Of poor misguided souls...

I love ads surfing, especially on YouTube. And I particularly like ad-fights. I particularly like this one:

What started as an ingenious (but poorly researched) idea for an advertisement...

evoked this response...

and just when you thought it'd end right here... comes another seemingly more creative (but again a poorly researched) response from another auto maker...

... and those poor sods probably forgot the fact that VW, the parent company of Audi, also has Lamborghini, Bugatti, SEAT, Skoda and Bentley in their illustrious stable. Hence this response...

... and the grandeur of that response from VW never fails to amuse me every time I see it.

And that would be the same kind of response that I'd give to the chap in the (only) 2-litre Camry who tailgated me in my "Asia's answer to BMW" (to quote a Proton billboard seen in Melbourne). Any sort of decent driver would have picked on someone his own size. Which misguided soul in a car whose advertising tagline is "Oh! What a feeling" would go after a Waja, the epitome of Malaysian automobile mediocrity? I'd call it a cheap thrill.

And I have my answer for him... "Nah!!" *with my Bentley advert pose*...

Watch out for the return of the "Blue Thunder" in the next few days...

Growing pains

I've got a zit. This, under normal circumstances, would not have been a problem. This time, it is a problem. It is a problem because I can't smile a wholesome smile. I can't execute fluent speech. I can't breathe in hard. I can't smirk - something which I do a lot. I can't do many things that I took for granted. All because I've got a zit.

Zits can be found in faces and bodies of over 70 million people, young and old. So why is it bothering me? Zits are more commonly known as pimples and acne. Why did I choose to call it a zit? I'd normally call them pimples. This one's different. To me, a zit is the epitome of all things evil. It sounds evil. This one's evil.

Not being one who'd be labeled a narcissist, I wouldn't care if a pimple appeared on my face or my forehead. This little bugger appeared overnight, robbing me of my ability to smile and smirk. It hurts even when I'm brushing my teeth. For the next few days, my face shall remain expressionless. Perhaps all I can do is to roll my eyes. But that would be rude.

So while I sit here blogging and wishing it away, I hope you see zits in a whole new light. That behind the innocence of that little red spot, lies a great evil.

I blogged all this, because I've got a zit in my nose.

On how music and time are related...

I bought five CD's over the long weekend - the weirdest combination of genres imaginable. I was rather surprised that they only cost RM286 altogether, in a combination that included a XRCD and some audiophile recordings. I think they undercharged me but it only occurred to me after I got home.

I particularly liked Sarah McLachlan's "Rarities, B-Sides and Other Stuff", which is a bit like this blog - unconventional. Shirley was not too bad either as a chinese jazz vocalist, though I didn't understand a word she was singing - proof that, music transcends the language barrier, much like how I'm such a hopeless sod at playing music but can feel every nuance of music even with the slightest change in environment or equipment. Yeah, call me a non-participating music geek if you must.

While my musical taste is still exploratory at best, I did realize one thing - that a large number of songs I like are sung about time. I'd come to this realization while blasting Madonna's "Four minutes" which I think is almost a modern musical masterpiece. Hmmm.. never thought I'd say this for a song which wouldn't feel out of place in a Britney album, but it's good fun, and I like it. It's all that matters. Among them are:

Four minutes - Madonna & Justin Timberlake

24 - Switchfoot

Time Machine - The Click Five

Time After Time - Cyndi Lauper

What's the Frequency, Kenneth? - R.E.M.

Last Seen October 9th - Eleanor McEvoy

And I guess the list goes on... my memory's failing me...

Speaking of time, do people really feel the spiritual presence of someone long after that person's left or is it our senses serving us reminders of that person? Well I know for sure that the sense of smell does serve as a reminder of people or places that we've been to. That I know for sure. And it's quite powerful. How else would you be reminded of happy thoughts when you smell something familiar, or how the way some people smell remind you of wet carpets or dead cats? The worst one with the longest lingering effect is "the skunk" :-P

How then do objects leave their "spiritual remnants" after you've thrown them away? I find this really amusing and intriguing at the same time. In fact the thought has been bugging me for weeks. The object in question is the "world famous Little Trees" air fresher. My friend Andy had very kindly forewarned me not to put one of those little buggers in my car or suffer the wrath of little creepy trees inducing eye-watering effects for weeks after you've thrown them away. Yeah, it's as though they leave their spiritual remnants (in Andy's exact words) in your car after they are gone. How very interesting is his choice of words? Oh yea, I'm said to have weird friends. So if you are reading this, it's highly possible that you are not normal either ;-) But that's what makes people interesting! Signing off with a little present for you... ;-P