Holidays are ending.... cant believe I didnt spend a single day studying, finals are a month away, still got these untouched:
3 Bio chapters
2.5 Physics chapters
2 or 3 Chem chapters
1 or 2 Sejarah chapters
2 Add Maths chapters
2 Modern Maths chapters
1 Sivik Folio
2 Moral Kerja Amal reports
And all of these have to be crammed in the next 1 month... Aihh......
And then there's the BSMM farewell party.. damn it, had to be postponed so much because of SOME people delaying the finalisation of the board, then the actual day we had settled to do it (15th August) turned out be a replacement school day, then the Ramadan month began so early this year taking up September, everything have to tangguh tangguh tangguh...... so that means exams, projects and this occasion will be mashed up all together.... Aihhh...........
Im losing motivation to go for badminton training every Sunday... none of my badminton gang goes anymore, and whatever regime I've been doing since I joined at age 7 Im still doing now 9, NINE years later. Moreover without my kakis to join me, it gets really boring and not worth spending RM5 on. Aihh.....
August 30, 2009
August 26, 2009
World's Best Jokes 2009 (Readers Digest Asia)
September issue of RDA just dropped off at my doorstep, and its main feature this month is 30 of The World's Funniest Jokes (Sorry, Malaysia not included). I've found some entries that are really damn hilarious, so here are my favourite picks. You can view the full list at www.rdasia.com and perhaps vote for your favourite joke (which may not be here, depending on individual sense of humour). But dont do it just yet, the website hasnt updated itself yet, you can check it starting September.
Argentina-
An elderly couple goes to Burger King, where they split a burger and fries. A trucker takes pity on them and offers to buy the wife a meal.
"Its alright. We share everything." the husband says.
A few minutes later, the trucker notices the wife hasnt taken a bite.
"I really wont mind buying your wife her own meal."
"She'll eat. We share everything." the husband assures him.
Unconvinced, the trucker asks the wife, "Why arent you eating?"
The wife snaps, "I'm waiting for the teeth!"
France-
President of France Sarkozy visits a steel factory. To the boss's surprise, the president greets an employee, Morton, with a warm hug. The same thing happens when Obama and Vladimir Putin (Prime Minister of Russia) visits the factory. Unimpressed, the boss says to Morton, "I bet you dont know the Pope."
Morton shrugs, " We play golf together."
The boss pays their way to the Vatican in time for the Benediction. Morton slips away, and sure enough, returns side by side with the Pope.
Two Chinese tourists tap the boss on the shoulder and ask, "Who's the guy in white standing with Morton?"
Hungary-
Doctor: Have you taken my advice to sleep with the window open?
Patient: Yes
Doctor: So has your asthma disappeared completely?
Patient: No, but my watch, TV, iPod, and laptop have.
India ( especially for those who dont understand Mandarin)-
A business executive visits his dear Chinese friend in the hospital.
"Li kai yang qi guan" says the sick man. The exec desperately wants to help, but he doesnt speak Mandarin.
"Li kai yang qi guan!" says the patient as he draws his last breath. Later that year, the exec is in Shanghai on a business trip when he finally learns that Li kai yang qi guan actually means "Get off my oxygen tube"
Korea-
A fortune teller advised me, "Do everything your boss says."
Sage advice, I thought, as I was working on an important project. As if I needed more proof of just how good the psychic was, that night I read the newspaper, and I noted in my horoscope:
Do everything your boss says.
Netherlands-
A starlet sits next to a lawyer on a long flight. She craves sleep, but he keeps waking her up.
"Lets play a trivia game," he suggests. "If I answer wrongly, I'll pay you $50. If you answer wrongly, you owe me $5." The starlet agrees, and the lawyer goes first.
"Whats the distance between earth and the moon?" The starlet hands him $5. Now's her turn.
"What goes up a mountain on 3 legs but comes down on four?"
He's dumbfounded. He scans the internet, his pocket encyclopedia and asks every scientist he can find. No luck. Hours later, he wakes her up, hands her the $50, and asks, "So whats the answer?"
Without a word, she gives him $5 and goes back to sleep.
Philippines-
Joe, Mike, Mary and Tom were discussing their dream jobs.
Joe: I want to be a lawyer, so that I can defend my countrymen.
Mike: I want to be a congressman, so I can draft laws to benefit my countrymen.
Mary: I want to be a doctor,, so I can cure all my countrymen.
Joe: What about you, Tom? What would you like to be?
Tom: I'd like to be a countryman.
Poland-
Nearing the end, Stainslaw is surrounded by loved ones. As the final moment approaches, he gathers all his strength and whispers:
I must tell you a secret. Before I got married, I had it all. fast cars, cute girls, and plenty of money. But a good friend warned me,'Get married and start a family, otherwise, no-one will be there to give you a glass of water to drink when you are on your deathbed.' So I took his advice, I traded the girls for a wife, beer for baby food and sold my Ferrari and invested in a college fund. And now here we are. And you know what?
"What?" everyone else asks.
"I'm not even thirsty!"
Romania-
Vlad gets pulled over after a high speed car chase. "Im going to help you out. Give me a good excuse and I wont write you a ticket." says the officer.
"Three weeks ago my wife left me for a cop," Vlad explains. "So when I saw your car coming I thought you were trying to return her back.
Russia-
Due to the recession, to save on energy costs, the light at the end of the tunnel will be turned off. - God
Taiwan-
Papa Turtle is telling his son a bed time story.
"Once upon a time there was a white bunny."
"Aw c'mon Dad, that's kid stuff. What about some science fiction?" the little turtle says.
"All right. Once upon a time, there was a bunny in outer space..."
"Dad! Make it more grown-up."
"OK, OK. Promise me you wont tell Mum."
"I swear."
"Once upon a time, there was a naked bunny...."
Argentina-
An elderly couple goes to Burger King, where they split a burger and fries. A trucker takes pity on them and offers to buy the wife a meal.
"Its alright. We share everything." the husband says.
A few minutes later, the trucker notices the wife hasnt taken a bite.
"I really wont mind buying your wife her own meal."
"She'll eat. We share everything." the husband assures him.
Unconvinced, the trucker asks the wife, "Why arent you eating?"
The wife snaps, "I'm waiting for the teeth!"
France-
President of France Sarkozy visits a steel factory. To the boss's surprise, the president greets an employee, Morton, with a warm hug. The same thing happens when Obama and Vladimir Putin (Prime Minister of Russia) visits the factory. Unimpressed, the boss says to Morton, "I bet you dont know the Pope."
Morton shrugs, " We play golf together."
The boss pays their way to the Vatican in time for the Benediction. Morton slips away, and sure enough, returns side by side with the Pope.
Two Chinese tourists tap the boss on the shoulder and ask, "Who's the guy in white standing with Morton?"
Hungary-
Doctor: Have you taken my advice to sleep with the window open?
Patient: Yes
Doctor: So has your asthma disappeared completely?
Patient: No, but my watch, TV, iPod, and laptop have.
India ( especially for those who dont understand Mandarin)-
A business executive visits his dear Chinese friend in the hospital.
"Li kai yang qi guan" says the sick man. The exec desperately wants to help, but he doesnt speak Mandarin.
"Li kai yang qi guan!" says the patient as he draws his last breath. Later that year, the exec is in Shanghai on a business trip when he finally learns that Li kai yang qi guan actually means "Get off my oxygen tube"
Korea-
A fortune teller advised me, "Do everything your boss says."
Sage advice, I thought, as I was working on an important project. As if I needed more proof of just how good the psychic was, that night I read the newspaper, and I noted in my horoscope:
Do everything your boss says.
Netherlands-
A starlet sits next to a lawyer on a long flight. She craves sleep, but he keeps waking her up.
"Lets play a trivia game," he suggests. "If I answer wrongly, I'll pay you $50. If you answer wrongly, you owe me $5." The starlet agrees, and the lawyer goes first.
"Whats the distance between earth and the moon?" The starlet hands him $5. Now's her turn.
"What goes up a mountain on 3 legs but comes down on four?"
He's dumbfounded. He scans the internet, his pocket encyclopedia and asks every scientist he can find. No luck. Hours later, he wakes her up, hands her the $50, and asks, "So whats the answer?"
Without a word, she gives him $5 and goes back to sleep.
Philippines-
Joe, Mike, Mary and Tom were discussing their dream jobs.
Joe: I want to be a lawyer, so that I can defend my countrymen.
Mike: I want to be a congressman, so I can draft laws to benefit my countrymen.
Mary: I want to be a doctor,, so I can cure all my countrymen.
Joe: What about you, Tom? What would you like to be?
Tom: I'd like to be a countryman.
Poland-
Nearing the end, Stainslaw is surrounded by loved ones. As the final moment approaches, he gathers all his strength and whispers:
I must tell you a secret. Before I got married, I had it all. fast cars, cute girls, and plenty of money. But a good friend warned me,'Get married and start a family, otherwise, no-one will be there to give you a glass of water to drink when you are on your deathbed.' So I took his advice, I traded the girls for a wife, beer for baby food and sold my Ferrari and invested in a college fund. And now here we are. And you know what?
"What?" everyone else asks.
"I'm not even thirsty!"
Romania-
Vlad gets pulled over after a high speed car chase. "Im going to help you out. Give me a good excuse and I wont write you a ticket." says the officer.
"Three weeks ago my wife left me for a cop," Vlad explains. "So when I saw your car coming I thought you were trying to return her back.
Russia-
Due to the recession, to save on energy costs, the light at the end of the tunnel will be turned off. - God
Taiwan-
Papa Turtle is telling his son a bed time story.
"Once upon a time there was a white bunny."
"Aw c'mon Dad, that's kid stuff. What about some science fiction?" the little turtle says.
"All right. Once upon a time, there was a bunny in outer space..."
"Dad! Make it more grown-up."
"OK, OK. Promise me you wont tell Mum."
"I swear."
"Once upon a time, there was a naked bunny...."
July 21, 2009
Oh PLEASE!!!
*ahem*
Our Malaysian education takes a giant leap backwards with PPSMI thrown out the window come 2012. A lot of us are complaining, I'm no different. Sure, My generation will be out of school and not having to worry, but what about our children? Our future? Reverting PPSMI back to Malay does nobody ANY good at all. Heck, let me ask you, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin:
WHY?!!!!??!!@!^*^*^*$@!(&*%^!#*(@#
1. English is an international language, and in the field of Maths and Science GLOBALLY, what language is used to communicate? ENGLISH! Is it BM? NO!
2. Who were the people who had that 2000+ people rally to abolish PPSMI? ADULTS! But who are the ones going to school to learn? CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS! Have we widespreadly complained about reverting the PPSMI??? NO!!!! So why change that, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin? Huh??? Instead of caring about the future of your country you decided to cave-in to the measly complaints of 2000 ( minute number compared to our hundreds and thousands of students) adults ( who are in fact the irrelevant people in this) who are just making noise without any reasonable, sensible, logical and rational cause. Isn't that right, Mister M.O.E?
3. Oh, the rural folk are struggling with PPSMI. Are they the majority group of student and teachers? NO! Just because they cannot cope with PPSMI doesnt mean you just throw away the whole system! Why cant you consider training to ramp up their English fluency??? Dont you realise that more people are coping well with PPSMI rather than those who dont??? Just to favour this petite group of people you make the whole student-teacher population suffer. Logic??? I think not.
4. Think about this flow of language usage for a Form 1 student this year:
Form 1- English....
Form 2- English....
Form 3- English....
Form 4- WHAM!! Malay! From primary school right until after PMR, Every single term phrase and definition has to be relearned in BM!! CAN YOU TELL ME HOW TROUBLESOME THAT IS FOR THEM???!!!!
Form 5- Malay
Further Studies- WHAM!!!! ENGLISH AGAIN!! EVERY SINGLE TERM, PHRASE AND DEFINITION HAS TO BE TRANSLATED BACK INTO ENGLISH AGAIN!!!!
THINK!!!! Do we use Malay to study science/maths courses in any collage?? NO!! ENGLISH!!!!!!! So why do you want to trouble us with so much translating and adjusting to?? It does not make any sense!! You say that the changes is a good move just because performance in exams are dropping? HELLO!! If they excel in Maths and Science in BM, how are they to cope on the world stage which speaks ENGLISH?!
Your change was just to make 1/10s of your people happy, but little do you know that you've made 9/10s of your country UNHAPPY. Then let me as you this final question:
After floods of anger-filled feedback against abolishing PPSMI throughout all forms of the media, the move still stands. SKIN COLOUR perhaps?
********************************************************************************
Another thing that really gets on my nerves... History and Moral.... Lets start with History:
The thing I HATE most about it is that it is absolutely REDUNDANT. Well, the history we learn in Malaysia at least. Come on, we want to be doctors and engineers and accountants, why on earth do we need history for???
"Well, some of us like it and we want to learn about it and be historians blablabla...."
Form a History Society in school then!!!! Or go study history yourself!!!! I can bet, only a very teeny tiny number of peope actually LIKE history and would consider it as a career option. Why in blazes must be a COMPULSORY SPM subject??!!!! Whats the point of learning history?? Everything that has happened, has already happened. We cant do anything about it, we cant change it, just ignore the damn things and move on with life already!
"We can learn from the mistakes made in the past and we can learn from historic role-models blablabla...."
Lets face it, how often do we (or do we even BOTHER to) really make use of it in everyday living? How often do we refer to historical events and people in daily living? Hmm?
Form 4 History sucks. Why is there so much Islam to learn??? What use can we make from 5-6 chapters with EVERYTHING about Islam??? What is the point of me learning about Nabi Muhammad s.a.w, Makkah, Madinah, Bani Umaiyah or whatever? For goodness sakes why, WHY should I learn Islamic history if I want to further studies in the automotive/motor sports industry??? Why should aspiring accountants learn about Islamic history??? Why should aspiring doctors, veterinarians, programmers, designers, pilots, etc. etc. ever need it??? Why cant it be just an optional subject for those who REALLY want it, instead of forcing us all to wear songkoks and be named Muhammad???
I also HATE having to memorise all the *&@%#@&*(#&!(#* damn things in it. Exams are about testing what you UNDERSTAND, NOT MEMORISING!! Why should I split my brain in half to remember all these freaking damn things that I cant be bothered to learn and will have absolutely no use in my life and ambitions???
"No, no, you cant do that. You have to imagine it as a story, then you can understand...."
The fact of the matter is these "stories" for which I have to read are utterly BORING, UNAPPEALING, UNINTERESTING, DULL, USELESS, IRRELEVANT, UNIMPORTANT, AND POINTLESS!!! If I'm already never inclined to read these stories what's the point? This whole subject is pointless. In fact, everything I do for this subject is pointless.
"Hey, get A for History mer, can improve chances to get scholarship you know...."
Look, just because you dont get a scholarship doesnt mean you automatically are not qualified to further your studies. Why all the fuss??? Furthering studies may be (much) harder, but by no means is it impossible. Besides, some companies/societies/organisations may give loans (Proton Edar for example) if you meet minimum grades for only relevant subjects, so should I worry about that A for History? NO!
"Aiya, if you really work hard at it then can get A lor, then your chances for better scholarship is higher lor...."
As I have mentioned, I HAVE NEVER had the slightest minuscule interest for history, I cant be bothered.
To top that off, have this for a thought:
Interviewer (Int): So, John, you're here to apply for position of accountant for CIMB Banking?
John: Yes sir.
Int: Right. Lets start shall we. What can you tell me about Tok Janggut?
John: Uh...... I dont know.... but is that even.....
Int: Im sorry, but if you dont know your history, you cant apply for the job of accountant. Goodbye.
Really? Will this ever happen?
*******************************************************************************
Moral. The whole point of this bloody subject is to memorise, memorise, memorise, memorise, memorise, memorise, memorise, memorise, memorise, memorise.
32 THIRTY TWO, moral values and definitions, 76, SEVENTY SIX key phrases. Total items to MEMORISE: 108.
And you know what's the suckiest thing about it? Every single word, spelling, sentence structure, prefix, suffix, MUST BE 100% same as in the scheme! A teeny tiny bit off target, thats it, your whole question (essay's the worst) and marks fly away. Example:
Nilai: Bertanggungjawab
Definisi: Kesanggupan diri seseorang untuk memikul dan melaksanakan tugas serta kewajipan dengan sempurna.
Lets just say I write the value "Tanggungjawab". WRONG! WHOLE FREAKING QUESTION WASTED!
or " ...melaksanakan dan memikul tugas...." WRONG!
or maybe even "Kesanggupan diri SEorang..." WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!!
That's not all, the entire scheme itself is a sad case. You cant just answer as how you understand the question or your facts. You have to "know what the scheme wants. You cannot answer anything else apart from the marking scheme." How the f*ck am I supposed to know what the f*ck the shit scheme wants?! Why is it that the scheme wont accept the most logical, sensible, and practical of answers? That is already something illogical, and irrational!
"Oh, I'm sorry, but your answer is not in the scheme. I have to mark you wrong." Is this what is meant by testing what you understand??! Over my dead body! *spit*
I mean come on, what kind of rationale is behind a subject to be taught in this manner? So what if I can memorise all 108 items? What does that prove? I may still be a rapist who can recite every single word and detail flawlessly. I bet even Mr Yassin HIMSELF cant remember all of them.
************************************End*******************************************
Our Malaysian education takes a giant leap backwards with PPSMI thrown out the window come 2012. A lot of us are complaining, I'm no different. Sure, My generation will be out of school and not having to worry, but what about our children? Our future? Reverting PPSMI back to Malay does nobody ANY good at all. Heck, let me ask you, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin:
WHY?!!!!??!!@!^*^*^*$@!(&*%^!#*(@#
1. English is an international language, and in the field of Maths and Science GLOBALLY, what language is used to communicate? ENGLISH! Is it BM? NO!
2. Who were the people who had that 2000+ people rally to abolish PPSMI? ADULTS! But who are the ones going to school to learn? CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS! Have we widespreadly complained about reverting the PPSMI??? NO!!!! So why change that, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin? Huh??? Instead of caring about the future of your country you decided to cave-in to the measly complaints of 2000 ( minute number compared to our hundreds and thousands of students) adults ( who are in fact the irrelevant people in this) who are just making noise without any reasonable, sensible, logical and rational cause. Isn't that right, Mister M.O.E?
3. Oh, the rural folk are struggling with PPSMI. Are they the majority group of student and teachers? NO! Just because they cannot cope with PPSMI doesnt mean you just throw away the whole system! Why cant you consider training to ramp up their English fluency??? Dont you realise that more people are coping well with PPSMI rather than those who dont??? Just to favour this petite group of people you make the whole student-teacher population suffer. Logic??? I think not.
4. Think about this flow of language usage for a Form 1 student this year:
Form 1- English....
Form 2- English....
Form 3- English....
Form 4- WHAM!! Malay! From primary school right until after PMR, Every single term phrase and definition has to be relearned in BM!! CAN YOU TELL ME HOW TROUBLESOME THAT IS FOR THEM???!!!!
Form 5- Malay
Further Studies- WHAM!!!! ENGLISH AGAIN!! EVERY SINGLE TERM, PHRASE AND DEFINITION HAS TO BE TRANSLATED BACK INTO ENGLISH AGAIN!!!!
THINK!!!! Do we use Malay to study science/maths courses in any collage?? NO!! ENGLISH!!!!!!! So why do you want to trouble us with so much translating and adjusting to?? It does not make any sense!! You say that the changes is a good move just because performance in exams are dropping? HELLO!! If they excel in Maths and Science in BM, how are they to cope on the world stage which speaks ENGLISH?!
Your change was just to make 1/10s of your people happy, but little do you know that you've made 9/10s of your country UNHAPPY. Then let me as you this final question:
After floods of anger-filled feedback against abolishing PPSMI throughout all forms of the media, the move still stands. SKIN COLOUR perhaps?
********************************************************************************
Another thing that really gets on my nerves... History and Moral.... Lets start with History:
The thing I HATE most about it is that it is absolutely REDUNDANT. Well, the history we learn in Malaysia at least. Come on, we want to be doctors and engineers and accountants, why on earth do we need history for???
"Well, some of us like it and we want to learn about it and be historians blablabla...."
Form a History Society in school then!!!! Or go study history yourself!!!! I can bet, only a very teeny tiny number of peope actually LIKE history and would consider it as a career option. Why in blazes must be a COMPULSORY SPM subject??!!!! Whats the point of learning history?? Everything that has happened, has already happened. We cant do anything about it, we cant change it, just ignore the damn things and move on with life already!
"We can learn from the mistakes made in the past and we can learn from historic role-models blablabla...."
Lets face it, how often do we (or do we even BOTHER to) really make use of it in everyday living? How often do we refer to historical events and people in daily living? Hmm?
Form 4 History sucks. Why is there so much Islam to learn??? What use can we make from 5-6 chapters with EVERYTHING about Islam??? What is the point of me learning about Nabi Muhammad s.a.w, Makkah, Madinah, Bani Umaiyah or whatever? For goodness sakes why, WHY should I learn Islamic history if I want to further studies in the automotive/motor sports industry??? Why should aspiring accountants learn about Islamic history??? Why should aspiring doctors, veterinarians, programmers, designers, pilots, etc. etc. ever need it??? Why cant it be just an optional subject for those who REALLY want it, instead of forcing us all to wear songkoks and be named Muhammad???
I also HATE having to memorise all the *&@%#@&*(#&!(#* damn things in it. Exams are about testing what you UNDERSTAND, NOT MEMORISING!! Why should I split my brain in half to remember all these freaking damn things that I cant be bothered to learn and will have absolutely no use in my life and ambitions???
"No, no, you cant do that. You have to imagine it as a story, then you can understand...."
The fact of the matter is these "stories" for which I have to read are utterly BORING, UNAPPEALING, UNINTERESTING, DULL, USELESS, IRRELEVANT, UNIMPORTANT, AND POINTLESS!!! If I'm already never inclined to read these stories what's the point? This whole subject is pointless. In fact, everything I do for this subject is pointless.
"Hey, get A for History mer, can improve chances to get scholarship you know...."
Look, just because you dont get a scholarship doesnt mean you automatically are not qualified to further your studies. Why all the fuss??? Furthering studies may be (much) harder, but by no means is it impossible. Besides, some companies/societies/organisations may give loans (Proton Edar for example) if you meet minimum grades for only relevant subjects, so should I worry about that A for History? NO!
"Aiya, if you really work hard at it then can get A lor, then your chances for better scholarship is higher lor...."
As I have mentioned, I HAVE NEVER had the slightest minuscule interest for history, I cant be bothered.
To top that off, have this for a thought:
Interviewer (Int): So, John, you're here to apply for position of accountant for CIMB Banking?
John: Yes sir.
Int: Right. Lets start shall we. What can you tell me about Tok Janggut?
John: Uh...... I dont know.... but is that even.....
Int: Im sorry, but if you dont know your history, you cant apply for the job of accountant. Goodbye.
Really? Will this ever happen?
*******************************************************************************
Moral. The whole point of this bloody subject is to memorise, memorise, memorise, memorise, memorise, memorise, memorise, memorise, memorise, memorise.
32 THIRTY TWO, moral values and definitions, 76, SEVENTY SIX key phrases. Total items to MEMORISE: 108.
And you know what's the suckiest thing about it? Every single word, spelling, sentence structure, prefix, suffix, MUST BE 100% same as in the scheme! A teeny tiny bit off target, thats it, your whole question (essay's the worst) and marks fly away. Example:
Nilai: Bertanggungjawab
Definisi: Kesanggupan diri seseorang untuk memikul dan melaksanakan tugas serta kewajipan dengan sempurna.
Lets just say I write the value "Tanggungjawab". WRONG! WHOLE FREAKING QUESTION WASTED!
or " ...melaksanakan dan memikul tugas...." WRONG!
or maybe even "Kesanggupan diri SEorang..." WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!!
That's not all, the entire scheme itself is a sad case. You cant just answer as how you understand the question or your facts. You have to "know what the scheme wants. You cannot answer anything else apart from the marking scheme." How the f*ck am I supposed to know what the f*ck the shit scheme wants?! Why is it that the scheme wont accept the most logical, sensible, and practical of answers? That is already something illogical, and irrational!
"Oh, I'm sorry, but your answer is not in the scheme. I have to mark you wrong." Is this what is meant by testing what you understand??! Over my dead body! *spit*
I mean come on, what kind of rationale is behind a subject to be taught in this manner? So what if I can memorise all 108 items? What does that prove? I may still be a rapist who can recite every single word and detail flawlessly. I bet even Mr Yassin HIMSELF cant remember all of them.
************************************End*******************************************
June 26, 2009
The King of Pop passes on.
Michael Jackson has passed away at the age of 50, June 25/2009. Very sad day indeed for MJ fans the world over. I've been listening to his songs since around the age of 9, and till this day I never get tired of them. In fact, I still move my feet and tap my fingers to the beat of his songs even today. Even after hundreds of songs I've listened to, Billie Jean remains my all time favourite. After watching numerous dances, nothing beats his smooth as silk footwork. And I'm pretty sure it will stay that way until I'm old. This is how magical, how awe-inspiring he is as an artist to me, and the whole world.
A true artist, and perhaps the only one who has captivated me more than any other singer, probably because I've been listening to his songs at a young age. He's truly one of a kind; no other artist in history has made such an impact in the music industry, and has made smashing hits that has lasted for some 30 years. On top of that, he has the best selling album of all time - Thriller. He is indeed a true music icon, the curly hair, high pitch squeals, slick dancing, crotch grabbing moves, and so on. Nobody will forget the man, for nobody ever forgets the King of Pop. Nobody can forget the unmatched talent this man was born with.
Michael Jackson, the world will miss you, but we will never forget you. R.I.P
1958-2009
A true artist, and perhaps the only one who has captivated me more than any other singer, probably because I've been listening to his songs at a young age. He's truly one of a kind; no other artist in history has made such an impact in the music industry, and has made smashing hits that has lasted for some 30 years. On top of that, he has the best selling album of all time - Thriller. He is indeed a true music icon, the curly hair, high pitch squeals, slick dancing, crotch grabbing moves, and so on. Nobody will forget the man, for nobody ever forgets the King of Pop. Nobody can forget the unmatched talent this man was born with.
Michael Jackson, the world will miss you, but we will never forget you. R.I.P
1958-2009June 8, 2009
Deputy or No Deputy
As I was refreshing back my Add Maths (yes, shocking as it may sound to some people, I have to really start work to bring up my grade), this thought came across my mind:
The interview for Deputy Head Prefect is in about a month's time. Should I take it? A lot of the prefects say I have to be or should be the next deputy. But, frankly, I dont feel like I want the job. I mean, studies always comes first, and being Deputy Head Prefect is a very heavy burden. At the moment I'm already having problems with Add Maths and Moral, and being AJK Spotcheck is already burdening enough on me. By the looks of it being Deputy will only make things worse. On top of that, Devindran has already put me as Badminton Club President for 2009-2010, my fate in BSMM is unknown, but surely I can't run away from a place on the BSMM organising committee. The current AJKs even wanted me to be their next president as well! But I declined, I know it will already be too much. I know my limits; ukur baju di badan sendiri. Thankfully they understand and will look for alternate future presidents.
But unlike BSMM and Badminton, I WILL be the one to make the decision. Now when I think about it, I dont think it will be worthwhile to have all this workload on my back and at the same time having to focus on studies. It'll be too much. But then again, I wouldn't want to dissappoint my seniors (and maybe teachers, I dunno) who already have so much confidence in me. They already are looking up to me as one with the potential and the abilities to be a Deputy. But they dont realise the current state of my studies, they only assume that I can handle it. Assume nothing. If I'm starting to lag behind in studies, why should I make it worse? Not everybody is capable of juggling chainsaws you know. Everyone says be optimistic and work "extra harder" to balance everything. If I'm working very hard enough, why should I push myself to the breaking point? That's not a student's life. No, I dont think I can accept this.
So what if I reject? What will happen? Most probably I will have to keep my current job, but honestly I've had enough of it. Besides, a Form 3 prefect should take over at the beginning of the new term, perhaps I'll coax the teachers to give away my position to the next-gen Spotcheck AJK. Then where does that leave me? Jobless? I would prefer that, not having any extra burden to carry. Some of you may call me a coward or a chicken for running away from all this. I dont care. It certainly beats having these distractions from my study life and having to handle extra stress. I know myself better than any of you, and definitely I know my limits better than any of you.
If I were to make a decision right now, and probably for the interview; I'll reject the Deputy offer and forfeit my current position. A different place on the Prefects Committee Board? We'll see what the teachers have in mind and how things will be talked over.
What would you do in my situation? Take the position anyway or step down from the offer? Or do you have something else in mind?
The interview for Deputy Head Prefect is in about a month's time. Should I take it? A lot of the prefects say I have to be or should be the next deputy. But, frankly, I dont feel like I want the job. I mean, studies always comes first, and being Deputy Head Prefect is a very heavy burden. At the moment I'm already having problems with Add Maths and Moral, and being AJK Spotcheck is already burdening enough on me. By the looks of it being Deputy will only make things worse. On top of that, Devindran has already put me as Badminton Club President for 2009-2010, my fate in BSMM is unknown, but surely I can't run away from a place on the BSMM organising committee. The current AJKs even wanted me to be their next president as well! But I declined, I know it will already be too much. I know my limits; ukur baju di badan sendiri. Thankfully they understand and will look for alternate future presidents.
But unlike BSMM and Badminton, I WILL be the one to make the decision. Now when I think about it, I dont think it will be worthwhile to have all this workload on my back and at the same time having to focus on studies. It'll be too much. But then again, I wouldn't want to dissappoint my seniors (and maybe teachers, I dunno) who already have so much confidence in me. They already are looking up to me as one with the potential and the abilities to be a Deputy. But they dont realise the current state of my studies, they only assume that I can handle it. Assume nothing. If I'm starting to lag behind in studies, why should I make it worse? Not everybody is capable of juggling chainsaws you know. Everyone says be optimistic and work "extra harder" to balance everything. If I'm working very hard enough, why should I push myself to the breaking point? That's not a student's life. No, I dont think I can accept this.
So what if I reject? What will happen? Most probably I will have to keep my current job, but honestly I've had enough of it. Besides, a Form 3 prefect should take over at the beginning of the new term, perhaps I'll coax the teachers to give away my position to the next-gen Spotcheck AJK. Then where does that leave me? Jobless? I would prefer that, not having any extra burden to carry. Some of you may call me a coward or a chicken for running away from all this. I dont care. It certainly beats having these distractions from my study life and having to handle extra stress. I know myself better than any of you, and definitely I know my limits better than any of you.
If I were to make a decision right now, and probably for the interview; I'll reject the Deputy offer and forfeit my current position. A different place on the Prefects Committee Board? We'll see what the teachers have in mind and how things will be talked over.
What would you do in my situation? Take the position anyway or step down from the offer? Or do you have something else in mind?
June 1, 2009
Twilight retards strike again
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090601/ap_en_mo/us_film_mtv_movie_awards
"Twilight," the popular vampire drama starring Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart, sucked up golden popcorn trophies for best movie, best fight, best kiss, breakthrough male performance and breakthrough female performance during Sunday's freewheeling and often-bleeped ceremony at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, Calif.
"The fans are the ultimate driving force," Stewart said while accepting her best female performance trophy (which she promptly dropped on the floor, breaking off a chunk of the golden popcorn). Awards were decided by fan votes.
Other winners included "High School Musical 3: Senior Year" star Zac Efron for male performance and his co-star Ashley Tisdale for female breakthrough performance. Miley Cyrus accepted the best song from a movie prize for "The Climb" from "Hannah Montana: The Movie," preventing "Twilight" from sweeping all six nominated categories.
May 28, 2009
Of kisaus
Right, about kiasuness. The fact that pretty much none of these education slaves are in our class does reduce the tension in the mood of 4sc2. But anytime in exam season, you can feel the aura of the kiasu 4sc1's seeping over to our end.Why are they this way? Even the top PMR student admitted that she doesnt watch ANY television, has ZERO computer access, and plays NO sport whatsoever. Are things really this dire, wearing ultra-thick glasses, crying and sobbing away at even one wrongly answered question, fighting for even half a mark, all in the name of reaching for that magical triple digit score?
Parents? Well, what can I say, having grown up from a background of not-so-high-achievers themselves, I wonder if parents who push their children to the breaking point were top trumps in their time.
If so, then it should be made consciously that their offspring should not be under any extreme pressure to keep the trend running in the family. Just because their parents were geniuses should not be made an excuse for their offspring to be just the same.
If not, then why is it that they do this to their children?? Pride and honour? Robbing them of a normal teen life, playing sports and going out with friends occasionally? Thats wrong!
And when you think about it, does this lifestyle guarantee them a secure, successful future? Unless you are a physchic gypsy, the answer is a straight no. So many successful people today have come onto the world stage, without ever being mentioned of grabbing top honours in school. Look at Thomas Edison, he discovered electricity and invented the lightbulb eventhough he was a school drop-out. Even my uncles and aunts were never kiasu or fighting for top spot in exams, and yet now they live such an easy, yet successful life. Likewise, have we heard of successful people who REALLY were kiasu and being #1 in class consistently?
Kiasuness, and this battle for honours will ultimately lead them nowhere. Job requirements never once stated about a minimum requirement of 5th place in the school exams or such things like so. What is important is that you really truly learn what you do in school and apply it in everyday life. If all you do is cram and stuff and squash facts and figures into your brain just to win the race, and then forget them the moment you leave school, then your "hardwork" is actually no work at all.
Parents? Well, what can I say, having grown up from a background of not-so-high-achievers themselves, I wonder if parents who push their children to the breaking point were top trumps in their time.
If so, then it should be made consciously that their offspring should not be under any extreme pressure to keep the trend running in the family. Just because their parents were geniuses should not be made an excuse for their offspring to be just the same.
If not, then why is it that they do this to their children?? Pride and honour? Robbing them of a normal teen life, playing sports and going out with friends occasionally? Thats wrong!
And when you think about it, does this lifestyle guarantee them a secure, successful future? Unless you are a physchic gypsy, the answer is a straight no. So many successful people today have come onto the world stage, without ever being mentioned of grabbing top honours in school. Look at Thomas Edison, he discovered electricity and invented the lightbulb eventhough he was a school drop-out. Even my uncles and aunts were never kiasu or fighting for top spot in exams, and yet now they live such an easy, yet successful life. Likewise, have we heard of successful people who REALLY were kiasu and being #1 in class consistently?
Kiasuness, and this battle for honours will ultimately lead them nowhere. Job requirements never once stated about a minimum requirement of 5th place in the school exams or such things like so. What is important is that you really truly learn what you do in school and apply it in everyday life. If all you do is cram and stuff and squash facts and figures into your brain just to win the race, and then forget them the moment you leave school, then your "hardwork" is actually no work at all.
May 21, 2009
Why Twilight sucks *Part 2*
Courtesy of http://www.bookstove.com/Fantasy/Why-I-Hate-Twilight.623147
1. Bella is a perfect character (“Mary Sue”), which Meyer hides by calling her clumsy.
2. Being clumsy is not a flaw if Edward always catches her.
3. She can’t do anything without Edward.
4. And when he leaves she attempts to commit suicide.
5. Meyer is living out her own fantasies by writing about Bella, who is clearly herself.
6. The books aren’t well written, just because every other word is a fancy adjective doesn’t make it good writing.
7. All the rules Meyer sets for being a vampire are broken by the end of the series.
8. Not only that, she breaks rules set by more esteemed authors.
9. The world population will come to an end because all girls who read this book will think they are Bella and will wait for their Edward to come until they are old. And he’ll never come.
10. Bella almost dies fifty thousand times, but Edward always saves her. This is boring.
11. Edward is too perfect and has no flaws either. Even vampires should have flaws besides wanting to suck human blood because it’s natural to them.
12. The reason the books became so popular is because Bella has no personality and any loser can put themselves in her shoes.
13. If Bella is so ‘plain’, why do so many guys fall for her within the first two chapters?
14. Bella teaches women to let the man handle everything, which pretty much is a huge step backward for women everywhere, who have fought for equality.
15. Isn’t it convenient that her father always leaves her alone and doesn’t question her? Real parents aren’t that way.
16. Lack of character development.
17. Bella is a useless, whining, doll that suddenly has become the idol for girls everywhere.
18. People say that Twilight is better than Harry Potter. Guess what? WRONG.
19. Edward is extremely possessive, border-line abusive, and boring as anything.
20. It’s too cliché.
21. This book contains no real sex, so it’s not really a vampire novel.
22. Read Anne Rice - those are vampires, not the girly men that Meyer has created.
23. You don’t have to describe the character every two pages, we know all about Edward’s ‘perfectly toned chest’ the fourth time she mentions it.
24. Bella reflects upon herself through the entire novel to tell important plot developments. Hey Meyer, ever heard of "Show, don’t tell"?
25. She never uses the word fangs in the entire book series, and it’s supposedly about vampire.
26. Her vampires sparkle. Enough said.
27. Supposedly Meyer never uses the word ‘said’ in the entire first book, instead using breath.
28. There is too much face touching.
29. It’s predictable, and childish.
30. We read the entire series just to laugh at the stupidity of it.
31. Meyer can’t think of original names. The only original name she used was Rennesme, which is combination of two names and doesn’t count.
32. Vampires can’t get people pregnant. SPOILER!
33. Vampire baseball was just a disgrace.
34. People think Meyer is the best writer ever.
35. The plot drags on forever, when it really could have been completed in two books.
36. Wow, yet another ‘original’ plot of forbidden love.
37. Why is it called the Twilight Series if only one book is titled Twilight?
38. It’s too easy to mock. Go on Youtube, how many mocks on Twilight do you see?
39. They use a drug reference in a book written for ten-year-olds.
40. Stephanie Meyer creates some interesting characters ie: Jasper and Alice. She then ignores them, and gives them no development.
41. Every Other Facebook bumper sticker is about Twilight/Edward. EVERY OTHER ONE.
42. Fangirls are so blinded by their love for Edward that they don’t realize the book is terrible.
43. Stephen King agrees that Stephanie Meyer can’t write ‘worth a darn’.
44. It’s stupid.
45. Bella.
46. Bella is Edward’s beard.
47. Meyer wrote four books about nothing, really.
48. Straight men sparkle?
49. It’s teeming with grammatical errors.
50. Bella Swan means beautiful swan, which is horribly cheesy.
51. Edward Cullen is sparkly; crows like sparkly things.
52. Do any guys actually like Twilight?
53. If the first 200 pages of your book rely on the mystery of a character's identity, don't slap "First, Edward was a vampire" on the back cover.
54. There's far too little actual conflict in the story. But this probably stems from having a flawless main character.
55. They fall in love way too quickly and it seems fake because no one falls in love instantly, especially teenagers.
56. They only love each other because she smells good and he’s hot. There’s no other given reason why.
57. It's just not healthy to teach young girls that True Love involves the guy watching you while you sleep.
58. Edward is HOT. We get it.
59. She had only been in Forks for a month when Edward had been watching her sleep for two months.
60. There’s something disturbing about Carlisle turning only teenagers into vampires.
61. All Twilight fans are insane, proved by several responses to criticism such as…
"What is your name, address and phone number, just so that i can track you down ank kill You with my super awesom vampire powers THAT I AQUIRED FROM READING THE SERIES!!!!!!!!!!"
62. And this…
"do you WANT a cult of angry twilight luvers like mysef at your doorstep at night trying to behead you????? you shouldnt voice an absurd oppinion like this on the internet."
63. And this…
"you must have not read much good litterature in youre life, because if you cannot appreciate the quality of this art.....YOU ARE MENTALLY UNSOUND!!!!!!!"
64. Isn’t funny how Twilight fans can’t spell and use proper capitalization? By the way, 61, 62, and 63 are real quotes.
65. The reason Edward can’t read Bella’s mind is because she doesn’t have one.
66. T. Pain would totally win Bella’s heart and beat up Edward because he’s on a boat.
67. Edward hits on the school faculty to get out of classes.
68. We applaud Stephanie Meyer, as she's got to be a rich woman by now, having found her forte in the insane cult of teenage girls who go rabid over her writings.
69. Vampires vs. werewolves (isn’t that a Facebook application and such a original idea?)
70. There's nothing worse than a fan girl going insane over a fictional guy. It's rather pathetic actually, so, um, yeah, get a life and keep reading those books, chickies.
71. This book was not worth the paper on which it was printed.
72. Bella has no goals and no future, her life revolves around Edward.
73. WWJTFD: What Would a Judgmental Twilight Fan Do? Answer: attempt to attack with the ‘cool vampire powers’ they gained from reading the series. Awesome!
74. Even if you like the book, it doesn’t live up to its hype.
75. Edward is a good VILF, that’s it.
76. “And I cried numerous times upon realising there would never be an Edward in this world.” – quoted from Almuvira Anona on Yahoo Answers.
77. A hundred years difference = pedophile.
78. It's a co-dependent relationship stripped down to the bare essentials. Girl: "I can't live without you. I want to change myself to be with you." Boy: "If you leave me, I will kill myself."
79. Stephanie Meyer must really be into pedophilia: first Edward and Bella, now Jacob and Renesseme? SPOILER.
80. New hot couple name for Bella and Edward = Bedward
81. You may think Edward Cullen is smart and fast, but Chuck Norris could take him.
82. Bella’s only deep thoughts are, ‘Edward is so perfect. I love him.’
83. The only reason I kept reading was to see if Bella could redeem herself by getting over him.
84. Jacob, who didn’t abuse Bella and was nice to her, was dumped and she chose Edward. Hmm, masochistic much?
85. Ms. Meyer writes the way I did when I was twelve years old, doodling in my journal.
86. “It would have been much better if Jacob and Edward discovered they were gay: no sequels, no whiny Bella. Amen to that.”
87. Many people have enjoyed the making of this, many have helped with it too…in other words lots of people hate Twilight.
88. You are allowed to have your own opinion, just like we are allowed to have ours. Get over it. Twilight fans don’t seem to understand that though and attack at the mention of flaw in the book.
89. Light Yagami doesn’t approve of Twilight so neither should you.
90. “Cause it’s dumb.” – Random Person on the Street
91. “It’s annoying as hell.” – Random Person on the Street #2
92. Martin Luther would not have not have approved if the book was written during his lifetime.
93. Harry Potter could beat Edward any day with his magic powers.
94. It’s offensive to the entire human race, both male and female.
95. The book was so bad we wrote 95 reasons why we hate it.
1. Bella is a perfect character (“Mary Sue”), which Meyer hides by calling her clumsy.
2. Being clumsy is not a flaw if Edward always catches her.
3. She can’t do anything without Edward.
4. And when he leaves she attempts to commit suicide.
5. Meyer is living out her own fantasies by writing about Bella, who is clearly herself.
6. The books aren’t well written, just because every other word is a fancy adjective doesn’t make it good writing.
7. All the rules Meyer sets for being a vampire are broken by the end of the series.
8. Not only that, she breaks rules set by more esteemed authors.
9. The world population will come to an end because all girls who read this book will think they are Bella and will wait for their Edward to come until they are old. And he’ll never come.
10. Bella almost dies fifty thousand times, but Edward always saves her. This is boring.
11. Edward is too perfect and has no flaws either. Even vampires should have flaws besides wanting to suck human blood because it’s natural to them.
12. The reason the books became so popular is because Bella has no personality and any loser can put themselves in her shoes.
13. If Bella is so ‘plain’, why do so many guys fall for her within the first two chapters?
14. Bella teaches women to let the man handle everything, which pretty much is a huge step backward for women everywhere, who have fought for equality.
15. Isn’t it convenient that her father always leaves her alone and doesn’t question her? Real parents aren’t that way.
16. Lack of character development.
17. Bella is a useless, whining, doll that suddenly has become the idol for girls everywhere.
18. People say that Twilight is better than Harry Potter. Guess what? WRONG.
19. Edward is extremely possessive, border-line abusive, and boring as anything.
20. It’s too cliché.
21. This book contains no real sex, so it’s not really a vampire novel.
22. Read Anne Rice - those are vampires, not the girly men that Meyer has created.
23. You don’t have to describe the character every two pages, we know all about Edward’s ‘perfectly toned chest’ the fourth time she mentions it.
24. Bella reflects upon herself through the entire novel to tell important plot developments. Hey Meyer, ever heard of "Show, don’t tell"?
25. She never uses the word fangs in the entire book series, and it’s supposedly about vampire.
26. Her vampires sparkle. Enough said.
27. Supposedly Meyer never uses the word ‘said’ in the entire first book, instead using breath.
28. There is too much face touching.
29. It’s predictable, and childish.
30. We read the entire series just to laugh at the stupidity of it.
31. Meyer can’t think of original names. The only original name she used was Rennesme, which is combination of two names and doesn’t count.
32. Vampires can’t get people pregnant. SPOILER!
33. Vampire baseball was just a disgrace.
34. People think Meyer is the best writer ever.
35. The plot drags on forever, when it really could have been completed in two books.
36. Wow, yet another ‘original’ plot of forbidden love.
37. Why is it called the Twilight Series if only one book is titled Twilight?
38. It’s too easy to mock. Go on Youtube, how many mocks on Twilight do you see?
39. They use a drug reference in a book written for ten-year-olds.
40. Stephanie Meyer creates some interesting characters ie: Jasper and Alice. She then ignores them, and gives them no development.
41. Every Other Facebook bumper sticker is about Twilight/Edward. EVERY OTHER ONE.
42. Fangirls are so blinded by their love for Edward that they don’t realize the book is terrible.
43. Stephen King agrees that Stephanie Meyer can’t write ‘worth a darn’.
44. It’s stupid.
45. Bella.
46. Bella is Edward’s beard.
47. Meyer wrote four books about nothing, really.
48. Straight men sparkle?
49. It’s teeming with grammatical errors.
50. Bella Swan means beautiful swan, which is horribly cheesy.
51. Edward Cullen is sparkly; crows like sparkly things.
52. Do any guys actually like Twilight?
53. If the first 200 pages of your book rely on the mystery of a character's identity, don't slap "First, Edward was a vampire" on the back cover.
54. There's far too little actual conflict in the story. But this probably stems from having a flawless main character.
55. They fall in love way too quickly and it seems fake because no one falls in love instantly, especially teenagers.
56. They only love each other because she smells good and he’s hot. There’s no other given reason why.
57. It's just not healthy to teach young girls that True Love involves the guy watching you while you sleep.
58. Edward is HOT. We get it.
59. She had only been in Forks for a month when Edward had been watching her sleep for two months.
60. There’s something disturbing about Carlisle turning only teenagers into vampires.
61. All Twilight fans are insane, proved by several responses to criticism such as…
"What is your name, address and phone number, just so that i can track you down ank kill You with my super awesom vampire powers THAT I AQUIRED FROM READING THE SERIES!!!!!!!!!!"
62. And this…
"do you WANT a cult of angry twilight luvers like mysef at your doorstep at night trying to behead you????? you shouldnt voice an absurd oppinion like this on the internet."
63. And this…
"you must have not read much good litterature in youre life, because if you cannot appreciate the quality of this art.....YOU ARE MENTALLY UNSOUND!!!!!!!"
64. Isn’t funny how Twilight fans can’t spell and use proper capitalization? By the way, 61, 62, and 63 are real quotes.
65. The reason Edward can’t read Bella’s mind is because she doesn’t have one.
66. T. Pain would totally win Bella’s heart and beat up Edward because he’s on a boat.
67. Edward hits on the school faculty to get out of classes.
68. We applaud Stephanie Meyer, as she's got to be a rich woman by now, having found her forte in the insane cult of teenage girls who go rabid over her writings.
69. Vampires vs. werewolves (isn’t that a Facebook application and such a original idea?)
70. There's nothing worse than a fan girl going insane over a fictional guy. It's rather pathetic actually, so, um, yeah, get a life and keep reading those books, chickies.
71. This book was not worth the paper on which it was printed.
72. Bella has no goals and no future, her life revolves around Edward.
73. WWJTFD: What Would a Judgmental Twilight Fan Do? Answer: attempt to attack with the ‘cool vampire powers’ they gained from reading the series. Awesome!
74. Even if you like the book, it doesn’t live up to its hype.
75. Edward is a good VILF, that’s it.
76. “And I cried numerous times upon realising there would never be an Edward in this world.” – quoted from Almuvira Anona on Yahoo Answers.
77. A hundred years difference = pedophile.
78. It's a co-dependent relationship stripped down to the bare essentials. Girl: "I can't live without you. I want to change myself to be with you." Boy: "If you leave me, I will kill myself."
79. Stephanie Meyer must really be into pedophilia: first Edward and Bella, now Jacob and Renesseme? SPOILER.
80. New hot couple name for Bella and Edward = Bedward
81. You may think Edward Cullen is smart and fast, but Chuck Norris could take him.
82. Bella’s only deep thoughts are, ‘Edward is so perfect. I love him.’
83. The only reason I kept reading was to see if Bella could redeem herself by getting over him.
84. Jacob, who didn’t abuse Bella and was nice to her, was dumped and she chose Edward. Hmm, masochistic much?
85. Ms. Meyer writes the way I did when I was twelve years old, doodling in my journal.
86. “It would have been much better if Jacob and Edward discovered they were gay: no sequels, no whiny Bella. Amen to that.”
87. Many people have enjoyed the making of this, many have helped with it too…in other words lots of people hate Twilight.
88. You are allowed to have your own opinion, just like we are allowed to have ours. Get over it. Twilight fans don’t seem to understand that though and attack at the mention of flaw in the book.
89. Light Yagami doesn’t approve of Twilight so neither should you.
90. “Cause it’s dumb.” – Random Person on the Street
91. “It’s annoying as hell.” – Random Person on the Street #2
92. Martin Luther would not have not have approved if the book was written during his lifetime.
93. Harry Potter could beat Edward any day with his magic powers.
94. It’s offensive to the entire human race, both male and female.
95. The book was so bad we wrote 95 reasons why we hate it.
May 16, 2009
Why Twilight sucks
http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=33846825833&topic=6700
Ok, so I know this is a little long, but if you hate twilight with the same passion, you will find this to yours tastes.
Admittedly, writing a review of a book published 3 years ago makes me a little late. However, seeing as how the book has risen to such popularity that it has encouraged Hollywood to pump out a movie based on the novel, I feel slightly more justified.
The Bad: What I really want to convey to my esteemed audience is how awful, on every level, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer is.
So, I’m sure many people are recoiling after that statement. I can already hear the cries of “Well, if it’s so bad, why is it so popular (or “why are they making a movie”)”? I think the real answer lies in the insecure, lonely girls that make up a large part of the demographic supporting this novel. When reading the book, the female population of fans unconsciously place themselves in Bella’s shoes and, at least while they read the book, can feel that they are loved as much as Bella apparently is.
Grammar and usage errors aside, the story and overall writing is atrocious. Here’s a quick summary: Some banal shenanigans make it impossible for Bella Swan, the female antagonist from whose point of view the story is told, to live with her mother. She goes to live with her father in Forks. To make a long story short, her life is saved by Edward Cullen, she finds out he is a vampire and… Boom! They're in love. Madly, deeply in love. It just happens. All within the first few chapters. The rest of the book? Lots of smiling, glaring and boring Q & A sessions ensue, revealing all answers to any questions Bella or the reader may have. No suspense and no build-up at all. Bella apparently poses a threat to the entire non-evil vampiric subculture, so of course Edward asks her to go steady with him. But not until they've spent many, many, many chapters engaged in tedious 'banter' that is possibly intended to remind the reader of Pride and Prejudice ( or rather a fanfic loosely based on a bad film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice). The conversations are dully predictable. Example: Edward: "You are beautifuller than whole lots of things." Bella blushes a deep red colored color. Edward chuckles at the blushing, because, for some reason, he finds it amusing and attractive. Bella than snaps a 'witty' retort at said chuckling, conversation follows. You'll find several points in the book like this one. Then they hook up, and Edward glitters in the sun a bit like a fairy. Only within the last pages of the book do you get an exciting (which is up to interpretation) story that includes an antagonist for approximately 50 pages. The first 400-some pages were as bland as bland can be.
But my main issue is the supposed love between Bella and Edward, the two antagonists of the story. What is Bella and Edward's love (if you can call it that) based on? They have NOTHING in common. On Bella’s part, it's all based on looks, or magic, rather than character. Bella goes on and on about nothing but Edward’s looks and how “dazzling” he is. All the over-designing of Edward's appearance ended up feeling like was the author relishing in her own personal fantasy. Bella is too dependent on him and it's an unhealthy, disturbing addiction. (Stalking is illegal in all 50 states, Bella.).What is Bella to do, say when college becomes necessary? Judging by the hyper spasm she had at the end of Twilight, she couldn't possibly be separated from Edward for more than seven hours, tops. She has no sense of self. Her entire future has been put in the bin due to Edward.
As for the other side of this “love”, Edward only took interest in her since he couldn't read her thoughts. (Trust me, Eddie, I'm looking right at 'em, and there isn’t anything up there worth wondering about.) It's like a paranoid obsession. And Edward, as is the ailment of most beings that are considered more impressive than humans, is vain and finds humans petty and dull. Thanks a lot. But Edward loves Bella. I mean, he lusts after her. I mean, he wants to suck her blood. I mean, sniff her creepily. His love would be more convincing if Bella was more appealing in a unique manner. The author attempts to make her endearing by being shy and clumsy (a cheap appeal to the insecurity that lies in most women), but she fails. Bella instantly makes friends, eliminating the self-ascribed shyness and the constant clumsiness seems to be more like some sort of neurological problem.
There are apparently sequels, but unless they involve Bella Swan and the entire town of Forks being obliterated in a nuclear devastation, I don't intend to read them.
*Disclaimer* - This isnt MY actual review of the book, but since this one was so perfectly written, I had to put it up here.
For me, I hate Twatlight for 3 simple reasons- It's fake, it's unreal, its DISGUSTING ROMANCE-FANTASY!!!!
Ok, so I know this is a little long, but if you hate twilight with the same passion, you will find this to yours tastes.
Admittedly, writing a review of a book published 3 years ago makes me a little late. However, seeing as how the book has risen to such popularity that it has encouraged Hollywood to pump out a movie based on the novel, I feel slightly more justified.
The Bad: What I really want to convey to my esteemed audience is how awful, on every level, Twilight by Stephanie Meyer is.
So, I’m sure many people are recoiling after that statement. I can already hear the cries of “Well, if it’s so bad, why is it so popular (or “why are they making a movie”)”? I think the real answer lies in the insecure, lonely girls that make up a large part of the demographic supporting this novel. When reading the book, the female population of fans unconsciously place themselves in Bella’s shoes and, at least while they read the book, can feel that they are loved as much as Bella apparently is.
Grammar and usage errors aside, the story and overall writing is atrocious. Here’s a quick summary: Some banal shenanigans make it impossible for Bella Swan, the female antagonist from whose point of view the story is told, to live with her mother. She goes to live with her father in Forks. To make a long story short, her life is saved by Edward Cullen, she finds out he is a vampire and… Boom! They're in love. Madly, deeply in love. It just happens. All within the first few chapters. The rest of the book? Lots of smiling, glaring and boring Q & A sessions ensue, revealing all answers to any questions Bella or the reader may have. No suspense and no build-up at all. Bella apparently poses a threat to the entire non-evil vampiric subculture, so of course Edward asks her to go steady with him. But not until they've spent many, many, many chapters engaged in tedious 'banter' that is possibly intended to remind the reader of Pride and Prejudice ( or rather a fanfic loosely based on a bad film adaptation of Pride and Prejudice). The conversations are dully predictable. Example: Edward: "You are beautifuller than whole lots of things." Bella blushes a deep red colored color. Edward chuckles at the blushing, because, for some reason, he finds it amusing and attractive. Bella than snaps a 'witty' retort at said chuckling, conversation follows. You'll find several points in the book like this one. Then they hook up, and Edward glitters in the sun a bit like a fairy. Only within the last pages of the book do you get an exciting (which is up to interpretation) story that includes an antagonist for approximately 50 pages. The first 400-some pages were as bland as bland can be.
But my main issue is the supposed love between Bella and Edward, the two antagonists of the story. What is Bella and Edward's love (if you can call it that) based on? They have NOTHING in common. On Bella’s part, it's all based on looks, or magic, rather than character. Bella goes on and on about nothing but Edward’s looks and how “dazzling” he is. All the over-designing of Edward's appearance ended up feeling like was the author relishing in her own personal fantasy. Bella is too dependent on him and it's an unhealthy, disturbing addiction. (Stalking is illegal in all 50 states, Bella.).What is Bella to do, say when college becomes necessary? Judging by the hyper spasm she had at the end of Twilight, she couldn't possibly be separated from Edward for more than seven hours, tops. She has no sense of self. Her entire future has been put in the bin due to Edward.
As for the other side of this “love”, Edward only took interest in her since he couldn't read her thoughts. (Trust me, Eddie, I'm looking right at 'em, and there isn’t anything up there worth wondering about.) It's like a paranoid obsession. And Edward, as is the ailment of most beings that are considered more impressive than humans, is vain and finds humans petty and dull. Thanks a lot. But Edward loves Bella. I mean, he lusts after her. I mean, he wants to suck her blood. I mean, sniff her creepily. His love would be more convincing if Bella was more appealing in a unique manner. The author attempts to make her endearing by being shy and clumsy (a cheap appeal to the insecurity that lies in most women), but she fails. Bella instantly makes friends, eliminating the self-ascribed shyness and the constant clumsiness seems to be more like some sort of neurological problem.
There are apparently sequels, but unless they involve Bella Swan and the entire town of Forks being obliterated in a nuclear devastation, I don't intend to read them.
*Disclaimer* - This isnt MY actual review of the book, but since this one was so perfectly written, I had to put it up here.
For me, I hate Twatlight for 3 simple reasons- It's fake, it's unreal, its DISGUSTING ROMANCE-FANTASY!!!!
May 9, 2009
Wesak Day
Today, Buddhists across the world celebrate Wesak (sometimes spelled Vesak) Day, the day that Siddhartha Gautama Buddha was born, achieved Enlightenment and also died (not in the same year mind you).
The highlight of the Buddha's life is his attaining of Enlightenment, or Nirvana. On the night of his Nirvana, as he sat under the Bodhi Tree to meditate, 3 watches, or periods along with corresponding events had occurred:
During the first watch of the night, when his mind was calm, clear and purified, light arose in him, knowledge and insight arose. He saw his previous lives, at first one, then two, three up to five, then multiples of them .. . ten, twenty, thirty to fifty. Then 100, 1000 and so on.... As he went on with his practice, during the second watch of the night, he saw how beings die and are reborn, depending on their Karma, how they disappear and reappear from one form to another, from one plane of existence to another. Then during the final watch of the night, he saw the arising and cessation of all phenomena, mental and physical. He saw how things arose dependent on causes and conditions. This led him to perceive the arising and cessation of suffering and all forms of unsatisfactoriness; paving the way for the eradication of all taints of cravings. With his complete cessation of craving, his mind was completely liberated. He attained to Full Enlightenment.
In other words, the Buddha attained Nirvana when the 10 Chains that tied him to the Cycle of Endless Suffering and Rebirth were dissolved, liberating him from all forms of suffering. The 10 Chains are:
Belief in a permanent individual self
Doubt or uncertainty, especially about the teachings
Attachment to rites and rituals, the infatuation that these rituals will suffice;
Sensual desire
Ill will
Lust for material existence, lust for material rebirth
Lust for immaterial existence
Pride in self, conceit, arrogance
Restlessness, distraction
Ignorance
Along with the dissolving of the 10 Chains, he also reached Nirvana after fulling understanding his two teachings; the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, the latter now being one of the main practices of Buddhists everywhere.
Four Noble Truths-
1) The Nature of Suffering (Dukkha)
"This is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering."
2) Suffering's Origin (Samudaya)
"This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there, that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination."
3) Suffering's Cessation (Nirodha)
"This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: it is the remainderless fading away and cessation of that same craving, the giving up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, non-reliance on it."
4) The Way (Mārga) Leading to the Cessation of Suffering
"This is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: it is the Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration."
Just before Gautama Buddha died, he saw his faithful attendant Ananda, weeping. The Buddha advised him not to weep, but to understand the universal law that all compounded things (including even his own body) must disintegrate. He advised everyone not to cry over the disintegration of the physical body but to regard his teachings (The Dhamma) as their teacher from then on, because only the Dhamma truth is eternal and not subject to the law of change. He also stressed that the way to pay homage to him was not merely by offering flowers, incense, and lights, but by truly and sincerely striving to follow his teachings. This is how devotees are expected to celebrate Vesak: to use the opportunity to reiterate their determination to lead noble lives, to develop their minds, to practise loving-kindness and to bring peace and harmony to humanity.
We need not necessarily look upon Buddhism as a religion, although there is no wrong or harm in doing so, as it is just our perception and belief that it is a religion. Gautama Buddha is actually not a god nor goddess, as he is actually a spiritual teacher, and regarded as the Supreme Buddha. We do not necessarily worship him as the almighty, or the creator of the universe, what is important is that we follow and practice his teachings, for it is his teachings which guide us to a better living, making us better humans, and ultimately a life without suffering, not by merely praying to Gautama Buddha everyday for protection and happiness, etc.
I'm taking this 1 1/2 hour or so to reflect on how much Buddha's teachings have made me who I am today. I thank the Gautama Buddha for his teachings which have kept me away from the realms of corruption and wrongdoings, and just thinking about The Buddha, Buddhism and it's teachings are enough to bring me at peace whenever in stress.
Before I end, I wish Happy Wesak Day to all my Buddhist friends and Family.
The highlight of the Buddha's life is his attaining of Enlightenment, or Nirvana. On the night of his Nirvana, as he sat under the Bodhi Tree to meditate, 3 watches, or periods along with corresponding events had occurred:
During the first watch of the night, when his mind was calm, clear and purified, light arose in him, knowledge and insight arose. He saw his previous lives, at first one, then two, three up to five, then multiples of them .. . ten, twenty, thirty to fifty. Then 100, 1000 and so on.... As he went on with his practice, during the second watch of the night, he saw how beings die and are reborn, depending on their Karma, how they disappear and reappear from one form to another, from one plane of existence to another. Then during the final watch of the night, he saw the arising and cessation of all phenomena, mental and physical. He saw how things arose dependent on causes and conditions. This led him to perceive the arising and cessation of suffering and all forms of unsatisfactoriness; paving the way for the eradication of all taints of cravings. With his complete cessation of craving, his mind was completely liberated. He attained to Full Enlightenment.
In other words, the Buddha attained Nirvana when the 10 Chains that tied him to the Cycle of Endless Suffering and Rebirth were dissolved, liberating him from all forms of suffering. The 10 Chains are:
Belief in a permanent individual self
Doubt or uncertainty, especially about the teachings
Attachment to rites and rituals, the infatuation that these rituals will suffice;
Sensual desire
Ill will
Lust for material existence, lust for material rebirth
Lust for immaterial existence
Pride in self, conceit, arrogance
Restlessness, distraction
Ignorance
Along with the dissolving of the 10 Chains, he also reached Nirvana after fulling understanding his two teachings; the Four Noble Truths and the Noble Eightfold Path, the latter now being one of the main practices of Buddhists everywhere.
Four Noble Truths-
1) The Nature of Suffering (Dukkha)
"This is the noble truth of suffering: birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering, death is suffering; sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief and despair are suffering; union with what is displeasing is suffering; separation from what is pleasing is suffering; not to get what one wants is suffering; in brief, the five aggregates subject to clinging are suffering."
2) Suffering's Origin (Samudaya)
"This is the noble truth of the origin of suffering: it is this craving which leads to renewed existence, accompanied by delight and lust, seeking delight here and there, that is, craving for sensual pleasures, craving for existence, craving for extermination."
3) Suffering's Cessation (Nirodha)
"This is the noble truth of the cessation of suffering: it is the remainderless fading away and cessation of that same craving, the giving up and relinquishing of it, freedom from it, non-reliance on it."
4) The Way (Mārga) Leading to the Cessation of Suffering
"This is the noble truth of the way leading to the cessation of suffering: it is the Noble Eightfold Path; that is, right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, right concentration."
Just before Gautama Buddha died, he saw his faithful attendant Ananda, weeping. The Buddha advised him not to weep, but to understand the universal law that all compounded things (including even his own body) must disintegrate. He advised everyone not to cry over the disintegration of the physical body but to regard his teachings (The Dhamma) as their teacher from then on, because only the Dhamma truth is eternal and not subject to the law of change. He also stressed that the way to pay homage to him was not merely by offering flowers, incense, and lights, but by truly and sincerely striving to follow his teachings. This is how devotees are expected to celebrate Vesak: to use the opportunity to reiterate their determination to lead noble lives, to develop their minds, to practise loving-kindness and to bring peace and harmony to humanity.
We need not necessarily look upon Buddhism as a religion, although there is no wrong or harm in doing so, as it is just our perception and belief that it is a religion. Gautama Buddha is actually not a god nor goddess, as he is actually a spiritual teacher, and regarded as the Supreme Buddha. We do not necessarily worship him as the almighty, or the creator of the universe, what is important is that we follow and practice his teachings, for it is his teachings which guide us to a better living, making us better humans, and ultimately a life without suffering, not by merely praying to Gautama Buddha everyday for protection and happiness, etc.
I'm taking this 1 1/2 hour or so to reflect on how much Buddha's teachings have made me who I am today. I thank the Gautama Buddha for his teachings which have kept me away from the realms of corruption and wrongdoings, and just thinking about The Buddha, Buddhism and it's teachings are enough to bring me at peace whenever in stress.
Before I end, I wish Happy Wesak Day to all my Buddhist friends and Family.
April 26, 2009
Inmates Got Talent (too)
Hey Chuah, you got Susan Boyle, I got this (although not as raved as she is):
and here's a (near perfect) comparison to Michael Jackson's original dance video:
you can see more of these dancing inmates at http://www.youtube.com/user/byronfgarcia
and here's a (near perfect) comparison to Michael Jackson's original dance video:
you can see more of these dancing inmates at http://www.youtube.com/user/byronfgarcia
April 7, 2009
Bringing back the good ol' (digital) times..
Waaaaaaaaay back when I was about 5 years old I got bitten by the automotive bug when I watched my first Formula 1 race (Canadian GP 1997). Ever since, there was no turning back on this passion that has grown till today. Along the way, Mum had brought the Playstation 1 into the family. The first games I had laid my hands on were Gran Turismo 2 and Need For Speed: Porsche Unleashed. Probably till this day, one of the best racing games I've ever played. As time passed, the PS1 wore out, now rendered unusable. Thankfully I had stumbled upon these PS1 emulators that replicate the software environment of a PS1 on your computer, which means you can play PS1 games on your computer. Thanks to these softwares, I can bring back these great games I once cherished so much....
NFS: Porsche Unleashed
NFS 3: Hot Pursuit
Gran Turismo 2
NFS: Porsche Unleashed
NFS 3: Hot Pursuit
Gran Turismo 2
April 2, 2009
ACS Badminton Championships 2009
Yeah, take a look at the scores below, you can see my progress through the championship up till the quarterfinals where we got knocked out:
Round 1 - 21-10, 21-13
Round 2 - 21-13, 19-21, 21-14
Quarterfinals - 22-24, 7-21
I am pleased at least, that I achieved my personal goal of reaching the quarterfinals of any badminton tournament. But, arghhhhhhhhhh, I was really bitterly disappointed with my partner to be honest. We clawed our way back to lead 20-18, but my partner wasted many points and let the opponents come back to win the first set. I felt that I was playing the best game of my life then, I was stretching and lunging and attacking like I never have before, rescuing points I never imagined possible, but I just can't help but see all my hard work come undone by novice errors from my partner. Come the second set, we were confident we could still take the fight to them, but my partner fumbled up even more, and the opponents targeted him throughout, right until the last point.
Well, there is the final chance next year, and hopefully we can go three steps further than we did this year.
Round 1 - 21-10, 21-13
Round 2 - 21-13, 19-21, 21-14
Quarterfinals - 22-24, 7-21
I am pleased at least, that I achieved my personal goal of reaching the quarterfinals of any badminton tournament. But, arghhhhhhhhhh, I was really bitterly disappointed with my partner to be honest. We clawed our way back to lead 20-18, but my partner wasted many points and let the opponents come back to win the first set. I felt that I was playing the best game of my life then, I was stretching and lunging and attacking like I never have before, rescuing points I never imagined possible, but I just can't help but see all my hard work come undone by novice errors from my partner. Come the second set, we were confident we could still take the fight to them, but my partner fumbled up even more, and the opponents targeted him throughout, right until the last point.
Well, there is the final chance next year, and hopefully we can go three steps further than we did this year.
March 22, 2009
BSMM Camp 2009
As the title says, I've been away from 20-22 March for the annual Bulan Sabit Merah Malaysia camp at school. Initially I didnt intend to join, since I had joined last year, and planned to come back next year. But since my First Aid Quartermaster "could not" come, I had no option but to take over her place to prepare the for the first aid quiz on Day 1. However, taking over meant I would be holding a senior AJK's post, and that meant I'm excluded from all the campers' activities, and I got to experience the behind-the-scenes plans of the activities; something only the Form 5 AJKs are eligible of.
Day 1
8.45am - All campers and AJKs prepare the classes to sleep in. Who would want to pitch tents in the middle of the rainy season?
9.00 - Members are divided into groups and discuss on their group name and group cheer. The 6 groups formed are:
Strikers
Rockers
Kaya Cat Evolution
Alpha
Teen Ace
8 Lucky Stars (8 being number of members. At the end only 6 remained.)
10-ish - Members start their cooking activity. Meanwhile, AJK's were supposed to have steamboat lunch like last year, but apparently in the end we had to make a "steamboat" out of a kuali and a metal pot, with twigs, sticks and charcoal.
1-ish pm - I found out that the noodles that were supposed to go with the steamboat had gone. Thrown away, eaten up, I dont know. In the end I borrowed RM2 from Siew Huang for a plate of bihun and boxed juice from the canteen. ''--
3pm - My turn had come to carry out the first aid quizzes. Devin and Syafiq acted out burn wounds, broken jawbone, bee sting, venomous snake bite, heat stroke and a situation requiring CPR. Everything went smoothly, except that most of the members could not carry out correct emergency situation procedures. And me being the stand-in First Aid AJK, I taught all of them the correct steps to identify and treat victims in such situations.
Rest of the evening was time for the campers to discuss their sketches for Malam Kebudayaan. For us AJKs, goyang kaki la... hehehehehe
At night, we had our ice-breaker session. First activity went like this:
Each camper is given a piece of paper, with different characteristics and features of people (e.g hadsome, wearing short pants, etc.). Everyone had to find somebody else who matches only one of the given features, and write down their names (handphone number optional too. ^^).
Next was a game of dodgeball with a partially deflated volleyball. The game works by aiming the ball at the opponent's knee and lower leg. If he/she has been hit at the said area, he/she is eliminated from the game, until all the members of one team are KO-ed. The final dodgeball game was between the AJKs and the Strikers. It became a one-on-one showdown, but in the end we lost. Nyeh.
Before tucking in, we had to say goodbye to Rahul due to an inflammed left leg (he broke it last year while playing basketball, and underwent operation) due to too much walking and standing.
Day 2
7.30am - Morning aerobics exercises brought to us by Devin and Loogeswarran, and also a Chicken Dance by the AJKs.
9.00 - Campers are divided into 3 platoons for the following day's marching competition. Whole morning was used up for them to practice, while the AJKs gave help.
1.30pm - Each group was given a piece of A4 paper and a small bottle of paint. Members have to create a logo of the group, using only the paint and their fingers.
4.30 - Treasure hunt time! Me and Syafiq joined team Alpha because 2 of their members were involved in organising the game. We were given 2 eggs and 3 water balloons. If we were unable to find the clue, we would have to sacrifice either 1 egg or 1 balloon. We were also tied in a ring by string so that we dont cheat. My group got off to a really poor start with the "hardest clue" of the game. Later it turned out that the plastic bag holding the next clue had fallen off from where it was supposed to be, that's why we cant find it. We were then given the next clue without sacrificing anything. We pretty much blazed through the following clues, and ended up first! :D
9.10 - Time for Malam Kebudayaan. Special guest Syahir (who had left last month for boarding school) dropped by, and we had a 2-hour non-stop chat while watching the groups performances. To be frank the performances this year were confusing and lackluster. Probably because there was only one microphone and passing it between actors/actresses was a hassle, and then adding that I couldn't hear what they were saying. The only two performances I liked was KayaCats' version of Harry Potter and Teen Ace's Ugly Betty. Last year's show was properly entertaining.
Day 3
9.00am - Time for the marching competition. Platoon 1 went pretty okay, until they did the "tukar langkah semasa berjalan" command when their timing and footsteps went out of sync.
Platoon 2 was a disaster, the commander gave a few commands wrongly, and the platoon stalled when given the "skuad akan bergerak ke kiri semasa berjalan, ke kiri pusing" to turn into the field. Looks like they had forgotten that order. Even when I was training them I was told they'd do a simple "kiri belok".
Platoon 3, personally, I felt was the best, eventhough they had some minor hiccups like Platoon 1. No matter, Platoon 3 Commander Arif was rated as the best commander of the competition.
11am - Prize giving ceremony. The standings at the end of the camp are as follows:
1st - Strikers
2nd- Kaya Cats
3rd - Alpha
4th- Teen Ace
5th- Lucky Stars
6th- Rockers
And we topped it off with a group photo shoot. There you have it, what pretty much goes on during our BSMM camps every year. Overall, I could say I enjoyed it, and next year, well, time will tell how it will be.
Day 1
8.45am - All campers and AJKs prepare the classes to sleep in. Who would want to pitch tents in the middle of the rainy season?
9.00 - Members are divided into groups and discuss on their group name and group cheer. The 6 groups formed are:
Strikers
Rockers
Kaya Cat Evolution
Alpha
Teen Ace
8 Lucky Stars (8 being number of members. At the end only 6 remained.)
10-ish - Members start their cooking activity. Meanwhile, AJK's were supposed to have steamboat lunch like last year, but apparently in the end we had to make a "steamboat" out of a kuali and a metal pot, with twigs, sticks and charcoal.
1-ish pm - I found out that the noodles that were supposed to go with the steamboat had gone. Thrown away, eaten up, I dont know. In the end I borrowed RM2 from Siew Huang for a plate of bihun and boxed juice from the canteen. ''--
3pm - My turn had come to carry out the first aid quizzes. Devin and Syafiq acted out burn wounds, broken jawbone, bee sting, venomous snake bite, heat stroke and a situation requiring CPR. Everything went smoothly, except that most of the members could not carry out correct emergency situation procedures. And me being the stand-in First Aid AJK, I taught all of them the correct steps to identify and treat victims in such situations.
Rest of the evening was time for the campers to discuss their sketches for Malam Kebudayaan. For us AJKs, goyang kaki la... hehehehehe
At night, we had our ice-breaker session. First activity went like this:
Each camper is given a piece of paper, with different characteristics and features of people (e.g hadsome, wearing short pants, etc.). Everyone had to find somebody else who matches only one of the given features, and write down their names (handphone number optional too. ^^).
Next was a game of dodgeball with a partially deflated volleyball. The game works by aiming the ball at the opponent's knee and lower leg. If he/she has been hit at the said area, he/she is eliminated from the game, until all the members of one team are KO-ed. The final dodgeball game was between the AJKs and the Strikers. It became a one-on-one showdown, but in the end we lost. Nyeh.
Before tucking in, we had to say goodbye to Rahul due to an inflammed left leg (he broke it last year while playing basketball, and underwent operation) due to too much walking and standing.
Day 2
7.30am - Morning aerobics exercises brought to us by Devin and Loogeswarran, and also a Chicken Dance by the AJKs.
9.00 - Campers are divided into 3 platoons for the following day's marching competition. Whole morning was used up for them to practice, while the AJKs gave help.
1.30pm - Each group was given a piece of A4 paper and a small bottle of paint. Members have to create a logo of the group, using only the paint and their fingers.
4.30 - Treasure hunt time! Me and Syafiq joined team Alpha because 2 of their members were involved in organising the game. We were given 2 eggs and 3 water balloons. If we were unable to find the clue, we would have to sacrifice either 1 egg or 1 balloon. We were also tied in a ring by string so that we dont cheat. My group got off to a really poor start with the "hardest clue" of the game. Later it turned out that the plastic bag holding the next clue had fallen off from where it was supposed to be, that's why we cant find it. We were then given the next clue without sacrificing anything. We pretty much blazed through the following clues, and ended up first! :D
9.10 - Time for Malam Kebudayaan. Special guest Syahir (who had left last month for boarding school) dropped by, and we had a 2-hour non-stop chat while watching the groups performances. To be frank the performances this year were confusing and lackluster. Probably because there was only one microphone and passing it between actors/actresses was a hassle, and then adding that I couldn't hear what they were saying. The only two performances I liked was KayaCats' version of Harry Potter and Teen Ace's Ugly Betty. Last year's show was properly entertaining.
Day 3
9.00am - Time for the marching competition. Platoon 1 went pretty okay, until they did the "tukar langkah semasa berjalan" command when their timing and footsteps went out of sync.
Platoon 2 was a disaster, the commander gave a few commands wrongly, and the platoon stalled when given the "skuad akan bergerak ke kiri semasa berjalan, ke kiri pusing" to turn into the field. Looks like they had forgotten that order. Even when I was training them I was told they'd do a simple "kiri belok".
Platoon 3, personally, I felt was the best, eventhough they had some minor hiccups like Platoon 1. No matter, Platoon 3 Commander Arif was rated as the best commander of the competition.
11am - Prize giving ceremony. The standings at the end of the camp are as follows:
1st - Strikers
2nd- Kaya Cats
3rd - Alpha
4th- Teen Ace
5th- Lucky Stars
6th- Rockers
And we topped it off with a group photo shoot. There you have it, what pretty much goes on during our BSMM camps every year. Overall, I could say I enjoyed it, and next year, well, time will tell how it will be.
March 16, 2009
February 21, 2009
Unwelcomed Newcomer
*Intro* Last year a new student entered our school from SMK Dindings, I'll call him Deva in this post. This year, he shares my class, 4Sc2. At first impressions he seems to be a nice and polite chap who knows a good deal about computers. However as February unfolds, me and my seating mate Chuah (maybe others too, but I dunno) are starting to see the, erm, not-so-nice side of him, or to me, the VERY ANNOYING side of him. So annoying to the extent I'm having this urge to blog about him. (Hey, Deva, if you're reading this, tough luck.)
He cant shut up. He just cant zip his mouth. Even when its clear that me and Chuah are busy doing our work, he just cant help but engage conversation. I do my work for 2 minutes, he bugs us for 5 minutes. When I tell him that we are busy, he keeps quiet. Later in the day, he'll be back when we're busy, bugging us some more. He's even willing to walk across the class to our desks just to talk. Look, we have our heads down, pens up and hands writing, isnt it obvious enough we want to do our work? Does he need to be whacked on the head to even take a hint?
Last, Wednesday, our BM teacher gave us a rather odd karangan to do, with even weirder contents to write the karangan. What does Deva do? comes to my desk, and tells me about his disagreements with the teacher's work. I keep telling and telling him to just go back, do his work, since its a 500+ word karangan we have to do, and let me do my work. He didnt budge!!! He kept yapping on and on andonandonandonandon until everything became "blablablablablabla" stuffings in my head. I had to grimace just for the sake of hiding my annoyed face.
I pity my friend Chuah too. He isnt spared the firng line either. He keeps getting bombarded by all sorts of questions about all sorts of things from him. Even more pitiful is that Deva keeps yip-yapping about topics Chuah isnt interested in. Even when Chuah mentions this, Deva keeps on talking!! He's like a fly to us like rotten cheese. Everytime we see him coming across the class, we both know what he wants. More often than not, all his topics are not too our liking. And this is what we're like when he comes over:
He also has this habit of taking one of our newspapers, WITHOUT PERMISSION. HOW RUDE IS THAT? There was one time, I was reading, and he was (sitting opposite diagonally to me) tugging on the very page I'm reading. Cant you at least ask to share?????
Hey, in fact, we arent the only victims here. In class, maybe 3 out of 5 days, AT LEAST ONCE IN A DAY, he will be interrupting teacher teaching us. Interrupt? How? By asking lots and lots andlotsandlotsandlotsandlots of questions. Oh, Come on, PLEASE, you scored 7As in PMR, how can you not understand anything at all?!??? Dont you know you waste precious time in our class because of your endless questions??? Regardless, if it's Bio, Physics, Modern Maths, BM, Accounts, whatever, he's just......
One day.... somebody's gonna have to come down hard on him with the truth about all this....
He cant shut up. He just cant zip his mouth. Even when its clear that me and Chuah are busy doing our work, he just cant help but engage conversation. I do my work for 2 minutes, he bugs us for 5 minutes. When I tell him that we are busy, he keeps quiet. Later in the day, he'll be back when we're busy, bugging us some more. He's even willing to walk across the class to our desks just to talk. Look, we have our heads down, pens up and hands writing, isnt it obvious enough we want to do our work? Does he need to be whacked on the head to even take a hint?
Last, Wednesday, our BM teacher gave us a rather odd karangan to do, with even weirder contents to write the karangan. What does Deva do? comes to my desk, and tells me about his disagreements with the teacher's work. I keep telling and telling him to just go back, do his work, since its a 500+ word karangan we have to do, and let me do my work. He didnt budge!!! He kept yapping on and on andonandonandonandon until everything became "blablablablablabla" stuffings in my head. I had to grimace just for the sake of hiding my annoyed face.
I pity my friend Chuah too. He isnt spared the firng line either. He keeps getting bombarded by all sorts of questions about all sorts of things from him. Even more pitiful is that Deva keeps yip-yapping about topics Chuah isnt interested in. Even when Chuah mentions this, Deva keeps on talking!! He's like a fly to us like rotten cheese. Everytime we see him coming across the class, we both know what he wants. More often than not, all his topics are not too our liking. And this is what we're like when he comes over:
He also has this habit of taking one of our newspapers, WITHOUT PERMISSION. HOW RUDE IS THAT? There was one time, I was reading, and he was (sitting opposite diagonally to me) tugging on the very page I'm reading. Cant you at least ask to share?????
Hey, in fact, we arent the only victims here. In class, maybe 3 out of 5 days, AT LEAST ONCE IN A DAY, he will be interrupting teacher teaching us. Interrupt? How? By asking lots and lots andlotsandlotsandlotsandlots of questions. Oh, Come on, PLEASE, you scored 7As in PMR, how can you not understand anything at all?!??? Dont you know you waste precious time in our class because of your endless questions??? Regardless, if it's Bio, Physics, Modern Maths, BM, Accounts, whatever, he's just......
One day.... somebody's gonna have to come down hard on him with the truth about all this....
February 7, 2009
Friends never say goodbye...
If a picture says a thousand words, this video I dedicated to my friends will have 100,000 words. Hazim, Syahir, Arif, Azrin Fahmi, and Nadzmi, this one's for you.....
There isn't much I haven't shared
With you along the road
And through it all there'd always be
Tomorrow's episode
Suddenly that isn't true
There's another avenue
Beckoning, the great divide
Ask no questions, take no side
Who's to say who's right or wrong
Whose course is braver run
Still we are, have always been, will ever be as one
What is done hath been done for the best
Though the mist in my eyes might suggest
Just a little confusion about what I'll lose
But if I started over I know I would choose
The same joy the same sadness each step of the way
That fought me and tought me that friends never say
Never say goodbye
Never say goodbye
Never say goodbye
Never say goodbye
Suddenly that isn't true
There's another avenue
Beckoning, the great divide
I would choose
The same joy the same sadness each step of the way
That fought me and taught me that friends never say
Never say goodbye
Never say goodbye
Never say goodbye
Never say goodbye
There isn't much I haven't shared
With you along the road
And through it all there'd always be
Tomorrow's episode
Suddenly that isn't true
There's another avenue
Beckoning, the great divide
Ask no questions, take no side
Who's to say who's right or wrong
Whose course is braver run
Still we are, have always been, will ever be as one
What is done hath been done for the best
Though the mist in my eyes might suggest
Just a little confusion about what I'll lose
But if I started over I know I would choose
The same joy the same sadness each step of the way
That fought me and tought me that friends never say
Never say goodbye
Never say goodbye
Never say goodbye
Never say goodbye
Suddenly that isn't true
There's another avenue
Beckoning, the great divide
I would choose
The same joy the same sadness each step of the way
That fought me and taught me that friends never say
Never say goodbye
Never say goodbye
Never say goodbye
Never say goodbye
December 30, 2008
Bersusah-susah dahulu, bersenang-senang kemudian....
So it goes this famous Malay proverb, work hard (and maybe even suffer) at first, and enjoy the fruits of labour when it is sweetest.
I have to admit, the last 2 months following up to the PMR was nothing short of pure torture. All the long hours staring at books, the many dribbles of ink I've drained doing BM essay practices, the shortage of tv, internet, music, etc. Gosh, its like stripping Superman of his red cape. I, reveal here for the first time, I was actually on the verge (thank goodness I didn't) of a meltdown from all this pressure.
What pressure? It was this urge inside telling me I have to keep pushing to get the best results, if I let of the teeniest bit, 7As will go out the window. My BM and History have always been the goddammit bugging weaknesses I had since Form 1. This urge to iron out these bugs, am I some sort of perfectionist? :P Maybe it's just the plain ol' never-give-up spirit. Kiasu, you say? Not a chance.
This spirit, which kicked in only after I got my trial results (4A 3B- B for History, BM and Maths [dont ask what happened]). Then only did the real flame ignite within, and my room gets flooded with revision books, and the sweat (literally) starts to run down my face. For the whole of September, I swear, I wasnt my normal self. I would over react to any dips in performance from my practices, I was quiet, I frowned alot, the list goes on. The PMR can do strange things to you.... (~_<)
Or was it because I was thinking too much of this relatively small exam? when we look at it, tens of thousands of students could reach for full As, why not I? Since im doing rather well in class, only having some slight problems with BM and History, and those are only Bs, not Ds and Es. Maybe its these small blemishes that make my mind think its some sort of big failure, to not get full As in what looks like an easy exam. I kept thinking "What if I cant? No, my grades arent going up, I cant get 7As, no, its so easy, I cannot not score full As, but I'm not improving". Nonetheless, I kept working, studying, revising, practicing, and do the everything I could to get the best possible results. Then came the PMR, just put to use everything I had learnt over 3 years, put to use all the practicing I've done, make the best of my months of effort.....
And so, all that effort has paid off, and so it is 7As. Well done to all the others who scored high, or above their expectations, and to those who didnt fair too well, this isnt your death, you just have to pick up the pieces and keep working hard, and not to give up. You still got SPM, it aint over just yet. I finally get to replace my ancient phone with a new (not really, to most tech geeks out there) slick and shiny Nokia 6300. Thanks to Mum, (also for the new phone and racket! :D ) Dad, Bro, and family for their support throught out my PMR erm, "campaign" :P, and teachers for their endless help and guidance for us facing the PMR.
A nice 2MP camera (finally), colour screen (finally), music player (finally), a phone that wont humiliate me (finally), and finally (finally), a gadget that I can call, a proper mobile phone!!!!
Adding to that, my Pro Ace racket has got a new room mate, the Apacs Nanospeed 777. Stiffer, lighter, better looking, can;t wait to try it. My first tries at using the camera are below (no macro setting, so close ups are lil bit blur)....
And lastly, I would like to wish everyone, everywhere, a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2009!
I have to admit, the last 2 months following up to the PMR was nothing short of pure torture. All the long hours staring at books, the many dribbles of ink I've drained doing BM essay practices, the shortage of tv, internet, music, etc. Gosh, its like stripping Superman of his red cape. I, reveal here for the first time, I was actually on the verge (thank goodness I didn't) of a meltdown from all this pressure.
What pressure? It was this urge inside telling me I have to keep pushing to get the best results, if I let of the teeniest bit, 7As will go out the window. My BM and History have always been the goddammit bugging weaknesses I had since Form 1. This urge to iron out these bugs, am I some sort of perfectionist? :P Maybe it's just the plain ol' never-give-up spirit. Kiasu, you say? Not a chance.
This spirit, which kicked in only after I got my trial results (4A 3B- B for History, BM and Maths [dont ask what happened]). Then only did the real flame ignite within, and my room gets flooded with revision books, and the sweat (literally) starts to run down my face. For the whole of September, I swear, I wasnt my normal self. I would over react to any dips in performance from my practices, I was quiet, I frowned alot, the list goes on. The PMR can do strange things to you.... (~_<)
Or was it because I was thinking too much of this relatively small exam? when we look at it, tens of thousands of students could reach for full As, why not I? Since im doing rather well in class, only having some slight problems with BM and History, and those are only Bs, not Ds and Es. Maybe its these small blemishes that make my mind think its some sort of big failure, to not get full As in what looks like an easy exam. I kept thinking "What if I cant? No, my grades arent going up, I cant get 7As, no, its so easy, I cannot not score full As, but I'm not improving". Nonetheless, I kept working, studying, revising, practicing, and do the everything I could to get the best possible results. Then came the PMR, just put to use everything I had learnt over 3 years, put to use all the practicing I've done, make the best of my months of effort.....
And so, all that effort has paid off, and so it is 7As. Well done to all the others who scored high, or above their expectations, and to those who didnt fair too well, this isnt your death, you just have to pick up the pieces and keep working hard, and not to give up. You still got SPM, it aint over just yet. I finally get to replace my ancient phone with a new (not really, to most tech geeks out there) slick and shiny Nokia 6300. Thanks to Mum, (also for the new phone and racket! :D ) Dad, Bro, and family for their support throught out my PMR erm, "campaign" :P, and teachers for their endless help and guidance for us facing the PMR.
A nice 2MP camera (finally), colour screen (finally), music player (finally), a phone that wont humiliate me (finally), and finally (finally), a gadget that I can call, a proper mobile phone!!!!
Adding to that, my Pro Ace racket has got a new room mate, the Apacs Nanospeed 777. Stiffer, lighter, better looking, can;t wait to try it. My first tries at using the camera are below (no macro setting, so close ups are lil bit blur)....
And lastly, I would like to wish everyone, everywhere, a Happy and Prosperous New Year 2009!
December 15, 2008
Sawadeekap!
Just returned (at 12pm from aunt's house) from a 4-day trip to the south of Thailand, Hat Yai and Songkhla to be exact. I haven't had a proper vacation in 10 years+, and this one was well worth waiting for. I carried a pocket journal with me the whole trip, and I'll pen down everything form paper onto the web page.
Day 1 - December 11th
6AM- Woke up from a 2-3 hours sleep. Dad's un-mutable snoring gave me one heck of a night.
6.42- We leave for breakfast in Ipoh Gardens East. Ah Yee said we'd leave by 7 sharp or she'll pay breakfast for all of us 7 people. :P
7.24- Reach Ipoh. Been some 4-5 years since I last came here, I dont recall any McD's and Tesco here from the last time. Quite some old buildings still stand from the olden days, lots of new ones stand too. One new feature is this sort of camera that takes snap shots of road users who beat the red traffic light. Saw 2-3 fellas caught in the act.
8.00- Ate a small plate of wantan mee. Some financial crisis. We continue our journey up north.
10.57- We reach the tours service that will take us in and around Hat Yai. Met our tour guide, Ah Chai (I'd like to imagine his name being Chaiwarat Parithow).
11.25- Hopped on our van, traveled for about 5 minutes and went through customs and immigrations department, and we cross the border into Thailand!! First things I notice are the many tuktuks along the roadside, and that 99% of motorcyclists here dont wear helmets. Riders here have some Mat Rempit DNA too apparently, they ride fast, but not dangerously. Also, this place (Sadao is where the border is located) is full of 7-11 stores. I wonder why.... Also, roads here are filled with Thai flags and portraits of their king. Hows that for patriotism...
11.30 (Change to Thai local time, +7 GMT) - We cross over a bridge that welcomes us to the city of Hat Yai. First impressions of the place looks similar to Ipoh, with shops filling up the streets here. Speaking of shops,one shop here will occupy 2-3 shop lot spaces. So if in Mas where shop lots are one individual store, here you can see shops like motorbike shops or electronics shops stretch to use up 2-3 shop lot units.
11.48- We check in at the Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel. I dont know if its been officially rated a 5-star hotel, but in my book, it sure is. Here's some pics.
The entrance
This is what we see when we look to the left in front of the hotel
And this is what we see when we look to the right
Yep, Lee Gardens has McD's too. KFC and Pizza Hut as well
Rooftop garden from my cousin's room
Isn't that a pleasant view?
12.00pm- We were given our keycard to room 1421. Not too shabby, has a tv and mini-fridge. The clock is set 2 hours behind Mas time, who knows why. Nice marble walls and floor line the bathroom. Nice bathtub too.
12.30- We head to a local food shop for lunch. Had Thai fried rice mixed with prawn and crab meat, oysters with egg, sotong, and most importantly, tomyam! First sip of pure Thai toyam tickles the tongue with its spices and maybe sweetness when mixed with santan.
1.00- Ride a tuktuk to a local market (there are many throughout Hat Yai, and they are similar to markets here in Mas). Bought clothes and souvenirs. At one of the crammed markets we visited, an old lady was selling shoes. I figured I could buy one to replace my already beaten up pair of black school shoes. Yich, the lady kept grabbing my arm and persuaded me to buy her shoes. Eew.... Couldn't find the right pair anyway, none had my size.
3.15- Return to hotel. Noticed that Lee Gardens has a swimming pool, sky buffet (33rd floor, the very top) and health massage service.
4.40- Tried out my very first bath in a bathtub. Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh....... how relaxing.... until I was left soaking inside for almost 45 minutes. *oops*
7.00- Explore the town at night. Nightlife brings out all the roadside stalls, as they pack the front of our hotel and just about everywhere else with food stalls and souvenirs stalls. Noticed that beggars too line up some walkways here. Had Thai style mee + kuey teow in gravy for dinner.
8.00- A tuktuk we took to go to the night bazaar wont start, so we swapped tuktuks. Tuktuk drivers here try very hard to get customers to ride their tuktuks.
8.07- Reached the bazaar. Very jammed and packed compared to our pasar malams. Canvas roofs are just centimetres above my head, the bazaar is filled with funny smells and all sorts of shops, mainly imitation clothes. Saw a shop selling cute puppies, but nobody brought a camera to the bazaar, so.... : (
9.10 - Back at hotel after an hour of walking around. A day of walking and shopping sure takes a toll on your legs. Flipped through the 75 channels on TV, only 4-5 are in English. Astro Wah Lai Toi is here too.
11.00- Tried sleeping, dad's snoring made things hard.
Day 2- 12th December
6AM- A rough night was ended with a nice wake-up call service from the hotel.
7.05- Went to the 10th floor, also the sky-lobby, for our free buffet breakfast. We'll enjoy the same free buffet breakkie for the length of our stay. :D Here's our food and drinks, and some shots of the sky lobby:
Chicken and mushroom soup. Hot milk behind the soup bowl
Steamed mee, tomato, fries, tempura and chicken sausage. (My breakfast)
The fruit stand
From our table
View from sky lobby window
Lovely vase
From the entrance at the sky lobby
I like this fountain.... :)
Drinks stand
Food counter.... mmmm...... free buffet......... :]
8.00- Did some shopping in front of our hotel. After that we headed to the Goddess of Mercy (or Kuan Yin) Temple for prayers. Lots of firecrackers was set off, there was also a statue of the Laughing Buddha (sorry, no pics on those).
Ah Yong and Yi Jeong setting up the crackers
That tall tall tower is where we hang the crackers. Pay RM100+ if you want yours to go right to the top.
The Kuan Yin
Walk up the stairs to see the laughing Buddha
9.40- More praying at the Four-Faced Buddha Temple. Also released birds after making wishes.
Ah Yong KK's birds
Fly birds, fly!!!
10.00- Family group photo at the Golden Buddha Temple. A very nice view of the whole Hat Yai city can be seen from here.
10.50- Visited a local snacks sort of warehouse/shop. Saw a cockle farm along the way. Bought a good load of tidbits. An old lady making dodoi didnt give me a response when I asked for a photo of her. Oh well....
11.15- Van goes on a ferry across a river that takes us to Songkhla.
11.45- Arrive at a seaside, seafood shop for lunch. Tomyam, fish, sotong, soft-shell crab, cockles, mmmmm.........
Our Tomyam
Sotong...
Fish...
Soft-shell crab
Erm, what's this called in English? Cantonese its called la-la
12.40PM- Visited the golden mermaid statue.
2.00- Went sight seeing after riding a hill lift to the top of Tang Kuan Hill near the Songkhla seaside. Visited the Golden Pagoda of Songkhla, we rested while a noisy, loud-chatting family and their hyperactive children ran around ringing the bells that circle the pagoda site.
Monkeys!!
Hey, look here.
Little girl ringing the one of bells
A pagoda
2.30ish- Went back down, and found photos of our faces taken and pasted on nice ceramic plates, I dont think I'll be eating off "my" face.... :P
3.45- Back at hotel.
8.00- Dinner of Hat Yai porridge with some normal stuffs, fish, chicken, etc. Walked around, I didnt find any nice things to buy tonight.
10.50- Had birds nest and Thai cendol for supper.
Day 3 - 13th December
6.05AM- woke up to a flooded room entrance and bathroom. Later investigations showed that the occupants in the room next to us left the tap running overnight, causing water to spill out and seep to other rooms.
7.50- Same breakkie as yesterday, only that the mee is replaced with fried rice. Met with the lady from Ling Optical who did up my glasses. Small small world... :)
1.00pm- Had Hatyai chicken rice for lunch. Didnt pick up much difference compared to our chicken rice.
The whole day was spent just walking around and some more shopping, until
6.15- We arrive at Hansa Palace for dinner + a cabaret show. I had no idea what that was, and the advertisement flyer on our dinner showed some women, scantily dressed. And later dad tells me they are transvestites. Eeewww......... I lost my appetite at this moment.
7.45- The show starts with traditional dancing in traditional clothing. Doesnt look too bad, in fact, the, ahem, men, look very much like, erm, women, and you cant really tell them apart. Then there was this, man/woman dressed with just undergarments, parodying the song "I Will Survive", and did some funny mouth and tongue gestures, and also digging his/her armpit. Some parts were I felt, things I should watch in 3-4 years time. It wasnt enjoyable, but I wont say it was terrible either. The traditional dances were the only parts I liked.
Dig that armpit!!!
9.00ish- Final group photo in front of the hotel ground lobby.
Final Day - 14th December
8.30AM- We say goodbye to Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel, and to Hat Yai.
9.40- Cross over back to Malaysia.
6.10PM- Back at aunts house in Tapah after a massive jam due to ke por chi Malaysians slowing down to see an accident at the side of the road. Wira hits taxi, taxi hits another car. Since it's so late, we decide to go home tomorrow (or, as I type this, today).
Well, there you have it. A good 3 days worth of vacation with memories that I'm sure will last decades. Pics taken courtesy of my Ah Yee, Yi Jeong, our tour guide Ah Chai, cousin Yoke Yee and her boyfriend Ah Yong, some bell boy whom I didn't see his name, and yours truly. Not sure when our next vacation will be, but these memories will sure be good stuff to tell the family and friends.
Giant longans from Thailand
This cowboy dude was selling some little toy...
Not sure what the strings do though....
Thai police car
Daredevil shot outside the tuktuk... xP
Smile! :]
Looking out the back of the tuktuk
Here's what it's like to get into a tuktuk
A side view of a tuktuk
Insane shoes shop
More and more shoeys....
McDonalds in Thai!
Looking up at the underground mall below the hotel
Just entering the underground mall
Nice, well kept BMW 318i
Toyota Celica
Thai policemen
Kuala Lumper? Nope, never been there.
Grrr... Horseshoe crab
Before they meet the fire, and become lunch.
Damn those prawns are HUGE!
Puggy....
Yeah, mug pug shot....
Special only in Thailand, and at RM4, quite a pinch on the wallet. Notice how many baths you need to take to eat one.
Did I say Sprite? Erm, I meant the Coke, yeah, I ordered the Coke, yeah, yup.
Grrrr... King crab
"I'm telling you, the prawns are THIS big!!"
Yoke Yee, meet Mr Krabs and his grandchildren
The bell boy said "So many bags from 3 rooms, cool....."
On the way home, the capital of Kedah crashed into the capital of Perlis
Day 1 - December 11th
6AM- Woke up from a 2-3 hours sleep. Dad's un-mutable snoring gave me one heck of a night.
6.42- We leave for breakfast in Ipoh Gardens East. Ah Yee said we'd leave by 7 sharp or she'll pay breakfast for all of us 7 people. :P
7.24- Reach Ipoh. Been some 4-5 years since I last came here, I dont recall any McD's and Tesco here from the last time. Quite some old buildings still stand from the olden days, lots of new ones stand too. One new feature is this sort of camera that takes snap shots of road users who beat the red traffic light. Saw 2-3 fellas caught in the act.
8.00- Ate a small plate of wantan mee. Some financial crisis. We continue our journey up north.
10.57- We reach the tours service that will take us in and around Hat Yai. Met our tour guide, Ah Chai (I'd like to imagine his name being Chaiwarat Parithow).
11.25- Hopped on our van, traveled for about 5 minutes and went through customs and immigrations department, and we cross the border into Thailand!! First things I notice are the many tuktuks along the roadside, and that 99% of motorcyclists here dont wear helmets. Riders here have some Mat Rempit DNA too apparently, they ride fast, but not dangerously. Also, this place (Sadao is where the border is located) is full of 7-11 stores. I wonder why.... Also, roads here are filled with Thai flags and portraits of their king. Hows that for patriotism...
11.30 (Change to Thai local time, +7 GMT) - We cross over a bridge that welcomes us to the city of Hat Yai. First impressions of the place looks similar to Ipoh, with shops filling up the streets here. Speaking of shops,one shop here will occupy 2-3 shop lot spaces. So if in Mas where shop lots are one individual store, here you can see shops like motorbike shops or electronics shops stretch to use up 2-3 shop lot units.
11.48- We check in at the Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel. I dont know if its been officially rated a 5-star hotel, but in my book, it sure is. Here's some pics.
The entrance
This is what we see when we look to the left in front of the hotel
And this is what we see when we look to the right
Yep, Lee Gardens has McD's too. KFC and Pizza Hut as well
Rooftop garden from my cousin's room
Isn't that a pleasant view?12.00pm- We were given our keycard to room 1421. Not too shabby, has a tv and mini-fridge. The clock is set 2 hours behind Mas time, who knows why. Nice marble walls and floor line the bathroom. Nice bathtub too.
12.30- We head to a local food shop for lunch. Had Thai fried rice mixed with prawn and crab meat, oysters with egg, sotong, and most importantly, tomyam! First sip of pure Thai toyam tickles the tongue with its spices and maybe sweetness when mixed with santan.
1.00- Ride a tuktuk to a local market (there are many throughout Hat Yai, and they are similar to markets here in Mas). Bought clothes and souvenirs. At one of the crammed markets we visited, an old lady was selling shoes. I figured I could buy one to replace my already beaten up pair of black school shoes. Yich, the lady kept grabbing my arm and persuaded me to buy her shoes. Eew.... Couldn't find the right pair anyway, none had my size.
3.15- Return to hotel. Noticed that Lee Gardens has a swimming pool, sky buffet (33rd floor, the very top) and health massage service.
4.40- Tried out my very first bath in a bathtub. Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh....... how relaxing.... until I was left soaking inside for almost 45 minutes. *oops*
7.00- Explore the town at night. Nightlife brings out all the roadside stalls, as they pack the front of our hotel and just about everywhere else with food stalls and souvenirs stalls. Noticed that beggars too line up some walkways here. Had Thai style mee + kuey teow in gravy for dinner.
8.00- A tuktuk we took to go to the night bazaar wont start, so we swapped tuktuks. Tuktuk drivers here try very hard to get customers to ride their tuktuks.
8.07- Reached the bazaar. Very jammed and packed compared to our pasar malams. Canvas roofs are just centimetres above my head, the bazaar is filled with funny smells and all sorts of shops, mainly imitation clothes. Saw a shop selling cute puppies, but nobody brought a camera to the bazaar, so.... : (
9.10 - Back at hotel after an hour of walking around. A day of walking and shopping sure takes a toll on your legs. Flipped through the 75 channels on TV, only 4-5 are in English. Astro Wah Lai Toi is here too.
11.00- Tried sleeping, dad's snoring made things hard.
Day 2- 12th December
6AM- A rough night was ended with a nice wake-up call service from the hotel.
7.05- Went to the 10th floor, also the sky-lobby, for our free buffet breakfast. We'll enjoy the same free buffet breakkie for the length of our stay. :D Here's our food and drinks, and some shots of the sky lobby:
Chicken and mushroom soup. Hot milk behind the soup bowl
Steamed mee, tomato, fries, tempura and chicken sausage. (My breakfast)
The fruit stand
From our table
View from sky lobby window
Lovely vase
From the entrance at the sky lobby
I like this fountain.... :)
Drinks stand
Food counter.... mmmm...... free buffet......... :] 8.00- Did some shopping in front of our hotel. After that we headed to the Goddess of Mercy (or Kuan Yin) Temple for prayers. Lots of firecrackers was set off, there was also a statue of the Laughing Buddha (sorry, no pics on those).
Ah Yong and Yi Jeong setting up the crackers
That tall tall tower is where we hang the crackers. Pay RM100+ if you want yours to go right to the top.
The Kuan Yin
Walk up the stairs to see the laughing Buddha9.40- More praying at the Four-Faced Buddha Temple. Also released birds after making wishes.
Ah Yong KK's birds
Fly birds, fly!!!
10.00- Family group photo at the Golden Buddha Temple. A very nice view of the whole Hat Yai city can be seen from here.
10.50- Visited a local snacks sort of warehouse/shop. Saw a cockle farm along the way. Bought a good load of tidbits. An old lady making dodoi didnt give me a response when I asked for a photo of her. Oh well....
11.15- Van goes on a ferry across a river that takes us to Songkhla.
11.45- Arrive at a seaside, seafood shop for lunch. Tomyam, fish, sotong, soft-shell crab, cockles, mmmmm.........
Our Tomyam
Sotong...
Fish...
Soft-shell crab
Erm, what's this called in English? Cantonese its called la-la12.40PM- Visited the golden mermaid statue.
2.00- Went sight seeing after riding a hill lift to the top of Tang Kuan Hill near the Songkhla seaside. Visited the Golden Pagoda of Songkhla, we rested while a noisy, loud-chatting family and their hyperactive children ran around ringing the bells that circle the pagoda site.
Monkeys!!
Hey, look here.
Little girl ringing the one of bells
A pagoda2.30ish- Went back down, and found photos of our faces taken and pasted on nice ceramic plates, I dont think I'll be eating off "my" face.... :P
3.45- Back at hotel.
8.00- Dinner of Hat Yai porridge with some normal stuffs, fish, chicken, etc. Walked around, I didnt find any nice things to buy tonight.
10.50- Had birds nest and Thai cendol for supper.
Day 3 - 13th December
6.05AM- woke up to a flooded room entrance and bathroom. Later investigations showed that the occupants in the room next to us left the tap running overnight, causing water to spill out and seep to other rooms.
7.50- Same breakkie as yesterday, only that the mee is replaced with fried rice. Met with the lady from Ling Optical who did up my glasses. Small small world... :)
1.00pm- Had Hatyai chicken rice for lunch. Didnt pick up much difference compared to our chicken rice.
The whole day was spent just walking around and some more shopping, until 6.15- We arrive at Hansa Palace for dinner + a cabaret show. I had no idea what that was, and the advertisement flyer on our dinner showed some women, scantily dressed. And later dad tells me they are transvestites. Eeewww......... I lost my appetite at this moment.
7.45- The show starts with traditional dancing in traditional clothing. Doesnt look too bad, in fact, the, ahem, men, look very much like, erm, women, and you cant really tell them apart. Then there was this, man/woman dressed with just undergarments, parodying the song "I Will Survive", and did some funny mouth and tongue gestures, and also digging his/her armpit. Some parts were I felt, things I should watch in 3-4 years time. It wasnt enjoyable, but I wont say it was terrible either. The traditional dances were the only parts I liked.
Dig that armpit!!!
9.00ish- Final group photo in front of the hotel ground lobby.
Final Day - 14th December
8.30AM- We say goodbye to Lee Gardens Plaza Hotel, and to Hat Yai.
9.40- Cross over back to Malaysia.
6.10PM- Back at aunts house in Tapah after a massive jam due to ke por chi Malaysians slowing down to see an accident at the side of the road. Wira hits taxi, taxi hits another car. Since it's so late, we decide to go home tomorrow (or, as I type this, today).
Well, there you have it. A good 3 days worth of vacation with memories that I'm sure will last decades. Pics taken courtesy of my Ah Yee, Yi Jeong, our tour guide Ah Chai, cousin Yoke Yee and her boyfriend Ah Yong, some bell boy whom I didn't see his name, and yours truly. Not sure when our next vacation will be, but these memories will sure be good stuff to tell the family and friends.
Giant longans from Thailand
This cowboy dude was selling some little toy...
Not sure what the strings do though....
Thai police car
Daredevil shot outside the tuktuk... xP
Smile! :]
Looking out the back of the tuktuk
Here's what it's like to get into a tuktuk
A side view of a tuktuk
Insane shoes shop
More and more shoeys....
McDonalds in Thai!
Looking up at the underground mall below the hotel
Just entering the underground mall
Nice, well kept BMW 318i
Toyota Celica
Thai policemen
Kuala Lumper? Nope, never been there.
Grrr... Horseshoe crab
Before they meet the fire, and become lunch.
Damn those prawns are HUGE!
Puggy....
Yeah, mug pug shot....
Special only in Thailand, and at RM4, quite a pinch on the wallet. Notice how many baths you need to take to eat one.
Did I say Sprite? Erm, I meant the Coke, yeah, I ordered the Coke, yeah, yup.
Grrrr... King crab
"I'm telling you, the prawns are THIS big!!"
Yoke Yee, meet Mr Krabs and his grandchildren
The bell boy said "So many bags from 3 rooms, cool....."
On the way home, the capital of Kedah crashed into the capital of Perlis
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)