In My Shoes

Tough Times Ahead

2009-11-07T23:39:00.002+08:00

What can a fan like me do when my favourite football club is in such a terrible situation? I can't help play for or manage the team. All I can do is keep supporting the team and not give up on them. I wonder how the fans of least succesful clubs feel?Those who actually support teams which will only be relegated in the next season?I guess I am feeling what they are feeling now.

Hopefully Liverpool will be able to come out of this tough situation not too damaged. But I got to admit it's unlikely Liverpool can qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League anymore. While the EPL title is still possible, but only if they beat Birmingham this gameweek.Sigh...it's depressing to see the team unravel this way.I can only hope that this is a case of it can only get worse before it gets better.

Finally An Affiliate

2008-08-22T22:52:00.002+08:00

The ACCA exam results were released on Monday and I'm so glad I finally passed Paper P3.I can finally say that I'm professionally qualified and a ACCA affiliate.What's better is the relief I felt when I got my results.No more worrying about exams and studying.I can finally give 100% to my work and not have to balance study and work.I only have to worry about getting the right work-life balance.I haven't been getting any balance in that for the past 2 weeks.They've just been my busiest weeks thus far.I really can't wait for this engagement to end.While I appreciate that being on this engagement has taught me many things but at the same time,I've lost quite an amount of sleep and leisure time just to get that benefit.The senior-in-charge always says that no matter how sucky and engagement is,just know that it will end one day.Reminding myself of this has kept my morale at a reasonably high level.

Enough about work...it's bad enough that I spent 3/4 of my time over the past 2 weeks doing work.I'm not going to fill up my blog about work.Obviously,the best topic to fill my blog with is football.The English Premier League has began again and I have a very good feeling that this will be the season Liverpool brings home the EPL title.Liverpool still has Fantastic Torres and Captain Fantastic Gerrard.Now we've got Robbie Keane as well.I've always liked him and thinks he's a good player.I must admit that his partnership with Torres didn't turn out so well in the first match of the season but I believe they will soon get along very well.There's also Xabi Alonso who seems to have improved after all the rumours saying that he's leaving for Juventus.He almost scored another goal from the halfway-line in the first match.It was very close.If that had gone in,I would be even more certain that this is Liverpool's season.But then Chelsea looks very strong this season.But big names don't necessarily big on skills.A good example is David Beckham.I shall not elaborate further.I'm also continuing with the fantasy football competition with my fellow friends.I'm the only rose among the thorns in the fantasy league.And I'm also leading the table after the 1st match of the season.I only hope that I can stay up there for the rest of the season.Last time around,I was also on top in the beginning but started to slide down halfway through the season.Let's hope I can earn points more consistently this season and beat the guys.Haha.
Before the EPL started,the Olympics already began.China is definitely doing very well on home ground.They've lead the medals tally since day 1.So many good athletes.Malaysia only has one silver medal for now.I think that's all the country is getting from the Olympics.Lee Chong Wei could have got a gold medal for himself if he could play better against Lin Dan in the badminton finals.He just wasn't quick enough.Don't know how Lin Dan can move so quickly.Maybe he was a ping pong player before he became a badminton player.Haha.Besides badminton,I watched Yelena Isinbayeva pole vault to another new world record.That woman just can't stop breaking records...and they are all her own records.The competition is just miles behind her.She'd won the gold medal but still she continued to pole vault,just so she can break her own world record.5.5m is really high.I like her unique ritual before she makes her attempts.It's rather amusing when she hides under her blanket.Aside from that,I haven't been able to catch much of the games.Sometimes I still wish that I could lead the student life again...at least I don't have to attend classes everyday and I could skip them if I really wanted to.Work is more strict.There's no way I can skip work one day and not be noticed.But then when I think of the studying I have to do,I would feel my current life is still better.It's perfect when I get to go home at 5.30 pm.Like today.The only not busy day I've had for the past 2 weeks.But too bad for me it was raining heavily at that time and I couldn't get to my car.So I went shopping in 1 Utama instead.I spent a lot of money today.It's a way to celebrate my success.I haven't really had the time to have a real celebration.I really deserve a big present.I've been wanting to buy a new watch ever since my favourite Swatch watch suffered a broken strap.I tried ordering the same strap design to replace it but Swatch don't carry it anymore.I don't want to replace it with any other strap since it won't match with the dial design anymore.I've actually tried using super glue to fix the strap.It worked for a while and then it broke again.I don't think the super glue can be a long-term solution.That is why I need a new watch.Besides,now that I'm working,I don't want to wear plastic watches anymore...it doesn't go with my professional image.Haha.I've already got a target but just not sure if it'll be a good buy.Will definitely keep some funds for a new watch.That's all for this post.I'm too tired to think of what to type.

Department Trip

2008-08-01T22:39:00.002+08:00

The recent Audit M department trip was fun. I'm glad I went. Even though I'm still tired from the trip, it was worth it. We went to Kuala Rompin,Pahang this year. The only crappy thing about the trip was the long journey.The journey there was not pleasant at all.Somehow the travel agent managed to make a mess of the transport arrangements as he got bus drivers who didn't know the way to our destination and got lost along the way.They even got lost on their way to come pick us up at the office in Bandar Utama.So we were late in setting off and naturally arrived very late at the Summerset Resort.We planned to arrive at 1 pm.We ended up arriving at 3 pm.Well,the bus I was on arrived another 30 minutes later as the bus' suspension broke at about 40km before reaching the resort.So we all had a jolly bumpy and slow ride for about 45 minutes till we reached the resort.That was the longest bus ride I had.I could have arrived in Australia by plane in 6 hours.
Anyway,we had some teambuilding activities after an hour of rest.I was appointed the Team Leader for my team.The activities were fun but I seriously feel the team members are not evenly placed among all teams.Some teams definitely have more athletic people in them,giving them an edge over the others since all the activities were very physical.But I still think the teambuilding activities weren't exactly what everyone was looking forward to in this trip.Most were thinking that they can get to relax and play at the beach and swimming pool all day and then party at night. And party we did on the first night and the second night.Whoever said accountants are boring people seriously need to change their opinion.We had a karaoke session and lots of alcohol was consumed that night.Later in the night,they started to dance.The whole place felt like a disco.For the first time in my life I drank so much.I drank until I felt dizzy but I wasn't drunk yet.LOL.I can still remember clearly what I did and I know I didn't say anything stupid.I drank Bailey's and Chivas Coke.Somehow they tasted better that night than what I remember.Needless to say,I fell asleep very easily that night.But then the deep sleep didn't last...I woke up at around 3.30 am after hearing voices from outside the room.Some of my colleagues actually partied until that time.
We had some more teambuilding activities early the next morning.The outcome of the activities is that we all got very wet as it was held on the beach.Needless to say,some people got wet unknowingly,i.e: some joker poured a bucket of water over the poor victim. I was one of them...if not I would have been the driest person there.haha.Anyway,the biggest revelation of the department trip was how the firm Partners behaved. They are all so businesslike in the office but when its time to have fun,they really let their hair down.They participated in every activity and chatted and drank with everyone.They just wanted to join in the fun and have fun with us.That was really nice.Some of the audit seniors got hold of our Head of Department and threw him into the sea.Haha.That was funny.We even played beach soccer.I must say it's very difficult to run with the ball on such sandy ground.Anyway,on the 2nd night,we all eased up on the hard liquor and drank beer instead.We all played this card game called Bluff.Needless to say,I suck at bluffing and got caught almost everytime I bluffed on my cards.Anyway,everyone slept pretty early on the 2nd night.I think everyone was really tired that night.Good thing the journey back to KL was shorter and not bumpy at all.But then a lot of people actually went on ML or EL the next day.Lazy bumps...actually,I would have gone on ML or EL if I actually had any leave days left.The medical leave only works if I get a doctor's letter.If I can't produce one,then I'll have to replace the ML with a normal annual leave.I used up most of it for my studies earlier.So ever since I got back from the department trip,I have not had a good rest yet.It's getting busy for me now...unlike 2 weeks ago when I had to LLB(look like busy).Haha.Well,it's time to get some sleep now.Really need it.Perhaps I'll have time next week to put up some of the photos taken during the trip.

I'm a Guitar Hero!

2008-07-04T22:25:00.002+08:00

To be more correct,I should be a Guitar Heroine,since I'm a girl.But then to be even more correct...I'm only a Guitar Hero at Medium difficulty.I still can't get the hang of playing Hard difficulty in Guitar Hero 3.But now I've added Guitar Hero:Aerosmith to my PS3 games collection.All I can say is that non-fans of Aerosmith would not like this edition of Guitar Hero very much.Even a so-so fan like me don't exactly think the game is worth the RM 200 I paid for it because I expect it to be full of Aerosmith's songs...at least their greatest hits.Well,only some of their greatest hits are there...but the ones that I really like; Dude!Looks Like A Lady and Cryin' aren't in the game.But some of the non-Aerosmith songs are okay so far...maybe I'll find out some other nicer songs when I play more of the game.Graphicswise, this game is just so-so.But I like the fact that I'm playing as Joe Perry.Haha.Once I finish this game,there's Metal Gear Solid 4 waiting for me to play it.I've seen my brother playing the game and it's very similar to Splinter Cell...a game I once got addicted to in the past.But I feel MGS4 has more shooting involved than Splinter Cell...which makes Splinter Cell more preferable to MGS4.But then I haven't even tried out the latest Splinter Cell:Double Agent.That game got released at a very busy period of my life.Maybe I should go get the game now...should be much cheaper now that it's considered an old game.Overall,I'm glad I still have time to play PS3 even though I'm working full-time...which is an improvement compared to the time when I was a full-time student.

Life at KPMG has been pretty exciting lately.I participated in the Inter-departmental Games 2008(IDG 2008) in futsal ladies and pool.Futsal was fun...my team almost got 1st place...if only we had more practice.We only practised once and to finish 2nd is quite an achievement.Not to mention our strategy was only devised by one of our department's Partner on the spot before our matches.Haha.Too bad I didn't score any goals as I had to play as defender,which on the overall benefits my team more than if I had played as striker.But then I did some nifty skills to earn the nickname "Ronaldo" by the spectators.Of course I'm flattered but since I'm no fan of Christiano Ronaldo I told them not to call me that and that my favourite player is Steven Gerrard.Anyway, pool didn't go so well for me...I haven't played pool since I started work on Feb 18th.So obviously I was rusty and I only had 2 practice sessions before the competition day.Anyway,my opponent was very strong...I knew I was going to be in for a hard time the minute she started with the break.What made it worse is that the rules made us ladies play 8-ball game...which I'm not so familiar with as I usually play 9-ball game with my friends.Person to win 2 frames wins the tie...well,she won 2 in a row.All I could do is to make her work hard to win the game ...the balls just weren't in easy positions for me to pocket them.At least in the first frame,I lost by 1 ball but in the second,I think I lost by 5 balls.It sucks to lose but all I can do now is to start practising now and hope to do better in next year's IDG.I really enjoy playing pool...so I've got no complaints about practising often.Haha. The main purpose of the IDG is to prepared us for the Inter-Accounting Firms Games(IAFG) which has already started.It's like the Olympics of accounting firms and lots of reputation is at stake here.Every year, the only motivation to be Champion of IAFG is to enhance the firm's reputation and also to earn the bragging rights.I'm really looking forward to the IAFG...I've put my name in for futsal ladies again.I hope this time the team I'm in can become champion and not be runners-up again.

It turns out my PC monitor is not spoilt.It was just that the cable connecting to the graphics card was not attached properly...that's the reason why it was acting erractically.I was already looking at Samsung's 20-inch monitors and seriously considering getting one of them.I even looked at Dell's monitors.Well,guess I'll have to wait longer to get a LCD monitor.Not that it bothers me much...as long as the monitor does not strain my eyes when I look at it for long hours.Speaking of strain...the political strain in Malaysia is getting stronger by the day.March 8 was only the beginning of more drastic surprises to come.I think if I were to conduct a PESTEL analaysis of Malaysia...for the P:Political factor I would have to say that the political environment in Malaysia is unstable.I'm really glad I didn't vote in the March 8 elections (because I didn't register in time...hehe) because looking at the way things are unfolding,I would have regretted my choice either for choosing BN or PKR.I really hope things get sorted out soon.I've experienced first hand how a team can fall apart with ineffective leadership even though each person knows their responsibilities and a country with ineffective leadership will have worse effects than in a small unit like a team.

Revival

2008-05-30T00:07:00.002+08:00

I know I've abandoned my blog for too long.So I'm officially reviving my blog.Initially I was feeling bored of blogging and that the blog had served its initial purpose,so there's no need for me to blog anymore.

But then lately I've got the blogging bug again and I do have a lot of views and experience to share too.Firstly, I am no longer just a student...I'm both working and studying now.Yes,it's a dampener to fail one of the papers at 48 marks,which is only 2 marks shy of the passing mark.But I know I can't wallow in despair as it's become ever more important for me to pass the paper in this coming June exam session.So I'm currently on my study leave and studying real hard.I must say I haven't missed studying one bit.I'll take work over study anytime.

I must say I like my job as an auditor in KPMG.Plenty of avenues for me to learn more and apply what I've learned in my work.However,there are some aspects of the work that I don't enjoy as much as the rest.It's something I can bear with so I don't think that will get to me.So far things are falling into place on the career side of my life.I just got confirmed this week and gone through the interim review.My performance manager thinks I've got potential so it's up to me to realise that potential.I was very pleased to hear that.She even gave me some valuable advice that I should really take up.I know I set very high expectations of myself sometimes and quite often I fall short of it and get very frustrated over it.I guess what she mentioned about not being too harsh on myself is important as being harsh will only make things worse and life would be very miserable that way.I totally agree as I do feel miserable being all frustrated and disappointed over my shortfalls.I've been trying to not be too harsh on myself but it'll take time to adjust that aspect of myself.

Although work has been tough at times...especially working till midnight on some days but my salary compensates that well.Now I've got some difficulties in controlling my spending.When I see the money in my bank account,I really feel like buying all the things I've been wanting to buy for a while now.But I know it's self-destruction to do that.So I've been planning to buy these things one at a time and not all at once.And I know a lot of these things that I want aren't exactly necessary,like a LCD monitor.My current monitor is perfectly fine...but being myself,I really want a LCD monitor and I've been wanting one for a very,very long time.So I've been secretly hoping for my current monitor to go conk so I can get a new one...and surprisingly,it's beginning to show some signs of erratic behaviour.Haha.It doesn't help that KPMG is now situated in Bandar Utama as 1-Utama is now the next door neighbour and I park there pretty often to take advantage of the cheaper parking rates.So I have to walk through the shopping mall to get to my car and it's so tempting to just go shopping for a while before I set for home.I've already spent quite an amount at Jusco since we moved in to BU,mostly on food items.I'm also thinking of investing my money so money can make more money but not sure what yet.I really hope I don't get obsessed over money.

Anyway,it's my birthday today and I really feel old at 23 years old.I guess it's because I'm feeling sleepy.I'm sure I'll feel a lot more positive when I wake up in the morning.

A New Year Is Coming

2008-01-30T22:40:00.000+08:00

I can't believe time is passing by so fast.The Chinese New Year starts next week and a week after that,I'll begin work.I still feel like I'm back in Jan 1.Well,the CNY mood is definitely beginning to spread.My father has already put in the decorations at home and my mother is busy cleaning up the house and putting on new curtains and stuff like that.Soon she'll be telling me to put on the new bedsheet for my bed.I think I have to start planning what clothes I want to wear for the first few days of CNY now.The eve of CNY is on Feb 6th,which is next Wednesday.I hope there'll be nice dishes to eat.Am looking forward to the Shark Fin's Soup especially.Although it's cruel for the sharks when we eat this dish,but I think nowadays the restaurant only uses real shark's fin partially....most of it is synthetic shark's fin.So it ain't too bad of us to eat this dish and it's only once a year...people only get to eat it more than once a year only if there are many wedding dinners to attend in a year.Well,besides the famous soup dish,there are still other nice things to eat during Chinese New Year such as the prawn rolls, prawn crackers, fish crackers even and cookies.It is very difficult not to gain weight from all the eating during Chinese New Year.There will be family dinners from the eve till the 3rd day of CNY for my family.Then there's the usual visitations to other family members' houses in the early afternoons.It does get pretty tiring after a while.Well,it's a once a year celebration and not to mention the gambling.I hope my luck on the table will be better this year compared to the previous year.

I haven't posted any pictures of my rabbits for some time now.It's just that there are no interesting photos of them to be taken.My rabbits are still happy and alive and kicking,especially Mr.White.He still refuses to be carried.I think I can't change his attitude.He just despises being carried.At least he's not so anti-social anymore.Nowadays he runs over to me to get petted...but not always.Once in a while.However,Miss Brown is getting more responsive than ever...she likes to be carried around and petted.She runs out to me almost everytime I call her.What a sociable rabbit.It's funny how 2 of my rabbits can have totally opposing attitudes.Anyway,Mr.White fell into the pond again not too long ago.This time my mother carried him out of the pond.He's as smart as ever...knew how to keep his nose above the water so he can keep breathing.That week,he actually fell into the pond twice.The first time he managed to climb out of it by himself.I didn't see it but I can deduce from the water splashes on the rocks beside the pond and the hind parts of the rabbit being very wet that he managed to grab hold of the rock with his front paws and somehow climbed out of the water.Very smart indeed...but I don't know why he keeps falling into the pond.I'm beginning to think Mr.White falls into the pond on purpose just to get wet.He always stays calm whenever I give him a bath.The same cannot be said for Miss Brown.She hates getting wet and it's always a struggle to keep her calm whenever I give her a bath.But it's good that she's usually clean,unlike Mr.White.So in short,these rabbits are really total opposites not just in terms of their sex but also their attitudes. Mr.White thinks he's a panda now

Miss Brown resting in her favourite shady spot

Experienced Interviewee

2008-01-17T22:27:00.000+08:00

I think I can be considered an experienced interviewee now that I've gone through 3 interviews.And another one is lined up on Monday.I must say I am getting pretty jaded with the whole process.But these are the Big4 accounting firms...I can't just pass up on the opportunity to be interviewed by them.After thinking long and hard,I think I'll join the audit line.It can provide more exposure in terms of experience and learning opportunities when compared to tax.I'll just save tax consultancy for the future.I think I'll just have to make a decision on which job offer to take up before the month ends.I don't want to drag it on too long...I'm getting rather bored staying at home though I must admit there is still a lot for me to do...mostly cleaning up tasks.It's just that I'm getting too lazy already and my brain is definitely going rusty.I can feel my brain churning very loudly every time I have to use it.If I wait too long to start work,I think I'll be a pretty useless employee.

I finally made the effort to tidy up my notes and textbooks from the previous semester on Friday.I've left them on my table untouched since Dec 12 when my exam ended.But I have not exactly put them away yet as I usually do for my notes in the previous semesters.That's because I'm not very confident of passing all 3 papers.No point in putting them away and then having to take them out again when my results turn out bad.But I am not saying I will fail all 3 papers.I'm just getting ready for the negative impact when it hits so I won't be so unprepared.Anyway,I've finally finished His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman.All 3 books,The Golden Compass (aka Northern Lights),The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass,I think they are all equally good.Although it must be said that The Subtle Knife being a transitory book,it's got more to offer than just being the book that connects book 1 to book 3.A few crucial new characters were introduced in the book.Anyway,although the whole story has been fantastic,I don't like the ending just because it's a very sad ending.It's not just sad,it's VERY sad.Sure,in real life,we don't always get happy endings but this is a storybook.The author could have made up something less sad.But then I've read that Mr.Pullman himself is writing a new chapter for His Dark Materials.I wonder what would it be about now that Lyra and Will are back in their own worlds and there's no way to travel in between worlds anymore...maybe there'll be new characters.Anyway,I can understand now why some Christians dislike this trilogy.It goes against the most basic Christian teachings.I must say it's a very interesting view of Christianity in the books.A strong Christian will have to be very open-minded when reading the books or else they'll never get to the ending as they'll feel the whole thing is nonsensical.Anyway,I'd recommend His Dark Materials trilogy to anyone who's not a Christian.It's certainly a modern classic.Now I can't wait for the new book to be out.

Of Handshakes and Karaoke

2008-01-12T11:43:00.000+08:00

Lately I've had the opportunity to meet with many new people and as is customary when meeting people for the first time,we shake hands.While this handshaking custom is meant to be a friendly gesture,sometimes the experience isn't exactly very nice.Me being a very clean person,I try my best not to think about the state of cleanliness of the other person's hand during a handshake.I'll just make sure I wash my hands thoroughly before I eat anything.Then there are people with sweaty palms...good thing I have not had the misfortune to shake a wet hand before...hmm,maybe only once.It's just unfortunate that teachers never teach us in school how a good handshake should be as some people will shake your hand so vigorously and some will grip your hand so tightly until it hurts,some just give a limp hand and some just won't let go of your hand.I believe that such variances in handshakes won't be so prevalent if only the art of handshake is taught widely in all schools.This will definitely make the handshake become a better experience.

Speaking of unpleasant experiences,hearing people sing on a karaoke machine can be very unpleasant sometimes.I have a next-door neighbour who loves singing on his karaoke machine.He does it almost everyday,sometimes beginning from morning till afternoon and then continues again at night till 11 pm.It doesn't bother me very much as I can't hear him sing when I'm in the house,it's only audible when I'm outside in my garden or in the toilet,as the toilet window is usually open.So sometimes when I need to attend to some "big business" in the toilet,his singing does annoy me.And he only sings traditional Chinese songs and I don't think traditional Chinese tunes make easy-listening for me.But then,yesterday night,I realised that there are others who are suffering more than me from my neighbour's karaoke singing.You're right if you're thinking of the occupants of the neighbour's house but then I'm thinking of my rabbits.My rabbits are kept in their cage at night in the porch.Last night when I was feeding the rabbits,the neighbour was already well into his karaoke session and then I realised that if I can hear him sing,so does the rabbits.True enough,I can see the rabbits' ears standing up alert listening to the neighbour's singing.Just then,I felt pity for the rabbits for having to listen to it for the rest of the night until he stops singing.I wonder if the rabbits find the singing annoying.And rabbits have such sensitive ears...their hearing range is definitely wider than a human's.Perhaps they can hear something else in the singing which makes it more bearable.I can only hope that this is the case as I don't wish for my rabbits to suffer.

I've been reading Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy and the books are very good.Though I still don't see how the books can be meant for children.I doubt children will understand some of the things the books are talking about.I mean,I know I wouldn't if I read them when I was 9 or 10 years old.Probably meant for older children and adults.I'm well into the last book and I'll say the books are worth buying to read,if you like the fantasy genre.The things that are talked about in the books does require a lot of imagination.But because I watched the movie The Golden Compass first before reading the books,everytime I read about the characters that were introduced in the movie,I think of the movie image and I can't imagine them myself anymore.So whenever I read about Mrs.Coulter,I think of Nicole Kidman.The bad thing is,Mrs.Coulter in the movie has blond hair but in the books,she actually has black hair.Then of course,there's Lord Asriel who is portrayed by Daniel Craig.Then there's the protagonist in the book,Lyra,whom I picture as the girl who played her in the movie.Although the movie didn't stick very closely to the book,but it's still a nice movie.I liked it very much.I just hope that they will continue to make movies for the rest of the trilogy.So far there are no plans to make them though.I think most likely the girl who played Lyra,Dakota Blue Richards may not reprise her role if they don't make the next movies soon as she'll grow up too much and won't look like a 12 -year old anymore.But she'll probably grow up to be a fine actress though.But I think the role of Mrs.Coulter and Lord Asriel are properly casted as they have the "look" that the writer describes for the characters.So I won't mind seeing them again in the next movie,if it is made.

Another Year

2008-01-05T13:22:00.001+08:00

Another year has gone by.2007 has been a rather mediocre year for me.Nothing major happening in my life except that it could be the last year for me as a student, if I pass the Dec 2007 ACCA exam.Other than exams,life has been pretty boring for me as a student.I spent most of my time studying anyway.Not much time to have any fun,except after the exams.But even then,I was mostly being lazy rather than having fun.Now I feel that I'm bored of being a lazy slob so I want to stop being lazy.I really must make an effort to complete the PS3 games that I've started.Sad to say,I still have not completed Oblivion.If I didn't try most of the side quests,I would have finished the game but the side quests are more interesting than the main one.Anyway,I started on a new game called Assassin's Creed lately.I am sure I can complete this game soon.I'm already halfway through the game.And I am determined to finish Guitar Hero 3 on Medium.I doubt I'll be able to play it in Hard...I'm afraid my fingers will really break then.Haha.

Anyway,the new year has started with me attending interviews.Only Deloitte and KPMG has called me up to attend interviews out of the Big 4 I sent my resume to.I'm rather sad that PWC and EY has not contacted me...they are the 2 largest among the Big 4 here in Malaysia.Anyway, I though the interview at Deloitte went fine but I still have to wait for them to call me up for a second interview.However,I can say my interview at KPMG went well as I came away with a job offer and it's a pretty good offer too.If the other firms does not contact me by the time the offer letter arrives,I think I'll just accept KPMG's offer.No point overlooking something that is already tangible by looking for something that may not even materialise.So I could potentially start work in the middle of February.For now,I'm just going to focus on finishing my PS3 games.

The new year definitely started with a surprise in the local political arena.It's a sex scandal too.Well,not exactly a sex scandal...more of a leaked sex video being distributed on DVD.The Health Minister Dr. Chua Soi Lek being the person implicated here.Well,Paris Hilton's popularity soared when her sex video was posted on the internet but when you're a politician,your political career is definitely over when something like that happens.At least he was really brave enough to admit that it's him in the video.But the fishy thing about this whole thing is that the whole act was recorded with a camera in a hotel room.The hotel denies putting any cameras in its rooms.So it could very well be a set up.Of course,the police is investigating this and anybody found in possesion of the video in any forms will be prosecuted.And the DVDs were actually being distributed for free by some people.The poor minister had to resign and now the position of Health Minister is vacant.The newspaper ran an article about how this position is cursed and there probably won't be any ready volunteers for it.Most of the politicians who held this post have definitely fallen into political oblivion after assuming the post.Anyway,I expect news about this whole scandal will dominate the front page of most newspapers for another couple of days.

Well,Liverpool's first match in the new year was not very exciting.A draw with Wigan...no thanks to Steve Bruce's defensive tactics.There were no Wigan players in Liverpool's half at most times of the game...they only scored through a free-kick.It was a very frustrating match to watch.Another draw leaves Liverpool even further behind the leaders.I don't think Liverpool can win the EPL title this season but I would want the team to be closer to the leader at the top.Can't finish 4th everytime.Should finish 2nd or 3rd this season.Hopefully the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal will suffer when the African Nations Cup arrives,as they have a lot of African players in their teams.I really Liverpool's fortunes will be better for the rest of the season.The team has been really unlucky in front of the goal lately.The team is creating chances but just can't score.And I hate it when the players pass backward too often.It's just such a negative move.Well,the next match is a FA cup match.Shouldn't be a problem for Liverpool as it is against Luton,but the FA Cup can produce its own surprises.I just hope it won't be Liverpool who will be surprised.

Freedom...For Now

2007-12-28T22:36:00.000+08:00

No more studying,no more homework and no more exams!(hopefully).Well,I'm sorry to have neglected my blog for so long.This is the first time after my exam have I found the time to blog really.Been so busy going out shopping and watching movies and playing my PS3 that I really didn't bother going online much.Well,life is pretty nice now that I've completed my studies.So relaxing...it's like a big burden has been lifted off my shoulders and I feel like I can run faster and jump higher now.But then again,in the back of my mind,I am prepared to go back to studying if I don't pass all my papers.And there happen to be one paper which I'm not very confident of passing.It's the stupid Paper P3 Business Analysis.Well,I will not blog about something unpleasant for now.Now is the time to have fun,not to think of what will happen if I fail.

Anyway,I've also submitted my resume to all the Big 4 accounting firms.It's so convenient to do things online now.No hassle of mailing them and paying for stamps.I only sent them all by e-mail on Monday and I'm very surprised that I've received calls to attend interviews from 2 out of 4 before this week has ended.They are actually too fast to my liking.Now I have to get all busy to get prepared for the interview when I've just gotten so used to being lazy.Haha.I must admit I'm feeling a bit nervous about the interviews.There will be tests to do and then the interview...so many questions they can ask me.I just hope I can answer them well enough.And to behave really professional and look good the whole time...wah!So many things to be aware of at the same time.I just hope I won't disappoint myself.

I can't believe I managed to put off playing pool for more than 3 months until last week when I played again.Pool is such a nice game.I think I'll never go without pool for 3 months again unless I can't help it.I'm itching to play it again...maybe tomorrow night.Haha.I think when I've got a house of my own and I'm fairly well-off,I'll get myself a pool table.Then I don't have to go to the pool centre to play.It's really expensive to play pool at the centre...RM 12 per hour is the cheapest I can find in Subang Jaya.But The Rack is a very decent place...definitely better than playing at Summit or Asia Cafe.If can,I would like to be a pro pool player.Haha...but I know I have a very long way to go to become that.But then again,I don't think my future lies in that path.Haha.I'd rather be a professional video game player though.I think it's more relaxing than playing pool since pool requires a lot of stretching and walking about.It's good exercise though.Well,that's all for now.Will blog again before the new year arrives(hopefully I'll be able to find the time).

Bad Command Or File Name

2007-12-06T22:36:00.000+08:00

While I was studying yesterday,the study material suddenly made me recall the phrase Bad Command or File Name,which should be very familiar to those who have ever used DOS.For those who don't know what DOS is,it's the operating system widely used in PCs before Microsoft came along with Windows.It does pretty much what Windows does today but without the windows and graphical stuff.Everything is executed by text commands,hence there's no need for a mouse to point and click on items.Because it's executed by text commands,the phrase "bad command or file name" will appear everytime you enter a command that is not comprehensible to the computer,which happens very often if you're not sure of the commands.Anyway,I encountered this phrase pretty often in my early experience with computers.My brother would teach me the correct command to open a game programme but I'll just forget the correct command and end up with rows and rows of "Bad Command or File Name",which is really frustrating.Can't blame me for being so IT illiterate back then,I was only 10 years old when we got our first computer,which uses DOS.Actually,Windows was already in existence at that time...it was kind of a transition period from DOS to Windows at that time.I remember I didn't have to use DOS for long before Windows 95 came along and made things so much easier.That's when Microsoft Windows began their invasion in all computers and we all know where they are today.

I can't resist commenting on the recent street demonstrations held in Malaysia.First there was the Bersih demonstration in KL,which actually drew a lot of response as more than 10000 people turned up.They were demanding for Fair and Clean Elections in Malaysia.I'm not sure why they think elections in this country is not being run fairly.In my opinion,the election system in place here is fair.There's an independent Election Commission formed to oversee elections.It's not like the government is running the election...that would be very unfair.Perhaps they know something that I don't know but I would think the demonstration was pretty useless since they were accused of holding an illegal gathering because they didn't obtain a police permit for the street demonstration.The fact that the police refused to grant them the permit is unfair,that much I can say.The Federal Constitution clearly states that every Malaysian citizen has the right to freely assemble,which is one of the fundamental rights.So that would mean that the need for a police permit should not even arise.I'd rather people protest that fact as there is hard evidence for a breach of the Constitution,rather than protesting about Unfair Elections.I think the opposition parties in this country are sometimes focusing on the wrong issues.

The other street demonstration is even more ridiculous.It's the one held by the Hindu Rights Action Force(Hindraf) at the British Commission in KL.They were going to hand in a petition to the Queen of England to demand for compensation for every Indian in Malaysia as they claim it's the British people's fault for bringing them to Malaya as unskilled labour and has caused them to suffer now in Malaysia.The compensation they are claiming is RM 1 million for every Indian in Malaysia.Seriously...I think they are too ambitious and I don't think they'll succeed.They are claiming that the Malaysian government practices ethnic cleansing on Indians.Well,I know that some racial discrimination does occur in this country but I wouldn't go so far as to claim the government practices ethnic cleansing.That's a very serious allegation which I think does not hold water.Seriously,if ethnic cleansing is practised,those Indians wouldn't be able to hold that demonstration in the first place.Yes,things aren't exactly perfect for the minority races here in Malaysia but to say something like that is just too much.It just brings up the sensitive racial sentiments again and I fear if this isn't handled properly by the government and the parties involved,unwanted violence of the racial kind might just happen.That would really affect the country's economy and I don't want to live in a chaotic environment.I really do hope their grievances are noted by the government and the proper assurance given to Hindraf that the government will look into them.

Liverpool's season just got better.While it seemed they were going to drop from the title race a month ago,now Liverpool is back in it,with a good chance of overtaking those immediately at the top of Liverpool in the EPL table.I really hope Liverpool beats MU soundly on Dec 16th.Certainly a match to look forward to.But in the nearer future is Liverpool's match against Marseille in France.Liverpool's away form has been better than its home form this season really.So I don't think Liverpool can't win it.But the match is a potential banana skin if Liverpool don't give their all.I just hope Rafa gets his tactics spot-on and the players perform their best.It's a must win and failing to win will bring about many uncertainties about the future of Benitez at the club as well as some players.But lately Liverpool has been producing the goods when it is needed.So I look forward to seeing the goods come Dec 11th.Too bad I can't watch the game...I've got a paper to sit for on the next day.My exam is definitely more important than the match.

Trouble In The Red Half Of Merseyside

2007-11-27T22:53:00.000+08:00

I am very disturbed by recent news of a rift between Liverpool's American owners and the manager Rafael Benitez.The worse case scenario being Rafa Benitez being sacked and Liverpool left alone without a good manager.Of course,with the departure of Benitez,some players will leave too.Now that is bad.As a devoted supporter of Liverpool,I really don't want my beloved team to be in a deep crisis such as this.It's true that Liverpool has had far too many draws but the team is starting to win again and it's not like the season is coming to an end soon...there are still many games to play and it's only a matter of time before the other teams at the top experience the same bad patch as Liverpool.Every team has their own bad periods.There has never been a team that won the EPL title unbeaten.Liverpool could very well be the first team to do so this season if they can remain unbeaten.Of course,that's being highly optimistic but you just never know.I didn't expect Liverpool to win the Champions League in the beginning of the 2004-2005 season.I mean,they almost couldn't make it to the knockout stage and was 3-0 down at half-time in the final.It just shows that things can change very fast in football.I just don't understand why some fans are being so impatient.It's been only 3 years since Rafael Benitez took over.It's not like he hasn't won anything with Liverpool.Yes,Liverpool still has not won the EPL since 1990 but we've already waited this long...would it hurt to wait a little bit longer?Of all my years supporting Liverpool,Rafa's reign has brought me the most joy even though Houllier managed to win the treble.

Anyway,in the recent Newcastle vs Liverpool game,I noticed that I've got the same LV Damier Geant messenger bag(same colour too!) as Steven Gerrard.But then mine is a fake and he's got the real thing.Haha...but I'm still pleasantly surprised that we've got something else in common besides the fact that we've got the same birthdate,30th May.But then again a lot of people have that LV messenger bag.Although it's supposed to be a men's bag,I really like the design of the bag a lot.If I have the money,I'd buy the real thing and won't regret it one bit.But the price at USD 1450 is rather hefty.That's like about RM 4000++ at current exchange rates.I won't even earn that much in a month when I start working.Sheesh...rich people do have it easier in many ways. Wish I have the real thing...

Inefficiency Frustrates

2007-11-15T22:42:00.000+08:00

I am so frustrated with my lack of efficiency in revising my P3 topics today.I was doing well for the past 2 days but today is just really bad.I don't know why I couldn't concentrate at all.My mind starts to wander with every few sentences and before I knew it,I was sitting in front of my PC surfing the net for whatever that just came into my mind.I know I have to make use of my time properly to revise but I guess my brain has some other "better" stuff to do than process the stuff that I'm reading.Reading is not a problem but the tiring part is understanding whatever I've read and remembering them.And I was just reading just now about this thing called the Experience Curve where organisations get better in what they do through the years,so if they hold a large market share,hence they get more cumulative experience thus making them better at what they do faster.If the Experience Curve were to apply to me,I think I may not be exhibiting the signs of a proper experience curve.Haha.I am definitely not getting any better in revising my subjects.I'm still affected by the same old concentration problem which leads to inefficiency.I think it's been getting worse as I need to put in more effort than before to maintain my concentration.Sigh...I just have to tell myself to Gambate!

Lately I've been keeping myself entertained with the Asian side of the entertainment world,in particular Hong Kong entertainment.The endless number of TVB series being made every year is so amazing.I mean,the industry is just so self-supporting and I don't know how it will ever crumble.New actors and actresses are promoted in every series so there is this endless stream of new talent coming in to fit into the shoes of those who have left.Although not all series are nice and some have this recycle feel to it but when the good ones are produced,they are really good.Also,the paparazzi in Hong Kong are no less active than their Western counterparts,so there is also an endless stream of gossip coming from this side of the entertainment world.But then I'll have to say the news are not so sensational as the Western ones...I mean,Britney Spears alone can generate so much of scandalous news.There isn't any individual in the Hong Kong entertainment scene who's like Britney Spears.I think I should be grateful for that.It may be entertainment news but I still prefer them to be filled with substance rather than just trash.The common gossip from Hong Kong is usually about love relationships of the stars.Gets kind of boring sometimes because they really cook up ridiculous stories.So far I'm only interested in their TV series...not so with the music and movies side.But I've watched some nice Hong Kong movies before.I recently watched the movie Hooked On You...well,it's got good acting and some funny lines but the ending is just so...not happy.I mean,not that every movie must have a happy ending but this ending is just too sad.I would have given it 2 thumbs up before the ending but after watching the ending,I can only give 1 thumb up.Anyway,it's a really short movie,less than 2 hours so it wasn't very time-wasting.

I've been trying to plant carrots in a pot for the past month or so.Well,I just cut off the top-end of the carrot and then I plant it in the pot.They grow quite well too...I can see the shoots and leaves grow taller by the day.But unfortunately,my rabbits found that pot with the carrots and ate up all the leaves.So the carrot stump will eventually die as it can no longer support itself without the leaves to generate energy.But I am not giving up.I am still continuing to plant the top-end of the carrots that I often feed to the rabbits.Initially,I had 3 carrot tops growing which reduced to 2 then to 1,but now there's 2 again as I've just planted a new carrot top.Haha.I just hope the rabbits will forget about that pot with the carrots.It's good that it's situated in the part of the garden that the rabbits least visit.Anyway,my purpose of planting the carrots is so I can feed them to the rabbits when they have grown bigger.At least it has fulfilled part of the objective but the rabbits are eating them before they are big enough.Sigh!

Counting Down The Days

2007-11-08T22:56:00.000+08:00

My final ACCA exam is getting nearer now.I think there's only 32 days left to the first day of the exam.I really hope I can cover substantially all of the topics by that time.I have not blogged for so long,I realise.That's because I've been busy with classes and more classes.Seriously,this semester is the most packed of them all.I am surprised I have not expired by now.It's more worse than that semester where I took 4 subjects...and I'm only doing 3 this semester.However,even with all this stress,I have not lost weight.Must be because I'm also eating more to compensate for my lack of energy.The lack of exercise is really getting to me.It's not like I don't want to...on most days classes run till after 5pm,then by the time I get home it'll be after 6.30pm because of the traffic jam,then the skies will be turning dark,so it's no point to go out and exercise as dinner time is at 7.30 pm.If there wasn't any traffic jam,then I could still exercise a bit.I feel lethargic on some days but energetic on others.So to balance it out,I've resorted to drinking Glucolin,which is the glucose drink that gives instant energy.I'll have to say it works better than the yucky essence of chicken(which has no effect at all for me) but then it doesn't last very long.It only makes me feel energetic in the morning...but after noon,I'll feel tired again.Haha.But at least it works.

Liverpool is a very inconsistent team.For the past few weeks,they've been drawing every Premier League match and am feeling pretty down about that.Seriously,there was so much hope in the beginning of the season when Liverpool was at the top of the league.Now they've dropped down to 5th or 6th,I don't know.Although they remain unbeaten in the league,they are not winning enough and so I don't think they can actually win the title at the end of the season.If only a miracle will happen.However,if they can score 8 goals against a team like they did against Besiktas week in and week out in the EPL,then I have no doubts that Liverpool can win the title.But Liverpool's weakness is their inconsistency and failure to convert chances into goals.Sigh...it has been the same problem for many seasons now...even before Rafael Benitez became the manager.I just hope Liverpool can remain unbeaten in the EPL and also wualify for the next round of Champions League.Seriously,I didn't expect a scoreline like 8-0 from Liverpool after seeing the way they've played in the previous CL matches,but the numbers don't lie.From my reckoning,Liverpool can only qualify at the expense of either Marseille or Porto.If Liverpool beat them both,then they'll have a max points total of 10,then it will all depend on whether Porto and Marseille can beat Besiktas.If Porto loses to Liverpool,then win against Besiktas;Marseille loses to Liverpool and beats Besiktas,Liverpool can only qualify by comparing the goal difference(or away goals scored) with Marseille,as they'll be level on points.But if Liverpool beats both Porto and Marseille,and either or both of them draws or loses to Besiktas,then Liverpool can qualify at the expense of either one.So I hope the 2nd situation will materialise.I dare not think of the consequence if Liverpool fails to beat both Porto and Marseille.The UEFA Cup competition is a very small consolation.

I am so hooked on the TVB series titled To Catch the Uncatchable.It's a very succesful series in Hong Kong when it was first aired.The ratings hit the roof for most episodes.It stars Ada Choi and Dayo Wong...2 very talented actors in their own right.Haha...love the chemistry between them.The show is totally hilarious but of course,there are many serious parts too.At 25 episodes I think it's too short as I really enjoyed every episode.Well,I've downloaded the series and I still have not finished watching it but am trying to watch at least 1 episode everyday.If only there were more TVB series made like that.This series is really one of a kind.The only bad thing about this series is the ending.It's kind of an anti-climax.So then TVB actually filmed an alternative ending for it.But I think the original ending is more fitting compared to the alternative ending although it's rather anti-climatic.Anyway,my ramble stops now as I want to watch the next episode of To Catch the Uncatchable...up to Episode 19 now.

Better Graphics

2007-10-19T22:48:00.001+08:00

I couldn't stand the rattling of my old graphics card's fan anymore so I bought myself a new graphics card for my PC last Saturday.Well,I thought I could bear with the noise for a year or two until I decide to get a whole new PC,since my current PC is already 4 years old now.But the rattling of the fan on my graphics card just became unbearable as it has disturbed my sleep for the nights when I've left the PC switched on overnight.So now I've got a brand new Nvidia GeForce 7600GS.A pretty decent graphics card from what I've seen so far...a significant improvement over my old and noisy ATi Radeon 9800SE definitely.But I do feel sorry to let go the old graphics card.But I decided to stop using it not just because of the noise,it's because the fan is really a problem.I know the fan is spinning when it's noisy and rattling but when it suddenly goes silent,it's worrying.I would hope that it has rectified itself but actually,I've checked once and it actually went silent because the fan was spinning too slowly.I'm afraid if it happens again one day and I don't realise it,the graphics card processor might overheat and get burnt or something.It might cause damage to other parts of my PC,which would result in me having to spend more money to replace other damaged parts instead of only the graphics card.RM 340 for the new graphics card is rather reasonable,as it's an AGP card.My old graphics card cost more than RM 340 when I bought it 4 years ago,as there wasn't PCI-E cards back then.Besides a new graphics card,I also bought a portable hard drive.I went for the cheapest reliable brand there is...which is Western Digital.The website showed the Passport portable hard drive available in many colours but I don't know why there was only black available in Low Yat.Some more it was so difficult to get the 120GB model...3 stores I went to and all were sold out.Only managed to buy it in the 4th store.Initially I wanted the Seagate portable hard drive but that was so expensive...RM 385 for the 120GB capacity compared to the WD Passport which is only RM 270.So much of difference in the price...I wonder why.I don't think Western Digital is such a bad brand...I mean I'm using the WD Caviar internal hard disk and it's alright so far.Been using it for 2 years now and I've no complaints.

I've been spending so much of time studying lately that I've not played Oblivion for close to a month now.There's just so much to study.I just can't stand doing things at the last minute.It's better for me to start revising as early as possible just so I can have peace of mind before the exam day.Well,there's only a little bit more than a month left to D-Day.I really hope I'll survive this exam session unscathed.I really want to start working next year.Well,I'm actually more interested in the break I'll get after the exam.I want to be able to enjoy the break filled with the confidence that I've done well in the exam and that I don't have to worry about failing.That's what I'm looking forward to most.But another headache has surfaced besides the looming exam...it is whether I should send in my resume to the Big 4 accounting firms now or only do it after my exam.I really haven't the time to compile a good resume now.But there's the view among my peers that the earlier we apply,the better as competition will be stiff in the period after the exam.Sure,that view holds water but then again,there is a shortage of accountants in the country and it is no secret that even the Big 4 accounting firms are experiencing a shortage of staff....so I really don't think competition will be as stiff as it is perceived to be.Besides,I might as well make sure I pass the exam before I think about applying for a job even before I've sat for the exam.I don't want to secure a job provisionally and end up having to let it go if I fail one or more of the 3 papers I'm sitting for.Anyway,my plan is to only start working after January or in mid-January.I've got so much planned for my break.Besides,it won't be a long break for me.The most I can go is probably 1 month before I start getting bored.Well,I don't want to dwell too much on my break.I must focus on my studies first to make sure I can get the break that I'm dreaming of.It's time for me to get some well-deserved sleep.

Ice-Cream Delight

2007-10-12T23:02:00.000+08:00

It has been a pretty busy week and while the weekend is approaching,I am still busy with loads of revision and homework to do.To think that I have to do so much of work while almost everybody else can enjoy the Hari Raya holiday,makes me feel rather depressed.Although it's been a busy week,my collegemates and me managed to enjoy the All You Can Eat promotion by Haagen-Dazs in Bangsar Village 2.It's RM 33.90++ per person.I've never eaten so much of ice-cream in my life.We only had a limited time to indulge as we've got a class to get back to later in the afternoon.I consumed 9 scoops of ice-cream in about 1 hour.Haha.That's a lot.I felt like eating more after the 9th scoop cause the ice-cream looked so good and tastes so good too but my stomach couldn't take anymore as I felt like vomitting soon after I finished the 9th scoop.Haha.Anyway,if we had more time,I'm sure we'd stay longer.The Belgian chocolate flavour is really heavenly.I really felt like I was in heaven when I was enjoying those ice-cream.The surprise flavour was Macadamia nut...the ice-cream looks plain like vanilla but it actually tasted better than it looks.I felt the strawberry flavour was the worst.It tasted more like strawberry yoghurt than real strawberry.Well,the promotion ends on 31st October and it's only available on weekdays.So go try it if you're an ice-cream lover like me.

The college managed to fit the KPMG visit yesterday into our tight schedule.The college advised us to dress formally for the visit.So it was really a sight to see 40 of us all dressed up in working attire.It's cool that the college paid for all the expenses of this trip including the transport,so we didn't need to fork out anything.Hence,it was worth going.The current KPMG office is really one whole building consisting 12 floors.They are shifting to Wisma IBM in Bandar Utama in March 2008 and it's really just next door to 1-Utama.It's good news for us who likes to shop.Haha.Well,the surprising part of the visit is that the senior partners of the accounting firm are so friendly and approachable.I mean,we just went up to them and asked lots of questions and they didn't give us any haughty looks or vague answers.It was a very eye-opening experience.The same goes for some of the audit managers we talked to...the way they spoke,it's like how we speak to each other in college.It really felt like we were speaking to a fellow classmate instead of a manager in a Big 4 accounting firm.The way they delivered the presentation about KPMG really shows that they want us to apply for jobs at KPMG.Well,KPMG looks and feels well but I really can't make a decision now.There's still a visit to Ernst and Young lined up in the coming weeks.I don't think I'll make a decision to join an accounting firm based on the salary offered.I mean,all the Big 4 firms offer similar remuneration packages.For me,it will all come down to where the office is located.EY is definitely not at the top based on its location,which is smack in the busiest area of Kuala Lumpur which translates to endless traffic jam.Deloitte would be nearest to my house and KPMG is 2nd,when they shift to Bandar Utama.PWC has already shifted to KL Sentral,so I can take the LRT to work if I'm ever employed by PWC.But before any of these can happen,I must make sure I pass my last 3 papers.I'll have to make sure I pass them all as the opportunity cost is too high.KPMG is offering a starting salary of RM 2350/month,so if I fail even one paper,I'll be set back at least 6 months,which will amount to RM 2350 x 6 = RM 14100.That's a very high opportunity cost.

It's also an eventful week for Malaysians as the first Malaysian astronaut went into space on Wednesday.It's really Malaysia Boleh.I wonder how much do astronauts get paid?Sure,the job is risky and lonely but they don't really get to do much,do they?What is it that they do in space besides running the space shuttle or maintaining the space station?I really don't know.What I'm really disappointed with astronauts and the whole space-related organisations is that they still haven't developed the technology to go further into space.Spacecrafts are so slow...it takes a month to fly to the moon.I know the distance is far,but still,surely after all these years,NASA and the Russian space organisation (don't know what's it called) should be having a breakthrough now if not on the brink of one?They are hardly near anywhere.Well,what do I know?Maybe they have something but they're not just ready to reveal it.Perhaps it's still in the experimental stage.Who knows?Maybe they did create something that can get people to the moon in less than 1 month but something went horribly wrong and they just want to keep it quiet?Haha...conspiracy theories.I love them.The beauty with conspiracies is that they are entirely possible but people just can't be sure if it really happened.So there's no right or wrong to these theories.But some conspiracy theories can be so far-fetched that they become ridiculous,like "Elvis Presley is actually an alien"...I don't blame those people who laugh at those who believe in the theory.I mean,even I laugh at that.

Facebook Addiction

2007-10-06T23:01:00.000+08:00

I decided to sign up for a Facebook account last Friday and I was instantly hooked.Before I got those invites from my friends to join Facebook I thought it'll just be as boring as Friendster.How wrong I was...an action to satisfy my curiosity lead to an addiction.I couldn't stop logging in from time to time during the weekend to add more friends and applications.It was really bad as I used up a lot of time that was meant for studying.I just hope my Progress Test 2 results won't be too bad.At least I can blame it on Facebook if the results turn out bad.

My plan of watching Hairspray yesterday did not materialise.However,my friend and I watched the movie Lust,Caution instead.The latest movie directed by Ang Lee is really good.It's only the censorship board of Malaysia that spoiled some bits of the movie.I don't understand why they gave an 18PL rating for the movie but still cut out so many of those intimate scenes.But the movie was still enjoyable,coming from a person like me who don't know much Mandarin,that is really high praise.Good thing there was English subtitles if not I wouldn't understand the story at all.I think I shall wait for the DVD to be released and watch the movie again in its entirety.What makes the movie good is very much due to the performance of the actors and actresses.Newcomer Tang Wei definitely has talent.Tony Leung Chiu Wai...what else to say but he's just a very good actor.And Wang Lee Hom,who looks really handsome in the movie but he's not just a pretty face.He acted well too and it was really a bonus to hear him speak Cantonese.However,I noticed that he didn't have any scenes with Tony Leung,only one I think.What a shame.Anyway,I highly recommend this movie even if you don't understand Mandarin because you would definitely know how to read the English subtitles,which are highly accurate compared to the BM subtitles.Haha.It's worth paying RM 10 to see the BM translation of the movie title...which is Bernafsu Berwaspada.LOL...the BM translations always make me laugh.

I realised I've been gaining weight lately even though I feel like I'm under so much of stress.The last time I felt so stressed out I lost about 3 kgs within 3 months.But I've gained 2kgs in the last 2-3 months.Sad lah.I really must get back to a regular exercise routine.The problem is that I've got so many evening classes and instead of exercising I'll be stuck in the traffic jam making my way home.That really sucks.And the weather has been cruel too...on the days when I don't have an evening class,it will begin to rain in the evening.The bad thing is I can never wake up early in the morning just to exercise.I'm just not a morning person and neither am I a late-night person.Such restricted hours that I can operate in.Maybe I need to make myself more flexible.Maybe after I'm done with ACCA I can experiment with making myself more flexible with my time.I don't think any major changes in my schedule now will be beneficial.Well,it's time for me to check on my Facebook account.

Monk Power

2007-09-27T22:18:00.000+08:00

The situation in Myanmar must be really bad that the Buddhist monks have now stepped out to protest against the military junta ruling.It must be a rare sight to see hundreds of monks marching down the streets in protest.It's a good thing that the monks decided to protest against the government but the way the government responded to it is really bad.How can they attack monks?Monks who are defenceless and looked upon as holy people.Yes,the monks may have committed civil disobedience but it is justified as the government is not even democratic.There is just no other way to remove them in a civil way since they have not created one.It's really chaotic in Myanmar now.I just hope all the monks' efforts will not go to waste and there will be a change of government in Myanmar soon.It's sad that other countries cannot do much to improve the situation in Myanmar without causing further problems for the people in Myanmar.

Miss Brown has been acting strangely today,which has got me feeling worried.She burrowed really deep today and made a sizeable hole underground that I can no longer see her once she goes inside.That's something worrying because she's never dug so deep before.But what's more worrying is that she actually started collecting dry leaves in her mouth and bringing them into her hole.She went back and forth doing that for a whole hour,patiently collecting the dry leaves and bringing them into the hole.I've never seen her act like that before.It's just very strange.Anyway,I don't think the hole is safe for her to be inside.I believe the sizeable hole was already there as there was previously a large tree planted there but we removed the top part of the tree and used chemicals to kill off the roots.I think the roots must have all died,leaving behind a large hole.Miss Brown merely dug out an entry into that hole.I'm afraid the hole might cave in anytime.I guess a rabbit would know how to dig out of a hole but it may not be easy if the rabbit starts to panic and probably would end up digging deeper.I definitely don't want Miss Brown to live a shorter than usual life of a rabbit.

Lately I've been really engrossed with the Hong Kong drama series The Dance of Passion.It's actually a rather old series if you live in Hong Kong but the series just ended its run on Astro.Anyway,I actually bought the DVDs to watch it in my own free time rather than catch it on Astro.The plot just keeps getting more interesting.I don't know why some people think the series is boring.It's not boring at all.Maybe the series appears to be boring as it is a periodic drama where the story is set in ancient China time.Well,I'm only halfway through the 32-episode series.Can't wait to get to the ending.It may not be an accurate depiction of the way society is in those times,but the issues in the series are pretty much the same ones that people back then face,such as the opression of women rights.The ancient Chinese thinking about the limited role of women in society is really unfavourable to all women living in those times.I'm glad things are not as bad as back then but there are still some aspects of that archaic thinking lingering among the Chinese community now.But times are so different now.I'm sure whatever remains of this way of thinking will be gone in the near future.But it's still enjoyable to watch these issues portrayed in a TV show because there is always a happy ending no matter how bad things are.

The "Special One" Departs

2007-09-20T22:32:00.000+08:00

One of the most shocking news to come out this week is that Jose Mourinho has left Chelsea.Although the tension between him and the owner Roman Abramovich has been building since last season,no one thought Mourinho would just leave during the season and it has only been 1 month since the new EPL season began.That is why the news has come as a shock and the abruptness of the departure has contributed to it too.For a supporter of a rival club like me,it's good news as Chelsea is without a good manager so that could potentially mean one less football club for Liverpool to compete against in the race for the EPL title.But then again,I believe Mourinho isn't gone for good from the EPL scene.I wouldn't be surprised if Tottenham fires Martin Jol soon and they'll announce Jose Mourinho as the new manager.It is likely this scenario might occur but there's still a big question mark over it.In the short-term,I think Man. United will benefit from this crisis in Chelsea as they are playing Chelsea in this weekend's EPL fixture.And that isn't very good news for a Liverpool supporter as no true Liverpool supporter would want Man. United to have it better.

The other shocking news,which is more close to home is that heinous crime committed by this very sick person on a little girl.The poor girl died after being sexually assaulted and strangled.The person actually stuffed the dead body into a sports bag and left in front of a shop.The most sick part of this whole thing is how the sick murderer assaulted her...it stuck a brinjal and a cucumber up her vagina.That's just so cruel.She's estimated to be between 6-8 years old only.Imagine the pain and suffering she went through before dying.Dying must have been a blessing when she's experiencing the pain.If that murderer is ever caught,he really should be tortured to death instead of being hung.

I'm really excited about a class trip to KPMG and BDO Binder organised by the college.I believe this trip is a good opportunity to get a look at how things are in these 2 accounting firms and perhaps it can help me choose which employer to work for when I graduate.I don't think a tour of the premises is part of the itinerary when we go for interviews.I'd prefer trips to every one of the Big 4 accounting firm's office in Malaysia,but KPMG and BDO Binder are good enough.Although BDO is not exactly one of the Big 4,it is the 5th largest after the Big 4.BDO is kind of like BMW Sauber in F1 and perhaps Tottenham Hotspur in the EPL after the big guys,in my opinion.Although there is no confirmed date for this visit yet,I really hope it won't be cancelled.These are some of the benefits of studying ACCA in Sunway University College.The college does sometime add value to our fees by organising events like these without any extra charge to the students.Just a week ago the college took the trouble to get this ACCA personnel who's in charge of education development in Asia to hold additional sessions of his exam technique talk in Sunway.He was scheduled for one session in KL at Wisma MCA where an entrance fee of RM 10 is required but Sunway students got to attend the sessions for free and at the college's premises too.No hassle of travelling all the way down to KL.People think it's more expensive to study ACCA in Sunway,but I think Sunway's tuition fees are comparable to those charged by other ACCA tuition providers in KL.The fees only appear cheaper in KL as they usually split up their fees into different components paid at different times.In Sunway,the fees covers the whole semester(including books and revision packs) and you only pay once.Although a lot of students believe the lecturers in the KL tuition centres are better.It's debatable since the pass percentage figures from Sunway for most papers have consistently been above the world's pass percentage.It's not the case for the other tuition providers.But then again,their location in KL probably plays a big role in attracting students.The capital is definitely more accessible through public transport rather than Bandar Sunway.That is definitely the reason why the parking lot is always full at peak hours of classes as most students drive to the college.Seriously,the college should use some of their earnings to expand the parking lot or build another one nearby the campus.Even the lecturers have complained about the parking situation.But I don't intend to remain in college until I see a new parking lot...haha.I would prefer that I finish my studies at the end of this year as planned.

Full HD Delight

2007-09-07T22:41:00.000+08:00

I can finally enjoy the full HD experience in my living room.Yes,my dad finally bought a new full HD LCD TV.I guess he decided to buy it because he's not going to retire at the end of this year...I mean,initially he was set on retiring at the end of November but then the company offered him another year of extension and accepting the offer seems to be the best outcome.Since the company offered it to him,it's not like he requested for him,that just shows that the employer still wants my father around.Anyway,the TV is really great.Everybody seems pleased with it too.It was a good deal too as it's a Merdeka promotion so Samsung threw in a home-theater system with the TV for free.It's not a cheapo home theater system as I thought initially...it's a pretty good one.And my PS3 games look so darn good on the TV now.But the unfortunate thing is that I have not been able to play my PS3 games since Monday.Lecturers are going overboard with the dispensing of homework.Don't know what's the matter with them.Seriously,I don't agree with the way the course is being run...there's too much of emphasis on teaching us how to do the exam questions.Of course,passing the exam is the top priority but I really would prefer a different style of teaching which is focused on building the students' understanding in the syllabus content.I feel this approach can benefit students more in the long-run.But then again,at Sunway college,most lecturers are pretty balanced in their teaching approach.More focus is put on exam techniques in the EDC classes before the ACCA exam rather than in the normal lectures.Sigh...I thought I could get away with an exam-oriented environment after secondary school and form 6 but I fell right into the same situation again.Guess I didn't give it a thought before I signed up for ACCA.I am not regretting it or complaining,but I'm just reflecting on the irony of it all.I guess if I study the right way,I wouldn't end up like one of those people who are only good in doing exams but can't do well at work because they've forgotten everything that they've learnt or is not able to apply what they've learnt outside an examination context.It's really pitiful if that happens.

Although it's been a tiring week but I've been pretty upbeat since Saturday night,actually it's Sunday night to be exact.That's because Liverpool is now the top team in the EPL.Since Chelsea lost on Sunday,that means Liverpool is on top on a more superior goal difference even though the top 3 teams have the same points. But Liverpool will stay at the top for 2 weeks since there are no EPL matches this weekend due to the Euro 2008 qualifiers matches.For a Liverpool supporter,that is a rare sight indeed and I must savour it while it lasts.But then,if Liverpool continues with their fine form,I should be able to see them at the top for the rest of the season.Now that's even better.I think if Liverpool wins the title at the end of the season,I'll treat all my friends to dinner or a futsal match.I treated all my friends to a game of futsal when Liverpool won the Champions League in 2005.I mean,it was the first in 20 years for Liverpool.I think if Liverpool wins the EPL title at the end of this season,it would be the first in 20 years too.Wow...the signs look good.Haha.

I recently realised how little I know about the financial situation in the country and around the world.I hardly read the Business section of the newspaper as previously I just don't understand any of it at all.But now that I understand what they're writing about,I still don't read them much.Haha.I guess it's become a difficult habit to break as I always look at the comics section of the newspaper first before I look at the entertainment news and I just ignore the business section totally.I think I really should make an effort to read at least half of the business section now and don't bother about the entertainment news so much.I mean,it could be detrimental to my career in accounting if I'm not up to date with the latest financial happenings.Well,I still have some time before I start working...which is likely to be early next year.But I guess it helps to start now...I mean,some older news can suddenly become relevant in current times.

Anyway,my white rabbit,Mr.White has certainly grown bigger now.I feared it could be growth-retarded about 6 months ago as he remained the same size for a very long period of time.But now that I see he has grown to almost the size of an adult rabbit,I'm not worried anymore.He's definitely eating a lot right now,even more than Miss Brown who's a bigger sized rabbit.Miss Brown has been very active lately in her burrowing activities.I'm having a difficult time covering up the holes that she dug up.I do it because I don't want my rabbits to go disappearing down their burrows.Heaven knows how deep they can burrow.It'll be difficult for me to put them back in their cages if they decide to hide in their burrow.There are cats in the neighbourhood and I've heard that cats do sometimes attack rabbits.I definitely do not want my rabbits to be injured or worse,eaten by cats.But then they are not my rabbits but I like them no less.Maybe if (touch wood) my brother breaks up with this girlfriend,she won't want them anymore.Of course I'm not wishing for that.They'd probably end up married but knowing my elder brother,I don't think he has enough money to get married yet.Although he earns quite a lot but his spending goes up proportionately with his income too.I vow I'll never be like him.I am in nature a spend-thrift person and I know the importance of saving.It'll definitely be useful for the rainy days.Just like that song Rainy Day from The Corrs which goes "Save it for a rainy day....but if the sun's still shining,I'll save it for another day..."

50 Years Old

2007-08-31T22:42:00.000+08:00

As of today,Malaysia or at least Peninsular Malaysia is 50 years old.A nation that is only 50 years old is relatively young when compared to the developed nations in the world.Malaysia has certainly achieved a lot over the last 50 years but there is still a lot more to do.Singapore is even younger than Malaysia and the country is considered a developed country.Sadly,Malaysia is still considered as a developing country.Even I wouldn't say Malaysia is a developed nation yet.Mainly I feel there's still a lot of work to be done in the education system of this country.Malaysia may be blessed with natural resources but to rely on that alone won't bring success to the country.Malaysia needs unique resources which are sustainable in order to be a successful country.Human resource is one of them.Although the talented people can go to other countries but the country must also do its part in retaining this people.So far,the government isn't doing a very good job in retaining talented people in Malaysia to contribute to the development of the country.There's something not right with the human resource policies here as the brightest people are moving to other countries and contributing to the development of those other countries.There's just too many repelling factors here than attracting factors.It's very obvious that many posts in the government divisions are not awarded based on a meritocracy basis.Even though the entry to local public universities are on a meritocracy basis,we all know it's not a full meritocracy system.How can it be when there are 2 different entry examinations available which are not comparable?We all know which one is easier than the other.And that's a big repelling factor for many people.I feel that these two dubious practices are part of the numerous weakness points in this country.But anyway,I don't want to put a dampener on the Merdeka celebrations.The country has been through a lot and her achievements thus far are not short of remarkable.Happy 50th Birthday Malaysia!

Lately I've been feeling pretty depressed.But then,just today,I started to think properly and realised that I'm not really feeling sad.I am not depressed but I am very stressed out.That's why I've blown my top a few times for the past 2 weeks.For the first time in my life,I am actually feeling stressed.It is my last semester and I really want to pass all my papers at the end of the year.The part that is stressful is that the subject matter and the exams are not getting any easier.That really sucks...it really makes me feel stupid when I can't do a question properly.When I start questioning my own intelligence that means I'm doubting my own abilities.And that would lead to a very low confidence level,which is not good.Sigh...that is why I have resorted to drastic measures.I will not go out unless it's necessary to do so...like buy food or groceries.I am going to have a zero social life for the next 3 months.I'll only attend the most important of family functions.I will make it a priority to study at least 3 hours a day.I know I can't buy more time if I studied less than 3 hours, so I'll just keep that in mind.

However,I can still find time to watch a few movies by losing some sleeping hours.I watched Little Miss Sunshine last week.I think it's a very nice movie although it's got a pretty simple storyline.No amazing effects or actions or stunts but just a very enjoyable family movie.It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Picture but of course the movie didn't get it.It's supposed to be a comedy but not all scenes are funny...some scenes are actually very serious in nature.Anyway,this is the type of movie worth paying RM 10 to watch in the cinema.But it wasn't screened in Malaysia.I guess it could be due to the cocaine snorting scenes.But there was only cocaine snorting scenes.Anyway,I'd rather spend my 2 hours watching Little Miss Sunshine than Rush Hour 3.Seriously,that movie is not that nice considering all that hype.If I knew it was so mediocre,I wouldn't have watched it.Anyway,I don't think I'll be watching anymore of the movies that will be coming soon.I'll just sacrifice them and hope I can catch them on HBO in 2 years time.Haha.Or I can just download them...no big deal really.Even Chronicles of Narnia I only watched a month ago.Haha.The movie is rather good actually.I don't know why some people said it's boring.I like it very much...except for the kiddy fighting scenes.Well,those are kids fighting anyway.Now I feel like reading the book but I can't find any one who has it to borrow from.

It's Been Some Time

2007-08-24T22:31:00.000+08:00

I think my last post in this blog was more than 2 weeks ago.Well,in this relatively long period of time,many things have happened.First of all,I purchased my first original Liverpool jersey with Gerrard and number 8 on the back.Finally found a shop in Bukit Bintang Plaza which sells junior size Liverpool jerseys.Well,I now have the current Liverpool home jersey and I'm very happy with it.It's money well spent...not to mention my friend actually successfully haggled for a lower price.Haha.However,something really unfair happened on the following Sunday after I bought the jersey.Liverpool would have beaten Chelsea by 1 goal to nil if it hadn't been for that stupid and brainless referee who goes by the name Rob Styles.He gifted Chelsea with a penalty,which was totally unnecessary and that let Chelsea equalise.Dumbo referee.And that wasn't the only mistake he made.He showed 2 yellow cards to Essien and then failed to produce the red card.It's comparable to what Graham Poll did in the World Cup when he gave 3 yellow cards to one player.Seriously,the referee robbed Liverpool of a victory.As a fan,I feel so, so cheated by the referee.And all he got was a suspension.He should be fired and banned from refereeing for life.

Anyway,on the next day,I had a bittersweet day.Well,it was a sweet day because I got my ACCA results and I passed both Papers 3.1 and 3.2.The bitter part is that my marks were very low.Only 54 and 52 respectively... and they are very close to 50,which is the passing mark.This leads me to realise that I was actually very close to failing.Even though I passed,this time passing did not make me feel happy at all.It's made worse when a few of my friends didn't get through unscathed.Some failed 3.1,some failed 3.2 and one failed both.Even though I've never failed before,I know how it would feel.If I were in their shoes,I would feel just as sad.Maybe in my case,it would be more difficult to swallow as I'm not used to failing.Well,anyway,I'm still glad I passed.It is obvious I wasn't as hardworking as I should be in the last semester and I do admit I was rather slack in the previous semester.No more slacking for me this semester.It is my last semester if I pass my remaining 3 papers.And I shall make it so.I am more fired up than ever before to do well.It's just really disappointing when I know I can do better but failed to achieve that.
Anyway,this whole week hasn't been the happiest one of my life.A lecturer just confirmed on adding an additional 5-hour class every Monday from 5pm-10pm.Sadness...and the sadder part is that my classes begin from 8 am on Mondays right up till 3pm.Only 2 hours to eat before the 5-hour torture begins.I'm already feeling tired now.I hope the next week will not dish out more misery...although I don't see how I can be happy next week since going for the class means I have to miss part of CSI NY on Monday night...and it is the season finale next Monday.And I can't watch That 70s Show either...oh,no!Seriously,those stupid people who voted in favour of Monday must not realise how tiring it would be to be attending more than 6 hours of classes in one day.I wanted Thursday,since the lecturer said she's available on Thursday.But I don't know why the majority wanted Monday.Stupid lah...I am sure they'll regret their decision soon enough,if they aren't already now.There is one bright spark during the week.I finally got the letter from Oxford Brookes University which confirms that they have awarded me with a First Class Honours BSc. Degree in Applied Accounting.The certificate should be on its way to my letterbox.

Lately there has been this big hoo-ha over this Malaysian's video clip posted on You Tube,where he rapped to the tune of Negaraku.I'll admit it was very creative...it was in mandarin.But then the touchy part is that he mentioned about things that are sensitive issues in this country.He's lucky he's studying in Taiwan,therefore the Malaysian law can't reach him there.But he'll surely get punished when he comes back...depending on whoever wants to press charges against him.My opinion is that what he rapped about is really the truth.And sometimes the truth does hurt.If those people can only accept the truth,they shouldn't be feeling so angry over the song.He didn't insult anybody in the song...it is what's happening in this country.We all know that there are some traits about the Malay people which are rather...errmm,unwelcomed by many.Haha.Well,I shall not say anymore.I don't want to get into trouble for unknowingly touching any sensitive nerves.

A New Season Begins

2007-08-10T22:38:00.000+08:00

The new English Premier League (EPL) season begins tomorrow and for the first time in a very long time I am so excited over a new season of EPL.No prizes for guessing why.Liverpool have made some very interesting signings in the pre-season period and I really can't wait to see Fernando Torres in action.I have a feeling he will score a goal on his EPL debut.I just hope it isn't an own goal.Anyway,another reason is that Liverpool appears to be more likely than ever to be challenging for the EPL title this coming season.I'm not going to get my hopes up that Liverpool is going to win the EPL in the coming season though.But it would be a very,very good thing to happen if the team did win it come end of the season sometime in May 2008.It would make a good birthday present for me next year.Haha.My wish for every season is that Liverpool will beat MU in every encounter and I'll be happy enough with that even if Liverpool doesn't win the title.However,I really don't want MU to win the title again this coming season.I wouldn't mind Chelsea winning it though but I have to admit they've won enough.So it all comes down to me wanting Liverpool to win it.Haha.

Lately there has been a lot of gruesome murders being highlighted in the media.And the most gruesome of them all is this lady who chopped up her husband into 11 pieces and stuffed all those body parts in a refrigerator of their apartment.Eeeewww...at least she did move out of that apartment.The new owner was the one who found the body parts in the refrigerator.That poor person who bought that apartment unit must be in a difficult situation.Who can stand living in a place where a dead body has been found?But at the same time,who would buy an apartment unit where a dead body has been found?I really pity the owner of that apartment unit.Besides this murder case,there's also 2 cases involving parents who killed their own children.And the most high-profile of them all is the murder trial of the murder of that Mongolian model.It's high-profiled as the defendants consist of a high-profiled people.The victim got blasted to death...it seems she was strapped with C4 explosives and blasted.It's really an awful way to die and very cruel of the perpetrator.Sure,it helps in that the victim won't need a coffin to be buried in or have any need to be cremated but it is still very inhumane.

My first Progress Test is next week and surprisingly,I'm not feeling worried now.Perhaps later.I am studying for it but I doubt I'll be able to cover everything before Monday.I mean,the passing score is 30% for Progress Test 1.I normally don't take it very seriously but I will still do my best,so I can gauge my level of understanding at this point.The event that's making me worry is the event that will take place on August 20th.It's the day when the ACCA exam results will be released.Honestly,I am confident of passing Paper 3.1 Audit and Assurance Services but I am really worried about Paper 3.2 Advanced Taxation.The examiner really sprang a nasty surprise for us by setting such questions for the exam.It is a tough paper by any standard.I am really hoping I will pass both papers...even if I did only get a score of 50%.It is still a pass and there's no grade in ACCA exams anyway.No matter how high your score is,it is still called a pass,nothing more.But of course,people who get the highest score in the world and in their respective countries in a paper will get to win either the World Prize or the [Country's name] Prize.And it seems that prizewinners get paid more in the accounting firms...the latest rate in the Big 4 accounting firms is RM 2500.Normal people without any prize only gets RM 2100.It's discrimination!But people defend it by saying it's positive discrimination.On August 21st,there's the Gwen Stefani concert in Bukit Jalil.I want to go but I'm not going as there is no one to go with.Sigh...sadness.And the tickets are costly too...well,not that I mind,I just mind not having people to go with.In times like these,having a boyfriend would be good.I mean,which boyfriend wouldn't attend a concert with his girlfriend under normal circumstances?

Pottermania

2007-07-27T23:18:00.000+08:00

This post will be a very long one as I definitely have a lot to blog about this time.First of all,it's about the latest Harry Potter book.It is the 7th and the last book and I feel that it is the best book in the series although some people may beg to differ.For the first time,I actually finished a Harry Potter book in 2 days time.Previously I took at least 4 days to finish it.I did plan to finish the book in 7 days time but on the 2nd day,the book just got so interesting that I couldn't put it down.Not to mention the fact that I'm dying to know whether Harry Potter will die in the last book.Well,did Harry Potter die?The answer is yes and no.Haha.But is Dumbledore really dead?Yes,he is.He died in book 6 and was buried as well.NO way he could have come back.I don't know why there are people still harbouring the hope that he will come back.Anyway,the last book has got everything.Humour,happiness,tragedy,jubilation and shock too.The best twist in the book has got to be the part about Snape.Haha.I definitely don't want to spoil the book for people who haven't read it.When Snape killed Dumbledore in the previous book,I thought Dumbledore was betrayed by someone he trusted.But it turns out that it isn't so straightforward.There's a little bit of disappointment with the ending though,but I guess by ending the book that way,it gives the reader more room to imagine what happened in the long time gap.It's a bit like the Star Wars movie...the 3rd movie just ended at where Anakin became Darth Vader but the next movie was already 18 years later.So we don't really know what exactly happened during that time gap.Maybe J.K Rowling is a fan of Star Wars and got the idea from Star Wars.Haha.

Beside the book generating a lot of buzz,there was a price war going on with the book too.Tesco and Carrefour dropped the bomb on the eve of the release by announcing in all major tabloids that they will be selling the book at RM 69.90.The major bookstores around the country were all going to sell the book at the recommended retail price,which is RM 109.90.But Kinokuniya gave a 30% discount and Borders also gave a 20% discount.So then MPH,Popular and Times were not happy about Tesco and Carrefour selling it so cheap that they have decided to boycott the book.Even though they have the stock,they didn't sell it to the public on July 21st.But they still sold to those who pre-ordered from them.I think it was a bad move by them.It was only on last Wednesday that these bookshops gave in and started to sell the book to the public.And still at the same price of RM 109.90 but with a 20% discount if the customer buy something else at the store.So bodohlah.The price war is worse in Britain.One of the supermarkets there announced that they'll sell the book at 5 pounds (extremely cheap!) and then Tesco and the rest followed suit.Damn competitive.

Anyway,I received good news yesterday.I have passed my Research and Analysis Project and I'll be receiving the degree in applied accounting from Oxford Brookes University soon.I'm now a degree holder.Haha...I feel so accomplished.Well,I haven't send my thanks to my mentor.Will send him a text message tomorrow morning.Wanted to do it just now but somehow forgot,because of a very good reason.I was having a steamboat buffet dinner earlier.And there was such a shocking scene at the restaurant.People generally like to eat chicken wings.But I'd never dream that people would be fighting over the chicken wings as if the restaurant was giving away money in that tray.Seriously,there's a mob everytime the chicken wings are refilled,and then they are all gone within seconds.Anyway,I waited in line and managed to get 3 pieces for my friends and me,and to be honest,they didn't taste nice at all.So I don't know why are those people mobbing the chicken wings for.And the food there wasn't all that nice.It's rival restaurant at the other end has better food and more variety too.The only thing nice there was the ice cream.Haha.

It's already the 3rd week of the new semester and I can tell which subject I'll have the most difficulty with this time around.It definitely is Paper P3 Business Analysis.I think I may not be able to develop good business sense.I can't tell how a strategy is good and I don't know how to develop a strategy either.Seriously,if I don't get it,I may not be able to pass this paper.There's external analysis using models...there are so many models to learn.It's just so troublesome.Then there's also Internal Analysis and the models used for it are different from the ones in External Analysis.Seriously,I don't know who can help me understand them.I've always been bad at strategy,as is evident from the way I play chess.Even the strategic PC games I have difficulty with,like Warcraft3.I always end up using the cheat when I can't get pass a level.haha.Too bad there aren't any cheats for me to use in Paper P3 like "whosyourdaddy".LOL.Although there's one model that I can't forget,because of its name.It's called the Porter's Five Forces model.I have a tendency to write Porter as Potter only to realise it later and having to correct it.I just made that that mistake today while doing the homework.I'm still having difficulties coming up with the answers.And it doesn't help that the textbook is still not ready and all I have are the lecturer's notes.Some people may swear by their lectuerers' notes,but not me.But actually,this lecturer's notes are badly written.I don't know why I just can't understand it.I've got a business strategy textbook from the library and it is easier to understand.I'll be spending a lot of time reading it from now.The problem is how much of time do I have?The other 2 subjects require a lot of reading too.I mean,at this level,it's all theory questions.No more easy calculations and workings to do.Now there's professional marks too...as in there are hidden marks awarded for proper arrangement of the answer and using the correct format in report-writing and letter-writing.This semester I want to make sure I make as good a headstart as possible so I don't have to do so much of catching up later on.No harm in being kiasu.I can already see the finish line and I want to cross that line.

Cast Into Oblivion

2007-07-20T22:22:00.000+08:00

I am enjoying the game Elder Scrolls IV:Oblivion very much but my progress on the game is painfully slow.If only I could have gotten the game at the beginning of my term break.Then I wouldn't have watched The Sound of Music so many times during the term break,not that I didn't enjoy it though.Haha.I love to play the game very much but I don't have much time to spend on it now that classes have begun.Studying becomes my no.1 priority ahead of other things,except for any family matters.After playing the game for about 3 weeks now,my character is only at Level 12.It doesn't help that some of the monsters are so difficult to defeat.I hate the trolls.Stupid monsters.And I'm always running out of money.I guess it's time to use up all those materials to make potions and sell them off.At least I can get about 100 gold from all of those.I refuse to use a walkthrough to guide me through the game.I mean,where's the fun if I just follow the instructions to play the game?I'd rather find out by myself...though it does take many hours of saving and loading.Anyway,I think I may have chosen the wrong class when I began the game.Should have chose a stronger race then I won't have such a difficult time fighting stronger monsters.But the Dark Elf race is quite balanced,reasonably good in weapons and magic.But the fact remains that my level is still too low.My character's level is high when I can kill a troll without any of the difficulties I'm facing now.

Miss Brown did the most amusing thing today.Well,the rabbit cage has a floor that consists of horizontally arranged wood planks.SO sometimes the rabbits' faeces are a bit too big to drop in between the gaps of the planks into the waste tray below.So I have to poke them in between the gaps,just to make the cage appear cleaner.So I was doing that this morning,and Miss Brown came running around nearby,probably to get my attention.Since she wasn't successful,she came near me and climbed onto my back with her front paws.Haha,she looked so cute doing that.So then I patted her and carried her to another corner of the garden and coaxed her to sleep.Then I went back to cleaning the cage again.She then came running towards me and this time climbed onto my leg.Miss Brown was certainly looking for someone to play with her.So then I carried her and walked all around the garden with her.I can't really ignore her...those rabbit eyes are so moving.Anyway,here are some pictures I took of the rabbits some time ago.Only forgot to post them here.Haha.They look so cute.

I honestly did not arrange them this way.They sometimes lie down next to each other in an orderly way. Miss Brown and Mr. White having an intimate moment?I don't know really.

I've watched the latest Harry Potter movie,The Order of the Pheonix and I'm not too pleased with the movie.To be honest,if I wasn't a Harry Potter fan and I've never read the book,the movie would only be a so-so movie.I'm not a fan of Transformers and I think Transformers is a better movie than Order of the Pheonix.And Pirates of the Carribean 3 is the best movie of the summer.Haha...since I didn't watch Spiderman 3,so I did not take that movie into account.Not that I care for it anyway.Anyway,the last book of the Harry Potter series will be released tomorrow,at 7.01 am to be exact.Of course,I've already ordered my copy at Kinokuniya and I'll get a 30% discount on the price(retail price is RM 109.90...expensivelah),but today in the newspapers,Tesco and Carrefour will be selling the book at RM 69.90...which is about 40% discount.But nevermind lah...Kinokuniya says they will be giving away a Quill pen to the first 1000 customers.I'd rather have a magic wand though...they were giving away those with the previous book,Half-Blood Prince.Well,I'm going to sleep now so I can wake up early to go collect my copy of The Deathly Hallows.I really hope this last book won't be as disappointing as the movie.

Morning Woes

2007-07-13T22:47:00.000+08:00

The new semester's timetable isn't exactly very convenient for me.From Monday to Thursdays,I have classes beginning from 8 am.The early morning classes means that I have to wake up very early in order to get there in time as the traffic jam in the morning is still as bad as ever.But now that all my classes have such a large number of students in it,I'll have to arrive earlier than usual in order to get a decent seat in the lecture theatre.Life really sucks right now as the environment in the classroom is so not conducive for learning and I am not getting enough sleep.I just hope the number of students will dwindle soon.If it doesn't,I think I'll just volunteer to join Group 2 which has less students and the timetable is more favourable as there are no early morning classes,regardless that my friends won't be in Group 2 with me.Blogging about this matter is making me feel unhappy already.

At least I'll have Harry Potter to keep my mind off the miserable situation of my classes soon.I'll be watching the movie The Order of the Pheonix next week.Then the book will be out next Saturday.Nice!I think I'd still go get the book early on July 21st despite having pre-ordered my copy.I mean,it's the last book.Can't possibly wait so long to read it.I really don't dare to predict what will happen in the last book.Many people are saying that it's likely Harry Potter will die.But if Harry Potter dies,it could mean that Voldemort lives,as the prophecy says that for one to live,the other must die.But then again,the prophecy isn't exactly binding on the future.Though JK Rowling did say a main character will die in the last book,I can't help but think it could be either Hermione or Ron who would die.But that would be so cruel for Harry.Even the death of Dumbledore came as a very big surprise in The Half-Blood Prince.I wonder why JK Rowling likes to kill so many characters in her books.I feel like she's going overboard with it.But still,she's like the richest author in the world now.She's got a networth of USD 2 billion.And all this she got from writing Harry Potter only.I wonder if she'll write other books now that Harry Potter is ending.She could increase her wealth further if her subsequent books are as successful as the Harry Potter books.

Anyway,I wasted a whole hour on trying to upgrade my computer's graphics card and RAM.Since my younger brother has got a new computer and his previous spoilt computer still has a working graphics card and RAM,I thought I'd switch those with mine which are not as good.Sadly,the motherboard just won't accept the better parts.The computer won't even start up when I put on those parts.So then I had to put back the old parts in to make the computer work again.Later on,my elder brother attempted to put in the better parts into my PC again,as he thought that I had done things wrongly.But of course,I didn't do anything wrong.The motherboard just wouldn't accept the better parts.So then that was another 1 hour gone as he reset the bios setting and then had to configure the overclock settings again.So now I am stuck with this PC until I could afford a new one.It's very much obsolete now but it is still serving me well.Let's just hope it does not decide to shut down for good anytime soon.I shall suffer horribly without a computer.It's first and foremost the most entertaining device for me and secondly it's my most convenient gateway to the Internet.If either one of these functions are not available,I shall feel very miserable indeed.Anyway,I shall stop blogging now as my graphics card is irritating me very much.Its fan is spinning very noisily now.The fan must be misaligned, I suppose.A good whack should set it right...haha.

A Less Than Wonderful Beginning

2007-07-04T22:31:00.000+08:00

I've never had a more chaotic start to the start of a term than this one.This term is my last term at Sunway,well,it will be my last term if I don't fail any papers.Anyway,I did not expect things to be so chaotic on the first day of the new term.Because of the change in the ACCA syllabus for this new term,the order in which the Part 3 papers(it's Professional Level now) has been changed.Now,the compulsory papers will have to be attempted first before attempting the optional papers.Previously,the opposite is true.So this presents a huge problem of more students taking up the compulsory papers as there will be students progressing from Part 2 and from the Optional papers.So on the first day,the biggest lecture hall in the Monash block (seriously,they should change the name as Monash no longer shares the same campus with Sunway now) couldn't even fit all the students.There must be at least 350 students in Lecture Theatre 8.After weeding out those people who haven't paid their fees,there were still at least 300 students in the lecture theatre.And then came the next surprise.The lecturer says that class will end at 11.30 am instead of 11 am and the next class also begins at 11.30 am.So there I was feeling uncomfortable in the lecture hall in such packed conditions and with a growling stomach for the next class.Well,the next lecturer did give a 15 minutes break for us to eat but that was not sufficient for me.I was thankful to eat some Oreo to keep myself nourished.And the prospects don't look too good as this schedule will remain the same for Mondays and Tuesdays.An optimist would look at it as a good opportunity to lose weight but I think it is more likely to make me feel annoyed as I can't get a decent meal.Well,I'll just have to eat more before I attend my classes in the morning.

Well,the second day of classes wasn't so good either.I did expect a huge class again,but not as big as it was today.Miss Menon is definitely a very popular lecturer with the students at Sunway.Unfortunately,that also means her classes are always rather larger in size when compared to the classes of the other lecturers.To cut a long story short,Miss Menon has cancelled tomorrow's class and classes will only officially begin next week so that this student overload problem can be solved.There's only one feasible option for us students...that is some of us will have to join the part-time class and the rest will stay in the full-time class.I definitely favour the full-time class because the part-time classes will be held on Friday nights and on Saturdays from 2-8 pm.Horrible times really,in my opinion.Anyway,I'm really against the idea of attending classes during the weekend.I'll only attend them if I absolutely cannot miss it.Anyway,it appears to me that the size of the class for both the full-time and part-time class would be almost equally the same,so then I'd definitely stick with the full-time timetable.Well,I'm hoping that this will really be my last term,so I guess suffering for the next 6 months isn't too bad if I think of the long-term rewards.

Anyway,the weather for the past few weeks has been really hot and humid.It's really uncomfortable when I can start sweating when I'm doing nothing more than sitting down to watch TV.I really hope the wind direction will change to bring about cooler temperature.It's that time of the year again where the smoke from the burning forests in Indonesia is blown here.Well,the air quality in my area of residence isn't so bad yet,but it's really bad in Penang.Haha...and this is Visit Malaysia Year.I think they should put a warning in the Tourism promotions saying that tourists are advised to stay away from July to September as this is the time of the year where you can hardly enjoy sightseeing.

Good news from the footballing world...Fernando Torres is now officially a Liverpool player.A very expensive player too.I don't want to expect much of him yet until I've seen him play his first match for Liverpool.I only hope that the number of goals he scores will be reflective of the big amount of money used to bring him to Liverpool.There has definitely been many expensive signings becoming big flops in the EPL(look no further than Chelsea).I really really hope Torres won't be one of them.

The End Is Inevitable

2007-06-30T12:16:00.000+08:00

That is,the end of my term break is inevitable.I've been enjoying everyday of my term break.Of course I know it will not last forever but deep inside,a part of me do wish for everyday to remain this way.The new term will not be as relaxing as my previous term in terms of number of classes to attend.Obviously I'm taking one more subject compared to the previous term to make it three,and I have 4 days of classes to attend.Previously I only had classes on Tuesdays,Wednesdays and Thursdays.Now I have to attend classes from Monday till Thursday and the worse part is that everyday the classes begin at 8 am.No more late nights and waking up late for me.Goodness...I don't know if I can adapt to sleeping early and waking up early.Sleeping early may be alright but waking up early has always been a problem for me.It's just awful to have to wake up before 7 am in the morning.It's just so early.And then there is the unhappy prospect of extra classes on Saturday.I can only wish that the lecturer would just change her mind and decide that extra classes would be unnecessary this term.

Anyway,I had a very weird dream just yesterday.It's actually close to being a nightmare.Not as scary as the Voldemort dream but it is still scary in its own way.I dreamt that I was married to one of my lecturers at college.It was awful...he's got 5 children already and I have no idea why he divorced his wife to marry me instead.It's just so weird.And for some weird reason,his ex-wife still lives in the same house as the rest of us.It's a good thing I'm beginning to forget most of the details of the dream.I really don't want to remember it.And not too long ago,I had a dream where the people in my dream are people I've never met before in my life.Must be my imagination going into overdrive,creating new people for me to dream about.Dreams are such mysterious things...why is it that we dream in our sleep?It's not very often that I get a dreamless sleep.

I've been playing a lot of Oblivion on my PS3.It's a very good game.RPG type of game,my favourite.The game however is a very long one.No way I can finish it before the holiday ends.So Oblivion will definitely be fighting with studies for my time once classes begin.Perhaps it wouldn't hurt to devote an hour everyday to playing Oblivion.If I just stop playing it,I'll definitely just forget about it and then pick up the game again like 5 months later and feel so lost about it.It's just exactly what happened with Genji.That game is alright...it's just that the game is too straightforward and some tasks to perform to get to another place is just plain tedious instead of challenging.I've stopped at the last battle and until now I haven't finished it.Too lazy to continue with it now that I've got Oblivion.No matter what happens,I must make sure I finish Oblivion or it'll end up in my list of half-finished games,which is a considerably long list.Well,I'm going to play Oblivion now.

Singapore Vacation

2007-06-25T12:55:00.000+08:00

I just arrived home yesterday from a 3-day/2-night stay in Singapore.My first time in Singapore and I'll say that I'm impressed with the country.A very small country it is,nonetheless it is big in achievements.The country is only 42 years old(which is very young) and it has already achieved the status of a developed country.I can't help thinking why can't Malaysia be as developed as Singapore as both countries started at about the same time with Malaysia being 8 years older than Singapore,Malaysia is still considered a developing country and will only achieve developed country status in the year 2020.And that's only a target.There's no guarantee that Malaysia will be developed in 2020.Anyway,I guess it is not fair to compare this way as there is a vast difference between the geographic area of Malaysia and Singapore.Also,there are some differences in the political practices of both countries.All these differing characteristics in these 2 neighbouring countries would render comparison to be the same as comparing between an apple and an orange.But what I want more than ever is for the public toilets in Malaysia to be as clean as those in Singapore.I am now very certain that most public toilets in Malaysia are dirty because of the Malaysian people's mindset and not because the toilet design is at fault or the toilet equipment is not good enough.No matter what expensive toilet bowl or sinks the public toilets have,it will still end up dirty.It's just awful.The toilets in Singapore are no different from those in Malaysia and yet they can remain clean and free of foul odour.I've travelled to quite a number of foreign countries and public toilets look the same over there as it is here in Malaysia.So the only way for Malaysia to have clean public toilets is for the people to change their mindset and probably better maintenance.Can't they just use the toilet properly?Seriously,I wonder how some people can manage to use the toilet in such a messy way.Are they just as messy at home?And then there's also the issue of flushing the toilet.Toilets in some of the local shopping malls had automatic flushing system installed,but after a few years,they wouldn't work anymore and still doesn't work.What happened to maintenance?Might as well install the normal manual flush and save the cost of building the toilet.

Well,enough about the toilets.Now I want to complain of the The Great Singapore Sale.I would say it's a big farce.Great my foot!I wouldn't even call that a sale.Some major outlets weren't even participating in the sale.And then for those outlets that were participating in the Sale,only Selected Items are on sale.And those Selected Items are usually stuff that don't look very nice.Many stores have big placards displayed at the entrance with big words "Up To 50% Discount" but then below it in fine print "*Only for selected items".Whoever said the Singapore Sale is cheap,it is not.It is cheap if you're earning income in Singapore dollars but for people who derive their income in Malaysian dollars,you're better off shopping in Malaysia.Most things after conversion to RM is just the same as the retail price in Malaysia.With the exception of really expensive brands like Gucci,Coach,LV and the like,those products are actually cheaper in Singapore than in Malaysia(even after conversion).But those products are already very expensive to start with,so they don't count.I've also heard some people who say that some electronic stuff like mp3 players and handphones are cheaper in Singapore,I really don't think so.Maybe some places are cheaper but it's only slightly cheaper.I wouldn't say the difference is big.And there's also the fact that the warranty for these products will only apply in Singapore,so if I bring it back to Malaysia,there is no warranty cover here.So I might as well pay that small difference by buying it in Malaysia so I can have the warranty cover as well.I would say electronics stuff are far more cheaper in Taiwan than in Singapore,including PSP and PS3 games.So in conclusion,I will never believe anybody who tells me that things in Singapore are cheaper than those in Malaysia,unless that person is earning income in Singaporean dollars.If you think about it properly,things in Malaysia are really cheaper than in Singapore considering that a normal bowl of curry laksa is SD 3-3.50.In Malaysia,a decent bowl of curry laksa is about RM 3.20-3.50.Since the RM is smaller in value than the SD(the exchange rate is about SD 1=RM 2.24),it is actually cheaper in Malaysia,considering that a smaller value currency can purchase the same kind of food for just about the same price as in Singapore.Just like the McDonald's sundae cone is 95 cents in Singapore,it is RM 1 in Malaysia.There's only a 5 cents difference but there's still the fact that the SD is stronger in value than the RM but still the price of these 2 items are almost the same,so it is still cheaper in Malaysia.The truth is that many things in Malaysia are still cheaper especially food and clothing.That's why when I visit a foreign country,I only buy things there which are not available in Malaysia.Then no matter how expensive it is,it will be worth it as I'll never or not likely to find it in Malaysia.Anyway,if you're ever in Singapore,don't eat the curry laksa if you have a weak stomach.Their laksa is so full of coconut milk,it acted as a very good laxative for me.I had to go to the toilet 30 minutes after eating that,considering the fact that I couldn't pass motion for the past 2 days before eating that bowl of curry laksa.LOL.Maybe it's only that stall that uses so much of coconut milk in the laksa but I feel that other stalls couldn't differ by much since the curry laksa in Malaysia also does not differ by much in most stalls.

The place I like the most in Singapore,besides Orchard Road(because of the numerous shopping complexes) is actually Clarke Quay.I'm glad I didn't give in to my tiredness and forgo the trip there.Anyway,it was only a 10 minutes taxi ride from the hotel in Orchard Road to Clarke Quay.Seriously,Singapore is just so small.The bulk of the travelling time while driving from Malaysia to Singapore is actually spent on travelling down south from Selangor to the Johor checkpoint.That part of the journey took about 3.5 hours.After passing the Singapore immigration in Tuas,it's only another 30 minutes to get to the hotel in Orchard.The time could be reduced further if the speed limit wasn't so low in Singapore (90 km/h is the maximum) and if we were familiar with Singapore roads.Anyway,back to Clarke Quay.It's actually meant to be an entertainment outlet area but there are also some restaurants there.But most people go there to sit in the pubs.I really don't know how to describe the place...it's just really nice.It's right beside the Singapore River and the buildings there are so nicely designed.The best thing is that the river is extremely clean and it doesn't smell.Imagine the Klang River in Malaysia and you wouldn't wonder why there isn't any such place like Clarke Quay in Malaysia.Even if there is one,nobody would go.The state of the rivers in Malaysia is simply deplorable.We didn't do much sightseeing in Singapore as the majority preferred to just walk around Orchard Road all day.To be honest,I got bored of that place after a few hours there.We managed to visit the Singapore Zoo,which is a must-see place.The giraffes in the zoo were a disappointment though.They were so small.No taller than a normal hut.And that Polar Bear in the zoo looked so miserable.And I don't know why there wasn't a male lion at the zoo,there were only female lions.So we didn't see a lion with a mane.Maybe the male was hiding,I don't know.But then the whole place is nicely built and designed.Most people would think that a zoo would stink but this one didn't.It's really clean.We also went on the Ducktour.It's actually an amphibious vehicle,it is both a land vehicle and a water vehicle.That was fun.Since the vehicle can move on land and water so the tour is both a bus tour and a river cruise.We also went to the famous Sentosa Island.Seriously,I don't see what's so nice about that place.We wanted to skip Sentosa Island but in the end we decided to just go there and have a look,just so we can say we've been there.We took the cable car to the island.Nothing special really.Just got a very good view of the Harbourfront area of Singapore.In the island itself,there's the Underwater World,the Sky Tower,the 4D Magix theater and also the Skychair ride.I would very much like to try the Luge ride but it costs SD 9 for that alone.It's too expensive.I might as well ride my bicycle down a steep hill,which would give me a similar sensation to that luge ride in Sentosa.And there just happens to be a steep road to ride my bicycle on right in my neighbourhood.I just don't do it often because it's really tiring to cycle uphill again.So my advice for people who want to enjoy themselves in Sentosa,is that you have to be rich and you must be patient enough to wait at the queue to enjoy most of the attractions.Haha.Might as well go to Genting Highlands where there are more rides and it is also not as hot in Genting Highlands.It was so hot in Sentosa Island.Of course,there is no beach in Genting Highlands.But I feel that Sentosa reminded me very much of Sunway Lagoon though the attractions in Sunway Lagoon isn't as well developed as those in Sentosa Island.

So in summary,Singapore is a pretty nice place for a vacation if you haven't been there.And an advantage of the place being so small is that you can visit more places in a short time as travelling time is very much reduced.But then if you come from a country where the currency is smaller than the Singapore dollar,then it can be a very expensive holiday.So I guess the richer people would enjoy Singapore more than those people who are less than rich.And if you like the country a lot,you could even apply to be a citizen as the country is in need of more citizens.It seems Singapore needs 1.5 million people to achieve a population of 6 million.They now only have 4.5 million people.It seems people who meet their requirements would be granted citizenship really fast.I don't think I'll be considering to apply anytime in the future.Seriously,I don't think I can live with their road speed limit of 90 km/h on the expressway.And 90 km/h is just the maximum.Some stretches are like only 70 km/h.It's so slow.If I drive that slowly in Malaysia,I'll never reach anywhere in time.The little things do matter a lot to me.

I Dislike Mondays (Not!)

2007-06-18T23:13:00.000+08:00

I dislike Mondays because it is the day that signifies the end of the weekend.I used to hate Mondays when I was in school because I have to go to school on Mondays after the weekend.Now that I'm in university,I only dislike Mondays because sometimes I don't have classes on Mondays which makes me very happy.However,no matter how much I hate or dislike Mondays,it is always bearable because there are nice TV shows to watch on TV.Sometimes I even look forward to Mondays because of the TV shows although I do dislike the day.Back when I was in school,there's Frasier and That 70s Show on TV.But now,it's even better as there is That 70s Show,Frasier and CSI:NY.However,I think there might not be Frasier anymore next week because Season 10 just ended.But there is still 2 TV shows I like very much.However,I'm afraid all these shows may end its run sometime in August,which means I'll start to hate Mondays again because my timetable is very likely to included classes on Mondays,and Saturdays too.I shall be very lucky if there were not classes on Saturday.This will eventually lead to me hating my favourite day of the week,which means I will have to endure 2 days of the week which I hate.Sigh...such a dim outlook for next term.

I just finished the game Agatha Christie:Murder on the Orient Express.Well,this second effort by The Adventure Company is definitely better in terms of gameplay and graphics but I can't help thinking that there were some unresolved bugs with the game.Let's just say I didn't enjoy it as much as the first Agatha Christie game they made,which was And Then There Were None.Having read the book does not help in completing the game at all.There's definitely a lot of thinking involved although some puzzles are just so difficult to solve that I don't know how anybody ever solved it.These involve specific knowledge of something and if you don't know anything about it,you'll just be wondering for days without the answer ever coming to you.So I obtained the help of a Walkthrough.No idea how these people found the time to write the walkthrough and the time and knowledge to solve those almost impossible puzzles.

I just realised I have not started on labelling my posts.Goodness.I really must do it soon or it'll just never get done.However,soon is not likely to happen this week as I'll be travelling to Singapore this weekend.My father will be driving the whole family there sans my elder brother.I'm really looking forward to the trip as I've never been to Singapore and there is the Singapore Great Sale going on now.Yay!I love shopping...it's even better when there are huge discounts.And of course,Singapore is also having this special promotion for Malaysians only where we can pay in RM for the entrance fees to some places of interest like the Zoo,Sentosa Island and DUCKtours.Then there's also the fact that PS3 was launched in Singapore in March...am hoping to buy some PS3 games as rumour has it,such things are cheaper in Singapore.And also PSP games if there's anything interesting.There hasn't been any good PSP game releases lately...I'm only looking forward to Star Wars Battlefront :Renegade Squadron but it'll only be released in August.I wonder if the Singaporeans can tell if I'm a foreigner.Probably not,which is good so I won't get ripped-off by them charging me at tourist prices.It's very common for some traders here to charge tourists at a higher price,which is really bad of them.Of course,these only happens in small shops and stalls.Petaling Street is one good example.No fixed prices for the products there.I wouldn't want to be shopping there.Haggling is a must there and I don't think I'm very proficient at haggling.I know my aunt can really haggle very well.From RM 30 can reduce it to RM 20.Amazing...RM 10 difference.The most I can get would probably be RM 5 only.That is so amateurish.

Being Lazy

2007-06-12T15:10:00.000+08:00

I am enjoying being a lazy bum so much for the past few days although I have to admit that I'm beginning to feel bored of it.I really need to find something interesting to do before I become too lazy for my own good.I've watched The Sound of Music 3 times since I bought the DVD on Friday.I just enjoy it so much...mainly because of the songs.So I've downloaded the soundtrack as well so I can fill my room with the sound of music.I don't know why filmmakers don't make movies like that anymore.The last musical movie I watched was The Phantom of the Opera.That was nice too but not as impressive as The Sound of Music.Another musical that I enjoyed was Evita (the one with Madonna).I don't know why so many people say the movie suck but it was actually very good.I loved the songs so much that I bought the soundtrack CD.If I could find The Sound of Music CD,I'd buy it too but I'd probably need to go to Tower Records to find it because it's so old.I'm surprised my uncle does not have the soundtrack because he does have a lot of other older CDs.Even my father likes The Sound of Music.I was watching it last Saturday and he just came home and then he saw this scene on the TV and he told me exactly what was going to happen next.And I was like "How can you remember that ?It must have been ages since you last saw the movie".And he said he only watched it once and he remembered because he was really impressed by the movie.Then he sat down and watched the rest of the movie with me.I think he must have had a crush on Julie Andrews when he first watched it because he kept commenting how beautiful she is in the movie...the movie was released in 1965,which is 42 years ago.So my father must be 15 then,only a teenager.Haha.My mother likes the movie too because her first visit to the cinema was to watch The Sound of Music.Haha.
I've watched this movie before way back when I was only 9 or 10.Can't remember but I remember exactly which channel on TV,it was TV 3.Haha.It was aired in 2 parts.The first part was aired in one week and the next part in the next week.Sure I enjoyed it then but now as much as I do now.Probably didn't know how to appreciate it then.I'm just very amused with the movie having an Intermission and something called Entrac'te.I'm not sure if all movies back then had Intermissions.Because another old musical that I recently watched,My Fair Lady had an Intermission and Entrac'te.Haha.I have since learned that Julie Andrews played the role of Eliza Doolittle in the stage musical of My Fair Lady but the role was given to Audrey Hepburn in the movie.Anyway,I found that movie so boring.I only beared with it to know the ending and the ending was not conclusive at all.So she goes back to Professor Higgins' house...then what?Is she to be his assistant only or will they get married?And what happens to Colonel Pickering?Cacatlah that movie.I'm glad Julie Andrews didn't act in that movie and because if she did,she wouldn't have been Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins.I really can't imagine anybody else who could act as Mary Poppins besides Julie Andrews.And it was probably a blessing in disguise for her for being snubbed for the Eliza Doolittle role in My Fair Lady,because she won the Oscar for Best Actress that year for Mary Poppins,beating Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady.

I still can't help laughing at Captain Von Trapp's name,Georg.There's nothing funny in the spelling,it's just the way it is pronounced...Gey-org.LOL.There must be something very wrong with me to think that is funny.I think I'll lay off The Sound of Music for the next few days.My mother is starting to think I've gone mad for watching the movie so many times.

AXN is finally airing Season 3 of Lost.It's so slow.Season 3 must have ended in USA already.Well,the first 2 episodes of the season were definitely not helpful in answering questions.It just raises more questions than before.Still the purpose of the Others being on the island is unknown.Don't know what they are doing on that remote island.Afterwards it might turn out to be like those people in the movie The Village...those people living there in a village without any technology and dressed up in those olden day's costume and a made up monster legend in a forest reserve just did it for fun,I shall say.If Lost ends up with an ending like that,I shall feel very disappointed.However,season 3 of CSI NY has not been disappointing.I can't wait to find out what will become of Mac and Peyton.Mac being such a serious person,to see him being so romantic with Peyton is just so surprising,in a nice way.But then he still manages to hurt her in yesterday's episode when he didn't want to reveal their relationship to their other colleagues.I hope he can salvage the relationship in the next episode.Besides the romantic aspect of the show,the cases just get more weird.But the reason for comitting some of those murders seem so illogical sometimes...surely there is an alternative besides murder?If it's a psycopath murderer,then the reason is obviously incomprehensible.But a lot of these murders are normal sane people,who probably couldn't stand it anymore and just took the easy way out.Although I don't think killing someone is an easy thing to do.

I have been wanting to look into my blog archive and label each post appropriately so that they'll be properly indexed but now that I see I've got so many posts,it's going to be a difficult task.It would keep me from being lazy but it will mean hours sitting in front of my monitor re-reading my posts to find out which label to put for them.It is not something I feel like doing today,so I'll keep it for another day.

My Speakers Are Alive With The Sound Of Music

2007-06-08T22:33:00.000+08:00

I'm now a fan of The Sound of Music.I've always liked that film but after watching it again on DVD today,it just seems to me now that it is actually a great film.I just bought the DVD today.I thought RM 39.90 for an original DVD is a bargain and there were 2 discs too.One of them is just some extra stuff like interviews and trailers.The funniest things are the trailers.I must say I prefer the movie trailers of today than those of olden days.They look so corny.LOL.I just love some of the songs and now I know where Gwen Stefani got her yodelling tune from in her song Wind It Up.It's from The Sound of Music.When I heard that music on the film,I thought there's something wrong with my DVD.Haha.It's the Lonely Goatherder song.Very nice song actually even with the yodelling.And Christopher Plummer is a very handsome man.I understand Capt. Von Trapp is supposed to be rather old...should be in his late 40s but in the movie he doesn't look that old.I mean,I saw pictures of the real Von Trapp family and the Captain and his wife definitely don't look anything as good looking as the actor and actress portraying them in the movie.Well,everything must look good in movies...if not,who would watch it?I think I may just succumb to my feeling of watching the movie again tomorrow.After all,my exam is over and I really haven't got anything much to do besides to clear away my books.That can wait as my holiday will only end at the end of June.It's a shame classes have to begin as early as the 2nd of July.

I've also been reading Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.Finally got my hands on the book after the movie starring Kiera Knightley got me interested in the book.I have not finished the book yet...almost finishing.All I can say it is very well-written.The plot is very well-developed.To cut a long story short,it's a good book.It's not really a book for girls to enjoy only as guys can enjoy the book as well.I've got some guy friends who've read it and they can actually debate on the book.Goodness.I just don't feel like being left out of a discussion about the book in future.Although I can't help wondering why women at that period of time don't need to attend school.I mean...they go about everyday doing nothing much.They don't have to study.They can play the piano,or draw,or paint or read but that's just it.If they don't do any of these,they just spend the day at home talking nonsense and might walk to the nearest town and gossip there.What an easy life.And no need to work as well.The family in the book must be a rather well-to-do family to be able to support 5 daughters who are not working as well as the wife.Well,they do have a farm but how much can you earn from the farm?The father spends most of his time in library...where does his get his money from?Don't tell me they have pension schemes then.And they do get married fairly easily...they know each other for a few weeks and then the man just proposes out of the blue.So fast!Mr.Collins is definitely an amusing character.Haha.Mr.Darcy is every bit the dream guy.Rich,handsome and smart.Don't every girl wish that they'll meet their own Mr.Darcy one day?I know I do.Haha.

I watched Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End yesterday.It's a nice movie but I thought Pirates 2 was more interesting.Although many people thought the opposite from what I think.The 1st one is actually by far the best among the three.I guess I didn't like Pirates 3 so much because it didn't have a happy ending.I always prefer happy endings.Well,it didn't have a happy ending for Will and Elizabeth but for Capt. Jack Sparrow,it couldn't have ended any better.I liked the part where Jack Sparrow got the saying "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" all upside down.LOL.Nobody in the cinema laughed with me though...guess not many people know that saying.I wonder if there'll be a 4th Pirates movie.From the ending of Pirates 3,it looks as if they can continue the story if they want to.Well,I am now looking forward to watch Shrek 3.Haven't found myself a companion to watch that with yet.Hope to find one soon.

How To Live...With Slow Connections?

2007-05-31T23:01:00.000+08:00

I just realised that my Streamyx connection speed has been upgraded to 2 Mbps by TMnet.But I have not noticed much difference in the connection speed because it's only faster when surfing locally hosted websites.I hardly visit local websites...most of the websites I visit are hosted overseas,mainly US hosted.I don't know why there is still such a big difference in speed when visiting overseas hosted sites compared with the locally hosted ones.Sure,there's the issue of the data having to travel longer distances but the difference between 1 Mbps and 2 Mbps is pretty big too.So why have I not noticed any improvements?Anyway,my torrent downloads have not become faster with this increase in connection speed.It's because most ISPs around the world are blocking torrent traffic.It's just so unfair.It's like discriminating against torrent traffic,hence it leads to discrimination against the users as well.We pay good money to use the internet service but there they are limiting the speed to snail speed and we still have to pay the full price for speeds that are never full anyway.Well,most torrent clients come with encryption ability but still some ISPs have blocked encrypted traffic totally...making it impossible to use torrents at all.Luckily,TMNet has not resorted to this yet.I'll say TMnet is making more progress in limiting torrent traffic than in its progress of improving its Streamyx service.A definite sign of management not knowing how to best prioritize the organization's resources to meet its main objectives.But then again, one of TMnet's main objectives may be to frustate users to no end.Then I'll say they have already achieved that.

I can't believe time has gone by so fast.My exam begins next Tuesday.It's already Thursday today.Really must continue to soldier on.Giving up seems so tempting for the first time.I've not made any plans to celebrate my birthday on the 30th so I could spend more time to study but I don't know why other people have to make plans to celebrate for me.I appreciate it but I really don't feel that it is necessary.If it is necessary,I would have made plans for it myself.I don't know what's the big deal about birthdays really.I think I've mentioned it in this blog before.Some people get so offended when their birthday is forgotten.I'd rather people forget about my birthday.Saves all the fuss.Don't get me wrong that I don't like a celebration,I really appreciate the efforts of anybody who has made plans for me but it is all a big fuss.Everyday I'm alive is a celebration of my birth.Don't really need to celebrate it only on one day in a year.I myself am really bad at remembering birthdays.Nothing special for my 22nd birthday this year.Got a lot of angpau though...didn't really expect to get any.I am very tempted to use it to buy the Yoda Force FX lightsaber but at the same time,I want to buy myself a pair of platinum earstuds.We'll see which one is more readily available.

I guess the "Free Aung San Suu Kyi" banner will remain at the top of my blog for now.The Myanmar junta has extended her house arrest for another year.Poor lady.If she's confined at home with TV,computer,PSP,PS3,radio,CD player and other entertainment devices,it would be more tolerable.But she is being confined in her own home without all these stuff.She can only make emergency calls on the telephone and she only has one radio to listen to.She can't even accept visitors.The only person she sees is her maid and the doctor if she falls sick.It's so lonely and boring.I wonder if she can step out into her own garden and do gardening.She should be allowed to keep some pets.Rabbits would definitely brighten up her days but I doubt she'll be allowed to keep pets.Who's going to buy the pet food?I wonder if they are going to keep her there until she dies.That would be so cruel.She's popular with the people for a good reason.But the ruling military wants to keep her away from the people for its own selfish reason.Their not supposed to be ruling anyway because her party won the elections back in 1991.So many years ago and she's spent most of those years under house arrest.Really very kesian.The sad thing is,nothing much can be done to persuade the junta to release her since they don't really care what other people think of them.

The Calm Before the Storm

2007-05-22T22:50:00.000+08:00

It's only about 2 weeks left to my exam on June 5th.I'm feeling rather calm now as I am progressing in my revision although I feel I am not progressing as fast as I should be.But I believe I'll start to feel jitters come the first day of June.No matter how many times I sit for exams,I will still get nervous.I believe I've written about this on this blog many times before.So I'm going to stop writing about my exam.

So the next point to focus on would definitely be on the Champions League Final in Athens.Me being a staunch Liverpool supporter is no doubt looking forward to the match.I do wish for Liverpool to win the match but if I were to give an objective opinion,it's really too close to call.Many people would say AC Milan has the slight advantage being that it is AC Milan.Well,in 2005,all the pundits were putting their money on AC Milan to beat Liverpool.Well,they were almost right.Haha.Who would ever dream that Liverpool could beat AC Milan from 3-0 down at half-time?Even I didn't believe it.This time around,pundits are definitely more careful in their predictions.They are now choosing to give "on the fence" predictions.They're saying that if it goes to penalties,Liverpool will win but if AC Milan scores early,then they will win it.Some pundits are putting their money on Liverpool this time around though.I know Sir Alex Ferguson has said that AC Milan will beat Liverpool but he's the manager of Man. Utd.If I were manager of Liverpool and its MU vs AC Milan,I will also say AC Milan will beat MU.Haha.I was rooting for Chelsea to beat MU in the FA Cup final.I'm glad Chelsea won even though Jose Mourinho can be very arrogant about winning.But he's only got the League Cup and FA Cup to show off this season.Not a very successful season for the Special One's standards.Anyway,enough about the Champions League Final for now.There'll be plenty to soak up tomorrow.Am still contemplating whether I should attend the viewing party for the Official Liverpool Supporters Club in Cobras Club,Petaling Jaya.It'll definitely be more comfortable at home but I think the atmosphere will be very different.I went the last time it was held in Hartamas in 2005.I feel like I should go because if I don't I'll only live to regret it.Will just have to see if I can secure seats there or not.Time for my father to pull some strings.Haha.

Although I'm busy studying,I can still find time to watch my favourite TV shows, namely CSI NY,Heroes,My Family,Frasier and That 70s Show.That romance sub-plot between Mac Taylor and Peyton Driscoll is so interesting.I like to watch them because they are really very romantic although those two persons are such serious people when at work.I wouldn't expect them to be so romantic.Haha.Guess everything looks more perfect in TV shows.Heroes is getting more interesting every episode but I can't help feeling that it's getting a bit draggy now.When is Peter going to go berserk and blow up NY?Just get to it,for heaven's sake instead of showing more stories of evil Sylar and Mohinder's stupidity.My Family is just one very funny British comedy.BBC Entertainment is just showing the re-runs right now.Am looking forward to watching Season 6.Roger and Abby being married...haha,that's very funny.But the re-runs are still funny even though I've watched it before.Same goes with Frasier.I actually downloaded the last few seasons and watched it all 2 years back as Astro is so slow.Now it's only in Season 10.Although I've watched it before,it is still very funny.Haha.I love that bicycle episode.Really,I don't know how they can be so bad at cycling.It isn't really that difficult,is it?I guess some people is just not good at keeping their balance.People start falling over on the bicycle because they forget to pedal.You need to keep the bicycle moving to keep its balance.I don't know why some people get so stiff...they just forget to pedal and then they'll just fall over.As long as the bicycle is moving,you won't fall over.It's really simple.I know I learnt how to cycle using training wheels but those wheels are crappy.They go loose after a while and before you know it,the bicycle starts wobbling from side to side.Eventually,I found out that as long as I keep pedalling and keep the bicycle moving,then it won't wobble so much.Later on,I found out that the bicycle can actually go faster without the training wheels so I had them removed.LOL.I've already had an affinity for speed at the young age of 4.Haha.So you can't really blame me if I like to drive my car as fast as I can.Another thing I learnt from riding bicycles is how to fix the "rantai" when it comes off.All bicycles have this chain around the pedal gear and the back wheel's gear,which is known as "rantai" to me back then.It's the reason why the bicycle moves when we pedal.As a bicycle gets older,the rantai will become loose due to wear and tear.So then one fine day,while you're cycling,you'll find that it becomes so easy to pedal.The next thing you know,something is dragging on the road from the bicycle.When it happened for the first time,of course I didn't know how to fix it so I had to wheel my bicycle all the way home.My elder brother fixed it for me and then I learnt from then how to fix it myself.Well,not immediately though.Maybe after the 3rd time or 4th time it happened,I learnt how to fix it myself.The bad thing about the rantai coming off is that I always got my fingers black everytime I had to fix it because it's got lubricant on it.Later on,I learnt to fix it by holding it with tissue paper in my hands.Brilliant.No more dirty fingers.And I could do all this by the time I was 6 years old.Not exactly genius standard but I think I'm really proud of myself for being able to do such things at such a young age.I mean,it's not like everybody knows how to fix the bicycle rantai.Especially those who have never ridden a bicycle before or those who know how to ride a bicycle but never had such a thing happen to them.Anyway,I still cherish all those experiences I gained in all my years of riding the bicycle.Except for the ones where I got chased by that stray dog in the neighbourhood.

Alamak,I've diverged so far from my initial point.Anyway,I like That 70s Show because it's so damn funny.I don't know why Donna likes Eric so much.He's so sissy.Haha.Though he is a better choice than Kelso.He's handsome but really so dumb.Don't know how he can be a policeman.LOL.I wonder how the show will end.I think I will download the last remaining seasons if I can't wait anymore.Astro is really slow in airing tv shows.The 3rd season of Lost isn't aired yet.Goodness.It must be halfway through season 3 in America by now.Maybe I'll just end up downloading the whole of season 3 and watch it on my PC.I'll be having a longer than usual holiday this time.Probably that's what I'll do during the holiday.

Trouble Sleeping

2007-05-16T22:58:00.000+08:00

I'd never dream that I will have problems in falling asleep one day.Sleep being so important to me,I rarely have any problems with falling asleep when I need to.But I've been having that problem since Monday of the previous week.It's as if I've forgotten how to fall asleep.I've closed my eyes but I just can't seem to fall asleep.It's very worrying as I'm waking up later to compensate for the longer time taken to fall asleep.It's not good as I am wasting precious time.The thing that makes me feel so frustrated is that I know why I am having this trouble.It's my fear of the supernatural...or to put it simply,I'm afraid of ghosts.I just can't control my imagination.I start to imagine all sorts of things just before I fall asleep.It's like my brain has to go all crazy before it can settle down and sleep.But lately,it's taking longer for my brain to shut down.It's really frustrating.I need to sleep at the right time.I've never been afraid of ghosts before this but some stories I heard on that Monday night really got me feeling frightened.I keep telling myself that there are no ghosts in my house and they will not appear in my room.It didn't help much.Deep down I know that there are no ghosts in my room but my brain keep projecting images of ghosts which makes it very difficult for me to fall asleep.It's just so stupid to be not able to fall asleep because I'm afraid of ghosts.

Well,I've got past that ghost-phobia but now I'm having trouble falling asleep due to other stuff.I am not imagining ghosts in my room now but now I'm having dreams that feel real.These dreams are so nonsensical and the worse is that it's actually just one dream but it loops around the whole night.The only time I ever got these dreams was when I studied too much on some nights while I was still in Form 6 and started dreaming about tangent(tan) the whole night and another night,I was dreaming about vectors(vector diagrams and equations).Just last week I had a dream about a tax computation.It was horrible.And last night,I watched 2 episodes of Star Trek in a row before I went to sleep and I started dreaming that I was that navigator sitting in the Bridge of the Enterprise and I was pressing the buttons on the panel the whole time.I just don't know how to stop it.I've been waking up past 10 am for the whole of last week and this week.I just hope I will be able to stop it tonight so I can get a good night's sleep.

There has been a lot of hoo-ha over a sexist remark made by 2 MPs in the Parliament.The remark wouldn't have been sexist if it was muttered in a friendly conversation between a boy and a girl as it is meant to be a joke.But to say something like that in the Parliament,it has to be sexist and is not longer a joke.What happened is this : the opposition MP of Batu Gajah from DAP brought up the issue of leakages in the roof of the Parliament (very shameful indeed) and then the MPs from the ruling party BN actually said "Mana ada bocor?Batu Gajah juga bocor tiap-tiap bulan".Relating the roof leak issue to a woman's menses every month is very insulting indeed.Especially when it's a serious issue she's bringing up,the stupid man has the guts to make a joke out of it and insult the opposition MP at the same time.Talk about killing two birds with one stone.But if I were the Opposition MP,I would be more angry at the fact that he made fun of an important issue I brought up in the Parliament than the fact that he made a sexist remark about women "leaking" every month.But if I were already in the menopause stage,I could probably retort "Saya tidak lagi bocor tiap-tiap bulan".Haha.I think that would be even funnier.
Anyway,the some Women group went on a protest today and demanded an apology from the 2 male MPs who made that remark.The interesting thing now is that the ruling party does not seem to be paying much attention to this since it was an opposition member who got insulted.How shameful.I look at it more as a case of the majority ruling party bullying the opposition party.What kind of democracy is this?Sigh...the real world hardly works in accordance with theory.I should go register myself to vote before the next election is announced.Maybe my vote would count for something.But I don't know where to register.Haha.I don't know why they can't register voters online.It's so inconvenient to have to go to a place and fill up a form.This is the 21st century...the Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya should really move with the time, not behind it.

Athens Date

2007-05-11T22:52:00.000+08:00

It seems that Jordin Sparks decision to sing You'll Never Walk Alone on American Idol is a good omen for Liverpool after all.Liverpool did beat Chelsea eventually(no disputes over whether the ball crossed the line this time) on penalties.No matter what Mourinho says about the better team lost tonight crap (his usual sore loser comment),Liverpool was the better team that night as Liverpool scored 2 goals really...the one that got disallowed for offside was a very wrong decision indeed and Chelsea scored nil goals.So at the end of the day,only Liverpool's goal in the first half from the marvellous free-kick was recognized.And now Sir Alex Ferguson is saying AC Milan will win the Champions League this time.Well,I can't complain about that.Didn't everybody say AC Milan will beat Liverpool in the Champions League final in 2005?Well,all Liverpool fans know how many pundits all over the world had to eat their own words after Liverpool won the cup.I prefer it this way...when Liverpool are labelled as the underdogs,they tend to play better.Anyway,no matter what,I will not give up hope on Liverpool at half-time if they are behind by 3 goals.

I just discovered something bad today.Well,it's about my pierced-ears.Nothing as serious as an infection...it's just the hole is getting smaller.I didn't know it could happen.I thought once it's pierced and the hole is formed nicely,then it'll just stay there.How wrong I am to think that.I found out that it's smaller now compared to before because the first ear studs I wore had a bigger diameter than the current ear studs I'm wearing now.I fancied a change and decided to wear my old studs again.Well,it just wouldn't go through the hole no matter how I force it to.No point in hurting myself just to wear my old ear studs.Well,I guess I'll just have to keep wearing my ear studs more often to prevent the hole from closing up completely.I don't want to pierce my ears again.It isn't something I'd like to experience more than once.But the problem is now I am only limited to wearing ear studs or earrings which have a smaller diameter.So I have to be careful when buying new earrings now.I do want to buy a pair of more decent ear studs...I do want a platinum one.Silver is just so...second class.Gold does not look nice and people will steal gold earrings...and it's horrible how some cruel people just snatch it off the ears and hurt the victim's ears.It really is a sickening sight.I read about it in the newspaper some time ago.This poor old lady got robbed of her money...she only had about RM 200 on her...which isn't enough for the thief.He stole her gold earrings as well...he didn't even ask her to take it off,he just snatched it off her ears.Imagine how painful that is.I don't remember if the old lady survived the ordeal...I think she died.The robber killed her as well,if memory serves.Such an evil person.People like that should really just jump into a pool of acid and die there.It's a pity there aren't any superheroes like Superman or Batman in the real world.Though I wonder if superheroes like that do exist,will they be able to prevent all crime?I mean...the police are likely to get complacent and just say "leave it to Superman".But it's not likely one superhero is enough for the whole world.You'll need one for every country to prevent all crime,in my opinion.Until a superhero comes into existence,everybody will just have to play their part in preventing crime although it would help a lot if people don't choose to become criminals.

Sorry...Wrong Number

2007-05-01T23:07:00.000+08:00

I'm sure all of us have received a wrong number call at least once in our lives.If not,you've probably made a few wrong number calls yourself.For me,I've only made a handful of wrong number calls up till this time.But I've definitely received a large share of wrong number calls,both on my handphone and house line.Lately,I've been receiving quite a number of such calls on my handphone.Well,sometimes it gets pretty annoying when I'm in the middle of doing something and the phone just rings unexpectedly.I'd rush to answer it only to discover that it's a wrong number call.Well,it's alright if the caller admits that he/she has called the wrong number and apologize,then promptly hang up.The most annoying ones are those who can't admit that they've keyed in the wrong number and insist on asking for my name and repeating the number he/she is supposed to dial only to dial wrongly and end up calling me instead.If they ask politely,then I can still tolerate that person for wasting a few minutes of my precious time.But those who ask in such a rude way,as if it's my fault they dialled the wrong number,I really dislike.Thankfully,I've never come upon someone who tested my patience until I had to resort to scolding the person.Most of the time,I just say out loud "Stupid!" or "Bodoh!"after I hang up.I mean,why do people like that have to be like that?If I say "I'm afraid you've got the wrong number",just accept it lah.Why would I bother lying about that?I'm actually helping the person save some call charges when I tell them straight away that he/she has got the wrong number.But no,they have to go and ask questions to really confirm that he/she has indeed got the wrong number which will incur a few more minutes of call charges.There was even once when I got scolded for telling the person that she got the wrong number.I was shocked speechless.After the shock,I said "I'm sorry...?!Who do you want to speak to?" and then she hung up.That's about the rudest wrong number call I've got so far.It's a good thing she didn't call me again because I will certainly lose my temper then.

Then there's those that I receive on my house line.Maybe my house phone number used to be a number for an office or something because I keep getting calls from office people.They'd be asking for Miss or Mr someone then I'll tell them that there's no such person here and you've got the wrong number.I don't know why they can't just apologize and hang up there and then.They will have to ask this: "Erm,is this so and so office?" and sometimes, recite the number too.Then I'll answer, "No,this is a residence" then they'll be like "Ohh...I'm sorry".I really feel like punching the person if I could reach that person.I think I have to be more assertive next time.If they insist on asking questions after I've informed them of their mistake I shall just reply "Look,you've got the wrong number,ok?So stop bothering me."Then I shall just hang up.The most recent wrong number call I received asked to speak to Lynn Wong.Obviously that's not me.So I kindly informed the caller that he's got the wrong number.I was hoping he'd hang up there and then because I was watching the television.But he had to go ahead and recite the number.Well,it turns out he did dial the correct number but the person's name is wrong.Perhaps the person who took the number of Lynn Wong recorded it wrongly.So then he proceeded to extend an invitation to attend a launching of a new technology product his company has created.I was like "hmm,I am not interested.I don't think I want to go at all".Then he was saying that it won't take a lot of my time and I stand a chance to win a vacation if I attend.When he mentioned that,I thought it sounded a lot like a scam.So then I told him that I really don't have the time as I'm a student and I need to study.That definitely shut him up and he thanked me for my time and hung up.I said "Damn stupid!" after I hung up instead of the standard "Stupid!".The nerve of him to take the opportunity to get another "guinea pig" for the stupid launch.At least he was polite but that pointless conversation probably wasted 5 minutes of my time.I could drive from my house to the coffeeshop where I buy my favourite curry laksa in 5 minutes...so 5 minutes is a relatively material amount.So I'm really hoping I won't be receiving anymore wrong number calls ever.And these calls always seem to happen at the most inconvenient of times.Sigh...I never do such things to annoy the receiver whenever I call the wrong number.

You'll Never Walk Alone

2007-04-25T22:30:00.000+08:00

The phrase "You'll Never Walk Alone" means a lot to all loyal Liverpool fans.Although it may just be a song to many people who have ever heard it but to Liverpool fans,the song is inspirational and motivating.I believe most Liverpool fans will say the rendition by the Kop End at Anfield before every match is the best they've ever heard.But I can't say I agree with it as I've never really heard it at Anfield before.Through the television,it all sounds so garbled to me.However,I can say the best recorded rendition of the song has to be the one sang by American Idol contestant,Jordin Sparks in the most recent episode.Well,she had to win hands on as the other versions I've heard are the Kop End version and the one by Gerry and the Pacemakers.I believe it is no coincidence that You'll Never Walk Alone was sung before Liverpool's match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge tonight.I believe it could be a good omen...perhaps,Liverpool might go on and beat Chelsea and then lift the European Cup again.The last time Liverpool won the European Cup in 2005,prior to them winning,there were many signs that pointed to Liverpool winning the Cup,even though they were the clear underdogs in the competition.The signs include the last time before 2005 when Liverpool won the Cup in 1983-84 season,a Star Wars movie was released and Prince Charles got married.True enough,in 2005,when Liverpool won the Champions League again,Prince Charles did get married again,this time to Camilla and a Star Wars movie was released too,which is Revenge of the Sith.I don't see how it can be a mere coincidence.Although there aren't any such clear signs this season,there is still hope that Liverpool will lift the Cup again.Well,even if Liverpool doesn't win it,we can still listen and sing along to You'll Never Walk Alone to feel better about it.

Palm Readings

2007-04-19T22:31:00.000+08:00

I had a most interesting day today.A fellow classmate from China claims that he knows palmistry.So I asked him if he could read my palm.It seems for girls he only looks at the right hand while for boys,he has to look at the left hand.So then he looked at my right palm.My readings proved very interesting.It seems that I will live a long life.I will also be a rich person...as in I'll never be out of money and I'll have money whenever I need it.Also,my career will be so,so.Not exactly something to shout about.The most interesting thing is that I'll not die alone,that means I'll get married but it seems I'll get married rather late in life and my husband will not be too young nor too old.He'll be about my age and will be a very good husband.I will also have many children,if I want to.I think the reading sounds too good to be true.Sure,I do hope things will turn out smooth and nice for me but I can't be so optimistic as to think that things will turn out exactly the way I want it to be.Well,I had lunch at Chilli's Grill and Bar today because I got RM 20 gift voucher for my efforts in the Tug of War event during the SAC Sports Day(my team won 1st place,haha).Let's just say I wouldn't return to that place very soon.It's not that the food is not nice,it's very nice but the portion is too big.I can't finish it.And it's on the expensive side.I'd rather they reduce the portion hence reducing the cost and price in the process.That would be more economical in my opinion and I'm sure the extra sales volume generated from the price reduction will more than make up for the reduction in the profit margin.It's obvious I'm not a fan of big portion servings.I prefer to be able to try as many things on the menu as possible,especially the desserts.I love ice-cream.Haha

My confidence in passing my optional papers in the coming ACCA exam has been low lately.This is mainly due to the unassuring marks I got for my Progress Test 2.I only got 46 for Audit and Assurance Services and 69 for Advanced Taxation.Well,the marks for the tax paper is alright but I know that I am not able to recall at least 70% of what I've learnt right now.Audit was just disappointing.I expected to do better but I guess I need to put in a lot more effort into it.I've left the revision pretty late this term.I'm just hoping it won't have adverse effects on me later.So I'm really putting in most of my time in revising.The fear of failing is mainly what is pushing me on.The only thing I fear more than failing are ghosts.Haha.I watched this Malay horror movie last week in the cinema and I am sad to say I regretted watching it.I knew I'll start thinking of the ghost before I sleep in the night but I still want to watch it.Curiosity has made me lose sleep,definitely.I'm always like that...I know I'll get scared but I still can't resist watching horror movies.Well,not all horror movies are scary anyway.Some are just plain ridiculous that it becomes funny.Haha.

I've been listening to the band Muse lately.Didn't know they made so many nice songs.I've always hated their songs whenever they're played on MTV and Channel V,probably my music taste was different back then.I only started to like them recently after listening to their song Starlight.So then I started digging for their older songs and there are some pretty good ones.I think playing Fifa 07 contributed to me liking their music too as one of their songs,Supermassive Black Hole is featured in the game.Muse is a basically a rock band.I really wanted to go to the concert at Stadium Merdeka back in February but the tickets were rather expensive.Hopefully they'll come back again.Everybody who knows me will know that the only concert I'll ever be looking forward to is a concert by The Corrs.And surprisingly,a Corrs song was sung at American Idol when Blake sang When The Stars Go Blue.To be fair,it isn't a song written by The Corrs...it's a Tim McGraw song,The Corrs only covered it...they made a duet out of the song with Bono of U2.I've never heard Tim McGraw's version though.And it seems this song is on One Tree Hill's soundtrack too.Never watched an episode of that series but my classmates are crazy about that show.Don't know what's so nice about it.I'd rather be watching Heroes.I must say the series is turning out to be pretty good.It's a bit like Lost where they like to leave the ending of every episode hanging,so that you just can't stop watching it.I think the Westerners have finally learned from the Easterners.This is the recipe used by Chinese drama series for so long...that's why so many people are addicted to these Chinese dramas because you have to keep watching to find out what happens next as each episode is connected.The annoying thing about this is that if you miss one episode,you'll definitely lose out on the plot and end up being blur on what has happened in the missed episode.But nowadays,with technology,almost any TV series can be downloaded.BitTorrent is definitely amazing.I take my hat off to Bram Cohen,the person who created BitTorrent.Lovely piece of work.

Dark Patches

2007-04-12T22:37:00.000+08:00

I have noticed that the dark patches under both my eyes have become more prominent lately.This is indeed a sign that I have not been strictly following my once widely preached life motto of mine: 'Sleep is the essence of life'.It's not that I have not been getting sufficient sleep.I think it's just my biological clock which is rather rigid in that I won't get a good night's sleep as long as I sleep after 12 midnight.It's not in my mind...it's really happening.I've been sleeping after 12 midnight for the past...(oh,I'm so ashamed to say this) 3 months.Well,at least I don't sleep after 12 every night,but on most nights.I think I am now suffering for all those late nights watching TV shows on my PC and playing Fifa 07.Many people do not practice what they preach.But I am going to change that,starting today.So if I'm online talking to someone,I'll just go offline and jump into bed when its 12 midnight.Exceptions could be made on occasions where Liverpool is featured in a football match and on the occasions when a family outing or gathering drags on.Definitely no more pool outings for me at night.Anyway,I do dislike pool centres at night because that's when most people come to play pool and they smoke like chimneys in the centre.Why must they smoke when they're playing pool?Can't there be a smoke-free pool centre?It's like these people come in and they go into smoking mode.In the day,the pool centres are more empty so the air quality is marginally better.I think if I ever get lung cancer,I'll know where I got it from.Hint: I don't smoke.

I went to the BMW-Sauber F1 Pit Lane Park at KLCC last Thursday with Edmund and Yean Shan.What a great place!Admission is free and I got this cool admission tag and ear plugs.The Pit Lane Park is actually a close replica of the pit lane at Sepang.Not the exact replica,but a close one.We can participate in activities like learning how to fix tyres on to an F1 car and refuel the car...the stuff that goes on during a pit-stop.Then there's the usual exhibition of the F1 car.They had a 90 metre track at the Park,where some test drivers drove up and down it and made the car turn round and round...they call it the doughnut,apparently.Well,the idea is to let people get more up close and personal to an F1 car.You definitely can't smell the smoke and feel the heat from the car at Sepang.But at the Pit Lane Park,you can.Well,it's no longer there anymore.Probably have to wait for next year when the F1 circus comes to town again.The highlight of the visit was the F1 race simulator.It's so cool but the steering is rather too sensitive.Definitely don't feel like driving a real car...well,F1 cars aren't real cars anyway.My downfall was that I couldn't reach the pedals properly (yes,I'm rather short) so I couldn't accelerate smoothly.No doubt I got the slowest lap time among Edmund,Yean Shan and me.But I am certain I am not the slowest among everyone.Well,we could have a snapshot of ourselves taken with the BMW Sauber F1 car but the line for that one was so long,so we passed.They put on display some F1 car parts like the tyres,the nose wing and the rear wing.I like the rear wing a lot.It's so cool.The F1 tyres are so much more lighter than a normal car tyre...as they kindly provided one for comparison.But I still couldn't lift both up so it makes no difference for me.Overall,it's a pretty good event considering its free.

Lately,there's been some hoo-ha going on about the government wanting all bloggers to register themselves.They only said bloggers with blogs hosted by a Malaysian server need to register.But I don't see the point of doing such an exercise.It's not like by registering,irresponsible bloggers will stop writing nonsense.The government should realise that cyberspace policing is really very difficult and they're better off focusing on other more important things than going after irresponsible bloggers who don't know how to exercise self-censure.Anyway,these people are only the minority.It's not like people don't know bullshit when they read it.

Anyway,the Champions League race just got hotter.For the first time I see so many English Clubs in the semi-final of the Champions League...definitely the top 3 clubs in the Premier League right now...MU,Chelsea and Liverpool.Liverpool will be playing Chelsea again...so which means there is a possibility that Liverpool can lift the cup again as the last time Liverpool won it,Liverpool beat Chelsea in the semi-final and went on to beat AC Milan in the Final.Surprise,surprise,AC Milan is the only Italian club in the semi-final.They will be playing MU.So if AC Milan beats MU and Liverpool beats Chelsea,a repeat of the 2005 final will indeed happen and I will wish for deja vu to happen.Although I would prefer the scoreline not to be at 3-0 down to Liverpool at half-time this time around and to wait for a comeback.That was nerve wrecking.Anyway,what's certain this time around is that Liverpool won't be the underdogs.So they have to be careful not to slip on a banana skin.Hopefully Liverpool's current good form can be sustained throughout the next season because the EPL title has to go to Liverpool soon.Fans are very impatient already.It's been 20 years,I think since Liverpool last won the EPL.And by winning it that will keep those noisy MU fans quiet.Seriously,you can tell the difference between an MU and Liverpool fan.It is so noticeable.

Formatted

2007-04-03T22:41:00.000+08:00

I just reformatted my PC on Sunday.I'll have to say this has been the easiest time I've had in reformatting my PC...well,easier than the previous reformattings.At least this time I didn't have problems during installation of Windows and problems in installing drivers and programmes.Don't know why I had so much problems in my previous attempts.I thought reformatting my PC would make it run smoother as it was showing signs of inconsistencies in many places but I don't think there's any improvements in Windows' processes.The little odd things have been fixed but some folders with many files still take about the same time to load.I think it's just that my PC is getting old and obsolete,nothing to do with the Windows system being cluttered.I have some qualms about Firefox 2.0 though.It's supposed to be faster than its predecessor but I think it is actually slower.In other words,the improvements they claimed to have made to it was not noticeable.Instead,I feel the changes made are actually making it more unuser friendly.And of course,when they claimed that it will be faster,it just isn't.Perhaps improvements meant that Firefox can be compatible with more websites than before but I haven't had problems with compatibility with the older Firefox 1.5.Hopefully the next Firefox update will show more improvements.

The news about Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT) being abolished on April 1st is definitely good news for everyone.I thought I wouldn't have to study for it anymore as tax planning for RPGT would be useless because no one will ever have to pay RPGT anymore.My happiness was shortlived as the ACCA examination for Paper 3.2 Advanced Taxation will still include RPGT for the June 2007 sitting.It's just so ironic that the lecturer finished up the whole long topic on RPGT only to hear the Prime Minister announce a few days later that RPGT will be abolished.So I still have to study the whole chapter on RPGT for the sake of passing my exam.The knowledge on RPGT will be totally useless when I come out to work.As of today,RPGT is no longer payable.I hate studying for something just for the sake of the exam.If it was useful in the future,then I don't mind spending hours on it.But the RPGT chapter isn't the shortest one...in fact,it's one of the longest with many stupid provisions and the part on the computation of acquisition price and disposal price is the most difficult.I don't know who on earth came up with this stupid complicated way of computation in the RPGT Act.Worse of all,we have to memorise the RPGT rates as it is not given in the exam.And they have to create different rates for companies,citizen individuals and non-citizen individuals.Well,at least I don't have to do RPGT planning when I'm working next time.That's something to be happy about...it's just a short-term suffering.After I've passed Paper 3.2,RPGT can be deleted permanently from my brain.

I bought a new PSP game.It's got a very shocking title...well,the game is better known by its acronym,which is WTF which stands for Work Time Fun.Haha.However,once you've played the game,you'll be thinking of the usual meaning for WTF.Haha.It's just a very quirky and weird game.Only the Japanese can come up with things like that.It's a collection of mini-games.In the game,you're a temporary worker and you have to go to the placement office to get a job so that you can earn money.There's a selection of jobs to choose from and the jobs are the mini-games.There are some pretty interesting jobs such as Chick Sorting,Lumberjack where you can only cut wood and if you cut anything else than wood,it's game over.There's also the boring game where you sit at the factory putting on caps on the pens.Well,the objective is to earn money from this jobs.Then you can spend them on vending machines that dispense those plastic eggs.Inside these plastic eggs,you'll find the usual useless trinkets but sometimes you can unlock new jobs from these eggs too.The game is done in a way that you'll never get bored of playing with it as there are 40 jobs to do...and there are only 4 initially.You have to unlock the rest of them through the vending machines.I've already got about 10 jobs,I think.There are different classes of vending machines too...there's the $1 per play,then there's the $50 per play machine.I find the game very funny indeed.So if you've got a PSP and you have not bought WTF yet,go get it.It's definitely worth it.

Mr.White got hurt today when it fell down and hit the wall.Well,I was carrying him back to the cage as it was raining and he started to struggle a lot and he managed to wriggle free of my grip.But we were near the wall when it happened and his head hit the wall while he was falling.He got a cut on top of his nose.Well,it looked awful at first but now I feel it isn't very serious.It's just like a skin cut and the fur on the wound fell off.Hopefully the wound closes up in a few days.I've already dabbed iodine on the wound to prevent it from being infected.Silly rabbit...why did he struggle like that?This will teach him not to struggle the next time I'm carrying him.He looks like a gangster rabbit now with that cut on top of his nose because in some films,the gangster always has a scar somewhere on the face to look more frightening.Haha.Here's some more pictures of Miss Brown and Mr.White (without the cut) I took some time ago but forgot to post here.

Miss Brown's favourite hiding place...at least it was until a 2 weeks ago.

Mr.White's favourite hiding place(it still is)

I took this picture with my handphone.Not bad for a 1.3 MP camera.I think Miss Brown looks like she's smiling in this picture.

"I refuse to go out because I love the new cage very much!"Haha,if only the rabbit had that in mind.Mr.White only went back into the cage because there's fresh food(carrot) in the food bowl.That's why his mouth is stained with orange colour in this picture.

A close-up of Mr.White...it's obvious he's been eating carrots again as his mouth is stained with orange colour.

Miss Brown has found the perfect spot to relax.

Over But Unfinished(OBU)

2007-03-26T22:42:00.000+08:00

I feel that Over But Unfinished is a more fitting long form for OBU.Of course,it actually stands for Oxford Brookes University but the OBU research and analysis report definitely feels like it's over but unfinished.I've finished the report and it's over.However,it will remain an unfinished business until I've gotten the result of my report in August.There is a possibility I might fail though the possibility is rather small.But I must be prepared.If all goes well and I pass,I shall be the proud holder of a First Class BSc. Degree in Applied Accounting.Of course,I musn't get my hopes too high for now.I don't deal well with disappointments although I've experienced enough of it to last a lifetime.

The SPM and STPM results were released a few weeks ago.Of course,there's the usual smart people who get more than 15A1s for SPM.Looking at the subjects they've took...it seems to me either they are confused and don't know what career path to choose or they just want to challenge themselves.But what is there to lose?The government abolished exam fees for all public exams.So students can take as many SPM subjects as they want...with the minimum 12 subjects waived of fees and only the extra subjects above 12 are subjected to exam fees.Even if it was implemented in my time,I don't think I'll have taken more than the 9 minimum subjects I sat for.9 was enough work.Haha.These people who took so many subjects should just continue to do STPM if a challenge is what they want.They'll definitely find STPM more challenging than the 17 subjects they took even if the maximum number of subjects for STPM is only 5.On the funny side,a father and son in Perak,I think,actually produced forged SPM result slips which stated that each of them sat for SPM and got 24 A1s each.Haha,how ridiculous.It's impossible to sit for 24 subjects as the timetable won't permit it.Some subjects are bound to clash with each other.

There is so much of fuss going on about National Service (NS) in the papers nowadays.It's mostly about people who have died in NS camps...not due to negligence (though there might be,I don't know).These people were already sick but they went ahead and participated in the NS activities.I mean...didn't they check their health first?It is stated that if you have a medical condition,you can be exempted from it.Some actually drowned while swimming.I don't know how...it's logical to think that if you are not good at swimming or can't swim,don't ever go into the water.Perhaps these people just lost their minds at that moment.Sure,I'm being harsh but I do feel sorry for those people who lost their lives during NS and also for the parents who have lost their beloved children.But I can't help thinking that some of these people actually contributed to their own deaths by not taking the right steps beforehand.Well,it's just my opinion anyway.They probably had their reasons for doing or not doing something.

I was reminded of something funny during my 3.1 lecture today.As usual,Mr.Goh is a very punctual lecturer (although I wished he was as punctual when attending mentor meetings).As usual,he gave us a 15 minutes break after 1.5 hours of lecture.I don't know why so many students were not punctual in getting back into the classroom after the break today.So then the lecturer was waiting quite impatiently for about 3 minutes and he went outside to see if any of them were nearby.Sure enough,he spotted them at the end of the corridor and beckoned to them to hurry up.The way he waved his arm and said "hey...come!" at them looked so comical.The rest of us who were already in the classroom couldn't help laughing.Well,of course,this reminded me of another time when he made the whole class laugh.The lecture was about advertising ethics for accountants...well,in the notes,there's this line which said that accountants can advertise their services but the advertisements must be done "in good taste".So then Mr.Goh asked the class "So,what does in good taste means?"It's the kind of question where the lecturer does not expect an answer,so nobody answered.So then he answered "It means that when you put it in your mouth,it must taste good".He said it with such a straight face that all of us had that"Did he say what he just said ?" look on our faces.And then he quipped "Of course,I was only joking".Everybody laughed of course.It was really funny.Well,some might think it's lame but I like lame jokes.At least they are still funny.I've got one...well,it's about Luncheon Meat and Maggi mee.Here's how it goes : Luncheon Meat and Maggi Mee are good friends because luncheon meat and maggi mee tastes good when eaten together.So naturally,as good friends,Luncheon Meat will always say Hi to Maggi Mee whenever it sees Maggi Mee.But one day,Luncheon Meat saw Spaghetti and said Hi to Spaghetti too.So,why did Luncheon Meat say Hi to Spaghetti?
--=======
========
========
========
========
========
Answer : Luncheon Meat said hi to Spaghetti because it thought Maggi Mee had straightened its hair.

It may be a lame joke but you have to admit that it's funny.Courtesy of my collegemate.Haha.

Losing Interest

2007-03-17T22:46:00.000+08:00

I'm feeling so lazy to blog nowadays.Most of the time I just either don't have the time to blog or I've forgotten what I want to blog about,so I just don't bother.Let's see,there are many things that I wanted to put in my blog just only a few days ago,but now I've totally forgotten about it.I know I haven't put that 5 weird things about me thing on my blog as requested by Candy,so I guess I'll not put it off any further.Hmm,it's 6 weird things actually.Haha.

Tagged! - 6 Weird Things.

Each person starts out by telling 6 weird things about themselves.
People who get tagged need to write (in their own blog) 6 weird things as well and state the rules clearly.
In the end, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names.
After you do that, leave each of them a comment letting them know you tagged them and the cycle goes on.

Well,I'm not going to tag anybody else,so I'm stopping the cycle here.
6 Weird Things About Me

1. I don't like sticky things...I hate stickiness.I wouldn't touch people who are sticky,even if they offered to shake my hand first.When someone with sticky fingers touches my stuff,I will wipe my stuff furiously to get the sticky feeling off before I use it.

2. I cannot study past 11 pm.My mind just switches off or I'll be feeling sleepy.

3. When I eat a hard-boiled egg,I always break it in half and eat the yolk first,then the egg white.

4. I don't like to use short forms when I'm chatting on the Internet.I always type in full words.Even with SMS,I only use short forms when necessary.

5. I like those little plastic barcodes that are stuck inside the cover of some books.I collect them.

6. I think people who can't handle the truth are weak.

Well,those 6 weird things took me a while to come up with.Some of it may not even be considered weird.

My OBU presentation is scheduled for next Tuesday.Although it has no bearing whatsoever on my Research and Analysis report result,I can't help worrying about it.Well,sometimes I feel like it's a total waste of time and then there are times when I start thinking what if I forgot everything I wanted to say?Sigh...it's only 10 mins after all.It'll be over very fast.My presentation slides are almost done...so I don't really know what I'm worrying about.Maybe it's just my nature to worry unnecessarily.Probably it's because I feel that things that can go wrong,will go wrong.That's why I worry so much.I mean,it's good to always have a backup plan.As many people say,and from my experience,shit happens when you least expect it.So,always be prepared so that you won't be affected too badly.

Watched the qualifying round of the Australian Grand Prix today.Haha...Kimi Raikonnen got pole position in the Ferrari.Very good.Perhaps Raikonnen can win the championship this season.Alonso was okay in the McLaren.I wonder if the unreliability of McLaren will show in the race tomorrow.But I guess the Ferrari are showing signs on unreliability with Massa's car breaking down.Well,as long as it doesn't break down during the race,cause that's where the points come from.The surprise team this year has got to be the Super Aguri.It is powered by Honda engines but it is faster than the principal Honda team.Haha.I think Takuma Sato actually has a top 10 position on the starting grid for tomorrow's race.Amazing.Last season,you could always bet on the fact that the Super Aguri will start from the back in every race.Don't know why the cars can suddenly become so good...I mean,they didn't even test the car during the break.They just built it and this is the first time the car is actually being run properly.So amazing that the car can perform so well.The other surprise team is BMW Sauber.Nick Heidfeld is starting from the 3rd position in the race tomorrow.Very good indeed.They could be the dark horse team this season.But still,people will be more interested in the battle between Ferrari and McLaren.I just hope Kimi doesn't blow up a Ferrari now.I believe it is the McLaren's car which is the reason why he keeps blowing up the engines.The car is simply not reliable enough for him.He didn't blow up engines when he was driving for Sauber Petronas a long time ago.Well,anyway,I will be looking forward to watching the first race of the season.Wish I can go to Sepang,well,I can go if I settle for Hillstand tickets but I don't think I want to be standing under the hot sun at Sepang just to watch cars pass by the small part of track within my view.I want grandstand tickets but they are very expensive.I can't afford it.Next time lah...when I'm working then I'll buy for myself and go watch by myself if I have to.Speaking of working,I could be working as early as January next year,if I pass my Optional Papers this round.I think I will find working life more interesting than my current life as a full-time student.

Floating Rabbit

2007-03-08T23:10:00.000+08:00

I came home from college today to find a very shocking scene.I thought there was something wrong with my eyes and I kept denying what I'm seeing.I parked my car in the porch and I saw that the rabbits' cage is open,which means my mother has let them out for a run.So I looked around to see if the rabbits are near the gate,so I could see if they're running away.No rabbits by the gate...good.So then I looked towards the garden and I saw something white floating in the fish pond.I thought it's just rubbish or whatever.Then I took a second look...it can't be.So then I got out of my car to get a closer look and I couldn't deny it anymore.One of the rabbits has fallen into the pond.It's Mr.White.He was floating in the water and the worse thought came into my brain...oh no,the rabbit's drowned to death.This was before I saw that the rabbit is still breathing and he was smart enough to keep his nose above the water so he can breathe.I was so relieved to see that.So then I quickly grabbed Mr.White out of the pond and the rabbit is just fine.Once he touched the ground,he ran away from the pond to shake himself dry.I was so relieved to see him run...I thought the rabbit will pass out once he got out of the pond.So then I got a towel to dry up the rabbit.I have no idea how the rabbit fell into the pond.But at least now I know that rabbits can float on water.My expectation was that rabbits will just sink as they've got such thick fur and when I saw the rabbit floating,I thought it was dead for sure.If I knew rabbits can float like dogs do in water,I wouldn't have panicked and started thinking of morbid thoughts.Now that I think of it,the rabbit managed to do one thing I can't do...the dead man's float.I know how to swim but I've never managed to float in water.It's just puzzling.I just sink like a stone.Anyway,my mother was telling me that she saw the rabbit on the ground just about 5 minutes before I came home...so I guess the rabbit must have just fallen into the pond moments before I came home.Good thing I came home when I did.Well,I'm just glad the rabbit is fine and not dead.The patch of green outside my house is kind of a rabbits graveyard.I've had 3 rabbits before this...well,they died about 6 years ago.Sadness...don't want to add anymore rabbits to that green patch outside my house.

Now I want to discuss football.Well,I am very disappointed with the loss to MU.It's totally undeserved.Liverpool dominated the whole match...the problem is that they can't score.But MU got a very lucky goal.So unfair.To quote Mr.Jose Mourinho, "The better team lost".In this case,it's true the better team lost.But when Mourinho used it for Chelsea,he was wrong.Haha.Well,Liverpool did beat Barcelona...they lost that night in Anfield (again undeserved) but they did beat Barca at Nou Camp.That did the damage and Liverpool is through to the quarter-final of the Champions League.MU can be the jaguh kampung and win the EPL title but Liverpool will be the champions of Europe...again.Mwahaha.

I attended a presentation workshop last week.It's part of the OBU programme at Sunway.Although it took away the most of my weekend,I have to say it was beneficial.I realised that my presentation skills were not perfect.Of course I knew that without having to attend this workshop.But I also realised my strength...I can think on my feet,so I can speak spontaneously even without notes to prompt me.Well...it only works if I know the topic well.My weakness is definitely eye contact.I didn't think it will be such an important aspect but it turns out that eye contact is indeed important.So I improved on it and I feel confident that I will be able to maintain eye contact with the audience during my presentation next week.At least I'm more confident about presenting.But nervousness...hmm,that's still difficult to overcome.If things start smoothly,I won't be nervous.But if something is out of place,I will start to get very nervous.I must make sure I don't get too affected by external factors.We'll see on that day.I'm just afraid that Mr.Marcus will be one of the mentors in the same group as me because he's known for asking difficult questions.It's very difficult to answer to his satisfaction.Maybe he won't have much to ask about corporate governance since the subjects he teaches does not include corporate governance anyway.Well,I'd better start preparing my slides asap.Just finished learning how to use Microsoft PowerPoint.Not as difficult as I thought it was.But I still think it's tedious work to produce beautiful slides.Simple just don't cut it nowadays.Sigh.

Significant Nightmare

2007-03-01T23:07:00.000+08:00

I had a very bad nightmare a few nights ago.I call it very bad because I can still remember it now.Some people may classify such a dream as a stupid dream but I know it wasn't really stupid because I woke up feeling really afraid that it will come true.The dream felt so real until I woke up when the nightmare ended and my heart was beating very,very fast.Well,the memory of it is not so fresh anymore but I still remember some chunks of it.

The nightmare could be caused by me reading too much of Harry Potter lately because I dreamt that I was being hunted by Lord Voldemort.But the Voldemort in my nightmare is definitely more scary looking than the one in the Harry Potter movies.My Voldemort didn't have a face...he looked like one of the Ringwraiths from Lord of the Rings.Faceless and has a long black cloak around him.As usual in nightmares,such a scary character doesn't need to walk...he only glides above the ground.And the other thing that made it feel so real is that my real-life acquaintances were in the nightmare also...not Harry Potter,Hermione or Ron.However,I was more of a Hermione character in the nightmare and I was out one night with some group of magical people on a stakeout.My partner is actually a close friend's brother.Haha...that's funny and he's more of like a Ron character.I think we were on a stakeout mission to spy on Lord Voldemort...he's going to show up at a house to do something bad,I suppose.The plan went horribly wrong because someone in the group messed up and our position got compromised.Lord Voldemort sensed our presence and started to hunt us down,one by one.So then everybody just started to run for their lives,including me.I ran away from Voldemort as far as I could since I noticed that he was chasing some other people in the opposite direction.So then I hid in a dark alleyway in a housing area.The weird thing was,I had my Motorola V3xx with me but no magic wand...and I was contemplating making a call for help but I was afraid Voldemort might hear me and come after me.So I kept quiet for a long time there...until my partner showed up.No idea how he happened to find me there.So then we both ran away together even further.We came to a heavily populated area and there were some roadside mamak stalls.There we met some of our friends who were having a yumcha session and my partner and I decided to join them.There we were,laughing and talking thinking that Lord Voldemort wouldn't be able to find us here.How wrong we were.Suddenly,the whole place started to become really dark and silent.Then we saw Voldemort gliding toward us from afar.We both left the yumcha friends and decided to make a run for it.As always in situations like this,the bad guy will somehow be able to catch up even though I've had a good headstart.We ran into a building,it's actually a shopping mall.My Ron-like partner ran ahead to hide somewhere and I ran deeper into the building but Voldemort was already closing down on me.This is the scariest moment as I find myself trapped in a circular hall with nowhere else to run to.Voldemort was already making his move to kill me...shooting Avada Kedavra spells at me.I was able to dodge a few but subsequently,I had nowhere else left to hide and run.Just when he lifted his wand to finish me off,my partner threw something at Voldemort and distracted him.At that moment,I just made a run for it and didn't look behind to see what happened to my partner.I ran out of the building,back into the streets and continued to run until I got so tired.I entered a bar to get a rest and a drink and surprisingly,I saw my partner in there,playing on an arcade machine.At that moment,I felt glad to see him but I also started to get suspicious...how did he arrive here so fast?Could he be a spy for Voldemort?Did our stakeout go wrong because of him?So I approached him to ask him questions but he was rather drunk and was not making much sense.So I left and went home.From then onwards,I was living in fear that Voldemort will come find me in my house or when I'm out of the house doing something.But then he didn't come.Well,that's all I remember...there was a small part later about a mysterious death of somebody but I don't remember that.Then I woke up feeling really afraid but I still went back to sleep.Even when I woke up in the morning,I was still feeling afraid that something that looks like a Ringwraith will show up and kill me.I had the feeling that I'm being hunted for the rest of that day,even when I went to college.It was awful.I'm feeling better now but I still think about it when I'm alone.I know it's rather silly to take nightmares so seriously but it's because I could feel those feelings in the nightmare so strongly,I can't ignore the nightmare.Hopefully it won't come true.If it does come true,I think I'd die of fright even before Voldemort have to cast Avada Kedavra on me.

Enough about my nightmare.It's time to sleep.Got a long day tomorrow because I have to attend some Presentation Skill training in college tomorrow.All part of my OBU assignment.Suck lah...I only learnt how to use PowerPoint yesterday and I have to prepare a PowerPoint presentation for Sunday.Stupid.Will have to use so much of my brains to think of how I can prepare one.I think my brain deserves more rest since I've been working it to death lately.Maybe that's the reason I had that nightmare...probably the brain wants me to die so that the brain could rest forever.Whoa!That would mean I have dual-personality...a little bit like Jean Grey and Pheonix in X-Men.Scary.

Doong Doong Chang

2007-02-20T12:41:00.000+08:00

I'm still very much in a Chinese New Year mood.After all,it is only the 3rd day of CNY today.Still 12 days of CNY left.However,I don't think I'll be collecting anymore angpaus for the remainder of the CNY.I've pretty much got the standard haul of angpaus already.Just only did a count.I would say the haul this year is normal and as expected.There was only one particularly good year when my angpau haul reached RM 1000.It was the year 2002,I think.But then, there was an exceptionally low haul of angpau in the next year as my grandfather passed away on 25th December,so we did not celebrate CNY in 2003.So I guess the previous year's exceptionally good haul was meant to act as a set-off for the next year.Anyway,I am hoping to make some money from gambling this year but I think I haven't had much progress.Still remain with the capital I started out but I did lose RM 50 of my father's money.Haha...will try to win that back tonight.The "ngau" game is really difficult to win money.I do prefer Black Jack and it is more fun as I get to test my luck to see if I can get a favourable card when my initial cards only adds up to 16 points.At least I still have the chance to get a better score with Black Jack but with ngau,I only have 5 cards and I can't improve on the score from those 5 cards.I'm hoping for better luck tonight.

It is indeed a double celebration for me as I've passed both my Papers 2.5 and 2.6.Very good scores too...got 85% for 2.5 and 61% for 2.6.I'm very glad that I passed Paper 2.6 and that means I've completed Part 2 of my ACCA course.So now all I have to do is concentrate and keep fighting to complete Part 3.I can see the finish line already.Cannot let-up now.I could be working in January 2008 if I don't fail any papers this year.Must make sure that I don't.Well, as a result of such good results,I have decided to get myself a new handphone.Don't think I'll be getting Yoda's Force FX lightsaber.Maybe that one can buy for birthday present later this year.Haha.I've set my target on the new Motorola Razr V3xx.Finally,there is a Razr with form as well as substance.I feel the previous Razr models were mostly form only and contains no substance.It's on the expensive side...RM 1499 but I think I am willing to spend that.I can trade in my old phone and the final cash amount I pay should be about RM 1200.Am looking forward to getting it sometime this week.I might still revert to my initial target, the Sony Ericsson Z610i.We'll just see how the V3xx looks in reality.So far I've only seen pictures.Whatever choice I make,I know I will like the handphone.It will be difficult not to like something that I've been longing for months.

The Razr V3xx looks very much like the ordinary Razr V3 but it's got HSDPA(3.5G) capabilities and it's slightly thicker and longer than the original Razr V3.The only weak point of this phone is its 1.3 MP camera,which is rather low for today's standards(2.0 MP).

Enough about handphones,back to my PS3.I attempted to register for a Playstation Network ID.I thought they would have included Malaysia in the limited list of countries available from the pull-down menu.But they have not.Only 5 countries are included...USA,Japan,Canada,Taiwan and Hong Kong.Initially,I chose Hong Kong and put it a ridiculous fictitious address.It got rejected and so I changed it to Taiwan and I entered the address of the apartment where I stayed in Taiwan.It worked.Haha.So I happily accessed the Playstation Store and downloaded 2 free game demos...Gran Turismo HD and F1 2006.The graphics on these 2 games are amazing.If only I had a Full HD TV,then they'll look even better.That time,I think I am truly driving an F1 car.I'm just looking forward to a football game.Imagine playing football in HD.Haha...so nice.I had a look at some TVs at an electrical shop a few days ago.The difference between a Full HD LCD TV and a LCD TV with HD-ready capabilities only is very noticeable.The difference in the sharpness of the picture as well as the colour is very much evident.I thought there won't be much difference between 720p with 1080p.But the truth is,there is quite a big noticeable difference.However,I think the price difference is bigger.RM 8000 can get a TV with 720p resolution but RM 16000 is needed for a full HD TV with 1080p resolutuion.Haha.Hopefully the price of Full HD TV will drop soon although I feel it is unlikely to drop to below RM 10000,unless a new kind of television with a much superior resolution is released.Until I strike the lottery,I think I'll be stuck with my very old cathode ray tube TV.Maybe it will spoil soon.Haha.

Connected Again!

2007-02-15T17:09:00.000+08:00

My wireless router conked out last Monday.Since that day,I've not been able to go online.Sure,I still have a modem,so technically I could still go online as the telephone line is still there.But the telephone line registered for Streamyx is downstairs in my brother's room and it happened that his computer conked out the day before.So there I was, with no router and no PC to connect to the broadband line.Sure,you may think I can lug my PC all the way downstairs to use the line.I did do that but the problem is,my graphics card is so obsolete that it can't connect to my brother's LCD monitor which uses a newer type of connection cable.So I went looking for a cable that can connect from the LCD monitor to my PC but to no avail.It's not possible to take out the cable I'm using with my old CRT monitor because the cable is attached to the monitor permanently.So then I lugged my PC all the way upstairs to my room again.What a waste of time and energy.Sure,you could say I could have lugged my monitor downstairs as well.Well,I think that's just too much.It's bloody heavy.So it's been 3 days I have not gone online.Only 3 days and I felt like something big is missing in my life.On that Monday night,I actually panicked when I saw the router go dead.It was awful.I couldn't sleep well that night.The next day,I was feeling a bit better but still very nervous about the fact that I can't go online anytime I want.Oh,finally my brother bought a new wireless router yesterday and it's online today.Phew.I can heave a sigh of relief now.Never do I want to experience that again.I shall be grateful that I have a connection at all although it's still slow.It's because it's Progress Test week that I am able to control my nervousness because I still have to keep my mind focused to study.If there wasn't any test,I think I would have gone crazy and start wailing every night in my room because I can't go online.

Well,Progress Test has come and gone.I'll say I shouldn't worry about Progress Test 1 at all.I think I managed to get the minimum 30% score required.What I'm more worried about is the actual ACCA result which will be released on next Monday.I am so worried about Paper 2.6.It will be disastrous if I failed.I do wish I've passed all papers.Then it will be a valid justification for me to buy a new handphone.Yes,I've decided...partially.I think I want to buy the Motorola Razr V3xx.Motorola is having a Chinese New Year promotion for that phone...only RM 1499 (with warranty from the authorised distributor) and a free portable charger.Whatever that is.I'd prefer a bluetooth headset.But the price is within my means.I might still go for Sony Ericsson Z610i...will have to compare those 2 phones when I'm at the handphone shop.See which one feels right.Nokia 7390 is no longer an option.It's too expensive.Besides,I don't need all those functions in that phone...a 3 MP camera is hardly necessary for me.I've got a digital camera that can take 5 MP...and I still prefer using a real camera to take pictures because it's got a proper flash and there are more adjustments that can be made to make the picture come out nicer.

Now that the Progress Test is over,I shall devote my attention to completing my OBU in the next few days.I must finish it before this CNY holiday ends.Then I can print it out nicely and get it ready for delivery to the university in UK.As long as I get the good news that I've passed all papers in the last exam sitting,then I shall be receiving my Bachelor of Science in Accounting (honours) degree from Oxford Brookes University by September this year.Haha,then I would have achieved one of my life ambitions.Definitely a moment to be proud of.Anyway,that's all for my rantings today.Feeling happy that I can enjoy a bit now but also worried about Monday.Really mixed feelings.Anyway,Happy Chinese New Year to all who celebrates it.May the year of the Pig be full of prosperity and good luck for everyone.

Takeover

2007-02-06T22:33:00.000+08:00

The latest news from Liverpool is that Liverpool FC has accepted the takeover offer from George Gillett and Tom Hicks.Another American ownership of a British football club to materialise.From all the initial news,I think the prospects look bright.They do have the money to build a new stadium for Liverpool as well as to fund the purchase of new players.I just hope the situation would not become like that in Manchester United where the club got more debts than funds after the takeover from the Glazers.But then,their situation has improved somewhat since then.It's not like the club is in a financial crisis.But I do want Liverpool to get more than just funds.The new owners should have the best interests of the club and fans at heart in whatever they do.You can just look at Chelsea for a good example of the owner not having the best interests of the club and fans at heart.He's buying players without thinking about whether the manager needs them or not and now that the manager wants some players,the owner isn't buying any.In addition,Chelsea is like debt-laden even though Roman Abramovich is so rich.I feel what he's doing is more of like building a football team of his choice.Anyway,back to Liverpool,I hope this new development will bring the club to higher levels and most importantly,pave the way to winning the EPL title soon.

I am in a bit of a dilemma whether to purchase another lightsaber or to buy a new handphone.Same dilemma coming up again.Just when I've decided to not get both,something,well,actually 2 things came up that piqued my interest.Firstly,it's the newly released Yoda's Force FX lightsaber,due to ship in March,so I can put in my order now.Then there's the new handphone Z610i by Sony Ericsson and also the Nokia 7390.Both are very fine 3G handphones and I would really love to get my hands on them.I also don't mind getting the lightsaber.But the problem is money(the usual suspect).Was thinking of putting in the order for the lightsaber first,then I will get the handphone when I've got my load of angpau money this coming Chinese New Year.Although I am suspecting the load won't be as good this year.Although I am looking forward to win more from gambling this year.I've never had good luck nor rotten luck from gambling but I think I've made a small net loss over the years from ganbling during CNY.This year,I want to make a huge profit,not just a small one.I even tried my luck at striking the lottery.Obviously I didn't win if not it'll be the subject title for this post.Really waste of money sometimes,buying lottery tickets.At least I'm not one of those who buy those 4-D tickets and use my car's registration number as the betting number.I really don't like that.Besides,the prize money is a bit low for me.So I prefer the 6 digits lottery tickets where I stand to win at least 1 million but of course,the probability of having my combination of number being the winning combination is like 1 in 100 million.Haha.Such awful odds.

I read in the newspaper a few days ago that a politician has suggested that the recent flood in Johor could be blamed on Singapore because of their land reclamation practices in the south of Johor.It seems that those activities has caused a lot of sediment to accumulate at the mouth of the Johor river,therefore making it difficult for water to flow out into the sea(some sort like that).Of course,Singapore has rubbished the claim.But it seems the Johor government has got evidence that it is caused by them.Haha.Same old fashion Malaysia vs Singapore bickering.I find it very amusing.I wonder why some Malaysians have such a negative opinion of Singapore.For me,I am neutral.But I can say my dad dislikes Singapore even though he spent some years there working as a policeman for the Singapore Police Force.I never asked him why he dislikes Singapore though.The usual comment he will give when I mention about considering Singapore as a holiday destination is that its expensive there (because of the unfavourable exchange rate) and that there's really nothing much to see there.Of course I've heard stories about how Singaporeans are really kiasu and snobbish.I really don't know.I've never really met a Singaporean before nor do I know of any.I hope my first encounter with a Singaporean will be a pleasant one.

Oh So Close Again!

2007-01-29T22:17:00.000+08:00

I had a great time participating in the ACCA Futsal Tournament last Saturday.If only my team had won 1st place,I would be feeling even more happy.I became the hero and villain in the Final match.I managed to score the equaliser(a clever back-heel pass into the goal) that brought the game to penalties.We were 2-1 up with the third penalty being the winning penalty if it goes in.I stepped up to take the 3rd penalty kick and put it way over the bar.At that moment,all I could feel was deep disappointment.I've let everybody down.However,the penalty shoot-out continued as the opposing team scored their kick to bring it to 2-2.So then it went on until at 4-4,the opposing goalkeeper saved the kick and they went on to score the winning penalty.We were so,so close to winning it.I know my teammates don't blame me but I do feel like I've let them down after raising their hopes by scoring the equaliser.But,at least we still got 2nd place and RM 250 cash prize(equally split among 7 people), a trophy and ACCA T-shirt and sling-bag each.I guess the prizes are good.The entry fee for each person was only RM 10 since our team was half-subsidised by Sunway University College.So I guess we got a good deal.I mean,my team almost didn't make it into the semi-final because we didn't do very well in the round-robin stage.We only got through because of a better goal difference than the other team in the group,which wasn't even positive,LOL.I only scored 2 goals throughout the tournament...one was a kick-in which got deflected into goal and the 2nd is the equaliser in the final match,which is my favourite goal so far.I would say it was not luck(not "kai" at all) that I scored it as I know perfectly what I wanted to do.I remember Thierry Henry scored a similar goal like that.Anyway,I would definitely join again next year,if I could get enough people to form a team.Surprisingly,the majority of the girls team were from Sunway.Some of them actually trained everyday.So semangat.My team only had one practice session so I can say that we did lose to a better team as they had a coach and also trained more often than we did.At least I didn't get any open wounds on my knees this time.Only a bad bruise on the side of my right knee but I'm sure that will heal soon enough.I'm just disappointed that I did not get to achieve my personal ambition of captaining a team to become the Champion.My previous attempt also ended in 2nd place.Well,maybe I'll be third time lucky next year.Who knows?

Had my 3rd mentor meeting today and it went alright but now I've got a new deadline to finish up the Analysis and Conclusion parts of my report.I was planning to finish it during Chinese New Year but the mentor wants to read my work during the CNY holiday.It is achievable,it's just that I want to spend more time to study since the Progress Test 1 is only 2 weeks away.But then again,it's not like I place priority on PT1.It's just stupid.PT2 and Mock Exam is more important,in my opinion.My mentor,Mr.Goh is also my 3.1 Audit and Assurance Services lecturer and he really has a minor problem with pronouncing some words.This term,some new mispronounced words are cigarette,obliged and subpoena.The way he pronounced cigarette sounded like "secret" and obliged sounded something like "ob-blaj".LOL.I guess mispronouncing subpoena is understandable since I feel the spelling just doesn't match its pronunciation at all.Anyway,his mispronunciations provide some funny moments but his English really isn't bad.He has a very wide vocabulary,I daresay as wide as mine but I guess it's a common problem with Chinese people when it comes to pronunciation.Something about the tongue being too short to pronounce English words properly.At least he knows his stuff and many would agree with me when I say that he is a good audit lecturer.Guess he'll be the lecturer who I'll meet the most in classes since I he is the lecturer for Paper 2.6(which I attended last term),Paper 3.1(currently attending) and next term,due to the change in ACCA syllabus,he'll be teaching Paper P1 Professional Accountant, which is a compulsory paper.That means I still have another chance to hear his mispronounced words next term.Haha.It's not that nobody wants to correct him but imagine the awkwardness of correcting a lecturer on pronunciation in front of the whole class.I don't want to feel that,neither would the lecturer.

Liverpool is going strong in the EPL but I still don't think they can actually win the title.Their match against Barcelona in the Champions League is coming up soon and Samuel Eto'o would probably be fit enough to feature in that match,which further reduces Liverpool's chances of getting through to the next round.Ronaldinho may be in a slump now but maybe he will hit top form again against Liverpool.I mean,Liverpool does tend to bring out the best in opposing players who are experiencing slumps.It's just so unfair.In the nearer future,Liverpool is playing West Ham,at Upton Park this Wednesday.There's a live telecast and I will definitely watch it.Let's hope they can beat West Ham properly since that club is definitely not doing very well at the moment.The owners of West Ham were too rash in sacking Alan Pardew.As if Alan Curbishley can turn around the club in a heartbeat.I know Charlton can't be saved.Poor Alan Pardew...what made him take up that job.Guess he'll have to build up the team in Division 1 and hope to bring them back to the EPL.I think the relegation battle this season will be very interesting.Wigan looks wobbly now after a successful first season in EPL last season.But my prediction is that Charlton,Watford and West Ham are going to be relegated at the end of the season.I do hope I'm wrong as I love to see miracles happen in football.

Neglect

2007-01-25T23:04:00.000+08:00

When it comes to neglecting objects,I am definitely very good at it.I do neglect people from time to time as well.I don't think I am neglected by anybody but if the things I own can feel,I believe they would feel neglected by its owner.A good example would be my violin.I have not touched it for a very,very long time.I just hope I still know how to play it,not to mention remember how to read the notes in the music sheets.There's also my yo-yos.It was such a big fad like 8 years ago,but at least I only started to neglect them about 4 years ago.I believe this neglection habit of mine developed when I was in form 6.It's because I only had time for my textbooks and everything else had to wait in line for my attention. At least I'm not neglecting things as much as I did before but it is starting to get worse now.I really have a lot going on right now.Good thing I am only doing 2 subjects but my research and analysis is really taking up a lot of time.I do plan to finish at least 90% of it during the Chinese New Year Holidays and hope for 100% completion by the end of February.I can foresee that I am going to lose some weight by the end of March.People are always saying I just study at home and don't have any fun.It's not true because these people think that having fun must be an activity done with friends outside the house.I am very different in that sense because I can have fun at home too,with or without friends.I don't fancy going out really except for shopping or to play pool.I have so much of fun playing my PC games,my PS3 games,my PSP games,watching movies at home and reading storybooks as well as playing with the rabbits.With so many fun things to do at home,why would I want to go out?Of course,there's the occasional yumcha session which is a must as I do need to catch up with my old schoolmates.So the only things that are more fun than those indoor activities I listed above are a pool session,yumcha session and shopping.Therefore,it's obvious why I stay at home most of the time as it's not likely that I can play pool or shop everyday and who on earth is available for yumcha everyday?

This blog has been neglected for a while too.I am still put-off from going online as the undersea cables are still not fixed,therefore connection speed is still very slow when visiting websites hosted in USA and Europe,which is the bulk of the websites I usually visit.Anyway, I'm participating in the Futsal Tournament held this Saturday at Rio de Futsal,organised by the Student Ambassador network of ACCA Malaysia.Haha,imagine ACCA students at a sports meeting,who are so famed for their nerdy qualities.But I will not underestimate my opponents as each team are allowed a maximum number of 3 import players.So it isn't really all ACCA students.My team is pretty decent.As long as they are motivated to play well and win,then we shouldn't be labelled as underdogs.But I'd rather be the underdog, as there is less pressure to perform something spectacular.Well,let's just hope I can produce a Steven Gerrard-like inspiring performance come this Saturday and bring my team to victory.I am really motivated by the cash prize(quite a big sum) and also the desire to get first place in a futsal tournament as my previous attempt at captaining a futsal team only resulted in 2nd place.I hope I don't disappoint my teammates and myself.So I will get some good rest and be fresh and alert for Saturday.Therefore,I will go and do something more relaxing than blogging right now.

Dreams

2007-01-16T23:29:00.000+08:00

I usually don't remember my dreams at night but I do remember some very weird(and scary) dreams that I had lately.Firstly,the scary one is about me having strands of white hair even though I'm still only 21.I just woke up one day and when I looked in the mirror,there were many visible strands of white hair.I know some people at my age who actually have this white hair (or grey hair) problem but I only realised the effect it would have on me after having this dream.The effect was bad.Therefore,I hope this dream never comes true.The weird dream is totally weird because I'm still at 21 years of age,but I'm back in secondary school.I'm not sure if I am still studying in school,it's just that this dream took place in my secondary school.All my secondary school friends were in it too.Everybody was just walking all over the place carrying books and schoolbags.And I was looking for the toilet the whole time.When I did find the toilet,it was a creepy looking one as the lights were dim and it wasn't very clean either.I didn't dare to pee as I was afraid that someone might be peep(very weird) but anyway,the unclean conditions drove the urge to pee away.I remember a friend once suggested to me to keep a dream log where I will scribble down the dreams I've had immediately after I woke up so that I won't forget them but I'm just too lazy to keep one.What if I wake up in the middle of the night?I don't think I have the ability to sit there and write about my dreams when all I want to do is to go back to bed.It'll be great to have that Dream Recording Machine in the movie Final Fantasy :The Spirits Within.It automatically records the dreams a person has while she/he is asleep and then when the person wake up,he/she can conveniently press the Play button to watch the dreams.If only technology is that advanced now.Scientists haven't even found a way to create the legendary lightsabers featured in Star Wars.Therefore,Star Wars fans like me have to make do with the Force FX lightsabers made by Master Replicas.That is the best we can achieve with current technology.I guess the biggest challenge in making a real lightsaber is finding a way to limit the laser light emitted to that exact length.Then there's also the issue of how that lightsaber sound can be generated.But for me,the most mind-boggling feature of the lightsaber is that separate lightsabers cannot cross each other.They can actually clash with each other.This is definitely something for the scientists to figure out.

Back to dreams again.My brother told me that his girlfriend had a dream about one of the rabbits.The rabbit which appeared in her dream is Miss Brown,which is the bigger rabbit.In her dream,she asked the rabbit if she wants a new cage and the rabbit actually replied "Yes,I want a new cage".Haha.It seems the rabbit even specified what kind of cage she wants.I don't know if my brother was just pulling my leg or what.The rabbits are growing well.The smaller rabbit,Mr.White which for a very long time remained very small,has grown bigger already but he is growing at a very slow rate.This reminds me that I have taken some pictures of the rabbits.Here they are :

I'm sure you can tell which is Mr.White and which is Miss Brown.It's very obvious!

Notice that one of Miss Brown's front paw is white in colour.

Mr.White was about to run away when I aimed the camera at him.He's becoming more unhuman-friendly as he grows up.

They are beginning to outgrow the cage.My brother is procrastinating in buying a bigger cage.When Miss Brown sleeps like that,she does look like she's dead.

Research Roadblock

2007-01-12T22:51:00.000+08:00

My research and analysis project(RAP) isn't going forward for now.I'm so worried that I can't finish...then I'll be the first Sunway student who can't finish up the RAP in time to pass it up in early April.I know exactly what I want to do but I think I'm focusing too much on making it perfect.I just have to tell myself that nothing can be perfect.Perhaps then I won't feel so pressured to produce a masterpiece. Well,anyway,I am trying to produce a list of questions to ask an Executive Director of Carlsberg Brewery Malaysia Berhad on the effects of corporate governance on the company.I'm just so worried that my questions might sound intrusive or worse, noob-ish.Of course,I do have to let my mentor have a look at the questions first.But then,I'm afraid I might not be able to accept his opinions on my questions list if he doesn't agree with them.Then I'll have another headache...thinking whether I should take into account his opinions but at the same time,I'll be thinking that it's my project and I'll ask whatever I feel like asking.Sigh...and another sigh. I've told my mentor that I will have problems like that but I can't expect him to help me draft the questions list.It is definitely not part of the mentor's responsibilities to do the work for the mentee as stated in the guidelines.Anyway,if I request such a thing,I will appear like a stupid person to my mentor.Maybe a dosage of PS3 time is required...I have not played it in 2 days.Anyway,I just found out that the games I currently have does have the motion sensor option for the new PS3 SixAxis controller.I feel so stupid for only realising this after more than 2 weeks of having the PS3 at home.So I tried the motion sensor on Ridge Racer 7 and it's amazing...I can steer the car by tilting the controller left and right.Cool!It is a bit difficult at first but after I got the hang of it,it's really easy and enjoyable.I wonder if a tennis game is released,would I be able to swing the controller to hit the ball?Haha.Then there's no need to buy Nintendo Wii.Haha.Anyway,the motion sensor function can also be used to shift gears in Ridge Racer 7...you just have to move the controller to the front for upshift and move it to the back for downshift.My brother tried this and it appeared rather difficult as he was kind of shaking the controller back and forth with a lot of effort.But the steering is alright...it's just a matter of tilting the controller.I'm just so excited about this...and rather embarrassed too since I told many people that the game doesn't have this function.Will have to make it up to them by inviting them for a PS3 session at my house sometime soon.

It hasn't been a tremendous week for Liverpool Football Club and its fans.In fact,it was the most horrendous week the club and its fans have ever had.I don't even want to mention the score of that You-Know-What match that took place a few days ago.It's horrible.I felt the pain even though I didn't stay up to watch the live telecast in the early hours of the morning.I've said before that Liverpool's season is doomed and now it's confirmed.I don't even dare to hope that they have a chance against Barcelona now.If the team can't beat Arsey Arsenal,then what hope can they have against Barcelona?That team with Ronaldinho,Deco and Samuel Eto'o.I'm sure I've forgotten some other prominent players...just can't recall now.The most surprising news this week must be the news that David Beckham is moving to LA Galaxy in July.Amazing.I've always thought he'd move back to England to play and then retire.He's being paid an obscene amount of wages by LA Galaxy.I mean,the Major League Soccer (USA's version of EPL) has this salary cap rule which means there is a maximum amount of salary a football player(or soccer player for US people) can earn in a year.But just because LA Galaxy wants David Beckham, they actually created a David Beckham Rule so that they can override the salary cap rule and match his salary at Real Madrid.Amazing what David Beckham can do...but unfortunately,he does more amazing things off the pitch than on it.

I've been wanting to change the template of my blog for some time now.But I kept procrastinating and now when I feel like doing it,I don't have the time to customize it.Guess it'll get put off again...for the 10th time probably.There is a lot of buzz about the Bursa Malaysia lately...something about the share market hitting an all time high and it could be a sign of good things happening for the Malaysian economy.I seriously can't remember the term used...was it the KLSE Index?Anyway,the price of crude oil has dropped to below USD 54 a barrel and still the price of petrol is not reduced.The government is really serious about cutting off all subsidies.Isn't it about time employers start paying their employees more?I mean,the government needs to do something about the rise in inflation...the prices of everything is up and now the toll rates are going to be incresed as well.It will be hard for people who are earning below RM 2000 a month to live decently...even if a person earns between RM 2000-2500,it'll be a struggle still.The government wants to reduce subsidies but they are not implementing a law on minimum salary.I feel that it is badly needed now.They can say that people in developed countries do not have subsidies but still can live decently...but that's only because they have a law on the minimum salary a person can earn.Some people here only earn a measly RM 500 a month...you can only survive in rural areas with that kind of salary.No way anyone can survive on RM 500 a month in the Klang Valley.Why can't any Parliament member propose a law on minimum salary instead of bickering over petty matters.Really,parliamentary members should be chosen based on merit and not based on who has the most supporters.This kind of system just doesn't work unless the Election Commission make it a requirement that a candidate running for a Parliamentary seat should at least have a university degree.Only people who are really successful in their field of work can be exempted from the degree requirement.But sadly,not everybody thinks like that.They'd rather support and affiliate themselves with an influential person who has no brains rather than supporting and affiliating themselves with a person who has brains but is not influential enough.What will become of this country?It really feels like Star Wars...where democracy started to fail and Darth Sidious became the Emperor and then Darth Vader did his evil biddings for him.I wonder if something like that would happen here in the future.I believe it can happen if the people of Malaysia do not open their eyes to see the bigger picture and look further then their own colours' interests.

Morning Classes Torture

2007-01-08T22:52:00.000+08:00

It's back to morning classes again this term.Sigh.If the classes begin an hour later at 9,I think I wouldn't mind it so much but 8am is really too early.The morning traffic jam seems to be worse than what I remembered it to be.Weird...and I thought people can't afford cars because of the high price of petrol but there seems to be more cars on the road now than before.Stupid people whine and whine about the petrol price but in actual fact,they can still afford it.So why whine?They want to whine about it but still can afford to drive everywhere.Isn't that what people call double-faced?

Anyway,I made a mistake in assuming that Ms. Kok as written on my timetable is a mistake by thinking that it means Mr. S. Kok(Simon Kok).I mean,there is only one lecturer with the surname Kok in Sunway and I wasn't the only one who assumed that Ms.Kok is a typo of Mr. S.Kok.Haha.So it turned out that we have a new lecturer for Paper 3.2 Advanced Taxation.I was a bit disappointed when I found out that it isn't Mr.Simon Kok teaching 3.2 but then Ms.Kok isn't so bad either.She is not related to Mr.Simon Kok.She(Ms.Kok) made the effort to debunk that thought in every student's mind on the first day of her class.Some guys actually thought that they want to check-out this lecturer by going for her class,since she's new and they had the impression that she might be a young person.Haha...they must be very disappointed.The lecturer is not young, neither is she very old but she must be in her 40s.As long as she's a good lecturer and not a lazy one,I'm satisfied.She's good in making jokes too.Very rare in a female lecturer.Usually it is the male lecturers who tells funny jokes in class.Anyway,still on the subject of lecturer,I overheard some girls talking in the toilet about how handsome and young-looking Mr.Goh is.He's the Paper 3.1 Advanced Audit and Assurance Services lecturer and also my OBU mentor.It's alright if they keep these thoughts to their friends but telling it out to everybody who was in the toilet at that time is a bit too open.The girl was also mentioning how he's a perfect suitor(for her)...handsome,looks younger than his age,got money and a gentleman.I felt like puking when I heard that girl say such things.It is a good thing that I do not share her thoughts on Mr.Goh because it would be difficult for me to concentrate during the one-on-one mentor meetings.The worse thing is,I see her approaching the lecturer to ask questions during breaks and after the class is over.Eeyerr...she's like almost flirting with him.Which planet did she come from?

On a different subject,the earthquake in Taiwan has really affected me although I'm not in Taiwan anymore.It's not only me.All internet users in the Asia region has been experiencing slow connection speeds and webpages which are not hosted locally will take a bloody long time to load.Sometimes,they can't even load at all,especially US hosted sites.Which includes MSN Hotmail,Blogger and many other websites.This sucks.And it will take another 3 weeks to fully repair the undersea cables that were damaged.Well,to be fair,the earthquake was a strong one.7.1 on the Richter Scale is no "sap sap sui" earthquake.Anyway,I watched an interesting movie yesterday.The title is Something the Lord Made...no,it's not a Christian movie.Nothing to do with preaching Christianity.I was just flipping channels and then I saw this movie just beginning and then I saw the cast...Alan Rickman(this got my attention) and Mos Def(that guy in Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy).For those who have no idea who Alan Rickman is,he's the actor who plays Professor Snape in the Harry Potter movies and also the bad guy in Robin Hood:Prince of Thieves (which stars Kevin Costner as well).Well,the movie is based on a true story about this doctor named Dr.Alfred Blalock.He invented the treatment for shock and also the first doctor to do a heart operation.So the movie is about how he did experiments on stray dogs to find a new way to treat patients when they go into shock and also to perform operation on the heart without damaging the heart.It's a great movie because it tells the struggles of black people during that time in USA...even though they are no longer slaves but they are still being discriminated.Black people have to sit at the back of the bus and only white people can sit in front.They even have separate toilets for 'colored people'(the alternative term for black people) and also laundries for colored people only.There are even banks for colored people only.There's so much of discrimination then...and worse of all,only white people can hold high positions in every establishment.But this doctor is different...he hires this out of job carpenter,Vivien Thomas(who's colored) as his lab cleaner.But then,this guy has got potential in medicine because he has always wanted to become a doctor and he actually has got a natural talent with the surgery tools.So then Dr.Blalock teaches him whatever is necessary to assist him in conducting his experiments.With the help of Vivien,the doctor is succesful in finding a new way to treat shock in patients,that is to supply blood to the heart(which previously no one dared to do).So then from this success,the doctor becomes famous and renowned and he keeps Vivien Thomas as his surgery assistant wherever he works.Of course,there are also difficulties in their relationship but you'll have to watch the movie to really understand what I'm saying.I'll say it's a recent movie...shouldn't be older than 2002.What I like about the movie is that while most white people were busy looking down on the black people,this white doctor actually appreciates the help of this black guy and also believes in his ability and takes the trouble to help him improve.Great movie...if you have Astro,you could probably catch a repeat of the movie on HBO.

I've been drowning in sorrow ever since Liverpool's loss to Arsenal on early Sunday morning.Stupid referee,stupid goalkeeper and stupid players.I lost RM 50 betting on that match.I was so sure Liverpool was going to win hence the deep disappointment I am feeling now.The higher the expectation,the further the fall.Liverpool's season is doomed.I won't be surprised if they don't win anything at all this season.They will play Barcelona in the Champions League...if Liverpool can beat them,then I'll say they have a chance of winning the CHampions League again but we will just see if they can actually beat Barcelona.The EPL is definitely out of reach.But Liverpool might just get their revenge on Arsenal in the League Cup soon.How ridiculous is that?Playing Arsenal for 2 different cup competitions back-to-back.Nonsense lah.I'd rather Liverpool beat Arsenal in the FA Cup than in the League Cup.They are the defending champion of the FA Cup for heaven's sake.Losing in the 3rd round at the first hurdle is so embarrassing.Well,enough of sorrow.I want to sleep and perhaps my sorrow won't be so great when I wake up the next morning.

A New Year Begins (Again)

2007-01-02T23:09:00.000+08:00

There will always be a new year as long as time still goes on and I've heard something about time being infinite.Anyway,it's a new year and as usual,everybody is wishing and hoping for it to be a better one than the year before.Including me.It's not that 2006 wasn't such a good year for me,it's just that people always want things to be better than it already is.I'm not sure if that is the general thinking but I do think like that.I had a good view of the fireworks display this new year's eve.A friend suggested the pedestrian bridge overlooking Sunway Pyramid and so we(my friends and I) went there to have a look.It was a very good place.We had Baskin Robbins ice-cream after dinner( because of the 31% discount on the 31st of every month).

A new year and a new semester begins as well.Classes begin tomorrow.2 subjects again this semester and also a research and analysis report to be completed in order to get a BSc degree.It seems the lecturers for this term's subjects,Papers 3.1 and 3.2 are lecturers I've seen before,Mr.Goh and Mr.Simon Kok respectively.I would say they are pretty interesting lecturers,not likely for me to feel bored during the lectures unless I'm really sleepy and tired.I'm just glad that there are no weekend classes this semester,as per the timetable and I hope it stays that way.I am so sick of having to attend classes on Sundays.It was difficult to endure.I am now figuring out how to keep myself concentrated on my studies,now that I've got a PS3 in the house and it's not likely that I can finish up all the games now.I actually have many unfinished games(PC,PSP and PS3).When it comes to games,I think I've only finished a handful of PC games.I have not finished playing all 4 of my PSP games and PS3...hmm,just playing 1 game only at the moment.Maybe if I pretend that they're not there,then I won't be thinking about them so much.Haha...what a ridiculous idea.

This research and analysis report that I have to complete is taking up more time than expected.Maybe I'm just so bloody lazy and procrastinating too much.I just don't like the way the mentor is setting deadlines for me...I mean,I would like to do it at my own pace and not have the Introduction and Information Gathering methods done in 1 week's time.I'd rather have the whole duration to do everything than simply set deadlines like that.Doing everything simultaneously is my style although it appears rather haphazard.As long as it works...it's not like I do things whenever I want.I schedule time for it and do all the tasks at once.That way,I can interlink whatever that can be linked and not finish part by part only to find out I need to link this part to another part and having to redo whatever I've done.I guess the mentor just want a draft of my work to see if I'm going on the right track.Although it is stated in the Guidelines issued for this research and analysis that the mentor is not supposed to check our work...hmm,am I getting a bonus here?Anyway,I hope that 2007 will be a good year and everything will go smoothly for everyone and most importantly,no more natural disasters.

Post-Vacation Thoughts

2006-12-28T22:11:00.000+08:00

I am now safely back at home in Subang Jaya.I definitely didn't enjoy the extremely warm weather when I landed at KLIA yesterday.At that time,I was actually missing the coldness of the winter weather in Taiwan.However,after a day back at home,I am slowly getting used to the hot weather again,so I think I won't be complaining about it being so hot here in a few more days.The flight back home got delayed by an hour due to some technical problem with the plane.Everybody has boarded the plane and then it was just reversing from its parking spot to the runway when officials on the ground waved frantically at the plane(I had a window seat).The cabin crew wouldn't say what was the problem with the plane but I am guessing that something was wrong with the wheels of the plane.Well,whatever it is,I'm glad they detected and rectified it.We walked through the Green Lane at the customs area of KLIA and went through untaxed.I think the Customs officers were kind of busy with the other Declaration Lanes...there were a lot of people at the Customs area at that particular time.PS3 is working beautifully after purchasing a step down voltage transformer(cost a bomb and weighs like 1 tonne because my elder brother just bought the 1st that met requirements without checking out at other places first).I haven't broke my bank yet to pay for this PS3.It is financed by my father for now.Legally it belongs to my father(because he paid for it) but in substance,it actually belongs to us 3 siblings because we have control and enjoy the risks and rewards of the PS3.Haha.My god,I just applied what I learnt in Paper 2.5!Anyway,I'd better withdraw some money from my bank soon.Not good to withhold payment although my father is highly unlikely to charge his own children interest.Guess whatever plans I had for purchasing a new mobile phone and a 2nd lightsaber will have to be put on hold indefinitely now that I've got the PS3...I did plan on purchasing the PS3 but I didn't think it will be this early.I expected the PS3 to be officially launched in Malaysia sometime in the middle of 2007.Anyway,this Taiwan trip wasn't planned.It was so sudden.I'm glad it happened.Not just because I got a PS3 at a bargain but because of other interesting experiences as well.

Here's my review of the trip to Taiwan.Initial thought is that I thought I'd get bored to death there because we were going to be there for 12 days and it is a Mandarin-speaking country.I have to admit I was pretty ignorant of Taiwan...I only know that the country's parliamentary members throw punches and chairs at each other quite often.Haha.Anyway,there was a bit of my initial thought that did come true...that is I was quite bored because of the lack of football on television.Even though the apartment had satellite TV with over a 100 channels but sadly,their sports channels air only 2 live football matches a week(unlike here where we have at least 4 live matches a week).How stupid.Everyday it is basketball,baseball,billiards and golf on their sports channels.Basketball and baseball dominates.Even their Sportscenter is different and it focuses on basketball,unlike here where the first piece of news is always football,not boring basketball.Anyway,besides being football deprived,there was quite a lot to do and I didn't really get any time to feel bored.The apartment we lived in is very comfortable.My mother definitely enjoyed it because there was a washing machine she could "play" with.For me,the TV was very entertaining cause they have this 24 hour Chinese movie channel which showed a lot of Hong Kong movies.Watched so many comedies...laughed so much although it was dubbed in Mandarin.Thank goodness for subtitles.Then there's the pool table at the apartment's so called Health and Exercise Center in the basement.I played so much of pool until my back ached...had to restrain myself from playing some more to prevent the pain from getting worse.I definitely logged a lot of hours on my PSP.The FIFA World Cup 2006 game I was playing definitely made up for the lack of football on television.We didn't get the PS3 until the 24th of December and that was 2 days before we had to leave.

Taiwan is definitely not a place to go for clothes shopping because it is definitely more expensive there(most shopping complexes had a sale going on but mostly winter clothing only).We're better off buying them in Malaysia.Even Taiwan people prefer to come to Malaysia to shop.My father talked to some Taiwanese who have been to Malaysia and all of them agreed on Malaysia being a cheap place...in terms of food and clothing.However,if you want to buy original DVDs at a cheap price,Taiwan is the place to go to...and of course,Playstation(1,2,3 and Portable),Playstation games,mp3 players and Taiwan made computer products.I do wonder why piracy is not so rampant in Taiwan even though their movie ticket prices at cinemas are like double ours(some even triple).I only saw one stall selling pirated movies at the night market I went to.So unlike our Pasar Malam and the Petaling Street where they actually sell porn in broad daylight.Haha.Perhaps the Taiwanese have got better methods...I don't know.We definitely didn't get approached at coffeeshops by DVD/VCD sellers in Taiwan.Maybe I was only visiting posh areas...I don't know.Anyway,food is definitely expensive in Taiwan(everything there is double our price).Inflation is high in Taiwan,hence the high cost of living.But the country does have legislation on minimum wages(unlike here where there is none).It seems that the minimum wage in Taiwan for any type of worker is about NTD 15000 a month which converts to about RM 1200.So even if you're only the rubbish collector in Taiwan,you should get at least about RM 1200 a month.And the funny thing about Taiwan is that they actually have this lottery which can be won by keeping your receipts.All shops in Taiwan give out receipts which have a unique number and if your receipt number matches the one that's drawn,then you could win up to NTD 2 million,if I'm not mistaken.So people in Taiwan won't throw away their receipts.If they don't want it,they can throw it into a collection box which will be given to the poor for them to get a chance to win the lottery.I don't know how often the lottery is given away though.Anyway,people in Taiwan are hardly poor.My father was just saying the other day that a logistics manager(a middle manager) at the Carlsberg office in Taipei earns more than him in a month(who's a senior manager in Carlsberg Malaysia).So it's no wonder that shopping malls in Taipei have Gucci,LV,Channel,Coach,Christian Dior and etc. boutiques in them.People who work in senior positions can actually afford them.

The people of Taiwan:expect to see only Chinese people everywhere.Of course,there's the occasional orang putih and Indian people but you'll see Chinese people everywhere.It's definitely not a multi-racial community.Taiwanese are very well-mannered people.Even the children there are very well-mannered and well-behaved.Every shop you enter,you will hear them say Welcome(it's actually said in Mandarin which is Kuang Ling...well,it sounded like that to me) in a friendly tone even though you're just browsing.They'll still smile at you even though you have decided not to buy anything.I'd say the people of Taiwan are very civilized...they are very educated about preserving the environment,hence their rivers are actually blue in colour(not like ours which is brown in colour),their streets are rubbish free and best of all,their toilets are spick and span.Especially in the big shopping malls where even the seat toilets are clean,plenty of tissue paper is provided and all their water taps are automated(beats the crap out of the standards at Suria KLCC,MidValley and 1 Utama).Even toilets in small restaurants are kept clean and plenty of tissue is provided.I've been to toilets in supposedly high-class restaurants in Malaysia and their not even close to the toilet cleanliness standards in the small restaurants of Taiwan.So going to the toilet is actually quite enjoyable in Taiwan.Haha.I would say the level of civilisation that the people of Taiwan have is what I would like Malaysians to achieve as soon as possible.The crime rate in Taiwan is very low.You don't hear people getting raped or robbed in Taiwan.Girls can walk all alone in the streets at night and not have the fear of getting kidnapped and brutally raped and murdered.Motorcyclists are aplenty in Taipei but there are no cases of snatch thefts.Shops actually display valuable goods outside their shops like original DVDs and shoes without anybody looking after them.And nobody would even bother to steal them.It's just really peaceful there.I don't see policemen at every corner in Taiwan and they can still maintain a low crime rate.Malaysia can't do that...so it all boils down to the people's mentality.My trip to Taiwan has opened my eyes to the reality that many Malaysians are still not civilised.

Taiwan has a lot of mountains and some of them are volcanoes too.Earthquakes occur very often in Taiwan so people are really used to it.Buildings in Taipei are built really low.It is very obvious that Taipei 101 is the only building that is that tall.At least in the KL skyline,we can still see a few very tall buildings.If an earthquake does occur,it would be pretty safe to be in the Taipei 101 building because it is built to withstand earthquakes.I had my first experience of an earthquake while I was in Taiwan.It's the earthquake that happened south of Taiwan on Tuesday(which broke some underwater cables and reduced internet connection's speed to a snail's pace),the day before I left Taiwan.We were all having dinner at a restaurant at the 2nd floor when it happened.At first,I didn't even feel anything.Was clearly enjoying my food when suddenly my father's Taiwanese driver shouted "earthquake!".At that time,I thought he had gone mad because I didn't even feel anything and then suddenly,I felt the floor shaking and my chair was shaking and I felt that I was rocking back and forth.It was very subtle at first but then the 2nd tremor was stronger and I actually felt panic.But then when I looked around at the other patrons in the restaurant,they didn't appear to panic at all.Sure,the restaurant went silent when it happened but nobody gasped,screamed or ran for the exit.They were surprisingly calm.It seems that Taiwanese are so used to earthquakes that it's no cause for panic.Anyway,I felt the tremors 3 times and it was quite an eye-opening experience for me.My father was worse...he truly didn't feel anything.Haha...he just knew that there was an earthquake because the lanterns and hanging lamps at the restaurant were swinging.Anyway,the earthquake measured 7.2 on the Richter scale at the epicentre in the ocean south of Taiwan.The southernmost city in Taiwan was affected badly but people in Taipei(which is in the north)only experienced the minor aftershocks.It was measured at 6.7 on the Richter scale on the ground in Taiwan.I would say it is a very strong earthquake.And it is the strongest earthquake to hit Taiwan in a 100 years.Luckily there was no tsunami this time.And ironically,this strong earthquake happened on the 26th of December,which is the same date as the day of that tsunami which killed hundreds of thousands of people in Asia.So it seems that we should watch out for the 26th of December every year,for strong earthquakes seem to like to occur on that date.After the earthquake,the driver brought us to see this building which collapsed in 1999 due to an earthquake,which happened to be right down the street from the restaurant we were dining at.One building collapsed and hit the one next door.The one that got hit has already been rebuilt and the one that collapsed is actually still in the process of being rebuilt.There is also a temple beside the collapsed building and surprisingly,the temple was unscathed.Nothing happened to it.Amazing...divine intervention perhaps?Even in Aceh,the worst-hit area by the tsunami,mosques were mostly undamaged although buildings all around it got swept away by the strong waves.Interesting,isn't it?

Well,overall,I think it's the best vacation I've had outside of Malaysia.Taiwan is a beautiful country,clean as well and the people are friendly.It would be even more enjoyable if I knew how to read Chinese and speak and understand Mandarin.Taxis in Taiwan are great...although expensive but we do get what we paid for.There's always the public transportation which is very efficient but I didn't get to try it because taking the taxi would still be economical because there's 4 of us(me,my mother,my father and my brother).Although shopping is expensive in Taiwan,it shouldn't be the highlight of the trip as the sceneries of Taiwan should take centre stage and the food as well.Of course,it won't be an ideal country for Muslims to travel to as pork is served everywhere.But I definitely would recommend a visit to Taiwan for non-muslim people and if you can't read Chinese,get a friend who does know how to read it and you'll be fine.Or else,you'll end up with pointing at pictures of food a lot,like what I did.Haha.It's also a good country to get an experience of how an earthquake feels like.I am fortunate enough to be in the north of the country when the earthquake was strongest at the south so perhaps you'll get lucky too.

Greetings From Taiwan 4

2006-12-26T10:50:00.000+08:00

I intended to post a few days ago but then I didn't have the time to do so because when I opened up the Blogger website,I found this button which says "Switch Now".It refers to switching to the new version of Blogger.So I clicked on it and was very happy to be able to switch to the new version.But then,when I logged into the new Blogger,everything was displayed in Chinese.I was so shocked!I can't read anything except for my own e-mail address and my blog's name.So then I looked frantically around the page for a link that allows me to switch the interface language to English.Let's just say it took me quite a while to locate the Help link that allows me to change the interface language back to English.It's just so weird that everything got displayed in Chinese...does Blogger assume that anybody who accesses the account using a Taiwan IP address will be a Taiwanese(who can read Chinese)?I guess it's more logical to display in Chinese since the probability of a person who accesses the site with a Taiwan IP address is a Taiwanese.Minorities like me don't count for much,do they?

Anyway,I'll be leaving Taiwan tomorrow.Flight is at 9.40 am.I've definitely had an enjoyable stay here.We didn't visit many places of interest in the past few days as the other places of interest are pretty far away from Taipei.And it's only scenic places...not really that interesting for us.We went to the Shii Lin Night Market a few days ago...a very big night market indeed.It covers a few streets and there were so many people there,even though it's a weekday night.The stuff on sale there is like any other night market;lots of food,clothing and little trinkets."Chow tau foo" or smelly tofu is available at almost every corner of the street in Shii Lin.I tasted that back in Hong Kong and I never want to put that in my mouth again.Eeeww,it's really awful.It didn't smell so bad in Hong Kong though...here in Taiwan,it's really bad.Especially when there are a few stalls selling it and frying them at the same time...let's just say you won't want to be near that street or else you'll have to hold your breath to not smell the awful smell.I have to say it isn't easy to get Taiwan-related souvenirs like key-chains or whatever...so I haven't bought any souvenirs for anybody because there isn't any to buy.A lot of the things here can be found in Malaysia and at a cheaper price too.So my conclusion is the only thing that is truly Taiwan is the food here.There's no way I can bring those kind of food back as souvenirs.Taiwan people really eat a lot as can be seen from the big portions of food served here.There's no small,medium or large size as it is in Malaysia.Everything is large here.It's good that they like their food and I am very surprised that even though they eat so much,I don't seem to see many fat people around.Maybe I haven't been out so much but generally,the people I've seen here are all pretty fit.I see really thin people at restaurants eating food enough for 2 persons.The super sized Zinger burger here is damn big.It's even bigger than Burger King's Whopper,which is the biggest burger I've ever seen before this.

The weather has improved slightly this past few days(just when I'm about to leave).We visited a village in the mountain called Jiu Fen.It's formerly a coal-mining settlement.Of course,there's no more coal there anymore.There's also a gold mine there as well.The village is built into the mountain...it's really nice.Kind of like Gondor in the LOTR trilogy but not as grand.There was this street there which is really like a street in Gondor,in that it is sloping upwards and there are many stone steps...even the street is covered in stone tiles,not the usual boring tar road.There's so much of nice food being sold there.One particular food that I like is the ice-cream popiah.I have no idea what it's called in Chinese,ice-cream popiah is just a name I use.Wrapped inside the popiah skin is 2 scoops of ice-cream(I think it's yam flavour),lots of peanut shavings and a few shreds of coriander leaves(I think it is coriander...if not that,it could be parsley).You may think the mixture of ingredients is really odd...I thought it is odd at first but somehow it really tastes good.I feel like making my own ice-cream popiah when I get home.I just don't know where to get peanut shavings.Maybe I'll just substitute that with peanuts.There's nice sceneries to be seen at Jiu Fen too.The mountain overlooks the sea...so you could see the sea below...there is no beach though...only rocky seasides.

Anyway,I believe the biggest satisfaction I got from this trip to Taiwan is that I have bought a Playstation 3.The most-wanted game console now.People would kill to get their hands on it...as happened in USA.Fights even broke out in stores where people can't wait to get their hands on it.I managed to buy the PS3 at Carrefour(of all places),Sony Style in Taiwan is already sold out.I'm really lucky to be able to find a store that actually still has stock for it...it's sold out in Japan and the USA.It's not launched yet in Malaysia although there are people who hav imported PS3 from Japan and are selling it at really high prices...about RM 3500 at the cheapest to RM 4000.The console is only 17980 NTD...which converts to RM 1990....about there lah.I've bought 3 games and an extra controller with it...so the total in RM is still about 2700 max(depending on which exchange rate is used).It's really worth it.Besides,the PS3 will only be officially launched in Malaysia sometime in Janury or February next year,according to some sources.And I am sure it will be more expensive than what I've bought it for.As evident with the price of the PSP here in Taiwan...the standard version is only about RM 600-700 after conversion.I bought mine for RM 1200.Shit...that's a hell of a big difference.Anyway,I hope I won't be taxed by Customs when I get it into Malaysia.Am attempting to put it into a suticase...since it fits nicely into one.So I will be keeping my fingers crossed when I walk on the Green Lane tomorrow at KLIA.

Greetings From Taiwan 3

2006-12-21T18:01:00.000+08:00

I'm feeling rather lazy to blog now.It's this laptop that I dislike.The keyboard is too small and the keys just don't feel as nice as the normal keyboard.Anyway,the past 2 days has been pretty gloomy,as in the weather.It was raining day and night.So boring.Didn't get to go out except to eat dinner.I've been spending a lot of time at the pool table.Nobody ever uses it in the daytime.And as I've said before,the residents here are mostly senior citizens.I don't think their back can take all the bending required in playing pool.However,there's this old man who's very helpful in helping me improve my pool playing skills.I know I'm pretty awful at aiming my shots.I just can't seem to get my arm movement right.So he has pointed out some things for me and I'm on my way to improvement.If only I can understand fully what he's saying,I would be improving at a faster rate.At least I understood about 70% of what he's saying.Haha.

Time seems to pass by very slowly here.It's still only 6.10 pm now when I expect it to be already 7 pm.I guess it's because I wake up so early here.I need to wake up early to eat breakfast at the cafe because the breakfast has already been paid for.Nothing great about the breakfast anyway.I just eat bread everyday,but I make my own sandwiches with those bread since there is butter,lettuce and eggs,sometimes ham.Now I'm beginning to understand why the food is served in such big portions here.It's because Taiwan people walk around a lot.They basically walk everywhere.Except for those who have cars and scooters,they'd just walk.The transportation system here is alright,I think.Taxis are in abundance and it's quite expensive if only one person is taking it.However,the taxis here take up to 5 persons and the charge is still the same.The taxis here are so much better than the ones at home,which are old and smelly Proton Saga and Iswara.Here in Taiwan,most taxis are Toyota Altis,Toyota Camry and Honda Accord and Civic.Toyotas are everywhere here in Taiwan.One thing I like about the road law here is that motorbikes are not allowed on freeways.They are only allowed in the city roads.That's just so great.Imagine,if such a law was implemented in Malaysia,there won't be motorbikes on the LDP and Federal Highway anymore.Haha...I would love that very much.As usual,motorbikers are a menace here...they crowd in front of the cars at traffic light junctions...though it's not so bad here in Taiwan and they beat the red light all the time.Cars are definitely very cheap here but not many people would want one because petrol is very expensive here and finding a parking space is a problem.This apartment I'm staying at does not have its own parking lot.People park their cars on parking bays on the side of the roads around the apartment.It would be really difficult to find a parking space at certain times of the day.That's all for now.Hopefully I'll be able to visit the Shii Lin Night Market tonight.It seems there's lots of mouth-watering food there.

Greetings From Taiwan 2

2006-12-18T18:52:00.001+08:00

I wish I could have posted earlier because there were so many things on my mind that I want to post about.Now that I'm tired,I just don't feel like working my brain.Well,anyway,yesterday was a very,very cold day,although it didn't rain.It was sunny but still it was awfully cold.The maximum temperature at daytime was only 13 degrees celcius.At night,it dropped to 11 degrees celcius.Guess winter is in full swing at Taiwan.Since the weather was so nice yesterday,my father brought us all mountain hiking...actually,it was more of a hill.Taipei is a very hilly area so there's a few hills in the vicinity.We climbed up the nearest one.I must say that the senior citizens of Taiwan are a bunch of very fit and energetic people.It seems that only mostly senior citizens go hill hiking here.The hills here are very well equipped with proper hiking trails and rest areas in between.So I guess that's why the. senior citizens are attracted to this activity.I must say it's pretty tiring to climb up the hill.There are so many steps.

After climbing the hill,we rested a bit at the apartment and then proceeded to the Taipei 101,which is the tallest building in the world right now.Yes,this is the building that overtook Malaysia's Petronas Twin Towers as the tallest building in the world.So the Petronas Twin Towers is the 2nd tallest in the world,after this Taipei 101.I think it has 101 floors.I am not too sure.Everything here is written in Chinese,I am really blur.I don't even know if the places I've been to are those I want to visit because I can't read Chinese.well,anyway,the Taipei 101 does have English wordings and directories.The first 5 floors of the building is occupied by a shopping mall...it's called the Taipei 101 simply.It's a bit like Suria KLCC at the Petronas Twin Towers.We have to pay an entrance fee of 350 NTD to go up to the 89th floor.That's where we can see the whole of Taipei.The elevator is super fast.It goes up from the 5th floor to the 89th floor in 37 seconds.Compare that to my college's elevator which takes longer than 10 seconds to get from the ground floor to the 5th floor.I'm not sure if I read correctly,it's the fastest elevator in the world,or one of the fastest.I can't remember really.Just wanted to go up.I am ashamed to say that I've never been up the Petronas Twin Towers back home.I've only been to Suria KLCC.Haha.I wonder how much is the entrance fee for the Petronas Twin Towers.I'm not even sure if people are allowed to go up the Twin Towers.I remember once,someone actually climbed up the building with his bare hands...this guy is very famous for stunts like that.I can't remember his name already.So we spent most of our day shopping at the Taipei 101...didn't buy anything.Everything is so expensive here,especially the clothing.And it's all winter clothing here anyway,there isn't anything that I can wear in Malaysia.

Just nearby the Taipei 101,there is this bookstore called Eslite,which is the biggest in the world,I think.I mean,it has to be the biggest because the whole bookstore is 4 stories tall.Actually,the bookstore only has 3 floors,and that's big enough.Each floor is more than half the floor size of MPH at MidValley.Imagine 3 floors of it.There's definitely a lot of Chinese books in there.There is a considerable amount of english books too but they do have more of the older books and books by more famous authors.I'm disappointed that they don't have Agatha Christie books there.Anyway,the price of an english fiction is about the same as in Malaysia,if not more expensive.So I didn't buy anything there.What is cheap here would be the electronics stuff like mp3 players,DVD players,computer equipment and DVDs.Other than these,don't need to bother buying because it'll be cheaper in Malaysia.The food here is very expensive.RM 10 won't be enough to buy a decent meal.However,the portion of food here is really big,so I guess the price is justified.Well,that was my day at the Taipei city centre.My legs felt so tired after walking so much.I definitely had a good night's sleep yesterday because I was so tired.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today was supposed to be a relaxing day because it's a Monday and my father has to go to work,so he can't accompany us.But then,sometime at noon,he got the driver to drive us to visit this temple at the top of a mountain.I have no idea what mountain or temple it is because there were no english words.Well,the temple is very nice.It's a got a hell of a view from the large balcony.I'm not very interested in temples,same goes for my parents so we went on to visit the strawberry farm nearby.There wasn't many strawberries...it seems the ripe ones have all been pluckedAnyway,it's a small farm.There are bigger ones elsewhere.

Then we went to visit the National Palace Museum,which has the world's largest collection of Chinese art.Some things are fascinating and some not so fascinating...but it's worth a visit.But I guess it's more suitable for people who have an interest in stuff like that.I just enjoyed it cause it satisfied my curiosity of what they put in that big building called the National Palace Museum.Then we went to see the so called "changing of the guard" event at the Martyrs' Shrine.It's a shrine to commemorate those who died in the war...I don't know what war.Even Malaysia has a Tugu Negara which commemorates the dead soldiers who fought for Malaysia,though I don't think Malaysia has been involved in any war before.Well,at the shrine,2 guards guard the main entrance and 2 more guard the entrance to the shrine.These guards stand still at their designated places for one whole hour.They don't move,talk or smile.I don't dare to touch the guard...just took pictures only.So then every hour,new guards will take over.That's why it's called the changing of the guard.There's a lot of fanfare about it...with the soldiers marching about and a lot of displays with their guns.It was quite a sight.I've never seen soldiers march before.Everything is so synchronized.

After that,we went back to the city centre to visit some more shopping malls.This is called the Shin Kong Departmental Store.If you thought 1 Utama is huge,wait till you see this.This departmental store consists of 4 buildings,each with a different name,namely A4,A8,A9 and A11.Each building has 6 floors not including the lower ground and lower ground 2.I think each floor is approximately the size of the floors at Jaya Jusco MidValley.Just imagine 8 floors of them in 4 buildings.Each building is approximately the same size.If you think your kaki can patah after walking from the old wing to the new wing of 1 Utama,just try this...4 buildings,linked to each other with bridges.Really,I've never walked so much before.I think I am paralysed from the waist down already.Good thing there wasn't many shops that are affordable enough for me to shop in.Therefore,we didn't spend much time there.As I've said before,clothing here is very expensive...it isn't to the local people because of their high salaries but it is to me.Almost every shopping mall in Taipei has got Gucci,Chanel,Coach,Prada and Miu Miu boutiques.We hardly see boutiques like that in Malaysia,except for Suria KLCC,Starhill and Lot 10 of course.I guess Taiwanese don't really mind about the prices here.I'd rather go back to Malaysia right now to shop as there is a year-end sale going on with prices being slashed up to 50%.There is sale here too but the most discount given is only 30%.So it's been a tiring day too.I'm not going back to that shopping mall again.I don't have any plans for tomorrow night.There's only one more place that I would like to visit,the Shii Lin Night Market.That's all for today.Time to get my rest.

Greetings From Taiwan 1

2006-12-16T10:40:00.000+08:00

Here I am in the capital of Taiwan,Taipei for my vacation.I've been neglecting this blog for a while now.I intended to post right after my exam is finished but somehow forgot to do so.So now I am posting using my father's laptop.This definitely needs some getting used to.The weather here is pretty much similar as it is back home,as in it's raining here everyday.But it's definitely colder here.Very much colder.It's drizzling outside rather than the thunderstorms we get back home.I arrived here yesterday night and didn't get to see many things.Not to mention I was so tired.Didn't sleep on the plane because there was a mahjong game to play on the plane,so I spent most of the time on the airplane playing mahjong.It was really fun.
The apartment I'm staying at is very nice.It's a service apartment and the residents here are mostly senior citizens due to the close proximity of the apartment with the hospital.The best thing I've seen in this apartment is that there's a pool table and it's free.Haha.I don't think I'd get bored here.But I definitely have some problems with the language here.It'd worse than I thought because even the products here don't have English on the packages,except for those imported products.So it's a bit difficult to buy specific products except by looking at the illustrations on the packaging.Haven't got any plans yet today.It's still raining.Not the perfect weather for sightseeing.Hope to be able to see some other places besides the apartment complex soon.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just got back to the apartment from shopping at Miramar Entertainment Centre.I have no idea why it's called an Entertainment Centre since I didn't see many entertaining activities around except for the cinema,the IMAX theatre and the Ferris Wheel right at the top of the building.It's basically a huge shopping centre in my opinion.Huge as in it consists of 2 buildings but each building is pretty small.Kind of like Sunway Pyramid back home.I didn't go on the Ferris Wheel because it's so bloody cold today.It was fine in the morning when I woke up but as the day progressed,it got colder and colder.It's 13 degrees Celcius right now compared to about 17 degrees in the morning.When the wind blows,it's worse.I can feel the cold air stinging my face and the coldness can somehow reach into my clothes as well.Good thing I managed to buy a jacket from the MNG sale on the day before I flew to Taiwan.

I'm just very happy that I finally found The Corrs:Live at Lansdowne Road DVD and it's a bargain too.Only 459 NTD,which converts to RM 51.And I also bought a PSP game,World Cup 2006.I know it's an old game but I've been wanting a football game for a while.Decided against buying FIFA 07 because I already have the game in my PC.And I still think it's crappy compared to Winning Eleven 9,although Liverpool is called Merseyside Reds in that game.Well,I saw the Playstation 3 at Carrefour here,it's only 17980 NTD,which converts to about RM 2000.I would say it's worth it to buy because it's so much more cheaper than what they are selling it at home.Since it's not launched yet in Malaysia,they've probably imported them from Japan.It's about RM 3900 to RM 4000 in Malaysia.I think if I bought it here and add an extra controller and a few games,it'll still be below RM 3000.There was only one more left at the store and I really wanted to buy it.But after a discussion with my elder brother(he wants it to),we decided against it as we don't really have that many PS2 and PS3 original games to play.Haha...so perhaps we'll just wait and see if somebody could come up with a "modified" version so that "ahem" games can be used on it.This is a good argument point although unethical but it will be so expensive in the long run to keep buying original games,like what I'm doing with my PSP.It's a good thing I take so long to finish my games.Until now,the initial 2 games that I had isn't even completed yet.Now I've got 4 games,which means they'll probably last another year.

I haven't taken any pictures of interesting places since it's not possible to take any pictures outdoors.It's drizzling and it's too cold.I must say Taiwanese shopkeepers or rather sales promoters at the stores are very friendly.They smile and greet people nicely all the time.Even though I've asked a lot of questions and end up not buying the product(like that PS3),they still walk away with a smile.This is very different than those salespeople in Malaysia,where very often we are not even greeted with something as simple as a smile,although international brands stores do have salespeople who are courteous.Something nice about Taiwan is that they are serious in preserving their environment.They don't give out plastic bags at stores.When we buy things,they either wrap it up with paper or just hand it out without any wrapping.At Carrefour,we bought so many things and were shocked that they didn't give plastic bags.Each plastic bag requested is given at a charge of 2NTD.Which is about RM 0.20 per plastic bag.I think Malaysia should start doing that.People litter plastic bags everywhere.They don't always reuse.If they start charging money for plastic bags,people will think twice about throwing it away after 1 use.It won't be costly if people know how to reuse.Well,that's all for today.I'm just feeling worried about the rabbits back home.I hope my elder brother and his girlfriend are taking good care of them.I think the rabbits might like the cold weather here more than the hot weather back in Malaysia.Till the next post.

A Disappointment

2006-12-08T23:43:00.000+08:00

For a hard Corr fan like me,I have been a disappointment as I didn't even know that they have released a new album on November 20th...until today.I feel so lousy right now.November 20th is such a long time ago.And it makes things even worse that I still have to study for Paper 2.6 so I can't really go out immediately and check if the record stores carry that new album.I really need to hurry up on my revision of 2.6.Awful audit paper.I'm beginning to regret all those nights I spent on watching old James Bond movies because Star Movies has been showing it every night for the past month.I hope I don't fail because I've been spending more time on watching Jmaes Bond movies than practising for the audit exam.Guess I'll have to make up for lost time now.Practising past year questions only helps in honing my answering technique but the fact remains that questions will not repeat themselves in future exam sittings.What if the question is so different from the ones I've practised that the answering technique becomes totally useless?That is the reason that I dislike practising past year questions.I am one who prefers to fill up myself with all the knowledge and then use them to answer the questions.Even then,the model answers given are not exhaustive.There are still so many possible answers which are correct but not included in the model answers.Perhaps that's the reason why Paper 2.6 is so difficult to pass.It really depends on whether the marker agrees with the answer given by the student.Can I get ready in 3 days?I definitely hope so.At least I am not worried about not being able to apply my knowledge to the question.That has never been a problem for me but I do find myself taking a very long time to think of an answer.I just hope I can finish 5 questions in 3 hours.My chances of passing should be better if I managed to finish all the questions.It's a good thing that I have no worries over my Paper 2.5,which I am confident of obtaining a pass,so I can totally focus on Paper 2.6.The paper wasn't too bad.Maybe a little bit easier than I expected it to be.Especially the question on IFRS 5.They only asked for the definition of an asset held for sale and a discontinued operation.And then there's the second part of the question which requires an extract of an income statement for discontinued and continuing operations.It was so straightforward.I wish audit questions can be so straightforward.Students will have no problems with obtaining a pass then.

Back to The Corrs' new album...it's titled Dreams:The Ultimate Collection.Is this a hint that this could be their last album,since it's "the ultimate collection"?There has been signs that the band is about to stop producing music.This is actually the reason why I'm surprised that they've released a new album because I thought there won't be any new ones anymore and I stopped checking their official website.I just hope that they still have it in them to come up with a new studio album in the near future.Well,the new album has got 20 tracks...which is a lot.More than the previous Best of The Corrs album.It's definitely released to keep the fans happy.But I think a person who is not a fan would enjoy the album too because it does contain the nicest songs from The Corrs.I didn't quite agree with the tracklist of the Best of The Corrs album but I definitely have no complaints over the tracklist of The Ultimate Collection.So I am definitely looking forward to finishing Paper 2.6 with a confident feeling of passing that paper so I can enjoy the new album properly,without any failure worries.Won't that be a great motivation for me to soldier on?Definitely.

An Away Win...At Last!

2006-12-04T23:00:00.000+08:00

Liverpool's first away win of the season is worth a mention here.The team's away form is just horrendous this season.1 draw and 5 losses.Horrible.Was it 6 losses?I can't even remember.But all I know is that the team has not actually been playing very badly in all these away matches.They have dominated some of these away matches but it is the same old problem...Liverpool just can't score any goals in away matches.All those talk by the critics that Rafa Benitez's rotation policy is not working and Steven Gerrard should only play in the middle is all rubbish.These people didn't even look at the statistics.I doubt the people who said these things even watched those matches.I mean,what do they know?They didn't watch all those matches and feel the hurt when Liverpool lost those away matches.In most of these away matches,Liverpool had the most attempts on goal and shots on goal compared to the opposition team.They just couldn't score...that's the problem.They're not taking their chances.Well,I hope the goal-scoring problem has been solved now because Liverpool scored 4 goals (actually 3,1 was an own goal) against Wigan at the JJB Stadium.All in the first half.Now,if Liverpool could score 4 goals in the first half of every one of those away matches they lost,they would be at the top of the table.But that's the past...what's important now is that the team should continue to score goals...lots of it.I hope Rafa Benitez finally got the message through to the players that goals matter the most :We must score goals to win matches.That's the way to go.There's still a long way to go for the season although it is unlikely Liverpool can win the EPL.Maybe the Champions League.The FA Cup too if Liverpool can pummel Arsenal in the 3rd round.

I am feeling very nervous about my ACCA exam.First paper is in 2 days time.I am worrying that my brain won't work well on those days.I know that my brain can sometimes work brilliantly and I can come up with truly brilliant solutions.But on some days,it just won't work reasonably well.I'll just go blank sometimes even though it's a simple question.I don't think I am very forgetful,most of the time,what I've read is stored in my memory but I just can't retrieve it.It's just amazing that when the lecturer prompts students for an answer,the points just come popping out into my brain.If only I know how to prompt myself for answers to questions.I just dread it when I have no idea what the question really is asking for.They are just so ambiguous sometimes.I would expect examiners to set clear and direct questions to obtain good quality answers.It's common sense that if you ask for rubbish,that's what you'll get.So I guess it is time to keep my brain active.Must do more past year questions.

I was watching an episode of Top Gear and it featured the new Mercedes S-Class.So now I have made up my mind that if I ever strike the lottery and win RM 1 million,I'd get the Mercedes S-Class.It's such a beautiful car and the functions within it is just amazing.It's got both substance and form.Forget the BMW 5 Series (until they come up with a new one) and I'd even forgo the Mazda RX-8 for the Mercedes S-Class.What I like most is its cruise control function.What's so special about it?Well,this cruise control does more than just drive the car at a constant speed.This S-Class has a Radar Guided Cruise Control...what it does that it can drive the car at a constant speed and it will slow down the car too cause it is triggered by what the car in front of you is doing...it will just follow the car in front,when it goes faster,the car goes faster and if it slows down,the car will slow down as well.All you have to do is steer it.Your feet can be nowhere near the pedals.It's just amazing!Well,that's how I think it would work.Am not too sure about the technical stuff.In addition,the S-Class is voted the Most Environmental Friendly car or some sort like that in Germany.It's built with some recycled materials and the car can reuse a lot of whatever it produces.Not sure about the details of it.And I learnt something new from the TopGear show.There's this organisation called the Euro NCAP that has been crashing cars to determine how safe they are.The maximum rating a car can get is 5 stars and most luxury cars have a rating of 4 stars and above.However,the difference between one star from the next is pretty big so don't think a 3-star car isn't very far from a 4-star car.To my surprise,my Hyundai Accent,2005 model has a 4-star rating.So I can say I'm pretty safe in the car.For a reasonably priced car to have a 4-star rating is value for money.The scary thing about this ratings is that the same car model but manufactured in different years have such differing ratings.Generally,older models have lower ratings.Some of them even have only 2 stars because it was manufactured in 1999 and the latest model has got 4 stars.Hmm,so there goes...the safer cars are those manufactured later.So perhaps it is time to sell those more than 5-year old cars and buy a newer one,just for better safety.I think it's worth it.You'll never know when an accident can happen.

A Day Without Rain

2006-11-30T23:05:00.000+08:00

It did not rain today,at all.For the past 1 month or so,it has been raining everyday,usually during the late afternoons.But today,amazingly,it did not rain.How nice.It's not that I dislike rain.It's just that I prefer rain to fall sometime at night when not so many people are conducting outdoor activities.Besides,there is no need for it to rain everyday.It does get very depressing when it rains everyday.And I am talking about rain in a tropical country.When it rains,it will pour heavily.With thunder and lightning to follow as well.Not just little showers.My garden has been soaking wet and the grass has grown so long.I finally got the chance to cut the grass today with the lawnmower since the grass is considerably drier than it has ever been throughout the last 1 month or so.I'm sure the rabbits like it better when the grass is dry because then they won't get their furry feet wet.

I witnessed a horrible post-accident scene on the highway on Tuesday.There was a dead body lying by the side of the road.They haven't even got that sent to the hospital yet.The car was a total wreck although I could still recognize it as a Toyota Altis from the design of the lights at the back.The accident caused a massive traffic jam.I must have got stuck there for 30 minutes and my father was wondering why I have not arrived at the airport to pick him up yet.It was a horrible accident.A trailer from the opposite lane went over the road divider and slammed into a coach bus and that bus lost control and hit the car.Surprisingly,only the driver of the car died while the lorry driver,the bus driver and the passengers of the bus were all safe but did suffer injuries.I thought more people would have died from the looks of the damage caused on the vehicles.When I saw that dead body covered by a black plastic sheet and the blood spattered all over the interior of the car that way,I thought that I don't ever want to die in a car accident.It's just so awful.If you don't survive,they just put you by the side of the road covered with a black plastic sheet until an ambulance comes.Your body doesn't even get priority to be sent to the hospital if you die on the spot if there are other people involved in the accident.So I shall increase my awareness while driving but the chances of me driving so fast until the car gets wrecked so badly is pretty slim.It would have to be caused by someone else driving at breackneck speed to kill me in my slow car.Haha.

Just got the confirmation that I will be spending my term holiday in Taiwan.My father's work period there got extended to end of January next month.So it's a good opportunity for the whole family to visit Taiwan.I'm having some mixed feelings about this trip.Sure,I am excited and am looking forward to going to Taiwan but at the same time,I am thinking that Taiwan sounds pretty boring to me.The only interesting place I am totally interested in is the Taipei 101 tower,the tallest building in the world now(it overtook Malaysia's Petronas Twin Towers).The biggest dampener for me will be the language barrier...well,it isn't really a barrier,probably just a semi-transparent screen.They speak Mandarin in Taiwan and it's not normal for people there to converse in English.So I think I might be facing some communication problems there.Not only that,I will have problems with reading too since I can't read chinese characters.Sigh...I feel that this is a big problem.I am Chinese but I can't speak the most widely spoken Chinese dialect and worse,I can't read Chinese too.I really don't feel very Chinese when I realise these inadequacies in me.I really need to learn to read Chinese characters and the Mandarin dialect.I want to learn it but I can't find the time to do so.I really need to enrol for classes after I'm done with ACCA.Perhaps right after I'm done with ACCA.It doesn't harm to start earlier than later.

Exam Jitters

2006-11-27T22:50:00.000+08:00

Even though I've sat for exams so many times in my life,I still get nervous at every major exam I have to sit for.Well,my Paper 2.5 exam is only 9 days away.That's a little bit more than a week.I should be tying up the loose ends for my revision by now but I am a bit slow this time in revising.It's not like I left things for the last minute,it's just that I've been awfully slow in getting the facts into my head.I think I'm in need of a longer holiday.When my brain keeps looking for excuses to not absorb whatever I'm reading,then there must be a valid reason for it.Then there is also the problem of motivation.Sure,the greatest reward would be to pass the exam and advance to the next level but I really don't find that very motivating at this moment.Well,maybe I am just really tired until I can't get my priorities straight.It all could be caused by me not sleeping as early as I should for the past 3 months.Oh well,I am starting to sleep before 12 midnight from now on.I don't know why so many people think I sleep early because I'm a good girl.What does being good have to do with sleeping early?They just don't realise the benefits of sleeping early and waking up early enough the next day.Why suffer until 3 am in the morning,then go to sleep and then wake up at 12 pm the next day?The whole morning is gone that way.There's a reason why humans are not naturally nocturnal beings,though there are many people who are becoming nocturnal through habit.It's just really unhealthy to sleep after midnight.I believe midnight is the threshold.After midnight,the whole biological clock will go haywire.At least,that is what I experience everytime I sleep past midnight.I still feel sleepy the next day when I wake up even though I've slept for 10 hours and my brain just don't feel like it wants to work at all.

It's always nice to meet up with friends from high school once in a while.We get to catch up on each other's lives.So far,most of my schoolmates are still studying but there are a few who have ventured into the working world and some who are about to.I've got a schoolmate who's already working in an accounting firm.Then there's this friend of mine who is now a pilot.He will start working for MAS next month.How nice is that...and the salary he gets as a co-pilot is RM 5000 a month.Now that's a lot for a fresh graduate.I should have become a pilot.Haha.Although I believe people are still not open to the idea of a woman pilot.Women who works on an airplane are more likely to the be the air stewardess than the pilot.Well,my 2.5 lecturer wanted to be a pilot but she didn't have the money to go to flying school then,so she ended up being a lecturer.Well,she's a good lecturer,so I've got no complaints there.Actually,I did have the thought of becoming an air stewardess but then I realised that the minimum height is 160 cm.Well,I think I am 160 cm tall,but I can't be sure.I think my actual height may only be 158 cm.Since I can't even be sure that I can meet the minimum height,I decided that becoming an accountant would be a good choice,which is my 2nd choice after becoming a doctor.Can't be a doctor because my STPM results aren't good enough to do medicine in the local universities and neither do I have the financial backing needed to attend a private medical school.Well,people have to make life-changing decisions every once in a while.Some may turn out good,some not so good but I am sure my decision won't turn out to be a bad one,though I'm still not sure if it will turn out to be good.Probably sometime later in life,I might be able to make a another life-changing decision that will ensure that the rest of my life will turn out good.Well,my friend who is now a pilot also wanted to be a doctor before he decided to become a pilot.So,there...it's not only me who had to change their initial ambitions.

A Paranoid Android?

2006-11-22T23:24:00.000+08:00

I was supposed to go continue studying after dinner last Saturday,when I flicked on to Channel 42,the movie The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was just about to start.So then I ended up watching that movie.Guilty pleasures can be quite enjoyable.But the guilt does make it less enjoyable compared to guilt-free pleasures.Anyway,there's this cute character in the movie called Marvin the Paranoid Android.He's a depressed robot.Haha.He's depressed because he's got the ability to feel like humans and he's also very intelligent but is forced to do simple things like showing guests the way and opening doors for people.So he's depressed because his job is so ill- matched to his capabilities.I like the way the robot looks.LOL...triangles for eyes and he has no mouth.And the head is too big for the body.LOL.I don't know why I find it so cute.I've even downloaded a Marvin wallpaper...so now my desktop has a large image of Marvin on it.Overall,it's a silly movie.I guess only science fiction fans would like a movie like that and understand it.There was this funny part in the movie where this community built the most powerful computer in the universe to answer all questions and they asked the computer what is the meaning of life,universe and everything?And the answer was 42!Haha.How ridiculous is that?Not everything in the movie is ridiculous.There is this gun,called the Point of View gun,which when shot at someone else,that person will start to understand your point of view.Very useful indeed in situations where an argument has no end in sight.Movies like that always make me laugh.It's amazing how the writer of the book on which the movie is based thought up stuff like that.

I am so fed up of International Accounting Standards now.Been reading up on them for the coming exam.Awful...the amount of definitions,recognition criteria and measurement methods to remember.Well,I am studying to be an accountant.No way I can be an accountant without knowing accounting standards.At least they are still easier to remember than the Contracts Act or Companies Act because there are no stupid big numbers attached to the standards.Well,there'll be more standards to learn soon.In addition,there'll be auditing standards to learn as well from next term onwards if I do take up Paper 3.1 Advanced Audit and Assurance Services.I guess exam season is the most miserable period of life for a student.All study but not enough time to play.

Fever

2006-11-15T20:40:00.000+08:00

I woke up with a fever in the morning today.A fever isn't too bad as long as it isn't high fever.But what's so bad about my sickness is that I felt so weak.And then I vomitted last night's dinner.Eewww.What a horrible sightSo then I ate breakfast and took one Panadol tablet.Slept for about an hour and a half and then woke up feeling better.I thought I didn't need to see the doctor after all since I'm feeling better already.But then the dizziness and the weakness started to come back sometime in the evening.Just when I was about to eat my dinner,I vomitted my breakfast.Another horrible sight.This time I just ate a slice of bread and then went to see the doctor.Thank goodness there's nothing horribly wrong with me.Just fever and probably too much gas in my stomach,which caused the vomitting.And then the doctor added that this is exactly how a pregnant woman feels...the build up of gas just above the stomach causes nausea and the vomitting.Haha...all I could say was "Really?" and then I laughed.Obviously I am not pregnant.Goodness.Well,at least I didn't have gastric pain.I got it once and I really don't ever want to feel it again...the pain was just so unbearable.Dizziness is still bearable but I can't study at all.I did manage to study a bit but when the fever got worse,my brain just felt so slow and my eyes just kept wanting to close.I would like to fall asleep now but I just want the dinner I just ate to get more digested before I start to lie down.I don't really want to vomit again.I'm hoping I'll be in the pink of health again tomorrow.There's still so much to read up.Well,at least I'm sick now and that reduces the probability of me getting sick again during the examination in a few weeks' time.

The newspaper has been covering the murder of a Mongolian lady.Her body parts...or more like bones were found in a hill somewhere in Shah Alam.Apparently,somebody blew up her body with C4 explosives.How cruel.A high profile Malaysian is involved in the murder.So far nothing is conclusive.Speaking of C4,it reminds me of a Biology class I had during Form 6.We were learning about plants then and plants can be categorised into C3 and C4 plants according to their respiration habits.Obviously I wasn't paying much attention to what the teacher was talking about in front of the class and neither did I read up on the topic beforehand.So this friend who sat next to me,he likes to tell me ridiculous facts and I am pretty gullible...I would just believe anything that I don't know anything about.So then he was telling me that C4 explosives are made from C4 plants,and I actually believed him.Of course,I found out later that it's totally not true.I definitely know better now.Can't blame me for being so gullible.I've definitely heard of C4 explosives before and it just coincidental that there's a class of plants named C4.Sometimes it's pretty easy to put one and one together but they don't always equal to two.

Politicians in Malaysia never learn from mistakes of others.Previously,there have been many politicians who made sexist remarks and got a lot of stick from it.But somehow,another politician has gone and shot himself in the foot by making a sexist remark.This happened in Penang where there was some kind of government event and reporters were there to cover the event.So then one of the reporters spotted on the monitors in the CCTV room and it was focused on the women reporters' thighs,who were sitting in the front row of the hall.When something like this happens,there will definitely be a huge uproar.But this politician in the Penang municipal actually defended the wrongdoer by saying that it happened because the women reporters were dressed up sexily.What the hell?Instead of blaming it on the perpetrator,he goes and blame it on the victims.How irresponsible is that?It's as if he's giving the message that it's alright to be a voyeur when the women are dressed up sexily.So then one of the women reporter went ahead to sue the government and it turned out that she didn't even dress up sexily.She was just wearing a short sleeve blouse and a knee-length skirt.That has to be the most decent attire for a woman.Are they expecting all women to wear the Burqa?Ridiculous lah.Even women who wear the Burqa gets raped.It's really baseless to blame it on the victim's attire.This kind of reminds me of a letter someone wrote to the newspaper saying there should be a study done to find out if the increase in automobile accidents in the country is linked to the introduction of F1 racing in the country.It's just so ridiculous to suggest that increasing accident rates are caused by F1.The writer of the letter must be experiencing one of his/her stupidity moments.It's so ridiculous that nobody can take it seriously.I laughed and scoffed at the letter when I read it.Accidents are not necessarily caused by speed.Even accidents can occur on roads which are congested with vehicles.The writer probably wrote the letter out of prejudice towards F1.

I support a truly lousy football team.Liverpool just can't win away matches.It's pathetic.They've lost 5 away matches in a row.So I think I should just write them off and then maybe the team will prove everyone wrong again at the end of the season.This feels exactly like that season when Liverpool won the Champions League.Nobody thought they were good enough to win it.But they managed to go into the Final and conceded 3 goals at half-time.But somehow,the team managed to turn the tables on AC Milan and came out victorious.How I wish the team can display comebacks like that more often.They have not done so since the current season started.Liverpool must win the EPL title...it's been 17 years since Liverpool last won it.It's too long.The time to win it again must come soon.But looking at the way the team defends,it's actually a remote possibility that they can win it this season.

Missing the Rabbits

2006-11-08T22:29:00.001+08:00

My brother has moved the rabbits to his girlfriend's house temporarily.Or at least I hope it is temporary.It's been 2 days I have not seen the rabbits.I wonder what's happened to them.Hope they are still alright.Although I am only the unofficial caretake of the rabbits,I have grown attached to them.Who could resist 2 very cute rabbits?Even if I don't want to care about them,it can't be done because when I see them looking so cute and helpless,I just can't leave them unattended.But sometimes they can be very annoying because they like to leave faeces and urine in their food bowl.If there's no more food left in there,it's not so bad.But they do it when there's still food in there,making the food go to waste.I must be crazy to expect rabbits to know what hygiene means I do sometimes wish that they can be a little bit more hygienic.

For the past 5 months,I've been having miserable weekends due to the Sunday classes.Sure,I have very free weekdays but they just don't feel the same as weekends.I mean,more people are around to go out with during the weekends.Nobody is ever free during the weekdays.I thought the Sunday classes will only last for about 3 months but it has continued until now.Over the past 5 months,there were only about a handful of Sundays where I didn't have classes.How sad.I don't know how some other people can enjoy these weekend classes until they enrolled for the part-time classes in the weekend instead of joining the full-time classes.People say it's all about changing the mindset for these weekend classes but how can I enjoy them when I've already made up my mind that I'm a full-time student and I expect classes to be held in the weekdays only and not during the weekend.Sadly,I don't think many people would think like me because not many people are complaining about the weekend class.That is why I think it is futile to bring up this matter with the administration.Always the majority opinion matters.Anyway,I do feel happy that this Sunday's class will the last one.Thank goodness!I wonder how it will be next term.It seems that Paper 3.1 classes are held in the weekend for both full-time and part-time currently.Hopefully,that will change next term since Mr.Goh might be dropping 2.6 and will only be lecturing 3.1.Anyway,this weekend classes are not something I should be fretting over about.My exam is so close now.Only about 20 days left for me to study.Ahhh!I know I can pass Paper 2.5 but still,I can't remember as many facts as I would like to.Studying just to pass isn't really enough.My major worry is for Paper 2.6,which has a very low passing rate.I still need time to read up more to understand more in order to gain some confidence that I can get a pass for the paper.I have to keep on going.Giving up right now would be so wasteful.

I watched the Chinese movie The Banquet yesterday and I have to say it's a waste of time watching that movie.Should have just stopped watching it halfway and gone to sleep instead.But since I was so curious about how the movie ends,I continued watching and end up being disappointed because the ending wasn't really that good.Am I to think that the Empress got killed by the ghost of her late husband?Who on earth would succeed the throne after she dies?The prince is dead,there's no more husband.Ridiculous.It's probably the end of the dynasty.Overall,the storytelling of the movie is done in such a boring way.The story moves so slow too.Maybe fans of Zhang ZiYi would have enjoyed it but she doesn't really get to show all her acting skills in this movie.And I don't think she fits the role of the Empress...she just looks too young and innocent.The only thing I like about this movie is the costumes and I like to see the grand life lead by the Chinese Emperors a long time ago.I often wonder how life would be for me if I were transported back in time to that era of Chinese dynasties when I watch Chinese shows like that.Would a peasant's life be as difficult as depicted in the movies?Or would the life of an Emperor's concubine be as prestigious as it is made out to be?I think I might be spending a good deal of time this coming term break to learn more about ancient China's history.It's a pity that I can't read Chinese characters.Sometimes the translations can't completely capture the true meaning behind the words.Like the movie Crouching Tiger,Hidden Dragon.Sure,this is the direct translation of the Chinese words but it just can't capture the true meaning of the Chinese phrase.I've asked some friends to tell me what is its meaning in Chinese but they can't really explain it to me in English.What I'm really amazed with is the architecture of the buildings during the ancient Chinese times.The Great Wall is truly amazing.How on earth did they manage to build such a thing hundreds of years ago when there wasn't even airplanes and tractors or machines of that sort.The wall looks small in pictures but in reality,they are really huge.I've thought that they are actually small walls but when I got the chance to visit it,I am so surprised at how tall and big the walls and steps are.It's definitely tiring to climb it since many of the steps are more than 40 cm high.I remember the tour guide saying it took a 100 years to complete the Great Wall of China.Now that's a very long time.But I think the Forbidden City is even more amazing because of the architecture details and the space it occupies.It must take a lot of manpower to build the Forbidden City.And those carvings on the walls and the paintings and designs are so amazing.What's even more amazing is the Emperor's Throne Room.The tour guide explained that the numerous pillars in the throne room is placed in such a way that can prevent a potential assassin from getting a clear view of the Emperor when he's sitting on the throne.So the assassin will not be able to kill the emperor from long-range.And the chances of the emperor being killed at short-range is very small since the Imperial Guards are always around to protect the Emperor.Even the tiles in the Forbidden City is paved in such a way that nobody can dig into the Forbidden City.The brick tiles are rectangular in shape and normally,we would pave brick tiles with the top side surface facing up.But in the Forbidden City,the tiles are paved with the corner side surface facing up.This would add to the thickness of the ground.How clever is that?I would go visit China again if I have the opportunity.There's just so many things to see.There isn't many grand architectures to see locally.Well,the Agong's palace is grand but people aren't allowed inside.Visitors can only gawk at it at the front gate.Haha.The only nice buildings to see are located in Putrajaya.But those are modern work.I want to see more traditional buildings.There's the Minangkabau houses but it's only the design of the roof that's fascinating.There was this palace somewhere in Negri Sembilan that's built without nails...I would like to see that but I've forgotten the name of the palace.Anyway,local palaces look so small when compared to the palaces in China.I guess it's because the local ancient civilisation was a very young one,so it's not very developed.Definitely not fair to compare the local Malay ancient civilisation to the Chinese ancient civilisation.Perhaps the Chinese and Japanese ancient civilizations would be a fair comparison.I see so many similarities between them.I believe the Japanese people actually did originate from mainland China,they just moved to the islands and started a new civilization.I mean,the Chinese,Japanese and even Koreans look similar.It's probably the way that the people were stranded in terms of geographical locations which brought about the separate civilizations.This is really similar to what I learnt in Biology some time ago about how new species of animals formed...they come from one place but some of those members got stranded on a separate geographical location which is not very similar in terms of the environment from the place of origin.So then they learnt to adapt to their environment and later on through the generations,a new species is born.But of course,in the case of humans,there wasn't any new species born,just different type of people are born.

Theory Rebutted

2006-11-01T22:29:00.000+08:00

I remember that not too long ago,I posted here that I have this theory about the singer Enya being an elf and that she has pointy ears.It came about because I noticed that in all the pictures of her I've ever seen,the top of her ears are never exposed.They are always covered by her hair.Back then,there wasn't any proof to prove that she isn't an elf.But today,I've just found this one picture that will prove once and for all that Enya is not an elf with pointy ears.She has normal ears like all human beings.How disappointed I was to find this picture.She does really act,talk and look like those elves in The Lord of the Rings.

I've been feeling lazy about blogging.Definitely not at the top of my priority list.Besides,I haven't been able to find time to blog so often since I've rekindled my love for television shows.Bit Torrent is really a saviour for people who can't catch every episode of their favourite shows when it is being aired on TV.I've been downloading so many TV shows...I've been watching CSI:NY season 2 on the PC,and now I am watching Star Trek :The Next Generation Season 1 as well.Just completed the download for Top Gear,this British automobile talk show.It's bloody funny.Haha.I am so surprised that the show hasn't gained more recognition here in Malaysia.I only got to know about it when a friend sent me a video clip of that show.I don't even know if the show is aired in Malaysia.Well,there's plenty of animes to download as well.And chinese serial dramas.If I didn't care about my future,I would just sit in front of the TV all day long.

There's been so much of hooha going on with this Klang municipal councillor who built a mansion without having the building plan approved first.According to the law,the mansion should be demolished straight away because it has not been approved.But then,the councillor was only fined RM 25000 and the mansion is still standing.Later,2 more big wigs in the Klang's local government has also done the same thing,building their own big houses without their plans being approved beforehand.This is definitely a clear case of power abuse.Even the Sultan of Selangor has had a word with the first councillor who was fined because he also set up a satay restaurant on government land without obtaining a permit first.Such shameful acts for a councillor.I say they should be punished according to the law.There shouldn't be double standards just because they are municipal councillors with power.If they have any integrity at all,they should all just resign.It's probably the best thing to do.Such people are not fit to be councillors.Really,I think these are such ridiculous acts.It's no wonder that Malaysia is not a developed country yet because there are people with such a backward mindset sitting in the local municipal's board.I don't think they are only in local municipals,I believe even in the Parliament there are people who are still so narrow-minded that they cannot think beyond their own noses.

Rainy Days

2006-10-26T23:11:00.000+08:00

It's been a rainy Hari Raya.And it's just annoying that it has to rain a few times in a day.Can't the clouds just get over with it at once instead of raining so many times?And the rain actually has a timer set because it just always starts to rain at almost the same time everyday.And the rain aren't just small showers.It's more like raining cats and dogs everytime the skies start to pour.And just 2 days ago,my brother's car was brought to a standstill when he tried to drive through a flooded road.LOL.It's a good thing that my father is still around at home when that happened.Since the engine couldn't start up anymore,my father drove me and my younger brother to that road which is actually near our house to push the car out of the main road and into the housing area.So then all 3 guys were pushing the car and I get to sit inside the car to steer it.Haha.It's a good thing there's a car workshop nearby our house so we just left the car there in the workshop's compound.It wasn't open because it was Hari Raya.The car finally got fixed today so I can have my own car back.

Just had my first Mock Exam paper today.It was audit.So difficult.At least this time I managed to answer more questions compared to the previous test.But somehow,I feel I might do worse than the previous test.Well,I don't care really.I know I still have a lot to do before the time comes for me to attempt the real exam.I think I've finally got the motivation to study properly after looking at the past year papers.I have to say they aren't as easy as I expect it to be.And I definitely can't afford to fail this audit paper.I need to be on schedule to do my OBU next term,or else I can only do it after I've finished my ACCA exam.Well,I just read something interesting pertaining to my horoscope...it was something about how I may feel like I'm working too hard but if I just think of the wonderful reward after all the hardwork,the struggle is worth it.Well,this is definitely cheering me up a bit.

Extreme Grudge

2006-10-23T22:33:00.000+08:00

My brother treated me to a movie last Saturday.So I went along with him and his girlfriend to watch The Grudge 2...the English version.Well,I was a moving "lamp post" for the outing but I really wanted to watch the movie.I thought the English version won't be as scary as the Japanese version,but how wrong I was.Haha.Of course,not all the scenes were scary.Some were extremely scary.I mean,the purpose of watching a horror movie is to get frightened so it would be a waste of time if the movie wasn't frightening at all.Actually,I didn't watch the Japanese version of The Grudge 2 anyway.I only watched the prequel of Ju-On.That is definitely scary.Well,in this instalment of The Grudge,the ghost is more angry and is moving out of the house to kill people because that girl tried to burn down the house.Well,anyway,I don't feel like re-telling the story.Thinking of the story is giving me the creeps now.However,something really coincidental happened after the movie.We went to eat sushi and this sushi place had those seats where people sit back to back.So while we were eating,this little boy who was sitting behind my brother suddenly turned around and appeared over my brother's shoulder.And I was sitting right opposite my brother and it really reminded of the little boy ghost in The Grudge movies.The weird thing was...the boy had the same face features as that ghost in the movies.The only thing lacking is the pale complexion and the black eye-liner.I couldn't help but laugh.The boy must have thought I was playing with him because he did it again a few times.Later,he crawled under the seat and appeared under my brother's seat.LOL.We just started laughing then at how alike the boy is to the ghost.LOL.So then the girlfriend commented that if the boy had grabbed her legs like the ghost in the movie,she would have screamed.Haha.

Deepavali has come and gone...tomorrow will Hari Raya Aidilfitri.The Muslims must be so glad of it because they can start eating and drinking anytime they want from tomorrow onwards.Well,I didn't get a chance to taste the tasty food of the Ramadhan month.I think I might as well learn how to cook beef rendang myself.Because it is difficult to find good beef rendang.The one I was eat is that stall in the college's cafeteria that sells nasi lemak.I only eat the nasi lemak there if there is beef rendang.Nasi Lemak with beef rendang is definitely my favourite Malaysian dish.Talking about beef,the instant noodle with beef flavouring from Taiwan is so much more nicer than the ones available here in Malaysia.There's even dried beef meat in the flavouring package.The brand that I always buy,Nissin, only has the flavouring powder.I gotta get my father to buy more of those instant noodles from Taiwan.They taste so good.He's only back here for one week...if his laptop hadn't spoiled,he wouldn't even be back now.Well,was thinking of asking my father to buy some computer parts like a new graphics card in Taiwan,since Asus is a Taiwan company and it's definitely cheaper there than here but I think it wouldn't be a good idea because my father really can't tell the difference between a motherboard and a graphics card.My computer is definitely becoming obsolete in a year or two.I mean,even the graphics card is considered obsolete now.They don't even make graphics card of the AGP type anymore.Nowadays, it's all PCI Express cards.So if I want to change the graphics card,I'll have to change the motherboard as well.And changing the motherboard means changing the processor as well.Goodness...so many things to upgrade.But I think I don't need the upgradings for now.Am still getting a lot out of my current computer set up.To be honest,I'm happy with it as long as it doesn't lag in all the tasks that I require it to do.

Greetings From My PSP 2

2006-10-19T17:26:00.000+08:00

Since I've got some time to kill,I've decided to post from my PSP.Sure,it takes double the time to type out each word,but I'm sure I'll be better at it with more practice.Hari Raya is next week.There'll definitely be massive traffic jams on all major highways.I'm just hoping the death toll for Ops Sikap does not increase.In addition,Deepavali is on this Saturday,so massive traffic jam could be an understatement.People should realize by now that it isn't a good time to be involved in an unfortunate incident

Well,I've reached the text entry limit that is given for every text entry form using the PSP.Too bad...that train of thought has already left and I've switched back to blogging using my PC.Haha.Before I forget,I would like to wish everyone Happy Deepavali and Selamat Hari Raya.I would be celebrating these 2 festivals if I had the time.I shall try to do that one day...in fact,I shall celebrate all 4 major festivals of the year just for fun.

The strangest thing happened to my Hotmail account yesterday.I couldn't log into my account using the password that I've set.Even my MSN Messenger won't work with that password.I wonder how my password got reseted.I am very sure I did no such thing and I'm very sure I don't sleepwalk.So then I reset my password and I'm actually using the same password again.I wonder if it's wise to do so.I shall change it later.I'm just afraid that I might forget my password.I mean,I use the same password for so many messageboard accounts.LOL.Don't want to remember so many passwords.And the purpose of a password is to keep the account safe so it's no use telling the computer to remember the password.Writing it down somewhere is also a bad thing to do.So to remember it in my head is the best thing to do.

The haze has not abated.It's really bad.Was planning to play tennis today but the haze is so bad.The smell of burning is so strong.What on earth are the Indonesians thinking?They cause this haze problem consistently every year.The worse thing is that it's been going on for so many years.Any responsible person would have got a solution to the problem after 5 years.But no...I believe this haze will be quite permanent for another 5 years or so.Every year,Malaysia and Singapore will complain about this problem to Indonesia and urge them to find a solution to their land-clearing burnings.This is probably the one thing that Malaysia and Singapore could agree upon.Haha.

I've finally got something nice to say about Liverpool.They are top of their Group C in the Champions League after beating Bordeaux.It's the team's first away win of the season.I hope this is the turning point that they have been looking for because this Sunday,there will be a huge away match waiting for them.It's at Old Trafford and I have to admit Man. United looks like the better team at the moment.But I am sure Liverpool can beat them if only they can convert all their chances to goals.Many pundits are saying the manager is causing havoc using the rotational system but I don't agree with them because the team is actually not playing badly.They can actually create chances but they make too many defensive mistakes and they can't score goals.That is the problem.The players are to blame.The goalkeeper is awful.I don't know why Benitez favours Reina so much.He's not that good really.In my opinion,Liverpool needs to get a new goalkeeper and get rid of both Dudek and Reina.They are simply not good enough.Who to get?Gianlugi Buffon would be an obvious choice.But it's better to get someone who is younger.There aren't many prolific goalkeepers coming up anyway.A good goalkeeper is always difficult to find.This is a job for the club's scouts,not my problem to worry about definitely.But a goalkeeper's job isn't getting easier nowadays due to new technology used to make the football that favours the striker.People do like to see goals more than saves.Honestly,it's easier to know if a goal is good rather than if a save is good.In addition,the goalkeepers are always under-appreciated.Poor them,they can be really famous for making many saves in a game but they can be even more famous if they make a blunder.So that's why not many people like to be goalkeepers...always the negative things that they do will be remembered more than the good things that they do.

In Need of Motivation

2006-10-16T22:39:00.000+08:00

I'm finding it difficult to find the motivation to study.Everytime I open my textbook to study,I will start thinking about other things that I can do other than concentrating on what I'm reading.I think I shouldn't read so much anymore.I shall start practising the past year questions now.And then I'll study whatever theory I need to know from the questions.Maybe I won't feel so bored then.There's also the fact that I get distracted so easily.Sigh...the motivation for me to do well in the first term was that accounting is such a new subject to me...I just want to prove to myself and everyone that I can do it.Then for last term,my motivation to study was that I want to maintain an average score of 67 and above so I can qualify for a First Class Degree when I've done my OBU.But now...my average is very much higher than 67 and as long as I pass the 2 papers I'm sitting for this term,I will still qualify for the First Class Degree.So I really have nothing to work hard for.Of course,I can go aim for the Malaysian Prize and the World Prize but I don't think it's within my reach.I may have the potential to achieve it but I don't think I can realise that potential.And I am afraid of feeling disappointed.Everytime I aim high,I can't get there.But aiming for a pass only is just too unambitious.Maybe I should try to aim for the Malaysian Prize...and then it will be fun to spoil the party for somebody else who's already expecting to get the prize.There is definitely a person in my class who everybody is thinking of to win the Malaysian Prize,if not the World Prize.Haha,if only I can realise my potential.So I'll just stop dreaming now and just aim for a score of 70.

I'm afraid to go visit The Corrs Club website now because everytime I visit it,I will end up downloading something.And it isn't only one download,there's always more than 1 video to download and I will spend a lot of time waiting for it to download.I am just the kind of person who just can't leave the download alone.I will keep checking the progress every minute or so.And that is really bad for me as it eats into my studying time.After the download is finish,I will test the video for its quality.What is intended as a test becomes a full viewing of the video.So that has cost me more time.So to prevent me from wasting more time,I have decided to stop it at the source,that is to stop visiting The Corrs related websites.How sad.Sometimes I feel that my life is so miserable because I have to spend so much of time doing things that I don't like instead of things that I like.I was so determined to rejuvenate my violin playing skills in late July but that only lasted for a month.I have not touched my violin for more than 2 months now.What a sad life I lead.I only hope that all this so-called misery will be worth it once I've graduated.All this deferment of enjoyment to the future is really beginning to bug me now.If only I can foresee what's in my future,then I will feel so much certain about what I have to do.I only hope that I don't die before I get to enjoy the benefits of my sacrifices now.But even that seems difficult to assure myself of because I see more people driving dangerously.If one day I happen to not notice something,that just could be the end of me.And I'll die as a sad and miserable person.Not to mention not being able to die the way I want to.If I ever were to die in a car accident,I would prefer to die while driving one of my dream cars.Right now,I am definitely not driving one of my dream cars.

Spontaneous Act

2006-10-13T23:28:00.000+08:00

I acted spontaneously today,for the first time in a very long time.And I am still wondering why I did it.Normally,I won't act spontaneously.I will always take such a long time to consider something before acting on it.But today,it's just so weird.My collegemates and I were just on our way to eat lunch at a nearby restaurant,and then one of my mates pointed out that the bus that goes to Sunway Pyramid has stopped nearby and she suggested that maybe we could go to Pyramid to have our lunch since we weren't very eager to eat at that nearby restaurant.So then all of us just said yes on the spot and we all went up the bus.LOL.I haven't used public transportation since mid-2005.And I have to say I haven't sat on a non-air conditioned bus since my Form 5 days which is 4 years ago.So I am still feeling surprised at my spontaneity at taking the bus to Sunway Pyramid when I could easily drive there.Well,it's a good experience.To be honest,the only public transportation I ever used was the LRT since I don't consider taxis and school buses as public transport.So,I can actually say this is the first time I ever been on a public bus for a very,very long time.I know I've been on a public bus when I was a small child.So,I guess this is the 2nd time I've been on a public bus.Haha.That just shows how sheltered my life is all this time.And then we took the bus back to college after we had our lunch.Bus fares are cheap but they are pretty bumpy.I don't think I'll be riding in a public bus again if I can help it.

After lunch today,I know I shall never drink cold milk again.Or any cold beverage that contains milk.I got a very bad bout of stomach discomfort after I drank cold tea with milk.This is definitely not the first time.I know it happened before when I drank cold teh tarik and milk shakes.I thought maybe I won't get the stomach discomfort again this time.But how wrong I am.Am still feeling the effects of it.I shall remember this for the rest of my life for I don't want to experience this stomach discomfort again.It makes me feel like there's a lot of wind in my stomach with a stomach ache at the same time.It's really difficult to describe.I feel the same way after eating ice-cream too but ice-cream the effects of it isn't so great as cold milk.I wonder why...ice-cream does contain milk anyway.It is made of milk,actually.Probably has something to do with that substance added to ice-cream that prevents ice-cream from freezing completely that makes the difference.How can I forget the name of that substance?Sigh...my 1 and a half year of learning Physical Chemistry and Organic Chemistry in form 6 gone down the drain.Well,I'm going to find out the name of that substance before I fall asleep tonight for I will not feel satisfied until I do.And I want to feel that sense of accomplishment that comes with remembering something that I once knew.

Pure Nerd

2006-10-11T22:29:00.000+08:00

I came across this quiz to determine how much of nerdiness,geekiness and dorkiness I have in myself.Well,the results came out as 56% Nerd,26% Geek,17% Dork.Haha.So they classified me as Pure Nerd since my score is above the category of Nerd.Here's the definitions given of nerd,geek and dork:
Nerd is someone who is passionate about learning/being smart/academia.
A Geek is someone who is passionate about some particular area or subject,
often an obscure or difficult one.
A Dork is someone who has difficulty with common social expectations/interactions.

The quiz's result is consistent with my expected result.I know I'm a nerdy person.How do I change that?Well,maybe once I'm done with tertiary education and start working I might not be such a nerd anymore.It's not like I enjoy studying.Many people seem to think so of me.Even my aunt...she once asked me why do I study?I said that it's my responsibility to study as a student.And then I added that I don't like to study...it's just that if I don't study,I know I won't have such a bright future.She looked quite surprised when I said that I don't like to study.She actually thought that I study so much because I like it.If it's a subject that I like,obviously I would like to study it.But then,I can't say that I like all the subjects that I've studied and studying for, so I'm not exactly happy about it.

I never thought that I'd like a Mercedes Benz because I've always favoured BMWs.I mean,I just don't like the design of Mercedes cars.They just look so "traditional" in my opinion.However,I came across this new Mercedes S-Class and I just fell in love with it.It's just so nice.The curves and the lines...it just gives the car such a confident and powerful look.Usually,I don't even know the difference between an E-Class and a C-Class,but this S-Class is definitely outstanding.Heck,I don't even know how the old S-Class looks like.LOL...maybe I've seen it but I just don't know which is which.So I'll be adding this Mercedes Benz S-Class to my Car Wish List.The only version of S-Class available here in Malaysia is the 3.5 litre one.But then in the USA,they have the 5.5 litre one.That's what I call a petrol guzzler.I mean,a 3.5 litre car is already considered a high fuel consumption car.No idea what is the price of the car here...it has to be somewhere in the region of between RM 300k - RM 500k.And I haven't seen this car on the road,so far.Perhaps more people will buy it soon...just like what happened with the BMW 5 series.In the beginning,there wasn't many on the road.I only see it in KL.But now,it's everywhere.In Subang Jaya,in KL,in my neighbour's house.Goodness,it seems like everybody is rich enough to own one.By the way,the BMW 5-series is also on my Car Wish List.LOL...it has always been since the car first came out.Only 2 new cars are on my Wish List...that is the Volvo C-70(cool convertible) and of course,the Mercedes S-Class.Here's some pictures of it.Lovely car...I wouldn't imagine anyone who would dislike it.

I read in the newspaper today that a policeman,while driving a patrol car,ran over an elderly man who was crossing the road.First time I read of something so ridiculous.The excuse the policeman gave was even more ridiculous...he said it was dark so he didn't see the man cross the road.Doesn't a police patrol car have headlamps?I mean,the worse thing is,the old man actually died.It happened at 6 am in the morning...he was crossing the road on the way back home after buying dim sum for his breakfast.This is what I call an unfortunate event.I think the policeman is sure to get the sack.Policemen nowadays aren't exactly obeying the traffic rules anyway.I've seen police patrol cars ignoring the red light twice already.And they weren't even chasing anybody.And people still wonder why people don't obey traffic rules.It's because the police themselves are setting a bad example for everybody.

Anyway,lately I haven't been commenting much about my favourite football team,Liverpool.That's because I have no more positive things to say already.No matter what Rafa Benitez says,I still think Liverpool definitely is out of the EPL title chase already.Only a miracle can bring them back into the title chase.My favourite F1 team isn't doing so well either...I thought Michael Schumacher is going to win the World Championship title for sure but then he does a Raikonen...of all times to blow up,the engine had to blow up at Suzuka last weekend.I mean,he was winning the race already.It was in his grasp.All he had to do was to reach out for it.There was no way Alonso could catch up.But too bad,the Ferrari engine blew up...and everything went up in smoke.Actually,I've never seen a Ferrari engine blow up before.It's always Kimi Raikonen's McLaren that's always blowing up.Haha.I hope it won't be a common sight for a Ferrari car next season because Kimi will be driving a Ferrari.I guess he's a fitting replacement for Schumacher.I'm going to miss him,definitely.To think of F1 without Michael Schumacher....hmm,that will take some time to get used to.

Extended LOTR

2006-10-09T22:40:00.000+08:00

I finally got the opportunity to watch the extended versions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.If you thought the original versions were long,the extended ones are so much longer.They're all about 4 hours long.Though I think The Two Towers was actually longer than 4 hours...at least it felt longer than 4 hours.There weren't many scenes that were cut off in The Fellowship of the Ring compared to the extended version.However,for The Two Towers,there was definitely a lot of extra scenes that were not included in the original version.And I do wonder why they cut those off...sure the movie is so much more longer but it's so much more nicer with those extra scenes.Especially that scene when Eowyn asked Aragorn his age and she was so shocked to learn that he's actually 87 years old.LOL...that scene was funny.For The Return of the King,I am not sure what are the extra scenes really.Though I really like that part where Eowyn slain the Nazgul and then went on to kill the Witch King of Angmar.The best thing about that scene is when she declared that "I am no man!" and I thought I could see some shock in the face of the Ringwraith although he doesn't have a face.Well,overall,I think the LOTR trilogy is very good.Peter Jackson definitely did a very fine job translating the book into the silver screen version.The improvisations that he made to shorten the story are actually very good...except for that scene in Fellowship of the Ring where Arwen saved Frodo from the Ringwraiths.I felt that it was so "out" from the story.That was definitely not in the book but I don't remember now how Frodo was brought to Rivlendell.But Arwen definitely wasn't the one who brought him to Rivendell.Anyway,LOTR is definitely better than those Harry Potter movies.Maybe it's the people acting in those movies that made the difference.The Da Vinci Code movie was certainly not outstanding.I don't know whether the story is really that silly or the way they acted it out made it look silly since I haven't read that book.I have to read it one day.Speaking of Da Vinci Code,I got a very funny comic from a friend through e-mail.I love the way they played around with the words to make it look funny.Here's the comic.
I'm not sure who those people are in the Dah Benci Kot poster,but I'm guessing it's Abdullah Badawi and Mahatir Mohamad.It's probably making fun of their spat with each other.

The behaviour of my rabbits can be so puzzling sometimes.I give them lots of hay and pellets to eat but they insist on eating the newspaper I use to line their "pee and shit bedding" tray.And I realised the brown-coloured rabbit...I shall refer to her as Miss Brown, is a very smart rabbit...although very naughty at times.She likes to mess up the bedding tray by pulling up the newspaper that lines the tray,causing the wood shavings to fall outside the tray.And she likes to wander outside the house when I let it out to run about.She goes out the gate through a gap by the side.And she knows how to come back inside through the same gap whenever a car passes by on the road.She's afraid of sounds like that...and once,I saw her cower in fear when a particularly loud airplane passed by.The other rabbit,Mr.White isn't so active as Miss Brown but he's still rather small.He hasn't grown much because he just recovered from a terrible mite infection,causing lots of pus on his feet.For 3 weeks,I had to feed it antibiotics orally using a syringe.It was quite tricky at first but soon I got used to it.But the rabbit got smart later and started to cover his mouth with his front paws whenever I attempted to feed him the medicine.He just look so cute doing that.Haha.Glad that the infection has been cured.But now Mr.White has got a bout of running nose.I wonder if it's bad for a rabbit to get running nose but he appears fine to me.Eating a lot and definitely getting fatter.But I'm still worried that he hasn't grown bigger.Miss Brown is twice the size of Mr.White and apparently they're only supposed to be about 1 month apart in terms of their age.I'm hoping he will start to grow soon.It will be a pity if he turns out to be a growth-retarded rabbit.

Insufficiency

2006-10-07T23:17:00.000+08:00

I'm definitely suffering from sleep insufficiency.It all started last Sunday.I don't know why I felt so tired after class that day.I slept a lot and still it's not enough.I'm still seeing black patches on the skin below my eyes.I wonder why my energy level suddenly dropped so much for the past week.So I'm very grateful that I haven't got a class tomorrow.I'm also suffering from exercise insufficiency.With the haze getting worse,it's not easy to go out to get some exercise.It just feels like I'm smoking when the smell of the haze is very strong.It's awful.At least I got to see sunny skies today.I guess the haze cleared up after the rain during the night.Well,I'm hoping to get myself more feeling more healthy.I can't concentrate properly when I'm studying.And the real exam is about 2 months away.The syllabus isn't even completed yet.I'm foreseeing more extra classes...even the Revision classes are doubled this term.It's so ridiculous.Why can't they just give us more time to study by ourselves?3 days of revision classes are sufficient.Now they want to have 6 days.If by attending these classes,it can guarantee me to win a World Prize,then I don't mind.But sometimes I do really feel the more revision classes there is,the worse it is for me.I am the kind of person who forgets 50% of what is being taught and said in class.I prefer to read up the textbook and study at my own pace.Sometimes in class,the lecturer may be too slow and I get bored and start to drift off.Sometimes,the lecturer is too fast that I hardly get what is being said.That's why I prefer to study on my own.I don't think there is a lecturer who can actually teach at a pace that is suitable to all students.Therefore,I don't believe that any lecturer is better than another.They're all equal.Until I see a lecturer who can actually teach at a pace that can suit everyone's learning pace,then I'll say that he/she is a good lecturer.

The audit lecturer was telling us about Internal Auditing yesterday and it got me thinking about the career path that I should choose.Right now,I'll say I'm not very sure which career path I should take.All I know is that I should try to get myself into one of the Big 4 and get some experience as an external auditor...I'm not very sure what will happen after that.I am still contemplating it.Lately,I found out about this branch of audit which is called Forensic Auditing.It's very much like how the forensic team of the police force look for evidence in a crime scene.It's just that in Forensic Auditing,they look for evidence in a company which has gone wrong and discover what it is that caused it.I hope what I think about forensic auditing is exactly what it is.It appeals to me because I've actually thought about taking up a degree in Forensic Science...but I abandoned that because of lack of job prospects.I guess Forensic Auditing appeals to me because it's similar to Forensic Science.Anyway,I think I should really get more information on what this field involves before making up my mind.The lecturer just suggested that Internal Auditing is a good field to get into because it is here to stay for a long,long time.And currently,Internal Auditors with the suitable qualifications are highly sought after.Since external auditing is kind of a saturated field,it might be good to consider internal auditing.I really don't know what I want to be right now.Such doubts don't make me feel good about myself.I really hope I can see a clear career path before I graduate.

Am very disappointed with my Progress Test 2 results.Only 55 for Paper 2.5...it's very much below expectations.I really thought I could get 60 and above but I guess I'm still not answering the theoretical questions the way it should be answered.I really need to write faster during exams.At least I passed for 2.5 but I am very disappointed with my Paper 2.6 result.I got a 47.5...when I thought I could get at least 50.I know I didn't finish one question but I really thought I got enough marks to pass.But I'm glad to know that I did well for questions on audit procedures.It's just the other questions which dealt with controls that I didn't do well in.So I know where I should focus on now.And I know I have to write and think faster as well.Must not dwell too long on a question.I would have passed 2.6 comfortably if I had time to finish the last question which was the simplest among all because it only deals with identifying audit risk.I love these questions because there is always lots to write.But then again,whether I pass the these Progress Tests or not does not matter.It's only used to gauge how much I understand.Now I have to focus my attention on what really matters,the real ACCA exam in December.I must say I'm worried about whether I can pass Papers 2.5 and 2.6...I'm beginning to feel jaded.I am starting to get tired of this cycle of sitting for exams.Motivation level is low as well.I hope I'll start feeling more optimistic soon.

Banks...Most Inconvenient Places

2006-10-02T22:29:00.000+08:00

Since my father is now working in Taiwan,somebody has to take care of the bills at home.So my father has given me the responsibility of paying the bills and to bank in any cheque that arrives in the post.I wouldn't complain about this responsibility if it wasn't for the banks.The utility bills are paid through credit cards anyway so I don't have anything to complain about that.But the credit card bills still have to be settled.It's very convenient if the credit card company encourages the user to send the cheque by post and they've provided an envelope with address pre-printed.All I have to do is to write the cheque and then post it.No long queues or trouble finding a parking space.However,if I have to bank in a cheque or a credit card company does not encourage posting of cheques,then I'll have to bring the cheque to the bank.And it's very annoying that banks are always found in the busiest areas of the town.There is always difficulty in finding a parking space and there's always a long queue at certain hours at the bank.And something very strange is that all the different banks like to place themselves in close proximity to each other in a stretch of shoplots,causing traffic congestion along the street at all times of the day.Is it necessary to be so competitive?These banks are only causing inconvenience to the customers in terms of finding a parking space.Sure,it's convenient if you happen to have an account with many different banks and they are all situated in the same place.But how many people actually open so many different bank accounts with different banks?I don't think there are that many rich people around.The worse thing that can happen is that after going around the area for the 3rd time,I finally get a parking space.After entering the bank,I find out that the cheque deposit machine is out of service.Great!Then I'll have to drive to another branch of the bank...which also happens to be located in the busiest part of the town and parking space is hard to come by.I've wasted so much of time just paying the bills last Saturday because of these banks.The only reason I can think of why banks are always located in a busy area is to prevent thefts.But really,who would rob a bank in broad daylight anyway?It's not like weapons like guns are freely available in Malaysia.If you think you can rob a bank with a parang,I think you've got a loose screw in your head.Sure,lately there have been many reports of people trying to steal the ATM from banks.The whole machine!How stupid.Do they even know how heavy it is?All the reported cases of ATM theft has been unsuccesful.They just left the ATM behind halfway because it's too heavy.But credit have to be given to them as they managed to get the machine out of the wall.Apparently,they tied the machine to the car and used the car to pull it out of the wall.Haha.

At least the bills for the previous month has been dealt with.Will only have to deal with them sometime later in October.Time does fly very fast.My ACCA exam is only 2 months away now.My goodness.And I know I haven't even started proper revision.I know I should start as soon as possible but the truth is,I keep forgetting all that I have studied.This situation reminds me of an e-mail I received a long time ago which goes something like "The more I read,the more I forget.So why study?"I can't remember the begining part of this saying though.Well,so I really feel that way.The more I read,the more I forget.So I have to start from the beginning everytime I revise.That's why I take so much of time to study.And people ask me why I spend so much of time studying.It's because I can't keep the facts in my head.Maybe there's just something wrong with the way I study.Perhaps I have to make use of mind maps so I can see the whole picture of a topic,and remember the topic through the main titles.Sounds easy,but it's not always easy to identify which parts go where.It's easy enough to study if the subject only requires understanding,but some subjects don't always need understanding.And some subjects requires both understanding and memorising of facts.I remember some and then I forget some.Sigh...if only my brain's storage capacity can be expanded like those handphone memory capacity through expansion slots.

The away jinx has hit Liverpool again.When a team has lost 3 of its away games in a row,I think it is jinxed.It's so stupid the way they always lose away.There's always a dubious refereeing decision involved.And the team is stupid as well because they can put so many shots on goal but can't score.If matches are won by shots on goal,Liverpool would have won all their matches and will have no problem winning future matches.Why is it so different when they play away?It's just the venue is different and there is more of the home supporters in the stadium.But it's not like the players can differentiate who they are cheering for anyway because it's just so noisy the whole time that it makes no difference after a while.Are the players at fault?I don't know...maybe every team in the Premier League is just out to get Liverpool.I mean,which team wouldn't want to beat Liverpool?They have nothing to lose.If they beat Liverpool,then they can brag about it.If they lose,they'll just say we lost to Liverpool,which is a good team.But there's only one team who will never admit that Liverpool can play better than them,and that's Chelsea.Jose Mourinho will never say they lost to Liverpool because they played better.The day he says such a thing,I will win the lottery.

Da Vinci Farce

2006-09-29T22:59:00.000+08:00

I only watched The Da Vinci Code movie a few days ago(yes,very outdated but there are reasons for me not watching it earlier) and I think it isn't such a great movie after all.I haven't read the book though but I guess the book must have been better than the movie because it wouldn't have sold so well and many people have told me that it's good.However,for the movie,I don't think anybody has come up to tell me that it's nice.Sure,there's Tom Hanks and Sir Ian McKellen (aka Gandalf or Magneto) both acted very well but the story and revelations in the movie...maybe it's just the way some scenes are acted out that make them look out of place.But what I found ridiculous was the ending of the movie when it is revealed where the Holy Grail is hidden.It's laughable.I am no Christian but I think I understand why some Christians think The Da Vinci Code is so ridiculous.I think I still prefer the idea that the Holy Grail is actually a cup rather than the remains of a dead person.Haha...it's just more believable to me.

It's the holy month of Ramadan again.So many new food stalls are being set up around the housing area.I haven't tried any of those food yet...would like to but there is always so many people buying the food that there isn't enough parking space for everyone.I long for ketupat and beef rendang.I just love beef...I don't know why.Especially beef rendang.I don't think there's any dish such as beef rendang outside of Malaysia.Maybe there are in Malaysian restaurants outside Malaysia but I think it just wouldn't taste the same there.It's only what I think anyway...haven't eaten any beef rendang outside of Malaysia before.It's ironic that I'm born in the year of the cow and yet I love to eat cow meat.Haha.

I love a loud honk for my car.That's because it feels great to sound the honk when someone is being selfish on the road.It's just so sad lah.Accidents nearly always happen because of people's selfish behaviour.I noticed a lot of road users(pedestrians,motorcyclists,car drivers and lorry drivers to name a few) are always looking out for themselves only.Is it so difficult to look out for others as well?It's not like you're the only one on the road.And those poor animals that stupidly wandered onto the road...road users should look out for them too and not just run them over.They're innocent.A month ago,I saw at least 3 dead cats on the route that I use to get to college.How horrible.At least I think they are cats.Some are so mutilated that it might have been a huge rat.Okay,back to these people being selfish...I'll admit I used to be one of these selfish road user.I only looked out for myself.But a year ago and after 2 car accidents,I started to realise that no matter how much I looked after myself,I will still not be able to prevent accidents because I'm not the only road user on the road.I really do think the chances of me hitting someone is very much lower compared to the chances of somebody else hitting me.So I could at least increase my chances of preventing an accident occuring if I looked after myself and also other road users.Sometimes I see the selfish things some drivers do,it really makes me feel like slapping that person.Zebra crossing also don't give way to pedestrians...what kind of brains does the driver has?And what's so wrong about giving way to other people?It's not like you win anything if you get to go first.Sure,you may lose a little bit of your time but what's the rush?You rush and rush and then you still end up having to wait at a traffic light junction.But this doesn't mean it's alright to stop someone from rushing by being a road-hogger.Being a road-hogger is the ultimate display of selfishness,in my opinion.Other than selfishness,ignorance in road users is also very bad.Although,I think many road users in Malaysia do know the rules but they just don't bother to obey them.Sigh,I'm still hoping that changes will happen for the better.Must be optimistic.Look on the bright side of life and I will not feel so miserable all the time.

A Moment of Absent-Mindedness

2006-09-24T21:53:00.000+08:00

I did the silliest thing today.And I didn't even realise it at the moment when it happened.It was only about 9 hours later did I realise it.I left my car keys in the ignition today.Of course,I've switched off the engine,it's just that I didn't pull it out.How stupid.It's a good thing my car was parked in the colllege's carpark,which is heavily guarded.I felt so stupid when I realised later that I couldn't find my car keys and then it suddenly hit me that I didn't even take it out of the car.This happened because it rained quite heavily when I arrived in college...and I only bothered about bringing the umbrella out of the car.I'm just glad nobody stole my car.It's so easy to steal it if it was parked anywhere else but the college's carpark.Just open the door and turn the key that's still in the ignition.It's a good thing such a thing don't happen often for me.The only other time I left the key in the ignition after switching off the engine was when I parked the car in my house's porch.So that wasn't so bad.Anyway,I definitely do not want a repeat of this situation again.

It's surprising to read about the military coup in Thailand.The military just decided to take over the control of the country just like that.It's just so not right.I wonder why the military actually listens to the King rather than the Prime Minister.Sure,the Thai people have not been happy with their Prime Minister lately but still,they had a snap election earlier in the year and the opposition party actually boycotted it...so the Prime Minister's party won hands down.Then it turns out that the election was not valid,but Thaksin still is the Prime Minister.What a confusing state Thailand is in right now.Funny how the people didn't resist the military.I guess they are happy with the situation.But surely it will be so unusual to see tankers parked around the city roads.I know I'll never see such a thing happen in Malaysia.The only unusual thing that happened for the past week was when somebody noticed a suspicious looking plastic bag full of something outside the USA Embassy.They thought it might be a bomb, so the bomb squad came in and used their robot to open up the plastic bag to see what's inside it.Turned out that it's only rubbish inside the plastic bag.LOL.I wish I was there to see that.

Is Liverpool actually on an unbeaten run right now?2 wins in a row...I know both are home matches but if Liverpool can continue with this run of form,I think they can be unbeaten until the season is over.Although it'll be nice for it to continue on and on but it's not likely because football teams will generally meet a bad patch once in a while.Which happens often instead of once in a while for Liverpool.But let's hope this season Liverpool will actually be title contenders as expected.Dirk Kuyt sure is on a scoring spree.Perhaps he'll do what he's bought for...score 20 goals a season.However,Craig Bellamy is missing a lot of chances.Every match he's had good opportunities but just can't finish it.Awful...I'd prefer Peter Crouch in there though it wouldn't make much difference cause he misses a lot of chances too.But at least Crouch is a nuisance in the penalty box which gives Liverpool an edge in that area.Now Liverpool have so many strikers.Poor Fowler though...he hasn't started since the first EPL match of the season.Perhaps he'll be back soon.I still think he's a good striker,it's just that he's slower now but he does get into good positions.Well,whoever starts I don't really care,as long as they score goals for the team.Goals and points are all that matters.

Awesome Goal!

2006-09-21T23:03:00.000+08:00

Xabi Alonso's goal last night is definitely a contender for best goal of the English Premier League,if it isn't already.I've never seen anyone score a goal from beyond the midway line.It's just amazing...of course,some might argue that the goalkeeper might have saved it if he hadn't slipped but you gotta give credit to Alonso's vision and accuracy.From all the way in the midway line,he can spot that the goalkeeper is off his line and managed to strike the ball with the right pace and accuracy so that it'll go into the goalmouth nicely.It's definitely not a fluke shot at all.But still,I think the goalkeeper won't be able to catch it even if he did not slip because the ball was travelling quite fast and high.He's done it before in the FA Cup tournament last season but that time it was an empty goal.So this one is better,in my opinion.So,Xabi Alonso's picture will definitely be included with this post...it's a tradition of In My Shoes to post a picture of Xabi Alonso whenever he scores a goal for Liverpool.Haha.I think I need to get a new picture of Xabi Alonso already.I've been using this picture since last year.

Since I'm in the mood to blog about all my favourite things,I think I want to put up a picture of The Corrs too.Been listening to a lot of their songs lately.Sheesh...how can I even think that I was bored of them just a few months ago?Their songs are timeless and I'll never get bored of them.Been making up for lost time by downloading a lot of their videos which are mostly performances on TV and interviews which were aired in Europe mostly.I don't know why I just didn't do this earlier.I missed out on so much,definitely.Maybe it was because I didn't know where to download them from last time.I think I have to blame form 6 for this ignorance.Form 6 made me become such a nerd that I hardly had time for anything else but study.But at least Form 6 did make me become smarter,in some ways.I guess I would be fine if I were to continue studying science-related subjects now.But since I chose to study accountancy instead,I can't use much of what I learnt in Form 6 except for Maths.Well,it's a challenge for me and one that I relish because I am learning a lot of new things as well.I love learning new things but studying is a whole different story.

The Corrs : One Big Happy Family

Mr.Obi-Wan Has Arrived

2006-09-18T22:45:00.000+08:00

At least there is something to cheer me up for this week.Actually,I felt better already this morning when I found out that Manchester United lost to Arsenal...it doesn't feel so bad if Liverpool lost and they lost as well.I know Liverpool is still at the bottom half of the table,but it's still early days.But really,Liverpool is really dropping too many points at this stage.Perhaps from the next match onwards,they will start on an unbeaten run that will last for the rest of the season.Haha...oh,yes,the thing that is cheering me up a little is my Obi-Wan Kenobi figurine.Just collected it today.It is bigger than I expected.12-inch figure...it looks so small in the pictures.Haven't really got it out of the box properly...there's a lot of stuff in it.Will savour the opening process tomorrow.I've got an early bird discount on the figurine because I ordered it way back in January.Now only the stock arrived.What a long wait.But I'm satisfied with it.Cool toy it is.Better than Barbie Doll because this one can move more than a Barbie Doll and the clothes and accessories are much nicer than Barbie's.Moreover,no messy hair to comb.I used to like the hair of the Barbie dolls the most but later when they start getting tangled up,I really got fed up with them.

I am contemplating to buy Obi-Wan's Force FX lightsaber as well.Actually,I've been contemplating this since May.Now I've got more doubts in buying it because something else has caught my eye and it requires funds.I can't possibly get the lightsaber and a new handphone with the amount of money I have...actually,I could but then it wouldn't be wise to do so.Savings are meant for rainy days,not for spending on indulgences of mine.I'll just have to play the waiting game again and see how things turn out.This handphone that I like is the new one from Motorola..it's the Moto Krzr K1.It looks so so good.And the functions are pretty alright...2MP camera,can record videos and comes with a memory expansion slot as well.But what I really like is the design.Lovely...I think I tend to prefer form over substance when it comes to items.Just like my car.Now this Krzr K1 is quite decent in terms of functions but I just found out that its screen can only display 65k colours...that's really lousy for today's standards.I still need to find out the price though.It hasn't been launched in Malaysia yet.But I really like the way it looks.It's so stylish.Maybe I should look at Samsung's range of slim phones as well.They look very nice too.
I know Sony Ericsson is coming out with a new 3G phone that looks as good as the Krzr K1 but the phone is very much thicker...that phone definitely has both form and substance.But then again,I might just decide not to buy a new handphone.Mine is still usable anyway.My trusty SE T630...dropped it quite a number of times but it's still alright.Haha,I really have not much of complaints about my current phone really,except for the lag during SMS typing and it's ringing sound is too soft.I guess I'll wait it out.Maybe I should just try my luck by buying lottery tickets.Maybe I'll get rich and get to buy everything I want.

Feeling The Blues Again

2006-09-17T23:26:00.000+08:00

Don't I hate football teams in blue now.Just last week Liverpool lost 3-0 to Everton,who happens to wear blue jerseys and today,Liverpool has lost to Chelsea 1-0.Stupid teams in blue.I don't know what's wrong with Liverpool...it's not like they played very badly.They have their chances...they attack and attack but just can't put the ball into the goal.I know Chelsea didn't exactly get many chances on goal but they still scored a goal,compared to Liverpool who had more chances on goal than Chelsea.Just like the match against Everton,Liverpool had double the shots on goal compared to Everton but they scored 3 and Liverpool didn't score any.It's just so sad.I thought with the new strikers like Craig Bellamy and Dirk Kuyt,Liverpool will start scoring goals like nobody's business.Guess I'm wrong again.Am too optimistic with Liverpool's prospects.Perhaps I shall just adopt the prudent concept as all accountants should in making estimates.I shall just assume that Liverpool will only score a maximum of 2 goals for every match and they will concede at least 2 goals for every match.Somehow I don't think I will feel any better if I think like that.Hopefully Liverpool will do better in the Champions League.Even if Liverpool can't win the EPL,they should at least be challenging for the Champions League.Should at least reach the semi-finals.This is definitely not good times for Liverpool fans.

Progress Test 2 is over.Now there's the Mock Exam to look forward to.How lovely.At least I feel that I've done better for Progress Test 2 compared to the first one.At least I don't have enough time to finish the Audit paper because I know how to do them,just that I spent too much of time on the questions at the beginning.Previously,I didn't have enough time to finish because I kept having to think very hard to come up with answers.For 2.5 however,the calculation questions were a little bit more simple than I expected.I expected some complicated adjustments to be done,but those adjustments were pretty simple.There wasn't even any Excess Depreciation Adjustments.Haha.However,the first question was definitely odd.Many of us obtained a negative goodwill on consolidation but the questions states that there is goodwill impairment.It's just contradicting since a negative goodwill can never be impaired.So I'm thinking the question is wrong or the lecturer just wanted to mess with our minds a bit.Besides the Progress Test,one of my brother's rabbits has got a mite infection.I've had to feed it medicine everyday because my brother is at work.Why do I always have to become his pets' caretaker?Last time he had 2 tortoises and I had to clean up their aquarium for him.He's so lazy lah.If I didn't help him take care of his pets,I think they would have died a long time ago.Good thing the tortoise has grown too big for the small aquarium so then we just decided to let it live in the fish pond.It's still there till today.I wonder why it hasn't ran away.Probably the tortoise likes it there since we feed the fishes twice daily and it can eat those fish food as well.Just like the rabbits,I am gaining weight too.Sigh...I haven't been exercising regularly.I feel I've become lazy.From 47 kg,I have gained 2 kgs in about 1 month's time.I think it's time for me to climb up the stairs in college again,no more elevator rides for me.

Well,what's going on in Malaysia now?Siti Nurhaliza is married now...erm,Tun Dr.Mahatir is still being outspoken as ever,though I feel he's treading on dangerous grounds now because he's challenging UMNO and the Prime Minister.It's creating a lot of unrest in the political arena definitely.Maybe there'll be a political war soon like we see happening in Star Wars.Perhaps a Darth Vader will appear and take over everything.Haha.Definitely this can only happen in my dreams.I'm 21 now and that means I am eligible to vote.The next general election will only be held in 2009...so until then,I won't have to decide which party I want to vote for.Though I still feel the people who have been voted to sit in the Parliament are doing a lousy job discussing issues affecting the country.Most of the time they are just discussing petty issues and behaving so rudely.I still feel the political system here is all wrong.I know it has worked this far and people aren't exactly suffering but we all know that it can be better than what we have now.By having racial political parties,it just doesn't facilitate racial integration.Everytime the politicians talk about Bangsa Malaysia,I feel like knocking on their heads for talking and not acting.Don't they realise that Bangsa Malaysia will not be achievable if there are still parties for the Malays,Chinese and Indians?They should just do away with this system and start forming political parties which represent the interests of all Malaysians,not just one race.I wish I could form one.I really do.But right now,I don't have the resources nor the knowledge and skills to lead a political party.Sure,they can say there's stil the Barisan Nasional...but Barisan Nasional isn't even a political party...it's just a coalition of political parties which represent each race in Malaysia and a little bit more.I know there's the Parti Gerakan,DAP and PPP which recruits members from all races but still there's an inbalance in their members in terms of racial composition.Guess I'll just have to wait and see how things turn out.I do hope things will change for the better.And I'd rather see it change sooner than later.