Well, during the exam weeks, this period could be considered as hectic as well as relaxing. Now, how can 2 contradicting qualities coexist? Possible. The 2-3 days before a exam subject are the most infernally busy while the long intervals between subjects can be used for other productive activities. One of them - cooking. Yea, didn't get much time to use my culinary skills during the lesson weeks. Now, I make good use of the gas stove and the spatula.

Did a few frying and boiling and steaming. Today, I decided to do something that can spice up your gastrointestinal tract like the way alcohol does and something warming - ginger soup.

Simple dish. It feels good when drank on a cold, rainy day like today. Or, it could be used to get rid of the "wind" in you, as the traditional herb lore puts it. It is not preferred during a hot afternoon. Hot weather + hot ginger, you do the rest of the thinking. :)

All you need are the following:

A. Main ingredients

1. Either cubed/sliced chicken breast meat (1 whole slice) or pork (about the same proportion as the chicken breast)

2. Slices of ginger (preferably young ones)

3. Sugar

4. (optional) Chicken stock/broth (or cubes)

B. Marinate

1. Salt (1/2 tsp or some sprinkle)

2. Sugar (~1-1.5 tbsp)

3. Soy sauce (~1-1.5 tbsp)

Instructions (quick version):

1. Marinate the chicken breast with ingredients B for about 15 to 30 minutes. The quantity of the marinate can be altered to suit one's palate.

2. Boil the sliced ginger with some sugar in a pot of water. The amount of ginger depends on which extreme of the spiciness you desire.

3. Let it simmer for another 10 minutes.

4. Add in the chicken/pork.

5. Add in the chicken broth/stock. Taste the soup and add in salt/soy sauce if necessary.

6. Let it simmer for another 15-20 minutes or so and you are done!

Composed by,

Crisp

Busy studying, preparing for next sem's societal event and gaming. Nothing much, all about the word BUSY.

Anyway, all the best, people. Wish you good luck in the finals and study well, sleep well, eat well and live well.

By the way, posted a composition in my [other blog].

The title is C'est la vie - meaning "That's life". A composition dominated largely by dialogues and monologues.

When the guy needs a break, he writes. The guy = me.

Our Laughter, Their Tears

The world is never a fair place.
Some succeeded, some failed;
Some joyful, others depressed;
It is nothing to do about hardwork or diligence,
it is just about luck.
We have it, they don't.
We throw away meat that we can't finish, they salvage the bones we deem as trash.
Welcome to the disparity of life.

Click on the picture below, watch it, listen to the music behind and feel the ambience.
Chicken a la Carte
By: Ferdinand Dimadura

Same world, same food, different people, different encounter.

Realisation

We tend to lament about our unfortunate happenings.

We want to put the blame on something or somebody - be it yourself or others - when something bad happens.

We always tie incidents to fate - or kismet.

We think too much of "if's" - if this didn't happen, if that were done, if I never did.... IFs...

We ask too many why's and when we don't get our answers, we sink into the uncharted depths of emotion.

From the film "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button", there is a scene where a flashback is played to show how the lead actress, Daisy, was knocked down by a car. A concatenation of events - a lady forgotten about her belongings and had to return home before going out again; a taxi driver not being punctual; a truck hitting the reverse gear out of the blue, etc. - sequentially led to the accident. The narrator said that if any of the events had not occur, Daisy would not end up having a fractured leg. BUT, in reality, everything has a cause and an effect. One thing leads to another. It is impossible to blame any of the events for an outcome that we do not desire. Everything is linked in a chain from the day we are born. The world and us, it is mutual.

Some said, all the connectedness is being dictated by the Higher order and it is often linked to FATE or KISMET. Others refuse to attribute their life to that one, enigmatic and abstract concept.

For me, I would say - is it that important to dwell on whether to believe in fate or not?

Fate or no fate, we still have to carry on with our life. When something bad happens, don't think of or relate it to fate. Everything happens because of the other things that lead to it. It is just that simple. If the outcome is bad, then do something about it - to lessen the effect, to counter the effect, whatever you can think of. You can't just stop there and contemplate about your fate or the wrongness of the occurrence because the chain of events has to go on. You can determine what went wrong, understand it, and keep away from it. Don't DWELL on it.

Maybe, you can argue that the fact that some of us feel sad about something bad and dwell on it is because it is just a human thing to do. Yes, I agree. But for your own happiness, for the dearest people around you, try to reduce the time for despondence. Find a friend to confide in. Or write it down in your diary.

The most important thing, is to move on. It is easy to say, hard to do. The world won't stop for you and you won't be able to make it stop too. Every time you stop, opportunities fly by - be it in relationship, career or studies.

Believe in these:
For everything you lost, you will have an empty space to hold for new opportunities.

For everything that goes wrong, you will have one less mistake to make in future.

For everything that breaks, you have a new excuse to get a better one.

For a broken heart, it will mend and beat stronger the next time.

Also, think positively. When something is wrong, believe it isn't. It is not wrong, it is just NOT right. It sounds like half-full, half-empty philosophy. But it shows whether you are optimistic or otherwise. The same thing can be viewed from different angles. If viewed correctly, your life can be redefined.

The reality of life:
Being full of uncertainties and problems, life sucks; thinking of life is being full of uncertainties and problems, now YOU suck. Which one to be, now you make the choice.

Nothing is better

Nothing is better than...
the rhythm of songs and the touch of lyrics
gently rock into your ears
with the earphone inserted,
it's as if the cacophony of the outer world
is being isolated. All you hear,
are the rock bands and singers in the corridors of your ears

Nothing is better than...
when the outside is frigid, the pressure is building,
the heart is sinking
then the warm water probing down its way in rivulets
from the shower sprinkler
releasing the knots beneath the weary skin
steal away every bit of fatigue
introducing elements of heavenly comfort

Nothing is better than...
wallowing in a pool of delicacies
swooping down at the plates without a single sense of guilt
gulping down colourful beverages without an iota of sin
pure indulgence

Nothing is better than...
holding the virtual rifles, looking through the scopes
and taking down the virtual enemies shot after shot
the splinters and deafening blasts of grenades
shattering the stressful clogs in the brain into smithereens

Nothing is better than...
communicating with the friends all over the world
coordinating attacks and defense on the cyberworld
managing alliances and towns, helping out each other
and smiling at the resources plundered from the idle villages around

Nothing is better than...
the last of the tests and the commencement of a brief break
to relax the tensed, to soothe the ruffled, to calm the agitated, to release the pressured

Also, nothing is better than to see my friends that I care so much, to wear that smile again. Some of them were so pressured and gloomy, some couldn't study because their mind was not happy. I wish I could help them. Now, many sighed in relief.

Also,

Thank you guys, for supporting me - as a friend and as a course rep - thus far. I appreciate your cooperation. We take pride in what Dr Anna has described us - the best of all biotech batches.

Exam Schedule

This topic has been an incendiary issue since last week. Of course, as a course rep, also as one of the spiritually-drained utarians who need to sit for exams, I need to voice out our dissatisfaction. Well, apparently all 4 bioscience courses are experiencing inappropriately allocated exam schedule. Along with Richard and Yong, we went to seek Dr Alan's help.

After 4 days, we went to see him again. He told us that the DEA had just finished collecting all the complaints and suggestions from all over the campuses and is processing the documents. (Wth, make us wait for 2 hours in SA just to learnt the news that they are still "processing"). That, would take days. Dr Alan said that the best case scenario is that we will be updated by this week. BEST CASE SCENARIO...

What I would want to say is that we had done our best. We suggested to span out the exam subjects evenly and appropriately while inserting our "lost" C&C subject back into our schedule. Since DEA is in PJ, it is kinda cumbersome to establish contact with them but Dr Alan did that for us. Anyone who has prejudice towards him, it's time for you to reevaluate your conception. Anyway, all of us did our best and now, all we can do is wait.

Everybody, cross your fingers and hope for the best.

Moral Presentation

It marks the last of all presentations of this semester. We are the last group to present and of course, we are confronted with the MSLGP syndrome, or Moral-Studies-Last-Group-Presentation Syndrome. During last week's Greg's group presentation, around 10 souls were left. For ours, it's better - 3. Yea, no kidding. Law Sin Yee, Joanne and her BF. Of course the lecturer is there la.

MPRP #1: The 3 souls

MPRP #2: The lecturer

Today's presentation was full of anecdotes. One of them was where a fellow presenter had a slip of tongue when he said "pengguguran bayi" as "pengguguran babi". God, the lecturer is a Muslim. Fortunately, he realized his mistake while the lecturer merely corrected his error.

When it was our turn, the lecturer said this with a sense of humour - "Wah, banyak dah balik ni..." as he turned his head to look at the lecture seats - practically empty.

I started the presentation and I managed to catch En. Syuja's attention with my first slide - which was the most attractive among other slides in the presentation I would say - and we presented like pros. This was not my own judgement but it was lauded by the lecturer. He commented that our presentation is good and also scary (because of the gory picture inserted by Ah Mok in his slide depicting a samurai performing the harakiri/seppuku).

We thought, as the last group standing, we would be able to present at much ease but apparently, we faced 2 problems. First, talking to the empty hall is psychologically dispiriting. Secondly, the lecturer tend to ask questions, though in a friendly manner. When we had completed, it was only 6.25pm. So, the lecturer asked some questions where we crapped a bit (actually quite a lot) to cater him. And to speak Malay spontaneously becomes a little hard for us when we have to answer his questions. But mostly, he asked just out of curiosity.

Then, after the presentation, he asked whether I was a debater or some sort, I said I was - a looooong time ago. And he requested to bring me in for Malay debate if there is an opportunity. =.= Afterwards, the 5 of us pondered on how to get back to Genting Klang. We finally opted for the faithful Utar Bus. That means, we had to wait till 7.15pm. But we had time aplenty. When we arrived at where the Utar bus are parked, we saw that uncle cleaning his bus - AGAIN. Gosh, he is such a clean freak. We joked that he used Clorox to wash the bus and rinse it for 5, 10 and 15 minutes intervals. Lol.

When we boarded the bus, the entire bus was empty. In other words, the whole whale was carrying only 5 small fishes to Genting Klang. So, we took some photos in the bus. But the bus was too dark. When Ting tried to use Flash, the bus driver flicked on the light switch. HE READ OUR MIND! Hahaha... we thanked him for his in-time decision and we managed to snap a shot. He even asked us whether we were done so that he could turn off the light. What a cute guy...

These are the shots:


By the way, every Monday we might go for a badminton spree. Venue might be variable. We went to Sri Rampai last week. Anyone intended to join, just inform me or ting or voon chai.

Paradoxes

If animals can think and speak up, they must be wondering what queer creatures humans are. We are a species that contradicts ourself. Why?

#1

People are HAPPY when they are laid off during this financial tsunami. You read me? LAID OFF and HAPPY. Unemployed but happy, think about that. That's happening in Singapore where the laid-offs are compensated with a huge sum. For those who are nearing retirement, they describe the lay-off + compensation "package" as "better than striking the jackpot". Some people even LAMENT and asked why they didn't get laid off... See what I mean by humans are contradicting creatures?

#2
That's not the end of the story. Let's see something closer to ourselves. Happening right in front of our very eyes. Let's see. Yeah, Moral Studies. That's very, very contradicting indeed. You see, when we are taking (or forced to take) this subject, we are expected to learn how to be a citizen who uphold virtues and be moral by applying what we have acquired in the class. The big question is: Did we? No... To vindicate this, easy, just see how many souls are left in the seats during the Moral Studies lecture. Wait for another hour, do another head count. Then wait for another half. Repeat the count. Then, if you are patient enough, do the last head count at the end of the class. If nothing goes wrong or there isn't any intervention by the lecturer - like threatening not to give out the attendance list early or something like that - you should able to draw a negative exponential graph that starts off with an already low figure and ends with an even lower (almost ground-touching) figure. Geez, moral is really something grey at times - no distinct white/black.

#3

Students complain during the weeks where reports and assignments are expected to be due. They sleep late, ate late, bathe late and what-not late, rising up the next day like buncha zombies waiting to roam the streets. But the thing is, for weeks that there aren't any submission of homework of any kind, these complaining-beings still refuse to hit the sack even it is past midnight. Some even sleep LATER than what they used to do during the busy weeks. I think, the real reason behind all these nonsense is: STUDENTS are able to (or prefer to) sleep late but not due to formal academic stuffs but for FUN and RELAXATION. Ask them to play DotA till late night or stay up for Travian or go yumcha at some kopitiam, they would be more than happy to go. But ask them to do reports and assignments for the same duration of time and same late hours in a day, look at how their face sour up as if you have poured pure lemon juice plus strong vinegar on them.

Of course, I am also one of the kind that fulfills the behaviour mentioned above because I am a NORMAL, HUMAN BEING.

Anyway, posted 2 poems in Chinese, will do something English next time 'round.
Here they are: 冷箭 & 小小的

Preview

冷箭

筹划良久
通宵达旦的煎熬
焚膏继晷的鞭笞
受尽皎月，蟾光的喟叹
受尽旭日，熹微的怜悯 。。。

小小的

小小的
毫不起眼的银弹
只需 配以神速
庞然大物
皆应声触地
是霎时间。。。

When I walk alone

Today, I opt to use my legs to carry me back to my cozy apartment, literally. Don't ask me why. Perhaps I miss the days when we used to stroll down the road from MC to Utar campus in PJ. Remember the round-about, remember the unbearable stench from the factory, remember the furniture shop, remember the construction site, remember the way our body perspire like the day has been raining relentlessly on us. Reminiscence. The brown study, I call that.

At first, I decided to do what Richard suggested - to jog. I did, for a couple of distance when a call interfered. An old friend. And the caller is not a guy. You do the rest of the thinking and linking. You are good at it, aren't you? Then, I suddenly lost the urge to speed. I wanted to think. Thinking hurts my brain but I have no choice. I needed to sort things out. Sometimes, I plan a little way to ahead into future. But that's, in part, the reason that I am still standing today, unswayed. Perhaps. I like to be alone. I like to be part of nature. But that doesn't spells "anti-social" for me. I still join gangs. I remember once I asked one of my friends whether he saw my gang or not. With a confused look, he stared at me. "Which gang? You have so many gangs." Yea, maybe he is right. I don't really stick to one specific gang for too long. Maybe I do. Perhaps, it is due to my nature. I like to be a loner. Again, I don't know why. Maybe there is a gene encoding for "solitary behaviour" or something, I don't know. Humans are complicated. Well, not that their structure is but what they want to think themselves to be.

Sometimes, I revert to my old self. Wanting to be alone. Last time, I did that in front of my friends. Now, I learnt. I did it when I am really alone. I think better when I am away from crowds. Especially when I am walking. Alone, of course. Today, I resumed to my old hermit shell. When I was lagging behind my friends, I told them I have a weak heart and a soaring BP. Well, that's not a lie. But it only accounted for half the fact that why I resorted to ambling in lieu of jogging. I was trying to think. To mull over things in my head. I couldn't do it at home because only games, the Net and the books hit my mind back there. Walking, now that's the only thing that allows me to think. Also, it has been ages since I composed a poetry. I was also searching for inspiration. I found it. I found rain. It could be a cliche for people to pen about a gloomy rain scene. But I did it according to the exact feeling I had at that time - linking the thoughts and the environment as one entity. That's the power of words.

Sorry for those who are not familiar with Chinese. The poem is entitled 雨天的衬托 ("Juxtaposition of the Rain")

Here is a preview. For those who are critics or interested in poetry, go on and take a shoot if you want.

疲惫的身壳，拖着
阴沉的云海，衬托着
放弃一贯的依赖，引擎的工具
摒弃一向的方便，一切的替劳
啻为求一个能孤独的时候
在百车穿梭的道路上，寻求失去的部分......
(for more, click here)