Saying Goodbye to 2009...

31st December 2009 doesn't mean much to me, except for the fact that it signifies the end of my glorious, relaxing, lovely holidays. And the fact that we are stepping into a new year, 2010. This number surely has a nice ring to it, ne? 2-0-1-0....two thousand and ten...twenty ten...two-oh-one-oh. Depends on what you want to call it~

In fact, 2010 might seem even better if I'm not constantly associating it with the movie which stipulates that a big percentage of the world population will be wiped out due to a series of natural disasters. Yes, I'm talking about 2012. Well, I wouldn't worry too much about dying if not for the fact that I would (if everything goes smoothly) be in Canterbury at that time, away from my family and friends. Still, anything might happen, so I would just prefer to live my life to the fullest, have fun and contribute whatever I can in the meantime. Just for the record, I don't really think that the world, or a big part of it, will end in 2012.

As for what I have done during these few weeks of holidays, I could add everything up and still hold it in my two palms -- which amounts to not much *snorts* I remember making some resolutions on what I plan to do, and except for resting, relaxing and hanging out with my friends and family, I did not seem to achieve the other aims.

I'm going back to KL on the 2nd of January. Despite having missed IPBA when the holidays first started, my mood now is...screw classes - holidays are so much better. Seriously.

Current status:

A Lesson I Have Yet to Learn...

I'm not an aggressive person. Most of the time. What I mean is, I don't strike out and hurt people deliberately in most circumstances, preferring to avoid conflict and confrontations.

I thought that was good enough, until my father told me otherwise. In brief, I had an argument with my sister last Saturday, which involved some pretty harsh name-calling and words. When I went back to Penang on Sunday, he did not reprimand me straight, but asked me why I acted that way. When I told him that my sister started it with a rude message, he agreed that my sister was at fault.

Sounds okay? Wait..

Then, he said I was also at fault, although I wasn't the one who started the argument, because I replied in an equally rude manner. According to him, I should have just kept my cool and be forgiving.

The point here is, I'm the type of person who will pay someone back 100 times if and when I'm offended. For example, take Babi and I. I dislike anything and everything related to him, and I often talk bad about him in front of others - name calling, insulting, and so on until everyone now knows him as Babi. It might be cruel, but I feel that I'm just taking revenge on everything he did since Reaching for the Stars until now.

To put it simply, I can't help retaliating when someone does something bad to me, and I don't care about the consequences, focusing on how to hurt the offender as much as possible. The above is just one example out of many. Maybe my father is right, and I would be a better person if I do not hurt others like they have hurt me.

Anyhow, there's a Chinese proverb that says, do not upon others something you wouldn't want people to do to you. If I don't like what that person has done to me, I probably should not do the same thing back to that person.

However, to achieve this, I would certainly need a lot of patience, kindness and develop the ability to forgive - that's a long way to go, and I'm not sure whether I should go that way. In the meantime, Babi is still Babi, and I still hate him and his moronic attitude.

*evil smirk*

Holidays~~~

Yeay~ At the time of writing this post, our holidays have officially begun =D

Now, five weeks doesn't seem like long, but it does make you feel like it's eternity when you are home. One thing for sure, my father is going to cook lots and lots of delicious food for me when I get home on Sunday, and there's a possibility, no, make that a high one, that I will become rounder when I get back from the holidays.

Oh, and as I've warned Uncle Aqmal, Daddy Alip and Daddy Syafiq just now, I might forget how to converse in BM and English for the first few days after classes start once more, just because at home, I'm exposed to a fully Chinese environment except for the movies I watch and books I read ^_^

Some of the 'homework' I need to work on during the holidays (in case I forget):
- The Voice of IPBA magazine...layout and some articles
- Use more of my dear tablet and produce more graphic works
- Finish watching at least two animes from my huge pile of to-watch...especially Fruits Basket and Spiral: Suiri no Kizuna
- Buy the Nokia 5730 ExpressMusic model I have been aiming for a long time
- Buy a new external hard drive
- Read some books...educational ones and novels
- ......

Hmm...I guess that's all for now~

Embrace our Differences? Or Forget Them?

Living in Malaysia, a multiracial community with a diverse culture, I have always seen propaganda that encourages us to forget our differences. Until now, I have accepted those advertisements, books and advice as something to follow in order to achieve harmony, tolerance and peace among our community. For example, prior and after the Independence Day celebration, there would be advertisements by several governmental and non-governmental organisations that promote us to be 'colour blind' and forget that differences exist between various races such as Malay, Chinese, Indians, Punjabi, and many more aboriginal races in Malaysia.

I've always thought that the concept they were propagating - "Forget our Differences" is a good way to narrow the gaps between the different races in Malaysia, for if we were really 'colour blind', we won't see a person as a Chinese, Malay or Indian, but we would see each other as Malaysians.

Until I came across this site ---

http://www.embracingourdifferences.org/

Come to think of it, the idea of embracing our differences makes more sense than to forget our differences. For me, to embrace means to accept our differences as something unavoidable, but we do not just tolerate the differences, we EMBRACE it and we perceive it as normal, that no two humans are identical, and realise the fact that we are not the only race, only group of humans or only type of people to live on this earth, but there are millions and millions of others who share some characteristics and differ from us in certain ways. And this, to me, is a miracle bestowed by nature, for all of us mankind are categorised as humans, as homo sapiens. Still, like how cats, dogs, hamsters, rabbits and more have different breeds, how computers and mobile phones have different models, how a delicious serving of curry can have such diverse flavours that stimulate our taste buds to the maximum, this is how we HUMANS have different types - many cultures, races, colours, lifestyles, habits, nationalities and so on.

I do care if you are black, white, yellow, red or even gray for that matter. I do look at you as Malays, Chinese and Indians. I do know that as people of different races, there are things which one can or cannot do.

What I don't do is deliberately manipulate the factors above to my own benefit. I don't use it as a weapon to hurt, to attack others. I don't highlight the differences as something bad, something people must avoid from mentioning because they are something sensitive.

And what I do, is to acknowledge that every one of us are special in our own ways, and as individuals, we should not forget that everyone is different from one another. And when I want to highlight the differences between people, I try to appreciate and show the diversity that exists as a part of our history and tradition, that makes us humans, and not robots who are identical to each other.

Let's say we literally follow the "Colour blind" concept a.k.a "Forget our differences" concept. What would happen is, we will be less considerate to the differences that exist between us, and when we are colour blind, we might become more shallow, seeing people as what we want them to be, instead of what they really are. We might forget that certain people cannot do what we do every day, certain people can't eat what we eat, certain people can't say things we say. And when we start to forget, we might cease to respect the differences that we have from each other. And when we stop respecting, conflicts and arguments occur, and this means the beginning of a breakdown of the peace we have fought so hard to maintain.

Maybe this concept is usable to a certain extent - if and only if the nation has only one kind of citizens with different colours, for the only difference that exist is only colours and nothing else.

BUT, in the Malaysian context, where there are so many differences between the citizens, not just race, but also background, status, culture, religion and more, forgetting our differences seems less applicable when compared to embracing our differences.

To my fellow Malaysians - a fine example of the 'forget our differences' propaganda would be in any of our assignments or essays or other works, where a sentence close to 'do not touch on sensitive issues such as race, religion or governmental policies' will be stated at the end of the instructions. Before anything, let me explain an analogy - remember a joke about ostriches? When they see a threat or something they do not like, they bury their heads into the sand and think that everything's fine. This is exactly what we are doing now - not allowing people to address the differences, instead demanding that people keep quiet. Let me put forward another analogy - if an alarm rings, and you cover your ears with a headphones and pretend that you hear nothing, you might forget that the people around you can still hear the bell. Read between the lines --- ISA for instance.

What I'm trying to say is, even though you try to put a barrier between the differences and the people, hoping for the 'best' that people won't notice them, people have eyes, ears and most importantly, they have a brain. Sooner or later, they will see, hear and think, and they will realise that we are different after all. So, instead of trying to make us become 'colour blind', why not be 'colour conscious', but in a positive way where you embrace, accept and acknowledge the differences as something that makes us human, makes our culture rich and diverse and gives us our priceless identities.

Just for additional information: the 'embracing our differences' was established in Florida. Compared to the United States, a massive melting pot containing people from all around the world, Malaysia has way less diversity. Still, in a huge country like USA, most of them managed to overcome their differences and work their way to the success of the country. And personally, I think they have got it right, better than what we have done until now. Let's look at the 'One Malaysia' concept - again, it seems to lean more towards forgetting than embracing. I'm not saying that it's wholly unusable, but in a long term plan, maybe we should go for 'Malaysians - Our Diversity is Our Unity' and start to appreciate what we have instead of trying to stereotype Malaysians into just Malaysians.

Perhaps it's time to change our perception of differences in colours and such, for they are important in defining our identities as different people around the world. Instead, we should work on acknowledging it in a way that does not hurt or discriminate people, but portray the uniqueness of each and every one of us.

Finally, just to share a meaningful quote from Mahatma Gandhi:

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world"

So, my friends, if you agree with me, start by changing yourselves =D

Calling

Abruptly, my body tensed, and my knuckles gripped the book I was reading so tightly that they turned white. It was as though time froze for a few seconds, which in turn seemed like eternity. Not even daring to breathe in case everything turned out to be a dream, I closed my eyes and listened again for the telltale sound which would mean that you have come, to me.

The hair on my neck prickled, I shivered despite my thick, woolen clothes and sat in my chair as still and straight as a rod. Every fiber in my being comes on full alert when you silently appeared behind me. Even without turning back, I could sense your presence immediately, for the atmosphere in the room took a dangerous, enticing air when you are around.

Slowly and deliberately, I put down my book, stood up and met your gaze. Without saying anything, I could understand you fully through looking into your dark, beautiful eyes. The depth of the swirling, raging emotions I saw there almost made my legs buckle underneath me, not because I fear them, but because I felt my own emotions rising to mirror yours.

There you stood, strong and tall as a warrior, clad in a long, black cloak which nevertheless could not shadow the burning want and desire etched clearly on your handsome face. The unspoken messages in your eyes made me shiver in anticipation and uncertainty despite myself.

I raised my hand timidly to touch your face, but being afraid of spoiling the moment, dropped my hand before it was halfway there. I wanted nothing else but to bury myself in your arms and pour out all my feelings for you after being separated from you for so long, but your unerring gaze made my stay where I was.

Time stood still, with neither of us moving an inch. I searched your face for answers, but got none other than the knowledge that you have suffered much physical hardship, while I suffered equal torment waiting for you. A longing stirred in me, and I took a step closer to you.

With a blink, I found myself in your embrace, my face buried in the warmth of your shoulders like how I wanted. At that moment, I knew that I wouldn't care nor mind, if the end of the earth arrived, or if time stopped forever. The sensation of having you close to me, near enough to touch and feel is more than enough.

The music from the clock that signified the arrival of dawn startled both of us. I wanted to scream, cry and die at the same time when I realised what was happening. Until now, I could still feel your gentle hand on my face, wiping away my tears.

"I'm yours, forever and always," were the last words I heard before you disappeared once again.

~*~*~

I sat in my living room, reading a book as always, though it was a different book than the one I read when I last met you. I'm gradually adjusting towards my life without you, but the pain of losing you never stopped gnawing at my heart. Every familiar object, scenery, smell or sight that reminds me of you makes my heart ache like it's going to break into a million pieces. I still remember the warmth of your lips upon mine, the firmness yet gentleness of your touch, and most of all, your dark, enchanting eyes that tell a thousand and one different stories.

The glass of water on the reading table seemed innocent enough, clear as crystal, never betraying the deadly poison it carries. Suddenly, a strong, freezing gust of wind blew into the room, knocking over the candlestick on the table, which in turn pushed the glass over the table, shattering it like how my heart was shattered. I paid no attention to the glass, nor the bleeding cuts on my hands from it, for there you were, in the doorway, looking just like how I remembered you.

"It's not time yet...don't give up so easily on life," you, or rather your apparition said, with a look so sorrowful that it tore at my battered soul. In an instant, the wind stopped, and you disappeared once again.

Then, I broke down and wept. Wept for all that was, and all that might be, if only you were here with me...

Genting Highlands One-Day Trip (19/10/09)

The title pretty much says it all~ :D

This is a fairly late update, considering the date we went. I guess the main reason for the lateness is none other than assignments - we had to pass up Language Description and Numerical Literacy, all before Thursday. And as usual, I left everything until the last minute to complete~

Our trip:
Kerinchi - Gombak (Bus Station) - Genting - Gombak - Kerinchi - Hostel Sweet Hostel

And the 8 of us who went were Harris, Eizhar, Azham, Azam, Izyani, Mira, Shy and I

On our way to Kerinchi, we ran into the MTCP students, who coincidentally were going to Genting on the same day. They went on an earlier bus, but we met some of them and chatted for a short while ^^

Anyway, this could be said as the Genting trip I had most fun in throughout my whole life.
The reasons:

1) Firstly, this was the first time I went on such a vacation with my friends instead of my family.
2) 'Peer pressure' convinced me to go on the rides I normally wouldn't ride, such as Space Shot, Corkscrew and Sungai Rejang (Actually I have wanted to ride these every time, but it was either too long a queue or last-minute chicken out)
3) It was a Monday, so the crowd was not so big - makes queues shorter.
4) The fun fair

yukina is very sleepy right now...will update later...huhu

The Things We Do...

On the 14th of October, 2009, 9pm, the 'CREW band' (Alif, Hengget and I + Shahril & Rahman) performed at the block 4's Pak Ngah Cafe. Our main repertoire (only practised on the previous night) consisted of 'When You Say Nothing at All' by Ronan Keating, '21 Guns' by Greenday and 'Belaian Jiwa'.

Also, thanks to Alif for his laptop, Khalid for his woofers, uncle Ijat for his microphone and Pak Ngah for lending us the place and electric :D

Anyway, some of you must be wondering, why put up a show at such a place? I mean, there's no stage, no proper sound system and stuff like that. Still, it's a good way to expose our friends to music in a relaxed environment - when they are eating, they can watch us playing and enjoy music at the same time. It's part of the Music Society's objective to spread the love and enthusiasm for music without considering the students' courses, background and musical knowledge.

And some of you might wonder, why put up this show in the first place? Answer: IPG-KBA's Music Society is trying to raise some funds so that we can afford to buy musical instruments for our members to play. For your information, although there is a music room in college equipped with all the instruments we need, the moronic music lecturer will not allow non Music Education students to touch his precious instruments he considers his 'wives' - not surprising really, considering that no woman wants him >_<

This is just plain stupid, isn't it? Have you ever heard of students having to buy their own drums when there is not only one, but TWO drum sets in the college?

If you say, those who are non-Music Education students cannot use the instruments, open your eyes, look at the pervert music lecturer and see how he 'diligently' trains ONLY FEMALE students, not from Music Ed, to play the caklempong.

If you say, non Music Education students might spoil the instruments because they don't know how to use it - puhleeeeez...I think most of us have been playing those instruments far longer than the Music Ed students had, and some of us are more adept than them too.

Still, the lecturer managed to find a way to block us out of the music room, and unless we want to get physical with him (and risk getting thrown out of college at the same time), we have to find other ways to get what we want. Next week is the M3P meeting, where Tn Haji Kamar and Mr Baseni have promised to bring up the matter of getting the instruments for our music society. Also, I heard from the lecturers that Dr Sofi, the director has actually agreed to let us use some of the instruments, but Madam Satinah was the one who refused to grant us permission. Quite a surprise, I must say :o

If everything fails, we still have fundraising concerts, grand ones and mini ones to look forward to ^_^

The things we do just for the sake of music society, to allow all students to play the musical instruments if they are passionate about it, regardless of whether they are from Music Ed or not, their gender and their relationship with the stupid lecturer. Although the instruments might be really costly, we will persevere and try our utmost best to raise enough money to get what we want, though it would be best if the outcome of the meeting next week is positive =)

Owh yea, if you wanna request or dedicate any songs during our next performance, tentatively scheduled on the Wednesday after next, just tell either Alif, Paan Hengget or I. Each song only costs RM1, and it's meaningful to help the music society and enjoy yourselves at the same time, isn't it? :D

Does this remind you of something?

I can't say this for everyone, but some of the people (note the word 'SOME') I've met in my life do behave like that when something goes wrong. And no, I'm not referring to the teachers-students-parents relationship alone. The main point is, when something goes wrong, those people point their fingers at someone else first before considering who is actually at fault.

What is so difficult with being humble and admitting your flaws and the mistakes you have done? Even though it might seem humiliating, people will actually respect and admire you for having the courage to own up to something wrong you did. I for one, really like lecturers who can step down and say that they do not know the answer to a question instead of twisting and turning their words, speaking a lot of nonsense and end up wasting everyone's time instead of trying to answer our question. <--this is in the context of the lectures I've had in IPG-KBA...but I won't name the lecturers. If you are lucky, maybe you will meet the good ones, not the ones who act angry and defensive when the students point out their mistakes.

~*~*~

Yesterday, the MAEPA closing ceremony was held in IPG-KBA's auditorium. Being part of MPP, my duty yesterday along with Uncle Ijat was to stay outside the holding room and cater to our VVIP's needs, if any.

One thing I really don't understand, and I'm not sure whether it only happens in Malaysia or everywhere else in the world, is the pains we take to welcome 'VIPs and VVIPs'. Sure, they might have statuses like Prime Ministers, Presidents, Directors, Ambassadors and more, but still, they are humans, same like all of us - a pair of eyes, ears, hands and legs, and a nose and mouth. The only difference is the additional titles in front of their names - Tun, Dr., Your Excellency......

So, why order a big bunch of students to stand outside the entrance and look pretty, another bunch to be the ushers in the hall, all the lecturers to sit in the hall (and there goes our lectures)...and the list goes on and on (read between the lines: do idiotic work)? Not only it's wasting our time, people will think that people in IPG-KBA are a group of sucker-ups.

Which indeed, some people, though not to be named, are.

Would it be better if we don't know how to love?

Its has been a long time since I updated my blog again...indeed, I would have forgotten totally about it if HizRyanz did not ask me something along the lines of 'what happened to your blog?' :p

After the Merdeka holidays in August, I was once again loaded with many assignments and miscellaneous stuff to do - the Merchant of Venice play, MPP, and I'm still fighting for the access to the music room or at least, the instruments for my Music Society.

Come to think of it, I am making a great effort for everything mentioned above. And why is that? Is it because I'm gifted with the capacity to love the things I love, and to be willing to sacrifice my time and energy, and sometimes emotions and feelings for the things I care about?

With the capacity for loving, there always exists the possibility to get hurt.

Take the MPP for an example. I respect Mr Tahir, the head of the Students Affair department. So, although I resigned from the previous batch, I finally agreed to take on the job once again as the Cultural and Arts Exco (Kebudayaan dan Kesenian), knowing that I will be loaded with a lot of work, and have to handle a lot of things. Besides, nowadays the tasks seem to come at the eleventh hour, like Malam Tautan Budaya for instance (just 5 days to prepare for a whole night's show), and now I'm supposed to handle a celebration combining Lantern Festival, Aidilfitri and also Deepavali - an evening similar to Malam Tautan Budaya.

Although the Malam Tautan Budaya was a great success, I still feel sad, especially when I encountered so many unexpected situations during the preparation for the show, like lecturers refusing to cooperate, conflicts within the committee, conflict from other people and also the usual people who like to grab credit for things they did not do, and those who love to complain about the amount of work they get, even though we are all burdened with the same responsibilities and commitments. Sometimes I just feel like saying, "Shut the fuck up already~!"

I considered resigning from MPP for the second time, but I can't quite bring myself to do it. Firstly, I owe Mr Tahir for trusting me enough to 'force' me on the position. Next, I have the responsibility towards my assistant, secretary and the committee members under me who are all so enthusiastic and ready to cooperate and support me in the events I handle. Also, I promised with Uncle Aqmal, the Sports exco to organise a Carnival Day before we finish our MPP term.

Besides, there are some people in the MPP team that I really enjoy being with - they are sporting, fun and easy to work with. Resigning might mean that I lose the chance to organise events and handle things together with them ^_^

Next is the Music Society. Goodness knows how long I've made an effort to get the society approved, and now we face the problem of the instruments. If the college expects us to perform during any functions, it should at least supply us with a place and instruments to practise. If we can't get at least this, next time the authorities ask for any instrumental or choir performances,

Go to the Babi Mangkok Haram Jadah music lecturer in the Administration Block and ask for his Music Students (who, according to him, are ready to perform any time they like)

If I'm the only one who wishes to use the music room and instruments, I'd have probably given up by now. Still, the music society represents the majority of IPG-KBA's students who are interested in music although they do not take music as a major or minor subject. The drummers, guitarists, keyboardists from various courses all wish that they can play the instruments during their leisure time - it's not like we have the mind to damage or steal the instruments, idiot.

We share the same passion for music, that is why I can't afford to give up and disappoint the people who are hoping for the chance to use the instruments someday. - This is love, too - and this is why I'm going to keep on pressing for at least the instruments, even if it means going to war with the moronic lecturer :x


If I don't love the people and things around me, I won't feel the pain of losing them. I won't even care about them so much as to fight for them, because I simply do not know how to love and cherish the things I should...

So, what choice should I make? Seal my heart close and avoid getting hurt, or to open my heart and learn to love, and risk getting hurt?

*****

Anyway, to a happier note: this is the melody to the waltz I composed for my cohort's Shakespearean play "The Merchant of Venice". I gave it the title 'Celebrazione di Matrimonio', which means Wedding Celebration, apt for the scene as it is played after Bassanio managed to win Portia's hand in marriage.

I've uploaded this in youtube and Facebook. So, just to do a little advertising to those who actually read my blog posts xD

Battle of the Sexes

WHY MOUNTAIN BIKES ARE BETTER THAN MEN
-30 good reasons-

1. Mountain bikes don't screw around. Yup...that's an important trait xD
2. Mountain bikes don't care if it's that time of the month. And to talk about hygiene...
3. Mountain bikes don't have parents. Well, that's reassuring - no need to worry about fussy mothers-in-laws
4. Mountain bikes don't whine unless something is really wrong. Ah...spare my ears :p
5. Mountain bikes don't care about professional sports. Such as football, basketball, and the list goes on...
6. You can share your mountain bike with your friends. Because sharing is caring~
7. Mountain bikes don't care how many other mountain bikes you've ridden. Can't imagine sticking to a single mountain bike for the rest of your life, eh?
8. When riding, you and your mountain bike can arrive at the same
time. The key phrase - 'arrive at the same time' ROFL~
9. Mountain bikes don't care if other mountain bikes look at
you. Yup, that's another nice fact...
10. Mountain bikes don't care if you look at other mountain
bikes. Jealousy is a pain in the a**m whether it's directed FROM you or AT you ^_^"
11. If your mountain bike goes flat you can fix it.
12. If your mountain bike is too short you can heighten it. Yup, especially for people who are taller (like me *ahem*)
13. If your mountain bike is misaligned, you don't have
to discuss politics with it. Err =.=
14. You can have a black & white mountain bike and bring it home
to your parents. Yea...how do I wish that can happen one day ^_^
15. You don't have to be jealous of other women who covet your
mountain bike. Eh?? But I might be :o
16. If you say bad things to your mountain bike, you don't
have to apologize before you ride it again. Haha~~
17. Your mountain bike won't start going until you're ready. Means that I don't need to run to catch up with it :D
18. You can ride your mountain bike as long as you want
and it won't get exhausted. Anytime, anywhere, anyhow? Tahan lasak Ooo
19. Your mountain bike won't fall asleep after you ride it. Yea...save for future use O_O
20. Your parents won't remain in touch with your old
mountain bike after you dump it. Just throw the old mountain bike away lol
21. There is no limit to how long a mountain bike can keep going. As long as I want it to move :D
22. Mountain bikes don't mistrust you if you're an
experienced rider. huh?
23. Your mountain bike never wants a night out with the
other mountain bikes. Just stay at home ma
24. Mountain bikes don't care what you wear.
25. Mountain bikes don't feel their bikehood is threatened if you
insist on driving. To talk about ego...
26. If your mountain bike doesn't look good you can paint it
or get better parts. Yup, self-editing~
27. You can ride your mountain bike the first time you meet it, without
worrying about whether it will call you back the next day. Hurm...
28. You don't have to cover your mountain bike with rubber
when you ride it. Well, this IS something to consider~
29. You don't have to worry about where your mountain bike has
been before you met it. No worries about AIDS or other STDs...lol ;p
30. When in mixed company, you can talk about what a great ride you had the last time you were on your mountain bike. ~Talk openly and freely~


So, in conclusion, a mountain bike proves to be better than a man :p Of course, this is all a joke~

*Feel free to comment, rebuke or agree on the points above too*

Disillusioned

Disillusioned


*courtesy of image from http://www.atpm.com/13.10/tim-allen/images/Steps%20of%20Despair.jpg
Please notify if you are the owner of this image and would like it to be removed*



When I was young, I thought that everything is perfect,
I keep on smiling, laughing, dreaming…
I trusted everyone, I looked at the world through rose-tinted glasses.
I grew up protected, simple, naïve…

Then I see, promises are broken, smiles are fake, truths are lies,
That polluted integrity, corrupted purity, tainted morality run untamed,
Filling the voids left by the destruction of humanity,
People stop caring, Faith is lost, we no longer believe in each other…

The rose glass shatters into pieces, I see them for who they really are,
The embodiment of sin, vice and evil hiding beneath human masks,
Launching war, killing innocents, spreading propaganda,
Undermining the power of nature and earth…

Dare we still expect kindness, compassion and understanding?
Can we keep on hoping that our children will know the meaning of love?

Still, as long as there is life,
There will be hope, a chance to restore faith and love,
Find the passion to keep on living,
Embark on a journey to search for the true values of humanity.

~*~*~

Heh...don't worry, I'm not turning emotional here ^_^ This is just a set of lyrics, or something like that, that I'm planning to compose a song to for my future band in Canterbury. So, any feedback, criticism or comment would be greatly appreciated. Go Cocuphy!

~MKI 2009~ from the eyes of a free thinker =)

Last week, MKI was held in IPGM-KBA. For those who don't know it, MKI = Minggu Kesenian Islam (roughly translated into Islamic Culture/Arts Week). Among the activities held were Jejak Kembara (Treasure Hunt), Female and Male Naysid Competition (where Moslems sing songs dedicated to their God), all kinds of other competitions related to the religion and its interpretation, as well as the highlight of the week, a concert by the No.1 naysid group in Malaysia - Rabbani.

Among the activities I went to were the Treasure Hunt (I just helped Alif to take care of his station at the surau), the naysid competition for guys, and the Rabbani concert. Now, to share my thoughts on these activities:

Treasure Hunt: The race was supposed to start at 5.15 pm...but we kept waiting until around 5.40 before the whistle was blown. It was quite funny to watch the participants running around and doing the tasks assigned to them though. Some even mixed up the clues and ran to the wrong station..Pity them xD

~*~*~

Male Nasyid Competition: Honestly, I enjoyed it very much - the participants exhibited their talents that I wasn't aware of :D Out of the six groups participating, I was impressed by three groups in particular - the 2nd group (PISMP Cohort 3 - Faruq, Pejal as the leads, and 8 more as the backup), the 5th group (Uncle Ijat, Uncle Aqmal and some others from the same batch) and the last group (Eizhar, Azrul and 4 more juniors).

PISMP Cohort 3: The lead singers: Faruq (left) and Pejal (right)...backup from left: fazril, hengget, rahman, acap, awie, akmal, uzair, khifzan

My comments on the PISMP C3 group: the 1st song was quite boring - firstly, it had no background music to backup their voices, the song was too long and repetitive and they all sang in unison throughout the song. Besides, the lead actually forgot his lyrics halfway in the song. However, I was captivated by the 2nd song, which had a minus one. The arrangement was great - the blending of the lead and backup singers was done well, and Pejal's voice was earnest enough to portray the emotion of the song. Besides, the melody was good too, and Faruq has a nice voice to suit the song. The 4 on the left (from the audience's point of view) seems to be more confident, and hence did a better job as backup singers in my opinion =^-^= I don't know what went wrong in the judging process, as this group didn't manage to get into the top 3 =/

From left: Aqmal, Badi, Ijat, (idunnohisname), Acap and Eahsan

My 'uncles' group: They rock the whole show! Seriously! I had no idea that uncle Ijat has such a lovely voice - so do the other 5 in the group~ I couldn't tear my eyes off the stage for even one second - I was concentrating so hard on their performance, unwilling to miss a single detail of their show. Somewhere in the middle, there was a spoken message by Aqmal (I forgot the content), but it sure added a nice touch to their performance :D They deserved to be the champions, simply because all 6 of them are just that awesome~

Juniors (July 2009 intake): Leads - Eizhar (left) and Azrul (right)..I don't know the rest :D

The juniors' group: The two lead singers (Eizhar and Azrul) are really good - in fact, I consider them one of the best vocals in this competition. However, as a team, they are not really that outstanding, because the four backup at the back do not really contribute to the show - the limelight is on the two leads, and the two leads only ^_^" (i.e. I only heard the melody mostly from the two in front). They came in second...I think :p

~*~*~
As for the Rabbani concert, I attended it together with my room mate, Samantha :D We enjoyed the songs, especially the 3rd one "Inti Fana". Still, I expected something more interesting from the concert -- I was probably disappointed because the concert was interweaved with some kind of preaching from our own Ustaz Asri, talking about being a teacher, being a filial child and something else >_< Sorry to say this, but it really interrupted my enjoyment of the show :( As for Rabbani, their voices are really good, but I think they should use some live percussion together with their performance instead of just depending on the minus one of their songs ^_^

~*~*~

Some of you might ask, why do I attend these events even though I'm not a Muslim and not aiming to become one? The answer is pretty simple - I'm a free thinker (i.e. I don't have any religion, though I don't thoroughly deny the existence of God), and hence, I don't have any limitations imposed on me from my own religion. In case you are wondering, I'm listed as a Buddhist whenever I have to fill in forms ^^

Besides, these events are not limited to Muslims alone, and I just feel like supporting my friends who either organised or took part in these events, like the Treasure Hunt and male nasyid competition. So, I don't care what people might say :D

Third, I attend the nasyid and Rabbani concert, because I strongly and sincerely believe that music is universal and has no boundaries, and indeed, I picked up some new ideas for my own music playing after hearing those songs ^_^

~*~*~

And if you ask, where did I get these photos? The answer is: I'm the sub-editor for Voice of IPBA...I'm supposed to choose the photos to be included in the magazine, and my trustworthy cameraman, Daud, was the one who gave me these photos =p

Until then, see ya all~

All-in-one messiness :D

Just thought that I would update my blog a little, since my last post was about one month ago ;_; To put it simply, I have less time for myself nowadays, as most of my days are packed full with stuff to do.

The most recent 'idiotic' task I took up was to agree to become the sub-editor of the Voice of IPBA...since Madam Ooi asked me so nicely, I found it hard to reject her ^_^" The Chief Editor, Angeline is a KPLI trainee, and she's currently doing her practicum, so I'm the one in charge...for now~ It's hard work assembling the editorial board, simply because people keep saying 'no', or some who list their names might pull out at the last minute. To talk about busyness, everyone has their own commitments and stuff, so it's not really an excuse to give :o

To lay the pavement for my proposal for Music Society, I went to Mr Mano with the idea of having a Music Corner - something similar to Speaker's Corner, but with music being the main focus instead. The kind fellow agreed to lend us this platform, so 4 of us from B.Ed TESL Cohort 2, Cycle 3, namely Alif, Syafiq, Daniel and I (the former three after much persuasion) became the pioneers for this event.

~The Colourful Black Parade~

Ahem...history was made on the 6th of August, 2009 in IPGM-KBA as the first ever Music Corner was held. We didn't do much promotion, so only those who were in the canteen had the good fortune to witness our performance :D Our classmates were really supportive - they even came up with a simple banner with our names on it, and all of them sat in the 'front rows' (if you can call canteen tables that)...I love you guys, really!

If nothing goes wrong, the Music Corner will be held again next Thursday, same venue, at 11.oo am. I've already found some juniors who can and are willing to sing, so be prepared for some entertainment along with your breakfast or brunch :D

The next project I have is Malam Kebudayaan, or else known as cultural night. I have a group of committee members dedicated to this project, but currently we are discussing whether to merge with the other two excos (Sukan and Kerjaya) and hold a bigger event similar to a Carnival Day instead :p Now, we already thought up a script, just to make it funnier so that the audience will not fall asleep ^^

Oh, and the Music Society is still on the way. Seems like the KJ for Social Science, Tn Haji Kamar has agreed to give his full support to my proposal, because the lecturers under him asked me to meet him next Monday with the working paper and explain it to him. Hopefully, next week will also be the M3P meeting so that this society can be approved as soon as possible. Weirdly, things like this take a long time to approve, probably because of Dr Sofi's motto of 'wait until the meeting to discuss this' >_<

~*~*~*~*~

Seems like the H1N1 flu is getting worse and worse. More people are dying because of the flu, and even more people are quarantined. In IPGM-KBA, there are no positive cases yet, but we have to wait until tomorrow to be sure :o Although I'm not a person of religion, let's pray together that a vaccine or cure for this disease can be found as soon as possible.

And just to share my thoughts with you - even if you are a senior, there's nothing wrong with smiling and greeting your juniors~ I do that all the time, and people give positive responses. However, I met one senior that has her head high up in the air every time she passes by - I wonder if she's think that she's too high-and-mighty, too beautiful (like, huh?), or simply just above the levels of us common people. I've heard her calling herself 'Diva' before, but frankly, the makcik who sapu sampah at tower block is better than her - at least she has the courtesy to return a smile and greeting. I even smile and nod at the Afghanistans who are on a course in my college, and despite the language barrier, they do respond.

To conclude, smiling is the fastest way to communicate effectively and positively. So, smile!

Of all the last minute work I can do...

I didn't think that it was entirely impossible, but it seemed so last night.

IPGM-KBA's director, Dr Sofi's birthday falls on the 15th of July. I remembered celebrating it with the rest of my batch last year during our orientation week, so as one of the Student Council members, I thought I might do it again. That was 4 days ago.

Then, it turned out that on the 15th of July, Dr Sofi was away at a meeting, and I thought my plans had to be cancelled. After referring to my 'boss' Madjack, he advised me to carry my plans out during the closing ceremony of the July 2009 intake, whose orientation week just finished :) That was 2 days ago.

Yesterday, I met up with the lecturer in charge of the closing ceremony, Madam Norhazian, and my "deputy boss", Faruq had already told her the celebration plan. She asked me to make a special performance on the violin, and halfway throughout my performance, they will switch off the lights, and after which I will start playing the birthday song. That's an ingenious idea, as it provides a pleasant surprise in disguise~ So, I agreed.

The problem: No birthday cakes were included in her plan, neither were flowers and the rest.

So yesterday night, I suddenly remembered that we actually have to buy a cake in order to have one for the celebration. That was around 11pm - all the shops were already closed by then :x And the next morning would be the celebration...

...

hurm. And I had to practise the special performance with my guest guitarist, Awie, and brief him the details about the surprise and all...

After discussing the situation with Madjack again, we agreed to buy all the necessary stuff the next morning. Now, there's the problem with the money. In the end, we collected RM0.50 - RM1.00 from each of the new students for our funds. So, we went to the main hall, where the Muslim juniors just finished their religious activities, and collected their money right there. The whole activity ended at 2am, and I slept at 2.34 am Z.z

Today:
Woke up at 7.00 am, prepared all my stuff and went to the main hall at 8.05 am. Then, I received a text message telling me to bring along the money collected from the students. Headed back to the hostel.

8.15 am, reached the main hall for the second time, just right on time to explain my duties and functions as the exco for culture and arts. Did a really short speech, forgot to introduce my assistant and secretary =x

9.15 am, departed from college and went to Bangsar to search for the things we need.

9.30 am Found ready-made cakes at Berry's Cake House. Bought 2 cakes there, one for Dr Sofi and another for the juniors whose birthday falls on this week.

10.00 am Searched for flowers at the morning market in Bangsar. Found pretty roses in the 2nd stall we went to, 3 stalks of roses, 1 stalk of berries and 3 stalks of furries made a nice bouquet :D

10.15 am Bought the confetti and birthday card at the nearest available bookstore.

10.30 am Arrived back in college. Briefed the juniors in charge of bringing out the cake and handing over the flowers. Finished my brunch amidst several interruptions in the form of my duties of briefing those who had to handle these stuff.

11.00 am Start of the closing ceremony.

11.50 am Performed with Awie on stage with the pretext of welcoming the juniors to this institute.

11.52 am Lights off. Birthday song~

The rest that happened after that was history. I was glad to see the surprised smile on Dr Sofi's face when I started to play the birthday song though :D Being able to put a smile on someone's face is a really fun thing to do :)

To conclude everything, when there's a will, there's a way :p We were happy, Dr Sofi was happy. End of story~

Reminiscence

Weird name for a post, I know :)

My friends said I've changed since some time around the end of last semester. According to them, I've become more particular about my appearance (like, since when have I actually cared whether my shirt matches my pants?) Before this, I used to wear any clothes that can cover my body, I mean, that's the main purpose of clothes, right?

Next, they say that I speak more Malay recently. Even from my own observations, I really speak more Malay now ^_^ When I first came into IPBA, I used to speak English with all the budak TESL, and a mixture of English and Malay with the others. Now, I speak Malay with almost everyone except for my Chinese friends.

I used to be an anime freak, self-labeled otaku, and I drool over anything related to anime or manga, even spending over RM150+ for an art book. Now, I care about anime and manga just for the sake of its art...as graphic designing is still my hobby, and I can get really good ideas from this form of Japanese art.

My friends who know me from secondary school will be shocked to know that I'm actually listening to songs in English, Malay and Chinese now. They used to tease me mercilessly that my songs folder contain 90% Japanese music, 8% classical music and 2% of songs in other languages. Now, I love music from Green Day, Avenged Sevenfold, Blink 182, Jay Chou, JJ Lim and more, a big difference from what I'm used to.

Sometimes I wonder, why have I changed?

Is it because I've grown up and become more mature?

or

Is it because I was influenced by other people around me?

Somehow, I feel that the answer is more to the latter...since handling a particular event last semester, I've realised that the world is not only limited to what I'm used to , but it is formed by different people with different backgrounds and different personalities. Having to work with other people, to ask for permission and to endure tyrannical behaviour from a particular lecturer forced me to learn that things do not always happen the way you want it to.

Still, I'm grateful for the experience...through the event, I got to know many musicians who are as spirited in music as I am. From chords to composing music to harmony to synchronisation, I've indeed gained a lot of knowledge. Also through this event, I managed to recruit two great guitarists for my future band in Canterbury, both with their specialties. In fact, I regularly exchange text messages with one of them, who managed to stump me with all the questions about music he asked me, and impressed me with his knowledge of music, especially when considering that he has not received formal music education before. Go Cocuphy!!! :p

One of my biggest faults was that I tend to develop a crush on someone very easily and quickly, and the feeling will disappear just as quickly. I'm not afraid to admit that I've done the same thing in college before, but I've already lost any romantic interest I might have had for that person. Now, I just hope that the person is not offended by all the stupid gossip, for it was my fault that I acted improperly, and I have the feeling that we are uncomfortable in each other's presence. Still, I need his help in the Merchant of Venice play and the Music Society, and I don't want to be like strangers when we once worked together and made an event a success. I have only myself to blame that I revealed my feelings to some of my friends, not knowing that one of them is the kind who wants just the guy that other people are interested in. Well, I don't need to continue the story ^_^"

At least, one positive thing about myself is that I will never be interested in people who are already unavailable, i.e. who have girlfriends or boyfriends at the moment; or those whose my friends are interested in >_<

------

Now, the idea to form a Music Society is going on quite okay...as opposed to really well or impossible :) I got the assurance from Madam Satinah (our deputy director), Tn Haji Kamar (the Head of the Social Studies department), Mr Baseni (Head of GERKO), Mr Baharudin (ex-head of GERKO) and Madam Khalijah (a music lecturer) that they will fully support this proposal. The only problem is with Tn Syed - as I'm worried that he might use his principle of 'girls only' for the usage of the music room :( Besides, I have to wait until the next meeting on the 27th of July for them to formally approve this proposal in a meeting, unless Mr Baseni has the power to allow us to operate before that by signing my letter of request to use the music room. My impatience is killing me...*facepalms*

Practice also has been going on every night for the Merchant of Venice. Since I'm in charge for the music section, I need to compose more songs and decide which to use for which scene. Now, I still need to come out with a nice waltz for one particular scene. Oh, and if anyone who knows them are reading this, extend my thanks to the 3 guitarists from 3 Missed Calls - hengget, awie and rahman for agreeing to help us out :D We really appreciate it~ I still need an extra musician...any volunteers? :p

Oh, and just for fun, this is the logo I designed for 3 Missed Calls~ I just hope that I can join in the show next time :D any comments or advice will be greatly appreciated~



P.S: If anyone wants me to design a logo for them, just drop me a note - I will do it for free if I know you...huhuh :p

Long time no see, my blog

Well, to talk about my blog being one of my memorial storage (yes, I have a tendency to forget things that have happened, even if they were just a few weeks ago)...

So, to sum up what I did from 5th June (my last post) until now:

From the 15th to 19th of June, I went for a personal SBE (School Based Experience) kinda thing in SJK (C) Chong Cheng, Penang. Actually, the school was lacking in teachers, because a few of the KPLI students who were doing their practicum there had to attend a course for three weeks, so I went to replace one of them.

As for how I got the job, well, my mom is a teacher there. Does that explain everything? Of course, I don't work for free - within 5 days, I earned RM200, which is almost equivalent to half of my monthly allowance =D

In the school, I taught only one class in standard 2, taking the place of their homeroom teacher. That also means that I taught all subjects they have to learn except for Malay, English and Music. I'm surprised by the number of subjects these students have to learn though - the number seemed massive compared to my primary school years, which were just 6 years ago. No wonder all the students carried huge bags =( Other than the 3 subjects previously mentioned, I had to teach (and they had to learn) Mandarin, Science in Mandarin, Science in English, Maths in Mandarin, Maths in English, Arts and Physical Education. This school being a Chinese school had something to do with the number of subjects, since Maths and Science were doubled~


Anyway, it was a great experience teaching in primary school. Firstly, the kids are only 8 years old, and you don't need to think much to understand them. They are just as transparent as a piece of plastic~ Next, the kids are just absolutely cute < 3 And the subjects are easy to teach too~ The only downside of kids is their loud voices and tendency to tell you just about EVERYTHING they see, hear or feel. I couldn't get past 5 minutes without someone running out and telling me, "Teacher, he is not doing his homework!", "Teacher, she is drawing something on my book!", "Teacher, today is my sister's birthday!" and so on ^_^"

A photo of 1/5 of my class :D Check my facebook photos to see the rest of the class~


*~*~*

On the 21st of June, I came back to college in the morning with a bus, went to KLCC in the afternoon and attended a Student Council meeting at night. Yes, my life is busy =D At the meeting, all MPPs were informed that we had to handle the KPLI orientation for the whole week. It was kinda great news to me, because handling orientation = legally missing classes ^_^

The special characteristic of this KPLI group was that after they graduate in a year, they will be sent to the extremely rural areas of Sabah and Sarawak, and that means a lot. Anyway, the orientation week went by with few glitches, and I started going back to classes on Saturday. On Sunday, we received the Student Council representatives from IPGM KPM (Kampus Perempuan Melayu Melaka) or Malacca's Malay Girls Campus. They had a number of 36, a big number compared to our newly formed council of about 14 :D Managed to share my experience and ideas with their Cultural Exco though ^_^ and now I have a lot of plans...the only problem is to realise it~ For starters, ubi kayu + kelapa + gula + garam during the Merdeka celebration, anyone?

The last highlight of this post is my mock exam results...during the orientation week, all of my friends got to know their marks for all the subjects. For me, I just knew my Social Studies marks through Sam, as Madam Carol read out all the marks for the class to hear. I got 87, and it seemed like I was the top scorer in this subject~ Then, I was quite eager to know my English Studies (Literature) marks, mainly because this subject was a killer to all of us (hint: deathly unseen poem). However, nobody knew my marks, and they just told me that only one person in the whole cohort managed to score an A (more than 80 marks) for English Studies. That increased my anxiety all right ^_^"

The next week, I checked my marks with Miss Pat, who had the list of all our marks. Imagine my surprise and joy when I found out that I was the one who got an A for ES :p and this made me the only one in my cohort to achieve a 4 flat grade, as my marks are as follows:

English Studies: 82
Social Studies: 87
Language Development: 89
Language Description: 96

The last one was totally unexpected, as I finished the paper in about 30 minutes and was quite lazy to check my answers :3 Anyway, I consider myself lucky rather than intelligent to get these marks :D Hopefully being in the Student Council won't affect my marks too much~

Lastly, I'm now rallying to form a Music Society in IPBA, so that we can have legal reason to use the instruments in the music room - not just any music room, but TN SYED's MUSIC ROOM!!! :p Please support me, pals~

~My 18th B'day~

Well, I didn't throw a party or do anything big for my 18th birthday...To tell the truth, I don't feel the '18' mark too much, as I've been with people who are one year older than I am since I was in standard 5 (blame it on PTS), and most of my friends turned 18 last year ;D So, I feel halfway between 18 and 19 now~

Anyway, had 'dim sum' (small Hong Kong dishes - either fried or steamed) in the morning with my family, except for my mother who had tuition ^_^"

Later in the afternoon, the four of us (excluding my mother, who was tired again) went to Queensbay for lunch at Nando's, followed by dessert at Haagen Daz, courtesy of my two lovely sisters :)

At Nando's, we ordered a whole chicken, with 'Hot' flavour...and boy, it was realllllllly HOT!!! Add the fact that I used some of their special garlic sauce + extra hot sauce...my whole tongue was almost burned off. Well, almost. :) Ordered 2 sides of Peri Potato Salad and Peri Chips - the potatos were delicious~


At Haagen Daz, my elder sister treated us to...I can't remember the name, but it had 2 scoops of ice-cream, brownies at the bottom and layered with chocolate sauce topping. Whatever the name was, it was simple superb <3






At night, had a sumptuous feast consisting of Jusco sushi, grilled salmon, vegetables and tea =)


And at 18, I had my first dollop of whiskey...doesn't taste as good as any brand of red wine or Heineken though =) My alcohol tolerance is quite high...I managed to stay up until about 12 am before dropping dead on my bed~ Now, Chivas Regal does sound royal, no?



*For more photos, head over to my friendster/facebook profile =)*


Anyway, I've made some resolutions for my 18th birthday...

1) Be more matured...(does that mean not shouting and arguing with lecturers? :D Maybe not)
2) Study more about music composition so that I can compose a few songs for my future band in UK (Wait for me, abg ashmirul and abg pidot~)
3) Choose who I fall in love with/have a crush on more carefully (that is, if I can actually choose who I fall in love with in the first place)
4) Be more caring...especially towards my family (I've never been much of a family person)
5) Be more feminine (well, where did THAT come from?)
6) Fix my hobby of scolding people 'Bodoh!' along with many other colourful words :p (on 2nd thought, nope)
7) Stop doing everything half-heartedly, a.k.a half-assedly...and that includes studying, mingling with friends, playing music, doing anything else...I never give my all...

The above is not all...just that I can't think of any more =D

My birthday wishes:
1) Buy an electric violin
2) Compose some new songs (pop punk, punk rock and pop genres)
3) A PS3?

I'm pretty satisfied with my life right now...it seems =)

Hurm...

Well, if you have seen my latest post (which I have just deleted)...

...

I deleted it :D

Finally, I figured out that there's no point in mentioning the name of someone I don't like in my blog, as my blog should be a pure container of my happy and sad memories, but never my hatred. Somehow, I feel that it just spoils everything.

Besides, cussing and cursing is just not me. If I don't do it verbally, why should I do it in writing?

And I feel better after relating my experience to some seniors, as they had the same bad experience with that lecturer.

Anyway, I have a 3-week holiday starting from tomorrow...YAY~!

Angels and Demons + Liberation

Well, yesterday was the last day of our mock exams...that means all B.Ed TESL Cohort 2, Cycle 3 people are officially free from hours and hours of non-stop writing, squeezing the brain juices until our brains dry up, sitting on hard chairs until our backbones become stiff... o_O No, I'm just exaggerating :D

Anyway, immediately after the exam yesterday, Almone, Jasmon, Nekomon and I went straight to Midvalley. We planned to have a nice lunch there, at Rasamas, with the promotion of various sets starting from RM 8.90. The illustration seemed to be very nice, with succulent chicken thighs laden with steaming mushroom gravy and golden, crispy fries as a side dish.

However, I can just say...don't be deceived by looks T_T The chicken and chips arrived soggy and cold...and the taste...let's just say it's not what I have expected. However, the day was saved by the mushroom soup we got for free when we filled up a survey form ^_^ So, all's well ends well :D

Later, we went for a movie we have anticipated highly for..."Angels and Demons", adapted from the novel of the same title by Dan Brown. Having watched the Da Vinci Code before, I was quite sure that this movie would be a blast, and indeed, it is :D

Call me shallow if you want, but I was delighted by the sheer number of handsome Italian men in the movie, starting from the man who escorted Robert Langdon to Vatican City, to the Il Camerlengo, to the members of the Swiss Guard...Hmm, definitely a lot of eye candies~

"Angels and Demons"...I will give it a rating of 7.5 out of 10...simply because they cut out an essential part of the story at the end, about why the Camerlengo killed the Pope and caused all those massacre to occur. Still, the story was redeemed by the beautiful scenery and the haunting music.

Then, I had dinner at Skuds again :D Ordered ayam kunyit with white rice...yummy~ Though the worker mixed up our orders, and I had to wait for 45 minutes for my dish to come >_< if you were there, you might have seen me naik mereng there...^_^

2nd Day of Exam - hurm...

This exam feels so weird...I mean, I know that it's a mock, and the results will not really affect my going to UK...but still, I normally pay much more attention to any form of exams ^_^"

For this exam, I did not study at all the week before, as I was busy with the Reaching for the Stars event. Even during the weekends, I was hooked on the games I've installed on my computer, and I kept on playing, playing and playing D:

The only time I studied was an hour on Sunday night for Language Description. The questions were quite easy...except for the phrasal verbs part. Actually, I finished the whole paper in one hour, and spent the next hour daydreaming about various...things =)

Now, to share my exam experience. Well, for both days of exams, I've been wearing baju kurung (a type of Malay dress which covers the whole body from the wrists to the ankles). For a girl like me who is not ladylike at ALL, I just sat cross-legged on the chair, as though the exam hall is my hostel xD Good thing I was wearing baju kurung, as it covers the parts which would have been exposed if I was wearing a skirt. Same went for today, another pair of baju kurung, the same position, the same style *.*

Level 2 is so darn cold...and the fact that I'm sitting in front of the fan doesn't help either >_>

After the exam, I had lunch at block 4, Pak Lang's cafe...I don't know whether it's my disturbed emotions or the food, but I threw up a little immediately after the food settled in D= Maybe it's because of the flies everywhere...

Anyway, 2 more days until the exams are over...and you will see me with purple hair :D

Room of Horrors =D

Last time, I posted a photo of my desk in the hostel...now, the whole room is infected with the sloppiness disease. I swear, if you come into my room, you will think that it has been modified from some sort of a garbage dump or something >_<

This is the slanted top view of my side of the room >3

The side view, including my oh-so-messy desk...

And the award of the day goes to the front view...check out the clothes strewn all over the bed, the shelves and the chair loaded with another pile of clothes :3 And in case you are wondering, yes, I sleep with my clothes at my feet xD

Yup, this is my room all right - cozy and comfortable ^.^ I dare say my room mate, Samantha's side of the room is much more tidier than mine =x


Oh, and here are the photos from Reaching for the Stars =3 Misao-chan~ You probably can recognise who I am now :D

~We are the CREW~

3 MisSed CaLL(s) =o From left: Kak Uzair, Rahman, Paan Henggek and Awie...and of course, me :D

I have ears on top of my head? :o


O_O Distortion

Yes, and we are all weirdoes :D

Reaching for the Stars

Ah...finally Reaching for the Stars is over...with much headaches and blood-spurting incidents that spurn a very long story, which may or may not bore you ^_^ Anyway, this event wouldn't have been possible without the help of all the committee members a.k.a CREW :D A big thanks to all of you, *if any one of you are reading this* especially *ahem* the SU, Abang Rahman Idris (I think it's polite to add abang), who did the proposal paper, recruited most of the working committee and handled most of the event, also when I was away last week >_< *cackles evilly* that's why I said, although I'm a useless president, I'm still surrounded with many helpful and capable people :D

Anyway, I was one of the guest performers for this event...and my performance went horribly D: Thanks to lack of time and minimal practice, our synchronisation was not good enough...the song was 'Only One' by Yellowcard, and the starting was really messed up. Thankfully everything somehow got better during the chorus ^_^" The bassist, Alif almost lost his voice from screaming the chorus too xD But both of us swear to perform the song again in the future, with zero errors and me on the keyboard =p Hopefully the guitarist Paan and the drummer Rahman will want to join us next time :D

The results of this competition were quite surprising...considering the fact that a particular band got intensive and exclusive training and practice with the music lecturer who was also the advisor for this event, they still lost ^_^ The band I wanted to join, 3 Missed Calls managed to acquire the award for the best performance in the band category, though they came in second behind the band Mr. Paul...though I can't understand how Mr. Paul is better O_O

As for the solo singing category, I don't know too much...as they all seem to be almost of the same standard to me. Maybe the biggest factor that affected the results was their choice of song :p The champion and the best performer was the same person - Rafizin ^_^

Well, I will post the photos of this event next time ^_^ On Facebook and Friendster too...later~ Now it's time to study for my exams next week...*sigh*

Though I'm a free thinker, I will still say, "God bless the CREW" xD Especially when we have sacrificed so much of our time and energy in Reaching for the Stars, and all of us have our exams next week :D

Randomness

I promised to show a shot of my desk in my hostel, and here it is xD Don't be surprised, and guys, there' s a tip for you if you want to marry neat, careful girls (and I certainly do not fit into that category) - ask for a candid shot of their desktops ^_^

Yay, I'm back in Penang for the weekend, after which TESL Cohort 2, Cycle 3 needs to go for the English Camp in IPSAH ^_^

Something I learned from half-organising the event Reaching for the Stars is that you need to choose your committee members very carefully - or maybe I trust my friends too much O_O If not for the other half of committee members chosen by my helpful co-president a.k.a secretary, the event would be a real disaster.

Ok, I'm an incapable president surrounded by extra-capable people who help me =D That's pretty lucky of me, ne?

Practical Things To Do With A Uni Essay‏ (Celaka betul XD )

I saw this on Rotten Apple's page - sounds really nice to do =D I shall blog about my experience if I eventually do some of these things out of boredom or stress, haha. Copied and pasted from Soo Peng's blog =D There, I stated my source, no plagiarism ^_^

1. Type every word of your essay in a different font. Alternate really big fonts with really small fonts.(it's still easy to see, lol)
2. Support your thesis with quotes from your VCR manual.(It's still a secondary source, right? =D)
3. Write the entire assignment on Post-it notes; hand it in by sticking them all over the professor's door.(Well, I'm sure the professor will love this, especially if all 52 of us do it >3)
4. Write a paper discussing why Michelangelo got to be a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, but Van Gogh didn't. Discuss whether Van Gogh would have used nunchakus or katanas.(no, he used poison darts)
5. Perfume the paper with catnip. Explain that it was to keep your dog from eating it.(cool-.-)
6. If assigned a paper in philosophy class, explain that you can't do the paper because you're not sure if the class really exists, or if it and the professor are just illusions created by your subconscious. If you do end up writing the paper, write about whether or not the paper actually exists.(think whether the professor exists too...)
7. If assigned a 2000-word essay, draw two pictures of what the paper was supposed to be about. After all, a picture is worth 1000 words, right?(Gonna do that for my Moral assignment - 1500 words - one and a half pictures)
8. Cite issues of Spiderman and Batman as resources in your bibliography.(especially why Batman wears his underwear over his head :o)
9. Hand in the essay by making paper airplanes out of the pages of the paper and attempting to fly them onto the professor's desk.(Hey sir, CATCH!)
10. The night before the paper is due, call the professor and explain that you can't turn your paper in because it contains sensitive military information and is only available on a "need to know" basis. Insist that General Schwarzkopf says you should get an 'A'.(-.- who is that? LOL)
11. Write your history paper on parchment, using a quill. Say that you were trying to get the feel for the period.(makes sense)
12. Hand in a letter you wrote to your cousin. When the teacher confronts you about it, say that you must have gotten the letter and the paper mixed up. Say that you'll turn the paper in as soon as you get it back, but your cousin lives in Siberia, so it might take a while. (This is a nifty way to get an extension.)(doesn't work - you will have a soft copy in your disk drive)
13. When writing an especially long paper, put a recipe for chocolate cake in the middle and see if the professor notices.(I might try that when I'm writing a thesis :p)
14. Tell the professor that you need an extension because one of your primary sources is an old wise man in Tibet and he won't see you until the next full moon.(Who?)
15. Paint a large white stripe down the front of your paper. Say that on the way to class, your dropped it in the street and it got run over by one of those trucks that paint lines on the road.(-.-)
16. Make a footprint on the back of one of the pages. When questioned by the professor, act like it's nothing unusual. After all, he did tell you to include footnotes.(YESH!)
17. Bring candles and incense to class. Before handing in the paper, perform an elaborate ceremony, entreating the gods to bless the paper and correct all your typos.(Please, somebody, do that :D)
18. Make a tape of you singing the contents of your paper, opera-style, and hand that in.(Lala-envi~~~ronment!!!)
19. Write your psychology essay on possible genetic anomalies that might cause a person to prefer anchovies.(hmm)
20. TTyyppee eevveerryy lleetttteerr ttwwiiccee..(easy~)
21. Get a large piece of paper or canvas. Smear paint all over it and hand it in as your paper. Explain that the topic was such an emotional one for you, and that mere words couldn't possibly express what you had to say.(Remember to wet the paper before handing in - say that it's your tears)
22. Refuse to do the paper on account of the fact that you are a member of Greenpeace and strongly object to the gratuitous slaughter of trees caused by the massive amount of paper used in writing assignments.(Do you hear that, Mr Moorthy?)
23. Put nonsense words down as quotes. Say that you are quoting the words of a well-known Zen master who was speaking in tongues at the time.(sdafjghowegcansguhwhaadksjusvnud)
24. Use a forklift to bring your paper to class, even if it's only a few pages. Explain that it involved some very heavy reading.(yes, think of how many encyclopedias and dictionaries we have to refer to)
25. Poke several holes in the paper. Say that you were mobbed by crows on the way to class.(*agrees with SP - porcupine la XD)
26. Print all the pages on one sheet of paper, with the text overlapping. Say that that was all the paper you had.(Will do that one day)
27. Make your assignment one long, neverending sentence that goes on for pages and pages and pages; use alot of semi-colons, commas, and other interesting, rarely-used punctuation marks [(for example), an interesting one: the colon_] but never ever end the sentence {[_-\|/??!]}.(LOL don'tputspaceinbetweenisevenbetter)
28. On the day the paper is due, skip into class, waving your essay and screaming, "I have a paper! I have a paper!". Run around the class a few times, then joyfully throw it out the window. Laugh and yell, "There's my paper!", then run outside to get it. Repeat this all through the period, or until the prof throws you out.(planning to do that too :D)
29. Come to class leading a horse or camel. When asked to turn in the paper, take it out of one of the saddlebags, then shoot the horse/camel/whatever away. Refuse to discuss it.(?)
30. Draw obscure connections between totally unrelated things. For example, claim that abnormal amounts of neutrino activity in Germany caused Hitler to invade France, or that the Roman empire collapsed because of a shortage of qualified botanists.(err...)
31. Refer to all prominant historical figures by nicknames. For example, call George Washington "Georgie". Call Ben Franklin "Sparky".(obama my babie XD - sam will love this ^^)
32. Pwetend you have a speech impediment and awways type w's whenevew you weawwy want to type r's ow l's.(D= this is harder than typing normally)
33. Ol, switch alound arr the l's and r's in youl papel, rike Monty Python did in Queen Erizabeth the Thild.(hard too)
34. When your prof asks for an outline of your paper, draw the outline of the piece of paper you typed it on and hand it in.(I Will DO THIS)
35. Spill a martini on your sociology paper. Say that you wrote it in a bar so that you could see "sociology in action".(smells of alcohol :3)