Moments Cherished

Chronicles of the Depressed Dog

2011-01-08T14:08:00.006+08:00

That's right. I am here to chronicle a very short part of a dog's life, my neighbour's dog, to be specific. Below are pictures and GIFs of the dog in action taken stealthily (since my neighbour could mistaken me for being a stalker... although I do actually stalk... at the dog, that is. What? Do you think I am that morally challenged to do such a thing to my neighbours? Sheesh...).

You might be wondering why I dub the dog as "depressed" (if you are not, just pretend you are). It is simply because the dog looks depressed. It's a "she" by the way, and I don't think I want to use the "gender-specific" term for female dogs here. This dog has a face that makes everyone wonders: why is this dog so saaaad? Why the long face? Perhaps it is due to its droopy eyes. For whatever reasons, it looks sad, for my family at least.

There. This is her. The dog with the face that could wipe Mona Lisa's smile away instantly and make Matthieu Ricard (the person scientifically proven to be the world's happiest man and also Dalai Lama's translator. Google him or read the Jan 2011 Reader's Digest issue or... just click on the link) weep.

Now, this is the part of her story that I wanted to tell:

On a wet November night, when torrential rain relentlessly scoured the walls and tarmac while gusts ripped the air apart, sending reverberating howls that... ok, let's cut the crap. Simply put, it was a rainy night. But the wet weather did not dampen his spirit for one bit. He, was a proud, white dog, who resided nearby to a girl-of-his-dreams whom he called - "the Damsel in Depression" (if you haven't got it yet, the "damsel in depression" is the Depressed Dog). So, in the late of the night (about 9 actually, not really that late, but anyway...), he struggled through the metal gate and got out of the house. He knew what he was going to do. Striding with confidence, he headed towards the Depressed Dog's residence. Although he knew his master and her master would be mad at what he was planning to do, he could not resist the desire and instinct that drove him. There's no turning back. It is either now or never, he thought. Soon, he arrived at his destination. He scrutinized the dark surroundings. No vehicle. No human. Just a pretty dog sitting all by herself. WAIT... all by HERSELF?! It was his best chance. So, he sprang at the beauty and tried to attract her attention. He did. But unfortunately, the "depressed dog" is, well, of course, too depressed to entertain him. So she lied there motionlessly. It was a silent gesture asking him to leave. But he, the mighty young male, full of dreams and aspirations, would not give up nor give in. So, he figured he should cut the chase. Without warning, he, er, "struck".

[WARNING] In the next paragraph, things could get a liiiiiittle disturbing. Below 18-ners, please go watch Cartoon Networks or Disney Channel. Or go read something else. Just for a while (though you would just ignore this and read on anyway. Why did I even bother. Well, suit yourself.)

So, he tried to *toot* the lady but she just wasn't in the mood. He tried everything under his sleeves. Gentle biting, fervent biting, gentle nudging, etc. but all to no avail. So he tried all over again. And again. And again. And... you get the idea. You think reading this is nauseating? Well, lemme tell you what, I SAW THE ENTIRE PROCESS. WITH MY VERY OWN EYES. Otherwise how else could I recount all these stuffs so "vividly"?

Anyway, I didn't know how but it finally seems that the male dog had done what he had went there for. He quickly left the lady before either masters were alerted to the "illicit affair". At first, I doubt the dog's mission was successful... until weeks later where the "unmistakable" signs began to manifest - the bloated belly. It was obvious to everyone that she was pregnant. But again, I still had reservations. It could be that she got fat. But as far as fatness can go, it could never resemble a bona fide/authentic/genuine pregnancy. So, yeah, she got pregnant from a one-night-stand.

Before I knew it, the daily, regular barking of the depressed dog is now accompanied by some indistinct yelping of a puppy - correction, puppies. Here is a puppy with mama:

She delivered. Unlike her long, silky, brown fur, the newborns resemble their proud father - short, white or whitish brown fur. However, since the "affair" was blown, the white male dog was barred and grounded. He could never get out of the house without a leash again (that explains why there is no photos on the father). So, the depressed dog is a single mum, struggling to feed the babies and dealing with motherhood.

Here are some GIF's (animations take time to load on a slow connection):

1. Puppies want mama

2. This dog is also known as the "circling" dog, or "打圈狗".

3. Puppy misses his mama... it needs some love.

Okay, time to say goodbye. You got a question? What? Why no photos of the fateful night? I am not that sick to take such photos of what people would call a "private bedroom activities". What? Why am I so curious about the dog? What do you mean? It just fascinates me... What? You mean about the incident during that rainy night? I didn't PLAN to watch it IN ACTION. What kind of sick people enjoys watching that? I was looking out at the road waiting for someone to come and... it just happened. You don't believe me? Fine. I... I don't have to, er, to explain myself, er... I am not stammering. I am just, just, sorry, got a phone call. Cya! *dash*

Composed by,

Next station: 2011

2011-01-03T11:30:00.004+08:00

1st of January, 2010:
Boarding the train by the name of "Year" of the "Timeline Service Ltd." from the terminal of "Station 2009/10".

Early 31st of December, 2010:
Alighted from the train at the terminal: "Station 2010/11". Switched to another platform, waiting for the next train while I get myself refreshed and ready by stocking up provisions and making up plans for the multiple long and short stops over the new journey.

Late 31st of December, 2010:
The train finally arrives. Same train - "Year" of the "Timeline Service Ltd." Leaving in moments. I have to hurry.

1st of January, 2011:
The siren is sounded. Boarding the train, now leaving for the stations that would end in the terminal "Station 2011/12".

* * * * * * * *

Summing up 2010 in gist:

1. Obtained my first class honours degree
2. Attended convocation
3. Learning the Korean language and culture
4. Job hunting - experienced my first and longest assessment/interview which lasted for approximately 3 months
5. Found a job in the current company

Oh, I have left out a very important one: embracing Soshism! This years is the year which I have converted from "aidolism"* belief (as in "atheism" - don't believe in God, hence "aidolism" is the lack of belief in idols) to "Soshism", a devoted "follower" of 9 angels - SNSD. I never had an idol which I "worship". Well, until now. Some asked me is it because they are: 1) cute; 2) pretty; 3) have enchantingly long 다리 (legs); 4) all of the above? Well, instead of choosing from the above, I prefer to reason it this way: They are adorable/lovable. They show respect for others, both 선배 (seniors) and 후배 (juniors); they possess strong sense and capability in entertainment; their vocal and dancing skills are impeccable (짱!); they care for the people around them, especially towards the unfortunate; they are modest but extremely diligent; and most importantly, they are very approachable and amiable.

These are among the reasons why I admire them and have made them integral to my blog.

I know, 2010 is not really a year of happenings for me but still, I am thankful. Whatever 2011 is going to throw at me, I will make sure my arms and mind are strong enough to embrace them.

A Happy New Year to you, dear reader. Don't fret if you don't feel happy; if happiness doesn't come to you, go for it and shower with it.

*Aidolism is a made-up term. Seriously. Don't use it in your writing lest you would be penalized for using a non-existing vocabulary. If you happen to use it and got accepted, then please quote me or acknowledge me in anyway. :P

Composed by,

Bitter sweet goes a long way

2011-01-03T10:55:00.003+08:00

Every time you make a criticism,
don't forget to add
heartfelt compliments too.

People will take it better.
I'm sure you would.

It is not about getting words into a person's brain;
it's about getting them into a person's heart.

Composed by,

Me = ?

2011-01-03T10:51:00.002+08:00

How should I sum up my life since primary school till now?

Let's see: A prefect in school; a course representative in varsity; and now a QA exec. Most of my time is spent "helping", "monitoring" and "correcting" (or even "disciplining") others.

Me = law enforcer
or
Me = "got-nothing-else-better-to-do-but-to-pick-on-people"?

Composed by,

The Korean Acidic Past

2010-11-25T14:18:00.015+08:00

Upon seeing the exchange of fire (more like shells and bombs) between the "brethren" North and South Korea, many people began to ask this: Why are the brothers fighting? It makes no sense. Well, true, they might be like that all the time but why of such magnitude this time? They are still bros right?

It makes perfect sense, if you know the history of Korea. Why Korea is split as today? It kinda revokes memories on the East/West Germany prior to the fall of Berlin Wall. It all started on the days nearing the Korean War (June 25th, 1950 - July 27th, 1953), during the war, and after the war. Korean War was somehow forgotten, largely because probably it was overshadowed by: 1. The Vietnam War 2. The Gulf War. Korean war, in my opinion, is perhaps one of the wars that are nothing but a futile/useless attempt. Why? Most wars result in a change of environment (political/economic/demographic ...). But the Korean War, even after it was over, nothing had changed much. Before the war, Korea was already separated into two (read below). After the war, it was pretty much the same. Not much territorial changes. After the war, now and then the two countries fought each other on minor scale, especially on the DMZ (Demiliarized Zone, the buffer zone at the 38th peninsular separating the North and South) and the Yellow Sea. So far, 2 high profile disputes have occurred - the Cheonan disaster and the Yeonpyeong shelling. Want to know more about how North and South turn into the bickering bros? Read on but be warned, text heavy.

- End of World War II (WWII), 1945, US and the USSR (Soviet Union) forced Japan out of the Korean peninsular.

- Agreement between US and USSR – northern part of Korea was maintained by USSR while the southern part by US. The dividing line was set at the 38th parallel (38° N).

Problem starts here:
- 1948 – The Cold War tension between USSR and US escalated.
USSR and US pulled out of Korea, leaving a communist (N. Korea) and a democratic government (S. Korea) behind.

- Each side wanted to unify the entire Korea: North (led by Kim Il Sung) wanted Communist, South (led by Syngman Rhee) demanded Democratic. Sparks flew.

- After leaving, US also withdrew most of the troops and weapons. Why? 1. Due to a new policy in US on Asia; 2. Fearing Syngman Rhee would attack N. Korea.

- June 25th, 1950 – North Korean People’s Army (KPA) crossed the 38th parallel. The Korean War had begun.

[from now on, N. Korea is abbreviated as NK while S. Korea as SK]

- SK wasn’t expecting the attack and was trounced. SK has no weapons and lack troops (as mentioned earlier, US withdrew troops and weapons), hence they could not defend against the assault.

- June 27th, 1950 – Seoul had fallen. Now, SK citizens were panicked. Even US and UN were worried – they feared communism would spread if NK subjugated SK.

QUESTION: Why US didn’t use the atomic bomb threat? They did to Japan and it worked. By why not NK?

ANSWER: The USSR had already developed their atomic bombs, which was not available to them during World War II*(read the final part). If US were to used their nuclear arsenals, it’d become a full-scale nuclear war.

- Troops were sent in to reinforce SK by US . Now SK had both US and UN troops on their side but it was futile: the KPA of NK was unbeatable.

- August 1950 – KPA crossed the Nakdong river, SK’s territory diminished to the worst of all times (the yellow dotted lines on the map). If SK hadn’t pushed any forward, SK would lose this war.

- US pushed hard and for the next 2 weeks, KPA was drove away from the river. This was the FIRST victory by the south and the FIRST lost for the NK.

- Now, more troops arrived at Pusan. Pusan is an important port (even till today) and it must not be taken by NK. These troops were young and fresh .

- September 1950 – while still holding on to the river’s barrier defense, the SK allied troops (UN and US) were attacked by NK. However, the attack failed. Now, US planned to fight back.

- This was one of the history’s most brilliant strategic attack – it was difficult to carry out but was very important. The brain was General MacArthur. He planned to attack Incheon. Why is it a problem?

Self-drawn image. Do not use without permission.

Look at the map. Incheon (the explosive icon) is on the other side of Korea since the troops are now on the eastern side at the Nakdong river/Pusan. Plus, the entire Korea except for the Nakdong/Pusan part (yellow dotted line) was in NK’s hands. That means, Incheon was deep in NK’s territory. Why Incheon then? Well, Incheon was a huge supply depot. Now you know why.

- US troops first took over the Wolmi-do (an island). From Wolmi-do, they assaulted Incheon.

- September 15th, 1950 – Incheon was in US custody. NK was taken off-guard this time. Only 20 US troops were lost.

- September 18th, 1950 – a nearby Kimpo airfield was taken by US. Now, US turned their attention to Seoul, the capital of SK. It is very near to Incheon (see Map).

- September 21st, 1950 – battle for Seoul was a tough one. Although succeeded, only 33 marines survived.

- October 1st, 1950 – now the US troop had pushed NK all the way back to the 38th parallel, the rightful place where NK and SK should be divided. Here comes the big dilemma. A headache: Should US troops cross the line and take NK? Problems would arise then: Until now, it was a war to DEFEND against communism. If US crossed the 38th, it would become a war to ATTACK on communism. It means Russia and China would get involve. Not good. But US troops were high in morale, so they pushed on. Cities in NK gradually fell, including the capital, Pyongyang.

- November 1950 – NK was pushed all the way north (white dotted line). NK was almost wiped out – until they came face to face with China’s (PRC) army. China is also a communist country, so they came to help defend their allied NK. USSR was also NK’s ally but they didn’t take part in the war.

- November, 1950 – PRC armies retaliated, forcing the US/UN troops to retreat with mounting dead tolls. Chinese withdrew and attacked again.

- January 1st, 1951 – Chinese and KPA crossed the 38th parallel again.

- January 3rd, 1951 – Seoul had fallen. Kimpo airfield fell subsequently.

- March 31st, 1951 – communists’ supplies were insufficient, so they could not hold their grounds. They finally retreated while UN troops pushed them back to the 38th parallel. Not far from the 38th parallel was the Chinese stronghold, an area called the Iron Triangle. It was hard to penetrate but after 10 days of attack, UN troops shattered the place. Peace talks ensued but it lasted for 2 years. During these times, both sides fortified their defenses.

- June 23rd, 1952 – US sent sorties of new fighters to destroy hydroelectric plants in NK, resulting in 90% loss of power supply but NK wouldn’t budge.

- US newly elected president, Eisenhower, threatened NK with nuclear attacks (the world, especially US, wanted this war to end quickly, so nuclear was the best bet). Fortunately, NK took the threat seriously. Then, Chinese also pleaded to end the war.

- July 27th, 1953 – the peace talks ended and the war had finally come to an end.

Something to think about:
Who was the winner? – The territorial coverage before and after the war was roughly the same. To be precise, SK only gained 20 miles. Besides that, the war culminated in about 3 million casualties. Although the war is over, NK and SK are still bickering against one another today. Winners? No one exactly.

*Something interesting for you. In a way of speaking, the Korean War could be actually blamed on spies during WWII, spies known as “atomic spies” who sold US confidential nuclear weapons info to the Soviet. That time, the Soviets had engineering problems with nuclear bombs which only US knew how to solve. But infamous spies like Ethel and Julius Rosenberg sold the info to the Soviet. If Soviet didn’t have the ability to produce nuclear weapons, US would have threatened NK earlier on without fearing the Soviet. Actually, the judge in the trial of the Rosenbergs “blamed” them for the deaths in Korean War. The fate of the Rosenbergs? Death penalty.

Below is a schematic illustration of the Korean War before the peace talk began. It was actually a "tug-of-war" between the northern and southern forces. North crossed the line, then retreated, then crossed again, then retreated again.

Self-drawn image. Do not use without permission.

Reference:
Holloway, R. (2007). Korean War. Retrieved November 19, 2010, from http://www.learnkoreanlanguage.com/korean-war.html

Composed by,

Enclave of Verdure - My Garden

2010-11-19T12:30:00.009+08:00

*WARNING: IMAGE-HEAVY. READ AT OWN DISCRETION. 56K DIAL-UP USERS PLEASE STEER CLEAR OF THIS POST.*

We have fruit trees, palms, shrubs, flowers - orchids (parents are orchid aficionado) and perennials, begonias, and other variegated plants. This post is just a gallery of photos to boast the ...... nah, just plain boasting.

Composed by,

One of the hardest "how/why" questions

2010-11-14T14:13:00.002+08:00

... well, at least in M'sia. Out of the available questions (5W1H), "how" and "why" are those we frequently have problems dealing with. Why? (lol...) Well, the answers are typically:

1. long. One or two word answers are rare, if not impossible (unless your answer is the universal 2-word: don't know, or the modernised version: dunno, or the even more modernised version: idk (which incidentally stands for I Don't Know, if you are wondering)).

2. lots of thinking must be done in order to answer them.

3. there might be more than 1 answer. Very frequently, I'd say, as compared to the other question types (who, when, what...). For example:

Q: Who is the father of this child?
A: John. (one word answer. Easy. And only 1 definite answer.)

Q: Why the child's father isn't David?
A: ...... (the dreaded why question. You need to think for a good reason, or reasonS. So, more than one answer, and you need to think hard and answer very carefully.)

Q: How in the world that the child looks more like David but is borne by John's wife?
A: ...... (refer to the previous question. "How" questions are equally hard to answer) And if you have noticed, in the encyclopaedia/general interest section of bookstores, there are books dedicated entirely to the compendium of "how's" and "why's". For instance: The book of How, 1000 Why's, Kids Why Questions, or even the "Dummies" series (eg. French for Dummies, HTML for Dummies...) etc. Rarely, we have books of what's and who's. That just vindicated my point: why's and how's are tough nuts.

Ok, back to the story. So what are the toughest How/Why for M'sia? Here:

1. Why Bahasa Melayu is not as important as English?
2. How to make Bahasa Melayu to be used as lingua franca or internationally accepted language?

Well, as mentioned above, how's and why's usually come with answers that are hard to cough out. However, there are easier answers to them in this case. Let me illustrate my answers with real life scenarios rather than just slapping the answer here directly.

Scenario #1:

On an advertisement, I saw this: Woksyop remaja (meaning Teenage Workshop in English).

My humble comment:
The last time I checked, workshop is called "bengkel" in BM. By the way, woksyop is not a valid word, unless DBP/Dewan Bahasa Pustaka has integrated the word into the Malay lexicon.

Scenario #2:

A commentator for the 16th Asian Games 2010 opening ceremony was commenting on the superb song composed by a notable composer. He was speaking in BM and this was what he said: ...... sebuah lagu yang dikompos (I am not sure of the spelling since this word does NOT exist) oleh ......

My humble comment:

Erm, dikompos? You meant the song was "decomposed"? What, the song is degradable and has turned into fertiliser? The correct word is "digubah" (gubah=compose, di- prefix is a passive voice indicator. So digubah=be composed by. See more at Scenario #4). God. My family was laughing so hard when we heard him saying that.

Scenario #3:

On the canopy of the market, it writes: Pertanian Adalah Perniagaan. (translate: Agriculture[pertanian] is[adalah] business[perniagaan])

My humble comment:

For non-Malay speakers out there, this is actually a very very very very basic grammar mistake and also very very very very much found all over the country. It is like "He are a boy" or "The dishes are washing me" kind of basic grammar mistake. The thing is "ialah" should be used in place of "adalah" although both means the same. "Adalah" is reserved for predicates that are NOT nominal (or nouns). In other words, "ialah" is followed by nouns or noun/nominal clauses. Only adjectives/adverbs/other non-nominal clauses are preceded by "adalah". "Perniagaan"(business) is a noun, so it's IALAH.

Scenario #4:

On a banner: Pakaian di jual disini (Apparels/clothes[pakaian] are sold[jual] at this place/here[sini]).

My humble comment:

TWO grammar errors, very common but basic: the di- conjugation. When "di-" is added as prefix in front of a verb, it means "being done by". In English, it is called the passive voice. In other words, di- is a passive voice indicator. So, if the Malay verb "beli" (buy) is used in passive voice, "beli" becomes "dibeli" (be bought). However, if "di-" is NOT used as a conjugated form, meaning if it is used INDEPENDENTLY, it is a preposition, corresponding to "in/at" in English. Example: Saya tinggal di Malaysia (I live in Malaysia). The "di" is NOT attached. It stands alone. So, the sentence above should be "Pakaian dijual (is sold) di sini" (at this place). Please, this is a fundamental rule, so get it right. Distanced or attached, please use accordingly.

Scenario #5:

A minister was commenting on the performance of some government department: "The prestation of the ......"

My humble comment:

What in the world is "prestation"? A pre-station? It turns out to be the Anglicised (made English) version of "prestasi". "Prestasi" means "performance" in English. In BM, many -si ending borrowed words from English are derived from English words that end with -tion. Example: communication - komunikasi, dedication - dedikasi, generation - generasi... But there are also a number words with -si ending which are NOT -tion ending words in English. Prestasi is one of them. So, by assuming prestasi is a BM version of the nonexisting "prestation" is a blunder.

Conclusion:

If you want to upgrade the status of BM into a world recognised language, please at least do the following:

1. Standardise the grammar. Don't change the grammar rules as you wish.

2. Standardise borrowed words.

3. Standardise NATIVE words. As my memory recalls, train in BM alternates between "kereta api" and "keretapi" for years and I think it finally settles for the former. Don't change spellings according to your fickle whim please. Language is not your shirt/dress where you can change it as you like.

4. When on broadcast, especially on national TV, please ensure the use of proper BM. At least avoid using seriously broken BM. If the broadcast allows faulty BM to be aired, audience will think that it is alright to speak/write as such. I can assure you that during my days in high school, I have heard a lot of complaints from my BM teachers about students using wrong BM grammar because they thought the grammar was correct, at least according to what they'd heard/seen.

5. Boost the country's performance standing economically, socially and politically. Stay abreast of other nations, not at rest. You want people to acknowledge your language, show them that you are worth being acknowledged.

I love my country. But it really could need some major revamping.

Composed by,

Twisted Classics: The Emperor's New Clothes

2009-11-08T12:34:00.000+08:00

The 2 con men, one tall and slender while the other portly and short, were striding towards the castle.

"From what I've gathered, this king is foolish and vain," adjusting his hat, the tall guy spoke hoarsely.

"Not to mention filthily wealthy," the short guy said. There is a slight hint of disgust in his tone but mostly eagerness, or actually greediness.

"That smells like a goldmine, don't you think, Fred?" the tall guy said, with a grin.

The short guy, or Fred, smiled as he replied, "Don't count your chicks before they hatch, Ben. But profit is almost guaranteed. Let's hope the rumours about the king are true."

"Now we may be tailors," Ben said as he looked up. "After we have performed our magic, we will be rich!"

Fred wiped the perspiration off his forehead and said nothing. What else needed to be said? He could feel the money already. We will be going home rich, Fred murmured to himself.

* * *

"Your Majesty, these are the 2 young lads I mentioned earlier." one of the King's righthand man reported formally.

Ben cleared his throat and said, "Your Majesty, we have a..."

"Just a minute. Let me complete this puzzle and I will be ready," the King said as he raised his hand to stop Ben.

The 2 men exchanged glances and shrugged. After 5 minutes, the King was still playing. 10... 20... Finally, about half an hour later, the King exclaimed in satisfaction, "Done! Phew, that was tough. Rolland, accompany me to the dance performance." The King gestured his righthand man to go over.

"Er, your Majesty, the two lads here..."

"Oh, how silly of me, I've forgotten about you guys," the King said as he slapped his forehead.

"Obviously utterly silly, you moron. We have been standing in front of you like wood stumps for half an hour and yet you could forget about our presence." Ben muttered under his breath.

"What did you just say?" the King asked.

"Oh, nothing."

Fred eyed at Ben. Ben kept quiet thence.

"I must be hearing things. Nevermind, must be the old age," the King laughed it off, totally unsuspicious. "So what business do you have here?"

"We have something valuable for you, your Majesty," Fred said.

"Valuable? How so? Rare gems and golden sculptures?"

"No. Something more... exotic," Fred said, accenting on the last word deliberately.

The King frowned. "Exotic, you say. Care to elaborate?"

"A rare form of textile has come to our possession, your Majesty," Fred said slowly, letting each word sank into the King's mind. "It is woven from the silk spun by the elusive Mist Spiders. They are found on the peaks of the Alps."

The King leaned forward and apparently, he found whatever the man was saying very intriguing. "Go on."

Fred continued, "The silk is, as the spider's name implies, misty in nature. Fabrics that are made from such silk are hence very unique. They could only be seen if a person is intelligent."

"Fascinating. Well, I am an intelligent man myself. Donning such apparel will accentuate my ingenuity."

Ben and Fred tried very hard not to laugh at this remark.

"There will be a nationwide celebration by next week, can you manage to make 2 sets of suits using that silk by then?"

"Definitely, your Majesty, definitely."

"Good. I will pay you handsomely."

That was what the 2 con men wanted to hear.

* * *

"Where is the new suit?" the King demanded.

"Here, your Majesty." The 2 men showed the King an empty rack.

"Did you see them, your Majesty? They are magnificent, aren't they?" Fred said.

The King did not respond immediately. He was appalled. He recalled the condition to be able to see the suit. Of course, he couldn't admit he saw nothing at all. That would be humiliating, wouldn't it?

The King faked a smile. "Amazing. I will keep them in a locked chest until the great celebration. Imagine how the crowd would react." The King stopped, as if he was really picturing the scene where his people marvelled at the piece of art. "Well done, you two. After the celebration, you will be paid as promised."

* * *

"My head..." the King tried to get down from his bed."Too much liquor, I think."

"Don't strain yourself. Are you ill?" the Queen asked worryingly. She helped the King to lie back on his bed and positioned his down-feathered pillow. Satisfied, she looked at her husband, waiting for his reply.

"Just feeling a little bit light-headed and feverish," the King managed a smile but his facial expression quickly reverted to agony, betraying his pain.

"You have to stay in bed then."

"I can't. Today is the grand celebration. I have also promised the people to show them the new clothes. I cannot stay bed-ridden."

"No, you stay on the bed, I will do the inauguration and the rest. Until you are feeling better, you are to remain on this very bed." the Queen insisted, in a stern tone.

The King knew it was wise not to argue. He didn't have the strength anyway. Hence, he said resignedly, "Fine. You take care of the celebration. Make sure the people see the suits. They yearned to see it. The suits are in the locked chest under the bed."

"What is so special about the suits? You wouldn't tell me." the Queen questioned with slight indignation while fumbling beneath the bed. She drew out a long box. She held the box in her arms.

"It is a surprise. I know you like surprises." The King stretched his hands, patted the box and smile.

The Queen sighed. Her ever so foolish husband. She loved him nevertheless.

"Very well, you have my word. I will get the 2 tailors." the Queen said as she caressed his head.

* * *

"What?" The 2 men exclaimed in unison.

"The King is ill. He needs someone to parade the suits you made. Since the King cannot wear it himself, I guess you two can do the honour of donning them. Is there a problem?"

"Yes, I mean... I mean... no..." Ben stammered.

"Your Highness, we are lowly people and we really shouldn't wear these tunics. It will be a disgrace to..." Fred tried to argue, later to find his excuse in vain.

"It is by the King's order that these suits are to be paraded," the Queen interrupted. "It is an honourable task by letting you two doing it, how could it be a disgrace? Come, we have no time to waste. The people are waiting. Get into the fitting room. I have an army protecting that room while you two get to change. Now hurry."

The 2 men paled.

"Here are the suits," the Queen passed them the unlocked chest. "Put on an overall after you've donned the suit. Take off the overalls only when I ask you to do so in front of the people. Just as an element of surprise." the Queen said with a wink.

Somewhere deep in their heart, they thought the Queen might know of their plot and tried to embarrass them, making them the laughingstock of mankind. But the Queen, they were told, was kept in the dark by the King about the nature of the "intelligent suits". They tried not to let anyone else knew of their little con. They had convinced the King to make this a nationwide surprise. So, it had been a secret between the King and themselves. Or so, they hoped.

With pallid faces, they took the "invisible clothes" and overalls as they entered the fitting room. They knew they were done for.

They thought of escaping or at least sneaking out some clothes to pretend them to be the new suits. But with the army escorts and watchful guards, their chances were effectively zero.

* * *

"Open the door, it's time." an usher knocked at the door.

The door opened, ever so slowly. 2 men, clad in a black overall, stepped out and walked onto the stage. Beneath the overalls, would be a shame of their life.

"My beloved people, as the King has promised, you will witness the mysterious suit - now behold!" the Queen motioned the 2 men to remove their overalls as she announced to the curious crowd.

The 2 men, shivering beneath the overalls, still refused to divest their cloak.

The Queen urged them to reveal the suit. "What's wrong? Take off the overalls and show them the suits."

The 2 men exchanged glances. Then, they closed their eyes. In their heart, it was a mixture of regret, anger and shame. They didn't expect it to turn out this way. Not at all. Still with their eyes closed, they reached out for their overalls. They should have worked out a contingency plan or something. Too late for remorse anyway. With trembling fingers, they grabbed onto the overalls for a second too long. Then, they tugged it.

It was dead silence at first. The "obscene exhibition" took awhile to register in the people's mind. Then the ladies screamed and it was all chaos.

The Queen was simply just too horrified to speak. She closed her eyes and commanded the troops to take the con men down to the dungeon.

She wondered how her husband, her foolish husband, would react upon hearing this unexpected turn of events.

Yes, he was right, she indeed loved surprises. But nothing like this. It wasn't a surprise, not even remotely so. It's a downright disgrace. She shook her head and sighed deeply.

The "naked duo" was never heard of again. This matter was never to be raised anytime in the future.

Composed by,

Don't Break It

2009-11-07T23:42:00.000+08:00

It only takes one ill-spoken word to rupture a friendship.

Sometimes, one wrong gesture ruins everything.

Similarly, it only takes one step backwards to keep the friendship bond intact.

Don't act foolishly just for your own benefit at the expense of friendship. Now, you might get what you want. In the long run, you will lose close friends.

Friendship is like a wooden plank: once it is broken, yes, it could be mended with nails and glue but it will never be as strong as before.

Composed by,

Just take a bite

2009-11-07T23:30:00.000+08:00

Don't dislike a person.

Given time, you will experience wonderfulness you never had before with him/her.

It's just like cheese and durian:

Now you may abhor the stench but it only takes an audacious bite to land yourself in wonderland.

Composed by,

Clutch for Support

2009-11-07T23:21:00.000+08:00

Most of the time, all we need is to hold on to

something,

or someone,

to calm the raging seas deep within ourselves.

Composed by,

Memoirs in Kampar

2009-11-06T22:05:00.000+08:00

I have only one thing to say about me being in Kampar: No regrets.

Prior to coming to this rustic town, I had debated inwardly whether heading to Kampar was the right thing to do. One of the issues that resulted me to have reservations was the payment of double rental - Setapak and Kampar. But I know I would regret one day for not being part of the Kampar campus while I had a chance to do so. I made up my mind and I am glad I didn't steer away.

Kampar is an eye-opener in its own right:

I did things I never did back in Setapak campus - singing like a nutcase with WY and Ric in the lab; fooling around in the lab; gossiping fervently in the lab etc.

I see things that I never had while in Setapak - an unbelievably tall and ominously huge Mimosa sp. (visit biotech0507.blogspot.com for the "disturbing pictures"); sceneries that are not found in KL etc.

I met people I thought I would never see again - ex-classmates; ex-schoolmates etc.

I endured the capricious weather which is EXACTLY the same as women's whim/mood - trust me, weather forecast is downright futile in Kampar: you can NEVER, EVER guess the weather here correctly. Even it is goddamned cloudy, it won't rain a droplet. When it is sultry hot as if the sun is just literally on top of your head/hair, rain will pour like the bocor-ed Indah Water truck.

Conclusion: Studying in Kampar is akin to chewing on loads of cili padi while reclining on an Osim chair - painstaking effort in a soothing environment.

Composed by,

Life vs Ghost Trappers (FB)

2009-10-25T11:26:00.000+08:00

Many of us refuse to dwell on chances. We hate playing with probability, unless it is the 90% to 100% rate that we are talking about. Of course, nothing much in life falls within that sanctuary.

Nevertheless, we still try to take our chances. Even if we know there is going to be a risk of failure, we charge on. All the time, we did not realize it until we hit the wall of fiasco/failure.

That is true. However, this is true too: we know we are betting or risking something in our life in every decision we make. But we try to make our chances of winning high. There is no definite answers or one-best-choice when it comes to decision making. Life is just not meant to be an MCQ paper. It has opinion-based, open-ended questions galore. If you think your answer is right, then live on with it, along with the consequences that come in a package.

So why compare our all-too-many-decisions-to-make-and-dunno-which-to-choose life to Ghost Trappers (GT)?

Go become an agent/player of GT and find out [here] for more vivid experience.

GT is all about taking chances and enhancing the variables that affects the final outcome in order to get a high probability of success. Choosing the right whisky, investing in the approprate trapping mechanism and magic circle, sealing the right contract and bringing along the most suitable and adorable companion are among the decisions to make in order to catch ghosts all the time.

GT is not a game where the player directly interacts with other players. Cooperation does exists between players but it is not played against each other (except for friendly challenges). In other words, GT is a game between you, the player, and the odds/probability of catching ghosts. You have to deal with losses, misses and dilemmas while waiting for success. It is a game between you and chances. But it is not all that random: you can enhance your chances of winning by making the right choices. That, is life. Fate and chances might control our lives, I do not agree or disagree that. But what I know is - if you do not try to make the decisions yourself in order to raise the bar of probability to a satisfactory par, but instead, leaving it to the laps of God or fate itself, then you are not living your own life, much less to the fullest.

GT reveals many desires of humans. One of them is to win, by challenging yourself to take risk and chances.

Oh, by the way, even if you have the best set up for GT, you still suffer losses. The right choice sometimes also has flaws. Nothing is infallible. Yeah, that's life.

Composed by,

Ramble

2009-10-05T20:42:00.000+08:00

It was the first Mid-Autumn celebration with my family for 3 years. Yes, 3 solid years. This year, we hung more lanterns than the past and I am not exaggerating, more than 50 lanterns were dangling on tree branches of my house. What a beautiful sight to behold. Neighbours who brought their kid for a lantern-lit stroll gasped and admired at our starlit garden. For those who had seen my house, they should know it is a rainforest - trees galores and bespangled with myriads of flowers. When I came back home, I realized more plant species had been added into the Leong's collection. You can find fruits, veges, flowers and variegated plants in our tiny sanctuary. And these verdant piece of art was adorned with the multicoloured lanterns. It has been a long time and I yearned for it a lot.

One funny anecdote for you: My aunt was taking her beloved SLR to shoot the pristine, white full moon. When she set her precious cam on the tripod, suddenly the moon was hidden away behind the thicket of clouds. We joked that the moon was either furious or shy to face the lens. But when my aunt kept her cam, the moon revealed itself. At first, we thought it was mere coincidence. But when my aunt set the cam again, yeah, you guessed it, the moon was again hidden. What a cheeky fella...

We had mooncakes - durian, tiramisu, chocolate+cheese, and the normal flavours - and peanuts with jasmine tea. A nice night... until the heaven open the water tap. It drizzled, then it poured like a salivating dog that hasn't eaten for days.

All these memorable scenes but no photos. What a regret. Never mind, just picture it yourself.

Now, about the life in Kampar. It is okay and much peaceful. Perhaps it is because the new semester has not commenced. It might be a whole new sight, as warned by my brother. They said Kampar is more of a never-sleep city (or town?). Well, I will see how true does the rumour hold in 3 weeks time.

The 4 of us had a huge lab and also quite sufficient apparatus. We had ONE MICROPIPETTE SET FOR THE EACH OF US. WOOHOO! In a way, we are lucky to have a lab all to ourselves. The first day was okay. Not too bad. Had a cycling-in-the-rain experience while heading for dinner. Not bad too. Lol.

For Zhi Xian and I, we were taken by Dr Choo and our "co-supervisor" to select a few sites near the Utar campus for a suitable sample collecting sites. We need soil samples, you see. Don't ask why, you wouldn't understand anyway. Haha. During this little field trip, we got to witness a HUGE Mimosa species. Usually, what we see is the tiny Mimosa pudica. But the ones we witnessed, it a TREE, actually, more like a shrub. But who cares? It is BIG. And yes, the leaves closed up upon touch but at a much slower speed. I think its name is Mimosa pigra. The thorns are much sharper and harder.

Anyway, let's pray our FYP goes on well. Wish my friends the same. All the best.

Sigh. Now, every night before I sleep, I always have this thought: Our 3-year course is going to end soon. Real soon. I am going to miss my friends soooooo much. What to do? It is going to be a sad, sad parting again. David Archuleta's "Touch My Hand" is ringing in my head along with Linkin Park's "Leave Out All the Rest".

People, I MISS YOU GUYS...

Composed by,

Gratitude - To My Parents

2009-08-06T18:10:00.000+08:00

Finally, That Tutor has spoken on something that make sense today despite his endless stories that either attempt to humiliate others or resenting the rest. He told us a story about gratitude which we seldom express to our parents. Though it is a bit of a generalisation but yeah, most of us take our parents for granted.

I don't. Every ringgit I spend I think about the work my father has gone through. Every sen I expend it reminds me of the effort my mum put into raising me up. I strive to get scholarships. I work hard in my studies. It's not because of wanting to be the top in class. The diligence and unyielding spirit that grow by me is mostly to reciprocate my parents' silent sacrifice. Every time I ask my parents to bank in money for me, the first feeling that surfaces in my core is guilt. But every time when my parents say, "Don't worry about the money. We will manage it. You just do what you think is best for you. And don't cut down on your meals", I know they will try to be thrift just for me and my bros. Every time I go back home, they let me and my bros have the good meals while they refuse to dig in. "It's okay, we can have it anytime we want but you guys only come back once in a while.", they say. But I know they won't have it anytime. Not at all.

Since young I seldom, almost never, bug my parents to buy me anything except for books. My cellphone is a hand-me-down which is still the conventional type. Nothing on me or with me is other than necessary. Even laptops and mp3 players are gifts from relatives. I know money doesn't come by easily.

It hurts just to ask for a hundred bucks. Hence, I am waiting for the day when I can earn enough to take my parents for vacations.

Pa, Mi, just give me a few more years. Just a few more years. This promise is made and sealed. Your son will not renege.

Composed by,

Entertainment

2009-07-24T09:38:00.000+08:00

If you are a pure-blood Utarian, read this.
And, if you are interested in funny animal acts, watch this.

Composed by,

This Tutor

2009-07-24T09:23:00.000+08:00

Sometimes his jokes are funny.

Other times, he uses a person as a joking material, which could be funny but hurting at the same time.

He also inclines to segue into his personal stories, which could be informative, entertaining and yet irritating at the same time.

He is a tutor who makes people love-hate him. But yesterday, we got to know one of his big secrets - he is afraid of SOMETHING. We found a weak point which we might use it one day to our advantage. Haha.... just joking. But thanks anyway for showing leniency in marking our midterm paper.

You guys should know who's that tutor... riiiiight?

Composed by,

Taxi Stories

2009-07-24T08:11:00.000+08:00

I guess the red cars are not strangers to us Utarians, right? Especially when classes dismiss at odd hours like 9.30 am, 3.30 pm... OR, when SOME lecturers who are so enthusiastic until they refuse to let us off even when the long hand of the clock points at 12. Those are the times when we MISS the UTAR bus and had to take the cab.

Frequent cab rides promise some "interesting" or "unforgettable" stories. These are my collection of taxi encounters - of which some were told to my best friends. Have fun reading them:

Section A: INDUSTRIAL TRAINING
These happened during our Industrial Training stint. Every evening after work, Francis and I would go to the Taman Jaya LRT station from Sime Darby TC with our friends from Chemistry. Upon arrival, we would board the LRT and alight at Wangsa Maju. Then, we would hitch a ride (sometimes with Jac/Ce-Yan who waited for us at the station) at the LRT station in Wangsa Maju. These were the load of stuffs happened to us:

Anecdote #1

We were walking across and down of the pedestrain bridge (or "sky bridge" as coined and directly translated by ah mok from Chinese) and discussed whether should we take the bus or cab. Then at the designated taxi area was a row of hungry taxis. So, we reached to one of them. Francis opened the front door and "roared" the our destination:

Francis : Wangsa Maju.
Me : (nudge Francis) Oi... Jalan Genting Klang la... we ARE in Wangsa Maju now.
Francis : Oh yahor...
Driver : (Swt~ and smile)

Anecdote #2

From Sime Darby TC
Since we have to leave for work so early in the morning, taxis are rare sights, not to mention the crawling buses. Also, when we try to board a taxi from our workplace back to Tmn Jaya LRT station, taxis doesn't seem to favour that place. So, this gradually translated into one psychological syndrome where Ce-Yan, Francis, Jeffrey, Seng Ru and I acquired - the Taxi-Frenzy Syndrome, or TFS. Whenever we see a taxi - no matter where it is as long as it is willing to go to our destination - we will flag it down. There is once, on the way to the bus stop early in the morning, we tried to flag down a taxi when it is trying to exit Prima Setapak. There is even a time where Francis stopped a taxi right at a T junction near our work place. We and the TFS...

Anecdote #3

One day during this week, I forgot when, it was raining torrentially - not really torrentially but quite heavily la - we were desperately waiting for a taxi. After waiting for god knows how long, a taxi emerged. As it cruised towards the bus stop we were sheltering under, our TFS suddenly kicked in. Under the influence of TFS, we were acting like a pack of hungry, blood-thirsty wolves that hadn't eaten for a week. The meek, innocent taxi continued to cruise on. It was as if the taxi became aware of the beasts-on-the-loose (by that, I mean us la) and it was beginning to cower. It was initially moving on the left lane. But right after it saw us, it took an imperceptible turn to the right. Not obvious, but a gradual turn of the wheels. In moments, about a good 100 meters from us, the taxi had moved into the right lane, the overtaking lane. But since there was no cars to be overtaken, so it was obviously trying to avoid us, the teeth-baring monsters awaiting for an ambush.

But we wasted no time. We waved - our umbrellas, not our claws, uh, I mean hands - frantically at the taxi. But from the driver's point of view, we were like beasts signalling for an all-pronged attack. At first, it stubbornly drove on at the right lane, ignoring us. 90 meters... 80 meters... closing in... Then, we waved even more frantically, akin to the centrifuge speed of 10 krpm (just exaggerating) with our eyes trained on the taxi. Succumbed by our "intimidation", the taxi obediently shifted to the left lane and parked at the bus stop. Wasting no opportunity, we pounced at the vehicle and snapped open the door. We roared... our destination - "Taman Jaya LRT". The driver looked doubtful at first, then he said, " Okay, but 5 bucks to the station."

...........
...........
...........

RM 5 JUST TO THE LRT??? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! It is barely RM 3.00 for other times and now he charged 66.67% more than normal??? He was clearly MESSING with the ... right guys, sigh. We were TFS affected people after all, RM 5 we would take it as long as we got to the station. In the car, my friends still couldn't give up. They kept bargaining....... and threatening...

Seng Ru: Cannot 3 ringgit meh?
Driver : No. RM 5 means RM 5.
Seng Ru: If like that we take the taxi behind us lo...

(Actually, there was no taxi behind us. There was one when we were getting in the taxi but it drove past us long ago)

Driver : Okok, I drop you guys here and you get in the taxi behind.

(It was raining la, brahther..., really want to drop us meh...)

Then we all laughed. But Seng Ru still wouldn't give up.

Seng Ru: Aiyo, we all very poor one la.
Driver : (Sarcastically) Oh, really? Then I don't take any money from you, ok?

We laughed again.

Seng Ru + Jeffrey + Francis: REALLY ah?
Driver : ......

Then Seng Ru played the trump card ......

Seng Ru: We all earn RM 200 per month only la.

(The driver knew we were working since we all wore formal)

Driver : RM 200? Really ah? Want to lie also lie better la... RM 200... haha... OK la. I drop you on the road and you all no need to pay, ok?
Jeffrey : Really one. You don't believe meh? I show you the offer letter lo...
Driver : Show la...
Jeffrey : Wait ah... (opening bag) Ei, left at home leh...
Driver : ...... I drop you all here and you all no need to pay la...

He mentioned this many times already...

Seng Ru: We really earn RM 200 leh... We so poor until nasi also cannot buy, everyday eat roti only.
Driver : Really so poor ah? Ok la. Let me check your wallet. If you don't have any money on you then I take you all for free.

We all laughed.

Seng Ru: We really poor one leh...
Driver : Rm 5. I don't care. Talk some more and I drop you here.

He said it again... The 3rd time...

Seng Ru to us:
等一下我们差不多要到的时候再叫他降价。然后他一定又讲“在这里放我们又不收钱”来威胁我们的.反正我们都要到了，最多走过去，又不用给taxi钱。

(Translate: Later when we are about to arrive, we try to ask him to decrease the price again. He will sure to threaten us by saying "I will drop you all here and you all no need to pay". Since by then our destination is in walking distance, we by all means get down from the cab and walk without paying for the cab.)

Then we all laughed. The driver was an Indian by the way.

I thought they were joking but they were not. When we were in the vicinity of the station's bus stop, they really acted that scene about asking the driver to let us pay less and hoped that the driver would be so foolish enough to let us off the road without pay.

Of course the driver wasn't stupid. I still paid RM 5 (since I was sitting at the front seat) on their behalf. Since I wasn't bugging the driver for the price haggle, the driver spoke nicely to me while asking for the pay and complained to me about my friend's monkey-ness. I just smiled off. God, what a drive... After the waste of saliva and energy for the price, we still ended up paying RM 1.50 each. So much for the drama. Luckily I didn't join in and waste my leftover energy after the exhausting work. Haha...

Anecdote #4

This one is not really a taxi story but it's kinda related.

One night, Francis and I were late for home and we hurried out of the cab. When I walked a good distance, I realized my wallet was missing. It fell in the cab. After some futile attempts, I was resorted to reporting to the police. Francis accompanied me to the Jln Genting Klang Police Station one evening. When we walked in, the atmosphere was formal and I was figuring how to start the conversation with the police woman on-duty. Before that happened, Francis blurted out a very, how should I say, inappropriate sentence:

Francis : Err, mana tandas?
Me and the policewoman: (surprised, after all, what were the chances of requesting for toilet in the police station?)
Policewoman: This officer (gesturing to a burly policeman) will escort you.
Me : Francis... I salute you la...

Anecdote #5

When we hitched a cab and arrived at Public Bank at one of the evenings after work, Francis used his leg to shut the cab door since his hands were occupied with notes and files. Before we could realize anything, the taxi driver exited from the cab and yelled at us, erm, I mean at Francis.

Driver: Oi, what do you mean by closing the door using your legs, har? You think ........

The rest of the scolding wasn't audible due to the noisy traffic. Jac and I - poor Francis....

Never expect the taxi driver to show such HUGE reaction.

Section B: LESSON DAYS

Anecdote #1
One day, I was taking a cab along with siew ting, hooi yee and James the Big Cannon.

James: (to driver) Plaza Prima Setapak.
Me: James, tell the driver to use PV10 route.
James: (to driver) Pergi itu PV10 sana...
Driver: (in Chinese) I am a Chinese la...
Me, ting and hooi yee was, ahahahahahaha-ing. The driver was sooo Chinese la, how come James couldn't tell?
That's not the end yet. When we arrived...

Me: (to driver, in Chinese) Stop at Station One...
James: (repeated after me, in MALAY) Berhenti di Station One...
Driver: (shook his head in disappointment)
Me+Siew Ting+Hooi Yee = laughing our heads off until stomach cramped... James, oh James... Dah kata dia tu Cina, and I also spoke in Chinese to the driver already and YET, he still spoke the wrong language.

ZADAO...

Composed by,

Memories

2009-07-23T20:18:00.000+08:00

Photo credits to Wai Kit.

This brings back memories, sweet and sour alike. I was a prefect with the post of Team Leader, right under the top 3 division heads of the Operation Wing. Frankly, our prefect team is more like a combat battalion. We have special squads that take care of certain areas of the school, special units for spying, we even do marching, we have blazers, like the blue coat shown in the pic, with the stars and badges to indicate ranking, we also have patrolling team and a special subforce called the Secretariat Department which deals with matters like students' merit-demerit, files of offenses and rules violations etc. We also do subcontracted jobs from teachers and coordinate events like sports day, teacher's day etc. We are even divided into Operational and Core Organization. Operational is for duty and "field work" while the latter is dealing with paper work. The Operation wing divided in military style - Alpha, Bravo and Charlie Divisions, with Team Leaders accountable to them. Each Team Leader has 2 Squads led by a Squad Leader. Sounds like an army right? Hahaha...

Really treasure those days. I will never forget the days when we were on-call for duty even in the middle of a class. Putting on the blazer, marching out in files, fuiyoh, that experience is sooo one and only. I know many of my friends in Utar HATES prefects. But being a prefect teaches me a lot in time management, manpower management, behavioural analysis and "psycho-wars".

Once a prefect, always a prefect. That, is also portrayed in me when I am the course rep of my course.

Composed by,

My Funny Mum

2009-07-23T19:37:00.000+08:00

Everyone's mother has their own unique side, besides the usual strict, demanding and "nagging" (no offense, mothers) side. My mother has a funny side. Let's look at some examples:

Scenario #1:
Mum : minjin (this is how my mum, dad and Joanne Hew call me), you are doing homework upstairs ah?
Me : Yeaaahhhhhh..... (dragging tone)
Mum : It is very hot upstairs. Remember to switch on the hall in the ventilation fan ah!
Me : Okaaayyy.... uh WHAT?! Hall in the ventilation fan?!
Mum : Yea, ei, no, I mean ventilation fan in the hall...
Me : Swt~

Scenario #2:
While driving out of Jusco in my hometown after paying the parking ticket at the automated ticket payment terminal, we came to the exit point where an automated lift arm barrier was recently installed)

Figure 1: This is a lift arm barrier, in case you didn't know.

Mum : Where's the receipt? (the receipt, as usual, is dispensed when you've paid the ticket at the terminal)
Me : Nah... over here.
Mum : (slotting the receipt into the machine and waits for the automated lift arm barrier to be lifted)

Then the arm lifted. BUT mum still wouldn't drive.
Me : Erm, mi ah, why don't you drive through ah?
Mum : Har? I am waiting for the receipt ah.
Me : Aiyoooo... after you slot in the parking receipt then you can go liao. What's the point for the machine to accept the receipt and REGENERATE a new one?! Swt~
Mum : Ei yahor...

Scenario #3
It was last year's Earth Hour night and the switch-off was taking place. I rang my mum up to check out whether she was echoing the call of Earth Hour to switch off the electricity.

Me : Mi ah, today Earth Hour oh. You know that right?
Mum : Yea.
Me : My place is all dark adi. Yours leh?
Mum : Our place ah, I dunno why the lights still on woh...
Me : (Confused) Huh, then switch off la.
Mum : (More confused than me) No woh, the authority hasn't switch off the lights yet.
Me : Swt... you have to switch off the lights YOURSELF la... The authority so free to switch off your lights meh. Haha....
Mum : Ya meh. Hahahahaha.... true oso hor.

This year's Earth Hour:

Me : Mi ah, this time you OFF the lights yourself adi hor?
Mum : Haha, yea la. Kena once still don't remember meh...

Yup, that's my mum, people.

So what's your mum like when she's not the usual way?

Composed by,

So it's Monday all over again...

2009-06-15T19:49:00.000+08:00

Aaahhhhhhh...... It's Monday and it's a whole new week - means have to wake up before the moon is down.

Sleep-late + wake-up-early regimen is sucking every pint of energy from the already fragile body of mine. But thinking of being able to laugh at conversations, chatting with friends, sneering/perli-ing friends (sorry ying chian, for couldn't help but to "bully" you. But you know la, I never mean to be so, well, mean. You know I am good to you, most of the time.) keeps me moving on.

Just trying to appreciate the people around me whenever I could. You never know what is going to come the next minute.

Composed by,

New, but weird

2009-06-12T14:08:00.000+08:00

As a science student whose interest lies in biology, I couldn't help but to be fascinated by the bizarre creatures previously unknown to the world. Here are some examples that can keep you in awe:

1. Ghost slug

Or, taxonomically known as Selenochlamys ysbryda, the ghost slug - so called due to its glowing white colour - doesn't haunt any thing but snacks on earthworm. "Ysbryda" originates from ysbryd which means "ghost" in Welsh.

2. Lungless frog

Having the scientific name of Barbourula kalimantanensis, from the species epithet "kalimantanensis", we know that this fella inhabits the pristine forest of the Borneo island. Unlike its cousins, this guy only breathes using solely its damp skin. No kidding. No lungs at all.

3. Photosynthetic slug

So you say animals cannot make their own food, huh? Guess what, this sluggish example will beat the slug out of you. How it gets the chloroplast you asked? This little fella takes up chloroplasts from the algae it consumes. It doesn't stop there. Part of the genome of the algae is being incorporated into the DNA of this green Elysia chlorotica as well. Geez, when this guy steals, it strips you naked down to the genes.

4. Unusually twisted snail

Snails usually have their, well, normal way of twisting their carapace in no more than 3 axes. Sounds like I am speaking German to you? Never mind. This particular snail, called Opisthostoma vermiculum, is only found in a particular, confined karst region (I am not speaking Indian, revise your geography about limestone caves) in Gunung Rapat, Perak. Its shell twists in 4 axes. Very unusual.

5. Palm that flowers to death

What do you think of this: When you are at the peak of your life and right after that you are gone (touch wood)? This huge palm tree will flower heavily right before the end of its life. The flowers of this Tahina spectabilis are the upper part of the palm as shown in the picture.

6. Extremophile

Think archaea that live in hotsprings and hydrothermal vents are extreme? What about these fellas that live in the unthinkable environment of a hairspray? The next time you use the spray, think of Microbacterium hatanonis.

7. Fish with transparent head

Macropinna microstoma has a transparent head that is filled with fluid Its bright green eyes often stare upwards unless a prey has been detected. This guy is about 15 cm in length.

Images and description retrieved from http://www.newscientist.com/gallery/new-species/1

Composed by,

Are you living the right way?

2009-06-12T13:44:00.000+08:00

Every person born into this world is destined to carry a burden - whether he/she wants it or not. This is because we are socially-interdependent beings. Quit complaining about the burden - the burden is a constant, the variable is you. The burden has no fault, the problem is in you.

If you were a leader of any sort, you are inevitably entrusted with responsibilities - far more than the rest of the group. However, the burden's weight is not your concern, it is the strength of your shoulders that bear the burden that matters most. Start working on your shoulders, not working your mouth by grumbling over the burden.

Nevertheless, there will be a time where the weight is beyond the human limit - you just can't do it alone. If it comes to that, request for a friendly, trustworthy pair of shoulders to share the weight. Don't complain about the incompetency of your partner, it is your fault to choose a person that is incapable. Every time you point your index finger at others to blame, remember 3 more fingers of the same hand is pointing back towards you.

This world is not shape to suit you. You have to shape yourself to meld with the world. This planet doesn't revolve around you. The earlier you realize that, the better your life quality.

To the rest of you who prefers or remains as followers, please put yourself in the shoes of the leader. Empathize. The fact that most of you are in the comfort zone is due to the hard work where the leader has put in to get all the ruffled feathers and treacherous waves soothed, sorted and smoothed. Be thankful, stop complaining. If you want improvements, make constructive arguments instead of just a blunt "no" and followed by a string of annoying complaints that don't help the situation even a bit, except to irritate the leader further.

Be grateful. The reason that your life is still meaningful - a slight bit or truly - is partly due to the effort of the people around you, aside from your own actions.

Composed by,

Ranting and Raving

2009-06-07T10:09:00.000+08:00

I am trying not to appear whiny or anything like that but seriously, last week spelled so much problems and tasks that I, for a moment, thought that I was in a world where "breaks" and "time-outs" don't exist.

Though currently in the final year, societal affairs are like heat-seeking missiles to us. Till now, I am involved in about 3 activities, and still counting. I mean, WHERE, for the love of God, are the rest of other Utarians? First Aid? Sure the biotechs can do it. Ecofriendly? Sure, the biotechs can do it. Blah blah blah? Sure, go seek out the biotechs coz they can do everything (note the tone of sarcasm). Really need to head-hunt for more leaders-to-be. Our telomere caps will soon run out of length otherwise. Unless you can administer telomerase in capsules, which is, by the way, unfeasible and unrealistic.

Another thing that boils my head is the elective subject. Last week, we waited for 15 minutes in the sauna-turn-lecture-hall for the "much awaited" lecturer along with other courses. Fed up, I paid a visit at the office with the class rep. So, a course rep + a class rep embarked on a journey of "The Hunt of the Lecturer". We mentioned our "plight" to the officer and guess what? We were asked whether we attended the right lecture slot, were we seeking the right lecturer, how many other courses and could we name some of them that attended the same subject... I mean, do you really think we didn't check those through already??? And what are the odds for more than 1 course to be attending the wrong slot for a wrong subject at the same time? We should really considering enlisting "common sense" as one of the pre-requisite subjects nowadays.

After ploughing through all those nonsense, a call was made to seek confirmation. And what did we get? -- The lecturer happened to be 2-hour-drive away in Kampar. Unless she was a "kage bunshin no jutsu" user (Naruto fans should know these), or had abilities of Hiro Nakamura (Heroes fans should know him) or could emulate Daphne Millbrook's speed (again, Heroes fans should know her), I didn't see how was our lecture was going to be taught. The lecture was canceled and that piece of news landed on our fellow classmates with gasps, aghast, disbelief, bewilderment, uncertainty, dissatisfaction, oh well, name all the negative adjectives you have in mind.

All bad things aside, actually we also had a good time. Our Instrumental lecturer is very nice and apt at quoting anecdotes and analogies; our Phytochemistry lecturer is very energetic and charismatic; our Molecular Cloning lecturer is, well, still our good ol' Dr "T" who couldn't help but to emphasise his points with a generous serving of "K's" (short of "okay/OK"). Overall, this semester has less tests and reports. That means more assignments, people, we don't get to rest.

For our class, I am glad that it stays very much the same as it was last semester - not many left except for a couple or two. To the rest of us, welcome to Year 3 and happy surviving it.

Composed by,

Camaraderie Reverie

2009-05-30T11:16:00.000+08:00

Finally, I am back at Setapak. Back in Ipoh spells "no decent Internet connection". So, this blog was left as fallows. This post is dedicated for reminiscence - my high school and still best friend, Tan-Loh Joash. Known each other since primary 3 and have been doing interesting and "interesting" (these two noun qualifiers are NOT the same, as implied by the quotations on the second) stuffs together. He is associated with many nicknames, most of which he detests. To exemplify that, he is called "Tan-Loh", "Tan- Loyau ("buttocks/backside in cantonese")", "Joshua" etc.

When we were in for an English challenge, he is a pro in grammar while I am apt at vocab (if you are reading this, Joash, don't try to argue. I beat you in spelling bee, mwahahahaha). Anyway, enough with the words. Let the pixels and colours do the talking. But before that, buckle your seat belts, because you are in for a time-flight in a chronosphere. Set the time to 4 years back......

This was taken when we were in the innocent age of Form 5. And yea, we were prefects. He was the head boy. For those who thought I am good academically, try prying into his CV. Don't get all too flattered, friend. Well, for those who might hold interest on him in any way, look out for his recent photo shots at his galleries. Of course, prior to that, you need to add him.

Sorry, Zi Ying, I am not posting any motivational or spiritual stuff this time round. Maybe the next post? :P

Composed by,

Afterthoughts

2009-05-01T11:45:00.000+08:00

The days on our back are tainted with several sad moments. Some are disappointment, some are hopelessness. Others are frustration and desperation all blend in one. Here is something for you to chew on if you are feeling that way:

......[W]e don't look backwards for very long. We keep moving forward, opening up new doors & doing new things, because we're curious... And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.

- Walt Disney

Our past serves as a guiding beacon but it is our forward-thinking drives us forward. Without the latter, our past is nothing but a pool of murky water that reflects the bygones. Think ahead. Think for novelties. That's what moves us forward.

Composed by,

2009-04-29T16:04:00.000+08:00

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

2009-04-20T17:02:00.000+08:00

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

2009-04-19T11:51:00.000+08:00

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

2009-04-13T00:23:00.000+08:00

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

2009-04-13T00:22:00.001+08:00

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

2009-04-13T00:21:00.000+08:00

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

2009-04-13T00:20:00.001+08:00

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

2009-04-13T00:19:00.001+08:00

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

2009-04-13T00:07:00.000+08:00

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)