Of summer and blogging

This is the kind of title that you'll see when I attempt to combine two topics that are supposed to be discrete... I'm just too lazy to create two separate posts instead of one. Nevertheless, they're somehow related for me to weave them into one post. Read on.


My blog is half dead

I realised that there are many many broken promises on my blog - from my assurance to update more frequently and to my pledge to provide more follow-up posts. Ironically， the music I'm currently playing on my blog is 约定 ("Promise") by Michael Wong. I should've posted more updates especially during the summer holidays, which is about to end by the way. Close to four months... yet only four updates during this period (not including this post). What am I doing?

My (and maybe some others') interest in blogging has probably declined since using Facebook. Being on Facebook has sapped much of the time available for me to be active in blogging. With Facebook, I can keep up with updates from bloggers and non-bloggers alike, on one single website - convenient eh? No need to go blog-hopping and waiting for (some painfully slow) blogs to load. Naturally, updating my status on Facebook is much easier than writing a full-length blog post.

So why am I still writing this? I should've ditched this blog long ago! Actually, not a chance. Here are my five reasons:

1. This blog can be designed the way I like it.
2. Freedom to write as long as I want. Status updates are for short updates.
3. Facebook Notes? Limited capabilities. Here I can include pictures, Flash animations, CSS, Javascript, Java applets, even ActiveX in my posts if I know how to use it.
4. Facebook Photos? Again limited. I can write a photo story here instead of displaying my photos album-style.
5. Unlimited stuff that I can include here, unlike my plain old Facebook profile.

So Facebook or blogging? Hopefully both, if I have the time. In fact, I've just added a Facebook badge at my blog's sidebar to keep this blog updated with my Facebook status. This way, my blog will never be dead!


Summer summary

OK, so you know I didn't spend my summer writing lengthy articles on who-knows-what (I didn't even bother to think about what articles to write). I'll classify the happenings in summer in two categories - good and bad.

The good:

• Visited Indonesia for the first time.
• Earned some money.
• Got an external hard drive.
• My house is now a Wi-Fi zone.
• Bought myself a new handphone (more about this later).
• Played DotA with my cousin. He's getting better than me!
• Met some old friends, both during work and late-night mamak sessions.

The bad:

• Didn't do as much as I planned to do.
• My external hard drive suffered a fall. It's still working, but not without minor glitches (more about this later).
• My grandfather in Penang had a stroke, still recovering. Will see him next week.
• Broke my laptop, due to me leaving it on for insanely long hours. (Or rather, it broke on me.) Come on, it's only slightly more than a years' old and a day is only 24 hours at maximum. So this is the lifespan of my laptop made by DELL (more about this later).
  

Notice the fancy bullets I used when writing out my list. This will never be possible on Facebook. So fellow bloggers, keep on blogging. Rest assured, I'll be monitoring your blogs through my blogroll on the right. Keep your blog updated to stay on top!


P.S.: If I missed out any of your blogs, feel free to shout at me in my Shoutbox.

Last day at TMpoint Melaka

One and a half months... and my part-time job as a HP Broadband PC (BBPC) promoter had ultimately came to an end yesterday. There are lots of things that happened during that time that will serve as perfect blogging material, but due to tiredness (just had a game of DotA and it's late), I'll let the pictures do the talking first.


TMpoint Melaka at Gajah Berang.


My HP BBPC booth.


Me with TMpoint counter staff. From left: Kak Siti, Kak Akmar, Kak Nane and Kak Ramlah. Thanks for helping me with new BBPC applications!


Posing with Encik Yussaini, Customer Service Consultant.


Me with (from left) SME Consultant Kak Su and TM trainees Kila and Nani.


Last but not least...


TMpoint Team Leader Encik Firdaus and myself.


Nice working with you guys and happy fasting!


P.S.: Hope to get another update on my job posted soon...

Streamyx free PC promotion

Packages

All packages include Streamyx 1.0 Mbps unlimited access and a modem.

Desktop Package

Compaq Presario CQ2035d Desktop PC	UPGRADE: Compaq Presario CQ3060d Desktop PC
Intel® ATOM™ 330 Processor (1.60 GHz, 512 KB L2 Cache, 533 MHz FSB) Genuine Window Vista® Home Basic 1GB DDR2 SDRAM; 160GB Hard Disk DVD+/- RW Drive with LightScibe Technology Compaq 15” Wide LCD Monitor (Upgrade to HP w18.5" Wide LCD Monitor for only RM6/month)	Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo Processor E7400 (2.80 GHz, 3 MB L2 Cache, 1066 MHz) Genuine Window Vista® Home Basic 3GB DDR2 SDRAM; 320GB Hard Disk DVD+/- RW Drive with LightScibe Technology Integrated Wireless & LAN Compaq 18.5” Wide LCD Monitor
RM99.00 per month	RM128.90 per month

Notebook Package

Compaq Presario CQ40-518TU Notebook PC	UPGRADE: Compaq Presario CQ40-510TU Notebook PC
Intel® Pentium ® Processor T4300 (2.10GHz, 1MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB) Genuine Window Vista® Home Premium 1GB DDR2 SDRAM Memory; 250GB Hard Disk DVD +/- RW Drive Integrated Wireless LAN 802.11b/g Integrated Webcam 14.1” WXGA TFT High Definition Wide Screen Free Carrying Case	Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo Processor T6500 (2.10GHz, 2MB L2 Cache, 800MHz FSB) Genuine Window Vista® Home Premium 2GB DDR2 SDRAM Memory; 320GB Hard Disk DVD +/- RW Drive Integrated Bluetooth & Wireless LAN 802.11b/g Integrated Webcam 14.1” WXGA TFT High Definition Wide Screen Free Carrying Case
RM139.00 per month	RM158.90 per month

Comparison with Streamyx Combo 1 Mbps

	Combo	Desktop Package	Desktop Upgrade	Notebook Package	Notebook Upgrade
Speed	1 Mbps	1 Mbps	1 Mbps	1 Mbps	1 Mbps
Monthly price	RM110	RM99	RM128.90	RM139	RM158.90
Phone Rental	FREE	RM25	RM25	RM25	RM25
Total price per month	RM110	RM124	RM153.90	RM164	RM183.90
Contract period	12 months	24 months	24 months	24 months	24 months
Total price over 2 years	RM2640	RM2976	RM3693.60	RM3936	RM4413.60
Extra (when compared to Combo)	-	RM336	RM1053.60	RM1296	RM1773.60

FAQ

Is the PC really free?
Yes, because when comparing the standard Streamyx 1 Mbps package with the desktop package above, the price of both is RM99/month and comes with a modem. The difference is the desktop package also comes with a PC.

What's the catch?
The monthly payment must be made through credit card from any of the following banks:
AmBank • Citibank • EON Bank Group • HSBC Bank • Bank Islam • Maybank • OCBC Bank • RHB Bank
The contract period for these packages is 2 years.

Interested?

For more details, contact me at .


Note: All details are correct at the time of publishing.
Last update: 2 August 2009

Summer

It's summer time in the Northern Hemisphere, did anyone notice? I think not. Nobody cares by the way, since it's summer whole year round in Malaysia, nothing special. I personally wouldn't care less, except that this is the time where my university has its longest holiday in a year - the summer holiday - which lasts for about 4 months.

"Four months???"

That was the reaction of my friends who have never heard of summer holidays before. I can see why. No college or university in Malaysia (except maybe the foreign ones) have such a long holiday at one go. Their holidays are no different in quantity, but rather scattered throughout the academic calendar.

I'm now already more than one month into the holidays, and yet I've not accomplished much that I originally planned to do. Here are my plans:

1. Relax

When is a good time to relax except for the holidays? At the beginning of June I went to Jakarta and Yogyakarta with my family. Jakarta has nothing much, but Yogyakarta is a nice place to visit with many awesome attractions - I visited Borobudur Temple, Prambanan Temple and Mount Merapi - all of them can never be seen in Malaysia. I will post some photos as soon as I got them uploaded. Also, saying at home is considered a form of relaxation, except that it's sometimes boring...


2. Earn some money

I was recently hired by HP to promote their Broadband PC package. Basically, you can own a PC plus a 1.0 Mbps Streamyx connection at just RM99/month for 24 months. I'll be going to KL for training next week, after which I'll work near my home in Malacca. After my training I'm going to post more details on the benefits of this package, so make sure you give your support! In addition, I'm answering questions on Mahalo Answers, which offers at least a 25 Mahalo cents (≈ 19 US cents) tip if my answer is considered the best. Not much, but still something...


3. Get a new handphone

Partially the reason to get a job. I'm currently eying touchscreen-based Google Android-powered phones, like the HTC Magic.

HTC Magic

Although I'll get enough money after working for 2 months, but still I'm wondering whether it's a tad too much to spend on a phone.


4. Learn something new

A way to ensure that the mind doesn't get rusty. There are many things I would like to learn, but sometimes I'm just too lazy to get things started...


5. Hang out with family and friends

After spending a year at Semenyih, now it's the time to be with my family and hang out with old Malaccan friends. Fancy a cup of coffee anyone?


Have a nice summer everybody!

The Year of the Ox

在这牛年里，希望你能够：
In this "niu" (ox) year, I hope that you can:

穿“牛”衣、
Wear "niu" clothes,

买“牛”鞋、
Buy "niu" shoes,

驾“牛”车、
Drive a "niu" car,

做“牛”人、
Be a "niu" person,

住“牛”屋。。。
Live in a "niu" house...

最重要的是， 小心别踏上牛“金”！
Most importantly, careful not to step on bull shit!

祝大家新年进步、万事如意
WISHING EVERYONE A HAPPY AND PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR

The REAL Cloud

The last time I tried to guess the identity of Cloud was an unmitigated disaster. Not only did I wrongfully implicated that person, but because of this our friendship was put to test. Luckily it all ended well. Since then all the leads that I had were exhausted, so I have nothing else to do except to stow away my CSI hat; it seems that Cloud is destined to remain anonymous until he decides to reveal his identity.

Not that I'm desperate to know his identity, but something happened this morning that made me want to put that hat on again. While browsing through blogs by fellow Nottingham University Foundation students, I stumbled upon a blog with the following URL: http://cloudcws.blogspot.com/. Now since the blog owner is the only person from Nottingham University Foundation using the pseudonym "Cloud", there is a high chance that the Cloud person commenting here is the same person as Cloud the blogger.

To prove this connection means finding out whether Cloud the blogger is someone I know (or rather, someone who knows me). The "cws" in his blog URL seems pretty much like the person's initials. As there are hundreds of students in Foundation, recalling someone's name based on his initials is a somewhat difficult task. Truly enough, CWS did not ring a bell to me. Still, there is an whole mine of information I can glean from his blog. I found out that he is [EDIT: Cloud has requested that his identity be preserved]. Case closed.


To Cloud a.k.a. CWS: Good job! I'm surprised that you managed to evade the radar screens of mine and others guessing your identity all this while...

P.S.: If I'm wrong again then I'm going to retire from this CSI business - permanently.

被Alex点了 (Tagged by Alex)

I know that English is THE language that all my blog readers would understand, but sometimes using another language in my blog posts is inevitable... especially when I was tagged by someone using Chinese.

Although this will probably alienate some of my blog readers, I take this as a chance to halt the decay of my Chinese proficiency (now inching towards its half-life). As a matter of fact, the last time I wrote a paragraph in Chinese was during my SPM a year ago. Who knows, this might be the start of the "Chinification" of this blog... (Just kidding!)

For your information, there's a great tool out there called Google Translate that can convert web pages between dozens of language pairs, including between English and Chinese. Just be aware that the translations might be inaccurate, so don't sue me if the translator spewed out something that I didn't mean to say.

Click here to translate this post into English. (UPDATE: The translation sucks.)

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Rules #1: 被点者请在自己的BLOG写下答案。
Rules #2: 请传给另外其他人。(至少3个)
Rules #3: 传阅人请在这时个人的留言板中，告知他/她已被点名了。
Rules #4: 这些被点名者，被点的会得到幸福，愿望立刻实现。
“幸福套餐”开始咯......

幸福套餐1
01 你的绰号:没有
02 年龄: 18岁
03 生日: 7月12日
04 星座: 巨蟹痤
05 兴趣: 上网，出外旅行，阅读，写博客，打羽毛球
06 专长: （不必炫耀）

幸福套餐2
01 你有没有喜欢的人: 可以说有
02 是否在交往: 简单朋友而已
03 现在幸福吗: 怎么会？人生的路途还很长呢。。。
04 如果上天给你勇气，你最想做的事是: （只有勇气而已吗？）
05 如果有一天你爱的人跟你告白，你会: 让我也向妳告白吧！

幸福套餐3
01 点你的人是: Alex曾庆坚 （没写错吧？）
02 他是你的: 朋友
03 他的个性: 友善
04 认识他多久: 中学开始
05 你觉得他怎样: （好久不见，做不出评论。）
06 你想对他说什么: 希望你尽早能够找到心目中的人。。。

幸福套餐4
01 最爱的节目: MacGyver
02 最爱的音乐: Can I Have This Dance - HSM3，Crush - David Archuleta，退后 - 周杰伦
03 最爱的季节: 春天吧。。。 （拜托，马来西亚没有所谓的季节！）
04 最爱的卡通: Kung Fu Panda　
05 最爱的人　: 家人，朋友
06 最爱的颜色: 橙色
07 最爱的国家: 美国 （科技一流）
08 最爱的天气: 阴天

幸福套餐5
01 如果上天给你3个愿望：我会许:1)身体健康 2)心想事成　3)无忧无虑
02 你是个专一的人吗: 差不多
03 最深刻的回忆: 学驾车
04 你是个很有信心的人吗: 看情况
05 你很爱微笑吗: 喜欢
06 如果要你放弃现在的生活，你愿意吗: （新生活会更好吗？）
07 妄想什么样的生活: 幸福快乐的生活
08 是否横刀夺爱才是爱: 应该相反才对。。。


问卷到此结束，点人者请至于被点者的留言板。
现在，我要把幸福套餐送给。。。
会华语的人

Happy New Year!

Things I look forward to this year:

January

• Chinese New Year.
• Possibly a trip to Cameron Highlands.

February

• Start of the last semester of my foundation studies.

March

• Launch of NASA's Kepler Mission in search of extrasolar planets.

April

• April Fool's Day.
• This blog turns one.

May

• Start of long Summer holidays.
• Possibly a trip to Thailand.

June

• Getting a part-time job.
• Hopefully will earn enough to buy a new handphone.

July

• My 19th birthday (getting old?).
• Screening of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.

August

• Rotting at home.

September

• Becoming an undergraduate (another sign of getting old).

October

• Launching of China's first Mars probe.

November

• New version of Windows?

December

• Another end of the year.

Moral Studies presentation video

---

For my Moral Studies this semester, my group was required to prepare a presentation on the topic "Homosexuality". Our group decided to create a video depicting the life of a gay - and how it ended in tragedy.

To most of my course-mates in Nottingham University, this might be something you'd seen before, but bear with me because I finally managed to upload this video on YouTube. Hopefully this quality production from us would be worth watching again... and again...


The Video

A word of advice before watching: Due to the lack of narration during the movie, you might not understand what is going on. Feel free to pause the movie and check out the synopsis in the section below before continuing.

The Story

Drew (Kelvin Hiu) was not an ordinary guy. You've guessed it - he was a gay. He even has a boyfriend (Roderick). The story starts with Drew's boyfriend singing in front of his grave, reminiscing the events that led to his death.

Drew's boyfriend is so in love with Drew that he rejected the advances of others, including girls interested in him. Not long after rejecting a girl (Esdelyn), he went to find Drew in his bedroom to have some fun together. Unfortunately, their act was discovered by Drew's father (me).

Drew's parents were concerned about this and went to talk to him in his bedroom, but he was more interested in throwing a tantrum. Over tea, his mother (Sang Huey) asked him whether he is gay. When he didn't answer, his parents decided to bring him to see a priest in a local church.

The pastor (Wei Ping) talked to him and gave him some advice, but this only increases his frustration towards the people around him. The final straw came when he was beaten up by a duo (Sze Wei and Hon Xing) for being gay. He then decided to end his life. Before jumping off a building, he sent a message to his boyfriend, didn't wait for him to arrive.

The story ends with friends and family members visiting Drew's grave. His father hugs Drew's boyfriend, together mourning the death of someone they both love.


Behind the Scenes

Below is another video showing behind-the-scenes footage and the bestowing of self-created awards.

Final Thoughts

Overall, we had a great time making this movie. It would have been better if I wasn't smiling throughout the video... and my voice seem to be drowned by background noise.

As for my opinion on the main issue being discussed, I think homosexuals have the right to live their own private lives. However, they should be mindful of their acts in public as people may find their behavior offensive.


What Others Say

These are blog posts by others involved in the production of this video:

• Of instant stardom and Big, Retarded baby =D by Vivien (Editor)


• Of Homosexuality and Morality by Sze Wei

UPDATE (20/1/2008): Part II (Behind the Scenes) of the video has been removed from YouTube due to copyright issues. It has been reuploaded to Dailymotion.

Cloud, you are busted!

IMPORTANT UPDATE: The person implicated in this post has vehemently denied involvement in this matter. Without complicating matters, I urge everyone to end speculation on this issue. Give all parties involved a break, lest feelings will be hurt. Also, before making any judgements, do take into account the implicated person's view in the comments section.

UPDATE 2: Here is another attempt at guessing Cloud's identity.

A mysterious person has been commenting in my Shoutbox under the pseudonym 'Cloud' for quite some time. All the while I was wondering about his (might be her) true identity when the name Cloud appeared.

The first time Cloud appeared was during the end of August.

Cloud I am new to here.I heard other people talked about your blog and so paid a visit. (2008-08-29 2:24 AM)

When asked who he was the first time, Cloud replied:

Cloud Ah ha.Cloud will pass by.See when I will reveal myself.Haha.Just kidding.Maybe some time I will tell you. (2008-09-01 1:14 PM)

Oh, he wants to keep it a secret... So fine, I left it at that. Cloud did not appear in my Shoutbox again... until last week.

Cloud Yaya.You haven't been updating for a long time.. (2008-12-01 11:50 PM)

Before that, I thought that Cloud had lost interest in my blog. When asked of his true identity the second time, he said:

Cloud Still haven't reach the time yet.By the way,chatting with a person you seem not to know.Doesn't it feels better?Though I know a little bit about you, (2008-12-02 5:10 PM)
Cloud I enjoy talking like this to you.Haha.Close yet far.. (2008-12-02 5:10 PM)

Then I asked: When is 'the time'? He replied:

Cloud haha.i also dunno..jz enjoy lo.not bad ma like this.. (2008-12-06 4:51 PM)

This guy really got me burning with curiosity. A la CSI, I found out that this guy is definitely from Nottingham University. Also, I assumed that this person has not commented on my blog using his real name before. And based on the way he speaks, I seriously considered him to be a girl. This got me racking my brains: Which girl in Nottingham reads my blog but never commented using her real name before? The result: Too many possibilities. I can't know each and everyone who visits my blog.

Then on Wednesday Sze Wei asked me via MSN whether I would like to know who is Cloud. 'Sure,' I said. She gave me two suspects; both of them seem absurd at first, as I haven't considered them before. Then she mentioned that the second person had done the same thing on her blog before. This got me down working. Based on the multiple visits of Cloud to my blog, the pattern corresponds exactly to that person!

Armed with that information, I can say with 99.98% surety (0.02% error in respect of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle) that Cloud is...

SPOILER WARNING: Click to reveal

Benjamin Chang
Author of DGS

Nice try, Ben! You would have had me stumped if you didn't impersonate as 'ying' on Sze Wei's blog!

P.S.: Thanks to Sze Wei for the lead!

Tagged by YY

How you do the Letter Meme:
Dear (the last person who left a comment on your blog).
I don't really know how to tell you this, but ___1___.I think I realized it when ___2______3___ and I saw you ___4___ ___5___. I'm sure you're ___6___ enough to understand ___7___. I'm returning ___8___ to you, but I'll keep ___9___ as a memory. You should also know that I ___10___ ___11___.___12___.
Loves;-
Your name-
P/S: You are so lifeless, ___13___, -The name of the person that tagged you-.

1. What's the color of your shirt?
Blue - Our romance is over
Red - Our affair is over
White - I'll join the monastery
Black - I dislike you
Green - Our horoscope doesn't match
Grey - You're a pervert
Yellow - I'm selling myself
Pink - Your nostrils are insulting
Brown - The mafia wants you
No shirt - You're a loser
Other - I'm in love with your sister

2. Which is your birth month?
January - That night
February - Last year
March - your dwarf bit me
April - I tripped on sesame seeds
May - First of May
June - you put cuffs on me
July - I threw up
August - I saw the shrunken head
September - we skinny dipped
October - I quoted Santa
November - your dog ran amok
December - I changed tennis shoes

3. Which food do you prefer?
Tacos - In your apartment
Pizza - In your camping car
Pasta - Outside of Chicago
Hamburgers - Under the bus
Salad - As you ate enchilada
Chicken - In your closet
Kebab - With Paris Hilton
Fish - In women's clothing
Sandwiches - At the Hare Krishna graduation
Lasagna - At the mental hospital
Hot dog - Under a state of trance
None of the above - With George Bush and his wife

4. What's the color of your socks?
Yellow - Hit on
Red - Insult
Black - Ignore
Blue - Knock out
Purple - Pour syrup on
White - Carve your initials into
Grey - Pull the clothes off
Brown - Put leeches on
Orange - Castrate
Pink - Pull the toupee off
Barefoot - Sit on
Other - Drive out

5. What's the color of your underwear?
Black - My best friend
White - My father
Grey - Bill Clinton
Brown - My fart balloon
Purple - My mustard soufflé
Red - Donald Duck
Blue - My avocado plant
Yellow - My penpal in Ghana
Orange - My Kid Rock-collection
Pink - Manchester United's goalkeeper
None - My John F. Kennedy-statue
Other - The crazy monk

6. What do you prefer to watch on TV?
Scrubs - Man
O.C. - Emotional
One Tree Hill - Open
Heroes - Frostbitten
Lost - Scarred
Simpsons - Cowardly
The news - Mongolic
American Idol - Masochistic
Family Guy - Senile
Top Model - Middle-class
None of the above - Ashamed

7. Your mood right now?
Happy - How awful I've felt
Sad - How boring you are
Bored - That Santa doesn't exist
Angry - That your pimples are at the last stage
Depressed - That we're cousins
Excited - That there is no solution to this
Nervous - The middle-east
Worried - That your Honda sucks
Apathetic - That I did a sex-change
Ashamed - That I'm allergic to your hamster
Cuddly - That I get turned on by garbage men
Overjoyous - That I'm open
Other - That Extreme Home Makeover sucks

8. What's the color of your walls in your bedroom?
White - Your ring
Yellow - Your love letters
Red - Your Darth Vader
Black - Your tame stone
Blue - The couch cushions
Green - The pictures from
LAOrange - Your false teeth
Brown - Your contact book
Grey - Our matching snoopy-bibs
Purple - Your old lottery coupons
Pink - The cut toenails
Other - Your memories from the military service

9. The first letter of your first name?
A/B - Your photo
C/D - The oil stocks
E/F - Your neighbour Martin
G/H - My virginity
I/J - The results of your blood-sample
K/L - Your left ear
M/N - Your suicide note
O/P - My common sense
Q/R - Your mom
S/T - Your collection of butterflies
U/V - Your criminal record
W/X - David's tricot outfits
Y/Z - Your grades from college

10. The last letter in your last name?
A/B - Always will remember
C/D - Never will forget
E/F - Always wanted to break
G/H - Never openly mocked
I/J - Always have felt dirty before
K/L - Will tell the authorities about
M/N - Told in my confession today about
O/P - Was interviewed by the Times about
Q/R - Told my psychiatrist about
S/T - Get sick when I think of
U/V - Always will try to forget
W/X - Am better off without
Y/Z - Never liked

11. What do you prefer to drink?
Water- Our friendship
Beer - Senility
Soft drink - A new life as a clone
Soda - The incarnation as an eskimo
Milk - The apartment building
Wine - Cocaine abuse
Cider - A passionate interest for mice
Juice - Oprah Winfrey imitations
Mineral water - Embarrassing rash
Hot chocolate - Eggplant-fetishism
Whisky - To ruin the second world war
Other - To hate the Boston Celtics

12. To which country would you prefer to go on a vacation?
Thailand - Warm regards
USA - Best regards
England - Good luck on your short-term leave from jail
Spain - Go and drown yourself
China - Disgusting regards
Germany - With ease
Japan - Go burn
Greece - Your everlasting enemy
Australia - Greetings to your frog Leonard
Egypt - Fuck off now
France - In pain
Other - Greetings to your freaky family

13. What is your favorite activities when hanging out with mates?
Gathering for drinks - Ugly pig
Foosball - Silly duck
Shopping - French kisser
Dulging for food - Cranky banana
Movies - Smelly armpits
Snacks - Horny wolf
Snooker - Tiny nipples
Bowling - Sexy grandmother
Outdoor activities - Vain pot
Having a long talk - Nose plucker
Taking pictures - Dumb bitch
Other - Burn yourself

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Dear ryanne,
I don't really know how to tell you this, but our romance is over (1). I think I realized it when I threw up (2) in your camping car (3) and I saw you ignore (4) my avocado plant (5). I'm sure you're ashamed (6) enough to understand that Santa doesn't exist (7). I'm returning your ring (8) to you, but I'll keep your left ear (9) as a memory. You should also know that I told in my confession today about (10) Oprah Winfrey imitations (11). Greetings to your frog Leonard (12).

Loves;-
WJ
P/S: You are so lifeless, cranky banana (13), YY.

---

Tag Victims:
Sze Wei
Vivien

Historic week - Obama and DotA

What does DotA has to do with Obama? Both are related through just one word: History.

Change has come to America

The victory of Barack Obama as the first black president of the US is a historic moment for the US. Many would agree that this was a positive development in the eradication of discrimination throughout the world. His message of change and hope reverberated throughout the globe, capturing the imagination of world citizens. This once again proves that America is still the land of opportunity - leading the world in terms of democracy, citizen rights and free speech.

Obama addressing the crowd following his election victory. (Photo by Stan Honda/AFP/Getty Images)

Thinking of my beloved home country Malaysia (although I'm not a first class 'privilaged' citizen here), I wonder when change will finally come to Malaysia. The issues of race and religion that politicians keep harping on is downright unproductive. Enough said. If I were to get really fed up of all this in the future, then maybe migrating to the US will be an option, but I would rather have the US culture of democracy be brought to Malaysia instead.


The day I got hooked on DotA

This was some sort of historic moment in my personal history. It was just last week that I officially became a DotA player, albeit a latecomer in the DotA scene. Many of my friends started playing DotA when they were in Form 4. I remained largely unaffected by that trend, probably because I don't go to cybercafes, so I had little or no clue of what DotA is all about. Like the Malay proverb, you can't love something if you don't know it (tak kenal maka tak cinta).

For those who have no idea about DotA at all, let me give a short introduction. DotA is not a game on its own, but a modification (mod) of Warcraft III's gameplay. In DotA, you will only get to control a hero, while the rest is taken care of by AI. DotA stands for Defense of the Ancients, which pretty much sums up the objective of this game: defend your 'ancient' and destroy your enemy's. An ancient is just a useless (it does nothing) structure that must be defended at all costs. There are two teams - Sentinal and Scourge, each with their own unique 'ancient'. During gameplay, you can level up your hero, learn new spells and not forgetting buying stuff to enhance your hero's power.

Since DotA is a mod of Warcraft III, it can be classified as a Real-Time Strategy (RTS) game. I used to be a great RTS fan, starting from the days of Red Alert and moving on (in no definite sequence; might miss out a few) to Red Alert 2, Age of Empires, Age of Empires II and Rise of Nations. However, I'd been playing few RTS games lately, the latest being Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, but then I stopped playing after two weeks or so. This is because RTS games have become too homogeneous, i.e. they have many things in common: build a base, defend it, create an army and then overwhelm your enemy. Each game can be said to be different in terms of units and storyline only. DotA brought a new concept into the RTS line, and I can say that I'm finally experiencing the thrill of playing RTS games once again.

How did it all started? I first played DotA when I got a copy of it from Kelvin a few months back. At that time, I didn't really have a clue on what I should be doing in the game. With no training mode, I moved my selected hero round the map, killed some creeps, get killed, finally declaring this game 'moderately interesting' and I never touched it again until last week. That day was Monday, when Soon Yin came to my room to finish up his lab report (we were doing the same experiment). I'd finished it already so since I don't have much to do at that time, I fired up DotA and had him as my 'war adviser'. Once I knew the basics, the fun has begun and there's no turning back.

On Tuesday, Soon Yin together with Kelvin, Wei Ping and I had a 'DotA Nite' together in our unit. Soon Yin appeared as early as 8 pm and we played three rounds altogether until it was past 11 pm (talk about wasting time). Worse, Wei Ping and I had a test the following day, luckily it was just an English test... The next day we had another 'DotA Nite', this time at the computer lab, but we played only one round. Our next 'DotA Nite' is scheduled on Monday, because we except Soon Yin were going back on Thursday.

To master this game, it does take quite a lot of effort like familiarising yourself with the 90+ heroes and various items used in the game. I'm starting to wonder how this is going to affect my studies.


Change has come to America and to my daily routine. The former is beneficial, but the latter?

Tagged by Sze Wei

1. If your lover betrayed you, what will your reaction be?
Well, now I know her true colours...

2. If you can have a dream to come true, what would it be?
Get rich.

3. Whose butt would you like to kick?
John McCain (US elections today; I support Obama).

4. What would you do with a billion dollars?
Put in a deposit account. At 5% per year, I can get 50 million a year, which is equivalent to 4.2 million a month! Then I will buy stuff, invest, buy stuff, donate, travel...

5. Will you fall in love with your best friend?
Maybe... Love is blind?

6. Which is more blessed, loving someone or being loved by someone?
Both.

7. Do you intend to wait for someone you really love?
Why not?

8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do?
There's nothing I can do...

9. Is there anything that has made you extremely happy?
Happy? Yes. Extremely happy? I will be if I get one billion dollars... Then I can put the money into the bank, and then...

10. What takes you down the fastest?
Stress. Young's modulus too low perhaps.

11. How would you see yourself in ten years time?
An engineer contributing to the advancement of humankind.

12. Who is currently the most important people to you?
My family and friends.

13. What kind of person do you think the person who tagged you is?
Although I don't know her very well, but she seems to be quite a well-rounded person.

14. Would you rather be single and rich or married but poor?
Depends on how poor is poor or how rich is rich. Also, life is constantly changing so I'm unlikely to be stuck in either situations.

15. (a)What's the first thing you do when you wake up?
Bathe. (Boring, huh?)
15(b)What is your mood now?
Tired.

16. (a)Your favourite weather is?
Cloudy.
16.(b) Would you give all in a relationship?
Most but not all, unfortunately.

17. If you fall in love with two people simultaneously, who would you pick?
Simple: The one I love most.

18. Would you forgive and forget no matter how horrible a thing the someone has done?
I forgive but not forget, because I can't erase my own memory...

19. Would you suffer now and enjoy later or the opposite?
Life is a cycle of suffering and enjoying; but I do love it when it's my time to enjoy!

20. Who are u planning to tag next?
YY (In return for the latest tag).

When a Man Loves a Woman (Tagged by Benjamin)

I can't believe I took half a month to get this tag posted! Sorry Ben. The reason is simple: I don't have enough songs in my laptop to do this tag! Nevertheless, I find this tag interesting, so I got a CD which has a collection of English songs I downloaded in 2005 from home just to get this thing done. I wonder what songs would appear...

---

RULES:
1. Put Your iTunes, Windows Media Player, ETC on Shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.
4. Put any comments in brackets after the song name.
5. Put this on your journal.


1. If someone says, "Is this okay?" You say?
Only You - Cliff Richards & Sarah Brightman (Only you are okay. I'm not okay. Neither is this.)

2. How would you describe yourself?
Endless Love - Lionel Ritchie & Diana Ross (I love everyone endlessly...)

3. What do you like in a gal?
Words - Bee Gees (I like the way she talks... and writes...)

4. How do you feel today?
Strangers In The Night - Frank Sinatra (I'm scared...)

5. What is your life's purpose?
Every Woman in the World - Air Supply (Own every woman in the world... HAHAHA!)

6. What is your motto?
Wedding Song - Tracy Chapman (Yeah... own and marry every woman!)

7. What do your friends think of you?
Silent Night, Holy Night - Frank Sinatra (I slept too soundly, is it?)

8. What do your parents think of you?
Colours of the Wind - Vanessa Williams (I'm great!)

9. What do you think about very often?
For Your Eyes Only - Sheena Easton (Only you can see what I'm thinking...)

10. What is 2 + 2?
All I Have to Do Is Dream - Everly Brothers (I can count while sleeping.)

11. What do you think of your best friend?
The Sound of Silence - Simon and Garfunkle (He is quiet but loud...)

12. What do you think of the person you like?
You're The One That I Want - Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta (Yes... I want you!)

13. What is your life story?
Amazing Grace - Celine Dion (Very high class one...)

14. What do you want to be when you grow up?
Unbreak My Heart - Whitney Houston (My heart is too broken... Unbreak my heart first...)

15. What do you think of when you see the person you like?
Have I Told You Lately that I Love You - Rod Stewart (I hope I didn't forget!)

16. What will you dance to at your wedding?
Grease is the Word - Bee Gees (Slip sliding on the dance floor...)

17. What will they play at your funeral?
Save Your Kisses For Me - Natasha Thomas (Kiss me goodbye!)

18. What is your hobby/interest?
Enchanted - The Platters (I love daydreaming...)

19. What is your biggest fear?
The End Of The World - Skeeter Davis (How true!)

20. What is your biggest secret?
Total Eclipse of The Heart - Bonnie Tyler (My heart is eclipsed... All my secrets are hidden!)

21. What do you think of your friends?
Can You Feel the Love Tonight - Elton John (A little too romantic...)

22. What will you post this as?
When a Man Loves a Woman - Rod Stewart (Hey! This post has nothing to do with human sexuality!)

23. What song would you play during your first time having sex?
Picture - Kid Rock & Sheryl Crow (Take photos!)

24. You tag?
Under the Boardwalk - Drifters (Hey there... those under the broadwalk... you're tagged!)

Nominations by Sze Wei

1. Put the logo on your blog. 2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you. 3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs. 4. Add links to these blogs on your blog. 5. Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.	Rules of the award: 1. The winner may put the logo on her blog. 2. Put a link to the person you got the award from. 3. Nominate 5 blogs. 4. Put links to the blogs. 5. Leave a message for your nominees.
I nominate: Touché by YY The Way by Loo Han @lex's LiFe by Alex THE RED ROLLER COASTER by Sonia Legend by Kelvin 无情人部落格 by Zheng Koon Me n Myself by Sang Huey	I nominate: Touché by YY THE RED ROLLER COASTER by Sonia Appreciate People Around You by Jia Wei There is PURPOSE to life. We just got to keep looking for it. by Vivien noryK eeL by Khuan Yew

Hope this won't take too much of your time...

Tagged by Sze Wei

Rules:
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves
3. At the end of the post the player then tags 5 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves a comment, letting them know they got tagged and to ask them to play and read your blog.

Starting time: 12.43 pm
Name: WJ
Sisters: No
Brothers: 1
Shoe size: 11 (inches?)
Height: 180+ cm
Where do you live: Melaka (Home), University of Nottingham campus (Study).

Favourite drinks: Fruit juice.
Favourite breakfast: Dim sum.
Have you ever Been on a plane: Few times (only recently).
Swam in the ocean: Ocean? No. Sea, yes.
Fallen asleep at school: Definitely.
Broken some one's heart: Maybe.
Fell off your chair: Can't remember...
Saved e-mails: E-mail storage is big nowadays... I delete only spam.
What is your room like: Normal room.
What's right beside you: My laptop.
What is the last thing you ate: Potato bread.


Ever Had

Chicken pox: Never. I'd been vaccinated!
Sore throat: Of course... and it can cause me fever...
Stitches: Looks like no.
Broken nose: Never.

Do you Believe in love at first sight: Who knows?
Like picnics: Love it.
Who was/were the last person You danced with: I don't dance.
Last made you smile: I smile with just about anybody.


Today did you

Talk to someone you like: No.
Kissed anyone: No.
Get sick: No.
Talk to an ex: No ex.
Miss someone: My friends.
Eat: I eat everyday.

Best feeling in the world: Achievement
Do you sleep with stuffed animals: What would people think?
What's under your bed: Air
Who do you really hate: I forgive and forget.
What time is it now: 1.06 am


Random

Is there a person who is on your mind now: The one who tagged me (thinking why she tagged me with all these dumb questions...)
Do you have any siblings: That was in the beginning section...
Do you want children: Why not?
Do you smile often: Quite.
Do you like your hand-writing: Hope you can read it.
Are your toe nails painted: You'll never see me do it.
Whose bed other than yours would you rather sleep in: My bed is the best.
What color shirt are you wearing now: Light yellow.
What were you doing at 7:00 p.m. yesterday: Bathing.
When did you cry last: (Secret)
Are you a friendly person: Usually.
Do you have any pets: No. My parents don't like.
Where is the person you have feelings for right now: Heaven knows.
Did you hold hands with the person who means anything to you now: No because nobody...
Do you sleep with the TV on: A few times.
What are you doing right now: Doing this.
Have you ever crawled through a window: I don't think so... Windows here are mostly grilled... And I don't want to risk my life.
Can you handle the truth: Nothing more important than the truth.
Are you too forgiving: Maybe.
Are you closer to your mother or father: Equal.
Who was the last person you cried in front of: My parents.
How many people can you say you've really loved: My family.
Do you eat healthy: Tried to.
Do you still have pictures of you & your ex: No ex.
Have you ever cried because of something someone said to you: No.
Are you loud or quiet most of the time: You should know.
Are you confident: Most of the time, but not arrogant.

5 things I was doing 10 years ago
Kids stuff.

5 things on my to-do list
Lots of stuff.

5 snacks I enjoy
1. Kit Kat
2. Twisties
3. Pringles
4. Potato wedges
5. French fries

5 things I would do if I were a billionaire
1. Travel to space
2. Invest
3. Buy big house and car
4. Buy cool stuff
5. Donate!

5 of my bad habits
No need to talk about that.

5 places I have lived in:
1. My mother's womb
2. Melaka
3. University of Nottingham campus
4. My grandmother's house in Penang
5. Many hotels

5 jobs I've had
1. Student
2. Blogger
3. Brother
4. Car washer (at home)
5. Painter (at home)


I Tag

Dead people (those that haven't updated their blogs for a long time):
Hou Ket
Han Way
Wei Di
++ Lazy to mention those who are beyond dead

For heavan's sake, update your blogs!

Tagged by YY

Since this post is posted on 31st August a.k.a. Merdeka Day, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all MalaysiansHappy Merdeka!
Do take note that the fight for independance did not end on August 31st, 1957. The freedom and rights of the people is still under threat from corruption, cronyism and racism. Together we shall fight for a true Merdeka!

People who have been tagged must write their answers on their blogs and replace any questions that they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.

Tag 8 people to do this quiz and those who are tagged cannot refuse.These people must state who they were tagged by and cannot tag the person whom they were tagged by. Continue this game by sending it to other people.

1 ) Are you allowed to have a bf/gf?
Probably yes... but is the time right?

2 ) Describe urself in one word.
Serious. What do you think?

3 ) Who would you pick, someone who really loves you, or the one you love?
It takes both hands to clap.

4) Have you ever loved someone BEFORE but never had the courage to tell him/her?
Not really. That isn't real love anyway, so don't bother.

5 ) Does it feel good to love?
What's life without love?

6 ) What's the best thing to do with the one you love?
Depends on who.

7) What will you say to someone who doesn't want to believe you??
Go to heaven.

8 ) Was ever a time that you tried to learn to love someone?
I guess not.

9 ) What's your opinion about someone who's jealous?
Life's like that.

10 ) What would yo say to playboys/playgirls?
You live your life and I live mine.


[[ * PART 2 * ]]

1 ) Best place to cry?
Home.

2) Who do you love the most?
My family.

3 ) Tell us about ur dream last night?
I slept soundly.

4) Ever hated someone so bad?
Yes.

5 )The biggest & most hurtful lie you heard?
No idea.

The last person..
-you had a beer with?
My family.

-you went to the movies with?
My family. Watched The Chronicles or Narnia: Prince Caspian.

-you talked on the cell phone with?
My mum.

-you hugged?
My pillow.

-you yelled at?
My brother (yeah, a long time ago).

In the last week have you..
~Kissed someone?
Nope.

~Danced crazy?
Never.


Think of the last time u were angry, why were u angry?
Can't remember.

If you could do anything OR wish anything, wad would it be?
Live this life to the fullest.

If you could have an all expense paid trip, where will you go?
A trip to everywhere.

Would you or have you ever blackmailed someone?
No reasons for that.

Are you old fashioned?
Sometimes old is gold.

What would be harder for you, to tell someone you love them or that you do not love them back?
Both.

What thing would be the hardest thing for you to give up on?
My computer.

5 Facts About Me:
Friendly
Forgetful
Open minded
Lazy
Thoughtful

5 Things that Scares Me:
Nothing scares me.. except my wild imaginations.

7 Songs Playing in My Head Lately:
Lazy to get songs to listen... If you want to know, listen to the music playing on my blog.

7 Words/Things I Always Use:
"Huh?"
"OK"
"Errr..."
"Uh huh"
"Really?"
"Wa..."
"Eh..."


I tag...

Introducing Foundation bloggers @ Nottingham:

• Kelvin (2nd time I tagged)
  
• Benjamin
  
• Zheng Koon
  
• Sang Huey
  
• Vivien
  
• Sze Wei
  
• Jessie
  
• Who else? Zhi Yang has a blog, but looks dead.

Thousand apologies to those that I've missed out. Do drop me a line if you want to get your blog noticed, especially by Dr. Khiew!

To old friends... I haven't forgotten you! You sure kena the next tag if there is one!

Tagged by Loo Han

LAYER 1 : ON THE OUTSIDE
Name : WJ
Birth Date : 12 July 1990
Current Status : Single
Eye Colour : Not sure
Righty or lefty : Righty

LAYER 2 : ON THE INSIDE
My Heritage : Malaysian Chinese Hokkien
My Fears : The future, extreme heights
My Weaknesses : Unable to overcome my weakness
My Perfect Pizza : Any pizza + xtra cheese

LAYER 3 : YESTERDAY, TODAY, TOMORROW
My thoughts first waking up : Another day...
My bedtime : 11pm - 2am
My most missed memory : Primary and secondary school days

LAYER 4 : MY PICK
Pepsi or Coke : I would rather avoid them
McDonald or Burger King : Burger King's burgers are the best!
Single or grouped dates : Single
Adidas or Nike : Any brand would do... Quality + comfort matters
Tea or Nestea : What's the difference?
Chocolate or Vanilla : Chocolate
Cappuccino or Coffee : Cappuccino sounds nicer, but haven't tasted before

LAYER 5 : DO YOU...
Smoke : Smoking is bad for health
Curse : Occasionally
Take a shower : Who doesn't?
Have a crush : Yes
Think you've been in love : Not really
Go to school : I'm going to a UNIVERSITY! Currently wasting time at MHS.
Want to get married : Why not?
Believe in yourself : Most of the time

LAYER 6 : IN THE PAST
Alcohol : Occasionally
Gone to the mall : I don't live in a kampung
Been on stage : Yes
Eaten sushi : Yes
Dyed your hair : Never thought of trying

LAYER 7 : HAVE YOU EVER
Played a stripping game : Never
Changed who you were to fit in : Depends

LAYER 8 : AGE YOU'RE HOPING...
To be married : 28 to 30

LAYER 9 : IN A GIRL...
Best eye colour : Brown
Best hair colour : Natural
Short hair or long hair : Moderately long
Best height : Hard to find one taller than me
Attitude : Supportive, not too overly ambitious

LAYER10 : WHAT WERE YOU DOING...
A minute ago : Reflecting about myself
Hour ago : Surfing the internet
4.5 hours ago : Eating dinner
1 month ago : Form 6 Orientation
Year ago : Enjoying Form 5

LAYER 11 : FINISH THE SENTENCES...
I love : This world
I feel : Worried about my future
I hate : Lies
I hide : My secrets
I miss : My secondary school days
I need : To learn to be an adult

LAYER 12 : TAGGING 5 PEOPLE
Those that haven't responded to tags - Wei Di, Kee Weng, Khuan Yew, Jude (I hope he hasn't given up blogging).
Plus: YY

My first laptop

This post is supposed to be about politics, but then out of the excitement of receiving my new laptop today, politics will have to wait (sorry Sonia).

I placed an order for a Dell Inspiron 1420 laptop on Dell's website last Wednesday, because I need a laptop when I study in the University of Nottingham. Dell's unique ordering system allows buyers to easily customise their order to suit their personal needs. Once they received the customer's order, then only the ordered product is manufactured - just in time. So I was informed that from processing my order to having my laptop delivered takes about 1-2 weeks. Here is a summary of the technical specifications of the laptop I ordered, if you're interested:

Processor	Intel Core 2 Duo T7250 (2.0 Ghz)
RAM	2GB
LCD Screen	14.1"
HDD	160GB
Operating System	Windows Vista Home Basic

Compared to other manufactures, I find that the Dell Inspiron range offers one of best laptops in terms price-to-performance ratio in market. That means a lower price for a more powerful computer. Aesthetically speaking however, the Inspiron line of laptops are nothing special, unlike what you get with a Dell XPS or Sony Vaio. But I don't mind; it's the inside that counts.

Barely a week passed, and today I found the laptop delivered at my doorstep after school. Here I would like to share with you the excitement of getting a new laptop.

The unopened box.



Open sesame! I see the notebook bag.



A smaller box labelled "INSPIRON". Is my laptop inside?



No... but no doubt they are essential items.



Another box made of polystyrene underneath.



The main thing.



The Espresso Brown exterior.



Ready to roll.