A new toy

When this handphone hit the shelves some years ago, it was almost a revolution. Handphones before it had horns. Horns like unicorns. Yeah, those ugly antennas jutting out from from the corner. So, the lucky folks who got their hands onto this set were the enviable ones, the trend setters.

"See, my handphone got no antenna one!"

Remember those days not so long ago? Those days, only a handful of people got handphones. These days, only a handful don't.

Then its little brother the Nokia 3315 came along. Mum bought it for me in Sep 2002, just before I left for working life in The Land Below The Wind. Cool! My phone got no horn too! Yeah!

It has served me faithfuly for 6 years. We went thru thick and thin together. Despite all the knocks and bumps in life, the Nokia 3315 never gave up. A really tough fella. Never taken a day sick leave, never gone to the phone-clinic. Never bought fake MC.

Time really flies. 6 years just gone by like that. New models came along; uncompetitive brands fade away, like that Alcatel thingy. (The compact size of Alcatels were really cool at one time).

However, it's time to move on. The ol' ye faithful is showing signs of aging. The battery has lost its stamina, I needed to carry a charger to accompany it all the time (believe it or not, I did that for a year). The bulk has become a bit of a burden. It's not all bad though. I can leave it unattended for a day or so, and be at peace knowing that nobody will even bother to steal it. :-) And yes, seeing raised eyebrows when I flash that Nokia around gives me a feel-good thrill, for whatever going through their minds.

I would sure love to get a high tech toy. Like my trend-setting friend in KL who got an iPHONE. AN iPHONE! Man, that's a four digit price-tag beginning with the number 2. Its good to be rich sometimes.

Then again, there are nurses in the hospital who are using handphones that cost their whole month's dough. Things like that make you wonder whether anybody is bothered about barang naik harga.

Apa boleh buat, have to ubah gaya hidup. Not the BN politicians' style. Kiam siap style.

MISSION: Get a handphone with a decent camera with flash, light and compact, can listen to radio, play music, and whatever other good things in life, and comes with a handsome face.

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE: Budget below RM 500. Ori even better (got good warranty ma).

With that in mind, we went to the shop in Center Point.

I hoped to remain loyal to Nokia; but thier offerings were all above the RM 500 bar. And they do not look cool.

"Uncle ah, my father want to find a new handphone la."

"Choose lo. Got so many models here."

"Err... his old handphone, trade in can get how much ah?"

(Can't believe still got people using that handphone) "Emm... that one ah... emm... can keep as collection la. Hehehe. Or you carry it lo. If got dog chase you, throw at the dog lo. Hehehe."

"Very funny huh."

And we got a new toy, a Sony. And placed the Nokia into retirement.

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED: RM 450, piece of art, with 2 years warranty.

"See, the new toy can take picture one!"

"Can use to take my handsome face."

"Me and my mummy."

"Guess where I had lunch."

"The cool little boy look."

"My father bought a new toy, and passed me his piece of Nokia brick! So unfair!"

THIS.

Yawn

My life is pretty dull. Nothing much to blog about.

Life's Ryan is much more interesting. So here you are. Be prepared for an overdose of little boy.

Healthy lifestyle - Rest

As a little boy, I am entitled to sleep anytime, anywhere, anyhow.

Hehehe don't be jealous, you had your time.

Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30

Healthy lifestyle - Fun

The art of enjoying the simpler things in life.

Healthy lifestyle - Friends

A crazy bunch of folks to play with, eat with, laugh with, cry with.

As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.
Proverbs 27:17

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.
Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Healthy lifestyle - Staying fit

The secret to healthy living is staying fit. NO I am not talking about your thousand-ringgit gym set at home. Those you can keep at home.

I am talking about the outdoors. Getting down to earth. Getting your feet on the ground. Getting sweaty and dirty.

The world is my playground, you know. Since I am a little boy, the little playground near my house will do for the mean time.


Me doing some workout in my little boy sports gear. Don't I look good?

Emm sayang la no little girls around to look at me.


You can choose to take a stroll.

Or make a sprint. Catch me if you can!

Come on, get your heavy butt off the couch!

Healthy lifestyle - Country air

Forget about the aircon at home.

The best air out there, is country air.

Especially so if you're doing all the sniffing and someone else is doing all the walking. Little boys get all the good things in life.

Healthy lifestyle - Eating well

Welcome to the Ryan Food Channel. I understand that many folks are eating more at home rather than eating out (at least that's what my parents do). Apa boleh buat, the rising cost of living is sqeezing the wallet (and the waist) tight.

Anyway, I've got good news for you. I am going to share with you some SECRETS of good cooking, exclusive from the Ryan Food Channel.

First, let me get one thing clear ok. I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth... that was a plastic one my daddy bought. Cheapskate.

OK, let's get on to the serious stuffs.

To create good food, you'll need to have...

PASSION for good food and creative cooking. It's not just the end product that matters. The process of making good food is every bit worth enjoying and cherishing.

PRACTICE, practice, and practice. With lots of perseverance and patience, you're bound to develop great cooking skills one day. They say practice makes perfect; and those less-than-perfect outcomes still make good meals for your pet.

STYLE. Yeah man. A great chef gotta cook in style, and eat in style.

And if Ryan can cook, SO CAN YOU.

See you again on the Ryan Food Channel. Happy cooking.

A bit off

In the end, it was the Battle of the Davids.

The younger David has a great voice, but became too predictably good and therefore... boring.

The older David has good voice, plus lots of creativity and courage to experiment... making his performances unique and refreshing each time. And he's definitely more macho than di-di-zai David.

And so, the older David is crowned the new American Idol. My prediction was a bit off, but not too far le.

Then again, the most memorable song of the night, for me, is this:



That old man can really sing.

The idiot box

Something bad happened to our old TV.

One fine day, it decided to brighten our life. And so the screen became excessively bright, and non-adjustable. Maybe kena lightning, coz there was a thunderstorm the night before.

And so, we were forced to consider a replacement for the idiot box.

The 'ol and faithful was a 21" chapalang brand called JVS (not JVC) bought 5 years ago, second hand for RM 300. Wasn't sure if it is worth repairing, considering the possibility of it coming to the end of its lifespan. When one thing starts to give problem, other things will start to fail one after another, like what happens to cars reaching the end of their life.

Anyway, true to my kiamsiap self, I wanted to ask around. You've know, cost of living is rising. If still can use, no need to throw away ma.

"Ai ya, bos, what brand ah? JVS? Never heard before la. Cannot find spare part one la... If your one is JVC, maybe can try la. Huh, RM 300 TV ah? Don't bother about repair la...". The electrical shop guy must be laughing in his heart.

Next came the decision of what TV to get. OK, TV is not an essential item. I don't watch much anyway, can live without a one (save on my ASTRO subscription lagi). But since Little Boy and his mummy are at home most of the time, so the TV is their main source of entertainment. And it's quite torturing to watch that super-bright screen.

And so we went to do some survey on TVs. Those overly priced plasma TV and LCD TV are the in thing nowadays. Sure they look good. Wide screen, slim body, breathtaking contrast and resolution...

"Take LCD la bos, they are the TV of the future."
"Those old TV gonna stop production already. Outdated technology la."
"Now got promotion... get LCD TV la."

It was really tempting. Then again, those beauties cost RM 2000 onwards. Sure burns a hole in the wallet. Luckily, there was this young salesman at HM Karamunsing that brought us back to our senses.

"Ei, lengchai, these BIG CRT TV, still got people buy or not one wor?"
"Gooooottt. Some people even prefer those than the LCD ones."
"WHAT??? Why leh? Hmmmm..."
"Those LCD or plasma ah, not good to watch ASTRO one. The ASTRO signal is not High Definition yet, so the picture actually becomes blur. Come come, I show you."
"YA HOR." (Nod nod plus a triumphant smile)

Wonder if that guy will get some goreng if his boss found out that he persuaded us OUT of buying an LCD TV. But he did convince us to get a 29" Samsung from the shop for RM 750, with 2 years warranty.

I always feel that little boys should not be watching too much TV. They should be out there, playing guli, catching butterflies, flying kites, digging earthworms, laughing crazy with "police and thief" and "eagle catching chicks". Or just play with sand. That was what we did during my generation.

My fear was proven right...

"Mum and dad, look, I am reading my little boy books that grandma gave!"
"Emm, what's that thing you're hiding in the back?"
"What thing? Where got? No la... hehehe..."

"You mean this one ah? Nothing la. Just holding it for company. I am really trying to read, you know. I am holding it so that you guys don't watch TV and distract me."

"Wait a minute. That loooks interesting!"

"Gosh, how did they know?!... Those fellas at CSI are so smart!"

"That's a good one. Hahahahaha..."

"Hai yo, so difficult to concentrate on my books now."

"Might as well... Mum, bring me some pop corn and my Ribena."

"Are you talking to me?"