New year

Well, there were fireworks in Melbourne, albeit of the natural kind. Sydney harbour bridge fireworks were awesome though, caught that on telly.

I wonder what the coming year will bring forth. Hopefully less challenges, even though overcoming harsh challenges means more interesting topics to share with friends and family.

New Year's Eve

It's that time of the year again, when people sing old Scottish songs and resolve to do something to change themselves to be a better person. Being the skeptic I am, I doubt it would work, but.. each to their own.

So.. it's been an eventful year, 2009. Besides Tiger Woods' sex scandals, and the Malaysian political arena being a letdown, there have been other noteworthy events. The LHC for one, it began operations, then crashed twice if I'm not mistaken. Then came the doomsday predictions that the LHC would unleash black holes on the world, or the other Mayan prediction of the world ending in 2012.

It would seem that this year would be best remembered for doomsday predictions then. Hopefully next year will be more memorable - 2010 features the Vancouver Winter Olympics, World Cup in South Africa and the Commonwealth Games in India [Delhi I think].

Enjoy the celebrations, and have a Happy 2010!

2010

The beginning of a new decade, the end of an old era.
It's just 2, 3 days away.

I wonder what it will herald.

What some Malaysian academicians do during their free time

>>Link<<

My take: The person writing this so happens to be a Chinese-Muslim, and appears to be a convert by marriage. I do not have any preconceptions about his political leanings, or his religion leaning either. Hence I do not know anything about why he decides to write such an article - an article which may, and probably has, inflamed a number of people.

But I still do have a couple of questions regarding his article.
1. Why does Dr Tee choose to use a census that is almost a decade old? Should he not have used an updated version of our national census?

2. Related to question 1, why does Dr Tee think that the non-Muslims have "taken over"? Are there relevant statistics to show for the claims he makes in the post/article?

It is a baffling article. And I feel that it has the potential to incite the very things that he may have sought to quell in the first place.

Christmas morning

It's 5 in the morning over here. I wonder what I'm doing, still up and about. There's no Christmas tree in the corner with presents under it.

Summer nights

They're getting shorter by the day. As I sit here typing this out, it's 9 pm and the sky's still bright, bright as the 6 am dawn sky.

As the days grow ever longer, and the nights shrink, it's sort of playing around with my mood too. There's this sense that the night, however young, will be too short to savour fully.

Ahh nostalgia is sometimes a wrecking ball for the soul.

Teach Radical Malaysian History in our Schools

>>Link<<

My take: About time. It's been talked about to death already. Especially on History. Why are we fed one side of the story and not allowed to ask or comment on the other side? And the current system does not encourage thinking. Questions asked are quashed by using the rhetoric "non-examinable questions".

Time for change. Change, which will not come unless we have a revolution [and we lack leaders for that].

My favourite question returns to haunt readers:
Q: Should he have rebelled against the Sultan?

And my answer will still be:
A: Yes he should.

Fluctuations

The mercury shot up yesterday, and now the sky's clouded over. What beautiful weather we get here in Melbourne.

I wish I had the adventurous friends here in Melbourne still. I wouldn't mind a bit of sightseeing, especially with summer looming.

Gotta get out in the sun more..

Bzzt

Lying in bed,
dreaming of what could be,
what could have been,
what should be.

The first one is the worst one
when it comes to a broken heart

-Boys Like Girls, The First One-

Results

By sheer luck I was up at 5.30 am to get my results. [And yes, I'm still in Melbourne.]

So.. Triple H1s for the core subjects means I'm rather happy today :)
Weirdly enough, even with all my complaints about Linear, it netted me the highest score. Pleasantly surprising.

Anyway that's first year done. I can't believe I'm actually waiting for next February to come along.

快到我向你们追债了。。

Repeat

It's the same old story all over again during the holidays. Looks like I'll go ahead and find something worth doing over summer. Besides playing computer games of course. Perhaps a good round of paintball might do me some good. Relieves some of the stress piling on my back now.

Racial politics and Brain Drain

>>Link<<

My take:
There are two things worth reading here, the first being the blog post itself, and the second is the long comment beneath.
Brain drain is an ongoing process, amplified by the sheer amount of racist talk some of the leaders have been spouting in the last few years. The article highlights the main reasons why we'd want to get out of Malaysia, which all hint at racism practised within the government forces. [Which is all rather true, and most Malaysians will admit this happens.]

Literate Goons and Well-trained Zombies

>>Link<<

My take: Some measure of rote learning helps us ace exams, but to gauge the true depth of our students you need to get them thinking in detail. As the article points out, one of the ways would be to make students "change" the past through visualising concepts. This has been done in the Singaporean schooling system, and it should be done in our system as well. In many ways it will help us along, although if the implementation is done in the same way as our present method of teaching Literature, the system will fail horribly.

Q: Should he rebel against the Sultan?
A: Why of course he should.

Cheer up emo kid

Can't help but smile whenever I type/see this. Dunno why I'm a bit depressed now. Maybe it's the lack of friends around Melbourne. Maybe it's something else. Doubt it would help much if I knew what was the problem though.

Owl City

Syrupy sweet lyrics, the perfect balm to soothe souls and hearts. I personally like these two songs of theirs:

From New Scientist

Found a couple of interesting articles on New Scientist.

Dear God, please confirm what I already believe
>>Link<<

My take: This might explain so much about why modern society follows certain rules that seem to have been handed down by religious beings. And it would certainly explain why the three Abrahamic religions talk about the same God, but Islam has a different set of rules compared to the Christians. In that case, I'd like to found a completely different religion, with gods like the Chaos gods found in Warhammer 40k.

The world looks different if you're depressed
>>Link<<

My take: Interesting revelation here. At least now I know why things don't seem normal..

Restarting writing

Writing random short stories should restart soon. Got inspired during lunch yesterday, so just check here if I do post anything interesting :)

Holidays

I have a feeling this blog needs a gentle nudge. Haven't found much to post about though, holidays generally make me feel lazy and stuff.

This liver feels rather lazy.

2012

It's another end-of-the-world flick, where all the Yanks manage to survive every manner of calamity thrown at them. The entire show could be construed as a philosophical discussion of the end of the world and who should survive it. It looks like politicians should not be allowed to survive at any cost, if I understood the show's last hour well enough.

Somehow after watching I just wished that we get an apocalypse movie where everybody gets wiped off the surface of the Earth instead.

Restarting brain functions...

Overdrive

Ever feel as though you've been thinking too much about a single thing, be it an idea, a person, or a concept?
Well, you've probably burnt yourself out just putting the entire puzzle together. I know how it feels, searching in the dark for that missing piece. It can get worse if the missing piece doesn't fit into the puzzle, for you then have to look for the correct piece all over again. It's an entire vicious cycle, for it will suck you in deeper the more you think.

Time to break free of that cycle.

Hidden meanings

-Falling, faster and faster
longing for a quick release
opening myself to the void
rending my mind apart
every fibre of me seeking
new reasons for
closing the door, falling
ever faster-

Woken from the dream
he's weary,
yawning and bored.

Atheist campaign in the UK

>>Link<<

My take: At least they're speaking out. Sometimes we should just analyse facts and try to justify them before discussing religion, whether it's needed or not.

Emo again

Don't ask. Consoling me would do nicely though :)

-I died in my dreams
what's that supposed to mean
got lost in the failure
I died in my dreams
reaching out for your hand-

Funeral Song, The Rasmus

Innocence

It's frustrating to always find yourself in that old position of unrequited love. Recurring problem I guess.

Three inches of air
between your cheek
and my lips

DST

It's 8 o' clock already, yet there's still a lot of sunshine coming in from the west. Gonna get some more ESD2 revision in before I find myself in bed again.

I'm finding it kinda difficult to write long, coherent posts, unless there's a precipitating factor or something.


Talk to me more,
give me inspiration,
let me freshen my tired mind.

New Scientist: Rejection massively reduces IQ

>>Link<<

Gotta say this is interesting, go check it out.

My take: Well, if that's the case, it means my current IQ *could* be higher.

1 down 3 to go

There is a certain energy that fills you once you've polished off an exam paper, especially one that you thought would be difficult or particularly painful. Maybe it's a manic sort of energy. Either way, it's difficult to describe that feeling when you've moved past one exam, ready to tackle the next one.

-虽然我现在要叫你神，明天过后轮到你们叫我神。-

Sweetness

Finally done with the text part of the newsletter. Yes, I know it's kinda overdue already. This is what happens when you think too much about exams and newsletters.

Gonna dress it up with more pix now. Can't believe most of the photos I need are on Facebook.

-The one I love
is striking me down on my knees
The one I love
drowning me in my dreams
The one I love
over and over again
dragging me under-
The One I Love, The Rasmus

Finding myself

"It's not about finding who you are; it's about creating who you want to be."

How true this sentence is. It reminds me of what I should be doing instead of finding things to do.

Melbourne Cup Day

It's a public holiday, but for uni students it's another day at the libraries, slaving away to get those four H1's. Brain's functioning fine, until the notes get taken away, that is. Gotta try and memorise all the pertinent facts and figures.

Yet another sleep deprived day in paradise.

A+ way to get the best of the best in SPM

>>Link<<

I'm sorry, I still don't see how this will help. I foresee a lot of students falling into that A+ category. Unless you're going to use something like a scaled normal distribution graph, this is not going to bode well at all. It's just dressing the salad with a different oil, the taste is more or less the same.

Cleverbot?

"Then there is no use in wanting to life at all, because that is the source of all heartbreak."

Just a quote Wei Ling got off this site: >>Link<<
It's an AI-based chat program.

Poetry

Someone asked me why I write poems in some of my blog entries. I guess it's cos to me, I find that poems are one of the easier methods of expressing emotions. In just a few lines, you can tell the world how you're feeling inside. That being said, poems are also a good way to cover up things, since everything that happens to the persona doesn't necessarily mean that it's happening to you as well. It's a good tool.

First year

Last day of uni today. It had a party mood to it, especially in the ESD2 workshop today. Well, I guess the ESD2 workshop party mood was partly due to the fact that we'd get to launch plastic balls at a mini-Jamie Evans, and we got to see all the Spiderman simulations and Andrew's reactions to our predictions. After that it was all food and drinks, party hats and YouTube videos.

With my first year of uni life almost officially over, I sense it's gonna be more of an uphill struggle for the coming 3 years. I have a plan for that though, it's called studying during summer. Although I wonder how I'm going to achieve that in 35+ degrees temperatures. It should be doable, I'm sure. It should just be a matter of willpower.

Anyway, back to studying for the impending finals.

Update

Got delayed on the trains big time today. Signal failure at Camberwell >.<
Poor infrastructure often gets in the way of decent services. Anyway, managed to hurry to uni in time for Matlab test. I was surprised to know that I can still finish the entire test in about 40 minutes.

Doesn't feel like there's much to say about today, other than that 1 hour delay sitting around at East Camberwell station. Oh wait, the weather was beautiful today. Must remember to buy myself a pair of shades for summer.

Gotta get back to writing up that newsletter.

Burnout

Don't ask me whether that's really true, sometimes even I wouldn't know what goes on with me. All I know is that this close to the finals, I'm starting to blur out, to defocus from the main stuff in uni.

I think I need some help. I know most of you think that I'm some super-genius or something, reality is I'm not that person yet. I might know more, but it doesn't mean it's all uni-related.

I guess... it's back to studying first then.


Focus, focus, it's just another 3 weeks to go...

The Forgotten - part 9

A sliver of silver light
shining forth from beneath the drawn blinds.
Furious typing echoes out into the night.

A spark of life
flaring forth from within.

Slowly, surely.
Something will change
as things always do.

Inside
the insomniac fights on
his wish to live
and he lives to wish
Forever.

News updates

RM42k for a laptop: >>Link<<

Well, once again the great toilet seat story strikes again, this time in the form of super expensive laptops. If they were inlaid with Swarovski crystals and had the equivalent processing power of Deep Blue, I'd warrant that price. But obviously it doesn't, which means someone is fiddling with the accounts. Nice job wasting taxpayers' money.

97% of parents in 7 schools want teaching in English to continue aka the Maths and Science debacle: >>Link<<

What can they really do? I'll be waiting for updates, but till then, it's still going to be a case of government reversing decent policies.

Econs experiments

Play the market. Make the trends. Earn money. Worth 3 hours? Definitely. Especially considering that I got $60 and came out knowing that uni students don't mind taking risks for a decent return, it was very much worth my time.

Thoughts on ESD2

I'm waiting for them to give out the feedback forms. We need to let them know how badly done the subject is so far. It can be improved, although I feel that scrapping it altogether has its merits.

Week 11

The semester is about to end. Most of the major assignments have already been cleared out of the way. Soon it'll be the calm before the storm, a week's rest before the finals blow in. I am constantly reminded of how quickly time flies, of how my life has changed for the better. Of the various responsibilities I took on, of what I plan to make of myself.

Time to prove my worth, time to make my mark.

Quote

Quiet contemplation yielded this sentence:

"Every flaw in the crystal is another facet from which the crystal shines brighter."

Block

Once again, I've hit that mental obstacle on the road to writing a good article for the IESS newsletter. How does Luke do it, I wonder.

Silence

It's kinda quiet today for some reason. Actually it's been kinda quiet since last night. I wonder why.

Even I've been relatively quiet on the blogging front. I speculate it's what happens when we let off steam suddenly.

18

It was a blast today. Got flooded with emails from friends, MSN was going off quite often as well. Even my friends from Malaysia messaged me with their warm wishes! That was quite something to me. And then there was the surprise this morning, after my Finance lecture. Was called over to the Engineering building, where I saw the whole gang already there waiting. I was a little stunned at first, [who wouldn't be?] and then they started singing Happy Birthday. The usual rituals then proceeded, blowing candles, cutting and distributing the cake - Liling had done a pretty fine job of baking a cheesecake!

As the weather started acting up, we decided to retreat into the cover of the Engineering building. Inside, I received my presents - the compulsory card bearing well wishes, clothes [both summer and winter wear :D] and then this.



A Logitech G15 gaming keyboard. Holy shit. I was so amazed when I unwrapped it, all I said was, "Sick."

Well, having tested it for about 7 hours now, I like its feel. It's more fun to use compared to the previous Logitech keyboard I was using, more so when you consider the LCD panel in the middle of the keyboard.


I love my birthday presents this year. And I love my birthday celebrations this year. Thanks to Jun Yeu for getting me the G15, and thanks to Liling for the cake, love you both!

Tiberian Twilight

C&C4 is coming next year. >>link<<

I want it. Badly.

Time

Assignments have temporarily messed up my sleep times. Thanks very much, uni.

...the distinction between past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion. - A. Einstein

South Melbourne beach trip

Late is in fashion. As the organisers put it, there were only 2 people on time [read: early]. Even one of the main planners was about half an hour late, but since punctuality is such a tall order for some of us, names shall not be mentioned.

All in all, I feel that the trip to South Melbourne beach was worth investing ~12 hours of my time. It was good fun bonding on the beach, with the sand and the surf coming together. Even the weather was pretty decent for the week, considering that the past week was cold and rather windy. In contrast, the sun blazed down and the winds were breezes at worst.

Encapsulating the day in words really fails me now, I guess. Back to reality and assignments for now.

Writing

The monotony of uni life has somehow diluted my enthusiasm for writing. Even though I have an assignment due next Tuesday, and a newsletter due within the next 2 weeks, both forms of writing seem to boring for me to touch.


Too little progress, too little time...

Theory proven?

Never envisioned myself being a social researcher, but a certain social conjecture of mine suggests that tensions change when you start relationships within a group of friends. It appears that I have been proven right.

But then again, it's just an isolated case so far. As they say, one coincidence is just a coincidence.

As the sun rays sparkled down,
I saw the truth clearly.

Blitz Paintball

One word sums this up pretty well. Ownage.

Kinda tired out now, all the running, adrenaline and shooting really burns your energy down to malfunctioning levels. Paintballing hasn't changed much since I last played at Oakleigh. There's still those voting boxes near the exit, players still get unlimited lives in most scenarios, gameplay is getting kinda straightforward. Although I'd like to try Little River next year or something like that.

Blitz

It's tiring but fun. Although I gathered more bruises and scrapes, it was good clean fun. Not really a major turnout, but it was still a success so far.

To think that we're only just getting started.

Meetings

They won't start on time, it's ingrained into us that it will definitely start late.

Sad.

Visitors

And so they arrived, the only notices on Facebook.

Became the designated tour guide for Terry and Matt yesterday. Met them in Melbourne Central, and then the first stop they wanted was Smith St.

"Why?"
"Cos we heard there was massive discounts on sports stuff."

Not a bad reason, so we headed off to Collingwood, where the next 3 hours were spent trawling from shop to shop, trying to find Terry a pair of new shoes.

After searching in vain for something that suited him, we left for Docklands, where they were supposed to meet up with some high school friends for lunch. Had fish and chips, which were supposedly inferior to that in Sydney. Then more old friends turned up.

Apparently a lot of my high schoolmates are here in Melbourne. And they meet up quite often. To think that I've been looking out high and low for any of them here. Oh well. But I found out that they are poker addicts with their own poker set, so I'm thinking of inviting them for IESS's Poker Night next semester.

After lunch, went back to the city for bubble tea. There I parted ways with them, letting them wander off with their ex-classmate to Spencer St DFO.

It's always nice to meet up with old friends.

Glen Waverley

Your typical Asian hangout, I guess. No wonder the locals get a little discriminating and protective of themselves when they see so many Asians wandering around. I "happened" to wander down to Glen Waverley alone on a Saturday evening, for some reason best known to myself, just like how I decided to wander around Port Melbourne alone as well.

Lots of Asian shops - cafes and grocery shops - around the station. Even just stepping out of the station screams "Asian" in your face. Since I wasn't looking out for anything in particular, nothing really stood out to me. Might go back another time, maybe an afternoon when the shops are still open and stuff.

Rainbows

How funny it is that life treats us this way. After the problems and bullshit we endure, then only we get to savour a fleeting taste of joy, before plunging back into the bustle of life.

Just like seeing rainbows after the storms.

Like the rainbows
they vanished
as the clouds parted
and the drizzle settled
beams of light shining forth
brightening the azure span

but at what price?

Intellectual talk

It's really difficult to find people who think critically and can discuss profound stuff. Now that I've found people of the same ilk as myself, I can finally challenge myself to discuss topics of mutual interest.


On an unrelated note, I've found some cheap food in the city. Crossways on Swanston is one pretty decent food place. Indian food [or whatever's on the menu] and a decent atmosphere, it's hard to find another place for the price.

Net

How fun it is when the Net suddenly cuts out after 1 am. It's like someone telling you that you should be sleeping already.

But coffee doesn't help things.

Port Melbourne

It's an industrial area. The only reason there's a paintball arena and a go kart arena there is because of the warehouses and open space within.

Now I have the challenge of arranging transport for roughly 50 people to and from the go kart circuit in Port Melbourne. And to spice things up further, I have to find some way of getting them there and back without half of them complaining of having to walk very far. This should be fun.

Programming

There is always that sense of achievement when you finish coding a significantly annoying program. Now I understand why I enjoy programming more than I used to.

Streaks

I've found that I tend to have a very competitive streak coupled with some degree of aggressiveness when playing games. It scares me, seeing the effects of it. Sometimes I don't feel like myself when this happens. Methinks I should find some way to cut this streak out at the right times.

Tender

"Walking her to the tram stop."

Self sacrifice, or some other reason?
I'm pretty sure we know the answer.
Or we think we know the answer.

Sometimes it's the little things
which divulge the bigger secrets.
Every unexpected decision
every non-random move
they give away the thoughts within.

No matter how much the two of you deny, I wish you luck.

Countdown

Holidays are coming. Let's see. 1500 hours, Friday 18th Sept 09 translates to about 22 hours from now. Hooray! Ohwait. Assignments and revising for finals. Damn.


Off topic: Four weeks to birthday.

Tests

Tough. Desperation leads to only one thing, ie: caffeine infusions. Time to sit back and get some study in.

UPM lecturers hauled up over plagiarism

>>Link<<

Comments: I remember doing basic research during SAM, and also now in uni. Since when did we not have to cite Internet articles?

Conclusion: UPM fails at finding quality researchers.

Life - pre Blitz

It's hectic. So much that I feel guilty for not speeding up my own stuff to make room for IESS and Blitz. Which has led to me finishing off most of the coding for a tic-tac-toe simulator in Matlab.


Can't wait for Blitz now.

Sunday night

Gah. Nice to know that trains run every 40 minutes from the city out. Not so nice when you're the one waiting at the station, for that train that's gonna be coming along in 40 minutes' time.

Housing

Hmm. Is anyone in Melbourne looking for a quiet place to stay? There's an empty room in my place now. Fully furnished is the term, I believe, for this unit in Surrey Hills. Drop a comment with your contact details, I'll try to get back to you as long as the landlady is ok with you.

Assignments

Matlab may be powerful, but it has its own flaws. Such as not being able to give coherent answers to bugs. There is no other plausible reason as to why I spent more than 5 hours trying to debug the darned Matlab code.

Solo

It looks like I prefer to find my own pace when it comes to doing anything. Whether it's simple stuff like walking around, or studying, I tend to use a speed that I'm happy with to carry out the task at hand.

So maybe sometimes I'm frustrated by slowness or slacking, and other times I don't really mind. It's odd.

Malaysian is top English student at London varsity

>>Link here<<

Hmm. Biased as I may be, this is something that we should be proud of. And it should very well be something for all of us to strive for - rebranding Malaysia as much as possible.

In other words - CHANGE.

IE meetings

I find that I just have to release this. Otherwise keeping it inside me will corrode me instead.

Why do you bring a puppy to uni? Is it just for the fun of it? If it is, please rethink. I doubt it's any fun. Instead, it saps your time and your energy just to keep it happy. And it distracts the formality of a meeting. It is VERY frustrating to keep an eye on the puppy AND listen to what the vice president is discussing. Not to mention the shrieks when your puppy disturbs other committee members during the meeting breaks up any decent train of thought.



Now I feel better getting that out of my system.

Demotivated

ESD2 is kinda boring now. How we're going to stand another couple of lectures with that guy I dunno. Matlab may be his first language, but not all of us are fluent in it.


If lecturer = professor && lecturer != white
then lecture = boring

FON

Finally it's over. Mega food carnival with a good turnout and sellout for us. I like that. Korean food tonight to celebrate.

I think it was worth the effort.

Insanitarius

Haven't bothered with an Independence Day post, it doesn't really mean much to me at this stage. I'd rather think about Festival of Nations and the great food carnival you'd have seen outside Union House today. Lovely sight, all the crowds and all the food. Particularly the smell of beef rendang simmering in the pots on the stove.

I wish I had an Insanitarius. Increased speed is always welcome.

Melt

Tis the end of winter, also heralding the 52nd birthday of Malaysia. Not that it feels significant to me, it would help us better if they stopped bickering over trivial stuff at home. Independence Day would be more welcome if problems were sorted out beforehand.

Delays

I know the scenery at East Camberwell station is nice. But you don't have to stick us there for ~10 minutes just so that we can enjoy it.

People with too much time on their hands

197 students caught for khalwat in schools

So. It looks like religious people have too much time on their hands, I think. Why else would they bother with teenagers with raging hormones when there are bigger fish to catch?

Once again, the people with too much time on their hands have struck again. *sigh*

Back again

System Restore is most likely to be the most underrated skill hidden within the Windows OS. At least it has got me back online again, which of course makes me pretty happy. Blogging and Facebooking and foruming again.

I'm not clicking on random links again.

Troy

They gave us the Trojan Horse.

And I have one of them. Dammit.

Need to flush it out of my laptop before any shit hits the fan.

MOMU AGM | Poker Night | Doncaster

I started this last night and haven't actually finished this post until this morning. Lazing around FTW.

Anyway it was hectic for the past two days.

MOMU AGM: What an organised AGM. And a half dead one to boot. I'm pretty sure the returning officer must have found MUOSS's AGM to be more lively than this one. Even I found IESS's to be more upbeat. But anyway, I don't know how promoting Malaysian culture to Melbourne Uni students will encourage people to join. It might just be me, but I'm pretty sure that you'd come here to Melbourne not to see more of your fellow countrymen. [Bias showing clearly]

Poker Night: One word covers it all: Frenzy. Why the hell did everyone decide to sign up at the last minute? I know it helps us that people show their enthusiasm, but it doesn't help the fellows at registration. Well, enough of whining. I got two prizes at the raffle draws, so I'm happy. And to round off an interesting night, one of the Poker Club members who signed up won the grand prize! Now they have their own set to use.

Doncaster: I hate linear programming now. It kinda ruined my chances of getting this particular tutoring position. I should have checked beforehand, but what the hell.

Raindrops

They make me emo and deenergised. Maybe demotivated as well. Right now I'm supposed to be doing more stuff than just this. But of course, I don't look like I've done things like that. So.

Someone give me a good hard shove. I'd like to try going over the edge sometime.


Cold fingers numbs the creativity as well.

Gumballs

I have a mini gumball machine sitting in one corner of my house. Just got it today, random encounter of the human kind in the dungeon.



I'm still thinking about how to use it. Should I sell gumballs, or should I keep the gumballs for myself?

Nothing

... characterizes the life now. Nothing much to talk about yet.

Poker Night is this Friday night. Maybe there'll be a bigger update here after that's out of the way. Maybe not.

Rush

aka The Dummies' Guide to Doing Homework.

Step 1. Look at assignment.
Step 2. Check Wikipedia for quick review of topic. If assigned topic is easy, skip to step 4 straight away.
Step 3. Google your assignment topic for more detail.
Step 4. Decide that you understand the topic through and through.
Step 5. Make a note on your calendar to remind yourself of the due date for your assignment.
Step 6. Party, enjoy life.
Step 7. 2 days before due date, start rushing. [Coffee is vital for this step]
Step 8. Submit assignment 2 hours before the due time on the day itself.

Rule of Assignments #1. The closr to the start of the semester you get your assignment, the more likely you will have to rush the darn thing.

Open Day

"Remember to wear warm clothing, it's predicted that we'll get temperatures around 12 degrees on Sunday."

Yeah right. Intermittent rain and strong winds isn't exactly going to help an Open Day anyway. Most of the day was spent guiding people to wherever they wanted to go to, and handing out helium balloons [although with the wind, I'd hate to hold on to balloons for the rest of the day].

Spring

Temperatures are rising, spring is approaching. And come mid-spring, I'll be free again.

One of those days...

... when you look at yourself, and go "what the fuck have I done with my life so far?"

Relativity

It's interesting to find that all I have to do is to get home, switch on my laptop and then the next thing I know, it's 12 midnight and I haven't done a thing at all.

Time dilation or length contraction, I doubt either would explain how time flies this fast.

Lectures

"Due to conditions beyond my control we will have to cancel today's lectures. There will be no lectures on Wednesday 12th of August."


People sitting in the lecture theatre now: FFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU.....

Slackers setting off late from home: Yay :D

Trains

It's pretty awesome, the type of people you see on trains.

You get the friendly noisy stranger, who talks to you on trains. A friend of a friend of mine found one guy who could yodel very well. And that was only because the yodeller talked to this friend first.

You also get the politically motivated activist. They'd go around, handing out survey forms to passengers, asking for signatures. There was this guy I met one night, he was trying to collect enough signatures to petition to boot Connex out of handling the Melbourne public trains.

And then you get the evangelists, who'd get on the train and start asking people, "Would you like me to read you a story?"

Ah, the fun of travelling on trains in Melbourne.

Rage

"This ATM has run out of $20 notes. Please enter a different amount."


FFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU.....

Repetition

Life is monotonous this time of year. Although it's coming to the end of winter [spring officially starts on the 1st of September], I don't feel it. There's some sort of delayed lethargy settling into my bones now.

Wake up.
Shower.
Eat breakfast, pack lunch.
Go to train station.
Arrive at city, get tram to uni.
Go for classes.
Hang out with friends. [who don't always notice your presence]
Go to train station.
Get home.
Switch on laptop.
Stone until hungry or tired.
Sleep.

Rinse and repeat as required.


Some days I feel worse than a machine.

Writer's Block

What happens when you get an assignment barely a week into the new semester, as well as two event reports to write up, and one of the event reports is poorly written.


Headbang. No way this should be happening. But it is. T_T

Renting

450 bucks for an [almost] empty shell of an apartment.

City prices drive me nuts. And so does the Malaysian student mentality. What to do, except sit around and pray someone manages to change their mindset.

Uphill

Everything in life goes up, or so they say.


Note to self: Don't go jogging uphill again.

Laments

Every day, the same questions ring in my empty head.

Why.

A thousand times a day, the same question, repeating endlessly, as though demanding attention.

Yet there is no ready answer.

Articles

As the editor, and the guy who's taken Creative Writing, I can't believe how difficult it is to write a simple short article of something that I attended and just happened 2 days ago.



Ouch.

Questions

Life certainly is funny.

Why do two people who like each other deny that reality?

Demotivators 2

Just for laughs.

Invisible

Why am I constantly that one person who's left out of the conversations?

Why does the silence seem inevitable?

Why don't things fall "naturally" into place?

Why do relationships have to screw up friendships?

So many questions.
So few answers.
When, oh when, will the wind stop howling?

Box Hill 2

I've been up there too many times. Except that this time round, I'm just another invisible little kid, heard but not seen, wandering around.

Sometimes I wonder why I bother. It was a trip which was "supposed" to cheer me up by sending me into the sunlight. Yeah right. As though it helped.

-I'm just a kid
And life is a nightmare
I'm just a kid
I know that it's not fair
Nobody cares
Cos I'm alone and the world
Is having more fun than me
Tonight-

Outings

Just another way of saying "You've got work to do while everyone else is skiing."

On the other hand we get to go somewhere, stretch our legs a bit. Trade offs seem to be the mainstay of our lives, isn't that right?

Weekend

First week back at uni, and it's flashed by so fast. Met some old friends, made some new friends. Nothing much to report back yet though.

There's gonna be a weekend outing to Box Hill, thanks to New Careers, the IESS sponsor. Unfortunately they won't be sponsoring our food bills up there, so it should be Vietnamese food and laser tag on the agenda, I guess.

And by the way, 250 blog posts, yay!

Survey: Students have no qualms about bribes

For original article go here: link

This tells us how badly society affects us students nowadays. It is an old adage that tells us, "Absolute power corrupts absolutely."
And now even university students don't mind taking bribes. Really, so many things have failed in Malaysia, and now the latest failure is the concept of integrity. It has mysteriously disappeared. Good luck with Vision 2020.

Demotivators

They're good ideas. Heck I should make more of them.

The only problem is finding a good supply of photos to use.

MLIA 2

I just realised that I do a lot of things just to please everyone [well, if not everyone then at least most people] and to save my own arse.

This isn't helping me, I'm getting more and more constricted and squashed out of any shape I have now. It doesn't help that I lack a stress release mechanism.

And what do you do when the girl you like acts like a spoilt brat when you're hanging out with all your friends?

Linear Algebra

Its called that, but you deal with matrices. Which is like back in SAM again, doing Maths again. To think that the lectures are overfull is kinda weird, since I'd expect people to skip some of the lectures.

Oh wait. Not everyone is as mad as me yet.

Command and Conquer 4

The end of the Tiberium saga.

The end of the Kane-GDI rivalry.

The conclusion of what started in Tiberian Dawn.

Reset

Once again, the holidays end too soon, and we're back for classes. Another 2 months to the next break, time does fly.

It takes the writer to know what his characters will do.

Library

I love visiting the City Library. It's quietly tucked away in one corner of the city, and at least it offers the books I enjoy reading - WWII and Cold War conspiracies which lead up to the present day.

Jack Higgins anyone?

MLIA

Go figure. If you guys stay over tonight, that's just it.

Sometimes I don't like being younger than the crowd. Look at it, if being born in the fourth quarter of the year isn't enough, try being one year younger as well.

GAH

MLIA.

Return

With everyone coming back from holidays, I run around a lot more now.

Dinner later at 7. I guess it will be one of the earliest times I eat nowadays.



I'm bored.

Discrimination

Whites see us Asians as separate categories based on skin colour - Chinese, Vietnamese, Malays, Indians, Indonesians, Africans. That's actually quite simplistic. Being Asians, we tend to see other things as well.

Especially Malaysians. Common misconceptions made by some white folks:

All Malaysians are Malays.
All Chinese come from China.

So Malaysian Chinese like myself get discriminated against because we look like mainland Chinese. We do NOT look like them. And more importantly, we don't sound a bit like them when we talk. At least we don't mangle English that badly.
Ah well, the price we pay for coming overseas.

Birthday

Gags are purely for fun only. Can't believe we actually made David do that last night. Rocking party, enhanced by music. Although one thing missing was the mingling. IE people more or less kept to themselves. Damn sad. I think the room should have been smaller to make up for the number of people.

Potatoes

Never deep fry mashed potatoes in a wok.

Reading

Finished of the last of the 3 books I bought... wait. 12 days ago! That's less than 2 weeks. Looks like the next stop for me has to be the City library. Or I'll soon be bored out of my wits again.

Yesterday's cooking session yielded some expected results - no charcoal or ashes. Haha.

Kyp out.

Cooking

Simple matter of looking in the kitchen, then finding whatever you have and bunging that into the oven/pot. Which really describes the normal student's way of finding food to eat.

Now some brave souls want to experiment. I hope nothing becomes charcoal, since we're gonna be the ones eating what we've cooked.

That sinking feeling...

...that you get when you find that it's less than a week to your next deadline, and you've barely made any progress on your work.

Comments:
Feeling will be amplified by random comments from other people. Especially comments which say "I did what I wanted to do."

Newsletter

It's coming along now. Not much, but yeah, there's still something to show for the modest [read: nonexistent] amount of work done during the first 3 weeks of the holidays.

At least all that's missing now is the photos and the president's welcome. Well, I might add a joke or two, or a comic strip. Nothing in stone yet though, don't hold me to anything I say here.


Another day, another week, another month. I miss you.

Let the spam begin

With the next semester timetable out, the spam is beginning to flood in. Everyone requesting swaps and stuff.

And we'll be prepared for the funny stuff which can come in. Last semester showcased the "swing flu" spam. What's in store this semester, nobody knows yet. We're gonna be waiting around for that.

Boredom

It's like a drug. It gets to your head. Slowly, it spreads from there. The limbs, the torso, the organs. One by one, slowly but surely.

In the end you don't feel like going anywhere, or doing anything.

Depression

I'm headed down that road already if nobody can help me out.

Clayton + Australian synchrotron

Went down to Clayton today to meet up with Andrew. For one thing, I must say that Clayton is a little boring. It's like Mont Albert, but Monash Uni being there gives it some difference, I guess. Having nothing to do except lunch in town [the Indian food there is surprisingly delectable], we decided to tour the Monash Clayton campus.
And that led to the Australian synchrotron up along Blackburn Road. One thing surprised me regarding the synchrotron which doesn't show up in the photos. There's a lot of barbed wire around the fence, yet the gate is wide open.

Lucky thing I got back before the storm blew into Surrey Hills. It was bad enough in Clayton, and it definitely sounded worse here.

Anyway, pix.

That's the synchrotron seen from a distance.

The inside of the synchrotron

The frontage of the Australian synchrotron

L-R view of the Monash football field

Signboard advertising the Australian synchrotron

The Forgotten - part 8

Night.

Time of the great silence
the unknown lurks around.
Watching, waiting.
Anywhere, everywhere at once.

Unforgettable, the things that stay with us.
The good times, they pass too soon.
The bad moments, they stick
and haunt our dreams.

I do not fear night.
Stronger in the darkness,
my dreams take shape.


The Forgotten walks again tonight.

Regarding the policy reversal

[Disclaimer: the author is a product of the Malaysian education system. Any comments he makes here are true and not embellished in any way.]

After 6 years of implementation, 6 long years, now the policy has been reversed. I will tell you the same thing proponents of the policy say: Don't waste our money on changing plans back and forth. And now a quick shoutout to all those blithering idiots supporting the reversal.

To the Malay nationalists:

No, teaching Science and Maths in English is a good concept. It will not weaken the position of Malay, seeing that the standard of SPM Bahasa Malaysia questions are extremely high compared to the parody of an exam you call the SPM English 1119 paper. And there are already so many subjects taught in Malay, so there is no need to teach every non-language subject in Malay.

To the Chinese traditionalists:

If you enjoy Chinese so much, go. Just leave Malaysia. I have seen with my eyes how the Chinese in Australia adapt to using English in schools. Yes, I know they are forced to do it because of the system. But they are adapting to the system, not forcing the system to change every few years. Besides, Chinese students have been beating the crap out of the Malaysian education system, consistently scoring many A1's in SPM. So if our students have been able to do it when the mode of instruction was in Malay, and they did it again when Science and Maths were taught in English, why not let them continue? Why the resistance? Why can't we prove that the Chinese are flexible? Besides, why do you even support Malay at secondary school levels? Shouldn't you campaign for Chinese education to be available at all levels?

Technology

One of the best ways for parents to nag you about stuff, and also interrogate you about exam results.

GAH

Doncaster SC

A bit of a let down, really. I'd say it's like Subang Parade, without the arcade. Even then, who goes to the arcade in Parade? Certainly not me, even though I'm a proud Subang resident. Oh well, you win some, you lose some.

Books, books. Just finished off a historical conspiracy theory story. Due to the historical nature of the story, it is damned sad when you get to the end of the story and read that the heroes have to die so that spacetime continuity is preserved. But all in all, I must say I enjoyed the read.


-Solace in the strength of the winds.-

Paydirt

After searching high and low in discount warehouses and in bookshop discount bins, finally. Finally some luck. Managed to get hold of not 1, but 3 books for $15. As sweet as it can get here.

Now I can read a lot again. Haha.

Posts

Long posts do not appeal to most readers. How sad.

Ah well. Maybe that's why newspapers no longer appeal to most people as well. Reading online articles might be easier for some, I guess.

-All it takes to destroy the world as we know it is for the good people to stand by while evil takes charge.-

Mixed feelings over switch, eh? Go screw yourself, says the wise one

Yet another change to the education system, yet another way of wasting taxpayers' money.

Define "mother tongue". Is it:

a) the language you first spoke at home?
or
b) the language of your race?

I remember some of us trying to debate this question with a lecturer last year. Sadly, to some people, as long as:

a) you aren't white,
b) you don't have a white parent,
c) you weren't born in an English speaking country, and lived there for more than 3 weeks,

you automatically don't qualify to say English is your mother tongue. Which is really unfair for those of us who've spoken English more than any other language since young. Hey, in case anyone high up reads blogs from the masses, understand this: we demand our rights too. Don't leave us out just because we aren't the majority. Our parents still pay you taxes, and I simply hate to see their hard-earned money going down the drain caused by the government changing plans every decade or so.

And why do the politicians need to come out to welcome the move? This seems like a sign that political pressures still rule this country of ours, that students are just pawns in the chess game of politics. So, in future, if you really want to change the lives of people, don't be an engineer or architect or scientist. Go and be a POLITICIAN. Even though you'll be cursed by everyone for failing them, you get to see your stuff implemented. You'll be happy, your supporters will be happy, your enemies will be happy, it's all a win-win situation, eh?

English is, and will be, the language for disseminating information throughout the world. General English is for communication purposes only. If you can't read and write technical terms in English, don't dream of going to any white man's land. Stay at home. Do your degree locally, feed the local education industry, earn lots of ringgit and make Malaysia proud. UTAR needs students. UiTM needs students. Go make them happy. Stay at home and make more champs. Then at international meetings, the only Malaysians you'll be seeing will be those who fit any one of these categories:

a) went to international schools
b) were born overseas, educated overseas since young
c) were through some distant relative, linked back to Malaysia

In short, the ones who will make us proud are the ones who ran away from the hopelessly failing education system. They will carry our flag, hidden in the shadows of another bigger flag.


To Muhyiddin, I don't know whether you enjoy this switch, but have fun facing criticism. To the Cabinet ministers who voted "Nay" to the change, I'm with you. To those who voted "Aye" for the change, I hope that your next trip in a bus ends up over a cliff. Hopefully while your contingent goes up to Genting, your driver fucks up. Good luck with facing rotten eggs anyway. Don't forget, the ones who understand more will end up with the world. Like Jesus, Moses, Muhammad, Buddha. Not politicians.

Math and Science back to Bahasa, mother tongues

The Star
Published: Wednesday July 8, 2009 MYT 2:42:00 PM
Updated: Wednesday July 8, 2009 MYT 3:55:24 PM
Math and Science back to Bahasa, mother tongues

KUALA LUMPUR: The Cabinet has decided that the medium of instruction for Maths and Science will revert to Bahasa Malaysia in national schools and mother-tongue languages in national-type schools from 2012 onwards.

The reversal of the Teaching of Math and Science in English (PPSMI) policy will be done in stages, Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said on Wednesday.

He however added that there will be greater emphasis on learning the English language.

English literature will be re-introduced, as will subjects on grammar and composition.

Beginning 2012, students in Year One and Year Four in primary schools, and Form One and Form Four in secondary schools, will learn Math and Science in Bahasa Malaysia.

The change will not affect those in Form Six and Matriculation.

The two subjects will be taught in two languages until 2014 for other students, he said.

“The gap between rural and urban students has widened since PPSMI started.

“Only 19.2% of secondary teachers and 9.96% of primary teachers were sufficiently proficient in English,” he said, explaining the Government’s decision to revert to the old system.

On efforts to emphasise the learning of English, the number of English teachers would be increased by 13,933 -- retirees would be hired, as well as foreigners if need be.

Primary schools will also increase English classes by 90 minutes a week.

There have been calls from various groups for the policy to revert to before 2003, when the subjects were taught in Bahasa Malaysia in national schools, and either in Chinese or Tamil in national-type schools.

The issue has seen a rare alliance between Malay and Chinese educationists, who are against the switch, although there are also calls by many parents and entrepreneurs for English to be maintained.

Thank goodness my brother and sister escape the horrors of reverting to BM and mother tongues for Science and Maths. They're just one year ahead of this epic reversal stunt pulled off by the Cabinet.

Let's look at something I find interesting:

The issue has seen a rare alliance between Malay and Chinese educationists, who are against the switch...

Do you really think that they are allied against the teaching of Science and Maths in English for the same reasons? I don't think so. The two groups may be allied in their stand, but one thing has been clear from the start: They each have their own agendas. As far as I understand [and this understanding may be biased or flawed], the Malays feel that the "superiority" of their language is being threatened by English. On the other hand, the Chinese educationists believe that the majority of Chinese students are not making much headway with Science and Maths taught in English. It's basically two different groups of people, with different reasons for uniting against a common problem. What they plan after that is another point entirely. Which worries me. Will another different group of people demand something else again later on? And how will the Cabinet decide this time round?

Conspiracy theories aside, all I can say regarding this piece of news is that the education system in Malaysia is just another step towards generating failures. "Malaysisa", one of the most common spelling mistakes for "Malaysia", might soon become fact rather than fiction, if we keep spewing out "sisa" like the person writing the letter in the post below this.

Malaysian English

Malaysia-Today
Why English should not be taught in Bahasa Malaysia
Posted by admin
Tuesday, 07 July 2009 15:20

There is currently a brouhaha going on about the proposed teaching of Science and Maths in English. Some would like these two subjects to be taught in Bahasa Malaysia. I am not too concerned about Science and Maths. I am more worried about English. I feel English should no longer be taught in Bahasa Malaysia.

NO HOLDS BARRED

Raja Petra Kamarudin

And why do I think that English should not be taught in Bahasa Malaysia? Well, maybe this circular from one of Malaysia’s leading universities would explain everything.
*************************************************

4th UiTM INTERNATIONAL SPORTS FIESTA
19 – 23 November 2009 FUTSAL-RUGBY 7- TENPIN BOWLING-BADMINTON

Dear Sport Friends,

Regarding about the global issue H1N1 happens around the world, sadly to be informing that our UiTM International Sports Fiesta will be postponing to 19-23 November 2009.

For all teams which have been confirm to participate in our events, we have to say sorry for this announcements and our Ministry of Higher Education and Ministry of Health also advise to us to change the date for this current situation.

By the date have been confirm incoming this November hopefully your teams still can participate in our event and don’t hesitate to contact us for further information.

And again, we would like to say sorry about the date change for the sake of our health among us.

See you in this November at UiTM Malaysia!!

Regards,

Mr. Mustaza Ahmad
Director
Sports Centre
Universiti Teknologi MARA
Malaysia

I have nothing more to say about this other than:

EPIC FAIL

Government monitoring blogs closely, says Rais

Tuesday July 7, 2009 MYT 7:27:00 PM
Government monitoring blogs closely says Rais

KUALA LUMPUR: Special units have been set up under both the Home, and the Information, Communications and Culture Ministries to monitor blogs and ensure that the content adheres to local laws.

Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, who is in charge of the communications portfolio, said both ministries would also exchange information between themselves to ensure maximum monitoring.

Besides monitoring, Dr Rais said his ministry also held meetings and dialogues with bloggers and website operators to inform them about government policies.

“We inform them about the various laws that they should be aware of when they blog, especially those relating to racial harmony and national security.

“We also remind them about the existence of legislation such as the Sedition Act, Defamation Act and Internal Security Act,” he said.

Earlier, he told both Shamsudin Mehat and Datuk Dr Yeow Chai Thiam that the Government would adopt an “open approach” towards the new media.

“The Government encourages people to use the internet to search for information and knowledge as this helps to increase the broadband usage in the country,” he said.

Dr Rais said the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission also organised programmes to promote awareness on proper usage of internet, such as cyberspace security, publication of articles, interviews in electronic media and in advertisments.

To a question from Ahmad Hussin whether the Government intended to draw up a code of ethics for bloggers as they had the power either to unite or wreck society, Dr Rais said the Home Ministry would monitor the bloggers under the Printing and Publications Act.

“My ministry will monitor these blogs under the Communications and Multimedia Act,” he said.

Hmm. Seems like we kids won't be in much trouble over these sort of acts. But thinking about it, do we really need police in the Net? [I refer, of course, to the Net policing and monitoring Rais refers to.]

I don't think that all of us are that naive to assume that everything on the Net is true.

Do not trust Wikipedia 100%.
-Ray Dagastine-

Although you do have one or two mishaps, not all of us will believe that there is a Father somewhere in Malaysia attempting to convert Muslims. What more to stories of slaughter and bloodshed. For that, we need more than one reliable source to actually start thinking that something real has happened/is happening.
As for politics, I will not delve into that deeply, since that is beyond the normal, politically unconnected Malaysian. We can only speculate. We can't say anything. Anything we say is, really, hot air until it's confirmed by someone in the right areas.

Top Gear

MSN PMs are a good place to find interesting stuff. This evening I watched Jeremy, James and Hammond try to make better police cars. Now I'm watching them trash the Satria Neo and the Myvi. Check them out!

Just for fun

在这里住了快要五个月了，我不觉得这儿像洋人的地盘。假如你到市中心走一趟，你会看到一大把华人。
对某些人讲，这里就很像家乡，根本都不需要走很远就碰见同乡的人。

唉。太久没用华语了，虽然遇到大陆来的，他们跟我们大马来的多数就是用英文谈天。

Crysis: Warhead

Finished Crysis: Warhead last night. Verdict: No replayability value if you take the same route through the game.

I'm bored again. Crysis really takes a chunk out of my laptop, and I can't afford to run Crysis all the time. Better get out and go exploring again.

Books

It's hard to find a book that I really enjoy reading, since I filter books before actually buying/borrowing them.

Good plot? Check.
No cliched characters? Check.
Good thickness? Check.

If I get hold of books like that, I'll be happy. But even in a warehouse like the one in Collingwood, I still can't find much to interest me. Self help? Nah. Autobiographies/biographies? Not that the people featured are worth reading about. [eg. Katie Price]

Oh well. Looks like I should go exploring more places instead. Melbourne is so big, there's so many places to go. Hmm.

Solace in boredom

Quite the oxymoron in the title. But then again sometimes boredom brings more interesting things to light. Like the fun of playing DotA or Crysis Warhead.
Or the simple joy of exploring suburbs, finding the fascinating stuff to enjoy.
Ha. What some of us love, others miss out on.

May we kiss whom we please, and please whom we kiss.
-Toast-

The Star
Friday July 3, 2009
Some lost in both languages

IT is a known fact that our younger generation is weak in English and I am happy to know our Government is addressing this issue.

Sadly though, I have not heard anything about the level of proficiency in Bahasa Malaysia. Are we happy with the command of Bahasa Malaysia among our youths, especially the non-Malays?

We have used Bahasa Malaysia as the medium of instruction for more than 30 years, and yet I can still find many who are below 30 years old who are weak in Bahasa Malaysia. Despite going through school and passing examinations, this group of people cannot converse in Bahasa Malaysia.

There are many local graduates who are neither proficient in Bahasa Malaysia nor English. They cannot speak, write or debate in both languages.

In short, for all its strength, our education system has created a portion of society who can neither speak our national language nor the international language i.e. English.

Why do we talk about mastering English to compete globally when we cannot even master our own national language?

RONIN TAY,

Kuala Lumpur.

Well said. Focus on one, lose the other. Focus on the other, lose the first one. Focus on both simultaneously, lose everything.

Wandering

Went to Chadstone today for the sake of stretching my legs. A lot of sales on now. Didn't buy clothes though. Managed to get hold of Crysis Warhead, so I'm going to be playing that first.

My mind wanders as much as my body does. In fact it goes further.

Drafts

It's unbelievably difficult to write up a simple letter nowadays. Introduction, body, ending. I hate it, since it gives the feel of an exam. Without the grades, of course.

Oh well, one simple remedy - procrastination.

"When I first saw you I thought you were some high school student."
"What..."
-random quote from yesterday-

Market research

Went to South Melbourne for some market research stuff. I can't believe that you can hide modern stuff inside an old furniture warehouse.

*recalls Old Engineering building*

Then again, maybe you can. But anyway, market research is always secret. I hate that sort of secrecy crap. "Sign here, and here, and swear not to tell anyone until this product hits the market."
Focus group was 5 Malaysians, 1 Singaporean, 1 German and 1 Canadian. Asian domination ftw. Other than that, I really can't say anything more. Mainly because someone in the group kept staring at me for the entire 2 hours.

Frank open stares are inviting.

June -> July

Transition is something that happens. It just happens. If there's no significance to the transition, no fireworks will go off. Like day to night, night to day. Who really cares and parties every midnight? It's just some cold logic though.

Other transitions are more memorable though. Your 18th, your first day at a new school, anything that will change your life by more than just 2 inches will be memorable.

-Unrequited love always hurts.-

Hibernation

Such is winter. I am more or less hibernating as well. There's not much to do, and thanks to my parents, I'm forced to get back home by 3 pm if I go out. So that's kinda limiting some of my travelling, since exploring far out places like Clayton or Springvale need time. And it seems that time isn't always what I have. Oh well.

Chrono-technology is matter transfer technology. I want it badly.

The Forgotten - part 7

He wakes
alone in the dark
silence washes over him.

It is bliss
the welcome quiet
after an evening of noise and anger.

Clouds scud across the sky
blotting out the silver moonlight
blanketing the houses below.

This is what I like
Just let me be.

Housing/Science and Maths

Went house hunting yesterday. Found 2 decent places, so around this time next year I'll be living in the city. I haven't confirmed which part of the city though, although I know I'll be either somewhere around Melbourne Central or up near Spring St. At least that's one thing I worry about less, now that I've figured out my accommodation.

*

The Star
Monday June 29, 2009
Anwar: Scrap use of English for Science and Maths

PETALING JAYA: Scrap the policy of teaching Science and Mathematics in English and bring back Bahasa Melayu as the medium of instruction in the education system, said Opposition Leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim.

He also called for the return of Bahasa Melayu’s status as the supreme language, which includes using it as the medium to teach Science and Maths in national schools and also strengthening its usage in Chinese and Tamil schools.

“This issue has become a controversy for far too long.

“We consider this policy a betrayal of Bahasa Melayu as our official language,” he told a press conference yesterday.

Anwar, however, conceded that it was important to master English and agreed that there should be constructive steps taken to improve the usage and understanding of the language.

“But how we do it should be decided by educationists and with consideration towards the national education policy.

“This includes not forcing our children to pass English as a compulsory subject in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) as this will result in many students, especially in rural areas, to fail,” added Anwar.

On another matter, Anwar questioned Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak’s sincerity when announcing the government’s plan to introduce a new category of Public Service Department (PSD) scholarships which would be based purely on merit.

“The last time when I suggested the plan, I was called a Chinese agent and a traitor to the Malays,” he said.

Anwar also lauded PAS spiritual leader Datuk Nik Aziz Nik Mat’s proposal to have a debate with Najib.

He said an open debate would be the best way to clear up the accusations against the Kelantan Mentri Besar.

Unfortunately for Pakatan Rakyat, I have to disagree with Anwar over his handling of the Science and Maths issue. I am seeing first-hand how some of the mainland Chinese students struggle to deal with the technical terms used in tertiary level studies. So if you think these stuff should come instinctively, you are dead wrong. There are those who can do it intuitively, and there are those who can't. It's one of the sad facts of life now.

The Forgotten - part 6

The abyss looms
deep and dark.
I peer inside
feelings welling from deep in me.

The love once budding
cut by shears,
sharp and bright.
The trust once given
now crumpled and cast aside.

From the darkness
A light beckons
From within
Forgiveness waves hello

I crave solace.
I hunger for release.

"Just let me go."

The Forgotten - part 5

He walks again, amongst the living.
He's next to you, but you don't feel him
until you need him.
By then, he's miles away, seeking acceptance
forever trying to fit in.
Like a key bent out of shape
by some malevolent force.
He is desperate,
but few will stop to help
for he is but another oddity
in their minds.

When will he find solace?
When will he find acceptance?
When will he be satisfied with his life?

When will he find himself?

Transformers 2

It was good for the action and Megan Fox. Other than that, apparently some people don't really like the plot and the way it unfolded. To me, when I watch a movie for the explosions and stuff, I don't really think deeply about all the mechanics of plot and stuff, I just watch for the boom and bang. Although how a destroyer carries a railgun is kinda interesting and plot-breaking.

Oh and by the way, for those guys whining about Megatron, think about it this way instead. Why did they make Optimus Prime so strong?

Red Alert 3

Finally finished the 3 campaigns for Red Alert 3. I am once again, bored.

I wish I had the Cryocopter's cryobeam weapons. Imagine all the cheesy stunts you could pull off.

Star Wars fan fiction

There's a reason why I stopped reading Star Wars fan fiction once I'd read Jedi Eclipse. It just got overly boring. I mean, there's only so much death and destruction that you can take. Don't tell me that the galaxy is only that big. Come on, there have to be better scenarios than genocidal aliens coming in to eradicate every sentient being.

Having said that, I still find that fan fiction spawns some of the more intriguing stuff. Like Kyp, for example. Hotshot Jedi, he doesn't always play by the rules. And he makes his own rules, I guess, like me. Haha.

Szechuan food

Chilli is fun, as is peppercorn. Apparently peppercorn, when chewed, tastes of berries after the residual pepper taste fades away. And that was the reddest meal I'd ever had, with chilli in every dish except the long beans.
Sheer boredom then led to the following stuff. I don't usually think of myself as an inspiration, but then a random comment about the taste of peppercorns led to a peppercorn treasure hunt.

Searching hard for the peppercorns. Plenty of effort expended.

And voila! The end result. Not much to speak of though.

Others join in a different hunt.

And their result - lots of bean sprouts!

Finally, change of scenery. Tea art with chilli oil.

Cameras

2 megapixels is no longer enough for any decent photo work nowadays. All the pictures I take on my mobile phone are hopelessly blurry. Looks like this holidays I'll be looking out for new/reliable models for digital cameras.

Sunday

It's that day in the whole week where nobody shouts if you sleep in.

It's that day when your friends tell you, "Not morning please, I'm busy."

It's the last day of the week, when you curse and say, "Back to serious stuff tomorrow."

Parties

In vino veritas. That sums up the whole party last night.

Unfortunately I had to miss the Kokoda trip, but then in a way, I'd already made up for it by going to Olinda. Near enough to the Dandenong Ranges to count as "going up the mountainside". The houses there are lovely, even though they're hardly counted as mansions.

*

At least the cleaning up paid off. I now have an open space in my lounge, didn't expect that. It was fun to have so many friends over, except that it was kinda boring - nothing to play with or watch in my place, except lots of music. And so we ended up eating, enjoying music, and generally fooling around. Good clean fun.

I honestly need to get a good digital camera. Most of my mobile phone shots aren't worthy of blog space.

Catalyst

I know two things that will make a guy clean his house. Friends coming over, or the landlord coming to inspect. So at least I've got something done already for today, despite getting up at 12.

Plenty of stuff for me to do up during these 2 days.

Party - Olinda, 8 pm tonight, staying over until morning
Trekking + picnic - Kokoda walk, 9 am tomorrow
Box Hill lunch - Station St, Box Hill, ~1 pm tomorrow
Dessert - Surrey Hills, ~2.30 pm tomorrow

But for all that stuff, I'm gonna miss my friends during the winter break, since most of them won't be in Melbourne then. T_T

Forever

I will say this for the last time, before my friends ask me to shut my gob for good.

EXAMS ARE FINALLY OVER FOR ME TODAY!

Got that outta my system now, so that's good. Bloody tired after barefoot volleyball, dodgeball and random chasing around Flagstaff Gardens.

*

I'm being coerced into finding a job for winter. I know it's a decent idea to work during winter, but I still feel it's the kind of jobs I'm being asked to apply for that turns me off. Argh.

Well, then it's time for me to find solace in poetry.

There's no reason
There's no point
There's already the best one in front of me

Why do I search so hard?
Why do I look so far?
Why do I wonder what they think of me?

Nobody but you will do
Nobody else will be you
I think of you forever more
You're that shining one
In my dreams

Forever and ever
you'll be there for me
always in my heart.