Hidden Scroll of Miracles

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2010-05-22T05:45:00.001-04:00

Eye candy

2010-03-08T00:29:00.007-05:00

Stay tune for more updates.

Mochi Mochi

2010-01-09T23:21:00.004-05:00

Suit of Armor, Edo Period

I didn't know that mochi was an important part of Japanese culture. For those of you who don't know what mochi is, you can refer to wikipedia .Today,on the way to the Michigan Theater to watch a Korean documentary , I dropped by at the Mochisuki event organized by the Center for Japanese Studies. There was a demonstration on how mochi was made, and of course free mochi ! And tonight, Adele and Yeow came over with some mochi for us to sample. Nom nom nom.

It's been a while since I sunk my teeth on those cute little tasty food.

On another note, classes have officially started. So far, I like all the classes that I have taken, including those in the previous term. I have a few plans up my sleeves for this year, but that's for me to know and for you to wonder. I'll announce them later, when I feel like it. Till then, have an awesome January. Carpe diem.

Cherry Jubilee

2009-12-31T06:50:00.012-05:00

I'm back !

*drum rolls *

Let's start with some quick update.

Fall. It's pretty and I love the weather. This is my first experience with four seasons, and I'm liking it so far. I didn't get any when I was in New Zealand. I'm still looking forward for spring, but not summer. I mean the weather. These pretty leaves are gone by now; as it's already winter.

Halloween ! It's a big thing here. Too bad the street party was dispersed when I got there. :(

Ohio ! Police on horses in Columbus. Haven't seen any in Michigan, so I'm wondering if this is an Ohio thing. It's kinda weird to be in Ohio when there's a big game between OSU and UM around the corner. Especially if you're wearing a Michigan tee. Don't understand ? Look at the next photo.
Football is another big thing here. Notice the amount of F words in the banner ?Do note that, football is not the same as soccer.
Winter is pretty decent here, contrary to what I heard. The snow is not even thick enough for me to have a decent snowball fight !

Well, it's the time of the year again. A time where you stop and look back at life. The experiences, the people and the achievements that has been part of it. As the clock ticks to the end of 2009, I been thinking about a lot of things. Personal goals, academic minors and etc. I shall not talk about my personal goals here, as you can tell from its classification, it's personal.

I've yet decided on my academic minor. I initially had a minor ~~or two~~ , in mind when I got here; but towards the end of the term, I changed my mind.So, I'm talking of four different options, but I only can choose one. I'm actually trying to fit two other minors into my academic plan, with note of my intended graduation date. But, apparently I don't have enough time for both. It's kind of a bummer when you have to drop a minor because you can fit in one or two classes.And I don't think I want to go over 18 credit hours per semester. As of now, it's a trade off.

Some ~~nice~~ evil kid on the streets.

I watched Avatar in IMAX -3D in the cinema, the other day. It 's a good movie with intense graphics.If you want a review, my friend, Gerard has written one. Check it out, here .

School is starting next week. I got all the classes I wanted and my schedule looks pretty nice, so I'm contended.The thing about being in a big school, is that there's all sorts of activities and interests that is facilitated. Heard of a penis monologue ?

In case you haven't notice, I have a habit of snapping random photos ! So bear with it. :p

As for the title of this post, I thought of a new way to look at life. Isn't it interesting how you can think about live using ice-cream flavors? I just had cherry jubilee ;and I found that I loved it. What about you ? What is your flavor ?

Reflections

2009-11-19T00:30:00.004-05:00

Isn't life an irony ?

Prelude

2009-10-25T13:16:00.000-04:00

I've been a very bad blogger. I've been absent from the blogosphere again.

Ironically, I am updating my blog because of an outbreak of fire in a building next to University Towers.

Life in Ann Arbor is good, but workload is rather heavy. I am taking 18 credits this semester, which means a full load for the entire semester. My schedule includes:

Introduction to World Politics
Introduction to Probability
Strategy
1st Year Korean
Undergraduate Research
Here’s some pictures that I should have uploaded ages ago.

Continental Breakfast during orientation. Angell Hall

Macs Collections of books in the undergraduate library (UgLi) The huge printer at the Tech Deck , UgLi. The University of Michigan Museum of Art.

There’s so many museums on campus; from archeology to arts. Priceless paintings. The LSA building.
Despite it’s name, we don’t have any classes in there. It’s more of an administrative building. The Cube. The Diag. And the American flag in the diag. This is the President’s house. President of the University of course. The Ross School of Business. This is called the Rock. And the image of this rock changes faster than fashion change in Milan or Paris. I have no idea how many times this rock has been painted. A nice view from the Shapiro Library. A party bus as you can see.I should try one of these one day. Pirates , ahoy !! Maize Craze at Palmer’s field. Dancing performance by the UMBDT in the Michigan Union Ball room. Snow ?? More like a “foamtain” !!! You’ll see this furry creature everywhere you go. They’re scampering around looking for food.So cute. Interesting little store just around the corner. These are actually ice-cream. I did not steal the pen. Inspirational message in one of the cubicles in Angell Hall.

The Journey

2009-10-10T23:00:00.000-04:00

It’

s been a while since I promised to update. And I truly apologize for the sudden absence. It’s just that I’ve been too occupied with life , academics and settling in.

Here's some pictures on my long journey around a month ago. Kuching-Kuala Lumpur-Seoul-Chicago-Detroit.That totals to more than 40 hours of plane and airports.And I didn't exactly have a very smooth flight.But I'm not going to rant about it. Anyway, here some pictures and some brief descriptions.

At Starbucks in Kuching International Airport.

Malaysian flag in Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

I have an instance liking for these seats when I saw them.In Incheon International Airport.I managed to explore parts of the airport and even took a shower in the Transfer Lounge. In Incheon International Airport,you’ll know who to look for, when the lavatory is not cleaned. Korea Traditional Cultural Experience Center ! Various kind of souvenirs are sold here, but the prices range starts from the thousands. In South Korean won of course.

You even have the chance to hand-make a beoseon (버선) sourvenir ! It’s a sourvenir, not the real thing.For those who don’t know, this is a beoseon, which is essentially Korean traditional socks. A mini concert in the airport. :) Wonderful music that they play.Bi Bim Bab ! This is a display outside a restaurant at the airport.Didn’t try it then, but I had this for dinner yesterday- in Ann Arbor of course. I added some 고추장 . And it was good !

Some custom officials with a very cute dog. And did i mention that the airport staffs were very friendly ? :)Korean Air, which flew me to Chicago. Imagine, boarding a flight at 12 noon on Aug 27 , but you arrive prior to 12 noon Aug 27, across the Pacific Ocean. You get what I mean. A travel across time zones.

In-flight entertainment system! A wonderful invention indeed even though it takes up a lot of time which could be spend sleeping.

The only photo I manage to snap at O’Hare International Airport.:(

Nuffie love

2009-08-24T03:20:00.001-04:00

Around 3 weeks ago, I received my first check from Nuffnang. Unfortunately,I did not use my full legal name as the payee name when I first registered. You see, I left out my surname. And the check issued was non-negotiable, so it was mostly likely that I would not be able to cash my payment with that check. So, I contact the customer support staff at Nuffnang to assist in my predicament. The helpful executive updated my payee name and also requested for a new check to be issued to me. And the result , need I say. :pAs you can see, parts of the address was cleverly removed with the use of Photoshop. This is actually done to ~~conceal the location of the official residence of the awesome Jeff~~ for privacy reasons.

The check.

Not a huge amount , but it’s a decent amount that can get me a meal or two.

You can call me Jeff

2009-08-18T07:52:00.000-04:00

A friend send this to me.

*winks*

It's raining !

2009-08-10T11:04:00.007-04:00

Drops of water are falling from the sky as I type this. There's been word going around that water rationing might be implemented; as the water reserves take a plunge because of the drought. There was a brief drizzle this afternoon, which gave the denizens of the city some relief. The temperature has been high for the previous few days; making you want to stay at home -in the air conditioned room for the whole day.

The other thing is, I've not been updating as frequent as I promised. There's been various other happenings that I wanted to write and share about, but my laptop is not back.There's a little problem with the screen and I've send it for repairs. You see, all my photos are stored in the laptop; and I like posting photos when I post updates on the blog. No, I don't have scandalous photos like those found in Edison Chen's computer.

And I'm trying to get a few things done, before I head overseas. I've not received official confirmation regarding my flight itinerary , but I headed to America in around 2 weeks time. That's pretty soon, considering the amount of tasks that I've given myself. And that's not including the maths placement test that I have to take, and Part I of the Community Matters course.

Having said that, I might not be updating this blog very frequently as promised. But , if you miss me, you can always be a fan of mine , on Plurk ; or follow me on Twitter. And no, I don't approve random adds by people on Facebook ~~unless I've met you somewhere or I happen to know you or you're a pretty girl (subject to change)~~.

Of twin towers and aquarium

2009-08-01T11:31:00.001-04:00

Sometime ago, when I was still in Kuala Lumpur, Jen Yong and friends came over for a trip. So , I met up with them at Suria KLCC and showed them around the area.

A national landmark, which stands at a height of 452 meters above the ground, the Petronas Twin Tower is a spectacular sight to behold. The double-decked skybridge is supported by a “three hinge arch” . The skybridge serve to link the towers at Level 41 and Level 42. However, the guys were more eager to visit another attraction in the area, so after a brief tour at the front of the towers and around the mall, we headed off to the next site of interest.

Aquaria KLCC, boasts of the best underwater education experience in the city. With a newly opened, Aquaria Education Centre and Aquaria Fish Therapy Centre, visitors can get the best of the ocean. The Aquaria Fish Therapy Centre allows visitors to enjoy fish spa- soaking your feet in the water while the Garra rufa nibbles at it. After touring the Aquaria Education Center, which has a small exhibit of marine creatures, we proceed to the feast our eyes on more in the 60,000 sq. ft. aquarium.

There was a DNA Touch Pool , near the entrance. There , we get to touch a number of live marine creatures. Look, I’m holding a starfish !! Note that my fingers are submerged in the water. We’re not supposed to lift these creatures out of the water.

I’m touching a shark! Woots!!

Bamboo sharks are harmless creatures. And they lay eggs.

However, not all marine creatures are as innocuous as the bamboo sharks. Try swimming with one of these fishes below, you’ll know what I mean. But I guess it’s too late by then.

Especially these vicious fishes that are originally from the Amazon River.

Or even this fish with deadly venom.

Watching so many fishes swim around like that in a huge crystal clear aquarium is indeed a sight to behold. It makes you feel like joining the fishes in the water.

And some of the fish are really big. I was amazed to see such a huge fish. I think it was taking a rest there. Do note that, the fishes you see from outside the aquarium, looks much smaller than their actual size. Jen Yong and Khai Ming.

While we ventured around, I noticed that the aquaria has a number of cute looking exhibits. Introducing :

The Hawksbill Turtle

Longhorned Cow Fish And not to forget, this little creature.
There were other exhibits of amphibians, reptiles and insects at the place, but I suppose we were more interested in looking at fishes.

Shark alert !

Of late

2009-07-27T11:58:00.005-04:00

I've been wanting to write more. Wanting to eat more, see more, learn more and just do more.But there's a limit to what a man can do. The clock is ticking down, and I have less than a month left, before, a new chapter of life will start.

With the exceptions of sporadic outings with friends, I've been spending most of my time at home.Life's been rather routine ; waking up for breakfast, after 11. After that , I'll be seated in the living room , for an hour or two , watching CSI / House / The Amazing Race , whichever is scheduled on AXN during the noon hours. Hours after that would be spend in front of the computers, where there's countless things to do ;Facebook and Plurk , to name a few sites that has been consuming my time.

As a result of the horrible connection I had, of late, I managed to spend more time arranging my files and documents in the laptop. If you have seen my desktop or even had a glimpse at the files in my hard disk, you would have known how disorganised I can get. It's a tedious task, but I'm glad I made some headway these few days. Speaking of which, I'm glad that the connection has gotten better, compared to what it was this afternoon. If the ISP decides to maintain it's poor service, I would have lodged a complain to the company. A company has got to provide good and quality services to it's customers, especially if the customer is paying for the service. Even if he or she is not paying, you're not suppose to neglect him or her. I've little patience for lousy services. If you are not aware of the recent case, where Windows Live Hotmail marked my account as inactive, resulting in the loss of all my emails, you can check out my complain here.

You can't simply delete a person's email and blame him or her for it, not when the person is not guilty of the accused crime in the first place. (In this case, rendering the account inactive for a specified period) The issue is not resolved yet, but let's see where this gets.

The evenings and nights are spend, doing random stuffs; some which includes sitting in front of the computer again. And the black box (read television) ,of course. All these random things will usually occupy my time till around 1 or 2 in the morning, when I'll hit the sack. Not very happening, eh?

Well, let's just say I want to spend some quality and quiet time with the family at home. And also get some decent rest. Physically and emotionally. Not to say, I was romantically involved with anyone. I wasn't.

I guess that's all for now. It's time to head to bed. A man has got to get his rest, don't he ? There's a few other posts that I've wanted to write about,but, that's saved for another day. I'll post them when I'm in the mood. So, stay tuned for more updates.

Yours truly.

Of thoughts and tourism

2009-07-18T13:15:00.001-04:00

You know, I would volunteer to be a professional tourist; if there was such a post. Is there? * big hopeful eyes*

A World of Lego

2009-07-17T09:39:00.004-04:00

Remember these cute little toy building bricks ? And those cute little figures which comes in characters of knights, wizards, pirates and even spacemen. Yes, the wonderful world of LEGO that accompanied you in your childhood. I'm not sure about you, but there was once, when I was very keen in getting a new LEGO set, everytime I went to the mall. Talk about childhood.

Earlier last month, at Suria KLCC, there was a LEGO exhibition . In the house, were life-sized structures of pirates ( like the one above ) as well as structures of several world famous monuments- all constructed with LEGO bricks.

The Petronas Twin-Tower , constructed with LEGO.

The link bridge between the towers.

The Pyramid of Chichen Itza.

Petra Treasury

There's even a short introduction about each monument.

Machu Picchu constructed with LEGO bricks.

The Lost Cities of the Incas was never found by the Spanish conquistadors, leaving it safe from the greedy hands of man, until it was discovered later on by an American.

Here's the famous mausoleum built by one of the Mughal Emperor, Shah Jahan in memory of his wife.

The Taj Mahal. A exemplary example of Mughal architecture.

The Colosseum is undeniably one of the greatest work of Roman architecture.

'Hand over your ~~treasure~~ LEGO !!!!'

Dark Secrets Revealed.

2009-07-16T09:12:00.009-04:00

Nah, this is just ~~a dating tip~~ an advertisement.

I watched the latest sequel of the Harry Potter series today. Met up with Gerard at Star Cineplex, before we headed for lunch at Life Cafe. We had some nice spicy noodles and pearl milk tea, but I must say that the portion has significantly reduced.

The new State Legislative Building( view from Level 9 of Medan Pelita)

As we were early for our movie, we went around the local shops around the area, which specialise in selling local handicrafts which among others include blow pipes, statues, keris, bow and kain pua. There were also stalls at the walkway, either selling Sarawak kek lapis or aphrodisiac which includes the locally famous Sarawak gambir. However as I was walking pass one of these stalls, I noticed that a small little bottle with brownish transparent concoction. Apparently, it's leech oil. According to one of the seller , the leech oil is good for massage. " Boleh jadi besar dan panjang." ( Open for interpretations)

The one on the left looks much better.

Harry Potter and the Half- Blood Prince is the sixth adaptation of the popular Harry Potter series.In this sequel, Harry Potter and the gang went back to Hogwards for their sixth year. A new potions professor by the name of Horrace Slughorn, who knows a vital secret about the dark lord is introduced to the school. Dumbledore assigns Harry to the task of getting this secret from Horrace who usually hold dinner parties with a select few elite students. Harry falls in love with Ron's sister, Ginny Weasley.

When, Harry and Dumbledore discovers the dark lord's dark secret- that Lord Voldemort has been using horcruxes in his attempt to stay immortal, they set off to a place far away to retrieve another of the horcrux. In the end, when the deatheaters entered Hogwards grounds , Dumbledore was killed by Snape. Overall, I find this to be a nice movie, although I would say that it could be better.

I am awesome

2009-07-12T11:12:00.001-04:00

Yes, I am.

The Personality Exposed

2009-07-11T07:17:00.005-04:00

Sharlene posted a link to a personality test on Facebook, just now. Click here to check it out. It's rather simple. Just a number of objective questions.

And since I refused to paste the result on Facebook and tag 20 friends; you get the privilege of viewing my results. Talk about the privileges you can get by being my loyal blog reader.Personally, I think it's rather accurate in some sense, but then again, it's just a personality test.

The result:

Your view on yourself:
You are down-to-earth and people like you because you are so straightforward. You are an efficient problem solver because you will listen to both sides of an argument before making a decision that usually appeals to both parties.

The type of girlfriend/boyfriend you are looking for:
You are a true romantic. When you are in love, you will do anything and everything to keep your love true.

Your readiness to commit to a relationship:
You are ready to commit as soon as you meet the right person. And you believe you will pretty much know as soon as you might that person.

The seriousness of your love:
You are very serious about relationships and aren't interested in wasting time with people you don't really like. If you meet the right person, you will fall deeply and beautifully in love.

Your views on education
You may not like to study but you have many practical ideas. You listen to your own instincts and tend to follow your heart, so you will probably end up with an unusual job.

The right job for you:
You're a practical person and will choose a secure job with a steady income. Knowing what you like to do is important. Find a regular job doing just that and you'll be set for life.

How do you view success:
You are afraid of failure and scared to have a go at the career you would like to have in case you don't succeed. Don't give up when you haven't yet even started! Be courageous.

What are you most afraid of:
You are afraid of having no one to rely on in times of trouble. You don't ever want to be unable to take care of yourself. Independence is important to you.

Who is your true self:
You are mature, reasonable, honest and give good advice. People ask for your comments on all sorts of different issues. Sometimes you might find yourself in a dilemma when trapped with a problem, which your heart rather than your head needs to solve.

Of caring hearts

2009-07-07T12:50:00.004-04:00

If you remember one of my previous post; which was about spreading the love , you would be informed about DiGi's online charity campaign, where DiGi will donate RM 5 to a charity of choice, for every participant who took the effort to fill in their email and verify it.
After hearing about the recent case about the abandoned dogs at Pulau Ketam, I felt that more funds should be appropriated to care for our furry friends. I promptly started a group and ~~bugged~~ asked a number of friends to support it, by clicking on the link to get more funds for SPCA.
It's been a week since the campaign ended. And I would like to say that the support to the group was better than I expected. Although, it wasn't much, but the group manage to accumulate another RM 125 to be donated to SPCA.

See if you can spot your name in the list!

The Long Lost Feeling

2009-07-05T03:29:00.020-04:00

It's been sometime since I had this feeling. Yes, this is how travelling around should be. If you remembered my previous rant about travelling around, you would know what I mean.

Ironically , one of the best way to get out of KL Sentral is on one of these rails that leads to the airport. I took the KLIA transit to Putrajaya, where I had a restroom break; prior to continuing my journey on the train to KLIA. KLIA Express offers a faster and more costly alternative to get to the airport; but, as I was on a budget and had some time to spare, I decided to take a less costly ride. Contrary to the popular belief, I'm not loaded with cash to throw around.

This is what I mean. Spacious and comfortable environment. And quiet.

Depending on where you sit, there's even an informative screen in front of you, updating you on the local and world weather and the breaking news around the world.

I was rather lost when I reached KLIA, but a kind staff on duty lead me to the check in counter.And another nice staff there, asked if I would prefer the aisle seat or the window seat. Little did I know, that later on I would have all 3 seats to myself. And to add to that, I was given a seat right behind the business / first class section, which means it's in the front( read less walking).

Here's a photo of the boarding gate where I get to wait before boarding.It's been some time, since I last travelled with Malaysia Airlines. But the previous time, either I didn't notice the excellent service rendered, or I had my mind on something else. But, something really striked me the other day. I actually enjoyed the trip. Well, most of it. With the exception of having another passenger sneezing, 3 seats away from you.

The food served was good. I had fried rice with chicken satay, a very fruity desert , thirst quenching juices and a yogurt drink. I spared the Ferrero Rocher from the evil grip of my stomach. And the rest of the ride, needless to say, was good. Someone tell me why I didn't take the opportunity offered by Youthsays.com to meet Dato' Sri Idris Jala, the CEO of MAS, who took the helm of the then failing GLC ( government-linked company) with massive losses of several hundred million dollars. Under his lead, the airline is in a current state where profits are being recorded

Here 's a peek of the much said health declaration form that I was asked to fill.

When I arrived at Kuching International Airport, a man wearing a face mask, silently redirected us to another area; where more health officials were standing by, with a heat sensing camera. No photos were taken then as, I ~~was paranoid~~ didn't want to subject myself to extra exposure to any virus , if there was any in the area. Even the custom officers had face masks added to their usual official attire. And yes, I'm back in Kuching again, for the time being.

Yatta!

2009-06-30T00:03:00.000-04:00

Nothing gives you more joy than getting something that you wanted for a very long time. I finally have my visa. *jumps around in joy* Who wants to sing " Yatta " with me ?

You have no idea how much this meant to me, having met some obstacles when I wanted to fly last year.

I have it , now. And I'm contented. :)

The V Day.

2009-06-26T06:28:00.017-04:00

No, it's not Valentines. It's V for visa. I had my visa interview last week. Woke up very early in the morning , and met up with Julia and her brother at KL Sentral, as Jonathan also had his interview on that day. I initially suggest to ~~spoil Julia's diet plan~~ have McD as breakfast, but Julia, sort of refused; so we had breakfast at Old Town White Coffee at Jalan Ampang instead.

After breakfast, we were forced to accompany Julia to Suria KLCC, before we set of to the Embassy. I met Chin Yee and Yoke Chin at the Embassy.The interview was quick, but we were told that we had to wait , as there were some administrative processing to be done.

After that, we headed back to Suria KLCC, where Julia had her retail therapy. She got herself, a top from the TopShop ~~,after a camwhoring session in the changing room~~. Then we had lunch at Nando's Chicken .

Nom nom nom.

I decided not to take risk with my food, and settled for lemon and herb, while Julia and Jonathan decided on having more spice in their chicken.

Jonathan.

Julia with the almost same expression. After lunch, I went for a desert before, we head to the cinema to watch 17 Again. We came across a fitness store , and decided to do a fitness test at a store in the mall.

So, how fit am I ?

I guess I need to come out with a workout plan .

Spread the love !

2009-06-09T10:22:00.001-04:00

The banner says it all ! So, why don't we spare a few minutes, and spread the love.
In fact, if you have a decent internet connection, the whole process takes less than 1 minute.

All you have to do is go here, or click on the banner above.

Enter your email , and then verify it.

And DiGi will donate RM 5 to SPCA !

Of random question and visa application

2009-06-09T09:07:00.007-04:00

"Are you a fan of Street Fighter ?"

I declare this, the question of the day ! I was in the midst doing really serious, like my visa application, namely scheduling the interview and looking through the forms that had to be completed, when someone asked me this very random question while I was talking to her about the visa application process. I swear I nearly choked on the ice kacang that I was eating. Okay, that's an exaggeration and that wasn't the most appropriate time to have ice kacang; but still,
that question was way too random ! And why do guys have to fill up more forms than those homo sapiens with XX chromosomes ?

So, are you a fan ?

Missing puzzle ?

2009-06-06T05:58:00.002-04:00

The truth is, finding that missing piece is no easy feat.

Hacked but not destroyed

2009-06-06T00:45:00.006-04:00

Yes, INTI-Online was hacked ! A hacker known as the White Hat Kid hacked into the system and changed the header.

The previous header.

After being hacked.

Log-in to your INTI Online account to check it out.

The Konami Code.

2009-05-30T10:16:00.002-04:00

Up , Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Enter.

Someone highlighted this to me. And I decided to share this with everyone. Apparently, there is a code known as the Konami Code, which gives some cool looking effects to a number of the web pages available, most notably: Facebook, Plurk and even Google Reader.

In Facebook, you'll see some bubbly effects.

The Konami Code will make your timeline in Plurk, move around like waves.

And also creates a ninja in Google Reader.

Of haha and prank calls

2009-05-29T23:49:00.002-04:00

Time:Around 3 AM.
Status: Sleeping.

The tune of my ring tone broke the silence. Lazily, I reached out to my phone and looked at the screen. I noticed a name there, and answered the phone.

Me:Hello
#:Haha!
Me:OMG ! It's 3 Am.
#: Haha!
Me:What ?
#:Haha!
Me:.............................
#:Haha!

#:*some weird noise (sounds like shuffling, typing and another person's voice)

Me: Hello ??Are you there?
#:*weird noise continues.

Me: HELLO??
#:Haha!!
Me:What haha ?
#:Haha!!
Me:Is this a prank call ??
#:Haha!!
Me:Grrrr......
#:Haha!!

*Call Ends*

Leo Mission 3

2009-05-23T01:50:00.006-04:00

During March, for all the good reasons, and because March is a truly wonderful month; I took part in the Leo Club's Leo Mission 3. It was my last semester in INTI-UC. With public speaking tutorials which comes almost weekly, a US history trial, and various other assignments, I had a very busy semester. I have been a member of the LEO Club in INTI-UC since my first semester there, but I could barely find the time to take part in any of their events, except the blood donation drives, which are organised, almost,once per semester.

So, for three Sunday afternoons , on the 8, 15 and 22 of March, I was a tutor for the kids from the House of Joy in Puchong. Actually, each of the tutors are assigned to a kid, whom, the tutor would focus on teaching. Like Edward, in the photo below.

Teaching kids, is not as easy as it seems. It requires more than the knowledge but a combination of various skills.

With a combination of determination, perseverance and creativity, hopefully, you would be able to reach out to the kid.

But, apparently, some people are adept in handling kids, while others would have to give more effort towards understanding the kids. What more to say, when one have to teach them.

A group photo in the bus.

And of course, the main character.

Being part of this event, meant less time spend on studying; but it was nevertheless a good experience, as you get to learn other lessons, not found in your everyday, academic text book.
In this endless march towards our own zenith point, sometimes, it's important to reflect and remember how lucky we are.

Soaring Wings

2009-05-17T03:24:00.010-04:00

Having flown countless times on Airasia, since 2007, I have been following Airasia's growth as the company grabbed a bigger share of the world aviation market. Airasia has extended it's routes to include London, through it's franchise, Airasia -X. And I'm hoping that the company would spread it's wings, to include destinations such as the United States.

It's an open secret that with Dato' Tony Fernandez at it's helm, Airasia has turned from a heavily-indebted airline to become an award winning and largest low cost carrier airline in Asia. A formidable force in the industry.

Check out an article by the New York Times, here.

On a different note, Julia's flying home from Newark Airport.Yes, the airport where the 21 year old student (who became Malaysia's first H1N1 patient ) flew from. Let's hope she has a safe trip home.

A quadruple tag

2009-05-15T12:08:00.004-04:00

I'm tagged, again. This time, it's thanks to Jyo Lyn, Justin, Mernj and Stephanie.=.=

And I'm also labeled at the freest person in the world ( by a relative standard ).

To set the record straight, I'm actually a very busy person. Plenty of stuffs to do. Just that, I do allocate some time for Facebook, Plurk and my blog. Alright, here goes.

Be honest no matter what, then tag at least 10 friends.

01. Who was your last text from?

Does DiGi counts?.If it's someone, then it's Joanne. Poking fun at me because of my unwillingness to wake up early for a jog.

02. Where was your default picture taken?

What default photo ? You mean profile photo ?Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur.

03. Your relationship status?

Isn't this stated in my Facebook or Friendster?

04. Have you ever lost a close friend?

No. Almost, when something bad happened.But luckily, he recovering now.

05. What is your current mood?

Can lazy be a mood ?

06. How many siblings do you have?

Zero.

07. Whats your brother(s)/ sister(s) name?

I'm exempted from answering this question.

08. Where do you wish you were right now?

Not sure.The beach. To watch the stars.

09. Have a crazy side?

Does a crab have pincers? I think everyone has.

10. Ever had a near death experience?

Nope.

11. Something you do a lot?

Reading blogs,plurking. And sleeping and eating,

12. Angry at anyone?

Inefficient and incompetent people. Nobody in particular.

13. What's stopping you from going to the person you like?

Distance and time.

Hey, is that a bird there ? *pretends nothing happened and proceeds to answer the next question*

14. When was the last time you cried?

Does tearing counts? Few months ago, while watching a touching drama.

Fine, last year. When I thought I was such a failure after several depressing incidents.

15. Is there anyone you could do anything for?

Obviously, if I deemed that you are important.

16. What are you thinking about when you are falling asleep?

Random thoughts.

17. Who was the last person you talked to on the phone?

M mum.

18. What is your favourite song?

I don't have a favourite song.

19. What are you doing right now?

Doing this tag.

20. Who do you trust right now?

Different people for different matters.

21. Where did you get the shirt you are wearing?

My Giordano t-shirt? In Kuching.

22. Have you kissed someone in the past week?

Nope.

23. Who is your friend that lives closest to you?

That would be the twins. Jeremy and Jason.

24. Describe your life in one word.

I guess the Malaysian " Okay-lah " says it best.

25. Who are you thinking of right now?

Someone, somewhere.

26. What should you be doing right now?

Sleeping? It's 12.

27. What are you listening to?

Love Story by Taylor Swift.

28. Who was the last person who gave you a hug?

A sweet and nice friend who left INTI a few hours before me. That was when when I was bidding her farewell. No need for you to know the name.

29. Who was the last person who yelled at you?

*WTF? Yell at me ? Go to @^%#*& ! * I don't remember actually.

30. Do you act differently around the person you like?

Yes. I tend to be extremely nice.Oh well, I'm always nice.

31. What is your natural hair colour?

Black.

32. Who was the last person to make you laugh?

Elaine Lew.She's the most cheerful HR manager I've known. Wait, I only know one!

33. Who was the last person to make you sad?

No need for me to mention. It doesn't matter anymore.

34. What do your hear?

What do you mean what do I hear? Music tones from my mp3 music.

35. Is your hair curly or straight?

I think it's a hybrid. But it tends to curl when it gets long. So annoying.

36. Has anyone called you "scrumptious" before?

Nope.

37. Do you have a best friend?

Yes,but I think you meant best friends. =D

38. Held hands with the opposite sex in the past 3 days?

No.

39. Do you use smiley faces on the computer?

Isn't that obvious? =.=

40. Have you ever change clothes in a vehicle?

Multiple times.

41. Are you happy with life right now?

Yes, but it could be better.

42. Are you currently jealous?

Why would I be jealous ?The answer is no.

43. What jewelry are you wearing right now?

I don't wear jewelry.

44. What were you doing on Friday night?

Going online.Chatting, and listening to songs.

45. Have you ever had your heart broken?

Yes.Multiple times.

46. Have you ever broke someone's heart?

Yes, I'm sorry I acted that way back then.

47. Is there anybody you're really disappointed in right now?

Nope.

48. What was the last reason you went to doctor for?

Medical checkup.

49. How late did you stay up last night and why?

I slept at 12. I was on an anime marathon. Catching up on Bleach, which I didn't find the time to watch until now. Talk about how busy I am.

50. Have you ever dated someone longer than a year?

Unfortunately, no. =(

Done. Now, who should I tag? Any volunteers? Or suggestions?

Of laws and blogs.

2009-05-11T10:47:00.001-04:00

Being a blogger, I decided that I would be better off if I'm aware of my legal rights.Thus,weeks ago, I went to University Malaya. Yes, the premier public university of the country. It was ranked in the Top 200 of the THE - QS World University Rankings by Times Higher Education in 2006.

A law conference regarding blogging and law was hosted there, and I decided to check it out.

The audience listening attentively as the speaker shares his insights. I shall not load this post with information or make it sound like a lecture, but I'll just roughly talk about the topics which the speakers touch on.

The speaker for the first topic is Mr. Foong Cheng Leong, a lawyer from Kuala Lumpur and a blogger himself.He touched on intellectual property and regulations related to it. His topic gave me some insights on the intellectual property rights; on areas which most people are unaware of, such as rights in registering domains, the owners of the copyright of the images.

Next, Mr. Nizam Bashir, a Malacca lawyer & blogger. He talked about defamation, something very relevant for the Malaysian society as the number of individuals being charged for defamation or sedition has increased significantly.

The event ended with a session for refreshment. Since it was a half day event , I decided to take the opportunity to visit a friend of mine at the university, after the event. We took a stroll around the campus, but the weather was getting unbearable. So, we ended up, hanging out at Mid Valley Megamall after that.

Of being tagged.

2009-05-09T05:03:00.005-04:00

Since Julia decided to perfect her art of procrastination by tagging me on Facebook, here I am with this tag. I managed to come out with a pretty nice image, so I'll post it on this blog as well.

Rules:
a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search (http://www.flickr.com/).
b. Using ONLY the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Mosaic Maker. Change rows to 3 and columns to 3 (http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/mosaic.php).
d. Save the image and post it on this note.

e. If you're tagged, pass it on. And tag me please.

The Questions:

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite color?
3. What is your favorite food?
4. Favorite drink?
5. Dream vacation?
6. Favorite hobby?
7. What you want to be when you grow up?
8. What do you love most in life?

9. One word to describe you?

Note: The images are copyrighted by their respective photographers.

Credits :
1. Jeffrey and a really big fish tank, 2. Black-Crowned Night Heron Portrait, 3. 7th Course: Tasting of Ice Creams, 4. Vodka, 5. Aurora Borealis, 6. Pudge - Leave Me Alone, I'm Sleeping!, 7. CFO search, 8. ~I'll Paint the Sky with Love~, 9. Summer feeling

A Trip to Petaling Street

2009-05-05T12:25:00.004-04:00

Two weeks ago, I took my maiden trip to Petaling Street.It's known as the China Town in Kuala Lumpur, although now, I see more foreigners than Chinese. And the area around there, have quite a number of shops selling soft toys. Yes, I have been around West Malaysia for so long, and I have not step foot to Petaling Street, until 2 weeks ago.

Petaling Street.

The drinks sold by this stall is a blast. There's a stall in MidValley Megamall, but the one sold at Petaling Street taste superb.

This is sold by a stall around that area. One of the best noodles I tasted around West Malaysia. Like seriously. Those of you who are familiar to the food around INTI-UC, Nilai, knows what I mean .

The free laptop.

2009-05-02T12:22:00.003-04:00

If you remember this , you would have known that I have a new laptop. Right after my Chinese New Year break, I was greeted by this box when I went back to Nilai.Well, it wasn't delivered to my room. I had to go and collect it at the Accommodation Office, of course.

A bomb?

No, it's not a bomb. I have yet to become a target for terrorists to attack.So, inside the box, I found :

A box (in a box).

Genuine Microsoft Office
Even the disc looks nice.

A laptop bag.

And this! Inside the red box. A Compaq Presario CQ40-157TU.Woots.=)

These are some of the specifications of the laptop.

Operating System: Genuine Windows Vista Home Premium with SP1Processor: Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor P8400 2.26 GHz, 3 MB L2 Cache, 1066 MHz FSB

RAM: 1x 2048 MB DDR2 667MHz

Hard Disk: 320 GB 5400rpm

Optical Drive: LightScribe SuperMulti 8X DVD±RW with Double Layer Support

Display: 14.1” Diagonal WXGA High-Definition HP BrightView Widescreen Display

Graphics: Intel Graphics Media Accelerator 4500MHD

Speaker:Integrated Altec Lansing Speakers

Check it out here.

If you are wondering

2009-04-30T13:03:00.004-04:00

Today, I was thinking of something. It was a flashback. Like one I usually have once in a while. Of what I have done and experienced. Semester 5 was a busy and hectic one. With too much workload and too little time for me to sieve through tasks, one by one.And even less time for me to reflect and think.

Which leave holidays and breaks as the ideal time for one to ponder about life. You know, sometimes, we wonder about unnecessary things. Like how life would be, if you made another decision back then when you came upon a crossroad.

How much different things would be , if you said a different thing, or choose to do something else.

Or if you reacted differently.

But all that there is left now, is an endless list of untold tales.Yes, tales of which some you wish would come true , some of which you are glad that you never went through.

Albeit one would be nagged by all those random thoughts, it is always important to look back, and realised that the path that was chosen- even though it might not be the best, it would be something that you are happy and pleased with .

And that really made a difference.

PS- just in case if you are wondering, more interesting posts will be coming up. Stay tuned for my next posts.I need more time.I've been busy with certain forms and documents, besides meet ups with friends. .

Expansion at LCCT

2009-04-30T12:37:00.002-04:00

It's been some time since I updated my blog; even longer since I stepped foot in the airport. Few days ago, I was at the LCCT to catch a plane back home.

And I would say that the airport has become less crowded. Much of which, is attributed to the completion of the new wing. The expansion have given the airport much more space, and more choices of stalls.

Something different.

041809

2009-04-18T07:49:00.004-04:00

I've been running around ever since I finished my paper this afternoon. Even the guard at my residence hall, commented that I was so busy. The room is in a mess as usual. Like after a tsunami. And I've not even packed my bag for my trip later.

Yes, I'm heading off to Redang later. Till then. Bye.

One week before finals

2009-04-06T06:50:00.009-04:00

A rainbow spotted outside my block on Friday !

Today, I woke up late and rushed to class. In the end, I was considered absent because I was more than 20 minutes late.=_= Oh well, I went to Giant after that, with Christine and Stephanie. Since, I was in the mood for fillet o fish, we decided to have lunch ( or rather breakfast for me ) at McD, before that. And it tasted so healthy !

March, march ! To Giant !

Food supplies are essential for college students, especially when exams are around the corner.

Despite, being in my last few weeks in INTI, I stocked up in more than RM 30 worth of food and beverage supply.

Introducing, Tissue Girl ! She just happened to like buying tissues and uses a lot of tissues. Just look at her hugging those tissues. =p
Anyways, it started pouring while we were in Giant, and we ended up missing the INTI bus back to college. After trotting through the muddy pathway outside Giant and a fruitless waiting for a bus, we took a cab back to college.

North Korean Satelite

2009-04-04T23:16:00.002-04:00

In an attempt to launch a satelite into the orbit, the North Korean rocket has gone passed Japan, over to the Pacific. Check out the news report .

A day of various happenings

2009-04-01T23:50:00.006-04:00

First of April. I had my US History II trial on that day.All of you, who have taken Professor Borges's class would have known what a trial would be like.This trial is part of our coursework, so it's important. My case, was a case about the Japanese internment during World War II, where the US government which was prompted by war hysteria moved to interned thousands of individuals of Japanese ancestry. If you have no prior knowledge on world history,think about the Kampung Baru established by the British during the communist era in Malaya.The only difference is the severity and the individuals involved. The case started when an ex-detainee@ Kataki Yamamoto (me), who was a nisei generation in the United States, sued the government for additional compensation amounting to $ 10 million for each Japanese survivor and an admission that the government policy back then was a deliberate act of racism. The government, then counter-sued , seeking to rescind the apology previously given and retrieve all the reparation money given. They had previously given the detainees and their survivors , an apology letter acompanied with a sum of money as reparation.

Olivia, me, Stan,& Arthur

The lawyer and I.

The team.

Anyway, we sort of lost the case. Lost as in we failed to the get the additional $ 10 million. Well, the jurors voted to maintain the status quo, so we didn't like lost absolutely. Haha.

Speaking of which April 1 was a day that many awaited for. Ivy League admissions results! Last year, I was rejected by U Penn, specifically Wharton Business School. Only one of the scholars in my batch got in.

The nicely worded rejection letter.

And this year, the juniors are doing good. Two of them got into Wharton, while a number of them are admitted in a various Ivy League or Ivy standard universities. These include Harvard, Stanford, Caltech, Cornell, Carnegie Mellon, John Hopkins, and University of Pennsylvania to name a few. Congratulations people ! No names are mentioned here, as some of them might want to keep a low profile . =)

If you're interested to know who got into where, check out Chen Chow's blog.

Speaking of admissions results, Abraham got into Wesleyan University. Woots. This I must spread. Haha.

Overtime!

2009-03-29T16:30:00.003-04:00

I've been working overtime, too often. To the extend that I'm getting migraines recently.The workload this semester is extra heavy. There's so much I have to do , with so limited time. Trying to get the feel of how the Japanese felt during the Japanese internment period. Trying to think of how to convince people to learn a foreign language. And now, I'm stuck with some Matlab commands.
I've still not touched the financial report that I'm supposed to do. Gah!
Where is my mojo ? I want mojo .=(

Quote of the day

2009-03-28T08:08:00.003-04:00

Those of you who have my msn contact, would have noticed that sometime ago, I started putting "quote of the day"s in my personal message. But after a few days, I got tired and I guess I'm not putting anymore, for now.

So here are the quotes , that I have shared. Tee hee.

'No new dog to use" Yueh Phing

'One can never have to many teddies' Meii Lynn

'Meeing is better than dating' Kelvin Khor

'Facebook is the most useless web application I ever seen in my entire life" Gerard Wong

'Penguins look all over the island for the perfect pebble to present it to the penguin they love" Claire

"It upsets the balance of nature" Gerard Wong

"You know, you don't pee next to a guy ! " Kelvin Chiong

And did I mention that I was shifting to a new messenger address ?

What can you expect from a crate ?

2009-03-22T11:00:00.002-04:00

This is long overdue post, but here goes. Once, I mentioned about winning stuff from Heineken.Yes, the beach towel .There was this Heineken Crate Expectations contest online, where you basically have to go to the website at specific times and click.As I was having my holidays during that time, I took the opportunity to bag some items for myself.

So, sometime ago, I went to Menara Milenium at Bandar Damansara to collect the goodies, which include:

The beach towel.

Heineken Speaker Crates.

A close up look at these cute little speakers.

Limited Edition Heineken Truck

And of course:

Heineken !

I also got myself, free 6 months subscription to a few magazines, which I heard was delivered to Kuching. Yay !

Expectations

2009-03-20T03:19:00.003-04:00

Mine is high. Where's yours ?

I've finally found some personal time to update, after a very busy week. Talk about stress. Outline, tests and micro presentations are overwhelming.

Let's see where my expectations take me !

Winning British National Lottery

2009-03-14T10:48:00.004-04:00

Sometime ago, I received an email regarding winning a lottery.And I'm five hundred pounds sterling richer now. Note the sarcasm.

Guess who ?

2009-03-14T10:09:00.008-04:00

Everyday, while you go on your social networking web page, there's a remote possibility of virtually meeting someone you already know. Be it Facebook or Plurk, it's something normal in today's world.But,it isn't an everyday thing, that I discover a friend I know, on Innit. So, guess who I discovered on Innit recently?

Innit is Nuffnang's exclusive portal for Nuffnang Gliterrati members to network and share posts.Actually, I was so stressed at that time, and visited Innit to check out some "entertaining" posts.However, I saw a familiar name on the Innit chat box, and decided to check it out, which further leads me to :

Out of the sudden, this suddenly looks familiar.

Aha, Lynn ! You're stalked. =p

Outbreak !

2009-03-10T15:15:00.004-04:00

I shouldn't be doing this, but I can't withstand this urge to express myself. After a rather relaxed few weeks in this semester, I have developed an extreme sensitivity for stress.I have a huge amount of readings to do for my midterm later. From the US civil war reconstruction to the New Deal; it's just too much to place into my grey cells at this very hour. And with my limited concentration span, I feel like I'm gonna flunk my paper. I tried confining myself in an isolated room in the 3rd Floor but after a while, my thoughts get so distracted that there wasn't any point reading the text. At times like this, I can never explain myself. From one moment where I was overflowing with optimism, I can suddenly find myself at the deepest trenches of depression.This sort of emotional swings is worst than that of a woman. Someone,please help me. =(
And I really doubt if I 'm suited for maths. I discovered my profound interests in many other fields; economics, psychology and even politics. Heavily skewed towards the social sciences.But,I like corporate business though.

Phew. I felt much better after ranting.Back to reading about the reforms of the Progressive era.

Rain rain, go away !

2009-03-01T07:44:00.003-05:00

The sky is pouring again. Seriously, I think it would be much better if it would rain in the morning, than the evening. Gah!
After watching others complain about their hectic schedules for almost 2 weeks, it's my turn to face such a dreaded schedule. With presentations coming up around the corner, together with assignments, tests, a midterm and a mock trial, I see sleep debts coming soon. =(

Outbreak of randomness

2009-02-23T12:39:00.003-05:00

It's one those days when you suddenly had the urge to do something. Even though when you 're rather busy and have plenty of things in your to-do list.Sometimes, I can't really explain what I am doing and why I am doing something. It's just totally random. I guess that's what I am, totally random.Like why I am sitting here, in front of the computer after 4 hours of nap.I guess that's life.

V' Day

2009-02-14T06:00:00.007-05:00

Everyone knows about the celebration, celebrated on February 14 .Even Google does.It's a day where lovers express their feelings to each other and shower each other with gifts and affections.Personally, I have not celebrated Valentines before. It will be the same for this year. I'll be spending my time, mostly in the room, as I have a date. Yes. A date with linear algebra.Not to say, I wasn't invited anywhere. I could have gone for a gathering , or to the airport to send the Australian bound friends off, or could also have gone clubbing.But, I'm having a test on Monday , and an oral mid term for public speaking as well.

Oh well, I don't have a partner to celebrate it, anyway. Sometime ago, someone asked me, why I didn't have one. I'm not that bad, afterall. lol. Haha. But to accurately answer that question, I guess, I have not found the right person , at the right time and at the right place. Different people have different perceptions of love. Likewise, some tend to be on the giving side, while others are at the receiving side. But for now, I guess this equivocal subject is not in my priority list.

No, I'm not a callous individual. In fact, today, Gerard showed me some touching flash animation called " There She Is". It's a show really worth watching. A classic story where love overcomes all odds. I still believe they do. =)

Anyway, I got to start on my work. I have plenty to catch up with . So long for now, and Happy Valentines Day !

Of celebration and feasting

2009-02-12T08:39:00.010-05:00

Last Monday, marked the end of the Chinese New Year for the year 2009. As usual, time passes in a blink. It will be the last Chinese New Year which I celebrated in Malaysia, before going overseas, soon. Having said that, I extended my own CNY holidays for the sake of having a longer one; and more time for feasting, eating and visiting. These are some photos of the pre-CNY celebration in malls around Kuala Lumpur.

The art of pouring tea.

Models flaunting their stuff at Mid Valley.

An event at Sungai Wang

As, I had previously mentioned, my Chinese New Year was celebrated in Kuching this year, Despite the ban on fireworks , pyrotechnics was always an integral part of the celebration. Fireworks started flaring into the skies as the clock struck 12. However, either due to the current economic crisis or stronger legal enforcement; the show ended 30 minutes after 12. A starking contrast to last year's , where the blasting continued till almost 1.30 am.

A glimpse into the fireworks display in Kuching.

I initially wanted to do some studying for linear algebra during the holidays, but as it always happened, plans are laid, but I get too lazy to put those plans into action. I practically, spend the whole week on holiday mode, without touching the book. I did , however, help to "layan" some of the guests.

An inquisitive little kid. Isn't he cute ?

Sure enough, I went on a visiting spree. A record , where I visited the most number of houses throughout all my CNY celebrations.

Free PA Insurance For Digi subscribers

2009-02-06T22:59:00.007-05:00

I woke up this morning to a text message from DiGi, asking me to activate my free personal insurance from DiGi. The insurance which is underwritten by AIG General Insurance ( Malaysia) covers:

- RM10,000 for Accidental Death

- RM10,000 for Permanent Disablement

- RM500 for Funeral Expenses (due to Accidental Death)

Check it out at the following url :

https://www.digi.com.my/whatshot/promotions/insurance/index.do

There’s certain terms and condition to be eligible for it. You must be DIGI Prepaid/Postpaid registrant for more than 3 months. And the free PA policy covers you with RM 10,000 PA from AIG General Insurance as long as you stay active with DiGi.

Trillionaires, maybe not

2009-01-27T09:59:00.002-05:00

Interest rates will be slashed.I guess the government isn't keen of having people walking around with trillion dollar notes, like those issued in Zimbabwe last month.

Ushering in prosperity

2009-01-25T10:18:00.001-05:00

Gong Xi Fatt Chai

It's the time of the year again-the lunar New Year . This time around, I'll won't even be going back to Serian. It's interesting to see how my Chinese New Year celebration evolves throughout the years. During my younger years, I still remember my mum busy preparing food for the reunion dinner at my grandpa's place in Serian.Nowadays, my Chinese New Year is celebrated in the city.
However, one element of the Chinese New Year that has not changed is the red packets or known as ang pows among the Chinese. It's a vital part of celebration and something to make up for my excessive spending over the weeks. This is a short quickie, as, I should be off, preparing to blast some sparks. To everyone who's celebrating , I would like to wish you, Happy Chinese New Year. =)

Meeting up with the lamer

2009-01-25T04:27:00.007-05:00

Last Sunday, I went to Mid valley to meet up with Julia before she went back to Providence.On Monday, I found out that she got stranded at JFK Airport and had her valuables which refers to some face wash and stuff confiscated .She came back to Malaysia for her winter break ~~without souvenirs~~. On that day, Midvalley was rather packed with people.Kelvin , Sing Hoe and Valerie came as well, but they arrived later as they had to go to church in the morning. So, Julia and I had ice-cream, which she later decided was better off applied to the skin-MY skin, went around Midvalley; looking at puppies including a chihuahua which pissed and shit all around, smuggling her into the Malaysia Career and Training Fair 2009, and looking at a certain pink skirt, before the rest arrived ~~to save me~~ .

Nice atmosphere at The Gardens.

Julia and me.

Some gay dude. ( Kelvin)

Sing Hoe and Valerie.

Just pretend that you didn't see the dude on the right.=p

Apparently , Julia has some fetish for glasses or something.Just look at the facebook photos for proof.

Despite her innocent look, she can be quite evil at times.

Look, she 's attempting to hurt the cameraman's eyes.

Rantings of a frequent traveller

2009-01-24T11:55:00.021-05:00

Sometimes, travelling around in Malaysia can be a tiresome matter. Take the KTM for an example.

Crowds of people waiting to board the KTM.

Once in a while, especially during weekends, you see this scene in the KTM.

It's a place where you get pushed, shoved and to some extent molested.

In times like this, where I have to stand, I would stand like a penguin, with my hands on the pockets. Being in a situation that pack ~~like sardines~~ , I don't have to fear falling over, as bodies will form a sort of general support for me. The risk, I would worry about is being pick-pocketed or having my stuff pushed out of my pockets. Trust me , it happens.

This sort of explains why every Malaysian wants to have their own automobile. And why cars are a preferable means of transport.

Something like this.

Another means of transport that I have been taking frequently is planes.
If you're flying to Kuala Lumpur, you would usually have to walk into the terminal.

Like these people.

But, if you're flying from/ to Kuching, like I always do. You'll get to use the sky bridge to the plane, if you're lucky. Well, so far, I'm always lucky.

Yes, the sky bridge. Airasia has been trying to upgrade their services.

But LCCT has become a little too pack. Reminds me of KL Sentral or Pudu during the holiday seasons.You get two queues leading to the same counter. Or someone telling you to make way for him/ her to pass. If you still remember my tiring day at airport , it'll be a terrible experience for tourists if something goes wrong.

Despite LCCT's expansion , Airasia's statistics shows that the capacity of LCCT will not be able to sustain the volume of increasing customers of Airasia.

This would probably lead to some consumers choosing to travel by MAS @ KLIA over Airasia as for reasons related to comfort and travelling pleasure.
And recently, there's been an ongoing debate on whether Airasia should carry on with their project at Labu. The KLIA-East project. Some say it's a waste of money. Some say it's unnecessary.But, I actually believe this project is a very good one. Not only will it spur economic growth, develop the town of Labu, but it will also propel Malaysia to become South East Asia's aviation hub.

The Santubong Escape

2009-01-24T10:41:00.015-05:00

Last month, I went to Santubong Resort with a bunch of friends. It's a local resort which have been rather unpopular among local denizens compared to Damai Resort and Damai Puri. Having said that, the rate for the rooms there is cheaper compared to the other resorts. We stayed there for 2 days and 1 night. Oh well, let's not bore you with the details. I have the photos , do the talking.

It looks as if we booked the entire resort.

The reception area.

Hohoho!! Santa is in town.

Girls talk.

Pool tables around the reception area.

The lounge when you can sing karaoke, which we did at night.

Ice-cream for sale.

Maybe Santubong Resort should hire him as a model.

The check in was a brief procedure, and we found our way to the rooms in a short while.

A glimpse at one of the room.

And we had pool view.

The swimming pool. With the absence of hot girls.

The area over the lake is a spot of golfers.

At night, we had dinner at a local seafood restaurant, where I managed to snap this magnificent scenery.

And obviously, I wanted one, with the photo of me in it as well.

New INTI

2009-01-23T08:42:00.009-05:00

Since Julia was asking for photos of the "new" INTI, I decided to do a post on the New INTI. Taken over by Laurette Group, there has been revamp on the look of INTI. So, here's some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

The reception area.

The academic block and the overhead bridge connecting the student centre.

The park in the middle of the academic blocks.

The solution of the new equation painted on the door.

The Center for American Education

You can see the magazine " Pour Out" being displayed.

The new look in the University Placement Office. With better computers and a nice sofa.

The new INTI bus.

Not to forget, the new AUP brochure.

With some very familiar faces in it.

And to add to the new things, there's even a new addition to the number of couples.

Youth' 09

2009-01-23T05:26:00.014-05:00

Two weeks ago, I attended Youth' 09 with Olivia. Initially, I thought PWTC was located near KLCC, resulting in, us travelling to KLCC only to find out that the venue I had in mind was Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, whereas we were supposed to go to Putra World Trade Centre. How noob can I get ?

Nevertheless, we managed to find our way to PWTC , after a while.

Yes, the PWTC , I always hear about in the media.

Initially, I was contemplating if I should volunteer for the event, but after giving it some thoughts , I decided that I was better off being a visitor.I was particularly interested to attend the photography workshop organised by ShutterAsia.

The speaker is talking about aperture.

Sadly, the workshop was rather short, and he proceeded to talk about the details of the photography challenge, which I did not participate. I didn't want to go around with my camera or my phone snapping photos, when others are carrying their DSLRs. Oh, someone, get me an DSLR !!

After that, we went around the area looking at the different events happening.

Girls in the 3 X 3 basketball challenge.

Two guys in the Animax Cosplay Competition.

Graffiti artist in action.

Petronas decided to share their pride of their F1 technology.

I found these cute little dice seats lying around. So , I decided to make good use of them.
Olivia beaming proudly at the camera. Those photos really make an excellent background.
Even yellow ducks were present in the event.

An era of change

2009-01-22T09:56:00.005-05:00

Less than a week after the inauguration of President Barrack Hussein Obama, there have been talks of shutting down the controversial Guantanamo detention camp. On day one, President Obama pledged for openness and transparency in his administration.

Being the first black American president, Obama has already left behind a legacy.His embodiment of change was a factor which lead voters to put him into the Oval Office, where he is expected to bring about transformation; and most importantly, the country's economic revival.

You can check out Obama's cabinet, here . Believe in Change.

A trip to the outskirts

2009-01-03T21:51:00.001-05:00

New Year's Day saw me out on a excursion to the outskirts with a bunch of friends. Jen Yong, who had discovered a beach at a local village led us to Kampung Pasir Panjang, situated 21 kilometers away from Kuching City.

Although not popular among tourists, this long stretch of beach could be developed into a tourist attraction.

Local folks promenading on the beach.

Accretion of shell sediments on the rocks at the side of the beach.

Two guys fishing on the rocks

A pay-per-use wash room.

This house, however, does not seem to be a village house.

After that, we went on to explore the coastal area of the nearby Kampung Pasir Pandak, another village on the coastal area. Huge boulders were placed on the seaside to prevent further erosion and to protect the villagers .

It seems that most of the villagers here are fishermen, with boats parked nearby their respective houses.

Little kids having fun on the stretch of rocks.

A view of Mt. Santubong from the stretch of rocks.

This bunch of guys seem to be interested with something about the boulders.

Maybe a hole in the rock?

Tomorrow's Eve

2008-12-30T11:02:00.002-05:00

This is actually a very random post.

I received this just now, after a very long wait.

Today is tomorrow's eve. The last day of 2008. And a time when people flash back to see if they have fulfilled any of their resolutions for the year. 2008 wasn't an easy year for me. Started off with a bleak chance to fly, pretty upsetting SAT scores , followed by delirious emotional conflict . It even got worst in the middle of year due to two depressing fact I had to face. To the extend that I was inundated by an feeling of despair. It's these moments when you get to see who really cared about you. You know who you guys are. =) Really appreciated that.

Things happen for a reason, and I realized that there wasn't any point crying over spoilt milk, yes spoilt milk instead of spilled milk. Spilled milk can still be used to feed a cat. lol. =p

Personally, I believe that those setbacks did indeed broaden my perspective in life. Learning what's necessary and what's not. Not that I am a narrow minded person, but it really enforced the liberal side of me.

On a different note, I can't believe that my holidays are about to end. Life's been rather good to me lately. Even giving me a free beach towel. lol.

But in a few more days, I shall be back to being a nerd. I'm taking two mathematics subject for the next semester, so I have to give it a little more effort- given my poor standard of maths. I really should be ashamed of myself for my previous calculus grades.

And I noticed that a lot of people are taking leaves around this time of the year. I've send a few official emails lately , only to receive out-of-contact notifications. =.= On vacation, perhaps.

Oh well, let's just hope that 2009 will be a blast. Happy New Year everyone!

Bloggers' Meet @ Village Fast Food

2008-12-28T12:44:00.002-05:00

Last Saturday, I went for a food tasting session for bloggers at Village Fast Food. Personally, I have not been to any blogger event before. But since, I'm on holiday, I thought I would give it a try. The event was jointly organised by Eating Out@ Kuching (Eat Ok) with Green Bento and Village FastFood (VFF).

Being a shy person, I asked ~~the tam chiak~~ Evelyn if she was interested to go as well.

What sort of expression is that ? Lol.

Village Fast Food is located on Jalan Onn Kee Hui, opposite of the SUPP Hall . It has a concept of healthy dining; where no MSG is added in the food. Thus, no extra thirst and migraine which you might experience from eating food which are splashed with MSG. A concept similar to my mum's cooking.*winks*

The concept of fresh healthy meals was started by Caroline Wee at Green Bento. Now , she's expanding to Village Fast Food.

We were rather late,reaching when the introduction session was about to end.

This is not the first time, I blog about food, but usually, people would ask me why I would take a photo of the food before eating.However, yesterday, there were 7 bloggers at our table and you could see everyone snapping away at the food before digging in.We started our course with soup.

Hot & Sour Soup. A heart warming dish for those who have a craving for spicy food.

Rice was served in a cute little bowl.

Butter prawn.

You could also consume the head and tail portion of the prawn as well.I did. Seriously, it was nice.

Nyonya Sweet and Sour Chicken

I love it.The sauce was evenly spreaded throughout the boneless chicken.

Nestum Fish Fillet. Personally, I would prefer it with more nestum.XD

4 Combo Vegetable

I could taste the delicious sambal leaking through the slices of lady finger.

Fried Mee Sua Cangkuk Manis

Actually, I would prefer more of the cangkuk( ma li chai) , but I guess VFF didn't want to overdose us with cangkuk.

Fish and Chips.

It was served with ketchup and my all-time favourite- tar tar sauce.

Grilled Beef Steak

The beef steak was served with 3 different sauce:

Brown Sauce, Mushroom Sauce and Black Pepper Sauce

One of the blogger from my table winning a gift. ( I forgot her name) =.=

(From the left )Her, Francis, Annna

Emmelina and Francis (One of person involved in organizing of the event)

I would say the event was a success. Well done to Caroline, Francis, Annna and all the crew that made the event possible.=)

Abandoned Reading List

2008-12-19T06:45:00.001-05:00

It just occured to me. I'm spending too much time online and on dramas and shows. From dramas like Heroes, The Gem of Life to reality show like The Amazing Race. To add to my list , I discovered some interesting videos online, like Chick vs Dick .My reading list for the holidays have been neglected. Seriously, I have not even finish a chapter of any of those books.

First post with geotagging

2008-12-19T06:30:00.007-05:00

Anyway, as the title says , this is my first post with geotagging. What's that? It's actually tagging a location to each of your blog posts.As simple as that. Check out it out below this post. You can even determine the specific location you wish to geotag your post with . Right to the specific housing estate. Well, my geotag isn't that specific, for privacy reasons.
Interested ? Login to draft.blogger.com to start blogging with geotags right away.

If your geotag is not appearing, especially if you are using a customized template; you might want to revert your widget templates to default. This can be done by accessing the layout section of blogger. Click on edit html and you'll find that option.

In addition, you'll also have to check the box for location in the setting of your blog posts under page elements.This must be accessed through draft blogger as it's unavailable in the conventional blogger.

One more thing, I realized that the geotag will disappear if you edit your post in the normal blogger.

Those interested to know more can check out what the google team has to say on geotagging. Click here.

A series of unfortunate technical events

2008-12-16T09:25:00.010-05:00

It was sometime ago when I had problems with my laptop. The last occurrence was the attack of Antivirus 2008 through a fake codec scam.That Antivirus 2008 is not what it claims to be. It's actually a rogue software- a hoax to swindle people's money by claiming the presence of non-existent threats. That pesky program even mocked me by hijacking my desktop wallpaper. Such a nuisance. Luckily, I was able to get rid of it using Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware.
But , just now a series of unfortunate technical events occured. Pretty much reminded me that I shouldn't laugh at people.You never know how fast things might turn around and strike at you. Well, suddenly my web browsers was unable to display webpages. I was connected to the Internet; my downloads were still running.But Google Chrome displayed this :
Error 2 (net::ERR_FAILED): Unknown error.
None of the pages seem to load. My Internet Explorer 7 went with the typical:

Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage

Firefox was worst . The whole page was blank , and nothing was displayed

Initially , I thought it was due to some of the tweaks I did to Bittorrent;thus, I resetted all the settings.However, the problem persist. Darn. Frustrated, I restarted the window. Only to be greeted by this :

Again and again. No joke. It restarted over and over again. After 5 or 6 times , I rebooted in safe mode and ran an malware scan on the system. Then , it came to me that I just installed Rapidshare Plus, a software to help me download files from rapidshare.As a free user, I don't have a premium account. You know me, I don't pay for what I can get for free. >_<

Something you might be familiar with, after your computer reboots from an error.

And I saw this for the first time.

Being paranoid, I went on with a full adware scan after that incident. It's better to be safe than sorry.
ps- the 28 infections were just some Internet Explorer cookies from some advertising sites.

Giving CPR to your photo

2008-12-14T04:00:00.011-05:00

Interested to animate your photos? Give it life?

Like the photo below?

Let me introduce you to :

Photoscape - an easy photo-editing software that can help you animate your photos.

Long Ice-cream

2008-12-10T22:27:00.001-05:00

I think Sugarbun has the "longest" ice-cream , you can find around the city. That day, while hanging out at the Spring with a bunch of friends, I tried the Sugarbun ice-cream. During my younger years, Sugarbun had that blue bunny and they serve very delicious fillet and chicken. Nowadays, a variety of dishes seem to have pop up in the menu. And the bunny ? Missing in action. Seriously, I think it's a bargain. For RM 1.50 , you can have so much ice-cream. Not bad eh.

Tagged by a Giraffe

2008-12-10T04:11:00.005-05:00

I was tagged by a giraffe sometime ago, but I was too lazy to do it. But since I'm in the mood now, here goes .

1. What is the relationship between you and her?

She's my junior. lol.INTImates. Haha..that sound wrong. We're friends.

2. Your 5 impressions towards her.
Giraffe-like. LOL.Okay. She's sporting, active,nice and smart.

3. The most memorable thing she had done for you.

Listening to me rant. Really, it's one of the best thing someone can do for me.

4. The most memorable things she have said to you?
No idea. I have very bad memory.Maybe "Seize the moment, blaze a trail"?

5. If she become your lover, you will..
Have spots ?? lol...

6. If she become your enemy, you will...
OMG. I'll nice to animals. How is that possible ?

7. If she become your lover, she has to improve on...
I have no idea. Seriously ..

8. If she becomes your enemy, the reason is...
I killed a giraffe . Okay, I don't know ..

9. The most desirable thing to do to her is?

Point and laugh at her.I think I like to do that to a lot of people.

10. The overall impression of her is...
Nice outgoing person, good listener .

11. How do you think the people around you will feel about you?
Nice and friendly ? Okay, I'm not that friendly as I used to be. LOL. Lazy ? Wait, I know you people want to say this . Yes, noobish... =.=

12. The character of you for yourself is?

What is this question asking ? Urrggh.. Okay, I believe that a lot of things are just a matter of perspective. Some people like to make things complicated, while I prefer it simpler. I've learned the hard way that I can't satisfy everyone. I'm a non-conformist. lol, in some aspects, I just refuse to follow the norm. I believe in living life with no regrets, living life to the fullest. It's just too short to waste.

13. On contrary, the character you hate of yourself is?
Lack of confidence?

14. The most ideal person that you wanna be is?

Is that a question? Obviously, I want to be me. =)

15. For the people who care about and like you, say something about them.
Aww, they are the best people on Earth. With especially good taste. =)

Tagging..
1. Julia
2. Yung Terd
3. Kelvin
4. Claire
5. Evelyn

6. MeiiLynn
7. Wan Yi
8. Michelle
9. Bernard
10. Yi Jing
11. Karuna

12. Chin Yee

It's 12 for the month of December. =p

Who is no. 2 having a relationship with?
His mangas.. lol.

Is no. 3 a male or a female?
Duh. XY chromosomes. What do you think?

If no. 7 and no. 10 were together, would it be a good thing?
Err..no. Bernard will be jealous.

How about no. 5 and 8?
No either.

What is no. 1 studying?
You mean her major ? Econs maybe, or psychology. Wait, it's lamerlogy.

Is no. 4 single?

Nope.

Say something about no. 6
She loves teddy bear ...Sheessshhh...

What about no.. 11 ?

She's said to come from Sri Langka. >_<

The hottest book in town

2008-12-08T10:36:00.009-05:00

Worrying about where to go, for dinner or to hang out with friends ? Worry no more, My Privilege Book is here. This book is a smart guide to dining, entertainment, retail and services in Kuching City. Besides, it offers the owner, elite privileges to various offers around the city , be it shopping or dining . Retail therapy couldn't be better in Kuching. What more can you ask for?

Yes, a warning have been issued. It contains more than RM3500.00 in value. =)

Ta da.

My Privilege Book 2009 is launching on 12.12.2008.Those interested in the book can check it out at the following venue:

-The Spring ( 12-14 December)
-Crown Square ( 12-24 December)
-Boulevard ( 27-29 December)

If I'm given this book, I would most probably go like this :

Wait , I mean like this :

Maybe a little more ecstatic.

Those interested to take part in the competition organised by Kuching Bloggers can check it out , here

Dinner at BDC Seafood Restaurant

2008-12-05T02:44:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, I had dinner with my family at BDC Seafood Restaurant located at BDC Commercial Center.

A glimpse at the place from outside.

The main entrance.

Entering the place, I noticed that they had partitioned the ground floor.The result ? A small and cosy dining area at the ground floor. The dinner we had was nice but quite costly. In addition to a bowl of white rice each ( I had two) , we ordered :

Onion and ginger venison

Hung Sao Tofu

Bilin with red wine

An exquisite dish of Borneo. I haven't seen this in West Malaysia.The taste of wine wasn't that strong but it blended nicely with the bilin.

Crispy threadfin

A very appetizing dish. And the fish was fresh.

Kailan

This dish was also well cooked. Surprisingly, I ate quite a portion of it. I'm not really a fan of this dish, but my taste bud surrendered to such a nice dish. Overall, it was a nice dinning experience I had there. Stay tuned for more food. =p

Chicken Balls

2008-12-03T07:38:00.012-05:00

This happened sometime ago, but the balls are too tempting. So, I decided to write a post about it. I had the opportunity to try Malacca's famous chicken ~~rice~~ balls.
Thanks to LuLu who hails from Malacca.
As a famous shop in Malacca, hungry customers had to queue up while waiting to be seated.

This is a set of meal for five.

Here's a closer look at the chicken meat.

And not to forget, the balls:

Chicken rice balls.

Don't they look cute.

And obviously we had a photo session.

We initaily tried to set the timer for the camera, but a kind hearted customer volunteered to help us. =)

Revival of the shutter bug

2008-12-03T06:14:00.007-05:00

I saw a cat outside the window yesterday. And decided to do some photography. Since, it's volunteering to be my model.

This is taken with my phone.

Realizing that it wasn't a good shot, I ~~hunted~~ searched for my ~~aging~~ camera. It's been some time since I used it.Hence, I took these:

With optical zoom only.

Unable to get a clear shot of the creature, I opted for digital zoom.

A little blur.

Frustrated with the quality of photos taken, I decided to try my luck outside with my phone.

Doesn't seem any better.

T.T

Say it out

2008-12-02T01:22:00.004-05:00

More than 48,765 young Malaysians have been active in this community and I thought I would share this with you.

How does it work?
* Get paid when you take surveys, as it helps businesses and society serve you better.
* Meet like minds and influence others as you discuss your interests, current issues in the group discussions.
* Get more readers for your blog, as you broadcast interesting statistics of young Malaysians.
* Help young Malaysians with their questions. Or ask one of your own!

It's actually quite addictive and you can earn money too. The last I checked, members have earned a total of RM 72,305. You have to see it for yourself!

Click here

Confessions

2008-12-01T02:12:00.005-05:00

This isn't the most interesting post, but please bear with me. I need a channel to rant.No, it's not that I'm not contented with what I have but rather it's the regret of what I have lost.But, that's just a matter of perspective.

Cheerful as I usually seem, there are times when I really break down.

You know , at times, I feel rather disappointed with myself. It's amazing , how long , I have lived , in ignorance, without realizing a lot of things. There are episodes, where I truly regret for taking things for granted. I'm not seeking to be an replica of an over-achiever, nor am I seeking to own the world.

The fact is , there's plenty of opportunities which I have always took for granted. Episodes of idling, taking people I love for granted, and even not completing what I set out to achieve. There just too much in my life. It takes a lot of courage to realized how much I have lost as a repercussion of my blatant ignorance or should I say my inability to appreciate what was there- the chance available.

Instead I do the wrong thing at the wrong time.Or sometimes, the temptation of maintaining the norm,it's just too tempting. I guess that where I should draw the line. The very reason, I am sitting here hoping while others are achieving what they want. Although, William Hung may not be the most appealing example to follow, his attitude of doing the best and having no regrets, is indeed something to look up at.

There are times, I had so much I wanted to say ,but I ended up saying nothing. Such irony in life. Perhaps, I didn't know where to start.

Today, I woke up, feeling rather disappointed with myself. I had a short chat with Yung Terd, which confirms my view that, people are losing out a lot due to the absence of opportunity. Or rather the knowledge and appreciation of it.

Everyday, I see people seeking for change.But,Change is a powerful word, that many people aspire and hope for, yet they are afraid of it at the same time.

Philosophical as it sounds, these are thoughts not many people think of . While some people are still searching for goals in life , I already have an image of it. It's just a matter of putting it into action.

You may not understand what I am talking about, for I am talking on a broad range of issues in my life.Don't bother asking. There are things that you'll never understand if you haven't been through what I have. This post shall serve as a reminder to myself,to prevent myself from disappointing myself or the people I care about, anymore. What I am today, is a product of my actions in the past.

What I am in the future? That depends on what I have the courage to do.

A song to the sun

2008-11-30T03:57:00.000-05:00

I don't understand the lyrics, yet there's something about the song that I find inspiring. Taiyo no Uta by Kaoru Amane is simply too good to pass by. Personally, I enjoy the acoustic version better but the entire single is great as well. Her real name is Sawajiri Erika while Kaoru Amane is a fictional name. However, the single was released under the name of Kaoru Amane.

Image is copyrighted by Sony Music Records ( Japan) Inc.

I'm getting a new laptop

2008-11-29T11:23:00.005-05:00

Yung Terd posted about my good fortune , few days ago.

That day, I broke a good news to him, about me winning a new laptop .

Yes, I'm getting a new laptop, courtesy of the Merdeka Award. Initiated by Petronas , ExxonMobil and Shell, the Merdeka Award was launched last year in conjunction with Malaysia's golden jubilee.It was an award to recognise and reward excellent individuals or organisation who had not only contributed to the nation's growth but have also inspired greatness in the people of Malaysia.Check out a news article about the awards presentation ceremony, here

Er..No , I didn't win the award.

I won a contest related to the award. So, now I 'm waiting for my brand new Hewlett Packard laptop, which is scheduled to arrive in these few weeks. =)

Any suggestions on the fate of my Aspire 4520?

CBox vs ShoutMix

2008-11-29T04:48:00.004-05:00

If u haven't noticed, I've changed my chat box. The section used to be occupied by the CBox has now been taken over by ShoutMix.

Why, you may ask ?

Well, it's just that the Cbox has been doing things behind my back. *Curang*

Yes, it's the culprit behind the pop-up that appears everytime you click on my blog link.

Note: It only appears when you click on my link. It should be blocked by the pop-up blocker, but nevertheless, it's still an annoying pop-up.

Still Cbox used to have an advantage over Shoutmix, which is the ability to block and ban IP. I repeat , used to. To Cbox's horror, now, ShoutMix offer this same feature to it's free user. Although, it's pretty useless if the user uses a dynamic IP, it still gives you control over your chat box.While messages can only be deleted on the admin page of Cbox, users of ShoutMix can delete the messages on the chatbox itself. Thanks to the cool login feature when you click on the top right of the chatbox itself. Nice eh ?

And since, both are free, why not choose the better one ? I mean they offer free services for basic users. Premium users can pay , and get better services, with more features. But, that's a different story altogether.

29 11 08

2008-11-28T12:35:00.004-05:00

To this someone whose name is Claire,

Someone whose special day is on the 29 of November.

Someone who loves pink.

Someone who accusses me of cheating in mahjong.

Someone who knows that ice-cream makes me happy.

Happy Birthday !!

May your wishes come true.

Stay Happy Always.

Ps- I'm still waiting to buy your album. LOL.

More food for me

2008-11-25T10:46:00.008-05:00

Yes. You can't stop me from eating more good food. I'm a food addict.

I went to Top Spot Food Court for dinner just now, with my family. It's right on top of the Permata Car park( Level 6).

And the place serve one of the best sea-food in town.

The stall which we ordered from.

The front of stall is usually crowded with people.

As we waited for our food, a guy from another stall came and asked if we would liked some prawns.

Ta da.

Nice delicious prawns but rather expensive.These prawns cost RM 60 per kg.

Those four prawns above cost RM 69.90 .=.=

On average, that makes this prawn worth around RM17.50 .

( Figure rounded up)

Other than that, the rest of the food was not that costly.

Tofu

Mushroom delight

Fresh crispy fish.

Crab

And more crab.

Educational Videos ?

2008-11-25T10:45:00.002-05:00

While surfing the Internet, I came across Name Wee's website. It's found here .Wee Meng Chee or otherwise known as Name Wee became famous as a result of his release of a controversial rap video on YouTube- a parody of the national anthem.

His ABC "educational" video left me speechless. =.=

Check it out yourself.

Laughter is the best medicine

2008-11-23T08:28:00.004-05:00

I was feeling rather upset, until I discovered this on Youtube.
Thanks to Julia.

Enjoy. =)

Laksa O' Laksa

2008-11-23T08:19:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, my mum attempted to cook some laksa. So, what is in your mind when I talk about laksa. Are you thinking of :

*Drum rolls*

Malacca Nyonya Laksa

Or Penang Laksa ?

Obviously, it was :

Sarawak laksa.

It's a local dish of rice vermicelli served in a delicious soup. It is topped with fresh slices of chicken, omelet strips, prawns, fresh coriander, fried tofu, and bean sprouts. The dish is accompanied with a serving of lime and sambal belacan.

However, not all ingredients were used in the production of this home-made laksa.

The ingredients in my mum home-made laksa include :

Slices of fried tofu

Bean sprouts

Omelet strips

Chicken strips

Rice vermicelli

And the soup.

Ta da.

The end result:

Too bad Mr. Prawn decided to take a sick leave.

Sarawak One-Stop ICT Hub @ Kuching

2008-11-23T04:16:00.004-05:00

Yesterday,I went to One TJ to have a look at the newest shopping complex in Kuching, dedicated to ICT products and services. The whole complex is said to be powered with wireless by deConneXion. Let's hope they expand their services to the neighbourhood nearby. =)

Aunties and kids were crowding around the Blue Hyppo

SaMba Zone-the food court at Level 4.

Unfortunately, there was nothing much to see, as most of the shops were not open yet.

About Me

2008-11-19T07:49:00.002-05:00

The profile box at the side pretty much gave a good and brief explanation about me. But, here's a longer introduction about me.

Born in 1989, Jeffrey Liew is 19 this year.

Yes. That's me.Though friends from my high school and primary school, would identify me with my Chinese name. I'm gonna be in my Big 2 in a few months from now. But 18 is the legal age in Malaysia.

I'm born, and raised in the Borneo part of Malaysia; Kuching to be precise. Kuching is a wonderful city in Malaysia, and arguably has the best food in Malaysia. There was a period in life when I ordered poh piah every time I went out for food. And I still love it . I feed myself with more Sarawak kolo mee than you could possibly imagine.

I spend the last few days of 2000 in Auckland, New Zealand. Now, I commute occasionally from West Malaysia to Sarawak as I'm currently studying in INTI International University College, Nilai.

I'm gonna major in actuarial mathematics or rather known as actuarial science. But , I 'm gonna explore the diversity and flexibility of the education in the United States. Other potential field of interest includes finance, language,law,history, bio tech,IT, psychology, political science, accounting and economics. Who knows ? I might end up with a MD.

I'm single. And straight. Although some people might influence you to question my sexual preference.

I have a large appetite, possibly due to my high metabolism rate. I'm addicted to milo, don't mind taking a few shots of alcohol , but I'm totally against smoking.

I don't exercise much. And no, I'm not interested in sport channels. But I'm interested in archery, golf, tennis and squash.I enjoy various dramas; from English series, captivating Hong Kong dramas to heart warming Korean dramas and touching Japanese dramas. It's an addiction since small.I enjoy travelling and look forward to more excursions to different places. It's my dream to be able to take a year of holiday of from work ( in the future) and travel around the world.

I used to be a rather bad-tempered person (perhaps I still am) ; but I have learnt to be nice . But please don't take this opportunity to abuse me. You don't want to annoy me. Trust me.

I do a lot of thinking in the shower. It's a place where no one disturbs me .

I get cranky when I'm hungry. Even more when I can't sleep. I'm not an insomniac, but there are times, which I just can't sleep no matter what. I can sleep for hours, more than 8 hours preferably.

I underwent military training in Pahang. I meant National Service in Camp Chamang, Bentong.

I'm lame. So, I don't blame you if you're sweating when you're talking to me, in a 18 degrees air-con room. Yes,and I prefer to die in the cold than in the heat.

I'm rather liberal and I don't give much of a damn on what people think. I'm been a topic for gossip since primary school, so I'm used to it. I'm interested to listen to what people say about me, but other than that, I couldn't be bothered.

I have a habit of observing people. See what they are doing, how they react and stuff. I 'm rather sensitive; I gets emotional rather easily.

I started to blog sometime ago, to keep a diary of my life. But now, it has turn to much of a hobby. I stalk blogs; spending a lot of time blog hopping (jumping from blogs to blogs through links ). This can also serve as a portal for me to keep in touch with my friends in this ever-changing world.

So this is like a Dummies Guide to Jeffrey Liew. lol.After all , this blog is about me, my life experiences and me.Talk about how vain a guy can get.

Owwh. Did I mention that I'm nocturnal? I'm still trying to fix my biological clock but the air-con isn't helping.

D' Pearl of the Orient

2008-11-12T03:39:00.003-05:00

Last week, I took a detour to Penang Island before coming back home. I went Penang with Kelvin for vacation. Yes, just the 2 of us. Initially , Pam was supposed to bring us around, but she went back late because of ~~her noobness~~ certain reasons. So, we stayed at 75 Travellers Lodge. They have rooms at very low cost .

This is my second trip to Penang, having gone there, at end of last year. Last time around, we travelled around Penang, mostly by car, while this time, Kelvin and I took the most traditional way of getting around. Yes, walking ( although Kelvin has a horrible sense of direction) and bus . In fact, I got to know the place better. No wonder those Westerners like to go backpacking.

Kelvin decides to start camping at LCCT ( Low Cost Courier Terminal )

We had our first meal in Penang at this place, situated along Penang Road. Initially , we wanted to go to the famous Kayu Nasi Kandar, but , unfortunately it was closed. At first, we asked about the price of the chicken, but the guy started talking about 4 chops and 8 chops which puzzled both of us. Then , another guy came along and started talking in Hokkien. LOL.

This is what I ate. Kelvin with his food. He was rather irritated that it was too spicy.LOL.

After food, I lead Kelvin over to Prangin Mall. We decided to watch a movie there since, there was nothing else to do . LOL. After a debate on what to watch, we decided to settle for High School Musical 3. I haven't watch HSM 1 or 2, but was tempted to watch the 3rd sequal as reviews have applauded it as better than its predecessors.

Yes. Georgetown is a world herritage site recognised by UNESCO.Both Malacca and Georgetown are historic cities of the Straits of Malacca.

"Sar Ho Fen" at Lebuh Kimberly.

The next morning , we set out to explore Love Lane, which was supposed to be a red light district ( according to a friend from Penang). We wanted to sink our teeths on the chicken rice on ~~Julia~~ Chulia Street , but unfortunately it was not open in the morning. Sad case. I had this Hokkien Char at Carnavon Street instead.

Trademark of Penang kopitiams.You'll have ton of ice in your beverage even if you asked for less ice. That's for cold drinks of course.

Kek Lok Si These creatures are hungry. You can feed them with kangkung. =)

The main reason we went to Air Itam. Yes. Just for the laksa.

It's much of a family business.

D' famous Penang laksa. True enough, it lived up to it's name. It was excellent. In fact, 100 times better than the Penang laksa which I tried last year at Penang Road. Well, since it's different than our own local Sarawak laksa, I'm not going to compare it.=) You can't compare oranges and apples , right?

Hungry Kelvin
Next, we took the Rapid Penang to Teluk Bahang, near Batu Ferringhi. In fact, Batu Ferringhi has an excellent sea view, with blue sparkling sea. Reminds me of the time, I was in New Zealand.

It's 10 ringgit per entrance for My Card holders.
There was one section for displaying arts and crafts. Too bad, I wasn't allowed to take photos.

Komtar.

We went down to New Lane near Macalister Road for dinner.

One comment sight that I notice in Penang is amount of people going around asking for money.

I sat there eating for less than an hour and about 5 people walked pass asking for money. In fact, I was watching an old man bugging a caucasian for money. Yes, he was trying to call the caucasian , but the guy just ignored him.

Poh Pia -RM2.40 ( Not bad, but I could find bigger ones in Kuching.)
Char Kueh Tiao-RM 5 & and extremely long wait

Wan Tan Mee-RM3 ( It was rather sweet for my liking.)

As I was still hungry. I decided to walk along Macalister Road to search for any shrine of gluttony.

This is the Hokkien Mee from Macalistair Road. It was rather spicy but good. In fact, it was rather similar to Sarawak laksa in some sense.

Some sea view near our place.

I was standing in front of some mansion recognised by UNESCO. Or was I posing ?
Chicken rice shop recommended by Jessica.

Food More food

The soya bean at that shop was also nice.

Next stop, New World Park along Jalan Burma
Hokkien Char

Cendol

Dinner was taken at some tandori chicken shop. Sweet Lasi ( some yogurt like drink )

Tandori Chicken Ais Kacang which we had at 2 am.

Overall, my 4 days 3 nights trip in Penang was a rather enjoyable one despite the absence of Penangites to guide us around.

ps-Certain parts of the trip was omitted from the post to preserve the "good boy" images of the individuals involved.

Tiring day at the airport

2008-11-09T07:01:00.004-05:00

I'm officially back in Kuching. Yesterday, I had a tiring day at the airport. I was taking a flight from Penang back to Kuala Lumpur before I would fly back to Kuching.I had booked my flight back to Kuching earlier so I didn't want to waste it.Unfortunately, Airasia's check in system crashed and the ground staffs had to do a lot of work manually. The result was inefficiency and long queues.

Long queue at Penang International Airport. However, things were not that bad , as the flight was only behind schedule for 25 minutes.

But the worst was yet to come. I was transiting at LCCT before I fly back home to Kuching. A look at a typical room at Tune Hotel.
As I passed the security check at LCCT, I was ~~shocked~~ greeted by this sight:

And this sight automatically translate into a long wait at the check-in counter. This is a chronology of events in the afternoon.

3.00PM Passed the security check and moved through the crowd to get to the check-in counter
3.05PM Queued at the check-in counter
3.15 PM I was still standing at the same spot.
3.20PM The line started moving.
3.45PM A guy from the next line requested to cut the queue to the front as he had stomachache.
3.50PM I have barely moved more than 2 meters from the initial spot I stood.
4.00PM Line seems to be moving faster.
4.20PM Checked in.( My flight was supposed to be at 4.20PM, wtf)

Amazingly, I arrived 17 minutes behind schedule in Kuching International Airport.