just minishorts.

The thing about the Chinese is that we were given pretty canggih names at birth, and unfortunately some of these names can be pretty hard to pronounce. Stuff like Tze Siong or Bee Siang, sometimes to make our non-Chinese friends' lives better, we give ourselves Christian names - to simplify things. These days some people even take up japanese names (Yuki? I met a few Yukis in the last year).

The key word is simplify. For some reason some people like to give themselves something more special - but … I mean, sometimes, 'special' may not be so good lah.

I met someone called Arseanus the other day. No serious. Apparently its supposed to be after the Catholic saint St Arsenius, but this genius decided that he's got to be a little more special, and so he said, 'It Urshaynays…' and I went, 'Huh? How do you spell that.'

'A-R-S-E-A-N-U-S.'

Dude. You stupid or what?

—

Speaking of names. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE think before you decide to get all creative, or come up with some name that would set you apart. On my linkedin network, there are six HARRY KOKs. How many Harry Koks are there in your linked in?

And then I heard of this girl who, because she had a very difficult to pronounce Chinese name, came into the office one day telling everyone to call her Gina. Then she went to admin to order a new set of name cards. And when she conveniently decided to take off her given, susah to pronounce Chinese name, and replaced it with Gina. To make it more sophiscated and special, apparently.

The problem is, her surname was Wee. So Gina ended up giving away namecards introducing herself as 'Wee Gina'. So very special, kan?

Man I'm going to have problems thinking of names - Eric's surname is Yeow!

Interestingly in the difficult times we're living, the summer season's blockbusters almost all have superheroes in them. Paramount Picture's got the lot of them - Ironman, The INcredible Hulk (and if you wanted count them in - Kungfu Panda and Wanted could also be about saving the world)! Today Hellboy II: The Golden Army is opening… and then of course Columbia Pictures had that very strange superhero show Hancock (great start, cool middle with a blah-anticlimatic ending).

But Hellboy, oh Hellboy (thanks to UIP hahhaa this years Paramount / Universal showings have all been FREE FREE FREE!!)

The Real Fantastic Four - KRAUSS is the gasbag - the dude who actually, really really kicks ass. Selma Blair is fiery hot in the show, Ron Perlman's double horns still look cool and BLUE drinks and sings to Barry Manilow. How unconventional can you get? Marvel's Fantastic Four can eat dust - hah!

If you liked Lord of the Rings, Stardust, Spiderwick Chronicles and the like (with a lot of additional non-human entities walking and talking in the entire movie), then this show really cut it lah. The characters are super cool, and did i say I love love love the Troll market? Nuada and Nuala (weird names) are such adorable and lovable beings (damn I love them), especially Prince Nuada Silverlance - man that dude kicks ass (go fly kite lah Legolas, you just don't cut it).

The Royal Elf Prince Prince Nuada! My favourite villain of the year - this guy who lives the Just War theory. This is why they say women love their bad boys.

His twin sister is equally juicy. And her hair, Nuada's hair, well the elf twins make me wanna grow old and have white hair like that too.

The show even has a Jack and The Beanstalk scene, only ten times cooler ('cos Mr Beanstalk actually storms through the city like a gigantic Godzilla kakakka).

This is one show I going to watch again and again and again.

Bernama TV didn't show anything.

Some aunty from the market told my mom it was about 20,000 people.

The news on the radio said, 'Gathering was a failure as less than 10,000 people showed up.'

And then Malaysiakini said the reverse, 'Thousands!', putting down up to 30,000 people.

0 pax, 10,000 pax, 20,000 pax, 30,000 pax. Macam-macam lah. Who should we believe?

Damn stupid.

add-on

I wanted to say this also. Everyone is talking about protesting. No offence to those who genuinely care - you know I know you guys, you know I feel you guys. But I can't help but also wonder. Just how many people are protesting because they genuinely care and genuinely want change? Vs those who are part of the protest because right now, it's cool to be part of the big protest movement.

Because when it boils down to taking a stand, and making that choice to be part of the difference, the bulk of the nation are simply too cowardly to do the right thing. Nothing a little bit of splurging and pretty little gifts can't fix. That's what we're all like. Little Balas and Saifuls walking around. We hate them because they reflect what the most of us are really like.

I've been wondering whether or not I should write about this so publicly, you know, what with the price hikes and all. It might not be so prudent to talk about these expensive purchases.

Eric called me two weeks ago to tell me the good news, 'Honey, I did it.'

'Did what?'

'I bought the car!'

'What?'

'The Honda Accord.'

Huh? 'You did what?'

'Don't worry its not brand new, I'm not so silly to get a brand new car… its the 2006 model.'

'Errr… how much was it?'

'well… not too bad lah. A little over 110.'

'…'

So now we have THREE CARS! My pathetic wira, his blood-sweat-tears-and-i-invested-a-lot-of-dosh-into-modifying-this Accord '94 and then the latest addition to the family. And we're, we're, we're getting married in less than four months!

My feelings are somewhat misplaced these days. Ask me at various times of the day and I'm either seething mad, in utter disbelief or beamingly proud to be engaged to Eric.

As Ed would remind me, SURRENDER, babes, SURRENDER to your life.