Cheese And Biscuits

2009-09-06T18:00:00.000+08:00

Going onto Twitter

http://twitter.com/edwinng88

Catch you there soon!

Signs its the start of another vicious cycle

2009-08-05T23:44:00.002+08:00

You always know when its the start of the new semester.

Its something in the air.

The students are excited that they can put aside last semester's headaches and learn something new.

After all, THIS may be the semester that we always talk about.

You know, the one where we'll regularly revise our lecture notes.

The one where we'll complete all our tutes on time and prepare next week's tutorial questions before the tute so we can ask questions.

The one where our assignments will all be done on time so that we wont have to stay up in uni till midnight a couple of nights before.

The one where we'll pay attention 100% of the time in class, and not waste time doodling or surfing the internet on our iPhones.

Its the final semester for us, and if any semester is going to be THAT semester, this feels like it should be it. It has to be, there arent any semesters left.

Yes, its time to finally have THAT semester.

But someone should tell Kin Eu.

You never appreciate what you have...

2009-07-29T23:37:00.003+08:00

... till its gone.

Or accidentally taken away by your useless internet service provider.

But all is good, and the new semester is underway.

Quite interesting to see who made it to final semester and who didn't.

Which by the way is shaping up to be the hardest semester yet, but thats expected I guess.

Even with a pseudo 3 days off a week, it still doesn't mean theres enough time to do everything. And the other 2 days are so cramped full with classes its draining.

What it does mean however is that I wont have the time to be like Sarah and post up collage series for all my friends' birthdays (which are filling up my Google Reader everyday). You'd think a law student would have less time on her hands. I know, I'm surprised too.

May the new semester have mercy on all of us.

And DaviesLim.com

Once More

2009-07-13T20:49:00.002+08:00

March 07. That was the date of my last post. Whats happened since then?

Not much, not really.

Theres the first semester of my final year.

Theres the so called 'secret' club I joined this year.

But really, the theme of this semester has to be:

That you cant always get what you want. Even if you put in all the effort.

Take this blog for example, aspire800.blogspot.com. I've been trying to get edwinng.blogspot.com for years now, and recently redoubled my efforts because the guy who owns it had left it idle for a long time.

After a long long search on multiple forums, I realised that once you're assigned a blogspot name, its yours forever. And ever.

I will probably never get to use edwinng.blogspot.com ever. To date, emailing 'Edwin Ng' @ edwinng.blogspot.com has been useless as well as adding him on MSN.

Or how about my lecturer who was ridiculous to give us crap for our assignment when we did essentially the same thing as other groups (Its a really long story).

In short, whoever told you that hard work would guarantee results has probably never tried it themselves.

Perspective

2009-03-07T15:31:00.003+08:00

I used to hate dentists.

I used to hate my dentist.

I didnt like the way he was always so cheerful when I was feeling pain.

And then one day my appointment got canceled.

Miffed, I had to go to a different dentist.

This one didnt smile at me, no assuring words, no words at all.

And then I found out my proper dentist canceled his appointments because his daughter of about 9-10 years was just diagnosed with cancer.

And I will never ever hate my dentist ever again.

Light FM

2009-02-24T18:44:00.002+08:00

Heard it on the radio this morning.

"And we're back to guess that 80's year! Okay, heres a hint for todays magic year. In this year, the 1980 Olympics were held at Sydney.. " and a whole lot of some singer released some album and went on the charts.

Since all of you are doing it, might as well

2009-02-17T19:10:00.003+08:00

In a Word.

Best. Quote. Ever.

"Life is like a dick; when its hard, fuck it"

Oh and guess what 4 people, with only 3 hours of practice, produced one day at Akarkarya Studios.

Something to note: Our electric guitarist had not played an electric guitar before, and our drummer has not had a music lesson in his entire life.

Considering that, I think this is brilliant.

Le Tour de Langkawi.. Through Damansara Utama

2009-02-13T11:07:00.001+08:00

Buggers caused me to be 2 hours late to work today, why must they go through all the busiest parts of Malaysia?

No matter who wins, we lose.

2009-01-21T10:58:00.003+08:00

Taken from Thestar.com.my

PAS plans to stop Rihanna concert <-Link

"Its Federal Territory Youth chief Kamaruzaman Mohamad said inviting the Barbados-born singing sensation to Malaysia was “akin to insulting eastern culture, belittling local artistes, intentionally causing losses to the country’s economy and supporting Israel’s war policy, which is supported by America”.

Little wonder why most of us look at the political struggle as entertainment.
Because we have yet to believe any change will happen, and in some scenarios, we'll probably move backwards.

No matter who wins, we lose.

Rumer has it

2009-01-14T13:42:00.001+08:00

Rumer Willis - Ms.Golden Globe 2009

How you know the world today is going downhill

2009-01-13T12:26:00.001+08:00

Number 1:

How in the world Neil Patrick Harris didnt win the Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television award for his role as Barney Stinnson in How I Met Your Mother.

Blasphemy.

Number 2:

Quoting from Thestar.com.my

The decision to boycott Israeli and US goods is up to the individual consumer, said Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

“As consumers, they want to show their unhappiness (at the Gaza situation), but let that be an individual choice,” he said, referring to a chorus of calls for such a boycott, including one from former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

How does boycotting Coca-Cola create pressure on the US government to act in Gaza?

In fact the last time the US interfered in Iraq the whole world condemned it.

Now they dont help, and the world still condemns them and asks for help.

Ungrateful little buggers. As if burning the American flag in front of the its embassy in Hong Kong is going to change anything. Hope you all get jailed for arson. Lol.

2008

2009-01-12T14:04:00.002+08:00

In a Word.

I finished Season 3 of How I Met Your Mother in less than 2 days.

Golden Globes are happening right now.

Lucky the Grammys arent happening right now.

Because the best present given to someone in 2008 has to be this guitar.

Jobs

2009-01-09T15:21:00.005+08:00

In a Word.

Interning is boring.

Its now Day 3 of my internship.

Aaaand I've pretty much just sat in a office for the last 3 days.

Supposed to have a site visit today but got cancelled. Oh well.

I've worked before, but this internship has made me realise something.

If you dont love your job, and i mean really love your job, its gonna be damn hard to get up in the morning.

You'll wake up before 8am, get stuck in a jam for at least half an hour, spend NINE (9) hours in the office before you get back in the car, for part II of the jam, reach back at 8pm, and by the time you grab some dinner and a shower you'd only get an hour or so of downtime before you have to sleep lest you wake up late the next morning.

So especially if its an office job, you'd better love it.

And so far, I kinda like my job. Even if its a LITTLE bit boring.

And so does Patrice Evra

Penang 08

2009-01-07T17:05:00.003+08:00

In a Word.

Still recovering from Penang. Gosh.

Its been a month.

But anyways.

The other day between Christmas and New Year, Kendrick, Sherwin and I decided to go visit MZ and YY in Penang.

We had all sorts of food, even weird ones you'd never see, such as Coconut jelly, where somehow they've managed to turn the coconut water into jelly.

And Ais Tingkap or Window Ice or Sherbet or smth,

"It is a sweet red colour flavored (rose essence) drink chilled with fine shaved ice served in chilled glass with pieces of coconut flesh.",

I am quoting and taking pictures from the website of one CK Lam, who started her website as a hobby and now has a .com at What2seeonline.com, and has been interviewed by a local Chinese daily. And she also happens to be MZ's mom.

More soon, work here bores me to death.

Graduates

2008-12-06T16:49:00.003+08:00

In a Word.

"Cause nobody wants to be the last one left" - Nickelback

I cant believe its 10 more days till I finally get to go back again.

In that respect, I realise that recently I cant believe lots of things.

For instance, only the other day I was touching down in this new country, this new city, this new lifestyle.

I cant believe that now I've gone 3 years down the road, and now I'm bringing my family around and introducing them to Melbourne instead.

Only the other day my aunt and uncle were driving to pick up their Malaysian nephew who had never stepped foot in Melbourne from the airport.

Three years of photos, and I still absolutely love this one

And last Tuesday morning I find myself in the car with my cousin making small talk on the way to get my family.

Incredible, this time thing.

3 years ago, my youngest brother was a full head shorter than me.

Now, I'm the shortest in the family barring my mom.

3 years ago, we were all sitting on a certain table in International House getting to know each other, and we didnt know what uni would offer us, and we would just take it as they come.

Now, people are graduating left and right, parents are flying in from all corners of the world, and what used to be gatherings have now turned into pseudo-farewell parties.

3 years ago, I was talking to Jin Yang and he was telling me that we wouldnt see each other for the next 4 years due to the UK and AUS semester scheduling.

Now, its barely a year left.

In 3 years, I've seen so many things. Foosball, basketball, poker, christianity (not me), hook-ups, break-ups, trust issues, incredibly high highs, unbelievably low lows, road trips to cherish and remember, random trips to remind us that its not necessarily the destination thats important, late nights up just doing random stuff.

Crazy how time flies eh?

Some of the highlights -Videos.

This one goes out to all you guys who're graduating this year. Congratulations!

2008-11-30T10:01:00.003+08:00

In a Word.

December 16 guys.

Finally the last day of exams are over with.

The next 2 weeks should pass by pretty quick, with the family coming over and packing to be done.

The flys are starting to get pretty unbearable as the weather is getting hotter. They're attracted to moisture under the hot unforgiving Australian sun, and your lips happen to be the most moist part of the face. So proper care has to be taken when going outside nowadays.

And soon enough I'll be home to the land of ikan bakar and loh bak. Just cant wait.

I'll recollect my thoughts after the 27th

2008-11-22T11:11:00.002+08:00

In a Word.

Nick Haritos, screw you. Lol.

Its right in the middle of exam period.

Most people are done.

Alot of birthdays in November. Minus 9 months, February.

Alot of people get busy on Valentine's Day.

Its hailing.

Hail is like small ice balls, and roe is the egg of fish.

I have spoken.

Day 3-end

2008-10-27T21:01:00.003+08:00

In a Word.

I hate geology. No seriously.

I dont know about you, but sometimes when i read other blogs and they go on and on and on about their 3 week/6 month vacation, I get bored after a while. So to not follow in their footsteps I'll just present the other pictures with random stuff.

Heres a question: What happens when you have 3 people with very different personalities, very different tastes, and very different ideas on how the holiday should be?

S for Sohai

Why you get a LOT of arguments of course.

The sperm back whale, largest whale that exists

Side note: You'd think from these photos that the whale is small, but check this out

But I digress.

Anyway, you come up with a voting system. Since there were 3 of us (an odd number), we would always come to a decision. However, due to not wanting to piss the other person off, the last person to vote usually didnt vote at all so that method didnt work.

But somehow we still managed to get places and do stuff. Our next stop was Hanmer Springs.

The experience was phenomenal. Imagine driving through the grassy rocky plains of New Zealand with great big spaces, amongst a backdrop of snow capped mountains. We learnt how to handle ATVs - All Terrain Vehicles, and followed a guide through rocks, puddles of mud, and in some spots, full flowing streams. Just amazing.

An ATV goes pretty fast, but even an 8 year old kid beat Ian.

So thats part 3. Sorry its taking this long. Geology is a bitch.

Day 2 - Christchurch II

2008-10-05T21:30:00.002+08:00

In a Word.

Travel tip: Going to a whole new different country without proper planning can be good, but dont do it if you only have limited time.

Kia ora! greeted the German woman who also happened to be the wife of the local Maori chief. She then proceeded to tell us the story of Tane, the son who pushed the Father Sky and the Mother Earth away from their once dark embrace, creating the land we live on, and covering his Mother with trees and grass and mountains so she would not be naked.

She explained that ora meant healthy, well, and kia was just 'be', so kia ora actually means 'be healthy/be well'.

We were at the Kotane Maori cultural performance, during which we had an awesome experience watching the performance of the Maori people, complete with a modern acoustic guitar. The guitar, they explained, came later with time and was incorporated into the culture. They had a lot of performances, and they invited all the girls and women on stage to try and use the poi poi.

"That means, guys, you know whats coming next," said the Maori chief and he invited the men on stage next.

So yeah, thats Ian and me in the middle somewhere, I was abit lost cause I wasnt really listening to the short introduction he gave. Oh well.

After the Maori Performance, we went to go see some animals.

Check out the deer.

And the kuni kuni, kuni meaning fat, so this pig is literally fat.

Day 3 coming soon.

Day 1 - Melbourne - Brisbane - Christchurch

2008-09-26T14:25:00.002+08:00

In a Word.
Have you ever heard Ian sing 'Pon de Replay' by Rihanna? Trust me its a sight indeed.

One thing I decided to do during this trip was to bring my trusty laptop to transfer pictures everyday, and to charge my camera and Ipod. It also lets me record my thoughts on a day-to-day basis, and whenever I get an internet connection, I'll just post it up.

So, the first hot tip, always make sure you bring everything you foresee as even plausibly neccessary, you never know when you're going to fall down, get a fever, or just a splitting headache.

Or this.

Budget-flight-itis

But seriously though, we flew on Virgin Blue, and that was honestly the first time I ever saw anyone utilise the paper bags usually put in the front of the seating area. And quite possibly the first time I ever had to hold a bag of puke. Ah, bad times.

On the trip in the taxi from the airport to our destination, we saw the Air New Zealand signboard mocking us. "Dont sacrifice anything for a cheaper flight - meals, comfort, entertainment".

Note. The willow trees are GORGEOUS. Easily the most beautiful trees I have ever seen in my life.

So anyway, heads spinning like crazy, we finally reached our hotel at 4-ish PM. Due to the 2 hours time difference between Christchurch and Melbourne, we lost another two hours. And budget airlines provide really bad OPTIONAL food. So we were all hungry and decided that our first meal in Christchurch would be in this food court.

However, the food left little to be desired, and I now will never complain about the food in Melbourne ever again.

Moving on in Christchurch, we found, in contrast, the best doughnuts I have ever had in my life. Krispy Kreme what?

This innocent little stall in the middle of the Cathedral Square (which had EFTPOS!) served freshly fried doughnuts with sugar and cinnamon.

Note- New Zealanders use EFTPOS (Electronic Funds Transfer at Point of Sale) twice as much as any other country in the world.)

However, since it was getting close to dinner, we met up with Su-Zhen's friend who brought us to this Japanese place.

Quaint little place, and free miso soup, salad and rice! Hear that Darren?

Dessert was at this place called HoneyPot Cafe, but it was pretty bad and a waste of money.

We later went up to Cashmere Hill for a spectacular view of Christchurch city, but no picture I could've took would do it justice.

So thats Day 1.

Stay tuned!

HAHAHHAHA

2008-09-16T23:04:00.003+08:00

Kin Eu showed this to me today but until now I cant stop laughing everytime I see it.

This has got to be one of the funniest things I have ever seen.

Link: Guy asks for help in a Photoshop forum to edit an old picture of his

Laugh until stomach pain.

Blogging inertia (or lack of it)

2008-09-06T20:51:00.005+08:00

In a Word.

Girls in miniskirts are now appearing on the streets. Ah, glorious Spring, you are finally here at last.

Nobu Melbourne's Signature Alaskan Black Codfish

Enough about food.

Okay, so we're getting abit older every year, and last month Ian and me celebrated our joint birthdays.

I'll use Andrew's photos as I cant find any others so far.

I have this weird expression on my face, possibly from running around all day

The issue this time round is to do with circles. Not only those behind the 1 in the money notes we had to spend for the thing, but more to do with the people you invite.

The birthday cake. Home made by my awesome housemate

This year, we faced a hell of a difficult problem in deciding the guest list. With the analogy of a Venn diagram in mind, we looked at circles of friends, some overlapping.

For days we debated about having smaller scale quiet gatherings versus huge big partys. The more the merrier, true, but there is a cost factor involved. And its not easy to cut or even control the amount once you open up the guest list.

Let me illustrate what I mean. You call one friend, and by doing so you're obliged to call his or her housemates (although you may not know them very well) just for the sake of completion. And therefore you have to call the entire circle, plus everyone who is closer to you than afore-mentioned housemates, because it wouldnt be fair. And then you have to call THEIR housemates/other friends too.

Seems like a small thing, I know. But its actually a lot more complicated than it looks. So in the end it came down to a party of about 50 (and thats trying our best to compromise) versus 15.

So we decided in the end to go with the small group, purely because it was our 20ths and wasnt special enough to justify the huge proportions of planning and cooking and spending involved.

So if you're reading this and werent invited, I'm sorry. Blame it on the circles. And if I havent bought you dinner yet just let me know and I'll make up for it.

Thanks for coming! (and thanks YingYi for the cactus)

(Sorry if you came but arent in the photos, thats all I could find, and thank you Andrew, for sacrificing yourself, taking all the photos and hence not appearing in any. You will be missed. Have fun in the UK)

Episode 2

2008-08-19T20:49:00.003+08:00

In a Word.

Sorry, sorry. Been abit busy.

One more filler story + random pictures.

Last year, I made a resolution that I would only do things for people whom I deemed worth the trouble. That worked pretty fine. But lately I've been thinking.

"Roast Pork Chops with Peaches" <-I did it myself

Lets say your younger brother/sister asks you to drive them to the mall. Do you stop what you were doing, get in the car and drive 15 minutes all the way there and then back?

"My 'competition' entry - chicken fillet wrapped in proscuitto with cheese and sun dried tomatoes"

How about I twist it? Lets say they wouldnt do it for you if the roles are reversed. Now that you know that, would you still do it?

Ian's winning dish - some trout nonsense. (Yeah I'm still bitter)

Maybe you would since they were family. But how close would someone have to be to get that kind of treatment?

Homemade Roast Pork (siew yok)

Lately whenever I do anything for anyone I somehow always subconciously think if they'd do the same for me. Its a pretty good measure of how close you are. Like if I needed to borrow your car, I would ask myself if I would lend my car to you.

Rainbow!

But is it really fair to judge people like that? What if one day you lend your car to me and when your car breaks down some other day I dont want to lend it to you?

RARE FOOTAGE OF DARREN

I guess, well at least for me, doing favours will always be based somewhat on reciprocity. However, for that to happen, I have to start by doing you a favour first.

But by reciprocity, you should be doing the same. So maybe I'll just wait.

K 10 offsuit

2008-08-04T20:49:00.003+08:00

If you're like most of us students, you'll relate to complaining about how there's too much to do during the examination period, and that you need a really good rest.

Turkey drumstick I had with Kendrick. Compare its size to the standard fork.

But yet, when the exams finally end, as they must do, you often hear the same people complaining how there is NOTHING to do, and they now have no idea how to spend their days.

Argentine cut 900g medium steak. No its not a typo, 900.

In fact, I was like that too during the exam period. I couldnt wait till it was all over, so that I could go get the rest I deserved for camping day and night in the uni library. Once it was all over, I would just do completely nothing and be happy with that. Or so I thought I was.

Pan fried salmon with green pea mash

But instead, I found myself busy busy busy during the one month winter holiday. Moving, helping my housemate's friends move, and in the end helping my housemate herself move too. All that in the midst of bringing Kendrick around Melbourne, which I probably could have done a better job of, I don't think he planned on becoming a mover during his holiday here.

Seared scallops with duck breast. This is the bomb.

But anyway, whats done is done, and at the end of the day (<-Seemingly my new favourite phrase), its been a busy month. Although I cant say that it was better than a month of doing just about nothing.

Grand Chilled Seafood platter - featuring crabs, mussels, pipis, Moreton bay bugs, prawns, sushi, sashimi and half a dozen oysters. Served with half a lobster on the side.

Actually, I didnt feel as if I had a holiday at all. Instead, I felt weary a lot of the time, and also nearly didn't mind uni reopening for a new semester as now I get to sleep in class again.

Another seafood platter, featuring scallops, grilled prawns, chilled prawns, smoked ocean trout, crayfish and oysters.

And then I realised, that THAT was the real time I had my rest. Not during the exam period, no, not during the holiday period, no. No time is better than uni time.

Steak on a vegetable garnish.

I once heckled Sarah for having too many food pictures on her blog, so I shall stop here. One last photo.

Guess who we turned into a gambler.

Why I moved out of staying with two girls to staying with two guys.

2008-07-19T00:44:00.002+08:00

In a Word.

My brother gets catering for his birthday party. Walao

I owe an update to this place, and all the people who actually bother coming here.

So the day of the last exam, I went to get a haircut. And little did I know the next 2 weeks would be even worse than the 4 I just went through (studying for the exams).

In a nutshell, my dog had to be given away, and I moved out.

It sounds much much more worse than it actually was.

I maintain that I was a victim of the circumstances, that is to say, being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Anyway, all is good.

When people first knew I was staying in a house with 2 girls (about a year and a half back), I always got the same line.

"Wah.. syok la you"

Or something to that effect. You get the drift.

I am here to say, that living with two members of the opposite sex isnt all its hyped up to be. Because at the end of the day, its just two other people.

Sure, I had my house clean all the time. Sure, I got cupcakes and brownies and cakes and what not every so often. Sure, I had all the internet quota (and speed) to myself. Good food most meals, and they would also bring back their friends, which made for interesting eye candy.

But with that came paying all the bills each month, fixing all computer problems (some of which included just plugging the laptop in), fixing all stuff that goes wrong, rushing back home just to flip a switch in the fuse box.

And then I moved out and took Zhen's room. Staying with a short guy and a guy who doesnt believe in pre-packaged food/sauce/herb has made for an interesting first week.

I no longer get the internet all to myself, my house being clean is a joint effort, but I no longer have to worry about being loud at night playing computer games with them, more competitions (paper planes and poker), and also a hall of fame thingy we put up with the winners of these challenges.

So its personal preference at the end of the day. There certainly are pros and cons to either side.

Oh and expect some nice food pictures coming up soon

Ceh

2008-07-08T14:26:00.004+08:00

In a Word.

I noticed, since Kendrick came visiting to Melbourne, the visitor count has increased much slower. He must be my biggest fan (and from what I've seen, quite literally now). Lol.

Malaysia's not the only one going through ridiculous political turmoil right now. Stay tuned.

Click it to read full story.

2008-06-17T22:39:00.001+08:00

MAS terminates travel privileges for AirAsia CEO

Pfft. Babies.

Eventide

2008-06-13T22:40:00.002+08:00

In a Word.

Homer: There's your giraffe, little girl.
Ralph Wiggum: I'm a boy.
Homer: That's the spirit. Never give up.

At my cousin's engagement last Sunday, I realised something.

So I join my cousins at the 'kids' table right, and this guy in his 30s joins us.

"7.30"

X: Hi I'm X.
Edwin: I'm Edwin

(Shakes hands)

X: So Edwin, where are we going after this?

I thought it was a joke right, so I said

Edwin: Back to my place

(to laughter from my cousins, which means they know I'm joking)

Edwin: Just the 2 of us.

(more laughter)

"8.30"

X: So Ed (<-as if I've known him for years), whos coming along tonight?

The thing I've realised, is that the ang mohs are very, very open.

In Malaysia, you just meet someone for 20 minutes, you wont really go hang out with the guy the rest of the night.

But apparently here in Australia, you meet some guy, and 20 minutes later its like hes known you forever and doesnt mind, borderline expecting, you to take him out on the town, grab some drinks.

Heck, I didnt label him X on purpose, I really had no idea what his name was, thats how bad it was.

I spent the next 2 hours avoiding him because he kept trying to get me to drink and persistently trying to plan our night out after I told him I was joking and didnt really feel like going out.

"When're you free?"
"Umm, I have exams tomorrow"
"Tomorrow? Isnt that a public holiday?"
"(Shit..), umm my uni doesnt care"
"what exam is it?"
"Hydraulics"
"Easy"
"Haha, you'd think so"

"I'm not free the whole month actually, exam month"
"I'll come on the 31st"
"June is only up to the 30th"
"Good point, I'll come 1st of July then"
"Err.."
"Whens your birthday?"
"August?"
"Cool, I'll come up then, and we can go have a drink"

I felt like one of those girls in a bar and some random guy was trying to chat me home. Crazy.

Anyone have any idea what a typical Aussie engagement dinner was like wayyy back when there were no outside influences in terms of food? Cause I just went to one with 100% Asian cuisine.

If I had to take a guess, It'll be something like this.

Entree
Beer.
Main Course
Beer.
Dessert
Pavlova. And Beer.

Congrats Shane and Lana!

HotHotHot

2008-06-02T00:20:00.003+08:00

In a Word.

It was FOGGY today.

Exam time is around the corner again.

Which means suddenly cleaning the house/doing laundry/washing the toilet becomes very interesting and very in need of doing.

Which also means time gets spent doing non-studying things like this.

___

Yesterday at work, some random lady opened the door of the shop and said "Guys, you better get out theres a fire next door."

Of course, no one paid any attention to her since it was a Saturday night and a lot of drunks are about.

But one person went to check anyway and told us it was a real fire literally next door.

They barricaded the surrounding area too. So when I came out I was standing IN the restricted area. Felt like those detectives on a crime scene. Everyone else was standing on the outside watching in.

So we just hung around and watched, standing WITH the firemen watching them do their thing, and got paid to watch them for at least 2 hours till we decided to close the shop.

Awesome. I've never seen a real firemen/firetruck/fire situation. And now I've seen one up close. Heck, I was there, if you consider the barricade.

I'm hooked.

2008-05-25T22:43:00.001+08:00

Crap. Of all things to have ringing in your head.

Oh and just in case David Cook reads this. Congratulations!

Dont show me food at 2am in the morn.

2008-05-22T00:23:00.003+08:00

In a Word.

Its that time of the year again, where even cleaning the house seems more fun than studying

I'm sure most of us are familiar with the phrase "You're Malaysian man, you should be able to run across the road ignoring the traffic lights"

Or how about "We're Malaysian man, our stomachs are used to the hygiene levels in which food is prepared in Chinatown"

Or some just look at Ian, and they come to the same conclusion.

Malaysians have a bad rep.

I've also caught myself saying things like "If you can drive in Malaysia, you can drive anywhere in the world". Which is sort of true, we can even drive in India where theres no traffic lights, because our drivers (like CK) run the red lights anyway.

I went on a trip once with Kei, Andrew, Juri and Brian where Andrew gave such a bad impression of Malaysian drivers that even I felt I had to do something at that point to stop the rest from thinking that in Malaysia we ride on bulls and shout profanities when we want to turn left.

There're so many more, from Malaysians not being punctual (to the point the term "Malaysian time" can be coined), procrastinate and generally lackadaisical ("tidak apa" attitude).

You dont see people from China saying that their food is either too salty/oily/both. You dont see an American relating his country to one of the highest obesity rates in the world.
You dont see Japanese people declaring support for their country's whaling problem.

But you see Malaysians dissing their country all the time.

Worst part is, we always say it with a beaming face, almost as if we're proud of it.

I was never gay.

2008-05-10T13:47:00.002+08:00

In a Word.

I have this funny feeling that all the internet forums we have today started off as scribbling on the toilet cubicle walls. Anonymous people giving input on whatever discussed topic - Same concept.

Being big should, other than occasional ridicule, have its own benefits.

The big umbrella could be an excuse, but its hard to see how those 2 girls walking under it could just ignore a person crossing right in their path. And contrary to the laws of physics, the big guy stopped and gave way instead.

Or maybe the bigger things are supposed to give way. Unfortunately, I could not argue that point with the lady driving the car that just popped out of the garage without any caution.

Maybe its just me. Hmmm.

One more?

2008-05-03T10:32:00.003+08:00

In a Word.

Busy busy bee

Part 2

21st birthday. Ah. Just press "Repeat" to hear the other twins speech. It was exactly the same.

Part 1

2008-04-29T00:19:00.002+08:00

The first of two rounds of embarrassing moments.

Dont worry Hao Ern, the next one isnt of you. :D
(This is for putting pictures of Ian and me sleeping on the trip)

Lala-lalalala

2008-04-20T17:34:00.002+08:00

In a Word.

Had an awesome time (read- 10 hours straight non-stop) at the Shadowmoor pre-release.

I have a pet irk. Another irk.

I was reading blogs the other time, and I noticed one thing that stands out to me wherever it is, even on different blogs.

Let me give you a taster. Lolzz. Muahahaha. Wakakakka...~***

And also,

Do you remember those pencil boxes we used to buy in primary school?

You know, the often-metal ones with words on them, like

"Shining star, its a brand new day! Friends forever, for now and always"

Which have been brought on into the later stages of life, I read this blog whose title was In the shadows I bid goodbye, fallen wings - in a sea of tears

The only thing I wonder is how such a trend could catch on in the first place, consistent throughout all blogs/pencil cases.

But better words than actions right? Cause actions speak louder.

I'd rather have Best Friends Forever, You'll Always Be My Star ^^ anyday compared to its visual counterpart. Anyday.

Ladies and gentlemen, presenting, U-Xinn (4th from left) and friends.

WaKaKaKAkAZZZZ....~** ^^V

Is it you

2008-04-17T20:45:00.002+08:00

In a Word.

I notice people like to call me only when I'm in the middle of something, e.g. showering, cooking, cleaning. When I have free time they somehow know not to call.

Its April 17th.

And Project Muscleman by end of 2008 has elapsed a week.

Sigh, I have a lot of work to do.

Sunset + Sketches

2008-04-12T12:18:00.003+08:00

In a Word.

Sometime back in Malaysia..

"Eh, try this"
(tries)
"How. nice?"
"Wow, these are really NICE, what meat they use in these chicken nuggets?"
"Those arent nuggets, those are fried chicken butts"
"What? Ughhh they taste yuck"

Perception is never impartial.

One of the things I've found to be rather characteristic of Melbourne, sorta, are roadside sketch artists.

And also the Asians taking photos of these artists so that they can put it on their blog.

In other news,

Happy 21st Jia Kai

This pretty girl celebrated his birthday just this week. Hope you had fun and um, more power to sex change

Ahh. I might just die for putting that up.

More Mornington

2008-04-06T21:35:00.004+08:00

In a Word.
You know those people who tag on their friends' tagboards going 'Hey you, nice blog, link me up k'. Like, whats the point of that?

Social despo(s).

Two photos that have caught my eye.

"Nearly typical U-Xinn and friends type photo, albeit probably not on purpose."

Celine Dion and me in the same picture. No wonder she looks so pumped.

Mornington in the Rain.

2008-04-01T18:35:00.002+08:00

In a Word.

Hey its the Easter holi- oh cmon the weeks over ALREADY?

I've never seen a week go by so fast.

Mornington Peninsula Trip

We went on a 2 day 1 night trip down to Mornington Peninsula.

First stop was lunch at this place called Garlic Kiss on Albert Road. I had the Squid Ink Linguini which was black for pasta, that was quite interesting.

Mashed Potato (left) and Brûlée w/ vanilla ice-cream(right). Brûlée is French for burnt cream - not kidding you. Whats the old saying, one mans trash is another man's treasure?

Went to the Ashcombe Hedge Mazes after that. Those things are huge. HuuGGGE.

We got through the first maze fairly easily, and I was first. So I became a little cocky and decided to race the other one with the rest.

And sure enough, I didnt find my way out and had to go out the entrance and go all the way around cause everyone was waiting.

Due to rain and other 'inevitable' events, we reached our accomodation for the night.

Where we started preparing dinner.

Joshua taking pictures. He always gets excited when he sees alot of food (left). A "Klang" size meal - according to Joshua (right). I wonder if he realises hes not really doing Klang a favor.

Then we sat around and I saw the most anti-stereotypical scene in my life. The guys were sitting around Jinwei and his guitar singing Disney songs while the girls were in the other apartment watching Dracula which is basically sex every 5 minutes, literally.

Next morning we went to the strawberry farm. Because it rained the day before, the field was muddy and we had to wear plastic bags on our feet.

These are how strawberry plants look like.

The difference between a ripe strawberry and an unripe one.

So we paid 8 bucks to pick 500gm of strawberries.

The people hard at work looking for strawberries (left). What I saw (right).

Its hard work picking strawberries.

Half an hour later..

Yay.

We then went to the National Park and did some cycling.
Basically we were going all the way to this point.

So we geared up and went on our way.

It was an uphill-downhill-uphill-downhill ride, and some were so steep we had to get off and push our bikes up. But the plus part is that when we rode down those steep hills we reached very high speeds.

Sohai

Anyway, we went all the way!

Nepean Point(left). Random picture (right).

We also visited some old forts left there, in search of some stray bullets/inactive mines/ bullet shells.

Time running out, we cycled back, and went to get some fish n' chips for dinner.

I love these shops

Time to go back, so we just lazed around for half an hour playing ultimate frisbee before some decided to go on the see-saws.

So that was it. Thats the trip. Hopefully more to come. But now 9 weeks straight of studies, studies and more studies.

But first, will someone please tell Koon Yee that see-saws are only made for two?

Games Night

2008-03-23T14:51:00.002+08:00

In a Word.

In a lecture...

"So class, this equation here is a constraint. Your factory output can never be more than five tonnes per day. This means that the number of product X produced plus the amount of product Y produced can never be more than five tonnes. Now what would happen if we produced MORE than five tonnes a day?"

"Uh.. sir, we'd be in China?"

Gotta love my Management for Engineers 2 class.

We played this game the other day during Games Night.

Aaron chose a word at random from the dictionary that we'd never heard of, and all of us wrote down what we thought that word meant.

Heres how some of them went.

Winceyette
A famed French weapon that gives the possessor victory.
When you wince in pain, you are a winceyette.
An enclosure within a cave.
An old French term for a vineyard.

Palimpsest
A medical condition in which huge cysts form on the upper lymph node.
Having improper relations with a close relative, who is also a pimp.
A form of medicinal herb used by native Americans.

Emolument
An emo who glows in the dark.

Bastinado
A transvestite with huge boobs.

Ghat
A hat shaped in the form of the letter 'G'. Hence, G-hat

Obviously we dont have powerful English. Or medical knowledge. Or geographical knowledge.

Way overdue

2008-03-18T18:21:00.002+08:00

In a Word.

Conversation between Kei and Andrew.

"You know Murphy's law, whatever that can go wrong, will eventually go wrong?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Isnt there a law that states if you dont want something to happen, eventually it will happen?"

"... Thats pessimism"

For those who arent up to date with whats going on nowadays.

In the first week since I came back, I managed to get drunk and had to wake up at 9am the next morning and go out with a hangover to help my housemate settle some tenancy issues.

The lectures are quieter now. I think all the troublemakers must've dropped out.

We got a dog. In our apartment.

Her name is Tomiko, "Tomi" being japanese for fortune, and "ko" is just what they call their daughters or something. Her name was given to her by the previous owner so dont ask me.

Its the 10th day since I carried the thing back to our place. And its been hell. Running after it, cleaning it up, bathing her, feeding her, playing with her.

Hey, its almost like I have my own kid now.

After about 2 months of deciding, I finally decided to get my very own Nintendo Wii.

And obviously, when I finally decided to get it, I found out that the Wii was sold out nationwide. AUSTRALIA nationwide.

Ah well, finally got it.

Made my very own shepard's pie!

Took me about 2 and a half hours. That is passion right there.

Had another encounter with Szechuan-style food. And then had an encounter with the toilet the next morning. But its well worth it.

And then there was Chris's housewarming. First party of the year for me. Too bad I could only stay 5 minutes.

Speaking of which, games night is just around the corner. If you're reading this, you're obviously invited. My place, 7pm the 22nd of March. See you there!

Happy/Miserable Birthday?

2008-03-06T21:36:00.002+08:00

In a Word.

Civil Engineering. We cant say no.

Obvious differences between Melbourne and KL(ang).

The municipal council of Klang has to clean up rubbish that people irresponsibly just throw on the ground.

Melbourne's has to make sure its streets dont smell like alcohol every start of a new week.

In Klang the question is "What do we eat tonight?". In Melbourne, its "Damn, what else have we yet to try?"

In Klang, the bus station is run by pot-bellied Indian and Malay men who use a loudspeaker to announce the arrivals of buses.

In Melbourne we use Metcards and metlinkmelbourne.com.au

In Klang, you'd be happy to get Jaclyn Victor to come perform.
In Melbourne, you're going to watch people like Russell Peters, Ahmed Ahmed and Jo Koy.

In Melbourne, its the law to not jaywalk. In Klang, if you jaywalk, our drivers will kill you.

So its not so much of a hate relationship with Melbourne. After all, the grass is indeed greener here. Look at their cows.

I still love Melbourne. And now its cold!

2008-03-02T02:40:00.004+08:00

In a Word.

Kendrick my winter break is June 27th to July 27th

So its been a week since I came back to Melbourne.

Back to not-so-mouth-watering-most-of-the-time-boring food.

Back to having to be independant again after a month of pampering.

Back to having to walk everywhere instead of using a car.

Back to work.

Back to people taking you for granted again. I think one of the things I miss about home so much is that there, when you invite people, they actually make an effort to try and come and not wait for a limo to pull up at their doorstep. Figuratively.

Back to horrendous timetables and insane workloads.

Ah, good to be back.

Make me go mad again.

2008-02-26T20:26:00.003+08:00

In a Word.

Diet and exercise starting once again. No bother. Melbourne isnt the food capital of the world.

No I'm not dead.

I think its a good sign when I dont blog for a long time. It means I'm having too much of a good time to bother. Or maybe it was because I did not have internet for long periods of time during my stay back. Tomaeto, tomaato. Whatever.

I think suffice to say, it was one of the best Chinese New Years I ever had. It was one I celebrated in a new house, it was one I ate so much, and it was one I didnt have to travel for hours in the car to balik kampung and have the relatives over instead. And that also meant I was in Klang throughout the New Year and could celebrate with friends, which due to the balik kampungs every year without fail, was the first ever.

It was the first time I had ever had so many barbeques in a short period of time.

It was the first time I witnessed first hand the dangers of fireworks, as a really expensive illegal firework crashed dead centre, in the middle of a housewarming party my neighbor was hosting. I saw the firework enter, I saw people panic and scream, and run. And only then did I remember I had to get out of there too.

And after the whole incident, people came around to get a closer look, and look for number to buy 4D. Ah, Malaysia Boleh!

Food has been one of the main focus points this trip back. Amongst the places of note, Chef Bobby Ping's own 'Venice'.

Its in a college cafeteria and hence low budget, but for those students in Sunway University and College, they're in for a low-cost treat, handmade by a graduate of Cordon Bleu in Sydney. First friend amongst us to actually start working full time.

Also notable was the Shogun that just opened in Sunway Pyramid. I dont have many pictures, was too busy eating, sorry.

I also made a point to see some special animals.

My dog.

and also

What Chinese New Year would be complete without this fella. You're looking at a picture of the world champions in lion dancing, and they were showcasing this at Subang Parade the other day.

Also, I had the chance to see my 17-year old brother drive. And somehow hit a flying bird on the first day of Chinese New Year.

And then, suddenly, Chinese New Year was over. I found myself on a Malaysian Airlines flight going home.

My housemate sleeping on the plane. So lucky the seat next to her was empty.

And came back to Melbourne in time to see Chin for his birthday, which is another story by itself.

Special mention here has to be made to those who could not be here this Chinese New Year to celebrate with us. I think visiting has cleared a massive load off my shoulders, and Soo Kean, may you have an awesome time wherever you are, because you'll always be in our memories. A subtle reminder of how even though we all compete against each other in life, deep down, growing up together, we all want to finish the race and leave no one behind.

So thank you, for the Starbucks sessions with Hyon-Xhi, Chee Liang and Weng Yip, for the eating sessions with Wen Han and Bobby, for the Chinese New Year gambling with Wei Wei, Elaine, Roger and Alex, and for the chill sessions with Jun Chen, Edward, and Ju Jin;

For the Shogun session with Andrew, Darren and Ian, for the makan at AsiaCafe with Zhen and Hao Ern, special mention to Ying Yi for being under what is basically house arrest the whole time she was doing her internship in KL thanks to her mom.

For the times I let Sarah walk in front of me in CounterStrike so she could be the bait, for the numerous times we made Nix Sun wait for us everywhere (he is the only Malaysian I know who is always on time), for the meal in Delicious, Bangsar Village with Jeon and Kendrick, for the T.G.I.F. meal with Kui Tien, Jin Yu, Billy and Kar Hou, for the time I got stuck with Eugene at a god forsaken petrol station in the middle of the night.

Thanks. I never knew 44 days could go by so fast.

I'm officially fed up of Chinese New Year cookies

2008-02-10T16:46:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Happy Chinese New Year!

A long time ago, when man did not know what lightning was, they attributed it to the gods, and religious people would say the heavens were angry.

But now we know better.

The point is, sometimes when we see certain things around us that we cant immediately explain, we usually think of divine intervention when it could be all because we just dont have the knowledge to explain it yet, and so we must think that some higher power is involved.

So the other day, after a night out with the guys, I was sending Eugene back to Shah Alam when we missed the turnout on the highway and went to the next one instead. Low on fuel, we stopped at a nearby petrol station. As I was paying at the counter, I accidentally dropped my car keys, focus on the electronic remote.

Now my car has this stupid security 'Immobilizer' system where if you dont unlock the car with the remote and the remote ONLY, it will refuse to start the engine, hence 'immobilizing' it.

After it dropped I picked it up but the remote was suddenly faulty and would not work. So we were stuck at a petrol station in some unknown place at 2am in the morning with no way of starting the car.

Eugene started praying while I kept pressing the buttons. We managed to take apart the remote to look inside to see whats wrong (with a pair of scissors, the whole petrol station had no screwdriver). There seemed to be nothing wrong, or rather, nothing we could fix without tools.

After about 45 minutes with no luck, we were just sitting around, I was still pressing the buttons when suddenly my car beeped.

And the amazing part is that I was holding the remote the same way and it wouldnt work before but suddenly it did.

And so FINALLY we pumped petrol and went back home. But I have to say I was pretty amaazed.

Prayer being answered or just dumb luck?

I dont know, I dont have the knowledge to explain it yet.

Nah

2008-01-26T22:39:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

You know you live in a world where anything goes when you turn on the TV and watch Ellen Degeneres dance the 'Soulja Boy' with Jordin Sparks.

yy; when u reali: i think u quite sensitive
yy; when u reali: like girl
Beast-O-Burden.: omg that is impossible in so many ways
yy; when u reali: yea u just don realise it
yy; when u reali: andrew
yy; when u reali: not girl at heart
yy; when u reali: but girl face
yy; when u reali: u girl at heart
Beast-O-Burden.: ...
Beast-O-Burden.: omg
Beast-O-Burden.: frankly i dont know which is worse

Tongue Tied - Faber Drive

Cant find that last piece in the jigsaw puzzle

2008-01-25T00:42:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Facebook
Damien Wong is still in shock about Heath Ledger's death.

Surprise, surprise.

Sorry Damien :) Just caught my eye thats all.

Moving into the new house this Sunday.

Mixed feelings. I have too many memories from my old house.

Change is good. But that phrase almost always comes with 'No pain, no gain'. If you want something, theres always a price.

Oh well.

Somehow having this ominous feeling that something doesnt feel quite right at the moment.

Wonder if I forgot to do something.

How about that.

2008-01-21T17:23:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

My rash turns out to be a side effect from the antibiotics I was taking.

Last Saturday was the open day for the National Service (NS) camps across the country.

Dont think I've mentioned it but my brother got selected and is currently in the Kuala Kubu Baru camp in Selangor.

Doesnt look like me eh? Actually I dont think he looks Chinese even. Too much football in the sun.

Twas a very very hot day last Saturday, and hot + humid weather = sticky and disgusting.

You dont have to be a genius to figure out that the program, regardless of what they say in the papers/commercials, isnt really working.

The Canteen/Mess Hall

Sad to say, for the most part, that most people stick to their own races. Its probably easier to hang out with people who were brought up with the same culture.

Dont get me wrong, theres alot of mixing around happening, but nowhere near what they'd have you believe.

14-man-bunk-room and shower area

The food is also so-so. I have a cousin who is the same age as my brother who didnt get selected for NS. Good thing too, because he cant take anything spicy, not even pepper.

Lucky my brother loves curry.

Apparently this is the good stuff. Wonder what they get on a daily basis.

So thats my exposé on the NS camps.

Strange but true, I actually feel that there is one thing going for Malaysian racial unity currently.

Here, there are no Malays. No Chinese. No Indians.

Only Level 18 Warlocks and Paladins walking with dwarves and fairies.

Whats there to fight about?

Think twice before you put your life in their hands

2008-01-18T01:13:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

My youngest brother upon reading in the news about this man who bought a 180kg grouper fish.

"See this idiot, he paid ten thousand bucks for a fish!"

They say, after you've been overseas for a long time, when you get back you suffer from various conditions due to the bad hygiene and what not.

Ever since I've been back, I've been getting all sorts of things. Stomach infections, fevers, and most recently, some bumps on the back of my hands which I suspect must be a rash of some sort.

So when you dont know whats wrong with you you go to the doc. Simple enough.

So in I went, and the receptionist asks me whats wrong with me. I said oh I'm here to see a general doctor about this rash on my hands. She registers me and asks me to sit. Half an hour later my name is called and I walk into what I realised was the emergency ward.

Nurses swarmed over to me. And, very much unlike some mens' fantasies, actually very much the opposite, one begins to put something on my left arm for blood pressure, one puts something on my finger to measure my heart rate and one more sticks a thermometer into my mouth.

Obviously, I panicked a little.

"Is everything ok?"
"We dont know thats why we're doing this check"
"But I thought it was just this rash right here..."
"Open wide.. ok now close hold the thermometer like this"

___

Finally after 5 minutes, a doctor walks past. I go "I'm here about this rash.."

"Yup, just sit down we'll do a basic blood test."

And I'm left wondering what a blood test had got to do with my rash. But then again, what do I know about medicine. My only medical training was Greys Anatomy and House.

Not exactly your typical professor

Well, the long and the short of it was that I came in for a rash, got my blood pressure checked, got my blood count checked. got weighed and height measured.

And it costed 200 bucks.

But wait, what about my rash?

Neverminds

2008-01-15T01:13:00.000+08:00

In a Word.
Classic.

"Aih, this world is f*cking screwed"
"..."
"Neverminds"

Chee Liang

I think nowadays, you dont need food review sites anymore.

Not with every Tom, Dick, Harry, Andrew, Sarah and Wengyip blogging about food.

Now maybe the food in Malaysia is getting too pretty or its just the new trend.

Either way, they're better than those food review websites. No adverts.

Which got me wondering. I used to have lots of pictures up here. Dont know where they've all went.

Guess my words are worth more than my pictures now. Ah, wishful thinking.

Sean Kingston - Take You There

6/44

2008-01-14T17:46:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

"I'll have to reproduce asexually." Andrew Yeo

Day 6 of being back.

Cant say I miss Melbourne too much though.

Although you do compare a little. The driving, for one. I have to admit I took a little bit of time getting used to motorcycles cutting in front of me from out of nowhere, cars running the red lights, and the oh-so-familiar traffic jams.

The shopping centres have become so big now. I still havent found my footing around 1Utama yet but now Sunway Pyramid's new extension and the Gardens will be sure to confuse me even more.

The food is definitely awesome. So awesome it gave me a stomach infection. I'm currently running on antibiotics and occasional painkillers. Time to take a break from food I think.

So yeah, Day 6 out of 44 and loving it.

Five-I'll Survive

2008-01-03T17:31:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Last day of work for the next month and a half!

And then there were five.

Pretty hard not to feel pumped up.

___

I remember this one time. We were on the train heading to some place in KL cause I wanted to buy my Razer gaming mouse.

And we got on the train for abit, and suddenly Kendrick stood up and offered this blind man his seat, and guided him to it and everything.

Put me on the guilt train big time, so to speak.

Since then I've always readily given up my seat on trams and trains, and held doors, the whole shebang.

But notions like these, such as holding doors, giving up seats, helping the impaired cross a street etc, I've always wondered if they're taken for granted.

Because if its all goodwill in the first place, then should one take offense if another person does not give up their seat on the tram?

Its like charity I suppose, cant be angry if people choose not to donate.

Yet today, as I was walking out of my building, two people came in and let the door swing close just as I passed them and reached it.

Well, karma better get them back hard, for their sake, or I will.

Slowly.

2007-12-31T02:07:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Countdown: 8 days.

Christmas is over.

New Year is coming. 2008. But somehow that countdown just simply pales compared to my current 8 days countdown.

Its the end of my 'diet' month.

Duration : 31 days
Buffets attended : 4 + 1 for Christmas
Hours in gym : 2
Hours working : >100

Sum up the numbers and somehow you'll get this.

Grand total weight lost: 0.00

Sigh.

Happy New Year everyone!

January 8

2007-12-27T21:47:00.000+08:00

In a Word

Countdown: 11 Days

I was reading blogs when I came across this.

Ever wondered what I eat for breakfast when I'm cutting? Here they are.

-Pictures of muesli and milk and tuna and biscuits-

The total cost for breakfast is approximately RM3 to RM4 a meal. Yes, it is definitely above a lot of people's budget for breakfast but it sure does help a lot if giving me energy

Yes, it is definitely ABOVE a lot people's budget for BREAKFAST?!

Something tells me I'm going to look like someone who grows money on trees at home when I get back. C'mon, 3 RINGGIT for breakfast?

Have I really been out of touch with home for so long till I dont know whats cheap/expensive there anymore?

Guess we'll just have to wait 11 days and see.

Christmas

2007-12-23T02:44:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Men are like coffee, the best ones are rich, warm, and can keep you up all night long.

Growing up, my family never really celebrated Christmas. Sure, we'd have the turkey and all, but as a kid, one thing that was very important that was missing were the presents.

Fast forward to the present, if you excuse the pun. I found myself today shopping a whole deal for stuff I'm never going to be able to use. Altruistic, I know, for a guy who only shops less than seven times a year, to devote one of those to other people.

And perhaps for the first time, I realised how hard it is to get someone a Christmas present.

A million things run through your head. What do they want? What do you see them using? What do they need? Will they discard this after a while? Will it just be decoration?

Maybe I should get something that I would use myself. But would they? That music CD that I'd buy and listen to may not be what another person would like, ergo my mom.

So I ended up spending hours and hours in a shopping centre, breaking every shopping time record a man has ever held, trying to figure out what to get.

Sometimes you wish they'd just tell you straight out what they want. It makes life so much easier. But then again, I couldnt decide on what I myself wanted. And I think, most people cant decide either.

Maybe we'll just do turkey again this year.

Hmm..

2007-12-13T13:26:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

The only reason people get lost in thought is because it's unfamiliar territory.

Just occurred to me that next next Tuesday is Christmas!

S Club 7 - Perfect Christmas

If anyone wants to get me anything for Christmas, let it be Rachel Stevens. That girl can turn gay guys straight and straight guys crazy.

Ah, because we're all allowed to dream.

42.5/66.5 hours of work completed this week. So tiring..

Luther Vandross woot

2007-12-10T21:07:00.000+08:00

In a Word

The most important finger on your hand is your thumb. Trust me. After 14.5 hours of nonstop working and having your thumb lock up every time you hold something that resembles a spatula, you are pretty much useless. Imagine fish flippers.

November 6th 2007
He woke up. That was odd. It was 2.30 in the morning, but instead of feeling sleepy and snug under the blanket, there was an increasing pain.

Something wasn't right. This wasn't the normal pain one would get when they just got older. It was something else. He clutched his chest.

He turned to his wife on the other side of the bed.

And with a quick assessment, they knew what they had to do. Rush to the hospital.

Cause you see, that man is my dad, and he just had what is commonly known as a heart attack.

My parents didnt tell me anything about it at all, I found out only while entertaining a family friend who had come to Melbourne for his son's graduation.

"Eh I heard your father had a surgery for his heart. How is it?"
"He what?!"

Sometime later

"Mom gosh why dont you tell me these things!"
"You were having exams what"
"I called you after my exams!"
"Aiya, its nothing serious, I thought we'd just tell you when you got back"
"You call a heart attack 'nothing serious'?"

Now I understand parent's intentions to sometimes withhold these kinds of information so that it doesnt affect their son/daughter's performance in exams, presentations, whatever. We've all gone through this at least once.

But where do you draw the line?

BTW my dad is okay, it was due to a blood clot and he'll have to go on blood thinners for the rest of his life. Just so that theres an epilogue.

Go Aaron!

2007-12-07T01:08:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

NOW I know why Aaron Lim doesnt update his blog anymore, let alone come online.

I've always wanted to have my fortune told to me by a gypsy-ish woman.

Preferably in a mystical tent with all skulls and dolls and human hair.

Instead, the closest I have ever got was my mom telling me that if I didnt stop daydreaming and actually start studying for a change, I'd have a very bleak future.

It was probably the last place I'd ever think to see fortune tellers, but I was intrigued last Wednesday by 3 or so fortune tellers with booths at the Suzuki Night Market event at the Queen Victoria Market last week.

But instead of me, Jia Kai gave it a try for all of us.

(After about 20 minutes)

"So? How did it go?"

"Oh, she told me, my parents are very traditional. Also, I'm good with numbers"

"Thats cause you're ASIAN!!"

Believe what you want, but theres a reason why these fortune tellers are mostly old women

I think it is a good way to spend time talking to different people and having them pay you for it in the end.

40 bucks for 20 minutes of lies.

120 ringgit for 20 minutes of stereotypical safe and praising comments.

Feeling of getting cheated at the end? Priceless.

30 hours a week.

2007-12-01T14:47:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Men are like bank accounts. Without a lot of money they don't generate a lot of interest.

Darren's Birthday Cake

Made by Zhen himself. Those 3 boys in Verve really love each other.

I'm going to go through the whole of December eating healthy food and *trying* to get to the gym.

So on November the 30th, we marked my farewell to delicious food by having a small barbeque.

Healthy food, here I come. Topped with a rigorous gym *schedule* and an increased number of shifts at work.

Decembers going to fly by really fast. Either that or I'll drop dead first.

Sigh.

2007-11-28T01:18:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

I have this particular line from 'The Goodbye Girl' stuck in my head at the moment, I cant seem to shake it off / find the song.

The bad news is, the good news ain't so great..

Everyones going back home one by one.

Without me.

Again.

Although this time I'm going back too, albeit being somewhat late (January 8), theres this feeling of deja vu.

Wonder if I made the right decision.

Its been, one and a half years since I last saw my family.

18 months since I last saw my 5 year old cousin, or 7 year old dog.

Heck, I'll never even see my old house again. We're shifted by January.

Part of me wanted to jump on Hao Ern's back and follow him on his flight home on the 23rd of November itself.

Seems I'm always one step behind. People finish exams, and I havent. I finish exams, and people are already going home.

But I guess, everythings good so far.

Sigh.

___

We just played this stupid water-drinking game.

We play silly games, and the loser has to drink a glass of water.

One hour and 8 glasses of water later, I nearly died.

You'll never believe how hard it gets to drink water after a while.

We stopped before anyone was in real danger of water poisoning.

But I dont foresee much sleep tonight.

Sigh.

____

And gosh Joanna, you got me hooked on Colbie Caillat.

Shouldnt have visited your blog.

Sigh.

To protect what you hold dear.

2007-11-27T02:30:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.

That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away AND you have their shoes.

Lots of free time during the holidays.

Its given me time to think.

To realise, that as long as the people close to me are happy, I'm content.

Wonder if I should be selfish.

But that would be well, selfish.

Wouldnt it?

Perhaps its time I did something for myself. Perhaps.

Being in the 'house of freedom' means I have a lot of time to think. So I'll just take my time then eh?

2007-11-24T10:43:00.000+08:00

Craig David- Rise & Fall

I always said that I was gonna make it,
Now it's plain for everyone to see,
But this game I'm in don't take no prisoners,
Just casualties,
I know that everything is gonna change,
Even the friends I knew before may go,
But this dream is the life I've been searching for,
Started believing that I was the greatest,
My life was never gonna be the same,
Cause with the money came a different status,
That's when things change,
Give into vices that was clearly wrong,
The type that seems to make me feel so right,
But some things you may find can take over your life,
Burnt all my bridges now I've run out of places,
And there's nowhere left for me to turn,
Been caught in comprimising situations,
I should have learnt,
From all those times I didn't walk away,
When I knew that it was best to go,
I'm beginning to lose my integrity,

Sometimes in life you feel the fight is over,
And it seems as though the writings on the wall,
Superstar you finally made it,
But once your picture becomes tainted,
It's what they call,
The rise and fall

Good luck MZ, and have fun back home.

Rain outside my window

2007-11-22T12:19:00.001+08:00

In a Word.

Just realised it had been a very long time since the last time I visited Sofia's

Part 2

On one side, you may argue those who start things like food blogs probably dont have much of a life to talk about.

But on the other, you may also argue that blogs are just a literal expression of interests.

Some even use it, especially with the very recent trend comeback of blogs, as a popularity measure. I cant help but smile in amusement everytime I see someone post on some guys chatterbox and include his link somewhere in the thing. Apparently the more links the better.

Me? I'm the more conventional type. I'll talk about my life. And recently, I've found theres a DJ Shorty and a Food Columnist in it.

Now with things like that, why wouldnt I?

DJ Shorty in the house yo!

2007-11-20T00:00:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

I still have exams until the 23rd.

The thing with blogging is, it has its own positives and negatives.

For instance, I never had any problems in any of my English classes writing essays, because I practically do it every few days.

Theres this one particular event in mind. In high school, during an English final exam. I picked up my pen, looked at the questions, chose one, and proceeded to write non-stop a long story about how I celebrate Chinese New Year with my family every year.

It came back a 49/50. Ridiculous. I looked around at others who obviously put in more effort than me but got lower.

Now if only I blogged in Math. That would do wonders for my engineering degree.

Another thing about blogging, your mind gets really twisted.

We just cant help wondering whether or not someone would rather die by freezing to death, drowning to death or even burning to death.

We also wonder whether we'd rather cheat or be cheated on by our significant other.
Although to date I have found that nearly every girl would rather be cheated on than cheat, while any guy who says they'd rather be cheated on is lying.

Things like who created God and whether or not a mirror has a colour.

So take it as a good thing, or even a bad thing, but really, these are just some of the things blogging does to you.

Like is OK. Like is good.

2007-11-16T19:40:00.001+08:00

In a Word.

I notice I post in short period of frequent posts, and then leave it for a week. Rinse and repeat.

(10:00 PM) Chee Liang: u believe in true love?

< Enter ridiculous amount of thought provoking 'deep' musings and discussion

Topped up with personal experiences and capped with personal beliefs and values>

(10:26 PM) Chee Liang: anyway...
(10:26 PM) Chee Liang: need to go eat
(10:27 PM) Chee Liang: will resume deep thought provoking issues with you another time

I've forgotten what its like to have an intelligent conversation.

Ceh wah I call him KID, hes older than me.

2007-11-15T16:30:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

You know the old adage, it goes, that maturity is a function of age. I can so easily prove that wrong. You have no idea, trust me. Not after what I've seen.

Because the hottest recent issue in Malaysia right know involves a broom.

Speaking of gifts,

I am very proud of my approach to birthdays. I always make it uniquely memorable for the person involved, if I choose to. Whether you agree with me or otherwise, my track record speaks for itself.

Because the one gift which involved a toy Hot Wheels Car, a KFC box and some paper (trust me it was much better than it sounds) was the cheapest ever gift I've ever seen/made in my entire life so far. RM3.80 and it was shared by two people.

I dont know about Terry, but I never did get invited back the next year. But I was in Australia lah, so we'll never know.

Because the gift I handmade for Jiakai involved my dedication, creativity and 30 minutes of my life.

Because of other countless times.

So October came with another huge barrage of birthdays. But exam time was near, so nothing much could happen.

But after my double paper on the 14th, I'm effectively free, except for that tiny last paper on the 23rd. It still hasnt stopped me from feeling liberated.

So the next birthday on the cards is Darren's.

Watch out kid, you're in for something awesome.

Oh.

A reason to listen to non-mainstream music, if any.

Lost Prophets - Rooftops

Again, trust me.

A record breaking 15, 560 in attendance. Full house @ Rod Laver Arena

2007-11-10T21:48:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Introducing. He weighs in tonight at two hundred and forty five pounds, he hails from GREEEEEN BAYYYY WISSS-CONNN-SINNNNNNNNN, mmmmmmmmmmmMISSSSSSTERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR KENNEDY!!! Youtube

Meredith said last week (on Greys Anatomy) that the feeling, it goes away.

So before mine goes away, I will note this down.

Twas easily the most awesome live event I have been to this year.

Fifteen thousand, five hundred and sixty people in attendance. All connected by one reason. One passion. One spirit.

And not just because I've only been to two in total. I think it would have topped everything else anyway.

When I was a small boy, me and my two brothers used to love wrestling. We would watch it without fail every week, and even got my dad to join in sometimes. It would soon change to football, but still that was what was going on for a long time.

The three of us, we always wanted to go see the show live. The atmosphere at a live event is just incomparable. We entered competition after competition, realising our dad would not buy us 3 extremely some-may-say exorbitant priced tickets. And actually came up short, second to the main prize. Well technically we came in first, but there was a first prize, and a grand prize, which were the tickets.

Tonight, I finally got to go to the live event I always wanted to go to when I was a kid.

I screamed so many times it wasnt funny. I dont think I'll put the video here.

Those of you who have watched wrestling before and 'grew out' of it, and declared your 'maturity' proudly might I add, you deserve to miss that spectacular night.

And those of you who say its all fake and not worth watching, especially Chee Liang I'm sure, well just run along now and go watch your Prison Break or Smallville or whatever. Cause thats real, apparently.

Awesome, awesome night.

And one night where one of my dreams really came true.

Dont you know, that misery loves company

2007-11-05T23:27:00.000+08:00

Beast-O-Burden.: i have a question
Beast-O-Burden.: if we woke up naked together one mornin
Beast-O-Burden.: using only 3 words, what would you say
Bongo-Wongo-Jing: i love you
Beast-O-Burden.: oh my god
Bongo-Wongo-Jing: see the contrast in our responses?
Bongo-Wongo-Jing: HAHAHAHAHA
Beast-O-Burden.: lol
Bongo-Wongo-Jing: is this some sort of psychological test?
Beast-O-Burden.: its some stupid thing i saw alex post on friendster
Bongo-Wongo-Jing: we'd make such a great accidental one night stand couple
Beast-O-Burden.: i second that
Beast-O-Burden.: but lets not ever try and prove it
Bongo-Wongo-Jing: oh well, a man can only dream...

Indeed, we can only dream. Of the post exam celebrations, of the things we would do, stuff we would see.

Its going to be a long month.
At least David Tao, Matchbox Twenty, One Republic and Chris Daughtry are keeping me company.

Omg Sarah started blogging.

2007-10-31T22:16:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

If I were a woman I'd marry Chris Daughtry. Alas.

Been spending a lot of time in the library lately. Quite literally even, the other day I went back at 2.40am close to 3am.

Seeing a lot of familiar faces in the library.

Amongst the more noted ones, Eugene, Joshua Ong (Hee Siang), my housemate Abby, bunch of guys around my housemate, both yingyis, and HK Tony joining the familiar cast of Andrew and Chin who spend all their time everyday there anyway, thanks to the somewhat non-existent internet connection they have over at College Square. I think they must have TMnet Streamyx somehow.

Apparently a lot of people have birthdays on November 1. Must be a sad thing, to celebrate your birthday in the library. Twas a very welcome 5 minutes distraction though, getting up to wish Amanda happy birthday.

I think most parents would rather wait and deliver the baby only after the clock strikes 12am on Nov 1. Easy-to-remember birthdays (compared to the 31st, which in this month, coincided with Halloween. Imagine the jokes).

Ying Yi was trying to explain to Ben and I whereby if you count back 9 months from November you'd get February, and in February theres Valentines day. Romantic excuse, some might say. I guess people take events and holidays to have those 'special' moments.

I then started counting nine months back from my birthday in August.

And came up with December.

Christmas. Oh God.

My mom has a wicked sense of gift creativity. Again, quite literally.

Search the lyrics yourself I'm not putting them up here

2007-10-28T19:11:00.000+08:00

Currently loving this song.

Chris Daughtry - Over You

Trust me you want to click Play. Especially Chee Liang, Ian and Davies. You non-mainstream buggers.

We lost one today.

2007-10-26T21:36:00.001+08:00

In a Word.

My first, and last, commerce tutor. Sigh.

(12:23 AM) Chin: so you done for the sem for assignments
(12:23 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: yeap
(12:23 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: i'm still on my no study cooldown since yesterday
(12:23 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: i'll start exam prep tmrw
(12:24 AM) Chin: yea
(12:24 AM) Chin: sama-sama
(12:24 AM) Chin: ... i know malay
(12:24 AM) Chin: just abit
(12:24 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: ..
(12:24 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: sama-sama is you're welcome
(12:25 AM) Chin: OH
(12:25 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: lol chin
(12:25 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: its ok
(12:25 AM) Chin: i tot it means same same
(12:25 AM) Chin: ok man
(12:25 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: dont go pretending to be someone you're not
(12:25 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: in this case
(12:25 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: malaysian
(12:25 AM) Chin: hahahahahahaha
(12:25 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: lolol

(12:25 AM) Chin: you mean
(12:25 AM) Chin: MALAY
(12:25 AM) Chin: congratz
(12:25 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: bull
(12:25 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: every malaysian should speak malay
(12:25 AM) Chin: that's over generalisation
(12:26 AM) Chin: there's always a place for niches
(12:26 AM) Chin: hehe
(12:26 AM) Chin: i also dun eat durian
(12:26 AM) Chin: i like spicy food... but not too spicy
(12:27 AM) Chin: ehhhh... i think orchid lks nicer than periwinkle

(12:27 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: i didnt get the last line
(12:28 AM) Chin: eh... the national flowers
(12:28 AM) Chin: orchid is singapore's
(12:28 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: periwinkle is the malaysian one?
(12:28 AM) Chin: think so
(12:28 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: i thought it was called the hibiscus
(12:29 AM) Chin: OH

(12:29 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: chin
(12:29 AM) Chin: ROFL
(12:29 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: you are so
(12:29 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: totally
(12:29 AM) Beast-O-Burden.: not malaysian

But technically, he is. Its on his passport.

Sigh Chin, sigh.

Roger Hughes must never be allowed to reproduce.

2007-10-23T22:34:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

I just finished 5 assignments in 7 days.

(At home)

Su-Zhen : Whats that? RICE milk?
Edwin : Hm?
Abby : Yea, I only like rice milk and soy milk
(We try some)
Su-Zhen : Tastes like soy milk
Edwin : What the? I thought milks supposed to come from cows only
Abby : (examines box) Oh its made from brown rice
Edwin : Well the COLOUR of the rice wasnt really the problem..

My housemates are a neverending source of entertainment.

5 assignments in 7 days. Horrible. Just horrible.

Things you never saw coming.

2007-10-20T19:52:00.000+08:00

And they include.

1. Mei Chen's.

2. Taken from The Star

MIRI: A hunting trip turned tragic for a 53-year-old man yesterday after he was mistaken for a wild boar and accidentally shot dead by his hunting companion in a jungle in Long Laput, Baram district, yesterday.

3.
Beast-O-Burden.: omg your dog made out with a monkey?
yy; when my dog: YEA
yy; when my dog: they were hugging
Beast-O-Burden.: wow

And things that well..

Housemate: Edwinnn, I cant turn on my computer!

(Presses the 'On' button repeatedly with no success)

"... hmm, ok wait have you tried power?"

(I plug in power)
(It turns on)

"Ohhh"

...

Gosh and all the while I thought it was a baseless joke.

But gee,

Women and technology.

And I got no excuse

2007-10-20T03:31:00.001+08:00

In a Word.

Happy birthday Dad.

The other day, as I was walking over to Ian's, I was approached by this lady who said in the most pitiful way possible how she had no money for a tram ticket to go home.

And thats how I found out I have a soft spot for the seemingly less fortunate. Cost me 5 bucks for that lesson though.

So if you are capable of looking pitiful, and telling sad stories, please stay away from me. I might go broke.

Hate with a passion

2007-10-16T22:03:00.000+08:00

In a Word

Wearing a turtleneck sweater is like being constantly strangled by a really, really, weak guy - Mitch Hedburg

Its interesting to find out what makes a person tick.

I have this friend, Wei Wei. No matter what you did to him, he wouldnt get angry. Almost Shaolin-monk like.

However, if you play the fool and do stupid things while playing basketball with him, you can see his angry side straightaway.

It just goes to show that different things are important to different people.

Me?

I have a few pet peeves of my own.

I realise that whenever I make plans and people agree to them, and then tell me they cant make it at the last minute possible, I get very, very incensed. I absolutely hate people who FFK scheduled meet-ups, movies, dinners, etc. Maybe its something to do with the way I was brought up which is to always keep your word.

While we're on the subject, I am so sorry Mr.Eugene Lim for being too tired to wake up that Sunday for lunch. I'll make it up to you big time okay.

Also, recently I've noticed that there is a serious lack of cameraman talent in the new movies coming out. Take the Bourne movies. And 'The Kingdom' that I just watched. Dont get me wrong they're awesome movies but I for one hate the 'real' cameras. Too much shaking.

Someday in the future we'll all just go to the movies and watch the camera view shake like mad.

When that happens, dont go see any movie which are about earthquakes. You'd be better off keeping the money.

To quote Aaron, people who FFK and the cameramen of the Bourne movies and The Kingdom should not be allowed to procreate. Bastards.

Poise

2007-10-14T16:39:00.000+08:00

Went to Poise!, Flare Dance Group's presentation for 2007.

Watch out for Irvin in the middle. He does the solo.

I took this with my phone so dont expect too much. But I have to say, my hand was pretty steady. I'd fit right in into the illegal VCD industry.

I even got all the features right, including the annoying head of the person in the row in front of me, on the bottom left.

Selamat... Hari Raya!~ na na na na na na na na...

2007-10-10T21:45:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

I did not enjoy the Bourne Ultimate-Headache.

I know it hasnt been 3 days, but arent you glad?

So the first ever Malaysian to go into space, Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, is going to space tonight.

“It’s a small step for me, but a great leap for the Malaysian people,’’ Dr Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor

At least get your own catchphrase for goodness's sake.

Chee Liang - says:
Another first for the Malaysian Angkasawan is that he will be hosting a Hari Raya party on board the space station on the first day of Syawal. He has taken satay and some kuih Raya to treat the others on board.

Beast-O-Burden. says:
LOL
Chee Liang - says:
pay billions for that... and 4 experiment
Chee Liang - says:
i would rather use that for social welfare

Well it'll be happy days for us once you become the Prime Minister eh?

Well what else are we expecting him to do? Drive the space shuttle?

Well the whole good part about this is that I'll tell my grandkids one day.

"When I was your age, Pluto was still a planet, and the first Malaysian went to outer space"

Yeah I'm still not over the fact that Pluto is no longer considered a planet. Damn Geography teacher.

3..2...1... Happy New Year!

2007-10-08T22:43:00.000+08:00

In a Word

Its easy to know what to wish for, its finding the friggin magic lamp thats the hard part.

Counters.

We count to everything in our life.

Count how many days we have left before the final exam.

How many days more before we fly back home.

How many days in between the day we finish exams and the day we fly home.

You get the point. We like to have dates, milestone events, and all those. Somehow that 100th goal scored seems sweeter than the 99 goals that came before it.

You count the days (sometimes seconds!) till your next birthday, till you got your driving license, till you got your own car, or first paycheck. Even counting the days till our next assignment is due!

When a baby is born and becomes a month old, there is usually a party held for him/her. Imagine that. Your party, but you're probably the only one who isnt aware of it. Also, couples like to count. Happy one week anniversary. Happy 2 weeks anniversary. Happy 1 month. Happy 256th and a half day.

Because if you realise, without counting down to anything, we would essentially feel useless.

I wonder if its wrong to say our lives are only as exciting as our next 'countdown-event'. And when something happens that we were not 'counting-down' to, we are surprised, happy and sometimes shocked.

And we call those the 'random' moments in our lives.

And I also wonder, whether we should make such a fuss over these milestone events. Come on. Is the season finale of 'Greys Anatomy' really that anticipated?

I think many people disagree at this point. I think even I disagree with myself over the season finale bit. But I mean, I'm only human.

Guess I've given some of you something to think about.

Thats good.

Now 3 more days and counting before the next time I have to post again.

..

2007-10-07T13:36:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Ah, my housemate's parents have finally gone back home. No more terribly-nostalgic home-cooked food and having to fight to wash my own plate. Going home can not come soon enough.

Nowadays, whenever I leave tips on the plate, or tell the taxi driver guy to 'keep the change' I get many stares. Usually eyebrows. Its as if I was doing the most incredible thing in the world.

But its true. Even 10 cents can brighten the day of someone whos been working hard for you. Its more of an acknowledgment that you're doing a good job. And although no tip will let us know we're not doing our jobs right, too often its mixed with those intentions to save every cent that its hard to draw a message.

So yea, I think only people who've worked in a job where you had to serve or perform services will appreciate the act of tipping.

Now thats a lot of words to justify the 75 cents I got as tips on Saturday.

But those days happen.

And guess what I bought the other day

Yay.

I only hear what I want to

2007-10-04T20:24:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Yay for audio lectures. Now I can sleep in the comfort of my own room.

If you are half Chinese, I'm half black. I'm YOUR brother and I'm fly. You down with that Snoopy? Thats dope innit?"

On this note, I especially enjoy it when I see Asian people try and talk to the ang mohs. Its so funny. Their intonation goes up at the end of every sentence, as if they're asking a question.

"The other day? When we were walking? We saw this guy? He had like a yellow shirt on?"

So funny.

oh and MY HIGH SCHOOL made the news! Albeit being for the wrong reasons. I was pointed out the name of the senior assistant mentioned in the article by Weng Yip so, wow. And. Lol.

360 degree views!

2007-09-30T19:17:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Hols are over. Hope everyones been having fun the last 2 weeks, even if it IS playing PS2 repeatedly every single night till 4 in the morning (well, we're all different). I had an awesome 2 weeks, capped off by my camping trip.

If you didnt have a good two weeks, you can go start up a blog like this guy and go whine about everything in your life like someone tied your testicles together.

Went to the Observation Deck at Rialto Towers the other day.

For 9.90 a person, you get to go up 55 floors in less than a minute.

And then you get views like this.

Crown Casino along the Yarra River

Quite the innovative water tank thingy eh? At least, I think its a water tank.

Sunset is actually a very fast process. In 5 minutes the sky turns from bright day into dark evening.

Work Quote
Couple, after eating at Hawkers.

"You guys Malaysian?"
"Yeah"
"This isnt Nasi Lemak"
"Haha, yea but thats how the boss wants it done here"
"Well its shit, how can you do service to Malaysians by serving these kinda food?"
"... well"
"Yea I know you're just doing your job, I'm a student too, just saying, this food is really shit, and this laksa, isnt laksa, its shit"
"..."
(Walks toward door)
"Well anyway, have a nice day!"

Camp Trip 07

2007-09-28T19:30:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

I think I've just lived what must be every girls dream. Ask me and maybe I'll tell you

You know.

I could recite our whole trip out, from the early morning when I was wondering why in the world I could not pair all of my socks, to meeting up at Latrobe and Swanston, to looking out for a Bunyip van.

Indeed, I could talk about our awesome tour group which had 7 nationalities amongst the 13 people.

I could talk about the food we ate, the sandwiches we shared together, the typical aussie bbq we had on the first night, and tacos on the second. Together with the aussie damper which we found out was actually homemade bread without technology.

I could mention one by one the places we visited, like the 12 apostles, london bridge, Loch Ard Gorge, Grampians, Mt Hollow, and so many, many more.

Hey, I could also mention the priceless moments we had, like sleeping in the bus, catching up to the tour group, taking silly pictures in the sand, walking in the rainforest at night to a full moon, playing a lighted frisbee in the middle of the night, our campfire, roasting marshmellows, playing POKER with a French guy, and BLACK AND WHITE COWS, and koalas, and birds, and playing footy in front of the cultural centre and about a hundred more moments.

Including Ai Lings birthday. I'm sure you'll agree its the most unique birthday you've ever had, and also the most unique gift. Hao Ern, whom we stopped playing Chor Tai Ti with once he got the president status. YY, or Wye, who was taking pictures of ladybugs up on the mountain, and Siao Hui, who unfortunately lost her camera somewhere between the lighthouse and our van. Tough luck.

Yeah I could mention all that. I could probably post the pictures too. And it'll take me about 12 long posts to even begin to do justice to the awesome trip we all just came back from (although arguably it was thanks to Ailings neverending supply of pineapple tarts, chocolates and medicine that probably helped in us getting back).

But I shan't.

Cause I guess, you just had to be there.

Twas awesome going camping with each and every one of you. It'll now be the highlight of my year.

I'll say it again.

Awesome.

[P.S. I meant every word. Now please keep my secret :)]

Pixar

2007-09-22T19:21:00.001+08:00

In a Word.
Happy (Real) Birthday Hao Ern! Hope you enjoyed the chicken rice I prepared full of care and attention.

At work.

"Edwin, eh you cut your hair already ah, looking smart ah!"
"Haha... eh Ivan why you keep touching me?"

__

"Edwin, boss call to go distribute flyers along Russell St. Go go"
"Huh? Since when Hawkers distribute flyers?"
"Got la, you just go give, careful dont go up along little bourke, there got another person cha fit, you give out flyers there you get whacked"
"..."
"Here take umbrella go"
"..."
"No la kidding only"
"..."

___

We went to the Pixar Exhibition at Fed Square the other day. No pictures allowed, as I was kindly told by the staff, so I guess you just had to be there.

One of the most interesting features of the exhibit was the Zoetrope which is basically animation.

A circular disk with the characters on it is spun at a fast determined speed. Then with the use of strobe lights, you get animation in front of you. I for one was amazed.

Here, see for yourself.

I also got a T-Shirt!

Yay.

Filler Episode

2007-09-21T15:35:00.000+08:00

In a Word

Holiday mood hasnt sunk in even though we're halfway into the 2 week hols. And Jose Mourinho left Chelsea. You know somewhere somehow the world is going wrong.

Ever since my Nokia 6280 got its screen cracked during skiing (Sigh, I make it sound as if its the phone's fault) I havent been putting up much of my own photos, save the occasional picture grabbed from the internet or old photo that I took some time back.

So heres what my N95 is capable of.

Spring is officially IN!

One of the few bright yellow trees around uni who decided to come out first.

Bread with assorted dips

At Mosskito the other day. They had one exceptional dip which I cannot describe its taste.

Facade of Federation Square

Facades are used as filters of noise, pollution and sometimes people. If I remember correctly, the angled pieces of the building had to be calculated and not just anyhow put.

And my personal favourite.

Flinders St X Swanston St in Sepia

You know what intrigues me?

2007-09-15T03:47:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Somehow it still hasnt hit me that we have a 2 week break. I need the rest.

You know what intrigues me?

Human Behaviour.

I would have done Psychology if not for the countless hours you have to spend in the library.

But its a good hobby nonetheless.

Tsunami warning recently in Penang. And this time, the people of Penang were well prepared.

"Oi got bring camera anot?"

Well prepared with their cameras that is.

How come the words 'impending doom' dont hit them the way its supposed to?

No idea.

___

Also, how can people walk into a shop, sit down, dont order drinks, and then stand up and get a drink out of the shop fridge when the workers are busy, and then say it to your face that they didnt order any drinks when we give them the bill with the drink they took.

They even took the time to hide the bottle.

No guilt wan ah?

____

Then there was the guy who went 'Aloha!' at me. But he was probably drunk.

____

And THEN theres the Asian factor. Gave one group the bill and they were staring huddled together around the table looking at it. I thought it was weird so I mentioned it.

"Eh those fellas, like never seen bill before"
"Walao, they like doing assignment only.. TIU!"
"Haha"
"Ask them they want calculator or not"
"Huh? Really?"
"No la! TIU!"

This waitering thing is hard to grasp. Lol.

I wonder why people do the things they do. Alcohol is one reason.

Two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the universe -Albert Einstein

Lin Peh ka lu kong..

2007-09-10T20:24:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Ivie! Apa buat sini! lol

Recently I was introduced to this Lin Peh's blog.

Quite a lot of interesting stuff.

I picked this video out from there.

Trust me. Press play.

Day 4

2007-09-09T19:09:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

I just noticed Kendrick tagged me. Wonder what happens when you're tagged and you dont do anything. Although I shall not go through that very long list (honestly, I dont know how people have the time or patience to do them <--thats you Hao Ern), here be some random questions you might find interesting.

My first thoughts waking up: Shit. I'm late again.
My fears: Weighing facts, making bad judgements, and hence making bad decisions.
My best group of friends: College. With high school friends a close second. (Btw this is taken from a large group consisting stuff like work mates, tuition friends, uni mates, friends of friends, etc.)
Have I ever played a stripping game: Yes. Strip Chor Tai Ti (Big 2)
Did you strip: Unfortunately, yes. But lucky you, Eugene Chong Howe and Kendrick.
I hate: People who do not have the values I was brought up to respect.
I love: Cheese

My work post.

Working has been a rather interesting experience so far. Some of the biggest names today have started at the very bottom, and now, so have I. However those names did not have another 200 million people with degrees to compete against.

You'd be hard pressed to find many places that work you harder than in the kitchen. Working in these kinds of environments require you to combine speed and stamina, and hope that your strength lasts out. And as a result, an unrivaled feeling that that money was well-earned.

You learn many things doing the job I do.

You realise that even though your workmates might not be as accomplished as some of your other friends, they are down to earth people.

You realise, that these so called 'lower-class' people are actually more fun to hang out with than your friends who play those social games. Although I'm guilty of gossiping I'll have to admit. Heh.

It just puts a whole lot of things into perspective.
Back to work.

You learn the importance of tipping and saying thank you when you're being served at a restaurant. You have no idea how so little goes such a long long way.

You learn how to function as part of a team, where everyone helps out with anything. Except when the new guy comes he gets all the sweeping mopping and whatever else the experienced staff dont like to do. Screw you Davies. Lol. Nah no worries I'm happy to do whatever.

You learn to suppress your ego, and absorb everything thrown at you. Being the new guy requires you to be as such, lest you do not learn anything and get fired.

You learn that your weekends are now shot, and you're confused as to which part of the week you're looking forward to.

But other than that, the moneys good, the works good, the people're good, so generally, alls good.

Maybe someday I'll become rich.

WTF.

2007-09-04T22:51:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

I've never studied so hard for a mid sem. But it WAS only 4 days. 4 intensive days mind you.

In our day to day lives, we encounter many situations. Some make you laugh. Some make you cry. Some make you angry. And some well, can you say WTF?

Read on and see if you agree.

(11:23 PM) Chee Liang - hal: If you’re asshole when you’re forty the odds are good you’ll be an asshole when you’re seventy.
(11:23 PM) Beast-O-Burden.: right
(11:23 PM) Beast-O-Burden.: thanks for the insight
(11:23 PM) Chee Liang - hal: words of wisdom for tuesday
(11:23 PM) Chee Liang - hal: =)

And thats just number 1.

On Facebook theres this group called "If you're Malaysian say LAH". Reading the comments here will give you number 2.

William Koong (Malaysia) wrote
at 10:48am
I think we need to set a new aim which is to put the word "lah" into the Kamus Dewan malaysia.. agree or not agree lah?
The word Lah is also been found used by our most famous Ministers in M'sia mr.Sam Dato Ong and the generator and successor of all Lah's ladies and gentleman, babies and elephant introducin...our PM Pak Lah!!...
i wonder if this group is created by our Pm..?

Waifon Yoon (no network) wrote
at 10:30pm
Pak Lah. wtf.
____
I got this from Hyon-Xhi's. This is a real place in New Zealand.

How do you buy plane tickets to that place?
____
Random comments from my friend Jeon.

"devotion also means boring sex"
"my dad, forgot to turn off the modem the other day, when i got home, my house was the only one without lights that nite"
"please stop using ur phone as a suppository, the microwaves might light up ure fart"
"oni fat ppl sleep during the rain.. its a fact..i googled it"

Jeon:there is this korean farker
sometimes i cant get wut he says
so whn i get really pissed
I tell him, his grandma swam out to the japanese battle ships
den suddenly his face change
lol

Edwin:if you had no choice, which would you do? a dog or a man
Jeon:wht fuked up quesiton is tht
Jeon:can i shoot myself?
___
Recently I took a bet to not eat chicken for a week in exchange for a free yumcha session.

(9:23 PM) Beast-O-Burden.: cause i not going to eat chicken for the next week
(10:11 PM) yy; WEN YEN BYE: CAN LA
(10:11 PM) yy; WEN YEN BYE: abstinence
(10:11 PM) yy; WEN YEN BYE: is the key
(10:11 PM) yy; WEN YEN BYE: since u ad at the no chicken stage
(10:11 PM) yy; WEN YEN BYE: maybe u can graduate to vegetarian later
(10:11 PM) yy; WEN YEN BYE: -------------------->
(10:12 PM) yy; WEN YEN BYE: SEE SEE THE GUY IN MY DP
(10:12 PM) yy; WEN YEN BYE: HE VEGETARIAN
(10:12 PM) yy; WEN YEN BYE: HE SO LENGCHAI
(10:12 PM) yy; WEN YEN BYE: U VEGETARIAN THEN U BECOME LIKE HIM

Gosh theres more?

(4:08 PM) Çåζęß: edwin.. how many eggs can one eat a day? can still be healthy
(9:04 PM) Beast-O-Burden.: two a week
(9:04 PM) Beast-O-Burden.: they say

(9:50 PM) Çåζęß: for the past 5 days
(9:50 PM) Çåζęß: i think i ate 6 eggs dy
(9:52 PM) Çåζęß: will i die?!

And this one probably takes the cake. Or is the cake itself.

(9:53 PM) Beast-O-Burden.: eh you know
(9:53 PM) Beast-O-Burden.: i just made a bet with my housemate
(9:53 PM) Beast-O-Burden.: i not eating chicken for a week
(9:54 PM) Çåζęß: how come?
(9:54 PM) Çåζęß: wat is in for u?
(9:54 PM) Beast-O-Burden.: if i can make it
(9:54 PM) Beast-O-Burden.: she buying me dim sum
(9:54 PM) Çåζęß: LOL!!
(9:54 PM) Çåζęß: it is a SHE!!!
(9:54 PM) Çåζęß: whee~~!!
(9:54 PM) Çåζęß: edwin finally is socializing wit girls!

Let me just say, I'll admit I said it out loud. WTF. Heck that. I said it twice.

... Primary schoolmates. Somehow we never grow up.

How do people come up with titles? I have no idea.

2007-09-03T13:05:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

I agreed to do free publicity, so here goes.

http://www.misscomment.blogspot.com

If you ever had that question you never got answered, if you didnt dare voice it out before, or maybe you just feel that you need to have your say in the world today, its worth a look.

First topic: Girls who wear the pants in the relationship, due sometime this weekend.

Good luck to our budding columnist Char!

Lol @ Chee Liang, and Didier Drogba. Although the latter is an inside story.

Indeed, when you get all patriotic over your country's Independence Day (Merdeka), and Chelsea lose to Aston Villa, you know you've just had a funky week.

You may have the MSN convo Chee Liang, but you missed the prequel.

(11:37 PM) Beast-O-Burden: check this out
(11:38 PM) Beast-O-Burden:
Beast-O-Burden said:
MERDEKA!
Beast-O-Burden said:
LOLOL
Chee Liang - in <3 with sophie zelmani says:
fuck u la
Chee Liang - in <3 with sophie zelmani says:
it's still 2 and a half hours away
Beast-O-Burden says:
i dont care
Beast-O-Burden says:
FIREWORKS
Beast-O-Burden says:
PEW PEW
(11:38 PM) Bongo-Wongo-Jing: Hahahahha
(11:38 PM) Bongo-Wongo-Jing: lol
(11:38 PM) Bongo-Wongo-Jing: it rhymes
(11:38 PM) Bongo-Wongo-Jing: MERDEKA
(11:38 PM) Bongo-Wongo-Jing: FUCK YOU LA
(11:38 PM) Bongo-Wongo-Jing: AHAhhahahaha

(12:16 AM) Bongo-Wongo-Jing: tunku my man would be so damn proud if he saw us
(12:16 AM) Bongo-Wongo-Jing: may his soul rest in peace
(12:16 AM) Bongo-Wongo-Jing: MERDEKA

Somehow you get more patriotic when you're overseas. Although, that is left to interpretation.

Lol Chee Liang, everytime I quote you theres profanity involved. People must think you're a horrible person. I assure you hes not. He wouldnt even hurt a mosquito.

Speaking of those pests, heres where we went to dinner on birthday night.

Terry eat your heart out. Lol.

Okay I apologise for all the inside jokes.

I recently read this article and basically its about people who are night owls as compared to early larks and how its actually genetic and not because we're lazy.

So this gives me a reprieve for missing those occasional 9am classes. Its in the genes lah.

If you want.

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

In a Word.

My housemate just started work at Kbox, and let me tell you, 7 bucks per hour is bad enough, the work conditions are just, well, imagine listening to terrible singing 6 hours in a row. Enough to drive anyone mad. I swear.

And less than 24 hours later, I shall change tack.

Be it extreme coincidence, or on purpose, I stumbled on the post of a friend which made alot of sense.

If all you're trying to do is good, then you shouldnt expect anything because the gift of giving should be as much as you will ever need. Shouldnt you feel happy that you went off at your own accord to actually do something nice?

Otherwise, it wouldnt be a gift in the first place would it?

So I guess I have some more maturing to do.

I guess, within groups of people, each person brings their own contribution to the table, and I guess I've mine as well. So I really shouldnt complain.

And I guess, I should stop guessing.

Thanks for that. You probably dont read this, but you know I look up to you anyway.

_____

Eh eh.

So if ever you're wondering whats going on nowadays.

Time for a little update.

Had my birthday last wednesday.

And this Wednesday, the Fed Ex people came with some Malaysian dignitaries and handed out flags and got us all to take a photo in the university.

So we went camwhoring la. What else, really? Free flags, and free pictures. Even if they werent patriotic you would have attracted all of the Malaysians anyway.

So to the homies back home, watch out when you read the leading newspapers. You might just see yours truly! Thats IF they actually got my face without it being blocked by some stupid fellow holding up the flag.

And then they started to sing the national anthem. Oh gosh.

I have to say, I actually missed those Malaysian dignitaries, their faces. So, so , so MALAYSIAN. There really isnt any other way to describe it. And with the weather so hot the past few days, it almost provided temporary relief to homesickness.

So hot, I feel like curling up in my cool room and not stepping out. Alas, that is not the life of an engineering student.

Blah.

Never was an altruist, just taken for granted as such.

2007-08-29T20:59:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Happy Birthday Hao Ern, however early or late this may be. Wonderful dinner, wonderful people, wonderful time. Now take that stupid picture of me holding a balloon off your blog.

I realise.

If you have something to offer the world, you will be taken advantage of. Until they've taken every last bit you had to offer.

Dinodai sehingga tinggal cebisan cebisan

Back in Klang, I wouldnt have to worry about all this, as amongst the people I hung out with, there were many people who were willing to step up, shoulder responsibility, and take charge.

When I came into college, I wouldnt say there were somewhat less, but I was happy to step up, and help organise. I'm not trying to be proud, but I organised more than a significant part of my class's outings. And they always thanked me for it, so I guess I'm happy with that, cause I think deep deep down I enjoy organising stuff.

But somehow, in general, and in a totally reverse way to what we may think about people, as you grow older, you tend to meet more and more people who are very happy and willing to dump their share of the work on you.

Behaviour that should have stayed in high school.

I have met very few people who are this type of people, and I have to say, they have my utmost respect. Because being an altruist must be one of the toughest jobs on Earth. Those doctors out there have my respect as well. When something goes right, they thank everything- God, luck, whatever. But when something bad happens, its always the doctors fault.

It must be tough when you're blamed for everything but never appreciated for any.

If ever there existed such a thing as birthday-new-year-resolutions, I guess this year mine would be to withdraw all that I have willingly put out for people. Because quite frankly, you get taken for granted.

So the next time you want to call yourself a true friend, think twice. Its too heavy a term for anyone to use loosely.

Birthdays

2007-08-26T10:48:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

I just started my job at Hawkers Cafe. My first day at work, and we sold out the chicken rice. Or ran out of chicken rice. Whichever way you want to look at it.

Chee Liang - Pride: EH FUCKER!!!
Chee Liang - Pride: happy birthday!!

That about sums up my birthday week.

They came over at 12 to celebrate, along with about 5 words I wont forget anytime soon.

If you listen carefully you might just hear it in the video.

Why never come CLASS! DOOSH

If I looked docile and gentle in the video, it was because I wasnt expecting the cake in the face at all.

Birthdays are a weird thing. I remember when I was 13 I couldnt wait to get to 18 cause it meant I could drive. And perhaps if you'd asked me not too long ago I might have given anything to be any age with a 2 as the first number.

But now, or rather, as you get older, you suddenly dont want to be that old anymore. No more wanting to be that old because now theres not much to look forward to besides 9 to 5s and teammates who dont contribute to your projects at work.

I'm not saying growing up is bad. In fact, I'm still looking forward to it. Just not as enthusiastically because I already can drive. But still, I know there are more things to do, more things to see, more people to meet. As long as they're not Vie-ah nevermind.

I dont have a photo with EVERYONE in the picture so I guess this will just have to do

I miss the days when the biggest worry on my mind was collecting bottlecaps. I really do.

The last weekend.

2007-08-17T22:33:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

I found Ren Han's personal message quite interesting.

"To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism, to steal from many is research."

About time since I last thought about something interesthing.

Hmm..

I'm Malaysian.

Being Malaysian, that makes us great complainers. We just cant help it. Never really acting on it, no, just complaining.

Coming from a third world country must make it so much easier. There are so many reasons if you look around really, you cant help it. Be it the train system, bus, taxi, shopping malls, drivers, blind men, people and dogs you're never really short of things that you arent satisfied with.

Why, just the other day in Design class we were asked to write down our top ten 'Pet Peeves', stuff that annoy us.

And we started writing. However interestingly enough I couldnt come up with much. I had written down "Plastic bags that tear open while you're halfway carrying stuff" and a few others like the minimum charges they impose on in certain restaurants, and leaving stuff in lecture theatres.

Either I had a mental block, or I've had life completely under control especially since coming to Melbourne.

I wonder if I really have nothing to complain about. I was reading my favourite columnist's article the other day and she was talking about this thing where you put a band on one hand and everytime you complain, you'd switch the band to the other hand. The objective is to keep the band on the same hand for 21 days.

I think I'll do something similar. Maybe I'll mark my hand with a pen, a small cross each time I complain. But then my hand would become incredibly blue and ugly over time as I complain more and more. That would suck. I'd probably lose any chance of making new friends, and lose some old ones along the way.

Look at me, I havent even started yet and I'm already complaining.

Random Trip Pt.2 of 2

2007-08-14T21:37:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

An excerpt from a stand up comedian I watched online.

If you're caught driving while drunk and know you're going to jail anyway, have some fun. Pull over as safely as possible, unbuckle your seat belt, jump into the passenger seat and put on that seat belt. When the policeman comes tell him "He just ran out.......what? me? driving? Nah, I'm f**ked up"

Random Trip Pt.2

We left off at Brighton Beach.

After Brighton Beach, which wasnt even in the itenary, we wanted to get back on track. However we strayed too far and had to actually backtrack back to South Yarra before we could continue on the Frankston line.

By the way, 4th stop, and we actually got out at platform number 4.

Then we headed to the next stop, Highett.

Highett was actually an even smaller town than anything we had ever seen. Imagine. You could stand at one end, and actually look not very far down the road, and you could see the end of it. Gosh.

This is where we had lunch.

I'm actually quite fond of these kind of shops that you normally find at seaside towns. Those 80 cent calamari rings and dollar scallops. Yum.

Ian got into abit of a spat with the Korean lady behind the counter because she wanted to charge him 30 cents for tomato sauce, he said ok and handed her a dollar, and she didnt want to give change back and instead wanted to give him a dollars worth of tomato sauce.

One thing I found quite strange in Highett. For all their smallness, they had state of the art public toilets.

In case the resolution wasnt good enough, the signboard reads "These Premises Are Under Video Surveillance"

Next up was Chelsea.

Chelsea is a pretty big seaside town with very very nice beach houses.

Which makes me wonder why I didnt take a single picture of them.

We then proceeded to take a one hour walk on the beach, and even had time to make this.

And then we realised it was getting dark, so off we went back to the trains to get to Frankston before nightfall, because if you still remember we had absolutely no idea where we were going to sleep that night still.

The moment we hit Frankston we had to hurry because it was about 6pm and shops were closing everywhere. We managed to stop one from closing long enough to find out where we could find accomodation. Based on that little pieces of information we went on and it was no wonder we got lost.

However Aaron spotted a place to stay.

That picture cheating cause I only took it the next day.

We went up and they had some kind of electronic do-it-yourself get room and check in system.

"All the rooms are fully booked"

That didnt stop us from going into the office and they actually managed to find us a family room that slept exactly 6.

The lady at the reception even gave us a box of milk upon successful registering of our names for the room.

So random.

So with that settled, we went out in search of dinner.

Went back to the motel and played 'Grass', this card game Aaron brought which had us opening shop to sell weed.

The next morning, we had breakfast at The Coffee Club.

And pictures for those who havent had a feature yet.

And then we got on the train back home.

Awesome Random Trip 2007.

Does the 2007 mean there will be a Random Trip 2008?

We'll see.

Maybe I'll flip a coin or something.

Cold. Very cold.

2007-08-07T18:42:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

Ouch. Really. Ouch.

So I'm back from skiing at Mt.Hotham!

I fell down so many times it stopped being funny. Approximately at fall #57.

Trust me its like being beaten up by two motorcycle gangs and one guy with the kitchen sink. Just to complete the whole thing.

My bad luck roll is still well underway, when I realised my phone screen was cracked all the way to the LCD fluids.

Due to it being in my pants during the whole snowboarding afternoon.

And yeah dont ask me what it was doing there in the first place. Maybe it'd have been handy had I veered off course and shot down the wrong side of the mountain.

So, no pictures, only memories. Like the time we all ganged up and threw snowballs at the chemical engineer who thought he was better than the rest. Except one.

People go up there to make snowmen, snowwomen, snowcats (yeah you'll be surprised). But when you have 2 civil engineers up there, theres only one thing.

In the words of my esteemed colleague Ian,

Eh-double u-e-some.

I'm kidding, I'll get pictures from other people and put them up. Oh and if you're reading this, I'll need your phone number.

"Hi, I've lost my phone number. Can I have yours?"

(Btw Hyon-Xhi that line still cracks me up.LOL.)

Random Trip Pt.1

2007-08-02T19:14:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

I guess I shouldnt be complaining so much. ^^

I'm going skiing tomorrow.

SO.

I shall post up part one of the random trip we had the other day.

Sorry it took so long.

I cant make the video because my movie maker has decided to become retarded. So pictures will have to do. Such a waste.

But anyhoo..

Random Trip 2007

So we went on a random trip the other time, Aaron, Ian, 24, Darren, Joanna and me (Even the group was pretty random, 2 overweight guys, 2 vertically challenged people, one pampered boy and one well, lets just say I dont have any nighttime pictures of him, heh heh).

Basically the idea was to pack our bags, and go to the train station, take the first train to anywhere and just go visit random places. And the best part was we were going for 2 days 1 night and had NO plans/preparations of where we were going to stay for the night. That meant there was a REAL chance of us having to sleep in the winter cold at a train station or something.

However, in the end we chose the Frankston line as it was the longest train line, the rest were like silly cause we'd still be considerably close to the city.

So we obtained a route plan from the Metlink counter and rolled a dice to determine the stops along the way. And we ended up with this.

That was our travel route for the entire trip. The detour to Brighton Beach was another random stop that we did not plan at all even in the initial stage.

So we met at 10am at Melb Central, but only left at 11am or 11.30am because Joanna woke up late (apparently its normal?) and instead of bringing a sleeping bag/blanket she grabbed her tablecloth. So random.

Our first stop took us to this place called Glenhuntly.

We thought Glenhuntly was a small town (although we were to be very, very wrong later). It had alot of references to anchors. The tiles on the pathways there were making up a picture of anchors, and there was a big anchor right in the middle of the busiest intersection in the place, with about 2-3 cars waiting at each traffic light at all times.

And to think I just spent 60 bucks on new jeans.

How small is Glenhuntly? Well I'll give you an idea. Its about a 10 minute walk of single storey shops on each side, and basically thats it.

We then went into the local cafe to ask them what they do for fun in Glenhuntly. And to get some drinks.

I ordered the white hot chocolate, which tasted rather like hot milk. More than half the cup was filled with milk. No matter what drink you chose, it almost always tasted like milk.

The people of Glenhuntly are nice people. The cafe owners wrote down the directions to their main source of entertainment, their cinema, which was described as 'about the size of FOUR Subway shops'. Wow.

The funny thing was the cinema wasnt even IN Glenhuntly. We had to take the tram to a different but nearby, nearly connected, town, Elsternwick. One notable thing we saw was of this guy with a cello case who missed the tram, started running after it hitting the sides, and then giving up and just jumping on the back of the tram and holding on until the tram reached the next stop.

That is the cinema. Gosh.

Random Picture #1

We then took the train to Brighton Beach, since we could, from Elsternwick. That wasnt in the master plan, but oh well, its a random trip.

Another thing worth noticing is that whenever we stop somewhere, the platform numbers are in order, and this was something we DIDNT plan. Glenhuntly we got off at platform 1, and we got on Elsternwick at platform 2. Reached Brighton Beach station at platform 3.

Brighton Beach was a pretty okay place. Some people love it. Some apparently, dont.

Can you see that ever so popular F word? Ingenious.

Nice photo for a display picture.

Courtesy of my little camera phone might I add.

Wait.

Whats that in the distance?

We could STILL see the city!

Oh well, its just the start of the journey.

Brighton Beach has a war memorial there.

And replicas of the cannons used.

Although, I'm not sure they used to do it that way during the war.

Stay tuned. Part 2 after I come back from skiing.

You're kidding me.

2007-07-30T15:45:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

My IQ has dropped 4 points since the last time I took the test.

I wonder what I did wrong this time.

I'm in the midst of having a tremendous bad luck spree.

First, Christina Aguilera's concert got cancelled completely. I missed it by one day, because she still performed on Friday and fell sick on Saturday.

And as if that wasnt bad enough, this morning I finally got a call from Koko Black regarding the resume I put in. They needed a person to work weekdays 10am-6pm. I'm an engineering student, so I cant do that, and there went my job.

And I came back home to find a letter telling me the rent has increased 20 bucks per week effective september.

They say bad luck comes in threes. I beg to differ because those were the worst of a string of incidents I've encountered in the last few days.

So person-up-there, do you want to throw a meteor my way anytime soon?

So who the hecks Lowrider?

2007-07-29T02:29:00.000+08:00

In a Word.

So the concert got postponed to the next day. Oh well.

Many people have asked me over the past month or so, how I was going to spend my holidays.

And I say 'Oh, you know, just hanging out with friends, some colour blind study, a christina aguilera concert, skiing!!, steamboat, shopping, yeah something like that'

And somehow only one thing manages to jump out and catches everyones attention.

I wont even have to let you guess.

I've had to endure countless smirks, laughter, and some people just plainly asking 'Why?'

And then you have Hyon-Xhi.

Bongo-Wongo-Jingo: everything looks fine
Bongo-Wongo-Jingo: but one line popped out at me
Beast-O-Burden: lemme guess
Bongo-Wongo-Jingo: you know which one i mean...
Bongo-Wongo-Jingo: you're fuckin kidding me no
Bongo-Wongo-Jingo: i've always suspected
Bongo-Wongo-Jingo: i mean, there were these few moments where i caught you lip synching to her songs
Bongo-Wongo-Jingo: terry's car
Bongo-Wongo-Jingo: hmmm
Bongo-Wongo-Jingo: oh well.
Bongo-Wongo-Jingo: im not judging you
Bongo-Wongo-Jingo: :)
Bongo-Wongo-Jingo: lolol

Watch this video and tell me you dont want to go to her concert.

Nerddd.

2007-07-25T14:32:00.000+08:00

In a Word

I have 18 hours a week this semester. Somehow the Alloc8 system managed to give me 9 hours in a single day.

I havent been putting up photos.

So heres some.

Went to Yu-u or something like that the other day. Now this place is interesting because its entrance is well, just a side door of a innocent looking building.

You then walk down some stairs.

And then you see this.

Its pretty cool, and since alot of people want to eat there, they even imposed
time limits-half an hour per customer only,
bookings are required, and
everyone gets the set menu for lunch. No ala-carte. Oh and
no pictures allowed, as I later found out. Oops.

Abit of that yakisoba thingy, but served hot (?)
Rice, with beef slices and onion sauce
Some assorted vegetables and a slice of orange.

And this is a random picture I have.
Its really, really rare.

Its 24.

In the State Library of Victoria.

I know, holy cow.

Special mention must be made to his side of the chess board. Hee hee.

Madness starts again.

2007-07-22T10:20:00.000+08:00

In a Word

Schools started again. Oh no

So yesterday right.

I woke up at 8.

Headed out at 8.30

Reached at 8 and three quarters.

And descended into a world of wizards, witches, and people in bedsheets/picnic towels.

Quite literally, because you have to walk down the stairs to go to Angus & Robertson.

That is possibly one of the more notable differences between the people here and back home. They're more sporting. However, I have to say, a grown man with an oversized orange picnic towel holding a purple '#1 Harry Fan' balloon waiting in line happily for the book is quite the sight.

So the wait is finally over. Cant say the book was that exciting though.

Cant believe uni starts again tomorrow!

Wish I could be like Harry Potter and ditch school to go fight demons and warlocks.