I’ve always wanted to organise two things in October, for as long as I can remember.
1) A kick ass Halloween party.
2) A Zombie Walk.
This year, I’m combining both into the Changkat Bukit Bintang Zombie Pub Lurch!
Search for it on Facebook, or just come along.
Friday, October 30th, Changkat Bukit Bintang.
Watch this space for updates.
Braaaiiins…
WillQ.
Halloween is nearly here. What to wear is always a problem round about this time. But while you’re pondering costume options, spare a thought for those who need to work not on looking bad, but looking good…
Street. Bleargh!
WillQ.
The Lost Symbol
Dan Brown
Oct 09
I’ve always been partial to Dan Brown’s novels. I know he’s gotten a lot of crap over the years for plagiarism, for knocking religion, for making things up, for not being a great writer, etc. In fact, some friends of mine from Cambridge organised a special “Da Vinci Code” book burning, which while I understand the sentiment behind, I find a little shocking for educated folk, especially since they hadn’t even read it.
The Lost Symbol is the third to feature Prof Robert Langdon, world renowned symbologist. In this book, he’s tasked with discovering the Lost Word of the Masons to save the life of a long time friend from a tatooed madman. Much like “Angels and Demons”, the pace is fast, with most of the action taking place in the course of a single night. It’s rife with flashbacks and surreal leaps of logic, packed with trivia (that will no doubt come in handy at parties, if any of it is true), and follows the same general character mold he’s used in most of his other books – beautiful heroine who gets embroiled due to a family or professional tie, a hard ass law enforcement official who seems pretty evil, a scholarly father figure who’s not all he seems, and a deranged looney with a shaky backstory and serious need for therapy.
It’s all trite, but it’s a easy read that’s fascinating at most points, and keeps you chasing though the novel to hit the obviously written-for-the-film climax.
Don’t knock it til you read it, but wait for the paperback.
So, I’ve been nominated for the Martell Rising Personality of the Year Award, which is awesome. It’s meant to acknowledge those who’ve made a significant contribution to their field of choice, in a short space of time and despite being fairly young.
I was particularly proud to be nominated, because I’ve always tried to push the boundaries of broadcasting and media, whether it’s TV, Print or Radio, simply because I think a lot of the reason Malaysia is a bit behind when it comes to frank discussion, question authority, and constructive criticism is because people are afraid of speaking up. I like to think I give voice to a little of the consternation people feel day to day, and it’s nice to see that being appreciated professionally.
So, not to blow my own trumpet, but if you’d like to help me get this accolade, all you have to do is log on to the site, register (and be a little creative when it comes to the first page – checking all the boxes is fun, after all), and vote – up to TEN TIMES A DAY!.
So please do help. Because apparently if I win, I’m accepting the award in a pair of Speedos (hey, sex sells), and I will post photos. But more than that, it’s a vote for free speech, questioning everything that’s wrong with the country you live in, and working towards making a better Malaysia for all of us by not keeping one eye, or our mouths, closed.
Change we can, people.
WillQ.
Tetris was born about a month after me (June 6, 1984 according to Wikipedia), and has been played on more mediums (from game consoles to the sides of buildings) than any other computer game. Which you have to admit, is pretty awesome for something that got it’s name because all the shapes had four pieces (tetra in latin is four) and because Alexey liked tennis. Go figure.
This video is obviously and awesomely taking tetris to a whole new (dangerous) level.
It almost makes me want to try it.
If I could skate that is.
Or if I didn’t think Tetris was boring as hell.
Beep. Beep. Boop.
WillQ.
I’m not what you’d call a huge Beatles fan, although I do know a fair number of their songs. I think I’ve probably been a fan more of the covers of their work than of the original pieces, and I’ve never owned an actual Beatles album. The closest I’ve come to being a bit of a fanboy was completely inadvertent – I was taken out to dinner by a guy in Russia who thought I was British (because of the accent, I guess, though someone tonight was positive I was American) to a very poor replica of the Cavern Club in St Petersburg that only served various burgers and sandwiches (but luckily lots of alcohol), was literally dripping with (probably forged) Beatles memorabilia, and played a constant stream of their songs. I gave him full marks for trying, and for bringing me to what must have been the least typically Russian night out possible.
They are, however, an undeniably legendary band. So when I saw that they were releasing The Beatles – RockBand on the show a few weeks ago, I was somewhat excited, and made a mental note to get around to playing it.
Fast forward to last weekend. It’s right before Raya, when KL, like the lumbering whale she is, descends into the depths to hibernate for 3 days solid while its inhabitants go out of town, gorge themselves and generally do nothing. And I had almost a whole week off. And I see this amazing game for sale in BSC. I’ve been playing Guitar Hero since I got the Wii for my birthday (thanks Chris!) and have been hankering for the full band set, so it seemed like a nice way to kill two birds with one stone.
Let me tell you, this is one awesome game. Guitar Hero is great, but there’s a limit to how much Bon Jovi and Lennard Skinnard you can rock out to. This has such an amazing mix, and is a little more chilled out too. It’s one hell of a way to make an evening disappear, and now I just need to recruit some friends and get the band together.
And in case you doubt the awesome scope of the Beatles, take a look at this…
My baby donkey…
WillQ.
I talk about coffee a lot in interviews, and on air, usually with references like “I haven’t had nearly enough coffee” or “I’ve had enough coffee to manage, so go on” or “God, I need a coffee”, but it’s really just a lame attempt to conform, because the truth is that I hardly ever drink coffee.
It’s not just because I don’t like it. Quite the contrary. I think it tastes yum. But it does usually always give me a headache. And it’s been that way for years. But I’ve always told people that when I make my own coffee, I’m fine, so I’m obviously not allergic to coffee in general. And that part is true.
I’ve had one jar of coffee in my apartment since I moved in (you can tell I don’t drink it much). It’s usually for guests, but I have a cup to legitimise the fact that I sleep four hours a night, and feel fine. Funny thing is, my brother, who lives in a different time zone, and doesn’t seem human when he wakes up (at about 4pm) until he’s had a coffee, was hitting it regularly, and still felt more tired than he had in weeks.
Then Rachel came over, and tried to stay up for a movie marathon by hitting the coffee, but ended up falling asleep. Suspicious. The next morning she demanded to see said coffee, on account of it being 2 years old and probably gone off and thereby useless.
She was wrong.
It was decaf.
Who knew eh?
Who’s allergic to caffeine?
WillQ.
The way to my heart (and into my pants, or both) is definitely through a great rendition of a West Side Story number, and I think this is probably the best I’ve seen this year…
You gotta love Anita, and how hot are the Jets???
Gee, Officer Krupke…
WillQ.
Johannes Cabal the Necromancer
Jonathan L. Howard
Sep 09
If you like a witty turn of phrase, or reading the work of an author who juggles the English language with the sort of skill normally only seen on stage at performances of Cirque de Soleil, then this is a book you simply have to read. A weird amalgam of times and genres, it’s not as fantastical as it sounds.
Johannes Cabal has one year to get his soul back from the Devil, and he’s exchanging it for 100 new ones. To get these souls, he’ll have to travel across the country exploiting, abusing, threatening and coercing, all of which he’s not too bad at doing. To give him that extra edge though, the Devil has given him control of an infernal fair ground, crewed by the damned and designed to debase the souls of any who enter.
And so begins an unexpectedly entertaining jaunt that has enough fantasy to satisfy those with their heads in the clouds, enough reality to satisfy those with their heads screwed firmly on their shoulders, and enough esoteric goriness to satisfy those who like slowly turning screws into the heads (or indeed shoulders) of others.
I’m only 25. That’s not a long time to have been around, but I treasure every moment I’ve been lucky enough to have, and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I’ll have many more. But still, it’s not a long time, yet I like to think I’ve seen a fair bit in that short time.
What’s funny is that when you’re young, it’s easy to think that people older than yourself aren’t necessarily wiser. While this is sometimes true, they’re probably more experienced, and no matter how staunch you are in your mindsets and convictions, we are what we’ve been through more than anything else. The trials and tribulations, joys and highs we go through, they shape us more profoundly than anything else.
Which is why it’s funny that when you first fall in love, you think it’s the most wonderful thing, and that no one can ever have felt such warm, splendorous feelings. And when you first have your heart broken, it feels as though no one could possibly have felt such pain and anguish. And you doubt you ever will again. But then, you fall in love again. And later, you have your heart broken. Or worse, and sometimes without ever meaning to, you break someone elses. And this goes on and on.
So it’s with a bittersweet pride that you view those same emotions and cycles endlessly spiraling through your life. And no matter how vividly you remember the fire scorching the soft skin of inquisitive fingers, you still reach towards the flame again and again, mesmerised by it’s beauty, and warmed by it’s flickering heat.
Because this time, you may not get burned. You never know if you don’t try.
Do you know love?
WillQ.
