Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Goodbye 2009..

Thursday 31 December 2009. Like most people, I will join the band wagon of writing their final entry of the year.. Still green in this blogging world, I would keep my blog as short and simple. Let me see.. 2009 was a year of ups and downs for me. I've gained heaps of experience (and kilos). Here are some of my narcissistic highlights in 2009:

  1. Went to Sydney, Australia
  2. Completed my tour of New Zealand (From Wanaka to Cape Reinga)
  3. Survived another year in Uni
  4. Gathered a few Transformers and other action figures
  5. Stayed in Railway Campus
  6. Lost my phone 2 times in a month
  7. Went to see Dream Theater's concert bersama gadis
  8. Went to see WWE Raw 2009 Tour bersama gadis
  9. Acqua di Gio
  10. Satchurator (a lovely present by a lovely lady)
  11. Came back to Malaysia with some slick gadgets.. haha..
  12. Became technically 'broke'
  13. Endured Twilight and New Moon
However, the best highlight would be knowing that someone is there for you whenever you're happy or in trouble (sometimes.. =P)

There you go. My season finale of 2009. Hopefully I can come up with more episodes next year.. I hope that next year will be better and may everyone live happily and peacefully.

Let's roar to the year of the Tiger!! ngauumm!

Saturday, September 5, 2009

A childish blog about an Iban in sydney..




I'm a tv addict. Give me a tv with an astro connection and i can watch it for hours everyday. one of my favourite tv channels in astro is travel and living. I love it when they show me interesting places around the world. I wished i could one day visit some of them. Last week, my wish was granted. I finally got the opportunity to visit Sydney, Australia.
On the eve of Malaysia's 52 National Day, I was on my way to Sydney from auckland. I travelled using Aerolineas Argentinas, a 3-star airline company from South America. I read some reviews about it and found some negative feedback from the customers. With not so high expectations, I boarded the plane. It was not as bad as described by the comments in the internet, but don't expect any young and hot stewardess from our national airline. Got the chance to sit beside and talk to this Peruvian systems engineer who works in Sydney. Gained some info about sydney and his country. By the way, I had some sandwich and some drinks in the plane for free.
After 3 hours, i finally arrived at Sydney airport at 12 pm local time. went through customs and airport security without much hassle. I took the airport link (train) to get to the city. My awesome friend Siong Ning told me to meet at Sydney's Town Hall.
When we met, we went straight to a nearby KFC restaurant for lunch. I must say, the chicken tasted heavenly. Then we took short walk around the city and took a bus to his place. after a dizzy ride from the to city to Marsfield, Ning brought me to his house in Macquarie Village. It was a 5 bedroom house with 5 personal bathroom. How cool is that? I get to meet my other friends like Zaki, Ashwin, and Nuar. I was very priveleged to meet some wonderful people from Hong Kong as well. Justin, Winnie, Iris, and Nick, if i'm correct. Got to know them better during my stay at their house.
That evening, Ning brought me to the birthplace of the famous Hillsong Church. Met some new friends and several friends from Cohort 5. Had a blast there. Very interesting to see the people in the church, with huge crowd and great songs. the experience was uplifting.
After that, Ning and I went home I chit chatted with his housemates. we played cards and and exchanged news and updates. I went to sleep soon after.
on the next day, I went to one of Macquarie's Cohort 4(C4) lectures. Tried to experience the learning knowledge at the uni. Then I got to the rest of C4's members. Took some pictures with them and went sightseeing around the campus. Their campus was lovely. the atmosphere was wonderful and the students were very vibrant.
Not very far to the Uni, there was a shopping complex. According to my resource, it's called the Macquarie Centre (MC). It was a huge shopping complex with a variety of shops. i must it's very convenient and awesome to have a shopping mall in your uni. I went home and was treated to some lovely cooked chicken by the boys in the house. Before going to sleep, I tried to called my loved ones in Auckland but it seems there was a problem with the phone service. I eventually had to use Facebook as a tool for communication.
Next, it was Tuesday. The weather was terrific with clear blue skies. I was going to see the Sydney Opera House. So Ning and I took a train to the city and started my sightseeing in a place called 'The Rocks'. He said it was the place where the Europeans first landed in Australia. There was a lot of old buildings preserved to keep the historic place alive. I noticed a lot of school trips going in that day, too. I saw several students walking around in groups taking pictures. As we went along, I got to see the Sydey's Harbour Bridge. How lovely the sight was. A man-made marvel, i thought.
As we walked along the harbour, there it was. A landmark which frequently appeared in tv and magazine. It was a breath-taking moment for me. I finally got to see it in front of my eyes. The Sydney Opera House, was a glorious looking building. In addition with the perfect weather, it's obvious that I took a lot of pictures of it. the moment of seeing it was hard to describe.
Before heading closer to the opera house, we had lunch at this fine dining restaurant. It was awesome. I ordered the a crayfish risotto with mushroom and caviar. Sounds funky, eh? the taste waste absolutely heavenly. Can't wait to make it by myself later.
After that and some more photos, we finally arrived at the opera house. there were several shops and restaurants around it, making it a busy and lively place. Tourists kept flooding the the opera house, taking pictures one after another. I found out that the roof of the building is made tiles similar to the ones that is used in restrooms and kitchens. To be honest, the closer you get to the opera house, it looks less flattering. Nevertheless, it was still and mind-blowing experience to be able to touch it. hahaha..


My next stop was manly Beach. We went ther by ferry. it's less popular than Bondi Beach, but it's still awesome. A great place to chill out with friends and loved ones, it offers a great beach with white sands and turqoise blue water. Since it was still early in spring, there was nothing much to see.. hehehe.. Anyway, had a delicious fish and chips at a nearby open air restaurant.
on the way back to the city, I was very lucky to catch the sunset overlooking circular quay. The view of Sydney harbour and the Bridge was mesmerizing. and that was the end of my sightseeing trip on Tuesday.
On wednesday, we went to explore the other side of the city. We began trip with a brunch in Japanese restaurant. Ning told me that they make the best ramen in Sydney. I had this ramen with soy sauce soup with condiments. My verdict says the restaurant really lives up to its reputation. After adding a few pounds, we went straight to Hyde Park, a place where locals love to enjoy the sun. Around the park there were several awesome landmarks such as the museum and sydney tower, and St. Mary's Cathedral. The cathedral was beautiful. I got to see the inside of the building. It was an inspiring experience. A statue of the Pope is located outside of the cathedral, giving a nice touch to the cathedral as well.
after that, we visited the Art Gallery. there were heaps of beautiful paintings and sculptures inside the building. several arts students were attentively making some scetches and drawings, inspired by the paintings.
after admiring some wonderful art in the gallery, we walked our way to the Farm Cove to see more lovely sceneries of the opera house and the bridge. too bad i didn't get to see the Mrs Macquarie Chair due to time constraints. We finish our journey that day by treating ourselves with a chocoholic galore in Max Brenner. superb chocolate-y waffles and drinks.


on thursday, I had a solo trip to Australia's oldest uni, Sydney University. My friends like to refer it as Hogwarts Uni, due to the old buildings around the campus which looked like the buildings in Harry Potter's movie. I think my friend Kazar studied here before. Bought myself some souvenirs from the uni shop before heading to the city again.





it was not a pleasant day to sightsee that afternoon because it was raining. since it was my last opportunity to walk around sydney i had to endure it anyways. I went to Darling harbour to meet Ning again and see some lovely places such as the Chinese Garden of Friendship, Paddy's market, fish market, Chinatown, as well as the harbour. the chinese garden has a spectacular koi pond, surrounded by lovely flowers and trees. I bought some souvenirs in Paddy's and had a glorious eating experince at fish market where i enjoyed a lobster, some oysters and baby octopi. the Chinese food in Chinatown was scruptuos too. A special mention to the Emperor's puff, which tasted like our lovely kaya balls back in Malaysia. Before going home, we took several pictures at the harbour.

The night before returning back to Auckland, the housemates and I had a great feast of pizza and a whole chicken. We talked and talked before I fell asleep. Overall, it was an awesome experience and i enjoyed i very much. I wished i had more time in Sydney but the flight tickets didn't allow me. i would definitely come back if opportunity arises.

Tata..

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Sleepy..

Feeling sleepy.. I'm going to have my sleep now.. Good night everyone..

Friday, June 5, 2009

Maybelline? MAC? Dior? Mustika Ratu?

Ever heard of foot binding? Did you know some Asian women wear metal rings to elongate their necks? I love trivial facts. I found these facts from a student magazine. They are about weird stuffs related to beauty. Some are quite shocking!

  1. In ancient Greece, the unibrow was prized among women as a sign of intelligence and beauty. Those who lack this attribute routinely close the gap with kohl or lampblack.
  2. Several Egyptian queens donned false gold beards on important occasions because facial hair was seen as a sign of intelligence and beauty in ancient Egypt.
  3. It was considered fashionable to fake eyebrows made from the skin of mice in the 18th century.
  4. During the Renaissance, fake beauty marks became popular. Small circles of black velvet were used to hide ox scars, warts, and pimples.
  5. Silk stockings were severely rationed during WW2. Thus, women would use gravy browning or strong tea to dye their legs.
  6. It is believed that Cleopatra wore red lipsticks made from crushed carmine beetles mixed with ant's eggs. Nowadays, fish scales are commonly used as an ingredient for lipsticks. Pearl essence? It's the euphemism for fish scales.
  7. Digest this. Cerebrosides, used in many skin care products to increase moisture retention and smoothen the skin, are made from the brain cells and other nervous system of cattle and swines. Icky eh?
  8. Check this one: David Beckham's wife is reported to pay $200 a session to get bird poo smeared on her face. Nightingale droppings have been used by Japanese geishas as a cleanser. The product has been introduced in the western society, where the guanine, an enzyme found in the poo, is believed to be able to make the skin smooth and supple. Hmm, I think I'll stick with Nivea.
  9. I have an assignment due in 3 hours. I'm procrastinating by writing this article. Smart, right?

A summary of May..

A few important and novelty issues prevented me from posting new entries since the past few weeks. However, I feel it is important to highlight several events in the month of May this year.
First, I turned 23 last month. From the child who was grumpy and at times, silly, to the still consistent childish and short-fused me. And it was my first time receiving a fragrance for my birthday. LOvE iT!! tengkiu.. = )

Second, it was the finale of the Barclays Premier League and Champions League. Man Utd managed to retained the first trophy but unfortunately we were badly beaten by Barcelona in Rome. It sucked so hard but the better team that day won. I guess the pressure was too much for my team. There's always another season.

Finally, the season finale of Prison Break. The standalone episode (or movie) was awesome. It was heart breaking to see the main character did not survive the escape. Anyway, kudos to the writers, production crew, and casts for making Prison Break one the best TV series I've ever watched.

These are some the events which happened last month. Couldn't recall other stuffs due to lack of time and elaboration. I would post an interesting article next.

Cheers!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Thank you, Scrubs..

5.55am..
Woke up this morning for my school experience. Became the sleeping gambler and eventually went to shower at 6.30. Packed all at the things i could remember. With some stuffs on my hand we walked to Wakefield Street for our bus. Arghh.. Nasty words started popping in my head. I persevered.
7.47am.. (i guess)
Sat in the bus with a headache. Should be sleeping, or watched the Man Utd game, I thought. But, I was still rational enough to go to Mount Roskill Grammar School.
8.25am..
Got out from the bus. Vapor started coming out from my mouth and nostrils. Always wanted to do this. But I didn't think about how cold it would be. My face was freezing. My weakness to cold weather seems hard to overcome.
8.40am..
The six of us arrived at the school's reception. I sat at the waiting lounge. Grabbed a student-made portfolio about the school's achievement. Unwanted sounds were heard. Too bad I could understand it. Agitated, uneasy, I persevered until our in-charge teacher came to stop the suffering.
9.00am..
My first class observation was in Mr. Scroff's class (pardon the spelling, still finding out his real spelling).It was an ESOL class. International students learning English. Had a lot of funny moments. It was fascinating to see how the students think. Reminded me on how I behaved at school when I was in Miri (best of times).
9.50am..
The next class was an ESOL Maths' class. The students were learning about fractions. I like the way Mr. Scroff taught the students. With almost 40 years of teaching experience, it is great to see him effectively using simple words to deliver his lesson.
Around 11am..
After our coffee break, we went to Miss Mary's English class (I hope I got her name right..). The class was ok. Few students were misbehaving, which is normal for any class in the world. Nothing much to say because it was 'normal'.
12pm..
Went back to Mr Scroff's class in D11. A beginner's English lesson, I must say. It was about past tense, the four seasons and a little bit of poem. The class was great. Several students gave funny comments and answers during the class. Priceless. However, there was a was-not-supposed-to-be-here individual who pissed me off. It is not the teacher, it is not the students (Maybe a mix of both?). Sleeping during inappropriate times is bad. It becomes worse when you are the last person expected to sleep in the classroom. What the heck? What kind of attitude is this? Shameful, disgusting, and absurdly PATHETIC! At least show some respect, you wretched pain in the *somewhere*!!

1.10pm
Lunch break. Chaos in school. Students scattered everywhere. There was a sausage sizzle fundraising at the quad. Only four of us were at the staff room. Had my own-made fried rice for brunch. Yum. The usual talking and gossiping. Still couldn't get myself over with that piece of crap..
2pm..
Silent-student reading period. More like a settle-down and chit-chat period. Fair enough. It was followed by Mr. Scroff's 'remedial' class. It was for senior students who need extra tutoring in English. I gained few insights about teaching 'critical' students. There were extremely funny, though. I wish they could put on some effort to help themselves (this advice goes to myself, too.). Oh, yes. That pathetic crap was in the class, again.
3.10pm.
School ends. Met Miss O'Connor for a short briefing. Asked us if we have choosed any teacher for our final week in the school. Was going to tell Miss O'Connor about our decision until a brainless dimwit spoiled it. Huh. It could have been a good school experience but there's always the plain stupidity you can't get away with.
3.45pm..
Finally freeing myself, walked a few minutes from the school and bought butter chicken with rice. A moment of panic looking for my bus ticket but everything was fine.
4.30pm..
Queen Street. The place where I do a lot of investments. My purchase of the day was the Rockband Track Pack Vol. 2 from Dick Smith. Had dinner at Revive at took the Link Bus to Vector Arena from Britomart (cheapskate, eh?).
6.30pm..
Home sweet home. Tired, mild headache and emotionally compromised. Changed my clothes and started my dose of the world wide web. Found out that Manchester United won and we need 1 more point to seal the Premier League title. Read some news and gossips.
8pm..
Scrubs. Watched it since secondary school. Never missed any episodes. 8 years of fantastic episodes. And I watched the season finale (or maybe its series finale). Made me feel good again. My anger and hatred subsided. A really great ending on the final episode of season 8. Thank you, Scrubs..

Sunday, May 3, 2009

May, the month of rounding up..

Fast forward and it's almost the middle of the year. I still remember I had to work on New Year's Eve (how unlucky..). Anyways it's May. Some interesting events will happen in this month. Most of them will affect my life. Below I have listed some of them..

  1. The Barclays Premier League season finale: This one will be awesome, if and only of Manchester United can win it, which I believe should be easy. Liverpool, you can stop making false hopes and wait for another season or decade. Man Utd are in great form right now and with Hull City being their last opponent, I can see Premier League trophy going back to Old Trafford for the 3rd consecutive years.
  2. Champions League: Oh yeah. This is big. The second leg is on Wednesday and with a 1-0 advantage I hope Man Utd can get through the finals. And I really, really hope that they can defend the title 'Champions of Europe'. However I should not put high hopes on this one because anything can happen at this stage. But my gut feeling says that Man Utd will do something they do best; breaking records and making history. So all the true footballing fans out there: let's hope Man Utd will lift the Champs League trophy in Rome!!
  3. Scrubs (probably) and Prison Break is coming to an end. Sad but true, but two of my favourite tv shows will show its series finale very soon. A very huge appreciation for the writers of both these series for making them brialliant and superb. Very fresh and entertaining, I hope upcoming tv series can use Scrubs and Prison Break as benchmarks to satisfy viewers like me. Looking forward to see what happens to JD and Michael Schofield and Co. Oh, yes. A special mention to Supernatural, Smallville and Heroes which have almost or already completed their current season. A job well done, writers!
So far, these are the ones I could recall at the moment. God's willing, I hope Man Utd will win both of the titles and I can't wait to see my fav tv series finale's episodes. Peace!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Another cliche: Judging a book by its cover..

Yes indeed. I'm sure everyone has done this. Making predisposition on someone you first met or saw. At times you may be right about your judgment, but most of the time it turns out to be completely the opposite. This pleasurable guilt is almost too hard to resist. Especially if you see someone 'strange' or 'ugly'. I admit that I'm prejudice most of the time. Voluntarily, or involuntarily. Thus, when I saw this one particular video on the web, I'm very ashamed of myself.

Meet Susan Boyle. A 47 year old lady from Glasgow. Unemployed, never been kissed, she is one of the contestant for Britain's Got Talent 2009. It looked as everyone, including me, was against her. Everyone laughed at her. What a joke, they thought. And then she sang. Everyone was blown away. I was brought into tears. Such beautiful and lovely voice.

I'm sorry for being prejudice against you. Susan Boyle, I wish you all the best!

p/s: to see her video, go to this link-->http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9lp0IWv8QZY

Monday, March 30, 2009

Maori Experience Weekend..

Few weeks ago my friends and I went to experience a cultural trip in one Maori Village somewhere in North Shore, Auckland. Pardon me for this scrappy post. I should have posted this earlier. However my procrastination always seems to get the best of me. Therefore I'll make this short. Overall it was a great trip. Learned some new things such as doing the 'hangi' (mother nature's own oven), weaving flax leaves, and doing the haka. The best thing though was able to get my 8 hours sleep. Here are some of the pictures I've taken during the trip.


Group photo taken in front of the 'marae'..




A view of Auckland City from the Harbour Bridge..



I wished they can put 'Selamat Datai' as well..





Me and Nigel carrying plywood for the fire..



Layering the food on top of skin burning loads of metal rods..



Before..



After.. succulent chicken drums and lamb..



Walking through the tracks of nature..





How's my flax weaving skills?

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Theatre of Dreams..


Red Devils: God's Favourite Football Club..

There's a certain red football club in the Barclays Premier League (BPL) associated with the devil. Ironically, it seems that God is a great supporter of this team. It's local rival, a smaller blue team, is somewhat failing to produce any good results after splashing millions of pounds on overrated players. Other clubs envy them, try to copy them, try to dismantle them, but still they are yet to show any signs of misfuctioning. Manchester United is undisputedly the greatest football team on Earth.


Common sight every year..

As you can see from my intro, I am a self-confessed Red Devils fan. I may not be the most fanatic, knowledgeable, greatest of all the 80 million supporters globally, but I must say that they are very entertaining to watch and would give you a great rush of adrenaline in your body. Watching them play for the first time when I was in high school (thank you Astro) was the moment I fell in love with this club. I get to know prolific players such as Beckham, Dwight Yorke, Cantona, Charlton, and a boy called Ronaldo. Then there are living legends who are still playing until now. All hail Giggs and Scholes. These are among the great players who have contributed all their sweat and tears for the club. With their passion and skills, they dominated the pitch like Alexander the Great going to war. Since then, I would try to watch as many games that they were playing.


In the past few years, Manchester United have been to a lot of ups and downs, mostly ups. Record after record is being created, or bettered, trophies and awards have been collected all around the world, individually, or as a team. Such a magnificient feat for a team to achieve an explosion of recognition. About ten years ago, Manchester United Football Club had the honour of achieving something yet to be duplicated by any other team. That's winning the treble, of course. The FA Cup, Premier League, and Champions League during the season of 98/99. Last year, they've won the Premier League and Champions League, on both competitions leaving Chelsea in second place.



King of Kings..

Looking at the present, Man Utd are now deemed by the media as a possible candidate of achieving the quintiple, winning five trophies in one season. After winning the World Club Fifa Championship in Japan and Carling Cup, will they be able to get their hands on the FA Cup, Barclays Premier League and Champions League? I must say it's crazy, but not impossible. Early this season, I did not expect Man Utd to come this far. All I ever wanted this season is just another trophy. Just one. But it seems that they can always go beyond expectations. After other clubs spent some money on talented players, I thought this is going to be a challenging year for us. But look at the situation now. The Red Devils are going to face Internazionale in the 2nd leg of the Champs League quarter finals, looking good to win the BPL, and have a high possibility of lifting the FA Cup in Wembley when May comes. I would like to use a quote from the greatest football manager of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson, 'Football, bloody hell!'.




Winning the Champs League: Priceless..

Well, nothing's impossible. If they win the quintiple, I'll be the happiest person among my friends who support other English teams. I'm looking forward to rub some dirt on their faces when their team do not win any trophies this season. On the other hand, if they did not win the remaining trophies, I'm still going to rub dirt on their faces when my team comes top on my fantasy football league at the end of this season.



Cristiano Ronaldo preparing for Champs League..



Footnote: This blog should not be taken emotionally. Don't feel too offended if you're not a Manchurian. You can write a blog and talk about how great your club is. (which i've done doing.)

Saturday, February 7, 2009

Waiheke Island..

Last week my friends and I had a group trip to Waiheke Island. There was an exhibition about huge sculptures around the island. Initially I thought it was not as fun as I expected. Dark and cloudy skies that morning seemed to foil my plans to go there. Our ferry from Auckland to Waiheke Island was supposed to depart at 10am. My watch showed 9.50am after Acap and I returned our rented car (that we used to move to Railway Campus few days earlier). I said we wouldn't make it. Strangely, we ran to the ferry terminal like fugitives, hoping for something good to happen. Running early in the morning with jandals without any warm up is not a good idea for anyone. Once at the ticketing counter, the lady said the next ferry is due in an hour. Aiyoyo.. I said to myself. Then a loud voice started calling my name. As usual it was Sheryll who came to the rescue again. She was shouting from the ferry gate, waving her hands like mad for us. After heaps of twists and turns, I finally boarded the ferry which headed to Waiheke Island, along with my other friends.



One of the views on top of the ferry..


After approximately 40 minutes, we arrive at the Waiheke Ferry terminal. A beautiful place, i must say. We were greeted by a few lovely ducks moving smoothly on the crystal clear waters.



approaching waiheke island..


waiheke ferry terminal..





We started our exhibition trail walking alongside the coastland. and there was the first sculpture. it was a dog (i guess..) made from railway tracks.




an expensive art/flop? : 50 000 dolars


another sculpture: man with a thousand eyes looking at the Waiheke harbour..



it would be easy for rescuers to find fancy boats like this one in the sea.




what's the metaphor behind this?


my favourite.. army meerkats.. haha..


world domination?


Sheryll: the cheerful Mona Lisa?




wood plane which couldn't fly..




being one with nature..



drowning heads..


this one seems quite creepy..

After completing our tour of the exhibition, we went to a beach nearby. It's so lovely. Nice weather. I couldn't resist the temptation of swimming in the turqoise blue water. I just wish I had brought my spare clothes, though.. haha..


which way is the beach..




nice..



hopefully Tanjung Kidurong will be like this one day..

After spending time in the waters, we went to town to have our lunch. Then we went straight back to the ferry terminal to return to our beloved..




AUCKLAND!

Festival Makanan Laut di Viaduct Harbour..

Hola.. accidentally woke up early on a Sunday morning. Well, i might just well spend some time here then. Few weeks ago I went to the Auckland Seafood Festival. It was held near the Viaduct Basin. Obviously my main purpose of going there was to get cheap or free seafood. A one dolar crayfish would be good. haha. Unfortunately, the food was drying up wallet (including the 15 dolar door tickets). A salmon kebab costs me 2 dolars, a paellla (a rice dish cooked on a large pan) was 12 dolars, and some seafood sandwich punched me 6 dolars. As a consolation, I sampled lots of smoked salmon, tuna with crackers and mussels.


this is where the paella was cooked.. tastes like seafood beryani..



The above picture shows the 'Blessing of the Fleet' ceremony. It's a ceremony for the people to remember loved ones who have died in the sea making sure everyone is able to enjoy fresh, yummy seafood.




this is the Viaduct Basin. Lots of luxury boats and yatches here. Hopefully to have one or more myself in the future. hahaha..






Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Fact: Higher Blood Pressure=Low IQ..

In his research, Jason Allaire, an Assistant Professor of Psychology at North Carolina State University suggests that 'If you have high blood pressure, on days when your blood pressure spikes higher than normal, cognitive ability is worse than normal. (M2 Magazine, 2009).

This shows that if you always feel angry, restless, or irritated, you may be less clever than you'd supposed to be. I believe my cognitive abilities have yet to find its peak because of my temper. I get angry over trivial stuffs, on top of crucial ones. I can see most students like me are somewhat depressed about their life. Why is that? Maybe it's because how things have changed since their childhood. No more easy money from their parents, no guaranteed food everyday for them to eat, or thinking about what their life would be in the future.

In my humble opinion, depression could be a sign of humans incapable of achieving their own made standards, which no one in the world could achieve. They always assume they have failed miserably because plans did not go their way. When their depressed, their blood pressure becomes higher thus making them less intelligent.

I admit that when I'm 'less intelligent' i'll go berserk. I'd say bad things, have bad thoughts, and punch a wall or two. People surrounding me will be affected. Further damage will be done if they couldn't understand me or I couldn't understand them. As you can see it's not a good thing to do if your trying to be a role model.

So, how do we prevent this? Chill out. Try to be calm as possible. Don't add the spark if there's fuel on the floor. Go the gym. Play counter strike. Play football. In the end, you'll be fine again. And your ready to attempt of becoming a smart guy again.

p/s: pardon my negative emotions in this blog. feeling a bit tensed right now. haha. might go kick some balls later.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Aiyoyo, Teknologi..

When I was in primary school, I am always fascinated with radio cassettes. It was considered 'cool' during those days. It was very difficult for me to ask my parents to buy one. As far as I can remember, my first cassette was one of the previous Backstreet Boys' albums. I played it over and over in my dad's car. I also bought the 'Power Rangers the Movie' original soundtrack. I bought it because I'm a great fan of the first generation of the Power Rangers franchise. Go White Ranger!!

During boarding school, my main source of entertainment was from my walkman. I think I had 5 walkmans because I lost 4 of them. My first walkman was given by mother. It was made by Avon, a company which deals mainly with cosmetics. The walkman had a built-in speaker in a shape of a heart. I had a problem with my self-esteem then. haha. And then i realised that i'm a gadget freak. Always looking for the big brands, cool functions and great designs (To be honest, I have a bad habit of showing off, huu..). My last walkman was an Aiwa, fully digital, with silver metal finish and a cool graphic display.

Few years later, MP3s were making waves all around the world. And what better way to join the band wagon than buying an MP3 player. My first MP3 player had a capacity of storing approximately 90 songs. That's a lot, i said to myself, comparing it to radio cassettes. How things have changed within a few years. My current MP3 player can hold up to about 2700 songs.

It's quite amazing how people can think of making these gadgets and technology. I wonder what's in-store for us in the future. Maybe a device which can interpret our personality and plays songs which compliment it.

p/s: I'm hoping for a faster and bigger internet bandwitdh in the future.

Sunday, January 11, 2009

budaya minum kopi..


hoho.. berjaya juga saya menulis blog baru pada minggu ni.. ketika membazir masa melihat gambar di laptop, saya terjumpa gambar yang menunjukkan beberapa minuman yang dibuat oleh saya.. *lihat gambar di atas*

di dalam gambar ini terdapat minuman seperti double shot (cawan kecil kiri), latte (cawan besar), flat white (cawan kecil kanan), dan coklat panas.

apa yang menarik perhatian saya tentang gambar ini adalah bagaimana budaya minum kopi di malaysia berbeza di new zealand. di new zealand, kopi dibuat melalui roses yang agak lama. biji kopi terlebih dahulu dikisar, susu dipanaskan sehingga berbuih, dan cawan yang digunakan dipanaskan. orang di new zealand agak mengambil kira kualiti kopi yang mereka minum. kuantiti susu pula akan menghasilkan variasi rasa dan tekstur kerana kepekatan kopi yang berbeza. mereka dapat mengesan kualiti kopi yang baik atau yang kurang enak.

di malaysia pula, kopi hanya ibarat minuman biasa yang dibayangi oleh minuman lain. secara amnya, teh tarik mungkin lebih popular di malaysia. Hanya dua jenis kopi yang biasa dikenali di malaysia, kopi 'o' atau kopi susu. mungkin 'neslo' boleh dianggap mocha atau macchiato malaysia. Cara penyediaan kopi agak mudah di malaysia berbanding di new zealand. kopi segera boleh didapati hampir semua kedai runcit atau pasaraya. tambah sahaja gula dan air panas.

walaupun terdapat perbezaan yang agak ketara dari segi penyediaan, rasa, dan juga penilaian, yang penting kopi dapat dijadikan alat komunikasi yang efektif. pergi sahaja ke warung atau restoran. pasti ada sekumpulan warga emas atau warga belia menikmati secawan atau segelas kopi bersama kenalan atau sanak keluarga. apa yang penting di sini adalah kopi akan menjadi lebih sedap jika dinikmati bersama rakan2 atau insan tersayang.

p/s: minum teh 'c' peng ketika sarapan harus dicuba semua orang..

Saturday, January 3, 2009

pantai takapuna.. cantik..





Pada hari ini, saya bangun pukul 7 pagi. Saya bangun awal kerana saya akan pergi makan angin di pantai takapuna bersama ain, nisah dan haniff.

kami berkumpul di bawah mount terrace pada pukul 9 pagi dengan barang masing-masing serta bekalan untuk dimakan di destinasi nanti. Saya singgah sebentar di kedai runcit untuk membeli air mineral dan air bikarbonat. Kemudian, kami menaiki bas ke stesen Britomart Auckland.

Setibanya di sana, kami baru dapat tahu bahawa perhentian bas ke takapuna terletak beberapa meter dari britomart. Kami berjalan lebih kurang lima minit untuk sampai ke situ. sementara menunggu bas, kami bergosip tentang isu-isu semasa. Tidak lama kemudian, kami pun menaiki bas yang membawa kami ke pantai tersebut.

Selepas mengucapkan terima kasih kepada pemandu bas, kami turun di sebuah terminal bas. Kami ternampak sebuah pasar tamu yang agak sibuk. ramai pengunjung datang untuk membeli barang-barang seperti pakaian, barangan antik, sayur-sayuran serta buah-buahan. Nisah dan Haniff tidak melepaskan peluang membeli buah strawberi yang segar.

Selepas itu, barulah kami mencari jalan ke pantai takapuna. Selepas berjumpa dengan seorang mak cik yang menunjukkan arah ke pantai, barulah kami sampai. Saya berasa amat teruja melihat keindahan pantai takapuna. Air laut yang baru, angin sepoi-sepoi bahasa itali, dan pokok-pokok redup antara ciri-ciri pantai tersebut.

Kami berempat berehat di bawah pokok-pokok yang redup. Perkara pertama yang kami buat adalah makan. Hidangan istimewa pada hari ini adalah nasi lemak. Kami makan dengan seronok sambil diiringi snek sampingan seperti keropok udang mamee, biskut almond london, dan buah strawberi. Oleh sebab saya makan terlalu cepat, saya mula menimang-nimang bola di tepi.



Selepas menenangkan perut kami yang bergolak dengan bergosip, kami pun berjalan-jalan di persisiran pantai. Kami hairan mengapa air laut agak sejuk sedangkan hari begitu panas terik. Kami berjalan sehingga sampai di sebuah cerun yang cantik. kami mengambil peluang untuk mengambil beberapa foto. Seperti biasa, saya membuat aksi-aksi menarik untuk sesi fotografi.





Apabila kami kembali semula di tempat kami berteduh, kami berborak-borak dan menikmati aiskrim. Kemudian kami berkemas untuk meronda-ronda persekitaran. Semasa berjalan-jalan di bandar yang berhampiran, kami tiba di sebuah kedai farmasi. Farmasi tersebut sedang mengadakan jualan minyak wangi. Saya terjumpa sebotol minyak wangi yang agak sedap baunya. Dengan harga yang sukar ditandingi, saya pun membeli minyak wangi tersebut.



dengan hati yang gembira, kami pun kembali semula ke rumah. Kami amat seronok berjalan-jalan di takapuna sambil menikmati keindahan pantai. Saya berharap agar dapat kembali semula dan mandi-manda di pantai.

Friday, January 2, 2009

As Seen on TV..


halo.. apa khabar? i believe this is my first post in this blog (even though i've signed up last year). So, there will be some cacat cela here and there in this one. Harap dimaafkan ya. And I dunno when will the next post will be published because i have been inconsistent in doing lots of stuffs. I prefer to do it go with the flow. So far 2008 was a great year for me. Mungkin agak cliche, but i have defintely gained lots of experience in everything. At the time of writing this, I just figured out how to upload pictures on blogs. haha..

As u can see from this picture, this is me during the Santa's Auckland Parade last December. It was a very hot day. I got sunburn on my hands and face. Tapi xpe.. yang penting I want to use this picture as a motivator for me to be healthy and fit this year. Hopefully I can gain some more muscles before returning to Malaysia. haha.. I don't wish to look like those contestants in Mr. Olympia, but I hope I can achieved an ideal BMI index, boleh berlari dengan pantas, serta tidak cepat penat. People may laugh and think this blog is so 'budak2' but it's ok. I hope boleh membuat kejutan nanti.. hahaha.. dengan kecekalan hati, consistency, dan makan 5 atau 6 kali sehari, i can do it.

Baiklah, i think i've said heaps for this post. Lain kali saya sambung (jari-jemari disilang).
Tata!