Caffeine OD

Matilah Manglish #2

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000+09:00

This will be a pretty long post since there are so many things that need fixing, but here goes!

"if some one to be learn how to speak english He/ she have to be spread islam and preaching the name and message of Allah to non muslims who does not know about the best religion islam.

The correct version :

" If someone has learned how to speak English, he or she has to spread Islam and preach the names and messages of Allah S.W.T to non-Muslims, who do not know about the best religion there is; Islam. "

1. The sentence should start with a capital letter.

2. 'some one' means a few ones and is not the same as 'someone', which means an unspecified person.

3. 'to be learn' : there's no such thing as 'to be learn'. There's 'to learn' and 'be learned', which has the same meaning as 'be educated'. Example - "It is only proper that a gentleman be learned of some basic table manners."

4. 'english' : should start with a capital E because it is a proper noun.

5. 'He/she' : the word 'he' with a capital H is used to refer to God, so in this case it shouldn't start with a capital letter.

6. 'she have' : 'she' is a singular noun so it should be 'has' not 'have' which is used for plural nouns.

7. 'to be spread' : 'to be ____' is the form you use when declaring motive or purpose. Example - 'I try to be honest.'
For today's sentence, the writer should have used ' to ____(insert verb)'.

8. 'islam' : Islam is a proper noun so it has to be spelled with a capital 'I'.

9. 'preaching' : The writer shouldn't have used the continuous form of this verb because the 'doer' has not yet started the action. It should be in the simple present tense; preach.

10. I've changed 'name' to 'names' and 'message' to 'messages' seeing as how Allah S.W.T. has a lot of names and messages.

11. 'non muslims' : This should be spelled as 'non-Muslims'. The word 'Muslim' is a proper noun so it has to be spelled with a capital M.

12. 'who does' : It should be 'who do' because in this sentence the word 'who' is referring to the non-Muslims and they are considered a plural noun so here we use the '(singular noun) does' and '(plural noun) do'.

13. The last part of the sentence ended a bit weirdly, in my opinion, so I altered that too.

There's a lot that can be learnt in this post but what I would like you to do is to think of one sentence which uses the semicolon ( ; <--- this). I swear that it's just not used enough.

Remember, think before you tweet and polish before you post.
Class dismissed.

Matilah Manglish #1

2011-12-21T20:58:00.000+09:00

I've decided to start a new series of posts where I basically correct people's grammar, spelling and punctuation. I get really pissed when I see people tweet or post statuses that have crappy grammar. Yes, I am the feared Grammar Nazi.

Hopefully, using this series of posts I can not only release my pent-up stress but also help whomever reads my blog learn a few things.

The sentences that I will use will come from the Internet such as tweets, Facebook status updates and maybe even from other blogs. My aim is to right some wrongs not to embarrass anyone so all the sources will not be disclosed.

Today's lesson :

"Broken English sometimes can be a conversation killer."

The wording of this sentence is what needs fixing. I think it would sound and look better if it had instead been written as :

" Broken English can sometimes be a conversation killer. "

As you can see, I've merely switched the positioning of the word 'sometimes' and 'can'. In the first form, the sentence sounds stunted because when you read it, you'll read it like this :

" Broken English / sometimes / can be / a / conversation killer. "
( the '/' indicates where you would pause when reading )

When reading a sentence, the pauses should happen preferably after every two, three or four words and the flow of the sentence at the beginning will set the tempo for the rest of the sentence till it finishes. By placing the word 'sometimes' before the word 'can', the flow of the sentence will sound like this :

" Broken English / can sometimes / be a conversation killer. "

People who are used to giving speeches or MC-ing an event usually talk in 2/3/4 words parts to make sure that the audience can clearly catch the words and comprehend what is being said.

Furthermore, the second form of the sentence places stress on the word 'sometimes' making it clearly evident that broken English is not always the cause of conversations dying out.

Hopefully, after reading this post, you'll be able to see how arranging words in a certain order can give off different affects to the reader or listener.

Remember, think before you tweet and polish before you post.
Class dismissed.

Calligraphy

2011-07-30T12:45:00.000+09:00

As part of my college's initiative to get us exposed to the cultural aspects of Japan, the Calligraphy club had an activity with us to teach us the true meaning of writing in kanji. I suck at this, no artistic ability at all. I is sad.

Getting our instructions

Our group's tutor showing how it's done

The result..err

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BBBQ (Beach BBQ)

2011-07-30T12:31:00.000+09:00

The Ibaraki International Club had another BBQ this year. It was held at the Hitachinaka Seaside Park. Seriously, I love this park. It's huge and there's so much to do here and there's always flowers of some species in bloom.

Gift looking very home-ly in her paron

Fyqah & Ochiru

Angela

Fyqah's hair flip!

Eat

Eat more

More and more

Chong, so Comel

I cut my finger while slicing the mushrooms.

Played around in the park

Agnes with her Japan team shirt

Agnes' finger also got cut, but her cut was deeper and worse than mine

Till next year.
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Norway Bombing & Killing Spree

2011-07-25T08:10:00.001+09:00

I'm usually a 'pacifist' type of person and I rarely take offense when people take jabs at my religion and beliefs because I blame their ignorance and faulty education system as the cause for their shallowness and biased thoughts and perceptions on things, but I just have to post this because it made me laugh.

From 9GAG

The very obvious things is that of course, they(you?) won't go to all those measures because in doing so would mean that Christianity, which is the faith of most Caucasians and especially Islam-hating whites is somehow at fault. That this terrorist's beliefs in Christianity is what made him do all those horrific acts against so many innocent lives. You wouldn't be able to judge me with my hijab-wearing head as a 'terrorist' like the Al-Qaeda anymore because now I have the ability to see you, a white Christian, and think he might be a 'terrorist' too just like Anders Breivik.

Doesn't feel all that awesome now does it, having your religion viewed as a source of evil?

Welcome to our world.

To be judged in the blink of an eye when we've barely said a word and made an action to portray ourselves.

The hate, the fear, the critics we get for displaying our beliefs in public.Think about that the next time you put on your cross.

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Yes, I really am that Crazy

2011-07-23T21:36:00.001+09:00

I'm in love all over again.

I didn't think that the parcel would be this big.

I bought Penguins and Jaffa Cakes. I actually wanted to order more but the shipping fees were becoming exorbitant, so I decided to only get the essentials.

This is what a Jaffa Cake looks like after being bitten. There's a layer of chocolate on top, orange jelly underneath it and a round cake as the base. It is so tasty. When I took my first bite, it felt like I hadn't left Manchester at all. Then I started remembering bits and pieces of the stuff I did while at Temple Primary School. Who knew that one small bite of confectionery could have that effect?

I got the Penguins because my sister had been asking for them and also an extra box of Jaffa Cakes for the family but then when I Skyped with my dad a few nights ago, I found out that my cousin, who studies in the UK and had come home for her summer holidays, had already bought two boxes for my family because my sister had asked from her also. Now, my heart feels heavy about parting with the extra box. I want it for myself.

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My Parcel

2011-07-19T21:08:00.000+09:00

I ordered a few things from the Brit Superstore because I have been having the strongest cravings for a certain something. I really pity my future husband, I mean, I'm not even pregnant yet and my cravings are already pretty off the charts. Just imagine what it'll be like when I'm pregnant and high from all those hormones.

Click for a larger image.

Right now it's apparently still in Europe. Hopefully, it'll make it here within the next couple of days.

We, we, we so excited! So excited!

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My Weakness: Lotions

2011-07-13T08:00:00.000+09:00

When I first came here, it was during the end of winter and was still pretty cold and my skin totally flaked out. So I had to start buying lotions. Then, when I'd go shopping I'd buy one more and one more. Now, I've vowed that I won't buy anymore till I finish off at least two bottle of the ones that I already have. But, it's really hard, especially when I find one that smells just divine. Oh well..

Vaseline Intensive Rescue Moisture Locking Lotion

This moisturizes well with no icky sticky feeling. It smells like the typical Vaseline products; almost clinical.

Nature Republic Morning Fruits Mango

I got this on trip to Seoul. It smells like a real bloody mango, delicious. The after scent that you'll get after a few hours is also still pretty strong and awesome. It moisturizes great, when you first apply it, it might seem to be a bit too light but once it dries you're skin will feel soft and supple.

Johnson's Body Care Extra Care

This one kind of leaves a 'heavy' feeling on the skin. It smells great, very feminine, very soft.

Alpine Silk Hand & Body Lotion

I got this as a birthday present from Nakane-kun. He knows I love this stuff and got it for me while on his trip to New Zealand. It smells divine, an almost milky smell with hints of floral. It might seem thick and heavy at first but it'll dry up soon enough and leaves the skin feeling soft.

Johnson's Body Care Naturally Whitening Daily UV Lotion

Out of all these, this is probably the one that I like the least. I bought it while on my 1 month and a half stay at Malaysia during my Spring Break. It smells nice at first, you know the typical Johnson smell, but after an hour or so, the scent just turns nasty. I'm not sure of it's because my skin's chemicals are just not meshing with it well or if the product is really that weird-smelling. Definitely not a recommendation for anyone.

Gap Dream

I tried the tester and instantly fell in love with the smell. It really smells like a dream. I haven't even opened it yet because I'm still trying to get through the ones on top. Moisturizes well with no icky after feeling.

Etude House Rich Butter hand & Heel Cream

I also got this one on my trip to Seoul. It smells very floral but the main scent is almost a baby's talcum powder's smell. I love it. The scent is calming. It's lightweight and easy to carry around so I usually have this stored in my handbag to whip out after I wash my hands anywhere.

As I get to the end of this post, I finally realize why there aren't as many lotions as I thought, I've already finished and thrown away two bottles! Which means, I can get a new one if I happen to find one that I like. Yay!

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I Love To Drink

2011-07-11T08:00:00.001+09:00

One of the reasons that I love Japan is the fact that they have so many choices when it comes to drinks. Like, literally, rows and rows of tonnes of kinds of teas, choc drinks, coffee, sodas etc. My favourites are the Van Houten Cocoa which is just chocolate divine and Cafe Ole by Glico.

Notice there's a flap? Lift it and stick your straw through it.

Seriously, every carton drink should come with those drink flaps. Makes life easier and I don't have to worry about the contents tipping out if I cause any sudden movements.

Coming Soon

2011-07-09T11:21:00.002+09:00

It is summer. It is hot. It is 36'C of hotness, I lie not. I am currently trying out a bunch of new ice-cream flavours and will have a post on that some time soon.

ps/ Don't forget your sunblock, ok? Skin cancer is not a fashion accessory.

Sit Down & Listen Up: Me No Likey

2011-07-09T10:35:00.000+09:00

Walk out of your house and go anywhere, they are everywhere and I can’t stand them.

1. People who smoke. It’s bad for your health and even worse for the people around you who become second-hand smokers. It’s a waste of money. It’s against Islamic beliefs because it’s bad for your body and you gain no plausible benefit from it.

2. Slow cars that drive on the very right hand side of the roads/highways. Your meter says it’s 80km/h, that’s not a big number dumbass. Move to the left with the other slowpokes and realize that you do not belong here.

3. Rude waiters/waitresses. Your wages comes from my patronage. Be polite and civil, friendly even if you feel like it but never be rude.

4. People who non-stop complain about their jobs. If you hate it so much, quit. No one’s dragging you by the feet begging you to stay. You say you’re forced to stay because you can’t find a different and better job? That’s your fault for not paying attention in class during school/college and now you’re not worthy for anything else. It’s your own fault.

5. Nosy aunts/neighbors. Did I ask for your opinion? You hear that sound? That’s me not giving a shit about what you have to say so back-off and go manage your own life. It ain’t perfect either.

6. False advertising. That chocolate sundae looked a feet tall in the advertisements, why is it a quarter of what it should be now? Way to kill my spirit, man. *shoots self

7. Fat people hating on skinny people. Maybe if you spent as much time on the treadmill as you did bitching on how her skinny legs must have been thanks to some liposuction, maybe then you could actually fit into those size 2 jeans. And why they have to do it while munching on something? Oh God, lead these obese people to the light that stops at Fitness First’s front doors.

8. Whacked weather predictions. You said it’d be sunny at 28’C, it wasn’t. It was pouring at 16’C. I’m now wet, cold and pissed. Thanks.

On a totally different note, I got myself a new mascara. it really is 'easy-wash'. I don't have to rub my eye area harshly trying to get my mascara to come off anymore.

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Sit Down & Listen Up: Polygamy

2011-07-01T19:14:00.001+09:00

Islam allows a Muslim man to marry and have four wives at once. This was created as a means of helping the women. For example, a woman’s husband dies and she loses her source of income and is unable to care for her children. In this case, a man who already has a wife can marry her with the intention of helping her out by making her a part of his family and providing her with all the necessities she’ll need. This is just one out of thousands of situations that would make their matrimony acceptable.

However, from what I’ve seen this concept has been greatly misintreperted and misused by the men nowadays. This is my thoughts on this subject matter and it is based on my observation of the Muslim community in Malaysia.

From what I can see, the men nowadays are taking new wives simply because they’d like a ‘pretty, young thang’; fifty year old men taking girls just out of high school? Seriously? This is just disgusting. The girls, of course, agree because all they see is the new house, new car and the ka-ching.

I’ve read that before a man can take on a second wife, he first has to talk with his current wife and declare his intentions to her, but then why are there so many cases of men who elope with their jail-bait in Thailand? There are cases where the first wife knows nothing of her ‘successor’ until the husband dies and suddenly No. 2 comes along looking for her slice of the man’s inheritance.

A recent article on BBC World News said that the men who had multiple wives lead miserable lives because they can’t afford the upkeep of two households. Well, duhh! If you make a measly pay of RM3000, how can you even think of marrying another women? It’s haram for you to wed if you are in no way able to support her. Just think, that means having to fulfil the needs of two women, four/five/nine children. You sure, you can handle that?

There are some men who say it’s ‘sunnah’ or ‘Islamic’ to take on multiple wives because the Prophet(PBUH) also did the same. Well, if you want to use that as your excuse then you should wait till your current wife passes away, because that’s exactly what Muhammad(PBUH) did.

There are also some who say they do it to avoid ‘maksiat’. What I have to say to this crap is, you seriously have such a problem keeping your pants on? Are you that controlled by your carnal thoughts? As humans, as Allah’s greatest creation, are you unable to use the mind gifted to you to control such animalistic behaviour?

Furthermore, what are the men doing looking at other women? Your duties as a husband is to love, care and cherish your wife. She is your other half, and most times, your better half. If you say you married her because you love her then why are you flirting and ‘hunting’ new meat? Be the best husband that you can possibly be and then when you’re in heaven, you’ll get a bevy of angels at your beck and call.

To the new wives I say, how can you be secure in the thought of him as your husband when while flirting and courting you, he was already married and therefore was cheating on his wife? How can you be sure that he won’t do it again, this time with a younger, prettier version of you? Are you willing to live with that type of insecurity hanging above your head like a dark cloud?

I pity the children that are involved in these situations. Most of these families are unstable and arguments are common. The children never asked to be a part of a messed-up family, they don’t deserve to not know who their father is because they rarely see him, they don’t deserve to be treated with less love because they’re the children of Wife No. 2, they shouldn’t have to suffer from hunger and second-hand clothes because mummy’s no getting enough money from daddy.

I have friends who have father’s that practice polygamy and they’re happy and the family isn’t dysfunctional, but they are like the Bengal tiger; nearly extinct.

Pedobear doesn't like you getting a cut of his cake.

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Look Who I Spotted While Online Shopping

2011-07-01T19:06:00.000+09:00

Does anyone recognize who this is?

It's Nicole from America's Next Top Model Cycle 5. So apparently she now models for Forever 21 Japan. Not sure if that's an upgrade or a downgrade for her career.

Pirates Ahoy

2011-06-30T08:00:00.003+09:00

I got up super early to catch the 9am screening of the Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Totally worth it. I love me some Captain Jack Sparrow.

Do we have these in Malaysia? It's a case that you place on top of the drink's hole. It can fit 2 drinks and 1 large popcorn. So convenient!

Do you see how much space there is in front of me? My toes just barely grazed the seat in front of me. I guess it's worth paying ￥1500(RM56.8017 ) for this. That's the discounted price, FYI.

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Sangat Sedap

2011-06-29T08:00:00.001+09:00

Self-explanatory

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田植え(Rice Planting)

2011-06-28T08:00:00.003+09:00

On the 22nd of June, we all had a cultural activity where we participated in the rice planting at a nearby paddy. All of us 'city kids' had obviously never tried this. It was fun and next month we'll be back there for the harvest and party.

Chong helping out

Nava on the planting machine thingy, I have no idea what you call this.

Me giving it a try. That thing is pretty heavy. You could get nice, toned arms if you did this often enough.

Tor and I wading through the mud/sludge. It felt really weird, like we were going to sink into the mud and just not come out afterwards.

Nava, Chong and Mujahid getting their gear on.

Angela, Ochiru and Tor.

Can you see who's inside this sports car?

It's Snoopy! Too cute!

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Roses

2011-06-27T08:00:00.001+09:00

Forgot to post these up when I got them. Roses from him. They made my dreary room look pretty awesome for about a week.

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Tasty

2011-06-26T08:00:00.001+09:00

This bread is so tasty. It's a steam honey flavoured acake-like bread. They've added something new recently to it.

See the polar bear sticker?

It says there that when you cool it a fridge, the colour of the polar bear will change to show you when it'll be cool enough for consumption.

This might have something to do with the fact that summer's here. A cool bread and some cold milk would be delicious.

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Pottermore

2011-06-25T17:21:00.001+09:00

For every boy, girl, man, woman, cat and E.T that has ever read a Harry Potter book or watched their movies. This is awesome! Her voice is so mesmerizing. I cannot wait for October to come around.

Go now to Pottermore and submit your email to be apart of this awesomeness.

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Finally Over

2011-06-25T09:51:00.000+09:00

My mid-sem exams just finished this Wednesday. I'm not sure if I can say I did awesome so I'll settle with saying I did o-kay..ish. Right after our last papers ended, we all went to the mall near the train station to grab some ice-cream and celebrate Angela's tutor's birthday. I wasn't really supposed to shop but it kinda sorta happened. I guess I haven't been shopping in a while, so you really can't blame me, right?

There are 7(8?) new flavours for summer. I want to try them all.

There's a new store on the upper level. Guess what these are?
Cosplay outfits 'to make your lover's heart race' as the sign says.

How about a sexy nurse?

Or a bad cop?

A maid at your beck and call?

Or the typical sexy/shy school girl?

We also found these. Fireworks are not banned here like in Malaysia. One of the main activities of summer, really.

So many choices.

There are also a bunch of other cool/wacky stuff in the store but I couldn't be bothered to snap them all.

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An Afternoon at Le Blanc

2011-05-29T14:17:00.001+09:00

After I got home from that sushi lunch, I had to get ready for afternoon tea with my host family, the Nemotos.
I'd bought them some souvenirs while I was in Malaysia and wanted to give it to them. They took me to this cute little French cafe in Mito called Le Blanc.

I could smell heaven as soon as I got out of the car.

We talked about the 3/11 earthquake and just did some catching up.

How cool is the tea set? That's the timer for your tea.

I ordered 80% Organic Cocoa. It came with a dollop of fresh cream. This is the best cocoa drink I've ever had.

Mango Mousse Cake

Fruit Cake

Milafile

They bought 2 cakes for me take home, this is the Passionfruit Mousse

Pinafore or something, basically almond based cake.

The cool packaging for my cakes

We also stopped by at a traditional Japanese sweet shop

The cute candy

Sugar Castella, had this for breakfast. D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!

I always get something awesomely appetising every time we meet. I can't wait for next time.

Ber-Sushi

2011-05-28T13:49:00.001+09:00

The Genki Ondo Sushi place near our college recently got an upgrade and they renovated everything. It's now called Oubei Sushi. The place is so cool now. There's a touch-screen now instead of the old 'press this button and someone will come take your order' thing.

There's also a cool 3 lane sushi row now. The bottom level is for the sushi that you just take whichever you want, the 2nd and 3rd level is for the special orders that you've made through the touch screen. There's also a game on the screen and if you win, you either get a free toy or miso soup. Fun fun fun, right?

There's also ice-cream and a new selection of desserts as well.

The stuffs you'll need to enjoy your sushi

3 lanes of fun fun fun! That's the menu there.

Unagi; delicious!

All time favourite - Salmon Mayo Aburi

Err..forgot the name. So tasty too!

You can't go wrong with some raw salmon

My nearly finished Matcha Mousse Cake. Heavenly.

The game.

We decided to get a toy. Use this coin to have a go at the toy machine thingy.

We spent nearly 2 hours there just stuffing ourselves with food and talking about really lame people that don't stop trying to shove their political bullshit down your throats on Facebook.

Poetry; Grab It By The Testicle

2011-05-18T00:13:00.000+09:00

Good Morning John, and all of the rest of you
I come to you now from this familiar vestibule
with advice for the graduates of college and high school
A familiar format, the well meaning nice tool
who'll grant you this, a afternoon's savor
for cash or a favor, food with no flavor
inspring advice for the next few days
You'll do well, have some of this koolaid.

It's time, you must bite of the cherry of life
It'll taste like fear and hope and diet coke and rainbows
But don't be surprised when the pain grows
this is kinda gonna suck, you can't abstain though

There is no "do not"
There's no effin try
There's no "I don't wanna"
It's life...If you don't like it then die

Wait no, I'm not condoning suicide
Just trying to be motivational
overly sensational
You get it, I'm sure
So I abjure

Oh, you don't know what Abjure means?
Ehhhh..maybe you're not as prepared as you seem
It's like rejecting an error but with a bit extra care
I'm pretty sure they should have taught you that
I'm making a point, you don't know jack
The best of you can hope to have been taught to learn
To yearn for more that you'll still have to earn

You're not ending learning, you're ending this one structure
And OK, I'm starting to sound like a schmuck, sure
But you're gonna keep learning, one way or the other
Whether it's how to make change or be someone's mother
Or make music or toffee or coffee or spread sheets
Or hotels or laws or web sites or bed sheets.

And don't think "but I majored in lit I won't do that $#*%"
I majored in chemistry, what did I do with it?
I make videos for nerds, an entrepreneur
I taught myself 90% of what I've learned

And that's normal, average, boring, but true
And for most hearing this it's be true of you too
It should be, if it's not, that life's hardly real
And that's scary, sure, be wary but deal
Insecurity is something you will always feel

The deep dark yawning pit of the next step of your life
Might look like a fall but it could be a flight
And who knows, that pit might be filled with ice cream
maybe you're lactose intollerant, but you get what I mean

Or maybe pain and failure is all that's awaiting you
I'm just baiting you.
Whether your facing hell or a festival
My point here, right now, is grab it by the testicle.

Make it your bitch! This is all you've got!
Your one shot, it's short, it's actually probably not
But while you grab life by the balls be careful with people
Don't be a creep or you might find a deep hole
Success might be however you define it
But if you define it wrong, you're never gonna find it.

Or even if you do, it'll suck to know
that you got there at the expense of those
who you love, or would have, if you'd ever even tried
Because it's not he-who-has-the most toys when he died
It's just life, and if you're not at least trying to be happy then why?

So ONE you don't know jack, TWO be nice to others.
Whether you become executives, or barristas or stay-at-home mothers
And lastly, have fun, OK that's all, I think I'm done

And, that was a pretty good denoumont
So uhhhh...I'll see you on wednesday John.

------

I can't resist a man so good with words.

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Golden Week #4 : Yamanashi

2011-05-16T20:00:00.000+09:00

While Angela went straight back to Ibaraki, I, who didn't have class on Friday, went to Yamanashi. I slept at Fifi's house and got to eat her delicious ayam sambal. Bahagia giler, I tell you.

On Friday night, Fifi and I went to Kak Jijah's place for dinner then to a 24/7 bowling arcade. I was already getting pretty sleepy since I've rarely slept past 12am during the vacation that I took a little nap in the karaoke room while everyone else was singing their hearts out. We started bowling around 1.30am and after that at around 4am we all went to the nearby Gusto for supper/really-early-breakfast. I was beyond knackered. Then went home and slept till noon.

After everyone had woken up, we all went to a Fruits Farm. Yamanashi is awesome because of the amazing view of Mount. Fuji and also because of all the fruits that they grow there. There was also a Tropical Green House and we found bunga kertas! Macam terkejut gak.

That evening we had dinner at a nice Indian restaurant. The guys wanted to go to the futsal match but because we spent too much time eating, they couldn't have made it in time. Too bad. That night, Fifi and I watched Tangled. I left for Ibaraki in the afternoon, the next day.

Fuji-chan comel di belakang

Rumah Fifi & Abg Sap

Takkan ku lupakan Malaysia

Felt awesome to be back in my tiny hostel room and to be reunited with my beloved futon. A mountain of laundry was awaiting my presence.

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Golden Week #3 : Osaka Part 2 & Nara

2011-05-16T12:42:00.000+09:00

The next day we went to Osaka Castle and walked around the grounds. We also went to the Umeda Sky Building and the Kaiyukai. The Kaiyukai is the largest aquarium in Asia, or was it the world? I forgot. It was awesome inside but so full of people that in some spots in became hard to see the wildlife and all I could see was the back of people's head. If you want to go, you should go early because the lines to get inside are just horrendous. Also, you have to wait twice. Once, to get the ticket which shows what time you can enter the aquarium and the second time to buy the tickets when you're time has come.

A museum in the Osaka-jo ground

Osaka Castle

Mascot Osaka-jo

The Kaiyukan

We also went for a ride on the Santa Maria, which takes you around the Osaka Bay Area.
Universal Studios Japan is just across the harbour

Night view of Osaka from the top of the Umeda Sky Building
￥700 per entry for adults、totally worth it

The day after that, we took a train to Nara which is about 30 minutes from Kyoto. Nara is really famous for all its old temples and also a huge Buddha statue. Let's not forget the numerous amounts of deer just walking around Nara Park. Sightseeing around Nara is easy because everything is within walking distance of the Nara station. To get to all the tourist spots would probably take you around 2 hours.

Famous pagoda that I have forgotten the name of

Angela with one of the many freely-roaming deers

A scary statue behind me

With Nara's mascot

Met with SiGee after we came back from Nara

After we came back from Nara, met up with Si Gee. We all went over to Shinsaibashi again to shop some more then had dinner at a yummy Thai restaurant along the river that runs through there.

On our last day, we checked out around 11 and went to have lunch at a Malaysian restaurant, Malay Boleh. The food there is delicious. I ordered pineapple fried rice, the others ordered tom yam, sate and a bunch of other dishes. It was all delicious and the prices aren't bad either.

...

Golden Week #2 : Osaka Part 1

2011-05-15T12:01:00.000+09:00

After we were done with Kyoto, we took a train to Osaka in the morning. We had lunch at the station and then headed off to our hotel, Hotel Raizan South, and then went to Shinsaibashi and Dohtonburi. Both of these places are famous for being the place to shop, eat and entertain. At Shinsaibashi, we saw so many cool and quirky store fronts unlike any I've seen in Tokyo. There were so many people too. It was just like a sea of heads, stylish heads, I might add.

Our lunch at the 駅, Omrice with Crab Croquet.

In front of the Glico building, no idea why this spot is so famous

Shinsaibashi, it's about 3km long, I think

My dinner, Unagi(eel) bento and Hot Soba

A famous crab place

Osaka is famous for its Takoyaki(squid fried batter) and Okonomiyaki(mixed pancake)

Takoyaki stall

Ramen restaurant, there was a really long line in front of it so I assume the food there is delicious

Cool store front #1

Cool store front #2

Rows and rows of bicycles, the main from of transportation in these areas

A truly traumatic thing happened to me while shopping at Shinsaibashi, which is I lost my wallet. I was about to pay for an awesome leather jacket and I reached into my handbag to get my wallet when my hand met with air. Goddamn nothing!

Obviously, I started freaking out. I told the sales clerk that I couldn't quite locate my wallet and that I'll be back later. I rushed to Angela and asked her if I might have dropped my wallet into one of the shopping bags she was holding. No such luck.

We then started retracing our steps and walked back into all the stores that I'd shopped at before. My tears started pouring out drop by drop. Here I am, a foreigner, on a distant land and I had absolutely no identification on me. I could be thrown in jail, for crying out loud!

I asked Angela to find the nearest Koban, which is a police booth, so that I could report my missing wallet and we walked in the direction that Google maps told us to. Just before we were about to make a turn towards the Koban, I noticed a shoe store that I'd entered and had bought a pair of gladiator flats and decided to ask the store clerk about my wallet.

"I've lost my wallet. Did you find one in the store about an hour ago?" I said(all this happened is Japanese).
"What does your wallet look like?"
"It's a pink Coach wallet, it's kind of rectangular-shaped."
"Then yes, we do have your wallet. Here you go."

I felt like kissing her and giving her the biggest bear hug on this side of the equator. I've found it! *happy dance

Because I was feeling kind of tired due to the crying and wallet-searching, we went to YogurtLand and had ourselves a nice big cup delicious dessert.

Having a bite at YogurtLand, notice the puffy eyes?

...

Vending Machines

2011-05-14T19:53:00.000+09:00

In every other city around the world, you might find a vending machine for sodas, mineral water, snacks and even fruit but in Japan, they take it up a notch.

A Haagen-Dazs vending machine. Due to the economy, Haagen is cheap in Japan, which is also what makes the Godiva drink bar at Harajuku seem affordable.

A vending machine for instant noodles. Notice that there is a place where you get the hot water for the noodles and the box at the bottom provides eating utensils.

...

Golden Week #1 : Kyoto

2011-05-11T22:17:00.000+09:00

In Japan, Golden Week often abbreviated to simply GW is basically of a week of holidays that came about because there are a few public holidays that happen really close together. Every year, it starts on the 29th of April and ends on the 5th of May.

Last year, I spent my GW in Tokyo with Afyqah, Amira and Fatin. This year I spent it with fellow college mate, Angela, and travelled to the Kansai area. The Kansai area lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū.

Our journey began on the morning of the 29th. We were supposed to ride the 7.30am bus to Katsuta station but I had left my phone in my room and by the time I had gotten it and got back to the bus stand, the bus had already left. So, we had to wait for the next bus which was 50 minutes later. I hate myself :(

From Katsuta station we took a local train to Tokyo station. From Tokyo station, we got on the bullet train(新幹線、shinkansen) and headed towards Kyoto. Just imagine travelling around 500km in 2 hours, insane right? This was the first I had ever ridden the bullet train and was pretty excited. Angela even downloaded an app that could calculate the speed of the vehicle you were riding. The highest it reached was 303km/h, I think.

When we got to Kyoto, we went straight to our lodgings; Yuhata Inn. It was really cosy, the futons were dangerously comfortable(it made getting up in the mornings really hard), free breakfast, unlimited coffee and tea and hot showers. There were also rental bikes available, which was important since we were going to explore Kyoto by bike.

To sum it up, we went to the Nijo Castle (二条城, nijyoujo), the Temple of the Golden Pavillion (金閣寺, kinkakuji), The Philosopher's Walk (哲学の道, Tetsugaku no Michi), Sanjyou-Douri & Goujyou-Douri, cycled around the Kyoto University campus a bit, the Kyoto International Manga Museum, the famed geisha district of Gion and also a bunch of other places in between. I really can't remember them all. Should have jotted it all down in my phone. Damn.

While there, we ate so much green tea (抹茶, matcha) ice-cream. They were so delicious. Totally tasted like the real deal, none of that too-creamy feeling which totally makes it so not matcha.

We also bought and ate some Yatsuhashi (八ツ橋) that came in all kinds of flavours. Yummy, like for real, yo'. I also tried a Kyoto-fu udon dish that came with some sort of special tofu that is really famous in Kyoto.

Bullet train, hidung cam dugong?

I like red brick buildings.

In front one of the many grand gates in Nijo Castle.

Kinkakuji, bebz. Giler famous nih. Penat aku kayuh basikal nak sampai ke sini.

Kyoto-fu Udon

Senbei, snek jepun yang aku sangat suka. Ni kedai old-style ni, susah nk cari nih.

Kyoto station

Japanese shops, the old-school way.

That is one big ass gate you got there

Angela with her matcha.

One of the few geishas we saw at Gion.

Next up, Osaka.

....

Spring Shoes

2011-05-11T20:59:00.000+09:00

Since around mid-April the delightful season that is Spring has started. It started to get warmer bit by bit and I was all ready to start wearing dresses again. Then, early this week it started to pour. And pour. And pour. The annoying thing is that it's not even a heavy downpour or anything, it's just a constant drizzle of rain. Where's my sunshine? My chirping birds by the window sill? My sweet spring breeze?

Good God, mana weii~?!

However, me being my usual hard-headed self, I decided to start wearing my spring gear anyways. But with all the rain, any open toed pumps or sandals would leave my feet soaked so...tadaa!

Spring worthy wedge pumps. It was the soft pink colour that caught my eye. I hate an usually large amount of different pink hues so to find one that I did not want to barf on was great.

Yes, there is a sewing kit behind it because it wouldn't have been able to stand without it.

I also like the 'clack clack' sound they make as I walk down the hallway to class. Makes me feel regal, I kid you not.

...

Singapore

2011-04-27T21:53:00.000+09:00

While I was in Malaysia, I got a chance to go to Singapore. At first, a bunch of us were planning on going but in the end, it ended up being just me and En. Paco.

We spent 3 days and 2 nights there. The first day was spent at Universal Studios Singapore and a walk around the Vivo City area. On the second day, we went to the National Museum of Singapore (I am a geek, so yes, these places DO interest me), Orchard Road, Clarke Quay, Marina Bay Art Center, the Singapore Flyer, the Red Dot Museum (also a geeky place, filled with futuristic inventions that make me drool) and Merlion Park. The third day, we didn't anything much, just walked around the Arab area and Indian area to have some lunch. I had an amazing nasi briyani at one of the restaurants there. After that, we took a bus back to JB.

The brand new TBS(Terminal Bandar Selatan ?),
kind of looks like an airport and no annoying people pushing you to buy their tickets

One of the shows at USS,
USS is definitely more about the shows than the rides.

Live performances on the street.
They were singing hit songs from the 60's or 70's, I think.

Who does not love Marilyn Monroe?

Charlie Chaplin; dashing as ever.

Betty Boop; so envious of her upper 'assets' :P

Because we went on a weekday, there weren't that many people around.
Less queues and more fun.

Err...aliens?
That, or Lady Gaga's kids.

In the Ancient Egypt part.

The Red Dot Design Museum
A totally awesome place, definitely a recommendation from one geek to another.

Marina Bay area at night.
The lotus-looking thing changes colour, or at least the light do.

Oh, we stayed at a brand new hostel called The Green Kiwi Backpackers. The place was great. They had comfy beds, hot showers and free breakfast, what more could you ask for, right?

....

Sakura

2011-04-16T22:08:00.000+09:00

Went to see the tulips at Hitachi Seaside Park because we missed them last year.

A sakura in full bloom on my way to class.
They're prettier up close :)

...

Want Fries with That?

2011-03-08T23:01:00.001+09:00

Love me; for it is what I want.

Challenge me; for it is what I need.

...
I've been eating waaay too much while in Malaysia. Damnit..*gorges some more

Expectations & Revelations

2011-02-24T23:44:00.000+09:00

So, today I went out and had nasi kandar at Pelita with Amirul Asyraf and Martha. The nasi kandar was delicious, though they do make yearn for the ones I had in Penang. Walked around KLCC for a while but then Acap had to rush back so it was just Martha and I.

KLCC has changed quite a bit. I noticed there were a few new stores and a few shops had changed locations i.e The Body Shop.

Ooh! The KTM train at the Kajang station came on time! I was shocked yo'. Then when I wanted to go back home, the train back to Kajang was also on time. Plus, it wasn't even that packed even though it was around 5.30ish, I mean total rush hour timing, right?

The new LRTs are also wider and cooler. I like :)

I'm starting to notice new construction sites and redeveloped buildings throughout KL. So happy to see this beloved country of mine progressing forward.

Next week, I'll probably be spending sometime with the guys at Sunway. Can't wait :D

...

Home

2011-02-23T13:26:00.000+09:00

Yay! I'm home :)

I got back on the 21st on a MAS flight with Angela. We reached KLIA around 8pm-ish. I love the queen size bed in my room. I can guling-guling to my heart's contect without having to worry about falling off the sides. My room at the hostel seems so much smaller now that I'm back in my own room which is probably like 3 times the size of my room back in Ibaraki.

Tomorrow I'm going out with a few of my friends to a nasi kandar joint near KLCC. Can't wait. Heavenly food, wait for me.

....

Kiss Me Already

2011-02-20T22:32:00.000+09:00

I just bought what must have been heaven-sent lip goodies. It's the ettusais lip essence (deep moist). I wiped a thin layer onto my lips last night before going to bed and woke up to puckers with no visible dry skin, wrinkles and dry flake in sight. I feel like my vaseline needs to get chuck out the window or something.

Love at first kiss :)

Definitely recommended for those of you who have dry and chapped lips. Yes, guys, should buy this too if you suffer from dry lips. Chapped lips is not a good accessory, no matter how hot you may look everywhere else.

...

Oh Oscar

2011-02-20T22:24:00.000+09:00

Oh Oscar, how you make me weep. Such beauty. This year's collection is breathtaking and I am definitely loving the pieces.

This is totally hyping me up for spring :)

...

Ibaraki's 1st Snow

2011-01-22T21:22:00.000+09:00

I was actually under the impression that I would have to wait for at least another 3 weeks before I got a chance to see the flaky white stuff but lo-and-behold, snow started falling on the night of 15th January 2011. Yay! *massive grin

At first it was more like sleet and wet and miserable-looking but then the 'proper' white stuff started falling. And falling and falling and you guessed it, falling. It probably snowed for about 8 hours straight. Though, the next morning I found out that it hadn't really built up much. At least not much when compared to the 8 inches or so of snow that the kids who lived in the southern regions got. Apparently, living pretty close to the seaside means that snow doesn't really come your way often enough or in 'enough' quantities.

Oh, just when I was starting to feel sucky about other people getting more snow I slipped on an ice-patch while cycling and fell on my ass. That did it. Snow, you can go.

Like fairy dust :)

Like Narnia...?

...

成人式

2011-01-10T16:40:00.000+09:00

Which basically translates into Adult Ceremony. Sounds a bit..lewd, if you ask me. This celebration, which takes place on the 9th of January every year, is done to celebrate the coming of age-ness(?) of everyone who turns 20. I'm not sure when this started but it's a huge deal in Japan. Every year parents spend at least 100,000￥(around RM3689.1347) for the rental kimonos, the make-up artists, hairstylists and photographer. If they bought the kimonos, then a whole set can cost up to 1,000,000￥(around RM36891.3475). Scary shit.

It turns out that I was the only international student to get invited to this year's celebration. Lucky me. Big whoop. I asked my host mum what she thought I should wear, and she said I should wear something from Malaysia. So I decided to wear a simple purple baju kurung that I had, thinking that the gold thai silk kurung would be too over-the-top. Stoopid me. When we got there, I was probably the most under-dressed person.

The ceremony started at 1.00pm. The Hitachinaka-shi representative gave a short speech about how we were all now adults and that we had to start giving back to the community and had to work hard to a better future. A student representative also gave a short speech about all the responsibilities that we all have to bear now. Then a slideshow of teachers from all the participants's junior high school was shown. Lastly, a lucky draw was held. The lucky ones got an iPod touch, PS3, a pair of tickets to Disney World, a pair of tickets to Fujikyuu. The not so lucky ones got a tumbler.

It all ended around 2.00pm. The most exciting part was probably when a gang of guys, who I'm pretty sure were drunk, started to pick a fight with a few of the officers near the stage area because the officers had given them a warning about being too loud. Lame lah weii..

Kpala singa..roaarrr!

...

Torn

2011-01-08T20:23:00.001+09:00

The 3 S : Seoul, Shop, Sightsee (Part I)

2010-12-25T17:50:00.000+09:00

I went to Seoul from 12th September till the 18th. It was all kind of random, actually. Fifi and I were just talking about all the places that we'd like to go to and she mentions that aside form Japan, she's never been to another country. So I said, why not go to Korea? I mean, the Yen is stronger than the Won, so we'd save tonnes of cash and at that time it wasn't peak season or anything. Fifi gets all excited and I'm starting to look at flight and accommodation options. Then we find out that Fifi has a seminar scheduled around that time, and her prof isn't sure about the exact dates of the seminar so how the heck can I plan for anything without dates?

So we wait. And wait. Some more waiting.

When it was almost like a week before our planned departure, Fifi gets her seminar's date and I can start planning again. Thank God. We booked everything in a rush and just kind of winged it with the attractions and places that we wanted to go to. The place we stayed at, I found while searching through some great travel blogs.
So, we bought out flight tickets 3 days before take-off and started to pack and continue planning.

On the 12 th, we got on an Aseana Airlines flight form Narita to Seoul. Yay!

When we got to Incheon Airport, we wanted to change our Yens for Wons straight away at the Currency Exchange counter that was available at the airport but then we noticed that all the people who moved in the direction of said counter also moved away from it after like 3 seconds. What was going on?

Ugly rates, that's what. So, my tip to anyone planning on going there, DON'T EXCHANGE at the airport, you'll get better deals at the banks in town.

We then arrive Incheon, get driven to our lodgings and sleep.

The adventures(ergo shopping) that we had will be in the next post.
I gotta get packing for my ski trip :D

Don't even ..urghh, I know I look...

...

Orange Leaves

2010-12-12T13:37:00.000+09:00

It's now autumn here in Japan. The temperature keeps dropping and all the windy wind is making my skin dry. I haven't really been up to anything much since my last post...what? 3 months ago?

Well, I did go to Seoul on the last week of my summer holidays. A post on that will be up later when I can actually remember properly all that happened while I was there.

Oh, my winter hols will start on X-mas till the second week of January. I'm going to snowboard (ergo fall flat on my face and ass while failing terribly at that 'sport') in Nagano for 3 days, then sightsee around there for 2 days. Then haul my ass to Tokyo for the New Year countdown and some serious shopping.

The Japanese very much love their 'New Year' sales. Prices are slashed to so-low-i'm-kinda-drooling kind cheap. And of course, everyone is anticipating the 福袋(fukubukuro), which basically a bag filled with items that the store people have jam-packed with merchandise and sell them off at bargain prices. Imagine going to Zara, buying a fukubukuro for ￥5000 (RM187) but inside getting items when added all together cost around ￥20000 (RM747). Awesome shite, right?

The only downside to this miracle of nature is that you might get items that you don't like, which is kind of inevitable really. Some stores do list out the items that are in these goody bags but not all do. Sizes, you don't really have to worry about because the bags are packed according to sizes.

Even if fukubukuro isn't really your thing, the massive sales are still so worth it. One of the great things that I like about Japan is their fashion and the fact that there so many boutique Japanese labels that seriously, you're not going to find out of their shores. And the Japanese really support and shop these domestic labels. Of course, they also buy Chanel and Longchamp and whatever else but all that is in addition to their purchases of home-grown brands. The slight snitch here is that most of the top boutique brands are quite expensive and more often that not more expensive than say, Zara or Marc Jacobs. Sooo...it's during these new year sales that people who do not have cash flowing out of their skin (like me), get to actually buy their clothes and merchandise. Which, goes without saying, is h-e-a-v-e-n.

Enough of things I love at this time, moving on to things I hate and despise, which are :
- packing for trips during winter, I mean, 3 sweaters in and already your bag's half full :(
- moving around during the cold->> runny nose, numb legs etc.
- constant hunger pangs
- short daylight
- dry skin
- having to always lug around bottles of lotion for the above-mentioned dry skin
- thristy (related to the dry skin bit?)
- the inability to get out bed because that's the only warm place within a 2 mile radius.

Sven's(guy with headband) birthday lunch-till-dinner food fest

...

Hokkaido The Awesome

2010-09-01T21:06:00.000+09:00

I love me some Hokkaido. Best weii.. I ate a ton of soft-cream and seafood while there. Can I say heaven?

I took a ferry from Oarai to Tomakomai with Muslim on the 13th of August. The journey took like 16 hours.

Hell.

When we arrived at Tomakomai the next day, we took a train to Sapporo to meet up with Ellie and begin our Hokkaido Escapades(?). We, as in Ellie, Shah, Acap, Muslim, Irra, Mimi, Taty and I, spent 3 days in Sapporo. We went to Sapporo's famous Odori Park, the clock tower, Ishiya Chocolate Factory and so many more places that I can barely remember it all. After the 4th day, we split up with the guys and made our way to Otaru.

I fell in love with Otaru. The small, picturesque town is romantic and decadent; filled with specialty ice-cream stalls and boutique chocolate stores. How can a girl resist all that? At night, we hung out by the famous Otaru canal and caught up with each other's lives. It was like a slumber party, only with a better view. Love love love.

After spending 3 days in Otaru, Mimi, Irra and Taty had to leave to return to their colleges - leaving Ellie and I behind. We took a train to Ellie's college in Tomakomai. Main reason why I love Tomakomai? The average temperature there during summer is 20'C! When you compare that to where I study-Ibaraki, which has an average temperature of 34'C during the summers, you can understand why I love Ellie's place better right?

Siap ada kabus tu wei, betapa sejuknya and bestnya Tomakomai tu :D

I spent 3 days in Tomakomai basically just sleeping around during the day and eating awesome food during the night. It was awesome.

On Saturday, Ellie and I took a train to Hakodate. Hakodate's night view from Mount Hakodate is rated as one of the top 3 in the world. I have to agree it was breath-taking-ly beautiful but there were waaay too many people and that just sort of killed the romantic mood. Still beautiful, none the less.

We also travelled around all the historic sites around Hakodate. This place is loaded with history and the buildings that still remain till this day were so well-crafted and beautiful. Since Hakodate used to be a major goverment spot way back when, there are also alot of Russian, Chinese and Western influences in its history. This only further adds to its charm.

After days of vandalizing my beloved feet, I finally took a flight back home to Ibaraki on the 23rd. I know I used the word 'beautiful' way too many times in tis post but it was, so yeah, what can I do?

...

Thank You

2010-08-20T12:28:00.000+09:00

Thank you for taking it off my hands, I wouldn't have been able to do it otherwise. This makes it even harder for me not to fall for you. But, somehow, I really don't see a problem with that.

Again, thanks.

...

Fun

2010-08-11T22:26:00.000+09:00

I got shoved like an effing teddy bear by screaming, crazy and most likely drunk/high fans and even got kicked in the face by one dude who crowd-surfed. It was so worth it.

I got to catch The Courteeners, The Maccabees, 30 Seconds to Mars, Nickelback and Jay-Z was the final act.

I'm pretty sure I lost more weight and even gained some muscle by going to Summer Sonic.
Like I said, so worth it.

Wonder who'll they'll have next year?

...
my lappy is fucking with me, hence no pics :(

Weekend

2010-08-03T22:20:00.000+09:00

I still have one more paper to go through before I leave the hell known as Final Exams.

Then, this weekend (7-8 Aug) I will be in Tokyo attending Summer Sonic 2010. If you have no idea what this is, you need a to find a bigger rock to live under. Like, seriously.

And while I'm already there, what's the harm in partaking in a little shopping spree down Harajuku?

-getting a bad feeling-

...

Spongebob

2010-07-25T13:12:00.001+09:00

(via ffffound )

Together

2010-07-23T22:21:00.000+09:00

The other day, a collegemate(is this one word or two?) of mine talked to me about her plans for marriage with her boyfriend of 3 years. So, it got me thinking of my love life...shite, I don't have one. Bummer.

Push that aside. Pfft.

I also started remembering conversations in high school with my friends about the future, but mainly about marriage, in this case. I remember that a friend of mine, at the age of 13, had already decided that she would get married at the the age 24 and by 26 have 2 kids, preferably twins.

And me? Nothing.

Truth be told, I don't think I've really ever thought of marriage. Like it was so certain, like it was something I just had to do or forever live a miserable life as the 'Cat Lady with the 47 cats'. I just think that there is so much more to life, so many other things that I have yet to learn, so many more sights to see, so many people that I have yet to meet and the list goes on and on.

Life is an opportunity and it's a one-shot deal. Like Eminem says " Life is no nintendo game." There are no freaking do-overs, no restart button.

The other thing that has me pretty deterred against marriage is the ever increasing divorce rates not just in Malaysia but, the world over. I don't know how it is with you, but to me, I'd like to do it just once.

Once.

Unless, of course, you're the type who actually has a fetish for weddings and would like to have as many as you can, in that case, go for it.

From what I've read, most divorces happen because the couple just feel that they longer connect, no longer think on the same wavelength or the ever famous, have 'irreconcilable differences'.

My theory on this is that they never really knew or understood their partners in the first place. They probably thought that they could get to know each other better after marriage. See, this is where shit happens. At least if you had really known them before you got married, you could have just broken up and that would be it but if you're already married, then heck. There's court, marriage counselling, legal papers, throw in a kid into the equation and feck..that's a lot of trouble to go through to get away from one person.

Yes, I know love is blind.
Love blinds you.
And sometimes you fall so hard, the pain is ecstacy.
Yadayada..then you find out he's the type that beats women(you, in particular). Or that he has a gambling/drinking/drug habit. Or that he's the type that likes to taste different flavours every month. This list is endless.

Pity.

I get it, guys. Women are also the problem sometimes. Example, you find out she has a shopping fetish and your cards have practically melted due to all the work she's giving them, she hooked up with the pool boy(who doesn't?) or that she doesn't know shit about cooking/cleaning/taking care of a child etc.

This is my point. Marriage isn't a game, hooohahooha. It's serious stuff. You give someone else everything of you and entrust so much to them to the point it's almost sadistic but you do it. And hope. And love.

I know I'm just rambling now but here's another thing I want to write, the image that people have towards marriage.

I'd like to call my image of it as realistic. I don't imagine a 9-5 blue collar husband, 2 kids, 2 cars and the white picket fence. I see it as a continous effort where two people give it all they've got to make something they believe to be worth it work out. And yes, there will be arguments, squabbles and maybe even a bi-annual epic plate throwing fight but if the both of us work on it, we'll pull through.

However, some people have this really picturesque image of their marriage. They're going to marry a beautiful, religious and docile woman who'll cook/clean/take care of the kids while they go out to work. They'll all live happily ever after. It seems so ....fake. Why don't you throw in a few unicorns and a couple of fairies while you're at it?

There's more to it than this surely. This is some sort of fantasy. If you want fantasy, I've dreamed about being swept off my Chanel bootied-feet by a gorgeous Greek billionaire while cruising near the Bahamas. We set off towards the sunset on his 200-footer yatch with a 4 piece violin group serenading our journey towards paradise.

I want more than a mere husband. I want a partner, a companion. Someone who gets my jokes while making my laugh my ass off at his own jokes, someone who I can really talk to about the good/bad/everything in between, someone who I know will be there no matter what, someone that values me as much as I do him etc. You see? I expect a lot but only because I'm prepared to give the same.

I don't want a husband just so that I can say I have one. That's stupid and a fast-track towards divorce. "Don't be a statistic" as the police would say, at least during the safety talks at school.

I only started to really give this thought after quite a few of my friends spoke about their near-future plans to wed. If you guys do, don't forget to send me an invitation :)

...

Lame

2010-07-20T19:38:00.000+09:00

I’ve been fed up for a while and even though my finals are next week, I don’t really feel like studying so I’m venting. Lately, I’ve noticed that people are becoming more and more pathetic and desperate. It’s getting to the point that I want to barf just to drown out the noise that is their voice.

Situation #1 : Posting on FB how much you weigh.
I can’t even begin to describe how lame this is. And posting it multiple times? Way more pathetic.Unless you’re a model/ fitness trainer/ national athlete you really don’t have a reason to tell everyone how much you weigh. Especially, by using lines like “I weigh xxkg, I’m sooo fat.” Or “I’m xxkg, but I sooo wanna be 10 pounds thinner”. You’re just doing this so that people will be like “No! You’re soo not fat. You’re so skinny!” You just want an ego-boost cause apparently your self-esteem went suicidal after having to put up with you and killed itself. For the love of God, Get over yourself! Everybody else has.

Situation #2 : I have a boyfriend, hear me roar.
Heck no, I’d rather not. So, one day, this girl who I used to know in high school adds me on FB then starts a chat with –

Her : Hi!
Me : Hi!
Her : I sooooo miss my boyfriend :( :( :(
Me : oh…

How do the heck do I respond to that? After not talking for like 5 years the first thing that comes out of her mouth after ‘Hi’ is that line? Did she think I’d be jealous? And like all “ OMG! You have a boyfriend? You are sooo lucky! Bulshitbullshitbullshit..”?

The first thing that did enter my mind was ` Wow, you’re totally a) desperate, b) pathetic, c) desperate (oh, I mentioned this already?).

Seriously, if having a boyfriend is the best thing in your lame, little life then I have nothing but pity for you. I seriously, couldn’t give a shit about your love life or your boyfriend (I saw him in your profile pic with you, he’s not hot..at all).

Situation #3 : You’re getting fatter/ chubbier these days.
I’ve been getting these a few times and I totally don’t get it because
a) I’ve actually dropped 4kilos
b) My exercise habits have gone from non-existent to everyday bike rides.

You know what the best part is?

The people writing those comments are either twice my size or borderline obese. You know, with the chipmunk cheeks, the beer bellies and the jiggly bits in all the wrong places.Can I say hypocrisy much? Maybe all the mirrors in their rooms shattered after having to face them every day or something. Who knows? Better yet, who cares?

A few have also come from skinny girls (they declared themselves by themselves to be skinny,fyi). To those girls, I only have this to say - The bits you're saying is chubby, are called boobs & butts, things you're boyfriends(and every other male on the planet) like and just because you have neither, don't take your anger out on poor, poor me.

Aah, I feel alot better now after this most productive rant. Thank you.

..

Blueberries

2010-07-11T22:03:00.000+09:00

I love me some bluberries

Today, went blueberry picking with my college seniors. I am expecting a week's worth of amazingly kissable skin from all the blueberry goodness. Don't dissapoint me Blueberry Gods.

Heck yeah, we know how to to strike a pose.

Plans

2010-07-10T20:11:00.000+09:00

             See, here's the thing with making plans for a vacay or anything else for that matter, you have to plan it. And if you're not, then at least help out a bit in any way you can. "Well, obviously!", you say, but apparently not obvious enough to quite a few of the world's inhabitants.

          I don't get it. Maybe they think that a cute little fairy will land on their noses and do all the planning for them. Or maybe they're all too busy jacking off to even realise that making plans saves a lot of time, energy and in the long run, even friendships. Cause what I'm experiencing right now is exactly that(the wanting to cut friendships thing, not the jacking off part).

          Truthfully, I'm not the type to break friendships because I believe that no matter how shit someone is, there must be something, no matter how small, about them that makes them worth having around. Right now, I'm having second thoughts about this. Maybe it is just better off if I just forget that these few people ever existed cause all they're giving me right now is premature wrinkles from all the stress and pent-up anger. My anger is pent-up because there's no way I can let it loose on them, since they're all around 300km away from me. FYI, I like to have a mad fit of rage face to face because then, satisfaction is guaranteed.

         I actually don't mind having to plan the trip but what I do mind is the fact that they're giving me attitude when all I'm asking from them is to check their inbox for the latest details and for the-plain-out-selfishness that they happily throw at me. For example, a conversation might go like this -

Me : "I can't book for everyone. Can you guys book your rooms yourselves?"
* I give a link to the hotel site and even write out all the info they're going to have to fill in. All they had to do was type it in and press 'send'.
Them : "Huh? Why us? "
Me : "It's your rooms." * Duh! Dumbass! If you don't mind sleeping under a bridge then that's A-OK with me.
Them : " Why don't you do it? You're doing everything, anyway." *The fuck? You said so that I'm already doing everything else then you want to go and pile more stuff on me while you do absolutely zilch?! Is it possible to be this retarded?
Me : -while keeping a calm voice- "Yes, I know I'm already doing everything, so can you guys just do this? This is all I'm gonna ask you to do."
Them : "We'll think about it." *And then proceeds to HANG UP ON ME!!

         As you can imagine, a string of curse words came out like a dam had been exploded. (I still curse every time I remember this). But, you see, moronic conversations such as these are not singular. This kind of shit has been happening frequently. I feel like scratching my eyeballs out after every one.

       My sanity is just a hair's breadth away form leaving me completely. And of course, let's not forget the cursing. Crap, and just when I'd thought that this year's resolution of keeping it to a minimum could at least be sort of accomplished.

       Anyways, after all the crap I've been getting form them I've just decided to plan/book/etc for the people that haven't been testing my patience. I just don't include them in the equation anymore.

        Finally, after about a month of hysterics, my plans for this summer's vacay is completed, kind of, anyway. Now, I can study without sporadically bursting into a cursing-screaming-monster. At least, I hope so. I have my end-of-sem exams in 3 weeks but just in case, I'll have a backup plan done after my exams are over because as the saying goes

                                         " No one dies a virgin, Life fucks us all. "

          So, be prepared for the unexpected. *Lame, but so true, right?

At Hokkaido

...

Shite

2010-05-30T12:16:00.000+09:00

I'll go to test myself. To see if all the emotions, worries and crap I've pondered over were worth it. I'll go to prove to myself that I can handle it. That it's not that big a deal. That I've gotten over this. That I've gotten over you.

I'll go, cause apparently, I seem to enjoy the pain. Poor masochistic me.

...

Dead Tulips

2010-05-22T20:44:00.000+09:00

Love my slouchy, rocker H&M top

We went to the park with dreams of capturing epic photos of blossoming tulips but...when we got there, we found out that the tulips were pretty much on their way to Death Valley. But we took photos anyway, as a reminder to come earlier next year.

ps/ I've been wearing that blazer to death, need a new jacket for spring asap.

...

Lost

2010-05-17T18:39:00.000+09:00

I want to get lost in the woods with him.

...

Tokyo, baby, Tokyo

2010-05-09T14:17:00.000+09:00

During Golden Week (1-5/5), Fatin (Miyagi kosen), Mira (Fukushima kosen), my senpai Fyqah and I went to Tokyo. Yes, it was awesome!

I`m in love with Tokyo, all over again. I mean I know that Tokyo is like one of the fashion capitals but, damn, what it showed me was so much more. Not to mention the fact designer bags were taunting me left, right and centre.

Basically, we went to Harajuku, Shinjuku, Shibuya, Akihabara, Shin-Okubo, Odaiba and the places in between these places. Did I mention how awesome it all was? (Yes,please slap me now, and make me return to reality!)

By the way, the `it` fashion in Japan right now for this year`s spring are denim and flowers. As in, denim jackets, short shorts, skirts and tops/skirts/jumpsuits/tees that have soft flower patterns. To finish off the look, a straw fedora is your best bet. It is all the rage, here. You can`t walk into a store and not see a collection of it.

I really wanna go back there, soon. *daydreams...

At a shoe store in Shibuya

Behind us is the Tokyo Tower

My first exam will be at the end of this month. Whateves..

...

My Size 7 Feet

2010-04-24T11:13:00.000+09:00

It`s been about 3 weeks since I`ve landed in Japan. Life is great, I guess. I (kind of) understand my classes, classmates are friendly(the good friendly, not the creepy stalker kind) and I bicycle to the local supermarket every 2/3 days.

In Malaysia :
1. Drive to everywhere. Even to the mamak at the corner of the street.

2. Hungry? McD, bebz!

3. Nice Gucci, where you buy? Pasar malam, of course, sayang.

4. Vincci/ Nose/ Aldo/ etc is having a SALE! I`m there!

5. It`s so cool today, 28`C, was it?

In Japan :
1. You wanna go to the movies? I`m in, just let me get my bike (as in bicycle!) first. We race, okay? *wink*

2. I`m starving! Wait, I still haven`t made lunch yet, CRAP!

3. Love your LV, where did you get it? Shinjuku, darling, only ￥120,000(around RM 4K).
(Pirated goods are a big NO-NO here)

4. Shoe sale? Ermm..you think they`ll have my size? (Most shops only sell up to size 6! Small feet much, people???)

4. Waah, it`s so warm! I can`t believe today`s 15`C. Awshumm!

Get my drift? Yeah, life is changing quite a bit. For the better I think anyway...

....

Hyaku Yen Shoppe

2010-04-03T20:47:00.000+09:00

...

I've been in Japan for exactly 4 days now and truthfully, the only thing that has me weirded out more that the fact the famous 'selipar Jepun' is not sold in Japan(at least not in the stores I've visited) is the fact that I feel...nothing.

Nothing.

Well, obviously not nothing nothing but, you know, I don't feel excited or exuberant or nervous or anything that registers on my emotional scale. I look around and see all these Japanese people around me and all the sign boards filled with kanji and it feels...normal.

That's not right, is it?

Is it?!

It's like my mind was totally prepared to take in all of this and just deal.
Just deal with all of this like it has with everything else in my life.

Oh, the first meal I made by myself for myself was Prawn and Cheese Salad with Strawberry and Yoghurt for dessert. Little effort, huge satisfaction. I'll leave the curry, asam pedas and whatever else for next week.

Not forgetting, after I landed at Narita Airport, I stayed a night in Tokyo, the the next morning, Angele, Jenan, Amira and I took a train together to reach our respective schools.

Me and Angela got off first, since ours was the nearest; Ibaraki.

When we got there, a techer was already waiting for us and then took us to our foster family's home; the Sagawas.

For 3 days, we were fed delicious Japanese dishes by Mrs. Sagawa. Though, it was kind of awkward at first, because we didn't really know what to chat about with them but it soon got better. (Thank God!)

They also took us to a nearby park, the Hitachi Seaside Park to see the flowers that were blooming and to play about in the mini theme park. Seriously, we felt kind of bad cause they were paying for everything (they took us to a buffet that night for dinner, I couldn't really move after that, so full!) and we did have enough cash to pay for everything and more. But they insisted, so...yeah..

So far, I've only contacted my family twice. I sent a text from a friend's phone on the day that we arrived though I'm not sure if it got to Malaysia or not. Then the day after that, I rang up my house but no one picked up so I called my dad and told him basically, that yes, your beloved daughter is still alive and now on my way to my college.

There are a few sakura trees in the college grounds but they haven't fully bloomed yet, so I have that to look forward to.

I pray that all my family members and all my friends, where ever they may be the best.

Signing out,
The Noob from Japan.

....

Of Packing Things That Really Should Have Been Packed Already

2010-03-21T14:42:00.001+09:00

I will fly to Japan on the 29th of March 2010!

I can't wait, obviously, but damn, I am freaking out. I keep going through scenes in my head where I'm dying of starvation/ hit by a densha(train)/ so lost in translation that I cry in the middle of class etc. You get the picture.

My friends are all like -

"You should be fine. It's not like it's your first time overseas, right? "

Hold up! That was with my parents! I didn't have to do anything besides make sure that I had my mum and dad within my peripheral vision at all times.

I didn't have to pay my own bills/ take out insurance by myself/ cook by myself or any other thing that basically had any connection with the word 'independent'.

And, now? Now, it's all on me. Me alone!

Help!

I also haven't started packing my things yet. I love, love to procrastinate. I guess I'll do it some time soon. Tomorrow, maybe?

I'm also freaking out that I might forget to bring something uber-important with me. Then, I'll only realize that I left in Malaysia while in Japan. Crap and double-crap.

ps/ KTJ kids, happy packing, 'kay!

My college's banner

My Fear of Clowns

2009-11-27T23:59:00.000+09:00

Yes, I am here to admit that I am deathly, sickly and overwhelmingly afraid-to-death of CLOWNS.

Why, you ask? God damnit, why the eff NOT?!

See evidence below :

I think it all started when I was around 8. I remember that the whole family went to a carnival somewhere(on the outskirts of Manchester, maybe). We bought tickets to go inside the big performance tent to see the spectacle. After like 10 minutes into the performances, a group of clowns came out and started doing their thing. Everyone was laughing their faces off but I wasn't. All I could think of at that moment was that each of the clowns looked scary as hell. The way they looked at the crowd was kinda creepy and, dare I say it, evil. I saw glints of mischief that just freaked me out. It was probably then, that at the age of 8, I knew. I knew that clowns are the spawn of satan.

Heck, I don't even like Ronald McDonald, for pete sake. Have you seen those shoes? Yeah, the ginormous ones? I think he uses it to stomp on little kids that don't buy a Happy Meal.

So, what are you afraid of?

*ponder*

..

I recommend listening to If You Steal My Sunshine by Len. Loved it during the 90s.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMl2QtZmLEQ

...

Diet Tip #1

2009-11-08T16:55:00.000+09:00

One of my recent discoveries:

Get yourself a mouth ulcer. It'll make the thought of food passing through your mouth sound so very unappealing.

...
ps/ Damn, ulcer! Me wanna eat!

I'm not Looking for Mr Right, I'm Looking for Mr Wonderful

2009-10-18T23:04:00.000+09:00

I know it's actually pretty useless for me to list my perfect man, but what the heck, a girl can dream, right?

I want a guy....

1. That has manners. I'm not saying I need him to be as perfectly groomed as Prince William, but he's got to know the difference between what's appropriate and what's not.

2. That doesn't smoke. This one's a toughie, I know, cause so many guys love to puff away nowadays. But, smoking makes you stink, and if you do it next to me, then it makes me stink. It's also a waste of money.

3. That knows the meaning of respect. As in respect for me, his elders, my elders, his friends etc. If you can't respect others, then how do you expect me and the rest of the world to respect you?

4. That remembers the little things. I know the big things score big, but it's the little things that make my heart beat that little bit faster for you. Like, remembering my fav type of coffee or the fact that I don't like yellow shirts etc. Of course, I'll memorize to death the little things about him too.

5. That has motivation/ a dream/ ambitions. I absolutely cannot accept the existence of lazy, good-for-nothing, lepak-all-day-and-night, let-other-poeple-do-it type of person. If you're not contributing to something then you're just a waste of space and heck, you're using up my oxygen.

And if we happen to share the same interests in music and movies then he can virtually think of me as his for life :D

Basically, I want....

"Nate, if you see this, give me a call."

Kosen-kosen

2009-10-04T03:40:00.000+09:00

During the first weeks of September, Tokyo and Hachinohe Kosen came to Kumpulan Teknikal Jepun, INTEC. They came as part of an interact type of meeting with the students of KTJ. It was fun and I found out a truth that I 'm not exactly ignorant to which is the fact that my Nihongo skills suck. BUT.. talking with the Japanese students really helped and I even picked up quite a few slangs and whatnots.

We also had a bowling match with them at Ole-Ole Mall. Needless to say, I sucked(noticing a pattern here?).

Then, the week after that, Nagaoka Kosen came. This time they were here to make some robots with us. With both parties being total newbs to this, it was an interesting day.

My team's robot had a malfunction or whatever but basically it just wouldn't program right. Totally pissed me off. But in the end, one of the group members got it to co-operate with us. Thank you, God.

On a totally different note, Gossip Girl season 3 has started and I'm starving for some Blair-Chuck action. I need my fix, it's been so long.

Though, this pic helps it a bit. :P

Shoot me, I think he's cute.

...

Reviewing a Review

2009-08-22T23:53:00.000+09:00

Oh the audacity of it all..

Due to unavoidable chats with a few friends, it has come to my attention that my Harry Potter review needs a little fine tuning.

I do agree with Acap that there are parts of the movie that may be slightly incomprehensible to audiences who have not been indulging in the book version of the movie. There are also a few scenes that, regrettably, did not make its way to the movie. Scenes which I thought to be pivotal to the construction of the story.

I stand by my thoughts on the quality of the movie but I guess my 5/5 rating of it may be a bit off.

So, I have decided to use the 'In-case-of-emergency' option, which is to use a rating system of over 10.

Here it is - 8/10 !

You may say that I could have just used a 4/5 but I think that that would have made the distance between a 5/5 and the 4/5 too close.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is an exceptional movie but due to understandable situations and causes failed to rise to greater heights.

.

Bleeding Ears

2009-07-31T02:39:00.000+09:00

To avoid the aforementioned sickness, you are advised to listen to the following remedies:

Exhibit A: The Wombats

Exhibit B: The Cribs

Exhibit C : Scouting For Girls

Exhibit D : The Pipettes

Exhibit E : The Maccabees

All of them are indie Brit bands. There's a good mix of humour, angst, perky and melancholy going on if you combine the five of them.

Personal recommendations:
1) The Maccabees - Toothpaste Kisses
2) The Cribs - Moving Pictures
3) The Pipettes - Pull Shapes
4) The Wombats - Derail and Crash
5) Scouting For Girls - She's So Lovely

Enjoy.

ps/ The Wombats get the biggest pic cause they're awesome. That simple :)
.

Review: Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince

2009-07-27T18:08:00.000+09:00

Aah, where do I begin? Too many thoughts running around..

Well, I would compare this HP movie with a scene from the movie The Pianist (directed by Roman Polanski, starring Adrien Brody). There's a scene where a soldier comes and finds Adrien in his home, asks him what's he doing there and what is he. Adrien replies "I am a pianist", so the soldier tells Adrien to play for him, which he does. Adrien places his fingers on the rows of ivory keys and performs a piece; Chopin Ballade 1. The notes ring throughout the house, the music crying out emotion and the house is stilled by its beauty. This is what I'm reminded of when I think of this latest Harry Potter movie.

It would be stupidity on my part to compare a movie about a boy wizard to a masterpiece by Chopin. Luckily, that is not my intention. It is the emotion, the atmosphere and the raw feel that I am trying to address.

Quite a few of my friends have said that the movie was boring. I beg to differ. In my opinion, I think that they merely failed to grasp the concept that the director, David Yates, wanted to portray.

This sixth installment in the Harry Potter franchise deals with even darker issues than the ones that have come before it. Harry's main task in this appears to be finding out what a 'Horcrux' is. It is an ancient magic, where you kill a person in order to split your soul. Once that soul has been split, it can then be stored. Simply put, this means that that wizard will never die because a part of him will always be alive; immortality at your fingertips. Harry's mentor and fatherly-figure, Albus Dumbledore, also dies in this movie. On top of that, Harry's nemesis, Draco Malfoy, is faced with hurdles pertaining to the imprisonment of his father and the Dark Lord's wish for him to be an assassin. Just from these few examples alone, the fact that this movie is darker and deals with more mature issues is clear.

This movie is not a creation meant for a simple-minded viewer's momentary enjoyment. It is meant to be understood and savored by a mind. When you look at the colours and background used, you can see that the whole movie is dyed in sombre shades. The music and even the focus boldly paints a picture of gloom. This is unlike a Tranformers or an Adam Sandler movie, where the colours are bright and childlike, the music upbeat and current and the lines and plots in-your-face and obvious.

To comprehend, the subtle hints of evil, satire and even happiness have to be picked up. Even David Yates remarked Academy Award nominated Bruno Delbonnel's work on the film as "The choice of angles, the extreme close-ups, the pacing of the scenes...It's very layered, incredibly rich.". Though, the happy and lovey-dovey moments were a lot easier to get, but the characters are children after all so their joy should be bubbly enough for everyone to join in on the fun.

This movie also seems more European with its intense dark emotions and intelligent play of cinematography, rather than the sexual-connotations-filled and HIDEF shoots more often linked to American movies. There are also quite a few scenes that make me think of the movie The Name of the Rose (original title, Der Name der Rose) which is a German-French-Italian 1986 film, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, based on the book of the same name by Umberto Eco. I had to study this movie as part of the class research into Middle Age civilization. The shots, the music used and even the way some dialogues were carried out rings such a clear bell, it's uncanny.

I especially loved parts of the movie where no music was heard and there was only the actors delivering their lines. The pronunciation of each syllable, the depth that those words carried were surreal.

The part where Dumbledore is cradled by Harry was a great example of what a defining moment should be. As all the students and professors raised their wands to the sky, their light which was ignited by despair at the loss of a friend and mentor, outshone the darkness. The stillness that came after the Dark mark was erased made me feel a slight hollowness, for now, the fact that a great battle would ensue had become a concrete reality to all of Hogwarts' inhabitants.

While the first, Harry Potter movie was pretty much all fun about the discovery of such a wonderful thing as magic, this one was all about the curse of that very same wonder.

I think that this installment has left a great stage on which future productions can stand upon and display their wares.

Rating: 5/5

.
ps/ Disagree? Leave a comment and I'll mull it over.

Sick

2009-07-13T12:09:00.000+09:00

As in ill, unwell, bug-bitten and whatever else you can think of to describe the condition when your body can't really move, mucus runs down your nose, coughing spasms your body and your head feels like it's going to crack open any minute soon.

Aah, but the bliss of missing school. Unspeakable...

2 days ago got back from motivation camp. Awesome because we got to do a ton of activities and NOT awesome because it gave me this effing fever.

I heard that quite a few are also feeling rather unwell. The total count right now is 6 students. These are just the ones that I know of, there may be more.

Odaijini, minna-san.

Gonna go back to bed now.

See ya.

Procrastination

2009-06-27T16:12:00.000+09:00

Oh, what a bliss it would be if everything I've ever planned and wanted to do oh-so-badly actually came true.

Sometimes I even have a list all written out of all the things that I want to that day. I write the words 'To do' at the top of the page and number out all the things or activities that I plan on doing. Even better still, some of them even have sub-notes explaining in detail what I must do in order for that item to be completed extra well. Alas, rarely do such great dreams materialize into reality.

Without further a do, I shall now write how my week-long vacay went :
All in all I would actually say that it went pretty well. While in Penang, I sunbathed a bit (God know's why I did this, I mean I'm already so tanned, I blame the Americans I saw lounging around the pool. They made it seem so glamorous!).
I also did some shopping. Bought a few souveniers for myself and for my class' lecturers. Had quite a few nice and totally relaxing walks on the beach. Kicked my brother's sandcastle around (no lah, I ain't that mean).

The last I time I remember coming to Penang was about over a year ago. One thing that hasn't changed, in spite of all the talk on economic downturn and financial destruction, is the amount of foreigners I see around Penang. I think there's actually even more so now. I noticed there were quite a few Americans(Southeners, judging by their accent), Japanese, British and a spattering of Eastern Europeans. I thought that a hitch in the global economy would mean a decrease in tourism but apparently this is just not true. This is great, I was kind of scared that a decrease in tourists would hurt Malaysia's economy heavily, especially when they contribute so much to it.

Moving on to Langkawi. This trip was a family gathering of sorts. Ther was my family and like another 7 other families who were all related to me. Again, did some shopping. Okay, maybe a lot of shopping, but it really only involves chocolate-related items. Also, went sight-seeing. Saw the usual Langkawi historic sites and stuff.

School related :

Like, two weeks ago, we did a 'Translation Class', where the seniors have to translate what the lecturers are saying for the juniors and then translate the juniors' answer for the lecturers. It went okay, I guess. My junior was 'disarming', I guess. Not really sure how to explain that. But that's how I felt about the whole situation. He's nice enough, though.

So the topic we had to discuss was about the effects the KTM's lateness had on all the people who use its services. It's a well-known fact that KTM is notoriously late for every stop, every time. I don't get why they even give out timetables if they're going to be 20 minutes late all the time. I think it's really cruel to give poeple false hope of boarding on a train at 8.00 but then arrive at 8.18. Doesn't anybody else think so, too?
Moreoever, this lateness really pisses off my Japanese lecturers because they really take care of being on time. I totally understand this sentiment. Hopefully, somebody, somewhere out there does something about this soon. It really makes Malaysia look like a disorganized and lazy country where everything from functions or parties to trains have a habit of being late.

I remember reading an article that said KTM was going to buy more trains but I don't think this will really solve the problems. What they need to do is better watch their time. Yes, adding more trains will enable more passengers to board but if you're still late, what you get out of this is just a higher amount of dissatisfied boarders who go to work/school late. Thank you..NOT!

A great HAPPY BIRTHDAY shout-out to : Nurhakim and Aisyah from KTJ.
Both celebrate their birthdays this month.

My plans all disappear as the waves crashes upon them

Ta...

Tsumari

2009-05-30T21:12:00.000+09:00

Hey,

Tsumari = Basically.

School was : annoying, exhausting, enjoyable, weird and sweat-inducing (both my classes and my apartment are on top floors). Everything that school should be.

Friends have been : crazy, hungry, heart-wrenching, loving, wonderful in every sense of the word and there. Everything that friends should be.

I have been : tired, crushing (me like!), sleep-deprived, broke (but not anymore. Yeah!), freaked and happy. Everything that I should be.

This semester has been : great! But not yet amazing... I'm still working on it.

Right now I'm on a week-long holiday after just finishing the first-half of my third semester.

I will be leaving for Penang tomorrow, back home on Thursday, heading to Langkawi on the same day.

One word and one sound : YEAH!

.

To...

2009-05-16T18:42:00.000+09:00

To speak is to err,

To live is to die,

To be is to not.

Then, why am I here?

Ponder.

.

Bloody Hell! (bak kata si Ronald)

2009-04-19T17:18:00.000+09:00

I'm freaking hum-dilly-dally excited!

.

Let's English(yes, I did turn a noun into a ???. Don't Do This!)

2009-04-17T22:18:00.000+09:00

Today let's learn about an often used and increasingly popular phrase that I like.

Today's topic : "When the shit hits the fan."

Sounds interesting, yeah?

Meaning: When a situation goes bad or wrong. Sometimes it can also be understood as when a situation goes out of control or even when a secret is found out.

Understand: The easiest way to understand this particular phrase is to think literally. Imagine what happens when a pile of feaces/ stool/ shit is hurled upwards towards the direction of a moving fan. What happens? What else? Said object will break up into smaller chunks and will then be thrown about in a circular motion and basically everyone and everything will be covered in said object. Sucks, right?

Example : "Listen to me, they're not your friends, Chuck. They only want your money. Yeah, they're here now but do you think they'll be here when the shit hits the fan?" said Nate.

Meaning: Nate is asking Chuck if his 'friends' will still be by his side when all his money is gone/ he goes bankrupt or even when he's in trouble.

Example 2: "It's great, you know, having three girlfriends. Though I am a tad worried about what's going to happen to me when the shit hits the fan," pondered Dan.

Meaning: Nate is wondering about what will happen to him if his girlfriends find out about each other. Smart thinking, man.

That's all for today.

Bye, peeps.

.

Give It To Me Baby; Scholarship Talk

2009-04-10T23:45:00.000+09:00

Really sorry but this post might be kind of random and unorganized but you'll be fine. Trust me :P

1. Don't be a chicken. Apply for those damned scholarships!
Most students think that if they don't have straight A1's they won't have a chance of getting a scholarship. This is B***S***.

Obviously there's basic requirements and from my experience, the very minimum is 5 A's. And those A's can be either A1 or A2.

2. Do research! You want other people to pay for your education, for your living arrangements and for your books and everything else but you can't spend 10 minutes in front of a computer to do some research?! Then you don't deserve to get it. Lazy a**.

3. Go wide! By this I mean your potential money-givers. Don't just look to JPA, MARA, PETRONAS, BANK NEGARA for their scholarships. There's hundreds and I really do mean hundreds of private and government companies and organizations who have money and all they want to do with that money is pay for the education of the future generation of leaders/ engineers/ doctors/ artists(painters, writers etc not singers!)/ whatever other job you can think of that will help the human race.

If you already have a future job in mind, then go to companies that have relations with that job and find out if the company has a grant/fund to finance students. Some may come with a binding contract. People complain about binding-scholarships but you should think of it as job-security. When you finish studying, there's already a job waiting for you. With the world economy looking not so good and with thousands of people losing jobs every day, a binding-scholarship is great!

If you already have a certain school/college/ university that you want then find out if the school/college/university has scholarships to give to prospective students. Most are partial-scholarships, this means they don't pay for everything but they might cut 10% - 90% of the amount of money that you would need to pay, saving you thousands! Full-scholarships are fewer in numbers but that's not to say that it doesn't exist. Again, I say, RESEARCH! ASK!

Side note: I am currently a scholarship-recieving student who is overseas bound. I didn't get straight A1's. Most of my batchmates are the same. They have B's on their result slips too. But here we all are, happy, healthy and having a great time, without straight A1's.

Being moderately active in school helps a lot. Join a club and organize something and make sure there's proof that you put work into those projects.

APPLY FOR ALL/ ANY/ EVERY scholarship!

If you get an interview, come prepared. You'll look stupid and disrespectful if you have no idea about the course you want to take/ the history of the company or organization and etc.

For example, during my JPA interview there was a Malay girl who was in the same interview group as me. She got 10 A1's. Her ko-ko records were great. But there was a huge problem; she didn't know anything about the course she applied for and when the interviewer asked her what country would she like to study in she said "emm..America..", the interviewer said "that's not in the list of countries we offer for your course,didn't you know?". Embarrassing!! And I think you can guess that she didn't get the scholarship. She had no idea what country she wanted to go to, what she would be studying if she took the course she applied for and her not knowing all of this just made her look lazy and self-centered. Don't be her! Find out as much as you can about everything.
She also couldn't speak English. Her English was horrendous! How could she get 10 A1's? The fact that she could score so amazingly if a test was written but couldn't speak a single line of English properly doesn't do her any good.

That's the other thing, English! Brush up on your speaking skills because most interviews are conducted in English. Nobody gives a damn about you if you get straight A1's but can't join in the discussion/ talk/ interview because your English is crap.

Your potential sponsors don't just want you to study books. They want to send you overseas so that you can experience a different culture/ way of life and etc. How are you going to do all that if you can't speak to anyone?
If they wanted you to just study, they would be better off sending you to local universities, it'd save them millions.

This is all that I can think of now.

Good Luck, ya'll.

.

"Just" Friends

2009-04-03T11:39:00.001+09:00

Hey.

So, quick question, is a friend some type of insect? Or a piece of gumball wrapping that you step on while walking? Or better yet, the pink small Baskin Robbins spoons you get when you try out a new flavour?

The answer's NO , right?

Then, why is it when someone asks you about your relationship with someone else of the opposite sex, whom you seem close to, you reply with "No, we're just friends."

I mean, seriously, everybody does it right?

I've always wondered about this. Do we subconsciously want to degrade our friends?

Do we have some sort of weird, unspeakable, sort-of-demented hate towards them?

So, we get back at them by degrading their value in front of (sometimes) complete strangers?

I guess, many would say it's because we haven't 'elevated' them to the status of boyfriend. Thus, they're not as important.

BUT..

Usually, when you want a shoulder, you go to your friend, right?
When you need someone to lend you 5 quid, you go to your friend, right?
When your boyfriend/ girlfriend/ lover hurts you physically/emotionally/ spiritually, you go to your friend, right?

(Unless you haven't got any friends, in which case, I feel bad for you.)

Then, why are they debased in such a fashion?

I made you think right? Right? Thought so.

I've decided from now on, I will try to avoid saying me and (insert guy friend's name) are just friends.

You should think about this too.

Unless of course you do have some sort of weird, unspeakable, sort-of-demented hate towards them. Cause, if it's that, degrade them all you want. Not that I'm encouraging you.

Ta for now.

(who the eff says "Ta!" anymore ?!?)

.

Heaven Sent

2009-04-02T22:09:00.000+09:00

While living in Australia in 2004, I used to watch Australian Idol and the clip below is by far the best performance I have ever seen.

Totally gave me goosebumps watching and listening to it. Still does.

His name is Anthony Callea and he eventually won runner up on Australian Idol and this song became his first single which became the highest selling single that any Australian artist had ever had.

Wishing him all the best.

.

The Difference

2009-03-29T22:14:00.000+09:00

Good morning, class.

Today we're going to learn a new phrase. Well, actually, two new phrases but they do sound alike so maybe some of you will group them as being one. Whatever.

New phrase of the day : Bail out

Explanation: To bail out on someone means to stand them up or leave them hanging. Hanging, not panting, mind you.

Example: The groom bailed out at the last minute and left Jenny standing alone at the latar.

= The above sentence means that the shitty groom thought "What the %#$@ am I doing? I don't wanna wake up to the same face everyday! Better make a run for it.". So, the shitty groom runs away from his own marriage. Basically, he stood her (the bride) up. He left her hanging all alone in her $5,000 Vera Wang and $2,500 Bvlgari jewels at St. Peter's Church.

Now, kids, we should not confuse the new phrase of the day with an almost similar phrase/verb; 'to bail out'.

Example: "Bail me out, mom. I got caught smoking pot at school."

= The above sentence means that the dumb@#$ kid is telling his mom to bail him out of prison/lock up for his crimes. Basically, 'bail (insert dumb@#$'s name) out' means to get said dumb@#$ out of trouble or a glitch. It's got nothing to do with standing someone up.

You see the difference?

Also, please notice the way the subject+verb+object relate to one another.

You see the difference?

Last sentence for today - "Before you even think of bailing out on me, please remember who bailed you out of juvi three months ago!".

That's all for today.
Have a nice day!

.

Planting Seeds

2009-03-27T18:35:00.000+09:00

Wicked, kick-ass awesome video.

Tell 'em how it is.

Racism is so 1800's. Get with the program, douches.

.

Nate

2009-03-27T13:59:00.000+09:00

.

Oh, Nate, you hot, look-into-my-eyes-and-fall-for-me, this-blond-hair-has-insurance and drool-worthy body Nate.

Oh, Nate.

ps/ Is it wrong having a boyfriend who's more beautiful than yourself?

.

The Firsts

2009-03-18T18:24:00.000+09:00

.

Since I have just finished my first year at PPPKTJ, I thought I'd list out a line of firsts as a way to mark the lasts.

First friend at PPKTJ - Quah Fu Wei
First roommate - Laily Ali
First Comrade - Izzaty Khalit
First Partner for a Comedic Duo - Fadhillah
First guy friend in Tanpopo - Hong
First friends in Himamwari - San and Danial Asraf
First item bought with scholarship money - Lunch at the canteen behind the old PPKTJ building (sad, I know.)
First nickname given to by seniors - Public (don't ask me why)
First vacay without parents - To Kedah with Ellie and Anne

There's a bunch of other firsts but I can't really force my brain to remember right now.

.

Get It Right, People

2009-03-17T23:04:00.000+09:00

What is the difference between :

"Are you bored?" and "Are you boring?"

Did you even realize that there was a difference? Did you know that by saying the wrong one, you are actually insulting the person you're saying it to?

"Are you bored?" means you're asking the person if he/she is feeling boredom.

"Are you boring?" means you're asking the person if he/she is a total bore/ loser.

Please, don't go around insulting people in a la-di-da-di-da fashion.

Just here to help.

.

I Couldn't Help It

2009-03-17T16:42:00.000+09:00

I like this song, shoot me already.

...

Chill

2009-03-17T16:37:00.000+09:00

I kinda realize that I'm scaring/ upsetting/ worrying/ freaking out a few of you right now. Mainly, because of my recent posts.

Chill.

Seriously, it's not as bad as I make it sound. I get really emotional, in-depth and OTT whenever I write. Blame all the stuff that I've read during my life.

Chill.

You guys kinda know me anyways, right? Then you should know that I'll get over this.

Chill.

But if it turns out that I don't, you guys can help me plan the annihilation of a 'friend'. It'll be fun, I promise.

Kidding...maybe.

Repercussions

2009-03-16T15:13:00.000+09:00

I guess all that soul-searching last night took its toll.

I can barely open my eyes & my throat feels like it's trying to give the Sahara a run for its money. Also kinda feels like something died in it. Euww.

Sorry, Acap, for bailing out on you.

xoxox

Flight

2009-03-16T06:45:00.000+09:00

.

Has anyone wondered what it would feel like to fall from a skyscraper or a bridge?

To just feel the wind graze your skin?

To feel for for 3 seconds complete, uninhibited and unrestrained fall?

To think that those 3 seconds of freedom makes the fall at the end worth it?

Well, I have. Lots of times, actually.

.

Epiphany

2009-03-16T03:19:00.000+09:00

I would rather know the whole, and disturbingly painful truth than some twisted and covered lie.

Always.

Who ever said 'Ignorance is bliss' was seriously deluded and a great coward.

.

Epiphany

2009-03-16T02:59:00.002+09:00

I don't want to be the shoulder you cry on, the one who catches you when you fall, the one who cushions the impact. And I most definitely do not want to be the replacement. I will not be looked at as his substitute.

.

Bloody Tagging

2009-03-16T01:21:00.000+09:00

I'm only doing this cause I love yah..

Senaraikan 5 hadiah yang anda impikan:
* Tiket untuk Oriental Express
* Necker Island
* Gucci platforms
* Doreamon
* Katil yang lebih besar

Alasan terhadap pilihan tersebut:
* Duhh
* Tempat persembunyian daripada 'nemesis'
* Boleh pijak kepala orang yang merimaskan
* Nak ukur kelebaran perut dia
* Nak mengurangkan risiko jatuh dari katil

5 Impresi terhadap orang yang diminati
* Taring
* Kenapa kasut dia cam tu?
* Tangan dia nampak lembut
* Aku nak pergi menbeli-belah bersama
* Tidak mudah senyum

5 Perkara hebat yang pernah dilakukan
* Tidak menangis depan penonton walaupun masa tu rasa macam nak termuntah dah
* Berjaya menjadi seorang insan yang 'neutral' selama 10 bulan
* Berjaya membuatkan orang percaya bahawa Liyana seorang yang periang
* Mengekalkan persahabatan selama 5 tahun
* Membantu orang yang telah menikam aku balik

5 Ciptaan yang paling disukai (tidak semestinya melibatkan teknologi)
* Buku
* Pen/ Pensel
* Barang kemas
* Komputer
* Seluar

5 perkara yang dibenci
* Kebodohan
* Sampah di tepi jalan
* Rokok
* Senyuman orang yang dibenci
* Ketidakdapatbezakan antara sahabat dan musuh

5 orang yang hendak ditag
* Jiran sebelah
* Pak Lah
* Encik Mraz
* Barack Obama
* Ryan Gosling

Leaving KL

2009-02-28T23:09:00.000+09:00

I only have another 2 weeks before I no longer study in KL. My prep center (PPKTJ) is being moved to INTEC,UiTM Shah Alam.

Who would have thought it'd be possible to miss something as disgusting as the pollotion and the traffic jams in KL. Certainly, not me.. but chances of that happening now is seemingly emminent. Again, damn.

Oh, watched Juno. Loved it. The way they speak in the movie is wicked weird. Why does everyone keep referring to everyone else with 'dude'? The soundtracks kinda weird too, but in a good way. Thank God.

Also watched, Slumdog Millionaire. Not yesterday, but like a month ago, I think. Loved it then, love it even more now.

Shoutout to any SMKSI peeps.

Nyte

Movie Reviews; Me haunting Cinemas

2009-01-12T20:15:00.000+09:00

Since lately all I do is haunt the cinemas I might as well review what I've watched.
ps/ these are my thought on the movies, you want a synopsis, Wikipidea can help you there.

Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging : It was as corny as I expected it to be but in a good way(?). The love interest is beyond hot, and he's in a band too *squeals*.He also says the cutest things. At parts I do feel pity for Georgia but most of the time I was just pissed off at her lousy 'best friend', Jas. I mean, come on, how can anyone bestow such a title as best friend on a bitch like her? I was pissed all right. And the fact that the movie got me all riled up (and pissed off, let's not forget that) was probably why I liked it so much. The storyline was alright and predictable, as I stated before. The music, now that was awesome! The songs were totally wicked. I am now on a hunt for the soundtrack to this movie. Yes, it was that good.
Rating : 3.5 / 5

Bedtime Stories : I just realized when a friend told me, that this is the first movie in a while where our beloved Mr. Adam Sandler does not swear. I guess Disney have him on a tight leash(thank God!). The storyline was different, I'll give you that but.. I don't know. This movie just wasn't working it for me. The really-honest-to-God-my-stomach-hurts funny scenes were far and few. Memorable moments that you can pick apart with friends after you've watched the movie; almost non-existant. The CG was kinda cool though but still.. I don't know. Maybe they should have let him throw in 1 or 2 crass words after all.
Rating : 2 / 5

Twilight : Dissapointed. One word conveys so many emotions, actually. I feel duped, conned, hoodwinked and God know's what else. After hounding all the trailers for Twilight I expectd a movie that was action-packed, thrilling and basically all-round satisfying but that was not to be! Yes, I do know that Twilight is essentially a love story but if you've seen the trailers then you would have just felt the stark difference in the movie. The movie lasted too long and the pace was crawling(!!!), those are other things. I nearly fell asleep, for cying out loud. Yes, Robert is drool-worthy but even his handsome features couldn't save this boat from sinking. I've read that there'll be a sequel and pray to God it too will not dissapoint me. Have mercy.
Rating : 2 / 5

Transporter 3 : I really did wonder how many sins I'd be committing by watching this. The answer, quite a few. Jason is hot, women all over the world know this but the directors still had to smother us with very visual, hi-def and O-inducing shots of Jason taking down the bad guys. Come to think of it, those scenes were probably the only parts where I paid actual attention to what was going on. Sad to say, but T3(and T2, for that matter) will never be good as Transpoter 1. Nothing like the original, comrades. His love interest was also kinda awkward and unprepared to take on the role. Cute freckles, though. Another cute thing? Jason's Audi. *drools* It was beyond awesome when the Audi outdid the Merc, total justice. Mercs are too hyped, IMO.
Rating : 3 / 5

I did catch a few other movies but I'm too sleepy.

Peace
xoxox

Back Again..

2009-01-12T20:07:00.001+09:00

I know I've been gone a while but i just couldn't be bothered lately. But now, I'm into it again.

SO...

Oh yeah, I went to a picinic thing at Taman Perdana that was organized by women who'd studied overseas and wanted to have fun(while imparting knowledge) with us.

It was fun. And I met this there's-some-screws-loose-up-there girl who's studying at IBT now. She'll also be flying to Japan next year. I went to this picnic with Izzaty and Dilla.

Actually after only arriving for like 20 mins we were already actually planning our escape plan because we were all so sleepy(not because of the activities but beacuse we'd all slept pretty late the night before.)

Shout out to Prasys for telling me to start blogging again. Love you(you know I do).

Peace.

Singapore, Liyana Was Here.

2008-10-10T00:50:00.000+09:00

Hey,

So for this holiday's vacay I decided to go to Singapore, land of the merlion and no chewing gums.

I departed from Kajang, Malaysia at 12pm by KTM(train, duhh!). I was actually suppose to depart at 10pm but then the ticket dude told me that the train was going to be 2 HOURS LATE!

So yeah, we got on the effing-late train and arrived in Singapore around 9.45am. Then we had to do the whole immigration thing. It was fast and easy. Loved it.

Then we continued the journey to the Tanjung Pagar station. After that, of course, we began walking around the city taking in all the sights.

The city reminded me a lot of Melbourne. The buildings, the streets and even the atmosphere was all kind of Melbourne-y.

I also went to Little India and had lunch (thosaii and mango lassi, so GOOD!).

Then I went to Chinatown and bought a few souveniers for myself :P

Oh yeah, to get around the city is really easy. All you have to do is buy a Singapore Tourist Pass ($18, $8 for the card and $10 refundable deposit), it'll come with a SMRT route map and a few offers and packages for travellers. When you've gotten your STP, just hop on a station and stop wherever you want and most places of interest in that area is in walking distance to you. Neat! (Why the eff am I using the word 'neat'?! Weird..)

Ooh, I also went to the Harbourfront and Merlion Park (the place where the huge merlion, head of a lion and body of a mermaid statue thing is..it was alot smaller than I expected it to be. Dissapointed a bit.)

So anyways, Ellie and I decided to just hang out at Merlion Park and soak in the sights while drinking our Coffee Bean ice-blendeds but then we realized that it was already 9.30pm and our train back to Malaysia leaves at 10pm!

So we had to rush like mad, like those contestants on the Amazing Race to get to the station in time but when we got there the ticket dude told us that the train had already left! And we were 5 minutes early! Way to go KTM, you pick the best times to actually be on time! F#$% *@f !

Of course, I had a major panic attack ! How the effing hell was I supposed to get back to my homeland now?!

We then decided to see if there would still be any busses left that were heading towards Malaysia at that time of night and, luckily, there was!

So yeah, we had to run like mad again to a bus stand and get a bus to go to the Johor Bahru Bus Depo. From there, we switched to another bus that would get us to Johor Bahru. Immigration procedures when you take the bus is so lame/tiring!

First when you get to the Singapore Immigration place you have to get off the bus and line up at the counters and you do not get off the bus at a proper stand or anything. You get off the bus in the middle of the road and run towards the building all the while praying that a motorcycle won't jump out of nowhere and crash into you!

Then inside they check your passports. You then get out of the building and search for the bus that you hopped out of. Get into it back again. The bus then takes you over the sea and you stop at the Malaysian Immigration (I think) place. Here, again, you get off the bus and get your passport checked. (The officer who checked my passport was so hot, he could have been a freakin model instead of working there. When he checked my passport he sort of looked at me weirdly and I was like "What?!" but then Ellie told me that his name was the same as my DAD'S! Weird but whateve, he's hot.The officer, not my dad.)

Ah, then as we were waiting for the bus that we came here on, to pass the checks I saw it pass by us heading towards the gates, AWAY from us at a considerable speed!

WHAT THE &^%$ ? YOU CANNOT LEAVE ME HERE!

So yeah, I had another panic attack. Is there another bus that I can take? What if there isn't? Am I stranded in this land of no chewing gums? What am I gonna do now?!

Turns out I can take a different bus, so long as the busses are from the same company.

THANK YOU GOD!

After we got on a different bus, it took us to Larkin. From Larkin we bought tickets to KL. The journey to KL took about 4 hours, pretty fast I must say.

I woke up at around 4.30am to the sounds of people getting off the bus. But this wasn't Puduraya(the place I wanted to arrive at). This was Bukit Jalil. As I was just about to doze off again the driver shouts out "This is the last stop. The bus WON'T be going to Puduraya until the 15th of October. Everyone get off."

WHAT?! YOU TELL ME THIS NOW?!

So, we had to get off the bus. I then called my dad to let him know i will not be arriving at Puduraya but that at that moment I had my ass parked on a chair in Bukit Jalil.

Thankfully, he said he'd pick us up from there. At that moment I could practically hear angels singing in the background.

When we got home, I showered then slept for the whole day. It was wonderful.

MOTIVATION CAMP..as if motivation's that easy to create..

2008-10-05T21:25:00.000+09:00

Us being weird while waiting for an activity to start..or was it waiting for food to be served? The whole camp thing was very much a blur.. :P

Ahmad-san being mummified.. it was totally adorable!

Nez standing on a crate of eggs.. the prof wanted us to do this to prove that if we really tried, we're capable of 'amazing' things. (amazing things that laws of physics have already proven to be true and possible?! Whateve..)

No, this is a buch of prisoners lining up to be be given the death sentence. It's just a bunch of us being tortured! Though my bruises have healed, my grudge for you still runs deep :P

Some of the faces of fellow PPKTJ-ians.

(Ermm..Ellie, what were you doing with your mouth? Just curious..)

Himawari Rocks! (It's a fact don't you know?)

2008-09-29T02:33:00.000+09:00

Himawarians, will we still be together next semester?? :'(

Did Not Happen in Order,fyi..

2008-09-29T02:14:00.001+09:00

Yesterday(27/09/08), had dinner/berbuka puasa with a few friends. Haven't seen a few of them in such a long time :'( so was really looking forward to it. Basically, we had dinner at Pizza Hut, KLCC then parted and went our separate ways after that.

Sakinah, me, Juni Tiara

Martha & Sakinah

Atiah, De'A & Farhani

The guys chatting bout..(sorry, I wasn't paying attention)

Syafick, Acap, Immy & me

ps/ Acap, when will I get my Bday present? :P

pss/ Yeah, jewellery sounds really good right now..hmm..

Alice & Harry

2008-07-25T02:40:00.000+09:00

Shot this at Taman Botanika Penang(I think...).

As you can see, behind me is a row of kinda tall plants/ trees. And I have to tell you that walking in between the rows of trees makes you feel like
a) you're Alice in Wonderland and you're expecting to see a bunny holding a clock jump out at you any second, all the while muttering about how he's late to the tea party.
b) you're Harry Potter in the Goblet of Fire, the part where he had to perform task four which involved going through that wicked awesome maze. So, of course, you're expecting a Blast Ended Skwert or a sphinx to appear in front of you.
I was dissapoited on both counts :(
ps/ the old-age question - does my bum look big in these pants? :P

Goodbye UTM!

2008-07-25T01:59:00.000+09:00

Well, starting next week, all my classes will be held at Yayasan Selangor(wherever that is?). This is because UTM's basically knocking everything down and builing new things over the old one's graves. This shot was taken from the roof top bridge of one the buildings there and can you SEE why they would want to knock the whole place down? Look at the walls and the railings and whatever else and you can tell it's ancient and in dire need of repair.

Anyways, while we were there we did enjoy ourselves so we do have a lil' love for it :P

Oh yeah, this shot was taken at DAWN. Yes, I know some of you (meaning people from my high school) are impressed that Liyana actually wakes up waaay before the sun does. In your face! LOL...

So far, I've heard nothing but bad info about YS from our pengetua e.g not enough space to pray, to eat and even take a piss! But whateve, cause you know what? Do you hear that? That distant sound from the back of your head? Yes, that's Survivor by Destiny's Child playing just for me.

*Till next time..

xoxox

Mindless

2008-07-22T00:39:00.000+09:00

I'm bored, hence -

What is your favorite color? Black(technically, it's not even a real colour but who gives a $%&@).

What is your favorite food? Baklava. I blame the kebab joint in Melbourne.

What is your favorite pet? The cockroach in the toilet.

What is the wierdest place you have pee'd? What you deem wierd, I deem normal.

Who was your first love? The ice-cream man. He gave me what I really wanted.

Where were you born? Kuala Lumpur.

Where do you live now? Bukit yang Mewah.

Are you an aunt or uncle? Neither. But I now I'd make a great aunt.

What is your marital status? Single and loving it.

Have you played strip poker? Any takers?

Who is your favorite actor? Matt Damon...for now.

What famous person would you like to meet? The dude who invented the TV. I owe him so much.

Do you like flying? Yes. With and without wings.

Given the oportunity, would you like to travel to space? Heck yeah!

Do you think there is life on other planets? Of course, we can't be the smartest species in the whole galaxy. I mean, look at us!

If you had the chance to move anywhere, where would you choose? French Riviera.

What is your favorite clothing brand to wear? Right now, Padini.

Have you ever donated money to church or a charity? I would like to think so.

What is your favorite beverage? Water; God's gift to us.

Has anyone ever called you an alcoholic? Nope and hopefully, never.

Who does the yard work? I don't have a yard, I've got cement and tiles though.

Who wears the pants, your mom or your dad? They take turns.

What do you do for exercise? I read.

Who leaves the toilet seat up? My very own poltergeist.

Ever made out with just a friend? I have yet to sink so low.

How many people have you dated? I don't date and tell.

What is the sound you hear? The fan on my wall.

How many hours a day are you online? Roughly 6 hours. I try to place limits.

Favorite brand of cell phone? Motorola.

Were you a cute baby? I'd like to think so.

What are you doing tomorrow? Studying, hopefully.

What will you be doing in three hours? Making out with Lewis Hamilton aka sleeping.

Have you ever had an eating disorder? Don't think so.

Would you rather watch a movie or go out to eat? Definitely, the movie. While eating, of course.

My Date with the Doc!

2008-07-18T22:12:00.000+09:00

Hey,

So basically all JPA kids have to have a medical check up to make sure that we're not infected with anthrax or lyme disease or whatever. The school board gave everyone a semester to do the check up and I, like everyone else decided to do it at the very last minute. Typical.

Woke up at 7 something, showered, ate a plate of watermelons and left with my dad to go the Kajang Polyclinic. It's a pretty big clinic so we thought it'd be fine. How wrong we were. Not only did we wait 2 hours mindlessly then when it was finally my turn, the doc says to me -

"You should know that all these tests will take a month, right?"

"What?! A month? I ain't got that long."

"Well yeah. We can do everything today but you'll only get the results next month."

"Hmm.. thanks... but no thanks, Doc."

"Alrighty then."

OK, he didn't actually say alrighty but that's not the point. The point is, A MONTH! Like I told that Doc, I ain't got a month. So called a friend and he said that his is only taking him around a week. He did his at a private hospital. So that would be my Plan C.

My Plan B was to go to MINDEF and have it done there. A few years back when I had to go to Australia, the whole family did the medical check up here and everything took less than a day and we got the results a few days afterwards.

So, yeah, we went there. Dad bumped(not literally) into an old friend and they started talking and whatnot. When their conversation was over and they'd said their goodbyes I asked him who that was and he says -

"Oh, that was a clerk from my old office."

"Hountodeska(Seriously)?!"

"Yeah, why?"

"She was holding an LV bag."

"So?"

Apparently, my dear dad does not realize the significance of what I'm trying to say. Exactly how much are clerks making nowadays to be able to afford such a sweet bag??! Any job openings I should know about??

Back to my ordeal, so basically after signing up and being told that there were like 3 different places that we had to go to, we went and yada yada.

Important event : I have to let it be known that I have never had my blood taken so you really can't blame me for acting the way I did.

The doc straps this velcro strip around my upper arms, swabs my vein, prods it to make it look more obvious, he gets his syring ready, taps my arms again and....

"Wait! I can't do this!"

"You kidding me?"

"No! Just hold on a minute. Let me get my grip or whatever."

"The faster we do this the quicker you can get out of here."

"Fine. I want a hand." (I say this to the other doc that was also in the same room.)

"Why?"

"I want to squeeze the life out of it."

"Fine. Have mine." (The 2nd doc gave me his hand. How nice! :p)

"OK. Now, do it."

And the 1st doc takes my blood. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt that much.

With that over, we next had to go the Institut Penyakit Respiratori I think it was called. Here, a nurse jabbed my other arm(my left) with some sort of virus to make I don'y have TB or something. I have to come back next Monday so that they can measure the size of the swelling(?!).

My dad then drove us home and I procedeed to sleep like Rip Van Winkle.

When I get the results I'll tell you how I fared.

xoxox

Shine

2008-07-18T02:43:00.000+09:00

My favourite poem to date -

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.

Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us.

Your playing small does not serve the world.

There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you.

We are all meant to shine as children do.

It's not just in some of us; it is in everyone.

And as we let our own lights shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.

As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.

**********

I first heard this when I watched Coach Carter and often when the movie is playing on my tv I'll watch through the whole thing just so that I can listen to this poem being spoken out loud by one of the basketball players. It really is that worth it to hear and see. Well, in my opinoin at least.

My Trip to Kedah & Penang!

2008-07-16T22:22:00.000+09:00

The scene that embraced me on the way back from Pulau Pinang.

With Ellie on a beach somewhere in Pinang.

Note to self: you stink at bowling!

At Kubu Kota Kedah, Enn's cousin, Abg Yun took us sightseeing

Damn, my legs look short in this shot!

Saying Goodbye!

2008-07-05T14:34:00.000+09:00

Cheryl, Martha and moi!

No! It's not the forever kind but you will be sorely and dearly missed

CHERYL KHOR SENG HONG!

Make us proud at UTP!

Bored!

2008-07-05T14:28:00.000+09:00

Soon Kie & Si Gee doing their morning stretches and Danial lazing around. :)

Fierdous and the S2 (si gee & soon kie)

Yuen and Yang Herk.

I love it when you smile Herk-san! Kawaii !