election...

So here it comes, election day next weekend, are you voting?

I heard on the radio yesterday where some people were discussing whether to vote the person or the party. Interesting debate, and in general the society (or the callers mostly) are bent on voting for the party regardless of who the candidate will be at their respective area. Is this a wise choice? Or will you choose based on a candidate who can help you and your community in general?

As for my personal preference, I'd like to remain on the fence in open blogs like this, so I wouldn't say what's my stand.

But I do remember back then in my university's election, I did encounter some laughable candidates. I remember a guy came into the lecture hall before the class begins, and tried to preach and convince us students to vote for him. On his manifesto, he vowed to discard MUET as a compulsory requirement for graduation.

I found it amusing and absurd, and I thought this guy would never win an election with silly ideas like that. In a world where people constantly try to improve themselves, why do we want to do that? Shouldn't we be looking forward to achieve better results and strive to be wiser?

How wrong was I. The idiot won, and MUET was discarded from the graduation requirement.

Our country is still young and growing. People, please vote wisely so that our country can prosper.

Happy be-earlied Election Day to everyone, may the best candidates win.

torty torty...

Took some pictures with the tortoise last Sunday and edited into one piece. Enjoy the pictures!

the pathetic state of malaysian football...

Did anyone else catch ESPN's Sportscenter last night?

There was this interview with some bigshot in the Football Association of Malaysia by phone, and throughout the conversation the screen showed FAM's emblem with the FA bigshot's name (I didn't notice cuz I was busy laughing at the emblem).

The emblem, instead of the words 'Persatuan Bolasepak Malaysia', has the title 'Persatuan Kenasepak Malaysia'. Boy, I thought it was some prank but obviously it isn't, I guess Sportscenter really did a lousy job in searching for our country's FAM emblem, or perhaps it's because that is our latest emblem design?

Wahahahaha!!!

festive season's back...

Going into holiday mood again, wahahahahahaha...

Been off work since last Saturday, went to Butterworth on Sunday and just got home today by plane. This must be the best travel I've had during festive seasons, why the hell haven't I thought of that all those years?

My father picked me up in his new Mini Cooper S, and let me drove home, hehehe... But anyway, having been stuck with Kelisa for so long, driving a MCS doesn't feel much different, but what the heck, it's not my car and I'm not gonna complain since I get to drive a fancy car.

This CNY looks to be a bit dull, I don't know, maybe it's because my grandfather passed away last year and we won't be visiting others, but I know I'll be breaking the 'pantang-larang' thing this year and visit some friends with my form 6 mates. It's been a long time since I've met them and I'm beginning to feel that they think I'm boycotting them, sigh.

ZH's back in town and from the last chat he sounded like he's going to set up a gathering or sorts the week after new year, how it will turn out to be we'll have to wait and see. But I seriously hope everyone here in KL can meet up for once, at least before Nic leaves to work again after his lengthy rest.

Happy Chinese New Year everyone!

days of past glory...

It's probably the worst possible time to be a Liverpool fan these days. All these results crises, Yankees takeover which left the club in debt, and the owner speaking to a potential replacement behind the current manager's back, humiliated by Luton Town last week, and 12 points off the pace in the League.

How bad can it go?

A year back, when Hicks and Gillette took over from Moores to be the new owner, much promises were made. New stadium, huge transfer kitty, free of debt, and a chance to challenge for the much craved Premiere League trophy.

One year later, the yankee doodles claimed that they don't have enough money to fund the new stadium, and are now in debt. How did these American buggers manage to cheat millions of Liverpool fans and most importantly, the Liverpool Football Club? How can millions of eyes be so blind to not foresee this will happen?

Rafa Benitez has had a run of poor results, and we all are pretty annoyed to be honest, but speaking with a clear conscience it's totally unethical to speak to Klinsmann in what was meant to be 'an insurance policy' when the club was still fighting in all four competitions back in November (although Liverpool got knocked out from the League Cup after that).

It's exactly like what happened to Tottenham earlier in the season, and we all see how low can Martin Jol bring the club down with all these turmoils inside a club. I don't have to elaborate much further on what outcome for both Jol and Tottenham...sigh...

Come on Liverpool, let's get things back on track and show what you can do. I sure can enjoy a good winning run in the league, and have another crack at the Champions' League trophy.

And while I'm still on this topic, I wish some club would just offer some big stash of cash to take away Riise, Voronin and Sissoko, watching them play is such a pain in the ass.

new year resolutions...

I'm not one who set myself some targets to achieve every year, but somehow I have a feeling that I should be making a list to keep myself from going off track from my ambitions this year.

Here goes my new year resolutions for 2008...

1. Lose some weight. Yes, you hear me, stop laughing. A healthy 2-3 kgs will do fine. I'm not very greedy.

2. Hit at least one big target in my job, which will be hopefully a healthy performance for the company.

3. Travel overseas at least twice. Booked tickets to Bangkok already, which will be in May. Target second outing at the end of the year.

4. Make at least one investment in properties. Big or small, whatever.

5. Keep my pet star tortoise alive and well.

6. Treat my parents to big meals on their birthdays.

7. Buy unit trusts.

8. Don't overspend a month's salary in any months.

9. Bring my girlfriend outstation to Malacca or PD or Ipoh or wherever nearby for a weekend outing. Twice.

10. Try my hands in hedgehog breeding, and become a hobbyist breeder, getting side income from this.

Let's see if I can stick to my resolutions come end of the year.;)

short news...

Back from Singapore for several days already, and back to work as usual. You guys should stop bugging me to keep updating my blog because I don't have internet connection all the time!

Anyway, it's 1am right now, brains' not functioning well, especially since I've just returned from futsal half an hour ago, it's damn tiring. Was out for a month already, after taking a couple of weeks off to let my ankles heal, and then after that off to Butterworth and Singapore. Thank god I came home without a scratch, I'll be gutted to have injure myself again after resting for so long.

Anyway, how's the new year so far? Nothing much on my side, except that one of my tortoises died. We brought them back to Butterworth and the younger one apparently got motion sickness, didn't eat well after that and refused to take antibiotics. The vet said it suffered from stress from the long journey, pretty damn sad about that. The other one is doing fine though, was damn excited throughout the journey and kept climbing around in the tank. Wonder why these 2 can have so different adaptabilities...sigh...

Anyway, it's January, everything's back to square one. New targets for the new year, going to go all out again after a comfortable 2 weeks break, I'm all geared up for work now!

Happy New Year everyone!

darn weekend...

Supposingly the Super Grand Slam Sunday is going to be hell of a great entertainment for me with Liverpool vs Man Utd and Arsenal vs Chelsea being showed live on the telly. I could just sit on the couch and watch football with junk food all over the place.

Instead I've been working all night and missed both matches, and I had to endure keeping track of the games using Soccernet's Gamecast. Bloody hell, already missed the match live, and Liverpool lost despite having over 60% possesion and 20 attempts? This has to be kidding, it's like last season's fixture and dejavu.

Gonna give football a break this week, too tired to get my brains all worked out on something beyond my control. So I'm here happily blogging on a Monday evening, how is that possible?

Hahahaha, I didn't go to work today...;) Wait, actually I did. It's just that I worked for over 24 hours continuously I only came home at 8am this morning. Gonna tell ya, working from 6am to 8am the next day without a break is pretty hell draining, by the time I took my shower this morning my eyelids kept shutting themselves and I felt all lightweight and drifting around.

Crashed into the bed and didn't wake up until 3pm when a client called (damn, I forgot to turn off the mobile).

An easy Monday today, another couple of days at work, and I'll be off for a longer break. You can be pretty darn sure I'm gonna turn off my phone during this coming break, any calls work-related will pretty much bring stress even when you're on holiday.

So people, expect me to be M-I-A for a week...:)

i'm dreaming of the white christmas...

Ho ho ho, it's the year end holidays and Christmas is approaching in 10 days, it's going to be a cool and long break for me after so long.

I don't know why, but Christmas seems to be the holiday I look forward to most. Probably caused by all those Christmas movies back then which gave me a warm and serene feeling during this festive season, I seem to enjoy this most.

I'll be on a long break from work next week onwards, a deserving one I would say, after going for a stretch of 3 weeks without any days off. And I still have to apply using my annual leaves instead of replacement leaves, sigh... Can't complain much, there are days where I'm idle, and there'll be days when I have to work my socks off.

Anyway, I'll be celebrating Hari Raya Haji and Christmas in Butterworth this year, much to my delight to be able to be at a place so far from work they'll have no chance to drag me back...;) After that, I should be on a short trip to Singapore for an appointment, all the way until the end of the year and back in time for New Year.

Things didn't change much, except that I lost my passion in blogging, gained 2 new pet tortoise, bought a new handphone, and with fingers crossed, owned my first ever property (provided that nothing goes wrong during the transaction in half the year that follows).

My pet tortoises (Indian Stars) came about 3 months back when we're having an awful lot of time and decided that these cuties can bring much joy to our lives. True enough, the two hatchlings have been keeping us occupied with their daily diets and sunbaths, cleaning their poops and aquarium, my girlfriend now shudders when I told her I wanted to get another pet: a hedgehog. Hahahaha, anyway, I still hope that will happen, I'm so desperate to have a hoglet, and am now studying so hard to be a breeder. Hopefully I'll be able to turn it into a hobby, a hobbyist breeder. How nice does it sound?

Forgive me for not posting any photos of my pets here, I've been away from blogging for a gazzilion years (in blogging world, at least), I've forgotten how to post a picture here.

For this Christmas I've got myself a new handphone (yes, I've finally BOUGHT a handphone) instead of inheriting old mobiles from my brother for the past 7 years. Nokia 5310 XpressMusic. Google it up if you have no idea what phone is this. Got it during SS14's Digital Mall Price Crash early this month, although I suspect that the price didn't really vary that much. Anyway, splashed RM1,000 on this slim buddy, at least I have the comfort to know that now I don't have to bring out an old phone when I'm out meeting clients, hehehe... Downloaded some interesting songs into it and boy, does it play like a real radio. I'm impressed with the sound quality when it's on MusicPlayer mode, but the ringtones and alert tones are a bit too quiet. Wonder why is that... Anyway, I'm still pretty much satisfied (you have to when you've spent 4 digits on a phone!).

And the property. Ha, what's to say, let's just say this is my first step into investment world. A cheap, and I would say bargain, property which came along several months back when I was still learning my trades in property investment. I've come to realize that this interest requires a lot of research and endless reading and scouting. Hopefully this will be a success, and the first of many.

Too long and winding for reading, I know, I'll end this post here now. Kam, so now that you're back in NZ, I guess you can expect to get my updates from this half-dead blog. ;)

Adios amigos...

short update...

Let's start with a joke:

A pair of husband and wife are filing for a divorce. Both wanted the custody of their 6 year old son. The judge couldn't decide who should the boy follow, and therefore asked the child, "Who would you prefer to stay with?"

"Neither. Both of them always beat me. I don't want to stay with them," replied the boy.

"Then who do you want to stay with?" asked the judge again.

"I want to stay with the Malaysian Football Association."

"Why?"

"Because they never beat anybody."



Haha. Okay, lame.

So here's the update. I was MIA for such long time due to a single reason: my girlfriend was staying with me for the past couple of months, and since she said she would not want to read my blog, I have no choice but not to blog at home.

Of course, now she's back in Penang she encouraged me to update my blog since she knew it's one of the things I usually do before we started dating a year back. ;) Very thoughtful girlfriend I have here, doesn't it make you jealous? Hahahahaha...

She finally got her posting and she'll be based in PJ, woohoo! So now she is no longer worried about being thrown to whatever town she had never heard of, I can also take a breather. And since she's starting work next month, I'm thinking of getting a part time job at night. Any recommendations?

I'm seriously thinking of Starbucks, but apparently the pay's real bad. I mean, I really wanna learn a trick or two in this business, but if it really takes up so much time and gains so little in return, maybe this is not really a good idea. But I guess I can look for others. Well, let's just wait till the girlfriend's steady with her job first, then I can put some serious thoughts into this.

I'm damn sleepy right now I don't remember what I wrote above. Next few days will be hectic, I'll need to get all the sleep I can get now. Tata...

a little bit of this and that in 2007...

I'll start the same way I've always done - 'It's been some time since I last posted...'

Hahahahaha, damn, I just can't find the passion to blog the way I used to like a few years back.

2007 certainly isn't going the way I expected. Particularly since so much misfortunes that have happened, and it's still only May. My greatgrandmother passed away 10 days before Chinese New Year, and the entire family spent the festive season in a solemn mode. With her passing, the family got into some minor rifts with the relatives, although I'm not really that into it I still managed to catch some gossips here and there, and to put it in a simple word I couldn't be bothered about what's what with my distant relatives.

Early April my colleague's sister and family were involved in a bad highway accident, which ended in death to the entire family except the daughter, who is now staying with her aunt back in Johor. Such a young age with so much in life ahead of her, and here is she now, an orphan. Makes you think why God let these things happen don't you?

Later that week my grandfather decided that he has had enough and passed away peacefully in his sleep. As much as I hated him for all that he did in the past, I still have his blood running in my body, and obviously I'm gutted to see him gone. In fact, I feel a little odd now that I don't have to push him around in his wheelchair, no more talking to somebody who'll just stare blankly at you, and seeing his room unoccupied with just a bed and empty wardrobe in it.

His funeral is not the best of experience you can get, where my step-uncle decided to come back with his family to pay his respect. No complains on that, only that he quickly left before our family started discussing the shares everyone need to chuck in for the funeral. Funny, since we're the ones who helped him out of his stupid debts when he came searching for us looking to split my grandfather's wealth (which didn't really work, he had some heavy debts as well) a few years back when my grandfather suffered from stroke. Mind you, he's not dead yet that time, of course I'm offended that he wanted to talk about the will.

My aunt then went through operation to remove her fibroid and uterus for fear of a cancerous growth in her body, and thankfully it was successful and safe. She's all well now, only that she has some difficulty moving around for the time being.

And later in the month the father of a close friend got involved in an accident which until now, no one knows how did he end up in the hospital. My friend came all the way back from NZ, and I'm glad now his father is recuperating well.

Later in August my grandmother's going to have an operation on her knee, which have been bothering her for quite some time.

Well, not all are bad news really. At least Liverpool now is in the Champions' League final, and have a decent chance to lift a trophy in what was a disappointing season, for me. Milan will be tough, especially seeing the way they ripped Man Utd apart at San Siro, but Liverpool have every chance to battle it out to lift the trophy for the 6th time, and they're again wearing all red against Milan's all white. Hahaha, sometimes the English papers write so many superstitious stuff you can't really ignore. Liverpool have not lost in a European cup final wearing red against opponents in white, how's that? Not that I'm going to think the final's tilting this way because of that, but a 50-50 match will be interesting to watch.

And I can also look forward to the Phuket trip with my girlfriend end of this month. The first time I actually get to travel overseas by plane. Not bad eh? It may sound embarassing that I've never been to anywhere outside M'sia except S'pore (to visit my uncle) while my family members have been all over the world; across Europe, HK, Taiwan, NZ, Turkey, Korea, China, whatever place and no one asked me along to any of the trips. Nevermind, at least now I'm earning my own money I can spend some to go places I wanna go. I'll be leaving a day after the Champions' League final, so won't be missing anything there, hahaha...

I hope this post is long enough to compensate the 2-month missing entries. Expect more or less the same in the future, I really don't find it fun anymore especially that the blogsphere is full of 'copy-and-paste' copyright criminal bloggers. I'm giving up on the blogging world and going back to normal human life. ; ) So see ya people, keep in touch the old way, phone or meet-up, whichever more convenient.

photo day...

Had some great time doing a photoshoot two weeks ago. Here are some of the photos for you guys to enjoy, hehehe...

Too lazy to upload the rest already. Maybe next time. Ditto for now...

wanna know how i celebrated chap goh meh?

Sometimes I don't get why people enjoy going to concerts.

You take out a big chunk of your bank savings so that you can go wrestle your way to some dirty seats in a bloody hot and smelly stadium, get bitten by mosquitoes for 3 hours, have some crazy drama queen fans screaming their lungs out right behind you, and that annoying girl beside you kept kicking you as she sings horribly out of tune the entire night. The worst thing I can imagine - thank goodness it didn't happen to me - is to have a 60 year-old woman beside you, dressed like some la-la mui and shouting so hard you'd be worried whether her lungs will fly out right at your face.

Welcome, people, to Wang Lee Hom's KL Heroes on Earth Concert. I rest my case.

Surprisingly though, I actually thought the concert was worth the money. I mean, where else can you find an artist; who also writes and produces, who plays the guitar, drums, piano, keyboard, violin and er hu, all in the same concert?

That's a great concert, to be honest. Even for people like me who loathe these teenage fangirls' activities. Lee Hom definitely has the looks and body, dances well (modern, hip-hop and breakdance in the concert, as well!) fantastic showmanship, and has a good voice. Together with the talent to fuse classical Chinese music into western styles, I'm running my brains overtime to figure who else can do such thing.

Now don't worry, I won't go screaming my lungs out for this Lee Hom guy here. Not a fan, never will.

Too bad the girlfriend is one. That explains my appearance at Bukit Jalil Stadium last night.

Ok, that's it. No more free advertisement for this American-Chinese guy anymore in this blog. One concert is enough. Let's hope Michael Jackson doesn't stage a comeback concert in Malaysia or I'll spell bankrupt.

it's just one of those days you can't reach work on time...

I feel so damn annoyed and irritated.

Sometimes I wonder what the government's thinking when they built those digital signboards along Loke Yew road.

Yeah, yeah, of course they tell you informations regarding the traffic. And also about flashfloods. And accidents. Important stuffs.

The only thing is that the bloody digital signboard is erected right in the middle of Loke Yew road, and you need to be caught in the stupid jam for a veeeeerrrrrryyyyyy long time before you can read what's written on it.

Today I was caught in the traffic on my way to work. I was wondering why the queue was so damn long, cars weren't able to move as far as from Leisure Mall. Must be some accident in front I thought. So I crawled for a further half an hour before I can finally see that signboard which read:

"Raptai untuk sambutan Hari Wilayah. Laluan di Dataran Merdeka ditutup"

And I get to choose whether to spend 15 minutes to crawl my way to the alternative route, which will take another 30 minutes to reach my working place, or continue to crawl in the jam for another 30 minutes before I reach the same destination.

That's pathetic isn't it?

If I was warned before Leisure Mall, I would've turned right away and head towards PJ, pay the toll, drive all the way to Midvalley before making a U-turn heading back to KL to my workplace. And I can still arrive faster, for bloody's sake!

So what's the point having that stupid digital signboard again?

gathering soon?

Not meant to be for you guys who're probably reading this, cuz I'm talking about a possible gathering with my ex-coursemates soon. ;p

Received a call from Yean in the evening today, she just switched jobs and gave me a call (more like a scolding). Stuff like why so long didn't contact, why no news, things like that.

So in the end I agreed to hold a reunion in the coming months. When exactly, I have no idea yet, ahahahaha... But I think there are quite a few of them who remained in KL after graduation, so there'll be some help in organizing a 3-day get-together.

Hmmm, I'm thinking of allocating one day for an outing to Sunway Lagoon. Since I've never been there before. And it fills up an entire day's agenda, hahahaha...

Ok, need to start sending out mails to people, need to show some progress before Yean gives another scolding!

one hand in my pocket, the other holding an empty wallet...

I should probably blog more often, it's already 2007 and I didn't post much for the past few months, hehe...

I should set "blog more often" as my new year resolution, but I know I'm gonna break my resolutions anyway, so I didn't bother.

I went to the Pharmacy Nite last Friday, quite reluctantly to be honest. (Well, already low in $$$ this month, and dinner like that chopped off a big slice of my remaining allowance for the rest of January). I thought of skipping it, but I guess the softer side of me knows that attending it would make my girlfriend's day.

It's her final dinner anyway, I'm sure she wants me to be there with her.

Well, for this round, girlfriend 1, $$$ 0. Let's hope it stays one round.

The dinner was good though, but I didn't eat a lot (I had my dinner a couple of hours before that because I wasn't expecting to go until the last minute). Plus, the performances and video presentations were totally awesome. Spent most of my time helping them to take photos, and taking care of the purses when they all went all over the place taking photographs.

But in the end, seeing the looks on my girlfriend's face, I guess it's worth it.

Or, to put it on a simpler term, worth 2 months of lunch.

Yes, looks like this time I WILL really get back in shape. Wish me luck, fellas!

money money money...

Pretty long since the last update (again), but since Nic is actively blogging again, I thought I should pretend to be putting in some effort too, hehehe...

Between now and the last post, I've been to Butterworth three times, and celebrated New Year with my girlfriend's coursemates in Port Dickson; filming their music video for the Pharm Nite dinner which will be held this Friday.

Thought of going to the dinner, but with the way I'm spending recently, I'm better off saving a few more pennies in case of emergency.

Last month was a disaster, financial-wise. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to overspend my salary. The trips obviously took up a big chunk of it. Also, some unavoidable expenditure for Christmas gifts and house-warming gifts. But still, I never thought I would outspend my income. I guess it's time for me to do some financial planning.

No more lunch. No more suppers. No more new clothes. No more driving around aimlessly. No more coffee breaks. No more unnecessary breakfasts outside.

Hmmm... sounds like a good way to diet too. ;)

Okay, will be meeting up with Cheng one of these days to talk about some insurance policies and stuff like that. Pretty sure that'll take up a big slice of my salary too from next month onwards. Sigh...

how the world has changed...

Sorry for the ranting coming ahead, but I just need to let some of my anger off my chest, because I'm all riled up right now...

You see, my aunt asked to take her 2 teenage sons in at work here during their holidays so that they won't turn bad mixing with their friends, as they're already pretty notorious for skipping classes in school. I was reluctant, but since my 'other' aunt agreed, we took them in for a couple of weeks to see if they can do a proper job.

Today is only the third day and I'm already feeling like pulling my hair off my head.

First day at work, they were... wait, they didn't turn up. DID NOT TURN UP. And they didn't even bother to call. Instead, WE called them and guess what was their excuse?

They're LAZY to come.

Second day, only one turned up. Naturally, we asked where's the other one. This other cousin of mine said his brother went to play football and won't be reporting for work, and that he'll come the next day. Fine. So I gave this cousin of mine some general work. He said he wanted to do some computer work and I was surprised to see him volunteer, so I agreed. Gave him some photos to key in names and stuff, thought it'll be better to start with some easy job.

Bad call.

He ended up chatting on messenger and checking out his friendster profiles the entire day. And like that's not bad enough, I went through his work this morning and found that half of the workload I gave him ended up with silly mistakes such as keying in wrong names and double spacing. Damn...

So this morning I made him correct all the mistakes and then banished him to other general work, AWAY from the computer. Didn't work too well it seems, as everything I leave my desk he'll end up in front of one of the computers when I return. And all my colleagues didn't dare to say a word because he's MY cousin. Exactly what I was afraid of from the start.

Not only that, he kept playing sms with his friends the entire day at work, sometimes taking up to 15 minutes meddling with his phone. And complaining of tiredness when all he did was packing up photos into plastic bags.

And while at lunch he boasted about having 4 handphones. FOUR handphones. At the age of 14. Where'd you get the money my dear?

Oh, and his father fetches him to work every morning, and his mother picks him up after work.

Is it just me, or do everyone else think that kids nowadays are born with silver spoons in their mouths?

My dear oh dear, why do you even need to get a part time job? So that you can boast in front of your female classmates in msn messenger, during work?

And did I mention his brother did not turn up today, too?

I am so fed up right now, I called my aunt and told her I won't keep him in this department from tomorrow onwards. She can throw him to somewhere else and get a taste of 'normal working experience' and I don't care a squat. It's the best to make him learn the hard way instead.

My aunt should pay me for babysitting his son instead of the other way round.

down and out...

Finally have some free time to blog, although it isn't really pleasant for me. I'm down with suspected food poisoning. Haha.

Took the day off today. Can barely walk around in the house for a couple of minutes. Was already feeling very sick since yesterday afternoon, but had to hold on till I'm done with the appointments. Bad call. Once I reach home in the evening, I'm already feeling terrible headache and eye pain, nausea, stomach cramp and bloating. Thought it would be fine after a short nap but no, ended up with fluctuating body temperature after that. I was like trembling at one moment, and then the entire body's burning up the next moment.

Went to see a doctor last night and she suspected that I was suffering from food poisoning. Funny cuz I didn't see that coming, I thought food poisoning will be far worse than what I'm suffering right now. So I called in sick and rested today, but I'll be back to work again in the morning tomorrow, 6am. Haha. Hope I can last several hours tomorrow, at least to get my job done before going down again.

my liverpool jersey...

Yay, I've finally bought this season's Liverpool jersey!

Tempted by my brother, really, but at a discounted price of RM 199, I want to believe that I've got it cheap. Yes, it's cheap. Cheap. Really cheap. Damn cheap. Say it a few more times and it'll be a fact.

Adidas' jerseys are really cool, I'm falling in love with them. Hmm... that sounds funny. Anyway, I hate to say this, but I think Adidas make better jerseys than Reebok. The Liverpool jersey looks so savvy and stylish, I particularly like the unique collar and the curvy lining at the sides. Oh yeah, and Adidas' 3 lining trademark too.

This season I'm spending (wasting) more money on my Liverpool jersey than previous seasons, cuz my brother had just convinced me to add names onto my jersey! Let's do a little math here:

EPL Kit
RM29 per number
RM 6 per letter
RM 39 for 2 EPL patches

EURO Kit
RM 89 for a player's name and number
RM 39 for 1 Champions' League patch

Now, for EPL kits, the store no longer has the letters E, R and C, which means no Gerrard, Carragher, Kewell, Riise, Fowler, Garcia, Gonzalez, Aurelio, Crouch, Bellamy, Agger, Warnock, Pennant, Paletta and Zenden. But I do have a choice between Hyypia (um...), Finnan (er...), Alonso, Kuyt and Sissoko.

Meanwhile, the Euro kit comes in an entire set, but they only have Gerrard, Garcia and Alonso available.

Right now, I'm undecided between Kuyt's EPL Kit (RM 121) and Gerrard's Euro Kit (RM 128). I really wanted Gerrard but I don't like the Euro kit's patch (although the fonts look really good). On the other hand, Kuyt is kinda like a cult hero in the making, and the EPL patches look, you know, uber cool. Besides, EPL is more like what I prefer, generally.

However, if I can choose whichever name I want on my jersey, I think I'll opt for Mark Gonzalez (M. GONZALEZ 11 - RM 151!!!). Too bad they don't have 'E' (damn, only one freaking letter missing!).

Thank goodness my girlfriend understands my obsession with Liverpool, she isn't complaining about me wasting money on these stuff, hehe...;) I think I'll need to spend wisely for the rest of the month now that I've used up 1/3 of my monthly allocated expenditure.

So, back to the topic, Kuyt or Gerrard?

long gone...

It's been a healthy month since I last blogged. Or has it been longer than that? Hahaha, well, when there's something else occupying a bit part of your life, something else would have to go. Which in this case, is my blogging time.

Not that I've lost all interest in blogging. Though I should realize that everyone are slowly drifting away and don't take blogs as our form of communication any longer. Me included. But anyhow, I'll try to post as often as I could, even if not as frequent as I used to.

So, what have I been up to for the past month? Nothing much. Work, eat, sleep, date, etc. All those regular stuff you do in your working life. And yeah, dating, perhaps I would talk about that the next time I blog. So far things have been going great, and if I'm blessed enough I hope this will remain for as long as I live.

Anyway, that's all for now. Don't feel like writing so much, haha... Till the next time, guys, hope everyone are having a great time wherever you are.

i've got my graduation gown...; )

One hell of a tiring weekend.

Spend the entire Saturday working, 6am to 12am, and still managed to catch up with a few ex-coursemates for a late supper.

Sunday was great. Organized a mini gathering with all my ex-coursemates and had a buffet steamboat in Sunway. Pretty good attendance too, with 13 out of 36 showing up, and a few more couldn't make it just in time as they only arrived late night. After the steamboat everyone came back to my house for a drink and shower (some were staying over for the night), and chatted all the way till 2am.

Today was crazy. I couldn't imagine myself being so kiasu, going back to uni at 7am to queue up and collect my graduation gown. Bugger, I swear I'll never do something like this again. 7am, and I'm only the 309th person in the queue? Crap, if my ex-coursemates weren't rushing to return to their respective hometowns, I'm gonna go collect tomorrow noon and save all the unnecessary hassle. Was making jokes with my friends, those who arrived at 8am, they must've got queue numbers like around 2,000, hahaha... Finished everything by 4pm, and already having a very terrible headache, went back to the shop to reschedule all my jobs to tomorrow.

Thank God this only happens once in a lifetime.

But overall, it was still quite enjoyable, spending the past two days with these bunch of fellas. Really missed their laughter and sarcastic jokes. Took all the work stress out from me for a couple of days, and enjoyed some moment the way we spent like back in university days.

Work resumes tomorrow, and another month has passed.

the hot upm issue...

Haha, this may sound really funny, I thought after watching the videoclip of UPM's latest production, I'll get all riled up. But instead, I managed to laugh it off.

Perhaps I'm getting a bit too tired of issues like this. Frankly speaking, the first time I watched the videoclip it never occured to me that it has anything to do with racism. Somehow, us Malaysian always find oppoturnities to stir up a war among races in this country.

I don't like it one bit, but I've learnt to not let it spoil my day.

Don't plan to link the video to this blog, but it's easy to get hold of it. I would recommend everyone to have a view, but let's just discuss it without name-callings and racial insults. I just don't see the point of silly arguments between people who aren't involved in the whole thing. It's hurting the country and they aren't helping.

birthday celebrations...

This probably is by far the sweetest birthday I've ever had.

A few celebrations, meet-ups and calls from plenty of friends.

'The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch and swing with, never say a word, and then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you've ever had.'

One of these days, if I am to lose everything in life, I know the one thing I will not lose is friendship. And if there is going to be a day when I lose one of my precious friends, it would be as though I've lost everything in life.

Thank you, friends, for being my friends.

bon odori...

Been there. So what's the hype?

Anyway, a last minute plan again (after the sudden trip to my ex-housemate's hometown to fish a couple of weeks ago) which was only confirmed late afternoon today, and off we went to Shah Alam's Melawati Stadium.

Perhaps we got there too late, about 8 something, there wasn't a lot of stuff to look at. Some japanese dances joined by hordes of spectators, the stalls were closing and we didn't get to taste much japanese food. So we just walked around and looked at strangers having fun taking pictures with girls in kimonos.

Bumped into my labmate from uni, of all people. Haha, kinda missed her too, didn't contact each other ever since final examinations. Had a lengthy conversation, talked about our current lives and stuff, till the security decided to shut off the lights and force the people out of the stadium, at 9.30pm! What? That's pretty early isn't it?

Anyway, not like I cared much, was sweating like mad over there. So off for dinner at Sunway before dropping back at my old hang out place in SS2. Another weekend has passed.

The following 2 months will be hectic. Let's hope I'll stay healthy and not trying to be too greedy, getting a couple of days off too. Looking forward to meeting my ex-coursemates again end of this month when we'll be collecting our gowns, and hopefully the coursemate gathering and convo dinner next month will be successful.

Dead tired. Haha, pardon the expressionless post, I'm just too lazy to type a proper one.

looking into the future...

These days, I don't really have the urge to blog. Maybe it's because of the mood, or maybe it's because that my life is kinda boring, I don't know. Anyway, I just can't seem to find anything to write anymore. Nothing interesting is happening in life, and there's nothing much to blog about my work.

Lately, many of my ex-coursemates are writing actively in their friendster blogs. Almost all of them wrote about the good ol' times in university, and how much they miss that kind of life. It's nice to know that I'm not the only one who thought university life was a blast. Right now, I'm just happy to have some of the best memories a man can have.

So, fast forward to my current life. I can safely say that I have no problems adapting to my current job (heck, I've been working part time here for the past 8 years), and along the way learning many part and parcels of the business. Good thing is, I've been given oppoturnities to explore new things and ideas, something I am quite fond of doing.

I am now having thoughts of just getting on with life, and scrap the further studies plan. I don't know, this is the hardest decision of my life.

I do not want to be financially dependent on my family for the next few years of my life. I mean, I'm already 23 this year. When I finish postgrad studies I'll be like, maybe 26 or 27. And that is such an old age to begin my career. A career in biotech, which is like non-existent in the country now. There are just too many risks taking this path and I don't have a clue where it'll lead me.

On the other hand, the job I'm having now is secure. I see so much potential in this field and there are plenty of ways to expand the business. Which is a nice thing for the company and for myself too.

I'm imagining the two of myself taking on these two different paths, and in 10 years time I see one with a PhD degree standing in front of the lecture hall giving lessons to a bunch of monkeys who are only concerned whether you'll give them photostated notes later, and another one who have established himself in the industry and financially secure (if he is yet to get a girlfriend, haha...).

I know, I have an entire lifetime to work for money, but for the time being I am very concerned about being financially secure. I don't want to stretch out my hand and ask for money till I'm 27. At 27 some of my friends may even be married already and started families of their own.

I wish to move out and live independently, have a steady career and stable life before I reach 30. And to do that, I would have to be financially equipped.

Dang, just what the hell should I do...

stay alive...

Nothing much to talk about regarding work, but the title isn't related to my work in any way.

I've just returned home after watching the movie 'Stay Alive', which is kinda cool if you asked me. I know, it's working day tomorrow and I'm still awake, but I just feel like I need to write something here to keep the blog alive, for the time being, hehe...

So, the story's about a spooky PS2 game which is under beta testing played by several fools who came across it after the main fool's friend died playing the game. You're supposed to stay alive (duh) in the game and finish off Count Elizabeth (the baddie here) but if you don't and get killed, well, you'll die exactly the same way you die in the game. No prizes for guessing correctly the plots that follow, I'll leave it to yourself to catch the movie in the big screen (support anti-piracy!).

Apparently, this movie's game is based on a true story of Count Elizabeth. I'm not too sure how true is this, but I'm gonna google about it soon just to satisfy my curiosity. How cool would that be if the game's really based on something that's so creepy.

I find the movie not as horrifying as the trailer, much to my disappointment, but it was a good movie nonetheless. Original plot (or did they actually plagiarise from Jackie Chan's Police Story 4?), good concept, nice cast, just not enough gory scenes to satisfy most horror-movie lovers.

I'd give a rating of 8 out of 10, but it may be biased since I enjoy horror movies. Go catch it in the cinema yourself if you doubt my rating, haha...

rats...

Oooooh, guess what I have in my hands now?

"Super Service" written by Jeff and Val Gee.

Satisfy yourself while satisfying customers.

How exciting.

This is what happens when you work in a field totally unrelated to what you study. Bwahahaha...

I wonder how long it'll take before my eyes shut off.

the lecturer's wedding...

About a week or so has passed, nothing much to write here except that England sucked against Paraguay, hahahaha!!!

Watched the game since it's played early, didn't plan to watch World Cup at all honestly. Not really my type.

Anyway, went to a friend's church wedding today (and skipped work btw). Not really a 'friend' friend, the bride was my lecturer actually, who happens to be a senior in residential college back in uni but she graduated BEFORE I came into the college. The bridegroom is also a senior of mine in college, and he graduated BEFORE the bride came into the college. Damn confusing, whatever. The point is both of them are my superseniors, get it? Went to the wedding with one of my ex-housemates and also a coursemate of mine who took the same paper under this senior of mine, together with some other seniors too. Wow, my first time attending a friend's wedding, this is a sign that we're getting old, hahaha...

Looked like a bunch of 'jakuns' cuz no one knows how much we have to put into the angpow. ;)

So, congratulations Pauline and Joel! May you be blessed with happiness forever!!!

crossroads of life...

Okay, so I'll officially begin work on 1st of June. Not what I expected, but you can never expect what's ahead in life.

I'm sorta in a dilemma. See, my family would really like if I stayed in the family business line, so that there will be someone taking care of the business when they retire. I can understand that. My father went through a lot to establish his business, which he is very proud of, and he definitely would be disappointed to see his hard work falling into others' hands. My brother got lucky, he opted to leave and got a job of his own, leaving me to deal with all these. And my parents don't trust my sister to handle the business, and I can see why.

Myself, on the other hand, would prefer to further my studies in what I'm interested in, a postgraduate research in biotechnology. Or at least that's what I think I'm interested in. My supervisor advised me to further my studies overseas, preferably in UK or US. Mind you, those are not really cheap options. To do that, I would desperately need a scholarship to ease the financial burden. Besides, I don't really want to keep stretching out my hands (I need to stop using the word 'hand') to receive allowance from my parents anymore.

Of course, by continuing studies, I am pushing myself into a corner, right into the academic path. A lecturer or something related. I'm not too sure if that's what I want to be. Or can be. I definitely do not want to end up as a scientist trapped in the lab 24/7 like my final university year, but I can't think of any career paths after this, yet.

Another thing is that, my parents hope that, even if I managed to obtain a scholarship to further my studies, I would still come back after that and rejoin the business. If this is what I'll be doing, what's the point of doing my postgrad studies?

I don't know if I'm suitable for the business world. I've never imagined myself in this position. But now that I've graduated, things like these come into the picture naturally, and they're torturing my mind.

Am I the only one having these kind of problems, or everyone feels the same when they graduate?

myteam vs malaysia...

...is totally crap.

I don't understand. The only thing I learn from this match is that both teams sucked. I can't even remember why I turned on the tv to watch the match in the first place.

Well, at least the national team won 2-1. I can't imagine Shebby celebrating a victory with his ragtag kampung MyTeam. These amateurs played like... amateurs. They can't head the ball, pass, hold or dribble, and their keeper can't make a save if the opposition's shot isn't aimed at him. And I think there were like 10 players who were strechered off the field, and the keeper cramped in the first 30 minutes by just standing in the penalty box.

And the national team? Seeing them struggling against a bunch of amateurs proved what we feared all these while: that local sports are hopeless.

Damn, I need to go sleep now.

xmen the last stand...

Damn, I seriously hate the latest installment of X-Men movies.

How can they possibly kill off Cyclops just like that?! It's like, only 15 minutes from the start and he's dead, even his bloody ruby specs have longer screen time than that guy. What a pity. I don't even know how exactly he died, this really irritates me.

And Prof X, dispersing into thin air? Man, this is totally not what I wanted to watch. I wanna see all the good guys fight side by side, not getting killed off one by one!!!

I guess bringing in so many characters into a 2-hour movie really have its down side. No one shines throughout the movie (other than Wolverine and Storm, but then again these 2 are the main characters), and they don't look or act like those characters in the comic books I grew up reading.

I am so disappointed.

a survey to waste time...

Don't feel like typing a a lengthy post, do I did a survey instead. Hahahaha, will blog normally some time soon.

BEST

1. Male friend: Several of them (You guys know who you are)

2. Female friend: Several of them too, hahaha...

3. Vacation: Trip to Kuala Gula. Man, life in a fishing village is so darn relaxing...

WORST

1. Time of day: 2 pm (Yawn, feels like taking a nap)

2. Day of the week: Monday blues

3. Food: Some vege. I hate most vege.

4. Memory: Too bad to remember...

LAST

1. Person you saw: My sis.

2. Talked to on the phone: Chang Wang, talking about booking tickets for 'Da Vinci Code', woohoo!!!

3. Hugged: Yean, during last week's farewell dinner.

4. Text: Yean. Damn, she still hasn't replied after 6 bloody hours.

5. messaged over friendster : Kam.

TODAY

1. What are you doing now? : Doing this stupid survey, hahaha...

2. Wearing : T-shirt and shorts.

3. Better than yesterday : About the same.

TOMORROW

1. Is: Gonna more interesting than today.

2. Got any plans: Going back to uni to look for a lecturer and ask her why my name is missing from the results' list.

3. Goal: Succeed in finding my lecturer, who's often missing from her office.

4. Dislikes about tomorrow : Possibility of failing to find my lecturer.

FAVORITE

1. Number : 3, 27

2. Song : At the Beginning (Damn old song)

3. Color : Black and blue, my favorite hue

4. Season : Um, it's either rainy or sunny around here...

CURRENTLY

1. Missing someone : A lot as a matter of fact, I'm missing my coursemates' company and laughter around me...

2. Mood : So so.

3. Wanting : To enjoy my last 2 weeks of holiday before starting work. Travel travel travel!!!

TRUE or FALSE

I am a cuddler - Wahahahaha, how false...

I am a morning person - FALSE!

I am a perfectionist - False.

I am an only child - False.

I am currently in my pajamas - False.

I am currently pregnant - What the hell... false.

I am currently single - True.

I am currently suffering from a broken heart - False.

I am left handed - False.

I am addicted to friendster - Some true in it. Only some...

I am online 24/7- False.

I am very shy around the opposite gender - Depends on what kind of people, really.

I bite my nails - True, my friends, very true.

I can be paranoid at times - True.

I currently have a crush on someone - False. But I feel like crushing somebody...

I currently regret something that I have done - False.

When I get mad I curse frequently - False.

I enjoy country music - False.

I enjoy jazz music - False.

I enjoy smoothies - Partly true.

I enjoy talking on the phone - False.

I have a cell phone - True.

I have a hard time paying attention at school - False.

I have a hidden talent - True true!!! hahaha...

I have a lot to learn - Perhaps true...

I have a secret that I am ashamed to reveal - Plenty there...

I have a tendency to fall for the "wrong" guy/girl - Yeah, true I guess...

I have all my grandparents - False. Damn, I have bloody lot of grandparents ok?

I have at least one brother and/or sister - True.

I have been told that I am smart - And also handsome, cool, clever, and everything nice, hahahaha...

I have been told that I have an unusual sense of humor - Wickedly true.

I have broken a bone - False.

I have changed a diaper - False.

I have changed a lot over the past year - If you're talking about my hair, well...

I have done something illegal - True, sigh...

I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color - False.

I have had major/minor surgery - True, when I was really young even I couldn't remember it myself. Was told about it by my mother.

I have killed another person - Would it sound too fake if I answered true?

I have had my hair cut within the last week - False.

I have had the cops called on me - False.

hey there...

...guess who had just just finished studying? ; )

Time to take a rest, have some fun, think a while, before I get back to blogging.

Ditto.

end of a chapter...

Wow, only another week or so in university. I'm so gonna miss this lifestyle.

Second paper out of the window this noon, that was my last ever biology-related exam. Two more left, logical thinking and basic Korean language. Life ain't that hard after all.

You know, the past couple of weeks have been really emotional. Not that I'm showing that on my face (when do you see me make facial expressions anyway?), but I've been spending a lot of time doing stuffs that I did ever so frequently that I won't be doing that often anymore in the future.

Stuffs like going to the market at 7am to buy ingredients for lunch.

Stuffs like hanging out at mamak stalls for a weekend Liverpool match.

Stuffs like playing football with my coursemates, even though most of us can't kick to save our lives.

Stuffs like chatting till wee hours in the morning with the housemates, and waking up half past noon.

Stuffs like arguing with coursemates whether an M13 or pBR322 makes a better cloning vector.

Stuffs like living a university life.

Man, I hope time stops, right at this moment.

bitch...

Oh cool, my computer chose the best possible time to die on me, going kamikaze together with my thesis. What a great way to end my university life. I really got f***ed upside down by lady luck this time.

Where are miracles when we need them most?

Silly me, they only happen in books. Screw technology.

ice ice baby...

Everything's cool, baby, everything's cool.

Finals, here I come.

make it short...

The long hair of Livingmonolith

January 2003 - March 2006

Rest in Peace

Short hair. It's feels really weird. This must be the shortest haircut I've ever had. And hair gel sucks. Why do people cut short hair and apply gel? It's bloody uncomfortable. Am I regretting it? Bloody sure I am. Now I realize everyone give lousy advices. And still dare to come to me and say my old hairstyle looked better. Hahaha, that's amusing. Crap.

busy as usual...

Assignments, tests, presentations, thesis report. What else to expect?

I freaking hate hypocrites. If you're too busy to organize another test, then don't. No one's forcing you to. It was never in the schedule anyway. Don't simply blame us because you are the one who wanna help to pull up grades for 'some' people. If that's what you wanna do then don't complain in front of the lecture hall. What a whole load of bullshit.

Important date: 8/5/2006.

Last day of uni life. That's like, 40 odd days left.

to all friends and family of John...

Friends and family of SIlent Scream

This is just to inform you that Silent Scream's lead vocalist, John Samuel Oommen has been hospitalized. John was badly assaulted in his attempt to aid an old lady who was being carjacked by 3 armed men. In the events that followed, the armed men slashed John's neck with a 'parang', resulting in severe lost of blood. He was subsequently rushed to a nearby hospital. Despite what had happened, the 3 armed assailant is still on the loose.

The injury incurred were severe. The 'parang' very narrowly missed a few major arteries in the neck, sparing any irreversible damage, and possibly fatality. Thanks to the effort of the emergency medical team, John is in stable condition and is now resting in the hospital.

We hope that you can join us as we pray for John's recovery and the prompt arrests of the 3 armed assailants. More importantly, we hope to spread the message over the importance of keeping one's vigilance over their own safety, especially when driving late at night in the streets of Kuala Lumpur. The world is seemingly becoming a dangerous place.

Your sincerely, Silent Scream

Damn. Never thought I'll be reading this sort of news happening to someone I know. This really sucks. Makes you realize that there are so many important things in life.

Get well soon, John. I'm praying that you'll be back on your feet as healthy as ever.

The assailants will get what they deserved. Cruel bastards.

Photos galore...

As promised, tons of photos uploaded here. Enjoy!


First stop of my Chenderiang trip: Bidor's Duck Drumstick Noodles.


Lata Kinjang.


With my coursemates.


Kellie's Castle.


Stairway in Kellie's Castle.


Feels like I'm at some western country.


21th Cafe (Don't ask me how to pronounce the shop's name).


That 21th Cafe (See? I'm not lying about the name).


A photo in a photo.


One of the caves in Ipoh.


Old railway track at Kuala Kangsar's wild boar hunting village.


Tualang's famous prawns.


Having lunch at Krissada ala Thai in Sunway Mas after the trip.


Japanese lunch buffet at Shogun in One Utama.


KL Tower.


That, my friend, is VI.


This is the thrill: G Force X!!!


Yeah, I'm pretty sure the one on the right is me.

lengthy break...

Wow, took quite a long break from blogging. And not missing it too, hahaha...

Let's see. A short summary of what happened for the past couple of weeks:

Last Thursday I went to the movies with some coursemates, watched Final Destination 3. Not bad if you're planning to scare your heart out, though it didn't really have any effect on me.

I left to Chenderiang last Friday morning (since my thesis labwork has officially ended) to visit my coursemate's hometown with several others just to take a break from studies. A few of them were attempting to shirk off stress from thesis troubles too, btw. We had some pretty relaxing moments; waterfall trip to Lata Kinjang, Kellie's Castle, Kampar's famous chicken-in-bread, Bidor's duck drumstick noodles, rural Tualang's reknown prawn dishes, Kampar's version of "Greentown", Kuala Kangsar's wild boar hunting village. Came back on Sunday noon. Pretty cool trip, I'll try to upload some photos if I have the time.

Went to Shogun in One Utama on Wednesday afternoon for a Japanese buffet. Spent a whopping RM 50 for that meal, but worth it. You're hearing it from me, definitely a recommended place for a decent Japanese meal.

Planning to go to KL Tower with my housemates tomorrow to experience the Reverse Bungee, or something like that. I don't really know what it is called, but that's not important. I just wanted to experience the thrill.

I sound as though I've finished studies, haha, well my thesis draft will be due next month actually. So I need to resume the busy schedule next week.

But with university life ending in a couple of months time, I would really want to enjoy every moment while they last, and spare the regrets. These coming two months will, hopefully, be a blast.

shitty syabas...

Here's a riddle:

What's clear and smells like shit?

Bugger, that's the water supply in PJ. It smells like shit, and I'm not saying literally. It really smells like SHIT! What the hell is Syarikat Bekalan Air Selangor (SYABAS) doing?!

SYABAS my foot. When they said there'll be water distruption, I was like 'fine, I can live without water supply for a couple of days, there are other places with water'.

I didn't expect it to be 'the-supply-is-still-there-but-it-smells-like-shit' distruption.

Makes you think twice (make it a gazillion times) before choosing the place for dinner around PJ.

Shitshitshitshitshitshitshit... And I still have a test tomorrow morning. Arghhh!!! The stress!!!

hahahahaha...

Ever heard of karma?

No?

Perhaps these will ring a bell:

Mourinho angry at Messi 'provocation'

and

Rafa: Is Robben in hospital?

ahahahahaha...

What do they call it again? 'A taste of your own medicine'?

good morning...

Hey hey, I'm back from a short hiatus, haha...

Just finished the last of my three tests this week, and right now I'm blogging in my lab while waiting for an electrophoresis at 5 in the morning. This is a great start to a great day!

Yeah, really. Despite the fact that the thermocycler was wrecked earlier in the week, which would result in a delay of my labwork for N months (and a possibility of extending a semester), I'm feeling pretty good.

And like 20 hours of sleep for the entire week? Man, I still feel gooood.

Don't know what got into me, but looking on the brighter side, this life is good. Heck, my life have been great. Yep. Let's celebrate life.

talking football again...

In a bizarre midweek action none of the top 5 teams manage to get full points from their fixtures. Okay, fine, I'll say top six just to include Arsenal.

With Arsenal, Tottenham and Man Utd losing, it seemed like a golden oppoturnity for Liverpool to improve on the standings but a freak own goal by Alonso condemned Liverpool to their second draw at Anfield. Thankfully, Chelsea were held by Villa or else the gap would look real embarassing even for us to finish second.

Perhaps a little too bitter, but it was a good lesson to learn as to not fool around even though you're against a team with ten men. Liverpool wasted chances after chances and in the end conceded a late goal. Not even Robbie 'God' Fowler can save us despite his breathtaking overhead kick goal which was ruled offside (correctly, damn) in the final seconds. Finnan had a rare penalty claim turned down as he was nudged from the back while breaking free during a swift counterattack, Morientes, Crouch and Garcia were all guilty of screwing up simple shots. It didn't help with Birmingham players camping in their 6 yard box blocking out all the attempts.

Sigh, nevermind lah. At least the other teams didn't get three points. Winning the league looks so far now, but the second qualification spot to CL is a very realistic target. This weekend will be fun with the Chelsea-Liverpool match coming up, just pray that Liverpool may surprise the Chelsea camp in their own backyard.

Oh, and btw, Daniel Agger rocks!

r.i.p...

Read this, and weep.

Rest in peace, Malaysia.

all pray to the almighty god...

Robbie Fowler 'The God' is back. It's time to paint the town red.

After a disastrous period where Fowler seemingly drifted into faraway corners in the country, the God has finally came back to where he belong.

He may not be the best striker in the country right now, but he remains the true Red all Liverpudlians love. Hopefully his prolific form of old returns together with him to Liverpool.

All hail the GOD!

ah damn...

Liverpool lost 1-0 to Man Utd.

Hoo boy, didn't see that coming. I really wanted to say that Man Utd didn't deserve the win, but let's face the fact: Liverpool did not do enough to earn the point. Toothless attack, as many would say. You don't expect to win high profile matches like this if you can only blaze the ball over the bar with the empty net 6 yards in front of you.

Ferdinand scored a good goal. Man Utd played well. It only hurts because the goal came in injury time. Had they scored earlier it would be a lot easier to digest the pain. I hate last-minute goals, but Liverpool has their fair share of luck throughout the season too. So yeah, credit to Man Utd. Neville with his regular anti-Scouse celebration, but no big deal really. I really can't imagine if people would try to bring it up later cuz it's just a stupid argument. I mean, every Liverpool fan hates Neville, so it's natural that the feeling's mutual.

In the end of the day, the only winner would be Chelsea as they pull further away. But pray and with fingers crossed that Liverpool will do well enough for the maiden place. One match doesn't determine the course of the entire season.

Let's hope that the only thing Liverpool lost today is the bragging rights.

food for thought...

Saw this in friendster's buletin board...

1) New York City has 11 letters.
2) Afghanistan has 11 letters.
3) Ramsin Yuseb (The terrorist who threatened to destroy the Twin Towers in 1993) has 11 letters.
4) George W Bush has 11 letters.

This could be a mere coincidence, but this gets more interesting:
1) New York is the 11th state.
2) The first plane crashing against the Twin Towers was flight number 11.
3) Flight 11 was carrying 92 passengers. 9 + 2 =11
4) Flight 77 which also hit Twin Towers, was carrying 65 passengers.6+5 = 11
5) The tragedy was on September 11, or 9/11 as it is now known. 9 + 1+ 1 = 11
6) The date is equal to the US emergency services telephone number 911. 9 + 1 + 1 = 11.

Sheer coincidence..?! Read on and make up your own mind:
1) The total number of victims inside all the hi-jacked planes was 254. 2 + 5 + 4 = 11.
2) September 11 is day number 254 of the calendar year. Again 2 + 5 + 4= 11.
3) The Madrid bombing took place on 3/11/2004. 3+ 1 + 1 + 2 + 4 = 11.
4) The tragedy of Madrid happened 911 days after the Twin Towers incident.

Now this is where things get totally eerie:
The most recognised symbol for the US, after the Stars & Stripes, is the Eagle. The following verse is taken from the Quran, the Islamic holy book:"For it is written that a son of Arabia would awaken a fearsome Eagle.The wrath of the Eagle would be felt throughout the lands of Allah and lo,while some of the people trembled in despair still more rejoiced: for the wrath of the Eagle cleansed the lands of Allah and there was peace."

That verse is number 9.11 of the Quran. Still unconvinced about all of this..?!
Try this and see how you feel afterwards, it made my hair stand on end:

Open Microsoft Word and do the following:
1. Type in capitals Q33 NY. This is the flight number of the first plane to hit one of the Twin Towers.
2. Highlight the Q33 NY.
3. Change the font size to 48.
4. Change the actual font to the WINGDINGS

What do you think now?!

You really wanna know what I'm thinking now? This is one heck of a lengthy bullshit.

Tell you what, George Washington Bush has 20 freaking letters, okay? Tissue paper has 11 letters, so it must have something to do with the bombing. Wow, what a discovery!

That's not all, look. 911 days after the terrorist attack, I was channel surfing in my living room. Isn't that a freaky coincidence? Man, I am so shocked that it happened on that day! And hey, coincidence has, like, 11 letters! Oh my, this is so darn freaky people!!!

Okay, let's get serious now. I am pretty disturbed reading these stuff written.

I'm sick with people trying to justify the fact that deaths of hundreds of innocent lives has something to do with words from the holy book, because IT DOESN'T. Lives are lost because of IDIOTS who can't think properly with their brains, and the consequences of living with these numbskulls result in tragedies like this.

You don't KILL in the name of religion.

So what if the author of the useless script above managed to find facts relating to the number 11? What the hell is the significance of the number 11 in the first place? Why, in the bloody hell, does the author even thought of writing such bullshit in the first place? Aaargh!!!!

I almost feel like ripping off both my arms reading this piece of shit.

a brand new year...

It's been a healthy two weeks since my last post and I just feel like it's about time to update.

I'm feeling a bit exhausted, largely due to the fact that the new semester has just begun and I'm still trying to revert back to normal sleeping hours. The other reason would be the crazy workload for my thesis project, which saw me working overtime for the past week. Barely had time to sleep, let alone concentrate in lectures.

Thankfully this sem I'll be taking plenty of lightweight papers, it is my final sem after all (provided that I don't screw up). Besides, with my CGPA mathematically out from 1st class, there's nothing much to look forward to. And the introduction of standard curves in grades didn't help much. Thus, I've decided to let my hair down and enjoy this semester and make up lost times.

For my thesis, though, my supervisor had just gave me a deadline for my labwork, which is on Valentine's. By that time I'm supposed to have gathered all the results that I need and start concentrating on my draft instead. Now, as each of my protocol would require a minimum of 10 successive hours to complete, and having at least 9 more of this protocol before I can finalise my benchwork, I've came up with a conclusion: I would be seriously deprived of sleep by the time I hand in my results.

Already had a preview of this hectic schedule. I spent the past three days attempting to finish three protocols in a row plus attending lectures at the same time. My Thursday lectures begin at 9am and end at 8pm, then headed straight to the lab and worked till late evening yesterday (Saturday). Some occasional breaks in between, obviously, to take showers and meals and catnaps. It'll be a long month till 14th of February.

Studies aside, this New Year has been unimpressive on a personal pov. No celebrations this year, too busy and occupied to organize a gathering like the ones we had for the past few years. The poor turnout also adds to my decision for the no-show this year. Instead of working my ass off trying to gather up old friends who don't really give a damn anyway, I spent the eve out having a drink with a coursemate while enjoying a live telecast of Liverpool vs West Brom.

Which feels a lot better cuz Liverpool won 1-nil.

feliz navidad...

It's a busy Christmas this year. As in 'labwork busy', not 'Christmas shopping busy'. I hope I won't have to spend it in the lab.

Merry Christmas everybody.

clash of the titans...

It's a repeat of last season's quarterfinal: Chelsea vs Barcelona.

Both teams went on to win their respective domestic titles last season, and this is definitely THE draw of the tournament. The next high profile draw sees Arsenal pitted against Real Madrid, both sides with great history but seemingly off form in recent times. Still a classic battle, nonetheless.

There's also another tough one in AC Milan vs Bayern Munich. Liverpool got a reasonably easy draw against Benfica, the team who knocked Man Utd out of the knockout phase. Let's hope they don't repeat the feat next February.

Rangers' decent run in the Champions' League will see them face debutants Villareal, Juventus earns a trip to Werder Bremen for finishing top of their group, and Ajax vs underachieving Inter Milan. PSV Eindhoven plays trigger-happy Lyon to complete the line-up in the last 16.

I sound like some British journalist, hahaha...

Btw, it has been revealed that Benitez's father had just passed away earlier in the week. Most leading sources in newspapers and websites had avoided the leakout of the news to allow Benitez himself to inform the journalists, which he did this morning. He will be returning to Spain after the Toyota Cup final on Sunday. My condolence to the boss.

You'll Never Walk Alone.

perhaps...

...Cisse has finally understood what Benitez wants from him?

After watching the Club World Championship earlier (which Liverpool won 3-0 against Deportivo Saprissa), I noticed a difference in Cisse's play throughout the entire match. Instead of the usual pacy sprints, he's getting more aware of advancing teammates. Instead of attempting shots on goal, he's laying balls to better-positioned players. Instead of mazy dribbles, he's putting in crosses.

In this match alone I see Cisse assisting in attacks more than I've seen in his entire Liverpool career. Maybe the man has finally realized that he's no longer the main man in the game and he needs to work on his overall contribution. Which is not a bad thing. What a great lay-off to Crouchie to score a superb early goal (and doubled his season's tally). The way he played Cisse is looking to make his claim in the team for a long run.

Benitez is doing a great job (now how many times have we heard people saying that?). And just to show that he's no softie, club captain Steven Gerrard was snapped by Benitez for trying to lay his fingers on the Championship trophy while posing for a photoshoot. 'You'll get to touch it if you win it.' What a guy, hahaha...

I am falling more in love with Liverpool each passing day.

On a different topic, I've been given the responsibility to design the biotech club's t-shirt. This is a good and fun assignment, I'll be able to take occasionally breaks from thesis labwork to work on the creative side of my brain. So far I've submitted 10 designs in 3 days, and I have to admit I'm feeling quite good seeing my work being complimented. The only low point is that this feeling of getting into the wrong profession is slowly eating me up from the inside. And my latest GPA isn't helping. I can now safely say that no matter what I do next semester, the closest to first class I can get is 0.03 from the cut-point. Damn.

the ego hasn't really landed...

Jose Mourinho.

I seriously don't know what's the matter with this dude here. He thinks everyone in the world is against him. Attention whore.

Ask him about Essien's horrendous tackle and he replies:

"I was telling him (Benitez) he was crying all the game. Referees are always very direct and strong to put me in my place, but other managers can do what they want. You can imagine if I do what Pearce did (he ran onto the pitch to place the ball for a freekick) for Mourinho it is a three-month ban."

What the hell? What was that? I see no connections whatsoever with Essien's crazy over-the-top tackle on Hamann. Which btw, that guy didn't even apologize.

You know, you can probably ask him any questions and he'll somehow relate it to himself.

So Mr Mourinho, what do you think of Man Utd's shock exit?

"Why'd you ask me? You want me to say they deserved it right? And the FA's gonna ban me 6 months for unsportmanship behaviour by saying that. To hell with them, I'm the special one and they're just jealous."

Nice weather, eh Mr Mourinho?

"F*** off. Now you want to put the blame on me. So what if the weather's good? You wanna ban me for the weather? Go ahead, losers. I don't care what you all think about me. I'm the special one."

You left your wallet in the restaurant, Mr Mourinho...

"Bloody hell, what's the problem with you? You would really enjoyed it if I get banned, wouldn't you? I knew it. You're just a sulker and you can't accept I'm the special one. Gimme back my wallet, you stupid prick."

(somebody talking to somebody else) So Michael, how was school today?

"F*** you. You have a secret agenda against me, don't you? I knew it. Darn losers just won't admit I'm the best around. School huh? Big deal. I tell you your school is trying to ban me for being special. Stupid school. Your stupid school sucks. Go home and cry to mommy, you prick."

I know, I'm exaggerating. So is Mourinho.

p/s: I'm feeling pretty guilty that I somehow forgot my best buddy's birthday. I'm sorry for that, was occupied with some other stuff. Anyway, that would be a lousy excuse, I shouldn't even have forgotten in the first place. So Nic, have a wonderful year ahead, and here's a belated 'HAPPY 22nd BIRTHDAY!' wish from your old friend.

aargghhh!!!

Why are some people just so damn selfish? Idiots, idiots, idiots!!!

I'm sitting here in my lab now, 8.50pm, 'supposedly' continuing with my research work for my thesis, but here I am typing this stupid post. Why? Because I have too much free time. Why? Because someone in the lab booked the equipment I would need to use to run my DNA analysis. For 20 bloody hours! Yes, that's really nice. Now all my hardwork for the entire day has gone down the drain. My extracted DNA can't survive for 20 bloody hours, you idiot! Your stupid tubes are still incubated in the PCR machine and they won't be ready until tomorrow noon, and you place your boric acid buffer and gel into the electrophoresis' casting tray today?

Go ahead, ask me why can't I take away the gel and run my analysis before placing it back. Good question. It's because I USE TRIS ACETIC ACID BUFFER, NOT BORIC ACID BUFFER, damnit! Oh, so why not use another casting tray? Because the lab has only ONE BLOODY tray, and I can't throw the gel now because I can't replace it later, since I don't have the necessary chemical solutions to prepare it again. Damn!

Damndamndamndamndamndamndamn... I feel like thrashing this PC now.

I shall now go home and enjoy a cup of coffee while reading 1421, but nonetheless, screw you you selfish idiot!

ugly...

These days I'm not feeling very proud to be a Malaysian.

Catch this. And this. And this. Lots more that I wanted to mention but I don't feel like searching back the archives.

Speaking as a Malaysian, I want these problems to be solved, not highlighted over and over again so to benefit certain parties or individuals or whatever shit crap purple goblin dinosaur that I don't even bloody care about. Stop the talk and walk the walk.

I want to see actions taken, but right now I feel like drowning in their salivas.

it's only a pair of shoes...

Just watched 'Homerun' earlier on NTV7. If you've never heard of it or wondering what sort of movie is that, don't feel surprized. Cuz it's a movie co-produced locally (in Kuala Lumpur), featuring several veteran young kid actors from Singapore and the regular older actors you see. Honestly, I find the movie really good. In fact, I think it's better than 'I Not Stupid', another Singaporean movie which, incidently, has the same kid actors in it. I'm not really good in reviewing movies, but I think you guys should watch it.

The heartwarming story is set back in 1965 somewhere in some very kampung place, about a very poor boy and his younger sister, and a pair of torn old shoes. Yep, I didn't get that wrong. The whole story was about a pair of shoes.

The boy (Kun, played by Shawn Lee) was running an errand and lost his sister's white school shoes. With his mother pregnant and his father not earning much, he didn't ask to buy a pair of new shoes for his sister but instead, they share his pair. Since he attends class in the afternoon and the sister (Seow Fang, played by Megan Zheng) morning, she would be running to pass him the pair of shoes before he goes for classes daily. As a result, he ends up reaching late most of the time and is often scolded by the principal, even on the verge of getting expelled.

For all the detentions that he had, Kun's loyal friends stayed with him and helped him out, displaying the sort of true friendships we can barely see nowadays. There were some funny scenes too with the smart-alec remarks made by those young kids, it was so hilarious.

Of course, there's always a villain. Beng Soon (played by Joshua Ang) is the big brother of nearby school, a rich kid who struck a deal with Kun in which Kun does Beng Soon and friends' homework in exchange with 6 pairs of shoes for Kun and his poor friends' football practice, plus another pair for Kun's sister. After losing a match against Kun's team, Beng Soon then goes against his words and decided not to borrow Kun the shoes for his practice.

Meanwhile, sharing the same pair of shoes Kun soon finds his shoes beginning to wear out, and his sister is getting some really bad treatments from the teacher for wearing torn shoes to school. He then came across a notice of inter-school cross-country competition which offers a pair of shoes to the third-placed. It wasn't an easy race, since Beng Soon lined up beside him and thought he was challenging his superiority by taking part in the competition. Mid way through the competition, his shoes (the same old pair) got stuck in mud, and he had no choice but to continue the rest of the race bare-footed along the horrendous track.

At the same time, Kun's mother is about to give birth and his sister had to run across the village to get the 'bidan' (ok, I don't know how you call that in English), and her pair of slippers were torn midway too. Not forgetting to mention the terrible route, with broken pieces of glasses on the soil as she hobbled her way through.

Alas, luck wasn't on Kun's side. As he attempts to finish third in the race, he slipped in the final moment and fell across the finish line, ending up being first. As he stood on stage accepting his medal, he was in tears because he broke his promise of getting a new pair of shoes for his sister. He tried to exchange his medal with Beng Soon's shoes (he got third place) but mistaking it as a pity gesture, Beng Soon flung the shoes into the river. It was then one of Kun's best friend, Siew Hay stood out and questioned why the two group of young children had to be rivals instead of friends.

Kun and his sister both got new pairs of shoes in the end anyway. Beng Soon, finally realizing that he has been an ass all the while, gave them the shoes as presents before he leaves to study in England. They made up with a handshake and it marked the start of a new friendship despite the fact that they will be miles apart. Kun buries his torn shoes (which his best friends dug out from the mud) as to forget all the unhappy things that are now distant memories. With the new shoes, Kun and his sister are now staring at a new route with new obstacles, but now they know they can walk through any difficult journey as long as they're facing it together.

You know, writing out the storyline above doesn't really do justice to the movie. It is a very touching and sad story. A pair of shoes may sound ridiculous for a plot, but these kids showed perfectly how important is love and friendship in the movie despite the simplicity of the storyline. You don't need special effects or stunts to make a great movie. In this movie, there are only old wooden houses, singlets, worn out shoes and kids in old school uniforms, but it still brings out the values we would want to see in a movie. I kinda like the theme song too.

Even though we have nothing now, don't succumb into despair, for with the love that we have, it is as though we have everything in the world.

If you haven't watched it yet, I would recommend that you do. It's produced by Mediacorp's Raintree Pictures and directed by Jack Neo in the year 2003. Emil Chau made a cameo appearance too. Catch this article and this, hahaha... That's why we never see it in the cinemas. Water politics, ho boy... Anyway, I'm looking to get the DVD of 'Homerun'. It's giving me 'Chicken Soup' effects and I wouldn't mind watching it again.

idiots called football pundits...

I am so tired listening to them condemning Peter Crouch week in week out. Surely there's better things to talk about rather than his 16 games without a goal, right?

Yes, the goal drought is a glaring stat, given that his position as a striker, but he can't be that bad as the motor-mouths describe. If we put it in a different angle, had Benitez bought Crouch as a midfielder, these buggers would have nothing to complain about. As much as he has been unlucky up in the penalty box, Crouch has shown that his game is beyond scoring goals: he makes them and he changes the gameplay. That's why I'm so pissed with what I read in the papers.

No doubt, I was not a fan of Peter Crouch when Benitez signed him, and I still am not. I believe for 7 million pounds we can get a quality striker with a respectable goals per game ratio. Peter Crouch is not that. Perhaps he will never be. But he is a striker with different qualities who offers other options, and so far I have been pretty impressed with his overall performance with the exception of a few games that I've watched. Therefore, I wouldn't say he's a bad signing. You want a bad signing? I'll name a few to refresh your mind. Bjorn Tore Kvarme, Phil Babb, Sean Dundee, Bernard Diomede, Mauricio Pellegrino, these are only few that I still remember donning the red shirt with the word 'disaster' written on their foreheads. Peter Crouch is definitely so much better.

Stop the Crouch bashing, and let's concentrate on Man Utd's possible Champions League exit. That's a so much better topic to cover.

Anyway, I'm done with my finals now, it's time to party, wahahaha... Will be having bbq with my housemates tomorrow night, and after that I'll have to start working on my thesis project again, damn. And please remind me to take the hard disk out from my computer and send it to some professional hackers to retrieve my important documents. Damn the blasted computer. I hate technology.

for updating's sake...

Man, I wish to be her right now (not exactly 'her' lah, but receiving those gifts and crap). Camera phone wei, I'm 22 this year and I still can't afford one. Not even the old, huge, capable-to-kill-a-dog-when-it's-thrown-at-it sized handphone. Thank God my brother gave me his phone together with the prepaid line some years back, or else I'll still be living in seclusion.

I remembered the day when I scored straight As for UPSR 10 years ago, I was... wait, I don't remember what happened that day. It just went past like any other regular days in my ever-regular life. Hahaha, I guess no one really paid attention to UPSR back then compared to the media coverage nowadays.

Just to update, I'm actually in the middle of my final examinations. Had a paper this morning, there's another tomorrow, and another three next week, hence the disappearance from blogsphere. Nothing much that I wanted to blog about anyway.

To Mr Rational Thinker here,

probably should let you know that I am just considering the probability of roaming around in New Zealand after I graduate, providing that I am to be receiving some financial and moral support from my domestic sponsors (as in 'parents' if you don't get it), hahaha... I don't know, still early plans, nothing concrete yet. Would really love it if it happens, that would really dwarf my only other out-of-the-country trip (which happens to be the stinking city down south).

The suggestion came as a surprise to be honest. My family was sitting in the kitchen talking about their trips to overseas some time ago. South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Germany, Turkey, Egypt, UK, New Zealand, China, Germany, Italy, Austria, Holland, yadda yadda... Damn, I'm amazed at how many vacation trips my family had where they forgot to include ME. How pitiful. God bless my grandmother for bringing that up, and she asked if I wanted to tag along when she's visiting my aunt in NZ this coming May or June (of course I do! if I'm getting sponsors that is), perhaps can do a backpack trip once I get there. And I just thought of the idea to visit you if it really works out fine. Hahaha, I'll see if I can get any further with this plan. Will inform you if there are any updates on this. Till then, stay cool, and shed some weight dude. ; )

Okay, back to studies now. Spanish paper tomorrow. I'll try to express myself in a short paragraph.

Es muy frustrante, yo no estudio mucho espanyol esta semana. Pero yo penso la examen no es muy difficil. Nosotros estudiamos poco en la clase esta semestre, y las profesoras son muy simpaticas de cualquier manera. Yo voy estudio ahora. Hasta luego.

(It's very frusfrating. I didn't revise much spanish this week. But I think the exam won't be very hard. We only learn a little in class this semester, and the lecturers are very nice anyway. I'll go study now. See ya.)

Crap. It's damn hard to grind out the sentences. Bye now.