Snapshots of Thoughts

Would you like some Whine?

2008-05-07T22:16:00.002+08:00

I came home from work earlier today feeling exhausted – my lungs aching away with each breath. Occasionally, I would contort my face and cough out a battalion of small nothings before it escalates into a violent cough (that’s where my out-of-body experience happens). And almost immediately, in the quiet silence, I’d lie back and mumble away on my hate of sickness and how I’m not a million Ringgit richer.

It’s there and then when the gears in my grey matter chug slowly along, leading to thoughts on how life can, at most times, be just a series of suffering.

Buddhist scholars know this; it’s one the Buddha’s noble truths…Christians like myself are painfully aware of the role suffering has in our history; most great men and women of God had their own crosses to bear…and I’m pretty sure it’s there in the Quran somewhere.

Whatever it is, everything that I was able to cope with before is now THRICE as difficult because I’m sick, lethargic, and hallucinatory (father found me laughing to myself while I was napping, enough said).

So I whined to a couple of friends, who, being fantastic old mates, told me to shove it because many others are worse off, making me feel like a complete nincompoop for even complaining.

Yes, I know about Ebola outbreaks in Congo, wars that are still tearing Darfur, and the possibility of the world’s economy blowing, but I think everyone deserves a guiltless session of fine whining every now and then.

And so, as I reclined in my bed pouting myself silly and drowning in wild murmurs of being the unluckiest man on earth, my mom waltzes in with a queer look of sorts. In her hand, she held a white envelope. Grinning away as only a mother can she hands it to me and says “it’s from her~”.

Yay. Don’t you love it when life throws you a surprise? God, in His impeccable timing decided to drop the letter in today and walla, I’m all better.

Thanks dear :)

Dusty is me blog.

2008-04-19T22:17:00.000+08:00

Oh my, it’s been a while since I came in here.

Yes, it’s rather abandoned, and like most other blogs out there that die quite suddenly, I thought this might too. For a long time I had nothing interesting to confess or blog about (yes, confessions are sometimes made on this little space I call my blog, but in a vague manner).

So I left it alone. Not that it mattered of course since I had other problems of my own outside cyberspace, but yes, things are more or less a dependably stable now.

I miss writing, even though I’m a reporter by profession and write all the time. I miss writing about things that mattered to me and about things that are close to my heart. I also miss being able to write verbosely and in any manner I please (keep it short and simple my foot.)

Yet another thing I miss is taking pictures that mean something. At this moment my pictures may be technically alright, but they rarely carry stories of their own. Pictures that stir the emotion remain as elusive as ever and I wonder how the greatest of them working for famous magazines and papers do it.

But yes, despite my absence in the blogging community I’ve been steadily posting pictures on my flickr site. Somehow pictures posted here on my blog are “cut” away if they’re too huge!

Hopefully I’ll make some amendments and change this old gal up by sprucing her at the sides and keeping it all fresh inside :)

And yes Sush, lol, this is a long reply to your question :P

2008-02-01T14:00:00.000+08:00

Picture courtesy of gettyimages

Maybe it's time to move on.

The Street Basker...

2008-01-13T00:00:00.000+08:00

“Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.”
- Mother Teresa

2007-12-28T11:22:00.000+08:00

When Formula One first arrived on our shores I, like a lot of others around, was one excited kid – fast cars, incredible pace, loud engines etc. All the hype, the glamour, the excitement!

But years after the F1 debut at Sepang, my interest has somewhat died off a little. You realize that most drivers are excellent, but a lot of it hinges on the unbelievable technology that is integrated into the vehicles. So the playing field isn’t exactly as leveled as what some would like to think.

Then came the A1GP. To be frank, I didn’t give much thought or notice to them other than the fact that their vehicles were slower. Poor marketing and coverage in the initial years also did little to interest me in the sport.

But as early as last year, I stumbled upon it again as I had to write about the A1GP, and found out that I was only right about the sport in some aspects.

For one, the vehicles are slower than their F1 counterparts, but that’s not the point in A1GP.

It all boils down to having an extremely level playing field. The teams are divided into countries and they all use the exact same engine, tires, chassis, etc. Hence the division between winners and losers comes down to the skills of the drivers, engineers, and team cooperation!

It’s quite like football really.

So I pounced on the chance to help do a coverage on the last Malaysian leg of the A1GP! I was given a photographer’s bib to put on, granting me access to nearly all parts of the track at any one time (as long as I’m not in the way)

So here’re some of the pictures:

Here, the ‘shooter’ and ‘targets’ walk off to their designated positions. As you can tell, my equipment was puny next to some of the rest there sporting huge telephoto lenses that are beyond my financial means!

This is the view from inside Team Malaysia’s pit, where all the tweaks, repairs, and strategic planning happens.

Before the event itself I had the opportunity to enter the VIP room where the ‘prize’ is. This is what everyone is competing for, the coveted A1GP trophy.

Back outside our Malaysian homeboy Alex Yoong is all focused on the goal as he watches the information screen above while engineers scurry to get his car ready.

And when all the cars are ready on the grid, the A1GP girls standby for their moment in the limelight. The only reason I knew they were coming out was because ALL the other photographers started congregating at that one spot!

TV Smith was there to capture the ‘action’ as well ;) I met him on my previous trip to Macau and he really does go places…he’s everywhere! You can take a look at his incredibly pictures here.

The A1GP girls were alright, but this right here, the Ferrari 599 GTB, is one killer of a car to see up close! It’s of course the official safety car for the A1GP, and I can see why. Simply delicious.

Naught to a hundred in 3.7 seconds…yummy! Even with that ridiculous “SAFETY CAR” sign at the back the car is a dead-on stunner. Jeremy Clarkson says it’s “senseless but sensational” and I must agree, why bother buying anything for practical reasons?

Back to A1GP, before the race begins, everyone prepares themselves differently.

Alex had last minute discussions with his engineers…

Others hydrated as much as possible…

And a few decided to chill out with the ladies~

But when the race begins it’s an all out war to the finish line…

Turn three saw team Australia chewing the dirt…

…but they got right on out there and back on the track.

“THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE”

Marshals do their bit to warn drivers on accidents.

The turnout wasn’t that great, and it’s all because a majority out there aren’t aware about A1GP’s concept. Here a fellow photographer takes a breather while the cars do their laps.

Yet another reason for my newly found adoration for all things A1GP is because they make it so easy for the media folks to either get an interview or access to snap photographs.

There is significantly less red tape and I hope it stays that way *grins*

For more pictures, jump on to my flickr site :)

The Opportunity

2007-12-27T23:00:00.000+08:00

This Christmas was a really somber one for me as I went to church and thought about things over. Little things, big things, the whole works. I like going to church (*phew* says my pastors) because it provides the escape you need to just focus on your life, God, and decisions you’re about to make.

As you and I both know, right about now people are making resolutions for the new year. Some couldn’t be bothered for fear of making rash idealistic resolutions too difficult to achieve. Others figure out vague resolutions like “I will stop being a bad person” etc. I’ll gladly take the middle ground and work on something I think I can achieve.

That would consist of most of my resolutions, but I’d like to have a specific one or two that may sound incredible or ridiculously impossible. If anyone found out they’d call me foolish, naïve, or even being over-idealistic.

If you shared it with a friend they might just politely agree and support you despite their doubts. If you told your parents they might discourage you for fear of the hurt you might feel should you fail. The society in which we live in isn’t much kinder – most opinions are steamrolled over by the larger and more influential general consensus.

That’s the general problem with the “Asian mentality”.

The more you push, the more it pushes back. The only way is to quietly keep it to yourself and prepare. Lie nonchalantly when the words of doubts and discouragement fly overhead.

But when the right opportunity comes by you’ll be ready to grab it by its horns and never look back.

Post #111: Matters of the Heart

2007-12-15T08:19:00.001+08:00

*sighs*

Amen.

The Process.

2007-11-28T11:58:00.000+08:00

You get up early for work, eyes dazed, mind in a blur. Grabbing what you can from your already empty kitchen you wander off to work driving a car that should’ve retired years ago.

You arrive in the office and beep yourself in.

You work hard and focus on doing your job well – your career depends on it. It’s way past office hours before you get home, and if you’re lucky, spend time having dinner with friends or family.

More often than not you’ve time enough to catch a short nap before “the process” repeats itself.

The “process” is perceived differently from persons to persons – some feel it’s about paying your dues, others see it as a system that’s ingrained into life in the working world.

But really, where do you draw the line between exploitation and ‘not working hard enough’.

That line floats and dances in and out as you work through the days, weeks, months, years.

Isn’t there any other way besides the one we have now? Isnt’ there a BETTER way?

We’ve to really decide where out priorities lie because when push comes to shove, something’s gotta give.

Singapore Weekend

2007-10-29T04:52:00.000+08:00

I never understood the animosity between Singaporeans and Malaysians, though fierce neighbourly rivalry has always ruled the day. Besides the few differences (debatable, I know) I objectively think that Singapore is a nice place with a character of its own.

Really-wan.

My last memories of Singapore at the tender age of five were refreshed once more when I journeyed south for a recent assignment. While we are only a bridge away and are “pretty much” the same, fundamental differences can still be felt. Singapore’s somewhat neater, compact, more cosmopolitan, and a pleasant cross of Hong Kong with Kuala Lumpur. That was oddly comfortable yet disturbing to me, but the pace of the city won me over.

Then again perhaps my views on Singapore are somewhat skewed. After all, I did get to live in Mandarin Meritus on Orchard Road whilst dining and eating the absolute best Singapore has to offer…all in the name of work.

I had some time to wander off on my own and later with Lishi (my school mate) around town. So I took the chance to visit Chimes, a disturbing drinking/pubbing spot where an Old Catholic church once was. Well…it’s still there lah, the structure I mean. So you’ll see people drinking in corners under a beautiful fresco of Jesus extending his hands to his disciples.

Wieeeerd.

The other difference with Singapore came to me during the wee hours of the morning…it’s somewhat safer than your average cosmopolitan city. Here’re 2 reasons why:

1. It’s an island. If you commit a crime, where CAN you go.

2. Cabbies, who dominate the streets, work cohesively with the police. You may hide from the cops, but cabbies infest the nooks and crannies of the city!

But I truly enjoyed my brief time in Singapore, thanks Lishi for the Chimes cum NUS exposure!

Managed to grab a few pics when I was there, it’s on my flickr account here.

Hippy Confucius (sighs I don't know la...)

2007-10-07T21:44:00.000+08:00

Hari Raya may be the darling of all days for most, but for those still working, it is the mother of all datelines – everything has to come together. I can’t stress how much stress is being stressed on everyone in the team (care to take a hint?), which is why I’ve not been blogging at all.

But tonight’s quick update is merely the calm before the storm, the moment before the climax, the silence in an awkward conversation (maybe not) before I’m engulfed by the tsunami of work before me.

I hope there’s a light at the end of *this* tunnel because I could use some R&R pretty soon. I don’t think I’ve had time enough to step out for fresh air, or a relaxing dip, or a quiet afternoon nap.

I miss the sensation of freedom and am becoming cynical about all things institutional.

This is my moment of …er…‘Confucius’.

This was taken from a bus when we toured Krabi, Thailand. The windows on the bus were slightly tinted and allowed me to do away with filters of any kind. You’d be surprised how looking at trees gives off a strange feeling of tranquility (oh no! I’m turning hippie!)

Harsh Words? I Think Not!

2007-09-20T22:17:00.000+08:00

You know what I hate about people sometimes. It’s their inability to see anything but their own stand when they’re angry. Or even the incapacity to have a decent conversation without pulling a fast, irrational personal attack on an argument.

I know what it’s like on the angrier and frustrated end, but I try hard to remain objectively rational about the arguments at hand and the cards on the table. I’ll analyze if I must (well I should).

So why can’t they. FYI, ‘they’ in this context refers to the ones guilty enough to know it.

I’m a lot calmer these days and surer of what’s around me. Oh, and yes, I’m annoyingly idealistic. If you hate rainbows, little dwarfs being friends with princesses, miraculous transformation of toads and a talking mirror, you won’t like hanging around me (not that I talk about fairy tales much.)

The excuse of being older and wiser is ironically starting to sound…old. And there’s your first clue, that the ‘they’ could be ‘old’. My friend once said “If it’s a mistake then it’s my mistake to make,” when I asked him why he did the things he did.

I’m compelled to agree with that statement. I think God calls it character building.

But yes, back to constructive arguments and why the uneducated fail so miserably at it… I think it’s a rhetoric question, and we shall not delve into that any longer least our gray matter decides to prematurely die off by their millions.

Harsh words? I think not.

(I also think that should be my tagline…I end a lot of entries this way don’t I…here’s one for the road)

*In a Darth Vader's Voice* Harsh Words? I Think Not.

RAW Moments...

2007-09-12T20:05:00.000+08:00

I'm suddenly very excited...though not in 'that' sort of sense. It's just that I sometimes get 'moments'...

Moments when you think that the world truly is your oyster and you can achieve anything if you've Him by your side. Or moments when you're quite contented to just sit back and think things over.

There's still so much that I want to do and I've a lifetime ahead of me to do it, and I'm glad that time is on my side...well till I turn older again next year of course.

Now I know you're thinking, "What the hell...that's random." and I assure you that it is, but hey, this site isn't called 'snapshots of thoughts' for no reason (and here's where you say no-shite...)

I spent much of today recuperating...resting...thinking...and editing some pictures. Now I've always resisted editing my RAW format pictures because it's so power intensive that it slows my computer, throwing it back into the stone ages.

But I did, and I'm glad I did.

RAW pictures are basically the exact picture information that your camera sensor picks up and 'dumps' into your CF card. So you don't lose any 'information' inside and therefore, you're able to still recover most of the highlights in the picture and I don't think I'm terribly good at explaining this, so hop on here.

But essentially, I don't know why I didn't shoot in RAW more. It gives such a gorgeous dynamic range and allows all sorts of possibilities that other formats do not.

Maybe it was the size constraints...or the speed...or the lag it caused while editing it. Whatever it is, I'm sold on snapping my pictures in RAW mode, and here're two reasons why.

I took these pictures when I was in London's Borough Market, a place which sold a myriad of different foods, fruits, and anything else that's remotely edible.

This random window pane which reflected a steel-riveted bridge overhead caught my eye. Walking along the River Thames will put you face to face with charming brick buildings all about. And speaking of charming...

This little corner shop at the market were selling fresh flowers (and they are indeed fresh) and you'd just have to stop to smell the roses. I'm not sure if i've said this, but flowers somehow smell better in colder climates. Maybe the air carries the scent a little better. The orginal picture was in bright sporty red, but I quite like it this way...all mellowed out and Frank Sinatra-ish. I ended up buying that specific stalk.

Life's too short to worry about how many pounds it'd cost ;)

What a difference a day makes...

2007-09-09T02:47:00.000+08:00

.24 little hours.

I heard it through the Grapevine...

2007-09-05T22:40:00.000+08:00

In James 3:6-10, it clearly says this:

"6 And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is an unrighteous world among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the cycle of nature, and set on fire by hell.

7 For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature can be tamed and has been tamed by humankind,

8 but no human being can tame the tongue-a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

9 With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who are made in the likeness of God.

10 From the same mouth come blessing and cursing”

And I couldn’t agree more.

Out of a small group, this malicious swine will be there, spreading little rumours, starting a chain of gossip. The workplace is a grand institution to illustrate and showcase this in action – you can’t miss it.

Complain at your own peril because sooner or later, the statement gets twisted along the way. Worse than the swine who spreads the rumours are those who willingly listen without questioning the statement. These are the same people who'd believe that the sky is falling if enough people talked about it!

I’ve had my fair share of ‘the grapevine’ and it’s reached a limit.

And as much as I know that the world is based on the public perception, a huge part of me refuses to comply. Why can’t I have friends who are girls for fear of people thinking I’m a playboy? Why can’t I have gay friends because of the stigma people have? Why can’t I be a virgin despite the “cool” people around us telling us that sex is ‘da bomb y’all’.

*tcch* Geez, grow up…

Ages 12 and Below...

2007-08-29T23:31:00.000+08:00

I swear that you learn new things everyday! There’s always some fresh experience or an exasperating circumstance that is just WAITING to happen.

Why just last Sunday, my siblings and I went out to Atria, a small mall near our place, to have some dinner at Nandos. My siblings were responsible for picking the place because to begin with, I wasn’t even hungry.

But I’ve always been told to eat regular meals, so I relented. As we stepped in, we could see industrious workers zooming about getting the tables re-set and serving customers. We sat down like we always did, read the menu like we always did, and made our pick.

“I want a half chicken, doused with spicy Nando sauce,” my brother croaked, to which the obliging waitress replied “Okay, okay, boleh…”

“Could I please have the children’s set meal which is a quarter of a chicken please ma’am,” said my brown-nosing sister, and again, the waitress complied, but unimpressed with my sister’s politeness.

“I want, a kid’s meal set, the one that’s RM 9.90,” I asked nonchalantly.

No response.

A bird could’ve laid eggs and nested in that time while I waited for her to comply. Then she confidently said,

“Ini untuk children bawah 12 sahaja.”

I thanked her keen sense of observation – to her credit, it was written on the menu that the meal was recommended for “children 12 and below”.

Thinking she was pulling a joke, I heartily replied, “Haha, I know, but could I have it anyway?” *grins*

“Tak boleh. Bawah 12 sahaja (You can't, only those 12 and below),” was her frank reply.

It then hit me that this woman did not get it.

She TRULY felt that I was LEGALLY disallowed from ordering the food in light of COMPANY POLICY and more obviously, the stern recommendation written on the menu.

I almost died as I asked her, “SO you’re TELLING me that I CAN’T order this because I’m not 12?? As in, I REALLY CAN’T have it though I’m paying??”

“No,” said the relentless ignoramus.

Half laughing from sheer frustration and sincere disbelief, I said, “OKAY. Well…I’m ordering for my…for my sister then. How about that.”

My sister tugged my sleeves and announced, “Eh, Khor Kor, I’m having the children’s meal set with a quarter of a chic..”

“I KNOW I KNOW! Shhhh!!” I said wide-eyed. Turning my attention back to the woman I firmly said, “Look miss, I’m not THAT hungry, so I’m going to order the kid’s mea—“

She interrupted, “If encik not hungry, boleh order adult punya half a chicken atau pun quarter chicken.” (If you're not hungry, you can order the adult Half a half a chicken or a quarter of a chicken)

I could strangle her neck if not for the initial shock. I told her off (knowing I might get extra foamy mineral water) and insisted impatiently that I’m a paying customer who will now have nothing other than a sausage and fries kid’s meal!

With a sad nod (I’ve broken some literal law) she took my order and left.

My brother was just as shocked.

“You know what she needs?” my brother said, “She needs to read it carefully!”

I disagreed. What she needs is an education.

Am I mean to think so? Seriously?

Of Krabi and being a Graduate

2007-08-26T11:51:00.000+08:00

Three ulcers in the mouth, sunburn spots the size of China, fish bites throughout my body, a slight fever, throbbing in the head, endless coughs, and a nose that runs – ‘pitiful’ doesn’t even begin to describe my current state!

And despite all that, I’m blissfully glad to have gone to Krabi. Sometimes, being in the media pays off handsomely, and in spite of the tons of work screaming to be done, I’m pretty darn glad. From snorkeling to kayaking, to elephant tours, it’s all there.

Rock climbers however would be more familiar with Krabi. Gorgeous environments and fantastic natural rock formations make Krabi an instant hit with climbers everywhere. And the fact that it’s so accessible with Air Asia now will see more people flying to Krabi.

But more on that in future posts, now I’m still grappling with the fact that I’ve graduated, an odd feeling to have. It wouldn’t be this strange if we had the USM convocation within the NEXT FEW DAYS of graduation! But a year on and the hype has died somewhat. Couple this with us graduating in a campus we’ve never step foot into and you’ve got yourself an unenthusiastic batch of graduates!

Arriving several days before the actual convocation, graduates must sit for a briefing, just to get an idea of how things are done. Amazingly, they have a video presentation showing what to wear, and what not to wear. Poor unwilling looking actors stand there in suits or jeans, and of course, they do the typical model turn around. What caught my eye however was this “Kesilapan-Kesilapan Graduan Terdahulu”.

Most of them are sound of mind and well, pretty logical – don’t be late, don’t bring handphones into the hall, wear the mortar board neatly, etc.

But an order to not have stomach aches is frankly disturbing – when you gotta go, you gotta go!

The front of this huge hall where the convocations is to take place, is dominated by a stage fit for a king…royal yellow floods the carpets, three speaking podiums on all sides, and fresh flowers decorating the top.

The flowers do not simply appear out of thin air. Diligent workers toil to keep re-stocking on old and dying ones.

Watching on is the head of traffic control in USM, Mr. Kalmit (I’m guessing from the name on his vest). Either way, you don’t want to mess with him.

I had a day in between the briefing and the actual convocation, which left me time enough to re-explore my second home.

‘Chendul’ here is presumably good, judging from the thumbs up I get from surrounding locals. And at RM1.50, you have very little to lose!

Yes, ‘Chendul’ may just be shaved ice with more colouring than some people’s hair, but getting it right to the tee is an art on it’s own. Besides…

If it’s good enough for Ah-Phua and Aunty Rosey, it’s good enough for me.

And wherever in the world you may be, you’ll never forget the sinful pleasure of having your ‘Char Koay Teow’, a dish you could sniff from a mile away, hinting at the cockerels, prawns, and crispy bean sprout on it. One helpful word of advice, the angrier the cook, the better it tastes :)

Penang Island enjoys a constant flow of tourist all year round. Some say it’s the friendly locals others the food. But I think it’s because everything here is so dang cheap.

And if you’ve money to burn and lungs of steel to withstand the poisonous air, a trishaw is the way to go!

(Though I doubt I’m doing the trishaw industry much service with this picture.) You know what they say…when you’ve gotta to go…you’ve gotta go.

It’s been a while since I last came to Penang, and I was surprise to discover this natural hill where you climb/trek all the way up to find yourself overlooking the island.

On top of that (no pun intended) a gym built with the donations of health enthusiasts and pain lovers alike sits at the top.

There I was half panting from the climb when others trek up, and work out at the same time! There’s also a boiling cauldron with some tea on the side to quench your thirst. Visitors are encouraged to trek up carrying bottles of water up for others to use…I wasn’t too charitable here.

The hill had a sizable amount of rubber trees from which people tap from. We saw quite a few climbing down.

And all this gorgeous nature is yours…for free. Non conservationists will never understand until they immerse themselves in these natural environments.

Anyway the convocation took place without much fanfare. It was admittedly a proud moment, but I knew it wouldn’t be my last convo – I’m determined to do more than a mere degree.

One of the highlights however has to be the studio picture taking session – to see professionals at work is nice. To see the thousands of equipment lying around is nicer by far.

So this is me, an official graduate from the school of communication.

And this is me bored of conventional studio pictures with all the formalities and fake smiles with fidgety poses…

My parents were extremely supportive. I’m secretly more attractive with a wig I think.

Can’t believe Monday’s here so soon.

Weekends aren’t what they used to be.

July 15th...

2007-08-19T15:35:00.000+08:00

OLA!

Has it been that long since I blogged? Yikes. Then again I really haven’t had much time since getting back…there was work, work, more work, and slotted right in between was my recent convocation at the Uni Science Malaysia right up north (Penang). Was it fun? Yeah, kinda, but not the convocation itself specifically. I was just pleased to meet most of my old course mates once more, most of whom are the same joes and janes I knew from back in the day.

I missed them. But at this juncture of my life, I also miss my Euro trip…fondly.. My journey took me from Cambridge to London, down to Paris, back up to Cambridge again, onwards to Rome, crossing right over to Prague, and finally back north to London once more, where I blew all my money. Yes. All of it.

But In the span of that month, I’ve traveled further than I’ve ever been before, seen things that I’ve only read about, and learned the tube maps of several major cities.

The Brits for example had the Tube which covered absolutely everywhere, albeit being slightly unreliable at times. Londoners hate it and abhor how small, stuffy, and hot it is. The unknowing Malaysian (me) however thought it quite comfortable. Hot and stuffy? Hardly! On a hot day my car boils eggs and bakes cookies inside. No, the Tube is most comfortable thank you.

Well I made it a point to capture images everywhere I went, and as you’d guess, I ended up with thousands upon thousands of pictures, of which I’ll post from time to time…starting with just a few pics before I reached Cambridge:

It’s the 15th of July and my mum, being my mum, still packs my bags anyway. These bags will soon look a whole lot more weathered than it is now (one of them will actually travel to Germany without me…).

The whole ‘no liquids on board’ rule was new to me, having not traveled as much as others, but airport staff are MORE than happy to point out what you can or cannot carry.

Looking back at this picture, my family seemed a bit too happy to send me off. Especially the little one (I later learned that she took my room in my absence, that little rascal!)

I zoned out while watching them load the ‘Pangkor’. It was a surreal experience, yet terribly exciting as I knew that this was the trip I’ve been waiting for nearly two years.

Safety briefing is now presented via video…cool.

And as luck would have it, a junior during my Mass Comm studies happened to sit across the aisle from me! A familiar face is never a bad thing.

Turning my attention to my side, I noticed a strange television-cum-playstation remote thingy. It is truly a magnificent invention – it plays games, change the channels, and calls for service whenever you please! (I jakun, I know.)

The flight wasn’t full at all. In fact, even my little camera bag and London guide had their own seat with pillow in tow. Not bad MAS.

The 12 hour flight is rather arduous if you’re in economy class, but I couldn’t be bothered. The onboard information channel is especially interesting…it told us the height, speed, and where we were flying over. The thought that I was miles above India, Pakistan, and Afghanistan simply amazed me. Too bad we weren’t stopping over for tea.

But I finally arrive in England, all messed up and tired. But despite my stiff legs, aching lower back, sore eyes, and various muscle spasms, I couldn’t be happier to see her at the airport :)

Yes, we had to travel for a few hours still to Cambridge, but it didn’t matter. The evening sky from a bus couldn’t have looked any better :)

(next post, Cambridge…the fairy tale town.)

16th June 2007.

2007-06-16T16:51:00.000+08:00

Dear you,

I'm finally here in the UK, in Cambridge, and it's ABSOLUTELY gorgeous. There's something about the architecture and the feel of old buildings that get to you, and, as cliched as it is, it's all rather quaint~

This trip may end up killing my camera as there's just SO MUCH TO TAKE in one location! Just earlier this morning for example, I had an encounter with a squirrel (the bushy kind in snow white) and it amazed me so much -- simple because the squirrels I'm used to back home is the scrawny, fast, and mousey type.

I'll post pictures up as soon as I can, but now, I"m going to get some breakfast with "d lady on d hill~" :D

*swoons* I feel a childish wonder coming about...

"D-Trip" (feat. Bali)

2007-06-10T13:48:00.000+08:00

This.will.be.a.good.month.

I know.

Why?

Because I am all prepped up for D-trip, where I’ll visit the land of smarties aka. came-bridge (not pronounced as “cam” you peasants!), venture to the city of “Lourve” in gay Paree (City-of-Lights indeed!), marvel at the engineering feats of ancient sarung wearing Romans, and venture into the unparallel beauty of Prague.

Am I talking about an euro-trip you say? You can bet your kidneys that I am!

The land of King Arthur (along with those other lads by the table) beckons me forth, and you can bet your kidneys lymphatic nodes that I shall be picture hunting with my trusty lens~

This trip isn’t all for fun though (how sinful!). No indeed, it’s in actual fact, an…educational trip of sorts ;)

But I can’t wait to see my friends, I can’t wait to see the lady of the Hill *winks*, I can’t wait to see the architecture, I can’t wait to mix with the ‘nicer’ locals and I can’t wait to immerse myself in their culture and history.

I might even introduce them to a lil bit of my culture and Malaysia’s national food, the ‘sambal’.

I will never understand why such a technologically advance country has no sambal, because it is the agent of modern living as we know it.

And, lest we forget the national fruit, our Durian! For truly, no country can run, much less operate, without the intoxicating fragrance (or stench, depending on your upbringing) of the almighty Durian.

To make it more appealing to foreigners, I propose that it be called “Dew-Rain” instead – it sounds refreshing, appealing, and absolutely thirst quenching.

Which is how I feel about photography. But I often find myself posting less pictures because I’m frustrated with photobucket. It’s wonderfully simple to use, but lately, the snail like loading times are getting to me, like an itch I can’t scratch.

So, I’ve inevitably switched to flickr.

Thing is, they don’t provide the html codes immediately, so I’m finding it hard to paste it immediately on blogger (bummer!) This just further infuriates me, but perhaps I’m not tech savvy enough – some enlighten me please?

Anyhow, I work past my annoyance to bring you some pictures I took at Daphne’s wedding in Bali (about time I guess).

Bali is one of the most gorgeous places I’ve been to, and it’s a pity that the bombing incident had to happen.

9 out of 10 people I know are skeptical of going to Bali, lest they blow up in public toilets and on white sandy beaches (on a side note, they should blow up toilets here).

But enough of terrorism, and on to Bali *grins*

Now one thing that you’ve gotta know about Bali is that like any decent island, they’re big on flowers.

At hotels, restaurants, and pretty much everywhere else, you’ll see colours, colours, and even more colours. Putting fresh flowers on still/running water is right up there on the islander’s to-do list ;)

And you gotta admit, they’ve got good taste.

The wedding took place in one of the most gorgeous looking settings ever! With the cliffs on the right, the sun setting ahead, and the beautiful glass church facing the sunset, you’re all ready for the perfect wedding.

Yeah, my eyes were wide open for a full 5 minutes too when I first saw it, so don’t be ashamed. You’ve just gotten a glimpse of what the bride and groom see when entering the church. Beneath the glass floor is running water that flows in and around the church like a moat of sorts. And yes, it’s expensive.

Step right up, because this is where it all happens. The glass cross is a nice touch, and there you have it, even more flowers, all tastefully arranged of course. The silent ‘dead’ tree outside gives it a touch of surrealism, and I personally like that.

This is one of the many hotel staffs that keep the place running. This place is so beautiful, that even setting the dinner tables look good.

After the wedding, guests rip flowers in a show of mockery on the hotel staff’s flower arranging efforts. Well not really, but it could be~ ;) Jokes aside, I’ve never seen both Ryan and Daphne this happy, and the wedding vows were lovingly sincere. :D Couldn’t help but let out an “awwwww” :)

Release the dove, for eternal love~ (am quite proud that I came up with that). The poor disorientated doves didn’t fly very far though, and some ended up on nearby trees, confused.

And that was that, just had to post a few to satisfy my trigger finger. Will post up more in future, but it’ll be a whole month before I return from my summer exodus to greener pastures.

But I’ll be back.

Potted Plants & Potted People

2007-05-24T20:08:00.000+08:00

This was a potted plant found on the show’s set, and I instinctively snapped a picture of it.

But it is slowly becoming a thinly veiled depiction of the way things are.

So.

Why do plants die?

Plants die because it lacks life giving water.

Plants die because it needs space - contained, it suffocates.

Plants die because artificial sunlight is sometimes, exactly that…artificial.

Plants die because the soil in which it buries itself in no longer support it.

Plants die because it doesn’t see a reason for living.

(okay that was a bit far fetched since we’re not all that sure if plants actually harbour reasons for living, besides instinctive behaviorism)

I guess sometimes, plants find themselves in undesirable spots.

Tough.

The Cinema Chatterbox

2007-05-17T01:33:00.000+08:00

All battered, bruised, and coughed up, I decided at a whim to catch Spiderman 3 with my brother at the local cinema. It’s been a while since I watched a movie, time has been rather scarce, and I usually take time off to take time off, i.e activities like sleeping or resting, or dozing even.

But I didn’t do any of that while watching Spiderman 3 because frankly, it was pretty decent. Yes, a tad bit emotional, but decent all across the board.

I loved the action, loved Spiderman, liked seeing Eric Foreman from the 70’s Show all suited up as Venom, and admired the cinematography – greeeat stuff.

I liked them all, save for one thing – the audience.

It’s been so long since I last went to the cinema, I forgot all about the little “joys” in theatres!

I ADORE people telling me the storyline and giving me scoops on the character’s background – terribly gracious of them, considering the fact that I don’t know them (“them” refers to this particular couple…yes, there’s two of them).

Better yet, they speak Hokkien to ensure that they are not merely background noises, but background noises with substance.

To put it simply, it’s annoying that they’re noisy, but to actually UNDERSTAND the noise is a humbling experience. Really.

There were random instances like:

1. When Spiderman saves Mary Jane:
Bohboi: Lu kua, Spiderman Lai liao (You look, Spiderman come liao)
Gehgerl: Wah Spiderman pun eh lang Phak Thor ah? (Wah, Spiderman also can dating ah?)

2. When the Sandman makes his appearance:
Gehgerl: Hami lai? (What’s it?)
Bohboi: Ahhh~ cie leh pien Sua Lang liao (Ahhh~ this wan change to Sand-man liao)

3. When the Sandman pummels Spiderman REPEATEDLY:
Bohboi: Aiyoh (pause) Aiyoh (pause) Aiyoh (pause)

The last one was a killer. Every “aiyoh” drowns my already diminished patience.

Now I’m in a dilemma.

Should I tell him to shush up and cheese him off in front of his lady?

Maybe he’ll get the hint? (It proved useless)

I later did the former and insisted that he keeps his vast knowledge of all things Spiderman to himself.

“That took care of business,” I thought to myself while smirking away in the dark.

Then the unimaginable happened.

My brother’s phone rang (while I cringed) during Parker’s more tender moments with Mary. It was so out of place, so sudden, so utterly embarrassing. We were indeed shining examples of a courteous audience.

Lesson of the day, if you want to teach others a lesson in the cinema, make sure your phones are off.

Roti Pisangs...

2007-04-20T15:19:00.000+08:00

I'm always reminded of the old adage that because you're young, you should go for it. Hit the sack late and rise up before dawn, the early bird catches the worm, you know, that sort of thing. “You can because you’re young” I’m told. But is this the way the rat race works, with much aging and aching at the end of the line?

There’s no merit in whining about the situation, I’m sure, but I question it at times. Am I truly up for it? Is it because I’ve not found my niche? Or maybe it’s merely a phase that people in their twenties go through? Perhaps one shouldn’t question at all and accept that it is indeed part of the “bigger picture”.

No, it’s not that I’m without ambition.
No, it’s not because I’m lazy.
And no, it’s not because I hate challenges.

I’m just peeking my nose out of the gutters to see what lies beyond the status quo, and pouting for not being able to see beyond my cloudy future.

I should trust God a whole lot more. He knows what to do.

He reminds me of why I do it, and encourages me to push I falter. He reminds me of the people whom I am responsible to, people who have given their all so I can have more, people who love me both near and far (England and all *xxOoxxoxo*~) and continually lends me His strength.

*sighs*

I’m not usually this wordy in the afternoon.

Must’ve been the potassium in Roti Pisangs.

2007-04-02T11:23:00.000+08:00

When they say you'll have no social life, they really mean it! I haven't had the time to hang out with anyone off late, including my family. And popping by my blog, I've realized that I've gone a whole month without updating, which isn't surprising seeing as how the days are stacked up.

Was feeling pretty burned out by last Sunday, and had to indulge in some leisurely activity somehow, but had an assignment in Melaka to go to. So I thought, why not –I'll do both pleasure and work and take photographs while on assignment.

So here are the pictures from last Sunday's PETRONAS F1 Demo in Melaka, which was held to bring people closer to Formula One while promoting the Petronas brand to the discerning public. The demo of course involved all motorsport vehicles that PETRONAS is involved in.

The Formula One vehicle itself is a whole lot larger up close. I distinctively remembered it being smaller, but this is no smalley. The curves are to die for and there are so many “fins” (you can tell that I’m a moron at F1) that you forget what does what and when.

Then there are the magnificent tires which are, if anything, one of the most important components of all. It translates power from the engine to the road and will turn sticky at hot temperatures, giving maximum grip on corners and straights.

Young and old are seen here flapping for dear life as the cars go whizzing by. My arms grew tired watching the vigorousness of some of those waves.

And if anything, the event appealed most to young children who stood amongst adults in the searing heat hoping to catch a glimpse of the vehicles.

More than half however are now deaf because no one remembered to warn them of the booming roar of the cars.

These are the BMW Formula vehicles that are a whole lot less powerful than their F1 brothers, but it still goes from naught to 100 in 3.6 seconds (go ahead, pick that jaw up from the floor).

I love the curves and width of BMW cars. Such grace…such grandeur…SuchAPityItIsn’tMine *sobs*.

They also had, right in front of me, the Pit Stop preview, where the crew members from the pit demonstrate just how the big boys change them wheels.

The heat was unforgiving and I came home feeling like a radiator. My skin sizzles with a burning sensation every time I twitch and glows bright amber red.

But for something that was free to the public, it definitely is worth watching. The sounds gurgling from these vehicles are something to behold. And from then on all other vehicles will sound like a tame lil putty cat (The image above by the way is of the same car, but I overlay them over each other)

Anyhow, will be posting more in days to come. I do apologize for the unofficial hiatus, but work calls and I follow.

Lastly…

Can anyone provide captions? ;) Interesting captions wins the honourable pleasure of buying me dinner :D Hurrah!

The Right Step Into Career-hood

2007-02-14T22:56:00.000+08:00

It feels like a millennia since I last updated that I can quite instantaneously think of several similes at the top of my head.

I update my blog as often as Zebras change stripes.

I update my blog as often as I sleep.

I update my blog as often as public toilets are cleaned.

Sorry about that nasty last bit. You’ll have to excuse my absence from my little kingdom in this vast, cold virtual realm because lately, I’ve been spending an eternity here.

I should move there. Permanently.

Yes, I’m done with university and am proudly working full-time at the station on ‘Da’ Brkfst Shw! The job is fantastic. I thoroughly love getting freebies, meeting the myriads of people, working with fabulous – and diva-ish – colleagues, as well as seeing the marketing side of broadcasting.

Make no mistake however, the job’s as fun as it is demanding. It helps to have a strong team around you, but you’ll still be swept by strong undercurrents if you fail to ‘swim’. Make your laps and you’ll be generously rewarded for doing a good job.

All this ‘swimming’ means you won’t have much time for yourself unless you’re a brilliant time manager and a worker with the tenacity of a wild hog (it ties in with Chinese New Year).

And speaking of hogs, I managed to grab snippets off Sarah’s latest post on Russell Peters being disallowed to perform here on our shores. I don’t think I get it.

We have the right to know why. I’m personally quite curious about their ‘air-tight’ reasons. It is, I assure you, as air-tight as reasons why we can’t show bottles or glasses of liquids on the telly. Or why we can’t show cleavage while foreign bought programmes get away with miles and miles of ‘longkang’.

The simplest things are censored these days, as though those on their thrones have a quota to meet. Maybe it’s seven tongues, nine longkangs, and three bushes (only one of which is inhuman) per month?

Heaven knows.

Heaven also knows how lonesome Valentines Day is.

I know it’s over commercialized, I know it’s just 24 hours, I know it’s peer pressure, but it stinks like a skunk to spend Valentines alone.

You can decide for yourselves if I’m sobbing or constipated. There it is, democracy in action!

Of Personal Convictions & Camp Pics...

2007-01-15T22:52:00.000+08:00

Mamak stalls seem to be the centre of all great conversations and debates, where both hearsay and truths are indiscriminately exchanged amongst the rakyat. Me, being at the start of my working life, realised that a huge majority of my peers see no future in working for our nation, where favouritism and nepotism reigns mightily over meritocracy.

I agree that to eke out a living here is difficult, but as much as that is so, our nation is also full of opportunities for those willing to rough it out. I’m not being naïve for I know all too well about the system and the status quo that exists, but I simply won’t allow hopelessness to affect me. It’s pointless and counterproductive.

I just had dinner with my parents and once more, they’ve proven themselves difficult to speak to. It is proving to be frustrating as I try to reason or bring my point across. Parents being parents are terribly sure of themselves and are right no matter what. The old cliché holds true and it probably became one because it is true!

The exceptional ones actually *do* listen to you, knowing full well that you’re not a carbon copy of themselves, but another person altogether, an actual individual. I’ve noticed how parents of any kind are quick to shoot an idea or ideology down simply because they’ve tried it and it doesn’t work for them.

Adults in general are prone to be jaded. Disillusioned about the working world and frustrated with the nation’s economy and political system, they trudge around spreading their skepticism and pessimism, more so if you’re of their own flesh and blood.

But I’m sick of it. If everyone thought that way how are things going to be better.

Yes, they’ve probably been through some hard times in their lives, but to then allow that experience to forever change your fundamental ideals is a sad thing.

I believe in the power of change, and that people are in the state that they’re in because they give up or choose to be. I know I can because I’m empowered by my faith and know that like minded people can make a difference. I also believe that pessimism and acceptance of ‘the way things are’ are the obstacles of change. I refuse to be jaded and I refuse to be part of the herd.

I can’t ‘Moo’ anyways.

Call it the fresh grad symptom or naiveness, we must be more than just what the status quo feels we should be, irregardless of the uphill challenges.

As my friend would put it, “Have more guts man!”

Church Camp 2006 was fantastic, I went with expectations and it was not only met, but surpassed all that I thought it’d be. Best of all no one sabo-ed anyone in my dorm. I took many pictures, but decided that a few of them would look nice in black and white. Most of my pictures were focused more on the overall camp itself, hence more random shot of ‘stuff’. So here they are, Church Camp 2006 in Black and White:

This is PeaceHaven, a retreat for church goers and a wonderful place to take a breather from the daily grind. The place is gorgeously set on the side of the mountain where the occasional cloud would roll gracefully through.

The lack of pollution there means clearer skies and more dramatic images *smiles*. This picture is aptly (but uncreatively) named, “The Gathering Masses”.

To control the masses is Crystal who helps them along their daily tasks like lining up or keeping quiet. The loud hailer is an absolute necessity.

The said masses’ footwear. One shoe’s fine, but bundle a couple of hundred around and you’ll be sniffing aromatic fragrances unlike any other (that’s a promise).

Speaking of footwear, the people maintaining Peacehaven need them too. They’re quite a mysterious bunch, disappearing during the day and seen only during lunch or dinner. At least we know what they wore.

The camp speaker, Andrew Gray, for whom the masses were gathering to hear. He’s incredibly straight to the point while being highly receptive to the Holy Spirit! Truly a source of food for the soul :)

Food of any other kind will just have to come in the form of “Noodles in a Cup”. This is Ah-Soong as we call him. A really down to earth and fun chap to hang out with. I really shouldn’t be embarrassing him with this picture. Muahahaha.

Somehow or rather, portraits are a whole lot nicer up in Peacehaven. I attribute it to the somewhat diffused mountain light. It really adds that extra punch~ J

As a natural poser Chubes rarely flinches from a photo opportunity *grins*. He’s my faithful and amazing CG leader in church, who is seen here standing on “the spot”. I name this spot the “Poised to Pose” spot – it’s fantastic for egoistical shots!

And this is the world’s best selling book, the Bible. It amazes me everytime I read it – it’s got answers for absolutely everything. You’ve just got to look hard enough. That’s Valerie’s copy – suitably weathered too, a testimony to how much she uses it!

I love the little little things in Peacehaven, like how you can find the oddest looking plant-life in the most unassuming places.

Sometimes photography is what keeps me sane.

The First of January

2007-01-06T00:39:00.000+08:00

We stood there together watching the fireworks as the crowd below cheered incessantly, ooh-ing and aah-ing every now and then with the occasional wah lau to break the monotony.

I mellowed somewhat in the midst of all the commotion and counting. And by the way, no one knew when to count, so we fell back to our herd instinct and muttered some gibberish number or the other with some finishing faster.

Something coursed through my veins, but it wasn’t excitement, it wasn’t mass anxiety, it certainly wasn’t adrenaline, but a strange calm, like a quiet day on an empty beach.

It’s January fifth now and on hindsight, I was probably still clinging on to 2006. Stuck in the holiday swing of things, I wasn’t really active -- like hippos at zoo Negara. But that’ll all come to an abrupt halt.

There’s so much to do and tons to achieve in 2007. And just like the years before, I bravely declare that this’ll be the year for many things; My Christian faith, important relationships in my life ;), a career in broadcast journalism, a friend’s wedding (you know who you are Daphey *winks*), backpacking, the performing arts, and heaven knows what else’s in store.

It might’ve been slow, but it took me five days to finally realize that my first of January 2007 begins tomorrow.

Happy New Year!

Ramblings of a slowly sloshed mind on Christmas Eve (it's arguably the longest title yet)

2006-12-24T23:52:00.000+08:00

It seems odd and paradoxical that KLites are partying hard while states affected by floods struggle on. I felt guilty sitting in the restaurant a while back with an over abundance of seafood piled on the table, but it comforts me somewhat to read that things are generally improving for the victims. It seems like the only thing we can do is donate as there’re hardly any calls for volunteers to assist.

These floods left thousands homeless and several killed. Neighbouring countries like Indonesia are suffering from floods as well where in Sumatra, more than 70,000 are fleeing their homes for higher ground. They’re blaming illegal loggers, but I personally feel that a larger force or factor is at hand.

We’re seeing more and more disasters coupled by weird weather over the past few years, a sure sign of our changing globe – decades of uncontrolled polluting are finally taking its toll. Our country especially is miles behind environment-conscious New Zealand, often called the Mecca for outdoor lovers, in terms of conservation efforts.

We could ramble on about inefficient governmental campaigns like the ‘tak nak’ bit but that simply kills more brain cells, of which I treasure immensely. The corruptive possibilities are endless.

This, oddly enough, brings us to Christmas, a day laden with commercialism, rampant images of obese Santas, and the objectification of Santarinas.

Some of you may object and say, “Lighten up, it’s Christmas!”

But I’ve gotten overly saturated with what the world deems as the true spirit of Christmas along with the commercialism of it all. Vomit-ish am I at the thought of Christmas shopping lists and Sales.

Well yes, I’m poor but that has nothing to do with anything. Maybe a tad.

Don’t get me wrong, I adore certain bits of Christmas. For one, it’s a reminder and reaffirmation of my faith in Him and a gentle prod for me to renew my efforts for New Years resolutions. Secondly, and this is a frivolous reason, I like Christmas trees and their bling-bling decorations.

And so in a stroke of madness I bought a Christmas tree for my house – blinking lights, glistening balls, miniature bells with gold dust and all. The family, not wanting the blame for buying this one-day-in-a-year decoration, proceeded to blame my sister (they’re adoringly useful *grins*).

A tinge of regret settled over me for a while having spent precious sums on that plastic vegetation, but it all went away soon after because it looked stunning.

I then reasoned that we could always put the tree up during Raya and Chinese New Year – just hang ang pows instead of bells or balls. Talk about value for money.

I’ve rambled quite enough for one night. May jolly well be sloshed on wine. There’s a difference between shamelessly drunk and happily sloshed mind you. ;)

A shiny bola decoration at the Curve makes for great self portraits on Christmas eve.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to one and all, and may thy dreams cometh true as 2007 beckons thee! Sally forth boldly oh yee who art brave!

The Charms of Langkawi

2006-12-01T18:44:00.000+08:00

Nine out of ten people I know aspire to travel our blue globe and are inspired by the likes of Ian Wright from Lonely Planet, an interesting chap no less. “Lucky” would be better a word to use here.

I, and a million other Joes would kill for a job like his. I doubt you’d be paid very much, but perks of the job would just flow forth to thy hands aplenty! That’s why people working for flight companies stay so happy (free tickets anyone?)

‘Tis true, such sentiments arose a good four years back when I first voyaged into college and opened my eyes to the possibilities of seeing the world via education, but a good many of you know how that worked out.

Like an artic penguin, my plans didn’t ‘fly’.

Now that left me with two possibilities to still do my travels. I could work till I’m sickly rich and travel then, or do what any poor graduate does – backpack. Mum gave me a mused look and I, quite annoyed at this point, said “I *can* do this.”

“You get lost in KL,” she replied coolly.

Anyway, regardless of how you look at it, both options have their charms. On one hand you’d want to be financially able to spend any amount you wish on anything and everything, or you could scrap through but experience more ‘adventure’ by really exploring. I’d do both really, but we’ll see ;)

More recently though, I adopted a third option – traveling with parents. Lots of pros and cons that one, but an option nonetheless, especially when it involves an island holiday!

Tax-free Langkawi has been a hot tourist destination lately, mostly because things there are dirt cheap…the island’s not half as pretty as other land masses around and sported typical Malaysian cleanliness issues like random mountains of rubbish on streets.

As I’ve said, the only other attraction here is the cheap tax-free goodies. I had no idea tax on certain items could be that much. I felt a tad bit guilty though for treating the trip as more of a photo opportunity than one of relaxation with my family…till I started snapping. And Yes, the camera is very much my third arm, a part of the body.

We took the cheapest route to the island via highway to Penang and later by ferry. I’ve always said that to fully enjoy a faraway place, you can’t spend too long travelling or you’ll end up dead tired when you get there. Alternatively, you could spend more days there.

En-route to Penang we saw this hallmark kampung house. I’ve always had a fetish for wood-ish looking homes and still pester my parents to fit our home with wood floorings.

A fair bit of waiting was done at the jetty on Penang as the ferry was running late. That’s my grandmother up front, my parents behind, and my bratty (but sweet) sister on the side. If I could, I’d name this a ‘generations-in-a-row’ sort of picture!

We hadn’t much to do during the first day on the island so my cousin and I plopped by a fishing village. I was there for the photo opportunities, he for the boats. Fishermen sitting nearby were too dumbfounded by us two silly city folks and didn’t bother shooing us away (free entertainment).

These children were colouring pictures by the beach unattended, but that’s alright. The island is generally safe and extremely laid back. Heck, you *don’t* even need to pay for parking!

Some random cat was on the prowl and had followed us for a good 5 minutes.

Many folks visiting Langkawi are there for the beach, golf, or shopping, but those seeking other tourist spots should definitely check out the ‘Galleria Perdana’. During Dr.M’s years as our Prime Minister, he received goodies, gifts and memorabilia from visiting ministers or foreign diplomats. How much goodies you ask? Enough to start and fill a museum-cum-gallery of it!

My sister loves the idea of being Prime Minister so she can get her own set of ‘goodies’. She’s seen her in front of Da-man himself.

There must’ve been thousands of individual items on display there! Here’s one for horse lovers. It’s a “Sculpture of Horse head from lapis lazuli” and hails from Chile.

A great many of Japan’s gifts included incredibly detailed dolls like the one above of a uh…geisha?

It’s amazing to see the amount of detail on the fabric like the one above. All of them, I think, are handmade, which makes it even more impressive.

This one’s slightly creepy though.

It’s from our neighbours up north! Unfortunately I’ve forgotten its exact origins (could’ve been Cambodia).

I hope that’s a letter opener.

The structure where all these amazing displays were in is a masterpiece in itself. Clearly taking Islamic motifs and designs as inspiration, you’ll get to see meticulously crafted or painted dome designs like these –

His Imperial Majesty, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko’s picture were also on display. An odd gift I must say, but it lends ideas to future birthday gifts *grins*.

Other spots include the Sky Bridge that is accessible only by cable car.

I’m terrified of heights and so this really shook my bowels.

Whatever bowels left came spurting out when I saw the actual Sky Bridge…

Sure, it’s held by conspicuous looking wires, but the whole thing’s tilted! As you walk towards the center, the cursed bridge sways a whole lot! I tried calming my nerves, but gave it all up when I noticed rusty nails on the railings.

My gloating sister crossed the bridge…six times. I attributed it to her small frame and low center of gravity.

At least I went up there. My mom on the other hand *preferred* to stay below and shop for souvenirs like these wind chimes ;)

I adore taking random pictures of nothing and this is just one of them. It’s a telecommunications tower that sits prettily on the highest point of the island. I’m unsure if it’s being used to transmit Langkawi’s own radio station ;) How cool’s that!

We hired a boat to take us around the mangrove areas of Langkawi *and* to see them feed eagles. I must apologise though, I just couldn’t get decent pictures of eagles swooping about.

Slower moving animals like cats are fine though.
Cats are cooler than eagles anyway.

Many locals cash in on tourists and set up shops all about the island, but it’s hardly a mad rush to sell things.

Water makes for interesting pictures because of how fluid they are. This was taken at a nearby five star hotel pool. We were visiting the place in hopes of seeing Azhar Mansor’s yatch but were told it was sent away for maintenance. *sighs*.

Fortunately there were lots of other things to see…

One day I’ll own my own yatch :P

On one of those evenings, we finally went to the beach!

I was suitably excited about it all obviously. Call it nerdy enthusiasm or a photographer’s buzz, I was just pumped up about it.

The weather was looking great, the waves were rolling nicely, and everything was just picture perfect.

For the longest time, I’ve wanted an opportunity to snap the clichéd sunset beach pictures, and I finally got it :)

It was more self fulfilling than anything else. I wasn’t the only one on the beach keen for a good picture – many others were scrambling for their cameras and camcorders. I think no trip to an island is complete without seeing an actual sunset or sunrise, and I’m just happy to have seen one at an age where I can appreciate it all.

I feel that it’s important to have a child like fascination for things around you when you’re on holiday, and especially if you’re on an island. I came to Langkawi expecting nothing but upon closer inspection, the island does have it’s charms :)

*Sighs*…will one day retire there lah.

Lack-xercise :(

2006-11-06T19:37:00.000+08:00

People are whiney. They’ve always been since time immemorial and are as prevalent as garden weed. Just as people back then complained about horses and manure, people today are no different. “Wah! The lift’s taking FOREVER macha! I could shave and re-shave myself and still it won’t come! If me leh I would have thought th--,” complained a man with arm hair aplenty at the mall near my home.

Acting upon his word I impatiently took the stairs and discovered rather painfully, that fitness, like Rome, wasn’t built in a day. 10 steps up were fine and I gleefully did it. At 30 my muscles started throbbing and my arms flailed about. At 45 my heart collapsed and bled. Well not really but it felt like it did.

Yeah you’re right, I’ve complained about my fitness before, and I’m complaining about complaining people like myself complaining. It’s my way of saying I haven’t been exercising as I’ve resolved myself to do.

Church members recalled my advocacy for healthy living and the essentiality of bodily fitness coupled with mental dexterity. Unbeknownst to them I hardly have the willpower to wake up that early on weekends. Days that I *do* wake up are spent on more important matters ;) (And you, denounce those filthy thoughts now!)

“I would if I could. But I’m not sure if I should,” said Pooh once on the telly with his honey jar in hand. I share his sentiments as one of those who are inflicted with lack-xercise. Casually, I did a quick search online looking for reasons why we shouldn’t exercise. I should anyhow in case my parents badger me about exercising.

The most obvious of these is air pollution. You’re doing more bad than good I say by being nature’s loving air filters each time we breathe.

Rishaad and myself during those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer.

Howstuffworks.com quotes that the average adult inhales and exhales roughly 8 liters of air per minute, amounting to 11,000 liters a day. That’s insane. Our lungs I imagine (without science to back me up) are like soft tissue sponges that air particles love sticking themselves to. Not a pretty thought at all.

Other theorists state how the heart, like a car engine (probability of theorists being men is rather high), has a limited number of beats. In short you’re wearing your heart out the more beats it takes, hence exercising accelerates death. Temptingly logical.

Another states how stopping exercise can have “adverse psychological effects.” Depressive symptoms and mood swings happen when usual exercisers stop their routine for several days. And though it does not reach “clinically significant levels” logic says “Why risk that by exercising horr?”

This last one tops the lot. Someone out there researched that you’d have a “4000% higher risk of being hit by a car or other motor vehicle, if you're out running, runners and walkers were nearly 3 times more likely to be attacked by dogs, 5 times more likely to sprain or break a limb, and nearly 50 times more likely to be struck by lightning. You're even 12 times as likely to be mugged.” Verrrry verrrry logical.

And still, having said all that, I’d rather exercise…those were just reasons I tell myself to feel better about not exercising, which is bad. Good news is that you sometimes needn’t go out of your way to exercise. Things as simple as walking and washing your car can burn calories away (if you haven’t got a car, I do *winks*). A wise man once said, why lift dumbbells when you can work the farm (economic benefits, not bad at all).

Many of you out there though will be happy to know that ‘scientists’ have concluded that uhh… that if you’re punishing the porpoise, shakin' hands with the fat man, clearing the muppet, corralling the spam javelin, choking yourself into emission, choking the sheriff and waiting for the posse to come, tickling the Elmo, cleaning out your rope, digging for change, wrestling with the one-eyed superhero, or slamming the one-eyed field mouse with the purple turtle-neck sweater... you’re kinda exercising too.

How convenient.

Leela! Our favourite one-eyed heroine! (picture courtesy of http://www.sf-radio.net/futurama/bilder)

(Disclaimer: I am not in any way abetting the above “methods” of exercises as a medical methodology of maintaining fitness nor do I personally testify to practice them all)

So there.

Zoo-rific!

2006-10-21T06:54:00.000+08:00

Weeks ago I woke up surprised to find my usual (but gorgeous) Malaysian morning transform into the misty grey dawn of London town. “Wah,” I thought, “I can’t go to London so London comes to me!” Then logic clouts me on the head as I sniff the all too familiar fumes of haze.

But it’s different this time around.

The haze that we were used to blatantly choked nasal passages of innocent Malaysians and were typically madly obvious. But the recent “brand” of haze seems to be the haute couture version of it – grey and unassuming, high note scents with hints of still burning ash and slow but acute negative health effects.

Never has there been so many coughing, feverish, eye-watering, mouth quivering sick peeps wandering the streets as such a time as this! I myself am nursing a sore eye, dry coughs, and achy lungs. Somehow, because it is so incons-freaking-picuous, people let their guard down. Hardly anyone for example bothers with a face mask even. Those who do are met with curious eyes and flaring nostrils (well maybe, but what a mental image!).

It wouldn’t help though. These ash particles are so much finer now, almost dust-ish, that it seems impossible to filter out using conventional means (yes that includes t-shirts, old cloths and the common ‘hand-over-mouth’). It’s bad news for your health if you have been inhaling chunk loads of it throughout the day.

The naturalist in me quivers for our native animals too because apparently, wildlife seems to be suffering along side their human brethrens. An online article was written on the lack of fireflies and other wildlife in Kuala Selangor lately due to haze. It’s a popular spot for tourist and Malaysian jakuns like myself to see fireflies perform synchronise flashing. But they “were there, but were less energetic” said one boatman in the article.

Animals in the wild weren’t the only ones choking because those in captivity suffered too, much to my dismay. I know because I was at Country Zoo (Zoo Negara) last Monday just for fun. The weather didn’t hold at all.

Inspired by JenHan and his friends, a bunch of us decided that we too would go harass the local inhabitants of our infamous zoo.

(Clockwise from top) Armed with little more than cameras and a sense of curiosity, Sian Jeen, Grace and Joanne were quite prepared to go shooting.

I was just as keen since it was the perfect opportunity to try my new Nikon 18-200mm VR lenses. Perhaps, I thought, we’d catch some animals dying as I had a pitiful regard for our local zoos and the way they were run.

But surprise surprise, it was not too bad at all! Despite bumming about and being generally inactive, the animals were amazing to look at up close. There’s a feeling of wonderment that could never be experienced from watching these creatures on the idiot’s box. And besides, where else could you snap photographs of animals wild enough to have you for lunch.

We spotted a gorgeous blue and gold macaw just hanging about in the open. It looked friendly until it began screeching at a thousand decibels.

Curious how goats bleating can sound so much like my name! This really friendly one called me “maaaaat”.

It was really early in the morning when we started, hence animals like the tortoise were still largely asleep.

Boars are hideously ugly and yet, this ugliness makes it curiously cute.

We were quite busy snapping away, hence the lack of knowledge on what these animals are! This for example is a mini-kangaroo-thingy-majigg voraciously downing its breakfast.

These huge nocturnal flying foxes were slowly settling in to rest for the day by the time we got to them.

The Reptile Centre somewhere within the Zoo houses well…reptiles, including this unblinking iguana-thingy-ma-jigg.

Certain other animals found there were incredibly sad looking, resigned to their fate of a lifetime in captivity. This Malaysian Sun Bear thinks so…

And so does this monkey.

Too young to comprehend, this baby monkey becomes engrossed in getting food and attention from us. The rusty steel bars are sad reminders of its safe but ultimately cooped up world.

Zoo Negara aren’t very big on crocodiles. There were only two or so big crocodiles to feed our Steve Irwin fantasies.

Camels are strange reminders of Chris Rock to me – huge teeth and a flexible lower lip. I don’t know.

Its long neck means it can’t just scratch itself on the face, hence it’s tongue (un)fortunately has to fill that role.

The elephant pen was disappointing. They had to chain them to their places deep inside their enclosure, so we couldn’t quite see them up close. Their stools however made their presence well felt…

Mostly blind, these rhinos never moved away from me as I clicked until I started making too much noise with my feet – they’ve marvellous hearing!

And this has to be the highlight of the Zoo! Unbelievably striking in its pose, the tiger really is graceful.

A pool of deep water is all that separates zoo visitors from them. I got a tad bit concerned at this because well…can’t tigers swim?

Am loving the fur and poise of this big cat.

That’s more than I can say for this lion. Looked terribly old, lethargic, and reclusive. Had to wait forever for him to even stand, and even as he did, he did so far far away. Could barely spot him.

Conversely, this ostrich was a mere three feet away, perfect to be photographed J

I thought that would be the end of it, but Zoo Negara had expanded their grounds! I’ve never seen a Savannah Walk are before, but they have one now. Big herbivores are allowed to graze this large area while visitors sit under a gazebo playing “I-spy” J. Zebras were feeling particularly moody then I guess.

The giraffes on the other hand…

Storks and pelicans and other birds litter the lake freely.

“We did it!” cries Sian Jeen while the rest of us looks on :P

All in all the zoo was surprisingly fun and yet depressing – not everything was in good condition while some of the exhibits were dirty. It really is a chicken and the egg story. Less people visit the zoo because it doesn’t offer anything new, but without visitors, the zoo does not have funds to do so!

So why not pop by our zoo if you haven’t done so in a long while. At RM15 per person, I can’t see a reason not to! *grins*

Life thus far

2006-09-30T23:42:00.000+08:00

It.is.crunch time.

Everything that we’ve had to work for in my final semester is boiling down to the last bit of sweat and tears. Moments of random insanity are becoming common with Jim Carrey and Tyra Banks impersonations blipping in once in a while (you know who you are lol).

We’re able to cope with our piles upon piles of work, but only barely. Well I am anyways, not sure about the others, but I reckon they’re doing a whole lot better! “Yee of poor time management,” my mom would say. “You bring it upon yourself sei chai.”

Quite recently I interviewed KhaiLee for an article I’m writing on. He’s an ex Djian and he’s doing quite well for himself now I must say (don’t most Djians, heh)! As the co-founder of Project Bazooka (find out what this project is all about here), this zesty chap has a *ton* of ideas radiating from every orifice of his body on how to improve the local music scene. Never mind if they work or not, that’s quite secondary. Any idea is a learning process. I also agree with many of his mantras about work ethics, ideals, and giving back to society through different means as well – something that many working people today have lost sight of.

Preaching’s over.

Apart from work (which can be terribly depressing if one dwells on it), people who’ve flown down from the UK for the summer are migrating back north once more. I’m already missing them dearly and can’t deny that I wished I had met up more often. *sighs* But there’s always December right Vonn? *winks* Summer has been an amazing period where so much has happened in such a short period. Seasons of change can be wonderful sometimes (yes, I’m being aptly vague).

As for photography, I’m quite ready to take it to the next level and invest in some heavy duty lenses…with some help from my dad of course. The Nikkor 50mm has served me well and is a joy to use (wonderful depth-of-field), but the inability to have a wider or more telephoto range is killing me! My kit lens (the 18-70mm) still lies in ruins and I’m afraid that’s all there is to my poor darling. I haven’t the resources to fix her up.

Interesting finding – a HUGE number of people are taking immense interest in photography! Hooray! I’d attribute most of it to the advent of digital cameras and blogs. Most are unsure about taking it up as a hobby (albeit an expensive one) but I highly recommend it! Digital makes it so terribly accessible to every Tom, Dck, and Harry.

There’s just a wonderful feeling of creation and achievement when you snap a good picture that you know conveys some sort of emotion in others. As for it being an expensive hobby, what hobby isn’t? Any interest becomes costly when you plan on being serious about it (even stamp collectors have it hard). Arguments like sleeping or jogging-in-place are examples of a costless hobby will not be entertained. And if you wish to grab some tips on taking better pictures, just visit the dozens of FREE and wonderful photography sites that are readily available online!

The biggest myth is that you need an expensive Digital SLR to start it off, but you don’t. Any point and click will make as good a picture as an SLR, just perhaps not as much creative power as one.

It’s perfectly fine however to jump right in with a prosumer camera that allows basic toggling of the aperture, shutter-speed, and ISO functions. You can usually get one of those for roughly RM1600. I’d love to see the photography community growing! Will post up sites of friends who do photography pretty soon.

Love the sense of freedom that you get from flying. This was during a flight back from Langkawi as we passed over Sepang Airport. The scarring of land prods me to question if we are overdeveloping our nation's natural resources without thinking about issues of sustainability... Hmm.

Nostalgia...

2006-08-23T09:24:00.000+08:00

After all the sweat, negotiations, and endless worries, S’kali will be screening this coming 14th of September at Cathay Cineplex, Cineleisure Damansara!

Hop on here or here to find out more on S’kali!

They really have been through so much – getting major cinemas to screen them for example was quite a concern.

I thought it outrageous that our own Malaysian made films are being shelved and pushed aside for larger blockbusters. As an old Malay saying goes, “kera di hutan disusu, anak di riba mati kelaparan” (you feed a monkey from the wild but not your own). Go figure.

And considering that the people behind the movie consists of mostly peeps from SEKOLAH MENENGAH KEBANGSAAN DAMANSARA JAYA, I’m pretty dang proud to be a fellow Djian.

*sings school song*
“Berilmu untuk Berjasaaa…”
(I’m not typing the rest -- I’ve forgotten them)

Funnily enough, my school memories were uneventful to say the least. They have however grown into great tales of bravery, cunning, and wisdom after many years of retelling them. Eg. my sister thinks I’m a school legend – both athletic and a master mathematician. *koffs*

I went out last weekend for a walk in the park with my sister – had wanted some time off and thought it’d be great to run around in gardens again like I used to. Didn’t expect how tiring it would be though - I was spent after 5 minutes.

It was however a great photo opportunity which confused my sister greatly.

Sister: YAaay! A Park! Wheeeeeeee…
Me: Ya. Lets go (grabs camera)

*Sister runs around the swings as I snap away*

Sister: *phants*
Me: (looks into pictures taken) Hmm… girl, run again.
Sister: Uh… *runs around swings again with perturbed look on face*
Me: Hm…again. Look…happier.
Sister: Uh…

It’s not as torturous as it sounds because she soon ignored me and went around doing her thang, giving me a tour of the park, telling me the history of the swings and pipes while I rolled my eyes.

Sister: I can’t slide if you’re there kor kor.

My sister has little faith in the integrity of swings these days. She kept yelling that “It’ll break wan!”

I’ve quite forgotten what these contraptions were called, you know, the boxy steel bars stacked on one another? Was it called the ‘jungle gym’? Or simply ‘coloured steel’?

It was a good 20 minutes before she refused to cooperate anymore having worked the equipments in the park. I was half beat too, all sweaty and dirty with grass everywhere…

…and feeling terribly nostalgic. I miss my childhood days.

600 Blows

2006-08-12T15:07:00.001+08:00

The phrase ‘TVB Drama’ cannot even begin to explain how my past few weeks have been. Various ups and downs flash by so rapidly that I simply don’t have the time to completely crack or comprehend them.

Time management has also been my biggest bane – there are simply NOT enough hours in a day to fully satisfy me. 40 hours would be nice, but actually, I’d probably squander all 40 anyhow.

The news so far (in news format since I am doing journalism)

Man Finds Number '600' Unlucky

...'"600” seems to be the magic number this month as Matthew Ong, 21, an underprivileged undergraduate, struggles with an assortment of mechanical and electronic problems.

...The ill-fated man has been thrown into bankruptcy earlier last month after a string of unfortunate events, namely the malfunction of his handphone, camera lens, and his vehicle.

...“I’ve had to fork out nearly RM1800 in total for everything!” said Ong.

...“The SLR lens themselves cost RM600 to repair, my mobile an additional 600, and my car’s ailing air conditioning another 600 as well!”

...However, before nearly paying RM600 for car repairs, police were able to halt the transaction, following the cheating scandal by dishonest mechanics near Atria Parkson Grand.

...“We advised Ong to another mechanic who charged RM400 less than the first. We are trying to help him as much as we can,” said the teary-eyed police, Inspector Buh Khan Rheal.

...Police are also investigating other establishments to answer questions to what many believe to be a conspiracy against Ong.

...Thankfully, some of the financial aid was available from an international bank, Bank L.P™ (Loving Parents) in the form of petty cash.

...L.P financial advisors close to Ong from the organization refused to comment, but they are allegedly furious.

...“I can only hope for better times ahead this coming month, but you never know-lah,” Ong said grudgingly.

...He has yet to settle his bills.

Ong during happier times.

Mere moments...

2006-07-15T23:23:00.000+08:00

I was listening to some classic jazz a while back, scrolling through my list of songs, each with its own distinctive memories and emotions…

when *BAM*. It hit me.

And just like that, I had my ‘moments’...

…that sudden deep desire to do something significant, something amazing, something meaningful, something romantic...

…that impulsive instinct to live a life only seen on big-screen romance, musical, and adventure films…

…that intense want of making a difference to lives … any kind of difference…

…that wonderful drive to excel and live life just the way God intended it to be – a fulfilling, lovely, and beautiful one…

...that undying and stubborn optimism in me, pounding on and on about a troubled world that still has hope (this is, I admit, a slightly miss world sorta moment)…

…that ‘unsatisfied-to-be-merely-where-I-am-now’ feeling that so often overwhelms you during periodic moments in your life.

I want, need and crave for something, but I don’t know what.

The reason why all this sounds so frighteningly vague and abstract is because it simply is, and that’s what worries me – why am I feeling this way? I despise going through ‘moments’ sometimes … too much to think about and more importantly, too much drama.

And because of the sheer lack of ability on my part to fully explain what you just read, it frustrates me so (which is why I’m looking into joining some creative-writing class).

Sleeping on your troubles and praying about it helps, which is exactly what I’m going to do.

*sighs*

Moments are wonderful, confusing, and embarrassing things *groans*. Maybe it’s only because I’m intoxicated with swing and jazz. I don’t know. Am I the only one who goes through this mysterious wave of passion? (sounds wrong, I know)

Your thoughts?

The week...so far~

2006-06-24T01:50:00.000+08:00

It’s wild how everything happens at one go! – Football has infiltrated every nook and cranny of my world, friends from overseas are down (but some are about to fly off), and my internship is set to end by next week, Friday.

Shockingly, I had assumed that I’d have another month to myself, but not so – it’s only a week! That’s hardly enough time I think (then again, when is there ever enough!)

*Sighs*

Quite honestly, I’m going to miss the TV station. I really am. If anything, I love working with the people – some of the most devoted, talented and hard working peeps operate there. I’ve spent countless of hours with them and feel family-ish (if you will) about being in the team.

Yes, the lines are cornier than a corn farmers farm, but all absolutely true.

Really though, what separates the job from most others is the spontaneity of it all – no one day is the same. There’s something about television broadcasting journalism that you don’t find in print media, and I love it.

Don’t get me wrong though, there’s no enmity between both worlds of course, just mutual understanding of the differences. We’re all one happy family eventually, cooperating with one another when it facilitates to everyone’s convenience.

As always, being in the media offers you windows of opportunities which you otherwise would never get, and I adore the little perks you receive as a ‘media officer’~ more on that some other day *winks*

Great photo opportunities were also bountiful – I brought my camera whenever I went on assignment, prepared to grab shots along the way J

Visited the Aquaria KLCC some time back on assignment and managed to take these few pictures. They were launching their “Dive with Sharks” program which allows absolutely anyone to have a chance to dive with sharks.

Chefs were on location to provide media guests food for the event. After a while the place feels like typical Chinese restaurants with huge aquarium tanks to see what you’re eating. This one chef was admiring at the gorgeous display … either that or he sees potential meals.

Now, suicidal or not, you’ve got to fork out a decent RM 400 or so before taking the plunge. Before jumping right in though, they would of course have lessons and proper briefings, all of which serve as a reminder of how powerful these sharks are.

Wouldn’t it stink to have had paid RM400, but lose a limb in the process? Tough…

I found the sharks quite difficult to snap pictures at, and they’re not particularly brightly lit either. This last one is one of my favourites. No real reason why though.

I do have more recent pictures, but I can’t load it due to the horrid battery (I’m out of it). I’ve been fidgety and worried for the past few hours because my battery charger is missing! My careless ways are getting me into larger and larger lards of poo poo everyday… cursed be my memory!

My Mini mini Mini...

2006-06-11T20:18:00.000+08:00

This month must surely be one of the more exciting seasons – I’ve friends streaming back home from all the world over, the internship is wonderful thus far, church bible classes are underway and I seem to be getting sufficient sleep (yay!)

Every month should be like this one, where each day is fresh, bright, exhilarating, stimulating, relaxing etc. And while you can never expect your life to be absolutely perfect, you can wholly appreciate and enjoy what you have.

Yes. I am deeply contented. For now.

Despite being ultra-contented at the moment, I have but one slight itch (not *that* sort of itch!). Katharine isn’t going to like this, but I have to admit what’s been buried in me for months – I’m in love with another.

Another car that is (Katharine’s my Wira. What’s with guys and naming their cars? That’s another story for another day).

She may not be much right now (nor mine), but getting her up and going will not plunge me into the depths of bankruptcy…for my parents…maaaybe.

But those are merely technicalities really, for what’s RM22,000 when you can own a classic car, a purebred, a mini of all minis, the epitome of petite cars. There’s so much style, so much…character.

If there’s one thing that’s impressive about it, it has to be its character. Not many cars have it – take the numerous soulless shoe boxes with wheels on our streets as an example.

I finally feel that I want a car that is enjoyable to drive. Never did I think it possible to have such a car…I’ve always leaned more towards the “Cars get you from A to B” school of thought, but since I drove Daniel’s 160hp Satria, I’ve packed my bags and fleed over to the “Cars get you from A to B *enjoyably*” school of thought.

Yes. It’ll cost more.

Yes. It’ll seem selfish (think of the poverty that surrounds you *sighs*)

Yes. You won’t be able to sell it once you buy it (resale value is almost non-existent, save for the few Mini enthusiasts around).

And still despite all that, getting your own mini is a deeply emotive decision (and a gratifying one at that).

Frankly, I’d be a tad bit too big for the car – my knees would hit my chest, my arms (unable to fit into the mini’s mini compartment) would flail aimlessly out the windows, and half the time, I’d be pressing the brakes, accelerator, and clutch all at the same time. But you’ll see a very very happy matty smiling (though slightly uncomfortably) while blazing down the highway at ‘decent’ speeds.

My one fear is that because of its size, larger vehicles like land-rovers and huge SUVs wouldn’t be able to see me on the next lane, thus crushing me like peanuts in between a monkey’s teeth when changing lanes (bad metaphor, bad metaphor).

After sending it to the workshop, it is my hope that my mini-mini mini will be absolutely transformed.

Before…

After…

The man standing next to it would be me by the way, *gyahahaha*.

I’m still RM22,000 away from my target, so I’ll start from today. You should always set reasonable goals and targets, so I’ve decided to save a grand sum of RM1 a day (sikit-sikit, lama-lama jadi bukit etc.)

Hold on…that translates to roughly 60 years before I reach my goal. Hm.

A journey of a thousand miles starts with a step… (oh boy)…

Taman Tun's Cendol Man

2006-05-30T01:04:00.000+08:00

I still have not given up jogging – just last Saturday I had my first in months with the help of a friend, Jason. Legs ached, muscles hurt, and my heart pleaded me to stop.

Jason was jogging along with me only because he was being courteous and didn’t want me jogging alone. I knew this because he disappeared like a gopher into its burrow the minute I gave him the green light to.

But I comforted myself knowing that with every step, I grew stronger. I was left panting for breath in no less than 10 minutes.

I thank God however that jogs only last for 10 to 15 minutes, and breakfasts lasts for hours. I think I ate more than I ran – the pounds shed came back with a vengeance to seek permanent residence.

Although a great man once said … “You lose some, you win some”. Hmm.

Having satisfied our immense hunger we traveled home with stomachs slightly bloated. We should’ve known though that in a country like ours, temptation is never too far away.

A man who was dressed neatly yet comfortably stood by his little motorbike-cendol-stall. ‘Twas a hot day and our mouths watered so, desperate for some cendoleth. We feareth the mighty sun and stoodeth there, gazing at it.

While getting our desserts fixed I fortunately had time enough to whip a few pictures of him. He complied quite easily…almost as though this was a norm!

The basic design of the ice-shredder thingy has stuck for years! Ultimately, an electrical one is too immobile and cumbersome no? And an effortlessly done cendol is not a good cendol – you need to sweat it out a little~

He was truly generous with the toppings. On top of that, he had pulut! Taking cendol without pulut is almost sinful. This cendol isn’t complete yet without…

…the milk-ish thing with green worms and cincau in it.

We had small chats with him about how long he did it and what he thought about the future of cendol as we downed the dessert. He told us of how he has been at it for 20 years and why he will never run out of business.

The answer was in the cendol.

He knows his s*ite.

Driftwood

2006-05-17T00:28:00.000+08:00

I was just sitting here when an awful thought struck me...

I don't know what I want from life.

The 'Lust' Supercar

2006-05-16T00:21:00.000+08:00

A simple click on youtube’s site sliced open my doors of desires in an instant. There he was, our affable public figure, Tom Cruise, struggling with his car’s passenger door. The vehicle, and not Cruise, caught my dear eyes, which by the way are struggling to carry the heavy bags beneath them (long hours at work, shorter hours asleep).

And unlike my eyes, there is absolutely no excess baggage with Cruise’s car, the Bugatti Veyron. It is reportedly spot-on in all departments – looks, class, speed, handling, and all that jazz.

Click Here To See

All this is old news to the car enthusiast of course. I myself have taken notice of the car, but never like this. It’s in a league of its own, its standards are beyond others, and it redefines the term ‘Super-car’. Selling at close to over 800,000 pounds, you have to be either terribly successful or rob a bank to afford this beauty.

Everything about it pleases the rich and influential – it’s fast, sexy, and simply impractical – it supposedly guzzles petrol as fast as it drives. The monstrous 8 liter (my Wira’s a mere 1.5) engine makes short work of a full tank of petrol, but delivers whooping amounts of torque. Roads *peel* off in the car’s wake, animals lose its fur and trees are striped of their leaves as it passes by.

Here’s why – it goes from naught to 60 mph in under 3 seconds. That’s how long it takes to type, “Hello! How are you?”

Bold and stocky, the majestic exterior reminds me of a prowling, adrenaline-filled cougar on steroids. Yet reviews say it’s a merciful creature which performs regardless of your driving style. So its smooth, highly maneuverable, convincingly stable, yet packs a wallop – “nice”.

At a thousand horse powers (my Wira has 88…when it's in a good mood.), this car effectively lays waste to other puny vehicles in its way. The major difference here is that the Veyron efficiently transfers its horsepower to actual power while others might not.

Now compare that to my Wira. Yes, it isn’t fair comparing a wild-hungry cougar to an old well-fed kucing rumah (house kitty), but kucing rumahs are all I have to compare the cougar with *looks down dejectedly*.

Kathy (the said kucing) sputters and croaks without fail every morning and saunters along roads while contributing to stress levels on streets. And while she is reliable, you’d sometimes wish she’d growl every now and then. All she does is sigh.

Hence, having read all that and watched videos of this here vehicle, I realized that I have a higher chance of getting hit by a car on the third floor of a building surrounded than to own or ride in a Veyron. HOW depressive.

But a great man always knows where, when, and how to pick his battles. There is but one pivotal, crucial or fundamental element that the Veyron lacks and will never have.

Me.

Three days and counting...

2006-05-10T21:58:00.000+08:00

I have not seen my family in days due to long hours at work – assignments pile up and time flies at the office. There is always something to do in this fast paced world of broadcast journalism, and while it is tiring, the satisfaction you get is indescribable.

The past three days at work has seen me bobbing around the deeper end of the pool. My colleagues believe deeply in the learning by experience.

Admittedly it is intimidating learning to swim while you drown, but if you don’t drown, you’d have come away with a wealth of experience.

I have done things I never thought I would in the past few days simply because everyone has given me the chance to do it. I don’t do it well either, but they have been ever so patient.

These people at Ntv7 work their *tooshies* off and have immense pride in what they do, which of course piles the pressure on you to give your absolute best. They certainly do!

Exhaustion is beginning to set in, but I reckon it’s due to me not adjusting to the timing just yet. I am most certainly not too much of a morning bird and waking up at 5.45 AM is most tiring (the division I work for is a live morning broadcast), but work is *never* boring.

Like a myriad of dishes at a buffet, you get something new to do everyday. Be it a launching, press conference or fashion show – you get to do it all! Of course if you have a cool lady boss like I do, you’d be allowed to learn everything about the entire process involved in broadcasting.

The only other thing I miss most while at work is being able to snap photographs. My previous photography assignment, which involved transport systems, had us dragging ourselves around the Klang Valley with our cameras in tow. Here are a few that I like:

Our famous landmarks are quite awe-inspiring from up there. Maybe it’s the different point-of-view.

People still hog the front of these trains though signs clearly disapprove of it. Clearly the fascination with movement and speed will always intrigue us…as you’ll see in the next picture.

Children are especially fascinated with the fast moving scenery! I love making them as subjects – they are unassuming and often do not mope around as most adults do.

Know what I mean?

This brave trio was spotted atop the covered control panel. The signs read “Keep Front Clear” but it’s hard to read what you are sitting on. They chattered in the way children do about favourite heroes and the possibility of being hit by on-coming trains.

Work, bills, conflicts, rape, murder, crime rates, accidents, etc – it is sometimes wonderful to escape it all and just let your thoughts run wild.

Our flag is most certainly one of the more complex ones around. Check out Italy or Poland! This picture was taken and composed from inside the train.

Here’s another one. I was feeling particularly patriotic. The ‘Wawasan 2020’ signboard seems washed up and old – the building itself looks weathered. Is ‘Vision 2020’ still within our young nation’s reach I wonder?

There’s beauty everywhere if you keep your eyes open. KL Central’s gorgeous supporting beams provide a nice frame-up for this piece.

I hope to post more photos up in the upcoming days if I’ve not passed out by then ;) Sleep by the way, is now a luxury I can't afford. *Bah* life's more exciting when high anyways. Cheers!

Random Tuesdays...

2006-05-02T00:52:00.000+08:00

...Jumping jelly beans (I didn’t just say that), my holidays are just around the bend! I’m there, but not quite there yet. Final paper on Friday, final assignment on Wednesday, including my ton of chores are all that stand before me and a loosely based concept of freedom.

...“Loosely based” because my internship starts right after at Ntv7. The office sits in Glenmarie alongside other larger factories lining the area. BMW and Audi’s headquarters are also based there where one could walk right in to test drive those gorgeous beauties. More on cars later.

...I was given a brief walkabout in Ntv7’s office and it just is the most friendly and fun loving workplace I’ve ever seen. The company culture is strong there and they really do live up to their “saluran ceria anda” motto – no doubts about it, they walk the walk and talk the walk which talks (hm).

...Sizably tiny, pleasant, fuzzy, cool – the office is all this and more. In line with the world cup season and their role as the official television network streaming live matches, the place was so heavily decorated.

...I’m really looking forward to working there! Work can’t get too crazy in a place with ceria-ness right?

...I’ve also been madly photographing anything and everything – being trigger happy basically. I’m absolutely enjoying photography at the moment by experimenting on any poor soul who walks my way (usually my forgiving siblings).

...Results range from disastrous to obscene (not too good a range huh), which just goes to further prove that you *really* don’t need a good camera to make fantastic pictures. Being at the right place and time is more than half the battle won.

...Which is exactly why I bring my camera around so much – you never know what or who might happen or pop out. Case in point: Sashaying about 1utama one Sunday this iconic figure decked in lovely-red caused quite a ruckus! I would’ve shot myself if I hadn’t brought my cam with me!

...She.was.*absolutely*.gorgeous.

What did I tell you.

...Her side-profile was perfect…

…...she wore lovely shoes…

...…she’s beautiful inside too…

…...and an absolutely engaging conversationalist!

What’s not to love *sighs*.

...This is in fact an organized charity lucky draw to help half a dozen or so charities by offering a chance to win *her* *swoons*. Every RM50 you donate earns you *one* ticket. Standing there and balancing the odds of winning, I felt the sheer impossibility of winning her over, but there’s a Charlie in all of us. Just maybe we can win this Wonka of a prize with *one* ticket.

...But shame on those who donate to get the car. *I’m* donating because I care *koff*. I do. Car or not, I’m donating.

...If you’ve never been to 1Utama’s outdoor ‘gardens’, you should. You can’t miss this tropical delight abundant with koi fishes.

...“WaaaaAh, there’re so many of them!” my younger brother cried. “They’re breeding like rabbits weh!”

...We later found out that no, they didn’t. New koi fishes are brought in every now and then to keep the ponds full said the guard. I’m not sure if the deceased kois died naturally or otherwise *hm*.

...A man ponders on this fact for a bit.

...So carry your cam around and pop a pic or two – after all, it’s free ;)

Midlife-Smitzlife...bah

2006-04-20T00:56:00.000+08:00

...In 1965, a psychoanalyst and social scientist, Elliott Jaques, found that abrupt changes in lifestyle and decline in productivity occurred at the age of 35. He coined it simply as “midlife crisis”, “a period of personal emotional turmoil and coping challenges that some people encounter when they reach middle age, accompanied by a desire for change in their lives, brought on by fears and anxieties about growing older.” (www.medterms.com).

...Utterly horrible syndrome to go through! I don’t know of many 35 year olds who suffer from it, but then again, I don’t know many 35 year olds. My friends and I discussed briefly about this once over at McDees with healthy helpings of never-grow-old-fries.

...Thing is, though I don’t know of any 35 year olds and their mid life crises, people of my age are undergoing similar syndromes.

...Surprising?

...Most certainly.

...We concluded that somehow, our generation experience tremendous pressure to succeed at a younger *and* younger age. Media hypes about 20, 18, 17, and even 16 year old millionaires (like celebrities or business savvy individuals) makes it seem logical that we should at least be just if not more successful. Our parents keep stressing that they had little opportunity but made it anyhow. The pressure now mounts on us, the lucky ones *with* the opportunity, to somehow top them out.

...The fear of aging is also ever present and I suspect that our 20s are no longer perceived as too young an age anymore. Friends tell me that they’re getting old, and have yet to prove anything. They’ve neither changed the world nor impacted societies on any scale, they say. I’d look on hopelessly right back at them because I lack the massive dreams that they envisioned for themselves.

...Sure, I had a general direction that I’d like to take, but nothing as shockingly specific as some that I’ve heard. “Where do you see yourself in 10 years,” I’d ask them, and they’d answer with unshakable confidence of their dreams. “What about you?” they’d say. With a shrug, I’d reply, “uh, 10 years older?”

Now it’s not that I lack dreams or a goal, it’s just that I have not found my niche. Everyone has a niche. Some are brilliant writers, wonderful musicians, intelligent doctors, witty lawyers, artistic painters, or simply street-wise business persons. I seem to have interests in a little bit of everything but have thus far, mastered none.

...So yes, I lack some sort of goal, but that’s only because I’ve so many! At 6 I wanted to be a chef, a dancer of some kind at 10, a rock star at 13 (that failed miserably…parents went amok), a doctor at 15 (then I discovered the boulder-heavy textbooks...parents told me I was funny), and finally, a consultantish-photo-journalist-cum-actor/director-chef-broadcast-network-owner (CPJA/DCBNO) at 21. A tad bit ambitious you say? Nay! Silence ye of little faith!

...Mindless chatter aside, I was absolutely unproductive today (despite my intentions to be a CPJA/DCBNO). Instead, I’ve been snapping pictures everywhere – lonesome parks, wistful bathrooms (my own), and the everyday idiot’s box. Why do I do so?
Just because.

Morning showers are always pleasant (and necessary I think). I particularly love this one shower head. It dribbles like a mad gurgling cow but water streaks out in lovely lumps…kinda like a waterfall.

Uh…won’t bother explaining.

...I had wonderful and fond memories at my local park. It sits prettily in the middle of my housing area and is the green lung of the area. Mother nature has somewhat taken over and now, it’s a tad bit *too* green.

That’s the small hall. You can have barbeque or rave parties next to the broken tiles if you so desire.

Rubbish use to end up under the swings or inside the bushes during my time. I had to bring my nonsense home with me (dad hated liter bugs). But now, they’ve got these fancy rubbish bins dressed as pseudo water fountains.

Swings during my time used to be merely tires hung with chains! They were a gazillion times more fun than these contemporary hanging pampers. You could turn the tire versions around and sit in them while it rapidly unwinds~ We used to play “bumper swings”.

It’s a bark of an old OLD tree – quite easily over 70 years old or more because it is just *massive*. The roots would rip through the tiles and cement, causing bikers (such as myself) to trip over its conspiring roots.

Back at home, the classic “Octopussy” is screened. Why, of all names, would they call it…*that*. “It’s a pet name my father once called me with,” said Octopussy to Bond. Fair enough.

My friend’s loving fishes. Jason hasn’t got names for them, but the cuties come bubbling by, pondering if you’ll feed it. Pop your finger in and it’ll suckle on it. Adorable.

Kiara Park has lots of photo opportunities if you know where to look. Jason’s an old friend of mine who has caught the photography bug as well. He trudged willingly into the dense bushes to take the pictures he wanted. I was busy swatting mosquitoes, hence my picture of him taking a picture.

Soon to-be-wed couples also flock to the park for photo sessions! I watched from a distance at their happy faces, knowing that they must be suffering…from the heat of course – the weather then was unforgiving.

There are quite a lot of monkeys in the park, each as curious as the next. I spotted a few while trecking along the path, but they were too busy munching on stuff to notice. So I made ape-like noises. They came swinging by to see me in action and I managed to get this one monkey on film (digital).

This reminded me of a desert somehow. No?

I believe that there’s a nursery somewhere that provides freshly potted flowers on every other week. It makes me want to roll about while singing zip-peh-dee-doo-dah.

Know of any other nice parks to snap pictures in? ;)

Temptations, Exams, sighs

2006-04-14T23:18:00.000+08:00

No, I’m no longer jiwang – a state of mind which lasted no more than a day really. Now it has been aptly replaced by genuine worries…exam worries that is.

This is how it has always been – I know at the back of my head of the impending exam dates (I have the schedule), I know I’m not as ready as I think I can, but my brain refuses to cooperate.

I’ve received numerous advices.

1. “It’s mind over matter, just sit down and do it!”
The first part’s easy enough, anyone can sit down. But doing it is another thing altogether. You’ve got to fully commit your heart and mind to it by refusing all social outings while avoiding the internet like a plague. Yes, I’ve failed to do this…the posting of this blog is proof.

2. “It’s in the planning, just allocate enough time and you’ll be A-okAy~”
There’s so much truth to this statement, but as you’ll find out, you’ve got to be specific with your plans. Never say that you’ll do it by the end of the day, because it’ll be the end of the day before you do it.

3. “Lock yourself in your room and don’t come out till you’re done”
A tad bit extreme, but definitely effective…for certain people. I grew up without much television, my parents thought we watched too much, and regulated our viewing hours. So my brother and I used to play with absolutely everything – pillars, walls, rubber bands, strings, ropes, pillows, blankets, switches, boxes, rubbish bins, balls, binds, clothes, napkins, water, soap, roller chairs, books, etc. More on all that some other time. But essentially, if I locked myself in, I’d still somehow procrastinate.

I think at the end of the day, it is all about sheer willpower. I’m going to rid myself of all temptations and focus, focus, focus.

Speaking of temptations...

Image courtesy of www.jacneed.com

...the group “The Temptations” is apparently coming to Malaysian shores to perform! So is Connie Francis who made popular songs like “Everybody’s Somebody’s Fool” and “Never on a Sunday”.

Image courtesy of http://fort-lauderdale-history.visit-fort-lauderdale.com/

My question is, why are all these groups *suddenly* taking interest in performing here? I don’t know what the rest think, but I feel like a second fiddle knowing that the only reason they’re here is because they have saturated most other major markets. It makes perfect economical sense to squeeze that bit more from us now that they’ve gone past their prime.

Still, would they sound remotely as good as they did back then? Anyone with RM70 or more keen to find out with moi?

Ke-jiwangan-ku

2006-03-08T00:49:00.000+08:00

Sometimes you get lost along life’s path.

Sometimes you loathe the day after just because.

Sometimes wishful thinking clouds judgments.

Sometimes fear of tomorrow grips you.

Sometimes you just feel jiwang.

I feel jiwang.

The Bird Flu and Cam Obsessions

2006-02-27T16:59:00.000+08:00

...I detest being ill – you can’t consume what you want (and I want everything), you can’t go anywhere, and you’re pretty much immobilized till your immune system kicks in and engages in an all-out body warfare.

...And is it just me or am I the only one who’ve noticed a distinct rise in people with the flu? More and more individuals are catching influenza and, as I’ve just discovered, there isn’t a convenient way to know if you’ve indeed caught the dangerous Bird Flu.

...Fearful that I might’ve caught it, I drove to a nearby clinic in Taman Megah. I don’t frequent there often but it was one of the only ones open at the hour. The waiting area was dimly lit in yellowish white by archaic florescent lights and looked too dodgy for a clinic. Creaking worryingly above, the fans spun lethargically, casting shadows upon the floors which were tiled with greenish tiles – the sort you’d see in public toilets along the highway. I figured it was for cleaning conveniences.

...“Are you new?” croaked the lady behind the counter. She looked elderly and went about her business casually while her side-kick, an aged man, sat on a stool nearby, assumingly guarding the medication. You could tell that she didn’t find much joy in her job and her uninspired work pace makes her instantaneously loath-able. Her side-kick was emotionless.

...After submitting the necessary details, I waited patiently for about five minutes or so. If I wasn’t sick before, I was after the wait – the air had a sickly smell of mucus, the sort that comes during a cold. You could almost visualize being infected with something new at every breath.

...But the doctor was just fantastic. So fantastic that he’s almost…psychic.

Me: “So yeah, I came down with a cold, and then I felt a wee bit hot. I think it’s…”
Doc: “Fever..”
Me: “Uh, yeah-lah. Do you think it could be…”
Doc: “Open mouth…” *Inserts thermometer into mouth* “…anything else?”
Me: “Ahh, Cot-la. Aad a eadache, and then…”
Doc: “You’ve a backache and cough right? I know I know. Ok, done. You’ve normal flu. Take some xxx and yyy, get rest.”
Me: “Oh? Well how would you know if it’s not the bird flu?”
Doc: “Malaysia where got. It’s still safe”
[a day later there were reported cases, though found to not be the bird flu, of people being admitted to the hospital]
Me: “uhm..well…”
Doc: “Ok ok, bye.”

...And that was that.

...When you’re sick you’re forced to skip classes, which seems like awfully good news at first, but upon further pondering, you realize how much *MORE* work you’ll have for not going. So you sit in bed digesting the ramifications of your actions and plunge further into this depressive mood of inefficiency.

...Here’s the ironic bit – I desire untainted efficiency, but am compelled to procrastinate, much like how an elephant is compelled to drink. So at the end of the day, I procrastinate being efficient by being efficient at procrastinating.

...On another note, my obsession with digital cameras began taking shape early this year when college allowed the use of college-bought Canon G3s for students.

...It was an eye-opener.

...Point-and-click cameras were no longer attractive – you wouldn’t have as much creative power with them in comparison to pro-sumer and SLR cameras. These allow you to tweak with other settings such as ISO (censor sensitivity), shutter speed, and aperture. They are admittedly intimidating at first, but you will warm up quite easily to it after some time.

...And so with the G3, I took some pictures I otherwise couldn’t using my old point-and-click camera:

It’s a still of water spraying out from the shower head. It’s not the best still of water droplets but I experimented a lot with the camera.

By playing with the shutter speed and aperture, most amateur photographers will know that you can leave the shutter on for longer periods, hence the methodology of creating this picture

Like most other cameras around, the G3 has other automated features too, like its black and white mode. Those are my “Chee Cheong Kai” shoes – they don’t last for more than a year.

If I had my way my family would’ve been having durian cereals with durian milk in the morning, durian vegetables and durian rice for lunch, and durian noodles with curry durian for dinner. We’d polish it all down with durian root beer and plain durian.

The absolutely shady game of pool. Well at least I think so. And no, I *do not* have an obsession with balls.

I don’t think this picture came out right. I was trying my darnest to have architect-looking pictures but it is difficult to compose your shot – what angle would best illustrate the design and function? *ponders*. This was the dome-shaped windows at The Curve, centre court.

And finally, this picture was taken at the Luna Bar by Grace Tham. Her blog is filled with artsy-fartsy pictures, so go have a look-see.

Anyone out there with advice on which one – the Canon 350D or the Nikon D50 – to get?

"Radio"

2006-01-28T16:38:00.000+08:00

.......Mentally challenged people…

.......…a group whom many of us frown upon, some more than others. Though not done openly, people question their ability, capabilities, and capacity to provide for themselves. They are stereotyped and sympathized upon, identified as the helpless few. In all fairness awareness in certain nations have leveled prejudices against them, but not necessarily in ours.

.......Evidence of this cropped up during the ‘sting’ by Star reporters where taxi drivers were reluctant to ferry a wheelchair bound man.

.......I’m glad however that movies are doing their bit (if not in the name of exploitation) to just highlight some of their stories.

.......For two odd hours, I was glued to my seat, eyes focused and unflinching, bladder holding out the storm within – I was hooked. It had been ages since I last saw a heart-touching-fuzzy-feeling film: Forrest Gump was one, but Radio nailed my frame of mind.

.......Two things were similar with those films – both were about developmentally challenged individuals though Forrest Gump was, by a long shot, a much more light-hearted portrayal.

.......“Radio” on the other hand was not.

.......Essentially, it’s about how a developmentally challenged young man (Cuba Gooding Jr.) and a high school coach (Ed Harris) formed a bond of friendship and interdependence that would eventually lead to their self discoveries.

.......Yes, I thought it a tad bit clichéd too, but kept watching anyway because of how good an actor Ed Harris and Cuba were.

.......Great actors, to me, are entities who grip you firmly from start to finish while leaving convincing emotions that haunt you for days, weeks, or months. They amuse, move, or even push you to feel how they do.

.......The beauty of this film however is that Cuba’s character, James Robert Kennedy, nick-named ‘Radio’ after his love and keen interest for the device, was actually based on a real person! So it is a biography of sorts with real incidents in a real town at pivotal moments in Radio’s life.

.......I drew parallels to my own life as I watched, amused at how it connects in so many levels.

.......No, I’ve been fortunate not to undergo such heart-wrenching tribulations, but I saw that at most times, *attitude* is everything.

.......How often have we sulked for not having things our way, or whined when what we want isn’t instantaneously available. The material things you want, the relationships you desire, the education of your choice – all of them are merely trials because it isn’t what you’re going through, it is how you deal with it.

.......I’ve known friends disheartened by failed relationships, disrupted education opportunities due to financial issues, and family troubles, but those with perseverance and the *right* attitude nearly always make it out stronger and that much wiser.

.......There.

.......I’m done preaching, though I never meant to – this was meant as a review of ‘Radio’ really. To find out more about real stories behind some films, click here.

Reading my post the 2nd time sent clichéd shivers down my spine but cut me some slack ;) I’ve not written since December.

Gong Xi Fa Cai peeps!

The "Pimple" Effect

2005-12-11T16:34:00.000+08:00

......Faces are miraculous things – such a wide array of emotion is broadcasted through expressions alone! Politicians (Hitler for instance) utilize this to great effect, knowing that the ever watchful public study their every move, and movie stars make millions with them (other body parts come into play too, but we’ll leave that for later).

......And so while the gifted few harness their 50 muscles on their wondrous faces for the benefit of nations or wealth, mine acts as a natural barometer of sorts. That’s right, a natural *stress* barometer.

......Just as seagulls are signs of land or hope for lost sailors, and dead canaries are warnings of hazardous gasses (not of human origin), my face is a barometer of my life’s stress levels. Hence the more stressed I get, the more of these pimples “surface” to greet me. Like Russian Submarines breaking the water surface for air, my dearest pimples do just the same, except they stay there for weeks (a terrible inconvenience for they kinda-hurt).

......I’d reckon that it’ll make a wonderful research paper – “Pimples and stress – the correlation of the bi-polarity striking young teenagers whose demographic nature of substances democratize countries and nations.” Researchers would “read” pimples as they read tree rings (the age of the tree determines the rings in the tree's trunk) and label them appropriately. “College assignments…*pokes pimple 1 with blue pen*, big date~ *pricks pimple 2 with red pen*…”, they’d whisper amongst themselves wittily.

......I’m also convinced that pimples, like thumbprints, are different from person to person – some faces produce more oil than others, allowing pimples to fester and spread while soaking in oil. Just curious however, do forensic detectives measure oil-producing levels as means of identification? Probably not, but I’d hate to be identified via my pores.

......On a serious note, pimples are huge dampers to one’s self esteem because like it or not, we’re vain creatures through and through. The exceptional few who aren’t are labeled by society as fashion-less or of poor taste, which isn’t at all fair. Although truth be told, it may be a bit of both, but that’s not the point. Acne sites such as these are most common on the internet. Click here, and here.

......On a bad day (and when I mean bad, I mean having pimples the size of small oranges), I know exactly how women feel. The fact of life states that a majority of men are sometimes ‘distracted’ by “non-facial” features of women, hence they talk *at* her “non-facial” feature instead of *with* her, and if you-still-don’t-get-it-by-now-don’t-bother. Same with pimples.

Me: Hey buddy, how’s things?
Buddy: Heyo! I’m fine. How’re yo--… sorry, How’re you?
Me: Oh I’ve been alright, just stressing a little over work I guess? It has been a rough week.
Buddy: *coughs* I can see that…
Me: What?
Buddy: Nothing. Well look, if you’ve time, come join us for lunch. We’ve got some pimple coming over.
Me: Sorry? Did you say pimple?
Buddy: People. I said we’ve got some people coming by.
Me: Hmm. Okay. I’d be glad to uhm…come. Well anyhow, I must go, wish me luck for my work dood.
Buddy: Sure. Break Acne.
Me: What?
Buddy: Uhm, Oh you know, break a knee.
Me: …. Right. No wait. Isn’t it “Break a leg”?
Buddy: …Uh… Got to go, bye.

Other friends are a little more direct:

Me: Heyo! How’s things between you and Ja—
Buddy2: I wan to burst it and make it ‘pau-chah’ (explode).
Me: No.
Buddy2: WHY?
Me: ‘Cos it’s mine.
Buddy2: Fair enuff. You going to burst it?
Me: No.
Buddy2: Ee! Do it la!
Me: NO.
Buddy2: WHY NOT?
Me: OKAY. I will.
Buddy2: Wei, don’t la!
Me: WHY?!
Buddy2: I wan 2 do!

I worry about my friends. They’d say the same about me because really, who blogs about pimples anyway.

*cough*

Christmas Plays, Holidays, and Really Cool Adverts~

2005-11-30T18:05:00.000+08:00

.......I’ve been on holidays since the week before, yet I never seem to have time for much of anything else (so complains my family and several other friends). Admittedly, I *am* busy but not in a way that annoys or bugs, but rather, it’s an enjoyable sort of ‘busy’.

.......What distinguishes the both variations of ‘busy’, I would suppose, is the element of enjoyment. A quote once said that if you find yourself enjoying your work and getting paid for it, then you’re truly successful. I believe this to be true – if you don’t think you’d enjoy doing something, it really isn’t meant for you.

.......But taking everything into consideration, it’s difficult, if not nearly impossible, to earn well doing choirs here – I’ve heard of professional choir singers making a decent living in Europe though. This is exactly what I’ve been doing (without the earning bit). As of two weeks ago, I’ve been having choir practices *daily*. In theory, the more you sing, the better you get. However I’m fast proving to be the exception of the rule as they so gently put it.

.......And this is where I propagate my church-punya magnificent musical Christmas presentation. It has come to my attention however, that this is a month of plenty and indeed, every other church is doing their very own presentation or musical. I encourage you to visit as many as you can – they’ve all undoubtedly put a whole lot of effort into it! It’s like free musicals ;)

.......Full Gospel Assembly’s musical (my church) is fittingly called “Once Upon a Love Story” (for love is synonymous with Christmas and not PRESENTS) You ought to be ashamed of yourself if you’ve come to expect great materialistic gifts on Christmas day! I on the other hand do great deeds for my community by keeping those wretched presents AWAY from them, so as not to tempt the others (will accept HORRID temptations via mail)

Here’re the promo flyers that we’ve been given:

.......Yes, I know, it seems uncannily Hari Raya-ish due to the candles and overall greenish nature of the design, but it’s not a big deal ;) The production is now in it’s 2nd month of practices and things are, more or less, ready to go. I think it’ll be splendid – the amount of preparations that have gone into it have been outstanding! Come and be blessed~!

.......Lately I’ve begun tuning in to radios again – something rare in itself for me. Ever since I received my car CD-Player during my birthday, radio has been of little use as music CDs have become my bread and butter. Why listen to the radio HOPING that your favourite song gets played when you can ENSURE that it happens via CD? So logically, you won’t, UNLESS something utterly irresistible pops by on radio.

.......You see CD-Players do not hand out freebies and prizes, hence the wonderful world of radio. The advertisements that you get on them however are quite amusing.

.......Now I’m not against advertisements - they are crucial in keeping these stations up and running. I am however deeply amused at some of the uhm... adverts that are played. Adverts on Radio for example are EXTREMELY clichéd (more so than any other kind that you see on television).

.......Mother’s and women are portrayed as house working-shopping-child caring-whiney-superwomen while the men are the ones holding the money and plastics (credit cards), key items to bring the women to their knees. This isn’t a fair portrayal at all. Take for example this advert that I heard recently:

Haggard and whiney sounding Woman: Oh dear, I’ve been SOOoo tired! There’s the house work to do, my children to care for, and I’ve not even finished with my office work! How on earth am I to get by?!

[Voice-over speaking with utter conviction: Now you CAN with xxxx health drink! Wake up refreshed and ready to take on the world!]

*Birds chirping in the morning air*
Less haggard and whiney sounding Woman: MmmMMmmmMMmm! I feel SOOooOo good! Thank you xxxx!

.......Well firstly, instead of suggesting ways to help her do the work (by energizing her like a battery), why not suggest that the husband ‘get it on’ with the home cleaning and child caring. Secondly, women aren’t the only one bearing the brunt of ‘child-caring’. I’m proud to say that my father took as much responsibility (as well as the messy bits like changing the diaper and so forth) as did my mum in this area.

.......No questions about that since on and off, my siblings and I are reminded of his courageous service during those putrid and vulnerable moments of ours. Hold on to your horses though. I’m not saying that the xxxx drink doesn’t work, and perhaps it does, but the point is the way it was advertised.

But here’s a visual take at odd looking public adverts. Take a look at this one (though it isn’t quite an advert per se):

.......And the connection between pregnant women and coffee is? Do you see where I’m getting at? But perhaps I’m wrong. It’s too quick to assume that the women shown there are well…pregnant. They could be, and I may be wrong, just women who love coffee so much, that they GORGE themselves so.

Hmm. I don’t know.

.......For the fear of this entry becoming utterly cynical and ‘biatchy’ (when spelt in this manner it is in no way a vulgar word, or so I’m taught), I’ll stop right here. Those terribly angered by their favourite coffee company being scrutinized should chill and have a ‘cuppa’~

These little things...

2005-10-27T11:14:00.000+08:00

...The first thing I noticed after posting up my entry were these two rather enthusiastic comments. “Wow, fervent readers of my blog aren’t they!” But I noticed something particularly wrong when:

- they each said the exact same thing,
- their comments were half hearted and curiously phrased, and
- they seem keen for me to buy some old used car (quite kind of them but no thanks)

...When did spammers spammed blogs (what a tongue twister) in the fashion that they do now?! Did some revolution of advertising take place while I was gone? This isn’t quite right now is it, budging into my space advertising abs-toners, thigh-enlargements, and combat training. I don’t need all of these (well maybe some) but the point is that yet again, the free comment feature of blogs have been exploited by some overly-concerned-about-your-health spammer.

...Is there no where to run from these vile beings *groans*

...On a lighter note (as though it’s very much lighter than spam), I’ve taken some time off from my revision and photo-shopped images for kicks. It’s such a powerful little program and utterly user-friendly – Three cheers for photo-shop!

Top: Before

Top: After

...I experimented on this orchid picture I took from my lovely neighbour’s garden months ago, and I made it batik-ish with delightful results – almost wallpaper-ish ;) These aren’t my first ‘flower’ wallpapers, but the first few are rather dear to me (much like first kisses and what not) and won’t be available for the general public *muahahahahaha*. I’m gay-ishly old fashioned, I know.

...And besides, I know friends who practice botanicality. Don’t bother looking it up because it’s not in the dictionary (and there’s good reason why it isn’t!) Queries about this odd little term will be answered by my friends on another day *coughs*

...I shan’t be updating my blog till after my paper exams, but little entries, like pimples on a sweaty oily day, will *pop* on by every now and then and *burst* out in full bloom to greet all readers (how delightful) ;)

...Have a great week!

Just My Luck...

2005-10-24T10:40:00.000+08:00

You know your blog needs an update when friends, in their most earnest and casual manner, refers to your blog as an ‘ex-blog’, as though blogs shared resemblances to relationships. As they jokingly poke the side of my ribs, I reiterated the fact that the blog isn’t an ‘ex’, and neither has it ceased to be (I’ve hardly departed yet!).

I’ve merely been caught up with the world and its various worries – work, work, and more work (those of you weighed down with wretched college assignments know what I’m talking about).

And having said all that, the time gap in which I’ve not blogged has left me with too much to tell, hence it has been conveniently categorized into emotions just to get it organized. Today feels like a brilliant day to have a disgruntled post though, seeing as to how it’s a Monday and that I had documented the event carefully. My camera was fully operational at that time.

An*l Saturdays
I mentioned being caught up with matters of the world as one of the underlying factors of my blog’s ‘demise’, but yet another prominent reason was that my computer had a rare-one-of-a-kind seizure, rendering it unbootable and utterly unusable. The profound realization of how handicapped I was felt overwhelming!

I tried (rather bodoh-ly) to... *sucks air in* ... Installtwoanti-virusprogramsintothemainframe-workofthesoftwarenetworks *sucks in more air* inwhichthebiosessymbioteandhogforvaluableresources,poweringonlycertain
sectorsandquadrantsofsectorsofquadrantsofsectorsofthecomputer *gags* making it crash and burn *gasps precious air*.

Bayi-ku!

The point is, there was a dire need on one rotten Saturday to ferry my precious baby to the computer shop for her check-up (I was hoping for something non-viral). Realizing that it’s a working Saturday, I diligently parked in a valid parking space and duly paid my parking fares. I popped the ticket up on the dashboard and hurriedly lifted my precious to the computer shop.

On my way there, I glanced and saw the boys in blue administering tickets to deviant parkers. “HAHAHAHA” I chuckled inwardly to myself, pleased that my foresight had saved me the trouble of paying.

Entering the shop, a man in his early 20’s came out and greeted me coldly and spoke systematically, as a …doctor would. He scrutinized the computer casing and tapped it gently with his two-inch nails (probably grown for easier access to Nasal Gold) while we had the conversation...

Me: So I’m loading the thing…
Dr.Quack: *nods while looking about*
Me: …and the thing doesn’t load! I don’t know-la, I think could be—
Dr.Quack: Ya ya. Need to reformat-lah.
Me: -- uhm..what?
Dr.Quack: Usually we reformat wan.
Me: Uhm, can I transfer the information out?
Dr.Quack: No. Just reformat.

I walked out and have not turned back since…partly due to his care-free non-analytical approach! However, this is exactly how they earn – they exploit on our reservations and lack of know-how to propose offensively excessive actions for straightforward problems. I insist on anyone with system failures to seek for a 2nd or 3rd opinion to make an educated judgment.

Already bewildered by Gold-Digger, I garbled and groaned while pacing to my car. To the shock of my already dejected soul…

WAH LAU! HAAA Mii SUUU?! (Wah lau, what’s the issue?!)

But I paid! I did too, I did too, I did too, I did too, I did too, I did too! A full miserable 6/10th of a dollar! Displaying there gloriously alongside my parking ticket is the fine, flapping victoriously while putrid SS2 air blew past me.

I muttered under my now quivering (from frustration) lips that they must’ve made an honest mistake. *breathe, breathe*

But if that isn’t bad enough, there’s always the icing on top of the cake – inconsiderate drivers (For those of you who’ve seen me drive around during my worse, at the very least I was not caught on camera *sticks tongue out in standard five-ish defiance*). *Baah! Being annoyed gives you the license to do the silliest of things doesn’t it?*

TWITS! ALL OF YOU! You two aren’t supposed to be on that lane! *HONK* *HONK*. They’re merely blocking the passage and infuriating people *already* on the one lane traffic light! Poor cars behind have to tolerate with their insolent impatience! If they won’t stand for their rights I will! *HONK* *HONK*

So I wasn’t a pretty sight after that. I was this brooding dark haired man (ceh wah) cruising at 60kmh (because I didn’t want my precious to go flying about) mumbling away at phantom rude Malaysian drivers as though they could hear me. As a side note, it’s a good thing that the car drivers I honked at weren’t part of the triads, random suicidal factions, or part of the Anger Anonymous group. But I would’ve been able to handle myself *coughs*~

I remembered thinking how my family would drop on the floor, hands to their ribs, laughing at my predicament. Immediately, I dismissed such disturbing thoughts (they, by the way, took it in their stride because they were quite used to me and my horrid luck!) How twisted it is to have paid and yet received a fine! :(

I wasn’t terribly good in handling it either, thought I should’ve been a little more civilized. Instead of honking I should’ve tailed them back to their homes and pelted them with rotting half-filled-with-an-embryo-eggs while jeering at them at the top of my lungs.

But having said all that my computer managed to be fixed in the end! All credit must go to David though, incredibly helpful bloke who did more than was necessary. He did it in two hours (in contrast to an entire weekend if I had left it with Gold Digger)! I’ve therefore deduced that everyone needs a David Khaw® ;)

Thanks again buddy!

Visit his blog to get hints and tips on all sorts of things ;)

Two More to Go...

2005-09-17T08:28:00.000+08:00

“..Quick get dressed, it’s nearly 7! Oi...”
“..I’m missing my props, where’re my props!?...”
“..GUYS, get ready get ready…”
“..Kyle? Where on earth is..oh, here it is..”
“..SHhhh! Get ready get ready...”
“..How do I look?..”
“..You look goo--”
“..SHHHHHHH!! Okay, Go go go~”

“Organized chaos” – two brilliant little words to justly describe the world behind the curtains. Conversations backstage were laced with an air of uncertainty, confidence, and anticipation – the adrenaline rush, getting all prepped up (costumes and all), hearing responsive crowds, the sugar rush (I had gobbled some sugar cubes before popping up-stage).

We had an impressive run for our first night, and there’re only two left to shine! There's no doubt about it -- all praises to Him for keeping His eye out on everything! Just two more...

PS: Guys, tickets are still up for grabs! You can buy them at the door!

Of Time, Plays, and Talented Actors

2005-09-10T23:11:00.000+08:00

“Watching grass grow” is an unheard of expression in my residence – no one really has time for anything, let alone watch ‘rumput-paria’ or ‘rumput lembu’ expand. Dad’s running about, busy with his business, mom’s pacing the home doing…well everything, my brother sits and indulges in form five textbooks (oh bless his tattered soul), and my sister just runs.

I miss my childhood years – mad, comical, retarded days *sighs smiling-ly*. The lack of responsibilities then allowed me the luxury of late nights and even later mornings filled with senseless cartoons and soggy cereals. When evening came I’d bounce excitedly like a wired puppy and rattle the gates – a clear signal for mom to ‘walk’ me (running around in parks). Having said that, I wouldn’t find the mere act of ‘running’ about as amusing anymore – I call that exercise.

My point is I’ve now realized, and not for the first time, how fast time passes you by. Time isn’t the slow and serene river I imagined it to be, flowing gently around the soft sandy banks with ducks paddling aimlessly in the water. In your early 20’s, it’s a lot more like fast flowing rapids.

Watery analogies aside, I’m terribly pleased to announce that “The Importance of Being Ernest” is to be staged next week by the Society of Performing Arts on the 16th, 17th, and 18th of September! It’ll be at 7.30pm onwards at the Taylor’s College Subang Jaya Campus and all proceedings will go to charity (and I don’t mean us).

It’s a play of a different kind, one which is humorous but not quite the same sort of “haha” one gets from slap-stick movies. It’s brilliantly written, but terribly challenging to act in unfortunately, hence I applaud the effort and courage of the actors and actresses in this year’s production.

Mind you, though I’m heavily involved in the production, I’m infinitely objective on my views and feel strongly about this one actor who’ll play as a butler in the production by the name of ‘Merriman’ – keep an eye out for him because his “yes sir’s” will be fantabulous. And I strongly urge members of the public to throw flowers his way when he pops out to serve tea with bread and butter.

*grins*

For those of you who have been questioning about my waning interest in updating my blog, I intend to crush all doubts by stating firmly that I’m not by any means closing down the blog – I love it far too much (yes, more so than ice-cream). It’s just that time doesn’t permit such luxuries anymore – at least not till the next weekend pops along *grins*. So come for the dang play (it’s for CHARITY), and have a wonderful week -- may your Saturday be as splendid as mine was ;)

About Jazz and Delayed Updates

2005-08-22T00:03:00.000+08:00

I’ve left it alone for far too long, and like a soiled little baby, it wails to me. It is said that tender, loving, care makes things grow, but doesn’t distance (or negligence perhaps) makes the heart grow fonder? *ponders*

Much has happened in the span of nearly a month *shudders* which is why I’ve not touched my blog in within that time – apologies to those who read it faithfully (be it one or two *wink*). But having said that, my site isn’t exactly CNN material and doesn’t attract crowds by the thousands, hence not updating it as often isn’t quite a sin…is it?

But in sour-grape fashion, I proudly declare that a blog visited by thousands is no big thing *snorts*. I cater to fetish-ish and gorgeous individuals who, in their wonderful individualistic manner, enjoy the finer things in life like wine, classical music, and my fantabulous and often mind-blowing blog *grins*.

Gibberish aside, I’ve been wonderful in every sense of the word – wonderfully blissful, wonderfully excited, and wonderfully frazzled. I’ve learnt a few things about myself, like how I’m a pitiable time manager, and pathetically insensible. Regardless of that fact, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity of attending the previous Jazz Fest:

That’s the beautifully fitted stage with all the knicks and knacks that a proper stage should have. I’d personally have flashy streamers, a steam machine at the side, and royal elephants to pull the curtains up and down.

Mr. Douglas Lim was the MC for the event and he was oozing with confidence really. Unfortunately his back was faced to me half of the time due to the placement of the ‘fountain stage’. It’s a separate stage from the main one. Friends claimed he was already half drunk from the start (I shan’t say if I agreed with the statement or not).

Here’re some of those who came (there’re a lot more who did, but most pics taken were unfortunately blurry) *frowns*

There’re definitely better pictures of Benji with Douglas, but great pictures bring little pleasure no? *grins*. Here he is reacting when Douglas chose him to answer questions (to which he answered correctly and won two tickets to an ‘extreme show’!)

Shelley Leong was definitely a crowd favourite as she sang through several dreamy pieces. One of them was particularly interesting – she used a whistle of some kind and ‘whistled’ through the song~ amazing little thing…the whistle I mean.

Greg Lyon’s Nonets were fantastic! I went bonkers when he played some swing jazz – it’s the stuff Frank Sinatra fans go mad for! Still, his music arrangement, to my shallow understanding, seems to lack a climax or an end. Nevertheless, he’s a tremendous artist and musician. Hats off to the nonets and their musicianship!

The man himself with the iron cast lungs. He really has been around the block and I’d give up a whole lot of things to be in his shoes, except that I don’t blow (saxophones) very well.

I personally feel that the short update is, in all sense of the word, insufficient. The work that piles on my frail shoulders is incredibly heavy sometimes, but I’ve not cracked just yet thanks to the lovely support from everyone *grins*. And while I’m experiencing a whole new level of stress, I am also going through a whole lot of blissful moments. Life feels and becomes a whole lot simpler then ;)

Hope to update with more pictures soon (it’s a pity though that I hadn’t a camera with me during the recent Robin Gibb concert!)

Oh~So Close...

2005-07-22T11:21:00.000+08:00

.......Oh I long for days when just at will (and a snap of my finger), my USD 400,000 Maybach, driven by Stuart (a hired driver), will come rolling through my mansion’s lush designer driveway. Then John (a hired butler) will hand over the meticulously iron pressed morning paper and I’ll be whizzed in absolute luxury to the nearest theatre where my subjects await for their dearest leader. I’d stop casually at Nasi Kandar Penang for breakfast though.

.......Now while many would scoff at such frivolous fantasies, I have every intention of making it into a reality (especially the Nasi Kandar part). There is a tendency, I believe, for anyone to *mostly* miss the intended goal and hit some other goal which is often lower than the first.

.......In *my* case, where I often fail miserably, I’d probably not end up in a Maybach nor a mansion, but a decent bungalow, a BMW, and well, my Nasi Kandar instead. And even then, it’s not too shabby a dream!

.......Another rather unknown longing of mine, which I rarely disclose anyhow, is to watch my father’s singer-idol live in action. We’ve had a long history, the superstar singers and my family.

.......They’ve been with us for road trips, up treacherous hills (Genting), through dangerously swaying bridges (Penang Bridge), and lost wildernesses (dad occasionally gets lost..). Through thick and thin they stood, nay *sung* by us, and now we’ll finally meet them … or only him rather (only one is in concert).

.......This isn’t an entry of idol-worshipping for I claim not my undying love for them. But rather, I’m curious about this one group who’ve influenced my father’s life, and it’s not at all common for big names to come our way.

.......Oh pooh, where are my manners. I nearly forgot to introduce him:

Image courtesy of http://axcess.mfocus.com.my
The infamous Robin Gibb from the Bee Gees~!

........So now you know *grins*.

.......“But how’s he going to sing without his brothers?” my attentive sister whines.

.......“Girl, he asks the locals for help-lah” my dad replied candidly.

.......“Er..who would th—”

.......“Me loh~” says my dad as we all choked uncontrollably and involuntarily.

........In all fairness though, he *has* won numerous singing competitions in his younger days. So efficiently *like* the Bee Gees he was that I once, at the age of five, asked my mum why my dad’s on radio.

........Now when I think of it…I could’ve been the son of a superstar. And so wouldn’t all those dreams of Maybachs and butlers have come true then?

*sighs*

So close yet so far ;)

Much to do About Nothing

2005-07-18T22:05:00.000+08:00

It was precisely what I needed, when I needed it – time off to be with Him. I must state how blessed and fantastic the recent FGA college camp was! It’s the best I’ve ever been (also because it’s my first), and the planning of the event was immaculately done – I’m pretty sure they put a whole lot into it.

Speaking of putting a whole lot into things, I must admit that I’ve been neglecting my blog somewhat, but it’s due to the lack of hours in a day and never-ending responsibilities that come my way (cursed be the man who decided on a 24 hour system instead of a 30). I find myself getting home and feeling too drained to even shower (but I *DO* eventually).

When you’re this drained, the littlest of things tick you off indefinitely…like certain comic strips in the papers. For better or worse, I simply do not get “Kee's World”. What, for example, does an illustration of a lady selling home-made kaya at a bank have anything remotely close to being humourous? But perhaps it’s my lack of humour that’s the problem (I’ll pipe down if that’s the case), because in all fairness, some people *do* find it amusing if not funny. “One man’s poison is another man’s meat” they say, but I generally believe that humour which need explaining loses it’s…well humour.

Glancing at my sister’s book collection, I chanced upon yet another mind-numbing book which my brain *refuses* to internalize. No amount of anguish or affliction would have me read it again, yet my curiosity got the better of me.

A book telling half-baked stories based on ‘folklore’ simply *do not* make good children books! If so then I’m utterly convinced that I too can write hundreds of stories and sell well over 200,000 copies of them. In fear of being called a plagiarist, I’ll repeat an example of one of the more ridiculous tales found in the book:

The Man and his Bucket of Water
A man of unknown wanted to throw a bucket of water away when suddenly a gorgeous woman walked pass him. Not wanting to wet her, he turned around to toss the liquid the other way, but as luck would have it, yet another gorgeous woman walked pass his way. Thus, with all options closed, the now disgruntled man with little or no grey matter *instinctively* tossed the bucket over his head.

The story ends there. The most unfortunate thing is that this regurgitated version was probably a whole lot more interesting than the original. I must speak quite candidly about such books – how does several dozen hanging-stories of this nature benefit the leaders (the children) of tomorrow? There’s no moral, no clear plot, and it’s only saving grace is its humorous illustrations (not intentional I think).

Thus you can clearly visualize what my week has become – chunks of work with little or no humour in between to ease my mind. I need clowns to come humour me (I really do). Have a blessed week ;) (Pray that I've something vaguely less ranty to blog about the next time round!)

Our World Today...

2005-07-09T21:27:00.000+08:00

What has our world become.

There’s such a sense of fear and a crippling uncertainty when you realize that regardless of where you are, no one person is truly safe. Targets of political ideals and extremists are innocent citizens like you and I, and though it did not physically happen in the boundaries of our nation, it has everything to do with us.

We truly are citizens of the world with each of us having a relative or friend who resides elsewhere, London being no exception of the rule. I personally have close friends in London when it happened, and by God’s grace, none of them were hurt. But judging from the images alone, it’s clear that lives were lost, and the death toll is expected to rise considerably.

There’s a sense of helplessness; the same feeling I had when my dad was robbed, or when my friend’s handbag was snatched. You’d like to help and bring those responsible to justice, but there simply is little or nothing that you can do – or not alone anyhow.

Evidently, the bombings were, as stated on various news sites, set to coincide with the G8 Summit in Scotland with the intention of disrupting it. I am glad that that was not to be – the event goes on as planned.

From video clips and broadcasted news, it’s nothing short of amazing that Londoners are continuing their everyday activities as usual. CNN reporters mentioned that Londoners reacted in pretty much the same way as they did during German bombings in WWII.

We don’t truly realize how difficult it is to move on so quickly, but it is a clear message to whoever was responsible that they’ve “failed miserably” to affect the human spirit. It’s a common fact that nothing annoys a person more than being ignored or allowing the perpetrator to be aware that nothing they did affected the victim’s way of life or principles.

Carrying on one’s life as normal is such a powerful public act of defiance against those responsible, and to be able to do that so quickly impresses me infinitely. My prayers go out to families of those killed and injured, as well as my close peers who are in London and who will be passing through. May these blasts be the last of its kind.

Note: More information may be had via CNN or BBC.

Vigorous Activities on a Saturday Morning

2005-07-02T10:42:00.000+08:00

.......“This is the *only* time we’ll ever sweat together, you hear?” pants my friend.

.......“Oh shut up and keep at it,” I puffed back, clearly worn out from my own vigorous but exciting tempo. The pace we were at was slow and steady, yet difficult to keep at because I was out of shape all together, and couldn't keep the rhythm together.

.......At times, I was unable to keep up with my *JOGGING* buddies because they have been consistently doing so while I have not (for those whose thoughts went astray immediately, I’m disappointed in you ;) *nudge*).

.......And speaking of being out of shape, I’ve simply got to get into it! Muscles in the wrong places and an often weary heart are clear signs of old age or a lack of exercise. I’m both of them (I’m 20 already! *wails*).

.......There was a stage in my life where exercising vas crucial for survival – my weeks were crammed with brutal workouts in Tae-Kwan-Do sessions and breathless swimming classes where I’d *splash* around (I still do). I had muscles on my muscles and things were going great…till it happened.

.......The eventual change of focus came with the arrival of the car. The only exercise I was getting then was walking daily to the car, and that can’t be too healthy considering that the car is never more than 20 feet away.

.......We live in an age where everything has been made convenient (almost *too* convenient) for comfort. Old cars for example were made without power windows and steering, therefore making each drive a workout (thus explaining why most old cars smell funny.)

.......My car always has power windows and buttons for me to press on. Occasionally they break down, but I’d still have power windows then (in a sense where it takes immense physical power to lower and pull up those windows!)

.......Realizing that something had to be done with my fitness, a bold group of us suggested jogging.

.......“You’re mad. I’d rather do that on a tread mill and still catch my MTV! Can’t we do other vigorous activities? Like buffets?” one of my friends protested.

.......Needless to say we did none of that but headed for Kiara Park instead where I’d be spending most of my future Saturday mornings in. Here’re a few pictures of one of my more recent outings:

*BREATHES IN*…*BREATHES OUT* Ahhhhh. The immensely cool and fresh plate of morning air beckons.

This specific spot brings back memories of sorts ;) I enjoyed myself terribly the last time I was here. *Ice-creams* were involved of course *smiles*

And speaking of recollections, so does this plot of rocks meant for those seeking to practice the art of ‘Rock-ercise’. It has everything you need really – prickly ones, dulled ones, jagged ones, and stabbing ones – for your excruciating pleasure. Gluttons for pain like “wheeeee” lady here can spend countless of hours here. But just to be fair, the last time I was here proved to be rather pleasant ;)

These are the people whom I jogged with last week, and they are most unfit~ *muahahaha* I hardly broke a sweat let alone turn tomato red ;). I shan’t gloat any further for fear of enraging her and her. There be no wrath like a woman’s, regardless of their fitness.

.......A fourth person was supposed to join us much earlier but failed to do so due to ‘errands’! By the time he got there, we were just about to head off for breakfast, to which he said, “Ahh, my timing is impeccable!”

That’s him right there ;) Here, we’re on our way to the mamak in Zahra’s car, which wasn’t too safe because…

Gyaaa! We swerved to the right at the last minute in this modern game of ‘chicken’ and were absolutely shocked! Our car skidded for a good 20 meters before being engulfed by a ball of fire, to which, thanks to my fitness, I managed to get all three of them out of *grins*

.......Oh alright, clearly this wasn’t the case. We *were* moving but the car up front was stationary. *sighs* Not the least exciting ;)

This is where we recuperate lost weight and eat back what we put off. I personally had myself an ice-cream shake, a soft drink, and polished off with two pieces of roti chanai.

.......So really, at the end of the day, Saturday mornings aren’t quite for jogs, but for the fun filled breakfasts that we have together.

.......Now if you’re wondering why I’m posting this entry on a Saturday morning when I should be out jogging it’s because I figured I’m fit enough for now. It has absolutely nothing to do with me slobbering like a pig in my bed all morning.

.......Cheers ;)

I Thought I Thunk a Thought or Two

2005-06-28T22:42:00.000+08:00

.......It really has been a while since I last posted constipated entries on mere nothings and fruitless day dreams, of wants and needs and inner most desires, on vague adventures and paragraphs of sentences that lead nowhere (like this one right here).

.......The only times I do so, I guess, is when I’m especially contemplative, and this week seems especially conducive for the thinker in me. Of course most thinkers actually *do* think of something especially intriguing, but mine veers on random thoughts:

....... “Oh isn’t the sky especially blue today. It’s so lovely. I wish I was blue. But wait. Isn’t being ‘blue’ not a lovely thing. I don’t want to be not lovely. I do so want to be blue though. hmmm…”

.......See?

.......But that aside, I also do my thinking in the most ‘auspicious’ of places – any dangerous life threatening spot will do thank you. Once, I thought about the ice-cream flavour I’m going to order as I drove at 120 down the highway. On other occasions I favoured round-abouts (indeed, I think a lot while driving).

.......I suppose it’s the whole “I’ve not achieved much” phase which my friend Benji has been speaking about. And though I’ve told him to stop thinking this way, I *know* what he means exactly, except I’m ever more optimistic about winning awards, saving a continent, and still managing to do my own laundry at the same time.

.......The little devil-of-wants in me pops up occasionally screaming my ‘wants’ and it’s starting to get to me. “I want to be good at something,” it shouts. “I want to be financially able,” it screams again. “Oh give me a job in the Travel and Living section of Discovery Channel!” it insists. All I do is nod in approval and treat it as I would an annoyingly ranty child.

.......Thing is, I’d have to agree that I’m not much good in anything.

.......“It doesn’t matter,” says my ever supportive mom. “Just…be yourself.” But then there’d be times when she’d contradict herself and say, “Careful ah-boy!! You mu—AHHHHH!!—DRIVE slower!” as I weave through traffic nimbly one night. “OH mY gosh! You can’t drive can you…”. I just think she’s overacting really, and there’s no reason to grab hold of the seat supports or stomp on the passenger side air-brakes.

.......My other friends are not much better. “OF course you’re good at things,” they utter sympathetically. “You’re pretty good at being nice…” they continued before quickly saying, “… so can you drop me home?” *smiles widely*. Well I wouldn’t leave a friend to die in the middle of nowhere (that would be too easy on them!~*grins*).

.......But there really isn’t a point to this post, hence the name of the entry. I don't understand the subject name either, but it’s just a slice of my state of mind at the current moment, and nothing changes as quickly as one’s state of mind (or in my case anyhow).

.......On a happier note, I am pretty optimistic about everything in general, so there's that glimmer of hope that tomorrow brings ditzier thoughts that don't require too much thinking (huh?)

Cheers!

Matt's Bed & Breakfast...

2005-06-22T14:00:00.000+08:00

.......I’ve never been a morning person and waking up has been an absolute chore since I first began schooling. Mom would snap my wrist before I’d drowsily make my way to school (sometimes forgetting the crucial ritual of brushing my teeth). It’s a rare occurrence and I *don’t* forget anymore! So please don’t ostracize me.

.......Somehow my outlook on mornings changed over the years, and especially after this morning, I’m feeling a whole lot dandier ;) Start the day with a purpose and a phone call they say! *nudge*

.......What isn’t so ‘dandy’ however is the ever shortening length of my once boastfully long holidays. From a good four months, it now stands at only one (that makes me all woeful and poignant! Oh “woe is me!”), and I’ve frankly not done anything significant like speaking in the UN or making my millions.

.......Fresh at the start, I remembered being absolutely gung ho and enthusiastic about doing a million and one things, but I should’ve known better than to depend on my time management skills. I’m the sort who promises to wash the dishes, drop brother in tuition, take a shower, and still have time for television and the internet in within an hour.

.......But that’s my point precisely – I had wanted rather badly to improve on certain ‘fronts’ which needed patching but alas, I’ve become what my dear mother terms as a ‘holiday sloth’. My only saving grace, she said, was that I woke up early enough to make breakfast for those at home.

.......However, it wasn’t always so (my breakfasts) – for the longest time, they avoided my black eggs and overly toasted bread, which I thought tasted *EXCELLENT* by the way *coughs*. That biased perception towards my food changed because yours truly made sure soon after that eggs came out nice and brown instead of black and crispy (some people like it that way – it’s an acquired taste *coughs*). Here’s a look at one of my first almost-successful breakfasts:

While not the handsomest looking thing around, it was at least edible. And since it was made out of bits and pieces of everything, I named the dish ‘Franky’; short for Frankenstein. As you’ve guessed, “Franky” wasn’t too well loved because it looked “shabby” said my father (nobody recognizes a meal well cooked anyhow).

I reckoned that by the third time, I had polished “Franky” and created something new altogether:

An egg (sunny side up), gorgeously toasted bread with home-made kaya, lettuce for health and colour, and sausages to complete this well rounded meal.

Now I was all set for business, and numerous people (namely my brother) started taking notice of this wonderful talent *cough*. I thought, “I shall now cook for others for they too must share my joy”.

Check it out – Toast bread, eggs, warm toasty Milo, fish curry (for that Malaysian flavour), and topped off with authentic egg tarts for that little bit of Hong Kong in your meal.

The curry by the way wasn’t made from scratch (it was overnight curry) and had to be warmed up.

How awesome is that – cool and refreshing curry pudding right from the fridge!

A more recognizable version of Fish Curry. The smell of spice was wafting and I couldn’t help but salivate (that of course gave much needed flavour to an already excellent dish~)

Ben is clearly jealous of my wondrous talents though he won’t admit it…;)

On other mornings, it would sometimes be far too late to cook the usual American breakfast sets, so I went for corn flakes instead. Now adding fruits isn’t a novel idea, but I salute to the first kind soul who did thought of it! My own version is as follows:

"Grapes, mango, and cereals, Oh My!"

In goes “Susu jenama xxx” which goes right over the ‘basking-in-glory-grape’.

You know, I think mine’s more of ‘fruits with some cereals’ rather than ‘cereals with some fruits’…

For those who’ve never tried this, you should. It’s a blast to eat, and the extravagant colours jump right at you (how very inviting!). I must add however, that too much fruits would have a rather laxative-ish effect, especially in the morning. So on that day, I spent 5 minutes on ‘input’, and a further 10 minutes on ‘output’.

What other quick breakfast ideas does anyone else have out there? Perhaps something quick and fast to prepare, yet lovely and enchanting to much on (or is that asking for too much…). Something simple really, like this:

Image courtesy of www.toccoariverside.com/ shallowford_river_shack/

Cheers!

Sesuatu yang "Kerap Berlaku" (Something that happens regularly)

2005-06-14T11:14:00.000+08:00

......A few months back I remembered ranting for the longest time on crime rates and snatch theft in general. I criticized our police, resigned myself to the facts, and cursed rampantly at snatch thieves (who, if all goes well, would be living a rather miserable life).

......Now after what happened yesterday, I’m convinced that our police force is somewhat redundant, defective, and terribly ineffective (I would say that they’re not incredibly bright but then that would be generalizing).

......You see my dad was mugged just the other day, which will hence reveal the complacency of our “marvelous” police force.

......Two blokes in a ski mask driving a suspicious Perdana stopped behind my dad’s car during a usual traffic light stop. He had just walked out of the bank and with him was a bulky looking brief case. Advancing quickly towards his vehicle, the masked duo smashed relentlessly at the front side glass with fire axes. With cars in the front, there was no escape for which one could make, and neither was there time to react. Having smashed most of the window, they reached in and made off with his phone along with the bulky suitcase (which in any case contained only documents and not truckloads of money).

......It took less than a minute for all of this to happen.

......Not wanting to let this pass he made a police report hoping that perhaps the information he had to offer would lend a hand to investigations. The nonchalant answer shocked him.

......“Oh, ini biasa la. Kerap berlaku,” he replied rather frivolously, making it painfully obvious that not much is being done to investigate further. He made it sound like laundry. There wasn’t even an attempt to look helpful.

Shards of glass were everywhere. But hey, it’s not a problem – the officer did say it happens often.

......One could argue, what more can they do? The license plate was obviously a counterfeit, and no identification could be made due to the ski masks. But not making efforts to examine my dad’s vehicle or send patrol cars around trouble spots is sheer negligence on their part I think.

......I find it ridiculous that the only reason they’re there is to keep records and catch crooks only if they’re within the vicinity! What this simply translates to is that crooks like those who mugged my dad, are free to roam the streets looking for new victims to rob. It's highly possible to rob half a dozen bags in a week. To begin with, they really do have it easy – no natural threats, thousands of easy victims resigned to their fate, and the freedom of movement thanks to the patchy police coverage.

......I feel significantly helpless because quite frankly, the police force is all we have to combat crime. Not unless each and every one of us took the trouble of owning guns of course (which isn’t an ideal solution anyhow to crime).

......The fact of the matter is that the presence of police officers aren’t significant enough – they’re just not around when you need them most. Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely thankful that my dad was indeed safe, but am infinitely ticked off that there’s nothing more is being done by those in charge.

......The police force may be facing problems such as a lack of man power or resources, poor pay, and rampant crime rates, but it is not to be taken as an excuse for complacency and an adoption of the ‘tidak apa’ attitude.

......Having said all that, I *do* think that the police officers are doing their jobs (somewhat), but not enough is being done. On the other hand, speed traps and officers passing out traffic summons are in abundance. I guess we all suffer from a mismanagement of priorities.

......My question however is this -- what can the average citizen (without gun permits) do to deter such crimes? We can’t jolly well go at them with umbrellas and shoes now can we.

Snip Snip Snip...

2005-06-03T16:57:00.000+08:00

Back when I was a toddler and residing in Penang, I remembered having memorable conversations with my granny.

“Hold still or you won’t come out handsome”, she said wisely in Hokkien. I wasn’t bothered about being ugly, and so I jiggled my head this way and that. “He may accidentally snip your ears boy~…” she continued with a slight grin and a grandmotherly chuckle.

And that’s when I held my head unbelievably still (so much so it hurt). I couldn’t lose my ears, they were terribly important for watching cartoons with. *snip snip* went the funky looking Chinese uncle’s scissors. They were unlike the odd blunt, bright red, plastic ones I used at school. Oh no, these were premier blades for professionals that could cut through ears.

Having stayed still for a great many minutes, I still came out looking like a hobo, but with less hair. Evidently, not much has changed throughout the years. At 20, I’m *still* having hair-cut problems. It’s never *just* right but always plain wrong.

“Your face is too long la ah-boy,” said my mom. She reckoned I’d have more luck with a shorter face (as though I had any say in it). “You know, your younger brother always comes out cute and cuddly after every hair cut while yours resemble a golf ball on a pin dear~ *tee hee hee*” Oh mothers and their breathtaking sense of humour.

Gazing at the mirror, I realized that she’s right about golf balls and pins – I looked…peculiar. Not any less dashing of course but peculiar nevertheless (oh give me some ‘face’). This *is* serious. One cannot simply be seen in public like this.

I began a thoughtful monologue with myself – “Why on earth does your haircuts *always* turn out…bad?” asks Logic. “Well it’s because you go to all the BAD hair saloons silly!” replied Intelligence. Wisdom bucks up and says, “Settle down! Intelligence and Logic should never be put together.” Love hessitantly replies from the back, “But *I* think the haircut is loverly dahling~ Keep it…”

Me, myself, and I concluded that it’s because I don’t tell the hair stylist *exactly* what I want. But it’s through no fault of mine – most KL/PJ hair stylists speak perfect Cantonese (something I’m utterly bad at).

Just the week before, I walked into a parlour, sat myself comfortably in the seat, and muttered, “Hello, I’d like my hair slightly longer at the top part, a wee bit shorter at the ends – cut it jagged to make it natural will you? – and perhaps make the side a little less puffy.”

He replied earnestly, “Ley Hor yee Kong again ah? (can you say that again?)” We ended up going “uh” and “huh?” to each other’s sentence and finally nodded in an uncomfortable but somewhat mutual agreement.

I’d then dip my eyes at the magazine before me, sip my tea, and faint when I next look up at the mirror after he is done. He looks at me with a proud smile for a job well done. “It’s ALIVE” he must’ve said to himself. Not wanting to sink his little happy boat, I put on a brave smile and give him the thumbs up.

After crying myself home, I figured this crew-cut-ish fashion isn’t too bad. If a million over infantry personnel around the world over uses this, then it *must* be in fashion. Why, I too can learn to love it.

To begin with, there’re so many benefits:
1. You slice through the air with ease. Shave precious seconds off your jogging record.
2. There’s less to wash. Save up on the cents you’d waste on additional milliliters of shampoo for each and every time you take a bath!
3. Most important of all, be a whole lot more macho-er than before! It goes well with police sun glasses too!

With such wonderful perks, who *could* ever complain *lets out chuckle or two*.

Having said all that, I can’t wait for my mane to grow – I now know how Samson feels. So if ever you’re getting your hair snipped, be sure of either one of two things – the barber speaks your language, or you learn to *persuade* yourself into loving your new hair.

Memefy Me

2005-05-31T00:04:00.000+08:00

Jayelle: “I've tagged you with my blog meme ;D Go do it!”

My initial reaction was a resounding "Hah?" I wondered for the longest time what a ‘meme’ is, and could only conclude that it sounds like a failed effort of a newborn to say ‘mama’ (of course in hokkien, ‘meh-meh’ would mean ‘fast-fast’).

Me: “MEH-MEH uncle! Wa toh beh ciao liao (I’ve to run liao). Ooo tuition-leh. (got tuition leh)”
Uncle: “haah haaah *nodding furiously*”

A ‘meme’ however, is in fact a surprisingly scientific term! Mr. Richard Dawkins who wrote a book called “The Selfish Gene” in 1976 defined a ‘meme’ as

“A unit of cultural transmission, or a unit of imitation”

A woman named Susan Blackmore in 2002 then redefined a ‘meme’ as “whatever is copied from one person to another person, whether habits, skills, songs, stories, or any other kind of information.”

So a ‘meme’, is in fact a cultural evolution process similar to the evolution of our genes – it mutates, spreads, and gets passed down from one generation to another. ‘Memeticists’ further explained that a meme is an evolutionary process whereby successful and positive ideas or behavior is passed down. Eg: “John’s mother discovered that purple berries behind their backyard is edible, and therefore passes this knowledge down to John. John has been *memefied*”. Alright, so I invented the term ‘memefied’.

Anyhow, if you found that utterly confusing, so did I. But I somewhat grasp the overall idea. It doesn’t seem to have anything to do with this though:

--------------------------------------------

What follows is a list of different occupations. The reader must select at least five of them. The reader may add more if they like to the list before they pass it on (after the reader select five of the items as it was passed to the reader). Of the five selected, the reader is to finish each phrase with what he would do as a member of that profession. Then pass it on to three other bloggers.

If [Reader] could be a scientist // If [Reader] could be a farmer
If [Reader] could be a musician // If [Reader] could be a doctor
If [Reader] could be a painter // If [Reader] could be a gardener
If [Reader] could be a missionary // If [Reader] could be a chef
If [Reader] could be an architect // If [Reader] could be a linguist
If [Reader] could be a psychologist // If [Reader] could be a librarian
If [Reader] could be an athlete // If [Reader] could be a lawyer
If [Reader] could be an innkeeper // If [Reader] could be a professor
If [Reader] could be a writer // If [Reader] could be a backup dancer
If [Reader] could be a llama-rider // If [Reader] could be a bonnie pirate
If [Reader] could be a midget stripper // If [Reader] could be a proctologist
If [Reader] could be a TV-Chat Show host // If [Reader] could be a pariah
If [Reader] could be an actor // If [Reader] could be a judge
If [Reader] could be a Jedi // If [Reader] could be a mob boss
If [Reader] could be a backup singer // If [Reader] could be a CEO
If [Reader] could be a movie reviewer // If [Reader] could be a monkey's uncle
If [Reader] could be a bible archaeologist //If [Reader] could be a househusband
If [Reader] could be a lifeguard //If [Reader] could be a comic artist
If [Reader] could be a stockbroker//If [Reader] could be a travel writer
If [Reader] could be a food reviewer //If [Reader] could be a politician
If [Reader] could be a male underwear model //If [Reader] could be a fashion designer
If [Reader] could be an game designer // If [Reader] could be a dog-trainer
If [Reader] could be a Transformer // If [Reader] could be a computer virus
If [Reader] could be a porn star // If [Reader] could be another blogger
If [Reader] could be a grain of sand // If [Reader] could be a fly on a wall
If [Reader] could be the Pope // If [Reader] could be the Dalai Lama
If [Reader] could be a whistle blower // If [Reader] could be a Playmate
If [Reader] could be the President of the U.S. // If [Reader] could be a dictator
If [Reader] could be a footballer // If [Reader] could be a TAR participant
If [Reader] could be a Miss Universe // If [Reader] could be a mamak-stall boss
If [Reader] could be a crocodile hunter // If [Reader] could be a cup holder

--------------------------------------------

Right-o, let’s start – I’m looking forward to pouring out my deepest most intimate fantasies out in the wide open plains called the internet. I’m not usually this egoistic but this post *demands* extreme Djian ego to come into play.

1. If I could be a TV-Chat Show Host, I’d be the equivalent of Opah, nay, *BETTER* than Opah (*name has been changed to Opah for fear of being sued). We’d make so much that for every Christmas special on the “Matty Show”, viewers will get a brand new car, a lakeside home, two private jets, a robust helicopter, private libraries of books, coffee bean coupons, and a year’s worth of free Baskin Robbins ice-cream.

2. If I could be a~~porn star~~ dictator, I’d make jazz gigs the principal focus of Matthewsia (our nation) and pit our best Matthewcian minds to work on radical ice-cream flavours for the good of all mankind (research shows that two out of ten perish from horrid ice-cream flavours, so it’ll all be worthwhile). Minimal wages will remain the same, but all citizens with sufficient love for oldies will have earn themselves a BMW each.

3. If I could be a Jedi (I can’t help it, it’s Star Wars Season), I’d use the force to do absolutely everything – wash the car, shave, put on clothes, water the garden, feed myself, and more. I’d do the cool jedi-mind-trickery-thingy and make myself a dictator~ (please refer to previous dictator-fantasy).

4. If I could be an actor, I’d play all of the roles in F.r.i.e.n.d.s and rename the show to “Facets of Matthew’s Ego” (or F.A.M.E for short). It’ll go on for six seasons and proceed to do five more ‘farewell’ seasons to appease the mob of fans. In the credits there’ll be just my name and my name alone *smiles to myself while gazing into the heavens*

5. If I could be a fashion designer, the clothes I design will cease to be practical but rag-like and cheap-looking. However, using my powerful brand “Matthewno Ongliano™” and incredible charm, the masses will pay exorbitant prices for torn shirts and Ikano plastic underwear. International and local celebrities will cue to don their favourite “Matthewno Ongliano™” for red carpet events. The only way to get my designer rags would be to kiss my ginormous gold ring which fits like a glorious gold nugget of the desert on my right thumb.

I’m almost sad to have to be plain old me again, but all good things must come to an end. However be pleased for I shall now abide by societal rituals and meme-fy three other unfortunate bloggers by the name of Gaik Ping, YodaX, and A.gong. (Psst, be sporting and do it *winks*) All the other bloggers are busy having exams I think *sighs* Cheers anyhow for all things "meme"!

"Beam"-ing with Joy!

2005-05-25T16:49:00.000+08:00

As the saying goes, “If you want a gentlemen’s car, get a BMW”, and how very true it is. Mercedes has luxury down to the T but in terms of a pleasurable driving experience, most will admit that the BMW hits home with their line of coupes and their flagship 3 series. Without compromising on luxury (much), the new 3 series is making headway with it’s more aggressively bold frame alongside an allegedly better engine.

I say ‘allegedly’ because I know as much about a car’s inner workings as I do about surgery. Having said that, I know jolly well how to enjoy a good car without dwelling on too much detail. Burdening ones self with figures and horse powers while cruising down the road seems hardly appealing.

What *is* appealing however, is that I was granted the chance of driving the brand new 3 series last week *beams with pride*. This is a very significant point in my life simply because:

1. I’ve never driven high performance cars in my 20 years on this blue globe,
2. I’ve a thing for BMWs. I once was tremendously moved when a navy blue Beamer rested majestically within my house compound. Thinking that my generous father decided to get me a brand new car (my brother will be able to drive soon), I burst out laughing as I entered the house, glad that my dad came to his senses at last. I deflated rather immediately after realizing that it belonged to my visiting godmother.
3. Deep in the hearts of young men (and women), there is a need to ride a RM260K machine and power down curvaceous corners at mortal-killing speeds. And all this in the name of frivolous fun. Oh joy!

And so with my friend’s help (and what an affable chap he is too), I was able to test-drive the gorgeously black and new BMW 305i – the lowest range of the newly introduced said BMW 3 series.

Well one can certainly dream no? ;) And besides, I think it looks better still with that license plate~

As soon as my tears of joy subsided, I sat in the driver’s seat all prepped and set to roll. With the various on-board stabilizers, chips, and superior performance, you can’t help but grin like a happy (but naughty) Cheshire cat.

At this point, I'm reluctant to immediately bow to the Beamer. It has to first prove its worth~ (*ceh wah*, Jual mahal)

Now the first thing that struck me was the funky ignition key – a thumb drive looking thing. So you stick the thumb drive in and press a ginormous button slightly to the top which reads, “Start/Stop ignition”. Pressing the said button makes the engine purr with obvious delight.

What is not so delightful however is the rather odd interior. The colour combination doesn’t exactly scream ‘class’ but it’s not all too shabby either. However you would expect a whole lot more if you’re paying through your nose for one of these.

But I’m not much for interiors and would therefore judge the car based only on the overall driving experience. ‘Smooth’, ‘speedy’, and ‘silent’ are all perfect descriptions of the dear Beamer (most of them are understated too!)

We couldn’t test drive it under regular road traffic, so my good pal directed me to a secure and suitable area to drive recklessly. Flooring the accelerator, the car does magnificently well when being put through its paces. At 120kmph, you *hardly* feel a thing thanks to the wonderful stability and suspension gear. A corner approaches from a distance and I instinctively slow down.

“Push it,” says my friend.

Taking his word for it, I took the turn at an unnatural (for me) 125kmph. Immediately the G-forces push you back into the seat and tosses you to one side (it’s the same feeling you get while dipping or turning on a roller-coaster ride). Although taking corners at this velocity affected my body, it didn’t influence the car. Rather remarkably, the Beamer stays flawlessly on course and remains faithfully pointed on its original course.

“It’s made to handle 160kmph turns,” chuckles my friend.

Never before have I driven a car whose ability challenges my own capability and guts to push it to its limit. Switching places, my friend now displays a side of him I’ve never quite seen – that of a car tester (albeit a rather mad one). What I did much earlier now seemed tame and docile in comparison to his. Corners were approached at 140kmph, straights at 150kmph, and small hills or top of hills at 120kmph. We did a small jump on the way home and skidded a slight bit, but all’s well *smiles happily*.

Needless to say, the car drives fantastic! Its maneuverability is second to none and on top of that, the forceful yet aerodynamically functional body design wonderfully contributes to its stability. What more can a young executive of today’s multi million companies ask for (well perhaps better looking interiors).

After the abusive drive, I’m told that the vehicle is regrettably rather *underpowered* – it makes you all poignant and sappy for the deprived, feeble vehicle doesn’t it. But in spite of this, it’s an astounding vehicle to drive around in as it’s a definite magnet for roving pedestrian eyes.

BMW – Sheer Driving Pleasure

The only let down I suppose would be its uninspired interior and extravagant price (I tried terribly hard to not dwell on how much it is while driving it – it’s much too painful to ponder about.)

Other than that, it impresses on every level *smiles widely*. How will I ever go back to my domesticated but pretty Wira now ;)

Diaries and Blogs (Sama ah?)

2005-05-21T14:33:00.000+08:00

Image courtesy of www.shoa.de/ p_anne_frank.html

Anne Frank – a memorable young figure of humanity who through her diary, offered a rare window into her world. It was through those bleak times where she’d faithfully fill the diary with muse and thoughts, seeking solace through pen and paper.

Acknowledging the power of the googlefier, I googled her, and found a plethora of sites dedicated to this little girl – it’s nothing short of amazing. She’d have never thought that *her* diary would trigger such immense chain of events! The thought of her success never did escape my young mind when I first heard of her. When you’re 10, nothing seems impossible (and that’s the real reason why children jump from ladders – they wish to be the Man of Steel himself. Why though that mostly little boys do it and not little girls? Could girls have had more sense than boys even at that tender age? *ponder ponder*).

Feeling inspired and moved, I set out to write my *own* diary at ten. I thought pretty highly of myself back then, and the first entry looked marketable to me (I too wanted to sell my diary one day). Looking back, I doubt anyone would buy a diary containing writings on things I ate and future plans to buy sweets on Sundays.

As a note, I must say now that I’ve never quite been able to keep up with writing an entry every night. Only during periods of turmoil would I write furiously into the diary. Intensive feelings of love, hate, or depression would usually suffice *grins* thus I never really had writer’s block. Teenage years saw quite a few entries being added into the diary, and it becomes painfully embarrassing to read it years later.

Eg:

“I hate *fill in name of hated person* because he or she *insert action of said person* and I KNOW it was on purpose! I PRAY TO GOD THAT He/she becomes a *fill in vile description of a creature or farm animal*. Etc etc.”

Such hate, such immaturity, such vivid imaginations! Of course I’d discover days later that I was wrong about this person and would put down an entry saying, “Dear diary, Aiyoh. I think I made a mistake…”.

Today, the closest things that comes to writing a diary for me is my blog and emails that I send out daily without fail ;) I think compiling them together would give a rather accurate day by day report of my progress and what I go through. Then again, who would have sufficient patience to compile them up nicely! Having said that, there have been individuals who’ve done just that! Their works are essentially compiled articles from their blogs.

“What is a blog to you?” asked a friend some time ago, to which I couldn’t reply well enough to. But I think that blogs, to me, is more than just a journal. It keeps me in touch with buddies and satisfies the need to know more about what’s been going on around that sphere of friends. Inevitably, blogs are what you set them out to be, which makes it a significant alternative media amongst the other more common ones.

Anyhow, odd observations aside, have a splendid weekend! To those having papers to sit for, what are you doing HERE! Back to work *whips whip whippingly at you* and all the best. I found a rather encouraging quote on exams and will leave you with this:

Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer.
- Charles Caleb Colton (1780 - 1832) -
(Brilliant fellow isn't he?)

Art Critics...

2005-05-11T16:56:00.000+08:00

It is sometimes hard to understand art, and more often than not, some pieces aren’t as direct as others – hence the term abstract art. I won’t deny how decidedly ignorant I am towards it, and you *know* you’re aloof if your idea of an ABStract art is a picture with abs in it. At five, I first heard about it and the first thing that came to mind were abs.

Speaking to a good friend of mine doing medicine in Newcastle, Hansel (the said good friend) enlightened me (more or less) about abstract art, which I found to be terribly interesting. Think about it, an art piece that requires deeper thoughts of perceptions than mere judgment on if the colour matches one another! Artists like Salvadore Dali are world famous surrealists who paint art with the intention of ‘getting the message/idea’ through.

What this simply means is that you get an art which actually demands your full attention to detail and the meanings found in it is most profound! Think of it as a 2500 worded essay on ... democracy (for example) on a single piece of painting.

Salvador Dali was simply the crème de la crème of the surrealist movement and according to his biography, he induced himself into a hypnotic like state in order to conjure up vivid images from his subconscious mind.

I don’t know what it’s called back then, but today, that is also known as doping, sniffing ganja, shooting it up, piping, smoking a joint, snorting, and getting the Maui-Maui. Perhaps there were licenses back then that says, “Back off buddy, I’m sniffing this for the sake of art” (no wonder it was a rather popular movement). But heck, if rock stars of our era utilize ‘medicine’ for inspiring tunes (like “Yellow Submarine”), then I say it’s perfectly alright for renaissance and surrealist artists to exploit ‘home grown goodness’ to bring us exquisite art. By all means, paint when you’re ‘high’.

The names for his art pieces are extremely long as well. Just to give you an idea, I found pieces like, The Ghost of Vermeer of Delft Which Can Be Used As a Table, Necrophilic Fountain Flowing from a Grand Piano, Surrealist Object Gauge of Instantaneous Memory, The Infinite Enigma, etc.

It puts my sister’s art piece in the previous post (Mural-icious) to shame! Having said that, it impresses me to a great extent that such art holds so much more value than mere artistic beauty and furthermore, it can be understood if you read up on the artist’s background! I do plan on reading up more about this sort of art, so my thanks goes to Hansel for prodding me in this direction.

So conclusively, all art can be deciphered in one way or another…except for this:

Can someone please tell me what it means. The notorious artist who did this insists that it isn’t childish vandalism but something of a greater magnitude (I’ve yet to figure out what).

It’ll be infinitely fun to see what you guys make out of this …thing. So send in your thoughts and turn on your artistic side of the brain (those having trouble with it may use external stimulants for help...just don't tell anyone I told you to).

Glimpses of Hell

2005-05-07T09:40:00.000+08:00

For most of my life, vivid yet haunting images from the Hong Kong media of Taoist funerals – colourful, loud, and insanely long processions – spurred and weaved my imagination about funerals. I don’t suppose it proper to declare that my grandfather’s funeral was a ‘golden’ opportunity to witness it, but in many sense of the word, I pray for it to be my first and last experience of one (since wanting to watch another would mean another death somewhere *gasps*). At certain points in the four day processions it felt almost theatre-like with all the loud costumes, traditional melodies, and hypnotic chants.

The priests do have an assortment of instruments and tools, but the one thing which caught my eye was this long and wide banner filled with drawings of the many punishments of Hell. From what I understand and read, Buddhism (or perhaps Taoism) claims that every man and beast will have to pass through hell first before being reincarnated. It’s like a Red Indian gauntlet but many times worse! So only after you’ve paid your debt can you move on for the reincarnation process. Fortunate ones remove themselves from this vicious cycle (reaching Nirvana), moderately good ones become human once more, and horribly unfortunate ones come back as domestic animals ready for slaughter *gulp*.

Not knowing if it’s taboo to photograph the banner, I did my best to be utterly discreet in doing so. I am of the Christian faith and so me taking part in any of the processes is not a do-able thing! But out of respect, I had to though I’ve been informed that because there’s a spiritual element in it, I’m toying with danger when I do partake in the events. Excusing myself out of it because I’m the ‘cameraman’ for the funeral didn’t do me any good really as I had to sit under the sweltering heat carrying the joss-sticks, but I thought it harmless if I consciously disassociated holding it with any meaning.

The banner itself was rather huge, and so I took only the more interesting ones:

A demon (green) is seen holding a magical mirror set on reality TV mode. It shows of the person’s past deed and what he or she is required to do to repent. The person in green shorts I assume was the one murdered by the one begging for mercy (blue outfit).

Various Punishments:

And so having gone through all that torture, one is finally reincarnated:

Now though I do generally believe that burning paper gold bullion isn’t going to help in any way, I think the spiritual side of it is very real. Many a time during the chants, one would feel goose bumps or chills down one’s spine. It’s certainly not pleasant but I felt it wasn’t just any trivial procession. Those with the gift of a third eye would tell you so (I know of a few).

The banner themselves didn't freak me out, rather I found them fascinatingly painful! Whatever your beliefs (for all religions have a hell) may be, may we never have debts to pay in the volcanic depths of Hell.

(Im)mortality

2005-04-26T02:14:00.000+08:00

It happened suddenly and swiftly, but not unexpectedly, which is why I must journey up north to Penang Island. I’ll be there for a good four to five days and hence would be missing for a good while.

You know, our mortality is very real, which makes living to the fullest ever more important. And to a great extent, it (mortality) speaks on the urgency of doing things you’ve always wanted or needed to do – sailing around the world, climbing mountains, getting to know the Lord, spending time with your loved ones, or telling that *someone* how much you miss *fill in suitable gender* (him/her/shim). It seems clichéd, and I used to think that it was, but one never does know till one is under ‘suitable’ circumstances which allows for such thoughts (detrimental or otherwise).

Having said that, I found a quote that rings true in most situations:

Death is more universal than life; everyone dies but not everyone
lives.
- A. Sachs

Muralicious~

2005-04-20T14:19:00.000+08:00

The holidays are perfect times to daydream. So imagine being disgustingly rich, nauseatingly famous, and own gold plated toilet bowls to sit your royal tushy on. With that much wealth, you’d buy a billion dollar house, a car that puts all others to shame, and most importantly of all, furnish that home with books, lavish curtains, and Picassos.

Well I may not be filthy rich…yet. But already I’ve begun to invest in young talents of our nations that will rise up to overthrow the likes of Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Vincent Van Gogh. Quite recently, I discovered strange murals done with intensive focus and mind numbing talent. Just as how people were floored by murals of days gone by, I too (almost) cried. Not wanting to let this moment slip, I secretly took pictures of them for my dear readers, but at often times I questioned myself, “Are they prepared for this”.

So hold your breath as I showcase for the first time ever, murals that may sell for billions.
wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Behold!

Exhibit 1

Mortal eyes bleed at the sight of such profound exquisiteness. Mere child’s doodles they are not, for can you not see the colossal effort put into this masterpiece *disguised* as a child’s squiggle.

Having since discovered the mural, I’ve had it analyzed by true professionals of the field. Words like, “amazing, heart-stirring, stupendous, astonishing, prodigious, and mural-licious” fell generously from their knowing lips. For brief moments in time, we wept and whimpered in awe having witnessed this life-changing mural. One of the said experts even collapsed into a near-death-experience – fantabulous.

We were inclined to name it, and so it shall be known (quite aptly) as, “Super Stripy Shirted Bunny with a Crack on Its Head and Royal Four-legged Princess with L-Shaped Nostrils and a Head Flatter than Mom’s Saucepan”. Admittedly, it’s quite a mouthful, so we should call it “SSSBCIHRFPLNHFMS” for easier reference.

Analyzing further into this art piece which is way beyond it’s time, we discovered faint traces of the artist’s characteristics. Each famous painter has his or her own style, and it’s not too different from this mural.

Exhibit 2

As you can see, the Super Rabbit has an aesthetically gorgeous suit and its right arm seems to be a club of some sort while the other looks broken. Using liquid paper on the ends of its ears creates a snow-like effect, suggesting hints of its frigid habitat.

Exhibit 3

Here again, the exact same liquid paper is being cleverly manipulated to discreetly show mucus spewing from the L-shaped nostrils of Four-Legged Princess. A piece of the mural however seems missing as there is a horrendous chip above her head. Experts call it the missing link and for easier viewing, we’ve marked it with a “V” sign. This, experts claim, could very well be the reason her head’s so incredibly flat.

We’ll uncover more and when we do, we’ll release earth-shattering details on new art pieces by this prodigy of an artist.

Brown Paper Packages...

2005-04-08T23:38:00.000+08:00

I love waking up late and not having to rush.
I love having the free time to work on things *I’m* interested in.
I love being able to be up at ungodly hours (tee hee hee) ;)
I love my holidays.

Life on the slow lane is certainly not as furiously exciting as when I was running about rushing for things, but it certainly has its charms. Though I’m still running about with my societies, it is great fun to work on things I’m passionate about (non academic ones).

So far, I really have yet to get started on my books and cooking aspirations (much to the delight of my parents) but let it not be known that I’m “Mr. Procrastinator”. Perhaps I should try not to have people hospitalized…

Anyhow, just to add to the entire list,

I love getting packages!

The day before, I got a call from my mom:
Mom: Hey, ah-boy ah! You have a package here. Can I open it ah? It’s huge an…
Me: Oi! No no no no! Don’t open it! It’s mine! Just leav….
Mom: Nevermind la, I just take a peek la. I’ll just try to…….
Me: MOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!
(Well I was more polite in real life. Really I was!)

A few weeks back, Benji had gone to San Francisco! That lovable chap bought some of us souvenirs and in all fairness, it wasn’t to mock us for not being there! So amongst the other things, I found my little box wrapped nicely in … old news paper. Well technically, it’s new because I’ve never read American papers before this. Is it ‘jakun’ at all to read wrappings of newspaper? ;)

Wah!

WAAAAH!

It’s really pretty and rather detailed (it’s got the golden handle bars and gorgeous red seats)! This lovely Cable Car Music Box plays “I left My Heart in San Francisco”! I was rather tickled that it was slightly out of tune, but I love it nevertheless. I really am collecting things from around the world because several days back, I met up with Samantha who had gotten me a little keychain from Paris!

Now, I think she has no qualms about mocking me because she knows dang well that Paris is on the top of my must-see places before I die! I trust that dear ol’ Sam hadn’t purchased this in Pasar Seni *wink*. But I dismissed such theories – it smells rather Parisian anyways.

As I’ve mentioned, I love packages, and so my *first* package from overseas would always be terribly special :) It was during my birthday many months ago when I received a queer looking box with *my name* on it. Parents were rather shocked to see someone willing to send *me* a package (I still hurt from their mockery), but indeed, this one was mine and mine alone *insert suitable evil grin here*.

Isn't it lovely? *grins* I’m (well my name) riding on the bicycle! Yvonne had it sent all the way from Cambridge and it’s so relevant since most people ride bicycles there (cars are way too expensive to own). It’s also to rub it in on how lucky I am to have a car (and I make no effort to hide my pleasure in having a car). *muahahaha* To sprint meters ahead with minimal effort is thrilling indeed!

Slowly but surely, my collection of things from the world over is growing. Now if only I had more adventurous friend's who'd venture all over Europe buy me more souvenirs *grins*

But looking back, I really hadn’t taken the opportunity to thank everyone who had made my Birthday meaningful (I didn’t quite blog about it either I think!). Well I did thank them in person, but not on a blog ;) It’s so long overdue, but…

Thanks Lucas, Lishi, and Eugene for surprising me on the street and singing me Happy Birthday IN THE MIDDLE OF a JAM.
Thanks Aileen for the hand-made gift!
Thanks Vonney for the incredibly cute bicycle! It still mocks my lack of exercise everyday if that makes you happy *grins* ;)
and to all the well-wishers :)

…Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things….

Burn Baby, Burn: Cheng Beng

2005-03-28T17:12:00.000+08:00

Driving for hours on end is really not my cup of tea – unless I'm in a Ferrari. Anyone who has driven to Penang can attest to the punishing rigours of the road – it’s hot, fraught with KKs (Killer Kancils), and extremely monotonous. Monotony, especially on the road, leads quite effortlessly to fatigue. The soft rumbling of the road, comfy car cushions, soothing music, and a monotonous drive contributes (I think) greatly to road accidents. So I’m rather blessed to have made a safe journey home from ‘Cheng Beng’ in Penang!

It was an audacious plan – we’d leave on a Saturday afternoon, ‘Cheng Beng’ on Sunday morn, and rush home in the afternoon (Monday is a working day you see). But I’m glad I went (there’s a first time for everything!).

This is the only time where the usually grim graveyards are busy and kicking with activity.

Essentially, ‘Cheng Beng’ is a time where relatives and children of the deceased come together with intentions of cleaning or beautifying the tombstones (not an easy task if you’ve five of these to visit). They take this opportunity to pray and request that they’re blessed with health and wealth (the Chinese would ask for wealth-la). People have always been consumed by greed, and it’s not surprising if some may be doing ‘Cheng Beng’ more for themselves than in respect for the deceased! (but again, I'm simply generalizing -- there would of course be those who sincerely wish to pay their respects).

Hell notes ranging from 100 to 1000 in denomination. The designs are rather fascinating to stare at~

The belief is that by burning paper-made money, cars, homes, etc, it will be delivered to that person via smoke-express. In return for such filial acts of generosity, you and your family would be blessed for the year. The majority burnt hell-notes and paper-gold-bullion, but several ambitious ones burnt double-storey bungalows, Porches, BMWs, computers, etc. One has to ponder how alive and well these industries are to be making such profitable sales during ‘Cheng Beng’! Parking attendants wanting to earn an extra buck are also everywhere, collecting at least RM2 for every car coming in.

Their creativity knows no bounds! Gold framed glasses, rings, green gems, and even the latest model of handphones from "Noki"! <--it's called Noki for fear of being sued I'm sure.

I'm amazed at their craftsmanship! The shoes and shirt are surprisingly detailed~ I won't be surprised to see someone burning the latest summer collection from Versace!

The mortuary and cemetery were so alive with activity! There must’ve been thousands of people rushing about with joss sticks and offerings in hand. To ‘feed’ the deceased, food stuff were brought along to be placed and prayed upon (many say that food eaten after being consumed by spirits is distinctively tasteless). Some of the more unusual offerings being made were D-24 Durians (the aroma was quick to spread about the mortuary!) To know if ‘they’ve’ feasted, two coins were often tossed simultaneously (same sides indicated that the food is ‘consumed’).

With all the commotion going on, it’s easy to get lost in the sea of people praying, buying, and burning. My eyes often hurt from the smoke of burnings and joss sticks (attempts to tear and protect one’s eyes were pointless – there were just too many people burning offerings). The atmosphere was incredible – it’s ridiculously hot due to the overwhelming number of burning sites, and in the middle of it all are these cool and composed drink/ice-cream vendors looking very out-of-place indeed. They don’t seem to sweat as we commoners do as they dished out desserts.

Some parts of the mortuary felt hellishly hot! And that's because of all these burning spots. See that woman in red? Imagine thousands of people with similar bags of offerings to burn! (all of whom are as gung-ho as she is)

It’s really an overload of the senses, and I did feel slightly overwhelmed by all the hustle and bustle. It’s a tad bit tougher for me as well because I was now no longer Buddhist, hence I didn’t pray nor picked up joss sticks. I simply stood and watched. My relatives were surprisingly cool about me being a first-generation Christian (they nicknamed me “bible man” and “Mr. Camera”!) They teased but it wasn’t the insulting sort as it was all in good humour :)

And so after spending an entire morning squeezing, rushing, cleaning, and burning, we’ve to drive all the way home in the evening on that very same day! But it wasn’t as difficult really since the rest stops are oh-so-modern these days (they’ve even designed indoor gardens to help people take a leak! How sweet!). But I think the greatest step forward for them was building *this*:

S'wondeful, S'marvelous *grins* ;)

Making a Difference

2005-03-21T21:16:00.000+08:00

“Vacation is what you take when you can't take what you've been taking any longer.” - The Lion (don't ask)

I agree with ‘The Lion’ wholeheartedly, though I’ve realized that more often than not, ‘taking’ too long a vacation can be potentially detrimental to one’s mental well-being if not filled with meaningful/productive activities. What if you want a vacation from your … vacation?

I’m just feeling an odd blend of fear, uncertainty, and excitement as my holidays have just begun – a whole four month break to do as I please. It’s sinfully long, and I’ve never had such a lengthy stretch without college. Perhaps it is time to bring forth and make real my dreams and life long ambitions.

After much thought and consideration, I’ve decided to put my major ambitions (building huge lego houses or counting the tiles on my floor) aside to make room for other dreams like:

1. Learning to swim properly. It’s high time I stopped floating about or splashing around in a toddler-ish fashion. (I should probably rid myself of those pesky red shoulder floats too).

2. Learning to cook and uhm, perfect my already splendid cooking. Perhaps it’ll do me good to learn frying other things besides eggs. Anyone keen on teaching? (Must own your own apron).

3. Reading books I've never read before. I truly believe that a book can teach, entertain, and provoke your thoughts as it may shake or reinforce the very principles that govern your life. Hence, I’m going to read a whole host of wonderful books, starting with L.M. Montgomery’s Anne of Green Gables (what?)

4. Going on stage to public speak again. I’m glad to say that a friend and I managed to register for the Star’s public speaking event. Competition would be stiff, but I’d walk away with something anyhow~ Anyone else entering?

5. Working in a Mass Comm related industry. It’s really not about the money – they pay you peanuts to do the donkey work, but you’d gained so much more experience as a … donkey.

Now, I am aware that everything I have mentioned centers around me and how I’d improve myself. But I realized earlier on today that I’m compelled to help others in during these holidays.

It was brought about when a friend shared his problems with me, on how he has to wrestle with his payments and bills, on how living alone can be hard, on how it truly feels like to be self dependant. He’s by no means a wimp, and takes things in his stride. I’m amazed and inspired by his perseverance, something which I find lacking in myself.

It’s a lot of pressure for him, and I felt horrendous that I’ve never had to go through such circumstances (at least not yet). Most of my peers are free of worldly pressures you see, and it pains me that a friend of my age has to worry about things beyond his years due to the situation he’s in. Perhaps I’ve not dealt enough with the brutality of the ‘real’ world, or realized how it’s truly a dog-eat-dog environment out there. I felt shameful and immature about complaining as I did on measly things when here, I’m witnessing a friend who has to deal with so much more. Put in a similar position, I’d break and fall apart.

But don’t take me wrong, I’m not turning away from my ideals and dreams – I would always be an idealist! *wink* Hence I’ve decided that at least throughout the duration of my holidays, I’d like to make a difference. I may not be able to save the world, but making a difference to just one individual would suffice for now.

My Wee Hours of Wastefulness

2005-03-15T01:15:00.000+08:00

This is all quite a struggle – how does one revise for a subject that is as interesting as watching grass grow, and as vague as air stewards pointing the exits in an airplane. I must point out that accounts is no walk in the park despite it being a highly logical subject – “1 + 2 = 3” But sitting down for hours can sometimes shut your mind off, rendering your brain into a vegetable like state, and causing your eyes to involuntarily shut.

“Necessity is the mother of invention” they say, and I’ve found some ways to sustain consciousness while soaking up revision books. Here are some which I’ve learnt from dear friends (actual results vary from person to person!):

1. Take a five minute break and listen to your favourite tunes – mine happens to be Nat King Cole tunes coupled with dashes of Platters and a healthy sprinkle of jazzy love songs. My collection of old swing tunes and love songs used to be rather pathetic and limited, but it has since grown *substantially* thanks to a certain idealist-hopeful-romantic ;)

2. Take six minutes off and visit the kitchen. Once there, devour chocolaty snacks and down cupfuls of Ribena (if you want to, pop some chewy mint sweets). The sugar rush ought to keep you buzzing for the next long few hours of revision! Pay no attention to stares from family members trying to figure out why you’re high and jumpy.

3. If you’ve pets, take five minutes to spoil them. In my case, I’ve a fish tank with a dozen or so small freshwater fishes. I enjoy feeding and watching them gobble hungrily as I sprinkle fish food bits into the tank (a few of them died a few days later though, so refrain from over-feeding!) I convinced my sister (poor girl) that I had nothing to do with the over bloated topsy-turvied fishes (*gulp*) I shall repent.

4. Give yourself a back massage to ease the tensions on your shoulders. Of course it’d be wonderful to have siblings or someone to do it for you, but if you’re sad like yours truly, then self-induced hand-back rubs would have to do. Ensure that you’ve sufficient hand-shoulder coordination to perfectly time the rubs and squeezes.

5. Spend five minutes reading something empowering like nice emails (I’ve plenty of those *grins*) and the Bible. I’ve often been surprised as to how by simply reading them, these compiled thoughts written in words can motivate you for hours on end.

Now technically, one should be alright with these tips – if one does only one of the mentioned advices at a time. My *problem* is having the tendency to sometimes do all five at a go (that’s at least 30 minutes down the drain!). Oh, just to add to the list,

6. Updating the Blog.

It’s therapeutic somehow, and therefore that’s all this entry is – another outlet to hold back the anxiety and pressures that exams bring by typing highly monotonous blocks of sentences.

*sighs*.

Well admittedly, it’s also to thank and appreciate the people in your life who make transitions of stressful periods smoother and more enjoyable *grins* so thanks ;)

So will I go back to books after spending nearly 15 minutes with this entry? I most certainly will…

…right after a few more Nat King Cole melodies~ (sighs, I see a "C" grade coming along!)

"Yan Can Cook" but can * I *?

2005-03-09T19:37:00.000+08:00

“…so put a lil’ sauce on the scrumptious steak like so, and fry till it turns golden brown. Now you’ll want to put the flame on low for this to not burn…”

“…toss it to one side, and cut it into fine pieces. *Cuts vegetables*. See, as easy as that!”

“…*sniffs the dish* see how beautiful this one came out? *mmmm* Yummy! I’m hungry in the tummy *fake television laughter* ~ hA Ha hA Ha~”

It looks extremely easy on the idiot’s box – like cooking ‘Cintan’ noodles. Watching the cooking program on ‘Travel TV’ showed me how in thirty painless minutes, you’ll have yourself a Coquilles St. Jacques Meunière (scallops, quick fried in butter) for your main course, Soupe à l'Oignon (French onion soup) as an appetizer, and a delightful Gâteau au Chocolate et aux Poires (chocolate pear cake) for dessert. How enchanting!

Now, though I’ve never mentioned about the ‘Chef Wan’ in me, I’ve always longed to work those pots, pans, and kitchen-ware to produce some of the best cuisines ever. I’m relatively far from that goal because to date, my ‘cuisine(s)’ have been instant noodles with eggs that were sometimes fried with butter. But mind you, they taste great.

I was so confident of my superior sunny-side-up fried eggs, that I diligently fried some for my family one Sunday morning. They quite obviously have taste-bud issues because having eaten those breathtaking (and gravity defying) yolks, I was consequently banned for an indefinite time from ever cooking for anyone other than myself again.

I’m a man of my words, and stayed away for a good two years, but something this afternoon (namely hunger) compelled me to take up my frying utensils and once again reclaim a piece of my kitchen. I wanted to make my return with a bitter vengeance by taking my cooking mastery a step forward into the unknown. I figured that if my other friends like Sam or Vonney could cook delightful looking meals, then there’s absolutely no reason why I can’t. And besides, that Yan fellow from “Yan Can Cook” says I can (so sure I must!)

Thus, I stepped up my game and moved from 'fried eggs', to 'fried eggs and rice' (which is by no means a small step by the way)

It felt good to hold the flat-metal-used-to-fry-egg thingy on one hand and the egg in the other … like old friends they were. Skillfully, I turned the heat up and tossed (because I was afraid of oil spats) the eggs from a fair distance into the frying pan. It shrilled tremendously while splattering all over the pan and its handle. Not to be out-cooked, I shuffled closer with the pan’s cover in one hand to shield the angry spluttering oil.

With the elegance of a cat, I tossed the eggs about while putting in bucketfuls of black sauce and pepper.

Use soy sauce sparingly or face risks of hair genocide~

By now, things were really heating up. Tossing the egg with the spatula thingy in my left hand, I tossed white rice into the mix, allowing it to simmer. Not knowing what sauces fried rice would consist of I applied all that I’ve learned from years of observing the local fried rice uncle down at ‘Bee Fatt Hawker’s Centre’.

So I tossed more soy sauce and added dashes of different things into it (like garlic powder and parmesan cheese bits) in hopes that it’ll turn out decent.

Ten hectic and agonizing minutes later, I had what I’d like to call my main lunch course – ‘Burned-beyond-recognition-salty-fried-cheese-rice with spicy-blackened-scrambled-carbon-filled-eggs’. To wash it all down, I tactfully opted for a nice glass of sky juice (the kitchen boiled kind).

Now that’s what you call a meal. Bon appètit!

Note: I think it wouldn’t harm me – young chef extraordinaire – to apply for some cooking lessons this holidays (it’s just to reinforce my miraculous cooking abilities anyway).

Eating Habits, Exams, and Poetry (huh?)

2005-03-02T18:56:00.000+08:00

I’ve always known myself to have an odd stomach.

For one, I never seem to gain weight.

Indeed, I’m one of THOSE – tall and lanky people who eat half a ton of food daily, and disposes almost equal amounts of it during chocolate cake making sessions. “How do you do it”, says a friend, and believe me when I admit that I’ve no idea. One of my greatest fears is if I’d suddenly balloon at the ripe old age of 24, thus outgrowing most of my clothes and not being able to shop at the usual spots anymore. Such was the case with one of my bony uncles who ‘ballooned’ up shortly after 25.

Being an obsessive compulsive eater who absolutely loves food of any kind does have its drawbacks, though I doubt I’m the only one of my kind around~ *hint hint* It’s simply unfortunate that I should develop a taste for pricier ice-cream and wine, since both aren’t exactly cheap (but then again, isn’t everyone attracted to expensive ice-cream and wine *wink*)

And I do believe in the 'you are what you eat' hocus-pocus, which makes me susceptible to a sudden need to have health food and nothing else. I’d cram in nothing but fresh salad vegetables and voluptuous tomatoes (with nothing else on top) for a good day or two just so I’d feel good about eating healthily for once.

But quite honestly, I think the recent exams are causing me such great deviances in eating behavior. My stomach is not the only quirk which arises – I quite recently had the compulsive desire to write in rhyme. Oh you know, the poem sort. I’ve been warned by friends to spare readers the pain and torment, but I shall heed none of it (for I am actually evil and bad). After completion, I triumphantly decided to call it, “Exam Time”.

Exam Time (Masa Exam) or (Exam Eh Si) *last one's in Hokkien*
Tensions rise in times of stress,
and that's the reason why,
my moods are never in their best,
unless you get me... high.

Exams are on this month itself,
and I shall surely grieve,
to have to work like Santa's elf,
on a busy Christmas eve.

I try to not procrastinate,
the work that must be done,
But I can't seem to stop myself,
from having too much fun!

My weekends are my day of rest,
It has always been this way,
But I must study for the test,
Or else I'll fail, OKay!?

An old text book, which I had to look,
caused me groans and pains,
So I tore the pages of the book,
to make cute paper planes,

My mother saw me doing this,
and with angry tones she said,
"!@^@$#^!(*!(@&#(#& " she hissed,
"Your college fees I've paid!"

My anger hung by a thread,
There's no point even lying,
so with a rebellious tone I said,
"I'll er, go back to studying"

But revising makes your brains 'real fit',
(that's a real no-brainer),
you have to work real hard at it,
if you want to ace the paper.

I didn't want to fight or banter,
with my mom, who lost her nerves,
so I think I'll do my work right after,
this episode of Smurfs.

I think it’s obvious, from what you gather,
That I'm too tired to write any more...
sentences which rhyme nicely together,
~~and the world's filled with whores.~~
~~now get down on all fours.~~
~~we're like big wild boars.~~

...

oh bother.

"I'm a, Slaaaaave~, for youuuu~"

2005-02-19T14:30:00.000+08:00

I’ve seen many storms in my lifetime, but the storm that happened a few days back really took the cake. It poured like there was no tomorrow. Tubby cats and pudgy dogs felled from the dark rolling clouds while tenacious winds howled away, ripping tree branches which blocked certain roadways. Some branches were so heavy, that they could’ve easily wrecked cars if ever there was one below it. Traffic, in some areas, was at a standstill and worse yet, certain roads were flooded. Now we all know how likely it is for a person’s power supply to be cut off due to lightning, but what happened at my house was astonishing!

In the midst of the night storm, my home was struck quite literally, by lightning. For the first time ever, both thunder and lightning came as one “wholesome” package. It struck the compound of my home, causing sparks and fumes as it did. Power was cut quite immediately, and to make matters worse, my home computer and appliances were left on! Thank God nothing burned, though my modem was rendered useless. Not even the old trick of hitting it could forcibly bring it back to life. I tried shaking and spinning it, but that too was a huge failure.

Calling Streamyx wasn’t as tough, and customer service wasn’t too bad. They did helped in anyway they could, but the process was tedious, and though they’ve promised to send a technician over by 12pm today, that hasn’t happened. It’s been two hours now, and I’ve “fixed” it myself, so really, this whole service thing has been so redundant.

Living without an internet connection was tough. I felt a sinking feeling that things would be different. My mom calls it IDS or known as “Internet Deficit Syndrome”, where symptoms, in my case, include:

1. Fidgeting with old modem while reinforcing it’s self esteem with positive feedback such as, “You can do it, you’re a Gooood modem, atta-boy”.
2. Pressing the “connect” button numerous times while consistently mumbling words like “please!” or “come on!” in hopes of ‘willing’ it to connect.
3. Looking for various other ways to connect online like bunking over at a friend’s place (“Eh, you’ve internet connection? Can I bunk over?”) or going to the nearest cybercafé at 1 in the morning for that nightly chat or emailing session that you desperately need ;)

Needless to say, getting a new modem has in a way changed my life *dramatically clenches my fist*. I’m a new man now, make no mistake about that. I now pledge to treasure online moments, and update my forlorn website a little more often! By hook or by crook, I shall live a good and honest ‘online living’. Before sliding down into the dark pits of nerds Ville, I should insist (no matter how hard it is to believe) that the internet has no hold on my soul *laughs it off nervously* -- I’m no slave to the internet~! (or am I?)

The Essense of Chinese New Year

2005-02-12T00:05:00.000+08:00

Terribly sorry for late postings, but I've been without a decent connection in days! Here's a one-day late entry~:

***

The sweltering heat, the loud obtrusive CNY music, and the ruffian cousins with whom I am obligated to wrestle with – all of this are part and parcel of CNY for me yearly. Here in sunny Penang, where the temperature reaches boiling point, I go through my daily activities breathing in heavy and stuffy air while sweating by the truckloads. Even now as I type, the keyboard is bathing with perspiration dripping from my fingertips.

But don’t get me wrong – I adore Chinese New Year celebrations. It’s the only time of year where family members from far and wide gather together in one giant mass to feast. And because my family tree (on both my parent’s side) is such a ginourmous one , I find myself having a new uncle or great grand aunty every once in a while.

Me: “Mom, who’s that?”
Mom: “Oh, she’s your great granduncle’s daughter who was born here but makes a living in Canada now, and has an Ang Moh as a hubby.”
Me: “Wow. And the guy next to her?”
Mom: “Your great granduncle la”
Me: “Oh. And that lady *points fingers at an aunty looking person* sitting there is my aunt izzit?”
Mom: “No, she’s the maid.”

I gave up soon after as to who’s who. But thanks to standard Malaysian culture, one can always greet everyone else with the homogenous “Aunty” or “Uncle”. This odd culture where even those who aren’t related to you are called aunts and uncles, have created a fair bit of confusion for me in the past. Why are people non-related called aunts or uncles anyway?

The lovable red Ang Pows are also high on my “Why-I-Love-CNY” list, and for good reason. I used to try and guess the amount in it judging from the person’s assets (his/her home, car, furniture, etc). Like a cold, calculative, and systematical tax collector, I’d ‘measure’ his or her assets, and from that, guess the amount in the little packets.

Keep in mind that this was a long time ago. I don’t do such things anymore! On the contrary, I find myself outgrowing them. No longer do I count every cent in hopes of out-collecting my siblings, or compare the numbers with fellow friends. That’s “like, so last year man”.

I love the festive atmosphere as well where relatives and close family friends would joke and gossip about the year’s events. I’d usually be chucked to the children’s corner where there would be tame jokes flying about. During my teenage years (where one was neither man nor boy) I’d sit there stomaching the noise and flying prawns. But this year, I was duly upgraded to the adult’s table! Oh no, I wasn’t about to drink orange or sugarcane juice! Bring forth instead the ice cold wine and frothy beer! Who cares if it’s 12 in the afternoon, its alcohol! My aunts and uncles would joke about everything under the sun, and some tend to be a tad bit disgusting. Hence, I’m planning to willingly move back to the children’s table next year.

Penang definitely has its charms, and while I don’t fancy the lack of hygienic food stalls or the unruly motorist, I love the traditional coffee shops and all my relatives there! Most things in Penang are constant and change very little throughout the years, which provide a comfortable nook for me to hide in every year. But by the end of this Penang escapade, I’d have eaten enough food to feed an entire village. Such is the vibrant celebration of food during this season (it’s also called wastage by the way)! Anyhow it’s time to go home since I’ve done everything that needs doing – visiting relatives, having the best food stuff in Malaysia, and singing people to ‘deaf’ at the Heritage karaoke centre. Happy Chinese New Year guys ;)

Skydiving, Anyone?

2005-02-06T20:11:00.000+08:00

I thought it would be nice to have a dear friend post about his skydiving experience here! For one, I've never done anything remotely as dangerous (no, roller coasters don't count. neither does driving in the wrong lane...well maybe that one does), and secondly, I've always wanted to jump out of a moving plane with a large cloth/plastic bag stuck to my back JUST for fun. What could be more thrilling than experiencing mortality on a pleasant Sunday morning~ So posting today's entry is Logan, a mean looking Indian dood who dresses "funny-ly" for parties once in a while *wink* :

***

45 seconds. To most people it would seem like a very short time…But not when you just jumped off a plane at 12,000 feet with nothing more than a 10kg parachute bag strapped to you.

Well, it’s not as bad as it sounds. Or so I said to myself as we were being driven to the farm where the plane was located. As I looked up from the window of the van the ominous clouds seem as inviting as the jaws of a Great White. Although I was assured that the jump is perfectly safe and there was nothing to worry about…well…wouldn’t U worry? I suppose my nerves were less excited than usual because I also jumped off a 100m bridge bungie style into the cold river rapids but hey, that’s another story altogether and I wouldn’t think Matt here would enjoy me goin’ all over the place with this bit of article or would U? Hmm……

Well at the farm ( A family of 4 who runs skydiving as an alternative way to use their pesticide-spraying plane ) I was greeted by a pack of voracious Doberman’s. Assured that they were harmless ( Yeah right ) I was quickly ushered into the “briefing room” to be, well, briefed.

I was quickly introduced to Ben ( part of the family and a certified master skydiver ) and he quickly explained that we would fly up to our jumping altitude ( not cruising altitude I’m afraid ) and jump with me in the front and him in the back strapped to a reliable and sturdy ( Hopefully ) parachute kit.

Well, off we go! Now I’d be first to admit that any idiot who isn’t looking would easily whack his head on the wings and bleed profusely but I ain’t an idiot so this isn’t applicable to me.Nah! I whacked the driver seat. ( Don’t even ask how )

Once we dealt with the embarrassing and tight squeeze of trying to squeeze me, Ben, Harry ( our camcorder dude and another certified parachutist and the pilot (forgot his name) we taxied on the runway and lifted off.This isn’t a smooth 747 jumbo jet by the way with impressive engines to give you a nice lift off into the sky.Quite the opposite…

The flight up to 12,000 feet was uneventful…..save for the fact that the plane stalled twice, the “door” was a plastic sheet so the strong icy gales kept hitting my face and me and Ben had to constantly move about the small “box” of a plane to set up our parachute kit and so he could properly latch on to me.

12,000 feet. I’m freaked out now…well not really…wait I am….Dang…”Door” opened, Harry jumps off 1st and then…woo hoo!!! Although technically speaking I didn’t jump, I was supposed to be shaped in a posture of a banana as Ben slowly pushes me off the plane.Well…close enough to a jump I’d say.

The feeling is…unexplainable…As I fell I could feel the clouds hitting me in the face as we kept going through clouds after clouds after clouds after clouds…Ok I’ll stop now. I actually have to say I wasted what could be an epic movie in the making by staring at the clouds instead of Harry, whom I didn’t realise was right opposite us and recording me looking at the clouds…Bugger…

Dropping! Augh!.Things to note during the fall , tummy pressed inwards, limbs dangling aside, eyes burning, incredible G-force.You get the picture.Aside from all this + clouds ( loads of them ) you do also get the feeling of commiting suicide as Mother Earth suddenly spans the view and thoughts of being squashed like a pancake as well as your life flashing before your eyes also appear ( Not so much of the latter as my memories of my life were pushed back to the rear of my skull)

Then, the parachute opened.Yes! It actually worked! After the drop of 45 seconds ( 30 seconds if you choose 9,000 feet and 60 seconds if you choose 16,000 feet. Why not 16k? Well:
A) The cost
B) U wear an oxygen mask going up and
C) I’m a 1st timer so I wouldn’t appreciate it ).

As we cruised down to earth I had the pleasure of having a one-of-a-kind event occurring. A conversation about good beer at 3000 feet.Cool eh?

Ok, coming down now.As he steers ( or tries to ) to the landing zone I put myself up not into a shape of a banana, no, a wheelbarrow.No jokes please! Closer, down, closer, down, closer, down (You get the pic).Touchdown! Woo Hoo!!!

Safe and sound! Back to farm HQ and after a short editing session of my photos and DVD( It even includes Music! Amazing! ) as well as a nice laminated cert. of being an official tandem parachutist I’m back for a nice lazy drive back to my hotel in Aukland.

An unforgettable experience I tell you….

***

You can contact the writer at: psychomania_85@hotmail.com

Hong Kong. Live It, Love It

2005-02-01T01:22:00.000+08:00

“Hong Kong – Live it, Love it”

For four days, we (Dr. Irene, Sarah, Meesh, Regina, and myself of course) did, and while I don’t exactly love it, I enjoyed the place tremendously! The cool weather, the efficiency of things, the wondrous albeit dangerous public transports, and of course, the capitalistic nature of it all (shopping, shopping, and MORE shopping). I took a total of 175 pictures, but for obvious reasons, I can’t stick them all here! But here are some of them:

This may not seem to mean much, but it really does! I’ve always only sent people off at airports, and rarely am I on the ‘other side of the fence’. This time however, I was! The dude standing above is staring down from the walkway of the viewing bay (it’s to let you wish your love ones a final goodbye). Felt odd to be below than above where I’d usually scream my goodbyes!

The flight was about 3 hours and a half, and I couldn’t quite take pictures (it’s too dang dark for my camera!). But anyway, we arrived shortly after at our hotel, and the area (according to a tourist guidebook) was called the “cancer of Kowloon”! o_o;

Now I failed to mention this earlier, but I had been loathing this trip because of unfinished work. Determined to complete it by morning, I sat in the hotel room that night with Hansel’s trusty laptop and did the essay. I wish to thank him again for lending the expensive laptop for my use! How trusting of him! One thing about the area we’re at is that there aren’t any cybercafés around. The hotel ushers however pointed out one that was close by, but it would cost me 20 HK dollars an hour! (That’s RM 10 an hour!). Back in the room, I sat there with some genuine HK noodles with HUMONGOUS shrimps (courtesy of my friends who ‘ta pau-ed’ the noodles) and got ready to begin. But there were distractions on and about --

Television porn. That’s something you don’t see in Malaysia (for obvious reasons). For $90, you can watch porn to your heart’s content. But porn wasn’t my cup of tea, hence I didn’t bother to (I know who might’ve bothered though *wink*)

This one is rather funny. I thought it would be an advert on gardens or maybe on a religion (seeing how it has a picture of a path and all). Turns out to be a massage/escort advert (HAH, I should’ve guessed as much!)

HK is truly a cosmopolitan city. It shows through its terribly efficient public transportation system! Firstly, you’ve so many kinds of transportation (Double-Decker busses, normal busses, small-light busses, taxis, and finally the Subway), and secondly, it has to be efficient because like Singapore, it’s expensive to own cars there (this explains why cars there are of a certain standard if you will). Unlike M’sia, there are pedestrian walkways everywhere, and equally abundant are the traffic lights. Walking is much more practical here partly due to the efficient public transportation as well as the wonderful weather – at 18 Celsius, it’s perfect for walking! You don’t sweat, and you certainly won’t smell bad after hours of taking bus number eleven (aka walking-lah).

Yet another curious thing is that the roads are, 90 per cent of the time, only double lane ones! Surprisingly, traffic flows well at almost all hours, thanks to the road system. Their traffic lights work in curious ways too because it turns yellow before turning green! Walking along the walkways may turn out to be a claustrophobic’s worse nightmare because there are people everywhere! There’s no escaping the advertisements either because this is shopping central. Like a city version of a non-organic hanging garden with vines of flowers everywhere, these adverts and signs pop out from the concrete buildings and often hang right across streets! Shops pack every inch available, and enterprising people sell their wares wherever possible – on street pavements, in between alley ways, on staircases, etc. The competition is feverish, and in pure ‘pasar malam’ fashion, they shout out the best prices and offers to everyone walking by. Walking down a block, you can easily pass by a dozen or more shops!

Here’s how it looks like at night (the lights are so purrrrty). Each shop uses so many light bulbs and tubes, that in certain areas, there is little difference between night and day! Whatever that’s powering Hong Kong, it definitely has nothing to do with little kids running on tread-mills. No, they must be using running adults or something similar.

HK is a place of specializations. For example, taxis are divided into areas, there are districts for housing/shopping/industrial, etc, and then there are the shops). This one sells only birds. There would be whole stretches of shops selling nothing more than flowers as well, which looked absolutely gorgeous at night!

In a place where land is scarce, everything goes upwards. Hong Kong reminds me of a more modern version of Penang Island with Genting Highlands’ weather and Singapore’s transit system. This picture demonstrates how most average locals live in apartments. On locations where there would only be apartments, the sheer number of them all may overwhelm you! Sprouting like mushrooms after a rainy day, the skyline was filled with them, proving once more how every inch of land is made use of.

This is the main reason we’re here in Hong Kong – to present a research paper in front of a very educated bunch. Held in the Hong Kong Institute of Education, we were to present for 15 minutes (about using blogs as a tool in education), at the Comparative Education Society of Hong Kong. Surrounded by professors, PHD holders, and essentially really really smart people, I couldn’t help but feel puny. During tea-time for example, the group of researchers would chat about research methodology, fundamental principles of their paper, and perhaps the meaning of life, who knows. Whatever it was, it’s definitely a whole lot smarter than us yakking about how nice the tea tastes and how a third arm to hold the tea and plates of food would be so very nice. Sighs.

That’s us. From left, Dr. Irene Tan, Meesh, Sarah Chan, Friend number one (I can’t remember her name!), Regina Lee, Friend number two (sorry!), and myself. (both Friends are from the Philippines). That’s the nice thing about this whole thing – you get to meet people whom you otherwise wouldn’t get a chance to.

For the rest of the trip, we pretty much did whatever we wanted. Without a tour group, we had little idea of where to go and when! And so we plotted, with the help of the earlier mentioned tourist book (it was published in 2002 though), and wandered into shopping areas like Nathan Road, as well as Avenue of Stars which is situated on the Tsim Sha Tsui promenade. You can see Victoria Harbour and the “dazzling Hong Kong Island skyline” apparently.

Oh confound you FOG! (“Fog you?”)~ Not wanting to let that spoil the mood, we posed anyway. This was called the, “I’m feeling indifferent about the sea, and I couldn’t give two hoots about the skyline” look.

Anyway, will post pictures on the food we ate the next time round ;) Toodles.

Pic-A-Boo

2005-01-21T23:46:00.001+08:00

Don’t you just adore holidays. Days without work (or at least you pretend that it doesn’t), worries, or cares. You’ll go wherever you want to, limited only by that wretched thing called money, and do what you will. You’ll spend hours reading your favourite book lying down, while the fan blows cool air, and oldies of the 60’s and 70’s play in the background. Well, I didn’t get what I had ideally wanted today, but mine was close enough! I think random pictures would suffice for now~

It’s the family fish tank which houses a dozen or so small fishes. We tend to overfeed them all. I’d feed them once in the morning and leave for college, and my mom, thinking that no one fed the poor darlings, would then feed it AGAIN. This process repeats itself several times in a day with the entire family. In anycase, it’s quite comforting and rather relaxing to watch them swim about in their little tank. It helps you escape, though only briefly, from reality.

These are my neighbour’s orchids. They grow splendidly! I’ve no idea till this day how they do it, but their flowers are always blooming at one time or another. I couldn’t resist snapping a picture of this purple one against a backdrop of blue~ (this particular picture sends me thinking back on the good old times for some reason). Ps: the picture had to be brightened a little because the orchids weren't too visible.

While waiting for me to take pictures of the orchid, my sister gave me great hints as to how bored she was and how it was “wrong” to take pictures of our neighbour’s orchids. I don’t know. It’s one of those things to do with children mentality (oh you know, like how they don’t understand the concept of bribery etc.)

Anyway, she absolutely refused to smile properly at the camera (she’s rather shy about her ONE front tooth) and therefore needed some external stimuli (aka tickling) to coax her into smiling for the camera.

My sister got all excited about the hot sun, and decided to try out the “Solar Hat”. She wanted to try it, but had no intentions of actually going out (why leave the comforts of home for a Hat!). And so she did the whole crouching tiger thing and squatted unfashionably by the back kitchen door. The hat is quite ingenious really, and I’m surprised I’ve not seen these around more. They’ve got little solar panels on top which provides power to an equally little fan up front. It then twirls, giving you, the wearer, moving air!

I rarely read horoscopes (the last time being back when I was 7), largely because I think they’re full of nonsense. The things stated are FAR too general! But just in case, I think I won’t be making important, long-term decisions. After all, my “thoughts and feelings are in a state of flux”.

Speaking of which, I’ve been going through a whole range of emotions lately, but today, it was just plain, steady, and distant. It’s not a good thing, but neither is it a bad thing. I think life is less complicated if one does not analyze and determine what he/she is currently feeling. Then again, knowing this is key to handling the increasing stresses that we get as we grow older (due to the overwhelming responsibilities and what not). Looking back at my sister’s picture reminds me of an easier yesterday, but a more boring one as well ;) have a great week!

Attempts of New Blogging Styles

2005-01-15T09:27:00.000+08:00

It’s hard to believe how much has happened in the past week or so! Friends have flown off, exam results have returned, and blinding revelations are bouncing about (yes, I often wonder about things and these ‘wonderings’ cause unexpected ‘revelations’).

I know what you’re thinking.

“OMG, he’s going to write a thousand word essay on his revelations and we’ll NEVER hear the end of it!”

or

“Haiyah! Sure write long long wan. Where got time to read! Busy man/woman like me have things to do mah. Quite difficult having a friend like this!”

Now I do admit to writing rather long entries, and friends have revealed how it is sometimes torturous to wade through the copious amount of words, but it can't be helped! A zebra can't possibly change it's stripes...or can it?

I’d like to think that I’m an accommodating sort of fellow (not to be mistaken with patronizing) and so I’ll try to be as brief as humanly (matthew-ly) possible. Taking inspiration from a professional in this field – this one blog (aptly calleed the dullest blog in the world) writes ALL of his/her entries in this fashion – I’ll attempt to do exactly that (although I highly recommend on you checking out the link to see the 'Brevity Engineer' in action):

-------------

Title: Brushing my teeth
My tooth needed brushing. Hence, I reached for the toothbrush. After
applying toothpaste, I brushed each tooth, bringing much satisfaction and
pleasure to each ivory.

-------------

Gosh, that was incredibly difficult to do, being so brief and what not!

I therefore decree that *takes a deeeeeep breath* I will no longer subject myself to such brevity and conciseness, and rely instead on absolutely nonsensical English that requires extreme amounts of flowering which tells readers of a single idea in no less than a paragraph of words, therefore making reading and comprehension a tedious activity for one and all, which will chase them away faster than a monkey on heat which is intent on spreading his seeds on unwary people *gasps for air*.

As usual, that made absolutely no sense whatsoever. I think I’ll erase this post in the evening (and redeem myself with a longer and more sensible one!)

Dirty-good-for-nothing-nitwits-with-lice-infested-pubic-hair-diseased-biker-Snatch-Thieves

2005-01-09T22:10:00.001+08:00

It has been seven hours since Yvonne’s handbag was snatched, and I’m still feeling ticked off by it all. Absolutely TICKED.

Just this morning, while walking to CHURCH, a bike sped from the back, and coolly snatched her hand held bag right off her hands. It was decently busy at that time, with a number of cars around, but none of them could react in time. I myself didn’t quite know what happen till a good second later. At that point of course, the repulsively-putrid-swine had already sped off. This is quite an overstatement because the foul beast didn’t accelerate madly into the blue yonder, but rather, it took it’s time navigating through cars and accelerated off quite coolly.

I was intensely angry at this point for not being able to have done anything about it. We were both rather careless I suppose, but gosh, I really should’ve known better. I’ve seen three other cases personally, attended numerous awareness campaigns, and have been practicing what I’ve learnt thus far, except for today. I’ve always walked on the outside of the road, but I absolutely forgot about that today. It would’ve at least deterred the slug. The feeling of helplessness is AWFUL. To be stepped over and not be able to say/do/ or act towards that dirt bag infuriates me! I couldn’t even show it the finger *grumble grumble*.

As you can probably guess, I was close to losing it. Yvonne on the other hand was such a trooper! Calmly she said, “Could I borrow your phone?” She then proceeded to ring her parents up and told them what happened. Absolutely everything was in that bag by the way (and I do mean everything), and if it was me, I’d flip. We went on to make the necessary police reports of course. Luckily there was a CG member present (Kelvin!) who knew where the police stations were (don’t ask HOW he knows where they were so well!)
But anyway, here’s how it works:

1. You make your way to the closest police station. Remember that if you’re going to make a new IC, you’ll require a police report statement to do so. You don’t want them thinking you’re smuggling in ‘live goods’. The IC department would then quickly replace yours. Anyway, the local station will take down the events and whatever other detail which you may recall (such as what the little twerp was wearing, etc.) They’ll then give you two options on what you’d rather do (but not before charging you RM2 for their services! Imagine you getting robbed, and yet you’re being charged a sum of RM2. Unbelievable). In any case, you could:

A.) Make a report of a snatch theft incident and proceed to the police headquarters (or base of operations)
Or
B.) report that your IC had “mysteriously gone missing” and that’s that. There would be no need to further travel to the headquarters (how convenient eh~).

2. If you chose A (I knew you would, you moral agent you), then you would have to make a statement to an officer in charge at another police station. The statement is a tad bit like a simple BM essay describing what happened and what was stolen.

But despite all these reports, I’m feeling skeptical about it all.

In all honesty, I doubt that the little maggot will be caught. For one, if it was a smart maggot, it would’ve used a fake license plate, thus making capture very difficult indeed (I think it is, because it did it snatched the bag in such a bored manner). Secondly, most other departments close on a Sunday, and so police officers can’t check the other department’s databases for license identification purposes (I know, like what’s up with that!)

Kelvin pointed out at the numerous other police vehicles parked around the station and commented on how they should all be patrolling the streets. He had a point. I think however that it has more to do with the lack of officers (I could be wrong).

At the end of the day, the only thing we can do is to be absolutely alert when we’re out walking. That in itself is rather hard to do, but I suppose we should all try to. Yet another thing to do is maintain your cool. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am that Yvonne did (all of this is rather embarrassing-la since *cough cough* she was the victim and not me). The whole event was more of a hassle and an irritation than anything else. Arguably, he could be doing this because of the way society has marginalized him. The gap between the poor and the rich are ever-growing. Still, it’s hardly an excuse to rob!

Back here at home, I thought of fitting punishments for that amoeba of a thief:

1. May the pig fall off it’s bike and on to the sharply pebbled road (where they penetrate it’s skin and cause it grievous splinters of the rocky kind)
2. May the fungi open the wallet while perched precariously near the edge of a huge monsoon drain… and lose balance in the process.
3. May the ogre in turn be robbed of it’s belongings by a fellow ogre (HAH!)
4. May god have pity on it on judgment day

(I know, quite violent, aggressive, and harsh endings, but really, I hope it’ll live to regret ever snatching the bag….and it was such a purty bag too…*sighs*)

Aww-ness-ly Speaking...

2005-01-08T01:51:00.000+08:00

Holidays are ending. It shouldn't (it couldn’t!) and I thought it certainly wouldn't, but it is! Five days are simply not enough I say!! It’s still enough to do SOME things, but not all. Well many nights ago I had absolutely no intentions of sleeping. Feeling numb from inactivity and nearly emotionless, I decided that it was high time to watch a musical that I’ve borrowed from Yvonne since a year ago (quite literally actually). In case you’re wondering, it’s “My Fair Lady”, which features the acting talents of Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn *swoon*

It's a story of how a professor grooms a common flower girl (from the streets) into a high-classed lady fit to be a royal. By teaching her prim and proper English, he changes other’s perceptions towards her (evidence of how language creates class in society!). In short, he educates her on the finer points of being a lady, thus improving her English and making it very “powerderful” towards the end.

The movie deals with feministic and patriarchal issues as well, illustrating how she becomes a strong independent woman in the end (while he remained rather bitter about it~). He on the other hand sings I-Hate-Girls songs throughout, and tells of how he can and will love no girl (for they are nothing like men). He quite happily chirps of how gentle, kind, noble, and loyal men are while women are portrayed in a darker light! But like all great musicals, he ends up missing her to bits when she leaves *cue: awww*.

It’s highly entertaining to see British humour (such witty jokes I tell you) and charm in action! It helps as well that I adore Audrey Hepburn, though this isn’t her best role. She is admittedly much better in “Breakfast at Tiffany's” (and Vonn can vouch for that~) but I love her anyway. The lyrics to the songs are, as expected, clever and cheeky (just the way I like ‘em!). Speaking of which, I liked almost everything about it!

That’s because it made me feel aww-ish all over and created a warm buzzy-feely-touchy-thingy within me. Watching it at 1 in the morning made it especially so because it was so serene and quiet – a must if you plan on getting the most out of the musical. I was smiling madly, allowing myself to be utterly engrossed into it. And so for a brief 2 hours, I threw caution to the wind, clapping and cheering whenever I felt like it (which was quite often-la).

I would’ve looked distinctively less moronic if I didn’t watch or did the actions alone of course! But really, musicals are wonderful things, and thank goodness they’re making a steady comeback.
Bring back the days of old where actors need to be able to sing, dance, and act!
Bring back carefully coordinated dances with pretty backup ballet girls!
Bring back humorous tap-dancing and big band music playing in the background!
Bring back good old stories of love and clichéd romantic endings which fills the room with passionate feelings of ‘aww-ness’!

I’m sure there’ll be a demand for such movies (and if not, then my loyal support and undying interest should be reason enough, no?). How many others are interested in musicals I wonder. Hopefully 2005 will bring more plays and musicals to Malaysian shores~! Below is one of my favourite Audrey Hepburn pictures:

Audrey Hepburn, five-time Oscar nominee and
winner of the 1953 Academy Award for Best Actress, became one of Hollywood's
best-known stars with her leading roles in films such as Roman Holiday (1953),
Sabrina (1954), Funny Face (1957), Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961) and My Fair
Lady (1964).

Her elegance, charm and stunning beauty were projected
not only on the screen, but through her efforts as a humanitarian. In 1986
Audrey Hepburn became a goodwill ambassador and spokesperson for the United
Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and devoted the last
years of her life tirelessly touring Africa and South America to help hungry
children.

At the age of 63, Audrey Hepburn died from colon cancer
in Tolochenaz, Switzerland on January 20, 1993.

Source of text: http://www.daisyland.tierranet.com/hepburn/home.htm

Filling the gaps

2005-01-05T15:05:00.000+08:00

I can’t believe this. I wrote a Masterpiece of an entry, and now it has all been WASHED down the drain by blogger’s incompetent systems! I feel like weeping. *weep weep weep*

Anyway, it’s bloody 7.35 am now, and I haven’t had a wink of sleep. Felt frustrated at 6.30 am when I FIRST started typing this entry, but having to repeat the WHOLE thing makes me profusely frustrated and angry now. Oh great, now the sun’s up.

I had last night what most would call a guy sleepover thingy. Sleepover is a little girly sounding, so let’s call it… man bonding session…*pause* uhm, maybe not. Whatever it is, the guys(Randall, Justin, Dalvin, & Lucas) came over to have a quick game of soccer on the PS2 before watching a real one on the tele – Manchester United vs. Tottenham Hotspur.

Now I won’t admit to being a true fan of watching men chase a ball on grass, but I’m not too disinterested in it either. Some call it the ‘Beautiful Game’, but quite frankly, beautiful moments of skill appear less often than brutish tug-of-war styled playing. Having said that, one needs to firstly be conscious to admire the ‘beautiful game’, but by 4 am, most of us were knocked out like flies:

Randall is seen here to be the most conscious of them all. In the midst of snores and random cackling, both Randall and I watched the match.

He couldn’t resist taking a victory picture for having stayed up longer than the rest! ‘Tis a test of stamina, and they have failed miserably. Hence, they are not true men, *muahahaha*. (My arms will surely be ripped apart once they read this *gulp*)

It has been a while since I last blogged. I suppose the feeling hasn’t quite returned, and I hadn’t felt the need to blog. Fickle mindedness is one of my vices…no wait, it’s my impatience… no I take it back, it’s my fickle mindedness.

During the long week after New Years Eve, much has happened, but I shall share only the more interesting ones:

1. New Years Eve celebrations.
Last year’s New Years Eve celebrations was quiet, meaningful, and pleasant. Considering that we had so much wine to drink, it was tremendously pleasant~ *grin* But on a serious note, I spent quality time with close friends – something which I think most of us take for granted. It’s important to spend quality time with family members AND friends. D’oh! (here I go again offering clichéd wise-man-of-the-mountain statements! *groan*).

2. The MMU World Debate Finals at DBKL
I was totally blown away at how the amazing the debate finals were. Using a whole new style which I’ve not heard or seen before, I must admit to liking this alien format. It is slightly more informal, and a whole lot more entertaining than the usual ultra-conservative kind of debates commonly found in our high schools.

It has four teams in one debate with two teams on each side (each team have 2 speakers). The topic I believe was “This house believes in bringing back corporal punishment to school”, which was done really well. It’s amazingly impressive because of several reasons:

a.) Speakers have a total of 15 minutes to compile and prepare their speeches! Not an easy task considering how your topic could be ANYTHING under the sun! For that, you’ve to be a person with worldly knowledge and a witty mind. And sometimes, if the proposition team changes the definition while making a speech, you as the opposition would sometimes have to revamp the entire speech! So not only do they pull it off, but they do it REALLY well. So much so that you’re utterly convinced that they must’ve done extensive research before speaking on the podium!

b.) The speakers were just astonishingly good. They fulfilled every criteria of a remarkable speaker by being absolutely confident, witty, entertaining, informative, and humorous! Speakers from the Oxford team were particularly funny and charming. Their heavy British accents coupled with words like “bloooddy” added to the existing charm making them the funniest speakers of the lot.

Most showed high dosages of ego and pride as well, but that is PRECISELY why I love their speeches! They were all so very convincing too! It came to a point where whoever who spoke last would have your vote by the end of the debate. I felt utterly useless and incompetent to say the least! Felt like an amateur speech-maker in the midst of professionals, *sobs* Like a “snail” as Yvonne would put it.

The only other thing that marred the event was the horrible delay, typical Malaysian timing. But it was extremely late even by Malaysian standards, so you could imagine how bad that was. So after waiting for a good 45 minutes, a Malay lady stood up at the podium to apparently start the debates. Though she was greeted by thunderous claps and cheers when she spoke, I think the crowd wouldn’t have reacted this way if they knew the meaning of “Ujian suara satu, dua, tiga”.

By now the crowd grew increasingly impatient, and we clapped in a “we-want-more” fashion. Now an interesting tradition present in most debates of this manner is that the Irish students would sometimes begin to sing out loud a song! After the funny pub-like tune, they were replied by yet another group of students who sang “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”! It was cute how they’ve all these little things that makes them them. The group of us were tempted for a brief moment to sing “Rasa Sayang Eh”, but later chickened out.

But all in all I’m really glad to have gone. The exposure gained was wonderful, and in addition, it was both funny and informative. I’d give the experience a full 10 out of 10, but because it made me feel like an incompetent mindless twerp, I’m only going to give it an ‘okay-lah’ mark -- 9 out of 10 *hhmph*

PS: Before ending, I’d like to mention yet another ‘old-wise-man-of-the-mountain’ (OWMOTM) new years statement – 2004 has been a blessed, fulfilling, and very good year to me. It has been filled with its fair share of ups and downs (hopefully more ups than downs), but that’s life. 2005 will be a year of breakthroughs I hope, and may I not squander my time doing nothing! Happy New Year people! (It’s not too late-la).

Christmas: De-briefing

2004-12-27T11:57:00.000+08:00

Christmas has come and gone, and as much as I loathe it, I'm still having classes at college. Despite that, I can most definitely confirm that this Christmas was the most meaningful for me! Attended church services quite a bit (a total of three actually) and went for numerous open houses. Food that day flowed like water, which made me a tad bit guilty. It was simply sinful to munch on all the goodies continuously.

For Christmas I discovered that the human body, when tempted, can consume amazing amounts of food! Jason and I ate non-stop (quite literally) as we had more than three open houses on the same day. We stopped eating only to travel from house to house (and even then we were busily munching on diabetic sweets and tooth-hurting candy).

Many thanks to Khristabelle's dad (hope I've spelt it correctly) who opened up bottles of ... liquids with slight alcohol content... probably 0.12%...or perhaps more. But yes, it was amazing stuff which kept us very happy throughout the day...very happy.

Not so happy moments included having to send a friend off at the airport. I'm beginning to despise KLIA for obvious reasons -- I go there frequently to send friends off, making it a terrible place to visit. It made me realise that come January, friends from abroad who are down for the holidays and more of my other close buddies would be flying off.

I'm dreading how ice-cream days would no longer be the same, and how going for musicals wouldn't be half as fun. Random singing on supermarket aisles too would be less frequent! It'll be a good 5 months or more before any one of them return, and I suppose my greatest fear would be losing contact, or them changing too much to the point where the friendship that once existed can no longer sustain itself (touch wood!).

That hasn't happened yet... so far. But admittedly, it isn't as easy to keep in touch once you're abroad, and I'm continually thankful for those who (you know who you are!) had made an effort to do so (even if it's an email every two months *wink*).

Here's some good news for me this week. Despite having exams on Christmas week, lessons as usual throughout December, and assignments to hand in, I'm having a holiday from the 31st onwards! The problem is, most people would be leaving soon after! Such is life eh~ Have a great week guys, and may the new year bring just as much blessings as this.