Wednesday, April 30th, 2008.
It was just a few minutes after midnight when all of a sudden, the internet connection from StreamyX vanished.
Many attempts to connect to the internet failed - or, if it did eventually connect, would simply disappear after a few minutes.
Well, this certainly wasn't the first time. Over the last three and a half years, this BROADBAND internet service from StreamyX has failed numerous times.
As it is, it is bad enough to have to deal with slow connection speeds which occur pretty often, but to have absolutely no internet connection at all, is simply the pits.
The last time internet connection was totally lost, was on February 28th, 2008. The worst however, occurred the previous month - on January 24th, 2008, when there was no internet connection here for MORE than eighteen hours.
It is highly unfortunate when disruption of an internet service occurs, but it is even more disappointing when it affects those users, who promptly pay their bills each month.
Two days ago, we got ourselves a new red sofa from IKEA. The name of this sofa was Klippan.
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It took more than two and a half hours to assemble everything, including the leg rest (sold separately), which looked more like a stool than a leg rest.
In addition to the Klippan sofa, we also purchased three cushions. The cushion covers were also sold separately.
When it comes to food, only TWO things really matter: quality and taste.
It is common knowledge that the best tasting Satay comes from Kajang town.
This afternoon, we stopped over at a Satay restaurant called Sate Hj Samuri located just off of the highway between Ampang and Batu Caves, in an area called Taman Melati, Gombak.
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The signboard for the word 'Satay' was spelled 'Sate'.
Satay is always cooked over a charcoal fire. This restaurant had a glass wall which separated the dining area from the charcoal fireplaces.
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We ordered 5 sticks of chicken Satay; 5 sticks of beef Satay; 2 sticks of venison Satay and a roll of Nasi Impit. We also ordered two cans of a soybean drink.
When everything was served, we discovered that the Nasi Impit was a white rice cake, cut into bite sized pieces, placed together in a bowl with small slivers of cucumber. The only item missing in this bowl, was the raw red onions.
The peanut sauce tasted truly delicious - flavorful yet mild. So mild in fact, that you could even drink it as a thick soup, instead of just as a dipping sauce. Also served, was a small bowl of spicy sambal paste made from hot chillies.
(At other Satay places, the spicy chilli sambal paste is always incorporated right into the peanut sauce, which sometimes can become so overbearing, that it causes a burning sensation at the back of your throat. When that happens, you won't enjoy your meal. Thankfully, that wasn't the case with this restaurant.)
When we were done eating the first order, we ordered 5 more sticks of chicken Satay and 5 more sticks of mutton Satay.
Overall, the quality and taste were exceptionally good, that we ordered even more as takeaway.
Even though the staff in this restaurant couldn't speak English, this meal was nonetheless, a truly delightful culinary experience.
Someone in Chicago asked me via E-mail the other day, what would be the best time to call me on the phone.
I told her that the best time to call me...would be whenever she liked. Sending a text message to me would be fine, too. I also told her that the only time I would not be able to answer my cellular phone, is when I'm standing under the shower.
Then again, if I was trying to cook something in the kitchen and I heard my phone, I might not be able to get my hands washed in time, before the ringtone stops - In which case, it is best to call me back in approx. 39 minutes.
But what if I was asleep in bed?
Well, unlike most people, I normally answer the phone in my sleep, since I'm a pretty light sleeper anyway; and my cellular phone is always right next to my bed.
Yes, the best time to call me, is whenever you feel like it.
Great ideas usually seem to come about when you're not sitting down and thinking about it. I know this firsthand. I've had ideas come to me before, while I wasn't even thinking about any subject in particular.
Most great inventions throughout history, were invented when the inventor wasn't searching for a great, creative idea at the time.
But not all ideas which pop into our heads turn out to become great ones, though. Sometimes, you might get inspiration for an idea which at the time, seems to be great, but later proves to be not so great. And at other times, you might get an idea which, when acted upon, turns out to be twice as great.
No, it is not always easy to know if an idea will become great, but a great idea nowadays creates energy. And if we focus the majority of that energy on ways to improve on the idea, we will soon be on our way to achieving something great.
