to express my thoughts and frustrations. My blog managed to get hits over 200+ per day! And to think that I started it just for a bit of fun. It's interesting how my suffering and anguish can attract so many readers.

Most of my entries of late have been pretty mundane and trivial. I think I may have lost a passion for writing, not that it has been my passion or anything. My entries for the last few months have not been the result of passion, but more like "filler" entries, much like those filler episodes on Naruto (come on, when are they going to go after Sasuke?)

Does that mean I have something big coming up?

I don't think so.

So many times I had contemplated closing this blog down. I mean, The Lost Codger can't possibly be lost forever right? Can he? So the hit TV series, Lost, is well on its way (or finishing already?) into Season 2 now. Heck how many seasons can that series last? I mean, unless the writers can keep coming up with good stuff and Kate (Evangeline Lilly) keeps moaning and sweating, I'll still be hooked.

So what about this blog?

Well, I get about between 30-50 hits per day now. Either random clicks from other Blogger.com users or visits from my faithful readers. Something about that made me feel a bit sad really.

I tried to spruce the blog up a bit but managed to do the exact opposite. I tried to generate some money by using the traffic to my blog and filled up my sidebar full of Amazon and Google links and other off-site things that slowed the blog down tremendously. Looking at it a few days ago I was appalled and ashamed. My blog is so slow to load and full of bling-blings that even I find myself to be a bit offensive.

This is a personal blog. I shouldn't be trying to generate income from it. I myself find adverts in blogs to be a bit err.. what's a more subtle word for "bleargh"? (no offense to my other fellow bloggers hehe)

What I should concentrate on is the content. Be it stories about meeting Ruhena again the other night at the local supermarket or a photo of a guy that I saw trying inflate his car tyre with a bicycle pump. Anything! A blog wouldn't be a blog without any content now would it?

So what should I do now?

To be honest, I'm not sure. I mean, do I continue to be The Lost Codger? Or do I start a new blog? Or perhaps maybe open up a new website completely (something which I have been wanting to do for some time now). My hands are itching to write again.

I think I shall have another look at the layout and try to remove the clutter on the sidebar. One rule that I have always applied to my work in IT is the K.I.S.S. rule. I think it can be applied to almost anything in general.

Anyway, I'll start there initially and hope that more ideas would follow shortly.

It can only get better. :)

Technorati Tags: personal, blog, life

Apa ni?

Yeah whatever man. Gagoh to you too!

Technorati Tags: personal, blog, technology

When a cyclist and a rock star split up

Lance Armstrong & Sheryl Crow
2003 - 2006


It was only about three months ago when I went to her concert in London. I still distinctively remember the time when she took a moment to chat with the audience to say that the outfit she had on resembled a wedding dress, and how she must be "goin' crazy ya know?" and how she had "gone to a lotta bike races lately".

Takpe Sheryl, aku kan ada. Nanti aku hantar orang merisik ok?

More details here.

Technorati Tags: entertainment, news