Tainted Blood

Ever since I could remember, I always been reminded by my mum that I have G6PD Deficiency. Didn't really knew what is was till she passed me an A4 sheet listing down the medicines I am allergic to. Oh my god, am I that sick? But it didn't bother me at any point in my life. Only irritates me each time I made a visit to the doctors, I have to remind them of my allergies. As I grew older, a doctor once told me the deficiency will actually go away once I outgrew my childhood. Then some said it wouldn't. Damnit, can these doctors make up their bloody mind?

Oh well, life went on as usual till I made my first blood donation back in 2003. Feeling proud and considering I have no fear of needles, "prick away", I said to the nurse. The feeling I had diminished the moment I received a letter from Pusat Darah Negara some 3 months later. Dropping on my knees and praying, I opened the letter in my room. What could it possibly be? The content said nothing more than just asking me to pay them a visit.

Geez, such suspense. So, off I went a couple of days later to the centre. Preparing myself, I sat on the chair and asked the reason I have been summoned. "Mr. Matthew, your blood test shows you are a possible Hepatitis B carrier. Please make arrangements with General Hospital to have another blood test done to confirm it". WTF!!!!!!!! How did this happen? How did I not know? What are the symptoms? In fact, what in the world is Hepatitis B all about, a sad acknowledgement of my lack of awareness.

Hepatitis B, as extracted from Wikipedia

Hepatitis B is an inflammation of the liver and is caused by the Hepatitis B virus (HBV), a member of the Hepadnavirus family and one of hundreds of unrelated viral species which cause viral hepatitis. It was originally known as "serum hepatitis" and has caused current epidemics in parts of Asia and Africa. Hepatitis B is recognized as endemic in China and various other parts of Asia. The proportion of the world's population currently infected with the virus is 3 to 6%, but up to a third have been exposed. Symptoms of the acute illness caused by the virus include liver inflammation, vomiting, jaundice, and rarely, death. Chronic hepatitis B may cause liver cirrhosis which may then lead to liver cancer, a fatal disease with very poor response to current chemotherapy. Hepatitis B usually gets better on its own after a few months. It may, however, cause a more serious chronic infection.


a micrograph showing Hepatitis B virions

So many questions to ask. Where do I even begin? During the session, I was advised to avoid alcohol altogether. Which is fine and dandy, seeing I'm not a heavy drinker anyway. But heck, did I feel like drinking at that very moment. I was also told, 95% of carriers will lead a normal healthy life while 5% will turn chronic. Does the odds sound good?

September 2007, here I am leading a reasonably healthy life. Consumption of alcohol has been reduced further. I'm not doing anything different as compared to before the diagnose. Anyhow, a collegue recently enquired on the status of my health. Sadly, I have been procrastinating and putting off getting a blood test, which is suppose to be once every 6 months. It's been 2 years. This test is to get the enzyme count in my liver, which will show if it has turn chronic or not. It's high time for another blood test. After Japan that is ....

Acknowledgement : a special thanks to Paul for enquiring. if it wasn't for that, I might have ignored the fact that I am a carrier. a geisha for you when I return from Japan

My Ex

There was a time you could live without them. I really can't recall when I had my first but it was a moment of pure joy back then. The curves was simply amazing. And that was a Nokia 3210 mind you. Not my fault you thought of something else.

Since then, I've had numerous, as I shall try to recall, mobile phones to suit my different moods and taste. All phones were sold prior to getting a new model, except the N73. Let's start ...

Nokia 3210
- long batt life due to mono screen, slim back then
Nokia 8850
- small in size, premium, though buttons & slider was kinda flimsy
Nokia 8910
- pop up slider, bought a month before color screen came out #@!*&%
Nokia 6600
- well crafted, first camera phone for me, sturdy (found out after running my car over it and was still alive and kicking)
Sony Ericsson T630
- unstable software, not as user friendly as Nokia but got used to it after a while
Sony Ericsson S700i
- won me over with it's camera quality, external storage, media capabilty
iPaq 6365
- friend sold to me at a great price, tried and tested for a week, decided it was too bulky and sold it at a higher price
Motorola L7
- it's slimness, batt life and functions were great, though Motorola fares worse when it comes to user friendliness
Nokia 8800
- cream of the crop, love everything about it except for it's lousy batt life and lack of external storage. Seeing a colleague of mine with it recently was a dejavu moment. And I wasn't surprised when she crap about the battery
Sony Ericsson P990i
- it's Wifi was not as I expected, software was slow to respond and bulky unless you detach it's keypad
Nokia N73 (did not sell)
- read comments below
Nokia 8600 Luna
- i'm a sucker for 8 series Nokia. But then realised, camera + external storage is important
Nokia N73
- let's just say, I've been using this for approx 9 months now. It's camera features are great. At 3.2 megapixels + autofocus + flash, it outshone the Nokia 8600 Luna a great deal. Great screen, acceptable batt life, external storage, reasonably sized, I'm hard pressed to find a better mobile phone.

May my old phones rest in peace, wherever they may be. Till the next 8 series Nokia appears .....

Bourne Ultimatum

Please watch Bourne Identity (2002) and Bourne Supremacy (2004) before watching this, provided you want to be lost in the script right from the beginning. What can I say, I love them all.

The script, the wham bam kabaam scenes of Jason Bourne, the quick tour of the cities he was in; Moscow, London, Paris, Madrid, Tangier and New York City, the assets and no, I don't mean Nicky Parson's (Julia Stiles) assets and the trademark pace of the movie itself is simple astounding and mind boggling.

Thank you Fly.FM and Spellbound for the complimentary tickets.

Ratatouille In The Making

Ah, food. Everyone loves them. This is Malaysia for goodness sake. We live to eat or do we eat to live? I'd prefer the former if you'd asked me. But I tell ya, if I have to cook to eat, it better be worth my time and effort.

Cooking has not been my forte. Not that I don't like to, but because I don't fancy the preparation that comes with it. Not to mention the cleaning up once you're done. So, the only advantages I can think of is the fact you only cook what you like. That means no onions, no chillies, no curries, you get my sniff. You want a list of what I have always cooked or tried over the years? Get your fingers and toes ready, coz that's all you need.

1. Instant Noodles (ingredients : eggs, prawns, meat balls)
2. Fried Luncheon Meat
3. Fried BBQ Pork Sausages
4. Fried Rice
5. Porridge
6. Steam Fish
7. French Beans + prawns

Ok, you can put your toes down. So, coming back from Sabah, I had bought myself a supposedly fresh red promphet fish. Eager not let the freshness get away, a gourmet menu was prepared last Saturday to fill 2 bellies. Steam fish and french beans, yet again. What were you expecting?

Anyway, I'm grateful that preparation for both the dishes were fairly simple and straight forward. Removing the scales of the fish was tedious, especially when they started flying all over the kitchen. That would be the only time I'd buy a fish all the way from Sabah.




Pictures taken using a Sony Cybershot DSC-F77A

Dare I be bolder next time? Any volunteers to be my guinea pig?




Pictures taken using a Panasonic Lumix LX2

Japan Itinerary (Draft)

Yippee, holiday ..... and my first to a country other than my numerous trips to Australia, S'pore and Ko Samui not withstanding. JAPAN, land of electronics and JDM cars. It's like heaven, only if I have wads and wads of cash to buy them all. Wishful thinking, who says one can't dream.

Well, below is a planned itinerary, subject to approval from my gf of course :P

12th October (Friday) - Osaka
- Arrival at Kansai Airport
- Osaka Castle
- Umeda Sky Building
- Minami, a shopping and entertainment district
13th October (Sat) - Nara
- Kofukuji Temple
- Todaiji Temple
- Nara Park
14th October (Sun) - Kyoto
- Undecided yet
15th October (Mon) - Tokyo
- Tokyo Tower
- Imperial Palace
16th October (Tues) - Tokyo
- Yokohama
- Chinatown
- Minato Mirai and Waterfront Promenade
17th October (Wed) - Tokyo
- Tsukiji Fish Market (very early in the morning)
- Harajuku
- Tokyo Disneyland (starts at 6pm)
18th October (Thurs) - Tokyo
- Gotemba Premium Outlets
- Peace Park
19th October (Friday) - Tokyo
- Shopping & Sightseeing at Shibuya
20th October (Sat) - Tokyo
- Shopping & Sightseeing at Shinjuku
21st October (Sun) - Tokyo to KL
- A sad day indeed. Flight back to Malaysia at 1:30pm from Narita Airport

Dotter and Fatherhood

5 dotters, no sons, that's how many I have at my ripe age of 33 . I have adopted them many years ago. And now that I am wiser, I know better. I have no regrets for doing so, considering the tonnes of humor and laughter they have inflicted on me. And celebrating a dotter's birthday was what we recently did. Who attended? Mikunie, Cellie (dotter no.3), Mimikuku, Spellbound, and birthday girl, Piggy (dotter no.4). Don't ask me how the heck they have those names. I'm just as confused.

4 of them are actually going to Hanoi early next year.And the shock on Mimikuku's face when told of what to expect from a third world country, it was priceless. City girl.

Birthday presents these days have become somewhat, unimaginative. Discreet was not their forte when it came to giving out presents. Inserting the 'present', in full view of Piggy, I couldn't help but be amused and giggled at the table. The present?


"the best birthday present ever" - thought piggy

I always wondered what it was like to order photo prints online. And Cellie actually ordered prints from Flickr. Suprised I was to see the compilation and result of her orders. Nice.

Piggy, a very Happy Belated Birthday to you from Mummy & Dada!

Obituary Photo?

Well, if you have already been to Japan or are planning to do so, you need not worry. Considering the cost of living there and what tourist like me would have to fork out when I'm there in October, they have prepared your photo in advance.



A temporary visitor visa to Japan is valid for a period of 3 months. I kinda applied early and was lucky my travel period was within that period upon my Visa approval. It took only 3 days for them to process the Visa, barring any hiccups. An application form, passport, airline ticket (return preferably), bank statements and a photo were required. Click here for additional details.

But why must the photo be in that format? Scary .....

Childproof Yourself

Bah, who says childproofing is only for childrens. Having none doesn't equate to having a safe home, as the picture can attest.



Don't laugh, but this was courtesy of me rushing for the remote to watch a program and accidently bumping into the coffee table last Saturday night.

"What's that? Is that guffaws I hear? Stop laughing I say ...."

1 Cent Opinion on 1 Cent

Ever come across 1 cent(s) on the streets? Do we pick them up because it has value or do we ignore it for fear of being seen as a scavenger or cheapskate?

Well, one thing's for sure, a restaurant I visited yesterday assumes you don't value them as much as they do. A visit to Nando's KLCC was all it takes to stop me from donating my hard earned money to them in the future. Their cleanliness leaves much to be desired and the quality of the food has somewhat dropped according to my taste bud.

We asked for the bill a short while later and it came to RM40.83. Now, it doesn't take a genius to compute that a payment of RM50 would have a change of RM9.17. The waitress instead came back with RM9.10. What the heck happened to the 7cts? It would have been more acceptable if it was RM9.15. And if they didn't have any 1 cents or 5 cents, they should return RM9.20. Shortchanging customers was not the way to earn a tip. Rather than make a fuss, much to my girlfriend's frustration, I decided not to frequent that outlet anymore.

Touch Me Please

Apples ..... one a day to keep the doctors away, or so they say. In this case, it's not working. The anticipation of the iPod Touch in our shores are pushing my pulse rate to soar ever so dangerously. Just look at it and tell me you aren't slivering now. And when you go through it's feature rich specs and design ingenuity, tell me it's not sending shivers down your spine. Auto rotate, one of a kind touch navigation & WIFI are amongst it's killer features.

With some prodding, I was soon informed that it's arrival would be sometime this week or next. I was jumping around like a kid when discovered it's impending arrival. I currently own a 4th generation 20GB iPod (non-Photo/Video) and have been eyeing a replacement of late. Damn lucky of me seeing I was close to purchasing a 30GB iPod Video only 2 weeks ago.

Ok, the downsides of this unit, if it was a downside. 16GB is not a lot these days. Combine my music and photos archive, I would have to occupy at least 11GB already. And I presume 16GB is not what is fully available, seeing it comes preloaded with an operating system, unlike the older iPod which is basically, just a portable storage unit. What about videos? The other would be my inability to find a stylus in their specs. If it doesn't come with it, it would be difficult then for me to use the calendar, contacts or other built-in applications. Well, let's hope that it does.

Though pricing has yet to be released, I reckon it wouldn't stop the die-hard Apple fans from snapping all available units within days. Stay tuned for reviews if I'm lucky enough to get hold of one and ever so lightly touch it.

Mount Kinabalu

We had booked accommodation ahead by as much as 4 months and we were pleasantly suprised to the comfort and location of The Peak Lodge. It costs us RM250 for a 2 room/4 bedded apartment like unit. Panaromic view of Mount Kinabalu with a fireplace thrown in. Though we weren't cold, we couldn't resist lighting them up, if only so we could take a photo of it.

I couldn't have asked for a better start to the day. We started off at 8am. Cool breezy air fills my surroundings and great company Wong, Then & Eric to begin our treacherous journey.

Though I fretted about hiking up the longer Mesilau trail, it was an experience I thought I would only try once in my life. Being told that it was a more scenic route fuels my enthusiasm further.

It seems no amount of training was sufficient to prepare a commoner like me for a climb up Malaysia's tallest mountain. The load in my bag was of no help either. The contents? 2 T-Shirts, a windbreaker, a sweater, monkey mask, gloves, 1 headlamp + 1 torchlight, a pair of slipper, batteries, chocolates, buns, water bottle, disposable rain coat, underwear, socks etc .... I wondered then if I had overpacked or underpacked. As I drag myself up, I soon find myself in the company of the guide only. Where were my friends? Where were the scenic views promised? All I could see what steps after steps, rocks after rocks with sweat profusely dripping down my whole body.

Finally, a plant which caught my eye. I am always guessing how this Pitcher Plants traps its prey, Does it close it's cover? If it does, how does it sense when to close? Only when the guide explained did I understand. Still, how stupid can an insect be to drown themselves in the water contained in it? Life, so fragile ...

I finally caught up with my friends. Or to be more truthful, they were waiting for me at one of the checkpoint huts, gobbling up buns and chocolates to recharge and laughed they did when they saw the guide being a porter to my bag.

The RM3 walking stick did wonders for us. Those who were using the more expensive anodised aluminium must have wondered how the heck can that stick support us. We brought them back as a momento if you must know, all except Then who discarded it during his hike up to Low's Peak.

Being slow has it's benefits. As shown below, this particular web was a beauty to behold. Such weaving, such craftmanship. Too bad Elvis has left the building. Only the web remains. One wonders if the pitcher plant nearby had anything to do with it.





What? Only 2222metres (7290 feet)? How far more? How long more? I kept asking the guide, who must have looked at me and said, "What a wimp". Another sigh ... The trail definately isn't for the weak hearted.




Roof, I see roof. Finally, Laban Rata. I almost knelt and kiss the ground. My friends were ahead of me by about 20 minutes. Nevertheless, we were esthetic to have reached our first goal and looked forward to having a shower and a good meal. Our bed bookings didn't go as plan, much to my friends delight. We were thrown into a room where 2 Swiss girls were already occupying. Men's dorm were overbooked *whistling* I was amazed at the astounding speeds in which Then & Wong occupied the bed exactly adjacent to the girls. Wolves ....

The night was a restless one indeed. It was already a hot night for some with the ladies in the room, and when the heater came on, it was more than I could handle. I started stripping and eventually became topless. Short of removing my pants, I got up to asked if everyone was feeling the heat. We then decided to switched the heater off. By then it was too late. I couldn't sleep anymore, What more when Wong and Eric started snoring like a freight train.

Cock-a-doddle-do, it was time. Yawnnnnn ........... what am I doing? So many layers of clothings and socks. I felt suffocated in all the clothings. But hey, it was necessary right? Down we went for a hot cuppa before the leaving Laban Rata at 2:20am. And that was the last I saw of them as they huddled up towards Low's Peak. As I trotted along, sweat was dripping profusely down my head and neck, drenching my monkey mask & inside clothing. Sweat? In the cold? Well, those who knows me well enough will attest to my sweating prowess, much to my dismay. Finally, 3662m (12010 ft). What a relief it was to have reached the 1km Sayat-Sayat Hut checkpoint.



Relief? Another 1.7km, said the guide. Damn, I knew I couldn't make it for the sunrise at this point. I was however adamant on reaching the peak. I rested for about 10 minutes and tried to warm myself up but to no avail."Get up", I said to myself. I was now shivering away like someone with Parkinson's disease. It was now a matter of mind over body. 200 metres. No, not 200 metres more but only 200 metres since the last checkpoint. Then it had to happen, my frozen body gave up on me. Cold, of all elements to stop me on my tracks. Here from someone who sleeps in an airconditioning room naked with a fan blasting away. Here from someone who loves travelling to cold weathered countries instead of the opposite. I sensed I was on the brink of suffering hypothermia if I had continued on. Heartbreaking as it was, I informed the guide I was not able to go any further and asked him to look for my buddies while I go back down to wait at the checkpoint. I was huddled into a hut which sheltered me from the wind. It didn't help as I was already drenched in sweat on the inside. I kept warm as best as I possibly could.



The sun, the sun. Never had I been so looking forward to seeing the sun. Well, that was the best sunrise image I could take from where I was. I then proceeded to walk down towards Laban Rata. Halfway through, the disappointment set in and I cried like a baby. 8km up Mesilau, 1.2km up the peak, and I couldn't make the last 1.5km. My heart broke a thousand pieces.

Then eventually caught up with me. Hearing his story of success brought more sadness to me, but I was sharing his achievement as well. Bravo, well done mate. We reached Laban Rata soon enough. The Swiss girls arrived shortly after and Then was frantically asking me to get my camera ready. Look at his mug shot ... he was darn pleased.



Wong & Eric eventually descended. Slept and rested we did for a while before packing up and began the knee jolting trek down Timbuhan trail. First, it was the thighs, then the knees, then my slipper wearing feet. Not surprisingly, I was behind them by about 12 minutes by the end of the hike down. How comfy the taxi felt when we sat on it to proceed with concluding our adventure. Upon retrieving our luggages, Wong was carrying an envelope containing our certificates. Hooray, mine was the cheapest - RM1 for a black and white certificate for reaching checkpoint 1 while they had to pay RM10 for a colored copy. Suckers! Haha ........