COD4

I know I'm a little late but, I just finished playing Call Of Duty 4 and its awesome!

Give It Away

Bunch of lightbulbs.....

Ensign

After a little more than a week since I had finished my Chemistry exam, I set foot into college today. The reason I had gone there was because I needed to return the Chemistry text book which was overdue by three days which I subsequently had to pay a fine of RM 1.50, which was needless, really, and the second reason why I went to college today was because I wanted to find out how to apply for my visa. So that was that.

After paying my fine, I went down to the AUP office to look for Michelle. But unfortunately, she was rather busy with some students so I had to wait for my turn. So, while waiting, I tried to look for something to do. And since there were no longer anymore computers at the AUP office, I had to look for something else and the only thing which the AUP office had lots of were files, catalogues and books about universities and all that are related to universities. I gazed around to look for an interesting piece. Fortunately, I managed to find a file which explained all about the procedures for a visa application. But unfortunately, I found the whole process to be rather costly. I really do not know the economics behind the fee's but all I know is that obtaining a student visa to the USA is not something you would want to do for fun. I could get a zoom lense for that money and still have some spare change for a memory card.

But anyways, after completely reading the document, I realized that Michelle was still busy with the students, wo I tried to look for something else instead. I walked to the other section of the office and I found a book about Embry Riddle. I flipped the book open and proceeded to read all about the student life and activities that are available at ERAU. I flipped somemore and somehow managed to chance upon a very interesting page.

Its not much of a secret that I've always been gunning for a good piece of scholarship to pay for my education. But unfortunately, none of the the available scholarships cater to transfer students. They are all primarily focused on freshmans. But anyways, as I was reading, I came upon the financial aid page. I quickly scrolled down and much to my pleasure, I found a scholarship that applys to all Embry Riddle students regardless of citizenship. That scholarship offered to pay for the full cost of an education plus it also hands out a USD1900.00 per month pocket allowance and the condition is that a recipient has to maintain a c.g.p.a of at least 3.0, which is pretty easy. But the biggest catch came in a form which made me smile from ear to ear but in a way which would not make my parents happy. My mother shook her head in disbelief when I told her. According to the rules, if at all I were to be accepted, as soon as I complete my degree, I have to serve the US Navy as an ensign aboard Aircraft Carriers for a period of time and they would also allocate fighter jet training programs to its recipients. Now, how does that sound? Try imagining me in a white sailor suit or even in a g-suit powering some of the world's fastest fighter planes? Interesting? It does sound fun and very much fits what I've always wanted to do, but, I have to be realistic about it. Me in the navy??? Right.....Not even in my wildest dreams. Which means: No scholarship for me and no 1900 per month pocket allowance.

Paths

They say that life is always about sticking to the path, walking the straight line until we get to where we want to be. But every now and then, our curiosity often makes us stray from the path that we've always been taught to stay on. While most would believe that this is a bad thing, in my opinion, before curiosity killed the cat, it must have very well skilled the cat. So, really, go ahead and stray from your paths. You never know just what you might learn and just who you might meet.

Photo Workshop

I went for a photography workshop today. It was held at the STAR Tower and it was hosted by one of their resident photographers, Glenn Guan. I had a good time taking pictures and learning some very useful tips from him. Plus, I made quite a few new friends over there. Here are some of the pictures that I took from the STAR Photography workshop.















"A photographer takes the picture, not the camera."

K200D / Redang

Here are the pictures from my new Pentax K200D. I only wanted to upload a few, but I ended up uploading quite a bit more. I hope you like it.

Redang

I'm back from Redang and needless to say, I had loads of fun. Here are some of the things I did and swam with!!



I took a picture of this Black Tipped Shark while snorkelling in the bay. Not bad for my first attempt in underwater photography.



That's Richard and myself in our snorkelling gear.

I'll upload the rest when I'm less tired.

Breath

I see nothing in your eyes, and the more I see the less I like.

Is it over yet, in my head?

I know nothing of your kind, and I won't reveal your evil mind.

Is it over yet? I can't win.

So sacrifice yourself, and let me have what's left.
I know that I can find the fire in your eyes.
I'm going all the way, get away, please.

You take the breath right out of me.
You left a hole where my heart should be.
You got to fight just to make it through,
'cause I will be the death of you.

This will be all over soon.
Pour salt into the open wound.

Is it over yet? Let me in.

So sacrifice yourself, and let me have what's left.
I know that I can find the fire in your eyes.
I'm going all the way, get away, please.

You take the breath right out of me.
You left a hole where my heart should be.
You got to fight just to make it through,
'cause I will be the death of you.

I'm waiting, I'm praying, realize, start hating.

You take the breath right out of me.
You left a hole where my heart should be.
You got to fight just to make it through,
'cause I will be the death of you.

Tagged

Rachel, as I promised.

You have to type the 1st thing that comes to mind whenever you hear these things.You can’t think and go back and change your answers.

1. Beer: Vijay Mallya
2. McDonald's: Killer Food
3. Relationships: It is everything. No relationships equals to no existence.
4. Purple: Oprah Winfrey
5. Power Rangers: Red Ranger
6. Weed: Kurt Cobain
7. Steroids: Idiots
8. Cartoons: Dexter
9. The President: Barack Hussien Obama


I..

1)...am obsessed with: Getting the perfect sunset shot.
2)...can't live without: The basic needs for survival.
3)...am proud of: My accomplishments and all the people that I have with me.
4)...really need to: Start expressing myself and feel less guilty about it.5)...don't get why: Sometimes we have to wait for the best things.
6)...relax by: Doing something that I enjoy.
7)...am excited about: Getting my Pentax. Jon's dad should be here soon.

My..
1)...fridge usually contains: Food and drinks.
2)...teenage years were: the years I learned alot and found some of my biggest passions.
3)...family is: my family?
4)...biggest regret: Being indecisive at times.
5)...friends don't understand why: I'm obsessed with things that I enjoy and would go all out of my way to do things for others.
6)...attitude to exercise: Indifferent.


8 random facts about myself

1. I dislike cluttered spaces.
2. I don't like 9-5 jobs.
3. I'm not a traditionalist and I don't share most of the views that my parents expect me to have.
4. I live life the way I want and not according to what others tell me to.
5. I've always wanted to bring water and basic amenities such as schools, job opportunities and hospitals to Africa and to other impoverished parts of the world.
6. I don't really enjoy the typical corporate atmosphere. I'm more of the Richard Branson type.
7. I enjoy travelling
8. I don't usually have first impressions.


1. who is your all time inspiration?
Anybody who has tried and defeated great odds to become successful or to do what they have always dreamed of doing. They don't have to win but it's the trying that inspires me and to me it speaks volumes.

2. have you had a crush on me?
Who's me?

3. if you were to be stranded on a deserted island, who are the 3 blog buddies you would take with you and why?
3 wouldn't be enough. I need more.

4. place that you wanna go to the most?
Europe. But I enjoy travelling the world and its one of my dreams that I get to travel the world.

5. if you have one dream to come true, what would it be?
To have a genie who will grant me as many wishes as I want.

6. do you believe in seeing a rainbow after the rain?
Scientifically, it should happen.

7. what are you afraid to lose the most now?
Everything that I have.

8. if you win $1, what would you do?
Keep it. Or give it to someone who happened to be one buck short on that day.

9. if you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him or her?
Why not?

10. list out 3 good points of the person who tagged you.
She's intelligent, punches above her weight and entertaining (she can never stop talking).

11. what are the requirements that you wish for your other half?
To be the same as my other half. Otherwise, I would be deformed. I don't enjoy having one leg longer than the other.

12. which type of person do you hate the most?
I don't hate people. I just don't fancy them. I don't fancy people who think that they know everything and everybody should bow down to them even when they are ignorant at best.

13. highlight of the week?
I am no longer a student at INTI.

14. if you have faults, would you rather the people around you point out to you or keep quiet?
I respect people who speak their minds. But sometimes, I also value silence.

15. what do you think is the most important thing in your life?
Many things are important to me. My friends, health, my future. So many things.

16. are you a shopaholic?
Not really. I only go shopping if I have something in mind.

17. what's on your mind right now?
I don't know. But I am thinking about what to do after this.

18. if you have a chance, which part of your character would you like to change?
I don't know.

19. what's the last shocking thing that you seen or heard?
Magma group pulled out of a bid to take over Super Aguri.

20. what's bothering you lately?
Not knowing what to do.

I tag......
Anyone free enough to do this.

My Last Day

So this is what freedom smells like.

As I walked out of those blue gates, into the night, I realized that this would be the very last time that I would walk out of those gates being what I have been in that place for the last two years. Two rather mixed years. Great when it came to all the friendships that I've forged, the people that I've met and for most of the things that I've done. Not so great when it came to the academics. But after a really long ride, I'm no longer a student in that college. I am now an alumni. An alumni who got most of what he hoped for when he set out on a journey two long years ago. Now it is time to move on to other things.

My day at college started at 9 am today. The first thing I did was to go to the AUP office to get a head start on my last minute revisions. I was expecting a very busy day today as I had promised quite a few people that I would tutor them in Chemistry as much as I possibly could. I pushed the glass doors open and I made a slight survey of our new "home". It was almost empty, save for a few of the AUP staff and a few students. I then put my bag in one of the pigeon holes, took out all of my books and proceeded to one of the empty tables. And as soon as I had sat down to begin my revisions, my new found friend, May came rushing in. She wanted me to help her out on a few questions, which I duly did. You see, like me, May is one of the very few females I know who is planning to major in Aerospace Engineering. In fact, her goal is to attend Embry Riddle in the Fall of 2009. About one year from now. And I truly believe that she will make it into ERAU because she is a very bright person and I'm looking forward to having her there next year.

But anyways, as soon as May joined me, Billy, a model for Loreal, joined in as well. He too had some problems which needed solving. I gladly helped him out. Afterall, these were my friends that we are talking about. If one needs help, I try my best to make sure that they get whatever help that they are looking for. And as soon as Billy came, Ashok made a rather dramatic entrance. "Eh genius, I need your help." I looked at him and said. "I'm not a genius la." He too had some equations that needed some solving. And like that, one after the other, people came in to join our group, all in the name of trying to do as well as possible in Chemistry. At one point there were quite a few people that I had the honor of solving quite a number of equations and answering a few people all at one time. The once tidy corner at the AUP office had now turned into a heap of students, paper and stationery. You really couldn't tell what belonged to whom and who was saying what. And to some extent, I did not really mind. In fact I was having a bit of fun with all that multitasking. Not to brag but, when was the last time I had that many people come to me with questions regarding Chemistry? Back in high school, you would be considered either deranged or downright desperate if you came to me for help. The reasoning was, "Why would you want to ask someone who gets results in single digits for an answer?"

But at one point, it all became a little to much to bear. Books would be presented in front of me while I was writing on another. Questions would come in while I was speaking to someone else. Not to complain but all these questions were now starting to take a toll on my revisions. I hadn't done any in almost 2 hours and I really needed to get down with my revisions. There were a few parts which I weren't too sure of and from what I understood, they bore some significant marks. So with that in mind, I looked at May and asked her if she would want to go somewhere else and study. She too was feeling a little cold. She said yes, and the both of us quickly packed our stuff and went to the concourse. I figured that I should be able to get some peace and quiet at the other side. But to our amazement, as soon as we had walked past the lecture hall, Kennard called out "Oi Senthil! Where you going?" I jokingly replied "Home." And as soon as I had said that, there was a loud "No, don't go back, we need you to answer questions." I didn't know whether to laugh or cry after hearing that. Sure, it was great that I would be able to help my friends out, which I really enjoyed because to see the smiles on their faces and hearing the oohs and aahs after watching them solve a question really is priceless and its things like these that I will always remember and cherish. But on the other hand, if it went on, I wouldn't be able to cover what I had intended to do. But I tried to accommodate anyways. Afterall, it was far fewer people than the ones over at the AUP.

So we went on in that fashion until about 1 or 2 o'clock when we went for a quick lunch. Lunch was at Asia Cafe. After lunch we returned and it was business as usual. We went all the way right up to about 4 o'clock when I started to get a little moody. By that time a couple of us were being overwhelmed by questions. As soon as I had tried to revise what I was weak at, someone would just come in and start asking me questions. And some of the questions which they had were very fundamental ones and some even expected me to go through entire chapters with them in record time. And looking at it, I knew it was a hopeless cause because there is no way I could ever explain such complex concepts in under half an hour while trying to keep myself on track. Its not that I didn't want to help them out but I really couldn't. It was beyond my capabilities. If they had chosen to study those chapters before hand instead of doing god knows what for the entire semester, I could have at least done it. But the fact that they didn't presented me with a task so difficult that I just did not know what to do. So I stood up and went somewhere else. Somewhere I could be alone for a couple of minutes. But that didn't materialize. Everywhere I went, I was shadowed. And for the first time that whole semester, I broke. I realized that I had been rude to some of my friends and in some cases I was aloof and sarcastic even. I was so confused that I didn't know what to do. Help my friends and watch me screw up or let them pay for some of their misjudgements while I went for gold. I was in a dilemma. I chose the latter. It was every man for himself right now and I was determined to make the most of it. I stood up and walked to far end of the concourse, hoping that this would at least send them a signal that I really needed to be alone. But I still felt a little guilty inside because if you know me well enough, you would come to a conclusion that I don't normally speak out on what I feel.

But anyways, I kept going on in that manner for quite some time until Greg and a couple of more people joined me and thankfully by then I had already covered what I needed to and I was less edgy. And by 5 o'clock, I we were already at the exam hall. And the moment I had wanted to write my name on the exam paper, I got an sms. I opened it and its content made me smile. It was from May. I replied her message and continued to complete my exam.

The exam wasn't too difficult. There were parts which were slightly challenging and I had forgotten some basic principles. But overall, it was pretty normal.

After the test was over, I immediately jumped out of my chair and went to enquire about how everybody else did. I was quite anxious to be honest. But I don't stay too long at the exam hall. I went to the concourse where I wanted to speak to a few people. I managed to. But what touched me the most was the amount of thank you's I received afterwards. It was overwhelming. I really didn't know how to react. All I could do was give them a smile and say you're welcome.

After all that was done, I said my goodbye's and proceeded to walk out those gates for the very last time as a student. I am surely going to miss each and everyone back there.

But on a more lighter note, it sucks having found a new interest on the very last day of college. Ask me if you want to know what it is.

Make Me Badd

My head is about to explode



am watching the rise and fall of my salvation
theres so much shit around me such a lack of compassion

i thought it would be fun and games
instead its all the same
i want somethings to do
need to feel the sickness in you

i feel the reason as its leaving me no not again
its quite deceiving as im feeling the flesh make me bad

all i do is look for you i need my fix you need it to
just to get some sort of attention attention

what does it mean to you
for me its something i just do
i want something
i need to feel the sickness in you

i feel the reason as its leaving me no not again
its quite deceiving as im feeling the flesh make me bad

i feel the reason as its leaving me no not again
its quite deceiving as im feeling the flesh make me bad

i feel the reason as its leaving me no not again
its quite deceiving as im feeling the flesh make me bad

i feel the reason as its leaving me no not again
its quite deceiving as im feeling the flesh make me bad

come back come back, don't walk away
come back come back come back today
come back oh my why can't you see?
come back come back come back to me

Dilemma

I got two letters from Embry Riddle today. The first one is an offer letter while the second one is a document detailing the amount of credit hours which have been accepted by the university. The first letter explained that instead of waiting until August, I could choose to start my education on the 25th of June. The second letter detailed that only 34 of my existing credits have been accepted. By the end of my current semester, that number would rise to 39. And to put it all into perspective, for a typical year at college, one does anywhere between the range of 24 to 32 credit hours. I have spent 2 years at INTI and all I could muster was around 44 credit hours. This means that I average out at about 22 credit hours per semester and when I put it into perspective, the 44 I earned sounds like a huge failure. And to make matters a little more interesting, only 39 has been accepted and to successfully complete a degree in Aerospace Engineering, I need a total of 129 credit hours.

Now I know that you must be wondering, how come I only have 44 credits instead of 60? As much as I don't want to point fingers, I really feel that the blame really lies in the quality of the college. When I first started at INTI, I really wanted to take as many credit hours as possible but as my time at college went on, I realized that this was not possible. It was not because I didn't want to but its simply because no matter how much I wanted to factors beyond my control stopped me from earning more credits.

The first reason is because the quality of the lecturing as well as the syllabus for engineering subjects at INTI are substandard at best. The lecturers are ill equipped to deal with the rigours of explaining the complexities of engineering concepts to its students. Furthermore, many of the lecturers do not understand the American way of learning and often use Malaysian methods to teach. What I mean by Malaysian methods is that the lecturer hardly engages the students, reads from a book and they hardly make an effort to ensure that the students has understood what has been taught and as a result of this, many students find it very difficult to cope with the lectures. And to solve this problem, the lecturers often resort to unorthodox methods such as the handing out of tips to the students. They literally tell them what to study and what to expect for their exams. And when this happens all the confused students will ever bother to do is to study the tips and disregard the core objective of actually learning the subject with an intention of applying it in the next level or whenever they need to. And this produces students with substandard knowledge of a certain subject and therefore giving a false impression of the results that they got for their exams. And having realized all of these, I decided that it is best not to waste my money doing subjects here because when the dust finally settles, I will come to find that I didn't actually learn anything. And this has cost me at least 15 to 20 credit hours. Which translates to almost one year of work. But even if I did choose to waste my money, it would be pointless because the university wouldn't accept those credits anyways. So what this has done is that it has left me with a huge deficit and it left me with a whole lot of catching up to do which of course brings my focus back to to first letter.

As you may recall, I mentioned that the first letter is an offer letter which allowed me to start my semester in June which will allow me to catch up on the deficit by as much as 6 credit hours. I'm currently putting some very serious thought into this opportunity. If I ultimately choose to accept this offer, next month could very well be my last month in Malaysia for a very, very long time. But that's perhaps the least of my concerns at the moment. What I'm more concerned about is the amount of time which I would need to do all the necessary preparations and not to forget the extra cost which I have to incur. What should I do? Should I start now and finish early or should I start later and end up having to work round the clock in order to graduate by spring of 2010?

Short

Initially I wanted to do Rachel's tag but after some thinking I realized that I couldn't really do it without thinking about some stuff and all I could type in was that one thing and it definitely won't do the tag justice. So instead of doing it today, I shall do it on another day when I have a much clearer train of thought.

On another note, its quite amazing how a friend can be made when I choose not to wear my armor. And its amazing just how much you can find out. Looks like I have a new ally. That's it. I think I'm going to change my major from Aerospace Engineering to Global Intelligence and then I'd set up my very own Private Investigative Firm.

Fade To Black

Life it seems, will fade away
Drifting further every day
Getting lost within myself
Nothing matters no one else
I have lost the will to live
Simply nothing more to give
There is nothing more for me
Need the end to set me free

Things are not what they used to be
Missing one inside of me
Deathly lost, this cant be real
Cannot stand this hell I feel
Emptiness is filling me
To the point of agony
Growing darkness taking dawn
I was me, but now hes gone

No one but me can save myself, but its too late
Now I cant think, think why I should even try

Yesterday seems as though it never existed
Death greets me warm, now I will just say good-bye

Sigh 10

Again, again again and again I move from these settings with an ego battered from a harsh tour of regrets. Battered from the lack of significance which I portray myself in. No, it's not because I don't care but its because I keep loosing myself everytime you're there in front of me. Hours, days even, all go wasted simply because I was too overwhelmed by the fact that I'm actually living the moment that I've been waiting for for so long. And to blow it all just because I can't hold myself together is deeply frustrating at times. When you try so hard to get me in, all I can do is just look and give you a smile and before you know it, I'm no longer there. Gone as if nothing ever happened. Why? Why is it so difficult to start something? Should I beg? Steal? Borrow? What? What should I do just to have one perfect moment? No. This just doesn't make any sense anymore. I'm slipping and I know it but yet I choose not to seek any help. I'm slipping and yet I choose to let myself fall down rather than to expose a battered ego. I imagined a cup full of wine today. It was there when I came but I didn't drink it and now I am lost. My addiction went unfed. You're like alcohol. Once you've tasted it, you want to enjoy its euphoria no matter what the consequence.

Silly Moments

Today was the last day of classes for the January 2008 semester and surprisingly, I didn't really feel whatever it is that I was supposed to feel when one goes through the last day of something. In fact, I didn't even realize it until late in the evening. But I guess that I didn't quite feel that was because officially, it was the last day of classes, but I still had to return to college to take the exam this Friday and not to mention the few trips which I have to make in order to complete my visa applications and also the many many more trips which I have to make for the Photography event which will be held next semester.

But speaking about Visa applications. I had a rather silly moment today. While surfing the internet, I realized that I had still not looked for a hotel where I would spend a few nights at before the dormitories open for the semester. So, with that in mind I googled Daytona Beach and I managed to locate the area's official website which had almost everything about the city. Right from its history to local businesses. But anyways, as I was going through the list of hotels, I couldn't help but marvel at the beauty of the surrounding area and what struck me most was the beach itself. I don't know about you but I have a soft spot for beaches. Perhaps it is because I'm a rather subdued person in most ways and the serenity offered by the beach at dusk fits me best. All I have to do is sit on a beach chair staring out into the horizon, listening to the sounds of crashing waves, the sounds of passing birds all while enjoying the beauty of the sunset and maybe I could take a few good pictures and enjoy them later. It is scenes like these that often excite me the most. And its during these times that I often get my best thoughts. Thoughts that I would really like to write down but it all disappears as soon as I leave the tranquil confines of the beach. Its nothing complicated but I guess that sometimes beauty really lies in simplicity and it is this kind of simplicity which makes me happy. And to imagine that after two decades of breathing nothing but pollution, spending the next two years living by the beach really is one adventure I would definitely look forward too.

Silly right? I thought so. But anyways, I received a message from Jon today. It appears that my camera has been collected and all I need to do now is to go and get it. And speaking about cameras, I had another silly moment.

It was around 6 o'clock in the evening and I was getting rather tired with my hotel hunt so I decided to go out and play with my dog. Something that I don't do very often. But as I was playing with my dog, I happened to look up into the sky and for some reason everthing about it looked more beautiful than it has ever been before. The sky had a very mild tone of blue to it and setting sun's rays painted the clouds orange and a cresent was visible. The colors were really soft and it was very pleasing to the eye. I imagined a perfect picture. I wanted to take a picture but I hadn't charged my batteries and therefore I really had no way of capturing the evening sky. A thought then dawned upon me. Ever since I took photography up as a hobby, I've learnt to see everything around me in ways most people don't. Colors excite me like the never have, contrasts become more obvious and details are more visible than ever before. All the while I just sat there and set a keen eye on the skies above. I don't know how long I was there but all I know was that by the time I had stood up to leave, the clouds were no longer orange. The cresent had become more obvious. The skies were now a darker shade of blue. I don't know why but I guess this must be a bug that infects most photographers.

8 Days More

My finals is next week, and here I am sitting half brain dead in front of this laptop not knowing what to do or what to say. Eventhough I know that I should be studying, somehow, I just don't feel like doing so. Its as if I no longer have any drive in me to study. Yes I know that I've got a decent coursework result, enough to get me an A but somehow I just don't feel like taking that extra mile. I need to wake up and start moving. I only have 8 days more till I sit for my last exam in this country. Eventhough I have been through periods like these before, somehow this feels a little more serious than the others. With that said, I think I need to step outside and take in a good breath of fresh air and rid myself of this 20th century marvel before it destroys me.

Aw Naw

Hobbit

Tagged by Jon

rules:
1. name 5 people you can think of right off the top of your head.
2. don't read the questions underneath until you write the names of all 5 people.
3. randomly list the names. no cheating!

the 5 people:
1. Chen Yee Leong
2. Christina How
3. Chatichai Chong
4. Sara Mak
5. Shaun Lai

questions:

1. how did you meet 1?
We met at primary school but we have been neighbours for our whole lives.

2. on a scale of 1 -10 how would you rate your friendship with 1?
Definitely a 9.

3. how long have you known 4?
About 3 years.

4. how do you know number 3?
I met him when we were in the same Moral class back when we were 13.

5. wheres 5?
At his home I guess.

6. a fact about number 1?
He is Yee Leong. Need I say more?

7. who is 4 going out with?
I don't know.

8. what does 1 do for a living?
He works at his dad's office but he will be going to IMU soon.

9. would you live with number 3?
For sure. He is an awesome dude with a great sense of humor!

10. what do you like about number 2?
Her personality.

11. do you miss number 5?
Quite a bit. I haven't seen him in a while.

12. would you make out with number 4?
Can I skip this?

13. what's your opinion of number 2?
I think she's a nice person, a good friend and pretty one as well.

14. what's your favorite memory with number 5?
I'm not drunk!

15. what would you do if number 1 and 2 were going out?
Nothing I guess. If it happens, it happens. Who am I to say or do anything?

16. ever had a long conversation with 5?
I think so.

17. have you ever slept at 2's house?
Yes. But only once, because I got locked out.

18. do you hang out with 3 a lot?
Before he went to Russia, yes.

19. who have you known the longest?
Number 1. 15 years?

20. how often do you talk to 1?
It used to be very often but quite infrequent these days.

21. what about 2?
Sometimes.

22. have you ever thought 3 more than a friend?
He's a great dude and a great friend. A brother maybe?

23. would you go out for a date with 5?
Are you kidding me? The last time I checke, I was perfectly straight.

24. do you dream about 2?
A couple of times in the past. But so have I about the rest.

25. what did no 4 did to you that you can never forget?
She helped bring her crew for Music Fest and it definitely rocked!

26. what have you done for 1 that the person never forget?
Now that would be a secret.

27.what's 3 hobby?
Medicine?

28. tag 5 people
Those whom I've mentioned here.

A Strange Experience

The other day when I came back from a drinking session with Jon and Sara, I had a pretty unusual experience when I got home. As usual, I parked dad's car in the driveway, checked if I had secured everything and then went into the house. After I got in, I grabbed some food and I went upstairs to check my emails. By then, it was already very late, I was the only one awake and my parents were probably thousands of feet up in the air by then. Then, as I was about to get some work done, "Chunk! Chunk!" I heard a noise. It was rather loud and it came from downstairs. It sounded as if someone was trying to yank the door open. Bearing in mind that my parents were not in the country, and we were not expecting anyone at that time, hearing noises coming from down below, startled me. Two things came to my mind. First, it could have been either intruders or the second, it could have very well been a ghost. I discounted the latter. Immediately, I turned around and I went to do a little bit of investigating. But instead of going right down to see who it was, I peeked at the door from above. Call me a chicken, but a lot of thinking went into that decision because if I had gone down, the potential robbers would have seen me and they would have known what to prepare for. I took a peek and to my relief, I saw nothing unusual. That gave me a slight relief, but it still did not erase the fact that I had heard a noise.

After making sure that there was nothing there, reluctantly, I went back to work. Then, as I was happily typing away, I heard another noise. This time it was different. There was a bang followed by the sound of hurried footsteps coming from the ceiling. I stopped typing and immediately looked up. By now, I was completely baffled. What could have made that noise? Again, my mind went into overdrive. I was convinced that somehow, someway, a bunch of nasty people had broken into my house ready to steal whatever they saw fit. And to make matters worse, last year, Leong, my neighbour, told me of how his house had been burgled by a two thieves who entered through the roof. What if it was my turn to get robbed? Immediately, I started to look for help and for whatever reason, I messaged Jon. Then, after doing that, I messaged Ping Fuan. At first, Ping seemed to think that it was all some kind of a joke. But after some relentless persuasion, he realized just how serious I was about the whole affair and then proceeded to offer some solutions and one of them included looking for a weapon, a knife or a machete. Never did he mention the police and never did it cross my mind to call them.

Then, a couple of minutes later, I heard another loud sound. This time it was the door. It was as if someone was trying hard as they could to get that door open by somehow pulling at the knob. I was really scared by then. What should I do? It was already around 12 or 1 A.M. by then and I really wasn't in the mood for anything extraordinary. So this time, I stood up, and marched all the way down the staircase, pushed the curtain aside and took a good look from the window and to my absolute surprise, nothing was there. Absolutely nothing. How could this be? Especially after hearing those very obvious sounds, there was nothing there and as soon as that realization had come upon myself, I started to think of something a little more sinister.

My aunt had always said that she saw a old lady in red saree wander around my house and at times, she did feel a presence every now and then. So the thought of one of these things deciding to come out and play just when my parents were away and I was the only one awake definitely got on my nerves and it did make me a little scared. If it was a robber, I could somehow defend. But what do I do against a ghost?

Slowly, I made my way up and went about doing my work, trying not to think too much about it. I decided, if there was something there, a robber or a ghost, I might as well stay awake just to be safe. I for one wouldn't have wanted a good stabbing or a haunting while I was asleep. After some time, there were no more unusual sounds to be heard. Whatever had been making them had decided not to make them anymore. So at around 2 A.M, when I decided that all was safe, I went to bed. Thankfully, nothing untoward happened while I was asleep. So the question is, what was it that I had heard that night?

On a more lighter note, I went to Jon's church today to test out the K200D. Its a pretty good camera. Let's see where we end up in about a week from now.

Female Hormones In Beer

I read this on one of my friends blogs. I don't know what to make of it but I do think that it should be an interesting read. But keep in mind that I mean no sexism.

Last month, National University of Lesotho scientists released the results of a recent analysis that revealed the presence of female hormones in beer.

Men should take a concerned look at their beer consumption.

The theory is that beer contains female hormones (hops contain phytoestrogens) and that by drinking enough beer, men turn into women.

To test the theory, 100 men drank 8 pints of beer each within a 1 hour period.

It was then observed that 100% of the test subjects:

1) Argued over nothing.
2) Refused to apologize when obviously wrong.
3) Gained weight.
4) Talked excessively without making sense.
5) Became overly emotional.
6) Couldn't drive.
7) Failed to think rationally.
8) Had to sit down while urinating.

No further testing was considered necessary

Y'all Wanna Single

This Is My Stand

A couple of days ago, I woke up to a headline that Mr. Max Mosely, the President of the FIA has just found himself in a rather sticky situation which magnitude is quite difficult for me to grasp. It appears that this man has his very own sex scandal involving a couple of prostitutes and himself in an apparent role playing orgy. And as usual, an array of comments have bombarded press rooms all over the world about Max's conduct. Predictably, some condemn it while some are indifferent about it. As a Formula 1 fan who has followed the sport for 10 years, I believe that it is important to make my stand on this issue. I too wish that fans, spectators, teams, and all those involved directly or indirectly with the sport or are contemplating involvement with the pinnacle of motorsport, to stand up and be counted for we definitely are facing a situation which could indeed make or break the reputation of our sport.

My stand is simple. What Mr. Mosely does in his personal life is up to him and to no one else. Therefore, the so called tabloid who broke the story out to the public had indeed broken the moral responsibility which it had to both its subjects and its readers. Its invasion of privacy upon Mr. Mosely should not and must never ever be tolerated. And its reading public really have no business judging, meddling or finding out information of a sensitive nature with regards to the personal life of Mr. Mosely or of anyone for that matter. In my opinion, this news paper has to be shut down before it damages any more lives, as it has so unscrupulously done so on countless occasions in the past. And therefore, I voice my strong support for Mr. Mosely to continue running the FIA until his term expires in the near future. I just cannot agree with calls for his resignation for professionally, he has done nothing wrong.

April Fools

April fools is always a day where I would somehow, someway come up with some pretty decent pranks which I would pull on people. And I used to enjoy every single moment of it. But please bear in mind that the last time that I had actually played a prank on someone was a couple of years back and I haven't played any since and obviously, having been laid off for sometime now, I have unfortunately become a wee bit rusty. Therefore, with that in mind, I did make it a priority that I go back to the ways of my old days and try to at least play a decent prank on someone. Afterall, there really is nothing like a prank well executed. And I needed some action.

As usual, in the bygone days, the eve of April fool's served as a platform where I would try to think of a decent prank to pull on anyone. But as fate would have it, try and try as I may, I was unable to come up with anything which was close to even resembling a prank. And the closest I ever came to executing a prank was about an hour and a half too early and in my books, probably wasn't the best of pranks. But the victim, sure had her heart skipping many, many beats. But little did I know, April Fool's itself was about to play an even bigger prank on me. A prank which I did appreciate for it reminded me of certain things that I already knew. What I am about to relate to you is a story on how April Fool's played a good prank on me and of how a friend drove from quite a distance away to come and rescue us in the dead of night.

Last night, after returning from Low Yat, my father and I decided to get some dinner at restaurant near KL Sentral. We had just come back from a camera hunting trip and we still haven't had our dinner. Instead of returning home to have dinner, we decided to try something else. So, after getting the car parked, we alighted and proceeded to this restaurant by the name of B'Sentral where we subsequently bumped into a cousin of mine who is currently with the WHO. Then after we had said hello to him, we went in to have our orders taken. I chose to have a rather heavy meal while dad had something lighter. After we had eaten, the both of us felt rather tired and we needed to get back as soon as possible. Dad had a pretty long day, while I had a somewhat busy day at my dad's office editting some pictures for him. And walking around Low Yat looking for that Pentax K200 definitely was not such an enjoyable experience because nobody seemed to have it nor have any idea about it. But anyways, as we had wanted to leave, I realized that the car would;t start. It kept making a funny sound each time I turned the ignition. Having never experienced anything like that before, I asked my dad what was wrong. He said that the batteries had died. The second after he said that, I began to wonder how could the batteries have died. Afterall, it was only a year old and I hadn't left any of the lights turned on while we were away. Not knowing what to do, my first instinct was to call my cousin to see if he had a car which we could use to jump start the car. Unfortunately for us, he rode his motorcycle that night and his friends had already gone home by that time. So seeing that he couldn't do anything to help, he rode off.

A while later I went into the restaurant to ask for help or if anyone had a jumper cable which they could spare. Unfortunately, no one had any and we were back to square one. We then tried to locate the telephone number for the insurance company, but it wasn't anywhere to be seen. It was rather unusual for such a thing to happen because my mother always keeps things like these in her glove compartment. Flagging down cars did not yield any luck at all. We tried asking a lorry driver for some assistance but they were a little hesitant on lending us a hand. Knowing no other way, I decided to call for some assistance. The only person whom I could think of at that time was Jon Woo. I called him, told him of the situation that I was in and asked him if he knew of any good mechanic or anyone whom we could contact for assistance. He said he would look around. For a while there, I was beginning to wonder whether or not he saw this all as a good prank. Thankfully, he did not. Minutes later, after learning that I still hadn't any luck in finding a solution, he offered to drive all the way down to see what he could do to help us out. Obviously, I was delighted that help was on the way. I didn't expect him to come to our aid as he lived quite a distance away to where we were but I am thankful for the fact that he did indeed come out to help us at such and hour. That's what I call a friend. One who would think of nothing more but to see how we can assist one another in times of need. I told him where he could find us. About 20 minutes later, a red Myvi pulled up beside us. The first thing I did when I saw him was to give out a good laugh for I did find it a bit comical to end up in a situation such as this on April Fool's day.

He quickly got out and the three of us set out to solve the problem. After we had connected the cables, I was asked to start the car. But to our disbelief, the car wouldn't start. It was not supposed to do that. We tried again and again. But yet it wouldn't start. We were baffled by what had taken place. Afterall, why shouldn't the car start? We decided to give it some time. But we knew that perhaps, it was not going to work and we needed to find a bigger battery, perhaps one from a lorry. And just as we had said that, a lorry came from the distance. I flagged it down and my dad asked the driver for some help. Thankfully, he agreed and we set to work straight away. After a few adjustments, we got the cables to fit and we waited for a while. My dad then asked me to start the car. But to our absolute chagrin, it wouldn't start. Again, we tried, but it still wouldn't start. By now, we were completely flabbergasted. How could this be? We had everything in place. It should have worked out. Unfortunately, it didn't. Jon theorized that the started had most likely failed and we had to probably leave the car at Brickfields for the night and get some help the next morning. After some slight apprehension about the safety of the car, we agreed and Jon gave us a lift home which I thought was absolutely nice of him. I tried to offer him some petrol cash, but he resisted.

The ride home, proved to be good in some ways because I have been having some trouble explaining to my dad just why Pentax owns Nikon and Cannon and just why it was almost impossible to find K200 set for a price lower than RM3500 on the streets and therefore the RM2900 which Jon's friend quoted to us was a very good deal. Jon, in a way helped me to convince my dad and the deal may be concluded sooner than I thought. I have to ask my dad again.

But anyways, we got home, explained the situation to my mother and of course, she wasn't too happy about it at all. The next day, which is today, we went back to the scene of the problem and tried o solve the problem. It turned out that the car did indeed had a battery problem for we did manage to get it started after transferring the battery from my dad's car. Fortunately, it had not been a starter problem, for that would certainly have doomed us to a visit to the mechanic.

So, April Fool's did indeed manage to pull a rather good prank on me. An expensive one in fact, now that I have a set of batteries to change. But it did remind me of a couple of things that I already realize and I do find it refreshing that I am constantly being reminded of it.