The Real 'Raja Lawak'

i'm grateful to be able to laugh at this.. = )

2012.

12 Things I Learned in 2012

1.  Elena finally becomes a vampire. #TVD                                                          
2. The Mayans were wrong.                                            
3. The Green School in Bali is a lovely, exciting, and beautiful place to learn.
4. Cambodian tuk-tuks are far more efficient than public buses in Bintulu.
5. We all have beliefs. When other people have beliefs, especially when they differ from ours, we tend to call them 'opinions', but when we believe something we often call it 'fact' or 'truth'. It's not a good or bad thing- it's just what humans do. = )
6. Barney finally proposes to Robin. #HIMYM  
7. My 'healthy' vegetarian spaghetti is not bad. haha.. 
8. You only live once.; )

         

       9. Gangnam Style is the "2012 most watched video" on Youtube.
     10. The more I learn, the less I know. I'm becoming less and less sure of what I know and

   I believe that there is no such thing as a set of best practices.  

     11. There's a replica of Statue of Liberty in Japan.

 

 

       12. Adobe Lightroom makes everyone beautiful. = )

       Happy New Year.

Cintai Sungai Kita.. = )

currently learning to play this song on piano. i should have taken proper music lessons years ago. = )

Comel.

Sayur.

 *i couldn't believe i'd find this in bintulu*

I believe almost everyone has their own favourite vegetable. Some people like spinach, some like broccoli, and some run away when they see bitter gourd.

Some people commit themselves to become vegetarians. Some people do not eat vegetables at all and swear they're fine with their life.

Every vegetable has its own unique taste and nutrients. There's also a variety of ways in preparing them too. Frying, steaming, blanching, grilling, you name it.

What is the best vegetable in the world? I asked some farmers about it. Their answers were somewhat not so convincing as I saw them using pesticides on their farms.

I may not know the correct answer yet but I won't stop searching. In the meantime I'll continue eating my juicy, crispy, fried chicken wings.

The Story of Mother Mouse and Little Pinkie

Once, there lived Mother Mouse and Little Pinkie in a small hole inside a village house. One day, while foraging in the kitchen, they stumbled upon the home-owner's cat. Shocked, Little Pinkie quickly ran back to their hole in the wall. However, Mother Mouse stood still at the middle of the kitchen floor. Little Pinkie could not believe what her mother was doing as she screamed for her mother to return to their hole. As the cat was ready to pounce on Mother Mouse, she suddenly unleashed a huge barking voice. Terrified, the cat ran away from the kitchen. Moments later, Mother Mouse returned to her hole and reunited with Little Pinkie. Still in shock, Little Pinkie was speechless about what happened. Then Mother Mouse finally said, “My  child, this is why second language is important. You won’t survive in this world if you only know one thing”.

-THE END-

Chilli Sauce. My Nemesis.

It is an understatement when I say I despise chilli sauce.The texture, smell and sound it makes when it comes out from a squeeze bottle makes me squirm in disgust. If there's anything that can stop me from eating, it would be it. Just a drop on your fried chicken wings or fried rice will guarantee that I won't steal your food.

Maybe that's why mum 'graciously' offered her chilli-contaminated foods to me every time we eat out.

Momentary lapse of reason..

Stumbled upon this phrase while googling hours ago.
It striked a chord in me because I can't find a better way to describe my actions in the past few weeks.

There are things I regret doing but none can be compared to what I've done recently.
I would never forgive myself for saying those things to the person who knows me more than anyone else.
Dumb, stupid, and retard, are some of the deserved words I've keep saying to myself lately.

I truly regret what I did that night. She does not deserve to hear those harsh words I said to her.
These past few days I've been thinking about what's the best thing to do right now.
Unfortunately, there's absolutely nothing I can do in my volition to undo the damage.
It hurts me a lot that I can't make her laugh anymore.

I don't know if I ever hear that voice or see that face again
but my memories with her will always remind me how lovely she really is.
I may not be a part of her book anymore
but I hope the new chapter in her life will be far better and exciting than the previous chapter.

She's that one-of-a-kind person who makes everyone around her happy.
Just listening to her sweet voice makes you smile everyday.
All that I'm asking for from the Heavens is to bless this beautiful and wonderful person with happiness in her life.
Keep that smile on her face everyday. Make her laugh again.

Meme meme..

Youtube is the new television..

this is funny..



this is sweet..

SM Sains Miri

2 January 2011
Just visited my alma mater this afternoon. A lot of things has changed since I left the school in 2003. New buildings, gardens, and faces. After quite some time, the school is in the headlines again. Rumour has it that the school is going to be relocated to Baram, 120 kilometres from Miri. There is also a suggestion to name it to SMK Tinjar. Supposedly, the reason for this move is the current building and location is 'unsafe'. This issue has caught the attention of ex-students, students, their parents and I. What bothers the majority of us is why did the authorities chose a location which is more than 100km away from Miri? What will happen to the current students? And why now? These questions were the reasons for me to come to the school and find some facts about this issue. Fortunately, I was fortunate to meet Ustazah Rokiah, one of my ex-teachers who is still teaching in SMSM. She was surprised to see me. 'Makin besar dah awak ni,' commented her. Haha.. it hurt a little bit but it's ok. Anyway, I explained the reason why I came to the school and she explained to me that everything is still under control. There will be no new intake for this year, classes will resume as usual tomorrow, a class reshuffle has been made and hopefully the buildings will be repaired as soon as possible. I was glad to hear that. I'm praying really hard that the school will remain there. In the mean time, I'll be hoping that my posting will come out somewhere in March.. haha..

Hello World..

Hi..

I hardly have the effort to update my blog. I believe writing is not of my strengths. I always have this pressure to ensure my grammar is correct and the flow of my writing is smooth. Furthermore, I've been burdened with having to write daily reflections for the past 3 months.

Since I am writing this, I would like to take this opportunity to tell anyone who is reading this that being courteous is something that is lacking in Malaysia. For example, most drivers in its capital city are like monkeys on steroids.

So that's it for now. I've ran out of ideas.

Staying out of the comfort zone..

I am very worried with the majority of Malaysians today. Our obsession with control and conformity in thought and behaviour discourages the young embracing diversity. They are dumbed down by an education system obsessed with producing students with straight As and led by teachers who do not realise there is a world beyond textbooks and exams. I know that a small percentage of us are fortunate enough to study overseas and expose themselves to diversity of knowledge. But what about the rest who never leave Malaysia, who moved from a closed school to a closed university and then to a closed workplace, trapped in the comfort of their own small world of certainties? The closing of the Malaysian mind a systemic problem that needs more than individual effort to undo the long-term damage already done.

Our education system needs a major overhaul. What we need is a mind-expanding education. We want learners to challenge prejudices and stereotypes. We want them to bring in and accept change. Show them different ways of thinking by providing unbiased or unaltered knowledge. Do not hinder their rights the become innovative thinkers.

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!

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..

Sleepy..

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

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!

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..

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!

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