Lawrence of Arabia

I just finished watching Lawrence of Arabia. Upon further reading, I got reminded what Tolstoy said about history - that history was made up of several different factors, characters, influences, etc that shape the affairs of the present

It's premature to assume that this event is happening because of this so-and-so plan it. You have to watch Lawrence of Arabia and you wonder what would have happened in the Arabia desert today if there's no Lawrence.

While You are at It

While you are at it
Go over it, Drag it, Finish it

While you are at it
Don't let her passed by with her mysterious smile
Unless if you want to regret when you came back after a while
Coming back empty handed, you should never get it by

While you are at it
Analyze the bug, and don't let it fly
Use your mouse-trap, if your hands are small enough to catch it
And why don't you get a new debugger?

While you are at it
Don't let her passed by with her mysterious smile

--syamsulhasran

Left-hand electric guitar

I feel like being discriminated when trying to look for a left-handed guitar last weekend. Before I tell the story, here are my previous tricks to playing lefthand:

1. Play the chords upside down (this is the worst thing ever)
2. Switch the strings (the top being the thick E string). This is normal

Since I was playing a "kapok" (for non-Malaysian, "kapok" stands for the acoustic guitar), this is not a problem. But how can I switch the strings for electric guitar? It was a bad idea to switch a brand new guitar. And then you;ll see that the volume will be upside down, etc.

I want to buy a new one. The cheapest I can get in Penang is around RM1600 (that is after discount). The brand is Ibanez. I thought I don't need an Ibanez just to play simple chords. I'm not a newbie, but not a pro either. I would say I'm a novice or amateur.

After wandering around Penang with bike with buddy of mine, we really couldn't get a good deal. My budget is just below RM1000.

So I think I have no choice but to go for right-hand and switch it over. Bad bad idea, but I'm desperate. I need to buy amplifier too.

On Sunday, my guitar guru gave me a call and say that they have cheap lefthand guitar at Sg Petani. I thought, well, I can get to Sg. Petani with my Modenas Kristar, no problem. I gave the guy a call and they have it for RM520 !. Wow, I don't know what's the brand but I don't care. Fortunately they have a branch in Jalan Raja Uda (Prai). FYI, they even have Squire (by Fender) for RM900+. The shop has pretty good deal.

No matter, I went there (board the famous Penang ferry) and wandering around a bit finally found their shop. The shop is Fusion Music (or something like that). They're good people. I spend about an hour chatting with the owner, testing several guitars, and finally satisfied.
I thought that since this guy is nice, why not buying the amp from him too (despite the fact that I have to carry it over the ferry with my bike).

Fortunately, it's not raining. The whole process is darn tiring, but I'm satisified. I went to bed with broad smile.

The soul-les machine

This machine
Costs us dearly
But its soul
Has been thrown to the faraway galaxy

This machine
Paid by taxpayers money
But its body
Has been used unsparingly
By the human operators
Who abuse its loyalty

This machine
Has lost its purposes
The language, the semantic, the syntax
Which form beautiful verses
Left wasted
To spread hoax

This machine
Has lost its soul
Thanks to humans
Who act like a fool
Use it, abuse it, waste it
And have forgotten
On the purpose why it was built


--syamsulhasran