the wild wild west..

there is time for every season under the sun

2010-06-24T03:55:00.002Z

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

A new chapter in life is upon me. Its time for me to move on. Keep updated at http://spilinmy.blogspot.com/

=)

2010-05-06T22:34:00.006Z

It would have been Markus' 25th birthday today. Sure, it still feels weird. Still, there's so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to. Perhaps this is what Steven Curtis Chapman meant when he talked of carrying on with broken hearts, yet filled with hope =)

There is a hope that burns within my heart,
That gives me strength for ev'ry passing day;
A glimpse of glory now revealed in meager part,
Yet drives all doubt away;
I stand in Christ with sins forgiv'n;
And Christ in me, the hope of heav'n!
My highest calling and my deepest joy,
To make His will my own.

There is a hope that lifts my weary head,
A consolation strong against despair,
That when the world has plunged me in its deepest pit,
I find the Saviour there!
Through present sufferings, future's fear,
He whispers, "Courage!" in my ear,
For I am safe in everlasting arms,
And they will lead me home.

There is a hope that stands the test of time,
That lifts my eyes beyond the beckoning grave,
To see the matchless beauty of a day divine,
When I behold His face!
When sufferings cease and sorrows die,
And every longing satisfied,
Then joy unspeakable will flood my soul,
For I am truly home.

What does it feel like?

2010-03-27T14:16:00.001Z

I sensed a smile welling up from inside of me. The corners of my lips started to arch, forming a smile.

All my senses were numbed and for a brief moment, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief.

I strode to the door nonchalant of all the others working in the lab.

Only a few more steps to go.

Then it happened.

I stepped out. The sun shone brightly in my face, breathing life into my body. My footsteps broke into a gentle skip; I felt like dancing and twirling in circles, arms fully extended.

I stopped to savour the moment. The wind. The sun. The air.

I breathed deep and long. The air filled my lungs, feeding me with freedom I never knew.

So this is what it feels like. This is what it feels like.

The shoes fit..

2010-02-27T18:19:00.003Z

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. - 2 Corinthians 1: 3-4

I wish I knew what to do.

A Valentine's Day story..

2010-02-15T14:22:00.002Z

A long time ago in a distant land, there lived a man and a woman. But they weren’t just any ordinary man and woman. You see, mr prince was the perfect man. mr. prince was single, had good features, was very rich, a good listener, well mannered and love to help out with the housework. He was a dream come true for the ladies.

Ms. princess too was single, and was the most beautiful woman ever. She was so beautiful, people from distant lands heard of her beauty. She was also very prim and proper, intelligent, thrifty with money and had a good sense of direction. A dream come true for the men and was fit to be married to a prince.

Most importantly of all, these two people were madly in love with each. They were such a fitting pair, so suited for each other. It was somewhat like a perfect life for them.

But their happiness was short lived for the big mean baddie tore them apart and kidnapped ms princess. Well, the big mean baddie was the local town bully who loved to pick on everyone. It thrived on taking away people’s happiness and loved to see people in sorrow. It commanded a big gang of little bullies called badlings which wreaked havoc wherever they went. They would knock over old women crossing the road, they would steal the clothes that were hung out to dry, they would take away the children’s toys and candy. They were a real mean bunch, and now they’ve taken captive of ms. Princess.

The big mean baddie locked her up in a tower so high in the clouds that no eye could ever see, nor any man could ever reach. It was guarded by countless of badlings so that no one would ever reach her. The poor little princess was left all alone, sobbing and wailing- in the tower so high in the clouds that no eye could ever see, nor any man could ever reach. But she never gave up hope and waited for her prince that will one day come and save her.

Meanwhile, mr prince was feeling so distraught that his beloved princess had been taken away. He was filled with grief at the thought of what ms princess had to endure. He knew that he had to do something, and that’s what exactly he did- he was going to save his princess.

He wasted no time and made preparations for his journey. In haste, he gathered some food, put on his most comfortable walking shoes and he picked up his trusty old sword. He also brought deodorant as he wanted to smell good when he finally met the princess and he brought along a small colourful box. He put it all in a bag, said a short prayer for success and was on his way to save his princess.

He spent countless of days searching high and low for his princess. He never rested, nor did he sleep for there was no time to be wasted. Whenever he felt tired, he thought of his princess and the thought of her inspired him and gave him strength to go on. The more he thought of her, the more he was filled with determination to continue his journey.

Alas, he finally saw the tower in the distance and he rejoiced. He did not fear the numerous badlings that were guarding the tower for his princess was within reach. He readied himself, and drew his sword and faced the legion of badlings that were coming his way.

The first badling approached and they engaged in battle.

He swung his fist.
It bent backward and felt his knuckles swish past its nose.
It kicked.
He ducked.
He drew his sword, lifted it high and with one mighty swing, he crushed the first badling.

The other badlings came charging at him. Mr prince was outnumbered 5 to 1, but he didn’t fear them for the love for his princess blinded his fears. He engaged them head on, like a real man. The badlings attacked mr prince ferociously. They swung their weapons at him but mr prince overcame every single attack. Their attacks, he parried with his trusty sword. He maneuvered his body skillfully dodging them. And with his sword, they struck his enemies one by one by one by one by one. He emerged triumphant over the badlings.

The big mean baddie saw all of this happening and was boiling with rage! It grumbled to itself and complained ‘if you want a job well done, you got to do it yourself’. It picked up her weapon and headed to the battle field.

From afar they saw each other and they inched closer to each other with every step taken. Finally, they came face to face- the hero of the day, and the kidnapper of his beloved princess. They stared into each other’s eyes for a long long time. After realizing that neither would flinch, they drew their weapons and the battle begun.

He swung his sword.
It blocked.
It swung its pitch fork.
He parried.

And their battle carried on. It was a long and tiring one- it lasted 3 days. Finally, the decisive moment came. The big mean baddie swung her weapon striking mr prince’s heel. He screamed in pain for it really really hurt. But mr prince didn’t give up. He couldn’t. His princess needed him. Again, he lifted his sword up high and with one mighty blow, he crushed the big mean baddie’s head. He defeated the big mean baddie once and for all and the battle drew to a close.

Mr prince looked around at the battle field. The felt the sweat on his brow and the wind on his face, he heard the trees swaying and saw the ground was blood soaked red. The air- it smelled. Yes it smelled. It smelled of victory!

Now all that mr. prince had to do was to rescue his princess from the tower. Yes, the tower that is so high in the clouds that no eye could ever see, nor any man could ever reach. But you see, mr prince was no ordinary man- he was the perfect man. And so the ascent to the top of the tower began. He climbed the narrow stairway that spiraled all the way to the top, one step at a time.

Meanwhile, ms princess high up in the tower was watching all that was happening down below. She heard the crowds cheer when the big mean baddie was defeated and she knew that her prince will be coming soon to save her. So she groomed herself, and did her hair, put on her makeup and perfume. Her heart was beating with anticipation, awaiting her prince to rescue her and burst open the door of the tower which kept her captive. Yes, the tower so high in the clouds that no eye could ever see, nor any man could ever reach.

Mr prince on the other hand wasted no time hurrying up the stairs. The only thing that kept them apart was time. The faster he could reach the top, the sooner he’ll see her princess. He eventually reached the top of the stairway and now, all that separated them was a door.

But before he broke down the door, he strew open the contents of his bag. He grabbed his deodorant and applied it, making him smell really really good. He also grabbed the small box wrapped in colourful paper. Now, he was all set to break down the door. He took a few steps back, and charged at the door with all his might. He gave it a mighty kick and the door came down. Behind the door was his beloved princess and they were finally reunited.

They spent many hours catching up, telling each other how happy they were to see each other again and they professed their love for each other. Amidst their chatter, mr prince then remembered the small box wrapped in colourful paper which he brought along. He reached for it and offered it to ms princess. In it was a ring! And there and then, on the tower so high in the clouds that no eye could ever see, nor any man could ever reach he proposed to ms princess, and she accepted.

Many months later their wedding day came and the groom awaited her bride in the local church. And he waited, and waited and waited.. And he’s still waiting.

One year since and one year closer..

2010-02-04T18:10:00.003Z

Can't believe its been a year already. You still inspire..

I thank God for so many happy memories =)

-

Just an excerpt from Sarah Edwards- she received word that her husband Jonathan had died at the age of 54 from a smallpox inoculation one month after becoming the president of Princeton College in 1758. She picked up her pen and wrote to her daughter Esther whose husband Aaron Burr had died six months earlier:

My very dear child, What shall I say! A holy and good God has covered us with a dark cloud. O that we may kiss the rod, and lay our hands upon our mouths! The Lord has done it. He has made me adore his goodness, that we had [your father] so long. But my God lives; and he has my heart. O what a legacy my husband, and your father, has left us! We are all given to God; and there I am, and love to be.- (Marriage to a Difficult Man, by Elizabeth Dodds, p. 196)

D'oh! = S

2010-01-24T19:46:00.000Z

Sometimes I wish I were a contortionist..

Rainy days and Mondays..

2010-01-18T00:10:00.005Z

Photo by: Jonathan Hasson

"..Sometimes I'd like to quit
Nothing ever seems to fit
Hangin around, nothing to do but frown
Rainy days and mondays always get me down."

- Carpenters, Rainy Days and Mondays

Funny how the weekdays are kinda like cruel suprise to the oh-so-blissful weekends. My week just took a turn for the worse. Presented the results of what I've been doing for the past 3 months to my project supervisor. It still needs refining (by which, he actually means re-doing). Yet its not anyone's fault. I've done everything according to procedure. The results just are awry.

At times like these, everything feels a little worse than it seems.

I'll tell you what I think. I think that my time could be spent more wisely. I think that my final year project isn't the only thing that matter. I think that getting a paper published as an undergrad student adds relatively little value to life. I think that I'm chasing after the wind. Heh.. sometimes I feel that I'm just trying to find the easy way out of things.. But seriously, how do you get out of a pit when you're so deep into it?

The best way out is always through
- Robert Frost

Or not?

Of celebrations and a passing year..

2010-01-06T18:35:00.007Z

Funny how I stopped blogging when the hols started. Seriously, I tend to make the most of my time when I have very little of it.. haha.. Anyway, I just thought that I'd blog a little on what I've been thinking over the new year.

I used to make resolutions, but somehow I stopped over the past year or two. Perhaps this was due to the fact that my new year's resolutions are never achieved nor remembered by the end of the year. So why all the trouble anyway? =D

I suppose the new year gave me a good excuse to start anew. Of course, any other day is just as good but the new year is especially good- somewhat of a milestone of sorts; time to forget what's been happening in the past and to look forward to the year that is to come. Starting anew is always nice- no burdens from the past, only hope for the future.

2009 wasn't a good year for me. In fact, it was a really bad year. I lost my brother whom I loved dearly. This was the one single event that I wish never happened. Part of me remains trapped, sobbing in bed on a cold night in February. And yet part of me is forced to move on with life. Here I am, almost a year from my brother's death feeling obliged to make new year resolutions. The same questions repeat in my mind.

Can I even start anew? How do I move on?

A verse comes up to mind. A very familiar verse to most of us.

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the
old has gone, the new has come!"- 2 Corinthians 5:17

Therein lies my hope for a new beginning; not in make believe and celebrating the new year, but in Christ! So easy to forget that I am indeed a new creation in Christ. In Christ I can start anew. In Him I can move on. In Him there is hope.

Any day is just as good, but the new year is especially good. I want to turn to God this new year. =D

On womanly propriety

2009-12-08T19:55:00.004Z

It feels funny that some place so much importance in womanly propriety. When I say womanly propriety, what I really mean is gentleness and soft-spokeness. Not that I have anything against it, but it certainly feels a little weird that some friends restrain from certain activities in order to be more womanly.

But I'm sure there's a place for a woman to bring glory to God in one's 'gentleness', no? The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that it does infact matter.

On Productivity..

2009-11-28T20:49:00.006Z

Such an intense level of activity isn't sustainable in the long run. Being stretched out too thin isn't the best way. More importantly, the motivation behind these activities- shouldn't these matter more than the activities itself? Time to reconsider one's commitments, no?

Most of the time, I think I miss the whole point completely. I Read this recently and found it quite enlightening:

"..we don't have to be productive. By this I mean: your significance does not come from your productivity. It comes from Christ, who obeyed God perfectly on our behalf such that our significance and standing before God comes from him, not anything we do. Then, on that basis, we pursue good works (which is what productivity is) and do so eagerly, as it says in Titus 2:14." -taken from and interview with Matt Perman, director of strategy, Desiring God.

Seems to make so much sense, yet the struggle to live under grace is still so real. Certainly, Markus had it right:

Activity in itself resolves nothing.

Exhaustion is the easy way out.

Meaning is not found in normlessness.

Jesus you are my point of reference.

2009-11-22T19:53:00.007Z

The past few weeks has been a little weird really. I can't quite place my finger on what exactly, but I just feel more alive than I have been. Interestingly enough, the past few weeks have also been an extremely busy time for me. Which is odd. I'm usually feeling really dead and tired when I have loads to do, but not this time.

The past few weeks have also been really weird. (did I mention that before? haha..) Its been one of the most interesting periods in my Christian walk. Verses just jump out at me, prayers get answered and things just fall into place. Which is odd. My Christian walk hasn't been this interesting in a while.

-

"May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.." -1 Thes 5:23

"..being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." -Phil 1: 6

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast" - Eph 2:8-9

I thank You that You're as sovereign in my sanctification as you are in my justification. I thank You that You're not done with me yet. I thank You for this gift of grace and I realise I can't do anything to merit it. Amen..

On blogging..

2009-11-11T17:55:00.002Z

I was just thinking how at times, I tend to be very careful at choosing words when I blog. Sometimes to the point I feel its kinda fake. But perhaps its for other people's sake that I'm choosy with words. What do I prove if these words were for myself?

I think I've yet to find the right balance between pleasing others and being true to one's self. But I do think that I'm gradually finding equilibrium. (heh, engineers ftw!)

One thing for sure, my blogging needs to be more meaningful that just sporadic random updates of things that are happening. Why blog at all if only for such trivial stuff? Hopefully from now on, my blogging will be a little more purposeful and consistent =).

wipe this smirk off my face.. =D

2009-09-01T05:11:00.002Z

Jesus can fix your laptop..

Yes he can..

Dreams..

2009-08-26T14:48:00.001Z

I don't want a long life, I want a meaningful life..

Well said. Even when in dreams..

Weird..

2009-07-02T20:55:00.002Z

I never did spend the last days with him. And now that I'm back, I'm still unsure of what I've lost. I wish this wasn't the case. But perhaps being away in UK while all these happened, helped reduce the grief.

Summer hols sure feels kinda weird without Markus.

testing

2009-07-02T04:43:00.000Z

could I write a blogpost from a mobile?

yes I can! =]

Unproductive..

2009-06-13T02:08:00.003Z

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do

Romans 7:15

Seniors Commisioning

2009-05-25T01:34:00.005Z

I have a dream.

I dream that from this generation of graduates will arise men and women who truly love the Lord Jesus Christ more than anything and are fully yielded to him.

Some in my dream will become pastors, evangelists and theologians, labouring to build God’s church in East Asia . Others from among them will become professionals – doctors, engineers, lawyers, businesspeople and journalists. From within these professions will come a powerful Christian influence in our society, to turn it to a more righteous and just and godly direction.

Then I see in my dream Christian families rising – places where love and justice are worked out in daily living. Places where the citizens of the future are nurtured, where young Christians are raised, where guests encounter the good news of Jesus from Christians who truly care for them.

Pastors, theologians, scholars, professionals, writers, politicians, Christian families – whose highest loyalty is to Christ and his gospel. From people like these we will support and send missionaries to all the world.

Share my dream. Take your place in it. Stand up and be counted for Christ.

-Excerpts from a graduation Speech by Dr Isabelo Magalit, IVCF

At OCF last friday (the 22nd of May), we had the senior's commissioning. I suppose one could say its another way of saying senior's farewell, but farewell would indicate them leaving us. Commissioning on the other hand would imply us sending them out. I like it better that way.

Its a little weird to have one's friends graduating-all of them dissapearing at one go. At the same time, I'm happy that their time has come to go out to be God's light in the working world. Perhaps this is the way God continues to bring life to the workplace and through these people, combat the spiritual decay amongst the young working adults.

I'm filled with anticipation. I envisage how they would be a refreshing gust of air bringing the winds of change in the workplace, and how God in turn would use the workplace to refine these dear friends of mine; changing them day by day to be more like Jesus. =)

-

Dear Lord, I thank you've let me share part of the lives of these brothers and sisters in Christ. I thank you that they've been such a blessing to me and to others. I pray that even as they approach the end of their student life and the start of their working life that they may not be intimidated. Instead I pray that they will be courageous in living out their lives for you. I pray that you sustain them and provide for them for the times when they are needing. And for the times when they have plenty, I pray for grace so that they in turn will bless others. I pray that they will remain faithful to their calling and that they will not stray from you. You said in your word that you will lose none that the father has given you. Keep these dear friends of mine in your arms and never let them go. I pray that their hearts will not be hardened by the complexities of the workplace, that they will not lose the ideals they started of with and that they will not lose faith. But instead they will call for you and you will guide them and lead them into all truth. Please take care of them as you always do. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen.

Squatting: Bing Liang, Xian, Shi Hao, Michael 1st row: Jia Lei, Jasmine, May Ling, Pei Lynn, Suwen, Rachel, Grace, Stephanie, Guan Sin, Jane, Shun Ling 2nd row: Eugene, Wesley, Li Guang, (Mr Wong?), Ding, Jerald, Jamin, Stephen, (hmm??), William

God is enough..

2009-05-24T23:04:00.003Z

Came across an interesting video regarding the prosperity gospel at Hoc Mun's blog. I took the liberty to put up a different video(from that which Hoc Mun posted) but still uses the same audio from John Piper's take on the prosperity gospel. Couldn't help misplacing my attention. Perhaps I will write on the prosperity gospel some other time.

God is enough, God is enough,
He is good, He will take care of us,
He will satisfy us, He will get us through this,
He is our treasure.
Whom have I in heaven but you,
and on earth there's nothing that I desire besides You.
My flesh and my heart may fail
but you are the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

post exam updates..

2009-05-16T00:16:00.003Z

Exams are now over, so I thought it’d be a good time for a blog post. I would have posted more often given the chance, but preparing for the exams and blogging doesn’t seem to go hand in hand.

Interestingly enough, there were exceedingly many thoughts throughout the exam period that I would’ve wanted to share- some of which I can’t recall. What a pity. I really should’ve noted them down. I realize that putting my thoughts to paper really helps me capture stray thoughts and also help reorganize them. One of the healthy habits I should honestly consider practicing.

I did jot down some of the thoughts that came to mind. I hope to write brief posts about them in the near future.

-

I am finding it harder and harder to manage my time, now that the exams are over and I have more ‘free’ time. Ironic huh? Having a break from studying is acceptable, but I feel that I’ve past the threshold and ventured into the realms of indulgent lazing. A verse comes to mind:

Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

Luke 16: 10 (NIV)

2009-05-06T14:03:00.002Z

Funny how you're gone, but you still feel so alive.

Was thinking a lot about you, even in the exam hall. Was thinking how much you influenced me.

I suppose today will be a lot different from other birthdays. A celebration of your life; who you are to me and who you are to others.

Happy birthday Markus..

=S

2009-05-04T20:40:00.001Z

Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow..

Spring..

2009-03-23T20:36:00.009Z

And yet, still so much to be thankful for.. =)

The dream..

2009-03-12T17:18:00.006Z

Why do dreams have to be so real?
There's a hole in my heart, And everything keeps on falling through,
There's a hole in my heart, And I don't know what to do.
For the longest time I held you and cried. And you had no idea what was going on.
There's a hole in my heart, And everything keeps on falling through,
There's a hole in my heart, Its shape is the shape of you.
If only time machines were real. If only dreams were real..

The heavenly composer..

2009-03-10T00:51:00.004Z

"The symphony he is composing includes minor chords, dissonance, and tiresome fugal passages. But those of us who follow his conducting through early movements will, with renewed strength, someday burst in song." -Philip Yancey

The film festival..

2009-03-06T00:17:00.003Z

I came across this in the Imperial Malaysian Society newsletter. KOMAS will be organizing a freedom film festival that raises issues regarding social justice and human rights in Malaysia through film. It will be held on the 28th of March at the Garden Court Chambers. They will be screening a compilation of documentaries that were screened at each freedom film festival from 2004-2008. Tickets are GBP5 (used to cover the cost of the venue hire) and any proceeds will go to Harinder Veriah Trust, a UK charity that works with underprivileged children in Malaysia

I think that it'll be a good opportunity to listen and see some interesting and thought provoking films/documentaries, especially when what we get fed from the Malaysian mainstream media can be extremely skewed sometimes (if not most of the time). I'm sure that there's always something that we can learn. If not to learn, at least come to see Dr. Mahathir's quarrel with a 10 year old boy from Surrey. That'll be interesting =)

A brief summary of the documentaries being screened:

Dr.Mahathir's quarrel with a 10 year old boy from Surrey, in Penusah Tana
Naked Ear Squats in Kopi-O-Khau, about police brutality.
Collapse of the Highland Towers, in Twelve 11
A 20-year court case over £5, in Rainy Days
Scenes from the BERSIH march in Pilihanraya Umum ke-12
films with original soundtracks by women activists
on listening
the 'Special Branch' and detention under the ISA
those seen but not heard - 9000 refugee children in Malaysia
and empty streets on Hartal day in 1947

For more information, visit the freedom film festival london website.

Do come along and do bring your friends too.

The water issue..

2009-03-06T00:08:00.006Z

Got this off Tricia's blog. I thought it gave some insight to what actually is happening regarding the water issue.

***

“Water, Water Everywhere and not a drop to drink” is the quote most often in my head these days. No, I haven’t been obsessing about Coleridge’s “Ryme of the Ancient Mariner”, but have been rather involved in the water restructuring issue in Selangor recently.

It’s actually a water fight, more like it. The Edge has a good report here.

Although it’s the financial and business news that’s been reporting on it mainly, I think the issue is beginning to take ground amongst the main papers and some blogs. Which is good because this is going to affect ALL consumers in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur.

What is happening and why is it so important? In short, the Selangor water industry is in the midst of getting restructured. All this needs to be resolved by end of March or there will be a 31% tariff increase.

The original plan was for the Selangor State Government to negotiate with the concession companies to buy them over. But before the offer expired, the Federal Government stepped in and announced it would negotiate directly with the concession companies because the State was taking too much time. They have sidestepped the State completely and this amounts to sabotage.

This is really bad news for us all because:

The Federal Government will be dealing with their crony companies Syabas and Puncak Niaga behind closed doors. More shady wheeling-dealing that has been going on for too many years.
The Federal Government will offer a higher price for the companies’ assets (compared to the State’s offer) and this is actually a Backdoor Bail-Out because they are heavily in debt today.
There will be a tariff increase in water as opposed to the State which is fighting to ensure NO tariff increases at all.
The Federal Government will most likely continue to use Syabas as a licensed operator and we all know how bad the quality of water and services is today - just think about the quality of water you are receiving today at home…

There have been a lot of silly statements coming from the Federal Government recently, and it’s tough because it can be a media perception war. And we all know what/who controls the media.

For example, the Minister of Energy, Water and Communications said that they took the lead in negotiations for other states and were only “allowing” the Selangor State Government to take the lead. This is rubbish, because Water is a state affair. Please read the Federal Constitution. Water is listed under the Ninth Schedule as being a matter of the State. See here.

Also, the decision to allow the State to lead negotiations was a Cabinet directive. Unless this decision has been revoked (which has not taken place), the State still has the mandate to be involved. Third, it is contravening the Water Services Industry Act 2006 if the State is excluded completely from these negotiations. Obviously, the State Government HAS to be involved - it is ridiculous to exclude the State from any decisions on water.

This exercise is an admission of the failure of privatisation. The Government privatised water, made the people lose out, and now in the de-privatisation process wants to benefit and prosper the rich crony companies yet again. Once bitten, twice shy, the saying goes. The people are wiser than that.

CEO of Puncak Niaga Tan Sri Rozali Ismail was reported to have received RM5.1 million in 2007 as Director’s Fees. He claimed that “one must be willing to pay for a professional”. As far as I know, he is a lawyer and has had little experience in the water industry, much less a major international player.

The bottomline is this: the Federal Government cannot bail out these crony companies. For the sake of the people whose taxpayer’s money will go to filling these greedy little pockets, this backdoor bailout should stop.

Water, tolls, highways, hospitals, sewerage, and so on… all these are public utilities that should never have been privatised in the first place.

Anas' plea..

2009-02-25T23:51:00.005Z

Got this off Marina Mahathir's blog, which she got from Anas Zubedy, a fellow blogger of hers..

He does have a valid point.

***

A letter of appeal to Malaysians Politicians.

We are carrying this message in a full page advert in the Star tomorrow. Pls forward, email, blogpost, facebook this message if you share the same sentiments, thanx, anas zubedy

Dear Malaysian Politicians,

Please stop the power chase, call for a truce and focus on the economy.

I do not claim to speak on behalf of all Malaysians, but I have strong convictions that many share my sentiments.

Our concern today is not who rules the country or heads the state governments but the looming bad economy.

Whether Barisan Nasional or Pakatan Rakyat leads, it is meaningless if Malaysians have no job to go to, no money to pay rent and no means to put food on the table.

I am a business owner, like other business owners and managers of corporations I have a responsibility to ensure people under my care and payroll continue to have jobs and a decent income to take home. We work hard and willing to go the extra mile to make sure our nation not only survive this crisis but come out stronger and wiser. We need your help.

Let me explain. I am in the business of Training, Development and Consultancy and have 20 people in my team.

Saedah is 42. She keeps the office clean and helps organise the training rooms. She has four children and her husband is unemployed. She was first hired on a part time basis, because she is very hard working and has a great attitude, we offered her a full time job to help provide a stable income for her family. Even then, when her third child started school this year, it was a struggle for her to buy new school uniforms and other necessities. Saedah lives on a ‘kais bulan, makan bulan’ basis, so, if she is jobless, her tap runs dry.

Samsuri is 27 years old. He lives with his sister and her family in a low cost government flat in Sunway. He does our despatch, helps with various clerical works and occasionally acts as a driver. During the first week at zubedy, we learned that he not only did not have money to buy new clothes and shoes for work, he had no money for lunch. Like Saedah, if he has no job, his tap runs dry too.

Alicia in Client Servicing turns 26 this year. She lives with her dad who is 71 years old and retired. Her mom passed away when she was little. Alicia is a hard-working team member, has a gentle caring outlook and fun to be with. (We like to poke fun at her as she blushes easily). Last May her dad went through a major operation, thank God he has recovered well. Alicia needs a job, both for herself and her dad.

Sudesh, 38, is one of our facilitators. When his father passed away last year, he moved back and lives with his mother in Seremban. He shuttles between Kuala Lumpur and Seremban daily, leaving home sometimes as early as 4 in the morning and returning late at night. He is no stranger to hard work and sacrifice, he knows what he needs to do to survive and to care for his mother, but he too needs a job.

Like fellow Malaysians, every one of us in zubedy needs employment, those that live from hand to mouth like Saedah and Samsuri and others like Alicia and Sudesh with family to care for. We Malaysians need the Malaysian economy to be strong. We need you, our leaders, to work hard and to work together to make our economy viable.

So this is my plea.

Pakatan Rakyat, please stop your attempts to take over the federal government and persuade BN’s lawmakers to join you. Stop all legal proceedings, no more 916 and let go, just let go. The nation can wait till the next general elections if they want change. By doing so, Malaysians will see your party as caring, unselfish and gracious and give you their support in the next elections.

Barisan Nasional, please stop any attempts to take over PR states and win over PR’s lawmakers. You have proven your point with Perak. The nation can wait for the next general elections if they want your party. Focus all your talent, energy and hard work in steering the country out of an economic downturn. By doing so, Malaysians will see your party as caring, unselfish and smart and give you their support in the next elections.

BN and PR! Call for a truce. Get together and compromise. Someone has to give in. Or has hate consumed your heart till it blinds you? You can do it. You have enough intelligent people between you. I am sure you can find solutions. Take the nation to heart. That is why you are in politics in the first place.

Focus on the people.

Focus on the economy.

Anas Zubedy
Managing Director
Zubedy (M) Sdn Bhd

We will meet at the place..

2009-02-14T23:31:00.008Z

Its been more than 2 weeks now and finally I'm having some measure of closure although I haven't moved on completely. Markus was a big part of my life. Part of me still mourns and part of me hopes for brighter days ahead. Surely this isn't the end. Life goes on and I suppose that's what life is like- a mix of grief and laughter, bitter and sweet. All of these make life, life.

For a long period in my life, I've lived a comfortable life with little worries. No wonder I've never really understood what the term 'groaning world' meant. But reality has its way of teaching us even the toughest of lessons. I have a much better understanding of what incomplete happiness is, and what it means when the day comes where 'There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain'. Although it'll probably not happen in exactly the same sense as I understand it, but I certainly feel I understand it better.

I never quite grasped the concept that 'the highest does not stand without the lowest'; intellectual discourse was never my cup of tea. Yet again, even in your departure you taught me this. Every memory I have of you now seems so much sweeter. Its certainly an honor to have been part of your life.

Losing you isn't easy, but even then, I am comforted. Thanks be to God, for the darkness of death is overcome by the brightness of life in Christ. The pain of losing you makes the joy of seeing you again even sweeter. I will meet you again dearest friend, brother and mentor, at the place where the pavements are made of gold.

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade- kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

Oh how I'd imagine..

2009-02-11T17:17:00.007Z

Oh how I'd imagine,
A house filled with joy and laughter,
And late night talks that last till the break of dawn,

Oh how I'd imagine,
Doing the things we did together,
Maybe football, maybe a hike, maybe just lunch round the corner.

Oh how I'd imagine,
That you'd live life long enough,
To see children take their place and become men and women,

Oh what a loss, for all that's lost,
The hours and minutes that were to come,
The minutes and seconds that I had imagined.

-

I miss you soooo much ='(

In loving memory of Markus Ng..

2009-02-04T04:02:00.009Z

Matthew 5:13-16: "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.

Dearest Markus,

Thanks for the life you've lived. Thanks for being a light to everyone around. Its a pity that you have to leave so soon. I have always imagined the future and how it would be like when me, you and David would be older. I suppose the future I imagined wouldn't be quite like what I imagined.

I'm at a loss for words; it almost seem as if all my words have turned to tears. I will miss you so very dearly. I look forward to seeing you again dearest brother and friend. Till we meet again..

***

Light a candle for Markus

Just keep swimming...

2009-01-24T01:56:00.002Z

Acoustic Night was great. Kresna and I performed 4 songs which were:

Make it mine by Jason Mraz
Chasing pavements by Adele
Menghapus jejakmu by Peterpan
The heart of life by John Mayer

We also managed to fit in our two fingerstyle guitar pieces at the start and before the end. I never would have thought that the day would come where I'd be playing my piece at a proper gig =). Farah Al sang 'Chasing Pavements' and the rest were sang by Kresna. I must say, Farah is a really good singer! She was totally awesome. And Kresna is such a talented guitarist as well. Makes me feel like the odd one out =S. It definitely was an honour to perform with Kresna and Farah.

-

On a seperate note, I'll be participating in Swimathon 2009 which will take place on the 16th-19th April. My aim is to help raise at least 200 pounds for Marie Curie Cancer Care and The Swimathon Foundation.

I'll be swimming 2.5km again this year and training will be starting soon. My other blog will be updated on a regular basis to provide information on the progress of the fundraising as well as training. If you feel moved to donate, do visit my fundraising page. After all, it is for a noble cause =).

A breath of air..

2009-01-19T22:41:00.003Z

I've finally submitted my literature research =). It feels great to have more time for myself. The only danger now is that I become complacent and waste all the extra time that I now have. I hate to admit it, but it seems that the more time I have, the more time I waste =S.

-

On a separate note, I'll be participating in LSE's Acoustic Night organized by the Indonesian and Bruneian Society. Kresna rang me last week and told me he was performing and he asked if I'd like to accompany him with the guitar. We practiced over the weekend and I came to realise that my playing has somewhat deteriorated. Hopefully I'll be able to pull it off tomorrow and the butterflies in the tummy will subside =).

Fear is a friend that's misunderstood

ICUMS Ski trip La Plagne 08'

2009-01-10T00:00:00.000Z

This is probably a little late, but I thought I'd share how the ski trip went.

I thank God for snow, and I thank God for skis. =)

Looking forward and forward looking..

2009-01-08T23:14:00.003Z

Ah.. the end of the holidays approach and a new term dawns! So much to look forward to this year, and so much to be fearful about. Lets just hope all turns out well.

-

If you notice in my previous post, I had aimed to get some stuff done during the hols. Unfortunately, I hadn't been able to finish up what I had started:

Finish writing my literature review- I have only realised that the material that I currently have isn't sufficient. I need to do a more thorough research and time is running out =S
Finish my internship applications- well... the due date is still quite a while off more.. so...
Start composing- This I have done, but unfortunately I have not finished the piece. I promise to post it up when I'm done.
Roll down a snow laden hill and make snow angels- Rolled down too many hills and turned out all blue and black.

So, as I've previously stated, I've still been trying to finish up the literature review. Just in case you don't know, the title is "The Use of Polymers in Offshore Oil and Gas Pipelines". Now, I've been going through tremendous amounts of material and the ones that I want aren't available to me. It's really frustrating not having what I need for the write-up.

However, in my frustration I started writing some poetry. I don't mean to be showy or anything, but I do think that some of it is actually readable. =) I guess there's always a silver lining in every cloud eh? But as everyone knows, I'm the king of not finishing off what I had started and as such, I have not finished writing my poems either. I shan't bother talking about the poems until they are done and I have a good excuse for that; a good one- 'An artist doesn't give any clues about his unfinished works, neither shall I talk about mine'.

-

Now, what lays before me is a new year- a chance to make things right. I'm gonna give it my best shot and hopefully this I'll get done.

Things to look forward to this year:

Completion of my literature review
Composition of songs
Completion of 'Stella', our racing car for the Formula Student race this year.
The adventure of being a student in the UK

sunrise of a new year..

2009-01-01T21:32:00.004Z

The clock struck 12. The fireworks went off. The cheer is heard. Loud, clear, everywhere- Happy New Year!

Time stood still. My mind raced through the previous year. I remember the flight, university, lab reports, malaysian night, church, summer break. All of them compiled in a moment. I thought to myself:

History repeats itself. Same words, same faces, fireworks etc. Questions that then comes to mind: What is so new about this year? What will I do with this new year? and these same questions bounce back and forth within my empty head, making echoes lasting for eternity.

Back to reality. I think I have my answers. But my answers aren't yours and yours not mine. The question still begs to be asked: Given a new year, what would you do with it? and why would you do it the way you do it?

Happy New Year everyone.. Have a great time making your new year resolutions! =)

Christmas break..

2008-12-19T21:44:00.002Z

The term is finally over. Unfortunately, I couldn't quite finish everything that I wanted to do. Such a shame that I couldn't finish with a bang as I had expected. But nevertheless, I made a brilliant attempt.

What's left to be done over the Christmas hols:
i. Finish typing out my literature review project
ii. Finish up the internship applications
iii. Start composing again
iv. Roll down a snow laden hill and make snow angels in France =D

-

Why so downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?

On another note, I have been feeling a certain emptiness. =( The sudden surge of emotion clobbering me all over makes me feel powerless. I hate to feel self-pity. Where to find that piece that fits?

A triangle will never be a square, that's for sure. But why so hasty?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.

Taking ownership..

2008-12-16T14:38:00.003Z

I solemnly pledge to take ownership of my Design, Make and Test project. I will no longer sit back and relax and expect other people to get the work done. I will work at this project with all my heart as if I were doing it for a higher calling. I will not retreat. I will be held responsible for the success or the failure that lies before me. So help me God.

Time for the jogging shoes to take a back seat.
No more running away.

Of gold rain and hailstones..

2008-12-10T11:26:00.006Z

I've never skipped ocf cell prep on Tuesday nights. However, I took the Tuesday off this week and went to watch a play put up by LSE Malaysia Club. It was entitled 'gold rain and hailstones', a piece written by Jit Murad.

It was a great production; great singing, great acting and a great story line. (great for a student production that is..) It was also nice to meet up with old friends back from the old days.

Now, coming to the interesting part. The title was taken from the malay idiom, 'hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri, lebih baik hujan batu di negeri sendiri'. The story tells of a girl who has lived in the states for the past 10 years and she's returning to Malaysia. She's a smart and tough girl; one who embraces the western lifestyle and ideas. However, as she returns home to see her ailing father, she discovers that much has changed since she was last back in Malaysia- the country, the people and most of all, herself. The story goes on to tell of her inner conflicts and the skeletons in her closet.

Despite of all the sexual humour and some vulgarity (did I mention it was a Jit Murad piece?), the play had quite alot of depth to it. Even the title of the play was intriguing. It got me thinking a little- about the future and about PETRONAS.

Being a penultimate year student and going through usual intership applications, its always tempting to think the 'what if's and the 'what could be's if not for the bond. The prospect of working overseas with a reknown multinational which rank in the top 10 in the fortune 500 seems so wonderful, especially when you know it is within reach. Then compare it with working with PETRONAS (which by the way, still ranks top 100 in fortune 500), earning in Malaysian ringgit, and living in the 'oh-so-democratic' Malaysia. Entertaining such thoughts can make one quite disillusioned. Of course, each has its own pros and cons but I think that I know which I'd choose if I had the choice.

But maybe the only thing that is keeping me from realizing the potential of an equally great life back at home is my own blindness. I'm sure it'll be great back at home and I have my reasons for thinking so. What really helps is that I actually don't have a choice. =D Seeing that there seems to be no possibility of escaping this definite future, it is better then, to embrace it with open arms.

'Hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri,

lebih baik hujan batu di negeri sendiri.'

I've a future planned out for me. I know I do. Borrowing John Newton's words:

'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home'

I start to think..

2008-11-29T22:43:00.002Z

Thoughts floating in my head:

- Infinite amount of planning doesn't replace action.

- Just because there's a goal keeper doesn't mean you can't score.

- It takes a little more than talent to be good.

- Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falls; for he has not another to help him up.

- Discipline is good.

- Is it possible to live a life for everyone else and yet find fulfillment in oneself?

- 3 weeks to the end of the term. 3 weeks to a White Christmas. 3 weeks of pure pain and suffering.

Of mind over matter..

2008-11-10T00:26:00.006Z

Its been a little while now since my birthday, and this post is a little overdue. Nevertheless, I thought it only appropriate that it should be written.

As most of you know, I'm not too much of a birthday type of person. While I do appreciate the occasional wishes and the gifts, it wouldn't be too big a deal for me if I didn't get any. After all, I'm only a day older than I was yesterday. Why the big fuss if I'm a year older?

Yet people never tire of wishing me 'happy birthday', they never tire of singing the same song each time. I open up facebook and I get a gazillion wall posts and the few people who haven't quite embraced the wonders of facebook wrote me cards (yes, they still exist!). And this happens every single year. So I thought, 'these people around me are either stubbornly persistant, or they really do care for me'. I couldn't quite see any remote possibility in the former, so the latter must then be true.

I grow older everyday. And for a day in a year, people tell me that they appreciate me. I thank God for that. I thank God that he's surrounded me with friends and not enemies, that he's given me so many people that care for me, so many people that took time to buy me a gift or write me a card/wall post.

Life is so much more meaningful because of one day in a year.

-

I heard a wonderful qoute today from a friend who just turned 40:

"Growing old is an issue of mind over matter- If I don't mind, it doesn't matter."

HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE CURRENT WORLD FINANCIAL PROBLEMS USING THE INDIAN ANALOGY

2008-10-23T21:20:00.001Z

I read this off someone's blog and found it really interesting. I thought I'd share it..

HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE CURRENT WORLD FINANCIAL PROBLEMS USING THE INDIAN ANALOGY

If you have difficulty in understanding the current world financial situation, the following attempt should help... It has been thus simplified.
Once upon a time in a village in India , a man announced to the villagers that he would buy monkeys for $10 each.
The villagers seeing there were many monkeys around, went out to the forest and started catching them. The man bought thousands at $10 each, but, as the supply started to diminish, the villagers stopped their efforts.The man further announced that he would now buy at $20. This renewed the efforts of the villagers and they started catching monkeys again.Soon the supply diminished even further and people started going back to their farms. The offer rate then increased to $25and the supply of monkeys became so little that it was a real effort to even see a monkey, let alone catch it! The man now announced that he would buy monkeys at $50! However, he had to go to the city on some business,
his assistant would now act as buyer, on his behalf.In the absence of the man, the assistant told the villagers: "Look at all these monkeys in the big cage that the man hascollected. I will sell them to you at $35 and when he returns from the city, you can sell them back to him for $50." The villagers squeezed together all their savings and bought all the monkeys. Then they waited and waited.But they never saw the man or his assistant again, only monkeys everywhere!

The little trick..

2008-10-11T20:33:00.003Z

I don't really need a blog, and I was thinking of closing this blog...

There are other places where my innerthoughts should rightfully be recorded.

But sometimes, I want to let people know what I'm thinking.

Hence the dilemma...

And my mind plays a little trick on me.

And I keep the blog.

2008-06-05T01:42:00.002Z

It is over.. And so, I breathed my last (not!). The exams weren't a pleasant memory for me to cherish this time round..

Enough about the exams, thanks all for the many prayers and the many wishes too!

exams are over!!!!!!!!!! (NOT..)

2008-04-29T17:45:00.004Z

Lol.. One down
29th april- managing people and organizations

Many more to go..
19th may- thermofluids 1
20thmay- solid mech 1
22nd may- maths
23rd may- solid mech 2
27th may- thermofluids 2
28th may- design and manufacturing
29th may- mechatronics

I like!! =D

p/s: prayer is most welcome..

Has been too long..

2008-03-03T22:48:00.002Z

Heya everyone. It certainly has been quite a while since the last post, a mighty 2 months in fact. There's just so much that has happened in the last 2 months that I'm at a loss of words.. But right now, I'd just like to ramble about the Imperial College Malaysian Night that happened last weekend. Its probably one of the best things that has happened to me in a long time. =D

The show was titled 'kawan' which means 'friend' in english. It tells a tale of 3 good friends back in penang in the 60's and how they grew up with each other. However, they were seperated due to unavoidable circumstances. The tale then continues, but this time continuing with the children of these 3 good friends and how their lives interwine when they get caught in a thrilling series of drama etc etc..

To cut the story short, I felt that it was wonderful. All the work was worth it; all the pain, all the sweat, all the frustration, all worth it. =D I'm a happy man for now but at the same time, I'm feeling a little empty now that the show is over... sigh..

Life goes on..

-

Back to reality..

I'm swimming in Swimathon 2008 in support of Marie Curie Cancer Care. I'll be participating in the 2.5km distance challenge which will take place on the 19th of April 2008 at ethos swimming pool.

The idea is to raise funds to help fund the work of more than 2,000 Marie Curie Nurses across the UK. Show your support by assisting me in achieving my fund-raising target. You can help me achieve my target via a secure online donation using debit/credit card. If you feel moved to donate, visit http://my.artezglobal.com/personalPage.aspx?SID=228679

I've also set up a blog to update everyone on my progress in preparation for the swimathon. Visit http://aid-spilinmy.blogspot.com for more info.

Ski trip 07'

2007-12-25T18:33:00.000Z

Bonjour, I'm home from skiing the in the French Alps. I've never seen so much snow in my life before. Unfortunely, I didn't get to make a snowman. But even then, making snowmans are nothing compared to skiing. It was a wonderful and extremely memorable 10 days and I'm just sad that its over. Given the opportunity, I'd definitely want to go skiing again.

This is a little video I made about our final day expedition. The bus was to leave at 2 pm so we made one last expedition in the morning. The team comprised of me, Jared, Xue Lieh and Wayn. Jared was the only snowboarder and the rest of us skied.

Sigh.. I'm suffering from withdrawal symptoms now. Need to ski.. neeeeed to ski... neeedd.. must..

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..

2007-12-11T23:08:00.000Z

The gig was fun. The last time I performed proper on stage ( not including all the church activities) was back in form 5 where I performed with some friends during 'induction night' back in high school. We did 'that thing you do' by the wonders. Guess what? Fuze performed the same song again but however, this time I was on the bass guitar. We did 4 covers which were 'play that funky music' by wild cherry, 'everywhere' by michelle branch, 'way back into love' by hugh grant and 'that thing you do' by the wonders. It was great having the crowd move with us during our performance but on my part, it was really hard for me to move to the music. By nature, I feel that I'm not entirely capable to express myself physically. Hence, I was stoning on stage and not moving with the beat during the performance. Ah.. I guess that my expressive side needs more working on. =S

-

Exams are finally over and France awaits my coming =D. I'll be going for the annual MSoc ski trip this saturday and I can barely contain my excitement. I'm already dreaming of skiing, snow fights, snowmans, and snow angels. It sure does give me alot to look forward to.

-

Christmas is just round the corner! Due to the general lack of Christmas spirit amongst the people here in UK, I decided to try aid the situation.

Hoho.. what do you think of my beautiful christmas tree?

On to more somber matters, I've almost witnessed an accident happen in front of my own eyes. I was walking to school yesteday and I stopped at the traffic light where a father and his 2 sons were also waiting to cross the road. Now, the traffic light then turned red and the father and his sons were about to cross the road but a van beat the red light and was moving real fast. One of the little boys was on his bike and couldn't stop in time. He was in the path of the oncoming van. Luckily he managed to swerve at the last minute to avoid being knocked by the van. However, the front tyre of his bicycle scrapped the van as the van screeched to a halt. The father was furious and hurled abusive words at the driver as the driver alighted from the van.

It disturbed me for a little while after that. The kid was young, maybe 7 or 8? and yet it could have easily been his last day even at that young age. It made me come to think of how fragile life is. Anyday could be our last day. And suddenly the saying 'live each day as if it were your last' seemed to make so much more sense than it used to. So much more.

Oh holidays, where art thou?

2007-12-07T06:02:00.000Z

I shan't be performing the duet at London Gig after all.. =S Had some complications and had to pull out in the end. Such a shame; she had such an awesome voice. Sigh.. there goes my moment of glory =P.. Not to worry all ye dissapointed fans, I shall still be playing the bass for fuze.

Exams are quite a pain but its doing a good job of keeping me at the books. I just can't wait till the end of the term.

This is going to be really random, but it's really funny.. =D

My box of chocolates..

2007-11-29T22:36:00.001Z

Ah.. I have been quite busy for the past few weeks- lab reports, exams, rehearsals to attend, basketball etc etc. I must say, it certainly feels good to be busy. It adds so much more to your self esteem and self worth. Then finally when you're free, it feels like a whole load being taken off your chest; you sit down on your chair, sipping a cup of coffee, reading the papers but in a few minutes realising that your mind is somewhere else, and then you end up blogging. =D

Notts Games is this Saturday and unfortunately, I got injured yesterday. I kinda got knocked in my thigh during training and I'm finding it hard to walk. Hopefully it'll get better soon.

London Gig is next Saturday. There has been new updates. My previous singer, Ei Mun couldn't make it for London Gig, so I got paired up with another singer, Francine. She has a really awesome voice, and things are looking good as of now. Oh, did I mention that I'll be playing bass for a band as well? We call ourselves 'Fuze'.

fuze

I'm having 4 more progress tests in the next 2 weeks. That means that I'll be having 2 exams a week until the term is over. Can't wait till the end of the term and the hols. I'm sure I'd love more time to myself.

London geek..

2007-11-16T12:41:00.000Z

I made a big mistake a few weeks ago. I promised Hazwan that I'll be performing at the London Gig organized by Imperial's Malaysian Society. Its gonna be held on the 8th of December, about 3 weeks away!!! Oh my..

I was supposed to perform a guitar solo. But I was afraid that the crowd won't enjoy the genre. I mean, having rock bands and all, it'll be pretty intimidating to have an acoustic instrumental. So I thought to myself, maybe I could get a singer to perform with me instead. Maybe then people might actually find it less boring. Plus, if I make a fool of myself, at least I won't be alone. =D

I was told by Vivien that she had a friend that was interested in singing for me. So I met up with Ei Mun about an hour ago and she does sing pretty well =D. Whoop Dee Doo! I might not turn out to be the London Geek after all! (or at least if I do, it'll be London geeks)

p/s : everyone's support will be appreciated. do come!

=D

2007-11-12T21:14:00.000Z

Hoho.. I got tagged! This is awesome. I don't get tagged often. Here goes:

List down how many times you've pooped in your pants. When you're done, eat a slice of chocolate cake, then do the hookey pookey. Come on, everybody now.. Right hand in, right hand out, in out, in out, shake it all about.....

Okay so I made that up. =D Here's the real one:

list down five things you enjoy in your life right now. when you're done, tag 6 other people

1. I enjoy playing music on the guitar.
2. I enjoy watching simpsons, family guy and south park. (Don't you judge me! =P)
3. I enjoy playing sports.
4. I enjoy good jokes.
5. I enjoy being joyful. hmmm?

I tag:

6 other poeple, whoever that is...

Winter approaches..

2007-11-11T19:32:00.000Z

So, I've been up to not much good recently. But I've been doing a decent bit of studying and keeping up with lectures. =D

I'm having some exams in the coming weeks and at the moment, I could still do with alot more of preparation. This coming Friday, I'll be having my materials paper and the next Thursday, I'll be having my stress analysis paper. And I say to myself gleefully, "Aha! a chance to score well and impress my tutor." Yeah right.

So the weather is becoming more like winter than anything else. Its cold, dark and damp. But the worst part is that Hyde Park closes early (because it gets dark early). That means that I can't walk back home throught Hyde Park but I'll be needing to take the bus instead. I'm really considering to get a bike so that I could get to and fro without having to wait for the bus. The mornings on the other hand, are still as enjoyable as I get to walk through the park. Infact, I've posted some pictures that I took not too long ago.

Hyde Park looking autumnish

Hyde Park looking winterish

Well, I went to church the other day. Guess who I met?? Yeah! You guessed right! Winnie the Pooh! Now, that's kinda random but scroll down and you'll understand. I was kinda amused so I took a picture. Infact, I was so amused that I spent some time deep in thought. You know, having recently turn 21 and all, I was just reminiscing and thinking hard to myself "Would I, at that age, wear something like that and walk around in public?" Of course I would!

Winnie the Pooh posing with Blessing

Then guess, what else I saw? I haven't seen one of those toys in ages. So I overpowered the kid and played with it and refused to give it back. No, I didn't. But it was really cool, so I took a picture of it. Ah, sweet memories I tell you, sweet memories..

If only I were young again... =D

The first week of being 21..

2007-11-01T23:21:00.000Z

Nothing much has changed I assure you, nothing much at all.

I've been wanting to do some recording for a long time now- about a year. But it wasn't until yesterday that I finally managed to muster up the discipline to do so. So there I was, sitting down with my guitar and playing a little music. I never thought it would be so hard. I sat down there for quite a while and not even get half of the song done. But I assure you, plans to keep on recording music are on the way.

I just had my first taste of an orchestra performance just now. The tickets were going for quarter its price. I must say that the 5 pounds was worth its every penny. The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was playing and Leonard Slatkin was conducting 'Belshazzar's Feast'. The performance was amazing. There were so many instruments playing at the same time and all in perfect harmony. As I said earlier, it was my first orchestra experience so I was busy assigning the different sounds to the instruments. It was just so good.

So good that I feel so inadequate to do any recording at all... =S

21st..

2007-10-24T23:19:00.000Z

I just turned 21, and mind you, I didn't even get dizzy! =D

No, I didn't turn around 21 times. I'm now 21 years of age and I'm now an adult (am I?).

So I've been thinking all about my teenagehood that has just passed, and the adulthood that is to come. Many thoughts passed through my head; some interesting, and some less interesting, some deep thoughts, some shallow. But after my tiny mental exercise, I've come to a conclusion that I'm somewhat unprepared for adulthood.

One of the thoughts that preoccupied my mind was that there was so much that needs to be made right. What I mean by this is that certain choices I make would have to change. I can no longer run away from making right choices under the pretext of being young. Who am I kidding? I'm 21 years old; my passport says so, as with my driving licence. Some things will have to change, and I'll have to start somewhere - 21 seems like a sensible age.

No, that doesn't mean that I'm going to slow down on my sense of humour. How could I do such a thing?? =P

21 years so far, many more to go.. And I'm optimistic! =D

3rd academic week..

2007-10-21T11:02:00.000Z

I've finally got my own internet connection. Jared and Fazril are busily downloading tv series and all. I however, am not the download kind of person. I'd rather just stream everything and watch it online. In fact, I was just watching the rugby world cup finals yesterday night. England lost to South Africa 6-15. There weren't any tries at all the whole game, so it wasn't as entertaining. England however, did manage to get one try but the refree disqualified it. It was a real shame that England lost as they retained possesion of the ball most of the time but lost because they simply couldn't get the ball past the line.

The week has been quite a tiring week for me. I've fallen ill and I'm feeling terribly exhausted eventhough I haven't been doing anything at all. I'm already getting better, but I'd love to recover as soon as possible.

I'm currently short-listed in the Imperial's Malaysian Society basket ball team. They had try outs last week and I've managed to get short listed. I'm quite sure that I won't be able to make it to the first team. But even in the second team, I'm not too sure I'd be on the starting lineup. There are really good guards in the team and all I might be doing is to warm up the bench.

This weekend, I'll be going for ICCU's weekend away. We'll be going somewhere out of central london but I'm not too sure where exactly. Hopefully I've recovered by then.

3 weeks so far, many more to go..

2007-10-12T23:17:00.000Z

I assure you, its still alive. And I shall once again update my blog. =D

Its been nearly 3 weeks now since I've left home again to resume my studies in UK. I've settled down since, cooked a little, had fun a little, sudied a little etc etc.. There's always things to do all the time. The only problem being, doing the right thing at the right time; there's always room for improvement.

Its autumn now and the trees are shedding their leaves and its really beautiful. The surroundings, especially the scenery encourages oneself to be a little more reflective. Currently, I enjoy the privilege of being in that position. Having to walk through Hyde Park to get to classes seems to add value to life as a student. I'm learning to appreciate so many things that have always been around me but have always overlooked. Now I conciously try to look for things around me to be thankful for, which after a while, I realised requires so much concentration. Thank god for autumn.

Classes have been going on for 2 weeks now, and to date I have sufficient to keep my hands full. I would think this year's syllabus to be interesting. We have a group project to design and manufacture a water pump from scratch. Currently we're still working on the design part, but in a month and a half we should be well into the manufacturing part.

I've been meaning to blog a little about my place that I'm calling home for the next 9 months or so. Its a nice cozy place situated nearby bayswater. Its not new, not very well furnished but its home! =D I'm still waiting for the internet connection to be installed (which seems to take forever), and there also seems to be a problem with the gas. Apparently, they've switched our meters around and the previous tenant has been paying for someone else's bill. I'm living with 2 other friends- Fazril and Jared. It really is a blessing as we get along quite well. I'm sure there are always flaws if you're looking for it, but as for me, I'm kinda content with my place. Not perfect, but I have a roof over my head, which is already more than enough.

Finally, to all my Muslim friends. Happy Eid, or even better, Selamat Hari Raya!

Its alive I'm telling you..

2007-09-24T09:03:00.000Z

Its been a long while since the last blog post, and even when provoked to rise from its slumber a few weeks ago (by syazleen), my blog has been relatively un-alive. I haven't been extremely busy recently. But when you've got nothing to do, there is a tendency to just slack.. and do other things that seem important to you, like hibernating. But yes, its alive I'm telling you, it is indeed. So after a long month of being silent, I shall reveal the long awaited post.

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The holidays have been a wonderful time. Infact, this must have been one of the best hols I've ever had. I think one of the reasons why it would be the "bestest" of all hols is because I've actually managed to be productive this hols. The stint with Mcare has proven to be an extremely enriching experience (which I will blog more about later) and I've also spent loads of quality time with my family, friends from long ago, and my other family - all the SSGC/agape dudes.

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I would love to share a tiny little conversation that took place recently because I think it really adds perspective to my adventure studying overseas.

Uncle Ritchie : So Peter, when are you leaving for UK?
Me : I shall be going back on Monday night.
Uncle Ritchie : Going back? or did you mean going away?
Peter : Ahhh... I meant going away.

I thought that this conversation was an excellent reminder for me not to forget my "asal-usul". There's always been the temptation to live my life as if I were my own; doing my own selfish thing and not caring about what others think and feel. Although I've been away from home for possibly half of my life, I always need to remember who I am, what I should be doing and to whom I belong to. You won't know where you're headed to if you dont' know where you're coming from. So this coming academic year, I hope that I shall always remember my humble beginnings; my resposibilities as a student, friend, son, brother and also as a Christian.

My plane leaves in 7 hours. And what do I do? I blog....

So, I will be going away again to UK to continue my second year of studies. And I do so with a joyful heart. Its nice going away, 'cause there's always alot to look forward to when I come back. Of course, there's also alot to look forward to when I'm away, but having a little perspective does not harm.

Miscellanous Updates..

2007-08-27T12:10:00.000Z

OCF Malaysia had their 2nd official meet up last Thursday. It was great fun (as all OCF meetings are), and we had some time sharing about our hols and keeping each other accountable. We then did a short bible study on Daniel 2 and then some supper.

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I went for paintball on Sunday with the youth from SS and AGAPE (with some older people, namely Kit and Tee Yee). It was held at TT sports arena in subang, just beside Holiday Villa. I thought the price was extremely reasonable (RM50 for 200 pellets and everything else not including body armor). It was good fun and I'm glad that everyone enjoyed it. It makes all the effort organizing it worth while. =D

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I am feeling disabled. I just got myself a pair of specs last week and I realised, now that I have to rely on a man made instrument to help me live a normal life, I am somewhat not as able. Hence, the disabled feeling. (no offence to those who are wearing specs) I guess its just kinda hard trying to get used to having a glass screen in front of your eyes everywhere you look. But its nothing really serious; don't have much power or astig either. I just think that it helps me a lot to see things far away, especially in the lecture halls. On the bright side, they say that specs make you look older and more educated. =D

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My eldest brother, David, just graduated today (his convo was today). He studied medcine in UPM and currently doing his housemanship in Kuching. Listening to him tell horror stories about being on call gives me the shudders. Imagine staying awake for 36 hours, and doing it on a regular basis? Pretty scary. Don't have pictures right now, but I'll upload some later.

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I am currently working on a picture dictionary for the Chin refugees. I'm not doing the whole thing of course. Most of it was done by someone else who had to go off to the states and since she left, noone bothered finishing it. I have very little prior experience using photoshop, but I hope to finish it in 2 weeks time when I stop my stint with Malaysian Care.(which means I'm gonna have to learn how to use photoshop in a really short time) I am currently taking online lessons from friend and photoshop whiz, Mr Ho Sui-Jon. =D Hopefully I'll be able to see the first of the printing drafts before I leave back to the UK. As of now, I think Mcare has managed to find funding for 1000 copies.

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I shall be speaking in Sg Long this Sunday. Uncle Seng Kooi has cunningly made me share in his place. He was pretty smooth actually. He called me over, made some small talk, then he dropped the bomb. "So, you're speaking in Sg Long on the 2nd September." Lol..

Living out the words of Rocky Balboa..

2007-08-13T12:32:00.000Z

PJ half marathon was on Sunday. It was pretty cool. I hadn't ran any runs in a long time so it was a nice feeling to be back on the road. The turnout for the half marathon wasn't extremely insipiring and although the papers reported it to have a turnout of 4500 people, I felt it was much less. Interestingly, my brother and I agreed that there must've been a mistake in the measurement of the route as we felt that the route was shorter than stated. However, the run as a whole was pretty ok I guess.

The Chin children performing their traditional dance

The Chin refugee school had their sports day on Saturday. It was held in Kajang stadium and was the initiative of Malaysian Care with the support of UNHCR and other churches namely FGA and SIB. 3 different schools came together and were divided into 4 different colour groups and competed against each other(competing by schools would be not practical as some schools had less people as compared to others). It started off with some speeches, then came the traditional dance and then only the events started. The events contested were the duck walk race and running with a ping pong ball in a spoon for the pre schoolers. The elder children participated in the 100m, 200m, 400m, softball and football.

Pre-schoolers with ping pong ball in spoon

200m girls

Michael, Tee Keat and I were manning a games stall which was quite fun initially. But we soon realised that the kids weren't the type that gave up easily. They'd just keep on coming back for more and more and more. It was almost as if they lived out the words of Rocky Balboa "Its not how hard you can hit, or how much you can hit, but how hard you can get hit and yet move in the right direction". They were so persistant on coming back for more that it got quite tiring towards the end. But everything was made worth it when we ate satay kajang at the end of the sports day.

It was worth all the effort =D

One of the Chin refugee children and her family will be leaving for the US of A tomorrow. Its a weird feeling- knowing that they'll be headed towards a better life where their status as refugees will be acknowledged but at the same time, feeling worried about how they're gonna fit into the more sophisticated society there. It brings me to wonder if I had done any good trying to educate them in the past weeks. Could I have done more? I can only hope and pray that they'll be fine over there.

Miscellanous Updates..

2007-08-08T03:02:00.000Z

Last Saturday was the annual youth bible quiz. 4 churches took part this year; Agape, Bandar Sunway, PJGH and SSGC. SSGC was represented by Zhi Liang, Jocelyn, Petra and Marcus. This year's quiz was on the book of Nehemiah and the quiz itself was divided into 6 parts, 2 of which are to be answered by the floor crowd. The questions were kinda challenging, especially the ones that required interpretation. Nevertheless, most of the participants did quite well. In the end, SSGC were victorious and there was a big celebration. In fact, we had KFC for lunch the next day courtesy of Uncle Eng Aun. One thing for sure, it certainly felt good winning after losing out in COPA IBA.

I had been experiencing what you call PRB (postRedang blues). The past week had seen me falling asleep to dream about dancing with the fishes and swimming past loads and loads of corals. But its getting better I assure you. No medication needed. =D Incidently, Colin gave me a wet suit. He said that if I could fit it, its all mine. And it fitted quite perfectly! So perfect that if I had put on another 15 pounds, I wouldn't be able to fit it nicely (which is a wonderful incentive not to put on weight). You see, Colin had inherited the wet suit from someone who had passed away and he couldn't fit it. Hence, he passed it to me. Looks as if I'm gonna have to take up scuba diving as a hobby now =D.

Tee Keat, a former church member has just recently joined Malaysian Care to volunteer as well. His job description is kinda like mine, so it means that he'll be doing pretty much what I'm doing right now and its always fun to work with company. Indeed, the Lord provides!

This Saturday, the Chin refugees will be having their sports day. It'll be held in Kajang Stadium and I'll be helping out to man the posts for the races. There will be several events namely softball, football and the track events (100m, 200m and 400m). Hopefully the weather turns out right and everything will run smoothly.

Redang!!

2007-08-03T03:19:00.000Z

Whale shark, at least 20ft long. But no, I didn't see one there, I got it off the internet. =D But I wish I had seen one.

That's me wearing pink snorkles. Kinda cool huh?

Batfish.

Sea urchin.

Star Cushion.

Parrot fish.

In my free time, I managed to do some really fun stuff too such as..

Burying myself in the sand

and also playing volleyball with some of the other holidaymakers.

Uncle Nic, Me and Ivan.

Uncle Nic, my sifu, was the pioneer for Redang itself and he was there even before the resorts were out (yes, he's kinda old). He's always reminiscing the old days where the underwater visibility was 60 ft and how he could see the turtles swimming at the ocean floor from the boat, which also makes him an interesting person as he always has loads of stories and jokes to tell.

I'm really glad I went for this trip..

You're just so beautiful girl......

2007-08-01T01:32:00.000Z

I just got back from Redang on Sunday. Redang was the BOMB!! It was totally cool. I went there with some of my churchmates and we went diving. The corals and the marine life was sooo beautiful girl, that's why it'll never work, you'll have me suicidal, suicidal when you say its overrrr...
Urmm okay.. Point made. But seriously, it was so good that it was saddening not knowing when I'll be able to go diving again. It was a really interesting and unforgettable experience. I saw quite a few things, including my very first shark, sea turtle, sting ray, eel, nudibranches and even the more common clownfish (nemo). Uncle Nic brought an underwater camera and I'll be getting the photos from him in the next few days so maybe then I'll upload some pictures on the blog.

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The PJ Half marathon will be held next Sunday (on the 14th of August) and I shall be taking part in the 10k run. From my current fitness level, I can feel that its gonna hurt real bad. However, I will be doing some training and hopefully it'll get better in the next 2 weeks.

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Bible quiz is this Saturday. SS shall be represented by Zhi Liang, Jocelyn, Marcus and Petra. They've all been training really hard for this and I think that we have a chance of winning this time round. Of course, winning isn't everything but it sure feels nice to win once in a while huh?

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The last of the puppies are gone. We gave them all away. =( I think what I'm feeling now is the 'empty nest' syndrome. All good things must come to an end huh?

miscellanous updates..

2007-07-11T02:55:00.000Z

The puppies are down to four now. 4 of them have departed for a whole new adventure. A little painful, but at least they're in safe hands. We gave them away to the breeder who helped lucy get pregnant by introducing her to some male dobermans.

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COPA IBA was yesterday. We left church early in the morning and reached the competetion venue in Klang at 8:00. There was a a welcoming speech, then a short gospel message. Then, the competition began.
The senior and junior captainball teams were top in the group stages. We then moved on to the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, the seniors lost in the quarters to Bangsar. The juniors however, won TTDI (the previous champs) to move on to the semis. However, they lost in the semis to PJGH. It was a good run for us, and we were quite dissapointed that we didn't manage to win the competition. What added to the dissapointment was that the senior team won the eventual champions, Agape Chapel in the group stages (and the score was quite flattering!).
As for our futsal teams, SSGC A advanced to the quarters but lost. SSGC B didn't manage to qualify for the quarters but played for the plate and won it. All in all, COPA IBA 2007 was really fun and I finally managed to taste what its like to compete in COPA IBA after so many years of not being able to participate. Hopefully, next year we would do better than this year and get a taste of victory.

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OCF Malaysia has finally had its first summer OCF meeting. We had it at my place last Wednesday and we had a short time of worhsip and then a small bible study on Daniel 1. It was really nice to meet up with the other fellow OCFers but most of them couldn't make it as LSE's results came out the same day and many opted to be at home to witness such a memorable event. Although only 4 of us were present, but we still had a good time. Hopefully our next meeting would not clash with anyone's schedules.

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I've discovered that teaching is a really hard job. It requires the patience, enthusiasm and focus that I feel I do not possess. 2 weeks into the job and I'm already feeling discouraged at the feedback I'm receiving. I guess it takes a while to get them to respond. Let me qoute Guat Eu: "Its too soon to reap what you sow. You've gotta sow a little longer." Hopefully she's right about this.

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David has just left for Kuching on Wednesday for his housemanship but he'll be back in August for his convocation. I guess home will be a little quiter than usual with him gone. Hopefully my parents will be able to handle the 'empty nest syndrome' when Markus and I return to the UK. =D

=(

2007-06-27T16:35:00.000Z

So, my adventure with Malaysian care begins. I went to Damansara Perdana today to help out with the Orang Asli. Yes, I did say Damansara Perdana if you're wondering. It seems that a long time ago, before development took place, the Damansara Utama/Jaya- Bandar Utama- Damansara Perdana area were filled with orang aslis. Later, when the developers decided to develop the land, they compensated the orang aslis by building a bunglo for each of the families and relocated them in Damansara Perdana. (Desa Temuan to be exact)

Now, back to the part where I was helping out with the OA. Now, the whole project was to teach the OA kids english (kids between the age of 3-12). I was there primarily to help out before classes started, namely to play a game with the kids. Since I've been to an OA settlement, I thought I knew what I was in for. But I was wrong.

You see, when I first arrived all was well although 3 children started clinging to me. They held on to my hands then tried to climb onto me.(They were girls . Hmmm.. interesting huh?? =D ) Then the kids tried other things, such as trying to tickle me, shouting into my ears, running circles around me.. etc. Still, I thought that was kinda normal for kids to do so. Then came the part where I was to share the little game that I deviced- which could have turned out better. It took me 20 mins to get their attention and another 20 mins trying to explain the game. The game only lasted for 10 mins. Even then, they weren't follwing the rules. Hence, the =(

Then the classes started. There were 3 other volunteers and one staff and they seemed to be able to relate well with the kids that I kinda grew jealous. Of course, the other volunteers got their fair share of tickling, shouting and all the other stuff but they were able to overcome it. So, I was feeling a little inadequate; I felt as if there was nothing of use that I could contribute to the English classes, I felt like a spectator that had come to watch a cultural show. Worst of all, I learnt that there were less kids today than they usually have. Apparently most the kids have gone for a special cocuriculum event and only a few were left for english classes.

Of course, in comparison with the OA kids in Tapah, the kids here have a real short attention span. They can't sit still for a minute (and I really mean it) unless they are having a mood swing. One particular girl crawled under the table and started cutting some playing cards with scissors and proceeded to try cut some parts of her clothes as well. Later she just sat down in a corner and refused to talk. I found it almost amusing.

I guess that the kids there are really different, also having different needs. Although I may not be able to relate well with the kids, I could still give my attention to those who are lacking attention. Hopefully, it would make a difference. I'm sure it will. I'm going back to the same place on Friday, with more of them to handle than today.

Oh, that doesn't change the fact that the kids were like tiny pests.

Sigmund says..

2007-06-27T03:03:00.000Z

Last Sunday was father's day. We celebrated it in church, then the Youth presented all the dad's in church with a hand painted shirt. On the shirt, was a quote by Freud. (Don't ask me why Freud, but nevertheless this quote was one of his better ones.)

Sigmund says, ' I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father's protection'

I went for the peaceful protest last Tuesday in dataran merdeka. There were about 300 ++ people in number; not as much as I thought there would be. They all brought their own candles and some of them brought banners and cardboard signs. Nothing extremely interesting happened except for the cops carrying machine guns. (I must say they were prepared for the worst..) When I was there I bumped into Guat Eu and Elaine and some of their friends as well.

I brought my own candle as well, and it seems that all the other candles paled in comparison to mine. I wonder why.. =D

I have just recently started working with Malaysian Care (actually yesterday was my first day). The staff are really friendly and I'm hoping that it would be a enriching experience for me.

Food for thought- Freedom of religion..

2007-06-16T14:38:00.000Z

Revathi, an ethnic Indian woman, has been held in a rehabilitation center run by Islamic authorities since January 2007 because she wants the State to acknowledge she is a Hindu and not a Muslim.
Revathi was born to Indian parents who had converted to Islam before her birth. She claims she was raised by her grandmother as a Hindu. She and Suresh were married according to Hindu rites in March 2004. Revathi was advised by the Malacca Islamic Religious Department to make an application at the Malacca Syariah High Court to confirm her status as a Hindu. She did as she was told.
However, the Syariah Court ordered her detained in a rehabilitation centre in Ulu Yam, Selangor under Melaka's Syariah criminal laws for 100 days. This detention was extended in Revathi's absence for a further 80 days supposedly because she had not "repented". In the meanwhile, Revathi's Muslim mother obtained a Syariah Court order granting her custody of Revathi and Suresh's 15 month old baby. That order was enforced on Suresh's Hindu family with the assistance of the police.
The family is now torn apart - with the mother in detention, the child with the grandparents and the father in limbo without his family.

There will be a peaceful candlelight vigil in support of Revathi and many others like her, who are unable to fully exercise their Constitutionally- guaranteed freedom of faith.The vigil is an initiative of civil society organisations including MCCBCHST (the Malaysian Consultative Council on Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Sikhism and Taoism) and various women's rights groups (All Women's Action Society (AWAM), Sisters in Islam (SIS), Women's Aid Organisation (WAO), Women's Centre for Change, Penang (WCC) and Women's Development Collective (WDC)).

Date: Tuesday, 19 June 2007
Time: 8 p.m.
Venue: Dataran Merdeka (at the flagpole)

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Now, this really got me thinking a little about our precious little country, Malaysia. In article 11 of the constitution, it states that 'every person has the right to profess and practice his religion'. I think its a little hard to see where this fits into Revathi's case, in fact, it might not fit at all. All I can say is that I'm a little suprised that the people who should in fact, be making a big deal about this are keeping quiet.

I say this with all the due respect to my muslim friends and acquaintances. But shouldn't the muslims be worrying that their rights are being blatantly trampled upon? Its their freedom that's being restricted, and the non-muslims to a certain extent as well. From what I can see, there is no freedom in their choice of religion irrespective of what convictions they have. I would think that one should be given the liberty to make a choice, even if the choice is to remain as status quo.

I think I'd enjoy a walk in Dataran Merdeka this Tuesday night. Maybe I'll bring along some candles as well. After all, its a great opportunity to hear a little more in detail about Revathi's scenario and possibly to get some good pictures as well.

Glad to be home..

2007-06-10T19:29:00.000Z

And so, I boarded my flight back home on Tuesday the 5th of June. I couldn't help feeling a little glad to be finally headed back home.

I took my last look at the london sky.

Anticipation overwhelmed me and I ended up gazing out of the window instead of sleeping.

And I had a severe case of jet lag after that. Which was cool, because you know you can sleep as much as you want back at home.

I haven't been doing much since getting back home, played a little futsal, meddling with the pups etc.. The food here is magnificent. I remember my first spoonful of nasi lemak; took me a minute or so for me to swallow. I just didn't want that moment to end. =D

Apart from all the fun, I've also had my share of sadness. One of my beloved puppies choked on some stuff she wasn't suppose to eat. I guess it was quite upsetting, since I've only been back for such a short while, and it had to happen. Oh well, bad things happen from time to time.

".. and if one cute puppy would have accidentally fall, 8 cute puppies playing in the hall.. "

Worth fighting for..

2007-06-05T08:40:00.000Z

"... three weeks from now I will be harvesting my crops, imagine where you will be and it will be so. Hold the lines, stay with me. If you find yourself alone riding in green fields with the sun on your face, do not be troubled, for you are in Elysium and you're already dead!!!. "- Maximus Decimus Meridius

What would you fight for?

Yummy...

The end of year 1

2007-06-01T15:25:00.001Z

I have just officially finished my first year in Imperial College. For the past week, I have been having manufacturing workshops. We were to make a car. It was quite a lot of effort trying to make a car in a week. Nevertheless, I succeeded and I'm quite happy about my car actually.

Now, now, no reason to get excited. Its only a rubber band powered toy car. But still, its a car. We even had a race on the Mech Eng concourse. Well, it wasn't really a race; the car that moved furthest in the track wins. My car didn't do too well. It wasn't very fast, and it wasn't moving straight. A friend of mine won the race and his car even surpassed the end of the track. In fact, his car was the only car that did so.

Nicos (in the middle) and some of his friends that I don't really know. (They're all from cyprus)

Throughout the whole week, I also made a G-Clamp. It was hard work as I had to file the metal into shape. However, the whole process of making it was really interesting. Initially, it was a block of steel, and we had to cut out the rough shape. Then, we had to file it into its proper shape and finish off by polishing it with sand paper. The screw was made with a lathe where we turned a steel bar and slowly removed the metal by chipping it off with a cutting tool. They even heat treated the metal to give it extra strength.

I'm flying home this Tuesday. I'm really excited about going home and I can't wait to see the puppies. (Lucy gave birth to 6 males and 3 females I think..) I have yet to pack and I don't know what to do with the food in my refrigerator.

Puppies are so adorable

So I was tagged..

2007-05-22T23:27:00.000Z

As you can't see, I've been tagged by a friend about a month ago ( on the 22nd of april to be exact) and I have successfully procastinated doing this 'tag' thingy mcjiggie. So, now that I have loads and loads of time to do all the blogging that I want, I'm going to do it.

So, here's the basic outline of the tag game:
# Go to Pop Culture Madness site.
# Pick the year you turned 18 years old. (found on the left of the screen)
# Get yourself nostalgic over the songs that year.
# Write something about how those songs affected you.
# Pass it on to 5 more friends.

And I did exactly that. The only part that gets a little confusing is, the part where you're supposed to write about how the songs affected you, which is completely fine. Its just that I don't know most of the songs on the list.

I'll use the ones that I do know, and everyone will just have to be happy about it I guess. =D Here goes:

She will be loved - Maroon 5
I'm reminded of KTJ. Don't know how, or why. No particular memory.

Are you gonna be my girl - Jet
This song reminds me of RBS. You see, I was new to the song and Arvind had let me listen to the song on his mp3 player. So, I was listening closely to the lyrics and I thought I heard "big black boobs" but it was actually "big black boots". And yes, I was embarrassed and I had to live through it for a month.

My happy ending - Avril Lavigne, The reason - Hoobastank, Numb - Linkin Park
All these songs remind me of RMC. It was a craze back then and they'd play it aloud on the radios. Especially 'Numb'. I remember playing basketball to the song on saturday nights almost every time. Till it got to a point where it was almost disgusting. But great memories I tell you, great memories..

I do know some of the other songs, but none of them bring back any special memories. And now I'm going to tag 5 people. Hmm.. On second thoughts, I'm just gonna tag one. Fazril

Thumbs in, elbows up, knees together, toes together..

2007-05-22T22:54:00.000Z

Ah.. So my exams are over. And how better to celebrate my exams than to have a good rest. And it feels weird. (for those who don't know, my exams were over on Monday)
As for the exam itself, I'm not expecting myself to be getting tremendously good results. The papers were hard, and I wasn't as prepared as I should have. I guess there comes a time when you realise that last minute studying doens't pay. Oh well, its all over now and there's no use crying over spilt milk. All I can do now is to learn from my mistakes.
Us Malaysians, we had a small lunch celebration in chinatown. It was a little strange as the paper we just sat prior to the lunch was a real blow. We sat about the table and spent quite a bit of time talking about the paper and getting all depressed about it again. Not a very typical celebration but nevertheless, the food was good. We ate at "misato" a japanese restaurant and I had chicken katu curry rice. The servings were huge and I was hungry, which was a good thing. Even better, Dinesh wasn't feeling too hungry, so I helped him with his lunch too. Then came the best part of all. I went home and slept for 15 hours.
Right now, I think I'm experiencing withdrawal syptoms from not having enough caffeine. For the past 3 weeks, I've been a religious consumer of caffeinated products. Name it, I've had it- coffee, expresso, red bull, blue bolt, relentless... etc.. Since, stopping the intake of caffeine, I'm experiencing headaches, lethargy, dizziness and the sort. I guess that the sudden halt to the caffeine intake is making my body feeling uneasy. But all is good, I'm sure I'll recover soon enough.
I haven't been up to much since the end of the exam. I just reinstalled my precious computer game, went shopping for cooking ingredients and swam today. Ah.. I've also been messing around with the guitar and I'm currently trying to figure out a tune that came to mind.
In the next few days I'm hoping to do some more productive stuff like studying for next year. No, just kidding. I'm actually attempting to read a novel, the one Markus left the last time he came over. It's called " The remains of the day" by Kazuo Ishiguro.

-

The exams are over. Urrmm.. whoop-dee-do?? =D
*sings to himself 'making melodies in my heart!' and does all the silly actions that goes with it*

The last days of the term.. and the first few days of easter break..

2007-03-29T01:31:00.000Z

The last few days of the term were hectic ones. I had so much to do in so little time. I had to hand in 3 reports that were due and I had to prepare a bible study for cell. Only by God's grace did I survive it. However, the last week of the term was also one filled with events.

Me and my group were to build a cardboard chair (from cardboard boxes) and it was to be tested and rated by the tutors. We were given a few weeks to design it and at the same time, to make a miniature model of the cardboard chair. We made the actual cardboard chair on the tuesday last week. My group did fairly well, considering the fact that we didn't actually plan as much as the rest. We made a tiny chair with an amazing base strength but our backrest was simply horrendous. Of course, we didn't win the competition but some of the chairs other groups made were somewhat amazing.

The "chair exhibition"

This chair won second prize. The decorations certainly helped =D

Some of the other chairs.

My invention: As you can see, the chair had a really sturdy base.

Apart from the chair exhibit, I spent most of the week in the library (something I usually don't do). I also visited my aunt who had a broken metatarsul due to a careless fall. We had dinner near her house in the barbican and she handed some stuff my mom passed to her when she was back in Malaysia for Chinese New Year. I got her some flowers and a get well card and she was somewhat pleased. Of course, it wasn't my brainchild. Markus, who couldn't make it that day gave me the idea.

Now that the easter break is here, I'm going to try study as much as I can in this 4 weeks (now only 3 and a half left) of holidays. Hopefully at the end of this holidays, everything I've learnt in the past 6 months will make more sense to me.

PMS- Post Mnite Syndrome

2007-03-09T23:28:00.000Z

Mnite was a blast!! The crowd was great and eventhough we had minor blunders in our performances, we still had fun. I danced the opening dance, bhangra, dikir barat and the modern dance. The performances can be watched online via youtube.

Its been a week since Mnite now and there seems to be a huge emptiness that comes with Mnite being over. Apart from getting emotionally attached to the late night dance practices, there literally is a huge emptiness. I seem so much more free, which is good. However, being too free isn't exactly good either.

Next week, the Malaysian Society in Imperial will be having elections for next year's committee. Its quite a big thing for the first year students and those running for posts have all started to campaign to fish for votes. I'm not running for a post but I'll be voting. I kinda made a mess of myself by showing where my loyalty rests and in the process I dissapointed some people. Oh well..

On the brighter side, the end of term is only 2 weeks away.

Happy Chinese New Year..

2007-02-22T20:26:00.000Z

Its been a while since the last post; I've been busy and I've been celebrating Chinese New Year. In London, CNY isn't a big thing and there isn't that much of a festive mood as well. However, the festive spirit still does happen at a much smaller scale. Me and my friends back from KTJ had a small reunion dinner. Our master chef, Daryl cooked an amazing and delicious 10 course meal. We even had CNY songs played on the speakers and we all had a jolly good time.

From left to right: Sui-Jon, Kenneth(being blocked by sui-jon), Yvonne, Me, Wai-Hang, Michelle, Sue-Mae and Daryl

Besides all the celebration, the preparation for Imperials' Mnite has been really intensifying. The practice hours are getting longer and the number of practice sessions are also increasing. I guess that the producers and the directors really want to put up a good show for everyone to see. There must be really big expectations for IC's Mnite this year as the 650 tickets that were available are already sold out. (the ticket sales just started yesterday, meaning that all the 650 tickets were sold in a day)

Anyone wanting a gist of what Mnite is all about should visit www.icmnite.com. For those who dont' know, IC's Mnite is on the 3rd of March which is about 9 days from now. Hope to see familiar faces there!

It has been 3 years since...

2007-02-14T23:01:00.000Z

Ah.. How I miss those RMC days. 7 years ago, on the 13th of February, I entered RMC. I didn't like everything about it in the beginning; the way the school was ran, the culture it had, the ragging as well as the seniors. In fact, there wasn't much to like about the place. However, I learnt to love the place.

Those 4 years in RMC were great. There were good times, bad times, sweet memories as well as bitter ones. Those of us in my year, we named ourselves the Vangards (actually spelt vanguards meaning "the front line"). We did silly things, broke rules (not too often) and had loads of fun. We were also scolded, punished and got caught once in a while. All of this added colour to our lives.

More importantly, RMC thought me things I'd never learn elsewhere. Amongst some of the important lessons were putting up with bureaucracy, learning that physical pain hurts less than mental pain, and most importantly how to depend on God. I have forgotten some of those precious lessons since, but I'm glad that I've gone through it before and I won't be shocked when I come face to face with it again.

I nicked this picture of my graduation march off the internet so I'm not sure if I'm in it

Its now been 3 years since graduation and I can't seem to describe my feelings. Oh well, life goes on.

Portugal 2-0 Brazil

2007-02-08T21:59:00.000Z

I finally watched my first football match here in the UK on Tuesday. It was an international friendly between portugal and brazil, held at the Emirates stadium (belonging to Arsenal). I had wanted to take loads of pictures but the battery for my camera was depleted, even worse the spare was spoilt. I only managed to take one picture, and even that was without me in it.

Brazil were brilliant in the first half, almost scoring 3 goals. However, in the second half they were careless and Portugal seemed to have improved tremendously after the half-time break. Some of the start players were absent- Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos. But the rest were present- Christiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Deco, Adriano.. That might explain how Portugal managed to beat Brazil by 2 goals.

My only picture of the whole night

For the past few days, I just can't seem to get logged onto my uni's server. I had intially thought that my laptop had some problems, then I thought it was the internet port in my room that had gone bogus. I tried logging onto the server using my roommates' port several times and it worked. I finally discovered that it was my LAN cable that was the problem. Apparently some of my other friends also had the same problem. I'm still wondering how come it wasn't a problem before. But all is as normal right now and its great that way. Hopefully, it will remain this way.

2007-02-05T18:46:00.000Z

The previous week had been wonderful and I shall make a brief summary of what happened.

On Monday I went for a swim as I hadn't had any serious physical activity recently. It felt good and I'm glad that I decided to wake up earlier than usual for the swim.
Wednesdays are half days and half days are always great. The afternoon was spent rehearsing for the Imperial College Malaysian Night which will be on the 3rd of March. Do come to whoever that is free on the 3rd of March. I must say that dancing is quite fun, contrary to my belief that I can never enjoy dancing. Yes, I'll be dancing, which is an incentive for all to come for MNite so do try make it. =D
On Thursday, we had a guest speaker to speak to us about the church in China during christian union. He talked about how the church leaders would be imprisoned and how they suffered for their faith. What struck me about his message was how the people in China make their descision to follow Christ even when they know the cost and the consequences of their descisions. Nevertheless, the church in China is growing even admist the persecution. He concluded by saying that the church in china was the suffering church, the persecuted church but also the triumphant church.
Over the weekend, I caught a cold but its getting much better already. On sunday, I helped paint the main backdrop for MNite. I must say that it turned out really well. What was once a blank piece of canvas turned out to be a masterpiece.

Why you gotta love elder brothers.. =D

2007-01-28T22:13:00.000Z

Markus stayed at my place over the weekend. If you haven't noticed, Markus is my brother. ie. markus= elder brother; elder brother= markus. He came over for a meeting that was held over the weekend. For a weekender, he sure did bring loads of stuff and left behind loads of stuff too.. =D
His friend who was returning back to Malaysia after finishing his postgrad asked for his help to dispose of his guitar. My brother knowing that I don't have one decided to buy over the guitar and give it to me. Its quite a decent guitar and it sounds nice. It's also new.. =D

So, I'm a happy person. Happy happy Joy joy... =P One of the reasons you've gotta love elder brothers..

Its snowing!!!

2007-01-26T15:38:00.000Z

2 days ago, I was awoken by a phone call. It was Dinesh and he said it snowed the night before. I was just about to go back into bed until I saw what was outside my window- it snowed the night before.

Picture taken from my kitchen window

I couldn't get back into bed as I was feeling a little excited about the snow and all. I can't really remember when the last time I saw snow but I do remember my brother, David dropping snow onto my head when we were in Glassgow a long time ago. (he was much taller than I was then, and he cunningly hid at the school entrance and waited for my class to be over to mess my hair with snow)
Yesterday, it snowed again. This time I was on my way to lectures and I felt tiny specks of snow falling onto my head. It didn't last long (probably for a minute or two), but long enough for me to feel all excited again. Today, it snowed again. Again, it didnt' snow very long but I could see the snow from the window during my tutorials.

As you can see, my name seems to be very common. This picture taken was of the garden in the neighbouring houses.

Apparently, it does snow in London in February and March and sometimes classes have to be cancelled due to the snow. (not due to heavy snowfall but due to other reasons) London seems to be very vulnerable to snow; if there's a heavy snowfall, the trains wont work and the tube won't work and loads of people won't be able to get to work on time or even get to work. We barely had half an inch of snow that day and even that caused major delays on the trains. One lecture had to be cancelled and another started late by half and hour. Some of the seniors say that at times a few days of lectures were cancelled due to the snow. How nice... =D
This year, the weather seems to be going bazookas. Winter is getting progressively later and on the other side of the world where Malaysia is, the floods are terrible. Global warming eh?
Well, thats all for now. Hopefully, I shall be back with more interesting posts than this in the future. =D

Suprise!!!???

2007-01-23T22:10:00.000Z

So its a new year, and I haven't yet said a thing in my blog. Not a single post since one and a half months ago. Hence, this suprise post. =D
But that's all for this post. However, this means that I'm back and there'll be more posts in the coming weeks. But for now, this post is meant to be a suprise.. =D

Weekends..

2006-12-02T20:03:00.000Z

"The first calculator invented"

2 weeks ago, my class had a trip to the science museum just beside Imperial College. It simply amazing how much stuff they have in there. I didn't get a chance to visit all the different sections of the museum but I did manage to see some really interesting stuff. The first calculator invented (as shown in the picture) is really amazing. Its really huge, (about 1m in height) and there were so many gears to operate the different mechanisms.

"The slides in tate-modern"

"The ice rink in somerset house. No, I wasn't ice skating. I was actually outside the rink posing. Looks quite real eh?"

Anyway, last week I had a weekend out to the tate modern with Sui Jon and Jien Li. The tate modern is a museum for modern art and there were loads of interesting exhibits there. One of the main attractions is the 5 story slide. Yes, I did get to ride on it and I also tried the 3 story slide as well. (there were slides for the 5th, 4th, 3rd and 2nd story) After that we went to somerset house to see the famed ice skating rink. We joined Dinesh for lunch in the Malaysian Student Department and then we took a stroll through Hyde Park.

"Feeling a little patriotic at MSD""Jien Li, Dinesh, Sui Jon and me in Hyde Park"

Its that time of the year..

2006-11-21T00:01:00.000Z

" Winter is coming"

Winter is coming, and so is Christmas. Its easy to tell because the sun sets really early these days and all trees are starting to shed their leaves. It gets dark at about 4:30 pm and it gets you confused some times. These days I feel restless and tired and I tend to oversleep (the nights are longer =P)

Anyway, its almost 3 quarters into my term and I still feel that I haven't learnt much. Yet, there seems to be loads of work piling up and waiting to get done; all of them I haven't learn before. I guess that its time when you're expected to have initiative to learn all these things yourself. Uni differs so much from college.

"Random photo I took while in Wales"

I've got a lab report due this friday. I've got it all planned out but I just can't seem to get it written out. I feel extremely lazy. Gotta beat my body and make it my slave..

Complete..

2006-10-30T20:41:00.000Z

The finished railway track (compare with the other picture in one of my previous post)

Into the first fifth of a century..

2006-10-27T22:27:00.000Z

"The london eye"

My birthday was on the 24th of October. It turned out more eventful than I thought it would be. In the morning, I visited the London eye with the whole of the other mechanical engineers from Imperial College. We were supposed to draw sketches of the london eye as a part of our design syllabus and I also had the chance to ride the london eye for free! (it costs a whopping 11 pounds) It was a rainy day so I the pictures from the top weren't very nice. Nevertheless, the view of london 135 meters from the ground is breathtaking.

At night, I had cell group but what I didn't know was that my friends had planned a small suprise birthday party for me. Even worse, I was host for the cell meeting that day so I had to be there for cell. In the end, they waited for my cell to finish before having the suprise birthday party for me. By then it wasn't really a suprise anymore. However, it was still a wonderful dinner and I couldn't help feeling sorry that I had ruined their so carefully planned suprise.

I thank God for friends. Life is so much more meaningful with them around. I also thank God for their good taste. They got me a pair of futsal shoes so I could use them in nottingham games. =D Thanks all of you!!

(standing up, left to right: Iyngaran, Jared, Sufian, I-Fen, Qing Hong, Qi Ting,
Wei Jun, Dinesh, Afiq, Aisyah. Seated: Fazril and me)

Its amazingly wonderful that they'd go through so much hassle to prepare something so unnescessary. Indeed, friends are a blessing and for a tiny while on that day, I did feel significantly special. (which is a big deal to me as I seldom get to feel special)

So, I'm now twenty and how many more years/months/days I have to my name I can't tell. But my prayers is that with each coming day, I shall be able to number my days aright, that I may gain a heart of wisdom.

I've been working on the railroad...

2006-10-23T15:05:00.000Z

Last week was a tiring week. My lab reports were supposed to be written and we were given a week do get it done. As my year is divided into groups, we take turns to use the labs. I happen to be in the first group to get to use the labs so I couldn't refer to what others have done. On top of that, I over estimated my capabilities and I took longer than I expected to get it done. Nevertheless, I'm glad that its over and I can rest for a few weeks till the next one comes along.

"The train that ferried us to and fro from the track-laying site"

Did I say that I spent the weekend in wales? I am a member of the Imperial College Railway Society and last weekend we went to wales to help lay some railway tracks on the Welsh Highland Railway. Most of the time we were working from early morn right up to sunset, so I didn't get to wonder around much to take photographs.

It was quite an interesting trip I must say. The team comprised of about 20+ peoplle: 5 Imperial College students, 3 fresh grads form Imperial, a few member of staff and the rest were from everywhere else. I was the only fresher and the rest were 3rd year and 4th year students. Despite being the youngest and the newest of the lot, I enjoyed myself just as much ( I think.. )

"Slippers laid in advance to give a rough estimate of the centreline of the rail"

It rained quite a bit and was extremely cold. The track-laying process itself was a very slow and tiring process. There were slippers (the piece of metal in the pitcure) that had to be carried along the balast (the gravel on the road) by hand, and we had to do it in pairs as the slippers were a little too heavy to be carried alone. After the slippers have been laid, the rails will be brought in and then the clipping will start (fastening of the rails to the slippers).

In 2 days we could only finish about 100m+ of track laid. Its a really, really slow process. The project has been going for over 9 years now and its in the last phase already. They aim to finish by 2009. What's most interesting is that the railway is built fully by volunteers (which explains why its taking so long to get done) and that there are people who are actually wiling to spend time to help build the track for free. The people seem to be extremely passionate about trains and railway tracks here in the UK.

Somehow I can't seem to post the picture of the finished rail at the moment but I'll post it in my next post. I'd like to end with a american folk song entitled "I've been working on the railroad"

I've been workin' on the railroad,
All the live long day.
I've been workin' on the railroad,
Just to pass the time away.
Don't you hear the whistle blowing?
Rise up so early in the morn.
Don't you hear the captain shouting
"Dinah, blow your horn"?

More about life in the UK..

2006-10-15T21:15:00.000Z

"Group 1M8A"

This is the cantilever that didn't win. However, we (my group) managed to get to know each other quite well through the design experiment. Coincidentally, they will also my personal tutor group for the next two years. (from left to right: Me, Alana, Hua Aun, Jin Loong) Yeah, it seems as if they're more chinese than the english but let me assure you that my group is an anomaly. Most of the other groups are a better mix.

"Bon Appétit?"

This is Dinesh, an old friend from KTJ thats doing the same course as I am and we also happen to be staying in the same hall as I am as well. Of course, the food of on the table was cooked by me and I assure you that it tastes just as nice as it looks. (hope it looks good to you =D )

I have been cooking quite a bit recently and I shall be attempting to make nasi lemak this week after being inspired by a friend to cook more delicious meals. I got most of the ingredients from chinatown like santan, ikan bilis, currypowder+kunyit, sambal paste.. etc. Hopefully everything turns out right and I shan't have to keep on trying to get it right. (the ingredients can be quite costly over here)

Well, I guess that's all for now. I shall return with more interesting posts hopefully.

Setling down..

2006-10-13T23:31:00.000Z

" Our first photo in London taken outside Terminal 3, Heathrow"

So, it has come to pass. All the packing and all the preparation are way past me. Its been about 2 weeks now that I've been in the UK and things are just about fine. Do I feel happy? Of course I do, and I'm sure that the rest of my fellow Petronas counterparts are as well. (just look at them beaming from ear to ear in the photo above) Of course, I was taking the photo, hence I wasn't included in the picture. (from left to right: Qing Hong, Afiq, Ding Jian, Ikhsan, I Fen, Hanafi and Swee Fung)
It was quite a moment when the plane took off Malaysian ground and me and Afiq started congratulating each other and shaking each other's hands in the plane. Of course, leaving home to a far away place with a bunch of good friends sounds too good to be true. The flight was 13 hours and I spent half of the time watching 4 movies back to back. I slept for a little while but woke up in intervals throughout the journey. When the plane touched down in Heathrow, Afiq and I started shaking hands and congratulating each other again.
Anyway, we reached on a Thursday morning and we lodged for 2 nights at the Malaysia Hall where the Malaysian student dept is located. We spent half the day meeting with our sponsors who told us some important and essential guidelines for living in the UK. Later in the evening, we walked through kensington gardens to get ourselves registered at Imperial College, our university to be. Of course, I did lots of other stuff in between but I shall not bother to elaborate.
The first few days in Imperial was scary as we were given a design project and a math test. We were splitted into groups and we were supposed to design a cantilever and it was due at the end of the week. I didn't even know what a cantilever was so I started to worry a little. I then discovered that it was supposed to be a bridge-like structure and we were going to hang weights on it to check if it could withstand the strain. The cantilever that could hold the most weight would win their owners some prize money. We were given some pieces of wood, string and wood adhesive to make our cantilever. My team didnt' win by the way.
Lectures have started but tutorials hasn't start and will only be starting next week. So, I happen to reasonably free this week but starting next week, I shall be having 25 hour weeks. I have already started cooking and I happen to discover that I can actually cook given the right tools and enough space. Infact, I cook for my friends as well ( at times) and it actually tastes sufficiently delicious. =D 3 cheers for me..
I shall try to post as often as possible to update all of you on my adventures in the UK. In the mean time, try to make do with this post and keep the emails coming if you want to. =D

the wild wild west..

there is time for every season under the sun

=)

What does it feel like?

The shoes fit..

A Valentine's Day story..

One year since and one year closer..

D'oh! = S

Rainy days and Mondays..

Of celebrations and a passing year..

On womanly propriety

On Productivity..

On blogging..

wipe this smirk off my face.. =D

Dreams..

Weird..

testing

Unproductive..

Seniors Commisioning

God is enough..

post exam updates..

=S

Spring..

The dream..

The heavenly composer..

The film festival..

The water issue..

Anas' plea..

We will meet at the place..

Oh how I'd imagine..

In loving memory of Markus Ng..

Just keep swimming...

A breath of air..

ICUMS Ski trip La Plagne 08'

Looking forward and forward looking..

sunrise of a new year..

Christmas break..

Taking ownership..

Of gold rain and hailstones..

I start to think..

Of mind over matter..

HOW TO UNDERSTAND THE CURRENT WORLD FINANCIAL PROBLEMS USING THE INDIAN ANALOGY

The little trick..

exams are over!!!!!!!!!! (NOT..)

Has been too long..

Ski trip 07'

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..

Oh holidays, where art thou?

My box of chocolates..

London geek..

=D

Winter approaches..

The first week of being 21..

21st..

3rd academic week..

3 weeks so far, many more to go..

Its alive I'm telling you..

Miscellanous Updates..

Living out the words of Rocky Balboa..

Miscellanous Updates..

Redang!!

You're just so beautiful girl......

miscellanous updates..

=(

Sigmund says..

Food for thought- Freedom of religion..

Glad to be home..

Worth fighting for..

The end of year 1

More of the post exam celebrations..

So I was tagged..

Thumbs in, elbows up, knees together, toes together..

The last days of the term.. and the first few days of easter break..

PMS- Post Mnite Syndrome

Happy Chinese New Year..

It has been 3 years since...

Portugal 2-0 Brazil

Why you gotta love elder brothers.. =D

Its snowing!!!

Suprise!!!???