Friday beer o’clock. Do you know where your children are?

Lecka Lecka, KL. Beer at happy hour and tropical heat go very well together.

Tai-Sing and I at Ice Cold Beer, Singapore. 1L of Hoegaarden? Best lah!

Go-karting in Langkawi. Thumbs up for the drink-driving!

Brewerkz, Singapore. Woman to beer tower: Mmmm, I heart you velli velli much.

When mingling at a social event, and I’m stuck with distant acquaintances, people I don’t really like or complete strangers up till then, and the sense of awkwardness starts to creep in due to the silence and the drink in my hand rapidly diminishing thus rendering me without an excuse to not talk … I feel compelled to say something to make small talk.

But then, I always have this internal monologue happening:

Do you really need to know?
Do you really care?
Why do you care what he thinks of the party or the people here?
Why do you care what job he has or how much money he makes?
Do you really want to know how long he’s been with that hot girlfriend of his?
Can you learn something useful as a result of saying something?
Will your life improve?
Seriously! Do you really give a shit about who or what this person is about?
Yeah, I thought so.

“Hey, I’m going to get another drink.”
“Great!”
“Nice talking to you.”
“Likewise.”

qute @ stock.xchng

A New York State University study has revealed another area where men are different to women: kissing. According to the study, women use kissing to size up their potential partners while men use it to increase the likelihood of sex. Which is kinda obvious because if women want it and we know you want it, we are gonna do it because it will make you like us and hence fornicate with us. Duh.

Also,

The questionnaires revealed men were less discriminating when it came to deciding who to kiss or who to have sex with.

They were more willing to have sex with someone without kissing, to have sex with someone they are not attracted to and agree to have sex with someone they considered to be a bad kisser.

But kissing was more important as a bonding mechanism to women.

BBC NEWS | Health | Why kissing means more to women

That men are less discriminating is also a long-known, if not proven fact. That will explain why more men than women are inclined to having one-night stands, and more men than women would pay for sex. Is it any surprise that Sydney brothels are expecting a jump in business during APEC?

Brothels ready for APEC boom | SBS World News Australia

Although the study shows that kissing may not be important for most men, it is important for me. Long time readers would know that although I may crave sex, I still would prefer to have an emotional connection to go along with it. And kissing is a essential part of that connection.

Which goes to explain why I have been having lots of dreams lately where I’d be kissing someone, holding and hugging them rather than boinking them. And for me, those dreams were more erotic than a straight out sex dream would be.

Cottesloe on a sunny day early autumn, 2007. A few more months till we enjoy the drinks and people-watching at the beer garden of The Cott once more.

I love the place.

Why? Beer, bourbon and cokes in the sun feeling the cool sea-breeze …

And tanned blonde girls in summer dresses and oversized-sunglasses.

Everything tastes good if you stir-fried it with lemon-grass …

Australia has a problem with feral animals from camels and rabbits, to yes - cats. Even though some Aboriginal tribes hunt these cats as a secondary source of meat, it is definitely not as widely-accepted as say eating kangaroos is. But now the problem with them killing native wildlife has gotten so bad that eating cats is not as taboo as before.

Taboo food and drink - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A recent Alice Springs contest featured wild cat casserole. The meat is said to taste like a cross between rabbit and, perhaps inevitably, chicken.

…

The meat should be diced and fried until it is brown. Then lemon grass is to be added along with salt and pepper and three cups of quandong, which is a sweet desert fruit.

It is recommended that the dish be left to simmer for five hours before being garnished with bush plums and mistletoe berries.

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Australians cook up wild cat stew

Did your mouth water? Mine did. Just like I don’t judge people who don’t mind eating dogs, I don’t think I should be looked at funny for even considering the idea. To judge other people for eating exotic meats would be hypocritical if you are a meat-eater yourself. Think about that the next time you tuck into veal or that yummy foie-gras.

Declaration of Independence by Tunku Abdul Rahman, 1957

Malaysia celebrated its 50th year of independence from British colonial rule today. I remembered years past when I’d excitedly wait for this public holiday because I like being reminded that I lived in a country of so many wonderful cultures and the benefits that that entails. I liked the idea of being tri-lingual in English, Malay and Mandarin. I loved watching TV and movies in English, Chinese, Malay and Hindi with or without subtitles. And I loved eating the foods and celebrating each other’s religious and cultural holidays.

Essentially, I loved being awashed in a rainbow of colours and influences.

But as a kid, I did not understand that that was merely a facade hiding decades-old policies based on race and religion. Malaysia is the only country in the world with an affirmative-action policy for the majority of the population (Malays) called the “Malaysian New Economic Policy“, implemented in 1971. Ostensibly this was to address the economic imbalance, which at the time was dominated by the ethnic Chinese, so that the racial riots of 1969 between the Chinese and the Malays would not happen again, even though special rights for Malays have existed since colonial rule.

It remains in policy today because the Malay-dominated government insists that Malays have not reach an equitable status yet. That it is still needed after 36 years of being implemented begs the question: who failed whom?

The rich Malays get richer due to their special privileges and access to government funding and projects, the rich Chinese do not care because they accept the unfair policies as a necessity to do business, while the middle-class of all races grumble in one form or another. Meanwhile, the poor remains poor no matter what race they are.

So on my wishlist of things to see happen in Malaysia …

1. Have an affirmative-action policy which helps the poor and disadvantaged, and the rural population of Malaysia without racial bias.
2. Universities with no racial quotas.
3. That Malaysian politics are less dominated by race-based parties like UMNO (United Malays National Organisation), MCA (Malaysian Chinese Association), and MIC (Malaysian Indian Congress).
4. That Malay politicians cannot get away with racist statements.
5. That discussion of race and religion, and of the special Malay rights can be done peacefully and openly without threats, or be threatened by the misuse of anti-sedition laws.
6. That people will vote for the right person for their communities, and not because they are of the same race.
7. Malaysians identify themselves as “Malaysian” instead of by their race.

To indeed be “Truly Asia” Malaysia needs to be an inclusive society for all races. Can it happen?

Further reading:

• Singapore’s merger into the Malaysian federation in 1963, and its subsequent separation two years later. What would Malaysia and Singapore be like today if they were still part of the one country?
• BBC NEWS | Asia’s melting pot marks 50 years
• Sydney Morning Herald - Malaysia celebrates 50
• Lim Kit Siang » 50th Merdeka anniversary - “Feel good” euphoria absent; instead a stifling “feel worse” sentiment among Malaysians
• Economist.com - Malaysia at 50 | Tall buildings, narrow minds

Photo Source

What if real-life meetings were like blogs or discussion forums and the attendants were like commenters? How would juvenile insults, flaming and spamming work? The answer is shown in this hilarious clip. Language NSFW, so turn it down.

Clip from College Humor.

(via All Men Are Liars)