=)

=) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =) =)

What a day!

Believe

I sit alone and watch the clock
Tryin to collect my thoughts
All I think about is you
And so I cry myseld to sleep
And hope the devil I don't meet
In the Dreams that I live through

Believe in me
I know you've waited for so long
Believe in me
Sometimes the weak become the strong
Believe in me
This life is not always what it seems
Believe in me
Cause I was made for chasing dreams

All the smiles you've had to fake
And all the bullshit you've had to take
Just to lead us here again
I never have the things to say
To make it all just go away
To make it all just disapear

It's my life
It's my choice
Hear my words
Hear my voice
So just believe

I sit alone and watch the clock
Tryin to collect my thoughts
I'll I think about is you
If you believe in me
Life not always what it seems
Believe in me
Cause I was made for chasing dreams.

Debate

What a debate!

I just watched the presidential debate over CNN a couple of minutes ago and I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was 90 minutes of pure political enjoyment. I thought that the debate went really well and it was a very close one. However, I did feel that both candidates avoided answering certain questions directly, perhaps out of fear of jeopardizing their respective campaigns. For instance, both candidates pretty much went round the bush when they were asked what their positions were on the 700 billion dollar bailout that President Bush put forward to congress. And I must admit that right now, among the average Americans, it is a very unpopular decision. However, I am of the opinion that it is essential that the bailout be given a green light only if it done under the correct terms. Yes, I agree that 700 billion dollars is a a whole lot of money but if we don't pump it in now or in regulated stages, we're definitely going to be in a worse position, economically, in the future.

About the war in Iraq, I feel that it is important to continue funding to the troops with a mission to withdraw them when security, political and economical situations are stable enough. However, I also feel that less emphasis should be given in Iraq where as it is, conditions are becoming better. But instead, it would be wiser to put more emphasis on the war in Afghanistan where the Taliban are getting stronger and more brazen by the day.

I'm still undecided on tax positions. But I tend to lean towards Obama's idea of having tax breaks for the middle class while increasing tax towards the rich.

But apart from that, I think that the debate was an absolute cracker and I can't wait for the vice presidential debate coming up this Thursday between Palin and Biden. It should be an interesting one as well.

Home

Its amazing how you can learn new things when you listen to someone and explore other options.

Hint: If things go well, something nice might happen in 3 months time. Something even better will follow in 6 months time. I can only hope that I get the necessary seals of approval.

Funny Time

I like the one about rap music....

Under The Floodlights

This has got to be the most awesome simulation video that I've ever seen. Check it out, for those of you whom like myself won't be there.



I just can't wait to see the real thing over television this weekend.

I Miss You

I wish for only one thing right now. Take everything else away from me, I don't care. I just want my guitar.

Slide

Could you whisper in my ear
The things you wanna feel
I'll give you anything
To feel it comin'

Do you wake up on your own
And wonder where you are
You live with all your faults


I wanna wake up where you are
I won't say anything at all
So why don't you slide

Yeah we're gonna let it, slide

Don't you love the life you killed
The priest is on the phone
Your father hit the wall
Your ma disowned you

Don't suppose I'll ever know
What it means to be a man
Something I can't change
I'll live around it


And I'll do anything you ever
Dreamed to be complete
Little pieces of the nothing that fall
May put your arms around me
What you feel is what you are
And what you are is beautiful
May do you wanna get married
Or run away

And I'll do anything you ever
Dreamed to be complete
Little pieces of the nothing that fall
May put your arms around me
What you feel is what you are
And what you are is beautiful
May do you wanna get married
Or run away

Goo Goo Dolls

Stuff I Did

Before I started typing this, I was thinking about what should the first sentence of this post be because I really don't know how to sum my weekend up. One side of the corner wants me to say just how uncomfortable and unproductive the weekend was while the other corner urges me to look at the positive side and rethink all the good times and positive thoughts that I experienced througout the weekend. While I tend to want to agree with a little bit of what both sides of the absolutes have to say, I'm also very inclined to want to take a sort of "sitting on top of the fence view" about my weekend.

Well, in case you're starting to ask questions, let me just clarify that nothing bad happened to me personally, but certain circumstances which I have found myself being embroiled in just didn't make me feel all that good about myself and the way which I have gone about doing what I had set out to do during the previous days made me judge myself as being more of an ambitious thinker than someone who really goes and gets things done. For one, I blamed the lack of activity on the humidity. Yes, it is true that I have been completely uncomfortable all weekend long due to the strange humidity around the place. My room feels damp, the air outside is hot, and everything just makes me want to get out of here and go somewhere else. Somewhere fun. And as a result of all that lack of activity and will power, I just feel like a pointless being.

But now that I have gotten that out of my chest, I think it is only appropriate to reflect on the good things that happened during the weekends. On friday, I had a good time with my suitemate whom I don't really know so well. We live next door to each other and share a lavatory but we didn't make much of an effort to get to know each other. I have spoken to him before but it usually ends after a few sentences or when one of us has to go and do someting else. But it is funny to think about it. I was eating my dinner and all of a sudden he comes in saying that his roommate had left for the weekend and that he had locked himself out and that he wanted my help to get back in. The moment he said that I just burst ou laughing. I then told him, "Dude, I'll finish my dinner and I'll come help you out." I was with Devon and Nickie at that time. Then Callum came in and he asked me what happened. I told him and he started laughing. The other guys then started joking about it. But we were cool about it. Then after dinner, I walked with him to his room and on the way, I learned that he had a Playstation 3 in his room. And the first thing I said to him was, "Dude, you are now my best friend." And we pretty much played Warhawk until about 10.00. Then we watched Comedy Central. The jokes were insane. I would love to tell them now but it might offend a few people. Then at around 11 or so, I went back to my room, came online for a while then went to bed.

The next evening, I went over to Diego's room and he made me a very nice drink. What he did was he took a huge plastic cup, filled it three quarters wine and topped it off with coke. I said to him, are you crazy? No one mixes coke with wine. He then said, try it. And try it I did. It was amazing. I ended up downing two whole cups of it. I tried not to drink a second cup. But Gauthier (pronounced as Gu-tierre insisted that I finish it. Then Sean came in and asked if I had wanted to join a few navy dudes for a game of pool. We went to this place called Waldo's something. I can't remember the name. But we had a great time. I really look up to men and women in uniform because I feel that these people worked really hard and went up against difficult obstacles to earn their right to wear a uniform. And their genuine passion to serve their country really amazes me. We played till about 1 am, then we boarded a taxi back. And in the taxi, the driver asked us one question, "So who would you guys want to be our next president?" I immediately said, Obama. The rest gave their views on on the presidential battle and the Bush years. I just sat there listening. But it was fun to see how different people argued for what they thought was right. And it also mad me realize, Americans are not as bad as what people back home think they are. I think that they are very nice people. Yes, for sure, you will get a few bad hats but I think this happens everywhere. Even in Malaysia.

Another good thing was that I was able to hear Baka's voice again. Altough the line was pretty bad and I couldn't make out most of the words, but it was fun.

But now that the weekends are over, I guess its back to the weekdays for me. Of course, there wil be new challenges and I am going to meet every single one of them with the best possible mindset.

p.s. Obama was down at Daytona Beach yesterday, but I didn't know about it....

In Your Eyes

Your eyes, they are like those of a femme fatale.
Your eyes, they are like the two sides of a coin.
Your eyes, I keep dreaming of them.
Your eyes, I never could understand them.
Your eyes, I never felt sure of them.
Your eyes, I want to conquer them.

In my dreams, you behave lika a queen with no sense. A diva. But in reality, you are much different. You are humble on the outside. But on the inside, I am never sure. We have too many layers that cover who we really are and you are no different. At least, I hope not. For you are too perfect to be tainted by flaws.

Finally...

...It's up


Thanks Rachel for the awesome banner. The colors remind me of the Malaysian flag =P

Saya

I enjoy the freedom of being able to have emotions, feelings and memories. I love being able to look at reminders and think of people. I love listening to songs that remind me.

Tired. So much work.

Staticized

This is just awesome. It's 8.37 in the evening and here I am, blogging from the library. I've been here since 2.30 and I only left at around 6.30 to have my dinner and now I'm back again and I'd most probably leave at around 11 o'clock.

Yes, I really do have a whole lot of work that needs completing. Finally I'm starting to feel like a college student. Bring it on!

Speed Demon

This was one of the videos that I loved as a kid. I used to sing and dance to it in front of the television. It's a really cool song and the video clip for it is just as funny.

Part 1


Part 2

Piper Cub

Fixing an aeroplane is not easy work! The plethora of parts that make up an airplane would make you want to saw your head off from the headache it gave you.

I headed down to New Smyrna Beach airport today with Jeff and Nick from the Sport Aviation Club. I told Nick the previous day that I had wanted to come down and work on the Piper Cub that they were restoring. (That plane was bought in 1946. It is almost 68 years old!).

Moving on, when we got to the airfield, I was led to a hangar which stored the Cub and in there was a guy by the name of Warren. He used to work on airplanes such as the Extra 300, but now he is doing something else and only works on the weekends to help the club with the Cub. So, I introduced myself to him, and he gave me a slight tour of the hangar and its planes. Explaining things to me as we went on. We hav two cubs. One didn't have an engine and the other one was completely taken apart to be restored. But soon, it was work time and the first order of the day was to clean up the hangar as it was very, very messy. And when I mean messy, I mean frogs, big bugs, and all sorts of things making a living in the hangar. Warren said they found a huge spider while working on the plane last week.

So, first we rolled one of our Cubs out onto the tarmac. Then we repositioned the fuselage and the wings of the other cub. Then, came the best part. We had to start sweeping the hangar. Mind you, I'm not very handy with a broom. But after some good sweeping, we managed to clear the hangar and it looked impressively neat.

Then, Jeff and Nick went to do an oil change on our flagship plane in the next hangar, the Pitt S-2B,an aerobatic aircraft. And that red and white airplane is a beauty. Its one of the main reasons why I joined the club. I want to be able to fly that plane one day. Warren then led me to the Cub and gave me my first task which was to clean the tubular frame of te airplane. He wanted me to clean the plane up with MEK, a rather strong chemical. We needed to remove the old glue from the tubes so that we will be able to do more work on the plane. And after a good wiping, and many torn gloves (I was told to change my gloves the moment I saw any holes in them), I got the job done. But that was pretty much all I did for the day because by the time I finished, the sun was already up and in a few moments, it would be shining right into our hangar. And a midday Florida sun is like putting yourself into an oven. It is that hot here. So after doing a few more things, we called it a day. Jeff, Nick and myself headed for McDonalds while Warren went to do some flying.

The McDonalds here isn't very impressive. I had to wait for about 10 minutes for my burger. Back home, 2 minutes was the most. And when I got it, I was rather disappointed. It looked scrawny. It really is ironic because here I am at the home of McD's and it wasn't what I thought it ought to be. Sigh... I miss Malaysian McD's.


My new favorite club =)

p.s. Congrat's to Vettel and Torro Rosso. What an amazing job!

Thinking About

Just now while eating, I fell into a deep thought. I was thinking about something that someone wrote, something that by all accounts wasn't very appetizing. I kept thinking and one thing lead to another and I finally came up with a few conclusions.

Nothing is infinite. Be it tangible or intangible. Even love itself is a finite emotion. There can only be so much love before it runs out or it turns to something else. An obsession, for example. Therefore, there is no such thing as eternal love. There is though, evolved love. Evolution is eternal.

Situations are only as complicated as you make them seem to be. It is both a human flaw and a human perfection to be able to perceive complexity.

I still haven't done my calculus homework.

Blue Springs

What a day! I just returned from my diving trip with the diving club. While the rest were all certified divers, I was the only greenhorn there. So I had to make do with snorkelling instead. Something which I have done many times before. But this snorkelling trip was much different from the ones I've experienced before. Before this, I've only snorkelled in the sea. But today, I did it in a spring. It is something like a lake, but not exactly a lake (Don't ask me. That was what I was told). It is called Blue Springs by the way. Its part of the National Park.

The water in the springs were very, very cold. It was about 22 degrees celcius. And I am not a big fan of cold water. The moment I stepped into the water, I felt this huge jolt of coldness running from my legs all the way to my head. I initially thought of just walking out from the water, but with so many people looking on, I didn't want to look like a chicken. So, I took a few steps, stared at my friends who were already in there(Most of them were in their diving suits, I only had my surf pants on), took a deep breath and jumped in. And it felt terrible! The water was just so very cold. I tried swimming towards my friends but the flippers I had on, and which I was not very used to made life more difficult. Carey, our acting president said that if I swam around a little more, I wouldn't feel as cold. But that didn't prove to be the case. The more I stayed in the water, the more cold I became. I was shivering down there.

But after an hour, I think (Though Casey said it was two), I decided that I couldn't take the cold anymore, I swam out and went to get some food. Oh and did I mention, there was a signboard that read, "Beware of Alligators." And later while I was walking along the boardwalk with this dude from Brunei, we saw an alligator swimming around. Serious. Imagine swimming in the same spring with alligators. But according to the people there, an attack was out of the question because apparently there was some device, a fence I suppose, to keep them out. Stim!

Now, didn't I have some calculus homework which I was supposed to do?

Getting Better

Words are meant to be engineered by the product of thought and empathy. Art never should be rushed, and so should words.

I wrote something to someone today and after writing it, I kept thinking about it. And while thinking about it, I came up with a conclusion. Life is like a mathematical equation with multiple variables and unknowns. This equation will give you an answer no matter what number you insert into the unknowns. But only with the right numbers, will you get an accurate answer.

Today was a good day, I finally met up with all my Malaysian seniors at the Malaysian Student Association meeting and we had some really good fun eating out at some Thai restaurant called Siam Spice. The food was good, but the price was even more excellent. The meal which I ordered, Cashew nut rice, cost me about $ 16.00. But somehow, I didn't really mind the price because, to be honest with you, I'm getting bored of American food. Its the same thing over and over again. But now, when I start to think about it, paying RM 56.00 for something that cost no more than RM 10.00, was rather silly. Welcome to America folks!

Oh, and do you want to know what my ride was for that night? A BMW 3-series, owned by a Malaysian student. Want to know how much he bought it for? $7000.00. About RM25000.00. It's cheaper than a Kancil! Cars here are dirt cheap. A bunch of French dudes bought a second hand Dodge Neon for $2500.00. Tax and insurance included. Suddenly, I'm starting to have ideas. Mom, Dad, I want a car =)

But moving on, I got appointed to my first post today. I'm the activities coordinator for the MSA. So far, I've got a few events in mind. We're planning a trip to the Jacksonville Air Show, a trip to the Kennedy Space Center and probably a beach side BBQ. We'll see how those go.

Tomorrow, we're going on a diving trip. I can't dive because I don't have my certification but I'm currently exploring the possibility of getting one. Then, on Sunday, we're going to help restore one of the Piper Cubs which got damaged.

Life is starting to get a whole lot cooler here. I think I'm starting to like it even more.

Old Comedy

You know what the most depressing thing is right now?
I can't access youtube.

You want to know what is funny right now?
I got access to youtube right after I typed the other line.
But hey, this is even funnier.









I laughed so loud, my roommate must think that I am mad.

On another note, after many years, I finally spoke to Paul Diegel today... He looks the same... "Heil Hitler" hahahaha

This Is To:

This is to the thousands who never made it home on those fateful days.
This is to the hundreds of thousands who lost their loved ones.
This is to the thousands still dying, and to the millions still suffering.
This is to the innocent ones whose lives have been forever altered.
This is to the world.
This is the reason for Iraq and Afghanistan and to all the other struggles.
This is the reason we must never forget, for a day, seven years ago, woke us up from a deep slumber and showed us a different side of a coin we never imagined existed.
This is the reason, we must still fight on.

More men, women, children, dreams, lives, have been killed in the name of god, than for any other reason.

Noel Gets Assaulted

The guy who did this deserved to rot and burn in hell a million times over. I hope he rots in jail for the moment and then have every Oasis fan kick the crap out of him.



What an idiot...

Semua Benda Kecil

Ahh... the good old days. This song still makes me rock up and down. Why did they ever have to go their separate ways?

Stuff...

Holy

For a thousand years, we have had no peace. And for what? Is it really our saviour or have we used its will for our greed?

In The News

Back home, when I opened the newspapers or when I watched the news channels, I often found myself reading or watching reports about other communities or about things that are happening in other places. But these days, whenever I do the same, I often find myself looking through the pages or staring at the screen, listening to the newscaster speak about news that is referring to the community which I am currently in. This of course, is a completely new experience for me and no matter how nice it sounds, I have a problem with it. Most of the news that I have learned about are often bad ones.

If you have been reading the newspapers, you would have realized that two weeks ago, Florida was battered by Hurricane Fay. Not too long ago, Gustav slammed into Louisiana and caused a whole lot of damage there. Now, we have three hurricanes coming towards or skirting the Florida coast. Hanna, is beside us and she is probably one of the more deadlier ones. So far, she has already killed about 137 people and is now heading towards the Carolinas, which is just north of Florida. We at Daytona Beach were barraged by rain almost the entire day. I nearly skipped a class this morning and had no choice but to skip my evening class. But that hardly is an issue compared to what people at Haiti or the Bahamas or any country in that region for that matter had to deal with. They probably ended up with the worst part of the deal. Then, we have Ike. He's steaming right through the Atlantic as a Category 4 hurricane. A category 5 is the strongest. According to news reports, Ike is expected to make landfall on Tuesday and will cut a path right through Florida. Then, we have Josephine. I don't know much about Josephine, but I do know that she too might cause problems. I just hope that it won't be bad. But that really is the deal here during the Hurricane season. When you get hit, you get hit big time. And even if you don't get a direct hit, the weather generated by the storm could just bring you to a standstill. Businesses would be closed and so will schools. Back home, it wasn't as bad. The worst storm I'd ever experienced probably tore bits and pieces of the roof of my primary school, but that was it. Here, buildings get ravaged. And here at ERAU, we have proof of that.

But apart from the weather, everything is really starting to pick up here. Bit by bit life is getting a whole lot better and though the homework is piling up, I've never been more glad to accomplish them and get going onto other things. The thing that is really making me feel so much at home here is the amount of like minded people that I'm able to find. For once, talking about the military, history, aviation and things like that don't draw blank stares. I've met guys and girls who can just go on and on about it. And to wake up to the sound of aeroplanes is, the feeling is indescribable. May, if ever you read this, you're going to enjoy this place. And I don't mean that in a cliche but everything we do here, is like we've just been fed jet fuel instead of coffee for the mornings. The amount of clubs, activities... you'd just be amazed. Suddenly, I feel like I've rediscovered my passion. And that's just an awesome feeling that I can't describe with words.
And a big part of why I'm starting to feel a whole lot more positive is because of all the words and encouragements that I have gotten from all the people back home. Everyday, I make it a point to read and reread those words and suddenly, those words have found a new meaning. And to all the people who have listened and talked me through the transition, or just gave me something that I could grasp and to think about, I never could have asked for anything better. You're the best.

Wheelchair

Everybody can be somebody. But only if you let them.
Fear is the biggest obstacle. Don't let it be.
Stand up eventhough you're crippled. People will notice.
Marks will be there, but so will the anxiety.
Its much easier said than done.
If only we had an injection...

Le Squirrel

Cake

My day started a little late today, not because I wanted it to start late but because I woke up late. The previous day, I had planned to get up at about 8.00 in the morning so I would have time to get ready and grab some breakfast before I went for my statics class which starts at 9.15. But since it started at 9.15 and I was already quite accustomed to getting up at about 7 without an alarm clock, I chose not to set my clock. I chose to rely on Callum instead. I knew that he had a class at 8.00 and would most probably make a bit of a din on the way out. So I assumed that all that noise would be good enough to wake me up. But to cut a long story short, it didn't and by the time I had gotten up, my hand phone showed that the time was now 9.11 pm (All my clocks are set to Malaysian time, which means that the time was now 9.11 am.). I, in a half dazed state, started panicking. I thought that there was no way that I would ever make it to class in 4 minutes. The walk from my dorm to the Lindbergh center alone took 15 minutes. I thought of "borrowing" my roommates bike, but I decided against it. I didn't know how to use his lock and didn't want to spend time figuring i out. Then as soon as I was about to decide to skip class altogether, I realized that my clock was set at about 20 minutes faster. I quickly jumped out of bed and ran to the bathroom. And on the way in, I forgot to bring in my shampoo and shower gel so I had to make do without both. I showered, got dressed and prepared to leave all in under 10 minutes. I usually take 20. It is the bath that holds me. For whatever reason, I enjoy long baths. Don't ask why. Anyways, I had about 14 minutes left to get to class and I quickly sped out of my dorm and hurriedly walked all the way to Lindbergh. I made the journey in about 11 minutes. But when I got there, I was greeted by a half empty classroom. And after I took my seat, I took a look at the clock hanging from the wall and it showed that the time was only 9.10. Just in time. Imagine what would have happened if I decided to skip class?

Then, after class I went to have breakfast. After eating breakfast, I walked out of the cafe and went towards the door that led to my room. In order to open the door, you had to swipe your Eagle card. But when I opened my wallet, it wasn't there. I couldn't find it. I rummaged through my wallet and pockets but I still couldn't find it. Thinking that I must have dropped it in the cafe, I went back down and asked the cashier if she had seen my card. She said no but she asked me to look around o see if I had dropped it. I traced my steps but there was no sign of it. After doing some searching, I gave up and walked towards my room. I thought that I would put my stuff and then go to Canaveral Hall and make a missing card report. And on the way I couldn't help but imagine that someone had found it and was now using all my Riddle Bucks to buy meals or do their laundry. I kept thinking of the possible fine they may charge for loosing the card. I didn't know how much but I was sure that it was going to be big. But the worst part was that even if they made me a new one, it was going to take time and I wondered how in the mean time am I going to get my meals or collect my package without my Eagle Card?
When I got to my room, I decided to check my wallet again. This time I emptied it. And while looking in one of the hidden pockets, I found it in there...

After that episode, I decided that I was going to study World Politics. But after only a few pages, which was dreary due to the abstractness, I gave up and decided to post this instead.

p.s. I still haven't collected my cake...

White Wedding

I was over at NIckie's room yesterday and while watching VH1, I found this.

...

I'm staring at this piece of white screen, not knowing what on earth to put on it. The holidays are about to end and I'm quite excited that classes will resume and it will be business as usual. The holidays were ok. The only highlight being Saturday when I went down to Orlando and did a bit of window shopping at a mall that had no roof (and it rained) and a visit to the beach which did prove to be a tad of a disappointment. There was an overcast which dulled the atmosphere and I must say that the stretch of beach which we went to is probably among the worst that I've ever been to. Apparently, the good ones are to the south of Daytona. I'll post some pictures and maybe you can judge for yourself. But the Sunday and the Monday were dead boring.

But on a more positive note, I've finally finished that irritating Graphical Communications assignment. It took me two days to complete it and my butt hurts.

More Daytona

More pictures from where I am.






The flight line.


Some of the wildlife around our University. We get quite a number of birds and squirrels.


Callum an I attended a volleyball game between The Eagles and some MSU team


The Scoreboard.


High Flyer


Shall we dance?


The other team's Coach


The Umpire




Substitution


Hahaha


We won! I forgot the score though.


The MC's at the Volleyball game.


The lake opposite the ICI Center.


Lehman Building


Maggi Bottle