Things I miss

1. Unlimited broadband internet 24-7 in me room*!

2. Showers with consistent hot water and consistent water pressure.

3. Cleaners coming to clean the kitchen, dining and toilets Monday – Friday.

4. Almost always having someone in the kitchen to chat with.

5. Mates living nearby.

6. The view from the 11th floor.

7. Taking a walk around campus and meeting people.

8. Free Japanese movies every Friday nite!

9. Watching footie on the big screen in the SU Bar.

10. Me mates who are still studying will hate me but I really miss attending classes and doing essays!!!!!!!!!

*This includes chatting wif mates on MSN and Skype, playing online games, downloading stuffs *ahem* I mean, sharing stuffs with Uni mates, having information literally at me fingertips!

A to Z guide to... me!

I blogged about 100 things about meself here. I guess it's time for a new one since some of the stuffs on that list is outdated (like i do not drive a green car anymore! *sniff*)

So here's the new list about me!

A is for Arts

I love the arts – performing arts like dramas, musicals, music, or just art (huge fan of Monet). This should explain why I like London so much!

A should also stand for Autumn, my favourite season of the year (see “M”).

B is for Buffy

Yes, I’m a Buffy fan. Saw all 6 seasons over the summer. To me, it had everything – comedy, love, action, drama, horror... i better stop here. Won't be able to stop talking about it!

C for Chinese

I’m a Malaysian born Chinese – and proud of that.

Oh, C is also for Coffee – an old mate best describes it when she said that if she takes a knife and cut me, coffee instead of blood will flow out. I think she’s right!

D is for Dreamer

Me mates always tell me to “wake up” or to be “realistic”. But how can our dreams come true if we dun have any in the fist place?

E is for Eating

I LOVE eating! Spicy food, seafood, Japanese food… anything good! I am born in the year of the pig!

F is for Faith

I believe in Jesus Christ, that he is God who came in the form of man to die for the sins of the world. He is my Lord and saviour, and friend.

G is for Green

I look around me room now and see a green bag, a green fork, a green wallet, a green clock, a green torch, a green tumbler, a green sweater… yes, my fav colour is green!

H is for Human rights

I did me Masters in Law in International Human Rights Law. I hope to be a human rights activist in due course.

I is for Indecisive

Oh, I’m really bad at making decisions – this prolly results in me putting them off (see “P”). I’m usually glad when there is someone who would make the decision!

I is also for Introvert (see “M” and “Q”).

J is for Jewel

Big fan of Jewel. Brilliant lyricist, excellent voice, great songwriter. Yes, I have this thing for girls with guitars too!

K is for Keeper

Well, I normally play keeper in futsal but what I really mean here is that I can’t seem to throw away anything! Me flatmates were shocked at the kind of rubbish I hang on to. Back in Malaysia, I still have my first bus ticket and a Tesco plastic bag which I took back from London in 1994! Drives me mom up the wall for keeping all this “rubbish”. She drives me up the wall by secretly throwing them all away!

L is for Liverpool

Yes, I’m a Reds fan. Have always been, thru thick and thin. Winning the Champions League last year is still like a dream! You’ll never walk alone!

Some of me mates would insist that L should be for Lame...

M is for Melancholic

Moody, introvert, emotional. Not the easiest person to get along with – but to those who stuck wif me, I think they can testify that it’ worth it… right? ;-P

M is also for Music which has always had a prominent place in me life.

M is also for Movies. Used to average about 2 movies (in the cinema) a week. But since being here, I’ve averaged one movie in 4 months!!!!!! Too expensive la…

N is for Nocturnal

I work best in the still hours of the morning. I think me flatmates prolly miss seeing me amble into the kitchen at 1 pm, bleary eyed, mumbling “good morning” to them.

O is for Outdoors

I love the outdoors! Taking long walks – in the jungles, in the mountains, along the coast, in the woods, by the sea, in a park, up a hill!

P is for Photography

In recent times, I’ve gotten hooked on photography. Nothing great (I have a 2 megapixel camera) but I just can’t stop taking pics! The links to the many photo albums in the sidebar or me main blog testifies to this!

P is also for Procrastinates. I’ll elaborate more on this another time…

Q is for Quiet

Sure, I can talk a lot and jump of tables to dance – but generally, I’m a quiet kind of guy. I believe that it’s better to listen more and speak less.

R is for Rain

I love the rain. I love hearing the sound of rain, I love seeing the rain fall, I love walking in the rain, I’ve cried and danced in the rain before!

R is also for Reading. I love libraries, I enjoy novels – Grisham & Archer are my favourite.

S is for Star Wars

I’m referring to the original trilogy! I can watch the movie and quote lines from it. Yes, I’m a Star Wars geek. But I can’t decide of I’m a bigger Lord of the Rings geek or a Star Wars geek!

T is for TV series

I used to be pretty addicted to the TV during me younger days. Then it came to a point that I hardly watch TV save for the occasional live telecast of footie. But now, I’m back to watching TV series – 24, Desperate Housewives, Prison Break, 4400, Smallville etc. What I love most about the recent TV series is the character development. Brilliant!

U is for utmost

I believe that in everything I do, be it litigating a multi-million Ringgit court case, or preparing an essay for me course or mopping the floors in the café, I should do me best in it!

V is for Velcro

I think that Velcro is one of the coolest inventions in modern times! I have Velcro-strap boots, Velcro bag, Velcro wallet, pants with Velcro flaps for pockets. Love it! Now if only someone can invent silent Velcro!!!

I must confess that V can also be for Vain. Never fail to check me hair whenever I walk pass a mirror! ;-)

W is for Wanderlust

I love travelling! Can’t seem to stay still in one place for long. Used to spend all my money on travelling… and eating (see E) and action figures (see S)!!!

X is for X’mas

The favourite time of the year for me – oh, I’m also an X’mas baby! So me birthday is approaching *hint hint*!

Y is for Youthful

People say that I have a youthful look – everyone usually thinks I’m 10 years younger than what I really am. The good thing about it is that in recent times, I feel 10 years younger (yes, after I quit me job and resumed studying!!!).

Z is for Zhao Wei

Big fan of her! She has lovely eyes!

Z is also for Zoo – I like Zoos! I guess it’s cuz of the wonderful memories I have of Zoos in Malaysia, S’pore and here.

Wonderful Wales

Me travels to Wales was really good. here are some of the reasons:-

1. Meeting new frens from all over the world!

That's one thing i really like bout backpacking - you get to meet loads of really nice and interesting people. The highlight of the trip for me was the last nite in Fishguard when we sat in the dining area - 2 Malaysians, 2 Germans, 1 Brit and one Chinese who is living in the the States - and just chatted.

2. A close second - the coastal path in Pembrokeshire National Park.

Cliffs, sea, waves on one side, green fields, hills and stonewalls on the other. Breathtaking! :-)

3. Lounging around watching satelite TV

OK - this may not seem much to you but after living in a lounge-less flat for more than a year, it felt so at home to just sit around and vegetate before the TV, watching Friends, Buffy and other movies together wif me mate Markus and 2 Aussie girls.

4. Seeing wildlife in the wild!

It's one thing to watch seals perform in the zoo - it's another to see them swimming in the sea and lazing about on the beach, calling out to each other!!!!

Near the lighthouse was an almost heart-wrenching scene. It was the only point in our walk when it really poured. There was a dead baby seal on the shore - and the mother (or so that's what those there werer saying) was just swimming around the area, prolly not being able to pull herself away from her baby. :-(

Besides seals, there were also ponies and other small creatures along the way! But no sightings of whales. Yup, we din see no whales in Wales. ;-P

5. Seeing Monet's paintings in the National Museum & Gallery of Wales

I almost missed this! Would have shot meself if i did. It was a joy to see Monet's paintings (from the Davies' sisters' collection) - there were a few from his Watelilies series and some from his Venice series too! Absolutely brilliant! Truth be told, save for that, the museum was only alrite. They did have some of Sisley's painting and Rodin's famous sculture of The Kiss!

Can't take any pics of the paintings (naturally) so i bought meself some of the postcards - a poor (extremely) substitute but at least it's better than nothing.

6. The frenly Welsh people

People there were generally frenly and nice, returning smiles and greeting us. In Cardiff, a girl came up to us and offered unsolicited help when she thought we were lost!

And it was nice to sit in the bus, watching the views of the sea on one side, and rolling green hills on the other and hearing the people chat in Welsh! :-)

7. Wandering around Bute Park early in the morning enjoying the cool autumn morning.

8. Wandering around the streets of Cardiff

They had some really interesting shops selling equally interesting stuffs. Fancy a Jesus action figure? Or a set of nun-chucks which literally chucks nuns????

Summer is over

It's raining now... like it has been for the past so many days. It's finally beginning to feel like UK now!!!!!

And while i'm never a big fan of summer, i guess i'll miss it. I mean, i really hope it's gone for the year - but some things have been nice. here are some:-

1. Taking a cold shower! - On a hot humid day, taking a cold shower is bliss!

2. Going out in my Tevas - i've always been a sandal kinda guy!

Teva in British Museum

3. Eating ice cream

4. Enjoying the sun while sitting on Square 3 wif me mates during break time at work

5. Everyone having their room doors opened - the flat suddenly feel so much more alive and it brightened up the dull corridors

6. Me clothes dry faster!

7. Sitting in the kitchen and watching the people make fools of themselves... erm, i mean hang out by the lake.

8. Enjoying the aircond at the Blues Cafe!

9. Getting a tan from just going to London for the day - oh, and sleeping on the grass! :-)

Sleeping on the grass area outside the Nat Hist Museum

10. Not having to sit on a freezing toilet seat the first thing in the morning!

11. Yeah, there's an 11 on this list - i kinda miss the endless summer days with brilliant blue skies too!

Work = fun!

Yesterday was the last day at work. It has truly been wonderful - and we'll definitely miss it. i do oredi!

Here are the reasons why it has been brilliant:-

1. Getting to make so many new frens! Going to work is like going out to hang out wif yr mates - and get paid for it!

2. Spending the time productively - if we were not working, we'd prolly be wasting our time away! I found the physical work helped in my mental sharpness too!

3. I get to drink as much coffee as i like during work. And not jus coffee - machiatto, latte, cafe au lait, cappucino, the works! Unlimited!

4. The customers - who are mainly the summer school teens - are really nice. We got so familiar with them - before they left, they'd say goodbye and thanks to us. Some even took photos with us. It's nice serving customers who are always smiling back at you, and really appreciate your service.

5. There's music on all the time - same play list but nice songs!

6. Little sister. :-)

7. The permanent staff there - they never exploited us, they are really frenly and nice (on me first day, they kept on insisting on me getting me free drinks and breaks)

8. I get to eat loads of stuffs i dun normally eat - like bacon and hash browns, lasagne, turkey pies, chicken a'la king etc. The food ain't great but sometimes, the cooks surprise us!

9. Generally, there's this good positive attitude and really high spirit among everyone all the time - jokes, fun, breaking out into song and dance, teasing etc. Everyone takes the initiative to work and to help without being asked to.

10. I get paid around RM45 an hour!

Why the Lake House was almost brilliant!

Here are the reasons:-

1. What got me sold was the trailer. It caught the magic of the fantasy story, had most of the good lines, and backed with a brilliant song by Keane. Watch it:-

The Lake House


2. Sandra Bullock is back! For me anyways. Loved her in While You Were Sleeping. Since then, began to find her irritating. But she was good in this movie - the idealistic doctor, the lonely girl, the uncertain lover. Not as brilliant as Lucy in WYWS but good in a different manner.

She looks good, doesn't she?*

3. The mix of fantasy and romance. "You probably think I am crazy".

4. Snow! That scene! To me, there's always something magical with snow. The fact that just before watching the movie, i dreamt bout snow! In me dream, i had a fren over for lunch and to our surprise, it started snowing!

5. The inclusion of Persuasion and the notion of "waiting". Erm... this is on a personal note so i'll leave it there. ;-)

Unfortunately, the ending just spoilt it all for me. :-(

Why Casablanca is such a classic!

1. The wonderful characters! Each has it's own uniqueness, each brought something special to his/her character. So colourful! The cynic wif a heart, the idealist who is in love, the corrupt official who is faithful, the sidekick who sticks thru thick and thin, the lover who is strong and vulnerable at the same time, the bad guy who is... really bad! i could go on and on! Excellent cast (see no. 8 below)!

2. The storyline - a combination of drama, war, action, comedy, romance, adventure!

3. The script - wif the lines still being quoted to this day!!!! That surely speaks of its quality!

4. The length - neat and compact! No overdoing it. Long enough to keep your attention span - and leaves u just wanting for a bit more.

5. The setting - exotic Casablanca, in Africa, under French control, with the Nazi Germany present, refugees from all over Europe and the States!

6. The twists - just when you thought you had someone figured out, they surprise you!

7. The song! Yes, every good movie must have a good song. "As time goes by" is a classic by itself! Play it, Sam!

8. The quality of the acting. Come on, Humprey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman! Honestly, i initialy thought the posters flattered Bogart. but while his looks may not be a cool as on the poster, he made it up wif his acting! Fantastic! And Bergman - the pictures dun do justice to her beauty! The rest of the cast were excellent too - which resulted in point no. 1 above!

9. It moved me to tears! Enuf said! ;-)

10. The ending - ok, i wont spoil it for those who dun know, altho if u dun know by now, you prolly dun care! Even the actors themselves din know how it was gonna end for most of the filming. Th writers wre still debating over the possible endings til the very last minute. They made the right choice - if it ended any other way, IMHO, it would not be the classic it is today.

Why i enjoyed Superman Returns!

1. It's my 3rd movie i watched on the big screen since coming here, the last being King Kong wif KC in Sheffield on New Year's eve!!!!

2. I was fascinated by the commercials/adverts before the movie!!!! Yup, wif no TV and very little radio, my life has been commercial free (save for the beer commercials during half time of EPL matches!!!!)

3. It brought back memories of when i was a kid and me dad brought me to watch Superman in Sentosa Cinema at section 17!!!!

4. I loved the story - the readjustment he had to make, the dealing of the loss of one he loves, the struggle of having to save the world. It had a lot of heart, a lot of emotions. Been pretty emotional lately so it suited me to the T!

5. The theme song of Superman! Excellent! With the modulation to "Can you read my mind" in the middle. Brilliant!

6. Lex Luther - so typical, so evil, so... dumb! Hahahaha. Made the same evil villian mistake. Why did he have to explain in detail his plans to Lois Lane????? Why??? Why??? But that's how it is! :-)

7. Excellent CGI!!!! Superman really flies!!!! Cool!

8. Little details - i really liked it when Superman flew away from the Daily Planet building and you could see for a split second a half ball of water vapor from the middle of his body signifying that he crossed the speed of sound. Super-cool! Kudos to Bryan Singer!

This the the burst of water vapor i'm talking about - just when the F-18 breaks the sound barrier. Pic taken from here.

9. The hero factor! We all love heroes, dun we? I do. I just wanted to stand up and cheer when he stopped the jet from crashing!

10. Two and a half hours? I was surprised when it ended! Was it really 153 minutes???? It din feel so! Good movies usually are like that! :-)

I won't blog about the World Cup Finals!!!!

I'm trying hard not to jump into the bandwagon and blog about the World Cup finals yesterday (yes, i know i said here that the World Cup for me ended on the 1st of July - but c'mon. This is the World Cup finals!!!!!).

Here are 10 things i won't be blogging about:-

1. I won't blog bout how glad i am for Alberto and all Italians that Italy won.

2. I won't blog about how relieved i feel that France din win.

3. I won't blog about how i was wrong when i said here "who says cheaters never prosper?"

4. I won't blog bout how brilliant the Italian penalties were! England, take note!

5. I won't blog bout how shameful Zidane acted.

6. I won't blog bout bout how ridiculous i find that Zidane still won the Player of the Tournament!!!

7. I won't blog bout how shocking i find that some players are trying to justify and defend Zidane's actions!!!!!

8. I won't blog about how some people can be such sore losers - like Gallas who labelled all Italians as cheaters (see here).

9. I won't blog about how brilliant Gattuso and Cannavaro played not only during the finals but thruout the World Cup.

10. I won't blog about how in football, it is not always the team that plays the best who will be crowned the Champions.

I won't - so dun expect it, ok? ;-P

Letter to a terrorist

Dear Mr. Terrorist,

It was an emotional day for a lot of us yesterday. Like me, i'm sure many others went thru feelings of sadness, regret, which turned into anger and finally ended with resolve. Tears were shed. Innocent lives were cruelly and thoughtlessly taken away far too soon. There were no opportunities to say goodbye, no opportunities for the last smile, the final hug.

But do you wanna know something? Well, in case you still havent realised it yet BUT YOU HAVE FAILED!!!!!!

Here's a list of reasons why i say so:-

You tried to put terror in our lives - but we all came out, unafraid, as we have done before 7/7/05 and after 7/7/05.

You tried to disrupt our lives by breaking us down - but we ended up being stronger, and carried each other.

You tried to turn us against the governments that are against your ideology - but we ended up standing by them.

You tried to elicit sympathy for your cause - but you only succeeded in revealing that you are heartless, cruel, and evil person, and no religion or political thinking can ever justify your despicable acts.

You tried to end up in a better place - but we all know where you are at this point of time.

WE ARE NOT AFRAID!!!










"Although the intention of those who carried out these evil acts was to stir up hatred and set people against each other, they have had precisely the opposite effect. Instead of division, people have been drawn together in a determination to find a deeper practice of common values, not least the values of tolerance, trust and compassion."

Prince Charles

This is the life!

At the end of today, i looked up into the blue summer nite sky and said to meself, "This is the life!"

Here are the things i did today:-

1. Woke up early - before me alarm went off!

2. Read me bible and had a short worship session. It was good.

3. Shaved, did me exercises and went to work.

4. Met Kathy while punching in - she is so sweet! :-)

5. Had loads of washing up to do today - but we had loads of free food too - sausages, bacon, lasagne... i'm gonna put on weight!!!

6. Had nice chats while working and during breaks wif new frens at work.

7. Came back and watched Maria in the semis, and then did me laundry.

8. Had a nice chicken masala dinner.

9. Had a nice serious chat wif Di.

10. Chat online wif a few mates too.

11. Went to the reading room to study.

12. Took the scenic route back, along the lake side.

Sounds too normal-eh? But i really enjoyed it! Life is not one explosive event after another - to me, a wonderful life is one filled wif little underated pleasures that makes me feel... alive!

In fact these past couple of days have been great! Felt so fresh, been bone tired, laughed like crazy, cried buckets, been amazed and intrigued, cheered and jeered,sweated in the heat and felt the wind in me hair, acted mischievously and maturely, felt God's love!

Wat more can one ask for?

End of the road

The past weekend marked the end of many things:-

1. The end of Spring term!
Summer term officially started on Saturday. Received an e-mail confirming that i have passed everything thus far (duh) and that i now have permission to start doing me dissertation! Oh, alrite - at least now i have an official reason for not doing much regarding me dissertation this past month and a half! ;-P

2. Agassi played his final game at Wimbledon.
It was indeed an emotional farewell. Goes to show that you dun need to be a winner (he only won Wimbledon once) to be appreciated and remembered! Man, is he old - older than me! Yeah, that is old! But still playing tennis at the top level! *Respect*

3. The World Cup 2006.
Well, for all intents and purposes, the World Cup has ended for me. All the teams me supporting are out. I really dun care now who wins. If i have my way, none will win!!!! ;-P I've never liked Germany for the boring (yet i admit effective) style of playing. Portugal? Yeah, i rooted for them (against England - that shud be dealt wif in another blog) but they were pathetic. They just played against another pathetic team!!! France? Me mate was saying that Henry is PADI certified diver!!!!! Let the cheater win? Zizou was impressive, tho! Italy? Well... OK. then. Italy, since i can't think of anything strong against them!!!!!

4. Sven's reign as coach and Beckham's captaincy ended
These 2 events took place wif England crashing out. These two event shows that their is always a silver lining in every cloud. Prolly the 2 best things to happen to English football in a long long time!

5. My days of unemployment ends.
Sure, i've been doing some odd jobs here and there as part of the Ents crew but i start me full time summer job this month. Not looking forward to it - at least 30 hours a week, waking up at 6:30 am, will prolly have to shave every other day, maybe even get a haircut, work up til 7 hours a day!!! Well, we all have to grow up sooner or later...

All good things have to come to end, i guess. All good things on this world, anyways!

p/s - oh yeah, Sathees also ended his days of singlehood. Why does the tune of "Another one bites the dust" comes to mind now??? ;-P Congrats to Wei Lyn and him!!!!!

Growing up - and letting go!

I'll start work this week - I'm working at this cafe place on campus. I start work at 7:30 am!!!!!!!! Oso, i hope that i'll start real work on me dissertation!!!!

I guess we all have to grow up sooner or later, dun we? ;-P Here are things i'll miss:-

1. Waking up after lunch! :-(

2. Watching Wimbledon online.

3. Blogging all day long!

4. Cooking me dinner at midnite - and having the whole kitchen to meself!!!

5. Taking me shower at 2 am - and not having to fight for the shower!

6. Sleeping when the day breaks!

7. Doing an all nite long movie nite!!!!

8. Reading in the cool hours of the nite.

9. Being awake when the day day starts back home in M'sia!!!!

10. I would end each day sitting in the kitchen, with a cup of coffee and talk to God while watching the sun rise. I'm gonna miss that so much. Check out me sunrise pics here, here and here.

Wonderful Wimbledon

I really had a memorable time at Wimbledon yesterday. Here are the reasons:-

1. I almost din get to go!!!!

When i first reached there and noticed the crowd - which was much much bigger than when i was there 10 years ago - and the queue, i almost felt like not going at all. But i knew i won't get another chance. So i joined the end of the queue.

It was after that i found out that the queue was much much longer than i thought it was!!!!

While queuing, one of the stewards was just joking wif us, reminding us that all we need is "cash and card". Cash for the tickets, and the "Queuing card" which is given to everyone in the queue according to descending numbers. The lady in front of me asked if she could get a refund for her Monday tickets cuz it rained the whole of Monday. The steward told her that she could get her 17 pounds back.

I was like - wait a minute? 17 quid? The tickets are 11 quid, isn't it? I checked the price on the queue card and sure enuf, it was 17!!!!! 11 pounds tickets are only for those who go in after 5 pm!!!!!!!

I checked me wallet - yup, i had ONLY 16 QUID!!!!!! And some pennies...

I gave up. I left the queue and headed towards the tube station. Then i had an idea - i checked wif another steward (helpful ppl these stewards - and plenty of em around too!). Yup, wif me queue card, i can leave the queue and rejoin at any time.

I rushed to the town nearby (by foot), found a Barclays Bank, got cash and rushed back, hoping that i can remember the people i was standing in between. I did! And they were so far away - the queue moved really fast and we were in in less than 2 hours!!!! :-)

2. I caught a glimpse of the big names - Maria Sharapova, Sebastien Grojean, Daniela Hantuchova, Elena Dementieva, Anatascia Myskina etc.

Some were just fleeting, most while playing, some were really up close, as they walked pass. Whenever we hear stewards shout out "Make way, make way, player passing thru", we'd all turn in expectation to see who is walking pass by!

3. Just being on the Wimbledon grounds was special for me.

I was close to tears as i stood inside there initially, absorbing the wonderful atmosphere! The place where dreams were made and dashed! the place which i had been watching all these years on TV. I was there!

4. I got to see some things in the smaller courts you dun normally see.

Things like balls flying in from another court, the scoreboard person making mistakes - to the annoyance of the umpire, seeing the umpire roll his eyes, the ball boy taking a drink, etc.

5. I got involved in a match!

While waiting for another match, i got engrossed in this doubles games between a Japanese pair and a Russian pair. There was a host of Japanese supporters there too and we were cheering the girls on enthusiastically! There were the usual "Ooos..." and "Aaahhhs..." you normally hear on TV at a close-call shot or a brilliant one. They lost but we had fun!

6. I got so familiar with the place

Now each time i watch a game online, i know exactly where the Court in question is!

7. The weather was brilliant!

A bit too sunny at times but lovely. There were nice breezes and occasional and rare cloudy spells. When i left at 8:15 pm, it was still bright!

8. There were oso the negatives.

I had some pretty bad experiences wif some British ladies. First, there were 2 who just pretended i wasn't there and slipped in front of me, ahead of the queue for Court 3!!!!! Then there was another who's phoen rang during the game and she actually answered the call - loudly - to the annoyance of all of us. I glared at her until she laughingly told the person on the other end of the line that she had to go!!!! I was pretty mad - she was standing at the entrance and she could have very well just turned around and walked 2 steps out of the court! Sigh...

9. Seeing the matches in real life is different from watching it live on TV.

I just can't explain it - you had to be there, see the ground strokes being made right before your eyes, hearing the racquet make contact with the ball, seeing the expressions on the faces, seeing the chalk fly up when the ball hit the line - sure u see and hear these things on TV but being there is so so different! Oh, you get to feel the heat and the breeze too! And the excitement among the crowd! And we had to duck some balls which flew our direction too!

10. I got meself a nice tan! I got meself a nice t-shirt too! :-)

Justification

OK - so i bought the most expensive t-shirt i have ever bought in me whole life!!!! It'll definately be the most expensive one i purchase for my whole life! Dun ask how much. Dun ask, please...

Here it is:-



Trust me, it took me a whole day of inner struggle before finally deciding to buy it! Here are the reasons i manage to come up wif (in Wimbledon colours, of course!):-

1. This is prolly the only time ever i'll go to Wimbledom - the t-shirt with the "06" will be a perpetual reminder of that wonderful summer day!

2. I have not bought anything for meself since i started working! Not even Jewel's CD!!!! Surely i can afford to indulge meself on this, can't i?

3. It's Wimbledon!!!!!!!! :-)

4. It's green!

5. It'll oso remind me of the wonderful Summer of 2006 i'm having now (yes, WS, this is a direct reference to that theme!)

6. I starved meself the whole day - and saved some money which goes to part-payment of the t-shirt!

7. It looks really nice, doesn't it?

8. I've always been a big fan of Wimbledon Tennis - far bigger than the other Grand Slams.

9. I'll never buy another t-shirt this expensive ever again... i hope!

10. It's green in colour! Wha..? I said that oredi? Ermm.... well, it's a nice shade of green, dun u think? ;-P

Give me credit for trying... :-)

Escapism

I remember when i was really young. me bro and sis went off for Sunday School. Methinks me was too young to go!

So there i was, crying - more at being left out, i guess!

Me dad - well, he took all me action dolls, got out his camera and got me to pose wif me toys while he took pics of me! I still have those pics today, back home.

Sure enuf, i stopped crying and enjoyed the spontaneous photo-shot! ;-P

I guess some things never changed. I was feeling down these past couple of days - and to get me mind off things, guess wat i did? I got me guitar, took out me camera and started taking photos!!!!!! Here there are:-



They would look good inside the CD jacket of my album, wouldn't they? :-P

I dun recommend any forms of escapism - face up to the issues/problems! But i must admit that at times, it is good to jus get away from it all, for a while, to maintain me sanity! Here is the list of some other things that i do:-

1. Read! I'm devouring me latest Archer's novel in record time. It's an excellent way to escape. I'm transported to Yale, to Vietnam, to many other places mentioned in the book. And Archer is really good - and funny too! The other good thing about reading is that i can read til i get mentally exhausted and sleep will come easier, instead of me lying in bed thinking of things!

2. Cook! Be busy with all the chopping, and cutting, and frying and experimenting! In my view, timing is important in cooking - how long you fry the garlic, how long you soak the vege, how long you boil the pasta. These things keep me mind distracted - but the problem at times is that after cooking, me dun have appetite to eat - wif the things still on me mind!

3. Jam on the guitar! I think i've been playing on me guitar more in this month than in the past 7 months before put together!!!! (Usually, me jamming session will end wif a photo taking session!)

4. Go for a walk. There's this excellent trail which starts behind the South Courts all the way to Wivenhoe. Love that trail. The river is on one side while the railway track is on the other. There are usually so so many things along the way to distract me - the wildflowers, the animals, the birds, the plants. The physical workout is nice too and the excellent breeze in the hair is lovely!

5. Sit in the kitchen and wait for some flatmate to chat wif. The plus point of being in a 13-roomed flat. However, you'd be surprised at how difficult it is to find some flatmates at times. Most of us matured (konon-lah) post-grad students stick in our rooms all day long!

6. Go to YouTube and look for interesting/funny/cool clips!

7. Try all kinds of online quizzes (i've finished all the interesting ones on blogthings.com!!!!!)

8. Watch Buffy! Incidentally, Season 2 has for surpassed season 1! It's brilliant. the characters are fleshed out, the storylines are more complicated, actors get to show more emotions and break out from the stereotypes, new interesting characters (Spike and Dru are excellent!) - and Seth Green! :-) And the season finale for Season2 just blew me away!!!!

9. Go to London!!!!!!! A bit expensive, tho. But at least now that i'm allowed into LSE's library, i've got a legit excuse to go to London!

10. Sit down and think of stupid lists like this to blog about! :-)

Hungry?

I was reading a blog of this person on a short term mission - before she got back, she started having a list of things for everything, including things to eat when back home! That got me thinking too - and yes, the last time when i was here for me undergraduate studies, me did the same thing before me got back. Only problem was that the expectations were too high that the food was a disappointment.

But that's not gonna stop me!

Here's me list off the top of me head - in no particular order:-

1. The chicken rice at Mentakab!

2. Nasi lemak at... oh dear, i forgot the name of that road!!!! The one near Wisma Denmark in KL. Lawyers would know! ;-P

3. Indian rice (wif FREE papadums) at Purnama Cahaya in Phileo Damansara.

4. The chee cheong fun from old town which me parents always buy for me each Saturday!

5. Jap buffet at Saisaki!

6. Seafood!!!!!! Doesn't matter where - Pandamaran, Telok Gong, in Penang, wherever, as long as there are loads of prawns (yim kook, lai yow, marmite, coconut prawns at Teluk Gong) and crabs (shin thim wif loads of gravy to dip the toasted man tau in, or just barbequed plain!)

7. Vadai and goreng pisang from Kanna Curry House (wif teh tarik kurang manis).

8. Fried kueh teow at Lorong Selamat in Penang.

9. Ikan bakar at the roadside outside Hong Leong Bank in Petaling Street.

10. Durians!!!! :-P

11. Tim sum at Yoke Fook Moon in Ipoh (wif its excellent loh mai kai, chow har keen and char siew pau!)

12. Fook keen meen - wif loads of chee yau char and the belacan chile!

OK. I better stop cuz i can go on and on! :-)

Addendum: How can i forget lobster and garlic butter mussels at Top Hat, Kuching??? And the beef noodles at Jalan Alor ("Flourescent Cow" place)? Or the beef ball noodles at jalan Silang? Or in KK? And let's not forget the-must-queue-for-minimum-30minutes chee yoke meen at SS3?