Rantings Rage

A little update...

2009-09-29T09:40:00.001-07:00

Just a quick post before heading for lunch and class and test later, just so my little blogging space won't be obsolete. =p

I just got myself a car, a used car. I am happy with it and already used it for a week now! It was so important during the past weekend because of the trouble I saved and the inconvenience I will cause if I don't have a car at that time. Yes, I am getting use to having a car and enjoying the privileges of a car. Road trip in my mind next!! Hmm... where will be a good place? =p

Weather is turning to be extremely cold now! Yes, Fall is here! =( It is very sunny now, with clear blue skies, but the temperature is miserable. It's sooooooo cold! Sigh... Jackets are out to show themselves, and flip flops are going to be retired till the next summer... =(

Alright, that's all now. Lunch time. Adioz!

Of my iPod and scare...

2009-09-02T17:54:00.000-07:00

Well well, another long absence, how sad. I keep trying to find time for this, but I can't. Busy with studies and work, and it is becoming routine, I can't help it. I can't find any topic to rant about, can't find much time to think of what to rant, until yesterday.

Yesterday, just as I was packing up and getting ready to sleep, I noticed my iPod was low on battery. I was playing it the whole night, plus a couple of days on the bus and some time out in the hall. Hence, I decided to give it a little charge. I stuck the USB cable into it, connect it to my laptop, voila!! My iPod decided to hang on me! =S

I was shocked! My iPod never once failed me, and I have yet to receive any comments from anyone about their iPod not working! I frantically press every button available, check if I accidentaly slid the lock on, but NO!! It just showed me the same screen! I was hoping it is my computer's fault, hence I restarted my computer, tried unplugging and plugging it in several times, and it still did not work. Sad...

I looked around for my iPod case, which I still kept in the cupboard. Looked around the user manual, (when was the last time you or I did this?!) and found a life saver - the hard reset code! I tried it the first time, and it didn't work. OMG!! Tried a couple of times more, and still it didn't work! Shell shocked and down, I look at the buttons I pressed and the command.

I PRESSED THE WRONG BUTTONS!

How dumb is that?! I tried it again, this time making sure I have the right buttons, and finally the bitten apple came to life. A sense of relief came to me, my iPod is back with me again! I tested it, managed to give it a half an hour charge, and it accompanied me on my bus ride again. It did freak me out when I actually read that the warranty period is for 1 year only and I owned it for slightly more than a year now. Probably the manufacturers timed that scare, didn't they? Hmm...

Back!!

2009-08-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

Hey folks!! I am back in USA already! I finally managed to unpack my suitcase and boxes, managed to arrange them in my room as well. Yes, my room finally look more hospitable! Lol.

I took a walk to the bank yesterday, and I realized how far it is from the bank to my apartment! Sigh, even classes are far this time around. Lol. Have to wake up 10 minutes earlier I guess! =( Selling car anyone? I am interested in getting one. Heheh.

Weather here, it's still summer. Yeah, hot! Lol. But again, it's much better than Malaysia's hazy condition, at least the air here is fresh! =p I enjoyed walking to the bank yesterday, but started to feel the heat and the distance when I walked back from the bank. Lol. I should get some excersize going today, hmm...

Alright, got to carry on with my chores. Laundry is killing me!! =/ Adioz!

Almost over!

2009-08-08T02:29:00.000-07:00

Wow, two months of summer holiday in Malaysia is almost over! Next Tuesday is time for me to head back to USA and continue building my career already! So fast...

I look forward to head to USA to build a career, but also I feel time is so fast these two months. It seems like last week I just reached Malaysia, and now I am about to leave, how I wish I can stay longer with my family.

Well, I do need to be strong and carry on with life, start my own career and have my own family. Yes, that is what I need to do, carve out a successful career and have a great life. =D

Hmm... I am just crapping, nothing better to do. I just packed my luggage, leaving some room for tomorrow's item and I should be done. Let's hope my luggages will not be overweight, or I will need to sacrifice more stuffs. =(

Well, besides meeting Seafield 5 Amanah people, I have basically done everything I need to in Malaysia, and ate every food I want to as well!! =D Well, no one from 5 A contacted me after they say wait, so I guess this time around I came back at the wrong timing! How sad. Next trip guys. =)

Alright, time for some family time and I will start my journey back to USA. Adioz!

A walk in KL

2009-07-29T19:59:00.000-07:00

I planned to take the train in KL, where the last train was said to be at 12am. But, when we reached there at 11.50pm, it was already closed. Same old Malaysia, never stick to their plans, causing trouble to everyone!! Anyway, we ended up walking.

Sad to say, there ain't a good feeling walking in KL late at night. Yes, I was a little paranoid, very very aware of my surroundings and our safety. We kept to the main roads which are well lighted by street lamps, but the fear still remains in me. Every motorbike went by us is like a threat to me, and nerves in me made me ready to pounce on anyone to make sure we are safe!

Why? Why is my very own country making me feel so unsafe? In fact, I feel so much safer at Des Moines, Iowa, USA!! A foreign country is giving me the security instead of my very own country!! Why can't Malaysia improve? They say there will be no more bribery, they say there is 1 Malaysia, but I don't see any of these situation improving!! It's been 2 years since I step foot on Malaysia and no improvements have been made! This is so disappointing.

It's the same with government workers speaking English. 2 years went by and yet there are no improvement with them dealing in English. Yet the government change its English policy in high school back to BM. Outrageous! How can the country improve when the very basic thing is not met?! Sigh...

This is saddening. This is disappointing. Why why??

Manchester United @ Malaysia - Part 2

2009-07-20T19:38:00.000-07:00

The post I have been waiting to put up is finally here!! =D Yes, it's all about Manchester United Football Club again!! Wahaha... Lucky me, I get to go for both the training session and also the actual match, which was worth every single penny!! =D

I managed to get a picture of every single player who played on Saturday night against Malaysia XI. No, I am a strong Man. Utd. fan, so I never catch much of the Malaysian players. Heck, even the whole stadium is turned to a sea of red!!

There's only one part (a couple of rows, or maybe a little handful more?) of Malaysian fans, though there are some more spread around the stadium, standing out like small mushrooms in a few of grass because of the color contrast. They did managed to make some noise to cheer the Malaysian team, but when Man. Utd. fans cheer, the noise level increase significantly and the Malaysian cheer has no where to be heard.

The match was a thrilling match, leaving everyone gasping till the 85th minute. It looked destined for a historic draw, but Man. Utd. new signing Michael Owen put the team in front and destroyed the Malaysian team's dream. Nevertheless, everyone was in for a Man. Utd. win and we got what we paid for. Wonderful.

With that said, the final score at 90th minute is 2-3 to Man. Utd. Even though the Malaysian team lost, everyone are impressed with their performance and start to have a little more faith in the team. Don't believe me? Compare the previous meeting score between Man. Utd. and Malaysia XI! It was 0-6 to Man. Utd. back then!! This time they at least held on the a level score after the opening of the second half and they put in a lot more enthusiasm and effort! Well, at least I am impressed with their performance. What do you think? =)

Alright, enjoy the Sea of Red at Bukit Jalil, Malaysia, as it is time for me to sign out and head back to my Dreamweaver studies. Adioz folks! =D

Manchester United @ Malaysia - Part 1

2009-07-17T05:51:00.000-07:00

Today is July 17th, 2009. And it is also the day when Manchester United Football Club came all the way from Manchester, England to Bukit Jalil, Malaysia. Today is the first day of their Asia Tour 2009.

I attended their training session, which is about an hour long. It is the first time I get to see the players live instead of in the TV, which is amazing!

They are scheduled to play Malaysia XI tomorrow evening, where I can say almost 100% of the crowd are there to see the world's most famous football club (instead of supporting their very own country's football team!!).

As for now, I will be heading to bed earlier to recover from the sun burn I got earlier! Lol. Adioz!!

Happy!!!

2009-07-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

I am happy, very very happy. Second chance is given to people, and today I witnessed this kind act. It is wonderful, very wonderful.

Everyone have strengths and weakness, and sometimes weakness overpowers their strengths. But, there are times when strengths overpower weakness, and that is when wonderful things happen. =D

I am not sure what am I crapping, but it is ok, all I know is I am extremely happy today. A very wonderful opportunity came along and it is accepted with an extremely excited pair of hands. Wonderful. =)

Winter Sonata

2009-07-07T01:47:00.000-07:00

I am listening to the piano version of Winter Sonata, and it makes me feel so...

lonely...

sad...

cold...

insecure...

lost...

It is as if I am walking alone in a street, and with Winter Sonata's images (no, I have not watched the movie, but have seen poster about it), I feel like I am walking alone in a street with snow every where, with gray and darkening sky, feeling so lost and lonely.

I hope this won't happen to me, I hope I won't feel lonely, I hope...

Ipoh, here I come!!

2009-06-29T01:02:00.000-07:00

I am heading to Ipoh tomorrow!! Woohoo!! Time to eat again!! =D

Well, there goes my jogging weight loss program for this week, but never mind, it's worth it!! =D Ipoh, here I come!! =p

Waiting...

2009-06-25T20:06:00.000-07:00

Love, and being loved, is the most amazing thing.

Now I am waiting, waiting to know what the future outcome is going to be. Please, let it be the favorable outcome, let my dreams come true, let... please...

Penang trip

2009-06-16T05:45:00.000-07:00

I am back from Penang! Well, not exactly today, not yesterday either. Yes, I was back on Sunday, but only blogging it today. I was busy with computer software and other stuffs, therefore never blog. =p

People said Penang drivers are reckless and crazy, and so there I was, smack right in the middle of Penang, and there I witness how amazing drivers can be. Lol. And I thought Kuala Lumpur's drivers are crazy, but how wrong I am. Yes, Penang drivers are the undisputed champion crazy drivers. Lol. Not that this is a good title, but I really can't help it when I got a taste of the drivers there!

Besides the driving, I managed to eat some famous food there. I didn't have enough time to eat so much, but at least I did get to eat. Wahaha... After all, Penang is Malaysia's food haven, isn't it? =D

Well, that's about it now. Have to continue with some stuffs, adioz!

Malaysia... Hot hot hot!!

2009-06-09T21:41:00.000-07:00

Gosh, the weather here, so hot and hazy!! It's so hard to breathe, so humid and dusty! I hate the haze!! How I wish a heavy downpour will present itself!! Sigh.

I haven't had the chance to meet up with friends, or should say I have already met up with a couple of friends for basketball. Besides that, I still have not had my yumcha session. Still too busy with relatives, sigh.

I need Adobe Dreamweaver software, anyone have it? I went around looking for one in LowYat, but I can't find any. And I hate Primerica now. =(

Heading to Penang this weekend, not sure how it will turn out. Hopefully everything will run smoothly. Adioz.

Malaysia!

2009-06-05T02:21:00.000-07:00

I am in Malaysia now!! I am back for summer holidays! How nice to be back home, but how unpleasant to be welcomed by a missing luggage. Sigh. Malaysia, still screwed up some times, but I am back for the food, so let's now have that to spoil it.

I had mamak already, char koay teow also. Wait till I head to Ipoh for their famous delicacies, and then down south to Malacca for their own food, wahahaha..... The weather here is hot and humid, making me so sweaty and sticky!! So uncomfortable, sigh. I guess taking shower more often will help me get use to it faster, hopefully!! =p

Sigh, some people working here still have no idea how to converse in English!! I am frustrated with that!! They can't even understand a single line of simple English!! How are they going to put up a good image to foreigners and visitors if they are going to continue to be like that?! Sigh... Improvement is needed, and where is it?

Till then... Ciaoz!

Crapz...

2009-05-14T09:37:00.000-07:00

Gosh, time is so slow when you want it to be as fast as possible. I am sitting here waiting to take my last finals. It's at noon and it is now 11.35am. Tick tick tick... why can't you tick faster at this moment and tick slower at other enjoyable moments? Sigh... human psychology, always playing mind games with themselves.

Sigh...

Updates!! =D

2009-04-25T09:20:00.001-07:00

Ahh... I found time to update in the space of a few days! How wonderful!! =D

It's Drake Relays weekend, and everyone is in the party mood!! It's making me so lazy to do anything. Coupled with the rainy weather today, it is really tempting to sleep in for the whole day!! Well, what made me wake up this early today? Sadly, I can't sleep in. Lol. I woke up around 8am, laze around for some time more, finally gave up trying to continue to sleep and went out getting a 2 mile run in. It was great! Running in a little chilly weather, occasional rain drops falling on my head, it surely was fun to run! =D

What am I doing now? Well, sitting at Jewett's common room, with my laptop, well, on my lap, waiting for my football match to start at 11.30am. =D Heck, I am even wearing my Man. Utd. jersey!! Go Manchester United!! We will win the Premier League and also the Champions League!! =D

Too bad today's weather is raining, if not I will whip out my camera and start taking some pictures of blossomming flowers! =D I am hoping tomorrow's weather is nice, but looks like the forecast isn't saying so. =(

Aight, it's about time to watch my game! Till then, adioz!! =D

Waiting and Hoping...

2009-04-22T11:12:00.001-07:00

Gosh, I abandoned my blog for a period of time again!! I really need more time now, I can't wait for summer holidays!! Three more weeks and I will be free of studies fro three whole months!! So wonderful even to think of it now!! Waiting and waiting...

Well, time for the last burst of cramming and jamming for this semester I guess! I am hoping I can at least get 3 A's... Will it be too optimistic? I wonder... Still hoping... Still working on it...

I probably should get some pictures up, but I have yet to get them into my computer. Still waiting... Where can I find time? Zzzzzzzzzz...

Does anyone out there know anything about website designing? No, I am not talking about just a simple blog, I need one which does more than a blog. Waiting and hoping someone will be kind enough to share this piece of knowledge with me...

Alright, time for class now. Somehow I managed to squeeze some time to get this post so that I am not abandoning my blog. Hopefully I can update more frequently when summer comes and I am back in Malaysia!! Hoping... Waiting... Zzzzz... Adioz!

Spring Break and Birthday!

2009-03-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

Sorry this is kind of late, but I am lazy and there are assignments waiting for me. =(

Anyway, some pictures of my spring break trip to Branson, Missouri. =) I had so much fun there, so relaxing, no worries about life, how wonderful. =p But, every vacation have to come to an end, so I am back in reality, which is not so enjoyable. Sigh...

On Mar 23, my dear celebrated her birthday! Yes, I did suprise her, and she was happy with the celebrations. Anyway, picture is worth a thousand words, so I will let the pictures do the talking. =D

How's that? Nice? =D Wahahaha...

Alrighty, I am done here now. Hopefully the next post is very soon instead of another month of absence! =S Ciaoz!! =)

Spring Break!!!

2009-03-12T19:06:00.000-07:00

Yay!! Spring break officially starts for me!! Well, it will end early as well, but let's not care about it, let's care about tomorrow's trip!!

I am so happy, I finally can get some rest!! Always working and studying without much play is not fun, and tomorrow till next Tuesday I will be playing all day long!! Let's hope my boss won't call me, then I have less worries. But I am not bringing my laptop along, so I won't carry my work along to spoil my holidays!! =p

Where am I heading you say? I am heading over to Branson at Missouri with my host parents and my girl!! How fun is that?! I just can't wait to go!! Another 12 hours and I will be on my way there! So nice even just to think of it now!! I can't wait I can't wait!! =D

Oh, I am heading back to Malaysia for a homecoming trip come June 1st as well!! It's been so long since I set foot on Malaysian soil! Now just hope that I will do well this semester in studies as well as work, and I can enjoy my success when I am back in Malaysia! =p Fingers crossed babe!! I am just so happy now, even though I am tired. Wahahaha...

I really should start on making the sandwich for tomorrow's trip, but I just can't help relaxing and enjoying myself now!! =p Aight, enough of crap, let's get started on the sandwich... See ya after the break!! I will make sure there will be pictures here!! =) Have a good break everyone!! Cheers!!

Random...

2009-02-25T18:18:00.000-08:00

Gosh, I abandoned my blog again, how sad. So many things to do, so little time for me, how is this possible? Why am I here when I just mentioned that line you say? Well, it is because I am waiting on people to do their work before I can do mine, so I am here! =p

Don't really know what to say today, so probably just about some random stuffs I guess. I remembered hearing somewhere that love is like fire, very nice to have, but very hard to control when it gets out of hand. I do agree with that statement. I don't know why, but I just thought of that statement recently.

Sometimes things are so hard to tell when there isn't the opportunity, and paying the penalty for not telling is also very hard to take. I do know that I should create the opportunity myself, but words are easier said then done, trust me.

Another random stuff: I do feel that I am selfish sometimes. It really breaks my heart sometimes, and I really wish it will be much better. Hopefully things will turn out good.

Adioz...

Food, Food, and more Food...

2009-02-01T20:27:00.000-08:00

Steelers won!! Suprised I watched the Superbowl? Lol... Yes, I watched it with my host family, and we did enjoy it. It was a great game, wasn't it?

Anyway, as I have promised, some pictures. =p

How's that? A fruit platter, a glass of nice dessert wine, and the cutest girl on Earth, all in one picture. Ain't that wonderful? =p

I didn't manage to get a picture of the main course, which was salmon steak, with asparagus and scallop on the side. Too bad, but we are happy, and that's all that matter. =D

As for reunion dinner, I made these:

Bak zham kai!! =p

Beef stew.

Brocolli.

Chinese cabbage.

It was a nice dinner I must say. Well, not because I made them, but it's because of the happy faces eating the food. =p

Alright, class time!! Till the next post... Adioz...

Updates... Lol

2009-01-29T17:38:00.001-08:00

Wow, it's really been a long while since I posted something here. I feel guilty abandoning my blog, my quiet little blog. Lol. This time around it will be just a short little post, but I promised you the next time will be something nice.

I must say, having a girlfriend is great. I improved my culinary skills, and I also enjoy having someone to share my life with. =p No no, don't worry, I won't get all smoochy here. =) On the the next post, I promise to upload some pictures. =p

Alright, time to head out for some poker at Drake now. I am still patiently playing to get that coveted number one spot of the night, but maybe not tonight. Lol. I still need to improve my game!! Lol. Aight, leave you here, will be back next time. Ciaoz!!

Happy New Year, with a new resolution! =D

2009-01-04T12:11:00.000-08:00

Gone is 2008, here comes 2009!! This year is the year of my graduation, end of the year though. This year will also be a year of changes in my life, change for the better I definitely hope. Of course, this year will also be another chapter in my life.

Well, what better way to start off the new year with a hair cut on New Year's Day itself?! Hahaa... Yes folks, I have my longish, untidy hair cut. =D

These are pictures of my old hair style, my longish hair:

In the process of turning ugly to uglier then to the light at the end of the tunnel...

And walla!! My new hair style!!

What do you think? Are you shocked? No need to deny, people who saw me with my new mane are quite shocked at first, then smile and laugh. =p Hey hey, I don't mind!! The most important person said I am cute, and my parents like it, so I am happy. Wahahaha...

Well, there are a few things on this year's resolution for me, and here goes:

1. Build my resume, adding value to myself. I wanna learn Visual Basic, and also pass actuarial exams!!

2. Build my body, adding muscle to myself, LOL!! I am still dreaming of being able to do a slam dunk!!

3. Build my bank, adding money to my bank!! =p I wanna go somewhere nice, somewhere I have yet to visit. =)

I think that's all now. Surely, I can add more to the list in the future, but I will not decrease it. Everything on the list is something I can achieve, and is something valuable to me. Let us all strive to achieve our New Year's Resolution!! =D

Christmas 2008

2008-12-28T13:34:00.000-08:00

Ahh... Quiet and relaxing white Christmas I had. Yes, I was alone. Of course, I did hang out with some friends who are around, which I truly appreciate their company. Shopping during Boxing Day wasn't as great as I expected. There weren't much sales, and there weren't much things to shop for, pretty dull and boring.

With so much time, I got myself to do some workout in the evenings. Even though I was at home, I still manage to get some serious workout done. =D Yes, muscle ache and sore shoulder, I still would like to get more workout in today. Six packs, here I come!! Or eight packs maybe? =p

What else I did? Hmm... I played foosball with Adrian, which is nice; I managed to clean up my house as well; watched the Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which was a great movie; best of all, won some money playing poker! =p Hey hey, a straight beat pair 10s anytime, doesn't it? Won some cash and dignity, and I feel great! =D

Well, back to work tomorrow after the nice long weekend. I am invited to join a few good friends to Minnesota over the New Year, and I am seriously contemplating it. Money and work is the main factor; on the other hand, friendship and holiday. Hmm... What should I do? Go, don't go? Will see, making the decision tomorrow...

Sadness...

2008-12-22T18:14:00.000-08:00

Gosh, I am bored and lonely. Really. =(

I thought I will be ok after sending you off, and I was, till I was all alone when you got on the plane to Japan. Calls from you before you board the plane helped me kill my loneliness a while, but once I realize that it will be at least till tomorrow that I hear from you, the lonely feeling creep up on me.

I guess not doing much at home and being alone really encourage sadness. Add in the fact that almost everyone will be gone for holiday, including my housemates, my loneliness and sadness really haunt me. Just a few hours and I am missing your voice and your presence beside me. I really can't wait till I hear your voice tomorrow!

I really hope working tomorrow will ease the pain, but I start to have doubt against that. Tomorrow is a crucial day at work, and hopefully that can take my mind off missing you for a while. Really, I don't want to screw up tomorrow. =\

I need someone to come accompany me to ease this feeling, I need a good friend who can cheer me up, anyone? Have I been a good friend lately? I do hope so and also hope that I have good friends out there who will be willing to do something with me.

Sigh... I wonder how can I sleep tonight... I miss you my dear... =(

Finals is OVER!! =p

2008-12-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

Yahooooo!! Finals is over for this semester!! Whether or not I screwed up for finals is not a question for the time being. =p Time to enjoy and relax now!! =D

Where should I go? What should I do? Hmm... That's some challenging question I must say! Well, all I know now is that I will be free these few days, after that I will be working. So I must enjoy whatever holiday I have!! =p

Let's hope there will be some fun activity coming up for me!! I don't want to waste these few precious holiday!! =p And also hopefully I can get some pictures or posts up here... =D Ciaoz!

Zzzzz.....

2008-12-10T09:57:00.000-08:00

Finals... Zzzzzz.... Sigh...

So bored. So much to study, so little mood to do it... Why why??

Someone give me some motivation please!! =(

Amazing weekend!

2008-11-17T14:13:00.000-08:00

I had an amazing weekend. Amazing.

First up, we went out for dinner at a German restaurant and bar. Dinner was fine, everyone shared a huge platter, and we get to sample a bit of everything, including their famous pork shank, which was very good. A few sips of beer to wash down the food and we head over to the next location.

The next location, Iowa's very own local casino, Praire Meadows. Yeap, I am making full use of my legal age now!! I played a little poker at the poker room, which is a pleasant experience. No, I did not win any money, but at least I know what it feels like to play in the casino.

After that, we went to the Grand Piano Bistro. I got myself a bottle of beer, and we managed to get a table in the filled bistro. Just as we were chatting over a beer, two guys went up the stage to continue their piano duet. Playing songs requested from the audience, they were a blast. I must say, understanding between them is amazing. While one is entertaining the crowd, the other one is playing some background music; they even know when they want to stop and let the crowd sing along! Wonderful. I really enjoyed it, not because of the alcohol, which I only had one bottle of beer, but because of the live performance and the atmosphere.

The next day, I head over to my boss place. The best part, I got to learn how to shoot a gun!! Two gun as a matter of fact. First is a small calibre gun, easy to handle, easy to hit the target. It was a rifle, and it was quite fun. After a few rounds, we up the fire power. We shot a 9mm Glock, and it was amazing. Squeeze the trigger, hear the shot, hit the target, exhilarating!! And yes, the bullet shell is what I took for souvenier, something for me to remember my first time ever shooting a gun.

To sum out such an amazing weekend, we had some pho tai bo vien (vietnamese beef noodles) after some wrestling and MMA. It was wonderful, and by far the best weekend for this whole semester! =D

孤单，寂寞，勇气，伤害。。。 =(

2008-11-07T14:01:00.000-08:00

好就没用话语写一篇“作文”了。。不知如何，今天我有点想用华语来表达我的心情。

今天，一大清早就开始下雪，真的是令我感觉很孤单，寂寞。有时真的会觉得自己很傻: 明明知道是错，知道是会受伤害，但我还埋着头，继续错下去。。。可能这是我盲目的一边吧，也许这是我骗自己的梦想，但我很清楚知道这条路将来是会让我自己感得很痛苦。

可能今早在巴士上听着悲伤的歌曲吧，所已我才想太多，或许应该说我想得比较仔细。。无论如何，我已经是可以猜测到将来会发生什么事。。可能这样也好，至少可以给我一个心理准备。。

是不是太多时间和下雪的关系令我想这些我不想要面对的事情，我不太清楚。。。但是昨天的谈话令我深深的想我是否应该这么做。。答案我还不太清楚，但是我可以对自己说这会是一个很难很难做的事情。。一边的我不想放手，另一边就知道越早放手越好。。。唉，叫我应该如何呢？？

当我在想这一回事的时候，我还记得第一次见到她。当时我么不认识对方，不过后来有机会认识，不知不觉地我就傻傻的变到今天的地步。。

可能我应该学过路人，选美好的回忆，把伤心的一切从今抹掉。但是我有没有这一股勇气呢？我还不知道... anyone care to help?

Fall Break

2008-10-18T15:13:00.000-07:00

Man, another long absence again! Seriously, I don't want this to happen, but sometimes I am too tired to blog, sometimes too busy, or sometimes just plain too bored. Well, there's nothing much to blog about when I am bored. But, here I am now, writing another post yet again.

Fall break is here, and today I went paintball, organized by International Student Association. We went to the same place as last time, and I had quite some fun. Yeap, two bruises only this time, but still bruises are bruises. Lol.

But then again, the bruises are just part of fun. Being able to relax and get myself away from school and work is the main thing to do today. Bored and tired, some activity which I don't get to do often is always welcome. =p

Man. Utd. won 4-0 this morning! Wonderful. Sadly I didn't get to watch it because I went for paintball, but it wasn't too bad after all.

As for now, I am ready to get some rest, chillax with some shows and dinner, and get back the sleep I lost! Lol. Adioz. =)

Craziness...

2008-09-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

What a week I must say! First, I have three tests. Next, all three tests is on the same day!

That was really crazy. Having three tough test on the same day is really mind sapping. I think I did OK for the tests, but I can tell you that I definitely never score any one of it. Yes, very very sure that I did NOT score any one. =(

I went jogging after all the tests. Sadly, all the energy is gone. My usual 3 mile jog became 2 mile. Luckily the pace the did not drop. =D

Today is also Poker Night at Drake. Yes, I am in the Poker Club, and I am leading the score board. We play on a point basis system. Though I lead the score, I have yet to win one Night. =( Second and third seem to haunt me, prevent me from getting first. Tonight, I lose yet again, this time not even at the final table. =( I thought I had it, an Ace spade flush. My hand, Ace Queen spades. Man, how good can it get? Yet I lost. I lost to pocket Aces. There was an Ace on the table, and a pair of fives. Gosh, that's an Ace house! What a hand. =( Well, next week then, there's always next week. Next week, number 1 will be mine. ><

Alright, now time for some relaxation time. A bit of PS2 and then I will sleep tight before another day of work tomorrow. Adioz...

Rantings

2008-09-17T12:59:00.000-07:00

Busy busy busy... How sad is that? I have three test on the same day, and one more the following week. There's one more I have yet to check. Quiz tomorrow, yet I have not finish studying for it. And to make things worse, there's a lot of work to do besides studies. =/ Sometimes I just forget about the workload and have some recreational time such as basketball and gym and jogging, of course, not forgetting PS2. Yes, a little outdated, but the games are still good, aren't they?

What am I doing here amidst all those crazy workload? Watching football. =D Heck, Man Utd is playing, and how can I not watch?! =p Yeah, it's just an excuse for me to temporarily escape my burden.

Well, that's about it for this post. I just want to at least get something on here instead of leaving it empty for such a long period. Lol. Yeah, let me rant a little, let me just relieve my stress a little. =p Adioz...

First week...

2008-08-30T12:14:00.000-07:00

First week of classes came and gone, and it's the time again for my thoughts about this semester. Lol. I am still wondering why am I taking such a heavy load this semester. =/

First, I am taking Fin102, and the lecturer is Prof. Rozycki. After two classes with him, my impression for him is still good, and it has yet to evolve to the toughest professor everyone has been talking about. Well, I guess that will be tested again when the assignments and test starts to come. Till now, he is still a good lecturer, and he tries to make the class interesting with a couple of jokes or more.

Next, Fin150, and the lecturer is Prof. White. He is a new lecturer, and this is his first semester teaching here at Drake. With that said, there's not much history about him in Drake, except that his interview with DASS (Drake Actuarial Science Society) was conducted by the committee members of DASS, who happens to be students. I guess that's positive, since students know exactly what kind of lecturer is good for the subject. So far he still have a positive impression in my mind. =)

Acc165 is another subject I am taking, taught by Prof. Njoroge. She's from Africa, and she have an accent. Well, it is not a bad accent that I can't listen to, so it is fine with me. It seems that she have been teaching for quite some time at Drake, and I have not heard anything bad about her, so I will take it as she is a good lecturer. She teaches with PowerPoint slides and uses the textbook a lot, giving tons of homework, but I guess that's how we can learn accounting, which is through tedious practice and exercises.

I am taking Mgmt110 as well, and the lecturer is Prof. Reed. She isn't bad, and she can get quite comical at times. Cheerful and funny, and she keep stressing about how detailed this course is, which in terms translate to there's a lot of reading in this course! =( I have a hunch that this semester is extremely busy! Well, Monday is Labor day, and she have a conference on Wednesday, which means there's no Mgmt110 class for a week! =p Recharge and get ready before the work load starts coming down!

Last but not least, Acts151, taught by the funny and cute Prof. Judd. I had him last semester for Acts150, and I believe I have a little more experience dealing with him. No, don't get me wrong, he is a great lecturer, and he always tries to make his class funny, or at least his character makes the class funny. The material covered is just two chapters, which is bad, BAD! Two chapters for the whole semester (four months) does translate to this course is tough tough and tough. Since I got an extremely tough finals from him last semester, I will try my best to prepare more for finals this time around!

Well, there you go, 5 subjects, 15 credits this semester, and it seems like there's more work load as compared with last semester. I guess that's what happen when one climb up the course structure and starts taking higher level classes. It's the senior year for me this time around, and I have to balance work and study now. Fingers crossed, pray hard, and let's prepare for this semester! I want to at least get Dean's List once here at Drake, and let's make it this semester! =D

End of summer...

2008-08-24T20:22:00.000-07:00

Another two hours and summer holiday will be over; and another 14 hours my first class for Fall 2008 semester will officially start. Time flies, doesn't it?

I have already been here for a year, and much has happened since my arrival here at the States. Well, I've met new friends, worked, learned how to be more independent, did mistakes, made dreams to reality, etc. Of course, I still miss home, miss my family and friends, miss the food, etc. But I must say getting an opportunity to study abroad is really something one should appreciate.

And my summer, spending an entire summer here in the States, I must say it isn't bad at all. Being able to get an opportunity to work allows me to learn more than just what is thought in class, and it also allowed me to earn some money, which I did splurge on a thing or two. Well, I must say those stuffs that I bought isn't something of a waste, though I can live without it. =p But then again, I earned it by working hard, so I truly think I deserve it. =D

Well, tomorrow is back to crunch time I guess, a whole new semester, and a whole new challenge in life. Let's get some rest and when my eyes open tomorrow it will be the first day of Fall 2008 semester here at Drake University. Good night folks!

Happy and crazy

2008-08-07T18:19:00.000-07:00

I am happy now. I feel relaxed. =p Why you ask? The answer is simple: I have a vacation!! =D Yes, tomorrow I do not need to go to work, and on Sunday I will fly myself to the world reknown New York City again! =p I am paying NYC another visit, and this time it's going to last for 6 days. A much, much needed vacation after working for almost the entire summer. I said almost is because summer isn't officially over, though it will only last a few more weeks. =(

When I got off work today, it felt exactly like when I finished my finals. I know that I have to go back to work after the break, yet it is a great relief that my break have finally arrived. The same feeling as I finish finals: I know I have to get back to the books after the holidays, yet there is a period of time where I can just escape from it. =D Yeah, I know, I am just crapping a sh*t load here. Lol. Haven't done this for a long time I must say.

Anyway, I am really really going to enjoy myself for this vacation. Hopefully I won't get a call from my boss. Well, it's not that I will fly back to work during vacation, nor will I bring my laptop to NYC just for work, it's just that when he calls me I have to search through my memory and think of something to solve that problem, which will definitely waste my precious vacation time. Haha... I know I am lazy, I do admit that. Why not? =p

Anyway, I have quite a lot of jogging to do to catch up with my "mileage" target. Jogging made me do something crazy too! It was something which I very very seldom do I must say. What you say? I will tell you right here, right now. =p

I was jogging on Tuesday you see, from my place to Hyvee. On the way there, I happen to meet this girl who was walking the opposite direction. I know this may sound crazy, but I can't help to think that she is very, very pretty. People who live in Des Moines are generally friendly, so we smiled at each other when we passed by. She really do look so sweet and beautiful when she smile. How nice I thought. =p

And then came the crazy thing I did. It wasn't my schedule to jog again on Wednesday as I normally jog on alternative days, but I went ahead and jog the same route, just hoping that I will bump into her again. Ain't that crazy? Lol. But who cares? As long as I don't do anything illegal it will be fine, isn't it? Well, not much luck second time around I should say. Yeah, you guessed it, she didn't walk that day, or at least we didn't meet while I was jogging. =(

Well, the nice side of the story is, I did put in some jogging and I am a little closer to my target. I also get to explore another street, which is quite peaceful and nice for jogging -- Cottage Grove Av. itself! Yes, the very street I live on. It is a very nice street for jogging, and it is away from all the hassle of University Av.! I will be jogging on this very street more often I think. My 25 mile target is still a distance apart, and I will reach my target before school starts. =D

Alright, enough of crapping. I will have to excuse myself because I have a farewell partaaaaay of a friend to attend. Let's hope tomorrow's jogging will allow me to bump into her again. Wahahahahaa... Adioz!

Suprise!!

2008-08-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

I promised something great, and now I deliver my promise.

On August 3rd, 2008, at 2015 hours, my hall looks like this:

And then on August 3rd 2008, at 2200 hours, my hall looks like this:

Can't see what is that? Need a closer look? Here you go:

How is that for a piece of furniture in my apartment? I finally got what I wanted! I guess staying in the States and getting a job for the summer isn't that bad! Or should I say it is amazingly wonderful? =p Yes, I am happy, very happy. Why shouldn't I be? After all, I have been wanting to have a foosball table in the place I live in. =D

Alright, that's all for now. Now I am gonna do some practice everyday if possible to prepare myself for an upcoming DYP right here in Des Moines! Let's hope Mr. Adrian will come along. =D Ciaoz...

Updates... Rantings... =p

2008-08-02T20:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, I basically spend the whole day out today!! Amazing. I haven't been shopping for a while, and finally I got the chance to walk around the mall today at Jordan Creek. =p Yeah, I know. It does sound weird that a guy would like shopping and walking around in the mall, but I guess too much of routine makes one bored! =p But I seriously do enjoy shopping, not every single day though! =p

Suet dropped by Des Moines with her boyfriend to visit me! How nice of her. =p Finally met up with some old friends. She's still the same I should say, out going and funny... etc. Not much changes I should say. Haha... It was fun getting to meet her again here at the States. =) Thanks for visiting me Suet!! =)

Well, I watched another movie today!! Hahaha... This time I watched The Mummy 3. What do I think about it? Well, another mummy movie I should say, with the beginning a little draggy, and the story line is sort of the same as before. Not much suprise I should say. I would give it maybe a 2.5 out of 5 stars.

And now I would like to set a target for myself -- jog 25 miles in total before school starts. =p I have already made 6 miles in three days of jogging, and there will be this coming week and the week before school starts on the 25th of August for me to build up my "mileage". =p I am heading over to NYC on the 10th, so I guess that will stop me from jogging, or maybe not if I have the chance. =p

The three days of jogging allowed me to discover some pretty sights around Drake I must say. Well, not in Drake campus area I must say, but places around Drake like 42nd Street, Forest Avenue... Some houses there are just so nice and well shaded, which reminds me of my holiday in Australia way back then. =p And now I also know that University Avenue is an easier course than Forest Avenue (only apply from 25th Street to 42nd Street so far! =p). My next run will be 4 miles I hope, and most likely it will be more challenging because there is a big hill past 42nd Street! =p

Alright, that's pretty much about it for now. I will blog again on either tomorrow or Monday, because there will be something to blog about. Something nice, something fun. =p Adioz for now! =)

The Dark Knight

2008-07-20T12:16:00.000-07:00

Guess what? I got to watch The Dark Knight yesterday! I watched it at an iMax theather in downtown Des Moines! Hey hey, some part of the film is specially filmed for iMax, so it's of course worth it watching at an iMax theather, don't think so? =p

Anyway, there won't be any spoiler here. It is a very good movie, and it surely lived up to its hype. Hey, the queue to enter the theather started building an hour before the show! Another thing, tickets are sold out in almost all cinema here! That's how many people watching it. Amazing. And I must say this iMax experience is way better than the first one I had in Omaha. Lol!!

I must say this movie deserve 4.5 stars, or maybe 4.8 stars, out of a 5 stars scale. Yes, it is truly a good movie, one worth watching. Heck, the whole theather clapped once the movie ended. Everyone was in awe how good the movie is!! Go watch it for yourself, don't wait till they stop screening it! Dig up your piggy banks and look under your couch for money if you have to, just make sure you watch it at the cinema, or a surround sound home theather system! =p

Truly a good movie. And now let us all remember the person who gave his all for this movie, Heath Ledger.

Ironman

2008-07-02T19:59:00.001-07:00

I think I missed out a movie review on this show. I happened to watch Ironman on the day it was released. I guess too much of assignments and finals coming up, that's why I didn't write a review on this movie. Well, since it is so late, this post will contain spoiler. Don't read if you intent to watch the movie! =p

This movie set out by showing this successful guy making high-tech weapons for the US government. Then he went over to the Middle-East to showcase his latest and most powerful bomb, or superweapon I should say, the Jericho. It was broadcasted live on TV, and the whole world knew about it. It was a successful broadcast, and its main purpose is to cast fear to enemies.

While on his way back, his convoy was delibrately ambushed. Admist all the chaos, he found himself staring at his very own company's bomb before it served its purposed in front of him. Fortunately, he was saved by another specialist. But, due to the nature of that bomb, his body is contaminated with metal shrapnels. In order to save him, this specialist created a 'heart' for him, a 'heart' that will hold the metal shrapnels in place in order for him to survive.

When he woke up, the heart was already planted in him. After some explanation, he and the specialist became allies. Forced by the commander who bought his company's weapons, he agreed to make the Jericho. Yes, it is a disguise. He secretly made himself a suit of armor, armed with a flame thrower, and able to fly with booster on the armor's feet.

Sadly, to escape, the specialist sacrificed himself. With all the sound effects and screen effects, Ironman was born. He destroyed the whole hideout of the terrorist group, and started to fly out of the area. Well, it wasn't tested before, so I should say it didn't flew very well, which was quite a funny sight.

After he got back to US, he decided to stop making weapons. Of course, his company's board was not happy. He went on with his decision, and secretly in his underground lab, he continue to refine his suit, his Ironman.

Able to get whatever technology he needed, he successfully created Ironman. He flew back to the Middle East, destroyed the whole terrorist camp, and met two Raptors on his way back. Needless to say, he came home safely, and that is when Ironman is near perfection.

Well, guess who is selling the weapons to the terrorist? Yeap, definitely the company's partner. Profit. Which wide-eyed monster don't go after profit? After he found out this truth, he was angered and he continued to add power to Ironman. Meanwhile, the suit which he made during his escape was found by the terrorist leader and later made its way to the traitor. Making that junk more powerful, making it a more sophisticated weapon, and making it stand against Ironman was what the traitor did.

The fight was nice, though as usual, good guys win in the movies. Well, being overpowered, Ironman can only outwit his opponent. With a little help from his beloved secretary, evil is being destroyed by a burst of technology itself.

With all the fight going on in the city and a crescendo finale to the fight, it's to no suprise that the press, also known as paparazzi, was interested. Headlines of the fight came out, with the name Ironman splash over the newspapers. After reading the papers, he thought the name Ironman was perfect. Being told to hide the truth and given alibis, he stood facing the press. He was asked: "Can you tell me what happened in your power plant last night? Are you involved in the fight? Are you Ironman?" After a little thought, he said:

"As a matter of fact, I AM Ironman!"

What a way to end the show. A line to remember, a line which enables a sequel if they consider making one, and a line which I call killer line. =p I had say this movie is worth 4 stars out of 5 stars as well. Considering the fact that I just wrote another movie review about 45 minutes ago, these two movies stand out for itself, and certainly have its own moment. A great movie, and a movie worth watching another time.

Now, if only I have the chance to catch the next most anticipate movie... The Dark Knight anyone? =p

Wanted!

2008-07-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

Time for some movie review again! Finally, after so long, I managed to get myself a chance to the cinema again. Sigh, the trouble of not having a car! Anyway, this time around I watched Wanted.

The movie tells about a guy, just like me and you and everyone else, pathetic (quoted from the movie!), who have a chance to change his life. A group of people who are born-to-be-assassins found this guy, whom his father happens to be one of them. This group of people call themselves the Fraternity. They go by a code of fate, killing whoever the code tells them to.

Well, I can't and won't tell the whole story here. It is well worth the money for you to head over to the cinema to watch this movie. But, as the trailer did show, people of the Fraternity do know how to curve a bullet and hit the bull's eye! That is just a simple imagination of the producer, yet it managed to produce a huge effect on screen.

This movie also have a lot of - what I call - killer line. And most definitely, they saved the best to the last! Haha... I give this movie 4 stars out of 5 stars, and trust my word, head over to the cinema near you and feast your eyes with this movie. Lol. Adioz! =)

Six weeks ago I was a normal guy, stupid and pathetic, just like you....... I have taken control of my life. So, what the fuck have you done lately?

Rantings...

2008-06-16T20:52:00.001-07:00

Ever heard the phrase routine is boredom? Well, if you haven't, then I shall tell you now. Yes, routine is boredom. I am bored.

I have settled down quite nicely in my apartment, I enjoy cooking some nice food for myself, and my intern is treating me well. No, I have not get my pay for this month, very soon, very soon... Watching TVB drama have also been entered into my daily routine now.

Yes, every day is the same: wake up, wash up, eat up, dress up, catch up with the bus; then work, lunch, work, bus, workout on alternative days, drama while dinner, continue drama, sleep. And the cycle continue again.

How bored is that?! I can list out the whole day!! If there is a change, it will be groceries shopping and video games. How sad can it be? I want a change, a little change to my daily routine. I want a vacation! I want to do something I don't usually do!

Sometimes I do wish I am in Malaysia now with all my friends and family, yet sometimes I feel lucky to stay here for the summer. I have learnt a lot doing this intern, and it's not the end yet. Still, I don't want it to be a routine. I once have a lecturer who said people are afraid of change. I agree very much to that statement. Yet, I want a change in my daily routine now. How ironic.

Well, I am done ranting here. If you read through the whole thing and feel that it is rubbish, I am sorry. I don't have anyone to rant to, and I have time to rant, so it came out in words here. Well, the time have come for me to brush up and sleep. Time to restart the routine again. Adioz...

Ironic life?

2008-05-31T12:09:00.000-07:00

I went to Walmart yesterday, to get my groceries and stuffs like that. Well, what made this post is because I met two persons yesterday which really made me wonder.

The first person, an Indian cashier. He have hearing difficulties. It didn't bother me much because all I need to do was just put the stuffs I bought on the conveyor belt, put it back into the cart, swipe my card, and off I can go. But then he started to chat with me. He wrote on a piece of paper:

"Do you go to school? Where?"
I looked at him, then wrote back: "Yes, Drake."
His eyes lit up. He then wrote: "What's your major?"
Interesting guy I thought. Well, I answered: "Actuarial Science and Finance."
Clearly he looked impressed. He went on and asked: "Where are you from?"
I swiped my card, then wrote: "Malaysia. You?"
He did what a cashier should do, then wrote: "India. I am going to ISU."

Now I am impressed. Really impressed. I looked at him, shook his hand and wished him luck. He must have a lot of courage and passion for study, must he not? These are the kind of people which is called successful and to be respected.

I walked to the bus stop and waited for the bus. Across the street was a man holding a card board which wrote: "Hungry. Need Food." And he showed that card to every car which stopped at the junction.

I thought to myself, how ironic. Inside in Walmart, I just met a person who strive very hard for a good life even thought he is handicapped; and not outside of Walmart, I met a person totally opposite. To me, he just gaved up on his life, and he is as perfect as a normal person could be. If he was to be wasting his time begging for food, why can't he get a job to support himself? I am sure Walmart can hire him, or maybe Hyvee or some other companies.

But then I saw something which he can be proud of. Someone offered to get him a beer instead of food. He answered: "No beer. I don't drink." Well, at least he held on to that principle of his.

Well, I guess I should treasure what I have and work harder for a better life! Study harder and work harder... =p

April shower; May sunflower

2008-05-29T16:45:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know it's near the end of May already, and this post might be a little outdated, but who cares? =p Enjoy the pictures!! =D

And now for some random pictures:

Cooking 101

2008-05-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

I am bored. I am in my new apartment now, but still no cable tv to watch till Saturday. The internet connection I am using also isn't mine. How sad. But then again, I spend some time cooking, and realized that it isn't too hard to cook. =p

My first self-made lunch special, chicken spaghetti. =p

Looks appetizing? It taste great, and I can tell you that my opinion is unbiased. =D

Then today I cooked this:

Chicken curry! I thought it was hard, but it turns out to be quite simple. Hehe. I think it is a little dry, maybe because I like more gravy. And also, I think I should make it spicier next time. =p

Hmm... What's cooking for tomorrow? I wonder... And ponder... =p

Updates...

2008-05-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

Finally finals are over!! And finally I have moved out of dorm!! Yes, excuse me for the absence, I was busy with my finals and also busy moving my stuffs around. I thought I don't have much stuffs to move, but end up I do have quite a lot of belongings! =p

It is summer holiday already, and it started 4 days ago for me!! Some people have summer holiday earlier or later depending on their finals. Anyway, I have not done much yet for summer holiday, except went out with friends for one night, worked a few hours, and shift my stuffs to my temporary house.

I will be moving into my apartment, the one which I will permanently stay for at least a year, on Tuesday. Yes, more moving around, but I guess it is worth it. Still there are lots of stuffs I have not get. Sigh.

About 90% of my semester's friends have left for home, with 4 already back home as I am typing this. How I envy them!! I want to be home as well!! It has already been 9 months since I am at home!! And then some of them also envy me because I am doing an internship. What comes around goes around?

Well, I guess that's all for the update now. I am planning on getting my driving license soon!! =p And the weather, still lagging behind time. It is still chilly even though summer holiday has begun. Let's hope it turns warmer soon!! Till next time, bye! =)

Texas Road House

2008-04-29T20:19:00.000-07:00

Well, no. I don't have the chance to go over to Texas yet. Texas Road House is a steak house right here in Des Moines. =p

Anyway, I finally got to taste the famed Texas Road House. It was said to have by far really great steaks, and someone was telling me that their bread that they served as appetizers are great too! Well, it sure did lived up to it's name!

I had prime rib, and how else should it be cooked other than medium-rare? I have had prime ribs at other outlets here in Des Moines, but this is by far the best! Yes, no kidding! It was so tender, well marinated, and well roasted to perfection! Simply amazing.

They even served buckets of peanuts, classic! Just that this time we are supposed to throw the shells into the empty bucket, instead of on the floor. But on my way out I happened to saw that we can actually throw the shells on the floor at the waiting area! Totally into the mood.

Outside Texas Road House. We couldn't find a better spot for a group picture. This was by the entrance. So please ignore the shiny 'disabled parking' sign! =p

Waiters and waitresses do some cheers if it is your birthday, and they happened to line dance to a music while we were enjoying our food. Really, it does get you into the cowboy mood. The place is well decorated also, with deer heads and stuffs like that. There was even a rattlesnake skin decoration!

If you were to ask me where to go for steak, I will tell you the answer, without hesitation. Yes, TEXAS ROAD HOUSE!!

Relays 2008

2008-04-29T19:56:00.000-07:00

Finally, some time where I can let my writings loose! =p

As I have said in an earlier post, I join in the fun for the Drake Relays, one of the two biggest event to be held in Iowa annually. Where is it you say? It is held right here at Drake University! And Drake students can witness everything for free using their student ID! Well, we did pay for tuition fees, so I guess technically it's not entirely free? Lol.

Anyway, it was a big event, just like a scaled-down Olympic. Every track and field event was held, and participants from other states come and compete with each other for the championship. Really, talents and young athletes are abundant and it's a great pleasure having an opportunity to watch them showing their talents, knowing that some of them may be Olympic champion some day! The route to stardom!! =p

Everything was great, except for one incident where I happened to witness. It was the men's 4x100 relays. One of the first runner tripped while passing the baton, his team mate was about to continue running when the baton was recovered, but stopped when he saw the state of the first runner. He was on the floor, in pain. The only people there was his team mate, and an official who still hold up his flag stating that they didn't pass the baton legally.

Excuse me official? Don't you know how to get help? Where are the medics? After the whole race, and with the winners making their victory round, help finally arrived. From what I saw, it sure looks like a dislocated shoulder resulted from the fall. Luckily it's just a dislocated shoulder, and not a fracture which puncture his lungs or something of that magnitude. But still I believe Drake's emergency team should have reacted way better.

Anyway, due to the relays, bars and clubs around the area have parties for the whole weekend, and almost all of the places are packed with people. I joined in the fun as well, danced to some music and had a blast of a weekend, admist working in the mornings. =p

Now that relays are over, finals are coming. Yes, that means time for studying and studying and studying. Though I am lazy, I still have to put in effort, right? Lol. Group study for finals anyone? =p

DUNK!!

2008-04-22T15:11:00.001-07:00

Here is the picture I promised to upload.

How nice. I get the feel of SLAM DUNK!!! =p

Updates

2008-04-17T17:24:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know I haven't been here often enough recently, always with long absence in between posts. But, please don't blame me. I am just too busy, and (I must admit) sometimes just too lazy or nothing to post about. Anyway, just some updates in this post, and hopefully I have more time to write something here after that.

First up, Malaysian Night, themed M-Night, is this Saturday at 6.30pm. I am involved in two performances, which are taking up a lot of time recently. What performance you ask? Well, one of it is Chinese Traditional Flag Dance, and the other one is martial arts, or rather a fighting scene. It's the full rehearsel tonight, and hopefully everything turn out as planned.

Well, that is not all for this Saturday. Drake's annual Street Painting is on the afternoon of Saturday! The Malaysian Society actually got a spot on the street to proudly display their name this time around! Cheers to Tony Chang who came up with a brilliant sketch which won us a spot on the famous street. I can't wait to attend the event!

Another piece of update, I actually got an internship! It's a statistical analyst position, which sort of act as a consultant to the company. I am excited and delighted to get the offer, and I can't wait to start work! =p But the scary part, and also the best part of the job, is that decisions will be made based on my work alone, and the cost can run up till half a million! Gosh, I sense a heavy burden coming down on my shoulders, but then again it will be a great achievement for me to actually make decision for projects which involve so much money. Let's hope I do well and gain invaluable experience!

Besides getting an internship, I actually will be moving off campus as well! Yes, I have actually found a place, and I will be staying with my friend. We had a look at the place, and it was wonderful. Things should be settled after Malaysian Night I guess. =p

Alright, I guess that's all for now. I will post videos of my performances and pictures of Malaysian Night when it's over. =)

Movie time!! Gameplan anyone?

2008-04-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

Finally there's something for me to blog about. It has been routine and a little mundane recently, besides the gradually improving weather. =p

I finally managed to get to watch the show 'Gameplan' yesterday, at my host family's house. Yeap, I was chilling out in their place yesterday, after being unable to meet them for quite some time. Anyway, time for my usual movie review. =p

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson is the star of the movie. In the movie, he is a great football player, American football that is, and a very self centered person. The movie also show cases his well toned body, which surely will make the girls ooohh and aaahh. Out of the blue, his never known existed daughter showed up at his door step.

Unknowingly, the appearance of his daughter changed his life. From being the self centered superstar, he became a caring father. Things that his daughter does managed to open up his eyes and showed him that football isn't everything in this world. It sure looks funny when such a huge and muscular guy give in to an 8-year old girl. What's more, he even did ballet! Amazing.

Well, the usual plot of the story -- caretaker come find his daughter, take her away because his daughter thinks that herself is a distraction to his career, and then they reunite when he's feeling down during the football game. When they reunite they have a dramatic win, and both of them are happy together.

Yeap, that's about the whole story, just that I left out more details such as joke scenes and touching scenes and stuffs like that. I would say this movie score an 8 out of 10. Even though certain part of the story line is quite cliche, they managed to pull it off perfectly. =)

Alright, that's about all for now. Time to bury my head into assignments and studies again. I have yet to get the picture I took in my host parents' house, but I promise you I will upload it once I get it. It's just one picture, but it's one amazing picture. =p Adioz!!

Chicago -- the Windy City

2008-03-18T10:02:00.000-07:00

It's spring break, and off I went to the windy city, Chicago. It's a 6 hours drive there from Des Moines, and it was a great relief when we reached Chicago. Stomachs were grumbling because of hunger, joints are sore due to lack of strecthing, and everyone are tired due to the long journey.

Finally, our first meal in Chicago. Comments about that restaurant was pretty convincing, but I must say that it did not live up to expectations. Even those who gave good review was disappointed. Anyway, we made our way to the hotel and recharged our batteries.

Rise early my fellows, our destination will be dim sum at Chinatown! Reluctantly we dragged ourselves up and made our way to the restaurant. The dim sum was quite okay, but if compared to those we get in New York City, it is a mile off from that standard. Anyhow, we head to our next destination -- downtown Chicago for St. Patrick's Parade.

People were everywhere when we reached the area. Every vantage point for a clear sight of the parade were taken. We compensated for it, and can only blame ourselves for not arriving earlier. Anyway, it wasn't all that important. I took pictures of the parade, but then started to get bored, and so we left.

We walked about nearby, visiting the reknown Chicago Bean (it is call some other name, but it is nicknamed Chicago Bean) and also downtown Chicago. We also managed to take some pictures of the river which was dyed green for St. Patrick's Celebration. Authorities claim that they use environmentally friendly dye, but I still can't help thinking what the fishes in the water think! Maybe something like, "Wow! Plenty of algae floating in the water today? Every fish, open your mouths and start eating!" =p

We went back to Chinatown after spending time downtown. Dinner time, which means we are hungry and food will be served soon! We filled up our grumbling stomachs at a seafood restaurant, again claimed to be very nice. It didn't live up to expectation again, and I didn't eat much. Maybe my expectation was to high, but I doubt it.

Karaoke was the next event, and the place for karaoke looks similar to red light area! They even use red lights to illuminate the area! It wasn't too bad, and the bartender aka technician aka 'one man show' was friendly and we did had some fun time there. Suprisingly, one of us was hungry after singing! So supper was up next. We had some food again and head back to the hotel, a journey where everyone except the driver started to doze off.

We slept till the sun was high up in the sky, then headed out in search for korean barbeque. We spent some time getting the address right and the name of the restaurant, but finally our GPS and friend in Des Moines got us to the place. Everyone was very hungry at that time, but there was only one waitress serving three tables! Patience is a virtue, and finally we were rewarded with food to treat our hunger. It was quite nice, but again, I like New York City's korean barbeque better.

We spend some time walking around the korean village, then head back to Chinatown for snooker and pool session. We cancelled the original plan of buffet steak for dinner due to the price and also the mood, and succumb to walking around Chinatown. We end up spliting into a few groups, and I walked with my dear brother. We had char siew and siew yok fan (barbeque pork and roast pork rice) for dinner. The serving was huge, and we had a satisfying meal. We headed back to the hotel, had just a little booze as we planned to play some games that night, but everyone was more interested with those hilarious commercial which the television was airing, and we called it a day after those commercials.

Korean food for brunch the next day, which was the best meal of the trip in my opinion. I spent quite a lot at the korean mart as well, but it was well worth it I must say. A last stop at Chinatown to get more char siew and siew yok and roast duck and also some pastry like egg tarts and buns, we head back to Des Moines. Rainy weather and long journey isn't pleasant, and napping during the journey was the main event.

Back in Des Moines finally, and dinner was great. Kimchi and korean snacks with siew yok and stuffs is a great match. After sleeping on the floor for a few days, my bed couldn't have felt better! =p All in all, I must say Chicago is a nice city. Definitely I will visit Chicago again one day. But to compare it with New York City, I prefer New York City. And for now, back to catching up with studies for the rest of my spring break! Adioz.

Five sites I must visit, tagged.

2008-03-09T12:45:00.001-07:00

Since I was being tagged by Jennifer, I guess it would help me kill some time now. =p

The question was what are the five favorite sites that I must visit every day. Hmm... Let me see.

First up, www.gmail.com. Hahahaa... Well, it's the site where I must visit every day, to check my email of course!! In this era, communicating through email is very convenient and important. Don't you think so?

Next, www.facebook.com. Yes, facebook is getting more and more common, and our university's students organization also use facebook to post events and updates!! I also use it to know when are some friend's birthday and stuffs like that. Keeping in touch with friends all over the world through facebook is also easier now!! =p

Another site will be kennysia.com. Don't know what site is that? Look it up. It is arguably the most popular Malaysian blogger's site. His influence is so big that advertisers look for him to promote their stuffs on his blog! He even got all expenses paid trips to places like the Macao hotel which is like 7 stars! All in the name of advertisements. But don't get me wrong, though there are advertisements on his blog, he made it personal, which, I guess, is why people like his blog because we can relate to him. He's so big that he is now one of the judges for the malaysian dreamgirl search currently on going.

I also visit blueview.drake.edu. Yes, you guessed it. It's Drake University's portal, where I get all the information I need about Drake, and access to my Drake's email and stuffs like that. It's boring but a necessity I guess.

Last but not least, myp2p.eu and footytube.com. These two sites are where I get to watch football, where I get to watch Manchester United winning!! =p Yes, I am a football fan, a Manchester United Football Club fan. I just got myself a Christiano Ronaldo jersey!! =p

Alright, that should be the five sites. Though there are other sites I do visit, I guess these five are my highest hit. Anyone who reads this and feels like doing this tag can go ahead and do it. After you do it then let me know, via comments on this post or just a note on the chatterbox at the side of my page. I am interested in knowing what other sites on the Internet is interesting too! Thanks.

Exams and more exams!

2008-02-28T13:35:00.000-08:00

Skip this post if you don't want to read about how crappy my exam was!

I just finish my Stats 142 exam today!! How was it you ask? Horrible!! Don't even ask what I wrote on the paper, because I don't even know what I wrote! Yes, it was that bad!

It was an open book and notes exam, yet it was tough enough to make me blank when I received the paper. Sigh!! Although I don't hope it happens, but looks like a C is coming my way again! C'mon, two semester in a row?! You've got to be kidding! =/

And then I received my Mktg 101 paper back from grading. As expected, I didn't do that well. The group work did help me out thankfully. Looks like I need to change my way of studying for this subject already!

Well, two down, two more to go. Acts 150 and Econs 105, I hope you two won't cause me trouble! I don't want to screw another test!! =( No weekend for me!! Studies studies and more studies!! Sigh... What a life!!

Long absence again?

2008-02-24T12:36:00.000-08:00

It's been another while since I am here again, how pathetic. I must admit that I do want to always update my blog, but sadly enough there's nothing to update. Every day is just plain routine, every weekend is also mundane.

Yes, there was the Chinese New Year celebration, and it brought me lots of fun and laughter. Bridging the gap with a friend also became fun and routine, and I truly enjoyed it. =) Even though some complications exist in the process, it was eventually sorted out and everything is wonderful again.

What am I crapping now I am not sure also, just that I am clouded by some worries, or rather some thoughts of mine. And it couldn't come at a better time, when there are four test looming over the next two weeks. I couldn't concentrate on the assignment on hand, maybe it's because of what happened yesterday, even though it seems to be clouding my thoughts only.

Yes, I am feeling quite emotional now, and you may hate this post because after a month of absence again, there's an emotional post. I don't want this to happen, but I just can't help it. It's like I am falling into a trap which I know it was there all along. I was warned, yet the bait at the middle of the trap is too tempting for me to try.

What should I do? I don't know. Should I continue to go down this trap? Or should I back out? Will I seem to be a coward and hurt others if I back out suddenly? Why is there so many questions swirling in my head?! I need someone to talk to, yet I still don't know what to say if I face my friend. My friend, my dear friend, come to me! Come help me out of this mess! Sigh...

Spring 2008, new semester!

2008-02-01T10:50:00.000-08:00

Heck, it's been a while since I updated here again. I have always been quite occupied with my dragon ball series with studies, so I guess that's the reason why I have not been here. =p

Alright, it's a new semester, and it's time for lecturer's evaluation once again. Lol. But remember, this is just my thoughts, no offence to anyone!

First, I get Prof. Parsa again, this time teaching me Stats 141. Well, same old Prof. Parsa I must say, great guy, nice to talk and joke with, but not a great teacher. I remember someone told me, a smart guy normally is not a great teacher. So my guess is, Prof. Parsa is SMART! =p

Next, Prof. Judd. He's teaching me ACTS 150. He is a good teacher so far. =p I like the way he teaches, try to put logic into those crazy formula. I have a friend who says that as well. Well, let's hope that stays true all semester. =p

My Econs 105 lecturer, Ms. Sunanda Roy, is an Indian, with a very heavy accent. Yes, very HEAVY accent, and I mean it. Well, it's not a bad thing, just that we do have to pay extra attention to catch her words. For example, the word direct, she pronounce it as DEE-RECT. Well, go figure how her class is then. =p

Mr. Hubbard, my Marketing 101 lecturer, is from Newcastle, England. Yes. the land of football, the land of the world famous EPL. He is a nice guy, but I find it amusing when he needs to change his glasses in between reading and looking at us. Besides, he repeats things to make it clear, which a friend of mine did make fun of while gossiping among us. (don't tell me you don't gossip about lecturers at all!) But then again, I think he's a good lecturer. =)

Lastly, my Management 120 lecturer, Mr. Meyer. (if I am not mistaken it is spelled like that!) I think he is a very patient guy, does his stuffs in an orderly manner, and tries very hard to make this night class interesting. It's a 3 hour class, and it's tough trying to keep student's attention throughout the class. To make the matter worse, we are using the computer lab, which means everyone of us have a computer in front of us throughout the class, which is a great temptation for distraction! Lol.

Alright, that's all for my lecturers so far. There's nothing much to do yet, but I am sure there will be loads of assignment coming my way soon! =(

Off topic, the weather is getting warmer now, which is wonderful! Like my friend commented, we finally get to see those grass, which were cover under a blanket of snow for 3 months! I am also in the midst of applying for internship this summer, but unfortunately I have yet to get an interview. =( Let's hope I get at least one soon! *fingers crossed*

My winter break 2007-08

2008-01-18T11:06:00.001-08:00

There goes my winter break, four more days and it’s the start of the new semester. How am I feeling now? Well, looking forward for the start of my second semester in Drake, but also wish the holidays could be longer and I have more money to spend! =p

How was New York City? Well, let’s just say first impression does not always show the true side of life. Remember I said I didn’t like the way those yellow cabs fight for customers? Well, that’s my first impression of New York City, and my mind quickly summarized that I don’t like NYC because of the competitive lifestyle. Well, I was dead wrong about NYC!

Here, I met some wonderful people, expanded my friendship and also experience. We can practically get almost everything you want in NYC. Malaysian food? Of course. Asian food? Definitely. American food? Yeah, of course! Mexican? European? Everything is here! Tourist destinations? They have a bunch of it. Jobs? Why would they be shortage of jobs? Yes, it’s that good. No wonder there are ‘I love NY’ merchandise.

Going up to the observation deck of the Empire State Building at sunset was an eye opener; looking at the Manhattan skyline at Liberty Island was wonderful; blurry eyes at Times Square’s famous neon lights was amazing; riding the well layout subway was great. Really, NYC is a place worth visiting.

Food you ask? I finally have taste of Malaysian food! There are no shortages of Korean food, Japanese food, and even home cooked food! Well, I am lucky to have Rachel’s uncle and auntie to take care of our accommodation, and that’s where I got my home cooked food.

NYC is also a shopping heaven. If there’s not enough to shop in NYC, take a train to New Jersey, or better still, Woodbury Premium Outlet at New Jersey. I shopped quite a lot this trip I must say. I finally got my white jeans, which cost me a bomb. But I love it, so I guess it’s a reward for me. =p I even got myself a white beanie, but unfortunately I lost it before I even get back to Des Moines. Lesson learnt I guess. Don’t hold beanie in your hand; wear them on your head!

But I guess the most rewarding gift during this trip is being able to meet some wonderful people and call them my friends. A big thanks to Wesley who brought us around New Jersey and let us have a taste of great Malaysian food. Another thank you goes out to Kay Ying who introduced us to her wonderful friends, and also allows us to stay in the apartment next to Rachel’s uncle’s apartment. She also brought us lots of laughter, and it was quite sad when we sent her off at the airport to Hong Kong.

Of course, thank you to Randy, Fred, and Rachel is a must. Without them, I wouldn’t be visiting NYC. Thank you to other people I have met, which are Wai Yipp, Wendy, Ming Kuan, and Collin. The biggest thank you will be to our dear Paris. Lol. It wouldn’t be so enjoyable if we have not met her. She brought us around, let us bully, and provide loads of laughter and memorable moments. Really, thank you to everyone who made this trip so enjoyable.

If there’s a job offer in NYC in the near future, I will most probably be jumping on the opportunity to go back to NYC again. I love NY!

Ahh... Movies!

2008-01-03T19:32:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I write about movies I watched, so I am going to write about two movies I watched in the recent week. Be warned, spoiler ahead.

First up, Alien vs. Predator: Requim (AVPR). To say it is a totally kick*$$ show will be a lie; to say it is an ultimately lousy show will be a bluff. So, it totally depends on who watch the show. =p I didn't really like the show, but a friend of mine love it. If you are into plain fighting for no reason, this is the show for you; if not, I guess just grab the DVD and watch it at home. I mean, it is pointless to me that only one Predator come to Earth to battle a horde of reproducing ugly Alien just because the Alien infiltrated a Predator ship and crashed it to Earth. Yes, that's pretty much the story. I must say it is a 2 1/2 stars out of 5.

The next movie I watched, which was today, was Alvin and the Chipmunks. You think I watch cartoon? Well, not exactly. It's the same story about three chipmunks who can talk and sing. They happen to come into contact with humans, where the humans exploited their talents. They became rockstars under the care of money minded tycoon, but they quickly became exhausted and realized their first "owner" actually is the one who really treat them as part of the family. Well, this show let us see the up and down of life, as well as the ugly and pretty side of life, and it all ends with a happy ending. It was quite an enjoyable movie I must say, and it is definitely a family movie. Ah, ratings. I would give it a 3 1/2 stars out of 5.

Well, so much for me watching movie in New York City. Enjoyable, memorable. Oh, did I tell you watching movie in US is free sitting? First come first serve, no come no serve! =p We walked to the cinema in some freezing wind today, and had a lady who talked to the screen, even at the commercials before the movie! Lol! Nice experience I guess! Adioz...

NYC

2007-12-29T08:25:00.000-08:00

New York City!! I am in New York City!! How lucky I am! =)

The first thing everyone who took the plane to NYC will experience is the cab, those yellow cab. Once you have seen that, it will create a bad impression of NYC, especially people from Des Moines. Honking and shouting and speeding is a norm for all those cabs. Slow and you get honked; traffic? Not a problem for them! They will just zig zag across the traffic as if there weren't there.

Anyway, I made it safely to my destination, Rachel's uncle's apartment. Unpack all those stuffs and then had dinner. Guess what I had for dinner? Nasi Lemak!! It is so easy to get Malaysian food here! Chinatown have every food you Malaysian will want to have after being deprieve of Malaysian food for some time! =p

We spent Christmas eve eating steamboat at a restaurant. It wasn't bad, but it could be a tad better I think. We didn't have the chance to eat dim sum during Christmas in some big @$$ restaurant which the queue spill out of their main door, so ended up having lunch during the scheduled karaoke session. Karaoke isn't my cup of tea, so I only sang a little as respect to the others. We had steamboat again in uncle's house for Christmas dinner. This time it was great! Add the home made chilli and you get some perfect steamboat dinner!

We went shopping on Boxing day, and I spent some dough on an American Eagle sweater, which is very warm. =p My dear elder brother bought me perfume as Christmas present, and my sister gave me a sweet card. She's looking for a Christmas present for me too! Gosh, I am so spoilt ain't it? But I love it and I love them! Hahaa...

We spent yesterday walking around Wall Street, took some pictures and stuff like that. Due to some complications I couldn't get a pair of shoes for my brother. Fate, that's what he said. Maybe it just wasn't meant for him, and maybe today we will get something better.

Alright, I guess that's all. Let me continue enjoying my pampered NYC trip! Adioz.

Cold with boredom, heated with excitement!

2007-12-11T13:41:00.001-08:00

It's kind of boring the past two weeks I must say. There's nothing but assignments and tests. Yes, I am sick of it, but to choose between those two, I must say I enjoy assignments more than tests, way more! You want a comparison? Well, I have done my IS 44 finals project which is due on Thursday, but I have yet to start studying for my ACTS 140 finals on Thursday. Better yet, my IS 44 assignment is due at 9pm, while ACTS 140 test is at 4pm. Yes, that is how I disregard tests.

But, assignments also have its limits. Too many assignments at one time is very bad and stressful. Very stressful. I actually have one assignment due this morning, one more this evening, another one tomorrow, and two more on Thursday! That is CRAZY!! And to make matter worse, I am a PROcrastinator! Gosh!

Whether lady luck is on my side or the weather decided to help me, a snow storm happened today in the wee hours. It was predicted that the snow storm will start at 6pm yesterday and end at 6pm today, a 24 hour storm! Imagine that! But then the storm only happened after 2am. And guess what? Drake University actually close and cancel all classes due to the severe weather! All assignments due today are pushed back one day, and few other assignments' due date are pushed back a day as well! Lucky procrastinator I must say!

How bad is the weather you asked? Well, the pine trees in front of my window has ice on its branches and leaves, snow scattered everywhere, skies gloomy and threatening to dump more snow and sleet and freezing rain, and the temperature is freezing! Walkway everywhere is very slippery, the same applies to the roads. I heard Chicago, which is also suffering from the same snow storm, had 15 deaths due to the snow storm! Imagine icicles causing damage and loss of lives!

Anyway, now that I have a whole day to finish up assignments and study for my test, I really should put it to good use. But being me, I went back to sleep after waking up to class cancellations, continued sleeping after being awaken by my 'brother', slept some more after calling my friend to announce the good news, and finally woke up for lunch due to my grumbling stomach. Played some pool after lunch, came back and tried to study, but the mood just wasn't right, and I end up playing games, listening to songs, and ranting here. Guess what? That's not the end yet. I have an appointment with Mr. Basketball at 5pm, add dinner to the equation, with shower and a little time wasting formula, I think I will only start to study or complete my assignments at 9pm! And if my mum calls, I don't think studying will ever happen today! Lolz.

Yes, if you want to slap me up down left right center for not using time wisely, you can. Oh wait, not everyone. Yes, there's the catch! You must be a close friend of mine, a very close friend. Only a few qualified for that! So I won't have bruises on my face till my mum can't recognize me! Duhhh... And don't you dare come slap me without permission! You may end up with bruises from my counter attack! Bwahahahaha...

I can't wait for finals to be over. Just another week, another week!! One more week and we will be off to holiday, riding on plane or bus or car or whatever transportation, off go the stressful education for a month! Yet, everything comes with a sacrifice. I don't get to meet my close friends for a month, no more those jokes and talks and craziness for a month! But then again, what gain is there without sacrifice? Finals, here I come! After that, NEW YORK CITY, my destination, my freedom for a month, my joy for a month, my carefree attitude for a month! Here I come!

Just ranting...

2007-12-01T14:51:00.000-08:00

I am bored, and laden with assignments. How unfortunate. Finals is another 3 weeks or less away, and my studies isn't going as well as I thought it would be, especially my Stats 2!! Even though I am laden with all these assignments, I still prefer it over examinations, and I do take time to do it nicely and take time off to relax my mind.

Friends gathering is a great way to relax from all these hectic and crazy work. I just had one yesterday night, and I would like to shout aloud a great big THANK YOU to Randy and Rachel. They cooked some wonderful dinner, and we had some games together, which where most of the fun came from.

I once heard that to know someone truly, give him/her alcohol or cards. Well, I think it still stand true and will stand true forever. No no, don't get me wrong, no one in the gathering yesterday gave me a bad impression. It's quite the opposite actually. I got to know someone who is very smart, intelligent, and wonderful. Well, I did know before hand that she's very smart, and very alert to everything that's happening around, but it is still amazing how she can do it in such a pretty way. Schweet!

Anyway, we did tiramisu after some booze. The effect of the alcohol cleared off, and we had fun doing tiramisu, learning from someone who have actually done it before and done it perfectly. Hey hey, this boy here actually know how to make tiramisu already! I am eating it now, and it taste very good. Well, I didn't actually do much of it, but I was there to witness the process, and helped out a little. So I guess it's all of the pretty chef's work! Brilliant!

After being here for two months or more, I get to know people more in depth, or that's how I feel. Some times there are just people whom I can't tolerate; and some times there are people who are just so wonderful. I guess different upbringing does have effect on everyone.

I also get to know myself a little better. Guess what? I am a big spender. No no, don't say you are too. I spend 60 usd on a pair of wonderful headphones, 80 usd on an external hard drive, and tonnes of dollars on vacations and clothes and snacks and food. I even chose to buy something that is not on discount instead of the discounted item! That's how crazy I am. And I have this thought behind my head which tells me, if I have the money, I would have a walk in wardrobe just for shoes, and another one on jeans. Well, maybe I can join the two wardrobes, but I really hope I can have shoes that match my outfit whenever I want. =p And I am still looking for a pair of WHITE jeans. Yes, pure white. =p

Alright, enough of crap on this cold and wet day. Maybe I should continue enjoying the tiramisu she made, and get some sleep as a reward of finishing two assignment in one afternoon! Adioz... ;-)

Kansas City

2007-11-22T08:26:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is here! That also means that the long awaited break from studies is here! For this ever so lucky boy here, he managed to jump on a ride to Kansas City for a one day trip, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving break even started!

We first headed to Kansas City's Historic City Market. This place just give me, or rather us, the feeling that we are in Europe. There were Italian shops, Arabic shops, and many other fresh farm products stalls.

We got our tastebuds to work with a cheese burger when we reached there, mostly because the atmosphere there tempted us to try the burger. Turkey leg was also offered, but we just settled for cheese burger. It was quite normal, but I guess the 'feeling' when eating it made the difference.

We happened to spot a wine shop while eating the burger, and we got even more lucky when we actually were right on time for wine tasting! We didn't plan anything for wine, but ended up tasting different wine, ranging from French wine to champagne to dessert wine! Maybe wine tasting is a marketing strategy as it attracted many like minded people to the shop, making it quite crowded! Luckily we were early, and we get to taste the wine before the crowd came in. Call it marketing strategy, it sure works well! The four of us ended up with a bottle of wine each.

We wandered around the area, entered the Steamboat of Arabia, Chinatown which actually is similar to asian market here in Des Moines, and lastly went lunch at Bo Ling's. According to the website, lunch was supposed to be great. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out what it was expected to be. The food we ordered were too salty, or too much MSG.

Anyway, we headed over to Country Club Plaza after taking some time to find the place. It was well worth getting lost in downtown as we didn't plan anything for downtown. Lucky charm was with us again, allowing us to catch glimpse of the city, from building decorated to look like a row of books to statues and fountains to beautiful buildings.

After a little exploration and photo shooting, we found a parking spot at Country Club Plaza. This area is impressive. All sorts of shops and brands appear to be here! We found Apple, Coach, Sony, Lucky Brand Jeans, American Eagles Outfitters, etc. We spend almost 4 hours there, had dinner, and then figure out the way to head back to Des Moines.

I must say Country Club Plaza is quite a posh area. Branded fashion clothings and fine dining and branded fashionable jewellery can all be found here. If you have loads of money to splash and want an upgrade from the current lifestyle, I would say hire a fashionista and get all the stuffs from Country Club Plaza!

Time always fly when we are enjoying ourselves. When the sky gets dark and the time wandered off, it's time for us to head home. We also have to make it for a birthday bash back home. I must say this is a very nice trip for me, and I will go back to Kansas City again to visit what I've missed. Schweet!

ISA Night

2007-11-14T20:44:00.000-08:00

Alright, I know this post is a little late, but better late than never I guess.

We had International Student Association (ISA) Night on Friday, and it was a big hit. Guess what, this lazy boy here actually took the effort to train and rehearse to put together a performance! The best part, we only use 2 days to choreograph and think of what moves to use! In the end, we put together a piece of martial art show, titled don't cry over spilled milk.

Anyway, let that be the last of this post. I shall introduce and give my comments to every performance of the night. Pictures, here they come!

First up, the opening show -- lion dance performance!! Quite nice and simple, though it would be great if there were poles and strings for higher altitude performance. But it was great anyhow.

Next, indian dance. She really know how to dance, but, yes, a big huge BUT, she danced too long. It got boring in the end, maybe it is because I don't know how to appreciate it. But 5 minutes of solo dance? Hmm...

Next, a Malaysian in Malay suit singing a Swedish song in English using a Hawaiian guitar, ukulele. His name, Gan Jia Hao. I must say, he is a talent! Great job!

Sleeping already? Come over here, let me slap you with my thousand hands! The next performance is Qian Shou Guan Yin, or thousand hands goddess of mercy. Not too bad, but I heard complains that they were actually counting the moves till it was audible to the spectators. I guess it was way too hard to perfectly choreograph it without counting!

Anyway, this performance reminds me of my religion class I took in INTI. My group did a presentation about the Goddess of Mercy as well, and we finished off the presentation with a similiar show -- the thousand hands. Aaron was the front man, and he finished it off with a power line -- what are you laughing at? You want me to slap you with my thousand hands? Ahh... Those good old times.

Since you are awake, I present you an Indonesian dance. The organizers try to make the shows consistent in time, so most performance is around 5 minutes, which, I must say, doesn't work well for dances! Same as the first dance, this is way too long even though she can dance really well.

Ah, I see your head drooping. Let me set you to dreamland by playing my flute. There you go, off to see zhou gong.

Oh you naughty kid, sleep and dream of girls dancing?! The power of subconscious mind, naughty you!

Oh, feeling shy? Off to Bollywood? Hold on a minute, you are thinking of stripping a girl while she's dancing?! OMG! It's a guy?! My my, that was freakey!

Come here and allow me to wake you up buy spilling milk on you! Let's fight!

It's kinda troublesome to upload the video, so I guess if you want the video then come and get it from me. =)

lright, peace out. Time for dancing again. Not bad, quite nicely choreographed.

Since there's a good dance, let's keep the ball rolling with another dancing performance!

Alright, enough of dancing. Let's get some martial art again. This time, wushu by Jeremy! Have you seen someone actually performing wushu live? Well, I have! It was great!

Same thing, get the video from me if you want.

Hey hey, all fighting and dancing? Don't you guys know how to read? Let me present you with a poem... Too bad, all I heard really was just some mumbling from a piece of paper, not convincing enough. Good try though.

Alright, enough of literacy, after all, we are here to escape from studies, right? Let the locals strutt their stuffs! Same thing, too long. This time, the girl was a little tired in the end as well. Not bad though.

Ok, let's take a breather and listen to some soothing music. Performed by Sam from Thailand, I must say it was really soothing, and it does sound like Buddhist temple music! Great, but too long as well. =(

Alright, let's see some dancing again. Enjoyed?

Didn't? No no, you are lying. These emcees are doing a great job!! Don't you think so?

Alright, time to end. Let's close the night and head for dinner with a fashion show! Hip hip hoorah!

Sorry, a little potong stim, but get the video from me if you want. =)

Oh Crap!

2007-11-07T11:47:00.000-08:00

Finally I have sat for my first ever professional paper, the first step to embark on a journey, to set sail my career. Unfortunately, it was way tougher than I have expected. I don't think anyone expect it to be this tough as well. Anyway, there's no turning back, so let's just wait for the result and see how it goes from there.

The word busy seems to hang on me these days! I guess that explains my absence here. I am supposed to study for my finance test tomorrow, yes yes, the day right after my professional paper, how unfortunate. Still, I am too drained out and lazy to study for it now, that's why I am here ranting.

You think one test is not enough? Add my IS44 assignment due tomorrow to the equation! Gosh! I really should start on all those procrastinated work! But but, can't I just relax a little after draining my brain juice?

Fall is here, and I have yet to take any pictures of mother nature's beauty. Yes, blame it on the paper and the work. Sigh.

Alright, time to rest and replenish my brain juice now. Ciaoz...

Thai food anyone?

2007-10-26T13:54:00.000-07:00

I have the opportunity to taste good food yet again. Where? Right here in Des Moines. At a restaurant named Cool Basil.

Tom yam soup!

It serves Thai food, and you can choose your level of spicy-ness. There's one star to five star, with five stars as the hottest. Well, compared to the real Thai food's spice, it has been mellow down. But don't be fooled, it's quite hot as well!

The food was good actually. Well, maybe you can say that I am a little bias and not so picky in food as before, due to the food quality here in Drake's Hubbell, but then again, it's good. =p Try it for yourself and you will know where am I in the food critique level. =D

To me, good food and good company over a meal is a must; the food won't taste good without a good company!

Well, you've guessed it, I have got some good friends to bring me for good food, a great meal indeed! Thank you everyone! =)

They even have some cute, small sized pepper and salt shaker!

How cute, right? That's a quarter, so you should be able to know what's the size! =p

Happy Birthday!

2007-10-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a coincidence! My 101th post is on my birthday! Wonderful. =p

I know I should be studying for FM, my professional paper, which is on November 7th. But, I just don't have the mood to study now! Reason? Well, maybe it's because of my mind set. Today is my birthday and I don't want to study on my birthday. It makes me think that I am so miserable! But then again, maybe not. Maybe it's because I didn't get my dose of Caramel Macchiato this morning. I couldn't make it on time to get my favorite barista this morning! Erh... Close to afternoon, or rather exactly at noon at that time. Yes, I woke up at 11.30am this morning. Don't blame me! I slept at 2am. =p

I had a long chat with my mum yesterday night, or rather this morning. I realized how much I miss her. I miss those morning where we sit at the dining table and have breakfast; miss those times where we hang the clothes out and rush to collect it when the rain starts to come down; miss those jokes and those times we laughed at each other's mistakes; and, well, it sounds old-fashioned, but I do miss those naggings!

Well, nothing much I can do now, except chat online and look at her through the webcam. Really, technology do bring us closer, in terms of distance and age gap. Not many parents know or are willing to go online to chat and use the webcam; they prefer long distance call, even though online is free! That's the barrier of age gap when we are in the technology age I guess.

Anyway, enough of rantings, let's see what have I done the past week.

I had the opportunity to visit a pumpkin patch, corn farm, etc... It's all in a big huge land, owned by someone who named the place Howell's. It's an eye opener for me I guess. I get to see goats and rabbits and pigs up close; get to feed the goats, who get quite selfish when it gets to food! I also get to see pumpkin patch; get into a corn maze; and for the first time I saw a wild snake! Well, it's a garden snake, a teeny weeny snake, but still it's a nice experience.

Hissssssed!! Come nearer and you are DEAD!

I also get to carve a pumpkin, as Halloween is round the corner. I carved the simplest, most common pumpkin pattern: an angry face. It was fun!

What are you looking at? Wanna fight? *grrrrrr...*

Something else worth mentioning is I finally get to go to the Cheesecake Factory. It's a restaurant, just in case you were wondering why on earth would I want to enter a factory so much. I love cheese; and I have an uncanny craving for chocolate since I came to the States. Guess what? They actually mixed these two together, and come up with the Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. I didn't try that cheesecake, though I did get a bite of their original cheesecake. It's by far the best cheese I have ever tasted. So much for a cheese fanatic eh? But it was really good, trust me. =p I got myself a 4 cheese pasta as well, which also taste pretty good. I couldn't finish it, so end up heating it up this morning for my lunch. =p

Alright, that's pretty much all I have done, except for sleeping, eating, stoning, chilling, and some 9-ball pool. Happy Birthday to myself I guess.

Anyone gonna feed him? *mehhh meeehhh*

Study? Huh? What's study? Oh! The one where I learn stuffs from books? Where I learn stuffs from other people's reasoning? Yeah yeah, I remember now. Oh, you want me to study? Some time later I guess...

Sushi at Des Moines!

2007-10-18T11:23:00.000-07:00

I am very lucky, I must admit. Lucky in the sense that I get to know all these wonderful people who took me around during the fall break. This time, I get to eat sushi, right in Des Moines, Iowa. The name of the place, Aparre Japanese Steakhouse.

I must say, the sushi are very fresh. Considered the fact that we don't actually get really fresh seafood here in Des Moines, the freshness of the sushi is amazing.

I am not a very very big fan of sushi, but I must say I like udon mee. And guess what? This restaurant actually serve great seafood udon. Amazing I should say. Feeling how tangy the mee is in my mouth couple with the tasty soup, it's a must try for everyone.

Nice wine and pretty girls, what more can you say? Umm... Don't get me wrong, she was our waitress only. =p

When it came to drinks, we ordered plum sakae. We actually had two testers before we made the order. Pear sakae is quite strong, and plum sakae taste milder and sweeter, so we went with plum sakae. Having nice sakae with lovely sushi is really an enjoyment!

The best part is when you get so many people together for a meal. We ordered a party tray, and there were so many sushi in it. That was my first time ever seeing so many sushi in a single tray. And every sushi taste great!

I must say I love oyster, and I couldn't resist the temptation to order kaki fried. Well, not fried legs, that is in bahasa malaysia. But it is fried oyster. Those succulent oyster fried to perfection, dipped with sauce and no fishy smell, it made us order another two portions! Yes, it was superb.

Then came the spider sushi. It is a soft shell crab sushi. This was also amazing.

After all the satisfying, amazingly delicious main course, we had to make room for more! Yes, dessert. We ordered mochi, as recommended by Rachel. It's ice cream wrapped with a skin to make it look like pau. Needless to say, it was amazing as well. L O V E L Y

All in all, this was one amazing dinner I have had. I must say, without regrets, that I live to eat!

M & M: Part 5, Malaysian Food!

2007-10-17T22:02:00.000-07:00

We got a dose of Malaysian food at Minnesota as well! The restaurant name is called Peninsula.

This is Pasembur, also known as Indian Rojak. Well, not as nice as SS15's, but still edible.

Cendol! A little too much coconut milk I guess. But still taste good after missing out on it for so long.

I told you she was our model for the trip. Here she is promoting Nasi Lemak.

All the dishes we ordered: Hokkien Mee, Pasembur, Curry Laksa, Asam Laksa, Prawn Mee, Wat Tan Hor, Curry Mutton (they used lamb).

Teh tarik! Oh no! I miss mamak!

That's all for the Minnesota trip I guess. It was a really nice trip, and a very rewarding one too! Once again, thank you to all those people who made this trip possible for me. Love it!

M & M: Part 4

2007-10-17T21:48:00.000-07:00

Part 4 of M & M! And there's more. =p

Buildings in downtown are linked by these bridges.

That's the church. One of the many churches around the area.

Some clock above the building I spotted.

Heading back towards downtown.

Some building we passed by.

Rachel. Picture courtesy of Randy.

Picture courtesy of Randy.

Some random picture I took in the hotel room.

Dunn Bros Coffee. We had this the next morning, after having Caribou coffee and Starbucks Coffee on the first morning.

Interior of Dunn Bros Coffee.

CLK!

On the way back. Pictures of lakes is a must if I visit the land of 10000 lakes, isn't it?

Another random lake.

Yet another lake.

Can you see how straight the interstate highway is? It's I 35 by the way.

Next!!

M & M: Part 3, Mall of America

2007-10-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

Mall of America, here I come!

The way into the Mall of America!

Bloomingdale's.

Right outside Bloomingdale's.

One of the Starbucks Coffee Co. in Mall of America.

This is just one part of the whole mall.

Rainforest Cafe? Hmm... Did Genting's First World Hotel copied this cafe? No offence, just curious.

Lego at MoA.

Another part of MoA.

Yet another part of MoA.

Some fancy lights.

Get the idea how big the mall is yet?

A shop selling tea, and tea stuffs.

Strawberry chocolate! A W E S O M E

The model of the day, Rachel. Photogenic and pretty, not? By the way, I wasn't the camera man, just that the camera was mine. =p

Theme park in the mall.

All in all, MoA is a great big huge mall, with a theme park in it! If you love shopping, this is the place to be.

M & M : Part 2

2007-10-16T22:58:00.000-07:00

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, since pictures are worth more than a thousand words.

We stay here for the night.

Hilton is nearby!

I like this picture. Hmm... The camera man good, or the models know how to pose? =p

Downtown Minneapolis.

Translation: Never give up!

Smile!

A sculpture in the middle of the town!

Captured this on the way to Minnesota. Sun rays peeking through the clouds, how nice.

Nice building.

Grey squirrel!

Minnesota Orchestra Hall.

A park in the town, next to the orchestra hall.

Nice buildings.

Cabbage?

My first Starbucks coffee in USA.

I thought picture like this only appear in movies. Now I LOVE my camera. I've skills someone say? =p

Nice angle of the tree.

Lovebirds. Literally.

A fountain that wasn't functioning.

Next post shall we?

M & M: Part 1

2007-10-16T22:27:00.001-07:00

There are so much to write about, so I guess breaking it up to a few post is the best.

M & M here stands for, well, not the chocolate, it's for Minneapolis, Minnesota. This sotong here actually got a chance to go to Minneapolis! And he's not even here for 2 months! How incredibly lucky he is. Therefore, this post is specially dedicated to those people who made this trip for him.

Randy and Chee Zhong

Oh, yes, this is a thank you post. So nothing much about the trip yet, except about all the people. Well, almost all.

Eva, Kay Ying, and Rachel

First, Eva. Thanks to her car that I get to go to Minneapolis. She drove us all the way from Des Moines, Iowa to Minneapolis, Minnesota. That's about 4 to 5 hours of driving. She also drove us around in Minneapolis, trying her best to keep up with a Mercedes leading the way in town. It was dangerous at some point, but a big 'thank you' must still be said to her.

Kay Ying and Randy

Next, Randy. Without him, I wouldn't be invited to the trip. It was a little last minute for me to prepare for the trip, but I truly enjoy it. I also enjoy his company and advice, and we seem to have quite a lot of similarities! He drove us back from Minneapolis to Des Moines after experiencing a little freak incident, and I must say I enjoy the eventful journey. Heck, it was raining heavily and it was at night, with poor light conditions, and sudden blinding lightning flash, ain't it eventful?

Another person to thank is Rachel, Randy's girl. She is the other camera... erm... woman, capturing the wonderful experience into ever lasting memory. This pretty girl also provided laughter throughout the trip, and some times her and Randy's antics are pretty cute.

The lovebirds. They make a good model, don't you think?

Next on the list, Kay Ying. I am not sure if I spelled her name correctly, because it is the first time I am meeting her. This girl is very funny, and she always get teased with her height and eyes. I must say it is a great pleasure having to know her, and I sure look forward to meet her again. Oh, don't get me wrong. She's taken, and I want to meet her is because meeting her may mean another trip? =p Well, even not trip, an outing for a meal is also great.

One more important person to thank is Chee Zhong. Again, this is our first meeting, and I am not sure if that is the way to spell his name. The main purpose of this trip is a farewell for him. He is leaving to India to advance his career, and I wish him all the best. I must say that he is a very extremely wonderful person. If not, why would so many people purposely come to his farewell, some even took a flight to send him off! Now that's success in life, don't you think?

Other people to thank will be Mario and Cadence, who booked the hotel for us; Kumar who drove the Mercedes leading the way around town; and a few other host which name I am not sure of.

In the end, I must say this is a very rewarding trip for me, getting to see another town, and also getting to meet so many people. A great big THANK YOU to all the people who made this trip possible for me.

Crazy and Insane

2007-10-08T12:24:00.000-07:00

Fall break is round the corner! Well, even though fall break is just a few days, it's a very very important break from this hectic schedule. The amount of assignments is mind boggling! The amount of text to read is crazy! The amount of work and effort I have to put in coupled with my professional paper FM studies is insane!

I can't wait for fall break to come. It will be the time for me to finish all my assignments due after fall break. It will also be the time where I play catch up with FM studies! Apart from that, it will be the time where I get to rest!! Oh my so needed rest!

Among all the mind boggling studies, I managed to skipped a whole Saturday of studies for paintball and dinner and birthday celebration for Jun Hong and Kai Shin.

Paintball was great! Apart from those ugly bruises I got though. The area for paintball here is so much better than those in Malaysia. Here, we really battle it out in woods! Brilliant! I will definitely jump into it again if given the chance. Heck, it's cheaper compared to Malaysia too! =p

After a few hours of intense running and climbing and shooting, I went to Rachel's house for dinner. Randy is the chef, along with his dear Rachel, Eva, and a few other extra pair of hands from me, Fred, Jun Hong...... The kitchen wasn't that big, so try imagining 5 or 6 of us cramming into it! It was funny and interesting. For the second time since leaving home, I had curry chicken. Other dishes are Tom Yam soup, ground nuts and lotus root soup, corn and cabbage and meat and whatever soup, and rice. It was by far the best meal I have had. =p

Games came along after dinner, and with it comes... Well, what else? Alcohol! Lol. We had some beer and dry gene whisky. I ate so much for dinner, and my big brother forced me to drink some beer. Result? PUKE! Yes, I puked, not because I was drunk, but because I was too full!! Hahaa... It was really funny. Thankfully most of the people left right after they wash up the dishes, so not many people saw me. =p

We played till 11.40pm, and chauffered the birthday boy and birthday girl back to dorm, where a suprised party was planned for them. Well, it was a little over obvious, so it wasn't of any suprise to them. But it was really thoughtful of Julian the mastermind to dedicate some great birthday bash for Jun Hong. I am pretty sure that he was very touched. I finally got some rest around 1.30am, rest from such an eventful day.

Had Tom Yam mee hoon for lunch the next day. Yes, Tom Yam again. =p It was nice, very nice after suffering from dorm food. =D Add on bubur cha cha to the equation, perfecto!

Walmart was the next desination after lunch, and I finally got my stuffs which I have been wanting to get since Monday. I have my cereals for breakfast now! No more skipped breakfast for another month or more I think. Got a clothes hanger already, no more clothes lying on my bed! =p I spent close to 40 bucks in Walmart. Crazy? No...

I was looking for a printer. I saw one in Walmart, but decided to get it online after listening to advice. I was looking for camera as well, since fall is here and mother nature is going to display its beautiful fireworks folliage. In the end, I bought a printer online, all in one printer to be exact; and bought my camera online, Canon PowerShot A570IS. Add the money I spent in Walmart, I spent a grand total of 300+ bucks in a day, which translate to about RM1000!! Crazy? Y! E! S!

Time to hide in my own dorm room, wait for my RM1000 to arrive to my mailbox, and study my @$$ off!! No outing, no holidays, no spending till I get a job! =( Don't tempt me! Zzzzzzzzzzz...

PROcrastinator

2007-09-29T22:29:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know this is quite a cliche topic, but I can't help but to rant something about this here. I have to admit, I am quite a procrastinator. A PRO(fessional)crastinator indeed!

Why am I saying that? Well, your dumb kiddo here actually forgotten to hand in his assignment!!

Yes people, we need to hand in IS 44 assignment online, and the deadline is at 9pm, Thursday. I actually completed the assignment on Monday, but didn't hand it in because I thought it may need some changes some where, and also purely I want to hand it in at the last minute possible.

Guess what? Actuarial Evening was on Thursday night. I was so caught up with all the preparation for the evening, attended the event all suited up, and came back well before 9pm as the event end at 7pm. But, this kiddo here actually went and chilled out in a friend's room, too lazy to walk all the way back to his room, and totally forgotten about the assignment.

At roughly 11pm, he happened to check the assignment website aka Blackboard, realized he has a quiz to take, and suddenly realized he haven't hand in his assignment. The link to hand in the assignment was long gone, and along with it goes the 15 marks. All he could do? Slap and laugh and blame himself for his stupidity. And because he scored a big fat 0, the class average dropped to 11 out of 15. What a b*^%$@#!

Well, maybe he has learnt his lesson this time, and will hand in his assignment well before the due date next time. But then again, he is so lazy that this post is actually 2 days late. Wonderful side of life, isn't it?

Want to see him all suited up for Actuarial Evening?

Never mind the slippers and shoes, he's in someone else's room.

There you go! Look at his face and you will know he is lazy. It is written all over his face, isn't it?

Another month to Paper FM/2, and he is still procrastinating. Can some body come and wake him up from his bed, and give him a big slap on the face? No? Zzzzzzzzzz...

On a side note, the moon here on the fifteen day of the eight month on the lunar calendar is as bright as the street lights! The moon appear bigger and brighter here than in Malaysia.

Time management

2007-09-21T09:51:00.000-07:00

After being stressed out with some ridiculous assignment and two tests, I finally get to de-stress and debrief a little here.

Studies studies. The way of studying in a university and college and high school is so so different.

I still remembered how I was studying for high school's public examination. All I did? Paid attention in the last few classes of the year, skipped class the last few weeks to hang out with friends, and start to flip through the books in the last 24 hours. Now you know why the shirt in the earlier post fitted me, right? I am hooked on laziness!

After that, I ended up in college. The first semester was a breeze, partly because the subjects were easy enough. I screwed up the second semester, since then I started to recover from the dramatic drop of CGPA. It wasn't until my 5th semester that I managed to get it to satisfactory level. After using that semester's result to apply for entry to university, I didn't care much to maintain the CGPA. The way I studied here varied. I paid more attention to some subjects, then there are some subjects which I just do last minute revision. Heck, I even skipped so many classes for breakfast one semester! It was fun though.

After college came the emotional departure from home in Malaysia to bring my arse all the way to the proud land of United States of America. It's only 1 month and 2 days here, with 3 weeks into classes, and I am starting to feel the heat. Well, the work load is way higher than college and high school. I think that's what everyone should expect, isn't it? Here, studying before class is expected, which till now I haven't even done it! If I did it, I wouldn't struggle before the test! To add salt to wound, I had two test on the same day, with an hour gap in between, after two other classes for the day, and an assignment to hand in. I was trying hard to study, finish the assignment, keeping my eyes open, and holding up my head from the headache I was suffering from. I couldn't stand the pressure, but luckily I don't go beserk. Ice cream and a poor guy became my victim. Thanks to him who spent time talking to me when he was quite busy as well.

In the end, the tests wasn't as tough as expected, though I ought to put in more effort. One more test coming up next Tuesday, 8 am in the morning! Ruining all my sleeping time! The question whether should I change my major kept running through my mind, keeping me unsure of what I am pursuing. My dreams seem so far away from reach! If only I have more time. Well, time management is important in university I must say. Maybe I have learnt my lesson this week; maybe I must arrange my time better; maybe I should cut down on my social activities, possibly make it to the least possible, or zero. Well, no sacrifice no victory, right?

Anyhow, I think the best thing that happened to me this week was I didn't break down and gave up right away. Luckily I still managed to stand up and face the challenge, and now learnt my lesson. A test next week, and my professional paper in 6 weeks time, I guess I should really manage my time more wisely and pay more attention to studies, shouldn't I?

Difference between cash flow and water flow -- no difference

2007-09-15T21:56:00.000-07:00

Three more days and I am here in Iowa, USA for a month already. Old fashioned as it is, I must still say, time flies. Being here for nearly a month, I couldn't help but to spend money. Well, some are necessities, but there are also impulse buy. Out of boredom, I decided to take pictures of what I have bought so far and list them here.

Warning: Don't spend money like how I did, you'll be shocked over how many things I am about to list here.

Necessities:

toiletries container, along with tooth paste, face wash, hair and body shampoo

detergent and softener (it's supposed to be purple colored, but it turned out dark blue. Blame my camera!)

gloves

laundry bag

jeans

comforter

belt

socks

bowl

forks and spoons, well, it's more worth it buying a set. Anyone in need of utensils? I don't mind selling. =p

Lamp

Impulse buy:

T-shirt

T-shirt, again. Heck, one is USD18, two will be USD18.88, whadda you think?

M&Ms-my third packet!

Green tea lemonade

Sweater. I bought it because it looks very nice. Bad impulse!

I even bought ice cream to eat. Twice!

Impulse buy, but there's a necessity for it:

Shoes

Headphones with microphone

Breakfast cereals

Milk and Gatorade

Sandals

The biggest chunk of my money goes to:

Text books!

Well, some of these stuffs listed above will end up as junk.

Sigh, so much for getting my debit card, with the pretty Minnesota Timberwolves design.

What are you looking for? Like the clip art? =p I am showing you the design, not the number!

I need to constraint myself from further spending!

Today's topic -- Weather.

2007-09-13T22:13:00.000-07:00

People here say there's a lot to talk about the weather. I was skeptical at it at first, but later found out that it was quite true.

I was at the health center the other day to get consultation for my worsening cough. The first thing the receptionist said to me was, "it's cold out there, isn't it?" Boy oh boy, it WAS freezing! In between my coughs, I replied, "it sure is!" Guess what she say? "This is only the beginning, young man." O. M. G. Beginning?! It's already 10 Celsius and it's only the beginning? Sigh.

The next day, it was still freezing, just minus the rain. I got into Bell Center for basketball in the evening, and mentioned it was cold outside. The guy at the front desk said, "that's cold? There's more to come! And today ain't cold dude!" Sigh. Looks like I'll need to get use to the weather here as soon as possible! I wonder what will happen if I were to go back to Malaysia for tropical weather. Lolz.

Today's weather isn't too bad. For those who live in Malaysia, today's weather is slightly colder than Genting Highlands, or rather Cameron Highlands nowadays. I am not too sure about the temperature today, but it shouldn't deviate too much from the past few days.

There's one more thing about the weather here. The temperature fluctuates quite a bit between the days and the nights compared to Malaysia. I guess the main reason is the lack of clouds. And why there's a lack of clouds? Well, I was walking with a few of my friends the other day and we came up with a few theories.

First, no people dry their clothes out on the line here like Malaysia, therefore there's a lack in water evaporation to create clouds. Crappy and funny theory. Lolz.

Next, and makes more sense, Iowa is not surrounded or bordered by the sea unlike Selangor back in Malaysia. The lack of water surrounding Iowa will lead to a decrease in evaporation, and therefore lack of clouds. Sounds similar to the desert? Well, quite true, just that we do get rain fall here, although the rain fall can be a whole day! We call that chang ming yu in Mandarin, don't we?

There were one or two more crappy theories which came up, and we ended up having a good laugh. I can't seem to recall what were the other theories, but it sure was a good joke! =)

Well, there you go. Who says we can't talk much about the weather here in Iowa? I have a whole post on it! Try talking about the weather in Malaysian bus stops to some stranger, I'll bet you get some quizzical looks! Lolz.

Good food!

2007-09-08T22:30:00.000-07:00

For the past two days, I had good food for lunch. =) What a relief.

First was Indian food at a restaurant named Indian Star. It is Indian food, buffet style, but Americanize. It was good. To add on suffering from campus food, it made the Indian food taste extraordinarily great. There was Roti Naan, which taste similiar to Malaysia's Roti Canai! Then there was the curry chicken. Oh my god! Curry! I have never tasted curry for almost a month! It was Americanize though, meaning it wasn't hot. It has all the taste of a curry, just that it wasn't spicy/hot enough. But all in all, it was good food, buffet style. Me and Adrian helped ourselves big time! Thanks to Anthony who brought us there. =)

Next was lunch with my host family today. Yes people, I have a host family here in Des Moines. It's wonderful to have a host family, get to play with the kids, and talk to someone. I would say it's very interesting. Anyway, back to the topic, FOOD. Well, it's American food, but still taste way better than campus food. The corn was cooked to perfection, unlike Hubbel's, which is overcooked. Then there was grilled chicken fillet, and baked potato cubes with onion and green pepper, and toasted cheese bread and garlic bread.

Oh what heaven! Good food entering my mouth to my digestive system! Wonderful!

Okay, a little about my host family. They came to pick me up, together with Shze Yeong, who happens to have the same host family as me. We hit the freeways, with me enjoying the sceneries. There was golf course and corn fields and cars. Then came their housing area.

O. M. G.

Every house look so pretty. Each with a big piece of land as their backyard, and another piece of land as their front yard. Well, I have seen this in Australia, but I still got fascinated with it. When we reached the house, I can't help but to think that this family is quite well to do.

A few things other than the food worth mentioning here are:

They have a basketball rim at the front yard, which like almost every house in the area has one some where in the yard.
They have 5 cars, and one of them is a Pontiac sports car.
They have a foosball table, though it's those kind for kids. I got my hands on it a while though.
They have a a huge flat screen tv. How huge? Roughly 50'' I would say. Maybe a little bigger.
I lost count on how many bicycles they have.
Their children, 3 boys and 1 girl, are so adorable.
The way children are brought up here is very different from the way children are brought up back in Malaysia.
They have a cat, a huge cat; a tortoise which have blood red eyes looking so fierce; and a few fish.

I wish I will have the chance to own a house some sort like that later in life, whether here or any where else on Earth. =p It's just too nice. Okay, maybe I need more time to get use to it. But I still love it, won't deny and never will deny. =)

I am coughing yet I ate ice cream. I had a sudden urge to eat ice cream. Yes, I am crazy. Good night folks.

A Malaysian perspective of food

2007-09-04T19:20:00.000-07:00

Someone asked me this: "How come you never update your blog?" Did my previous post lapse that long? I wonder. Anyway, succumb to pressure you can say, I decided to post something today.

As Malaysians, we cannot, I repeat, can NOT, live without food. I must say, Malaysians generally live to eat. The food we can get in Malaysia is quite unique. Don't believe me? Tell me, where else on Earth can you get food like asam laksa, nasi lemak, roti canai, curry mee, or even maggi mee? Well, you may get maggi mee some where else other than Malaysia, but it does not taste the same as the one in Malaysia. Roti canai is unique to Malaysians, because India only have capati, not roti canai. =)

Why am I suddenly talking about food? Well, the answer is clear. I don't fancy the food here. It is either too bland or too salty. Yes, it is that bad after having 20 years of great food, what more, Malaysian food! The closest food we can get to Malaysian food is the fried rice here, which still taste quite a distance off from the fried rice we get in Malaysia.

The food here are quite easy to prepare. Everything here is either throw into the pan together or wrap it all up together. Okay, maybe the pasta is different. Guess what, I can count how many good meals I have had here in US! First is the pasta, which wasn't that bad. Then there is the roast pork on gravy, which I personally think that it was very nice. Another one is when I went off campus to a Mexican restaurant. This is the best meal I have had by far, and the most satisfying. Thanks to Grace who brought us there. =)

So, if you are in Malaysia and in the process of transferring to US, remember to enjoy and treasure Malaysian food to the best you can! Yes, I must admit, I miss Malaysian food very much, very very much. Anyone kind enough to courier over some for me? =p

Disclaimer: the title only stands for me as a Malaysian, not every Malaysian. =)

Classes you say?

2007-08-30T22:43:00.000-07:00

Alright, I know this sounds bad, but I have to admit it. It's only the second class for my subjects in Drake, and I have already started to dislike some stuffs about the lecturer. =(

Who's that lecturer you ask? Mr., oh, no, should be Dr. *ah*l *a*sa. Yes, to save myself from a little trouble, if I ever get into one, go find out the name yourself.

Why I dislike him? Well, he's teaching me, of course. He has this laziness that allows him to leave out the zero in front of a decimal number. For instance, he would write 0.098 as .098. Well, you don't see the 'amazement' here, because the dot is quite clear. But, imagine putting that dot on the white board, among other symbols, and it's just a light dot, not a clear round dot.

Another thing, he does not differentiate his unknowns' symbols with mathematics symbols. For example, in an equation t+2t+xyz=aa. He does not curl the 't', and made it looks so similiar to the addition sign +. And he expects us to scruntinize at his writings on the board and keep up with his pace. He's not even organized!! Gosh, it's bad. All I can hope now is he gets better, which probably have the probability of 0.0001. -.-'''

Another course, Information System 044. This course is a 'pain in the butt' (quoted from the lecturer). It currently teaches us how to use Microsoft Word 2007, which she thinks is so 'cool' (quoted from her again). Yes, it's not a typo, it is MICROSOFT WORD. An insult to our computer knowledge so far. Let's hope it won't be too much of an insult when it reaches the part that teaches us Excel and Access. Ok ok, I may sound bias, but no offence to those who have zero knowledge on Word.

Well, I am having a long weekend now, Monday is off and Friday is off. Monday is off because of Labor Day; and Friday is off because College of Business and Public Administration (CBPA) do not have classes on Fridays. =) First week of class and I have a long weekend break, what a relieve! =p Let's hope it will be fun. And also let's hope I won't burn too big of a hole in pocket buying some necessary stuffs. =D Shopping anyone? =p

Time to catch up on some sleep! Adioz. Zzzzzzzzzzzz... *dream of you*

A week has slipped by...

2007-08-27T19:51:00.000-07:00

After a week in Drake University, I finally started my first class, BUS 003, which is Strategic Business Planning or something like that. For those people in INTI, if you think LAN class is a lot of people, you must join this class. It's a lecture hall, those huge lecture hall which I have always dreamt of entering, and there are easily a hundred people in the class. I must say, it was great.

Our lecturer was quite nice I must say. Well, yes, it's the first class only, but I think he will be good.

As Borgy told me, classes here are either 50 minutes class or 1 hour 15 minutes class, except if that's a night class. You can say that's insufficient time, but I would say that is efficient use of time. It may seem too short for a class, but human's concentration power ain't that powerful, is it? At least these sort of timing will keep us, or me, up in the class. Lol.

My second class was Statistics II, and my lecturer is Mr. Rahul Parsa. Yes, he's an Indian, from India I think. He has a thick accent. No, not American accent, but Indian accent. He's not too bad, or at least his first impression for me wasn't too bad. Sad to say, I think I must brush up on my Stats I, because I was a little lost in the class. There's a faint impression of those functions and equations, but somehow it's just a slight memory of it. I guess doing more home work will bring back those important but unwanted memories. =p

There are 4 classes tomorrow, which I think it will sap up a lot of concentration power. Lol. I hope it won't be too bad though. There are a few things in American education system, which Borgy always imply.

First, punctuality. They hate it when people come late into class. Really really hate it.

Next, attendance. If you miss a class here, you will be so lost after that. And if you do miss more than a week's classes, it's advisable to just drop the class, because it will either be a very bad grade or the lecturer will give you an 'F'.

Another thing, participation. Borgy never really imply this, but I learnt this through an English course I took a few years back, which was based on American education system. Here, lecturers expect you to participate in class. To them, asking question is the best flattery. (quoted from Mr. Randall Blum.)

Therefore, if you participate in class, be punctual, and get full attendance, the chances of you scoring in the class is very high I must say.

Buying text books here is a pain in the arse. The University Bookstore has all the books, EVERYTHING. But, yes, a big but, the book store is for rich people only. Books there are really expensive, whatmore if we convert it back to Ringgit!

As a result, we get our books online. All you need is a credit/debit card, and MONEY. Lolz. I must say it's pretty convenient. I have already bought 4 text books online, but they haven't reach me yet though. I hope it'll turn out as expected. Anyone interested in buying text books from me next semester? I will be selling books for IS 044, IS 101, and maybe FIN 101. =p (drop me a comment or email to reserve! lmao)

Basketball is a big sport in Drake I would say. And everyone who play basketball is very good. Yes, very good. Don't believe me? They only need half a second to take a shot, and field goal percentage for 2-pointers is around 80 to 90 percent! Give them a step's gap and they will score in your face! Another thing, they shoot 3-pointers for team, and we Malaysian only shoot free throws, which still take ages. Their 3-pointers are as sharp as those in NBA!! They only shoot? No no. They can dunk! Yes, DUNK! For the first time in my life, I have seen people slam dunk, live, right in front of me. It's a sight to behold, and there's more to come. I can't wait for a Drake basketball match! =D

There's another thing I must mention here. The girls. Hahaa... Saw that coming didn't you? I have only been here for a week, and there are quite a number of chicks! =p Just take today for example. There's this girl who caught my eye during lunch. Well, I haven't got to know her yet, not sure if I will know her, but a few friends of mine said she's pretty as well! =p Well, no offence to Malaysian girls, and not that Malaysia have no chicks, but I must say there are more chicks here than in Malaysia. =p

After a week here, I must say I like this place. Yes, it's a whole new foreign land to me, and there are many sacrifices along the way to get here, but I wouldn't gain anything if I don't sacrifice anything, would I? Yes, I don't get to hug my family, a great distance is in between me and them; I don't get anymore mamak here, or Malaysian food; I don't get to see so many of my friends, though quite a number of them are here and I am slowly but surely expanding my network; but in turn I get a priceless experience of studying abroad; experience how to take control of my life, my spending, my time etc; experience doing a lot of stuffs on my own; expand my network of friends internationally (lol); and many other priceless experience. Let the fun begin, and hope my journey of life will be a journey that I am proud to share with everyone! Cheers!!

Spending!

2007-08-24T20:45:00.000-07:00

I have been spending quite a bit here in the US, but I see these spendings as necessary, so let's hope I won't be spending anymore. =p

First up, I have gotten my pair of basketball shoes. It cost 50 bucks, and I chose this shoe over an Air Jordan which cost 80 bucks. The main reason ain't the price, but is the looks. =p

Nice, ain't it? Check out the trees behind. Lolz. Didn't realize the scenery behind was so nice. LMAO

I spent on a pair of Quicksilver slippers as well. Yes, I do have one, but it ain't for walking. That one hurts my feet if I walk too long in it. So a new pair is a must. =p I spent on a new pair of jeans. Yes, Levi's jeans, which cost around 35 bucks. After converting is still much cheaper than one in Malaysia.

I bought two other T-shirts. Well, this ain't really necessary, but I guess I need a few new T-shirts instead of those that I am wearing for quite some time. Besides, my latest T-shirt is like a few months old, time to update it a little I guess. I bought two because it ain't worth it getting only one. Buying one cost 18 bucks, and buying the second one cost 88 cents. Tell me how not to buy the second one? =p

I feel a little guilty after splurging that much, and more guilty after converting it back to RM, which cost a big bomb. Yes, I do save a little here and there if I get these stuffs back in Malaysia, but still, spending this much in a day made me feel guilty. Let's hope that's all I need to spend on and also hope I get a job on campus. I think I won't feel so guilty anymore if I start to earn money here. =p That's all for today I guess. Adioz.

B. I. G.

2007-08-23T06:50:00.000-07:00

Let me talk a little about US, about how large they are.

First up, their country's land is huge. Yes, very huge. The state of Texas can fit all the people around the world and still have space left! Got any idea? Lolz.

M&M's! Big pack! Lolz.

Next, no offence, but the people here are huge. Well, we Asians do have the stereotype that Americans are huge as in FAT. You are partially wrong. Yes, some are indeed so fat that they will need two spaces in the plane. But, most of them here are huge as in buff and tall. Heck, their biceps and triceps are bigger than my thighs!! I'll bet they can carry me with one hand without difficulties!

Canned greet tea lemonade. Big eh?

Another thing, their cups here are bigger than those in Malaysia. I still remember Ah Chong's cafe's (ICSJ Canteen lerh... =p) plastic cup are like half the size of those here! Their chocolate milk here is wonderful! Compared with Malaysian chocolate milk? Please. It's more aromatic and thicker here! Drink once in those huge cups filled up to the brim and you will be so so full! I am still exploring around the place for food, so far it's not as bad as I thought it was. =)

I am going to go to Valley West Mall later, have to get a pair of basketball shoes. =) Adioz.

Flight to Drake University

2007-08-21T15:15:00.000-07:00

Finally, I found some time for me to unwind. It have been quite busy these few days. Why? Because I have finally step foot on the United States of America! Lolz. Yes, I am in Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA. Haha...

Airbus A380 preparation at KLIA.

The plane ride from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Hong Kong International Airport was quite fun, especially with Kwong Hann and Ziyu beside me. I had the window seat, and it was 9.35am, so the view was great. We get to see Hong Kong, small islands with mansion on it, there's even an island with a golf course! Hong Kong Airport was pretty, what a change from the usual KLIA I have always seen. =p

My plane to Ohare, Chigago.

The plane ride from Hong Kong to Ohare, Chigago, was a torture!! =( Yes, I have another window seat. The first two hours was great, I got to see more island, more water as well, and I got to see the plane's wing extension, which was quite cool. After that was clouds, clouds, and clouds. Luckily for me, I got to change to the middle seat, which save me some trouble getting out of my seat for some streching. I feel sorry for the girl beside me though, because she had to keep on standing up to let me out. But when you seat for 14 hours and can't really sleep, I guess everyone will be quite restless as well.

Wings extension babe!

After seating for so so long, my legs are suffering now. Yes, the part slightly above my knees are pain whenever they are bend, which cause me quite some discomfort. =( My left leg's pain ease off already though. Therefore, whenever you take a long haul flight, get the aisle seat, or economy plus class, or business or first class. Lolz. Oh, United Airlines' stewardess are aunties! =\

See closer. Picture of Japan at night from the plane. My camera's exposure not so great, so that's the best I can get.

Landing in Ohare was an eye opener for me. Why? Because Ohare is huge. H. U. G. E. You can put a few KLIAs in it! We need to take the train service to get to other terminals, and there are 4 terminals! Beside Ohare International Airport was the largest Hilton hotel I have ever seen! (not that I have seen many Hilton though. =p) The hotel is huge, it's like, if you want to walk from one end of a floor to the other, it will take you about 15 to 20 minutes! And that is if you walk fast! Custom check was a little tedious, but it was quite ok.

Lightning in the skies.

Our flight from Ohare to Des Moines was delayed. Well, United Airlines' flight is always delayed, so nothing suprising I guess. The flight was quite smooth, even though it was stormy since we were reaching Ohare. Checked out our luggages and board the minibus to Drake. The customs opened one of my bag for checking, and my brand new Air Jordan socks is missing. I think I left it at home, but my brother still say he can't find it at home. So I am still wondering. Let's hope it's still at home. *fingers crossed*

Plane to Des Moines' engine. Told you it was raining.

That's about it for my flight. Since I boarded three planes, I got to see the plane's wing extension, aero flaps, and even got to see reverse thruster in motion. Wonderful. Only downside is, I am dizzy now, because I have not recover from jet lag yet. The sun is up by 6 plus in the morning, and it always wakes me up around 8am. Sigh. Tomorrow is orientation, have to wake up early as well. So, zzz time now. Adioz! =)

Nice clouds. =p

Say it : Rat-a-too-ee

2007-08-16T06:34:00.000-07:00

I went to Midvalley today. For the first time, I took bus all the way from ss15 to Midvalley. Lol! Well, according to someone, take bus save money, and also save the energy for us to walk to KTM station from college. Lolz.

Anyway, we had Sushi King for lunch. Guess what? I was having fever at that time! lmao. I think the iced green tea help cool me off a little. After spending some time getting a pair of socks and walking around, we watch Ratatouille.

I would say this movie is good, but not great. Yes, there IS a difference between good and great. =) In case you don't know, this movie is about a rat who have the talent to cook collaborating with a guy who is utterly lost in the kitchen to become the best cook in Paris.

In my opinion, I find some part of this movie boring. Yes, too much talking at certain parts of this movie. Well, it is essential to the build up of the story, but I think it could be done in a much more interesting way. =p But then again, it's just my opinion.

On a brighter note, the story line is very nice. The animation was great, too! They managed to make the hardest element of animation picture perfect. Oh, the element? Water. Yes, gushing water and splashes is the most complicated part of animation. And this movie did it nicely. Cool.

All in all, I would say this is a movie worth watching in the cinema, but not worth watching the second time or more in the cinema. =p Hmm, I had say it score a 3.5 out of 5.

Leaving this coming Sunday. Sigh. Thanks for spending time with me today. =)

The number 10 ... ... ... .

2007-08-14T08:19:00.000-07:00

10 people you love. (excluding family members)
My biatch Tristin Shanley Hsu Wen Yuan. Lolz.
Adrian 'Shorty' Kuah.
Aaron 'Joker' Morris.
Foo Suan Phat.
Puvan.
Grace Chin.
Muhe.
Ching Ching.
Clara Moy.
That someone special.

10 things you want to do before you die.
Travel around the world.
Buy a fleet of luxury cars.
Have a gathering of all my friends. A. L. L.
Buy a house for my parents.
Own a few private jets.
Build a business empire.
Be with all the people I love.
Own an island, of course, with my own yatch.
Play computer games or video games on a 42'' tv with surround sound system.
Marry her.

10 things you cannot live without.
Mobile phone.
Laptop.
Internet connection.
Money.
Love.
Songs.
Friends.
Water. Just. Plain. Water.
Food. Food. Food.
Air. Hahahaa...

10 things you Love about your country.
Mamak!
Teh cina ais. Lolz
People.
Manglish.
Pirated DVD, VCD, softwares... etc
Sweet old memories.
Food.
Products of mixed culture.
Yumcha.
Rasuah? =p

10 bad habits.
Sometimes I am a little too straight forward.
Procrastinate.
Tend not to do what I dislike, even when ordered to.
Lazy.
Many in-between meals.
Curse.
Don't read.
Sleep too much.
If provoked, I will get extremely angry.
Always disturb people. Lol

10 attitudes that turns you off.
Back stab.
Dig nose in public.
Talk loudly on the phone.
Think that he/she is more superior than everyone else.
Crave for attention.
Guys who act cool, or wannabe.
Go back on a promise.
Lie without a valid reason.
Smoking, to a certain extent.
Arrogant.

10 words to describe yourself. (5 good and 5 bad)
Dumb in certain things.
Smart in certain things.
Average Joe.
Friendly.
Annoying.
Ambitious.
Over ambitious at times.
Go to great lengths to help someone.
But only selected people. Lol
Not your average Joe at times, bad Joe I meant.

10 favourite bands.
Good Charlotte.
Maroon 5.
Muse.
Simple Plan.
Linkin Park.
Fallout Boys.
Avril Lavigne.
Justin Timberlake.
Timbaland.
Nelly Furtado.

10 most prized possessions.
My laptop.
My mobile phone.
My Nike bag.
My glasses and shades.
My shoes.
My memories.
My friends.
My family, of course.
Some souvenier.
My smelly pillow and bed and bolster and blanket.

10 people to tag.
Grace Chin.
Tristin Hsu.
U-xinn no point lah, since kena tagged ady. Lolz.
Malaz to think.
You.
You.
You.
You.
You.
You.

Rush Hour 3

2007-08-10T05:13:00.000-07:00

I finished my final paper in INTI today. Yes, American History 1, which I practically crap and still don't know what was I crapping. But then again, I need a C+ only to transfer, so why waste so much time? Spend more time with more important people will be more worth it, wouldn't it be?

After doing my withdrawal and a little foosball, I head over to Sunway Pyramid. We watched Rush Hour 3 after lunch, took some pictures after the movie, gave some goodbye hugs and kisses, then parted ways.

About the movie, gosh, it was extremely funny throughout the whole show! Well, typical Jackie Chan movie, everything, including fighting, has a joke in it. Now, add Chris Tucker to the sum. The result, a movie more effective in making you laugh then laughing gas. The story line of this show was quite nice, though some part of the show is quite expected.

Yes, this show still show how agile Jackie Chan is. And, just as Rush Hour and Rush Hour 2, Chris Tucker is still more interested in girls than investigating the case. Of course, the chemistry between Jackie and Chris is great. Oh, this time around, Chris Tucker can kick some arse as well! No more the lousy Chris, this time he took down 4 guys, then a chinese lady while saving the chick! Lolz.

I must say this movie is great, stomach ache due to excessive laughing cannot be define much more clearly in this movie. Even though this movie still lose out to blockbuster of the year Transformers, I must say I'd give this show 4.5 out of 5. =)

Neighbors, a pain in the arse or a helping hand in bad times?

2007-08-07T21:30:00.000-07:00

There's one thing about living in a terrace house which defines heaven or hell -- neighbors. Sometimes, you get a taste of both heaven and hell!! Lolz.

Well, unfortunately for me, I've got a taste of both.

At first it was heaven. Everytime we happen to meet anyone of their family in the front yard, we greet each other, occasionaly stop what we were doing just for a light hearted chat. Whenever they have kenduri, we were invited. Of course, my mum doesn't want to organize any party herself due to the tedious work, therefore we never invite them to any party at our house. =p Sharing stuffs and some times cooking a little extra for each other was nice.

But, after a few years, things start to take a down turn. Sharing of food gradually vanish; chats become lesser; even greetings were limited! Well, not that we don't want to greet them, just that whenever we greet them, we get a cold stare. Therefore, ignorance is best at times. It was then that all the negative traits of this neighbor start to show.

No more helping hand at taking in the clothes whenever rain comes; very limited greetings; they even send an anonymous letter to my opposite neighbor claiming that they were too noisy with the piano! (well, my opposite neighbor asked around who send the letter and they indirectly admit it was them.)

The worst of all was the offensive odor they were sending out. I don't actually know what they cook, but whenever they start to fry things, the stench is unbearable! Even my other neighbor couldn't stand it! (I am not alone, you see. =p)

Besides the cooking, both the father and son smoke ciggarettes like a chimney during winter. Therefore, we as a victim, could only enclose ourselves in our house to avoid inhaling second hand smoke.

There are a thousand more negative images for them, but I guess it's not worth ranting it out here. Fortunately for me, I am leaving this house in 11 days, to a foreign land where I shall make home for at least two years. Looks like this neighborhood image is tainted by a single bad apple. I wonder what will happen when I leave. Sigh.

Incorrect timing

2007-08-07T05:17:00.000-07:00

Have you ever came across a time where you thought you've found that someone but the timing is just so not right? It's just so frustrating when that happens, isn't it?

I got to know her recently, and I said to myself that she's cute. Fortunately for me is I get to know her better, but it really does take more time to know someone else more, doesn't it? Unfortunately, my days in Malaysia are numbered. I have 12 days left here! After taking out time for our finals and time for me to spend with my family, none is left. Lolz.

Therefore, only technology can help me know her better. No, I am not talking about time machine. Lolz. Computers and internet can just partially get the process of communication done, can't they? The irony is, technology is also the one who is putting the distance between us. Heck, I am going to fly in a plane, isn't that technology? Lolz.

Well, there are many other factors between us, and all I could say is the timing is totally incorrect. Maybe, just a maybe, that at some point in the future the timing of our meeting is perfect, though there is another maybe that we shall never cross path again.

Time! Time!! It's either you hate it or love it. Sigh.

History Trial 2007 pictures

2007-08-05T05:51:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of the American History trials. =)

Departure -- engulfed with sadness yet delighted

2007-08-03T05:44:00.000-07:00

Among all the good things in American University Program (AUP), there's something which I hate most -- good friends leaving you for another place. Yes, this post might be a tad emotional, but I can't help it, because two friends of mine left for the States yesterday.

Of course, like what the chinese proverb says, every meeting will have a parting. But sometimes the parting can just be heart breaking. Well, not that yesterday's parting was anyhow heart breaking to me, just that it reminds me that when I leave in around 2 weeks time, it would somehow have a lasting memory stored in the puny brain of mine.

The atmosphere during yesterday's parting was somehow mixed. Everyone was sending them off happily, wishing them all the best, but somehow you can just get the hint of sadness surrounding us. Knowing that you are leaving your friends and family behind for a foreign land for at least 2 years can really bring you down to tears I would say.

There's one thing I learnt yesterday though, that is try not to have so many of your friends to send you off. Yes, you will be glad that there are so many friends to send you off as it would somehow show your social status, but to shake everyone's hand and give them each a hug during departure, it will just shatter your ability to hold back your tears. The more people you hug, the more emotional you will get, and the longer you'll need to hold back your tears. In the end, you most likely will end up shedding tears.

I think the reason why I am feeling so emotional over the departure of these two friends is because one of them have been quite close to me, always chatting and joking; and the other, I would say we have the same interest.

He's always there for me to complain that I am bored, and almost always drives me around, though I did drove him around before. He was the one whom introduce me more to the IT world, and also the Chinese literature world. Drawing is his talent, but he never did say his drawings are pretty. Humble, down to earth and a good friend he is, and I wish him all the best in his future. If there's any work recommendation for aerospace engineering, do tell me. That's my friend's major.

The other guy, though I don't meet as often as compared with the former, do have a same interest with me. Whatever that interest was, I felt very sad when he came over to hug me and say goodbye. He was in tears, and it nearly brought me to tears as well. Laid back and casual as he is, he is still able to score in his subjects, I guess being smart is somehow affected by genes, don't you think? Somehow, I have a feeling that his social skills will make him stand out in everything he does. Wonderful.

Well, enough of emo-ing here I guess. I myself will be flying off to the States in 16 days time, and I could foresee another more emotional day coming. For now, let's just wish my two dear friends all the best. May our next meeting come soon. Adioz.

History Trial 2007

2007-08-03T05:23:00.000-07:00

I have been absent in awhile here, and it's all due to the history trials and some other stuffs happening around me. Now that I am here, let's talk about the history trial.

I would say this trial is fun, even though some part might not be interesting. Credits must be given to Wern How aka the American spy and also Clement aka General Tony Tills. Both of them acted out their roles perfectly, adding some humor to the trial. We played a little mind game by not questioning the American spy, and I would have say that worked to our advantage to some point. =p

After going through a gruelling 4 hours of trial, the verdict came out fresh from the oven. We lost one accusation out of the total of three accusation, so I guess that is considered as a partial win, isn't it? =p

Well, you think 4 hours of trial is gruelling, think again. We had to be the jury for the next trial, the witch craft trial, which lasted around 3 hours. The requirements of a jury? Sit, pay attention to the entire trial in progress, can NOT talk to anyone or make any noise, NO dozing off whatsoever, and in the end come up with the trial verdict. Gosh! That's so torturing. But to be fair, the other group sat for us for 4 hours, so we can't leave them stranded alone, right?

It wasn't too bad actually, most likely due to all the antics of those characters and also all those costume. But what made the situation more uncomfortable is that, all of us had lunch around 11am and hasn't eaten anything since then. Imagine having your stomach grumbling from 4pm till 9.30pm! =s

When the trial ended, a sigh of relieve was collectively heard throughout the hall. After a short photo session, food became the main source of attraction. =p We had McD, and I tell you, burgers and fries never did taste better! ><

I must say it's a great experience to have a trial as a class assignment, and I throughly enjoyed every moment of it, from the beginning to the progress to the verdict. I haven't got those pictures yet, but like what Dr. Borges said, those pictures will be proudly remembered.

PIctures of AUP Ball Glitz N' Glamor 2007 at Eastin, PJ

2007-07-26T07:55:00.000-07:00

After waiting for a few days, I finally got my pictures. Well, yeah, this is MY blog, and so it will be laden with MY photos. =p Skip this post if you don't want to see me me me me me and me. =D

Poser...

Shobana

Tristin, biatch. lol

Grace and Wern How. Do Re Mi? =p

Biatch and his hot chick. Oops, now only I realize I don't know how to spell her name!! lol

Chang.

Foo. Suan. Phat. Shyt! He's leaving to US next week ady!! =(

Nadiah.

(L-R) Ben, Foo, Darren, me, Chang. All 5 ties are different color. lol

Princess Juliet? Got a crown wei, don't pray pray.

Lynda.

Eu Gene and Shobana.

Ching Ching and Alvin.

Mr. Sam!!

Car Mun.

Wern How. Sooooooo tall, that's why I sat down. =p

Ok, that should be it. Foo and Alvin are leaving next week, on the 2nd August. Anyone want to send them off with me at KLIA? =p

20.07.2007

2007-07-20T20:30:00.000-07:00

Nice date eh? I had my hair cut and had my AUP Ball 2007 on that day, which by the time I post this, I can say it's yesterday.

I went to A Cut Above to get my hair done, and roughly 6 inches of hair shrank to 1 inch!! My my, what a change! My head feels a hundred pounds lighther. -.-''' Guess what? I spend RM13 for every inch I cut of my hair! The highest so far that I have ever paid for my hair. W. T. F.

I haven't got any pictures of the ball yet, so you can't see how the ball looks like, and how freaking short my hair is. =p That's the wonder of hiding behind the wall of anonimity on the web, isn't it?

Anyway, I would say the ball was great, eventhough it lacked a little on the organization. Girls in dress really showcase their beauty eh? Everyone looks so glam up and pretty on the night, those who already look pretty in T-shirts and jeans look even prettier, I must say.

I particularly like the male emcee's style. Eventhough he took a little time to warm up, his spontaneous reactions and comments was da bomb! And great job done by our very own DJ Jason, who jammed up some cool mixes to get the crowd shaking and grinding. Oops! Is this supposed to be a college ball or a clubbing party? I guess everyone loosen up towards the end. =p Too bad I sprained my ankle and couldn't really join the crowd. It was fun soaking up the atmosphere from the side though.

High school gathering cum farewell cum birthday party coming up next, or rather in a few hours time. Yet, I am still here ranting about yesterday, even without any pictures to show. How lifeless I can be eh? Gotta run!

Football, what?

2007-07-17T19:41:00.000-07:00

FAM is supposed to stand for Football Association of Malaysia, or is it supposed to stand for Football Assholes of Malaysia? After being trashed by China 5-1, they went on and get trashed 5-0 by Uzbekistan. So what does FAM actually stand for? You make your own decision.

After all these humiliating defeats in the AFC, the people are starting to condemn the standard of Malaysia national football team. I came across this particular letter in The Sun newspaper. The author really proved that Malaysia football team cannot attack, neither can they defend. Please, being outscored 10 goals to 1 goal is a total disgrace!! What's more? That's the total of two games only!

I actually managed to watch part of the Malaysia vs Uzbekistan match. It was pure coincidence. Where was I? Well, at the mamak stall. Yeap, they were airing it live. There was two other Malay boys watching the game as well, and they were seated next to me. I'll bet with you that those two boys were utterly disappointed at the standard of football Malaysia is playing too!

As I am writing this, I can't help but to think of the match between AS Roma vs Man. Utd.. Well, that match ended 7-1 in favor of Man. Utd.. But to say it's a total disgrace to AS Roma is totally wrong. Why? Because AS Roma actually won the match right after that trashing. Now you are talking football. But letting in 5 goals in two consecutive match? C'mon, even non football fans are venting their anger.

And to talk about Manchester United, Malaysia actually cancel their tour here because of this tournament. Well, I think the consequences are showing now, aren't they? Already not many people watch Malaysia national football team play, and now there are people boycotting that event because they don't get to see Manchester United play in Malaysia. And after those humiliating defeats, all those football fans are just going to point at Malaysia football team and laugh their arse off, won't they? Isn't this a case of adding salt to wound? And in this case, adding salt to their OWN wound!

The only solution now is actually to privatise football in the country, just like what England is doing for their very own English Premier League. The government should never ever get involved in any matter regarding football, and should never ever introduce politics into football. You are saying there's no politics in Malaysian football? Well then, tell me why My Team FC is doing way better than all the other football clubs in the country? I'll tell you why. It is because Shebby Singh (manager of My Team FC) picks player aka talent without discrimination; it is also because there is no politics involved in his team. You think his team is not successful? Well, selection for My Team FC 2 is coming up, and this time they are playing against Indonesia. Where's Malaysia? They don't even raise an eyebrow in football!

You can say I am bias in my point of view. But what is football if the players can't even stand up when being brushed aside by other defenders? Please, there is no determination and will shown in the football Malaysia national team is playing. I'll bet that any normal high school team can beat them in a duration of 90 minutes! Disgrace!

~~Down the drain, down the drain. Malaysia national football team standard is going down the drain!~~

Updates

2007-07-09T05:20:00.000-07:00

I watched Transformers today. Outdated you say? This is my second time watching. Oops!

I have to admit, this show is so so good. No matter what the critics say, good or bad, I still say this is a great movie to watch. You would have thought that knowing what's going to happen next in the movie takes away the fun and excitement, but you would be so wrong with this movie. This is my second time watching this movie, and I still find myself deeply sucked into all the actions in the movie. The excitement never drops each time I hear those automobiles transform into those high tech wonderful beings. Anyone care to get the DVD for me so that I can watch it over and over again? =p

I met my dear Miss Khor today, together with Chang and Jon. The 4 of us had a great time chatting over a cuppa tea (well, not exactly tea, just for the saying). She's still as cute as ever, and of course, still running high with all her limitless energy! It's really a lost that she's not teaching in INTI anymore. All the new students won't get to know such a wonderful lecturer, more so a great friend. I really hope I won't lose her contacts. Really.

Should I get a flexible keyboard? You know, the kind where you connect to the computer with a USB and can bend and roll the keyboard? Those soft keyboards, like those in the show Die Hard 4.0. My guess is that it can be quite handy later on, instead of always typing on a laptop's keyboard. Should I spend that money? Will it be wise? So far I heard the price today is RM 29. Maybe I should try Low Yat, if it's lower than RM 25, I'll probably get it. Wait and save money.

Nothing much today I guess. Fatigue creeping into my limbs now, and my head is starting to get a little dizzy. It shouldn't be lack of sleep, so my guess will be -- too much of sleep! LoL.

Triple 7

2007-07-07T07:04:00.000-07:00

7/7/2007

Eh? The date is wrong you say? Highlight it and see it, it ain't wrong, just that you are color blind. =p

This date is said to be auspicious, therefore many couples wed on this day. Let's just say there are about 1000 people who wed on this day, I wonder what happen when it is 08/08/2008 and 09/09/2009. Seven in chinese doesn't mean anything significant, but 8 means prosperity and 9 means longetivity, 10000 or more people getting married on those dates? Hmm... I wonder how many people are waiting to be wed. LOL

Since there are so many 7 on today's date, let's try to list out anything to do with 7. =p

Manchester United scored 7 goals in a match. Check it out at Magnificent 7.
Christiano Ronaldo, George Best, David Beckham, Eric Cantona, and Bryan Robson all played (Ronaldo is still playing) for Manchester United, wearing the jersey with number 7.
Michael Schumacher is a 7 times world champion in F1.
There are 7 days in a week.
I am born in the year 1987.
Boeing uses 7 in their plane models. ie. Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 787, etc.
Two digits of my car (mother's car actually) are 7.

Crap, it's not as east as you think to list out those 7 things. Or at least it is not as easy as I thought it would be. I guess the number 7 doesn't affect my life too much, does it? LOL

Let's try something else, let's list out 7 hot females. Heheh. You saw this coming, right? =p

Jessica Alba!
Maggie Q
Charmaine Sheh
Cecilia Cheung
Katherine Heigl
Charlize Theron
Megan Fox

Man, that was easy. LOL.

Going to Midvalley tomorrow. Should I get more shorts? Hmm... Maybe. Maybe not. Sienzzz. Zzzzzzzz...

Mati Keras 4.0

2007-07-06T05:21:00.000-07:00

Oops, sorry. I just translated the movie's title to malay. Beg your pardon. It's Die Hard 4.0 (aka live free or die hard in the States). It's Friday again, and this time I caught the movie sei ngang. =p

If you want a movie with ass kicking, butt whacking, nerve wracking, amazing stunts, watch Die Hard 4.0 then. It's not really fighting and explosion every minute of the show, but it's enough to keep you excited over all the commotion. I am glad that the director, Len Wiseman, actually spend time building up the villian's character, and also build up the courage in McClane's side kick, the computer whiz Matthew Farrell.

This show is about a group of hackers ripping apart the United States by hacking in the computer systems that run the country. It truly shows how dependant we are on computers in this technological age. Without them, we will be back to the stone age; with them, we may be destroyed in a matter of days. Don't believe me? Watch the movie.

Anyway, the main villian is played by Timothy Olyphant. I would say he played his role well. It's quite convincing to me that he was the one who wrote the computer programs for almost the whole government of the United States. His partner, also lover, is played by the oh-so-hot Maggie Q. Gosh, I would love to be the one kissing Maggie Q!! LOL

Unfortunately, Maggie Q doesn't get so much screen time even though she's the eye candy of the show. I guess playing villian reduces your screen time, doesn't it? I would dare say lots of guys out there would appreciate more screen time from Maggie Q. Why? Well, not many female can exude sexiness in a whole movie just by wearing two different black suits, am I not right?

All in all, I would give this movie an 8 out of 10. Oh, for the boys (and maybe some girls), this show also showcase how maneuverable and deadly the F-22 Raptor can be. Wonderful! I would say this movie is surely worth paying to watch in the cinema, but Transformers is still the undisputed champion blockbuster, wouldn't it be? =)

When you're gone

2007-07-04T06:19:00.000-07:00

I always needed time on my own
I never thought I’d need you there when I cry
And the days feel like years when I’m alone
And the bed where you lie is made up on your side
When you walk awayI count the steps that you take.

Do you see how much I need you right now?
When you’re gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you’re gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you’re gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day
And make it okay, I miss you.

I never felt this way before.
Every thing that I do
Reminds me off you.
And the clothes you left
They lien on the floor
And it's not just like you
I love the things that you do
When you walk away
I count the steps that you take
Do you see how much I need you right now?

When you’re gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you’re gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you’re gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day
And make it okay, I miss you.

We were made for each other
Out here forever
I know we were (Yeah yeah)
All I ever wanted was for you to know
Everything I do I'll give my heart it so
I can only breath I need to feel you here
With me!! (Yeah)

When you’re gone
The pieces of my heart are missing you
When you’re gone
The face I came to know is missing too
When you’re gone
The words I need to hear to always get me through the day
And make it okay,
I miss you.

credits to aline;-)

Substitution please. Thank you.

2007-07-03T06:12:00.000-07:00

I think almost everyone knows about the music video for the song Beautiful Liar by Beyonce and Shakira. If you don't, I'll save you the trouble of looking for the video and embed it here.

Well, as you have just saw, the dance moves are indeed quite hot. It shows off all the curves of both Beyonce and Shakira. But, imagine this:

Substitute these two:

Beyonce

Shakira

With these two:

Jessica Alba

Megan Fox

All the guys are drooling now, am I not right? Someone turn on the air conditioner please, it's getting hot in here!! Let's save the sweat, shall we? *Dreams...*

Note : I got this idea this morning while listening to Hitz.fm JJ and Rudy. Sometimes life can just be so imaginative, can't it? =p

Updates

2007-07-02T05:21:00.000-07:00

NOTE : part of this post may be boring; part of this post may be offensive; and most of this post is just crap, so don't blame me for not warning you. =)

I had my History 1 mid term today. If I base it on how he marked our test 1 previously, I wouldn't dare say I screw it or not; if I base it on how I answered, then I would say I more or less screwed half of it, because the first question was just plain crap. Anyway, it's over and let's just forget it a while till it comes back.

Borges finally started the trials, right after our mid term. Well, I didn't get the same group as my previous trials, but I must say I am pretty impressed with this group of people I will be working with. What I've learnt so far is that each of them has their own character, some outspoken; some with great ideas; some help behind the scenes type, so on so forth. Haha... Ok ok, these are my first impression of working together with them, and I am almost certain that it will be better than my first impression. You know, sometimes it's just that feeling that something will turn out wonderful. LOL

Ok, enough of classes and college. Let's move on to something else. Oh, my baby is back! So so happy. Don't know who's my baby? See for yourself then.

Oh, how cute right? Yes, my baby, I wish! Haha... He's my cousin sister's baby. Too bad I can't meet him. He's in Australia. =( Ok, my baby. Here you go.

Hahaa... What were you thinking of? =p

I was watching some cantonese drama just now, and this thought suddenly came to my mind. Girls. What about them? Well, some of them can just be so so cruel; so selfish. As a cantonese line say, hou teng lui yan, mmm hou teng looi yan. Loosely translated: good will be girl, not good will cause trouble. This term was coined because girl and cause trouble to someone else sounds similiar.

Well, I am not saying all girls are bad. There are some girls who will be your best friend but never lover; some girls whom guys wants to show off as girl friend but not wife; some girls who are silly but cute and adorable; some girls who every guy wants to have but not every guy have the chance to, such as Jessica Alba. Well, there are a whole lot of other types of girls which I can't list them here due to space concerns. But, I would just like to think of girls as someone whom I can love, somone whom I can treasure... I am leaving Malaysia soon, and here comes the song When you're gone by Avril Lavigne. Not that I dislike the song, in fact, I love and adore that song. Just that when I play that song and think of her, I just can't help feeling sad. And after a few times, I even think of my family when I listen to that song! Gosh, can really cry if I want to! =\

Anyway, I think I am going to cuddle up my smelly bed soon. Got to catch up on sleep. I have been feeling very tired lately, not sure it's playing basketball too frequently or the weather. Ciaoz.