Christmas Buzz!

Sorry for not blogging in a long time. I've really been enjoying myself in Kuching. I really miss home, I guess. I used to think Kuching is really boring since it's such a small city (actually, I still do think so...anyways!) but now, everything about Kuching, I miss. The traffic here on the road is not as busy as KL or Subang. Well, duh since both cities are big cities unlike Kuching. You don't need to take long to travel from one location to another. You don't need to curse as much on the road since there are less cars on the road... Then, the food here is cheaper too. It's good to see Kolo Mee and Laksa again. Kam Pua Mee too. Man... I missed them tons. I'm halfway through my holidays. I'm really dreading going back to college again! That's why I don't really want Christmas to come so soon...

In any case, Christmas carolling for my church, the Sunday Morning Chinese Choir starts tomorrow. Been busy with choir practice. I love carolling! I think that's fundamentally because I love singing anyway. LOLZ! I'm wondering what to get for friends. I've settled Angie's... A reindeer soft toy I gave her! XD She wanted Rudolph (the doll's got no red nose) but I told her Santa needs it to lead his sledge. HAHA!!!!!

Thanks, Angie, for getting me those two books from Doulos! The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde and a biography of Oscar Wilde. This is a clue for those of you trying to get me X'mas presents. Hehe Do not get me the same things. XD XD 

Cheers!

Introducing my new idol... 黃靖倫 Huang Jing Lun!

Name: 黃靖倫 Huang Jing Lun

D.O.B: 23.07.1983

Nationality: Singaporean

Height: 173 cm

Weight: Approximately 63kg

Education: 2nd Year Undergraduate at 

Singapore Institute of Management (University of London) 

Faculty of Finance & Economics

Interests: Soccer, singing

Before you roll your eyes at me and think to yourself 'there she goes again' (Yes, Sophia, I especially mean you), let me explain to you why.

First of all, I didn't fall for JL because of his looks first. I fell for his voice first. ^o^ This calls for a brief introduction about JL.

I knew him from One Million Star 超級星光大道3 Season 3, a Taiwan-based singing competition. He was a contestant for that competition. No, I didn't 'chase' after that show on purpose. I was surfing for videos on Youtube and I just happen to come across an episode of XGB3 with him in it, singing. His voice is unique, almost feminine. He is deemed to be able to sing four keys higher than an average lady without using falsetto. My favourite song he sang in OMS3 is Bu Zhi De 不值得.He sang it with Rachel Liang from OMS2. I love the song ever since. XD

 Rachel Liang and Jing Lun ^^

Then, I fell for his not-your-average-sense-of-humour. He speaks in a manner that sometimes makes you think that he's a real dreamer; airy-like voice, slightly toneless. For the first time of my life, I find Chinese proverbs interesting. That's because he never fails to use proverbs whenever he speaks. XD Almost every episode (I noticed this later when I decided that I wanted to watch the whole season because of him), he would be asked by the MC, Tao Zi to mimic a famous person. Let me tell you, if you ever feel down and low, watch a video with him in it, you will laugh. =)

Amazingly, JL is not good in dancing. He is bad with body coordination. He normally avoids fast beat songs too as he preferably sings slow serenades. And throughout the competition, JL discovered his crippling weakness: his tempo is slower than others. Once, he was forced to play the drums and that episode exposed clearly that he has a problem with tempo. For singers, that can be troublesome and frustrating.

But throughout the competition, he perservered. In fact, there are times he proved that a person who can't dance like... hmm... TVXQ (my ultimate favourite Korean boy band) or Suju can still sing and captivate the hearts of people and there are times he proved that a person who has a problem with tempo can still sing a song to near perfection. His hardwork really impressed me and inspired me. (I'm thinking if he can do it, so can I, as in my issue with Math.)

Besides that, JL is an obedient son who loves his parents. He is well mannered and polite. Even when Yuan Wei Ren criticised him hurtfully and offensively (seriously!), he kept a calm mind. He even rationalised his scoldings and still managed to be grateful (he expressed his thoughts after the recording of that episode in his blog later on). Now, how many of us can do that? I know my hot temper certainly would fail me at the point if I were in his shoes. 

After I realised what a great personality JL has and how much I am to learn from him, I saw how good-looking he was. There are many other singers/actors who look much more charming or handsome than him, but it is his voice and personality which primarily lead me to acknowledge and enshrine him as one of my favourite singers. =)

Recently, JL released his debut album called 伦语录 (Lun Yu Lu). I'm waiting for the local music stores in Malaysia to start selling his album. Yes, I have actually decided to buy the original thing. Lolz! This shows how much I love his voice.

If you've never heard him sing, please do try. Go look him up in Youtube or something. After that, if you like him, please support him by buying his album - the original CD. =) You may not be able to appreciate his voice immediately, it may take a little getting used to. But trust me, it's a blessing if you can love such a voice. It's one in a million. Hehe

I'm home!

Well, actually, I've been home for about a week. It's just that I haven't announced to the whole world that I'm home in Kuching. I haven't really met up with old friends or anything. I believe there's time for that later on. I'm just loving and appreciating every single moment I'm home; whether it's squabbling with my siblings or washing the dinner dishes.... I enjoy it all. 

Results for my finals for this semester wasn't very...hmm...good. I'm horribly worried for my Math Studies in SAM. If I never make it to Australia, it'll be because of Math. Of course, I know what I must do during this holidays. Catch up! 

Still, I'm so happy to be home till January 2009! =)

Malaysian Taxi Drivers = An Atrocity

I know I am about to face my final exam for this semester for college and am supposed to value every single second, minute and hour of my life now by revising my butt off as preparation for exam. 

But I MUST relate my experience with taxi drivers today, just this afternoon. 

Class ended early today. By 1.30p.m., my housemates and I had finished lunch and were eager to go back to our hostel unit to resume revision and studies (yea... we are THAT 'guai' -Mandarin for being good-) The shuttle buses which take us back to our hostel do not come until 3p.m. Four of us didn't want to waste any time, hanging around college. So, we decided to take a cab home. 

Cindy (the big sister of the unit) flagged down a cab. The driver was a Chinese man. She asked him if he could send us to Casa Subang and enquired for the price. He said, "RM15."

@#&@#^!@&*$&@%#&!@&#*!@(!@*!!^! (list of swear words. Please insert as you wish.)

Fyi, it is a fantastically expensive price. Cindy said that was too expensive. "Do you use the meter?" Guess what the fella said? 

"I don't use meter! Don't live there la! So far away! Move somewhere around here then if you think it's so expensive. That area so jam at this time also!" (in Mandarin)

I swear if I'm some samseng ah lian who has an ah beng boyfriend who has a gang of samseng friends, that driver is a roasted Peking duck. Damn impolite and rude! A disgrace to the Chinese. 

We flagged down a second cab. Indian fella. RM15 too. We rejected it. He went off quietly.

A third cab. 

Wah! Let me tell you! Now, this is the GEIST of the story for today.

"Casa Subang? How much?"

"RM15."

"Do you use the meter?"

"No."

Another Indian driver who is hanging around the 'wait-for-taxi-spot' near our college asked, "How much do you want?"

We answered, "RM7." 

"You wait until tomoro also you won't find a taxi with that price!"

"How come you don't use the meter?"

"(sarcastic laugh) Have you ever SAT in a metered taxi?"

I thought it was the most ABSURD thing I've ever heard recently. In fact, it is of knowledge that the cabs in Selangor MUST follow the meter. Quoting from the News Straits Time:

"Wed, May 07, 2008, 

"...Taxi drivers caught over-charging passengers, being rude to customers, declining to take customers to requested destinations, driving recklessly, using modified meters and charging passengers a flat rate without the use of the meter will lose their licence immediately." 

The statement was made by the Road Transport Department enforcement director Salim Parlan. Selangor, KL, Johor and Penang are the states where meters are compulsory for taxies. Sarawak too!

Then, we came across the fourth cab. A Chinese uncle. He uses the meter. Cindy mentioned out loud that this taxi has a meter and the Indian fella who spoke rudely to us yelled back, "Go lah, miss! Go lah! You naik saje!" As if we are sure to be cheated for the trip. I didn't like the scene because it felt like he was threatening us. When we reach Casa, the fare was only RM 4.60. We paid the uncle RM5 anyway. We were so happy to find a good taxi driver in the end. 

Now, here's the thing. I'm going to make quite a condemning remark here. If you can't handle it, please click away from my blog. 

I seriously find that taxi drivers, especially Indian ones, tend to scam passengers a lot. Seriously, I've heard too many stories about taxi drivers. I personally had had my own share of experiences. They are generally (NOTE THE WORD 'generally' which means not all) deceitful and never sincere. In fact, the way they carry out their duty is completely unethical and unlawful. I've met nice Chinese and Malay taxi drivers but NEVER an Indian.

For our case, I believe that these taxi drivers are in a league and have a pact to 'standardise' their charges and fees. Their attitude is atrocious and preposterous. They are f-king barbaric towards passengers. I think they didn't respect us as much since they knew we were students. 

Malaysia will get nowhere if her nation is still as under-developed in terms of mentality and manners. I have always blamed the leaders of this country for our hapless shape of the country but i do remember that a country is not only made up of the leaders but also the people. If the people themselves do not buckle up and change, there will be no advancement in the country. How do you demand respect for others when you do not act like you DESERVE that respect?

It is also not news that taxi drivers were known to cheat foreign tourists of taxi fares.What kind of impression would they bring home to their homeland?"

*How did you find Malaysia?*

*Oh, you know, I got down from the plane and I was scammed right off for a taxi fare to city central.*

Wow, we are so prepared to be a first-world nation. 

Sophia tagged me. = =

1. What is the relationship of you and her?

Best friends (self-proclaimed XD). She bullies me a lot!!! T.T but we have great times together! ^^

2. Your 5 impressions towards her.
Unpredictable. 

The perfect listener. 

The good friend who is there when you need her.

Humourous in her own way.

Also, the horrible bully. ==

3. The most memorable things she had done for you.
Hmm... That's hard. She's done lots. From just listening to me complain about petty stuff to comforting me when I'm down. XD

4. The most memorable things she have said to you?
Err... This, I am not sure. Short-term memory. 

5. If she become your lover, you will.
puke. Eeewwwwww!!!!!! No, thank you. She can just remain as my best friend.

6. If she become your enemy, you will.
wonder if the sun has started rising from the west.

7. If she become your lover, she has to improve on.
Err... Non-applicable. She never will lest she suddenly switched gender.

8. If she become your enemy, the reason is.
she grew taller than me by five cm (joking!) 

9. The most desirable thing to do on her is?
do on her...???? Umm... put a wig on her to see her with long hair. xP

10. The overall impression of her is.
a God-sent best friend.

11. How do you think the people around you will feel about you?
Dunno. Noisy? 

12. The character of you for yourself is?
Not too sure about this too... A mixture of everything from good to evil?

13. On contrary, the character you hate of yourself is?
Being impatient.

14. The most ideal person that you wanna be is?
God is ideal. But I can't be God. So, I will agree with Sophia. The answer is... me!

15. For the people who care about and likes you, say something about them.
I care bout you and like you for who you are. So don't ever change... for the worse that is! XD

Ten people to tag :
1. Daniel C.

2. Larry N.

3. Albert T.

4. Jerry H.

5. Angela L.

6. Siti K.

7. Larry T.

(I don't know who else to tag already!!!)

8. Reening

9. Clarine Tan

10. Choy Sher Rin

Who is no. 2 having a relationship with?
No idea. You can go ask him.

Is no. 3 a male or a female?
I'm pretty sure he's a male. xP

If no. 7 and no. 10 were together, would it be a good thing?
Err... They don't know one another. Even if they were, they won't make a perfect match.

How about no. 5 and 8?
Not good also.

What is no. 1 studying about?
Dentistry. Lolz!

Is no. 4 single?
Not sure.... Technically, yes but actually no. If you get it.

Say something about no. 6?
A terrific source of inspiration when I write KATELION.

Happy Birthday, Daddy~~!!!! <3

Today is a very happy day. Because it is my daddy's birthday~~!!!! Yay~~!!!

To my dad who loves me, you just turned 46 today. Thank you for being a dad to a brat like me for 18 years (plus the 9 months when I was in mummy's womb). I can be demanding, obnoxious, unreasonable, hard-headed, immature, LOUD, NOISY at home etc. (you know everything anyway). So thanks for being patient with me.

While I may not be 'physically' close to you, know that I 'inwardly' am. You are my daddy after all~!

Sorry I'm not in Kuching to celebrate your birthday with you (and also for half-forgetting your birthday XP). 

May God bless your many days ahead. 

Love,

Me!

Your (self-proclaimed) favourite daughter. =P

Hear me out on movie 'Corpus Christi'. (One of the many threats on Christian Faith)

I received an email recently which goes something like this: 

"Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2008

 12:07 PM 
 Hi ALL, 

I have seen a poster at the Monte Casino this week-end advertising the movie Corpus Christi due to be released this June to Aug. I totally agree with the message below.

Lets stand for what we believe in and stop the mockery of Jesus Christ our Savior. If the Muslims do what they do, where do we stand as Christians? At the risk of a bit of inconvenience, I ' m forwarding this to all I think would appreciate it too. Please help us prevent such
offences against our Lord. It will take you 4 minutes! If you are not interested, and do not have the 4 Minutes it
will take to do this, please don ' t complain when God does not have time for you, because He is far busier than we are.

A disgusting film set to appear in America later this year depicts Jesus and his disciples as homosexuals! As a play, this has already been in theatres for a while. It ' s called ' Corpus Christi ' which means ' The
Christ Body. ' It ' s a revolting mockery of our Lord. But we can make a difference. That ' s why I am sending this e-mail to you. Will you please add your name to the bottom of the list at the end of this e-mail? If
you do, we will be able to prevent this film from showing in America and  South Africa .

Hey, it ' s worth a shot! Apparently, some regions in Europe have already banned the film. All we need is a lot of signatures! Remember, Jesus said 'Deny Me on earth and I ' ll deny you before my Father ' .

Hit forward, and when it comes up, delete any e-mail addresses, fill in whom you want to send it to, scroll down to the last name and add yours
to the list. When it reaches 500 please send to homasg@softhome.net 
IF WE WORK TOGETHER WE CAN DO THIS.
Thank You! 

(List of names...)"

Personally, I checked it out on the Internet. I wanted to see if it was true, that such a movie existed. Apparently, it's all a hoax. In fact, this petition has been on since 1984 (snopes.com) as far as I know. 

From the extraction above, it is clear that this non-existent movie supposedly plans to portray Jesus as a homosexual. While the movie does not exist, it is true that such an idea has been around for quite a while. 

'Corpus Christi' was produced as a play in theatres. It was staged at London's Pleasance Theatre in late 1999 and in MArch 2001, staged in Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. However, rest assured that there are no plans in making it into a film.

Nonetheless, the fact that such a preposterous and blasphemous idea (Christ being a homosexual) disgusts me. As a Christian, I take it as a serious offence and insult. It concerns the whole of Christianity, if I may say so. I do not offer these people who tarnish the image of Christ violence nor threats. But I would like to remind them of the afterlife consequences. The Lord will judge.

We have faced the waves of doubt brought about by works such as Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ and Dan Brown 's da Vinci Code. While some stood firm and strong, knowing they are all fiction, it is undeniable that there are those who failed their faith in the Lord. 

That is why I call out to all fellow brothers and sisters, pray to God that His angels who help and guard you from the devil in any form. In addition, pray that your friends and family will stay strong in the face of temptation and that we have the wisdom to see through blasphemes as they are. 

Lastly, pray that those who are against the Lord currently will repent and return to our Father, like how the Prodigal Son did. 

Let the Lord's name be praised forever and ever. Amen.

The Division in Music

What is music to you?

Last night, while in the car with my cousin and a bunch of friends, we had a slight dispute over the music we listened too. They didn't agree with my playing foregin language songs on the car radio and wanted to switch to other radio stations. Their excuse being that they couldn't understand what is being sung.

There are people like me, who appreciate music, regardless of the language used to sing the songs; but there are those who claims that it is pointless to listen to songs you do not understand.

The absurdity. I cannot disagree any more than I already can. 

To me, you do not have to understand the meaning of the song intellectually to love the song. Even if I do not understand what is being sung, I always believe in the capability of the soul to feel the emotions of the songs through the singer's voice. That is why, I also believe that a successful singer is a singer who can strike the hearts of others with their voices and infect others with the emotions they are singing with. If you cannot feel the songs, it is either 1. the melody of the song is bad. 2. the singer's not eloquent enough. 3. you don't know what is the true meaning of the enjoyment of music.

I generally understand three languages: English, Chinese, and Malay. But I enjoy Japanese and Korean songs more than any of my main languages'. Despite not comprehending the lyrics, I love the flow of music. Thumbs-up to the development in the Korean music industry, especially. 

Mozart and Beethoven's music is liked globally. It's instrumental. No lyrics. Does that mean it is not worth listening to? Today, we have spectacular music writers like Kajiura Yuki (Japanese), Nobuo Uematsu (Japanese) and Yiruma (Korean). Their music widely used in dramas and animes - widely accepted and loved. You have Vanessa Mae (Singaporean) and Joshua Bell (American) -examples of celebrated musicians. 

Hence, where does the barrier in music lies between individuals? Should there BE a barrier in music?

Some would get offended by my statements. However, I think it is a sad thing if you do not know how to appreciate music just because it is in a language you cannot understand. I feel it is absurd. If it is good music, it is good music. At least give it a try and not just condemn it. 

Allow me to provide you a few analogies. It is likened to saying that because you do not understand French, you refuse to go to France for a holiday or a business trip; it is akin to a man who has never eaten durian before and already claiming that it is 'not nice' just because it is 'smelly'. 

In order to words, total naivety. 

I have listened to Chinese, English, Malay, Indon, Thai, Korean, Japanese, Italian and Latin songs. How many languages of songs have you listened too, hmm?

Music, mon'ami, is universal. It is a wonderful blessing from the Big Guy Above.

*Please note however, in my context for music, Black metal and other satanic forms of music are not included.

A Day of Charity

On the 23rd of August, I voluntereed to help out in a charity football competition for the children of the poor, namely the Faizal Cup. I know, it's already September and this entry is so late. But whatever... I still want to post some pictures up and show what I did that day.

Besides the football competition which was held outdoor, the organisers (Adidas is one of them, I can't remember the others. ==) also prepared indoor activities. There were a huge range of them. 

I drew that. Yeah, so not even at the amateur level but what the heck. This table is for children who are interested in drawing. I was actually in charged of the origami section but I roamed around a little. XD

This is the games section. The kids would line up to play games. I'm not really sure what this game is... I think you're supposed to throw the bear across the rope or something to win. O.O

Cool eh, the children also get to make their own hand-made bracelets from beads and other accessories. Oh, trust me, it's not only girls. There were boys doing this too. Hehe 

This is one of the most busiest section. The play-dough table. The kids just love this thing. I've no idea why. You get to see all the weird stuff they make. They can roll alien-looking things and claim it to be some kinda.... I don't know... cake????

Ah, my section! Origami! Oh, but I'm hopeless in it. I met a Burmese friend though, named Amos. He is a genius in origami. He told me that he likes it as a hobby anyway. You should have seen how he folded that paper star. I was... awed. How on earth can a human's fingers do something so intricate? Or maybe mine are just too clumsy for these little works. 

I hate clowns. Clowns are frightening. They give children nightmares. Clown-ship should be abolished. I will so move for that motion. ==

Oh!! They gave free haircut too. There was a team of hair stylist from... that profession body that starts with an 'S' and ends with a 'korf'. I can't remember the spelling nor pronounce it. Sorry. 

The outdoor activities...

More board games....

Well, overall, I think it was a great effort to bring joy to the less unfortunate. It's like... the world is showing a little more love for one another. I think more of this activities should be organised. It's really nice to see kids smiling and just being happy. 

Which reminds me... I miss my Sunday School kids a lot!!! 

Still loving Chong Wei <3 - Saranghaeyo!

To people who have always been skeptical about Chong Wei, his match against Lin Dan would be a reinforcement to their statement, "I told you so. Malaysia tidak boleh harap."

No, I will not say Lin Dan is not a good player though he is still in my opinion, an arrogant bast**d. Lin Dan, in many ways, plain to the eye surpassed Chong Wei in terms of speed and strength.

But Chong Wei has always been in my eye a true sportsman. Though he lost, he lost in a gentleman's way. He shook hands with Lin Dan, congratulated him, embraced him. do not make me recall what Lin Dan did during the last Malaysian Open

When I saw Lin Dan from the live telecast, sitting out at a mamak stall near college, the first thing I noticed was the size of his arm muscles. They. Were. Huge. They were twice, if not triple, the size of Chong Wei's. Chong Wei looked overshadows by Lin Dan in terms of physical size already.

And is it me, or is Lin Dan playing at super speed today? He was everywhere on the court. Despite Chong Wei's countless trademark's cross-courts, he picked them up quick and accurate. It was scary. His body shots and mid-court takings were... VICIOUS! Even in slow-mo, his arm was still moving at high speed. I'm not kidding. I gaped when I watched a couple of his slow-mos.

It was obvious our dearest Chong Wei was in the mercy of the 'ready-to-kill' Lin Dan. It was amusing that one of my friend commented that he was playing as though he was told that he would be sentenced to death if he lost the match.

I'd say Chong Wei lost on the psychological ground. He didn't manage to keep his cool and with the whole stadium booming with cheers for Lin Dan, it was easy to judge that it unnerved him. It's not easy to be in his shoes. The pressure must have been unbearable for a normal person.

Before you start criticising Chong Wei, please ask yourselves, "Could I have done better if I were in his spot, in his shoes, holding the racket against the world's best?" If you can logically tell me 'yes' in that circumstances, you can speak all you want.

For what Chong Wei has done, earning Malaysia our first and currently only silver, I still am proud of him. He finished the game without giving up, though the situation was hopeless.

I hope you have a good rest, Chong Wei. Tomorrow will be another day.

Lee Chong Wei - The reason for me to be proud to be a Malaysian

Lee Chong Wei, Malaysia's top player in badminton has charged his way into the finals for men's single in badminton for the Beijing Olympics 2008! He has secured at least a silver medal. Consequently, it is safe to say he has broken a national record. The last time Malaysia won the only bronze medal in Badminton was the year 1996 by Rashid Sidek in the Atlanta Games. He has also become the first Malaysian badminton single player to enter the Olympics final!

The grand showdown between Lee Chong Wei and Lin Dan will start at 8.48 p.m. on 17th August 2008. I am SO anticipating the match! I hope Chong Wei will carry on to create history for Malaysia.

Chong Wei gives coach Misbun Sidek a BIG HUG!

Birthday recap!

It's been a while since I last blogged and so many things happened. Recently, I participated in a workshop 'Sustaining the Culture of Peace through Education'. I had a blast of a time and learnt many valuable lessons and knowledge. I will talk about it in more details after I complete my assignments and presentations which would be roughly around next weekend.

Also, on the 12th August 2008, I turned 18. Though away from home, I felt blessed too. This is greatly thanks to J9. They're a bunch of sweet people. I didn't expect them to get me a chocolate cake from Baker's Cottage (it's quite a famous bakery shop). Guess what they told the dude in the bakery to write in icing on top of the cake?

"To Stalker, Happy Birthday, from the Cheah Family."

Okay, okay, long LONG story, people! Don't ask me. I didn't write THAT story. It was the girls in class who made it up. Apparently, Jie Hui has a wife (Florence) and three mistresses with daughters of their own. I can't remember the entire family tree but trust me, it's superbly SCREWED. Mega weirdness. I'm dubbed the so-called stalker of Jie Hui. (Please, I'm so not. I'm still sanely straight.)

Anyway, I'm still thankful for them bunch of people. They made my birthday a pleasant one.

Oh, and in between our little celebration, I received a phone call. A pizza delivery. I was super shocked. coz the pizza man claimed to be at casa subang and that he was there to deliver the pizzas i ordered. But i did NOT order pizza. heck, I don't even know how to order one. ==

Well, it turned out to be Reening. I would have give him a big slap on the arm if I was in Kuching. Then, I had birthday wishes from him, Luke and Sophia. Thanks, guys! It's good to hear your voices!

Then at night, I went out with my cousin Nick and a few friends (Han Khee, Larry and Lucky) for dinner at Sunway Pyramid, Kim Gary Restaurant. I loved my Cheese Baked Rice with chicken chop. Yummyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!! Really enjoyed the dinner. ^^

Not forgetting the birthday wishes through smses I received from my family (my bro smsed me like at midnight sharp and my sis 'sang' the birthday song through sms... lols), from old friends including Larry Ellee and Daniel, birthday wishes through the MSN and FB from new friends from the workshop I just mentioned and thanks Albert, for calling me through Skype! ^^

Overall, I'd like to once again thanked everyone who made my birthday memorable even though I am away from home and down with flu. I didn't really look forward to my birthday but I'm glad you guys remembered.

May God bless your many days!

P/S: I edited this post due to persistent polite request. The head of the family is Cheah Cheng Wei. He is the 'father' of Jie Hui who complaints that he has no grandsons.

Oh oh, and!!!! I want to thank Maggie for designing this birthday art for me. Feel so honoured and touched yo!

J9

I'm pretty sure you'll be wondering about what on earth J9 is. Well, ladies and gentlemen, I give you... my class in Taylor's!

The lady in the utmost center is Miss Julianne who is our class mentor!!! She is the coolest class mentor EVER! Thank goodness for her, I'm keeping the 'sleep in English class' phenomenon far far away.

I love my class a lot, though it's like just two weeks or so that we're together. Different characters and personalities. I was really happy that I'm in the same class with Joo Ann, my new found close friend. I met Joo Ann since Registration Day and she was the first person I spoke to when I first arrived in Taylor's.

The one on the left is Joo Ann. In the middle, it's Iris and on the right,
it's Diyana. (Yes, Larry, it's the same Diyana you told me about! XD)

But Joo Ann gets annoyed when I don't pronounce her name correctly (though I could almost swear I always pronounce correctly!!). She claims that I keep pronouncing her name as Joanne. It wouldn't have been so much trouble if our gang of friends did not coincidentally include a Sabahan girl called Jo Anne! XD So everytime I call Joo Ann, both would answer despite my very clear pronunciation.

(Interruption: Anyway, Joo Ann, I'm so sorry I did not make it for the pizza party last night! Please forgive me liao la. I cannot stand you ignoring me... T_T)

This is Jo Anne, the very fashionable girl in J9!

She loves the camera because she knows the camera loves her too. LOL!!! Sorry, guys, she's taken already! XD Anything about makeup and clothes, ask her. You will get your answer!

Iris and Diyana (picture shown above) are like a pair of very good buddies. They normally go everywhere together. They didn't know each other until just recently too. It was their fathers who knew each other earlier and introduce their daughters to one another. Interesting, eh? They're both very sweet people. And gosh, did I mention? I love Iris' curls! So pretty!

Then, we have the mangaka of our class, Maggie! Yes, she draws the japanese anime style and she prefers the bishounen style! ^^ She is also the treasurer of the Anime Society in the College yo!

Oh, oh, lemme introduce to you my current roommates.

The one in orange is Sher Rin. Fyi, she kicks butt in debate! Champion status. Woot! Way past cool. You know how much I salute great debaters! XD Next to her sitting down is Lih Fern. She's another pretty girl in J9. She's like Jo Anne. Fashionable! But unlike normal pretty girls, she has a warm-hearted attitude. She's easy to talk to and funny too! Then next to Lih Fern and not looking at the camera is Clarine. Clarine plays the clarinet because her name is Clarine. (I hope you caught that.) She's a tendency for cold humour but I love hanging out with her anyway. Hehe

I can't introduce all 21 of my classmates but last but not least, the girl who actually made me questioned my straightness for two seconds.

That's Jay/Jie Hui. I seriously blundered and mistook her for a bishounen (pretty boy) for two seconds when she first entered the class. I actually thought, 'Cute guy' before I went 'Holy cow!'

Jie Hui kinda reminded me of a Korean teen actor, Kim Hye Sung

It's just her style, dressing very sporty-ish and slightly guy-like. But she does look good in her own ways. AND PEOPLE, I AM STRAIGHT! Jie Hui mentioned before though, that since a few months ago, after cutting her long hair (yes! Long hair indeed!) short, she has attracted more girls than guys. I do not want to be part of that statistic. Thank you very much.

For some weird reason, I'm being teased about her just because I stupidly out of nowhere said to Joo Ann, "If only Jie Hui's a guy." Aish... that was just a random statement for crying out loud!

But despite Joo Ann's constant poking fun at me, I actually find it amusing because it's the first time I'm actually accused of being not straight. It must be the karma reversing on me for teasing Larry and Daniel in the past. LOL

Nonetheless, to prove my straightness, I shall proclaim my love for him.

Yes, I'm still in love with Kim Jae Joong. LOL!!!

City Survival Workshop

Just today, I was one of the many girls who attended the City Survival Workshop which was organised by the College.

Let me tell you this. I did not one bit regret stepping into that workshop. When they call it a City Survival Workshop, they really mean it. The workshop was hosted by Captain Bala. He is one of those Malaysians I would take my hat off too. He was the one who saved the Indonesian maid who tried to escape her boss from the 17th floor of a condominium and was stuck clinging onto a rope made out of clothes, dangling from the 12th floor. He also led a rescue teams to acheh during the tsunami event to help victims. He did many things.

And this afternoon, he taught us how to protect ourselves. No. No martial arts involved. Just streetsmart. He taught us how to take care of ourselves and prevent from being victims of crime like rape and snatch. He told us how rapists attack, how they think and stuff. Really COOL!

By the end of the workshop, I am aware of the different dangers I am constantly exposed to. Captain Bala said anything could happen to you; Don't trust anyone. He also mentioned that no one else is closer to you than your family.

If you girls out there come across a chance to listen to Captain Bala's talk, please, take the time to attend it. It's worth your life. I really mean it. What you learn then might even save your life one day.

I can't post any photos of the workshop since we weren't allowed to take photos.

Streetfest in Taylor's

Ok... let's do a bit of catching up of what's been on in my life in Taylor's.

On the 25th July, the Student Council held a sort of party for the newbies (the other July intakes students and I). We were encouraged to go.


I joined the festival because I was forced by friends I thought it'd be nice to just check out what they're preparing for us.

The whole thing, however, fell way way way below my expectation. The turn-up was horrible. The activities they prepared were... sorry to say, lame. I mean... games meant tossing coin into papercups and throwing some balls to knock down stuff?

The only part I enjoyed was when a group of students (apparently the College's Dance Club members) performed a dance. It was pretty cool but otherwise, the rest of the programme was boring. The food prepared was fried bi hun, vege and curry chicken.

I think I wasted my time going there. But at least I got to hang out with my friends.

Maths nightmare begins

Today, I've officially met my Economics teacher, Miss Chow Mei Min and my Mathematical Studies teacher, Miss NurulSheila.

Okay, first off, I have better be careful of what I'm typing right now because Miss Sheila knows about my blog. Gah...! But since when I hide my truthful thoughts about things happening around me? XD So, Miss Sheila, if you're reading this, please please please don't kill me for writing stuff you may not be too pleased about especially when it regards complains, gossips and redundant craps.

Miss Chow is obviously a very dedicated teacher. She's not super strict or anything but from her first lesson, I can see that she takes her job seriously and really wants us to excel. And so far for the first impression, I'd say I'll enjoy having her as my Economics teacher. She sends us lecture notes and exercises through the our College's web even before we met. Wow...

Miss Sheila is... thinks carefully to avoid offending teacher XD honestly a nice teacher too. She's got a sweet voice and she's generous with her smiles. I'm not bluffing. First impression is normally right.

See, what did I tell you? Big smile! X)

We didn't go into the first chapter of MS yet. We did some revision. And I'm so dead meat. Totally forgotten all the math I learnt for SPM. You have no friggin' idea how much I was panicking in class, especially after knowing that MS is associated with previous add math stuff. Gosh, reminder. This girl here did NOT study add math for SPM. But I did try my best to recall the knowledge Teacher Lucy Chan imparted to me in secondary school...

Maths is back to plague my life.

Yes, I brought an SPM Math reference book with me to W.M'sia. And yes, I revised Math just now because I really hate the feeling so lost during Math class thanks to the spirit of kiasuism. But what I really appreciate the most is that my friends are of great help to me. Thanks Yuki and Joo Ann! You two are awesome classmates and friends!!! (This is where I wanna post their pics but they disallow me to take their photos. No fear! I shall put up a post specially dedicated to the friends I made in Taylor's!) Miss Sheila also made sure I was keeping up. Thanks, teacher! Hope I won't annoy you with questions next time~~

Numbers are like my natural dislikes. But God said love your enemies. (I think my negative feeling for Math is credible for enemy relationship...) Yeah, I shall love that enemy of mine. I have no choice actually... if I want to score TER99.95 for SAM.

So, work with me, o' great numbers. I will do my very best to love you with reluctant, choking greatest of efforts.

Figures of Authority for SAM in Taylor's

The Academic Director, Mr. Kok Cheng a.k.a. THE KING - I do not have a picture of him. Sorry. I'll post it when I have it. xP I don't really have an impression of him since I only saw him when he made a speech during orientation. He's an okay guy... for now.

The Programme Director, Mrs. Hoe Li Lin a.k.a. THE QUEEN -

O...k, sorry about the poor quality picture.
I was sneaking a photo of her in case she accuses me of using cell phone in the MPH

I honestly respect her more than Mr. Thou. I think it's because she was with us throughout the orientation. She's really friendly but from what I've heard, if she's pissed, you're dead meat. No kidding. She has that aura.

Next, the Assistant Programme Director, Mrs. Quek Cheng See a.k.a. The Prime Minister -

I don't know why but she has this tendency to hold the mic horizontally to the right side of her lips. She's like Mrs. Hoe. I can't really comment about them yet since I don't know them all that well yet. I'll truly review them maybe next month or so after I know them better.

There's another Assistant Programme Director but since I don't know who she is besides her name being Miss Premavathy Rajan, I won't blog about her. I don't think I've ever seen her during orientation week too.

Hmm... let's see whose picture I have as well... ah, yes, Miss Julianne.
I see her everyday during orientation and according to my class schedule, she is my English for Academic Purposes teacher. My impression of her now is quite good. She reminds me of a Minister of Youth and Sports. Lolz

Oh yyyeaaahhhh~~~!!!!! BY THE WAY!!!! We have this lecturer who is YOUNG and HOT. He is Mr. Adrian. Heard he is a Canadian-Chinese. I think like Wangzi from Lollipop, Mr. Adrian has his own army of ten thousands of fangirls. LOL (exaggeration included) The idea being that he is super popular among the girls. I've no idea if he's single or married. I'm not especially attracted to him or anything (though he is tall XD) so I did not bother to inspect.

Here's a pic of him:

He looked really good in black on the last day of orientation. X) Too bad I did not take a picture of him on that day.

The bad news is... I'm not having him in my class! Boohoo! He teaches Psychology for SAM. Accounting students have Psychology but not Law students. I've been told that he makes a great Psychology teacher. Yeah, I believe that. When he enters class, all the girls are already captivated by him, psyched, thus, psycholo-gised. =.= XD

Orientation Week at Taylor's

Okay, I know most of you would expect orientation week at Taylor's would be super fun. I assure you, it is just like any other orientation you can possibly have. In fact, I was bored most of the time. The talk and stuff... believe or not, I fell asleep a couple of times. Swt.

Anyway, there's a few things I found out through orientation. Very interesting fact.

Fact 1: Among the 13 or 14 East Malaysians who are selected for JPA to attend SAM at Taylors' this year, I'm the only one from Kuching. o.O

Fact 2: Last year, only 17 were chosen to do Law for JPA at Taylor's. This year there are 77 of us!

Fact 3: Taylor's cafeteria sells super expensive food. One stick of fishball costs RM 1.3o

In any case, roughly 300 of us scholars (JPA, Telekom, Bank Negara, Sime Darmy and MARA) were split into groups and were told to create a presentation about Impression of Taylor's College. Guess what, my group members... forgive me but... seriously, I can't believe they are SCHOLARS. They are not active. They dare not speak up. They are not enthusiastic... Note that they are MARA scholars.

I was the first one to initiate the group work. If I had not, the team would be stagnant till Kingdom come. Trust me, it's almost like a one-man-show. There were only four girls in my team and the other eleven are guys. The girls at least were helpful. We did a slideshow presentation. I did most of the core work. I left the presenting to them out of the want to involve them. But, gosh, I regretted it. Never mind.

So in conclusion, I did not enjoy the orientation week. I even skipped the last part. They wouldn't miss me anyway. =.= It's an ICT class which was meant to teach you how to use a computer in the library. omg... My cousin taught me everything beforehand.

Yeah... I did not enjoy my orientation week as much as how Daniel enjoyed his. >.<

Oh oh, the only part of orientation I liked was the EPT (English Proficiency Test). It's an English test, in other words. Grammar test for part 1 and Essay for part 2. We had it in the Multi-purpose hall which is as cold as the Antartica. I had fun. It was me, my stationaries, my papers. Ah...

My new DARLING!!!!

Finally, after much trouble and delay, I received my new laptop today!!!! It's the same as Daniel's but my Dell Inspiron 1420 is of midnight blue! Darling~~~~~~!!!!! I'm like so in love with it. Hey, it's my first laptop ma. Of course super sayang it lor~~~~~

Besides, you have no idea what I went through just to get it. I was supposed to receive this baby like last Monday. But the blasted delivery time was from 9a.m. to 2p.m. My orientation on Monday ended only at 3p.m. (yes, I will fill you in later about my orientation week. Let me crap about my new darling first! XD) I had no choice but to postpone the delivery till the weekend. However, I needed to change the address of delivery because during the weekend, I would be at my cousin's house. I called up Dell to change address but I needed the invoice no. to correct the address.

UNFORTUNATELY, I have no idea where I left the bloody thing. So I could not change the address. Annoyingly, I had to ask my cousin's friend, Han Khee, to drive me down to Casa Subang to grab it. (My cousin wasn't available.) The supposed delivery time was 10 a.m. to 10.30 a.m. I thought Dell was really punctual. But I waited till 11.30a.m. NO SIGN OF DELL WHATSOEVER. I though I'd been scammed because the stupid customer service number was always busy too.

Luckily, I managed to get hold of the operator and demanded to know where my laptop is. She said she needed my invoice number. I wanted to murder people. I said they weren't on time and I couldn't wait for them any longer. So, I said they had better send my laptop to my new address. I gave them my new address too.

But after I reached my cousin's place, at 12 noon, they called me up and said they were at Casa Subang. WTH. I told them, "Do you expect me to drive all the way there again?" They said they could send me my laptop to the new address if I call up Dell so that Dell could give orders. Gah... Exasperated, I tell you.

In the end, my other new friend, Larry Tan, drove me down to Casa to get it. Mana tau the courier people left already! Frustrated, I call the people up again and told them to just leave it at the HQ or sth. So, we drove all the way to Skynet HQ to grab my laptop. My darling was crying for me already!!! Poor thing. Miss me so much. I also miss it so much~~~. Now, it is so happy that it is with me. XD XD

*hugs~~~~!!!!*

I love my darling! Hehe

A song to share

I'm just going to share with all of you a personal favourite. A very old song actually. It's by Carpenters.

Why do birds suddenly appear
Every time you are near?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.

Why do stars fall down from the sky
Every time you walk by?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.

On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold
And starlight in your eyes of blue.

That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around.
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.

On the day that you were born
The angels got together
And decided to create a dream come true
So they sprinkled moon dust in your hair of gold
And golden starlight in your eyes of blue.

That is why all the girls in town
Follow you all around.
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you.
Just like me (Just like me)
They long to be
Close to you.

Wahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
Wahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
Hahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.
Lahhhhhhhhhhh, close to you.

This song was featured in the movie 'So Close'. I think it's a strangely beautiful song. I don't know how many of you out there appreciate this song though... =)

Movie Day!!

I've watched two movies today and I guess I shall review them. The first movie I watched in the afternoon is entitled Ah Long Pte. Ltd. My brother has been wanting me to watch the movie.

Yes, brother of mine, I watched the movie. Are you happy?


Ah Long Pte. Ltd. is not a new movie. In fact, it came out months ago. Naturally, you can deduct that I am quite outdated in terms of the entertainment world. This movie is Singaporean-made, though bits of pieces of it seem to include Malaysia (and by this, I mean scenes and lines by the characters).

I'm not going to give you a summary of the story. Wiki it. Just going to comment on it. ALPL takes on a different point of view about loan sharks: samsengs who lend people money with insane high interest rates and most likely the borrowers end up in miserable state. In this movie, it actually talks about Ah Longs being the misunderstood group of people in the society. A scene actually portrays with great mockery and humour that Ah Longs help people out of their difficult financial state but the people repay them by reporting to the police. I love the opera song part... haha actually, quite touching! XD

Anyway, the male lead is the one that amused me the most. He is an... what Malaysians and Singaporeans (dunno if any other countries understand this term) ah gua/pondan. Basically, he moves very Daniel-ish-ly gay-ish-ly but he ALWAYS claim that he is a MAN. As in MANLY MAN. And I quote him (translated into English from Mandarin):

"How dare you call me an ah gua! If you don't believe me, just get your mother to lie down and who knows you'll be calling me 'dad' next!"

Mr. Fang, the gay-like male lead character played by Mark Lee, is practically the life of the movie. He moves like a gay, talks like a gay, dresses like a gay. He is hilarious!!! He complements the female lead character, Li Hua (Fann Wong) very well. In this movie, she is like the man of the marriage.

Of all the parts of the movie, I love the climax of the story best, which is when Li Hua and a few other Ah Longs were kidnapped by their former victims' sons and daughters. The 'spokeman' of the teen group said they wanted revenge against the Ah Longs. The teens threatened them that they will kill their family members as well so that they will have a taste of how it feels to lose family.

But in the end, at the very last moment, they spared the lives of the Ah Longs' family members because:

"We don't hurt innocent people. Unlike you."

I think it was a good lesson for the Ah Longs though the teens looked and acted a wee bit too psychotic.

I rate this movie 3.6/5




The next movie I watched at night with cousin Nick and new friend Han Khee is Hancock. No, Larry, you did not influence me. I chose to watch it BEFORE you recommended it in your blog. XD

So anyway, I think this is quite a different superhero tale from your average Marvel Heroes stories. I found it intriguing to discuss about superhuman beings made in pairs and all but I didn't really enjoy the theory that when the pair comes together, they will gradually become mortals. It's kinda like Romeo and Juliet tragedy, just that the pair of super beings never age or die (IF they are separated from each other). Because apparently, every time the male lead, John Hancock (Will Smith) and the female lead, Mary Embrey (Charlize Theron) comes together and becoming mortals, their enemies will hunt for them and threaten their lives. Quite... redundant. The theory also did not explain why those super beings were made or who made them (I'm guessing God).

But the plot overall were okay, though the pace of the movie was a tad bit too slow. Nevertheless, I enjoyed the humour side of the movie. Laughed countless times. XD I rate it 3.7/5

Next up, I will be waiting to watch The Mummy: The Tomb of the Dragon Emperor. I also want to watch Journey to the Centre of the Earth, Hellboy 2: The Golden Army and Batman: The Dark Knight. If I do get to watch them, I will review them. ^^