mrbrown.com

Workin' out

We had just started doing weight training on our running Tuesdays and in our last workout, our 2nd virgin session in the gym, we worked on the chest, quadriceps and the calves.

Let's just say James and I discovered muscles we never knew existed.

A day after that workout, I was on the train (car still in the @#?!$& workshop), when I got this sms from our, ahem, coach, Mr Miyagi.

Mr Miyagi: "Is your neh neh pain?"

Me: "No. And I'm going to delete your message right now."

Mr Miyagi: "Your neh neh will be pain tomorrow."

Me: "Ok. And I'm going to delete this too. Better warn James too. Wait he conduct World of Warcraft raid halfway kena neh neh pain, cannot kill the level boss."

Mr Miyagi: "Ha ha. Let the guild down."

Me: "Let two guilds down, ok? He is leading a 40-man raid. Neh neh pain is a poor way to lose a raid, man. 'Wait. Wait. Tits. Pain. Cannot. Cast. Healing. Spell.'"

*Neh neh = nipples breasts

Something Asian to listen to (plus one non-Asian one)

Dragon Radio is hosted by Tony Reno and he plays music from around Asia, and also interviews artistes.

Audio file for Dragon Radio Week 30

Subscribe to the Dragon Radio podcast feed.

Over at PenangHokkien.com, get a taste of Penang-style Hokkien from this podcast (I believe the ONLY Penang-style Hokkien podcast in the world).

Audio file for Penang Hokkien #18

Subscribe to the Penang Hokkien podcast feed.

Rubyfruit Radio (main site is here) was recommended by Shan of Small Fry Podcast (I am a big fan of her show) and is hosted by Heather from Atlanta, Georgia USA, devoted to playing the best in female indie artists. Her slogan is "All Girls All the Time" and damn, her girls play great music. Not an Asian podcast but too fine a show not to recommend.

Audio file for Rubyfruit Radio Episode 11

Subscribe to the Rubyfruit Radio podcast feed.

Meanwhile, voting is still on at the Weblog Awards site till the 15th of December (USA time), and while I have no hope of catching up with XX's lead of 3000+ votes (no, Mr Gave-Me-9000-Fake-Votes reader, do not deploy your cheating engine again, whoever you are), at least I have an extra digit compared to Mr Stone Motherless Last, muahahahahahaha!

On a side note, Asiapundit has started a daily review of potential Asia-related gifts, and I gotta say, that's one Chink-eyed racist stereotype on the Wok 'n Roll board game. He also has a link to oldie but goodie video clip of a slurpy commercial (The audio is Not Safe for Work).

Oh, and I want to think Jaywalk for saying, "I am sure mrbrown and miyagi are just having some fun over it (i.e. the awards)". You get it, Jay-W, sniff, you really do!

Technorati tags: singapore, mrbrown, podcast, podcasting

Random Asian links

In other news, Myrick of Asiapundit concludes that I was not in any way involved in the Weblog Awards cheating because I don't have the smarts or the time to rig a contest (thanks for the vote of confidence, dude! Haha!). Of course, I need not remind you that, just like the NKF still needs money, I still need votes, people! I don't have enough reserves to make up for my shortfall of 2000 votes! Just make sure they are legit ones, ok?

And if you feel really sympathetic, you can cast your vote for Miyagi then, he got chio bu photo.

And yes, Chris, that bugger Miyagi still owes us the beers.

Looking at Australia (kinda part of Asia): Supermom Axegal compares two news photos from Australia. Tezza shares a darn good link from TSSH the Cronulla riots, and Sydney resident Adam Rosalky has some comments about the commenters of the violence. And then I read bbc.com and see that Sydney police 'to get new powers'. Chey, I thought what new powers, can shoot anti-yob lasers from their eyes or something.

Wati is a Singaporean living in Kobe, Japan, with her husband Roy, and she shares this cool video clip of the opening of Midori Denki (an electrical retailer) and also gives us a look at Kurisumusu (Christmas) in Japan. Since we are on Japan, check out this really cool presentation on the Web Development Process done with cute little toy characters.

A World of Warcraft: Year in Review (kinda)

Check out this funny look at WoW by Something Awful.

Pictured here, the leaked picture of the next Alliance race, the Pandaren.

Ginseng for your Mojo

Found this at fellow Best Asian Blog nominee, Chris Myrick's blog Asiapundit, Ginseng P0rn in Shanghai! This fine specimen of throbbing ginseng virility was originally seen at The Shanghaiist.

Also spotted by Danwei and Eyeris.

Xbox 360 debuts in Japan to screaming fans... not

The image on top shows the crazy crowds fighting for an Xbox 360 in the US. It was the same craziness in the UK when the 360 launched there. And the image below, the more restrained response from Japan.

(via Gizmodo)

Sydney Cronulla beach race riots

Metafilter mentions the Sydney race riots, where some 5000 people got "upset that a lifeguard or something got beat up by a bunch of 'middle eastern looking' people", and started a riot. There is also an interesting discussion on what exactly is a "Wog".

Comments in that Metafilter thread:

"How dare those white people riot? Everyone knows rioting's only for people of color!"
...posted by mr_crash_davis at 11:35 AM PST on December 11

"I used to live in Sydney for awhile, but never was a permanent resident. While I was there, Cronulla had a reputation for being a beach of good-ole-boys - hard-drinking, close-minded, violent, and very insular. There is some sort of tattoo that they all have, the surfers there. I was once waiting for a bus in downtown Sydney, on my way back to Coogie, and a very drunk Cronullan tried to pick a fight with me, asking me whether or not I was fag. I told him I wasn't and he went on and on, telling me all of the bones he would have broken had I told him that I was. They were quite a bunch. To those that are Sydney residents: does it surprise you that this happened? Is this way out of the ordinary?"
...posted by billysumday at 12:03 PM PST on December 11

"These hoodlums should be exiled to an island in the middle of the ocean to start a society amongst themselves...no, wait..."
...posted by weapons-grade pandemonium at 11:27 AM PST on December 11

Some reactions from smh's news blog, and more videos and coverage at ABC's site.

Cheating at the polls

Kevin of Wizbang has brought to my attention that Xiaxue's and my Weblog Awards votes have been tampered with.

To correct the earlier padding done by the evil-doers, some 9944 votes have been removed from my total, and about 5048 votes removed from hers. In my case, the cheating came from three IP addresses, one of which accounted for 7385 votes.

Hello, very lame, can?

Want to vote, vote. But don't cheat. This is an international thing and the last thing we want is Singapore getting a reputation for vote scrubbing.

It's Geiko not Geisha

The Peking Duck has a post that links to a great article about the real Geishas (the correct term is "Geiko") objecting to the Hollywood depiction of their world in the movie and book, Memoirs of a Geisha.

Excerpt:

For most people, even in Kyoto, the closest they will get to the mysterious demimonde will be watching the star-studded "Memoirs of a Geisha," released in the United States Friday and in Japan Saturday under the title "Sayuri."...

The book was criticized by its subject, former geisha Mineko Iwasaki, who accused Golden of making the legendary Japanese hostesses seem like prostitutes.

For the "geiko" of Gion, their profession is far more nuanced. Some past geishas in other districts offered sex and the geiko say that foreigners often mistake them for prostitutes because of their showy outfits.

The geiko believe they are far different, preserving a sophisticated tradition and creating a fantasy world in which modern concepts such as gender equality have yet to enter.

As soon as they finish Japan's compulsory education at the age of 15, girls in Gion start training in the performing arts, gracious social etiquette and conversation skills, which all will be necessary when they host customers at a tea house's hosting room.

They are soon called "maiko" -- dancing girls. Becoming more skilled in dancing and performing musical instruments, usually around age 20, they finally assume the title of geiko.

Vote and get upgrading: Swings in every home!

Thank you all for the support you have shown so far! It has exceeded my expectations.

But the campaigning must not cease, because as you know, Singapore elections are notorious for having short campaigning periods. So we must make the most of the time we have.

Just like Miyagi has mustered his cat Jake and even famous stars to promote his vote, mr brown must also find new things to swing the elections, and what better way than... yes, Swings!

Every home should have one, and every blog too! As part of our multi-million dollar upgrade plans, we are upgrading "deserving" estates with indoor swings just like this one! (Where does mr brown get access to ALL this money that the opposition cannot touch? It's a mystery!)

Who cares that you don't see your MP (or even know what his name is) until the elections come around? Just remember that you will get upgrading and all kinds of goodies!

And lest anyone thinks this blog is not Asian enough to be part of the Best Asian Blog category, here are some links to interesting Asian blogs and news. Like "How to Eat Sushi", shared by Simon of Simonworld.

In other news, US casino magnate Steve Wynn has pulled out of the Singapore casino wars. I guess he got tired of dealing with "the thunderbolts of wisdom from Mount Olympus". Some people might say, "like that he Wynn liao lor!"

Marmot shares some Korean blogging goodness with posts on UPI's Martin Walker giving his take on the upcoming East Asia Summit, and a Korean SUV voted the biggest automotive atrocity ever ("so ugly it makes children cry").

International Man of Mystery (and also fellow Tomorrow.sg buddy), Preetam Rai, points us to some cool podcasts for those of us who want to learn Mandarin.

That's all we have for this Asian roundup. Remember, you want upgrading? You want a playground in your home? You don't want your estate to become a slum? Vote daily till the 15th of December!

(mr brown wishes voters to note that upgrading and the indoor swing for your blog is subject to availability. Anyway, if you don't get your upgrading from this blog, there is always the other upcoming election you can count on.)

Date Night: Chestnuts

To be exact, Chestnuts Episode III: Revenge of the Shooting Stars. Starring Jonathan Lim and Hossan Leong in their hilarious live show that spoofs movies, stage productions and television.

They have four more shows before the run ends this coming Sunday.

We had a quick bite then took a romantic bus ride home (because the bloody cabs all suddenly On Call).

TODAY: mr brown takes the bus

Latest TODAY column: mr brown takes the bus

Excerpt:

Maybe they need to rank buses or public transport services like they do schools. I can think of the kinds of awards you can give out:
• Top Bus Service
• Top Value-added Bus Service (Drama and Sports), and
• Top Value-added Bus Service (Driver Does Not Suka Suka Jam Brakes).

Weblogs Awards: Two days later

Update: Miyagi too, has to look to his chio bu for help.

Well it was fun while it lasted. Thank you guys for the support and for trying.

Leading the Asian vote at the Weblogs Awards was nice, but I knew there was no way to stop the Xiaxue juggernaut, once word went out to her loyal blodgers. And they vote daily too. Sigh.

I promised election goodies, she promised June's boobies. Like this how to fight? Hahahaha!

Poor Asiapundit, Myrick was so depressed that his votes were less than the number of contributors to his group blog, he fired them all.

So I tried to think of ways I can secure the win... I know! Redraw the electoral boundaries! XX's blog is now part of Canada! And I will start a GRC system! And I will enforce the Film Act! No political films allowed of bloggers participating in this contest (except me, I am allowed to have films done about me, they are called documentaries).

I think all this is not going to work. I have to take out my trump card now. The weapon used by politicians through the ages!

It's baby photo time!

Cute or not? Here is another shot of Joy.

Ok, now go and vote daily. Hahahaha! At least go and read the other fine Asian blogs featured there lah.

browncast: The Famous Pianist

Because we feel bad that we will no longer be able to hear world-class piano playing due to the National Service defaulter furor, Miyagi and I decide to do our own National Servicemen piano show.

Audio file for the mrbrown show 7 Dec 2005
(MP3, Filesize: 6.14mb, Time: 00:17:45)

Subscribe to the podcast feed here.

Technorati tags: singapore, mrbrown, podcast, podcasting

The Weblog Awards 2005

The Weblog Awards 2005 by Wizbang is back, and I would like to thank whoever nominated me for the Best Asian Blog category, together with esteemed blogs like:

Sassy Lawyer, The Marmot's Hole, Hemlock's Diary, Sinosplice, ESWN, the shaky kaiser, Xiaxue, Hongkie Town, Shanghai Diaries, asiapundit, Our Man In Hanoi, Frog in a Well, Simon World, and Mr. Miyagi.

Do check them out if you haven't already. Last year, only one Singapore blog was nominated (and she won), but this year there are three.

The polls close December 15, 2005. You may vote once every 24 hours in each poll.

Er, I have set aside $150 million (Monopoly money) for upgrading your blog!

The MRT train will now stop at your white elephant blog, even if less than 2000 households read your blog!

And you will get Lifts that stop on every page of your blog!

What more can you ask for? Go vote now! You may not get to vote in the coming Singapore Elections, what with the frequent walkovers and all, but you can definitely vote (every day, even) in the 2005 Weblog Awards.

You can even buy your own pr0n company from eBay

Looking for a new business opportunity? Is your dream to direct award-winning films? Want to turn a hobby into a business empire?

Now you can! Run, don't walk, down to eBay and bid for your very own porn company! Hey, Singapore already has casinos, why not a porn industry? Dammit, you could be a pioneer, man!

Starting bid is US$100,000. Cheap cheap cheap!

Comes with:

• Intellectual property which includes the masters to all their movies, archive footage, photo shoots and a remaining inventory of 12,000 DVD pieces.
• A complete set of movie making equipment. Including the important soft-light kit.
• An industry editing system. A state-of-the-art system which you will need to edit either your archive footage for compilation re-release, or for your future projects.
• Corporate office equipment and furniture.
• A pre-paid credit with an Adult Entertainment Lawyer with over 25 years experience.
• An established real estate network which allows you to use upscale locations for your future shoots (shoot in Ludicris' party house!).
• An established relationship with all your favorite and current Adult Stars.
• An instructional course in Adult Entertainment from a professional Adult Entertainment Director. You will learn everything you need to know to direct and produce the very best in Adult Entertainment.

The eBay ad says, when running at full capability, this company has the potential to produce 8 movie projects every month. And that this Company is not being sold due to financial reasons but due to the moral issues between family members and partners.

I loved this line: "Therefore, we strongly recommend that you consider the moral issues of owning an Adult Entertainment business as well as the financial."

via Lucian from SPUG

Hooters employee wins Toy Yoda for selling most beer

From the St Petersburg Times: Dream car is a ‘toy Yoda’

Excerpt:

Jodee Berry, 26, then a waitress at the Hooters in Panama City Beach, won a contest to see who could sell the most beer in April.

Manager Jared Blair told waitresses that the contest was a regional promotion, according to the lawsuit, and that the top 10 waitresses from each restaurant would be entered in a drawing. The person whose name was drawn would win a "new Toyota automobile," the lawsuit says Blair told them.

The Next Valentino Rossi?

via TheSaint888 of SPUG

They don't call him KING Kong for nothing

Old King Kong poster found on Art.com.

Us Time

"Eh don't take my photo lah."

The 3 kids are all asleep. We have a DVD in the player.Life is good