Elaynne's 21st

I've almost forgotten about the existence of my blog... that's how busy I am currently.

It's 3 weeks late(sorry Elaynne!) but I owe you this one. Happy 21st Elaynne!!

Elaynne + her present + a certain Wangi's hand

We managed to surprise the former FOC Assistant Chief Programmer!! That's no small feat ok? =P

But of course, just a birthday surprise isn't enough to summarise our dearie Elaynne's 21st birthday. Due to the lack of pictures, I shall hand it over to Elaynne and Jane to do the narration.

What do you expect me to do?

"How do you study ?"

It's a perfectly fine question if you ask once. It's perfectly NOT fine if you ask for every damn subject. And it's even worse if you do it now because you're a UNIVERSITY STUDENT.

It annoys me, how the heck did you get to university when you're asking this kind of question now?

Regardless, here's my answer... this is a sure fire method to score A+ in every subject that you take. I don't want to do it for every subject because it'll arouse suspicion. So pay attention...

First you MUST read your notes while you're standing on your hands. You must make sure that all your blood is flowing into your brain so that your brain can get maximum amount of oxygen and thus your brain will function better. Once you're done reading your notes... DON'T do your past year papers, not yet at least. You'll need to pray to Jesus/Allah/Guan Yin//Albert Einstein (if you're free thinker) to bless you with their wits and their brains. Hands off the past year papers, it's still not the time yet. Once you're done praying, you'll need to look for divine signs from the Gods/smoke weed and down a whole bottle of vodka AND tequila(for free thinkers) to know that you've inherited their brains and knowledges. That's when you start doing your final papers.

There, simple and easy. If vodka and tequila are too expensive, you can use beer as alternative... effect may not be as good though.

What about past year papers you ask? Nah, they're just useless... just a means to increase other people's pressure. Whenever your friends ask you if you've finished your past year papers, just say that all of them are so easy that you've answered all of them using your feet with your eyes closed.

But the notes are unorganized and you don't see a connection between the chapters you say. Ah, then I'll let you in on a little secret... actually the reading notes while you're standing on your hands part... I said it so that I can have a little laugh while watching you pulling it off. It's totally unnecessary... why would you need to read the notes when you're going to inherit God's brain?

But you're a free thinker you say... you can't inherit God's brain because you don't believe in God. Fret not, Albert Einstein will rise from the dead and provide you with his rotten brain. I believe his rotten brain is far more superior than your brain, you just need to be able to stand the stench... and the maggots that come along with it.

But...

No more buts! Do what I've told you and you'll be on your way to your road of eternal glorious distinction!

I'll see you in Woodbridge once you graduate.

Helpless...

Alanis Morissette - Ironic

An old man turned ninety-eight
He won the lottery and died the next day
It's a black fly in your Chardonnay
It's a death row pardon two minutes too late
Isn't it ironic... don't you think?

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures

Mr. Play It Safe was afraid to fly
He packed his suitcase and kissed his kids goodbye
He waited his whole damn life to take that flight
And as the plane crashed down he thought
"Well isn't this nice..."
And isn't it ironic... don't you think?

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures

Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
When you think everything's okay and everything's going right
And life has a funny way of helping you out when
You think everything's gone wrong and everything blows up
In your face

A traffic jam when you're already late
A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break
It's like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
It's meeting the man of my dreams
And then meeting his beautiful wife
And isn't it ironic... don't you think?
A little too ironic... and yeah I really do think...

It's like rain on your wedding day
It's a free ride when you've already paid
It's the good advice that you just didn't take
Who would've thought... it figures

Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you
Life has a funny, funny way of helping you out
Helping you out

------------------------------
Gary Jules - Mad World

All around me are familiar faces
Worn out places, worn out faces
Bright and early for their daily races
Going nowhere, going nowhere
Their tears are filling up their glasses
No expression, no expression
Hide my head I want to drown my sorrow
No tomorrow, no tomorrow

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad world

Children waiting for the day they feel good
Happy Birthday, Happy Birthday
And I feel the way that every child should
Sit and listen, sit and listen
Went to school and I was very nervous
No one knew me, no one knew me
Hello teacher tell me what's my lesson
Look right through me, look right through me

And I find it kind of funny
I find it kind of sad
The dreams in which I'm dying
Are the best I've ever had
I find it hard to tell you
I find it hard to take
When people run in circles
It's a very, very
Mad World
Mad World
Enlarging your world
Mad World.

------------------------------
That's exactly how I'm feeling right now.

Acquaintances or Friends?

Heck, I don't know myself.

I'll be blunt, there isn't much to talk about between us, if there's any at all.

I've been feeling uneasy about this for quite some time... but seems like there's no one I can really confide to.

So this is how loneliness feels...

Dawn...

When was the last time I watched the sunrise? To immerse in the soft silver rays and cool morning breeze, to listen to the birds giving their first chirps of the day? I long to throw away the burdens on my shoulders and live for that moment, even if it's a fleeting one. Alas, it's not meant to be, lest till I finish meet my final hurdle, which is looming and lurking in the shadows...

At this point, I should probably take it easy. Ambitious my aims may be, but there are times that I need to let off the steam, step back and look; and realise that there are so much more to life than my goals. Some may not agree with me, but being able to sit idly and immerse yourself into the surroundings is a blessing. Sure, society progresses, life becomes more hectic, people become more competitive, corporate ladder is getting more and more difficult to climb, meritocracy and capitalism are the main philosophies adopted by advanced nations in the globe... there are just so many reasons for us to deprive ourselves from the goodness life has to offer us.

Are people really evolving or devolving? Are we so obsessed with chasing fame and success that deep inside we are but an empty shell? Did we spend so much time on soaring towards excellence that we have no time to spare to truly live? And as cliched as this may sound... are we merely existing rather than living(and making your mark in the history doesn't necessarily mean that you've lived, it can only prove that you've existed)?

That said, I am by no means suggesting that we should stop seeking improvements in our lives. Rather, take some time off the pursuit of excellence and relax. After all, life is so much more than that.

So, when was the last time that you watched sunrise?

*Sneaks in, looks around, then sneaks out*

Deadlines, deadlines, more deadlines.

And now I'm on the verge of being free of deadlines... maybe not.

Deadline in the form of exam is coming soon, oh the joy!

OBS

If not for this:
Outward Bound Singapore - To serve, to strive and not to yield

I think I would've gone nuts during recess week. In case you're wondering, I didn't go back to Malaysia during this break. Instead I stayed back and had my eyes practically stuck to the books all the time.

27th September:
We arrived in Pulau Ubin at around 10am. Then we went through the standard things - ice breaker, separated into groups (Eng Soon, Gandhi, Rajaratnam), surrendered our valuables to the instructors. I was assigned to watcher (or group) Eng Soon. Each watcher was led by an instructor.

Eng Soon. They rocked simply because I was in there. =P

After lunch, we went jungle-trekking. Eng Soon separated itself to 3 teams so that it could find all the checkpoints in the shortest time possible. Alas, we only managed 3 out of 10 checkpoints, no thanks to the fallen trees that further complicated our routes.

Billy fanning himself with our money while he's hanging halfway up in the air. Life's hard up there, I know...

We then went to our next destination - our camp site. When we reached the campsite, the other watchers were there already with their members concentrated on the debate on which kind of leader is the best leader.

Dinner was rice, canned mushroom, canned curry chicken and canned sambal ikan bilis cooked by... US! Gandhi had the time of their lives concocting funny names for their recipes such as Gandhi jump over the wall and Tiger swim across the river.

After that we pitched the tents and prepared to sleep.

28th September:
We built 2 rafts and rowed back to the headquarters. Our raft were on the verge of breaking apart when we were halfway rowing at the sea. Thanks to our rowers (and lots of hands of the non-rowers holding the raft together), we managed to row back to the headquarters in one piece.

And we arrived at the headquarters just in time for lunch! Everyone practically wolfed down the food... after a long and hard process of building raft and rowing it for around 1km, any food is bound to be heavenly.
The inverted tower behind us brought us yet another challenge of the day - how to invert it back?

Next up is the vertical element... in simpler terms - climbing.

This activity basically fostered trust between each and every team member as we had to leave our lives in the hands of our teammates. They were responsible for controlling our safety ropes and bringing us to ground safely when we slip or once we're done climbing the tower.

I had more fun climbing then bringing people down to their safeties though. =P

Then we're practically done for the day... no more activities at night, only discussions and planning for next day's activities.

29th September
The final day of our stay in Pulau Ubin. We had a self-reflection and sharing session in the morning before the commencement of the day's activities.

We were supposed to play mini-games like these:
Jump!

Walk!

to collect points so that we can buy materials to make:
A harmless little ballista that costed us probably close to 5000 points.

And we used it to launch:
Humpty-Dumpty with straws and masking tape.

Unbreakable egg!

When we were done with making the launcher, Christopher proceeded to present our Code of Arms to the instructors.
Christopher: It's time to show my blow water skills!

followed by our warcry, which goes something like this:

"Yenadei kuchi kuchi ma ma! MAE! MAE!" x3

Never quite understood its meaning. Then we launched Humpty-Dumpty, which didn't break when landed. And that concluded our activities, and basically our stay in Pulau Ubin as well.
OBS: 27 - 29 September 2007.

And so we're once again back in the concrete jungle of Singapore, back to our lives. But I'm sure this OBS is etched in our memories, never to be forgotten.

Election, Merdeka and Toy!

Election

My first ever experience in preparing and going through an election.

Yeap, that's me right there...

First we had to go through election rally in which each candidate would have to make a speech and answer the questions from the audience. Making the speech wasn't that overwhelming, considering the audience consists of the previous management committee and the candidates only.

To quote my previous Publication Director, "Aiya, it's a Friday night lar, who wants to come? I got better place to go and better things to do lor..."

Nevertheless, it's a procedure made necessary by SAO so we had to comply.

On the following Thursday, an election was held.

I've only prepared flyers and smile to pull the votes. And to be frank, it's not an easy job to stand around the election booth for hours smiling and "haunting" the voters so that they would vote for you.

I do pity the voters though, since they almost always get swarmed by candidates who stuffed flyers onto their hands before they could even blink their eyes. There were a few voters who eluded us by sneaking past us to the booth while we're not paying attention. I must pick up the skill someday, it might just come in handy. =P

Fortunately(or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it) I emerged as the winner in the end. 70% vote, quite a landslide victory I say. Thanks for the support!

Merdeka Night

Held on the night one day after our Independence Day by MSA, this is by far the best Merdeka Night because I did not just one, but TWO awesome dance in it.

Everything was fantastic that night, the crowd, the emcees, the performances, the food... everything!
Rokkuguh Dance! Lots of effort was put in to perfect the dance and it's perfect! =D

Rokkuguh Dance Team! Great to dance with you guys, look forward to more performances together if possible.

3 hunks, 2 babes and 1 monster king.

The response was very good, shame that it had to end at 11pm as all the lights would be switched off.

And I've just got myself a new toy....



Hehehehehe... Elaynne, next time there will be no more excuse of me not taking enough pictures with you. =D

2 weeks in a glance

1st week

National Day Parade!! For your information, Singapore's National Day is on 9th August... and their preparation for the National Day is no small feat either. The performers have been practising countless times so that it would be perfect on the actual day itself.

Me on the other hand went to my cousin's place to watch the NDP. The wonders of television... I get to watch the whole parade without having to squeeze myself among the sweaty and stuffy crowd. Sure, I may not be able to experience the atmosphere or take pictures, but I certainly didn't feel like wearing the lion mask and waving Singaporean flag... besides I don't have a camera.

After watching the parade, my cousin and her family celebrated my birthday. They've prepared a coffee chocolate cake which was very nice. The kids didn't like it though... they have yet to appreciate the taste of coffee.

10th August - my birthday!! But there's a replacement class at 4.30pm... haih... totally wasted my effort of freeing up my schedule on Friday after 1.30pm. Since everyone was busy(myself included), I had organized an impromptu dinner at Swensen's and probably disrupted many people's plans... sorry about that guys!


The ice-cream cake!! Love it!


My free ice cream!! Hahahaha.

Supper followed next... and I was promptly ponded after that... in front of Chinese Heritage Center. Lai Fai and Joe involuntarily got ponded as well. =P


One glow in the dark tag, one Arsenal pencil box and one..... TRANSFORMERS TOY!! You cheeky Sunway peeps!! XD I certainly didn't expect that... haha.

Next is the present from Adrian, Elaine, Jane, Ken Shaun, Shaun and Wai Seng...

Tadaaaa!!! The front! Seems like banana is an in-thing now...

And messages from each of them are imprinted on the back! A very nice gift I must concur.

Thanks everyone for the wishes, celebration and the gifts!!

2nd week

ECA fair on Monday and Tuesday... and Boardgames Club has Betrayal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We quickly went over to the booth and found out where we could buy the game. Guys... prepare yourselves, there'll be a lot more gathering once we get the game. =D

Thanks Elaynne for telling me about it.

Apart from that, I also had dance practices for the performance on Merdeka Night. And I'm happy to say that we've basically learned all the dance move and able to dance to the song in 2 practices!! As for the revelation of the dance... you'll find out on Merdeka Night itself. Hehe...

Oh and I'm running for the Publication Officer position in MAE club... so if you have any friends who are in MAE school, please tell them to vote for me on coming Thursday... many thanks!!

FOC

As promised, here's a full account on MSA FOC 07/08... from my point of view. Before I begin...

Programmers' identity - Bandana which we donned on proudly throughout the camp!

Day 1

This was the day the freshies arrived... being the nice and kind seniors, we were all set to give them a warm welcome by waiting for them at the bus stops which were designated as drop off points.

And so I was stationed at the Hall 2 bus stop with Yoke Hwa, Ka Hong, Siew Li, Ping Ting and her AMSISA mates. The first batch of freshies were supposed to arrive at 7.30am but they turned up at 8.55am. We were worried about the second batch arriving before we were done helping the first batch to check into their rooms because we're shorthanded. Fortunately most of the first batch checked in when the second batch arrived at around 10am.

By 1.40pm the final batch of freshies arrived. We brought them to lunch first because the hall office was closed for lunch. I'd inadvertently revealed to the freshies about the tradition of Hall 6 people ponding birthday boys/girls AND the fact that my birthday is around the corner. Now one of them is trying to figure out where exactly I stay in the hall so that he can pond me on my birthday.

Nevermind that... we were done helping all the Hall 6 freshies to check in by 2.45pm and I went to Hall 8 to talk cock sing song with whoever's willing. That's where my new roomie came into the story. He was without a room when he arrived and sent to Hall 6. The lady in the hall office then assigned him to my room and that marked the end of my single room deluxe suite.

After that we gathered at Hall 3 function hall for the opening ceremony of the MSA FOC 07/08. The freshies, now assigned to their respective orientation groups (OG)

which were Famiglia, Tarquinius, Kazoku, Genos, Lanza, Philia, Porodica, and Sulale. These names were consistent with the theme of the camp - Ohana.

After that each group conducted ice-breaking games, I was assigned to Porodica and played a few games with the freshies before leaving to prepare for the intergroup ice-breaking games.

That night itself Lanza freshies experienced their first ever Seven Wonders.

Day 2

Administration work in the day time and more games at night. The 4 games conducted were Pass the Precious, Thou Shall Not Pass, Human Pinball and Pick the Cups Game. I was stationed at Thou Shall Not Pass game and it was a nerve-wrecking game. The freshies were so excited that it was practically as though we're watching 2 factions at war.

Some of the guys were basically kneeling and praying as though they've scored in the World Cup final whenever their group nicked a point. It was a very comical scene. All of us laughed and screamed our lungs out as the game progressed.

Day 3

Combined games! I was basically cheering Porodica until I got tired and slacked with Yi Chin and Elaine at the shaded area. After that each group painted a portion of the Malaysia map allocated to them and we took a whole MSA group picture with the map. Up till now everything was still relaxing for me since I didn't need to run around.

Next up - Unspeakable Truth, Unbreakable Egg... each group would have to use straws and rubber bands to build a protective structure around the eggs. Hall 6 suddenly became much noisier than it was as it was the venue where we dropped the eggs.

Here comes the tiring part... PHOTOHUNT. I was assigned to Famiglia and they probably had the best sense of direction. For every destination, they've picked the shortest route and managed to find 6 locations before we had to end things earlier for... SP Walk Ghost Walk.

There was a lot of walking to be done as I was the first usherer, and Shaun also wanted to take photo with me after his convocation... so I was practically running back to LT 2 pavilion every time I guided the freshies to the holding place.

Joe and Wai Seng are now part time workers in a Japanese factory.

Once I was back in my room, I immediately went to bed out of sheer fatigue.

Day 4

Lost Day!!

From what I've heard the freshies had a lot of responses watching the video. Yi Wang's self-promotion obviously worked! I was in charge of City Hall station and conducted the Pass the Message game. All the groups that played the game had failed miserably as the message got distorted after each person passed the message using the cups. Lanza freshies had even concocted their own message halfway through!

We had lunch in Marina Square before the guys headed to Fort Canning Park to kaypoh. We stopped by at Picnic Terrace to witness Lanza(again!) playing the dot dot dot game. Unfortunately the rain got heavy and we had to stop all the programs for the day in FCP.

So what did we do while stuck in FCP waiting for the rain to subside?

CHEER FIGHT!! Needless to say, programmers, who were thoroughly outnumbered, weren't even close to being the loudest... I dare say we're the most spirited ones though. We all had a good time cheering our hearts out(in exchange for a hoarse voice).

We made our way back to NTU for dinner. Barter system was incorporated into the dinner so that we could get more interactions between groups. But some negotiations were plain ridiculous. In the end, Porodica settled with cheering, dancing and singing to get all the cards they needed.

Day 5

I missed all the dunkings and a good whole chunk of the day's programs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! *sniff*

I stayed in water for too long and got hypothermia. But I was back and kicking for SP games!!

First off was the SP revelation... it was too obscene. Too many guys strip half naked, which isn't always a pleasant sight.

Flame of Love - we were basically squirting water at anything and everything that had a flame on it. After the game was done, we gathered at LT 2 pavilion once more to watch the sketch performance by each OG. Porodica snatched the win with a convincing performance that cracked everyone up.

After that we presented the best OG, best male & female freshman awards. Then we clubbed till 4.30am... where many guys decided it was time to strip half naked... AGAIN!

Final words

Sorry for the lack of pictures... will post them up once I get hold of them. But if you want to have a sneak peek - my dear ACP will gladly show you.

I haven't had the chance to formerly thank all those who were there when I had hypothermia so I hereby thank you first... you know who you are.

And finally, thanks everyone... programmers especially, for making this FOC an unforgettable one!

And so it has ended

Yeap... it has ended. FOC that is.

While it's a relief that I'm finally getting the sleep that I've been deprived of for 2 weeks, I certainly didn't want it to end so fast. To me, everyday of Senior Camp and FOC has been thoroughly enjoyable one, all of us are high in spirits everyday. Sure, there may be clashes, impatience and misunderstandings along the way but we, the programmers especially, grow to understand each other better, melt the boundaries and are comfortable around one another.

To all programmers,

Joe Lam, Lai Fai, Wan Xin, Elaine Lee, Elaine Tam, Boon Cheng, Danny, Jia Ning, Wee Ping, Wei Jian, Wai Hong, Kim, Yi Zhen, Yen Yah, Pey Shan, Hui Ling, Sai Lei, Wai Seng, Ken Shaun, Cin Huang, Gabriel, Jeeva, Leler and Shermaine...

it's my pleasure knowing and working with you. We share the joy and pain together, going through meetings after meetings and sleepless night after sleepless night. The frustrations we experience during Senior Camp have only made us more resolute to make the FOC a success, and boy it is a great success despite having minor glitches here and there. I'm sorry if I've offended any of you when we're working together.

Thank you for giving me one of the best memories ever!

Taiping

Pardon me for the lack of good pictures. Apparently Yi Wang has most of them and I have yet to see him online.

So it was a memorable 3 days 2 nights trip. Why would I say so?

1) The rented car looked like it could breakdown any moment soon. The wheel alignments were practically non-existant, the seat couldn't be adjusted and the radio knob would fall off if you pulled a little. It's not an exaggeration to say that we were literally in a Milo Tin. Then again, that's probably what you would get for the rate of RM80 per day. No cookies for knowing who's driving it. And the girls were having negative comments on my driving skills... sigh.

2) Watching Wai Seng and Weng Keong demonstrating a Dare feat that Justin was supposed to pull off when they were playing the Truth or Dare game. Wai Seng was playing a female role during the demonstration.

3) Playing Mafia until almost 4am. Safe to say that Yi Wang = selfish doctor.

4) Most of us walked up Maxwell Hill (or Bukit Larut)... a whooping 10.5km journey to the hill top. We started at 3pm and when we were about 1 or 2 km from the hill top, it started raining. It was dark and the wind was blowing hard. Needless to say almost everyone was dejected and by the time all of us arrived at our lodging, it was around 7pm.

5) The water heater was spoiled!! Luckily we brought a multipurpose cooker for steamboat purpose so we used the cooker to boil water for everyone to bathe. By the time everyone finished bathing, it was already 10pm. And we still haven't had our dinner.

6) A little bit of background... our lodging consisted of one huge living room, a small kitchen and four bedrooms. And since it was creepy at night in the bedrooms, all of us agreed to move the mattresses into the living room and sleep there. Beneath one of the mattresses on the bed however, lied a photoframe, with the picture facing down. I believe most of you, if not all, are familiar with those haunted houses on the hill top stories. That's basically what was in most of our minds when we found that photo frame. I immediately shat in my pants and ran out of the house, screaming along the way while rolling downhill as I was sure that was the only way to get down the hill real fast. We all decided to leave the photoframe be and slept uneasily through the night. Turned out the picture in the photoframe was the portrait of the Menteri Besar of Perak. Scared ourselves silly for no apparent reason.

And so we went back to Selangor on 7th, thus concluding our trip in Taiping.



I'll be looking forward to more trips in the future with you all.

It really isn't like anime and movie...

Ever wonder how it felt like to be in a car that was spinning out of control?

Recalling every single good/bad thing that has happened in your life? Mentally saying goodbye to the ones you love? Thinking about what was to happen next? Panic? Fearing death?

None.

In that split second, there wasn't any rewind of my life in my mind... it was just blank. My emotions were surprisingly numb. I didn't scream, I didn't tremble in fear, I didn't close my eyes as everything vividly unfolded in front of my very eyes. I was shockingly calm, as though I was willingly surrendering my life, waiting to see how my afterlife would turn out to be.

I only instinctively knew that I didn't want to say goodbye to everyone. Alas, one can never be too sure in a life and death situation.

All I can say now is that I'm relieved that I've walked out of the incident with only a slight swell on my head. Thinking back, it's a truly terrifying experience, knowing that in that split second you could well be on your way to the next life.

To my love...

It's been 2 and a half years, very wonderful 2 and a half years indeed.

Do you still remember the first time we had our ride together? I was very nervous indeed, being absolutely clueless on what to do. What I did know back then was that we'll definitely form a bond, how I wished it was an unbreakable one.

But you've always brought peace and helped me to relax. For that I'm truly grateful. I wish I could do more for you.

As time went by, I've grown to love you even more. You're there with me every morning when I was trapped in the traffic jam as I drove to college.

Slowly, I was immersed in this illusion that this bond would be an eternal one... I would make sure of that if I had to. Alas, circumstances would not allow it, and now you're leaving. Heartache indeed, but I'd have to let you go. I can only wish you luck and hope that you'll live well with him.

And I thank you for all that you've given me.

And finally, goodbye...

My brown Iswara, which has served my family well for 13 and a half years. I'd love to go out in a ride with you again.

When I was 18...

2005 that was...

Let's just say that the concept of time when it comes to music in my mind is practically non-existent so I'm relying heavily on the list given in this website to complete this tag.

I do remember fondly tuning into Mix FM whenever I'm driving to keep in touch with the latest hits(which is probably why I've never paid attention to when the songs/albums were released). Among the tunes which I bobbed my head to include:

Green Day - Boulevard of Broken Dreams
Green Day - Wake Me Up When September Ends
Lifehouse - You and Me (not so much of bobbing my head really... in fact, it'll be very weird for me to bob my head when I'm listening to this song)
Nickelback - Photograph
Madonna - Hung Up
Kelly Clarkson - Since You've Been Gone

Green Day's songs are just loud, nuff said.

Lifehouse is soothing (also reduces my driving speed significantly).

The rest are catchy.

Suffice to say that my taste in music is a weird one... =P

Chocolates!

Last week I've received a nice little box of chocolate from a friend:

Ducd'O!! I've never heard of it... maybe chocolate lovers can enlighten me a little?

These are basically 4 of the 9 chocolates available in the box. 2 dark chocolates, 2 white chocolates...

The remaining 5, all of which are milk chocolates. The smudge on the paper can only mean that the chocolates are so good that the paper wants a piece for itself... or is it?

Well, I'm here to find out.

The bottom right one doesn't look appealing... then again, I probably should've expected it when I left the box on my table for days before putting it into my fridge.

And so in less than 5 minutes time, I popped each and every one of them into my mouth...

They say that Belgian dark chocolates are the best, or at least chocolate lovers shouldn't die without trying them... and my verdict? Slightly bitter and slightly sweet, I suppose it's not too bad. At least it is appealing to my taste buds (I don't quite like bitter things, except for durian that is...).

Next are the white chocolates. Frankly speaking I don't know what I should expect because the last time I tasted white chocolate, it tasted more like solidified thick condensed milk and sent me into a diabetic paranoia frenzy. So honestly, I have no idea how a genuine white chocolate should taste. The white chocolates tasted sweet, but there's no hint of milky taste at all. The taste didn't particular strike me as being distinctive... candy-like perhaps.

Finally the milk chocolates which are... milky.

My personal preferences... mocha praline truffles from dark and white chocolate categories and vanilla from milk chocolate category.

Four

4 jobs I've had in my life:
1. Student
2. ...
3. ...
4. My holidays are genuinely holidays

4 movies that I can watch over and over again:
1. Identity (A kind of plot and twist that you'll never expect)
2. Toy Story (Mr Potato and Slinky rocks!!)
3. Mr. Bean: The Ultimate Disaster (I practically watched this till the tape spoiled)
4. Home Alone 2

4 places I've been on vacation:
1. Redang
2. My room
3. My house
4. The toilet in my house
(Partly due to mum's health, partly due to the fact that my family doesn't like to travel much)

4 of my favorite dishes:
1. Nasi Lemak
2. Fried Sotong (the last time I had this was... form 3?)
3. Curry Chicken
4. Fried Kangkung (with chilli of course)

4 places I would like to visit:
1. Italy (where Renaissance started)
2. England (Oxford Uni and Emirates Stadium!)
3. Turkey (where East meets West)
4. Japan (no particular reason... just feel like it)

4 most overused words:
1. Walau (is that even a word?)
2. Shit (kids, do not try this at home)
3. Hurm
4. Ooo (only on MSN)

4 gadgets that I have:
1. Compaq Presario V3000 series laptop
2. Apple Ipod Mini
3. Sony W810i (Elaine, you've mixed up your phone model apparently)
4. Evidently I'm not quite rich enough to afford another gadget...

4 TV shows that I love to watch: (I don't have TV, but heck...)
1. Heroes
2. Prison Break
3. House
4. That 70s Show (why did they end it!!!???)

4 bloggers I'm tagging:
1. You...
2. You?
3. You!
4. Hurm...

A letter to the 12-year-old me

For formality sake...

Dear De Zien,

One year has passed since mum is diagnosed with cancer. You probably still do not know what cancer is, except that cancer might take mum away from you in the near future. I know that you are very worried indeed when mum isn't as energetic as she used to be. You might even have noticed that dad has been taking leaves every now and then to take care of brother and you. You do not understand any of these and there have always been a sense of fear that mum might just leave one day for no obvious reason. It's alright, everything will work out just fine.

UPSR is coming up soon and as far as I recall, you have practically spent close to zero effort on it. Your class teacher, despite disappointed with your behavior, has a very high expectation for you. While you may not know it, your class teacher actually cares and loves you. She truly hopes for the best for you. I'm glad to say that everything works out fine in the end.

Soon enough you'll experience your first family member death. Po po will leave you soon, please treasure your time with her and do not for once be disrespectful to her. Mum will have a very tough time as the events slowly unfold, so please support her and be helpful to her as she really needs your support.

I also know that you are uncertain over the future and want to remain with your friends when you go into secondary school. Fret not, in the end it's all fine. Be thankful to dad as he put in a lot of effort to make sure that you get into the school that you want.

However, you will soon realize that not all friends are genuinely your friends. It hurts to be betrayed but it's not the end of the world. Do not dwell on it, just go out and make more friends... know that there are people who do appreciate your company out there.

Oh, you will also participate in a charity event and it is a truly unforgettable night. All the hardship that you will go through will be paid off with an immense satisfaction, and having a hoarse voice for the next few days is a small price to pay. A warning here though, you should really balance your time between the training and your studies.

As time goes on, you will go through a series of ups and downs. You will know a lot more wonderful friends, have a crush on a girl in your class and even get to perform a sketch with her. However you'll be met with disappointment when you soon realize that she already has a boyfriend. Along the way, you'll meet a few girls who will be close with you for a brief period, but never quite mature to the boy-girl relationship.

As you go into upper secondary, you'll meet a group of new friends who are distinctively different from your old friends. But I guess that's just natural of you since you've never quite had a permanent clique. Around this time, you'll experience your second family member death. This time it's Dai Gu, she is diagnosed with lung cancer and her lungs collapse on the night she passed away. It's a heartache to see her suffer that way but that's how life is - not everyone gets what they want.

In upper secondary, you will constantly feel that you are underachieving academically, and rightly so too. Your overconfidence and your laziness is your bane. You'll probably wish that you have studied harder. At this stage, tuition is basically a chore. However, you will definitely enjoy your English, Malay and Physics tuition, for various reasons. And once again, you will have a huge crush on an Indonesian girl, but never quite dare to make the move.

You will also be involved in the production of the school magazine, which is a truly enlightening experience. Best part is, you get permission to skip class whenever you want and no one can question you!

Oh, you'll also experience your first encounter with CID during a police raid. For the first time since primary school, you'll see mum cry. It is heartbreaking to watch her cry so to you I can only say this, go home as soon as possible after tuition.

Oh yes, regarding the piano lessons... you will eventually lose interest but I sincerely hope that you will persevere. You may not know it now but piano has always serve as an escape from your life. The talent is there, you even created your own simple tune, remember? I truly hope that you will not waste your talent and continue.

College life is a total 360 degrees change in environment, with totally new friends and new learning experience. At this point, you'll truly appreciate driving experience(and even getting your first wheelspin!) and love the car that has been faithful to the family since you're Standard 1. You will enjoy most of your college life but hear me out, take things easy. Do not pressure yourself too much despite underachieving most of the time. In the end, everything will be just fine.

And come to university, you would've never even dreamed of this... OVERSEAS. Okay, maybe oversea is the better word. There is a fair share of ups and downs but hey, there can't be ups when there aren't downs. =)

After reading all those, you'll probably be wondering what nonsense I'm blabbering throughout. The fact that your english level is horrible also doesn't help. You're more concerned with watching the cartoons after school ends and eating the snacks that you've bought in school... maybe UPSR too(but I do seriously doubt that =P). Regardless, keep this letter with you and you'll soon find out how eerily everything that is mentioned in this letter unfold itself in front of your very eyes. Hopefully with my advices, you can make wiser choices... but if you do exactly what your instinct tells you to do, that will be fine too, as you'll probably be ending up where I am now.

And you shouldn't be surprised too, after all, this is the you 8 years later writing to you.

For formality sake once again...(by now you would've noticed that I do get annoyed by certain formalities)

Yours truly,
De Zien(8 years in the future)

ps. You look much better with your hair longer... ditch the crew cut asap! =P

Closet masochist?

Action : Ate nasi lemak 2 hours before jogging 4km.
Conclusion : I might be a closet masochist.

Action : Jogged for 4km while enduring pain in abdomen and stomach.
Conclusion : No more shitting-in-pants incidents in the future should there be diarrhea since I can endure the pain while running for a good whole 25 minutes(closet masochist comes into mind again) and it's quite impossible to not find a toilet within 4km radius in a country that's as small as Singapore.

Action : Sat outside from 5.30am till 7am reading a book.
Conclusion : Squinting eyes for a good one and a half hours in exchange of mosquito bites in the breeze.(I seriously think that I subconsciously enjoy pain... and no, you can't inflict extreme pain on me without my consent)

Action : Slept only for 2 hours before I woke up at 9am for breakfast.
Conclusion : Huge sacrifice for my first intersemester breakfast.

Action : Typing all these while obviously lacking sleep.
Conclusion : I'm a superman cum masochist... must be the coffee I took this morning.

Caught redhanded!

It was a fine day. Everything was nice and peaceful in Fort Canning Park... until

2 naughty boys came to terrorize nature itself! They were joined by another boy who stayed around the corner!

They climbed into the forbidden zone...

and started to wreak havoc by...

peeing into the holy fountain!

And crapping in the third naughty boy's house everywhere!!

They had so much fun but they were tired, and so they rested while posing for narcissistic pictures. But little did they know...

That the security had sent a spy, who slowly approached them while posing with them, to apprehend all of them. The spy, after many pictures and many poses, finally managed to force them into submission.

Their punishment was...

getting thrown into the sea by using catapult...

and so they've disappeared, never to be heard again... Fort Canning Park was once again peaceful.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PS : Reverse Bungee is FUN!!!
PPS : I love Grand Cathay!!!
PPPS: Elaine still owes us tang yuen and drinks!

Naive, but not prejudice

At 10pm, one of the employees informed us that the train would be delayed and we would depart at 11.30pm. Everyone was annoyed. Many impatiently paced around, looking at their watches every 10 seconds or so. Some sat on their luggages, whipped out their novels and began to indulge in their own fantasies.

I was glad that I had my Ipod as I landed my buttock on a chair. As I slowly submerged into my own world, I noticed a Malay girl, no more than 5 years old, approached an equally small Indian girl. It's probably the first time they've met but soon they're off running around, hopping and dancing with each other. Their parents just smiled looking at them, probably appreciating the scene while it lasted. Who knows, 10 years down the road and they might just scorn at each other's race.

It didn't last long though. They were soon tired and went to sleep. But what they did, insignificant as they would think it was, and the looks on their parents' faces, told me that there's indeed hope, fleeting hope it might be, but hope nonetheless.

Only when we throw away all the prejudice and pride will we truly shine as a nation.

There are times...

when you wish that you have 48 hours a day so that you can sleep more.

Now is probably one of them for me.

Then again, I've been sleeping more than i used to...

Math and accounting tomorrow, effective communication on Thursday.

Effective communication, like moral, is completely worthless as an examination paper. Why DIDN'T they abolish the examination part of it earlier!!!!!???????

*Sigh*

Time to bury my head into the books again...

Ah Seng ar... Happy Birthday yea?

Once upon a time in a planet far far away where chimpanzees dominated, there lived one chimpanzee(whom we affectionately call Chimp from now on). Originally, Chimp was like each and every of his friends... eating bananas and poking fun at the female chimpanzees the whole day, not worrying about a single thing in his life. One day, while he was swinging and jumping amongst the trees, he slipped and knocked his head against the Tree of Evolution before falling flat on the face.

The knock on the tree had triggered a chain of gene mutation in Chimp so fast and so drastic the moment he got up on his feet, he could start performing all the tricks that chimpanzees do in the circus we see nowadays. As time progressed, the tricks that Chimp did became more awesome and jaw-dropping.

Of course, other male chimpanzees weren't amused at all because Chimp was now the most wanted chimpanzee among the females. The male chimpanzees then came up with an evil plot to get rid of Chimp. So this one chimpanzee(whom we'll address as Dee Chimpo, which is quite a disgusting name at that) came up with the idea of hiring a professional assassin, to which all the other chimpanzees happily agreed.

The idea backfired though because the assassin hired is also a chimpanzee and was easily lured by bananas. All Chimp did was to hurl a banana off the cliff and the assassin took off with the banana. Dee Chimpo began to think of more plans to get rid of Chimp but Chimp always managed to get himself out of trouble, more often than not mocking Dee Chimpo in the process. Dee Chimpo was very mad now, and Chimp's treemate(think of it as housemate, only this time it's in the tree) Wangi Chimpy came up with a brilliant idea of getting Chimp to run a very long journey and then feed Chimp poisonous food while Chimp was too tired to make proper judgments...
Well, actually it's just Wai Seng's birthday. We made him run all the way from Hall 16 to Hall 6 by having me faking food poisoning. Shaun pretended to be rushing back to my room and called Wai Seng to ask him to rush over. Wai Seng didn't have to run really, it's just that Yi Wang(who's cheeky enough to come up with the idea of making Wai Seng run for his birthday cake) initiated the run and Wai Seng had to follow. At the same time in my room...
Elaine somehow found taking the picture of me in bed amusing...

I was sleeping soundly We're all set to put up an act. In he came with Yi Wang, both sweating profusely... Shaun and Daniel tried to make things seem more serious... and then everyone appeared at the door, with Elaine(if I've heard correctly) coughing out an awkward "Surprise..." before everyone else shouted it. All in all it was a good fun(though my role was just lying in the bed).

HAPPY BIRTHDAY WAI SENG!!!

Come Clean

This is the side of me that I've been bottling up all through the years but now I think it's best that I come clean.

I have always feared being left out and deemed unwanted. I hate to know that I'm just another face in my friends' minds and they will just forget me once we're apart.

Is it insecurity on my part? Paranoia? Maybe.

But it has been happening pretty much throughout my whole life. I've been left out in primary school, probably because I was such a crybaby back then.

I've been left out during my early years of secondary school by my 2 best friends, and probably my 2 only friends at that time. That was the worst experience I've had. To make things worse, I had to endure all their mockeries because they're my neighbours in the class. Even in my later secondary school years, some of my friends did give me the feeling that I was the outcast.

Then college...... for once I thought that I can throw away all those feelings with my newfound friends. But deep down, in all its subtlety, there were hints here and there that I was still the outcast. An incident recently while I was back in KL was particularly striking.

Really, for this to happen so many times, I can't help but ask, "What the hell is wrong with me?"

Is it because I'm unfriendly? Is it because I'm arrogant? Is it because I'm too dull a friend? Is it because I seem to like to alienate myself? I don't know...... all I know is I don't want this to happen again.

With all these experiences, it's extremely hard for me to be very close with anyone who I know. I fear that it'll be history repeating itself all over again. The scars were never healed, they just got deeper each time I went through the ordeal.

I'm not writing this to gain your pity. I'm writing this so that you can understand why I tend to keep a certain distance from you. Believe me, it's not because I hate you, it's not because I don't want to be close to you. It's just not easy for me due to my past experiences. It might be selfish of me but I need more time, I need to slowly trust again.

And I'm sorry for the sudden outburst yesterday. Those who were there, it's not your fault.

And then April comes...

March had been fast and furious for me. A blink of an eye and we're approaching April now.

What happened in March? Actually, there are only two things worth mentioning...... unless of course, you want to listen to me ranting about my endless CAs and projects. In case you do, make it loud and clear on your MSN and I'll entertain you in no time.

First, Jane's birthday...... which has been given a full coverage in the blogs of the one who stole Yi Wang's Ultraman and the one who attracts mosquitoes. In fact, the coverage is so complete(with all their colourful words, literally) that anything else that I mention here will be an insult to their entries.

Second one took place in the previous weekend. My family came down to visit me!! (So that's what the countdown was about!!) And I was once again reunited with Prison Break and House my family, albeit for a short while. So, being a nice tour guide I brought them to...... Vivo City! And I found......

The very reason that sparked the once feared, now forgotten childhood war between He-Hoo's-name-must-not-be-mentioned and She-is-my-ACP.

I bought myself an Oakley bag and my brother, who budgeted a total of RM300 for shopping in Singapore, bought nothing. Determined to not go back empty handed, he went to Queenstown Mall and bought a pair of spanking new Adidas sneakers.

On Sunday, we went to Raffles Marina for lunch.

It's nowhere near Raffles Place or City Hall by the way. It's in Tuas.

You can see Johor and the Second Link bridge from here. The food? Very nice...... and very nice on your pocket too. 9.50 SGD for Smoked Chicken Sandwich...... shall reserve for special occasions to have my meal there.

And we found baby jellyfish at the dock!! Yeah, I've never seen a real jellyfish before...

Finally, thanks Jane for the nice and sweet letter that you wrote. Appreciate it. =)

Tribute

You're probably one of the most eccentric persons, to the point of being stubbornly stupid some times, who I personally know. Yet it's the same eccentric traits that make things fun when you're around (apart from the fact that you're the butt of our jokes sometimes =P).

You are a great fun to talk to, and I'm very sure that I can talk to you about virtually anything and everything (ok, maybe apart from cars, tech stuff...... bikes...... which you probably are not interested in. Math, philosophy...... because I'll be ridiculed badly the moment you start to talk =P).

You are very generous as well. I'm sure there are a lot more sandwiches to come in the future...... and maybe even abalone and shark fin soup for us to rinse our mouths right before the sandwiches.

Witty, funny, confident, charming and irresistable, and does not let obstacles overcome you, you'll always shine and bring joy to your friends despite you claiming to be a pessimist.

Thanks for being there when I need someone to talk to. Thanks for listening to my rants. Glad that I have you as my friend.

Last but not least, HAPPY BIRTHDAY HSUEH MING!!! And I want to say I'm sorry for not being able to celebrate your birthday with you even once ever since I've known you.

I wrote this so that you'll feel so good that you'll forget about birthday gift altogether. =P

CNY, recess and then 1 week of hell

Let me start with a Gong Xi Fa Cai!! And an angpow na lai!! =P

Lots of changes have taken place in Kuantan, the place is slowly turning into city. The facet of the town is slowly fading away as more and more new buildings are erected.

To make things even more nostalgic for me, the house where I celebrated CNY in for the past 18 years is being taken down now. All those times, eating together in the kitchen; playing Saidina, tortoise, congkak and tinkering with the safe box in the reading room; playing with firecrackers at the porch; radio in the reading room playing CNY songs every morning; watching TV together while munching keropok, dried cuttlefish and cookies; all the sweets and cookies on the table at the living room(not so much of a room, more like a space) downstairs; poking fun at each other with cousins; running to the playground nearby in the evening and climbed the "giant caterpillar"; drinking longan juice at night...... all in that house, now remain as memories permenantly etched in my mind. Memories that I cherish, memories that I don't want to forget, ever.

And now, on the fourth day of CNY, I'm back in Singapore. NTU can definitely learn a lesson or two from NUS...... rather than having 3 schooling days in between the CNY break and recess week, they should've just joined them. No thanks to that, I have to rush back here to Singapore and then back to Malaysia again on coming Friday.

After recess it'll be a week of hell for me - 5 quizzes, 1 lab report and 1 writing assignment due on that week. That's what 9 modules does to you. This will definitely be the last time I take 9 modules. So much stress that I'll come out as an old hunchbacked cripple man once this semester ends and I'll be celebrating my 80th birthday this year instead. Perhaps the path to eternally zombified ninjahood is worth considering after all.

My Goddess of Beauty

The unrivalled Mother Nature!!

Next on my wishlist : DSLR camera, W810i is simply not good enough to take these breathtaking scenes in their full glory.

Now you know what to get for my next birthday present.

To those who are horny and more excited about me getting girlfriend than I am curious(I know you're not, but I'll pretend that you are anyway), I've spent my Valentine's having mini diarrhea and studying for my quiz.