Jumping right into the ring with two of the most awesome freestyle brawlers of the decade, the action was fast-paced and intense.
Alessandro suffered an early K.O. from a failed DDT attempt which resulted in a devastating Fist-to-Brain Smack Punch counter by Lothario.
In the midst of Lothario’s awkward celebratory poses, Alessandro staged an impressive recovery, striking him from behind with a Super-Sidewinder Nose Jab that left his nose all-a-bloody and with no choice but to call for truce.
Time: 00:02:01
An undeserved victory won with a cheap shot, but look who is with the championship belt and who with the tissue. Nyeh~heh sucker.
December 24, 2007, 6:15 pm
Filed under: technology
The Aptera, from the Greek word for “wingless”, is an environmentally friendly car (if you can call it one) which will be coming into production in Autumn 2008. Two different models of this vehicle will go on sale - an all-electric and a hybrid, the latter of which will set you back by about $30,000.
What caught my attention apart from the eye-popping design (and this could only ever be a good thing if you really, really will it) is its specifications. Not only does it weigh a mere 680 kg, it can rev up to almost 140 km/h. In comparison, the smart Fortwo is a fatty at 730 kg and chugs along at a top speed of 110. Now, I know you are thinking that all these improvements are kind of blah, but wait till you hear this: the Aptera boasts a delivery of 300 mpg (miles per gallon of gas). That equals Penang to KL and halfway back with 4 litres of fuel in the tank (if my math does not fail me). The smart Fortwo gives 50 mpg, thus barely makes Penang to Bukit Tambun with that amount.
Other green features touted include recycled materials for the interior and a solar powered air conditioning system that runs even when the car is not in use. To quell consumer apprehensiveness with regards to its safety, engineers have placed a steel and aluminium cage (an innovation for Formula One racecars) within its fibreglass exterior. On top of that, Steve Fambro (the man behind the design) has assured us that the vehicle “performed beautifully” in computer simulated crash tests.
Right.
I say wait a couple months after its release and if by then there are no reports of “mangled birds” on the streets, by all means, place an order. But, please, at least stick it in the shell of something less awkward looking before you take it for a spin in the city. Something, perhaps, like the 2008 Audi TT. Heh. Oh, and if you so happen to come from Penang, please do not get one at all. We are jinjang enough as we are.
December 23, 2007, 12:19 pm
Filed under: music, reviews
I was browsing through the top songs on iTunes and I came across this new track called Love Song which rocketed up to the upper echelons of the Billboard Singles chart this past week. Listening to the 30 second snippet, I was immediately intrigued.
Album: Little Voice Artist: Sara Bareilles
♪♪♪♪ (out of 5)
Sara Bareilles is a singer-songwriter whose soulful voice possesses the perfect blend of warmth and conviction. The songs on her first commercial album Little Voice are very catchy and well crafted. I am not a big fan of lyrics in general (never did really pay attention to them), so I do not mind the “pop/rock-chick-romance” sentiment that peppers most of the tracks here. On the whole, she has served up an amazing album that is a cohesive collection of strong melodies and she carries them off brilliantly with her refreshing vocals. Definitely check this one out!
Love Song
Morningside
Love On The Rocks
Click on the image above to view and purchase Little Voice on Amazon.com
December 22, 2007, 4:06 pm
Filed under: food, photos
Melissa will not be spending her Christmas with us this year, but with a foster family on an exchange program organised by Imperial. Thus, the girls decided to have our 07 Christmas dinner early! Like the years before, they made (from scratch) a very scrumptious meal for Lance, myself and Yew Vern (with special guest, Heidir). Check out what we had.
Red Velvet Cupcakes are from The Hummingbird Bakery. All other yummy foods courtesy of Jamie Oliver and our hostesses for the evening, May and Melissa.
December 21, 2007, 3:48 pm
Filed under: photos, travel
By popular request, here are some (of the nicer) photos from my visit to Fes, Marrakech and the Zagora desert.
FES
MARRAKECH
ZAGORA DESERT
There are plenty of other photos, but are either not as nice or slightly gory (I had the opportunity to taste some snails and sheep’s brains while I was there). The bunch of friends whom I went with have a lot of great pictures taken as well, but I have not included them here. I might sign up for a Flickr account later and when and if that happens, I will post them there. For the time being, enjoy the ones above! =)
As the holidays begin to roll by too quickly (and as I continue to insist on procrastinating my work), I begin to feel a creeping surge of anxiety. I do not know where this is coming from - the January examinations, the January deadlines or the January classes.
Looking further ahead, I noticed something that somewhat transmuted my queasiness into, perhaps, fear - the step to be taken from education to employment. I know, I know, it’s peanuts to most, and it should seem that simple when I look back 5 years from now, but the amount of change that I am anticipating from this single step is disconcerting. I will most probably be moving back to Malaysia (albeit likely to Kuala Lumpur and not my beautiful home island Penang), getting a place to rent, purchasing some mode of transportation (hmm…. Kancil or month passes to 30 minutes of smelly armpits daily?), meeting new people and sorely missing old ones (you know who you are).
The thing is, it will still feel like I am in transition.
What is my step after? Does my first job constitute the entirety of my next 5-year plan? Or will it be 2-3 years of it before I head off again to graduate school? People who know me well know that I like to spend waste my time thinking worrying too much about the distant future. Lance always tells me, “Don’t be a wuss and stop wasting my (his) time talking about this bull****. You (I) will know what to do when the time comes. Now leave me (him) alone.” I know he is right, and darn him for sounding all hero and sh*t, but does he have to make me seem like such an a**? I mean, really.
In all seriousness, I guess I cannot help but wonder about these things. Maybe I like to torment myself by mulling over matters I can’t resolve through thinking long and hard enough. Maybe I like being uncool.
They say that humans are creatures of comfort - we reject the unfamiliar if we can afford to. But oftentimes, we are not given that pleasure, and during those periods of transience, we come to realise that it is not always a good thing to get too comfortable in our present state. Perhaps one of the most important things that people should get used to is change. Nickels and pennies of it.
My housemates were mentioning the other day that they are not feeling the Christmas cheer this year around. Having just returned from my travel to a country north of Africa, I must say, I feel it none the more. So, in the spirit of the season, here are some Youtube videos of various artists performing their favourite Christmas songs.
After some FAQ reading and a lot of messing around with the widgets available at WordPress, I’ve managed to put up some music for you guys. I’ve discovered that WP, although great in that it simplifies many of the things a blogger like myself can’t be bothered about, limits the scope of creativity that you can inject into your blogs. For one, you can’t embed any external HTML code you like - you have only the widgets made available by WP like Meebo, Flickr, Vodpod and etc. Unless of course, I am sorely mistaken, in which case, I apologise for badmouthing my current blog host =P
Anyway, I’ve discovered that Box.net is one of the things I can use to share music (and all sorts of other files) here on Faces, Pages and Places. On top of the reviews I intend to post occasionally (when I actually get myself some new music), I think this would be a great way to introduce you readers to the mix of music that I listen to. So, I hope you enjoy my current selection, please support the artists and purchase their songs legally if you like them, and let there be music!
Now Playing:
Alicia Keys - Like You’ll Never See Me Again A smooth RnB tune and the latest single by Ms. Keys with licks and grooves reminiscent of Prince back in his Purple Rain days. Listen when: Thinking of your loved ones.
John Mayer - Gravity A slow burning bluesy number with an emotional guitar solo. From the album Continuum. Listen when: Feeling tired and easing into some private down time.
Daughtry - Breakdown A pseudo emo/pop/rock song that is both haunting and inspiring. This one is off their eponymous debut album. Listen when: Stressed and mildly distraught.
Welcome to the new site. I just got back from my winter trip and as you can see at the top of this page is a banner compiled from some photos taken during my visit to Morocco. Will soon decide on the direction of this new blog. As of now, I’m just thinking of posting anything and everything - music, photos, blurbs, videos and etc. Don’t think I will restrict it to written posts like the last one. Hopefully it’ll be more interesting this time around - for me and for you - so stay tuned!
