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The Sixth Year

It's been six years since Ain & I were married. More than 10 years since we first met.

Overall it's been a great six years. It wasn't a perfect six years. It's been one hell of a rollercoaster for this and that reasons. But I'm still in love with her as much as the days before we were married, and I feel some measure of pride over the life we've built. For that I am very grateful to the Almighty for His joys, including the one known as Irfan Shafiq.

There is probably many more years of riding this rollercoaster, but I hope we've learnt much and matured enough to allow us to determine what's important in life, endure the ride and make the right decisions.

Giant Purple Dinosaur? Not Really

In the Jann Tosh / Mon Julpa story arc of the Droids series the heroes encounter a 3-metre tall monster called a durkii in a dungeon pit, not surprising since the durkii was apparently a pet of the evil Tammuz-an vizier Zatec-Cha.

It was large, purple and had an unpleasant demeanour, but had no stats.

I hope this entry rectifies that oversight. At least in D6 terms.

Meanwhile on Taris...

I've never played Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) computer game before, where I've read Taris was first featured.

However, when I heard Dark Horse Comics would be producing the Knights of the Old Republic series on four-colour print, I was dubious. Reading through the first story arc of the series written by John Jackson Miller entitled "Commencement", I discovered that in terms of numerous minute elements in the story, this series has the most Original Trilogy Star Wars flavour in comics.

The story is simple, a young Padawan Zayne Carrick, part of the Jedi Academy on the city world Taris in the Outer Rim, isn't the best of Padawans. In fact he's been screwing up task after task on one assignment: to capture small time Snivvian black marketeer Marn Heirogryph, who believes Zayne has the ability to leave behind wreckage strewn after him.

Unfortunately for Zayne and his fellow Padawans, a conspiracy would transform their regular lives as apprentices into a living hell. Zayne is framed for multiple murder and is forced to team up with Heirogryph to flee Taris authorities.

More shocking than the reason why he was framed... was who it was that framed him.

Soups

I don't know what it is about Ramadan, but fasting makes me think about food. My last entry was about bread. What goes well with bread? Soups, of course! Toast up a little bread and dip it in hot soup, like little croutons. Mm mmm. Some soups even begin with stale leftover bread. Like this Gazpacho Andaluz.

Blue Harvest

I'm a bit late for last month's SWAG Theme Art Contest, entitled "Blue Harvest".

The subject matter alludes to the working title for the movie Return of the Jedi during its filming, to throw rabid Star Wars fans off its trail. It's also the name of a fanzine in the early 90s, which I contributed some art and writing to.

So what's blue and likely to be harvested in the Star Wars universe?

To view a bigger image, check out its entry at deviantArt.

Frack! Is Today Friday?

Cause if it is, it's time to get back home to the starboard landing bay. It's time to find out what happens to people left with the rag tag fugitive fleet and on the Cylon-occupied New Caprica. The last ten minutes of the previous season's finale was quality mindfrack.

Because of the total tangency to the status quo last episode, I can see this being the best season premiere or the worst season premiere ever.

The odds are certainly against it sucking.

So say we all.

More Fodder For My Viewing List

Into the Second Week of Ramadhan

It's now the second week of Ramadhan.

If anyone asks (and you'd know the answer to this if you've asked me) it's been more tiring than it's been hungry. The myth that you're wiped out and floored by the hunger was totally dispelled when I was fourteen and playing hockey in the mornings during fasting month. And again, when I was seventeen and whacking tennis balls against the wall after school at 3 PM in the hot sun - though I was wiped out after that.

However, this year I find out I can barely stay awake after 10 PM. I wonder if it's because of the job I'm working now. I've already missed 2 nights of Tarawih & Witir prayers. I remember less than 10 years ago completing a full month of them at the mosque, even.

And this year, for Aidilfitri, Tok & Opah Irfan will be in Ohio spending time with Sila & Vin. It wouldn't be a stretch to expect some pictures of them with Irfan's Ayah Cik and Cik Dik on this weblog in the next couple of months.

Happy Ramadhan, everybody.

A Trekkie I Was Til A Threshold I Crossed

I used to religiously catch every episode of Star Trek whenever it was on the air to watch episodes a couple of times. The Original Series. The Next Generation. Deep Space Nine. They were all my regular TV consumption.

Even when I was working in the East Coast and out of the station's broadcast area, Atok Irfan - long before he was designated Atok Irfan - taped the shows for me for my viewing when I was on my 5 days off period from work.

It was during the middle of the second season of Star Trek: Voyager that I finally realised something.

Bread 2006 (January through April)

It's time for more bread! Continuing the adventures of bread that began with my birthday present from last year, and the breads of the second half of last year, here's some more roti roti roti.

Really All It's Quacked Up To Be

So what's one animal you can think of that's not a maneater, can't overrun the entire world and physically incapable of killing humans on this planet?

I'm thinking... ducks.

So it came to pass I started thinking of a silly RPG sourcebook which will be available for free download named The Apocalyptic Invasion of Flesh-eating Mutant Ducks RPG, which will employ West End Games' D6 game engine which was used for its old Star Wars RPG system.

Satellite Photos of the Tenth Floor

Once upon a time I checked what the Google Maps' satellite photos had of Kuala Lumpur. They weren't pretty impressive at low resolution.

Today I checked them again and I found that this is no longer the case. It's possible to even see individual cars on the highway. Click on the thumbnail below for a picture of our apartment building and its surrounding environment.

Take a look below for a close up of our building, which is the one on the left. You can even make out the swimming pool on the left side of the building.

Exactly Four Years Ago Today...

... Irfan Shafiq was born just before 5 p.m. in the maternity ward at Kuala Lumpur Hospital.

He caused his mother to be stuck at the hospital for almost 12 hours before finally decided it was time to pop out.

I was right there with Ain when he popped out. When the nurse handed him to me he gave me his best "Hey... can you tell me what the heck's going on around here" look.

Atok and Opah arrived from Sitiawan today to celebrate the occasion with Irfan, after which Opah made nasi ayam for dinner.

There was cake with candles (a hit with Irfan for some reason) and the photos were taken by Atok. We had dinner when Mak Long and Ayah Long came a-calling. I noticed that Irfan was sleepy by 8pm but he fought his drooping eyes until it was after 11pm, because of the occasion.

I can't believe he used to be as small as the picture to the left. He looks like he's seven, and many people have told us they thought he was seven. Compare the photo with the ones below.

Damage Report

As much as I'm extremely happy there's roof over our heads (and ten floors plus change beneath us), I am very much zonked out by the accumulating damages in our house for the sole reason that the building was 10 years old when we moved in. It's a great place to be, but we need to move out of here so we don't spend a bomb monthly on fuel costs and waste hours every day travelling to work, which is right across the city.

But before we can move out, we'll have to sell the place cause we can't really spend on rent on our income. (Not to mention transporting our stuff would also cost us some money.)

And before we can sell the place there are a few things on the wishlist that need to be addressed.

Spending Nothing For RPGs

The best things on the net are free!

Well, not exactly true but roaming the internet I did come across a list of 500 free role playing games. Some are dead links. Some are very lean. Some are PDF, some are HTML and some are Word files. Some are official free products from RPG companies.

I'm going through the entire list on my own t...

Ooo, lookit... the out-of-print Time Lord RPG. Be right back.

28 Days Later... A Review

And certainly there are many wince-inducing scenes in 28 Days Later.

Toy Robots In Disguise

Once upon a time in my early teens I had to save my weekly allowance for a couple of months before I could buy an original Transformers G1 toy. I only managed to save enough to buy two: Sideswipe and Sunstreaker. Then later when I was overseas, I bought Wheeljack which I was unable to find when I returned back to Malaysia.

Last weekend back in Sitiawan I finally found Wheeljack somewhere in one of the cupboards, so I put the three of them together for a photo shoot.

Makan Angin Puerto Rico Bab 4

OK So I realize it's been weeks since we went to Puerto Rico, but work is pretty crazy busy lately and I haven't been able to finish my final Bab of Makan Angin Puerto Rico. In fact I was planning to write this blog in Malay and publish it on August 31st (Malaysia's Independence Day). Since I have missed that deadline, I will just go ahead and write the entry in English so as not to show the world that my Bahasa Malaysia (or is it Bahasa Melayu now?) has really gone down the drain since secondary school.

This entry is a bit more random and rambly than usual. Sorry!

Kachow!

After months of using other vehicles as substitute of Lightning McQueen from his favourite movie when playing with his toys, Irfan will finally get the real deal thanks to his Atok & Opah. Atok took these pictures and emailed them to us and Irfan was really excited looking at them. (So I'm told, cause I was wiped out before 9 pm thanks to the fever I was wracked with last night.)

He's already got Mater and Snot Rod Rip Stick Racer toys in his collection. I guess Irfan can't wait to go to Sitiawan and get his hands on it.

This is the 300th entry for this weblog, by the way.

A Colonial Viper Pilot in d20

My friend Shane Welin is now in a d20 game with a difference. The rules might be powered by the run-of-the-mill d20 Modern / Future engine but I believe this is the first time I know of a campaign set in the world of Battlestar Galactica whose third season will be aired this next month.

His player character stats is listed below, but I'll see about getting stats for Vipers (Mark IIs and Mark VIIs), Raptors and Raiders up here as well.

Anyway, here's Shane's Hal Rogero (still no callsign) in d20: