A Day in Life

It’s been a month since I last posted any solid updates to my Personal Blog! I’m still swamped with a lot of things on my table now – one of them being the customer support for my recently launched Mega Red Packet, the other being just getting settled down at my new crib in Casa Tropicana, PJ. 🙂

It’s 3:00 in the morning so I gotta do this fast before I sleep. But then, I supposed you’re more interested in seeing the pictures than reading what I have to say!

Moving Into Casa Tropicana

It was just after the Mega Red Packet launch I’ve pulled with my business partners, Vince Tan and Stephen Luc, and my family and I drove down to Klang to stay for a night. We were to get me a new place in PJ the next day. We secured a nice apartment over the weekend to rent!

Since it was a Sunday, the Management office was closed and so were many places, I spent the night in the empty hall.

Okay, meet Elle Wong. My new friend and neighbor. 😛

We went on a shopping spree for the next few days to get new stuff for the house. Elle had her own design company and she sure lived up to her trade name. If it were anything like the last 2 houses I used to stay back in 2007, I would have stayed in another ruined environment owing to my poor taste. LOL

It was amazing eye opener to me. Before this, I would shop on impulse and get the cheapest thing I could get. I paid little to no attention to details and like most guys, I hated shopping.

Typical guy, I know I am.

So alright, with Elle’s help, over the next couple of days – the apartment went from nothing to homely!

Seriously, the house wouldn’t be anything this nice and cozy if not for Elle’s help and her good taste in design. 😛 Thanks a heap Elle!

(On a side note, I have to admit I was embarrassed that she’s much better at handiwork as well and I clearly have 2 left hands. I shouldn’t have told her I used to serve the Scout troop last time.)

Winning a PSP And The Grand Prize For Web Fusionology Sales Contest

They used to say that when it rains it pours. But good luck and good things sure come in a streak too!

While moving to Casa Tropicana and getting new stuff for the house took up most of my time, I had the time to participate in Khai Ng‘s Web Fusionology launch. I bagged the Grand Prize of $1,000 with my friend from Australia, Aurelius Tjin, and also won a PSP!

WOO HOO!

Okay. Okay. The full gist is here.

Sweet – now a PSP to play when I’m bored. 🙂

New Clothes, New Fashion?

I used to dress REAL sloppily (for like what? 22 years?) until I became more aware of my self appearance not too long ago. I expect to meet more people – new and old – and I could really begin with dressing more properly this time. 😛

Never took shopping seriously in my life – up until now that is.

Meeting Old Friends and Acquaintances

Just when I thought many of the people I used to know are out of the country, there are still some familiar faces loitering around PJ. One of them happens to be Kimmy Foo.

Met by freak chance while shopping at IKEA! I needed to catch up with her again as I sure missed a ton of things that happened back in high school when I left prematurely in my final year. So yes, that makes her my old high school friend.

An old church friend of mine, Siew-Ann, got back from the States. We kept in touch now and then on FaceBook and so we caught up too! We played a game of Scrabble just last night with Khai Yong and his friend from Outward Bound School, Cindy.

I’ve known Khai Yong since we were 13 (almost 10 years!) and he hasn’t changed one bit. Especially the way he laughs.

So the 4 of us played a game of Scrabble at Dessert’s Bar, just downstairs from where I live.

It was good fun catching up with people I thought I wouldn’t be in touch again, since I left PJ for my own roller coaster adventure some 6 years ago. 🙂

And hey, they all creamed me at Scrabble.

Should hire them to write for my digital products next time.

If you’ve been reading my messages on Twitter and Facebook then you’ll know it’s obvious I’ve been on a shopping spree. I’ve been spending a lot more than usual as of lately, though I could use some indulging in luxury. That’s for making up all the years of window shopping. LOL

Getting a Custom Tailored Suit

My first Internet Marketing speaking engagement as main speaker is coming up and I need a new suit. Real bad.

Because of my small built, the suit I currently have appears to be one size bigger than I am. So a week ago, I walked into the nearest tailor shop to get a suit custom made to fit my size.

The first try out to get the measurement…

A week later, I returned to test out the ‘prototype’ suit. Because it is still being tested for fitting, I won’t put photos of the by-product suit here yet.

I also need to get one done for the pants. I’m done with wearing over-sized pants with legs longer than mine.

I hope the suit and pants will be ready in time before I fly off to Penang for the speaking engagement!

SIDENOTE: Worse comes to worst, I’ll just borrow Vince Tan’s suit. Good thing he’s coming to Penang to speak too, and our speaking schedules are different! 😛

PlayStation 3

When I got the word that Resident Evil 5 came out, I knew it was time to grab a PS3. There are many other games I want to get my hands on too later on. 🙂

It wasn’t easy finding a PS3 here though. Many of the shops at City Square have declared a sold out on this hot baby. My hunt for the PS3 ended at Tebrau Jusco. So here it is: Playstation 3 with 80GB memory.

Since my schedule’s pretty packed this month and the games are pricier than I thought, I bought one game first. Resident Evil 5, of course.

I have finished the game in 3 days. I’ll chalk up a quick review on the game over the weekend when I’m free.

Need a New Laptop While I’m At It…

I’m comfortable working on desktop computer but it would be too inconvenient to take it with me when I move so I have to invest in a new laptop. The Acer laptop is old and too slow for my workload, and using it was frustrating for me.

With the help of some recommendations from friends, I bought a customized version of Dell XPS M1530. Though relatively a noob with laptops, I’ve heard mostly positive and favorable reviews about Dell laptops. Anyways, I’m already convinced that any laptop is perpetually better than one I have now!

This is going to be my portable work station when I move to KL.

And A Second Car? Hmm…

Yeah, a lot of my heavy expenses lately are motivated by my move to KL. And this is the biggest of them all – I need a car. VERY badly.

When I was in PJ/KL, I relied heavily on public transport. And it’s no secret that public transport in PJ/KL are horrible. This may surprise some of you, but the taxi and bus services in Johor Bahru are much, much better anytime than that of KL’s!

So yes, I need a car to go around.

I was contemplating between the Toyota Vios and the BMW E46 model. The Beemer, at first glance, appears to be a very tempting choice. I mean, who doesn’t want prestige and status?

I had to think with my head than with my ego though. For many logical reasons, getting a Toyota Vios is a smarter choice over the BMW. The Toyota Vios is fuel savvy, easier to maintain and the parts are affordable and easily replaceable.

The second hand beemer: RM100,000 for a 10 year-old car that’s expensive to maintain and consumes fuel like a German man on beer?

Hmm…

Not really wise spending on the BMW after making many considerations in spite of its high prestige value, since I also don’t foresee myself driving the same car for many years.

Plus, cars depreciate in value real easily – it’s 70% its price the moment I drive it off the parking lot – so it’s better to put more money into business and investment than on a liability that depreciates in value over the years.

So Toyota Vios it is!

I won’t make the same financial mistake this time i.e. being in a hurry to pay up entirely for the car like I did with the Myvi! I’d rather use the money to invest plus as mentioned, I don’t foresee myself driving the same car for after another 3 to 5 years.

So yep, done deal. Getting this 3 year-old Toyota Vios. Will be mine in a week. 🙂 Letting my mom have the Myvi so she can drive around places in JB and do her shopping with ease.

UPDATE: 7th April

Custom suit and pants are done! Alright, this is exactly what I’m talking about… No more over-sized coats and pants! 🙂

Vince, you can keep your suit. Thanks. 🙂

I’ve been late but I don’t think anyone’s going to complain it right? Here are the pics I took on the last 2 days of 2008. I’m in a hurry right now because I’m about to leave home soon (for a short trip to Desaru) so… more pics than words. Anyways, people always look at pics. 😉

Wendy’s with Khai & Yuenn

Khai and Yuenn introduced me and Ladan to Wendy’s at Giant, Kota Damansara!

The Arcade

Ladan playing Disc Hockey with Yuenn.

Getting creamed by Khai in car racing. Had never been good behind the wheels but hey, I got 2nd place. LOL

New Year’s Eve Carnival @1Utama

Ladan and I were at 1Utama’s carnival on New Year’s Eve. Lots of interesting things here like costumed characters, caporeira dance, concert performances, stalls, free balloons for everyone, and more. 🙂

The New Year Fireworks at The Curve!

I want to wish a Happy New Year to All EdmundLoh.name Readers! 🙂

Edmund: I meant to post this earlier but due to my tight Singapore schedule, I’ve finally got this up. This happened two weekends ago and some development came through when I was away, so I feel it’s only right that I post this now. Hope you find this an interesting read. 🙂

I slowly paced up the street as I wielded my torch light to search the roof. My heart was beating fast, hockey stick held tightly in my left hand. I trained my eyes into the dark. Nope, not a single soul in sight. Not on the roof, that is.

I told Mom and Ashley to stay indoors. The robber could attempt to break into our house. Ashley was pacing around the living hall with a small baseball bat, probably anticipating action.

And suddenly, I saw a group of Chinese boys – armed with sticks and javelines – charging frantically in my direction as two other motorbikes zoomed past me.

Okay okay, in order for this whole story to make sense I’ll start from the beginning. Here goes…

…………………

It was almost 4 in the morning when I was still chugging into the night, working on my next ‘big project’. Yes I am normally awake at this hour. 🙂

It’s always dead quiet at this time I could hear a pin drop. The only thing breaking the silence is the sound of my clattering keyboard. That was until I started hearing noises coming from the roof (my house is one storey tall).

Cat, maybe.

But the noise became disturbing, louder and quickly grew into rhytms of ‘thud’s and ‘thump’s.

** SCRATCH — SCREECH — THUMP THUMP THUD! **

Wait a minute. Too heavy to be a cat.

I stopped working and started examining the roof window with my torch light. Thank goodness I’ve bought the new batteries not too long ago. The noise didn’t stop abruptly though it became more subtle. I was in a semi-tired mental state but suddenly, my body grew alert. Kura, Kura, Kura, Kura, Kura, and Kura were scrambling in their tanks frantically — but I couldn’t take my attention off the roof window. I had to be sure.

In a blink eye, I saw a figure darted near the corner of the roof window. Not a cat. But SOMEONE. SHIT, someone’s on our roof!

Instinctively, I inched my way towards the side of the computer table for security: my hockey stick. Better used as a weapon than a tool for the turf.

I stared at the roof window for another good 30 seconds before I woke Mom and Ashley. Whoever was up there was crawling in circles. Sometimes the sound was near and then sometimes it faded away.

When I woke Mom and Ashley up and told them what was happening, Ashley immediately grabbed the mini baseball bat tucked under her pillow. We switched on every light in our house, especially the back door. However, the noises on the roof continued to persist.

Soon Auwlithe our watch dog was barking outside the house, looking in the direction of the roof. I went out of the house and started searching the roof with my torch light (from the road, of course – I didn’t dare climb up 🙂 ).

As I was searching the roof, there was a car parked opposite our house – with 3 suspicious boys inside. Parked under the street light, they were making a lot of bodily gestures inside the car and I couldn’t help but wonder what were these guys doing at this unearthly hour. Could they be accomplices to the “roofwalker”?

After all, when I came back to Johor Bahru three weeks ago, Mom warned me that there had been robberies and break-ins lately; they’ve all been occuring in our neighborhood. There was also a rumor that there were people walking on roofs too, at hours like this.

For a split second, my gut feeling told me to remember the car’s number plate and call the cops. Wait, too late for that. The three boys in colored hair got out of the car and approached me.

I was holding a hockey stick in my hand at that time, and I didn’t know if I should keep my distance until I confirmed what was really going on.

I kept my guard up as the three figures approached me, seemingly to ask me “what is going on?” in Mandarin. It’s a shame I can’t converse in Mandarin so in simple English, I told them that there was someone on the roof.

The three boys looked at each other, and one of them asked me if I was sure about it. Well, of course I said YES.

In the next ten seconds, the highlight of the sleepy neighborhood came. A horde of boys in singlets, t-shirts and shorts dashed out of a small house – armed with sticks and javelines – those that you would see in a Lion Dance or Martial Arts performance.

The commotion woke up a lot of neighbors as houses started lighting up and more people were awake. The boys were probably excited for action, as they started combing the housing area in search for the slick suspect. Two motorbikes started circling the area as the boys were making a racket.

It was comforting to know that they were helping us, even though we were unable to find any trace of the “Roofwalker” after 30 minutes of search. He must have left before the boys did anything.

We were grateful that the boys offered to help, and we learned that they were actually part of a Lion Dance and Martial Arts group. They were just bunking over at one of their friends’ house (in the opposite row), preparing for the next day’s performance. So this explained why there were so many guys emerging from a small house, and why they weren’t asleep even at 4 in the morning. 😉

We retired from the search party though word got around about the commotion. Even as I am writing this, the night patrol is frequenting this particular stretch more often than ever. Phew!

…………………

By the way, Mom and Ashley had their own suspect on whoever that “Roofwalker” might be. You see, when I was staying in Petaling Jaya for most of the time, a new family moved into the neighborhood. Overall, the family members are normal people – all except one old man. Very suspicious.

I’ve not met him before though I’ve seen him only once. According to my sister, he’s got a very suspicious character. He seemed to always be looking at her every time she takes Auwlithe out for a walk. He asked every neighbor questions like “how many people are there in your house?” and “what time are you normally at home?”

To top it off, the old folk is unemployed and he’s often seen loitering in different parts of the neighborhood.

Hmm…

As I’ve said, I’ve not met this old timer in person before albeit seen him only once. So definitely, I don’t have anything concrete against him though Mom and Ashley have their own suspicion. After all, he IS relatively fit even for his age.

…………………

Just days ago, I learned that the old timer went to prison for a crime he committed. Robbery. One of his sons joined him in the two-man party too.

Coincidence? THE END? Let’s hope it stays that way for this episode. 😉

*UPDATED 18th Nov 2007*

It’s been quite a while since I last posted any photos and pictures on my adventures. With a lot of fun projects I am working on and the drive to clear the deck for 2008, I still found the time to indulge in some leisure. And when I say some leisure, I mean “doing anything that has little or nothing to do with Internet Marketing”. 🙂

Some highlights into the middle of the month…

Having Fun with Wii at Peng Joon’s House

Yup that’s the L337 mobile. 🙂 The purpose of going to Peng Joon’s house was to complete the assigned copywriting mission at that time. But before we dive into the serious part of business, the sudden discovery of the Wii console and plasma TV baited our attention for some fun.

Hah, creamed Matt Ng at Tennis. I guess his age was catching up with him. People can’t be young forever, you know. 😉

Okay, spoke to soon. Matt was practically owning me at bowling. But to be fair, I’ve not bowl before. And at the very least, I gave my best shot!

We played more games on the Wii console like golf, baseball and boxing. Definitely needed the entertainment before anything else!

The Night in Klang

Ashley was going to leave for Japan on a holiday so Ashley, Mom, my uncle and I stayed in Klang one night before her departure at KLIA.

Due to my nocturnal nature and off-set in the waking cycle, I found myself restless at about 3 AM in the morning and decided to take a stroll outside the Histana Hotel.

Confession: I had always liked taking a walk out at night. The scene at night is so totally different from that of the day time – no people around, no traffic jams… nothing but quiet. 😉 Which gives me loads of peace of mind to clearly hear myself think.

Confession #2: And if you’re fortunate enough, you might just chance upon horny couples doing “their thing” in their cars! I seem to have a knack for coming across things like that without much effort.

That’s the HRC (Holy Reedemer Church). I used to go to this church every weekend when I was 12. Hadn’t changed too much in physical appearance from the last time I’ve been here.

Saving a Stray Kura

When I was walking past the Central Park, what do you know? I came across a big tortoise on the pedestrian walk. How often does this happen and what are the odds of this happening? 1 in a million!

Reasonably, there’s a pond nearby and my green friend happened to stray too far away from home. The stray kura quickly hid itself into its shell when I approached it.

Sure looks like a helmet now.

Anyways, I picked it up, walked to the pond nearby and released the tortoise at Central Park. That should teach it not to wander too far away from home because it probably won’t be that lucky again next time!

Interviewing People Online for the First Time

I usually get interviewed by other Internet Marketers so yes that also usually means I spill all the beans out on my topics of expertise.

The tables were turned around on Saturday Night when it was my turn to interview two other leading Internet pioneers, Jeremy Gislason (Japan) and Simon Hogkinson (UK).

It’s odd in a way because while I’ve dealt with these two guys for the past 2 years online, this was actually my first time talking to them on Skype. This is also the longest interview I’ve ever had by far – it came up to almost 2 hours of non-stop action with *massive* brain picking and idea bouncing to boot.

I’ve been following their stuff since the beginning of time so one word of advice for beginning Internet Marketers: buy anything that has the name Jeremy Gislason or Simon Hodgkinson on it. 🙂

The Charity Concert

“Can I tag along?” and that’s how I found myself in Subang with Xin-Ci on Sunday evening.

There’s this new Dance Studio called Living Arts Studio in Dataran Mentari, which we went to attend the Charity Concert. The dance studio is relatively new and was in need of raising funds.

Trivia Fact: I participated in a dance studio before. 🙂

By the time we arrived, we caught the Copoeira performance.

And more photos to boot.

The event ended with the disabled kids from the Taman Megah foundation receiving gifts from the studio and organization itself.

Haa ha, the jester in action. Truth be told, the concert won’t have been near half as fun without him!

Wrapped up the Sunday evening with dinner with Golem the Xinch; otherwise I would’ve spent another day getting cooked up in the room listening to Benny Lava. (Go figure. 😉 )

Hello Tim Tim…

Ah, Tim Brocklehurst. What are you doing here in sunny Malaysia? To speak for the World Internet Summit To get your brain picked, of course! 🙂

Vince Tan and I made haste for the Nikko Hotel because Tim was going to go back to the UK real soon so this was the last chance to interview him quick. 😛

Yeah this Bottles tower made its way into the Malaysian Book of Records for the obvious.

That’s us alright!

Okay Tim is the guy behind the infamous My Viral Spiral application so if you’re building an opt-in list – whether you’re already doing it or just planning to do – don’t go on doing business without it!

Tim is a really cool guy to hang out with and yeah, Vince and I certainly learned a lot of stuff in that few hours of conversation. Too bad it couldn’t last any longer.

Hmm… by the way, if you’re wondering what’s with all these “interviews”, you’ll find out pretty soon in due time. 😉 *snickering*

Meeting Stuart Tan at Impiana KLCC

Thanks to Matt and PJ for the buffet dinner, both Stuart and I had the privilege of scrumptious freeloading! 🙂

Until then… and I hope to pick another person’s brain real soon.