Finally had the chance to soak myself into this gaming again after some time. Fifa08 have the hype from the media, blogs and reviews - printed and online. Watching the review on GAME aired on Astro has clearly defined my next few how many days or months of unempleyment is going to be filled with. Damn the blue ray technology, I could've get this one for RM5 if it is on a common DVD or so.

Grafik?

PROs: Viewed on 720p is awesome enuff to keep me hooked up and flattened my butt sitting on the floor. The characters (player) look so real I can tell the pimple Torres had on his cheek is fresh from last night for forgetting doing the scrubbing. I could also tell that Cech's skull cap smeared from his last diving save. I think Ronaldinho must have paid EA Sports instead of getting paid for being the icon - simply because Ronaldinho in Fifa08 doesn've have this bunny front teeth, it's not lifelike at all. And the Fat Lampard is Frank.

CONs: Still lacking of player facial reaxion. Though them players no longer look squarish, the repetitive facial reaxion just cancelled out the thought of it look being so real. Like whenever a player is being substituted, the player is shown with unhappy face and mumbling some swearing and walk broadening the chest with this funny way of walking. That reminds me Nizam's walk with a Hockey stick in his black short and grey-bluish sweater the night when Renek made Nizam chase him around the blocks with Gudang Garam Surya in hand (in 1995-ish)

Main?

PROs: Feels like the Fifa series is finally out of the "template goal" syndrome. All goals i had so far is pretty much unique as far as I could remember. Konami had it earlier back in the year 2000-ish when Winning Eleven earlier series on Playstation was released. Well, at least Fifa08 made it out of the template thingy, better late than never.

CONs: Game control - there's a lot to control. Spent over 24 hours of gameplay, feels a bit sick of it from defeat after another by other online players. Damn it. I would say for those who have been playing Fifa series in the past should be OK with this control scheme they have on PS3 Sixaxis controller. I was struggling to beat the comp on some exhibition matches. And later opt to play offline mode gaining points inline with getting into the rhythm of Fifa again.

Suara?

PROs: Commented by the typical Andy Gray and few other common commentator names. At least it's not some Japanese commentator commenting on the Konami series.  

CONs: However, It is sickening if u play it using the same two teams over and over - as you'll get to hear the same remarks and comments over and over. And most of the times, the comments made by Andy Gray and the lads are lagging, especially when there is possession changes. Dolby pro logic wise, I have no idea if it does make any difference from the past.

Final Verdict?

Worth trying, borrowing or maybe just play the downloadble version from the PS server before you actually decide to grab one. Having the preference inclining towards the Winning Eleven series since 2000, I would say Fifa 08 is not up to what they call it football gaming. Even though Winning Eleven are lacking in getting the licensed player names, I wouldnt mind changing it manually if I have to. If the injury prone Aussie-Reds is named as Khairi Kemell, I would still buy it.

Have you ever realized that your life basically evolved around this thing that you call work. One may not realize this, maybe until one have the needs to shop, or maybe the responsibilities to the dependant(s). It is unlikely that one will be able to see the need of it, not until one stumble upon it.

I used to do a qualitative risk assessment where what I do everyday is to generate a simulation on the likelihood of a chemical dispersion modelling in a worst case scenario on a major hazard installation. It is a boring job but I fell in love to it. That has neither nothing to do with what I studied in the uni, nor what I have been staying up late for in the college. Plus, the Asian economic downturn somehow hit the Malaysians in some ways, and I was hit with unsuccessfull job interviews one after another; that contributes to the fact of why I landed there - though it was just a temporary job which pays me 55 ringgit per working day. That was the late nineties. At some point, I have this kick on the balls feeling when I took the hassle to attend interviews, and later realized that they're doing it just for the sake of me appearing before them eyes. Looking forward to become a qualified risk engineer back then, voiced meself out to the former boss for considering me on a permanent post, but was given a subtle reply that I wont fit the shirt them colleagues are wearing. So, the search continued.

Hopped on to few other jobs and tried few shirts on, for the sake of getting some figures at the end of the month into the bank account. I once worked in a semi government organization, supposed to be doing general technical assessment, but the burning desire of a recent engineering graduate failed me from slowing myself down with the culture and pace of them colleagues.

I then left for Kemaman, thinking that moving away may penetrate myself to a different dimension of some sort, and it does. After just a few months, I can tell a casing or tubular thread with just a touch of a finger tip. Yeah, thats a Pure Hydril - no, it's not just an API thread I'm sure. Those are the kind of talks that I have with the bosses at Kedai Kopi Hai Peng. I got sick and tired of the repetitive job I was doing, and on one fine day, my boss had his two fingers crushed on the pipe rack by a 7 5/8" casing which was due for cutting. I left not too long after that.

Back to the Klang valley after a stint on the east coast, I wrapped myself with madness and sickness of my former boss who drove me up the wall every day. This workplace taught me the feelings of fear and phobia to a person. Was once forced to drive a ninja turtle at 3am after a long hard day while he had a sleep on next to me. That was the drive of my life when I did a stunt on the north-south expressway with my eyes shut and driving at 80k for a few minutes I would say. Things were never been better since, and thinking that it may become a vendetta some day, I looked elsewhere and landed in a two storey of 20 footer office container in Subang Jaya. Was a bitter move, yet sweet in some ways. I gets to do something I feels like that there is passion. Never being able to stay at a work place for more than a continuous 2 years running, I failed again here in SJ.

Became a fraud, and I feels like my life just evolves around this thing called work. Kinda hate it but it's not a choice. I gets to see a lot, alot - here. People, places. Flew in 1st class flite, stayed in a nice hotel being paid for, although in some cases where I hafta stay in a budgetel where there's a funny looking frog sitting in a vase next to the reception counter. 

And finally I managed to stay employed by an organization for more than the longest consecutive months I ever did before. They say that there's always something that you will not be happy with, anywhere you go. It is just the matter of fighting for it, or live with it. Sink of swim kinda thing. I have chosed both in few occasions in the past, and all i learnt from it is that I became a judgemental person.

And now sitting watching a McDonald, I have just realized that he got a huge ass.

For those who live in Puchong and Seri Kembangan, please contribute to the growing traffic congestion in Bandar Kinrara 4/5/6/7 which is already congested due to the by pass road connecting Seri Kembangan and Lebuhraya Bukit Jalil. Please come to Pasaraya Jayen like you have never been to any Jayen before. There will be belly dancing performed by the male Jayen shop assistants, maybe more.

Few years ago, Kinrara residence came up with posters to protest the development plan for a wet market, at this Jayen spot. The protests stressed out that local residence will not be able to withstand the smells from the craps if a wet market is to be built there. Four years later, Jayen was opened at the spot; even though there's an existing Jayen outlet in Bandar Bukit Puteri Puchong (in less than 2km radius).

What are we getting next?

It's wedding season again. One of them boys I had in my crewlist in Fu Lai, winter 2006 - Haikel was recently married to our Operation Assistant, Jaranna. The Pakistani & Buguese of descendant respectively, tied the knot last June. Congratulations. Score, Haikel.

Lumba masuk kereta. "Seraon lam kete sempat nih."

So there too were local heroes showing off performing some silat. Silat pukul serong and cakar ayam may be an understatement to these pictures, they're more than that I'm sure.

And the ceremony was also attended by our bosses. Size of the belly reflects the hierarchy accordingly, the bigger, the higher. Heh!

And the typical wedding reception will be fluorished with gifts. It's not an obligation, but tradition.

"Mirror mirror on the wall, please dont tell me I am heading to Sakhalin offshore again."

Later in the following week, there was Vichot I-cant-remember-his-last-name, he was my fitter in the last swing I had in Pattaya job for Thai Oil. Married traditionally, typical Thai-Buddhist reception looks something like this.

Then i suppose they have some stage-like platform where the bride & groom have a backdrop with their names on it, and some fluorescent lights too.

The bride & groom in their traditional costume i presume. This suddenly reminds me the days when Boonphop Praphut fired it home back when the Malaysian football was still interesting.

Of course blessing from the elder is part of the scene. A tepong thawar of some sort I guess.

Telepathic rope seems to be part of their belief, not just a custom to wear it. It was said that the rope meant for them bride and groom to have a good understanding between them for their future undertaking.

Congratulations, Vichot.

Ezamy's big day. A nice chap from the office, he don't talk much unless needed. He's expressionless, most of the times. Some ladies call him the hotass. He claimed he lost 5kg upon returning from a job in India last month. The 5kg must've shed off somewhere else from that part, heh. He said the food on the Indian Platform was too mamak style. Maybe he should try Sakhalin, see if he could lost more with the food russian style.

Quite a few colleagues turned up. Isz, Rajab, Zaf, K Mimah, K Emi, Hakam, Rahman and the surprise of the day was when Ahmed turned up with the Ma'am who is a former colleague from Kuantan in 1994-95 days. 

Congratulations E-zamy. You the man. 

So I dreamt of Coldplay.

Being stuck in Singapore is not helping at all. I used to share the office with fellow Ahmed and talks crap whenever we're both in the office. Most of the time, the room will have a slim chance of having us both present in the room on the same day. Either I was away, or Ahmed - the flow control engineer who is always away on job. Now Ahmed decided to part his way from the room and join the other pool of engineers on East Wing. That means my office was not occupied since the start of 2007. 

Meanwhile in Singapore, my butt groove is now established on the chair which I spent like 6 days a week average since early January till last week. And now I finally had a break from Singapore. Less pressure and less pain. But upon returning to KL office, I noticed there is something different about my office, but I couldn't tell of what.

The only time when I noticed the difference, was when I was about to leave for the day. Thats when I noticed the front space infront of my table is now a transit cleaner storage area where they keep the vacuum cleaner and a bucket with the cleaning gadgets n stuff.

I have no problem with anybody keeping their stuff in my office. But wouldn't it be nice if the company starts hiring a french maid to clean the office....

This one is for you Sam, Selamat Tahun Baru....

Russian immigration requires business visa applicants to go for HIV+ blood test screening. That is not a big deal. Done that couple of times before. Now that they've found out most non-russians who works in Sakhalinsk uses Business Visa as a Working Visa. Then they've stressed out if this is going to happen again, somebody will spend some time behind bar.

So, the office made us boys to apply for a proper Working Visa, which requires us to pass this special medical screening. It looks like a typical pre-emplyment medical screening stuff. Until the MALE doctor start talking about STDs and asking about Johnny & his two companions. I believe everyone of us were asked to lie down and he got his rubber gloves ready and stuff. The following 2 minutes was agonizing when the MALE doctor starts to talk about Johnny's what is and what not. He flicked it over to sides, and asked about Johnny's whereabout.

Haargh ptuihh. No wonder Nizam keeps on pushing me to do the screening whenever I am ready with the PL49. I remember he said something about not willing to go for another Russian medical shite, but I didn't really ask of why.