Of Photography, Engineering and Confusion.

I love taking photos. Maybe it's because of my dad. Maybe, just maybe, being born into a house with lots of photography equipment sparked my interest in photography. When I was just a small kid I played with DSLR. But I didn't really know a lot about it. I was just, seriously, fooling around with it. Now, my interest is growing. But somehow I know I can't really go into this field. I am an engineer-to-be. I have to study. And photography needs time. A huge amount of time. And I can't afford that. Sigh. Sometimes I think I have too many interests. Sometimes I wish I can be a great surgeon. One that can play with the surgical blades like how I can play with the steering wheel. Sometimes I wish I can be a scientist. Then I wouldn't have to follow instructions and I can invent my own things. Sometimes I wish I can be a philosopher. Then I can crap non-stop and I don't have to do anything. Alas, this world is really unfathomable. Nothing is easy; but nothing is impossible. For the time being, I shall just remain who I am.

Speed of Light

Time passes faster than the speed of light. It scares me when I realize that it has been more than a month since I came back. So fast. Like a thief sneaking pass. I have not done much. As expected. Sigh. 20 more days and my holiday will end. Hope I can accomplish what I want to in the first place. Gonna play futsal this afternoon. My right ankle still hurts. Has been a year since I injured myself. Wondering what is wrong with it. And there will be a total lunar eclipse tonight. Hope the sky will be clear and I can snap some pictures :)

Christmas

Again. Christmas is drawing near. Gonna be the last Christmas that I will have in my hometown for the next three or more years. Seriously gonna miss the epic round town procession and the thick Christmas atmosphere in Sibu. I should go and join the procession for the last time. One last time before I fly. Time really slips without me realizing it.

Okay this is irrelevant. Often I think a lot about life. But I seldom try to put it in words. The most that I do is to use a few words to summarize my thoughts and post it on facebook. And results in people thinking that I am an "emo" person. No I'm not. I am just giving people "a piece of my mind". Maybe that piece is too small for them to understand the whole picture. Maybe it's time for me to write it out. Maybe I can try to be different, despite how insignificant I am. Maybe it's time to let go, despite how hard it is. Maybe it's time to pick it up, despite how ridiculous it might seem. Maybe it's time to forget everything, and focus on the true meaning of Christmas - Jesus Christ.

This post is so random. It blurs myself.

Of the Sky, Again

Found my interest in taking the pictures of the sky, decreasing. Maybe I have seen too many versions of beautiful skies, until an extent that when the sky is looking ordinary, taking pictures of it becomes boring to me. Plus the fact that it has been raining a lot lately, there are not many days when the sky is clear and the sun is bright. Sigh..sunset oh sunset...

Finding something interesting to do. If possible, something not associated with laptops. Have been in touch with laptops too much. Feel like driving to somewhere far. But there is no people to accompany me. Driving alone to a faraway place can be boring sometimes. Can someone teach me what to do to fill my free time? I am tired of writing essays. Really tired.

I feel like playing badminton. But again, there is no one to play with. Futsal? No news. Sigh..is there anything I can do apart from dota, essays, photos, and limteh? Maybe I really should go and make myself a kite.

What's wrong?

Woke up late. Planned to go for breakfast with my eldest sister and mum, but my mum rejected the offer. She said something like, "The places that you all go, I don't want to go." What's wrong? Come on, I don't understand. My eldest sister pissed me off by saying, "Aiya, we just go by ourselves la.." I was like, WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU? What about your mum?

In the end I didn't go. My sister called my dad and asked him to buy some food home for her to eat. My dad asked her what she wanted to eat. She said something like, "我不要吃炒面， 炒米粉， 炒果条，哥罗面。如果你打包鸡饭， 那个饭一定要是鸡饭，而且要叫他拿辣椒汁。” Again, WHAT"S WRONG WITH YOU?! I am impressed with my father's patience so far. My eldest sister is acting like a boss at home. I know you are a doctor, so what? I know you are tired of working, I can understand that, so what? Who do you think you are? One day I am really going to scold you in your face. I hope on that day you will wake up to realize that life is much more than you think.

Confused

Have been in a state of blur. Promised myself to wake up early so that I can make the most out of every day. Failed. Promised myself to find something meaningful to do when I am enjoying my holiday. Failed. Promised myself to settle my university application as soon as possible. Failed. Promised myself not to play too much dota. Failed. Promised myself to stop wasting time. Failed. Total failure =.= !!!

Didn't promise myself to go into photography. I did. Didn't promise myself to exercise so much. I did. Didn't promise myself to think so much about life. I was forced to by the universities' essays. Didn't promise myself to blog much. I didn't, but I will.

Promise myself to focus on some of the things in my life. Gonna really focus. FOCUS!!!

Catch Up

A lot of things have been happening lately, and I feel that my life is getting a bit too hectic. Sleeping at 2 sth has become a norm, sleeping at 4? Occasionally. A lot of things have not happened up to my expectations. A lot of things have let me down. And again and again I told myself, "No it is not time to let go yet. Gotta continue fighting." But the thing is, I am getting mentally, physically, and whateverly tired. Tired to care about so many things. Cold war between friends, being stuck in the middle, bad exam results, blur university applications, and some other little things that bother me just because I care too much, maybe. The upcoming week is full of tests and quizzes, totaling up to 8 or maybe even 9. Gonna be a nerd for the days to come. Sigh. But I still think life is awesome. I have an Almighty God to turn to after all. He never let me down =)

Leaving Cendana

Exam is over. I am an angel flying around with nothing on my mind :)

And at last, it is time to move. Cemara, a place with everything and at the same time, a place whose hostel condition has received uncountable negative comments. One year plus has passed with us staying in this room. Memories are created and will remain lingering in our little brains. Writing this to remember those times I had in this hostel unit.

Of Shin, the busiest person I have ever known.
He is forever busy. He has infinity of work to do. He is hyperactive and vibrant. He drinks Livita very often. He stays in the study room below. A guitar put in his hands can become the nicest music ever,or the most rocking noise ever. His name is Jong Khai Shin.

Of Mukhlis, the only Malay in my hostel unit.
He is very hardworking. He is the mayor of a city, that is, in City Ville (I don't know the name). He likes Biology, from what I see. Unfortunately, a few days before we move, I found out about his true personality, especially when he can't sleep when he actually needs to sleep. LOL. He can be funny at times. Very funny. I am glad I get to know you, Mukhlis.

Of Zheng Fong, the national swimmer in my room.
He is very addicted to Dota. And he plays cheat sometimes. Haha.. He swims like a shark, maybe even faster than one. He was known as Pentium Pro. He created the memory in Pangkor, and we really thank him for that. He always woke up in the morning and jumped down from the bunker bed with a loud thud, even though I seldom hear it this often nowadays because he always woke up later than me.

Of Jin Hong, the rabbit.
He is very lang jeng, most of the time. He likes to eat cake. Being the cleanest person in the room, he likes to clean the room. And he likes to sing a lot. He likes mathematics. The cardinal word in his dictionary is "Weee~"

Of Guo Kang, the genius in my unit.
He sleeps like a pig, even though he is supposed to be a dog. He doesn't usually study, but still he scores in the tests. He understands Mandarin, but people often assume that he doesn't. He is a nice person, once you get to know him. He plays all sorts of games, except dota. He likes cheese cake.

 Photos taken in my hostel unit. I like this place :)

 Shin's epic locker and table.

Cendana's basketball court. Farewell.

Raya Holiday

I am not a keen blogger. I don’t blog every single day. The initial purpose of my blog was to keep track of the things that I’ve been doing in my life. The purpose remains so.

Two weeks of holiday are nearly over. I met up with my friends, I celebrated by birthday, I went for an overnight at my friend’s house, I ate kampua and mooncakes, and I watched a lot of movies. I jogged every two days, and I do some push-ups and sit-ups everyday to keep myself fit. After this holiday I will go straight into the exam halls. I have been studying, not really into it, but hopefully I will do well in the coming exam.

My birthday was normal. Nothing impressive really happened. It will be my last birthday here before the 3 years overseas. The celebration is not important. I just hope I have cherished my time here more. The present from my friends was a bit unique, but I’m not really sure it will be of any use. Next time buy a more practical one, okay? I would choose a headphone over that, seriously. But again, will there be a next time? :( I guess the greatest moment of that day was when I opened the present she gave me a few weeks ago. I have to say, her birthday card was really pretty. Kind of revoke my longing to draw using water colors. Haha..miss those times.

Coincidentally, my birthday fell on the first day of Raya. And in case you don’t know, or you’ve forgotten, Sibu people celebrate Raya using firework. Chinese style. LOL. And the second day was the Independence Day of Malaysia. So I heard a lot of firework sounds on my birthday.

The next day I went to stay overnight at Kuen Luen’s house. Playing Dota all day as usual. We really enjoyed ourselves I think. Lose or win, doesn’t matter. As long as the atmosphere and fun are there. I slept the earliest that day, partially because of my promise to my parents and girlfriend that I would sleep early. And I woke up the earliest too. Oh yeah, good job!

Once in a year, for three years in a row, I will visit my closest Malay friend, Haziq during Hari Raya. This year we went as a gang. Had a great time there chatting and taking photos. Lawrence, being insanely crazy over photo-shooting after getting his DSLR, did his non-stop clicking as expected. And I think those pictures on this entry are all taken by him.

Three more days and I will be away from home again. Every time I come back I will miss my home more. I guess the feeling of leaving Malaysia is daunting me. Wondering, will I miss my home badly when I go oversea? Only time can tell.

Updates

Nothing interesting happened much lately, except the fact that my program is now a bit quiet due to the flying-off of some good friends, who are always making noise everywhere. Without realizing it, 14 months have passed since the day I stepped into Intec. Time has been keeping ahead of me. I failed badly in chasing it. But I believe I have made the most out of my time here. At least that is what I think. Have been enjoying my every second doing things that I like. Even sleeping in class, once a while. Did quite okay in quizzes and exams. Didn't go out often nowadays. I mean, going out to those places to fool around. Eg. Sunway Piramid. I guess I am a bit busy this semester. Two or three quizzes a week is driving me up the wall. Not that high though. Gives thanks.

I think my friends who just flew off to the States are busy adapting themselves to that novel place. Looking at the pictures that they took, they are definitely doing a great job at adapting. Seems like they enjoy being there. Chinese saying, "The moon overseas are more circular." Wish I were there to have fun with them. But Malaysia is nice too. One more year. Oh yeah =)

It is holiday now. Going back tomorrow morning, to Bintulu first, then taking a bus back to Sibu. The flight is early, so I have to go to the airport tonight, probably in less than two hours time. Another experience of spending overnight at the airport. I don't really like it. Nevertheless, will be able to step foot on Bintulu again. Haven't been there for a long, long, long time. Wondering how much it has changed. Sigh, after the holiday will be my mid term exam. Have to study real hard to pull my CGPA up. Have been slacking for a few semesters. The kiasuness that I once had in the Secondary school has been missing in action. Time to revoke it I think. Holiday this time, I define it as a time to socialize (with friends and family), to study, to eat, to rest, and to play. Hope I have a great holiday. Woohoo..being optimistic =)

The Book

Finally, I finished writing it. Have been working on it for around 4 months. Now only I realized how hard it is for a writer to finish writing a book. Too many distractions and work to do. In the end, I only managed to fill half of it before giving it to her. I have done my best. Hopefully she will understand me more after reading it. A story of my past, my present, and my family. One day maybe I will write one for myself to keep. Time really flies. She is leaving soon. What is my feeling, I do not know. What I know is that whenever the music "Departure" plays, I will feel sorrow in my heart. Maybe this is life. All the best in the States, my dear Swee Yong.

Famine 30 2011

On the 5th of August, I went to a 30-hour fasting program named Famine 30. Its purpose is to collect money and help the poor and needy all over the world. We fast to experience hunger, and to remind ourselves of how lucky we are. Or should I said, how blessed we are? Indeed, we are the blessed ones.

Thirty hours of hunger is not a very nice experience. At first it was still okay. Then the feeling of hunger struck. After that I got used to the feeling, and so 24 hours passed. At the end of the Famine 30 program, I was really hungry. For four hours plus I have to push the thoughts of food away. The countdown of Famine 30 was superbly entertaining. With so many superstars, singers and DJ from all over Malaysia, we had a great time watching all the performances. It was nice to be with friends especially during this kind of event. It was the first time I attended such a grand event, with so many faces and people. There were nearly 9000 people there, counting down to the time we break our fast. I took quite a number of pictures, because pictures are the only element which can roughly show what I have experienced.

 The crowd lining up to enter Stadium Bukit Jalil.

 The crowd before the countdown started.

 Random shot.

 Singers coming out.

 Another singer.

 Yet another one.

 Three

 David Lee

 Another one.

 A group of singers singing in different languages.

 Cantonese song.

Before the countdown ended.

Famine 30 has left a mark in my life. For the first time I didn't eat for 30 hours. It was a great, and yet, sad experience. Someone said this in the camp:"Our fast will eventually come to an end. But to those people outside who are experiencing the real famine, they never know when their fast will end." Now i wonder, for those people, they don't complain about the problems in their lives. All they ask is just sufficient food and drink for them to survive. Yet, we as the group of blessed people often complain about this and that. No matter how trivial the thing is, we can still make a fuss over it. It is time for us to learn a lesson. A lesson of how to appreciate the things and people in our lives, and not just complaining nonstop. It is time for us to learn how to give, and not choosing to receive. It is time for us to end the famine of those people outside, and to show them that love still exists in this world. Help will come, not tomorrow, not the day after that, but today. Give, and you will receive, abundantly, exceedingly...

Relay For Life 2011

On the 16th of July, I went to a national event known as Relay for Life (RFL). On the morning of that particular day was my INPRO (Inter Program Games) badminton competition. I was supposed to reach the Stadium UKM before 2:30 p.m. for RFL. I thought the INPRO badminton matches would end before that, or around that time. So I went for badminton in the morning. I play three single matches, in which I won two and lost one pathetically. I was the person in charge of my program badminton for INPRO 2011, and I felt so bad when we lost our champion away and got the fourth place instead. I felt so tired but I left for RFL at 3 something in the afternoon.

At the KL central KTM station, I saw some epic scenes. People pushing against each other and the KTM was like a sardin can. A woman kept shouting "Sempitlah, macam binatang orang-orang ni!" I could only sit there and do nothing except wondering why Malaysians are like this. After I reached the UKM KTM station, I bought the cheapest Kuih-Muih in my life. 12 pieces of different kuih with 1 buck. Oh yeah =D

Reaching the Stadium, I was kind of stunned by the grandness of the event. I could see people wearing the RFL yellow T-shirts everywhere around the field. There were tents set up along the tracks for the participants to sleep in at night. Events after events followed and the entertainers were all full of enthusiasm.  I was supposed to be a part of the security team. To be exact, I was supposed to be the head of the security team. But I didn't actually do anything security-related for the whole process. All I did was picking up rubbish, playing cards and talking to my bunch of friends. I slept at 4 something looking up at the moon. When I woke up, I was greeted by the sunrise. The sky was so amazingly beautiful. The event ended at 10 with the last lap ran by everyone participating in it, be it participants or volunteers.

At the very beginning...

In the process...

Performance by cancer survivors...

The sunrise that greeted me when I woke up...

I was really exhausted. The event was meaningful and impacting as a whole. I just wish I could be less tired. But if I am to be given a chance a gain, I will definitely go for it again. The event reminds me of the people suffering from cancer and how hard they have or have been fighting the fatal virus. Pray Lord that a cure to cancer can be found soon.

The Start of Fall 2011

Fall semester 2011 started with registration. One thing that I noticed, there was less noise around me. Somehow there is just something missing. No more exuberant people talking crap around. No more bell ding donging around. No more angelic smiles that make my day. It's gonna be different, this sem. I guess I just have to adapt myself. But I just can't get used to it. Sigh... Hope that as the days pass, I will be normal once again.

Sarawak & Sabah, The Land of Borneo

So it happened that my West Malaysian friends decided to come over to Sarawak and Sabah for a 9-day-trip. Mostly because we Sibuians always bragged about our hometown, and about the delicious food available here. 11 people flew back to Sibu together, including my senior, Lawrence, and me. Transportation was taken care of by Lawrence, his cousin Christopher, and me. Budget hotel rooms for free, thanks to Lawrence's uncle.

First thing we did after my friends left their luggage at the hotel was to taste the most famous food in Sibu - Kampua. Turned out that the kampua there was among the worst that I have eaten so far. But still, some of my friends said it tasted nice. Sweat. After the "delicious" kampua, we went into Wisma Sanyan to walk around. Nothing much has changed since I last visited that place.

I could not really remember which place we went on which day. So I shall just list the places here, in case someone wants to promote Sibu or bring their friends around.

1. Sibu Lake Garden
2. Sibu Town Square
3. Bukit Aup
4. The temple far far away
5. Taman Muhibah
6. Sugarbun
7. Sibu Riverside
8. Mat Rempit
9. Sentosa
10. Pasar Malam
11. Sibu Wet Market
12. Sibu's Window
13. Kompia
14. Kampua
15. Peppermint Tea
16. Kolok Mee beside Masland Church
17. Laksa beside Paramount Hotel
18. Million guok
19. Lakian Mee
20. Big Thumb Xiao Long Bao

I guess they all had a hell lot of fun here. Especially the food. I fed them quite enough I think. Haha...

Sibu Lake Garden Jump Shot

Sibu Town Square Group Photo

So we moved on to Kuching. Shin arranged the transport for us. Turned out the drivers were our seniors, Rachel and Nathaniel. We ate kolok mee, laksa, went to the waterfront, visited shin's house, and also stepped foot on Fort Margherita. Since we were in Kuching for only one day, that were all we could do.

Group Photo In Kuching

Next destination - Kota Kinabalu
Stayed in the seniors' houses. Jerald, Darren and Kevin. We ate a lot of seafood, and we went up Kota Kinabalu Mountain. Half of Mountain Kota Kinabalu to be exact. We visited a cattle farm up there, and it felt like being in New Zealand. The Poring Hot Spring there was really lame. But there was one unique place that I liked -  the place with the fish bitting me. Haha..it was something like a fish spa, just that it was a natural river and the fish there are big and bite you until you scream out loud. The whole session was filled with the girl's screaming and my hysterical laughter. Ha Ha Ha. Another place that impressed me the most was the Perdana Park. It had a water fountain that shoots following the rhythm of songs. The view was spectacular. The beach in Sabah was really nice too. I love the sunset there. The sand is soft and the atmosphere is just so serene. Wish Sibu had a beach, then everything would be perfect.

One

Two

Three

Four

So the week was gone, with a lot of photos taken and a lot of memories lingering around. The remaining week will be spent to rest myself, and to prepare for the new semester - the Fall. Kind of boring, but going out every day to limteh and eat. Yeah =D

End of Summer

And the end of summer sem is here. Silently it came, hinting, giving the signs that we are going to part soon. Had a karaoke session with the gang, and a sleepover at one of our friends' house. Somehow I don't really feel sad now. But when realization hits me I wonder whether I can stop the tears. Good buddies going on separate ways. I have gone through that. And yet my heart feels the same. It wasn't easy then. Neither is it easy now. The year has been fulfilling, fun, and memorable because of the bank scholars. Smart, and yet crazy scholars. Sarcastic, and yet caring friends. It seems like yesterday that I stepped into INTEC. By the blink of eyes, a year has passed by. Seriously? You got to be kidding me.

We came from many, we leave as one.

Father's Day

Home, is where the heart is. And I am home for Father's Day. Weeee~ Had been quite a while since I last came back. But nothing much has changed. Still the same, old home, not grand but super duper comfortable to me. This is the place where I can open the fridge at any time, step in or out of the gate at any time, bath at any time, eat at any time, but not sleep at any time. Received a scolding from my parents for sleeping too late last night..haha. Just like usual. Love my parents so much. Swee Yong asked me to hug my father, but I didn't do so. I guess it will really be an awkward thing to do, seeing that the last time I hug my dad was during Form 1. Not that we are not close. I love my parents very much, but there are things that I don't dare to do or say. Not even a simple "thank you". I guess most of the Chinese people are just too traditional. Anyway, it has been a great weekend for me, and I still love kampua. Took some pictures during this home-coming trip. And lastly, Happy Father's Day to my Daddy!!! You are my superman. I love you =)

ATU Night

15th of June - A date on which I saw a lot of girls transforming from caterpillars into butterflies. It was a grand dinner for our program, the famous American Program (due to its hyper-activeness). The girls went to perm or style their hair, plus making up, determined to stun the guys I guessed. Turned out they did pretty well. I could not recognize some of them at the first glance. It was a great night. A night which I will remember for a long, long time. For no matter what happens, we will always keep in our minds that we have once, if not always, looked good =)

The Big Family (ABCA)

 Another one.

 Third

And not forgetting her.

Ulcers + Headache

I have three places of ulcer in my mouth. It hurts when I eat, especially when I am eating spicy food. Ouch. Like the thorns in the flesh. And my eyes are very tired. I think I overuse them, for games, books and useless things. Sigh... I am going back home next weekend for Father's day. Booked the ticket and then only I remembered I have an ATU night to attend. So I am forced to change the ticket, with a charge of stupidity, RM 100. Then now the hostel authority tells us that we are moving next weekend. Like a dynamite it hits me. Sweat. How am  I supposed to move when I am going back. Headache plus ulcers. Argh... Hope everything goes well. I choose to be optimistic.

Recreational Week

Involved myself in an event organized by ATUSA - Recreational Week. I came up with a team, but I never fixed the name. Somehow, a team member picked a name and handed it up. "Dunno how to play (DH2P)" Sweat. Anyway, we played for fun, and the outcome is "fun" too.

Played badminton on the first day. Has been really a long time since I last touched a badminton racket. My wrist felt so difficult to twist and turned. Sigh... I guess practice nearly makes (nearly) perfect. Anyway, our team managed to get 8 points on the first day. Nice game, and quite tiring.

Second day, futsal. Again, has not touched futsal ball for a long time. Used to play with my brother and his friends in hometown. They are really good. Playing here was a different experience. They were quite rough. And my ankle still hurts. Furthermore, only lionel and me know how to play, so ended up we lost every single match that day. Haha..we laughed about it though. Still, nice game, and quite tiring.

Third day, volleyball. We were quite confident that we could win. We have school representatives, and I know how to play a bit too. Turned out that we lacked of communication. And we lost the second match and out team was out of the way. It was a great experience though. I like volleyball.

Being a Jack of all trades is really fun sometimes. I get to play all sort of things, and I have no pressure of losing. Haha... Still a lot of things for me to learn, a repertoire of fields to venture...

Nora Roberts - The Search

Recently, I finished a nice novel, entitled The Search, written by Nora Roberts. It was quite a long read, as I keep on spending my time on games and movies. Quite a nice book. Recommended.

The introduction goes like this.

It's been a few years since Fiona Bristow moved to Orcas Island to rebuild her life. Within the small, tight-knit island community she's built up a canine rescue center that trains dogs to track missing persons in Washington's cast wilderness.

Other than her work, Fiona wants to be left alone. Romantic entanglements are very far down on her list - and certainly not with Simon Doyle, an artist newly arrived from the mainland. Simon doesn't know that Fiona harbors a terrible secret, and that her past still puts them both inn very real danger...

Back to Blog

Has been a while since I last wrote a blog. Blogging is supposed to help me keep track of my life. I supposed I lost track of my life, and that is why I stopped blogging. Somehow tonight I read someone's blog. It caused feeling of nostalgia in myself. I guess it is time to resume blogging.

So, coming back from Penang, summer continued. With so few classes per week, life is kind of boring. Revisited Sunway Piramid, and traveled to The Curve for the first time in my life. It was a really really awesome place. With all the nice food and beautiful building structures, I felt like spending my night there. Too bad I had to come back. Had a lot of fun, and pancakes. Watch Pirates of the Carribean. A great show it was.

Went for ATUSA election due to my lecturer's call. I have never been a person who will take initiative to hold a responsibility. But at least for the election, I tried to do something. The speech was okay I guessed. Turn out that I didn't get elected. I am glad though, for I can now enjoy my life. There are things, that are a lot more beneficial than organizing things and being representatives for your program.

Addicted to Dota once again. Somehow losing games after games have placed a challenge in myself. I have that ego, and that is what makes me stronger in everything I do. I am not a person born to losing. I am a competitive guy. Maybe in Secondary school I was seriously kiasu. Coming to Intec has changed me a bit. I have let go some of the kiasuness. Not all, of course.

Missing Campus Alive now. Feel like there is something lacking in myself. So used to be around the brothers and sisters in Christ. So used to the praise and worship session. So used to the interesting speakers.

Missing my family. Have been quite a while since I last went home. Home home home. How I miss my bed and mum's cooking. Somehow the relationship issue makes me closer to my parents. At least we are more open to each other. Hope everything will be in good hands.

My eldest sister went to Penang to attend her friends' weddings. My second sister went to Korea, and bought me an ANGRY BIRD shirt. Haha, thank you very much. Brother? Don't know what he is up too. Just know that he kept on playing Fruit Ninja in the lecture hall. LOL.

So much for now. Will be writing again soon I think. Life has been eventful =)

The Story Continues

Well, too much fun made me forgot about my blog. Anyway, time to continue writing my story. After Kedah and the a-bit-too-much food, I went to Penang with four other friends from Intec - Yi Nan, the driver, Joseph, the stalker, Lun Feng, the silencer, and Jun Jie, the dunno-wat-words-to-describer.  A heavy rain poured down the instant we reached there.  A very sad case as we were forced to sit in a mamak shop and limteh.  Penang rain, first time to experience it.

After the rain stopped, we went to Fort Cornwallis.  Took some pictures with the wrongly-arranged cannons.  Next we moved to food-hunting session.  Penang Char Kuew Tiaw tastes around the same as the one in my hometown.  Haha...no offence, but my hometown is always the best in my heart.  Went to a bridge which was a scene in the movie "Ais Kacang Puppy Love".  The view of the vast sea was kinda awesome.  Taking pictures with the sea as the background looked even better.  Found out that all my friends were scared of dropping into the sea when I touched their backs from behind when they were standing at the side of the bridge.

After the sea view, we strolled around a historical place known as George Town.  Nothing very impressive, but the buildings looked nice albeit their old looks.  Yi Nan was the tour guide although he is from Kedah.  Shame on the other three who are from Penang...haha.  Somehow, all the places closed down on me when we went there.  Apparently most of the tourism sides close at 5 p.m.  The unlucky me felt nothing bad about it.  At least I reached the doorways.  A bit disappointed, we moved on to Kek Lok Si.  Maybe it was not meant to be, that place was closed too.  We had no choice but to go to the last place, the Gurney Drive.

Gurney Plaza is a nice place to shop.  We had a lot of fun in the Toys "R" Us.  A bunch of 18 or 19 years old young adults playing the kids' toys.  Definitely NOT ashame.  Bought a Cupido for someone.  And that person liked it very much. =) After the plaza, we moved on to food again.  Heard before that Gurney Drive had a lot of food.  And yes there was.  We were quite full when we left the place.  A big "thank you" to Yi Nan for being the driver.

The next day, we had breakfast together.  The rest of the day was spent with Joseph in the Aeon Seberang Prai, window shopping and movie watching.  Thor, not a bad movie, but the story line was kind of expected.  Then we went to visit St. Anne Church.  First time walking into a Catholic Church.  Really different from Methodist Churches.  Then we went to Celok Tok Kun (don't remember how it is spelled).  Nice environment.  Mengkuang Dam next.  Saw a lot of fishes.  Those two days, I listened to Joseph's dad as he talked philosophy to me.  Haha...thanks Joseph for the hospitality.  Oh, and the fruits.

So, I am now back to Shah Alam.  This semester is really relaxing.  6 hours of classes per week.  4 days out of 7 are free.  Feel like taking tuition classes.  Will find something interesting and meaningful to do... Summer, enjoy myself to the max =D

Pangkor Trip

Finally, spring semester came to an end.  A fun-filled semester, full of assignments, quizzes, tests, activities, outings, joy, sorrow, and most importantly, craziness.  And to pay back for what this semester has done to me, I went for a Pangkor trip with my gang of Intec friends.  We call ourselves, American-Bound Camaraderie Association (ABCA).  You can’t really expect things to be normal inside this group, because there are too many crazy people, some of them definitely from Tanjung Rambutan.

The first day, which is a Saturday, we departed from Shah Alam to Lumut.  It was a very merry journey, with people talking crap most of the time.  Of course, I am always serious…just joking.  We reached Lumut around 1 p.m. and after that we took a ferry and made a bee line to Pulau Pangkor.  Had lunch there at the town.  Moved on to the Coral Bay Resort.  24 people in a Penthouse.  Crazy as we are, there was not enough space…but we left that for the night.  Leaving our luggage behind, we went for a tour around the beautiful island on two vans.  It was a great experience to circle around the tiny piece of land with a bunch of out-of-mind buddies.  After the tour, we went for a beachside barbeque.  Again, it was an awesome experience to sit on the beach and watch the sea and waves and stars as we ate.  Such a soothing and therapeutic view.  I wish we could stay there for a longer period.  But alas, time passed fast.  Went back to the resort and had a nice sunbathing-bench talk with a few people.  Saw some friends went out at 12 something to buy some stuff plus to take a walk.  Turn out that they didn’t have a place to sleep after they came back.  So they slept at the lobby of the resort and had a lot of “fun” with the guards.  Serve them right..haha.

The second day, we went for water activities after breakfast.  A tour around the island (this time on a boat) with a super lame plus hilarious tour guide was enough to make up the day.  We had a HELL LOT OF FUN, trust me.  Went for snorkeling as well, but that was actually quite lame to me.  No offence, the fish just didn’t want to go near me.  Anyway, after that, we had some extreme water activities, namely banana boat, sofa, and burger.  Bet most of you didn’t know that.  Banana boat was the lamest among them.  Kena thrown for no reason.  LOL.  Sorry for the language.  The burger was a torture to our hands, and I was at the verge of letting go in the middle of the sea.  It was THAT extreme.  Too tired to have any more activities for the time being, we rested a while in the penthouse.  At 6:30, we went to watch the sunset.  Not so awesome.  The awesome thing was some of my childish friends scratched some words on a big concrete wall.  Can’t help but reminiscing my childhood pastime.  At night, we had seafood dinner.  Again, my crazy Intec gang never fails to impress the public with some stupid acts and earsplitting laughter.  That day was really awesome.

The third day, some of the people went back early.  I was too tired to send them, so I stayed back and rested.  Missed the sunrise view, but never mind.  At 10:30, we travelled back through the same way we came.  But this time, I travelled north with around 10 people.  And I am now writing this from Alor Setar.  Will continue my story, probably in Penang.  Until then, bye.

Blur

A lot of things happened throughout this week. So many that I am kind of blur. Did a number of things that I never expect myself to do. Feel tired with the non-stop tests, quizzes, speeches and presentations. Now, the end is nigh. March came and went, like how the spring semester came and will be gone soon. Part of me is glad that the sem is ending, a large portion of me wishes that the semester will restart. Time is passing fast. Too fast I will say. It seems like I just went through a time machine, blinking on the 1st of January and appearing in the middle of April. Learned a lot this sem. Slept a little. Transformed a lot, emo a bit. Ate non-stop, weight remains constant. Somewhere in March I took a picture that looks like this.

Someone said that I ponder too much sometimes. I guess what she said is true. Now and then, I think my life is like one of the leaves in the picture. Dried. With a black and white background. But the amazing thing is that my life has been random, as if I were constantly blown to different places by the wind. I mean, people step in and out of my life. What is left is just the memory. One day if my brain is damaged, what will happen to those memory? Fade into nothingness? Blur. Life is too complicated sometimes. Sigh...

The Most Epic Week of My Uni Life

The supposedly busiest week of my university life so far is finally over. With the American Indulgence Fiesta (AIF) going on, everything seemed to be so hectic. AIF consists of the American Got Talent (AGT), class parade, Halloween night / Costume Party, dodgeball and basketball competition, and lastly, the closing ceremony on Monday night next week. Dressed up as Wolverine for class parade because the theme of my class was X-Men. Almost everyone couldn't recognize me..haha. Joined dodgeball competition, and it turned out to be quite fun. Had a lot of quizzes, endless assignments, and countless presentations at the same time. Really fagged out by all the work. But thank God, everything went well. Next week will be equally busy. Will be having an oral progress report presentation for a research paper, a persuasive speech, an American holiday presentation, an ethics presentation, one quiz and one test. Going to be a long, tiring week. Sigh... After this semester I will really be so, so free. Looking forward to next sem.

Some pictures taken throughout the week =)

Also, I will be joining a trip to Pangkor Island at the end of this semester. After that I will move up to the north to visit some places. Really hope that the trip will go well, please...