Hi! I’m Nick.

Funny how from simple things, the best things begin. 

Lovin' the Trillian Astra

I've been using Trillian Astra for 2 weeks now, and it's simply amazing. Not only have I got all my instant messaging networks connected, but also my email, gtalk, and facebook chat. I've took a few screenshots below with a custom skin, Avion Pro. The Astra works on various platforms: Windows, Mac, iPhone, and web.

Find out all of it's 400 features here: http://www.trillian.im/learn/tour-features.html

           
Click here to download:
Lovin_the_Trillian_Astra_tag_m.zip (365 KB)

Filed under  //   my recommendations  

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Today, I Lost 3 Teeth


My left wisdom tooth was giving me some issues for the last 2 weeks. It caused me immense pain at night, which obviously kept me awake - even after taking Ibuprofen painkillers. It also gave me a mild fever. I decided that I should get this checked out immediately, and I was advised to remove it once and for all. But before I could have done that, I would need to complete my medication to eradicate the infection that it has caused. I did just that, and scheduled my surgery on a Friday, so I could get well over the weekend and get back to work on Monday.

Bad luck for me, on Thursday morning when I got out of bed I felt my throat was sore. I thought maybe it was just dry from the aircond, and used my positive willpower to shrug it off. By 11am while I was working, I felt that it was getting worst, and I knew I had a sore throat. Infact, I also had a mild fever, which prompted me to get it checked out ASAP because I was going into surgery the next day. I didn't want to postpone and I hoped to squash the fever bug on that day itself.

I went to my regular doctor, a fantastic rad doctor I like very much - a comical skinny singh guy. He laughed at me after checking my throat and said I was a complete wierdo because my throat was very badly infected and that there was no way I didn't feel anything for days. I said to him, no, nothing, just a little ticklish this morning and I can still eat solids. He laughed again, and said I have an abnormally high pain threshold. Anyway, he gave me a bag of meds and told me I can still go for the surgery tomorrow.

So today, I went and got my wisdom tooth extracted, and the 2 molars. I had about 7 injections, it was a sting - I held my breath. The injections that hurt (immensely) were the ones onto the wall of my mouth - to numb the nerves to pull the molars. Alot of drilling, and it the whole procedure took about 2 1/2 hours. Painless, didn't even feel my molars coming out but there was alot of drilling and pressure applied.

The reason I didn't extract the other wisdom tooth was because it didn't give any complications, and it's not pushing my other teeth. The doctor extracted my 2 molars because it was coming down onto my gums, and making my mouth crowded. Now, after the surgery I feel immense pain when I spit or suck (I was advised to stay away from sucking a straw). Also, now that my teeth row is shorter, it feels quite wierd haha! Next week I go back to remove my stitches. Thanks Shawn, for being there for me - you know how much I appreciate this.

Have a good weekend folks! :)

Filed under  //   my life  

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The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition


  
(download)
What can I say except that LucasArts has impressed me immensely. Not only am I happy that they are refreshing the Monkey Island brand, but the latest 'The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition' was done so well, I have to give it two-thumbs up. A stellar show that they aren't just in it for the money, but also to make fans like us (yeah we're old) happy.

At only 800points on XBox Live arcade, or US$9.95 on Steam or D2D, this is well worth it. As you can see from the picture above: a comparison of the original game and the remastered. Full voice acting, special effects, high-quality music score, and the ability to play the original version - makes this a well-worth it purchase. If the demand for this game is high enough, LucasArts will remake 'Monkey Island 2: Le Chuck's revenge' - the best game of the series.

So until then, I will be promoting this game to all my (old) friends. 2D adventure games like these don't come along often anymore in a 3D generation. So, what are you waiting for?
           
Click here to download:
The_Secret_of_Monkey_Island_Sp.zip (1319 KB)

 

 

Filed under  //   my games   my recommendations  

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Sailing Back To Monkey Island

                 
Click here to download:
Sailing_Back_To_Monkey_Island_.zip (1251 KB)

Monkey Island is one of my all time favourite adventure game brands. Simply because of the memorable characters, corny dialogues (monkey armpit juice?), engaging storyline (it has voodoo, come on!) and humorous music (the leg bones connected to the...).

When Telltale Games said they were going to produce episodic content for Monkey Island, I paid attention. The first chapter of a 6-part series called 'Tales of Monkey Island' is now out, you can pick it up at the official website, or on Steam.

I never did like Monkey Island in 3D. Mainly it's because of the controls and camera angles that are sometimes quite awkward. I don't like to hold my mouse button to move Guybrush around, but I have no choice. There isn't even an option to adjust mouse sensitivity ingame. I do enjoy the graphics of the environment, but the characters are a little below par - atleast in my opinion. Guybrush to me looks like an unshaven Neil Patrick Harris.

Tales Of Monkey Island - Main Theme by Michael Land  
(download)

In other monkey news: Monkey Island: Special Edition will be on XBLA for 800 MS points, and Steam (PC) $9.99. Coming July 15, 2009 (Wednesday).

YARR!

Update: The Secret of Monkey Island: Special Edition is now out on Steam, D2D, and XBLA.

Filed under  //   my games  

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I can't breathe, I can't sleep, I keep falling on my knees

Unbeknown to all except to my closest of friends, that I'm currently undergoing one of those tough periods. It's not that whatever I do things tend to go awry, but I could just be standing still minding my own business and things will either go bad, or worst, give me a burden to which to carry inside to wonder, and feel. I'm just one of those guys that keeps a door open always for anyone, regardless if my desk is already full. Sincerely, I'm rather tired and just need to regain my tenacity.

  1. My day job - daily operations, the team dynamics, my KPI, the future, and the agenda.
  2. Problems a friend is having with his family - drama wei!
  3. The backlog of my social calendar - family & friends I just need to meet with but haven't the time.
  4. The completion of my personal project - left hanging.
  5. Girls - explains itself enough.
  6. The loan of my new car - went to the nearest KWSP, and bank with the KWSP kiosk - both down for repairs. Went online to print, account deactivated, have to go to a KWSP centre to reactivate. WTF.
  7. The removal of my wisdom tooth - delayed to a Friday so I can avoid taking further medical leave. The infection already gave me a fever last weekend. Damn the pain.
  8. The planning of the next outing/holiday with my core friends - the decisions, RSVP, dates, dietary concerns, personalities, location, etc.
  9. My investment in a government bond - awaiting finalization.
  10. My lack of engagement (in the last 2 months) with the community I manage.
  11. My further training at Mercy Malaysia.
  12. My recently lost camera - Now to replace. Thinking Panasonic LX3.
  13. My readings - my book I've yet to finish, the magazines I've just bought, and the list of website articles that are growing longer by the day.
  14. The gym, and the constant eating to fuel it - I've gained 4kg, I can't allow that to slip away. I've missed the gym for 2 weeks already.
  15. My upcoming 8TV reality TV show trip - Early August, and my partner's back in New Zealand.

I'm just crazy.

Filed under  //   my life   my personality   my work  

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TiC Preview Screening: The Proposal

tonguechic.com is giving away 75 pairs of tickets to watch a private preview screening of The Proposal. All you have to do is answer a few questions - read more about it here. Good luck on winning. My submission below,

How would you like to be proposed to?
On a holiday, with an incredible, unforgettable everlasting memory.

Would you like your boyfriend to take the conventional route and go through your dad first?
I'm a guy. I would do it out of principles regardless how their relationship with the daughter is. No blessing? I'm not asking, I'm informing.

Would you like to be sent on a wild treasure hunt that eventually leads you to a 13 carat fist of a diamond?
I wouldn't send a girl on a treasure hunt. Unless I can craft in air travel, and a story.

Would you rather he get on all fours, rather than one knee?
One knee.

Or would you prefer handling the proposal yourself because you're so much more competent than your boyfriend when it comes to the romancing?

Not an option. I do it.

I'll give you a tip: because Joyce and I are in dire need of other-wordly romance in our lives (hence why we're itching to watch The Proposal), tell us your dream proposal to make us melt with aww to ensure winning stakes! :)

3 days of build up - perfect memories, sincere emotions, and Oscar winning scriptwriting. Perhaps the proposal would be on a skyscraper on a starry night, or a glass chalet overlooking the endless sea.

Filed under  //   malaysia   my recommendations  

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Beach Getaway: Perhentian Islands

I've been planning for a beach getaway for roughly 2 months, just last week on June 27: I went to Perhentian together with a few of my core friends. Waking up at the wee hours on a Saturday morning; Kenneth, Shaharun, Yvonne, Jessica, Boon Ying, Shawn, Tzu Chjeh, and I boarded Air Asia flight AK5282 to Kota Bharu, Kelantan. Everyone was simply ecstatic to get out of the city! Half of our group spent 4 days, 3 nights there. Boon Ying, Tzu Chjeh, Shawn, and Shah spent 3 days, 2 nights there.

Scrumptious food, silky smooth sandy beaches, tranquil waters, epic Uno games, and great company :D There was this one Uno game where I was so excited to win; I threw out my second last card, which was a wild card, and shouted Uno! Then chose the colour:
green. Everyone passed, making it my turn again. I threw out my last card and shouted 'UNO GAME!' - the card was yellow. LOL. Fail. Sigh. Yve made sure I suffered mentally, and physically.

Time was of no concern to us. What a clean weekend too! None of us smoked, nor drank any alcohol (where we stayed was hard to get any). Check the video, and pictures below.




                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
Click here to download:
Beach_Getaway_Perhentian_Islan.zip (23390 KB)

Filed under  //   Malaysia   my life  

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Most Wanted ruumate 2009, Meet The Finalist Party

I just got home from the Most Wanted ruumate, Meet the Finalists event over at Sanctuary, The Curve. What an exceptional night with friends, our judges, sponsors, partners, and colleagues. Everyone was engaged in conversation, dancing to the music, drinking, and laughing - like it should be after a day's labour. With all the charismatic finalist guys and girls, jumbled amongst bloggers and pro-photographers, it was a challenge to wiggle my way into position to take photos. Unfortunately, by the middle of the night my batteries ran out, and I had to use Melissa's camera to continue on photographing - serves me right for not charging it to full.



The video? Hah! Highly entertaining. Watch the finalists dance on stage, Sandra fully pumped-up, Jing Cong pops-and-lock, and Kamen gets it on with a shirtless Umar!

Many thanks to the media, our partners and sponsors for making this happen: Faces, Capital FM, Jiggee, Acer, Packet One, Samsung, Mooks, Ripcurl, and Heineken. Our judges: The Bling! Brothers (Fly Guy & Ross), Sarah Lian, Niki Cheong and Lu Jing Shia - thank you all very much!

Stay tuned for more pictures on the official Most wanted ruumate website, early next week.

                                                                                                                                                                                         
Click here to download:
Most_Wanted_ruumate_2009_Meet_.zip (12338 KB)

Filed under  //   my work  

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James Chong On BFM 89.9 - Full Audio Available


My CEO James Chong, went on air on BFM 89.9 - The Business Station. In this segment, James talked briefly about what is ruumz, the upcoming developments, our music unlimited download plan (legal!), and our constant improvements were making unto the site. Many things are constantly changing every week, and major developments are happening almost every month. You can also subscribe to this via iTunes podcast. Hope you enjoy, if you've got any questions, feel free to message James, or leave a comment here.

James Chong Bfm  
(download)

Filed under  //   my work  

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You Know You Love Me. XOXO


Recently, LiLian convinced me to watch Gossip Girl. I wasn't very convinced with the synopsis I read online, and with it being a chick flick, chick flick, and chick flick - I just wanted to stay clear! But since what I usually watch is either on a break, pending a new season, or has ended, I thought ok why not. After all, LiLian did piqued my curiosity, and she sold it to me well; she didn't hard sell it, she 'social-sold' it to me (social marketing 101 :p lol).

I've watched a couple of the episodes on Season 1 now. It isn't bad, it's like... the young, hip, social media version of 'The Bold & The Beautiful'. I can't say that I like the show, neither would I say I dislike the show, but I will say that the show's passionately intriguing. So, until next time, I'll be watching more Gossip Girl. You know you love me. XOXO.

Excuse me, while I go grow a pair of balls.

Filed under  //   my life  

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