Perspective

Year-end sojourn

2011-12-29T17:49:00.000+08:00

It's about me

I have been looking at my blog archives, and I noticed one thing: the number of posts each year has been declining steadily since I entered the virtual world of writing. Okay, fine, I lied, I noticed another thing: The quality of my writing has improved (I hope!). When I first started this blog, I have this idea of 'my blog about myself' planted in me. After all, the blogs of most of my peers revolves around themselves, or posting several cryptic sentences about happiness and life.

Taken from an unspecified source. Cryptic, isn't it?

Hence, my early writtings focused too much on myself. Blogger was like Facebook at that era (Oh I feel so old). After all, that's before Facebook became THE social media to use, where the focus is basically yourself. Oh mankind, why are we so narcissistic?

Face it, it's all about yourself

So lately, I have been placing more emphasis on posting writings that doesn't really involves me, but are things of interest to me (such as football!). I take this chance to implore my fellow peers to do the same, or at least make your writing a tad more humorous and a little less cryptic. I am not saying I don't like your posts...er hello? Are we still friends? Hello....never mind.

End of the year, end for dictators?

Thus, 2011 is drawing to a close, and 2012 approaches. Personally, I thought 2011 has been a bad year for dictators, whether fictional or in reality. 2011 is the year I completed reading the Hunger Games trilogy and the Inheritance series. In these series, evil dictators were dethroned against all odds (what a shocker). On a more serious note, Mubarak, Gaddafi, Kim Jong-il, Steve Jobs* are now gone.

'Nyahhhhhhhh!!!! Don't forget me!'

*Obviously, it's a joke, but some people take things too seriously.

Year-end sojourn

Once again, I will be MIA-ing for the next 10 days or so. I am going overseas, so I can't guarantee I have access to internet. No, I am not going to be Tarzan and stay in the wild. My six-packs is not quite ready yet.

My new year resolutions? Instead, let me tell you about my hopes for 2012 (since I have no one to talk to). I hope that by some miracle, all of us will sort out our differences, and seek peace. Forgive, but don't forget. Let go of that hate, and start anew, with fresh determination and impetus.

Happy new year.

NFC, new notes and Luis Suarez

2011-12-22T17:45:00.000+08:00

As usual, I have been absent for quite a long time from my blog. Now I am back with a vengeance, to discuss the puzzling, the mind-blogging and the downright outrageous.

Disclaimer: To understand my writing, you must have a sense of humour, with a pinch of sarcasm and all your wits thrown into the mix.

National Feedlot Corporation (NFC)
The NFC is a Malaysian government initiative to increase the production of local meat and hence, reduce dependency on imported meat. Aligning with the Prime Minister's slogan of 'People First, Performance Now', there has been allegations that the NFC is doing just that. The NFC is benefiting the rakyat alright, but only a select few. And yeah, the NFC's performance is top-notch,with the Auditor-General's Report 2010 released in October stating that the NFC have failed to meet its objectives. What a shocker, isn't it? And throwing in claims that the cows under the NFC is getting excessive VIP treatment (BMWs and high class condos were involved), you get your typical dose of a ridiculously expensive, ultimately fruitless Malaysian government project. Whether the NFC scandal will head towards the direction of the Port Klang Free Zone (PKFZ) or the SMART tunnel is still up in the air*. Oh, did I mention that RM250 million sent by the government to the NFC is allegedly misappropriated?

'I only earned that much, really!'

*I could write a pretty long post regarding the PKFZ scandal or about the SMART tunnel's failure to halt KL's floods problems, but do yourself a favour and Google it alright?

New Notes

Bank Negara recently announced that new notes and coins will be issued by the central bank July 1 next year. The new notes and coins will contain elements that reflect Malaysian culture and heritage. I admit, I am rather impressed by the new currency, but the question is: how much was spend, and will be spent for the new currency to enter circulation come next July? And more importantly, is it necessary? Shouldn't the central bank be focusing on, oh I don't know, how to ensure Malaysia doesn't go bankrupt by 2020, as claimed by Idris Jala? After all, it is Bank Negara's role as a banker and adviser to the Malaysian government to ensure Malaysia remains financially sound. Yes, I am looking at you, Europe.

'I did warned you, you know.'

Luis Suarez: racist?

Inevitably, I return to football. If you are following English football (or soccer, if you insist), you should know by now that Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been slapped with a hefty fine and an eight match ban from the English Football Association (FA) for racially abusing Man Utd's Patrice Evra during an English Premier League match. If you didn't know before, now you know. As expected, there has been varying reactions from different parties. If you are pro-Liverpool, you will be very likely to slam the FA, and defend Suarez by saying that he isn't racist, or that Suarez abused Evra in the heat of the moment, or that Evra is a lying,cheating scumbag. Liverpool shouldn't be too worried, after all Liverpool is clearly not a one man team, and don't rely on Suarez to score/create goals. Remember, they still have Adam, Henderson, Downing, Carroll. That's sure to make opposition defenders quiver in their boots.

'Hey, at least I am better than Flop-nando Torres!'

My humble, unbiased opinion on this issue? I say that any form of racist,whether said in the heat of the moment or not, should not be tolerated at any moment during a football match where millions of people are watching, including young kids (not to say kids aren't young, it' all relative). In fact, racism should not be tolerated at all. So yes, I support the ban. It may be true that Suarez used words that are acceptable in his native Uruguay, but he is in England, and he needs to abide by the local norms. If anything, it shows the lack of cultural understanding between the English game and anything else non-English (interesting article on this issue: http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2011/12/22/2814253/liverpools-luis-suarez-should-have-known-better-but-his). Anyway, I am pretty sure the FA wouldn't risk their credibility on the word of one man, especially if that one man is Patrice Evra.

Next? John Terry.

'Who?'

Merry Christmas all.

Less of me, More of something else

2011-11-22T08:37:00.001+08:00

What? Two posts in two days? It's the end of the world! Oh wait, it's not. I am just overly bored. By the way, being bored does not mean that I have nothing to do (Random Fact #1).

After reading through the last few posts, I concluded that my recent posts concentrated on one subject only: me (although my inner narcissistic self will point out that I talked about exams too). Speaking of narcissism, it's actually quite an interesting topic. Serious cases of narcissism is actually considered a psychological disorder (Random Fact #2). Anyway, the point is I am not going to talk about myself, at least not that much.

'But I am so awesome!'

Alright, first off, why do certain people call football 'soccer'? I mean American and Australian football uses less of the foot than the actual football, and yet they insists on calling those sports 'football'. At least that's one thing that the Brits got spot on. Please note that this is just humourous banter and I am not insulting anyone. You'll be surprised at the number of people who takes things way too seriously.

'This is football, really!'

If you didn't know, I am an avid follower of football, particularly English football. Over the last 3 weeks or so, there has been racism rows raging in the world of football. It basically started with 2 incidents, with Luis Suarez allegedly racially abusing Patrice Evra and England captain John Terry being all chummy with Anton Ferdinand. Both incidents allegedly occurred during Premier League matches. And to make matters worse, the exalted FIFA president, Sepp Blatter claimed that racist incidents in football should be forgotten by a handshake between the parties and that there is no racism in football. Right, Mr. Blatter, and I am the Prime Minister of Australia. This is the guy who has been the head of the world's governing football organisation for more than 10 years, since June 1998 in fact (Random Fact #3). You would think that Blatter would choose his comments more wisely. Well, not to say it would make much difference, since he is as credible & trustworthy as Voldemort promising not to hurt Harry Potter. I mean, the footballing world (including yours truly) considers FIFA to be nothing more than a corrupted, money-loving organisation for Blatter and his cronies.

'By golly, where's my hair?'

Malaysia's football team recently won the SEA games football gold after beating Indonesia 4-3 on penalties. Firstly, kudos to them. I think they did well to defend their tittle as SEA's best football team. However, something that irritates me is that the sheer number of people expecting a public holiday in Malaysia just because of that. I mean, come on, it's just the SEA games, it's not like Malaysia won the World Cup or even qualify for it. Malaysia has never qualify for the World Cup before (Random Fact #4), so qualifying for it would be a pretty big deal.There are some who complained that the government is playing politics with sports when they announced a holiday after Malaysia won the Suzuki Cup last year, but these are the same group of people who moaned when no holiday was given this time round. Hypocrites, if I may say so, but understandably so. Even my Australian friends (yes, I have friends) guffawed when I told them Malaysia had an extra public holiday when Malaysia won the Suzuki Cup.

'PM, why you no give holiday?'

Now, moving away from football. Unless you have been living under shell, you would probably know about the Euro crisis and US's rising debt. European countries such as Greece and Italy have new premiers, and the Euro continues to be in turmoil.

'At least I still have AC Milan.'

The US debt is now above $15 trillion (Random Fact #5: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15830176), and with the Democrats and Republicans indecisive on how best to tackle the debt, this could mean not only huge implications for the US, but for the world too. I don't pretend to be an economics/finance expert, but simply look at the global financial crisis during 2008. It (more or less) started in the US, and if the US were to 'blow over' now, who knows what could happen.

'Debt, why you no go away?'

Insert Tittle Here

2011-11-21T16:43:00.001+08:00

Alright,first off, I would like to announce that I am scratching the short story I putup for preview on my last post. Frankly, I don’t have much of a plot for thatstory without sounding tiresome and predictable. Thus, I apologize and I willstart a new one once I have some inspiration.

Next, Iwould like to explain my long absence from this blog. Well, the reason issimple really: exams. How was the exams, you ask? Let’s just say the exams wereabsolute torture for those who are intellectually challenged (like yours truly).

On abrighter note, I am now on holiday. I have about 2-3 months ~~before having toreturn to uni~~ of R & R. No, I did not imply that I dislike studying (asI write this, I can hardly keep a straight face). Anyway, I want to make surethat I spend this break more productively than the last. Some things on my ‘to-do’list: write more and lose weight. Ok fine, I lied; I am not sure what I amgoing to do yet. I will think of something...tomorrow. No, I am not procrastinating. How dare yousuggest that?

Personally,one thing I should do this break is to rediscover myself. The year of 2011 hasnot been kind to me. Well, at least I thought 2011 was the year I wentbackwards (not literally of course) as a person. Some things have gone stale onme, and my drive & motivation are probably at an all time low. This timearound, I failed to deal with adversities and let people & emotions get thebetter of me. I admit, I have been moody and anti-social, more than usualanyway.

Affliction

2011-10-23T19:22:00.003+08:00

It's that time of the year again. There are 12 weeks of classes in university for a semester, and this week will be Week 12. And you know what that means: exams are edging ever closer.

Unfortunately, the exam timetable has not been kind to me. 3 papers on 3 consecutive days, and the hardest paper is the last of the trio. Great eh?

Over the last few weeks, I was raging a internal, mental battle within the entirely empty cranium of mine (oops). I won't go into the details, but this 'mental' thing is like an affliction, some sort of mental weakness, or mental block. Needless to say, I have not been functioning at 100%. From tomorrow onwards, I am hoping, no, I want to be committed and functioning again. I announced this to the online world hoping that this public declaration will spur me forward. Fingers crossed, or not if you hate me.

Anyway, I am currently writing a short story. Below is the unconfirmed draft of the story, just to make this post longer. Enjoy:

Ben sighed heavily and placed his pen on the table. The words and numbers of his notes swarm in and out of focus. One side of his head was throbbing, and the stuffy room he was renting wasn't helping.

He glanced at the clock. Sarah wasn't due for another hour. He skimmed through his notes one last time. It was crucial that he was sufficiently prepared for the job.

He closed the curtains, stripped and went to the bathroom to shower. He then carefully put on his tuxedo, making sure not to crease it. He perfumed himself, and gelled his dark hair. Ben turned and looked at his own reflection in the mirror. A tall, fit-looking Caucasian male in a handsome tuxedo with short, dark hair and brown eyes looked back at him. Ben cursed under his breath, and reached for his backpack for his contact lenses. He put it on, and now his eyes were green. Trivial mistakes like this can get him killed. He reached for his backpack again, and drew out his pistol. He tucked it into his blazer, and checked the time. Yes, Sarah should be here by now.

Reflection

2011-10-09T20:19:00.003+08:00

It isn't pleasant, when you fail the one thing you perceive yourself to be good at. To add salt to the wound, my other endeavours have also fail. It hurts to see others succeed at something you have fail at, something perhaps I have taken for granted.

Maybe it could be the best thing that ever happened to me. Like when Steve Jobs got fired from Apple (Yes, like everyone else, I am in 'appreciate Steve Jobs' mode even though I don't own a single Apple product). It could be the wake-up call I needed.

I admit, I love to make excuses for my failures. But at the back of my head, I know I am the one losing out. Whatever perceived 'failures' I experienced from the last few months, I accept my part of the blame. I hope to have learned heaps from that. What could have, should have, may have is irrelevant now. It's time to start again.

What Define's a Person (Part 2)

2011-09-19T21:27:00.000+08:00

We only know how 'good' we are by comparing with others.

On the flip-side, we only know how 'bad' we are by comparing with others.

We often come to our own myopic conclusions by comparing personal achievements, skills & abilities, friends, family, and social life with others. Your perceptions of others and most importantly, yourself, play a huge role in determining your well-being. Let's take an obvious case: a person who has belief in his/her own capabilities tends to be more satisfied with life. In contrast, a person lacking in self-conviction is always derailed by doubts, and likely to be unhappy with life. This situation can, unfortunately, define a person.

A person can be defined by emotions. Human beings are peculiar creatures. We almost always act irrationally when we are over-ridden by emotions. Don't we all wish we had in the past control our emotions better and acted accordingly rather than letting emotions over-rule our common sense that resulted in some sort of embarrassment & loss?

What Define's a Person? (Part 1)

2011-09-02T11:32:00.000+08:00

A person should never define himself or herself by comparing achievements and milestones with others. Otherwise, when everyone seem to be doing better than you, you will experience disillusionment and lose your self-worth and self-confidence. And the worst thing is that you could have been working hard, and yet have to settle to see others enjoy the fruit of your labor. Frustration is just the beginning.

Whatever I have painstakingly built over the last year is slowly eroding into nothingness. Call me oversensitive, but I have issues when someone I barely know intrude on my work and introduce your methods and people. Especially when what the people introduced are there to take advantage of the situation. And after what I have done, I just get side-stepped and labelled as a has-been? I face a dilemma: should I work hard & let others get the credit they don't deserve or should I do nothing & get lambasted as a consequence?

Fine, I admit, I probably messed-up somewhere along the way. Some things should have been said and done, but I never came around to it. But that's what makes us human. Mistakes are part of learning. What do you expect when an inexperienced person takes on an important role with virtually no helpful guidance? Everything to go smoothly your way? Now that is just wistful, naive thinking.

But closed doors means another door is open somewhere. Surely there are suitable opportunities out there. I can salvage what is left, and don't let the past define me. It's difficult, but there's no other choice. One cannot afford to wallow in self-pity while others make huge leaps forward. Maybe Darwin is right after all, it is really the survival of the fittest.

Note: I find it easier to write in first person view, and it produces a more dramatic effect. Don't take the 'story' on its face value.

A Day in the Office

2011-07-28T19:51:00.003+08:00

This is the second short story I have written and posted online. I had already posted both short stories up on my Facebook profile. The first story is entitled 'The Letter', and the theme is sorrow and regret. You can read it on the post before the last. On the other hand, the second one is entitled 'A Day in the Office', and the theme is more action-based. Needless to say, these stories are entirely fictional, and cannot be published without the permission of the author. In case I didn't make it explicitly clear, I wrote these stories (heh).

A Day in the Office

‘It will go off in Madison Square at 5.00pm sharp.’

The haggard man spoke in a tired voice. His hands were tied behind him, and he was seated on a wooden chair in a dingy and dark room, lit only by a naked light bulb. His eyes were swollen, nose broken and there were bruises everywhere on his body. There were small splatters of blood on the mouldy walls of the room.

Dom glanced at his watch. 3.55pm. He turned away from the man and speed-dialled a number on his mobile phone. He only waited for half a second before the call was connected.

‘This is Martins. Priority one alert. Bomb is located at Madison Square, scheduled to go off at 5pm.’

Dom held the phone for a split second longer before turning around to face the bounded man, whose name was Amund. Dom loathed threatening and using violence to anyone. But he had no choice. He had no time, and thousands of innocent lives are at stake. And Amund was a well known terrorist. He was wanted in at least 5 countries. More than that, he was a gifted bomb maker. And right now, Dom wanted to be sure.

‘You sure that it will go off at Madison Square at exactly 5pm?’

The bounded man groaned and whispered, ‘Yes, I speak the truth. And since I helped you, you let me go. We had a deal.’

Now the tricky part. Dom put on his best poker face. ‘Yes, we had a deal. But you still wasted a great deal of time of my time. You repeatedly lied to me. In fact, you lied to me again. ‘

In spite of himself, Dom watched with grim satisfaction as Amund flinched. Dom somehow had the innate ability to discern when people lied to him. Dom noticed the expression of Amund after making the phone call through the reflection off his mobile phone screen. Dom saw that the man’s face almost twitched into a smile after he made the phone call, and knew that Amund was withholding something.

Dom continued speaking. ‘Besides, I am not authorised to make deals with terrorists. But I am authorised to use whatever means necessary to extract information from a terrorist in order to save lives of innocents. ‘Dom reached into his holster to pull out his gun, and removed the safety pin. He pointed the gun at Amund’s right knee, and pulled the trigger.

The bullet discharge from the gun was loud in the confined space of the room. Amund cried out in agony. Dom pointed the gun at the left knee.

‘Wait, wait.’ Amund blurted out. ‘There is a bomb at Madison Square, will go off at 5pm, just like I said. But there is another one. It will go off at 4.45pm.’

‘Where is it?’ Dom asked. And the man told him. Dom glanced at his watch again. He exited the room, ignoring the cries of pain from the man. David was outside, talking on his mobile, and his eyebrows arched upwards when he noticed Dom’s gun was not in the holster.

‘..Yes sir. I understand sir.’ David slipped his mobile back into his jacket, and spoke to Dom. ‘Just got here, and the chief called to say that we aren’t needed at Madison Square, our department’s job is done. ‘

Dom rolled his eyes in exasperation and sighed. It’s a well known fact that the heads of the various departments disliked each other, and often do not pool their resources, including information and manpower. He replaced his gun at the holster and said, ‘Well, there’s another bomb. And it’s going off at 4.45pm. Come one, I will explain on the way. No time to waste.’

‘How about the suspect?’ asked David, as both of them jogged to David’s car.

‘Oh, right, I better call the ambulance. I shot him in the knee. ‘ Dom spoke briefly on the phone , before entering David’s car. David started the engine, and asked,’ So, you haven’t told me where the other bomb is. ‘

‘It’s at the Raffles Bridge. I just notify HQ too. Quick, its rush hour, and we haven’t got much time. ‘

As David drove, Dom took the moment to gather his thoughts. He regretted shooting Amund, but he put it at the back of his mind for now. He had more pressing matters to worry about. A bomb going off at the Raffles would be disastrous. Right now, the bridge would be crawling with hundreds of cars. But Dom felt something wasn’t quite right.

David spoke up, ‘You know, I think the bomb at Raffles is just to stop the bomb squad from ever reaching Madison. Because the only way via land to Madison Square is through-‘

‘-the Raffles Bridge. I thought as much. If the bridge gets blown up, then no one is getting to Madison Square, not by land at least.’ Dom gritted his teeth. ‘It’s up to us to find and disarm the bomb at the bridge then.’

By the time they reached the bridge, the local police had already blocked the entrance to the bridge, turning disgruntled motorists away. Even so, hundreds of cars were still on the bridge at this moment. Dom glanced at his watch. 4.35pm.

David parked his car, and grabbed a backpack from the boot. Both of them flashed their ID cards to the police officers manning the entrance.

‘Special Agent Martins, and Special Agent Yuen. We’re here to look for the bomb. ‘said David.

One burly police officer exclaimed, ‘Just you two? I thought they will send the cavalry.’

Dom answered curtly, ‘We are the cavalry. Did the bomb squad heading to Madison enter the bridge already?’

Another officer answered, ‘Yeah, about 10 minutes ago. ‘

Dom calculated briefly in his head. In this traffic, the squad would probably reach Madison in 15 minutes. Yes, they should have enough time to disarm the bomb. Dom hoped for the best, as there was nothing he could do about the Madison Square bomb now.

Dom and David ran to the centre of the bridge. If the terrorists wanted to effectively destroy the bridge, the bomb would definitely be in the centre. As the two agents ran past the cars stuck in the jam, curious motorists glanced at their direction. But Dom and David dutifully ignored them.

4.40pm.

‘You think this is it?’ panted Dom as they reached the centre, marked by steel arcs reaching into the sky. The Raffles Bridge was a spectacular piece of architecture and engineering, the pride of the local town.

‘It’s has to be. We got no time left.’ replied David. ‘We got to disarm it.’

Dom understood. 5 minutes left on the clock. Not sufficient time for the cars to clear out of the bridge. If the bomb squad was still on the bridge, they will never reach Madison Square on time.

The terrorists were prepared. They expected agents to attempt to disarm the bomb. Perhaps they had not trusted Amund to keep quiet. Hired mercenaries were told to keep watch over the bombsite, and kill anyone who approaches the bombsite too closely. But they were told the bomb was timed to detonate at 5.00pm. Gunfire greeted the two agents, and they dived into cover. Panic erupted from the motorists, as many people exited of their vehicles and started running towards the other side of the bridge.

‘Dom! I will hold them off. You are the best in disarming bombs! GO!’ shouted David, as he turned around to return fire.

It was true. As counter-terrorism field agents, Dom and David were trained in every aspect of counter-terrorism. Gun battles, interrogation, and bomb disarming. David was the sharpshooter of their batch, and Dom got top marks in bomb-disarming. Dom grabbed David’s backpack and climbed the ladder down the bridge.

The bomb wasn’t difficult to find. It was the kind with a digital timer attached. It wasn’t terribly hard to construct, and that’s the scary part about making bombs. Anyone with the right knowledge and tools could do it.

4.43pm.

Dom unzipped the backpack and took out a wire cutter. He untangled the mass of wires from the centre of the bomb. Red, green, blue, yellow, black and pink wires. Dom gulped. He had never seen this before. He had no time to individually check each wire to determine which was connected to the charge. Dom briefly considered cutting 1 wire at random. 1 in 6 chances to get it right. The odds were stacked against him.

Dom shook his head, as if to clear his increasingly panicky thoughts. ‘There must be another way. Think, Dom, think.’ muttered Dom to himself.

4.44pm.

He examined the back of the bomb. It had straps attached to it, just like a backpack. This must be how the terrorists carried the bomb here. It was rather big and cumbersome. Someone must have strapped it onto himself to carry it here. Dom had an idea. He quickly stripped himself of his jacket and strapped the bomb onto his back. He jumped into the cold, grimy water of the Raffles River, and started swimming as hard as he could away from the bridge. 10...20...30...Dom mentally counted the seconds away as he swam. When he counted till 40, Dom unstrapped the bomb from his back, and weighed it on his hands. It was big, but it wasn’t heavy. Was he far away enough from the bridge? Too late to do anything about that. With as much strength he could muster, Dom threw the bomb away from himself as he dived underwater. Almost instantaneously, the bomb exploded. Dom resurfaced and looked around. Pieces of the bomb were floating around him, but he was unscathed and the bridge was intact. He had succeeded!

A wave of exhaustion hit Dom. He had succeeded against all odds, yet he felt no sense of elation. He just wanted to close his eyes and sleep. The water current carried him to the banks of the river, and David was there to greet him.

‘Dom, that was incredible. You just saved hundreds of lives, including mine!’ grinned David, as he pulled Dom out of the river. ‘You all right?’

Dom nodded and managed a tired smile. ‘I will be fine. You are welcome by the way. You owe me a drink later. I assume you manage to kill every one of the baddies at the bridge?’

David’s mobile buzzed as it received a text message. David laughed and said, ‘I had some help from the police.’ He then read the text message, and Dom noticed David’s face paled considerably.

‘What’s wrong?’ asked Dom, concerned.

‘The bomb went off earlier than 5pm at Madison. Probably remote controlled. 5 members of the bomb squad were killed. More than 30 civilians were killed too. More could have perished, but evacuation had commenced before the bomb squad arrived. ‘ answered David, shaking his head.

Dom swore. Amund didn’t tell them everything again.

‘And your drink will have to wait, Dom.’ continued David. ‘The chief wants us for a counter operation tonight. We are to report to HQ ASAP. We have possible intelligence about the terrorists’ leader’s location.’

Dom sighed. Rest will have to wait. It was already a long day for him. He spent the better part of the morning trailing Amund, before spying on the bomb maker the whole afternoon as he rested in his secluded room. On the chief’s orders, he burst into the room and interrogated Amund for the bomb’s location. After that, he went the bridge and tried to disarm the bomb, but had to swim in the slimy waters of the river in order to get rid of the bomb. Now, it seems that he will spend the night involved in some insanely dangerous counter terrorism operation. Another typical day in the office. Dom inhaled deeply and stood up.

‘All right then. Let’s go.’

Semester 2

2011-07-25T19:00:00.002+08:00

After the debacle that was the first half of the year (semester 1), now I have the chance to start afresh again. Semester 2. After almost a month of much needed rest, without (much) worries of academic studies, I get thrust back into the unforgiving world of...academic studies.

I promised myself that a leaner, smarter, and happier Jeric will emerge from semester 2. That's right, I want to lose weight, improve on my academic results, and have a sense of fulfillment. And it started off pretty well today, as it is 1st day of semester 2. I tried my best to pay attention in classes today, and may I say that I succeeded. Although once or twice, (okay maybe a couple of times) I drifted into dreamland. But hey! At least I tried. Then I came home, promising myself that I would have a jog around the neighbourhood. And I did! But 5 minutes in, as luck would have it, I stepped on some pine cones on the slightly wet pavement, and my notoriously weak left ankle gave way. So much for exercise for the next few days. In the meantime, I still happily gobble down food like there's no tomorrow. I say there's a fat chance of me burning off my excess fats now (no pun intended). But at the same time, I will not let this setback set me back (haha?). I must have a positive attitude at all times, and that's the 1st step to having a sense of fulfillment, and to borrow from Kung Fu Panda, a sense of inner peace. Or at least I think so.

On a more serious note, I am hoping to post my next short story on my blog within the next two weeks. This will be my second short story since the first one (like duh!), and the genre will not be the same as 'The Letter'. And I did sprained my ankle too.

Writing

2011-06-28T22:44:00.004+08:00

The essay below is a random essay that I wrote. Not quite my favorite theme, but I guess I will write another essay with my favorite theme next time.

Note: All names used are entirely fictional

The Letter

I promised myself that I would write more. In the midst of saying our goodbyes, I found myself agreeing to write to you on a weekly basis. It was an agreement that I could and will honour. After all, I will miss you. However, as the months passed by, I found myself not writing, not putting my thoughts in ink as you have every week. I was busy. Busy with work, busy with studies, busy with life over here without you. At first, when your letters came in, I dutifully wrote back. Now, when your letters poured in, I would put it to one side, and would delay writing back. Like our mama used to say: ‘Put off doing something important is like throwing a boomerang. It will hit you hard when you least expect it.’ When I little, I thought it sounded lame, but I did not expect it when two police officers came knocking on my door, bearing the terrible news.

I still can remember the exact exchange of words between the officers and me. It’s funny how the human mind works. When we want to remember something, like a paragraph of facts for exams or an item to get while shopping, we would forget it. When we want to forget something, like terrible moments in our lives, we will remember it.

It was an off-day from work, so I was at home, studying. Then, a brief knock on my door, and I went to see who it was.

‘In this the home of Mr. Law? ‘

‘Yes, that’s me. What’s the matter?’

‘Sir, your sister got into an accident at the 78 Freeway.’

‘What?! Damn, how...who...’

‘Sir....’

‘Where is she warded now? What was she doing at the highway anyway? I will...’

‘Mr. Law, your sister was bought to the nearest hospital. But she...she didn’t make it. A van hit her car. The driver was drunk, and we have him in custody now.’

‘What? You are saying...’

‘I am sorry Mr. Law.’

So that was it. The person who had cared for me since our mama died. The person who was always there for me. The only person whom I wholly trust. We were siblings, but we were also best friends. Gone.

Now I wish I wrote back every week. No, I wish I wrote to you every day. Hand-written letters may not say a million things, but it carries meaning. It reflects the effort put in by the author. I remembered you saying once about letters: ‘For me, email, Facebook cannot replace hand written letters. It just doesn’t carry the originality and meaning. That’s why I always wrote to mama when I was studying out of state’. And I promised to write to you every week, but I didn’t.

I even found out why you were on the highway that day. Mrs Lee, mama’s old friend, visited me a few days after the incident. She was always someone who did not mince words.

‘Karl, I am sorry about...’

‘It’s okay Mrs Lee.’

‘You look tired and haggard.’

‘It’s been a tough week.’

‘Karl, do you know why Jessie was on the highway?’

‘I don’t know. She never told me.’

‘She tried.’

‘What do you mean? You know why she’s on the highway?’

‘She told me before she left, Karl. She was on her way to see you. She was worried about you not writing back. She called your mobile just before she left. ‘

‘She was driving to see me? I dropped my phone a few days ago, it’s not working. Damn it, if my phone was working...’

‘Karl, if you actually wrote back and told her you were doing fine, she wouldn’t be worried. She wouldn’t drive out of state just to see you.’

Mrs. Lee didn’t need to say it out aloud, but I can see it in her eyes. She blamed me for Jessie’s death. I wasn’t angry with her. I blamed myself too. If only I replied your letters. I am sorry. There's nothing else I can say, or write. So right now, when it’s too late, I finally put ink onto paper. This is my belated letter to you.

Who do you think you are?

2011-06-21T19:16:00.003+08:00

Who made you king?

Saying ridiculous things, making thoughtless remarks.

Yet you act as if you are invulnerable.

Who do you think you are?

Pre-Exam Blues

2011-05-30T21:11:00.002+08:00

After coming to terms with the hangover that was the Champions League Final, something momentous hit me: my first exam is less than a week away. And I have not studied for this subject before.

Even before the actual exam starts, I am already having the blues. Come to think of it, why is it called the 'blues'? Why not 'greens', or 'reds'? I guess it sounds ridiculous. But wait, it only sounds ridiculous because 'greens' and 'reds' are hardly ever used. Its the same with clothes. One guy in a thousand wears his pants high (higher than usual anyway) and wears thick spectacles too, suddenly he is the odd one out, the nerd. But if everyone sports this fashion, all of a sudden it's considered normal and not ridiculous. So it a subject of relatively.

It's probably obvious my thinking is not exactly coherent at the moment. You could say my train of thought is off the rails (haha?). What has exam worries got to do with 'greens' and nerds?

I can't think of anything to write. But then again, my train of thought went off the tracks. All right, till next time loyal readers, 'cya'.

Musing

2011-05-22T21:16:00.003+08:00

Apparently, left-handers feel fear more acutely then their right counterparts.

I am a left-hander.

I admit, I fear a lot of things.

From the cockroach hiding in the corner, to the probability worksheet lying on the table.

However, there is only one fear now that leaves me feeling helpless, on the brink of just surrendering and hiding in the corner of the room.

But I can't. I know I can do it. I have to. As they say, failure is not an option.

I am in deep merde. But it's definitely not over yet. I still have a fighting chance.

Peer Pressure

2011-05-08T18:39:00.002+08:00

Peer pressure.

For the better, or for the worse?

Kids beg their parents to buy the latest clothes, phone, because of peer pressure.

Many children smoke, take drugs, because of peer pressure.

But,

Peer pressure is without doubt,

My main motivation to study.

Seriously.

Breather

2011-04-20T21:01:00.002+08:00

Yes. It has finally arrived. The eagerly anticipated, absolutely essential one week Easter break. I was just about to start wondering: will the break actually happen at all? Or was it just an illusion; some cruel trick played by the university? It’s suppose to be a mid semester break after all, but it’s already Week 8 now (there are 12 weeks in a semester).

It felt as if I was holding my breath since the start of the semester. Second year has been extremely to the power of 100 difficult, oops, I mean extremely difficult. You see what I mean? I have been doing a lot of (financial) maths lately, and the present value of the money in your wallet assuming an effective interest rate...gahh! Actuarial subjects have the innate ability to make the material you have studied so rigorously stick to your head and haunt your every thoughts.

With Easter break arriving, I have that awesome feeling, which is synonymous with the moment when you have been holding your breath under water for what felt like the longest time ever, and then you surfaced. Oh yes, that wonderful feeling that numbs your pains, and erases your worries (albeit temporary). It’s high time for a breather.

Let’s talk about what’s on almost every Malaysians’ minds: the already infamous 1Malaysia email address. Apparently, every Malaysian aged 18 and above will receive a special 1Malaysia email address, so that the government can securely send notifications etc to everyone of age. The issue that got many people so worked up is that a certain exclusive group will be paid to create these emails. Now, the sum paid is not of a small value. Suspicious? Indeed.

There is speculation that the government wants to do this because the PM’s wife want to read our emails. Bemused people are even suggesting that this is some kind of April Fool’s joke on the government’s part, but it was delayed because they were so inefficient.

Surely there is a much better way to spend taxpayers’ money rather than building a mega tower and creating 1Malaysia emails for everyone? Wait, I stand corrected. There isn’t a much better way, there are many better ways.

Let’s face it, no country is perfect, no government is spotless. Take Australia for example. In the state of Victoria, the previous government has spent billions of dollars by introducing the ‘myki’ system into their public transport system. It’s pretty much like Touch & Go in Malaysia. Well, the fact is the current state government is thinking of scrapping the myki system because the cost went overboard by millions of dollars, and it is still incurring losses. Well, if there’s one thing I learned, it is that Aussies are notoriously lazy and inefficient. (Note: I’m being cynical here)

For example, they follow their working hours to the very second. Here’s a situation:

Australian receptionist: *looks at clock* Oh looks its 5.15pm already. Happy hour!

Visitor: *walks in* Erm, good evening, I was wondering if...

Receptionist: Sorry mate we are closed. We are open again tomorrow at 9am.

Visitor: But...

Receptionist: Yea (pronounced’ yeeeeeea’), so please do come back tomorrow. Bye.

But it seems that Malaysian government is trying very hard to spend taxpayers’ money on (putting it bluntly) useless pursuits that will not help the nation.

Anyway, thank for reading. It's one of the longest post in a while. Happy Easter!

The clock is ticking

2011-04-09T19:56:00.004+08:00

The clock is ticking.

Another goal left unachieved.

Another problem that could have been resolved.

Another mistake that could have been avoided.

Something you could have said earlier.

Something you should have done earlier.

The clock is ticking.

Under Construction

2011-03-07T19:28:00.001+08:00

Yes, it’s time for the long overdue blog maintenance. I recognize the need to occasionally freshen things up, and this blog needs an overhaul. The features you see now may or may not be permanent.

On a sidenote, the lack of updates is due to my new role as a ‘bro-rent’. A ‘bro-rent’ is a cross between a brother and a parent. My responsibilities include cooking, washing, marketing and doing other household chores in addition to being my younger siblings’ unofficial guardian. Of course, I share the household chores workload with my siblings. But I am telling you, taking care of two hyperactive, hungry, sarcastic kids in the absence of my parents is no easy task. And studying actuarial science at the same time definitely does not make it any simpler.

Rabbits & Regulations

2011-02-06T20:13:00.002+08:00

As we enter into the Year of the Rabbit, I can almost hear Bugs Bunny saying ‘Wassup Doc’ with a huge grin plastered on its face. For some funny reason, I think of Bugs Bunny when I think of rabbits. I guess it must be the old Warner Bros cartoons on Cartoon Network back in the day when my shoes were size 5. But one thing is for sure, I am pretty sure that I can hear adults/parents grinding their teeth in despair when handing out ang paos to the younger, unmarried generation. I certainly can empathize with the ang paos givers. How would you feel if you are required by custom and tradition to hand over your hard-earned money to the grubby hands of small children who don’t appreciate the meaning behind ang pao giving & receiving? It’s like coughing up RM30 (10 Australian dollars) for a bowl of curry noodles in Melbourne. Weird comparison, I know, but that’s beside the point. Moral of the story: Stay single, and you don’t have to give ang paos.

Sticking to the Chinese New Year theme, what makes a great festive celebration? Good food and great company of course. Notice that I that wrote ‘good’ for food, and ‘great’ for company. Yes, being able to spend CNY with the people you are comfortable with is certainly more important than great food. Although it certainly helps that the people I am most comfortable with also provide awesome food.

Friendly reminder: The next few paragraphs may or may not contain political issues. Consider yourself warned.

As I was browsing through Malaysian news website a few days back, I came across an article reporting that the Malaysian government is looking to introduce a new set of regulations to regulate Internet in Malaysia. Flip through any dictionary and you will find that the word ‘regulate’ is closely related to the word ‘control’.

Does that mean that Internet users in Malaysia are going to be watched and controlled by some government regulatory body? Well, if certain websites containing illicit material such as pornography and such are blocked, I can’t say naught to that.

But wait, the relevant ministry (Information, Communication and Culture Ministry) said that it will, among other functions, weed out ‘false information’. What exactly is false information? What if the government tries to cover up an incident detrimental to their standing among the people in order to win the next election, and brands the incident as ‘false’?

Personally, regulating the Internet is like stifling information. That is definitely not the way forward, especially for a developing (possibly stagnant) country like Malaysia. To win the people over, the government needs to be transparent (among other attributes of course). Perhaps the events in Egypt and Tunisia had the current government worried, but I am only a powerless observer. If this is one of the many methods that the government use to ensure they remain in power, I say the country has really gone to the dogs.

On a sidenote, can you imagine a government-friendly website named 1Malaysia.com replacing Facebook? Fortunately I live in Australia most the time now, free and able to use Zuckerberg's creation.

Are the set of regulation guidelines a form of internet censorship? That is the question.

Update

2011-01-30T08:27:00.002+08:00

At the start of the new year, I know I promised myself to update this blog more regularly. Evidently, I failed in that sense. (Hint: Look at my blog archives to the right. This is only my second post of the year). So right now, even though I'm devoid of any ideas or motivation to write, I am still going to update this blog. But here lies the problem: what am I going to write about?

While I think about what to write, perhaps you would like to entertain yourself with my previous posts below about new year resolutions and my Time Vortex theory. Maybe even update your Facebook profile. Speaking of the Time Vortex, I am yet to be contacted by the Nobel Prize committee despite already submitting all my data and results to the National Science Committee (or whatever its called).

Okay I give up. It feels as if my brain has been turned to mush. I can't write anything at this moment. I blame the erratic Australian weather. One moment it's chilly, the next moment it's blazing hot. Oh yes, before you ask, I am back in Australia, or more specifically, Mount Waverly, a suburb of Melbourne.

Hopefully, next time I can provide quality reading. Cheers.

New Year update: From appendicitis to new year resolutions

2011-01-02T16:27:00.004+08:00

Happy New Year. Thanks to the effect of the Time Vortex (by the way, I am yet to be contacted by the Noble Prize Committee), 2010 sure flew past pretty fast. So hello 2011.

Note: Read my older posts for the details of the Time Vortex theory, which I founded and proven the theory

I have to be brutally honest. When I wish people 'Happy New Year', I do sincerely hope that you (or whoever it is) have an awesome year. But that does not mean I can make you happy, for example, by giving you money etc. Just to be clear.

Most people spend New Year Eve's eating, partying, having fun. I did do that, but not before going to SJMC to check whether I have appendicitis which thankfully (or if you hate me, unfortunately), I didn't. According to the tired-looking doctor, I had some virus in my intestine, thus causing the stomach pain. On a sidenote, I would feel down too if I had to treat bad-tempered, ill patients on New Year Eve's.

New Year, new resolutions? Alright then. Here are my resolutions.

1. Lose more weight. Perhaps be 5kg lighter by the end of the year.

2. Heck, I don't need to change for the better, as I am already an awesome person *ahem*. In fact, the rest of the world is the one that needs to improve.

Ok, alright, who am I kidding. But one thing for sure, I resolve to be a happier person, one that is adaptable to different, even adverse situations. I don't want to be the one that says 'Don't dwell on the past, look to the future'. In fact, I say 'Listen to the past, Think for the future'. History is important. It's crucial not to repeat one's mistakes in the past and more importantly, learn from it. And remember, what is done is done. We can't undo time (maybe not yet), but we can plan for the future. We are in charge of our own destiny.

If you can't read the comic strip above, well, you're getting old mate.

I have an announcement to make. My family and I are migrating to Australia later this month. Yes, we have Australian PR (for some time now actually). Hence, e will be moving out of this my current house, and after days of packing, we still have plenty stuff we don't want. Thus, we will be having a garage sale, in an attempt to get rid of the stuff and earn some cold, hard cash.

Among the items for sale are books (a lot of books), assorted soft toys, old shoes, vases, pots, plants, a variety of bags, cups, key chains, beds etc. Even two dogs up for adoption. It will held this coming weekend, from 8/01/11 to 9/01/11. All who are willing to spend are welcome.

Insert Title Here

2010-12-08T17:39:00.002+08:00

I am fully aware that the last time I updated this blog was eons ago, well actually it was about a month ago. But the point is, it felt like ages ago right? This brings me right to the heart of the Time Vortex theory. Once again, let me summarize the Time Vortex theory. This groundbreaking, or should I say, time-breaking theory suggests that there exits several 'black holes' all around the globe which not only suck time away from us, but it is able to regurgitate time back to us. In other words, these 'black holes' (or Time Vortex) is responsible for the instances when we felt that time flies, or when time drags on. What I did in my research was to find the location of every Time Vortex and attempted to establish a pattern for which the Time Vortex comes into play. The difficult part of the theory is trying to form a pattern for which when these Time Vortexes suck/regurgitate time. Thanks to my wit & determination (ahem), I'm finally able to answer these questions.

There are billions of Time Vortexes in existence. In fact, every living human being has (at least) one Time Vortex in close proximity. That explains why we can feel the full effects of the vortexes.

There is most certainly a pattern for when the Time Vortexes 'give' or 'receive' time. The vortexes drained precious seconds, minutes, hours away from us when we are enjoying ourselves and when we are rushing for something or meeting a deadline. On the other hand, the vortexes regurgitate time when we despise what we are doing, or when when we are waiting for someone/something.

My comments? Time is precious. Once lost, never recovered. The effects of the Time Vortex cannot be negated. What we mortals can do is to appreciate every day, hour, minute, second we had the privilege to use. In short, use time wisely.

Note: I can be contacted by email, phone and even Skype if the Nobel Prize Committee wishes to award me the Nobel Prize.

Apparently, the picture above is voted the most terrible thing you can see on Earth. Personally, I don't think it's that terrible, but I guess that happens if you don't cut your hair for 5 months.

Ah Malaysia. The land with great & cheap food, and unlimited internet (I am an optimist). No doubt after my university break, I will be fatter due to eating and red-eyed after hours of gaming.

To heck with exams

2010-11-09T17:09:00.003+08:00

To heck with exams, okay not really, but I just felt like writing loads of rubbish, so why not update this blog at the same time. As they say, 'Kill two birds with one stone', wait, for this case, it would be 'kill three birds with one stone' as I am writing gibberish, updating my blog, and not studying at the same time. Awesome init?

So today I just had my first paper: macroeconomics. The questions were tricky, but overall the paper was alright, although I threw away a couple of marks for miscalculating an equation by forgetting to multiply that equation by ten. And here I am trying to major in Actuarial Studies. Here's a tip: If you ever hire me to do some actuarial work, or even some counting work for you in the future, do make sure to check that I remember to multiply whatever I am suppose to count by ten. So yes, I am very frustrated because of that.

So now comes the double whammy, with ATA (accounting) on 16 Nov followed straight by Linear Algebra (maths) on 17 Nov. Two of my most important subjects of the semester. Awesome init?

If you have been a loyal follower of my blog, you would probably remembered falling asleep trying to read my posts about my Time Vortex theory. WAIT! Before you hit X to close the window/tab whatever, I am not going ramble on about the Vortex this time. But I want just want to say this, I have a breakthrough in my theory that will revolutionize mankind's very grasp of time, space and dimension. It will blow your mind away, just like a mind grenade. Right now, I am temporarily putting my research on halt for my exams, but after my exams, I promise to publish the results of my research. I expect the Noble prize for this. Yes, it's that awesome.

Just like anyone else, I can't wait for my exams to end. At the back of my head, there's one thing I must do during my after-exams break. No, it's not studying, but

Mastering Microsoft Excel

I need to know how to use Excel, because really my knowledge of Excel is almost non-existent. I had a couple of assignments using Excel this year, and it was a nightmare.

Alright folks, thanks for reading. I probably procrastinated long enough. Have to try to study now.

Rambles

2010-10-16T16:38:00.002+08:00

As I am typing this sentence, I have no idea what to write. *stares at screen* *light bulb lights* I guess I will start with my Time Vortex theory.

In my last 2 posts, I introduced my Time Vortex theory. According to the theory, there are several inter-dimensional black holes in existence around the world that suck time away from our present dimension into an alternate unknown dimension. Since August this year, I have been gathering data, trying to find proof to validate my claim. From my research, I conclude that many people agree that time flies. Sometimes 1 hour feels like 25 minutes etc. This is the strongest indication yet that my theory is correct.

However, sometimes time moves slowly. For example, studying for what feels to be 30 minutes may in fact be only 10 minutes. My research results are inconclusive, but I deduce that the Time Vortex not only suck time away from us, but also regurgitate time back to us. In other words, time can sometimes move 'slower' or 'faster'. So right now I will try to establish a pattern which in when the Time Vortex chooses to steal time and release time. So yes, (rather predictably) I will use the Time Vortex as an excuse of not updating my blog more regularly.

So Adam Lambert performed in Malaysia. Somehow, I am not surprised that certain parties (you know who I mean) objected Lambert's presence here. Alright, we know that he has a rather eccentric taste for fashion, and is a self-declared homosexual. But ignoring that, he is a singer (a good one too, if I may say so), and he came to Malaysia to perform, nothing more, nothing less. As long as he doesn't do something outrageous, which he didn't, then I say let him do what he does best: perform. It should be noted that this same group of people objected to planned performances from Rihanna and Beyonce too. Apparently they are worried that these artistes will influence young people. If that's the case, they might want to lobby for the ban of Internet use among young people too.

Omigodd!

It's Week 11 this week, and that means exams are around the corner and (everybody says this) I am not studying as much as I like. And yet here I am typing away. So there, I have done my part, and you do yours by reading this post.

The Time Vortex

2010-09-26T20:04:00.005+08:00

Blousers!! (Isn't that what Goofy always says ?)

Is it Sept 26 already? Time really flies. This certainly adds weight to my Time Vortex theory I highlighted in my last post dated August. Basically the Time Vortex is some sort of invisible hole that exists in Melbourne. Precious seconds, or 'time' as we know it, leaks into that hole, giving us mortals the feeling that time really flies. I agree, time does flies, but in reality it 'flies' into the Vortex. I estimate that every year we lose an average of 33.5 minutes per year. This translates into 335 minutes lost in a decade, and indeed, time is something we must hold dear. Previous 'Time Vortex' advocates have failed to pinpoint the exact location of the Vortex. I believe I am the first to have prove that there is a Vortex right here in Melbourne, although I also strongly believe there are at least a couple more somewhere in the world for the Vortex effect to be felt worldwide.

Anyway, it is the end of the first week of my two week mid semester break. I would like to emphasize that I did absolutely nothing that bears resemblance to any uni work (such as assignments, revision etc). Today, the first sentence that comes into my mind when I look at the pile of work (not literal pile) that needs to be done is 'SH*T! That's a lot of work.' Yes, I guess I need to be starting sorting out my work tomorrow. I can hear people screaming at me: 'Procrastinator!!'

So what did I do so far in the break? I will tell you what I have not done, which is going for the $50 buffet somewhere in Docklands. Yes, I do not know the exact restaurant, but I will be following some of my floormates there. According to them, the buffet is fantastic. Let's see how the buffet will hold up in the eyes (or should I say in the stomach) of Jeric Lam, the well-known food worshiper.

I will let the pictures d the talking. Here are some photos from what I did over the break.

1. Attended the Tesselaar Tulip Festival

2. Visited the Great Ocean Road (more pictures in my Facebook album, 117 more photos in my personal album in fact)

3. Went to South Melbourne beach. Actually wanted to go to Albert Park, but got lost after we reached Andrew's Burgers. By the way, many people consider Andrew's as the best place to get your burger fix in Melbourne. I admit, the burger tastes great. No picture for this one, all in Facebook.

4. Even celebrated Mooncake Festival here in Melbourne. Not surprisingly, only Asian groceries and bakeries sell mooncakes.

5. What esle? Of course I eat. The first picture below is my roasted beef chop with salad, hard-boiled egg and boiled potato (not in picture).

This second picture is my salmon pasta with tomato sauce.

P.S. I actually wanted to prepare more of what I consider 'elaborate' food, but I gotten lazy and just stuck with my standard cooking.

Of course that is not all I did, but most probably the more notable ones. With the Time Vortex lying around, I wager that my next post will be not anytime soon. Cheers.

A Post About Something

2010-08-29T10:06:00.003+08:00

In accordance with Malaysia’s 53^rd Independence Day on 31 August, I have decided to stray from my usual path of blogging, and write about issues that this country is facing.

In the light of the recent events that threaten to stir resent among Malaysians, I feel that these events occurred at a time so close to Merdeka Day as a reminder to us all that a wide racial divide in still exits after 53 years of independence. This suggests something somewhere has failed.

The 1Malaysia concept is laudable, but it fails to address the root of the problem. The concept promotes ‘oneness’, meaning unity of Malaysians regardless of race and religion. But how can we expect complete and sincere unity among Malaysians when our political and education systems are out-of-date. Our political system is suitable to the pre-independence era, where political parties exist to protect the interests of each race. But now, it is irrelevant and needs a revamp. Where on earth can you find a government that is made up of a coalition of race-based parties, other than Malaysia? If our leaders cannot co-exist in a single uniform party for the interests of the whole nation, how can they expect the people to do the same? What I am suggesting is a formation of a multi-ethnic party, much like PKR, but in a greater scale in the sense that it is able to stand on its own without relying on alliances with other parties. Our leaders need to show that they can work together regardless of their background to move the nation forward.

Our education system needs a serious re-look too. We cannot expect integration among our schoolchildren with the vernacular school system. Traditionalists will argue with me by saying that any student, regardless of race, can enter any of the vernacular schools, but the truth is (for example), how many schoolchildren of Malay heritage studies in a Chinese vernacular school? Not many unfortunately. I am a product of a Chinese primary school, and when I entered a national secondary school, I was shocked to know that Muslims actually fast for a month and Hindus traditionally don’t eat beef. Prior to entering secondary school, I only mingled with Chinese students and am blissfully ignorant of the other races. How can this situation help narrow the racial gap in this country? A single uniform national school system is possibly what Malaysia needs.

The National Service programme is an attempt by the government to promote interaction and integration between youths of various backgrounds. Speaking from personal experience, it does, but only to a certain extent. Youths of the same race still tend to stick together, even while in the National Service.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Once again, I apologized for the lack of updates. But this post you are reading, it’s actually my third or fourth draft since like 2 weeks ago. Before you go ‘OMG! You spend way too much time on your blog! And your blog isn’t especially popular too’, I just like to put in some effort in the things I do. I want this blog to be different from a typical young person’s online space.

I admit the article above have some loopholes in it, but it’s the best I can produce at the moment. I am not saying these are only problems and solutions, I am just highlighting the points I feel strongly about. I may not be patriotic, but I don't want Malaysia to remain stagnant too.

I am into Week 6 of my second semester here, and the amount of procrastination I have indulged in blows my mind away. After this post (and my lunch!), I am going to have to rolled up my sleeves and hit the books. Step 1 of my transformation process is already completed, since I already un-installed Starcraft 2 (The end of the world?!). Is there a way I can purposely block Youtube? Sadly, I am an all-too-frequent user of this website. (I just remembered, my parents know about of my blog!)

I would also like to expand on my theory of the time vortex in Melbourne. I am still gathering evidence and data, but me and a handful of other Malaysian students feel that time passes really fast here Down Under. My theory is that there is a time vortex somewhere in Melbourne, where this vortex sucks precious seconds away from our lives. I believe that the time vortex always shifts its location, but it tends to hang around in the University of Melbourne area.

Of writing and articulating

2010-08-03T18:19:00.005+08:00

I admit, it's almost impossible to articulate my thoughts. Right now, I am thinking (or should be) about hundreds of different things, and yet here I am struggling to write something. It could be because my brain stem is not properly connected to my hands or some other medical condition (I am a commerce student after all), but for me, it's difficult to put my thoughts into exact words. But it is my sacred duty to update this blog periodically, so here I am duly fulfilling this obligation.

First and foremost, I would like to say how glad I am with the Premier League season starting soon. World Cup was a disappointment (come on, you gotta to agree with the lack of goals and easy-on-the-eye football), and I can't wait when the domestic season finally swings into action. First match is the Community Shield between Manchester United and Chelsea. It's kind of obvious which team I support if you actually found the URL to my blog.

It is at this moment I find myself staring at my laptop screen longer than necessary. Yes, I am experiencing a 'I don't know what to write' moment. Speaking of writing, I was told a couple of times that I could write well, and my blog is evidence of it. My mum actually wanted me to do a creative writing course in addition to my actuarial science course to further enhance my writing skills. Honestly, it's very flattering to hear compliments being lavished on me, but I think I would just stick to casual writing. I can't really imagine myself being a professional/full-time writer or journalist. Come to think of it, I think the media (be it electronic or what not) needs an overhaul. Issues that deserves attention are not getting enough attention. Instead, we get news like 'Lindsay Lohan going to jail' or 'Paris Hilton don't know how to spell hamburger'. You get my drift. On a side-note, I vow never to stay at a Hilton hotel if I can help it. I don't like the idea of my money eventually going to a certain Paris.

On my last post, I promised to put up a photo of my room just after I got back from Malaysia last month. Well, here it is.

By golly, it's August already! 2010 sure feels short. Before we know it, it's Christmas. Ah well, time flies. I may choose not to take writing seriously, but at least I shall leave my writing legacy (if any) here for my loyal readers.

Hangover

2010-07-23T14:09:00.002+08:00

It's official. I am currently suffering from an acute case of hangover after last night. No, I didn't drink (and I don't really drink by the way). The hangover I am suffering is not alcohol induced, rather holiday induced. Just last night, I returned to Melbourne after my enjoyable holiday back at PJ. Eat, play and having fun. Yes, what more can I ask after a semester break like that. Well, actually now I feel like asking for an extended semester break.

(PJ = Petaling Jaya)

Less than a full 24 hours in Melbourne, and I want to fly back to PJ already. I am sorry, it might be homesickness, but that's how it is. Like I told my friends, at PJ I can act like a king, simply because I am very comfortable and familiar with things there (not to mention I don't have to do all my house chores like cooking, washing etc). In Melbourne, it's a different story. Melbourne might look familiar to me, but I don't have the feel of being genuinely familiar here, even though I am probably more familiar with the city of Melbourne than the city of Kuala Lumpur (I am a PJ guy after all). I know how to get to Queen Victoria market, but I am not too sure about going to Central Market.

I think now it's time to be nostalgic and try to remember everything I did back at home. These are the notable ones:

1. Attended Shell's scholarship pre-briefing, then the actual interview.

2. Watching most of the World Cup matches, and highlights of every single match.

3. Catching up with my E3 mates, the E3 way!

4. Went back to Taiping to see my grandparents, not to mention to eat too! Seriously, Taiping has great food.

5. Attended two Great Eastern scholarship assessments.

6. Spending quality time with family (in accordance with my belief that family is important -check the post before this).

7. And of course eating!

Anyway, I wanted to upload a picture of my room when I was in the middle of unpacking, but my laptop can't recognize the camera when I plugged in the USB cable. Excellent, after I brought it all the way here from PJ.

So, back to studying and cooking, washing etc. Hello Semester 2.

Alas

2010-07-13T21:10:00.005+08:00

Yes, the end of July is near. This signals the end of the month (thank you Captain Obvious), and also means that I have to return to Melbourne soon to resume my academic adventure. But definitely, I have enjoyed my last few weeks in Malaysia, be it with friends, family or food (the 3Fs). I dare not weigh myself, fearing that if I would crush the weighing scale if I were to step onto it. Alas, I overindulged in my consumption of the fine food here.

Anyway, sometimes I wonder how many of us do actually sit down and start to appreciate the many things in life. At least we don't wake up to terrorist attacks in our neighborhood, or war in our country.

We bury ourselves in Facebook, iPads and admire them, but how many of us wake up early enough in the morning and appreciate sunrises?

We might be whining about how difficult it is to study, or how did that lazy idiot get the promotion, but at least we got a roof above our heads. When things take a turn for the worse, at the very least we got a home to take refuge in.

Alas, not many people appreciate the things in life. But perhaps the most under-appreciated 'thing' is family.

More often than not, many people spend very little time with their family. Even having meals together is becoming increasingly scarce. I believe that family is the backbone, the foundation of our lives, and if we have healthy family relationships, we can live life better.

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Frankly, I was quite disappointed with the recent World Cup final between Holland and Spain. I drudged out of bed at 2.30 am to watch the live telecast, but soon wished that I continue sleeping instead and perhaps catch the highlights later. There was a bitter taste in my mouth, the way the Dutch played, the way they pushed, shoved and even karate kicked to disrupt Spain's passing game. (Note: I was supporting the Dutch)

I was hoping to see some eye pleasing football, but got 80,000 fouls instead, wait, sorry, there was the attendance at the Final . If FIFA chooses not to use technology, at the very least they should have a rule that forces teams to play some attractive football. Alas, the World Cup was a let-down, with many teams playing defensively. The problem was that everyone was so afraid of making mistakes. Being a purist, I would definitely want more teams in the future to play more attacking football.

Besides, what happen to fair play? Like when Frank Lampard's shot went over the line and the German keeper saw it but kept quiet. Or when Luis Suarez used his hands to prevent Ghana advancing to the semi-finals. Disappointing.

Now I Know

2010-07-08T11:13:00.002+08:00

When I arrived back home from Melbourne a few weeks back, there was something I felt it was different. Refreshingly different. No, it's not the weather, not the food, not the people. Okay, I lied. It's something to do with people, females to be exact. No, it's not that Melbourne chicks are uglier or Malaysian girls are prettier. The truth is

*drumrolls*

*raised curtains*

I see less make-up here. Yes, I honestly think that way too many female homo sapiens at Melbourne wear make-up. I think its way better to see less make-up because (obviously) I don't like girls wearing make-up. I see tonnes of university students wearing make-up, some even really heavy make-up. I mean, why la? Are you modelling in university? Or do you have so much free time in the morning before leaving for classes? So yes, after about 2 weeks of bumming around in Malaysia, I finally realized what was different that was poking at my conscience all this while. Yes, the answer is girls' make-up.

Okay enough of that. Inevitably, I will now talk about the World Cup. Like many football fans out there, I tried my hand in predicting results and to see whether is there a future for me as a football pundit. So, these are my predictions prior to the respective matches.

1. France will fare badly in this World Cup

I was right. What a French farce.

2. England would reach the semi-finals.

I was totally wrong. The English players even had the cheek to say they were bored in between matches.

3. North Korea would at least get a point.

I was wrong. Come on, you gotta pity the North Koreans. Apparently, they have to work in coal mines as a form of punishment. Talk about severe punishment.

4. Portugal will get knock out at the group stages, with Ronaldo failing to score.

Wrong, again. But Ronaldo played as if he was the only Portuguese on the pitch, often ignoring his teammates. Note to Ronaldo, football is a team game.

5. Germany will beat Argentina.

I was right. Maradona is the coach after all.

6. Spain will beat Paraguay 1-0.

Spot-on!! Seriously, I actually predicted Spain will win by that scoreline.

7. Germany will beat Spain.

We all know the real result.

8. Netherlands will be the new world champions.

We shall see.

Not too shabby right? If Prediction #8 is correct, I would get 50% of my predictions right, and that is, well, actually, not too good. Paul the Octopus is a way better football physic than me.

Monday Rants

2010-06-28T15:20:00.005+08:00

Despite being on my semester break, I am feeling the much derided Monday blues. With the sort of the lethargy displayed by a slug, I slumped out of bed this morning, not at all surprised that the the short hand of the clock is pointing at 10. I put the blame solely on the event that is known as the World Cup, although it is anything but the cup of the world (excuse me for the bad joke, the Monday blues are getting to me).

After I watched the Germans put four goals past England, I was wondering, what did the overpaid, overrated and over-pressured English players thought of themselves. Yes, they can point the finger at some bad refereeing decisions, but they should also take a good hard look at themselves for several insipid, uninspiring displays in the World Cup. Another thing to note is that the German team is a few years younger than the English team, and this is a tell-tale sign of the lack of young English talent. This can be explained by the lack of investment and faith of the Premier League clubs into their respective youth academy to churn out young talent. I also wonder what Mick Jagger (who was in the stands) thought when he saw the the likes of Thomas Mueller and Mesut Ozil tearing apart John Terry and company.

Me thinks that the Argentines got a little lucky in their 3-1 win over Mexico. Their defense is definitely their weakness, and it will be severely tested by the Germans. Anyway, I, as a Manchester United supporter, is drooling over the performance of Javier Hernandez, who scored more goals than Wayne Rooney in the World Cup by the way.

Just to fill in the space and to make my blog seem more impressive, let me introduce a few quotable quotes.

'Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted'. - John Lennon

Interesting quote isn't it? This means that my ratio of time wasted to time well spent will drastically drop. Not that I am saying I waste a lot of time in the first place *winks*.

'A lot of people are afraid of heights. Not me, I am afraid of widths'. - Steven Wright

As everyone should. *Glances nervously at my own bulge*

'You are unique, special & one-of-a-kind....just like everyone else'. Anonymous

This is one example of contradicting opinions. We are always told each and every one of us is different, we are all unique,special etc but if everyone is special, then no one is special. This is definitely a matter of debate.

'Drawing on my fine command of the English language, I said nothing.' - Robert Benchley

One word: LOL.

Liberation

2010-06-16T14:37:00.002+08:00

Once again, I find myself apologizing for my lack of updates and using the over-used excuse of 'I am busy'. But really, I was busy (notice I use 'was' instead of 'is'). My last paper was on Tuesday (15 June), and my verdict on my first ever university exams? Not so good. For all four of my papers, I didn't have that 'Hey that paper wasn't that bad' feeling. And honestly, my exam preparation could have been better. Littered with distractions, my exam preparation was constantly disrupted. Ah well, my exams are now considered 'sunk costs'.

My flight back to Malaysia is this Friday (18 June). *Silent Cheering* I definitely won't be in Melbourne for the worst of winter season. Personally, I can't wait to sink my teeth into good old real Malaysian food, not to mention cheap and affordable (compared to Melbourne). At the very least I don't have to taste my own cooking for the next few weeks.

So what did I do after I finished my last paper? Nothing much, just my favourite pastimes such as eating, playing games, working out, eating, eating and eating. Yes, in case you didn't know, I love food and I am not the guy who 'eat to live'. Just today, my friends and I went to Ikea and Victoria Gardens Shopping Mall. So in short, that's what I did so far.

This is probably one of the shortest post I wrote, but I can promise that there will be more updates in the future. Cheers.

The week that has been

2010-05-16T21:19:00.000+08:00

Chelsea won the EPL by one point

Unless you had been living under a nutshell (does that sound right?), you should know that Chelsea has won the English Premier League by thrashing hapless Wigan 8-0. This means that Man Utd, the defending champions, were unable to win a record 19th English championship despite a 4-0 win over Stoke. It was reported that, for some unknown reason, Liverpool fans all around the world were celebrating after the Chelsea win.

Gordon Brown steps down as British PM after his Labour party ‘lost’ the elections

Sticking to England (or Great Britain), after an inconclusive elections, Britain’s Conservative and Liberal Democrat Party agreed to form Britain’s first coalition government since World War II to oust the ruling Labour Party. So, David Cameron (who is the head of the Conservative Party) is the new British Premier with Nick Clegg (Leader of the Liberal Democrats) as his deputy.

The World Cup squads announced

In case you didn’t know, the World Cup is just around the corner and each participating country has named their respective 30 men squads, and will trim down to 23 men soon. So, no Ronaldinho, Benzema, Veira, van Nistelrooy. And as usual, no Malaysia.

The Melayu Bangkit rally

The controversial Melayu Bangkit (Malays Rise) rally that was supposed to be held on 13 May at Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia was postponed after receiving much criticism. The rally was planned to coincide with the May 13 racial and political riots in 1969. Despite this and the fact that the rally was named Melayu Bangkit, the rally organizers have repeatedly maintained that the rally is not to induce racial and political unrest. If that’s the case, I can also say that the Malaysian government is free of corruption solely because there is a commission to deal with corruption. Anyway, I am shocked that the police actually issued a permit for this rally, making it a ‘legal’ procession. To put in crudely, what the f***?! It is damn obvious that the rally is of offensive nature, and in my opinion to cause racial unrest. This raises the suspension that this rally is actually a political gimmick ahead of the Sibu election.

Malaysia...tak boleh: Malaysia knocked out in the Thomas Cup on homeground

The writing was on the wall when the Malaysian badminton team lost to Japan in the first round of the Thomas Cup. Although they delayed the inevitable by beating Denmark to proceed to the semi-final, their opponent in the semis is none other than badminton powerhouse China. The nation was hopeful that Datuk Lee Chong Wei could start the ball rolling by defeating Lin Dan in the first singles, but once again Lin Dan outclassed Chong Wei and China ran out 3-0 winners. In other words, Malaysia was ‘China-nised’ once again. There is talk now that when Lin Dan finally retires and hang up his racquets, he will become a professional strip dancer.

Week 11 is starting this week!

There are 12 weeks in a semester, and this coming week is Week 11! Amazing, time really flies. After Week 12 will be SWOT VAC (study break) before end of semester exams. After exams, I will be going back to Malaysia. *Silent cheering* But for now, I will have to content with studying for the exams. University education is really like the express version of my March intake last year. Yes, you read it right. University education is the express of the express course. It’s really hectic, with assignments and tests thrown in into the mix.

It ‘Shell’ be done

To my surprise, I got a call from Shell Malaysia today saying they will call me on Tuesday afternoon for their scholarship interview. I was pleasantly surprised because after a long period of silence since submitting my scholarship applications for Security Commission Malaysia, Sime Darby and Khazanah, I pretty much thought, ‘Hey, they don’t want me.’ After the disaster that was the Maxis scholarship interview back in April, I really hope I don’t flop again this time. Scholarship interview? No problem, it shell, er i mean, shall be done.

Alright, tomorrow I have an 8am tutorial. Once again, thanks for reading my blog. I have to return to the world of academic struggle. Cheers.

For the sake of updating

2010-05-02T14:08:00.004+08:00

You ever read those kind of of blogs that goes:

I love my life!! Today, A and B came over and asked me whether I want to mamak with them or not. Then I said yes and we bumped Z along the way. So she said...

Or:

Last night, we went clubbing but for some reason I didn't enjoy it because some inconsiderate...so I was sarcastic to everyone...C, my best friend tried to cheer me up...told him the party sucks, my gf could not come down...

The previous 2 examples aren't really blogging. It's just narrating your life story. Personally, I cannot stand reading these kind of blogs. So what if you didn't like the party, or you are upset that your other half couldn't turn up, I couldn't care less. When I read blogs, I look for 'quality' posts, preferably with a touch of humour. Sure, I am interested in reading about your personal opinions and what you did the past few days, but not all the time, especially if 'I's are overused.

So, there are three golden rules when it come to good blogging. There are:

1. Don't write too much about yourself; Relate to everyone else

2. Be creative in expressing yourself; Be unorthodox

3. A touch of humour never hurts; Be humourous

Okay, so its my turn to make this post interesting. Rule #1: I am not going talk about myself, I am going to talk about a random person named Ah Meng.

'Today, Ah Meng woke up at 10am. He wanted to start his Intro to Micro assignment but instead played Starcraft II for an hour. By the time he open his book, Ah Meng's friend Ah Choong asked him out for lunch together. So Ah Meng procrastinated and decided to do his work later. By the time he got back from lunch, he realize it's late but instead of starting his work, he opened his blog and started updating. '

Epic Failure

Okay, let me try this again. Rule #2: Maybe now I do it dialog style (Be different).

Officious bystander: So Jeric how was your day?

Jeric: Okay, okay, I completed my assignments, subject to changes.

Officious bystander: Excellent. Anything else interesting happen today?

Jeric: Yeah, Jeremy told me he is flying back to Malaysia for the Sime Darby scholarship interview.

Officious bystander: Didn't you apply for the scholarship too?

Jeric: Yeah I did. But I didn't get any email saying I got shortlisted for the interview.

Officious bystander: Are you implying ad hoc that you are disappointed not to get shortlisted?

Epic failure, again

Note: The blogger would like to disclaim any liability related to his efforts in making his post more interesting. The blogger explicitly states that he is inexperienced in making things interesting, and he is not liable for any injury or mental harm caused to the reader by reading this post.

Okay, seriously, Jeremy is going back to Malaysia for his interview, and I didn't receive any mail telling me whether I got shortlisted or not. *Sigh* I quote, 'when one door closes, a bigger and better door opens.' So, it's not the end.

For the first time as long as I can remember, I will support Liverpool tonight!! Yes, I am not joking, I want Liverpool to beat Chelsea ~~so that Manchester United can claim top spot and be champions~~ to at least end a bad season on a high. Hehe.

Anyway, right now I am looking for a cheaper accommodation in Melbourne as my lease ends on 2 August. I got a few options, and I am still weighing them. It really depends on the circumstances. Worse come to worse, I will just make university's library my 'room'.

Rule #3: Okay, to make this post more humourous, I will attached the photo below. Don't get the photo? Here's a tip, look at the 'stairs' closely.

Sob Story?

2010-04-24T10:02:00.004+08:00

Once again, I would to apologize for the lack of updates recently. I am going to use the usual 'busy la' as my excuse for not regularly updating my blog. And the last week has been quite turbulent for me.

Probably it started when I could not, despite the best efforts of me and my dad, install the Quickbooks Student Edition into my laptop. I need Quickbooks for my accounting assignment, but to my frustration, I just couldn't install it. I tried to contact Reckon (the company which created QB) for help, but much to frustration again, they just sent me on a wild goose chase. I don't want to go into the details, but what I can say is when Reckon finally responded, they had the cheek to offer help at 50 dollars for 10 minutes!! WTF!

Anyway, sorry, I don't like to get all boiled up when blogging, but yeah, I am just so pissed off (oops) with QB and Reckon and what not. In the end, I found out that there's something wrong with my laptop that somehow doesn't allow QB to be installed. *Sigh* Just my luck.

And the last few days, I could say I was emotionally rattled. To be honest, I used to take pride in my ability to remain cool and keep a steady head when things get rough, but the last few days, I feel really 'unsettled', although now I am much much better, notwithstanding the fact that I still don't have Quickbooks in my laptop. Now, I have a personal grudge against QB and Reckon.

Actually, upon reflection, ever since I was in Melbourne, a lot of things don't seem to be going my way. First, there was frustrating issue of my university subjects, where I wasn't good enough to take Accelerated Maths, and the Commerce student center didn't even tell me. Secondly, there was a problem with my Epson printer I bought here in Melbourne. The printer couldn't print properly, and I wasted so much time adjusting the papers, ink etc, and in the end I found out that I actually bought a faulty printer and had to bring it back to the shop.

Then, my laptop had to act strangely, and truthfully, it got me really worried, because sometimes when I on the laptop, I can't access my files and saved data. Next, I tried my luck in applying for the position of the First Year Representative for the Actuarial Students' Society, and when I went to the interview, the interview panel basically told me I won't get the position because I am taking Calculus 2 instead of Accelerated Maths. WTF.

After that, I went to Malaysia during the Easter break for the Maxis scholarship interview. When I was checking-in at the Melbourne airport, I was told that my name was on the system, but wasn't on the flight. Obviously, I panicked and had to endure another hour of waiting before it was resolved. Anyway, the interview was tough and I had doubts about it, and sure enough, I wasn't awarded the scholarship. More hard work down the drain.

Okay, enough of my sob story. These adverse situations can 'build my character', and yeah, it's really a matter of perspective. It's how we see and react to problems in life that matters. With a positive and never-say-die attitude, surely any problem can be overcome. We might be facing lots of problems in life right now, but we can be assured that nothing, even hardships, lasts forever. Even as I am typing this, I think, "Hey, it's easier said than done". It's true, it's always easy to talk about our grand plans for the future, but sometimes no action takes place. But what I am trying to say is, all of us have problems, and we all have our own way to deal with it. But if we know that 'we are never tested beyond our capabilities' (I quote, from a secret source), our problems will seem smaller and more manageable.

Wow, I have to say this post is rather wordy. But if you have read it till this point, thank you!! So now I will attempt to put in some pictures.

If you Google search 'problems' under the images search, you will come upon the above picture. I don't think it's very encouraging if we are going through a difficult period. The picture seems to suggest that our problems could be greater than perceived.

Yup, this is how I feel the last few days. Frustration is the word.

Food for Thought

2010-04-06T21:27:00.004+08:00

Here's something for you to think about.

If the government choose to interfere with the free market, by introducing tax, tariffs, subsidies etc, will society as a whole be better off or worse off?

Which is better? Equity financing or debt financing?

What is the relation between sech x and arc sech x?

When spouses enter into agreement, do they intend their agreement to be legally enforceable?

Do you go 'Huh? What the heck is this about?' ? (notice: 2 question marks!! Never mind...)

Yup, these are the kind of questions I get thrown at me since I started my semester. And that's only scratching the surface. Okay, I won't bore you with more uni-related stuff, but I suppose it's worth mentioning uni life isn't very relaxing. I remember not too long ago I was told university life isn't as hectic as secondary school and college times. Well, I guess the statement:

'University life is not so hectic.'

is rather ambiguous. Why? It's definitely true I have more time on my hands (I only got 14 hours of lectures and tutorials per week), but that time is being taken up by the astonishing amount of work I have to do. Okay, this part seems ambiguous again. I don't have to do all the work, but I feel rather guilty if I don't complete it. So I guess it pretty much depends on each person. And the fact that I still spend my time on Facebook and Soccernet doesn't help my workload.

Okay, enough with the uni stuff (notice that I said something along that line a few sentences earlier). A few Saturdays back, I went to the Melbourne Aquarium for free!! Fine, it's not really free, the Melbourne Aquarium is part of Unilodge's (the place I am staying) planned activities for their tenants. Everyone who is staying at Unilodge has in a way already paid for these kind of planned activities as part of their rent. To be honest, the Aquarium was a little boring, because I have been to other 'aquariums' before, so it's pretty much like 'seen-it-all-already'.

Did you know there's a restaurant on wheels concept in Melbourne? The restaurant is on a tram and it moves around the city while the diners inside eat.

Once again I apologize for the grainy photos. Unfortunately, I only possess a 3.2 mega pixels camera with me, so the quality of the photos can only be that good.

So, right now, I am at home in PJ, back in Malaysia. Yeah sure, I didn't tell a lot of people I came back. The main reason I return home is for the Maxis interview which I just went today. It was tough, and honestly, I don't think I did well enough to get my hands on the scholarship. The questions they asked, coupled with my inexperience in interviews, didn't really help my cause. In other words, I don't have a good feeling about this.

I brought some books over from Melbourne to study, but so far, I have been procrastinating. Until now, I have not open my books and tomorrow is Wednesday already. I must start...tomorrow.

Actually, I wanted to post some pictures of my Melb Aquarium trip, but the photos are still in my mobile phone (er, I meant camera) and there's something wrong with the battery. First my laptop, after that the room light, then the plane ticket, then the interview, now the handphone. What the heck, nothing going right for me.

Speaking of food, since last Thursday, I was on a strict diet. Strict diet in the sense of eating as much as I can. Whatever weight I have lost over the last few years, surely it is appearing again in stomach. I feel flabby and unfit, and for some weird reason, lost my appetite for exercise. There's something wrong with me.

So, I did my part and finally update my blog. To GOD, it your turn to do your part.

Peanuts

2010-03-13T20:04:00.007+08:00

Warning: If you are allergic to nuts, or anything nut based, it is highly advisable that you do not continue to read this post as it might contain peanuts. The blogger shall not be liable to any damage that might be caused to the reader of this post. If you expericence discomfort while reading this post, please cease reading and see a qualified doctor immediately.

I just realized, I never posted any pictures of my 'awesome, spacious' room I currently renting here in Melbourne. Here are some hard facts of my room:

1. It is 10 sqm in size.

2. It has a small sink that requires you to bend down to half your height to use it.

3. Originally, it has no air-cond and fan.

4. My room's window faces the hostel's BBQ courtyard, where people gather to talk, drink and sing loudly every night.

5. The afternoon/evening sun shines directly into my room. So if you want to be tanner, just let me know. No service charge included.

Contrary to the tone I used earlier, I actually like my room. It's small, but its easier to clean and manage, so I try to keep it tidy, although my mum would argue that it is still in a mess. I don't really need an air-conditioner, because now it's not too warm. But I would say the table is too small, at least for me anyway.

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The two above pictures are taken in one of the many rooms located within the State Library here in Melbourne. The library is HUGE, and it's not too crowded. And they even provide chess sets, and there's a single Chinese Chess (Jong Guo Xiang Chee) set, too. Credits to Jason Lim, who introduce me to the place. Yeah, I totally destroyed you in chess (:

Peanuts! The last Malaysian Airlines kacang that was in my room before I gobbled it up. I really miss cheap Malaysian food. Here, one bowl of curry mee can cost up to 9.90 dollars ><

Australian food = BBQ

Why is the above equation true? It's because the Aussies, or the poeple here love BBQ. BBQ here, BBQ there. Just got back from the MoMu Welcome BBQ, and this Thursday got another BBQ at my place. Wow. I lost count the number of BBQs I have attended.

I don't much free time to burn actually. I was busy the whole Saturday buying grocery and cooking for the week ahead. Today I promised myself to hit the books, but I haven't been making much progress. Really no mood to study weih. To those people who are still bumming around and complaining of boredom, appreciate it while you can.

Week 3 starting this week!! The workload isn't easing up. I got accounting assignment to complete!

Hailstorm Baby!

2010-03-06T14:44:00.004+08:00

Just this afternoon, Melbourne experienced a rainstorm and a hailstorm at the same time. This is the first time I actually seen a hailstorm. Basically, its just pieces of ice dropping down from the sky. Okay, the pictures don't help much (sorry la, I don't have a chun camera), but in the picture below, you can see the ice as the little white stuff. Look closely enough and you will see it. The two photos above are taken when water and ice are dropping down from the heavens at the same time. Luckily, I got back from grocery shopping 15 minutes before the hail started, or I would be drenched from the rain and hit by the ice.

Anyway, I finished Week 1 of uni. On Monday, my subjects finally got approved and I got my complete timetable at last. In short, I arranged my timetable in such a way that I will be busy on Monday and Tuesday but relatively free on Thursday and Friday. In this case, I believe in sien koo ho tian (now bitter, later sweet). OMG, I feel like I got so much to do. Throw in uni reading, tutorials, cooking, shopping, laundry,paying bills etc and I don't have much time left. Since this is the very first time I am taking business subjects, I certainly hope that I will be able to cope. Haiz.

Surprisingly, I continue to find cooking more and more enjoyable. I guess because for cooking, I am not under-pressure to produce wonderful results (like tasty food), unlike academic work (><). I can experiment and it's okay not to get the desired end product. Not trying to sound boastful, but the first time I prepared dark soya pork (above dish), it actually tasted good. The same goes for my fried rice. Hmm, maybe I should start selling my food and get some money (: I just marinated some chicken in char siew sauce, so later this week I can sink my teeth in some char siew, er, chicken.

At my place, I have cough up 4 bucks just to use the washing machine. To use the dryer, I need to pay a further 3 dollars. So, not wanting to make Unilodge any richer, I use nature's free dryer, by hanging my laundry in my room, and hope that the weather is warm enough for my clothes to dry quickly.

Socially, I haven't been making much progress in Melbourne. I dislike attending social events, as I feel awkward, and this certainly doesn't help my social life. Come on Jeric, this is Melbourne!

Like a sickness that won't go away even if you tried all the medication in the world, I still feel homesick. By doing stuff, I don't feel so homesick, but its just like eating painkillers, the sickness won't be cured. Fortunately, its not the super serious 'homesick' feeling that makes you want to pack your bags and go home.

Just a random photo. Even Coles support the red half of Manchester :)

Of Nasi Lemak, Wan Tan Mee & Pan Mee

2010-02-27T11:36:00.003+08:00

The picture was taken before my family went back to Malaysia. Hey, why my eyes are closed? It's been one week since they went back. Orientation has passed and ended. Now, I am a member of AIESEC, S.A.L.T.S, MoMu, A.S.S and put my name down for futsal trials. Ok, the clubs I join are not as dodgy as they sound. For AIESEC, I quote, "AIESEC is the international platform for young people to discover and develop their full potential. Present in over 1,100 universities and with over 23,000 members, AIESEC offers an unparalleled leadership development experience. Join a global network of change agents that aims to make a positive impact on society.".

S.A.L.T.S is a sort of a community club and stands for Students Arising Learning To Serve. MoMu is a Malaysian Club for Malaysian students at the Uni of Melb. And A.S.S. is the Actuarial Students Societ. Apparently, for sports club, you have to cough up like a lot of money just to become a member. For example, to join the Table Tennis Club, membership fees are around 50 Aussie dollars. Wow, I can't imagine for futsal, how the price would be like.

Guess what, until now, not all my subjects are approved yet. This past week, especially Thursday and Friday, have been 'traumatizing' for me. Long story. Let's just say the Commerce Student Commerce is really inefficient and misleading. Oh yeah, even with my 17/20 for my SACE Spec. Maths, its not enough for me to get into Accelerated Maths. I had to sit for a test, and yes, I failed badly. Like duh, the test was on Fri, but I was only told on Thurs nite, and I didn't have any of my Maths books with me to study. So, obviously, I failed, and can't take Accelerated Maths.

So, on Tuesday (23 Feb), I went down to Bourke Street in the city to exchange my faulty printer. So, after swapping the printer, I wanted to catch a tram back to my room since I am carrying the bulky printer, but the tram service on was stopped because of some huge demonstration moving down Swanston Street. Instead, I had to walk 25 minutes back to my place, carrying the printer at the same time. Below are two pictures I took of the demo. The theme was 'Don't kill live music'. Wow, now I want a demo entitled 'Don't kill my arms' coz' my arms died that day after struggling with the printer all the way back.

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I really miss Malaysian food. Here, Malaysian food don’t feel quite the same, and it’s so expensive. Is there such a word as food-sick? I really crave for Malaysian food. Ah, I really miss Nasi Lemak, Wan Tan Mee, Pan Mee, Roti Canai, Curry Mee. And I have been here for less than a month. Some might wonder how I will survive the rest of the year.

Gosh, I am drooling over the pics!! I can't wait to go back to Malaysia, for the food!!

Bittersweet

2010-02-20T18:37:00.002+08:00

My parents and my two siblings went back to PJ today. So here I am in Melbourne, alone without the physical presence of my family around. Yes, I admit I am scared. I am afraid of the unknown, afraid of not being able to settle in and make friends, afraid of not doing well, afraid of letting my parents down. I realized I am so lucky, to be able to receive my parents' backing, to be able to study in Melbourne, something they never had a chance to do so. I really appreciate my family. People say you will only miss those you love once they are not there. How true. It's not so much of the homesickness that is plaguing me, it's that empty and hollow feeling when my family is not here.

Yeah, I sound like someone wallowing in self-pity, but hey, the blog is my refuge sometimes. I feel that here, I can speak my mind.

I know I will get over my homesickness eventually. When I have things to do, I probably will not brood so much and just try to enjoy life here. Besides, now we have something we call the internet and phone. Family and friends are just an email/call/msn/skype away, which 'reduces' the distances between everyone. It's bittersweet here because I am excited to study at the University of Melbourne, but I am missing my family and home.

Anyway, if anyone is coming down to Melbourne, whether its for holiday or studies, just let me know. I can show you around the city, bring you to makan places etc.

Orientation starts this Tuesday. I hope by then my subjects for my first year are settled by then. Apparently the Commerce Student Centre system broke down. What the heck, of all times.

Sh!t, not only the food in Melbourne is expensive, so is the Internet here. There is no such thing as unlimited use of the internet here. The Aussie way of counting your internet bill is by how much stuff you download from the web. So, that's the end of my online gaming here, bye bye Sudden Attack, Left 4 Dead 2 ==

Down Under

2010-02-12T19:53:00.003+08:00

Thanks to my mum who is working in MAS, she managed to secure business class tickets (at a scaled-down price of course) for me and my family to fly to Melbourne, Australia. So yeah, after days of packing and planning, I finally stepped into flight MH129 at KLIA and exited at Terminal 2, Melbourne Airport at 9pm local time.

On the Saturday before I left, there was a party at my house organized by the CG members. It was basically a send-off party for me and Jeremy, who was leaving for Macquerie University. It was nice, and I really appreciate everyone for their well wishes and gifts (: (I got a t-shirt and MP3 recorder!!) Unfortunately, I couldn’t see my E3 buddies before I flew off...what happen guys?? Really, like no response at all...you know what I mean...honestly, I am kinda disappointed. Oh yeah, Pou is actually going to Melbourne!! Lol, he is going to study at RMIT, and I only found out days before I left. What-lah Pou? Never tell anyone wan...

Surprisingly, the weather was quite cool in Melbourne even though it is still summer. Just yesterday, it rained!! Apparently, it hardly rains in Melbourne, especially during the summer. So it seems that we brought the rain from Malaysia (:

Another thing, Internet in Australia is pretty cacat. Yes, I was pretty surprised when I heard the rates and speed. Its quite expensive, and these no such thing as unlimited use, unless you are ready to cough up. So, in Malaysia, at least the Internet is cheap, if slow and keep dc-ing.

I saw my room at Unilodge @ Melbourne, and it is small. (Fact: I will be staying there for the next 6 months) But I thought its not too bad, the only downside is that I have to fork out additional money to use the washing machine and dryer. Furthermore, I am kinda scared of putting food in the common fridge. What if my stuff mysteriously disappears?

In short, I opened a bank account at the Commonwealth Bank, and got the $29 cap on 3 Mobile too. When I got some pictures, I will post it up.

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Yeah! Chelsea lost to Everton, downed by two goals by ex-Man Utd striker Louis Saha!! But Man Utd threw away the chance to go top of the EPL table by drawing at Aston Villa...ah well, at least Liverpool lost to Arsenal (: sorry Liverpool fans.

Transition Period

2010-02-04T20:52:00.004+08:00

Yup, I will be going off to Melbourne soon to study. I will be at the University of Melbourne, doing Bachelor of Commerce, possibly majoring in actuarial studies. Yes, I am making a switch from science to business subjects. Risky, since I never studied stuff like microeconomics and financial maths before, but hey, if I graduate to become an actuary, it will be worth it.

So, Melbourne, new place, new life. This is the phase of my life where I have to be fully independent. Cooking for myself, working part-time, studying without the nagging presence of parents (whoops), these are the things I will face once I will be in Melbourne. You could say this is a transition coz' at home, pretty much everything is provided.

I suppose the packing is the hardest. There's a lot of stuff I need to bring, but sometimes I feel at loss at what exactly to bring. Clothes, toiletries, some cutlery, stationary, shoes, bed linen, laptop, and oh yeah, more clothes. Hmm, what else? And to make more difficult is the presence of parents who constantly badger me not only to pack, but to completely clean out my stuff in my room. Hey, the stuff I am leaving behind is not junk you know, its more of something sentimental to me.

On the 9 Feb, I got a Maxis scholarship interview at Menara Maxis (where esle?). Darn, this is one scholarship I have to get. Studying in Australia is dead expensive. My rent at Unilodge@Melbourne alone is AUD$255 per week and that does not include food!!

Alright, I will stop right here as I suddenly lost my mood for blogging >< (I have an unwelcome visitor). And oh yeah, I hope Arsenal beat Chelsea, for Man Utd's sake of course!!

About Driving and the Dutch

2010-01-22T21:30:00.006+08:00

For the last few days, Malaysian road users have been giving me the 'experience' of a lifetime in driving. Banished to the road with only the car as company, I have to act as a chauffeur for my siblings and an office boy for my parents. Thus, it is inevitable that I will stumble upon drivers of various, how should I put it, attitudes.

One thing about taxi drivers, they are either going excruciatingly slow trying to catch the attention of potential suckers (Erm, I mean customers) while being totally unaware that they are slowly down traffic behind them, or they are happily ignoring the gasp of other motorists when they suddenly cut into your lane to try to reach their destination ASAP.

It is amazing how traffic jams can easily influence people's emotions' on the road. Sometimes, even though you have the right of way, other kiasu drivers will swerve into your lane without a second thought just because they can't wait for another 5 seconds. If you challenge them, all you get is mouthful of 'f**k you!' and a middle finger. Yes, it happened to me so many times that just this afternoon, I got so pissed and returned the van driver the gesture. Luckily, none of my siblings were there. Immediately after that, I was like 'Damn, this isn't like me..I shud control myself better..'.

At least they are still kind drivers out there who give way to you when you have been waiting at the intersection hoping to turn to the other side for ages. These are the drivers other people should learn from. It isn't that hard to give in once in a while right? After all, we can't just always think of ourselves.

Lol, this is how the Dutch test their people in driving?? I have to say, this is a difficult question.

On a different issue, I am really undecided on where to study. Should I go to ANU, which is located at the Putrajaya-like city of Canberra, or should I go to the University of Melbourne? Should I take actuarial studies or not? It is too tough for me? So many questions, but no answers..

Good luck Zyoung, I hope you will do well in Melbourne. I will definitely miss having you around.

Why Am I So Uptight?

2010-01-19T09:39:00.002+08:00

I know promised myself that I will update my blog more regularly, but er, because of unforeseen circumstances, I find myself breaking my vow. What is this, my second post of the year? Zzzz...

Anyway, the last few days I have been feeling really uptight, and easily upset by whatever uncomfortable situation I am in. Seriously, I don't think I am usually like this. Even right now, I am feeling a little ill at ease. I am also easily irritated by some people. The thing is, I am not very sure what's causing this. Could it be the prospect of leaving home and studying aboard? Or is it the feeling of being burdened by the choices I am going to make?

Right now, even my own computer is against me. When I try to *ahem* load the game (yes, I play Sudden Attack), the computer just go blank and a blue screen with the word 'ERROR" strewed across it appear. The best part is that it only happens to me. I have tried it many times with the same result, whereas my bro successfully launched the game in his first attempt, much to my frustration!!

Admittedly, I am pretty worried about fitting-in when I leave for Australia to study. I have to be 100% independent, living on my own, but that's not what is worrying me the most. I am probably socially awkward. Maybe many people don't realize it, but sometimes I find socializing challeging. I generally avoid social activities, and I am uncomfortable in meeting new people. I mean, what the heck am I suppose to say?? So, I know going aboard means meeting new people and making new friends, and honestly, I am a little nervous about that. Don't get me wrong, I am excited about university, because it means new life and a fresh start.

Just yesterday, I checked online and I have received an offer from the University of Melbourne to do a Bachelor of Commerce in their Parkville campus. This is my first offer, and I will wait for the ANU offer before I decide. Man, I am pretty undecided over this. Anyway, am I the only E3 who is going to Aus to study? It seems that everyone else is staying is staying put in Malaysia.

Just Pure Randomness

2010-01-05T20:40:00.002+08:00

As most of us are painfully aware, school started this week.

I feel kinda weird not doing anything. Just watching my siblings go off to their respective schools when usually I am the first to cabut, even going to Taylor's last year, is plain odd. I probably never really fully comprehend that this is the year I will leave home and study at uni. Time really flies. I admit, I am afraid of going to uni. First of all, I don't even know whether I want to study engineering or actuarial science. Since the day I applied, I have not decided yet.

In my ongoing effort to prepare myself for uni, I have decided to pick up cooking. Yes, as an avid fan of the noble activity of eating, I am sad to say I am a tad useless in whipping up dishes. Since December 2009, I have tried my hand in preparing simple dishes such as fried rice, fried noodles, chicken rice, vege soup etc. The basic skills in preparing the 'raw materials' such as cleaning prawns, chopping chicken, cutting garlic/ginger/onion etc also I have mastered in the last few weeks. What I lack now is the passion to cook. You definitely won't find me working as a chef in the future.

On a different matter, I am appalled to know that many of my friends didn't do so well in their pre-uni studies last year. Though I am of course disappointed for you guys, I suppose the end result reflects the true amount of work you put into your studies. To accomplish anything, genuine hard work and sacrifice (less TV, less Facebook, less socializing) are two elements needed. If you think you didn't do well, remember, change in your lifestyle is necessary.

Since I have no major commitments this month, this leaves me with a lot of time for personal reflection. What I like, which friends do I really treasure, what am I not good at, who am I not treating well etc.

It's 2010

2010-01-01T12:26:00.002+08:00

Happy New Year everyone!!

It's my first post of the new year. At this time last year, I was 'languishing' in National Service. It's been a long time since then, although it felt just like only a few months back. Time sure flies.

So, new year means new resolutions right? Lol, I can't even remember what were my 2009 resolutions. Anyway, here are some of my main resolutions of 2010:

1. Finish reading at least one book (fiction/non-fiction) a month

2. Exercise/work out 6 times per week (inclusive of 50 push-ups everyday)

3. Do well in my first semester in uni

4. Learn to cook/prepare more 'sophisticated' dishes (rather than fried rice, chicken rice, potato salad etc)

5. Take part in at least one marathon (of course not the real marathon, the 10 km leg is enough)

This blogger would like to wish everyone a blessed new year. Here's hoping that 2010 will be a year of happiness, peace and fulfillment.

The New Year is around the corner

2009-12-26T10:24:00.003+08:00

Christmas is over. My Christmas day, like every single year, is characterized by eating and drinking (I don't drink alcohol, mind you). My mouth and my stomach definitely enjoyed that. In the afternoon, I went to mum's friend's house for Christmas party. There was roast chicken, pasta, mashed potato, salads, cendol and of course, roast turkey!! Food galore!! Later in the night, it was my family's turn to host a Christmas dinner for our relatives. So, once again, my stomach was treated to another feast. And I personally drank a bottle of ginger beer, a bottle of root beer and a bottle of sarsi, all in one night!! My chances of getting diabetes increased tenfold after last night.

This 'house' is made of ginger bread!! Took this at my mum's friend's Christmas party.

Since Christmas is over, the new year is edging even closer now. There will be the usual flurry about New Year resolutions, New Year countdowns, etc. For me, its probably time for a quiet reflection on a year that has been. New school, new people, more friends, that pretty much sums up my 2009. I hope that next year will even be better than this year.

On a different note, I could not resist taking this picture while grocery shopping yesterday. Why? Because this really reminds me of Pou Hung Nguong!!! How to make Pou? Just buy the Instant Pau Flour powder and add hot water!!

A candidate for the photo of the year!!! (The WOW team of LL02)

Almost Christmas

2009-12-21T11:20:00.002+08:00

Today is 21 December.

Four more days to Christmas.

What is Christmas? Originally, Christmas is when Christians celebrate Jesus's birth. Now, it is one of the most famous festivals celebrated by people of all cultural and religious background. It has become a universal festival.

To me, when Christmas is near, the end of the year is also near. 2009 has been an eventful year. 2009 marked the end of school uniforms and the start of a new phase of education for me. For the first three of months of 2009, I was in Kem Seri Perkasa, Mantin, for my National Service stinct. After that, I continued my academic studies at Taylor's, joining the March intake for SAM. God, it was hectic. If time management is beyond you, I won't recommend March intake. And the best part was I chose one of the toughest combination (Chem, Phy, and double Maths), maybe with the exception of the pure science combo.

My college class, E3, is definitely my favourite class since I entered pre-school. The people in E3 came from the four corners of Malaysia (and Singapore), and yet there some sort of chemistry between us despite the differences. I will definitely remember my college life as something memorable and pleasant.

Now, it almost the end of the year. And four more days to Christmas. I believe that the spirit of giving and receiving that is usually associated with Christmas should be expanded beyond that. More people need to realize that they need to give and take. There must be more tolerance in the world. There must be less anger in the society.

On a different note, I had just cut my hair. My hair was beginning to annoy me, and so I decided to revert back to my previous style. Now its short, and its definitely cooler up there.

Avatar was good. The special effects was the highlight, obviously. The storyline was pretty predictable. Stuff like guy goes to new world, ordered to spy on the natives, suddenly falls in love with native girl and decides to switch sides. I really think that the idea of Pandora and the rest of it is excellent, but I have to admit that some of the ideas look strangely familiar, such as the Scorpion helicopter, which can be found in Halo 3, and the robot thing with the huge machine gun, which can be found back in Starcraft. But all in all, it is a good movie. Its definitely worth coughing out RM 10 to watch it in a cinema.

A Potentially Decisive Day

2009-12-16T20:49:00.003+08:00

Today the SAM/SACE results is finally released (in Malaysia, at least). Today is the day which the results could determine one's future. Today is the day which one's path is shaped. Ahem. Okay. Enough. All in all, it could prove to be a potentially decisive day.

//////Drumrolls///////

Initially, I had no idea where and when to 'collect' the result. Its only when David WYY called me only I knew I can check on the SACE website. So, yeah, I went to check and this is what I saw:

Chem: 18
ESL: 18
Maths: 17
Phy: 18
Spec Maths: 17

Tertiary Entrance Rank: 96.60

Whew...So it wasn't that bad. Yeah, honestly, when I saw I only scored 17 for Maths, my heart nearly stop beating. I mean I thought my maths is the best subject. Anyway, overall, I think its fine.

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Last night, I went to the LL staff dinner at Strawberry File at PJ town (state). For me, its was the first time I attend a social gathering with adults and teens alike alone (as in without parents, etc). So it was the eleven of us (some didn't turn up, I don't know why) sitting in the restaurant making such a din. Lol, I think we were the nosiest group there. The food was okay, the pricing a bit expensive.

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These days, teenagers seriously got no life. If they are not on Facebook, then they are sleeping thinking about Facebook (:

Another thing I noticed is that a lot of teens place friends above family. Its kinda funny, isn't it, considering that family is always there for you and friends sometimes come and go. Yet most of us tend to underappreciate our parents, siblings, etc.

I am a lousy blogger

2009-12-09T12:08:00.002+08:00

Its been a while since I last updated my blog. Its no wonder since I am often uninspired to write something worthwhile reading.

Yesterday I just got back from my one week trip from Taiping. My siblings, Jarren and Jomei, and I, went north to visit our ageing grandparents. We did not do much there, just eat, sleep, go to the Taiping Hu, etc.

The ironic part is that Kar Yee was there the whole time I was in Taiping and I didn't realize it until I got back home. For some reason, we never stumble upon each other even though we were both in town most of the time.

From tomorrow to Sunday, I will working at my dad's company as a volunteer staff for the traning seminars for teens. I am really looking forward to it since it is a teenagers training, so there will be girls xD. Heh heh, whatsmore, I am in charge of food for the staff, too. Food means eating, makan, and it is my favourite past-time. I am in charge of choosing the food/snacks the staff get to eat.

Lol, Michael Owen actually scored a hattrick against Wolfsburg?? What a pleasant suprise, considering that he failed to find the back of the net for some time already.

It seems that Tiger Woods was swinging more than golf clubs for the past few years. Every hot babe seems to be claming to have a fling (or swing) with Tiger Woods. How many birdies has he hit? Ten?

Soon-pid

2009-11-23T21:00:00.003+08:00

Soon + Stupid = Soon-pid

The subject: Soon Zhen Han (green shirt)

But of course I am not calling Soon stupid or anything like that, but I am actually referring to the compulsory subject known as Moral Education. Kar Yee was the one who coined the term Soon-pid and to be honest, I really like that word. I mean anyone who met Soon will understand (wink).

Anyway, back to Moral Education, to me its more like Social Science/ Sociology. Its not much of moral, and yeah, its dead boring.

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A few days back, FY asked me:
'Hey, I heard you went to Genting with your college mates.'

'Yeah, yeah, we went to Genting.'

'So how was it?'

'Erm, its oklah.'

'Oh, it wasn't that great right?'

'Not really, how you know?'

I had great expectations of the trip, but the weather had other ideas. Enough said.

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On the night after prom on 18 Nov, since we were given free entry tickets to MOS, so me and some of my classmates went into MOS to take a look. Just like any dance club, it was pretty much pounding music and flashing lights. Mind you, it was my time in a club, and I can't say I like it (:

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Thank you Team Plato for putting in a good and eye-catching performance in our 'Hindusim' role play. It was propably our saving grace as our presentation was not well presented. Thank you Wen Yao, Soon, Kar Yee, Harry, Melvin, Louis, Guo Heng, Chin Hoong and Pou.

Exams Over

2009-11-15T13:53:00.004+08:00

Yeah!!!

SAM Finals are finally over!! What a relief!! It's as if the world's burden have been lifted off my shoulders.

This time round, I was pretty worried about the exam. I did not feel prepared, and my inability to complete some questions in the past-year papers really left serious doubts in my head (especially Spec Maths). But, enough said about exams...this is the period of time I really love, which is Post Major Exam Period (:

Hmm..I got quite a lot of things to do in my Post Major Exam Period to-do list. But at least its the stuff I like. For example:

Football/futsal!!!!
(Note: I am not capable of a bicycle kick)

Lazing around

Playing games

Eating (:

As I promised David WYY, I opened a Facebook account on the night my last paper ended. I didn't realize so many people I know are in Facebook. Facebook is really the in-trend thing right now.

Hehe, tomorrow it's E3's trip to Genting!! Finally, our class first real outing. But I suppose the downside is that there are only 3 girls (although I think sometimes there are only 2 girls) :)

Is There A Need to Panic?

2009-10-29T16:28:00.002+08:00

Today is Thursday already. Study leave is almost at the end, and with exams starting next week, I only dare to say that I am 50% ready to sit for the SACE finals. Gotta work harder!!!

Why is it that half the time when I am studying I find myself yawning and struggling to keep awake even though I had 6-7 hours of sleep the night before? And then suddenly I am wide awake when I am using the computer? One of the many mysteries of the human body....

This Is It

2009-10-23T20:32:00.010+08:00

This is it.

No, I am not talking about Michael Jackson's upcoming movie. I referring to the moment when college life draws to a close. Today was my last official college day at Taylor's. After seven (seven!!) intense months in SAM March intake, it is the moment where we will be forced to part ways.

I still remember the first day I entered class E3. I was 5 minutes late, and close to 30 pairs of eyes stared back at me when I entered the classroom. The class was totally silent. I was like, 'Woah, I don't know anyone here. Gosh, it might be hard to make friends.' There weren't many seats left so I went to the back of the class and sat next to a guy who obviously went to NS. He was the first friend I made in E3. His name is Kar Yee.

From then on, for the first time in my schooling years, I found myself liking my class more and more. I am not much of an extrovert, but my peers in E3 were really a friendly, easy-going lot. Thus, much to my pleasant surprise, making friends wasn't a problem in E3. After Kar Yee, I got to know Avi (finish?) and Calvin. Then JJ, Karl, Yue Zhi and Dominic. After two weeks, I pretty much knew everyone in E3, from Soon to David WYY.

Right now, to think that we all are soon to part ways, really upsets me. I genuinely love this class. It was so much fun just being part of this class. Sure, I didn't participate in much of the E3's social activities such as the drinking session after mid-year (ahem), but I will forever cherish the time when we played futsal together, 'killed' each other in COD, ate lunch together and even the moment when we studied in the same class. Thank you, E3, for giving me such a great time in college. Everyone in E3 are equally important as it is every single one of us that makes E3 so unique.

Which other class play Pokemon? Only E3!!! (:

(Blame UG for the Pokemon craze)

Dr. Santha

Ms Isabel

Mr. James

Mr. Yap

I am sorry, Ms Lucia!!! I don't have a picture of you. I know we are a tough class to teach. My prayers are with you and your daughter. Thank you so much for teaching E3!!!

Avi getting 'raped'....

To sum it up, E3 rocks!!

(More photos coming soon)

It's Time to Study-lah

2009-10-15T22:02:00.002+08:00

SAM Finals are just two weeks away.

Am I worried?

I should be, but honestly, no, I am not particularly worried.

I am just a little bit worried, just a little bit.

I am currently suffering from what is known as 'writer's block'. I can't seem to write anything worth reading at the moment.

Hmm, no, wait, let me try.

(5 minutes of silence)

Ok, I give up. Hopefully there will be posts in the future.

Where is your refuge?

2009-09-24T11:38:00.003+08:00

I was browsing through my email when I came across this question:

'Where is your refuge?'

I sat there in front of the computer for a full minute, thinking of the right answer.

This isn't a particularly hard question to answer.

I am just not the type to dwell on 'sentimental' things.

I suppose my refuge when things are going hay-wire and everything seems to be against me is my room.

My room, despite its huge mosquitoes population, is where I can sit down and think things through.

This is where I sleep, dream and even fantasize.

This is where my collection of worldly possessions are located.

This is where I am taught the lesson of being neat, tidy and clean.

Not only that, when life is in the dumps, when I feel like crap, I step into my room and think to myself:

'At least I have a comfortable room, with electricity and clean water supply.'

'I have the privilege to study and read in my room.'

'I have a proper bed to myself.'

'I have parents who fully support me.'

'I even have a younger sibling to share my room with. I am truly blessed.'

My room is my refuge. Where is your refuge?

Trials Over

2009-09-18T21:17:00.004+08:00

Yeah!!! SAM trials finally ended!!! To cut a long story short, let's just say that the papers were beyond the definition of 'difficult'. Spec. Maths was terrible, even Maths was tough. Damn, I have a lot of work to do in the coming weeks to get my act together for the finals in November. On the other hand, its Hari Raya break. What a timely breather!!! To everyone who celebrates Hari Raya , Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

Today was a blast. Played futsal with a few college classmates in the morning. The only downside was we all went to HTO and it was closed!! We were told that 'hari ini cuti sekolah, jadi HTO juga tutup'. So in the end we went to Sports Planet. I think today was my best game in a long, long time. I always prefer the left wing, and if I am allowed a little freedom to roam rather than help pack the midfield, I think that will problably help the team more. Later, I switched and followed my mum and siblings to Rakuzen near SJMC. The Japanese food there is the best I tasted so far. Later, my siblings persuaded me to take them to the Bukit Kiara Equestrian Club so we can play table tennis and badminton. Since I am such a nice guy, I agreed and another friend aslo tagged along.

Just now, I was browsing through my computer files and found a whole file of photos taken fromm the last 12 months. It was pretty nostlagic looking at these photos. Here is a few.

Last year's PRS and Kelab Kerjaya camp

National Service!!!!

Ivan and Ryan leaving E3

Okay, I got to go. Its my CG supper time. Hopefully there will be more updates soon.

Study, Study, Study

2009-09-07T11:08:00.003+08:00

Once again, I apologize for my apparent lack of updates. I had been busy juggling exams after exams (who told me SAM was easy?). Not only that, my trials are one week away!!! *Gasp*

Slacking in studies, lacking in motivation.

That pretty much sums up my mood right now. To any prospective college students out there, DO NOT join March intake for SAM unless you have absolutely no choice. Don't say you were not warned beforehand.

Some 'interesting' photos I took over the last month or so:

Who said guys lack creativity? Just look at this piece of 'artwork'

And this one, too:

Courtesy of Soon, Calvin & Karl

I am seriously fed up by those people who promise to come for something and suddenly FFK, leaving those who bothered to take the effort to come fuming mad and irritated. These people really spoil my day. They have no sense of responsibility at all. I will forgive, but I won't forget.

So to those people who don't feel remorseful about FFK-ing, let me say this to you:

It's a one week break

2009-08-18T09:43:00.003+08:00

Hey guys, its my (long-awaited) 1 week break right now. Phew, I really need a breather before diving back into the whirlpool of academic studies and exams.

Now, I have decided on sending university applications to three states only, namely Victoria, Australian Capital Territory (ACT) and New South Wales (NSW). This is my 'draft', pending parents' approval.

For Victoria:
University of Melbourne: Bachelor of Engineering/B Commerce, B Commerce/B Arts
Monash University: B Commerce/B Arts

For ACT:
ANU: Bachelor of Acturial Studies, B Acturial Studies/B Commerce, B Commerce/B Arts, B Commerce

For NSW:
Macquarie University: Bachelor of Acturial Studies
University of Sydney: B Commerce, B Commerce/B Arts

Hail the 'Lightning Bolt'!!! An astounding new 100m world record of 9.58 seconds!! Simply breathtaking. My personal best is a snail-pace of 14.5 seconds. Only 23 this year, certainly many more things are expected from this Jamaican sprinter.

Fun Fact: Bolt is a Manchester United fan. Prior to his amazing run, Man Utd won a Premier League match by the smallest of margins (beating Birmingham City 1-0). Imagine how fast Bolt could have ran if Man Utd managed to put more goals past City (:

I watched G.I. Joe on Sunday with family and friends at Tropicana City Mall. G.I. Joe is a action-packed movie filled with many creditable fighting scenes and some amazing computer-generated effects. I must admit I really enjoyed the movie since I love 'action' movies. But for those who are not really into action movies, I won't recommend G.I. Joe because the plot of the story is rather predictable and the bad guys are defeated too abruptly.

My Rating: 8/10

What happened Jeric??

2009-08-11T20:49:00.003+08:00

Yes, I know its been a long time since I updated my blog. Sorree...been busy.

Is the world coming to a premature end? H1N1, floods, typhoons, haze, erratic weather, everybody falling ill, certain people/parties spending money like water in the midst of a global economic slump, MJ dead, etc etc. All makings of 'Judgment Day'.

Money can't buy success. If both of you flop, then you two are really the joke of the century.

Football season is returning!!!!!!Woohooo!!!! Go Man Utd (:

STRESS

I can't stressed this word enough. S-T-R-E-S-S. Aiyoh, March intake is crazy. Not only that, my subjects combination of Maths, ESL, Spec Maths, Chem and Phy are considered the 'suicidal five' in Australia. So, yeah, you get the idea.

And right now, I am at the crossroads. What course/degree should I take up in uni? Which uni? How? Why? Hmm, a lot of thinking and research to do. Obviously, I don't want to make the wrong choice. Now, I am considering taking double degrees. Maybe Bachelor of Engineering + Bachelor of Commerce, maybe Bac of Commerce + Bac of Arts...the thing is I feel like dropping science subjects...I am also an Australian PR, so my entry requirement & application procedure are all different from international students.

Merde over

2009-07-23T20:05:00.003+08:00

My mid-year exam is over!!!! Yay!! (: What a relief

The exams were crappy (which means I screwed up). Here is a brief summary on my five papers:

Chemistry: It was never easy to begin with, but this paper can be considered a 'killer'.

Maths: Marginally easier than Chem, but I did a few silly mistakes.

Physics: My weakest subject in SAM. Once again, I fail to complete the paper, coupled with the fact that the questions posed were hard, I feel this paper is a real merde.

Spec. Maths: Another tough paper. I am probably know how to do 60% of the questions only.

ESL: I don't think I wrote a good essay. Wait, two essays...

Conclusion: I am in deep merde.
My only consolation is that the exams are over.

Anyway, I would like to clarify a few things about myself:

1. I am not an alcoholic. I hardly drink because I don't really enjoy it.

2. I can play football, badminton, basketball, table tennis, volleyball and even sepak takraw.

3. I read the newspaper everyday without fail, be it NST, Star or the Sun.

4. I hate studying. Preferably I would just want to laze around the whole day.

5. I usually only watch movies that came out ages ago. Just last week, I watched Click.

6. I am a fan of the Harry Potter and the Lord of the Rings series.

7. I love playing COD4 multiplayer (:

8. I really feel that NS is fun. If you have to go, just go lah. Its not that bad.

9. Nope, I never had a girlfriend before. I am available now (:

10. I am genuinely upset that Michael Jackson is dead because he was a great entertainer.

Teach in English is better!!!

2009-07-12T11:20:00.004+08:00

Since the government announced their decision to revert teaching Science and Maths in English back to Malay, the public in general was divided in their opinion on the decision. Advocates of BM and ultra-nationalists were happy with the decision (as expected). It is probably prudent that I put forward my own opinion.

Personally, I think the government made a potentially disastrous decision in choosing to revert back to teaching Science and Maths in Malay. This move will not produce Malaysian students who have the competitive edge and the needed skills to survive in the outside world. Like it or not, English is the 'international language' and the language everyone needs to learn. Some parties argue that teaching Science and Maths will not improve one's English. But can you imagine learning these subjects in BM from Standard 1 up to Form 5 and then entering tertiary education institutes that teach these subjects in English. Students will be wondering what the heck is 'covalent bond', 'definite integration' and 'potential difference' because they have all learned it in BM. As a result, students will struggle to adapt themselves to the English terms and will suffer greatly while in universities.

The government also decided to increase the duration of English classes in schools. However, I think that this will not help improve the standard of English among Malaysians, especially those living in rural areas. Half of the English teachers teaching in government schools are incompetent in the language and incapable of teaching English effectively. I personally found English classes boring when I was in secondary school. Furthermore, the standard of English among many Malaysian students are abysmal. When I was in NS, a group of dorm mates asked me what is sarapan pagi in English and how to spell it!!! Imagine that!! A pre-school word and they don't know!! WTF?? (I could go on, but one example is more than enough)

So, Mr. Education Minister, pls be more far sighted and don't succumb to the pressure of ultra-nationalists and BM advocates factions.

You can go to Tun Mahathir's blog and participate in his poll
http://chedet.co.cc/chedetblog/

Ok, I think I better get back to my Physics. Shite, mid-year exams in a week....

Some humour would be good

2009-06-24T20:16:00.004+08:00

----------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------

--------------------------------------------------

------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------

THESE ARE ENTRIES TO A WASHINGTON POST COMPETITION
ASKING FOR A TWO-LINE RHYME
WITH THE MOST ROMANTIC FIRST LINE,
AND THE LEAST ROMANTIC SECOND LINE:

1. My darling, my lover, my beautiful wife:
Marrying you has screwed up my life.

2. I see your face when I am dreaming.
That's why I always wake up screaming.

3. Kind, intelligent, loving and hot;
This describes everything you are not.

4. Love may be beautiful, love may be bliss,
But I only slept with you 'cause I was pissed.

5. I thought that I could love no other
-- that is until I met your brother.

6. Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you.
But the roses are wilting, the violets are dead, the sugar bowl's
empty and so is your head.

7. I want to feel your sweet embrace;
But don't take that paper bag off your face.

8. I love your smile, your face, and your eyes
Damn, I'm good at telling lies!

9. My love, you take my breath away.
What have you stepped in to smell this way?

10. My feelings for you no words can tell,
Except for maybe 'Go to hell.'

11. What inspired this amorous rhyme?
Two parts vodka, one part lime.

WHO SAID POETRY IS BORING?

------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, ok...I am very frustated. That's why some humour would be good.
Why am I frustated?
That's a secret.
Oklah, partly because of my maths test today.

July is THE month for me. Wah lau...mid year exams, assignments, class/common tests...I feel giddy already.

Haha (: Sorry Calvin...

Pou in shorts!!!!!!!

Anyway, bye Ronaldo. Man Utd does not need someone who loves Real Madrid so much. To Sir Alex, buy Ribery, Benzema & Huntelaar!!!

Inspiration

2009-06-14T19:53:00.004+08:00

A friend of mine send me this link to a video. Very touching and inspirational. The father is a rare symbol of unselfishness in this world where a high degree of 'kiasu'ness and 'me and only me' attitude is rampant.

I think its easier if you just copy and paste using this link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJMbk9dtpdY

Anyway, I just got my SAM Semester 1 results. Its all out of 20 marks.

Here it is:

Da da daaaaaaaaaaaa!!! (Drums roll in the background)

(Curtains raise)

ESL - 14B
Spec. Maths - 18A
Maths - 19A
Chem - 15B
Phy - 13B

Yes, I am bored (:

And keep any remarks about my results to yourself (especially to those from E3)

Goodnight

My ninth post of the year

2009-05-31T19:48:00.004+08:00

Yes, this is only my ninth post of the year. This blog is damn dead.

So, obviously a lot of things happened since the last time I posted something.

------------------------------

I watched Termination Salvation on the day it was released in Malaysia (28 May) with Pou, Calvin, Avi, JJ, David, Soon and Ryan (all college mates). I won't say that the movie was great, but it was not bad. Storyline was a bit confusing; the ending was too abrupt. Action was okay. The background soundtrack was good. Overall I would give 7 out of 10 marks.

-----------------------------

I also completed the campaign of COD 4 in 2 days after waiting so long for the game to 'fall' into my hands. Even then, it took me 1 hour to install the game as the crack files were different from usual. Thanks Ryan for the disc (:

-------------------------

Yeah, I celebrated my grandfather's birthday over the weekend. Compared to last year, it was sort of a muted celebration. But it was still meaningful. I really appreciate my grandparents, but I can't really communicate with them. My Mandarin is mediocre at best and I can only understand Hokkien, not speak it. I stayed with them in Taiping for 3 years when I was really young and they became my full time caregiver for that duration. Hopefully there will be more celebrations like this for the years to come.

---------------------------------

In the wee hours of Saturday (30 May), my brother got admitted into Assunta Hospital for appendicitis. At first, he complained of severe abdominal pain. The next thing I know, he was warded in hospital. Of course he went through surgery to remove the appendix. It was a pretty painful and scary experience for Jarren (my bro). I pray that he will have a speedy recovery.

This is very interesting. I was 'googling' on Google (obviously) and stumbled onto this: Salmah Ismail, the wife and widow of P. Ramlee died on 25 April 1983 in Assunta Hospital, exactly 8 years before I was born in the same hospital!!!

---------------------------

I am now having my one week break for my SAM March intake. But its definitely not considered a holiday. God, there's so many projects and studying to be done!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! This is nuts ):

-----------------------------

Yes, yes, I know Man Utd lost. But so what? To certain Liverpool fans out there, Man Utd is much more successful than Liverpool for the 2008-2009 season. And to all Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, etc fans out there, stop acting as if your team won the Champions League. Let me remind you that Barcelona, I repeat, Barcelona won. Okay, fine, I admit that Barca overall was the better team. Man Utd, except for the first 10 minutes, played like s*$t!!

Time for an update

2009-05-07T20:35:00.004+08:00

Once again, sorry for the lack of updates. I am hyper ultra super duper busy with my studies. Tests, assignments, more tests, more assignments...*sigh* this really sums up my hectic timetable.

Below are some photos of my college class.

E3 rocks!!

Can you spot me in the rear mirror?

Chemistry 'experts'

Anyway, I got something to gloat about...

Haha!! Man Utd is in the final of the Champions League!! To Chelsea, Liverpool & Arsenal fans out there, looks like Man Utd will be the most successful English club this season (: Next prey: Barcelona!!

On 25 April 2009, it was a special day for someone I know best....

After 3 weeks of college

2009-04-12T11:50:00.011+08:00

Okay, firstly, so sorry for the lack of updates, I was really busy with college. SAM March intake is crazily hectic. I hardly have any space to breathe *puff* *puff*. I should be completing my ESL proposal now, but *ahem* here I am updating my blog.

My class (E3) is really cool (:
Seriously, I never expected my class to be so easy-going and engaging. Its like there some sort of chemistry between the members of E3. Please note that there are only 3 girls out of 30 in my class. Yes, I am not joking, only 3 girls. Anyway, here are some photos.

The guy in black is Karl, who has Malay-Chinese blood. The guy in purple is Jeremiah, who is of Kadazan-Thai origin.

Avinash - nice guy but he supports Liverpool ):

Kar Yee - he is the first friend I made in E3

Out for lunch

Kadazan 1? Nicholas Lee? Whoever edited this obviously don't pay attention in class.

*Someone's* medical letter explaining about his 'twisted testicles'. Ouch.

Found it in a classroom. Interesting.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Went to SMKDJ's Majlis Anugerah Cemerlang yesterday. What a massive waste of time. Honestly. Should have stayed at home to tackle my college workpile.

Okay, I need to go back to my ESL now. Thank you for reading (:

Support Earth!!

2009-03-20T15:14:00.003+08:00

Earth Hour 2009: Turn off your lights for one hour at 8:30pm on Saturday (March 28). Show your support in preserving our planet from pollution and destruction. Its only for an hour!! Please pledge your support and switch off your lights (: !!

I will be turning off my lights. Will you? Do this for Earth. Its the only home we have.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I will be starting college next Monday (23 March). I am doing SAM at Taylor's Subang Jaya. Truth is, I can't wait to get started. I am so so bored having nothing to do at home. I mean, I love holidays, but after coming back from NS, I feel that I need to have something that really matters to do. But, I am aware SAM for March intake students is ridiculously tough. Even January intake students have problems handling it. So, I probably need to rise up to the challenge and not let SAM take the life out of me.

I started to clean and tidy my room in preparation for college this morning. Its not even half done yet. Wow, I didn't know I got so much junk.

Anyway, please consider supporting Earth Hour!! It only involves switching off your lights for an hour- its that simple!!

http://www.wwf.org.my/

Visit this website for more info

Manchester United disintegrated

2009-03-15T16:26:00.003+08:00

Why, Man Utd? Why?!!

How can you lose to a team that have never won at Old Trafford since Rafael Benitez took charge??

How can you lose to a team that meekly surrendered pole position in the EPL?

Why Vidic, did you get yourself red- carded??

How can you lose to Liverpool??

Okay, fine. Man Utd played extremely badly. Many players underperformed, especially Vidic and Ronaldo. But so what? Liverpool fans can brag all they want that they thrashed Man Utd 4-1 but at the end of the season let's see who ends up the trophies.

Anyway, fine, enough of being a sore loser. I watched the depressing match at Devi's in Desa Sri Hartamas with Ben Chin and his friends. Kevin and Wee was there, too. I almost forgotten that Wee came up to KL from JB on Saturday, lolz. We left when the score was still 3-1. After that, we adjourned to Ben's house. I left when Neal and 'Bolt' arrived. They were going to play Poker, whatever that game is.

Before that, I ate dinner at Pantai Seafood Restaurant with some of the ex-5 Angsana-ians. The food was great but too little in quantity. Its was costly, too. At least I managed to catch up with some of my ex-classmates after 3 months of no contact.

And last but not least,
his birthday was yesterday but
at least I still remember.

CHRIS!!!!

I hope you are reading this, Chris. I dedicate this section of my post for you. Once again, I would like to say good luck in your future ventures and God bless.

My Natonal Service Experience

2009-03-14T11:12:00.022+08:00

Kumpulan 1/ Siri 6/ 27 Dec 08 - 11 Mar 09/ Kem PLKN Seri Perkasa, Mantin

National Service was quite fun and mind opening. If you ask me now whether I would go for NS, my answer will be 'Yes!!'. I was quite lucky to get KSP as it is definitely one of the cleanest camp in Malaysia. Another thing is that the trainers there adopt a more relax and lenient approach.

For example, we at KSP would get our handphones back on Saturday morning or early afternoon and return it on Sunday night (usually 9pm). Trainees in other camps such as PDS in Port Dickson only get back their phones at 5.30 pm on Saturday and have to return it exactly 24 hours later.

Surprisingly, almost half of the trainees in my camp are non-Malays. The bulk of the trainees come from Selangor and Johor Bahru. One obvious thing I noticed is that only PJ's Chinese use English as their first language. 'Bananas' there have obvious communication problems.

Generally, most of the trainees there are okay except for 1 or 2 groups that are really arrogant and unpleasant. (The group members are all the same race - you get the idea) They are probably the ones responsible for the many thefts that occured in my camp. Even my MP3 got stolen.

Anyway, enough said. Below I have posted some photos I took there. Let the photos do some of the talking.

(From left) Mark, Kah Vong, me, Jia Hong & Joel

Can't really see both of them right? Sorry, its too dark (: The guy nearer the window is David and the other guy is Chris

Zhi Young

Sometimes NS can be a bore..

Why is Cheok smiling like that? For the answer, scroll down to the next two pictures..

*ahem*

Yap & Joel

Coummunity service!!!

Intercompany tarik tali competition

Pertandingan Tempur Tanpa Senjata (TTS)

The church we go to

*gasp* Is that Jeric singing?!

We took charge of the church's worship one Sunday and also presented a play for the church.

Shooting the M16 is the bomb!!

(From left) Phebe, Kathleen, Kirsten & Ben

The flying fox tower

Raj & Ben

Jing Xian's birthdayyyy!!

Me, Hakim, Raymond & Yi Chen

The Dorm 8 idiots, er, I meant gang

Another community service!!

Me and Chris

Wushu demo on the last night of NS. Can you see me?

Preparing to return my tray, pillow, bed sheet, etc

Gays caught in action?

Raja kena owned!!

Delta KFC feast

Ah Way

The man in the center of attention is our beloved Ketua Jurulatih, Cikgu Mansor

Guan Di & Mark

If you can't find me, its Neal's fault : He is blocking me!!

My camp's komanden giving a speech during the final night ceremony

Zhi Young and Thina acting lame

The guy with the medals is a Leftenan General

Graffiti on my shirt

My SPM results:

I went, I endured and I conquered!!!

2009-03-11T16:43:00.002+08:00

Hey guys,

I am back from National Service!!!

Pictures and updates coming soon...

(:

Time to sleep *yawn*

Back to National Service

2009-02-01T13:16:00.002+08:00

I am going back to my National Service camp today after lunch.
Most likely I will only update my blog in March, when NS finishes.

CNY was fine. Spent a lot of time with family members and relatives. I can sum my CNY celebration up by saying 7 words: Ang Pao, good food and Black Jack.

Anyway,
till next time,
goodbye (:

Back from National Service

2009-01-25T22:17:00.004+08:00

Yeah, I am back :-)
It feels great to be home again from NS. First thing I did when I got home was to indulge in some much needed home food and sleep.

I got so much to write about my experiences in Kem Seri Perkasa (KSP) until I don't know how to start. Okay, there are four companies in NS, namely Alpha, Bravo, Charlie and Delta. I am in Delta a.k.a. Pedang. By some twist of fate, I ended up being in the some company as Jia Hong, Kah Vong and Cheok Tung. I realized that there are a lot of us from Petaling Jaya in KSP. Allow me to list them out:

SMKDJ: Jeric, Jia Hong, Kah Vong, Cheok Tung, Neal, Marcus Pong, Kok Yang, Kah Wai, Kirsten, Kathleen, Raja Singam

SMKDU: Joel, Mark, Chon Kai, Zhi Young, Phebe, Denise

Sri KDU: Benjamin, Kevin
and a few more from SMKBU 3, etc.

The first two weeks were boring,
but things start to pick up after that.
We did kayak, rakit, tali rendah which were the highlights so far. The Character Building classes were such a drag. Half the time I find myself falling asleep in class.

There were inter-company competitions such as futsal, sepak takraw (for guys), netball (for girls), kayak and rakit. I was suppose to play futsal for my company but was *ahem* somehow forced to be a bench warmer only. I actually played sepak takraw in the inter-company competition because I am the only Chinese who knew how to play. In each sports competition, each company's team must comprise of the three main races of Malaysia.

Seriously, I got so much to write about. I guess talking about my experiences will be easier. I am kinda sleepy, anyway.
For now, I will let the pictures do the talking.

The KSP Dewan Makan

My dorm

My dorm's toilet/washroom.

And before I forget,
Gong Xi Fa Chai

Goodnight :-)

Ip Man (Yip Man)

2008-12-20T14:11:00.003+08:00

Watch Ip Man on yesterday (Friday) with Guet Cheng. Initially wanted to watch Beverly Hills Chihuahua but the the position of the seats available was not suitable. In Malaysian cinemas, you have to be 18 and above to watch Ip Man, but we didn't realize until we are about to enter the cinema hall!! The guy behind the ticketing counter just sold it to us. I suppose we look older than our actual age or he doesn't care. The movie is about Yip Man who is highly skilled in the Wing Chun style of kung fu. This is based on a true story and is set during the 1935-1945 period. Apparently, one of Yip Man's students was the one and only Bruce Lee!! Generally, the movie was okay. There is plenty of action as this is a kung fu movie. Yip Man is virtually unbeatable in the movie. I also completed most of my Christmas shopping (whew!!) while in 1 Utama.

In exactly one week, I will off to National Service. 3 months without computer, radio, TV and driving. I just want to enjoy my stint as a NS trainee and get it over with.

East Malaysia trip

2008-12-17T21:06:00.006+08:00

No Star, New Straits Times in East Malaysia

The very, very small Mulu airport
(Excluding the airstrips, it is smaller than an average semi-D house)

The Royal Mulu Resort petrol kiosk

At the Mulu Caves bat observatory platform

'Huh?!'

Boat ride to more caves...

Note: I am not the photographer

The 5 storey high canopy walk

Jeric the blowgunner..

The East Malaysia trip lasted for a week. First Miri, Mulu, back to Miri and then Kota Kinabalu. Within Sarawak & Sabah, there is only one flight service: MasWings.

This is the view from my window seat in the journey from Miri to Mulu

All in all, it was a smooth trip. Unless you count my dad breaking his glasses on the first day. Not only that, I think I seen enough caves to last me for a lifetime. In Mulu, if you don't see caves, then you got nothing else to do. Seriously. Mulu is so kampung-ish and is surrounded by vast amout of tropical forest. All the supplies such as Milo, rice, petrol, drinking water etc are all flown in. In Miri, there are a lot of oil and timber tycoons. Miri is a much bigger town than Mulu, but it is still quite boring. Kota Kinabalu is undergoing rapid development. Walking in the city during daytime, its like slogging it out back in KL (minus the skyscrapers). If you are wondering why I wasn't at prom, this East Malaysia trip was one of the three reasons.

Taylor's Open Day

2008-12-06T16:41:00.002+08:00

Yeah, I went to Taylor's Open Day today just for fun. Serious. Since I got nothing better to do, my parents pushed me to attend the Open Day. So I called up Guet Cheng and we both went to Taylor's Subang Jaya. We attended two talks: one about design (presented by someone big from Ikea) and another about communication (presented by Allan Wu himself). There were a lot of people in the communication talk, which leads me to suspect that most of them were there to see Allan Wu personally.

Sorry, I didn't bring any camera to take Allan's picture but let me tell you this: Allan Wu changed his hairstyle (hair was dyed brown and no longer spiky) and he looks less good-looking in reality. But he is fit and in very good shape. After the talk it was already 2.30pm, and we wanted something to eat. However, Guet and I did not know Subang Jaya well, so we ended up returning to DJ to makan.

My maternal grandmother is currently in hospital for suspected heart attack. My mum and siblings went back to Taiping for a day trip to visit her. I hope and pray that everything will be fine.

I Can't Believe It

2008-12-05T14:10:00.002+08:00

I can't believe it, but I am sick, during post-SPM period!!! For the past few days I suddenly had a loss of appetite and frequent migrain. But Thank God I am feeling better, though not 100% myself yet. Kinda boring when you are sick and can't do much.

Just registered for SAM in Taylor's Subang Jaya today with my dad. Even with the RM 10,000 waiver from the Principal Awards my dad had to cough up close to RM 5000 for Semester 1. Private colleges are really, really expensive. I will only become a 'college student' in March as I have the luck to be elected for NS. But never mind, I think NS will be fun and hopefully it will be a great learning experience for me. To all those who got elected for NS, my advice is that don't differ and hope that you never get called up. What if you are already 19 or 20 and you receive a letter stating that you must hadir for NS? It will be an absolute nightmare.

Been playing a lot of Age of Empires 3: The Asian Dynasties lately. I am really getting bored of it. Since I am hit by a mystery bug that gives me appetite loss and migrains, I am stuck inside my house reading, writing, blogging, watching TV, and playing PC games. I can't wait till my brother's friend lend us Red Alert 3.

On Sunday I am going to East Malaysia with my family for one week. Yeah, its a holiday trip. I hope I won't be too sick for it.

The End

2008-12-01T14:07:00.002+08:00

SPM has come to an end. Today I just sat for my last paper, which was Prinsip Perakaunan. Finally!! I can afford to put my legs up and rest properly. But not for long. I am definitely fatter and heavier, so I have to continue from the Battle of the SPM to the Battle of the Bulge. Anyway, I have to report for NS on 27 November. My campsite is Mantin, Negri Sembilan. As farI know, Kah Vong, Cheok Tung, Jia Hong and Neal are all in the same camp and batch as me. Good-lah, at least not so boring :-)

Perspective

Year-end sojourn

NFC, new notes and Luis Suarez

Less of me, More of something else

Insert Tittle Here

Affliction

Reflection

What Define's a Person (Part 2)

What Define's a Person? (Part 1)

A Day in the Office

Semester 2

Writing

Who do you think you are?

Pre-Exam Blues

Musing

Peer Pressure

Breather

The clock is ticking

Under Construction

Rabbits & Regulations

Update

New Year update: From appendicitis to new year resolutions

*Insert Title Here*

To heck with exams

Rambles

The Time Vortex

A Post About Something

Of writing and articulating

Hangover

Alas

Now I Know

Monday Rants

Liberation

The week that has been

For the sake of updating

Sob Story?

Food for Thought

Peanuts

Hailstorm Baby!

Of Nasi Lemak, Wan Tan Mee & Pan Mee

Bittersweet

Down Under

Transition Period

About Driving and the Dutch

Why Am I So Uptight?

Just Pure Randomness

It's 2010

The New Year is around the corner

Almost Christmas

A Potentially Decisive Day

I am a lousy blogger

Soon-pid

Exams Over

Is There A Need to Panic?

This Is It

It's Time to Study-lah

Where is your refuge?

Trials Over

Study, Study, Study

It's a one week break

What happened Jeric??

Merde over

Teach in English is better!!!

Some humour would be good

Inspiration

My ninth post of the year

Time for an update

After 3 weeks of college

Support Earth!!

Manchester United disintegrated

My Natonal Service Experience

I went, I endured and I conquered!!!

Back to National Service

Back from National Service

Ip Man (Yip Man)

East Malaysia trip

Taylor's Open Day

I Can't Believe It

The End

Insert Title Here