Livin Da Life - Past Tense

Whee!

2009-11-11T19:52:00.000+08:00

10.53 11/11/09

Maglubuhgerearhaa ekk!!

Exxam!!!

Exam.

Will finish in one week.

Till then.

So much to miss, So little to regret.

2009-10-29T20:58:00.000+08:00

Study study exam times are near! It's scary.. and also sad, at the same time. Why? Because this will be my last undergraduate exam! I already attended the last lecture today by Paul Kirwan - brilliant guy - and its a wake up call.

Or more like a reminder. Oh here I go getting nostalgic and sentimental.

In a few weeks university will be over. My half the friends I keep in touch with will be gone. Half will work, go home, join the rat world. I'll still be...here.

Doing my fourth year.

It's like the whole world moves on, but not me.

Damn it I have to get a job. Need to.

So many things to worry about.

I'll believe it now

2009-10-27T18:30:00.000+08:00

Don't want to stop or start

The way straight down

Even in the darkest fear I'll know

My fascination with the chains

That redeem us

In the presence of love

The only thing that's real

Is the warmth of you, and I'll never leave

How long would you wait?

I'll wait a second more

A minute even, for that

Makes memories last

For all eternity

In the presence of love

Where we are, who to be

Always together, never to cease

I realize where I am

Almost, like walking on air

When I turn blind

It's all I have, will you let me go?

For you will always be

In the presence

In the presence of love.

Best!

2009-10-19T18:29:00.000+08:00

Gotta hand it to the Japanese. Their cuisine absolutely reaches for perfection.
Today I tried my hand at Japanese beef nabe. Why beef nabe? Because I had leftover beef cut into 1 inch cubes and some miso paste from a friend. And some soba noodles.

The result:

The green tea is an added bonus.
Damn surprised! It tasted so good even though it was surprisingly simple (about 20 mins) to make! And it wasnt even quality beef or veggies. And theres that clean fresh healthy taste characteristic taste of Japanese food, not too overpowering, subtle, but invites you to taste it a little longer. What a pleasant surprise for dinner =)

Favourite cuisine ever in order:
1. Japanese - simplicity and perfection. Japan food proves that you don't have to be complex or use funky flavours to be great. Plus, its healthy! The top chefs are all about skill first, flavour second.

2. French - They're the food greats of the world, constantly on the forefront of great creations and tastes. A rich mix of European, Asian, and Mediterranean. They're the best at what they do - Creating.

3. Spanish - Hola! Their food has richness and uniqueness I like. I can't really explain it, but maybe its the heart of the people? And the seafood helps too.

4. Malaysian - Malaysia boleh!

Almost made the list - Hong Kong dim sum. Not the Malaysian type, the authentic, diverse HK style.

On dreams

2009-10-19T12:45:00.000+08:00

Monday 4.33pm, 19.10.09

When I was choosing my university degree, I had some options open to me. None of which I wanted. Parents, always being parents wanted the "four corners" for me - Doctor, Pharmacist, Lawyer, Business". And if I wanted something else its always "Do something commercially viable, that will help you get a job," etc.

I suppose there is SOME bit of wisdom in that, so I was surprised when they agreed to psychologist, after exhausting my degree wish list (at that time) of media, chef, music, acting, programming...

So now I'm a psychologist, in training, waiting for the day I can financially support myself and go follow my dreams.

I have a dream...

1. Once I am earning a reasonable income, able to support myself, and live by my own cash I absolutely will, and must go learn how to cook.
My dream. Is to become a chef. The creation of culinary greats that bring universal joy to people. That combines the impossible with the heart, creating things never tasted before.

Oh it would be my ultimate goal to own a loved eating place. Where people anywhere would come and enjoy. I already have some of the sketch of this incredulous plan sketched out. After getting my masters, or working and being able to have a side hobby (probably around my mid-30's or 40's) I would go join a culinary school, one of the greats. And then start my way from the bottom again, interning in restaurants, gaining experience. And then when i'm around 50 I would have enough experience to start my own place.

Of course these things never work out the way I want them to. But that's why its called a dream. Impossible? Maybe. But as long as there's a 1% possibility, I won't give up.

2. Today, after my own personal miracle (see previous blog) I celebrated by downloading Freddy Rodriguez's Light in the Darkness (2009), one of the albums in the line of universally themed inspired worship.

That's right. Universal worship.
It's my experience that some christians insist there is a "right" way to worship. Theres nothing wrong with living your whole life with one worship style, or praise format. But don't get judgmental about people who do it differently.
Back home I as a drummer in church I grew up with some inflences of certain "styles" namley the Chinese style, the old retro style, and Hillsong started encroaching the scene around 1999. In fact i remember listening to all the cd's of christian music from the Australian continent which resulted in my worship leader commenting "wah your drumming style too western stylela! Can make it more chinese style?"

For me to go into the technicalities of different drumming styles would take forever, but it stuck on me. Coming to Australia caused me to be saturated with the Hillsong style. Now, this isn't a bad thing.

But we need to know that the same elements that make praise and worship great - truthful surrender - can be found on other continents, but in different forms. Listening to real gospel, with all the choirs and heavy R&B tones might seem unchristian at first. But listen to the people behind it. The words are the same. It's just the different way they sing it. Listen to latin-influenced praise. God dwells in the praises of His people.

Which is why. My dream one day. Is to bring people together everywhere with my drumming. I know. When i first started I had this self fulfilling goal of "mastering every style in the world". Now the words might be the same, but the reason is different. It's for His glory. I dream, that one day my drums would unite people from all backgrounds to the glory of His name.

I checked. An electronic drum set (I live with thin walls and sensitive neighbours) costs about $1000. And my church still doesn't have any openings for drummers.
But if the incidences of the past days are anything to live by, it's to trust God. I mean, He already gave me a guitar! I will nurture this seed. And pray that when the day comes for me to play, it'll be with His strength, and for His glory.

I still prefer winter

2009-10-19T12:31:00.000+08:00

Monday, 3.44pm, 19.10.09

Referring to the weather, today was supposed to have a range from 4-21c. Insane isn't it? It kind of makes going out a bit hard trying to decide to wear heavy or light. Anyway.

Epiphany. Up till a few years ago I wondered what the word meant. I thought it was some sort of special choir or wind instrument. So when people say (which isn't too often) "I just had an epiphany!" I would think "But you're not musically inclined..."

But this post isn't about an epiphany. Than was just a passing thought.
First things first. Glory to God in the highest. When I walked in to the Sub Dean's office I was already envisioning the worst. Actually by the 2nd day of dreadful waiting I already came up with a million scenarios on what could happen, the worst was me having to do sexual favours on an old man in order to graduate.

So when I walked in. This nice old lady told me, "It's ok, you'll graduate end of this year. You have nothing to worry about"
She assured me it would all be taken care of.

Thank God!!! All those prayers He heard. OMgoodness i can't believe it! All my worrying. So have I learnt to trust God completely in all that I do? Err well.. no. I still sometimes want to have complete control over my life. But. I guess step by step He guides me. And I grow little by little. This process takes a long time (how God puts up with me I wonder) but I'm grateful. At least for now. I've learned. To let go more. =)

So much uncertainty.

2009-10-16T08:43:00.000+08:00

Friday 16/10/09 11.53am.

Argh!! Its frustrating. Everytime I draw closer to God and grow in His ways always some new challenge pops up.
And I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to rely on anyone. For anything. So for me to learn to trust Him for the best is sort of like me training a cat. Lots of scratches and bribes and disobedience. Which is why I so hate it when I have to learn to be patience, trust, and blabla.

For example. Just when I think I reach new breakthroughs in my spiritual walk, something comes along that makes me question everything! I just found out today, that I am NOT eligible to graduate!! It seems I have taken one too many courses more than the requirements. TOO MANY?!?! what kind of crap is that? So I have to wait till Monday where I will meet with the SubDean and try to work something out. My future is on the line!!!

But. I know His ways are not mine, and God knows the best things for me. When I look back i think if this were to happen to the old me i'd probably be having a mental breakdown by now. But these all these problems happen in God's time, same as the good stuff. I guess this are situations where I can learn to grow spiritually. Sigh. Praying for it.
Hope everything works out. 3 freaking days of worry!!!

On friendship

2009-10-05T02:04:00.000+08:00

So far i have about 500+ friends on Facebook. I can hear those hardcore people in the thousands scoffing at my oh so small number of people i hardly know. But I must confess. I’m trimming the numbers of friends I have. Mr Ho who’s a friend of a friend’s uncle? Delete. Maggie from primary school whom I’ve absolutely no interest in? Gone. And about tons more people. Click, gone, un – friends.

And Friendster ah who remembers that old relic of a network, back in the days where Windows Live was MSN and everyone remembered their ICQ number?. 200+ friends, all somebody of a someone from my past.

Close friends? I have none. None from my school days, college days, church, university, any circles I’m in. Probably a hangover from the political climates of primary school, where I mixed about in almost every circle and clique. With my limited Chinese back then, some Indian (now lost) and starter Malay I skirted about the outskirts with the Chinese, hanged around the Malays, and swore like a lorry driver with the Indians. All the time never getting in deep, the only connection between any of the groups being, well, me. I guess I could credit my charisma to this time when I had to be likable to everyone.

Growing up that way had its ups and downs. Sure, I could mix about freely among almost anybody I knew without the playground political repercussions. But the highest pinnacle of trust, the secrets, I was locked out. People don’t trust an outsider, no matter how inside they are. Even until now I know. I am liked, but never trusted. And I don’t trust in return. Looking out for myself has always been best, because ultimately people fail me. Always do.

At some point living this way stopped being the option available but at the very core there is still some necessity in it. For me anyways. College brought about the dreams, the hopes that people were more humane and looked beyond the labels. But it’s only human to judge by appearances. I don’t blame anyone. So I said “Don’t get hurt and don’t hurt”. Being a free radical gives me this amazing perspective of situations. I've learnt so many things. Tolerance, compassion, humility, patience, among others. Of course the price is always there. Friends from there see me as part of the other group, and friends here think I'm with the others. I’m with no one and everyone at the same time.

Sometimes I’d wish I could just fuck the foresight I have and retreat into the cliched-ness this group or the other. You know, “We’re so much better than them, and anyone of them is ‘labelled’”. Ah yes. Labelling people simplifies things so much doesn’t it? The total assumption of her is based on that core personality blabla bla.

But I could never label you, or you. or that group. Maybe born out of all the different perspectives in myself I never treat gossip seriously. I don’t listen to you when you say that group is a bastard. I don’t even condemn you when you label me with them, or me as whatever.

Of course there are people I don’t like but I would never simplify you.

Yes it gets lonely being on the outside, wondering, “what's it like being in?”. Is it worth not getting hurt? One day I’ll find someone. Confidante, lover, friend, secret-keeper. Who doesn’t judge me for who I hang out with, but sees the water under the act. Until then i remain jack of all trades, but master of none.

Changes

2009-10-02T23:00:00.000+08:00

Emoing away my time. Zhong just left the room. that should explain it. Ok I'll admit it. when i first started blogging I had super grand designs. "It'll be fine, sophisticated reading for everyone!" I'd think, "Future generations will build monuments to my significant contribution (my thoughts) to mankind!"

Or so it went. Looks like what goes on in my head is hard to put in words. Or it just doesn't have the proper eloquence? So many things, grand designs I had, but all lost in the process of putting it down to paper. When i was young I learned from Calvin and Hobbes that we think a thought every 10 seconds. Pftt... psychology now tells me its one every microsecond. Imagine that world.

Ah changes. why do i crave the changes? Perhaps its the idea that with every little change maybe some will change for the better, new opportunities, I'd say. But then I'd find out that things never get inherently better, or worse. A new friend, old friends. New enemies, new relationships. The changing seasons reflected on by my mustard plants growing indoors. Yes, those are still there.

And of course, so many firsts. Like the first time i fell in love again, for the 267th time. Love is always a first. The first time i found out theres a storage time for oyster sauce in the kitchen. The first time I watched a musical. And the first time i felt that feeling in that situation, in that place, in that time, with those people.

Ah people. I would rather be a poor man surrounded by friends than a rich man with cows.
Somebody once said (I think it was Jesus) "Man shall not live by bread alone"

Totally agree with that. " Man shall live by bread WITH OTHER PEOPLE"

I miss the people from my life. at about a thousand thoughts a minute.

Its kinda nice when I know no one comes to read this stuff anymore, it gives me the freedom to think.
And yes, I'm back.

Guitar blues

2009-08-07T14:40:00.000+08:00

God is good! he blessed me with a guitar. its second hand, old, but it only cost me $10!! So perfect for beginner/ noobs like me. Plus i've got a good teacher as well =)
Thank you thank you thank you...

Laser tag was awesome!! i think it rates just a bit higher from paintball for me.
Ski trip coming up!

A Time Ago

2009-08-04T23:21:00.000+08:00

Last post in June??? wow i've really fallen behind.
just when i thought my blogging days were over the itch comes again.

A lot has happened. Last Saturday there was International Ball, best of all balls, not including mine. haha.
And and i'm going laser tag on Thursday and skiing on Saturday! Can't wait! I have never done both in my life so the plan is:

1. Shoot the gun at my team to see if it has battery.
2. "The fastest way to fly is jump off a cliff", so I'll go down beginner slope once, then its the pros for me!

A couple weeks back i got into this discussion with a non Christian about Christianity. I think being able to make that slight touch to someone else is the highlight of all these months.

Winter is on its last legs. And I have 10 weeks to go. My future is in His hands.

Exam time

2009-06-03T18:14:00.000+08:00

exams.
so will have no blog. unless i super free. till the 26th June.

Ok. study

8.14 3 June Wdnesday

The world just melts away.

2009-05-27T16:53:00.000+08:00

Last saturday, I heard one of my most favorite songs being disdainfully raped, shredded, murdered, and thrown back at the audience. I am talking about MSO's horrible rendition of Viva La Vida by Coldplay. that was the WORST music I have ever heard in my life (beating former champion "2007 Malay Karaok version of Always by Bon Jovi in Port Dickson") I guess some ppl don't realise that being good on Singstar does not equate good in reality. For 4 days the memory of that awful performance stuck in my head. I searched desperately on the net, in my computer, my mp3, for a Viva La Vida that would restore my faith in music, and remove the disease from my ears.

Today, i found it.

Jon Schimdt is a composer of the highest degree, the type who pours his heart and soul into his work. Its these kinds of people who make me wish i wasn't studying psychology, but making the world sound a little bit nicer.

As you listen to it, close your eyes. It moves me to tears, almost. The world just melts away. I wish i was a dancer, musician, flying, floating, all at once.

The inspiration for this arrangement was by Jon's daughter. It beautiful. Go to his website at www.jonschimdt.com and listen to true greatness

I almost thank MSO for that horrible song that helped me find this treasure =)

7 pm, Wednesday, 27.5.09

J Day

2009-05-26T23:06:00.000+08:00

26 May 1987
I'm 22 years old! whoo!
Wow i look so stern in the photo...
i think.... hmm, nvm what i think, i'll let the pictures do the talking.

Iori's for lunch, Happy's for dinner =) Predictable, but sweet.

This was err, Tiramisu cake. It just looks like taht because someone shook it around on the way there lol. And that is Yeam, reading off his speech from his camera,which is so him la.
One thing though i think my birthday card seems a bit girly. Me thinks it was bought last minute, in haste lol.

Thank you to everyone who made it a memorable day, all those wishes on Facebook, some superficial, some sincere, all those smses, calls, and close friends. Where would i be without you?

wow 24 hours pass damn fast when i'm having fun la
1.29 am, Wednesday, 27.5.09

Jared's Balls

2009-05-26T22:42:00.000+08:00

There has been lots of speculation about waht these balls are and i clarify that they are not in any way part of my body

They are beef balls.

These past few days, beginning with the dinner at B&G i've been trying to create the ultimate ball. No, not the kind you buy pre frozen in packets in Supabarn. i'm talking about REAL balls, with fillings inside, or superb flavours and stuff.
So far i've already created
cheese balls
veggie balls
chive balls
mashed potato balls
banana balls
tomato balls

So far the best mixture i have perfected is Jared's Secret Balls, of which one of the ingredients is Sesame and Fish sauce flavoured chives. The other ingredients are secret.
But the result is amazing. So amazing, that i got a little ahead of myself and tried to recreate Kim Gary's famous beef rice with cheese. Unfortunately i didnt have a steam bamboo cooker, so the end looked a bit err, microwaved.

But it still tasted good =) I'll stop experimenting for now, have lots of lovely meat to finish! Signing off
12.30 am, Wednesday, 27.5.09.

Death.

2009-05-24T20:09:00.000+08:00

yikes my mouse is dying. The left button doesn't click anymore....
and so is my bike, its making funny sounds when i ride it... oh well...

It just doesn't get any better than this..

2009-05-24T17:09:00.001+08:00

It just doesn't get any better than this..

2009-05-24T17:09:00.000+08:00

No, i'm not referring to the MSO's Malam Kenduri in Bruce just the other nite. I'm talking about my 10 hour slow cooked herbal chicken (pic) which tastes like it was meant to be. But enough about that. Lets get to the juicy details of last nights "flagship event"...

..which was what the emcee called it. MSO's flagship event. Dictionary.com's defination of flagship is the best or important one of a group or system. ok. Now. bearing in mind that I have friends in all places I'll try to keep the review as err, neutral as possible. and no names =P.

The event started late this year, as usual, at 8 pm. Call me a non-conformist, but i'll break tradition and still love any committee that can start on time =) The theme this year was Wild West, which was nicely spelled out on a board on the stage. A little into the malam a letter fell off to imply something more obscene, but i dont think anyone noticed. Anyway, there were lots of people in checkered shirts, bandanas, cowboy hats, and of course, the props. I think we were all getting a little too violent (and obscene) with all the guns and sabres =)

Not to mention a special horse in a special place!
My friend commented that we all looked like different clans, cos everyone was predictably checkered blue, checkered red, brown, etc.

Now, the food! Oh the food MUST be good! For me an event can have the appeal of 3 hour tutorials, but if the food is good, it saves the day. Now, what do you think when you see this:
No, that brown thing isn't cooked grass, its minced rendang. There was tomato rice, 2 types of chicken (the reason why the malam cost FIVE dollars, instead of four from last year, or so a committee member told me), cabbage, papadam, ONE popiah the size of a Faber-Castel eraser, fruits, and juice and water which they named cactus juice and err.. some venom or poison thingy. Creative names, but it tasted EXACTLY like how it looked. even my macro shots couldn't up (or lower!) the appeal. I liked: the red chicken, and the small popiah. Cabbage and rice i ate out of necessity (veggies!), but i think they overdid it with the rendang. My ex ex ex MSO president told me that the greatest challenge is to provide warm food. But factoring that out, i still saw whole tables with the grass, i mean, rendang and red rice untouched. hmm.. they dont like Malaysian style grass/chicken maybe?

I did like the decorations of the event, especially the stylish booklet each table got. Plus there was this nice pebble and candle centrpiece for each table =) I also give kudos to fast service of liquids, cutlery, and fruits!You can see them rushing about in the background, serving all 250+ of us. Well done!

Moving on to the presentations. First was the Talentime finalists. which was a bit deceiving because everyone sang. croaked. warbled. with a guitar. variety - because a talent shows implies variety - zero. Talent? err, lets not go there. Emcee jokingly explained that they called it Talentime because of discontinuation of Malaysian Idol in Malaysia. hmm. will there be a discontinuation of Talentime in the future? But. Congratulations to the winner =) Her rendition of Zombie (The Cranberries) succeded in sounding excatly like its namsake!

And who can forget (for better or worse) the music of Viva La Vida (Coldplay) and Mr. Brightside (The Killers) being so disdainfully chopped up, mangled, and thrown back to the audience? Their reactions can be seen at right. Some people wondered if it was a parody of the songs. Yes. "Death of music" and "Ruined dinner, bleeding ears" come to mind. And I will not go into how the person holding the drumsticks (I shall not call him a drummer, because he certainly isn't) totally murdered Coldplay. Blame it on Bruce's lack of a professional sound system (It's BRUCE not Llewellyn watdidyouexpect?) and tone deafness, but i personally its a lack of i donno, an actual singer?

The sketch was as usual, nobody past the front tables giving a damn wat was going on when there was food to be eaten. I personally think there were promoting carpets or something. And as usual everyone gave the token applause. On the bright side, I like our new Malaysian High Commissioner (second from left). Mr. N (no names, remember?) seems like a really jolly fellow and not to uptight or anything. He gave a really short speech (I like!) and actually thrwew his hat to the audience! I look forward to seeing what he can do =)

Next was the raffles prize! Most of it went to three tables who between them bought nearly $500 worth of tickets. They must really want that Nitendo DS =P. As for myself i swear to never buy raffles tickets just for the heck of it cos its a waste of money. Yes, this is me being jealous of the winners - who wouldn't be - but congrats =)

Lastly for the guests who did take the initiative and dress up in all weird and wacky ways there were prizes! And i think they looked really cool too (in a wild western sort of way).

Which brings me to the end of my *extensive* review. Sure, some ppl say that at the end of the day what matters most is that people had fun. And its true, in a friendship-experience-with-friends sort of way. I know i had fun =) Only please don't use that as an excuse for sub-par or mediocre quality, especially at a flagship event. As one of my friends told me "I hope people didn't think the same thing about our last years malam!"

Group photo time~

Signing off,
7.30 pm,Sunday, 23 May 09 .

Rush Rush!

2009-05-22T12:39:00.000+08:00

super tired now...
just finished doing
(From Tuesday) clinic 2hourlecture 4hourlab xray 2hourlecture 3hourlab OCFnite 2hourlecture groceries badminton B&Gdinner Afiq'sbirthday hospital 2hourlecture defrostfridge cleankitchen (To Friday)

Interspaced with cook, eat, shower, sleep, study, running here and there trying to be on time.
=) i love the rush!

Update later, nap first...

2.45pm, Friday, 22 May 2009

Real research.

2009-05-15T02:06:00.000+08:00

15 May Friday 3.02 am.

I can’t sleep. I blame it on the stupid essays which screwed up my sleeping clock. OK. now.

Experiment: Last night i had this super brilliant save-the-world idea. You know how when its winter and your whole room gets cold and you need a heater to stay sane? Well, i shifted my heater under my bed, facing upwards! in effect, turning my bed into one huge snuggle blanket! now my bed feels like “its early morning and i don’t want to wake up feeling” ALL the time! its soo super cool! only thing is, its too effective… i already have a hard time waking to my alarms in the morning.. and the morning after i actually overslept my class. hmm.. i shall try varying heat levels to see how late my waking hours get.

Hypothesis: I postulate that as my bed heat levels rise, i will end up oversleeping following a mean distribution, because if its too hot i wont be able to sleep comfotably anyway.

Experiment status: ongoing.

Case study: Last Saturday me and Barney went on a discovery expedition into the unknown to hunt the most elusive creature known to man: a courier parcel that gets sent all over who-knows-where. Me and B had two different packages, by different companies, sent to us in Academie while we were not in. Cos Academie sucks when it comes to reception: they have none! I called the company and they were like “oh, we make our deliveries anytime between 8 am to 5 pm…. i’m sorry, we can’t notify you exactly what time….. i’m sorry the delivery van isn’t allowed to make calls on his routes….”!!! Anyway both our parcels got sent back to the courier’ office. Not it City, not in Belconnen, not even near Tuggeranong! It ended up in some ulu place called HUME. the bus routes didn’t even go anywhere near there! Its actually on the border of ACT/NSW…thats the black line that cuts through the map from N to SW. So we like all expert hunters got into B’s faithful Ford, drove for like 30 mins, bagged our prize, and returned safe!

Results: Protein shakes and documents .(See pic)

Discussion: Courier companies are evil. are bad. want your money. waste time.

Assignment: I have to cook the PERFECT pan friend lab steak by Sunday. 3 days time. My results have been inconsistent. I have gathered some valuable data below:

Deglaze pan before cooking veggies!
Don’t use deglazed sauce if insufficient olive oil has been used in cooking, start from basics.
Save some lamb juice marinade for the veggies
The texture is fantastic when cooked really long. The flip side is the outside is not that visually appealing (see previous post).
When undercooked, the outside looks like a 5 star dish (pic.). Only the meat is slightly (very!) undercooked.
Teriyaki doesn’t do lamb justice. Use Worcestershire sauce instead.
Curry, lemon sauce anyone?

From notes 3 and 4, i suspect more olive oil is needed (3 tablespoons?). I have 2 tries left.

Field research: I transplanted my mustard seeds! Since they have started flowering and grown really big, i tot a new home is in order. Plus i thought that when fully grown, would frame my window very nicely.

Items needed: 2 Rondoletti tins. rubber band, scissors, thick shopping bag, empty soap bottle (as watering can), potting mix, mustard plants

Conclusion: Henceforth i shall refer to my mustard seeds as Cappo and Hazel. Based on the Rondoletti tin flavours. Oh, and coincidently i have a friend named Hazel =P Heres hoping they dont die! The only time i forgot to water them was when i was away for 5 days….

“I rather have an army of rabbits commanded by a lion, than an army of lions commanded by a rabbit” – Jared

How to survive 6 days of zombie infestation, i mean, assignments =(

2009-05-13T22:49:00.000+08:00

10 pm. 13 MAy 2009

Time for a long overdue update on err… stuff! For those of you who didn't know. I just succesfully completed 2 essays in 6 days. Thats right. 4500 words in 6 DAYS!!! i know, i hope this doesnt become a regular thing… For those who haven’t passed this level of imaturity yet, here are some tips on how to get through the bloody essays, assignments, or whatever's stopping you living a happy fulfilled university life.

1. Provisions!

Get ready to bunk down and weather being stuck in your room, on the chair till your neck hurts. I survived on nothing but stew, butter chicken, bread, and cereals for the 6 days. My eating habits became irregular, which i partly blame on the stupid day turning dark too soon. Finally on the last night i cracked and gorged myself on a whole roast chicken. My stomach suffered, but it gave me the energy for the final stretch.

2. Sleep!

Slept at 6 am, woke up 11am, sleep at 7 pm, wake up 10 pm, repeat…

3.Distractions!

All work and no play needs a healthy dose of computer, jumping around, procrastinating, cooking, etc…! on that subject, Bejewelled on Facebook is THE DEVIL. AVOID AT ALL COSTS.

4. Research material.

This is the most unimportant thing. i believe inspiration (last minute panic) is a much better motivator and idea generator.

Now that i’m done, its steak time!! i can’t wait to sink my teeth into some REAL meat…2 feet of subway doesnt count. Dish of the day – Lamb steaks with veggies! Wohoo!

P.S. must remember to achieve the 1 meter mark in Subway next time….

Kai Xun is a veggie-ta-person!

2009-05-06T20:39:00.000+08:00

6 May 2009

Heres hoping my room fire alarm is broken, or at least has low detection. Heres why:

1. Go to B&G to pass pendrive to Karen
2. Bump into Jason
3. Chat. Jason invites me for dinner.
4. Me, being the foodie, agree instantly.
5. Turns out, Jason isn't cooking, but Kai Xun, Su Yin, and Dianne are.
6. I get treated to some veggie pancake with umm celery, crabstick and potato salad. Its official. Kai Xun is a veggie person. No meat!
7. Upon reaching home, I instantly reach for my meat. no not that meat. Get your head out of your pants.
8. Nothing like chips, herb sausages, and buttered mushrooms to cure hunger/meat pangs!
9. Only thing is, herb sausages smoke ALOT. hence my smokey problem.

So yeah, i stopped frying a bit too early cos i was scared the increasing smoke would trigger the alarm. It didn't. And i ended up with slightly raw sausages.
But its better than no meat! =)

P.s. Note, i'm not complaining about dinner =)
Another happy episode by miaow.
10.49 pm. Ta!

Acedemie has fire alarms!

2009-05-05T22:50:00.000+08:00

6 May 2009.

Thats right.. and i didn’t know it worked till this morning! Apparently somebody was cooking at 5.30 AM in the morning!!! you know Canberra mornings.. its pitch black outside!! not to mention freezing cold. But i don’t blame him/her/they for cooking so early. i mean, i can imagine myself waking up early to cook an extra hearty breakfast… herb & garlic sausages, mint scrambled eggs, soup, apples… yummm…

Anyway this person was either too sleepy and as a result smoked his room too much. So the alarm went off, with me trying to sleep.. Finally it got to this unbearable stage and i put on the thickest clothes i had, and went downstairs to exit the building….only to find the fireman saying “ok everyone can go back in now”… =_=””….. i wasted my sleep!!!

anyway, its getting close to that time of the year again..the wishlist! (See last years wishlist here) i know i’m content with the way things are, but my life could always be that bit more juicier =)

1. Bass, Guitar, or Drums!!

Recently i’ve been listening to really good music, and my hands are really really itchy…I soo want one! Notice its an electronic set. I’m considerate of my neighbours too =))

2. iPhone!! or some other smartphone (read: Blackberry Curve!) for that matter..

Yes… after the infamous handphone theft of February i’ve been wanting to get my hands on these babies.

Unfortunately i had to make do with an ancient LG phone instead =(

3. An oven. or slow cooker. Yes, its time my cooking expands beyond the stovetop.

4. Cash. Self explanatory. Lots of it please. Example:

someone could pay all my internet bills =))
someone could pay my handphone bills =))
someone could pay for my supply of shaver blades!

See? money makes the world go round =)

5. For the love of God, NO SHOES!!! I find it so impersonal when someone gives me shoes. Its like "Oh, we don't know what miaow likes so lets just give him shoes! Everyone likes shoes...:

Only shoeholics, not me! Let me get my own shoes thankyouverymuch.

There. And its only 5 items long! No, 4! whoo! I think it reflects on how i found i dont really need alot of things to make me happy. As long as I have God, Family, Food, Friends, i’m content =))

Signing off,

12.48 am. Hopefully there are no fire alarms THIS time.

Autumn’s best

2009-04-29T00:32:00.000+08:00

Some people call it fall. I think i prefer autumn, it has a much more cultured sounding ring to it. The wind is windy, the trees are exploding in all the expected colours. And its raining! Autumn showers are the absolute best, whether you’re chilly caught outdoors or warm behind the translucent glass window.

I went on one of those rare things, oh what was it? A shopping spree! I bought (esentials!) bowls, cooking appliances, and this:

Its a microwaveable steamer! How cool is that! Ok, granted microwaving my food isn’t one of the healthiest options, but if you mix it with steaming it sits somewhere on the average side. Between pan frying and casseroling.

Here is on of the first dishes i experimented with my new steamer: Lamb and potato stew. Which is actually very normal. Recently i discovered that chive-sesame flavoured rice is the GOLD. And now i cook it when ever i cook rice.

MY DREAM. Is to become a chef. it still is. I can pursue it even while doing something else. And above all dreams is one of me winning at least 1 Michelin star with a restaurant in the Gourmet kitchen of the world, France. Ok, Malaysia might be the food capital, but THE BEST is in…there.

Mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup.

Next buy is this! This super gorgeous knitted scarf costs $23, but its super worth it. I especially love that one weave of red and white running down the middle.

I actually hunted for 2 hours for this. Unfortunately i couldn't find any decent pair of leather gloves..

My last super buy is a HEATER. God knows how much i need one. The central heating Acedemie provides just isn’t enough, what with me waking up with feet of ice. I even had to start wearing my jacket indoors!

Dish of my day:Agneau aux abricots et aux noisettes

Signing off, Autumn is the BEST!

Jai Ho!

2009-04-25T22:35:00.000+08:00

Canberra is raining cats and dogs! and at nite too, how nice. I already had a full study session planned with no distractions but i guess rain comes first.
Start studying: Tomorrow!

Also listening to Wes Carr. Hmm.. i think he's good, but i was really looking forward to him doing his versions of classic songs, that show his versatility. but i guess Zhong would love him anyway =P

And so... holidays are coming to an end! wat a wonderful break. Whos says third year is monotonous? Prawn mee, Camp, Taboo, Rain, Friends.

HKSS Avenue of the Stars (what a fancy name!) is coming up, so is a $50 test! whoo! free money! Also more food fests, friends, and stuff. oh yea, and studying too.
Wish i was back in 2nd year, to have 1 more year to do the really important things.
Rain beckons, Sleep! Nites, people.

Foochow Fenner

2009-04-23T12:57:00.000+08:00

You know you can truly tell a Malaysian apart.
I went to Fenner with some friends the other day. supposed to have lunch about one. only thing was, lunch was one and half hours late..

So we were busy cooking, playing pool, when suddenly - the fire alarm rang!

And of course we continued cooking and playing like there was no fire or emergency.
It was like, oh we're in a fire lets hurry up cooking and have our final meal!
Malaysians. oh. and one Indonesian.

But in the end, it was a great meal =)
Thanks to the cooks, Eileen and Aron!

Oh yea, the fire alarm was a fake. I think we're so used to it back home we dont really care anymore =)

I want this

2009-04-21T22:41:00.000+08:00

Tamagotchi Music Star

But OMG i found this SUPER COOL blog la... i wish i had the skill the draw like that....

Newayz go check out his blog at http://www.akiraceo.com/
Seriously damn cool la!

Me Cheenyus!

2009-04-21T17:01:00.000+08:00

Risotto ala Jared

ingredients:
chicken stock
potatoes
LONG GRAIN rice =)))
beef sausages
tomatoes
mushrooms
butter
milk/ cream
herbs to taste
cheese

I did it! I made a dish of risotto using long grain rice! and and it tastes better than the real thing!
ok there probably is a recipe out there somewhere that uses long grain but i dont know that..
Whee! and on my first try too!

Holidays

2009-04-20T03:46:00.000+08:00

Holidays is sleeping at 6 in the morning because I'm with friends, eating beef sausages after, choosing to start my studies when i want because exams are always a thought away.

I'm back!

2009-04-18T18:52:00.000+08:00

I'm back! whoo!After more than a quarter of a year without internet. Its like the air i breathe!

I spent the past internetless-days journeying to the library to use, lugging my laptop around, moping that i couldnt check my assignments, facebook, mail...

Anyway. Its nice to see my blog all readerless and without visitors! Its like being given a clean slate to start over again (Why do my blogs get into these problems?). But its nice! its so boring to start of with an already captivated audience. I hope this blog captures new people, new readers. Finally, a challenge!

So, the quick tour. Up top is a link for those of you who missed the old me. And there are some links to websites i find interesting at that time and stuff.

First of all. Mom, dad, this is what my room looks like

Some of the (many) stuff that i can cook:

And these are a sample of the stuff thats been going on in my life. Of course i can't show 3 months worth of photos here, only those that i took with my camera (before giving up because there was no blog)

As usual, go see the full photos on Facebook.

And for those of you who aren't my mom or dad, stay tuned. I've gone a bit rusty on web editing but with a little practise its gonna get better.

Ciao!

Flying off. for the last time

2009-02-16T15:39:00.000+08:00

Monday 16/2

Yup. Leaving. today. on the next flight out. and perhaps, for the last time. I’ll miss Segamat. home. The erratic sleeping time. The mood induced eating times.

leaving now. missd you, Canberra, will miss you, home =)

3.39 pm

Today 6 arrested for protesting Valentine's Day in India

2009-02-15T02:15:00.000+08:00

Read that here

Sunday Feb 15, 2.30 am

Contrary to my expectations i have finished (well, almost) the coding for my new blog template. Well, credit must be given to umm some unknown schmuk who did the other half of the work. Stupid formatting of html means that i cant post dates or times.
And on Valentines day, to boot!

Some upkeep including the links, and a picture bar will take place, eventually.
Currently it looks like my room! Its in a mess, packing to get back to Canberra. And me? I feel a need to rejoin the rat pack again. Ok, perhaps studies isn't exactly desk grinding as office work, but its still the most important thing in my life at the moment.

Plus plus, I've got accepted to Academie! haha the name makes it sound like some snobby grande hall or something. But its a step for me =)

I expect almost no internet connections when i reach Canberra in 38 hours time. I expect my family will miss me very much as they all do. I expect to see my friends again, making new ones, getting settled in. I expect no one to read this blog for some time because they all think its dead, which gives me a bit more freedom to post my posts.

Time...has it really been 2 years?

Official Launch

2009-02-14T10:42:00.000+08:00

Saturday 14/2

Officially online at... 10.42 am Malaysian time.
I'll think of stuff to write later... have some bugs to iron out...

but to you faithful readers, yes.

I'm Back!

2008-11-27T15:17:00.000+08:00

My blog will have to die for the time being. The strain of no laptop, bad connections, and technical problems have made blogging very difficult.

But It WILL be back.

with a whole new look.

donno when. hopefully in the next month. or so.

Thank you to all the die hard readers.

I wont disappoint!

Going home

2008-11-21T19:41:00.000+08:00

flying back on sunday. will bus to sydney, then plane to kl.

Will try to get my com asap because my blog suffers from lack of events.

Fast, just the way I like it.

2008-11-18T09:00:00.000+08:00

Last week! Last Week! My room smells of cardboard. My future room rocks. Tv for $50. Everything else for happiness. I rant. To much to blog, so little time.

A week of firsts, and lasts. First exam, last exam. New beginnings, old farewells.
I miss.

Going home soon. Love it. love life!

My room no longer smells of cardboard after 2 days. I clean. It looks virgin new.
I feel alive. It's the best of the three weeks. I love.

Even though there are daily people having fun without me, I'm material. Materialistic.
Should i buy? Yes? No?

My future is secure in You.
You are my world. You are my God.

Oh wait just got a call. There goes $500. Yes? No?
Maybe.

Black eyes are deepest.

2008-11-09T22:21:00.000+08:00

It’s definitely black. My eyes. They’re black. Just one of those things about me I’ve never noticed before. I just assume that they are because I always see them from a distance, like how I assume doughnuts are sweet and people stare.

Oh look. I can see the iris. It’s a glossier black.
I turn of my yellow hat covered lamp.

And walk back to my table. Wait, how unflattering. My workstation. There, better. Why oh why does it still look the same? I must have done about a thousand different things to appease my lust for some god dammed thing to do, but it still looks about as inviting as my bed. Which is not really. It’s been what, 2 weeks since I lost it.

No use moping around, I told myself in the first.
Do something, I told myself in the third, after waking up from the progressively messier bed. Not bed. Reality-escape device. Where I wake up wishing dreams were real, even though they feel more real than this.

I’ve done it all.
Read every single word in my room. Every one. I found this old book “How To Be a Happy Teen” which oddly enough doesn’t cover extreme boredom and finished it, just like that.
I’ve planned it all.
Pick up the guitar again. Swim daily. Work. Buy that new friggin life. Relax. Cook. Ahh.., the glorious 3 months.
I’ve planned more.
The new Frisbee training sessions. The arrangement of my new room. Food. Cook. Friends. Going jogging, now.
And then some.
Being an anarchist in each Hall, one a day, and then leaving them to wonder with awe who did it.

But they’re just plans. Illogical thoughts going off like fireworks in my head, even more so these 3 weeks. My room looks the same. The work station is jeering at me, I can feel it. My life in these 3 weeks have settled into a predictable routine, one set by the upper echelons of The Australian National University. People around me live to study, sleep, eat, and study some more. “It’s time to go through what you’ve learned again, You better start soon!” That’s what Dr. Anne Aimola Davies said 5 weeks ago.

3 weeks is more than enough. Beyond that its Abdul Gharib.
Already that wall socket looks so inviting.

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

I walk to the computer lab. No change there. Wait, whats this? I spot two computers where someone forgot to log off. Two! My lucky night.

My greed vs. moral values come up. I bring up my files to print. Greed wins. Oh no! Printer’s out of paper. “Cut down more trees!” I mutter.
I re-justify myself. I would never have printed anyway. I retain my integrity. Morality triumphs again. And laughs over my shoulder.

I know that when I go back to my room, nothing will change. The reality escape device would still be in a mess, my workstation cluttered.
Its like my eyes. Every time I look I expect, no, hope to see a bit more brown. Or some other color. Anything besides the usual numbing situation.

Nope. Still black. I like it that way.

Requiem for a life.

2008-11-03T14:33:00.000+08:00

one week after the unexpected death of the computer.

hmm it's not as..bad as i thought it would be. sure, it gets boring, with some nights there was me eating cheese, alone. drinking whiskey, alone. Sleeping at 9 PM for 3 consecutive nights. Alone.
I know for many people, losing their one thing that keeps them attached to the outside of outside is like losing a right hand.

so I became left handed =P

I learned so many things.
Like how i don't need a computer for what matters.
Like how i don't need a computer to get together
Like how people mean more to me now.
Like how some people who you thought were there weren't, but others whom you never knew, were.

i learned to budget time wisely. Trust me, when you have all the time in the world, like i do, i feel like i want to expereince EVERY SINGLE THING. or its all wasted on sleeping

Studies are picking up, alot. I think its because i have no access to DC, and can't join the gang for nightly CS sessions. which is good.

I must thank Daryl, who continuously put up with me visiting room more often now.
Also my other friends who endured my constant nagging to engage in a game of pool or ping pong.

I'm seeing the world a bit more now.
At first it was bad. Its like a serious case of addiction, only you know its gone.
At one point i nearly bought a Mac! just because it was cheap. Luckily my "sales sense" kicked in last moment.

I still miss my photos in my com though. Hope to get at least those back!
Ta.

Disaster.

2008-10-27T19:13:00.000+08:00

I've got bad news.
My computer died at 2.15 pm. Just died. The screen went blank, it can't start up at all. Countless attempts to start it up has failed. One whole afternoon wasted. I'm typing this in the computer lab.

This will be... a challenge, to say the least.
I'll probably come online twice a day, so please forgive me if i don't reply any mails that fast.
MSN is a distant dream now.

The first challenge is my psych debate, which is tomorrow. I never realised my computer was so important.

It could be good. I mean, it gives me less distraction to study. I mean, there was this case about some girl in malaysia who lived in a poor kampung and still got straight A's for SPM. But then again, you don't really need a com to study for SPM.

Photos from my camera will be an impossibility now.

I can only wish that at the end of these 3 weeks, when i'm back home, they'll be able to retrieve all the precious memories from my com.

Cos thats what matters most.

Celebrations galore

2008-10-25T03:42:00.000+08:00

Foreword: you know how in essays and stuff we have to put citations in? From now on my blog will incorporate citations about people whenever possible. Just click on their name, and you'll see their profile! Ingenious eh?

23.10.08, 6.49 am. I FINISHED my responsibility to the world, now i'm going to run away and join the traveling circus. Ok i'm npt, but this sense of freedom is comparable, seeing as i just finished my FINAL assignment of the year! and not only that, this stupid Social Psycho assignment is like the boss of all asses. I was 1000 words into it and i STILL didn't know what i was supposed to do! but that's done. After haven't slept for 2 days. life is good.

So how does a person celebrate? seeing as my exam is just NEXT MONTH, that i planned a personal break that lasts for 2 days, up to friday. so this is what i did. In the pictures you can see the effect of finishing the bloogy assignments: no more bags under eyes! its like they miraculously disappeared =)

6.49 am. Resumed playing Chrono Cross. a very much appreciated thank you to Natalie who gave me the emulator =)) its a bit outdated, but like most RPG's by Square Soft, the story is excellent

8.00am. Went down for breakfast

8.30am. Resumed playing Chrono Cross

1.00 pm. Went down for lunch

2.00pm. Resumed playing Chrono Cross

3.00 pm. Went for Organisational Behavior tutorial. boring as usual

4.15 pm. Resumed playing Chrono Cross. Daryl came over and we started playing Dawn of War: Soulstorm. The replayability value on this is superb. 9 races to play wohoo!

6.00 pm. Resumed playing Chrono Cross.

6.15 pm. Showered, changed, dressed up, for now its time for VALETE! yes! THE dinner of the year that can get EVERYONE to go out clubbing (except Jason, who should read my previous blog on LIVING), dancing, drinking later, Its like a gala AGM/award dinner/party.

What party is complete without babes?

Appetizer: some sprouts rolled in salmon. Rating? err..iori's nicer (of course!) Lol everythin with raw salmon in it gets compared to Iori's for me.

Zhong should use this pic as his FB profile la!

Me with the future IR, and the next 2 sub deans. Congrats to Ada, Natalie, and Mos!

Dinner was served alternatively, but we're so used to it and just swap for wahtever we want lol.

Lamb chops + Chicken = Lamb chippen! Note the pear stuffed in the chicken. Delicious!

The darling Indian couple, Dhanit and Dianne!

....just kidding....

....Dianne pls don't kill me...

Me and Zhong trying to do the Joker smile... failing miserably..

Chia Yuen accepting her Valete gift which was surprise surprise, a PEN! I don't think Ursies can get any cheaper than that! at least it had "Ursula Hall" engraved on it. oh wait. its printed. I stand corrected

Dessert is err.. err...suger frosted biscuit sandwich with berries and mousse?

Korean and Japanese! woohoo!

9.00 pm. Dinner ended. Preparations were made to go out. Plan? Play bridge till 10.45, then off we go!

9.30 pm. Played big two in Daryl's room, after a plan to scare the girls failed. Sorry Dianne, I PROMISE to play bridge. Anyway, we planned to play it AFTER the clubbing.

10.45 pm. we're off to Moose for a night of debauchery and depravity! just kidding.

I only managed to get one clear picture with my hp. As a rule, i NEVER bring my camera there, except on special occasions. I don't trust myself when high.

But it was great fun. Jason missed out cos he WANTED TO SLEEP. Omgoodness. so killjoy. At least Dhanit went for all 5 MINUTES. before chickening out and going back.

Apparantly on the same night there was Octoberfest going on at Unibar. Unfortunately i found out about it the next day. Damn!

24.10.08 2.15 am. Finished clubbing. Off for pizza and chicken gourmet! Note that by this point i haven't slept in the past 54 hours and 15 minutes.

3.am. reached back Ursies. Originally planned to play bridge. and Chrono Cross, till the next day. But we were too bushed and fell asleep almost immediately. Thats the sign of a successful clubbing =)

10.30 am. Woke up, cancelled a Iori's booking for Barney, who unfortunately couldn't make it.

11.00 am. Confirmed to meet at Iori's at 1 pm with the otters. Resumed playing Chrono Cross.

12.30 pm. Reconfigured the songs in my trusty Bean. Then off to Iori's!

1.00 pm. Iori's was great. Great. Great! its so nice planning nice events for everyone, even more so when everyone enjoys it =) Thanks for coming along guys!

Lol i again found a new way to eat food! Octopus tongue!

How come ppl say don't play with your food? someone pls enlighten me.

2.30 pm. Bought ice cream on the way back.

3.00 pm. Reached back Ursies. Slept/played games/ browsed internet till dinner. I also had to go get washing powder from Jason as i had run out. Turns out he had like, half a 5 kg bag left! So he was more than happy to give away some. Free is good!

6.00 pm. Dinner. Which was a disappointing schnitzel. It's sad to think that if i wasn't so lazy, i could be eating at Mamak Corner. Only i had to catch the 6.19 bus in City. Sorry Xiu Qi! Maybe next time..

6.30 pm. Left dinner in a hurry after some idiot at our table started singing "She'll be coming round the mountain" horribly. Fell asleep.

11.45 pm. Woke up. Felt bad cos i missed Daryl in action at talent show, but strangely enough had a dream about him singing about "ice cream and a 2000 word limit". And he won first place (which also happened in my dream)

25.10.09 1.00 am. Blog time! long time no update =) Also had to do laundry. Its so nice to do it when you don't have to wait for other people

2.45 am. Went to Daryl's room to eat instant noodles (Thats TWO packets you owe me!) and watch The Happening. Daryl seemed to like it alot. But i think it was just for thrills. No story one.

4.30 am. Started watching Wanted. John was awake! and gave us some tea =) thanks!

6.00 am. Stopped watching wanted cos the sun was rising and Daryl wanted to sleep.

6.20 am (Now). back to blogging

And thats the best way to celebrate. Ever. =) I of course plan to play Chrono Cross again later after some sleep (And breakfast!) But who can say what the future is? =)

Days gone by...

2008-10-24T21:37:00.000+08:00

I was eating dinner, sitting opposite Nick (a result of Ursies limited seating options), and as all guys who knew each other long enough, our conversation turned to Counter-Strike.

Nick: so, i heard Davidson is really good at playing cs

Me: yea! if he sees you he just needs 1 shot to kill you (as in real life!)

Nick: Really? you know i played CS when i was young.

And then the frame froze, and my internal monologue took over. When he was young? that was just like, when he was 15 maybe? I played CS when i was 15 too! Come to think of it...do i use the phrase "when i was young"? Did time really fly that fast? Am i considered "old" or "not young" anymore? I'm just 21!

How fast do we grow up...Since those carefree (PTS, UPSR, PMR, SPM) days? Oh i forgot, PTS doesn't exist anymore, another reminder of how impermanent even the most shocking of things may seem.

I remember "when i was young" the life changing decision that made me me in Standard 4. And i think... i've finally reached another point. Yes, Jared, you're young, but not in that sense anymore.

You've worked, experienced life, university, and done things a 15 year old could only dream of.

So does that mean i can graduate to use that phrase "when I was young" for stuff in my high school days?

Umm..the answer is...

yes.

I'll now throw it away, that mantle i've had since Standard 4. The personality stays, but its running with a different engine now.

Its finally time..to grow up.

Me: Hmm i used to play CS when i was young too!

Nick: Yea, its amazing how CS is still around lol. so many years.

Will our kids be playing CS? =) It'll be...heartwarming to see the next generation play our games, experience our joys, relive our days.

The world will be theirs. But for now, it's still ours =)

Live life for all it has. We've grown, but we'll still grow. One day we'll look back and say, "Yeah, i went to university when i was young"

halfway.. there

2008-10-19T06:13:00.001+08:00

FINISHED MY ESSAY

ONE MORE

TO GO.

die.
c'mon Jared! think of the Iori's at the end.

halfway.. there

2008-10-19T06:13:00.000+08:00

FINISHED MY ESSAY

ONE MORE

TO GO.

die.
c'mon Jared! think of the Iori's at the end.

2008-10-15T22:57:00.000+08:00

15.10.08

Today I finally feel like i'm me again. this past week i've been so stressed and it shows.

The stupid MGMT2007 MID SEMESTER exam is over. And i've been stressing over it for days, added to that stress is the criminal psych essay and social psych essay.

And its over. To you youngsters who think of taking it next year, DONT. first, the lecturer is SLOW. Not slow as in behind schedule, hes actually, physically, slow. his speech can put a tin of red bull to sleep, i'm serious.

But to be optimistic, my essay is like, 70% finished! looks like i'm on schedule. The holidays came and went. Just like that. It was a break that we oh so badly needed =)

Exams in a month! i still can't help feel bitter that my stupid exam dates are the LAST 3 DAYS of the exam. And then got storage. and packing. and going HOME. so many things to do. All done a step at a time. praise God for His graciousness.

I love Wall-E. I love Wall-E. I love Wall-E. I love Wall-E. I love Wall-E. I love Wall-E. I love Wall-E. I love Wall-E. I love Wall-E. I love Wall-E. I love Wall-E. I love Wall-E. I love Wall-E. I love Wall-E. I love Wall-E. Maybe more than Dark Knight. That much.

And then hor, fluff is falling. It gets everywhere, my mouth, all over, when i cycle or walk. But i realize one thing. This year students who actually start studying when the fluff falls are lucky first year undergraduates. Ppl like me still have assignments, essays, quizes and whatnot to finish BEFORE i can start studying. Again, Malaysian stupidity in ANU system.

kk, hope this is a sufficient update for the time being, i have to get back to my essay.

Hiatus

2008-10-13T10:42:00.000+08:00

Stressed, will post in a week.

Day #13

2008-10-09T16:37:00.000+08:00

9.10.09

Warning: narcissistic content ahead

Status :

Social Psych Essay - untouched, going to die
Criminal Psych Essay - not started, panicking
Organizational Behavior Exam - haven't started, death
~~Finish Dawn of War =)~~ - finished! thinking of playing another race
~~Do some blog upgrades~~ -will do it end of this year
~~Get rested!!!~~
~~Floriade~~
~~Nara Festival~~
~~Tamy's coming -~~ came and went
A few birthday's to celebrate. - a few more to go!

As you can see, my statuses are going quite well.. according to plan.

Now. If some of you observant people have been noticing, the past photos of me had me sporting something a little more than a five 0' clock shadow.

Ok. I was doing this experiment to see how far i could go before i transitioned from rugged to haggard.

The conclusion? SIX days is the limit i can keep it till i look like a street bum. I'll admit, even street bums have that romantic musical quality about them, but not when a black monstrosity is hanging from their chin.

Comments from the past 8 days include:

"It suits some people, too bad you're chinese"

"I think its better with dark skin"

"It doesn't suit your thin frame la"

"Shit i'm so jealous i wish i could also grow one"

"You look very rugged la"

"Actually its very nice, only your face spoils it"

LOL!

I've decided, that i can still see myself as stylish and cool and hot up till day 6, then i can't take it anymore.

So, after EIGHT days of letting it grow, trimming the sides, and shaping it, I shaved it off in less than 10 minutes!

After 8 days:

Clean cut:

which do you prefer?

now, how many of you can say they tried growing a beard during their hols? On another note, i have to cut my hair....

Best Of The Holidays Award

2008-10-09T12:37:00.000+08:00

It's rare that i give out these awards, the criteria being it must contain the essence of what makes that holiday memorable, must be characteristic of that holiday period, and must be so life changing. Given the hard criteria to fulfill, there are holidays with no awards given.

The only other time i gave this award was here. Read it!

Anyway, this time around, there is a clear winner. Iori's! Click here for the website! It certainly made my holidays, especially because i ate here TWICE in 3 days!

Although the place stops short of providing a FULL authentic Japanese ambience, the food more than makes up for it.

Not just pleasing to the palate, but also aesthetically pleasing too!

This only cost $15!

Tamy called the the most delicious pieces of dead fish EVER.

Here we can see pieces of blue fin tuna, and the more jelly like part is actually OOTORO, or fat from the tuna's belly. The GOLD

This pink stuff is supposed to be fish fluff! wow! The green stuff is the ever ubiquitous wasabi. The real kind. Sweet and fragrant, with only the "pow" at the end. Not like the cheap quality ones you get in packets.

OMG heaven!

There are THREE kinds of roe given, green is PRAWN roe, The huge orange ones are deep sea tuna, while the smaller orange ones are freshwater roe.

The lunch here costs around $15-$17 !! and thats cheap! It's really filling, and coming from me, you know it is. A pity dinner can go up to $60. And so whats stopping this place from becoming a true gem is dinner prices. So we only eat here for lunch. Good enough!

Happy faces from the expert panel of judges =)

Day #06 - #08

2008-10-09T12:07:00.000+08:00

Warning: narcissistic overtones included

02.10.08 - 04.10.08

Tamy came to visit! ahh.. for 3 glorious days me, Daryl brought her around Canberra, mostly civic, and skipped ursies meals! wohoo! This blog is more of details of our eating escapades. Cos thats what boys always plan. If you want to go sightseeing and stuff, go ask a girl to plan the trip =)

First stop was Iori's! Which Tamy gave 5 stars, and my stomach gave 10 =)

We saw this man busking (a new word i learnt!) somewhere in Civic. Daryl wanted to apprentice under him lol

Tamy in ANU!

We explored some places i've never been to, like the Art School wow! i should go there again... when i feel like it lol

Us at Koko Black. Tamy gave the mousse "to die for" ratings, but didn't like the other stuff as much. I personally think we didn't eat enough chocolate lol.

This is at the Sizzle Bento branch in City. Its not as good as the ANU branch, smaller servings. Cliched sushi bits, and the teriyaki pork had too little rice for my taste.

What do all girls want to go see in Canberra in spring ? Floriade! So i had to drag my butt there for the second time. Daryl said it was his first time there this year, so he couldn't imagine the boringness i was going through.

Tamy looking at art :

There was this bonsai tree exhibit which i think was the most interesting plants around. Better than stinky old tulips anyway.

One thing i realized is that i look damn good in photos! All the time i've been taking pic of myself from arms length, and the occasional photos from friends. Tamy however, kept taking pics of me and Daryl! Daryl looks like normal, but hansemnya saya!

Of course we took lots of group pics =)

Some shiny thing we found

Too cute for words toddler!

Besides Floriade, we passed time playing our favourite INTI game : cho dai di!

Tamy with the sheep all tourist pose with =P

This is at Izumi. Verdict? Cocorea is nicer.

Other places we ate was of course, Happy's, the new Vietnamese restaurant, and Pancake Parlour.

Tamy, it was lovely having you over. Missing you already! =)

Day #01 part 2

2008-10-09T10:45:00.000+08:00

27.09.08

5.00 pm. After the floriade we walked to the Nara festival across the bridge. Actually until today i have no idea why they celebrate it.

But as Yoshi said, there was good food! though not exactly cheap, but "try at least once" kind of cheap.

First thing i say was lots of people flying kites. Australia not like singapore, got power lines everywhere. But i expected to see those Japanese kites, the ones that looked like fish and people with frowny faces.

Also, there was this road bike show! which kinda looked out of place. hmm.. maybe all Japanese brands? Yamaha, Honda, Boon Siew.. oops. =P

And they even had this balloon water game! ,which as Yoshi explained to me, was a common street trick to get money off children in Japan lol!

I also noticed, there were LOTS of Japanese ppl there! How come i never see so many in City or ANU? Thats my friend Aaron dressed up as a...geisha? Not sure =P got shocked 4 years off my life when i saw him!

Thats Chern working one of the stalls. Selling curry rice, tempura cheese balls, and other stuff. He so kindly gave us lots of coupons to eat free at his stall! Later he complained that the money made was "not that much" Hmmm... wonder why?

The cheese tempura balls were a novelty, but really not worth the price lo. And the curry tasted EXACTLY like my mom's cooking! Like her chicken stew, just a little bit sweeter. Who knew?

Other stuff was kendo demonstrations...

...Really huge character writing....

...And mochi making! and they gave it away free!

Top left: this one was a salty type, with algae on top.

Top right: Sweet, with peanut bits!

Bottom left: I liked this the best! it was cold, with sweet red bean paste!

Of course the best food i liked there was TAKOYAKI! Note to you ppl, if you want to buy my friendship, give me lots of takoyaki. I just can't get enough of those octopus-filled dough balls !!!

Here are some volunteers preparing for the night's candle garden.

This is Tomomi and Yoshi

One of the main events was a stage with shows and stuff.

We all sat on the grass, picnic style, and had a great time! And thats me with some play props =)

This is me with a Pikachu mask. I think they do this in Japan. Jason : This looks like Anbu! (Naruto quote).

Of course the highlight of the festival was the candle garden. Candles + garden = beautiful. I like how it says that ordinary things can look so nice together =)

And i think any festivals that are this ancient have some degree of magic to them. I think i caught a hint of magic in the following shots.

This is better than floriade! and its natural!

I caught a fairy running across the grass. wow.

Too two cute girls!

The togetherness that friendship brings =)

Day #01 part 1

2008-09-29T06:30:00.000+08:00

27.9.08

Status :

Social Psych Essay - untouched
Criminal Psych Essay - not started
Organizational Behavior Exam - haven't started
Finish Dawn of War =) - working on it!
Do some blog upgrades -will do soon
~~Get rested!!!~~
~~Floriade~~
~~Nara Festival~~
Tamy's coming - Thursday
A few birthday's to celebrate. - hehe. secret!

Wohoo!! what a busy day! Just what the doctor ordered.

12 pm - wake up. Lunch

2 pm - Went off to Floriade with Yoshi, Don, and Natalie. We walked there, reaching about umm 3. cos we got a bit lost on the way.

Floriade was so boring. I don't know anyone who would hang out there except family with children. I wouldn't go there again. Unless there was free food. which there wasn't.

<----- This was the first patch of flowers i saw when i went there. disappointed.

But some patches looked nice though. At least this year they had more than tulips. Click on the pics for a bigger version.

Hello, whats this? It's a garden gnome! One solitary gnome!

Heres some gnomes.

I think they're damn scary la. In malaysia you would call them hantu or something but here in aussie noooo its CUTE! Omgoodness imagine a whole horde of them invading your home.

Can you see the Phua Chu Kang gnome in picture? Hint* he's between Mickey gnome and apan gnome. Most countries sent a gnome for the festival. And. typical of Malaysia, they forgot to show up.

Me being a gnome:

Now. Being a typical guy, my camera was more interesting than the flowers. Time for a lesson! My camera has a hidden manual function which allows me to choose the focus point of my photos.

<---This is a near focus point.

...and a medium focus point. Note you can see the daisies just below the tulips clearly, but not the ones near us or the tulips themselves.

And this is a far focus point. Now the tulips are sharp.

Some other stuff i saw was : a stupid side show, spring duck chicks, and cute toddlers.

AND OMG I SAW STAN LEE!!!!!!!

To finish, here are the TOP #6 photos i took which are like, the best in all

# 6 # 5

#4 This proves that black is beautiful. Even in flowers.

# 3 This could have been first, but i didn't get the focus on the stamens properly.

# 2 This was a hard choice between # 1

# 1 I like how the other flowers frame the middle (example of middle focus). But goes to show that people are important to help you stand out and be your best. Even in the crowd, we have our individual beauty.

A special mention to Natalie Kang's photo too, which reminds us about racial harmony.

And now, on to the Nara festival!

Day # 00!!!!

2008-09-29T05:19:00.000+08:00

Holidays are here!!! and i just finished class. social psych, no less. Telling us how good and evil is just a flip of the coin, bla bla..

but lets forget that. After class me and Daryl went out for lunch to celebrate! Unfortunately Iori's was closed. Shogun was closed. In the end we went to supabarn, bought a whole chicken, and ate taht. Ahh.. its great to be male!

I spent the rest of the day playing Dawn of War and ping pong. AND dinner was chicken kiev! - leftovers from Spartos.

Now.

Plans for break.

Social Psych Essay - 2000 words
Criminal Psych Essay - 2000 words
Organizational Behavior Exam - 7 chapters
Finish Dawn of War =)
Do some blog upgrades
Get rested!!!
Floriade
Nara Festival
Tamy's coming
A few birthday's to celebrate.

There.

that doesn't look too hard. Holidays here i come!

Week 10, Day -1

2008-09-28T20:40:00.000+08:00

Thats negative ONE more day to the hols. And what do i have the next day but a stupid mid sem exam. on serial killers no less. Plus i wasn't feeling that good that day.

But there was spartos (Sports and Arts Award). Which was good. no, ok only. the food also i can cook better...

Drool on.. we had chicken kiev. which was THE only time we had it this year. Another reason why i hate this place.

Notice i don't smile so much when i'm stressed. I wasn't feeling too good that night, cos i had an exam the next day. I excused myself early to go sleep, i mean, study.

Week #09

2008-09-28T06:28:00.000+08:00

The week before.

Nothing much really.. just went to the new Direct Factory Outlet in Fishwyk

My trophies

Total cost = $34. A little over RM 100.

I so rock.

Oh yeah, that, and studying for stupid psycho papers.

Bleh.

Stress. Stress. But we all can feel the holidays. Its coming.

Read only if Mature.

2008-09-23T04:24:00.000+08:00

Pendahuluan

One day I was in class, sitting up a bit higher than the midline, so if I fell asleep the lecturer wouldn’t catch me. Not that he does, anyway.
Yeah, so he was like “In the brain, the visual stream processing in V1 can generally be broken down to the dorsal (V5), and ventral (V4) path way".

What I heard was “…brain…break down…”
And I started thinking, in class, of a brain. That suddenly grew hands and legs. And started doing hip hop. And there was this music going Break, b-break, break it down!
And then everyone in class started dancing.

Which was weird.
So yeah, that’s what I get for skipping breakfast. The bacon god is punishing me.

Another thing, I blame THE BLOODY STUPID SEMESTER FORMATION for making us all edgy. Eugene’s blog is starting to go emo. I’m getting to be more moody, as seen in previous posts. Hazel’s new blog is BLACK, not pink! (no offense, Zel!) Daryl is starting to look like Shern Ren (again, no offense to both).
And everyone I talked to is feeling drained. Most of the time, anyway.
Please, please bring back a mid semester break that is actually in the MIDDLE.

Now.
On to the good stuff.

Isi 1

Recently Chiox came under fire because of how he umm worded his criticism on MSO and MASCA? And apparently someone didn’t like it.
Now for once I’m not involved, and I’m not going to open up that can of worms, but having had the same problem previously I can identify with him.

And then Shuey and Yeam commented about how blogs are personal, bla blabla, so we should have freedom to type, bla bla..

But then some people don’t like it, but not because we or they are wrong, but its because we have different stands on issues. Apparently in blogs heated comments often rear their heads, some constructive, some being a pain in the ass.

The question is, should blogs be a totally free-for-all thought recorder? And if so, how should people respond to that?

Now first I would like to draw your attention to some recent cases in Malaysia, where bloggers have been detained under the ISA for writing uh..damaging stuff about our ‘truly Asian’ country. ISA claims to be protecting the security and peace of our country which otherwise would go all May 13 (which, by the way, could NEVER happen again) and…doomsday. Or something like that. That’s their excuse? In the first place, I don’t believe in the reality of us, civilized people, being involved in the uprising of races (but we could be pushed to it, if said situation continues). C’mon, this is the same shock and fear tactics the Gestapo used under Hitler to oppose the Jewish people, following which they had to run and hide.

But I’m getting away from myself here.

The Malaysian arrests represent ONE end of the extremity, where people take (often unjust) action against bloggers who are purportedly utilizing their right to free speech under the “freedom of cyberspace” assumption.

On the other hand, we can see that too much free speech, like in America, gives way to weirdos. Like the Raelian sect who said we were cloned by aliens. Or gay protests against governments. Not that I have anything against gays, but can you imagine if we had a gay uprising in.. lets say… Seremban? Pak Lah would have a heart attack, and then Najib would take over and everyone would be given anti-gay brainwashing. Or something like that.

The thing is. Its often hard for us bloggers, to walk that fine line between our rights to free blogging, and the point where it is damaging to people. Maybe this sense of freedom is (falsly?) afforded to us because of deemed anonymity of cyberspace. Of course not everyone would like what we write. People like anonymous Insensitive Prick write back. We argue back and say that “it’s OUR blog, don’t like it? Go write your own!”

Shuey commented that she’d rather not blog if she knew certain people frequented her words.
Chiox (and me!) got in arguments because we criticized the outcomes of events.

Isi 2

But then

Wasn’t the purpose of us blogging in the first place to let people KNOW what we think?

Granted, there are different types of blogs and not all have the purpose of being an opinionated one.
Ours, that expresses our opinions, food blogs (which I frequent a lot), report blogs, photo blogs, personal blogs, a mixture of these, and so much more. Out of all these, it is our type (the diary/opinion/expression) blogs that have the most social impact among people we know, how it can change relationships, foster new ones. Which is why when we ever DO publish reputation damaging stories, most of the time we change or hide names of people involved.

But THAT’S NOT THE POINT.
I mean, I remember when I first started this blog, what I wanted was for people to READ it, read my thoughts on stuff, and somehow, at a much deeper level, agree with me.
I was looking for people to know how I felt and identify with me.
Shuey, i don't know about you, but i actually WANTED people to read my blog.
Do you remember your feelings and aspirations when you first blogged, that "Yes! My friends can know what i think about this now!" feeling?

Or else whats the point of blogging your thoughts at all? Sure, you can say it was for personal diary thoughts, personal feelings, which were meant for you and you only. But then, why let others know about it? Some people, go to lengths to protect their thoughts, allowing only people with passwords, telling only a select few, screening visitors, etc.

A friend of mine has an even better solution. He writes IN HIS COMPUTER. He doesn’t blog it, but he keeps an electronic diary. In this way he’s free to write whatever, whoever, and however.

But for US. Who keep public blogs. That potentially ANYONE with internet can view. What was our purpose? I remember it clearly.

TO HAVE A VOICE.

And not just that, but TO BE HEARD as well.

And so. Our kind of blogs. Were meant for us to connect with people. Which means that like it or not, people whom we disagree with can read it. For they too have the right to BLOG. They too can blog that “oh, today Jared made an idiot of himself when he started break dancing in class”, or “Jared can suck a cows balls (no offense to Indians) because he so pisses me off”

Yeam said it very nicely.

"at times..u feel that it's ur blog..u can write anything u want..but want it or not..there're still some personal stuffs that u can't pen..especially with the increase publicity of ur blog"

The answer? Yes, blogs are free for all, but inevitably we will, and are going to step on someone’s shoes with our writing. And of course they’ll respond, cos its their right too. And maybe because we wanted to connect with people in the first place we get so riled up that someone out there doesn’t agree with us. Maybe also because we think that our illusion of cyberspace anonymity and confidentiality is breached.

Solution? I propose that RESPECT and WISDOM can help. Alot.

Respect that when other’s blog it is their thoughts, and how they feel, and they have a right too.
Wisdom to know when to blog in increasingly public blogs about increasingly private matters. For goodness sake if you really want to connect with people on REALLY personal matters DON’T blog it! TALK to the select few people. Theres more connection anyway. And if you still can't resist that technological edge, start an electronic diary, email, msn, BUT not a blog.

Sigh.. we didn't have this problem back in the days of paper diaries and journals. =P

Penutup

To end with a true story.
On the day the Torch came to Canberra, the whole place was RED. Chinese everywhere. I was walking back on the main bridge, when some local Aussies wearing pro-Tibetan tshirts and carrying this HUGE sign saying “FREE TIBET” ran across the bridge.

Yes, the bridge with more than 500 Chinese people on it. And they had only FOUR. Naturally some Chinese got angry, took the sign, and threw it over the bridge. A fight nearly broke out.
And can you believe this, one of the protesters involved took out a camera and started taking photos of the angry Chinese mob! Next moment, camera goes flying over the bridge too.

And he nearly got beaten up. Thank God the police showed up in time.

Much later on, he complained that carrying an anti-China sign was his right to free speech, and who were they (the Chinese) to do anything about it? Furthermore he said that taking photos was his right too, because he wanted to show his friends what Chinese people really are.
Please. For goodness sake. Use WISDOM! be wise! at least have some street smarts.

How do I know all this? I was 5 feet from the fight and nearly got dragged into it. Some Chinese people even gave me funny looks when I didn’t shout pro-China slogans with them.

Bloggers out there, please don’t end up like that guy. Yes we have rights, but then again, we have brains.

Moral: Respect and wisdom goes a long way.
Now. I have to sleep. Exam. Again, stupid timetable =(

P.s. I hope ISA can ignore that ONE paragraph about them.

First Class

2008-09-20T22:42:00.000+08:00

Something to remind some people, and maybe myself.

Did you ever hear these words? ...anyone will taste humiliation once or twice...A person that never suffered from it doesn't exist.

But the first class players...will quickly stand up. The average players will stand up after a little while.
And the losers will keep lying on the ground.

No matter how much you're knocked down, theres still a fire burning in your eyes. You...aren't losers.
Without doubts, you're first class players.

- Takaeru Yamato, Eyeshield 21

Random Thought

2008-09-19T06:24:00.001+08:00

I notice that with the exception of some formal events, the amount of stubble on my chin is proportionate to how much stress i have.
To put it simply: I shave less when i'm more stressed.
Currently my face is taking on some 5 o' clock shadow-stye-ish type of beard. I haven't shaved in maybe 4 days.

Heck. It's even getting harder to shower.
But i still do.
Just so you know.

Oooo I feel so evil.

2008-09-19T06:24:00.000+08:00

First things first.
I FOUND by rabbit bag!!!

Now. This morning, for the first time in maybe like a fortnight, i actually had a nice good proper breakfast.
Bacon, french toast, tomatoes, eggs.

Ok in reality it was more like almost burnt pieces of pork lard with the barest traces of flesh, eggs suspended in its own cooking fluids, and amazingly passable french toast. And apple juice.

So there i was, in my pj's eating breakfast. When this person decides to plunk his plate down in front of me. I presume it was to eat breakfast.

Now like any self-respecting student who spent the entire night studying, I was feeling rather zombie-ish but nevertheless still had the social adequacy to strike up a conversation.
And then i realised.

You know how it absolutely gets on your nerves when a person just stares at your food? Well, he was doing just that. I mean like, c'mon stare all you want, I don't give a damn, but at least have the courtesy to say something. And I don't even know you that well. His look was like all high and mighty, and i could swear he was actually looking disgusted.

His internal monologue: "Hah! Jared! Thats the most disgusting piece of sorry excuse for breakfast I've ever seen! If the taste doesn't kill you, the fat will! ooo I can just hear your arteries clogging. And let me tell you, it sounds like my sink....."

...and you get my drift.
Yes, i know
And i don't mind some handsome ape coming and telling me that my breakfast is not healthy, but please, you look like you're a star from Big Bang Theory. Glasses, nerd hair, omgoodness the hair! Its like living proof that ET's are among us. Because they must have cut it. Seriously it looks like this:

I was going to ask why me food looked so damn interesting but was afraid i'd burst out laughing.
Hah! take that!
Zombie Jared 1
Alien head 0

And I found my rabbit bag under a table in one far-away corner. For the purpose of this blog I'll assume Alien head hid it and put it there.

A new direction.

2008-09-19T02:51:00.000+08:00

First and foremost, don’t read this blog if you’re easily offended by foul language or some such shit. Or you just might change your opinion of me. Expletives are abundant. And If you don’t know what expletives mean, then you don’t have the brains to be even reading this in the first place.

And if you’re still reading now, don’t blame ME for getting offended. Blame your own stupidity. You have been warned.

Around 4 am this morning, give or take a few minutes, I was the victim of a brutal assault on ANU campus grounds. Now I won’t bother with the details, only that I was coming back from one of the finer “establishments” of this city’s old wastes. My skull has a hairline fracture to it, my tongue got cut in two, I’ve had one of my testicles smashed, and I’m typing this fucking blog with only one hand because the other is in a cast. I was assaulted with baseball bats, run over by motorcycles, and had a tree branch stuffed up my anus. And then I passed out from fear or pain. At the moment I can’t feel my lower legs, probably due to lacerations I received to the lower spinal cord. Also, I’ll probably have to speak with this stupid voicebox thing on my throat for the next 3 months. Throughout the attack, which involved 3 large men and a hippo, all I could think of was getting home alive to do my Social Psych quiz which I’ve been putting off for 3 days. Never put off till tomorrow what you can do today.

Now all that is a lie. But if I think of it a nice little assault, heck lets even have me set on fire, would be a better story to tell than this.

Alas there were no smashed testicles or assault, but yes there was the fucking quiz. Wait no. There IS the fucking quiz, which sits under my laptop at the current moment, waiting for the last hinges of desperation to get my brain starting.

Wait.

Now what’s with this suddenly evil entry I hear you ask? Let me ask you something in return. You think some handsome guy like me only thinks about all the happy things in the world like all my previous entries? Oh for goodness’ sake. Heart symbols that decorate the blog? Faith, hope and love? Cute soft toys? Please. That’s just ONE part of me, that I show to you. And if any of you out there think that Im superficial enough to actually have my personality as “I love people! I’m so happy with the world!” ALL THE TIME, then you’re just fooling yourself.

I wonder when I started blogging for the public rather than myself. I too, sometimes think the world would be better off without some fucking idiots. If not your world, then MINE. Because the only opinion that counts in this blog is MINE.

Yes, I am still the same person who prioritizes God, Food, Family, Friends, above ALL else, but I also am like YOU, who have deep things that you do not say in public, who thinks some people you talk to are assholes, who have the same anger, prejudiced, lusts, hates, and all other sins.

Yes, hate me for it. Say “but we’re not like that!”, and go live your happy rabbit-filled lives in denial, or ignorance.

But I’m not like that. I KNOW I have this Darth Vader-esque dark side. And I know you have too. But the difference is I’m NOT AFRAID OF IT. I don’t ignore it. I deal with it.

But of course, it’s not socially acceptable. SUCK IT UP.

Did you know? Smiles make friends.

But they’re also cheap. And so easy to mask any rotten thoughts I’m thinking.

Don’t take me at face value. You'd just be as shallow as everyone else. Know me for my sins, my flaws, my evil side, as well as the good. And THEN if you’re still there, you’re real. And I’d sacrifice my eye for you. Anytime. Well, twice. Because I only have two.

When I went to sleep today, I had one simple plan. Wake up for hash browns, bacon, and some nice tomatoes. Because it’s just the best way to start. Then go to class fresh and bright.

And at 5 AM in the fucking morning some IDIOT comes banging on my door, waking me from precious sleep, wondering what the hell is going on. Moral is: DON’T ever wake me at 5 am in the fucking morning. I’ll be all “oh its OOKKKK” and fine and all, but deep down I’m making a voodoo doll of you and biting your eyes off.

And guess what? It turned out that Hector and the Booty Inspectors was doing the video part for the music video thing at a carpark opposite Pauline Griffith building at 5 AM in the morning! In the first place. Who the HELL calls their band such fucked up names? Sure it grows on you and shit, but certainly not when you’ve just woken me up to record early in the other side of night...

And heres the reason I hate myself, but my friends love me.

After 20 minutes of God awful banging, it stopped. And I went back to bed. I already switched off my phone and unplugged the room phone. But then my conscience decided to wake up.

“Wake up and GO for the video! It’s your part in the band!”

“I’m sleeping shaddup!”

You HAVE to GO! You already said you’d DO the video!”

“Fuck you I’m not moving. I already turned off the phone, have a perfect excuse and I haven’t slept like this in 2 weeks!”

At this point my conscience starts bitch slapping me around saying “You know this is the LAST time you’ll all be together…Maddy’s going to Rome next year? Where’s your sense of friendship? Don’t ruin this for them”

Oh fuck. It hit my soft spot like a boxer going for a low blow

And at 5.20 I was in the courtyard, wearing my super awesome Timberland jumper, and long pajama pants! Everything was cold. If hell was cold then I was standing at its gates. And i was standing there like the biggest idiot in the world, freezing my tits off.

“Jared! You made it!”

Smiles. “It was nothing”

I lugged the stupid piece of crap drum set to the car, the cold steel burning my fingerprints off. I vowed never to wear crocs without socks in the morning. In the car Bicep told me the weather was -1 outside. I believed him. I could see my goddamned breath IN THE CAR.

The car park was deserted. Naturally. I mean, only someone high on weed would be there. Or us.

By then i was dreaming of white hot chocolate and making voodoo dolls in my head.

One thing good though, sunrise was nice. Wish I’d brought my camera. But then, I was only wearing pajamas for goodness sake.

After 2 and a half hours we finished. Just in time for breakfast. But by then my sleeping clocked had already been screwed up. And I overslept.

Past breakfast.

Past lunch.

Until 3pm.

Class time. Fuck.

After class I ate cold hard cereal in my room, cursing the day Ursula thought of scheduled mealtimes.

Next: I looked for my super cool black rabbit bag to do my quiz. AND ITS NOT THERE

Fuck! Where the hell is it? My stuff are in there! Its not in my room, not in the hall, not in the common room…

And that’s why I’m in such a foul mood. I lost one of my precious accessories. I swear I’ll find it, or at least try to find it.

And God help those who took it. Enemies forever.

Oh yes. My quiz. Its still.

There.

Leaving a Legacy.

2008-09-14T10:19:00.000+08:00

It is with great heaviness that I finally release all my responsibilities as a member of the Malaysian Students Organisation.

Yesterday we had our AGM. And I saw new people stepping up, just like we did a year ago, to lead one of the most active and well known clubs of the ANU.

Everything was so similar to the AGM one year ago. The atmosphere. The dried leaves. The way color looked reflected of the buildings. The half-electric, half-boring feeling. Except now we're on the other side.

Looking at the new committee, i could see some bits of myself in them. Unsure of the future, full of enthusiasm, and not that bonded with each other yet.

And look at me know.

My past year with MSO has really changed the way I think, in some respects. It has really thought me how to be a team player, how to respect people, how to follow instincts, how to be proud of who I am, how to speak up...and many more.

And thats us leaving our legacy with the new committee to take to the next year.

This is how we looked when we stepped out of the very same lecture theater one year ago. How time flies.

Compare it to the new committee. Any similarities? Any differences?

They'll be alright.
But I STILL think we're THE best looking committee EVER! =)

Now... i better stop before i start getting all teary eyed again (YES, real men cry!)

Correlation does NOT equal Causation!

2008-09-12T23:45:00.000+08:00

thats one of the first rules they teach you when i took up psychology last year. and this year they hammered it into my brain even more.

Its one of the vital emprical paradigm in measuring scientific research, or some such nonsense.

presenting to you my own research:

Bread: The dangers of eating leaven or unleaven preheated dough made of plant material containing yeast.

More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread users.
Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming households score below average on standardized tests.
In the 18th century, when virtually all bread was baked in the home, the average life expectancy was less than 50 years; infant mortality rates were unacceptably high; many women died in childbirth; and diseases such as typhoid, yellow fever, and influenza ravaged whole nations
More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24 hours of eating bread.
Bread is made from a substance called "dough." It has been proven that as little as one pound of dough can be used to suffocate a mouse. The average North American eats more bread than that in one month!
Primitive tribal societies that have no bread exhibit a low incidence of cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and osteoporosis.
Bread has been proven to be addictive. Subjects deprived of bread and given only water to eat begged for bread after as little as two days.
Bread is often a "gateway" food item, leading the user to "harder" items such as butter, jelly, peanut butter, and even cold chicken.
Yeast is used to make beer and alcoholic breverages which is PROVEN to harm health.
Bread has been proven to absorb water. Since the human body is more than 90 percent water, it follows that eating bread could lead to your body being taken over by this absorptive food product, turning you into a soggy, gooey bread-pudding person.
Newborn babies can choke on bread.
Bread is baked at temperatures as high as 240 degrees Celsius! That kind of heat can kill an adult in less than one minute.
Most bread eaters are utterly unable to distinguish between significant scientific fact and meaningless statistical babbling.

In light of these frightening statistics, I propose the following bread restrictions:

No sale of bread to minors
A nationwide "Just Say No To Toast" campaign, complete celebrity TV spots and bumper stickers.
A 300 percent federal tax on all bread to pay for all the societal ills we might associate with bread.
No animal or human images, nor any primary colors (which may appeal to children) may be used to promote bread usage.
The establishment of "Bread-free" zones around schools.

My mini holiday

2008-09-09T23:14:00.000+08:00

6-8 Sept 2008.

I remember reading somewhere that its really good to once in a while take a break from the hectic life we're supposed to be doing and just chill, enjoy, recharge. Although that wasn't what i planned to do during the weekend, it turns out that it was just the thing i needed.

Saturday, 6.09.08.

11.30 am. After only having decided the night before that i would actually go, we piled all our stuff (except the drums, which i later regretted) into 2 cars. Thanks to Adam, who came all the way over from Sydney to pick us up!

and i was in Biceps car. and the ride was a really boring 3 hours to where we were going. i can't believe we overshot our Mc D stops TWICE, or maccas as the aussies call it. In the end, we reached Sydney at around 3.30 and ate lunch at a mall.

later we stashed our stuff in Matt's house, with his mom making the omgoodness delicious scones for us. This was something totally new to me, as Ursula's scones are like little stale tocks in comparison.

Matt volunteered us to play for free at his friends place. at least i got a free trip to Sydney out of it. The birthday party we played for was at Hornsby Community center, and the birthday boy was Denny. This is Denny turning 21:

The drums they gave us was soo bad, the bass pedal came off TWICE, the highhat turns inside out when i hit it, and even a milo tin cover sounds better than the crash. But it was really a new experience. No we know how the hired band feels like at parties and stuff. It seems like we (entertainers, including the lights, special effects, and electronics people) were like a different group, separate from the party crowd.

However, the food was good =) regrettably i didn't have enough. We left at 10.30. and i was hoping to go for supper, forgetting that this is australians we're talking about. Apparently even in sydney with all the late night food places open they still dont eat after dinner. weird.

Sunday, 7.09.08

After waking up from having slept with the dog (seriously), we had a lovely aussie breakfast (bacon, eggs, toast, beans, juice) which is what i'll probably cook everyday when i'm staying on my own.

Next stop, Newtown! I don't have any class on monday, so i made a last minute decision to crash at Tamy's place for the weekend and enjoy sydney life (food)! This is her kitchen:

New town is this wonderful place with sooo many restaurants, cafes, and other young people places. plus, its only 10 minutes from Sydney Uni!!! omgoodness so cool. whyla canberra dont have places like this.

I really regret most of today, cos I DIDNT BRING MY CAMERA! Well, technically i did, but i left it in my bag and forgot to bring it out with me. I had many firsts experiences:

thai green curry. at Chat Thai, somewhere in Newtown. i'm no expert in thai food, but even i could tell the food was in its own class. you know how good it was?: it actually made me LIKE beansrpouts!!!! Tamy didn't believe me when i said the rice was superb. obviously she hasn't been to Ursula Hall.

custard puffs. GO TO WORLD CENTRAL, EAT THIS.

frozen yogurt ice cram. i can't remember what building this was in, but the shop is called WhiteApple. ALSO EAT THIS

Ootoro. this is fatty tuna meat from the tuna belly. in japanese. highly prized, its super good. in Mokoto, a sushi bar. also, wagyu hand rolled beef. A slice (not cut, slice!!!) costs $ 5.00!!!!! its the stuff of legends.

we also went to St. Mary's cathedral! again, didn't bring my camera, but it was soo cool, i just had to use my phone to take pics.

and also, i saw my dream apartment. Tamy's friend has this place which is where i want to spend the rest of my life! i'm not really a house person, and the apartment was like something out of a New York fashion drama. cost? 1.2 MILLION. start saving, Jared.

Monday, 8.09.08

today i remembered my camera. finally.

Breakfast was umm... bread and honey (which still ranks above ursula food) then off to Sydney Uni to go to class. This is Sydney Uni. You can't tell where uni starts and the city merges with it.

Lunch was this absolutely-worth-it kebab with EVERYTHING in it for only $7.00. it was one of the few kebabs IN MY LIFE i couldn't finish, cos it was soo huge. This is the one of Sydney uni's makan place.

I sat in on one of Tamy's geographical lectures about dessertification. Umm basically i fell asleep, one because i already learnt it last year, and two, because i wasn't supposed to be there anyway.

Sydney Uni has this really characteristic buildings with so much tradition. They said it was the first uni in Australia! It was interesting to see how they built the city around the uni, or rather, how the uni continue to grows with the city.

This is the quadrangle, which is like the interior of castle grounds. Soo Harry Potter. So cool. The uni even has a freakin museum, with mummies and stuff!

After uni we walked around, and somehow ended up at the custurd puff place (lol), and i bought some cupcakes for friends back. i think if i didn't they'd get mad lol. my bus left at 6.

Thanks soo much, Tamy for EVERYTHING ;-) the trip wasn't just about food, its about friends too...and great times!

Oh yea, one person commented about why whenever Malaysians from Canberra go to Sydney all they want to do is food. honey, stay here for 6 months and you'll find out.

Status: refreshed, energized (no not student elections AGAIN!! --inside joke), and recovered from whatever leftover bits of winters sickness. ready to study....damn.

2008-09-03T21:37:00.000+08:00

Excerpts from a Dog's Diary......

08:00 am - Dog food! My favorite!
09:30 am - A car ride! My favorite!
09:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite!
10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite!
12:00 pm - Lunch! My favorite!
01:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite!
03:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite!
05:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!
06:00 pm - Oooh, Bath. Bummer.
07:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite!
08:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite!
11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite!

Excerpts from a Cat's Daily Diary. ..

Day 983 of my captivity.
My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects.

They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet.

Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates what I am capable of. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a 'good little hunter' I am. Bastards.

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of 'allergies.' I must learn what this means and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow -- but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released - and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded.

The bird has got to be an informant. I observe him communicating with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now........

Free

2008-08-28T07:28:00.000+08:00

words by Gwen A. Jord

Jesus I hold dear. Only You my king
Lift me from this day into unending glory
Make my heart Your Temple, I have surrendered
And You set me free to

Speak. To tell You that I love You. To tell them of this love
Grateful beyond measure, You are my strength forever

Dear Lord God I am still small
My words stuck in the world. Come with a Spirit of fire
Teach me to listen, quiet my heart
And set me free to

Worship. I will rejoice in the darkness. Even as I am weary
I know Your promises. And know You'll never leave me

You set me free
And freely I bow
You set me free
To lay my crown before You

My God, my King, my deliverer

Pro time!

2008-08-26T01:48:00.000+08:00

After struggling to get over the initial trying-to-get-started-not-fall-asleep stage of studies i've finally got it rolling. maybe too late? but its ok now. I'm in hyper study mode! 1 lab report due in 2 days and essay due in 4. Die
On to more serious matters...

One of my very good friends told me that one of our friends, someone we've known for ages (like, since primary school!) is getting married! but thats not the shocker. Shes already pregnant with twins! Congratz, by the way. and after we did the whole internet-stalker thing (u know, going through facebook and friendster profiles and msn) we've deduced its true love.

It was a bit like this (names changed to alphabets to protect friends)

J: hey do you know S is getting married!
Me: S? Which S?
J: S is H's sister! remember, back in Dato (name of our school)
Me: haah really? wow! i didn't know!
J: yea, and sommore shes already pregnant!
M: O.O@!!!! (at this point i'm really surprised cos S is about my sis's age and her bf is my age)
J: Its true, i got to know this cos her husband was my senior in SegHwa (name of another high school)

And after doing some research it turns out i knew the guy. S and her brother (also my age) used to play with me and my sis and J wehn we were young.

Wow. that makes about 5 of my friends i know who are getting, planning to, or got married already. And 3 who already have kids.

...after much catching up...
J: so do you have gf already?
Me: me nop =P how are you and K (J's current love)
J: haha we're ok. why still no gf?
lol this was pretty funny cos me and J used to go out but we split peacefully and are still good friends
Me: i'm still waiting lo i guess.
J: waiting? waiting for what? you must go find la!

And then it hit me. What am I waiting for? the right one? I've got like so many people around me getting hitched, even more, asking ME to get a gf.
So why don't i want to?

Its more of like, I'm waiting... for the right one. Yes it sounds very corny and my superior intellect is telling me: If you always wait, you'll never find the right one! How can you expect to find one if all you do is sit around and wait?!

And this is where my soul tells me: Trust in God, he has the best planned for you.
Someone once said that if you make God your dance partner he'll give you up to the perfect girl.
This i know to be true.

All around me the signal is "go find a gf! don't wait!" They even talked about this in OCF, where they're asking christian guys to go out and find christian girls.
While this may be true...I have my own heart, just as everyone has their perfect someone.

Don't believe me? Just you wait.

Congratz again to my two friends =)

Sorries - does it help?

2008-08-20T12:22:00.000+08:00

I think (know!) my previous entry didn't roll over too well with some people. Already I've had some anonymous people calling me and asking if I was anti-Malaysian, but thats another story...

Apologies if i sounded like I absolutely hated the event, if i sounded like i didn't appreciate the effort you guys took, if i sounded like the event wasn't a success. Sorry, I'm very self-criticizing of everything I do (which is good for essays!) , so i think I unknowingly apply that to other people too?

Some friends asked if I intended to be the next Jeff Ooi, writing some damaging stuff. "HUH?? WHAT?? NooooOO! I didn't mean it!"

And no, i'm not going to give some totally immature reply like "My blog is my personal opinion! You tak suka, you boleh keluar blog!" (in no way a reference to any politician)

What i saw that night was, granted, not the best we could have done (by saying "we" I exclude the "me", cos i wasn't involved) , but maybe theres more to perfection? Someone once said that before that before we learn to fly, we must build wings. And thats waht "we" definately did on that night.

Use your wings to fly.

Use your experience as a stepping stone. We're not quite there yet, so build foundations first.

Like i said previously, we are capable of so much more.

______________________________________________________________________

On another note, I'll be temporarily away from blogs for awhile. I blame it on ~~the recent hate phone calls I've been getting~~ my upcoming lab reports and essays. So if i ever blog before the 1st Sept, you'll know its because I'm procrastinating.

I also have to cure myself of this miserable headache/fever/cold/everything else in between. =( I think it's because theres a rotting rat somewhere in one of the columns...

Malam Gemilang: A showcase of our...errors?

2008-08-17T18:26:00.000+08:00

16.08.08.

Malam Gemilang only meant one thing to me : Malaysian food buffet! I didn't dress too formal, because i already had a really fun time at the Ursula Ball, and was to lazy to dress up again.

But in all aspects, i failed to get pics of the food. i guess you could say the food was too good.

Performances and theatre-wise however, was so-so, at best. From the opening video that was really confusing, to the last MAFU song that one guy totally forgot his lines, and was further plagued by non-existent mike problems. Sources tell me that for such a complicated song, the event itself was the FIRST TIME everyone sang together. =S

But wat to do. thats the Malaysian way of doing things. Someone once said that what Malaysians do best, is that we can laugh at ourselves. But I wonder/worry if sometimes thats the ONLY thing we can do if things go wrong. If i were a non-Malaysian at the event, what would I think? the stage had shoddy deco (Malam G_mila_), the narrator forgot his lines, and had delay problems.

If it was a really casual event, then MAYBE these things wouldn't matter. Maybe the theme was supposed to be a lighthearted comedic Malaysian show. But based on how everyone donned suits and lovely dresses i guess it wasn't. I certainly wouldn't expect a half-headed performance if i wore my best suit.

Yes, we were there to have fun. And it did succeed in that respect. Someone told me that "at least it was fun for everyone." But it was funny/fun for wrong reasons. Let the audience laugh because there was good dialogue, impressive dances, solid acting, not because of curtain failures, forgotten lines, or silly mistakes. TV screens outside the venue advertised the event as "Malam Gemilan". Show a little class.

On a better note, the 3 dances were good, with Asmaradana being the best. Kudos to the choreographer for that one.

I bumped into one guy at the event who said that based on the shows, there was NO way Malaysia could ever host a international event without looking silly, especially in light of the opening Olympic ceremony. Indeed, most of the "technical accidents" that happened could only be laughed off by a Malaysian. The price? $50. But it was worth $40 at most, the saving grace was the great food and the Asmaradana dance.

I might come across as a little harsh, in criticizing the event, but we must remember, this is our National Day celebration, with important (boring) VIPS and all, plus there were many foreigners in the audience. If we can't showcase our abilities during our National Day celebration, then when can we? Shape up, Malaysians. We are capable of much better =)

Ursula Ball 2008

2008-08-17T18:14:00.000+08:00

15.08.08

Wohoo! This years Ball was at Devine, Kamberra Winery. I think Aussies think its cool to misspell their own state lol. As usual, go to Facebook for the rest of the gorgeous pics.

I think this years ball was better than last years, in some ares. The ball video was a Casino Royale rendition, there was unlimited high quality wine and champagne. And of course, beer for those who preferred that. Maybe the food was a little less than what i expected, but that was ok.

It was really great to see everyone looking to perfect, all the guys and girls really put an effort into it! As for me, i already had experience on how much time to dress up and stuff.

Lots of fun stuff happened at the ball. As i said, its not the event that makes it, its the people who go with you. Jay Shen came all the way from Sydney to attend the ball!

The atmosphere was a nice one, with a really good band (definately NOT HKSS) giving off good vibes. There was a pro photographer who was really good.

For some of us, it was their first time getting drunk/high in a long long time. For the rest of us, good memories for a lifetime =)

2008-08-05T19:49:00.000+08:00

This is one of the few times i will do this sort of thing!, only because i'm bored.

7 addictions:
Food, Chocolate, People, Sleep, Accessories, Ice Cream, Mouse Hunt.
- Notice 3 out 7 are food items. And the last item is a recent addiction.

7 things that scare me:
Heights, Cockroaches,
- nothing else. Cockroaches include small fast creepy bugs.

7 songs playing in my mind:
- nothing right now, just a voice telling me to GO STUDY NOW

7 valuable things in my life:
God, Family, Food, Friends, potential, ambition, success.
- the last 3 are an afterthought.

7 'first times' in my life:
rode a bicycle - 10 years old
stole something - 2 cents when i was 14 years old.
fell in love - 19 years old
felt like the world was mine - after UPSR, in a cybercafe
brought back to reality - Form 1 monthly exams =_=
watched "The Dark Knight" - 22.7.08
watched "The Dark Knight" again - 29.7.08

7 words I always use
"A~cha"
"Shit"
- can't remember any other.

7 friends I wanna tag:
no one. Don't one anyone to feel the same boringness i did doing this =P

International Ball 2008

2008-08-03T23:50:00.000+08:00

2.8.08. Saturday.

Like most Balls, what matters most to having fun is the people. Not the food, the ambience, or the venue.

This year it was held at the Royal Theater of the National Convention Center. Theme? Broadway. Food? okla. not bad, expected. people? lots, all gussed up, looking hot. As someone commented "I have never seen so many good-looking in one place at the same time!"

All set? here are pics of the ball with me. If you want others pics go to their blogs or facebook or something else. My blog advertises ME =)

Of course MSO has to come up with a Ball-worthy performance that will knock their socks off. this is us practicing 4 days before the event. We only decided the performance on Monday! Cue: Hilarious laughter.

It was based on Chicago's Cell Block Tango.

This is our "private" pre-diner wine session in Liang's room

At the lobby,

This is my dance partner, WeiLing! really talented. not many people can split over a guy in heels.

This are the lovely people at my table

MSO's performance was the best!!! it totally blew everyone away. It was sooo cool when random ppl come up to me, shake my hand and say "Jared, your MSO's performance was the best!"

In my defense, i say it was the girls that made it look good. We guys just got pushed around and did our part. =) MSO rocks!!! So far this is the only pic i have of our performance. Everyone took videos!

Pics of the MSO committee

This is a funny attempt to do our performance in our suits lol. But the real performance was 100x better =)

Not forgetting the food!Chicken, Salmon, Dessert!

And of course, the afterparty at Unipub. absolute blast!, though some people went off to Academy, Sultan's bla bla after that.

You can tell the Ball was great because i posted the food pics towards the end. That speaks alot about the people there =) Rats. Now i feel like i wanna go for Malam Gemilang... no $$!!!

Till next time! the next Ball is.... Ursies Ball!

Chase Me

2008-07-28T23:54:00.000+08:00

words by Gwen A. Jord

Where was I when you laid the foundations, creation before You.

Skies you have opened, mountains bow to You
Called to existence to worship Your name
And I am humbled by Your grace

Sacrifice of the Lamb, but the world looked away.
I long for your presence in my life
Jesus touch my heart forgive my sins
Make me your vessel once again.

You bought my soul, unworthy of your love
And you called unto me, “Chase me.”

To know Your heart’s desire, to find the lost and stray.
To seek You as you have searched me. More and more.
To find You in the highest place, my own secret room
Jesus I’m chasing You.

Watch it. Do yourselves a favour.

2008-07-26T17:07:00.000+08:00

"I'm just here to kill the bus driver"

"Any psychotic boyfriends I should be worried about?"
"Oh you have no idea"

"I'm not like you"
"What gives you the right? To judge people?"
"I'm not wearing hockey pants"

"I hope I can try to enjoy this as much as you will"

"I need a new suit"
"Yes, three buttons are so last season"

"I'm wasn't going to let the entire fate of Gotham be decided by a fist fight with you!"

"No, I'm not crazy. I'm not crazy. I'm not. Don't call me crazy"

"Give it to me, and I'll do the thing which you should have done 10 minutes ago"

"I'm just a dog chasing cars. I wouldn't know what to do with one once i got hold of one."

"I make my own chances"

"I will do it, but accept it as my resignation"
"Just type in your name when you leave"

"The Joker won. He took the best of us and twisted him"

"Are you telling me that you believe that your client, a billionaire, rich spoiled playboy, dresses up in tights and a mask and goes about beating criminals as a vigilante in his spare time? And you're trying to blackmail him? Good luck."

The sadness of a poet.

2008-07-25T00:12:00.000+08:00

My MSN status reads: I am hungry and sad :( . Which is so not true. More accurately, i'm sad because i'm hungry. I SWEAR tomorrow i'm going to Dickson to restock my supplies of instant noodles and biscuits and soups. I already proudly have 1 kg of chocolates,which is my chocolate craving emergency, so its ok. But WHO KNEW that umami cravings can't be cured by chocolates.
When America was being exploited by umm, Americans, the native Indians had a saying.

Only when the last river has been poisoned
Only when the last tree has died
Only when the last animal falls
Then will you find that money cannot be eaten

-Kree Indian prophecy.

In my context, chocolates = money, and REAL food = rivers, trees, animals, etc. As i speak, i'm sadly munching on Heavenly Chocolate choc chippies.
I PROMISE to wake up for breakfast tomoro, even if i have to skip another airport dream again.
I have no class tomoro, again! thanks to uni's policy of Bush Week or something like that. Hail pls...

I'm hungry
I'm hungry
I'm hungry !!!!!

i'm sick of people telling me they could eat like me, forever thin. Do you know what its like to be ALWAYS hungry?

I need something UMAMI. NOW.
and when i'm hungry, suddenly the world has lost its meaning, books of unread readings sit on my table, and i suddenly fancy myself a poet. Yes, laugh. but its like some kinda "activated power" by hunger. like you know how suffering people feel philosophical and try to bemoan their emoness to the whole world.

I can tell i'm writing too much now. But it'll stop once uni picks up. or once i BUY SOME FOOD.
which brings me to my other dilemma. No money. i think i'll go look for a food kitchen tomorrow.

But for now i'll wait for sleep to take me to wherever i want to go, preferable back to Malaysia =)

First day of Skool

2008-07-22T08:33:00.000+08:00

nearly jatuh tidur.. die lo.. bad sign..and its only my first class!!

The Meaning Of Life

2008-07-20T22:34:00.000+08:00

its the return of the dreaded EMO blog! those who can't take emo-ness don't read on.

Holidays are officially 10 minutes in the past! ans this is my first entry since the Goldcoast news. 16 days ago. i learned so much in those 16 days, maybe even more than when i was studying.

I learned of friendship, and stereotypes, and how to love people who i generally wouldn't love.

I learned of responsibility, both to myself, my future, and my family.

I learned of the human spirit, how in the darkest times we can find a way out

I learned of success, and how luck plays a factor, but 99% of the time its persistence and working at it.

I learned of relationships, familial ties, girlfriends, boyfriends, and treasuring them.

I learned how all these can be insignificant when held against the night sky

Most importantly i learned to love God, pray, believe.

And so did i learn the meaning of life? i never really just learned those stuff, it was gradually added on to what wisdom i already have. Things that can only be learned through experiences with people, ourselves, and by breaking our barriers. The meaning of life is the same for everyone, but we all take different paths to it. And we can never really understand it, only experience it. Like standing before wind, in fire, before God.

-end of emoness-

oh yea, monday i have NO class!! for the first time in uni, i have a day free!! but that means cramming 18 hours into 4 days, nvmla! can one la! Must remind myself to

stock up on food
haircut!
earn money!
decide which events to go to
eat food

Nites everyone, and welcome to the new semester. =)

the Ninth Day. Farewells and Goodbyes

2008-07-07T13:50:00.000+08:00

4.7.08

Today is the day everyone has to check out by 9 am!! siao. and after coming back at 1 am the precious night. and sommore got so many malaysians from all the states. MASCA Queensland really no planning one.

This is at Brisbane airport and we ate, what else, Hungry Jacks!

Arjun, Maha, and Eu Jern snoozing away cos too tired

Back in gloomy depressing Canberra =(

But the holidays are still here! Aik Sern, Eddie, and Michelle are visiting for 10 days! woots! already i've had a potluck, 2 dinners, and Hancock!! (lovely movie)

all good things must come to an end, or we wouldn't appreciate them =)

so, till the next post, i have to go look for Drake. damn.

Day 8: Frisbee and Masquerade Ball!

2008-07-07T12:32:00.000+08:00

3.7.08

Today they planned frisbee at 8am!!! but of course we woke up extra early, had a good breakfast, went there to warm up and strategise and stuff by 8... and the bloody event started at 8.30...

Walao.. they haven't even marked the fields!!!

Vs. NSW. well NSW had some experience, and i think most of their members have at least practiced as long as us. The team really surprised me by pulling out all the stops. which was amazing considering we've never been on a field together AT ALL before this. umm.. NSW was a good warm up, but i kinda expected better. one funny thing was the opening pull i did, which someone tried to stop with his chest (as a sign of machoness), and collapsed after that HAHAHAHA! we beat them 6-1!!

Vs. WA. They. Sucked. If we lost to them i would be so malu.. I remember one funny thing they said. final score? 6-2

"Do what we practised!"

"We never practised anything!!"

lol

Arjun was a great runner, he can't throw under pressure yet though

Winnie and Amanda were to dump (throw backwards) the disc if they couldn't pass forward. but winnie did some amazing blocks, and Amanda actually ran the whole field for warm up!

Sher Reen had a bit more stamina, so she really ran and blocked!

Eugene had awesome passes. His presence in midfield really helpful. Work on those long throws and he'll be unstoppable.

Kar How didn't mess up at the important throws. and he really surprised me with his stamina! WOW!

Felix did one awesome pro catch and helped with lots of scores!. hmm i think hes really suited for midfield

Jason didn't need to out do himself, he WAS already good! as a defender he and sun chuan saved our asses many times over.

Sun Chuan was SUPERB. hes one hell of a defender and handler. Without him we could not have won.

Me? Umm based on what sun chuan said, we could not have won victoria if i didn't take on the handler. plus as captain i have to go one on one with the other captains, so i guess i if i failed, my whole team dies.

This is the NSW team and us:

Vs. Victoria. Our toughest match yet. The scoring was on average 1 every 5 minutes! and we really went the extra mile for this. Sorry to the handler whose foot i stomped! with such a close and tense game, any single mistake would have cost us. but WE WON 3-1!!!!

Vs. Queensland. This one we died. They were absolutely one level above. Their captain Johan was a star Intec player. plus their girls even dived for a point!!! but i'm really proud of our team nevertheless. score 1-6.

SILVER!!!!! i was so proud i belanja the whole team the powerade =)) WOOTS!

After that we walked about, going to collect lunch at the squash site

and then going back to shower, sleep.

When i woke up, the rest had already gone to see rugby.

which was super crazy cos there were injuries everywhere. thanks god i'm playing frisbee instead.

and to top it all, i got lost on the way back! kanasai the stupid map was soo tiny i couldn't read any place names.

that night was the masquerade ball! hmm i think it was so-so only. it was just an excuse to hand out prizes in a glamour way and end MASCA i guess.

Before the ball

Winnie and Amanda entertaining us!

Aimran looks soo cool with his Batman mask!

The food was ok. better than usual, but i think the fish was best =)

This is the winning singer from Victoria! she was soo good! i wouldn't be surprised if she signed a record or something. but the 2 guys next to her were just side attractions only, they SUCK.

Receiving our medals!

The fruits of our hard work =)

Dessert was also ok only, but nicely done!:

There were some dances by some Malaysian Dance Troupe:

I bet everyone felt like a winner that night. All of us !

Ping Pong Champions! The best Malaysians in Australia!

Some random pose:

The ACT contigent!

I think the ball was a bit boring, but the photo taking sessions made up for it =)

As usual, to see all my pics, go to facebook =)

MASCA kicks off on Day 7!

2008-07-07T10:58:00.000+08:00

2.7.08

Thanks to the absolutely stupid shower with ZERO hot water, i just washed my hair. According to schedule, they made the athletics event first. and early. 8 am onthe other side of uni!!! siao. so me being me, i woke up, calmly evaluated the situation in bed, and woke up again at 10.30. =)

but i heard athletics we did pretty badly, oh well.

I went for breakfast/lunch at a fish and chips place. Simple awesome.

New friends!!: Michelle, Eddie, Amanda, Aik Sern.

After that we tried to find our way to BGGS, or Brisbane Girls Grammar School to see badminton and basketball. Walao.. how do you expect us to go there, with zero knowledge of Brisbane public transportation?? but we found our way there! sweet! Packed lunch there sucked, we had to use fingers to eat our food!

Me leading the way: Don't you just love my shades =)

Jess, Sze Huey, Yeam, and Abel in action!

Good news!!! We swept the gold at ALL the ping pong events!!

And at basketball we broke our 2 year losing streak:

Dinner for all that night was great! it was like a tasty version of Ursula's food buffet. of course i telan everything =) yummy malaysian food!

And then later that night we had the AGM. I was hoping to see political catfights and stuff, but nooo this time it was super super boring..

But Yeam and i found out something about AImran! hehe.. i escaped halfway out from the meeting. have to sleep early cos TOMORROW IS FRISBEE!!!!!