So I finally got around to seeing Inception. After all the hype and talk about it – I have to admit, it was worth it and I can only regret nto having seen it earlier to partake in the discussion with my friends.

Having being told a lot about how it is confusing and one has to pay lots of attention while watching, I analyzed just about every scene trying to formulate the different possible endings and explanations behind them. Upon reaching my car, I immediately Googled the different theories on my iPhone because of how curious the movie had made me.

NOTE: Avoid the following if you have not yet seen this movie as I am not holding back on spoilers when it comes to theorizing!

My theory throughout the movie was that the entire thing was a dream. Clues are littered all over the screen and I will go through a few that I can remember.

We first note how  Cobb’s father (Michael Caine) continuously tells him to wake up and re-join reality. This is an obvious hint to the fact that Cobb is still asleep and needs to wake up. Cobb himself mentions wanting to “go home” and so-forth instead of repeatedly saying he wants to return to America.

Another questionable issue was how his children had not aged at all towards the end of the film when we finally see their faces. Who was this grandmother they referred to on the phone too – This quite possibly could be a movie error, or maybe a contribution to this theory too.

One thing that really caught my attention was reference to the COBOL corporation (It also can be noted that this coincidentally sounds a lot like “Cobb” too). There is little explanation behind the organization and why they are hunting Cobb down. Towards the end, Mal also mentions “being chased around the world by anonymous corporations, like projections chase the dreamer”. The reality of this idea is also very far-fetched – Armed with just a pistol (that remarkably is never used in ‘reality’) and being chased across the globe for no apparent reason.

The main give away was when Mal herself talks about how Cobb is unable to perceive whether or not his reality truly is what it is. Mal in the film seems to be a creation of Cobb’s regret of his inception – But then again, inception is also never proven except in Mal’s case which can also be argued against. What if, jumping off the hotel window really did cause Mal to wake up to reality? How were they so sure that what they had previously woken up to was reality (in this case, the world is in which the entire movie is in)? This then makes it possible that Mal is not even dead and just awake and unable to wake Cobb up.

The loss of Mal has then caused Cobb to continue projecting his own world of action and excitement including the COBOL corporation and this job.

Another strange idea I had was what if they never actually had children? Cobb mentions in limbo how they moved into an apartment after Mal got pregnant. This then hints to them having children during that 50 years they spent in limbo. If this was so, how was it then possible for them to wake up to children and for Cobb’s main objective of the plot to return home to his children?

Now, I could go into more evidence into how this could possibly be a dream including the similarities to a anxiety nightmare when he got stuck in the alleyway, Arthur’s precision with weaponry and hand-to-hand combat (taking out a guy twice his size with a kick?),  Mal sitting on an opposing hotel window sill, the impossible chances of Saito coming to the rescue when Cobb was being chased by COBOL, the spinning top at the end of the movie and more. However, several articles go into this and I think just watching the movie again with the idea everything is a dream will let you pick up on these moments.

The biggest argument against the entire movie being a dream is seeing the top toppling when he spun it in the so-called reality space. The idea of the totem was very unbelievable to me and only seemed to be useful if you were in another person’s dream. Being in another’s space, objects on you may also have been created and hence may not have the same flaws as what they did in reality. However, when you are in your own dream, knowing the flaws yourself (the movie itself makes it clear that you are not supposed to let others know the secrets behind your totems) would result in creating an exact replica of that totem too. So throughout the movie, within Cobb’s dream state, we see that replica of Mal’s top that topples over.

Let us not forget that the top isn’t even Cobb’s. There has been some speculation as to what Cobb’s real totem was and apparently his wedding ring only appears to be worn in reality.

-

The main thing to note is that this movie is excellent and teases our minds to think (and over-think) about it. Watching it again will be just as fulfilling, to try and figure out the theories behind it. Unfortunately, Chris Nolan does a marvelous job in making just about any theory out there on the movie viable – So there really does not exist a perfect theory as of yet.

It was a busy day in the office when I received the mail from Company X. My application was being considered and I had an interview with someone from HR. I was ecstatic and excited to discover such wonderful news… Until the realization of my fear of that 3-syllable word of doom – “INTERVIEW”.

I had never been for a formal interview especially one involving applying for a job. With my academics not being that strong either, my first instinct was to flee… To decline the interview and tell myself that I “didn’t really want that job anyway”. Obviously the sensible part in me took over and I scheduled the interview 2 weeks later. These 2 weeks I decided would be long enough for preparation.

2 weeks down the road and I was in the lobby of Company X. I had done no practicing in front of the mirror, no memorization of great speeches nor any reading on interview skills or body language. The only thing I’d done was read about the company and it’s goals to show my interest.

Following the interviewer to the interview room led me to think of the numerous possible ways at which I could make an idiot of myself during this session

I answered nervously as she asked me questions on past situations where I had demonstrated my abilities and the decisions I made. All of the questions she asked, I had predicted – each of which I had already prepared rough answers for… Ofcourse things did not continue to go so well when she finally asked me one that I had no idea how to answer.

This was when I had a decision to make

1. Lie: It’s not hard to make up a story about a time in University. I am good at (but not proud of) lying too.
2. Be honest: Explain my inability to answer

When someone is nervous they tend to just blurt out a blatant lie or pure honesty. So, eventually the stress got to me…

“Honestly, I am unable to answer the question as I feel I lack the experience in what you have just asked about. However, I do know of a similar experience that may be appropriately considered…”

And then I told of a true story that was most aligned to her question. +points for honesty and +points for having another story that I could sell myself with.

It was from this point onwards that my confidence rose as I realised it wasn’t about being able to use big words or throwing in great stories that of me being the hero of the day. It was about explaining who I was and why I was suitable for the job – Yes, I’ve been told this before, but I never believed it… Companies suggest you to ‘be yourself’ in every interview because they ‘want to get to know you’ while the rebel in each of us will always be thinking  ”yeah right, they’ll never want me if I be myself”. Have we ever stopped to think that different companies genuinely look for different types of people?

So to sum it up, there is only one interview tip that I have:

Be honest and be yourself

Yeah, yeah, you’ve heard it all before. But take this as something coming from someone who experienced the true relief and boost of self confidence by telling the truth.

If you are honest, confidence will grow because you have nothing to be afraid of. If you are forced to say something negative about yourself then just be tactful in the way you say it. If being yourself results in your rejection then it just really might be that you weren’t suitable for the company. Some companies prefer those that have leadership skills while some prefer those that efficiently work alone; some companies prefer those that can solve problems quickly while others prefer those that can pull a problem apart and take their time to carefully decide on the solution.

Obviously with this tip I am assuming you are competent enough to dress formally, not to ramble when you answer questions and to have a great handshake – All “skills” that can be mastered in a day.

Good luck!

So yes I have been away due to reasons I will explain in a sec’. I have been pretty much missing from the internet scene for about 4 weeks due to a problem that I was afraid would affect both my blog posts and general social networking posts.

I guess this is a weakness or flaw of mine. Being unable to hide my feelings (especially negative) in anything I write. This normally leads to a post failing to narrate what I intend it to and ending up as a post that rants like Kanye West with ADD. I’ve known this about myself hence the avoidance of the Internet as I really do like to keep my problems to myself instead of broadcasting them across the world like a socialite. I guess when I started blogging, deep down, I wanted to be a socialite of some sort – but with this characteristic I hold, I doubt that’ll ever happen.

Anyway, with the problem now resolved, I can finally talk about it. At the end of January, I took leave to go to Malaysia for Chinese New Year with my family and friends. Unfortunately, I went about getting approval for this leave in the most unprofessional and unintelligent way possible. The miscommunication then led to a confusion of my leave dates. When I didn’t show up for work, CCA tried to contact me – by this time I was eating my nasi lemak and shouting over the noise polluting modified Kancils in KL.

Due to my limited access to the Internet (and by limited I mean being unable to check my mail via my iPhone – technology pampers us so…), I checked my mail to find out my scholarship was suspended. After numerous attempts to clarify the issue, it was concluded that I could do nothing overseas. It had to wait till I came back to Sydney and attended a showcause meeting.

So that’s how I spent a lot of my holiday – thinking about this issue and dreading the worst.

I will skip the details and get to the results. The showcause meeting resulted in CCA taking me back. I have begun work again today and will be under probation for a month also due to what my manager has called ‘unsatisfactory performance’ – another rant, another day.

I cannot deny that I had heaps of fun in Malaysia thanks to my awesome family and friends. I also got to meet a lot of new people this time around that are all very worthy of my entourage (”nice people” in James-speak) and hope that they will welcome me into theirs. I would firstly like to apologize especially to those I just met if I came off whiney or depressed. I guarantee that behind that emoboy mask sits a cheerful and friendly little boy.

Thank you for reading. I know my absence was uncalled for but I do hope you will still return to learn more jah-mez!

See you soon.

Shouts to the infamous Khai Ron, shuffler Keith, badass Michelle, tomatoface Stacy, timid Jacqueline and what-a-small-world Jin Li. I definitely forgot some people and I apologize but I typed this up in the bus!

Chirring…

Although I do not have actual working experience in Malaysia, I have plenty of friends who do.

Let’s take one of my mates for example:

1. He wakes up at 5.30 AM to get ready and leave his house by 6.30 AM;
2. the drive is from Subang Jaya to KL city and due to jams, he gets to work between 7.30-8.30 AM;
3. sure, work starts at 9.00 AM but trying to get to work at 9.00 AM on the dot is impossible with the distance and the jams he has to travel through.
4. At work, he does plenty, there is hardly any social conversation between employees (unless they’re looking to get chucked out;
5. he finally gets off for lunch around 12-ish when he finishes whatever he’s on.
6. After an hour’s lunch, he works his butt off again till 6.00 PM if he’s lucky but usually gets off at 7.00 PM.

So that’s almost 12 hours spent on work – Ouch.

Now, in Australia, the typical (when I say typical, I refer to what is definitely the major population) day at work would involve the following:

1. Normally, it takes a max 1 hour to travel to work and with public transport it’s easy to consistently arrive at work around 9 AM;
2. after a little bit of e-mail checking/replying, it’s then common to grab a coffee with your fellow employees to catch up both on work matters and socially;
3. work starts again until 12 PM when you can head for lunch;
4. taking a full hour of lunch means you arrive back at 1 PM;
5. and after 4 more hours you can leave. Legally, 5 PM is the time all employees are allowed to leave – the slightly more ambitious may want to stay longer but again, this is referring to the major population.

So it’s pretty obvious that working life in Australia is more laid back and heck, more enjoyable. The sickie is what Aussies have dubbed as a day off work due to (supposed) illness and has become part of Australian culture. So much so that you can hear jokes that relate common Australian behaviour to it too – Kind of like those “Chinese are cheap” jokes you hear on Russell Peters, it’s offensive but you know it’s true.

The reason I am writing about this is due to this article, ”Australia’s biggest ever sickie”. Tomorrow (Tuesday, 26th of January) is Australia Day hence a public holiday and everyone seems to be pulling a sickie today (Monday) to get that 4-day weekend. How has pulling a sickie become Aussie culture when working life is so much better here in Oz’? In Malaysia, trying to take a sick leave so blatantly fake just to get a long weekend is asking to get sacked.

It’s disappointing to say that I think Aussies are really taking their job security for granted.

Why so grumpy, Cheellie? (Chee + Ellie = Chilli GET IT?) *Attempt 1*. Have I ever talked about one of my favourite-est person in Malaysia? I Missy (GET IT!?) *Attempt  2* her so much. You know what else I miss from Malaysia? Elly-chees ofcourse! (GOLD!) *Attempt  3*. Anyway, for some reason she has been moody recently, or so I have seen on her Tweets. I really hope this short little post will Cheerio (HAR HAR) *Attempt 4* her up. So stop being so moody and just Cheeeel (LOL) *Attempt 5*, please!

So there you have it – 5 attempts to cheer up my good ol’ buddy.

I will update this post soon with my very own rendition of Missy Cheerio.

Update:

As the 18th of January draws closer, my holiday ends – But with that, my next (and final) Industrial Training placement at Coca-Cola begins. So what is this post about? Nothing really, but I always loved the ads for Coca-Cola. Here are my top 5 Coca-Cola advertisements.

If you are into advertising, Coke has a $1.6 billion annual advertising budget – They care a lot about how they advertise their products so Coca-Cola is one of the best examples of great advertising.

5. Coke Superbowl 2008 Ad

I love this just because Stewie’s in it. Haha. But it’s still a good memorable commercial

4. Beautiful Coke Ad (Unknown Title)

It’s not often I love 3D animated commercials but this one is a beauty.

3. For Everyone (Malaysian version)

I always remembered this ad in Malaysia and I really like how it is both clever and patriotic at the same time. The original advertisement can be found here (I think).

2. Jerk it Out (Brrr!)

This was one of the best ads I’d seen in the movie trailers segment – Kept me going for ages. The ‘Brrr!’ phrase didn’t REALLY catch on but the ad definitely is one of my favourites.

1. Coca-Cola Formula

Cheekiest ad ever and I love it.

Boy, am I thirsty…

Over the long Christmas  weekend, I think I have finally mastered the art of consecutive clubbing. Sydney is pretty boring at the moment that I had to succumb to this path of enlightenment over this celebration’s holidays. The closer friends I have that are i n Sydney now are the party-goers – so when in Rome… So we’ve all been there: A weekend packed with a tight schedule of events and parties that you cannot avoid going. The first party is always awesome, but when the last party finally arrives you’re dead beat and probably end up ditching it.

Follow these rules of wisdom to have fun as many nights as your body can take!

1. Get plenty of sleep

As obvious as this sounds, a lot of people don’t like to follow this rule. After a night of Vodka Redbulls and Jagerbombs, you’re going to have problems falling asleep, right? Wrong. This is all in your head and unless you took 10 cans of Redbull, you’re just shitting yourself. You’ve just spent a night out drinking with mates and possibly dancing your arse off – Your body can’t take it and it wants to shut down. If you do wake up abruptedly early in the morning, make sure you take a nap later on before you go out because I assure you that your night really won’t be enjoyable otherwise.

Also, sleep seems to help avoid hangovers – we all hate those damn migranes, don’t we?

2. Eat your pre-party meal

You’re getting ready to go out putting on your clothes and spraying on some perfume/cologne. Oh wait, you’re late. As you rush out the house, you realize you forgot to eat. Make sure you grab something on the way and not head straight for the party. You’re really asking for it if you’re going to drink on an empty stomache both because of how the alcohol will hit u and how the alcohol will feel in your stomache.

3. Don’t drink excessively

One thing that kills a person’s mood to party is a hangover due to being irresponsible with alcohol the previous night. Be smart and avoid drinking past your limits. Reach your peak of high and just move to the dance floor. You can ignore this rule if it’s your last party because who cares about having a hangover at work. Remember: If you puked, it means you overdid it, genius.

4. Do not overexert

So now you’re on the dance floor and you wanna show that hot babe/stud swapping glances at you some dance moves you learnt on YouTube. By all means, go for it – this is when you’re supposed to be having fun! However, don’t start breakdancing or poledancing because you do not want to wreck your body. Also, ensure you stop dancing when you start sweating a lot because this really is the only way an intoxicated person knows he/she is exerting his/her body.

Follow these rules and you can go out 7 nights a week. It’s good to take a break one night just to let your body recover.

This post is pretty lame but was something I wrote over these weeks in my spare time. It was probably more enjoyful to write this than it will be for you to read it.

Once again, Happy New Year everyone!

After browsing some Facebook photos I have to say, I am a very mean person when I am sober. Then I get drunk and start posing. This is a quick post to highlight the discovery of a new species of drunk: The Poser Drunk. This is a quick guide to identifying a Poser Drunk.

Pre-High Stage: Evil mode.

When I walk into the room, my drunk-radar switches on. I rush to the drunkest person I can find and snap a photo of me with them. This is where I exploit my power of condescending on these victims (who are usually not drunk and instead just have good blood circulation).

I began the night taking a photo with the two-drink-tomato, Kawing

Later on in the night, still pretty sober, I found another victim. I don’t know what pose Andrew Tan is doing

I followed this photo up with some pretty strong stuff. This ofcourse led to the malfunctioning of my radar and the Post-High stage

Post-High Stage: Poser mode.

During the Pre-High Stage, you may have noticed how I have my fingers pointing at my victims or the surroundings in an attempt to show my “superiority” in soberness. This is in actual fact, a cover-up of me warming up for The Cowboy Pose mode.What is this Cowboy Pose you may ask? A move that requires precision and accuracy that can only be acquired with constant training and vigilence: You place one arm around another person in a shot as if to hold them hostage; then, with your other hand, create what can be recognized as a guns (revolvers would be recommended, anything larger might make you look stupid); and finally you point this gun at them as if they really were your hostage.

Eddy and I. Note how my right arm holds him so that he cannot get away as my revolver threatens him to not do anything funny

As the night passes, I take more drinks and Poser mode goes to another level. I take Kay Chong as my 2nd hostage and in this photo you can actually see my other hand evolving into my second revolver

Here I am, guns ablazing. You can literally see the fear in Nee Kee’s face as he silently cries for help.

I then sober up a bit and decide to keep my hands out of the shot to avoid taking photos with the same pose hence the lack of fear in Yin Yi’s face

Drunk Stage: Over Poser Mode.

Some idiot then buys more jugs and I hit the point of no return

My pose reaches new limits with my hand now wielding a gun instead of being shaped as one. I have reached the highest level of posing where I have now assumed I am a model and will try to look like what I have seen in magazines. My body bends slightly, just as a model I saw in the newspaper of some model (probably female, crap). Eddy gives me a taste of my own medicine both condescending me and Cowboy Posing me.

Hence ends the guide to identifying a Poser Drunk.

Hope you enjoyed the post – It was a fun night for me and my last alcoholic night before I left Malaysia. Cheers.

Thanks for the photos: Yen, Mabel and Yinyi.

Baldur’s Gate: 4 in 1 Boxset

Includes:

• Baldur’s Gate
• Baldur’s Gate – Sword of the Coast
• Baldur’s Gate II – Shadows of Amn
• Baldur’s Gate II – Throne of Bhaal

Baldur’s Gate II: The Collection

Includes:

• Baldur’s Gate II – Shadows of Amn,
• Baldur’s Gate II – Throne of Bhaal

Neverwinter Nights Platinum

Includes:

• Neverwinter Nights,
• Neverwinter Nights – Shadows of Undertide,
• Neverwinter Nights – Hordes of the Underdark

Icewind Dale – The Ultimate Collection

Includes:

• Icewind Dale
  
• Icewind Dale – Heart of Winter
• Icewind Dale II