It's A Durian Life

2011-11-07T13:56:00.003+08:00

Me as of August 2011 at Brinchang

It's been a long time.

2011-11-07T13:49:00.000+08:00

since I last came here and check out all the upgrades. Well, it's about damn time Blogger for a face lift. Though, I can't help but shake the feeling that the new interface is extremely similar to Google's new updates. Similarity is uncanny. Just stating the obvious that's all.

It's been a long time.

Hi Matt! What is your biggest fear?

2010-07-02T22:26:00.001+08:00

Being constantly judged. So scary.

Ask me anything

Do you believe in ghosts?

2010-05-09T23:23:00.001+08:00

Oh yes. Don't you?

Ask me anything

Do you have any scars on your body? If so, how'd you get them?

2010-05-09T23:17:00.001+08:00

Upper lip, right index finger and right eyebrow. Fall, cut and surgery.

Ask me anything

formspring.me

2010-05-09T23:16:00.001+08:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/matrianklw

What It Means to be 20 and Still Single.

2010-02-21T06:35:00.001+08:00

You know something is up when you’re sandwiched between your own elder sister and your younger cousin, both with boyfriends at their sides in church. Somehow, it made things felt wrong for me to be (turning) 20 and still have no partner. Sitting in between two lovebirds, watching them slightly displaying public affections (no doubt, in church) wasn’t disturbing for me – it was borderline excruciating – plunging me into a sea of doubt and self-realization about my own single-hood or lack of a mate.

Again, in church.

The thing about turning 20 is, I have no idea what the society expectations are towards a 20 year-old male, although I may have gotten a hint from my 24 years old sister and my 19 years old cousin. Even my 12 years old brother randomly popped the question one Friday afternoon over lunch about why I’m still single, in which I used ‘education’ to keep myself from looking like a loser. I mean, is this really what society is to expect out of a normal 20 years old male? You know, to be in a relationship or the very least dating?

If this is what the public perceive as normal, well, I just don’t do normal. And since when does anyone really know that normal is normal? For all we know, a nose could be called an ass and we could really be girls and them, boys.

I’m just saying.

However, I really honestly don’t think dating should be rushed or pressured into. I know I’m not, not even by the constant touchy-feely crap and public displays of affection shown by the other couple (not my parents) in the house. Please, I really do not think one needs to suck face every 5 seconds with each other, or unnecessarily attached to the hips for that matter. As Carina would detest to the jubilation of jie, “Matt, you just do not understand!” Which I admit I that I do not and will not be in quite a while.

Besides, I really do have studies to think about. I mean, I could be shipped off to Timbuktu to pursue my studies and I don’t think I can keep up a long distance relationship for now. Realistically also, I have yet to earn my own income, making financially dependable on my parents, making the cost of every romantic date meaningless and borne by my parents. Of course, again, that’s just only one way of looking at it and through my inexperienced eyes, no less.

Plus, on the matter of love, as cheesy as it may sound, I do believe that when the time comes, it’ll come. I strongly put my faith in fate and the greater forces.

And as I’ve said it before, I’ve got commitment and attachment issues, even towards normal things like studies and hobbies, none of which I seem to be incapable of keeping. I tend to prefer the single and unattached life (sometimes even with friends). One of the reasons why I remain jobless. Yes, couldn’t be committed enough in my job hunt.

I mean, if dating means putting up with someone completely from a different orbit and upbringing (Oh, c’mon, who are y’all kidding? Everyone’s from different worlds! Unless you’re twins, then you’re still different people.) and learning to accept their flaws, ~~disgusting~~ habits, mind-sets, attitude and issues in the relationship, then I’m sorry, I’m just not ready. Neither do I have the time, considering I have problems dealing with my own flaws, habits, mind-sets, attitude and issues in my relationship already with my family and best friend.

I’m aware that learning to love another person is not easy. It takes a lot or courage, determination, hard-work, passion, tolerance, patience, and ultimately love - judging from my 20 years with my family. It feels to me I’m just only starting to get the hang of it with the rest of the Brady Bunch and I’m not ready to try to take on someone new, yet. I’ve just started to learn about unconditional love and am slowly indulging in it, if you may. Accepting a stranger takes a lot from someone, let alone learning to love that stranger. Therefore, I don’t think I’m neither ready for it nor if anybody is ready to take a chance on me. So no rush there.

However, in the lights of hopes and love (it’s still positive, right?), and the new year and the new beginnings, if I happen to fall for someone today or tomorrow, I’ll hop on the love cab and take it for a ride, you know, to see what I’m missing and what everybody’s getting at. Till then…

Going To Bed.

2010-02-07T01:06:00.001+08:00

The rain is pounding outside tonight, the first in a couple of weeks of drought. Here I am, sipping steaming hot green tea, listening to Keith Urban and typing this, in my feeble attempts of unwinding and just relaxing. It’s been a hell of a week, and a start of a New Year in fact. I’ve been knee-deep in Chinese New Year preparations, mostly helping mom out with her annual baking fest of assorted cookies, chips and the New Year delicacies. Come to think of it, I haven’t even started on my spring cleaning to “usher in the New Year”, so to speak.

Truth is, for the past week, ever single night, we’ve been busy baking. Being the unemployed son, bumming around at home, I am at the very least obliged to join in the festivities or to be a helping hand, if you may. Thus, it’s been a week, counting today, that I’ve been going to bed at about 1a.m. or later – most of the time, against my own free will. Baking has been done in the comforts of kaima’s house and usually, by the time we’re done, we’d probably be home by 11p.m. or 12p.m. and by the time I shower and settle down, i.e. applying facial masks, night creams or moisturizers (being in close proximity to the oven could damage skin, you know) and get a little house chores done, it’s be more or less 1a.m.

Mind you, it’s been a while since my bedtime was way past midnight. Honestly, I’ve been afraid that the old habit of sleeping late would return and unfortunately, after this week, I think I’m kinda hooked again. Sleeping late and waking up outrageously early, if there was the need to. Other days, I’ll just sleep through, which is still a bad habit in my book. However, as much as I find it convenient to be going to bed that late, it’s taking its toll on me. The whole “minimal sleep and 100% productivity” thing just isn’t working anymore. Maybe I’m not cut out for it anymore, after all, I am turning 20 and anyone turning 20 could tell you that they’re body’s beginning to slow down. Or maybe I’m just being paranoid, borderline, tired of baking, on my feet most of the time that the balls of my heel hurt, every single night.

I don’t know.

But what I do know that my eye bags are gradually getting darker and larger and more prominent. I also know that I can neither put in a 100% the next day if this goes on, nor if I can keep this pattern/lifestyle up. Well, not really sure bout the latter but I’m pretty sure I won’t be able to wake up for church tomorrow if I don’t cut this short. So here it is, my completely random update on my life about nothing significant really. Just really felt the urge to blog or pen down something. Probably inspired by the new blog design (did you notice?) or probably Keith Urban or maybe the rain (prolonged deprivation of rain could affect one’s habits as well, I suppose). But… who knows?

Good night and adios!

Christmas Wish Come True.

2009-12-31T01:11:00.001+08:00

A million thanks to my dearest sister for taking all the trouble (on a pretense to the toilet, leaving me hanging in the cake shop, not knowing what to order for a good amount of time and appearing afterwards, panting, much to my bemusement) and thought to surprise me and also mom and dad for the contribution. It’s really neat and I was honestly surprised, which is a rare thing in the family. Words could not possibly describe how much of an awe I’m in and also how much of a spoilt brat I feel like. You guys didn’t need to show me anymore love than you guys already have prior to this. Nevertheless, however undeserved, I still feel incredibly blessed and grateful.

Hope everyone had as good of a Christmas I had this year, surrounded by people I love and care about and also a blessed New Year 2010. Cheers.

‘Tis True ‘Tis Season

2009-11-29T09:49:00.001+08:00

Christmas Wishlist.

2009-11-05T09:37:00.001+08:00

Christmas trees decked out completely with glistening ornaments of red and gold and blue and silver behind shop windows are sights to behold as you waltz your way slowly through the mall, taking in the faint and distant sound of instrumental Christmas carols. Yes, it’s only the beginning of November and the malls are already transforming themselves into a picturesque scene of a Macy’s shopping mall in New York. Lovely, truly lovely. Not that I have anything against it.

In the strife for higher consumerism by means of ushering the holidays to be faster than usual - through the sly gimmicks of shopping malls giving their customers a slightly altered impression of the holidays and plainly over-commercialising the holidays with new promotions, sales and campaigns – who’s to be blamed here? I’m just enjoying the jolly mood of Christmas, slowly making up my Christmas wish list this year. By the way, do check out the latest Starbucks Wish campaign, and try out their new drinks as well, *it’s like Christmas in a cup!*

GAP

One can only so much as wish for any kind of merchandise from GAP. However, to my defense, before anyone frowns their eyebrows over how over-rated GAP actually is, I for one honestly am attracted to the simplicity of GAP’s clothes, not to mention it’s simplicity and almost effortless ad-campaigns which only tugs at hearts with images of happy and beautiful people in their clothes and nothing else. Seriously, can fashion ad-campaigns get any simpler? Although I don’t believe that wearing or owning any of the GAP merchandise will make me look more attractive or necessarily a happier person, I do like to own a piece or two of its clothes given their all-American appeal and magnetism of its sheer simplicity.

To be more specific, I have always had my eyes on its jeans (their current 1969 Jeans campaign) for I think jeans are a form of investment and is truly worth the price. Apart from a good pair of Levi’s of course I’ve also always wanted a GAP sweatshirt (preferably an orange or gray one with the GAP word emblazoned in the middle) which costs almost the same price as a pair of jeans which I think are both equally long-lasting as well, not something you wear and tear easily. Plus, given its brand name, I think there’s a timeliness factor to it, meaning, it can even last to be a family heirloom and not look out of style. Until then, I’d be saving money for those and will be a very happy boy when I get it.

***

By the way, on a completely different note, a GAP membership requires a minimum purchase of RM700 or above. Pretty expensive and exclusive for a membership isn’t it? I almost balked at the saleswoman when I was told, short from keeling over and suffering a stroke there and then in the GAP store. One can only so much as wish.

***

MAC

With the current change from a chunky and bulky CRT monitor to a flat screen 20” LCD HP monitor, I’m looking for a change in keyboard and mouse as well, you know, to complete the whole ultra-modern and sleek look of the computer, despite its slowly ailing system. And what better brand to look for than a MAC? ~~Rule of thumb : when in doubt, just go to MAC~~. I’ve had my eyes on the MAC keyboard and Mighty Mouse (not the Magic Mouse!) for a while now. I mean, c’mon, indulge in me a little. When a whole MAC system is not exactly what one can afford, the cheaper alternative to get the MAC experience would be through its keyboard and mouse right? Priced at about a hundred and fifty each, I think its reasonable for a MAC product isn’t it?

Or am I just being ridiculous and blinded by MAC simplicity and clean look again, just as I fall for everything else glossy and shiny. Although my reasons of wanting to get these might not be substantial enough, but in complete spoilt-brat fashion, I WANT THEM! Again, to my defense, I think its a good investment, no? I guess I’ll have to slowly retreat and save up again. I hope I wouldn’t be too old or crippled when I finally get to afford these. But I’m praying and it’s Christmas after all, miracles can happen right?

DSLR

Of course, my long dream of getting one is still here. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not bored of my 3 year-old pro-sumer Canon PowerShot S3. I still take photos with it, just don’t post it up that often anymore. However, I think I may have slightly grown out of it. You know, like a good pair of Levi’s which you love but have gotten a little fat over the thighs and just have to go buying a new one. LOL. Hardly makes any sense or hold any form of similarity but it just feels that way. I feel the need to advance in my photography enthusiasm. Learn more with a better gear. Well, I’ve been putting this off for quite sometime as the price for a good DSLR is way more expensive than the two previous things I wanted even combined. So specifically, there is no model or brand I can name for I haven’t done my research yet. Still, no reasons for it to be missed out from the Christmas wish list, right?

Others

Apart from all those ultra-expensive “gifts” I can still be bought with normal things. Who am I kidding? Any form of gifts will make me happy and cherish one more. As I said, it’s only a wish list and most of which I’m slowly saving up for myself. I hardly expect God to grant me any of it, given my bad behaviour and all. So please, do not feel the need to live up to my expectations. Some pointers, I still dig typical guy gifts like hell. Ties, perfumes, underwear, (not GAP) t-shirt, mugs, CDs or even a key-chain will make me incredibly happy. Real rule of thumb: It’s not the gift, it’s the thought that counts. It still applies to me. Besides, it’s Christmas, it’s all about giving not receiving.

Shopping Spree of Sort.

2009-10-22T00:14:00.001+08:00

Splurged on 6 CDs today with partner in crime, jie. Felt the sudden urge to collect these timeless, worthy-of-collection, feel-good, quality music CDs, all of which have been downloaded and listened by me at one point. To think, they weren’t even on discount. We entered the shop looking for an entirely different artist (Brad Paisley) which of course, led us to these and derailed from our initial motif. Also, we’ve just bought 2 CDs a couple of days ago (Backstreet Boys’ This Is Us and Aladdin Soundtrack).

Oh, it feels good – the spending and the music.

New Monitor.

2009-10-18T23:05:00.001+08:00

From CRT to LCD in a day. It’s about time, I thought. Love the new space, the look and the gloss. So psyched! Thanks to the parents.

So wide!

Laundry Room.

2009-10-15T00:31:00.001+08:00

This is exactly what happens when I don’t do my ironing regularly. My room gets an immediate transformation and turns into a make-shift laundry room. Believe it or not, dad has already cleared most of his share of clean, newly-ironed shirts from this pile. Don’t get me wrong, not complaining. This is just part of what I deal with.

For the record, this took 3 and a half hours to complete.

Deeply Shallow.

2009-09-12T15:18:00.001+08:00

What does it say about me when I have the ability to ~~read~~ browse through a 20 paged pictorial apparel catalogue with no words or even prices printed in fine-print for a complete half-an-hour? Half-an-hour of course is considered a pretty long time to look at pictures, no? But jokes aside, I really can “read” a fashion catalogue for up till an hour without any words even. I guess I spend a lot of time studying the clothes, the shoes, the bags, the lighting, the models, the photography and what not. I honestly think pictures like these (in general too) are interesting and has a story or a hidden meaning the photographer or the designer wished to express.

Either I’m naturally inclined given my photography enthusiasm and fashion inspiration or that I’m just shallow. LOL.

I’ll stick to shallow. You see, just when I think I’m mysterious, sophisticated or even the least bit smart, I don’t appear to be. I mean, c’mon, I have female magazines and fashion catalogues practically, permanently in my bathroom (you know, to fill those free times), although I do change them regularly. That, compared to the photography magazines which I collect but never read, arranged neatly on my shelf for display purposes only (and to make me appear a tad bit knowledgeable, I guess). Of course, it applies for my school books as well.

What’s more is that when I switch on the television, the first channels I go to are the likes of MTV. I only make the jump from the movie channels like HBO back and forth to entertainment channels like E! network. I never stop by the Discovery channel or the least bothered to surf through it. I have my favourite channels memorised to go to them directly from the remote. Sometimes, I think the most intellectual reality programs I watch on TV includes American Idol and Keeping Up With the Kardashians (you go, Kim!). Whereas for TV series, I usually sit down for The Nanny and Desperate Housewives.

Wow, am I shallow or what. Feeling intellectually challenged at the moment.

Shopaholic and Mom.

2009-08-02T23:47:00.001+08:00

Today I was reminded about how much I’ve missed mom over the years of growing up and how long it was since the last time we went actual shopping. [I know, after a couple of months of absence and the first thing I talk about is shopping-related. So what, sue me.] I got a taste of what it used to be shopping with mom and jie, the three of us together when the world seemed much lighter and brighter place then. It was about a decade then, I think, when we last went to the mall and walked for a total amount of 6 or 9 hours shopping for things I can’t seem to recall now.

But I do recall those happy moments - how mom used to have much more stamina then compared to now and how she’s still impossible to buy things with given her vital quality check on merchandise before every purchase. She hasn’t changed one bit, I tell you. Oh how times drift by when mom is constantly bogged down by work and worries while we’re usually ~~busy shopping ourselves~~ busied by our trivial teenager pursuits, like school or blogging. Things just haven’t been the same ever since, well, ever since things changed. In a sober way, I pity mom for not being able to have as much fun as she used to, which I understand completely why and am not complaining about.

It’s just that today brought me back to a reminisce of what we used to share, albeit doing pretty shallow things like shopping but again, who cares. I saw a light-heartedness in her which made her radiate even more than when she sees discount tags. Usually, her glee or desire for buying would be doused after discovering some form of defect on the merchandise despite its given discount. But this time around, her spirits were unperturbed neither by this nor the fact that some things are incredulously expensive. Again, she didn’t seem to bother and went on looking at the next item, a sight to behold after such a while.

In the period of financial instability in our family’s part and her constant worry on other things, she used to be impatient and easily annoyed when we children asked for things or when we were trying on things. This time around, like a decade ago, she didn’t seem to care even though her feet was killing her, result of the wrong heels she wore. She was heartwarmingly obliging, to say the least and I am honestly awed by this, waiting on us while we make numerous trips back and forth to the changing rooms of East India. So obliging that she was almost as generous as she sounded, offering to buy us things that we only tried out for fun and not for purchasing purposes.

Don’t get me wrong, of course I like spending money but this is completely unrelated to me being happy to see mom spending money but more towards the penning down of inspiration, result of a sudden bewilderment of mom’s sudden change of shopping habit. Of course, I don’t condone spending unnecessary money, especially during sales (of which I’m often found guilty as charged, for not abiding to this mantra) or from a shopaholic like mom, which is why I didn’t get anything from her generosity. But I am happy that she got herself some things (she totally deserved it) that she claimed she “needed”. Who am I to judge?

Although it was just a random and short afternoon trip of dropping by the mall, I had more of a recollection of a time which I used to and still do enjoy with mom at the mall. I love sales, don’t you.

P.S: At the risk of sounding cheesy and elementary, this sudden strike of inspiration was also a desperate attempt to jumpstart my blogging career (or lack thereof) after a long time of hiatus. Hopefully it works.

Horror.

2009-06-04T00:59:00.001+08:00

What’s scary?

What is scary and daunting is that you’re expected to sit in an examination hall (classroom) for three agonizing hours straight, painfully dissecting your brain to churn out 6 ridiculous 25 marks essays in relation to English Literature classics like Hamlet and Thomas Hardy and 5 insanely long essays in relation to Economics. And that’s just the beginning. The worse part is to have to do it for three consecutive days, straight. The mere thought of sitting for papers I barely studied for is horrifying enough but to actually sit there for hours on end, in full awareness of the rest of the world goes by – now that’s something you can brag about. No?

Maybe for an unlikely student like me.

But the thing is, I’ve just only begun to see the contrasting difference now that I’m in Form 6, compared to the days of yore. In examination terms, question papers get incredibly shorter and brief, with only a few words put in questioning in return of a 25 marks essays. As the question papers get shorter, the answer sheets expected are even longer, easily exceeding 10 pages of written facts or nonsense at any one time. Education gets tougher and the only way to excel is from old fashioned studying – something which I’m still struggling to find time to do. Half a year has passed and I’m still procrastinating on my studies. What’s really scary is that I’m lazying around.

Oh, and the bruises caused from a prolonged pressure from using a pen is also nasty on the finger.

What is scary, apart from that, is when your phone bills keep on escalating, each month to a more worrying amount. I used to use not even RM30 of my monthly credits, usually spending an amount of about RM24 each month. But for the past two months, I’ve received bills amounting at RM41 and last month a staggering RM57. Honestly, I don’t believe that I’m capable of spending that load of an amount on phone bills alone a month, thus the constant refusal to pay them, insisting that there has been a mistake with the telco to be held responsible. Somewhere along that line, I was secretly hoping for a mistake which the telco company would offer a lifetime of free credit as an apology.

Very girl-in-the-green-scarf, I know.

Finally, after 2 weeks of procrastination and desperate scavenging for data and proof, not to mention the different telco outlets I went to, to prove myself right, I slowly came to accept that I am a big spender when it comes to mobile phones as well. After numerous hours of deciphering the digits out the itemised bills, I also came to realise that I’ve spent a majority of it on texts alone. Gee, what have I turned into? A delayed case of teenager-can’t-live-without-a-mobile-phone perhaps? As much as it worries my family, I’m utterly disturbed as well, with my new unlikely habits of texting. Which is why, I’ve put myself into restriction this month, monitoring my phone expenditures by the minute by checking the telco system almost by the second. Currently, there are still 5 days left till my bill gets summed up and I’m left with less than 2 bucks to spend before I burst through the monthly quota again.

Dangerous.

Ayumi Hamasaki - Green

2009-04-30T09:54:00.001+08:00

Ayumi Hamasaki - Green Lyrics

hikari kagayaite rin to shita kigitachi ga
mi wo kakusu you ni iro wo keshite yuku
kibou he tsunagaru nanimokamo o toozake te
nukumori wo kowagaru watashi no you ni
ano hito no egao ga mou
mabushikute yasashii sugite
yowasa misete shimaisou de
nakidashite shimaisou de

fureta yubi no saki kara
omoi ga afuredashisou ni
natta ano shunkan kara
kono koi ni kizukimashita

doushite hito wa kokoro no mama ni shitagai
aruite yuku no ga muzukashii no darou
hontou wa kitto zutto
wakatteta hazu nara no ni ne
genjitsu ni me wo somuketeta
shinjitsu wo hitei shiteta

mitsumeru sono saki ni wa
itoshiki ano hito no sugata
kaze ga kawaru koro ni wa
kono omoi tsutaeyou ka

fureta yubi no saki kara
omoi ga afuredashisou ni
natta ano shunkan kara
kono koi ni kizukimashita

mitsumeru sono saki ni wa
itoshiki ano hito no sugata
kaze ga kawaru koro ni wa
kono omoi tsutaeyou ka

futatabi mebuita kigitachi ga iro tsuitara
ima yori sunaona egao mietai

***

Now I know I haven’t been really updated with my music lately, let alone blogging and I know I’m not such an avid fan of the Asian entertainment scene, minus a few exceptions – think Lee Hom - and the occasional sex scandals – think Edison Chen – which will do so much as to only entice my insipid interest. But I’ve recently gotten hooked to Ayumi Hamasaki’s Green after having stumbled upon her music video on MTV a couple of times resulting in me having it played on loop now.

I think the song is great - the melody, vocals and instruments are all alright. The video in particular is also strikingly Asian, which surprisingly was the first thing that got me watching the video. Ayumi Hamsaki herself isn’t looking all that bad with her green outfit and hairdo (and the purse!). And that woman can really work the drama in the video, what with all her exquisite hand gestures and dramatic facial expressions. However, I don’t quite get the storyline of the video, especially with the same sex dance numbers. Not quite sure what she’s trying to insinuate.

Of course, I can barely understand Japanese, even with the translation of the lyrics, I’m still lost. But that’s the fun thing about Japanese songs, you see. Their lyrics are still readable and the least, sing-able. Mind you, this isn’t the first time I’ve gotten hooked to Ayumi Hamasaki’s work. I' was previously aware of her existence and her work, despite of me always holding a prejudiced take on wide-eyed artists with Horror-juku dressing and bimbotic poses in their pictures. I’m not much of a follower, but I do like Ayumi Hamasaki. Suffice to say, the only reason I embedded her video here is for easy reference as I can’t find it on YouTube easily.

***

GREEN TRANSLATION
The brilliant trees standing in the cool air
Are losing the colors as if hiding themselves
Just like me who is afraid of the warmth
Keeping myself away from anything leading to hope

The smiling face of that person
Looks dazzling and so tender
I’m afraid I might show my weakness
And start crying

* I noticed this love
The moment my fingertip touched his
And my feelings were
About to flow out

I wonder why it’s difficult for us
To walk as we wish

Actually I’ve always
Realized for sure
But I turned my eyes from the reality
And denied the truth

** I’m staring at my dear person
I might tell him
Of this feeling
Around the time the wind changes

* (repeat)
** (repeat)

The Evolution of My Phones

2009-04-28T00:40:00.001+08:00

So, as it appears, the highlight of my April would be me getting a new phone from the parents – without even requesting. Well, for the past few months, I’ve been regularly changing my phone, given that I got the previous one as a hand-me-down from jie. Who would ever thought, the more tech-savvy one in the family would survive with a basic phone for quite sometime now only to get a hand-me-down. Of course, I wasn’t complaining, except for the few glitches of the previous phone which needed immediate repairing. Other than that, I’m pretty much pleased to be using a flip-phone.

Which is why I have no idea why mom and dad would go get me a new phone besides having too much love on me (and a little bit of pity, I’m sure). Of course, it is neither my dream phone – not that I have any nowadays what with the rapid evolution of mobile phones – nor is it a latest edition for that matter. But, surprisingly to myself even, instead of acting out like a spoilt brat, throwing unnecessary tantrums, I am more overwhelmed by their gesture than to bother about the specifications of the phone. Honestly, I feel a little unworthy to be accepting such a gift.

No matter, I am pleased with the cell and have taken less time than I thought I would to fall in love with it. Really, I have no complains except for the part that I’m still struggling to get used to using a Sony Ericsson interface after having used Nokia’s one for such a long time. I even have difficulty typing a text, often going for the 0 button to space my words instead of the # key. Seriously, why’d they have to make it so different? Other than that, the phone’s exceptionally fine – the functions, the specifications, the design and the interface. Really no complains. It’s one hell of a jump from my previous phone that’s for sure.

As it is promoted 3 years back when the phone was released, it truly lives up to its expectations. The phone puts the ‘R’ into RegulaR which makes it mediocrity all the more sexy and appealing to me. LOL. Am I making a good job selling my product? Anyway, I’m not sure if I think the phone is sexy just because it comes in my favorite color – orange. Also, the phone is unique because as I know, it only comes in 2 different colours which are black and red. How in the world my parents got a white with gold touches one, I don’t know but I’m lovin’ it! Definitely sets me apart from the rest, no? (Allow me my self-indulgence this once.) The candybar style and the colour combination makes it looks all the more edgy - a phone for the style-conscious.

Only thing I’ve got to say is that the keypad is a tad bit small for my stubby little fingers, resulting in me constantly pressing the wrong buttons, causing more complications during texting. The entire size of the phone is unusually thin (for me) and I still need some getting used to as I constantly fear the phone will slip off my hands in my clumsy attempt of texting. The 2megapixels camera bundled together with the phone is also commendable to a certain extent considering it is after all a WalkMan phone. I’ve also grown used to the user-friendly interface of Sony Ericsson phones and it’s screen, providing a crystal clear images for the eyes.

Certainly came a long way, haven’t I? Thanks mom and dad. Oh, by the way, all the phones are still in working condition and are still under my keep. =)

Right or Wrong?

2009-03-29T21:16:00.001+08:00

So the other day, I went for confessions at church, as I always do before Easters and Christmases. The one thing that the father told me when I was done with my confessing was that I had a huge “catalogue” (of sins) which is only natural for someone like me. But that’s not the point. In relation to that, the other thing that the father mentioned was that I had a good amount of self-awareness in my head. Meaning, I am self-conscious about my sins and what not – which I took as a compliment at first but had trouble grappling with it later on in the car.

See, I do sin a lot (if not more than the average man) and most of the time, I realize that I’ve done wrong only after doing them. In other words, I guess I can say I don’t think before I do something, which doesn’t help me avoiding from doing bad things. So I wonder, do having having an awareness after that and telling myself that I’ve done wrong help in anyway? I do give out a little pray of pardon whenever this occurs. Does it make my sins any less heavy if I were to detect them primarily after doing them? Does it make me less of a sinner when I practice conscience in my actions?

Gee. I really don’t know, but I sure do hope so.

Same goes to the matter of greed, or rather, gluttony to be more specific. I am a self-proclaimed glutton after all. In my understanding, a glutton is usually referred to someone who gorges himself with an overwhelming amount of food out of the sheer want of achieving that satisfaction during eating, regardless of whether he is hungry or not. And most of the time, the food involved are more or less rare to come by. I am guilty of the above at times. I mean, c’mon, the word glutton can almost be spelled as obese nowadays, dontcha think?

But, can someone still be called a glutton if his ravaging are for the things that are rather unlikely for a glutton to ravage on? For instance, tofu products and greens and beans? I’ve always had a high regard for tofu products even before I began eating greens and beans and have only realized how different the westerners have their view on this. Which makes me wonder, is it a crime to be greedy on peasant food like tofu? Food that is clearly frowned upon (let alone) stereotyped by people. To be frank, I really do love tofu and its products and will not hesitate on finishing them if ever the chance occurs. Now, does that make me a greedy person (glutton) or can I be considered humble?

For the record, I’ve never found any connections with abalones or any other similar food that are considered rich-people-food from where I come from.

OMG Latest iPod Shuffle

2009-03-16T23:30:00.001+08:00

Sometimes, for such a prestigious company who churns out omg-oh-so-good-looking products all the time, it’s amazing how Apple can seriously conjure a good level of hostility towards its own brand name. Coming up with new products is one thing, probably agreeable by nature but to keep using the old products and keep improving on them, now that’s something which just makes me feel brings out the envy and dissatisfaction in me.

I mean, c’mon!

Not only did they find the dire need to improve their range of laptops, resulting in one of the most slimmest laptops in the world ever made that I’ve come to know, they also took into much consideration and detailing into improving their range of iPods, now creating a tinier, slimmer and more attractive iPods. And in their process of constant improvement, they just had to rub it in everyone’s face with their ultra-sleek, edgy, minimalistic, clean, clear-cut and oh-so-glossy-and-shiny design, deliberately splashing it and applying them onto all their products.

Oh, did I mention, Apple also manages to bring the price down with every new and improved release of its older products. Ask KennySia! Though, all their prices still remains unaffordable to me. But at this rate their going, I wouldn’t be surprised if they started giving away free iPods or MacBook Airs by the year 2010.

You know, I’ve always admired and drooled over Apple’s simplistic approach to everything and yet managing to keep them equally as sophisticated but this might just have pushed the envelope. What I’m trying to say is, do they really need to go “improving” mode on the iPod shuffle?

The iPod Shuffle, probably one of the most affordable products to mere mortals like me, Apple has ever launched, has now turned smaller and sleeker and also now comes with a bigger capacity (4GB) and comes with a renewed price no doubt. Not only that, Apple is introducing a new innovation packaged with the iPod Shuffle as well, the VoiceOver where a voice speaks out the details of a song. Plus, the new buttons attached to the earphones are so much more convenient.

Damn, listen to me. I’m helplessly falling for one of Apple’s gimmicks again! Oh Apple, why did you have to take your own products and make it better? Now it only makes my 1GB old iPod Shuffle looks bad. Not to mention the wear and tear effect I’ve made on it over the years. I want the oh-so-shiny new iPod Shuffle! It’s inevitable, Apple can really score with their marketing gimmick and I am one falling for it, no matter how much I tell myself that I don’t need it or how much I try to make myself hate it.

GOssip Party in The Park

2009-03-14T01:15:00.002+08:00

So a couple of weeks back, GOssip had it’s final phase of the entire project which was the Party In The Park and I was part of it.

I arrived there pretty early upon orders from superiors and invited bands were having their sound-check sessions. During that time, helpers like me were given briefing on our jobs for the rest of the day.

Most of us were assigned to the PS3 Challenge booth, which automatically allows us to play with them sexy gadgets before it’s open to public.

All meals were provided from the organizing company (SummerSands) and we were served pizza for all meals as Dominoes Pizza were one of the sponsors. We had plenty of pizzas left at the end of the day. Wonder where they all went after the event.

Throughout the entire day, the stage was opened for performance from various Indie Bands who have signed up prior to the event. We had loads of entertainers occupying the stage the whole time until the sun set – and that’s when the big shots come in.

Big local acts like Altered Frequency, Pure Vibracion and such were brought in to perform throughout the night. A wonderfully diversed display of local acts, I would say. Though, I must say I was ~~completely clueless~~ a bit unfamiliar with the local names, thus the mellowed down anticipation from my side.

Apart from that, I think I had a reasonably enjoyable time and definitely memorable night with the entertainment, the event itself, and especially the people I was working with. The dancing among the GOssip agents were awesome, that’s for sure.

CNY : More Visiting and Posing

2009-02-21T00:22:00.002+08:00

Started the 3rd day of the Lunar New Year visiting houses of relatives and friends.

Naturally, after devouring other people’s cookies and sweet delicacies, we sit down and pose for the camera on a tripod.

They want to join in the fun too! I mean, c’mon, who doesn’t like having their picture taken? The ones who denies it are liars.

In the meantime, some of us inane humans feel the utter need of posing in the middle of the road, under the scorching sun. Anything for that perfect shot, isn’t it?

And yet, still find it irresistible to face away from the camera even when we’re cramped pack in the elevator.

Decided to have McDonald’s for lunch, since we were on our feet already, before proceeded to visit more houses!

Changing.

2009-02-17T19:12:00.003+08:00

I'm going for something new. After having mom and dad suggest it and actually pestering me to do it. Of course, they say that parent's aren't the best people to go for fashion advice but I'm taking a chance.

I'm letting my hair grow.

Yes, to change.

Just feel like getting something new. Oh, who knows what it's going to turn out looking like. It's been 3 years since I actually hair that could be shaped and styled up. I'm sure I'd have to forgo things like falling asleep anywhere without a bother of the hair or waking up and looking messy or going out with a t-shirt and jeans and still look kept together. Back to the old days, I suppose. Crap, there's still that hair-growing period which will definitely make me look ridiculous that I have to go through.

Nonetheless, I'm still giving it a try. After all, I can always shave it away and go back having military hair.

In contrast, to think about it, other people (KennySia?) are shaving their hair away for a good cause while I'm doing the opposite. Hmph.

CNY : More Tripod Fun.

2009-02-14T00:41:00.005+08:00

Started off the 2nd day of Chinese New Year at apoh's with plenty of eating, drinking and gambling.

It didn't take long before we started posing again for my camera standing on a miserable tripod while waiting for the lion dance troupe to come by the house.

Yes, we're really full of ourselves, verging on narcissistic and we really love having our pictures taken.

After a long wait, it finally came and the children were excited as hell to see it. No surprise, as it only comes once a year. Talk about anticipation.

Managed to get a group shot of everyone there then, this year - thanks to the tripod after all. Not a perfect shot, but at least it's something, given the rush of the moment.

Carried on the day with our annual visit of relatives living in hills and mountaintops, where electricity is a far cry from home. Then again, it's a once a year affair, reason enough to bear it.

We ~~came, we saw, we conquered~~ camwhored like crazy and trashed the place up before leaving, savagely emptying stacks of boxed drinks and packets and cans of tidbits. Oh, and collected angpaus as well!

And like every year, the one advantage of visiting these folks in the suburbs is that we get to put a hell load of explosives without getting into trouble (the sound is subdued and absorbed by the forest and the trees the house is surrounded by). Only thing this year, a young and innocent banana tree was the casualty.

I Wish...

2009-02-11T22:17:00.004+08:00

that sometimes, if not, most of the time, people would judge others less. I wish I did too. I wish that we might just take more time from our own selfish lives to get to know more about the person next to you or even the person whom we already judged. If only, we could stop the strong assumptions of a person's personality or character...

Wouldn't we gain an extra friend?

Of course, I'm speaking here with the self-realization and the guilt that I've done the same to others over the time and nonetheless, been treated the same way too. If only we could put an end to this. Wouldn't the world be a better place to live in?

Funny thing is, why do people like me still succumb to other people's judgment when we are fully aware that there is not judgment in this world that matters except that of God's? I can't find an explanation.

People should judge less. Better yet, not judge at all. I should stop too. Then again, it's human nature and it requires more than will and reasons to put this away.

I shall try day by day.

CNY Tripod Fun.

2009-02-08T02:19:00.007+08:00

Started the new year with attending the mass on CNY Eve which lasted till the year transitioned.

Woke up the next day on the 1st day unusually early to start the annual routine of visiting and collecting angpaus.

Put on obligatory new clothes to "usher" in the new world. Just like the rest of the Chinese population.

Started camwhoring as soon as things started getting bored.

Stumbled upon a reflective glass pane and got a shot.

Proceeded to other houses for visiting, or rather "pai nien". Had loads of food and collected a number of angpaus in the process.

The addition of a 2 year old cousin, Amelia, who seems to have a penchant for posing as well, not to mention intruding in most of our photos are evident in the shots. Also seems to have taken a liking to the tripod, constantly working it like a camera and wanting to "snap". Future protege of mine, perhaps?

And of course, camwhored like crazy. Only thing this year was that I decided to bring the tripod along - hence, the full length shots and orchestrated poses.

After a long and tiring day, it still boils down to family unity and I got the entire family shamelessly posing for my camera at the side of the road, regardless.

Happy Chinese New Year.

2009-02-04T21:31:00.000+08:00

I guess I'm not too late. =)

Busy, Busy, Busy

2009-01-16T23:28:00.003+08:00

The past two weeks have been insane (and the weeks to come even). Never a moment for me to stop and breathe. School hasn't been entirely helpful with the sudden explosion of homework and assignments. As of this moment, going to school is like attending a daily crash course on Economics, General Studies and English Literature. The teachers seem to be trying their utmost best to shove the entire syllabus down our already swollen throats in the time frame of these few weeks. Just take for instance, in previous years, I used to be able to fill my first few months of school with multiple novels and storybooks as there isn't anything much going on in school. Now, the only thing I'm cramming down my brain is Chapter 32 of Jane Eyre. Yes, it's just been two weeks and she's a;ready finishing the book - the book which none of us in class had spent the holiday reading in which we find ourselves struggling now to keep abreast with the teacher's speed.

Coupled with that, I've just started tuition class on my General Studies as well. Above that, I still need to find the time to juggle between my school work, tuition class, house chores and club duties. It's a total whack at the rate I'm going now and I won't be the first to say that a trainwreck is bound to happen. Most of my time are distributed unequally for school work, after school activities, house chores and tuition. If I'm not spending my time, juicing my brain to do a proper analysis for one of Thomas Hardy's poem, I'm probably spending time drawing up organization charts for the club or arranging the details for the next meeting or even worse, compiling pictures for the school administration as I'm one of the many photographers for the school. Did I mention, I'm spending a lot of time on that because my computer's running a tad bit thin on space? It's like a spring cleaning going on in my hard drives.

Speaking of which, Chinese New Year is just slightly more than a week away which means I have myself knee-deep in the new year preparations. This year mom has taken the liberty to recruit me without prior notification to help out in almost all of her baking. Not that I'm complaining or anything. It's just awfully hectic to be coming home from school at 6pm (after a long drive) and still get your hands dirty in flour in making Chinese New Year delicacies. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy these frivolities at this time of the year, since it only comes once in a year. Even tomorrow, a Saturday, mom has told me to accompany her to the market at an ungodly hour in the morning to do some marketing (think spices, poultry, crustaceans and the likes) for the Reunion Dinner. Oddly though, I have been looking forward to this even in the beginning of the week, seeing that the visit to the market is a mandatory yearly practice - you know, to get in with the entire new year mood with the folks in town.

I'm also lacking on sleep. Yes, I used to limit my weeknights bedtime to 12a.m. the most all these years to at least preserve a little sense of awareness in class the following day. But currently, I find it hard to keep to this rule, especially with the amount of work I've been receiving. Right now, my bedtime's usually 1.30a.m. if I get lucky or if my eyelids suffer a spasm from staring too long at the monitor. So much for trying to correct my biological clock with a proper school time. The most sleep I get on normal days are about 5 hours or less before I have to wake up and prepare for school, zombie-like, no doubt. Even with this, I still have a tonne of assignments still waiting to be given attention too. All my work completed are usually sufficient enough to get me by the classes the following day without upsetting the teacher.

Sigh.

Talk about leading a hectic life.

Perfect Distractions.

2009-01-04T21:16:00.005+08:00

One would assume, after all these years of going through the same routine, I might just get accustomed to it and most likely feel numb about the whole process and just get on with it. But no, I feel oddly compelled to become my whiny self and complain over tiniest detail as I reluctantly pack my survival kit of books, paper and pen to embrace yet another school term. Then again, I can't help but wonder and be curious as to what this new (and final) year at school might bring to the table. New (and better) teachers, I hope. New school management? New furniture perhaps? I did notice the new paint job the school got as I was passing the school the other day.

Anyway, this year, God must have heard my pleas and for once, after so many years, he has shown mercy on me, for I've found a couple of perfect distractions to ease my emotional distraught and help me settle in school. One of which happens to be a DVD compilation of games which I happen to borrow from somebody from church on New Year's Day itself. Talk about godsend. Thank heavens for the DVD, I'm currently hooked on games like Ancient Quest of Saqarrah, Turbo Pizza, Diner Dash and Chicken Invaders, just to give you a peek. God knows I have a mental capacity of a 10 year old child which explains the childish preference when it comes to games. What with the regular crash and burn of the computer, I hardly keep these games on my computer let alone, get addicted to them. So I take it as some sort of a distraction from going back to ~~impending doom~~ reality.

Upgrading my pizzeria!

Apart from that, I've also recently downloaded a couple of new albums which not only redefines my taste in music and shapes even more of my personality, they are also great tracks to get hooked on before embarking on a new journey - which in my case happens to be school. They're also big on providing relief, relaxation and a singing outlet - songs lyrically rich with good rhythm and beat to go with with an added tinge of pop and also mediocre vocals. Yeah, Mat Kearney and Augustana are definitely my bounce back tunes this season. I just can't put my finger on it but something about their music makes going back to school the very least, bearable. And the reason that I'm surprised is because both their albums weren't easy to find on the internet. So to be able to place my hands on them this time around, it must be God's work.

Also, another distraction which I've just re-discovered is gossip websites. Celebrity gossip websites which were, by no means, influenced by Gossip Girl. Yes, I've stopped following celebrity gossip sites or paparazzi sites about a few years ago, because I realize I'll never be able to catch up with the frequent updates and stuff, which I can still recall. However, about a few days ago, since I found out about the death of John Travolta's son, I've been hooked again on JustJared. I mean, how could I not? I didn't know there were so much things I've been missing. And JustJared isn't any blogger paparazzi wannabe, the site's the real deal with all the hi-res pictures and legitimate info. Step aside Channel E! and magazines, I'm back online. Speak about being shallow, and getting caught up with a fantasy world - I guess I still fit the bill.

At least now I know when I get home from a tiring day at school, I have something mindless to do on the computer to help me unwind and chill - whether it's shooting chicken (and avoiding eggs) or listening to music or reading juicy gossip about the cast of 90210 - I know I've got it.

In the meantime, I guess I'll be spending my free time in school catching up on Jane Eyre and the likes which I've successfully neglected over the holidays.

Little India Visit.

2009-01-04T16:01:00.004+08:00

The other day, out of the blue, sam yi, who was out in Penang for the holidays dropped by my place for a brief visit with the entire bunch of young ones, before asking me to bring them around town to do some shopping. One of the places on their list was the Little India in town. So when they were doing their shopping, I used my camera and fooled around with the bunch of hyperactive kids under the hot sun.

The only shot to prove that we were actually in Little India.

The rest of the shots were taken in the walkways of random buildings around the area.

2009 : Change

2009-01-02T00:14:00.002+08:00

Happy New Year 2009!

Another year has come and gone again, and look at the state of my blog - a blast it was last year with all the posts (or lack thereof). Never mind that. 2008 was a year with quite a number of significant milestones for me. Yes, there were ups and downs and I did have my fair share of trials and tribulations the past year. Then again, what's there to complain when I'm still here with all my loved ones, still going strong and who else would I thank if not God. I can honestly say 2008 was a good year for me and so I hope it was the same for you.

As today marks of the first day of the year, I'm beginning to wonder what 2009 might bring to the table. Hopefully, an equal share of good and bad. All I can recall is how I kept telling to myself yesterday as I countdown to the new year, was change. Lord knows that I of all people am in dire need of a change - taking risks, trying new things, lifestyle, attitude, behavior, and personality are what I have in mind. Change, a good way to herald in the new year isn't it?

If you're sharp, you might have even noticed by now the change I've done to the blog, all in good faith and hopes of jump-starting my half dead initiative in ~~blogging~~ writing. Unfortunately, yes, this is as far as I can go when it comes to these blog-skin-designing-with-HTML-coding which leaves me looking pretty redundant and foolish - but what the heck, it looks good enough. It's also all in my disguise for an image overhaul with the blog and my physical self.

Also, in the sake of my aforementioned change, I'm keeping this short and simple (hopefully as to all my future posts). I realized how unnecessarily lengthy and boringly draggy I was in my previous style of writing. How far away I drifted from attempting to be a little more descriptive to becoming boring and uninteresting. Oh, this is just one of the many self discoveries I made along the year 2008 as well. I guess all that time spent not blogging didn't go to waste after all.

Which reminds me, I'm desperately in need of some decent sleep to correct my damaged-beyond-repair biological clock.

Food Changes.

2008-08-31T19:47:00.006+08:00

I've been experiencing a strange transition phase in my diet ever since a few months back. Don't worry, I haven't evolved into one those food-hating, holier-than-thou, health freaks, counting calories inanely and abiding to the bible of diets (Atkins is it?) religiously while constantly telling on the people around them about health facts and secretly despising the normal human for even eating. Not yet, at least. In fact, I've been oddly craving for things that I used to loathe before and recently developed a strange penchant for my all-time sworn enemy in food, the vegetable (a.ka. the greens) which I used to take pride in in declaring myself a carnivore, as could be seen on the blogger profile.

1. I eat vegetables (and secretly like it!)
One of the many tags that came along with my name when mentioned was that I hate greens and personally, I really hated greens. It has become mutual understanding among family members even, having them already given up on trying to feed me greens. Growing up, I've never much taken greens - except for an amazingly small range of selection which I was usually tricked to consume, cleverly disguised by amah in her dishes and later which I got used to (think long beans). Other than that, I've always had it in mind that vegetables make me hurl and I completely hated the fact that I couldn't discover anything nice in it, despite having everyone telling me to try it often given its "sweetness". Well, I never got the hang of it and I guess, psychologically, my brains did a splendid job in telling my innards to churn or my throat to gag when green approaches. Sorry, I was (and still am!) a very proud self-declared carnivore!

But things changed somewhere along February or March this year. I started taking vegetables out of no substantial reasons that I can't even explain to myself. It's like I woke up one morning and had an odd craving for the crunchy texture and the bitter taste of vegetable - result from accidental consumptions or tricked meals, traumatizing enough for me to remember it - to go along with my meal and voila! it was there, so I picked it up and I've never looked back. I've gotta confess though, I'm relatively new to this experience, therefore, my selection of vegetables are still on the narrow path given that I only recognize them by their physical appearance when I try to relate to mom what kind of veggies I prefer on the table. Mom being mom, already remember those few choices by heart and has been slowly trying to introduce other new types to me.

And yes, I still get a little nauseous from time to time when I have a head-on collision with reality. One of those "omg-what-am-I-doing-eating-veggies" reality check and then I hold back my breath to stop me from puking. Overall, I'm glad to say I can now actually have cravings for veggie, even simply prepared ones like cabbage in soy sauce which is a big change from what I used to be. Oh, I even have lettuce and tomato in my own-made sandwiches now though still richly slapped with mayonnaise and other cholesterol boosting stuff.

2. I like assam laksa (and I don't know why!)
I've never liked assam laksa before in my 18 years of life. Well, I don't really fancy laksa to begin with. My closest encounter with laksa would be when amah used to cook it and that was only on rare occasions when I succumb to her lemak laksa (a vast variant from the above mentioned) and that was even served without the necessary garnish - a selection of mint leaves, ginger buds, pineapples and etc. All I had was noodles and the soup and that was as far as I went with laksa, meaning that I've never had a bowl out of the home-made one.

That was up till about a month or two ago when I just had an inexplicable craving for assam laksa, which was totally weird beyond my wonders. The thing about it was that it came so randomly too. I was at the stall with the rest of the family when I just gave in to my urge while chowing down on something else and practically finished mom's bowl of assam laksa at the name of trying, having my face drenched in sweat by the end of the spicy ordeal (and even craving for more!). That particular bowl of assam laksa even came completely garnished and the surprising thing was that I didn't even seem the least bit bothered about them. Can anybody help explain this sudden phenomena? I remembered that I enjoyed it too, if I'm not mistaken since I haven't had a chance to have another bowl after that fateful day. Still, the craving do come on and off.

I'm just hoping this stays cause if it does I can finally be in the ranks of jie and mom where I can freely accompany them for their occasional laksa indulgence. I still gotta find out.

3. I like my Char Kuey Teow normal (cause I'm bored of mine!)

As I might've mentioned, I don't do spicy and greens and my greens used to include bean sprouts. All these while, I've always ordered my hawkers delicacy with the two elements removed. I've used the line so much that sometimes I think the hawker might already know what I'm going to say, especially the ones I visit often. The result of my bizarreness is to have my order like char kuey teow looking sickly pale in comparison with the normal ones and the greater gravity of this is to have nobody wanting to share it with me. At one point, I even felt childish as most children I saw in hawkers have the same pathetic looking char kuey teow as mine, which I managed to get out of my system since I really couldn't tolerate the spiciness and the raw taste of the chili and bean sprouts.

Again, I had one of my inexplicable random revelations and suddenly craved for a regular char kuey teows. This one has been going on for quite sometime but I only dared took the plunge about 2 weeks ago where I ordered a normal one (oh, the liberty of not needing to say anything extra besides "a plate of char kuey teow"!) and had a kick with it. Minor beads of sweat breaking out at the forehead was all the trouble I faced. Important thing was, I managed to gorge down a complete plate of regular char kuey teow and am looking forward for the next one - until I find one whose chili I can't bear, then I'd probably re-think it again. I always got my line learned, "No chili and bean sprouts!" memorized clearly in Hokkien dialect. Come to think of it now, was all the hissy fit and tantrums I used to throw at my parents when they get my order wrong necessary? The regular one doesn't taste as bad as I thought it would. Oh, and from my observation, some shops do add bean sprouts and reduce the noodles which annoys me totally.

4. I can take spicy food now!
Well, not all that spicy, but from all that assam laksa and regular char kuey teow, I guess its safe to say that my spiciness tolerance has improved. At least I hope so. I'm not sure if it's the beefing up of my senses or that this is part of my unconscious chase for the excitement in life that I've been missing - the adrenaline rush to downing noodles (or whatever) which causes a wildfire in my mouth seems encouraging enough for me to keep on going instead of having to put my tongue out in defeat. A real difference compared to a few months back when I won't even give spicy food a second look but now even McDonald's Double Spicy Chicken McDeluxe or KFC's Zinger Burger suddenly looks inviting enough, though I have yet to muster the courage to take that feat down. Haven't really taken the car out for a real ride, you know. I've even adapted a new found tolerance for the spiciness of nasi kandar dishes and even regular mee goreng at mamak stalls. I still sweat during those meals, but not as much as I used to and my dependency on iced water during those meals has reduced also. I take less sip in between my chewing.

I don't know. Am I suppose to feel proud about this?

Ok, so I realize even with me appallingly accepting vegetables, it still won't counter the amount of unhealthy rubbish ranging from fast food, hawkers and mamak stalls (nasi kandar) that I consume on a daily basis. However, I'm still equally baffled to what might've brought about such drastic changes in my food intake. Is this psychological or is this for real, real? I wonder if its got anything to do with turning 18 this year. I've heard people say in my defense over the years of taunting from others that my herbivorous nature need not be forced but it will eventually come in time. Is this the time? Or am I facing something bigger - a personality change perhaps? I know for one that I'm not succumbing to the pressure of the community who associates spiciness tolerance with the coming of age and maturity or even worse, the parent's training. Correct me if I'm wrong but I've always thought that it's a matter requiring more complex explanations regarding the uniqueness the human body and how it is special and different from everyone.

Well, it should be - so that others in the same boat wouldn't have to go through the belittling and mocking of an ignorant community. What's so wrong with not being able to take spicy food? It's not a crime. And to those who've always linked me being overweight to my habit of not taking greens, time's a changing now.

Wait, doesn't that mean I'm going to have to come up with a new 'About Me'?

Deadly Driving.

2008-06-06T07:14:00.004+08:00

I've never been a fan of driving. The thought of having to control the knobs, the pedals and the wheel simultaneously while having to check all the mirrors, the sides of the vehicle, oncoming vehicles and pedestrians just gives me the chills. Despite the fact that I can multi-task, I've always thought that this would be the one multiple task I'll never accomplish. Which is why I've always told people that I prefer being driven than drive. Seriously, why bother about the traffic when I can just sit back and enjoy the view? Though I do admit, I sometimes imagine that I could speed like Paul Walker ala Fast and Furious or drift like Lucas Black ala Tokyo Drift after watching their movies - just for the adrenaline rush of course. Then again, occasionally, I do feel responsible for my own that I shouldn't be relying on mom or dad to chauffeur me around to places I wanna go but the feel of guilt alone isn't enough to drive me to, well, drive. Plus, I wasn't one who's affected by peer pressure.

Nevertheless, dad made me do it given that I'm almost over a year late from the legal age of driving in this country. If what I just mentioned wasn't clear indication, you can bet that I wasn't at all keen about getting my driver's license, knowing the full responsibility lying ahead - for starters, mom and dad are going to expect me run errands or pick/send people/things. Not to mention, the dangers of driving - verging on paranoia here but what other reasons could I give to stall? Anyway, late April, dad signed me up with a driving agent (one which previously got jie her license) given that I'm way past my legal age and the simple fact that I have some free time in my hands to kill since I have no computer to hog on. I wouldn't doubt that it has something to do with growing-up-and-being-a-man thing too. So, in order for the entire process to take place - the numerous listening courses and theory and practical examinations - dad spent approximately RM700 and at the end of the day, I'm still baffled about why people would actually want this.

Right after that, I've been making frequent back and forth trips to the driving agent's for listening courses on road safety, road law and generally, about the mechanism of cars. Naturally after those painstakingly ~~and boring~~ long hours of listening about Malaysian road rules, I had a simple computerised law test to pass to get a learner's license so that I can be behind the wheel for the practical part of the learning. After passing the law test, a driving instructor (mine was a friendly Malay chap whom I address as cikgu) was then appointed for me to have some hands on action. It was early May when I started driving in the training circuit, going up and down a training hill, parking and doing 3-point-turns while the instructor sits beside me and has his foot ready on the trainer's emergency brake. In this country, I'm supposed to have a practical training of an accumulated 8 hours before I could actually take a driving test with a government official. In reality, the process is much more complicated than what I've just placed, plenty of time wasting, unnecessary procedures and waiting involved but it doesn't make much of a difference now.

For my part, I did a 2hours session for 4 times, spread across the month of May before I took the test at the 29th of May, which is considered pretty fast by my standards considering I passed all of it in one attempt. Yeah, I didn't drag on, re-sitting tests. To be honest, I didn't believe I could even do it. Ask mom and dad and they'll tell you how silly and nervous I got prior to each test I had to take. My palms were sweaty, my heartbeat was up a notch and I began to gag while waiting in line for my turn to take the real test. I truly didn't think I could pull through any of it but I did and now, I've already gotten my probationary driver's license (and also a humongous letter 'P' stuck onto the rear window and the windscreen of dad's car) which I have to drive around with for 2years before I could get my permanent one. Still not thrilled. I mean, yeah, it's cool that I can drive and all but I don't feel any different. I honestly think that I shouldn't even be granted my license in the first place seeing how haphazardly I control the wheel. You know what I mean? I don't possess the urge to grab the car keys and speed off to somewhere. I don't feel any older or macho for that matter. I'm pretty much still the same.

OMG.

Failure to launch? I'm beginning to freak out. I know that getting their driver's license seems so ordinary for most people out there (namely, peers) and it appears like I'm making a big fuss out of it here. Well, I'm not, at least not even trying to. It's probably because I still don't believe that I can drive. Not believing in myself is one thing ~~mom could never live with~~ but to not have the skills to drive is another. Yes, I know how to work the clutch and the gear and the wheel but I don't think I could survive in the real road out there, apart from the road route we were taught to drive on during driver's ed. I still find the flashing lights and zooming vehicles a little too much to handle. Sure, I passed driver's test and that's gotta count for something but if you were me, you'd know that the driving test was almost bogus. As long as you get past the hill, park nicely and do a 3-point-turn successfully, you're done and as long as you go the route you've been trained on without crashing into another vehicle, you're done. I mean c'mon, my tester was half asleep when I drove him around the route we were trained on.

Still think that I can drive? Dad for one, could testify that I've got one too many almost-run-over-someone moments during one of the few times he gave me extra lessons on driving. It's like this with dad: I don't care if you've passed your driving test, you're not getting the car unless and until I say you're ready. Of course, dad is an excellent driver and I've always looked up to his driving skills and if he says so, there ain't no arguing. Truly, dad not only has the experience, but the passion to pass them down, seen here with jie. Where'd you think jie got her skills from? With him, he really opens my eyes and shows me my flaws in driving. There's no way I could argue with the things he say with the meagre time I've got at driver's ed. It's been 2days since dad has allowed me behind wheel and for that course of time, I discovered that I have zero estimation, I handle the steering wheel like a prick and that I'm still not used to the pedals. Thank God dad's letting me drive his auto instead of a manual. Tried that with jie's car and oh my, what trouble I got myself into even though the only cars they provide at the driving school are manuals. See, the whole process was barely helpful in real driving.

Well, slightly more than a month has passed since that dreadful day I had to sign myself up for driving and it seems so long ago that I was fretting over the Malaysian way of acquiring a driver's license. Just for the record, I'm still not excited about getting my license even more now with the recent petrol hike in the country. Great timing to start driving isn't it? But now that I can legally drive and I have dad to help me with my confidence in driving, I can only hope that I could get better in time. For the time being, other Penang drivers should watch out for another driver from hell (oh I'm bad!) - ultimately, pedestrians and aunties on bicycles or hot mamas with baby strollers, try your best to stay away from me. Oh, and also, I think other drivers should give drivers with "P" stickers a break and not honk that much. You'll never know how many people who are like me out there and being a little patient once in a while wouldn't kill. In other words, be nice to probationary drivers. After all, we are on probation. Either way, let's just hope I become a law-abiding driver and that no lives will be harmed in the process - cause heaven knows the roads do not need another reckless-driver!

Digital Lockdown.

2008-05-21T02:00:00.000+08:00

The unsettling thing about losing my computer for 2 entire months wasn't that it took excruciatingly long for it to be fixed but the pure fact that I could actually still stand to breathe and wait for its return. Yeap, I'm proud I survived it - which isn't an easy task to achieve considering that I'm quite dependent on that electrically-charged machine. Basically, what happened was that, I return from a holiday trip just to discover that the computer has gone mute for no apparent reasons and after numerous and various futile attempts at reviving its volume, I had to go to jiu for help. Well, I wasn't prepared at what was going to happen next. So get this, he came and collected the computer after officially announcing its muteness and I've not seen or heard of it ever since up till about a month ago. I did, however, receive phone calls occasionally informing me about the arising number of problems, therefore prolonging the "hospital stay". It was one thing after another (take a deaf ear, coupled with a few strokes and a kidney failure - figuratively speaking of course - it only took time before it dies) and before I knew it, I was on my knees begging for mom and dad to get me a substitute.

If that wasn't agonizing enough for a modern day teenager who's 80% of his daily activities has to deal with the computer screen, the television set broke down about a week after the demise of the computer. Not to leave you in murky waters, if I'm not hogging the computer, I'd be a couch potato. Apparently, my next source of entertainment and connection to the outside world has also failed me. Astro (satellite TV decoder) came to a screeching halt all of a sudden - and I mean, total blackout. After deciding that the breakdown of 2 electrical appliances at once has got something to do with the bone-chilling storm (think thunder and lightning ripping the skies apart while I was unaffected in KL) dad did send it for a repair. Well, the old man needs his TV too, I suppose. The repair took about 4 days and when it came back, it still wasn't working well. It was just in and out of the hospital (figuratively speaking again) and since we hate the idea of having your show get cut off all of a sudden, we stopped watching TV. Till now, the decoder's a bit off, I have to admit, suffering sudden aneurisms. So what's a poor boy like me gotta do at a time like this?

It's true that I felt lost at a time when my digital world came crashing down. With nothing to click on or type on, I resorted to books that I've successfully neglected all these times with me putting it off thinking I have more important things to do on the computer (like downloading music). Sadly, I am one of the many procrastinators out there. Thankfully though, there were more than a few books for me to devour at a time of loss. Managed to finish about 3 novels at the time without my computer (the TV came back earlier) and that is saying something given that the average Malaysian only read about 2 books a year, so I've heard. Other than that, I got reconnected with outdoor activities like cycling and badminton. Photography was impossible considering I had nowhere to upload the pictures to or edit them. But most of all, I did rekindle my almost forgotten relationship with mother nature and am still trying to keep that fire burning in me. Surprisingly, the sores and the body aches at first (it was natural since I don't play much) didn't stop me from having fun with Edmund with a frisbee. I had to get used to sweating all over again, I tell you.

Although, I must say that I have quite the supportive family. Ah jiu and Adrian was kind enough to allow me to use their computers anytime I needed to. Initially, I had scholarships applications to print and such which I went to jiu's place for and subsequently, jie's assignments to help out with which had me utilizing Adrian's computer instead. I did however check my emails regularly at jiu's which is just a 10minutes walk away from my place, which I think was what triggered the outdoor mojo in me seeing that the park was just the same distance as ah jiu's place. But all in all, I didn't have my inbox flooded with spams over the months and I'm still pretty updated with the latest releases of music artists, even more so compared to Adrian at one point. I also had the time to read blogs which URL I remember and even got t hang around at Flickr. It was more than I could actually ask for for a digitally crippled boy. Though, I think anyone would agree, it's never the same feeling on someone else's computer. Yeah sure, jiu even allowed me to create a folder of my own to keep my junk (which is a very rare thing for him to do) but that couldn't keep me from missing my own computer and long for it to come back.

So, after having it back, I had so many updates to do which pretty much kept me busy for the next 2 weeks - downloading program updates, drivers (some files were messed up during the repair), restoring files, catching up with bookmarked blogs and emails and etc. etc.. Well, I must admit that I was trying to push blogging to the bottom of my list up till one point when I got really convinced I've lost it and was thinking of a new blog and all that nonsense. I mean, there were too many gaps and empty spaces to fill, events and emotions that I've forgotten about along the way, which became frustrating in the end to even try to fill or remember them. I even tried jump-starting my groove with a new template (the old one with a few changes) but to no avail. Somehow, I convinced myself that I owe nobody any explanations and that I'll be able to fill those missing pieces sooner or later and I guess it pretty much explains this particular one I'm writing here. The blog is mine, after all.

Oh, and I have to mention, I had to play host to a string of visiting friends and relatives after the 2 weeks I took returning my computer to the way it previously was. Let's just say I had to stop and breathe a bit. Life was just speeding on and I was just on it, striding along. And after all those crazy stuff, I had to go straight back to my former life with the beginning of a new school term. Now, if that isn't hectic, I don't know what is. Looking back, I can even convince myself that I really didn't have the time to sit down and write on my blog, instead of me putting it off. But what's important now is that I'm back and ready for action. I know, it's been quite a few times I've used the term "I'm back" but never seem to fully return. Well, I honestly hope this would be the last time I might need to use it. Then again, you'll never know when the lightning's gonna strike, right?

Backstreet's Back Alright!

2008-03-03T10:10:00.008+08:00

If there's anything a person should do before he/she dies, attending a concert would be one of them. Speaking from a first-timer concert goer's point of view, of course and judging by the Backstreet Boys concert which I attended with jie. At least that was what we came up with while driving home all busted with our voices and adrenaline drained. And we were glad we actually made it for and to the concert despite of everything else. Frankly though, seeing that it was our first time attending a concert, we really didn't know what to expect - from the right shoes to the right time to the right gear to bring to the concert, we really weren't sure so we just followed what our instincts told us. And based on my instincts, we arrived 4 hours earlier before the actual stated time of the concert. Not surprising either, there were already a small crowd building up when we arrived.

My instincts would've been perfect if it actually came with a weather forecast. Only, it didn't and while queuing in line to be the first few to get in, a heavy downpour (lightning, thunder, strong winds, the whole package) came and left me drenched and soaked in both perspiration and rain water. Which was pretty disgusting considering my underwear was soaked as well, leaving me, literally dripping from head to toe. Jie was lucky cause she went to buy some food while I stood in line. So much for instincts. Being me, I pulled out from the crowd in the middle of the downpour, thinking that it would be pointless either ways to stick around with a crowd which wasn't that big yet, and instead, run for shelter. Besides, I had my camera in the bag and I couldn't risk it getting wet any further with the bag already half soaked.

But thanks to the rain, I got to meet VJ Alvey from Channel V at the front of the hotel and even got a picture with him.

Back to the concert, it was just plain amazing. Yes, even though I had to go barefooted because of the rain prior, causing my shoes to be uncomfortable, resulting in me taking them off and go barefooted instead and thank God, all my toes are still intact at the end of the concert! Also, having considered that I pulled out of the growing crowd during the downpour and continued queuing after, jie and I still managed to stand a good distance from the stage where the boys were still visible and not a distance the zoom of my camera couldn't compensate with. At one point though, during entering, the crowd got a little impatient due to the incompetent management of crowd flow and a little riot almost broke out. "Don't push", "We came first", "Let us in" were the only resounding phrases heard amongst other angry shouts and grumble of people cramped and confined in a small area while drenched in rainwater and sweat.

In spite of that, the concert was still sensational. The energy was there, the response were good and the boys were great! There was so much hype even before the boys came out, making the crowd look as if they were just insanely screaming at big black curtains covering the backstage. For that, you could really feel the dedication and love from the fans. A true fan couldn't even contain their joy when the boys finally hit the stage 45 minutes later than the stated time. At least, I couldn't when I was screaming and jumping along with the crowd when the Backstreet Boys made their opening in matching kick-boxing outfits. They connected really well with the crowd and you can definitely feel their love as well. They made it feel personal for everybody out there because you can just tell they handpicked the songs they performed that night. I mean, c'mon, their signature hits like As Long as You Love Me and I Want It That Way? They sure melted a lot of girls' heart that night. Me on the other hand, was just moved to tears by nostalgia.

Backstreet's Back from matrianklw on Vimeo.

Everyone from matrianklw on Vimeo.

Any Other Way from matrianklw on Vimeo.

You Can Let Go from matrianklw on Vimeo.

Unmistakable from matrianklw on Vimeo.

I Want It That Way from matrianklw on Vimeo.

Show Me The Meaning from matrianklw on Vimeo.

Oh, and I shouldn't mention my horrendous singing along to the music as I was partially shouting, straining my voice, while jumping along to the other rhythmic numbers. But then again, who cares? I wasn't the only one singing out of tune and the focus was on the Backstreet Boys whose voices easily drowns mine in the crowd. Though, I did feel a sense of togetherness when BSB sang along to the music. It was just fantastic and beautiful. Besides, I was more careful towards the camera than my singing. Which I should mention that I wasn't focusing on even taking still pictures, instead, I wanted videos and given that mine isn't a video camera, all I got was clips in minutes and seconds which was much to my satisfaction already since those videos don't come in mini size. I did, however, max up two cards that I have and even had to delete a few on the spot to make way for other performances. And do pardon me for the shaky videos as I couldn't really refrain from moving along with the awesome crowd but look on the bright side, my camera zoom did quite a good job. And below is a wallpaper I created from one of th best shots, I got that night!

Oh, and did I mention that I got that pair of tickets for free? Absolutely no charge! Thanks to The Star, we didn't even spend a dime. Not bad for the experience, huh? It was all worth it - the rain, the crowd, the 6 hours on foot and definitely the Backstreet Boys! Which is the first reason I'm still here in KL to begin with.

Life's good!

P/S: I know there's an awful lot of videos posted, but if you're a fan of BSB, you should definitely want to check them out. Just be patient with the loading. Plus, it won't take that long. It's just a few minutes long.

Backstreet Boys Unbreakable Tour.

2008-02-27T11:28:00.004+08:00

BSB ready to ‘bowl’ over fans

Gorgeous and cool: (From left) Dorough, Carter, McLean and Littrell posing for photographers at KLIA yesterday.

PETALING JAYA: The Backstreet Boys love sports, and they wasted no time hours ofter arrival here when they were seen bowling at the Mid-Valley Megamall last night.
Despite their tight schedule and with their concert tonight, they were scheduled to play a round of golf this morning.
Looking gorgeous and cool on arrival at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) at 2pm yesterday from Jakarta, Indonesia, they were sporting enough to pose for a few pictures for The Star.
With a large entourage, the group, comprising members Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, A.J. McLean and Nick Carter smiled and promised an excellent show at the Sunway Lagoon Surf Beach tonight.
“We are excited to be here and are looking forward to meeting our Malaysian fans,” Howie said. “It is good to be back.”
The concert is part of the foursome’s Unbreakable World Tour 2008 which follows the release of their sixth album Unbreakable.
Tickets are available at the Sunway Lagoon Ticketing Counters (Surf Beach and Main Entrance).
Sunway Lagoon Theme Park is the official venue while The Star is the official newspaper.

Are you going? Cause I am! See you there?

I Sleep Better With Chipster.

2008-02-26T23:53:00.009+08:00

Ever get a sudden craving for something particular in the dead of the night? I do, most of the time. Especially recently, topped with my late night escapades on the computer or TV, I get hungrier as the night goes further, usually heightening as the hours go by when I'm still going to continue the next episode of Grey's Anatomy as the show gets more intense. Seriously, the cravings get crazier and crazier each night. One night, it could be pepperoni pizzas and the next it could be dairy milk chocolate bars or instant noodles the next. Talk about the epitome of bad health. Of course, given the ridiculous hours, I usually sleep it off and forget about my cravings, often downed with a bottle of plain water.

Lately though, there's been a gnawing at the back of my head, prompting me to get Chipster, whenever I stay up late and I realized that the later I stay awake, the more my mind will steer towards Chipster. I won't deny, I've been having this "Chipster Crave" for the past few nights now, only it has been growing stronger and stronger that it's beginning to turn into desire. More like a need, actually. You have to know though, I'm not the kind of guy who snacks on junk food every chance he gets. No way. As a kid, mom and dad has always monitored and limited our intake on junk food, contrary of what other people think. Which is why you won't be able to see a lot of chips, cookies or any other packeted food any children would go crazy for, lying around at home on ordinary days. Yet, the only reason we have a lifetime supply of chocolate in the fridge is because they come as gifts from visitors and relatives. Even that has become a favourite among my cousins whenever they come over. So till now, even when there's an enormous amount of junk food (courtesy of hampers and such) at home, my siblings and I just couldn't be bothered to snack on them.

I don't get my size from junk food, baby. It's real meat (if you know what I mean)!

Anyway, minus the occasional splurge on a packet or two of chips during grocery shopping, I've still been thinking about Chipster. Started the whole Chipster crave about two months ago, and now, I find myself unconsciously (and discreetly) purchasing packets of them at the oddest times. Twice already, I bought them when dad was filling up his tank and about a couple of times I've secretly stash them underneath the groceries. Even jie and Edmund likes it! Honestly, I don't know why I do that because it's not like mom would detest but it's one of those inexplicable thing you do, you know. Very strange. And I even have this odd habit of stocking them up. You know, reluctantly eating it because its so good. Almost like wanting to keep it till when I'm dying for it and not leisurely take it. Probably it's because I wanna heighten my enjoyment the best that I can.

Which is why I think that because I've only just finished my last packet of Chipster that this craving's been coming to haunt me in the night. The worse thing is that this particular craving just could not be put away with sleeps or countless bottles of plain water. In fact the craving's so strong that I've even been dreaming about it in my sleep, causing undesirable amount of drool to appear on the sheets the morning after. It's been clearing away my other cravings though. Seriously, no more pizzas, instant noodles or roadside burgers. Considering that, I let myself cave in to the craving and went out in the middle of the night, hunting for Chipster at the nearest 7-11 store without even bothering to change from my night clothes. Thinking that it'd be weird for one to go to 7-11 in his pajamas, jie dragged the camera along and shot me. Really weird situations, I tell you. It got me going so much that I can actually ignore the stares and bemusement of other late night shoppers.

Where is it?!

Hey, maybe we should just get instant noodles instead.

Oh wait! Hell yeah! Found them!!

Hold on, I need to pay first.

Of course, the above shot was a a posed one. None of us could retain our excitement to dig in into them. I only used the only sanity I have left just to visualize that I sleep better with Chipster before opening them. I couldn't resist or you'll probably notice saliva stains on this newly changed sheet. It gets ugly when I do though. Just imagine two hands in a bag of chips and crumbs all over the face. Funny though, how come I've never had such a craving for any other chips I've tried. Immense.

And naturally, I had a good night's sleep after that.

Chinese New Year '08 - Day 4 & 8

2008-02-22T15:00:00.006+08:00

Come the fourth day, most relatives were already packing their bags to go home to their respective states, literally. As I can recall, the only reason why they were still here was because of the reported traffic congestion at the bridge which of course, resulted in their reluctance to return. Jie on the other hand has returned to KL the night before on a hitched ride with a friend. Most of us were still gathered at apoh's place, eating, chatting and of course, gossiping. Seeing that our mothers are in deep conversations, we children didn't do anything much than to play with fireworks. At least they did and I only recorded them.

At one point though, out of boredom and Carina's persistent, or shall I say, annoying whining, I did grab apoh's bicycle and took Carina out for a ride. In fact, we ended up hunting for a river which we both knew existed but just out of sight. We were literally, riding through the thick forestation and turning into every little road we could see and stopping at all the houses which they lead us into just to take a peak at their backyard for the hidden river, while Carina was meddling with my camera behind me. By the time we found it, we were both covered in grime and perspiration and almost out of breath, due to the burning sun (the trees didn't do much shading) and also spotting several bite marks from the mosquitoes. In the end, we found out the river was way too down below for us to even dream of climbing down and taking a dip.

Adventure. from matrianklw on Vimeo.

Road-show. from matrianklw on Vimeo.

We did however, on the way back, saw something grotesque on the road which made me turn the bike around to get a better view and a closer shot - and below was what we came across.

Oh, below is my favorite shot of the day.

4 days later, on the 8th day of Chinese New Year, I got them another gathering at apoh's place seeing that I still had a few bottles of sparkling juice (I can't tolerate alcohol!) stashed in my fridge since Christmas. I just needed another reason for toast and to finish the bottles of sparkling juice, since Chinese New Year was the only big occasion left till we don't know when. I picked the 8th day of Chinese New Year because the kids have no school the following day, coinciding with the 9th day where Buddhists and Taoists hold their religious ceremonies to appease their deities and gods. It's a big event for most Chinese people and therefore, most Chinese schools get an extra day of holiday. Being Catholics, I took the opportunity and hold a fake gathering to appease our hunger and thirst instead, and also because amah wasn't doing it this year.

Yam Seng. from matrianklw on Vimeo.

Cork Popping. from matrianklw on Vimeo.

Besides having fun toasting and later, posing with the wine bottle, I followed them outside to watch a display of fireworks again. At first, I was getting my hands dirty too considering how long it was since my days of spending near to a thousand ringgit on fireworks. By the way, I only have the guts to stand the kiddies bombs nowadays. I just seem to have lost the ability to withstand deafening explosives anymore. I reckon it must be the age that's to blame and all the years of being dormant from the fireworks. Kinda lost interest in risking my fingers to dynamites after 15, I think. After that, the lights and the motions only sparked interest in me with the camera again. Below, the biggest shot is our best attempt of drawing '2008' with the fireworks, which goes to show, the rest of my attempts were close to mud.

Firecrackers from matrianklw on Vimeo.

Having said that, surprisingly, I still have my favorite shot of the day below. =)

And that pretty much is my celebration for the year of the rat, in a nutshell.

Chinese New Year '08 - Day 3.

2008-02-21T00:03:00.006+08:00

So, on day three of our celebrations, things were already toned down. Partly due to the overdose of carbonated drinks, cookies, extravagantly prepared home cooked meals, firecracker smoke and of course, sleep deprivation, we were all pretty bummed up to have to wake up at 10a.m. just to do more visiting again the next day. Plus, with the conscience that holidays were running out and school and work are setting back (for them) could pretty much dampen the celebratory mood. On a short note though, growing up in the family, I've never done anything else on such days except visiting. Really, can't think of any other "family" thing to do. Drinking, gambling and partying with friends like every other regular 18 year olds? Not my cup of tea. Don't have that many friends to start with and also, an idiot with cards. Well, a good boy, I am. Fulfilling filial piety and visiting the elderly seem more appropriate after all on Chinese New Year.

Broadcasting. from matrianklw on Vimeo.

Anyway, Carina and Adrian, as usual spent the past two nights over at our place - just for the fun of it, in the name sake of 'holiday'. I should mention of course, they were more wrecked than I was when the night before this, both of them could barely keep their eyes peeled when Edmund wanted to watch Bee Movie - which was the only reason why I went to bed quite early too. It's not like we don't meet enough throughout the year, but still, their the closest cousins we can relate too. Besides, it's fun to be hurried up in the morning and queue for the bathroom and trying our very best to color co-ordinate our outfits, no doubt. It's not like we even try that much. It just so happens that all of us had the same color outfits and we just decide to put them on on the same day. We'd be walking out of the room and go, "Hey, ur wearing this color too! High five, man!". Except for one person, of course.

Basically, we only did one house together as both our families had our own plans to carry out and different people to visit. Plus, jie was going back to KL already. After that, not much cam-whoring for me with them. If you haven't noticed already, I barely cam-whore by myself, it's always with somebody and I'm not even hiding it on my drive. There really are no pictures of my smiling by myself. Still, I won't blame you if you're probably sick to your stomach already for seeing so many pictures of me. Oh well... below are some of my favourite shots of the day.

The black gang!

Snake Spotted.

2008-02-19T14:28:00.008+08:00

A little diversion from the Chinese New Year postings. Well, not exactly since this was spotted during one of our visitation to our near-forsaken relatives in the depths of thick forests amidst lush greeneries and unknown wilderness. Anyway, during one of our visits and while the cousins were busily blasting little plants with firecrackers, one of my uncles spotted a snake on a short palm tree, which, I should mention, I was standing dangerously close just moment before watching them blast a bowl. By the looks of it, a sudden appearance of a green serpent (or other creatures of yet to be uncovered species) at the front yard seems to be a daily thing - almost like the evening news broadcaster appearing on TV daily - since my distantly related grand-grand-uncles looks pretty much unperturbed.

City folks like me was, of course, intrigued by such phenomena that all my mind told me to do was to photograph it. It's not like everyday, we get to see a snake at such close proximity without it being captives in a cage or behind a glass wall, or even worse, pickled in a jar. Despite the fact that the creature was small in size (probably still young) with the species unknown to us and without any knowledge of how venomous its fangs could be or how fatal its bite would be, they were practically prancing around the tree watching it. Me, being not that comfortable around creatures that slither, of course, kept a good distance and put the camera's zoom to good use.

Snake Spotted. from matrianklw on Vimeo.

Below are two photos that I've turned into wallpapers. By turning, I mean resizing, touching up and adding text. Please feel free to download, especially if you're a fan of snakes or if you're favourite color happens to be green.

Chinese New Year '08 - Day 2

2008-02-17T22:41:00.009+08:00

Yee Sang. from matrianklw on Vimeo.

So, after discovering (or rather, re-igniting) my passion for cam-whoring and the plain joy of taking photographs, you could bet I just couldn't wait for the 2nd day to take off. As long as traditions go, the 2nd day of our new year is allocated for the maternal side of the family and I was sure it wasn't only our family who kept the tradition alive, seeing that all the aunties and uncles were there alongside with the whole troupe of cousins. The long portrait above pretty much sums mom's siblings up. Being as Malaysians as we are too, what other better things to do when gathered at such an auspicious day but eat and drink? Frankly though, the new year's eve and new year's day itself have been reserved for reunion dinners and lunch with amah (paternal side), so the gathering on the 2nd day is like another version of a reunion ~~dinner~~ ~~lunch~~ meal. A relatively big one too!

Lion Dance '08 from matrianklw on Vimeo.

This year, splendidly enough, apoh managed to arranged a lion dance troupe to grace her home with and to help her usher in the new year and on the 2nd day too! Usually, these troupes couldn't be bothered much to your preferred time and they'd just drop by whenever they can since ours wasn't the only home to be "graced" but apoh somehow managed. I've forgotten though, why we didn't have one last year. Or did we? But anyways, the lion dance was a blast, despite the fact that it wad dancing in the small confines of the apartment. I mean, c'mon, we even drew neighbors and passersby to watch - though it still remains a mystery if their attention was caught by the beating of the drums or the euphoric screams and yells by us cousins. Nonetheless, I had loads of fun recording it on video, instead of sweating my ass off, trying to figure out various ways to avoid the lion dancers' path and still get good still shots.

As traditions are concerned as well, after all the devouring of Hakka (mom is Hakka) Chinese New Year dishes and unnecessary yelling at the lion performance, we'd dutifully visit far-off and almost-forsaken/deserted relatives. The reason being, we only do that once every year and as I said, almost like a tradition already. Even the relatives themselves look forward to our presence. It's pretty apparent from their relief uttering of phrases like, "Wah, this year you all so late only arrive!" or "Wah, I thought you not coming this year lah!" Of course, they only converse in Hakka with apoh. Of course by far/distant/almost-forsaken/deserted, I was talking about houses on top of hills and deep in jungles where electricity comes from a generator, activated only for a few hours in the night and where water source comes staright from the mountains and where daily trips to the market require patience and physical fitness that most city folks don't possess. Still, we've been doing this as far as any of us can recall and thus, every year, we look forward to it - although, I still doubt the sincerity of some who curse under their breath when we have to hike up the rest of the way where vehicles can't access. =P

Fast Drive Down The Hill from matrianklw on Vimeo.

Boom from matrianklw on Vimeo.

And of course, after collecting the red packets and after reaching the point where we've empty out multiple boxes of cold drinks (understandable after the tiring hike under the scorching sun), almost finishing a wide variety of Chinese New Year cookies and delicacies laid out for visitors and leave the jungle with resounding explosions from firecrackers, we part farewell and turn back to mindless, insensible, vain and narcissistic cam-whoring.

Look, I'm barely ashamed anymore!

4 by 4s: They can even do it by themselves!

Posed and candids, how can you not love them?

And here, I would like to introduce Ai Ai, our so called "aunty" according to the family hierarchy, whom after all these years of growing up together, we barely address as aunty. We kind of reached a mutual agreement that to add the address of aunty in front of her name would be tremendously speed her aging process and increase our awkwardness between her, given that she's my age in real life. Thanks to us, now she still looks her age! Of course, from time to time, we do remind ourselves of her status in the family tree through minor jokes we make, especially, when she gives advice - "Oooh! Hail, the aunty speaks!" - stuff like that. Now, the one reason we're all so fond of her is because she's cool with us and our antics. I mean, she's the one who can accompany us till the wee hours of dawn during a sleepover, she's the one who loves shopping trips with us and visits to the movies (she's a good companion for horror movies, by the way!) and she's the one who gets our jokes and the one who cracks jokes! It's truly a wonderful thing to have such a close relationship with someone of a higher level in the family tree. Oh, and did I mention, her real name's Eva (glamorous, ain't it?) - Ai Ai's just stuck with us since we were children.

Below is my favourite shot of the day. It was so random, so pure, so joyful. Photographer: ME.

T-B: Jie, Adrian, Ai, Carina and me

P/S : I'm aware that the are quite a number of videos and it might take some time to load. If you're patient, then wait. But if you aren't, just make sure you don't miss out the 2nd (cause it's fun to watch!) and the 4th (cause it's just really short) videos. Oh, the 3rd video is just to illustrate my point of having relative who live in remote areas of the island.

Chinese New Year '08 - Day 1.

2008-02-14T17:58:00.006+08:00

You know, I've always associated my camera with working - when I'm prepared to sweat as a result of going all out to various angles and when fun is sucked the hell out of the event. For me, at least. Well, good pictures calls for sacrifices, don't it? This time around though, I figured I was going to have fun and record it at the same time. I mean, c'mon, all those new clothes and accessories and gay spirit were worth capturing by itself. Of course, given the circumstances, I had to forgo the picture quality and the above-mentioned, angles. And that was exactly what I did. All I did was take off the photographic self in me, and slipped on the regular compact camera / cam-corder persona (and a little bit of narcissism) and snapped away. Anything and everything. The best of all is, the photographs didn't turn out to shabby!

Surprising enough for me, as it may appear to you, considering I'm not the usual cam-whoring type, I've taken more pictures of myself (via cam-whore style) than I have ever did before this. Of course, most of them had other people in it standing by my side - the same narcissists of the season, I suppose. Still, I guess you can call it a-spur-of-the-moment thing, seeing that I only took out my camera because I was in love with the lighting of my 3rd grandaunt's (the lady in red in the above photo who's being kissed by her husband) house by that time of the day. Which was exactly how everything started to take off from holding up the camera and pointing it towards me and the person beside, to group shots and family portraits! Yeap, the camera could be a dangerous possession, capable of bringing out the narcissists in people.

And let me tell you, holding my camera and pointing it towards myself isn't easy. It's not like it weighs as light as 2 pieces of credit card stacked together (isn't that how thin things get nowadays?). Every picture I took, I risked dropping my camera with my stubby little fingers and shaky hands. Also, as you can see, I've found this new way of putting all these great photos together, and posting them up. It doesn't tell a story or whatsoever but I find it more appealing than posting them singularly, shot-by-shot. Plus, I'm experimenting with a load of stuffs right now, so disregard the amateurish touch of things. Hey, at least, it's a far better improvement than last year's Chinese New Year! Indeed, I found myself smiling all the way while scrolling through the photos. And below is my favorite shot of the day which was taken by jie.

L-R : Ai Ai, Adrian, Edmund, me and Carina.

Oh, and do watch out for Day 2 soon!

Kitchen Tales.

2008-01-28T22:51:00.000+08:00

Ok. So I've been lying. Partially. A tiny bit.

All those time I've mentioned that I can barely find time to indulge in my favourite activities and hobbies (take reading a novel for one) when my hands are practically filled with household chores, despite the fact that I may appear to have all the time in the world seeing that I'm still on my prolonged ~~holiday~~ study break. Well, the part about the having all the time in the world is fairly true and the part about the endless household chores... kinda. Of course, any systematic and organized suburban housewife will tell you that with a little proper planning (and less indecisiveness), she'll surely get some alone time where she'll get to indulge in her fantasies. Considering my domestic skills are slowly but steadily ~~blossoming~~ growing into the likes of foreign maids and cleaners hired by mothers of the Upper East Side community, added with my unquestionable planning ability, I do get some time off my shoulders.

Rare as they may come though, I still fill those little free times I have in the kitchen, enhancing my culinary skills. Surprising as it may sound, I do have an undying dream of becoming a chef one day. If there was a secret identity in everyone, mine would be the hopeful chef. It's more like a longing to want to be able to prepare meals for myself and others. Call me delusional in believing in myself, considering I own a pair of hands which works no better than my feet in holding a spatula. Mind you though, I've gotten comments by relatives that I've got the looks of a chef while they struggle to strike up conversations concerning me and my future if my camera wasn't in sight. Nonetheless, I usually dismiss those conniving compliments since they're usually associated with my extraordinary body size. Not that I'm not flattered when someone sparks a hope on that secret dream of mine.

So, whenever I'm done with my laundry, ironing, sweeping and mopping, dusting, dishes etc. etc., plus that sudden hunger pang as encouragement, I'd pick up the pan and the knife and spend about 2 hours of the afternoon in the kitchen, waltzing around while listening to E! News' cover on Britney's shameful breakdown on the television. I have to admit though, at this point, my cooking skills are only limited to frozen produced food, I still enjoy cutting up the lettuces and tomatoes for garnishing and the pure joy of having the liberty to handle your meal in whichever way you want. For an amateur like me, every session would just feel like an adventure. I mean, I barely know the As and the Bs in the kitchen and with no one watching my moves, I'm pretty doing things according to instincts, which, to be frank, wouldn't help me in cooking to even save my life. Exactly, how much is a pinch of salt? Cause I seem to be always giving it too much of a pinch. Don't even get me started on the burnt hashbrowns and overcooked tempura fish. Oh, we all learn from mistakes.

I guess all of these started back in December when jie was around and when we discovered the convenience of cooking with an oven (it saves you from all the oil splatter by a pan), instead of placing a pan over the stove and the many nights we were lazy to go out for dinner. To be thinking of it, that month itself, I've cooked up quite a lot of mid-afternoon snacks and quickie dinners with the oven and microwave. You know, we were busy teenagers with electronic cooking devices and no certain mealtimes. What did you expect? It's just a shame I didn't care much about recording anything back then. No photographs or whatsoever. I guess I was more into joining in the fun than recording it for later. We did manage to cook up pies (Banana Toffee Pie to be exact) on several occasions last month which totally broke my skepticism that Asians are incapable of making pie.

Caramel filling.

This shit is bananas. B.A.N.A.N.A.S!

Pie maker.

Pop it in the oven.

On several other occasions, just the other day, I mad myself some breakfast - consisting of hashbrown, scramble eggs, a burger (only edible after the second attempt) and a glass of juice. A week before that, I even made some mashed potatoes with a random mashed potato recipe taken off the internet. Oh, I do own a shameless amount of cooking recipes pages, bookmarked and just a click away for that cooking fix. And the mashed potato turned out ok, I guess. Let's just put it this way, it was left unfinished on the table till moss started growing over it on the third day which forced me to dispose it. I wouldn't take pictures of that, no way. Of course, those were the few things which I psyched myself to do almost on a weekly basis. Still, I wouldn't dare offer anyone a meal that I would prepare completely by myself. At least not till I'm ready. The occasional breakfast I prepare for the cousins and sister, well, that's just because I get feedback from them and they trust me enough to put the food I prepare into their mouth. Not that my cooking is bad, is it now?

Breakfast for one?

Can it look any more palatable?

On another note. Being the child on a study break and to be giving the misleading signal that I own all the time in the world (I kinda do for now), I've been helping mom a lot lately in the baking department, with the much anticipated Chinese New Year around the corner. This year, it appears that mom's coming full circle again, baking various traditional cookies and delicacy for the season after a lengthy two years hiatus since the death of kong kong. She's keen to do everything that she knows from the recipe book in her mind, result of many years of learning from women of the older generation. If I didn't know mom's real age, I'd say she pretty much came from the older generation as well. Like always, she's still amazingly capable of finding time to satisfy her baking cravings despite her being a full-time working mom. So far, we've already come up with three types of cookies for Chinese New Year - kueh kapit, kuih bangkek and ribbon biscuits produced usually in apoh's three bedroom flat. You'd be surprised by how these women are able to defy all odds and turn the flat into a confectionary of some sort just for the sake of keeping the traditional alive. The only thing is, mom refuses to go commercial with these cookies. She doesn't want to sell them. She still insists that they remain in the comforts of our own family and as gifts to visiting relatives during the new year.

Kuih Kapek from matrianklw on Vimeo.

And being in the boat that I'm in right now, I'm expected to be present on every baking session, dutifully helping out in whichever ways I'm needed and often, being caught up in the conversations amongst the women of the older generation. Sometimes, I'm even turned into the subject of conversation which could be pretty embarrassing. Besides that, mom has planned her schedule out this week nicely to make way for two more types of delicacy - the peanut cookies and sugared potato chips. To be honest, these names are quite tacky. The real pronunciations for all the delicacies (usually in the Hokkien dialect) sounds much better. Also, since this will be the 1st year after so long without akak's impeccable skills, mom would be fulfilling her duty as daughter-in-law and try to whip some traditional dishes for the celebration. Just imagine, 7-8 years without taking charge in the kitchen - she'll be needing all the help in the kitchen. Marketing itself would be a pain in the butt. Don't get me wrong though, she's a great cook, just a little rusty on the side.

But there I'll be the dutiful son by her side, carrying the marketing goods and chopping up carrots and cabbages (if I'm ever trusted upon these tasks). Until my time finally comes, I'll still be under the shadow of someone more experienced and no doubt, elder. I'm still working on gourmet meals, if you were ever wondering. Oh yes, and jie will be back this Sunday which only means another companion to the above chores.

My December.

2008-01-05T00:36:00.000+08:00

About 5 months back, akak left the family - for good. Unfortunately, if you were looking for some juicy story regarding jeweleries, Bangladeshi workers or sick voodoo, you might be disappointed. No, I'm not going to uphold the average housewife legacy for bad-mouthing about maids, while hiding their own treatment towards them. Akak, however, left us for valid reasons, both agreeable and respectable to mom and dad, with great reluctance. I mean, she's been with us, managing the household for the past 6 or 7 years, friendships were formed, of course there'll be reluctance but to ask her to stay would be sheer cruelty and selfish for our part. She did go back 4 months earlier than her contract with us, though. Given the circumstances, we had to let her go. So, when she packed her bags and got on the plane, the family felt handicapped. It's been 6 years and none of us has done any chores for that length of a time (apart from that stint back in October '06 when she went back for a short while). To say we were rusty on our skills would be an understatement!

When she left, I was in the midst of my examination preparations, which mom intended not to interfere with chores. She always told me not to think so much about the chores and leave it to her. Back then, all I did was do the clothes, seeing that I was the only one whom akak passed down the knowledge of work the washing machine. Even that, mom was a tad bit worried that it might affect my studies, every now and then, offering to do the chores which we both know is impossible to ever get done with her working 8 hours a day. Let's be frank, working moms are not model housewives. Mom did do the ironing though (since neither dad nor I knew how to iron) while dad did the sweeping and the mopping. The household was manageable with me doing the weekly dusting of furniture and cleaning of the toilets. Naturally, it fell into a routine and we were getting used to it. Admittedly, there were times when things take a toll on us but I think we got through just fine. Even up to my exams, I didn't feel much pressure and the house was still liveable.

Come December, that's when things really got hectic. Jie was back for the holidays and she offered to help around the house. If you consider dragging me and dad along, cleaning the entire house for the entire first week helping, then she did help out alot. It was more like a mini house remodelling cum spring cleaning, instead of the weekly dusting. I don't blame her. To make the complete transition from having a maid do things for us for the past 6 to 7 years to a normal functional family with divided chores, we needed to reshuffle everything to our liking and understanding. After all, Christmas was near and we had to do our spring cleaning anyways. So we spent the first week at home, cleaning. Jie did take up the ironing as well, if I may mention. And when I thought December would be a breeze after that, amah comes running along having the fall and turning our just-settling-down lives upside down all over again.

Not that I blame her or anything (nobody wanted this accident to take place) but I've got to admit that it was the last thing any of us needed. The forth and back trips from home to the hospital just doesn't do the situation any good. Apparently, the grand old lady isn't dead yet. Wait, that was a little harsh of me - she hasn't passed away and according to some hocus-pocus Buddhism witchcraft, she's expected to live another extra 2 years, with her ailing condition. She finally moved back from the hospital into her own home and has been looked after by mom and dad ever since - we're talking about meal times, personal hygiene and medication - which pretty much puts another set of routines on my working parents, bounding them in their seats full of commitments. She isn't paralyzed or anything, just unable to do things by herself, especially when it comes to personal hygiene. Considering us being kids, we can't help out much in our part. Which made it no surprise that our family is the one who were usually late for gatherings, meeting and parties, given the schedule mom and dad constantly needed to plan around. So there, no death or whatsoever.

When things finally got a little settle down (when routines were familiarised) , jie and I became busy with last minute Christmas shopping. I know it seems here like we are horrible children who couldn't care less about other stuff at home at this point, but someone really needed to run the show and with mom occupied with her job and amah, who else was supposed to do the gift shopping, the wrapping and other monumental preparations for the season (albeit the mood being already dampen by the tragic fate of my dear grandmother). The show had to go on. So basically, we were running up and down malls, 2-4 times a week, a different mall each time for different reasons and by all means, let me tell you, shopping easily gets tired when you've been on your feet all the time, waltzing pass stores with shoes that aren't too comfortable to start with, and of course, the sheer thought of the parents slaving away in the day. With that sense of guilt swimming in me, I did constantly remind jie that we were bad children and we deserved to be punished, which she didn't retaliate to the remark in return.

To think about it again, the shopping wasn't easy task filled with stress-free moments. I mean, with parents trying to burst through your cellphones, insufficient cash flow and year end sales going on, shopping should be considered a hazardous activity (sometimes, we even skip lunch to fully utilize our time and save pennies!) which only manages to breed greed, self-absorption and fickle-mindedness. In other words, it only brings out the evil in me (and jie, no doubt)! Still, having the knowledge that there's still house chores to get back to after a tiring day of walking, gnawing at the back of my head most of the time should account for something good doesn't it? Surprisingly, I actually worry about not getting my laundry done or the dishes washed which usually results me in acting strangely during our one-to-many shopping sprees. Of course, after spending almost 8 hours at the mall, chores would be the last thing one would wanna go home to. Inevitably, I still return home and finish my chores (regardless of what time is it) and mind you, I do stay up at times to wait for the laundry.

In the midst of all that chaos, I still play host when cousins come over for sleepovers. Not only do I manage a big part of the family chores, I still need to ensure my guests have a splendid stay and that they don't notice the immense pile of laundry stacked up in our room, waiting to be ironed. Oh, and did I mention, I cook for my dear cousins as well, occasionally. Usually, it's breakfast as we normally eat-out for lunch (thank God!) but I do a little baking form time to time. And may I add, any new housewife would agree with me that cooking isn't an easy task, especially at the end of the meal when kitchen utensils pile obscenely in the basin. Whether it's just a reheat or a sauté, it still requires work. This season though, I've tried baking pies - banana toffee pie to be exact - ever since one of mom's friend passed jie and I the simple recipe. A good leap from the baking I did 2 years back, don't you think? Well, you definitely don't expect us to show up empty handed at parties and and family gatherings we've been invited to. It's a good way to get comments and feedback as well. If that's not getting my hands full, I don't know what is.

Plus, did I mention that I had to do all these with minimal amount of sleep. Hey, when the cousins are over, it's more like a who-can-keep-awake-the-longest-competition rather than a regular sleepover. If we weren't overdosing of midnight knickknacks (chips, pizza and candies), we were probably overdosing on movies or boardgames. Now, how much sleep do you think I can get out of these over-energized brats? Furthermore, I'm not the kind of wet blanket cousin who gets fussy over health issues and start giving them a lecture on living a healthy lifestyle. I'm more of the kind which allows them to go crazy if they wanted to and most of the time, joining in mindless adolescent games. After all, I don't stay young forever and it's the holidays! Oh, and the family gatherings on various occasions that keeps me awake till the wee hours, where could I possibly find sleep? Seriously though, I can still put my chores aside and have fun. Whoever said I was a serious no-nonsense freak. And I never get afternoon nap or anything like that, except for the 40 winks in the car and the mere ability to keep awake during church. Gee, have I sinned too much this Christmas?

Nevertheless, you still gotta admit that I am getting kinda good at this whole househusband role. As they always it's never to early to start and I will need all the training I can get to be more domesticated. My December was a helluva ride, that's for sure. At the end of the year, I was surprised myself that I'm still standing strong after everything (although getting unnecessarily cranky every now and then) that's happened. Realised that I barely have the time like I used to when I could sit and write all day in front of the computer, not the previous December or for the Decembers to come. Things have definitely changed around this household and I'm definitely armed with an excess baggage this new year. There's still a lot of getting used to and there's still a lot that needs to be done. In the meantime, I'm considering working and taking my driver's license by the end of this month and February, I hope - if things ever ease up enough for me to make time for a new commitment. I sure do hope.

Impending Death.

2007-12-09T23:44:00.000+08:00

You know, the month of December isn't usually associated with bad news. At least not for me. The month of December has always been recognized as the month of giving, family ties, love, joy and all warm and fuzzy. It's Christmas, isn't it always been like that? Ever since I was a kid. December is the month of Christmas and also the last month of the year. Family get-togethers celebrating Christmas, choir practice, shopping, gift wrapping, attending parties, baking cookies and what not. All the pondering of another year coming to an end and of the things to come pretty much fills your heart with a tinge of nostalgia, not to mention, the Christmas wish list and New Year resolution. Sadly, all that is about to change. December this year would be my very first year of ~~receiving news~~ accepting the fact about the impending death of a grandmother. Which explains my occasional blanking out and brooding moments, as if to have reality sinking in.

It's almost a week now that she's been lying in the hospital, bed-ridden (after the fall at her own apartment), with a condition which neither looks promising nor improving, after suffering from a fall at her own home. Things happened pretty fast, coming in after one another, crashing on us like a speeding car onto a concrete wall. Diagnosis showed failing lungs as well, after the admission and through the hush talks from the adults, things will only get worse from there. See, the Chinese have this uncanny ability to recognize tell-tale signs when death is creeping up on a person, especially with the antics displayed by the person on the death bed like the calling of deceased relatives or mindless muttering or the lost of recognization of living relatives. As superficial as it is, I have seen the predictions coming pretty true myself, even without the doctor's word. Which is why there is no reason for me to elude myself about the inevitable death of amah. What with dad already asking whether if I have a picture of her, just as a subject of conversations.

Amah is losing consciousness by the day, slowly slipping away, that sometimes, she barely even recognizes the person visiting her. Not that she's on life support or anything, but by the looks of it (from the numerous back and forth trip from home to the hospital) her condition is undoubtedly deteriorating. Even as I'm typing here, she's resting in the hospital bed. She hasn't been eating well and most of the time, she's sleeping with the occasional strange utterance of matters which are unrelated or acting up like a child, so as mom says. Of course, I only get news of amah's behaviour from (as I mentioned before) the hushed conversations between adults which usually ends with words like "be prepared". That was also if I was eavesdropping - intentionally or not. In matters as such the adults still remain as adults, doing their best to protect us from the harsh realities of life, and of course, coupled with one or two popular beliefs.

In the Asian culture, these things are better left handled by the adults and as far as a child's responsibility is concerned, it only stretches as far as hopsital visits. We children pretty much remain in the household, just waiting for crucial news while we laze around like zombies with the news of an impending death of a family member hanging over our shoulders to harbour around. Although, jie and I do try our best to keep the atmosphere as light as possible with activities that can take our minds off things. Think Channel E! on the regular, with a few movies thrown in and catching up on a few episodes of TV series to help us steer our minds away. Sometimes, I even resort to excessive cleaning (of the house) to keep my mind fresh. I mean, it's the only few ways to keep me away from staring at the telephone for hours and jumping at every ring, all the time embracing myself for the news to come from the other end of the telephone. At this point, every phone call is such a source of intolerable fear, able to stop me dead in my tracks. I can get quite paranoid when the situation calls for it. You'll never know!

Other than that, jie and I will usually joke about death, as a general subject. It does help in facing the true fact, I guess. For the past week, we've even come up with calling amah the "grand old lady" awaiting for the right time to make her exit out of this world. After all, from our mental calculations and judging from the deaths trailing up the family tree, since our ~~forefathers~~ grandfather, this family has been quite notorious with their elaborate exits from earth. Their deaths usually catches us off-guard, dropping like a bombshell on us relatives, almost like dropping bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Take one incident for instance, we were rushed back home from our holiday in KL with the news of impending death of the late grandfather (which we did almost immediately!). Why should amah, known for liking the attention, pull something off any less elaborate right? I just hope I'm prepared when the time comes. Bad news knows no timing.

Furthermore, the death plague is around. The death plague was created by me, something I've given a name to when the number of wakes arises in town and when funeral homes are filled to the brink. It's weird, really. From my observations, it comes and goes like a season. One moment, funeral homes and undertaking companies seemed to be almost out of business and another moment, boom, there's not enough space to even hold wakes anymore. It's also obvious with the rise in the amount of wake which can be seen held at homes, extending to the roadside as we take a drive downtown. I've seen the death plague quite a number of times while growing up in town up till today. Observations are clear from the to and fro journey from home to the hospital. Even one of jie's distant friend passed away recently in a car accident, whose wake she attended yesterday, accompanied by me. And yes, the funeral homes were all occupied.

Well, with everything being said, I don't think December will ever be the same this year (or the years to come for that matter). Things are certainly looking more gloomy than I've ever remembered. Initially, I thought the exams were going to dampen the mood of December but I've been proven wrong. Amah is currently, as described by aunts, like a ticking time-bomb, getting everybody on the edge of their seats with its ticking. It may explode tomorrow, or the day after, or even tonight itself, only God knows. It's a painful process, but I'm certainly looking forward to God's graces to help me pull through this episode. Until it happens, jie and I are still going to keep asking, "Has the grand old lady made her grand exit yet?" Not that we are hoping, but it's strictly aimed at sugarcoating the reality. At least it helps, for me. Who knows what blow this impending death might bring.

Odd though, jie is still positive that it's not amah's time yet, constantly arguing that she can still hold on. Wonder what makes her says that.

Back for Christmas.

2007-12-06T01:24:00.000+08:00

It's been a while, obviously, but I'm back. Yes, I did unanimously stopped myself from blogging about 5 months back for numerous reasons, examinations being one of them, with the occasional blog hop to keep myself updated. I do plan, however, to spill about the period of time I was away - not in one day, but in times to come. It might be quite a handful to handle given my sudden disappearance without prior notice and now, my sudden reappearance. I wouldn't attempt to fill you in or even dare think of an explanation (cause I definitely don't owe anyone one) to clear me from my charges. I mean, c'mon, I haven't been writing anything for so long (except for English or Bahasa Malaysia essays for the untimely exams), God knows my writing (and I mean, the one that I get to express my thoughts) skills have been reduced to mud. Plus, I was getting so unfamiliar with blogging that I even had trouble accessing into the blog - couldn't quite remember how things were with all those space in the mind used up to store facts for exams.

Bottom line is, I'm back. Not entirely though. Not yet, at least. But I'm back to assure myself that I'm still committed and I have not given up on this yet. There's been a lot going through my mind - the events I wanna blog about, the thoughts and opinions as well as issues happening currently in life. 5 months unable to actually ~~talk~~ wrench out about the strange revelation of events and thought provoking moments has quite taken its toll on me. Oh, the changes, the stories and the experiences! Unfortunately, as much as I wish it would, it doesn't come spluttering out from my mouth like emptying a can of baked beans. But I'm sure it'll come to me and when that happens, I'll have something to talk about, wouldn't I? I hope. Well, I think I'm done with the unspectacular monologue and get back to where I left off. No, not the durians and the dumplings. C'mon, it's December! The month of Christmas, my favourite time of the year!

This year, our tradition saw new light in the form of a new tree, after a year long of persuasion and pestering and after 8 years of being stuck with a 3 feet tall Christmas tree with stands made out of plastics and suffering from several fractured branches. Thank God! The joys of purchasing a new tree, made out of a completely different material, 5 feet tall and metal stands which gives the tree a promising and sturdy look, standing from the ground and not supported by some hideous antique chair. I guess this is the true side of celebrating Christmas in a country with a climate which disallows the operation of a scotch pine farm, or even with people much in anticipation into celebrating Christmas at all, for that matter. So tree hunting for this family of 5 was done at the nearby supermarket with the constant need for us to withstand skeptical gazes from passersby and where choices were left between different heights of manufactured trees. Oh, and it was raining outside too, at that time. Not that it brings much difference to in-store shopping.

Anyway, we managed to get the tree up by the 1st of December, only a day later than last year, if it wasn't for the crazy stuff that was taking place then, take my examinations for one. We did it with lesser people this year - only the three of us siblings and an additional apoh as a house guest. Well, to be honest, we were all tired by that time of the day, taking in account that we spent the entire day spring cleaning the all the corners of the house (there are still little crooks and crannies that still requires thorough cleaning) just to make it in time to put the tree up. No matter, the Christmas spirit and joy was overwhelming amongst us and we managed to have a knocking time completing the job. I mean, with the ongoing bickering about which ornaments to hang and where to hang and about how the tree was supposed to look like between three siblings and a grandma who is anything but shy when it comes to giving opinions, what's not to enjoy? And I think this is the best Christmas tree we've ever had since as far as I can recall.

Not so much bickering eh?

"I think this belongs here."

Let's see, the first Christmas tree we've ever had as a family (or rather, the first one I can remember now) was a white, completely-made-out-of-plastic, 3 feet tall tree. Oh, I used to loathe that one as a kid. In fact, I still don't quite grasp the entire idea of a white tree. It's bad enough we Asians need to live with plastic trees right out from the factory, I cannot understand why would anyone still want something that doesn't the least resemble a Christmas tree, let alone a tree covered in snow. It's ridiculous. I don't even know how mine got there - it was just there for as long as I can remember. Which is why dad bought us a new tree by the time I was 8, I think. A short little green coloured tree of the same height as the previous, recycling ornaments from the previous tree. I guess that tree outlived its live expectancy as it's still standing with a twisted branch or two and a broken leg, plastered together sloppily. Until this year, where we finally got what we wanted and so far, deemed as the perfect tree.

Lighted up!

Scotch pine tree.

Everything else on the tree was from last year's tree, expect the baubles and the bells since jie insisted on getting some new ornaments, seeing the sad state the present ones were in (the usual faded paint and gloss). Even the lights were from last year. We're still missing one thing though, a rightful star to be placed on the rightful branch of the tree. Nothing seems to fit - Nothing from the stores or the one from last year - that we're beginning to feel comfortable without it and was just considering about doing away with the star. Jie protested against the formidable angle perched on top of the tree and mentioned that one of the Barbie Dolls from her collection would do the job better than some sub-standard plastic angel with cheap clothing. And the bottom of the tree's been decorated with presents already, seeing that we had to cover up the unusually long legs of the new tree. Presents for the cousins and ourselves will be below the tree till Christmas comes. Speaking of which, I've still got a million things to get done by the time arrives - so much work, so much preparations.

Durians and Dumplings.

2007-06-19T16:35:00.000+08:00

One of the best things I love about eating durians is the sweet lingering smell it leaves your finger with. It's so fragrant that I sometimes feel like licking the thumb again to see if I can still taste the sweet taste of durian from the night's before devouring of delicious durians. Seriously, I tell you, it can be a life saver at times - when there's a need of a serious wake-up call in the early hours of Mathematics or History class at school. A whiff of the strong smell from tmy fingertips (even if I accidentally brushed my face with it) is all it takes to get me awake, albeit with the sudden hunger pangs and craving for those deadly fruits in class. Amazingly though, there are still people who recognizes durians as the fowl-smelling fruit that only cause nauseousness! Really, I don't know what the fuss is all about to a certain few who squirms in uneasiness at the mere thought of the yellow flesh found under the thorny, green exterior of the fruit. I can quaintly recall someone old and wise (in the knowleldge of durian) saying that the art of eating durian requires passion and I'm beginning to think it might be true after all.

Want one?

I mean, the "stench" is one thing (that's fine by me!) but being afraid of the consequences of indulging in such pleasures of life (almost sinful!) served by Mother Nature herself is another thing that's almost intolerable by me ~~in my little black book of Rules of Eating Durians~~. Oh, I've heard people saying that they're afraid to indulge because they're afraid of getting fat at the end of the day and I'll just roll my eyes in disapproval. Personally, I think it's bullcrap. I do admit, that consuming such delicacies in large quanitities might just result in undesirable body proportions but judging by the intake of a durian lover, I don't think it can hardly bring any affect to the average consumer, what else, be detrimental to your health. Let's be honest, when it comes to durians, either you love it or hate it. Period. No buts or conditions in between. Which is why I shot Grace a look of contempt when she hesitantly (and miserably) picked up the poor fruit with her finger tips, complaining about not wanting to get her fingers dirty and about her weight while trying her best to oblige mum. As I said, love it or hate it, it still requires passion to enjoy such sinful saccharine substance!

Hey, I'm all for the smell it leaves my fingertips in for tomorrow morning's class!

Coinciding with the durian season (anniversary of the blog?), the bak chang (glutinous rice dumpling) festival is here. Well, not exactly the festival by itself. More like the Dragon Boat Festival celebrated with the traditional bak chang - steamed glutinous rice dumplings wrapped in bamboo leaves along with ingredients like duck eggs' yolk, assorted beans and nuts and pork. Growing up, I've seen both my grandmothers making bak changs when the time arrives despite the fact that one of them is a Catholic who makes them for pleasure while the other makes them for deity worships and such. Well, that was before amah moved from her old pre-war houses to the current 2 bedroom economical flat where space constrains and old age seems to be catching up real quick with her. Used to love the smell of bak changs steaming greeting my nostrils when I was younger and when amah made them in huge amounts for eating and praying. Poh poh on the other hand, paid more attention to kee changs (another type of chang) - yellow colored glutinous rice wrapped in bamboo leaves too minus the fillings and only eaten when dipped in homemade black syrup. Poh poh does make bak changs also but not as many as amah's.

Plenty of 'em!

Well, one thing that's peculiar about me which shows when it comes to bak changs is that I only eat the ones that are made especially for me. I'm sure I have other peculiar habits but let's save those for another day. As written in my profile, I don't take greens, any forms of greens, beans included and considering that bak changs come with a lot of beans, I've almost taken an oathe to swear off bak changs completely in my consumption list when I was a kid. Still not wanting to part with the texture of glutinous rice, I suggested that amah only inserted pork in the bak changs, one day while I was squatting by her side watching her insert the fillings and later wrapping the bak changs with the bamboo leaves and securing them with strings (aquired from dried fibre of banana shoots) with such ease and speed before hanging them in bunches over a long horizontal stick to be steamed. She took my suggestion and made 10 bak changs for me the following year. 10 was a large amount then, seeing that I could only manage at least one at a given time since glutinous rice can be rather filling.

Bundled in a bunch!

Ever since then, I'll get 10 bak changs made especially for me, only filled with pork, from amah. Sometimes, even with extra pork.

At least that was the way it was before she was incapable of anything more than making back and forth trips from the living room to the kitchen. It's been so long since. Now, poh poh has taken the honours of making those annual 10 pork-only bak changs for me. In a way, I do feel special, considering that poh poh only cutom makes those changs for me out of the 14 grandhcildren she has. Amah was different as Grace and I were her only paternal grandchildren then (before Edmund showed up) and Grace was a non-fussy eater. Poh poh even has ming tied in different coloured strings and hung in a different place of the kitchen, afraid that someone else might accidentally take mine. Pity the person who has to eat a pork-only chang, that's for one, but me getting angry that my precious chang was stolen, now that's another thing! I guess I was a spoilt brat in this matter, aren't I? Still, after one incident of stolen chang (I think there were tears involved!), poh poh was forever careful with mine ever since. But things have definitely changed for the better. I do occasionally take the "real" bak changs, only picking up the pork and passing the other filling to someone else and now it takes at least more than a good 3 bak changs to get me full.

Which pretty much explains my size if you put the durians and the dumplings together.

I can already see the needle in the weighing machine tilting more to the right now.

Superb Sweet Seventeen.

2007-06-13T17:06:00.000+08:00

Ever since Queensbay Mall opened in Penang, the already mall-crowded island, back in December, I've been dying to try out the latest Thank God It's Friday (T.G.I.F) outlet that was opened along with the mall, located at the right wing entrance of the mall. Of course, the red-bricked wall and the red and white awnings (signature colors of T.G.I.F), plus the huge sign which decorated the exterior of the restaurant sparked my interest on my first visit to the mall. It even got Grace and I occasionally ooh-ing and aah-ing at the mere mention of T.G.I.F. Plenty of times we've tried entering the restaurant but it was usually fully occupied or that we were broke after a day long of tiring shopping. That usually leaves us relentlessly walking away to look for McD instead, after flipping through the menu depicting scrumptious food on the stand at the restaurant entrance.

Considering that it's been so long since I wanted to try T.G.I.F and the simple fact that it has been a while since the last time the family had a fancy dine at a fancy restaurant, I jumped at the opportunity and made reservations for eight all by myself, which included me looking for a number online and in the telephone directories (a.k.a Yellow Pages) which proved futile when I had to call the mall up and asked for a number. It's 04-6413363, by the way. Trust me, you'll need it, seeing the fact that one can barely get a seat on weekends without prior reservations. After all, it was my birthday on Monday (11/6) and being in this family, your birthday treat, your choice - a tradition of some sort. Nothing to extravagant though. For me, it's usually restaurant visits like this. Hey, birthdays and Christmas seem to be the only logical reasons for mom and dad to fork out extra cash from their daily budget.

I decided I have to try T.G.I.F out no matter what. To be honest, I was more eager to check the condition out for myself rather than believing in what others say cause I've read a few unfavorable critiques towards the restaurant in various blogs where I'd go, it couldn't be that bad! Oh, I was quite unsure myself when I suggested the place but upon entering and checking the menu out, it was everything I imagined it to be - even more. The setting was cozy, warm, inviting and delightful, not to mention with the little vintage look thrown in, like the big black and white picture of Elvis Presley and a very old Superman comic cover hung over the walls while figurines of Batman and some other old thingamajigs decorated the shelves. The music was soothing, which suited the setting and the lighting were a soft glow, inviting peers from outsiders through the glass windows. Typically western, I thought to myself. And then I spotted the huge KITCHEN sign lighted in bulbs when being led to our seats, giving the entire 60's look a complete touch, making me hum the tune of Christina Aguilera's Candyman to myself.

Flipping through the menu was already tempting enough to get me drooling while the waiter introduced his humble self to dad, sitting at the opposite end of the table. Everything looked so delicious and it was hard for a fickle minded person like me who, if it was possible, to try everything on the menu (greedy, I know!). We waited for ah jiu and jiu mu (notice the new title for ah jiu's wife) whom we invited earlier when making reservations while taking a relatively long time to make up our minds, flipping the menu over and over again, going through the description for multiple times. It was almost 9p.m. when ah jiu and jiu mu arrived and all the dishes were served. I ordered the Texas Ribs while Grace had Friday's Burger, Edmund with the Spaghetti from the Kiddies' Menu, dad with the Jack Daniel's Shrimp and Ribs, mom with Half Roast Chicken, aka with Chicken Fingers, ah jiu with a Whole Rib which looked beastly with the rib bones jutting out and jiu mu with Grilled Salmon.

To Grace's surprise, the portion served by T.G.I.F was way huger than she feared it might be. The picture above pretty much speaks for itself. That was even managed with the other side of the burger hidden in her palm! The food looked so fabulously delectable that it was a great feat for me to keep my saliva from escaping the corners of my mouth everytime I spoke. My hands were shaking, probably due to the hunger, (or should I say, desire to devour the food!) hence, the blurred photos and from the shaky hands and the over-pumped ISO, explaining the noise.My pictures don't do any justice to the real thing, really. Forgive me but food photography is undoubtedly an area which I'm weak at. Thankfully, given the size of the servings, no food was wasted at the end of the dinner - everyone took a fair bite out of Grace's burger to help the poor girl finish while jiu mu cleverly divided her salmon to everyone at the beginning of dinner. Speaking of the new member of the family, she surprisingly bought a cake for the occasion - a green jelly cake, that is, bringing memories of the past when I once had this cake. Truly and old time favorite cake of mine.

And who else is there better to celebrate your birthday with if not with the family? Or at least, that's what I think. Obviously not the gregarious sort who fancies night clubs and mindless drinking with friends. At least, not yet, I hope. Akak was there, so was the newlywed couple. Mom decided to give them a break with a hearty meal after all that wedding massacre that took place over the weekend, so mom invited them. I realize, there's still a lot more gaps to fill up (oh, the explanation I owe!) but at the moment, I'm putting this first as I've promised to the T.G.I.F crew there in the little note I've left them with. What I didn't mention was that the crew did an amazing job in throwing a little celebration for me when the cake was brought out - there were the songs and other paraphernalia - that made the whole day a memorable one. That definitely was the cherry on the icing for me. Just check it out in the video below. In short, the service was excellent, the food great and the ambiance lovely. Definitely defied the not-so-good feedback that I've read so far.

Now, doesn't that make you wanna have your birthday there? Another satisfied customer, I'd say!

Pictorial Update.

2007-05-24T12:23:00.000+08:00

The examinations are finally over and I'm back! I know, I've got to get the momentum of blogging back but as I've mentioned, wedding arrangements are a pain in the butt for me currently. Anyway, here are some pictorial update about a few stuff that happened in the duration of the three weeks when I was away. Chew on them.

Yeah, as you can see, dad's car's window got smashed as a failed attempt of robbery. Some bastard tried breaking in into the car after we left the goldsmith. Dad's guess was that we were unaware of being trailed since we left the goldsmith's and went for lunch, instead of going home straightaway. That Saturday, we were at the goldsmith shopping for wedding rings and wedding gifts of bracelets, bangles, rings and necklaces as the Chinese see gold items as auspicious items to have during weddings and such. We spent the entire morning there with the soon-to-be-wed couple and it wouldn't be any surprise that robbers might have their eyes on us, seeing that mom and dad did make quite a number of trips in and out of the shop "depositing" their valuables in the car. There was about RM9k worth of gold, if I'm not mistaken and we'd thought it would be safer leaving it in the car rather than taking it with us and risk it being snatched. Silly us.

Of course, dad was pissed when I alerted him that his window was smashed upon entering the vehicle while mom was more frantic checking that everything was still in place. Fortunately, the thief didn't succeed in breaking in (dad credits his security alarm!) and we didn't lose anything, except another few hundred bucks to replace the window. Dad immediately proceeded to the mechanic to get it fixed while we got a ride home with ah chiu was was still around town at that time. For me, seeing the car window cracked into a million pieces was a pretty new sight that I had to take pictures. I won't deny it either, that I was terrified that things like that could really happen. I've always thought it only happens in chain-mails circulating around locals. Kinda got mom and me thinking about the possibilities of us being followed into the home and so on. Wouldn't that be scary? Either way, that definitely got us alerter in future trips to the goldsmith. Preys are all over the place.

As I've said, most of the weekends that are left before the big day arrives are dedicated to any unfinished business in preparation for the wedding. That weekend after the horrifying visit to the goldsmith, on Sunday, mom and I got to tag along with the couple to their wedding album photoshoot. There were the studio and outdoor sessions, both of which I was there for, resulting me in skipping the school's annual Sport's Day. Spent the entire morning in the studio, helping ah chiu put on various costumes and didn't dare taking any photos. I mean, I didn't want to face the awkward moment in a confined place when the people in the studio tells me to put the camera away. I did manage to pull the camera out when we went outdoor. Three locations were all that was offered in the package that the couple chose, the beach, the church and the temple. Ah chiu's Catholic while the wife isn't, thus the contrasting locations.

Nonetheless, it was a lovely experience. It was easy shooting models that already have make-up on and didn't require me telling them how to pose (the real photographer did that already!). Still, the lighting and the angling was a bit of a challenge since I wasn't keen on getting in the way of the photographer. All I did was shoot from any points I could grab on. Though, I have to say, I thought the photographer was a little flat. I wasn't expecting KidChan Studios material but personally, I still felt the whole shoot was a little blunt - the locations, the poses, the backdrops and the outfits. A little dead, I thought, almost routine-like. I won't elaborate further but I wouldn't recommend it to any couple who don't mind spending that little extra for their wedding album. Understandably, ah chiu is on a rather tight budget. However, being on the set with working photographers as such definitely sparked ideas of my own. Imagine me having my own studio and doing what I love best. Well, I have my hopes up.

Later that week too, the family attended Carina and Adrian's birthday party by the beach on Labour Day. Grace came back on that day and we were just in time to pick her up from the bus depot and headed down to the beach. They decided to share the cake at the last minute, despite the fact that their actual birthdays are actually a month a part. I guess I was wrong about Adrian, he couldn't resist the lavish celebration after all. They both had their friends over (for the night as well, I suppose) and they threw a barbecue, cooked spaghetti and ordered extra food. As I've heard, their grandma rented two separate rooms for the both of them! Definitely nothing like the modest beach party I had, celebrating my 16th birthday last year! My, they sure do know how to be impressive. By the way, the baby in the pictures is Amelia, the youngest cousin of the family. Certainly have grown bigger since the last time we saw her in October!

Before I finish this up, here is a picture of Twitty, as I've promised huiwen7 a few weeks back (sorry this is a little late, Hui Wen!). If I'm not wrong, this was Twitty during the 2nd week it was with us. That's akak's hand balancing the bird on the ball. That time, Twitty was only beginning to learn to curve its feet around circular poles like a mop stick. This time, we were actually quite successful in keeping a pet. I mean, we managed to kept it alive and witnessed it grow. By the end of the 3rd week, Twitty was beginning to flap its wings. Entering the 4th week, it was already flying (literally!) out of the cardboard box whenever we opened it to feed it. It really developed black beautiful wings and was already able to have a firm grip around my finger. Everything was fine until one day when mom decided to give Twitty a bath by sprinkling water over it, seeing that its feet and feathers were filthy with dropping stains. Mom left it out on the balcony for it to shake itself dry before discovering that the bird's already flown away! LOL.

Initially, it did cause a mini search party with mom and akak searching for the bird high and low around the vicinity but they gave up not before long, realising the fact that birds do need their freedom after all. It was also uneasy at first to adjust to the silence in the house, without the chirping and all but that's easily replaced with music. Akak and mom refused to remove the empty cardboard box and the used containers on the first few days, hoping that it'll one day fly back to its loft. It never happened and no one knows where is it now. Thankfully, we haven't reached the investment period yet, where we buy bird cage and bird foods. Dad has already started mentioning a few days before it flew away.

Usual Updates.

2007-05-18T10:11:00.000+08:00

Whoa! Would you look at the last time I since blogged! It's been a while hasn't it? I've never taken such a long break/hiatus before and it's pretty scary to me. There's this inexplicable weight over my shoulder that just seems to can't go away. what with knowing the rest of the world's been updating their blogs daily while mine remains dormant without any notice. But it definitely surprised me that there were a couple of people who still visited the blog even without updates or anything and leaving little notes on the tagbox. That's nice to know. That's not all. I've been pretty much inactive at Flickr too. No pictorial updates or whatsoever and it kills me to take a few minutes of every day to browse through the amazing shots of my Flickr contacts.

Well, ever since my last post, things were pretty chaotic in my life. With the long-awaited wedding coming by just around the corner, I was really busy with the wedding mass booklet cover and arrangements. Dedicated all of my time fiddling with Photoshop and Microsoft Word - and you know how slow it gets with my computer running these two programs simultaneously! Work didn't speed up much even with Grace's laptop around as she didn't have a printer and only I had extra fonts on my computer. We were practically transferring files from my computer to hers and vice versa. I bore with it, though, having ah chiu and the parish priest himself approve of the cover I "designed". Weekends were usually reserved for the soon-to-wed couple, running them through the updates of the wedding. As the official wedding planner's son, I get to go along with them on their bridal photoshoot and stuff like that. Which could get pretty interesting, if you ask me, not to mention, sparking ideas of my own studio in the future.

Ooh, this is such a mess!

Although, credit goes to mom and Grace for the contents of the booklet, which both of them took the time to type out and arranged it for a proper printing. Mom is still busy with last minute arrangements like the church organist, florist, caterers and the wedding day agenda. Practically don't have time to go shopping to look for a decent dress for the occasion herself. Of course, that haven't included all the yells and screams of disapproval on all sorts of things from various parties that mom had to counter all by herself. In layman's terms, the feared catfights are already taking place sooner than I thought it would among her siblings already. Virtual misconceptions, misunderstandings and wrong judgements are just a few causes that can spark the well-kept fire inside of everyone. Thank God there was still a decent amount of toleration in the family. I wonder what would happen when the siblings actually meet up in person. Hair-pulling and bitch-slapping, maybe?

Anyway, this weekend, mom, Grace and apoh will be accompanying the couple down to Pahang, the hometown of the bride for wedding dowries. Yeap, it's still a well practiced tradition here, complete with traditional baskets and various types of delicacies, one of each bearing their own significance to the Chinese wedding. The couple wanted to keep the ceremony at a low-down as it was only a small occasion with no frivolous celebration with kegs of beer till the wee hours. It was basically carried out due to the importance it had in Chinese customs and as much as I've heard, the bride's family would only be holding a small buffet with close friends and families. They'll be spending a couple of nights there before embarking on a cruel 8hours journey home. Initially, I wanted to go but since I still have my exams going on, the spot goes to Grace. I'd happily skip exams but mom forbade. No surprise there. Dad, Edmund and me? What's the worst that could happen?

Speaking of which, exams were dropped on me like a bomb. It started last Thursday and you can pretty easily guess how busy I am juggling between exams and wedding works. Oh, the exams are the usual blank-paper hand-ups and head-tucked-in-folded-arms-on-the-table routine. Nothing out of the ordinary since I barely threw in any effort before the exams. I mean, this examination was kinda screwed up anyway. Just imagine, things were so messed up that the school couldn't decide on one simple timetable for the exams, thus having it changed for 5 ridiculous times, leaving students like me in a daze of when the exams were actually going to start. There were days where the timetable says the 1st paper for the day will start at 7.30am but when I get to school, I get people telling it to my face that it doesn't start till 8.10am, which really sucks.

Which is why I can't be less than bothered about this mid-term examinations. Yea, I get it, that there are going to be prizes for the highest scorer at the end of the year but that's just not me. Walking up the stage receiving prizes can be scary after all. Undoubtedly, I still do get cold feet every single day before exams start. It's inevitable. It's just practical for me to suck up as much as I could a few minutes before exams start, mindlessly flipping through the pages and scanning them through at the speed of light. Not like that's going to help in the exams but at least it calms me down a little and saves me from the ache of watching the others answer steadily while I doodle on the blank areas of the paper and the table. Pathetic ain't it? I don't think any other teenager my age goes through the same shit I do. Either way, another one of the many screwed up exams to add to my string of bad achievements. Not like the near-permanent mess in the room doesnt give me enough headache already.

So, there you have it, me explaining my absence for the past 3 weeks. Even as I'm posting this, I'm still busy meddling about the booklet's content placing and getting it ready for print. Of course, I'm using Grace's laptop side by side with my computer, multi-tasking my hands off, or God knows when I'll be able to finish! For now, I can't really say if things are going to get any better - any less chaotic, that is. There's still a lot more to be done in preparation for the wedding and I'm guessing that things will probably get more tensed as the date approaches. Grace has been back for a 2 months varsity break since 1st May and with her around, there'll be more shopping and mall-roaming, hunting down for the best bargains and possibly shopping for the big day. The woman needs her shoes, her accessories, her dresses and her bags! I don't think she'll let me off easily, considering that my mid-term holidays are just around the corner as well (oh, some good news at last!).

Still, not that I'm complaining that it's a pain in the butt to go shopping. Damn, it can be a relief, to say the least.

Rihanna's Umbrella.

2007-04-27T11:54:00.000+08:00

Rihanna & Jay- Umbrella (World Premiere)
Uploaded by Alisvideo

The video's finally out. It's about time, since the single's been out quite a while now. It looks so good to me. Rihanna looks baaad, nonetheless, hot! I absolutely love it and the little Rihanna commentary at the end of the video. For all Rihanna fans out there, this is definitely one of the best video she's ever made. A really new and different side of her that she's showing (Good Girl Gone Bad, eh?) - a very brave and bold side, I think. There is one part of the video though, where she's in a pair of black ballet shoes strutting it off with her umbrella. Really reminds me of Christina Aguilera's Stronger video, don't you think? Either way, the video's really simple, still brilliant (you even get to see Rihanna naked in it!). Artistic, I suppose. Loving her new look!

Pet Talk.

2007-04-25T21:43:00.000+08:00

You know, I've spent my entire childhood, growing up, practically lying to myself that I can keep a pet alive, which in real life, is the total opposite. Believe me, I've tried keeping fishes, tortoises, dogs and birds as pets, every single time, nodding happily when being lectured of the responsibility of owning a pet before actually buying one, oblivious to the fact that I can barely keep any of them alive for a certain period of time. Yes, even with the aid of cages, aquariums, pet food and vets, nothing seems to be able to survive my care. I mean, come to think of it, it's practically a sin for the parents to agree on buying any living creature for me as they all well know that nothing escapes my hands alive. It's like murder - in a nicer way. Back then, it was either a burial in the flower pot outside the house or a funeral down the toilet bowl. I don't know why but I think it's a curse that I have zero pet skills that'll last me more than a week. Mom and dad can't even prevent the sight of overturned fishes in a clogged up aquarium. One conclusion, I'm not a pet person.

Considering that and thee fact that I can't keep a pet even if it was to save my life, I've pretty much grown out of my childish pursuits of keeping a pet, or rather, keeping one alive. Though, I must admit, till today, I still get the thrill of any slightest possibility of having a dog (Golden Retriever or a Husky anyone?) on my own. Grace and I too occasionally discuss about the possibilities of keeping a tamed lion, tiger, leopard and maybe cheetah all by ourselves, results of an old ING Insurance commercial. Wouldn't it be nice to come home and have something as humongous as a fully grown lion to cuddle and pet instead of a stuffed one? I mean, what are the odds right? Then again, the thought of cleaning up after it or having my hand fed to it just kills the idea of having one in a miserable small home, plus the nagging of mom on the fur it leaves behind and the damaged furniture. Mostly staring at a lonely and pet-less life down the road in the near future. At least, not for long.

Well, having poh poh bring an abandoned baby bird - a tiny little fragile featherless creature with a shape of a baby chicken, the size of a fist complete with a beak and a pair of wobbly feet and protruding underdeveloped wings - from her home in Balik Pulau after Hui Xing discovered it lying in a ditch outside the house pretty much changes everything. Being the kind hearted self and partly obliging the pleas of her granddaughter, poh poh picked the creature up and had it living in a plastic bag with newspapers inside, constantly feeding it and changing the plastic bag (it poops a lot). Poh poh brought the bird along with her for her usual weekend getaway to our place and left it at our place after Edmund pleaded if he could keep it. I frowned and gasped at the ridiculous request. My reaction was, what are you gonna do with a horrible looking creature like that? I'd understand if Edmund wanted to keep a puppy, but a featherless bird which is barely two weeks old?

Of course, I can't blame him for his sudden interest and curiosity. He is a modern town boy after all and getting so close to a bird is a chance as rare as having a tiger as a pet, so I understand he's enthusiasm. But is the thing going to be able to survive under the care of a modern town boy whose fingers are more familiarized to the PlayStation controls and GameBoy, rather than feeding any animal, for that matter? My guess is, the poor motherless creature wouldn't stand two weeks and is most probably going to die of neglect from the owner. The fact is, that's hardly the case. See, the bird, Twitty (as Edmund has taken the liberty to call it, contrary to the popular little yellow bird by the name of Tweety, famous for being unable to pronounce its 's') was hardly noticeable for the whole weekend while poh poh was here. After all, the thing didn't make a noise with poh poh regularly feeding it, thus shutting it up.

Now that poh poh's back home and the bird's with us, we're beginning to get annoyed. Who would've ever thought that baby birds have such a high pitched voice that it's almost painful to the ear everytime it goes on a chirping rampage. Given the fact that it gets hungry easily (hourly intervals!), judging by the easiness of it pooping in the plastic bag. Every single time the thing senses someone in the house, it'll start its uncontrollable chirping, hoping to get someone's attention, as if to say, "Hey fellas, I'm down here! Feed me!", which can easily drive one up the wall. Edmund has not felt the full range of annoyance of the thing yet as he spends most of his time out of the house at tuition and school. Whereas for people like akak and I, who spend a reasonable (if not all) amount of time at home, we're really irritated by the bird's chirping and feeding. Basically, we have to play the role of the mother bird, including stuffing food down its throat - with a little spoon, of course.

Ever since it's presence since Sunday, the house sounds like a freaking bird sanctuary in the late afternoons when akak's busy with house chores (often yelling out her frustration at the bird scratching in the plastic bag) while I'm in my room, blasting the music up to drown the sound of the bird in the kitchen. Don't be surprised that the both of us have been spending our lunch time discussing over various (undeniably vicious and devious) plans to put the miserable figure to sleep, most of which includes slashing and pounding and even frying with a hot wok of oil. Cruel intentions, I know but we really can't help it since it's been causing us our peace lately. So far, the least cruel ones we had was involving it tied in the plastic bag and the rubbish bin while the other one had to do with it frozen in the fridge. But akak wasn't keen on contaminating her food. Surprised by its rare silence, we'd never miss a chance of asking each other, "Did it die already? Why suddenly so quiet?" only to have it spring back up when either of us checks the plastic bag.

Discerning little bird brain. Almost impossible to tiptoe across the kitchen without it noticing.

I've been begging for mom and dad to send the bird back to its rightful founder and owner. The prospects and chances of the bird surviving with poh poh is definitely higher compared to the careless modern town boy. Really. Poh poh does possess skills in sustaining lives as such - unfortunate strays abandoned by their parents and left to fend for themselves in the streets. I've always thought that any creature to come in the hands of poh poh are the lucky ones. Though sometimes, the old woman can take it a little too seriously. The last dog I had, Jasmine, had to be sent to live with poh poh in her, back then, suburban house after much insistence from mom. Poh poh was way over the top, feeding it only certain types of food (mostly soft diet) and restricted the dog from taking a bath as she said it was too young and that it might catch a cold. Ever heard of dogs catching cold?

Still, Edmund refuses to let the bird go. Akak and I did try to convince him to allow us to set it free at the nearby park but he disallows and the mere thought of the pitiful creature being devoured by stray cats or dogs is haunting enough for both me and akak. In other words, we have to stick with the thing, until and unless, Edmund decides to set it free or return it to poh poh where it'll have a better chance of living. Right now, we have to put up with the chirping and the feeding and the pooping. Oh, we'd still be cursing under our breaths while exchanging ideas of strangling the thing to death over cups of coffee and loud music to drown our sorrows. Something inside of me tells me this is karma. What goes around comes around. After all those years of animal murder whilst growing up, this is the time I pay. Provided, of course, if the bird can survive my two week quota that I've given.

Muahaha.

Who's Your Idol?

2007-04-21T11:37:00.000+08:00

This season of American Idol initially didn't get me going all gah gah over the contestants. Actually, it didn't even get me ~~worshiping~~ routinely following the show week after week. Probably because neither the contestants' performances, the theme choice nor the guest artist didn't quite appeal to me. What more with the presence of Sanjaya Malakar, the undeserving contestant and at the same time, the underdog who was able to raise the eyebrows of millions of skeptics worldwide towards the credibility of the show. It was quite a turn-off, not to mention a torture, to actually sit-through an entire hour of the show, just to skew up my face in disgust to watch Sanjaya perform and week after week, continued in the show while other better contestants get voted off the show (Chris Sligh, for instance!). Even performances from stronger contestants like LaKisha Jones and Melinda Doolittle didn't make the cut for me. Of course, I still got updated about the who's-in and who's-out of the show through the occasional small talks among friends in school and the weekly newspaper column dedicated for American Idol, usually, coming close to cussing after reading that Sanjaya still remains.

Well, not until last week that I found myself getting hung up with the show - again. After dad called out to me from the living room telling me that American Idol is on, I walked out obligingly to take a peek but got oddly attracted to the show when a feeling of familiarity swept all over me. Before I know it, I was sitting on the floor, as dad was occupying the whole couch, facing the TV with my heads tilted a little upwards and the remote, gripped firmly in my hands. Seriously, I had no idea what had gotten into me then but I just got glued for the next hour. Yes, even with Sanjaya's performance (which I took the liberty of muting). Surprisingly this time, I was swept away by performances from an unexpected contestant, Chris Richardson and Blake Lewis, and of course, the all-time professional Melinda Doolittle. I do agree with the judges that last week's performances weren't their greatest or strongest but I've never realized how the two guys can really sing. I've always disregarded Blake as the jukeboxer (or whatever you call them these days) and have never seen him as the type who's able to sing an actual song while Chris has always been overshadowed by the likes of Jordin and LaKisha.

Blake Lewis, looking smart.

You go girl, Melinda!

I guess if you spend sometime actually listening, rather than judging, you'll actually find that American Idol still has hopes! Then again, you might think that my judgement are biased towards the theme of the week. Just so you know, I'm not a big fan of country music. Yes, I do listen to the likes of Keith Urban, Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood occasionally, but that's just to fulfill certain cravings of my ear. I don't even have their full albums - except for Carrie Underwood as I do like more than a few songs from her album. You might even think I'm supporting Chris after his post-performance speech to express his sympathy and condolences towards the victims of the VA Tech mass murder, after last week's performance. Well, no. I do think that both Chris and Blake have very nice voices, not powerful, but still nice. Doubt that either of them could make it to the top (looking forward to Melinda, hey!) though, with other contestants of more powerful vocals.

Personal fave, Chris Richardson! Man, I feel sorry too.

I did, somehow, obtain the studio recordings of last week's performance, with Chris doing Mayberry (by Rascal Flatts) and Blake doing When The Stars Go Blue (by Tim McGraw). Lucky for them, I happen to be the kind of person who thinks that people like them are already winners when they could make someone connect to the song - even better, love the song (I've been playing Mayberry for the whole day!). I'm also feeling the lyrics to Mayberry! to So, yeah, they're both winners to me. I 'm still looking forward to seeing the deserving Season 6 Idol, Melinda, reach the top! C'mon, I'm just being real. No one can deny that she's awesome!

So tell me, who's your Idol?

The Wedding Planner.

2007-04-20T13:09:00.000+08:00

A couple of weeks back, ah chiu, mom's one and only younger brother who allowed us to put up in his home when our home was undergoing a major renovation two Novembers back, had an appointment with the church priest to discuss some details about his long awaited and much anticipated wedding ceremony. Ever since kong kong's death, everybody in the family's pretty much been looking forward to ah chiu's wedding as he was the last sibling of the family yet to fulfill the sacrament of Holy Matrimony and it was kong kong's final wish to see ah chiu and his (then) fiance tie the knot. However, they did the registration not long after kong kong's passing with mom and dad being their official witness (it was in one of those ceremonies held for mass registration). Back to my point. I have not heard a word escape from either ah chiu or his fiance's mouth, announcing about the wedding date or whatsoever but word got out about their little appointment with the church priest and it spread like wildfire afterwards. Shocking to see at what rate these news can travel on - faster than the bridegroom can say HOLD ON.

Before ah chiu could decide to hold an impromptu party to announce the official wedding date, the news have no doubt, traveled far and near, reaching the ears of every relative there is, in one way or another, connected or not. Could almost hear the gleeful clap of hopeful grand-aunties after putting down the phone, in sarongs and clogs while halfway through applying bedak sejuk on their faces delicately, conveying the good news to the husbands lying in bed. Then there are those who just couldn't contain their joy that they feel obligated to pass the news around - even to their neighbors and colleagues! Wouldn't be surprised if the entire (and surprisingly small) town of Balik Pulau knows about it already by now. It didn't take long before speculations of the real date arise as relatives and friends start gossiping about other details like the rightful wedding planner, the church, the reception, the wedding album and other paraphernalia that comes in the way to make a typical Chinese wedding a successful and memorable one. These things just couldn't bear all the excitement in the closet. I mean, it's the least to be expected at occasions like these. What else with 3G and instant messaging nowadays.

I've even heard of relatives from Australia booking their tickets for the flight back already!

Honestly, I've never had any relative as close as ah chiu marry before, apart from that little stint I had as a "cameraman" for Grace, my elder god-sister who got married two Novembers ago also . But that was just as close as I got to any prior wedding plans at all. I've never experience all the process one needs to get through to get everything in order for that perfect day - the caterer, the invitation list and the invitation cards, just to name a few. Mom, as the appointed wedding planner practically runs the show. Ah chiu knows that he probably couldn't handle everything by himself without breaking down in the process with his tight schedule so he asked mom to help him out instead, which, in return, mom agreed, a little bit too willingly. As her son, I do get quite a load of the action also. Just last week, I followed ah chiu, his fiance (I'm going to have to start addressing here chiu mu!) and mom around the town, entering and coming out of various bridal shops enquiring about wedding albums.

Mom, technically responsible of the smoothness of the entire ceremony, is the one with the YellowPages on her lap, sifting through the pages, enquiring about the various caterers in town, searching for the best price with the best food. She's been also engaging in florists for the church floral arrangements and the restaurant for the reception, including the invitation cards and invitation list. Of course, being the only child in the house that could aid her (in other words, scapegoat), I've been bestowed with a couple of things (against my will, I swear!), like typing out the Order of Service for the service on the wedding day and probably designing the booklet cover for it as well and God knows I'm practically hopeless when it comes to PhotoShop. Currently browsing through sites that offer tutorials related to what I'm trying to design. If I can come up with anything, it'd be for ah chiu to decide to use or not. If I can't come up with anything at all in time for printing, then I don't know what to say.

Of course, mom's work doesn't stop there. Her job as the wedding planner includes updating the other siblings in the family about the progress of the project (as mom gladly termed it) and occasionally seeking advice and opinions from them. Ever since she started, e-mails, phone calls and text messaged have been overflowing in our virtual inbox. If those were carried by owls, my house will probably turn into an owl barn by now, with droppings on the floor and feathers fluttering all over. After all, her siblings consists of 5 sisters and 1 brother and girls being naturally girls, who wouldn't wanna play the wedding planner? I'm sure they all would love the idea of planning the wedding their way (often, mistakingly thinking that it's best for the couple), fulfilling undying dreams of the wedding they never had as the flames of hopes are still flickering. Another walk down the aisle in white, the way they imagined it to be 20 years back, if they had more money, would do the trick. Somehow, waiting for their children's turn would just be too long and they've figured it out that children are going to be stubborn when it comes to their own weddings anyway.

C'mon, who doesn't want their dreams to be materialized?

Unfortunately for some of the siblings who so badly wants a piece of the cake, are unable to do anything besides voicing their opinions and ideas through hours worth of phone calls and emails as there are some living far away from home. Still, anything that's suggested needs the approval of the bride and bridegroom themselves before anyone can agree on anything. I can already see the cat-fights coming among the siblings. And they say sibling rivalry will never end. Amidst all those heated discussions and among the siblings, most of them, as I've heard have been diligently making trips to gyms, slimming centres and even yoga classes to achieve the optimum figure for the big day. Honestly. Ever since they've gotten confirmation about the wedding details, it seems to me, the females of the family couldn't contain themselves but to kick up a storm of revelations ranging from beautifying themselves to shopping for outfits and accessories to talks of having their own line-up of events to surprise the couple - coordinating their own choir with the grandchildren to sing for the service, being one of the many deranged and over-the-top plans from the women.

I've even heard of involving the little children as flower girls and boys!

This family's not missing out either. Mom have suddenly gotten intimidated by her siblings' effort in shedding of a few pounds to look good for the big day (I told you, siblings' rivalry!) that she got the urge to play badminton, ~~as a desperate measure~~ in disguise to lose weight through excessive sweating. Being the scapegoat, once again, she dragged me down with her. I don't suppose this has got anything to do with the duo, Koo Kien Keat and Tan Boon Heong of international fame that ignited her badminton-playing-self. Nonetheless, we've done it as little as twice only this week and the first time really got my body aching - usual post-exercise aches for a couch potato. Though, I can't be sure if this way is going to help either of us burn enough fat by the wedding date as me playing badminton with mom usually includes a lot of blurry dashing, missed shuttlecocks and picking up of shuttlecocks. Plus, we're playing open air and I doubt the wind adds to the little sweat we produce at the end of any game. Still, no harm in chilling with mom. After all, she needs some time off from being the wedding planner, which, in her case, could be really taxing.

So I suppose it's obvious how distracted I am from my studies with all the things happening around me. Been pretty much bogged down with mom's appointments meeting up with caterers and the likes. This Sunday (21/04), we'll be heading down to a bridal shop that ah chiu and soon-to-be chiu mu both agreed on, to a fitting session. Whereas, next Saturday (28/04) will be their photoshoot for the wedding album with a professional photographer, which I've asked the permission of ah chiu to tag along with them, hoping to get to shoot a few shots of my own, standing behind the real photographer for the shoot. The only reason I think I'm being included in all these is because I'm the eldest nephew of his available. I mean, ah chiu's not really fond of nephews if compared to nieces. He'll probably take Grace along if she was here but seeing that she isn't, I'm replacing her. Speaking of Grace, you can bet she's excited as hell, even more so that she's not in Penang where everything's taking place. Her intrepid (and surprisingly long!) emails insisting for some details clearly shows that she's desperate to be home.

At least, she's got till the next weekend to make it back home for a long, long, long holiday.

For the meantime, I'm still unsure whether ah chiu would like me to be the photographer for the whole event which falls on the 9th of June, 3 days before my birthday, I know. I mean, I'm definitely not volunteering myself as my photography skills are a far cry from being good enough to record a once-in-a-lifetime event like this. I still lack the self-confidence. But if, as what mom says, he isn't going to hire any professional to do the job for him and if he asks me too, I won't refuse. It's a favor. More like a responsibility with tonnes of pressure and tension to perform well. I'll go look for more online tutorials on PhotoShop and photographing weddings.

A really rough design according to ah chiu's requested color, sky blue. Potential poster?

Maybe I should just get myself a copy of The Wedding Planner.

Gunung Lang Photoshoot.

2007-04-19T00:07:00.000+08:00

Somewhere in January, the family and I made a trip down to Kuala Kangsar to visit my poor god-sister, Danushya, who got her feet in a cast due to some mishap in Karate lesson. Uncle Rao took us down to the heart of Ipoh to visit a tourist spot before we left. I had a little photoshoot session by myself at the Gunung Lang recreation park while sucking on an ice-cream. Uncle Rao and I happened to be taking a breezy walk talking about digital cameras when we stumbled upon this abandoned and broken bridge at one end of the park, leading to God-knows-where. It does seem to me like there was some history behind this old link and I do get the feeling that there's another place (possibly mystical!), swallowed up by wild bushes.

As I said before, I really took the suggestion of angles and direction from Uncle Rao that particular one time and it was a refreshing experience to achieve photos that would make aother person nod their head in agreement. I know, this photos are way overdue but I've hust recently gotten around editing them. This also marks the first time I'm posting images hosted on Flickr (really can't keep up with the momentum of editing a different set of mediocre photos, branding them with my signature and posting them through Blogger). The computer's aging, so I'm just trying out different ways of saving time. I can't really say if I'll stick to it, but if everything goes well, I probably might.

Birthday Bashes.

2007-04-17T21:14:00.000+08:00

April and May seem to hold a lot of birthdays for me to remember. So I've realized this year. Only the previous weekend, I had a couple of classmates who shared the same birthday threw a party at their place, of course. Initially, I was invited but I had to decline due to the time of the party (12 a.m.?). Obviously, not the wild party animal. I did manage to wish the guy, though. Whereas on Monday, it was Ton's birthday but I didn't have a chance to wish the boy as he was holidaying in the heart of Japan (probably because it's still their holiday in Thailand), occasionally leaving offline messages on my MSN, telling me how much fun he's having there.

This weekend too, Edmund's throwing another one of his birthday parties, having as much as only two guests on the invite list - his best friend from his class and another little girl by the name of Vivienne living a few blocks away - although the actual date of his birthday falls on Monday (23/4). He couldn't celebrate last year, so dad promised him a little celebration this year. Oh you know, the usual crisp, golden brown, deep-fried delicacies for the little folks with some candy bars and board games thrown in. I won't be doing any of those annual shopping sprees, hunting for the little boy's gift this year (and possibly for the years to come) as Grace isn't exactly around to be my chauffeur and I'm basically ~~facing bankruptcy~~ broke. After all, the little boy's turning a tender age of 9 this coming Monday and dad has gotten him another new game for his recently purchased GameBoy, claiming that it's coming from the whole family.

While May will be holding the birthdays of the two cousins of mine - Carina and Adrian. Carina's birthday falls on the 1st of May while Adrian's falls on the 31st of May. Funny, huh? They usually throw their parties together (not in the middle of the month!) at either one's date. This year, however, the princess' turning 16 and she's throwing one helluva party. Word has it, she's having a one night hotel stay with some friends and a whole day event going on. I'm not quite sure what the princess has in mind (glitsy fashion shows, fretting down the runway with high heels and feathered hats besides a Barbie playtime sessions and tea parties along the beach with Alice in Wonderland?). Don't know what teenage girls are up to these days but I know if I'm invited, I'll be spending another day on the beach, possibly running away from the ever-clinging Adrian. I know there would be a barbecue, that's for sure.

Now, I'm sure Adrian wouldn't wanna share parties this year.

Another birthday that managed to make it through my thoughts is one which belongs to one of my classmates too, which is on the 2nd of May, if I'm not gravely mistaken. Can't recall any other birth dates currently but I seem to have a blur vision of many dates on the calender circled with red marker this year. Maybe you can remind me. I do suffer from Short Term Memory Loss (who doesn't?). I'm already bad with appointments and datelines, what else, anniversaries. Just need to figure out which date belongs to whom, now. For now, it's the two of the most important people that I need to be in the lookout for.

Wait.

Doesn't that mean I'm going to have to buy more presents? Damn.

Make A Difference.

2007-04-11T18:21:00.000+08:00

As you know, I'm not a fan when it comes to chain mails but the other day, I received an email from someone I know in church leading me to a link and telling me to check the link out. Tears swelled in my eyes when I watched the short movie the first (and even the second) time and I got so overwhelmed by the story that I didn't hesitate to forward it to people in my contact list. Some of you might have read about the Teddy Stallard story - about how a teacher changed a little boy's entire life with such little faith and believe she had towards the boy after finding out what he's been through. Some of you might've even watched this short little production (written words read by a background narrator illustrated with pictures of Teddy and his teacher is simple and elegant enough to make an outstanding statement) but that's ok, it wouldn't hurt to spend a little time replaying it again. And just in case you haven't seen or heard about this before, check out MakeADifferenceMovie.com .

Remember, it's not only for teachers but for all of us who can make a difference.

Shoe Thief.

2007-04-10T17:03:00.000+08:00

This isn't the first time that I've lost my shoes to thieves and it sure won't be the last. This morning, when I couldn't find my pair of shoes, I was this close to skipping school with mom having the slightest objection (a little curl of fury around her lips, I observed), almost turning heading the elevator before I actually volunteered to put on my pair of sandals to school for the day, which I managed to pull through, having people who passing me by asking what's wrong with my feet or why I'm with my sandals on today. Pretty much attract more attention from people than I usually do with white shoes. I was standing at the door front, still in a dreamy state, with the heavy school bag strapped against my back with my 2 liter water bottle in one hand and a thick History book on the other when I realized my inexplicably white pair of school shoes (albeit a little worn off) were missing. Couldn't remember leaving it somewhere else besides the front door and I couldn't locate it. "My school shoes are stolen," I blurted out in a-matter-of-fact-ly fashion, as if it was a reflex action and as if it was the least to be expected.

This rude awakening in the morning got mom all worked up - the fact that I'm going to skip school without a shoe and the fact that this is not the first time - close to the point of swearing. On the other hand, it got poor akak, who usually locks up the door behind us, frantically ransacking the miserable shoe rack at the door, going through all the dusty shoe boxes before running in and out of the house to see if it was anywhere in it, which later got her giving up, saying, "See lah, it's stolen again!" It surprised me though, when both of them came up with all sorts of assumptions of who the thief could possibly be - from the neighbor's dog to the Indian lady sweeping our apartment everyday. It was even more shocking to hear how "dangerous" their accusations were, looking for all sorts of clues, replaying the previous days in their minds, linking one clue to the other, to point it someone substantial. Believe me, these women even had statements from the other neighbor about her own suspicions. Seriously, it got the three of us standing at the doorway, staring at the shoe rack, scratching our chins, trying to pull th pieces together for a few good minutes before I broke the silence and volunteered to put on my sandals.

Got a little CSI action going on in my family, eh?

Of course, this isn't the first time the family's lost their shoes to thief/thieves in the night. Just a couple of months back, I lost my ~~precious~~ favorite LeeCooper sandals that was going to be a year old this March, to those thieves. Extremely infuriating, I know! But honestly, the only way I counter my angst is to convince myself that whoever's been stealing my damn shoes is someone who's desperately in need for it, thus, supporting mom in one of her deranged theories that the thief must have have a son at my age with the same shoe size that the person's been stealing dad's and my shoes. But if that person's been stealing those damn shoes and have been selling them to illegal migrants living in the huts covered with thick bushes at the nearby park. Can't remember who else's shoes have been stolen for the past 11 years we've been living in this place but as far as I can recall, practically everyone in the family have been victims of the thief/thieves before. I've lost 3 complete bicycles and 2 bicycle with stolen parts, making me give up in investing in another one, only to wake up the next day with missing tyres and such.

We sure couldn't contact the police as we have no proof and I doubt the policemen are keen on setting up a watch patrol around my housing area. Plus, it's not like these thefts happen daily or monthly. It happens when it happens, you know. Kind of unpredictable when the thief might strike. Oh trust me, mom and akak have both plotted their own devious plans to uncover the truth and nab the alleged thief. Talks on installing a personal CCTV system around the corridor, setting mousetraps and even leaving notes of threat on the pathway was all the family raved about over the dinner table today. Funny, I didn't even chipped in any of the ideas, considering I was the one with the lost pair of school shoes. However, they did come to a conventional conclusion by the end of the meal, steam still dissipating slowly from both ends of their ears - we all bring all our shoes into the house every single time after wearing, placing them on a piece of cupboard salvaged from mom's factory, regardless if the shoe looks worn out or not.

Like the previous time my sandals got stolen, I got a new one back today. Except, for the last time, I went back to the same shop and got the same pair of sandals (same brand, design and color) again because I didn't see any other suitable on my feet. This time, a different shop and a different pair of school shoes which costed me about RM60 in total with a couple pair of new socks thrown in and an extra padded sole for the new school shoe. Crappy, huh? Dad's not a happy man, right now!

Damn it, I hate it when my things get stolen.

Speaking of shoes and being victimized, I just remembered about Edward's little accident with his dad while chasing a black dog (how unfortunate?). Dog chased them on motorcycle, dad got angry, tried turning to chase the dog back only to have the motorcycle tumble on them. He's been limping in school for the past couple of days, trying hard not to let the fabric of his pants graze his wounds. Wish him get well soon.

In the meantime, I'll have to consider writing a threat note for my dear thief.

Pondering Over Pampers.

2007-04-04T15:04:00.000+08:00

A while back, I had Edmund invading my privacy with him deciding to crash in my bedroom, disrupting my late night activities and making me go to bed early. Fortunately for me, he fell into a "relapse" not before long and went back into squeezing his way through the nights in between the comforts of mom and dad. 5 months later, he decides to come back into my room - for good. I guess this time it's permanent as mom was the one who (one way or another) chased him out of her room after complaining about space deficiency and something about her back aching due to the inability to move around at night with a surprisingly huge sleeping log in between her and her husband. Dad, pitying mom, too agreed that it was high time for Edmund to start adapting himself in my bedroom, in his own bed.

It's been another two weeks since he slept in my bedroom. Only this time, he seems to me, to be more accepting the fact that this is also his bedroom now. One thing that's obvious is that he doesn't complain about the level of loudness of my music anymore, compared to last time, when he used to say he can't sleep with any kind of music on. Now, he can sweetly escape into the night with Gwen Stefani anytime. Though, I do notice that he prefers the likes of Frank Sinatra, David Miles, Jim Brickman or John Mayer. I too, find myself, surprisingly, not persuading him to go back to mom's anymore. Probably it's because I've been allowing him to occupy the top bed so as I would have my own sweet time even after long he goes to sleep and because of that too, he hasn't been complaining to either mom or dad. He doesn't even require mom and dad to be smooching him to sleep anymore. Maybe this time he's (really) growing up and is finally ready to take the next step forward. At least mom and dad thinks so.

Then again, let's not go too far on giving him credit.

See, Edmund is still 9 and still encounters problem in controlling his bladder in the night - even when he visits the toilet every night before bed. The possibilities of him wetting his bed pretty much still remains a high and alarming 80%, even more so when he just had supper or when he had a nice warm cup of Milo before bed. Come to think of it, mom and dad's bed have been wet countless of times just because he couldn't control his bladder or wake up to make a trip to the toilet in the middle of the night and every time it happens, dad will have to spend about RM50 in total to send the sheets to the laundry to get it cleaned while akak curses under her breath trying to get the mattress dried and smelling good again. The stains are inevitable but I'm more concerned about the springs in the mattress. The worst thing is, Edmund refuses to wear pampers, unlike the way I used to.

Heck, I used to have my own bladder problems as well. Even worse than Edmund's current issue, as his only occurs occasionally. To tell you the truth, I had a much weaker bladder than Edmund does now. Gee, I don't know what are the consequences of me revealing this but I had pampers on till the age of 7 before I moved out of mom and dad's room back then! Laugh all you want but that's what happened and I can't change the past. Ask mom about this as she'll gleefully share! I guess I never got used to waking up in the night to visit the toilet while mom and dad are too lazy to wake me up in the night and holding the potty for me to pee while my eyes are still closed, unlike Edmund now. They must've seen the pampers as one of the greatest inventions back then. Let me tell you, it sure saved them a lot of sleepless nights and stained sheets.

Given my extraordinary size for a 7 year old that time, dad always purchased the biggest sized pampers from the kid's section and when I grew out of that, dad had to resort to old folk's pampers, the smallest size which fitted me comfortably, mind you. Funny, I didn't feel embarrassed back then, even when I was holding dad's arm in the supermarket while he expresses his problem to the saleswoman, most of whom gave an understanding laugh before hurrying away to get the suitable size. I still battled with my unmanageable midnight mess when I moved to Grace's room, leaking every now and then, causing mom and dad their precious sleep to clean the bed and my buttocks. Considering how much milk I drank (before bed) back then too, my leakages were pretty huge that I get my whole body drenched sometimes, often needing dad to clean my whole body with a wet towel while I'm still halfway dreamy.

Mom and dad made the right choice when they didn't tear open the plastic cover of the mattress then, saving them from stains on my mattress. I was such a frequent leaker that my bolster had a certain smell that I could recognize even after washing it. You can bet I was dead embarrassed among my cousins like Carina and Adrian as they were younger and they proved to be far more independent than I was but... that was then! Can't remember exactly how or what made me learned but I'm clean now. Clean to the extent that I didn't even need to clear the bladder every night before climbing into bed - unlike many other little boys back then. I suppose I just decided that I'll hold it every night, huh? Didn't even wore pyjamas with an open fly as I really could pull through the night without making pit stops to the toilet, even under circumstances like an extremely cold room. Pretty neat, don't you think?

So two nights ago, Edmund had another one of his huge leaks, seeing that he just had supper and he just had his medicines, consuming a lot of water after that. As usual, I didn't realize anything while snoring away on the pullout bed. I'm a log, so I never notice anything when I'm asleep. Sometimes I don't even realize other people waking me up until like the hundredth time they yell into my ears but let's leave that for some other time. Like previous nights too, he occupied the top bed. I really didn't feel anything until I felt squishy and got irritated with my wet back. At that point, I thought I was sweating and didn't put much thought into it. I only woke up furious when I realized that the bedrooms light were switched on and dad was standing above me wiping the bed, stripped off its sheets, with a piece of rag. "Did he get any on you?" was all I remember dad asking before I started yelling in disgust and hurriedly taking my shirt off!

Yeap, I got my brother peed on me (now that's the first!).

He was just pulling up his fresh pants at the door when I shot him a poisonous look, trying my best to hold back the cussing. Of course, Edmund retreated and spent the rest of the night in the parent's room while I spent mine, miserably, on a couple of pillows on the floor as the bottom bed was wet as well. I really don't want to know how his pissed could get on my back but I'm guessing that it overflowed at the top bed and flowed down to my place, ruining the pillows, the sheets and me. That little git didn't feel anything close to a remorse or whatsoever when I ~~picked him up and shook him furiously, almost choking him in the neck~~ scolded him the next day. Instead, he took it as a threat towards me, telling me that he'll piss on me more if I don't hand him the remote, that evening. I told him I'll shit on him if he says another word.

Akak's grumbling and my wrath got him sleeping at the bottom last night. We're not letting history repeat itself.

P.S. : Still surprised he didn't request to go back to mom and dad's place. Let's see how long he can last.

When The Going Gets Tough, Get Pro.

2007-04-02T19:49:00.000+08:00

Yeah, baby *Austin Powers mode*!

Never thought I'd ever lived to see this day but it happened! Gee, I grew up thinking that no Malaysians like me would ever afford a Pro account as it requires payment in USD, quietly putting it off from my mind. Let's just say, having parents who are skeptics when it comes to any online transactions to the point where they've never even tried it before, the idea of purchasing anything online seems impossible! But who would've ever thought! Yeap, it's true! You're looking at it! I've gone Pro on Flickr on the 1st of April and it feels as good as I've always imagined it would be!

Thanks to a certain someone whom I do not wish to reveal, I no longer need to deal with limited space, restricted uploads and am able to create countless of sets! Of course, it's only for a year but you can bet I'm gonna make lemonade with lemons! That person's kind and warm gesture was because that person believed in me. That person really believes that I have talent and really hopes to see me pursue it further. This not-so-little-gift-to-me was an act of courage - a leap of faith on me, more like it, to see me grow in an area that I'm talented in. Honestly, I've never believed that I have any talents to speak off. Even if someone else saw it, I'd say it was sharpened. But not this time. That person's gesture proved that I really do have talents - as little as it may seem. Definitely a boost on my confidence.

Though, I may still have a few setbacks that might deter my production now and then. Like how my computer is slow and that it can barely support the weight of Photoshop running on it, but I'm definitely not complaining. I mean, the only thing I can do is to see this as a blessing from God. I'm sure not everyone is as lucky as me to have someone sponsor them a Pro account on the account of being only a photography enthusiast. Mind you, I still do not consider myself a photographer (in my own terms) let alone a pro! Currently, I haven't got the time to explore all the capabilities offered in a Pro account but I'm going to do so, soon.

Truth to be told, I'm not going to be posting on Flickr daily, or rather, I wouldn't have the time to be editing photos all the time and posting them on Flickr. I still have schoolwork, tuition classes and grades to upkeep at school, apart of other things that is. I know this is good encouragement but I simply cannot just spend all my time there, as tempting as it appears to me. One thing's for sure, I'll be able to expand my display of work from now on and I'm hoping to see improvement in the months to come. I've been working on some portraiture, landscape, still life, and animals lately (never got the courage to post them up as I've always battled with space!) and I'm looking forward to have them up on Flickr, soon. A wider range of subjects sounds like a good idea to compliment my new Pro account, doesn't it?

After all, I have all the space I need, man!

Meet the Fosters.

2007-03-27T19:20:00.000+08:00

As I've mentioned in the previous post, I had 2 foreign friends - imported all the way from Thailand - with me for the past week for a brief duration of 4 days. Originally, I cringed at the mention of Thailand students coming instead of what I (and everyone else) had in mind - foreign students from the Western countries. Honestly, I've never had an encounter with Siamese ever before in my entire life. So it's not a surprise when what I initially had in mind of them were skimpily dressed people with dirt on their faces and fingertips coming from a small village of only a mere 500 families, where everyone knew each other and bicycles were the main means of transport and computers were a far sight. Plus those torn clothing and worn-out slippers. I was more worried about their communication skills that I thought they'd probably be fumbling with their English vocabulary, pausing for moments and scratching their heads while looking at the sky, trying to figure out the next word to stumble out from their parched lips.

Forgive me for having such perceptions but I really can't help it.

Thankfully though, my ultimate fears didn't come true. In fact, Jack and Ton (annoyingly enough, they all seem to have at least one single-syllable nickname!) were nothing short when it comes to communicating with their English. Of course, there's the expected occasional stutter, what-is-that-word moments and the heavy accents but other than that, they're fine young Siamese people who have successfully changed my perception of them! Fortunately for me too, as I found out later, it's not their first time in Penang. Ton (pronounced as Toh-n) was only here last October. So there wasn't any need for me to take them sightseeing anymore, considering that they've been to all the tourist spots in Penang. All we did was laze around shopping malls that were close by. I did manage to bring them to the cinema for a little cinematic experience. Mr. Bean's Holiday was the best I could come up with - a really easy-going movie without long dialogues or complicated plots.

After all, they would probably have trouble grappling with the storyline without the aid of Siam subtitles, which, in this case didn't require much! Mr. Bean's antics are pretty much self-explanatory.

Coming from a not-so-popular southern part of Thailand, Ranong, a province well-known for its fishing industry, they're not as outdated as what I would've expected. My two foreign friends, apparently, are both computer persons too, much to my delight! Jack, a guitar fanatic, spends most of his time online chatting and learning new guitar pieces while Ton, on the other hand, a football fanatic, spends most of his time playing games, online or otherwise. Football game that is. Still, they're both not fans of the entertainment industry. At least not the English one. They churn down more on their local music and movie industry rather than the international one. Maybe they're just doing their bid on supporting their local entertainment industry or that it's in their nature not to be attracted to the outside world. The last English movie Jack remembers watching was American Pie and I'm assuming it's the 1st movie! Though, they both did watch Shutter (my favorite horror flick!) before, nodding they're head knowingly when I mentioned!

You see, the both of them are pretty much rich kids. What I initially thought were their houses - little huts build from planks hidden at the mouth of caves where they live off natural resources (bat droppings?!) - were actually 4 storeyed brick houses, complete with Playstations even. They sound more like bungalows to me, despite Jack refusing to admit that it's a bungalow. Another thing about these Thai children is that they (obviously!) come from a well-off family (preferably born with a silver spoon in their mouth!) who are not hesitant to ~~splurge~~ invest all the money they have on their child's education. From what they mentioned, both Jack's and Ton's parents are sending them out of Thailand to pursue their studies in the near future! Jack will be proceeding to America (for real!) for a year under the student exchange program while Ton will be heading out to Penang, Malaysia again in May to continue his studies in a Chinese school. Dad says it's because they think that the prospects of studying overseas seem brighter for them.

Did I mention? They're parents are businessmen and businesswomen!

When I questioned them about their experience at our school, what they said weren't exactly surprising. Claiming that the school students were noisy, bombarding the two poor creatures with multiple questions and that at one point they began to find it irritating. Whereas the condition of the school was fairly identical to theirs. Mind you, my school has one of the most notorious toilets compared to other schools and surprisingly, these people didn't find it all that weird or smelly! Vandalism happens at their school too - liquid paper marks across the table, broken windows and broken doors. I'm beginning to think that all schools practically encounter the same problems on vigorous vandals, boastful bullies and truancy, just to name a few. To take in into comparison also, Ton mentioned that their weather, over at Thailand, is much more hotter than what we're experiencing now, which, to us Malaysians is already intolerable to even step out of the house without sunblock.

In short, having them over for as short as 3 days (to be exact) was a refreshing experience. There was definitely a lot of cultural information exchange, which I find hard to remember at this moment. Picking up a few new Thai words (apart from the ubiquitous savadeekha that everyone knows!) as well, mom was more than delighted to have them over. Generally, Thai people are polite and well mannered - just like the Japanese - with their very warm gestures of greetings and expressing of emotions. Friendly and warm, nonetheless. ~~Rich, no doubt!~~ Honestly, I don't think if I can cope up with all the bows and hand gestures! Dad, in return, playing the foster dad received a bag of rice (uncooked, of course) together with a pack of cashew nuts as souvenirs from Thailand. Well, if this is really a part of Thailand they're portraying, I'd want to visit Thailand in no time.

Either way, mom was already eager and looking forward to being the next foster parent, when the opportunity comes.

P.S. : Apparently, mom has made a new acquaintance in Thailand - Ton's mom) when she called over to thank mom for housing her son. Guess where the family will be going for the next holiday cum shopping trip!

Sheer Tiredness.

2007-03-27T16:42:00.000+08:00

Phew. At last, some free and alone time after a hectic couple of weeks. Really. Last night was the first night since I-can't-remember-when I managed to get to bed before the clock struck twelve - and that too needed a lot of contemplating with the books and computer before I actually forced myself to bed. Couldn't remember how long it took before I began salivating all over the pillow but I'm sure it didn't take long for me to fall into the comfort of the bed and the blanket. As far as I can remember, the circles around my eyes were growing alarmingly larger by the day and most of the time, I found myself unable to keep awake (or sane, for that matter!), especially in classes and in the car, where everyone in the family has been complaining about my inadequate and annoying snoring. My immune system wasn't doing much good either after my little episode with the medicine. Yeah, I've recovered but I still feel vulnerable and weak with an awful lot of nauseating moments in the car. I mean, it's only the least to expect with all that disorientated sleep hours, right?

Urgh. School hasn't been really easy on me either. Mind you, I still have quite a number of unwritten essays that's worth a couple of weeks old and mathematical graphs that still requires a lot of fumbling with the rulers and scales and endless calculations. I just can't seem to find the time to sit down and complete them. At this point, I'm really not sure if I'm just giving excuses to myself and allowing myself to neglect my studies or that I really don't have the time to sit down and complete my work. I'll take a little bit of both, thank you. After all, it's not like I put all my time in doing things that I love - editing pictures or blogging - instead of ploughing through History essays. Which reminds me, I just got a bad comment from Mrs. Tan, my almost-expressionless History teacher who speaks with such a monotonous tone, claiming that I've become more talkative than I was last year, resulting me in almost failing my recent history test. She wants me to take note about this matter and wishes to see improvement in the months to come. Oh my. This only proves that I'm falling behind in studies as well.

Recent gossip around the school has also revealed that the school's taking another point of revelation, with the principal planning to upgrade the school status, allowing all the power he needs to cast out any student he wishes, with a flick of a finger, I assume. Further speculation proved that he has the intention to cast out all the bad apples of the school, namely, me. Judging by his speeches during assemblies, I can tell he won't hesitate in discarding the bad ones out of school - and he'll be taking action by the end of the 1st term examinations. If this isn't a depressing piece of news, I don't know what is. I'm just hoping what I hear remains as unsubstantiated news, which I strongly doubt to be unlikely, seeing how most of the fussy old teachers have been mentioning about this matter everytime they curse under their breathe of misbehaviours. I guess I'd better prepare my bags and start packing while I await the letter from the principal himself, sending me off to another new school. Hey, I can cope well with a new environment and I definitely can see the brighter side of things!

Back to being busy, I haven't got much time in my hands ever since that week in KL. I don't even have the time to chow down on some of the latest music release (oh, I'm so far behind on the latest news!). Barely even have the time to spend it in front of the computer to blog or even check my emails. Besides the usual rushing from sports house practices and boring tuition classes that take up pretty much of my time, I was tied down with a pair of Siamese ~~twins~~ friends for the past week. Couldn't remember (apparently, those little hours of sleep I get has been making me forget quite a lot of things too lately!) how I actually volunteered to be a foster family for those exports all the way from Thailand, but I landed with two of them. They were here under a homestay program for about 4 days to attend our school and to experience a different culture of the students here. So basically, the 4 days were just spent roaming the malls - shopping wasn't on their list since, as I've found out from them, the things here are more expensive than the ones back home! We did manage to bond a little and made new friends along the way.

After that tedious 4 days which I only managed skimp through with dangerously insufficient sleep, I still had to attend the school's annual cross-country. Admittedly, I was hoping to be excused from the run, seeing that I was one of the few students who generously volunteered to be foster families for the school's homestay program. The least they could do was offer some allowance, you know. As harsh as it is, the school didn't give special attention to us and expected us to show up like every other student at the designated place. Like last year, Edward made me attend it, with helpless pleas of needing someone to ~~run~~ walk with, instead of being trampled by thousands of testosterone-charged students. Only this year, he showed up and the school changed the venue to a whole run around the Botanical Garden and further which adds up to an excruciating 6km to complete in less than hour! Of course, we completed the track in less than 2 hours (I think!), treading tiredly and dreadfully till the end where we cooled of, puffing and heaving, grasping for fresh air! Mind you, this is coming from a person who doesn't exercise regularly. What happened the rest of the day is available over at his blog. Plus, he provides better pictures than I did!

Just when I thought I had a day off on Sunday, I didn't. I still had to attend a Taoist ritual at amah's after church which was at 7 a.m.. The ritual, as I understood, was to invite the ancestral spirits, apparently to me, living in an old, battered, and blackened plaque lying at the altar in amah's house, to the clan house where a new plaque baring the names of the ancestors will be the spirits' new ~~haunting place~~ home. The ritual, carried out by the Taoist priest was naturally long and boring considering the fact that I don't exactly understand all those prayers recited in weird languages. The main reason the ritual was held was to aid amah in easing her burden of cooking up a ridiculously large feast for the dead every time a significant date approaches. Being herself, she was fairly displeased about the matter as she no longer has a reason to come up with 'a feast fit for a king' anymore and everyone knows her passion is cooking. Sadly, for her, she had to adhere to the voice of her children as one.

So the ritual itself took up the entire morning while Edmund's altar server's meeting in church got me spending my Sunday afternoon toiling in the car seat, struggling to find a comfortable position to sleep in, resulting me in being frustrated instead of getting any nap at all. Besides school being one of my major worries, church is also holding a long list of celebration in the week to come. It's the ending of Lent season and it's going to end with days more commonly known to people like Good Friday and Easter. A whole long list of masses to attend, some of which I have my duty as a Lector rostered. Just last night, I did my confession, in preparation for the celebrations to come. Next weekend too, we have cheng beng (qingming) which I am expected to follow the family to ancestors' tombs to do some clearing up and some offering. As I've mentioned before, we Catholics are (unfortunately) allowed to fulfill filial piety with joss sticks and all, without praying to any of their Gods.

So I guess I won't be seeing any rest anytime soon. Sigh.

P.S. : My limbs are still aching from Saturday's cross country and I still feel sleepy in school!