Only in Kuala Lumpur…

February 15, 2012 – 00:34

Fresh of the plane at KLIA, my Teksi driver says ‘Sir, you look tired – here try some of these’ as he hands me a non-descript jar of equally non-descript white pills. He then says ‘these will wake you up, I take them all the time’ – as he is driving 130kmph down the freeway.

The thing that I love about KL is the true diversity of cultures, nestled into a single city. You can find anything here if you take deep breath, open up and look around.

There is nothing like being surprised by two 6ft ladies suddenly appearing from the bushes on a Saturday night, making reccomendations in a masculine sounding voice ‘Mr, come with us – we show you good time’. I’ve always wondered what good time I missed out on by NOT following.

Or take the man selling toys and bright coloured flashing things that fly into the air in central KL, which then hands you a business card ‘Mr ; Executive health spa’… Which got me thinking, does he use the toys and flying things as a lost leader to then cross sell executive health spa services, or is it the other way around?

One thing I have learnt here is the universal rule – never short change a Taxi driver, no matter where you are around the world. Taxi drivers live and breath a city, knowing exactly what happens and what doesnt. Example; I asked a driver I was using to pick my up from CyberJaya around 8pm last Friday. I worked later than expected and didnt call him until 9pm. He mentioned to me on the way back that he was waiting near where I was staying; so I wondered does he just hang out near where I was staying, or was he waiting to see if I appeared with another driver?

Only in KL…

By mmdiddy | Posted in Uncategorized | Comments (0)

Wheels

January 21, 2012 – 23:22

I know what you’re thinkin’ We were goin’ down I could feel us sinkin’ But then I came around

And everyone I’ve loved before Flashed before my eyes And nothin’ mattered anymore I looked into the sky

Well I wanted something better man I wished for something new And I wanted something beautiful I wished for something true Been lookin’ for a reason man Something to lose

When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down) When the wheels touch ground (When the wheels touch ground) And you feel like it’s all over There’s another round for you When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)

I know your head is spinnin’ Broken hearts will mend This is our beginning Comin to an end

Well, you wanted something better man You wished for something new Well, you wanted something beautiful Wished for something true Been lookin for a reason man Something to lose

When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down) When the wheels touch ground (When the wheels touch ground) And you feel like it’s all over There’s another round for you When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down) Oh!

When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down) When the wheels touch ground (When the wheels touch ground) And you feel like it’s all over There’s another round for you When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)

When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down) When the wheels touch ground (When the wheels touch ground) And you feel like it’s all over There’s another round for you When the wheels come down (When the wheels come down)

By mmdiddy | Posted in Guitars, Music | Comments (0)

Short Memory

October 11, 2011 – 20:45

Midnight Oil – Short Memory

INTRO / CHORUS:

e-|————————–|————————–|
B-|—————–2-3-232–|—————–2-3-232–|
G-|—–4—–0—2——–2-|—–1—–0—2——–2-|
D-|—4—–0—————-|—2—–0—————-|
A-|-2———–0————|-2———–0————|
E-|——-3——————|——-3——————|
e-|————————–|
B-|—————–2-3-232–|
G-|—–4—–0—2——–2-|
D-|—4—–0—————-|
A-|-2———–0————|
E-|——-3——————|

VERSE:

e-|—————————–|
B-|—————————–|
G-|—————————–|
D-|—–0—–0—–0—–0—–|
A-|—2—–3—–2—–3——-|
E-|-0—–3—–0—–3———|

BRIDGE:
e-|-2-2————–2-2————-|
B-|-2-2————–2-2————-|
G-|-3-3————–3-3————-|
D-|-4-4—–4–0–0–4-4—–4–0–0-|
A-|-4-4—4—4–4—4-4—4—4–4–|
E-|-2-2-2————2-2-2———–|
LYRICS:

Conquistador of Mexico
The Zulu and the Navaho
The Belgians in tht Congo
Short Memory

Plantation in Virginia
The Raj in British India
The deadline in South Africa
Short Memory

The story of El Salvador
The silence of Hiroshima
Destruction of Cambodia
Short Memory

Short memory, must have a short memory
Short memory, must have a short memory

The sight of hotels by the Nile
The designated Hilton style
With running water specially bought
Short memory

A smallish man Afghanistan
A watchdog in a nervous land
They’re only there to lend a hand
Short memory

The friendly five a dusty smile
Wake up in sweat at dead of night
And in the tents new rifles, hey, short memory

Short memory, must have a short memory
Short memory, must have a short memory

By mmdiddy | Posted in Guitars, Music | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Goodnight Moon

September 18, 2011 – 20:36



                     Am

There’s a nail in the door

                         G

And there’s glass on the lawn

             Dm

Tacks on the floor

              Am

And the TV is on

      C                 Dm

And I always sleep with my guns

            E (E7)

When you’re gone

                       Am

There’s a blade by the bed

                  G

And a phone in my hand

             Dm

A dog on the floor

                     Am

And some cash on the nightstand

         C                      Dm

When I’m all alone the dreaming stops

                 E7

And I just can’t stand

              Dm

What should I do I’m just a little baby

            Am

What if the lights go out and maybe

             Dm

And then the wind just starts to moan

            E7

Outside the door he followed me home

               Dm

Well goodnight moon I want the sun

                 Am

If it’s not here soon I might be done

                               E7

No it won’t be too soon ’til I say

          Am

Goodnight moon

                       Am

There’s a shark in the pool

                   G

And a witch in the tree

            Dm

A crazy old neighbour

              Am

and he’s been watching me

            C                  Dm

And there’s footsteps loud and strong

                E (E7)

coming down the hall

                      Am

Something’s under the bed

                    G

Now it’s out in the hedge

                    Dm

There’s a big black crow

              Am

sitting on my window ledge

    C                Dm

And I hear something scratching

             E7

through the wall

                 Dm

Oh what should I do I’m just a little baby

            Am

What if the lights go out and maybe

       Dm

I just hate to be all alone

            E7

Outside the door he followed me home

               Dm

Now goodnight moon I want the sun

                 Am

If it’s not here soon I might be done

                               E7

No it won’t be too soon ’til I say

          Am

Goodnight moon

Instrumental: Am G Dm Am C Dm E7

                  Am

Well you’re up so high

            G

How can you save me

                    Dm

When the dark comes here

           Am

Tonight to take me up

            C             Dm

To my front walk and into bed

                   E7

Where it kisses my face and eats my head

                 Dm

Oh what should I do I’m just a little baby

            Am

What if the lights go out and maybe

             Dm

And then the wind just starts to moan

            E7

Outside the door he followed me home

               Dm

Now goodnight moon I want the sun

                 Am

If it’s not here soon I might be done

                                  E7

|: No it won’t be too soon ’til I say

          Am

Goodnight moon

By mmdiddy | Posted in Guitars, Music | Comments (0)

Kill Bill

June 18, 2011 – 22:56

Going through the Kill Bill 1 soundtrack tonight and ‘Bang Bang – Nancy Sinatra’ got my attention.

Using the GT-6 tremelo, settings I liked the best are;

  • Depth – 89
  • Rate – 84
  • Wave Shape – 100

A good version of the TAB can be found here – http://tabs.ultimate-guitar.com/n/nancy_sinatra/bang_bang_ver4_tab.htm

The Lyrics;

I was five and he was six
We rode on horses made of sticks
He wore black and I wore white
He would always win the fight

Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down

Seasons came and changed the time
When I grew up I called him mine
He would always laugh and say
Remember when we used to play

Bang bang, I shot you down
Bang bang, you hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, I used to shoot you down

Music played and people sang
Just for me the church bells rang

Now he’s gone I don’t know why
Until this day, sometimes I cry
He didn’t even say goodbye
He didn’t take the time to lie

Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down

By mmdiddy | Posted in Guitars, Music | Comments (0)

Pay attention to what you post on Facebook…

March 18, 2011 – 21:53

I wonder if people really understand that everything you post on the Internet is most likely cached & saved for a very long time.

Take Facebook.  How many times have you looked at someone elses conversation and wondered if they would ever regret posting it at a later date.

How would one feel about a particular post if a potential employer or partner searched for you’re name on social networking sites and found that post in publicly available details?

Try searching for yourself one day in Google, Twitter & Facebook without logging in and authenticating to either site.  Are you surprised at the amount of information you find about YOU???

By mmdiddy | Posted in Madness, Technology | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

What would the defence force do with fake online identities?

February 19, 2011 – 21:09

http://www.bnet.com/blog/technology-business/so-why-does-the-air-force-want-hundreds-of-fake-online-identities-on-social-media/8728

By mmdiddy | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments (0)

Sourcing IT Services

February 13, 2011 – 20:58

The more I hear about experiences from sourcing IT services to countries where the wages are lower, the more I am convinced that not many are doing it right.

For the best results – great attention needs to be paid to the following key areas;

  • Automated code deployment
  • Automated infrastructure provisioning
  • Automated infrastructure maintenance & automated responses to alerts
  • Solid coding techniques & quality control

Did I mention automation?

In addition, there is more to be gained from the country you are sourcing to than the lower wages.

If one can embrace the culture & genuine commitment to achieve results, matched with the right leadership, mentoring and continual coaching – truly amazing things could be achieved with strategic sourcing.

For those counting on benefits from lower wages only – good luck to you.

By mmdiddy | Posted in Madness, Technology | Tagged , , | Comments (0)

Smart phones & Email practices in the workplace

February 12, 2011 – 21:25

With more people taking up smart phones and the proliferation of Blackberry devices in the workplace – I often wonder how productive you really are, while being ‘connected’ all the time.

For instance - the Blackberry device (and I’m not saying I do this, but know many do);

  • Wake up in the morning – check the Blackberry for emails. Dont mind that you have just woken up and most likely not in a position to respond to anything in great detail anyway
  • Going to work on the train - check the Blackberry for emails. That keyboard is really too small to respond back with anything substantial – or if you do, it takes a long time to type…
  • In a meeting - You know you have to concentrate on the topic – but how tempting is it to check that Blackberry again? Could you effectively address any potential email that came through while participating in the meeting? 
  • Leaving work on the train….
  •  While eating dinner – check the Blackberry…
  • Going to sleep – check the Blackberry before nodding off…

I find the use of Blackberry devices in the workplace an un-welcome, non-productive distraction.  If I could, I would ban all Blackberry devices from my workplace.  Imagine there was something extremely important that needed your attention.  Is someone going to email you and expect you to check with your Blackberry – or will they call your mobile phone number?  If YOU have something extremely important that needed someone elses attention, I’m guessing you wouldnt be emailing them?

My point here is every day I see people becoming less task focused and result driven, but more reacting to whatever lands in their Inbox, every minute of the day.  Creativity, innovation & strategic thinking is stifled in this environment where it is far too easy to send an email in the hope of deferring making that decision for another day…

There is a huge opportunity for those who can stay task focused and result driven.  Dont let your inbox distract you.

A tactic I use every day;

  • Start the day by knowing exactly what tasks you must complete to acheive your KPI’s / Goals
  • Check the Inbox once in the morning
  • Concentrate on your tasks
  • Check the Inbox once in the afternoon, around 45 minutes before you finish for the day – then dont check the Inbox until the next day – unless absolutely necessary
  • If you work after hours, ensure the work you do is task focused – not checking the Inbox
  • Keep the Inbox clean.  If you cant address something straight away, turn it into a work item

Now – I dont think Smart Phones are all that bad.  Take the latest Windows 7 Mobile for example.  With features such as One Note, Sharepoint integration, Office live integration etc – you stand a great chance of remaining task focused by having easy access to create, view & share your intellectual knowledge with others.  I like this.

By mmdiddy | Posted in Madness, Technology | Tagged , , , | Comments (0)

Steam powered car, land speed record?

February 4, 2011 – 21:29

http://www.gizmag.com/us-team-attempts-steam-land-speed-record/17755/

By mmdiddy | Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | Comments (0)