Cheryl Goh the inconsistent blogger

Day 1 at BarcampMalaysia: The sessions

There were just so many concurrent events it was truly impossible to catch all of them but I really enjoyed the sessions at Barcamp Malaysia which I managed to attend.

All the morning sessions started out pretty much on time – with Google Android being understandably the most pack of all the opening sessions – geeks can never get enough of Google.

Gavin Bong spoke to a room packed to the brim – people where everywhere – on the chairs, sitting on the floor, cramped behind the door and guess what? No one complained! It was a great way to start Barcamp.

Campers were also very keen on Widgeous – a platform that allows applications and people to communicate via multiple channels like widgets, SMS and Instant Messaging.

Although Widgeous is currently more of a B2B platform, U-Zyn Chua the co-founder and CTO gave an open call to developers to hack away at their API via their Hackathon contest.

From their website:

“Well, here’s your opportunity to hack away with our API and stand a chance to win some interesting prizes! Get your apps to support multi-communication channels easily with Widgeous. Imagine getting your web apps to work on channels such as Windows Live Messenger, Twitter, or even SMS and simply needing to code just once!”

Another fully packed session was fellow volunteer – Roni Mustapha’s “Monetizing YouTube and other on-line videos?”

Roni’s startup UREKALABS, also a sponsor for Barcamp Malaysia, demoed a prototype of their platform which dynamically allows images to be overlayed on videos. The goal is so that video publishers can overlay advertisements dynamically based on the demographics of the viewing audience-think of it as contextual advertising for videos. It’s really cool stuff and I wished I took videos instead of photos

The next session I walked into was the paneled style – Entrepreneurs Going Global which was moderated by Daniel. Panelist included Vishen Lakhiani of Mindvalley, Ganesh Kumar Bangah of MOL.com, Roslan Bakri Zakaria from MDEc and Siva who mentors budding entrepreneurs.

Out of all the sessions this was the one I could relate to the most. Probably because the questions asked by the floor was very relevant to where I am at this point in this. The four of them shared their experiences, and gave the audience some advice on entrepreneurship – I have some of it down on video which I may upload when I get up tomorrow morning, – yes I do want a Nokia that bad…;p ‘

I really liked Vishen’s philosophy which is – “It’s seldom about the idea, it’s about the execution”.

I also liked what Roslan said about commercializing ideas – “Your product does not need to be 100% perfect to be ready for market…Microsoft products never are”

There were a lot of things which Siva said which rang a bell – like how there was no sure fire away to find the right partner and that it was always important to have a mailing list when promoting your product.

Ganesh, who is also my CEO at MOL said a lot of cool stuff like how it was important to keep evolving the company’s business model to survive, sustain and ultimately grow.

Curiosity got the better of me as I joined Khailee, Arzumy and Kris Khaira on their gang bang crusade and enjoyed the passion and energy these guys have and how they wanna make this region the next Hollywood by encouraging the free flow of talent, ideas and money through lighthouse.my and webwatch.com.

Finally I stepped into the Blogging in Malaysia session – there were a couple of pro bloggers in the house like Liew CF and Mr Advertlets himself- Josh Lim. Quality blogging takes a lot of effort and passion and I think that what separates top notch bloggers from people like the inconsistent me.

I had a blast at the sessions today and look forward to tomorrow.

Tags: barcampmalaysia

BampCamp Malaysia in less than 10 hours!

I made time to attend the final BarCamp Malaysia volunteer’s meeting and was surprise to find the place pack with of volunteers helping out in any way they could when I arrived at 9.00pm.

With BarCamp Malaysia less than 10 hours away, everything looked set for an exciting and inspiring two days.

The venue is easy to find – Look out for Infomatics at Block E and the signage below will guide you the rest of the way.

There’s going to be plenty of activities so you’ll be spoilt for choice. Pick one of the many concurrent sessions to match your interest.

There are going to be 4 separate rooms for Campers to run their sessions in. My personal favorite is the theater for their comfy seats of course.

If you’ve registered you’ll get the very awesome BarCamp Malaysia Goodie bag with lots of cool stuff inside like the BarCamp Malaysia and Yahoo! T-shirts. If you haven’t registered, don’t fret – Walk in early and you may be lucky enough to bag yourself one.

I am really looking forward to tomorrow. Time to get a little shut eye before the big day!

Tags: barcampmalaysia

BarCamp Malaysia a sausage fest? And other questions answered

BarCamp Malaysia is less than 48 hours away and suddenly I am getting emails and sms-es from friends and partners asking me all sorts of questions regarding this event.

While I’ve pointed most of my curious friends to the official BarCamp Malaysia Blog and FAQ which gives a clear idea of where, why and what the event is about, there are some questions which I would like to address here on this blog.

“I went to the BarCamp Malaysia registration page but its password protected. Does this mean I can’t attend?”

While it is true that the BarCamp Malaysia tickets were taken up like hot cakes and the registration site is now closed, it is still possible to attend the event by walking in on the event day on Saturday, 26th July at 9.00am. I would however recommend anyone interested on walking in to be there on time as we may be required to close the doors if the place gets too crowded.

I am not a programmer or developer. Is BarCamp for me?

While the sessions tend to be IT centric, everyone is welcomed to attend.

From a non-tech person’s point of view, I would personally attend the following session, and so can you:

Interesting Web 2.0/Mobile services in China, Japan, India, Kenya and Korea
Entrepreneur + Developer Gang Bang by Arzumy, Joel Neoh, Kris Khaira and Khailee Ng
Blogging in Malaysia
Music 2.0: Community Building & Survival Guide
Leverage Facebook Now!

There’s really something for everyone, so come with an open mind and have fun!

Is BarCamp going to be a Sausage Fest?

Admittedly there will be more males than females at this event but there is also a strong showing from the members of the fairer sex – so far 34 have registered!

So it won’t be a sausage fest though I don’t expect any of the girls to come dressed as the below:

Tags: Add new tag, barcampmalaysia

I IZ BAK!!

I was lying motionlessly on the bed lapping in the last remaining hours of my much needed weekend when my boyfriend called out from the hall – “Cheryl, what happened to your blog? I think someone hacked into your account and deleted all your post-February entries”.

I scrambled out of bed and frantically punched in – c h e r y l g o h . c o m into Firefox … It then hit me…

I haven’t blogged since February

I had a blonde moment today

At lunch my boss walked purposefully to my desk and loudly declared “Cheryl, the Parliament has been dissolved!”

I looked up from my notebook screen and rapidly pondered on an appropriate response.

 From the blank expression in my eyes he knew I could not make any meaning of what he just said.

Drawing a deep frustrate breath, he then exclaimed, “There’s going to be an election-LAH!”

I should really start reading the papers.

Shopping Spree at Esprit Outlet Store

Yesterday, while the average working person slogged away at the office, I *evil laugh* went shopping at the Esprit Outlet Store in Queen’s Park. Although I didn’t drive (thanks to my wonderful cousin) and posses a terrible sense of direction, Queen’s Park seemed relatively easy to find. It’s located behind…or was it beside? – (I told you I have a bad sense of direction) the Cheras Carrefour along Jalan Peel.

 

Other than the Esprit Outlet, Queen’s Park other tenants includes the Factory Outlet Store, the Travel for All Outlet Store, the FJ Benjamin Outlet Store, and Giordano. I briefly browsed through FJ Benjamin  but found most of their stuff too gaudy for my taste (but I am sure Ah Lians would love their splashy clothing) and spent the rest of my time and MONEY at Esprit. 

 

According to some old article from The Star:

 The Esprit Outlet Store is unique in Malaysia because it carries end-of-season clothing lines from Esprit stores all over Asia, including some lines which are not even available in local Esprit boutiques. 

While I am not sure if some of the clothing on display are not even available at local Esprit boutiques, I did not come across any “rejected” clothes – e.g. those with one button missing, disproportionate printing, one sleeve longer than the other…*two thumbs up*

 

The interior looked very much like any other Esprit boutique, with one significant difference – the prices were 60%-70% lower!

The price at the store ranged from RM19.90 to RM129.90.

The selection of tops and T-Shirts was decent, most of which were available in multiple sizes. I bought a simple spaghetti top for RM19.90, and a three-quarter khaki pants for RM69.90. What a bargain!

Located on the 2nd floor were the men’s and kids clothing section, and *gasp* more women clothing.

Bags and accessories however, were quite limited and those available were either worn out or just plain ugly.

 

In total, I bought 10 pieces of clothing – 9 tops and 1 pants – all for just under RM500. I consider it a steal and would definitely revisit some time in the future.

If Looks Could Kill, You’d Be Lying On The Floor

In my entire lifetime, I’ve met less than a handful of people through the Internet. Call me traditional, but I’m inclined to believe that a guy who approaches me online is more likely to be a child pedophile or a serial rapist than say, a guy I meet through a mutual friend. While I personally know three couples who’ve tied the knot after getting to know each other through the Internet, I’ve had no such luck and tend to attract cyberspace’s greatest low lives:

 

So anyway, let’s just say one day an attractive person messages you via Friendster or MySpace or some other social networking/dating site, and after several email exchanges and MSN conversations, you discover that both of you share common interest and have the same wave lengths. A few telephone conversations into the wee hours of the morning - confirm the presence of chemistry, and both of you decide to met up.

You put on your best clothes and rock up to meet her - full of anticipation.

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To your great horror, she lied about her looks but nothing else.

What would you do?

Would you be polite and try to make things work?

Or would you be so pissed by the deceit, you’d storm off?

Would you still try to have sex with her (yes, I know many desperate men) and take off the second you ejaculate?

Or would you scream at her in your best Hokien?

 

Well according to this news article, a 17-year-old boy in northeastern China was so disappointed with the looks of a woman he met over the Internet that he hanged himself after seeing her face-to-face.

 

I would die to see what the chick actually looks like.

 

The unnamed teenager first contacted the woman — known by her chat moniker “Qunjiaofeiyang”, or “Flying Skirt” — using the popular Chinese online messaging software QQ, Xinhua news agency said.

The girl described herself as a beautiful 19-year-old and the pair chatted on the Web for weeks before arranging a December 26 rendezvous in the nearby city of Mudanjiang, in far northeastern Heilongjiang province.

The boy arrived to discover the woman far less attractive than advertised and 10 years older than him, Xinhua said.

The boy immediately returned home, lost his appetite, and four days later hanged himself from a tree.

 

This brings a whole new meaning to the term “killer looks“. 

It’s That Time Of The Year To Make Stupid Resolutions You’ll Break 12 Months On

“A new year brings new hope that things can change for the better”.

For some cosmic reason, the year end sets loose a plague which inexplicably turns just about everyone into deep-thinking reflective Zen beings. Rave parties, Dota, and yum cha session are suddenly time wasting activities, and people across the globe start planning to exercise and chuck away Big Macs in favor of Portabella Mushroom Salads. 

Everyone strives to pen down resolutions for a more fulfilling and meaningful life – stop smoking, being kind to the environment, saving more money, etc, etc. 

12 months down the road, most people are back to square one-recycling this year’s resolution for the next year.

 

Last year I made several new year’s resolutions, like:

2006 Resolution: I will become a more organized person.

“I will organize my work, in nice color-coded folders, and clear the rubbish on my desk at the end of every week”

Fast Forward December 2006

- My extremely “organized” work station -

It’s not as bad as it looks.

Sure, my documents are not color coded but hey, if I threw my blue pen drive into the orange mug, there’ll be just enough room for me to move my mouse without knocking into stray objects.

Conclusion: I’m still a disorganized klutz.

 

2006 Resolution: I will take better care of my health.

“I will gym at least 3 times a week and cut down on fried and fatty food. I WILL NOT DRINK ALCOHOL or eat fast food”

Fast Forward December 2006

 

- I swear I was just posing with the food and alcohol. None of it actually went into my tummy. -

God, I swear I tried…but yeah, this is one area I’ve been really inconsistent with.

Conclusion: I am no where closer to being slim, fit and healthy.

Oh well, if at first you don’t succeed, set the bar lower.

 

Here are my 2007 resolutions, inspired by the stars:

I want sound better at Karaoke:

I want to love myself more:

If and when I do decide to exercise, I will splurge on unwire support to prevent permanent breast sag

I’d like to look good in a bikini.

 Happy New Year Everyone!

 

 

 

I’m Balding, Awkward, and Short. And I Can Bed Any Girl I Want On the Planet.

Sounds too good to be true?

Well according to Neil Strauss, author of The Game: Penetrating the Secret Society of Pickup Artists (a book that’s fast becoming the bible for sexually frustrated men everywhere), the key to unlocking a women’s heart and legs, lie in executing a detailed set of rules which can be easily applied by anyone.

Did you say ANYONE?

Yup according to Strauss, ANYONE can end involuntary celibacy, and that includes obsess World of WarCraft folks, by understanding and manipulating the opposite sex.

The book details Strauss’s induction into the community and his rise from “average frustrated chump” to becoming a “master pick-up artist” under his pseudonym, Style.

 The underlying premise is that it doesn’t matter if you are short and balding and still live with your parents. If you’ve got a good line and exude confidence and know how to manipulate people, the babes will swoon.

Some of the escapades of the author and other PUAs – pick-up artist – mentioned in the book borders on the unbelievable (he makes threesomes and picking up platinum blonde models sound like child’s play), so much so that the author finds it essential to clearly point out that the book is NOT a work of fiction.

If you’ve ever struggled with opening lines, maintaining your target’s interest, exuding confidence and getting a hot chick’s number without seeming too needy, this is a fascinating and often hilarious read.

It also has a dark side which adds depth and character to the book -

Strauss describes how he loses interest in everything EXCEPT picking up women and in fact feels compelled to hit on them almost constantly. He holds seminars on seduction. He posts to message boards about seduction. He lives in a house full of guys whose sole interest is seduction — some who spend thousands of dollars attending seminars around the country.

For every obsession, there is a community to support and suck you in deeper. I thoroughly enjoyed reading how what lies in between a women’s legs, can morph needy men into larger than life figures.

Watch Neil Strauss’s amazing transformation On ABC Primetime

Impressions I won’t forget from Puck-get

I spent Christmas in Phuket, and returned with an uneven tan and a tubbier midriff courtesy of too many servings of green curry and Pad Thai. 

Instead of staying along the more popular Patong Beach, notoriously famous for it’s nightlife and shopping, we stayed at secluded Cape Panwa, possibly famous for being secluded and having heaps of dead and sharp corals to step on.

During our first night in Phuket, we decided to sample a coconut and banana pancake from a street pedlar outside the hotel.

 

The end product looked suspiciously like a roti pisang…but bigger on price (RM4) and even bigger on taste…mmmmm

 

 

The next day, we made our way to the Phi Phi Islands and ended up on the sandy shores of the famed Maya Bay, made popular by The Beach staring Leonardo DiCaprio. Despite the finest white sands and a breathtaking backdrop of limestone hills, tourism and perhaps the tsunami seem to have destroyed the island’s coral reefs and tour operators regularly throw bread into the sea in an attempt to lure more fish to entertain snorkeling tourist. Frankly I think Phi Phi Island is overrated, even more so as I did not find a huge field of marijuana and AK47 wielding farmers.

 

 

Speaking of tsunami – Tsunami: Wave of Destruction is ranked number 1 in the Thai Pirated DVD charts for two years running, beating international blockbusters such as Casino Royale and Happy Feet. The Thais really know how to turn tragedy into money.

 

 

I was pretty keen on watching a cabaret show but the men in our group did not want to find out the reason she’s got her legs crossed so tightly.

 

Instead we spent our last night in Phuket walking around Patong, sometimes forgetting that we’re in an Asian country – there seemed to be more white tourist then locals. I wonder if the locals love Phuket as much as her visitors. I can’t wait to get into the sea again. I love smelling like the beach.

 

Let’s play a game: Spot another (other than me la!) Asian in the picture above.